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MANILA (AFP) - A Qantas Boeing 747 flying to Melbourne made an emergency landing in Manila on Friday after a dramatic mid-air rupture that left a "gaping hole" in its fuselage, officials and passengers said. Stunned passengers reported how the jumbo, which had taken off from London and stopped in Hong Kong, plunged 20,000 feet (6,000) metres in what one said was an "absolutely terrifying" ordeal...

A MELBOURNE-BOUND Qantas jumbo jet plunged 20,000 feet today after a 1.5m hole in the fuselage caused a rapid decompression. Witnesses said there was a bang and a rush of wind before oxygen masks fell and the plane began an emergency descent. The plane was about 320km out of The Philippines capital Manila en route from Hong Kong when warning lights alerted pilots to the decompression in the cargo hold. “The aircraft had a rapid decompression and at the same time there's been some damage to the fuselage,” an Australian Transport Safety Bureau spokesman said. “As a result of the...

I'm writing this sitting in a Singapore Airlines double-decker Airbus A380 bound for the carrier's home city. We're at 35,320ft and I'm up in tech heaven. I have my Eee PC 900 open in front of me, its meagre battery being kept topped up from the power socket in the armrest to my right. My iPhone is sitting on the fold-out table next to the Eee – it's being charged from the USB port to the right of the large, crisp , decent-resolution seat-back LCD. There's a light under the screen that, when activated, provides illumination for my keyboard. If...

Boeing Co. could lift a fast-growing Columbia River Gorge aircraft business to new heights, under a nearly $400 million acquisition announced Tuesday. Bingen-based Insitu’s 360 employees are giddy about the news, which could bring payoffs for many, thanks to a company plan that allowed employees to own shares of the private business, said spokeswoman Tabitha Orlando. Insitu’s acquisition is part of a larger Boeing plan to aggressively grow its presence in the unmanned systems market, said Chris Chadwick, president of Boeing Military Aircraft. Boeing and Insitu have worked together since 2002, when the two businesses jointly began development of the...

All six crew members aboard a U.S. B-52 bomber that crashed into the Pacific Ocean off Guam earlier this week are dead, the U.S. Air Force said on Wednesday. The plane crashed on Monday, while on its way to participate in a flyover to mark a Liberation Day parade in Guam, a U.S. territory.

The first official image of a Russian-European manned spacecraft has been unveiled. It is designed to replace the Soyuz vehicle currently in use by Russia and will allow Europe to participate directly in crew transportation. The reusable ship was conceived to carry four people towards the Moon, rivalling the US Ares/Orion system. Unlike previous crewed vehicles, it will use thrusters to make a soft landing when it returns to Earth. I think the main roadmap is the agreement between the European and Russian space agencies. That is their Plan A Anatoly Zak In some respects, the capsule resembles America's next-generation...

BAE to develop unmanned aircraft with British Defense Ministry14 Jul, 2008, 2127 hrs IST, AGENCIES FARNBOROUGH: BAE Systems PLC said on Monday it will develop an unmanned aircraft that can drop laser-guided bombs and fire missiles in a program jointly funded by Britain's Ministry of Defense. BAE announced the plans for the propeller-powered vehicle, known as Mantis, at the Farnborough International Airshow, outside London, and displayed a full-size model on the tarmac. The deal with the Defense Ministry, which covers the first phase of development and flight testing only, is designed to demonstrate the potential of a large unmanned aircraft...

Sally, a nickname bestowed upon Barack Obama’s chartered 757 by some in the traveling press, has returned to service after undergoing a month-long makeover for the general election. Her inaugural flight - sans candidate - will be to Amman, Jordan, with a refuel stop in Ireland. There are 69 passengers on board, including 38 members of the press, Secret Service agents, and Obama staffers, including several of Obama’s top foreign policy advisors. The North American jet that flew Obama and his traveling crew around for much of the primary season was refurbished with new seats and power for each passenger...

A flying car resembling what the Jetsons drove could show up soon at a dealership near you.

NEW YORK (AFP) - Boeing on Monday signed a contract with Qatar for C-17 military airlift planes, the US aerospace giant said, without revealing how many of the long-range troop and cargo aircraft were ordered. ADVERTISEMENT The government of Qatar's purchase of the C-17 Globemaster III airlifter will provide "new strategic-airlift mobility capabilities" for the Qatar Armed Forces (QAF), Boeing said. The company did not give the value of the order but said it would begin deliveries from its Long Beach, California-based C-17 factory in summer 2009.

Crowds were left to marvel at the world's most advanced fighter jet, as the F-22 Raptor made its European debut at the Farnborough Air Show. Widely considered one of the world's most dangerous weapons, the audience watch in awe as the £71 million Raptor, built by Lockheed Martin, showed off its impressive bag of tricks in a 12-minute display. The Raptor is capable of hitting speeds of up to 1,500mph, more than twice the speed of sound, and has a range of 2,000 miles. It comes equipped with a 20mm cannon, six Aim-120 air-to-air missiles and two Aim-9 heat-seeking missiles,...

The Financial Times reports Taiwan has abandoned its interest in purchasing 66 block 52 F-16s from the US in an attempt to rescue a larger arms package sale before President Bush leaves the White House. The official said Taipei was no longer pursuing the F-16s, worth $5bn, as there now seemed no chance of success. "We are concentrating on the more basic, less controversial stuff right now," he said. After coming into office, President Bush had approved an arms package worth $11bn consisting of diesel-electric submarines, anti-submarine aircraft, and Patriot surface-to-air missiles. However Taiwanese government failed to approve the funding...

http://www.shreveporttimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080721/NEWS01/80720010&referrer=FRONTPAGECAROUSEL

Ktal has learned that a B-52 deployed from Barksdale crashed in the waters off Guam this morning. TheB-52 was scheduled to fly in Guam's Liberation Day parade, when for unknown reasons, the aircraft crashed. An extensive search is underway for the 6 crew members aboard that aircraft ...Their conditions are unknown.... we'll bring you more information as soon as it becomes available to us.

TOKYO (Reuters) - NASA has began unofficial negotiations with Japan's space agency on purchasing units of an unmanned cargo transfer spacecraft as the successor to its space shuttles, the Yomiuri newspaper said on Sunday. < > The H-2 Transfer Vehicle (HTV), which costs about 14 billion yen ($131 million) each, is being developed by the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) and domestic companies including Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Ltd and Mitsubishi Electric Corp, the Yomiuri said. < >

Sweden's Gripen competes with the F-35 By BOB COX rcox@star-telegram.com FARNBOROUGH, England — Just a few years ago, Lockheed Martin’s F-35 Lightning II joint strike fighter was widely viewed as the world’s leading next-generation, high-technology aircraft, with no strong Western competitor. That’s no longer the case. Saab, the Swedish industrial conglomerate better known in the U.S. for performance cars than airplanes, has impressed potential aircraft buyers with an aggressive marketing campaign for its upgraded Gripen fighter jet. Denmark and Norway, two nations that have invested in the F-35, are now holding competitions pitting the F-35 against the Gripen. Denmark is...

A plane full of British tourists including children had to make an unscheduled stop in Bermuda last night after a drunken passenger tried to open the door when the aircraft was 50,000ft over the Atlantic. Police boarded the First Choice Boeing 767-300 at Bermuda airport and led the man away after he had been abusive to other passengers and cabin crew. Passenger Dominic Carman, who was taking his wife and three children on holiday to Cuba, said: 'He was clearly very drunk.

FARNBOROUGH 2008: Why the Eagle stays near the top perch More than a quarter-of-a-century after it first flew and 24 years after its first Farnborough appearance, the F-15 Eagle is still sitting near the top of the fighter tree. Still in service with the USAF and continuing to play a vital front-line role with the air forces of Israel, Japan, Saudi Arabia and South Korea, the F-15 is winning orders in competition with newer fighters. Boeing remains confident of future sales and is convinced it can keep its production line open. It says the F-15 offers a range and payload...

TEHRAN (FNA) - Iran's Air Force chief announced that the Islamic Republic has successfully launched the production line of radar-evading "stealth" fighter jets. Brigadier General Ahmad Mighani was quoted by press tv as saying Tuesday that the new jets would significantly enhance the Air Force's combat and defensive capabilities. Iran has recently started manufacturing superior "Quick Reaction" tanks to increase its defense self-sufficiency. Iran has also developed an electro-optical surveillance system that acts as a viable alternative when radars fail to cover a particular range. "We have upgraded our air force fleet, radar-systems, and missile systems over the past few...

US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) trials of laser missile-dazzler defences on airliners have passed another milestone, with armaments maker BAE Systems announcing that its "JetEye" gear has made its first scheduled passenger flight. The JetEye-equipped plane, a Boeing 767 operated by American Airlines, made a routine trip from New York to Los Angeles. "BAE Systems worked closely with DHS and the airline industry to develop an effective response to potential terrorist threats," said Burt Keirstead, JetEye program director for BAE Systems in New Hampshire. "It took a combination of ingenuity and perseverance to get to this point, and everyone...

Nice new F-22 vid.

You can almost touch the planes as they roar over Point Shirley in Winthrop on their way to Logan Airport. The passengers were checked for explosives before they got on, however, a growing concern is what could happen away from the airport: Terrorist firing a shoulder launched-missile just outside the airport's property. The light weight weapons are becoming and more available on the black market, as many as 150,000 are believed to be in circulation and can easily bring down a plane. But now American Airlines is flying with new defensive technology on some of its New York to Los...

7/16/2008 - BAGRAM AIR FIELD, Afghanistan (AFPN) -- Fixed wing aircraft such as the C-130 Hercules, KC-135 Stratotanker and C-17 Globemaster III, can transform into aeromedical evacuation, or "aerovac," airframes, allowing medical personnel to care for larger patient loads, over longer distances, at higher altitudes, with a greater ability to care for the seriously injured. The 455th Expeditionary Aeromedical Evacuation Flight here, which is tasked to care for and transport patients from all over Afghanistan to Bagram Air Field, and run missions taking patients out of theater to Ramstein Air Base in Germany, can provide litter space for up to...

Washington, D.C. (AHN) - The Federal Aviation Authority is slated to issue Wednesday an order requiring aircraft jet fuel tanks to be upgraded in an effort to avert air disasters. The requirement's introduction coincides with the 12th anniversary of the ill-fated TWA Flight 800 which exploded in 1996. The Boeing 747-100 was on its way to Paris from New York when it exploded off Long Island. All 230 passengers and crew perished. According to an investigation by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), hot and highly explosive fumes in the aircraft's center tank ignited. A majority of other large planes...

Why Russia lacks aircraft carriers 17:05 | 16/ 07/ 2008 MOSCOW. (RIA Novosti political commentator Andrei Kislyakov) - Soviet military policies never called for building full-fledged aircraft carriers operating multi-role warplanes. Nor did Russia draft any clear carrier construction program at the turn of the century. On July 4, Admiral Viktor Kravchenko, former chief of the Russian Navy's Main Headquarters, said the country had to build a carrier fleet in the near future. This call is a reaction to reports of two aircraft carriers being built for the British Royal Navy. As before, Russia is reacting slowly to Western naval...

USAF Sees F-16 As Bridge Fighter Overseas Jul 16, 2008 By Amy Butler The U.S. Air Force is promoting Lockheed Martin's F-16 fighter as a "bridge" to eventual F-35 purchases by former Soviet satellite states now allied with the U.S., according to Bruce Lemkin, deputy under secretary of the Air Force for international affairs. Lemkin says the single-engine F-16 can smooth the transition from the "MiG 21 culture" to the Lockheed Martin F-35 in nations such as Romania. Bulgaria and Poland have already selected the F-16 for their fleets. And the United Arab Emirates is taking delivery of the most...

Joe Pappalardo got some crisp, high quality military close-ups of the Spirit of Kansas, the $1.2 billion stealth B-2 bomber that crashed in Guam last February. We published other images of the crash scene before.  Head to Popular Mechanics to see the official timeline of the crash. [Popular Mechanics]

PARIS (AFP) - Soaring oil prices are an "opportunity" which will speed up orders for new aircraft which consume less fuel, the chief executive of US aircraft giant Boeing James McNerney said in an interview published Sunday. "The high price of oil is speeding up the process of the oldest, least efficient planes being taken out of service because they are no longer profitable," he told the weekly Journal du Dimanche.

FARNBOROUGH 2008: Saab pitches Gripen NG as JSF alternative The export market for the Saab Gripen fighter is starting to take off. “It’s all happening at a tremendous pace” says Bob Kemp, senior vice president for international sales & marketing at Gripen International, the company that handles sales of the Swedish aircraft. In the days leading up to the show, Gripen International submitted a proposal to Switzerland, claiming the Gripen offered the most cost-effective and proportionate replacement for the Swiss Air Force’s ageing Northrop Grumman F-5E/F fighters. Rival aircraft such as the Dassault Rafale and the Eurofighter Typhoon would both...

FARNBOROUGH 2008: Indian carrierborne MiG handover inches closer Anatoly Belov, designer general of the Russian MiG Aircraft Corporation, says the first MiG-29K and MiG-29KUB aircraft will soon be delivered to the Indian Navy, more than 12 months later than the original scheduled handover. In January 2004, MiG won a contract to supply twelve single-seat MiG-29K aircraft and four MiG-29KUB trainers, as well as simulators and spare parts. Two of the aircraft were originally due to be delivered to the Indian Navy in June 2007 and six more in November 2007, with deliveries to be completed by 2009. But the MiG-29KUB...

The FAA has offered an unprecedented $100,000 bonus to air-traffic controllers throughout the country to lure them to the New York area's five understaffed radar centers - and has even begun trolling local high schools to recruit for the jobs. The FAA began its recruitment efforts in high schools and through online ads on MySpace and Craigslist because of a severe staffing shortage and lack of experience among workers at its air-control towers.   (edit) By 2011, 59 percent of all controllers will have less than five years on the job.  

FARNBOROUGH (Reuters) - Boeing Co (BA.N) struck first in its biennial battle with archrival Airbus by securing an order for 50 single-aisle 737 airliners as the world's biggest air show opened on Monday in Farnborough near London. The deal from upstart FlyDubai is worth $4 billion including an additional four aircraft to be sourced from lessor Babcock & Brown (BNB.AX). < > In a reminder of tensions overshadowing this year's event, a business jet in Israeli Air Force colors maneuvered onto the tarmac on Sunday packed with eavesdropping equipment in long, bulbous side panels. The converted Gulfstream jet is only...

FARNBOROUGH, England (AFP) - With record oil prices crippling airlines worldwide, Canadian planemaker Bombardier said here Sunday it planned to launch its eco-friendly CSeries single-aisle passenger jet in 2013. German carrier Lufthansa has signed a letter saying it was interested in buying 30 CSeries jets and possibly up to 60, Bombardier said in a statement. Launch customer Lufthansa could be followed by other airlines after Bombardier said it had received "significant interest" worldwide regarding the new plane. "The CSeries family offers the greenest single-aisle aircraft in its class," said Gary Scott, president of Bombardier Commercial Aircraft. "These game-changing aircraft emit...

In this edition: The Israel Air Force unveils a new squadron of warplanes said to be capable of striking Iran. Prime Minister Ehud Olmert's lawyers say they need more time to cross examine key witness Morris Talansky. Iran test fires a new round of missiles as U.S. vows to defend its allies

Indian Su-30 fighters depart for Red Flag exercise By Radhakrishna Rao An Indian air force contingent with eight Sukhoi Su-30MKI combat aircraft, two Ilyushin Il-78 air-to-air refuellers and one Il-76 transport has left India to participate in the 9-23 August multinational exercise Red Flag '08 at the US Air Force's Nellis AFB in Nevada. It will be the first time that the Russian-made Su-30MKI will participate in multinational manoeuvres involving US and other NATO fighters. India expects to spend around Rp1 billion ($23 million) on its participation in the air combat exercise. Sources in India's state-owned Defence Research and Development...

Su-35, a younger son of Su-27 18:21 | 09/ 07/ 2008 MOSCOW. (RIA Novosti military commentator Ilya Kramnik) -The first demonstration fight of the Su-35 on July 7, 2008 attracted much attention to this aircraft, which has been undergoing tests since February. The latest addition to the large T-10 (Su-27) family is to become the interim fighter for the Russian Air Force before fifth-generation aircraft are launched into mass production. The Su-35, more precisely the Su-35BM, is the second model of the T-10 family to carry that designation. The first Su-35 was manufactured 20 years ago, taking to the skies...

The Pentagon's announcement Wednesday that it will rebid the Air Force tanker contract was initially greeted as good news by most supporters of Boeing's bid for the $35 billion job. But U.S. Rep. Norm Dicks, D-Bremerton, emerged from a Defense Department meeting Wednesday afternoon convinced that the Pentagon is fixing the new contest in favor of Northrop Grumman and partner European Aeronautic Defence & Space, parent of Airbus. He said he learned from Pentagon acquisition chief John J. Young Jr., the man controlling the rebid, that the revised contract criteria will give credit to the larger Northrop-EADS plane for having...

Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates said yesterday that the Pentagon will hold a new, fast-tracked competition to replace the Air Force's aging fleet of aerial refueling tankers, a move that overturns the previous award of the contract to Northrop Grumman. The decision follows criticism of the selection process by the Government Accountability Office and underscores the sharp divisions over the contract. The deal to replace the Air Force's entire fleet could be worth up to $100 billion over the next two decades. Gates said he expects the Pentagon to choose a new winner by the end of the year. On...

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Army said on Wednesday it might cancel a $6.2 billion Textron Inc (TXT.N) armed helicopter program after finding that projected costs had soared more than 40 percent above initial estimates. One possibility is that the Armed Reconnaissance Helicopter, or ARH, being built by Textron's Bell Helicopter unit, could be "terminated" after a mandatory review, but the Army has a critical need for its capabilities, said Paul Boyce, an Army spokesman.

Secretary of Defense Robert Gates announced Wednesday that Northrop Grumman and Boeing will have to submit revised proposals for the Air Force’s highly contested aerial refueling tanker program. The Pentagon chief's decision comes after the Government Accountability Office (GAO) upheld Boeing's protest of the Air Force's decision to award the contract to Northrop Grumman and EADS North America, the parent company of Boeing rival Airbus. “I have concluded that the contract cannot be awarded,” Gates said at a Pentagon news conference. Northrop Grumman won the heated competition on Feb. 29, but is currently under a stop-work order. The decision means...

Some Senators are being quoted that the Air Force tanker project that Boeing lost will be rebid. Freepmail me for details, or wait about 20 minutes for general announcement.

AIRLINES are desperate. With jet fuel over $4 per gallon and still climbing, American, United and other major carriers are raising fares, cutting flights, trimming fleets and laying off pilots. They're also ordering fuel-efficient Boeing 787s and Airbus A350XWBs — the new generation of plastic planes. These new aircraft promise 20-percent-lower fuel consumption. Replacing heavier traditional aluminum alloys, 50 percent of their skins, panels and load-bearing structures are comprised of lighter, stiffer carbon-fiber-reinforced-plastic (CFRP) composites. Then add the latest, most fuel-efficient engine technology. Sounds good. But beneath these advantages danger lurks — novel maintenance challenges for which neither airlines nor...

CALGARY - A private Calgary company and the world's biggest aircraft maker plan to build a "blimp on steriods" - an airship filled with helium and powered by big rotors that can be used to haul heavy equipment to remote areas where there are no roads, including northern Canada. Calgary's SkyHook International Inc. announced Tuesday it is teaming up with Chicago-based Boeing Co. (NYSE:BA) to build the so-called Jess Heavy Lifter, or JHL-40, which will haul steel, huge trucks and other equipment in remote areas where ground transportation may not be an option. The SkyHook JHL-40 heavy-lift rotorcraft looks like...

Iranian fighter jet crashes in southwest 7/7/2008 TEHRAN - An Iranian US-made F5 fighter jet crashed in the southwestern Khuzestan province, the official IRNA agency reported on Monday. The accident took place at 10:00 am local time (0530 GMT) at the Omideh military base. No details were given on casualties or the circumstances of the incident. The Iranian air force has been hit hard by the US embargo on selling spare parts and new jets to Iran, which means the country must work intensely to find spare parts to keep its fleet in the air. Many of Iran's planes are...

The National Transportation Safety Board said Monday that it is investigating what caused Senator Barack Obama’s plane to make an unexpected landing today in St. Louis. The presumptive Democratic nominee for president was traveling from Chicago to Charlotte when the pilot's first officer announced that they were experiencing controllability issues with the pitch of the MD-80 series aircraft. Those on board were told the issue was a "minor little problem," and the plane remains in St. Louis this afternoon for maintenance. In statements today, the NTSB called the incident "an uneventful precautionary landing" and Midwest Airlines, the carrier that runs...

5. John F. Kennedy, Jr.- July 16, 1999 Jfk2 John F. Kennedy, Jr., son of the 35th president, died along with his wife Carolyn Bessette when their plane crashed into the Atlantic en route to Martha’s Vineyard. Kennedy was piloting his Pipier Saratoga II HP on a dark and hazy night when the crash occurred. It is believed that Kennedy, who had not yet been qualified for instrument flight rules conditions, was likely disoriented by the conditions.

Let's Solve the Tanker Mess by Gen. John Handy Most of us in the Air Force mobility community were a bit surprised by the decision to buy the quite large Airbus-330 tanker instead of the smaller Boeing 767 tanker. But the real shock was in the unusually harsh language used by the Government Accountability Office in overturning that decision. It was the harshest language used to overturn an action by the Air Force that I have read in my entire career. In that career -- spanning 39 years in the Air Force -- I was fortunate enough to have been...

Local authorities say a flower-laden U.S. cargo plane headed for Miami has crashed near the Colombian capital, killing two people on the ground. None of the plane's crew have been reported killed Monday, although some are injured. It is the second crash in two months of a Boeing 747 flown by Kalitta Air of Ypsilanti, Michigan. advertisement Madrid village Mayor Diego Humberto Sicard says the plane hit a ranch roughly 15 miles (25 kilometers) northwest of Bogota at 3:50 a.m. (4:50 a.m. ET). He says the two people who died, Pedro and Edwin Suarez, lived in a small house on...

Saab updates sales vision for next-generation Gripen By Niall O'Keeffe Saab's Gripen Demo aircraft, intended as a bridge to the next generation version of the fighter, has completed its third test flight, and is expected to log between 40 and 60 by year-end, as the project builds towards its second phase. In its Phase I guise the demonstrator incorporates a new landing gear and weapons pylons, plus a General Electric F414G engine. Phase II upgrades will include a new modular avionics system, which Saab says will use layers and partitions to isolate system components and separate flight-critical from mission functions....