Archief - [News] Luchtvaart nieuws

ST_SNAKE zei:

Had dit toestel nu ook als bestemming edinburgh of is die brand gewoon in-flight opgetreden onderweg naar de states of zo?

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Den Freddie zei:

haalt een A310 de States eigenlijk wel?

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ST_SNAKE zei:

normaal wel, ge moe nie verder gaan dan de oostkust maar t gaat

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TU-160 back in production

January 14, 2008: Russia is building heavy bombers again. It has built at least one new Tu-160, and this aircraft began flight testing last month. Production of the Tu-160 had ceased in 1994, with several of them partially completed. Apparently, this new aircraft is one of those left uncompleted in the 1990s. Lots of Russian weapons factories were shut down after the Soviet Union collapsed in 1991. That occurred, in part, because the Soviet Union was, literally, bankrupt. The defense budget was cut by more than two-thirds, and weapons production got hurt the most. The only plants that kept operating were those producing items for export. But many of the shuttered factories were preserved, and now many of them are in operation again, picking up where they left off.

The Tu-160 "Blackjack" is very similar to the U.S. B-1, but never really lived up to its potential. Still, it is the most modern heavy bomber the Russians have. It's a 267 ton aircraft, that can carry up to 40 tons of bombs and missiles, for up to 12,000 kilometers. The aircraft can refuel in the air. It originally entered service in 1987, and was built mainly to deliver cruise missiles. Noting the success of the B-1 in Afghanistan and Iraq with smart bombs, the Tu-160s were modified to do the same, in addition to retaining their cruise missile carrying capability.

Over the last eight years, Russia has revived its heavy bomber force. In the 1990s, most Russian heavy bombers were kept on the ground. But since 2001, heavy bombers have been refurbished and restored to service. This including getting some Tu-160s back from Ukraine (because half of the 36 Tu-160s built were stationed in Ukraine when the Soviet Union was dissolved, and thus belonged to Ukraine). Only about fourteen Tu-160s are still operational, plus about fifty Tu-22Ms and about the same number of Tu-95s. Exact numbers are not available on the Tu-22Ms and Tu-95s, because both of these aircraft serve other functions (reconnaissance, electronic warfare). Their ability to perform as heavy bombers depends on the current state of crew training and maintenance. Most of these aircraft are at least twenty years old, and spare parts are sometimes difficult to get. Factories had to be reopened, or new production lines established, to obtain needed parts. Increasingly, over the last seven years, heavy bombers have been increasingly showing up the Arctic, Pacific and Atlantic oceans, as well as the Black and Caspian seas. Some of these aircraft are firing cruise missiles, or simulating it, and practice bombing runs, during more frequent training flights.

This past Summer, Russian heavy bombers flew hundreds of sorties over land and water, including night aerial refueling (a tricky operation.) In terms of sheer numbers, the Russians have about as many heavy bombers in service (over a hundred) as does the United States. The American bombers are better equipped and more capable, but the Russian force is competitive, and now it is being expanded.

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Vliegtuig crasht net voor landingsbaan op Heathrow

Een vliegtuig van British Airways dat terugkwam uit Peking heeft vanmiddag een noodlanding moeten maken op de Londense luchthaven Heathrow. De Boeing 777 zette de landing te vroeg in en raakte voor de landingsbaan al de grond. Daarbij schoof het verder richting de zuidelijke landingsbaan op Heatrow. Het vliegtuig kwam een paar meter op de landingsbaan tot stilstand. Volgens de laatste berichten vielen er tussen de 136 passagiers zes lichtgewonden.

De hulpdiensten waren snel ter plaatse en de passagiers konden ook snel geëvacueerd worden langs de glijbanen. De precieze oorzaak van de noodlanding is nog niet bekend, maar volgens Scotland Yard is er geen sprake van een terroristische aanslag.

Eén van de passagiers, Fernando Pardo, vertelde de BBC dat er geen enkel probleem was tot het vliegtuig de grond raakte. "Het gebeurde zo snel dat we ons niet realiseerden wat er gebeurd was. Van paniek was er geen sprake", zo liet hij nog weten.

Een taxichauffeur zag het vliegtuig te laag de landing inzetten. "Het vloog maar net over mijn taxi", vertelde John Rowland aan de BBC. Andere ooggetuigen vertellen dat de wielen van het vliegtuig inklapten tijdens de landing.

Door het incident werden heel wat vluchten op Heathrow vertraagd. Ook het vliegtuig van de Britse premier Gordon Brown, die op rondreis vertrekt naar India en China, liep vertraging op. De zuidelijke start- en landingsbaan, waar de crash gebeurde, is gesloten. De noordelijke blijft open. (sps)

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epsilon zei:

Op het nieuws zeide ze net dat de piloot verklaard had dat alle elektronica ineens uitviel op short final ...

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BlueSkyraider zei:

Nooit gedacht dat da op Heathrow kon/zou gebeuren.

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