Air International

Scene Headlines
Dave Allport and Malcolm English report on the announcement that Concorde will be retired by the end of October, and review Operation Iraqi Freedom.

Airscene
Military, commercial and aerospace industry news from around the world, compiled by Dave Allport.

Airscene Commercial Accidents
Chronological list compiled by Dave Allport.

Airscene Special Report On Air Power Over Iraq
Alan Dawes looks at the new weapons and strategy used by coalition forces during the war in Iraq for its effects-based-operations.

Wizard Helicopter In Service
Dave Allport reviews the current status of the EH 101 as it becomes established in service with the RAF, Royal Navy, Canadian Forces and Italian Navy.

A Stretch Too Far, A Shrink Too Many - The Elusive 100-Seat Jetliner Market
As noted by René J Francillon, this market segment is proving particularly challenging for the aircraft manufacturers.

Aerostar Turns 50
Danut Vlad charts the spectacular developments in Aerostar's fortunes over the last decade.

Maritime Patrol
Whilst there are no longer major submarine or large battle-group threats, there is still a real need for maritime patrol aircraft. Jon Lake looks at the aircraft presently carrying out the role and at how their tasks have changed.

Renaissance Of The Heavy Bomber?
Heavy bombers have played a critical role in the recent air campaigns over Afghanistan and Iraq, and the USAF 'triad' of B-1, B-2 and B-52 is scheduled to remain in service until at least 2040. Carlo Kopp considers the upgrades and new weapon systems being introduced to improve their capabilities.

Fundamentals Of Airliner Design - Part 14 Structures And Materials Ii
In the 14th of a multi-part series, Ray Whitford looks at the emergence of fatigue and examines the design philosophies to deal with it.

Russian Upgrade Wars
Mark Ashley completes his look at the numerous up-grade programmes on-going and proposed for Russian military aircraft in which Russian manufacturers are fighting for business against what appears to be an increasing number of foreign aerospace and systems companies.

Airdata File
Technical data and illustrations, including a general arrangement drawing, of the Owj Industrial Complex JT2-2 Tazarve, collated by Alan Dawes.

In Print
Reviews of some recent books received.