The List Gets Shorter

Mo;t defence pundits indicated little surprise at the in- lusion of the F15, F16 and the Tornado while few were left wondering about the acquisition timetable when the F18 and Mira e 2000 were listed. Mr Killen indicated in his statement that initial acquisition of one squadron of air-to-air aircraft would be introduced in 1983 with that unit becoming fully operational by 1985.

The existing Mirage force would by this time be firmly updated (avionic and weapons) and reduced to two 5quadrons to operate as a back-up to the new TFF aircraft. Indeed In this regime the Mirage, despite its age, would still acquit Its If well particularly when teamed with one of the hortllsted type ba ked up by Jindalee radar and perhaps our own WACS aircraft in the mid-eighties.

Ground auack, however, i a different story. AADR can-

not see the Mirage being a viable contender in this environ­ ment, particularly if the aircraft should ever be required (God forbid) to perform in the confined jungles of New Guinea or lrian Jaya. After all, the Mirage Ill is primarly an air-to-air design and using it in the low level role would only serve to increase airframe fatigue and so greatly limit the life of each aeroplane. We definitely would like to see a dedicated­ to-task GA STOL aircraft purchased for this role. Something home grown, designed and built here in Australia along the lines of Argentina’s Pucara or America’s Bronco COIN twins. But, that’s another story! All of the shortlisted aircraft do have a ground attack capability, some more than others, three of the five are twin­ engined, all exhibit a vast increase in per-capita combat effec­ tiveness over the existing Mirage and only ONE will be the winner. Therefore let us again examine each of these ex­ cellent aircraft.

At time of writing there were over 300 McDonnell Douglas F15 Eagle’s already in op ration with the USAF Ta – tical Air Command. Total orders to date approach 1000 units with overseas sales being made to Israel, Japan and Saudi Arabia. Current Eagle production rate is 10 aircraft per month and the TAC already have this type deployed at Bitburg AFB, West Germany where their Wing Commander boasts that one F15 wing can ably undertake the duties of four F4 wings. Quite a statement but quite a plane.

The Fl 5 is not a new aircraft. In fact the USAF propo al for such an air-superiority fighter dates back to 1965 just as the first US bombing missions over Vietnam were realising 1he combat inadequacies of many of the 1950s designed uper-sonics. First flight of the F15 took place in July, 1972 with the first TAC wing becoming operational less than four years later.

The F15 is powered by two Pratt & Whitney F100 tur­ bofans each developing 25,000 lb thrust to give the Eagle a 1 :1 power to weight ratio. The P&W F100 is also common to the F16 and has exceeded 100,000 operational hours with TAC, both airframe, avionics, systems and engines are fully developed and “de-bugged”.

No doubt the true forte of the Eagle is air superiority. With its vast resewe of brute power, an abundance of SEP to initiate combat manoeuvres not normally recommended and the ability to climb and accelerate vertically all leave the pilot with an aircraft which largely allows him to dictate the rules of the engagement. Armament comprises the well proven M61 Vulcan cannon, capable of firing 100 rounds per second, and a mix of AIM9 Sidewinder close-in IR missiles and the longer range radar guided AIM7 Sparrow. Throughout its life the Sparrow has not been short of problems though in its latest version it is fast becoming a formidable air-to-air weapon after an intensive redesign campaign in recent years. The Sparrow, if required, could be replaced by its British brother -the Skyflash, which utilises the Sparrow airframe combined with British Aerospace guidance systems.

Range is another major asset which endows the Eagle with superlatives. In the CAP role the F15 can operate with four Sidewinders and four Sparrows with a tactical radius of over 1100 miles. Add to that the unique Fast Pack (Fuel and Sensor Tactical Pack) and combat radius is increased to well in excess of 1600 miles. Addition of the Fast Pack, which can be installed or removed in 15 minutes, doubles internal fuel capacity allowing the Eagle a ferry range of 3600 miles, thereby treeing it from reliance on tankers in remote deployments. With the extreme shyness so far shown by the Department of Defence in acquiring tankers for the RAAF this last asset would have to equate to a king-sized plus for the F15.

While designed specifically as an air-superiority fighter, the F15 has proved equally suitable for air-to-ground missions without degradation to its primary role. It is able to carry a variety of air-to-ground stores including the latest technology PGM weapons, ECM pods and sensor packs, many of these systems can be carried as integral members of the Fast Packs thereby eliminating drag and freeing pylons for offensive stores. The Eagle has the long range Hughes APG-63 pulse doppler radar with full look-down capability and can also be used in the anti-shipping mode by using the Harpoon missile. Indeed the 110km range Harpoon combined with the long range and loiter capabilities of the Eagle present Australia with an ideal maritime strike potential.

General Dynamics F-16A Cutaway Drawing Key 1Pilot tube 2Radome 3Planar radar scanner 4Scanner drive motors 5ADF antenna 6 Front electronics equipment bay 7 Westinghouse radar electronics 8 Forward radar warning antenna 9Cockpit front bulkhead

In short, the F15 ideally fills the RAAF re uire every respect except pure all-out ground atta1k 8m ;” ‘” which the USAF definitely do not intend usin lhe. ir roe ‘” fighter. At around 10 to 11 million dollars a fl;awa,yu houh5t RAAF would be hard pressed to squeeze surti ient ;]” 1 from Treasury to purchase more than four dozen aircrafioll,u the coming decade. 0 er The smallest of the five aircraft is the General o”h .

, amK . However, “small” refers purely to its dimensions I . s1on performance as there has never before been an’ a7r m,• that epitomises the quart into a pint bottle theory. Inthisc;alt the F16 was designed from the outset to replace the F4 Ph ‘ tom and with over 5000 Phantoms operated by the bJJlk of free world’s major air arms it is easy to see that there w,1b1 lot of F1. 6s purchased in the years to co. me. lready ther 2000 units on order to half a dozen nations including 1388 1 the USAF; by 1981 it is projected that 20 F16s will be como pleted each month. •

22Cockpit frame construction 23Ejection seat headrest 24Cockpit canopy seal 25Canopy hinge 26Rear avionics bay (growth area) 27Cockpit rear bulkhead 28Boundary-layer splitter-plate 29Fixed geometry air intake 30Antenna 31Alt retracting nosewheel 32Shock absorber scissor link 33Retraction strut 34Nosewheel door 35Intake trunking 36Cooling louvres 37Gun gas suppression nozzle 38Air conditioning system pipes 39Forward fuselage fuel tanks 40Canopy aft glazing 41Drop tank. capacity 370 US gal (1 4001) 42Forbody blended wing root 43TACAN aerial 44Fuel tank access panel 45Cannon barrels 46Forbody frame construction 47M-61 rotary cannon 48Ammunition feed and link return chutes

53 Hydn!uhc ervic_ebay 64 Hvdraulic reservo11 56uadmg edge manoeuvre flap d11ve motor 66 Antenna 57No 2 hydraulic system ,eservo11 58Leadlf’IQ edge control $ha I 59Inboard pylon 60Wmg centre pylon 61Mk 8″2 600•lb (2i7-kg) oornbs 62Outj)oard wing pvton 63M sslle 1aunc:her shoe 64AIM·9L Sidewinder (Tliss1le 65Starboard nav1ga1 on llght 66Alumi111urn horievcornb lead,ng edge construction 67Srat,c d1s11hargers 68FlHd imlllng edge sectron 69MUl1t•. spar wing construction 70Integral wing f\lel tank 71Starboard flaperor, 72F1,1el syst rn pfp1119 73Ace pannls 74Cenue ruel tank panels 75Centre lusela9e fuel 1ank 76Intak0- duct 77Wirigmountlng bulkheads 78Fjlpht refuelling receptacle 79Prall& Wh11ney Fl 00-PW• t 00(3) turbofan 80Engine gearbox, airframe mmmted

81Gearbox drive shalt 82Ground pressure refuelling receptacle 83Flaperon servo-actuator 84 Rear fuselage frame construction 85Integral fuel tank 86Front engine mounting 87Antenna 88Fin root fairing 89Flight control system hydraulic accumulators 90 Anti-collision light power supply 91Starboard tailplane 92Graphite-epoxy fin skins 93Fin construction 94Aluminium honeycomb leading edge construction 95Steel leading edge strip 96Antenna 97Anti-collision light 98Tail radar warning antenna 99Aluminium honeycomb rudder construction 100Rudder servo-actuator 101Radar warning power supply 102Tail navigation light 103Fully variable exhaust nozzle 104Split trailing edge airbrakes (upper and lower surfaces) 105 Airbrake jack 106 Port tailplane 107. Static dischargers 108Graphite-epoxy tailplane skins 109Aluminium honeycomb construction 110Titanium tailplane spar 111Tailplane pivot mounting 112Tailplane servo-actuator 113Nozzle sealing fairing 114Fueldraulic nozzle actuators 115Afterburner tailpipe 116Rear fuselage bulkheads 117Rear engine mountings 118Formation light 119Chaff and flare dispenser 120Fuselage sidebody fairing 121Runway arresting hook 122Ventral fin, port and starboard 123 Port flaperon 124Flaperon hinges 125 Aluminium honeycomb flaperon construction 126Static dischargers 127Fixed trailing edge section 128 Port AIM-9L Sidewinder missiles 129Missile launcher shoe 130Port navigation light 131Wing tip missile launcher fixing 132Multi-spar wing construction

133 Mk 82, 500-lb (227-kg) . .

bombs 134Triple ejector bomb rack 135Port wing centre pylon 136Leading edge manoeuvre flap 137Leading edge rotary actuators 138Integral wing fuel tank 139Inboard pylon fixing

PILOT PRESS COPYRIGHT DRAWING

140Wing attachment plate 141Main undercarriage legs 142Retraction strut 143Mainwheel door 144Forward retracting mainwheel 145Port underwing tank, 370 US gal (1 700 I} 146Fuselage-centreline pylon 147Westinghouse AN/ALO 119- 1 electronic countermeasures radar jamming pod

1O Instrument panel shroud 11 Missile control electronics 12 Fuselage forbody strake fairing 13 Marconi-Elliot head-up display

14Side stick controller (fly-by- wire control system) 15Cockpit floor 16Frameless bubble canopy 17Canopy fairing 18 Ejection seat (30-deg tilt back) 19Pilot’s safety harness 20Throttle 21Side control panel

49Ammunition drum (500 x 20- mm rounds) 50Ammunition drum flexible drive shalt 51Hydraulic gun drive motor 52Leading edge control shaft

42 its heritage, comparisons of the F16 to the Phan- has become known as the HUD sight, is its “snap hoot” air­ tom are to be expected. The F16 can range twice as far, to-air gunsight display. It provides the pilot continuou ly with accelerate twice as fast, can carry a similar payload and can the simulated trace of the path which his bullets will take if turn in half the radius of the F4E. Impressive figures indeed the weapon is fired, superimposed on his view of the target1 for such a small, relatively economical fighter. so enabling a burst of fire to be directed accurately and The USAF plan to use their F16 wings to supplement the economically.

F15 in the air to air role and also, and more importantly, to The F16 is powered by the economical and well pr0ven fulfil ground attack roles in conjunction with the A10 brigade. P&W F100, as is the previously mentioned F15 Eagle. The F16 Therefore the F16 has a realistic degree of multi-role flexibili- specialises in an operational “envelope” of slow speed to ty. In typical mission profile the F16 can carry 11,000 pounds Mach 1. 7 from tree-top level up to 40,000ft. It can /ly higher of GA stores including full fuel and two Sidewinders, deliver and it can fly faster (particularly with the new variabl_e them to a target over 340 miles away and egress with sufficient geometry engine air inlet being developed by GD) but th• I I fuel for defensive combat, a fully armed M61 Vulcan cannon aircraft, it has to be remembered, was built specifically from and a heat-seeking Sidewinder on each wingtip. those valuable ‘lessons learnt during the hundreds of air-to-air The F16 embodies many new aspects of aerodynamic engagements over North Vietnam. As was the cas_e in that design. It features a blended wing body section, fly by wire theatre, and also the Middle East, the vast majority of a,r com­ controls, side mounted control stick and a 30 degree angle bat took place at close quarters at subsonic speed and bel0w seat to minimise pilot stress in high “g” manoeuvres. Export 20,000ft. It is in this environment that the F16 reigns supreme. versions will be available with Sparrow missiles to comple- . . The· F16 does possess many of the attributes that the ment the close-in Sidewinders though the former missile will RAAF require. Naturally due to its size it does not carry the not become operational on USAF aircraft. full multi-role spectrum as well as the others (barring th The F16 radar is a coherent, multi-mode, digital fire con- Mirage 2000) but at around six million dollars a flyaway copy 11 trol sensor designed to complement the air superiority and could be just what a fund-starved Treasury is looking for. strike roles of the F16. Half the size, half the weight and half The last American built contender is the F18.

the cost of previous radars, it provides four air-to-air and In the Ministerial Statement, Mr Killen made reference to seven air-to-ground modes. These modes are selected at will both versions of this advanced technology twin jet, namely by the pilot according to the mission requirement. the McDonnell Douglas F18A Hornet, and the Northrop f18L An outstanding feature of the F16 is the Marconi-Elliott The former aircraft is being built specifically for rhe US Navy Head-up-Display. An important feature of this system, which and US Marine Corps. Over 800 are on order to replace bothF4 Phantom and A7 Corsair II aircraft in both air superiority and ground attack squadrons of the USN/USMC.

The Northrop F18L (“L” for Land) is a mildly modified version of the Navy aeroplane which Northrop are marketing for the pure land-based role. Though b th types appear on the official shortlist we cannot imagine why the Navy version was included when, for Australia at least, the Northrop ver­ sion more specifically suits our own RAAF requirement. Therefore AADR will concentrate on the F18L, though as we have mentioned the difference between the two types is minimal.

Northrop have been able to trim some 4300 lb of carrier related equipment such as arrester hooks, heavy duty under­ carriage and additionally sophisticated carrier landing avionics’not required for land operation. By retaining the full Navy fuel capability, as Australia would, the F18L can then operate out to the incredible combat radius of 1200nm with

observer the advance in avionics of the past halfdoit•n Radar is the advanced Hughes APG-65 type with . e capabilities to that of the F15 Eagle, the -65 uniti al \irnb of accepting a ful! ground _attack capability as t j is oOne db(h fundamental design requirements of the aircraft in lh 1 instance. The F18L is able to operate all i tin, 1 weapons in addition to Condor and Harpoon an11- hi . ,d off weapons. ” . ir1 • All in all, the F18L looks !ike sel_ling very well inlhcv· . r to come. Its advanced design, wide spectrum o{ m· capabilities and a per unit flyaway cost in the r gion oft ’00 to eight million dollars would all seem to ens r this i: will provide Northrop with a worthy marketing su ce 1 ‘ 1 the famous FS family. r0 1O The first of our non-American aircraft to be revipv. •d the Panavia Tornado.

• rn rudder section ced ompos,te cI1on)

ed to fulfil similar mission profiles as that taken in E rope by the SAC F111 units, only at a much greater cost saving than the early technology American aircraft.

However, following on from the Minister’s preference for an air-to-air aircraft it is time we evaluated the forthcom­ ing Air Defence Version currently being developed for the RAF.

The ADV is around 80 per cent common to the IDS ver­ sion, the primary differences being a leng_t ened fuselage to accommodate additional fuel and a mod1f1ed radar. O_f the 385 on order for the RAF, 165 will be of the AD version. While the Warpac forces continue to increase at th_err pr sent rate we can only suggest that many more ADV versions well be ordered throughout the next dec de. The R F role for the ADV will be to intercept such hostiles as Backfire and Fenc r well clear of British airspace, a sort of European F14, and in

Panavia is an international venture compri rng th • 1 noulc aet\Jators

six air-to-air missiles underwig. In fact the F18L has similar overall mission capabilities to that of the F15 Eagle, yet in a much smaller, simpler to maintain and less expensive aircraft.

tion genius of Aeritalia (Italy), MBB (West German ) ‘1,m1 d 13ReIraction strut 14Landing/taxi lights

t p,p,, a11est r hook lairing Ill verI1cal tall surr ce

this role it looks a winner. Another ADV customer could be West Germany who will be looking to replace its venerable F4

Powered by two General Electric F404 turbofans each delivering 16,000 lb of thrust the F18L has so much brute power that it can go supersonic in level flight on military power alone. It is the only US aircraft that can go supersonic in level flight without using afterburner. In combat manoeuvring this is important as test pilots have already reported that by not having to use the fuel guzzling after­ burner a pilot can complete an air-to-air engagement with large quantities of fuel remaining as use of afterburner more than doubles fuel consumption. • Another asset of the F18L is that it is one of the later development types on offer. Radar, avionics, lift surfaces, etc. are of early to mid-seventies vintage instead of late sixties, with the ever-increasing advancement of technology this is a very important factor. The GE F404 engine for instance has about three times the reliability of the GE )79 (F104, F4, Kfir), has 14,300 parts as against 22,000 for the )79 while the F18L can undergo a complete engine change, in the shadow of the air­ craft (a USN requirement), in less than 22 minutes. The F18 also requires less than half the maintenance man hours as that required for the F4 Phantom. All this leads to real costs savings over the life span of an aircraft type, particularly in an age when personnel are making up the greater share of the defence budget.

Armament consists of the Vulcan 20mm rotary cannon (as used on both F15/F16), AIM9 Sidewinder and AIM7 Sparrow missiles allowing a full long-range radar and short-range IR capability with the gun as final back-up if required. All flight controls are fly-by-wire and the cockpit instrumentation is largely by digital read-out further impressing upon the

McDonneU Douglas F-ISA Eagle Cutaway Drawing Key 1Nose radome 2Hughes attack radar scanner 3Avionics racks 4Forward bulkhead 5Instrument panel shroud 6Gunsight/weapon-sight 7Curved windscreen (poly­ carbonate with cast acrylic surfaces) 8 Polycarbonate one-piece canopy 9Pilot’s headrest 10Ejection capsule (by McDonnell Douglas Corp) 11Port control console 12 Nosewheel door

PILOT PRESS COP'(RIGHT DRAWING

15Forward-retracting nose- wheel 16Nosewheel fairing door 17Port intake 18Variable inlet 19Inlet pivot line 20 Port missile station (Side­ winder. Sparrow or advanced missile) 21Avionics stowage 22Wing-intake fairing 23Flight refuelling receptacle 24Auxiliary intake (and grille) 25Canopy hinges 26Provision for second crew member (TF-15) 27Starboard inlet 28GAU- 7 20-mm gun barrels 29Ammunition drum 30Ammunition feed 31Dorsal speed-brake (shaded, shown retracted) 32Centre-section fuel tanks (4) 33Starboard wing tank 34Vent tank 35Aluminium wing skinning 36Honeycomb outboard leading-edge 37Starboard wingtip anIennae 38Fuel vent pipe 39Starboard aileron 40Aileron actuator 41Flap actuator 42Starboard flap

43Starboard Pratt & Whitney FlOO-PW-100 turbofan 44Aluminium vertical tail surface leading and trailing edges (honeycomb) 45Advanced composites construction 46Starboard stabilator 47ECM antennae 48Tail navigation and formauon keeping lights

ptul 101 pmdle (111 111um) 55 Alum1nIunI s1,1b1lator leading . inti trdlllng odqes (horwyoomb) 5 1h,laIor rorque boK (boron epo V ,k'”) 57 L tl,ng ed r. dOQ-IOOlh

available. Italy and Germany will largely be replacing F104 and Fiat G91 types in the strike role.

Tornado makes a lot of sense for a country such as Australia. The aircraft enjoys substantial range capabilities, a varied and mature weapons fit for a multiplicity of attack and defensive roles while its swing wing otfers excellent low speed and short strip performances. The Tornado IDS (inter­ dictor/strike) variant is virtually a mini-F111, built and plann-

58Titanium centre-fuselage bulkheads 59Intermediate frames 60Wing/fuselage attachment points (seven lugs) 61Port mainwheel 62Aluminium front spar 63Titanium wing spars (3) 64Port flap 65Port aileron 66Wingtip 67Wingtip antennae 68Port navigation light

units within a few years. To enhance tactical d industrial commonality the Germans could follow the Brrt1_sh lead and go for the ADV Tornado. If this occurred then It would be reasonable to suggest a total production run of upwards of 1500 aircraft produced over the next 12 or so years.

Both the IDS and ADV are powered by the Rolls Royce Turbo Union RB199 turbofan, an engine in the 16,000 lb cl_ass which is also fitted with thrust reversers to reduce landing

roll, a definite Australian plus. The ADV will be fitted with a single Mauser 27mm cannon in place of the twin. arrangement for the IDS. Obviously this does not denigrate the use of a gun in air combat but rather highlights the higher rate of per round penetration required in the primary ground attack air­ craft as against that of an air-to-air engagement. The ADV is equipped with two AIM9L Sidewinders and four semi­ recessed Skyflash radar guided missiles. This is a similar air-to­ air fit as the American contenders.

The heart of the air-to-air weapons system is the Marconi-Elliott Air Intercept Radar. This is an entirely new radar specially developed for the ADY, and reports Panavia, is the most advanced air intercept radar in the world. The ex­ tensive processing capacity available and the up-to-date microwave techniques employed enable the radar to track multiple targets. This is a substantial advance over current in­ terceptor systems and is particularly valuable in any situation where a number of threats are presented simultaneously.

Both versions of the Tornado are highly applicable to Australia. Though to gain maximum effectiveness a total force of ADV and IDS squadrons would more economically replace both the Mirage and F111C in the latter eighties. In other words an initial buy of one squadron of the ADV could later be followed by an advanced IDS version which will no doubt expand its capabilities over the next decade. At around 10 to 11 million dollars a copy the Tornado falls into the same cost regime as the Eagle, not cheap but quality is always something you pay for.

The last aircraft under review is the very interesting Mirage 2000. I say very i_nteresting due to the fact that at first giance it appears just to be a mildly modified Mirage Ill, not very much ditterent than those we are so diligently attempting to replace. However, a closer examination reveals that in typical French aeronautical fashion, Marcel Dassault has again come up with something right out of the box, in­ deed a product that may well carry the Mirage legend on into the twenty-first century.

The prototype Mirage 2000 made its first flight on March 10, 1978, in true Mirage fashion it went supersonic on its maiden flight. The French Air Force have contracts on 130 air­ craft with initial operational deployment becoming effective in 1983. A total of over 400 Mirage 2000s are planned for French Air Force service in coming years to replace existing Mirage F1 and Ill units.

The Mirage 2000 is a highly developed aircraft that, Dassault claim, can rival the most advanced performance air­ craft of the times. The engineers have exploited the delta wing of the Mirage Ill. This makes it look like the Mirage Ill, although in reality it is very much different. The delta wing offers important advantages especially a substantial structural

NORTHROP F18L

Country of Origin: USA.

Power Plant: Two 16,000lb reheat General Electric F404-GE-400 turbofans.

Performance: Max speed, 1300mph at 36,000ft. Tactical radius (CAP) 1200mls. Ferry range: 2000mls+. Rate of climb, 60,000ft per minute.

Weights: Normal TO (CAP), 33,000lb. Maximum TO, 44,000lb.

Armament: One 20mm Vulcan rotary cannon. A mix of AIM9L Sidewinder and AIM7F Sparrow missiles can be carried for CAP missions. Ground attack mission provides maximum of 15,000lb ordnance carried on 11 underwing/fuselage pylons.

Status: F18A (built by McDonnell Douglas in partnership with Northrop) scheduled to become operational with US Navy and US Marine Corps in 1982, 811 on order.

PANAVIA TORNADO

Country of Origin: European consortium of British Aerospace, MBB, Aeritalia.

Power Plant: Two 16,000lb reheat Turbo-Union RB199 Mk101 turbofans.

Performance: Max speed, 840mph at sea level, 1400mph at 36,000ft. Tactical radius (IDS version, lo-lo-lo) 450mls (hi-lo-hi) 750mls. Max ferry range 3000mls+.

Weights: Empty, 28,000lb. Clean loaded, 40,000lb. Max TO, 55,000lb.

Armament: Two 27mm Mauser cannon with 125rpg. In excess of 12,000lb external stores including PGM and missiles on seven stations. ADV version carries Sidewinder and Skyflash AAM.

Status: 809 aircraft on order to Italy, UK and West Germany. Initial RAF squadron becomes operational in 1979, initial German and Italian units in 1980. ADV version is destined to enter RAF service in 1982. Follow on orders will probably result in a total Tornado production run in excess of 1500 aircraft over next decade.

DASSAULT-BREGUET MIRAGE 2000

Country of Origin: France.

Power Plant: One 18,740Ib reheat SNECMA M53-2 turbofan.

Performance: (estimated) Max speed 1400mph at 36,00Qft. Rate of climb, 45,000ft per minute. Ferry range, 1200mls. Combat radius (two 375imp gallon tanks) 435mls.

Weights: Max TO, interceptor, 20,000lb, strike, 33,000lb. . Armament: Two 30mm DEFA cannon. Up to nine external store stations carrying mix of Matra R530 and R550 AAM. Projected strike version can carry max of 11,000lb ordnance.

Status: First flight in March 1978. Some 130 units on firm order for French Air Force with on-going projec­ tions for over 400 aircraft during next decade, due to become operational in 1982.

McDONNELL DOUGLAS F15A EAGLE

Country of Origin: USA.

Power Plant: Two 25,000lb reheat Pratt & Whitney F100-PW-100 turbofans.

Performance: Max speed, 915mph at sea level, 1650mph at 36,000ft. Tactical radius (CAP) up to 1200mls. Ferry range with FAST Packs, 3500mls.

Weights: Empty equipped, 26,000lb. Loaded, clean, 38,250Ib. Max TO, 40,000lb (intercept), 54,100lb (ground attack).

Armament: One 20mm Vulcan rotary cannon with 950 rounds. Four AIM9L Sidewinder and four AIM7F Sparrow AAM. Five stores stations can lift up to 15,000lb of ordnance.

Status: First flight in July 1972, achieved operational service with USAF TAC in 1975. Is in service with Israeli Air Force and has been ordered by Japan and Saudi Arabia. 1000 units currently on order with 10 being produced each month.

GENERAL DYNAMICS F16A

Country of Origin: USA.

Power Plant: One 25,000lb reheat Pratt & Whitney F100-PW-100 Turbofan.

Performance: Max speed, 915mph at sea level, 1255mph at 36,000ft. Tactical radius (interdiction strike hi­ lo-hi on internal fuel with 6000Ib bomb load) 340mls. Ferry range, 2300+mls. Initial climb, 62,000ft per minute.

Weights: Operational empty, 14,100Ib. Loaded (fuel only), 22,200Ib. Max TO 33,000lb.

Armament: One 20mm Vulcan rotary cannon with 500 rounds. Two AIM9L Sidewinder and future option of two AIM7F Sparrow AAM. A maximum of 11,000lb underwing stores or 15,200Ib of ordnance with reduced fuel load over reduced mission radius.

Status: First flight in January 1974. Won USAF Air Combat Fighter trials against Northrop YF17 in 1975.

Planned USAF acquisition is 1388 aircraft with first TAC wings becoming operational in 1979. The Four NATO Countries – Netherlands, Belgium, Norway and Denmark have ordered an additional 348 units. Projected sales have also been made to Israel and Iran, over 2000 currently ordered and by 1981 monthly production will reach 20 units.

Panavia Aircraft GmbH, Mi. inchen, Arabellastrasse 16, Germany

AERITALIA BRITISH AEROSPACE MESSERSCHMITT-BOLKOW•BLOHM British Aerospace Australia Ltd. , ICI House 61-69 Macquarie Street, Sydney NSW 2000.

weight gain, considerable usable internal volume for fuel and a significant reduction in aerodynamic drag over conven­ tional swept wing designs with horizontal tail assemblies. One of the important advantages of this arrangement is improved acceleration.

The wing is larger than that of the Mirage Ill and is equipped with leading edge slats to vastly improve turning rates and above all low speed handling and approach speed on landing. Powered by a single SNECMA M53 turbofan delivering 18,000 lb thrust this engine has been well proven by many years use in the F1. The design objective of using this earlier technology (compared to its rivals) engine is that there is no R&D costing and that the M53, using fairly conventional technology, is less costly to maintain and service.

The initial version for the French Air Force will be op­ timised for air defence and will use a Thomson-CSF/EMD radar having a range of approximately 60 miles for intercep­ tion from all directions and at all altitudes. Armament will comprise two 30mm DEFA cannon, Matra Super R530 and Matra Magic R550 missiles, up to 11,000 lb of underwing stores can be carried on the proposed strike version.

Some of the features of the Mirage 2000 are a maximum speed of Mach 2. 2, a 30 per cent better range than the Mirage Ill and the ability to maintain station for three times as long. No details have been given as to unit cost though we would imagine this would fall somewhere close to that of the F16.

So there we have it. Certainly a much clearer picture than F-18L vs F-4E* Performance

we were able to present in our 1977 edition.

All of the manufacturers mentioned have the backing ot . a comprehensive Australian Industry Participation package in the event of their aircraft being selected, indeed in the long run this will be of paramount importance to the final de 1- sion. An RAAF team has already left on a detailed fact-finding evaluation of the manufacturers concerned, on th ir return and after much deliberation both on a service and politrcai level, a final list will be presented to Parliament whereby in­ depth study of contract status as regards acquisition and AIP will finally evolve to the point where probably by late 1979 the “winner” will be known.

Initial RAAF delivery is then planned for 1983 with ihe first squadron becoming fully operational by 1985. A firm decision on the Mirage update program will be made by year end 1978. This program is designed to provide a maximum amount of industrial workload for our local aerospace in­ dustry in preparation for actual assembly of the propos d new TFF aircraft.

All five types are excellent aircraft, regardless of which type is selected the TFF will represent Australia’s single most expensive, and important, defence acquisition progr;im this century. In view of the fact that the new aircrafr will be in front line service well into the next century, and that many of its future aircrew have not even been born yet, Australia must make the correct choice now or we could pay dearly in years to come.