Newsdesk – Military Aviation

 Raaf’s Search and Rescue May Become Civilian:

RAAF helicopters and marine craft which normally carry out search and rescue duties at RAAF Williamtown, NSW, will be replaced soon by civilian operated helicopters.

The Defence Contracting Office, Sydney, has called tenders for the provision of a civilian contract helicopter rescue service at William- town on a trial basis for two years. The outcome of the trial would determine whether the RAAF would expand the civilian search and rescue (SAR) concept to other RAAF bases in Australia.

The RAAF conducts fighter flying training operations in an area surrounding RAAF Williamtown. Owing to the often hostile survival environment, especially cold ocean conditions and the inherent risk of pilot ejection/injury associated with these operations, the RAAF currently provides helicopters and marine craft on SAR standby at Williamtown.

Us Army Studies Air to Air Helicopter:

The US Army is studying a requirement for a dedicated counter-air battlefield helicopter. McDonnell Douglas helicopters are offering a specially modified version of their AH-64 Apache while Bell will field a similarly modified version of the AH-1 Cobra.

Both types will be optimised for maximum nap of the earth manoeuvrability and mission endurance while being armed with an array of advanced gun and missile weaponry. Purpose of the counter air helicopter is to ensure that enemy helicopter formations are destroyed prior to reaching their targets. This includes troop carrying formations as well as specialist anti-armour helicopters such as the Soviet Hind and Havoc.

Many US attack helos are already equipped with Stinger and Sidewinder self defence missiles and this is now seen as being just another extension of the air component of the modern battlefield where highly agile and heavily armed helicopters can extend as much influence upon the ground forces as the tank did in the early years of the Second World War.

Lockheed and Northrop Win Atf Stealth Fighter Contract:

The USAF has chosen Lockheed and Northrop as prime contractors to build demonstrator aircraft for the USAF Advanced Tactical Fighter competition.

Both companies competed against Boeing. MDC, Grumman, Rockwell and General Dynamics. Lockheed will now team with Boe- ing and General Dynamics while Northrop will join with its F-18 partner, McDonnell Douglas. The ATF is destined to replace the MDC F-15 Eagle and will be an air superiority fighter emphasising low maintenance costs, extreme long-range, supersonic cruise, advanced systems, avionics and weapons. ATF is expected to attain initial operational capability (IOC) by 1997.

Both companies will each build two development aircraft which will compete in a fly-off (like the YF-16 and YF-17 in the mid-seventies) in 1988/89. The types will be designated the Lockheed YF-22A and the Northrop YF-23A. A future series of Technology Explained will examine the competing ATF designs in greater detail as additional unclassified information becomes available for publication.

New Light on an Old Problem:

A Sydney company Panametrics have recently been appointed the sole distributor of Welch Allyn’s Videoprobe 2000 System for Australia and SE Asia. The Videoprobe 2000 is an NDT tool with a variety of applications including turbines, engines, pipes and pumps and instead of using fibre optics to carry light to and from the inspected surface, the device uses a solid-state microelectronic system to bring the image to a video monitor for display. The examination is conducted entirely by reference to this monitor, which produces a high-resolution colour image. The video display permits simultaneous viewing by many observers and can be recorded for documentation or review.

Easier access to installed components is another advantage of inspecting with this device as it can probe beneath floorboards and inside fuel cells and engines. It can also be used to look inside wings where the fuel is stored as the probe is fully immersible and therefore not sensitive to water or fuel.

 Raaf to Train Female Pilots:

The Minister for Defence, Mr Kim Beazley, has announced that the RAAF is now accepting applications from females for pilot training.

He said that the break with RAAF tradition was in keeping with the Government’s previously announced policy that females would be employed in the non-combat aircrew role.

Up to four female trainees were selected in November for pilot training in February 1987. Their initial employment would be flying support aircraft of No34 (VIP) Squadron at RAAF Base Fairbairn, Canberra and at the School of Air Navigation at East Sale, Victoria. The female trainees would be in open competition with male trainees and selection standards and training would be the same as for male entrants.

Mr Beazley said that in addition to flying duties, the female pilots would be eligible for a range of staff posts and non-flying duties. Further opportunities for aircrew training for females would be identified from time to time according to vacancies, staffing and experience levels and the need to maintain appropriate ratios for male aircrew to aircraft necessary to meet combat capability require- ments.

“In an effort to make more effective use of defence resources, the RAAF has endorsed the concept of the local helicopter rescue role being provided by a civilian contractor,” Defence Minister Beazley recently said.

The primary task would be to provide suit-able helicopters, crew and ground support at Williamtown for SAR duties during periods of fighter flying training. This would include immediate readiness for day and night SAR operations as well as additional tasks during bombing range training and helicopter rescue familiarization training.

Mr Beazley said that the helicopters, crews and support structure provided by the contract for would have to meet the stringent standards required by the RAAF. The successful contract for would be required to begin operations at Williamtown early in 1987.

Fairchild T-46 to Re-Enter Usaf Trainer Battle:

Congressional funding has been withdrawn for the production of any further Fairchild T-46 primary jet trainers for the USAF. The trouble-prone programme has been a veritable political football since Fairchild won the contract to replace USAF’s large but ageing Cessna T-37 fleet several years ago.

Congress has now demanded that the trainer bid be re-opened with the T-46 competing against the present T-37 plus a Cessna-promoted upgrade of the T-37. As Cessna is now owned by General Dynamics it is considered they have a far greater chance of regaining the contract than they would have had prior to GD’s parentage in 1985.

Though no official comment has yet been made it is also expected that a number of competing designs will now challenge both Cessna and Fairchild for the lucrative order. The range of options runs from the more powerful turboprop trainers such as the Pilatus PC-9 and Embraer/Shorts Tucano to the light jet trainers. Considered in this second area are the Siai Marchetti S211, the Aermacchi MB-339 and the Casa C101 Aviojet. British Aerospace/McDonnell Douglas might well also bid a simplified version of the T-45 Goshawk which is presently being developed for the US Navy.

Us Air National Guard Order Spells the End of the F-20 Tigershark:

The fate of Northrop’s F-20 Tigershark fighter was sealed in early November when the USAF formally decided upon the purchase of an additional 300 plus F-16A fighters to re-equip 11 Air National Guard fighter wings.

This was essentially a do or die last ditch effort for the Northrop fighter to gain US acceptance, a precursor to it being available for ex-port. Without the large US order, Northrop would have been unable to economically tool up series production in numbers great enough to satisfy the mostly small demands of international export customers. Northrop had invested more than one billion dollars in the F-20 programme and have now written this off following the programme,s cancellation. Ironically, this is expected to increase Northrop’s market worth greatly as the company is now freed from the large R&D drain that it has suffered these past five years in developing and marketing the F-5 derivative fighter.

For the future, Northrop look very sound with their growing involvement with Boeing 747 fuselage work, F-18 contracts with MDC, development and assembly of the stealth Advanced Technology Bomber and the granting of development contracts on the ATF F-15 successor (refer item elsewhere in Newsdesk) which ironically was awarded on the same day as the ANG F-16 decision was announced. The ANG F-16s will replace ageing F-4 and F-106 aircraft in addition to freeing up greater numbers of F-16C and F-15C aircraft from existing ANG units to USAF TAC squadrons.

People

Mr Alan Woods, 57, has succeeded Sir William Cole as Secretary to the Dept of Defence. Mr Tim Anderson, MD of British Aerospace Australia has been appointed Chairman of the Association of Australian.

Aerospace Industries (AAAI). He has taken over from Mr John Corby of Transavia. Mr Henry d’Assumpcao has been appointed as Chief Defence Scientist of DSTO, he succeeds Mr Tom Fink who is returning to his academic career. Charles ‘Pete’ Conrad has been appointed VP International Business Development at McDonnell Douglas. Conrad was formerly VP of MDC’s Space Programme. Mr Paul Dibb succeeds Mr G R Marshall as head of Australia’s Joint Intelligence Organization