Newsdesk – Military Aviation

Formal cancellation of the Lavi has placed great strains on IAI who will have to shed up to 3000 of its workforce, a massive number in a small nation like Israel. IAI for its part is to become more involved in marketing retrofit programmes of existing aircraft and will also begin to promote its Arava light transport and Astra corporate jet with more vigour. It is also believed that IAI will now also seek out international partnerships with the objective of becoming a collaborative partner in future civil and military aircraft programmes. To support this goal, the Israeli Government has decreed that it will provide venture financing of $US100m annually.

The long-term winner in the cancellation is, of course, General Dynamics who now stand to be able to sell upwards of another 150 F-16 aircraft to Israel. Lavi ultimately was to replace the IDF Klir, A-4 and F-4 fleets. Israel will now most probably opt for a force of heavily modified F-4 Super Phantoms (as displayed at this year’s Paris Salon), F-15 Eagles and a large number of multi-role F-16s. It is expected that GD and IAI will cooperate on the development of a specially optimised Agile Falcon F-16 for the IDF which to some extent will take up some of the slack left from the cancellation of Lavi. Israel also has built 225 Kfir fighters and presently has around 100 of these aircraft in storage. It is expected that most of these, and the A-4 Skyhawk fleet, will ultimately be remanufactured and sold to approved clients.

ATA Bites the Bullet and Sheds 540 Workers:

In an unexpected move, Aerospace Technologies of Australia (ex-GAF) made redundant some 540 workers during August The move came as management and unions were negotiating on how to reduce ATA’s manpower base through 1988 and resulted in a two-week strike that did little for ATA’s international reputation and even less for those about to be retrenched. However, the sudden personnel rationalisation at ATA has indicated that the new ATA management are serious about curbing manpower excesses within the ailing company.

ATA’s problem is that it has never made a profit and once F-18 Hornet production winds down in two years time it effectively has no significant programmes to undertake. Ironic- ally, ATA hosts some of the world’s finest bonding and composite autoclave facilities and is essentially capable of three to four times the productive output that is presently attained. The company is presently negotiating work share packages with a number of international aerospace manufacturers though nothing has been forthcoming in this area to date.

GE Wins Helo Engine Battle:

Round one of the powerplant battle for the Black Hawk has been won by General Electric with the recent signing of an agreement between the RAAF and GE for the second batch of 25 Australian S-70 series Black Hawks to be powered by GE T700A-1 engines.

GE were in direct competition for the first time with the Rolls Royce/Turbomeca RTM322, an engine which is in the final stages of its military certification programme and is being marketed in the US by Pratt & Whitney also as a future powerplant option aboard the Black Hawk. The primary advantages enjoyed by GE in the engine battle were that its T700 was already destined for the first batch of Australian Black Hawk and Seahawk helos in addition to being a fully developed engine with some two million flight hours accumulated on various military and civil applications.

On the other hand, the RTM offered enhanced fuel economy, potentially lower maintenance costs and the possibility of growth versions out to 3000shp, something that the smaller, older technology T700 can never achieve. The GE T700 is also being mooted as a possible Iroquois update engine, which it accepted by the US Army, could offer a new lease of life for our own UH-1H fleet plus commonality with the new Black Hawks. General Electric are also to provide assistance, by way of computer hardware and software plus a machining facility to the newly launched South Australian Centre for Manufacturing. SAFCM has been specifically established to further develop and promote commercial applications of spin off technology developed by Australia’s highly capable del- ence science agencies.

Additional GE Component Orders for Hdh:

General Electric has placed new purchase orders worth nearly $6m with Hawker de Havilland Victoria Ltd.

The orders are for components associated with the T700 turboshaft engine which will power the Australian Army’s Black Hawk and the RAN’s Seahawk helicopters. It brings the total value of All contracts placed with Australian aerospace companies by GE under the T700, F404, CFM56 and CF6 programmes to more than $150m

Raaf Pc-98 to Pearce?:

It appears almost certain that the RAAF will base the majority of its Pilatus PC-9 fleet at Pearce, north of Perth.

Primary reasons for the choice has been the region’s excellent clear weather training environment, improved long-term airframe longevity due to the drier climate and the increasing airways congestion that is a feature of the Melbourne region.

It is envisaged that there will remain around 40 hours of ab initio flight training using the CT-4 at Point Cook. Air Force pilots will then graduate onto the PC-9, some of which will probably be based at nearby Laverton. The Laverton-based PC-9s will be used purely for endorsement on type and will keep the student in the same instructor/CFI training loop while achieving this important training goal. Army. Navy and PNG Defence Force pilots will meanwhile not fly the PC-9 but will complete their training on the Point Cook-based CT-4.

RAAF graduates will then transfer to Pearce where they will fly 105 hours on the PC-9 and around 60 to 80 on the Macchi.

It is also envisaged that some additional construction work will have to take place at Pearce in order to meet its growing commitment as an operational base rather than merely being a training station. Additional hardstands and tarmac areas will have to be built as will maintenance hangars and associated engineering support facilities. It is not envisaged though that a second runway will be constructed though nearby Gin Gin may also be partially upgraded to allow additional use of its facilities. Gin Gin is about 30km from Pearce and features a control tower, parking spaces and bare-bones support facilities in addition to a 6000ft runway. Gin Gin personnel are based at Pearce and commute daily as required.

Meanwhile, the RAAF is due to accept its first PC-9 around early December. The intermittent electronic problems that were affecting the first Swiss aircraft have now been rectified and the aircraft will formally enter RAAF service at the Sale-based Central Flying School during 1988.

 Hdh Queensland Facility Opens:

Hawker de Havilland have now made operational their extensive maintenance facility at Townsville airport.

The new maintenance facility is primarily being tasked with supporting the local Army helicopter force though will also be capable of providing maintenance and technical assistance for visiting RAAF and RAN aircraft in addition to servicing the needs of the regional civil aviation sector.

 DOD Gives CSA Top Quality Rating:

Computer Sciences of Australia has become the first software company in the country to obtain AS1821 approval for the design, development, production, installation and support of computer systems.

AS1821 is the most comprehensive standard for suppliers specified by the Standards Association of Australia. The accreditation was granted to CSA’s Systems Engineering Division following an assessment by a team from the Dept of Defence. CSA has been instrumental in a number of far reaching Australian industry involvement programmes including the integration and development of the ASW suite aboard the RAAF P-3C Orions. The company is also heavily involved with Qantas on its new Qalink simulator venture, the Navy Seahawk programme, conversion of the Jindalee OTHB to an operational system is expected to take a leading role in any upgrade of the F-111 strike force.

Airbus Establishes Military Aircraft Division:

Airbus Industrie have established a military aircraft section tasked specifically with developing military applications for its civil aircraft line.

The new division is, with Aerospatiale, looking primarily at refurbishing used A3008 aircraft as tanker/transports in addition to offering new A300-600R twinjets for the same role. At a later date four engined A340s will also be offered as AEW and tanker aircraft.

In airlift configuration, Airbus are offering their A300B4 aircraft with a 37-tonne freight capability over 3000nm sectors or 16 tonnes over 5000nm. By comparison, the new A300-600R would uplift 46 tonnes over 3000nm and 25 over 5000nm while both types could transport 360 personnel over a distance of 3500nm. Though Airbus do not foresee a rush for such conversion contracts their policy will be to progressively develop this market in anticipation of a greater number of used A300s becoming available during the nineties as the A330 enters the marketplace.