Newsdesk – Military Aviation

Lockheed Sets C-130J Launch Order Target:

Lockheed has reported that it would commence production of the two flight crew C-130J Hercules if 180 firm launch orders were received.

The figure has been suggested to the US Department of Defense as a target to commence production. Failing a US launch order, the company would commence production sufficient foreign orders were recorded, though naturally the ‘credibility and stability conferred by a major US order is desired. It would appear, however, that in the long term Lockheed has little to worry about. With no other real alternative for the replacement of older model C-130 Hercules, a US order is only a matter of time. If a large launch order were made in the very near future, Lockheed officials claim that the first aircraft could be flying by late 1994. Research and development could probably be kept sufficiently low to enable the C-130J to cost little more than the present C-130H.

The C-130J will be a modernised variant of the existing Hercules and would be available in both standard and stretched fuselage versions. It will be powered by Allison T56 Series N engines driving quieter five blade props giving shorter takeoff, faster climb, increased range and a higher cruise altitude. The two pilot cockpit will feature full colour electronic displays while the avionics system will include a dual inertial navigation system with global positioning system (GPS) up-dates. The improved weather radar system will also have beacon homing and a ground mapping capability.

 Usn Should Reconfigure Carrier Groups:

According to US Senator Sam Nunn, the US Navy should reconsider the composition of its carrier battle groups in line with the declining Soviet threat.

With the Soviet Navy increasingly operating closer to its own coastlines, Senator Nunn claims that at least four carrier air wings should be reconfigured to include a greater percentage of attack aircraft, instead of the fighters and anti submarine aircraft which presently are given high numerical importance. The carriers could then be better deployed to any third world or Middle Eastern crises-such as the present Iraqi crisis where the threat from enemy submarines or anti shipping strike aircraft would presumably not be as great.

 Fulcrums to Iran:

Iran has taken delivery of its first batch of MiG-29 Fulcrums from the Soviet Union.

The sale of Fulcrums to Iran was agreed to in June this year when Iranian president Hashemi Rafsanjani visited Moscow and submitted a list of military items required by his country’s armed forces. The list is thought to also include Sukhoi Su-24 Fencer long range all weather strike aircraft, thus giving Iran two very potent military aircraft with which to replace those lost during the eight year Iran-Iraq war and the withdrawal of US support during the late seventies.

Combat losses and forced cannibalisation for spares during the conflict with Iraq cost Iran dearly. The fleet of F-4D/E Phan- toms was reduced from 225 to just 40, the F-5E/F Tiger II fleet from 169 to about 70, whilst just 15 of the 79 F-14 Tomcats delivered to Iran are now thought to have any operational capability.

Tornado Sales and Upgrade Possible:

Both Germany and Italy are discussing with Panavia the possibility of upgrading their Tornado fleets, while further sales of the type remain a distinct possibility.

A mid life update of the German and Italian air forces’ aircraft would, according to Panavia executives, keep the Tornado production lines open until the start of the EFA program and would enhance the possibility. of further export sales. Though the RAF recently cancelled its final order for 33 attrition aircraft, possible sales to Malaysia, Jor- dan and Oman also fell through, and Saudi Arabia stalled (and may cancel) its requirement for a second batch of Tornado ADV and IDS variants, further sales of the aircraft are possible.

Japan and Thailand are said to be interested in ordering the Tornado, while the Italian Air Force may place a further order for 16 electronic combat and reconnaissance (ECR) variants. The Panavia consortium is also actively marketing its product to South Korea, who have a requirement for 40 ECR/ strike aircraft, an order for which is expected by mid 1991.

Should the Luftwaffe, German navy and Italian Air Force opt to update their Tornados, they would aim for a high degree of commonality so the update would be a very large joint program. Some of the Italian aircraft, however, may be retrofitted to ECR standard rather than having the aircraft ordered new.

To date, only the RAF has sanctioned a mid life Tornado upgrade, transforming its GR. 1 variant into the electronically stealthier GR. 4.

Us Industry Faces Shakeout’:

According to Mr Mark Lambert, editor of Jane’s All the World’s Aircraft, US airframe manufacturers are facing an inevitable shakeout because of military cutbacks.

In an interview with Jane’s Defence Weekly, it was noted that already Rockwell, LTV and Grumman have “virtually retired as prime airframe developers”. Northrop could

The US Navy is confident that the MDC/GD A-12 Avenger project will proceed, there being no other alternative to replacing the aging A-6E Intruder. Just how many of the proposed 620 A-12s will actually be ordered, however, remains to be seen due to the project’s massive cost overruns and the declining superpower threat environment.

also follow suit if the Lockheed/Boeing/General Dynamics YF-22 consortium wins the USAF ATF competition. At least one of the four main helicopter manufacturers may also be at risk after selection in the US Army’s Light Helicopter (LH) program.

According to JDW, mergers among the major US aerospace companies are unlikely. though teaming are more likely in projects such as the ATF and LH. Though many companies do face lean times, Lambert was skeptical about the possibility of major defence companies simply converting their military aerospace capabilities to civilian projects. The difficulties of such a move are many, and it may take some time for former defence related aerospace companies to develop aircraft and equipment that can compete against companies with a long standing expertise in the civilian field.

As a result of the defence related difficulties, layoffs of US aerospace workers are predicted to rise dramatically in the coming months as a direct result of US defence spending cutbacks. Since January this year, major US manufacturers have announced at least 45,000 layoffs in defence related sectors as they struggle to cope with the effects of defence budget cutbacks. In the next year. at least another 90,000-135,000 positions are expected to go, the industry having reached the stage where defence jobs can no longer be absorbed into the civil aerospace sector.

Italian Airshow Flanker Crash:

A Sukhoi Su-27 Flanker crashed at an Italian airshow in late September, killing its pilot and one person on the ground.

The Flanker, flown by Soviet test pilot Runas Stankiavicius, crashed after an aerobatic routine, having apparently failed to recover from a low level loop. Stanklavicius was a highly experienced pilot from the Gromov Aerospace Research Institute of Moscow, assigned to the Buran space shuttle program. It is not clear why he failed to eject, though witnesses have suggested he had sufficient time to do so.

Awa Defence Industries to Russia:

With the continuing collapse of the Iron Curtain, Australian electronics company AWA Defence Industries (AWADI) has moved fast to break into the newly opened Eastern Bloc markets.

AWADI was the only Australian company to occupy a stand at Moscow’s recent in-augural international aerospace exhibition, ‘Moscow Aerospace 90’. The company exhibited its distance measuring equipment (DME) and DVOR air navigation equipment and a radically improved range of air traffic control systems. The Moscow initiative follows a successful marketing trip to Moscow in March this year and a visit to AWADI’s Australian facilities by Soviet Premier Nikoloi Ryzhkov in February. AWADI General Manager Aerospace Systems, Mr Ron Gosbee, stated: “There is no doubt that the Soviet Union needs what we have to offer in this field, and we have some interesting leads. They must have modern equipment as the Eastern Bloc opens up, and their own industries simply cannot meet the demand. ” Thus this Australian company has, along with competitors from other Western nations, recognised the huge potential market that the Eastern Bloc now represents as the various governments and aerospace agencies scramble to modernise to catch up to the West.

A-12 Believed on Solid Ground:

US aerospace industry executives believe that the US Navy’s A-12 Avenger attack aircraft is much more likely to enter frontline service than the USAF’s advanced tactical fighter (ATF).

Although flight testing of the two proposed ATF aircraft has already begun, the ATF program is facing challenges in Congress and questions over whether there may be a more reasonable and cost effective alternative. The A-12, on the other hand, despite being delayed by technical problems and already experiencing a program cost over-run, has the advantage of having no alternative with which to replace it.

Uncertainty about the ATF project has already led to alternative proposals being made for the program. These include extending the life time and performance of current frontline fighters, in particular the MDC F-15, the GD F-16 and the Grumman F-14. An often mentioned alternative to the ATF is to have the engine and systems developed for the ATF retrofitted into one or more of the existing aircraft, possibly with the airframes zero timed and wings modified.

While the current generation of frontline fighters lend themselves to extensive update programs as alternatives to the ATF, the US Navy’s Grumman A-6E cannot remain in service long enough for another alternative to be devised. The need for an all new A-6 replacement is much stronger than that for the current generation of frontline USAF fighters.

Fighter Pilots’ Reunion:

Preparations are underway for a reunion of fighter pilots to be held at RAAF Williamtown on 14 February 1991.

The last such gathering was held in early 1988, however the organisers promise that this will be the best yet (sounds pretty dangerous! Ed). Activities will include a brief on the development of the Tactical Fighter

Group, flying and static displays, and an evening buffet and associated festivities. It is hoped to have a wide range of aircraft on dis- play including the Winjeel, Vampire, Mustang, Kittyhawk, Spitfire and Hornet-some- thing to gladden the heart of any fighter jock! Those interested in attending should contact Sqdn Ldr D Lawrence on (049) 28 6473.

Two Crew Kc-135 Upgrade Being Studied:

Boeing has offered an upgrade proposal for the USAF’s KC-135 tankers to allow the aircraft to be operated with a two crew cockpit.

Boeing claim that the 640 strong KC-135 fleet could be upgraded and equipped with a two crew glass cockpit for less than $US1m each. This is considered excellent value considering that savings associated with reduced maintenance costs of new generation avionics and the need for some 1,000 fewer personnel would allow the upgrade to pay for itself in just three to five years.

The KC-135 fleet is already undergoing an update program to KC-135R standard by replacing the aged JT3 engines with vastly more fuel efficient and quieter CFM56 turbo-fans. What Boeing is now suggesting is that as well as re-engining the aircraft, they be fitted with a reworked two crew cockpit featuring an upgraded multiplex databus and integrated software, inertial navigation systems, engine indication and crew alert system (EICAS), maintenance monitoring microwave landing system (MLS), colour weather radar and windshear detection.

Such an update would seem logical given the fact that the USAF KC-135 fleet presently has a average consumed life of around 10,000hr out of their 30,000hr expected life, so should be operating at least until- and possibly beyond-2020.

Ansett Technologies Creates Defence. Savings:

The RAAF will achieve significant savings following the recent delivery of two Australian designed and built F-111 avionics test sets.

The Ansett Technologies ATS3A test sets mean that the RAAF will no longer need to send some F-111 cockpit instruments to the United States for testing or repair. Thus savings will be achieved in both time and costs. The ATS3A is an enhanced variant of the ATS3 which is already used in seven countries. It tests ten different indicators, including those for attitude, true airspeed, control surface position and maximum safe mach speed, as well as associated amplifiers and power supplies.

Allison GMA2100 Performs P-3 Flight Demonstration:

Allison Gast Turbine’s GMA2100 advanced turboprop engine has successfully completed its first. flight onboard a P-3 Orion.

The successful flight utilised a prototype. of the GMA2100 with a new Dowty Rotol prop in the place of one of the Orion’s four standard T56 engines. It performed to expectations, with only minor modifications being needed to accommodate the GMA2100 in the P-3 nacelle. Objectives of the first flight included evaluation of propeller stresses and dynamics, engine operational characteristics and the compatibility of the engine’s full authority digital electronic control (FADEC) and the propeller electronic control.

The GMA2100 prototype consists of an Allison T406 core engine, a modern gearbox with a flange mount for the propeller and a Dowty Rotol six bladed, all composite propeller. As well as being destined to power the Saab 2000 and Indonesia’s IPTN N-250 regional airliner, the engine is expected to be used on the successor to the P-7 (now) officially cancelled), the P-3H Orion. It is therefore vital that the engine be tested on the Orion airframe at an early stage.

 Amx Bids for Thai Contract:

The Italian/Brazilian AMX consortium is actively marketing the AMX to the Royal Thai Air Force (RTAF), the first such move into the region in which the BAe Hawk 100/200 has achieved some success of late.

The consortium hopes to sell up to 32 single seat AMX attack aircraft and eight two seat trainer variants. The aircraft are being offered with an armament package consist- ing of a GE M61 20mm Vulcan Gatling can- non, Hughes AGM-65 Maverick missiles and AIM-9 Sidewinder air-to-air missiles. Several radar units are also being evaluated for the aircraft to be able to operate in the maritime strike role, amongst these being the West- house APG-66, SMA SCP-01 Scipio multi-mode radar and the FIAR Grifo anti-surface vessel radar.

In opposition to the consortium are BAe, which is offering its Hawk 200, and General Dynamics, which claims that a follow on purchase of the F-16 (18 are already on order) would simplify Thai logistic requirements. The $US17m F-16 flyaway price tag, however, may act against its chances of receiving a bulk order, leaving the way clear for an AMX versus Hawk sales battle.

French Sales to Iraq Revealed:

According to French documents obtained by Flight International, French companies supplied Iraq with a potent armoury of weapons between 1977 and 1988, France being second only to the USSR in the volume of arms supplied to Iraq prior to the invasion of Kuwait.

Included amongst the sales are a reported 328 Dassault Mirage fighters and no less than 848 Aerospatiale Exocet AM-39 anti ship missiles. It has also been alleged by industry sources that Thomson-CSF delivered electronic warfare equipment capable of jamming US and Saudi airborne early warning aircraft, a charge denied by both the company and the French government. Of the Mirages, it has been revealed that a first order for 147 Mirage F. 1Es and 60 F. 18s was placed in 1981 and follow up orders were placed every year between 1983 and 1988. Other aircraft delivered to Iraq by French manufacturers include five Super Etendards and three Mystere 20s, 61 Gazelle helicopters, 14 Super Frelons, 52 Pumas and 59 Alouettes.

The large number of Exocets held by Iraq pose a serious threat to the Western naval forces massed in the Gulf. As well as the 848 air launched missiles, the Iraqi navy possesses an undisclosed number of MM-40 ship launched variants for use aboard their force of small but potentially dangerous attack launches. In addition to the Exocets, a large stock of anti aircraft, air-to-air and anti tank missiles were also supplied to Iraq, posing a threat to both air and ground forces.