Newsdesk – Military Aviation

Slingsby won the 113 aircraft contract against ten competitors including the SiaiMarchetti SF. 260, Saab MF1-17, Mooney EFS and Pacific Aerospace CT-4 Airtrainer. The Fireflys will be manufactured at Slingsby’s Yorkshire factory but assembled and test flown in the USA by Northrop. Deliveries will begin next year and the USAF designation is yet to be announced but will not be “T-67′, the manufacturer’s model number.

The awarding of the $US54. 8m contract to Slingsby and Northrop quickly caused howls of protest from two of the losers. The SialMarchetti/Sabreliner and Schweizer (which proposed a licence built MFI-17) entrants have both protested and want the decision overturned on technicalities. Their appeals are being investigated, disrupting Slingsby’s production preparations. The USAF seems more than happy with the choice of the Firefly which will replace the Cessna T-41 Mescalero, itself a military version of the popular Cessna 172.

 Skyhawks for Argentina:

Ending a 14 year embargo on sales of combat aircraft to Latin America, the USA has offered Argentina surplus A-4 Skyhawk fighter bombers.

The move requires US Congressional approval and this is expected to be forthcoming. The matter has also been discussed with the British government, which has maintained an arms embargo since the 1982 Falklands War.

Chile is another South American country set to receive US military aircraft, specifically Skyhawks, F-5E Tigers and F3C Orions. Chile is also looking at the F-16 Fighting Falcon, AMX, Dassault Mirage 2000 and BAe Hawk 200 as a replacement for its fleet of Hawker Hunters. The last sale of US military aircraft to latin America was in 1978 when Venezuela received F-16s.

Usn Invites Stovl Bids:

The US Navy has released details of its requirements for a short takeoff/vertical landing (STOVL) strike fighter, a prototype of which should be flying by 1999.

The aircraft must combine the payload/ range characteristics of the F/A-18 Hornet with the combat performance of the F-15 Eagle and the stealth signature and supersonic cruise performance of the Lockheed F-22 fighter. A unit cost of $US35m is to be aimed for. The advanced design will feature a shaft or gas driven remote fan propulsion system and one design of each concept will be initially selected for further evaluation. An overall winner will be selected in 1995. General Dynamics, Grumman, McDonnell Douglas/British Aerospace, Lockheed and Northrop are known to be developing designs.

Efa Cost Questioned:

The cost of the European Fighter Aircraft is again being questioned by the German government, which says the projected price is far too high and must be reduced.

The latest estimates put the unit cost of the EFA at $US83m, some 20% higher than the previous estimates and more than the German government is apparently prepared to pay. Current requirements for the EFA among the partner countries amount to about 700 aircraft 160-200 for Germany, 250 for the UK, 165 for Italy and 100. for Spain. The major manufacturers involved are British Aerospace, MBB/Dornier, CASA and Alenia. The first aircraft is due to fly later this year.

Japan Defence Cuts Will Hurt:

Expected cuts in Japan’s defence budget will hit that country’s aerospace industry hard and probably force it to involve itself more in international civil programmes.

Japanese aerospace companies turned over a total of $US6. 3bn in the year to March 1992, of which $US5. 4bn was for the production of airframes, engines, propellers, instruments and other aircraft equipment and the remainder for overhaul work. Of this, $US4. 7bn, or 75%, was earned from defence programmes.

The easing of international tensions means that Japanese defence appropriations will plateau or even drop during the remainder of this century, and the Jap anese government’s policy of banning defence exports means that industry cannot look to that area to take up the slack. The only answer is increased involvement in international programmes, although this will require heavy investment over several years before any real returns are achieved. Japan already has a 21% risk sharing interest in the forthcoming Boeing 777 airliner and will manufacture the aircraft’s centre and rear fuselage barrel sections, tailcone, doors, wingroot fairings and landing gear doors.

ASTA Defence Formed:

Aerospace Technologies of Australia (ASTA) has established a new specialist business unit to focus on marketing opportunities in the defence equipment, manufacturing, design and systems areas.

Called ASTA Defence, the new operation will specialise in the design, manufacture and maintenance of military and defence related aerospace equipment and provide comprehensive logistics support to customers in Australia and overseas. ASTA Defence combines the resources of three of the company’s existing business units: Military Aircraft Services, Systems and General Aviation, the latter supporting operators of the Nomad utility turboprop throughout the world.

Women in Uniform:

The US Navy is planning to place female aircrew into combat squadrons within six months of Congress lifting restrictions, following pressure to do so since the Gulf War.

The Navy plans to assign at least two female officers per squadron as pilots, bombadier navigation officers, radar intercept officers or naval flight officers. Noteworthy is the fact that female US Navy pilots are qualified on all tactical aircraft types and currently fly in experimental and training units. During the Gulf War, female navy pilots flew UH-46E Sea Knight helicopters from combat support ships. and oil tankers.

Gremlins and Glitches Dept:

It’s very annoying. You produce a publication, put it together with tender loving care, check this, adjust that. . . . and still the odd gremlin strikes.

Such is the case on page 88 of our Boston, Mitchell and Liberator In Aus- tralian Service book. That page contains

Centrespread

The RAAF Museum Historical Flight’s Sabre and Vampire formate over Sydney Harbour representing the RAAF’s fast jets of the 1950s and 60s.

The RAAF and its volunteers are is to be complemented for restoring and flying these examples of Australia’s aviation history, allowing people to appreciate the sight and sounds of airworthy historical aircraft from an era in time which is never to be repeated. The Museum’s Sabre is a favorite airshow performer, being immaculately presented in the colours of No75 Squadron’s aerobatic team, the “Black Diamonds’. The Black Diamonds was one of a number of RAAF Sabre aerobatic teams performing during the 1950s and 60s, other teams including the ‘Black Panthers’ of 76 Squadron and the “Mark- smen’ of 2 OCU. The powerful Rolls Royce Avon engine and the Sabre’s inher ent agility also meant that it was an ideal display aircraft.

The Vampire is one of the earliest of jet aircraft, first flying in single seat form as far back as 1943. A number of aircraft were taken on strength by the RAAF serving as Australia’s first jet fighter before being relegated to the advanced training role in its two seat form with the advent of Meteors and Sabres in the fifties.

The low powered and unswept wing of the Vampire contrast sharply with the much more powerful and swept wing design Sabre, showing just how far aircraft design advanced over a space of just a few years.

side view drawings of RAAF Mitchells, the captions to which state that the aircraft illustrated are from No 22 Squadron. This, of course, is not correct, the aircraft are from No 2 Squadron, the only RAAF squadron to fly the type. No 22 Squadron flew Bostons.

 Most Think Defence Forces Inadequate:

A survey conducted by The Australian newspaper has revealed some interesting figures about Australia’s defence forces and perceived threats.

Of the 1,200 people questioned in the telephone survey, 66% did not think Australia had adequate defence forces to defend its national interests, and a perhaps surprising 38% considered that Australia will face a military threat over the next 10 years. Of particular interest was the question ‘If you think Australia will face a military threat, from which country do you think it will come? Indonesia top scored with 16% followed by Japan (4%) and Russia, Libya and Vietnam, each with 1%. Ten per cent of respondents felt the threat would come from another, unspecified, Asian country (Kamaria! ed). Predictably, ALP voters considered Australia to be better defended than Coalition voters, although not by an enormous margin.

Hughes Acquires GD Missiles:

Hughes Aircraft is set to acquire General Dynamics’ missiles interests, making the company the USA’s largest manufacturer of these weapons.

Worth at least $US450m, the deal will not affect Hughes’ plans to also acquire a 15% stake in LTV’s missiles business from Thomson-CSF if the latter’s purchase of LTV is approved by the US government. General Dynamics currently manufacturers the Standard shipboard surface to air, the Stinger portable anti tank and the Tomahawk cruise missiles, plus the Phalanx shipboard anti missile gun and the Rolling Airframe ship defence missile.

For its part, Hughes makes the Phoenix air to air and Maverick air to ground missiles and is preparing for the production of the AIM-120 advanced medium range air to air missile (AMRAAM).

MDC Loses on C-17:

The rising costs of the McDonnell Douglas C-17 military transport programme could see the manufacturer suffer heavy losses under its fixed price contract.

The contract carries an absolute ceiling price of $US6. 57bn and a target price of $US5. 7bn. McDonnell Douglas is respons. ible for 20% of any costs between the two figures and all costs above the ceiling. Estimates for the cost of the programme are now $US7. 39m. The first C-17 flew last year and the USAF’s requirement is for 120 examples of the four engined heavy transport.

 More Mig Megarides:

A tour of North America by MiG-29 fighters last year, during which joyrides were offered at SUS30,000 a piece was so successful that the exercise is being repeated this year.

The Mikoyen Design Bureau made over SUS400,000 from the 15 minute rides in 1991 and this year will take two MiG-29s (one for handling demonstrations and one