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Contrary to previous reports that they would be broken up for spares, Pakistan is upgrading 38 of the 50Mirage Ill fighters it purchased from Australia in 1990. The avionics upgrade includes a terrain referenced navigation system, a new mission planning system, radar altimeter, an integrated INS and GPS system, two MFDs, HOTAS and HUD. No new radar has been selected, but the FIAR GrifoM is a likely choice as it has already been chosen for Pakistan's Chengdu F -7 Skybolt fighters. Twelve of Pakistan's Mirage 11/EPs will also be upgraded, while the remaining ex RAAF aircraft will be cannibalised for spares. Test flying of the upgrade began in August last year
Newsdesk – Military Aviation
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F-111 Engine Combustion System Life Extended:
The Aeronautical Research Laboratory of the DSTO is currently researching life extension of the combustion chambers in the F-111’s TF30 turbofan.
Currently the combustion chambers on the F-111 warp and crack after as little as 750 flight hours. When the can is cracked the whole engine needs to be removed from the aircraft prematurely, causing a drop in availability and extra maintenance work. Prolonging the life of the combustors will save the RAAF an estimated 4700 maintenance manhours of work each year. ARL researchers are using a perspex model to monitor the simulated fuel flow through the combustors to determine if the flame is too close to the combustor wall where the cracking occurs. DSTO aims to modify the model to see whether or not altering the airflow through the combustor can extend the life of the combustor. DSTO is also studying the use of thermal barrier coatings to reduce the temperature of the wall to below that at which the cracking occurs.
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