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The Netherlands Government and a North American industrial corporation have become the launch customers for the Fokker Executive Jet 70. The Netherlands Government example will be delivered during 1996 and will replace a Fokker F28 that has been in service since 1972. It will be configured with VIP, staff and utility areas, and will seat 26. The North American-bound machine will be used by an undisclosed corporation as a staff shuttle between the company's plants. It will be configured with 48 seats at four abreast. Fokker has forecast a market for as many as 200 large business jets over the next 1O years. This market includes the replacement of older Stage 2 jets and turboprops, together with requirements for new aircraft. (Fokker)
Commercial Aircraft Sales
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Are Farnborough’s Days Numbered?
Questions as to the future of possibly Britain’s most famous airfield – Farnborough – have been raised following an announcement that all experimental test flying by the Defence Research Agency (DRA) will be conducted at Boscombe Down. The move will end such flying not only at Farnborough but also at Bedford, leaving Boscombe Down as the UK’s sole national flight test centre. Boscombe Down has long been the RAF’s operational test and evaluation centre. Bedford will continue performing some wind tunnel research work and the DRA will maintain a small facility at Farnborough, although rumours as to the latter’s future have been circulating for some time. It is well known that the British government wants to sell Farnborough, which also houses a corporate aircraft terminal/facility and other privately owned operations.
Russia Awards Certification To Collins Tcas
A traffic collision avoidance system (TCAS) has been completely installed, flight and ground tested and certificated in Moscow for the first time ever. Details on both programmes are sketchy, although there have been reports that critical funding cuts have stopped development of the MiG’s engine, placing the whole programme in jeopardy. Sukhoi is also understood to have been chosen over Tupolev to develop the T-60, a supersonic strike aircraft. Construction is underway meanwhile of another Sukhoi strike aircraft product, the Su-27IB. The first production aircraft flew in December last year, with series production already underway. The Su-27IB is based on the Su-27 Flanker fighter, but differs in having side-by-side seating, small canards and the incorporation of stealth features and possibly the capability to fire rearwards AAMs. The designation Su-34 has been used to identify this aircraft, although it has not yet been officially adopted by the Russian air force.
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C-130j For Raf?
A British all party House of Commons Select Committee for Defence has announced it considers the upgraded Lockheed C-130J Hercules transport the “most attractive option” to replace 30 of the RAF’s ageing C-130Ks, deliveries of which began 28 years ago. The proposed C-130J features Allison GMA2100 turboprops, six blade propellers and a modern two man ‘glass’ cockpit and its selection would alleviate an immediate problem facing the RAF, whose current Hercules fleet is suffering from fatigue, corrosion and general ageing with week to week availability running at only about 50%. The committee’s announcement has not pleased everyone. British Aerospace has been trying to convince the British Ministry of Defence to refurbish the existing RAF Hercules fleet of 60 aircraft with a view to later having a proper competition with the proposed European Future Large Aircraft (FLA), a larger capacity jet military transport. Although BAe is involved with the FLA project, the British government is not, having pulled out at a national level in 1989. BAe says a C-130J purchase by the RAF will kill off the FLA project, leaving the door open to US manufacturers to fill Europe’s large capacity military transport needs in the decades ahead. Lockheed says the two are compatible, a view supported by the Select Committee.
Airflite Wins Pc-9 Maintenance Contract
Perth based maintenance company Airflite has won a pair of contracts worth $20m to maintain the RAAF’s fleet of 65 Pilatus PC-9 turboprop trainers for the next four years. This is part of the government’s Commercial Support Programme (CSP) which aims to open up applicable maintenance and service tasks to private enterprise where the military previously did them without question. In most cases significant economic savings have been achieved whilst functions that have remained in-house have been streamlined and improved in productivity and cost saving terms. A Collins TCAS II system has been successful tested fitted to an Aeroflot Ilyushin 96-300, with a letter of compliance from the US FAA and STC N4 from the Russian Air Register. All Aeroflot’s international aircraft are to be fitted with such systems over the coming months, following the selection of the Collins system in 1993. An 11-86 has now also been fitted with TCAS in the US, while an 11-62 and Tu-154 are due to be fitted shortly. TCAS is required to be fitted to all airliners operating into the USA.
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