iscover
Gulfstream is finding wider markets for its business jet family with five GIV-SPs currently being delivered to the US Navy, for a role not usually associated with Gulfstream jets, cargo carrying. Known as the C-20G, the Gulfstreams will be used as operations support aircraft and can seat 26 passengers or carry three cargo pallets, or a combination of freight and passengers. Other special government and military missions Gulfstream is pushing for its GIV-SP and forthcoming GV as presidential and head of state transports, secure communications suites, freight, special weather applications, photographic reconnaissance, medical evacuation, airways flight inspection, signals intelligence gathering, maritime patrol and also for search and rescue. (Gulfstream)
Newsdesk – Military Aviation
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Military
Russia Pushes Ahead With Military Aircraft Development:
Russia is continuing development of new military aircraftprogrammes despite dangerous shortfalls in funding, according to Jane’sDefence Weekly.Budget constraints are affecting all aircraft development, but regardless, development work on the Sukhoi T-60 bomber to replace the Su-24 Fencer, Tu-22 Blinder and Tu-16 Badger, and the proposed MiG 1-42 fighter contin ues. 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.
C-130j For Raf?:
A British allparty House of Commons SelectCommittee for Defence has announced it considers the upgradedLockheed C-130J Hercules transportthe “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.
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Airflite Wins Pc-9 Maintenance Contract:
Perth basedmaintenance company Airflite haswon a pair of contracts worth $20m tomaintain the RAAF’s fleet of 65 Pilatus PC-9 turboprop trainers for thenext 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 In the end the result is more money for the Defence Forces ‘teeth’ rather than creating an ever larger ‘tail’ as is wont to happen with any large bureaucratic government controlled operation.The RAAF’s PC-9s are based at Pearce (47), East Sale (14), Edinburgh (3) and Fairbairn (1). Airflite will perform all maintenance on the Pearce and East Sale aircraft and major services on the others. There is an option to extend the contract for an extra two years.Airflite’s achievement is a good example of what a small organisation can do when faced with a declining market, in its case general aviation, which has suffered badly during the recession. Airflite’s management spent considerable sums of money to earn Quality Assurance accreditation and instigated other procedures which gave it a chance to win lucrative military work.A full analysis of the CSP programme as it relates to aviation is provided in this issue’s Defence Update column.
Hawkeyes For France:
France’s Aeronavale is to receive two Grumman E-2C Hawkeye airborne early warning (AEW) aircraft which are due to be operational by 1999.The E-2Cs will initially operate from the conventionally powered aircraft carrier Foch in support of the forthcoming Dassault Rafale fighters, but will later be transferred to the nuclear carrier Charles de Gaulle which is currently under construction.A further two Hawkeyes are subject to an option. If purchased, they would not enter service until after the turn of the century.
Russian Fighter’s Sting In The Tail:
Russia’s new attackfighter, the Sukhoi Su-34 (or Su-27IB),may have the ability to carry rear firing air to air missiles, according toJane’s Defence Weekly.Photographs of the Su-34 show an extended ‘sting’ radome between the engine exhausts which is thought to house a rear facing tracking or acquisition sensor. Additionally, test launches of rear firing R-73 missiles from an Su-27 Flanker fighter have recently been carried out, confirming suspected Russian activity in this area.The missile is apparently launched facing backwards with the launch rail rotated either during or before flight with vectored thrust controlling it at low speed. It is possible that future Russian air superiority fighters will also have rear firing capability.
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