Yester Year

• Prime Minister John Howard announced on October 17 that Australia will commence the deployment of military equipment and personnel to the Persian Gulf in support of Operation Enduring Freedom. The measures include RAAF aircraft comprising two 707 tankers, two P-3C Orions, four F/A‑18A Hornets, with the RAN contributing two frigates and an amphibious command ship, and 150 Special Air Service personnel from the Army.

• US Secretary of the Air Force James G Roche announced on October 26 that Lockheed Martin was the winner of the Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) competition.

An initial US$18. 98 billion contract has been awarded in a program likely to involve about US$200 billion expenditure.

Three F-35 variants will be developed, the conventional takeoff and landing F-35A for the USAF, the F-35C for the USN for carrier use, and the F-35B short takeoff and landing version for the Marine Corps.

• The recommencement of trans-Atlantic Concorde services was announced by Air France and British Airways on October 15, with flights to begin on November 7.

25 Years Ago

• The USAF announced on October 31 that the Lockheed YF-22A and Northrop YF-23A were the winning design proposals for further development under the Advanced Tactical Fighter program. Lockheed will work with General Dynamics and Boeing as principal subcontractors, while Northrop’s contract will be shared with McDonnell Douglas. The USAF is planning to procure 750 of the new fighters.

• With the commissioning of the USN’s fifth nuclear powered aircraft carrier, the USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN 71), on October 25 at Newport News, Virginia, the number of active US carriers has increased to 15.

• Northwest Airlines is to purchase up to 100 Airbus A320s for delivery from 1990 to 1995.

The order comprises 10 aircraft on firm order and 90 options in six batches of 15 aircraft each. The first confirmation is required in 1987 and the other batches can be confirmed or cancelled. The A320s will seat 150 passengers and have fuel consumption approximately half of that of the Boeing 727-200.

• De Havilland Canada delivered its 7000th aircraft, Dash 8 N815PH The Great City of Yakima, to Horizon Air of Seattle, Washington, at its Downsview, Ontario, plant on October 3.

• McDonnell Douglas rolled out the prototype MD-87 at Long Beach, California, on October 23. The MD-87 seats up to 139 passengers and is 5. 3m shorter than previous MD-80 variants. Finnair is the launch customer.

• Federal Express took delivery of the first of 70 stretched Cessna Model 208B Caravan 1s, N902FE, on October 31.

Federal Express currently has 39 Caravan 208As in its fleet.

50 Years Ago

• The maiden flight of the Breguet 1150 Atlantic maritime reconnaissance and ASW aircraft took place on October 21 from Toulouse. Powered by two Rolls-Royce Tyne R. Ty. 20 turboprops and built to a NATO specification, the Atlantic has a range of 5590 miles. Twenty-seven are on order for the French navy and further orders are expected from Belgium, the Netherlands and West Germany. All four countries are participating in the Atlantic’s development.

• About 2000 US commercial airliners were grounded on October 14, affecting approximately 125,000 domestic passengers plus international travellers, when all civil aviation in the US and Canada ceased for 12 hours from 11. 00 am for the Operation Sky Shield II test exercise. Conducted by the North American Air Defense Command (NORAD), it involved thousands of NORAD and SAC aircraft in the largest air defence exercise held in the western hemisphere.

• Qantas commenced Lockheed Electra services from Sydney to Wellington on October 3 with VH-ECC Pacific Endeavour.

The following day VH-ECB Pacific Explorer conducted the inaugural flight from Sydney to Christchurch, and on the 8th the same aircraft operated the first Melbourne to Auckland service.

• A major airshow was held at RANAS Nowra on October 2 as part of the RAN’s 50th anniversary celebrations. Some of the aircraft present for the open day were 14 de Havilland Sea Venoms, 15 Fairey Gannets, three de Havilland Vampire T. 22s and one T. 34A, two Hawker Sea Fury FB. 11s, five Bristol Sycamores and three Fairey Firefly target tugs.