Yester Year

• Airbus is continuing to offer the A330-200 for military applications as a Multi-Role Tanker Transport (MRTT) de-spite its rejection for the USAF tanker lease.

• Qantas announced on April 3 that it will add a further six Boe-ing 717-200s to its fleet over the next three months adding to the eight former Impulse Airlines aircraft. The aircraft will be operated on QantasLink services in a two-class configu-ration. Qantas also confirmed on April 2 that the new Australian Airlines international sub-sidiary will begin services on October 27 with an initial four Boeing 767-300s.

• On April 15 the first Lock-heed U-2S was delivered back to the 9th Reconnaissance Wing at Beale AFB, California after upgrade under the Reconnais-sance Avionics Maintainability Program (RAMP). The upgrade sees the replacement of the U-2’s 1960s legacy instruments with modern equipment.

• American Airlines operated its final Boeing 727 flight on April 30 after 38 years of service. The last flight, AA926, was from Miami to Raleigh-Durham, North Carolina. The airline received a total of 182 727s, operating the largest fleet of the type in the world.

25 Years Ago

• The first Saab JAS 39 Gripen (Griffin) was unveiled at Linkoping on April 26. It was the first of five prototypes of the lightweight multirole fighter. The ceremony coincided with the 50th anniversary of the crea-tion of the Saab Aircraft Divi-sion (as the Svenska Aeroplan Aktiebolag) of Saab-Scania. The Swedish air force has ordered an initial batch of 30 Gripens with options on another 110.

• HM-12 at NAS Norfolk, Vir-ginia became the first USN fleet squadron to receive the Sikorsky MH-53E Sea Dragon mine-sweeper on April 1. The new airborne mine countermeasures helicopter has a new digital automatic flight control system, a greater tow tension capability, and longer on-station time.

• The USN received the first General Dynamics F-16N Fighting Falcon adversary aircraft on April 6. Of the 26 F-16Ns ordered by the USN, 16 will be based at NAS Miramar, San Diego, California and 10 at NAS Key West, Florida.

• A new variant of the BAe (English Electric) Canberra has been delivered to No 360 Squadron at RAF Wyton. The T. 17A has a digital Omega navigation computer and a suite of modernised jammers. The squadron will have six of their 12 T. 17s modified to T. 17A standard extending their elec-tronic jamming power capability.

• Rollout of the first European Helicopter Industries EH101, ZF641, took place at the West-land factory at Yeovil on April 7. The helicopter was originally designed as a RAF and Italian Navy Sea King replacement with initial requirements quoted at 50 and 38 respectively, and it will now be built in both mili-tary and civil utility versions.

50 Years Ago

• The first Bristol 188 high-altitude research aircraft, XF923, powered by two 14,000lb de Havilland Gyron Junior DGJ. 10 turbojets, had its maiden flight on April 14. The world’s first su-personic aircraft using stainless steel as the primary structure, the 188 will examine flight problems of kinetic heating on the airframe, and propulsion at Mach 2 to Mach 3.

• The maiden flight of the Lockheed A-12 developed at the company’s Advanced Development Projects plant at Burbank, California, also known as the Skunk Works, took place from Indian Springs Auxiliary AFB, Nevada on April 26. The aircraft is built almost entirely of titanium alloys and is intended to fly at speeds over Mach 3.

• A decision is soon expected as to whether Britain will join France in developing a Mach 2. 2 supersonic transport. Should an agreement be reached, BAC and Sud will combine to build two versions of the Super Caravelle. The aircraft would be identical differing only in their payload and fuel arrange-ments. Both would be powered by developed versions of the Bristol-Siddeley Olympus with the French aircraft carrying 100 passengers over medium distances up to 3,862km (2,400 miles) and the British example carrying 80 passengers across the Atlantic non-stop.

• Some of the highlights of the Bankstown Air Display held on April 1 and attended by 60,000 spectators was the first public ap-pearance of the prototype Victa Air Tourer VH-MVA, aerobatics by Jack McDonald in the Mus-tang VH-FCB, a series of three air races of three or four laps around a triangular seven mile course and displays.