FlightGlobal.com
Home
Premium
Archive
Video
Images
Forum
Atlas
Blogs
Jobs
Shop
RSS
Email Newsletters
You are in:
Home
Aviation History
1963
1963 - 2107.PDF
908 FLIGHT International, 5 December 1963 WORLD NEWS Crusaders from Belfast? Uncertainty about the suitability of the P. 1154 for the Royal Navy resulted last week in Short Bros & Harland Ltd offering instead British-equipped, and largely British- built, Crusaders to the Royal Navy. Developed in conjunction with Chance Vought, Short's version of the Crusader would be powered by a reheat Rolls-Royce RB.168 Spey turbofan, and carry British electronics, air-to-air and air-to-ground weapons. The aircraft, state Short Bros, could be available in two years' time, provided about 50 are ordered. The Crusader first flew in March 1955, and is widely used by the US Navy and has been adopted by France. Short's proposed version would meet the Royal Navy's insistence on a two-man crew; Chance Vought have been flying a two-seat Crusader since February 1962. Short's agreement with Chance Vought follows about a year of discussions, and it would permit the Belfast firm to sell the Anglicized aircraft in many countries abroad. Apart from the political attractions of placing an order in Belfast, where unem ployment is a problem, the Government may be impressed by what seems a remarkably low price. Mr H. G. Conway, Short Bros joint managing director, estimates the figure at flm (£357,000) each—about half the cost of the McDonnell Phantom II now favoured by the Admiralty. Mr Conway also suggests that the Phantom would be too heavy for British carriers. Indian Mig-21 Production Plans Expenditure of Rs35m (about £2,625,000) has been authorized by the Indian Govern ment for the first phases in the construction of a factory to build Mig-21 airframes at Nasik, in Bombay State, and a site is now being acquired. A complementary engine factory is to be built at Koraput, in Orissa, and first-phase estimates of Rs31.6m (about £2,370,000) for this are awaiting approval. Electronics for the IAF's Mig-21s will be produced at a factory near Hyderabad, for which a site has been selected. These facts were given recently in the Lok Sabha in New Delhi by the Minister of State for Defence Production, Mr K. Raghuramiah. It is also learned that a big team of Soviet specialists is expected in India soon to set up the ground radar net work by which the Mig-21 will Decontrolled. At the same time 40 IAF pilots and tech nicians are going to Moscow to train on Mig-21s. Russian engineers are also expected to help in organizing Indian production of the VK-5 engine which is to be installed in production models of the Hindustan HF-24 fighter. A VK-5-powered prototype has been tested. It is not clear whether the VK-5 will be built alongside the RD-9 engines for the Mig-21s at Koraput, in existing factories, or whether a special factory will be built. On November 26 it was reported that the Indian Government has decided to build helicopter airframes and engines at Hindu stan Aircraft's factory at Bangalore, in collaboration with Sud-Aviation and Tur- bomeca. Over £6fm will be invested. Lord Newall We regret to record the death last Saturday of Marshal of the RAF Lord Newall, GCB, OM, CGMG, CBE, at the age of 77. As CAS from May 1937 to October 1940 Lord Newall was an architect of victory in the Battle of Britain, supervising the pre-war RAF expansion programme and, after the outbreak of war, bringing about an immediate and dramatic increase in fighter strength. This, together with his successful support of Lord Dowding, AOC-in-C Fighter Command, in opposing pressures for more RAF fighter squadrons to be stationed in France in May 1940, led to the RAF having marginally sufficient numbers to win the Battle that summer. Cyril Newall was born in India in 1886, the son of an Indian Army officer and himself became an Indian Army officer after attending Sandhurst. It was in India that he learned to fly privately and later became one of the first officers of the Indian Army to be selected for instruction at CFS. In 1914 he was seconded to the RFC and in it rose to the rank of brigadier by the age of 32. He was successively a fighter squadron and wing commander in France and in 1917 commanded the 41st Bomber Wing—a forerunner of Trenchard's Inde pendent Air Force formed the following year, in which he commanded the 8th Brigade. In 1919 he was commissioned in the RAF as a wing commander. Between the wars he held a number of commands in Britain and the Middle East and was knighted in 1935, when he was Air Member for Supply and Organization, Air Ministry. On his retirement as CAS in October 1940 he was promoted Marshal of the RAF and was awarded the Order of Merit—the first air force officer to be so honoured. He was appointed Governor-General and C-in-C of New Zealand in February 1941 and served in that post until 1946. On his return from New Zealand he was created a baron. Lord Newall leaves a widow, a son and two daughters. R-R/MAN RB.153 The first test run has been made of a new by-pass jet engine (turbofan), the Rolls- Royce/MAN RB.153, which is being developed for the German Government by Rolls-Royce in close collaboration with MAN Turbomotoren GmbH of Munich. The Rolls-Royce/MAN RB.153 engine and its associated thrust-deflector system were Britannia Trophy's 50 Years Last week the Royal Aero Club held a dinner to celebrate the fiftieth year of the Club's premier award, the Britannia Trophy. Among the guests was Sqn Cdr J. W. Seddon, RNAS, who gained the Trophy in its second year, 1914, for a 325-mile flight from the Isle of Grain to Plymouth in a Maurice Farman seaplane. He is seen with his wife and daughter. We hope to publish a note on the dinner next week
Sign up to
Flight Digital Magazine
Flight Print Magazine
Airline Business Magazine
E-newsletters
RSS
Events
