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Aviation History
1969
1969 - 2202.PDF
FLIGHT International, 5 June 1969 ' 924-925 MILITARY AND RESEARCH Paris 1969 is characterised by a decided decline in emphasis on both new and existing military aircraft and research types. The visit of the Lockheed C-5A, which was to have toured Europe after eclipsing all other aeroplanes at the Show, was cancelled at the last moment, so Russia's Antonov An-22 is able to dominate the aircraft park again. The non- participation of the US Department of Defence is a preponderant factor in the decline, and the paucity of complete aircraft displayed by the American industry is another. By contrast, there is evidence of one new European aircraft which promises to constitute the largest and most complex military programme ever undertaken by nations working in collaboration; and history will record that the existence of MRCA—the multi-role combat aircraft—made its first public impact at Paris '69. Very little of the programme is actually visible, but a triangular symbol on a curved plinth at the BAC, Bolkow- Messerschmitt, Fiat and Fokker, is evidence of the association of these organisations with the Panavia consortium which has been set up to manage MRCA. Wooden models on each stand indicate the general configuration of the Panavia 100 (single-seater) and 200 (two-seater), but are by no means representative of the final design; it is understood that they are based on wind-tunnel models studied at BAC Warton. During the show the Panavia board held a press conference to introduce the new project. The conference was introduced by Mr Allen Greenwood of BAC (Panavia chairman for the first year), who remarked that, if nothing else, the month-old organisation had at least decided to adopt English as the common language. Panavia Aircraft GmbH is located in Munich, and has two directors from each of the four countries. Both the single- and two-seat versions, said Mr Greenwood, SENSOR The KLM-SAS-Swissair (KSS) con sortium's choice between the Lockheed 1011 and the Douglas DC-10 is ex pected to be announced this weekend. The French independent VTA has joined the consortium, which is now being referred to KUSS. All jour airlines are Douglas operators, giving the DC-10 at least a head start. The DC-10 engine, assuming that Rolls- Royce stays exclusively with Lockheed, will be either the new up-rated Pratt & Whitney JT9D fas yet undesignated) or the up-rated General Electric CF6-6 ICF6-50). GE is offering the CF6 at prices which P&W feels can only be special introductory offers. Beagle Pup deliveries are now nearly 70, with parts going into the assembly line at Shoreham at the rate of one aircraft per working day, or 22 per month. September will see assembly and deliveries at this rate. Top manage ment is now concentrating more on sales, with emphasis at first on par ticular markets. Order backlog is just under 200. Price is still £4,750 for the 150 and £3.850 for the 100. Price of the Beagle Bulldog is £8.100 basic and up to £10,000 for a fully equipped aircraft. Orders involving about 75 aircraft are being discussed with air forces besides the RAF, and deliveries will start in June 1970 • fol lowing certification this autumn, by which time a pre-production aircraft will be flying. Jigging is about 70 per cent common with the Pup. Dassault Mercure prototype construc tion started two months ago; total construction costs are estimated as NF800 (£67 million). Dassault is pro viding 14 per cent, the French Govern ment 56 per cent and Fiat 10 per cent. The remaining 20 per cent of support is being sought outside France. A pro duction go-ahead decision is planned for early 1970, first flight in April 1971 and deliveries at the end of 1972. The up-rated RB.211 development for the transatlantic-range Lockheed 1011 Tri-Star (now designated 1011-8) is going up from 50,5001b to 52.5001b thrust, designation being changed from -55 to -56. The engine is an all-round scaled-up development of the initial RB.211 of 40,0001b-43,000lb for the "domestic" TriStar. Launching cost is more than £30 million. The Rolls sales approach is that they are gelling higher thrust by sizing up, not by increasing temperatures. The version of the RB.211-56 now offered for the A-300B is the -51, down-rated from 52,5001b to 49,000lb. Rolls-Royce is already offering growth to 55.0001b for 1975 (RB.2I1-57). Hawker Siddeley's investment in the A-300B programme is likely to be less than £9 million, mainly on design and production of the wing. The exact terms of the Hawker Siddeley's par ticipation are still being discussed, but there is no doubt that Sud and Deutsche Airbus are keen to retain HSA as a major partner. The Franco- German A-300B agreement provides for expenditure of £170 million shared equally by the two countries. This would be adjusted to include the Italian and Dutch government shares now being negotiated. First flight is scheduled for mid-1972, and service in late 1973. The A-300B will be built by Airbus Industrie SA, with M Ziegler of Sud as president and M Beteille of Sud as managing director. The de Havilland DHC-7 STOL 48- seat transport will cost about £25 million to launch, double the cost of the Twin Otter. The firm is determined to build the aircraft, with a prototype first flight scheduled for mid-1971 and deliveries in late 1972 at a basic price of about £600,000. A partnership with a US company is almost certain. Shorts are likely to be the chosen manufacturers of Britten-Norman BN-3 Nymph kits.
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