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Aviation History
1970
1970 - 1485.PDF
[Fyimnr INTERNATIONAL Thursday 6 August 1970 Number 3204 Volume 98 Founded in 1909 First aeronautical weekly in the world Official organ of the Royal Aero Club Incorporating "The Aeroplane" © IPC Business Press Ltd 1970 ibpal International Business Press Associates Publishing Director Maurice A. Smith, DFC Advertisement Manager David Holmes Editor J. M. Ramsden Assistant Editor Humphrey Wynn, BA Technical Editor Michael Wilson. BSc, CEng, FBIS. AFRAeS Assistant Editor (Air Transport) David Woolley Assistant Production Editor Barry Wheeler Editorial Staff John Bentley Hugh Field Charles Wilson Peter Middleton Tony Smith Tom Hamill (air photography) Photographic Librarian Ann C. Tilbury The RAF's new combat aircraft It seems but a few years ago that scarcely an SBAC show went by without at least one new military aircraft prototype. Yet, until last week, no Mach 2 prototype had been commissioned in Britain for eleven years. The launching of MRCA is an event of great importance in the annals of British and European air power. In terms of technology and cost it is almost certainly the biggest international military programme ever launched in peacetime. The history of the multi-role combat aircraft (see page 146 of last week's issue) goes back to the spring of 1965 when BAC and Dassault combined their project teams to work on the Anglo-French variable geometry aircraft (AFVG). The history of that project up to the French withdrawal in 1967 (which with hindsight was the start of the now serious crack in Anglo-French collaboration) has been well docu mented, notably by Sir George Edwards in his recent Oxford Lec ture (Flight, July 16). Britain turned to Germany and Italy and to other partners. At times during the last two years MRCA has also seemed doomed to perpetual brochuredom. A full year was spent negotiating the delicate but fundamentally important question of design leader ship. Because the Germans were pro posing to pay the biggest slice of the research and development money, and to order the most production aircraft, they were given nominal leadership of the pro gramme. It was felt that by building the RAF version at Warton, Britain would have sufficient technical con trol to protect her defence and financial interests, bearing in mind the practical inexperience (though high technical competence) of the Germans in the design of modern military combat aircraft and systems. In recent months Germany has cut back both her R&D contribu tion and proposed order to the British levels. Mr Healey, the pre vious Minister of Defence, hinted that the industrial arrangements— which would certainly have been very different on this basis—might now be renegotiated. Perhaps it does not matter that Panavia, the joint company, is German - registered and has a German managing director; but it is very important that technical control, for this first joint Anglo-German venture at any rate, should be clearly vested in the team with the proven technical experience. Perhaps this is the moment to restate the point and purpose of MRCA, or Panavia 200 as it may now be known. The whole national argument is about what can be saved on defence, not what can be spent on it. It is in this light that the case for Panavia 200 is compelling. Needless to say it will provide work for aircraft factories and a powerful stimulus for die industry's airframe, engine and systems design teams and the high technology involved. But there is no future in building aircraft just to make work for aircraft industries. Swing-wing technology, by recon ciling otherwise incompatible de mands, makes it possible to offer defence planners three or .four weapons in one: a fast-climbing intercepter-fighter for air superiority or home defence (Lightning and F-104G replacement); a medium/ long-range strike bomber (Vulcan, Canberra, Buccaneer, Phantom) with automatic terrain-following out of radar sight; and a high-level, very- high-speed reconnaissance aircraft. The Panavia 200 will also fit British aircraft carriers; the dis cretion of the carrier combined with the operational flexibility of the aircraft would hedge most of Britain's extra-European defence bets in the future. If costs are kept under control, and the Panavia 200 is spared the' fate which has befallen so many defence programmes, it should give the best possible value for defence money. IN THIS ISSUE World News Air Transport Private Flying Light Commercial Germany's Aircraft Industry Defence Letters Big business bird Industry International Spaceflight Straight and Level 186 189 196 200 201 212 215 217 218 219 220a Front cover: consortium-built aircraft in Federal German service. One of the 20 Breguet Atlantics ordered by the Kriegsmarine and a Lockheed F-104G of the same Service. A current view of Germany's aircraft industry begins on page 201
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