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Aviation History
1973
1973 - 0071.PDF
[FtLDtSfKnr ir\JTERMATIDI\JAL Incorporating "The Aeroplane" Subscriptions: UK, £12 p.a. Overseas, £10-30 p.a US airspeeded, $30-55 p.a. A subscription form is at the back of this issue Thursday 11 January 1973 Number 3331 Volume 103 Founded in 1909 First aeronautical weekly in the world Official organ of the United Service and Royal Aero Club © IPC Business Press Ltd 1972 Dorset House, Stamford Street, London SE1 Telephone: 01-261 8070 (Editorial) 01-261 8081 (Advertisement Sales) 01-261 8392 (Advertisement Production) Telegrams/Telex: Bisnespres Ldn, 25137 Publishing Director Maurice A. Smith, DFC Advertisement Manager David Holmes International Business Press Associates I ibfM I Member of the Audit Bureau of Circulations jABCJ Editor J. M. Ramsden Assistant Editor Hugh Field Technical Editor Michael Wilson, BSc. CEng. FBIS, AFRAeS Assistant Editor (Technical) Peter Middleton Editorial Staff Charles M. Giison Mark Hewish Andrew Hofton, MSc Richard T. Riding Ted Wilding-White Air Photography Tom Hamill Photographic Librarian Ann C. Tilbury Subscriptions Manager G. Dawson Oakfieid House, PerrymountRoad, Haywards Heath, Sussex RH16 3DH Telephone: 0444 53281 European defence requirements One day European air forces will stop devising individual Opera tional Requirements or ORs, frag menting Europe operationally and industrially. Some European countries have been more isolationist than others in defence. The British, for good geographical and historical rea sons, tended until MRCA,to specify specialist aircraft for home de fence, maritime patrol and long- range transport. The Dutch and French are going their own ways in new combat aircraft. If all the types in prospect last as long as the Mirages, Star- fighters and Lightnings have done, Europe's planemakers will have to wait almost until the end of the century for a home-defence market as common as that en joyed by their American competi tors. Even if Europe's air marshals, generals and admirals were to join formation tomorrow the de fence common market would still be a 1980s baby. It takes at least seven years to define, develop and introduce a major military aircraft. Can Europe wait that long? The transition from nationalism to Europeanism will have to be speeded up. Ministers can see to this; but the professionals can take initiatives. The air marshals, generals and admirals have already done much to rationalise their ORs—as Tran- sall, Atlantic, Jaguar, Martel, Roland, Alpha Jet and MRCA and so forth show. Perhaps the en largement of the EEC will foster the trend. There is a strong case for Europe's professional military air men, who are much the same whatever their nationality, to take an initiative, forming per haps a European air defence college dedicated to defining common ORs. If they do not do something like this, politicians may force amateur decisions on them. Open the doors There is more that professional military airmen can do for their countries in times of peace. Why do some countries — Britain for example—not make better use of air force officers with thousands of hours of ad vanced flying experience bought at great cost by taxpayers? There are instances of airlines declining to admit seasoned air force pilots who, in frustration, fly for foreign airlines. Air forces could also do much to improve the efficiency of their operations and engineering tech niques. The aircraft industry, and especially the equipment com panies, get little or no feedback about the reliability or maintain- . ability of their products. A few miles away, perhaps, civil aircraft engineers and airworthi ness experts trying to shave an other x2p off engineering costs constantly feed back data to air craft designers and technical sup port managers who must respond or lose business. Some air forces disclose nothing about their de fects or about incidents and accidents. A great wealth of ex pertise and airmanship is thus denied to the aviation fraternity as a whole, for no apparent rea son other than the usual one— valid in a few instances—of security. Air force spares holdings per hour flown, all paid for by the taxpayer, probably run to ten times those acceptable in com mercial aviation. There is a world of difference between combat and commerce; but in peace time the air marshals, admirals and generals have a responsibility to be more efficient. They have to make social and financial sense as well as being professional in defence. The airlines should open their crew doors to air forces, and air forces their hangar doors to air lines. IN THIS ISSUE World News Air Transport Private Flight Letters Light Commercial Industry The Air-Metal AM-C 111 Weapon Notes Avionics Defence Arizona's de-militarized zone Propulsion Spaceflight Straight and Level 44 47 52 54 56 57 58 60 62 63 66 68 69 72 Front cover: a launch-crew member prepares to attach one of the four canted fins fitted to the LTV Lance battlefield-support missile. A description of Lance and its operation begins on page 60
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