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Aviation History
1975
1975 - 0653.PDF
tFHOBMTF INTERWATIOIMAL *g) IPC Transport Press Ltd 1975 Dorset House, Stamford Street, London SE1 9LU Subscriptions: B. J. F. Nason, Oakfield House, Perrymounl Road, Haywards Heath, Sussex RH16 3DH; Tel 0444 53281 A subscription form is at the back of this issue Ind-ctass postage paid at New York; USA news-stand distribu tion by Eastern News Distributors, 155 W 15th St New York 10011 US Direct Air Mail, $62.20 p.a. Thursday 10 April 1975 Number 3448 Volume 107 Founded in 1909 First aeronautical weekly in the world Official organ of the United Service and Royal Aero Club Telephone: 01-261 8070 (Editorial) 01-261 8081 (Advertisement Sales) 01-261 8392 (Advertisement Production) Telegrams/Telex: Bisnespres Ldn, 25137 Publishing Director Dennis Holman Editorial Director IPC Transport Press Maurice A, Smith, DFC Group Advertisement Manager David Holmes Assistant Advertisement Manager (Europe) Jeremy Miller International Business Press Associates Member of the Audit Bureau of Circulations ibpa ABC! Editor J. M. Ramsden Assistant Editor Hugh Field International Editor Mark Lambert Technical Editor Michael Wilson, BSc. CEng, FBiS, MRAiS Assistant Editor (Technical) Andrew Hofton, MSc Editorial Stat? Stephen R. Broadbenl, BTech Brendan Gallagher Charles M. Gilson fan R. Goold Mark Hewish David Kent Nigel H. Moll Stephen Pisrcey Bill Sweetman Air Photography Tom Hamltl Europe first There is no glossing over the fact that the Nato four's F-16 order will if confirmed, as now seems likely, do a disservice to Europe's aircraft industry. The Belgians, Danes, Dutch and Norwegians have no obligation to patronise the Euro pean aircraft industry, and nothing is more sovereign than a nation's defence. It is true too that none of the countries concerned has an im portant military aircraft industry. America is the most powerful Nato member, and it makes defence sense to buy US weapons; they are good and, in this case, are offered on apparently generous financial and industrial terms. But to be pro-European is not to be anti-American, and the Euro pean market must close ranks if its industry and technology as a whole are not to be colonialised by America. It is a fact,, and not mere philosophy, that defence technology begets competitive in dustry; and without competitive technology Europe's economic and cultural independence is at risk. Europe's own vanities and muddles are partly to blame for the failure to win what has been called, perhaps extravagantly, "the arms deal of the century." If the French had not pulled out of Nato, and out of the Anglo-French VG aeroplane, the aircraft which is the Nato MRCA might have been on the market sooner, and might have included the Dutch and Bel gians as well as the Germans, Italians and British. All have tried over the years to ensure that Europe's F-104 replacement would be European. The might-have-beens are end less. The British went off along the TSR.2 independent track, end ing up cancelling it and ordering American F-llls, cancelling them, and buying Phantoms. All that was a disservice to European aviation too. The French have nothing like that to live down. The lesson for Europe's aircraft industry is not new, but it is more insistent than ever: fall in to gether or fall out. The momentum of the individual military indus tries — British, French, German, Italian and Swedish—will sustain them for some years, but the exist ing list of products has to be the starting point of co-operation. And co-operation there must be if 21st- century Europe is to be capable of defending itself and earning its living. Advantage should be taken of the good Anglo-French aerospace climate evident at the recent Con corde Ministerial meeting. Co operation cannot be considered in military isolation; many of the bar gaining counters are civil. Some may seem far removed from the Nato F-16 order. The key ones may be found in the field of aero engines, where aviation progress so often begins. France's Snecma is doing the GFM56 in co-operation with General Electric. This 25,000- 30,0001b turbofan has the power, quietness and economy to "re cycle" the One-Eleven, Trident, Mercure, 727 and DC-9. The CMF56 is in competition with the Pratt & Whitney JT10D, and Rolls-Royce increasingly feels that it ought to be in this market. Why not with Snecma? Air France and British Airways require a Caravelle/Tri- dent/One-Eleven replacement — and a similar need will exist among other airlines as the noise regula tions bite. This could be nego tiating item number one. Number two could be related to the Snecma M53 military turbojet. Its future cannot be strengthened by the Nato four's apparent rejec tion of the F.1E, and the French Air Force is resisting an F.1E order for fear of losing funds for the twin-M53 Super Mirage. This pro ject is still on paper and is not getting any cheaper as the full cost of an operational as opposed to an experimental aircraft be comes apparent, especially in these times of 20 per cent annual infla tion. Rolls-Royce and its German and Italian partners have the RB.199, and there is a Nato re quirement for an air-defence variant of MRCA—the exact re quirement of the French Air Force. Also for negotiation is Snecma's reluctance to finance the M45H indefinitely without orders (though it is interesting that McDonnell Douglas is pitching a "DC-11" at the VFW 614 market). And both Airbus Industrie and Rolls-Royce want to see the A300 fitted with RB.211s. Many more items are eligible for the co-operation agenda. If ever there was a moment for Europe's aircraft industry to pull itself to gether—perhaps under the aus pices of Aecma, and with a firm political brief to produce a more common programme—this is surely it. IN THIS ISSUE World News Air Transport Light Commercial Defence Private Flight Avionics Books Industry International In the Air: Piper Seneca 2 Dunlop Aviation is 50 Letters Europe in space Spaceflight Straight and Level 580 583 591 592 595 597 599 600 601 605 612 613 622 622a Front cover: The Piper Seneca 2, caught in this Tom Hamill study, is the subject of an In the Air report beginning on p?ge 601
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