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Aviation History
1975
1975 - 0951.PDF
RIGHT Internat.ond'. 29 May /975 855 Marconi-Elliott Hudsight for F-16 The contract to supply the head-up display (Hud) for the pre-production version of the General Dynamics F-16 Air Combat Fighter has been placed with Marconi-Elliott Avionic Systems. The system will be fitted to the 12 development F-l6s now planned by the USAF as forerunners of perhaps 650 ACFs which may eventually be ordered. Initial Hudsight deliveries will be made from Rochester, Kent, but later production systems will be supplied by the British company's US associate E-A Industrial Corporation of Chamblee, Georgia. Participation on both sides of the Atlantic is considered particularly appropriate in view of the worldwide market foreseen for the F-16. The initial contract covers some 16 sets of equipment and is worth in the region of £2 million. According to Marconi-Elliott, award of the contract follows reports of out standing performance of the Hud/ weapon-aiming computer (Hudwac) in the flight evaluation of the prototype YF-16. In addition to successfully demonstrating ability to make the computations necessary for air-to-air and air-to-ground missions in the same computer, a new energy management display was developed during flight- test which gained acceptance by both GD and USAF pilots. As a result of increased operational requirements for the pre-production aircraft, the fire-control functions for the F-16 will now be shared between a central computer and the Hudsight. The complete equipment consists of a pilot's display unit with 5in optical system, a digital electronics unit pro grammed for display and gunsight computation and a rate gyro sensor for the gunsight. The system is based on the Type 664 Hudwac, itself derived from the Hud supplied for US A-7Ds and A-7Es. Eagle outstreaked . . . Only three months after a McDon nell Douglas F-15 Eagle set up six new world time-to-height records (Flight, February 13, page 231), a Soviet Ye-266M has won two of them back and set up a new one at an altitude not reached by the American aircraft. The Marconi-Elliott Hudsight has been selected for pre-production F-I6s (see news story). The equipment is shown on one of the proto type YF-I6s The May 20 issue of Red Star records the new times set by the Ye-266M, which is a specially modified version of the MiG-25 Foxbat. Test pilot P. Ostapenko, who two years ago reached 30,000m, 98.425ft in 243-5sec in the Ye-266, has now reached the same height in 189-7sec, which is 17-9sec less than the F-15's time to this altitude. Test pilot A. Fedotov. flying the same aircraft, reached 25,000m, 82,021ft in 154-2sec against the F-15's 161sec and in a second flight reached 35,000m. 114,829ft in 251-3sec. This altitude was not attained by the Eagle and is very close to the world absolute height record of 36,240m, 118,897ft already held by Fedotov in the Ye-266. At times during the flights a rate of climb of 400m/sec, 78,740ft/min was achieved according to the Red Star report. The lowest outside tempera ture encountered was — 50°C. The dates on which the flights were made are not given. The report does, how ever, state that the full potential of the Ye-266 has not yet been exploited and that further records can be expected. The significance of the M in the designation is not known. . . . and Bell 214 world records An Iranian Army Bell 214A has recently established five world re cords in altitude and time-to-height categories, according to the manufac turer. The records have still to be rati fied by the Federation Aeronautique Internationale, but they were estab lished three days after delivery of the first production model of the helicop ter to the Government of Iran. The records are all in the 6,6141b- 9,9201b category and are:- Maximum attitude: 29,750ft (the old The first of 287 Bell 2l4As has been delivered to Iran and has recently captured some world records (see news story) 1111111 DEFENCE record of 25,418ft was set in 1964 by a UH-1D). Maximum sustained altitude in hori zontal flight: 29,500ft (90sec). Time to 3,000m (9,842ft): 2min 25sec. Time to 6,000m (19, 685ft): 5min55sec. Time to 9,000m (29,527ft): 15min38sec. The pilot of the standard 214A was Maj Gen Manouchehr Khosrowdad, commanding general of the Imperial Iranian Army Aviation. Co-pilot was Clem A. Bailey, Bell's assistant chief production test pilot. The record attempts were made at Ahwaz airport in south-west Iran where the ground temperatures (at 61ft a.s.l.) ranged from 35°C to 38°C. Australia: Orion or Nimrod? The Lockheed P-3C Orion is now thought to be favoured by Australia in preference to the Hawker Siddeley Nimrod as its new anti-submarine warfare aircraft. Radio Australia reports that the Defence Forces Development Committee is understood to have made the recommendation in favour of the Orion in a report to the Defence Minister, Mr Lance Barnard. It is thought that Mr Barnard has been showing a strong personal preference for the Nimrod but that the cost difference may sway him in support of the committee's recom mendations. The new patrol aircraft are to replace the Neptunes of No 10 Maritime Reconnaissance Sqn based at Townsville, N. Queensland. Israeli Hawkeye evaluation An Israeli team was last week repor ted to be in the United States to evaluate the US Navy's Grumman E-2C Hawkeye. If concluded, the sale would be the first of US arms to continued on page 857 *•-••- zW
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