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Aviation History
1976
1976 - 0079.PDF
FLIGHT International, 17 lanuary 1976 105 Israeli Hawkeyes A contract for the supply of Grum man E-2C Hawkeye early warning and control aircraft to Israel was com pleted last week, at a lower price than had been planned and giving earlier delivery times. Israel is buying four Hawkeyes at a total cost of $170 mil lion and deliveries will start in Decem ber 1977. The original ceiling price for the aircraft was $210 million but this included a four-year training programme, spares and very con siderable support of various kinds. Deliveries were to have started in October 1978. It is confirmed that the unit flyaway price of the aircraft to Israel is still $25-$26 million and that the "saving" on the original price is therefore be ing achieved by cutting down on some of the support costs. In order to meet the new delivery date Grumman may have to advance the Israeli aircraft up the production line during 1976 if it is to avoid peaking and troughing. The company is building six aircraft for the US Navy this year. Lockheed to strengthen C-5 wing The United States Air Force has awarded Lockheed $28-5 million to de sign, develop and test a strengthened wing for the C-5A. The cost of modi fying the remaining 77 Galaxies is put at between $1,000 million and $1,300 million by the Pentagon (see also Flight for January 3, page 11). At present the service life is limited to 8,750hr, compared with the design goal of 30,000hr, which means that early aircraft would have to be grounded from 1979 and the last would be phased out in 1983. At present the Galaxies are re stricted to 174,0001b payload and 2g manoeuvring. With the new wing these figures will be raised to 190,0001b and 2-5g. tag a change of policy for the past five years and the latest call comes from Bunichiro Tanabe, president of Mitsubishi Corporation, the world's largest trading company. The C-l transport and US-1 amphibious recon naissance/rescue aircraft are both covered by the export ban. Another Omani helicopter lost An AB.205 of the Sultan of Oman's Air Force (SOAF) was shot down by the Popular Front for the Liberation of Oman (PFLO) in Dhofar province on December 25. Several bullets are reported to have hit the helicopter, and the occupants were captured after the ensuing crash. One of those on board was Brig John Akehurst, who Two J79-powered Kfirs can be seen in this first production-line photograph at Israel Aircraft Industries. Production rate has not been officially released but is understood to be about four a month is on secondment from the British Ministry of Defence. SOAF losses in 1975 are understood to have included at least one other AB.205, two Strikemasters and a pair of Hunters. Three of the fixed-wing aircraft were hit by SA-7 surface-to- air missiles. Improved Hawk contracts let Raytheon has been awarded a num ber of contracts connected with the supply of Improved Hawk surface-to- air missiles. Provision of ground sup- Japanese industry at the crossroads Japan's aerospace industry is facing the prospect of a one-third reduction in workforce with the end of the fourth five-year defence plan- next year. Military business has been declining since 1971 and many manu facturers have already diversified production into items such as office equipment. The Ministry of Inter national Trade and Industry has begun studies of what direction the industry should take from 1977, but there is not a single realistic weapon pro gramme in the pipeline. Selection of the P-3C for the PXL anti-submarine requirement was a Wow, licence production of the Orion generating only 400,000 "work pro cesses" compared with 2 9 million for an indigenous type, and the in dustry is pressing for permission to export its wares. The MU-2 and YS-11 have been sold abroad with reason able success, but the "three prin ciples concerning weapon exports" have prevented further sales. The aerospace industry has been advocat- Air force marketplace A number of ex-Imperial Iranian Air Force F-5As are being trans ferred to the Ethiopian Air Force, using Thumrayt (formerly Midway) in Oman as a staging post. The air craft, two of which have been delivered so far, are accompanied by a JetStar carrying the support crew. The FNLA/Vnita forces in Angola are to be equipped with 13 missile- armed helicopters—presumably Alou- ettes—supplied from France via South Africa, according to press reports. The CIA is understood to be recruiting and training 150 heli copter pilots and mechanics to oper ate the aircraft. Meanwhile men and equipment continue to be flown into Angola. The Marxist MPLA is being supplied by Cuban Britannias and Il-18s staging via Barbados and Santa Maria in the Azores. At Guinea-Bissau the shuttle is taken over by Russian aircraft, which fly the final leg into Luanda. The oppos ing FNLA/Unita forces are supplied by F.27s operating from Zaire, the pilots being paid £10,500 a month— £1,500 retainer plus £9,000 "danger money"—by the CIA. A number of South African Air Force Pumas and Alouette Ills are understood to have been transferred to the Rhodesian Air Force. SAAF Cessna 185s replaced by other types have been formed into a new unit, No 11 Sqn at Potchefstroom. France's Aeronautique Navale has taken delivery of six spin-cleared three/four-seat Rallye 100ST train ers. The Service already has ten Rallye 100 Sports, based at Lanveoc- Poulmich. The Philippine Navy is taking de- delivery of a number of Gosselies- built Britten-Norman Islanders. The Portuguese Air Force has taken delivery of six ex-Luftwaffe Aeritalia G.91T two-seat trainers. Sixty surplus German G.91s have previously been transferred to Por tugal. The Greek Air Force is to receive eight RF-4Es, worth $91 million in cluding spares and support.
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