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Aviation History
1976
1976 - 1522.PDF
374 mini DEFENCE The bulk of the subcontracts placed in Norway are in fact likely to be awarded to Kongsberg—later this year the company hopes to sign further deals worth $90-145 million for inertial navigation and weapon con trol systems, electro-optical systems, brakes and various parts of the venti lation and cooling systems. More Patriot money Engineering and development work on the Kaytheon Patriot anti-aircraft missile (formerly known as SAM-D) is to continue under a contract just awarded to the manufacturer and worth no less than $425 million (£237 million). Designed to replace both Nike Hercules and Hawk in the 1980s, Patriot's total programme cost is now put at $6 billion by the US Army. A-10 production contract Fairchild Industries has been awarded a $61-8 million contract for further A-10 attack aircraft, which completes production funding up to the end of the transition period be tween old and new Fiscal Years. So far, 95 A-lOs have been bought out of the 733 the USAF still plans to buy up to 1982. The manufacturer says FLIGHT International, 14 August 1976 that part of the money from the latest contract will go towards long-lead items for the FY77 purchase—100 air craft are being requested next year. General Electric meanwhile has been awarded two contracts together worth $33-8 million to produce TF34 engines and GAU-8/A cannon for the A-10. Salmond Trophy—14 does it again Royal Air Force 14 Sqn, equipped with Jaguars, has won the annual RAF Germany navigation and bombing competition for the second year run ning and 17 Sqn, also Jaguar-equipped, finished second. The competition, for the Salmond Trophy, is for RAFG offensive-support squadrons and this FST-2 flies 400hr THE two prototype Japanese FST-2 ground-attack versions of the T-2 advanced trainer have- now flown over 400hr at the JASDF flight-test centre at Gifu, alongside the Kawasaki fac tory. Production of the T-2 trainer continues at Mitsubishi's Komaki fac tory at Nagoya and the 30th T-2 has flown. Production rate is two a month and 59 are on order. Mitsubishi has a letter of intent for 68 FST-2s and production should start next financial year. The airframes adapted as FST-2 prototypes are the sixth and seventh On the assembly line at Mitsubishi's Komaki plant, near Nagoya, the T-2 shows similarities and differences between itself and the Jaguar. The TF40-IHI-A Adours, made under Rolls- Royce ITurbomeca licence by Ishikawajima- Harima Heavy Industries, are installed similarly to the Adours in Jaguar, the engine covers carrying fixed stabilising fins. The undercarriage straddles the under-fuselage centreline pylons and the single mainwheel rotates to lie flat in the wheel-bay. Two air brake panels extend immediately aft of the undercarriage. Lateral control is by a com bination of over-wing spoilers and tailerons, with virtually full-span, double-slotted flap and plain drooped leading-edge assuring low-speed lift. The single pressure-refuelling point can be seen just ahead of the wheel bay. The M6I Vulcan gun is mounted on the opposite, left side of the fuselage T-2s. Aircraft 59-106 has flown 190hr and 59-107 220hr. Weapons have not been dropped yet, but one prototype has flown carrying 12 low-drag 5001b bombs in threes on the four under- whig pylons. A 217 US gal centreline tank has also been flown. Three of these can be carried and the pylons can additionally accept air-to-surface missiles, ECM pods or reconnaissance pods. The standard T-2 is fitted with a Mitsubishi Electric nose radar cap able of air search, lock-on, mapping and ranging, the display being the central feature in the front cockpit. Attitude and flight information comes from an attitude and heading refer ence system (AHRS) and from angle- of-attack and yaw probes. Main flight instrument is the J/AWG-11 head-up display manufactured under licence from Thomson-CSF in France, and this is co-ordinated with the radar. Radio includes UHF comms, Tacan and SIF/ IFF. Internal armament is a single M-61 Vulcan gun in the lower left side of the fuselage. The FST-2 retains most of this equipment, but additionally has a Ferranti inertial system and Mitsu bishi Electric weapon-aiming com puter plus a radio altimeter to com plete the weapon-delivery calculation. There appears to be no special rang ing device. The FST-2 will be a single- seater and the additional mission equipment occupies the rear cockpit space. Defensive electronics include a Radar Homing and Warning System (RHAWS) with aerials in the fin-tip and forward fuselage. The inertia! system has been tested and is per forming well, but trials are not yet complete. Two T-2s are also at Gifu for con tinued development flying, including spin trials, which are reported to be showing a decent spin and straight forward recovery. These two proto types have flown 730hr. Jf» Jfl • The standard Mitsubishi T-2 front cockpit (above) is dominated by the licence-built Thomson-CSF JIAWC-11 HUD and the display of the nose-mounted Mitsubishi Electric radar. Engine dials are on the right, with radios on the right console. Flight instruments and weapon controls are on the left, with drag parachute, undercarriage and arrester hook controls. The flap lever is alongside the dual throttles. The control column carried a stick- shaker motor. HUD is not duplicated in the rear cockpit. The small periscope on the HUD is the lens of the recording camera
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