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Aviation History
1977
1977 - 1786.PDF
FLIGHT International, II lane 1977 New MiG for Finland FINNISH AIR FORCE officials are applying the designation MiG-X to the expected replacement for about 20 ageing MiG-21 F-l 3 clear-weather fighters. The new aircraft will be a Mikoyan design, but speculation that Finland is to receive the export-model MiG-23MS Flogger E is unconfirmed. Reports that Finland will acquire MiG- 25 Foxbats are not being lent much credence because the big Mach 3 intercepter is not suited to the coun try's needs. Use of the designation MiG-X may indicate that Finland's choice is still wavering between two or more products of the bureau. But a series of reports since mid-1973 have indicated that the Mikoyan bureau is working on a direct MiG-21 replacement, be lieved to be of canard layout and probably designated MiG-29. Finland was the first country out side the Soviet Union to take delivery of the MiG-21, and all its aircraft are of the initial F-13 subtype. Most are in bad condition—as is only to be expected of a 14-year-old supersonic fighter—and some at least have out run their airframe lives and are grounded. Finland is normally care ful to acquire its combat aircraft from both the West and the East, and its last major purchases have been Saab- Scania Drakens and HS Hawks. Modified YC-15s complete more flight testing THE two McDonnell Douglas YC-15 prototype Advanced Medium Stol Transports have returned from Yuma, Ariz, to Long Reach, Calif, after com pleting the second phase of their flight trials. Under special evaluation have been a General Electric / Snecma CFM56 engine in the first aircraft, a refanned Pratt & Whitney JT8D-209 in the second, the longer-range wing in the first and digital Sperry flight con trol system in the second. The two aircraft flew for a total of 125-6hr during the Yuma trials, taking overall flying time with the YC-15 to 679hr in 341 flights. McDon nell Douglas director of YC-15 testing Robert Butler said the aircraft showed no deterioration in reliability or readi ness compared with levels during the first set of trials. He described per formance of the new wing-engine com binations and avionics as "excellent." According to Butler, both the new engines performed impressively, with no malfunctions. The first aircraft, with the CFM56, started flying again on February 16 and logged 29 flights totalling 75-5hr. The second, with the JT8D-209, recorded 50- lhr in 20 flights after resuming testing at the begin ning of March. Flying qualities of the new wing, 22ft longer than the original one, were similar to those of the early version and the range increase approximated to the prediction, according to the company. Butler says that the in creased lift of the bigger wing allows a lower minimum speed, and conse quently reduced take-off and landing runs. One-engine-out performance was evaluated at Yuma with a critical engine cut at 800ft on take-off and at 200ft on the approach. In both cases short landings were subsequently made. Royal Navy Phantom lost AN F-4K Phantom of No 892 Naval Air Squadron was destroyed in a take-off accident at RAF Leuchars on May 17. It is understood that the air craft caught fire when afterburner was selected, and the two occupants ejected shortly before the Phantom entered the runway arrester gear. The observer is believed to have been slightly injured, and the aircraft is reported to be a write-off. US Navy to test millimetre-wave radio A NORDEN SHORT-RANGE 38GHz communications link is to be tested aboard US Navy P-3C Orion patrol air- HAWK has now been in service since early last November at RAF Valley, Anglesey, where it has proved popu lar with even the most dyed-in-the- wool Gnat pilots. Personnel of the Advanced Flying Training School have nothing but praise for their new mount. Maintenance man-hours per flying hour have reached 13-1, a sub stantial improvement on the 19 • 2 and 21 • 3 of the Gnat and Hunter. Hawk's flying qualities are super lative, says the RAF. A light touch on the controls is needed, according to one pilot, and the harmonisation is "delightful". The aircraft is easy to fly—reducing the workload on students converting to the type—but is a challenge to the pilot seeking to fly well. For the first time since the Vampire the RAF has a spin-cleared advanced trainer. Initial spin-recovery pro cedure for the Hawk is said to differ markedly from the Jet Provost tech nique, being more like that required by front-line aircraft. Normal airspeed for training missions is 360kt or 420kt, with a maximum permitted IAS below 2,000ft of 530kt. Landing speed is about craft. The system is seen as a potential secure link for use during surveillance missions. The P-3C crews will conduct voice and data exchanges through the windows of their aircraft when one relieves the other from duty. The high frequency and narrow beamwidth of the communicator and the high susceptibility of millimetre waves to atmosphere attenuation mini mises the chances of a message being intercepted. Norden recently received a con tract to> adapt the system to interface with the normal communications equipment in the iP-3C, and the first evaluation units have already been delivered. RAF laser-pod costs revealed PAVE SPIKE electro-optical target- designator pods for RAF use are being built at the Hunt Valley, Maryland, plant of Westinghouse Electric. Asked about the number of units involved and the total value of the contract last week, the Ministry of Defence told Flight that this information could not be divulged. The number of pods involved is in fact 12, plus the associated cockpit TV displays and two sets of modifica tion kits understood to be for inter facing Pave Spike with the RAF Phantom nav/attack system. Total value of the fixed-price contract is reported to be $7,942,550. This information is freely published in the US but is obviously not con sidered to be suitable reading matter for the British taxpayer, who is foot ing the bill. 115kt. Normal climb procedure is to hold a steady 360kt IAS until Mach 0-75 is reached, and then to hold con stant Mach up to the 44,000ft service ceiling. A typical aircraft will reach 20,000ft in S^min, 40,000ft in 9!2min and 44,000ft in lS^min. At low level (250-500ft) turning radius at 360kt is about a quarter of a mile. The Adour engine gives Hawk a brisk take-off acceleration. Less than full power must be used in most aero batics to prevent a steady gain in height. There are no significant problems on the engineering side apart from a number of minor bugs which should soon be cleared. For example, the present pattern of airbrake actuating button can be accidentally operated by the pilot's glove, but a simple modi fication is expected to solve the prob lem. The defect-free sortie rate is now 81 per cent, the same as that of the Hunter and only slightly higher than for the Gnat (79 per cent). A 10- 15 per cent improvement is expected as the aircraft matures. Specific fuel consumption is 0-741b/ lb/hr, significantly better than the 0-88 of the Hunter and 1-07 of the Hawk spreads its wings
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