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Aviation History
1978
1978 - 0007.PDF
FUGHT International, 7 January 1978 Combat debut for Jaguar FRENCH Air Force Jaguars went into action for the first time recently when four aircraft attacked Polisario Front guerrillas operating in the West Afri can country of Mauretania. According to reports in the French press, the Jaguars were used against a column of about 150 vehicles which was re turning towards Algeria. The guerrilla force had attacked the mineral-carry ing railway at Zouerate, capturing a number of French nationals as host ages. The Jaguars were on detachment from the French tactical air command base at Toul and were operating from Dakar, where a mobile tactical com mand centre had been set up. Before the strikes, Dakar-based Atlantics joined with Mirage IV strategic recon naissance aircraft from Bordeaux Mer- ignac to survey the area and pinpoint the guerrilla column. On December 12 and 13 the Jaguars raided the retreating Polisario forma tion. After a first attack which severely damaged the column, the guerrillas regrouped in an attempt to ward off further air attacks. A second strike against the now even more ex posed formation is reported to have effectively destroyed it. During the sorties the Jaguars were refuelled by French Air Force KC-135F tankers, which were also used to main tain continuous radio contact with the French national command centre at Taverny near Paris. ECM pods may have been carried to counter radar- directed anti-aircraft guns, according to Press reports, but France has de nied Polisario claims that napalm and phosphorous bombs were used during the strikes or that one Jaguar was shot down during the second attack. One Jaguar did land at St Louis, just inside Senegal, but this diversion is reported to have been due to a minor engine problem which caused the aircraft to miss a refuelling con- mum DEFENCE tact with a waiting KC-135 tanker. On December 18 T-6s and F-5s of the Moroccan Air Force attacked an other Polisario formation which had earlier raided the Mauretanian garri son at Tmeimichat. Mauretania has no air force, but is thought to have shown interest in the Argentinian Pucara Coin aircraft. The Polisario has now repatriated its French hostages via Algeria, its main supporter in the area, and this action may end the French Air Force involvement. French Foreign Minister Louis de Guringaud has stated that his country is not becoming involved in hostilities other than to protect French civilians working in Mauretania. Boeing 747 proposed as cruise-missile carrier A MODIFIED version of the Boeing 747-200F has been proposed to the USAF as a wide-body cruise-missile carrier. With a maximum load of 72 ALCM-B or Tomahawk rounds the air craft would have a tactical radius of 1,500 n.m. when operating from an 8,O00ft runway, claims Boeing. Loiter time on station would be 2hr in this case. Take-off distance, tactical radius and loiter time can all be traded off against each other. Reducing the missile load to 40 rounds could cut the take-off run to less than 5,000ft, increase the tacti cal radius to more than 2,500 n.m. or allow the aircraft to remain on station for up to 6hr. A single refuelling from a DC-10 advanced tanker/cargo aircraft (ATCA) could extend the loiter time at 2,500 n.m. to more than lOhr with a payload of 40 missiles. Endurance could also be increased by carrying a number of ATCA fuel cells in the lower cargo hold. A smaller proposal based on the 747SP would be limited to a maximum load of 48 missiles but could loiter for 4hr at a tactical radius of 1,500 n.m., or 6hr at 1,000 n.m. According to Boeing, the payload capability of the 747 can allow a com prehensive installation of avionics and defensive electronic countermeasures with enough capacity in hand to allow for future growth. Supersonic MiG-15? FIRST flight of the MiG-15 took place 30 years ago on December 30, 1947. A recent article in Russian magazine Krilya Rodiny claims that on Septem ber 24, 1949, a MiG-15 reached Mach 1 in a dive. A few months later, the report continues, test pilot I. T. Ivash- chenko achieved Mach 1 in level flight using a modified MiG-15 with 45° sweepback instead of the standard 40°. Until further details become avail able these claims must be treated with considerable reserve. Until now, Rus sia's first transonic flight was thought to have been carried out by Col I. V. Bach of the nine rotary launchers shown aboard this cutaway model can carry eight cruise missiles. The cargo hold would be unpressurised, the missiles being launched through a side door at the rear of the fuselage Fedorov in a diving La 176D. His Mach 1 flight was on December 26, 1948, and it is possible—although not very feasible—that the MiG followed suit in 1949. It is widely reported, how ever, that the 1948 claim was based on an incorrect ASI indication. Several western aircraft produced supersonic bangs for the first time while the cockpit instruments con tinued to indicate high subsonic speed. Perhaps similar troubles confused the MiG bureau. Mach 1 in level flight seems a vir tual impossibility in any MiG-15, how ever heavily it may have been modi fied. Increased wing sweep plus an afterburner could not persuade the later MiG-17 to go supersonic straight and level. The basic airframe of the -15/-17 series was just not right for such performance—the production MiG-15 went virtually uncontrollable above Mach 0-92. C.22 powerplant IN our issue for November 19 last year, page 1525, we incorrectly described the powerplant for Aero spatiale's C.22 target drone as the Turbomeca Arbizon IV. In fact, it is powered by a Microturbo TRI60 single- shaft turbojet. A similar error occurs on page 1535 of the same issue.
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