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Aviation History
1984
1984 - 0823.PDF
DEFENCE Hainan to demonstrate uprated SH-2 BLOOMFIELD ~ Kaman is to demonstrate an SH-2F Sea Sprite powered by General Electric T700-GE- 401s instead of the standard GE T58s. Kaman is presently await ing a US Navy $8-6 million R&D contract, the cul mination of which is expected shortly. The re-engined SH-2 is expected to be rolled-out late this year and to fly in January, says Kaman vice- president of plans and mar keting Donald Robinson. The Navy will then evaluate the aircraft and decide whether or not to modify its fleet of SH-2s. The Service has some 85 SH-2Fs remaining of the 88 new-build aircraft and 16 SH-2Ds later uprated to F standard, plus 18 new SH-2Fs authorised in FY83, 12 in FY84, and another six to be requested in FY85. Installation of the 1,500 s.h.p. T700s in place of the 1,350 s.h.p. T58s will involve a gearbox change, as the T58 is rear drive and the T700 front drive. "Although the T700 is heavier than the T58," says Robinson, "weight saving in the basic structure will offset that, and the uprated SH-2 will be lighter than the T58-powered model." The T700s consume 20 per cent less fuel than do the T58s at similar power outputs, and Kaman expects to double the SH-2's Lamps I mission envelope (primarily anti submarine screening, over- the-horizon targeting, and vertical replenishment). Besides range and perfor mance increases, the payload will be increased from one or two Gould Mk 46 torpedoes to two or three weapons for the same mission range/time-on- station parameters. Kaman is also competing for a South Korean anti-ship helicopter contract offering a T58-powered SH-2F devel opment against Sikorsky's H-76N and the Westland Lynx. For the South Korean contract the current radar will be replaced by Eaton/AIL's AN/APS-128 radar providing targeting information for the armament, four British Aero space Dynamics Sea Skuas. FLIGHT International, 12 May 1984 The first German Navy production Panavia Tornado IDS, in service with MFG1. The aircraft is loaded with a centreline recce pod, drop tanks, two AIMS Sidewinders, and electronic countermeasures pods, and is fitted with a refuelling probe. The MBB/Aeritalia recce pod will also be used on Italian Tornadoes Royal Navy buys Falcon 20s RNAS YEOVILTON The Royal Navy will shortly sign a contract with US fast- freight carrier Federal Express for Dassault Falcon 20s to replace the Fleet Requirements and Direction Unit's Canberras and Hunt ers, as predicted exclusively in Flight (April 21, page 1054). Fradu is a naval "aggressor" force specialising in target towing and providing high speed targets for ships of the Royal Navy. Based at Yeovil- ton in Somerset, Fradu is manned and operated by civil ians, but its Hunter GA.lls and Canberras are owned by the Royal Navy. Flight Refuelling currently holds the Fradu contract, having won it last year from Airwork. Federal Express had hoped to sell ten Falcon 20s to Fradu, but the Royal Navy will shortly decide between seven or eight aircraft. Several other options were considered. One was to buy back Buccaneers from the Royal Air Force as they were replaced in service by Panavia Tornadoes, but the RAF has decided to run-on the Buc caneers, possibly with an avionics update. Flight understands that the Buccaneer option was the most popular with Fradu aircrew; other contenders included the British Aero space BAe 125, Gates Special Mission Learjet, Beech King Air and Queen Air, and the de Havilland Sea Vixen, some of which are still used as drones. The Royal Navy says that the Falcon 20 is large enough to replace the Canberras, which are employed for both target towing and as ECM emitters, and fast enough to replace the Hunters, which are used to simulate anti-ship missiles for ships' tracking practice. The Falcons will enter Fradu service later this year. AEW&C P-3 to fly in June BURBANK ~~ Lockheed's airborne early warning and control (AEW&C) variant of the P-3 Orion is scheduled to make its first flight in June or possibly July. The prototype P-3 AEW&C, based on a P-3B airframe, is currently under going structural load tests with a representative dome. An empty dome will then be fitted for aerodynamic and in flight load tests. The complete system including radar will fly at a later date. Current plans envisage General Electric's AN/APS-125, as used on the Grumman E-2C Hawkeye, as the basis of the system. Lockheed's airborne early warning and control market ing drive is aimed primarily at the Royal Australian Air Force, which has been offered four P-3 AEW&Cs for $250 million—$300 million includ ing spares and training. Lockheed-California will also pursue the AEW require ments of France and Canada. France would need about six aircraft and Canada ten. Flyaway cost of the P-3 AEW&C is $45 million-$60 million, more expensive than the Grumman E-2C Hawkeye but about half the cost of the Boeing E-3A Sentry. Meanwhile, Lockheed- Georgia is continuing its studies on an airborne early warning system based on the C-130 Hercules. The company says that the P-3's AEW&C system will be fully com patible with the C-130. Earlier plans to mount the rotodome on top of the C-130's fin have been dropped, however, and studies are now concentrated on a conventional pylon mounting above the fuselage. The C-130 variant would find favour with the many countries operating the Hercules but not the P-3. One such country is Sweden. Other contenders in the burgeoning airborne early warning market are the BAe Nimrod, Boeing E-3A, and Grumman E-2C. 2249
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