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Aviation History
1985
1985 - 0225.PDF
DEFENCE Belgium delays GLCM decision BRUSSELS President Reagan is pressing Belgium's President, Wilfred Martens, to accept deploy ment of cruise missiles on schedule. Martens says that Belgium will decide on acceptance, or not, of ground- launched cruise missiles (GLCMs) by the end of March, the month when the first of 48 missiles is sched uled for deployment in Belgium. Martens is under pressure from his Flemish Socialist Christians party to postpone the deployment decision until after the US/Soviet arms limitation talks in March. Reagan wants the deployment to continue on schedule to strengthen the USA's hand in the arms bargaining. The USA believes that the deploy ment of cruise in the UK, Italy, and West Germany, plus the fielding of Pershing II ballistic missiles in West Germany, has been instru mental in the Soviet Union resuming negotiations. The Netherlands has already decided to delay deployment of cruise until November, and even then a final acceptance decision depends on the number of SS-20 ballistic missiles in Soviet service. Martens, who faces a general election later this year, says that Belgium would accept US Air Force GLCMs "only if there is no agreement in talks between the USA and Soviet Union". The Reagan administration has pointed out that UK Prime Minister Thatcher, West German Chancellor Kohl, and Italian Premier Craxi have all weath ered deployment of USAF GLCMs and that all three were subsequently re-elected. The USA is also worried that the Soviet Union is try ing to drive a wedge between the USA and her European Nato allies, and the GLCM argument fuels the Soviet Union's attempt to do so. MBB to extend CI 60 life BREMEN MBB's Lemwerder mainten ance centre near Bremen is to extend the in-service life of West German Air Force C.160 Transall transports. The programme, called Leda (Lebensdauer-Verlaen- gerungsmassnahmen), will double the service life of the Luftwaffe's 89 C.160s from the original design life of approximately 4,000 flights. Leda involves new rivets on the centre- and outer-wing panels, corrosion protection measures, and repainting in a new camouflage scheme. Each aircraft will need 80 working days at MBB, with seven aircraft being refurbished simultaneously. The last of the Leda C.160s is scheduled to be completed in 1989. The Luftwaffe plans to operate the Transall until at least 2010. Peru drops Aermacchi deal LIMA Owing to Peru's mounting foreign debt, Indaer, Peru's nationalised aircraft manu facturer, has dropped a two- year-old agreement with Aermacchi to buy and licence- build 66 MB.339A/K trainer/ light ground-attack aircraft. Although the original contract has been shelved, Indaer hopes to renegotiate a new contract to build fewer MB.339s. Much depends on Peru's foreign debt, which stands at nearly $13,000 million, and the Govern ment's ability to catch up on late interest payments to overseas banks, overdue since last June. Aermacchi told Flight at Farnborough last year that the deal had been put on ice because of Peru's economic problems, but that it was expected to restart at some stage. Originally, Indaer planned to start production of the two-seat MB.339A and single-seat MB.339K Veltro II this year. The aircraft were slated to replace the Peruvian Air Force's Lockheed T-33 and the Cessna T-37 trainers. Indaer is now searching for alternative aircraft to produce under licence. Three light transports are under con sideration—the Casa C.212 Aviocar, the Dornier Do.228-200, and the Argen tinian FMA ATL light trans port. The Embraer EMB.312 Tucano trainer is also under consideration. Meanwhile, Indaer has won a contract to test and build an Argentinian-designed 57mm air-to-ground rocket. Tests started in December, and production is planned in Peru through private contractors. Consultants from the Argen tinian firm Ingenieria Munex are supervising the pro gramme. Taiwan orders C-130 TAIPEI Taiwan will become the 57th country to operate the Lock heed C-130 Hercules, having placed a government-to- government order with the United States for 12 C-130Hs. Japan has also confirmed its order for two more C-130Hs to join the four in Air Self- Defence Force service. The aircraft ordered by the two nations is the 1985 model with the latest updates. These include ven tral afterbody strakes that improve performance and reduce fuel consumption, additional emergency exits, flush-mounted antennae, an improved fuel system, and orthopaedically-designed crew Taiwan's C-130s will be delivered in the latter half of 1986. Lockheed-Georgia pro duction of the Hercules currently stands at 36 aircraft a year. Indian Flogger The first MiG-27M Flogger ground- attack aircraft built under licence by Hindustan Aeronautics was rolled out at Nasik last month. The MiG-27M has the wing-root leading-edge extensions of the Flogger J, and appears to retain the nose profile of Flogger H. FLIGHT International, 26 January 1985 11
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