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Aviation History
1985
1985 - 1756.PDF
EUROPE'S AEROSPACE CHALLENGE •WSSSBBSf law,., •MHMH WKBKk iStSX"!** • pL ""•P AV-8B—mean Marine V/Stol machine Last month the first Harrier GR.5 was . rolled out by British Aerospace at •* Dunsfold. At Cherry Point, in North Carolina, the United States Marine Corps' VMA-331 is working up as the Corps' first operational AV-8B squadron. In Maryland, the Naval Air Test Centre at Patuxent River continues with AV-8B weapons qualification and sea trials, operating from various types of ship. How are the AV-8B's trials and entry into service progressing? What can the Royal Air Force expect of its Harrier GR.5s? At Pax River, Lt Col Mike Nyalko is the AV-8B project test pilot. His part of the NATC facility operates three AV-8Bs: two pre-production aircraft, Bl and B4, plus a limited production batch aircraft, sharing the ramp with a pair of McDonnell Douglas F-18 Hornet prototypes and a Royal Australian Air Force TF-18 Hornet. At the time of Flight's visit in late April, the two pre-production aircraft, Bl and B4, had about 400hr each and the other AV-8B had built up some 250hr. The latter aircraft has recently been engaged on compatibility trials of the AGM-65 Laser Maverick, completing some ten flights to clear the missile for carriage on and launch from stations 2, 3, 5, and 6. Some Mavericks were fired from the inboard stations to check for any adverse effects to the engine from the Maverick's exhaust plume. None were noted. In June the aircraft is due to enter Pax River's shielded hangar for electromagnetic The British Aerospace/McDonnell Douglas AV-8B/Harrier GR.5 could be a yardstick for success in international programmes, but how do the operators view the end product? Mike Gaines reports from NAS Patuxent River and MCAS Cherry Point. compatibility tests with Maverick, and in August VX-5 at China Lake will use this aircraft, plus an A-6 and an A-4, for the AGM-65D operational evaluation. Pre-production AV-8B Bl, fitted with a nose boom for air data measurement, was flying qualification and performance trials on the Pegasus F402-R-406 engine, and B4 was due to go on sea trials with LPH- class ships in May. B4 is also the prize for avionics testing, and has recently been used on electronic countermeasures inte gration with the ALQ-164 pod and the internally mounted ALA-39 infrared countermeasures system. On the weapons side, the AV-8B has been cleared for all Mk 80 series bombs, Rockeye series CBUs, 2-75in and 5in rockets, the AIM-9L Sidewinder, and General Elec- tric's 25mm cannon. The British BL.755 cluster bomb has been cleared by the YAV-8B, and the Maverick work is all over bar the typing. AV-8B is also cleared to carry and jettison four 300gal drop tanks. Out at Edwards AFB a MacAir pilot with AV-8B B3 is continuing testing of the Departure Resistant System (DRS), which feeds the Stability Augmentation System and ensures carefree handling. "It's an excellent system," says Mike Nyalko. "I had it up to 122° angle of attack [AoA], that's in a vertical axis viffing [thrust vectoring in forward flight] manoeuvre, called a flop. You select 30° nozzle and augment it with full back stick, which gives you about 40° /sec pitch like an extremely tight loop. The airplane seems to revolve around its axis when seen from outside, and we use it to change from nose up to nose down in combat. "I know 122° sounds strange, but the airplane keeps going in the same direction as when you start it. In more conventional [wingborne] flight, and compared with the AV-8A, we can pull 30 Alpha at slow speeds compared with the A's 18 Alpha, and at MO • 8 we can do 20 Alpha. Get the e.g. aft and you can pull all the Alphas you want. On instantaneous turn rate we're about a third up on the A. Sustained turn rate is about the same because the thrust to drag ratio is about the same on the B as the A. We've more power on the B, but also a little more drag. "Going on the boat or into a confined site, the B is a drastic improvement over the A. Control of the aircraft is not your prime consideration any more, like it was in the A. Your field of view is much better and you occasionally look inside to monitor the engine, but you can spend 148 FLIGHT International, 1 June 1985
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