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Aviation History
1986
1986 - 1389.PDF
DEFENCE Egypt's Mirage 2000s ready this month CAIRO The first of 20 Dassault- Breguet Mirage 2000s for the Egyptian Air Force will be delivered this month, says Marshal Abdelhalim Abu Ghazala, Egypt's Defence Minister. Dassault-Breguet says that the aircraft will be delivered in five batches. Egypt ordered the 20 Mirage 2000s with multi- mode RDM radar in 1981, taking an option on a further 20 aircraft, but deliveries have since been delayed by financial difficulties in Egypt. Belgian F-16s to reshuffle BRUSSELS ~ Florennes AB, now home of the Belgian Air Force's 2 Wing, equipped with Dassault Mirage 5s, is to become the third BAF base to convert to the General Dynamics F-16 Fighting Falcon, between September 1987 and July 1990. The conversion of 2 Wing will bring about some reshuffling of squadrons. 1 Sqn of 2 Wing will move from Bierset to Florennes, while 2 Wing's 42 Sqn, a dedicated reconnaissance unit, will move to Bierset. Thus 3 Wing at Bierset will remain the only Mirage 5 equipped wing. In September 1987 2 Sqn will start conversion at the Beauvechain Operational Conversion Unit and, in October 1988 or earlier, if work on Florennes AB infrastructure is complete, will move to Florennes. Pilots of 2 Wing's 1 Sqn will start F-16 conversion in March 1989, and are scheduled to become operational at Florennes in July 1990. The recce squadron, 42, is to move from Florennes to Bierset on March 15, 1989. FLIGHT INTERNATIONAL, 21 June 1986 Rocket Ramjet Tested Ford Aerospace and United Technology's Chemical Systems Division have tested this advanced Integral Rocket Ramjet engine in Vought's supersonic windtunnel at Dallas. The design incorporates the Chaparral missile's forebody coupled to the new rocket motor, which has four symmetrically located intakes. The engine inlet design is novel in having a simple, fixed-geometry mixed-flow bypass system in addition to the primary intake. USA's top ten defence companies WASHINGTON D.C. General Dynamics has slipped from first place in US Defence Department sales, ceding its position to McDonnell Douglas which accumulated $8,857,136,000 of defence work in fiscal year 1985. General Dynamics was second with $7,439,914,000. The remaining eight companies in order of sales are; Rockwell International, General Electric, Boeing, Lockheed, United Techno logies, the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Raytheon, and Grumman. Interestingly, Northrop, which is receiving unknown millions of "black" dollars to fuel its ATB "Stealth" bomber programme, is listed as number 25. Proximity replaces impact TEL AVIV A number of air forces in Europe are evaluating the M77 proximity fuze developed and produced by Israel Military Industries, reports Arie Egozi. Replacing the bomb's impact fuze, the M77 is a cost-effective method of upgrading general-purpose bombs, according to IMI. The M77 proximity fuze detonates the bomb between 4m and 6m above ground level, increasing the lethality area. The fuze contains two turbo generators which operate only when the bomb registers drop speed. Once the fuze is ener gised, an electromagnetic transmitter generates a high- frequency signal which is reflected by the target surface. A Doppler signal is subtracted from the reflected signal and determines the correct deto nating time. CASUALTIES • A West German Air Force Panavia Tornado crashed near Pfaffenhofen/Schroben- hausen on March 12. The pilot and weapon system offi cer ejected safely. • A Japanese Maritime Self- Defence Force Sikorsky/ Mitsubishi SH-3B anti submarine warfare helicopter crashed into the Pacific on March 27, 108 n.m. south of Shizuoka in Central Japan. Two of the five-man crew were rescued, but the remain ing three were missing. A transmission failure is sus pected as the cause of the acci dent. • A US Navy Grumman EA- 6B Prowler from the carrier USS Midway crashed into the Pacific on April 7, 97 n.m. south of Tokyo. All three crew were rescued by a Japan Maritime Self Defence Force SH-3B helicopter. • A British Army Air Corps Gazelle AH.l crashed in North Yorkshire while carry ing a civilian police video unit. None of the four on board were seriously injured in the April 29 incident. • A Royal Australian Air Force Dassault Mirage IIIO crashed into the sea 60 n.m. off Sydney on May 5. The pilot was killed. • A Royal Air Force Boeing Vertol Chinook HC.l crashed on Mount Young, West Falk land, on May 13, in a blizzard. Two of the crew were killed, as was one of 12 Gurkhas on board. The copilot was seri ously injured, as were seven Gurkhas. • Two Royal Air Force Jet Provost T.4s from RAF Church Fenton crashed after a mid-air collision near Hemsley in north Yorkshire. The two student pilots and one instructor ejected: one suffered back injuries. • Angolan Unita forces have claimed a MiG-21 Fishbed and two helicopters shot down near Cangumbe in heavy fighting. Cuban-backed Angolan Government forces have captured the town, Unita admits.
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