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Aviation History
1987
1987 - 0502.PDF
DEFENCE USAF develops new battle control HANSCOM AFB Pilots giving air support to ground forces during combat will be employed more effi ciently by a new flying command and control centre being developed by the Electronic Systems Division of Air Force Systems Command. The Airborne Battlefield Command and Control Centre (ABCCC) III will fit into a Lockheed EC-130E turboprop, and will replace currently deployed versions of the system. ABCCC III will consist of a 45ft capsule containing the latest automated secure communications and data processing equipment. To demonstrate the ABCCC III systems, Unisys Computer Systems Division and TRW's Command Support Division are each working under 12-month, $2 • 5 million competitive contracts. At the conclusion of the 12-month demonstra tion period one contractor will be selected to produce the ABCCC III system. Deliveries will be made to the Tactical Air Command's 7th Airborne Command and Control Squadron between 1989 and 1991. ABCCC III will feature automated battle manage ment equipment, such as indi vidual consoles with displays showing maps of operating sectors. At present, operators plot out battle scenarios manually. Army units and aircraft will be highlighted, and major ground features such as roads and rivers will be shown. Text displays will show information on aircraft and planned air strikes. The aircraft will have no radar. Information will be loaded into the systems computers before take-off, and updated by operations and intelligence specialists by keyboard in flight. "Pilots coming off target will inform the ABCCC of their results, and pass along any details of threats in the area and infor mation of intelligence value. Blue Angels display with Hornets The United States Navy's aerobatic team, The Blue Angels, have begun their first season with the McDonnell Douglas F-18 Hornet, after several years with the McDon nell Douglas A-4 Skyhawk. This data will be assessed by the battle staff. If follow-up actions are required, other aircraft may be assigned," says Capt Robert H. Roe Jr, programme manager in the Deputy Commander for Tactical Systems, Jtids, and Awacs. Israel completes F-4 re-engining TEL AVIV ~ Israel Aircraft Industries (IAI) has fitted a second Pratt & Whitney 1120 engine to a McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom for flight tests before display at the Paris Air Show. Since mid-1986 the Israeli Air Force F-4 has been conducting flight tests with one P & W 1120 replacing a General Electric J-79 engine as part of the Lavi development programme. However, the re-engining of the F-4 is an IAI initiated project, and no longer forms part of the IAF's Phantom 2000 programme because of reduced defence funds. IAI hopes that the project to re-engine the F-4 will be of interest to overseas air forces. India receives MiG-29s NEW DELHI " Two squadrons of MiG-29 Fulcrums have now entered service with the Indian Air Force. The aircraft were received in knocked-down condition from the USSR and assem bled at Hindustan Aero nautics' Nasik facility. The completed MiG-29s were later test-flown by Soviet pilots. The supply of all of the contracted MiG-29s has been completed within four months. Tamnar wins RPV order TEL AVIV A Latin American country has awarded a $500,000 order for Edo target drones to the Israeli company Tamnar. The contract covers several dozen drones, launchers, and spares, plus an operating course. The company's marketing direc tor, David Dinour, tells Flight "We are now in the midst of negotiations with two more potential clients, one in the 12 Far East and the other in Latin America. In both cases we have made good progress and hope to sign contracts." The Edo was originally developed for the Israel Defence Forces' anti-aircraft training programme, as a substitute for towed targets that were restricted to hori zontal flightpaths. The 12kg Edo is powered by a 4 h.p. engine and has a 250cm wing span. It is operated within the training area, and has an acoustic hit counter that can be adjusted to count hits within a 6m radius. Soviets refuse Syria SS-22s DAMASCUS ~ The recent visit of Syria's President Assad to Moscow failed to persuade Soviet lead ers to supply his country with SS-22 surface-to-surface missiles. Assad argued that, since Israel was now capable of hitting Syria's SS-21 missiles, the SS-22 missiles with their 500 n.m. range were required. The SS-22, formally known as the SS-12, is a mobile missile. Each battery is capa ble of fast reload and launch. According to Middle Eastern sources the USSR did offer to supply Syria with more improved Scud missiles with an estimated range of 300 n.m. However, this report is unconfirmed. FLIGHT INTERNATIONAL, 23 May 1987
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