FlightGlobal.com
Home
Premium
Archive
Video
Images
Forum
Blogs
Jobs
Shop
RSS
Email Newsletters
You are in:
Home
Aviation History
1988
1988 - 0011.PDF
DEFENCE Boeing and Grumman clash on JStars BETHPAGE Grumman has received a request from Boeing Military Airplane for a $122-5 million price increase on a subcon tract issued to Boeing by Grumman. Grumman, prime contrac tor on the US Air Force/Army Joint Stars (Joint surveillance target and attack radar system), awarded Boeing an $80-2 million subcontract to modify two Boeing 707-300 freighters to E-8A Joint Stars configuration. Boeing alleges that certain Grumman tech nical directives represent changes to the requirements of the contract between the two companies. Grumman has initiated a comprehensive review of Boeing's request. Although Grumman's preliminary evaluation has revealed no unwarranted act or omission on its part that would appear to justify Boeing's request, it will present a detailed response to Boeing as soon as practical. Before receipt of Boeing's request, Grumman had been preparing a claim against Boeing for damages caused by alleged deficiencies in per formance of the subcontract. This claim is to be submitted to Boeing, says Grumman. The first E-8A was delivered to Grumman's Melbourne facility in Florida in July last year, and is presently being fitted out with the Joint Stars electronics system. The first flight of this aircraft is set for March 31, and the second E-8A is sched uled to arrive at Melbourne in August. MDCandGD win ATA WASHINGTON D.C. The United States Navy has picked the General Dynam ics/McDonnell Douglas team to build the Navy's Advanced Tactical Aircraft (ATA), beat ing the rival team of Grum man, Northrop, and LTV. The initial contract is worth $241 million, but will eventually be worth about $35 billion. The Navy and Marine Corps will eventually need some 500 ATAs to replace the Grumman A-6 Intruder in the night/all-weather strike role. A so-called "black" or secret programme, the ATA will employ a high degree of stealth technology. The air craft is expected to be a two- seat, twin-engined design. Of the losing team, Grum man is most hard hit by the Navy's selection of GD and MDC. Northrop is building the B-2 Advanced Tactical Bomber, and LTV has already indicated that it is to concen trate more on subcontract work. Grumman, for years the Navy's prime supplier, has at present little to fall back on in the long term. US Navy evaluates anti-ship Opher NAS CHINA LAKE ~ The United States Navy is evaluating the Opher terminal guidance system made by Elbit in Israel. This is a substitute for the Skipper laser-guided bomb now in use. The Navy will test the IR seeker of the Opher against ships, on the Mk.83 general- purpose bomb. The tests, which are to be conducted under a foreign-weapon evalu ation programme, will be completed during 1988. Opher is a low-cost termi nal guidance kit designed to bridge the gap between general-purpose bombs and smart weapons. It can be released in drop, toss, or computed auto-release modes. The first phase of the bomb's flight is ballistic, but 1,000m from the target the IR seeker acquires it and directs the bomb until impact. Opher can be used on all types of aircraft, and no modifications are needed to the carrying aircraft. Sweden will re-life Saab 105s LINKOPING The Swedish Air Force has contracted Saab to modify 135 Saab 105 (Sk.60) light attack/ trainers to extend their service lives beyond the year 2000. Worth SK50 million, the contract includes modifi cation of the wing spars. All 135 aircraft are scheduled to be refurbished before the end of 1991. The 105 first flew in June 1963, and 190 have been built; 150 for the Swedish Air Force, with Turbomeca Abisque engines, and a further 40 105OEs for Austria, with General Electric engines. USSR develops AEW Antonov The USSR's Antonov design bureau has developed an airborne early warning variant of the twin-turbofan An-74 Coaler light Stol transport, known by the Nato reporting name Madcap. This provisional side view shows Madcap's unique fin-mounted rotodome, which appears to be about half the size of the Flat Jack rotodome used on the 11-76 Mainstay and the earlier Tu-126 Moss. Little is known of Madcap, but it is thought to be in the early stages of flight test, with only one or two prototypes flying. The fin-mounted aerial avoids the upwards reverse thrust of the An-74's engines, which would be a problem with a more conventional fuselage- mounted dorsal rotodome. FLIGHT IHTERNATtOHAL © Reed Business Publishing 1988 FLIGHT INTERNATIONAL, 2/9 January 1988 9
Sign up to
Flight Digital Magazine
Flight Print Magazine
Airline Business Magazine
E-newsletters
RSS
Events
