FlightGlobal.com
Home
Premium
Archive
Video
Images
Forum
Blogs
Jobs
Shop
RSS
Email Newsletters
You are in:
Home
Aviation History
1988
1988 - 0013.PDF
DEFENCE Chaparral seeker completes tests WHITE SANDS The Rosette Scan Seeker (RSS) has successfully com pleted its final production qualification flight test on the US Army's Chaparral MIM-72G missile. The RSS development programme has concentrated on improvingthe ability of air defence forces to defeat aircraft deploying increasingly sophisticated infrared countermeasures. The seeker has been designed by Ford Aerospace and provides two-colour detector spectral discrimin ation and scanning spatial discrimination to distinguish between targets and infrared countermeasures. The digital scene-processing electronics in the system are fully re programmable through the guidance section's external connector. This design feature permits guidance soft-ware to be updated easily to cope with new threats and counter- measures without hardware disassembly or modification. According to E. E. Leonard, vice-president,missile systems operations, 'the seeker and its associated microprocessor- controlled counter-counter- measure logic are the heart of the evolving missile guidance system and will be the differ ence between success and failure." The two-stage flight-test programme concentrated on perfecting the seeker's soft ware. In ten of the 26 tests, including six of the final seven firings, the missile either scored a direct hit or passed the target within lethal range, as indicated'by the actuation of the proximity fuze. In two of the successful tests, Army Operational Tests Evaluation Agency (OTEA) gunners fired the RSS-equipped missiles at remotely controlled QF-100 and QUH-1 targets. In each case, the missile rejected all the countermeasures and registered a direct hit. Initial production of the missile is planned for the second quar ter of fiscal year 1988. Chaparral MIM-72G missiles equipped with RSS Tomahawk scores NAS CHINA LAKE Two US Navy BGM-109 Tomahawk cruise missiles have successfully demon strated land attacks in tests at the US Naval Weapons Centre range at NAS China Lake, California. Tomahawks were developed by General Dynamics, and are now pro duced by that company and McDonnell Douglas Astro nautics. In the first test the missile demonstrated a conventional attack on a land target, using submunitions. Launched from a surface ship, the Tomahawk flew 700 n.m., engaged mul tiple targets on the test range with submunitions, and then performed a terminal dive attack on another target. In the second test the missile, which had an inert warhead, successfully navi gated itself to the target area and was recovered by para chute for refurbishment and later reuse. Nato-missile team forms MOORESTOWN ~ General Electric's RCA Elec- tronic's Systems Division and nine other companies have signed an agreement to team to compete for development of a new naval Sam known as the Nato anti-air warfare system (Naaws), to be deployed on warships from frigate size upwards. The US Navy's Sea Sys tems Command is expected to issue a Request for Proposals for concept exploration study this week. The team leader is General Electric, and team members include British Aerospace Naval and Elec tronic Systems (UK), Com puter Sciences (USA), FMC (USA), General Dynamics (USA), Aerospace 'and Defence (USA), Hollaiidse Signaalapparaten (Nether lands), Inisel and Empresa (Spain), Marconi (UK), Siemens Aktiengesellschaft (FRG), and Thomson-CSF Systems (Canada). FLIGHT INTERNATIONAL, 2/9 January 1988 TRACER Canadair has won a com petitive bid to service the Canadian Armed Forces' fleet of 15 CC-144 Challengers. The C$4 -9 million, 27-month contract has an optional two- year extension. Westland has received a £23-75 million Royal Navy order for seven Sea Kings (four Mk.4 troop transports and three Mk.6 anti-sub marine variants). Deliveries will begin in November 1989. Hawker de Havilland delivered the first three of 65 Pilatus PC-9 trainers to the Royal Australian Air Force on December 19. McDonnell Douglas has received a $54 • 2 million con tract from the US Air Force for logistic support of its KC-10 Extender tanker fleet. The 57 KC-lOs have a launch reliability rate of 99-9 per cent, and a 99-6 per cent mission completion rate. New Zealand is to issue a Request for Proposals to update the acoustics pro cessing capabilities of its six Lockheed P-3 Orions. The RFP is expected late this year. Australia's Office of Defence Production is to stage an exhibition at RAAF Rich mond from October 12 to October 16 as part of the Australian Bicentennial Air Show. Aerospace companies from Europe and the USA are expected to attend. The last two days of the show will be open to the public. Over-the-Horizon Back- scatter (OTH-B) radar that can detect aircraft out to 2,000 miles over the Atlantic is operating in a limited capa bility, according to the Elec tronic Systems Division of the Air Force Systems Command. The OTH-B radar bounces its signals off the ionosphere to give a range of almost ten times that of conventional ground-based radars. The system uses three 3,600ft transmitting antennae paired with three mile-long receiving antennae. Each transmitting anten nae in Moscow, Maine, faces out over a 60° sector while the receivers are in Columbia Falls, Maine. 11
Sign up to
Flight Digital Magazine
Flight Print Magazine
Airline Business Magazine
E-newsletters
RSS
Events
