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Aviation History
1988
1988 - 1342.PDF
Rolls-Royce's XG.40, forerunner of the EJ.200, runs at full reheat Eurojet builds first EFA engine Parts manufacture for the first prototype EJ.200 European Fighter Aircraft (EFA) engine is under way, says Munich-based Eurojet Turbo. Delivery of parts for the first high-pressure single-spool (HPSS) and the first design veri fication engine (DVE) begins this month, says the four-nation engine company. The HPSS is scheduled to run at Rolls-Royce later this year and the first DVE is set to run at MTU in October. Two more DVEs are to run at Fiat and Rolls-Royce by the end of 1988. The first run of a full EJ.200 prototype engine is scheduled for late 1989, with flight clear ance due in late 1991, says Eurojet. With the first of eight EFA prototypes scheduled to fly in mid-1991, initial aircraft will have to be powered by an interim engine. EFA manage ment company Eurofighter confirms that it has recom mended an interim engine (believed to be the Turbo- Union RB.199), and says that its customer, the Nato European fighter management agency, has taken a decision, but has yet to announce its choice. Com peting against the RB.199 is General Electric's F404. The EJ.200 development programme will benefit from trail-blazing work performed by Rolls-Royce in its essentially similar XG-40 technology demonstrator engine. Jointly funded by Rolls-Royce and the UK Ministry of Defence, the XG-40 first ran in December 1986 and recently exceeded the 20,0001b thrust level proposed for EJ.200 in full-power reheated runs at Bristol. XG.40, like EJ.200, is a two- shaft afterburning turbofan with a 10:1 thrust-to-weight ratio. The demonstrator is helping Rolls-Royce gain advance design information on those EJ.200 modules for which it has overall responsibility, including the combustor and high- pressure turbine (with MTU), and those in which it partici pates—low- and high-pressure compressors (with MTU), the low-pressure turbine and reheat system (with Fiat), and the nozzle (with Sener). According to Eurojet manag ing director Colin Green, the HPSS will allow the use of simplified instrumentation, especially on the single-crystal turbine blades. The DVEs "bring together the component designs, which have already been tested individually, into a single engine. The component tests will have identified any shortfalls which can be cor rected to minimise changes in the DVEs," says Green. The DVEs will be aerothermally as representative as possible of the full-scale development engine components. New missile defends French carrier France's future nuclear aircraft carrier Charles-de-Gaulle, to be commissioned in 1996, will be armed with the Aster surface-to- air anti-missile (Saam) air- defence system, designed to defend against simultaneous all- azimuth saturation attacks from supersonic aircraft and anti-ship missiles. The Saam system, which is also intended to equip other French and Allied warships, is designed around two basic elements: Thomson-CSF's Arabel multifunction search and target acquisition radar and Aerospatiale's Aster supersonic missile with its vertical-launch module. The Arabel three-dimen sional, electronic-scanning radar constitutes the primary fire-control sensor, and will be adapted to specific naval and land applications. The radar will perform target search and precision tracking and secure data transmission to the mis siles. The Aster missile consists of a mission-adapted booster and a terminal stage. Launched verti cally and employing an active- radar terminal seeker, Aster uses a combination of aero dynamic and sideforce-thruster steering, enabling very-short- range engagements. A first successful test of Aster was carried out last June, when the so-called Pif-paf (pilotage en'force/pilotage aerodynamique fort) sideforce steering was demonstrated. The short-range Aster-15 will go to the French Navy, while a medium-range version desig nated Aster-30 is also being developed to protect key French Army installations. The new surface-to-air missiles offer broad possibilities for international, European, and Nato-level co-operation, France believes. In November 1987 France and Italy signed a letter of intent covering joint devel opment work on the Saam system, providing for possible extension of this co-operation to include other nations as well. A future accord may well involve members of the Nato Family of Anti-air Missile Systems (Fams) group. Phantom 2000 radar flies by Arie Egozi The multi-mode radar devel oped by Norden for the Israeli Air Force Phantom 2000 update last week completed its first test flight in the USA. The multi-mode radar is a major component of the up grade of Israeli F-4s now under way at Israel Aircraft Industries. Norden ran into problems trying to meet the special speci fications of the radar. The IAF required that the radar take into account Israeli ground-attack experience accumulated in the last few years. Elta is assisting Norden in completing development, and is manufacturing subsystems. By installing the new radar and performing structural and avionic changes, the IAF hopes to bring the F-4s to the status of advanced ground-attack air craft without re-engining. The re-engining of the Phan tom 2000 is still a possibility, but so far no decision has been made. The IAF is flying one prototype of the Super Phantom powered by Pratt & Whitney PW1120 engines. Harrier receives missile warner Plessey Avionics has won a £10 million contract to supply missile approach warning (Maw) equipment for the Royal Air Force's Harrier GR.5s. The Maw system, using a rear-facing active Doppler radar, detects infrared heat- seeking missiles. The missiles are then decoyed automatically by firing infrared flares. Plessey claims that the system will "greatly enhance the Harrier's survivability". The 12kg Maw comprises transmitter/receiver and signal processing units. In the Harrier's case the antenna forms an integral part of the transmitter/receiver. Other aircraft would require a probe antenna 3in in diameter and 8in long, says Plessey. With the anticipated require ment for a Maw in the early- 1990s mid-life update of Royal Air Force ground-attack Tor nadoes, the Plessey equipment will face competition from Marconi Defence Systems' pro posed missile attack warner—an active monopulse system based on an advanced guided-weapon seeker called Facets. INTERNATIONAL, 21 May 1988 FLIGH
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