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Aviation History
1988
1988 - 1353.PDF
Apache in Army roll call McDonnell Douglas Helicopter test pilots are having a ball expanding the database on AH-64 Apache manoeuvrability and airframe strength. The information will be used in a US A rmy/MDH evaluation of the Apache in the air-to-air anti-helicopter role. Pilots performed rolls, loops, hammerhead stalls, and split-Ss while carrying a full warload. Don't try this at home. 100th Foxhunter radar delivered Gyroflug delays four-seater Uncertainly about config uration arid a desire to learn from the certification experi ence of other manufacturers has led Gyroflug to stop work on its E401, a four-seat follow-on from the Speed Canard, which it developed as a certificatable design similar to Rutan's experimental VariEze. The West German manu facturer tells Flight that the E401 represents a DM30 million development and that it has to be sure that there will be a market. The biggest consid eration is whether to make the machine a conventional canard design like the Beech Starship, or to introduce a third lifting surface to give it a configuration similar to that of the Piaggio Avanti. Although much smaller than either of these, the E401 is expected to gain from their experience. Gyroflug feels that a third "wing" might help it reach the speed and take-off performance it wants to offer. The manufacturer says that it hopes to have decided by the end of the year, in which event it would expect to have flown a prototype within a further two years. Gyroflug sees small- freight express operations and survey work as providing a market, in addition to passenger flying. Some 21 Speed Canards— "the only certified composite canard in the world"—are scheduled for delivery during 1988, and the manufacturer plans to increase this to at least 25 units next year. A total of 45 have been delivered. UK certification of the Speed Canard is expected in a few months time, with that in France and the USA being secured before the end of this year. Work is continuing on a Speed Canard which is being built in co-operation with Dornier and TRW subsidiary ESL to meet a requirement for an optical and electronic-sensor platform. A demonstrator is expected to fly in a few months' time. A Speed Canard was flown across the USA last November to demonstrate its potential. The aircraft would offer a payload capacity of more than 4001b and have an endur ance of at least 6hr. Marconi has delivered the 100th radar for Royal Air Force Panavia Tornado interceptors to RAF Coningsby, where two squadrons are already opera tional. While the company admits that the AI.24 Foxhunter air interception radar's early devel opment "attracted adverse com ment", it says that delivery of the 100th example "represents the significant turn-round achieved. "Since the present version was introduced in May 1987, production has been main tained on schedule, and its performance has been praised by frontline crews," says Marconi Defence Systems. The last 30 radars have been built to an agreed Z standard which meets the original opera tional requirement. A further ten radars have been updated to the latest standard, and Marconi is negotiating to upgrade a further 20. Marconi is now working on a fixed-price, cost-sharing con tract to produce a final standard of radar that will provide greater automation of functions and reserve computer power to cope with new weapons, communi cations, and identification systems planned for Tornado. The programme, costing less than £200 million, will intro duce improvements in two stages. From delivery of the 150th radar in mid-1989, modifications will be intro duced to improve close-combat capability, target data, -and resistance to jamming. In mid- 1990, after the 227 radars now on order have been delivered, a new radar data processor will be introduced. FLIGHT INTERNATIONAL, 21 May 1988 19
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