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Aviation History
1988
1988 - 1765.PDF
ers 15 more 747-400s JAL ord The world's largest operator of the Boeing 747, Japan Air Lines (JAL), has ordered 15 747-400s powered by General Electric CF6-80C2 engines. The new aircraft, with a three-class layout, will be used on long- range flights from Tokyo to European and US destinations. The 15-aircraft order is worth an estimated $2 billion includ ing spares and training, and follows JAL's order for five -400s placed in September 1987. JAL will receive its first -400 in August 1989; five -400s of this latest order will be deliv ered each year in 1990, 1991, and 1992. Currently, two 747-400s are being flight-tested, with certification scheduled for December. The Boeing 747-400 is the world's largest and longest-range airliner and has a range of up to 8,400 miles. JAL has now ordered a total of 109 Boeing aircraft since ordering its first 727 in 1964. The airline has a wide variety of 747s including the -100, -100SR (short-range), -200B, -200F (freighter), -300, -300SR, and now the -400. JAL operates 11 Boeing 767s in addition to its fleet of 747s. Boeing currently has over 868 firm orders for the 747 family, of which 146 are for the -400. Boeing orders for the year of all models stand at 397, valued at $17-7 billion. These figures compare with orders for 366 aircraft valued at $19-9 billion for the whole of 1987. On June 27 Boeing's first -400 series 747, powered by PW4000 engines, claimed the world record for the heaviest aircraft take-off. The aircraft's gross weight on lifting off from Moses Lake Airport, Washing ton, was 892,4501b—over 44,1001b above normal weight. It climbed to 6,575ft in 4min 49sec, Boeing claims. An offi cial of the Federation Aero- nautique Internationale (FAI) observed and ratified the take off and climb. The 747-400's record weight was more than twice that of Boeing's next- largest aircraft, the 767-300ER. The record-breaking flight formed part of Federal Aviation Administration low-speed drag and heavyweight stall tests. Boeing's second 747-400 has made its maiden flight from Paine Field near Washington and has also joined the -400 flight-test programme. The CF6-powered aircraft made a flight of lhr 59min, and reached 33,000ft and 310m.p.h. while checks were carried out. The aircraft sports an emerald green plastic coating to protect the aluminium fuselage before being painted and entering service with Lufthansa in 1989. Noticeable features of the 747-400 compared to earlier models are the 6ft winglets, which Boeing claims combine with the 12ft increase in wing- span to produce a three per cent reduction in fuel-burn. Boeing claims that the new features embodied in the -400 lead to savings in fuel-burn of between 11 and 15 per cent compared with the -300 model. Hawk gets radar Initial integration of the APG- 66 radar into the single-seat Hawk 200 lightweight fighter is under way at both British Aero space and Westinghouse. Under a joint-venture agreement, each company is funding its share of the integration work in antici pation of finding a launch customer. BAe says it has no plans to flight-test the APG-66 in the Hawk 200. The company's selection of the modified F-16 radar was revealed earlier this year, with Westinghouse suggesting that BAe's choice was influenced by the require ments of a particular potential launch customer. BAe says only that the APG- 66 was "the most appropriate choice," adding that potential customers will be able to specify any other radar. "The APG-66 is British Aerospace's baseline choice. It is a proven system, it works, it fits, and it is appropriate to the role. The radar is the most cost- effective choice, and offers low risk with maximum perform ance. We will start hardware integration when a customer asks for a radar equipped Hawk 200," says BAe. The APG-66 has been modified to fit the Hawk 200. Besides saving space and weight, this reduces the power and cooling requirements. US admits downing Iranian Airbus A US Navy guided-missile cruiser shot down an Iran Air Airbus A300 on July 3 while the aircraft was en route from Iran to Dubai, killing all 286 passengers and crew. The cruiser apparently mistook the airliner for an Iranian F-14 fighter. "While actively engaged with threatening Iranian surface units, and protecting itself from what it concluded to be a hostile aircraft, a US warship shot down an Iranian airliner over the Straits of Hormuz," admitted Admiral William Crowe, chair man of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. At 0910 local time Iranian speedboats opened fire on a US Navy helicopter operating from the USS Vincennes. The cruiser and another US warship closed on the Iranian speedboats and opened fire at 0942, sinking two. Five minutes later an aircraft was detected taking off from Iran's joint military/civil airfield at Bandar Abbas. "The suspect aircraft was [4-5 n.m. west of] the commercial air corridor," said Admiral Crowe. "More importantly, the aircraft headed directly for the Vincennes, at constant bearing and high speed—approximately 450kt. The Vincennes issued seven warnings [three on civil and four on military frequen cies], but the pilots did not answer." Four minutes later, at 0951, the Vincennes assumed the track was hostile and, at 0954, fired two Standard missiles at the aircraft, then 9 n.m. distant. At least one of the missiles hit the A300 when it was 6 n.m. from the Vincennes. The cruiser apparently thought the aircraft was an Iranian F-14, which it had reason to believe was in the vicinity. Admiral Crowe emphasised the difficulty of identifying an aircraft from a radar return, "particularly from a head-on target". Radar oper ators had about four minutes to identify the aircraft, he added. The Iran Air A300 was on a scheduled flight, however. The airline flies the Bandar-Dubai route five times a week, always with the same flight number (IR655) and with an 0950 scheduled take-off time on Sundays and Tuesdays, but with a 1715 departure on the three other days. On this particular Sunday, if US Navy reports are accurate, IR655 took off five minutes early. An internationally recognised airway, Amber 59, links Bandar Abbas to Sharjah, about five miles from Dubai: IR655 is the only scheduled flight to operate this route. The Bandar-Dubai track is about 203° (magnetic). The US Navy reported an aircraft heading of 185°. If IR655 had a serviceable secondary radar transponder, the Vincennes should have posi tively identified the aircraft. ATC practice in the Gulf is usually to squawk a code which identifies not the aircraft but the route it is flying. According to Iran, the A300 was at 7,500ft and climbing when hit. The US Navy stated that the aircraft was at 7,800ft and descending, and flying at high speed on an attack head ing. The principal question being asked is how one of the US Navy's most advanced warships, equipped with the vaunted Aegis self-defence system, mistook a large airliner for a much smaller fighter. The Vincennes was already on a high state of alert because of warn ings that Iran might attack. FLIGHT INTERNATIONAL, 9 July 19S8 3
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