FlightGlobal.com
Home
Premium
Archive
Video
Images
Forum
Blogs
Jobs
Shop
RSS
Email Newsletters
You are in:
Home
Aviation History
1988
1988 - 2668.PDF
Dash 8-400 decision next year Boeing's de Havilland Canada expects to decide whether to go ahead with its Dash 8-400 in mid-1989, possibly at the Paris Air Show, says DHC chief Ron Woodard. Development work is still under way, but "it will have to be a fast and comfortable aircraft to capture the market," he says. Market studies are being carried out, but the -400 will most likely be a 70-seater with a 300-350kt cruise speed, powered by Pratt & Whitney Canada or General Electric engines. First availability will be in the second quarter of 1993 if the project goes ahead. If the project is launched, DHC must be the first in the market with that type of aircraft, Woodard says, but the launch will only take place if there is adequate volume for the company to recover its costs. The aircraft is to offer similar seat-mile costs to 150-seat jets, but at half the capital cost. Larger regional aircraft are now being demanded because of congestion, Woodard says, but he does not believe there is a future in small regional jets such as the Shorts FJX and Canadair Challenger. DHC is convinced that 70-seat air craft and smaller are only economical if turboprop powered. However, DHC says it is continually considering jet power. The proposed new regional airliner development (NRA- 90), studied in conjunction with Shorts, is now dead as far as DHC is concerned, unless there is a "tremendous break through". The development and certification costs would have been so high that there is insufficient market volume to recoup costs, the company says. DHC has conquered the labour problems which resulted in a long strike at its plant, and has met every production and delivery commitment this year, it says. Modernisation at the facility continues, with Twin Otter and Dash 7 production at an end, and the plant will solely produce Dash 8s by the year's end. It does not expect to start breaking even, however, for another 18 months. DHC has a further customer for the Dash 8 in new West German regional airline Hamburg Airlines. The carrier is leasing two Dash 8-100s from GPA Jetprop to meet its imme diate demand and is then buying a -100 and -300 from DHC for delivery in 1990. The Dash 8s are the first leased out by GPA Jetprop, which has five on firm order and five options, although the Hamburg Airlines aircraft are formerly Horizon Airlines Dash 8s, whose pro duction slots were sold to GPA. The value of the order to DHC is about $34 million. DHC has orders for and options on 230 Dash 8 aircraft. Starting operations next month, Hamburg Airlines will fly from Hamburg to Antwerp, Sylt, Rotterdam, and Goteborg, expanding as its fleet grows. Talair of Goroka, Papua New Guinea, has also placed a follow-on order for an addi tional Dash 8-100 for delivery in May next year. Talair already operates one Dash 8 and ten Twin Otters. DHC produces four Dash 8s a month, and by the next quarter will be building five a month. The company's long- term aim is to increase pro duction to about eight or nine a month. In three years Woodard hopes to be building about 100 Dash 8s a year, especially if the -400 is launched. A further stretch of the Dash 8 may be given the go-ahead next year at the Paris Air Show Norway supplies ammunition Norway-based Raufoss has confirmed it has three UK Ministry of Defence orders to supply multipurpose ammuni tion for the Harrier GR.5, the Mauser 27mm gun, and the Lynx helicopter. The decision to equip the Harrier GR.5 with 25mm MP ammunition was made after an extensive evaluation and quali fication programme. The ammunition will be used in the 25mm Aden gun developed by Royal Ordnance and due to be installed in the GR.5 soon. The second order means that Raufoss will conduct a devel opment and qualification programme to produce a 27mm MP ammunition for the Mauser 27 x 145 gun. The 27mm round will be developed in collaboration with Mauser to ensure full interoperability with the present standard gun and ammunition. In fulfilling the third contract, Raufoss will deliver its 12-7mm MP amunition to the Lynx to be employed in the M3P gun fitted on the helicop ter for use against light targets. Originally developed in co operation with the Norwegian Army, the 12-7mm MP round is in service wtih the Danish, French, and UK forces, as well as with Norway's armed forces. The Raufoss pyrotechnic initiated explosive round was first introduced in 1970, and developments continue of several other calibres expected to enter the market soon. No smoke, no fire at RO Royal Ordnance is claiming a lead in the development of no- smoke, no-flame rocket motors for stealthy missiles. The minimum-signature propellants can also meet strict insensitive munitions requirements that the US Navy is adopting from 1995. RO says that it has developed a solid-rocket propellant addi tive which reduces the flame but maintains the high energy. Conventional wisdom says that smoke results from a reduction in flame, but RO has taken nozzle temperatures up to 2,000°C with no visible smoke. This technology has not been matched anywhere else in the world, RO says. Peak near-infrared signature of the plume drops by a factor of eight, compared with the propellant without the suppression additive. Overall near-infrared signature is 100 times less, and the far-infrared signature is of the same magnitude. All this is achieved without reducing rocket motor thrust, says RO. The ultraviolet signature is similarly low, and the radar visibility of the cool exhaust is virtually zero, RO claims. Stealth capability is increasingly demanded by the military, with the US Navy also demanding insensitive muni tions, another field in which RO believes it leads. The US Navy demands that by 1995 missile propellants must be able to withstand thermal and mechanical attack from bullets, fuel fires, or shock detonation. Reaction levels demanded by the Navy have been achieved by RO in all test cases. A multi- fragment attack, for example, resulted in the propellant burn ing out within the casing. A fuel fire usually results in the most violent explosion, but because of the RO casing design no explosion occurred. Morton Thiokol in the USA is discussing the transfer of technology and the joint pro duction of RO propellants. The deal, when finalised, will be a partnership, not just a licensed production facility, says RO. No timescale has been set for finalising the collaboration talks, RO adds. 62 FLIGHT INTERNATIONAL, 17 September 1988
Sign up to
Flight Digital Magazine
Flight Print Magazine
Airline Business Magazine
E-newsletters
RSS
Events
