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Aviation History
1989
1989 - 0016.PDF
Rockwell plans X-31 testing by Norman Lynn in Los Angeles The first X-31 enhanced fighter manoeuvrability research air craft is expected to fly in November-December 1989. The second will fly three months later, says X-31 programme manager Michael Robinson of Rockwell. Two X-31 research aircraft are being built by Rockwell and associate contractor MBB in a $75 million joint US/West German programme. The spon sors are the US Defence Advanced Research Projects Agency and the West German Ministry of Defence. Rockwell expects a contract for flight testing in July 1989. A $47-3 million contract for detailed design, fabrication, construction, and checkout was awarded in August 1988. "We are planning a three- phase test programme of 300 hours in 400 flights on both aeroplanes from November 1989 to January 1991," says Robinson. The 400 flights will be divided equally between conventional envelope expan sion and enhanced fighter manoeuvrability demonstration at high angles of attack, includ ing flying beyond the stall using thrust vectoring for control. The X-31 will use thrust vectoring for enhanced manoeuvrability Project test pilots Ken Dyson of Rockwell and Dietrich Siek of MBB will be joined by addi tional test pilots. The flight-test plan has been developed by a working group comprising test pilots from the US Navy, the German National Flight Test Centre, and the Luftwaffe. Initial testing will be performed at Rockwell's Palm- dale, California, facility. Both aircraft will demonstrate tactical enhanced-manceuvrability fly ing at the United States Naval Air Test Centre, Patuxent River, Maryland. Robinson says that Patuxent Grumman makes large job cuts The New York-based Grum man Corporation will cut more than 3,000 jobs in 1989, as a result of what chairman John O'Brien calls "flat or declining budgets" in the aerospace industry. By the end of January, 1,800 employees will lose their jobs. The remainder will follow by "attrition" by the end of the year. Many of the cuts result from the cancellation of the US Navy's development pro gramme for the A-6G Intruder. Grumman's future prosperity is heavily dependent on the production of both the A-6E Intruder and EA-6B aircraft. Grumman bid for, and lost, the Advanced Tactical Aircraft A-6 replace ment contract. Commenting on the job losses, O'Brein said, "Our own aircraft programmes continue to operate at low rates. In order to establish an accept able level of cost for them we have to reduce our overheads". He added, "It is always difficult to take these measures, and it is especially painful at this time of year". At Grumman's Long Island plant, where more than 60 per cent of the company's 32,000 employees work, 2,500 jobs will go. In 1987 1,400 employ ees were laid off at Long Island. • Grumman is to close its operations office in Israel, owing to "negative business prospects". The main cause for this, according to the company, is the termination of the Lavi programme— Grumman manufactured the wings and tails of the two prototypes. Future business with Israel will be carried out ad hoc by the company. River is expecially suitable for X-31 flying because it combines the tracking capabilities of the Nellis weapons range, Nevada, with the tactical capabilities of Edwards flight-test centre in California. The US and West German governments are pushing for early tactical demonstrations. "That will be proof we have developed in the X-31 capabili ties that people will use," Robinson observes. Enhanced fighter manoeu vrability design and flight techniques—including the Herbst manoeuvre which the X-31 will demonstrate—could be important to the devel opment of future fighters. For that reason the X-31 flight-test programme will be rapid, promises Robinson. "We will first expand the conventional fighter aircraft envelope, taking our aircraft to very high angles of attack. After that we will develop enhanced fighter manoeuvrability flight techniques," says Robinson. The final step will be tactical evaluation, for which Robinson lists four options; fly the X-31 against a computer-generated target; fly pre-described flight- paths; fly one X-31 against another X-31 with only conventional manoeuvre capa bilities; or fly an X-31 against an aggressor aircraft. Final assembly for the first X-31 is already under way. The assembled fuselage will move to a holding fixture, to await join ing of the vertical tail and wing, fabricated by MBB. Major components for both aircraft have been ordered. These include the Honeywell flight-control computers, Men- asco landing gear, and Garrett actuators. Three General Electric F404 engines are being modified for early 1989 delivery. Flight man wins award Flight International's editor-in- chief, J. M. Ramsden, was among the winners of the 1988 Royal Aeronautical Society awards. Mike won the Wake field Gold Medal for his contribution to improving air safety standards. The Society's highest dis tinction, an Honorary Fellow ship, was awarded to Prof Holt Ashley of Stanford University for his contribution to aerospace research in the field of aero- elasticity. The same award was given to G. P. Dollimore, the chairman of Hunting Engin eering, in recognition of his work on missiles. Sir Colin Marshall, British Airways' chief executive, was invited to become a Companion of the Society in recognition of his leadership of the airline and his work in improving its image. A Gold Medal was awarded to Prof A. Jameson of Princeton University's Aero space Engineering Department for his research concerning transonic flow calculations. The Silver Medal was awarded to J. W. Thomas (the retired director of technology at British Aero space's Civil Aircraft Division) in recognition of his 40-year career in civil aircraft devel opment, which culminated in the BAe 146 programme. The technical director of Orca Aircraft, S. A. Holloway, was presented with the Society's Bronze Medal for his work in the field of light aircraft, particularly in the design of the Trago Mills SAH.l trainer. Other award winners were: K. P. Orme, BAe's project pilot for the Experimental Aircraft Programme; R. J. Lamont, project engineer for Short Brothers; S. C. Miller, Rolls- Royce's director of coroporate engineering; J. R. Monk, tech nical director and chief designer of Airship Industries (UK); and Lt. Cdr R. I. Horton, helicopter test pilot at RAE Bedford. 14 FLIGHT INTERNATIONAL, 7 January 1989
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