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Aviation History
1989
1989 - 0127.PDF
Indians freeze fighter design Project, definition for India s Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) has been completed, and its design has been frozen. The programme director, Dr K. Harinarayana, has denied that the Rs20,000 million devel opment project is behind sched ule, claiming that the first prototype would fly in 1992, and that the aircraft would go into production in 1995. Dr Harinarayana is confident that India will be able to produce all the components and EFAra Eurofighter says that it hopes to make its final decision on the European Fighter Aircraft radar "within the next several weeks". The choice lies between the Ferranti-led Euro- radar consortium's all-new ECR-90 and the MSD-2000 derivative of the US Hughes APG-65, proposed by an AEG- led consortium. Deputy general manager of the Nato European Fighter Management Agency (NEFMA), West German Air Force Gen A. Schlieper, says: "Eurofighter is responsible for selecting the radar as a Class A equipment under the terms of subsystems itself. "We might go in for some external assistance for the composite material for the wings and the digital fly-by- wire systems," he says. According to Dr Harinara yana, carbonfibre composites and lightweight aluminium- lithium alloy will be used in the LCA. He discounted LCA pictures which have recently appeared in the media, but indi cated that the aircraft will be a delta rather than a delta-canard configuration, as used for the their contract. I can wait. It is Eurofighter who cannot wait. "It is not a cost-plus contract. It costs them money if they delay it. The risk and responsibility are theirs," Gen Schlieper argues. As the radars are different, the necessary timescales may be quite dif ferent, as could be the end performances and prices. I can only hope they come to a conclusion as soon as possible. We will then have eight weeks for the nations to decide." It appears that the UK prefers the ECR-90 and West Germany the MSD-2000, with Spain tending towards the West Swedish JAS39 multirole fighter. Discussions are already under way with the Raman Research Institute and Bharat Electronics for the production of liquid- crystal cockpit displays. A ring- laser gyro inertial navigation system will be used. Although the LCA has been designed as a multirole next- generation fighter, its prime mission is offensive air support. Meanwhile, India's prototype Advanced Light Combat heli- Turkey se Turkey has selected Loral Rapport III electronic counter- measures systems for its General Dynamics F-16 fighters. Rapport III fought off strong competition from Marconi Defence System's Zeus and Westinghouse's ALQ-165 airborne self-protection jammer for the estimated $350 million contract. "We have been selected," Loral Electronics tells Flight. "We are still nego tiating. A contract has still to be signed". Undersecretary to the Turkish Ministry of Defence, Lt Gen Hayri Undul, confirms that the Loral bid has been accepted. For some time Rapport III has been considered as the most- developed system. The systems will be installed in 160 F-16s to be purchased by Turkey in a $4 billion deal. To date 14 F-16s have been manu factured at the Murted airbase German choice while Italy is closer to the UK position. The radar choice will be made by EFA management company Eurofighter, and is said to involve three main steps. First, both radars must comply with the specification, second is cost, and third is growth poten tial. If both radars are of equal performance, therefore, then the cheaper would be selected, and if both are of the same price, then future potential will be the driver. The UK Government is understood to be cautious about the US technology transfer requested for the MSD-2000. At copter is expected to fly during 1989. MBB has been collabo rating with Hindustan Aero nautics on development of the 4/5-tonne helicopter. The main transmission, main rotor head, swashplate with rotor control, and hydraulic servo unit will be produced as an integrated dynamic system by MBB and West German firm Zahnradfabrik Friedrichshafen (ZF). This is currently being prepared and mounted at the HAL factory at Bangalore. ects Loral outside Ankara and delivered to the Turkish Air Force. Lt Gen Undul says that this is two aircraft ahead of the pro gramme's production schedule. Eight other F-16s have already been delivered direct from the USA. Eventually, the F-16s will replace the Turkish Air Force's Lockheed F-104 Starfighters. The Turkish contract comes as a welcome boost to Loral's fortunes. In December last year Israel's Defence Minister forced the Air Force to reverse its deci sion to buy Loral ALQ-178 elec tronic countermeasures systems for 60 new F-16Cs. The IAF will now equip the bulk of these aircraft with an Elisra system. • Loral has been selected by the US Air Force to integrate its ALR-56M radar warning receiver into the Rockwell B-1B ALQ-161 defensive avonics suite. 55 present there is no restriction, but US Administrations, and their rules, change, the UK argues. West Germany favours the MSD-2000 mainly because, as an APG-65 derivative, it will have commonality with radars fitted to updated Luftwaffe's F-4 Phantoms. There are some doubts in West Germany about the economic viability of updating the F-4s, however. The upgrade programme made sense before EFA was certain, but now that the European fighter will be available from the mid-1990s, the expensive F-4 update might not be needed, critics argue. McDonnell Douglas tests Minipac McDonnell Douglas has completed a ground-level, 363kt test of its Minipac II ejection seat from.a rocket sled at Hurricane Mesa, Utah. Minipac II is a Jightweight seat designed for small, lower-speed trainers and combat aircraft at about half the weight and cost of the Aces II seat which MDC makes for high performance aircraft. dar within wee] FLIGHT INTERNATIONAL, 21 January 1989 13
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