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Aviation History
1989
1989 - 0525.PDF
UK ASTOVL work includes full-scale tests under development for the Advanced Tactical Fighter, one version of which will have a variable bypass ratio—a feature that might apply to ASTOVL engines. No specific engine config uration was decided upon by the team, leaving open options on whether the engine or its remote ducts need to operate in reheat, and on whether there should be one or two engines. "The remote lift concept gives you plenty of freedom for design," says Levine. Devel opment of high-efficiency ducts will be critical to a successful engine, he adds. "Current data is mostly empirical, and there is a great deal of room for improvement," Studies of the four main ASTOVL concepts were split evenly between the UK and USA. The UK effort was carried out by Rolls-Royce and British Aerospace, which looked at all four systems, based on a stan dardised airframe forebody and cockpit section. US studies involved several companies with different air frame concepts. McDonnell Douglas and Pratt & Whitney looked at advanced vectored thrust, Grumman and General Electric at the remote aug- mented-lift system, General Dynamics and GE at the ejector augmentor system, and Lock heed, and a Pratt & Whitney/ Rolls-Royce (US) team at the hybrid tandem fan. Objectives were: • investigation of general system characteristics and capa bilities and of their potential for future ASTOVL aircraft; • identification of critical tech nologies for each concept; • assessment of the most promising systems. The studies went into some detail looking at possible engine configurations, fuel require ments, empty mass, and e.g. to give an indication of each concept's limitations. Stability and control studies were also done, related to a generic ASTOVL mission which included air combat and surface attack profiles, a 350-mile combat radius, and supersonic dash Mach number.' The assessment team comprised 15 officials drawn from NASA, the US Air Force and Navy, and the UK Ministry of Defence and Royal Aero space Establishment. Its find ings were presented to the joint US/UK working group at NASA Goddard last October. Concepts studied: (top left) advanced vectored thrust; (top right) ejector-augmented lift; (bottom left) remote- augmented lift system; and (above) hybrid tandem fan Belgium cuts Air Force The Belgian Air Force is to sell off aircraft, merge squad rons, and vacate airbases as its contribution to the annual BF2,000 million ($52 million) defence cuts to be sought from now on. The Belgian Government will not now consider buying the Rafale, European Fighter Aircraft, or the Agile Falcon until the next century. In relative terms, Bel gium's defence spending has been decreasing since 1981. It has now reached the stage where the armed forces' existing equipment cannot be properly operated and maintained. The Belgian Ministry of Defence's answer is to reduce the Air Force's inventory to what can be afforded. The 15 Transport Wing is to lose its five Swearingen Merlin IIIAs and three BAe748 transport aircraft. The two Boeing 727QC airliners and two Dassault Falcan 20Cs from 21 Sqn will join 20 Sqn's Lockheed C-130 Hercules. The Air Force will be allowed to maintain its eight combat squadrons, but no new or attrition aircraft will be purchased before 2005. The Air Force currently operates 18 aircraft per squadron. The electronics countermeasures pro gramme for the General Dynamics F-16, and the purchase of AIM-9N Side winders, is not affected. While making the cuts statement, the Minister of Defence, Guy Coeme, also announced that a previously undisclosed programme to acquire air-to-surface mis siles for the F-16s would still go ahead. The Belgian Army Air Corps is to lose its 12 Pilatus Britten-Norman Islanders under the cuts, and its three Aerospatiale Alloutte II squadrons will be redeployed from West Germany to Goetsonhoven. The Army will not be allowed to replace its GPK anti-tank gun or its BAe Swingfire anti-tank missiles. FLIGHT INTERNATIONAL, 4 March 1989 3
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