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Aviation History
1989
1989 - 1906.PDF
OPERATIONS: DEFENCE Netherlands stalls European helicopter The Netherlands now holds the keys to the future of three European collaborative helicop ter programmes. Although the Dutch Government resigned before it could respond to the latest West German helicopter offer, Flight understands that a formative document may be produced by the defence ministry before the September 6 elections. The West Germans are keen to attract the Dutch to the Franco- German PAH-2/HAC anti-tank helicopter programme and to overcome their own funding problems for the NATO Helicop ter 90 (NH-90) project by offer ing a comprehensive package. In return for doubling its 5 per cent share of NH-90's full-scale development, the Netherlands would be permitted to join the PAH-2/HAC programme without an entrance fee and would be loaned MBB BO.105 anti-tank helicopters as a stop-gap. The West German offer was timely, since the Netherlands has recently evaluated the McDonnell Douglas AH-64 Apache and is a partner in the four-nation Joint European Heli copter QEH) A. 129 Mk2 Tonal light-attack helicopter project, which has just finished its fea sibility and cost definition study. Chairman of the Dutch Par liamentary Defence Committee, Jan Dirk Baauw, says that he is also in favour of buying the Westland Battlefield Lynx as an interim solution. "The Royal Netherlands Navy already operates the Lynx, so some commonality could be achieved." Through Fokker, the Nether lands has a 19 per cent share holding in J EH and plans to purchase 50 of the combat heli copters. West Germany and France would clearly like to persuade the Netherlands to leave the JEH fold and so increase the PAH-2/HAC prod uction run. At the same time the NH-90 has run into problems, with West Germany struggling to fund its $392 million share of develop ment costs. The West Germans are hoping that the Dutch will shoulder $196 million of these costs. The Germans would also not insist on increasing their share of NH-90 production. There are no easy answers to solve the conflict between the European helicopter collabo rative programmes. Baauw says: "Parliament believes that interim options would waste money. We have to be careful with the next buy of F-16s coming up." Baauw is also concerned about MBB's situation following a merger with Daimler-Benz. NEWS IN BRIEF MISSILES FOUND Missiles and rocket launchers, which were ready for use, were found at Lamaca International Airport on May 28, according to reports from Nicosia. The missiles were found near the airport's runway. An investi gation is under way. CASA SELLS CN-235S CASA has won a $79 million order from the Royal Moroccan Air Force for seven CN-235s. The aircraft are built in partner ship with Indonesia's (1PTN). SPANISH LASEREF Honeywell has sold three Laseref SM laser-gyro inertial reference systems to the Spanish Government for use in automatic flight inspection mission programmes. Similar equipment is being offered to Greece, Japan, and Taiwan. ESD "BOITES NOIRES" Electronique Serge Dassault (ESD) has won its first export order for solid-state flight data recorders for Dassult Mirage 2000 fighters. Germany looks to the Netherlands to solve its NH-90 funding problems The Dutch position will now be reserved until the new govern ment takes office and consid eration of the matter looks unlikely before early November. The partners still hope that a memorandum of understanding covering continuation of the NH-90 programme can be signed before the year's end so that full- scale development can start in 1990. Meanwhile, full-scale develop ment of the PAH-2 is ahead of schedule. Production tools for the rotor head, the airframe production rig, and the engineering mockup have all been completed. The first basic helicopter prototype is expected to fly in 1991, with the first production deliveries in 1997, according to Eurocopter. • COMINT balloon operational The Israeli Armament Development Authority (Rafael) has unveiled a balloon-borne communications intelligence (COMINT) system named Stratus. The system is already in operational use by the Israeli Defence Force. Stratus consists of an aerostat equipped with a mission payload which is based on field-proven subsystems and techniques used in other COMINT systems. The aerostat is connected to the mooring station which houses the main computer and oper ator's console. The balloon is released until it reaches the pre-selected altitude for the specific mission. Once in the selected altitude, the system begins the collection of data, which is transferred to the ground-based main computer. Stratus is one of several new systems the Israeli armament development authority is display ing at Paris. Others include an acoustic early warning system (AEWS), and a helicopter- mounted compact forward-look ing infrared sensor (HM-FL1R). n FLIGHT INTERNATIONAL 17 June 1989
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