FlightGlobal.com
Home
Premium
Archive
Video
Images
Forum
Atlas
Blogs
Jobs
Shop
RSS
Email Newsletters
You are in:
Home
Aviation History
1989
1989 - 3020.PDF
OPERATIONS: DEFENCE Private combat training range takes shape The first of six North Sea offshore towers which will form the basis of the world's first commercial combat training range has been handed over to British Aerospace by the contractors. The Master Tower Installation will control the range and act as a node for the five satellite stations yet to be opened. All six towers are now in position some 80 miles off the Lincolnshire coast, and will be opened progressively between now and the initial release to service in April 1990. The towers are in a circular pattern, with remote towers 18 miles from the main station. Construction work on the buildings which will contain the range computation and control sub-system and the display and de-briefing sub-system has started at three RAF bases, one believed to be Coningsby in Lincolnshire. The three bases will be connected to the range via one of the bases through a fibre-optic datalink buried beneath the sea bed. The range will be able to track up to 36 "high activity" aircraft and up to 50 simulta neous missile simulations with real-time monitoring. Crews will be able to receive immediate post-sortie de-briefing in 26-seat theatres using three-screen, eight- colour, high-resolution displays. BAe has taken delivery of six sets of computation and control and display and debrief systems from air-combat range manu facturer Cubic, and the buildings to house them, and intends to locate up to three of each at bases on mainland Europe. A British Aerospace spokes man tells Flight that negotiations were continuing with several NATO air forces over the use of the range, including the United States Air Force Europe, which had "expressed great interest". The Royal Netherlands Air Force, which had expected to use the range, has been forced to with draw its plans for the moment owing to budgetary problems. • First Australian Seahawk handed over The Royal Australian Navy (RAN) has accepted delivery of its first Sikorsky S-870B-2 Seahawk. The aircraft was handed over at the Connecticut factory, and will be shipped to Australia early next year. The RAN has ordered 16 Sea- hawks. Sikorsky is building the first batch of eight, and Aero space Technologies of Australia (ASTA) will build the second eight at Melbourne. The aircraft will enter operational service in mid-1991 with squadron HS-816, and will be used in the anti-sub marine-warfare and airborne sur veillance and targeting roles from FFG-7 frigates. At present the RAN Seahawks are configured to carry two torpedoes externally, but a third weapons station might later be fitted to carry a third torpedo or missile. • Night-attack Harrier delivered The aircraft is equipped with forward-looking infrared sensor feeding a 1:1 image of the outside world to a wide-angle headup dis play. The cockpit and colour digi tal moving map display are fully night-vision-goggle compatible. The 156 aircraft yet to be pro duced to fill the USMC require ment for 323 AV-8Bs will be built to night-attack standard. • The United States Marine Corps has taken delivery of its first McDonnell Douglas AV-8B Harrier II with full night- attack capability. The aircraft was delivered to the US Naval Weapons Center at China Lake, California. After completing service tests, the AV-8B will be passed on to MCAS Yuma. Arizona. Grumman cleared to export Prowler Grumman has received approval from the US Government to brief selected potential overseas buyers on the EA-6B Prowler electronic warfare aircraft. Grumman faces cutbacks in Prowler production. Last week the Conference Committee was to thrash out the differences between the House and Senate views on the 1990 Defense Authorisation Bill. The Navy wanted 12 EA-6s in the 1990 budget, but the House cut this to four. Grumman hoped for the 12, plus another seven the following year. If these are not forth coming, 2,200 Grumman work ers could be laid off. Grumman originally sought State Department permission to sell the A-6 Intruder overseas when it was dropped from the Federal budget. A preliminary sales trip by Grumman showed little interest in the Intruder, an all-weather attack aircraft, but Japan and South Korea both expressed interest in the Prowler stretched ECM derivative of the A-6. As it is potentially a government - to - government foreign military sale, each deal needs State Department approval, says Grumman. South Korea might be interested in up to 20 Prowlers, and Grumman believes that Japan could need ten aircraft. • Japan and South Korea provide Prowler's best export prospects Pampa leads Israel trainer list The Argentinian FAMA IA-63 Pampa trainer is top of the Israeli Air Force (IAF) list of candidates for a new basic trainer, says an official IAF report released after the first round of evaluation. The Pampa performed well in the test flights conducted by IAF pilots. "The aircraft has good characteristics in all the missions it has to perform," the report says, but it also points out minor problems centred on the opera tional and maintenance aspects of the trainer. "These will have to be corrected," it adds. The Brazilian Embraer EMB- 312 Tucano was placed behind the Pampa mainly because of its relatively low speed and overall performance compared with the upgraded Fouga CM-170 Magis- ter currently used as the IAF's basic trainer. Other aspects of the Tucano were found very positive, and it seems that it will be tested again if it is re-engined with a more powerful engine. The IAF also tested the Promavia Jet Squalus, and will test the Pilatus PC-9 within the next two months. IAF sources say that this is the first round of evaluation, and that a decision is not expected before 1991. • 12 FLIGHT INTERNATIONAL 7 October 1989
Sign up to
Flight Digital Magazine
Flight Print Magazine
Airline Business Magazine
E-newsletters
RSS
Events
