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Aviation History
1990
1990 - 0146.PDF
OPERATIONS: DEFENCE 0H-58D cancelled in IAF cuts BY ARIE EGOZI IN TEL AVIV The Israeli Air Force (IAF) has cancelled plans to buy four Bell OH-58D scout helicopters but is to go ahead with a pur chase of McDonnell Douglas AH- 64 Apache attack helicopters. The decision is the first result of defence budget cuts now hitting the IAF (Flight, 10-16January), The IAF planned to operate the four OH-58Ds in the target reconnaissance and designation role to enhance the capability of its attack helicopters. At present, the IAF uses the Bell AH-IS Cobra and the McDonnell Doug las MD-500 Defender for attack and scouting roles respectively. Agreement to sell 18 Apaches has already been reached by the Israeli and US governments. The IAF is scheduling delivery of the Apache by the end of this year. This is contingent on ratification of the deal within the next month, allowing technical arrangements to be completed for deliveries to begin as early as September. The IAF says that the high price of the OH-58D (around $39 million) and the high maintenance costs of a small number of helicopters tipped the scales against the purchase. Of ficially, the IAF describes the purchase as "frozen", but this effectively means complete cancellation under the current budget restrictions. If AHIP is cancelled emphasis is likely to shift to production of an efficient unmanned designat ing platform. # Survivability of the Apache in the low-intensity Panama inva sion was "better than expected" says Col Gene Cole, commander of the United States Army's 82nd Aviation Brigade. The Apaches "virtually destroyed" Gen Manuel Noriega's headquarters building with Hellfire anti-tank missiles. The Army deployed 167 heli copters to Panama. Three AH-6s and an OH-58D were shot down by intensive small-arms fire, chiefly of 7.62mm and 5.56mm calibre. Aircraft damaged were 25 UH-60s, five AH-1 Cobras, four OH-58s, three AH-64s and seven AM/H-6s. All were back in service within 24 hours, apart from the UH-60 Black Hawk which had a hard landing after sustaining structural damage in combat. A third of all Operation Just Cause helicopter missions were flown at night. Of the total 200h flown by the 11 Apaches in Panama, night flying accounted for 138h. One Apache took 32 7.62mm hits but survived. • USA warns Israel against Ethiopia weapons sale The USA has warned Israel not to sell arms, including fighters, to Ethiopia. The warning came after Israeli Army and Air Force officers vis ited Ethiopia to assess its defence needs in return for Ethiopian permission for Israel to use sev eral Ethiopian bases including an island landing strip in the Bab-el Mandeb straits, the southern en trance to the Red Sea. Since Soviet advisers started to leave Ethiopia a year ago there has been a growing Israeli pres ence in the country. The US warning to Israel comes after Ethiopian press re ports concerning an Ethiopian request to buy IAI Kfir fighters and other weapons. Israel needs US approval to sell the Kfirs, which are powered by US en gines. The warning also men tioned Israeli-made weapons with no US components, so as to block the possibility of re-engin- ing the Kfirs as part of a potential deal with Ethiopia. Israel Aircraft Industries re cently purchased five Snecma Atar 9K50 engines for evaluation as an alternative to the Kfir's General Electric J79. • Press reports put Kfir on Ethiopia's shopping list CASUALTIES UNITED STATES A United States Air Force Boeing KC-135 Stratotanker of the New Hampshire Air Na tional Guard caught fire on the ground at Pease AFB on 12 January. The fire started as maintenance work was being carried out on the fuel system. The aircraft was destroyed. A United States Marine Corps McDonnell Douglas A-4 Skyhawk of Marine Air Group 19 crashed while attempting to land at NAS Willow Grove, Pennsylvania on 12 January. The pilot was reported as being injured. It is understood that the aircraft undershot the runway. Rogers leave Cam Ranh Bay The Soviet Union has shipped home the sole squadron of 14 MiG-23 Floggers from its largest naval base outside its own borders, at Cam Ranh Bay, Viet nam. A number of Tu-16 Badger bombers are also known to have returned to the Soviet Union. The aircraft withdrawals, along with the return of naval vessels to the Soviet Union, is part of a general Soviet run-down in the country. The Soviet move is seen as an attempt to put pressure on the United States to reduce its pres ence in the Pacific, and in particular in the Philippines. A few Tu-16 Badgers remain but are expected to be withdrawn soon. Six Tu-95 Bear recon naissance aircraft are to stay. The MiG-23s have been based at Cam Ranh Bay since 1984 and have been tasked with the air defence of the Soviet base and providing escorts for maritime patrol and reconnaissance. • Soviets cut back on defence The Soviet Ministry of De fence says that the 1990 de fence budget will be Rb70,798.8 million ($120,300 million), which represents an 8.2% de crease over the 1989 budget. Of the total, Rb31,636.8 mil lion will be spent on arms and equipment, Rbl3,154 million on research and development and Rbl9,323 million on the upkeep of the armed forces. The defence ministry also for the first time gives an intimation of the strength of the Soviet armed services and a breakdown of the number of aircraft al though not by type. The USSR fields 8,207 tactical combat aircraft and 4,014 heli copters, and 97 of the 162 heavy bombers are capable of launch ing cruise missiles. The army has 63,900 tanks and 76,520 infantry combat vehicles or armoured personnel carriers, and 66,000 artillery systems of over 100mm calibre. At 1 January, personnel strength was 3,993,000. • 12 FLIGHT INTERNATIONAL 24-30 January 1990
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