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Aviation History
1990
1990 - 0908.PDF
TECHNICAL: DEFENCE Grumman prowls Pacific market BY GRAHAM WARWICK IN KUALA LUMPUR Grumman has confirmed that it EA-6B Prowler electronic- warfare aircraft has been pre sented to several Pacific Rim countries, saying that both South Korea and Japan are interested in the aircraft. South Korea is believed to be interested in buying around 40 Tornado Electronic Combat Reconnaissance (ECR) variants and the EA-6B is seen as the main competitor. A Prowler or Tornado ECR deal could be worth more than $1.5 billion. A Republic of Korea Air Force source says that a decision on an electronic warfare aircraft procurement is expected in early 1991, although Grumman says that South Korean and Japanese interest is "very long term". Grumann also hopes to secure a new customer for its E-2C Hawkeye airborne early warning aircraft in the Pacific Rim "by the new year". Potential customers in the region are South Korea and Indonesia. Japan already operates eight E- 2Cs and will buy three more this year and two in 1991 to complete Prowler heads east for market opportunities the Air Self-Defense Force fleet. Grumman is negotiating with the Japanese Maritime Self Defense Force on the E-2C for sea-lane patrol duties. Singapore operates tour E-2Cs. Grumman, meanwhile, has begun test-flying the re-engined S-2T Turbo-Tracker anti-sub marine warfare aircraft for Taiwan. The first of two aircraft flew last August, testing the engine. Two Garrett TPE331-15 turboprops are installed, replac ing the original radial piston engines. The second aircraft will test the avionics, including a new digital tactical navigation system, GEC Avionics AQS-902F acous tic processor, Lilton Canada APS-504(V)5 radar, forward- looking infra-red, magnetic anomaly detector and General instrument ALR-606(V)2 elec tronic support measures. Delivery of kits to Taiwan to update 30 aircraft is expected to begin before the end of this year. The $10-$15 million update is offered to other S-2 operators, inlcuding South Korea and Thai land, Greece selected the S-2T three years ago, says Grumman, but a contract was never signed. Negotiations have recently re opened with Greece, the com pany says. • Soviets show improved anti-air missiles The Soviet Union displayed the SA-16 (Igla (Needle) shoulder-launched anti-aircraft missile and an improved version of the SA-13 short-range anti aircraft missile, the Strela (Arrow) 10m2, at the Defence Services Asia Exhibition in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Details of the SA-16 reveal that the infra-red seeker has a 40° field-of-view compared to the 5° field-of-view of earlier Soviet shoulder-launched anti-aircraft missiles. The missile's average speed is quoted as 570m/s, an improve ment over earlier blunt-nosed designs. The SA-16 is the third operational Soviet shoulder- launched anti-aircraft missile design, following on from the SA-7 Grail and the SA-14 Gremlin. Soviet data gives the SA-16 a maximum range of 5,000m and an altitude coverage of 10- 3,500m. Maximum target speed is given as 360m/s and the tube- launched missile is ready to fire in 5s. The missile and launcher weigh 10.8kg. The improved version of the SA-13 Gopher, Strela 10m2, is optimised for anti-helicopter use and has an electro-optical "photo-contrast" guidance unit replacing and infra-red (IR) homing seeker used by earlier models. This allows the missile to be fired at very-low-altitude targets where an IR-guided missile would be fooled by ground heat, say the Soviets. Four box-launched missiles are carried on the 17.8t tracked vehicle, the missiles mounted on a trainable turret along with electro-optical and radar target aquisition and tracking sensors. Soviet data gives the missile a maximum range of 5,000m and an altitude coverage of 10- 3,500m. Acquisition range is greater than 10km and the weapon is ready to fire in 1.2min. Details of the SA-8 Gecko were also revealed at the exhibition. The wheeled vehicle-mounted short-range system, with six of the radio-commanded missiles and acquisition and tracking radars carried by the vehicle, has a detection range of around 35km, tarcking range of 25km, and a missile range of between 1.5 and 10km (with an altitude range of 10-3,500m), according to the Soviets. The firing rate is one missile every 45s, and the ready-to-fire time is 26s. • Lockheed looks at radar swop Lockheed is undertaking fea-j sibility studies into install ing the Grumman E-2C airborne early warning (AEW) system in its C-130 to meet a US Coast Guard (USCG) requirements. The AEW C-130 would differ from two Lockheed P-3 airborne early warning and control (AEW&C) aircraft now used by the Coast Guard in that the com plete E-2C mission system would be installed in the aircraft—the P-3AEW&C uses the E-2Cs radar, but has a Lockheed-devel oped mission avionics suite. The USCG hopes to convert three of its existing C-130s to the AEW role to augment the two P-3AEW&CS and seconded US Navy E-20s used for drug inter diction missions south of Flor ida. The second P-3, with a General Electric APS-138 radar, was delivered last April (the first P-3/AEW&C, formerly Lock heed's demonstrator, has an ear lier APS-125 radar). The AEW C-130 has the E-2C radar rotodome • mounted high above the aft fuselage. Although the Coast Guard aircraft will use Grumman's E-2C mission avion ics, Lockheed will market the aircraft internationally with its own processing and display system developed for the P-3AEW&C. Grumman may in turn market the E-2C-based AEW C-130 to customers seek ing greater range than that of fered by the twin-turboprop E-2. Lockheed, meanwhile, con firms that, although P-3 produc tion will stop, the line will not be dismantled. The expensive con cession was made at South Korea's request after it missed an earlier Lockheed deadline to place an eight-aircraft order. P-3 production will end in 1991 after the last of three aircraft for Paki stan is completed. The last US Navy P-3 will be delivered next month and will be followed by three CP-140 Arcturus versions for Canada and the Pakistan aircraft. If Korea selects the P-3 to meet its maritime patrol aircraft requirement, it will have to pay the cost of restarting production. Lockheed confirms. • 16 FLIGHT INTERNATIONAL 28 March-3 April 1990
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