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Aviation History
1990
1990 - 1938.PDF
TECHNICAL: D EFENCE USAF tests F-15 reverse thrust The US Air Force McDonnell Douglas F-15 STOL/MTD (short take-off and landing/ manoeuvre technology demon strator) has become the first aircraft ever to use a thrust reverser in flight to decelerate from above Mach 1 during a test from Edwards AFB. The aircraft's rectangular two-dimensional thrust vectoring/reversing en gine nozzles were deployed to maximum reverse thrust at Mach 1.4 while cruising at 40,000ft, (13,000m). The USAF says that the F-15 demonstrator experi enced "...a dramatic deceleration to Mach 0.8". Air Force test pilot Lt Col Greg Lewis and McDon nell Douglas programme pilot Larry Walker described the deceleration as between 0.4g and0.8g. The conventional F-15A chase aircraft deployed speed brakes and retarded throttles to F-15 STOL/MTD nozzle operating modes flight idle at the same time and stabilised at Mach 0.8 "more than a mile in the lead of the STOL/MTD". The demonstration proved the high-speed in-flight operability of the Pratt & Whitney-built thrust vectoring/reversing en gine nozzles and the McDonnell Douglas/General Electric flight control system. The integrated flight and pro pulsion control system uses an engine and nozzle control func tion to augment the aircraft's aerodynamic flight controls. For thrust-vectoring, the pri mary nozzle exhaust area is blocked, forcing the engine ex haust vent through louvres at the top and bottom of the nozzle (see diagram). For maximum reverse thrust, the louvre vanes rotate to 45° forward, and the engines ad vance to full military power. • ALARM enters final test stage British Aerospace (Dynamics) air-launched anti-radar mis sile (ALARM) has completed three test firings at the start of the final sequence of develop ment firings at the US Naval Weapons Center, China Lake, California. The firings used representa tive operational scenarios with launch from a Panavia Tornado flying at low level and high subsonic speed. The missiles used the new- Bayard rocket motor from West Germany's Bayern Chemie. In the tests the missile was boosted rapidly from the aircraft and propelled to high altitude. Dur ing the first two tests, target radiation was acquired by seeker switch-on at altitude. The anti- radiationmissiles homed on to their targets after confirmation of target identity. In the third test the missile deployed its parachute, the first time this has been done with a fully guided ALARM firing, and the missile loitered over the target position searching for radar emissions. Once the target was acquired, the missile jetti soned the parachute and in creased speed before manoeu vring to home on to the target. BAe says that the trials were successful, with all three mis siles achieving "kills" on their respective radar targets. D Had ALARM been armed, this radar would have been destroyed Osprey extends European links The Bell-Boeing V-22 Osprey tiltrotor team has extended formally its marketing memo randa of understanding (MoUs) with British Aerospace, Dornier and Aeritalia until the end of 1990. The US companies will know by the end of this year whether they have military fund ing for the remainder of the development and production phase of the V-22. Under the terms of the MoUs the European companies are eval uating tiltrotor technology and determining national markets for military and civil tiltrotor air craft. BAe manager for US Busi ness Graham Roe says, however, that for now "...all bets are off in NATO because of changing polit ical circumstances". BAe has briefed the Royal Navy on a V—22 airborne early warning variant (Flight, 9-15 May). On a recent visit to the USA test pilots from BAe, Dornier and Aeritalia each flew the Bell XV- 15 tiltrotor demonstrator and the V-22 simulator. All three pronounced it simple to fly . D Super Puma flies with Orchidee The prototype Aerospatiale AS.532 Super Puma II heli copter modified to carry the. Orchidee battlefield surveillance radar has made its first flight at the company's Marignane site. Further interoperability trials with the US Air Forces Joint STARS system are planned for later this year. The aircraft is the first of 20 Orchidee-equipped Super Puma lis destined to serve with French Army Aviation from 1997. In its final production form the Orchidee-equipped Super Puma II will carry a 5m-long antenna, including an LCTAR-built Dop- pler radar with a 100km (55nm) range. The radar is stowed longi tudinally beneath the helicopter for transit, while for landing the whole antenna is retracted up ward to stow transversely under the rear fuselage. The helicopter will later be fitted with a Thom- son-CSF/Matra electronic countermeasures suite. NATO interoperability of the system is making cons derable progress following February tests. Orchidee and the Super Puma Mkl demonstrator heli copter transmitted in real time to a Dassault Electronique-built mobile ground station which was linked by wire to a US Joint STARS, Motorola-built mobile ground station. Information displayed on the screens of French and American ground stations was identical. Such tests will be intensified in September using USAF Boeing E-8A Joint STARS aircraft. Tests will take place at Marignane. More than 500 flight tests have been carried out with the Orchidee Super Puma Mk 1 demonstrator helicopter. • NEWS INBRIEF SMITHS PHALANX DEAL Smiths Industries has won a S7.25 million contract from General Dynamics for the preproduction and qualifica tion phase of the vertical refer ence unit for the US Navy Phalanx close-in weapons system. 20 FLIGHT INTERNATIONAL 11 - 17July 1990
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