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Aviation History
1991
1991 - 0066.PDF
HEADLINES UK to start search for Tornado replacement BY DOUGLAS BARRIE The UK Ministry of Defence (MoD) is to begin studying a replacement for the Tornado GR.l aircraft, now in service with the RAF, in the next few months. A number of technical devel opments likely to feed into the programme are already getting under way at places such as the Royal Aerospace Establishment. One senior MoD official says that MoD's Operational Re quirements (Air) directorate, will start to examine a GR.l replacement this year, while an other says the aircraft will "...need to be replaced by 2005- 2010". Although concepts for a suc cessor to the RAF's GR.l are at an embryonic stage, both offi cials identify certain key issues which would go some way to determining proposals. A GR.l replacement will, un like its predecessor, probably be a single-seat aircraft, say the officials. They identify demo graphic trends, personnel reten- ALGSU raises executive jet chartering star in Soviet Union Executive start-up in Kiev Swiss charter company Aeroleasing (ALG) and Aeroflot have set up a joint venture to operate executive jets for charter and scheduled serv ices across the Soviet borders. Initially based at Kiev, Aeroleasing Soviet Union (ALGSU) plans centres in Moscow, Leningrad and other Soviet republics, according to a contract signed with Aeroflot Ukraine. ALGSU expects to set up a maintenance centre and to rep resent Western manufacturers in the Soviet Union. ALG group president Elie Bazbaz claims it is the first business-aircraft company set up in the USSR. After a year when AGL opened sudsidiaries in Belgium, Germany and in the United States, ALG's director-general says "Going East has become a must. Prospects are very bright in view of the vast potential in eastern countries." ALGSU will start operations in the second quarter of the year. Initially it will fly two Dassault Falcon 20s and a Yak 40 in Aeroflot colours and inte grated with the Soviet airline reservation network. A Canadair Challenger is planned as an addition. • tion problems and cost as the main drivers behind this. It will also have to be either a collaborative project or an off-the-shelf purchase. One MoD official says: "Unless there is an extraordinary change in the international situation you'll never again see a unilateral de velopment programme on the part of the UK". Given the timing of the re placement one official suggests that Germany and Italy — the UK's Panavia Tornado partners, would appear obvious candi dates. Diverging requirements, particularly between the UK and Germany, could make collabo ration difficult, however. MoD thoughts on future strike aircraft requirements sug gest considerably increased range (Flight International, 2-8 January).''Additional stress on range is emerging as a result of the growing emphasis on out- of-area operations and possible complete withdrawal by the RAF from Germany. Potential off-the-shelf pur chases would include a dedi cated strike variant of the Euro pean Fighter Aircraft (EFA) and, if the USA would release it for sale, the A-12 Advanced Tactical Aircraft. One official close to the EFA programme says a dedicated strike variant is unlikely, re marking: "There's no study for adapting EFA for the air-to- ground role". This is despite the RAF's requirement that EFA have a secondary ground attack capability. Although the MoD is at an early stage in the procurement cycle for a GR.l follow-on, Israeli Patriots move into place Deliveries of Patriot tactical air defence missiles to Is rael started last week. In a special arrangement, the US Army is transferring two batter ies of Patriot to Israel. The transfer is not included in the annual US military sales to Israel covered by the military grant. It is part of a special emergency list of systems sub mitted to the USA after the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait. Israel is not paying for the Patriots and will only cover "secondary" expenses generated by the transfer. The two batteries will be inte grated in Israel's existing air defence system, which is based mainly on the Hawk. Air de fence crews have received Pa triot training in the USA and deployment will begin immedi ately. • Iraqis boost air defence with new Soviet missile Iraq has considerably en hanced its low-level air de fence capability after receiving the latest Soviet portable air defence system, the SA-16 Igla (Needle). The SA-16, previously re ported only to have been ex ported to Angola and Finland, was obtained by Iraq just before it invaded Kuwait. Gulf sources say the SA-16 in Iraqi service may be optimised for anti-helicopter operation. The SA-16 has an infra-red seeker with a 40° field-of-view, a considerable improvement over the 5' field-of-view of pre vious Soviet man-portable sur face-to-air systems. The system has a maximum range o: 7,000m (23,000ft) • FLIGHT INTERNATIONAL 9 - 15 January, 199
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