FlightGlobal.com
Home
Premium
Archive
Video
Images
Forum
Blogs
Jobs
Shop
RSS
Email Newsletters
You are in:
Home
Aviation History
1992
1992 - 0015.PDF
DEFENCE vectoring nozzle testing The AVEN will yector up to 20° in any direction (Flight International, 21-27 Au gust, 1991), GE says that AVEN is becoming increasingly impor tant as a technology for the US Air Force's post-F-16 multi-role fighter programme. The USAF is issuing a com petitive programme to develop thrust vectoring, and has begun gathering data from the growing numbers of existing programmes using elements of the technology such as the short take-off and landing (STOL) F-15, NASA- Rockwell-MBB X-31 and YF-23/ F-22 competitive evaluation. Unlike the two-dimensional nozzles on the STOL F-15 and F-22, which work in pitch only, the axisymmetric nozzles direct thrust in pitch and yaw. • GE has run a long-chord fan adapted from the F118 B-2 en gine on an F110-129 Improved Performance Engine, producing, in effect, the first prototype of the follow-on growth version, the F110X. Complete with afterburner and higher pressure ratio from the B-2 fan, the engine is capable of about 160kN. An integrated blade/disk version of the F118 fan will now be developed for the F110X as a spin-off from the technology developed for the F120 advanced tactical fighter (ATF) engine. The programme is one of several "ATF-exploita- tion" studies which were first revealed by GE military engines vice-president Bob Turnbull in mid-1991 (Flight International, 17-23 July, 1991). • Philippines drops F-16s for Kfirs The Philippine air force is planning to buy 18 Israel Aircraft Industries (IAI) Kfirs to replace its Northrop F-5s, after accepting that the General Dy namics-built F-16 would be too expensive. The air force has asked the country's Congress for a supple mentary budget of Pesos 1.25 billion ($45.8 million) during 1992 as an initial payment for the Kfirs. According to the serv ice, the Kfirs will cost about $5 million each, compared with $20 million for an F-16. A team from IAI visited Ma nila late in December to sign a preliminary agreement, but the deal is subject to funding ap proval. The air force has been looking for at least 18 aircraft to replace its fleet of 14 F-5A/Bs for some time, but has been re stricted by the lack of funding. The service says it also needs at least 18 trainers over the next ten years, and is looking at the Czech L-39 Albatross as a lead- in trainer and counter-insur gency aircraft. The air force says that it will request Pesos 76 billion in funding from the Phil ippine Congress over the next ten years to pay for the Kfirs and the new trainers. • Greek navy is the fourth S-70 Seahawk customer Greece has ordered five Sikorsky S-70B-6 Seahawk shipborne helicopters for its navy. The $161 million contract includes an option for three additional aircraft. Deliveries are planned for 1995-6, to operate from a new class of frigate now under construction. Greece is the fourth export customer for the S-70B. Austra lia, Japan and Spain already op erate Seahawks. Greek aircraft will be based on the US Navy's SH-60F configuration, which has active dipping sonar, with equip ment changes to meet the Hel lenic navy's anti-submarine/anti- ship mission. Sikorsky, meanwhile, has de livered to Saudi Arabia four S-70A-1L Desert Hawk helicop ters modified for casualty evacuation (casevac) missions. Saudi Arabia has ordered eight casevac aircraft, with a require ment for eight more. Casevac Desert Hawks are .modified UH-60L Black Hawks with external hoist, provisions for six litters, high-intensity searchlight with infra-red filter, air-conditioning and improved communication and navigation avionics. The UH-60L has uprated engines and gearboxes and modified flight controls to further improve hot-and-high performance. Saudi Arabia received 13 S-70A-1 Desert Hawks in 1990. The helicopters are operated by the Royal Saudi Land Forces Army Aviation Command, with maintenance and support serv ices provided by Sikorsky. • NEWS IN BRIEF TURKS TAKE CN-235s The first two of 52 CASA CN-235 medium-lift trans ports have been delivered to the Turkish air force by the Spanish company. The other 50 aircraft will be manufac tured in Turkey under licence by Tusas Aerospace Industrie. F-22 INS CONTRACT Litton has been selected to supply duaHaser inertial ref erence systems for the Lock heed/Boeing/General Dynam ics F-22 advanced tactical fighter. Litton also supplies the laser inertial navigation system for the Boeing- Sikorsky RAH-66 Comanche light helicopter. F-16 IFF UPGRADE General Dynamics ^has se lected Hazeltine to supply ad vanced identification-friend- or-foe combined interrogator/ transponders for the .five- nation F-16A/B mid-life^ up date programme. Hazertine supplies combined interroga tor/transponders for the McDonnell Douglas F-18. ROYAL NAVY TARGETS Flight Refuelling has been awarded a £25 million Royal Navy follow-on contract to provide towed targets. The contract runs. US NAVY TARGETS Interested bidders will re spond by March to a US Navy request for information of su personic low-altitude target drones to test ship defences against supersonic sea-skim ming anti-ship cruise missiles. ORLIK GOES AFRICAN Polish manufacturer PZL is to demonstrate its PZL-130TM Turbo Orlik to the South African Air Force. The aircraft is one of many being evalu ated to replace the SAAF's 80 Harvard trainers. MISTRAL ORDER Spain has signed an order for the purchase of 840 Mistral anti-aircraft missiles and 200 launchers from Matra-De- fense. The short-range mis siles will be delivered to the naval and air-defence units between 1992 and 1997. FLIGHT INTERNATIONAL 8 - 14 January, 1992
Sign up to
Flight Digital Magazine
Flight Print Magazine
Airline Business Magazine
E-newsletters
RSS
Events
