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Aviation History
1992
1992 - 0062.PDF
DEFENCE AIM-9R dropped to endow AAAM The US Navy is to cancel production of the improved AIM-9R Sidewinder to protect funding for the development of the advanced air-to-air missile (AAAM). The long-range AAAM is crucial to the USN's plans to replace the Grumman F-14 with the improved McDonnell Douglas F-18E/F Hornets after the turn of the century. The Loral-developed AIM-9R is an optically-guided, daylight- only Sidewinder derivative, de signed to defeat countermeasures aimed at the standard heat- seeking short-range air-to-air missile. It is intended as an adjunct to, not a replacement for, the existing infra-red- homing AIM-9M. The radar-guided AAAM is in tended to replace the long-range Phoenix missile. The USN's 1991 decision to move to a two-type air wing by 2010, each wing comprising 40 F-18E/F fighters and 20 A-X attack aircraft, has increased emphasis on the AAAM. General Dynam- ics/Westinghouse and Hughes/ Raytheon are competing to develop the AAAM from 1993. The decreased threat from So viet Backfire bombers has prompted the USN to conclude that the fleet air-defence mission can be performed by the ex tended-range F-18E/F armed with the long-range AAAM even though the pairing lacks the reach of the F-14/Pheonix com bination. Armed with the exist ing AIM-120 advanced medium- range air-to-air missile, the Navy argues, the F-18E/F would not have the reach for the maritime air-superiority role. The USN's plan to upgrade 6,000 AIM-9s to R configuration was jeopardised late in 1991 when the US Air Force decided not to participate in programme. Now the two services will up grade the existing A1M-9M jointly while pursuing joint de velopment of the AIM-9X next- generation short-range missile. The USN has moved to protect the AAAM as it prepares to face the critical Defense Acquisition Board review of the upgraded F-18E/F programme scheduled for 13 March. • Soviet navy tests 'Ekranoplan' BY ALEXANDER VELOV1CH IN MOSCOW T he Soviet navy's revolution ary wing-in-ground-effect (WIGE) aircraft "ekranoplan" has encountered a number of problems in its operational eval uation, has been carried out in various regions of the country. Col Gen Victor Potapov, the Commander of Naval Aviation, acknowledges the problems without specifying what sort of terrain or sea-state difficulties had been encountered. "Un doubtedly they have good pros pects and are worth more attention, including their use for search-and-rescue operations. We have, however, encountered several problems while operating them in various regions, and this restrains their further progress," he says. The navy has been testing and evaluating 120t WIGE vehicles for two years in a programme kept secret until recently — although the existence of the WIGEs was known in the West, as the Soviet's have been experi menting with them since the early 1950s. The navy ex periments concentrated on using ekranoplans to land marines. Ten prototypes, most of them flying, were built at the Central The Soviet navy believes ekranoplans are worth more attention Design Bureau of Hydrofoil Ve hicles in Gorky, recently re named Nizhniy-Novgorod. The bureau, which belonged to the Ministry of Shipbuilding Indus try, was headed, for many years, by Rostislav Alekseyev, designer of a number of Soviet hydrofoils. Its most famous project was the "Caspian Monster" of the early 1970s. Its Russian name was Orlyonok (eagle fledgeling). Ekranoplans use a dynamic air cushion created between the ground or water surface and the large wing. Air is blown beneath the wing, mostly by forward- mounted lift engines. As the vehicle starts to move forward, the dynamic airflow caused by the vehicle's motion becomes sufficient for it fly over water or flat terrain. Vladimir Sokolov, chief de- Germany denies EFA cuts rumour The German air force is deny ing claims that the German Ministry of Defence has con cluded that the European Fighter Aircraft (EFA) is unaf- fordable. The claims emerged in a na tional Germany newspaper following an interview with Gen Dieter Naumman, Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces. The air force says it was a "misunderstanding", and that a decision on production invest ment in EFA will not be made until the second or third quarter of this year. Naumman did say that in the light of changing security requirements, program mes were being re-examined and that some could be cancelled. These were not specified. There may be more informa tion on the future of a number of procurement programmes, though possibly not EFA, on 11 January, when defence minister Gehard Stoltenberg is scheduled to make a statement on a plan to met future defence needs. Despite continuing anxiety over continued involvement in EFA, board members from Eu- rofighter and the Tornado management group, Panavia, are moving ahead with the merger of the two companies. Board members have now ap proved a basic management structure, and initial appointees, for the merged group. The two groups aim establish the com pany in the second quarter of this year. D signer of WIGE vehicles at the Sormovo design bureau, ex plains: "The lift-to-drag ratio in creases and the fuel consump tion lowers, thus raising range and payload. Speed is compara ble with that of an aircraft." Some of the prototypes have attained 270kt (500km/h). The military version has a wide fuselage with a nose ramp, and is optimised for seaborne marine assault. A turret with a 40mm long-barrel gun is located above the cockpit. A small roto- dome behind it houses a radar. The powerplant comprises the cruise engine, an ll,175kW Kuznetsov NK-12 contra-rotat ing turboprop mounted on top of a large T-tail empennage, and the two lift engines, Kuznetsov NK-8 turbofans, each rated at 103kN (23,1501b), mounted in the nose, angled outwards and down; it also has intakes on the top of the nose, exhausting downward and outward in front of the wing. The konversiya process has prompted the designers to look at a passenger variant. Desig nated A-90-150, the vehicle is designed to accommodate 100- 150 passengers in a one-deck layout, or 300 on two decks. D NEWS IN BRIEF JPATS WITHDRAWAL Sabreliner has put on hold plans to offer Aerospatiale's TB.31 Omega turboprop trainer for the US Air Force/ Navy joint primary aircrew training system (JPATS). xhe decision follows release of the JPATS operational require ment late in 1991. I? FLIGHT INTERNATIONAL 15 - 21 January, 1992
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