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Aviation History
1992
1992 - 0913.PDF
DEFENCE New Cheetah goes on show BY MIKE GAINES IN JOHANNESBURG South African aerospace man ufacturer Atlas Aviation has revealed its Project 855 Cheetah at the Aviation Africa Show which was held at Jan Smuts Airport, Johannesburg between 1 and 4 April. The Cheetah, a canard devel opment of the South African Air Force's (SAAF) Dassault Mirage Ills, has been modified to Chee tah R2 status by adopting a fixed, drooped leading-edge wing, called the advanced com bat wing (ACW). During the year-old project the modified aircraft has flown some 15h — appearing at the show still covered in graphite/ oil-flow visualisation paint. Atlas aerodynamicist Steve Groeneveld says that the Chee tah R2 with the ACW has been flown as slowly as 80kt (150km/ h), at which speed the angle of attack attained was 33°. Groeneveld says that the origi nal concept was to fit retractable leading-edge slats, but in early testing it was discovered that the penalties for having the slats fixed was relatively low and was outweighed by the lack of com plexity and weight. Space which would have been taken up in the wing by slat drive units is given to additional fuel volume. The ACW reduces supersonic drag and gives a 14% better sustained tu-m rate than that of the standard Cheetah. Maximum take-off weight is increased by 600kg, and there is a 7% im provement in ferry range and a 9% improvement in sub-sonic acceleration. Other benefits include an in crease in maximum sustained US go-ahead for Far-East Kfir sales Washington flags approval of Kfir sale The US administration has approved the sale of Israeli- made Kfir fighters to Taiwan and the Philippines. The $1.5 billion Taiwanese deal received final approval after Israel submitted the request to Washington in mid 1991, say US Department of Defense sources. A memorandum of under standing signed earlier by Israel and Taiwan includes supplying 34 single-seat and six two-seat aircraft being phased out of serv ice by the Israeli air force. US approval was needed since the Kfir is powered by General Electric J-79 engines The final decision by the USA was not made until late March, say the sources. At almost the same time, Washington also approved the sale of 18 Kfirs to the Philippines. The Kfirs will be overhauled by Israel Aircraft Industries which will also equip them with upgraded avionic systems. The deal includes the training of pilots and ground crews, and the different weapons systems to be carried by the fighters. • altitude in military power, greatly reduced energy loss at maximum instantaneous turn rate and better handling and stability at low speeds. Atlas is trying to interest the SAAF, which will eventually op erate 29 Cheetahs, in the new ACW modification, and the company is keen to enter the Mirage III upgrade market, re placing wing leading edges with the ACWs highly cambered drooped fixed slat. Whether the programme is taken further depends on fund ing and overseas interest. • EFA first flight slips The first flight of the Euro pean Fighter Aircraft (EFA) has slipped into the third quar ter of 1992, with September now the likely date, almost certainly ensuring its absence from Sep tember's Farnborough air show in the UK. Eurofighter and the NATO Eurofighter Management Agency were looking originally for a first flight in March. This was pushed back until late July because of delays on certain "critical path" equipment items, including the flight control system, and has now slipped further. Eurofighter says that the air craft "...will fly in the second half of the year". • ITEC ready to start F125X turbofan International Turbine Engine Corporation (ITEC), the joint venture between Allied-Signal and the Taiwanese Aero Industry Development Centre (AIDC), is "poised to begin full-scale devel opment" of its 56kN (12,5001b)- thrust F125X military turbofan. The engine, a derivative devel opment of the TFE1042/F125 family, is aimed at future pro grammes, including the US Air Force multi-role fighter, some re-engining opportunities such as the F-5, and the improved version of the Taiwanese Ching- Kuo indigenous defence fighters. "We have finished the ad vanced preliminary design of the F125X configuration and we're about ready to make a decision to commit to full-scale develop ment programme," says ITEC president Carl Baerst. If ITEC goes ahead with the X, it will pitch it head-to-head against General Electric's J101/ SF turbofan, which is being of fered in the same thrust category for the improved IDF. The J101/ SF is derived from • the original J101 turbojet flown in the USAF's Northrop YF-17, but will use advanced fan technologies derived from F404 and F110 engine programmes (Flight International, 30 Octo.ber-5 No vember, 1991). Other possible developments of the line include a dry,-35kN variant of the F124, the engine being put forward by ITEC as an alternative to the Rolls-Royce Adour 871 for the US Navy's T-45A Goshawk trainer. Further downstream, ITEC has outlined plans for a 73kN- thrust F125XX variant. "We are in the early preliminary design for this," says Baerst. The XX would have an ad vanced, possibly wide-chord, front fan and an increased air flow with a thrust-to-weight ratio of 10:1. A dry development of the larger engine, the F124XX, would be offered for the 48kN-thrust category. Many of the advanced-tech nology areas being studied are encompassed within the Joint Turbine Advanced Gas Genera tor programme being under taken with General Electric and the US Air Force. The TFE1042/F125 pro gramme, meanwhile, is gaining momentum in Taiwan with the production, assembly and test ing of the first two engines at the AIDC sites of Kaohsiung and Taichung this month. More than 800 flights have now been un dertaken, including some at an angle of attack of 90°, "with no compressor or fan operability problems", says Baerst. ITEC has production orders for 125 engines for the Ching- Kuo fighter so far, and expects "a significant number" of follow- ons. Although Allied-Signal de clines to be more specific, Taiwan air force sources suggest that these could number up to 300 eventually. D FLIGHT INTERNATIONAL 8 - 14 April, 1992 13
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