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Aviation History
1993
1993 - 0066.PDF
DEFENCE USAF takes steps to improve B-2 BY GRAHAM WARWICK IN ATLANTA The US Air Force is to im prove the overall low ob servability of the Northrop B-2 rather than tackle a specific radar-signature problem directly. Air force secretary Donald Rice says that it will cost "a couple of hundred million dollars" to fix the radar cross-section problem, uncovered during low-observa bility flight-testing in July 1991. "The basic design of the B-2 is sound," says Rice. "The tech nical approach that caused us the problem in 1991 has now been shown to be the right one all along. We can put the more expensive and difficult options on the shelf." Northrop com pleted flight-testing of three po tential fixes at the end of 1992. The problem lies in only one radar-frequency band. Rice says that the air force studied three approaches to the problem. The first would have concentrated on the specific cause of the higher-than-ex- pected radar signature. The sec ond, least-expensive, option was to make incremental across-the- board improvements to the B-2's low-observability. The third, and the most expensive, was to de velop a new stealth technology. The air force has opted for the second approach. Changes "on a number of things, on a number of spots" will give the aircraft "...the levels of survivability that were intended in the beginning," says Rice. The 20 aircraft planned will receive improved surface and edge treatment, which will not involve major physical alterations to the air craft, he says. The unspecified problem will be corrected within the B-2 pro gramme's $44.5 billion cost tar get, Rice says. The Congressionally imposed cost ceiling includes an allow ance for corrective measures. The radar-signature deficiency is the last major problem with the B-2, he says. • UK sends carrier force to Adriatic Sea BY MIKE GAINES The UK despatched the air craft carrier HMS Ark Royal, the frigates Coventry and Bril- liant, the helicopter carrier RFA Argus and two support ships, the Fort Grange and Olwen to the Adriatic Sea on 17 January to reinforce UK troops serving under the United Nations flag in Bosnia. On board the carrier group is a battery of 17km (9nm) range 105mm light howitzers and an artillery locating radar. The UK plans to deploy the howitzers by helicopter to counter-fire on Ser bian artillery if the 2,000 troops — already ashore escorting UN relief convoys — come under fire. The British Army has been fired on several times and suf fered its first fatality on 13 January. The Ark Royal's air wing of eight British Aerospace Sea Har riers will be armed with bombs and Sea Eagle air-to-surface missiles. The carrier also operates three airborne-early-warn ing Westland Sea King helicopters and six anti-submarine Sea Kings. The Argus is carrying eight Sea King HC.4s to trans port the howitzers and their crews, an other four are already ashore, operating from Divulj as part of Sea Harriers the UN force. The will protect the Sea Kings if needed two frigates are each carrying two Westland Lynx helicopters armed with Sea Skua anti-ship missiles to guard against fast- patrol boats. If the situation further deteri orates, says defence minister Malcolm Rifkind, "...I do not rule out deployment of other aircraft if it proves necessary".D France hires three tankers from US The French air force has hired three Boeing KC- 135R flight refuelling tankers from the US Air Force to sup plement its fleet of KC-135FRs. The move is a response to increasing French military commitments, which range from Cambodia, Somalia, Tur key and Iraq to, possibly, the Jugoslavian conflict. The French air force operates 11 KC-135FRs — which is an upgraded version of the aircraft, retrofitted with CFM56 engines. • The French air force is about to dispatch a squadron of Das sault Mirage 2000 RDI fighters to Taiwan to begin conversion- to-type training with Taiwan air force pilots and mechanics in advance of the delivery of the more advanced Mirage 2000-5 RDY in 1995. France has agreed to build 60 Mirage 2000-5 RDYs for Tai wan, in a deal which, to gether with missiles, is valued at $3.8 billion. • Germany re-writes Tiger specification T he German defence ministry is re-writing the tactical re quirement for the Eurocopter Tiger as a result of defence minister Volker Ruhe's decision to discard a pure anti-armour requirement. The helicopter now will have a podded cannon. The Tiger, designated PAH-2 in the anti-tank role, is being adapted for the combat support/ attack role and is now called UHU (Unterstuzungs-hub- schrauber) within the ministry. It says: "The tactical require ment is being rewritten. Industry will redirect the development toward a multi-purpose combat- support helicopter." The role-change will be re flected in equipment changes, says the ministry. "With regard to air-to-ground missile systems, it may reduce the size of the purchase, and also how many stations the helicopter will have for these." The UHU is intended to carry the Long-Range Trigat and the Hot 2 anti-tank missiles. The ministry says, however, that it will not be modified to carry an air-to-air missile system for the escort role. Instead, it will be fitted with a Mauser 27mm pod ded cannon. • Snecma wins M88 production order Snecma has been awarded a contract to build four M88-2 turbofan engines for the Das sault Aviation Rafale twin- engined fighter. The production award launches a Frl.5 billion ($64.8 million) industrialisation programme for the two-shaft turbofan engine. A similar order has been placed for two aircraft. France is to order over 300 Rafales eventually. The French air force require ment is for 235 Rafales — 90 single-seat aircraft for air de fence and 140 two-seat strike/ attack versions. The navy's requirement is for 86 single-seat carrier-capable variants. Snecma will produce more than 800 M88-2s and hopes export orders will total 1,000 engines. • 12 FLIGHT INTEHNATIONAL 20 - 26 January, 1993
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