FlightGlobal.com
Home
Premium
Archive
Video
Images
Forum
Atlas
Blogs
Jobs
Shop
RSS
Email Newsletters
You are in:
Home
Aviation History
1993
1993 - 0207.PDF
DEFENCE India offered new MiG-21 avionics update BY ALEXANDER VELOVICH IN MOSCOW Mikoyan has proposed a new update for the Indian air force's MiG-21 Fishbeds, based on fitting the aircraft with mission avionics derived from the MiG-29 Fulcrum. The aircraft, known as the MiG-211, is based on the MiG- 21bis update. The main change The US Army's new aviation modernisation plan has identified a series of opera tional and funding crises which are likely to arise during the 1990s. The plan also lays the ground for several aircraft replacement programmes. Major issues include ageing and old-technology helicopters in the attack and reconnais sance/security fleets, the gap before a Boeing CH-47 replace ment enters service and the low funds for utility helicopters. The Army says that its Bell Helicopter AH-1 and OH-58A/ C scout helicopters are mark edly inadequate for the reconnaissance/security mis sion, and that the OH-58A/C is "severely mismatched" with the McDonnell Douglas AH-64A attack helicopter. It notes that its attack mis sion capability is "marginal" until the AH-64D enters serv ice. The reconnaissance/secu rity problem will be solved only when the, as yet un funded, RAH-66 Comanche en ters service in 2001. Nevertheless, the service ex pects to have to operate the OH-58A/C and the more ad vanced OH-58D into the next century, when they will be more than 30 years old. It warns that the rebuilding of CH-47A/B/C cargo heli copter to the CH-47D standard extends service by only 20 years, so the type "...is scheduled to begin retirements" in 2002. Research-and-development funding delays, however, mean that the newly christened would involve fitting a new radar supplied by the Russian company Phazatron. The Kopyo radar has a track- while-scan capability for up to eight targets simultaneously and a 45km (25nm) detection range against a MiG-21. Radar modes include vertical scan with auto lock-on in close- range combat, real beam and synthetic aperture ground map ping with picture zoom and freeze capability, and read-out of surface target co-ordinates. A head-up display is also fitted. The enlarged weapons load includes one semi-active radar- guided R-27 (AA-10 Alamo) or one infra-red-guided R-27 under the fuselage, plus four R-73Es (AA-11 Archer) or six R-60Ms (AA-8 Aphid) on wing pylons. Two chaff and flare dispensers, each housing 30 cartridges, are fitted to assist survivability. The standard take-off weight of the MiG-211 is estimated at 8,825kg, a modest increase of 100kg over the MiG-21bis. Per formance is similar, with the practical ceiling dropping by 1,600ft (500m) to 55,360ft and the range with external tanks remain unchanged at 1,210km (750nm). India has been considering an update of its large fleet of MiG-21s for several years. Al though restricted financially, the Indians have become more interested in the MiG update programme following continu ing problems with its own light combat aircraft development programme. Several proposals have al ready been received from east and west European countries and Israel. • Italians slow to reveal details of EH101 crash The Italian authorities have released little detail of the crash of the EH Industries EH101 helicopter which oc- cured near the Italian AFB of Cameri on 21 January. Initial reports indicate that the prototype PP2 aircraft was flying at between 200-500ft (60-150m), at a speed of 70- 120kt (130-220km/h). It was on the fourth run of a four-pass acoustic measure ment test, when the aircraft went into a slow roll, from which it never recovered, and then burst into flames on impact with the ground. All four people on board were killed (Flight Interna tional, 27 January-2 February). The EH101 fleet has been grounded, but with eight other prototypes and more than 2,500 flight-test hours in hand, it is hoped that the impact on the development program will be minimal. D US Army fears cash droughts r cas CH-47 Follow On (FO) will not be fielded before 2009. The result is that the CH-47 (FO) is likely to run into the already slipped Advanced Cargo Aircraft (ACA) effort. The Army now says that the ACA is "envi sioned to be a joint-service, new-develop ment pro gramme", which could be OH-58Ds wii! be joined with the CH-47 (FO). For the time being, at least, the Army has formulated an, unfunded, requirement for 491 "commercial non-developmen tal item" light-utility helicop ters to replace Bell Helicopter UH-1 "Hueys" beginning in 2002. It still has a stated require ment for 2,543 Sikorsky UH- 60s, of which only 1,539 are internally funded. A pro gramme called Future Utility Rotorcraft is slated for about 2010 to start work on replacing the UH-60. The Special Electronic Mis sion Aircraft (SEMA) fleet is due for radical overhaul. All Grumman OV-lDs are being replaced by the Grumman E- 8A Joint Surveillance Target Attack Radar System, and the RV-1D, RU-21 and RC-12D are over 30 years old before replacement being replaced by the RC-12K/ N/P Guardrail Common Sensor (GRCS). Procurement of 12 RC-12Ns and 15 RC-12Ps starts in fiscal year 1994. The Aerial Common Sensor is a "next generation" aerial intelligence-collection system for post-2000, which will prob ably replace the GRCS and complement unmanned vehi cles. Its aerial vehicle is called the Advanced SEMA and could be either unmanned or a con ventional aircraft. The Army's fixed-wing trans port fleet will benefit from a major upgrade of the work horse Beechcraft C-12's avion ics, beginning in FY96, and the launch of the C-XX programme to procure a non-developmen tal commercial aircraft to begin replacing older aircraft, partic ularly the U-21, from 2000. • 12 FLIGHT INTERNATIONAL 3 - 9 February, 1993
Sign up to
Flight Digital Magazine
Flight Print Magazine
Airline Business Magazine
E-newsletters
RSS
Events
