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Aviation History
1993
1993 - 2849.PDF
DEFENCE RUSSIAN REVOLUTIONARY GETS SUNBURN Firing tests, from a wing-in-ground-effect (W1GE) prototype, of what is believed to be a variant of the Russian SS-N-22 Sunburn supersonic anti-ship missile, have been shown on Russian television. The first two pictures show the weapon being loaded onboard the WIGE, followed by the firing trial. The exact status of the revolutionary WIGE programme is uncertain. Although the requirement appears to have fallen foul of severe defence-budget cuts, there have been several attempts to interest the USA in variants of the aircraft, developed by former Soviet Union hydrofoil design bureaux. The WIGE is Jlown with the help of a dynamic cushion of air formed between the surface and the wing. The air is blown beneath the wing by four engines mounted either side of the forward fuselage. An air-launched variant of the missile, designated the Kh-41, has already been seen fitted to the centreline pylon of the Sukhoi Su-27K naval Flanker. The naval SS-N-22 is already in service. Hercules software review completed Lockheed has completed a preliminary design review of the software for the C-130J Hercules II airlifter, which the company plans to roll out in mid-1995. The review has involved potential C-130J customers, which include the Royal Air Force, to ensure that sufficient growth potential is provided, the company says. Lockheed says that the re view addressed the current de sign status of the entire reconfigurable software content of the C-130J, some 500,000 lines of source code. The focus was on Lockheed- generated software in the dual mission computers and back up bus-interface units, some 67,800 and 30,200 lines of code, respectively. The C-130J's avionics are based on the 1553B multiplex digital databus and include four liquid-crystal head-down displays and head-up displays for both pilots and simplified two-crew controls. • Rivals launch long-range UAV bids BY RAMON LOPEZ IN WASHINGTON TRW, with Israel Aircraft Industries (IAI) as a sub contractor, is competing against Teledyne Ryan Aero nautical for the US Department of Defense with a long-endur ance unmanned air vehicle (UAV) programme. The companies confirm that they have responded to the UAV Joint Project Office's re quest for proposals (RFP) for a Joint Task Force tactical- endurance UAV with a range of 900km (500nm) from launch site at 15,000ft (4,500m), and which must remain on station for at least 24h. It is also believed that General Atomics responded to the RFP, a move the company will not confirm. The Pentagon intends to se lect the winner by 30 Decem ber, but Congressional direc tion could allow the decision to stretch into early January. Teledyne Ryan says that its bid involves a variant of the firm's Model 410 long-endur ance UAV. The company de clines to be more specific, except to say that initial flight- testing of the company-devel oped Model 410 was completed in 1992 and that additional flight evaluations are scheduled to begin soon. TRW, which declines to say which air vehicle it is offering, is also teamed with IAI on the Pentagon's short-range UAV production programme. The Pentagon mandated that the long-endurance UAV prime contractor be a US firm, al though foreign subcontracting is permitted. TRW is expected to offer an IAI-designed-and- built UAV, which, so far, has not been revealed. General Atomics is thought to have answered the RFP by offering an improved version of its Gnat-750 UAV. The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) and the Penta gon are sharing responsibility for fielding long-endurance UAVs. The first phase of the effort, referred to as Tier 1, is being run by the CIA. The US spy agency report edly bought two modified Gnat-750s, one of which crashed during final system- integration flight-testing be cause of computer problems. The Gnat-750 is derived from the Amber UAV technology- demonstration programme. The second phase, known as Tier 2, is the Joint Task Force tactical-endurance UAV. The winning contractor must design, develop, integrate, test and support deployment of a total of ten air vehicles and three ground-control stations. The UAV must be able to carry a payload of 990kg. Electro- optical/infra-red sensor and synthetic-aperture radar pay- loads are envisaged. Proposed missions include signal intelligence, nuclear bio logical and chemical monitor ing, electronic warfare and intelligence gathering. The tactical UAV must fit into a Lockheed C-141 trans port and it has to be ready to fly within 6h of arrival at the launch site. • M FLIGHT INTERNATIONAL 15 - 21 December, 1993
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