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Aviation History
1994
1994 - 1342.PDF
DEFENCE BAe's chief warns on rushing C-130 choice BY DOUGLAS BARRIE British Aerospace chief exec utive Dick Evans is accusing the UK Ministry of Defence (MoD) of shortsightedness in pursuing early replacement of AE2100 C-130 'significantly better' Initial data from the flight tests of an Allison Engines AE2100 turboprop on a leased UK Royal Air Force Lockheed C-130 show that the new combina tion will offer up to 25% more altitude cruise-power capability than that of the T56-powered version,as well as up to 17% better specific fuel consumption. "There were virtually no surprises," says Allison AE2100 military-applications programme manager Thomas Lindsey. "They did 33h of actual flight time, although we were originally shooting for 50h to get it all done. So we got 100% of the tests done in 60% of the time." All flight testing was due to be com pleted in the UK by 27 May. Tests had revealed, however, a "few interfacing and con trol issues," adds Lindsey. Tests showed that the air craft's time-to-altitude climb capability is significantly bet ter, as is the new ceiling of 27,000ft (8,200m). Allison and Lockheed's analysis of the data will also be a factor in the drag effect of the C-130's two externally mounted wing fuel-tanks, which will not be needed on the C-130J. Deliveries of 25 engines (five shipsets and two spares) will be completed by June or July 1995. • the first tranche of Royal Air Force's Lockheed C-130 Hercules, claiming that it is failing to consider strategic industrial issues. In a robust defence of the European Future Large Aircraft (FLA), which BAe is pushing in competition to Lockheed's upgraded C-130J, Evans has appealed, over the head of the MoD, for the Government to consider wider strategic issues. Speaking at a BAe press con ference in support of FLA, Evans said: "It is too big a deci sion to be left with the RAF and the MoD Procurement Exec utive...if industrial planning and procurement aspects are not considered as a whole." If the C-130J is chosen for the first tranche, then BAe will be forced to withdraw from the FLA project, insists Evans. He also raises the spectre of job losses and plant closures within BAe if the Government does not back the FLA. BAe claims that the FLA would "secure" 7,500 jobs. "In BAe terms, it is impor tant to the Filton and Prestwick sites. In the absence of FLA, we would have to look seriously at numbers in the company," Evans warns. BAe is lobbying hard for the MoD to defer a decision on the C-130 replacement for a year. It is growing increasingly con cerned, however, that it may be pre-empted by the MoD mov ing to an earlier-than-expected replacement decision by July, rather than by the end of 1994, as previously expected. Alongside the C-130J, the MoD is examining re-furbish ing part of its fleet. Retired Air Chief Marshal Sir Patrick Hine, BAe's military advisor, while welcoming the concept of re-furbishment, expresses concern over the fact that the study into this is being carried out by Marshall Aerospace. Hine points out that Marshall stands to gain considerably from a purchase of C-130Js. With the FLA programme likely to come under the umbrella of Airbus Industrie, BAe, with the support of Rolls- Royce and Shorts, is voicing concern over the impact of UK non-involvement. Evans says that a subsidiary company within Airbus will be set up to manage the FLA pro gramme. The inclusion of Airbus' Multi-role Tanker Transport derivatives of the A300/A310 within this sub sidiary is also being discussed. Placing the FLA develop- UK participation in FLA (above) will be lost if a C-130] procure ment is preferred ment on a com mercial footing, claims BAe, will also shorten the programme's time scale, allow ing for an entry into service by 2002. It is believed that some within the RAF view an FLA in- service date even of 2004-5 as over-optimistic. BAe wants the UK to take a 20% stake in the FLA — the same as that of France and Germany — the remainder being taken by other European countries. France and Germany were expected to take the opportunity of a summit on 30 May to emphasise their com mitment to the programme. D USAF supplies Starlifters for Bosnia BYANDRZJJEZIORSKl missiocn involvin8 tw0 deliver- JJV FRANKFURT les ln Sarajevo and an interven ing pick-up in Split, Croatia, in 6h — 75% of the duration of an equivalent C-130 mission. Ten Hercules remain with the squadron, but this number is expected to fall by half in the coming weeks, says Guertz. The departing aircraft will then be re-distributed for other air force duties. The squadron is now flying one C-130 and three C-141 missions daily. The Charleston C-141s, which are approaching the end of their 40,000h operational lives, are to be retired by the end of 1997. They are being replaced by the Douglas C-17 Globemaster III, the first of which was delivered to the 437th Wing in June 1993 and seven of which have been deliv ered to date. • The US Air Force has deployed five Lockheed C-141B Starlifters, in a deploy ment labelled Operation Provide Promise, to support the interna tional Bosnian relief effort. The aircraft, from the 437th Airlift Wing, based at Charleston, South Carolina, are being attached to the 38th air lift squadron (provisional) at Rhein-Main AB, near Frank furt, Germany. The squadron, established purely for the relief operation, has hitherto operated only Lockheed C-130 Hercules. According to squadron com mander Col Peter Guertz, the C-141 offers triple the cargo capacity of the C-130 and can be used to perform an air/land 12 FLIGHT INTERNATIONAL 1 - 7June, 1994
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