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Aviation History
1995
1995 - 0127.PDF
DEFENCE Russia receives notice of US THAAD tests THE USA HAS NOTIFIED Russia that it plans to begin flight-testing of the Lockheed Theatre High-Altitude Air- Defence (THAAD) missile in February. Notification is required, as deployment of the mobile THAAD system would violate the US-Russian Anti-Ballistic xMissile (ABM) treaty. Lockheed Missiles & Space has delivered hardware to White Sands Missile Range, New Mexico, for the first of 14 demonstration/vali dation (dem/val) flights planned over the next two years. The THAAD is a hit-to-kill missile, consisting of a solid- rocket booster and an unpow- ered, infra-red-guided, kill vehicle. The weapon is designed to intercept tactical ballistic-mis siles inside or outside the Earth's atmosphere. The 1972 ABM treaty was intended to prohibit development of mobile air-defence systems capable of intercepting interconti nental ballistic-missiles, but makes no distinction between strategic and tactical weapons. The USA plans to resume negotiations with Russia in March on revisions to the treaty to allow development of the THAAD. Lockheed is building 20 mis siles under its four-year dem/val contract, with an option for 20 more. Raytheon is developing the associated ground-based radar. The additional missiles are required for user testing, but will give the US Army a contingency capability to field a prototype sys tem as early as 1997. The THAAD is scheduled to become operational around the year 2000. International interest in the THAAD is high, Lockheed says. It signed an agreement with Mitsubishi in November 1994 to conduct theatre-missile defence (TMD) studies and examine the possibility of applying the THAAD to meet Japan's requirements. The US and Japanese Govern ments are continuing to discuss TMD collaboration, according to the company. • France firm on Rafale cuts GILBERT SEDBON/PARIS FRENCH DEFENCE minis ter Francois Leotard has dis missed industry opposition to the Government's aim of cutting 2% a year from the costs of the Dassault Rafale combat aircraft as part of its overall drive to curtail defence expenditure (Flight International, 11-17 January). Commenting on the 2% cut, Leotard says: "We are very tena cious on this. It is conditional for the success of the five-year 1994- 8 arms-procurement policy, the defence-funding plan known as the Lot de programme militaire. I therefore stand very firm on this question." Because of the price cut, Snecma has already refused a pro duction order for 25 M88-2 engines for the first batch of Rafale combat aircraft earmarked for the navy. Snecma's recently appointed chairman, Bernard Dufour, has made his displeasure public over what amounts to an 8% cut in the value of the order over the next four years. Leotard remains confident, despite the outburst by Dufour and predictions by Serge Dassault, chairman of Dassault, that industry will systematically resist the Government'a demands. "Negotiations are going on," says Leotard. "I believe we will solve this question in due course," he adds. Senior Government officials are adamant that, if the 2% reduc tion in procurement costs is not achieved, then some defence pro jects will either have to be post poned or cancelled. 3 Lockheed to start work on revived SR-71s for US Air Force inventory LOCKHEED ADVANCED Development expects to receive the first of tfiree SR-7 Is by the end of February for mainte nance work before the aircraft re enters the US Air Force inventor)'. The US Congress ordered the Pentagon to re-activate three SR-71 s and it earmarked $100 million in fiscal year 1995 to restore the supersonic reconnaissance aircraft to active US military service. The new schedule follows the failed attempt to have an SR-71 flying on 22 December, the 30th anniversary of the Mach 3 recon naissance aircraft's first flight. Plans also call for the first re activated SR-71 Blackbird to be operational in April or May. Two more Pratt & WhitneyJ58-pow- ered SR-71 s would be flying with in six months. It is believed that the USAF's SR-71 fleet will consist of two SR- 71 As taken out of storage and one SR-71 A at the Dryden research- and-development centre. The USAF has 26 J58 replace ment engines and S700 million in aircraft spares, to keep the aircraft serviceable. The home base is expected to be Edwards AFB, California, but Palmdale AFB, and Beale AFB, California, are also candidates. • Hungary unveils Western IFF for MiGs PICTURED BELOW IS THE ALLIEDSIGNAL Bendix APX-100 (V) identification-friend-or-foe (IFF) equip ment fitted to Hungarian air force Mikoyan MiG-21 Fishbed, MiG-23 Flogger and Sukhoi Su-22 Fitter com bat aircraft. One of the system's two antennae is visible to the rear of the MiG-21Bis cockpit (right). In the case of the MiG-21, the two control panels are "scabbed" high on either side of the already cluttered cockpit, while, in the case of the MiG- 23, both panels are mounted high to the right of the radar display. Some 82 air craft have been fit ted with the Bendix equipment. Hun gary also plans to fit the US IFF to its MiG-29 Fulcrum. FLIGHT INTERNATIONAL 18 - 24 January 1995
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