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Aviation History
1995
1995 - 2106.PDF
TJIAMMIIES Europe to take action on unsafe nations DAVID LEARMOUNT/LONDON EUROPE IS PREPARING to impose sanctions on nations which fail to exercise effective air transport safety supervision. The UK Department of Transport (DTp) has confirmed that the 31- nation European Civil Aviation Conference (ECAC) is looking at the possibility of operational sanctions against countries. The action follows an unprece dented move by the US Federal Aviation Adminstration in 1994, when it prevented airlines from nine states, including Gambia, Ghana and Uruguay from operat ing into the USA. ECAC nations voiced approval for such mea sures, but found that they did not have a procedure for agreeing similar Europe-wide action. Under the chairmanship of the Danish director-general of civil aviation, Val Eggers, the ECAC is "exploring the possibilities" of operational sanctions, the DTp confirms. The issue is to be dis cussed at the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) triennial assembly in September. The UK Civil Aviation Authority's safety-regulation de partment, under pressure to mon itor more closely foreign- registered airliners chartered or leased by UK companies, reveals that the ECAC proposes setting up an inspection team, possibly using the European Joint Aviation Authorities structure, to check safety-standards surveillance pro vision in other countries, and to keep a database of findings. ICAO has declared that it intends to act to bring into line any member nations which are failing to meet their safety-sur veillance obligations as signat ories to the Chicago Convention. Proposed ICAO action would take the form of an inspection team which will publish its find ings. This would be followed up by ICAO offers of expertise, and possible financial assistance, rather than sanctions. • U-2 offer revived for RAF GUY NORRIS/LOS ANGELES LOCKHEED MARTIN is to hold exploratory talks with die UK Ministry of Defence (MoD) later this month over the possible sale of the U-2 reconnaissance air craft to die Royal Air Force. The talks are thought to be unrelated to briefings which Lockheed Martin is also making to the MoD over a proposed deriva tive of the F-l 17 as a deep-strike replacement for the Panavia Tornado GR4 (Flight International, 28June-4July). The discussions are believed to cover the purchase of up to 12 U-2s for an undisclosed role with the RAF. Sources suggest that this will primarily be real-time target ing for strike aircraft, and supple mentary tactical reconnaissance. Targeting would be achieved with a development similar to the US-developed Precision Emitter Location Strike System, which was cancelled in 1987. This is rein forced by the fact that Lockheed Martin considered, and then did not offer, the TR-1 variant of the U-2 for the MoD's ASTOR (air borne stand-off radar) competition. The aircraft on offer is the re- The U-2 may be winging its way across the Atlantic again engined U-2S which is powered by the General Electric Fl 18-101 turbofan, an 85kN (19,0001b)- thrust non-afterburning version of the Fl 18-100 which is installed in the Northrop Grumman B-2A. The revamped U-2S can be flown for up to 15h at altitudes over 80,000ft (24,500m) over ranges estimated to exceed 7,400km (4,000nm). The aircraft discussions revive initial proposals made to the RAF in 1982. U-2s were stationed in die UK for years during die Cold War, and they were regularly flown by RAF pilots. Lockheed Martin is due to run out of U-2 work in late 1998 when it delivers die last of 37 re-engined U-2Ss to the US Air Force. • The US Senate Armed Services Committee has included funding for a naval F-117X Sea Hawk technology demonstrator in its recommendations for the next round of annual US defence-bud get allocations. Significantly, the funding, of around $175 million, has been allocated within the budget for the Department of Defense's Joint Advanced Strike Technology 0AST) tactical- fighter programme. • UK will abandon LR Trigat project THE UK MINISTRY of Defence has signalled its intent to abandon the collabora tive Long Range (LR) Trigat anti tank missile programme at the end of the development phase, and writing off die better part of some £220 million ($350 million). The future of the Long Range Trigat was intimately connected with British Aerospace's losing Tiger bid with Eurocopter, which lost the UK attack-helicopter decision to the Westland/ McDonnell Douglas WAH-64D Apache. Michael Portillo, recently appointed Minister of State for Defence, says: "We have indicated we will leave programme at the end of the development phase." The UK was developing Trigat in collaboration with France and Germany. British Aerospace Dynamics is the prime UK partner on the project. The UK will leave only at the end of development so as not to incur financial penalties. The UK had previously considered dump ing the LR Trigat project during die development phase British Aerospace Dynamics says that it is disappointed widi die decision. It adds diat it now needs to consult widi die UK Ministry of Defence (MoD) and its industrial partners over the future of its par ticipation in die programme. It has previously said that it would be forced to withdraw from the Long Range Trigat if die MoD did not purchase the missile. The decision is thought likely Tiger/Trigat: wrong solution for UK to cause considerable delays to the programme. See Defence, PI 3. FLIGHT INTERNATIONAL 19 - 25 July 1995 5
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