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Aviation History
1995
1995 - 3131.PDF
MILITARY AIRCRAFT OF THE WORLD CN-235 Turkey continues to ponder the conversion of at least six to eight CN-235s to a maritime-patrol configura tion. The aircraft, being produced under licence by Tusas, is competing with Fokker's .Maritime Enforcer Mk2. Oman is to use three CX-235s in the transport role, oper ated by the quasi-military Royal Oman Police. Morocco ordered seven aircraft in 1989. The Spanish air force has bought 18 more C\-235s to replace its de Havilland DHC-4 Caribou fleet, and six for maritime patrol. France has selected the CN-235 as a suc cessor to the Noratlas. Ireland has acquired three aircraft to use in the maritime SAR/economic-zone-surveillance role. The Indonesian armed forces will eventually receive 50 aircraft: 32 for the air force and 18 for the navy. At least six of the latter will be maritime-surveillance versions, with 360°-scan search radar, Aerospatiale AM.39 Exocet anti-ship missiles and Mk46 torpedoes. The maritime- patrol CX-235 has also been chosen by the Royal Brunei Air Force, with an anticipated order for up to four. Customers: Abu Dhabi 7, Botswana 2, Brunei 3. Chile 4, Ecuador 2. France 8. Gabon 1, Indonesia 24, Ireland 3, Morocco 7, Oman 3, Panama 1, Papua New Guinea 2, Saudi Arabia 4, South Korea 12. Spain 26. Turkey 52. II I—•—• AMX Italy is now looking to convert AMXs to fulfil the dedicated EW role, in part to keep die programme going. Brazilian/Italian collaboration .AMX International has continued to struggle to find a launch export customer for me AMX attack aircraft. The Brazilian air force signed an order for a third batch of 22 AMX attack aircraft in the third quarter of 1993, almost 12 months later than origi nally planned. The Italian air force is to also use some of its AMX units to fulfil the tactical-reconnaissance role by equip ping the aircraft with the Orpheus reconnaissance pod. The air force is also looking at the ATARS reconnaissance system. The prototype AMX(T) trainer, in which a second cockpit replaces the forward-fuselage fuel tank, was rolled out by Alenia on 25 January, 1990. Deliveries to Italy start ed in late 1990 and deliveries to Brazil a year later. An anti- surface-vessel AMX, armed with Aerospatiale Exocet and DASA Kormoran missiles, will incorporate the FIAR Grifo-ASV maritime-strike radar or SMA/Tecnasa Scipio radar. Future AMX developments planned include elec tronic-combat/ reconnaissance and night-attack versions of single- and twin-seat types. The aircraft's design features low-cost, STOL opera tion from semi-prepared strips, minimum vulnerability and maximum survivability. The basic single-seat aircraft is intended for daytime low-level attack and tactical reconnaissance. A removable refuelling probe can be fit ted. Work is split 70:30 between Italy and Brazil, with Italy's share divided 70:30 between Alenia and Aermacchi. Studies have been undertaken for Argentina into using the US GE F404 engine in place of the R-R BMW Spev 807. Chile and Peru have been offered up to 60 AMX with uprated Spey 807As or P&VV PW1150s for better hot-and-high performance. So far, however, none of these efforts have borne fruit. Customers: AMX: Brazil 64. Italy 187; AMX(T): Brazil 15, Italy 51. —M^— .Alpha Jet Germany has wanted to offload most of its Alpha Jet ground-attack aircraft for some time, with various coun tries being floated as potential buyers. Portugal has received 50, while Germany will retain around 30 for training. Greece, Morocco and Austria have also recently expressed interest in secondhand Luftwaffe aircraft. The Alpha Jet remains under consideration, alongside the British Aerospace Hawk, to meet an Indian air force requirement. Six versions of the Franco/ German Alpha Jet have been built or offered. The advanced-trainer/light- attack Alpha Jet E was produced for die French air force and several export customers, including Egypt Close-support Alpha Jet .As, built for the German air force, have been withdrawn from senice as part of cut backs.. A further close-support version, with new nav/attack- systcm, was sold to the Cameroon and Egypt as the MS2. The Alpha Jet 2, incorporating the MS2 s nav/attack sys tem, together with Snecma Larzac 04C20 engines and Matra Magic 2 AAMs, has not yet been sold, but Egyptian MS2s are to be upgraded to a similar standard. A fifth version, called the Lancier, was announced in 1985, but this project will now almost certainly remain a paper exercise. The Lancier was derived from die Alpha jet 2 and intended for day/night ground-attack, mar itime-strike and anti-helicopter duties. FLIR sensor, Thomson-CSF Agave multi-mode radar, active and pas sive ECM, anti-ship missiles and laser-guided bombs are added to the Alpha Jet 2 systems. The sixth version, announced in June 1987, is the Alpha Jet ATS, developed by Dassault to match the evolution of cockpit systems in future combat aircraft and equipped with front-cockpit head-up and head-down displays and rear-cockpit video monitor, multi-function displays and control keyboards. The Dassault/Dornier Alpha Jet was irst flown on 26 October, 1973. Principal customers were the air arms of the partner countries, the French air force taking 176 between 1978 and 1985, and the German air force 175 between 1979 and 1983. Egypt assembled 37 Alpha Jets between 1982 and 1985. Delivery of the 502 Alpha jets ordered was completed during 1988. Customers: Belgium 33, Cameroon 7. Cote d'lvoire 7, Egypt 45, France 176. Germany 175. Morocco 24, Nigeria 24. Qatar 6, Togo 7. MMMBMBMMBM|^M0 Eurofighter 2000 The Eurofighter, at least tiiree years behind the original schedule, finally struggled into the air in 1994, providing a major fillip to the politically belea guered programme. Development Aircraft 3, fitted with the Eurojet EJ200s instead of the initial Turbo Union RB199s, was flown in early 1995. Political and technical problems had conspired to dis rupt the programme, and Germany at one point was on the brink of pulling out. Issues such as the division of tasks and numbers of aircraft to be purchased by the four part ner nations — Germany, Italy, Spain and the UK—have yet to be finalised. A decision on production investment is not likely before 1996. Resolving workshare issues also remains a potential stumbling block for the programme. The go-ahead for full-scale development was given on 16 May, 1988, when the UK, the then-West Germany and Italy signed an MoU. Spain followed suit in November 1988. The first of seven p rototypes was scheduled to fly in 1991, with production deliveries beginning in 1996. The original four-nation requirement was for almost 800 air craft. Alenia, BAe, CASA and MBB formed the Munich- based Eurofighter Consortium in June 1986, to manage the programme. The aircraft is a delta-canard design widi a maximum take-off weight of 17,000kg, a wing area of 50m:, and is equipped with two Eurojet EJ200 engines producing a total thrust of 180kN. The Eurojet consortium, consisting of R-R, Fiat, MTU and SENER, ran the first EJ200 in November 1988. The Euroradar (GEC Marconi/ DASA/FLWInisel) ECR-90 multi-mode radar was final ly chosen in May 1990 after a two-vear delay. Flight-test ing is to begin aboard prototype DA5. Armament is to include an internal gun, plus advanced medium-range and short-range air-to-air missiles. The Eurofighter 2000 will be optimised for air-to-air roles, but will have a secondan,' air-to-surface capability. The DA4, a two-seat combat- capable trainer, is also in the final stages of construction. Customers: Germany 140, Italy 165. Spain 100, UK 250. IJIHIZMmWmMMMWmMWMMMMMmm Future Large Aircraft (FLA) Despite a decision to pro cure the Lockheed C-130J, the UK has also indicated that it will rejoin the FLA programme, contingent on certain issues being addressed. One of these was that the project was placed on a commercial footing. It is now to be run under the auspices of Airbus Industrie at Toulouse. The collaborative European programme is being pro pelled by France and Germany, with the configuration undergoing revisions. It is now seen as a four-turboprop, T-tail, high-wing aircraft, with tail-ramp loading. A tanker variant would have two or three hose/drogue units and/or a flying boom. The study envisages a maximum take-off weight of 105,000kg, maximum payload Eurofighter EF2000 is three years behind schedule 25,OOOkg and unrefuelled range of 5,560km. Typical operating speed will be Mach 0.72 and initial cruise alti tude is to be 31,000ft. The aircraft will be able to be oper ated from semi-prepared strips. Crew will be two pilots and a load master. Six independent European Programme Group nations — France, Germany, Italy, Portugal, Spain and Turkey — are participating, with government support, while the UK's BAe is privately funding involvement in the feasibil ity—study phase. Belgium withdrew from the project in mid-1993. Pre-feasibility studies have been carried out to establish a European Staff Target. Companies making up Euroflag, which was formed in July 1991, are Aerospatiale of France, Alenia of Italy, BAe of the UK, CASA of Spain, DASA Airbus of Germany, Flabel of Belgium, SONACA and SABCA, OG.MA/Portugal and Tusas of Turkey are also involved. The eight European nations have indicated a commit ment to take 280-300 examples. Export potential is pre dicted to be a further 2,000-3,000 aircraft over 30 years. :l:-o;:;-^v;';-'^!E3ML^MMMfciM Harrier II/Harrier II Plus McDonnell Douglas received the first tranche of Si .7 billion to start re-manu facturing 73 USMC AV-8Bs to the Harrier II Plus stan dard in the second quarter of 1994. The company has also delivered the first of 16 aircraft for the Italian navy. The first three were assembled in the USA while the remain der will be assembled by Alenia. Spain is acquiring eight Harrier II Plus, with CASA carrying out final assembly, to replace its eight AV8-A Matadors. An MoU covering joint development and production of the radar-equipped Harrier II Plus has been established by the USA, Spain and Italy. The Spanish navy had an original requirement for 12 aircraft. Funding limitations have curtailed its ambitions, however. The USMC also has 27 newr Harrier II Plus on order. The night-attack AV-8B, of which production is com plete, incorporates: FLIR sensor, pilot night-vision gog gles, modified HUD, upw:ard-firing chaff-and-fiare dispensers and a 106kN R-R Pegasus 11-61 engine. The USMC plans a two-stage retrofit of early-production AV- 8Bs, fitting the night-attack equipment first, to be fol lowed later by the radar. A prototype AV-8B, converted from an AV-8A, was first flown on 19 November, 1978, and was followed by four full-scale development aircraft. Production deliver ies to the USMC began in October 1983. The TAV-8B two-seat operational-trainer version was first flown on 21 October, 1986, with deliveries following in March 1987. USMC Harrier II production (227 AV-8Bs/22 TAV-8Bs) is complete. BAe manufactures some 40% of the AV-8B airframe. Delivery of 94 Harrier lis to the RAF started in July 1987, with an initial batch of GR5s, followed by 21 interim-stan dard GR5As for storage and later conversion to night- attack GR7s. Two GR5 development aircraft were also built and, in 1989, were reconfigured as GR7 development vehicles. The GR7, which is generally similar to the USMC's night-attack AV-8B, has FLIR sensor, digital moving-map display, night-vision goggles and modified HUD. New-build GR7s (34 aircraft) entered senice in 1991. The aircraft had its first operational deployment in 1993. The GR5s and GR5 As have been converted to GR7 stan dard. The RAF has ordered 13 TAV-8B two-seaters, which are designated the Harrier T. 10. The first of these aircraft was flown in April 1994. Customers (Harrier II/Harrier II plus): Italy 2/16, Spain 12/8, UK 96, USA 227/35. 38 FLIGHT INTERNATIONAL 1 - 7 November 1995
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