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Aviation History
1995
1995 - 3141.PDF
MILITARY AIRCRAFT OF THC WORLD ed to Wichita. In November of the same year the -400A was rolled out. This variant was certificated to 45,000ft, its cabin was enlarged, and it was equipped with Collins Avionics and a digital EFIS. Deliveries began in November 1990. Customers: USAF: Tl-A Jayhawk -180 ordered (113 delivered by June 1995); Japan: T-400 • 9 ordered, 8 delivered by 1995) Beech Midi - JPATS For participation in the USAF/USN Joint Primary Aircraft Training System (JPATS) competition, Beech converted a Pilarus PC-9 and then built two pre-production examples. By February 1995, three aircraft had attained over 500h of flight test ing. The Beech Midi features uprated engines, pres surised cockpit, avionics, a zero-zero ejection seat. In 1995 the aircraft was announced as winner of the compe tition. JPATS plans call for production of 712 aircraft by 2017. Initial service entrv is planned for 1999. Customer: USA 712 planned. V-22 Osprey The US Defense Acquisition Board approved production of the V-22 Osprey. Bell-Boeing is building four "production-representative" aircraft. Wing/fuselage mate of Aircraft 7, the first under the Engineering and Manufacturing Development (EMD) g rogramme, is scheduled for December 1995, with the rst flight set for a year later. Flight testing of the Aircraft 3 continues at the Naval Air Centre at Patuxtent River. Nearly 1,1 OOh have been flown in die development pro gramme. Aircraft 2 is now in "flyable storage' following its successful demonstrations at the 1995 Paris air show. The Osprey is powered by two 4,600kW Allison T406 turboshafts, which are cross-connected to keep both prop-rotors turning if one engine fails. The all-compos ite V-22 has folding rotors and the wing slews for snip- board operations. The aircraft, equipped for in-flight refuelling and all-weather low-level navigation, will be able to carry 24 fully equipped troops, 4,550kg internal cargo, or a 7,300kg external load. The V-22 was designed from its inception to fit the needs of four US military services. Today the USMC, Special Operations Forces, the USAF and the USN arc officially part of the development and production pro gramme. The Alarine requirement is for 425 aircraft, USAF 50 and the USN 48 for search and rescue. Target fly-away cost is S29.4 million each. Baseline FSD project ed cost was S41.8 million each. Advanced design and manufacturing techniques have reportedly led to this cost reduction. These techniques included cross-functional integrated product teams; three-dimensional CAD and electronic mock-ups. First deliveries to the Marines and the SOF are scheduled for 1999 and 2003 respectively. 737/CT-43 & Surveiller The USAF has been using the CT-43A for navigation training since 1973. This deriva tive of the Boeing 737-200 airliner accommodates up to 12 students, four advanced students and three instructors. Indonesia is the sole customer for the 737 Surveiller. This variant incorporates the Motorola SLAMMR sideways- looking radar for maritime detection. Customers: USAF (CT-43): 19, Indonesia (737 Surveiller): 3 B-52 Stratofortress B-56Gs have been withdrawn from service, leaving die B-52H as the last Stratofortress in USAF service. A conventional-weapons upgrade is under way and ten B-52Hs equipped with a near-term preci sion-guided weapons capability, with the AGM-142 Have Nap stand-off missile. Some B-52s are equipped to fire the anti-ship Harpoon. Customers: USA 148 E-3 Sentry The last Boeing 707-based E-3 Sentry air borne warning and control system (AWACS) aircraft built were seven E-3D Sentry AEW.ls for the UK, the last of which was delivered in 1992. The UK aircraft, like French air force E-3Fs and Saudia Arabian E-3As, are powered by CFM56s. Delivery of 34 E-3As to the USAF began in March 1977, and NATO took delivery of 18 E-3 As between January-1982 and April 1985. Five Saudi Arabian Peace Sentinel E-3 As, plus eight KE-3 A tankers, were delivered in 1986-7. USAF and NATO E-3s are being updated to improve the Westinghouse APY-2 radar, mission computer, oper ator consoles, communications and navigation systems, and to add ESM equipment. Germany's DASA is updat ing NATO E-3s with colour displays, secure UHF com munications and JTIDS datalink terminals already fitted to US aircraft. Customers: France 4, NATO 18, Saudi Arabia 5 (+8 KE- 3), UK 7, USA 34. E-6 Mercury USN Boeing E-6 submarine-communica tions aircraft are being modified by Chrysler Technologies Airborne Systems. Under the avionics block-upgrade programme. The Boeing 707-based E-6s are being equipped with Milstar satellite-communica tions andother improvements. The prototype was rolled out in June 1994. E-6s are to take over the Looking Glass mission performed by the USAF KC-135s. The E-6 was developed to replace the Lockheed EC- 130Q in the Take Charge and Move Out (TACAVIO) mission to relay communications to submerged Trident ballistic-missile submarines, using very-low-frequency radio. Based on the E-3 airframe, with CFM56 engines, the prototype E-6A TACAMO II was flown on 1 June, 1987. Deliveries to the USN began in 1989 and Boeing delivered the 16th E-6 in May 1992. Customer: USA 16. KC-135 Stratotanker Re-engineing of USAF KC- 135A tankers with CFM56 turbofans continues towards an eventual target of 400 aircraft. The KC-135R re- engineing programme began in 1983. The prototype conversion was flown on 4 August, 1982, and production deliveries started in 1984. KC-135Rs are expected to remain in service until 2020. Eleven French air force KC-135Fs were re-engined with CFM56s, as KC-135FRs, between 1985 and 1988. Boeing and Air France are also fitting French air force aircraft with wingtip hose/drogue pods. Boeing has also received a USAF contract to equip up to 96 KC-13 5s with the wing-mounted pods to allow refuelling of USN and NATO aircraft. Turkey has been offered ten ex- USAF KC-135s which would be re-engined with CFM- 56s. US Air National Guard, Air Force Reserve KC-135A tankers and special-mission C-135 variants have been re- engined with JT3D turbofans acquired from retired air line Boeing 707s. The aircraft are designated KC-135Es in tanker configuration. KC-135s not re-engined with CFM-56s are likely to be hushkitted. Quiet Nacelle is developing a Stage 3 hushkit for the OC-135 Open Skies treaty verification variant. Customers: USA 729, France 11 747 A military-freighter version of the Boeing 747-400 has been offered as the C-33, an alternative to the McDonnell Douglas (MDC) C-17 under the USAF NDAA programme. A decision will be taken in November 1995. The 747 is also the chosen platform for an airborne high-energy laser being studied by Boeing- and Rockwell-Ted teams to counter theatre-ballistic missiles. The 747 is already in USAF service as the VC-25A Presidential transport (two 747-200s) and E-4B airborne command-post (four 747-200s). The Japan Air Self- Defence Force operates two 747-400s as VIP transports. Customers: Japan 4, USA 6. 767 AWACS Japan is the launch customer for Boeing's 767-based follow-on to the E-3 Sentry airborne warning and control system (AWACS), with an order for four air craft, to be designated E-767s. Delivery of the first two aircraft is scheduled for January 1998. The 767 will be equipped with the upgraded mission system under development for the E-3, including the Westinghouse APY-2 radar with rotodome-mounted antenna. The aircraft will carry a mission crew of 18, plus two flightdeck crew. Powered by two 274kN GE CF6- 80C2 turbofans, the 767 AWACS will have a 7h time on station at 1,850km radius, extending to lOh at 560km radius, and to a maximum of 22h with air refuelling. Boeing is also proposing the 767 for the military trans port and tanker roles. Customers: Japan 4. ^r.i'.i: i>i','i—1 U-27A Cessna's military version of the Model 208 Caravan single-turboprop utility aircraft is intended for roles including troop transport, medevac, forward air- control, electronic surveillance, maritime patrol and reconnaissance. The U-27A is available with an under- fuselage reconnaissance pod housing optical and infra red sensors and a datalink. r.1 :V1 IT ;,V:JJ7—^^^—^^M C-26A/B Fairchild Aircraft has delivered 13 C-26A (Metro III) and 37 C-26B (Metro 23) aircraft to the US Air National Guard. The C-26 is used for passenger, cargo and medevac missions and features a quick-change capability. Ten of the aircraft have been modified to accept an under-fuselage surveillance pod, which can be equipped with FLIR cameras and infra-red line scanners, and datalink. A Multi-Mission Surveillance Aircraft (MMSA) variant is available with an underfuselage radome and nose-mounted FLIR for use in on missions including maritime and land surveillance and ELDNT. An airborne early-warning version is available using the Ericsson Erieye planar-array radar. • .•••:! ^f.^-„Z—^— Gulfstream IV/SRA-4 Sweden took delivery of the first of two GIV-based signals-intelligence aircraft, designat ed Tp 102Bs, in August. Japan plans to acquire up to nine GIVs, designated L-4s, configured as quick-change pas senger/cargo aircraft. The special-mission version of the GIV is designated the SRA-4 by Gulfstream, which plans to offer a special- requirements derivative of the long-range GV, dubbed the SRA-5. The first GV is scheduled to be flown in November 1995. Gulfstream delivered the first GIV-based C-20G operational-support aircraft to the USN in February 1994. This features a cargo door and quick-change inte rior for 26 passengers or cargo. Customers: Japan 10. Sweden 3, USA 7 (1C-20F, 5 C- 20G. 1 C-20H Learjet 35A/36A Special-mission aircraft based on the Learjet 35A/36A corporate jet include the RC-35A for reconnaissance; the EC-35A, for electronic-warfare training; and the utility 3 5 A. The Japan Maritime Self-Defence Force's Learjet 36As, known as U-36As, are used for target towing, sea- skimming-missile simulation and ECM training. The USAF operates 84 Learjet 3 5As as the C-21 A. Customers (military/government): Learjet 20 Series: Bolivia 2, Canada 1, Ecuador 1, India 2, Japan 1, former Yugoslavia 2, Mexico 1. Peru 2, South Africa 1, Sweden 2, USA 3. Learjet 30 Series Argentina 9, Brazil 3, Chile 2, China 5, Finland 3, Japan 5, Mexico 1, Oman 1, Peru 2, Saudi Arabia 2, Singapore 3, Switzerland 2, Thailand 2, Uruguay 2, USA 84. iMi<ii"iWi<iiw= M'IIIIHIIII ^*m C-S Galaxy An improved, version of the Galaxy, the C- 5B has been proposed by Lockheed Martin as an alterna tive to the MDC C-17, under the USAF's Non-Development Airlift Aircraft (NDAA) programme. The C-5D would have new turbofans - GE CF6-80C2s and a two-crew cockpit based on that under development for the C-130J Hercules 2. An NDAA decision is sched uled for November 1995. C-130 Hercules Lockheed Martin rolled out the first improved C-130J Hercules 2 airlifter on 18 October, 1995. The first flight is scheduled for December 1995, leading to first deliveries in 1997. The UK has ordered 25 stretched C-130J-30s, with options on five more. The USAF has ordered two standard-length C-130Js for test and evaluation. Australia plans to buy an initial 12 C- 130J-30sin 1996. The Hercules 2 is powered by four 3,400kW Allison AE2100 turboprops driving Dowry six-blade composite propellers, providing 29% more take-off power and 15% greater fuel efficiency than the C-130Hs Allison T56s. 48 FLIGHT INTERNATIONAL 1 - 7 November 1995
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