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Aviation History
1996
1996 - 2417.PDF
FARNBOROU6H REPORT Rotate-to-view seeker could be good BoxOffice for Raytheon Raytheon unveils radical bid for Sidewinder replacement RAYTHEON HAS revealed a radical missile design offered to meet the Pentagon's AIM-9X Sidewinder-replacement require ment, while admitting thatitisalso working on larger-diameter ver sions of its missile. Raytheon has married its rotate- to-view (RTV) imaging infra-red seeker to the BoxOffice airframe. The seeker is a radical departure from the traditional infra-red seek er aperture dome. The Department of Defense originally insisted that the AIM-9X be capable of using existing Side winder motors. This limited the diameter of the missile designs being offered — and, as a result, their target-engagement capability. While the Raytheon design of Sidewinder diameter, Don Kenne, ALM-9X programme manager, confirms that the company is also examining increased motor-diam eter designs. He declines to comment on whether Raytheon has submitted a second bid based around a larger- diameter rocket motor with an increased kinematic capability. Some sources have suggested that the larger diameter missile may be the BoxOffice 3. Raytheon is competing with Hughes, which is offering two designs, one based on a US air frame design. The other, a deriva tive of the British Aerospace Advanced Short-Range Air-to-Air Missile (ASRAAM), is substantial ly larger in diameter than the Sidewinder. The ASRAAM P3I, as the bid is dubbed, differs from the missile being procured for the Royal Air Force in having thrust-vector con trol for improved manoeuvrability. Kenne says that the RTV front- end reduces the radar cross-section of the carrier aircraft, with drag dif fering little from that of a tradition al spherical dome. , HealsosaysthattheRTVdesign provides a considerable off-bore sight look angle for the seeker's 512 x 512 focal-plane array. • Lockheed Martin may build F-16 in Brazil LOCKHEED MARTIN is examining the possibility of licensing F-16 production to Brazil, witfr Embraer forming die core of an assembly programme for several South American countries. Senior . Lockheed Martin sources confirm that licence pro duction is one of several options being considered to secure the South American market. Although US legislation blocks the sale of advanced weapons to Latin America, Lockheed Martin officials believe that the Govern ment will ease its rules in the near future. Brazil's fighter-procurement project, dubbed FX, is aimed at replacing its Dassault Mirages. Deliveries of the first aircraft are pencilled in for around 2005. Argentina, Chile and Peru also have emerging fighter-replace ment programmes which could potentially be bundled into a com bined procurement. A more immediate export opportunity for Lockheed Martin is in the United Arab Emirates, which has a strike-fighter require ment for more than 40 aircraft. Lockheed Martin says that the company has been informed by the UAE that it has been "downselect- ed", while the competing McDonnell Douglas (MDC) F-15 had been eliminated. Herb Lanese, president of McDonnell Douglas Aerospace, says that as far as the UAE is con cerned, "... we haven't received any word officially...It may be right, but we haven't heard." Lanese adds: "In the Middle East, it is not over until it's over." Lockheed Martin officials say that the sole F-16 rival is the Dassault Rafale. Continuing activ ities with the Eurofighter EF2000 in the region, however,- indicate that this aircraft may also still be in contention. The UAE is considering the F- 16 "Block 60" — an upgraded, extended-range variant. Although Lockheed Martin remains reluctant to discuss in detail its submission, the aircraft is likely to include a nose-mounted infra-red sensor and laser designa tor, overwing conformal fuel tanks and an advanced radar, possibly the Northrop Grumman APG-78. Weapons are believed to include the Hughes ALM-120 AMRAAM, MDC AGM-84, Texas In struments GBU-24 and the HARM anti-radiation missile. • P&WADP lives on PRATT & WHITNEY is to have talks with Airbus Industrie at the end of September over potential applications of its Advanced Ducted Propulsor (ADP) technology. The move comes despite the recent signing of an exclusive agreement between Airbus and General Electric to study possible engine solutions for the stretched A340-600, long considered the most likely first application of the ADP. "There is still some interest in the ADP at Airbus," says P&W large commercial engines presi dent, Robert Wolfe. "We are still looking for an application and we are still receiv ing funding from the US Air Force on materials. The most logical use [of the ADPS] would be some sort of Airbus," says Wolfe. The ADP is a ultra-high bypass geared turbofan offering lower fuel consumption and higher operating efficiency than similarly rated con ventional turbofans. P&Whas suc cessfully tested a demonstrator based on the core of the PW2000 and using a Fiat-Avio built reduc tion gear system. • Bell signs Moll to take stake in IAR BELL HELICOPTERTextron has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Romania's State Ownership Fund, laying the ground rules for Bell's planned acquisition of a majority of Romanian aircraft manufacturer IARBrasov. The US helicopter manufactur er's takeover of IAR will take effect immediately after the signature of a contract with Romania for the pur chase of 96 AH-1W SuperCobra attack helicopters — to be desig nated AH-1RO. The aircraft will use the AH-1W airframe with a weapons and avion ics suite to be specified by Romania. Romanian technical evaluators have made a preliminary recommendation to use the exist ing General Electric T700 engine. Negotiations between Bell and the Romanian defence ministry will begin in early September, and will be finished by the end of October. G FLIGHT INTERNATIONAL 11 - 17 September 1996 13
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