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Aviation History
1996
1996 - 3128.PDF
DEFENCE Germans to test Meteor ramjet DAIMLER-BENZ Aerospace (DASA) and its Bayern- Chemie joint venture with Thom- son-CSF are planning to produce a working demonstrator of the Ger man elements of die Meteor air-to- air missile by the end of 1997. The DM20 million programme is being funded by the German Federal Ministry of Defence (FMoD). According to Bayern- Chemie, there will be an exchange of data with British Meteor partner Royal Ordnance Rocket Motors Division in die run up to the dead line for best and final offers for the UK future medium-range air-to- air missile (FMRAAM). Bayern-Chemie says mat it aims to produce a full-size, boron- loaded dirottleable ducted rocket (TDR) motor with a lightweight structure, to run on a connected pipe test stand. The demonstration is to include the full-boost phase transition from the missile's inte grated booster to TDR-powered sustained flight, and a complete TDR burn. The Meteor programme is led by Matra-BAe Dynamics, in part nership with Alenia, DASA, GEC- Marconi and Saab. It is competing against Hughes UK's FMRAAM bid, involving Aerospatiale, Fokker, Shorts and Thomson-Thorn. In the third quarter of this year, Bayern-Chemie completed a sec ond test campaign on its full-scale nozzleless booster motor, describ ing die results as "very encourag ing". The challenge has been to develop a propellant with appro priate burn rate and low-tempera ture mechanical properties. On 19 November, the company completed its latest round of tests on data transmission attenuation by the TDR's boron-rich exhaust plume, a potential problem which has been highlighted by opponents of die engine. Concerns have been voiced over datalink interference. According to Bayern-Chemie, tests have now been carried out with signals transmitted through die plume at various angles. Initial analysis of the results suggests that the attenuation problem is "much smaller than anticipated", says the company. • The Sukhoi Su-25TM is about to begin flight testing with the Kopyo podded radar Russians poised to begin Su-25TM radar-testing ALEXANDER VELOVICH/MOSCOW DOUGLAS BARRIE/LONDON THE RUSSIAN AIR FORCE is about to begin flight tests of the radar-equipped Sukhoi Su-25TM from its Ahktubinsk flight-test centre, while pilot instructors at the Lipetsk combat- training centre work up a training syllabus flying several Su-25Ts, an earlier upgrade of the Frogfoot. Along with testing of the pod- mounted Phazotron Kopyo multi- mode radar, the Su-25TM has also been used for test firings of an imag- ing-infra-red-guided air-to-surface missile (IIR ASM), according to Vladimir Babak, chief designer on die Su-2 5TM programme. The TM upgrade variant of the Su-2 5 Frogfoot is intended to pro vide frontal-aviation units with an all-weadier night-attack capability. Coupled togedier, the Ahktubinsk and Lipetsk activities indicate that die air force is pushing ahead with trying to acquire Su-2 STMs. One combat lesson reinforced for the air force during die Chechen conflict was the need for an all- weather ground-attack capability. Babak says diat the Kopyo radar is now being integrated widi the Su-25TM, widi ground testing of the radar and die aircraft's weapons control system already under way. The IIR ASM was tested in asso ciation with the Khod diermal- imaging laser-designator pod developed by Geophysica. No details of the IIR ASM have been released, although an IIR version of the Kh-25 (the AS-10 Karen/ AS-12 Kegler family) was associat ed widi die Khod pod. The Khod system is regarded only as a concept demonstrator, widi a much smaller imaging/laser- designator system now in develop ment. Given the age of die Kh-25 family the IIR ASM is likely to be a new missile, perhaps associated widi the Kh-3 8 designator. Babak says diat the initial Su- 25TM flight tests with the radar will be concentrated on air-to-air modes, with ground-mapping and odier air-to-surface modes to be explored later. • Aerospatiale reveals FLA design AEROSPATIALE'S PROPOSED DESIGN for the flightdeck of the Future Large Aircraft (FLA) military transport strongly reflects its Airbus Industrie her itage, with two crew members (for most missions), a "dark" cockpit based around five head-down displays and fly-by-wire sidestick controls. Specific to the FIA will be a pair of head-up displays for low-level tactical missions, plus a cursor-controlled/touch screen "mis sion-management interface" in front of each pilot. This enables functions such as flightplan modification, mes saging, cargo loading and navigation management to be carried out. The request for proposals for the FLA is due to be submitted to Airbus Military Company early in 1997, with (if funding is agreed) firm orders from the five principal nations involved in the programme by mid-1998. Service entry is set for the first half of 2004. 20 FLIGHT INTERNATIONAL 27 November- 3 December 1996
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