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Aviation History
1997
1997 - 0007.PDF
South Korea reconsiders KTX-II PAUL LEWIS/SINGAPORE THE SOUTH Korean Gov ernment has ordered an inde pendent review of the proposed Samsung KTX-II advanced train- er/light-combat aircraft to deter mine the programmes economic feasibility. Two teams of analysts, including economists from the Korean De velopment Institute, have already been dispatched to the USA and Europe for industrial and political consultations. A final report, with recommendations on whether to proceed with development of the aircraft, will be submitted to South Korea's finance ministry in March. While in the USA, the South Korean team met Lockheed Martin and the US Department of Defense. Lockheed Martin signed a preliminary teaming agreement in July with Samsung to develop the tandem-seat aircraft jointly, and both companies had hoped to begin full-scale development early this year. Discussions are understood to have focused on the cost of devel oping the KTX-II, the pro gramme's break-even point and benefits for Soudi Korean industry. Seoul has repeatedly sought guar antees from Washington on tech nology transfer and rights to export the aircraft to third countries. The South Korean team sent to Europe has met British Aerospace, CASA and Daimler-Benz Aero space (DASA) to re-examine previ ously rejected alternative proposals for joint developments or off-the- shelf solutions to the South Korean air force's requirement for a new- advanced trainer. BAe has already offered South Korea a further development of its Hawk 100, an earlier version of which is already in air force ser vice, incorporating a new wing and fuselage plug. CASA is seek ing South Korean support for the development of its own ATX supersonic trainer/light attack air craft, while DASA, in conjunction with Dcnel of South Africa, has proposed the AT-2000 advanced trainer/light fighter. The estimated Si.2 billion cost of developing the KTX-II has gen erated strong opposition from ele ments within the South Korean Government, who argue that the funds would be better spent else where. The air force is also increas ingly unhappy with the aircraft's projected date of entry in service, which has slipped to 2 005, prompt ing one local observer to suggest that "...the Government is now looking for an excuse to cancel it". Local industry, led by prime contractor Samsung, is lobbying tor a programme go-ahead in the second half of 1997. They argue that support for the KTX-II is essential if South Korea is to devel op a major aerospace industry, par ticularly now that plans to develop a 100-seat commercial jet are fast evaporating. "They cannot kill both," says a senior South Korean industry executive. In the interim, the South Korean Government has again extended a small amount of bridg ing funding to Lockheed Martin and Samung to continue with pre liminary development until June, albeit at a reduced pace. The number of US engineers second ed to the Taejon research centre will be halved over the next six months to eight-to-ten people. -J NASA selects team for SOFIA project THE UNIVERSITIES Space Research Association (USRA) and a team including United Airlines and Raytheon E-Systems has been awarded a ten-year, $484 million, contract by NASA to design, assemble, test and operate the Stratospheric Observatory For Infra-red Astronomy (SOFIA), a modified Boeing 747 equipped with a 2.5m-diameter telescope. The SOFIA is expected to be flown in 2001 and will be the world's largest flying astronomical observatory. Prime contractor USRA is a consortium of more The world's largest flying astronomical observatory should fly in 2001 than 80 US universities, set up to manage scientific-research pro grammes. United Airlines will sup ply the 747-SP and manage flight operations. The aircraft will be modified by Raytheon. The tele scope is being developed and built by MAN of Germany. DARA, the Gennan space agency, is providing 20% of the totaffunds, with NASA supplying the remainder The SOFLVs telescope will be designed to study the infra-red radiation given off by planets, stars, the centre of Earth's galaxy, and even distant galaxies. Infra-red radiation is a form of light not directly visible to the human eye, and most of it is blocked by water vapour in the Earth's atmosphere. Flying at higher than 41,000ft (14,350m), the SOFIA will be above 99% of the interferingwater vapour, and will have a view of the universe unmatched by ground- based telescopes. J nZADUUZZ NEWS IN BRIEF • SATELLITE LAUNCH A Lockheed Martin two- stage Titan 4 booster lifted a reconnaissance satellite into polar orbit from Vandenberg AFB, California, on 20 December, marking the first open launch in the formerly classified US unmanned mil itary-satellite programme by the US Department of Defense. The satellite type has not been revealed. • JET ORDERS The combined order tally from the "big three" — Airbus, Boeing and Mc Donnell Douglas (MDC) — passed the 1,000 mark during 1996, for the first time since 1989, when 1,100 orders were taken. Provisional fig ures show that gross orders during the year totalled 1,006, of which Boeing took the lion's share with 645. Airbus, meanwhile, secured some 323 orders, and MDC 38. Boeing says that its total represents the second-high est dollar value in its history.O • CARGO CRASH US cargo carrier Airborne Express suffered a fatal acci dent on 22 December, 1996, when one of its McDonnell Douglas DC-8-63s (N827- AX) crashed into high ground near Narrows, Vir ginia, during a test flight after maintenance. It is believed that all three crew and three ground engineers on board were killed. • KA-31 FOR INDIA The Indian Navy is to acquire three Kamov Ka-31 radar- picket helicopters, according to the Ministry of Defence in New Delhi. The Russian- built helicopters will be used for detection of air targets and surface targets.One of the roles India has in mind is the early detection of Pakistani operated Lock heed-Martin P-C3 Orion anti-submarine-warfare helicopters FLIGHT INTERNATIONAL 1 - 7 January 1997
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