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Aviation History
1997
1997 - 0120.PDF
DEFENCE Germany untangles Eurofighter funding THE GERMAN Government has agreed on a proposed solution to long-running funding problems afflicting the Euro- fighter EF2000 programme. According to German press reports, half the money needed for production investment and the production phase of the pro gramme could come as a special package of funding from the finance ministry, easing pressure on the cash-strapped defence min istry. Sources in Bonn say that this proposal still requires parliamen tary approval. German Eurofighter partner Daimler-Benz Aerospace wants DM390 million ($250 million) from the Government to fund the overdue production investment phase of the programme, while the defence ministry has so far been unable to offer more than DM 100 million. It is understood that industry financial requirements for the pro gramme between 1998 and 2001 exceed the ministry's means by some DM2 billion. Production investment and manufacture of 180 aircraft for Germany are ex pected to cost some DA126 billion. A German production-invest ment go-ahead is now expected by the end of March. The country hopes to begin replacing its Mc Donnell Douglas F-4F Phantom fighters with the EF2000 in 2002. The last of the 140 fighters will be delivered in 2012, and will be fol lowed by a further 40 aircraft in an air-to-ground variant, replacing a part of Germany's Tornado fleet between 2012 and 2015. • NEWS IN BRIEF M INDIAN AF CRASH All 22 people on board were killed when an Indian air force Hindustan Aeronautics 748 twin turboprop transport crashed on 24 December, 1996. Initial reports suggest that the aircraft may have suf fered an engine failure before hitting a hill near Nellore, 240km (130nm) from Mad ras, according to Airclaims. Philippine air force considers twin-engined fighter solution PAUL LEWIS/SINGAPORE THE PHILIPPINE air force is leaning towards a twin-en gine solution to its fighter require ment, following flight evaluations of a McDonnell Douglas (MDC) F-18C/D and Mikoyan MiG-29. According to local sources, the Philippines' new armed forces chief-of-staff and former air force commander, General Arnulfo Acedera, has come out in favour of a twin-engined fighter. It is understood that the air force's selection criteria have been rewritten accordingly. This follows incursions in 1996 by the Chinese military into areas of the South China Sea Spratly Islands claimed by the Philippines. The air force, therefore, has been placing increasing emphasis on maritime surveillance and strike, for which itconsiders a twin- engined aircraft better suited. The air force is showing renewed inter est in the F-18C/D and recently completed a four-day evaluation of a US Marine Corps aircraft at China Lake in the USA. The five-man team, led by Brig Gen De Los Santos, flew a range of different profile missions, includ ing night attack with the aid of night-vision goggles. Filipino pilots have already flown the MiG- 29 and single-engined Lockheed Martin F-16, which had earlier been considered the front runner. The US Air Force has offered the Philippines a choice of new- build F-16C/Ds or surplus A/Bs and, given its limited budget, the aircraft remains an attractive low- cost alternative, say defence sources in Manila (Flight Inter national 16-22 October, 1996). The air force is now expected to make a final selection by die middle of the year, following the Senate's recent long-awaited approval of the Philippine armed force's P164.5 billion ($6.25 billion) 15- vear modernisation budget. Of the P50 billion allocated for the first five-year period, the air force will receive about PI 7 billion. The air force needs up to 18 fighters, new radars, maritime- patrol aircraft, helicopters and transports. Defence planners hope to spread the cost of the new air craft over the succeeding two five- year periods, possibly with the aid ot commercially arranged bridge funding. The Philippine requirement took on added urgency with the fatal crash of another Northrop Grumman F-5A/B on 6 January. Only seven of the ageing aircraft remain, just four of which were being flown, and these have now been grounded. The air force is looking for secondhand F-5s to maintain pilot proficiency until its new aircraft can be delivered. • Israel demonstrates anti-tank missile to Poles ISRAEL HAS demonstrated helicopter launches of the Rafael NT-D anti-tank missile for a team of Polish defence and industry observers. The missile was selected in 1996 to arm the Polish PZL-Swidnik Huzar attack helicopter, but the selection was called into question when Rafael failed to meet a November deadline to demon strate the weapon's performance. Poland's armed forces want 100 I Iuzars, for which they plan to buy about 2,000 missiles. A further 3,000 of the ground-launched ver sion, believed to be called Spike, are also needed, and deliveries are scheduled to begin in 1999. The Polish side required that die missile hit a manoeuvring target at a range of 6km (3nm). Military and industry officials decline to com ment on the results of the demon stration launches, carried out in the second week ofjanuary. According to sources close to the Huzar programme, the missiles —^ A- __ ^^ jggss PZL's Huzar could end up packing an Israeli anti-armour punch were fired from an Israeli Bell 209 Cobra helicopter. A report on the test results is to be compiled by die observer team by the end of this month, and could be followed by a decision on the missile procure ment by the end of February. Helicopter manufacturer Swid- nik assumes that, if the test results have proved satisfactory, then the Huzar development programme will proceed in partnership with Israel's Elbit, which is to provide avionics and weapons for the heli copter, including die NT-D. The main competitor in the partnership competition is Rockwell of the USA, which is offering the option of five possible weapons systems: its own Ilellfire II, the Euromissile HOT2T, Hughes TOW or GEC- Marconi Brimstone, alongside the Rafael missile. The Israeli package is to include licensed manufacture of the missile in Poland. • 14 FLIGHT INTERNATIONAL 15 - 21 January 1997
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