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Aviation History
1998
1998 - 1376.PDF
Venezuela thinks over AMX-T offer EMBRAER IS offering to develop and deliver an upgrad ed version of the AMX within 24 months to meet Venezuela's re quirement for an advanced train er/tactical support aircraft. The AMX-T is one of eight types being evaluated for the 24-aircraft requirement. Venezuela is to an nounce its choice by the end of May. The country is die first potential customer to emerge for the up graded AMX being studied by partners Alenia and Embraer. Es sentially the same aircraft is being offered by Alenia in South Africa, while Embraer is talking to the Brazilian air force about upgrading its existing AMXs as well as build ing new aircraft. The Brazilian manufacturer be lieves it can meet the Venezuelan timescale by drawing on develop ment of the ALX armed version of its Super Tucano turboprop trainer for the Brazilian air force. The weapon system Elbit is supplying for the ALX would be used in the upgraded AMX, says Embraer. If it wins the Venezuelan order, the manufacturer plans to use the ALX avionics rig for integration work, while the first production AMX-T would be used for devel opment flight testing. AMX production for the Bra zilian air force continues at Embraer, although an expected contract for a fourth batch has yet to materialise. The company is now proposing to build the up graded aircraft if a fourth batch is ordered, as well as offering die two- seat AMX-T to meet a Brazilian air force requirement for lead-in fighter trainers. Embraer says that improve ments have been identified to re duce AMX acquisition and op erating costs, addingthat it has been told by Venezuela that the AMX-T is in the middle of the price range of the eight competitors, which include the British Aerospace Hawk, the MAPO MiG-AT and theYakovlevYak-130. The upgraded AMX will retain the Rolls-Royce Spey turbofan, although studies are under way into longer-term re-engineing of the aircraft, Embraer says. • Kaman may join fray for South African maritime helicopter DOUGLAS BARRIE/LONDON JULIAN MOXON/PARIS ASOUTH AFRICAN techni cal evaluation team has visited US helicopter manufacturer Ka man to be briefed on the SH-2G Super Seasprite maritime heli copter, despite only Eurocopter and GKN Westland having been shortlisted to meet its naval heli copter requirement. The visit in early May was car ried out on the back of an evalua tion trip to Bell Canada, which is offering the Bell 427 for the South African Air Force's Light Utility Helicopter (LUH) requirement, sparking speculation that Kaman could be allowed to bid for the naval order. South African sources confirm that the visit took place. Political friction between South Africa and the USA, the result of a US defence embargo recently lift ed, has apparently kept US manu facturers from being allowed to bid for the country's $1.5 billion defence procurement programme. Eurocopter and GKN West- land, offering respectively the AS532SC Cougar and the Super Lynx 300, submitted best and final offers for the maritime helicopter requirement during the second week in May. Sources close to the competition believe it is almost certainly too late for Kaman to submit an unsolicited bid, although a "no select" decision could re-open the competition. Eurocopter is also bidding for the LUH programme with the EC365, but the company is once again becoming embroiled in alle gations of illegal arms sales during the country's apartheid years. Anew French appeal court hear ing has been set for later this year in a continuation of the legal battle between a Portuguese arms dealer and Eurocopter over alleged illegal sales of helicopters to the South African armed forces. Reports indicate that former South African foreign affairs min ister Pik Botha may be called to appear at the hearing in France, which comes after two previous hearings, one in South Africa and the other in France, exonerated the European company. Botha would testify on behalf of the dealer, who claims that Euro- copter, as the successor to Aero spatiale's helicopter division, still owes him money for arranging a deal allowing the supply of heli copters at a time when South Africa was under sanctions. The heli copters were later unveiled by Armscor as a new development known as the Oryx (Flight Inter national, 1 -6 May, 1996). Eurocopter has insisted all along that it had nothing to do with die deal. A company source says: "South Africa had a licence to build its own helicopters, so they hardly needed to buy ours." Philippe Harache, Eurocopter's commercial executive vice-presi dent, told a South African news paper that the company has been a victim of a smear campaign to weaken its position in the battle to sell helicopters to South Africa. • Russia's naval fighters take to the air RUSSIA'S NAVAL FIGHTER air regiment resumed flying in May after a five-month break imposed by a lack of funding. Sukhoi Su-27K Flankers (pictured) and Su-25UTG Frogfoots were flown from the naval air base at Severomorsk in northern Russia. Carrier operations from the Admiral Kuznetsov are planned for early June. RMAF receives first upgraded Fulcrums MIG MAPO's joint venture Aerospace Technology Sys tems (ATSC) service company has completed a Phase III and IV avionics and weapons upgrade of the Royal Malaysian Air Force's (RMAF) first two MAPO MiG- 29N Fulcrum fighters. The improvements are focused on upgrading the fighters' weapons control systems, allowing for the integration in 1999 of Vympel R-77 (AA-12 Adder) active radar guided missiles and Kh-27T (AS- 14 Kedge) air-to-surface missiles. Other modifications include the installation of retractable inflight refuelling probes and increasing combat loads to 4,000kg. ATSC Combat Aircraft Division's new site at Kuantan AB plans to complete the upgrade of the RMAF's remaining 14 single- seat MiG-29s by Aprifl 999. Q 18 FLIGHT INTERNATIONAL 20 - 26 May 1998
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