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Aviation History
1999
1999 - 0148.PDF
DEFENCE Indian air force calls for more upgrades HOWARD GETHIN/LONDON TNDIA'S DEFENCE industry J.has been urged to place more emphasis on upgrading existing aircraft for the air force because of the rising procurement costs of new types, by Deputy Chief of Air Staff Air Marshal Hussain Xaqvi. Naqvi's comment, in a speech at the Advanced Systems Integration and Evaluation Organisation foun dation day celebrations, highlights the Indian air force's need to field more advanced aircraft in the face of lengthening delays to the coun try's principal combat aircraft pro gramme, the Light Combat Aircraft, as well as deliveries of the Sukhoi Su-30MKI. Quoting the example of the MiG-21bis upgrade programme, carried out by Hindustan Aeronautics (HAL) and Russia's Sokol aircraft plant, Navqi says a similar programme may be required for the MiG-2 3, MiG-2 5, MiG-27 and MiG-29 fleets. The appeal follows an offer from MAPO of an SMT standard upgrade for India's MiG-29 fleet during the Aero India show in December last year. India is already planning an upgrade for the MiG- 27, which was produced under licence by HAL as the Bahadur. Although the exact nature of the upgrade is as yet undecided and is likely to be incremental, the air force is believed to have taken delivery of a number of Vinten reconnaissance pods for the air craft and is evaluating a new laser rangefinder. Night vision compatible avion ics, a cockpit with two multifunc tion displays, a new head-up display, cartridge data loading and an air refuelling capability were also shown on a MiG-27 upgrade display at the Aero India show. Naqvi also criticised the time taken to bring many projects to fruition, and the reliability of sys tems produced by India's Defence Research Development Organi sation. "Our metallurgy needs to be improved and systems need to be reliable and failsafe," he says, adding that the issue needed to be addressed to stop the forces shop ping overseas. Naqvi also empha sised the need for unmanned air vehicles and laser-guided weapons as areas of future importance for the Indian forces. 3 Storm Shadow/Scalp will be test fired in early 2000 Matra BAe cruises to test success MATRA BAE Dynamics has completed flight trials of the first Ibis imaging infrared sensor for the Storm Shadow/Scalp cruise missile. The trials were part of a series of subsystem tests under way for the weapon which will be a key part of the French air force and Royal Air Force armoury in the next decade. The Scalp is the French air force version of the weapon while the Storm Shadow will be deployed by the RAF. The sensor test, carried out on a Eurocopter Puma helicopter, has verified image data process algo rithms developed by Matra BAe and tested the performance of the Marconi/Thomson-CSF devel oped seeker. The Royal Ordnance Broach warhead has also been tested, with development proceeding into a contractual phase following four recent static firings. All subsystems have now been developed, Matra BAe says, includ ing the weapon controller, infrared sensor, radio altimeter, inertial navigation unit, and Sextant global positioning system receiver. Compatibility trials of the systems are under way at Velizy. The first guided test firings of the cruise missile are scheduled for early 2000. The l,300kg(2.8631b)cruise mis sile, powered by a Microturbo TRI60-30 turbojet, will be deployed on RAF Eurofighter EF2000s, British Aerospace Harrier and Panavia Tornados. The French will use the missile on Dassault Rafales andMirage 2000s. • USAF searches for KC-135 navigation/communications upgrade THE US AIR Force has issued a request for proposals (RFP) for a further upgrade of its entire fleet of Boeing KC-135 tanker air craft with a new global air traffic management (GATM) capability. The RFP comes as it nears a final decision on a similar modernisa tion of the avionics in its Lockheed C-5 Galaxy transport aircraft. According to the USAF's Aeronautical System Office, the service is looking primarily for an off-the-shelf commercial solution to its future need for communica tion, navigation and surveillance/ air traffic management (CNS/ ATM) compatibility. The air force plans to acquire and install 544 systems on its inven tory of KC-135 tankers and its derivative EC/RC-135 special mission aircraft. The KC-135 GATM upgrade will encompass an Inmarsat satel lite communications link, a VHF datalink and the addition of a sec ond global positioning/inertial navigation system (GPS/INS) to replace the aircraft's outdated Carousel 4 INS. The improvements will also provide for envisaged future GATM 2 software growth. Prop osals are due by early April, with an award by the end of June. GATM is intended as a follow- on to the Pacer CRAG cockpit and avionics modernisation of the KC-135, which Rockwell Collins has so far installed in just over 40 aircraft. Work primarily involves fitting five electronic flight infor mation displays, a weather radar and a GPS-equipped flight man agement system. Other improve ments entail fitting traffic collision avoidance (TCAS), ground prox imity warning systems (GPWS), emergency locator and flight and voice data recorders. The final line-up of bidders for the GATM programme has still to emerge, but will probably mirror the teaming arrangements for the C-5 Avionics Modernisation Pro gramme (AMP) with the probable addition of Boeing. The final C-5 selection, now- expected to be made in February, will be between Rockwell Collins and Raytheon or Honeywell tied with Lockheed Martin. The AMP is the equivalent of a combined GATM/Pacer CRAG upgrade for the USAF's fleet of 126 C-5s, including new glass cockpit displays, TCAS, GPWS and GPS. The USAF is planning to extend a CNS/ATM capability to all of its transport and tanker aircraft, with the McDonnell Douglas KC-lOs likely to be next in line. Some GATM capability has already been fitted to the Boeing C-17 Globemaster III and will form part of the planned Lockheed Martin C-130X AMP upgrade (Flight International, 6-12 January, P12). • 22 FLIGHT INTERNATIONAL 27 January - 2 February 1999
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