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Aviation History
2000
2000 - 0019.PDF
F-18 to get USN life extension PAUL LEWIS/PATUXENT RIVER THE US NAVY plans to extend the structural life of about one-quarter of its fleet of Boeing F/A-18C/D Hornet fighters until at least 2019 to make up for the shortfall in planned fol low-on Super Hornet numbers. The navy plans a "destructive tear-down" of a Hornet in 2000 into l,290mnr (2 in') pieces to vali date previous fatigue testing and identify potential problems. "We look for as much lead time as possi ble - we don't want to be surprised in service," says Bill Taylor, F/A-18 Fleet Support IPT leader. Also, the USN has awarded Northrop Grumman an initial $4.4 million contract to build four replacement F/A-18C/D centre barrel subassemblies. The pro gramme is expected to extend to at least 200 aircraft over the next 10 years - about 25% of the USN's F/A-18A/B and C/D inventory. The high wear and tear sub assembly extends from aft of the cockpit to forward of the engine bay. It encompasses the wing root, main landing gear trunnion and mid-keel, which is the main load path for catapult take-offs and arrester-hook landings. "Replacing the centre barrel removes 90% of potential problem areas," says Dan Polakovics, head of the tactical aircraft strengths and USN hopes to rejuvenate the F/A-18, to stay in service for another 19 years airframe technical branch. The new barrels are virtually identical to the earlier subassem blies in terms of material and over all dimension, but have thicker gauge radius and the longerons are reinforced in selected areas. Air craft will be modified at depot level, using tools and techniques devel oped to repair damaged F/A-18s. Boeing designed the F/A-18 for a 6,000h operational life, although some components were bench test ed to 24,000h and 2,000 aircraft carrier cycles. Despite accelerated use in the Gulf and Balkans, most of the USN fleet will reach this fatigue ceiling and beyond without modifications. The oldest aircraft are expected to reach the end of their structural life by 2013. Extending the aircraft's service by six to seven years will require pushing the fatigue life to 9,000- 12,000h and, more importantly, 2,700 carrier cycles. "The centre barrel replacement is intended to achieve that," says Taylor. Having retired the Grumman A-6 and with plans to retire North rop Grumman F- 14A/Ds between 2003 and 2008, the USN will rely increasingly on the F/A-18 until the Joint Strike Fighter is fielded. Cuts have reduced the navy's planned F/A-18E/F purchase from 1,000 to potentially as few as 548 aircraft. • Brazil looks at aircraft carrier replacement BRAZIL HAS begun talks with France over the replacement of the South American country's only aircraft carrier, the Minas Gerais. The discussions took place during meetings considering a wide range of co-operative projects. The French Direction General de l'Armements (DGA) proposed a $50 million deal to transfer the 32,OOOt Foch to the Brazilian navy in 2005/6. Under any agreement, the 3 7-year-old carrier's weapons would be removed, but its propul sion systems would be overhauled and the catapult and arrester gear replaced. The DGA's offer comes soon after a group of French companies - Aerospatiale Matra, Dassault, Snecma and Thomson-CSF - acquired a 20% interest in Brazil's aircraft manufacturer, Embraer. All four French companies are involved in the Dassault Rafale, which the French navy is acquiring to equip the Charles de Gaulle, the nuclear-powered aircraft carrier replacing the Foch, the French navy's only active carrier. Sources indicate that a $520 mil lion financing arrangement with the BNP Paribas Group, linked to upgrades for the Brazilian navy's Eurocopter Cougars and equip ment acquisitions for the Brazilian marines is conditional on the sale of the Foch. Brazil's Minas Gerais was com pleted in 1944 as a light carrier for the UK's Royal Navy. It was deliv ered to Brazil in 1957 and has since received six refits. The carrier needs a $20 million refit to allow unrestricted operation of McDonnell Douglas A-4KU Skyhawks acquired by the Brazilian navy from Kuwait. Without a fur ther refit, the Minas Gerais faces decommissioning in 2006. Brazil has reviewed a number of options to replace the ship in recent years, but budget constraints have prevented a decision. • NZ could dump F-16s to purchase C-130s NEW ZEALAND Prime Minister Helen Clark says her new government is considering using funds allocated to acquire 28 Lockheed Martin F-16 aircraft from the USA to instead buy Lockheed Martin C-130 Hercules transports. Clark said on 13 December that a review of the F-16 acquisition would be carried out by Derek Quigley, head of the New Zealand parliament's foreign affairs, defence and trade committee. Clark said that advice she had received indicated New Zealand would incur no financial penalty if it backed out of the F-16 deal. Before last month's national election, New Zealand defence officials claimed that abandoning the deal - finalised at die beginning of August - could cost up to NZ$70mi)lion ($34.7 million) in damages payments. New Zealand has options, valid until 2002, for up to six C-130J-30s as part of the Royal Australian Air Force acquisition agreement with Lockheed Martin signed in December 1996. The Royal New Zealand Air Force currently oper ates five CT30Hs. • NEWS IN BRIEF • EUROFIGHTER BASES The UK Ministry of Defence has outlined its plans for the Eurofighter's service entry. The first aircraft will be deliv ered to a Royal Air Force Operational Evaluation Unit at BAE Systems' Warton fac tory from mid-2002. An Operational Conversion Unit and the first squadrons are scheduled to be formed at Coningsby, Lincolnshire, in 2004, with subsequent squadrons being formed at Leeming, Yorkshire, in 2006 and at Leuchars, Scotland, in 2008. AH three bases are home to Panavia Tornado F3s. Sepecat Jaguars will also be replaced by the Eurofighter and a study is planned to be launched on the future of Coltishall, the Jaguar base. FLIGHT INTERNATIONAL 22 December 1999 - 3 January 2000 17
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