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Aviation History
2000
2000 - 0765.PDF
British Army Air Corps takes its first Apache Longbow STEWART PENNEY/LONDON GKNWESTLAND handed over the first WAH-64 Apache Longbow attack helicopter to the British Army Air Corps (AAC) on 15 March. The AAC has 67 Apaches on order, all equipped with the Northrop Grumman Longbow radar. AAC machines are powered by Rolls-Royce Turbomeca RTM322s instead of the General Electric T700s in all other Boeing AH-64s. Other features unique to UK Apaches are manual blade-folding, to allow routine operation from navy ships in support of Royal Marine amphibious operations; rotor de-icing; provision for air-to- air missile (AAM) carriage; and the reinstatement of the back-up con trol system, which has been deleted on US Army AH-64Ds during the upgrade from AH-64A standard. Additional differences to other AH-64s will include use of the BAE Systems Helicopter Integrated defensive Aids Suite (HIDAS), which will be fitted from aircraft 22 and retrofitted to earlier machines; an improved identification friend or foe, with Mode S capability; and a basic health and usage monitor ing system. Boeing vice-president US Army programmes and helicopters Chuck Vehlow says a memoran dum of understanding, to be signed shortly, will allow the flowback of UK-specific systems and capabili ties to the US Army's machines. A UK Defence Procurement Agency source says the in-service date for an AAM has slipped by two years to 2005. Although there is funding to equip the Apache with an AAM, the source says a balance of investment exercise is determin ing whether the money would be better spent on other changes, such as giving the HIDAS an active jam ming capability. While the Shorts Missile Systems Starstreak is con sidered the most likely AAM, oth ers include the Matra BAe Dynamics (MBD) xMistral, Ray theon Stinger and, "as a long shot", the MBD ASRAAM short-range infrared-guided missile. Other possible improvements include second-generation for ward looking infrared systems for the piloting and targeting sensors, but such upgrades may be linked to similar moves by the US Army. The first machine is instrument ed to support military aircraft release testing, while other key testing for the non-marinised Ap ache includes clearing the machine for use on Royal Navy ships from later this year. The UK Apaches will be split between four regiments - three at Wattisham in Suffolk and one at Dishforth in Yorkshire. 2 The first WAH-64 Apache has been handed over to the British Army F-22 flights halt for f laperon rib repairs NEW FLAPERON ribs are being installed on Lockheed Martin/BoeingF-22 Raptors at the US Air Force's Edwards AFB, California, flight-test centre. The action follows discovery of a dam aged rib during static testing. Delamination of a composite rib in the left-hand flaperon was dis covered late last month, during ultimate-load testing of the F-22 static-test article at Lockheed Martin's Marietta, Georgia, plant. The damage was caused by exces sive strain, the company says. Lockheed Martin will replace the affected component with a tita nium rib in die left- and right-hand flaperons. F-22 flight testing.has been halted as a precaution until the new ribs are installed. The first aircraft is due to be back in the air on 23 .March, followed a few days later by the second aircraft. The third F-22 arrived at Edwards on 15 March, after a cross-country ferry flight from Marietta, and will be fitted with the new ribs before entering the flight test programme. Lockheed Martin says the rib problem has had no impact on schedule or cost. • The US General Accounting Office says F-22 development can stay within budget provided that there are no more programme extensions or cost increases. The Congressional watchdog says the USAF and contractors have found S860 million in savings to offset potential cost increases of S757 million. This will allow devel opment to stay within the increased Congressional cost cap of S20.4 billion. 3 Allied Force prompts Joint STARS upgrade LAST YEAR'S NATO air war against Yugoslavia has resulted in "quick reaction" modifications to the US Air Force's Northrop Grumman E-8C Joint Surveil lance and Target Attack Radar System (Joint STARS). Mean while, Northrop Grumman ex pects to be under contract next month to begin engineering and manufacturing (EMD) of the Radar Technology Insertion Programme (RTIP). Operation Allied Force under lined the need for Joint STARS to operate with otiier command and control and intelligence-gathering platforms, such as the Boeing E-3 Sentry Airborne Warning and Control System and the Boeing RC-135 Rivet Joint electronic surveillance aircraft. As a result, Joint STARS is to exercise regularly with such plat forms. In December, the E-8, Sentry and RC-135 were flown together, wiuH the crews exchang ing ideas on tactics, techniques and procedures. Joint exercises will be conducted quarterly, with the next one due this month. During Allied Force, the E-8C's 16 mission specialists were on duty for up to 15h without relief. Under the fast-track Combat Readiness Exploitation Workstation (CREWS 2000) programme, six flat-screen displays have been added to an E-8C's crew rest area, allowing extra operators to be car ried. Operations concepts for CREWS 2000 will be developed in upcoming exercises, but USAF programme officials say die work stations will become permanent Joint STARS equipment. The RTIP upgrade - worth S 1.3 billion - will keep Joint STARS in service until at least 2017. It includes the APY-X two-dimen sional electronically scanned active array radar. The 105-month RTIP EMD was approved in January, with a contract expected next month. The first five RTIP E-8Cs will not be operational until 2012. Northrop Grumman delivered the seventh Joint STARS earlier thismondi. • FLIGHT INTERNATIONAL 21 - 27 March 2000 21
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