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Aviation History
2000
2000 - 1531.PDF
DEFENCE UK seeks Eurof ighter savings RAF pilots may have to train with derated EJ200 engines ANDREW DOYLE/MUNICH THE UK is reviewing the use of derated Eurojet EJ200 engines to power its Eurofighters as part ofa drive to cut costs at the cash-strapped Ministry of Def ence. The Royal Air Force is already dropping the cannon from the aircraft in an effort to reduce capital and support costs. Industry sources say the MoD is studying various options for adapt ing thrust to generate potential savings by reducing spares and maintenance needs. "They are examining this as a means of saving money in the short term," says a source close to the MoD. Any change to the thrust rating could be achieved through soft ware changes and would be easily deactivated if required, for example during conflict. A decision to der ate the 20,0001b-thrust (89kN) EJ200 would probably raise con cerns, however, over the quality of Eurofighter training available to RAF pilots. Eurojet is believed to be study ing ways of introducing improve ments into the EJ200 that could reduce maintenance costs, although this would require a greater up-front investment in the engines by the MoD. Another course of action could be to take the initial production batch of Eurofighters with the standard engine, and later switch to the pro posed 23,0001b EJ230 growth ver sion, derated to 20,0001b, for the second tranche. Although the MoD declines to comment on the moves, it is believed that the cuts are part of a wider study to reduce the cost of acquiring and supporting the planned 232 fighters. Last week it emerged that the 27mm Mauser cannon was being dropped from all but the first 55 aircraft on order Flight International, 9-15 May). • Rolls-Royce has carried out studies into a possible turboprop version of the EJ200 that could be offered to power the Airbus Military Company A400M trans port. The UK company is, howev er, understood to have decided to remain faithful to its BR700-based solution, known as the BR700-TP, which it views as offering the best technical and commercial package. An EJ200-based bid could have brought together Eurojet partners R-R, MTU, FiatAvio and ITP into a single camp, isolating. Snecma, which is now teamed with MTU and FiatAvio, offering the M88-based Ml38 turboprop. The manufacturers have come under political pressure to find a joint solution that would be of interest to all the major nations expected to buy theA400M. • USAF orders F-15s and F-16s THE US AIR Force has signed contracts for additional Boe ing F-15Es and Lockheed Martin F- 16Cs that will help both aircraft to remain viable contenders for future domestic and export fighter sales. Boeing has received a $227 mil lion contract for three F-15Es for delivery between May and October 2002. This restarts the F-15 line and includes an option for up to two more aircraft, if the USAF can find the funds. Congress had allocated funds for five aircraft, but the pro duction hiatus pushed the price up. Lockheed Martin has received a $107 million contract for nine Block 50 F-16Cs, with an option for a tenth, for delivery beginning in March 2002. They are the first of 30 the USAF plans to buy. The air force, meanwhile, has stepped up interest in the possible retrofit of up to 450 Block 50 F-16s with a derated version of the General Electric Fl 10-132 engine being developed for United Arab Emirates Block 60 F-16s. GE Fl 10 programme manager Tom Maxwell says the USAF will second observers to the Fl 10-132 development programme, alth ough it is not contributing funds. The-132 is ratedat32,500lb thrust (145kN), compared with 29,0001b for die current -129. Speaking at the International Gas Turbine & Aeroengine Cong ress in Munich, Germany, Maxwell said the USAF is interested in a so- called "-132A" derated to 29,0001b. This would reduce sup port costs dramatically by extend ing the interval between major overhauls by 50%, to 6,000 cycles. Deliveries of the -132 to the UAE are to begin in August 2003. Pratt & Whitney is developing a more powerful version of its com peting F100 engine, producing up to 34,0001b thrust. The FlOO-232 is being offered for both the F-15 and the F-16. Potential customers include Israel and Saudi Arabia. • New Zealand moves P-3 to bottom of the list THE NEW ZEALAND Government has relegated the Project Sirius avionics and sen sors upgrade for the Royal New Zealand Air Force's Lockheed Martin P-3 Orion fleet close to the bottom of its list of priorities, despite approval in principle for the programme from the previous government. The best and final offer submit ted by Raytheon in January for the six-aircraft upgrade is NZ$445 million ($218 million), which is more than double the NZ$210 million figure approved by the government two years ago. According to the defence ministry, negotiations are continuing to reduce programme costs to an acceptable level. Defence officials say the increase can be attributed to a combination of inflation and a drop in the value of the New Zealand dollar from $0.70 to $0.48. The aircraft are already undergoing the NZ$100 million Project Kestrel structural upgrade. Sirius calls for a new data management system, radar and electronic support measures, a replacement magnetic anomaly detector and the introduction of an electro-optical sensor suite. According to New Zealand media reports, Prime Minister Helen Clark says: "In the generally agreed prioritisation for defence purchasing, the army comes at the top, then airlift and maritime lift capacity comes second, issues of surveillance - maritime and air - come third, and the air combat issue has been at the bottom." In March, the government cancelled a lease of 28 Lockheed Martin F-16 fighters signed with the USA by the previous administration. J 16 FLIGHT INTERNATIONAL 16 - 22 May 2000
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