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Aviation History
2001
2001 - 0290.PDF
]~AL)LJf]£Z UK tests UAV to replace satellites RAMON LOPEZ/WASHINGTON DC GENERAL ATOMICS Aero nautical Systems has conclud ed the first phase of testing for a UK project aimed at seeing whether high-altitude, long endurance unmanned air vehicles can replace military communica tions satellites in relaying critical data between aircraft. The UK Defence Evaluation and Research Agency (DERA) Project Extendor envisages using UAVs such as the General Atomics Predator B as a relay platform for the Joint Tactical Information Distribution System (JTIDS) being fitted to a number of Royal Air Force tactical and support air- NEWS IN BRIEF • AEROFLOT IN VIRGIN TALKS Aeroflot has become the first airline to publicly confirm an interest in acquiring the Irish arm of Virgin Express. The Russian carrier says the talks with the Belgian based low- cost carrier over its opera tions in Ireland are one of several options it is consider ing to expand into the western European market. Aeroflot already operates to the Shannon base of Virgin's Irish scheduled operation. The airline was put up for sale in December and faces closure if a buyer is not found. • HAZELTON FIGHTS ON Hazelton Airlines says it is to continue efforts to seal a deal with Ansett for sale of the regional operation despite a decision by the Australian competition authorities to block bids by Ansett and Qantas unless they surrender a large number of slots at Sydney airport. Qantas has withdrawn, but Ansett, which has secured 36 per cent of Hazelton's stock and already has a partnership agreement, says it will battle to overcome objections. craft, allowing them to share data during an air campaign. The JTIDS data link is line-of- sight, however, and needs either a spacecraft or the much cheaper UAV to serve as a data and image relay station. The test was conducted at the firm's El Mirage, California, flight operations facility using a General Atomics RQ-1 Predator medium- altitude endurance UAV. It had been hoped to use the more capa ble Predator B, but it was not ready in time. DERA's evaluations used a Predator to pass real-time opera tional data from a ground-based forward air controller to an RAF Jaguar aircraft. Also involved in the British Midland's re-vamped identity and colour scheme was inadvertently exposed ahead of the formal unveiling at London Heathrow on 1 February. The two-week flight trial were the US Navy and US Air Force's UAV Battlelab at Eglin AFB, Florida, which trialled a Grumman F-14 and Lockheed Martin F-16 to further test the "sensor-to-shoot er" concept. Three scenarios were conduct ed using Rockwell Collins ARC- 210 radios to move imagery and text messages between the Predator and a ground control sta tion (GCS). In the first scenario, the FAC identified a target and relayed information to die Jaguar via Predator. The second scenario added Low Altitude Navigation and Targeting Infrared for Night and Fast Tactical Imagery images to the strike aircraft. airline's latest Airbus A320 was photographed at Toulouse in January adorned in the Landor Associates designed scheme and " British Midland International - The third scenario went one step further. In this case, the Predator captured video imagery of the tar get and passed it to the GCS, which selected three screenshots, anno tated with a target triangle, north indication arrow and target co ordinates. This information was thensentback through the UAV to the attack aircraft. Phase 2 of Project Extendor, to be conducted in September, will introduce an improved data modem. The third and final phase, which gets under way a year later, will add JTIDS to the flight trials. The Battlelab has previously demonstrated the surrogate satel lite concept, and the data was infor mally shared with the UK. • BMI" identity, which are being adopted as the airline prepares to launch transatlantic services from Manchester to the USA at the end of March. Gulf stream leads order boom for US business aircraft manufacturers LED BYGulfstream Aerospace, based manufacturer delivered 70 piston singles. Cessna ended the US business aircraft manu- completed aircraft last year and year with a $6.6 billion backlog, facturers have announced record ended 2000 with a $3.5 billion delivering a total of 1,258 aircraft, orders for 2000. Gulfstream book- order backlog. Raytheon Aircraft does not ed orders for 82 aircraft - 42 in die Cessna Aircraft booked orders report orders, but saw deliveries fourth quarter alone-including 2 7 for 415 Citation business jets last jump 31% last year to 525 aircraft of its new top-of-the-line GV-SPs, year, an increase of 14% over 1999. while its year-end backlog climbed launched three months ago. The Wichita, Kansas-based com- to $4.4 billion. The biggest Gulfstream's year 2000 order- pany's year 2000 orderbook also increases in orders were for the book also included 35 GIV-SPs and included 116 Caravan single-tur- mid-size Hawker 800XP and the 20 GVs. The Savannah, Georgia- boprop utility aircraft and 1,010 Premier I light business jet. • British Midland's rebranding breaks cover at Toulouse on A320 FLIGHT INTERNATIONAL 30 January - 5 February 2001
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