FlightGlobal.com
Home
Premium
Archive
Video
Images
Forum
Blogs
Jobs
Shop
RSS
Email Newsletters
You are in:
Home
Aviation History
2001
2001 - 0676.PDF
L>~r2HCE USMC KC-130J programme slips PAUL LEWIS/WASHINGTON DC THE US Marine Corps is facing almost a year's slippage in its Lockheed Martin KC-130J programme as die result of prob lems discovered with die tanker's new Flight Refuelling-built pod, which has compounded wider delays in completion of final avion ics software load. Delivery of six KC-13 OJs to die USMC has been on hold since last August while Lockheed Martin tries to complete contractual flight testing. Payment on an initial tanker handed over to the US Navy's Patuxent River test facility for training and government testing has also been withheld. "We've had some issues and some of die delays are the same as die US Air Force," concedes Col Doug Isleib, C-130 deputy pro gramme manager. "We're now targeting to get an agreement widi die contractor by April and deliver die six aircraft by July." The USMC, like other opera tors, is still awaiting the final Block 5.3 software which Lockheed Martin hopes to deliver by April. The C-130J's mission computer and ground-based data system have suffered from a series of Block 5.2 error messages that have hit the US Air Force's mission capable rate. Lockheed Martin is also trying to overcome problems affecting the tanker's Mk32-901E aerial refuelling system. The most recent has been the discovery of cracking in the hose/drogue coupling, which experiences greater turbu lence and inflight movement than the Sargent Fletcher system on the earlier KC-130F/R/T. Solutions have been identified for an earlier cold soak problem caused by the KC-130J's higher 30,000-35,OOOft(9,100to 10,670m) operating altitude. A stronger tita nium ejector spring has also been fitted to overcome a stiffer drogue while seals on the electronically controlled pod are being reworked. "We're on hold while Lockheed Martin tries to figure out what is causing the cracking. We then hope to conduct a review of all the changes made over the last few months," says Isleib. The USN will then provide a Boeing F/A-18 and Sikorsky CH-53 helicopter for contractor inflight refuelling tests. Once completed, the USN hopes to begin its own 12-month flight test and operational evalua tion leading to initial operating capability by August 2002. The USMC in the meantime is strug gling to keep its 40-year-old KC-130F/Rs operating. The fleet has shrunk to 49 aircraft as the result of fatigue. • Canadian forces decide less is more in fleet upgrade programme CANADA PLANS to make do with a smaller but more mod ern fleet of aircraft and helicopters in an effort to cut costs. By the end of next year, the num ber of active aircraft will shrink to 280, from 480 six months ago when 119 Canadair CT-114 Tutor train ers were retired, leaving just 17. The number of Boeing CF-18 Hornet fighters, the backbone of the Air Command, will be cut from 125 to 80, while Lockheed Martin CP-140 Aurora maritime patrol aircraft numbers will drop by five to 16. Remaining CF-18s will receive an avionics upgrade as part of a $726 million modernisa tion programme (Flight Inter- Canada is retiring its Buffalos as part of a major force reduction plan national, 9-15 January). The Bell CH-146 Griffon helicopters Auroras are also being upgraded beingreducedto75whileCanada's in a series of modification pro- seven de Havilland CC-115 grammes. Buffaloes are being retired. Othercutswillseethefleetof99 All 33 Canadian Forces Lockheed Martin CC-130 Hercules will be retained, but their annual flying rate will be reduced by about 1,500h. "We're looking at future strategic airlift capabilities which may replace some of the Hercules by some undetermined aircraft," says Gen Doug Langton, head of air force development. "And despite the reduction in air craft numbers, our capabilities will in fact increase due to our mod ernisation programme." Canada has been briefed on the European ; A400M and Boeing C-17. J "What we are doing is investing in and modernising and upgrading our air force," defence minister Art Eggleton told Parliament. • Slingsby to appeal against US ruling blaming trainer for fatal crash SLINGSBY AVIATION plans to appeal against a US district court's ruling that the UK manu facturer is responsible for the 1997 crash of a US Air Force operated T-3 A Firefly trainer that killed the instructor and cadet pilot. It also faces another product liability case bought by the family of a second dead Air Force Academy student. A federal jury has awarded Cadet Pace Weber's parents $4 million damages against Slingsby arising from the third and final fatal crash of a T-3 before the USAF ground ed the trainer. The family of Cadet Dennis Rando, who was killed in a second T-3 accidentin 1996, is also suing Slingsby. Plaintiff lawyer Robert Parks blamed the crash on an "ill designed, defective fuel delivery system and an aircraft with danger ous spin characteristics". The USAF decided to permanendy ground the T-3 after abandoning efforts to modify and flight test a modified fuel system. Slingsby's defence presented video testimony from two USAF Test Center test pilots who gave the T-3 a clean bill of health after eval- uatingtheaircraftfor300hin 1998. "Their feeling was the aircraft should be returned to service unmodified," says defence lawyer John Murray. The USAF blamed the first crash in 1995, which also killed the student and instructor, and die last accident on pilot error. In the case of the second accident, die USAF did not pinpoint blame, but said the instructor should have been able to land. None of die accident reports, however, were admissible in the Florida court. Murray claims that none of the accidents were due to vapour- induced engine failures, as stop pages at high temperatures were confined to ground running. • 20 FLIGHT INTERNATIONAL 27 February - 5 March 2001
Sign up to
Flight Digital Magazine
Flight Print Magazine
Airline Business Magazine
E-newsletters
RSS
Events
