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Aviation History
2001
2001 - 1262.PDF
KKKr Turkish air force advances SENIOR US Air Force leaders are to determine whether longer range versions of the Boeing AGM-86C/D Conventional Air Launched Cruise Missile (CALCM) or Lockheed Martin Joint Air-to-Surface Standoff Missile (JASSM) will fill the pend ing requirement for an Extended Range Cruise Missile (ERCM), according to USAF officials. ERCM is an interim solution until the Long Range Cruise Missile (LRCM) is fielded in around 2010. Potential interim candidates include a more capable CALCM, a turbofan-powered JASSM with an estimated 1,850km (l,000nm) range and a variant of the Raytheon Advanced Cruise Missile. The USAF leadership recently asked the CALCM and JASSM programme management for tech nical data on the feasibility of field ing extended range variants of the weapons. Boeing would develop a lightweight CALCM Block 3A powered by a refurbished turbofan engine. The current JASSM design would be retained, but the missile would be fitted with die Williams International turbofan. Empty space in JASSM would accommo date an enlarged fuel tank. "The USAF has yet to decide which weapon will bridge die gap between CALCM and LRCM," say USAF officials. Cost is a central issue and a final determination on die ERCM development is not due before the end of this year. Officials believe an extended range JASSM could be fielded widiin 30 months of a programme go-ahead. • NEWS IN BRIEF • UKRAINIAN AN-70 DEAL Ukraine's defence ministry and the Aviant aircraft pro duction plant have signed a deal for the manufacture of the first five Antonov An-70 transports for the Ukrainian air force. Assembly of the first An-70 will be completed next year. The air force requires 65 An-70s while the Russian air force is seeking 164 trans ports, to be built in Russia. basic trainer replacement PAUL LEWIS/WASHINGTON DC THE TURKISH air force has embarked on a search for a new basic trainer to replace its Cessna T-37B/C jets, which could provide a welcome source of new work for Tusas Aerospace Industries (TAI) as it tries to fill the void left by die end of Lockheed Martin F-16 license production. Turkey has solicited information from potential bidders and expects to release a request for proposals next year for up to 50 trainers. "Our T-37 training aircraft are more than 40 years old and we plan to phase them out by 2005 and will need a new aircraft in the next five years," says Maj Gen Aktug Atay, Turkish air force chief plans and principles. Initial air force attention has focused on four contenders, all tur- boprops - the Embraer EMB-314 Super Tucano, Korean Aerospace KT-1, Pilatus PC-9 and Raytheon T-6A Texan II. "We've already received briefings and are investi gating life cycle costs," adds Atay. Turkey plans to retain its fleet of 69 Northrop Grumman T-38 Talon advanced trainers and is looking at a structural life exten sion and avionics upgrade similar to the Boeing/Israel Aircraft Industries (IAI) upgrade of the US Air Force's T-3 8s. IAI is teamed with Elbit and Singapore Aeros pace to modernise 48 Turkish Northrop F-5A/Bs. In line with past practice, any new trainer aircraft would likely be produced by TAI. The company delivered the last of 278 locally built F-16s 15 months ago and is seeking additional military and civil work. The Turkish air force requires an attrition batch of 32 F-16s, but has not been able to secure fund ing, says Erol Okay, TAI chair man. TAI attention is turning to the army's planned acquisition of 145 Bell Helicopter Textron AH- 1Z King Cobra attack helicopters and local participation in the Joint Strike Fighter should Turkey elect to join the development phase. Ankara, in the meantime, has given the navy approval to order an additional eight Sikorsky S-70B shipboard helicopters, along with six general purpose machines. Turkey will begin taking delivery this year of its initial batch of eight Seahawks ordered in 1997. Longer term plans call for die acquisition of six TAI-built EADS CN2 3 5 maritime patrol aircraft by 2004 and eight anti-submarine/ anti-surface warfare helicopters between 2006 and 2009, says Rear Adm Kadir Sagdic, Turkish navy chief plans and principles. • Su-30 upgraded to test next generation cockpit RUSSIA'S GROMOV Flight Test and Research Institute (LIT) has modified a Sukhoi Su-30 twin-seat fighter for the assessment of next generation cockpit systems. The rear seat is largely unchanged while die front cockpit is equipped with three large colour liquid crystal multifunction dis plays and other changes, says Aleksandr Garnayev, commander of the LII test pilots detachment and deputy chief of the institute. LII chief test pilot Anatoly Kvochur says the work is funded by "progressively-thinking manufac turing factories", probably refer ring to IAPO Irkutsk, where the Su-30 is manufactured. The com pany's badge appears on the side of the fighter. No state funding has been made available. Garnayev says the glass cockpit and the upgraded avionics - which include a modified RLPK-2 7 radar system - are more advanced than those in the Su-30MKK and Su-30MKI fighters exported to China and India respectively. "It allows the use of a longer list of guided weapons," he says. Garnayev declines to name the avionics integrator, saying only that "equipment came from vari ous suppliers". The MFDs are built by Korzhuyev Russian Avionics. IAPO technical directpr Aleksandr Veprev says the aircraft will undergo LII assessment for'; two to three months, followed s by full-scale tests if the assessment is positive. • The Russian flight test institute is studying an upgraded Su-30 cockpit 18 FLIGHT INTERNATIONAL 10 - 16 April 2001
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