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Aviation History
2002
2002 - 0068.PDF
• France has committed to 20 more Dassault Rafale fighters, 12 for the air force and eight for the navy. The defence ministry has now ordered 61 Rafales, 36 for the air force and the rest for the navy. Dassault delivered 10 by the end of 2001 and is due to deliver another 13 this year. • Raytheon Systems is to remanufacture up to 434 Toma hawk cruise missiles to Block NIC configuration under a $320 million US Navy contract. Sister company Raytheon Aircraft is to supply a further 40 T-6A Texan turboprop trainers, plus four sim ulators, under a $193 million US Air Force contract. • Russian arms export agency Rosoboron- export has sealed a $400 million contract with China for "several batteries" of Almaz S-300PMU-2 (SA-10C/D Grumble) surface-to- air missile systems. This boosted Rosoboronexport sales volume for 2001 up to $4.4 billion. • Lockheed Martin will pro vide updates for MLU F-16s operated by Belgium, Den mark, the Netherlands and Norway under a $117 million contract. The M3 operation flight program update will allow use of the Joint Helmet-Mounted Cueing System (JHMCS), Link 16 datalink and precision weapons. The company will also supply 51 modular mission com puter and common colour multifunction display retrofit kits, 91 air-to-air interrogator kits and 16 JHMCS and Link 16 kits to upgrade US Air Force F-16s under a $85 million contract. Additionally, Lockheed Martin has received a $134 million contract to build two KC-130J tankers for the US Marine Corps. • Israel's Tadiran Spectralink has received a $7.5 million US Navy contract for 3,662 personal loca tor beacon/voice transceivers and 400 emergency locator transmitters. General Dynamics has received a $9.6 million USN contract to upgrade 1,422 PRC- 112B1 survival radios. • Sikorsky has produced one further UH-60L for Thailand under a $6.9 million contract. • Turkey has selected the Israel Military Industries Airmor self-protection system for its helicopters. The $105 million contract will be signed soon. DEFENCE PRODUCTION CUTS GRAHAM WARWICK / WASHINGTON DC Boeing lobbies to restore T-45 to economic level Manufacturer will pursue export sales, with Israel targeted, to offset drop in production Boeing is concerned about the con tinuation of production of the T-45 Goshawk jet trainer after US Navy procurement was cut to six aircraft for this year, half the minimum economic rate and down from the 14 ordered in fiscal year 2001. The company is lobbying for procurement of 12 aircraft annu ally from fiscal years 2003 to 2006, to complete the USN's requirement for 234 aircraft at an economic pro duction rate. Boeing says the USN has yet to complete its transition to the T-45 training system. While NAS Kingsville, Texas, is equipped with the T-45A for inter mediate and advanced training, the second training wing at NAS Meridian, Mississippi, has the digi tal-cockpit T-45C for advanced training but still uses the 30-year- old Rockwell T-2C Buckeye for intermediate training. From FY2003, the USN plans to upgrade T-45A aircraft and simula tors to T-45C Cockpit 21 standard, with head-up and multifunction displays similar to those in the USN's frontline fighters. "We want identical all-digital aircraft at both sites," says Lon Nordeen, T-45 busi ness development manager. Boeing is pursuing international sales to offset the fall in domestic The USN will receive just six Goshawk trainers this year production. The export potential for the carrier-capable Goshawk would seem limited, but Boeing has identified Israel as a prospect. The Israeli air force is expected to need replacements for its Israel Aircraft Industries Zukit intermedi ate and McDonnell Douglas TA-4 advanced jet trainers before the end of the decade. "Israel is one of a few possibili ties, but they do not have an offi cial programme," Nordeen says. With the Zukit, a locally upgraded Fouga Magister, not expected to be retired before 2006-8 and the TA-4 later, a competition is unlikely to be launched before year-end "and probably later", says Nordeen. Israel has a potential requirement for around 30 jet trainers, and is likely to consider some form of pri vately financed programme. The country is being targeted for the T/A-50 supersonic trainer being developed by Korea Aerospace In dustries and Lockheed Martin (f light International, 4-10 December 2001). Israel may also be a prospect for Boeing's upgraded Northrop T-38C supersonic trainer, which has substantial Israeli content. LOGISTICS Russia guarantees spares supplies for Indian Su-30s India and Russia have agreed on a streamlined support system follow ing Indian complaints that it is not receiving required spares. With more than two-thirds of its defence procurement budget spent with Russian firms, India has suffered service problems because of spares unavailability. The prob lem is exacerbated by the low mean-time between overhaul/ failure of Russian equipment. Russia is guaranteeing, with immediate effect, long-term, unin terrupted spares supply as well as the creation of production facilities for critical items. The deal includes Sukhoi Su-30MKI multirole fighter spares; Russia will supply 50 aircraft while India's Hindustan Aero nautics (HAL) will license-manufac ture another 140 over 14 years. Russian manufacturers will assist HAL's creation of indigenous support facilities for the Su-30. Dr Alexander Vaskin, co-ordina- tor of the Indo-Russian security forum, says aviation spares are a par ticular problem, adding: "Stream lining procedures for Su-30MKI products is all the more important since more than 300 Russian defence companies are involved in producing components." • India's Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) has criticised the delayed upgrade of Mikoyan MiG- 21 Fishbeds and Sepecat Jaguars. The CAG says the MiG-21s, due to be finished in 2001, will not be ready until 2004. The Jaguar navi gation and attack system upgrade, sanctioned in 1996, has not begun and the CAG does not believe it will be finished until 2006. 14 8-14 JANUARY 2002 FLIGHT INTERNATIONAL www.flightinternational.com
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