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Aviation History
2002
2002 - 0401.PDF
DEFENCE AIR-TO-AIR TANKERS The RAF refuelled US Navy fighters during the Afghanistan conflict RAF Afghanistan refueling influences FSTA consortia AirTanker and TTSC take operational experience on board as bid deadline approaches Lessons emerging from the UK Royal Air Force's in-flight refuelling operations in the war in Afghan istan are influencing the two com petitors bidding for the UK's Future Strategic Tanker Aircraft (FSTA). Meanwhile, the date for the sub mission of best and final offers has slipped back from last week to the end of next month. FSTA is to be funded as a private finance initiative (PFI), in which a contractor will be chosen to pro vide a service. The UK Ministry of Defence says it intends to continue seeking a PFI if it "remains the best value money solution". The Defence Procurement Agen cy (DPA) says the delay is because "negotiations continue to ensure a high quality PFI can be provided throughout the [27 years] of the contract." The DPA says it is reducing programme risk before the down- select, to "give the consortia the best information to present to the banks". The agency adds that it plans a downselect at year-end, with a con tract signature next year. Bidding for FSTA are AirTanker, comprising Cobham's FR Aviation, EADS, Haliburton KBR (formerly Brown & Root), Rolls-Royce and Thales offering new Airbus A330s; while Tanker Transport Support Company (TTSC), the BAE Sys tems, Boeing, Serco and Spectrum Capital venture, is offering ex- British Airways Boeing 767s. According to a programme source, one Afghanistan war lesson is that "we've never done anything like this before, and the contract underpinning FSTA therefore has to be robust to accept changes [that are needed during a conflict]. Flexibility is the key to air power, and to a successful PFI." Third-party revenue will be a major element of the FSTA pro gramme (Flight International, 11-17 December). Keith Archer-Jones, TTSC bid director, says there is a lot of interest in the 767 in the freight and express-parcels markets. Leasing TTSC aircraft would "give capacity without ownership, and is useful during recession". He says, however, that it is unlikely that aircraft will fly with the RAF during the day, and as a freighter at night. AirTanker marketing director Tim MacMahon says the charter market is showing interest in the consortium's A330s, with a UK- based charter airline believed to be close to signing a contract for the aircraft. Following the 11 September at tacks, the commercial aircraft mar ket has suffered, which could allow AirTanker to take over manufac turer slots from airlines that wish to defer orders, says MacMahon. HELICOPTER UPGRADES LUBOMIR SEDLAK / PRAGUE Visegrad nations to tie up on Hind Four central European states are discussing co-operative upgrade programmes for their Russian-built Mil Mi-24 Hind combat heli copters. The initiative was agreed by defence ministers from the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland and Slovakia at recent negotiations. Jindrich Ploch, director of the Czech national arms procurement agency, says each of the Visegrad countries will choose an element of the helicopter, such as the engines or fuselage, to concentrate on. Around 100 Mi-24s could be ren ovated, at a cost estimated at between CKr 15-20 billion ($400- 540 million). Ploch suggests that a Czech state-owned company, LOM Malesice, which specialises in heli copter maintenance, could be asked to co-ordinate the project. The Czech government initially proposed the initiative to the three other countries. The programme is the latest in a series of proposals for the Visegrad countries to co-oper ate on defence procurement. Modernised Mi-24s would allow the Czech armed forces to partici pate in NATO operations. They could also be used for anti-tenor- ism operations, carrying airmobile troops in the 10-seat cabin. Poland has already started the search for an avionics upgrade to NATO standards for its 40 Mi-24s. A life-extension programme to keep the helicopters in service until 2015-17 is expected to be imple mented at the same time the avion ics work is performed. • Polish defence minister Jerzy Szmajdzinski has confirmed that Poland is now seeking 48 new fighters rather than a mix of 16 used and 44 new-build aircraft. • Eurocopter is offering Tele- phonics maritime surveillance- and-search radars as standard on its aircraft. The four-year deal covers the APS-143B(V)3 imag ing radar and RDR-1400/1500/ 1600/1700 surveillance radars. • Lockheed Martin has re ceived US Air Force contracts totalling $2.68 billion for the sec ond low-rate initial production batch of 13 F-22s, and other work on the stealthy air-superior ity fighter. • Raytheon is to produce 100 AIM-120C5 air-to- air missiles for Greece under a $41.6 million contract. A second $34.3 million deal covers 206 AGM-65G Maverick air-to-sur face missiles plus training rounds for South Korea, Spain and the United Arab Emirates. • Environmental Tectonics (ETC) has sold a GAT-II low-cost simulator to the Tunisian min istry of defence's aeromedical school for flight and spatial dis orientation training. The device will support training for a single- turboprop aircraft and generic light-utility helicopter. ETC has won a $2 million contract from an unidentified South American air force to upgrade an aeromedical centre with equipment including a Gyro-IPT physiological trainer. • France's defence procure ment agency, the DGA, has awarded Alcatel Space and Thales Communications con tracts worth €170 million ($146 million) to develop and produce the SHF-band Modem XXI high speed modem for the Syracuse III military satellite communica tion system and for research into EHF-band links for secure tacti cal terminals. • Vosper Thorny- croft's VTAerospace and the UK Ministry of Defence's Equipment Support (Air) arm have signed a £12 million ($17 million) a year contract to pro vide maintenance and logistics support for the Royal Air Force's Shorts Tucano basic trainer fleet. The contract will run until the Tucano is retired. • Poland will pay a token €1 for the 23 RSK MiG-29s it will receive from Germany in a $28.8 million deal for 128 Leopard II battle tanks (Flight International, 5-11 Feb ruary). Polish deputy defence minister Janusz Zemke says the first 13 aircraft arrive this year. www.fliqhtinternational.com FLIGHT INTERNAT IONAL 12-18 FEBRUARY 2002 17
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