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Aviation History
2002
2002 - 1769.PDF
HEADLINES DEFENCE PAUL LEWIS / MONTREAL & HARTFORD Prime contractors reveal JSF changes Airframe and engine refinements follow concept phase Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) prime con tractors Lockheed Martin and Pratt & Whitney have unveiled a num ber of important changes and refinements to the F-35 airframe and F135 powerplant as the pro gramme works towards final design and incorporates lessons learned during the concept demonstration phase. JSF is eight months into«a $30 billion full-development phase and at its first major milestone with the start of preliminary design review (PDR). "This is a series of events, with the engine having already completed PDR. Major suppliers will start next month, rolling up in March 2003 with the air system PDR," says Tom Burbage, Lockheed Martin JSF general manager. The decision has already been taken to modify the internal weapons bay of the short take-off vertical landing (STOVL) F-35 vari ant to accommodate 900kg (2,0001b) munitions, bringing it in line with that of the conventional take-off landing and carrier ver sions (CV). This has required inter nal rearranging of items such as the liftfan's digital electronic controls and includes fitting the aircraft with the same heavier doors and actuators as on the other versions. "On STOVL weight is king and so the requirement was to go with lighter weapons which allow for smaller doors and actuators to save weight. When we did our demon stration we had so much margin it opened up the possibility of a com mon bay on all three versions," says Burbage. The change could have an important bearing on the UK's pending decision between the STOVL and CV versions. Lockheed Martin is working with P&W to improve the design of the liftfan doors, which on the demonstrator opened and folded to the side. "With the liftfan directly behind the cockpit, that has induced some aero distortion in the inlet. We've just tested a rear-opening hatch," says Tom Farmer, P&W F135 engine pro gramme vice-president. The axisymmetric aft nozzle on the end of the STOVL's version's three-bearing swivel duct has been shortened by 75mm (3in) to improve ground and ship deck clearance during vertical landings. There is a slight increase in induced drag as a result. Other iniprovements to the STOVL propulsion system include new hollow liftfan blades from Rolls-Royce, a refined clutch incor porating new material and two fewer plates, a straddle-mounted drive shaft offering better rigidity and lower vibration and the elimi nation of variables vanes from the low-pressure turbine. AIR TRANSPORT New PW4000 fix ready to fly Pratt & Whitney aims in August to flight test on its ex-Air China Boeing 747SP testbed the first PW4000 modified to cure the engine's long-running compressor surge problems. The high-pressure compressor ring case modification kit is based on the design used in the PW4000 version developed for the 777, and has already been validated in flight tests on the SP "with very encour aging results", says Bob Leduc, P&W executive vice-president for large commercial engines. "We bought this 747SP to test engines that had failed in service as part of our root cause investiga tion," he adds. Certification of the baseline modification kit is expected around November. Retrofitting the 2,400 engines affected by the upgrade begin later in 2003 and is expected to be completed in the first quarter of 2007. Briefing SM-3 successfully launched MISSILE A Raytheon Standard SM-3 missile launched from the USS Lake Erie and guided by the Lockheed Martin Aegis weapon system intercepted a ballistic missile target over the Pacific Ocean in the 13 June test of the US Missile Defense Agency's sea-based midcourse defence system. It was the fourth successful flight and second consecutive hit for the SM-3 under the Aegis Lightweight Exo-Atmospheric Projectile Intercept project. GA return to Washington National delayed SECURITY The US government has delayed implementation of draft plans to restore general aviation operations at Washington Reagan National Airport for at least another month while it continues to assess security requirements. Operators had hoped to be allowed back into National this month after a nine-month ban. The Department of Justice, meanwhile, has released proposed rules requiring background checks on foreigners seeking flight training in the USA on aircraft weighing more than 5,700kg (12,5001b). Industry is concerned the procedures for initial flight training could prove unworkable. BMI adopts low-cost model RESTRUCTURE BMI British Midland has abandoned its full service fares system and restructured its operations around a pure low-cost airline model. Last week BMI started selling its tickets on a one-way basis for European routes, similar to budget carriers. BMI followed British Airways in dropping the Sunday rule in April. Austin Reid, chief executive of BMI, says that the change in fare structure is the result of an "exhaustive review" of the carrier's business model. Midway to return as ETOPS landing strip SAFETY Midway Island in the Pacific will again be available as an extended-range twin-engine operations (ETOPS) 24h alternative following the restoration of navigation and telecommunications equipment. The US Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS), which administers the island, is soon to commission a next generation weather observation system (NEXWOS) and non-directional beacon (NDB). Midway closed in April after former operator Midway Phoenix pulled out, but was able to re-open on 1 June after appointing American Airports as a temporary operator. FWS is confident it will restore telephone lines that are required for NEXWOS within weeks. BA second airline to test Boeing Connexion CONNECTIVITY Boeing has secured a second trial airline for its broadband Connexion in-flight internet and e-mail services, with British Airways signing for a three-month trial. The trial will start next February, with internet and e-mail services to be offered in the airline's first, business and enhanced-economy class cabins on a Boeing 747-400. The win is a welcome boost for Boeing which has only one other trial airline, Lufthansa, which will test the services on a 747-400 from January. Boeing lost its only firm airline customers, and three shareholders, when American Airlines, Delta Air Lines and United Airlines pulled out of a partnership deal following the terrorist attacks in the USA. Rival Tenzing, meanwhile, has secured Japan's All Nippon Airways for a trial to start next month. Rockwell to buy Airshow ACQUISITION Rockwell Collins has entered into an agreement to buy Airshow from Acterna in a $160 million deal. The purchase is expected to be completed in the fourth quarter of Rockwell's fiscal 2002, subject to regulatory approvals. Airshow, best known for its moving map flight display systems for the passenger cabin, achieved revenues of S65 million in its last financial year from its moving map, business aircraft cabin electronics systems, passenger entertainment and support systems. The purchase is part of Rockwell's move from a cockpit avionics supplier to provide "integrated solutions that bridge the flightdeck and cabin". www.flightinternational.com FLIGHT INTERNATIONAL 18-24 JUNE 2002 7
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