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Aviation History
2002
2002 - 1912.PDF
CONTRACTS • Asia Pacific Aerospace has won a A$49 million ($28 million) Australian Department of Defence contract for maintain ing General Electric T700 engines on Australian Army and Navy Sikorsky Black Hawk and Seahawk helicopters. The seven-year deal includes deep level maintenance, configuration management and training. • Bristow Helicopters has ordered two Bell 412s for use by the UK's Defence Helicopter Flying School, in a deal worth $11 million. • Signals Technology has received a $1 million Smiths Aerospace con tract to develop the low-voltage power supply for stores manage ment systems for the Boeing F/A-18E/F and AV-8B Harrier. • Harris has been selected to supply the global positioning system anti-jam module for Boeing's offering in the US Air Force's Small Diameter Bomb competition. A downselect between Boeing and Lockheed Martin is planned for next year. Harris has also been selected to lead the communications portion of Lockheed Martin's offering for the US Army's Aerial Common Sensor competition. • HR Textron is to supply the primary and utility actuation systems for Boeing's X-45B unmanned combat air vehicle (UCAV) and its subsequent ver sions. The company supplied actuators and controllers for the X-45A technology demonstrator now in flight test. The larger X-45B is to be the precursor to an operational US Air Force UCAV. • The US Department of Defense has notified Congress of possible sales of Raytheon Standard SM-2 naval surface-to-air missiles to Canada and Japan. Canada has requested 12 SM-2 Block IMA missiles and 12 Mk 13 Mod 0 canisters, which would be worth $19 million. Japan has request ed 16 missiles and 16 canisters, making any deal worth up to $24 million.* Under a $162.4 mil lion US Air Force contract, Boeing is to upgrade the global positioning system ground seg ment to support the modernised GPS IIR and IIF satellites that will introduce new civil and mili tary signals. DEFENCE CREW ESCAPE PAUL LEWIS / WASHINGTON DC Ejection-seat companies face new-product famine With funding for developments withdrawn, manufacturers are looking at upgrades Ejection-seat manufacturers Goodrich and Martin Baker are focusing attention on improving crew escape systems, with the prospect for new developments having evaporated together with US Congressional funding for the US Air Force/Navy Joint Ejection Seat Programme (JESP). "We've been asked to look at the ACES IPs arm and leg restraint sys tem. This is one of the things we were looking at under JESP and we'll be looking at its applicability to ACES 11," says Jeff Yaker, Goodrich president, aircraft seating and propulsion systems. The seat upgrade is primarily aimed at the Boeing F-15 and Lockheed Martin F-16, which have no restraints. As the size and weight of helmets increase with the addition of visor displays and night vision systems, there is also a grow ing need for head and neck restraints, adds Yaker. Goodrich and Martin Baker con ducted limited performance and cost trade-off studies under JESP, but further funding has been dropped from the fiscal year 2003 budget. The Congressional- mandated effort was intended to lead to the qualification of a new generation of seats by 2004-05, with the Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) seen as the most likely application. Lockheed Martin instead has selected the Martin Baker US16E seat for the F-35 JSF. With the Lockheed Martin/Boeing F-22 Raptor already equipped with a version of the ACES, there is no new platform application in sight. Goodrich had been hoping to use JESP to "Americanise" the Russian Zvezda K-36 seat - used in the RSK MiG-29 and Sukhoi Su-27 - which offers a higher-speed ejection capability. The loss of JESP funding "brings that to a halt for sure", says Yaker. The next major requirement will likely be a replace ment escape system for the USAF's 500 Northrop T-38 Talon trainers. Martin Baker and Goodrich wi Goodrich recently responded to an air force request for information. NASA has already selected the UK company's US16NL ejection seat to upgrade its 31 T-38s and recently test flew the first modified aircraft. Martin Baker executive vice- president Brian Miller says the company is also modifying 1,500 seats installed on the US Navy's Boeing F/A-18C/D, F/A-18E/F, T-45 and Grumman F-14 aircraft. The work is focused on accommodating a wider range of male and female pilots' weights, from 47- 111kg (103-2451b). continue ACES II development SPECIAL MISSIONS Israel shops for AEW Gulfstream Vs The Israeli air force will purchase additional Gulfstream V business jets to be converted to airborne early warning (AEW) platforms. Israel Aircraft Industries' (IAI) Elta division is offering the Phalcon AEW system and US companies will also be invited to offer radar systems so the air force can take advantage of the US foreign military sales funding system. The order for AEW platforms is expected to cover three or four air craft. Last year the Israeli air force ordered three GVs to be converted into electronic and signals intelli gence platforms to replace ageing Boeing 707s in these roles. Israel has had a long-standing requirement for AEW aircraft since it retired its Northrop Grumman E-2 Hawkeyes some years ago. IAI has been working on reduced-size Phalcon systems for "tactical markets". The one in- service system is mounted on a Chilean air force 707 while China had planned to use a Beriev A-50, a modified Ilyushin 11-76. Meanwhile, the air force is expanding its outsourcing con tracts and has issued a tender for support of its McDonnell Douglas A-4 Skyhawks, which are used as advanced trainers. Elbit Systems and IAI are com peting for the multi-year contract, with the winner to be paid on a per flying hour basis. The contract will allow the air force to allocate more technical staff to maintaining new Lockheed Martin F-16Is that are to be delivered from next year. IAI'S Bedek division has been maintaining the air force's 707s, Lockheed Martin C-130 Hercules and Aerospatiale Zukit (Magister) trainers, while Elbit recently won the contract to supply and operate Grob 120A elementary trainers. 18 2-8 JULY 2002 FLIGHT INTERNATIONAL www.fliqhtinternational.com
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