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Aviation History
2003
2003 - 2914.PDF
DEFENCE COMPETITION CRAIG HOYLE / LONDON Bidders vie for Watchkeeper deal Northrop Grumman and Thales UK deliver technical submissions for UAV programme, with selection due in mid-2004 The two companies in competition for the UK's £800 million ($1.4 billion) Watchkeeper unmanned air vehicle requirement delivered their technical submissions for the project to the UK Defence Procurement Agency (DPA) on 18 December. Northrop Grumman ISS Inter national and Thales UK are vying to equip the UK armed forces with intelligence, surveillance, target acquisition and reconnaissance ser vices from 2006, through the deliv ery of tactical- and medium-level drones. To operate within the UK's future network-enabled battlespace, the UAVs are scheduled to achieve full operating capability in 2007-8. Candidate platforms for the requirement are the RUAG Aerospace Ranger and the RQ-8A Firescout vertical take-off UAV pro moted by Northrop Grumman; and the Thales-backed Hermes 180 and 450 systems developed by the Silver Arrow subsidiary of Israel's Elbit Systems. The Watchkeeper project's 12- month system integration and assurance phase will conclude next February, and the companies will by 26 February file their final pricing proposals to conduct the demonstration, manufacture and initial support element of the programme. DPA officials expect to select a preferred bidder for the require ment in mid-2004, following the conclusion of risk-reduction activities, including a series of flight demonstrations at Qinetiq's Aberporth test range in north Wales in February-March 2004. UK project officials have already attended deployment trials of the UAV systems in Israel and the USA, according to an industry source close to the project. If selected to deliver the Watchkeeper capability, Thales UK will form a joint venture company to manufacture Watchkeeper 180 and 450 derivatives of the Hermes air vehicles in the UK, says chief executive Alex Dorrian. The new entity will retain intellectual property rights and hold the ability to promote the platforms to potential export customers, he says. Northrop Grumman officials declined to provide additional details of their bid. HELICOPTERS AgustaWestland flies EHIOIs AgustaWestland conducted first flights of the EH101 transport heli copter for export customers Denmark and Portugal on 12 December, from its Yeovil and Vergiate manufacturing plants in the UK and Italy. Both customers will take delivery of their first production aircraft in December next year. Denmark will receive 14 configured for search and rescue (SAR) and utility activities, while Portugal will accept 12 opti mised for SAR, combat search and rescue and fisheries protection duties. The Danish and Portuguese aircraft are capable of operating at a maximum take-off weight of 15,600kg (34,4001 b), representing a 1,000kg increase over earlier production examples of the three- engined aircraft. WEAPONS RADHAKRISHNA RAO / BANGALORE Indian navy to take delivery of Brahmos supersonic missile The Indo-Russian Brahmos supersonic cruise missile is close to achiev ing its first service milestone - induction into the Indian navy - following the successful completion of a series of six flight tests, which began in mid-2001. Indian defence minister George Fernandes says the Brahmos tests "have achieved all mission objectives and the missile has proved its performance". The development of an air-launched variant of the weapon for use from heavy combat aircraft, such as the Sukhoi Su-30MKI, will take a further two to three years, according to programme sources. Facilities for the production of Brahmos have already been established in the south central Indian city of Hyderabad. According to sources in the Indian defence ministry, "the commercial production and subsequent induction of Brahmos should begin within six months". India and Russia have both hinted that the missile will be made available for sale to "friendly third countries". Powered by a liquid ramjet engine, the air-breathing Brahmos has a maximum speed of M2.8. It can carry a warhead of up to 300kg (660lb) over a distance of about 290km (156nm). The weapon is a collaborative development of the Russian 3M55 Oniks/Yakhont anti-ship missile. AMPHIBIANS NICHOLAS IONIDES / SINGAPORE ShinMaywa flies Kai Japan's ShinMaywa Industries has successfully completed the first flight of its modernised US-1A Kai search and rescue amphibian air craft, bringing to an end a pro gramme delay of several months. The first flight took place on 18 December in Kobe, Japan. Originally scheduled for August, this had been delayed by an engine duct fault and other undisclosed technical problems with the first production prototype (Flight International, 19-25 August). ShinMaywa has been developing the aircraft as an improvement to the US-1A, 19 of which have been built over the past three decades, for use by Japan's Maritime Self-Def- ence Force. Ten are still in service. The US-1A Kai is powered by four Rolls-Royce AE2100 turboprop engines, which replace General Electric T58s that are used on the baseline US-1A. A joint venture between Rolls-Royce and Honey well also produces the US-1A Kai's CTS800-4K engine, which drives a Mitsubishi Heavy Industries boundary layer control system that provides the aircraft with a short take-off and landing capability. The new aircraft is expected to fly at 20,000ft (6,100m) - twice as high as the US-1A. It will also have an increased maximum speed of 300kt (555km/h) and be able to take off from water 50% quicker than the US-1A. ShinMaywa plans to complete the lOOh manufac turer portion of the flight-test pro gramme in March. 1* 7-i nFCFMBER 2003 - 5 JANUARY 2004 FLIGHT INTERNATIONAL www.fliqhtinternational.com
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