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Aviation History
2004
2004-09 - 0138.PDF
DEFENCE PRODUCTION BRENDAN SOBIE / SINGAPORE PAC readies for assembly ramp up Pakistani company will construct lightweight fighters and trainers for air force at Kamra factory and aims for exports Pakistan Aeronautical Complex (PAC) is preparing to begin assem bling next year its first Chinese- developed FC-l/JF-17 lightweight fighters and K-8 Karakorum basic/ advanced trainers for the Pakistani air force and for potential export customers. The company's aircraft manufac turing plant in Kamra aims to build 50% of each aircraft sold outside China. It produces just under 20% of the K-8, and participates in the Chengdu Aircraft-led FC-l/JF-17 development programme. Chengdu is responsible for building all five prototype fighters for the joint Sino-Pakistani prog ramme. But PAC will be in charge of final assembly for eight of the 16 initial production aircraft, which are due for completion by early 2007. Serial or high-rate produc tion of the design will begin late the same year. PAC plans to build capability on the design gradually, starting with final assembly operations next year and later adding the manufacture of major components such as the wing, so that it can build half of each JF-17 from about 2009. "We have to prepare ourselves, [and] that work has already begun," says Air Cdre Zakir Khan, managing director of the Kamra factory. PAC is drawing on its experience in building Mushshak piston train ers and K-8 subassemblies. The company will roll out its first Kamra-assembled K-8 in 2006, a few months before completing its first JF-17. PAC already supplies China's Hongdu Aviation Industry with K-8 front fuselages, horizontal stabilis ers and other components that combined account for 18-19% of the aircraft. It will also assume responsibility for structure/wing fabrication, final assembly and test ing. A Pakistani air force require ment to replace its Cessna T-37s and Shenyang FT-5s with 55 K-8s from 2007 is driving this expansion in PAC's K-8 capability. Pakistan's army operates eight Hongdu-assembled K-8s. Other operators include China, Myanmar, Sri Lanka and Zambia. A joint PAC/Hongdu marketing team is promoting the design to several African and Middle Eastern coun tries, with the option of Chinese or Pakistani assembly. A PAC/ Chengdu team has begun market ing the FC-l/JF-17 to other nations with the same assembly options. PAC hopes to build half of each JF-17 lightweight fighter by 2007 Flight testing the FC-l/JF-17 Chengdu Aircraft has completed around 20 sorties of its first FC-1/JF-17 prototype since the type made its maiden flight last August (Flight International, 9-15 September 2003). The company will roll out a second flying prototype at the end of this month, while the programme's third flight-test airframe and a fatigue-test article are in assembly. A fifth, static-test article is already in use. Russia's Klimov RD-93 has been picked to power the fighter, and the prototype aircraft are equipped with Chinese avionics. A more advanced avionics suite will be installed after the project's perfor mance evaluation phase concludes late this year and before the systems evaluation phase begins. Pakistan, expected to acquire about 200 JF-17s, will decide on an avionics package next year. Pakistan Aeronautical Complex-assem bled Fiar Grifo S7 and Elta EL/M-2032 fire-control radars are among the systems under consideration to equip its aircraft. CONTRACTS • Northrop Grumman is to pro duce an initial 34 replacement outer wing panels for the EA-6B Prowler electronic warfare aircraft under a $52 million contract with the US Navy. • Boeing is to manufacture its AGM-84H stand off land-attack missile expanded response for South Korean air force F-15Ks. The $70 million deal represents the first export sale of the air-to-surface weapon. • Northrop Grumman and the US Air Force Research Laboratory are to develop embedded antenna structures suitable for integration with com posite unmanned air vehicle wings under a five-year research effort worth $12 million. UNMANNED AIR VEHICLES STEPHEN TRIMBLE / WASHINGTON DC US Navy set to open bidding for its maritime surveillance programme The US Navy plans to launch the bidding phase for its $2 billion Broad Area Maritime Surveillance (BAMS) unmanned air vehicle pro gramme around mid-year, almost a year behind its original schedule. Despite a forthcoming BAMS demonstration using two Northrop Grumman RQ-4A Global Hawk land-based high-altitude, long- endurance UAVs, the navy intends to conduct a full competition for the contract. This should be awarded in the second quarter of fiscal year 2005, but potentially as early as next January. The Global Hawk faces competi tion from a Lockheed Martin/ General Atomics team offering a variant of the latter company's MQ-9 Predator B-ER design called the Mariner. The navy has also listed the ship-based Northrop Grumman RQ-8 Fire Scout vertical take-off and landing UAVand AAI's RQ-2 Pioneer as potential solutions. "All current candidates represent systems in the current DoD [Dep artment of Defense] inventory and future DoD procurement plans," says John Young, assistant secretary of the navy for acquisition, technol ogy and logistics. "Our competitive acquisition strategy will leverage prior DoD investments and con tinue our pursuit of joint proc urement opportunities," he says. BAMS is expected to be an intel ligence, surveillance and reconnais sance adjunct to the USN's Boeing or Lockheed Martin Multi-mission Maritime Aircraft, which is in source selection. The navy is expected to buy about 100 MMA platforms and about 50 BAMS aircraft to replace its Lockheed Martin P-3 Orion fleet, starting in 2010. 16 23-29 MARCH 2004 FLIGHT INTERNATIONAL www.flightinternational.com
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