FlightGlobal.com
Home
Premium
Archive
Video
Images
Forum
Blogs
Jobs
Shop
RSS
Email Newsletters
You are in:
Home
Aviation History
2004
2004-09 - 0691.PDF
CONTRAC DEFENCE • Harris is to develop remote electronics including phased- array antennas for the Lockheed Martin F-35 Joint Strike Fighter's intra-flight datalink under a $30.7 million contract from Northrop Grumman. • Raytheon will produce Paveway III laser-guided bomb kits for Poland and the United Arab Emirates under a $9.9 million contract. • North rop Grumman has received an $18.2 million contract to supply an E-2T Hawkeye 2000 tactics trainer to Taiwan. Rockwell Collins NLXwill build the simula tor. • The US Navy has selected L-3 Wescam's MX-15 multi-sen sor electro-optic/infrared system to upgrade Lockheed Martin P-3C Orions. The service has a potential requirement for 60 units over five years. • Honeywell is to provide several systems for Japan's C-X/P-X transport/mar itime patrol aircraft programme, including auxiliary power unit, environmental and cabin-pres sure control systems, ram air turbine, sonobuoy dispensers and various avionics. • Thales has received a five-year contract from France's SIMMAD mainte nance organisation to repair subassemblies and components for military fighter aircraft and helicopters. The deal excludes Dassault Aviation's Rafale. • Goodrich is to supply seven DB-110 electro-optical recon naissance pods and two ground stations to Poland under a $72.7 million contract. The pods will equip Poland's Lockheed Martin F-16 fighters. • Syracuse Research will provide a UHF foliage-penetrating, moving target indicator/synthetic aperture radar for the Boeing A160 Humming bird UAV under a $10.3 million US Army contract. • Boeing is to integrate Rockwell Collins' common avionics architecture system cockpit into the upgraded CH-47F transport helicopter under a $25 million US Army contract.! Lockheed Martin has received a $15 million con tract to equip US Air National Guard F-16 Block 30 fighters with its Sniper XR targeting pod. • Raytheon has received a $56 million contract to produce over 2,500 ALE-50 towed decoys for the US Air Force. The Navy will receive 311 in a $7.7 million deal. PROCUREMENT BRENDAN SOBIE / SINGAPORE Manufacturers team for South Korean contests Links forged and proposals due within next month for AEW&C and KMH competitions Manufacturers are racing to forge possible partnership agreements for South Korea's airborne early-warn ing and control (AEW&C) aircraft and indigenous Korean Multi-role Helicopter (KMH) competitions. Proposals are due at the end of this month for South Korea's four- aircraft AEW&C requirement. Boeing and Israel Aircraft Industries (1AI) were the only two companies to sign up in March to submit pro posals, but industry sources say IAI is still trying to complete a partner ship arrangement with L-3 Communications. L-3 would inte grate the mission system and Gulfstream supply the platform - a G550 business jet. L-3 is believed to be pushing IAI to cede its prime role because it would only be responsible for supplying the air craft's Phalcon radar. Boeing's proposal is more straightforward, mirroring the 737 platform with Northrop Grumman Mesa radar already sold to Australia and Turkey. A contract was to be awarded this year, but industry sources say a delay until next year is now likely because of budget constraints. On the KMH programme, sources say Boeing discussed forg ing a consortium with Bell Helicopter and Sikorsky, but has rejected any teaming before the mid-June bid deadline. Sources say the three manufacturers, which are questioning the viability of pursu ing the programme, instead will discuss possible teaming after the late July downselect. The viability of the KMH, which calls for an indigenous aircraft to be delivered from 2010 with local manufacturer Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI) acting as prime, is being questioned because of South Korea's demands for heavy in- country investment and technol ogy transfer. Sources say US manufacturers also fear some of the requested technology transfer will not be approved by the US government, but may be more feasible for the two European manufacturers in the competition - AgustaWestland and Eurocopter. Kaman Aerospace and a Russian consortium led by Rosoboron- export have also signed up to submit bids, but Kaman is seeking a teaming arrangement and the Russians are considered a long shot. Bids are also due in July from AgustaWestland and Sikorsky for the supply of three large VIP heli copters to be operated by the Korean air force. The manufactur ers expect a contract to be awarded in the fourth quarter of this year for delivery in 2006. An additional three aircraft may be acquired later. ROTORCRAFT ARIE EGOZI / TEL AVIV Israel to put airbags on helicopters The Israeli air force is to upgrade its fleet of Sikorsky CH-53 assault helicopters with a Rafael Arma ment Development Authority- developed external airbag system that will protect the aircraft, its crew and passengers in the event of a crash or hard landing. Rafael's rotorcraft external airbag protection system consists of a series of standard-size airbags, the number and pattern of which can be scaled according to the size of the host helicopter. These are inflated when sensors trigger a pyrotechnic system after detecting a combination of altitude loss and ground proximity. Rafael claims the airbag system will protect the crew and passen gers of helicopters up to an impact velocity of around SOkm/h (31mph). The development effort was launched following the mid-air The Israeli air force's Sikorsky CH-53s collision of two Israeli air force CH-53 2000s in April 1997, which killed all 73 personnel aboard. In addition to preventing injuries, the airbag system will also "prevent irreparable damage to the rotorcraft structure and to installed equip ment", says Rafael. and UH-60s will carry the airbags One CH-53 is currently being used as a prototype test platform, with the air force's first operational example to receive the system in 2006. Service sources have also confirmed that the system will be deployed on its Sikorsky UH-60 Black Hawk utility helicopters. 24 18-24 MAY 2004 FLIGHT INTERNATIONAL www.flightinternational.com
Sign up to
Flight Digital Magazine
Flight Print Magazine
Airline Business Magazine
E-newsletters
RSS
Events
