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Aviation History
2004
2004-09 - 1355.PDF
DEFENCE UNMANNED SYSTEMS ANDREW DOYLE/ LONDON BAE pushes UK on UCAV initiative Manufacturer stresses importance of launching national programme before making decision on collaboration BAE Systems is pushing the UK government to launch a national unmanned combat air vehicle (UCAV) programme ahead of any decision on whether to sign up to projects already under way in Europe and the USA. The USA and the French-led Neu ron group are forging ahead with UCAV work, but the UK Ministry of Defence is yet to reach a decision on initial gate approval for the Future Offensive Air System (FOAS) pro gramme, which will almost cer tainly include a UCAV component (Flight International, 6-12 April). "We have to see [the UCAV dis cussions] come to fruition in the next few months," says BAE chief executive Mike Turner. Regarding potential collaboration on UCAVs with European or US partners, he says: "Before you can do that you need a programme in the UK. It's very important that we have such a programme." The MoD's Defence Procurement Agency says an initial gate decision on FOAS is still expected this year. It adds: "We are still at quite an early stage. We are looking at all the options and no decisions have been taken." Initial gate approval has been repeatedly delayed, with the most recent target date having passed last May. Intended to replace the Royal Air Force's Panavia Tornado GR4 strike aircraft from around 2018, FOAS will provide the capability to con duct long-range attacks against time-critical targets and is likely to comprise manned and unmanned combat aircraft, cruise missiles and air-launched unmanned air vehi cles. The MoD has requested informa tion on the USA's Joint Unmanned Combat Air System 0-UCAS) pro gramme from the US Department of Defense, and the possibility of a Joint Strike Fighter-style interna tional collaborative programme has been discussed. The J-UCAS prime contractors are Boeing, developing the X-45C UCAV, and Northrop Grumman with the X- 47B. The US Air Force plans to use UCAVs for suppression of enemy air defences, while the US Navy envisages an intelligence, surveil lance and reconnaissance role. Europe's Neuron UCAV demon strator project has Dassault Aviation as its prime contractor. The system is seen as a potential replacement for current-generation fighters including the Dassault Rafale, Eurofighter Typhoon and Saab/BAE Systems Gripen. Greece, Spain and Sweden have also joined the project. IRANIAN SA'EGHEH (THUNDER) FIGHTER AIRCRAFT DEVELOPMENT Secret Iranian fighter could steal Tiger's thunder Iran's long-rumoured steps to develop an indigenous fighter aircraft have taken form in what appears to be a radically altered version of the US Northrop F-5E Tiger, which has been in use with the Iranian air force for more than 30 years. Iranian media released a low-quality image of the aircraft - dubbed Sa'egheh (Thunder) - following a successful test flight from Hamedan air base on 8 July. The image shows an aircraft similar in appearance to the F-5, although it features a revised "butterfly" tail configuration in place of the F-5's original vertical tail surface. While the aircraft's horizontal sta bilisers have been retained on another published image of a model, they cannot be distinguished in the new photograph, its engine intakes also appear to introduce a raked configuration. The reasons for the design modifications are unclear, but could indi cate a desire to develop an aircraft with lower drag, enhanced manoeuverability and potentially a reduced radar cross signature. The aircraft was not pictured in flight. Iran's aviation industry has previously conducted work to overhaul and modernise ageing US-sourced equipment such as the air force's legacy fleets of F-5s and Grumman F-14A fighters. It has also con ducted work to enhance the capabilities of the Iranian army's ageing fleet of Bell AH-1 attack helicopters. WEAPONS STEPHEN TRIMBLE / WASHINGTON DC USAF floats Massive bomb idea to industry US Air Force researchers are solicit ing industry's ideas for a new ver sion of the 9,525kg (21,0001b) Massive Ordnance Air Burst (MOAB) weapon - but one nearly 50% heavier and designed solely for attacking deeply buried bunkers. This year, the Air Force Research Laboratory's munitions directorate completed preliminary designs of a 13,600kg bomb called the Massive Ordnance Penetrator (MOP). The concept will compete for a spot among the air force's future line-up of weapons dedicated to striking hard and deeply buried enemy bunkers. Other options involve modifying emerging weapons and developing smaller, faster weapons powered by hypersonic engines. The laboratory is close to launch ing a three-year experiment to gauge the validity of the MOP concept. Pricing and technical proposals are due on 16 August. Several compa nies will be awarded contracts to refine their design proposals before one will be selected to fabricate live weapons for five drop tests from a Boeing B-52H in 2007, says Fred Davis, a technical director at the Air Force Munitions Laboratory. The MOP would be carried inter nally by B-52H and Northrop B-2A stealth bombers, and released from high altitude. The GPS-guided weapon must prove lethal against tall buildings, hardened bunkers and tunnels. The project could lead to the development of several lethal and non-lethal warheads for the bomb, says Steven Butler, head of engi neering at USAF's Air Armament Center. The weapon's huge size is capped only because 13,600kg is the limit a bomber can safely carry in an internal weapons bay. Lethal warheads could be developed for both penetration and air-burst set tings. Non-lethal payloads, how ever, could be used to broadcast warning messages, Butler adds. The MOAB was rushed into pro duction shortly before Operation Iraqi Freedom started in March 2003. It was designed to target massed enemy positions on an open battlefield, but has not been used in combat. However, the effort yielded advances in guidance systems and aerodynamic control surfaces that can be borrowed for the MOP experiment. 28 20-26 JULY 2004 FLIGHT INTERNATIONAL www.flightinternational.com
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