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Aviation History
2004
2004-09 - 1647.PDF
DEFENCE HELICOPTERS Mi-24 variant revealed A new "Sova-Attack" technology demonstrator for the Mil Mi-24 assault helicopter has been unveiled by one of the teams bid ding to upgrade 12-18 of the aircraft for the Bulgarian air force, writes Alexander Mladenov. Unveiled at the defence min istry-owned Terem Branch Letetz maintenance, overhaul and repair facility in Sofia on 27 August, the aircraft has been modified by the ATL consortium, which acquired the Mi-24 from surplus Bulgarian stock earlier this year. The con sortium comprises ATE of South Africa's French subsidiary, Liconex; Terem and Thales of France. The Sova-Attack demonstrator has been modified to ATE's partial Super Hind Mk II standard using the avionics core system from Denel's Rooivalk attack helicopter. This has also been proven with Algerian air force Mi-24s already upgraded by the South African company. ATL is conducting a privately funded study into Mi-24 and Mi l/utility helicopter upgrades, with Bulgaria seen as a potential launch customer. The Bulgarian defence min istry is expected to launch a tender for an Mi-24DA/ upgrade in the last quarter of this year. Others contesting the require ment include BAE Systems; Elbit Systems and Lockheed Martin Systems Integration- Owego; and Israel Aircraft Industries' Lahav division and Sagem. UNMANNED SYSTEMS PETER LA FRANCHI / ANAHEIM US study recommends self-protection for UAVs Savings in survivability would outweigh cost of fitting systems, say analysts Most of the US military's new-gener ation unmanned air vehicles should be fitted with electronic-warfare self- protection systems and incorporate improved signature management measures, says a new survivability study sponsored jointly by the US National Defence Industry Asso ciation and the US Navy. The study identifies acoustic sig nature reduction as the most cost- effective survivability feature for small fixed- and rotary-wing tactical UAVs. Threat avoidance will remain the most cost-effective measure for large UAVs such as the Northrop Grumman RQ-4 Global Hawk and General Atomics MQ-9 Predator B, it says, but infrared (IR) and radio- frequency countermeasures systems are also needed by those aircraft. The Joint Unmanned Combat Air System (J-UCAS) vehicles, the US Air Force's Predator B, the US Navy's proposed Broad Area Maritime Surveillance UAV and the US Army's Extended Range Multipurpose UAV programmes are identified by the study as the most receptive fixed-wing platforms for incorporation of enhanced surviv ability features in the near term. But, it says, the US Army's Un manned Combat Armed Rotorcraft and the joint US Army/Navy Northrop Grumman RQ-8 Fire- scout rotary-wing UAVs should also be treated as first-order priorities. The J-UCAS programme will pri marily rely on IR and radar signa ture-reduction techniques to ensure air vehicle survival, the study says, but will also be heavily dependent on enhanced redun- The USAF's Predators could gain a self-protection capability dancy in air-vehicle control sys tems and on basic situational awareness to avoid threat sources. Infrared and radio-frequency active countermeasures are identified as a low priority for J-UCAS. Survivability enhancements for the USAF's existing Global Hawk and Predator UAVs should be given second priority, the study says. Second-order status is also given to the US Army's AAI RQ-7 Shadow, Israel Aircraft Industries-Northrop Grumman RQ-5A Hunter and the Advanced Ceramics Silver Fox unmanned air vehicle. The study estimates that incorpo rating a countermeasures capability to reduce the effectiveness of IR threats by 75% would add $1 mil lion to the development cost of a generic UAV system, plus $100,000 on the individual air vehicle acquisi tion cost, based on a production run of 100 air vehicles. In service, the system would add $50 an hour to overall system oper ating costs. However, net improve ments in air vehicle survivability could amount to savings of billions of dollars, the study says. The final report of the study, pre pared by Booz Allen Hamilton and the US-based Survice Engineering consultancy, is to be put into restricted circulation within the next two months. DEVELOPMENT Taiwan looks at helicopter as basis for VTUAV Taiwan may develop a vertical take off and landing unmanned air vehicle (VTUAV) based on an indigenous light helicopter that made its debut last year. The Chung Shan Institute of Science and Technology (CSIST) proposes selling the Humming- Bird VTUAV to Taiwan's army. Project manager Gene Ho says a proof-of-concept study has been completed using data from test flights of its two-seat helicopter, previously known as the Eagle 600. CSIST's aeronautical systems research division is also drawing on its earlier experience in developing a fixed-wing UAV. The 810kg (1,7701b) Eagle 600, initially developed for the civil heli copter market, made its debut flight last August (Flight International, 26 August-1 September 2003). But Ho says the helicopter has since flown only twice because of limited fund ing. Hoped-for sales to local opera tors have not materialised. "The government will not allow us to sell the commercial helicopter before we get US certification. So, we are trying to develop the VTUAV and sell to the military," Ho says. Industry sources say a sale to the army will be difficult and the pro gramme is in danger of being can celled at the end of this year. Funding that was provided by Taiwan's ministry of economic affairs from 2001 expired at the end of 2003, following a late December basic performance flight test at 50kt (90km/h) and 200ft (60m). Attempts to find a local company to take over and fund the project have so far failed. "Unfortunately, we have only got a limited budget to continue devel opment of the VTUAV," says Ho. 24 7-13 SEPTEMBER 2004 FLIGHT INTERNATIONAL www.fliqhtinternational.com
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