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Aviation History
2004
2004-09 - 1769.PDF
IN BRIEF DEFENCE SAUDI PROGRAMME Saudi Arabia is showing increased interest in upgrading its Panavia Tornado strike aircraft, says BAE chief executive Mike Turner Increased oil revenues and the strong performance of the UK's upgraded Tornado GR4s during last year's Iraq con flict are driving the interest. JASSM FIX Foreign object damage intro duced during the production process caused the 27 July test failure of a Lockheed Martin AGM-158 Joint Air-to-Surface Standoff Missile (JASSM), the US Air Force says. The problem caused an electrical short in the missile fuse within 15s of impact after the missile was released from a Northrop Grumman B-2A bomber. "Improved workmanship procedures and additional pro tective sealants" will now be used, says the USAF HUEY UPGRADE Argentina's army aviation unit has signed an agreement with Bell Helicopter to modernise its 20 UH-1H utility helicopters to the Huey II standard. One aircraft will undergo refit in the USA, with the remainder expected to be mod ernised at the army's Campo de Mayo overhaul facilities near Buenos Aires. JOINT EXERCISE The Indian and South African air forces are staging a joint combat exercise in South Africa from 16 September-7 October India has deployed six Dassault Mirage 2000 fighters and two llyushin II- 76 and II-78 tanker/transports as part of the 'Golden Eagle' exer cise, its first deployment of fighter aircraft to Africa. DEVELOPMENT PETER LA FRANCHI /JARFALLA Bofors RBS15 missile to get land-attack role by 2007 New product will require integration of GPS and Gripen's terrain referencing system Saab Bofors Dynamics plans to demonstrate an air- and sea- launched land-attack capability for its RBS15 Mk3 anti-ship missile in 2007 using guidance provided by a combination of GPS and a deriva tive of the Saab JAS39 Gripen's ter rain-referenced navigation system. Bofors last year received a con tract from Sweden's Defence Materiel Administration (FMV) to study integration options and com mence development work. The Gripen's terrain referencing system uses a combination of radar returns and barometric sensor data as an alternative navigation system in the event of the GPS signal being denied during conflict. The RBS15 Mk3 entered series production this year and will enter service with the Swedish and German defence forces from 2007. In addition to the terrain refer encing system, Bofors is at~ an advanced stage of development on a new seeker head that combines low probability of intercept (LPI) radar and imaging infrared (IR) seekers. The programme is being jointly conducted with Germany's BGT under the joint Swedish- German navy RBS15 acquisition programme. According to Manne Koerfer, an RBS15 programme official with Saab Bofors Dynamics, the dual LPI radar/IR seeker integration effort could result in seeker sensor com ponents being distributed to other parts of the missile airframe. The existing RBS15 Mk3 seeker com prises a nose-mounted Ku-band active radar. Bofors is also working on a series of alternative warheads for the RBS15 weapon. Priority is being given to an inhibited-blast version to avoid collateral damage around targets, and also to a submunitions capability for area denial. FLIGHT TEST Saab Gripen passes Maverick missile flight test Saab conducted the first test flight of its Gripen multirole fighter with Raytheon's AGM-65 Maverick air-to-sur face missile on 8 September, achieving an early milestone for the Hungarian air force. Deliveries to the service of 12 single-seat JAS39Cs and two two-seat JAS39D Gripens will begin in early 2006 under a 10-year lease deal, with the aircraft also to be armed with Raytheon's AIM-9M Sidewinder and AIM-120C5 AMRAAM air-to- air missiles. A prototype JAS39A is pictured with four AGM-65s during its first captive-carriage flight with the missile; further integration work and firing trials are set to continue over the next few weeks. DEPLOYMENT ANNO GRAVEMAKER / ARNHEM Dutch air force sends six F-16s to Kyrgyzstan Six Lockheed Martin F-16 fighter aircraft left the Netherlands' Volkel air base on 8 September for Manas air base, Kyrgyzstan. Accompanied by a Dutch air force McDonnell Douglas KDC-10 tanker/transport, the aircraft will provide close air support services as part of the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF). The F-16s will be deployed to Manas over an eight-week period, with this to span the national elec tions to be held in Afghanistan on 9 October. Comprising 185 person nel, the detachment could be extended if required due to any sec ond round of elections. The Dutch air force will later this month send a replacement Boeing AH-64D Apache attack helicopter to Afghanistan to support ISAF activi ties there. The service lost one of its four Apaches deployed to the Afghan capital Kabul during a 29 August accident, the cause of which is still being investigated. • The UK's planned nine-month deployment of six Royal Air Force BAE Systems Harrier GR7 ground- attack and reconnaissance aircraft to Afghanistan's Kandahar air base is expected to cost £35.5 million ($64 million), says defence secretary Geoff Hoon (Flight International, 31 August-6 September). 18 21-27 SEPTEMBER 2004 FLIGHT INTERNATIONAL www.flightinternational.com
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