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Aviation History
1969
1969 - 1018.PDF
DIAMOND JUBILEE SALON, would have variable geometry and two engines; a single- engined version would not be built. Holland would remain in the consortium until the Dutch Government had resolved its present difficulties; the decision date would be July 1. He had not yet received any official indications of the number of aircraft required by each country. The Federal German Radio had, however, quoted 600 for its air force, with 385 for the United Kingdom, 200 for Italy and 100 for Holland: "I see no reason to disbelieve these figures." There was now no VTOL requirement. NKF (the German Neue Kampflugzeug nationally financed1 design) had been integrated into the MRCA programme. The two-seater nose sections would almost certainly be built by BAC, continued Mr Greenwood, the single-seat noses by Messerschmitt-Bolkow at Munich, the wing by Fiat, the rear fuselage by BAC, and the tail by Fokker. There would be three, or possibly four, assembly lines. The engine was due to be selected in August by IMO, the International Management Organisation of Government officials from each country. MRCA would be optimised for close air support with short-field operation (German Air Force), air superiority (Netherlands Air Force) and interdiction strike (RAF). Mr Greenwood refused to be drawn into any estimates of programme costs. It is understood from other sources that the German requirement comprises 480 single-seaters for the GAF and 120 two-seaters for the Navy, and that the unit price will be between DM 18 million and DM20 million (about £1.6 million to £1.8 million). The other very important European consortium-built aero- Europe's multi-million-dollar, multi-national MRCA project is repre sented by discreetly small models for which strict realism is not claimed. The Panavia 200 two-seater will have the same fuselage dimensions as the Panavia 100. High thrust/weight ratio and high-lift devices will confer 1,200ft take-off to 50ft plane—Jaguar—made its debut in single-seater form. With the recent flight of the second single-seat Jaguar A-04 (as reported on page 914), there are now four of these aircraft flying in France; the other three development aeroplanes will be flying by the beginning of next year. First deliveries will be made to 1'Armee de l'Air in 1971. Apart from the 400 on order for Britain and France, Sepecat (the joint BAC-Breguet organisa tion) estimates a market for 500-800 aircraft, with exports beginning in 1972. The Jaguar is particularly suitable for licence or partial licence production by countries such as India. Quick work by Hawker SWdeley has resulted in the appear ance of a two-seat Harrier operational trainer in the indoor area and a single-seater in the static park. Although physical indications of the three big American programmes, AMSA (advanced manned strategic aircraft, now known as the B-1A), the F-15 and the F-14, are few and far between, these projects are the next major ventures in the combat inventory and are a major topic of interest. The B -1 A, a Mach 3 replacement for the B - 52 and B - 58, is under study by North American/Boeing/General Dynamics, and will rely heavily on XB - 70 and X-15 technology. Project definition is expected to begin in November. The F-15 is also dn the study stage by Fairchild-Hiller, North American and McDonnell Douglas. This is likely to be the largest military programme ever undertaken in the Western World, and may be worth between The first single-seat Jaguar A-03 represents strike power for the French Air Force
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