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Aviation History
1971
1971 - 1023.PDF
910 FLIGHT International, 24 June 1971 MRCA's industrial base The first of the meetings between Britain, Germany and Italy to review progress on the European multi-role combat aircraft, scheduled to take place next week, has been postponed to later in the year. This follows German concern on the rising costs of her other aviation programmes. Work on the prototype phase, which began on July 22 last year, will there fore continue under a series of hold ing contracts. Since then structural components have begun to appear, many of the system contracts have been let and the schedule for the flight-test pro gramme has been very closely defined. A British pilot from BAC's military aircraft establishment at Warton will make the first flight, scheduled for about October 1973, from Munich in South Germany. With the airframe work-sharing going ahead on the guiding lines of the 4212:4212:15 agreement between Britain, Germany and Italy, attention now centres on the allocation of con tracts for the "housekeeping" systems —electrical generation, hydraulics, air conditioning, flying-controls and other equipment, and the weapons systems. Although the recent Paris Show revealed the efforts being made by many companies to participate in the avionics programme, the definition of equipment, and the weapon systems, firms, is still at a very early stage. The development and manufacturing cost of the aeroplane is therefore still not known with precision and will probably not be available before next spring. The emphasis on the selection of systems contractors has been placed on those firms which have made col laborative agreements with firms in other countries in order to bid for the work. For example Lucas Aero space in Britain and Siemens in Germany are sharing equally the development of the integrated-drive generator, while the same British company in consort with Microtechnica is assisting Klockner-Humboldt-Deuz of Germany in the development and manufacture of the APU. Again, a joint team from Nord Micro, Hawker Siddeley Dynamics and Microtechnica will design and build the engine air- intake control system. Development and manufacture of the spoiler actua tors will be the responsibility of Oleodinamica Magnaghi Milano in association with Britain's Fairey Hyd raulics. Normalair Garrett, UK, Drae- gerwerk of Germany and OMI of Italy will engineer the liquid-oxygen system. As a result of negotiations now in progress, Italy will probably be responsible for the design of the wing-sweep and high-lift controls (e.g., actuators). The development and manufacture of the complete landing gear and its associated hydraulics will be done by a team headed by Britain's Dowty Group and including among others Oleodinamica Magnaghi and Nardi of Italy and Leibherr of Germany. Other contracts which have already been let include the electrical power system controllers (Plessey), taileron and rudder actuators (Fairey), hyd raulic pumps (Vickers), flowmeters (Elliott Automation), inter-coolers (Marston Excelsior), fuel-gauging systems (Eichweber), fuel cells (Uni- royal), hydraulic accumulators (Dowty), hydraulic power pack (Teves), wind screen quarter lights (Rotax), cockpit canopy (Kopperschmidt), transformer- rectifiers (Ferranti), contactors (Rotax) and flexible couplings (Flight Refuel ling). Detailed specifications for equip ment are the responsibility of the joint three-nation industrial firm Panavia. Where major items, or those representing expensive new develop ments, or again where developments of national interest are considered, are discussed with the three-government management organisation Namma. Panavia then issues comprehensive RFP's (request for proposals) to an agreed list of potential suppliers— those which, in its opinion, have suffi cient experience to undertake the particular work in question. More TriStar Talk Tough going for supporters of the TriStar has marked the Senate Bank ing Committee hearing on the $250 million Government loan guarantee proposed for Lockheed. Alternative broader-based proposals are under consideration by the Administration, but while these may stand a higher chance of success the delays brought about by more complex legislation could prove counter-productive. If no decision is taken by August 8 (the deadline set in the latest Rolls- Royce/Lockheed contract) TWA at least is likely to pull out of the pro gramme. Its 33 TriStars would be re placed by 20 DC-lOs costing $480 mil lion according to Mr Charles Tilling- hast, TWA chairman. However, he has confirmed that McDonnell Douglas never made an offer to indemnify Yak in Afghanistan. The first of three Soviet-built 27-seat Yak-40 trijets for Bakhtar Airlines of Afghanistan, which operates internal feeder services. In com mon with all aircraft now coming off the production line, this Yak-40 is fitted with a clamshell thrust reverser on the centre powerplant. Aircraft operated by Aeroflot are also reported to be undergoing a refit to incorporate the reversers
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