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Aviation History
1981
1981 - 2899.PDF
British Aerospace and McDonnell Douglas to build 400 AV-8Bs THE commercial agreement signed by BAe and McDonnell Douglas, follow ing the Anglo/American Memoran dum of Understanding, provides for a total initial production run of 400 AV-8Bs. The United States Marine Corps will take 336 aircraft plus four Full Scale Development aircraft. The Royal Air Force is to have 60 aircraft, to be known as Harrier GR.5. Before the agreement was signed, it was known that the work-split on the airframe would be 60 per cent to McDonnell Douglas and 40 per cent to British Aerospace for the USMC and RAF aircraft. An agreement between Rolls-Royce and Pratt & Whitney allows the latter company to manufacture up to 25 per cent by value of the Pegasus 11 engines for US aircraft only. For the export market, orders for which both Governments have the power to veto, 75 per cent of airframe work will go to McDonnell Douglas and all engine work to Rolls-Royce. Before the announcement of the RAF order for AV-8B, the four companies were already working jointly on the USMC AV-8B programme. BAe's pro posed share was then approximately one-third of the airframe production manhours, comprising manufacture of the rear and centre fuselage up to the forward nozzles, the centre-line pylon and the complete reaction control Pegasus 11-21F ROLLS-ROYCE and Pratt & Whit ney signed the provisional agree ment on Pegasus production for the AV-8B 15 months ago. This has now crystallised into a $1,500 million deal involving 500 engines and spares. Pratt & Whitney's 25 per cent share in the work gives it responsibility for first-stage fan blade and cold nozzle production— an arrangement which Rolls-Royce is careful to point out does not give away any Pegasus technology. Parts made by P&W are shipped back to Bristol for final assembly before re-crossing the Atlantic to system. BAe is responsible for the development and installation of all major systems contained in these sections of airframe. Under the new agreement, BAe's share is increased to include the fin and the carbon- fibre composite (CFC) rudder for RAF and USMC aircraft. On RAF Harrier GR.5s, BAe will also manufacture the mainly CFC tailplane and will under take final assembly of the complete aircraft. BAe has already produced and de livered six AV-8B ship-sets for the USMC programme. Four of these sets will emerge from McDonnell Doug las's St Louis plant as the four Full Scale Development (FSD) AV-8Bs; the other two sets will be used for the structural-test airframe and the fatigue-test airframe. The first FSD AV-8B is scheduled to fly in October. The US Government has funded the first production batch of 12 AV-8Bs, known as Pilot Production aircraft. The first of these will be delivered to the Marines in October 1983, with the rest following over an eight-year period. British Aerospace will start work on the first RAF aircraft next year. The first RAF FSD Harrier GR.5 is scheduled to fly early in 1984, with the first production delivery due in mid-1986. power USMC aircraft. Full production of the Pegasus 11-2IF will be achieved around 1985/86—around the same time as AV-8B production matures. Eight production engines have already been supplied to McDonnell Doug las for use in the four FSD AV-8Bs. Improvements to the engine over the Pegasus 11 include zero-scarf nozzles, revised swan neck inter mediate casing and a shrouded low- pressure turbine. These modifica tions improve engine life and re duce operating costs in peacetime but mean that more power is available during combat. AV-8A HARRIER GR.3-AV-8B HARRIER GR.5 Leading data AV-8B AV-8A Span (ft) 30-33 Length (ft) 46 33 Height (ft) 11 65 Wing Area (ft*) 230 Operational empty weight (lb) 12,75 Internal fuel capacity (lb) 7,500 External stores (lb) 9,200 Max VTO weight* (lb") 19,550 (19,185) Max VL weight* (lb) 17,850 Max 1,000H STO weight (lb) 28,75 Max design gross weight 29,750 (lb) (27,950) Max speed in level flight (M) 0-91 Pylons 7 ! * Tropical (90°) sea-level conditions. AV-8B improved vision 25-27 45-55 11-54 201 12,190- 5,000 5,000 17,050 16,700 22,300 25,000 AV-8B Pilots Eye 10.5 Inches Higher AV-8A Pilots Eye Over the Shoulder Vision AV-8A Engine Inlet —s. FLIGHT Inte.national, S September I9BI
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