FlightGlobal.com
Home
Premium
Archive
Video
Images
Forum
Atlas
Blogs
Jobs
Shop
RSS
Email Newsletters
You are in:
Home
Aviation History
1985
1985 - 0167.PDF
A.20Wamira, Firecracker backin the running LONDON The Australian Aircraft Con sortium and its Westland partner is to resubmit the A.20 Wamira II proposal for the Royal Air Force's new basic trainer contract, Air Staff Target 412. Both Westland and Hunt ing Firecracker were dis missed from the shortlist just before Christmas, leaving only the British Aerospace/ Pilatus PC-9 and the Shorts/ Embraer Tucano in the running, with the PC-9 widely tipped as the favourite in Whitehall. But Parliamentary outrage at the dismissal of Hunting's British-designed Firecracker in favour of the Swiss- designed PC-9 and Brazilian Tucano, led UK Defence Minister Michael Heseltine to extend the shortlist again. Westland and Hunting were invited to revise their tenders. Westland says that it has been asked to "clarify and amplify" certain aspects of the original tender. Two key points appear to be per formance and cost. Firecracker's revised tender will centre specifically on price, jobs, and foreign sales rather than technical aspects. But Hunting will be boosting the aircraft's performance by fitting the 750 s.h.p. Pratt & Whitney PT6D-25D engine. Hunting complains that its aircraft is more expensive than the PC-9 and Tucano because it lacks Government financial support. The Swiss and Brazilian entries were both heavily subsidised in development by national Governments, and could offer their aircraft more com petitively, Hunting claims. Both Hunting and Parlia mentary lobbyists criticise Government for squeezing out private enterprise in favour of nationalised or part-national ised Shorts and BAe. A decision not to buy Fire cracker would mean the closure of Hunting Fire cracker because it would destroy! potential export mar kets. Interestingly, the Fire cracker's chances of survival FLIGHT International, 19 January 1985 would remain high if the MoD dismissed all four contenders and went for the option of resparring its ageing Jet Provosts, says Hunting Fire cracker. Choice of a foreign trainer to replace the JPs would amount to a vote of no confidence in Firecracker and would disenchant foreign customers, Hunting believes. On performance, Hunting complains that the MoD has changed its requirement in mid-stream. The previous Minister for Procurement, Geoffrey Pattie, made it clear that competitors would not be awarded bonus points for exceeding the spec. With the arrival of Adam Butler in the Procurement Executive, Hunting Firecracker believes aircraft exceeding the spec are being treated preferentially. "It's like moving the goal posts in the middle of a foot ball game," says Hunting Firecracker's Colin Wagstaff. Whether the renewal of the invitation to tender is any more than a political gesture to satisfy the all-British lobby is unclear, however. Hunting Firecracker believes that reconsideration of Firecracker is proof that the UK MoD is taking the tender seriously. France plans for Ethiopia DJIBOUTI ~ France is planning famine relief flights into Ethiopia from its military base in Djibouti in the Horn of Africa, reports Gilbert Sedbon. Negotiations are under way to get the flights authorised by Djibouti's President, Hassan Gouled, and the Marxist Ethiopian Government. When granted, French C.160 Transalls will join British, German, Italian, US, and Soviet military transport aircraft in moving grain and vital supplies from the coast to the up-country areas stricken by drought and famine. Before deploying in November, the Royal Air Force looked at Djibouti as an alternative main operating base to Addis Ababa for its two C-130 Hercules. Djibouti, close to the Ethiopian sea port of Assab where grain supplies arrive, is operationally very suitable. But it was feared that military aircraft might be restricted from flying into DEFENCE Ethiopia from Djibouti for political reasons. France ranks second behind the USA among food donors, and contributes 25 per cent of the total aid given by the European Community to Ethiopia. KAL wins work from Hughes SEOUL Korean Air, part of the national airline KAL, is to produce major components of Hughes Helicopters' military 500 and the commercial 500E and 530F in a five-year contract estimated to be worth more than $100 million. The contract was announ ced during a recent meeting between Hughes president Jack Real and KAL's chair man, Cho Choong-hoon, in Seoul. Parts for more than 700 helicopters are to be built by KAL before shipment to the USA for final assembly. KAL will be producing fuse lages, sheet metal, and machined and composite bonded parts at its Kim Hae facility. Military Halo Despite Soviet assurances that the An-26 Halo heavylift helicopter is used only by Aeroflot for peaceful purposes, the aircraft is in limited service with the Air Force *s#*»*" ..x?iiit •*%,. Jt 1 % < \t «,»<;«
Sign up to
Flight Digital Magazine
Flight Print Magazine
Airline Business Magazine
E-newsletters
RSS
Events
