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Aviation History
1990
1990 - 1446.PDF
HEADLINES UK takes first step toward new Hairier BY GUY NORRIS The UK Ministry of Defence (MoD) has taken the first concrete step toward develop ment of an advanced Harrier by awarding British Aerospace a contract to build an integrated flight and propulsion control system (IFPCS) demonstrator. BAe and Rolls-Royce have studied options for a "son of Harrier" but the MoD contract is the first indication of serious UK interest in sanctioning funds for advanced short take-off and landing (ASTOVL) research. The deal comes at a crucial stage of the UK/US memoran dum of understanding (MoU) on joint ASTOVL research, signed in 1986 and due to expire in January 1991. An executive steering committee of the joint team met in Washington three weeks ago to review progress before deciding whether to stay in the MoU programme. Within the last few weeks the US Navy issued an outline opera tional requirement for a short take-off and landing aircraft to be operational by 2010. The docu ment is said to be almost identi cal to one about to be issued by the US Marine Corps covering an A/F-18, AV-8B replacement. Both have revitalised the US side of the MoU and the MoD's con tract to BAe is being viewed as a parallel development. The MoD says that the IFPCS demonstrator programme "... is to develop and demonstrate on LOT orders ATR-72 L OT Polish Airlines has ordered j eight ATR-72 regional air liners and placed options on a further two. Polish trade officials signed a contract last week at the Hannover air show (see P 8). The aircraft will be delivered between June of next year and November 1994 and are to be used on international routes. They are the first modern turbo prop aircraft to be bought by an Eastern European carrier. • the ground a fully-integrated system for controlling a combat aircraft that employs thrust- vectoring". The technology will be applied to ". . . ASTOVL air craft and short take-off and land ing [STOL] or high manoevrability aircraft that use limited thrust vectoring". The contract covers the second phase of the work, the first having involved BAe and Rolls-Royce and outlined the technology needed to meet the Royal Air Force and Royal Navy's ASTOVL/STOL • requirements. This phase will look at definition of alternative airframe configura tions and building of models, definition of the propulsion system, engine and nozzle con trol operation and control strat egies and functions. • Malaysia cancels BY SIMON ELLIOTT The Malaysian Government has abandoned a plan to buy 12 Tornado aircraft from British Aerospace (BAe). The aircraft— with a value of around £400 million—were regarded as the cornerstone of a 1988 £1 billion UK-Malaysia arms deal. Malaysia is instead negotiating with BAe to procure the Hawk in an order which could number over 20 aircraft. It is not clear if the aircraft will be the Hawk 200 fighter or the Hawk 100 attack/advanced jet trainer variant, a mix being a possibility. The 200 and 100 ver sions could be used to replace the Royal Malaysian Air Force's (RMAF) current A-4PTM Skyhawk or F-5E Tiger II fleets in the combat role. A Malaysian contract for the Hawk could be worth more to BAe than a deal for the tri- nationally built Tornado. Financial problems are be lieved to be behind the demise of Malaysia's Tornado buy. One RMAF source says that Malaysia "has been looking at Hawk, as it is cheaper than Tornado". The RMAF's Tornado requirement was for up to 12 aircraft—eight Tornado IDS and four config ured for an electronic combat/ reconnaissance mission. The Tornado deal was orig inally a priority for the Malay sians. BAe's inability to meet Malaysian demands for four ECR-type configured aircraft has continually delayed signature, however. The 12 aircraft are thought to have been valued at around £25 million each. Spares would have added 25% to the contract. Pentagon relaxes ATF design secrecy The United States Air Force has released drawings of the two contenders for its Advanced Tactical Fighter. Based on the acquisition of 750 aircraft, the programme cost is put at $63 billion—with a flyaway cost of $51.3 million. The Pentagon admitted last week, however, that it was look ing at cuts in the programme. The Lockheed/General Dyna mics/Boeing YF-22 contender for the US Air Force's ATF has full- span leading-edge slats, large ailerons and trailing-edge flaps of conventional appearance, as are the twin fins and rudders. The rectangular engine exhausts are vectorable. The Northrop/McDonnell Douglas YF-23 team, which com pleted an 8min test of its Pratt & Whitney YF-119 engine last week at idle power, shows input from Northrop's B-2 experience. The aircraft will carry missiles in internal weapons bays and a GE 20mm cannon. • YF-22 and YF-23 (inset) — contest winner faces pro gramme cuts as the Pentagon seeks ways to educe costs 4 FLIGHT INTERNATIONAL 23-29 May 1990
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