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Aviation History
1983
1983 - 0308.PDF
DEFENCE Northrop checks specific fuel consumption of the F-20 Tigershark fitted with a centreline fuel tank. The US Navy may buy F-20s to equip its aggressor squadron US extends multi-year concept WASHINGTON D.C. Fourteen US defence programmes are slated for multi-year funding beginning in 1983 and 1984. According to Pentagon officials $2,800 million will be saved, but it will cost $1,100 million to organise. The Pentagon plans include a three-year award for 92 of the 100 B-lBs, a four- year purchase of 312 F-15s, and a five-year contract covering re-engining of 305 KC-135s with CFM56 turbofans. Under a three-vear deal 108 CH-47 helicopters will be modified to CH-47D standard. General Electric is expected to receive two multi-year engine awards; a three-year purchase of 645 T700 turboshafts for the AH-64 anti-tank helicopter, and a four-year purchase of 818 F404 turbofans for the F-18. Amphibious landing craft, anti-submarine warfare systems, and tank equipment are also down for multi-year procurement. President Reagan's defence budget request for 1984 reveals that unit flyaway cost of the first ten B-lBs will be $419-5 million. The F-18's $28-1 million unit cost compares with $45-4 million for the F-14, which is being produced in smaller numbers. Tomahawk submarine- launched cruise missiles will cost $2-9 million each, while MX unit cost is $102-6 million (see table). 446 US EQUIPMENT UNIT COSTS, 1 984 BUDGET Unit flyaway cost, $ million (number to be purchased in 1984) US Air Force Rockwell B-1B C-5B Galaxy KC-10A Extender Lockheed TR-1 MC-130H Hercules US Navy/Marine Corps EA-6B Prowler E-2C Hawkeye P-3C Orion EP-3 Orion F-14 Tomcat A-6E Intruder F-18 Hornet AV-8B Harrier II SH-60B Sea Hawk C-2 Greyhound CH-53E Sea Stallion US Army EH-60A Quick-Fix II AH-64 Apache Missiles MX Peacekeeper BGM-109G Tomahawk MGM-31 Pershing II BGM-109A Tomahawk MIM-104A Patriot 419-5(10) 286 5 (4) 67 9 (8) 42 7 (5) 34 1 (2) 66 6(7) 552 (6) 52-8 (5) 50 9 (2) 454 (24) 35 6 (7) 28-1 (84) 27-2 (32) 26-1 (21) 234 (8) 20-4(11) 12 0(12) 119 (112) 102-6 (27) 50 (120) 4-3 (95) 2-9 (124) 19 (525) Taiwan buys 66 F-104s The Chinese Nationalist Air Force has taken delivery of the first 23 of its latest batch of 66 F-104Gs. Taiwan has bought the aircraft in lieu of the F-16 and F-20, sales of which were refused by the US Government to avoid offend ing mainland China. The USA claims that Taiwan's F- 104s pose little threat to Red China, which usually protests vehemently against US arms sales to Taiwan. These F-104s will double the nation's Starfighter fleet. They were used by the West German Air Force training unit at Luke AFB, Arizona. New C-S wing tested Lockheed's new C-5A wing has completed the equivalent of 105,000hr in fatigue testing, and the first converted aircraft is to be delivered to the US Air Force in March. Lockheed expects to deliver the 76th and last C-5A in July 1987. The only damage to the wing during its 42-month test is described by Lockheed as "nuisance items such as a broken bolt or clip, and fret ting at the door cut-outs." Wing torsion and bending loads were applied by hydrau lic jacks to duplicate flight loads. Each mission was applied randomly so that peacetime and wartime flights in different weather condi tions were simulated. After 60,000hr-two life times with 6,660 unique missions in each—60 cracks were inserted. Crack growth during the rest of the trial was less than expected, says Lock heed. A maximum limit load was then applied to demon strate crack stability and residual strength. Damage tolerance tests are under way, after which the wing will be dismantled for inspection. The new C-5A wing is a completely new design which reduces skin-panel stress by up to 40 per cent. A new type of aluminium, resistant to corrosion and fatigue, is used. Fastener design is improved, and Lockheed has upgraded production methods and quality control. During the modification programme the C-5s also receive a new Bendix colour weather radar. The new wing design will be used for the C-5B Galaxy, 50 of which are to be built for the USAF. RAF rescued 600 in 1982 LONDON Royal Air Force search and rescue helicopters were scrambled on 1,119 occasions in 1982, saving 600 lives, in addition to transporting more than 100 urgent medical cases. Nimrods assisted in 40 SAR callouts, while the four Moun tain Rescue teams were deployed to assist civil police searches on several occasions. Tracer... PZL is working on a piston- engined trainer called Iskierka. Span is 9-6m, and length is 8-3m. According to Skrzydlata Polska the aircraft has extensive parts common ality with the M-20 Mewa (licence-produced Piper Seneca). *S* Indian Air Force Jaguars have successfully fired live Matra R-550 Magic air-to-air missiles from locally devel oped overwing pylons, and the installation has been cleared for operational use. The IAF says that it can now perform dual-role missions, with rock ets and cluster bombs on the underwing pylons. t The US Air Force is to use RAF Kemble for maintenance work on its UK-based A-lOs. The RAF Red Arrows are to move from Kemble to Scamp- ton by the end of March. Switzerland is negotiating to become the first non- Alliance country to use the Nato firing range at Deci- momannu, Sardinia. Hazeltine has received a $2-5 million US Army contract to modify and tech nically improve AN/TPX-46 IFF interrogators used with Improved Hawk and Patriot air defence systems. British Aerospace is performing major overhauls at Hum on six TF-lOOFs owned by Flight Systems. The ex-Danish Air Force aircraft are used by the US Air Force in Europe as target tugs and radar targets. FLIGHT International, 19 February 1983 K
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