FlightGlobal.com
Home
Premium
Archive
Video
Images
Forum
Atlas
Blogs
Jobs
Shop
RSS
Email Newsletters
You are in:
Home
Aviation History
1986
1986 - 0253.PDF
DEFENCE Rafale partners sought formally PARIS France last week held the first official talks with Belgium, Denmark, the Netherlands, and Norway on building the Dassault Rafale combat aircraft as a five-nation Euro pean venture, reports Gilbert Sedbon from Paris. Senior Defence Ministry representatives of the four nations met in Paris on January 21 with Emile Blanc, head of the French Defence Ministry's armament divi sion, as well as with Dassault, Snecma, and Thomson-CSF. All four countries currently operate the General Dynam- , ics F-16 and are searching for a mid-1990s replacement for the US aircraft. The representatives "dis cussed their future defence needs and examined a time- * table for the realisation of such a programme, with the prospect of stepping up co- ' ordination of their countries' armaments industries," one , official said. The Netherlands was repre sented by Deputy Defence Minister Jan van Houwel- ingen, a known activist for greater arms collaboration in Europe. Representing French industry were Benno Claude Vallieres, president of Dassault, and Jacques Benichou, head of Snecma, which is developing the new M.88 engine for the Rafale. France has previously held bilateral talks with each of the other four nations, but last week's negotiations were the first held at such a high level. Belgium, Denmark, the Netherlands, and Norway have not yet committed them selves to Rafale, however. The four-nation steering group, set up to study replacements for the F-16, is still under stood to be looking at alterna tives, including the European Fighter Aircraft under devel opment by Britain, Italy, Spain, and West Germany. The group will report back in March. The 9'5-tonne Rafale demonstrator, powered by two General Electric F404 engines, begins flight tests in southern France in late May or early June. Dassault is now working on a lighter, 8-5- tonne, Rafale B design to meet French Air Force and Navy requirements. The French Defence Minis try will finalise its Rafale specification in February or March 1987, after the first demonstrator has completed six months of flight tests. The French Navy requires some 50 ACMs, while the Air Force needs up to 280 ACTs. Both are still aiming for a 1995 in- service date. The Navy is slightly ahead of the Air Force in the budget cycle, having an urgent need to replace its ageing Crusaders, according to Dassault's Yves Robin. Dassault's fly-by-light Mirage 2000 has completed flight trials, and Dassault confirms that the Rafale will carry weapons during its flight test programme. Snecma's M.88 has already reached design temperatures during bench testihg. EC-18Bgoes operational WRIGHT-PATTERSON ~"~ The first of four EC-18B aircraft modified by the US Air Force for the advanced- range instrumentation air craft (Aria) role has performed its maiden opera tional mission. The aircraft supported a satellite launch from the Space Shuttle Columbia. Staging from Nairobi, in Kenya, the aircraft received and recorded telemetry data in support of a communica tions satellite deployment. The C-18 is a military version of the Boeing 707 commercial airliner. The USAF's Aeronautical Sys tems Division at Wright- Patterson AFB, Ohio, purchased eight used 707s in 1982. Four are being modified for the Aria mission, to join the current fleet of EC-135s. The others will be assigned to future projects. Gandhi inducts MJG-27IVI NEW DELHI Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi inducted the first Indian- made MiG-27M strike air craft into Indian Air Force service on January 11 at cere monies at a base of Western Air Command. India plans to buy 165 MiG- 27Ms, designed in the Soviet Union but produced under licence by Hindustan Aero nautics at its Nasik Division. The aircraft is derived from the MiG-23, already in Indian Air Force service, but has enhanced avionics and attack equipment, and can carry a bigger payload. Meanwhile, India is re ported to be on the verge of receiving the first MiG-29s from the Soviet Union. TRACER McDonnell Douglas has received a $3,387 million fixed-price, incentive, full- scale development contract for further development of the US Air Force's latest airlifter, the C-17A. Full-scale devel opment is expected to con tinue until mid-1992 under the latest contract and will involve the design, develop ment, building, and testing of the C-17. Gulfstream's G-III has entered service with the Ital ian Air Force as the primary VIP transport. The Italian Government is the 30th to operate the G-III. The aircraft will be operated by the 31st Stormo. West Germany's Naval Air Arm has leased a single Dornier 228-201 light trans port aircraft for six months of flight trials as a passenger and cargo transporter. The air craft will operate in support of two Do.28-D2 Skyservants used for oil-spillage surveil lance in the North and Baltic Seas. The 228 will be passed on to the West German Air Force at the end of the trials for a further six-month evalu ation in the VIP transport role. Shorts has won its third UK Ministry of Defence contract for the Javelin close air defence weapon system (CADWS). The CADWS contract is worth over £160 million, and comes close on the heels of orders from three undisclosed foreign govern ments for the Blowpipe missile system, from which Javelin is derived. Each EC-18B is fitted with a navigation station, a modified electrical system, and an improved environmental control system FLIGHT INTERNATIONAL, 1 February 1986 11
Sign up to
Flight Digital Magazine
Flight Print Magazine
Airline Business Magazine
E-newsletters
RSS
Events