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Archive-Name: mil-aviation-faq/part1
Posting-Frequency: Monthly
Last-Modified: 20-Nov-1994
REC.AVIATION.MILITARY FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Ross Smith <avfaq@meanmach.actrix.gen.nz>
Subject: A.1. Introduction
Every newsgroup on Usenet finds that certain questions crop up time after
time. Regular readers of a group get tired of seeing the same old
questions (and posting the same old answers) time and time again, while new
readers wonder why they're getting so many impolite replies, and so few
useful ones, to perfectly reasonable queries. The result is frustration
all round.
This list of Frequently Asked Questions attempts to provide answers to some
of the most popular questions about military aircraft and aviation. It
will be posted to "rec.aviation.military" every month. If you're fairly
new to this group (or even if you're not) and have a question related to
military aviation, you should check here first, to avoid wasting bandwidth
on a topic that may have already been discussed many times. Of course,
this is not intended to discourage interesting discussions; if you have
something new to say about any of the topics covered here (or any other
topic, for that matter), by all means share it with us.
Further contributions are welcome; send any comments, corrections, new
questions, or new answers to me at the address above (note that the address
for FAQ-related mail is different from my normal address). If you send me
mail about the FAQ, please reduce any quoted material to the absolute
minimum (ideally, just give the number of the question and answer you're
talking about).
Nearly all FAQs and similar regular postings on Usenet are archived at
"rtfm.mit.edu"; you should be able to find the most recent version of this
FAQ there. If you don't have access to FTP, you can get instructions for
using their mail server by sending email to "mail-server@rtfm.mit.edu" with
a blank subject line and a body containing just the word "help" (no
quotes).
This FAQ file is copyright 1994 by Ross Smith. It may be copied and
archived freely, provided it remains unchanged. Portions may be quoted
with appropriate acknowledgements.
Subject: A.2. Table of contents
[* Significant changes to this entry]
[** New entry]
Section A. Preliminaries
A.1. Introduction
A.2. Table of contents
A.3. A note on character sets
A.4. Common abbreviations
A.5. Conversion factors
Section B. Current Projects
B.1. A/F-X
B.2. Bell/Boeing V-22 Osprey
B.3. Boeing/Sikorsky RAH-66 Comanche
B.4. Dassault Rafale
B.5. Eurofighter 2000
* B.6. JAST
** B.7. LCA
B.8. Lockheed/Boeing F-22
B.9. McDonnell Douglas C-17 Globemaster III
B.10. Mikoyan 1.42
B.11. Northrop Grumman B-2 Spirit
* B.12. Saab JAS 39 Gripen
B.13. Shenyang J-8/F-8
** B.14. X-32
B.15. Yakovlev Yak-41/141 "Freestyle"
Section C. Contemporary Aircraft
C.1. Why is the "stealth fighter" called F-117 instead of F-19?
* C.2. Does the USAF have a hypersonic spyplane called "Aurora"?
C.3. What's a TR-3?
C.4. Why wasn't the B-1 or B-2 used in Desert Storm?
C.5. Is fighter X better than fighter Y?
C.6. Why was the YF-22 chosen over the YF-23?
C.7. Did someone buy Grumman?
C.8. Why do recent articles refer to the "Lockheed F-16"?
C.9. Whatever happened to the F/A-16?
* C.10. Why do some aircraft have gold-tinted canopies?
C.11. Why do USAF aircraft have tailhooks?
* C.12. What's the composition of an aircraft carrier's air wing?
* C.13. What's happened to the former USSR's aircraft carriers?
* C.14. What's an Su-35?
** C.15. What were the "new" fighters in _Hot Shots_?
** C.16. Why do the USAF/USN use incompatible refuelling systems?
C.17. What air-to-air missiles are in service?
Section D. Post-War Aircraft
D.1. Is aircraft X still in service?
D.2. Did one of the XB-70 prototypes crash during a photo shot?
Section E. World War II Aircraft
* E.1. What jet aircraft were the Germans working on during WW2?
E.2. How "stealthy" was the wooden Mosquito?
Section F. Books and Sources
F.1. What good books are there on air combat?
F.2. Where can I get a pilot's manual for aircraft X?
F.3. What FTP sites have aircraft pictures and related material?
F.4. What military aviation related mailing lists are available?
Section G. Museums and Warbirds
* G.1. Where can I see surviving examples of famous aircraft?
Section H. Aircraft Designations
H.1. American aircraft designations
H.2. US Navy aircraft designations (pre-1962)
H.3. USAF/USN fighters and attack aircraft
H.4. American missile designations
** H.5. American electronic systems designations
H.6. Russian aircraft designations
H.7. Russian aircraft codenames
H.8. Russian missile designations and codenames
H.9. British aircraft designations
* H.10. Canadian aircraft designations
* H.11. Chinese aircraft designations
H.12. German aircraft designations (WW2)
H.13. Japanese aircraft designations and codenames (WW2)
H.14. Swedish aircraft designations
Section J. Notes
J.1. Reference books
J.2. Magazines
J.3. Acknowledgements
Subject: A.3. A note on character sets
A FAQ on a subject like this will necessarily include a lot of non-English
names and words which contain letters not in the English alphabet, mainly
accented vowels. I don't like the idea of forcing foreign words into an
English straitjacket by converting these letters into diphthongs (or, even
worse, just ignoring the accents). There is an international standard
8-bit character set, ISO 8859/1, also known as Latin 1; it's an extension
of 7-bit ASCII to include most of the characters used in European
languages. I've used the Latin 1 characters in this document.
A lot of news transport and news reading software now supports Latin 1, and
it's becoming more widely supported; unfortunately, there's still a lot of
software around that reduces everything to 7-bit ASCII. For the benefit of
those using such software, here's a table of the accented letters in Latin
1 (not all of these appear in this document, of course), so you can tell
whether you have 8-bit software, and if not, which characters the accented
letters are being turned into. If you come across a name that seems to be
spelled oddly, this should help you figure out what it's meant to be.
Letter A a E e I i N n O o U u Y y
Acute accent (') - -
Grave accent (`) - - - -
Caret (^) - - - -
Tilde (~) - - - - - - - -
Umlaut (") - - -
Ring (o) - - - - - - - - - - - -
Slash (/) - - - - - - - - - - - -
Subject: A.4. Common abbreviations
(See also section H)
Abbreviations in common use on Usenet
:-) = Smile
:-( = Frown
AFAIK = As Far As I Know
AKA = Also Known As
BTW = By The Way
FAQ = Frequently Asked Questions
FTP = File Transfer Protocol
FWIW = For What It's Worth
FYI = For Your Information
GIF = Graphic Interchange Format
HTTP = Hypertext Transfer Protocol
IIRC = If I Remember Correctly
IMHO = In My Humble Opinion
IMNSHO = In My Not So Humble Opinion
ISTR = I Seem To Recall
RL = Real Life
ROTFL = Rolling On The Floor Laughing
UL = Urban Legend
URL = Uniform Resource Locator
WRT = With Respect To
WWW = World-Wide Web
YMMV = Your Mileage May Vary
Abbreviations related to military aviation
AA = Anti-Aircraft
AAA = Anti-Aircraft Artillery
AAM = Air-to-Air Missile
AB = Air Base
a/c = Aircraft
ACM = Air Combat Manoeuvring
AEW = Airborne Early Warning
AEW&C = Airborne Early Warning and Control
AF = Air Force
AFB = Air Force Base
AFTI = Advanced Fighter Technology Integration
AGM = Air-to-Ground Missile
AH = Attack Helicopter
ALARM = Air-Launched Anti-Radiation Missile
ALCM = Air-Launched Cruise Missile
AMRAAM = Advanced Medium-Range Air-to-Air Missile
AOA = Angle of Attack
AP = Armour Piercing
APU = Auxiliary Power Unit
ARH = Active Radar Homing
ARM = Anti-Radiation Missile
ASL = At Sea Level
ASM = Air-to-Surface Missile
ASPJ = Airborne Self-Protection Jammer
ASRAAM = Advanced Short-Range Air-to-Air Missile
ASTOVL = Advanced Short Take-Off/Vertical Landing
ASV = Anti-Surface-Vessel
ASW = Anti-Submarine Warfare
AT = Advanced Trainer
ATB = Advanced Technology Bomber
ATF = Advanced Tactical Fighter
ATGM = Anti-Tank Guided Missile
ATGW = Anti-Tank Guided Weapon
ATM = Anti-Tank Missile
AWACS = Airborne Warning and Control System
BDA = Bomb Damage Assessment
BUFF = Big Ugly Fat Fucker (B-52)
CAD = Computer Aided Design
CAG = Carrier Air Group
CALF = Common Advanced Lightweight Fighter
CAM = Computer Aided Manufacturing
CAP = Combat Air Patrol
CAS = Close Air Support
CAW = Carrier Air Wing
CCIP = Continuously Computed Impact Point
CO = Commanding Officer
COD = Carrier On-Board Delivery
COIN = Counter-Insurgency
CTOL = Conventional Take-Off and Landing
CV = Carrier, Heavier-than-Air
CVA = Carrier, Heavier-than-Air, Attack
CVE = Carrier, Heavier-than-Air, Escort
CVN = Carrier, Heavier-than-Air, Nuclear Powered
CVS = Carrier, Heavier-than-Air, Anti-Submarine
CVW = Carrier Air Wing
DACT = Dissimilar Air Combat Training
DS = Desert Storm
EAP = Experimental Aircraft Programme
ECCM = Electronic Counter-Countermeasures
ECM = Electronic Countermeasures
ECR = Electronic Combat and Reconnaissance
EFA = European Fighter Aircraft
EFIS = Electronic Flight Information System
ehp = Equivalent Horsepower
ekW = Equivalent Kilowatts
ELINT = Electronic Intelligence
EMP = Electromagnetic Pulse
ESM = Electronic Support/Surveillance Measures
Eurofar = European Future Advanced Rotorcraft
EW = Electronic Warfare
F/A = Fighter/Attack
FAC = Forward Air Control
FAST = Fuel and Sensor, Tactical
FB = Fighter-Bomber
FBW = Fly by Wire
FGA = Fighter/Ground Attack
FLA = Future Large Airlifter
FLIR = Forward-Looking Infrared
FOD = Foreign Object Damage
FR = Flight Refuelling
FSW = Forward-Swept Wings
Ftr = Fighter
FY = Fiscal Year
GA = Ground Attack
GCA = Ground Controlled Approach
GCI = Ground Controlled Interception
GPS = Global Positioning System
HARM = High-Speed Anti-Radiation Missile
HE = High Explosive
Helo = Helicopter
HOTAS = Hands On Throttle and Stick
HUD = Head-Up Display
IADS = Integrated Air Defence System
IAS = Indicated Airspeed
IFF = Identification Friend-or-Foe
IFR = Instrument Flight Rules
IIR = Imaging Infrared
INS = Inertial Navigation System
Intel = Intelligence
INU = Inertial Navigation Unit
IR = Infrared
IRH = Infrared Homing
IRST = Infrared Search and Track
JATO = Jet-Assisted Take-Off
JPATS = Joint Primary Aircraft Training System
JSTARS = Joint Surveillance Target Attack Radar System
JTIDS = Joint Tactical Information Distribution System
KE = Kinetic Energy
LAMPS = Light Airborne Multi-Purpose System
LANA = Low-Level All-Weather Night Attack
LANTIRN = Low-Altitude Navigation and Targeting Infrared for Night
LCA = Light Combat Aircraft
LGB = Laser-Guided Bomb
LLLTV = Low-Light-Level Television
LTA = Lighter Than Air
LWF = Lightweight Fighter
M = Mach
MAD = Magnetic Anomaly Detection
MFI = Multirole Fighter/Interceptor
MG = Machine Gun
MP = Maritime Patrol
MRF = Multirole Fighter
MSIP = Multi-Stage Improvement Programme
NAS = Naval Air Station
NATF = Naval Advanced Tactical Fighter
NAVSAT = Navigation Satellite
NAW = Night/All Weather
NBC = Nuclear/Biological/Chemical Warfare
NOTAR = No Tail Rotor
NVG = Night Vision Goggles
PGM = Precision Guided Munitions
PR = Photographic Reconnaissance
PRF = Pulse Repetition Frequency
PT = Primary Trainer
RATO = Rocket-Assisted Take-Off
RCS = Radar Cross-Section
Recce = Reconnaissance
Recon = Reconnaissance
RIO = Radar Intercept Officer
RPV = Remote-Piloted Vehicle
RTB = Return to Base
RWR = Radar Warning Receiver
SABA = Small Agile Battlefield Aircraft
SAM = Surface-to-Air Missile
SAR = Search and Rescue
SARH = Semi-Active Radar Homing
SEAD = Suppression of Enemy Air Defences
SDI = Strategic Defense Initiative
SFC = Specific Fuel Consumption
SHAR = Sea Harrier
SL = Sea Level
SLAM = Standoff Land Attack Missile
SLAR = Sideways-Looking Airborne Radar
SLUF = Short Little Ugly Fucker (A-7)
SOP = Standard Operating Procedure
SPAAG = Self-Propelled Anti-Aircraft Gun
Sqn = Squadron
SR = Strategic Reconnaissance
SRAM = Short-Range Attack Missile
STOL = Short Take-Off and Landing
STOVL = Short Take-Off/Vertical Landing
TACAMO = Take Command and Move Out
TARPS = Tactical Air Reconnaissance Pod System
TAS = True Airspeed
TASM = Tomahawk Anti-Ship Missile
TCS = Television Camera System
TFR = Terrain-Following Radar
TFW = Tactical Fighter Wing
TIALD = Thermal Imaging and Laser Designation
TLAM = Tomahawk Land Attack Missile
TO&E = Table of Organisation and Equipment
TOW = Tube-Launched Optically-Tracked Wire-Guided Missile
TRAM = Target Recognition and Attack Multi-Sensor
UAV = Unmanned Air Vehicle
UH = Utility Helicopter
VFR = Visual Flight Rules
VG = Variable Geometry
VIFF = Vectoring in Forward Flight
V/STOL = Vertical/Short Take-Off and Landing
VTO = Vertical Take-Off
VTOL = Vertical Take-Off and Landing
WIG = Wing In Ground-Effect
WSIP = Weapons System Improvement Programme
WSO = Weapon Systems Officer
Abbreviations for air forces and other organisations
ACC = Air Combat Command (USA)
AETC = Air Education and Training Command (USA)
AFPLA = Air Force of the People's Liberation Army (China)
AFRES = Air Force Reserve (USA)
AMC = Air Mobility Command (USA)
ANG = Air National Guard (USA)
ARPA = Advanced Research Projects Agency (USA)
AVMF = Aviatsiya Voenno-Morsko Flota (Naval Air Force) (Russia)
BMDO = Ballistic Missile Defence Office (USA)
CIS = Commonwealth of Independent States
DA = Dalnaya Aviatsiya (Strategic Aviation) (Russia)
DARO = Defence Aerial Reconnaissance Office (USA)
DARPA = Defence Advanced Research Projects Agency (USA)
DOD = Department of Defense (USA)
FA = Frontovaya Aviatsiya (Tactical Aviation) (Russia)
FSU = Former Soviet Union
FUSSR = Former USSR
IDF/AF = Israeli Defence Force/Air Force (Heyl Ha'Avir)
JASDF = Japan Air Self-Defence Force
KLu = Koninklijke Luchtmacht (Royal Netherlands Air Force)
MAC = Military Airlift Command (USA)
MATS = Military Air Transport Service (USA)
NASA = National Aeronautics and Space Administration (USA)
NATO = North Atlantic Treaty Organisation
NRO = National Reconnaissance Office (USA)
PVO = Protivo-Vozdushnoy Oborony (Air Defence Force) (Russia)
PVOS = Protivo-Vozdushnoy Oborony Strany (Air Defence Force)
(Russia)
RAAF = Royal Australian Air Force
RAF = Royal Air Force (UK)
RN = Royal Navy (UK)
RNAF = Royal Norwegian Air Force
RNZAF = Royal New Zealand Air Force
ROKAF = Republic of Korea Air Force (South Korea)
RSAF = Royal Saudi Air Force
RVSN = Raketnye Voiska Strategityesko Naznatseniya (Strategic
Missile Force) (Russia)
SAAF = South African Air Force
SAC = Strategic Air Command (USA)
TAC = Tactical Air Command (USA)
USAAF = United States Army Air Force
USAF = United States Air Force
USMC = United States Marine Corps
USN = United States Navy
VTA = Voenno-Transportnaya Aviatsiya (Military Transport Aviation)
(Russia)
VVS RF = Voenno-Vozdushniye Sily Rossiskoi Federatsii (Air Forces of
the Russian Federation)
WP = Warsaw Pact
Abbreviations for manufacturers' names
AIDC = Aero Industry Development Centre (Taiwan)
An = Antonov (Ukraine)
AS = Arospatiale (France)
ASTA = Aerospace Technologies of Australia
BAC = British Aircraft Corporation
BAe = British Aerospace
Be = Beriev (Russia)
BMAC = Boeing Military Aircraft Corporation (USA)
CAC = Chengdu Aircraft Corporation (China)
CASA = Construcciones Aeronauticas SA (Spain)
CNIAR = Centrul National al Industriei Aeronautice Romne (Romania)
DASA = Deutsche Aerospace SA (Germany)
DH = De Havilland (UK)
DHC = De Havilland Canada
EC = Eurocopter (France/Germany)
EHI = Ellicoteri/Helicopter Industries (Italy/UK)
Embraer = Empresa Brasileira de Aeronautica (Brazil)
Euroflag = European Future Large Airlifter Group
(France/Germany/Italy/Portugal/Spain/Turkey/UK)
GD = General Dynamics (USA)
GE = General Electric (USA)
HAL = Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (India)
HAMC = Harbin Aircraft Manufacturing Corporation (China)
HP = Handley Page (UK)
HS = Hawker Siddeley (UK)
IAI = Israel Aircraft Industries
Il = Ilyushin (Russia)
Ka = Kamov (Russia)
LTV = Ling-Temco-Vought (USA)
MBB = Messerschmitt-Blkow-Blohm (Germany)
MD = McDonnell Douglas (USA)
Mi = Mil (Russia)
MiG = Mikoyan-Gurevich (Russia)
NAMC = Nanchang Aircraft Manufacturing Company (China)
P&W = Pratt and Whitney (USA)
P&WC = Pratt and Whitney Canada
RR = Rolls-Royce (UK)
SAC = Shenyang Aircraft Corporation (China)
SEPECAT = Socit Europenne de Production de l'Avion d'Ecole de
Combat et d'Appui Tactique (France/UK)
Su = Sukhoi (Russia)
Tu = Tupolev (Russia)
XAC = Xian Aircraft Company (China)
Yak = Yakovlev (Russia)
Subject: A.5. Conversion factors
I've used metric units throughout this FAQ. The following conversion
factors may come in useful.
Length
Inch = 2.540 cm
Foot = 0.3048 m
Yard = 0.9144 m
Mile = 1.609 km
Nautical mile = 1.852 km
Volume
Gallon (US) = 3.785 L
Gallon (UK) = 4.546 L
Mass
Pound = 0.4536 kg
Short ton = 907.2 kg
Long ton = 1016 kg
Speed
Mile per hour = 1.609 km/h
Knot = 1.852 km/h
Force
Pound force = 4.448 N
Kilogram force = 9.807 N
Power
Horsepower = 0.7457 kW
Subject: B.1. A/F-X
The A/F-X (Attack/Fighter X) was a joint USAF/USN project to produce a
heavy attack aircraft with a secondary fighter role; it would have replaced
the F-111 and A-6 in the attack role, and (partially) the F-14 in the
fighter role. It was a short-lived programme, originating in 1991 after
the cancellation of the McDonnell Douglas/General Dynamics A-12, a highly
advanced, highly stealthy aircraft intended to replace the A-6. A new
programme, originally designated A-X, was initiated to provide a cheaper
A-6 replacement. At the same time, the NATF (Naval Advanced Tactical
Fighter) programme, intended to produce an F-14 replacement, had recently
been put on hold, and the USAF was starting to think seriously about an
F-111 replacement. The three programmes were merged under the title A/F-X.
The leading contender was the Lockheed/Boeing AFX-653, essentially a
navalised version of the USAF's F-22 Advanced Tactical Fighter (see below).
This would have been a two-seat aircraft with Tomcat-like swing wings, but
otherwise similar to the F-22. The A/F-X project was cancelled at the end
of 1993; the US Navy intends to procure the F/A-18E/F series as partial
replacements for its aircraft. Lockheed and Boeing are still working on
the AFX-653, and hope to offer a further developed version for a future
project (but probably not JAST (see below), for which the AFX-653 would
probably be too big).
You can find an article on the subject, with plans of the AFX-653, in the
26-Jan-94 issue of _Flight International_.
Vital statistics (AFX-653): power plant: two 113 kN Pratt & Whitney
PW7000 augmented turbofans; armament: one 20mm cannon, internal bays for
various air-to-air and air-to-ground weapons, including AGM-86E missiles
and GBU-24 guided bombs.
Subject: B.2. Bell/Boeing V-22 Osprey
The tilt-rotor programme began with Bell's XV-15 technology demonstrator.
A tilt-rotor multimission aircraft was commissioned under the title JVX
(Joint VTOL X); the aircraft, developed jointly by Bell Helicopter Textron
and Boeing Vertol, was later designated V-22 Osprey. The first prototype
flew on 19 March 1989; development has been interrupted by the destruction
of two of the prototypes in crashes.
Despite attempts by the US Secretary of Defence to have the programme
halted in favour of conventional helicopters and transport aircraft, the
Osprey has survived several rounds of budget cutting, thanks mainly to
lobbying by the US Marine Corps. The first production aircraft is expected
to fly in December 1996.
Current production plans consist of 552 MV-22A assault transports for the
USMC, 50 HV-22A combat rescue aircraft for the US Navy, and 55 CV-22A
special mission transports for the Special Operations Forces. The US
Army's original requirement for 251 of the transport version has been
deferred, but not irrevocably cancelled. Japan is expected to order four
search and rescue aircraft, and is considering the V-22 for the
anti-submarine role.
Vital statistics (MV-22A): length 19.09 m, span 14.36 m, empty weight
14463 kg, max weight 27442 kg, max speed 556 km/h, range 3892 km, payload
9072 kg; power plant: two 4586 kW Allison T406-AD-400 turboshafts.
Subject: B.3. Boeing/Sikorsky RAH-66 Comanche
The LHX (Light Helicopter X) programme, to provide the US Army with a light
scout/attack helicopter to replace the AH-1 Cobra, OH-6 Cayuse, and OH-56
Kiowa, was initiated in 1982. The original plan was to acquire 5000
helicopters, in a mixture of LHX SCAT (scout/attack) and LHX Utility
versions; the latter was intended as a UH-1 replacement. The utility role
was dropped, and the requirement reduced to 2096 aircraft, in 1987. Two
consortia were awarded demonstration and validation contracts in October
1988, one consisting of Bell and McDonnell Douglas, the other Boeing and
Sikorsky. On 5 April 1991, the Boeing/Sikorsky team was awarded a contract
for development of the LHX, now designated RAH-66A Comanche.
The programme has survived recent budget cuts; the first flight is
scheduled for September 1994, service delivery 1997. The production total
is now expected to be 1292 aircraft, of which about one third will be the
RAH-66B version, carrying a slightly smaller version of the Longbow radar
fitted to the AH-64D Apache.
Vital statistics (RAH-66A): fuselage length 13.22 m, rotor diameter 11.90
m, empty weight 3402 kg, max weight 7790 kg, max speed 328 km/h, range 2335
km; power plant: two 690 kW LHTEC T800-LHT-800 turboshafts; armament:
20mm cannon, internal and external carriage for up to 14 Hellfire or 18
Stinger missiles.
Subject: B.4. Dassault Rafale
When France withdrew from what was then the FEFA programme (now Eurofighter
2000; see below) in 1985, Dassault went ahead with a very similar multirole
fighter of its own, named Rafale (squall). In the first few years there
were half-hearted attempts to bring in foreign partners, but nothing came
of this. The first prototype Rafale A flew on 4 July 1986.
The Arme de l'Air (French AF) has ordered the "Rafale D", a generic name
covering the two-seat Rafale B and single-seat Rafale C; the first
pre-production Rafale C flew on 19 May 1991. The original plan was for a
force consisting mainly of single-seat aircraft, but the Arme de l'Air now
appears to like the idea of two-seat combat aircraft, and it is expected
that most, possibly all, of the Rafales for the Arme de l'Air will be the
Rafale B version. The Arme de l'Air is expected to order 235 Rafales,
entering service in 2000, or possibly 2002.
The Aronavale (French Navy air arm) has ordered the Rafale M, a single
seat carrier-borne fighter; the first Rafale M flew on 12 December 1991,
and made its first carrier landing on the _Foch_ on 19 April 1993. The
Aronavale intends to purchase 86 Rafales, probably entering service in
1999.
Vital statistics (Rafale B): length 15.30 m, span 10.90 m, empty weight
9550 kg, max weight 19500 kg, max speed 2124 km/h (Mach 2.0), ferry range
3706 km; power plant: two 72.90 kN Snecma M88-2 augmented turbofans;
armament: 30mm cannon, AAM rail on each wingtip, 14 hardpoints; max
external load 8000 kg.
Subject: B.5. Eurofighter 2000
In 1982 British Aerospace began development of what was then called ACA
(Agile Combat Aircraft), a fighter technology demonstrator, originally
privately funded, although it later attracted some assistance from the
British government. The single aircraft first flew on 8 August 1986, by
which time it had been redesignated EAP (Experimental Aircraft Programme).
Meanwhile, in December 1983, the air forces of France, Germany (then West
Germany), Italy, Spain, and the UK announced a programme for the
development of a next generation combat aircraft, designated FEFA (Future
European Fighter Aircraft), based largely on the EAP demonstrator, and on
similar work done by MBB (now part of DASA) in Germany, under the
designation JF-90 (a research project rather than an actual aircraft).
FEFA was originally intended to enter service with all five countries in
the mid-1990s. From the beginning the programme was dogged by political,
commercial, technological, and military infighting (leading _Flight
International_ columnist Roger Bacon to suggest that the acronym actually
stood for Five Europeans Farting Around). Disagreement over the size of
the aircraft and the production schedule led France to withdraw from the
programme in July 1985 (France wanted a smaller aircraft, and postponement
of production to avoid competing with Dassault's Mirage 2000). In June
1986 Eurofighter GmbH was formed to manage what was now the EFA (European
Fighter Aircraft) programme, with participation by British Aerospace (33%),
MBB (now DASA, 33%), Aeritalia (now Alenia, 21%), and CASA (13%).
The aircraft is now known as the Eurofighter 2000; a proper name is
expected to be assigned eventually. The first flight was made on 27 March
1994; production delivery is expected to begin in 2000. Orders are 250 for
the UK (but they're considering an increase to 350), 165 for Italy, 100 for
Spain, and probably about 100-120 for Germany (who originally wanted 140
but are expected to reduce their order).
BAe and Rolls-Royce have proposed a future version with VTOL capability.
Vital statistics (Eurofighter 2000): length 14.50 m, span 10.50 m, empty
weight 9750 kg, max weight 17000 kg, max speed 1912 km/h (Mach 1.8), ferry
range 1112 km; power plant: two 90.00 kN augmented turbofans; armament:
27mm cannon, AAM rail on each wingtip, 11 hardpoints; max external load
6500 kg.
Subject: B.6. JAST
The US Joint Advanced Strike Technology programme, established in early
1994, is intended to be a technology development programme rather than an
actual service aircraft. It involves all the improvements that would be
expected for a next generation aircraft (advanced materials, stealth,
reduced costs, better systems integration, and so forth), plus two
particularly innovative concepts. The first is the idea of a modular
aircraft design, so that individual aircraft could be built with different
combinations of components for different services and missions (take-off
capability, for example -- the same basic airframe could be built in
conventional runway versions for the USAF, carrier-borne versions for the
USN, and V/STOL versions for the USMC). The second is the possibility of
providing a "virtual reality" environment for the pilot, which would
integrate tactical information with the outside view.
JAST has inherited much of the defunct A/F-X project, and has been
partially combined with ARPA's X-32 project (see section B.14). This was
resisted by the DOD, which wanted JAST to be a relatively low-risk project.
Twelve technology development contracts were awarded in May 1994, the
largest going to Boeing. The JAST project is expected to lead to the
construction of two technology demonstrator aircraft (one will probably be
the X-32), and eventually to a service aircraft (which may or may not be
derived from one of the demonstrators) which will begin to replace the F-16
in USAF service, the F/A-18 (and possibly F-14) in USN service, and the
Harrier in USMC service by 2010.
Subject: B.7. LCA
The LCA (Light Combat Aircraft) is India's second indigenous jet fighter
design, after the HF-24 Marut of the 1950s. Development began in 1983; the
basic design was finalised in 1990, and two prototypes are currently
approaching completion, with first flight expected sometime in 1995.
The configuration is a delta wing, with no tailplanes or foreplanes, and a
single vertical fin. The LCA will be constructed of aluminium-lithium
alloys, carbon-fibre composites, and titanium. The design incorporates
"control-configured vehicle" concepts to enhance manoeuvrability, and
quadruplex fly-by-wire controls.
Both prototypes are powered by General Electric F404-GE-F2J3 engines, but
an indigenous engine, the GTX-35VS Kaveri, is being developed for the
production LCA.
No official name or other designation has been assigned to the LCA yet.
Vital statistics: length 13.20 m, span 8.20 m, empty weight 5500 kg, clean
TO weight 8500 kg, max TO weight not given, max speed 1699 km/h (Mach 1.6);
power plant: one 83.4 kN GTRE GTX-35VS augmented turbofan; armament: one
GSh-23 twin-barrel 23mm cannon (220 rounds); 7 hardpoints; max external
load over 4000 kg.
Subject: B.8. Lockheed/Boeing F-22
The ATF (Advanced Technology Fighter) programme began in September 1983,
when design contracts were awarded to seven companies; in October 1986,
development contracts were awarded to two consortia, one consisting of
Lockheed (prime contractor), Boeing, and General Dynamics, the other of
Northrop (prime contractor) and McDonnell Douglas. The first Northrop/MD
YF-23A (unofficially "Black Widow II") flew on 27 August 1990, followed by
the first Lockheed/Boeing/GD YF-22A (unofficially "Lightning II") on 29
September 1990. In April 1991, the YF-22A was selected for development and
eventual service.
Recent budget cuts have slowed down the schedule slightly; the first flight
of the production Lockheed/Boeing F-22A (General Dynamics sold its fighter
division to Lockheed in December 1992), originally scheduled for June 1996,
will now be in (probably) March 1997. Service entry is expected to begin
in 2003; the USAF is currently fighting an attempt by the General
Accounting Office to delay this to 2010. Total production, originally
planned to be 648 aircraft, has now been reduced to 442.
Reports differ as to whether the aircraft has an official name yet; for a
while the Pentagon was considering "Superstar", and some magazine reports
have claimed that the name "Rapier" has been assigned. However, Chris
Ridlon of USAF ROTC/Academy reports that all the USAF people he knows
(including F-22 acquisition officers) are using Lockheed's name of
"Lightning II", so that may be officially approved after all.
Vital statistics (YF-22A): length 18.90 m, span 13.56 m, empty weight
15422 kg, max weight 28123 kg, max speed 2655 km/h (Mach 2.5), ferry range
3704 km; power plant: two 155.68 kN Pratt & Whitney F119-100 augmented
turbofans; armament: 20mm cannon, internal bays for two AIM-9 and four
AIM-120A or six AIM-120C air-to-air missiles, or two AIM-9, two AIM-120,
and two air-to-surface missiles, external hardpoints for four more AIM-120s
or other ordnance; radar: Westinghouse/Texas Instruments APG-77.
Subject: B.9. McDonnell Douglas C-17 Globemaster III
The USAF initiated the C-X (Cargo X) programme in October 1980; McDonnell
Douglas was selected as prime contractor on 19 August 1981. The C-X, later
designated C-17, is primarily a C-141 replacement, with some overlap with
the roles of the C-5 and C-130. The first prototype flew in September
1991. The programme has suffered many technical and political setbacks,
but production has begun, although the USAF's order has been reduced from
the original 210. 40 have been definitely ordered, of which 10 had been
delivered by February 1994. A follow-up order for another 80 is on hold,
conditional on MD correcting design flaws and cost overruns; a decision
will be made by the end of 1995.
McDonnell Douglas are considering a civilian airfreight version, under the
designation MD-17.
Vital statistics (C-17A): length 53.04 m, span 52.20 m, empty weight
122016 kg, max weight 263083 kg, cruise speed 818 km/h, range 8710 km,
payload 78108 kg; power plant: four 185.50 kN Pratt & Whitney F117-PW-100
turbofans.
Subject: B.10. Mikoyan 1.42
Also known as MFI (Multirole Fighter/Interceptor), and sometimes referred
to in the West as "ATFski", Mikoyan's Project 1.42 is a low-visibility
multirole fighter, with air superiority as the primary mission, intended as
an Su-27/35 replacement; in short, the Russian equivalent of the F-22. The
1.42 is one of the few Mikoyan projects to survive the recent wave of
defence budget cuts from the Kremlin, although its schedule has apparently
been slowed by shortage of funds as well as technical problems. The first
airframe is reported to be already complete, but problems with the engines
have delayed the first flight, now expected to be in September 1994.
_Jane's Defence Weekly_ and _Flight International_ have published CAD
images of the 1.42; they show an aircraft resembling a scaled-up F-16, with
two engines with vectored-thrust nozzles, inward-canted twin tails,
slightly downturned wingtips, Rafale-like rounded intakes, and possibly
foreplanes. The 1.42, like the F-22, can carry weapons both internally and
externally. It is expected to enter service about 2004 to 2006; service
designation will probably be MiG-35.
The related Project 7.01, a heavier and stealthier interceptor designed
along similar lines, has been cancelled.
The only available vital statistic is a maximum take-off weight of 30000
kilograms.
Subject: B.11. Northrop Grumman B-2 Spirit
Development of the ATB (Advanced Technology Bomber) began in 1978; the
programme was revealed to the public in 1981, when Northrop's design was
chosen over a Lockheed/Rockwell proposal. Although no details of the
design were revealed, it was widely assumed that the aircraft would be a
"flying wing" design, based on Northrop's experience with the XB-35 and
YB-49, and this was confirmed when the first prototype was rolled out on 22
November 1988. It made its first flight on 17 July 1989, and the first
production B-2 was delivered to the USAF in 1993. Production plans have
been drastically cut from 135 aircraft to only 20, of which the last is
expected to be delivered in 1997. The aircraft was officially named
"Spirit" in February 1994; Northrop became Northrop Grumman in May 1994.
Vital statistics (B-2A): length 21.03 m, span 52.42 m, empty weight 72575
kg, max weight 168434 kg, max speed 1103 km/h, range 13898 km, payload
22370 kg; power plant: four 84.51 kN General Electric F118-100 turbofans.
Subject: B.12. Saab JAS 39 Gripen
Development of the JAS 39 Gripen (JAS = Jakt/Attack/Spaning =
Fighter/Attack/Reconnaissance; Gripen = Griffon) began in 1980. It is a
light multirole fighter, intended to gradually replace all versions of the
Saab 35 Draken and Saab 37 Viggen in Flygvapnet (Swedish AF) service;
development and production is carried out by IG-JAS, a consortium led by
Saab.
The first prototype flew on 9 December 1988; development has been delayed
by the loss of two aircraft in crashes attributed to faults in the digital
flight control software. The programme remains intact, however, and the
Swedish government has confirmed its order for two initial batches
totalling 140 aircraft (126 JAS 39A single-seat aircraft and 14 two-seat
JAS 39B conversion training aircraft).
Saab has high hopes for export success with the Gripen; the Swedish
government has agreed to a slight relaxation of the export restrictions
that made the Viggen a non-starter outside Sweden. An agreement with
Britain was signed in February 1994, under which British Aerospace (which
assisted Saab in the design of the Gripen) will market the aircraft; BAe
will probably also be involved in production.
An advanced JAS 39C version, with improved avionics and more powerful
engines, is under development, and will probably be ordered as a third
batch; the Flygvapnet originally planned to buy a total of 358 Gripens, but
is expected to end up with 250 to 300.
Vital statistics (JAS 39): length 14.15 m, span 8.40 m, empty weight 5800
kg, max weight 9526 kg, max speed 2336 km/h (Mach 2.2), range 600 km; power
plant: one 80.50 kN Volvo Flygmotor RM12 augmented turbofan; armament:
27mm cannon, wingtip AAM rails, 6 hardpoints.
Subject: B.13. Shenyang J-8/F-8
Development of this large interceptor, the first jet fighter designed in
China to enter service, began in 1964. The first prototype flew on 5 July
1969. Production of the J-8I began in July 1979; about 100 were delivered
to the AFPLA before production ended in 1987. The J-8I resembled a
scaled-up MiG-21 (J-7), with a tailed delta configuration powered by two
engines fed from a single annular nose intake, carrying radar in the
centrebody cone (it resembled Mikoyan's experimental Ye-152A, although,
contrary to some early reports, it was not based on that aircraft).
The more advanced J-8II was developed in the early 1980s, the first
prototype flying on 12 June 1984. It differed externally in having two
side intakes (similar to an F-4 or MiG-23) and a solid nose with a much
larger radome. A plan to fit American avionics, including an advanced
radar, fell through in the early 1990s; however, the J-8II has entered
production anyway, carrying a Chinese SR-4 "lookdown-shootdown" radar.
Both versions have been offered for export, as the F-8I and F-8II, but
there have been no takers so far.
Vital statistics (J-8II, estimated): length 21.59 m, span 9.34 m, empty
weight 9820 kg, max weight 17800 kg, max speed 2336 km/h (Mach 2.2), ferry
range 2200 km; power plant: two 65.90 kN Wopen 13A-II augmented turbojets;
armament: one Type 23-3 twin-barrel 23mm cannon with 200 rounds, 7
hardpoints, max external load 3500 kg.
------------------------------
--
... Ross Smith (Wellington, New Zealand) <avfaq@meanmach.actrix.gen.nz> ...
"Being in the air farce and navy means you only get to kill people by
remote control, which takes some of the fun out of it."
(Steve Kieffer-Higgins, in alt.tasteless)
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