Text File

Abmd70.174 net.columbia utzoo!decvax!duke!bmd70!jcp Tue Nov 24 01:07:39 1981 Aviation Week 11/23/81 - Military Highlights of the November 23, 1981 Aviation Week and Space Technology: -------------------------------------------------------------------------------

This Aviation Week digest is devoted to military/weapons issues only, Space Shuttle Columbia articles are digested seperately due to the high volume of articles relating to the flight of STS-2

------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Reagan Proposes Missle Halt --------------------------- President Reagan, in letter to Soviet President Leonid Brezhnev proposed a four point agenda for the reduction of convertional, intermediate range nuclear, and strategic forces centered on Europe.

The first and most essential point concerns the Geneva negotiations: Reagan called for dismantling of Soviet intermediate range missiles, which comprise 250 mobile triple warhead SS-20s with a range of 4400-5000km (2732-3105 mi), 35 single warhead SS-5s with a range of 4100 km (2546 mi), and 315 single warhead SS-4s with a range of 1900 km (1180 mi). Reagan discounted attempts to locate SS-20s outside the European USSR, east of the Ural mountains, which would still allow the missiles to threaten much of Europe, the Middle East and North Africa. In late 1983, the US is scheduled to begin deployment of 108 Marin Marietta Pershing II intermediate range missles and 464 General Dynamics ground-launched cruise missiles at various locations in Western Europe. President Reagan offered to cancel deployment of these missiles in response to the Soviet disarmement steps proposed.

The Pershing II is scheduled to begin flight testing in Spring 1982, and is a mobile, solid fuel, two stage missile with one warhead and a range of 1000-1500 km (621-931 mi). According to Pentagon officals, Pershing II will be substantially less powerful than the Soviet SS-20, but 10 to 11 times more accurate.

The other points of the four point agenda are:

Open negotiations as soon as possible to begin substantial reduction in strategic nuclear weapons. The Reagan Administratin has previously shelved SALT 2 as disadvantageous to the American position.

Act to achieve equality at lower levels of conventional forces in Europe. President Reagon said that the defense needs of the USSR "hardly call for maintaining more combat divisions in East Germany today than were in the whole Allied invasion force that landed in Normandy on D-Day."

Renewed its proposal for a conference on disarmament in Europe.

The President said his proposals were based on the principals of "substantial, militarily significant reductions in forces, equal ceilings for similar types of forces, and adequate provisions for verification."

French Defense Budget Increased -------------------------------

France's Socialist goverment of Francois Mitterand has proposed a defense budget of 22.75 billion dollars for 1982, a 17.6 percent increase over 1981 spending. The budget has cleared the National Assembly and awaits Senate approval. Even with 13-14% inflation, the 1982 budget still includes real growth higher than most Western countries.

The budget allocates 30% for the French nuclear deterrent force ("Force de Frappe"), and 16% for research and development. In addition, 25 Dassault Breguet Mirage 2000 fighters and 30 Aerospatiale Epsilon piston engine trainer aircraft were ordered.

The Mirage 2000 is France's new generation fighter, and India is also a serious export possiblity, with Egypt also considering purchasing the single engine air-superiority fighter.

France is also developing a mobile surface-to-surface strategic missile and a seventh nuclear missile launching submarine.

House Votes Down Effort to Kill B-1 ----------------------------------- The US House of Representatives defeated by almost a 2 to 1 margin, 263 to 142, an attempt by Rep. Joseph P. Addabbo (D-NY) to delete the B-1 bomber from the defense approriations bill. The Senate earlier in the week supported funding for the Rockwell International aircraft by a 3 to 1 margin, in a 21-7 Appropriations Committee vote. Also restored to the defense bill as 1.9 billion dollars for the MX missile and basing mode. The effort to delete MX funding failed 264-139 The Pentagon presented data in a secret breifing that it would be more costly to maintain B-52 capability thru the year 2000 than to build the new generation B-1B strategic bomber. Little cost difference was found between a mix of 100 B-1Bs and 132 advanced technology Stealth bombers, and a force of 232 Stealth aircraft.

The House made the following changes to the bill: Reccommend USAF abandon plans to reengine the Boeing KC-135 aircraft until the GE/Snecma CFM56 engine becomes available Added 20 million for the GE F101 derivative fighter engine, and 15 million fo the P&W F100 fighter engine

House and Senate Appropriations Committes took these actions: Senate recommended $236.4 million for advanced procurement of F-18 fighter (McDonnel Douglas) - Senate approved $236.4 mill for advanced procurement, although the House has reduced the amount by $47.2 million. Both houses have recommended $1.89 billion for purchase of 63 aircraft. F-16 fighter - both committees approved $1.27 billion for 120 aircraft, a reduction of $60.8 million to reflect multi-year procurment savings. The House recommended $546.8 mill for advanced procurment, the Senate $481.1 million. CX transport - Both committees deleted development funds and substituted $15 mill for research and $50 mill for procurement of a wide body aircraft. A-10 attack aircraft (Fairchild Republic) - Senate cut $249 mill for 20 aircraft to $229.7 mill, but the House has set $209.7 mill for 20 aircraft. F-15 fighter (McDonnell Douglas) - Both committes reduced buy from 42 to 36 aircraft, reducing appropriation from $1.09 billion to $980.2 million F-14 fighter (Grumman) - Both committees approved 30 aircraft at a cost of $888.7 mill KC-10 tanker (McDonnell Douglas) - Both committess approved 4 non-requested aircraft, for a total of $220.2 mill AV-8B attack aircraft (McDonnell Douglas) - Both committees funded 12 aircraft at $575.2 mill, but reduced advance procurement from $49 mill to $37 mill. SH-60B Seahawk antisubmarine helicopter (Sikorsky) - House approved 18 aircraft at $558.6 mill, rather than the requested $585.6 mill, Senate approved full amount. Air Force next-generation trainer - Senate funded $14.7 mill, while House did not. Space Defense - Senate approved $200.9 mill, while House approved the requested $180.9 mill. The Senate increased funding to provide increased ASAT (anti-satellite) technology, including airborne and space-based laser weapons development. The Senate is concerned this program is concerned about $100 million cost growth in this program for FY1981-81, while cognizant of rapid Soviet advances in this area. Advanced Ballistic Reentry Systems (ABRES) - Both committees increased the Reagan request of $49 mill to $100 mill. This program is designed to counter Soviet ballistic missile defense advances. Included are ICBM penetration aids, defense suppression man- euvering reentry vehicle (MARV), and advanced fuzing and guidance systems. The committes believed the higher funding was required to respond to Soviet ABM threat. Trident 2 SLBM - Both committes approved $239.5 mill for Trident D-5 missile, partly to hedge land and air based strategic weapons development. Space Shuttle (STS) - Senate approved $212.3 mill, while the House approved $266 million.

Operations and Maitenance funding, frequently neglected in the past, was increased during action on the House floor, with additons of $230.4 mill for the Army, $86 mill for the Navy, and $83.1 mill for the Air Force.

Both committes approved $126 million to initiate multi-year contracting for the Sikorsky UH-60A Black Hawk helicopter.

F-16 for Venezuala ------------------ Reagan administrations has informally notified Congress of its intent of sell 24 General Dynamics F-16 fighter aircraft to Venezuala at a cost of more than $600 million, with delivery starting in 1984. This sale is designed to compensate for the Cuban buildup in the area.

F-16 for Pakistan ----------------- The Senate and House committess last week rejected attempts to block the sale of 40 F16s to Pakistan, virtually insuring that the sale will go through. First 6 aircraft will be delivered within 1 year.

AMRAAM Test Successful ---------------------- Air launch testing of a Hughes Advanced Medium Range Air to Air Missile (AMRAAM) in a look-down, shoot-down capability was accomplished Nov. 17th, when the Hughes missile scored a direct hit on a QF-102 drone aircraft after being launched from a McDonnell Douglas F-15 fighter operated by the US Air Force. At launch time, the F-15 was at 6000 feet, and the drone was 5000 ft below and 6 miles ahead. This missile flew the first part of its flight in inertial navigation mode, and then transitioned to active radar guidance for terminal intercept.

F-16/79 Gives New Export Capability -----------------------------------

The version of the F-16 fighter using Pratt and Whitney J79 engines has essentially the same maneuverability and handling as the Air Force F-16A version powered by the F-100 engine, with reduced turn and range capabilities, confirming the F-16/79 as an intermediate step between previous export fighters (Northrup F-5 in particular), and the latest modern fighters.

The export F-16/79 is designed to take advantage of the support facilities abroad for the popular J79 engine, the main powerplant on the McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom Jet. The F-4 has been a popular aircraft throughout the developing world for the past decade, because of its superior performace to common Soviet aircraft (MiG 21 and 23, Sukhoi SU-17,22), and its economy of operation. The Israel Aircraft Industries Kfir C-3 fighter also uses the J79, and Israel has complete engine rebuild facilities for the powerplant.

The F-16/79 can hit Mach 2 in 7 minutes 10 seconds at a distance of 62 miles from brake release, as demonstrated in the test program.

A-10s deployed to Germany ------------------------- Fairchild-Republic A-10s have been deployed to the 511th Tactical Fighter Squadron at Weisbaden, West Germany. The 511th was deployed to Europe to cover the 4th Mechanized Infantry Div in the Army's Certain Encounter manuevers, set to last 3 weeks.

Solar Powerplant Under Construction ----------------------------------- Solar One - at 10,000 kw solar powerplant, is under construction on a 75 acre site in the Mohave desert. The plant, in its final phase of construction, consists of a 300 ft central tower topped with a solar thermal power system. Surrounding it are 1800 heliostat mirrors that focus the suns rays on the tower to produce steam. Solar One is to demonstrate feasibility of powerplants up to 100 Megawatts capacity.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Summary prepared by J. C. Pistritto (ARPA address jcp@brl) UUCP address duke!bmd70!jcp@brl

----------------------------------------------------------------- gopher://quux.org/ conversion by John Goerzen <jgoerzen@complete.org> of http://communication.ucsd.edu/A-News/

This Usenet Oldnews Archive article may be copied and distributed freely, provided:

1. There is no money collected for the text(s) of the articles.

2. The following notice remains appended to each copy:

The Usenet Oldnews Archive: Compilation Copyright (C) 1981, 1996 Bruce Jones, Henry Spencer, David Wiseman.