MILITARY AIRCRAFT OF THE WORLD

three aircraft for the training of foreign military pilots.

Turbo-Firecracker has been shortlisted by the Royal Air Force as one of four contenders for its AST.412 Jet Provost replacement. The RAF requires 155 aircraft to enter service from 1989. For this requirement Turbo-Firecracker will be uprated, with a 560kW PT6A-25C turbine replacing the -25A flat-rated to 410kW. The third NDN-1T to fly will have this engine.

The piston-powered NDN-1 Firecracker first flew in May 1977. The PT6A-powered NDN-1T flew in September 1983. Customer: Britain 3 (+ 4)

PILATUS BRITTEN-NORMAN

Defender Military versions of the BN-2 Islander—the Defender and Maritime Defender—are available with 225kW Lycoming IO-540 piston engines or 240kW Allison 250 turboprops.

Defender and Maritime Defender are based on current BN-2B Islander and BN-2T Turbine Islander airframes. Four underwing hardpoints are added, and Maritime Defender has a nose-mounted search radar.

The Islander has been selected by the British Army Air Corps to carry its battlefield-surveillance Corps airborne standoff radar. Customers: Defender Abu Dhabi, Belgium, Belize, Botswana, Ghana, Guyana, Hong Kong, Jamaica, Malagasy, Malawi, Mauritania, Mexico, Oman, Panama, Rwanda, Seychelles, Surinam. Maritime Defender Cyprus, India, Philippines

SHORTS

Sherpa The US Air Force has ordered an initial 18 Shorts Sherpa twin-turboprop trans­ports to equip its European distribution system. A further 48 aircraft are on option.

The first two C-23 Sherpas will be delivered in August, the remaining 16 of the initial batch by March 1986. Additional aircraft will be delivered at the rate of two a month thereafter. The Sherpas will be used for the transport of aircraft spares between USAF air bases in Europe and will be based at Zweibrucken in West Germany.

A prototype Sherpa, modified from a 330-200 commuter airliner to incorporate the rear loading ramp, first flew in December 1982. Customer: USA 18 (+48)

330 /UTT First orders for the Shorts 330 utility/tactical transport (UTT) were received early in 1984, from two Asian air forces. The

aircraft are to be delivered in mid-1984. The 330/UTT is essentially a Shorts 330

commuter airliner, with inward-opening rear paratroop doors and increased payload. The 330/UTT can accommodate 33 troops, 30 paratroops, or 15 stretchers. Customers: Thailand?, undisclosed

Skyvan Current military version of the Skyvan twin-turboprop transport is the Series 3M-200, with a higher take-off weight.

The Skyvan, with its rear loading ramp, is suitable for supply dropping, troop transport, and casualty evacuation, while some aircraft are equipped for search and rescue. Customers: Argentina 5, Austria 2, Botswana 2, Ecuador 1, Ghana 6, Guyana 2, Indonesia 3, Lesotho 2, Malawi 1, Mauritania 2, Nepal 2, Oman 16, Panama 1, Singapore 6, Thailand 3, N. Yemen 2

SLINGSBY AVIATION

T67M Firefly The composite-construction T67M Firefly primary/basic trainer is in ser­vice with Carlisle-based Specialist Flying Train­ing for the training of foreign military pilots.

The T67M is a military version of the T67B Firefly, powered by an uprated 119kW piston engine. The T67B is a glassfibre-construction development of the wooden T67A, a Slingsby-built Fournier RF5B light aircraft. The T67M first flew in December 1982. Customer: Britain 10

WESTLAND

Lynx The first Lynx airframe modified to Lynx 3 standard is expected to fly in June/July 1984. Changes include 830kW Gem 60 engines, composite rotor blades with paddle tips, lengthened fuselage fairing into a Westland 30 tailboom, and crashworthy tricycle under­carriage. Maximum take-off weight is increased to 5,445kg.

Lynx 3 is offered in both army and navy forms. Army Lynx 3 can be armed with eight Hellfire and four Stinger missiles. Naval Lynx 3 retains the tricycle undercarrage of ship-borne Lynx, but can carry a wider range of sensors and weapons. Lynx 3 is fitted with a 1553B digital databus allowing the integration of various sensors and avionics.

The Lynx first flew in March 1971, and entered service in 1976 with the British Army as a utility helicopter and with the Royal Navy as a small-ship helicopter. Subsequent im­provements have increased all-up weight for the utility/anti-tank Lynx from its initial 3,990kg to its current 4,535kg, while Navy Lynx has

reached 4,875kg from its initial 4,425kg. British Army Lynx helicopters are armed

with eight TOW anti-tank missiles and a roof sight. Both HOT and Hellfire missiles have been fired from the Lynx. Royal Navy Lynx helicopters are armed with four Sea Skua anti-ship missiles and Sea Spray radar. Customers: Army Qatar 3, UK 114. Navy Argentina 10, Brazil 9, Denmark 8, France 40, W. Germany 12, Netherlands 24, Norway 6, Nigeria 3, UK 80

Sea King/Commando The Indian Navy has ordered an advanced version of the Sea King helicopter equipped for anti-submarine and ant-ship missions. The Sea King Mk42B is equipped with Marconi Avionics AQS 902 sonobuoy acoustic processor and MEL Super Searcher surveillance radar.

The latest Sea King HAS.5 for the Royal Navy has MEL Sea Searcher radar and a version of AQS 902 combining acoustic pro­cessing for both sonobuoys and dunking sonar.

The original HAS.l for the Royal Navy flew in May 1969 and was followed in 1976 by an updated HAS.2 standard. In 1982 two of these helicopters were modified to airborne early warning platforms by installing a version of the Searchwater surveillance radar. A further six Sea King AEWs are to be produced by modifying RN HAS.2 ASW Sea Kings.

The Sea King HC.4 is a Royal Navy version of the Commando tactical transport derivative of the Sea King, distinguished by its non-amphibious landing gear. The Commando first flew in September 1973. Customers: Sea King Australia 14, Belgium 5, Egypt 6, W. Germany 22, India 15, Norway 11, Pakistan 6, UK 120. Commando Egypt 22, Qatar 4 (armed with Exocet), UK 25.

Westland 30 The first CT7-powered West-land 30 transport helicopter flew in late 1983. This aircraft, the W30-200, has an all-up weight of 5,805kg, identical to that of the Gem 60-powered W30-160, but offers improved hot-and-high performance.

The next major improvement will come with the W30-300, to be available in 1987, which will retain the CT7/T700 powerplant, but will feature a five-blade main rotor with composite blades and paddle tips. All-up weight will in­crease to 7,120kg, giving the Westland 30 real military potential for utility and naval roles.

Derived from the Lynx, but with an enlarged cabin able to accommodate 14 combat-equipped troops, the Gem-41-powered West-land 30-100 first flew in April 1979.

Prototype Shorts Sherpa (US Air Force C-23 A)

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FLIGHT International, 26 May 1984 1417