PICTURES: Manufacturing defects caused cracks that downed USAF F-15
By Graham Warwick

Fatigue cracks started by manufacturing defects in a fuselage longeron caused the in-flight break-up of a Boeing F-15C Eagle on 2 November 2007, the US Air Force accident investigation has concluded.

Longeron cracks have been found in another nine F-15Cs, and manufacturing defects that could potentially cause fatigue cracking have been detected in a further 182 F-15A-Ds. All of these aircraft remain grounded.

Examination of the wreckage of the crashed F-15 revealed the right upper longeron, a critical load-carrying component in the forward fuselage, failed because of a fatigue crack that formed where the metal was thinner than specified in the blueprint.

Instead of being the specified 0.090-0.110in (2.3-2.8mm) thick, the flat top, or web, of the aluminium longeron that failed was as thin as 0.039in – less than a millimetre – in the area when the fatigue crack formed.

The thinning was caused when the longeron was machined by McDonnell Douglas during production of the aircraft, which was delivered in 1982. Similar manufacturing defects – undercuts, ridges or surface roughness that could potentially cause stress concentrations – have been detected in upper longerons in 40% of fleet.

This was by far the worst thinning of a web discovered by the fleet-wide inspections that followed the crash, says Maj Gen Thomas Owen, commander of Warner Robins Air Logistics Center, the USAF’s F-15 depot.

Undercuts during machining thinned the web below blueprint specification © US Air Force

The accident aircraft had accumulated 5,700 flight hours, says Owen, or 11,000 “equivalent spectrum hours” taking in account the additional fatigue stress imposed by high-G manoeuvring. But the longeron was projected to last 31,000h, well past the life of the aircraft, he says.

In the 2 November in-flight break-up, the cockpit separated at canted fuselage station 377, where the forward and aft sections of the two-piece upper longerons are spliced. The fatigue crack had formed just forward of the splice, in an undercut produced when a sloping transition was machined in the underside of the longeron.

Investigators say the crack started on the underside of the longeron, working its way upwards and outwards through the over-thin web until it reached the outer “posts”, which carry the bulk of the forward fuselage loads.

Fatigue crack spread through the web, and weakened longeron fractured © US Air Force

Weakened by the crack, the posts fractured as the aircraft pulled almost 7.8G in an air-combat manoeuvre. When the upper right longeron failed, the other three upper and lower longerons could not carry the loads and the forward fuselage separated.

Owen says the USAF has ultrasonically inspected 84 specific locations on each upper longeron on every F-15A-D. “That’s 168 data points per aircraft, and if any one is under blueprint, then the aircraft remains grounded.”

Acknowledging its “conservative” approach, the USAF says each grounded aircraft will be individually analysed to determine if it can be returned to flight with recurrent inspections or flight restrictions, or whether it must be repaired or retired.

Detailed analysis is under way at the Air Force Research Laboratory to determine the rate at which the fatigue cracks spread, so that requirements for recurrent inspection of affected longerons can be established.

Examples of longeron cracks found in other F-15s © US Air Force

While the USAF has not decided which, if any, aircraft will be repairs, Warner Robins is manufacturing an initial batch of 15 longerons at a cost of $15,000. Owen says replacement of the longeron in an aircraft will cost $250,000.

Owen also says the USAF will also conduct detailed inspections of other primary structure in a sample of the F-15 fleet to determine whether similar manufacturing defects exist in other critical areas of the aircraft.

DATE:11/01/08
SOURCE:Flightglobal.com

DATE:01/01/08
SOURCE:Flight International
Australia Aerospace delivers Thales Tiger simulator
By Emma Kelly

Australian Aerospace has delivered the Thales full flight and mission simulator for the Australian army’s delayed Eurocopter Tiger armed reconnaissance helicopter programme. Included is a suite of related aircrew and ground training devices, including gun system, centre fuselage and environmental control system trainers.

The equipment will be based at the Army Aviation Training Centre at Oakey, Queensland, with an underwater escape trainer to be installed in Darwin. The FFMS uses two separate modules to replicate the Tiger’s front and back cockpits.

Australia expects its 22 aircraft to enter operational service from mid-2008. The programme has suffered a two-year slippage because of delays in the Franco-German Tiger programme, with simulator development, crew training and aircraft deliveries all affected.

http://www.flightglobal.com/articles/2008/01/01/220437/australia-aerospace-delivers-thales-tiger-simulator.html

Australia to review Boeing F/A-18F Super Hornet purchase
By Emma Kelly

Australia’s newly elected Labor government is to review the country’s air power capability, in a controversial move that could see the previous administration’s A$6.6 billion ($5.8 billion) order for 24 Boeing F/A-18F Super Hornets dumped, and the planned purchase of up to 100 Lockheed Martin F-35 Joint Strike Fighters also face a fresh assessment.

Australia became the first export customer for the Super Hornet (US Navy F/A-18F pictured below) last March, with its two-seat fighters scheduled for delivery from 2010 as replacements for the Royal Australian Air Force’s General Dynamics F-111s. The aircraft are also intended to provide a stop-gap capability until the planned introduction of Australia’s JSFs from 2013 at the earliest.

The F/A-18F deal drew considerable opposition at the time, with claims that the then-defence minister and now opposition leader Brendan Nelson rejected expert advice before advancing with the order. Critics say the procurement was also conducted without strategic justification or comparative analysis, and insist it would be cheaper to extend the F-111’s service life, or replace the Super Hornet and JSF purchases with an order for Lockheed’s F-22 Raptor. However, one industry source notes that US Congress has so far blocked Japan’s requests to buy the F-22, and says development of an export variant could cost up to $1 billion.

Australia’s new defence minister Joel Fitzgibbon will launch a thorough review of the previous government’s military spending as soon as possible, with this to include an examination of the RAAF’s air combat options. He has also committed to develop a new defence policy White Paper to provide strategic guidance for capability and force structure planning.

Boeing declines to comment on speculation about the Super Hornet deal’s possible cancellation, or on reports citing a possible $300 million charge for terminating the deal. “We are under contract, and the Australian aircraft are already in the production process,” the company adds.

DATE:04/01/08
SOURCE:Flight International

http://www.flightglobal.com/articles/2008/01/04/220604/italy-tests-eurofighter-typhoons-air-to-air-pedigree.html

DATE:04/01/08
SOURCE:Flightglobal.com
Italy tests Eurofighter Typhoon’s air-to-air pedigree
By Pino Modola

The Italian air force’s RSV flight test unit has conducted an extensive trials campaign to assess the Eurofighter Typhoon’s weapon systems capabilities across 25 different air-to-air scenarios.

Conducted over the Decimomannu range in Sardinia last month and totalling around 60 flight hours, the work was conducted using three Typhoons from the air force’s 9th Group assigned to the 4th Wing at Grosseto air base, plus Alenia Aeronautica’s instrumented production aircraft IPA2.

Air force aircraft were for the first time equipped with prototype autonomous air-combat manoeuvring instrumentation pods to allow them to record inflight targeting data, while the industry-supplied aircraft used its onboard test instruments.

Raytheon’s AIM-120 AMRAAM beyond visual-range air-to-air missile was the primary weapon system used during the trials campaign, which included 1 v 1, 1 v 2 and 2 v 2 simulated engagements.

The results of the work are currently being analysed as part of an evaluation of the Typhoon’s entire avionics system, in particular its fire control and identification friend-or-foe systems, which rely on fused radar and sensor data. The findings will be instrumental in preparing the operational tactics for Italy’s Typhoon strike aircraft fleet.

Italy’s RSV unit leads the Eurofighter programme’s test centre armament working group, which is responsible for conducting weapon system assessments on behalf of partner nations Germany, Italy, Spain and the UK.

Italy’s 4th Wing currently uses the Typhoon for air policing duties, while the air force’s 36th Wing at Gioia del Colle is also taking delivery of the type to replace its interim batch of Lockheed Martin F-16s.

DATE:19/12/07
SOURCE:Flightglobal.com
US proposes Lockheed Martin F-16 sale to Morocco
By Graham Warwick

US Congress has been notified of the possible sale of 24 Lockheed Martin F-16C/D fighters and 24 Hawker Beechcraft T-6B trainers to Morocco, together valued at up to $2.6 billion.

French officials announced in October than Morocco had rejected its offer of Dassault Rafale fighters and selected the F-16, but the notification by the US Defense Security Cooperation Agency is the first formal acknowledgement by the US government.

DSCA says Morocco has requested the possible sale of 24 F-16C/D Block 50/52 aircraft with Northrop Grumman APG-68(V)9 radars and either Pratt & Whitney F100-229 or General Electric F110-129 improved-performance engines.

The $2.4 billion sale would include conformal fuel tanks, either Lockheed AAQ-33 Sniper or Northrop AAQ-28 Litening targeting pods, BAE Systems or Goodrich reconnaissance pods and a choice of self-protection electronic warfare suites. Helmet-mounted cueing systems, Link 16 datalinks and Have Quick secure radios are included.

With more than 4,500 aircraft delivered, Lockheed currently has a backlog of 116 F-16 orders and production is planned to continue into 2012. The Royal Moroccan Air Force currently operates Dassault Mirage F.1 and Northrop F-5Es.

The proposed $200 million sale of 24 T-6Bs would be the first for the improved version of the US Air Force/Navy T-6A Texan II turboprop trainer. The T-6B features an integrated glass cockpit supplied by CMC Electronics.

DSCA says the T-6B would replace the Royal Moroccan Air Force’s Cessna T-37 jet trainers, which suffer high fuel and maintenance costs and low mission-capable rates. The T-6s would reduce fuel requirements by 66%, it says.

http://www.flightglobal.com/articles/2007/12/19/220452/us-proposes-lockheed-martin-f-16-sale-to-morocco.html

DATE:15/11/07
SOURCE:Flightglobal.com
Alsalam Aircraft confident of securing Typhoon assembly role
By Craig Hoyle

Riyadh-based Alsalam Aircraft expects to strengthen its relationship with the UK’s BAE Systems in the near future, with deals pending to extend an upgrade to the Royal Saudi Air Force’s Panavia Tornado interdictor strike aircraft, and potentially to also conduct the final assembly of 48 of the service’s 72 Eurofighter Typhoons.

“BAE is a very major customer on the Tornado, and now we are looking forward to the Typhoon,” says Alsalam chief executive Mohammed Fallatah, adding: “We are talking to BAE about manufacturing capability in Saudi Arabia.”

This could include either the final or full assembly of RSAF Typhoons, he says, adding that a decision has yet to taken on where the new completion facility will be built.

Ian Malin, BAE’s head of Typhoon exports, confirms that Alsalam is “under consideration” for the key role of completing the Eurofighter, and says the UK is also looking at a range of other programme details before assembly particulars will be finalised.

The Saudi Arabian and UK governments signed an initial £4.4 billion ($9.1 billion) contract for the 72-aircraft deal during October.

If confirmed, the Typhoon assembly and related through-life support work will enable Alsalam to grow from its current total of 2,800 employees, says Fallatah, who also expects the company to receive a contract in the near future to perform the second phase of the RSAF’s Tornado Capability Sustainment Programme.

This is believed to incorporate the integration of weapons such as MBDA’s Brimstone anti-armour weapon and a version of its Storm Shadow cruise missile, and Raytheon’s Enhanced Paveway and Paveway IV precision-guided bombs with the service’s Tornado ground-attack fleet, plus new targeting pods and other equipment.

Alsalam also recently received a subcontract from Boeing to perform a Link 16 datalink upgrade to the RSAF’s Boeing E-3A airborne warning and control system aircraft, and is working to “enhance the capabilities” of its KE-3A tanker-transports, says Fallatah.

The company, which is 60% owned by the Saudi-based Boeing Industrial Technology Group, will also perform depot-level maintenance on the air force’s Lockheed Martin C-130 transports from next March, he adds.

Alsalam Aircraft used the show to announce an expansion to its heavy maintenance business for the commercial aviation sector, having received a new contract to support four Boeing 737-200s operated by Pakistan-based Shaheen Air International.

[url]http://www.flightglobal.com/articles/2007/11/15/219550/alsalam-aircraft…

DATE:26/10/07
SOURCE:Flightglobal.com
PICTURES: RAF Eurofighter Typhoon battles Bugatti Veyron in ‘Top Gear’ challenge
By Craig Hoyle

Viewers of UK motoring programme ‘Top Gear’ will get to see a spectacular contest between the Royal Air Force’s Eurofighter Typhoon and a 250mph (400km/h) Bugatti Veyron sports car on 28 October, following secretive filming conducted at the service’s Coningsby air base in Lincolnshire in early September.

In contrast to previous encounters of this type, such as between an Italian Eurofighter and Michael Schumacher’s Ferrari F1 racing car in 2003, the showdown provided more of a test for the Typhoon, which was flown by RAF display pilot Flt Lt Jim Walls of the service’s 29 Sqn Operational Conversion Unit.

Top Gear presenter Richard Hammond had to race a £700,000 ($1.4 million) Veyron for one mile along the Coningsby runway, before turning around and heading for the finish line, while the Typhoon F2 was required to take off, climb for a mile, perform a half Cuban turn and dive back to pass the chequered flag at a height of 100ft (30m); and all without going supersonic.

he BBC and the air force have remained tight lipped about the results of the contest in advance of the programme’s release, but suggestions are that the approximately 1min race time could produce a photo finish.

The RAF’s Air Command organisation says it agreed to take part in the programme as a way of “increasing public knowledge of the capabilities and advanced technologies of the Typhoon,” and after the broadcaster pledged to cover the additional costs involved in its involvement. Flight International defence editor Craig Hoyle also flew in one of 29 Sqn’s Typhoon T1 trainers from Coningsby earlier this year.

http://www.flightglobal.com/articles/2007/10/26/218953/pictures-raf-eurofighter-typhoon-battles-bugatti-veyron-in-top-gear-challenge.html

South Korean F-15K deal may close by end 2007

:22/10/07
SOURCE:Flight International
South Korean F-15K deal may close by end 2007
By Siva Govindasamy

South Korea has begun price negotiations with Boeing over the purchase of 20 F-15K fighters, with industry sources saying that a deal is likely to be reached by the end of 2007.

Boeing emerged as the sole bidder in both rounds conducted by South Korea’s Defense Acquisition Programme Administration, the country’s arms procurements agency.

Seoul, which awarded a contract for 40 F-15Ks to Boeing in 2002, was keen for a contest in the 2.3 trillion won ($2.5 billion) K-X programme to dispel claims that it is biased towards US military hardware.

However, manufacturers such as the Eurofighter consortium and Dassault chose to stay away, with industry sources saying that they were wary of taking part in a competition that could be weighted against them.

The Dassault Rafale and Sukhoi Su-35 were offered in the 2002 competition, when the F-15K was chosen, even though the Rafale came out tops in the technical evaluation.

A contract for the new batch of 20 fighters is to be signed around February 2008 and deliveries are likely to take place in the 2010-12 timeframe.

Industry sources say that South Korea could open a tender for another 20 fighters around 2010, although some speculate that Boeing could get a single-source contract as the service will be keen to have the same type of fighter.

South Korea is also keen to get access to the Lockheed Martin F-35 Joint Strike Fighter programme in the next decade. It is also contemplating the indigenous development of a stealth fighter through its KFX programme, and studying a proposal from Korea Aerospace Industries for the F/A-50 – a light combat version of the T-50 advanced jet trainer.

http://www.flightglobal.com/articles/2007/10/22/218740/south-korean-f-15k-deal-may-close-by-end-2007.html