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Feb 2007

Boeing takes on Lockheed at Aero India
by Suman Sharma

     Bangalore: US aircraft manufacturers -- Boeing and Lockheed -- have apparently decided to lock horns with each other at the ongoing Aero India show here, and the target they are gunning for is Ratan Tata, the Chairman of the Tata group of companies. With Lockheed having belled Tata first, by getting him to fly in its F-16 aircraft today, Boeing sources announced that they might get the Tata honcho to fly their F-18 aircraft from the Yelahanka Air Force base here tomorrow. Boeing sources, however, were unwilling to confirm the report, saying that Tata may or may not fly the aircraft. The F/A-18 "Hornet" is a single- and two-seat, twin engine, multi-mission fighter/attack aircraft that can operate from either aircraft carriers or land bases. The F/A-18 fills a variety of roles: air superiority, fighter escort, suppression of enemy air defenses, reconnaissance, forward air control, close and deep air support, and day and night strike missions. The F/A-18 Hornet replaced the F-4 Phantom II fighter and A-7 Corsair II light attack jet, and also replaced the A-6 Intruder as these aircraft were retired during the 1990s. The F/A-18 has a digital control-by-wire flight control system which provides excellent handling qualities, and allows pilots to learn to fly the airplane with relative ease.

     At the same time, this system provides exceptional maneuverability and allows the pilot to concentrate on operating the weapons system. A solid thrust-to-weight ratio and superior turn characteristics combined with energy sustainability, enable the F/A-18 to hold its own against any adversary. The power to maintain evasive action is what many pilots consider the Hornet's finest trait. In addition, the F/A-18 was also the Navy's first tactical jet aircraft to incorporate a digital, MUX bus architecture for the entire system's avionics suite. The benefit of this design feature is that the F/A-18 has been relatively easy to upgrade on a regular, affordable basis. There are other varieties of the F-18 such as the F/A-18E/F "Super Hornet" multi-mission aircraft, the F/A-18C/D Hornet and the F/A-18A/B Hornet. The F-18 Hornet is based on the earlier Northrop YF-17 Cobra.Current plans call for the F-18A/B aircraft to remain in service with the US Navy until about 2015 while F-18C/D models will be retired by 2020. The F-18 has also attracted customers among a number of foreign air forces. It was first test flown in November 1978 and was inducted for service use in 1983. One of these aircrafts cost upwards of 35 million dollars. The aircraft has a length of 56 feet, a wingspan of 37.50 feet and a height of over 15 feet. When empty, it weighs 23,000 pounds, and at normal take off, it weights 36, 710 pounds when on a fighter mission and 49,225 pounds when on an attack mission. At maximum take-off, the aircraft weighs 56,000 pounds. It has an internal fuel capacity of 10,860 pounds and an external capacity of 6,730 pounds, besides a maximum payload of 15,500 pounds.
-Feb 8, 2007