THE CHILEAN air force has refused to accept its Phalcon airborne early-warning aircraft from Israel Aircraft Industries (IAI), demanding that the mission software be completely debugged before delivery.
Phalcon test flights were completed earlier this month, but Chilean observers claimed that various problems, mainly software related, had not been resolved.
IAI claims, that the system "is 97% complete" and has offered to send a team of engineers to Chile, to rectify the remaining problems. The offer has been rejected by Santiago.
The Chileans have also protested over the aircraft's condition and are demanding airframe and avionics repairs. IAI sources say that the Boeing 707 was supplied by the Chilean air force and arrived in Israel in 1992 in "very bad condition". The sources say that all airframe and engine repairs will have to be made at the Chileans expense.
The South American country is believed to be the first export customer for the Phalcon. High-level talks continue between the two sides in an effort to allow delivery of the aircraft.
The distinctive Phalcon is largely the responsibility of the IAI electronics subsidiary Elta, which developed the phased-array technology for the aircraft. Instead of the rotodome used in the Boeing E-3A, the EL2075 radar, the heart of the Phalcon has three phased-array antennae.
A nose radome houses an antenna 3m in diameter. Two "cheek fairings" down both sides of the front section of the 707 fuselage house the conformal antennae. The basic configuration also, includes electronic warfare and communications intelligence systems.
Source: Flight International
