Ramon Lopez/WASHINGTON DC
FLIGHT TESTING of the TRW/IAI Hunter short-range unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) has been marred by yet another crash. Meanwhile, the UAV project, which has been beset by a series of technical setbacks, faces an independent US Department of Defense review, which could affect future funding.
The safety of the $4 billion US multi-service UAV programme was brought into question in 1994 by a series of aircraft losses. The Hunter was grounded last October after suffering four crashes since July 1994. In all, the Pentagon plans to buy 50 Hunter systems - each with eight aircraft.
Project officials say that software problems were to blame, and modifications are being evaluated in test flights which resumed on 28 February at a site being used by the contractor team near the US Army's Fort Huachuca, Arizona, base.
Five flights were completed successfully before a Hunter was destroyed on 8 March. The UAV was airborne when its performance became "unacceptable". Ground controllers initiated an emergency recovery, but the main parachute did not fully open and the UAV crashed.
The UAV may have lost its datalink, but project officials do not believe that there were problems with the aircraft.
Because of concerns over the project, the US Navy has asked Lt. Gen. James Fain, the US Air Force's assistant vice chief of staff, to conduct a comprehensive review of the programme. The report is to be completed in April.
The Congressional General Accounting Office says that no more Hunter systems should be bought until technical problems are fixed. A report issued this month says: "To date, Hunter has shown itself to be logistically unsupportable, and tests have identified serious performance problems that adversely impact the system's effectiveness." It says that Hunter may prove to be unsuitable for operational use.
Industry sources say that the Hunter's software problems have been minor and that contractor flight tests in Israel and the USA prove that Hunter's problems have been resolved. Incidents in testing were caused largely by pilot error and not system problems, they add.
Source: Flight International
