Andrzej Jeziorski/MUNICH
DAIMLER-BENZ Aerospace (DASA) is hoping to use a possible partnership with South Korea on the KTX-II advanced-trainer/light-combat-aircraft programme to breathe new life into its Ranger 2000 programme.
If partnership talks with Korea's Agency for Defence Development and Samsung Aerospace are successful, the German company hopes to bring technology from the Ranger 2000 jet trainer into the KTX-II programme, say sources close to the negotiations. DASA eventually hopes to be able to offer a jet-trainer "family", with the single-engine Ranger at the lower end of the scale, and the KTX-II twin at the high end.
The German concern declines to confirm this, saying that it will not give details of talks, which are still in progress.
The Ranger 2000 was developed with Rockwell as a contender for the US Joint Primary Aircraft Training System programme, eventually won by Raytheon with its turboprop Beech MkII. DASA has since maintained close links with Rockwell, to market the aircraft, although the US company is not involved, in the present round of discussions.
Rockwell paid 60% of the cost of development of the Ranger 2000 prototypes, with DASA covering the rest. The programme was launched in 1991, with an airframe design based on Rhein Flugzeugbau's Fantrainer, but with the fuselage modified to accommodate a 14.2kN (3,200lb)-thrust Pratt & Whitney Canada JT15D-5C turbofan rather than the Fantrainer's combination of an Allison 250-C30 turbo-shaft driving a five-blade ducted fan.
South Korea has recently delayed the start, of full scale development of the KTX-II by a year, to leave more time to find international partners to share the estimated $1.5-$2 billion cost of the programme (Flight International, 31 January-6 February). Other potential partners include, South Africa's Atlas Aircraft, CASA of Spain and Russian airframe builders.
The basic configuration of the KTX-II has been frozen following studies carried out since 1992 with Lockheed Martin.
Samsung is expected to submit partnership proposals to the South Korean Government by the end of March.
Source: Flight International
