The Japan Defence Agency's (JDA) Technical Research and Development Institute (TRDI) is expected to complete testing of its fly-by-light flight control system (FCS) this month.
According to the JDA, the system is expected to lay the groundwork for a fly-by-light FCS to be installed in a planned maritime patrol aircraft (MPA), expected to replace Japan's 100 Kawasaki-built P-3C Orions. The TRDI has been testing the system aboard a converted P-3C, which has completed about 100h of tests.
The fly-by-light system, which uses optical fibres instead of conventional electrical wires to carry control signals, would eliminate the risks of electromagnetic interference and would offer a weight advantage over today's FCS. The TRDI says the test system has been performing as expected with no major problems.
The TRDI recently laid out a development schedule for the MPA (Flight International, 28 November-4 December).
• The TRDI and JASDF's Air Development and Test Command Headquarters are developing an anti-ship missile, the XASM-3, to replace the ASM-1. Development is expected to take 10-15 years, and it will have target acquisition and radar-jamming abilities, offering improved survivability, accuracy and range over its predecessor, says the TRDI. It has also revealed plans to incorporate thrust-vectoring control into its XAAM-5 infrared guided short-range missile. The TRDI says it is aiming to put XAAM-5 into service by 2004.
Source: Flight International
