Israel Aircraft Industries (IAI) and Elbit used June's Paris air show for the international debut of eastern European trainer upgrades. IAI's Lahav division displayed an Aero Vodochody L-39 Albatross, upgraded with Ukrainian company AVIRS. Elbit showed its upgrade of the Avioane IAR-99 Soim, modified with the Romanian manufacturer and mimicking the Elbit/Aerostar upgrade of Romania's Mikoyan MiG-21 fleet.
Beni Manes, Lahav director business development and marketing, says the group developed its upgrade capabilities through development of the Kfir - based on the Dassault Mirage III equipped with canards, new avionics and a General Electric J79 engine - and the Lavi multirole fighter. The company also manufactures subassemblies, such as conformal fuel tanks for the Lockheed Martin F-16, avionics and non-avionics upgrades. As well as fighters, Lahav has a transport aircraft cockpit upgrade and like its Elbit rival it offers upgrades for the MiG-21 and Mil Mi-8/17 Hip helicopter.
While Lahav and Elbit are often competitors, they also work together, says Manes. Israel's F-16 Air Combat Enhancement (ACE) package brings together the two rivals with other Israeli companies such as Astronautics and Elbit subsidiary Elop. The upgrade is centred on an open architecture system to allow easier integration of sensors and avionics without requiring computing hardware changes. The full configuration includes the Elta EL/M-2032 radar, three 130 x 180mm (5 x 7in) liquid crystal multifunction cockpit displays (MFD); Elop wide-angle head-up display (HUD) and Elbit helmet-mounted display.
Although Lockheed Martin has been critical of the ACE package, Manes says it is acting as prime contractor for a deal covering Venezuela's 22 F-16A/Bs. IAI has been flying an ACE demonstrator since June 2001. Despite the programme receiving Israeli government funding and the air force supplying an F-16B for a prototype conversion, ACE will not be implemented on Israel's older F-16s because of the country's 102 latest generation F-16I order, the first of which is due for handover this year.
Manes says the L-39 upgrade builds on Lahav's work upgrading US Air Force Northrop T-38 Talon advanced trainers and Spanish air force Northrop F-5B lead-in fighter trainers. The number of in service L-39s, "a good platform with poor avionics", makes the trainer an attractive proposition for a modification package, adds Manes. The aircraft has an MFD and a HUD, retaining traditional basic flight instruments that would be replaced in a full upgrade. Lahav has provided a virtual radar, using a simple datalink between aircraft, and satellite navigation, for its trainer upgrades as well as new glass cockpit, says Manes.
Elbit has established a significant presence in Brazil and Romania through its upgrade programmes. In the former it is upgrading F-5s, as well as supplying avionics for the EmbraerA-29/AT-29 Super Tucano. In Romania it has upgraded locally built IAR-330 Pumas to the SOCAT attack helicopter standard in addition to the 110 MiG-21s - completed earlier this year - and the Soim programme. Arie Tal, Elbit company secretary, says the benefit of upgrades is "one new platform costs the same as 10-20 upgrade platforms with state-of-the-art technologies". Establishing local capabilities has been a key element of these deals and the company has subsidiaries in both countries, he says.
The Soim package includes HUD, MFDs, helmet-mounted sight, modular computer, an integrated global-positioning/inertial-navigation system and improved defensive aids. Elbit is also installing a datalink-based "virtual radar". New-build Soims with the same package are due after upgrade of the existing fleet.
Lahav's transport cockpit upgrade is designed to make such aircraft compatible with global air traffic management requirements - allowing flying in civil airspace - while also improving performance in tactical environments. The system is based around new MFDs, and is suitable for aircraft such as the Lockheed Martin C-130 Hercules or Ukrainian-built Antonov An-32, says Manes. The programme suffered a setback earlier in July when Turkey cancelled a deal covering seven Hercules (Flight International, 15-21 July).
As well as equipping the aircraft for reduced vertical separation minima and new navigation procedures, the system can incorporate systems to improve military effectiveness. Lahav says it can add head-up displays as well as making the MFDs night-vision compatible.
Another Lahav business line is supplying cockpits for new-build helicopters. The company has an international marketing deal with India's Hindustan Aeronautics for the Dhruv (formerly Advanced Light Helicopter), which is fitted with a glass cockpit, a three-dimensional moving map display, and options for a helmet-mounted sight, and weapons integration, all from the Israeli company's avionics. Lahav is also teamed with Kamov to offer the Ka-52 attack helicopter. As Turkey is yet to sign for the Bell AH-1Z, IAI marketing Shimon Eckhaus says there is still the chance of a deal with Ankara.
Source: Flight International
