386 RIGHT Internationa/, 6 March 1969

mini
DEFENCE
tribution. It includes an aircraft and an
engine factory, the former in C6rdoba
province, responsible for design, develop-
ment and production of the Guarani JI.
The history of this aircraft factory dates
from 1927, and numerous native, British,
French. German and American designed
aircraft have been produced. In recent
years these have included 100 Beech
T.30 Mentors and 100 Morane-Saulnier
Paris trainers.
There is also an Institute for Air
and Space Research under the control
of the Supply Command. Thanks to the
efforts of this command, incidentally,
Argentina has Latin America's largest
aircraft industry. The present Govern-
ment has encouraged the command' s
manufacturing activities, which had been
checked by the previous regime.
Personnel Command of the Argentine
Air Force deals with selection and train-
ing, as well as with posting, welfare and
the many other duties implied in the
title. Training takes place on Beech
Mentor, N o r t h A me r i c an T-28A.
Morane-Saulnier Paris and Huanquero
(another Argentinian design) aircraft.
Training establishments include the
School of Military Aviation, School of
Aeronautical NCOs, Aerotechnical High
School and Command and Staff Schools.
The Command of Air Regions is
responsible for control and regulation
of civilian flying activities. Its duties in-
clude air traffic control and running the
National School of Civil Aviation which
trains commercial pilots, flying instruc-
tors, mechanics and engineers.
Research and Development Command
is responsible for the missile testing
centre at Mar Chiquita Lagoon near
Mar de Plata, which also happens to be
a summer holiday resort. Various com-
mittee and councils responsible for air-
craft development and specification
operate under this command, which is
deeply concerned with the initial imple-
mentation of any procurement plans
decided upon by the FAA.
It will obviously be some years before
the FAA is fully modernised, along
with the Navy' s air element, which
is centred around the aircraft carrier
Independenciu and the Army' s air
element, which is something of a poor
relation, although all three Services
received batches of the latest aircraft,
the Twin Otter (Army, 3; Navy, 1). The
situation is not helped by the attitude of
the United States, although this is not
surprising as the US obviously wants to
see aid given devoted to social projects,
and must also be interested in stopping
any arms race between Agentina and
Chile (a distinct possibility otherwise,
due to disagreements over borders).
Rapier System Improved
THE BAC RAPIE R anti-aircraft missile
system is to be improved by the addition
of a radar tracking facility. Announcing
this last week, the Ministry of Techno-
The second prototype Jaguar in flight from the French flight test centre at Istres. This Anglo-French
aeroplane made its first flight on February II, flown by Bernard Witt, chief test pilot of Breguet,
and was airborne for 65min. The first aircraft, which flew on September 8 last year, has accumulated
nearly 40 flights. Both Bernard Witt and Jimmy Dell (of BAC) have flown Jaguar during supersonic
trials
logy stated that contracts for the extra
work had been placed with BAC and
E lliott Space and Weapon Automation;
E lliotts will design and build the radar
tracking units.
The standard Rapier system using an
optical tracking technique has been sold
to the RAF and the British Army, as
well as overseas. The limitation has been
the inability to use the system in poor
weather or at night, but the additional
radar tracking will enable Rapier to be
used effectively under both these con-
ditions. The new facility can be sup-
plied as an additional feature, full
mobility (by Land-Rover and trailer)
and air-portability being maintained.
The Ministry of Technology claim that
the new development will provide Rapier
with a cost/effectiveness far in advance
of any known competitor in the world.
Feasibility and project studies and
experimental trials have been completed
and work is under way on development
models.
Australia Briefed on Galaxy
A LOCKHE E D TE AM recently visited the
Army and RAAF in Canberra to give a
briefing on the C-5A Galaxy. The team,
led by Mr D. Wheeler, deputy manager
C-5A, is touring the world to prepare
USAF bases for the introduction later
this year of the world' s largest transport
aircraft.
The cost of the Galaxy, some 10
million, apparently puts it far beyond
the reach of both Australia and New
Zealand, but there is a clear need for
a larger aircraft than the Hercules which
forms Australia' s transport force. The
StarLifter would have satisfied the need
for long-range transport (especially neces-
sary now for the long haul to Vietnam)
but is now out of production.
Australian F-111 Costs
A SE VE N-YE AR LOAN of SUS75 million at
6 per cent has been arranged between
the American export-import bank and
the Australian Government to finance
the purchase of the RAAF' s 24 F-l I lCs
and associated equipment.
The total cost of Australia's F-l II
programme is now estimated at SA300
million (150 million), and so far that
country has paid over SAI40 million
(70 million) of this sum to America.
Initially a loan of $A80 million was
secured at 4 per cent, so that the interest
rate on the new loan is far less favour-
able.
A Kaman HH-2C (a version of the UH-2C) has begun a flight test programme to evaluate a new
chin-mounted Minigun installation. The US Navy has ordered 12 HH-2Cs so modified for armed
search and rescue duties in the Gulf of Tonkin, to be operated from destroyers. Besides the minigun.
two waist-mounted machine guns, improved rescue capability and extensive armour protection
for the crew and vital areas will be introduced. Other changes from the standard UH-2C include
dual retractable landing wheels and four-blade tail rotor (not shown above) and transmission
uprated to 12,8001b