Monday, October 3, 2011

C-160

The Transall C-160 first flew in 1963. Production was completed in 1972, but in 1977 the program was reinstated to produce a "new generation" C-160 for France. The last of these new generation aircraft entered service in 1987. The wings are high-mounted and equally tapered outboard of the engines with blunt tips. Two turboprop engines are mounted under and extend beyond the wings' leading edges. The fuselage is long, thick, and tapered to the rear with a round, solid nose, stepped cockpit and upswept tail section. The tail flats are mid-mounted on a thinned body, equally tapered with blunt tips. The fin is tall and tapered with a blunt tip and a fairing in the leading edge.
The two-engine C-160 airplane is similar to the C-123 in appearance and performance. Like the C-130, the Transall is a versatile veteran from the 1960s and a workhorse in numerous air forces, including French, German, Turkish and South African. The C-160 can carry 55 paratroopers or up to 14 tons of cargo at a maximum speed of 319 mph and be aerial re-fueled in its role in the country's rapid deployment Force Aerienne de Projection. Two Rolls Royce MK22 turboprops power the Transall. The Transall, which entered the French Air Force in 1967, is scheduled to be replaced by the European A400M, a four-engine tactical aircraft larger than the Hercules.
In 1994, an upgrade program for French Air Force C-160s which was completed in 1999. The upgraded cockpit is equipped with a new head0-up display and an upgraded electronic warfare suite with a radar warning receiver, missile approach warner and chaff and decoy dispensers.
The aircraft have been fitted with a new EFIS 854 TF Electronic Flight Instrumentation System, which includes Electronic Attitude Director Indicator (EADI) and Electronic Horizontal Situation Indicator (EHSI). A flight management system with two Gemini 10 computers and a new radio management system have been installed. Three new sensors have been installed for aircraft position and attitude control: an inertial reference unit (IRU) an attitude and heading reference unit (AHRU) and a global positioning system (GPS). German Air Force C-160Ds have been upgraded with BAE SYSTEMS High Integration Air Data Computer (HIADC), Litton ALR-68 radar warning systems and Rockwell FMS-800 Flight Management and Global Positioning System.

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