Subject: New Fighter Series--McDonnell F-4 Phantom (35 of 50)

From: [email-masked]
Date: 20 Jun 94 16:30:05 GMT

>From [email-masked]

The Kurnass 2000 was the lsraeli name given to an upgrade program 
applied to IDF/AF Phantoms that was designed to extend their service 
lives by 15 years.  The Phantom was already known as *Kurnass* (Heavy 
Hammer) in IDF/AF service, and the upgrade project became known as 
*Kurnass 2000*, implying that the goal was to extend the effective 
life of the IDF/AF Phantom well into the next century.  

IDF/AF Phantoms subjected to this upgrade were fitted with a new 
Kaiser wide-angle heads-up display, a mission computer, a display 
computer controlling new multifunction displays, a heads-up display 
video camera, new radios, and major improvements to the electronics.  
Various parts of the aircraft structure were strengthened and fuel 
tank leaks were fixed.  The converted aircraft were fitted with fixed 
inflight refuelling probes that were plumbed externally into the boom 
refuelling receptacle on the upper fuselage behind the second crewman 

The first Kurnass 2000 conversion was carried out at the IDF/AF's Central 
Maintenance Unit.  The first example took to the air on its maiden 
flight on July 15, 1987, and was formally accepted by the IDF/AF on 
August 11, 1987.  Further upgrades were carried out by the Bedek 
Aviation Division of Israel Aircraft Industries, with planes being 
converted as they came in for their D-level maintenance overhauls.  
Conversions began in April of 1989.  

The Kurnass 2000 was originally to have been fitted with the Norden 
Synthetic Aperture Multi-Mission Radar System.  This system was 
originally designed for the Grumman A-6F upgrade and was to have used 
technologies that were developed for the A-12.  The cancellation of 
both the A-6F upgrade and the A-12 project caused serious delays in 
the Norden radar, and plans to use the system in the Kurnass 2000 had 
to be put on hold.  However, a few test sets were delivered in 1992, 
and plans are to fit the Norden radar in all Kurnass 2000 conversions 
in the coming years.  

Another part of the Kurnass 2000 program was to have been a change of 
engines.  In 1986/87, Bedek fitted first one and then two Pratt & 
Whitney PW1120 turbofans into an IDF/AF F-4E.  The aircraft was 
initially flown on July 30, 1986 with a single PW1120 in the starboard 
nacelle only, but was flown with two turbofans from April 24, 1987.  
This re-engined aircraft was initially intended as a test bed for the 
IAI Lavi project.  A similar sort of conversion had been planned for 
the abortive Boeing-originated "Super Phantom"--in fact Boeing is 
rumored to have played a cooperative role in this project, although 
the true extent of IAI-Boeing collaboration is unknown.  The 
re-engined Phantom was able to exceed Mach 1 without using 
afterburner, and had a combat thrust-to-weight 17 percent greater than 
that of the standard F-4E.  The sustained turning rate was 15 percent 
greater, the climb rate was 36 percent faster, and medium-level 
acceleration was 27 percent greater.  The re-engined Phantom was 
displayed at the 1987 Paris Air Show wearing the civilian registration 
4X-JPA.  However, plans to re-engine the entire IDF/AF Phantom fleet 
with PW1120 turbofans were abandoned due to budgetary constraints.  In 
any case, since most IDF/AF Phantoms were already high-time aircraft, 
such an ambitious conversion program would not have been very cost 
effective.  

Sources:

  McDonnell Douglas Aircraft Since 1920: Volume II, Rene J.
  Francillon, Naval Institute Press, 1990.

  McDonnell F-4 Phantom: Spirit in the Skies.  Airtime Publishing, 1992.

Joe Baugher				AT&T Bell Laboratories
1000 E. Warrenville Road		Naperville, Illinois 60566-7013