FLIGHT International, 10 January 1974
ALFA ROMEO (Italy)
Aviation Division, Alfa Romeo SpA. Divisional headquarters:
80038 Pomigliano D'Arco, Naples. Tel: 841 344.
Subsidiary (51 per cent stake) of Finmeccanica, holding
company of engineering division of IRI (Instituto per la
Ricostruzione Industriale), State-controlled industrial holding
group (which has 49 per cent stake). Alfa Romeo engages in
motor-vehicle manufacture, and aero-engine manufacture
and overhaul. Company assets Lr756,220 million, £531-8 mil-
lion, and Aviation Division employees, 1,000. Company turn-
over in 1972 up to Lr302,299 million, £212-6 million.
Aero-engine work represents only a very small part of
Alfa Romeo's overall activities, and mainly concerns licence
manufacture of General Electric J85-GE-13A turbojets for
Aeritalia G.91Y, together with participation in Fiat
license manufacture of General Electric J79-GE-19 turbojets.
Deliveries of the J85, which are behind schdeule, will end
this year, and those of the J79, next year. Alfa Romeo also
manufactures components for t h e J79-GE-11A and -IK, t h e
General Electric CF6 and T58-GE-3 and -10, and the Rolls-
Royce (1971) Tyne, Dart and Gnome: in addition the com-
pany overhauls a wide variety of commercial and military
engines. Development programmes in which Alfa Romeo is,
or will be, participating include the P r a t t & Whitney JT10D
turbofan (together with Fiat via a new joint company), the
Turbo-Union RB.199-34R turbofan (via Fiat), and the pro-
jected Rolls-Royce (1971) 500-600 s.h.p. turboshaft. The
company is understood to have recently signed a licence
with United Aircraft of Canada for manufacture of the
PT6T coupled turboshaft.
ALVIS BRITISH LEYLAND UK (United Kingdom)
Holyhead Road, Coventry CV5 8JH. Tel: Coventry 25501.
Alvis British Leyland UK Ltd, as a subsidiary of British
Leyland UK Ltd, was responsible for the Rover series of
small aviation turbines until December 1972, when this aspect
of the company's business was sold to Lucas Aerospace
(see page 49): Alvis continues with its primary activities
as a motor vehicle manufacturer, and also overhauls
Leonides and Lycoming piston engines.
ATLAS (South Africa)
Atlas Aircraft Corporation of South Africa (Pty) Ltd. Head-
quarters: PO Box 11, Atlas Road, Kempton Park, Transvall.
Tel: Kempton Park 975-9111.
Subsidiary company of State-owned Armaments Develop-
ment and Production Corporation of South Africa Ltd. Atlas
engages in aircraft and aero engine licensed manufacture.
As South Africa's sole aero-engine concern, Atlas has until
recently manufactured Rolls-Royce (1971) Viper 11 turbojets
(under sub-licence from Piaggio) for Atlas-built Aermacchi
MB.326M trainer/light attack aircraft. This year Atlas is to
participate in joint manufacture with Aermacchi of more
than 100 MB.326K close-support/trainer aircraft initially
powered by the Viper 540, and then to be retrofitted later
in t h e year with the Rolls-Royce (1971)/Fiat Viper 632-43.
This higher-thrust version of the turbojet may be sub-license
built by Atlas via Fiat.
AVCO LYCOMING (USA)
Avco Lycoming- Division, Avco Corporation. Headquarters:
550 South Main Street, Stratford, Connecticut 06497. Tel: (203)
378 8211.
Division of public corporation engaged in financial
services, recreation and land development, and engineering
products and research, including manufacture of aircraft
turbine and piston engines. Corporate assets $1,439 million,
£615 million, and employees 30,000. Corporate turnover in
1972 down to $1,077 million, £460 million.
With a divisional payroll of 4,260, Avco Lycoming is the
world's leading manufacturer of turbine engines for heli-
copters, in which position it has suffered significantly from
cutbacks by the US Army following termination of American
involvement in Vietnam. The Division's 1,580,000 sq ft head-
quarters and plant at Stratford is government owned, the
company-owned 800,000 sq ft Charleston, South Carolina gas-
turbine overhaul plant having been sold in January 1973 at
after-tax loss of $1-51 million, £630,000. Together with Avco
Lycoming Williamsport Division, leading manufacturer of
piston engines for general aviation, t h e aircraft-engine
sector of Avco constitutes the major part of corporate
aerospace sales, which in 1972 amounted to $222 million,
£95 million. Within this sub-total, sales to t h e US government
were just over half the $192 million, £82 million figure for
1971. Although sales of commercial aerospace products rose
by 50 per cent during t h e same period, new turbine engines
39
developed for proposed aero and non-aero applications did
not produce significant sales during 1972, and are not
expected to have a favourable effect on results until the
present, 1974, trading year. Approximately three-quarters of
the corporate order book for 1973 constituted orders for
aircraft engines and other aerospace products.
ALF301 Geared two-shaft turbofan. In its definitive
ALF301-B version rated at 2,8941b, this high b.p.r. unit
embodies the T5319A gas-generator section as core engine.
Intended by Lycoming for air taxi, commuter airline and
small business/general-aviation aircraft, the ALF301 has yet
to find an application (apart from the Beech/HSA BH-200
project) and appears to be in abeyance to enable concen-
trated effort on the larger ALF502.
ALF502 (F102) Geared two-shaft turbofan. First run as a
complete unit in June 1971, the ALF502 is a de-rated com-
mercial version of the 7,0001b F102 military turbofan (see
below). The engine embodies the gas-generator section
of the T55-L-11B (LTC4B-12) turboshaft as its core and is
under development for the Hawker Siddeley HS.146 short-
haul transport (4X6,5001b ALF502-H) and Dassault-Breguet
Falcon 30/40 commuter airliner (2X6,5001b ALF502-D). The
HS.146 is planned to fly in December next year and enter
service in 1977, while the Falcon 30/40 is in flight-test.
Certification of the engine for these two major applica-
tions is scheduled for mid-1975 and autumn this year
respectively. Flight-testing may be carried out using a
modified HS.748 with one Dart turboprop replaced by an
ALF502. On development, the engine has already exceeded
7,2001b and has potential up to at least 8,5001b. A possible
derivative could embody a modified version of t h e Dowty-
Rotol variable-pitch fan being developed for Rolls-Royce
(1971 )/Snecma M45SD. It seems unlikely that R-R will par-
ticipate in licensed manufacture of the ALF502 for the
HS.146, which leaves the new turbofan as potentially the
most important engine in Lycoming's inventory for the
future.
Amplications and projects. Cessna Model 600 Fan jet (2X
ALF502); Dassault-Breguet Falcon 25 (2XALF502); Dassault-
Breguet Atlantic Mks 2A & 2B (2XALF502); General
Dynamics feederliner project; Rockwell International/US
Navy OV-10A Bronco derivative (2XALF502); Fokker-VFW
P305 Commuter (2XALF502).
ALF502-D Single-stage gear-driven fan and 1-p compressor,
seven-stage h-p compressor, annular reverse-flow combustor,
two-stage h-p and 1-p turbines. Take-off 6,5001b, bypass ratio
6:1; pressure ratio 10-7:1; mass flow 2401b/sec; length 56-8in;
width 41-5in; height 49-5in; weight 1,2001b.
F102 (ALF502) Geared two-shaft turbofan. Losing entry in
the USAF's AX close-support aircraft competition, the F102
flew in the Northrop A-9A in May 1972 and continued
development into 1973. Whereas early experience with the
F102 aided the ALF502 programme, any future development
of a military variant is likely to rely on the growing
experience with t h e commercial model. Basic rating of t h e
YF102-LD-100 (ALF502-A) was 7,2001b with an eventual
military qualification rating of 7,8601b.
LTC1 Company designation (variously as LTC1B, LTC1K,
LTC1S etc) for T53 turboprop/turboshaft, see page 40.
LTC4 Company designation (variously as LTC4B, LTC4R
etc) for T55 turboprop/turboshaft, see page 40).
LTC4V Free-turbine two-shaft turboprop and turboshaft. An
advanced design of compact, low consumption, low specific
weight engine which has been under development by
Lycoming since 1968, so far without an application. The
LTC4V-1 turboshaft development version is rated at 5,103
e.h.p. for an s.f.c. of 0-411b/h p./hr, and the projected
LTC4V-4 at 10,206 e.h.p. for a similar s.f.c. Weights are only
5701b and 1,4801b respectively: The series has potential use
as a core engine for ALF502 derivatives.
LTP101 Free-turbine two-shaft turboprop. Preliminary de-
sign of this small new 610 e.h.p. turboprop started in 1972,
based on use of the 592 s.h.p. LTS101 turboshaft as core
engine. The main features are a rugged, compact, simple
design offering "low cost of ownership" and substantial
growth potential. The engine could be FAA-certificated by
mid-1975 and has been proposed as an alternative to the
Allison Model 250 in the GAF Nomad. Configuration is the
same as that of the LTS101 but with the addition of
propeller and propeller gearbox modules. Length 44in, width
16in, height 22in.
LTS101 Free-turbine two-shaft turboshaft. Development test-