Hawker De Havilland Forges Ahead

The Enmoth, a piston-powered, radio-controlled RPV of fibreglass construction is fitted with an infra-red source in its tail.

It is used for training operators of the Army’s supersonic Redeye heat-seeking, surface to air missile.

HDH began design and development work on the En­ moth system two years ago to meet an Army requirement. The company is in the process of completing delivery of the initial order of 12 RPVs, along with maintenance facilities and control units. HDH also provides training for operators of the RPV.

The Enmoth is designed to simulate the visual and perfor­ mance characteristics of a modern ground attack aircraft – Redeye’s main target.

During training, the Enmoth operator flies the RPV in a typical rocket, boming or strafing run on a ground position.

The trainee Redye operator, using a launcher fitted with a special simulator, tries to “locK-on” to the infa-red source in the tail of the RPV. The Enmoth’s “scale speed” is such that it resembles a real strike aircraft when viewed through the Redeye sight.

Introduction of the Enmoth – at a basic cost of $2000 per unit – is expected to save many thousands of dollars.

Previously the only aircraft suitable for Redye training was the RAAF Mirage fighter.

There Is a great potential for aevelopment ot RPVs in Australia, which is now the only country outside the major powers to _possess an operational mini-RPV.

1he 1:nmoth marKs Australia’s entry into a new area ot aerospace development. Rising costs have meant that RPV’s have been developed to assume greater roles in battlefield reconnaissance through television, infra-red and other sen­ sors, while other RPVs have been specifically developed for Kamikaze-type guided bomb attacks.

HDH developed the Enmoth on its own initiative andwithout Government assistance, and the RPV’s designer, HDH Technical Director Mr S. Schaetzel, sees commercial applications for future developments of the Enmoth.

He said this could include low-concentration air spreading over crops and forests.

RPVs are already in use in civil roles. The CSIRO has monitored crops using an RPV fitted with a camera, and the NSW Agriculture Department has used RPVs for monitoring cloud formation, and other meteorological research.

The surveillance pod is currently being fully developed with the aid of a BAC Strikemaster in the UK – unfortunately no local service aircraft was available to Hawker DeHavilland due to the fact that a specific DOD requirement had not been issued! Still Hawker DeHavilland realised the export significance of such a pod and continued development of a product which inevitably must be introduced into local ser­ vice due to its very nature.

The pod measures only 225 cm in length for an overaU weight of 110 kg and will fit any NATO standard pylon. For in­ stance It can be simply attached and operated from the cockpit of a Mirage, F111, Hercules, Nomad, Pilatus Porter or for that matter almost any aircraft with some sort of under­ wing pylon arrangement.

Various features of the inexpensive pod include full linescan capability, low light television, lightweight radar, real-time IR linescan, framing camera, panoramic camera, sensors, magneto meters, while future developments will in­ clude research into an independent power supply and an in­ dependent navigational reference capability.

Slung beneath the wing of a Tracker or Nomad this sur­ veillance pod will greatly enhance that aircraft’s surveillance capability thereby providing increased reconnaissance capabilities for existing “low” aircraft and freeing the Orion for more important long range ASW duties.

There is already a reasonable degree of overseas interest in the pod which forms a perfect team mate for the third arrow in Hawker DeHavilland’s bow – the Arafura class patrol boat.

Australia desperately requires a large number (20-30 units) of small fully sea-capable patrol craft for speedy in­ terception of unidentified vessels. Operating in conjunction with the aforementioned light surveillance aircraft (with pods), the smaller, hence cheaper, patrol craft can provide total security cover for our Exclusive Economic Zone.

The Hawker DeHavilland designed and developedArafura fits this task perfectly. Weighing in at 80 tonnes for an overall length of 26 metres (85 feet) the Arafura demonstrates true deep sea capabilities due to a maximum range of some 2000 nautical miles. Furthermore in pure pursuit situations the Arafura can maintain a 25 knot cruise for over 700 nautical miles. The Arafura normally carries a crew of 11 with ad­ ditional accommodation for two visitors though a crew of two can operate the vessel entirely on their own – the additional bodies are essentially required for normal crew shifts and ad­ ditional persons when boarding more than one craft in a single operation.

Armament is basically unspecified though a wide range of light. cannon and rockets is suitable to this hull design while longer range missiles can be tube installed on the aft deck.

Power is supplied by two MTU 1800 hp diesels with a single MTU of 680 hp providing the Arafura’s long legs in ex­ tended deep sea cruise. HM Customs currently operate five of the Arafura’s smaller brother, the 16 metre (51 foot) Carpentaria class patrol craft. As the fully capable deep sea Arafura is about one fifth the cost of a larger Attack c!ass patrol boat, the economies of having greater numbers of smaller boats covering a given area are more attractive than the more expensive and generally little more capable larger vessel.

Maintaining coastal surveillance will become a significant political/defence issue in the coming year, certainly throughEnmoth target RPV the foresight of Hawker DeHavilland we at least will be able to show our own as an independent nation fully capable of implementing a law that we cannot afford to relent upon.

Coastal surveillance and the effects of a 200 mile EEZ on Australia’s defence will be the subject of an in-depth feature article in the 1978 edition of Australian Aviation & Defence Review.