Newsdesk – Military Aviation

The new airfield is another step in closing the gap of airfields required between RAAF Base Townsville in the east and RAAF Base Learmonth in the west. The remaining gap is for a bare base airfield to be built on Cape York Peninsula. Planning and site investigations have already commenced for such a base.

Adf Pilot Retention Bonus Helps Stabilise Future Training Requirements:

Results of the DoD’s $70,000 pilot retention bonus have indicated that roughly two thirds of those applicable accepted the bonus and will continue serving in the ADF for an additional six years.

On the surface, the scheme looks highly successful, but as in all cases of quoting a mass of statistical data, differing viewpoints can be satisfied by merely interpreting the data in different ways. For instance, the overall 66% acceptance rate is boosted greatly by a very high acceptance rate by helicopter pilots from both the Navy and Army. As there is still a limited career transition between military and civil rotary wing fields, then most helo pilots wisely chose to remain with the services where their flying and security of employment were guaranteed. Fixed wing RAAF pilots indicated a different line of thought though with only 54% opting to sign on for the additional 6 years.

What the figures don’t show is, that in most cases the pilots who were going to stay with the Services have signed on willingly, while those who were planning to leave have not changed their minds. Overall though, the important point is that the remaining aircrew now are even better off financially than before, something that should boost morale and their overall positive long-term viewpoint on military service vs civilian life. Sincere attempts by the DoD to lessen the frequency of postings, improve housing and provide a greater range of flying opportunities for older pilots is also finally motivating pilots to remain with the Services.

What the RAAF can do now though is to professionally plan its future training requirements in the fairly accurate knowledge of what trained manpower it will have available up till the mid nineties. From this point alone, the overall effect of the bonus scheme would have to have been deemed as viable, even if it managed to sway few departing pilots from their originally planned civilian career paths. The other point though is that as the bonus was fully taxable at an average rate nearing 50%, the entire operation actually cost the Government less than $6m in real terms, or about the equivalent cost of training a trio of F-18 drivers! Precise details of the scheme were; RAN- 43 offered and 34 (79%) accepted. Army-43 offered and 42 accepted (98%) and RÁAF – 159 offered and 86 (54%) accepted. Overall – 245 offered and 162 (66%) accepted. Meanwhile, the RAAF aircrew exodus continues as a record 42 pilots gave notice during the first three months of this financial year. Eight left in July, 11 in August and 23 were scheduled to depart in September. The total lost to the RAAF during 1987/88 was 123 or around two and a half times greater than the long-term average of 47 per annum. Defence officials now expect the resignation rate to begin to slow through 1989 and to stabilise at the previous norm by 1990.

Centrespread

Without doubt one of Australia’s favourite air show performers is the RAAF Historic Flight’s CA-27 Sabre, A94-983.

The CA-27 itself represented a considerable design challenge for CAC during the early fifties as much of the standard F-86 airframe had to be rebuilt to accept the larger intake requirements of the RR Avon turbojet.

The Sabre served the RAAF well from the mid fifties night up till 1971 and for a time also served with the Malaysian and Indonesian air arms.

F-111C Major Avionics Update:

The way is now cleared for the RAAF’s F-111C fleet to have a major upgrade to its avionics suite following the acceptance by the Defence Force Structure Committee (DFSC) of a proposal to convert the aircraft’s systems from analogue to digital avionics.

The $225m project still has to be approved by the Defence Force Development Committee (DFDC) but no problems are foreseen in this area. The update will greatly enhance the F-111 fleet’s capability, maintain-ability and reliability into the next century and is likely to include the installation of new automatic test equipment. Tenders should be called in October 1988.

New Bomb Racks a Plus:

A new staggered bomb rack which can be fitted to the RAAF’s F-18s has been developed by Hawker de Havilland at Salisbury and is creating international interest.

Called AMSER (Advanced Multiple Stagge- red Ejector Rack), the unit was originally developed in 1984 for fitting to the Mirage but didn’t go into production because of the imminent retirement of the RAAF’s Mirages. (The units are depicted on our Jan 88 AA cover. ) Instead, it was developed for the F-18, although since then Dassault and Alkan (a) French weapons systems manufacturer) have shown interest in promoting the rack throughout the world.

Another new HDH ordnance product is ASTER (Advanced Staggered Triple Ejector Rack) which has been designed to carry three 1000lb weapons and is primarily suitable for the F-18. About to enter flight trials, ASTER is seen as having great international sales potential. Wind tunnel tests indicate that by staggering the external weapons load, drag is notably reduced, making the unit far superior to the current F-18 bomb rack.

The B-52 Soldiers On:

An approval in principle by the United States Air Force and the Joint Chiefs of Staff will probably see a large proportion of the USAF’s B-52 Stratofortress fleet modified to perform long-range conventional missions armed with stand-off weapons This latest in the long line of updates which have been applied to the seemingly ageless B-52 (the type entered USAF service in 1952!) over the years is intended to redress the imbalance between Strategic Air Command’s nuclear capability and its currently depleted conventional weapons standing.

With the deployment of SAC’s 99 surviving B-1 bombers and the forthcoming B-2 ‘stealth’ bomber – 132 of which are on order – the venerable B-52 will become available for roles other than that of nuclear deterrent.

The USAF had planned to retire 98 of its 160 still active B-52Gs in the early 1990s and convert the remaining 62 to the conventional ” strategic role. Current proposals are to in fact modity 150 of these, although it seems the eventual number will be less than that. Proposed modifications include the upgrading of the aircraft’s electrical, computer and electronic countermeasures systems, adding a global positioning satellite (GPS) navigation system and installing stand-off conventional weapons. The cost would be approximately $US20m per aircraft and in time of war the B-52s would be deployed under the control of Theatre Commanders-in-Chief, allowing them to use the bombers to attack high value rear echelon targets such as airfields, command and control centres and transportation lines presently beyond the reach of tactical forces using stand-off weapons.

Meanwhile, Strategic Air Command’s Commander-in-Chief, General John Chain, has called for the bomber fleet to be greatly increased generally, citing the need for a total fleet of 600 aircraft to sustain a proper combination of conventional and nuclear capability. The current SAC fleet consists of 265 B-52s, 99 B-1Bs and 56 FB-111As, the latter to be shortly transferred to Tactical Air Command. General Chain claims SAC needs at least 100 more B-2s than the 132 presently on order and has described the impending retirement of the USAF’s SR-71 Mach 3 strategic reconnaissance force a result of budgetary constraints – as “a tragedy”.

Ghosts Away:

Christmas might be more than a few weeks away but if you are on the lookout for something completely different then how about this? One of our regular advertisers, The Military Gallery, has again imported a number of its excellent Ghosts calendars. The calendars cover 1989 and feature high quality photos of your favourite warbirds while the calender itself also notes the major historical points of WW2. All in all a very worthwhile gift for anybody into warbirds and all that they stand for.

The Military Gallery is also promoting those great altimeter clocks. If you haven’t seen one then it is time you did, definitely one of the more novel, and yet useful, additions to any aviator’s lair. If you’re interested then both are advertised in this issue and take my word for it that they are good, after all I bought one myself!

Airborne Early Warning Aircraft at Last for Raaf:

After more than a decade of writing articles and news items on the possibility of the RAAF eventually acquiring its own airborne early warning capability, it is at last nice to report that a short list has been announced that will hopefully see the RAAF with an AEW capability by the mid nineties.

Defence Minister Kim Beasley made the announcement during Operation Pitch Blackin Darwin during July following an overwhelming demonstration of the effectiveness of AEW in the overall air war secenario. Mr Beasley was quoted as saying simply that “without it you lose, with it you win”. Certainly a sentiment that the IDF can verify.

The short list comprises three aircraft- an austere version of the Boeing E-3A Sentry, the AEW modified version of the Lockheed P-3 Orion and from the same stable, an AEW configured version of the C-130 Hercules. The E-3 is presently in operation with the USAF, NATO, RSAF and is on order for both the Armée de Air and RAF while the P-3 AEW has just recently become operational with the US Customs Service in the inbound drug detection role. An AEW version of the C-130 meanwhile has not flown and remains essentially a paper project.

Australian Aviation will be featuring an in-depth analysis on all three types through early 1989 in our Technology Explained series. Meanwhile, the RAAF hope to be able to officially release the long awaited Request For Tender (AFT) by this November with a final decision due one year later. After more than a decade, here’s hoping!

Britain the Big Winner in Newest Saudi Buying Spree:

Britain looks set for an arms export bonanza following the most recent refusal by the US Congress to allow the sale of additional F-15 aircraft and Maverick anti armour missiles to Saudi Arabia.

As a result of not being able to acquire American weaponry, the Saudis have signed an agreement with the British Government to the reported value of $A24bn. A similar agreement was signed in 1985 which saw the purchase of 72 Tornados, 30 Hawks and a large number of PC-9s, value of that order was more than $A12bn. The latest agreement will be largely paid for in oil and includes the construction of two new desert air bases. The proposed sale includes as many as 60 additional BAe Hawks, including possibly a number of single seat Mark 200 models, up to 50 additional Tornados, a number of BAe 125 and 146 jet transports and up to 80 helicopters from Westland.

This is indeed excellent news for Westland which requires a large volume of work to get it over the next three years until the EH101 is fully in production. The order is believed to comprise a mix of Sea Kings and Westland/ Sikorsky Blackhawks, possibly powered by Rolls Royce/Turbomeca RTM322 engines.

The move signals a change in attitudes within the Gulf as most moderate states are expected to follow the diplomatic path taken by the Saudis. Kuwait is already threatening to cancel its recent 40-strong F-18 order if it isn’t able to buy Maverick air to surface missiles and may also opt for British equipment. The other loser has been France, which has seen its influence wane dramatically in recent years in the Middle East.

More Hawkeyes for Japan:

Japan’s Air Self Defence Force (ASDF) will take delivery of five more Grumman E-2C Hawkeye early warning aircraft in 89/90 to supplement the eight already in service. When all 13 aircraft are operational, they will provide complete intruder warning coverage over the sea of Japan.

Dsto Begin Testing New Smart Bomb:

The Defence Science & Technology Organisation has commenced flight trials of a Generic Test Vehicle which will pave the way for eventual full-scale development of a new breed of relatively cheap, high accuracy precision guided munitions (PGM) for the RAAF and the export market.

The glide bomb is not laser guided as is the case with the existing Paveway series of PGM but instead relies on an autopilot which updated at time of launch allows the aircraft to attack from well beyond the target’s normal defence envelope. Additionally, the bomb will act independant of the launch aircraft and can thus approach the target from any direction.

The glide bomb concept has been developed over the past decade by a team of scientists from the Weapons Division of the Weapons Systems Research Laboratory within the DSTO which has been evaluating the concept in association with ASTA in Melbourne. The present evaluation phase of the GTV is using a standard 500lb warhead with an effective range of between 5 and 15km depending upon launch altitude, etc.

Defence scientists are quoted as saying that the eventual bomb could be produced at about 10% to 15% of the cost of the Harpoon missile currently widely used in the Australian inventory. While Harpoon is a sophisticated sea skimming anti ship missille with a range out to 100km, the new glide bomb will still be very useful as it allows an attacking aircraft to launch from well beyond the ship’s normal self defence umbrella in a true fire and forget mode.

New Middle East Threat:

According to Israeli sources, Syria is about to make its first squadron of MiG-29 Fulcrums operational after having received two batches of aircraft from the Soviet Union.

The Fulcrum is similar in size, capability and performance to the McDonnell Douglas F-18 Hornet Complete with long-range track-whales can radar. a pulse-Doppler lookdown/ shootdown weapon system, infra-red search and tracking and a digital data link. The Soviets have provided massive assistance in helping the Syrians’ Fulcrums reach operational status.

Adding to the threat is the revelation that the Soviets will also supply Syria with 24 Sukhoi SU-24 Fencer swing-wing Mach 2 attack aircraft. In a similar class to the F-111, the Fencer is also equipped with the latest electronics and armament and Is capable of low level penetration and accurate weapons delivery in all weathers.