Defence Update

The long running battle finally seemed to be over in mid 1988 when the Minister for Defence, Mr Kim Beazley, announced, during an exercise in Darwin, that acquisition of an AEW&C capability would go ahead. He reiterated earlier comments that the Jindalee Over-The-Horizon-Radar (OTHR) programme for a network of long-range surveillance radars (costing $500 million) and AEW&C were complementary to one another.

Recent scuttlebutt in Defence circles however suggests that the Force Development and Analysis Division, headed by Dr R G (Brab) Brabin-Smith, is opposing a firm commitment this year for an AEW&C programme. Apparently FDA has been arguing that the RAAF has not demonstrated in clear terms the need for such a system and how it fits into the nation’s surveillance, early warning and intercept requirements.

Senior RAAF officers strongly refute any suggestion that the RAAF has not defined the AEW&C role. According to some sources FDA has described the RAAF paper as ‘useless’ and asked for it to be rewritten.

. A Force Structure Committee meeting on the issue now is believed to be timed for June. Even if the project then gets the green light, it seems unlikely that a Request for Tender (RFT) would be issued until late in the year. Following on Mr Beazley’s statement last year, it was thought that an RFT would be issued to short-listed contenders about November, 1988. This obviously did not eventuate. Subsequently, it was suggested that a March release of the RFT was likely. That time has passed.

Apart from the merit or otherwise of the AEW&C proposal, and the apparent conviction in some Defence Central circles that the Jindalee network will be the ‘bees-knees’ for surveillance and even be able to provide intercept capabilities to direct fighters onto hostile intruders, the other problem is funding.

With further tight budgetary restraints, there is conjecture – and it’s no doubt much stronger than conjecture- that a number of projects, including AEW&C, the F-111 and P-3C Orion updates and LADS (Laser Airborne Depth Sounder) projects, may have to be deferred it not cancelled because of the impact of the costs of the ANZAC Ship and New Submarine projects on future budgets. All this in spite of the Minister’s strong support, and that of the RAAF and the Federal Opposition parties.

One glimmer of hope is said to be that if, as some are predicting, there is a slippage in the submarine project which would then mean lesser payments in the coming financial year, there may be money for AEW&C after all.

Even so it is contended that FDA prefers, not a delayed RFT, but another Project Definition Study (PDS). This is seen by the RAAF as a good excuse for delaying the proposal yet again. The contrary argument is that the Defence Department and RAAF have more than adequate information going back several years to issue an RFT and short list the competitors.

Detailed information submitted several years ago by major competitors such as Boeing, Lockheed and Grumman have been updated last year; and again early this year in some instances. These have been in the form of unsolicited bids.

Grumman and a new interested party, Ericsson, even outlined their proposals to Mr Beazley not long ago. Another newcomer said to have made an attractive offer is Israeli Aircraft Industries in association with electronic company, ELTA.

Earlier this year all possible contenders were encouraged by the fact that the DOCC (Defence Operational Capabilities Committee) had examined and approved the project. DOCC formerly was the DORC (Defence Operational Requirements Committee). It now seems the belief that the programme would proceed this year may be premature.

Basically the RAAF has been seeking the acquisition of four aircraft, which in all probability would be based at Darwin or Tindal. . They would operate mostly in reaction to the Jindalee ‘trip-were’ early warning, would be able to identify possible threats and when necessary vectorF-18 fighters to dispose of the ‘hostiles’.

(Australian Aviation canvassed the AEW prospects back in March, 1985, and it was also dealt with in detail- and favourably so for the most part- at the Air Power in the Defence of Australia conference at the Australian National University’s Strategic and Defence Studies Centre in July, 1986).

In July, 1986 the RAAF operated the new F-18 from Port Hedland, Western Australia, to ‘intercept’ ‘enemy’ F-111 strike jets to provide data on just what Jindalee could provide by way of information to the new interceptors. At the same time Minister Beazley stressed that OTHR and AEW&C should not be seen in hot competition. “We can, however, afford _to get AEW&C absolutely right before proceeding, given what we know of OTHR capabilities,” he said. At that stage the Dibb Report had recommended deferral of the acquisition of AEW&C by a year to 1989-90 while evaluation of the proposals proceeded. The RAAF was decidedly unhappy about this delay. And today we can see that the timetable is not going to be met, and at best, will slip several years.

Boeing Aerospace, recognising that its E-3 Sentry with the bevy of crew operator stations in use in the US Air Force and with NATO, would be far too expensive for Australia, offered a simplified version of its AWACS. Lockheed offered an AEW&C system incorporated in a P-3 Orion, one of which is now in service with US Customs. This Customs aircraft uses an APS-125 rotodome radar which is the same system used on the US Navy Grumman E-2C Hawkeye.

As the Hawkeye, basically a carrier based plane, has been acknowledged as deficient in adequate endurance for Australian requirements, Grumman more recently has proposed an E-2C electronics system in a C-130 Hercules airframe. This would be with an APS-138 radar which is currently fitted to the latest E-2Cs, or a new APS-145 system. The US Coast Guard has ordered E-2Cs with the APS-138 fit.

Of the two relative newcomers on the scene in Australia, the Israelis are believed to have offered a Boeing 707 airframe with a phased array system. Little other information has been made available, no doubt due to Arab-Israeli sensitivities in Australia and elsewhere. It is worth noting, however, that IAI was successful, along with Aerospace Technologies of Australia (ASTA), in winning the contract to modify four of the RAAF’s Boeing 707s for the inflight refuelling tanker role to extend the range of the McDonnell Douglas F-18 Hornets.

Ericsson Defence Systems’ AEW&C being developed for the Swedish Air Force and on offer to the RAAF is a side scanning radar mounted on a US Fairchild aircraft. In a commercial configuration, the Fairchild carries 19 passengers and currently costs about $3m. So this airframe, or something similar, is quite a low cost option.

Ericsson advances that the active array technology it is developing presents tremendous advantages for the future while at the same time offering a lower cost solution. Only last year, a separate company, Ericsson Radar Electronics, was formed within the Ericsson Group. Company radar systems have been fitted to all Swedish combat aircraft since the 1950s. The new generation fighter, the JAS39 Grippen, and its predecessor, the Viggen, have an Ericsson advanced pulse Doppler radar as their main sensor and a standardised computer system for most subsystems.

As for its ERIEYE solid state electronically scanned radar, Ericsson believes it is a qualified alternative to RAAF requirements. It also has substantial potential for future growth. The ERIEYE radar and total C3 capabilities include long-range surveillance, and immediate detection of air, sea and ground targets. It features high accuracy and resolution, a low sidelobe, phased array antenna, optimum time/power distribution, pulse doppler, frequency agility, a high ECM resistance and graceful degradation.

Total weight has been minimised to 1,100kg through the extensive use of composites. Ericsson says the combination of total weight and fixed low drag antenna makes for easy integration in a range of small turboprop aircraft.

Another feature which is the key to the Ericsson low price solution is in having the Command and Control on the ground, a low weight radar because of microwave hybrid technology, all composite structure and phased array antenna and, as mentioned, low price aircraft.

Royal Swedish Air Force prototype development, including flying, is under way through 1988-89. Further testing of the radar is planned for 1989-90 and series version development from early 1990 to 1993. Production is timed to start in 1993 with first deliveries scheduled from 1994.

The cost of four AEW&C aircraft to the RAAF, based on a Lockheed P-3 and the Grumman based radar system, has been estimated at around $400m. Ericsson estimates it could provide 20 aircraft and systems for this amount of money. Infrastructure costs would have to be ascertained within any project cost.

Side scanning towed array radar offered by the latest contenders is now being seen in some Defence circles as a possible viable alternative to the rotodome types. But as we outlined earlier, the schedule for the project seems uncertain amid the current internal Defence Department battles.