Defence Update

Last month the Minister for Defence, Senator Robert Ray confirmed that the Royal Australian Navy would purchase the decommissioned former US Navy guided missile (DDG) destroyer, USS Goldsborough for just $US2. 2 million. She will be stripped of much equipment, and will be used as spares forthe RAN’s three DDGs; and utilised for in harbour training. The ship will not be an operational unit in the Fleet.

As outlined in the last issue of Australian Aviation, the project to update the RAAF’s P-3C Orion maritime patrol fleet of 19 aircraft includes the probable acquisition of three surplus US Navy P-3Bs, which would be used for aircrew training and thus lengthen the fatigue life of the operational aeroplanes.

Senator Ray further confirmed that the arrangement to buy four modernised Chinook medium lift helicopters for the Australian Army was back on track. These machines, to be raised to D model standard, are virtually in exchange for the return of the 11 Chinooks which have been mothballed at Amberley air base in southern Queensland for some years. And the deal to purchase surplus US Air Force F-111 strike jets, slated for mothballing or to put to the aircraft “graveyard” also is going ahead.

At the time of going to press final aspects of the deal, including delivery timetables and cost, were still being stitched together. However the number and type to be acquired is 15 G model swing wing Mach 2 plus aircraft at a total price said to be under $100 million. (Refer Stop Press & Aircraft of the ADF this issue) Such aircraft are similar to the RAAF’s current F-111C fleet, and would not require substantial upgrading. Senator Ray explained that the proposal was to have the extra 15 available on the flightline so that the flying life of the current aircraft could be extended. That, however, did not necessarily mean having all 15 F-111s available to fly at any given time.

As for the armed reconnaissance helicopter possibilities, the ADF is understood to be examining a deal by which about 40 Cobras may be procured from proposed mothballed stock in the USA, and would be completely refurbished.

The helicopters themselves possibly could be purchased for about $US250,000 each. Refurbishment, including upgraded avionics and night vision systems, spares and training is estimated to bring the all up cost of 40 modernised Cobrasto about $100m. If the deal does go ahead it seems likely the choppers would be phased in over several years.

The proposal is being examined under the Army’s Kiowa Light Observation Helicopter (LOH)/Iroquois gunship replacement programme. Preliminary work on this project foresaw the eventual procurement later this decade of LOH helicopters which could cost in excess of $500m.

The 1991 (Defence) Force Structure Review called for the Kiowa replacement to have an aerial reconnaissance/armed escort capability to support the Land Force in northern Australia. A Project Definition Study has been planned to start this year. The year of decision has been listed as 1996-97.

The proposal to buy refurbished Cobras is seen by influential sources in the ADF and in industry as a much more cost effective solution to that of purchasing new helicopters. It is claimed that the second hand Cobra AH-1Ps, after refurbishment, would meet 90% of the Australian Army’s requirements at 20% of the cost of new machines. Currently the Army has some 40 Kiowas in service and also operates about 12 Iroquois in the gunship role.

BH Pacific Pty Limited, located at Eagle Farm airport, Brisbane and Bell Helicopter Textron’s Australian/New Zealand/ Papua New Guinea representative, already has investigated what would be required under a refurbishment programme.

Such work would include fitting new communications equipment which would have commonality with the Army’s Black Hawk helicopters, an upgraded night vision system and auxiliary fuel tanks. They would be fitted in place of the standard TOW missile racks. Flight crew and maintenance personnel training is not seen as having to be extensive.

Meanwhile, BH Pacific recently appointed Mr Robert (Bob) Millar as General Manager. Millar, 49, has had a long and distinguished career in the Army, his last post being as the Brigadier commanding the Western Region in Perth. Prior to that appointment he headed Army Maintenance and Equip- ment Repair Services. An aeronautical engineer and Fellow of the Institute of Engineers (Australia), he served in the Army for 32 years. In the past 25 years Millar had direct involvement in helicopter engineering, maintenance and operation. At various stages he commanded Army Aviation workshops in Australia and Britain.

The Army’s evaluation of the Cobra AH-IP proposal, which also is being examined by other nations, is taking in the requirements as to range, speed, payload, sensors, logistic support and training.

The modified machines would have a range of 500 nautical miles (930km) and be fast enough to escort troop carrying Black Hawks which are capable of carrying an infantry section. These Cobras, which are fitted with composite armour plating as protection against small arms fire, would be fitted with McDonnell Douglas’ Nighthawk night vision system which is currently used in the RAN’s patrol boats.

At least one other nation – Turkey – is said to be seriously interested in obtaining surplus US Army Cobras for the gunship/reconnaissance roles.

Meanwhile interest in the RAAF’s P-3 update project is gathering pace and the competition is intense. The Request for Tender (RFT) is due to be released in mid June and will close in mid September. Contract signature is planned for mid 1994.

The P-3 update basically entails a major avionics systems upgrading designed to extend the operational life of the 18 P- 3s (another one is attached to the Aeronautical Research and Development Unit at Edinburgh, SA) with improved capability beyond the year 2010.

It is certain to have a high Australian Industry Involvement (AII) content. A new radar will be installed to provide a much improved surface surveillance capability and there will be a new acoustic sensor, a new data management system and other equipments. Improved cockpit flight instruments and other modern displays will bring other equipments together. The prime objective is to reduce weight in the aircraft and thereby get more life from the airframes.

Four teams so far (at presstime) have been announced, with only Rockwell Systems Australia yet to reveal its teaming arrangements. RSA’s major partner almost certainly will be its US parent, Rockwell International.

One of an original six possible contenders was considered to be McDonnell Douglas, but the giant US aerospace group has decided against submitting a tender. The company has indi- cated it did not consider the odds sufficiently attractive to keep a team together over much of this and next year. Nor, it seems, was it happy about the fact that the contract is to be for a fixed price.

The first team announced during the International Air Show at Avalon, Victoria last October was that of ASTA (Aerospace Technologies of Australia), Melbourne; Honeywell Australia, Sydney, and E-Systems, Virginia, USA. They were represented at an announcement ceremony by Mr Rick Campbell, ASTA’s General Manager, Defence; Mr Greg Soghomonian, Honeywell’s Director of Space and Navigation, and Mr Alan Jackson, Vice President and Assistant General Manager, E-Systems Melpar Division. E-Systems is represented in Australia by Hawker Pacific, whose Managing Director, Mr Chris Ryland, and Aviation Marketing Director, Mr David Bell, also were present.

In mid summer a second team released details of partnership proposals. This is made up of Hawker de Havilland Victoria (HDHV); Computer Sciences of Australia (CSA), Sydney; Lockheed Aeronautical Systems Company, (LASC); and Paramax Systems Corporation, USA.

In April two more teams were announced. GE Aerospace (USA), which recently acquired Martin Marietta; Qantas Airways Ltd, Sydney; Australian Defence Industries (ADD), Sydney, and Scientific Management Associates Pty Ltd (SMA) Canberra, was the third team formed.

They were followed by British Aerospace Australia (BAA), Adelaide joining with the Boeing Defence & Space Group. The latter two teams have given more details on their proposals than the earlier two.

Dr Alexander L Horvath, a General Electric Vice President, and the General Manager of GE Ocean, Radar and Sensor Systems, said the team members were committed to achieving the maximum practicable involvement of Australian industry over the six year life of the project. He described the partnership as being of world class competitors who would bring complementary strengths to the project.

Qantas would apply its years of experience in upgrading RAAF aircraft, and its abilities in reducing aircraft weight to ensure minimum operational cost and maximum life for the P-3C fleet.

ADI, a leading Australian Defence company, would plan and carry out software upgrades to the aircraft data management system, and build interfaces among new and existing systems, SMA, the leading integrated logistics support (ILS) group, would perform all ILS work.

GE Aerospace aims to bring its expertise in systems development and integration, particularly managing to schedule and budget and with minimum risk. It proposes to transfer knowledge and skills to Australia.

Under the BAEA-Boeing teaming arrangement, Boeing will be responsible for managing the overall system integration portion of the team’s solution, including mission avionics integration. BAeA will be the “Principal Australian contractor”, with responsibility for aircraft installation and check-out, logistics, and through-life software support. One interesting point which has attracted little notice in Australia is that Boeing has had more than 20 years of experience in designing and producing integrated maritime patrol and ASW systems. This expertise has been shown with and universal display and control systems (UDACS) for the Royal New Zealand Air Forces’s six P-3Bs.

The Boeing designed UDACS also was the heart of the advanced P-3 Update IV avionics system which was developed for the US Navy to counter threats posed by the Soviet Union’s advanced nuclear submarines. The collapse of the Soviet Union has meant termination of the programme, but its development, and the involvement on the New Zealand programme, may be seen as a plus for the BAEA-Boeing team.

BAeA has been involved in Australia for some 40 years. It specialises in electronic systems integration, software and hardware engineering, facilities and prime contracting and is involved in a number of major Defence contracts.