Newsdesk- Military Aviation

Centrespread

Is this the future face of Australian air defence? This month’s centrespread features the Saab 340 Airborne Early Warning and Control aircraft, which is being developed for the Swedish Air Force. For over a decade and a half Australia has been studying the acquisition of an AEW&C platform to greatly enhance the RAAF’s air defence capabilities. In recent years the emphasis of such studies has switched away from conventional AWACS craft such as the ultra expensive E-3 Sentry and smaller E-2 Hawkeye to new phased array radar technology now appearing on the likes of Saab’s 340 AEW&C and Israel Air• craft Industries’ Boeing 707 based Phalcon system. These unit offer excellent radar coverage at considerable less cost than previous conventional systems. With funding of a Project Definition Study now approved, AEW&C aircraft should finally appear in AMF colours around the tum of the century, completing the air defence network of ground based and JORN radars, and F/A-18 Hornet fighters. this era of defence budget cuts, mis– sion capable rates of the USAF’s F-15 and F-16 fighter are set to slip by 8% over the next four years according to the head of the USAF Materiel Command. Gen Ronald Yates says a major indi­. cator of readiness – how frequently aircraft are cannibalised for parts – is pointing to the reduction. Cannibalisation of F-15s rose from 11.6 actions per 100 sorties in 1987 to 15.8 per 100 in the first quarter of 1994. Yates also says that reduced funding is creating a maintenance backlog for Pratt & Whitney FlOO engines whichcould result in the grounding of up to 24 F-15s and 23 F-16s. Although other tactical aircraft appear to be unaffected by the trend, that may be a false impression as some F-llls and A-lOs are being retired and parts cannibalised from them are being used to keep the remaining aircraft flying.

Upgraded C-5 Mooted:

Lockheed is examining the possibility of developing an upgraded version of its C-5 Galaxy heavy military transport with new engines and a glass cockpit to meet the USAF’s Non Developmental Airlift Aircraft (NDAA) requirement. Under the designation C-5D, the company has already received pr0posals from General Electric, Rolls-Royce and Pratt & Whitney for re-engining the C-5. GE’s proposal centres around an upgraded version of the C-5’s existing TF39 turbofan, while Rolls-Royce has proposed a version of its RB211- 535E4 (as fitted to the Boeing 757) and P&W the Fll7, a derivative of the commercial PW2000 as is also offered on the 757 and the C-17. The C-5D would help address certain deficiencies noted by the USAF in what is now a 30-years-old design and also reduce operating costs. Upgraded McDonnell Douglas DC-lOs and Boeing 747-400Fs are also under consideration. An alternative is to drop the NDAA requirement and buy more new C-1’/ Globemaster ills instead.

Hornet Crash Blamed Onpilot:

The crash of RAAF F/A-18BHornet A21-106 during a bombing sortie at Shoalwater Bay, Queensland, in May 1992 has been put down to piloterror. The pilot and his passenger, a DSTO scientist, both died in the crash, which according to the official enquiry into the accident resulted from the pilot unexpectedly placing his aircraft “in a turning descending manoeuvre from which recovery in the height remaining was impossible”. The F/A-18 was engaged in a two ship exercise initially planned as a high level bombing attack, but this was changed to a low level sortie due to cloud in the target area. Possible contributory causes were found to be spatial disorientation as the Hornet entered cloud, tunnel vision and pilot frustration. The pilot was relatively inexperienced in the application of F/A-18 air-to-ground tactics and this may have increased the chances of misjudging the non standard situation he found himself in at the completion of his bombing run.

Winjeel To Retire:

The 39year RAAF career of the CAC Wiajeelbasic trainer is set to close at the endof 1994. Although the Wiajeel has not been used as a trainer since 1975, a handful of examples have been used since then in the Forward Air Control role, based at Williamtown. Two Pilatus PC-9 turboprops were posted to Wtlliamtown in April to take over this job and more will follow. The last RAAF Wmjeel is to be retired at the end ofthe year though about 16 remain on the civil register as privately owned warbirds. CAC built two CA-22 prototype Wmjeels in 1951 and 62 much modified production CA-25s between 1955 and 1957. The aircraft served as the RAAF’s basic trainer until 1968 when the arrival of the Macchi MB-326 jet and the ‘all through’ jet training philosophy was supposed to see it retired. The new scheme was less than successful, with the result that the Wmjeel was retained for initial training duties until replaced by the CT-4 Airtrainer in 1975. For military history fans, our recently published book the Vampire, Macchi & Iroquois in Australian Service (refer p24), details this era in greater detail whilst the next and final book in the Airpower Series, the Tiger Moth, CT-4, Wackett & Winjeel in Australian Service (due out this November) will detail the full history of CAC’s ‘little eagle’.

Long Endurance Uavclose To Flight:

Flight testingis expected to begin next month of aUS reconnaissance unmanned aerialvehicle (UAV) which will be able tostay aloft for 50-60 hours. Called the Predator and built by the As noted in our May issue, the first Eurofighter 2000, the German built DA.1, successfully completed its first flight on March 28. This milestone was followed by the maiden flight of the British built DA.2 (pictured), which took to the skies shortly afterwards in early April. A formal rollout ceremony of the Eurofighter, the type’s first public appearance, occurred on May 4. (BAe Defence) 12 Australian Aviation July 1994 General Atomics concern, the 49ft (15m) wing span UAV will operate at altitudes of between 15,000 and 25,000 feet (4600-7600m) carrying a 5001b (227kg) payload of optical and infrared sensors plus a synthetic aperture radar and a satellite communications antenna. A typical mission for the propeller driven Predator would be a 430nm (800km) flight to the target area followed by 24 hours on station and return. Capable of a straight line range of about 5400nm (10,000km), the UAV could carry a payload of up to 680kg over shorter distances. The Predator also exhibits low observable characteristics. At 1000ft it is inaudible and at 3000ft virtually invisible. Its low operating speed of 70-130kt (130-240km) means it is difficult to detect on many types of radar and it has no real infrared signature. An early use to which the Predator may be put when it enters service next year is patrolling the Korean demilitarised zone in search of North Korean artillery tunnels, keeping an eye on Khmer Rouge activities in Cambodia and Thailand, and monitoring the Iraqi no-fly zones.

Reduced Capability Eurofighter?:

A UK House of Commons Defence Committee report hassuggested the Eurofighter 2000 combat aircraft will enter service lacking afull operational capability. Due to enter service with the RAF in 2000, the multinational aircraft· will not initially be fully operational due to the early unavailability of the full flight control system (FCS) software, an area of the Eurofighter’s design which contributed. significantly to its delayed first flight. Although the report recognises the need for the Eurofighter, it is critical of many key aspects of the programme, particularly the industrial arrangements for the FCS. It also criticises large increases in development costs for the UK (now about $A7bn), although much of this has come from Germany’s withdrawal from involvement in the development of some of the aircraft’s systems including the infrared search and track system and various defensive aids sub systems. Increased costs are also causing problems in Germany where a final decision whether to proceed with acquiring the expensive fighter will be made next year and has in the meantime become a major political issue.

Us Army To Cut Aircrafttypes:

The US Army is looking toreduce the number of fixed wing aircraft types it operates from the current 26 to only four by 2015. The four types to be operated will fill the need for short, medium and long range missions plus a new category for a multi mission medium tactical transport (M3T2) which would be used for medical evacuation, intelligence gathering and intra theatre cargo transport. The current mix of 26 types (totalling over 400 aircraft) has created logistics and maintenance problems for the service. The most numerous type in current US Army service is the Beech C-12 and U-21 (King Air) short range transport with nearly 300 of various models filling communications and specialist roles such as electronic intelligence gathering (ELlNT). The Piaggio P.180 Avanti has been mooted to fill this role, while M3T3 contenders include the Alenia G-222, CASA CN-235, ITPN N250 and Fokker 50.

No Migs For Debt:

Germanyhas rejected a Russian offer to coverthe latter’s more than $US1bn debt bysupplying 100 MiG-29 fighters instead. German acceptance of the offer would have resulted in a massive internal reorganisation of the Luftwaffe and a complete change in its policies and strategic stance. It has been rejected on both political and technical grounds. For some, the idea had attraction because of the cheap unit cost of the MiGs compared with the eventually forthcoming Eurofighter, and that project is on notice of possible German cancellation if the opposition Social Democrats gain power in this year’s elections. One of the major problems with Germany acquiring MiGs is that it would then have to rely on Russian parts provision and after sales service, both of which are at best described as unreliable and at worst as non existent. This has already been discovered through the 30 MiG-29s inherited from the former East Germany. After extensive evaluation the Luftwaffe also did not think that the MiG-29 was all that capable in comparison with their existing F-4E Phantoms while the Fulcrum’s limited radius of action was a significant restriction.