Growler is go

The Growler acquisition will see the RAAF’s fleet of 24 F/A-18F Super Hornets currently in service with 82WG at Amberley retained (for now) in their standard air combat and strike configurations. Up until now, the second batch of 12 Super Hornets which, as F/A-18F+s had been pre-configured in production with additional avionics racks, wiring conduits and augmented wiring looms and delivery of which was completed in December 2011 – had been slated to be converted to Growlers over the next five years.

But despite the pre-configuration work, the planned Growler conversion process would still have been an invasive and, initially at least, a protracted one. At least one and possibly more of the 12 jets would have had to be flown back to Boeing in St Louis for the extensive modification work and for a detailed post-conversion flight test and validation program, while it was hoped subsequent modification work on the rest of the fleet could have been performed by Boeing at Amberley. The plan was for an initial six aircraft to be modified in the 2014/15 period, with the second batch of six following a couple of years later once the RAAF’s capacity to operate them had matured. An IOC was planned for 2018.

In simple terms, the Growler conversion process would have involved the permanent removal of the Super Hornet’s gun from the forward fuselage and other modifications to that area, and to the leading edge root extensions (LEX) to accommodate the avionics racks associated with the electronic warfare systems. The wingtip missile rails are replaced with more robust units capable of carrying the AN/ALQ-218 tactical jamming system receiver pods, additional wiring is required throughout the airframe, fins and LEX for additional antennae that are required, and in the wings and pylons to accommodate the AN/ALQ-99 tactical jammer system pods and AGM-88 HARM missiles.

The new plan announced on May 3 will see RAAF Super Hornet operations retain a degree of stability at Amberley rather than the disruption of losing six aircraft at a time to the conversion process. The new plan will allow a mix of experienced 82WG crews, some with F/A-18 Classic and Super experience, as well as an initial cadre of home-grown electronic warfare officers to more gradually feed into the Growler program as capacity allows through a newly established Growler Transition Office detachment in the US.

Just as the RAAF did with the Super Hornet, initial Growler training will be conducted as an embedded element within the US Navy electronic warfare community at NAS Whidbey Island near Seattle. As new-build RAAF jets are delivered from 2015, an RAAF element will be stood up at Whidbey Island. Indeed, with all of the US Navy’s 108 current and planned Growlers calling Whidbey Island home, and with the resultant consolidation of aircraft and system logistics, maintenance support, training, and its proximity to training ranges, it is possible a major element of RAAF Growlers and crews will be permanently based at Whidbey Island throughout the aircraft’s service life.

While the plan to base these RAAF elements in the US won’t come cheap, it will ensure the capability provided by the Growler and its crews will remain as current and supportable as possible. Of course, Growlers will still be seen at Amberley, especially when major exercises such as Pitch Black are scheduled.

Capacity

Interestingly, while most attention has been focussed on the acquisition of the Growlers and the capability they will provide, these aircraft have been unintentionally misrepresented as being part of the overall bridging air combat capability as a further hedge against delays to the F-35 program. But as the Growler deal had already been signed last year and many long lead items are already in production, the May 3 announcement was really for an additional 12 F/A-18Fs.

Importantly, and despite their cost, the extra 12 aircraft will give the ADF additional capacity in covering its air combat capability through to the F-35’s IOC in 2020. Plus, this cost will be somewhat offset by providing the flexibility to consolidate and draw down the classic Hornet fleet a little sooner, thus minimising the amount of deeper level maintenance and upgrades required to keep these aircraft flying and competitive.

The number of extra Super Hornets was somewhat fewer than the 24 being openly discussed in the days leading up to May 3 and that Boeing had been pitching, from which inference can be drawn that the government’s faith in the previously-delayed F-35 program is finally being restored.

“The extra 12 aircraft will give the ADF additional capacity in covering its air combat capability through to the F-35’s IOC in 2020.”

Good news

Speaking at the announcement, Gillard said the government was committed to the F-35 program and remained confident of the capability and deliverability of the development program. After delaying the AIR6000 Phase 2A/2B project by two years in the lead up to the 2012 federal budget, ostensibly to “align” Australia’s program with that of the US, Smith said there was no plan by government to further adjust the timetable for the Australian F-35 acquisition. Indeed, it could be argued the delays experienced by the JSF program resulting in its re-baselining in 2011 have given the government’s politically-motivated 2012 two-year delay to the program a convenient air of virtue.

The first two Australian F-35As are in production and are due to be rolled out late next year. These will be delivered to the integrated training center (ITC) at Luke AFB in Arizona for initial pilot training from early 2015. The White Paper confirms a further 12 F-35As will be ordered in 2014 for delivery in 2017/18 and these will form the core of the RAAF’s first operational squadron, due to declare an initial operating capability (IOC) at Williamtown in 2020. A further 58 aircraft will be ordered to complete Phase 2A/2B of the project to fill a requirement for three operational squadrons, while a decision on a further 28 jets in Phase 2C will be considered in the early to mid-2020s to replace the Super Hornets by 2030.

Lockheed Martin no doubt breathed a metaphoric sigh of relief with the White Paper release, saying it was honoured by the trust and confidence shown by the Australian government.

“Along with the first two Australian jets in production, which will deliver in mid-2014, we will work closely with the government to support their purchase of their remaining 100 F-35 aircraft,” the company said in a statement.

“Additionally, we will work with Australian industry supporting their participation in the production of components and sub-assemblies for the more than 3000 F-35s to be built during the life of the program. The projected $5.5 billion of industrial participation will bring long term economic benefits to Australia for decades.”

Reaction from the government-funded Australian Strategic Policy Institute (ASPI), was also positive.

“Simply put, buying more Super Hornets retires much of the risk associated with relying on 1980s jets to form the bulk of our air combat capability. And buying Growlers off the production line rather than taking half of the existing 24 off line for conversion means that the RAAF will have their most capable aircraft continuously available,” blogged Andrew Davies.

“The downside to this decision is that the RAAF will be operating a mixed fleet of Super Hornets and F-35s for the entire 2020s, with the operating cost hit of two sets of fixed costs. That will be offset to some extent by a reduced buy of F-35s – now 72 rather than the 100 that had been pencilled in. The overall capability in the late 2020s will probably be less than might have been the case had we persevered with the full transition to the F-35, but the capability between now and the mid-2020s will be higher. And future governments can always revisit the air combat fleet size and composition if circumstances demand it.”

“Simply put, buying more Super Hornets retires much of the risk associated with relying on 1980’s jets to form the bulk of our air combat capability.”
Andrew Davies

If Phase 2C does not proceed and the Super Hornets are retained, it’s also possible that the RAAF may consider some or all of a number of proposed enhancements to the F/A-18E/F. Known colloquially as the Super Duper Hornet or Block 3 but given the ‘International Roadmap’ moniker by Boeing, these upgrades include new touchscreen cockpit displays, integral distributed aperture system and infra-red search and track sensors, a low-observable centreline weapons pod, conformal upper fuselage auxiliary fuel tanks, and uprated enhanced performance engines.

The company and its industry partners are reportedly building a privately-funded demonstrator, which is scheduled to begin flight trials later this year and, despite ongoing budget woes in the US, there is reported interest from the US Navy in some of these enhancements either for incorporation in to possible future new-build jets, or as a retro-fit to existing Super Hornets.

… but not all good news

The Australian Growler announcement, while on face value potentially adding a new game-changing capability to the ADF’s order of battle, has not been welcomed by all.

Some defence insiders and commentators have questioned the wisdom of spending upwards of $3 billion on the system at a time where the defence budget is under pressure and basic capabilities are reportedly being compromised. Further, questions have been raised about Australia’s capacity to grow and sustain the necessary skills to operate and support the aircraft effectively, although the above-stated reports of a heavy dependency on the US Navy should go some way towards alleviating these threats.

Questions have also been raised as to the effectiveness of the Growler’s ALQ-99 jammer pods and HARM missiles, both of which were initially employed some 40 years ago. But time and development haven’t stood still on these systems, and both have successor systems – the next generation jammer (NGJ) and the AGM-88E advanced anti-radiation guided missile (AARGM) respectively – due to be deployed later this decade.