808SQN

Pomp and circumstance

The event also marked the recommissioning of the RAN’s recently reformed 808SQN into the Fleet Air Arm (FAA) after a hiatus of 52 years.

The squadron brings its history to the FAA and the unit’s proud inheritance includes the motto, crest and battle honours, worn and won by 808SQN in WW2 and Korea.

Representing a link with that history was the presence of the widow of the unit’s previous commanding officer, Lieutenant Commander G Kable. Brenda Kable was formally honoured as the ceremony’s Commissioning Lady, and inspected the Guard of Honour along with the CAF, Rear Admiral Barrett.

Other formalities included the reading of the Navy prayer, a flypast by Squirrels and Seahawks of 816 and 723SQN, the raising of the Australian White Ensign and a Commissioning Pennant, and the reading out of the commissioning order by the squadron’s Commanding Officer, Commander Charlie Stephenson.

CMDR Stephenson spoke to Australian Aviation about the MRH-90’s introduction into service, and the unique joint service approach taken by the ADF in operating this important, multi-role capability.

A long road

Acquired under Phase 6 of AIR 9000, a program intended to reduce the number of helicopter types in ADF service, the EADS MRH-90 Taipan replaces the Westland Sea King as the Navy’s primary maritime support and logistics helicopter.

Described by its manufacturer as a “a fly-by-wire, all-composite construction, medium-lift helicopter with the highest crashworthy standards”, the MRH90 can transport greater loads and carry more troops in adverse conditions up to 900km at speeds of up to 300km/h.

Australia’s new multi role helicopter is essentially a locally-assembled version of the Eurocopter NH90, which is produced in two versions – the TTH or Tactical Transport Helicopter and the NH 90 NFH, or NATO Frigate Helicopter.

Selected to replace the Army’s Iroquois and Blackhawk in 2004, 12 MRH-90s were ordered by the Defence Materiel Organisation (DMO) in June 2005. Four aircraft were manufactured by Eurocopter with the balance assembled locally by Eurocopter subsidiary, Australian Aerospace. Thirty four MRH-90s were subsequently ordered, with six earmarked for the RAN to replace its ageing Sea Kings.

However, technical and contractual issues have delayed the MRH-90’s entry into service and seen its acquisition placed on the Government’s ‘Projects of Concern’ List. DMO and Australian Aerospace announced in May this year both parties had resolved issues that had arisen from schedule slippages, technical deficiencies and aircraft availability. As a goodwill gesture, Eurocopter even donated an NH 90 airframe for instructional use at RAAF Base Townsville, bringing the total number of MRH-90s acquired by Australia to 47.

With deliveries currently running three years late, the DMO envisages that it will accept a further seven MRH-90s in the next financial year in what it calls ‘a mature configuration’, with plans announced to retrofit earlier aircraft to the current standard.

In 2011, the Australian Government announced it would acquire the MH-60 Romeo model Seahawk as its future combat helicopter, in preference to the NH 90 NFH. It is widely held that the MRH-90’s difficult entry into service counted against its selection as a Seahawk replacement, with the Navy deciding to expose itself to the lowest level of technical risk, as embodied by Sikorsky’s MH-60R.

Sea trials

So far, Australia is the only country in the world to operate the TTH variant of the NH 90 from a seaborne vessel. Sea trials of the MRH-90 began in late 2009, when aircraft -007 and -008 were embarked on the amphibious HMAS Manoora. Fitted with flight test instrumentation, the two aircraft measured a range of aircraft performance parameters.

808SQN reborn

CMDR Stephenson comes to the job as CO 808SQN after operational tours on the Seahawk, instructional tours on the Squirrel, service in the Gulf and project management of the Navy’s acquisition of the MH-60R Romeo.

Describing the task of commanding officer as a “huge privilege”, he paid tribute to the many personnel in the squadron’s recent history who have made its recommissioning possible.

“From an operational perspective, the MRH-90 program has been underway since 2007, with flight training in France. Initially the Army and Navy began flight training in Townsville, which was conducted with 5 Aviation Regiment, with a Navy element,” Stephenson said.

“In December 2010, 808SQN was formed in Nowra at HMAS Albatross, with the first aircraft arriving at that time. It’s been two and a half years operating as ‘new’ squadron and through that period the focus has been on getting the system up and running to support the aircraft, acquiring more aircraft and importantly, training for both aircrew and maintenance personnel.”

Three main roles have been identified for the Taipan – maritime support, air mobile and special operations support.

Maritime support will be the exclusive domain of the Navy’s MRH-90s, with special forces insertions to be handled solely by the Army. With the aircraft expected to be used to deploy troops from the Navy’s future LHD Amphibious ships, a tactical camouflage has been applied across the joint fleet. CMDR Stephenson explained: “Our aircraft are there to support our ships at sea, logistically and to provide SAR, aeromed evacuation and boarding operations, so the requirement for us to be in a low viz grey and remain to covert is not as critical as it is for a combat helo such as the Romeo.

“These aircraft will be jointly operated at sea on our amphibious ships and Army will be providing the aircraft to support that, so we will have aircraft at sea in camouflage, true, but a lot of the operations are associated with the littoral and the need to go ashore. So, there’s no overwhelming need to change the colouring with its associated cost and potential delays. The need to remain ‘joint’ and to rationalise the aircraft as much as possible overwhelms the normal system to have the aircraft painted in a more maritime colour system.”

Maintaining interoperability between Navy and Army MRH-90s is paramount, however the demands of each service’s unique missions have necessitated some minor differences in mission equipment.

Stephenson elaborated: “The concept is a joint core of aircraft that is commonly managed both logistically and to some extent, operationally, particularly with training. It is a new concept. *******I’m not sure that we’ve ever jointly operated an aircraft to this extent before between two services.********** It has a common logistic pool and training system and to the maximum extent possible, it is a common configuration.

“There are certain role equipment differences that might occur, for instance most of the MRH-90s in 808SQN have a flotation equipment fitted, which is a modular fit, but overall role equipment such as the avionics systems are maintained in the same configuration between the services so we can transition them between units dependent on operational needs.”

While 808SQN has been officially stood up as an operational squadron, it still has some way to go before it is declared to be FOC (final operating capability). Stephenson outlined how the squadron would go about attaining that goal.

“At the moment, have two MRH-90 flights at sea, one on HMAS Tobruk and one on HMAS Choules, comprised of one aircraft each and a maintenance team and aircrew. They are conducting what we call ‘collective training’, where they’re doing maritime operational training with other units, ships and other assets that might be involved with maritime exercises.

“We’ve been operating in the collective training regime for about nine months and that‘s been quite successful. We have still further CT to do when we validate some of the role equipment in the aircraft. For instance, we aren’t doing VERTREP exercises, that will recommence shortly, as we’ve had some issues with the cargo hook. Also with fast roping to enable boarding operations- we’re in the process of getting to the point where we’ve completed all our role training necessary to provide all the roles expected of this aircraft as a maritime support helicopter. My role from now is to get a third flight by early next year and that is what’s expected of 808SQN, to provide three flights permanently embarked at sea.”

Trail blazers

808SQN’s hard work in bedding down the MRH-90 recently received the unofficial recognition at the NH90 user groups forum in Holland.

As Stephenson explained, he was invited to the Netherlands to present a paper on the Navy’s experience in operating the MRH-90 at sea. He revealed that many of the type’s 13 international operators were surprised at how advanced Australian maritime operations were with the troop transport variant of the NH-90.

Stephenson also revealed the ADF has accrued the second highest number of hours on the type, second only to Italy.