Air International 2013-10

OCTOBER 2013 Vol.85 No.4 £4.50 MAY 2012

INTERNATIONAL

For the best in modern military and commercial aviation

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INTERNATIONAL

WORLD TANKER RUNDOWN...PART ONE

USS Nimitz

Turning & Burning over Moscow

The Grease,The Grit, The Grind Flight Ops onboard

MAKS 2013 Full Show Report

Talisman Saber 2013

Amphibious Assault on Oz

Killing Them Softly

Will a Drone Operator pull the Trigger?

A330

1,000 and Counting

MiG-35 Fulcrum Next Gen MiG

A350XWB

Progressing Well

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News

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LEADING NEWS STORIES

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BREAKING NEWS

CSeries takes to the skies, Textron AirLand unveils Scorpion, Royal Saudi Air Force deploys to UK, Silent Eagle wins in Korea, and Indonesia and Korea order AH-64E Apaches.

12 

GENERAL NEWS

Lightnings hit the deck of the USS Wasp, NASA gets a third WB-57F, Osprey tested as a tanker, Indonesia gets its first Golden Eagles and the first Chinese Legacy 650 flies.

16 BASING, BUDDHA AND “BRASH HOPES” Robert F Dorr sheds light on some brash proposals for new US DoD programmes.

Subscri b claim y e to AIR Intern our ati Airlines free ‘Flying’ o onal and Boeing r Ethiop 7 ian 8 7 C oc worth u p to £1 kpit DVD 9.99. See pag e

26 EARLY PROGRESS Andreas Spaeth spoke with Airbus’s A350-900 programme boss about the early stages of the type’s testing.

s 100 for deta -101 ils.

30 1,000 UP The Airbus A330 programme is booming, with the 1,000th aircraft delivered. Andreas Spaeth spoke to Airbus about the jet. 32 HAVOCS AND HINDS Piotr Butowski looks at Rostvertol’s work with the Mi-28 and Mi-35 helicopters.

26

78 MAXING OUT AT MAKS

Piotr Butowski provides an update on the Russian T-50 PAK FA fighter following it’s display at this year’s MAKS show.

Features

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WORLD TANKERS PART ONE

AIR International begins a major two-part series on the world’s tanker aircraft, starting with the CC-150, KC-10A, KC-30A, KC-707, KC-767A and the Il-78.

Thirty-Three’s New Frigatebird Russia’s Tanker Workhorse Italy’s Force Multiplier Gas and Global Reach Green Salad Husky Hauling

Editor Mark Ayton [email protected] Sub Editors Sue Blunt, Carol Randall, Norman Wells

Designer Dave Robinson Production Manager Janet Watkins Production Controller Danielle Tempest Subscriptions/ Mail Order Manager Roz Condé

Dr Simon Bennett asks the question: Will drone operators pull the trigger?

In the third part of the series on the workup cycle of Air Wing !!, Scott Dworkin embarks aboard the USS Nimitz to experience life on the US Navy’s oldest aircraft carrier.

102 BELLS ON TOUR

Nigel Pittaway outlines the Bell 407GX and 412EPI models recently demonstrated in Australia.

Marketing Manager Martin Steele

• ISSN 0306-5634 • is published monthly by:

Commercial Director Ann Saundry Managing Director & Publisher Adrian Cox Executive Chairman Richard Cox

OF LOWCOST, LONG-HAUL 106 RESURGENCE

Mark Broadbent looks at the worldwide resurgence of long-haul budget airlines.

GREASE, THE GRIT, THE GRIND 88 THE 110 ADVANCED SUPER HORNET

News Editor David Willis [email protected] Marketing Assistants Shaun Binnington & Jess Jagger

Piotr Butowski details RAC’s MiG-35 Fulcrum-F.

Key Publishing Ltd, PO Box 100, Stamford, Lincs, PE9 1XQ, UK T +44 (0)1780 755131 F +44 (0)1780 757261 The entire contents of AIR International is © copyright, and no

Nigel Pittaway details the Advanced Super Hornet programme.

112 TALISMAN SABER 2013

Nigel Pittaway discovered a variety of new events in Australia’s biggest annual exercise. FRONT COVER: Russia’s T-50 PAK FA fighter is detailed in this month’s issue. Piotr Butowski LEFT INSET: Airbus MIDDLE INSET: Piotr Butowski RIGHT INSET: Airbus

Editor’s Secretary Julie Lawson [email protected] part of it may be reproduced in any form or stored on any form of retrieval system without the prior permission of the publisher. All items submitted for publication are subject to our terms and conditions, which are regularly updated without prior notice and are freely available from Key Publishing Ltd or downloadable from www. keypublishing.com Distribution by Seymour Distribution Ltd • T. +44 (0)020 7429 4000 • Printed in England by Warners

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KILLING THEM SOFTLY

104 NEXT GEN MIG

Advertisement Manager Ian Maxwell [email protected]

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3

Breaking News

CSeries Test Programme Off to a Flying Start

Prototype Bombardier CSeries C-FBCS touches down at Montréal-Mirabel International Airport at the conclusion of its maiden flight on September 16. Bombardier

On September 16 the prototype Bombardier CSeries CS100 lifted off from Montréal-Mirabel International Airport in Québec, Canada, for its first flight. In command of the airliner was Captain Charles ‘Chuck’ Ellis, the Chief Flight Test Pilot of the Bombardier Flight Test Center. Joining him in the cockpit as first officer was Captain Andris

FMS AH-64E Sales in Asia US Defense Secretary Chares Hagel confirmed the sale of eight Boeing AH-64E Apache Block IIIs to Indonesia on August 26 at a news conference in Jakarta held in conjunction with his Indonesian counterpart, Pur nomo Yusgiantoro. The US Army will also train Indonesian pilots on the helicopters. A Foreign Military Sales (FMS) notification for the deal was passed to the US Congress from the Defense Security Cooperation Agency on September 1, 2012 (see Indonesia Seeking Apaches, November 2012, p34). Meanwhile, on August 23, a $904.4 million FMS for the Republic of Korea covering 36 AH-64Es was announced by the US Department of Defence. In addition to the attack helicopters, the deal with Boeing includes logistical support, spares and a Longbow crew trainer. Separate contract for sensors have been awarded. The Apache was selected for the Republic of Korea Army in April in preference to the Bell AH-1Z Viper and Turkish Aerospace Industries T-129 (see AH-64E Guardians for Korea, June, p4). Deliveries will take place between 2016 and 2018.

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‘Andy’ Litavniks, while the flight test engineer was Andreas Hartono. CSeries Flight Test Vehicle 1 (FTV1, C-FBCS, c/n 50001) was airborne for approximately two hours 30 minutes, during which it reached 12,500ft (3,810m) and 230kts (426km/h). The landing gear was retracted during the sortie, which included early validation of the flight

control system and a simulated landing. “FTV1’s state-of-theart flight deck was responsive and comfortable, and the aircraft handled exactly as expected,” said Captain Ellis after landing. “Overall, we had a very productive first flight and an excellent start to the flight test programme.” The first flight of the CSeries has

been delayed several times due to late delivery of components, changes to suppliers and more time than originally expected being required to prepare the prototype for its maiden flight. It was originally due in December 2012, before being postponed initially to the end of June and then the end of July. Five CSeries flight test vehicles are currently in various stages of assembly. They are scheduled to join the test programme in the coming months and are expected to take 22 months, being completed in May 2015. Bombardier has 177 firm orders for the CSeries, plus another 211 commitments, from 15 customers. Initial deliveries were anticipated at the end of this year, but in November 2012 they were put back by six months. Hand over of the first to a customer is now expected in September 2014 (further to More Delays for CSeries, September, p31).

Texan Team Formed for RAAF Bid BAE Systems announced on September 11 that it had teamed with CAE and Beechcraft to bid for the Australian Defence Force’s Project AIR 5428 Pilot Training System. The team will offer a solution based on the Beechcraft T-6C

Texan II. The request for tender for AIR 5428 was released on August 2, with an industrial briefing held on September 17. A selected platform will be assessed for its suitability for use by No.4 Squadron and the Aircraft Research and Development

Unit. Bids basing the Pilot Selection Agency and Basic Flying Training School at RAAF Base East Sale, Victoria, and a second location are required. Initial operating capability is expected between 2015 and 2017. Nigel Pittaway

Royal Saudi Air Force at RAF Coningsby

Tornado IDS 7507 taking off from RAF Coningsby during the Green Flag exercise. Ian Harding

RAF Coningsby, Lincolnshire, hosted a detachment of Royal Saudi Air Force Eurofighter Typhoons from 10 Squadron based at Taif-King Fahad AB, and 75 Squadron Panavia Tornado IDS from Dhahran-King Abdul Aziz AB, from late August. No.3(F) Squadron at the British base provided Typhoons to train

alongside the Saudis, while Tornados from the squadrons at RAF Marham, Norfolk, also participated. The two air forces conducted a ten-day exercise, Saudi-British Green Flag, during which they flew and trained together. The Saudi fast jets began departing for home on September 16.

The Saudi detachment was supported by Airbus Military A330 Multi-Role Tanker Transports, which operated from RAF Brize Norton, Oxfordshire. In addition to being the first time Saudi Typhoons have deployed overseas, Green Flag marked the initial use of the A330 MRTT by any air force to ‘trail’ fighters on deployment.

Please send all news correspondence [email protected]

Breaking News

1,200

PILATUS PC-12S DELIVERED On August 13 Pilatus delivered the 1,200th production PC-12 business aircraft (PC12/47E N112AF, c/n 1412) to the Portsmouth, New Hampshire-based PlaneSense fractional ownership company. PlaneSense is the world’s largest operator of the single-engine turboprop, with a current fleet of 49 PC-12s, which have made 200,000 flights in 17 years. Mike Jerram

NEWS BY NUMBERS

Last Moroccan Bombardier 415 Delivered The Royal Moroccan Air Force received its fifth and final Bombardier 415 at the beginning of September. The aircraft (C-GUAW, c/n 2088) transited Blackpool Airport, Lancashire, on August 31, arriving from Iceland and departing to Morocco via Ibiza. Morocco received a single Bombardier 415 in February 2011. Another four were ordered in March that year for $162 million. Deliveries took place in May 2011, February 2013 and May 2013 (see Fourth Moroccan Bombardier 415 Ready for Delivery, February, p19). The Bombardier aircraft join Morocco’s other fixed wing fire-fighting types, including Lockheed C-130 Hercules (equipped with the MAFFS) and Ayres S2R-T Turbo Thrushes. Guy Martin

Low Cost Tactical Warplane Unveiled The first Textron AirLand Scorpion prototype during assembly at Wichita, Kansas. Textron AirLand

The Scorpion intelligence, surveillance & reconnaissance, and strike aircraft was revealed by Textron AirLand at the Air Force Association Air & Space Conference and Technology Exposition at National Harbor, Maryland, on September 16. A prototype has been assembled at Cessna’s Pawnee Street facility in Wichita, Kansas. Engine tests were carried out in early September and it was undergoing ground tests at the time it was revealed, with the aim of conducting a first flight in October. The aircraft is being developed by a joint venture between Textron Inc and AirLand Enterprises LLC, known as Textron AirLand LLC, as an affordable tactical jet platform.

Work began in January 2012 with the aim of producing a low-cost platform to undertake missions, including irregular warfare, border patrol, maritime surveillance, emergency relief, counter-narcotics and air defence operations. The airframe has an all composite structure with a length of 43ft 6in (13.26m), a weather radar in the nose and a cockpit for two in tandem, high-mounted straight wings with a span of 47ft 4in (14.43m) and twin outwardly canted fins. It is designed for a 20,000-hour service life. Empty weight is 11,800lb (5,352kg), rising to 21,250lb (9,639kg) maximum for take-off. A payload bay in the fuselage can house up to 3,000lb (1,361kg) of sensors,

Silent Eagle Wins Korean FX-III Selection The Republic of Korea’s Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA) announced on September 13 that it would recommend the Boeing F-15SE Silent Eagle to the Defense Project Promotion Committee to fulfil the F-X III requirement. FX-

III seeks 60 advanced multi-role fighters for the Republic of Korea Air Force (ROKAF) to replace its McDonnell Douglas F-4E Phantoms and Northrop F-5 Tiger IIs. The F-15SE was selected in preference to the Eurofighter

Delta Boeing 737-900ER Flown

The first Boeing 737-932ER for Delta Air Lines (N801DZ, c/n 31912) conducted a pre-delivery test flight and landed at Boeing Field-King County International Airport, Washington, on September 10. It is due to be delivered on or soon after September 24, and is the first of 100 of the type ordered for the airliner on August 22, 2011. Joe G Walker

Please send all news correspondence [email protected]

communications equipment or fuel, while precision-guided or general purpose bombs can be carried on six wing-mounted hardpoints, with the inner two also plumbed for external fuel tanks. It will be powered by two turbofans, each developing approximately 8,000lb st (35.6kN). Estimated performance includes a maximum speed of 450kts (833km/h), service ceiling of 45,000ft (13,716m) and ferry range of 2,400nm (4,445km). A night-vision goggles compatible ‘glass cockpit’ is provided, plus ejector seats for both crew members, while a modular mission system with open architecture allows a customer to integrate other systems specific to their requirements.

Typhoon and Lockheed Martin F-35A Lightning II, both of which were deemed by DAPA to exceed the 8.3 trillion won ($7.3 billion) programme budget. While Eurofighter’s final bid was within budget, it included only six two-seaters (and 54 singleseaters), rather than the mix of 15 and 45 asked for. Increasing the number of single-seaters enabled the bid to come in under budget. Eurofighter contested its elimination,

stating that the variant mix was a preference and not mandatory. Korea acquired 61 F-15K Slam Eagles in two batches ordered in 2002 and 2008. In comparison to the K model, the F-15SE features a reduced radar cross-section and improved avionics (see Silent Eagle Development Progressing, August 2012, p5). During FX-III the ROKAF had expressed a preference for the F-35A.

CORRESPONDENTS REQUIRED

GOT A NEWS STORY, PHOTO OR FEATURE ?

AIR International requires correspondents based in France, Poland, Ukraine, Russia, China, India, Indonesia, Japan, Taiwan, the United States and South America for regular newsbased projects. Please contact AIR International at [email protected]

AIR International is keen to hear from readers who have news stories, photos or features of modern civil and military aviation for inclusion in the magazine. Please contact AIR International at the following address [email protected]

AI.10.13

5

Piotr Butowski

Russia & CIS...MAKS 2013

MAKS R Piotr Butowski reports on this year’s show at Zhukovsky

R

ussia’s International Aviation and Space Salon takes place every two years at the Zhukovsky flight test centre near Moscow. The event, known as Mezhdunarodnyi AviatsyonnoKosmicheskiy Salon or MAKS, provides an opportunity to analyse the state of Russia’s aviation companies. MAKS 2013 set a recordbreaking total value of $21.2 billion for contracts and agreements signed, including more than $12 billion for Russia’s United Aircraft

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Corporation (UAC). The largest contracts were for passenger aircraft – Superjet and MC-21 ($9 billion) and the Bombardier Q400 ($3.4 billion). A total of 254 aircraft took part in MAKS, 176 on static display and 116 in the flying display (some participating in both) and the show was attended by 350,000 visitors – 200,000 less than at MAKS 2011, but the public days saw heavy rain.

Superjet and MC-21 The Sukhoi Civil Aircraft Company

(SCAC) won an order from leasing company Ilyushin Finance Co (IFC) for 20 Superjets, including 15 basic and five long-range (LR) versions with ‘dense’ cabins for 103 passengers. Typically the Superjet carries up to 98 passengers in single-class configuration. Russian UTair airlines ordered six Superjet LRs, the first of which will be delivered in 2014. Sberbank Leasing placed a preliminary order for 20 Superjets and AviaAM Leasing five. Rosoboronexport, Russia’s arms trade agency, ordered one

VIP-configured Superjet SSJ 100-95B fitted with a cabin for 19 passengers. The aircraft, tail number 97009, appeared at the show with the agency’s badge on the fuselage. It will be delivered by the end of the year. In late July, US company Aero Management filed a lawsuit in the Southern New York District Court against SCAC for copyright infringement over the cabin design used on aircraft 97009 and demanded a ban on the aircraft being displayed at this year’s MAKS. A year earlier, SCAC had

Please send all news correspondence [email protected]

Russia & CIS...MAKS 2013 awarded Aero Management a $6.3m contract for the design and manufacture of the VIP cabin for Rosoboronexport. In January this year, SCAC received an interim payment of $950,000 and, in March, Aero Management presented the preliminary design of the cabin’s furnishings. It was then revealed the interior would not be fitted in time for MAKS 2013 and that SCAC had engaged another company, Aviastar-SP at Ulyanovsk, to customise the aircraft in time for its display at Zhukovsky. Talks between SCAC and Aero Management led to a settlement, and on August 27, the first day of MAKS 2013, Aero Management withdrew the lawsuit. Aircraft 97009 (c/n 95009) was originally built as the second SSJ100 for Armenian airline Armavia which, for financial reasons, did not take delivery of the jet – leading to it being offered to Rosoboronexport and converted. Irkut signed firm contracts at the show for the delivery of 30 MC-21-300 aircraft to VEBLeasing between 2018 and 2022; 22 for IFC (deliveries from 2019); and ten for IrAero airlines (from 2019). Sberbank Leasing placed a preliminary order for 20 MC-21 aircraft. According to Irkut’s price for the aircraft, the 82 MC-21s ordered are worth a total of $6.7 billion. Another milestone contract

involved the Tu-204SM airliner, which has now received its first orders: ten from Red Wings (a letter of intent) and ten from VIM Airlines (five firm orders and five options). Far fewer helicopters were sold during this show than in previous years. Vertical de Aviación of Colombia signed a memorandum of understanding for five Ka-62s and five Mi-171A1s. Rosoboronexport signed a contract with Cameroon for Mi-17 military helicopters and another with the Russian Ministry of Defence worth 80 billion roubles ($2.4 billion) for the maintenance of aircraft in its inventory over the next three years. This is the first step in the transfer of Russian military aircraft maintenance to the commercial sector. A number of aircraft were handed over to customers during MAKS 2013. Laotian airline Lao Central received its second of three Superjets (registration RDPL34196), Gazpromavia the first of ten Sukhoi Superjet 100LRs (RA89018) and Cubana de Aviación its third An-158 (temporary registration UR-EXC). One other Superjet (registration PK-ECN), for Indonesian airline Sky Aviation, was also present at the show. Despite the orders awarded for airliners at MAKS, the civil sector of the Russian aviation industry is slow to develop. In 2012, 22 civil aircraft were handed over to customers, including four An-148s, two Il-96s,

12 Superjets, two Tu-204s and two Tu-214s. In the same period the military aviation sector delivered 35 aircraft to the Russian military and exported a further 42. Looking

to the future, the industry’s main growth is expected in the civil sector, the UAC declaring that by 2020 it will manufacture up to 325 aircraft, half of which will be civilian.

RUSSIAN MINISTRY OF DEFENCE ORDERS FOR DELIVERY BY 2020 Type An-140-100

Number 10

Remarks

An-148

15

Ansat

32

Be-200 Il-76MD-90A

6 39

A further order for 8 is planned

Il-78M-90A Il-112V Ka-52

Over 140

Order for 31 is planned Order for 62 is planned

Ka-226

42

Mi-8AMTSh Mi-8MTV Mi-26

About 180 About 150 38

Mi-28N

167

Mi-35M

49

MiG-29KR /KUBR

24

MiG-29SMT/UB

34

MiG-35S Su-27SM Su-30M2

12 20

Su-30SM Su-34

60 124

Further order for 30 is planned

Su-35S Sukhoi PAK FA Yak-130

48 67

Further order for 48 is planned Order for 60 is planned Plus option for 10

Further orders are planned Further orders are planned

Order accomplished (the aircraft were refused by Algeria). Further Russian Air Force orders are planned for 16 and then approximately 20. Order for 28-37 is planned Order accomplished

Bottom left: The static display at MAKS 2013 included the Klimov TV7-117Vpowered Mil Mi-382 helicopter. All images Piotr Butowski Bottom right: Superjet SJ100-95B RDPL-34196 (c/n 95030) was handed over to Laotian airline Lao Central during MAKS 2013 show.

Record Please send all news correspondence [email protected]

AI.10.13

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Russia & CIS...MAKS 2013

Bombardier’s Russian Invasion The Russian commercial aviation sector is trying to break into the colossal worldwide regional airliner market with the Superjet and squeeze into the narrowbody market with the MC-21 – a tough call against competitors such as the Airbus 320 and Boeing 737. Success is currently very limited. Meanwhile Western companies are actively entering the domestic Russian market. In the past five years, Russian airlines have purchased some 590 aircraft, of which 540 were built in other countries. Last year, of the 133 new passenger aircraft delivered to the domestic Russian market, 114 were built overseas. The most successful Western manufacturer at this year’s MAKS

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was Bombardier which won preliminary orders for 100 Q400 NextGen regional turboprops. State corporation Rostec (Rostekhnologii, or Russian Technologies) signed a letter of intent with Bombardier for the sale of 50 Q400 NextGen aircraft as did leasing company Ilyushin Finance, which signed another contract with the Canadian company for 32 CS300 airliners on February 21 this year. All 100 of the Q400s will be delivered to airlines based in Russia and the Ukraine. Each contract stipulates that all the aircraft must be assembled in Russia, so Rostec and Bombardier have signed a memorandum of understanding outlining plans to manufacture them at Ulyanovsk. At MAKS, Bombardier displayed a single Q400 NextGen, wearing the

Canadian registration C-GUIT, in the colours of Polish airline Eurolot. Bombardier has also signed a letter of intent allowing the Irkut Corporation to use the Canadian company’s worldwide MRO network for the new MC-21 airliner. This is an important partnership for the Russian company, which lacks experience of providing maintenance and customer support for modern commercial aircraft. Put simply, there is no service network available for Russian-built commercial aircraft because of the small number currently in operation around the world.

Anglo-Russian Helicopter The biggest story from the rotary wing industry at MAKS

was the signing of an agreement between Russian Helicopters and AgustaWestland defining a joint development programme for a new 2.5 tonne-class single-engine helicopter. According to Russian Helicopters CEO Dmitry Petrov, the agreement will be finalised this November with the aim of gaining certification for the helicopter by the end of 2016. Other factors are behind the agreement: until recently, Russian Helicopters was expected to be floated on the London Stock Exchange, but interest in the company’s shares proved weaker than expected. It then sought a strategic partner to buy a significant number of the shares and AgustaWestland was a good candidate. The Anglo-Italian

Please send all news correspondence [email protected]

Russia & CIS...MAKS 2013

company had already opened an assembly facility at Tomilino near Moscow for its AW139 medium-twin helicopter, a locallyassembled example of which was displayed at MAKS.

Defence Industry Revival MAKS 2013 did not see any new orders for Russian military aircraft, though the various manufacturers have little reason to complain. Between 2011 and 2020 the Russian Government will assign 20 trillion roubles ($620 billion) for new weapon systems procurement. A quarter of the money will go to the aviation industry. Meanwhile arms industry production plants will receive nearly 3 trillion roubles

($90 billion) for new production tooling. Russian defence minister Sergei Shoygu and his officials have reviewed many of the decisions made by their predecessors – and funding for some programmes previously blocked by the former defence minister Anatoliy Serdyukov has been resumed. Shoygu’s team is now looking at converting the Yak-130 trainer into a light attack aircraft and have also ordered a number of Il-112V light transport aircraft. Between 2013 and 2020, the UAC will deliver 803 aircraft to the Ministry of Defence which will require an increase in production over the coming years. According to Mikhail Pogosyan, the head of the UAC, in 2012 the Ministry of Defence received 15

Yak-130 trainers, two Su-30SM fighters, ten Su-34 tactical bombers and eight Su-35S fighters. This year’s plan involves 66 aircraft and next year as many as 98. Russia’s National Armament Programme lists a requirement for 1,124 helicopters between 2011 and 2020, more than 700 of which have already been contracted. Last year the Ministry of Defence received 118 helicopters; this year the figure will be up to 20% higher. Exports remain level with just minor fluctuations. In 2012, they earned Russian $4 billion (about $800 million less than the previous year) and involved 42 military aircraft and around 100 helicopters. Irkut delivered 16 Su30MKIs to India (in kit form) and 8 Su-30MKI(A)s to Algeria. Sukhoi

delivered eight Su-30MK2Vs to Vietnam and two Su-30MK2s to Uganda. Russian Aircraft Corporation MiG delivered four MiG-29Ks to India and four MiG29SE fighters to Myanmar. Military helicopter exports are dominated by the Mi-17 Hip. At least 80 were exported last year (India taking 27, Azerbaijan 16 and Afghanistan 12). Meanwhile 12 Mi-35 Hind attack helicopters went to Azerbaijan and six to Brazil. For the first time in nearly 20 years the number of helicopters built in a 12-month period (2012) increased significantly because of a surge of orders from the Russian armed forces – and this year will see more deliveries made to the Russian military than to foreign customers.

Opposite top right: The Siberian Scientific and Research Institute for Aviation based at Novosibirsk has modernised the An-2 Colt biplane design. Known as the

An-2MS (TVS-2MS), the upgraded aircraft is powered by a Honeywell TPE-331-10 engine and equipped with a Hartzell propeller, additional navigational equipment, and comes with cabin heating. Three An-2MS aircraft were at MAKS 2013 including RA-1573G. Opposite top left: Last year the Russian Ministry of Defence ordered 60 Su-30SMs. At MAKS 2013, Vyacheslav Averyanov and Sergei Matveychuk performed a display routine in Su-30M, side number 55 black. Top right: Irkut’s Yak-130 side number 02 received a red and white paint scheme especially for MAKS 2013. The colour scheme’s design is similar to the one applied to light aircraft built by Yakolev before World War Two. Irkut demonstrated the Yak-130 to the deputy commander of the Ukrainian Air Force, Major General Igor Cherepen’ko who made a familiarisation flight in the jet at Zhukovsky. Top left: Russian Helicopters displayed the first prototype of the new Ka-62 helicopter RA-62002 (c/n 97876210102), the first flight of which is scheduled for November, 2013.

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AI.10.13

9

UK

Typhoons Deployed to RAF Akrotiri Six RAF Eurofighter Typhoon FGR4s deployed to RAF Akrotiri on Cyprus on August 29 from RAF Coningsby, Lincolnshire. The detachment was described by the Ministry of Defence as “a precautionary measure, specifically aimed at protecting UK interests and the defence of our Sovereign Base Areas at a time of heightened tension in the wider region”, referring to the fighting in Syria. The Typhoons were armed for the defensive counter air role with AIM-120 Advanced Medium-Range Air-to-Air Missiles

and Advanced Short-Range Air-to-Air Missiles as well as their 27mm Mauser cannon. The ministry said the decision to base the aircraft at Akrotiri was not related to any possible military action in Syria – a prospect raised in the British press because of the timing of the deployment, which occurred on the day a House of Commons vote was due to take place over British support for US-led direct involvement in the conflict. The government’s

Naval Lightning II Unit Identified The Ministry of Defence announced on September 9 that 809 Naval Air Squadron (NAS) would re-form as the first Royal Navy Lockheed Martin F-35B Lightning II unit. The squadron will operate from the Royal Navy’s Queen Elizabethclass aircraft carriers from 2018. No date was released for the squadron to stand up. In service, Lightning IIs will be jointly operated by the RAF and Fleet Air Arm from RAF Marham, Norfolk. On July 18 the outgoing Chief of the Air Staff, Air Chief Marshal Stephen Dalton, announced that 617 ‘Dambusters’ Squadron, currently based at Lossiemouth in Morayshire, would be the first operational RAF unit to fly the type (see Two Tornado GR4 Squadrons to Disband, September, p8). Royal Navy and RAF pilots are currently training on the F-35B alongside US Marine Corps crews at Eglin AFB, Florida. No.809 NAS’s (motto: ‘Immortal’) was established at St Merryn, Cornwall, on January 15, 1941, as a single-seat fighter squadron with Fairey Fulmar IIs. Its last

incarnation was between April 4 and December 17, 1982, for service during the Falklands War flying British Aerospace Sea Harrier FRS1s. The First Sea Lord and Chief of the Naval Staff, Admiral Sir George M Zambellas, who selected the unit, said: “This squadron number is chosen to link with and reflect the proud and distinguished history of embarked carrier strike, from the Second World War to the Falklands. The early naming of 809 alongside the RAF’s 617 ‘Dambusters’ Squadron is a very visible demonstration of a joint ambition, spirit of collaboration and shared equity in the Joint Lightning Force.” Meanwhile, on September 5 the Minister for Defence Equipment, Support and Technology, Phillip Dunne, and Norwegian State Secretary Eirik Øwre Thorshaug met in London to discuss opportunities to collaborate on training, operations and sustainment of F-35s. Stateowned AIM Norway is seeking responsibility for the maintenance of Pratt & Whitney F135 engines throughout Europe. Ian Harding

Air Tanker Voyager Airbus Military A330-243 Voyager KC3 G-VYGG (msn 1363, ex EC-333) has recently been painted with AirTanker titles. The tanker transport, which currently lacks underwing air refuelling pods, first flew on October 25, 2012. It arrived at RAF Brize Norton, Oxfordshire, on November 30 and was handed over to AirTanker Ltd on December 6 as its sixth example. It will become ZZ336 on adopting RAF markings and was noted operating from RAF Brize Norton on August 27. AirTanker provides the RAF with aircraft and associated support services to undertake the air refuelling mission. Charles Cuncliffe

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proposal, that a chemical weapons attack in Damascus which killed more than 1,300 “may, if necessary, require military action” in response, was rejected by a majority of 13 by Members of Parliament. Prime Minister David Cameron announced he had abandoned plans for British military involvement in Syria soon after the vote. Neither the Syrian Government nor the loose coalition of groups – including affiliates of Al Qaeda – fighting Bashar Hafez al-Assad’s

regime have admitted launching the chemical attack. Several countries, including the US, say they have intelligence linking the attack to government forces, but no evidence of this has been released; others, including Russia, blame the rebels. Two Lockheed TriStar tanker transports from No.216 Squadron at RAF Brize Norton, Oxfordshire, and a Boeing E-3D Sentry AEW1 of No.8 Squadron from RAF Waddington, Lincolnshire, also arrived at RAF Akrotiri on August 27.

First Tranche 3A Typhoon Nears First Flight

Assembly of the first Tranche 3A Eurofighter Typhoon (build number BS116, to become ZK355) has been completed. It is due to fly in late September or October. The aircraft was recently weighed at BAE System’s facility at Warton, Lancashire, to determine its centre of gravity. The RAF will receive 40 of the 112 Tranche 3 Typhoons ordered by the four original partner nations in 2009. BAE Systems

Tanker BAe 146 Proposed

BAE Systems released details on September 10 of an air-toair refuelling variant of the British Aerospace BAe 146/Avro RJ regional jet. Concept definition work has already been undertaken for a hose and drogue (HDU)-based system and proximity flight trials have been conducted, using a BAe 146-200 and an RJ85, with a Hawk as a surrogate receiver aircraft, confirming the airflow behind the aircraft is safe for tanking operations. Tankers would be produced by converting existing airframes, the company saying BAe 146/RJs can be acquired for between $1 million and $6 million, depending on age and condition. Modification costs of a late production RJ85 would be between £5 million and £10 million, depending on specifications. The high wing and T-tail configuration of the regional airliner is conducive to modification for the role as it reduces

wake turbulence behind and below the aircraft. Standard fuel capacity is approximately 7,000kg (15,432lb), although this could be increased with optional fuel tanks in the cabin to about 18,000kg (39,683lb) for tactical operations. The standard fit on an Avro RJ85 would include auxiliary fuel tanks, a centreline HDU, lights, cameras and control systems on the flight deck and military communications. Options include dual HDUs, defensive systems, cockpit armour, fuel tank inerting and unpaved runway protection. The BAe 146/RJ tanker is aimed at forces that cannot afford new-build aircraft or require additional capacity for training in refuelling techniques. BAE also suggests it would be well suited to refuelling tiltrotors. BAE Systems Regional Aircraft estimates it would take 18 months to produce a centreline HDU-equipped aircraft for flight trials.

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Europe

Swiss ‘Yes’ to Gripen The Nationalrat (National Council) chamber of the Swiss Parliament voted by a majority of 45 on September 11 to endorse procurement of the Saab Gripen E. A law authorising CHF3.1 billion ($3.3 billion) for the contract was also passed. Financing needs to be ratified in the Ständerat (Council of States) on September 18

(after AIR International went to press) to authorise the procurement of the 22 aircraft. The final hurdle is likely to be a public referendum, sought by several parliamentary committees. The Swiss Parliament had approved the purchase in the spring but failed to secure a majority to release the funds.

Turkey’s Hürkus¸ Flown

Dutch OK F-35, Cut RNLAF The latest Dutch defence plan, published on September 17, revealed the government’s decision to acquire 35 F-35A Lighting IIs for the Koninklijke Luchtmacht (Royal Netherlands Air Force), as well as another round of defence cuts. The current F-16 fleet will be further reduced from 68 to 61 in 2014. The other seven will act as reserves to improve the serviceability of the rest. One of the current four F-16 squadrons will be disbanded, and Leeuwarden AB will lose its status as a main operating base (MOB) on January 1, 2016, instead becoming a deployed operating base (DOB) with a single squadron. Volkel AB will keep its MOB status and

two based F-16 squadrons. The F-35As are scheduled to replace the F-16s from 2019. The 35 F-35A to be ordered do not include two test aircraft currently stored in flyable condition in the US. The single Gulfstream IV operated by 334 Squadron at Eindhoven will be withdrawn on January 1, 2014, and sold. The retirement of the single DC-10-30CF by January 1 will also go ahead as announced in 2011. Up to 2018, there are no plans to reduce the helicopter fleet, although the four Alouette IIIs – operated by 300 Squadron and expected to be retired within a few years – are not mentioned in the plan. Kees van der Mark

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the beginning of August – a reconnaissance sortie over the northern part of the country. From May 2002 the KLu’s F-16s flew missions from Manas AB in Kyrgyzstan, then Kabul International Airport before moving to Kandahar airfield. The fighters are currently stationed in Mazare-Sharif where more than 100 KLu personnel are deployed. The F-16s undertake photo-reconnaissance using the RecceLite pod and provide support to allied troops on the ground. Bob Fischer

L-159T1S RETURNED TO CZECH REPUBLIC

NEWS BY NUMBERS

The Czech defence ministry announced on August 30 it had received a second Aero Vodochody L-159T1 from Airbus Military. The trainer was one of five that was originally involved in a partexchange deal for an Airbus Military C295M for the Air Component of the Czech Republic in May 2009 (see CASAs For ALCAs, June 2009, p6). A pair of two-seat L-159T1s went to Airbus Military in Spain and three single-seat L-159As to Omnipol, the intermediary in the deal. Problems with the avionics and self-defence systems of the four C295Ms delivered required extensive remedial work. This resulted in one L-159T1 being returned to the Czech Republic on July 30, 2012, as compensation (see L-159 Returned to Czech Republic, October 2012, p8), followed by the second more recently. All four L-159T1s, which were produced by conversion of L-159As, are now owned by the Czech military.

10,000

DUTCH F-16 MISSIONS OVER AFGHANISTAN Koninklijke Luchtmacht (KLu, Royal Netherlands Air Force) F-16AM/BM Fighting Falcons completed their 10,000th mission over Afghanistan at

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US F-16S FOR PORTUGAL FOR ROMANIA Portugal is to purchase three former US Air Force F-16A Fighting Falcons for supply to Romania. The aircraft will be acquired via the US Excess Defense Articles programme by the Portuguese armament procurement agency for modernisation to Mid Life Update (MLU) standard by the Força Aérea Portuguesa (FAP, Portuguese Air Force) and OGMAIndústria Aeronáutica de Portugal. The aircraft will then join nine FAP F-16 Block 15 MLUs due to be delivered to the Forçele Aeriene Române (Romanian Air Force). The purchase was approved by Romania’s president on July 12 (further to Romanian F-16 Buy Approved, August, p13) but negotiations have yet to be finalised.

The prototype Hürkus ¸ A, TC-VCH, prior to its first flight on August 29. TAI

Turkish Aerospace Industries’ prototype Hürkus¸ A basic trainer prototype has made its first flight. The aircraft (TC-VCH) lifted off from Akınıcılar AB at Kazan, near Ankara, with test pilot Murat Özpala at the controls, reaching 9,500ft (2,895m) without retracting its landing gear during the 33-minute flight on August 29. TAI rolled out the prototype on July 27, 2012 (see Hürkus¸ Rolled Out, August 2012, p9). It was originally due to fly in April, but work refining cockpit ergonomics delayed the programme. Clearance to begin the flight test programme was announced by the company on August 19. TAI designed the Hürkus¸ as a basic trainer for civil and military operators, naming it after Turkey’s first civil aviator and aircraft builder, Vecihi Hürkus¸. A contract with the Savunma Sanayii Müstes¸arlıg˘ ı (Undersecretariat of Defence Industries) for two flying (first and third prototypes) and two static test examples was signed on March 15, 2006. Construction of

the second aircraft (to be used for static tests of the cabin systems and durability trials) and the third is under way. Fatigue tests will be conducted using the fourth airframe. The Hürkus¸ A, the baseline trainer variant, will be certified to European Aviation Safety Agency CS-23 standards. The military B model will have upgraded avionics to prepare student pilots for fourth and five-generation fighters. An armed version, the Hürkus¸ C, is also under development and TAI has plans to offer an intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance variant for maritime operations. The aircraft was originally intended to meet a Türk Hava Kuvvetleri (Turkish Air Force) requirement for 55 new basic trainers, but an order for 40 TAI-assembled Korea Aerospace Industries KT-1Ts (plus options for an additional 15) was placed on August 30, 2007, with deliveries from November 2010. The options subsequently lapsed and TAI is now hopeful of an order for 15 of its new type.

Typhoon Flight Hours Milestone

Temporary markings were applied to Eurofighter Typhoon 30+70 of the Luftwaffe’s Jagdgeschwader 74 (Fighter Wing 74) based at Neuburg to mark the type passing 200,000 flight hours with the six air forces that fly it. Eurofighter announced the achievement on September 8, by which time 378 of the 571 Typhoons ordered had been delivered. Half the flight hours have been accumulated since January 2011 (see Typhoon Clocks Up 100,000 Flight Hours, March 2011, p12). Eurofighter

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Europe

Central European Nations Discuss Joint Air Force

Finnish Hawks in Wales

Croatia, Hungary, the Czech Republic and Slovakia have held talks about creating a joint air force within five to six years. If established, the countries would purchase the same types of aircraft and organise joint maintenance and training, as well as sharing bases, infrastructure and spare parts. The 2019-2020 timeframe has been identified as a potential date for an integration agreement – when Croatia’s Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG21bisD Fishbeds will reach the end of their service lives, followed by Hungary’s and Slovakia’s Mikoyan MiG-29 Fulcrums. David C Isby

The RAF’s IV(R) Squadron, based at Valley on Anglesey, hosted a detachment of six Suomen Ilmavoimat (Finnish Air Force) British Aerospace Hawk Mk 51As from the Training Squadron at Kauhava AB from September 2 to 9. The aircraft conducted lowlevel flights over central Wales during their stay. David Willis

Spanish Mirage F1Ms for Argentina?

Dassault Mirage F1M C.14-64/‘14-37’ became the first of the Spanish aircraft to perform a maintenance flight on August 8 at Albacete AB, since the retirement of the type in June. Roberto Yáñez

Argentina is interested in acquiring former Ejército del Aire (Spanish Air Force) Dassault Mirage F1Ms. During a visit on August 5 by Argentine defence minister Agustín Rossi to VI Air Brigade at Tandil, south-west of the province of Buenos Aires, he said “we are working with the Government of Spain” about acquiring new fighters, although no sale has

been announced. The number of aircraft sought could be as high as 20 (for $221 million), although reports from Argentina say eight airworthy aircraft plus four for spares are required. The Spanish Air Force officially retired the Mirage F1M at Albacete AB on June 23, but some continued to fly until the end of that month and the

The first former Armée de l’Air (French Air Force) Dassault Falcon 50B (5, c/n 5, ex F-ZWVA) modified as a Falcon 50M-2 SURMAR was handed back to the Direction Générale de l’Armement (Defence Procurement Agency) on September 11. Four aircraft (c/ns 5, 27, 34, 78) are due to be modified for the Aéronautique Navale (the French naval air arm) and redelivered by early 2015. The navy already operates four Falcon 50M-2 SURMARs with 24 Flottille at Lorient/Lann-Bihoué for

maritime search and rescue and monitoring marine economic zones for illegal fishing and trafficking. Modifications include installation of a Thales mission control system, incorporating a nose-mounted radar, retractable infrared optronics and an operator’s console in the cabin. The final flight by a French Air Force Falcon 50, by Escadron de transport d’entraînement et de calibration 65 at Villacoublay-Velizy, was on January 16 when the aircraft was delivered to Dassault’s BordeauxMérignac facility, for conversion.

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decision was taken to maintain the aircraft in airworthy condition in storage (further to The End Approaches for Spanish Mirage F1s, July, p12). On August 8, F1M C.14-64, sporting tiger stripes for a NATO Tiger Meet, was flown by Cdr Sallés of 142 Escuadrón from Albacete AB on the first maintenance flight. David C Isby and Roberto Yáñez

Third Belgian Baltic Air Policing Deployment

Belgium took over the NATO Baltic Air Policing detachment at Šiauliai International Airport in Lithuania for a third time on September 3. Four F-16AM/ BM Fighting Falcons of the Composante Aérienne (Belgian Defence – Air Component) and 50 personnel will be stationed in Lithuania into December. More than 300 flight hours will be accumulated providing air defence and interception of unidentified and unauthorised aircraft entering the airspace of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania. The F-16s replaced Armée de l’Air (French Air Force) Dassault Mirage F1CRs.

Dassault Hands Over ‘New’ Falcon 50M-2

Dassault Falcon 50M 5 is the first former French Air Force aircraft modified to maritime surveillance configuration for the nation’s navy. Dassault/Pk Dhaud

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Russia & CIS

Vigilant Eagle 2013 28

NEWS BY NUMBERS

TRANSPORTS USED IN FLOOD RELIEF OPERATIONS

Two Russian Air Force Sukhoi Su-27s (RF-95229/‘21’ and ‘33’) and a two-seat Su-30 taking part in Vigilant Eagle on August 27. None of the aircraft in the exercise were armed. US Air Force/Tech Sgt Jason Robertson

Russia, Canada and the United States conducted the fifth Vigilant Eagle exercise between August 26 and 30. Vigilant Eagle allows the Voenno-Vozdushnye Sily (Russian Air Force) and North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) to practise procedures for the detection, identification, interception and escort of hijacked aircraft passing through international boundaries. The first Vigilant Eagle was held in 2008 and was supported by live flying events in 2010 and 2011, as well as this year. The 2013 exercise followed the procedures established in earlier iterations,

involving fighter aircraft from both parties and larger aircraft providing ‘tracks of interest’. The fighters escort the target, which pretends to be a hijacked airliner that is not communicating with air traffic control, to the border of their airspace, where responsibility to shepherd it passes to the aircraft of a second country. For this year’s exercise the Russia Air Force used Sukhoi Su-27 Flankers operating from Anadyr-Ugolny in Siberia, while NORAD’s counterpart comprised Canadian McDonnell Douglas CF-188 Hornets from 409 Tactical Fighter Squadron based at CFB Cold Lake, Alberta. The

targets provided by each side were Ilyushin Il-62M RA-86539 (c/n 2344615) of the Russian Air Force, based at Chkalovsky in the Moscow oblast, and IAI 1125 Astra N441BC (c/n 033) registered to JB Holdings LLC of Anchorage, Alaska. Airborne control and early warning was provided by a Russian Beriev A-50 Mainstay and a US Air Force Boeing E-3 Sentry. On August 27 the Astra flew from Anchorage towards Anadyr for the Hornets to hand it over to the Flankers. The Il-62M flew in the opposite direction the next day, with the Russian fighters passing it on to the Canadians.

By mid-August the Russian Air Force had allocated 28 transport aircraft to support flood relief operations in the Far East of its territory. In total, 24 Ilyushin Il-76 Candids, two Antonov An-22 Cocks and two An-124 Ruslans have been used. The majority of the aircraft (20 Il-76s) were allocated to the effort after the River Amur and its tributaries flooded and destroyed bridges, roads and railroads. Army engineers were airlifted to protect the Komsomolsk-on-Amur Aircraft Production Association factory from flooding. David C Isby

30,000

FLIGHT HOURS IN FIRST HALF OF 2013 The Western Military District’s Russian Air Force units logged 30,000 flight hours and 1,700 simulated combat missions during the first half of the year. Tactical aircrews averaged 40 flights each, with those operating transports recording twice as many. David C Isby

Armed Rysachok on Show

French Mirage F1s in Russia Technoavia Rysachok 779 carries two rocket pods under the centre fuselage. Sergy Aleksandrov

TsSKB Progress displayed an armed version of the Technoavia Rysachok light twin-turboprop transport at MAKS 2013, held at Zhukovsky between August 27 and September 1. The aircraft, 779 (believed to be the third flying prototype c/n 005-05), was finished in a camouflage scheme and carried a pair of rocket launchers under the centre fuselage. TsSKB Progress (Federal State Unitary Enterprise Research and Production Space Rocket Centre) is offering the aircraft to the

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Russian Air Force to fulfil missions, including training, transport and liaison. The armed configuration is understood to be aimed at the border guards or for internal security missions. Three flying and two static test prototype Rysachoks (‘Little Trotter’) have been produced. Five were ordered in June 2007 by the Ulyanovsk Civil Aviation School, while a commitment for 30 was placed by the government transport agency in 2008, although plans to acquire the latter aircraft may have lapsed.

Mirage F1B 517/‘118-SC’ and MiG-29UBT ‘35 red’ together during the recent visit by the French Air Force to Russia. Armée de l’air/Lcl Benjamin Vinot-Préfontaine

Three Dassault Mirage F1s from Escadron de Reconnaissance (ER) 2/33 ‘Savoie’ deployed to Savasleyka air base in Nizhny Novgorod Oblast, Russia, to exercise with Mikoyan MiG29SMTs. Two Mirage F1CRs and one two-seat F1B departed Base Aérienne 118 Mont-de-Marsan on August 18, supported by two Transall C160R and one Lockheed C-130H-30 Hercules transports. Approximately 60 Armée de l’Air (French Air Force) personnel were involved in the detachment. Joint flights were conducted on

August 20 and 21 over the Nizhny Novgorod and Tver regions, and use was made of the firing range at Koushalino, west of Moscow. The Mirages completed simulated passes over the range, while the MiG-29s expended rockets and cannon fire. The opportunity was taken for the French crews to fly in the rear seats of the MiG-29UBT, and the Russians in the F1B. Approximately a dozen sorties were undertaken by each air force. It was the first time that the Russian and French air forces have exercised together since World War Two.

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NEWS BY NUMBERS

EMARSS BEGIN TESTS AT ABERDEEN Boeing announced on August 15 it has delivered two MC-12S Enhanced Medium Altitude Reconnaissance and Surveillance System (EMARSS) multi-spectral signals intelligence aircraft to the Aberdeen Proving Ground, Maryland, to undergo mission systems calibration. They will then be used for trials of their ability to track ground-based targets as part of the development of the intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance sensors installed on the aircraft. An additional pair will be handed over by the end of September. EMARSS is based on a modified Beechcraft King Air 350ER airframe. David C Isby

North America

VX-20 Orion at RAF Fairford Lockheed NP-3C Orion BuNo 158204/‘204’ (c/n 285A-5548) of Air Test and Evaluation Squadron Twenty (VX-20) based at NAS Patuxent River, Maryland, seen on approach to RAF Fairford, Gloucestershire, on August 21. The aircraft is used by VX-20 as a test-bed for various systems but the reason for its deployment to the UK was not announced. It departed back to the United States nine days later. David Skeggs

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C-27JS TO BE WITHDRAWN BY THE END OF SEPTEMBER The US Air Force will store its 21 Alenia Aeronautica C-27J Spartan twin-engine transports at DavisMonthan AFB, Arizona, as they are withdrawn from service. The aircraft are due to be retired at the end of September under the terms of the Fiscal Year 2013 National Defense Authorization Act. Recent plans include offering them to the US Forestry Service and the US Department of Homeland Security/ US Coast Guard. David C Isby

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WINGS FOR A-10S Boeing announced on September 4 it had been awarded a contract to supply 56 additional sets of wings worth $212 million for the Fairchild A-10 Thunderbolt II. They will be produced at Macon, Georgia, and replace the existing wings on the aircraft to extend their service lives. The order raises the total contracted to 173 sets out of a total of up to 242 due to be procured. The programme calls for 233 A-10s to be re-winged by fiscal year 2018 to keep the A-10 flying until 2035 (see 17 A-10s Rewinged, December 2012, p13).

AV-8B Upgrade

US Marine Corps Boeing AV-8B Harrier IIs will have their mission computers upgraded by General Dynamics Information Systems as part of the $6.1 million 18-month Future Airborne Capability Environment (FACE) programme, it was announced on September 5. The upgrade will give the aircraft an open architecture avionics system by installing an additional third-generation processor based on commercial off-the-shelf technology. The computer will run new navigation and other software developed for the Advanced Mission Computer on the Boeing F/A-18E/F Super Hornet. David C Isby

F-35B At Sea Vertical landings by two US Marine Corps Lockheed Martin F-35B Lightning IIs (BF-1 and BF-5) were conducted aboard the amphibious warfare ship USS Wasp (LHD 1) between August 12 and 29. A total of 92 vertical landings were performed during the trials including the first completed at night, by Marine Corps test pilot Lt Col Russell Clift in BF-5 on August 14. Meanwhile Sqn Ldr Jim Schofield became the first British pilot to launch and recover at sea during the trials. The flights were conducted as part of Ship Suitability Sea Trials/ Developmental Test Phase Two, the second of three test periods to establish the deck handling performance and characteristics of the short take-off and vertical landing version of the Joint Strike Fighter. The first was completed in October 2011 and the third is planned for 2016. For the tests the USS Wasp’s flight deck had a composite coating added to provide additional heat protection, lights and landing markings changed and some deck-edge equipment removed. Flight operations crews also underwent training at NAS Patuxent River, Maryland, to support F-35B testing and operations on the warship. Some $612 million is budgeted for modifications to US Navy amphibious warfare ships to allow them to operate the F-35B, largely to prevent deck damage as the new aircraft’s engine blast is more powerful than the Boeing AV-8B Harrier II. David C Isby

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US Patrol Transition The US Navy’s Maritime Patrol and Reconnaissance Force’s transition to the Boeing P-8A Poseidon multi-role maritime aircraft is “progressing well and on schedule”, according to a statement from the service on September 10. Three operational squadrons are in various stages of the process. Patrol Squadron Sixteen (VP-16) is passing through its Inter-Deployment Readiness Cycle (IDRC) before beginning the initial P-8A deployment in December. It achieved Safe for Flight (SFF) status in January this year. Patrol Squadron Five (VP5) has passed SFF and began IDRC in early August. Poseidons have been delivered to Patrol Squadron Forty-Five (VP-45) after its last deployment on the Lockheed P-3C Orion in June. All three units are based at NAS Jacksonville, Florida.

In addition, Unmanned Patrol Squadron 19, the first to be equipped with the Northrop Grumman MQ-4C Triton remotely piloted air system, is due to standup in fiscal year 2014. In 2007 only 49 P-3C and EP-3E mission aircraft were airworthy after excessive fatigue grounded more than 50% of the fleet. Work to rectify the situation has been on-going ever since and the US Navy expects to have enough aircraft to meet its Primary Aircraft Assigned figures by the end of fiscal year 2015. According to the service, enough Orions will be available to meet deployment and training requirements as long as Poseidon deliveries continue as planned. On August 29 the US Navy announced it will acquire 68 Poseidons in full rate production lots two to six during fiscal years 2015 to 2019.

Special Operations U-28s in Germany

Two Pilatus U-28As of the 319th Special Operations Squadron, 1st Special Operations Wing, are deployed to Stuttgart Airport in Germany to support US African Command. U-28A 07-0793 (c/n 793) was noted operating from the airport on August 12. Timm Ziegenthaler

AI.10.13

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NEWS COLUMN

Basing, Buddha an by Robert F Dorr

At press time, it appeared unlikely the Pentagon would have its fiscal year 2014 budget in place by October 1. This means the Department of Defense will operate under a budget measure called a ‘continuing resolution’ and the broad range of spending cuts dubbed ‘sequestration’ will remain in effect. Air Force chief of staff Gen Mark Welsh has spoken candidly about “not being in a good place” on military readiness because of persistent budget challenges. With little fanfare, Boeing began assembly of the wing for the first KC-46A air-refuelling tanker on June 26. Two months later, Boeing and the Air Force completed a critical design review (CDR) on August 21. The CDR is a go-ahead for series production and flighttesting of the KC-46A, a version of the Boeing 767-200ER that does not yet have a popular name although there is talk of calling it the Stratotanker II. Welsh consistently puts the KC-46A among his three top priorities, along with a new bomber and the F-35 Lightning II Joint Strike Fighter. It has taken more than a decade for tanker acquisition to get settled on the proper flight path, but all is well now for the fixed-price KC-X contract that will put 179 KC-46As on the ramp to replace part of the

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current fleet of 415 KC-135R Stratotankers. Subsequent KC-Y and KC-Z programmes are expected to complete the process of replacing the popular but geriatric ‘one thirty-five’. The subsequent programmes could choose a different aircraft type. As one measure of KC46A progress, the air force stood up a flight test unit, Detachment 1 of the 418th Flight Test Squadron, which will be located at Boeing Field near Seattle. This is where Boeing will equip the ‘green’ 767 airframes built at nearby Everett with the military and aerial refuelling ‘kit’ required to transform them into KC-46As. While the KC-46A progresses, a huge amount of Washington politicking is taking place over the choice of bases where the aircraft will operate. Members of Congress – the same Congress that’s congenitally unable to pass a budget and that took a five-week recess from August 3 to September 9 – is now caught up in the unseemly process of trying to get the big Boeings assigned to their home districts. Typical is Senator Kelly Ayotte (R-New Hampshire) who suggests the national security of the United States will be in grave peril unless KC-46As are stationed at Pease Air National Guard

Saab

While the world watches and waits to see what will happen next in Syria, routine aerospace developments continue to wallow in the ministrations of Washington’s entrenched bureaucracy. Lawmakers unable to pass a budget have no difficulty lobbying for aircraft to be built in their home districts. A White House under political siege continues to carry out everyday business. Yes, aerospace business is being conducted as normal. No, no-one knows what the funding situation will be in the near future.

Base in New Hampshire. No basing decisions have been announced. A KC46A ‘base candidate list’ will be finalised before the end of the year. The formal training unit (FTU) for KC-46A

pilots and boom operators is almost certain to be Altus Air Force Base, Oklahoma, for which Senator James Inhofe (R-Oklahoma), a pilot, is lobbying relentlessly. Altus is a backwater, to put it mildly. “It’s

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NEWS COLUMN

and “Brash Hopes” so small”, said one airman, “the local Baskin Robbins has only one flavour.”

Final American C-17 As one production run begins, another ends. On September 12, Boeing delivered the final C-17 Globemaster III strategic airlifter for the US Air Force – the 223rd – more than two decades after the huge transport made its first flight on September 15, 1991. In the early days when the C-17 programme encountered more than its share of delays and technical glitches, some US airmen suggested it should be named the Buddha: “It’s big and fat,” said one, “and it sits still and never goes anywhere, and everybody stands around and worships it.” Early problems have long since been resolved although, even with extended-range fuel tanks added to most of the fleet, the C-17’s operating range is still below expectations. The US Air Force actually received about two dozen more C-17s than it said it needed because, as Philip Ewing wrote in the trade journal DoD Buzz, “Congress... stuffed C-17s into the air force like a Thanksgiving turkey.” The vast, pristine, 163-acre assembly plant in Long Beach, California manufactures no product other than the C-17 and is among the last vestiges of an aerospace industry that once thrived in Southern California. There were 130,100 aerospace jobs in Los Angeles County in 1990 and 38,900 in 2011. In addition to the United States, Boeing

has built C-17s for Australia, Canada, India, Qatar, NATO, the United Kingdom, and the United Arab Emirates. At least one sale is expected to Kuwait. Algeria has also received a demonstration of the C-17A. The first of ten C-17s was formally inducted into the Indian Air Force on September 2 at Hindon, near New Delhi, where the Globemaster III will replace the Ilyushin Il76. Despite Boeing’s sales efforts, observers expect an announcement soon that the Long Beach plant will be shut, possibly as early as 2015. The final US C-17A (100223) was delivered to Joint Base Charleston, South Carolina, to become part of the 437th Airlift Wing, which has 54 C-17s and which received the first operational C-17A (891192) on June 14, 1993. Boeing would like to revive plans that date to the 1980s for a civilian version of the Globemaster III. Incredibly, however — and despite one civil sale to Qatar – the planemaker has never sought Federal Aviation Administration certification for the C-17. FAA administrator Michael Huerta has the request now and is under pressure from Boeing allies on Capitol Hill to complete the process soon.

Talon Replacement “We need it but there’s no money for it,” said Welsh when asked about the T-X programme, which seeks 350 aircraft to replace the current fleet of 500 T-38C Talon advanced trainers. The T-38C can’t perform

some functions needed by pilots of modern warplanes. Aerial manoeuvres are limited to 5g and the T-38C isn’t equipped to receive air-to-air refuelling. Funding continues to appear elusive but that isn’t preventing industry from holding forth “brash hopes”, as one source described it. Boeing and Saab are poised to announce that they’ll team up to offer a twoseat version of the JAS 39F Gripen, as a T-X solution. In proposing a Gripen derivative, Boeing is abandoning earlier plans for its own, purpose-built trainer featuring a V-shaped tail. When news of the BoeingSaab hook-up appeared, possibly earlier than the contractors intended, BAE Systems and RollsRoyce responded with an announcement that wasn’t really news — that the two companies would join the Hawk Advanced Jet Training System (AJTS) in which a Hawk powered by the Adour Mk951 engine would compete for the T-X nod. Northrop Grumman is prime contractor for the AJTS effort. The Hawk is the smallest and lightest of the candidates and could benefit from the long US experience with the US Navy’s T-45C Goshawk trainer. Also in the T-X running is the Lockheed Martin/Korea Aerospace Industries T-50 Golden Eagle. The T-50 has one advantage: Lockheed Martin builds the F-22 Raptor and F-35 Lightning II, the aircraft the T-X candidate is expected to train pilots for. The T-50 has some design features inherited from the same plane maker’s F-16 Fighting Falcon.

Right: Boeing C-17A Globemaster III 10-0223 (b/n P-223) has the distinction of being the final example ordered for the US Air Force. It is seen at Long Beach Airport, California, prior to delivery. Michael Carter/Aero Pacific Images

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AI.10.13

17

North America

NASA’s Third WB-57F Airborne

General Dynamics WB-57F N927NA (ex 63-13295) made its first flight after refurbishment on August 9 at the Sierra Nevada facility in Englewood, Colorado. The high-altitude aircraft had been stored at Davis-Monthan AFB, Arizona, from July 1972, when it left US Air Force service, until May 2011, when it was dismantled and trucked to Englewood. After testing, it will be delivered to NASA at Ellington Field, Texas, where the administration bases its two other WB-57Fs. Both aircraft have been used for many research projects over the years and have recently conducted communications relay and other high-altitude missions over Afghanistan (see NASA WB-57F Commences Afghan Deployment, May, p17). David C Isby

First Production AT-6 Flies

Beechcraft flew a production-representative AT-6 on August 20. Having failed to secure a US Air Force order to supply it to the Afghan Air Force, the company is seeking to market the light armed reconnaissance aircraft internationally. Beechcraft

The first production Beechcraft AT-6 multi-role aircraft (N630LA) took its maiden flight at Wichita, Kansas, on August 20. Two modified T-6s, funded by the manufacturer, had previously been built to ensure that the light attack variant could be made on the T-6B/C assembly line without disrupting production of the Texan II trainer models. They

have logged some 1,600 hours of flight testing, demonstrating full compatibility with US and NATO joint terminal attack controller (JTAC) systems during the Air National Guard Operational Assessment and Joint Expeditionary Force Experiment in 2010. The first production aircraft will be used for additional tests and

demonstrations, but development of the AT-6 is “basically complete”, according to Russ Bartlett, President of Beechcraft Defense Co. He adds that Beechcraft is offering the AT-6 to US partner nations seeking light attack air support, and hopes to announce a launch customer by the end of this year. Negotiations with two potential buyers are “very mature”, with one requiring up to 24 AT-6s and the other a “similar or higher” number of aircraft. Deliveries would start 18 months from contract receipt. If a launch customer buys the aircraft under the government-togovernment Foreign Military Sales programme, the manufacturer will complete military type certification through the US Air Force. “We’ve done all the testing. All the [weapons] configurations are cleared and the paperwork is complete,” Mr Bartlett says. “We have prepared everything with the assumption of a US Government sale.” Mike Jerram

Sequestration Impacts Mount As the United States evaluates its options in response to the crisis in Syria, its military leaders are looking at the impact taking action would have on its budget. The cost of operations against Syria – an estimated $75 million per week – would be problematic unless Congress provides additional funding, according to Chief of Naval Operations Admiral Jonathan W Greenert in a speech in Washington on September 5. “A supplemental [request] might be the order of the day, as we work through how long

operations [may be] going on,” he said. While he did not provide details of the costs incurred – the Nimitz carrier battle group costs $25 million each unbudgeted-for week it is at sea in a crisis region – it could force large-scale reprogramming, cuts in procurement and reductions to flight hours to pay for the deployments. Even before the Syria crisis started, Defense Secretary Charles T ‘Chuck’ Hagel said, on July 31, at a Pentagon press briefing that five of the US Air Force’s

54 tactical aircraft squadrons and an unspecified number of Lockheed C-130 Hercules could be cut from the force with “minimal risk”. Approximately $52 billion in sequester-driven cuts are anticipated for fiscal year 2014. He said the US must “protect investments to counter anti-access and air denial threats”, identifying the Lockheed Martin F-35 Joint Strike Fighter as an example. Mr Hagel had previously briefed congressional leaders on the results of the Department of Defense’s

C-130J Deliveries Recommence for Little Rock AFB Arriving at Little Rock AFB, Arkansas, on August 20 was Lockheed Martin C-130J-30 Hercules 10-5728 (c/n 5728), the first of five due to be delivered to the base from the manufacturer this year. Little Rock AFB was the first US base to receive C-130Js and accepted its last (prior to the recent delivery) in 2009. It is home to the 314th Airlift Wing (AW), the formal training unit for the C-130J Hercules assigned to Air Education and Training Command (to which this aircraft will be assigned), and the 19th AW of Air Mobility Command, as well as the 189th AW of the Arkansas Air National Guard, both of which also fly Hercules. Lockheed Martin/John Rossino

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Strategic Choice Management Review. This compared two alternative ways of coping with the reducing budget – shrinking the force structure to secure the future of emerging systems such as the F-35, possibly forcing the navy to reduce its number of carrier strike groups to eight and the air force to withdraw some of its bombers (potentially the entire Rockwell B-1B Lancer force) among other restructuring; or alternatively, maintaining force structure by curtailing force modernisation over a decade. David C Isby

ANG B-2A Wing Nuclear-Certified The 131st Bomb Wing (BW), the Air National Guard (ANG) associate unit of the 509th BW flying Northrop B-2A Spirit ‘stealth bombers’ based at Whiteman AFB, Missouri, has been certified to deploy nuclear weapons. The clearance was the culmination of a six-year process in which the 131st became fully mission-certified on all of the B-2’s missions, allowing full integration with the active-duty 509th. Details of the certification were announced on August 8, the first time is has been awarded to an ANG bomb wing. In March 2011 the 131st BW conducted conventional strikes against Libya during Operation Odyssey Dawn. David C Isby

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Asia & Australasia

Korean and Japanese Eagles at Red Flag Alaska

Republic of Korea Air Force Boeing F-15K Slam Eagles and Mitsubishi F-15J Eagles of the Japan Air Self-Defense Force lined up at Eielson AFB, Alaska, on August 12. US Air Force/ Staff Sgt Miguel Lara

Red Flag Alaska 13-3, held between August 9 and 24, was the first time that Japanese and Korean military aircraft have exercised together. Around 60 aircraft participated in the event, including six Boeing F-15K Slam Eagles of the 11th Fighter Wing, Republic of Korea Air Force (ROKAF) based at Daegu AB, and six Mitsubishi-built F-15J Eagles from 306 Hikotai of the Japanese Air Self-Defense Force (JASDF) based

at Komatsu AB, Ishikawa. Lockheed C-130 Hercules supported both nations’ deployments. US Air Force participants comprised F-15 Eagles, Lockheed Martin F-16 Fighting Falcons and F-22A Raptors, Fairchild A-10C Thunderbolts and Boeing KC-135R Stratotankers, along with US Navy and Marine Corps Boeing F/A-18 Hornets and KC-130 Hercules. Australia and New Zealand also took part.

Flying took place from both Eielson AFB and Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson. The firstever joint ROKAF-JASDF mission was flown on August 19, when four F-15Ks escorted a Japanese C-130H during a flight into ‘hostile’ airspace. The exercise also marked the first participation of the Royal Australian Air Force’s Boeing E-7A Wedgetail of No.2 Squadron in Red Flag Alaska and

the first multinational training at the event for the F-22A Raptor. The exercise was scaled down compared to previous Red Flag Alaskas, because Asian-based US aircraft were unable to participate owing to budget constraints. Financial considerations earlier led to the cancellation of the scheduled US-Anglo-Canadian Red Flag in May and the US Northern Edge exercise. David C Isby

Malaysian MiG-29N Replacement Postponed The Royal Malaysian Air Force’s long-running plan to acquire 18 Multi-Role Combat Aircraft (MRCA) to replace its Mikoyan MiG-29N Fulcrums has stalled again. “For

the time being, the government does not have any plans to replace the current MiG-29 and Sukhoi fighter jets,” Malaysia’s Defence Minister Hishammuddin Hussein

Globemaster Enters Indian Service On September 2 the Indian Air Force held a ceremony at Hindon on the outskirts of New Delhi to mark the service entry of the Boeing C-17A Globemaster III. The aircraft was officially inducted into service by Indian Defence Minister A K Antony at an event that was also attended by the Chief of Air Staff, Air Marshal N A K Browne. “The induction of ten C-17 aircraft promises to be a game changer on how we conduct air transport operations,” said Air Marshal Browne. “The fleet will provide tremendous flexibility in terms of operational response options in any future campaign.

The long range, heavy lift capability will allow commanders to induct troops, squadrons and relocate forces as well as shifting forces between theatres rapidly.” The third C-17A for India (CB8003, b/n F-259, ex 11-0103) departed Long Beach, California, on August 20. Two further examples of the heavy transport will be delivered this year, according to the manufacturer, and the remaining five of the original order for ten in 2014. The first two aircraft were delivered in June and July, and were assigned to No.81 Squadron ‘Skylords’ at Hindon. Nigel Pittaway

Further Flankers for Vietnam Vietnam has ordered a further 12 Sukhoi Su-30MK2 Flanker fighter jets for delivery in three batches between 2014 and 2015, in a deal reported to be worth approximately $450 million. The order was announced in the Communist Party of Vietnam’s on-line newspaper on August 21. The deal is believed to have

been finalised during the visit of Vietnamese Defence Minister Phung Quang Thanh to Moscow in mid-August. Vietnam has already received four Su-30MKs and 20 to 22 Su-30MK2s delivered from November 2004, plus seven Su-27SKs, three Su-27UBKs and two Su-27PUs. Nigel Pittaway

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stated on September 9. Malaysia has previously considered the Boeing F/A-18E/F Super Hornet, Dassault Rafale, Eurofighter Typhoon, SAAB Gripen and Sukhoi

Su-30 as potential candidates for the MRCA requirement. Plans to replace the Fulcrums have suffered several delays because of financial considerations. Nigel Pittaway

Initial Indonesian Golden Eagles Delivered

KAI T-50I Golden Eagle TT-5001 is one of the 16 due to be delivered to the Indonesian National Defence-Air Force. KAI

The first two Korean Aerospace Industries (KAI) T-50I Golden Eagle lead-in fighter trainers for the Tentara Nasional Indonesia-Angkatan Udara (TNI-AU, Indonesian National Defence-Air Force) arrived at Iswayhudi AB on September 11. The aircraft (TT-5003 and TT-5004) were escorted on the final portion of their journey by a TNI-AU British Aerospace Hawk Mk 53, after a delivery flight from South Korea via Kaohsiung International Airport in Taiwan and a stop-over in the Philippines. They will be assigned to Skadron Udara 15. KAI announced on June 28 that

the military type certificate for the T-50I had been approved. Six Indonesian pilots began training on Golden Eagles in Korea in February and will become flight instructors on them. Indonesia ordered 16 T-50Is in 2011 (see Indonesia Orders Super Tucano and Golden Eagle, July 2011, p4) and the first flew on March 14 this year. Six T-50Is, including the initial examples that arrived in Indonesia, are painted in the colours of the Elang Biru display team. Deliveries are due to be completed in the first half of 2014. Nigel Pittaway

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Asia & Australasia

RAAF Reviews Manned/ Unmanned Maritime Mix

Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) chief, Air Marshal Geoff Brown, has indicated that the service is reviewing requirements for manned and unmanned replacements for its Lockheed AP-3C Orions, due to be retired by 2020. Under Project AIR 7000 Phases 1B and 2B the service plans to acquire a mix of eight Boeing P-8A Poseidons and seven high-altitude long-endurance (HALE) unmanned systems, such as the Northrop Grumman MQ-4C Triton. However, Air Marshal Brown says the numbers may change, stating that something like a 12/6 mix of manned/unmanned platforms may be more effective. “We are looking at the right mix of capability and the answer that we’re coming up with is that the number of P-8As is a little on the low side,” he said on August 16. “We are looking to increase that, but ultimately it will be a government decision.” Phase 2B is currently planned to deliver an initial operational capability (IOC) in the 2017 to 2020 period. The unmanned system acquired under Phase 1B has a planned IOC around 2021/2022. Nigel Pittaway

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KOREAN C-130J FLOWN The first Lockheed Martin C-130J-30 Super Hercules for the Republic of Korea Air Force made its maiden flight from the manufacturer’s facility at Marietta on August 14 (further to Korean C-130J Hercules Rolled Out, August, p5). The transport (35-730 c/n 5730) is due to be delivered in 2014, the first of four ordered in December 2010. Nigel Pittaway

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FA-50S FOR THE PHILIPPINES The Philippine Air Force (PAF) is negotiating with Korea Aerospace Industries for the delivery of two FA-50 lead-in fighter trainers before the end of 2014. The aircraft are the first of a requirement for 12 FA-50s under a P18.9 billion ($432 million) deal being negotiated with the Korean manufacturer (further to Philippines Budgets for New Combat Aircraft, April, p14). “Our target is [to] have at least two initially by the end of fourth quarter of 2014 and the rest [over the following] six months,” said PAF Chief, Lt Gen Lauro Catalino de la Cruz. Nigel Pittaway

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Royal Thai Navy Embraer EMB-135 Transits Glasgow Embraer EMB-135LR 2112/HS-NVA (c/n 14501077) of 201 Squadron, Wing 2 of the Royal Thai Navy based at U-Tapao International Airport. The aircraft was noted at Glasgow airport on August 23 on its way from Thailand to Quebec in Canada for maintenance. It was due to return home in late September. Iain Mackenzie

Australian C-27J Buy Approved The Australian National Audit Office (ANAO) released its report into the proposed purchase of ten Alenia Aermacchi C-27J Spartans via US Foreign Military Sales (FMS) on August 15. The C-27J was selected over the competing Airbus Military C295 under Project AIR 8000 Phase 2B, but the deal was referred to the ANAO by Australia’s shadow defence minister on May 31, 2012, following concerns it may not comply with the requirements of the Financial Management and Accountability Act of 1997. The concerns included the lack of an open tender and questioned whether the acquisition represented value for money.

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THAI GRIPENS DELIVERED

The report found that: “Overall, Defence’s processes to select the US variant C-27J met relevant Commonwealth legislative and procurement requirements applicable at the time. Defence conducted a direct source procurement process in compliance with the Commonwealth Procurement Guidelines. Based on Defence’s assessments, there was a reasonable basis for government to select the US variant C-27J as a better value for money option than the commercial version of the C-27J, and the Airbus [Military] C295.” However the report is critical of the advice provided by the department to government during the

NEWS BY NUMBERS

The final batch of SAAB Gripens on order for the Royal Thai Air Force arrived at Surat Thani AB in southern Thailand on September 4. The three single-seat JAS39Cs had left Linköping in Sweden, on August 30, routing via Greece, Jordan, Qatar, Oman and India before arriving in Thailand. Thailand ordered two batches of six Gripens in 2010 and 2012. Nigel Pittaway

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MORE MIG-29KS TO BE DELIVERED IN 2013 Russia’s RAC MiG announced two contracts worth $55 million with the Indian armed forces during the recent MAKS 2013 Air Show and revealed that six more Mikoyan MiG-29Ks on order for the Indian Navy will be delivered by the end of the year. “Russia will deliver six MiG-29K Fulcrum ‘Generation 4++’ fighters to India this year as part of a 2010 contract for 29 aircraft, worth $1.5 billion,” said RAC MiG CEO Sergei Korotov. Adding: “India currently

earlier phases of the procurement, because it, “did not cogently establish the case for undertaking a direct source FMS procurement, and there were also shortcomings in Defence’s handling of relations with industry during the course of the procurement.” The first C-27J for Australia is currently being assembled in Turin, Italy (see Assembly of Australian Spartans Started, February, p16), and is due to fly to the L-3 Communications’ plant in Waco, Texas, next January for completion. It is scheduled for hand-over on July 31, 2014, and after a period of training in the US, should arrive in Australia before the end of the year. Nigel Pittaway

has 21 aircraft. Under the contract, MiG will deliver all of the aircraft before 2015. Four were delivered in 2012 and a further one by the time of MAKS.” The deals signed at MAKS cover the establishment of a service centre in India for the maintenance and repair of the MiG-29K’s Phazotron Zhuk-ME radars and will create a local service centre for the Indian Air Force’s modernised MiG-29UPGs.

May. The final two aircraft arrived in disassembled condition and were accompanied by technicians from the Komsomolsk-on-Amur Aircraft Production Association facility. Sultan Hasanuddin spokesperson Major Muliadi said that the technicians were due to reassemble and test the aircraft during early September, before being handed over to the Indonesian government. Nigel Pittaway

Nigel Pittaway

MRMRS SOUGHT BY INDIA

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SU-30MK2S IN INDONESIA The final tranche of Sukhoi Su-30MK2s on order for the Tentara Nasional Indonesia - Angkatan Udara (TNI-AU, Indonesian National Defence – Air Force) arrived at the Sultan Hasanuddin air force base in Makassar on September 4. Indonesia ordered six Su-30MK2s in December 2011 to supplement its mixed Su-27SK/SKM and Su-30MK/MK2 fleet (see Indonesian Su-30MK2s, February 2012, p4). Two were delivered in February (see Two Su-30MK2s Arrive in Indonesia, April, p14) and the second pair in

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India increased the number of aircraft requested under its Medium-Range Maritime Reconnaissance (MRMR) requirement to nine – from six – in the request for proposals (RfP) released on August 9. Indian sources report that the document has been sent to Airbus Military, ATR, Boeing, Bombardier, Dassault, Embraer, Lockheed Martin and Saab. The RfP was originally expected to be released in mid-2012 but was delayed for undisclosed reasons. Although the aircraft will not be required to perform anti-submarine warfare tasks, it will incorporate several locally-produced mission systems for maritime surveillance and electronic warfare. Kieran Velon

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Africa

Aviation Awarded US United Nations Antonov An-74 Berry Military Trans-Sahara Contract

Antonov An-74TK-100 UNO-051P/RA-74016 (c/n 365470991034) is operated on behalf of the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali (MINUSMA). The new mission was established on April 25 and took over operations from the African-led International Support Mission in Mali on July 1. It comprises 11,200 military personnel and 1,440 police. At least two An-74s (the other being UNO-51/RA-74032, c/n 36547098962) have supported MINUSMA operations, both provided by UTair. UNO-51P was noted at Bamako-Sénou International Airport on September 7. Bamako serves as a base for United Nations operations in Mali. Benoît Denet

Ghana to Acquire Additional C295s The Ghana Air Force will lease two Airbus Military C295 transports to the United Nations with an option to buy the aircraft at the end of the lease. Under the arrangements the United Nations effectively pays for the aircraft that Ghana will eventually keep. Ghanaian media quoted an air force spokesman as saying that the country beat international competitors to win an air services contract for the Multidimensional Integrated Stabilisation Mission

in Mali. The Public Relations Directorate of the Ghana Air Force said it was operating a similar service on behalf of the United Nations in Cote d’Ivoire. Ghana took delivery of two new C295s in November 2011 (see Ghana Receives its First C295, January 2012, p20) and April 2012. They are based in the capital Accra and Tamale and used to provide combat support for humanitarian assistance missions. Guy Martin

Egyptian C295 Deliveries on Hold The delivery of six Airbus Military C295 transports to the Arab Republic of Egypt Air Force has been temporarily suspended by Spain. The decision to halt deliveries was taken on August 28 by the Inter-Ministerial Council on Defence and Dual Use Material because of continuing high levels of violence in Egypt following the military overthrow of the elected government on July 3. The situation will

be reviewed periodically to determine if military deliveries can restart. The aircraft were ordered in January, following two batches of three that were each contracted for in October 2010 and last March. Meanwhile, President Barack Obama announced on August 15 that the US Government has cancelled the annual bilateral Bright Star exercise with Egypt’s military.

ISR King Airs for Algeria The Algerian Air Force is receiving six Beechcraft King Air 350s configured for intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR). The first of the unannounced order was handed over in March. Spain’s Selex ES was contracted to integrate its Airborne Tactical Observation and Surveillance (ATOS) system onto the King Air 350ER (extended range) aircraft, which have an endurance of six hours. The deal was facilitated through prime contractor Corporate Aircraft SA of Switzerland. ATOS features a

Gabbiano T-200 radar in a ventral radome providing 360° coverage, a laser illuminator and a Wescam MX-15i optical turret. Selex certified the ATOS system on the King Air last year. The King Airs will be operated by the Algerian Air Force’s 5th Reconnaissance Squadron, which also hopes to acquire unmanned aerial vehicles, jets and turboprops for surveillance duties. Algeria currently flies a number of King Air variants, including six King Air B300s, four King Air 200s and six King Air C90s. Guy Martin

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US company Berry Aviation Incorporated has been awarded a contract by the American Transportation Command (Transcom) to provide air transport services in West and Central Africa. The initial $10.725 million contract, granted at the end of July, covers a ten-and-a-half month base period, which started in mid-August. Three additional one-year options could push the contract value beyond $49 million. Berry Aviation has supplied transport services to the US in Afghanistan and beat four other bidders for the African contract. The company reported it will provide two fixed-wing aircraft and equipment to perform casualty evacuation, personnel airlift, cargo airlift, as well as personnel and cargo aerial delivery services throughout the Trans-Sahara region. When Transcom issued the bid in April it said the contractor would need to conduct air drops, fly commandos in and out of hostile territory and

carry out short notice medical evacuation between August 12, 2013 and June 27, 2017 (see US Seeking Contractor for African Special Operations, July, p16). Missions could be undertaken over the territory of 31 African countries. Additionally, Transcom said the transport aircraft would need to carry at least six passengers and 2,500lb (1,134kg) of cargo. Operating from the US intelligence hub located in a military airfield in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso, the contractor should also be able to conduct air drops of equipment bundles, provide ‘static-line, personnel air drops’ and accumulate up to 1,000 flight hours for a period of up to four years. Flight contractors were also expected to conduct operations from various forward operating locations and “be airborne within an hour of notification”, and fly US special forces missions in nearly all countries in East, West, Central and North Africa. Guy Martin

No Support Contract in Place for SAAF Gripens The South African Air Force’s (SAAF) support contract with Saab to maintain its fleet of 26 JAS39C/D Gripen fighter jets has expired. Saab has reported that SAAF interim contracts to support the fleet ended in April. The Swedish company is hoping for a new contract within coming months, while the air force keeps its aircraft operational with 2 Squadron by undertaking its own hands-on maintenance.

Earlier this year it emerged that 12 of the SAAF’s Gripens were placed in storage as the service does not have funds to fly them (see 12 South African Gripens Grounded, April, p15). The aircraft will be rotated to even out flying hours and reduce storage costs. Lack of money has also affected the helicopter fleet, with the majority of the AgustaWestland AW109 fleet grounded (see 18 South African AW109s Grounded, September, p41). Guy Martin

Thrush at Diori

Thrush Aircraft Thrush 660 5N-ACE was recently delivered to the Republic of Niger. The aircraft was acquired to help control locusts by delivering pesticides over affected areas via its spray bars. It was noted at Diori Hamani International Airport in Niamey, Niger, in late August. Benoît Denet

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Rest of the World

Saudi Tankers at RAF Brize Norton Two Airbus Military A330-243 Multi-Role Tanker Transports of 24 Squadron, Royal Saudi Air Force, recently arrived at RAF Brize Norton, Oxfordshire, from Al Kharj-Prince Sultan AB. The aircraft (2401, msn 980, ex MRTT010; and 2402, msn 996, ex MRTT011) first landed in the UK on August 23 and 27 respectively. They were deployed to support the Saudi Eurofighter Typhoons and Panavia Tornado IDS based at RAF Coningsby, Lincolnshire, for the duration of exercise Green Flag. Charles Cunliffe

Upgraded AMX Delivered to Brazilian Air Force A ceremony was held at Embraer’s Gavião Peixoto facility, São Paulo in Brazil, on September 3 to mark the handover of the first modernised AMX International A-1M to the Força Aérea Brasileira (FAB, Brazilian Air Force). The event was attended by high-ranking members of the FAB, including its commander, Lt Gen Juniti Saito. Embraer Defense & Security will upgrade 33 single-seat A-1As and

ten two-seat A-1Bs, extending their service lives by approximately 20 years with a structural refurbishment and the addition of new avionics and systems. These include a Selex Galileo/Mectron SCP-01 Scipio multi-mode radar; AEL Sistemas avionics compatible with a helmet-mounted display, night vision goggles and sighting system; Elbit Systems electronic warfare and self-protection suite;

onboard oxygen generating system; communications, navigation and mission management systems. Sixteen A-1s are currently at Gavião Peixoto and the final example is due to be redelivered in 2017. In service they will be supported by Embraer, which signed a logistical support contract with the air force on December 12, 2012 (see Upgrade A-1 Support Contract, February, p19).

UAE Receives its Last A330 MRTT The third and final A330-243 MultiRole Tanker Transport (MRTT) to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) has been delivered by Airbus Military. The handover, announced on August 5, increases the number of

A330 MRTTs in service worldwide with Australia, Saudi Arabia, the UAE and the United Kingdom to 17, with a total of 28 ordered. The UAE’s tankers are based at Al-Ain International Airport in Abu Dhabi.

Further Typhoons Delivered to Saudi Arabia

On September 5 the fifth (ZK087/319) and sixth (ZK088/320) Eurofighter Typhoon two-seaters of the second batch for the Royal Saudi Air Force departed Warton, Lancashire. Both will be assigned to 3 Squadron based at Taif-King Fahd Air Base. The initial pair of the follow-on order for 48 Typhoons (36 single- and 12 two-seaters) was delivered on April 24 and another on June 27, all four being operational trainers. Initial flights by ZK087 and ZK088 were made at Warton on May 14 and June 19 respectively. Neville Beckett

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An initial five United Arab Emirates Air Force crews completed their training by Airbus Military in August, with the final five due to start in September and complete their courses early next year.

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NEWS BY NUMBERS

IRANIAN MIRAGE F1S OVERHAULED Two former Iraqi Air Force Dassault Mirage F1EQ6s have been overhauled by the Islamic Republic of Iran Air Force (IRIAF) at Shahid Nasser Habibi air base near Mashad in north-eastern Iran. The pair, among approximately 20 aircraft that sought sanctuary in Iran during the 1991 Gulf War, were successfully flown after 45,000 man hours of work. They were delivered to the IRIAF, according to reports released on August 5 by official Iranian news sources. Shahid Nasser Habibi previously overhauled an ex-Iraqi Mikoyan MiG-29 that had not flown for 12 years. After a 24-month, 21,000-man hour overhaul, it was returned to service in August last year. David C Isby

Saudi SR22s Four Cirrus SR22 light aircraft had been delivered to the Royal Saudi Air Force by the middle of August, rising to approximately 15 by the end of the month out of a total of 25 SR22s due to enter service. Cirrus Aircraft announced on July 29 that the aircraft had been selected for supply to the air force by BAE Systems. They will be used as primary trainers at the King Faisal Air Academy in RiyadhKing Kahled AB, replacing Reims Cessna FR172 Skyhawks as part of the new syllabus, preparing student pilots for the Pilatus PC-21. Delivery of the SR22s is part of the Saudi British Defence Cooperation Programme between Saudi Arabia and the United Kingdom.

Brazilian F-2000s to Retire

The Dassault Mirage F-2000 will be retired by the Força Aérea Brasileira (FAB, Brazilian Air Force) at the end of this year. Retirement plans for the fighters were confirmed during hearings in the Brazilian Senate on the replacement F-X2 programme on August 13. A maintenance contract for the aircraft is due to expire on December 26, with withdrawal planned for five days later. Ten former Armée de l’air (French Air Force) Mirage 2000Cs and two 2000Bs entered service from June 2006 as F-2000Cs and F-2000Bs under a lease arrangement. They replaced Mirage IIIBRs as a stopgap before delivery of the type selected to fulfil the F-X programme (which was later abandoned) and were assigned to 1º Grupo de Defesa Aérea (1st Air Defence Group) at Base Aérea de Anápolis, Goiás, primarily in the air defence role. The fleet was originally due to

be withdrawn in December 2012. The replacement for the F-2000s will be the type selected in the long running F-X2 programme – the successor to F-X. A total of 36 fighters are sought for approximately $4.5 billion, with considerable technology transfer and other offsets included in the contract. The Boeing F/A-18 Super Hornet, Dassault Rafale and Saab JAS39E Gripen NG are under consideration, but the programme has been postponed four times, the last being a sixmonth delay in the middle of this year (see Brazil’s F-X2 Postponed Again, September 2012, p22). A decision is expected before the end of 2013, followed by 12 months of negotiations and initial deliveries four year later. In the meantime, Embraerupgraded Northrop F-5E Tiger IIs will undertake the air defence mission for the FAB, with some of the fleet redeployed to Anápolis.

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MISSILES FIRED BY BRITISH REAPERS IN 2012 On September 6 the British junior defence minister, Andrew Robathan, released information about the use of the RAF’s remotely piloted air systems over Afghanistan. RAF General Atomics MQ-9 Reapers conducted 892 missions over Afghanistan during the year and fired AGM-114 Hellfire air-to-ground missiles on 92 occasions. Integration of the MBDA Brimstone missile on the Reaper is also being investigated, although the RAF has not committed to fielding the weapon on the air vehicle.

Integrator Testing Plans The US Marine Corps is planning to launch initial operational test and evaluation (IOT&E) testing for the Insitu RQ-21A Integrator small tactical unmanned air system in late October. PMA-263 programme manager Col Jim Rector was quoted at the AUVSI Unmanned Systems conference as saying that IOT&E will start in the autumn, with tests including a month of land-based trials and a week-long sea trial. A number of preliminary tests have already been undertaken at Twentynine Palms in California. Col Rector was quoted as saying the aircraft would be deployed in the second or third quarter of next year, with a marine corps expeditionary unit already identified to take the type. The Department of Defense has ordered 36 RQ-21A systems, comprising ground control units and 180 flying vehicles (five per system). The aircraft, first flown last year (see RQ-21A Integrator Flown, September 2012, p26) weighs 135lb (61.3kg) and can carry multiple payloads, including electro-optical and infrared sensors. Mark Broadbent

MQ-8Bs Back A detachment of US Navy Northrop Grumman MQ-8B FireScout vertical tactical unmanned air vehicles has returned from Afghanistan. The FireScouts spent 28 months in theatre, flying 5,084 sorties and accumulating more than 5,000 flights hours (half the total by the FireScout fleet since 2010). They flew communications relay and intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance missions, providing full motion video in support of Regional CommandNorth. David C Isby

Unmanned Aerial Systems

UCLASS Contenders Selected The US Navy has selected four companies to provide preliminary design review assessments for its Unmanned Carrier Launched Airborne Surveillance and Strike (UCLASS) requirement for persistent intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) and strike. Boeing, General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Lockheed Martin and Northrop Grumman were each awarded $15 million nine-month contracts on August 14. While just one will be selected for further development, it is envisioned that a large part of the industry will participate in the programme. The UCLASS is due to be the first unmanned air vehicle designed to operationally deploy onboard aircraft carriers as early as fiscal year

2018. A draft request for proposals (RfP) was due to be released in September, while a final RfP will be issued in the second quarter of next year, after which competitors will submit their proposals. A winner will be selected in the first quarter of 2015, with US Navy officials saying it will take between three and six years for the winning UCLASS design to achieve its early operational capability. In addition to the ISR mission, which requires the US Navy to maintain two 24 hours a day/seven days a week orbits six years after contract award of a single air vehicle design, it will have a strike range of 2,000nm (3,218km). Rear Admiral Mathias W Winters, the US Navy programme executive officer responsible for

UCLASS, said that it is “today a paper airplane”. He added that the recent contracts are intended to start the process of creating an air vehicle that will use open architecture systems and the government would act as lead system integrator. “We are not buying aircraft but systems”. The day before the UCLASS awards, the US Navy announced that the two Northrop Grumman X-47B Unmanned Combat Air System Demonstration air vehicles, which made the first unmanned carrier launch on May 14 and the first carrier landings on July 10, will be retained in service and used for risk reduction work to support the programme. Rear Admiral Winters said that UCLASS would “leverage off the X-47”. David C Isby and Mark Broadbent

EuroHawk Logs Record Flight

Northrop Grumman RQ-4E EuroHawk 99+01 completed the longest unmanned air system flight in Europe on August 8. The air vehicle is seen on approach to Manching AB at the end of the sortie. Cassidian/Josef Gietl

The Northrop Grumman/EADS RQ-4E EuroHawk completed the longest-ever unrefuelled unmanned flight within Europe on August 8, when it flew a 25.8 hour mission from Manching AB, Germany. EADS’s Cassidian division says that the EuroHawk operated at 58,600ft (17,861m) during the flight, details of which were released on September 3. It also confirmed that it made its

first sortie over the North Sea on June 6. The German EuroHawk procurement plan was cancelled in May (see German EuroHawk Buy Cancelled, July, p22) and reportedly ended operations with the prototype, although the latest announcements by the programme partners reveal that the aircraft is still being flown. By early September it had completed

19 sorties, accumulating over 200 flight hours. Tom Vice, president of Northrop’s Aerospace Systems Division, stated on August 20 that talks were ongoing with the German authorities on certification issues cited as one of the primary reasons for the end of the programme. The negotiations were later denied by the German ministry of defence. Mark Broadbent

Work on Triton’s Sense and Avoid Sensor Halted Development work on the ‘senseand-avoid’ collision avoidance radar on the US Navy’s Northrop Grumman MQ-4C Triton maritime surveillance unmanned air system has been paused, according to a senior programme official. Captain James Hoke, the US Navy’s Triton program manager, stated at the recent AUVSI Unmanned Systems 2013 conference in Washington,

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DC, that work on the Exelismanufactured system had been suspended. Captain Hoke said the element of the Triton programme is “behind schedule” and that “all options are on the table” for the system, including possibly re-tendering the requirement to other contractors. No details were provided on the exact cause of the development

issue, while Exelis says “we remain committed to working closely with our partners” on the programme. The development pause is unrelated to the Northrop Grumman’s multifunction active sensor, a 360° active electronically scanned array radar that will be at the heart of the MQ-4C. The Triton is slated for initial operational capability in 2017. Mark Broadbent

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Business Aviation

Production Citation M2 Flown

The main landing gear begins to retract on the first Cessna Citation M2 as it lifts off for its maiden flight from Independence, Kansas, on August 23. Cessna

The first production Cessna 525 Citation M2 (N40049, c/n 525-0800) made its maiden flight on August 23 from the company’s Independence, Kansas, facility (further to New Production Citation Programmes Advance, September, p30). Federal Aviation Administration certification and initial customer delivery are expected to follow within the next two months. Cessna production test pilot Terry Martindale reported: “The aircraft performed exceptionally well... Through the almost two-hour flight, we completed a large portion of the

production test flight procedures. This is the first aircraft equipped with Garmin G3000 avionics, and the system goes beyond what people might be expecting in terms of familiarity, versatility, situational awareness and ease of use. You can sense that pilots designed the cockpit. Everything is where you need it to be.” The aircraft features the Cessna Intrinzic flight deck based on Garmin G3000 avionics with highresolution multifunction displays and split-screen capability. “Touchscreen interactivity comparable

to a smartphone provides pilots with performance information in a logical, familiar user interface,” says the company. The single pilot-certified M2 is powered by two 1,965lb st (8.74kN) Williams FJ44-1AP-21 engines and has a cruising speed of up to 400kts (741km/h). It can climb to 41,000ft (12,497m) in 24 minutes and has sufficient range to fly non-stop between such city pairs as Houston, Texas and New York; Calgary, Alberta and Chicago, Illinois; or San Diego, California, to Mexico City. Mike Jerram

Chinese Assembled Legacy 650 Takes to the Air Harbin Embraer Aircraft Industry (HEAI), Embraer’s joint venture with Aviation Industry Corporation of China (AVIC), flew the first Legacy 650 assembled in China on August 26. Embraer’s test pilots flew the aircraft for about two hours and thirty minutes, assessing its handling and performance characteristics. The aircraft’s systems were evaluated, including flight control, communication

and navigation. “The successful maiden flight of HEAI’s first Legacy 650 marks an important milestone, not only in the Embraer-AVIC partnership, but also in the history of the Chinese executive aviation industry, as the jet is also the first large executive jet assembled by a joint venture in China,” said Guan Dongyuan, Senior Vice President of Embraer and President of Embraer China.

Since February 2012, when the first Brazilian-built Legacy 650 was delivered to a Chinese customer, Embraer has booked 21 firm orders (plus five options) from operators in that country. Launch customer was ICBC Financial Leasing which has placed firm orders for five Legacy 650s, plus five options. Delivery of the first Chinese Legacy 650 is scheduled for the end of the year. Mike Jerram

Kingdom Holding Boeing 747 Boeing 747-4J6 HZ-WBT7 named Khaled & Reem (c/n 25880, ex N747BZ) departing Budapest Airport in Hungary on August 26. The aircraft is configured with a VIP interior and is operated by the Saudi Kingdom Holding II LLC. Tamás Martényi

FanStream Gulfstream Upgrade Aviation Alliance LLC of California announced on August 27 that it had secured a commitment to fund its FanStream upgrade of the Gulfstream III business jet. The programme will produce an aircraft compliant with Stage 3 noise

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requirements with a range in excess of 5,000nm (9,260km). The primary change will be new powerplants in place of the Rolls-Royce Spey Mk 511-8s, although the company has yet to identify the type that will be used. New cockpit avionics will be

installed, along with a revised cabin interior, improved amenities and electrical systems. The FanStream is the second upgrade project announced by Aviation Alliance, following the Excalibur 421 programme for the Cessna 421.

Flexjet Sold

Bombardier has agreed to sell its Flexjet business jet operating arm for $185 million. Flexjet’s activities will be taken over by a new group known as Flexjet LLC, which is headed by Directional Aviation Capital of Richmond Heights, Ohio. Bombardier announced that it had reached an agreement for the sale on September 5. Flexjet, which is headquartered in Dallas, Texas, offers fractional ownership, jet card (giving the holder a limited number of business jet flight hours) and whole aircraft management solutions using a large fleet of business jets. The sale requires approval from governmental and regulatory bodies, but those involved expect it to be completed by the end of the year. With a fleet of 43 Challengers and 34 Learjets, Flexjet is the second largest fractional ownership operator. Over the 18 years of its existence it has received approximately 225 aircraft from Bombardier. Flexjet LLC has recently placed an order for 85 business aircraft from Bombardier, comprising 20 Challenger 350s, ten Challenger 605s, 25 Learjet 75s and 30 Learjet 85s. It is not clear if at least some of these orders are confirmations of commitments previously placed by the fractional ownership company – Flexjet was the launch customer for both Learjet variants and the Challenger 350. Options for a further 160 business jets from the Canadian manufacturer were also announced, which would raise the list price of the deal from $1.8 billion to $5.2 billion if they were exercised.

G5000 for Hawker 400

Garmin is seeking a supplemental type certificate to install its G5000 avionics in the Hawker 400XP and Beechjet 400A. It will replace the Rockwell Collins Pro Line 4 originally fitted in the business jet. Federal Aviation Administration approval for the upgrade is expected in 2015. The company says the lighter weight of the G5000 suite will increase the aircraft’s useful load by 238lb (108kg), as well as modernising cockpit avionics with three 305mm (12in) screens with touch screen controllers. An optional synthetic vision system will also be offered. A modernisation programme, the 400XPR, is offered by the Beechcraft Corporation, while Nextant Aerospace’s 400XTi is a complete remanufacturing of the type. Both of these programmes replace the original avionics with the Pro Line 21.

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Commercial

T2 Aviation’s Boeing 727-200

COMMERCIAL ORDERS Airbus Customer China Eastern Airlines CIT

Delta Air Lines easyJet IAG (for Vueling) (for Vueling) (for British Airways, Iberia or Vueling) ILFC Oha Centre Street Aircraft Hold Co Sri Lanka Airlines Unidentified (private customer) Boeing Customer Travel Service Unidentified Unidentified Unidentified Unidentified Unidentified United Airlines

WestJet

Aircraft A330-200 A319 A321 A321 A330-242 A321ceo A320 A320ceo A320neo A320neo

Number 1 3 5 5 10 30 3 30, purchase agreement 32, purchase agreement, plus 58 options split between A320ceo and A320neo 100 options

August 14

A321 A319 A350-900 A320

15 1 4 1

July 19 August 1 July 22 (firms MoU of June 19) July 23

Aircraft 737 MAX 8

Number 3

737-800 737 MAX 737 MAX 777-300ER 787-8 737-900ER 737-900ER

20 20 4 7 1 2 2

787-10, plus 10 options

10

737 MAX 7 737 MAX 8 787-8

25, LoI 40, LoI 6

Date August 6 (finalises commitment announced June 2013) June 19 June 19 July 4 August 26 July 4 June 3 July 3 (updates Commercial Orders, August, p30) June 18 (updates Commercial Orders, August, p30) August 29 August 29 August 22

Number 50, LoI 10 50, LoI

Date August 28 August 30 August 28

Number 10, LoI

Date August 30

20

August 29 Date August 27 August 27

SSJ-100-95LR

Number 5, LoI 15 (firms agreement announced June 17, 2013) 5 (firms agreement announced June 17, 2013) 6

August 27

Aircraft Tu-204SM

Number 10

Date August 30

Xiamen Airlines Bombardier Customer Aircraft Ilyushin Finance Company Q400 NextGen Red Wings Airlines Q400 NextGen Rostekhnologii (for Avia Capital Q400 NextGen Services) Irkut Customer Aircraft Red Wings Airlines (leased via MC-21-200 Ilyushin finance) Sberbank Leasing MC-21 Sukhoi Civil Aircraft Company Customer Aircraft AviaMA Leasing SSJ-100 Ilyushin Finance Company SSJ-100-95B SSJ-100-95LR VEB Leasing (for UTair) Tupolev Customer Red Wings Airlines (leased via Novikombank)

Key: MoU – Memorandum of Understanding, LoI – Letter of Intent. Compiled by Mark Broadbent

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Date August 5 July 12 July 12 August 14 September 4 September 4 May 9 August 14 August 14

August 27

Boeing 727-2S2AF Super 27 G-OSRA (c/n 22938, ex N217FE) was rolled out on September 11 after repainting by Air Livery at Manchester Airport. The former FedEx Express freighter arrived there from Lasham in Hampshire, on September 2, after flying from Lasham in Hampshire. It was acquired by T2 Aviation (see Last FedEx Boeing 727F Retired, August, p31) and will be equipped as an oil dispersal spraying aircraft. It has the distinction of being the final 727 built. Nik French

Airbus CROR Studies

A counter rotating open rotor (CROR) engine design was recently tested by Airbus in the German-Dutch Wind Tunnels (DNW), which has its headquarters at Noordoostpolder in the Netherlands. DNW is a joint venture of the Deutsches Zentrum für Luft- und Raumfahrt (DLR, German Aerospace Center) and the Dutch Nationaal Lucht- en Ruimtevaartlaboratorium (NLR, National Aerospace Laboratory). The CROR 1:7 scale wind tunnel model was developed by Airbus in collaboration with the DNW and the NLR. It represents an aircraft powered by two engines driven by pressurised air with a maximum rpm of 8,400. The composite propellers were designed and produced by the NLR, as were the rotating telemetryunits. The latter measure the signals of power, temperature and pressure sensors in the blades and balances. The NLR also developed a noise measurement system inside the model and on its outside, including sensors on the propeller blades. The terabytes of data generated by the test campaign are being interpreted by Airbus. CRORs use two rotors in series that turn in opposite directions, both with fan blades that are external to the nacelle rather than internal. The second rotor counters the rotating movement of the air from the first, which is required because rotating air does not provide thrust. The design is more fuel efficient and produces less CO2 than a similar thrust turbofan. Its high thrust efficiency derives from its ultrahigh bypass ratio, which is made possible because the length of the fan blades is not limited by being contained within a nacelle. The noise levels created by the blades can be problematic however, especially during take-off and landing. Introduction of CROR powered aircraft for passenger services is being investigated as part of the European Clean Sky programme. Bob Fischer

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A350 E P

Airbus

NEWS REPORT

I

t is a stiflingly hot summer’s day at Toulouse-Blagnac, France, almost exactly a month after the first Airbus A350-900 flight test aircraft (MSN1, F-WXWB) undertook its maiden flight on June 14. Basking in the sunshine on the flight line is A380 MSN001 F-WWOW, used as a flying test-bed for the A350-900’s Rolls-Royce Trent XWB-84 engines. Comprehensive trials using static test rigs before MSN1 undertook its first flight (see A350XWB: Moving Forward, April 2013, p24) might be one reason why senior personnel working on the A350-900 seem relaxed about progress. During the first month of testing MSN1 accumulated 92 flying hours. “We did 15 flights in three weeks [and] one week after the first flight we had opened the full operational domain,” says Didier Evrard, head of the A350 programme, in an exclusive interview with AIR International.

Le Bourget One early highlight was the third test flight when, only a week after its maiden flight, MSN1 flew from Toulouse to Le Bourget where it performed a low flypast over the Paris Air Show. Airbus’s strategy was to appear low-key – senior executives said publicly that it wasn’t essential for the A350-900 to be at Paris. In fact, Airbus

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Chief Executive Fabrice Brégier said at the company’s new year press conference that Airbus would simply be “very proud” if the aircraft could appear at the show. Behind the scenes, however, Airbus was working flat out to ensure the A350 flew before the show so that it could appear at the world’s largest aerospace industry event. “I was pushing my team so that we could have the first flight before Le Bourget,” admits Evrard. During the first month of testing, Airbus Experimental Test Pilot Frank Chapman spent about 30 hours flying MSN1. He took AIR International on an exclusive tour of the hangar where, at the time of our visit, MSN1 was being prepared for the next series of tests. The aircraft was surrounded by equipment and the engine cowlings were open. “We are doing flight test instrumentation installation around the aircraft, on the wings and the engines,” explains Chapman. “The cabin is fairly empty, just flight test installations and engineer’s panels, also the escape path is still there.” The escape hatch in the forward right cargo door, however, is now deactivated. “We don’t need it any more since the full flight envelope has been opened,” Chapman points out.

Essentials All the essentials for the early phases of a new aircraft test programme – engines, electrics,

ram air turbine, landing gear and brakes, fuel and cabin pressurisation – have been ticked off the check list in the early flight trials. Preliminary assessments of the autopilot and auto-land functions have also been carried out. In the months to come MSN1 will be used to evaluate handling qualities and conduct icing, systems and engine tests. “Most surprising was the level of maturity on the early flights,” says Chapman. “We had one technical failure of one computer system, but otherwise the aircraft worked as advertised, if not better than predicted. It’s a very good start to the test campaign.” However, Airbus is aware that there’s much work to do. “This is still a long journey,” says Evrard. “We still have the production rampup and the whole flight test and certification process in front of us. The programme is in a good direction in all key aspects, but we are still carrying a significant amount of risk.” Evrard knows that major challenges remain: “By next year I have to build my first customer aircraft and make my first customer, Qatar Airways, happy with it. Today we are at the rate of one aircraft built per month in the final assembly line [FAL], in one and a half years we have to be at rate three. This is a big challenge for the whole supply chain. We want to be in service in the second half of 2014. That means we need to have certification by the end of the summer [in] 2014.”

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0 Early Progress

NEWS REPORT

Airbus

Andreas Spaeth talks to the A350-900’s programme boss and a test pilot about the early stages of the type’s testing

Handling Frank Chapman placed the A350 in the context of the Airbus product range: “Its architecture is similar [to], but not quite the same as the A380’s, but there are major differences as to how the flaps are organised and operated. The A350 tends to fly very much like an A330, although the A330 is significantly smaller and in design [the A350 has] more commonality with the A380. We try to make it feel much the same as other Airbus aircraft. Although it is different structurally, we want it to fly like an A330 so we can have a common type rating.” But there are some differences between the A350 and A330 that Chapman can already highlight. “There is less noise in the cockpit and less drag on the aircraft due to the new front section and curved cockpit windows,” he observes, “while the aerodynamic effects of the winglets are not really felt within the normal flight envelope.”

Lessons Learnt One thing is certain when talking to people within Airbus – the company has learnt lessons from some of the teething problems related to the maturity of systems that threw the A380’s testing and development programme into disarray. “We are a lot further ahead at this stage compared to the A380 campaign in

terms of maturity and development,” insists Chapman. “From the A380 to this, there are a lot of changes in technology, but it is a natural evolution.” The second of the eventual five A350 test aircraft, MSN3, will fly at the end of September or in early October, according to Didier Evrard. The first passenger cabinequipped test-bed, MSN2, is due to take off in January 2014, before performing the early long-range test flights with passengers aboard next spring. MSN4, without a cabin and which will be used for external noise, lightning and cockpit head-up display tests, will join the campaign in February 2014. MSN5, which will be used for route proving, extended range operations (ETOPS) and the training of the first Qatar Airways crews, will come on line in April that year. “The first phase of flight tests is meant to freeze the aerodynamic configuration and all the settings,” Evrard explains. “One thing that could happen is a discrepancy between loads that you predicted and loads that you measure. That can bring changes on secondary structures, for example. Currently this is a very technical phase of the flight test programme. We want to do this quickly because any change needs to be quickly incorporated in the design. Then afterwards, it is more demonstration that it all works in extreme environments.”

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Airline One In addition to flight testing, Airbus has come up with a brand new concept to help smooth the A350’s entry to service. It is called Airline One and uses the five-aircraft test fleet to simulate an airline’s first few thousand hours of A350 operations. “We need to do 2,000 flight hours in a couple of months and this requires logistics, pilots and flight attendants, we are preparing that in a special hangar currently being built, to play with the aircraft like we were an airline,” Didier Evrard explains. “This allows us to find quick fixes if there are problems and train ourselves to be reactive [to any problems].” Once Airline One has been successfully passed, further challenges loom. The FAL’s A350-900 production capacity will increase to ten aircraft a month and by summer 2014, the first metal will be cut on the A350-1000, the largest A350XWB family member and a type eagerly awaited by customers such as Emirates, Qatar Airways, Cathay Pacific and British Airways. “The flight test campaign for the -1000 will use three aircraft, but the test programme is shorter than the current one,” Didier Evrard says. The challenges of ramping up A350-900 production and advancing with the A350-1000 means it will be some time before Evrard can finally relax, but at least he can be comfortable in the knowledge that the programme is on track for success.

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Commercial

Airbus to Supply IAG’s Narrowbodies The International Airlines Group (IAG), parent company of British Airways, Iberia and Vueling, announced an order for up to 200 new Airbus A320 family airliners on August 14 as part of its fleet replacement plans across its business units. Vueling, which IAG purchased earlier in 2013, will receive 30 A320ceos and 32 A320neos between 2015 and 2020. IAG has also placed options for another 58 aircraft, that can be split between the ’ceo and ’neo variants, to equip the Spanish low-cost carrier. Additionally it has booked a further 100 options for A320neos to meet British Airway’s and Iberia’s future narrowbody requirements. The purchase is subject to IAG shareholder approval. British Airways’ mainline short/ medium-haul network has operated A320 family variants since 1999 and Iberia has flown the type since the early 1990s. IAG is the latest European airline to commit to the A320neo following large orders by easyJet and Lufthansa. The narrowbody replacement complements IAG’s investment in new widebodies for British Airways and Iberia, including Airbus A350s and Boeing 787s (further to Fleet Overhaul Planned for Iberia, September, p32). Mark Broadbent

Second Dreamliner Variant Rolled Out Boeing rolled out the first 787-9 Dreamliner on August 24 at its assembly plant at Everett, Washington, and it has been delivered to the flight line for final preparations before its maiden flight (further to Boeing 787-9 Leaves Paint Shop, September, p4). It was built on the Temporary Surge Line at Everett, which was established to increase the production rate of the airliner. The Dash 9 can carry 40 more passengers than the baseline Dash 8. Boeing

Fire Shuts Nairobi Airport A major fire at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport in Kenya’s capital Nairobi on August 7 gutted the international terminal, shutting the airport down that day. The cause of the fire is not yet clear, however evidence apparently points to an electrical malfunction. The blaze began at the airport’s international arrivals section and quickly spread, as firefighters lacked water and adequate equipment to tackle it. No casualties were reported and international flights gradually resumed the following day. Jomo Kenyatta International is East Africa’s biggest hub and serves approximately five million passengers a year. No date has yet been set for the reopening of the main terminal. Guy Martin

Malawian Airlines Ltd Established Ethiopian Airlines has taken over Air Malawi, resulting in a new carrier called Malawian Airlines Limited. The process was completed at the end of July following Malawian government requests for an airline to reorganise and run the ailing state-owned carrier, which had accumulated debts of 10 billion

kwacha ($31.4 million). A total of $20 million will be injected into Malawian Airlines Limited, with the government of Malawi contributing 51% and Ethiopian Airlines 49%. The new carrier will concentrate on routes between the capital Lilongwe and Blantyre, and introduce a service to Karonga. Guy Martin

Initial Aeroflot Boeing 737-800

Boeing 737-8LJ(WL) VP-BRF, (c/n 41195), named S Obraztsov, is the first of the type for Aeroflot Russian Airlines. The airliner was noted undergoing pre-flight preparations at Renton Municipal Airport in Washington on August 24. It is one of 25 of the variant ordered for the airline by Rostekhnologii (Rostec) and leased to it by Avia Capital Services. It is due to be handed over in September. Joe G Walker

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Ceiba Cargo Candid Ilyushin Il-76TD Candid RA-76446 (c/n 1023412418, ex EW-76446) of Ceiba Cargo of Equatorial Guinea. The freighter was seen at Châlons Vatry Airport in northeast France. The Candid was flown into the French airport on July 17, filling in for the carrier’s Airbus A300, which was undergoing maintenance. Marko Siepelinga

Legal Challenge to American-US Merger The US Government is attempting to block the proposed merger between American Airlines and US Airways. The US Department of Justice (DoJ) and attorney-generals from six states have filed a lawsuit with the US District Court in Washington, DC, stating that the merger, agreed earlier this year, would “substantially reduce competition” in the US air travel market. The trial starts on November 25 and a judge, sitting without a jury, will determine if the two carriers can merge. The DoJ argues that the merger would have a negative effect on competition in local networks, citing the example of Ronald Reagan National Airport in Washington, DC, where it says 69% of take-off and landing slots would be held by the resultant airline. It also lists 1,000 city pairs that it says the combined airline would dominate, and states that

the merger could mean higher flight charges and baggage handling fees. American and US Airways dismissed the claims, saying it would pursue a “vigorous and strong defence” of the action and that they were “confident in our case and eager to go to court”. The airlines said: “We believe the DoJ is wrong in its assessment” and added that their complementary networks would benefit passengers. The DoJ challenge came as the US Bankruptcy Court prepared to present its ruling on whether American Airlines can exit Chapter 11 by merging with US. According to the bankruptcy judge, the arguments forwarded by the two airlines were “persuasive”, indicating that clearance could be granted despite the DoJ challenge. Mark Broadbent

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1

NEWS BY NUMBERS

737500 FOR CHANCHANGI Nigerian domestic carrier Chanchangi Airlines took delivery of a Boeing 737-500 (5N-BQZ) aircraft in mid-August. Airline spokesman Oludele Balogun said the aircraft arrived at Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport in Abuja from South Africa on August 10 and departed for the airline’s base at Kaduna Airport. It is being dry-leased to consolidate domestic routes, such as to Lagos, Abuja, Port Harcourt, Yola, Owerri and Uyo. Chanchangi expects to take delivery of another two aircraft in the near future. It currently has two 737-300s. Guy Martin

12

AIRBALTIC Q400S Latvian regional carrier airBaltic has taken delivery of its 12th Bombardier Q400 turboprop. The regional airline has received four Q400s since May, joining the eight previously delivered. This enabled the airline to retire its last Fokker 50, which had been the mainstay of its fleet since 1999. AirBaltic also operates Boeing 737-300/500s and Boeing 757s, but will move to an all-Bombardier fleet when it takes delivery of the ten CSeries CS300s it has on order. Mark Broadbent

MRJ Maiden Flight Postponed

The first flight of the Mitsubishi Regional Jet (MRJ) has been delayed by more than a year to the second quarter of 2015. Service entry of the regional jet has also been put back, to the second quarter of 2017. The announcement on August 22 is the second significant delay to the MRJ programme. The airliner was launched in 2008 and was originally due to fly in 2012, but in that year manufacturer Mitsubishi Aircraft Corporation (MITAC) postponed it to the end of 2013. “Design and respective certification [of aircraft components and systems] have taken greater resources than anticipated, which, in turn, impacted component deliveries and aircraft fabrication,” explained MITAC. “MITAC has established this new schedule to take into account the fulfilment of respective safety certification standards.” MITAC has booked 165 orders for the MRJ since launch customer All Nippon Airways ordered 15. Mark Broadbent

Commercial

Solyóm Airlines Receives its First Boeing 737

Boeing 737-505 HA-SHA, named Álmos Vezér (c/n 24648, ex VP-CAJ), is the first airliner for Solyóm Hungarian Airlines. The aircraft arrived at Budapest Airport in Hungary on August 18 on lease from European Skybus. Five additional 737500s are due from the same source under the terms of an agreement signed in London on July 16. Tamás Martényi

Ryanair Told to Reduce Aer Lingus Stake and Cuts Winter Capacity Low-cost airline Ryanair has been ordered by the United Kingdom’s competition authority to reduce its stake in Aer Lingus from 29.8% to 5%. In its final report on the holding, the Competition Commission said the level of Ryanair’s involvement in the Irish flag carrier “had led or may be expected to lead to a substantial lessening of competition between the airlines on routes between Great Britain and Ireland”. The Commission added that Ryanair’s minority shareholding was likely to “either directly or indirectly impede Aer Lingus from combining with another airline to build scale and achieve synergies to remain competitive”, as well as its ability to issue shares and raise capital. The watchdog called for the appointment of a trustee to oversee the process of selling Ryanair’s shareholding. Aer Lingus

welcomed the report, its chairman Colm Barrington saying: “We look forward to the implementation of its findings.” Ryanair Chief Executive Michael O’Leary lambasted the report, branding it as “manifestly wrong”. He argued that there was “not a shred of evidence” that the airline’s stake in Aer Lingus had reduced competition. He pointed to the February 2013 European Commission report that, he said, found competition had intensified on routes between Britain and Ireland since 2007. Another statement from Ryanair said the claims were “baseless”. Mr O’Leary added that Ryanair would appeal the decision through the Competition Appeal Tribunal. Meanwhile, Ryanair will cut capacity and park between 70 and 80 Boeing 737s over the forthcoming 2013/14 winter season after issuing

a profit warning. Europe’s biggest low-cost carrier reported to the London Stock Exchange that income for the 12 months to March 31, 2014, was likely to be at the lower end of a target range of €570 million to €600 million and could slip below that if demand weakens over the winter. The airline said it would ground up to 80 airliners, some 30 more than it previously predicted – with the cuts concentrated on routes in the United Kingdom, Ireland, Scandinavia, Spain and central Europe. This would reduce available seats in Ryanair’s network by 750,000 over the winter schedule. Ryanair’s actions could also be repeated by other European network carriers if demand continues to be poor. The budget airline says that it still expects to carry around 81 million passengers in the current financial year. Mark Broadbent

Fourth Boeing 737 for Tajik Air

Departing Shannon Airport in Ireland on September 2 was Boeing 737-448 N151LF (c/n 25736, ex UR-VVM) on its delivery flight to Tajik Air, on lease from the International Lease and Finance Company. The airliner flew from Phoenix Goodyear in Arizona, to Denver, Colorado, and then on to St John’s in Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada, before arriving at Shannon. It left Ireland for Sofia in Bulgaria. The aircraft is no stranger to Ireland, having previously been operated by Aer Lingus as EI-BXK. Once in Tajikistan it was due to become EY-753. Tajik Air currently operates two Boeing 737-300s and one -400, as well as two Boeing 757-200s. Michael Kelly

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NEWS REPORT

I

t was in the 1980s when Airbus strategists spotted two significant gaps in the widebody commercial aircraft market. One was for an airliner pitched between the Airbus A300/A310 and the DC-10/ Boeing 767, and the other was to fit between the DC-10 and Boeing 747. They came up with two concepts – the TA9 and the TA11 (with TA standing for twin aisle). The former was a twin-engine aircraft and the latter a four-engine design. With the A320’s development taking priority, serious design work on the concepts only began towards the end of the decade, when TA9 and TA11 respectively became the A330-300 and A340-300, and both were developed in parallel. The A340-300 flew first, on October 25, 1991, with the A330-300’s maiden flight taking place on November 2, 1992. The A340-300 entered service with Lufthansa in March 1993, with the A330-300 starting operations with the French domestic carrier Air Inter a year later. With increasing fuel prices and the extension of extended range twin operations (ETOPS) clearance to twin-engine aircraft, permitting the A330 to conduct longer over-water flights, the A340 never really caught on. By the end of 2011, after only 375 had been sold, so Airbus stopped A340 production. “The marketing people always predicted the twin would outsell the four-engined aircraft,” recalls British aerodynamicist Jeff Jupp, who was the Chief Engineer of the common wing for the A330 and A340.

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1,000 U Strong Performer In contrast, the A330 has become a big hit. On July 19, 2013 Airbus delivered the 1,000th A330, which was handed over to Cathay Pacific Airways. “This is the first time a non-American widebody has reached that mark,” says Crawford Hamilton, head of twin-aisle product marketing at Airbus. “We reached this fairly quickly, only three years behind the 1,000th 767, delivered in early 2011.” The delivery comes at a time when the A330 programme looks stronger than ever. The type has a backlog of 260 aircraft and this year alone, seven new operators have introduced A330-300s to their fleets: Air Namibia, Cebu Pacific Air (which has configured its examples with 436 seats, the densest seat layout of any A330 to date), Czech Airlines (which has taken over an aircraft from Korean Air), Fiji Airways, Iberia, Libyan Airlines and Sichuan Airlines. This successful strategy is in marked contrast to the A330’s early days. After what Hamilton describes as a “reasonable start”, with 54 A330-300s sold in 19951998, sales of the aircraft “slowed down”. The A330-300 was marketed as a highdensity short-to-medium-haul airliner with a maximum range of 7,400km (4,000nm). Only in 1998, when the longer-range A330200 was launched, did Airbus, in Hamilton’s words, “hit a sweet spot in the market and the A330 got a big push.” The Air Namibia, Fiji Airways and Libyan Airlines

aircraft are all A330-200s. According to Airbus chief operating officer for customers John Leahy, the A330-200’s standing on the market was enhanced by Boeing’s launch in 2004 of the 7E7, later re-named the Boeing 787. He told AIR International: “At the time Boeing started bragging about a game-changing aircraft called the 7E7, it required people to compare it to something – the A330. Then [customers] realised they could get an A330 a lot earlier and pay a lot less.”

A330 Facts Airbus claims that the A330 has outsold the 787 since 2008 by five to one. Since the 787’s launch, over 800 new A330 sales have been added to the order book and the number of A330 family operators has doubled from 50 to 100. The company says that an A330 takes off or lands every 23 seconds. A total of 1.2 billion passengers have flown on the type – equal to the population of either India or China. The A330 fleet has clocked up over 25 million flight hours in over 5.5 million flights. While the average sector length flown by A330 is 3,400km (1,838nm), the equivalent of flying from Toulouse to Moscow, the spectrum of routes the type flies is much wider. The shortest A330 route is DohaBahrain, a hop of just 137km (74nm), operated by Qatar Airways, and the longest is Honolulu-Seoul at 10,000km (5,426nm) flown by Korean Air.

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0 Up Improved Performance The A330 has over time evolved into a multi-purpose aircraft – it’s “optimised for everything”, as Crawford Hamilton puts it. Originally, the A330’s maximum take-off weight (MTOW) of 212 tonnes could only reach 39% of the long-haul destinations from London Heathrow non-stop. “But today’s A330’s long-range capabilities now match that of the A340,” Hamilton says. In mid-2015 there will be a new, improved version of the A330-300 boasting an MTOW of 242 tonnes and an increased range of 6,100nm (11,300km), enabling it to reach 91% of long-haul destinations from Heathrow non-stop. The extra performance is being generated by activating the centre section fuel tank. This holds an additional 41,560 litres (9,141 imp gal) of fuel, in addition to the current 97,530 litres (21,453 imp gal) capacity.

Above and main: Airbus delivered the 1,000th

A330 (msn 1436) to Cathay Pacific Airways on July 19, 2013. The aircraft is registered B-LBB with the slogan ‘We are flying the 1,000th A330’ on each side of the forward fuselage. Airbus

This enhancement, however, comes with a weight penalty of about 250kg (550lb) due to the extra seating and fuel pumps.

Family Approach The commercial success of the A330 can also be attributed to the family concept. The -300 typically seats 300 passengers in a two-class cabin, with the same configuration in the -200 seating 245 passengers, meaning both types complement one another. Then there’s the freighter version, the A330-200CF, which carries 70 tonnes of cargo, the ACJ330 VIP jet version (for the “budget-conscious

NEWS REPORT

Almost 20 years after entering service, the Airbus A330 programme is booming with the 1,000th aircraft delivered. Andreas Spaeth reports

billionaire”, as Crawford Hamilton puts it) and the Airbus Military A330 MRTT tanker transport currently in service with the Royal Australian Air Force and the Royal Air Force. The blooming of the A330 programme has, however, affected production of the A350 family. “Originally we were planning to use parts of the A330 production stations in the final assembly line [FAL] of the A350,” said Didier Evrard, head of the A350 programme, in a recent AIR International interview. “But as the A330 is continuing to be successful, we had to build a new ‘station 30’ [the part of the Airbus FAL where ground testing of mechanical, electrical and avionics systems is carried out] in the A350 final assembly, while we do share some facilities, such as cabin installation, paint shop and flight line with the A330.”

Production The A350 was designed to be close to the A330. There is a high degree of cockpit commonality, enabling a common type rating with just eight training days for a pilot transitioning between both types. Much of the A350 systems functionality, such as the flight management system, will be migrated into future A330 updates. The production of A330s, meanwhile, is at an all-time high, with the output going up from 7.5 to ten aircraft per month. “In the last ten years our production cycle for [building] an A330 has been decreasing from 100 to just 70 days [per aircraft], our target is a further optimisation to just 65 days,” explains A330 FAL manager Fabrice Rémésy. The rate of ten A330s per month is set until 2016, although 11 per month is possible. There is constant pressure to optimise the A330 to free up capacity for the A350. For example 60 to 70% of the cabin furnishings are installed in the fuselage sections before they arrive at the FAL, much earlier in the production process than before. Also new is that the complete testing for cockpit and cabin is now done in one step on the FAL which Rémésy describes as “a really demanding work process”.

Prospects Commercially, the future looks bright for the A330. “We’ll be in production until the next decade,” says John Leahy, citing ongoing interest “from quite a few customers”. The A330 is positioned as a potential replacement for ageing Boeing

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777-200ERs. “Fifty operators with 400 aircraft require replacements – the A330 offers lower costs and greater efficiency,” claims Crawford Hamilton. Older Boeing 777s are also due for replacement. Singapore Airlines is already swapping its older 777-200ERs for A330s, which Airbus claims has a 10-15% cost advantage over the American type. The A330’s current competitors are the Boeing 787-8 and -9, while the 787-10 and the proposed 777X variants compete with the A350. Airbus also claims that the A330’s eight-abreast seating with a seat pitch of 450mm (18in) beats the nine-abreast layout and a 429mm (16.9in) seat pitch of many 787 operators.

A330 Regional Leahy is always looking ahead to come up with new variants and ensure more business. Technically an ‘A330-400’, a stretched version of the A330-300, is possible but Leahy says: “We [won’t] look at another A330 stretch – 436 seats are enough”. But he added: “We see a market for a new regional version of the A330 with a lower take-off weight and less thrust, we will offer it by the end of the year.” The main target markets for this new variant are likely to be airlines in China and India. These are regions where Cathay Pacific is also deploying its A330 fleet, currently comprising 38 A330-300s. Another 18 examples are operated by its subsidiary Dragonair. “Ten more aircraft are to join the Cathay fleet, we love this aircraft,” says Ivan Chu, Cathay’s chief operating officer. Since putting the A330 into service in 1995, Cathay has placed repeat orders for more of the type on nine occasions. “Cathay is very significant for Airbus,” says Crawford Hamilton. While Dragonair flies the A330s from Hong Kong to Beijing and Shanghai in three-class cabins, including first class, Cathay uses its A330s in a two-class configuration on nine to ten hour-missions to Australia, the Middle East and India. From 2014 Cathay will begin phasing out its remaining Boeing 747-400s from long-haul operations and replacing them with the A330, with the European twin also replacing its remaining 11 A340-300s from 2020. In Hong Kong, as well as elsewhere, the A330 is clearly regarded as an effective part of the fleet. And in conjunction with the A350, this means Europe’s twin-aisle widebody is set to play a role in the airline business for many years to come.

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Piotr Butowski looks at Rostvertol’s work with the Mi-28 and Mi-35 helicopters

ostvertol in Rostov-on-Don in the south of Russia has manufactured Mil helicopters since 1956. Present production comprises the Mil Mi-28 Havoc attack helicopter, the Mi-35 combat/transport version of the Mi-24 Hind, and the world’s heaviest transport helicopter, the Mi-26 Halo. Rostvertol isn’t just an assembly plant, taking parts delivered from other factories in the Russian Helicopters company (of which Rostvertol is part), but makes the subassemblies. It now has a much expanded production facility manufacturing main rotor blades, including fully composite versions. From 2014 the facility will also make tail rotor blades for all Mil military and civil helicopters, in addition to receiving those built at Rostov.

Busy Times In 2012, Rostvertol delivered 14 Mi-28Ns, 16 Mi-35Ms and six Mi-26s to the Russian Air Force (RuAF). Another eight Mi-35Ms were exported to Azerbaijan and three more to Brazil. Another Mi-26 was sold to the civil customer, the Rostvertol Avia company. The income amounted to 30.232 billion roubles (US$950 million). Some 8,500 employees work at the factory where the average monthly wage amounts to 39,700 roubles (above US$1,200) – considered to be good pay outside of Moscow. Rostvertol is investing in new production tooling in the factory and also getting ready to move the location of its flight test facilities from the plant to the former Russian Air Force (RuAF) base outside Rostov-on-Don. Years ago the Rostvertol factory was on the outskirts of the city, but it is now surrounded by housing estates, prompting the decision to move flight testing to a less populated area. The move starts next year and will take three-to-four years to complete.

Mi-28UB Flies On August 9, 2013 Mil’s newest helicopter, the Mi-28UB – a dedicated training version of the Mi-28N attack helicopter – made the first demonstration flight at Rostvertol in the presence of RuAF representatives. The helicopter made its public debut during the MAKS 2013 air show at Zhukovsky near Moscow later in August. During the first flight, the helicopter was piloted by Sergey Barkov, with G. Ananyev being the systems operator (Barkov was also the test pilot for the maiden flight of the first Mi-28N, back in 2004). The first prototype Mi-28UB OP-1 (yellow 37) has been converted from the first helicopter of the second Mi-28N production batch (serial number 02-01). Externally the differences between the combat Mi-28N and the Mi-28UB are

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Havocs&H

barely perceptible: the Mi-28UB’s crew compartment is 140mm (5.5in) wider than the Mi-28N. According to chief engineer of the Rostvertol factory, Andrei Varfolomeyev, there has been no decision on introducing the Mi-28UB’s wider cockpit to the Mi-28N. The decision depends on test pilot opinion. Unlike the Mi-28N, however, the front cockpit of the Mi-28UB is equipped with additional instrumentation including an artificial horizon and a horizontal situation indicator. The pilot and pupil received new shock-absorbing seats AK-2005 instead of the former Pamir type. Varfolomeyev said the Mi-28UB retained all the Mi-28N’s mission systems – sensors, weapons and self-defence devices – making it a valuable training tool for the main attack version and as a combat helicopter in its own right, with capabilities equal to the Mi-28N.

name is confidential. Dmitry Petrov, Russian Helicopters CEO, confirmed in August that “there is the single export contract for the Mi-28, and another one will be signed before the end of this year”. The second client is rumoured to be the Iraqi armed forces. According to Rostvertol, there are still other countries interested in the helicopter, such as Algeria and Venezuela and the former Soviet republics of Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan. The Mi-28NE took part in the tender for 22 attack helicopters for India, but lost to the Boeing AH-64 Apache.

Radar Mi-28Ns manufactured to date lack radar equipment. Their sole aiming system is the OPS-28 Tor electro-optical turret. An N025 radar unit designed specifically for Mi-28N and UB is undergoing testing at the GRPZ

Fleet Plan Viktor Bondarev, Commander-in-Chief of the Russian Air Force, said on the occasion of the Mi-28UB’s maiden flight that the RuAF would receive 40-60 Mi-28UBs by 2020, with “four [to] six for each military unit” which operates the Mi-28N. The Russian Ministry of Defence has placed a series of orders for the Mi-28N, comprising a 67-helicopter order in 2005, followed by 30 more in 2010 and a further 70 examples a year later. When the latter contract was announced the Mi-28N’s unit price was revealed to be 721 million roubles (US$24m). Deliveries of the Mi-28N began in 2008 when the first helicopters arrived at the 344th Military Evaluation and Crew Conversion Centre at Torzhok, 225km (139 miles) north-west of Moscow. The helicopter was accepted by the RuAF on October 15, 2009 before deliveries to front-line bases began: the 387th Air Base (AB) at Budionnovsk in southern Russia in late 2009, the 393rd AB at Korenovsk, near the Black Sea, in 2010 and the 546th AB at Rostov-on-Don in 2012. On August 9, 2013 the first two Mi-28Ns were delivered to the fourth operational unit, the 378th AB at Vyazma in western Russia. The Russian Ministry of Defence intends to operate the Mi-28N/UB from ten air bases. The Rostvertol factory manufactured one of the Mi-28N prototypes (the others were made by Mil in Moscow). It has gone on to produce five helicopters in the first production batch and 10 in each subsequent batch.

Export Prospects The Mi-28N has secured one export customer so far. A contract for 12 Mi-28NEs was signed back in 2010, although the client

facility at Ryazan, south-east of Moscow. The N025 is single-range millimetre-wave (Ka-band) radar for surface mapping and detection of surface targets. It identifies targets more precisely by using optical and thermovision sights. Installed at the top of helicopter’s main rotor mast, it has been redesigned from its original incarnation several years ago. It is lighter, more durable (the aerial on the initial version only lasted several hours of flying) and has new operation modes. From December 2011 to May 2012, the Mi-28N ‘yellow 36’ (s/n 01-05) made 12 test flights with an N025 radar to test the radar’s structural integrity on the helicopter. This was followed from October 2012 to April of this year by 28 flights for initial testing of the radar’s performance, including target detection range and coordinate accuracy. Yellow 36 has been handed over to the Russian Ministry of Defence for state acceptance tests, due to be undertaken over the next two years. Once completed, N025 radars will be installed in new-build Mi-28Ns and also retrofitted to in-service helicopters, which will come back to Rostov-

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NEWS REPORT

&Hinds on-Don for the equipment installation. The N025 radar will also be fitted to the first example of the Mi-28UB.

Mi-28NM Mil is already developing a modernised version of the Mi-28 called the Mi-28NM. The variant will feature a number of new avionics including the BRLK-28 mission system, an N025M radar (a follow-on version of the basic N025), a GOES-451M electro-optical unit (as used on the Kamov Ka-52 helicopter), a LSN-296 laser missile homing system and the L370 Vitebsk self-defence system. It will also have VK2500P engines instead of the TV3-117VMA fitted to the Mi-28A/N. Mi-28N ‘yellow 38 (s/n 02-02, the second helicopter of the second Mi-28N production batch, will be converted into the first prototype Above: The first prototype Mi-28UB (c/n OP-1), a training version of the Mi-28N, seen at Rostov-onDon in mid-August. All images Piotr Butowski Left and far left: The N025 radar is currently undergoing testing at the GRPZ facility at Ryazan. Once

state acceptance trials are complete, the new radar will be installed on all new-build Mi-28Ns and retrofitted on aircraft already in service with the Russian Air Force.

operated versions of the preceding Mi-24, they can more easily and cost-effectively master the Mi-35. The Mi-35M is also more reliable than the Mi-28N. According to Rostvertol’s statistics concerning warranty service, in 2012, Mi-35M helicopters operated by the RuAF had just one fault per 29.5 flying hours, whereas the Mi-28Ns had three times more faults in just 10.5 flying hours. Mi-28NM. It is expected to fly after modernisation in 2015.

Mi-35 Popularity Although the Mi-28N helicopter has been manufactured for several years and is a major focus of activities at Rostvertol, demand for the Mi-35, the modernised version of the Mi-24, continues. Indeed, Rostvertol manufactures more Mi-35s than Mi-28s. During the author’s visit to the manufacturer, its assembly hall contained Mi-35Ms being made for the RuAF and the Azerbaijan Air Force. Another destined for Azerbaijan was undertaking a test flight (although it didn’t have any national markings); while three more wearing Brazilian Air Force colours were ready for delivery shortly. There are several reasons for the continued demand for the Mi-35M. Firstly, the Mi-35M has a cargo hold that can be used for eight troopers or for casualty evacuation from the battlefield. Secondly, it is less expensive than the Mi-28 (although the latter is just 20% more expensive). And thirdly, with so many customers having

Orders Venezuela was the first export customer for the Mi-35M and between 2006 and 2008 received ten helicopters. The factory designation for the Venezuelan version is izdeliye (item) 558. Brazil ordered 12 Mi-35Ms helicopters in 2008 and has received nine, with the three remaining machines observed by the author in the factory. Russian Helicopters hopes Brazil will order four more Mi-35Ms, given the local designation of AH-2 Sabre. The third foreign client is Azerbaijan, which in autumn 2010 ordered 24 Mi-35Ms and to date has received 12. The RuAF has placed two Mi-35M orders, the first in 2010 for 22 and a second for 27. The Russian Mi-35Ms are operated at the 387th Air Base at Budionnovsk and the 393rd Air Base at Korenovsk, the same units which operate the Mi-28N.

Differences The Mi-35M differs from the Mi-24 in having “cropped” wings and a fixed landing gear,

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changes made to reduce the aircraft weight. Composite blades and the main rotor head, as well as the X-type tail rotor, were all design features derived from the Mi-28N. The key element of the Mi-35M’s on-board equipment is the OPS-24N day-and-night aiming system with a GOES-342-10 electrooptical turret suspended on the starboard side of the front of the fuselage. By comparison, Mi-24 helicopters are equipped only with the Raduga daytime optical sight. The Mi-35M is also equipped with a glass cockpit, night-vision goggles and improved navigation and communication equipment. The armament includes Ataka anti-tank missiles, unguided missiles, bombs and a 23mm Gsh-23L cannon. Its mission system and armament is similar to those of the newer Mi-28N, although the latter’s capability will step forward when it receives its radar.

Mi-24 Plus Russian Helicopters is also planning to introduce a further modernisation for the Mi-35M. The exact definition of the programme. called Mi-24 Plus, is still unclear but, according to Andrei Varfolomeyev, airframe modifications will be slight. The focus will be on the engine, a new modern main rotor blade and swash plate. The helicopter will also have a new computing system, sensors and armament. If the Mi-24 Plus programme starts, Russian Helicopters says that production of the modernised helicopter could be launched at Rostovon-Don in 2020.

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Final Dutch CH-47F Delivered

MATRIX Technology

The Sikorsky MATRIX programme makes use of the Sikorsky Autonomous Research Aircraft, a modified S-76B. Sikorsky

Sikorsky recently unveiled a research programme called MATRIX Technology that will give rotary and fixed-wing VTOL aircraft a high level of system intelligence, enabling them to fly complex missions with minimal human oversight, and at low altitudes where obstacles are a hazard. The MATRIX programme is headed by Sikorsky Innovations, which has equipped an S-76B (N760PV, c/n 760425) with fly-by-wire controls to act as a flying laboratory. Known as the Sikorsky Autonomous Research Aircraft (SARA), it will facilitate rapid development and flight-testing of software and

hardware, and when not in flight it can be configured to serve as its own simulator. SARA made its first autonomous flight in late July. A safety pilot will be aboard for early flight test work. For 2014 Sikorsky has set challenging key performance parameters that will include demonstrating safe flight in obstacle-strewn environments, and landing aboard ships and in ‘brownout’ conditions. “VTOL pilots increasingly will become mission managers, either on the aircraft or when monitoring from the ground via datalink, because they will feel

comfortable letting the aircraft fly itself,” says Mark Miller, Sikorsky’s Vice President of Research & Engineering. “MATRIX Technology will provide order-of-magnitude improvements in system intelligence and contingency management to ensure high levels of reliability, and ultimately make unmanned missions by helicopters and VTOL aircraft of all sizes highly affordable. While the aviation industry measures loss rates for current unmanned aircraft at approximately one per 1,000 flight hours, MATRIX aims to improve that to one per 100,000 flight hours.” Mike Jerram

The final Boeing CH-47F(NL) Chinook for the Koninklijke Luchtmacht (Royal Netherlands Air Force) arrived by ship at the port of Antwerp in the Netherlands during August. The helicopter was prepared for the journey in late July at Baltimore, Maryland, by the staff from the Logistics Centre Woensdrecht (LCW), Defence Helicopter Command (DHC) and Defence Materiel Organisation. It is the last of six new CH-47F(NL)s ordered by the Netherlands. After arriving at Antwerp a team from the LCW and DHC began preparing the helicopter to make it airworthy. The LCW will be carrying out several small modifications specific to the Dutch aircraft, after which the Chinook will join two others at Gilze-Rijen AB operated by 298 Squadron (see First Two Dutch CH-47F(NL)s Handed Over, November 2012, p34). The other three Chinooks from the order are currently based at Fort Hood, Texas, with the Joint Netherlands Training Detachment, having already been modified by LCW and DHC staff in the United States. Bob Fischer

Wildcats at RNAS Culdrose RACHAEL to Replace Hips

During early September two AgustaWestland AW159 Wildcat HMA2s briefly deployed to RNAS Culdrose, Cornwall, from RNAS Yeovilton, Somerset, to conduct radar trials, and develop search and rescue techniques with other naval assets in the Mount’s Bay area. It also provided the opportunity to identify what support equipment and personnel are required to operate the helicopter away from its home base. The maritime Wildcat variant is

operated by 700(W) Naval Air Squadron (NAS) alongside the army’s fleet of Wildcat AH1s at RNAS Yeovilton in Somerset. The unit is putting the HMA2 through an extensive programme of trials, and is developing tactics before it enters service with 815 NAS. The new helicopter will operate alongside the older Lynx HMA8 on frontline operations from 2015 before the older type is retired. No.700(W) NAS is charged with delivering Wildcat’s operational capability. Ian Harding

Russian Helicopters CEO Dmitry Petrov said in August that development of its High Speed Russian Advanced Commercial Helicopter (RACHEL) project to replace the Mil Mi-8/17 Hip in 2018 is moving ahead. A decision

on the powerplants, Russian or Western, will be made before the end of the year. A flying test-bed is being built around a Mil Mi-35 with a new rotor system to set speed parameters and validate systems. David Oliver

‘Golden Eagles’ Flagship in Spain Among four Bell-Boeing MV-22B Ospreys recently deployed to Morón AB in Spain was BuNo 168230/‘YS-01’ (c/n D0180), the flagship of Marine Medium Tiltrotor Squadron 162 (VMM-162) ‘Golden Eagles’ based at MCAS New River, North Carolina. The tiltrotors arrived on August 17. The Spanish base supports Osprey deployments for potential rapid response operations in northern Africa (see Marines Deploy to Spain, June, p8). Antonio Muñiz Zaragüeta

AgustaWestland AW159 Wildcat HMA2 ZZ413 (c/n 483) alongside a Merlin HM2 at RNAS Culdrose, Cornwall, for the recent radar trials. RNAS Culdrose

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Rotary Wing

Osprey Tanker Demonstration An F/A-18A+ Hornet formates with a drogue trailed by Bell-Boeing MV-22B Osprey N204TR during the first tanker demonstration flight by the tiltrotor. Boeing

Bell-Boeing MV-22B Osprey tiltrotor N204TR (c/n D0043 ex BuNo 165942) demonstrated its ability to function as a tanker in an initial trial over north Texas in midAugust. Using a prototype single hose drum unit mounted inside the Osprey’s cabin, the drogue was deployed to approximately 30ft (10m) in front and to the side of a McDonnell Douglas F/A18A+ Hornet with Marine Fighter

Attack Squadron 314 (VMFA314) markings and an F/A-18D to validate its stability. The Osprey was leased to Bell Helicopters for development work from December 2011, based at Arlington Municipal Airport, Texas, but was operated by Marine Tiltrotor Operational Test and Evaluation Squadron TwentyTwo (VMX-22) for the flight. The roll-on/roll-off refuelling kit was designed and funded by

Boeing, which is also financing the demonstration, on behalf of the US Marine Corps. The service is interested in the system to support the Lockheed Martin F-35B Lightning II, although a Hornet was used for the original test because an F-35B was not available. One of the operational concepts put forward by the Marines for deploying the F-35B onboard amphibious assault ships is that a squadron of 16

aircraft would be supported by six MV-22Bs equipped to carry the modular refuelling system. Bell-Boeing will conduct further trials with the receiver directly behind the Osprey before performing dry contacts and ultimately passing fuel. The prototype system was produced using off-the-shelf components to investigate its aerodynamic characteristics. David C Isby

Burkina Faso Helicopter Pilots Train in Czech Republic The Czech Republic will train approximately 12 helicopter pilots from Burkina Faso to fly Mil Mi-17 Hips. The programme

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KENYAN POLICE SEEKING NEW HELICOPTER The Kenyan Police Service wants to acquire a new single-engined helicopter, following the crash of its Eurocopter AS350 Ecureuil last year that killed six people on board, including the internal security minister and his assistant. The tender for the new aircraft closed on August 2. The majority of the police service’s aircraft are unserviceable, with five of eight helicopters and four of seven Cessnas grounded. The police have around ten helicopter and thirteen fixed wing pilots, as well as 18 engineers and 48 technicians. Guy Martin

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OSPREY SQUADRONS ON OKINAWA The US Marine Corps deployed Marine Medium Tiltrotor Squadron 262 (VMM262) ‘Flying Tigers’ as its second Bell-Boeing MV-22B Osprey squadron on Okinawa in August. The Ospreys arrived at Iwakuni AB, Yamaguchi prefecture, Japan, on the transport USNS Green Ridge (T-AK-9655). The first two arrived at their new base at MCAS Futenma on Okinawa on August 3, but the others were delayed by the crash of a US Air Force Sikorsky

is due to begin later this year and will qualify the pilots to take part in United Nations and other multinational operations in support

of humanitarian or disaster relief missions. Training will take place at Pardubice in Central Bohemia and is being organized by LOM

NEWS BY NUMBERS

HH-60G Pave Hawk on August 5, because of Japanese sensitivities about the safety of US helicopters operating around Futenma. VMM-262 was assigned to Marine Aircraft Group 36, joining VMM-265 ‘Dragons’ which operates 11 Osprey at the airfield (see Ospreys Deploy to Japan, September, p38). The squadrons will participate in joint exercises with the Japanese Self-Defense Force during October at the Albano training area in Shiga prefecture and multiple locations in Kochi prefecture. The exercise will include Ospreys operating from Japanese ships. David C Isby

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OSPREY FOR JAPAN Japan’s self-defence forces plan to include funding for procurement of at least one Bell-Boeing MV-22 Osprey tiltrotor in its fiscal year 2015 budget. The 2014 budget request included 100 million yen ($1.2 million) for technical documentation and studies for the Osprey, an increase from the 8 million yen ($100,000) stipulated in the previous year’s budget request (see Ospreys for Japan?, July, p34). Defence Minister Itsunori Onodera told reporters in Miyagi Prefecture on August 20, “It is necessary to consider

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the usefulness” of the Osprey. David C Isby

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FURTHER AW139 DELIVERED TO WESTSTAR

Weststar Aviation Services of Malaysia has taken delivery of an AgustaWestland AW139 (N326YS, c/n 41342) that brings its total fleet of the type to 18 since the first example entered service in April 2011. They are used for offshore oil-gas support and VIP services. Since 2010 Weststar has ordered 30 helicopters from AgustaWestland, comprising 24 AW139s, four AW189s and two AW169s. The latest AW139 was built at the company facility in Philadelphia. As of August, around 200 customers from 60 countries have placed a total of 730 orders for AW139s. Mike Jerram

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JAPANESE DAUPHIN 2 FIREFIGHTERS Eurocopter has delivered the third AS365N3 Dauphin 2 to Japan’s Fire and Disaster Management Agency (FDMA). The helicopter (JA04FD, c/n 6960) entered service in early August in the Miyahi prefecture, replacing a BK117C2 that was damaged during the 2011 earthquake.. More than 50 AS365s are

Praha, a state-run firm specialising in the operation and maintenance of Russian and Soviet-designed helicopters. David C Isby flying in Japan, where Eurocopter models have a 60% share of the helicopter firefighting market. Mike Jerram

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MI-17V5S FOR INDIA’S BSF Eight Mil Mi-17V5 Hip helicopters will be delivered from Russia to India’s Border Security Force (BSF) between September 2014 and October 2015. The BSF will operate the helicopters from Ranchi in Jharkhand and Raipur and Jagdalpur in Chhattisgarh against Naxalite guerrillas, and to support BSF outposts in Mizoram that rely on helicopter resupply. Initially the helicopters will be flown by former Indian Air Force aircrews. Compared to the Mi17V1 helicopters currently operated by the BSF, the new version will have better armour, a ‘glass cockpit’ and improved avionics and navigation equipment. David C Isby

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HELICOPTERS FOR SINO-US AgustaWestland has appointed SinoUS as non-exclusive distributor for its civil helicopters in China, excluding Hong Kong and Macau. Sino-US has placed a launch order for 20 helicopters comprising AW119Kes, GrandNews, AW139s, AW169s and AW189s. Total order value is more than €170 million. Mike Jerram

AI.10.13

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Rotary Wing

GRITD Promises Quieter Landings Eurocopter has demonstrated new landing procedures based on augmented satellite guidance that can be tailored to comply with local environmental requirements. The system was validated during flight tests with an EC155 as part of the company’s participation in the Green Rotorcraft Integrated Technology Demonstrator (GRITD) programme. The testing involved use of optimized noise abatement flight paths compatible with instrument flight rules operations. During the EC155’s landing approaches, vertical guidance was provided by the European Geostationary Navigation Overlay Service (EGNOS), the European Satellite-Based Augmentation System, with the helicopter’s flight management system coupled to its automatic flight control system. This enabled the new approach profiles to be flown accurately, minimizing pilot workload with automatic monitoring of speed profiles and ascent/descent rates. Eurocopter Vice President of Research Yves Favennec said the flights demonstrated “significant reductions in the helicopter’s perceived sound footprint... They also confirmed that such automated low-noise approaches could be tailored to local environmental requirements, thereby optimizing Eurocopter helicopter operations for even the most sensitive environments.” GRITD is part of the Clean Sky Joint Technology Initiative, which aims to improve the environmental performance of aircraft. Mike Jerram

AW609 Improvements to Boost Performance

The second prototype AgustaWestland AW609 with the aerodynamic improvements to the vertical tailplane. The original straight trailing edge has been modified with a reduced width section on the lower four-fifths of the fin. The original square-section exhausts have been replaced by circular-section units. AgustaWestland

AgustaWestland is flight testing aerodynamic improvements that will boost the performance of its AW609 TiltRotor. The second prototype (N609AG, c/n 60002) made its first flight on July 25 at Cascina Costa in Italy with a modified vertical fin, part of a extensive package of improvements that includes more aerodynamic engine exhaust nozzles and changes to the prop-rotor spinner cones. The manufacturer says these modifications reduce the drag factor of the AW609 TiltRotor by approximately 10%, as well as making a significant reduction in weight, with a resulting performance increase. In addition, an upgraded version of the Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6 turboshaft is being installed on the AW609 and will include the latest

Mil Mi-35M (AH-2 Sabre) 8962 is one of the last three examples due to be delivered to the Brazilian Air Force. David Oliver

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AI.10.13

AW609 Programme Manager Clive Scott explains, “These modifications are an integral part of the overall AW609 programme re-baselining aimed at reducing customer acquisition and operating costs, coupled with delivering performance and technology improvements. The aerodynamic improvements, new avionics, new cockpit display system and a large number of other improvements will together give the aircraft greater performance and mission capabilities, making it even more attractive for carrying out a wide range of missions which can benefit from its much higher cruise speed, high-altitude cruise capability and longer range, when compared to existing helicopters or other proposed high-speed rotorcraft.” Mike Jerram

Accident Raises Super Puma Safety Concerns

Hind Work

More than 1,600 Mil Mi-24 Hind variants have left the Rostvertol production lines over the past four decades and the latest Mi-35M variant continues to be delivered to the Russian Armed Forces and several export customers. In August at the Rostov-on-Don facility, five of 50 Mi-35Ms for the Russian Air Force and a single Russian Border Guard Force aircraft were in final assembly with another undergoing flight trials,

in technological developments, providing the aircraft with increased performance capabilities and enhanced safety. Rockwell Collins is supplying a fully integrated cockpit based on its Pro Line Fusion suite that includes 14in (355mm) touch-screen displays, integrated flight management systems with satellite-based navigation, synthetic and enhanced vision, and head-up-display interfaces, all of which will be integrated with the aircraft’s own avionics management systems. BAE Systems is providing an upgraded flight control computer for the TiltRotor’s triple redundant fully digital fly-by-wire flight controls that will include AgustaWestland control laws and flight control software, as well as the digital engine control system.

while the last three of 12 ordered by the Força Aérea Brasileira (Brazilian Air Force) were being prepared for delivery. Earlier Russian Air Force Mi-24Vs were also being refurbished and upgraded. Rostvertol Director General Boris Slyusar told AIR International that the company would not undertake any more airframe redesigns, but it was working on enhancements of the Mi-35’s avionics and weapons systems. David Oliver

The cause of a fatal crash of a CHC Scotia Eurocopter AS332L2 Super Puma Mk2 remained undetermined as AIR International went to press. AS332L2 G-WNSB (c/n 2582, ex VP-CHB) ditched on August 23 approximately 2nm (3.7km) west of Sumburgh on the Shetland Islands. Air traffic control lost contact with the helicopter around 1830hrs. Two crew members and 16 offshore workers were on the helicopter, four of whom perished in the accident. A voluntary temporary suspension of AS332L/L1/L2 and EC225 commercial passenger flights to and from offshore installations in the UK was agreed until a cause of the incident could be determined. Super Puma variants account for over 50% of the UK’s offshore support helicopter fleet and the grounding caused delays to the rotation of offshore workers. The UK Helicopter Safety Steering Group recommended resumption of AS332L/L1 and EC225 passenger operations over the North Sea on

August 29, although AS332L2 operations were restricted to nonpassenger, training and positioning flights only. This recommendation was confirmed by the Civil Aviation Authority on September 2. A special bulletin released by the UK Air Accidents Investigation Branch three days later stated, “no evidence of a causal technical failure has been identified” . The accident followed the recent return to offshore operations by EC225s after modifications to the main gearbox lubrication system approved by the European Aviation Safety Agency on July 9 (see EC225s Return to Offshore Operations, September, p41). Problems with the gearbox were causal in two crashes in the North Sea in May and October 2012. While the gearbox is not being considered as a factor in the recent AS332 accident, as far as many offshore workers are concerned it has further damaged confidence in the safety of the Super Puma family.

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TANKERS

The Missions...The Systems ...The Specifications PART ONE

KC-10 Extender • KC-30 MRTT • CC-150 Polaris KC-707 Reem • Il-78 Midas • KC-767

New Frig Thirty-Three’s

KC-30A A39-005 over the Pacific Ocean on an air-refuelling mission from Andersen AFB, Guam during exercise Cope North in February 2013. All Royal Australian Air Force KC-30As wear No.33 Squadron’s badge featuring a Frigatebird on the tail. Jim Haseltine

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he Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF)’s fleet of Airbus Military KC-30A Multi-Role Tanker Transports (MRTTs) is now settling into daily flying operations, despite on-going development work that aims to deliver its full contracted capability. Five KC-30As have been accepted by the RAAF, the first two were delivered in mid-2011, although one aircraft remains with Airbus Military at Getafe, Spain,

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to support certification of improvements to the fly-bywire Aerial Refuelling Boom System (ARBS). The other four KC30As in service with No.33 Squadron at RAAF Amberley, south-west of Brisbane – although currently limited to refuelling only the RAAF’s F/A-18A/B Hornets and F/A-18E Super Hornets with the underwing

pods – are now starting to display their promised capabilities. Beyond the airto-air refuelling (AAR) role, the KC-30A is earning a reputation as a valuable significant strategic airlifter and 33 Squadron has already performed logistics taskings throughout North America, Europe and Asia-Pacific. The KC-30A project

is now at least two years late and has been on the Australian government’s ‘Projects of Concern’ list (which, according to the Department for Defence intends “to focus the attention of Defence and industry on remediating problem projects”) since November 2010. However, all of the known issues have remedial action planned and there is growing confidence within the RAAF that the aircraft will meet its contractual specifications by the end of 2014.

Project History

The KC-30A was announced as the winner of Australia’s Project AIR 5402 competition in April 2004, beating a Boeing proposal based upon the 767-200. In service the aircraft expands on the AAR and transport roles of the now-retired Boeing 707s, which had been modified into two-point tankers in the early 1990s. The 707’s AAR capability was only intended to be an interim step towards a future tanker but it not only provided AAR for the RAAF’s F/A-18A/B Hornet force until

TANKERS Essential to the Fight

gatebird Nigel Pittaway looks at the Royal Australian Air Force’s Airbus Military KC-30A in service

retirement in 2008, but it also deployed to Kyrgyzstan in 2002 to support coalition operations over Afghanistan. Deliveries of the KC-30A were originally planned to begin in 2007, but the project soon began to slip because of changes made to the original specification by the RAAF, and technical difficulties. The first aircraft was converted from an A330-200 by Airbus Military at Getafe in mid-2006 and made its first flight as a KC-30A in June 2007. The four remaining examples

were converted by Qantas Defence Services (QDS) in Brisbane at the rate of one per year between 2008 and 2012. Flight testing the ARBS on an Airbus Military-owned A310 had been intended to mitigate most of the risks associated with the fly-bywire system but by 2009 the KC-30A was already around 15 months late. Despite European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) type certification being granted in March 2010 and Spanish Instituto de Tecnologia

TANKERS Essential to the Fight

Aerospacial (INTA) military certification following seven months later, problems with the aircraft’s technical documentation resulted in the Australian Defence Materiel Organisation (DMO) refusing to accept delivery and by October 2010 AIR 5402 had formally become a Project of Concern The delay was exacerbated by the boom separation over the Atlantic Ocean during a flight test in January 2011. According to unnamed sources cited by Australian Aviation: “the

boom’s probe snapped off near the [Portuguese Air Force] F-16’s receptacle, causing the boom to spring up and strike the underside of the KC-30, possibly snapping off one of its two guiding fins and causing it to oscillate wildly until it snapped off at the pivot point.” In the end a path was negotiated that would enable delivery of the first two KC-30As in late May and early June 2011 in an interim configuration, while boom improvements were designed and implemented.

Into Service

The acceptance of the first two aircraft cleared the way for in-house training to be ramped up, and a series of training and logistics flights got underway. Operational Test and Evaluation (OT&E) of the Cobham 905E refuelling pods also started in the months after delivery, using F/A-18As as receivers. By December 2011, confidence in the KC-30A was such that it made its public debut at an international airshow, when aircraft number three (A39-003) represented the

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Above: An F/A-18A Hornet assigned to No.3 Squadron Royal Australian Air Force refuels from KC-30A A39-005 over the Pacific Ocean near the island of Guam during this year’s exercise Cope North. Jim Haseltine Opposite bottom: Australia’s KC-30As are fitted with a comfortable all-digital flight deck. Nigel Pittaway Below: Royal Australian Air Force F/A-18F Super Hornet A44-217 formates on the port side wing of a KC-30A prior to air refuelling during exercise Talisman Saber 2013. Nigel Pittaway

RAAF in the static park at the Langkawi International Maritime and Aerospace (LIMA) event in Malaysia. After the 2011 boom separation incident, Airbus Military worked on several improvements to the ARBS system. These included boom dynamic overlays on the boom operator’s 3D screen to display the operating envelope, new flight control stick functionalities, extension/retraction (ER) stick improvements to increase retraction speed in

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case of an emergency and improved nozzle lighting. The programme to improve ARBS resulted in the first aircraft remaining in Spain to support the manufacturer’s testing and INTA certification of the improvements, But the problems with the KC-30A haven’t been limited to the ARBS. The RAAF has battled with pod reliability and avionics software issues, the rectification of which has occupied a lot of time that normally would have been dedicated to expanding

the aircraft’s operational envelope. However these problems are gradually being overcome and at the Australian International Air Show at Avalon in February 2013, Chief of Air Force Air Marshal Geoff Brown announced that the RAAF KC-30A had achieved Initial Operational Capability (IOC), which meant the aircraft was capable of refuelling the F/A-18A/B fleet by day and night. “For [the] air force this is an incredibly important event because it

now starts to give us some global reach across the world”, Air Marshal Brown said at the time.

Current Operations

Although the boom is not currently in use and is electrically disconnected on the four aircraft at Amberley, 33 Squadron has been incredibly busy with logistics tasking, and the KC-30A’s multi-role capability was underlined earlier in 2013 when one aircraft took seven 3 Squadron Hornets and their support crews and spares to Anderson AFB on Guam for exercise Cope North. The exercise was the first outside Australia that the KC-30A had fully participated in, although it had been used in a limited capacity during 2012’s Pitch Black air defence exercise over the Northern Territory. Between Pitch Black in July/August 2012 and IOC at the end of February, 33 Squadron participated in exercises Arnhem Thunder, Kakadu and High Sierra in Australia as well as Cope North.

Most recently (in August/ September), a KC-30A also took part in the East Coast Air Defence Exercise (ECADEX) in Australia in conjunction with the Royal Australian Navy. According to Air Commodore Gary Martin, Officer Commanding of the RAAF’s Air Lift Group, the squadron was involved in an exercise every month in the latter months of 2012, while simultaneously meeting logistics tasking commitments, training requirements, working through OT&E and solving the myriad teething problems associated with a new aircraft entering service. Furthermore, it did this with only four of its five aircraft and still managed around 2,000 hours of flying during the year. Since IOC the Super Hornet has been cleared to refuel from the KC-30A and work is continuing to expand the receiving envelope. In June 2013, two KC-30As supported exercise Aces North from

TANKERS Essential to the Fight

Aerial Refuelling Boom System

The Aerial Refuelling Boom System (ARBS) has been designed by Airbus Military to refuel receptacle-equipped receivers, such as the F-16 Fighting Falcon, F-35A Lighting II and the E-3 AWACS. The company markets the ARBS as the most capable boom available, citing a fuel flow rate up to 1,200 US gallons/4,600 litres or (8,000lb/3,600kg) per minute at 50psi (345kPa) nominal pressure. Refuelling can be performed at any altitude up to 35,000ft (10,668m) while cruising at speeds between 180 and 325kts (330-600km/h). Located underneath the rear fuselage of the aircraft, the boom mast is remotely controlled from an air-refuelling console in the flight deck, where an air-refuelling operator (ARO) uses a 2D/3D high-definition/digitally enhanced vision system. Adverse weather, day or night refuelling can be performed, enabled by stereoscopic vision and laser-based infrared lighting systems. This gives safer operation and a reduced workload for the ARO, while enabling the tanker crew to be located together in the flight deck. The ARBS is equipped with an all electrical, full fly-by-wire flight control system and an automatic load alleviation system. An autonomous disconnect function for the receiver and the tanker has been designed with dual redundant architecture (fail operational, fail safe). Secure communication is possible though the boom. During 2011 Airbus Military was developing and certifying: a secondary hoist as a back-up to the main boom hoisting system; mechanical and software modifications to the extension/retraction stick to improve the human machine interface (HMI) characteristics; improvements to the boom dynamic overlays that show relevant boom information associated to the telescopic length and flight conditions; enhanced HMI and control of the nozzle light and infrared lighting shown on a multi-function control display that improves the operator information for both systems. The ARBS has a retracted length of 11.60m (38ft) increasing to 18.20m (60ft) when extended.

Tindal in the Northern Territory, in support of the Fighter Combat Instructor (FCI) course run by the RAAF’s F/A-18 training squadron, No.2 Operational Conversion Unit. Only a single sortie was lost during the exercise’s two-week intensive flying period, when one aircraft suffered a single refuelling pod failure. The tempo of the exercise demanded the simultaneous refuelling of two Hornets. “Although we’ve still got quite a few things to solve with the boom, we are using [the aircraft] as a probe and drogue tanker pretty extensively,” summarised Air Marshal Brown after Aces North concluded. “In fact it has offloaded a million pounds [453,600kg] of gas over the last two weeks.” A39-003 flew to Spain in early June to support the boom improvement testing. No.33 Squadron therefore completed the Aces North commitment with only three jets. The routine maintenance requirements of another meant it participated in Exercise Talisman Saber 2013, a major Australian/US amphibious warfare exercise on the Queensland coast

from July 15 to August 5, with just two aircraft.

Tanking

Talisman Saber saw 33 Squadron supporting the Super Hornets of No.1

TANKERS Essential to the Fight

Squadron at Amberley, the first time that the type had been involved in a major bilateral exercise with the KC-30A since being cleared to use the new tanker in the weeks after

IOC was declared. Airborne testing of the KC30A’s refuelling system with the Super Hornet began in February 2013, led by pilots from the RAAF’s Aircraft Research and Development Unit (ARDU), which involved 87 engagements and the transfer of 167,551lb (76,000kg) of fuel. This was achieved in nine Super Hornet flights and 54 flying hours, and nine flights and 33 hours for the tankers. “It was a long process for the ‘classic’ Hornet, and in many ways it came down to the confidence and understanding of the two aircrews, and the processes and procedures,” said Group Captain Matt Hegarty, Director of the KC-30A Transition Team. “Having that confidence with the Classic, the Super Hornet test period could be abbreviated, as there were just one or two things that needed to be cleared up.” For Super Hornet crews, tanking from the KC-30A is a little more difficult than the older Hornet, because of its larger ‘bow wave’, which tends to push the basket around more, but RAAF fighter pilots have not reported the coupling problems faced by the Royal Air Force’s Tornado GR4 and Typhoon crews. “Some Hornet pilots have told me that in straight and level flight, without the presence of turbulence, it’s an excellent platform to tank from. It’s not one of the best, but the best,” said Gp Capt

Hegarty. “When you get a bit of turbulence and the wings flex, it can be challenging, because you set up an oscillation in the hose. If you are already on the basket it’s not too much of an issue, but if you are trying to plug at that particular point it can be a bit of a challenge. But to a degree, it’s about getting out there and operating, and all of a sudden it’s just routine.” The ‘routine’ of operations is something that many people on 33 Squadron refer to as they look back on the first two years. What seemed a daunting task then is now merely part of everyday squadron life. “It’s impressive to look at how quickly things have become routine when you consider we have come from A330 [training with Qantas] to the KC-30A in just two years,” commented Flight Lieutenant Justin Ryder, an aircraft commander with 33 Squadron. “It is not just a tanker, but part of a broader air combat mission. From a pilot’s perspective, the modern systems in the KC30A mean we can spend less time thinking about flying the aircraft and more time thinking about the air battle picture.”

Training

At the time of writing 33 Squadron had more than 20 trained pilots, almost 30 cabin attendants and a dozen air refuelling officers (AROs) on its books and an increasing amount of the training was being conducted in-house. The programme’s delays

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meant that the initial cadre of RAAF pilots built up their experience by line flying with Qantas, which flies 30 A330s spread across its mainline operation and that of its lowcost subsidiary, Jetstar, while the first AROs received initial training with Airbus Military in Spain. Today, however, there is a dedicated KC-30A full-motion simulator at Amberley, run in partnership with CAE Australia, as well as a Part Task Trainer (PTT) for ARO training, a basic flight training aid and an Integrated Procedures Trainer (IPT) which is used by both aircrew and maintenance personnel. AROs and cabin attendants now undertake their KC30A aircraft conversion course using the facilities at Amberley after completing initial training elsewhere in the RAAF. Maintenance personnel undergo KC-30A technical

systems training at Amberley, carried out by Qantas instructors, before moving on to aircraft on the squadron. Although reliability of some components, such as the pods, has caused significant maintenance headaches, most line maintainers agree that their biggest challenge is having the aircraft on the ground at Amberley long enough to rectify many of the smaller, non-airworthiness related defects.

Block Upgrade

Although the fact that the KC-30A lacks an operational boom system occupies many minds, it isn’t yet a handicap to the RAAF’s operations. All of its fighter force currently uses the probe and drogue method and the first combat jet to require the boom will be the F-35A, which is not due in squadron service in Australia until at least

2020. Arguably the RAAF’s C-17As have an unrefueled range that is adequate for the overwhelming majority of their tasks, so it is only the Boeing E-7A Wedgetail AEW&C platform and the KC-30A itself that could conceivably benefit from the boom system. A more pressing need is an avionics upgrade, which will provide the capability promised but not yet delivered by the initial configuration of the aircraft. This is now imminent in the form of what is known as Avionics Wave 2, which will be undertaken in conjunction with some initial work to install the Large Aircraft Infra-Red Countermeasures (LAIRCM) system and incorporate several routine technical service bulletins. “Avionics Wave 2 will improve a range of things:

it will give us an Enhanced Traffic Collision Avoidance System (ETCAS) and introduce the use of secure voice radios, which we’re not currently utilising,” said Gp Capt Hegarty. “The radio management panel is being improved to interface with the aeroplane and another big ticket item is the introduction of the mission planning system. There are changes that need to take place in the flight management guidance envelope computer (FMGEC), to connect the mission planning system directly to the aeroplane, to transfer data.” The present interface with the FMGEC involves timeconsuming work-arounds and the mission planning system capability is eagerly awaited on the squadron. Once Avionics Wave 2 has been completed the full capabilities of the aircraft’s

Link 16 tactical datalink can also be utilised. The bundling of the planned improvements has resulted in a block upgrade which will be carried out by Qantas Defence Services, starting in October and taking around 12 months for the four aircraft. The first to be upgraded will be the KC-30A at Getafe – work will begin when it completes ARBS certification either late this year or early in 2014. The other KC-30As will be upgraded in Australia.

Pod Reliability

Before the block upgrade, however, hardware and software modifications (termed Mod.207s by Cobham) will be made to improve pod reliability. The first RAAF aircraft to be worked on is A39-003, which began receiving the upgrade after it returned from Spain. After a period of testing with

Top: Royal Australian Air Force KC-30A A39-001 seen on takeoff from the Airbus Military’s facility at Getafe. Clearly visible is the Aerial Refuelling Boom System (underside of aft fuselage) and the wing-mounted Cobham 905E refuelling pods. Nigel Pittaway Right: A KC-30A at RAAF Base Amberley, home of No.33 Squadron. Nigel Pittaway Opposite top: APilot’s eye view of a KC-30A’s drogue from an F/A-18F Super Hornet assigned No.1 Squadron. No.1 Squadron/ Royal Australian Air Force

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TANKERS Essential to the Fight

the Hornet and Super Hornet fleets, this modification will be applied to the rest of the fleet. Spares availability and repaired item turn-times have also been an issue with the pods and the original support arrangement through Airbus Military has now been replaced with a direct relationship with Cobham, via QDS. As well as the addition of a company field technical representative, an in-house pod maintenance workshop is being set up at Amberley

to be run by 33 Squadron. But the most important item is ARBS capability and as recently as July, Air Marshal Brown warned Airbus Military that he wanted a serviceable system within the next 12 months. Unfortunately ARBS certification has been interrupted by the need for the aircraft in Getafe to undergo a heavy maintenance check, while A39-003 which supported the certification has, of

course, returned to Australia. At the time of writing in August a revised timetable is not known, but OT&E in Australia is still scheduled to get under way early in 2014, for Final Operational Capability (FOC) by the end of that year. LAIRCM installation is another outstanding issue, which has fallen foul of changes in US International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR), and the fitment of Line Replaceable Units will

Cobham 905E Refuelling Pod The 905E under-wing air-refuelling pod is digitally controlled from the air-refuelling console located in the flight deck and uses an electrically operated hose drum unit. The pair of under-wing pods fitted to a KC-30 allows simultaneous hose and drogue refuelling at a wide range of air speeds. Fuel comes into the pod from the pumps onboard the aircraft through the fuel inlet at approximately 20psi (137kPa) and into a centrifugal pump driven by a ram air turbine. Variable blades within the turbine ramp up power to meet the fuel demand of the receiver aircraft. Rated at 50hp, the pump is able to generate a colossal amount of energy and boost the pressure up to 150psi (1,034kPa) forcing the fuel through a series of valves and into the centre of the drum. Because of space limitations, the hose is housed in three layers upon the drum and fed on and off by an Archimedean shaft synchronised by a secondary drive chain. Torque is taken by a main drive chain which also drives the drum. The system uses a high-speed variable drag drogue designed to place the same tension within the 2.6-inch (66mm) internal diameter hose at all air speeds. Generating up to 1,000lb (4.4kN) of drag, Cobham has fitted the drogue canopy with variable springs to allow some ‘wind to be spilt’ as air speed increases so that the drag curve is flattened out between 180 and 335kts (330 to 620km/h). The stiffness of the springs is designed to open the drogue out to ‘spill wind’. Cobham’s 905E pod can offload fuel up to a rate of 420 US gallons/1,600 litres per minute (2,800lb/1,300kg) at 50psi (345kPa) nominal pressure. Hose length is 92ft (28m) of which 89ft (27.12m) is extended. The pod has a weight of 532kg (1,172lb) and holds 70kg (154lb) of fuel. A small wind turbine (or air-driven generator) housed in the front of the pod powers the lights used for night-time refuelling.

TANKERS Essential to the Fight

not now begin until early next year. “Up until the middle of last year a lot of our activities were reacting to issues and we had relatively little opportunity to think about the future state,” explained Adrian Morrison, Head of the Heavy Airlift Systems Project Office (HALSPO) at Amberley, which is responsible for both KC-30A and C-17A. “We are still some way from a mature state and our workload is probably close to double what was originally anticipated, but by this time next year we think we’ll be in a far better place from a sustainment perspective.”

Milestones

Such is the confidence in the aircraft that there are a string of exercises booked in the near future including High Sierra, the annual 2 OCU ‘bomb camp’ at the end of the year and Red Flag in the US in January 2014. Two KC-30As are due to support the latter exercise, which will see the RAAF deploy No.77 Squadron Hornets and a Wedgetail contingent from 2 Squadron. It is also planned that one KC-30 will participate in Red Flag. The next milestone is the clearance of other allied operators to receive fuel from the KC-30A. Work towards this has already begun, with information being provided in response to requests for technical and operational data from the US Naval Air Systems Command, which will see US Navy Hornets and Super

Hornets and US Marine Corps Hornets cleared for tanking operations in the not too distant future. At present the Super Hornet tanking envelope isn’t as comprehensive as it arguably needs to be to support routine US Navy operations but work to expand this is ongoing. Nearby air forces, such as the Royal Malaysian Air Force (RMAF) with its F/A-18Ds, are another obvious candidate for near-term clearance, but at the time of writing there were no plans to begin work with the RMAF. In the meantime, the KC-30A is maturing and 33 Squadron’s confidence in its capabilities is obvious to anyone who visits Amberley. The more ‘routine’ operational taskings become, the more capability is realised and everyone is looking forward to the full operational capability at the end of next year. “We didn’t expect to be the world lead on some of the issues we have faced and we’ve been through some interesting times, but from where we sit, things are most certainly looking up and the jet is starting to show more maturity,” said Adrian Morrison. “What really stands out though is the capability of the aircraft, and that is really quite amazing. It has clearly changed the way the RAAF operates and while there are still some risk areas we have more confidence today than ever before. It is clear that the squadron now is growing in capability every day.”

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Russia’s Workhorse

Alexander Mladenov looks at the Ilyushin Il-78 tanker and its improved derivatives, the Il-78M and Il-78M/MK-90

A Russian Air Force Il-78M Midas refuels an Indian Air Force A-50EI Mainstay airborne early warning aircraft during flight trials in Russia. Alexander Mladenov

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TANKERS Essential to the Fight

T

he Il-78 is a tanker version of the popular Il-76MD Candid military transport. Development started in the early 1980s, the chief purpose of the new tanker being to support operations of the thenSoviet Union’s huge fleet of strategic bombers and replace Myasishchev M3S2s and M3MN2s that had been converted from bombers to serve in the role. The prototype Il-78, wearing the civil registration SSSR-76556, made its first flight on June 26, 1983. Series production at the Tashkent Aircraft Production Enterprise (named after V P Chkalov and abbreviated in Russia as TAPOiCh), was launched that year and the first deliveries took place during 1984, although the new tanker was only officially commissioned into Soviet Air Force service two years later. An improved version of the original Il-78 was soon developed: the Il-78 Midas,

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also known as the Il-78M. The first five productionstandard aircraft were initially delivered for aircrew training to the Ivanovobased training centre of the Soviet Air Force’s Military Transport Aviation arm in 1984-1985. They were later handed over to the first frontline unit to take on the Il-78, the 409th Aircraft Refuelling Aviation Regiment (ARAR) at Uzin in Ukraine. This unit received the new type in June 1986 and was tasked mainly to support the long-range operations of the Tupolev Tu-95MS strategic bomber regiments stationed at the airfields in Uzin (now in Ukraine), Mozdok (Russia) and Semipalatinsk (Kazakhstan), flying longrange nuclear deterrence missions in patrol areas in the North Atlantic and around the North Pole. Twenty-three examples of the Midas were eventually taken on strength by the 409th ARAR, distributed around the unit’s three squadrons. Most of them

wore an Aeroflot-style livery and pseudo-civil registrations. The second unit to convert, the 1230th Guards ARAR, based at the 6950th Aviation Base at Engels in southern Russia, took on its first, improved Il-78Ms in 1989.

New Roles

After the Soviet Union’s collapse in 1991, the 409th ARAR was inherited by the newly-formed Ukrainian Air Force. The Il-78s were no longer needed in their original guise so all the tanker-specific equipment was removed from most of the aircraft, which were converted into transports. Since 1993 a number of the Ukrainian AF’s Il-78s have been leased out to local airlines for commercial air transport work, including ferrying goods and fuel. Others were sold out outright to foreign military and civil customers. Only between six and eight Il-78s are believed to have survived in Ukrainian military service, most languishing in

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non-airworthy condition or used as spare parts sources for the flying examples. Four others were refurbished and, designated as the Il-76MP, sold to the Pakistan Air Force between 2009 and 2011. Six more found a new life in Algeria (operated by its air force as tankers) and another was sold to Angola, where it has been used as a transport aircraft. Two more Il-78s were sold to a civilian customer in the US but only one was eventually delivered, in 2009. The 1230th ARAR had more luck as its 20 aircraft – eight Il-78s and 12 Il-78Ms – continued operations from Engels in the post-Soviet era with the new Russian Air Force (RuAF). The unit was redesignated as the 203rd Aviation Regiment in 1994 and six years later relocated to Ryazan-Dyagilevo, south of Moscow. In 2008, the unit became a component unit of the 43rd Combat Training and Aircrew Conversion Centre. Two years later it was restructured into a component aviation group composed of three squadrons, with aircraft stationed at both RyazanDyagilevo and at Engels, within the RuAF’s LongRange Aviation Command. Today it’s the RuAF’s sole tanker unit. In addition to its main ‘customer’ Tu-95MSs, since the mid-2000s the Midas fleet has regularly provided air-to-air refuelling of the RuAF’s Tu-160 Blackjack strategic bombers, the A-50

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Mainstay Airborne Warning and Control aircraft and the Il-80 airborne command post. The fleet is also occasionally called on to offload fuel to Su-24M Fencer and Su-34 Fullback bombers and MiG-31B/BM Foxhound ong-range interceptors.

Variants

The Il-78 was derived from the Il-76MD tanker. It had a 190,000kg (418,000lb) maximum take-off weight (MTOW) and featured a fully convertible cargo hold configuration, with two removable 14,000kg (30,800lb) cylindrical fuel tanks inside, and three NPP Zvezda UPAZ-1 Sakhalin refuelling pods under the outer wings and on the port side of the rear fuselage. Together with fuel in the wing torsion box, the total capacity was 92,800kg (204,160lb). At a range of 1,000km (540nm) from its departure airfield, the Il-78 was capable of transferring 65,000kg (143,300lb) of kerosene to other aircraft. The offload amount dropped to 36,000kg (79,200lb) when the Il-78 flew up to 2,500km (1,348nm) from base. The Il-78 retained the Il-76MD tanker’s ability to be converted into transport configuration through the removal of the two tanks; and it also had a full set of cargo handling equipment. For the AAR role the rear turret was modified into a flight refuelling observation station, without guns. The aircraft’s avionics

TANKERS Essential to the Fight

Above: A Russian Air Force Il-78M with a Tu-95MS Bear bomber. Sergy Aleksandrov Right: Two Su-24M Fencer bombers with an Il-78M. Sergy Aleksandrov Below right: An Su-27UB Flanker plugged into the port side drogue of a Russian Air Force Il-78M Midas. Miroslav Gyrosia Above left: An Il-78M’s digitalcockpit. Alexander Mladenov Left: The Il-78M’s cargo hold measures 320m3. Alexander Mladenov Below left: A Russian Air Force Il-78M assigned to the 203rd Aviation Regiment takes off from Ryazan-Dyagilevo AB. Sergy Aleksandrov

suite was enhanced with the RSBN-7S Vstrecha tactical aid to navigation (TACAN) used to allow the tanker and receiver for rendezvous in all weather and day or night conditions. The RSBN-7S is said to be capable of providing range and azimuth information to the receiver from a distance of up to 300km (160nm). Two extra lights were installed in the distinctive fairings under the refuelling operator’s station in the tail to illuminate the lower rear fuselage for night operations. The Il-76MD and Il-78 also featured a new fuel jettison capability and equipment to refuel up to four aircraft simultaneously on the ground. The tail UPAZ-1 hose drum unit, fitted to a simple unranked horizontal pylon on the port side 3m (9ft 10in) from the centreline, was used to refuel large aircraft types. The underwing units of the same type were fitted 16.4m (53ft 10in) from the centreline and used for delivering fuel to tactical combat aircraft, two at a time. The Il-78M differed from the Il-76MD tanker and original Il-78 in being non-convertible. It had an increased MTOW of 210,000kg (462,966lb) and a higher maximum landing weight of 151,500kg

(334,000lb). When operating from unprepared runways, MTOW was restricted to 157,500kg (347,224lb). A total of 137,712kg (304,234lb) of fuel can be accommodated in the wing box and two fuselage cylindrical tanks, each holding 16,000kg (35,200lb) of kerosene, while the transferable fuel accounted for up to 80,000kg (176,368lb). The Il-78M featured strengthened wings and undercarriage and was stripped of all cargo handling equipment – meaning, unlike the Il-76MD tanker, it couldn’t be switched between AAR and transport roles. The nonpressurised cargo hold and cargo doors were faired over and the port-side entry door deleted in an effort to reduce the airframe’s structural weight by some 5,000kg (11,023lb). At a range of 1,800km (971nm) from the departure airfield, the Il-78M was capable of offloading up to 65,000kg (143,299lb) of kerosene to other aircraft; at 4,000km (2,160nm) the figure dropped to about 35,000kg (77,161lb). The Il-78M also introduced the improved Zvezda PAZ-1M hose and drogue unit which has a higher transfer rate than the UPAZ-1, offloading 2,900 litres (651 imp gallons) per minute. The PAZ-1M was

TANKERS Essential to the Fight

installed on an L-shaped pylon on the port side. This lowered the drogue’s position by about 1m (3ft), moving it away from fuselage-induced turbulence and providing a steadier platform for receiving aircraft.

Midas Prototype

The first prototype Il-78M, wearing the pseudo-civil registration SSSR-76701, took off on its maiden flight on March 7, 1987, and the new derivative was launched in series production at the Tashkent plant at the end of decade. The first examples for the Soviet Air Force entered service in 1989 and

the last in 1991. Some 52 Il-78 family tankers were produced at the TAPOiCh plant in Tashkent between 1983 and 2006, including 32 Il-78s and 13 improved Il-78Ms. Around 40 were taken on strength by the Soviet Air Force and three more are believed to have remained under the ownership of the Ministry of Aviation Industry (operated by the Ilyushin Design Bureau for various trials programmes). The dedicated export derivative of the Il-78M developed in the late 1980s (confusingly designated the Il-76E) was sold to Libya in

1991 to support operations of its newly-acquired Sukhoi Su-24MK bomber force. The Indian Air Force (IAF) took delivery of six newly-built Il-78MKIs between 2003 and 2006. The aircraft, operated by 78 Squadron, were also modified to use Israelisupplied removable hose drum pod units with drogues suitable for refuelling both Russian and French-made tactical aircraft operated by the IAF.

New Generation

In recent years a new generation of the Il-78M has emerged in the form of the

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Il-78M-90 and Il-78MK-90. The Il-78M-90 is a nonconvertible tanker offered by Ilyushin to support long-range operations flown by both the RuAF strategic and tactical air arms. The Il-78MK-90, its export version, retained a convertible cargo hold. The new-generation Midas versions are based on the airframe, powerplant and systems of the vastly improved Il-76MD-90A transport, launched in

production at the AviastarSP plant in Ulyanovsk, Russia (see The Rise of the New Candid, June 2013, p38). Powered by PS90A-76 turbofans, it boasts a strengthened fuselage and an all-new avionics suite. The new fuel-efficient engines offer a 10% lower fuel consumption and a range extended by 18% compared to the D-30KP-2-powered Il-78M; the new tanker’s maximum range is 5,000km

(2,700nm) with a 52,000kg (114,639lb) payload. The PS-90A-76 turbofans promise a significant boost to the Midas’ take-off and landing characteristics, reducing the take-off run to 1,600m (5,250ft). In emergency thrust mode the new engine is rated at 156.9kN (35,272lb) while its maximum thrust mode accounts for 142.2kN (31,968lb) for operations at ambient air temperatures

Miroslav Gyrosia

UPAZ Aerial Refuelling Pods

The successful UPAZ series of hose drum-pod units was developed by NPP Zvezda of Tomilino near Moscow, better known around the world for its family of K-36 ejection seats. Initial design work on a pod suitable for use by dedicated tanker aircraft and for ‘buddy-buddy’ refuelling of tactical aircraft commenced in 1975 and it entered production in the early 1980s. The UPAZ-1 pod, as used by the Il-78 and Il-78 Midas, features a 26m (85ft) hose, 52mm in diameter, fitted with a collapsible funnel-shaped drogue. The fuel transfer rate when refuelling tactical aircraft is 1,000 litres (224.5 Imp gal) per minute and 2,200 litres (494 Imp gal) per minute for strategic bombers. The improved PAZ-1M installed on the fuselage pylon of the Il-78M has an increased transfer rate of 2,900 litres (651 Imp gal) per minute. The pod is compact, with its nose cone only 600mm (23.6 inches) in diameter. Power supply is provided by a ram-air turbine with variable-pitch blades which drives a centrifugal fuel transfer pump and controls the extension and retraction of the hose. To provide safe conditions for the contact and fuel transfer, the hose features a constant-tension system for stable contacts which handles relative movements during the contact of up to 2.5m/s (8ft/s) speed difference between the tanker and receiver. The closure speed required for a safe contact (hook-up) is 1.5m/s (5ft/s). The UPAZ-1’s hose length enables formation flying, maintaining a 14m (46ft) distance between the tanker and receiver. The fuel transfer is a largely automated process initiated by the contact between the probe and drogue and ending automatically when the pre-set quantity of fuel is offloaded to receiver; or it can be shut off manually by the refuelling operator.

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Above:The UPAZ-1 air-refuelling pod is clearly visible on the aft fuselage of this Il-78M Midas taking off from Ryazan-Dyagilevo AB on a snowy winter’s day. Sergy Aleksandrov Above left: NPP Zvezda’s UPAZ-1 pod can transfer 1,000 litres of fuel per minute to tactical aircraft such as the Su-24 Fencer and Su-27 Flanker. Sergy Aleksandrov Opposite bottom: A early version of the Il-78M Midas seen at Zinchuk AB in the Ukraine. Alexander Mladenov

of up to 30˚C (86˚F). Cruise thrust rating is 33.05kN (7,429lb). The avionics system of both the Il-78M-90 and ’MK90 is based on the KupolII-76M integrated digital avionics suite, an eightdisplay KSEIS glass cockpit, SAU-1T-2B digital autopilot and BPSN-2 satellite navigation system. This suite was inherited unchanged from the Il-76MD-90A. The only new component, necessary for the tanker role, is the proven RSBN-7S short-range aid to navigation with rendezvous mode. Just like their predecessor, the new-generation Midas models can operate from paved and unpaved runways while the more powerful engine makes it possible to use airfields up to 3,000m (9,842ft) above sea level in high ambient temperatures. Both models’ airframe design life is set at 30 years, 30,000 flight hours and 10,000 landings. The new-generation tanker features a 210,000kg (462,966lb) MTOW and comes equipped with

one Zvezda PAZ-1M and two UPAZ-1 hose-drogue refuelling pods. Both the RuAF and export versions of the new-generation Midas are promoted as being capable of carrying 109,500 litres (24,087 Imp gal) of fuel in the main wing torsion box tanks and a further 43,880 litres (9,652 Imp gal) can be accommodated in two cylindrical tanks in the cargo hold. Maximum fuel capacity is 153,380 litres (33,740 Imp gal), weighing 122,704kg (270,514lb). At a range of 1,000km (540nm) from the departure airfield, the transferable fuel accounts for 75,000kg (165,345lb); at 2,000km (1,080nm) it drops to 57,000kg (125,663lb) and at 3,000km (1,620nm) to 40,000kg (88,184lb). The new tanker can offload up to 82 tonnes (180,777lb) of fuel when refuelling sorties are flown next to its airfield of departure. Air-to-air refuelling can be performed at altitudes between 2,000m and 9,000m (6,561ft and 29,527ft) and at speeds of

TANKERS Essential to the Fight

440km/h to 600km/h (237kts and 324kts).

Orders

An order for 31 Il-78M-90s for the RuAF was expected to be signed by the Russian Ministry of Defence in the second half of 2013, although the manufacture of the first example at Aviastar-SP plant in Ulyanovsk is reported to have commenced in early July, before contract signature. Roll-out is scheduled for early or mid-2014. The Il-78M-90 will strengthen the RuAF’s rather basic AAR capability, which has been in high demand since 2007 when the air force’s Long-Range Aviation arm resumed regular bomber patrol flights in international airspace.

All the Il-78M-90s for the RuAF will be built as tankers in a non-convertible configuration – but the export-standard Il-78MK-90 is offered as a much more flexible aircraft, retaining all the cargo-carrying capabilities of the original Il-76MD-90A, including an airdrop capability for both military cargo and troops. Its cargo hold can be converted to a specific mission configuration in one-and-a-half to two hours and the aircraft can be used to transport up to 225 troops seated on two decks, or 145 paratroops. The spacious hold enables transport of heavy military equipment, with up to two armoured vehicles, weighing

TANKERS Essential to the Fight

26,000kg (57,320lb) each; water bombing (using two tanks with 42,000kg/92,593lb of water); or medical evacuation of casualties (up to 114 stretchers) and medical treatment, including surgery, in flight.

Rugged

The Il-78MK-90’s airframe and systems design, derived from a purpose-built military aircraft type, will feature the high degree of redundancy needed for heavy-duty operations and comprehensive cargo handling equipment. The airframe features extensive high-lift devices, rugged landing gear and an auxiliary power unit. One of the advantages of the newgeneration export Midas over

other modern tankers derived from passenger aircraft, such as the Airbus A330MRTT, is that it retains a full air-drop capability for both cargo and troops. Other advantages include its ability to deliver military cargo, troops or vehicles to austere and short airstrips, paved or unpaved, in extreme environmental conditions where no ground support or navigation aids are available. The new-generation Midas can use unpaved 1,800m (5,905ft) runways capable of bearing loads of 7kg/cm2 (2.30in/sq ft) while carrying a 30-tonne payload. As a tanker, the PS-90A76-engined Midas is said to be capable of transferring two types of fuel in the same flight. It is also equipped to refuel up to four aircraft simultaneously on the ground and it can even supply fuel to trucks or armoured vehicles at a rate of 1,500 litres (330 Imp gal) a minute. The Il-78MK-90 was one of the two candidates in India’s revised tender launched in September 2010 (when it was referred to as the Il-78MKI-90) for six aircraft outfitted for tanker and transport missions; the PS-90A-76-engined export Midas, promoted by Russia’s arms exporter

Rosoboronexport, was pitted against the A330MRTT. While it has been reported that the A330MRTT is the preferred option to meet India’s requirement, there has yet to be an official announcement. But even if it loses the tender, the export Midas is expected to enjoy a good future, mainly because of keen interest in the aircraft shown by China. Both the Chinese air force and naval air arm badly need a modern tanker to support long-range operations for Su-30MK/ Su-30MK2 and J-10 fleets. Indeed, there had been a contract in 2005 between China and Rosoboronexport for four earlier Il-78MKs and 34 Il-76MDs but the deal fell through due reportedly to pricing and technical issues. The Il-78MK-90 now stands out as the only viable option for China to acquire a reliable tanker capability at a reasonable price to extend the reach of its tactical aircraft force further into Indo-Pacific regions. A contract for an initial batch of four to six Il-78MK-90 is expected to be placed during 2014 but it is not yet known when Aviastar-SP might deliver export Midas, considering the existing and imminent largescale orders from the Russian MoD.

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T

he Aeronautica Militare Italiana (AMI, Italian Air Force) started operating tanker aircraft in 1992, when the first of four Boeing B707T/Ts were delivered. They were second-hand aircraft, formerly operated by TAP Air Portugal and converted to the transport/ tanker role by the Officine Aeronavali factory at VeniceTessera airport. For the first time the AMI had a combined strategic cargo

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and an air-to-air refuelling aircraft that could extend the range of its tactical aircraft. But the 707s were already fairly old and had ageing, inefficient engines. By the early 2000s it was clear that they were in need of replacement. A purchase contract for four Boeing KC767As was signed between the Ministero della Difesa (Italian Ministry of Defence) and Boeing in 2002, with Italy becoming the launch customer for the type.

Delay

The first AMI KC-767A was due to be delivered by 2005. However, technical problems emerged leading to a long delay. KC-767As were first built as standard 767-200ERs before being converted into tankers and having the under-wing ‘probe and drogue’ in-flight refuelling pods installed. But after their installation initial flight tests with the first KC-767A showed the pods were causing flutter problems. That led to remedial design

work. The first KC-767A was finally handed over by Boeing to the AMI, six years late, at Pratica di Mare AB near Rome in January 2011.

Early Days

The KC-767As are operated within 14° Stormo (Wing) by 8° Gruppo (8th Squadron), the same unit that flew the 707T/T. Indeed, many of the type’s pilots are former 707T/T crews – a conscious decision from the AMI to shorten the conversion phase. To assist with the

KC-767A’s entry to service, a Boeing 767-231 CTA (Commercial Trainer Aircraft, registration N606TW) was loaned to the AMI by the manufacturer on July 1, 2008 by way of compensation for the delay. It also provided the AMI with an interim strategic transport capability, as by 2008 all the 707T/Ts had been retired (two in 2005 and the last in April 2008). The first KC-767A delivered (MM.62229, coded 14-04) was introduced into service at Pratica di Mare

TANKERS Essential to the Fight

Italy’s

ForceMultiplier

Riccardo Niccoli looks at the Italian Air Force’s Boeing KC-767As

A KC-767A over snowed mountains in central Italy. Troupe Azzurra via Riccardo Niccoli

on January 26, 2011 and the event was marked by an official ceremony held the following day. With this aircraft and the second (MM.62227, coded 14-02), which arrived in Italy on April 2, 2011, 14° Stormo worked hard to convert crews to the type and complete initial evaluations. All crews had to convert onto the aircraft by completing a ‘Differential Course’. This built on the initial training on the 767 CTA by instructing crews on

specific KC-767A equipment. The course included two weeks of academic study at Boeing’s facility in Wichita, Kansas and a month of flying training at Pratica di Mare, again involving Boeing instructors. In addition to converting the crews, 14° Stormo also worked closely with the Reparto Sperimentale Volo (RSV), the AMI’s test unit (also at Pratica di Mare), to validate the type’s use for in-flight refuelling (IFR) of the AMI’s primary fast-jet combat aircraft, the

TANKERS Essential to the Fight

Eurofighter EF2000, Panavia Tornado and AMX. This work led to 14° Stormo declaring Initial Operational Capability (IOC) on May 17, 2011, – when the aircraft was ceremonially assigned to the Comando della Squadra Aerea (Air Force Command), which manages all the operational activities of the AMI. The third KC-767A (MM.62228, coded 14-03) was delivered on November 10, 2011 and the fourth and last (MM.62226, coded 1401) arrived at Pratica di Mare

on January 19, 2012. The latter was actually the first AMI KC-767A built – it had remained in the United States with Boeing in order to solve the flutter problems.

Operations

As soon as IOC was declared the KC-767A went straight into action, being assigned to transport and IFR missions in support of NATO’s Operation Unified Protector (OUP) over Libya. The aircraft initially transported cargo from mainland Italy to the Air Task

Group ‘Birgi’ at Trapani, Sicily, but later the squadron was tasked to support AMI fighter aircraft participating in OUP. On July 29, 2011, the type carried out its first mission in support of Italian forces in Afghanistan, when a KC767A transported personnel from Italy to Herat, and returned others home after their tour of duty. The flight had a technical stop at Al Bateen AB in the United Arab Emirates, where the AMI Task Group Air controls

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Left: Air-to-air refuelling of a Tornado ECR from 50° Stormo during qualification trials with the AMI Test Wing. All images Troupe Azzurra via Riccardo Niccoli unless noted Right: A KC-767A refuelling two 4° Stormo TF-2000s from the Smiths Aerospace wing pods. Below left: Two rearward facing Remote Air Fueling Operator stations are located behind the KC-767’s cockpit. Bottom (from left): The KC-767’s cockpit has a state-of-the-art avionics suite, dominated by six colour MFDs; uploading cargo; the rigid boom below the aft fuselage and the cameras used for air-to-air refuelling positioned between the main landing gears; close-up of the Smiths Aerospace IFR pod. All Riccardo Niccoli

all the flights from and to Afghanistan, is located.

Exercises

In December 2011 one KC767A was used to support the AMI’s EF2000 and Tornado aircraft taking part in Exercise Desert Dust 2011, hosted by the Israeli Air Force at Ovda AB. In the same month another KC-767A visited RAF Mildenhall, Suffolk during a training mission, which gave the US Air Force tanker crews there (flying

the KC-135R Stratotanker) a chance to see the new type. They are particularly interested in the KC-767A because it is based on the Boeing KC-46A, the winner of the USAF’s long-running KC-X contest for a newgeneration tanker to replace the KC-135. The KC-767As have since been involved in all the major operations and exercises that the AMI has participated in. The first half of 2013 alone saw the type supporting

Desert Dusk 2013 in Israel (January), Star Vega 2013 in Italy (May) and, in June, Cieli Ghiacciati at Keflavik, Iceland, the European Air Transport Training 2013 at Zaragoza, Spain, and Bold Quest 2013 at MCAS Cherry Point, North Carolina. In addition, in February 2013, one aircraft was assigned to the European Union Training Mission (EUTM) at Bamako, Mali, while in March two KC-767As supported the deployment of RAF Typhoons to Malaysia.

Unique Combo

The Italian KC-767As are currently unique in combining both a probe and drogue IFR system, in use with other European air forces, and a rigid boom system as seen on the USAF’s KC-10 Extender. The latter made it necessary to introduce an extra crew member, a boom operator, to the AMI tankers because the 707T/T only had probe and drogue pod systems. As part of their training for the role, selected personnel were assigned to the KC-10s of the USAF’s 305th Air Mobility Wing

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at McGuire AFB in New Jersey. The new type enables 14° Stormo to provide much greater IFR support than its predecessor did – not only can it carry more fuel but its CF6 engines are 30% more efficient than the JT3 turbojets on the 707T/T, enabling it to stay on station for longer. Currently the KC-767A is cleared only to refuel through the probe and drogue system. Work is on-going to clear the use of the boom, which will allow the type to support all the US-built fighters, such as F-16 Fighting Falcons and F-15 Eagles as well as F-35 Lightning IIs, which will be used by the AMI and other NATO air forces. By mid-March 2012, the four KC-767As had amassed around 2,000 flying hours and, according to Col Andrea Viperini, Commander of 14° Stormo: “Up to today we’ve never had to cancel or abort a mission due to technical problems.”

Configurations

Reflecting the multi-role nature of the missions the aircraft has to fly, 14° Stormo decided to have two KC-767As in full passenger mode, one in ‘combi’ (half passengers and half cargo)

and one in full cargo. It does however have the flexibility to modify these configurations with a few days’ notice because the cabin is completely modular. The unit reached Full Operational Capability (FOC) in the cargo role in summer 2012. In addition to moving cargo and people, the aircraft also have two secure areas in the cargo hold where ammunition is stored during transport.

The Aircraft

The KC-767’s cruise speed is Mach 0.8 (559mph/900km/h), and its maximum range 11,500km (6,210nm). Endurance is 14 hours and the maximum ceiling is 42,650ft (13,000m). The KC-767A is powered by two General Electric CF6-80C2B6F turbofans, each rated at 60,200lb

TANKERS Essential to the Fight

(268kN). The cockpit, which accommodates two pilots, includes state-of-the-art avionics incorporating six colour multi-function displays, identification friend or foe and secure radios including a SICRAL military radio for satellite communications. The maximum takeoff weight is 395,000lb (179,330kg), while maximum fuel on board is 160,666lb (72,942kg). The single rigid telescopic boom’s refuelling probe can deliver a maximum of 900 imp gal (4,091 litres) per minute, while the centreline probe and drogue system can transfer some 600 imp gal (2,727 litres) per minute. The two Smiths Aerospace refuelling pods at the wingtips can deliver 400 gal (1,818 litres) per minute. The aircraft can refuel up to two aircraft at the same time

using the wing pods, or just one at the centreline station. The aircraft can also receive fuel from another boom-equipped tanker, thanks to a standard receptacle located above the cockpit – up to 900 gal (4,091 litres) of fuel per minute. In the tanker mission, the KC-767A has a crew of four: two pilots and two refuelling operators at the two Remote Air Refuelling Operator (RARO) stations. Usually, one station is taken by the operator, and the second by an instructor, or a student operator. From the RARO it’s possible to manage all the IFR operations, using the probe and drogue and, eventually, the rigid boom systems. The boom operator does not need a window in the stern of the aircraft because a

TANKERS Essential to the Fight

sophisticated arrangement of TV and infrared cameras and a Remote Vision System (RVS) helmet provide a 185˚ visual field. The RARO ‘flies’ the boom by using a joystick. In the combi role, the KC767A can accommodate a total load of 55,115lb (25,022kg). In the full cargo configuration the cabin can house 19 standard NATO 463L military pallets, while in the full passenger configuration up to 200 people and their baggage can be carried. The combi configuration foresees the front compartment housing ten NATO pallets, while the rear compartment accommodates 100 passengers. For cargo missions there is a crew of three and more are required for the full passenger configuration, depending on how many people are being carried.

Expanding Capability

Although at the start of the KC-767A’s service life the AMI relied on Boeing instructors, 14° Stormo has now established a cadre of its own instructors at the Centro Addestramento Equipaggi (crew training squadron). Work is now under way to clear the KC-767A to refuel the AMI’s other fast-jet types, the Aermacchi MB339CD and the Aermacchi T-346A, as well as the Italian Navy AV-8B+ Harriers. Clearance for the KC-767A to refuel other NATO types is also a priority so that the aircraft can support Italy’s NATO allies when needed. A first step towards this was taken in January 2013 when one KC-767A was deployed to the French Air Force’s Centre d’Expériences Aériennes

Militaires (CEAM, military flight test centre) at Montde-Marsan to carry out the first trials with French AF Dassault Rafales, Dassault Mirage 2000s and Dassault Mirage F1s. Meanwhile AMI personnel have been posted on exchange to the Royal Air Force tanker units at RAF Brize Norton, Oxfordshire, and in return an RAF pilot has been posted to 14° Stormo. The AMI’s strategy (see Working for the Future, August 2013, p62) is to use a smaller number of assets that are far more capable and the KC-767A certainly complies with this approach. They may be few in number but thanks to its features and a high level of availability the type has given Italy an effective force multiplier that can support operations worldwide.

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Scott Dworkin speaks with the crews flying KC-10 Extenders with the 60th Air Mobility Wing typical day for a US Air Force KC-10 Extender crew at Travis AFB in northern California begins well before dawn. A crew’s mission can last for many hours depending on what they’ve been sent out to accomplish. The KC-10, with its extremely long range and huge fuel and cargo

capabilities, is very frequently tasked to fly incredibly long missions to take fuel, cargo and personnel to the fight. At Travis the KC-10 is operated by the 60th Air Mobility Wing (AMW) and its two active-duty squadrons, the 6th and 9th Air Refuelling Squadrons (ARS). The Extender is also operated by the 305th AMW at Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst,

New Jersey, and Air Force Reserve units assigned to the 349th AMW at Travis, and the 514th AMW at JB McGuire. KC-10 crews can, and do, fly anywhere in the world at very short notice. And given the constant need for the large amount of fuel the aircraft can carry, the call for the Extender’s services comes often.

Gas & Glob

Inset: Chief Lou Drummond, who serves with the 6th Air Refueling Squadron at Travis Air Force Base, has amassed 10,000 hours as a KC-10 boom operator and was awarded this special patch to mark his career milestone. Main: KC-10A Extender 86-0034 receives fuel from another KC-10 on a training flight from their home station of Travis AFB in northern California. Travis is home of the 60th Air Mobility Wing. Both images Scott Dworkin

Although the KC-10’s primary mission is air refuelling, it can combine the tasks of a tanker and cargo aircraft by refuelling fighters and simultaneously carry the fighter squadron’s support personnel and equipment on overseas deployments – something no other tanker

aircraft in the US Air Force can do as well as the Extender. The KC-10 is also capable of transporting patients using specialised support pallets during medical evacuations. The aircraft can take up to 75 people and nearly 170,000lb (76,560kg) of cargo a distance of about 4,400 miles (7,040km) unrefuelled. With air refuelling, its range is only limited to crew rest requirements.

Big Capacity

The KC-10 is basically a modified version of the civilian DC-10 airliner, with which it retains 88% systems commonality. It has additional systems and equipment necessary for its military mission. In addition to the three main wing fuel tanks, the KC-10 has three large fuel tanks under the cargo floor: one under

the forward lower cargo compartment, one in the centre wing area and one under the rear compartment. Combined, the capacity of the six tanks is more than 356,000lb (160,200kg) – almost twice as much as in the KC-135. The KC-10 is flown by a crew of three on the flight deck, together with the boom operator. Although the KC-10 is not new, and

obal Reach

doesn’t have some of the same upgrades found on newer glass cockpit aircraft, it’s relatively easy to fly and maintain. Major Bill Curve from the 9th ARS is one of the instructor pilots and assistant operations officer for the squadron. He describes what the KC-10 brings to the air force: “The KC-10 is a great airplane. It’s an amazing tool for the USAF to have at its disposal. As aircrew we love flying it because it’s a comfortable airplane, it’s pretty easy to fly within the envelope and it’s surprisingly quiet, so we are able to have aircrew communication within the airplane. We can communicate very easily, very readily between the flight deck and the boom, the communication between the four of us is vital to being successful at completing our mission. The aircraft can get to the fight extremely fast,

and we can bring a whole lot of fight with us. “We have the capability of not just bringing fuel via the boom [but also] the versatility of having the drogue [20 KC-10s were modified with wing-mounted pods to further enhance their air refuelling capabilities] as well as bringing cargo. Compared to the KC-135 we are carrying double the amount of gas, and we can also take on additional fuel in the air, something the 135 cannot do, so we can stay on station, for as long as necessary to get the job done. “The KC-10 is constantly in high demand worldwide because [of] the versatility that we have going between the boom and the drogue. We have a soft basket as well which is another additional benefit that the foreign air forces in the AOR [area of responsibility] also appreciate. We have the

ability of going out to the AOR to do all the refuelling required, and at the same time the higher command also knows if there’s a skirmish that’s popping up somewhere we can get the appropriate aircraft, a good portion of the maintainers, and all the appropriate cargo to that area expeditiously.”

Preparing for Flight

On any given day the ground crew chiefs prep the aircraft for whatever the upcoming mission requires, hours before the flight crew arrive. TSgt John Morwood is a senior crew chief with the 660th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron (AMXS). He has over 16 years’ experience on the KC-10, 13 of which have been as a crew chief. John describes what a typical day entails: “My role as the crew chief is the safety and maintenance of the aircraft while it’s on the road. I handle every maintenance

aspect from putting gas on, to troubleshooting in-depth guidance and control issues, to maintaining different systems and coordinating any and all ground service actions to include transportation, field [and] oxygen servicing, basically any type of movement on the ground, it’s all on me. “Usually there are two of us with the aircraft on a mission, myself or any other lead flying crew chief and an assistant. On any typical mission starting out here at our home station we come in six hours prior to the air crew or six hours prior to take-off and we work getting the jet ready to go on the road, making sure that it’ll last the next three, four, five stops whatever we have been assigned – sometimes with the KC-10 it’s a lot of stops. “As flying crew chiefs we’re topping off our different systems: hydraulics, oxygen, fuel, and stuff like that – getting the aircraft what I like to call ‘road ready’. Once we’re on the road at any location I like to come in with my crew well ahead of time and get everything done from the previous day’s inbound so once we’re set up to move again, on the outbound, all I’m doing is basic stuff, just getting ready for the flight so we can leave quickly. Usually at some forward locations, if there is an advance crew that works with the KC-10, the crew chiefs are able to leave with the air crew, but most of the time we’re at the jet an additional one to three hours after we land getting everything put back

together so we’re basically prepping the jet for the next long haul ahead. “Depending on the situation though, I still may have to come in really early if we have a huge fuel load to take on. Anything over 300,000lbs I will need to come in and get as much gas onboard as I can, as it can take a while, and we don’t want to delay our departure. Also, in some circumstances the crew chiefs are part of the load crew, if we’re short on the load crew we can help load pallets and help out with passengers. I’ve even acted as a secondary boom before when there’s only one boom on the road and fatigue becomes a factor, especially during longer or particularly intense AR missions. “We take pride in the KC10 as crew chiefs. The 660th makes these planes fly, and fly well. Our goal is 100% on time departures and 100% mission reliability while we’re on the road. Typically, for the KC-10, we’re looking at a worldwide departure rate well above 90% and that’s what we should be striving for, just to get things done with the least amount of effort possible on our part to make the aircraft work efficiently all the time. The KC-10 has been around a while, so it’s a pretty mature platform, there’s not a ton of growth potential in the aircraft but you definitely see that it does the job well as it stands today, and a good crew chief can work within the existing aircraft systems and make sure it always does.”

Top: The KC-10’s cavernous cabin has space for 27 pallets. Left: The air-refuelling operator compartment, located in the lower aft portion of the KC-10’s fuselage, is fitted with two windows on either side. Below & Far left: Wing air refuelling pods are fitted to 20 of the 59 KC10A Extenders currently in US Air Force service. Below right: All 59 USAF KC-10s are fitted with a hose drum unit (with drogue mounted) located on the underside of the aft starboard fuselage. Opposite top: The pilot and co-pilot pay close attention to their tanker aircraft as they move into the pre-contact position. Opposite middle: US Air Force KC-10s have analogue cockpits. Opposite bottom: The KC-10 flight engineer’s station is fitted with an abundance of switches and dials for monitoring and controlling the aircraft’s systems. All images Scott Dworkin

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TANKERS Essential to the Fight

Flying the Boom

The KC-10’s boom operator controls refuelling through a digital, fly-by wire system. Sitting in the rear of the fuselage, the operator can see the receiver aircraft through a wide window. During boom refuelling operations, fuel is transferred to the receiver at a maximum rate of 1,100 US gal (4,163 litres) per minute. Using the hose and drogue refuelling system the maximum rate is 470 US gal (1,779 litres) per minute. The automatic load alleviation and independent disconnect systems greatly enhance safety and facilitate the process. The KC-10 can also be air-refuelled by a KC-135 or another KC-10 to increase its range. TSgt James Kane with Headquarters Air Mobility Command Detachment 1, Air Crew Training, is a KC-10 boom instructor responsible for the initial qualification training of all the boom operators. Flying the boom is a skillset that takes years of practice. Putting two multimillion dollar aircraft in the same airspace, in all types of weather, and passing thousands of pounds of fuel between them is a very dangerous procedure. Throw in aircraft of all different sizes and shapes and you have one of the most difficult, and demanding jobs in the air force. TSgt Kane gives the ‘baby booms’ the skills to become masters of their role. He said: “We take a guy that doesn’t know how to work a boom – we are handed a brand new kid off the street that’s probably never been in a KC-10 or similar type of refuelling aircraft, and in certain cases never even been in an airplane – which is hard to believe these days, but that still happens – and teach them to effectively and efficiently operate an $88 million dollar air refuelling system.”

Training Students

As a boom instructor, TSgt Kane and his colleagues are trusted with walking a new student through the basics of AR, all the way through flying the boom solo on some of the most challenging aircraft in multiple scenarios before clearing them to be full-time qualified boom operators in the KC-10. Kane explains: “So a young kid, male or female, signs up, raises their right hand and enlists in the USAF and either they know before they go in that they’re interested in trying to be a boom operator or a

career counsellor suggests the profession. From there after basic training, if you are qualified, you will be selected to go to the Center of Excellence at San Antonio which is where all enlisted aviators begin their careers. “Prospects will spend about four weeks at the Center of Excellence and then they go to their respective aviation survival schools. Once that is complete, if they are selected to go into the KC-10 they’ll end up here at Travis AFB or McGuire AFB. Once they get here, they’ll be assigned to the Operational Support Squadron, OSS, for initial training. When they start their initial training, it’s done through a contractor. They handle all of our initial qualification, all of our simulator and boom operator task training. That’s about a 37- to 42-day process as [long as] the student doesn’t regress in any of the skills or knowledge. “It’s a lot of learning in a short period of time, a lot of math and calculations due to the fact that not only are we trained as boom operators, but we’re also loadmasters, so we’re dual-qualified in the KC-10, which is one of the only flying positions in the USAF in which we do both jobs. The time the students spend with the contractor is all of the early initial training. They will learn all the basic systems of the aircraft: electronics, pneumatics, hydraulics and then they’ll learn about the flight control systems of the boom and the specific electrical and

TANKERS Essential to the Fight

hydraulic systems that control it. During this phase they’ll do about 20 simulator rides in the boom operator trainer [BOT] and once they complete those, then they’ll get a check ride by an evaluator from their respective squadron – at Travis that will be either the 6th or the 9th, or the two Air Force Reserve squadrons, the 70th or 79th “Then they will typically begin their flying training at the formal training unit [FTU] – there we have five instructors who fly with them and they’ll fly from nine to eleven sortie training flights in which they will conduct daytime and night-time air refuelling with heavy receivers which are usually the other aircraft based here at Travis, so either another KC-10, a C-17 or a C-5. We also try to get them fighters as soon

as we can – there are a few fighter bases in the local area that are always willing to help us with training, so Fresno, Klamath Falls and Nellis AFB in Las Vegas. “That whole process takes from four to six weeks depending on the number of flights. We try to fly students once or twice a week to get them comfortable pretty

quickly, since once they are in the actual aircraft, they jump right into the centre seat doing all the refuelling. The instructor sits in the right seat (where there is a spare stick for the IP, if needed). Once the student completes training at FTU, they’ll get another check ride given by their respective squadron evaluators, and if all goes well

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TANKERS Essential to the Fight

This shot shows the boomer’s seating position in the air-refuelling operator compartment, which is located in the lower aft portion of the KC-10’s fuselage. Senior Airman Brian Ferguson/US Air Force

TANKERS Essential to the Fight

at that point, they’ll be known as a ‘flying boom operator’, which means they’re qualified to do air refuelling, although technically they’re not completely mission ready yet. “This means they’re not capable of completing an entire mission on their own, which could include loading cargo. That’s where they go into another phase, known as Mission Completion Training, or MCT. This is one of our longest blocks of training. It can take upwards of four to six additional months because it’s all cargo loading and cargo is, believe it or not, actually harder for us [to learn]. The KC-10 is

really used more as an air refuelling platform than as a cargo hauling platform, such as the C-17, C-5, or C-130. “It typically takes a little bit longer to get our students through that training but once they do, they usually go on around six to eight cargo missions and then they’ll get a fourth check ride with one of us. After that, they are finally fully mission qualified so they can now fly [with] the KC-10 anywhere in the world and fully complete the mission on their own. All said and done it takes on average of about a year...And that’s not including probably the six months prior training we discussed just to

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Main: The heart of the KC-10 Extender is a 36ft long air-refuelling boom which is the primary system for transferring fuel to receptacle-equipped receiver aircraft. Scott Dworkin Right: An airman installs safety wires on the engine mounts of a KC-10 Extender engine. MSgt Ruby Zarzyczny/US Air Force Opposite bottom: Aircrew discuss the flight during mission planning. Scott Dworkin Bottom: KC-10A 86-0034 returns to its parking spot at Travis following a local training mission. Scott Dworkin

get here – this should reflect how challenging becoming a boom really is.” Given that there are just 59 KC-10s in the fleet, boom operators are a small and a very tight community. Becoming a boom operator in a KC-10 is a highly-coveted position [so] the USAF wants nothing but the best of the best to fly the boom.

‘Gucci’

TSgt Dexter Morton, a senior boom operator and instructor boom within the 9th ARS explained what makes the KC-10 a top platform for the AR mission: “The KC-10 is a great aircraft, reliable, really comfortable, there are a lot of creature comforts that you

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don’t typically find on military machines, which is one of the reasons we got the ‘Gucci’ nickname. “On the long-haul missions it really makes the crews’ life easier. It does help that we have a place to take some time off when you’re on a long mission and relax a little bit – there’s space for everybody to stretch out and there’s a galley on board that works well, so just for those things I think the platform is awesome! The technology found in the KC-10 is much, much better than the older tankers. We have fly-by-wire controls in the boom so it flies very precisely with your control movements. Even though it is 1970s technology it’s all upgraded. “Our flight envelope is a lot bigger than the KC-135’s so the receiver pilots have a lot more room for error. The KC-10 is a bigger platform so if [receiver pilots] are having a bad day they can be just a little bit off and still get there. “By no means is it easy to be a boom operator, but in the KC-10 the features built into the platform really help you do your job, and do it well. As a KC-10 crew dog you also get to see the world and every flight’s a bit different, even though you may have the same types of aircraft being refuelled – every day, every flight, something different is bound to happen, locations change, weather changes, multiple aircraft needing gas during one sortie. It’s challenging, but at the same time it’s rewarding work. Our aircraft and our crews are adaptable that is why we know we can be called upon for just about anything.”

Refuelling Trade

“As for refuelling various types of aircraft that show up on the boom we have our settings for each type in a book, so

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options and so on, but doing it in the aircraft is the only real way to get the feel for the KC-10 and all of its systems. A flight engineer instructor, in my opinion, is probably one of the most important positions in the squadron because you’re involved from the very beginning, taking an engineer who doesn’t know what he’s doing at all, to getting them to take this aircraft out and manage everything by themselves.”

Teamwork

we know once another guy is coming we just flip the page, change the settings up and we’re ready to go within a minute, seconds even. As a boom it doesn’t take much to go from, say, refuelling an F-16 to a B-52 or B-2 sized aircraft, and then even switching to the drogue system and helping our navy brothers and sisters or coalition partners. “What I find to be the most remarkable thing about our aircraft is that from the start the KC-10 was designed for the dual role, to pass fuel and to take cargo. We can carry both passengers [ground crews and support personnel], and the large cargo loading door on the KC-10 can accept most air forces’ fighter unit support equipment. Powered rollers and winches inside the cargo compartment [make it possible to] move heavy loads. “The cargo compartment can accommodate loads ranging from 27 pallets to a mix of 17 pallets and 75 passengers from a squadron. For the mission planners on the ground at the Allied Tactical Operations Center [ATOC] it is nice for them to be able to send us to a fighter base, [to] pick up 75 passengers [and] cargo, and escort all of their aircraft, take them from one place, and deliver them to their deployed location. It does the job perfectly.”

Flight Deck

Up on the flight deck the KC-10 is controlled by a crew of three – two pilots and the flight engineer. The flight engineer position, like the boom is a non-officer flying aviator position. Whereas other heavy aircraft, such as the C-5, C-17, or C-130 can have multiple engineers on board, the KC-10 flies with only one fully qualified

flight engineer. The job is extremely task intense for one person, but because of the close integration and communication between the four crew, as well as the excellent design of the systems on the aircraft, the flight engineer can handle any tasks that may present during a mission. TSgt Herschel Green of the 6th ARS is a KC-10 flight engineer instructor and evaluator, with over 3,600 hours, all on the KC10 and over seven years of flying experience on the aircraft, about 1,800 of those deployed. When teaching a ‘new’ KC-10 flight engineer TSgt Green spends most of his time in a one-on-one interaction with the student, hands on, learning to operate the systems on the go. “When I am teaching a student in the engineer position we have only so many spots in the forward part of the aircraft to work,” he says. “There’s the main crew positions, and then we have a jump seat which is where the IP would typically sit, but we actually instruct by true interaction, one-on-one, standing over the student’s shoulder – usually with new pilots, you’ll have an IP sitting in one of the pilot positions, we don’t do that, the student is the one taking care of all the flight engineer operations. “I stand behind and I monitor his or her actions and give my input but they are the one actually accomplishing the task. Rather than us doing it for them, it’s more a case of monitoring, and then verbally correcting. We do involve quite a bit of classroom instruction, showing them how to do the mission sitting down, and simulating when they are in the aircraft, setting up on paper to do different pre-flight

TANKERS Essential to the Fight

“We can have two pilots, and a boom operator as our assistants if necessary but typically we’re the ones doing our job, so that puts a huge emphasis on us as instructors in our training, the importance of making sure that our students are well trained and are truly ready and qualified to be in that seat once we deem they are mission ready.” Like other positions in the KC-10 community there isn’t an abundance of qualified engineers and to become fully qualified is a difficult road, not only for the student but also for the few instructors teaching the position. TSgt Green explains: “It cycles through how many student flight engineers come through the programme and it can vary greatly. Right now in the squadron we’re about to have three students we are training up, sometimes we have none, and the highest that I’ve seen is five at one time, and I was in charge of training then so I was very, very busy! Keep in mind we also have our own missions to fly to keep up our proficiency which makes our instructors typically the busiest flight engineers in the squadron. “We normally fly at least four long-range missions, going out on the road for a week or more with the student, then they’re back home and out on another

mission because the next students need to go out to get their training done quickly. The flight engineer course is scheduled for roughly 100 days and a certain amount of hours are required, typically 150 before they’re mission qualified. Our instructors are constantly moving to get things done and you’re also flying to keep current as well, so typically on one of the ops we will have an opportunity, especially on longer missions to jump in the seat to fulfil our flight requirements as well.”

Teaching Methods

“For example we’ll do a preflight demonstration to the student, always in instruction mode, trying to show them how to do it, but we also take the time to make sure that we’re proficient as well. Most of the KC-10 squadrons have their own evaluators and their training is fully independent from the other squadrons, however because we operate the same aircraft, we have the same qualifications – we do interact quite a bit. As an evaluator I’m often reaching across to the different squadrons, including the Reserves, to help out and make sure that the entire KC-10 qualification and crews are operating well and to the same standards. “I will regularly fly as an evaluator with one of our sister squadrons, and one of their evals will fly with our crews. I will also jump on a flight with another squadron to keep my hours up, if the seat is available. It’s a pretty demanding course – in one year you go from being in your old career to operating in an airplane by yourself, which is very, very rigorous and difficult training for the student. “I know when I came into the programme, after what seemed to me like a pretty short period of time of instruction they said, ‘you’re

now going to go do this all by yourself’ – my initial reaction was, ‘am I really ready?’ But the training programme is well designed to make sure that you’re ready, and even if the individual doesn’t quite feel like it, the instructors can see when a student is ready to do the job and, and we push them pretty hard to get to that point. Once you have [mastered] the systems in the aircraft, the KC-10 is actually a nice machine to work with. As with any flight engineer position, it’s a complex position, but especially in this aircraft – it’s a big airplane and there are many, many systems, a lot of information to absorb, but once you have it down, it’s fairly simple to stay proficient on it.”

Pre-flight

“We do our pre-flight from memory, whereas on some other aircraft they actually take a written checklist and run it. We really step up there and help the pilots, we’re getting everything ready. That alone is 100-plus steps of procedures that we have to memorise, go through and make sure the aircraft is ready to go. It’s the quantity of information that makes it difficult, not necessarily the information itself. As instructors you could say we kind of open a fire hose on the students and then we ask them to take [the information] and perform. We’re there for the pilots to turn to and ask questions of when there’s a problem. We have to be able to answer the pilots when asked, ‘how do we get out of this?’ ‘What do we do in this situation?’ We’re the ones running those checklists to make sure we get the aircraft back into a controllable and manageable condition if we have a problem. We are also a third set of eyes in the cockpit to just help with safety and help with observation,

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and that’s something we do quite a bit. We are very involved with the flight operations of the aircraft, since our seat is right behind the pilot’s. “We all know altitudes, radios, the approach plates that we’re flying down and we are backing up the pilots continuously. In this aircraft, a unique thing is that the flight engineer sets the throttles for the pilots. In the KC-10 the engineer position is a liaison to everyone onboard for the most part. The pilots talk to us and then we talk to the crew chiefs, and the same thing goes for the boom operators. We’re normally the ones that our boom operators talk to the most, when they are brand new.”

Mentoring

“As flight engineers we’ve typically been in the air force for a while, and we’ve been interacting with pilots for a while, we [also] have that ability to be go-betweens for the boom and the pilots. That mentorship sometimes helps to orient boom operators in communicating forward in the crew, but overall the KC-10 air crew has a uniqueness I think, in the air force in general, we have our individual roles – pilots, flight engineer, boom operator…[each] airman has just as much input as the lieutenant colonel in the cockpit during the flight. The rank doesn’t drive the operation of the aircraft, it’s the position, it’s the experience – we call it CRM – career resource management. We’ve got to talk to each other, everyone has to be willing and able to speak up when they see something that needs to be corrected and rank can’t be in the way of that.”

Commanders’ View

Lt Col Thad Middleton, commander of the 9th ARS, and the author spent time discussing the 60th AMW, the KC-10, and the crews

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that fly, maintain and support this important asset. Lt Col Middleton was formerly the Operations Officer at the 6th ARS and took command of the 9th ARS shortly before AIR International’s visit. The task of taking over one of only four active duty KC-10 squadrons in the USAF is an enormous responsibility and a highly scrutinised position. Lt Col Middleton explains: “While I was flying C-130s for five years, the war kicked off in Afghanistan and suddenly we deployed. Every time I flew in Afghanistan there was a ‘Whistler’ call sign that I would hear over the radios. They were at 30,000ft and 450 knots, and it turns out they were flying a KC-10. The whole time I’m down low getting shot at, I’m thinking ‘man, do they have a good life up there, they’re flying way high, real fast and they never land in country or get shot at’. Fast forward a few years, I was given the opportunity to come over to the KC-10 community and I jumped at the chance.”

Strategic Asset

“Having been in the community now for a while, what I learned to appreciate above and beyond just flying high and fast is that this aircraft is looked upon as a strategic asset. There’s 20 B-2s in the service and that’s considered a national asset for many appropriate reasons. Take the amount of gas we can pass along, the amount of pallets and cargo we can move, the [number of] passengers we can move. Consider that this jet was specifically made for the dual-role purpose of taking a fighter unit from point A to point B, all their goods, maintenance personnel and package, and then we stay around and bring gas to anyone who needs it. “When I came into the KC-10 community I was able to fly sections of fighter aircraft from Andrews AFB all the way to Singapore for a multinational exercise in

one flight. It’s a large amount of equipment in one flight for an operation on time, on the spot. The rest of the world that was there [for the exercise] looked at us and said, ‘that’s an amazing and unparalleled capability not found in any other aircraft worldwide’. Now translate that into what we have been doing in a war footing in Iraq and now Afghanistan. We bring an unmatched set of capabilities to the front. “I’ve also had five years working at the Pentagon [working on strategic and nuclear issues and for the Secretary of the Air Force] where I was able to see the air force in the big picture. When you do that, you really start seeing the role that air refuelling plays. It doesn’t get a lot of front page headlines, but it really is one of the most important tools in the military.”

The Personal Side

“After my staff tour at the Pentagon I was asked if I would like the opportunity to be an operations officer in a KC-10 squadron. Obviously I said ‘absolutely’, because I had seen the role it plays. With Iraq and Afghanistan [and] the pace [of deployments] what these airmen are going through is truly incredible. They’re gone two months and they’re home for two months and before they even get settled they’re out the door again. “Keep in mind these squadrons are working today with shrinking budgets [and] manpower. The squadron’s not manned like it was back in 2004, 2005 or 2006 when I was first here at Travis. It’s a smaller force so now you’ve got fewer people taking on more responsibility. “It’s part of my job to try to find what’s inside that person who’s been deployed over and over again, that person who is facing the struggles of a regular air force career, whether professional development and promotion, and their problems and struggles outside the air force, and find what fire is in there and try to keep that burning because I don’t want to lose them. I know we’re going to lose people from the air force, but how can I motivate them to really achieve everything they want? I want them to achieve what they’ve always set out to be. And whether that’s a senior pilot with 3,000, 4,000 flying hours or a general officer, it’s my job to help push them and promote

them and grow them and make sure that they have what they need to fly and fight in our KC-10s.”

The Value of Tanking

“The mission that we do here at the 60th is vital, everything would come to a grinding halt if it wasn’t for air refuelling, the jets wouldn’t go anywhere. If you talk to anybody flying on the end of that boom they want to receive it from a KC-10. The KC-10 is such a small tool with only 59 in service but with the next-generation air refuelling aircraft being years away, and with the KC-135s being what they are [smaller in fuel capacity] the KC-10 is hugely important. “Air refuelling is not cheap. Flying two aircraft in close proximity to each other at 25,000-30,000ft creates drag because you’re not flying at the optimal speed for both aircraft, and you’re passing fuel while you’re doing it, and obviously it’s a dangerous job as well. The thing that it does is [provide] the global reach that the nation needs to hold any enemy or any

person accountable for their actions. It gives the President and his advisors the ability to move things into place to solve a crisis in a much faster manner than otherwise would be available. The only way a bomber is going to get from here to there without stopping is with our help. People don’t see that because we’re just the conduit. Everybody sees the footage of bombs getting dropped on TV. [For example] everybody knows a B-52 is going to go and execute their mission, but to get from here to there, there’s an air refuelling piece that no one sees. “People may think that it’s routine or it’s easy. No, it’s actually not easy. We find each other over the Pacific Ocean or wherever we need to be. At that time, in the middle of the night at 25,000ft, in order for a B-52 to make it to its destination. We give it gas to ensure that it can drop its weapons on target [and] to maintain the strategic or national policies. Without our link, that’s just not going to happen.”

TANKERS Essential to the Fight

Main: The 422nd Test and Evaluation Squadron ‘Green Bats’ based at Nellis AFB, Nevada provides regular trade to the Travis-based KC-10s. A Green Bats F-16C refuels from a KC-10A Extender over California. Scott Dworkin Opposite bottom: Appropriate markings on the wings of the boom of a KC-10A. Scott Dworkin

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GreenS S

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nSalad Salad I KC-707s on the flight lines at Air Base 28 Nevatim, home of the IAF Heavy Transport Wing. Nir Ben-Yosef

srael is a tiny nation with huge fears that range far and wide. In order to contain these fears Israel adopted an ambitious and expensive policy to field a long-range power projection force – a cornerstone of which is air-refuelling with the Boeing KC-707.

From Probe to Boom

Israel’s introduction of inflight refuelling did not result from long-term planning to purchase tankers but from the exploitation of an opportunity. It was the introduction to the Israeli Air Force (IAF) service of the Douglas A-4 Skyhawk from 1967, an aircraft with air-refuelling capability, that prompted IAF interest in tanker aircraft. Because the A-4 Skyhawk was limited to probe in-flight

TANKERS Essential to the Fight

Shlomo Aloni describes the role played by the KC-707 in Israel’s power projection refuelling the IAF acquired refuelling pods that could be installed on A-4s to permit ‘buddy’ refuelling, of other Skyhawks. The limitations of this system led to the IAF fitting two refuelling pods onto the wings of a C-97 Stratotanker to support A-4 operations. The McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom’s introduction from 1969 posed a dilemma, since the Phantom was equipped for in-flight refuelling using the aerial refuelling boom. Consequently, the IAF was faced with modifying the C-97 Stratotanker with a boom or equipping its Phantom fleet with probes. Eventually, it chose the latter but at the time, and arguably ever since, its air-refuelling capability was limited to special operations rather than to support large-scale wartime operations.

Yom Kippur Lessons

The October 1973 Yom Kippur War emphasised the importance of air-toair refuelling in supporting missions that, before the conflict, were not considered as long-range missions. The IAF’s pre-war plans included Suppression of Enemy Air Base (SEAB) or Destruction of Enemy Air Base (DEAB) missions against Egyptian Air Force (EAF) air bases in the River Nile Delta, with each Phantom loaded with ten bombs and a single fuel tank. However during the Yom Kippur War, Israel’s Phantom crews preferred flying such missions with three fuel tanks and only five bombs primarily to give them higher penetration speed with activated afterburners and larger reserves of fuel for air combat versus EAF interceptors. However, even with this extra fuel,

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IAF Phantom crews felt short-legged (a small combat radius) and often returned with remaining fuel well below pre-planned minimum levels. The Yom Kippur War showed to the IAF that, during wartime, fuel mattered more than was perceived during peacetime flying and that the A-4 Skyhawk and F-4 Phantom mix would have to be replaced with a combination of fourthgeneration combat aircraft. This led it to acquire thethen McDonnell Douglas F-15 Eagle and Lockheed F-16 Fighting Falcon, and to complement these new aircraft Israel aspired to buy a modern boom tanker aircraft in the form of the Boeing KC135 Stratotanker. However, the US banned exports of KC-135s to Israel purportedly because the Stratotanker was a US Air Force Strategic Air Command asset and, as such, was not available for sale overseas. Israel was therefore only entitled to acquire US Air Force Tactical Air Command equipment. Interestingly, at the time, the US sold Boeing 707 boom tankers to Iran but then again a Boeing 707 was not a USAF SAC KC-135. A more reasonable explanation is that USAF was unable to spare KC-135 Stratotankers and Israel lacked resources to acquire brandnew boom tankers.

KC-707

If the IAF’s introduction of airto-air refuelling capability with the A-4 was an unplanned exploitation of an opportunity, then the introduction of the Boeing 707 was purely a coincidence. Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) in late 1971 acquired 13 exTrans World Airlines Boeing 707s with the intention of refurbishing them to sell on. This project was still on-going when the Yom Kippur War broke out in October 1973

so the IAF commandeered the Boeing 707s from the IAI for service with Lod-based International Squadron 120. The Boeing 707 proved a worthy successor to the C-97 Stratotanker and by 1975 the IAF’s inventory included eight 707s. As an alternative to the abortive KC-135 Stratotanker acquisition, the IAF in May 1975 issued a requirement for a Boeing 707 boom tanker using the name IAF Project Green Salad. By then, IAI had accumulated considerable expertise in converting C-97s into tankers and in maintaining the 707 so it was easily capable of converting a Boeing 707 into a boom tanker. IAI designed and manufactured a boom to fit in the 707’s empennage. In addition to the structural modifications, it adapted electrical, fuel and hydraulic systems. Fuel tanks were also added in the former passenger cabin, a boom operator’s station went into the aft cabin and pilot director lights were installed under the rear fuselage. In order to simplify the modification process, the IAF did not follow US Air Force practice of providing the boom operator with a window so he could steer it in the direction of the aircraft coming to the tanker to be refuelled. Instead, IAI introduced a remote control console utilising a ‘stereo’ video camera to provide the boom operator with a 3D view of the receiver aircraft. Additionally, the flight engineer station at the front of the aircraft was modified to monitor and back up the refuel procedure. Boeing 707 Reem (Ram, pronounced Re-em) 140, Project Green Salad 1, was the first boom tanker conversion. Its maiden flight was in August 1980 but it had to be grounded for modifications after only six test flights.

Circles Theory

While the IAF and IAI were engaged in the Green Salad programme, the F-15 entered IAF service in 1976 and the F-16 in 1979. Middle East geopolitics had also changed. Egypt and Israel signed a peace treaty in March 1979 and the Israel Defense Force (IDF) was forced to seek a new baseline threat scenario to justify its continued expansion (initiated as a result of the Yom Kippur War) and the fact that Egypt was no longer the IDF’s baseline threat. It was from this that the IDF developed the circles theory for the defence and security of Israel. The first circle consisted of hostile nations bordering Israel: Egypt, Jordan, Syria and Lebanon. The second circle was hostile nations, such as Iraq and Libya, that had a buffer state between them and Israel. The third circle covered hostile nations that did not share a border with Israel and had two buffer states in between, such as Iran. Thus, the IDF worst-case scenario for the 1980s was a war between Israel and a coalition of Iraq, Jordan and Syria. If the Yom Kippur War emphasised the importance of endurance in operations

against first circle nations, there was little doubt that air-refuelling capability was crucial in order to sustain operations against a second circle nation. The IAF attack against an Iraqi nuclear reactor near Baghdad in June 1981, when Green Salad 1 was still grounded for modifications, highlighted the fact that the IAF lacked capability to provide in-flight refuelling to the attacking F-16s and their F-15 fighter escorts.

Wooden Leg

Reem 140/Green Salad 1 resumed test flights in October 1981 and the first IAF Boeing 707 tanker was delivered to International Squadron 120 in April 1983. Reem 248/Green Salad 2 followed in November 1984. The main difference between the two aircraft was the type of engines, Reem 140 being powered by Pratt & Whitney (P&W) JT4A turbojets and Reem 248 by P&W JT3Ds. The more fuel-thirsty JT4As penalised Green Salad 1’s performance in comparison with Green Salad 2 and all subsequent Green Salad tankers. Almost exactly a year after the delivery of Green Salad 2 the two boom tankers

supported the launch of the IAF’s longest-range combat aircraft attack mission to date. Operation Wooden Leg was a reprisal to a Palestinian terror attack against Israeli citizens in Cyprus. The mission’s target was Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) headquarters in Tunisia, a third circle nation supposedly out of the IAF’s reach. Wooden Leg D-Day was October 1, 1985, H-Hour was 11:00 and range to target was 1,280 miles (2,060km). The two tankers took off at 07:55 and refuelled the eight F-15 bombers from 09:35. Having attacked their target as planned, the F-15s returned to base by 14:00 after a six-hour mission. It was the availability of in-flight refuelling capability that enabled Israel to signal to the PLO that it could respond to terror attacks regardless of the distance. IAI exploited its Project Green Salad experience to lever a successful Boeing 707 tanker conversion export campaign. Alleged customers during the midlate 1980s were South Africa, Australia and Colombia, with Chile, Peru and Venezuela reportedly following during the 1990s.

Top left: Israeli Air Force KC-707 Reem 264 refuelling an F-15B Baz with two F-15As in formation. Shlomo Aloni Top right: Three F-16C Barak fighters behind KC-707 Reem 275. Nir Ben-Yosef Below left: A schematic diagram of a KC-707 Reem tanker. Shlomo Aloni Below right: Another schematic diagram of a proposed twin-engine replacement for the KC-707. Shlomo Aloni

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East geopolitical situation had changed again.

Third Circle Threat

Israeli acquisition of further machines was slow. The IAI delivered Reem 250 Green Salad 3 to IAF International Squadron 120 in December 1988. It differed from Green Salad 1 and 2 in having two under-wing pods to enable simultaneous refuelling of one boom-equipped combat aircraft and two probeequipped aircraft, a peculiar feature that was removed from the aircraft within a couple of years.

Gulf War

The 1991 Gulf War started the IDF’s worst-case scenario. The supposed

Eastern Front coalition of Iraq, Jordan and Syria was no longer viable; the scenario of mass warfare along Israel’s border with Jordan and/ or Syria had evaporated. Instead, Iraq attacked Israel with around 40 Scud surface-to-surface missiles (SSMs) but the International Squadron 120 Reem tankers did not participate in offensive operations against Iraq since Israel restrained itself from retaliation leaving the US-led coalition to conduct Scudhunting missions over Iraq. The lesson of the 1991 Gulf War for the IAF was therefore to double the

number of Reem tankers so that it could carry out sustained search operations for SSMs against a second circle nation. Implementation was slow. Reem 260 Green Salad 4 was delivered in December 1996, Reem 275 Green Salad 5 followed in February 2001 and Reem 290 Green Salad 6 was delivered in January 2004 – all three were in tanker/transport configuration with additional fuel tanks in the cargo compartment rather than in the passenger cabin. By the time of Green Salad 6’s delivery to the IAF the Middle

The IDF’s Iraq baseline threat evaporated again in March 2003 when the US invaded that country. For a while it looked as though the IAF could relax its long-range power projection, and indeed Ream 140/Green Salad 1 was offered for sale during 2004. But as a result of the second Iraq war the IDF’s baseline worst-case threat changed to third circle nation Iran, which again put the focus on long-range power projection. In the event Green Salad 1 was not sold but re-engined with JT3Ds, while Reem 264/Green Salad 7 was delivered in June 2004.

Nevatim

The IAF Heavy Transport Wing moved from Air Base 27 Lod in the middle of Israel to Air Base 28 Nevatim in the Negev Desert during August 2008. Relocation coincided with the start of an avionics upgrade programme that encompassed a Honeywell glass cockpit with six multifunction displays (MFDs) and modern communications.

Also during 2008, IAI was awarded a contract covering maintenance of the IAF Heavy Transport Wing until 2017. More milestones followed. Reem 272 Green Salad 8 was accepted in September 2009 and was the first to be equipped with a standard KC-135 Stratotanker boom. The IAF has since expressed its intention to equip all Green Salads with this boom. The International Squadron 120 changed its name to the Desert Giants Squadron in February 2010. Three months later, it was announced that Reem 264 would be repainted in dark grey and the rest of the Green Salads would receive the same scheme in time. The paint change was presumably to emphasise nocturnal operations, even though dark paints are the least suitable for aircraft exposed to the Israeli climate.

Refuelling Process

The IAF Boeing 707’s boom tanker crew comprises a pilot, co-pilot, navigator, engineer and boomer. The first four crew member stations are in the cockpit at the front of the aircraft while the boomer station is

Bottom left: Estimated refuel/ranges for the KC-707 Reem and the proposed Boeing 767 and Gulfstream G550 tankers. Shlomo Aloni Bottom right: IAI designed the retractable boom for all Israeli Air Force KC-707 Reem tankers. Nir Ben-Yosef Below left: IAI’s KC-707 tanker conversion included installation of fuel tanks in the former passenger cabin. Shlomo Aloni Below right: Reem 275 takes off from Air Base 28 Nevatim on a training sortie. Shlomo Aloni

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Above: Reem 264 was the first Israeli KC-707 to be painted in this dark grey colour scheme. Matthew Clements Opposite right top: Pilot director lights used for signalling to the receiver aircraft are fitted under the KC-707’s rear fuselage. Opposite right middle: The KC-707 boom operator’s station is located in the aft cabin. All images Shlomo Aloni unless noted Opposite right bottom: Air Base 28 Nevatim is home to the Israeli Air Force C-130 and KC-707 fleets. Oppoite left middle: All of the Israeli Air Force KC-707s are powered by Pratt & Whitney JT3D turbofan engines. Nir Ben-Yosef Opposite left bottom: An IAI-developed retractable boom with various cowlings removed for maintenance. Bottom: No.120 Desert Giants Squadron is the only unit to fly the KC-707 in the Israeli Air Force.

at the rear. A boomer is an engineer qualified to operate the boom, although not all Reem engineers are qualified as boomers. The in-flight refuelling procedure starts with a prearranged rendezvous and the Reem co-pilot is in charge of managing air traffic in the vicinity. The boomer extends the boom to its full length of slightly more than 45ft (14m) and verifies that the system can transfer fuel. The boomer operates two control columns: one for the boom’s extension/ retraction and one to ‘fly’

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the boom. The co-pilot then approves the first receiver aircraft to fly into position behind the tanker. From then on, the boomer takes over. He directs the combat aircraft pilots with the director lights on the underside of the 707, which IAF pilots have nicknamed ‘traffic lights’. The boomer can display various up or down, aft or forward signals until the receiver aircraft is in the correct position. At this point, the boomer ‘flies’ the boom’s end into the receiver aircraft’s fuel receptacle. The fuel then flows.

During refuelling the boomer continues to ‘fly’ the boom to prevent a disconnection. Once refuelling is complete, the boom operator notifies the pilot and tells him how much fuel was transferred. The pilot then disconnects and turns away, while the Green Salad co-pilot authorises the next receiver aircraft into position behind the tanker.

Reem Replacement

More than a decade ago the IAF came up with the phrase “ageing aircraft can fly forever” – and the Reem

fleet is indeed ageing. Plans to improve the IAF’s boom tanker force emerged in November 2006 during an unclassified presentation of plans. It was being proposed that the Boeing 707 should be replaced with the Boeing 767. But of course 767 acquisition costs would have been considerably more expensive than a programme to make operational improvements to the 707 fleet. To get around this problem the IAI came up with an unconventional scheme to supplement the 707 fleet

with tanker versions of the Gulfstream G550 business jet. The plan revealed two options – retain a fleet of eight 707s, each operating at 75% availability, or use a mixed fleet of five 707s and five G550s. The basic scenario was to refuel at 1,000km (621 miles) range with a transfer of 4,000kg (8,818lb) of fuel per refuel. An all-707 fleet was calculated to have the capability to fly 18 sorties and refuel 219 aircraft per 24 hours, compared to the mixed 707/G550 fleet providing capability to fly 30

TANKERS Essential to the Fight

sorties and refuel 229 aircraft in the same 24-hour period. However, purchasing the G550s would have amounted to more than the cumulative savings in annual operating costs yielded by improving the existing 707 fleet. Additionally, the operational gain from introducing a mixed fleet instead of a unified fleet also seemed negligible. It is for this reason, perhaps, that the United States reportedly offered to replace Israel’s Green Salad fleet with surplus US Air Force CFM56-powered KC135R Stratotankers which, although actually older than the JT3D-powered Boeing 707s, would be slightly more economical to operate and perhaps better equipped. Availability rates and safety issues, not age, will probably motivate a Reem replacement. Unless the IAF is tempted to accept KC135 Stratotankers, a more obvious Reem replacement would be the IAI Boeing 767 tanker, former airline 767s that would be converted by IAI in a similar way to the 707s. The cost of a Green Salad 767 conversion is estimated at $20 million per aircraft on top of the acquisition cost. It’s not a cheap solution for Israel, a nation that is suffering from a major budget deficit, nor one that is appealing to the IDF which is facing major budget cuts because of the nation’s financial predicament. Still, the issue of the Reem replacement will have to be addressed because the Green Salad fleet is not merely a force multiplier but crucial to Israel’s power projection ambitions. Since entering service in 1983 the Green Salad fleet has taken part in every IAF long-range activity. Most, if

TANKERS Essential to the Fight

not all, of these deployments, exercises and operations would not have been possible without tanker support. The Green Salad fleet has successfully supported numerous IDF and IAF special operations but in light of the current climate that may fuel more Middle East conflicts, analysts have expressed doubts about whether the fleet can actually support sustained wartime longrange IDF missions. Green Salad may be sufficient as an appetiser but it is doubtful whether it will suffice as a main course.

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Husky Hauling The withdrawal of their own strategic tanker fleet in 1996 was keenly felt within the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF). But, the arrival of five CC-150 Polaris transport/tankers has enabled the RCAF to take part in every NATO operation since 1990, with the CC-150Ts playing a pivotal role in Operation Unified Protector over Libya. Glenn Sands explains how the new aircraft are proving their worth 70

T

hey’re the unassuming aircrews of the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) who carry Canada’s armed forces to where they need to be, get CF-18 Hornets into a warzone or transport Canadian delegations to G8 summits. To an outsider the RCAF’s No.437 Transport Squadron (known as the Huskies), serving as part of 8 Wing at Canadian Forces Base, Trenton, Ontario, may look like a commercial airlinerstyle outfit flying Airbus Military CC-150 Polaris

(converted A310-304s). And it may seem that it operates at a relatively sedate pace compared to other squadrons in the RCAF. But nothing could be further from the truth. In Iceland, Libya, Brazil and Europe, the Huskies are one of the most indemand squadrons within the RCAF. There’s plenty of variety for the air and groundcrews, but the more usual taskings have to be slotted into a relentless cycle of training schedules. But for a squadron numbering just five aircraft, the RCAF is

TANKERS Essential to the Fight

A CC-150 Polaris from 437(T) Squadron (part of 8 Wing at Trenton) is escorted by a CF-18 Hornet from 425 Squadron (3 Wing at Bagotville). Corporal Dany Michaud/Royal Canadian Air Force

certainly getting plenty of use out of its CC-150s. From the outset, the programme to re-introduce strategic tanking had to be as cost-effective as possible, and would probably involve acquiring second-hand airframes rather then brand new aircraft. The A310s originally served with Wardair (C-FHWD, C-FNWD, C-FWDX, C-GBWD, and C-GLWD), and were later transferred to Canadian Airlines when the two carriers merged in 1989. With the new airline having more aircraft than it needed, the RCAF saw an opportunity

to reintroduce its own strategic air-to-air refuelling capability which had been lost following the retirement of the CC-137s (Boeing 707-320s) in 1996. In January 1993 a purchase price was agreed of $51.2 to $57.1 million Canadian dollars for each of the five airframes and this included an engineering support contract for a fixed number of flying hours. Initially overseen by Canadian Airlines, the Polaris maintenance contract was later acquired by Air Canada when it purchased Canadian Airlines in 2000. After Air

TANKERS Essential to the Fight

Canada was restructured, its service contracts were assigned to a subsidiary; Air Canada Technical Services (ACTS), later renamed Aveos Fleet Performance. Following the collapse of Aveos Fleet Performance in March 2012, the Canadian Department for Defense (DND) awarded a oneyear contract to L-3 MAS Canada, which has since been extended. Dwight Ebel, a civilian contractor with L-3 and one of the maintainers for the CC-150s, explained the company’s role to AIR

International: “We provide all the fleet engineering for the CC-150s and have the ability to reach back to Airbus for original equipment manufacturer [OEM] support. We provide all of the daily first line servicing and maintenance for the squadron, and – if needed – heavy maintenance visits [HMVs] are subcontracted to a heavy maintenance depot, which L-3 oversees. “Modifications to the aircraft are carried out by us along with specific requirements during operations. Such tasks have involved up to 60 L-3

employees deploying with the RCAF personnel on ops, including Operation Mobile to Trapani-Birgi, Sicily, for six months, and recently for a shorter period on Operation Ignition, to Keflavik, Iceland.” The RCAF also had other plans for the A310 airframes now allocated military serials 15001-15005 which involved different internal layouts. Taken on strength on June 5, 1990, 15001 was configured as a head-of-state VIP aircraft and known unofficially as the ‘Taj Mahal’. It was recently upgraded for the VVIP role with a suite that now

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out when needed, dragging a refuelling hose behind it, all the power being provided by the spinning propellers at the front of the pod. The drogue forms a basket to receive the refuelling probe of a CF-18A Hornet. Currently no other RCAF aircraft type can refuel from a CC-150T. The pods and other in-flight refuelling operations are controlled from a newly installed station on the portside of the flight deck. The air-to-air refueller (AAR) operator controls the pods and their hoses while monitoring operations via a video link. The CC-150T has fuel tanks located in its wings, its tail (known as the trim tank) and the centre section. The five ACTs are installed in the belly cargo areas, sandwiching the centre tank. The ACTs feed fuel into the centre tank, which in turn feeds fuel to the pods. Curiously, the fuel in the wings closest to the pods is used exclusively by the CC-150T. Initial Operating Capability (IOC), this was achieved for the two CC-150Ts in June 2009. Full Operating Capability (FOC) was accomplished a short time later.

Crew Co-ordination

Top: Members of 437 (Transport) Squadron supported six CF-18 Hornets as part of Operation Ignition, Canada’s contribution to NATO Airborne Surveillance and Interception efforts to meet Iceland’s security needs. All images Key Glenn Sands unless stated Above: A single Polaris provided air-to-air refuelling for the CF-18s of the Blue Force during Exercise Maple Flag XLII. Corporal Patrick Drouin/Royal Canadian Air Force

contains a shower, couches that convert to beds and an upgraded electronics layout enabling Wi-Fi and enhanced communications so that delegates can prepare for appointments prior to landing.

Combi’s Get Hosed

The remaining four CC-150s were initially converted into ‘combi’ configuration, with a cargo door on the upper level to accommodate freight, in addition to the 60 passengers. But recent overseas operations have dictated a more permanent arrangement for the four other airframes. CC-150 Loadmaster Sergeant Hugues Rivard explained: “Currently, aircraft 15002 and 15003 are in full passenger configuration, allowing an increase of up to 194 personnel; 15004 and 15005 have been converted further to the Multi Role Tanker Transport (MRTT) layout. Although these two aircraft have the same outward

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appearance as the ‘combi’, inside the aircraft’s belly are four additional centre tanks (ACTs) along with a refuelling station that is the control centre for the refuelling specialist located just aft of the cockpit.” Canada’s DND planned the conversion of at least two CC150s to an MRTT configuration. A contract was signed with EADS/Airbus on October 16, 2002, after a thorough evaluation. The work was carried out at Elbe Flugzeugwerke in Dresden, Germany, between 2004-2005. It ran around two months behind schedule, with the first CC-150T (T-Tanker), 15001, rolled out in September 2004 without the wing-mounted refuelling pods as these were still undergoing testing. Canada’s two CC-150Ts were almost identical to the Luftwaffe’s Airbus A310 MRTT conversions, so the DND was able to ‘ride’ on the Germans’ tanker

programme with the obvious savings in costs. The conversion involved fitting twin pylon-mounted

Mk.32B hose-and-drogue refuelling pods – one near each wingtip. A drogue in the rear of the pod is reeled

The RCAF, now with its long-awaited strategic air-to-air refuellers (SAARs) could deploy its fighter force anywhere in the world. With the aircraft and this particular role came the opportunity for new pilots to start their flying careers with the Huskies as trainee tanker commanders. Captain Dana Sponder, a CC-150 pilot with over 900 hours on type, recalled: “I joined the RCAF in April 2007 under the Direct Entry Officer

LIBYAN MISSION...’PSYCHO 08’

Off the coast of Libya at 1800hrs an RAF Tornado GR4, call-sign ‘Psycho 08’, arrives off the starboard wing of ‘Hoser 70’. During the 15-minute ‘hook-up’ the RAF and RCAF crews chatted over the intercom; the RAF crew passing on their recent strike mission details which were relayed to the Combined Air Operations Centre at Poggio Renatico, Northern Italy. The Tornado would return once more to the tanker during its sortie before returning to the RAF’s forward operating base at Gioia del Colle, Italy.

TANKERS Essential to the Fight

Programme and underwent Primary Flight Training in August 2008. I completed that in March 2010 and was selected to fly multi-engine transport aircraft, which was my first choice! My training continued on the King Air C90B from August to November 2010, after which I was awarded my wings, promoted to Captain and posted to 8 Wing at Trenton. “Although the CC-150 was not my first choice, the CC-144 Challenger was, I haven’t regretted getting posted to 437 (T) Squadron for a moment. The Polaris is actually very easy to fly. It’s completely automated and once you understand the systems, the missions run quite smoothly. The cockpit works on a ‘lights out’ concept – when all the lights are out on the overhead panel, everything is working properly. This makes it easy for a crew to know immediately when there is a problem; as soon as something lights up, the pilot’s attention is drawn directly to the faulty system.” A typical flight makes use

of the CC-150’s extensive software package, as Captain Sponder explained: “We generally turn on the auto-pilot [AP] at 400ft above ground after take-off and then it’s simply a matter of managing the flight control unit [FCU] to adjust speeds, altitudes and headings. Most of the flight is done with the AP on, including the approach. The flying pilot will disconnect the AP 200ft [60m] before touchdown and land manually. There is the option of auto land on the Polaris; however we don’t normally use it unless doing a CAT III ILS. The auto land makes for a pretty solid touchdown, and we try to treat the passengers to a ‘greaser’ most of the time. “There are a few quirks when flying the aircraft which take some getting used to. In particular, pulling rather than pushing the wrong button on the FCU can cause the auto throttles to go into thrust latch [basically commanding full power] which has caused a few pilots new to the Polaris some grief!”

TANKERS Essential to the Fight

Operational Capability With the CC-150T meeting the RCAF’s FOC, the tanker is regarded as a ‘force enabler’ for both domestic and foreign operations and exercises – so there’s

never a typical day at the squadron. Lt Col Ryan Eyre, Commanding Officer of 437 (Transport) Squadron, with 1,700 hours on type explains: “Depending on the mission, we may have as long as two

to three months to prepare, or we may have just a couple of hours to deploy. We have a small operations staff at the squadron and we plug into the greater 8 Wing Trenton resources when

Above One of two wingtip pylon-mounted Cobham Mk.32B hose-and-drogue refuelling pods. At present CF-18 Hornets are the only RCAF aircraft that can receive fuel from the CC-150T. Top: Two Polaris tankers, 15004 and 15005, were deployed to Trapani-Birgi as part of Canada’s Sicily Air Wing. During Operation Unified Protector, the RCAF accomplished 10% of all AAR, a remarkable accomplishment with just two aircraft deployed to the theatre.

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needed for mission planning. The aircrew are selected from their availability on the scheduling board so we don’t have set crews – this extends to the fuel refuelling specialists, flight stewards and flight attendants.” The Huskies maintain flexibility in their scheduling in order to respond effectively to their flying mission. Such an approach has added to the overall effectiveness of the squadron according to Lt Col Eyre.

The renewed capability within the RCAF has seen Canadian Forces air elements at the forefront of recent combat operations. However, the CC-150T’s ‘combat debut’ was somewhat unplanned. Originally scheduled to support Operation Ignition in April 2011, (Canada’s commitment to the NATO-led air policing of Iceland), 437 (T) Squadron soon found its tanker resources diverted to supporting the Hornets of 425 Squadron on combat

operations as part of NATO’s Operation Unified Protector against Libya. Back at Trenton it was necessary to ensure all the current pilots had completed the air-to-air refuelling (AAR) course before deploying. This also applied to Captain Sponder, who recalled: “The course involved a few in-class sessions to learn the systems and a quick flight to see how the fighters would be moved and manipulated around the CC-150.

“My first official flight as an AAR officer was actually over the Mediterranean region, off the coast of Libya, with receivers from other nations. It was quite exciting. We flew every day, at all hours of the day and night, and had fighter from all corners of the world take on fuel from our aircraft. It was quite an experience to be involved first hand in a war effort and to know that my contributions were making a difference to the overall mission.”

Along with many of his fellow aircrew, Captain Sponder also found himself flying into Kandahar, Afghanistan, where threats from the ground were always present. “My very first mission with the squadron was to Afghanistan in support of ISAF to bring Canadian troops home from Camp Mirage. We did have a combat checklist that we used for approaches into the airfield, which involved staying high as long as possible and doing the instrument

Baking in the Italian midday sun, the Polaris crew open both forward passenger doors to help cool down the aircraft’s interior. Within a few hours this tanker would be off the coast Libya, refuelling NATO fighters.

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TANKERS Essential to the Fight

approach at faster speeds than usual to limit the amount of time we were at low altitude,” the Captain explained.

Maple Flag

Large-scale domestic exercises, such as Maple Flag and Winged Warrior, present great opportunity for Polaris crews and pilots to move along the career path. Captain Sponder explained the standard pilot progression with the Huskies: “All pilots come into the squadron as Level One First Officers [FOs]. They will spend approximately 18 months learning the aircraft systems, the logistics of the squadron and their role as leader, as well as the rules and regulations associated with being a pilot for international tasking. “During the 18 months, they will work up through Level Two and Level Three FO. Once Level Three has been reached, they will have to do a left seat conversion course to learn how to pilot the Polaris from this position. This involves simulator training, local area training flights with an Instructor Pilot and a check ride with a Standards Officer. Once the left seat conversion is complete, the First Officer starts flying as an Acting Aircraft Commander [A/AC]. Although an actual Aircraft Commander [AC] is always on board, the A/AC treats the mission as if they are in charge, making all the decisions and running the crew.” The RCAF makes use of the A310 simulator at the Lufthansa Training Centre in Frankfurt, Germany, twice a year for pilot re-currency training. During this period crews will fly three missions over three days, a total of 24 hours ‘sim’ time’. Such scenarios involve practicing up-to-date emergency procedure checklists, or landing procedures that are rarely flown, such as nondirectional beacon or circling approaches. For A/ACs the graduation to a full AC is still some way off. “Although each case is slightly different, pilots will fly between four to six acting A/AC missions before a check-ride with a Standards Officer as the final test. If they are successful, they will be upgraded to AC and will be able to fly with FOs of their own.” Canada’s regular largescale exercises, such as Maple Flag and Winged Warrior, are ideal for testing crew cooperation. Capt Sponder shared his experiences: “I’ve flown

Above: Polaris 15001 – primarily used to transport members of the Royal Family, the Governor of Canada, and other dignitaries – received a new paint scheme in February 2013 of Arctic white, ocean blue and maple leaf red to better reflect Canada’s national identity.

two Maple Flag exercises; once as a First Officer, and this year [2013] as a Tanker Commander. A typical sortie starts with the planning phase, with all the players meeting the day before to discuss the ‘battle plan’ and deciding when they will come to the Polaris tanker for fuel. “Since we carried about 155,000lb (70,306kg), we always had sufficient gas to offer the fighters. Typically, the exercise had both a morning and afternoon launch and the tanker would fly for both missions. The tanker was always the first aircraft to take off, which got us out of the way before the launch of the fighters. We would establish ourselves in a pre-designated AAR area and orbit in a 20nm (37km) hold until the receivers came to us for fuel. The tanker commander becomes the formation lead once the fighters are visual and directs them to move to the various positions to receive fuel. Most sorties would see about six-to-eight receivers – sometimes we had more, depending on the ‘fight’. After refuelling, the tanker would head back to base and the fighters would ‘go to war’. These flights usually lasted only about two hours, but there was lots going on in a very short time.” Without doubt, the Polaris has brought the strategic tanker element back to the RCAF but the capabilities of the Polaris extend beyond simply passing on JP-4 to thirsty fighters. For Master Corporal Kathleen O’Connor, a flight attendant on the CC-150, there’s the opportunity to experience something very different: “The VVIP missions are special simply because we find ourselves directly in contact with dignitaries, including members of the Royal Family, the Prime

TANKERS Essential to the Fight

Above: Several highly experienced RAF tanker pilots have undertaken exchange tours with the RCAF to pass on their knowledge of air-to-air refuelling. Here a mixed British and Canadian crew are pictured on a combat sortie off the coast of Libya in 2011. Below: The CC-150T’s early in-flight refuelling trials were carried out by 4 Wing at CFB Cold Lake, Alberta. Master Corporal Paul Green/Royal Canadian Air Force

Minister and the Governor General. This can often prove to be challenging due to the lengthy itinerary, but such flights offer the unique

opportunity to visit fantastic countries. But for all of us on the squadron the most rewarding sorties are the rotation flights – bringing

the troops home from a long tasking or tour overseas and making sure they are taken care of during the flight.”

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Specifications for World Tanker Rundown Part One

CC-150 Polaris Wing Span

43.90m (144ft)

Length Overall

46.66m (153ft)

Height Overall

15.80m (51ft 9.6in)

Tail plane span

16.26m (53ft 4in)

Wheel track

9.60m (31ft 6in)

Cabin length

43.90m (144ft)

Cabin width

5.29m (17ft 4in) maximum

Cabin height

2.28m (7ft 5.75in)

Cabin volume

210m3 (7,416.1ft3)

Cargo hold volume

80.00m3 (2,825ft2)

Wing area

219m2 (2,357.3ft2)

Operating weight (empty)

80,000kg (176,400lb)

Max payload

37,000kg (81,571lb) non-fuel

Max fuel weight

76,180kg (167,946lb)

Max take-off weight

164,000kg (361,550lb)

Power

2 x GE CF6-80C2A2s; 53,300lb (237kN) each

Normal crusing speed

Mach 0.80 (529kts/979km/h)

Max crusing speed

Mach 0.84 (555kts/1,029km/h)

Service ceiling

41,000ft (12,497m)

Range with max payload

9,600km (5,183nm)

Fuel offload at 1,000 nm

Not available

Fuel offload at 2,000 nm

Not available

Fuel offload at 3,000 nm

Not available

KC-707 REEM

KC-767A MRTT

Wing Span

145ft 9in (44.42m)

Wing Span

156ft 1in (47.57m)

Length Overall

152ft 11in (46.61m)

Length Overall

159ft 2in (48.51m)

Height Overall

42ft 5in (44.35m)

Height Overall

52ft (15.85m)

Tail plane span

45ft 9in (13.95m)

Tail plane span

61ft 1in (18.62m)

Wheel track

22ft 1in (6.73m)

Wheel track

30ft 6in (9.30m)

Cabin length

111ft 6in (33.99m)

Cabin length

111ft 4in (33.93m)

Cabin width

11ft 8in (3.55m) maximum

Cabin width

15ft 6in (4.70m) maximum

Cabin height

7ft 7in (2.31m) maximum

Cabin height

9ft 5in (2.87m)

Cabin volume

7,983ft (226m )

Cabin volume

15,121ft3 (428.2m3)

Cargo hold volume

1,775ft (50.27m )

Cargo hold volume

2,640ft3 (74.8m3)

Wing area

3,050ft2 (283.4m2)

Wing area

3,050ft2 (283.30m2)

Operating weight (empty)

141,100lb (64,000kg)

Operating weight (empty)

185,594lb (84,260kg)

Max payload

Not available

Max payload

48,750lb (22,111kg)

Max fuel weight

Not available

Max fuel weight

160,660lb (72,875kg)

Max take-off weight

333,600lb (151,315kg)

Max take-off weight

395,000lb (179,170kg)

Power

4 x P&W JT3D-3s; 18,000lb (80kN) each

Power

2 × GE CF6-80C2B6Fs; 60,200lb (268kN) each

Normal crusing speed

Mach 0.78 (521kts/966km/h)

Normal crusing speed

Mach 0.80 (486kts/900km/h)

Max crusing speed

Mach 0.82 (545kts/1,010km/h)

Max crusing speed

Mach 0.86 (569kts/1,053km/h)

Service ceiling

38,500ft (11,735m)

Service ceiling

42,650ft (13,000m)

Range with max payload

5,420nm (10,040km)

Range with max fuel payload

6,385nm (12,200km) with

Fuel offload at 1,000 nm

Not available

Fuel offload at 1,000 nm

Not available

Fuel offload at 2,000 nm

Not available

Fuel offload at 2,000 nm

Not available

Fuel offload at 3,000 nm

Not available

Fuel offload at 3,000 nm

Not available

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TANKERS Essential to the Fight

KC-10A EXTENDER

KC-30A MRTT

Wing Span

165ft 4.5in (50.00m)

Wing Span

60.30m (197ft 10in)

Length Overall

181ft 7in (55.35m)

Length Overall

59.00m (193ft 7in)

Height Overall

58ft 1in (17.70m)

Height Overall

7.89m (58ft 8in)

Tail plane span

71ft 2in (21.69m)

Tail plane span

12.45m (40ft 10in)

Wheel track

34ft 8in (10.57m)

Wheel track

10.69m (35ft 1in)

Cabin length

136ft (41.45m)

Cabin length

45.00m (147ft 8in)

Cabin width

18ft 9in (5.72m) maximum

Cabin width

5.28m (17ft 4in) maximum

Cabin height

7ft 11in (2.69m)

Cabin height

2.40m (7ft 10.4in)

Cabin volume

5,490ft³ (155.4m3)

Cabin volume

372.0m³ (1,220ft³)

Cargo hold volume

3,696ft³ (104.6m3)

Cargo hold volume

136.0m³ (450ft³)

Wing area

3,958ft² (367.7m )

Wing area

363.1m² (3908.4ft²)

Operating weight (empty)

241,027lb (109,328kg) as a tanker

Operating weight (empty)

119,600kg (263,672lb)

Max payload

170,000lb (77,111kg)

Max payload

62,000kg (136,687lb)

Max fuel weight

356,056lb (161,508kg)

Max fuel weight

111,000kg (246,230lb)

Max take-off weight

590,000lb (267,620kg)

Max take-off weight

233,000kg (513,677lb)

Power

3 x GE CF6-50C2s; 52,500lb (233.5kN) each

Power

2 x GE CF6-80E1A3s; 72,000lb (320.2kN) each

Normal crusing speed

Mach 0.82 (542kts/1,000km/h)

Normal crusing speed

Mach 0.82 (542kts/1,000km/h)

Max crusing speed

Mach 0.74 (490kts/908km/h)

Max crusing speed

Mach 0.86 (569kts/1,054km/h)

Service ceiling

42,000ft (12,727m)

Service ceiling

10,688m (35,000ft)

Range with max payload

3,800nm (7,037km)

Range with max payload

7,780km (4,200nm)

Fuel offload at 1,000 nm

Not available

Fuel offload at 1,000 nm

65,000kg (143,300lb) zero time on station

Fuel offload at 2,000 nm

200,000lb (90,718kg)

Fuel offload at 2,000 nm

40,000kg (88,184.9lb) zero time on station

Fuel offload at 3,000 nm

Not available

Fuel offload at 3,000 nm

15,000kg (33,069lb) zero time on station

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IL-78M MIDAS

IL-78MK-90

Wing Span

50.50m (165ft 8in)

Wing Span

50.50m (165ft 8in)

Length Overall

46.60m (152ft 10.5in)

Length Overall

46.60m (152ft 10.5in)

Height Overall

14.76m (48ft 5in)

Height Overall

14.76m (48ft 5in)

Tail plane span

17.40m (57ft 1in)

Tail plane span

17.40m (57ft 1in)

Wheel track

8.16m (26ft 9.1in)

Wheel track

8.16m (26ft 9.1in)

Cabin length

20.00m (65ft 7.5in)

Cabin length

20.00m (65ft 7.5in)

Cabin width

3.40m (11ft 4in)

Cabin width

3.40m (11ft 4in)

Cabin height

3.45m (11ft 2in)

Cabin height

3.45m (11ft 2in)

Cabin volume

320m (11,301ft )

Cabin volume

320m3 (11,301ft3)

Cargo hold volume

Not applicable

Cargo hold volume

Not applicable

Wing area

300m2 (3,227.5ft2)

Wing area

300m2 (3,227.5ft2)

Operating weight (empty)

Not available

Operating weight (empty)

96,000kg (211,200lb)

Max payload

48,000kg (105,600lb)

Max payload

52,000kg (114,400lb)

Max fuel weight

126,000kg (29,272lb)

Max fuel weight

122,704kg (270,439lb)

Max take-off weight

210,000kg (462,963lb)

Max take-off weight

210,000kg (462,963lb)

Power

4 x Soloviev D-30KPs; 26,455lb (117.7kN) each

Power

4 x Perm PS-90A-76s: 35,000lb (155.68kN) each

Normal crusing speed

Mach 0.61 (405kts/750km/h)

Normal crusing speed

Mach 0.65 (432kts/800km/h)

Max crusing speed

Mach 0.65 (432kts/800km/h)

Max crusing speed

Mach 0.69 (459kts/850km/h)

Service ceiling

12,000m (39,370ft)

Service ceiling

12,000m (39,370ft)

Range with max payload

4,200km (2,265nm)

Range with max payload

5,000km (2,696nm)

Fuel offload at 1,000 nm

60,000kg (132,000lb)

Fuel offload at 1,000 nm

57,000kg (125,400lb)

Fuel offload at 2,000 nm

32,000kg (70,400lb)

Fuel offload at 2,000 nm

30,000kg (66,000lb)

Fuel offload at 3,000 nm

Not available

Fuel offload at 3,000 nm

Not available

TANKERS Essential to the Fight

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MILITARY SUKHOI T-50 PAK FA

T

he display of the T-50 fighter at Zhukovsky during this year’s MAKS did not disappoint. There was a flypast of three of the prototypes (051, 052 and 054) as well as a solo display of aircraft 052 piloted by Sergey Bogdan (Roman Kondratyev and Sergey Chernyshev were the other two pilots) who performed dynamic braking (known as Pugachev’s cobra) and a tight rotation. Key to such a manoeuvre is engine thrust vector control and no less than four different types flown at MAKS – MiG29M-OVT, Su-30SM, Su-35S and T-50 – demonstrated the capability. Unfortunately the most intriguing and latest type, the T-50, performed at a higher altitude than the other three, and according to the author, somewhat less dynamically – reportedly flight envelope restrictions on permissible g-limits are still in force. Piotr Butowski analyses the current state of the PAK FA (Perspektivny Aviatsionny Kompleks Frontovoy Aviatsii) which is the design for Russia’s

advanced complex tactical aviation fighter. The main star of the show was the second PAK FA prototype T-50-2, which between December 2012 and May 2013 underwent structural modifications at the Sukhoi Design Bureau’s workshop in Moscow. The modifications were made based on flight and static testing. Two years ago, when the PAK FA made its public debut at Zhukovsky, two aircraft T-501 and T-50-2 (the only ones complete at that time) took part in the flying programme. T-50-1 suffered structural cracks and T-50-2’s starboard engine encountered a compressor stall during the take-off roll; a flame several meters long came out of the exhaust nozzle. At the time of MAKS 2011, the aircraft were limited to 5g and did not use variable thrust vectoring. In 2011 there were only three pilots (including chief test pilot Sergey Bogdan), cleared to fly the T-50, today there are seven. One of them is Rafael Suleymanov, who is a military pilot from the Ministry of Defence’s evaluation centre

T-50 PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION Length: 19.7m (64ft 7in) Wing span: 14.0m (45ft 11in) Height: 4.6m (15ft 1in) Empty weight: 18,000kg (39,682lb) Nominal take-off weight: 25,000kg (55,115lb) Maximum take-off weight: 35,000kg (77,161lb) Thrust: 2 x 147kN (33,000lbf) Maximum speed: Mach 2.3 Cruise speed: Mach 1.3 Maximum range, supersonic: Over 1,500km (809 nm) Maximum range, subsonic: 3,500km (1,890 nm)

arrays mounted. Airborne trials of the radar began in June 2012 and on July 24 it was activated in flight for the first time on T-50-3. At MAKS 2009 the forward N036-1-01 X-band active electronically scanned array was oval-shaped, measured 900 x 700mm, had 1,552 transceiver modules and was tilted upward by approximately 15˚. The experimental N036B-1-01 side-looking array unveiled and exhibited at MAKS 2013, was elliptical in shape and comprised 358 transceiver modules arranged in 36 strips. The 500mm wide array is due to be fitted to an aircraft soon, probably T-50-4. The elliptical-shaped array is carried on a hexagonal mount which currently has enough free space to house 40 more modules that are expected to be installed on the final array design. The aircraft’s lateral arrays, which are mounted on the lower fuselage sides positioned under the forward section of the cockpit and angled downward by about 15°, are primarily intended for ground observation. Each lateral array uses similar X-band modules as the forward array, but have horizontal polarisation (which is more effective for ground target searching) in contrast to the vertical polarisation (used for aerial target searching) of the forward array which has a field of view of +/- 60˚. The lateral arrays widen the available angle of search and are used for tracking aerial targets in azimuth about the aircraft’s axis by up to +/- 135°. Two other N036L-1-01 L-band arrays (already fitted to T-50-3 and T-50-4) are not only used for

New Sensors Two sensors under development for the PAK FA were displayed at MAKS 2013 for the first time. The Tikhomirov NIIP institute unveiled its X-band side-looking array for the N036 radar. The PAK FA’s N036 radar has five electronically scanned arrays: the forward X-band (centimetre) array, two smaller X-band arrays mounted at the fuselage sides and two L-band (decametre) arrays mounted in the wing leading edges, and a built-in N036Sh Pokosnik (Reaper) IFF system. In the future the N036 radar will also receive a pod-mounted Ka-band (millimetre) antenna. Control is provided by a N036UVS (Universalnaya Vychislitelnaya Sistema) computer and processor. The GRPZ plant at Ryazan is currently preparing for series production of the N036 radar. Aircraft T-50-3 and T-50-4 are each fitted with N036 radars configured only with the forward X-band array and two L-band 2

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at Akhtubinsk rather than from the Sukhoi team. Suleymanov undertook his first flight in the T-50 in late April 2013. There are no details available for how many sorties the T-50 prototypes have flown to date. In June, Sukhoi head Mikhail Pogosyan claimed it was “over 500” including those undertaken for the PAK FA programme by other test-beds, such as the Su-27M powered by an experimental 117 engine. The author estimates that the four aircraft T-50 test fleet had completed 270 flights prior to this year’s MAKS 2013 airshow in late August.

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SUKHOI T-50 PAK FA MILITARY

Maxing Out at MAKS Piotr Butowski provides an update on the Russian PAK FA fighter following its display at Zhukovsky for this year’s MAKS airshow

1 T-50s 051, 052 and 054 ready for take-off at Zhukovsky. MAKS 2013 was the first time that three T-50 aircraft had flown together in a public display. 2 Sergey Bogdan performs the Cobra manoeuvre in T-50 052 at MAKS 2013. All images Piotr Butowski

Piotr Butowski

friend-or-foe identification but also for ground and aerial target detection. Computer processing of the X- and L-band signals enable the system’s information to be significantly enhanced. One component of the N036 Byelka (squirrel) radar not shown at MAKS 2013 was an element of the Sh121 electronic warfare suite; the L402 Himalaya ECM (electronic countermeasures) system, made for the PAK FA by the KNIRTI institute. The L402 ECM uses two sets of arrays; its own which are distributed around the aircraft (one is fitted in the sting, a large dorsal pod located between the engine exhaust nozzles), and those of the N036 radar. Both sets operate in different frequency ranges.

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MILITARY SUKHOI T-50 PAK FA

T-50 Prototypes T-50-1 (first flight - January 29, 2010) is used for flight characteristics evaluation and has no mission systems. On March 9, 2011, T-501 exceeded the speed of sound for the first time. During a flight display on August 17 at MAKS 2011 the aircraft suffered a structural failure. The resultant overhaul lasted over a year and was completed in September 2012. On June 13, 2013, Russian TV showed T-50-1 performing a flat spin. T-50-2 (first flight - March 3, 2011) is used for testing the aircraft’s systems, such as the weapon bay door actuator mechanism and airrefuelling, but has no mission systems installed. On August 3, 2012, it made the first dry contact (without fuel flow) with an Il-78 tanker. In the first half of 2013 T-50-2 was strengthened and modified for attaining high g-loads and flying at high angles-of-attack. T-50-3 (first flight - November 22, 2011) is the first aircraft fitted with the N036 Byelka radar (a simplified version without side antennas) and some of the 101KS Atoll electro-optical suite sensors. Initial radar tests began in June 2012. T-50-3 features minor design changes to the wingtips and the air intakes in the vertical tail fin roots. Three UV-50 decoy launchers are mounted in the tail boom. T-50-4 (first flight - December 12, 2012) is understood to have a slightly different electro-optical suite to T-50-3 based on the sensors fitted to the tail boom and is probably also fitted with the L402 ECM suite.

Another system available for close inspection for the first time at MAKS 2013 was the 101KSU/02 ultraviolet warning sensor in an angular-shaped pod with two windows – one looking forward and the other to the rear. One of these is mounted under the T-50’s forward fuselage and the other is on the upper surface of the sting. The remainder of the 101KS Atoll EO (electro optical) suite for the PAK FA was also on display: the 101KS-V EO sight for detection, identification and tracking of airborne targets (V for vozdukh – air), the 101KS-U/01 UV

(ultraviolet) warning sensor, the 101KS-O IR directional jammer (O for oborona - defence), as well as the 101KS-N EO targeting pod (N for nazemnyi – ground).

Programme Status Despite official announcements to the contrary, the PAK FA programme appears to be behind schedule, perhaps that isn’t surprising considering how unrealistic the original completion dates seemed to be. A fifth prototype T-50-5 was announced for 2012, but has yet

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to make its maiden flight, and a sixth aircraft T-50-6, the last of the prototypes, is currently planned for 2014. Russia and India are collaborating over the Prospective Multirole Fighter (PMF), codenamed Type 79L, which is based on the T-50. In December 2010, both countries contracted out joint preliminary design. A group of 30 engineers from Hindustan Aeronautics Limited is working in Moscow with the Sukhoi team. Their efforts are currently focussed on preliminary projects involving aircraft components, for example, the N079 radar, a Russian-Indian equivalent of the Russian N036 radar, designed by the Tikhomirov NIIP radar company from Zhukovsky. Signature of a major contract covering further stages of work was expected to be announced soon, but recent Indian press reports suggest that financial misunderstandings could delay that until 2014. The sixth T-50 prototype is supposed to be the first aircraft that will be tested in India after Russian trials are complete. After that prototype is built, a batch of four preproduction series aircraft will be 5

provided for military evaluation. Subsequently, the Russian National Armament Programme includes 60 production series PAK FA fighters for delivery between 2016 and 2020. And in the recently published Russian Ministry of Defence procurement schedule for 2013-2020, the PAK FA’s initial operational capability and launch of full-scale series production are set for December 31, 2016.

Lack of Aircraft For some time, prototype T-50-3 has been flying with two under-wing pylons indicating that missiles have been carried, although none have been seen. Guided missiles are the PAK FA’s most important armaments. Officially, there are three types of internally-carried weapons designed for the PAK FA: the Kh-38M tactical air-to-surface missile, the Kh-58UShK antiradiation missile and 250kg (551lb) KAB-250 guided bomb. All three have already been demonstrated using other types of aircraft. According to Boris Obnosov, head of the Tactical Missiles Corporation: “some types of internally-carried weapons 6

SUKHOI T-50 PAK FA MILITARY

for the PAK FA are ready, for example, the Kh-58UShK antiradiation missile.” However, their original carrier, the PAK FA is not ready for weapon’s trials yet. “Perhaps we will start trials on the PAK FA this year [2013],” said Obnosov. However, United Aircraft Corporation, the parent company of Sukhoi, has accused the Tactical Missiles Corporation of causing delays on the PAK FA’s armaments and in particular points to the K-74M2 close-air combat missile seeker as one example. 6

Second-stage Engine The NPO Saturn engine manufacturing company’s CEO Ilya Fedorov said at a Moscow press conference in July that work on the ‘second-stage’ izdeliye (item) 30 engine for the PAK FA was going “very well” and “the [design] characteristics of the engine are much better than expected by Sukhoi.” The four prototypes and the first production PAK FAs are powered by two ‘first-stage’ izdeliye 117 (AL-41F1) turbofans

rated at approximately 147kN (33,000lb) with afterburner and 88.2 to 93.1kN (20,000 to 21,000lb) of dry thrust; the 117 engine is a comprehensive upgrade of the AL-31F from the Su-27/Su-30. In accordance with Sukhoi head Mikhail Pogosan’s requirement for the engine to fit within the aircraft without the need for any structural changes to the airframe NPO Saturn is now making the final adjustments to meet the specification.

1 T-50 pilots Sergey Bogdan, Roman Kondratyev and Sergey Cherneyshev performed a graceful three-ship display at MAKS 2013. 2 Sergey Bogdan pulls T-50 052 into inverted flight during his flight demonstration routine at Zhukovsky. 3 Two versions of the PAK FA’s ultraviolet missile approach warning sensor were displayed at MAKS 2013: the single-window 101KSU/01 (left) and on its public debut the twin-window 101KS-U/02 (right). 4 On display at this year’s show was the N036 radar’s side-mounted X-band electronically scanned array antenna. 5 The 250kg KAB-250 precision guided-bomb has been specifically designed for the T-50 PAK FA. 6 The initial model of the T-50 designed by Russia’s Central Aerohydrodynamic Institute.

The izdeliye 30 is a cleansheet design characterised by higher thrust, lighter weight, a smaller number of elements and lower operating costs. The ‘cold’ section will have a threestage compressor (there are four in the T-50’s current izdeliye 117 engine) and a single-stage turbine; the ‘hot’ section (the engine core) has a five-stage compressor (instead of nine stages) and a single-stage turbine. “The aircraft’s characteristics will greatly improve [thanks to the engines], especially in speed and acceleration,” said Fedorov. During an interview for Russian TV in May, Mikhail Pogosyan revealed PAK FA performance figures saying: “the Su-27 fourth-generation fighter can fly over a distance of 650-700km [400-435 miles] at supersonic speed, while the T-50 can fly more than 1,500km [930 miles]”. According to Pogosyan the subsonic range is “about 3,500km [2,175 miles]”.

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KILLING Dr Simon Bennett asks the question: Will drone operators pull the trigger?

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onflict changes perceptions and behaviour. In Britain World War Two established a ‘postwar consensus’ on the need for a Welfare State. In America the Vietnam War scarred the national psyche and ended ‘The American Century’. The country’s confidence was further shaken by Carter’s 1980 failure to free the 52 Americans taken hostage by Iran. During Operation Eagle Claw eight US soldiers were killed and the Carter presidency was dealt a fatal blow. Then came Clinton’s Somalia expedition and the loss on October 3-4, 1993 of 18 elite US soldiers to forces loyal to Somali warlord Mohammed Farah Aideed. Television networks

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showed pictures of the dead being dragged through the streets of Mogadishu. Clinton threw in the towel. On October 7 the president announced the withdrawal of all US troops by the end of March 1994. America had lost its enthusiasm for foreign intervention, a fact confirmed by Clinton’s 1994 refusal to countenance any form of intervention in Rwanda. At least 500,000 Rwandans died in the genocide. The US administration, including the Pentagon, viewed Rwanda through the prism of Somalia. Robert Oakley, US envoy to Somalia, observed: “Somalia showed just how difficult and dangerous the mission of saving a country

can be.” The US intervention in the 1998-1999 Kosovo War relied on air power. While Prime Minister Tony Blair talked of committing 50,000 British troops (effectively the entire war-fighting capability of the army) President Clinton committed A-10s, B-1s, B-2s, B-52s, F-15Es, F-16s, F-117s and AV-8Bs. On its first night the air campaign saw two B-2 Spirit bombers make a 30-hour round-trip from Whiteman AFB, Missouri, to drop Joint Direct Attack Munitions. Episodes such as Vietnam, Iran and Somalia persuaded politicians to look for less risky ways of projecting American power. New ‘arms-length’ systems included submarine and air-launched cruise missiles, B-2

bombers capable of conducting precision strikes anywhere in the world, and remotely piloted vehicles (RPVs) or drones, including the MQ-1 Predator and MQ-9 Reaper. Politicians were optimistic that by limiting US military casualties they could simultaneously achieve their foreign policy objectives and retain the support of the electorate. Once a link had been made between the sanitisation of war and electoral success no politician could risk abandoning arms-length platforms like RPVs. In part the development of RPVs symbolised a shift in American public opinion. The technology articulated the public’s mood. It reified America’s doubts about military expeditions. According

G THEM to Democratic politician David Obey (the former Rep, Wisconsin) post-Somalia the American public wanted “zero degree of involvement and zero degree of risk and zero degree of pain and confusion”.

Current State of Play

underestimate the number of civilian deaths). Civilian deaths cause resentment and can act as a recruiting sergeant for terrorist organisations. They can also provoke retaliation. The Taliban claimed its 2009 attack on the Manawan (Lahore) Police Academy (in which two instructors and five trainees were killed) was in retaliation for CIA-directed RPV operations. • Because the only choice available to an RPV crew is whether or not to engage, potential intelligence-gathering opportunities are lost. As Andrew Callam writes in International Affairs Review: “Hunter-killer operations can only eliminate the target and thus forfeit potential intelligence that could be

gained through capture”. The Government of Pakistan forbids US ground operations but tolerates RPV surveillance and hunter-killer missions. There is a lethal irony to this policy: were the Pakistanis to allow US ground operations the volume and quality of intelligence would increase, thereby reducing the insurgent threat to both US and Pakistani interests. • Because RPV strikes eliminate the visible costs of war (newsfootage of body-bags or coffins being offloaded from transport aircraft) it is possible to form the view that wars can be fought with impunity. Sanitisation may accelerate the militarisation of foreign policy. As George Orwell envisioned in Nineteen Eighty-Four conflict

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Lance Cheung/US Air Force

While RPVs are popular with the major powers (the United States Department of Defense, for example, spent over $3 billion on RPV programmes in the 1990s) they have their limitations: • RPVs are vulnerable to interception and basic air defence. • RPVs have a high attrition rate. While manned aircraft suffer two crashes per 100,000

flying hours, RPVs suffer 43. A ten-year cross-sectional study of US RPV operations attributed 60.2% of 221 mishaps to ‘recurring operations-related human causal factors’. • While RPVs are suited to low-intensity conflicts like that being fought by the Central Intelligence Agency in the tribal areas of Pakistan and Afghanistan, they are less suited to high-intensity conflicts. • Even with high-fidelity sensors it can be difficult to identify individuals from above. Consequently RPV operations cause significant collateral damage. According to western analysts one Pakistani civilian dies for every three militants killed. (Some Pakistani studies suggest these figures

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may become the norm rather than the exception. As natural resources dwindle this war mentality could lead the world into a dark place. • Finally there is the question of operators’ willingness to pull the trigger. How can commanders be sure that RPV pilots and sensor operators will seek out and eliminate threats? RPV operations create psychological pressures. According to medical researchers Jean Otto and Bryant Webber RPV pilots have similar mental health risk profiles to fast-jet pilots. To counter the possibility that twoperson RPV crews might feel disconnected from the battlespace, in 2009-2010 the United States Air Force revamped its training to instil more of a ‘warrior culture’.

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Natural Born Killers? Most species resist killing their own kind. Persons who have not been through a desensitisation process or who are not sociopaths would rather flee than fight. According to the US Army’s Major David Pierson: “Most soldiers are unknowingly conscientious objectors. They try to avoid taking a human life. This is not a bad thing. Rather, it is a reflection of a strong moral upbringing. Getting most soldiers to pull the trigger on another human being requires great effort.” Regardless of episodes like the murder of British toddler James Bulger by two boys, few children are – for want of a better term – natural born killers. According to the head

of the American Academy of Paediatrics Task Force on Juvenile Violence; killing is a learned skill. A physiological change acts to discourage homicide. When angry or frightened vasoconstriction acts to close down the forebrain leaving the midbrain in charge. The midbrain acts to inhibit homicidal impulses. As US Army trainer Lt Col David Grossman puts it: “When we … are overwhelmed with anger and fear, we slam head-on into that midbrain resistance that generally prevents us from killing. Only sociopaths… lack this innate violence immune system.” Recognising that most humans are naturally pacific the world’s militaries have to work hard to prepare personnel for combat. In the case of soldiers,

preparations include brutalisation and de-sensitisation. The intended outcome is that soldiers develop a reflex-like response to threat that – opportunity permitting – manifests in an expeditious and efficient despatch. The world’s militaries have not always been successful at producing fighters. Civil War regiments had the firepower to kill between 500-1,000 opponents per minute. According to historian Paddy Griffith the rate achieved was 1-2 opponents per minute. Of the myriad of loaded muskets recovered from the Gettysburg battlefield in Pennsylvania, over 50% had multiple loads in the barrel. Griffith suggests most soldiers fired over the enemy’s head. During World War Two a

1 1 An MQ-9B Reaper assigned to the 42nd Attack Squadron based at Creech AFB, Nevada, loaded with four inert 500lb GBU-12 laser-guided bombs. Paul Ridgway 2 A pilot (rear of the shot) flies an MQ-9 Reaper while the sensor operator controls a full motion video camera in a ground control station at Kandahar AB, Afghanistan. SSgt James Harper Jr/US Air Force

team led by US Army Brigadier General S L A Marshall asked soldiers how they behaved in battle. According to David Grossman: “They discovered that only 15 to 20% of the individual riflemen could bring themselves to fire at an exposed enemy soldier.” The army devoted more time to behaviour modification. By the 1950-1953 Korean War over half of soldiers were willing to shoot to kill. By the Vietnam War this figure was over 90%. Training programmes that included de-sensitisation, brutalisation, conditioning and role-modelling had affected a significant improvement. However a 100% willingness to lethally engage cannot be guaranteed. In 1987 Russell Glentt conducted a survey of 258 1st Cavalry Division Vietnam

veterans. Glentt found that nearly 20% did not use their weapon when in contact with either the North Vietnamese Army or Viet Cong. Asked why they thought colleagues did not fire, interviewees gave the following reasons: • Location: a soldier at the rear of a column or on the wrong side of a perimeter could not risk shooting through his comrades. • Responsibilities: some soldiers performed supporting roles, such as ammunition supply. • Chain-of-command: an officer’s primary responsibility was to direct. • Expediency: sometimes not engaging served a higher purpose, such as being able to continue an intelligencegathering sortie. • Equipment malfunction: early M16 rifles were failure-prone. • Fear: 80% of Glentt’s 1st Cavalry interviewees believed that fear prevented some from firing. • Fear is a psychological state that, in the context of an engagement, can delay or prevent the requisite response. According to Glentt: “New men were too frequently overwhelmed by the sudden roar of a contact, the flying debris of dust, leaves and wood … there were occasions when fear, cowardice, poor judgment or confusion kept men from employing weapons against their foes when they should have”.

Will RPV Crews Fire? Glentt’s research suggests it is unlikely that front-line troops will engage the enemy every time the opportunity arises. Psychological factors (including fear or confusion) intercede. While RPV crews do not experience the heat of battle, just like the men of the 1st Cavalry they are subject to psychological pressures. These include:

Empathy RPV crews who observe potential targets for extended periods may begin to empathise with them. Targets might be observed mixing with friends and family, including wives and children. As the fidelity of sensors improves, the level of detail available to operators grows. Empathy might make it more difficult for a crew to terminate a target. This is less of a problem with fast-jet crews. Fleeting engagements facilitate objectification.

Social Pressures Unlike most fast-jet crews, RPV crews do not reside in-theatre. After their shift they return to a familiar world. If they are in a relationship they might return to their wife/husband and children in a domestic setting. They would be aware of issues connected to collateral damage. Indeed, friends, family, neighbours and even persons in the street might make them aware of the moral and humanitarian dimensions of RPV operations. It is possible that adverse comments and admonitions might play on an RPV operator’s mind. During training soldiers go through a process of desensitisation. Seeing comrades killed or wounded generally 2 reinforces a soldier, sailor or airman’s resolve. Because they are removed from the front-line, RPV operators do not experience the reinforcement that results from witnessing a comrade being killed or wounded. They do, however, experience at first-hand the discourses and debates current in civilian life. Towards the end of the Vietnam conflict service personnel home on leave were sometimes challenged by 3 those who disagreed with the war. Some soldiers became defensive. As one veteran of the 2nd Battalion, 4th Marines told New York Sun journalist Seth Gitell: “I didn’t reveal I was a Vietnam veteran because they labelled us ‘baby killers’. Even at parties nobody knew I was a Vietnam veteran.” Those connected with RPV operations in, for example, Afghanistan or Pakistan, could find themselves facing the same ‘court of public opinion’ as that faced by soldiers returning from Vietnam. A February 2013 Farleigh Dickinson University poll found that 21% of respondents did not support CIA-directed RPV operations on foreign soil. In contrast only 13% did not support Pentagondirected RPV operations.

Low Self-esteem Because in-theatre combat troops overcome existential risks they experience high selfesteem and earn the respect of others. Often many thousands of miles from the battlefield, RPV operators struggle with selfesteem. They may be perceived by others as ‘lesser’ soldiers. As Medact health professionals Marion Birch, Gay Lee and Tomasz Pierscionek put it: “All

4 3 An airman inspects the weapons loadout on an MQ-9 Reaper prior to a mission in Afghanistan. US Air Force 4 Overhead view of an MQ-9 Reaper pilot’s workstation in a ground control station. Senior Airman Nancy Hooks/US Air Force

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the aspects of battle, which normally enhance self-esteem and engender the esteem of others are absent and there is the potential for this work to erode the self-image of the drone operator as well as the image of the war hero in the public mind.” The success with which a person performs his/her duties is influenced to a greater or lesser degree by self-esteem (because self-esteem impacts morale). A demoralised operator may not perform as expected. Perhaps to address the issue of low selfesteem the Pentagon decided to award a medal to RPV operators. The Distinguished Warfare Medal (DWM) would have recognised ‘non-valorous combat impact’. According to USA Today the Pentagon’s announcement that the DWM would take precedence over

stress”. A significant number of RPV operators exhibit “clinical distress”, which Birch, Lee and Pierscionek define as “anxiety, depression or stress severe enough to affect an operator’s job performance or family life”. According to Dao stressors associated with RPV operations include: overwork due to crew shortages; switching between the military and civilian sphere on a daily basis; working in isolation; and “witnessing combat violence on live video feeds”. As epidemiologist Dr Jean Lin Otto of the Armed Forces Health Surveillance Center, Silver Spring, Maryland, explains: “[RPV pilots] witness the carnage. Manned aircraft 1 pilots don’t do that. They get out of there as soon as awards like the Bronze Star with possible.” John Sifton, Advocacy Valour “sparked uproar among Director for Asia at Human troops and veterans”. The Rights Watch, challenges the Obama administration dropped view that by distancing the the DWM. The DWM backlash warrior from his/her target, RPVs suggests that RPV operators take the pain and distress out are not universally admired. of killing: “Drones make the Episodes like this could nasty business of killing a little impact RPV operators’ self-image easier. Or do they? There are … and morale. The Royal Air studies showing that those who Force awards its RPV pilots wings conduct strikes or watch videos (with blue rather than gold of strikes suffer from ‘operational laurel leaves). stress’, which officials believe is the result of operators’ long hours and extended viewing of Stress video feeds showing the results Troops on the ground have more of military operations after they opportunity to dissipate combat have occurred – ie dead bodies stress than RPV operators …. there is no public information housed in air-conditioned about stress among those control stations. According to ordering the strikes – the CIA the US Air Force 46% of Reaper strike operators or the decisionand Predator pilots and 48% of makers at Langley.” Global Hawk sensor operators Writing in the June-August experience “high operational 2013 edition of The Combat

1 A sensor operator watches one of many screens in the ground control station. US Air Force 2 An MQ-9 Reaper taxies after landing at Joint Base Balad, Iraq. TSgt Erik Gudmundson/US Air Force 3 Airmen pre-flight an MQ-1 Predator unmanned aerial vehicle. Airman 1st Class Jonathan Snyder/US Air Force 2

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Edge, the US Air Force 432nd Wing’s Operational Physiologist and Psychologist, Major “Rev,” Ph.D. noted how factors, such as prolonged periods of conscious attention while operating RPVs (operators are denied the motion cues available to fast-jet pilots), being tied to a shift-pattern of 5-6 days on with 2-3 days off and having to transition between domestic life and a demanding military role on a daily basis conspired to induce stress in RPV operators: “Every day is a small-scale reintegration, requiring the operator to find a balance between supporting the war effort ... and domestic responsibilities” she notes. According to Major “Rev” crews can experience RPV operations as interminable and all-consuming: “There are little to no down days .... Every day the mission is job number one. From this standpoint it’s very similar to being deployed, except there’s no finish line.” Some RPV operators are crushed. In her Spiegel Online investigation into the lives of American RPV crews, journalist Nicola Abé interviewed excrewmember Brandon Bryant. Bryant, an intelligent young man who was a first-rate sensor operator, left the military with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Unable to sleep he began to re-live the death and destruction he helped deliver. He wrote in his diary: “Total war. Every horror witnessed. I wish my eyes would rot.” After his first kill he said he “… felt disconnected from humanity for almost a week”. As his

trauma grew he was less able to communicate with his girlfriend. He told her: “I can’t just switch and go back to normal life.” He knew he had a serious problem when he heard himself say to fellow crewmembers: “What motherf*****r is going to die today?” Abé notes: “One of the paradoxes of drones is that, even as they increase the distance to the target, they also 3 create proximity.” shift changes and long hours Col William Tart, Director as causes. The author, a of the US Air Force Remotely sociologist, has identified a Piloted Aircraft Task Force, possible link between roster says of drone operations: volatility and perceived fatigue. “War somehow becomes A fatigued operator may not personal.” Perhaps there is perform as expected. Fatigue little difference between the dulls judgment and slows emotions experienced by a reaction times. Error-rates marine who kills an insurgent increase. In its insightful but on a street in some far-distant under-reported review The UK war-zone and those experienced Approach to Unmanned Aircraft by an RPV pilot who kills an Systems the Ministry of Defence insurgent with a Hellfire missile? observes: “Long duration A stressed, anxious or depressed unmanned operations may… operator may not perform as lead to operator fatigue that expected. He/she might launch affects performance.” an unwarranted strike or fail to execute a warranted strike. The final word on stress should go to Predisposition Nicola Abé whose December 14, Some are more comfortable 2012 Spiegel Online article ‘The with killing than others. Such Woes of an American Drone is human nature. According to Operator’ is worth reading in David Grossman, author of On full. According to Abé, RPV Killing: The Psychological Cost pilots’ mental dysfunction is “like of Learning to Kill in War and a short-circuit in the brain of the Society, during World War Two, drones”. A profound insight 1% of the US Army Air Force’s into an inherent weakness of pilots scored 40% of its air-tocybernetics. air kills. Studies reveal that a minority of soldiers do the bulk Fatigue of the fighting. Three factors Like fast-jet pilots, RPV operators influence a soldier’s willingness suffer from acute and chronic to kill: genetics, childhood fatigue. Operators cite frequent experiences and conditioning.

For instance, research has shown that second-borns are more likely to be comfortable with killing than first-borns. Similarly, those who excel at contact sports are more likely to be comfortable with killing.

Final Thoughts In his book The New Western Way of War Professor Martin Shaw talks about a new warfighting paradigm, something he calls “risk-transfer war”. According to Shaw today’s wars must be fought in such a way that they deliver not only military success but also the support of those whose taxes fund the action. New technologies, such as RPVs, are an important component of the new warfighting paradigm. While expensive and vulnerable, RPVs eliminate the immediate human costs of war to those countries that deploy them. In doing so, they make it less likely that the public will turn on the political class, as it did in the US towards the end of the Vietnam War. However, as evidenced by the UK Parliament’s August 29, 2013 vote against cruise-missile attacks on Syria’s chemical-warfare capability, a war-weary public and its representatives are likely to reject all forms of intervention, including the use of stand-off weapons. It goes without saying that

the new paradigm is predicated on systems and personnel performing as intended. Remotely-piloted vehicle crews who terminate non-legitimate targets or who fail to engage legitimate targets will undermine the paradigm. Public support may be lost. Declining public support may de-legitimise military action to the point where politicians have no choice but to shorten the campaign or abandon the fight (as Clinton did following the Mogadishu incident). To be successful a weapon system must maintain operational and mission reliability. Systems that are shown to be unreliable may undermine confidence to the point where the only sensible military and political option is to abandon them. Of course problems of mis-targeting, collateral damage, friendlyfire and missed opportunities also apply to manned fast-jet operations. Remember the 1999 bombing of the Chinese Embassy in Belgrade by B-2 bombers and the 2002 Tarnak Farm incident in which a US Air Force F-16 dropped a bomb on Canadian soldiers near Kandahar, Afghanistan, killing four and injuring eight. Somehow, though, such errors take on a more sinister hue when committed by RPV crews. Perhaps because death delivered by robot is especially feared?

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AIR WING In the third of a three-part series on the work-up cycle of Carrier Air WORK K-UP PART THREE Wing 11, Scott Dworkin embarks aboard the USS Nimitz to experience life on the US Navy’s oldest aircraft carrier

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he USS Nimitz (CVN 68) is the most powerful weapon system ever designed. The ship and its air wing of 50-plus aircraft can be rapidly sent anywhere in the world to launch and recover its aircraft from the flight deck 24 hours a day, seven days a week, if necessary, to deter any potential threats – and to project military power and protect US interests at home and abroad as directed by the President of the United States.

Sovereign Territory

Life Aboard Life on the carrier is not easy or comfortable and it’s extremely dangerous. No-one ever assumes life on a modern aircraft carrier is a pleasure cruise, but the incredible amount of danger and discomfort is truly mindboggling for someone who hasn’t experienced it firsthand. The Nimitz can be likened to a small city with an active airport overhead; yet despite its massive size, life aboard is cramped because all available space is used to house the equipment required to support that fully functioning ‘city at sea’. Space for the personnel is relatively limited and life aboard is by no means normal or average, but can be routine. Most sailors call life on a carrier during a cruise Groundhog Day (a situation in which events are or appear to be continually repeated), so life can become pretty monotonous as the months drag on. Many sailors go days with very little sleep – and sometimes days without seeing outside the ship, unless they’re flight crew or part of the deck crew. Most work 12 hours on and 12 hours off, six days a week. The command tries to let everyone relax a bit more on Sundays, operational commitments permitting. Yet somehow, despite the less than stellar living conditions, the long tiring days and nights, the seemingly never-ending deployments and the fact you’re living elbow-toelbow with your closest (or not so closest) friends, the Nimitz works, and works very well.

At Full Sail Once the ship is at full sail, flight operations begin in earnest and CVW-11’s year-long cycle of training is undertaken in realworld operations. Everything the pilots have learned and practised at NAS Lemoore and NAS Fallon and the multiple short stints

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USS Nimitz/US Navy

Once the USS Nimitz leaves its home port the ship becomes a sovereign territory of the United States and is a perpetually forward-deployed asset of the US military, carrying strike aircraft able to act at a moment’s notice. Aboard the massive warship reside 5,000 sailors who leave their homes, families and friends for six months or more to make sure the ship and its aircraft are always ready. The ship’s crew is divided into two, the air wing and the ship’s company. The aircraft and its personnel are assigned to Carrier Air Wing 11 (CVW-11), which is under the command of Captain Kevin Mannix, Commander Air Wing 11 (CAG), Captain Robert Osterhoudt, Deputy Commander Air Wing 11 (DCAG), and Command Master Chief (CMDCM) David Griggs. The air wing’s personnel comprise about half of the full crew aboard the Nimitz once deployed. Most of the air wing crew ‘walk on’ the ship in San Diego, California, along with the bulk of their associated aircraft equipment, which is delivered by trucks (or occasionally flown) from bases on the west coast where the aircraft are stationed over the course of a few weeks prior to the ship departing. The aircraft themselves fly direct from their bases to the ship off the coast of California. The ship’s company comes under the command of captain of the Nimitz, Captain Jeff Ruth, his executive officer, Commander John Cummings, and Command Master Chief Teri McIntyre.

USS Nimitz is home ported at Everett, in Washington state, and the ship’s crew is aboard from there when the vessel transits down the west coast to North Island in San Diego to embark the air wing.

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1 1 An EA-6B Prowler launches from the flight deck. Scott Dworkin 2 An MH-60S Sea Hawk lands aboard. MCS 1st Class Michael Cole 3 Members of the flight deck crew marshal an F/A-18C Hornet to the catapult. Scott Dworkin 4 Sailors move resin containers through the passageways aboard the USS Nimitz. MCS 3rd Class Raul Moreno 5 Midshipmen wash a bulkhead during cleaning stations. MCS Seaman Apprentice Andrew Price 6 Members of the flight deck crew clean the deck. USS Nimitz 7 Cleaning the cold storeroom. MCS 3rd Class Derek Volland 8 An Aviation Structural Mechanic prepares to install a seat in an EA-6B Prowler. MCS 3rd Class Nathan McDonald 9 Aircrew Survival Equipmentmen inspect a parachute. MCS 3rd Class Raul Moreno 10 An Aviation Machinist’s Mate installs an exhaust cone on a jet engine inside the jet shop. MCS 3rd Class Chris Bartlett 11 Aircrew Survival Equipmentmen inspect radio equipment. MCS 3rd Class Nathan McDonald

aboard the Nimitz for carrier qualification (CQ) is now being done for real, and the close co-ordination between the air wing and the ship becomes even more critical and apparent. Captain Mannix explains:

“Co-ordination between ship’s company and the air wing occurs across every rank and in every space aboard the ship. The ship views their role as being the airport for Air Wing 11 and being the flagship for

Admiral White and Carrier Strike Group Eleven. Lockstep synchronisation between the airport and the air wing is critical to conducting safe flight ops. Without question this is best illustrated by walking

into flight deck control. This is where the decisions occur that facilitate running four catapults simultaneously, landing one plane per minute and moving 52 airplanes and ten helicopters around limited flight deck and

USS Nimitz (CVN 68) USS Nimitz was commissioned on May 3, 1975, and named in honour of Fleet Admiral Chester W Nimitz who achieved the highest rank in the United States Navy as Commander-in-Chief, Pacific Fleet, during World War Two. USS Nimitz is homeported in Everett, Washington, and currently has about 5,000 men and women assigned, including those in Carrier Air Wing 11. Flight Deck The Nimitz flight deck is used to launch and recover aircraft. The ship has four catapults which are positioned starboard to port, bow to stern and numbered Cat 1 through Cat 4. There are two bow catapults (Cats 1 and 2) and two waist catapults (Cats 3 and 4), all of which can be used simultaneously. Each catapult is around (330ft/100m) long. AIRCRAFT LAUNCH PROCEDURE The aircraft’s tow bar on its nose gear is lowered into a slot on the shuttle. Another mechanical arm is attached to the rear of the nose gear and held

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in place with a ‘holdback’. This enables the pilot to run the aircraft’s engine up to full power so that it has forward thrust before its take-off shot. Holdbacks are colour-coded to prevent them from being used on a plane with a different and incorrect weight. All versions of the Hornet have permanent holdback devices built into their nose-wheel gear strut. While the flight deck crew is attaching the plane to the shuttle, another crew raises the jet blast deflector which keeps the heat of the jet engines from ‘cooking’ everything behind it, including the flight deck, other aircraft awaiting take-off and personnel. At the same time, steam pressure is building in the catapult to launch the aircraft. Steam pressure must match plane type and weight. Too much will rip the nose wheel gear out of the aircraft; too little will cause a ‘cold shot’, meaning the aircraft never reaches take-off speed and is hurled into the water ahead of the ship. When everything is ready, the deck is cleared, the steam pressure is matched and the aircraft

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is run to maximum power. The catapult officer (‘the shooter’) releases the pistons and the shuttle projects the plane to the end of ship. This totally steam-driven system can propel a 45,000lb (20,400kg) aircraft from 0 to 150mph (240km/h) in two seconds. USS Nimitz’s flight deck crew can launch a plane in less than two minutes. During a normal launch sequence using all four cats, the crew can put a plane in the air every 20 to 30 seconds. AIRCRAFT Recovery PROCEDURE Arresting wires are numbered 1 to 4, running from 1 furthest aft to 4 up forward. They are spun from high-tensile steel wire and stretch across the deck. Each can stop a 45,000lb (20,400kg) aircraft travelling at 150mph (240km/h) in under two seconds, using only 180ft (55m) of run out on the deck. Pilots flying in daytime visual flight rule conditions will maintain their own interval and attempt to land 45 seconds after the aircraft before, aiming for

AIR WING WORK K-UP PART THRE E

hangar space like pieces of a jigsaw puzzle. “The puppet masters who orchestrate every movement on the flight deck are the ‘Handler’, an experienced Aviation Boatswain’s Mate Limited Duty

the third wire. At night, the pilot is given radar control from air traffic control operators on board in a similar way to civilian air traffic control. Landing Signal Officers (LSOs) help guide the pilots to a safe landing. LSOs, also known as ‘Paddles’, are aviators who have been specially trained to perform this task. Pilots use the Fresnel Lens Optical Landing System, or lens, for glide slope indication. If their aircraft is right on the glide scope, the pilot will see an amber light, dubbed the ‘meatball’, in line with a row of green lights. If the amber light appears above the green lights, they are approaching too high; if the amber light appears below the green lights, they’re too low. If the aircraft is approaching far too low, they will see red lights. As soon as the plane hits the deck, the pilot pushes to full power so that if they don’t hook a wire they can take off again immediately in what is known as a ‘bolter’. Once an aircraft lands it is pulled out of the

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Officer, who is part of ship’s company, and the ‘Dog’, a seasoned Maintenance Master Chief who belongs to the air wing. These key players referee the prioritisation of elevator movements, aircraft spotting,

launch sequences and squadron maintenance requirements. As changes in the air plan occur, and they always do, they balance the needs of the individual squadrons in their ability to supply mission-

landing area and chained down so that others can be recovered. ISLAND The island houses the flag bridge, the pilot house (or bridge) and primary flight control. The pilot house (bridge) is where all the navigating is undertaken and where the captain will be working during all fixed-wing flight operations. Primary flight control is where the ‘air boss’ and ‘mini boss’ control the skies 5 miles (8km) out and 2,500 feet (762m) above the ship. They are the air traffic controllers and maintain aircraft safely when they are in a holding or recovery pattern. They also control helicopters within their airspace. When recovering aircraft they ensure that the recovery gear is set properly: each aircraft, dependent on type, load out and version, will require different tensioning of the arresting cable. HANGAR BAYS Three hangar bays can each be divided into

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ready aircraft to the warfare commanders. Conflicts inevitably occur, but these two seasoned professionals have the pulse of the young sailors on the flight deck and the health of our airplanes, giving them

three sections by explosion and fireproof doors. Weapons are brought up to the flight deck by weapons personnel through hangar bays 1 and 2. Air wing personnel load weapons onto aircraft on the flight deck. Aqueous film-forming foam (AFFF) fire-fighting sprinklers are located on the ceilings of the hangar bays. The Nimitz hangar deck is 684ft (208m) long, 108ft (33m) wide and 25ft (8m) tall, and divided into three sections by power-driven, sliding armoured doors. The hangar deck can hold up to 30 aircraft. When empty, there’s enough room to set up a large-screen movie theatre or basketball court. Four elevators transfer aircraft and equipment rapidly to and from the flight deck. Each of them can lift more than 130,000lb (58,967kg) or two fully-loaded F/A-18 Super Hornets to the flight deck. The hangar bay serves as an aircraft storage and long-term maintenance facility for the air wing. There are also nine weapons elevators located in the hangar bays for transferring ordnance from the ship’s magazines to the hangar bay and up to the flight deck.

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NIMITZ INTERESTING FACTS Keel laid: June 22, 1968

Launched: May 13, 1972 Commissioned: May 3, 1975 Builder: Newport News Shipbuilding Company, Newport News, Virginia Propulsion system: two nuclear reactors Main Engines: four Propellers: four; each is about 21ft (6m) across, made of bronze and weighing more than 66,000lb (29,900kg) Blades on each propeller: five Propulsion system: 280,000 horsepower (208,795kW) 3

Weight of structural steel: 60,000 tons

the context and authority to make the real-time decisions necessary to execute.” Executive officer of the Nimitz, Commander John Cummings, extends Captain Mannix’s point: “As a former F-14 Tomcat and F/A-18F Super Hornet pilot and the current executive officer of USS Nimitz, I have a unique perspective on just how important the surface and air teamwork concept is to mission accomplishment. The carrier is more than just a floating hotel for the air wing; it’s five acres of sovereign US territory that can bring air power to the fight – day or night – in a manner unrivalled by any other nation. The air wing allows the carrier to reach out and touch our adversaries

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Length: 1,092ft (332.85m)

on their home turf, keeping the fight off American soil and keeping Americans safe. That’s what this teamwork is all about, and we’ve been doing it right for over 70 years.”

Length of flight deck: 1,115 feet (336m) Width of flight deck at widest point: 257 feet (78m) Area of flight deck: about 4.5 acres (18,211m2) Beam: 134ft (40.84m) Draft: 37.7ft (11.3m)

Combat Ready

Displacement: approximately 97,000 tons fully loaded

Speed: 30-plus kts (55.5km/h) During the 2011-2013 workNumber of compartments and spaces: more than 4,000 up cycle for CVW-11, Captain Number of telephones: more than 2,500 Mannix and his team made sure the air wing was 100%-ready Number of televisions: 3,000 all fed with three movie and various satellite channels and capable of being forwarddeployed on Nimitz, ready to Length of electrical cable: more than 1,000 miles (1,609km) conduct combat operations 1 in the area of responsibility (AOR) once on station. This crop up – and it is the goal of constantly changing dynamic of of normal navy life have to be deployments and detachments, addressed and mitigated prior CAG (air wing commander) and the rest of the air wing to personnel changes, maintenance to the aircraft and crews showing be as efficient as possible prior issues and various other up aboard the ship. Once circumstances that occur as part there, other issues inevitably to boarding to minimise the

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AIR WING 1 The USS Nimitz with CVW-11 embarked underway in the Arabian Gulf. MCS 3rd Class George Penney III

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CARRIER STRIKE GROUP 11 The USS Nimitz is part of Carrier Strike Group Eleven (CSG-11) with Carrier Air Wing Eleven (CVW-11) embarked, and serves as the battle group’s flagship. The other ships within CSG-11 are USS Higgins (DDG 76), USS Princeton (CG 59), USS Shoup (DDG 86), USS Stockdale (DDG 106) and USS William P Lawrence (DDG 110). CSG-11 is currently deployed to the US 5th Fleet area of responsibility conducting maritime security co-operation and support missions for Operation Enduring Freedom. It departed its home port of San Diego, California on April 19, 2013.

amount of time, manpower and equipment it may take to solve any new problem. Captain Mannix elaborates: “Ultimately our goal at the end

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2 An Aviation Electronics Technician Airman works on an E-2C Hawkeye. MCS 3rd Class Chris Bartlett 3 Sailors perform tail wing maintenance on an F/A-18E Super Hornet. MCS 3rd Class Derek Volland 4 An Aviation Structural Mechanic operates a thermal imager during a general quarters drill. MCS Seaman Derek Harkins 5 An Aviation Boatswain’s Mate operates advanced recovery controls at arresting gear engine four. MCS 3rd Class Nathan McDonald 6 Aviation Boatswain’s Mate Airman Janine Hunt, makes adjustments to the flight deck control Ouija board in the flight control office. MCS 3rd Class Derek Volland 7 Sailors prepare an on-board missile system for reload. MCS Seaman Kole Carpenter 8 Sailors organise ammunition during a replenishment at sea with the Military Sealift Command dry cargo ammunition ship USNS Richard E. Byrd. MCS 3rd Class Raul Moreno 9 Sailors take a break between flight operations on the flight deck of USS Nimitz. MCS Seaman Apprentice Kelly Agee 10 Landing Signals Officers at the LSO platform. Scott Dworkin

of a work-up cycle is to go to sea 100%-ready to conduct major combat operations against conventional forces across the various warfare domains. By

virtue of the extensive training required for major combat operations, we ensure we’re also able to perform what has become the norm for strike

groups over the past ten years, providing strategic presence and supporting Operation Enduring Freedom from the sea base. “Each subsequent event in

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the training cycle builds off a previous event and integrates additional assets. Initial events are focused on being brilliant at the basics, breaking down execution of ordnance deliveries and air-to-air events to painfully minute steps. We take a severe approach to critiquing our own performance. The focus on planning, briefing, execution and debriefing provided by the school houses in Lemoore, San Diego and Fallon permeates throughout our squadrons and truly breeds a culture of excellence. We attempt to carry that culture over to the rest of the strike group during the later phase events. “Our work-up cycle is designed to allow us to reach tactical proficiency peak just prior to going on deployment. The Nimitz Strike Group has had an unusually long set of work-ups due to a myriad of circumstances. In any aviation training syllabus, as time to train goes up, performance typically degrades. We experienced breaks in training, and additional periodicity requirements were triggered due to delays. As a result, my squadron’s commanding officers were confronted with having to manage wholesale personnel changes, skill-set atrophy and training fatigue. It was a great example of leadership, implementing tactical risk management measures in order to achieve a high level of performance. Having

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AIR WING 1 Sailors provide simulated medical attention during a mass casualty drill. MCS 3rd Class Raul Moreno 2 Aviation Boatswain’s Mates prepare an E-2C Hawkeye for launch. MCS 3rd Class Jess Lewis 3&4 Sailors work on an M61 cannon (left) and load ammunition into an F/A-18C Hornet (right). MCS 3rd Class Raul Moreno 5&6 Aviation Ordnancemen transport bombs across the flight deck (left) and offload a missile from an F/A-18C Hornet (right). MCS Seaman Apprentice Kelly Agee 7 Sailors place weather guards over a catapult. MCS 3rd Class Raul Moreno 8 Aviation Boatswain’s Mates match aircraft weigh-ins to the capacity selector valve on the flight deck. MCS 2nd Class Devin Wray 9 Sailors coil up an arresting gear cable. MCS 3rd Class Chris Bartlett 10 An Aviation Structural Mechanic fabricates a repair part for an MH-60S Sea Hawk. MCS Seaman Kole Carpenter 11 A Sailor runs a weather guard over a catapult. MCS 3rd Class Raul Moreno 12 An Aviation Boatswain’s Mate operates the catapult system controls. MCS Seaman Nathan McDonald 13&14 Sailors prepare a Super Hornet for launch (left MCS Seaman Apprentice Kelly Agee) and refuel another (right MCS 3rd Class Raul Moreno)

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commanders make decisions that temper their ability to evaluate the level of risk they are willing to occur in dynamic situations is an important part of the training cycle that should not be overlooked and becomes even more visibly apparent once we are working in the environment on the carrier. “Our greatest strength is the working relationship we’ve developed with the ship and the other warfare commanders. During work-ups, our evaluators commented on how much we focused on maintaining a quality relationship between different entities within the strike group. This relationship was forged during the final battle problem of work-ups when we were forced to execute surge flight operations consisting of 110-sortie days followed by alert launches in the middle of the night. We stressed the system and set an unsustainable pace that brought leadership to the point where we had to contemplate ‘calling uncle’. That is where the trust and faith in each other to make the right decision becomes essential. It also helps that we have an admiral [Rear Admiral Michael White, Strike Group commander] who gives us all the opportunity to

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work together and lead our respective units. Admiral White sets a cordial tone to the entire strike group. As for deployment goals, I don’t think ours are any different from any other Strike Group: execute the mission, bring everyone back safely and sustain the force. That last one, sustain the force, is something that often gets overlooked. It means training the young ones and bringing back planes that can remain in service for their intended service life.”

Challenges at Sea For a new pilot making his or her first cruise on the Nimitz the idea of living and working in such a demanding environment can be daunting. Taking all they have learned so far, pilots are now expected to use their training to overcome the additional challenge of learning and adapting to shipboard life. Operations from the carrier are the pinnacle of what a navy pilot is expected to do. After years of shore-based training and numerous short trips to the boat to learn the basics of flying on and off the carrier, once a naval aviator sets out for their first cruise everything changes. Having to adapt to living on the boat, flying day in and day out in

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MILITARY CARRIER AIR WING ELEVEN’S DEPLOYMENT all conditions, and likely in some type of combat operation, are all things a new pilot – even a seasoned veteran pilot – needs to adapt to; and that’s not easy. Yet, no matter the experience level, the thrill and challenge of embarked operations cannot be matched. Despite knowing the precision with which the jets must be flown, the consequences of not doing it right are severe. Mistakes are rare, which is a tribute not only to the training but to the quick adjustment everyone on the boat makes to living and working in such an environment. Where else can you be trusted with $60 million machines and know that one moment of inattention could lead to disaster? Trust in the sailors who support the air wing, trust in those charged with making the Nimitz run and the pressure to get it right every single time are the elements that, when combined, make the carrier and its air wing capable of functioning as well as it does. Commander Ernie Spence of VFA-147 explains some of the issues squadrons face away from home and making the shift into the cruise mentality: “When embarked on the carrier, the challenges we face change dramatically. Some of the changes are obvious, others less so. For example, on the personnel side, the separation and attendant relative isolation from families means special attention must be given to the personal lives of every member of the command. Issues that are minor inconveniences when we’re at home can be major distracters and challenges when we’re under way. Imagine a minor home or car repair. When we’re home, the issue is often easily dealt with by the sailor – the washing machine stops working, I determine the problem and make the repair for minimal cost and in minimal time. When we’re gone, my

wife has to find a reliable and trustworthy repair company, schedule an appointment and often pay a significantly 1 Close-up shot of a Carrier higher cost in terms of both Airborne Early Warning money and lost time to get the Squadron (VAW-117) washer working again. These ‘Wallbangers’ E-2C Hawkeye on burdens lead to stress and final approach to Fallon. 2 An frustration on part of both the F/A-18E Super Hornet assigned sailor and the family, and those to Strike Fighter Squadron 147 stresses are serious sources of (VFA-147) ‘Argonauts’ launches a salvo of Zuni rockets at targets distraction for the sailor who over the extensive Fallon range. feels isolated and helpless to 3 CVW- 11 Super Hornets hit a solve a trivial problem. This tank farm on the Fallon range is why we maintain a robust with two 500lb bombs. support structure at home for 4&5 Multiple vehicle and our families, and it’s critical to building targets are scattered keeping the sailors working throughout the huge Fallon hard and safely on the ship. range area in northern Nevada. “Our operational challenges These shots show a direct hit with a 1,000lb bomb. are different on the ship. We’re no longer able to make and execute decisions that are best just for the squadron. The operation of an aircraft carrier is an extremely complex undertaking, and the interdependency of the various departments on the ship and 1 those of the air wing and squadrons means that what 1 An F/A-18C Hornet prepares to launch. MCS 3rd Class Raul Moreno 2 Trapped. An F/A-18C catches the third wire. Scott Dworkin suits my squadron best may, 3 Replenishment-at-sea with USNS Richard E. Byrd. MCS 3rd Class Chris in fact, be bad for someone Bartlett 4 Sailors and Marines sort mail in the hangar bay. MCS Seaman else. Working successfully in Apprentice Kelly Agee 5 Midshipmen discuss the days events in Wardroom this environment requires a III. MCS 3rd Class George Penney III 6 A Ship’s Serviceman checks out good understanding of how customers at the ship’s store. MCS Seaman Apprentice Kelly Agee each piece of the operation 7&8 Midshipmen receive medical training (left MCS Seaman Apprentice interacts and the ability to Victoria Ochoa) and surgery aboard (right MCS Seaman Apprentice Kelly compromise for the benefit of Agee) 9 An Aviation Boatswain’s Mate tests fuel for purity levels. MCS 3rd the bigger picture and overall Class Raul Moreno 10 An Aviation Electronics Technician performs corrosion prevention to an avionics box. MCS 3rd Class Nathan McDonald objectives. “The last major difference we operate and interact. As I would point out is probably to ensure personal frustrations the CO, understanding our the most obvious: we’re on a don’t boil over and negatively objectives and requirements, boat. Spaces are cramped, affect others. When onboard, setting a clear and executable noise and distraction are we’re a very close family and we path for the squadron to everywhere, the environment is do a remarkable job of looking meet objectives and fulfil sometimes uncomfortable and after one another. It’s amazing requirements and shepherding there’s no place to ‘get away’. to see such a diverse group of the health and welfare of Imagine living in a berthing individuals come together to command remain consistent in with a couple of hundred form such close bonds almost the job.” roommates. Imagine working immediately after getting in a shop that measures 8 feet aboard the ship. by 12 feet with 20 others in the “From a CO’s perspective, Harsh Working same space. Imagine virtually the job doesn’t change, Conditions no place you can escape to for regardless of where the During the last decade the privacy. This leads back to my squadron is operating. What Nimitz has made multiple earlier comments about the changes are the challenges combat cruises into the AORs impact of embarked operations faced by the squadron, the – first Iraq, then shifting focus on the individual – we have to individual sailors and the to Afghanistan, where flight pay close attention to everyone various other units with which

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AIR WING operations continue today. Combat operations aboard the ship conducted in the extreme environment of the Middle East add another element of difficulty to shipboard life. Temperatures outside the ship regularly average well over 100°F (37.7°C), and temperatures on the flight deck are brutal. Conditions within the ship are sometimes not much better as the environmental systems onboard cannot keep up with cooling down such a massive vessel in such extreme conditions. The ability of deck crew and personnel aboard to continue to work at 100% in these environments is a true testament to their dedication to their jobs. Captain Mannix says: “I’m constantly impressed by our young sailors who keep these aircraft flying. We’re currently operating with a daily heat index over 100°F, in the middle of the ocean with corrosive salt and particulate matter in the air. Yet these men and women come to work each day and consistently produce combat-ready aircraft. “As far as the aviators go, I have an air wing full of pilots who are excited about their mission and love to fly no matter the condition. They all exude passion for their jobs and that makes my job as their commander awesome.” Spence concurs with Captain Mannix about working in the difficult and dangerous conditions in theatre. Discussing the risk of complacency, which can occur during the long hard repetitive days aboard the ship, he told the author: “Conducting operations from the carrier requires constant attention to personnel fatigue and awareness of the fact that, despite embarked operations being challenging and dangerous, the pace we run at can lead to extreme familiarity with one’s job and therefore breed complacency.

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We talk daily about fighting complacency, and it’s a hard thing to overcome. Working on the flight deck, or landing a jet on the carrier are demanding jobs. We’re so good at training for the dangers and challenges that it’s relatively easy to become very good in this environment. Once that hard and often risky job becomes routine, then it becomes dangerous. It’s dangerous because you stop paying full attention to the risks and you start letting your guard down – and then you get hurt, or worse. “The heat and humidity of

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the Middle East only magnify the risks. The sailors on the flight deck wearing their less than cool uniforms face blistering heat from the aircraft exhaust; now add the brutal daytime temperatures and you can get a sense for how precarious the job really is. “It’s amazing that you can stand just feet away from a jet turning at full power on the catapult, or landing on the ship, block out all of the discomfort and feel at ease. That’s a testament to our training process and the professional fortitude and courage of those in

this business, but it’s also a point we must address daily to ensure that complacency doesn’t lead to a mishap.”

Forty Years of Cruising The USS Nimitz will sail on for many more years and its presence at sea will continue to give leaders the security of knowing that the carrier and its aircraft can defend the principles of democracy set forth by the United States and its allies. This has remained true since the ship first set sail more than 40 years ago. The

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1 1 Troubleshooters assigned to Strike Fighter Squadron 154 signal that an F/A-18F Super Hornet is cleared to launch. MCS 3rd Class Nathan McDonald 2 A Landing Signals Officer watches an aircraft on final approach to the flight deck. USS Nimitz 3 Weight-board operators display the weight of an aircraft during flight operations. USS Nimitz 4 Landing Signals Officers, known as ‘Paddles’, at work on the LSO platform. USS Nimitz 5 The ship’s island houses the flag bridge, the pilot house more commonly known as the bridge, and the primary flight control. Scott Dworkin

sailors aboard may change and the aircraft types flying off its deck may change over time, but the role of the Nimitz will not. Lieutenant Commander Karin Burzynski summed up the feelings about the Nimitz: “This ship has a lot of history, especially being the oldest active aircraft carrier. Our plank owners (members of the ship’s crew when it was placed in commission) and former sailors continually chime in on our social media venues and refer to Nimitz as the best. Best time of their lives, best warship, best memories. So the heart of USS Nimitz is not the hardware, it’s the people – the teamwork – which is truly our tradition. The pride of our current and former sailors is tied to our namesake. Even a cursory review of Fleet Admiral Chester W Nimitz’s legacy inspires integrity, courage and commitment. Nimitz challenges us to be

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bold, to think and to question authority. We carry that legacy of respect with us as we travel around the globe and pull into foreign ports for some well deserved liberty, knowing the job we do gives comfort to our friends and allies and gives our adversaries a reason to pause.”

WESTPAC 2013 In the early spring of 2013 the USS Nimitz and Carrier Air Wing 11 departed San Diego for a Western Pacific cruise known as WESTPAC and into the US 5th Fleet AOR, conducting maritime security co-operation efforts and support missions for Operation Enduring Freedom. This was the culmination of a year-long journey CVW-11 spent conducting multiple training exercises to prepare for deployment and build on the relationship between the air wing and the rest of

the Nimitz strike group. The eight squadrons assigned to CVW-11 flew to Nimitz from five locations – NAS Lemoore, California, NAS North Island, California, NAS Point Mugu, California, NAS Whidbey Island, Washington, and MCAS Miramar, California – when the ship was off the coast of California. The first step of CVW-11’s journey began at NAS Lemoore shortly after completing its previous cruise aboard the USS Ronald Reagan (CVN-76). Soon after a short down period, regrouping and refresher training at Lemoore the wing moved to NAS Fallon for the first of two detachments, beginning with the SFARP (Strike Fighter Advanced Readiness Program) which focused on providing individual squadrons with training in weapons proficiency and essential fighter tactics.

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CVW-11 began its initial assimilation aboard Nimitz during its first short trip out to the boat for a carrier qualification period in mid2012. This proved to be the first opportunity for the air wing and the crew of the Nimitz to operate as a cohesive team. It also gave the wing a chance to work on fundamental carrier landings and develop their flight deck crew’s proficiency. After spending further training time home at NAS Lemoore, in late 2012 the Nimitz and its air wing participated in the Rim of the Pacific Exercise (RIMPAC) for three months. The world’s largest international maritime warfare exercise, it involved 22 nations, more than 40 ships and submarines and 200-plus aircraft operating in and around the Hawaiian Islands. Air Wing Fallon, the third and final phase of the work-up cycle, took place in early 2013. This month-long training exercise focused on pilot air-to-air and air-to-ground skill sets as well as overall air wing proficiency. It was during this phase of the training cycle that pilots were able to hone their strike planning skills and execute various strike fighter missions. With the success of the work-up cycle, as well as the successful integration aboard Nimitz, CVW-11 was prepared for the current deployment. Since the Nimitz pulled out of North Island on April 19, 2013 the men and women aboard remain on the front line and the Tip of the Spear. Most of the time the public isn’t even aware that the ship is deployed, how long it is out at sea or of the sacrifices made by the men and women who serve on the carrier. The crew of the USS Nimitz continue their work, so that when conflict arises and the President of the United States asks his commanders “where are my aircraft carriers?” Nimitz and her crew will be there to answer that call.

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All images Hawker Pacific

Bells on T operators across the board,” said Tony Jones, Hawker Pacific Senior Vice President Aircraft Sales. “The local market is very enthusiastic about Bell right now, having seen firsthand how ideally suited the aircraft are to a number of upcoming opportunities”. Following its Australian demonstration, Bell Helicopters was due to tour the 412EPI through India, Thailand, Singapore and Indonesia before appearing at the Dubai Airshow in November. The 407GX will fly to Singapore for additional demonstrations across Asia.

Bell 407GX

H

awker Pacific and Bell Helicopters have barnstormed the latest versions of the Bell 407 and 412 around Australia, as part of a wider Asia-Pacific sales tour of the two helicopters. The companies showcased the 407GX to prospective customers along the eastern seaboard and across to Adelaide and Perth, while the larger 412EPI visited Melbourne, Adelaide, Sydney and Brisbane during August and September. Both helicopters are fitted with flatscreen glass cockpit displays while the 412EPI also has up-rated engines and airframe improvements that confer a 15% increase compared with its predecessor in available shaft horsepower (SHP) and better performance. The two helicopters met up in Melbourne in late August on their prospective campaigns, which coincided with the 25th scientific meeting of the Aeromedical Society of Australasia and Flight Nurses Australia (ASA and FNA).

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The Bell 412 is widely used throughout Australia with more than 40 currently in service with a large proportion fulfilling helicopter emergency medical services (HEMS) roles. Hawker Pacific and Bell were among the sponsors of the ANA and FNA conference, and the 412EPI was on static display at Melbourne’s Essendon Airport during the period. Immediately prior to the conference, Hawker Pacific announced that Bell had confirmed the new version’s compliance with single pilot Category A operations for elevated helipads such as oil rigs or landing zones on top of major buildings including hospitals. The company is the appointed distributor for the Bell range throughout Australia and New Zealand and was in negotiations with undisclosed customers for two 407GX and a single 412EPI at the end of August. “Even before the 407GX and 412EPI touched down in Australia, we had received a significant level of interest. As we wrap up the demonstration tours one month on, we have received heightened interest from

The helicopter on tour through Australia is the present Bell demonstrator – fitted with a five-seat VIP interior – the 65th GX model and 1,365th Bell 407 overall. The main difference between the GX and the baseline model is the Garmin G1000H flight deck, with two 10.4 inch (264mm), high-resolution LCD interchangeable displays, configured as a primary flight display (PFD) and multi-function display (MFD). Bell claims that the 407GX flight deck has been specifically designed to enhance situational awareness with such features as the synthetic vision system (SVS) – which has terrain and obstacle alerting features – a helicopter terrain avoidance warning system (HTAWS) and automatic dependent surveillance – broadcast (ADS-B). “Not only does the new cockpit displays lessen the workload a lot for the pilot, but you actually save a little bit of weight because the GX system is lighter than analogue gauges,” explained Bell Helicopters’ Demonstration Pilot Dave Salem. “The pilot has incredible situational awareness because of the work Garmin did

BELL 407GX AND BELL 412EPI COMMERCIAL

n Tour

with synthetic vision.” Another feature of the GX cockpit (one shared with the 412EPI) is the Bell-developed power situation indicator (PSI), which combines the output performance of both Rolls-Royce 250 C47-B FADEC engines on a single indicator, displayed on the MFD. “It knows what limit you will reach first and as long as you keep that single indicator needle in the green you are within your maximum continuous power range,” explained Dave Salem. “The pilot knows he is operating within all limits. It takes a lot of the guesswork out and also reduces the pilot’s workload.” Other standard features of the 407GX include automatic speech recognition for controlling radio communications selections (including the activation of cabin music!) and a tail rotor camera, similar to a reversing camera on a modern motor car, with the rear view projected onto the MFD. The 407GX is now the standard production model and although not certified for fullIFR operations in the United States, Bell says it is currently working through the certification process with the Federal Aviation Administration.

Bell 412EPI The major differences between the Bell 412EPI and the earlier EP variant centre on the Bell ‘BasiX-Pro’ integrated avionics system, up-rated Pratt & Whitney PT6T-9 engines and airframe improvements: BLR strakes on the tail boom and a smaller-profile ‘FastFin’ tail assembly. The company has partnered with BLR Aerospace to incorporate the FastFin and strake system (which comprises two parallel stall strips) on all new-build 412EP helicopters and is a standard component of the baseline EPI.

Asia-Pacific Demonstration of the 407GX and 412EPI

The Basix-Pro integrated glass cockpit is the same as that on the Bell 429 and the company claims this provides commonality for training and operation of both types. It is based on four 10.4 inch (264mm) Rogerson Kratos flat panel displays, together with a Garmin GTN-750 NAC/COM/WAAS GPS which, together with the standard cockpit lighting, are non-ITAR Night Vision Goggles (NVG) compatible. A Honeywell SPZ-7600 digital three-axis automatic flight control system (AFCS) comes as standard on the 412EPI and a four-axis system is optional. It is certified for single-pilot IFR operations and the recent Category A compliance for elevated helipads in Australia will allow significant savings in crewing over the current two-pilot Bell 412 HEMS operations. Bell also asserts that the PTCT-9 ‘Twin-Pac’ engines, with electronic engine control confer 15% more shaft horse power than the 412EP and a 60lb/hr (27.2kg/hr) reduction in fuel burn. Engine modifications include an improved first stage compressor (with increased airflow) and compressor turbine and power turbine

stages and auto start (hot start protection). Bell says the new configuration enhances ‘hot and high’ performance and provides greater single-engine capability. Bell claims that the FastFin and strake system modifications, “combine to optimise airflow around the tail boom, improving handling, stability and lifting capacity in all environments, especially ‘hot and high’ conditions.’ The term ‘FastFin’ describes the re-profiled tail fin and ‘FastFin System’ is the combination of FastFin and strakes. “Confirmation from Bell that the 412EPI is now compliant with single pilot Category A operations for elevated helipads means almost no mission or operating environment is beyond reach,” commented Hawker Pacific’s, Tony Jones, shortly after the helicopter arrived in Australia. “Australia represents a solid market for EMS, special mission and utility helicopters. It was timely that we kicked off a regional demonstration tour so soon after its release in the United States, and in time for the 25th scientific meeting of the Aeromedical Society of Australasia and Flight Nurses Australia.” Nigel Pittaway

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Next Gen

MiG T wo MiG-35 fighters participated in MAKS 2013. Single-seat MiG35 (side number 741) on static display, and two-seat MiG-35D (side number 747) gave a solo performance. Previously, only 747, which took part in the KADEX exhibition in Kazakhstan in May 2012 and the Russian Air Force 100th anniversary at Zhukovsky in August 2012, was shown publicly. The use of the MiG-35 designation for these aircraft is a novelty. Until now, aircraft 741 and 747 were presented with MiG-29M and M2 designations respectively. The MiG-35 designation was reserved for the most advanced version fitted with the Zhuk-A active electronically scanned array (AESA) radar. Now the Russian Aircraft Corporation (RAC) MiG has decided to name all MiG-29 variants with the new designation, regardless of their equipment. MiG-35 ‘747’ first flew on December 24, 2011, followed by ‘741’ on February 3, 2012; there are currently no further versions of this aircraft. Previously, there were two other MiG-35s: single-seat ‘961’ and two-seat ‘967’. They were modified MiG-29Ks, specially prepared for comparative trials within the Indian Medium MultiRole Combat Aircraft (MMRCA) tender and were evaluated in October 2009 at Bangalore. In April 2010, aircraft ‘967’,

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equipped with the Zhuk-AE radar, shot down an aerial target with an RVV-AE missile at Akhtubinsk, south-west Russia. After the Indian defence ministry selected the French Rafale as the winner of the MMRCA competition, aircraft ‘961’ and ‘967’ were returned to their original MiG-29K and KUB configurations.

Self-defence During this year’s show, the MiG35 was shown for the first time with a complete I-222 electrooptical missile warning system sensor suite installed. The I-222 system has six sensors one at both the back and the front, two at the side and two below the aircraft. The forward-looking sensor is mounted near the OLS-UM infrared search-and-track (IRST) sight and the aft-looking is mounted on the fuselage spine behind the cockpit. Each sidemounted sensor is fitted on the forward fuselage, while the two below the aircraft and – seen for the first time at MAKS 2013 – one forward- and one aft-looking are mounted in a fixed pod on the port side of the fuselage. The MiG-35 also has two laser-warning sensors mounted on the wingtips. A mock-up of a new targeting pod was also on display for the first time, suspended under the fuselage of MiG-35 ‘741’. It comprises electro-optical (EO) and

Piotr Butowski provides details of the MiG-35 Fulcrum-F infrared imaging sensors, laser rangefinder and target designator, and a laser spot detector to guide weapons to a target illuminated by an external laser. The pod is 2.37m (7ft 9in) long with a diameter of 340mm (13in) and can simultaneously track four ground targets. The targeting pod, like the remaining EO equipment of the MiG-35, including the OLS-UM sight and warning sensors was designed at the Scientific and Production Corporation Precision Instrument Systems (NPK SPP) of Moscow, which previously had not been involved with aviation systems. Basic information about the systems was on display at the NPK SPP stand, including the ranges of the IRST for the MiG-35: up to 90km (55 miles) from the tail of the aircraft and up to 35km head-on (21 miles). The ranges are identical to those of the OLS-35 system made by NPK SPP for the Su-35S fighter and double that of the OLS-U system for the MiG-29K. The OLS-UM for the MiG-35 comprises a thermal imaging camera (frequency range 3-5 μm) and the EO camera with a common optical part, including the scanning mirror, as well as the laser rangefinder and target designator. The mirror scans the airspace +/-90° in azimuth and +60o/-15o in elevation (about the aircraft’s axis). The system can simultaneously track two aerial targets.

Radar: New, Newer, the Newest The basic radar system for the Russian Air Force MiG-35S version is the N041R mechanicallyscanned, slotted-array radar. The export version is fitted with the Zhuk-ME (FGM229) variant. The Zhuk-M radar is not the latest, but a perfected and more economic design. A more advanced variant – the FGA35 Zhuk-AE with active electronic scanning – has already been flight tested on the MiG35, tests that have included the launch of missiles. At MAKS 2013, the Phazotron company showed another variant of the Zhuk-A radar, initially designated FGA35 (3D), with new transceiver modules made from LTCC (low temperature co-fired ceramics) technology. The array is much thinner and lighter than the Zhuk-AE variant. Each module is 13mm (0.5in) deep, several times less than those used on the ZhukAE. The array is air-cooled (the Zhuk-AE is – liquid-cooled) while the impulse power of each module is 5W. Yuri Guskov, Phazotron’s designer general promises the handover of the new radar for evaluation on the MiG-35 in 2014.

MiG-35: the New Generation MiG-29 MiG-35s ‘741’ and ‘747’ (as MiG29Ms) were originally built for a contract with Syria. In contrast

MiG-35 MILITARY All images Piotr Butowsk

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1 Two pods, both developed by Moscow-based NPK SPP, were installed under the fuselage of MiG35 ‘741’. First (in the foreground) is a fairing containing two sensors; one forward- and one rearward-looking. Both sensors are part of the I-222 ultraviolet missile warning suite; four more sensors are mounted on the fuselage. Second is a new air-tosurface targeting pod (seen in the background), also developed by the NPK SPP. 2 An MSP-418K Kedr (cedar) active electronic jamming pod under the wing of MiG-35 ‘741’. 3 The latetst version of the Phazotron Zhuk-A active electronically scanned array radar featuring LTCC transmitreceive modules. The first flight tests are scheduled on a MiG-29 in 2014.

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with the shipborne MiG-29K, the MiG-35 land-based fighter has no arresting hook or carrier-specific navigation equipment. No airrefuelling is installed on the MiG35 but it can be retrofitted. The MiG-35 has a wing of 12.0m (39ft 4in) – the standard MiG-29 is 11.36m (37ft 3in) – with much larger doubleslotted trailing edge flaps. Rectangular deployable vortex controllers (Krueger flaps) are on the edges of the wing leading-edge extensions.

Confusion The sole order for the MiG-35 (MiG-29M) is with Syria for 12 fighters ordered in November

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2006 with deliveries during 2010-2012; an option reportedly involves a further 28 aircraft. The Russians still claim the contract is valid, but in reality, they are not delivering the aircraft to Syria, according to information received by the author, and the batch reportedly ordered for the Russian Air Force in May has yet to arrive. The head of MiG, Sergei Korotkov, said in late May that a contract for “up to 37” MiG35S fighters with deliveries starting in 2014 would soon be signed. However, shortly before the MAKS 2013 show, details appeared in the Russian newspaper Kommersant stating that the Russian Ministry of

Finance had asked the Ministry of Defence for budget cuts, and the first aviation victim would be the MiG-35. On August 17, the Russian Ministry of Defence announced that the planned contract for the MiG-35 (probably for an initial 28 aircraft and a total of 37) had been postponed for three years, to 2016, no doubt in accordance with Vladimir Putin’s directive that military orders cannot be cancelled, but only ‘postponed’. A few days later the deputy minister of defence, Yuri Borisov, corrected the ministry’s announcement, stating the purchase of the MiG-35S had been postponed because of the unwillingness of RAC MiG to

MiG-29SMT and MiG-35 Comparisons MiG-29SMT

MiG-35

Fly-by-wire control system:

Triple-redundant mechanical system

Quadruple-redundant digital system

Engines:

Two RD-33 turbofans each rated at 81.2kN (18,255lb)

Two RD-33MK turbofans each rated at 88kN (19,783lb).

Nominal take-off weight:

17,000kg (37,478lb)

18,900kg (41,666lb)

Maximum take-off weight:

22,000kg (48,501lb)

24,500kg (54,012lb)

Maximum speed:

2,400km/h (1,295kts)

2,100km/h (1,133kts)

Service ceiling:

17,500m (57,414ft)

16,000m (52,493ft)

Max range on internal fuel:

1,800km (972 nm)

2,000km (1,080 nm)

Max range with tanks:

3,000km (1,620 nm)

3,200km (1,727 nm)

Air-to-air missiles:

R-27R/T/ER/ET, RVV-AE, R-73

RVV-AE/SD, R-73/RVV-MD

Air-to-surface munitions:

Kh-29TE/L, Kh-25M, Kh-31A/P and KAB-500

Kh-31PD, Kh-35U, Kh-38M, Kh-59M2/MK/ MK2 and KAB-500

launch production of the fighter quickly – rather than financial limitations. As a consequence the air force will order a batch of MiG-29SMT fighters as an interim measure until 2016. On the eve of MAKS 2013 the minister of industry and trade, Denis Manturov, announced there was no delay and the MiG-35 contract was “almost ready”. He said deliveries of the MiG-35S fighters would begin in 2015. The author’s sources in the Russian aviation industry confirm that the MiG-35 contract has been postponed and a interim purchase of 16 MiG-29SMTs, with an option for about another 20 examples will go ahead. The 16-aircraft contract is for new jets and not an upgrade programme for aircraft already in service with operational units. The MiG-29SMT configuration covered in the contract has the same N041R radar and weapons suite as the MiG-35S; but has the original airframe design. Russia’s latest MiG-29SMT fighters should be delivered between next year and 2016. Other nations are considering the MiG-35S. Serbia is in negotiations for six; the aircraft is also being offered to Croatia; and Iraqi pilots have made familiarisation flights in aircraft ‘747’. Demonstrations have also been given to Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan.

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COMMERCIAL LOW-COST, LONG-HAUL

Resurgence of Low-Cost, Long-Haul

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ow-cost carriers (LCCs) have revolutionised the way we fly. Given our thirst for cheap air travel it’s not surprising that many airlines worldwide are now offering the model of low prices for longer journeys. Already this year two carriers, Air Canada Rouge and Norwegian Air Shuttle, have launched low-cost long-haul flights. Another two, Philippine Airlines and Cebu Pacific, will shortly follow suit, joining three other LCCs in South-East Asia already offering long-haul – AirAsia X, Jetstar (a subsidiary of Qantas) and Scoot (an offshoot of Singapore Airlines, SIA). Low-cost long-haul isn’t new. Several airlines have tried – and failed – to crack the market. In 1977 Laker Airways launched its Skytrain services from London Gatwick to New York JFK. The airline went bankrupt within five years. More recent ventures haven’t lasted even that long. Zoom Airlines, which flew from Gatwick, Glasgow and Cardiff to the US, Canada and the Caribbean, went into administration in August 2008 only

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two years after launch. And Oasis Hong Kong, which flew to Gatwick and Vancouver, Canada, operated for just 18 months before being liquidated in April 2008.

New Operations Such failures clearly haven’t deterred the newcomers. In August, Norwegian – which in a decade has become Europe’s thirdbiggest LCC behind Ryanair and easyJet (see From Norway to the World, July, p83) – began flying from its main Oslo hub to Bangkok and New York JFK, and from Stockholm to Bangkok, using Boeing 787-8s. Across the Atlantic, Air Canada joined the club on July 1 when it launched its Rouge subsidiary, which is now operating long-haul low-cost services from Toronto and Montreal to Athens, Edinburgh and Venice as well as shorter-haul routes to Costa Rica, the Dominican Republic and Jamaica. Rouge says 35% of its bookings for its first few weeks of operation were for the European

routes and that it will add more European destinations in 2014. The airline operates pairs of Boeing 767-300ERs and Airbus A319s but, if it’s successful, this number could expand to as many as 20 767-300ERs and 30 A319s by the end of the decade. Air Canada President and Chief Executive Calin Rovinescu said: “We’re going to start small and build it up gradually.” On the other side of the world, Philippinesbased Cebu Pacific will this autumn expand into long-haul when it launches flights from the country’s capital, Manila, to Dubai in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Cebu, already an established short/medium-haul LCC in the region, will operate six Airbus A330-300s for the purpose (four leased from CIT Aerospace, two from US lessor Intrepid Aviation). Each will have 436 seats in an alleconomy layout which, according to industry news service Routes, will be the densest seat configuration ever seen in an A330. Fellow Filipino carrier Philippine Airlines is also set to branch out into low-cost

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Mark Broadbent looks at the worldwide resurgence of long-haul budget airlines

Air Canada Rouge currently operates two Boeing 767-300ERS transferred from the mainline Air Canada fleet. Europix/AirTeamImages

long-haul. The country’s flag carrier will start services from Manila to Abu Dhabi on October 1. Like Cebu it will use A330300s configured with an all-economy cabin, its aircraft seating 414 passengers. In November it will add flights to Doha, Qatar, and in December to Riyadh, Jeddah and Damman in Saudi Arabia. These two airlines’ ventures will take to five the number of low-cost long-haul airlines in South-East Asia. Jetstar has been using ten A330-200s for long-haul since 2011, linking Auckland in New Zealand with Singapore and the Australian cities of Melbourne, Sydney, Gold Coast (Coolangatta) and Cairns with destinations such as Tokyo and Osaka in Japan, Bangkok in Thailand and Honolulu in Hawaii. Singapore-based Scoot, launched by SIA in 2012, uses five Boeing 777-200ERs on routes to Bangkok, Sydney, Gold Coast, Tokyo, Seoul in South Korea, Taipei in Taiwan and Shenyang, Tianjin, Quingdao and Nanjing in China. And AirAsia X, part of Tony Fernandes’ AirAsia franchise, flies 13 A330-200s linking its Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia,

being flown and the need for downtime at the final destination for replenishment and maintenance, aircraft simply can’t be worked as intensively, which limits the sectors they can fly in any 24-hour period. This reduces the yield (the revenue airlines earn per passenger, per mile), the maximisation of which is core to the LCC model. Nor can the crews be worked as hard. Mandatory rest requirements mean crews legally can’t work as many sectors as their peers in short/ medium-haul LCCs. And because secondary airports don’t have the infrastructure to handle bigger, long-haul aircraft and the passenger numbers they bring, more expensive hub airports have to be used. Aviation consultant John Strickland says these challenges make it “very difficult” to successfully operate long-haul low-cost. He points to AirAsia X’s unsuccessful routes to western Europe as a case in point. The carrier started flying to London-Stansted and Paris-Charles de Gaulle in 2009 (Gatwick replacing Stansted in 2011 as the London airport) but axed both routes in February

hub to Beijing, Chengdu, Hangzhou and Shanghai in China, Abu Dhabi, Jeddah in Saudi Arabia, Busan in South Korea, Christchurch in New Zealand, Delhi in India and Gold Coast, Melbourne, Perth and Sydney. What challenges must these airlines overcome to operate low-cost long-haul sustainably? Why, given the previous failures in this sector, are so many carriers rushing to it now? And why are network carriers like Air Canada, SIA and Qantas embracing it?

Challenges Operating long-haul at low costs has big challenges. The successful LCCs worldwide have built their businesses by maximising the number of sectors flown a day, undertaking quick turnarounds, using secondary (therefore cheaper) airports and charging for on-board food and drink (known in the trade as ancillary revenues). But this model isn’t easily applied to long-haul. Owing to the greater ranges

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COMMERCIAL LOW-COST, LONG-HAUL

Colin Parker/AirTeamImages

2012. In addition to slack demand due to the recession, AirAsia X blamed high costs – especially in fuel – which it said made it impossible for it to offer a competitive ticket price. The flight times to the two destinations were more than 13 hours, meaning AirAsia X was committing its aircraft to the routes for more than 24 hours (including the return), which minimised the yields it could make. The flight times to Bangkok from Oslo and Stockholm – in excess of 11 hours – is why Strickland says he’s “sceptical” about Norwegian making a success of the two routes.

Competitive Response Another issue for long-haul LCCs to contend with is aggressive competition from the established players. “There’s quite a good degree of service in economy [with network carriers] now,” Strickland says. “You have movies shown and you get fed and watered fairly generously so [LCCs] can’t easily compete there unless prices are much, much lower. But prices on many of the legacy carriers are quite good, especially at off-peak times: so that’s another challenge for them.” Philippine Airlines launching services to the Middle East is notable in this respect. The carrier only said it would start low-cost flights to the region in spring 2013, after Cebu in 2012 announced the launch of its own low-cost services. Philippine’s move is clearly a response to Cebu and a way of protecting its share of long-haul travel from the country. Equally, SIA’s launch of Scoot and Qantas setting up a long-haul division of Jetstar were strategic moves to boost the parent airlines’ earnings from economy passengers and ward off competition from Air Asia X

Making it Work So, given all these challenges, how do LCCs make long-haul work? John Strickland’s view is that success comes from a combination of

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factors – tight cost management, including using the most economical aircraft; good marketing; a simple product offering; and, ultimately, picking the right routes. One way long-haul LCCs can manage costs is to fly routes of a certain length. Jetstar and Scoot both mainly operate sectors below eight hours’ duration. Jetstar’s longest flights are its Sydney to Tokyo, Osaka and Honolulu routes, which are each just over ten hours, while Scoot’s longest sector is Singapore-Shenyang which is just over seven. By only flying sectors of a certain length, LCCs are still able to make their aircraft work hard and so maximise those all-important yields. Another way to minimise costs is to employ crews from less expensive countries. He said “it’s really essential” for long-haul LCCs to use efficient, modern twin-engine aircraft. They’re cheaper to operate than four-engine types such as the Boeing 747 traditionally used for long-haul flights without compromising on either range or seats. This reduces per-seat operating costs and maximises those all-important yields. “You can’t get anywhere with a 747,” Strickland says. “Oasis Hong Kong’s biggest problem was having a four-engine aircraft [the 747400] at a time when fuel prices were on the up. If you’re trying to serve markets further away than the current twins can offer you’re going to need a four-engine aircraft, which is the kiss of death.” The current long-haul LCCs have heeded this lesson, as can be seen by their use of Boeing and Airbus twins. Jetstar and Scoot are also due next year to take delivery of new Boeing 787-8s (Scoot will also receive larger 787-9s). Norwegian is operating the Dreamliner for its long-haul routes, and CEO Björn Kjos says the airline wouldn’t even have considered long-haul if the 787 wasn’t available. He told the BBC: “When we did the calculations we couldn’t get the numbers to add up with the [older] aircraft. We needed the new aircraft. Before, when you attempted to do low-cost when flying more than eight hours, it just didn’t work.”

Good Marketing Using direct distribution methods via online and phone sales, as short/medium-haul LCCs have done so well, is another way operators can minimise costs. This goes hand-in-hand with savvy marketing. In this area it’s noticeable that many long-haul operators are following the model of the short/medium-haul LCCs in having snappy and memorable names for easy recognition – hence Scoot, Rouge and Jetstar. But Strickland says the most important aspect of marketing is using the right promotional strategy to reach the intended target audiences. In recalling Oasis, which he feels “underestimated” the importance of getting its name known, he thinks Norwegian might have a challenge on its hands: “Norwegian isn’t even known widely across Europe. The airline wants to capture the rising middle class in Asia but they’ll need to spend money in the right areas to get their name known to those people.” Tied-in to marketing is a product offering that’s easy to understand. The likes of Ryanair and easyJet have succeeded because their pricing model is so simple – if you want frills, like ticket options, extra baggage and food and drink, you’ve got to pay extra. The long-haul LCCs have all bought into this philosophy. Scoot, for instance, offers three pricing tiers – Fly (for passengers flying with cabin baggage only), FlyBag (a 15kg checked baggage allowance) and FlyBagEat (a 20kg allowance). Customers have to pay extra for food and drink (except with FlyBagEat, where a single meal is included) and to use the in-flight entertainment. Strickland is sceptical of Rouge’s approach to in-flight options. Flyers on its shorter-haul services to the Caribbean and US will have to pay for meals and drinks, but those travelling long-haul will get a complimentary hot meal. “People in Canada who are going to be the main customers flying to Europe are going to have a different experience when they go to

LOW-COST, LONG-HAUL COMMERCIAL the Caribbean,” Strickland argues. “You’re saying to the same customers, ‘I’m going to give you a different proposition under different circumstances’ – the carrier must keep it understandable for customers.”

“weren’t holding up” on the less popular routes – so they switched to a lower cost structure with a new brand and price points in order to appeal to more people and increase profitability on those routes. In other words, long-haul LCCs were strategic moves by network carriers to maintain their dominance of long-haul air travel. Reflecting this, network carriers have organised their LCCs’ routes to gain the benefits of the passenger feed the mainline operators provide. Scoot, for instance, has interlining agreements with parent SIA and fellow Singapore Airlines Group subsidiary SilkAir, enabling Scoot to sell tickets to other destinations and receive feed from the other two airlines, increasing its revenues and traffic. Air Canada will also hope that Rouge benefits from the mainline carrier’s short-haul network from provincial airports in Canada feeding passengers into Toronto and Montreal. The LCCs use the links to their parent companies in other ways. They’ve exploited their affiliations to reassure customers that just because they’re lower cost doesn’t mean they’ll skimp on quality. Scoot says having

[Ryanair] coming into Stansted where KLM UK had its main operation. They had some spare resources, mainly BAe 146s, which they didn’t have a use for after a network restructure and so KLM reluctantly agreed to let us set [Buzz] up.” Strickland’s point is that KLM viewed Buzz as something they should do rather than properly understand the LCC model and give its management the freedom to run it along low-cost lines: “The difficulty is that this is half-baked low-cost, setting the airline up within the family and giving them equipment which may not be the right equipment.” Rouge’s performance in this respect will be keenly observed, given that Air Canada’s previous attempt into low-cost back in the early 2000s with two short/medium-haul operations, Tango and Zip, were both shortlived. So how does Strickland feel Jetstar, Scoot and Rouge can avoid this pitfall? “If the parent is prepared to step back and give you a degree of independence it’s possibly going to work,” he says. “The LCC needs adequate resources to start with, have as much physical and cultural separation

a niche. Data from the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA) shows that Saudi Arabia and the UAE rank as the top two destinations for the 10 million Filipinos working outside their home country. Both carriers are therefore offering a product that allows their targeted niche to travel on their ‘home’ airlines. Strickland explains: “They’re going after their own culture. They know that people working [in the Middle East] like to come home, so they’re going in there to serve the Filipino overseas community, offering low prices to attract passengers and therefore run full.”

SIA as its owner gives it “safety, reliability and punctuality” while Rouge says its passengers can use Air Canada lounges in Toronto and Montreal and qualify for the frequent flyer programme. Strickland believes another factor that drove network carriers into low-cost longhaul was spare capacity. “With Scoot, part of the rationale was that there were surplus 777s in SIA’s fleet,” he explains, adding that Rouge, borne from Air Canada, finds itself with redundant aircraft as it replaces its 767300ERs with 777-300ERs on its mainline trunk routes to Europe and the Americas.

Market Dominance

Independence

What’s noticeable about Jetstar, Scoot and Rouge is that they’re all offshoots of network carriers. Given the challenges of long-haul low-cost, why have Qantas, SIA and Air Canada all taken the plunge? John Strickland says Qantas and SIA could both see that their core mainline products

Strickland feels network airlines have to let their LCCs be independent if they want them to succeed. This view stems from his time working for Buzz, a short/medium-haul LCC set up at Stansted by KLM in 1998. He recalls: “Buzz wasn’t a conscious strategy by KLM. It was a case of low-cost competition

as possible from the parent and the least possible interference. It also requires clear communication from the LCC to the parent about what it’s doing.” While the success of Rouge, Norwegian and Philippine Airlines and Cebu Pacific’s long-haul ventures won’t be known for a while, the other LCCs are currently performing well. In 2012 Jetstar carried 391,000 passengers on its long-haul flights, an increase of 3.1% on the previous year, Scoot’s load factor was 80% in its first seven months of operation and AirAsia X reported a load factor of 84% for 2012. Ultimately, Strickland feels success for long-haul LCC means finding, “limited markets where you can guarantee high volumes, where you’re not necessarily going up against network carriers with quality economy products and reasonable prices”. That’s all easier said than done, but as the figures suggest, the challenge isn’t insurmountable.

The Right Routes

Clement Alloing/AirTeamImages

Strickland feels the most important factor in determining success is selecting the correct routes, where the aircraft’s capacity is well-matched to the size of the market: “It doesn’t matter how good the management, how good the idea or how funky the marketing, if the aircraft isn’t the right size for the market it won’t be able to deliver the right unit cost and you’re wasting your time. Success is about niches and knowing your target market – and having something unique and specific to offer.” For example, Scoot’s Singapore-Australia and Australia-Japan routes target costconscious travellers such as migrant workers and holidaymakers who want affordable air travel rather than the frills offered by network airlines. Cebu Pacific and Philippine Airlines’ first low-cost long-haul routes similarly target

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MILITARY F/A-18 ADVANCED SUPER HORNET

Advanced Super H

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n order to ensure the F/A-18 Super Hornet strike fighter and EA-18G Growler airborne electronic attack aircraft remain viable beyond 2030, Boeing has designed a series of capability insertions that will either be available on new-build aircraft, or capable of retrofit to existing Block 2 jets. Furthermore, the company claims the upgrades deliver next-generation capabilities, and enhance Super Hornet and Growler mission capability and flexibility for a modest increase in cost. To prove its point, Boeing recently flew F/A-18F Super Hornet BuNo 168492 (c/n F266) fitted with some of the proposed upgrade features, and has released details of the entire Advanced Super Hornet package.

Advanced Jet Better performance, radar signature reduction and enhanced situational awareness are the objectives of the Advanced Super Hornet. Most of the components have previously been proposed by Boeing, but are now formally bundled as the Advanced Super Hornet package. A customer can select which element(s) best suit their future requirements and do not have to take the entire package. Northrop Grumman, Boeing’s partner in the Super Hornet

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programme, has invested its own funds to develop conformal fuel tanks (CFTs) which fit on the aircraft’s leading edge extensions and provide an extra 3,500lb (1,587kg) of internal fuel. Paul Summers, Boeing’s F/A-18 and EA-18G Director, says that this translates to an increase in combat range of around 260nm (481km) and importantly, the CFTs free up the aircraft’s centreline station for the carriage of more stores. To fit CFTs to an existing Super Hornet requires modification to the internal fuel plumbing but once this is carried out, he says the CFTs can be installed and removed as required within “a couple of hours”. Summers explained the affect of CFTs: “Test data indicates that in the subsonic regime we’re experiencing no additional drag with the CFTs installed. In the transonic region drag increases in the same manner as it might with the centreline tank. “This was demonstrated during flight testing when the chase aircraft [F/A-18F c/n F264 in clean configuration] was flying in formation with the CFT-equipped Advanced Super Hornet [c/n F266]. They were both at the same throttle setting and with matching fuel flows, and in a slight descent. The aircraft fitted with the CFTs was accelerating past the clean Block II airplane, so in that instance we actually showed a negative drag benefit.”

Enclosed

Weapons Pod To replace the centreline tank, Boeing has developed a stealthy Enclosed Weapons Pod (EWP), capable of carrying 2,500lb (1,134kg) of weapons, while adding 900lb (408kg) of weight to the Super Hornet. The pod is designed to lower the aircraft’s radar cross section (RCS) and is achieved in two ways: firstly the shape and coating of the pod is designed with low-observability in mind and secondly by allowing the removal of the under wing weapons pylons. Air-to-air and air-to-ground munitions can be enclosed within the pod by actuator-driven doors similar to those used for internal weapons bays. If required, EWPs can also be carried on each of the inboard wing pylons. No hardware modifications are required to the airframe although new software is uploaded to the jet’s stores management system. A signature reduction programme involves application of an enhanced surface treatment to the airframe, albeit using the same maintenance procedures and techniques already in use on Block II aircraft. The new coatings add 100lb (45kg) of weight to the standard aircraft and were tested at Boeing’s Near Field Test Facility at St Louis, Missouri and on the US Navy’s Atlantic Test Range at Patuxent River in Maryland. “We have demonstrated a better than 50% improvement over

the current low-signature Block II airplane,” said Paul Summers. “That is significant.”

Enhanced Performance Engine General Electric has developed an improved version of the F414400 engine, known as the EPE (Enhanced Performance Engine), which offers 20% more thrust and between 2 and 3% better fuel consumption over its predecessor. Again no airframe changes are required and the F414-400 can be upgraded to EPE configuration in the factory. “The enhanced engine gives us significantly more thrust, or significantly reduced fuel consumption,” explained Summers: “We estimate that the US Navy would save over $5 billion over the life of the engine.”

Next Gen Cockpit Another option is the ‘next generation cockpit’ which features a large flat touch-screen display. “It operates like your iPad and give the crews more flexibility and much more situational awareness,” Paul Summers said, adding that Growler crews would particularly benefit from the enhanced situational awareness [presented on the display] during complex battle scenarios. Raytheon’s APG-79 Active Electronically Scanned Array (AESA) radar is also upgraded and the Infra-Red Search and Track

F/A-18 ADVANCED SUPER HORNET MILITARY All images Boeing

as predicted by the US DoD for a post-2030 timeframe. An optimisation for countering fire control threats, to allow strike fighters safe penetration to the targeting and weapons release range. Such a concept of operations will still require jamming support across the RF spectrum, as currently provided by the EA-18G.

Cost and Timeline Boeing says that the total cost of all components in the Advanced Super Hornet package will add around 10% to the acquisition cost. The current ‘ballpark’ price for a Super Hornet is $51 million. To retrofit existing aircraft, Boeing’s Vice President of F/A-18 and EA18G Mike Gibbons, estimates a down time of around one month and a cost of between five and seven million dollars per aircraft. The major slice of the retrofit work lies in the plumbing changes within the airframe and Mike Gibbons says that consideration is being given to completing this work on the production line, so

r Hornet (IRST) system, originally planned for fitting into the front of the centreline fuel tank, is internally mounted under the nose of an Advanced Super Hornet.

Flight-testing During August Boeing flew a series of flight tests with Block II F/A-18F Super Hornet BuNo 168492 (c/n F266) fitted with CFTs, an EWP and radar signature reduction enhancements, but with standard F414 engines. The aircraft flew from Boeing’s facility at Lambert Field, St Louis for the first time on August 5, 2013 and by early September had amassed 25 flight hours and 15 flights. Following initial testing at St Louis, the aircraft was flown to NAS Patuxent River in Maryland to use the Navy’s Atlantic Test Range and to validate the initial test results. “We recently completed our first round of testing at Pax River and flew the jet back to St Louis to modify the treatments applied on it,” said Paul Summers. “We’re currently testing these on our Near Field range and we’ll be flying back to Pax River for additional flights on the range in the next two weeks.” The second round of testing will include up to 15 more flights and around 14 more hours in the air.

Growler Benefits Besides the benefits of fitting a

next-generation cockpit to future EA-18G Growler capability, Boeing says the CFTs provide significant enhancements. “As a result of taking the two large 480 gallon [1,817 litre] tanks off the inboard stations and using the CFTs, we get about the same mission performance in terms of range and endurance as we would with two tanks, three Next Generation Jammer pods, two AGM-88 HARM and two AIM-120 missiles on the cheek stations, but with 3,000lb [1,360kg] less fuel,” explained Summers. “The CFTs dramatically enhance a Growler in a very ‘high-drag’ configuration and use a lot less fuel.” Testing undertaken by Boeing to date suggests that, because the inboard pylons can be removed altogether (for the same weapons and sensor load), the landing weight of the Growler is reduced by 600lb (272kg) and the better fuel consumption reduces bring-back fuel by another 400lb (181kg). This means that, for the same range and endurance of today’s Growler, the advanced variant has an additional 1,000lb (454kg) payload capability, with the added advantage that the jammer’s field of regard is not restricted by an adjacent tank.

all new-build Super Hornets and Growlers will be capable of easy conversion. “We haven’t made a decision yet, but I anticipate that we’ll go that route,” he said. Gibbons estimates that the CFTs will be available for installation either on new-build aircraft or as a retrofit kit in the 2016 timeframe and, depending upon US Navy contracting, the EPE engine could be available around the end of the decade. Boeing is not yet offering the Advanced Super Hornet as its baseline in any international sales campaigns but the various components are available as options. The potential beneficiaries are the US Navy and the Royal Australian Air Force who, if Boeing’s predictions are correct, stand to gain significant capability for a relatively low cost and associated risk. “We expect that these features are going to be pretty enticing to anybody that flies Super Hornets,” Mike Gibbons concluded. Nigel Pittaway

1 1 Northrop Grumman has invested its own funds to develop conformal

fuel tanks which fit on the Super Hornet’s leading edge extensions and provide an extra 3,500lb of internal fuel. 2 The large flat touch-screen

display seen in Boeing’s Advanced Super Hornet cockpit demonstrator. 2

Surviving the 2030 Environment The proposed enhancements are designed to ensure survivability in what’s known as the A2AD (antiaccess area denial) environment

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Talisman Saber 2013 The skies above central Queensland in Australia echoed to the sound of strike aircraft, attack helicopters and airlifters during Exercise Talisman Saber 2013. Nigel Pittaway reports

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lthough predominantly an amphibious exercise, Talisman Saber – a biennial event involving Australia and the US – features a large air warfare component that tests the full range of military aviation capabilities. This year ‘TS13’ had several notable firsts, including the debut in Australia of the US Marine Corps’ MV-22B Osprey; the first C-17 Globemaster tactical sortie involving aircraft from two nations; what is thought to be the largest air-to air refuelling of a C-17 force; and the first time Australia’s Tiger Armed Reconnaissance (ARH) and NH90 Taipan multirole helicopters had participated together in the exercise. Talisman Saber was also a significant learning event for the Australian Defence Force (ADF) as the Australian Army transforms itself from a traditional land force to being capable of conducting amphibious warfare. By 2015, the nation will have the first of its 27,000-tonne ‘Canberra’ class landing helicopter dock (LHD) vessels in service; by the time of Talisman Saber in 2017 it will have two, and be working towards their final operating capability. The MV-22Bs operated for the exercise from the USS Bonhomme Richard as part of the 31st Marine

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Expeditionary Unit (MEU). Two other Ospreys deployed by air from MCAS Futenma, on Okinawa, to RAAF Base Townsville , completing what is being hailed as the furthest Osprey tanking mission in the Pacific region to date. Every Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) base on the country’s east coast contributed to Talisman Saber 2013, which gave the service an opportunity to exercise several of its recently-acquired capabilities together – including F/A-18F Super Hornets, KC-30A tankers and a E-7A Wedgetail Airborne Early Warning and Control (AEW&C) platform.

Exercise Overview The largest exercise undertaken by the Australian Defence Force, Talisman Saber (the spelling alternates between English and American depending which country has the lead; this year it was the US) is jointly sponsored by the ADF’s Joint Operations Command and the US Pacific Command. It is designed to train the US 7th Fleet and the Australian Deployable Joint Force Headquarters as a combined task force, known as CTF660. The activity takes place up and down Queensland’s east coast, from Townsville in the north to

Brisbane in the south, but is focused on the Shoalwater Bay Training Area (SWBTA) north-east of Rockhampton. The scenario enacted this year was designed to exercise not just the military, but also civil agencies as the situation progressed from diplomatic manoeuvring to intervention in a ‘foreign country’ under a simulated United Nations mandate. “The scenario is that of a peace enforcement mission that sets the conditions for the task force to hand over to a United Nations peacekeeping force,” explained TS13 spokesman Brigadier Bob Brown, from the Australian Army. “We establish some fictional nations to our north, one of which becomes the SWBTA. It starts with a peace enforcement-type exercise, progresses through the warfighting phase and moves to hand-off to a United Nations Chapter VII-type mission [which authorises the use of peacekeeping forces in a postconflict environment].” Military operations in TS13, which ran between July 15 and August 5, were conducted in three major phases: Force Integration Training (FIT) during the first week, a Field Training Exercise (FTE) during the second week and a Live Fire Exercise (LFE) on Townshend Island within the SWBTA in

the third. A Command Post Exercise was held concurrently with the FTE, blending real forces with virtual assets. More than 28,000 personnel took part, with 15 ships from the US 7th Fleet including the USS George Washington Carrier Battle Group with Carrier Air Wing 5 embarked – and the Amphibious Ready Group (ARG) with USS Bonhomme Richard. Commanding the exercise was the then commander 7th Fleet, Vice Admiral Scott Swift, aboard the command ship USS Blue Ridge. Brigadier David Coghlan of the Australian Army was deputy exercise commander and Air Commodore Tim Innes, RAAF, senior ADF officer and chief of staff.

Air War Fast jet combat operations were undertaken by Air Wing 5’s Super Hornets from the George Washington in the Coral Sea and the F/A-18Fs of No 1 Squadron RAAF from Amberley. Tanker support for the RAAF Hornets was provided by two KC-30As but, because the type has yet to be cleared to refuel US Navy F/A-18s, a pair of US Pacific Air Forces (PACAF) Boeing KC-135s deployed from Kadena AFB to Amberley equipped with a hose adaptor to support the

EXERCISE TALISMAN SABER 2013 MILITARY

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1 A Royal Australian Air Force loadmaster watches another C-17A during a four-ship tactical airdrop ‘interfly’ mission flown with US Air Force C-17s. Nigel Pittaway 2 Marines disembark an MV-22 Osprey assigned to Marine Medium Tiltrotor Squadron 265 ‘Dragons’ at Camp Rocky. Cpl Jake Sims/Australian Defence Force 3 TS13 included the first tactical ‘interfly’ mission flown by C-17s from two nations. Nigel Pittaway 4 The US Navy Wasp-class amphibious assault ship, USS Bonhomme Richard, underway in the Coral Sea during TS13.

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US Navy contingent. AEW&C was provided by the Wedgetail and embarked US Navy E-2C Hawkeyes while AV-8B Harriers provided close air support to the marines ashore from Bonhomme Richard. Two US-registered civil Learjets from L-3 and Phoenix Air Group , the former used for the company’s test work and the latter for charters, were based at Amberley to provide electronic support measures for the exercise. Group Captain Geoff Harland, CO of the RAAF’s No 82 Wing at Amberley and commander of the task unit headquarters (TUHQ) during the exercise, explained: “The RAAF Super Hornets are performing some ‘Red Air’ roles, acting as the adversary, but they are also performing offensive air support (OAS) for the forces on the ground. The training outcomes for us are to be able work in an interoperable way with the US forces. “From our Super Hornet point of view, Talisman Saber 2013 enables us to work with US Navy F/A-18Es, Fs and Gs. That’s of great interest to us as we of course now operate the ’F and will in the future have the Growler.” The RAAF will take delivery of the first of 12 EA-18G Growlers in 2015, so it is watching US Navy airborne electronic attack operations with the Growler with interest. RAAF Super Hornets also

flew close air support sorties as part of the OAS missions, albeit with simulated weapons during the Talisman Saber’s FIT and FTE phases but dropped live weapons during the LFE. The TUHQ was established at Amberley to support the daily F/A18F, KC-30A and KC-135 sorties as well as co-ordinating USAF and RAAF C-17 airlift and Wedgetail missions from RAAF Williamtown and C-130J-30 Hercules tactical operations conducted from RAAF Richmond. “What we effectively do is to make sure those platforms are enabled to operate from this base, so they can meet the commander’s objectives for TS13,” explained Gp Capt Harland. The Carrier Battle Group air defence system included the guided missile destroyer HMAS Sydney. USS George Washington’s tactical actions officer, Lt Bill Webb, told US Navy News: “The exercise allows US and Australian air defence assets to execute a pre-planned response to a hostile threat. One scenario we conduct is to have our aircraft act as enemy combatants. We then intercept them using our other aircraft, ships and the Australian forces.”

which, being based at Okinawa, is the US’s only forward–deployed MEU. As such, it is a regular participant in the Talisman Saber exercises and uses the opportunity to perform one if its six-monthly certification exercises. Its main aviation unit is Marine Medium Tiltrotor Squadron 265 (VMM-265) ‘Dragons’, which converted to the Osprey shortly before the exercise began. VMM265 had eight Ospreys (plus a further two which self-deployed later in the exercise), four CH53E Sea Stallions (contributed by HMH-463, MCB Kaneohe Bay, Hawaii) for the exercise, supplemented by four AH-1W Cobras and three UH-1Y Venoms from HMLA-369 at MCAS Camp Pendleton, California, and five AV8B+ Harriers from VMA-214 ‘Black Sheep’, normally based at MCAS Yuma in Arizona but also forwarddeployed to Kadena. “The Osprey is much more capable than the Sea Knight it replaced in terms of range and its ability to stay on station and increased payload, as well as its speed,” said Col John Merna, the 31st MEU’s CO. “Because of the tilt rotor it can fly as an airplane and go much faster over longer distances. The only thing we have to watch with this aircraft is its tremendous downwash. With its increased capabilities and its powerful engines it has an

US Force The centrepiece of amphibious operations was the 31st MEU

increased downwash, and that must be factored into everything we do.” The Black Sheep Harriers made headlines around the world shortly before Talisman Saber got under way when two aircraft were forced to jettison live and inert weapons in the vicinity of the Great Barrier Reef. The pair had left the Bonhomme Richard for a range bombing sortie but, for reasons not yet clear, the range was not in a position to accept them. Short of fuel and unable to recover aboard ship with the weapons, the aircraft were forced to jettison two GBU-12s (which were released in ‘safe condition) and two BDU-45 inert bombs in an area away from the main reef designated for the purpose.

Amphibious Landing The 31st MEU carried out an amphibious landing in the south of the SWBTA during the FTE phase of the exercise while Australian forces exercised their nascent amphibious capability from the ex-Royal Navy ‘Bay’ class vessel HMAS Choules in the north. The amphibious forces were supported by a battalionsized airdrop of US Army troops flown directly from Alaska aboard five USAF C-17As. The 4th Brigade Combat Team (Airborne) from the 25th Infantry Division at

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MILITARY EXERCISE TALISMAN SABER 2013

Special Operations Marine Heavy Helicopter Squadron 463 (HMH-463) ‘Pegasus’ participated in Talisman Saber 2013 with four CH-53Es embarked on the USS Bonhomme Richard. The squadron is shore-based at MCB Kaneohe Bay, Hawaii. Nigel Pittaway

Fort Richardson, near Anchorage, dropped into the SWBTA from the C-17s to conduct operations alongside Australian Army and US Marine Corps forces. The C-17 crews were from the 437th Airlift Wing at Charleston AFB, South Carolina, and the 62nd Airlift Wing from Joint Base Lewis McChord, but one of the aircraft came from the 3rd Wing at Elmendorf after a swap en route. The transports were refuelled by five KC-10As near Hawaii in what Major Wes Skenfield, JB LewisMcChord air mission planner for Talisman Saber, described as the largest C-17 air-to-air refuelling sortie to date. Following the drop, two aircraft recovered to Amberley while the other three returned to the US.

Interfly The C-17s that landed at Amberley later took part in a fourship tactical airdrop exercise over the SWBTA with two Australian examples from No.36 Squadron, marking the first time C-17s from two nations had operated together in a tactical environment, a practice known as an ‘interfly’. “The Australians took over a lot of the mission planning and an RAAF crew led the flight – and the success of the mission proves our interoperability,” said Major Skenfield after the four aircraft had landed back at Amberley. Wing Commander Paul Long, No.36 Squadron’s CO, added: “What we essentially did was a four-ship rapid planning airdrop exercise into a tactical scenario.

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For us it validated our training at the tactical level but, at the strategic level, that we can plug into the American tasking system and an American tasking line in times of conflict or humanitarian aid and disaster relief.”

Army Operations Talisman Saber 2013 was also a significant exercise for the Australian Army Aviation Corps as it looks towards amphibious operations from the two LHDs in the near future. In the meantime it is working hard to bring its Tiger ARH and Taipan MRH90 platforms into operational service. The army’s 16 Aviation Brigade formed a multirole aviation task group called Battle Group Pegasus for Talisman Saber which included every army helicopter type from the 1st and 5th Aviation Regiments. It undertook a full range of battlefield tasks, including day and night airmobile assault missions and air mobility operations, fire support, command and control support, stores movement and aeromedical evacuation (AME). “During the exercise, the aviation task group provided ability for the ground force to airmanoeuvre and the Tiger ARH provided intimate support to ground forces during all phases of the battle,” said an Army Aviation spokesperson. Eight Tigers from 161 Reconnaissance Squadron were employed in all the roles and battlefield tasks for which it is

designed and fired live Hellfire air-to-ground missiles during the LFE phase of the exercise. “Tiger participated to fill operational capability by day and night and proved to be highly successful during the exercise,” said the spokesperson. “As it’s a relatively new platform, some minor operational test and evaluation continues [but] it flew to a high standard within its defined roles. Aircraft availability allowed full employment within its roles and it flew in excess of 260 hours in support of the exercise.” The Taipan is further behind in development and three were assigned to Talisman Saber to support operational test and evaluation ahead of the type achieving initial operating capability (IOC) in the middle of next year. “During the exercise these aircraft were subject to a range of operational evaluations in their intended role and environment,” explained the spokesperson. “This was achieved by making the Taipan available for all operational tasking as part of the aviation task group. It participated in several airmobile operations in formation with Black Hawk and Chinook aircraft, with Tiger ARH in support.” The MRH90 is also used by the Royal Australian Navy (RAN) in the shipboard utility helicopter role and is expected to achieve IOC in this capacity very shortly. Several RAN MRH90s participated in the exercise as part of the on-going work to improve the helicopter’s capabilities.

The Black Hawks of the army’s 171 Squadron/6th Aviation Regiment provided significant support to combined special operations aspects during Talisman Saber while the regiment’s OH-58 Kiowas (from 173 Squadron) were tasked as an enemy aviation force. “Initially there was some interesting special operations work in the early shaping of the battlefield, both in the Townsville Field Training Area and SWBTA with Delta Force and our own commandos,” said Brigadier Bob Brown after the exercise. “They also did some pretty impressive night flying centred around the Urban Operations Training Facility (UOTF) at Shoalwater Bay.” Special operations support was also provided by MC-130H Combat Talon and MC-130P Combat Shadow Hercules from the USAF’s 1st and 17th Special Operations Squadrons, which deployed to Townsville from Kadena, and a pair of C-46A (Dornier 328s) were regular visitors to Townsville, Rockhampton and Amberley during the exercise. RAAF AP-3C Orions from No 92 Wing joined forces with a single P-3C each from the US Navy’s Patrol Squadron 26 (VP-26) ‘Tridents’ and VP-69 ‘Totems’ to operate maritime intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance and anti-submarine warfare serials in the Coral Sea in support of the George Washington and Bonhomme Richard.

Valuable Exercise Planning will soon be under way for Exercise Talisman Sabre 2015 (Australia will have the lead so the spelling reverts to English), but in the meantime the 2013 event was a further step in Australia’s development of an amphibious warfare capability. But the exercise’s major outcome for both countries was increased interoperability. Brig Brown concluded: “The size of the US contribution is significant and consistent with their pivot back to the Pacific. On the amphibious side they’ve made the point that they have to reset after more than ten years of fighting counterinsurgency operations in Iraq and Afghanistan, and they are refocusing back on their core capabilities as well as the overall re-pivot to the Pacific. We can’t over-estimate the value we get out of the exercise. We just don’t have the opportunity to operate at that level without the United States coming and getting involved.”

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onflict changes perceptions and behaviour. In Britain World War Two established a ‘postwar consensus’ on the need for a Welfare State. In America the Vietnam War scarred the national psyche and ended ‘The American Century’. The country’s confidence was further shaken by Carter’s 1980 failure to free the 52 Americans taken hostage by Iran. During Operation Eagle Claw eight US soldiers were killed and the Carter presidency was dealt a fatal blow. Then came Clinton’s Somalia expedition and the loss on October 3-4, 1993 of 18 elite US soldiers to forces loyal to Somali warlord Mohammed Farah Aideed. Television networks

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showed pictures of the dead being dragged through the streets of Mogadishu. Clinton threw in the towel. On October 7 the president announced the withdrawal of all US troops by the end of March 1994. America had lost its enthusiasm for foreign intervention, a fact confirmed by Clinton’s 1994 refusal to countenance any form of intervention in Rwanda. At least 500,000 Rwandans died in the genocide. The US administration, including the Pentagon, viewed Rwanda through the prism of Somalia. Robert Oakley, US envoy to Somalia, observed: “Somalia showed just how difficult and dangerous the mission of saving a country

can be.” The US intervention in the 1998-1999 Kosovo War relied on air power. While Prime Minister Tony Blair talked of committing 50,000 British troops (effectively the entire war-fighting capability of the army) President Clinton committed A-10s, B-1s, B-2s, B-52s, F-15Es, F-16s, F-117s and AV-8Bs. On its first night the air campaign saw two B-2 Spirit bombers make a 30-hour round-trip from Whiteman AFB, Missouri, to drop Joint Direct Attack Munitions. Episodes such as Vietnam, Iran and Somalia persuaded politicians to look for less risky ways of projecting American power. New ‘arms-length’ systems included submarine and air-launched cruise missiles, B-2

bombers capable of conducting precision strikes anywhere in the world, and remotely piloted vehicles (RPVs) or drones, including the MQ-1 Predator and MQ-9 Reaper. Politicians were optimistic that by limiting US military casualties they could simultaneously achieve their foreign policy objectives and retain the support of the electorate. Once a link had been made between the sanitisation of war and electoral success no politician could risk abandoning arms-length platforms like RPVs. In part the development of RPVs symbolised a shift in American public opinion. The technology articulated the public’s mood. It reified America’s doubts about military expeditions. According

to Democratic politician David Obey (the former Rep, Wisconsin) post-Somalia the American public wanted “zero degree of involvement and zero degree of risk and zero degree of pain and confusion”.

Current State of Play While RPVs are popular with the major powers (the United States Department of Defense, for example, spent over $3 billion on RPV programmes in the 1990s) they have their limitations: • RPVs are vulnerable to interception and basic air defence. • RPVs have a high attrition rate. While manned aircraft suffer two crashes per 100,000

flying hours, RPVs suffer 43. A ten-year cross-sectional study of US RPV operations attributed 60.2% of 221 mishaps to ‘recurring operations-related human causal factors’. • While RPVs are suited to low-intensity conflicts like that being fought by the Central Intelligence Agency in the tribal areas of Pakistan and Afghanistan, they are less suited to high-intensity conflicts. • Even with high-fidelity sensors it can be difficult to identify individuals from above. Consequently RPV operations cause significant collateral damage. According to western analysts one Pakistani civilian dies for every three militants killed. (Some Pakistani studies suggest these figures

underestimate the number of civilian deaths). Civilian deaths cause resentment and can act as a recruiting sergeant for terrorist organisations. They can also provoke retaliation. The Taliban claimed its 2009 attack on the Manawan (Lahore) Police Academy (in which two instructors and five trainees were killed) was in retaliation for CIA-directed RPV operations. • Because the only choice available to an RPV crew is whether or not to engage, potential intelligence-gathering opportunities are lost. As Andrew Callam writes in International Affairs Review: “Hunter-killer operations can only eliminate the target and thus forfeit potential intelligence that could be

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gained through capture”. The Government of Pakistan forbids US ground operations but tolerates RPV surveillance and hunter-killer missions. There is a lethal irony to this policy: were the Pakistanis to allow US ground operations the volume and quality of intelligence would increase, thereby reducing the insurgent threat to both US and Pakistani interests. • Because RPV strikes eliminate the visible costs of war (newsfootage of body-bags or coffins being offloaded from transport aircraft) it is possible to form the view that wars can be fought with impunity. Sanitisation may accelerate the militarisation of foreign policy. As George Orwell envisioned in Nineteen Eighty-Four conflict

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