Air International 2014-04

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Fla g In te lli ge nt

INTERNATIONAL

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For the best in modern military and commercial aviation

F-22

America’s Silver Bullet

BAE Systems’ Replica

Japan Airlines Back from the Brink

The Perfect Ten

DC-10 Retires

Feeding at Frankfurt Lufthansa’s Hub Ops

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INTERNATIONAL APRIL 2014 Vol.86 No.4

J-20 China’s Mighty

Russian Helicopters F_P.indd 1

04/03/2014 12:31

News

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BREAKING NEWS

The hunt continues for Malaysia Airlines flight MH370, Embraer rolls out the improved ERJ-175, Daher-Socata reveals the TBM 900, Singapore orders A330 tanker transports, and the first Peruvian KAI KT-1P flies.

LEADING NEWS STORIES

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GENERAL NEWS

BAE Systems dusts off Replica, Luke AFB in Arizona welcomes its first F-35A Lightning II, Airbus doubles its A350 test fleet, Turkey orders T-70 Black Hawks, and Pilatus flies the first PC-21 for Qatar.

FRONT COVER: F-22s of the 1st FW. US Air Force MAIN INSET: Neville Beckett LEFT INSET: Aleksi Hamalainen/AirTeamImages MIDDLE INSET: Charles Cunliffe RIGHT INSET: Jürgen Mai/Lufthansa

10 US AIR FORCE CONFRONTS HARSH REALITY Robert F Dorr looks at the difficult choices being made about the service’s future inventory.

18 QANTAS SHAKE-UP Qantas is going through difficult times, as Mark Broadbent details.

22 THE PERFECT TEN Biman Bangladesh recently retired

the last passengercarrying DC-10. Tom Allett reports.

FREE D VD Claim yo THAI A ur FREE Mira ir ways ge F1 when yo Airbus A380 or DVD us AIR Inte ubscribe to See pa rnational. ges 28 for deta and 29 ils.

26 HELIEXPO 2014 DEBUTANTS AND DEVELOPMENTS Alexander Mladenov writes from Anaheim, California, on the new helicopters displayed at Heli-Expo.

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Features

30 RISING TO THE CHALLENGE Robert F Dorr explains how the US Air Force’s confidence in the F-22 is increasing after ten years in service.

are detailed by Clive Simpson. As development advances, he asks if Skylon could be the single stage-to-orbit breakthrough needed to lower space access costs.

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CHINA’S MIGHTY DRAGON

The fifth-generation Chengdu J-20 is a symbol of how far China’s aerospace industry has progressed. Andreas Rupprecht chronicles the programme.

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FEEDING AT FRANKFURT

Chris Kjelgaard visits Lufthansa’s Hub Control Center at Frankfurt Airport, possibly the largest of any European airline.

The innovative spaceplane and powerplant

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

Aleksandar Radic´ details the Lasta trainer and Kobac counter-insurgency aircraft at the heart of Serbia’s aerospace industry.

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WEATHER SENTINEL

NASA is using a pair of Northrop Grumman RQ-4A Global Hawks for climate research. Mark Broadbent investigates.

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SPAIN’S AB212 UPGRADE

Roberto Yáñez and Alex Rodriguez provide an overview of the upgrade

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

Designer Dave Robinson Production Manager Janet Watkins

Commercial Director Ann Saundry

Production Controller Danielle Tempest

Managing Director & Publisher Adrian Cox

Subscriptions/ Mail Order Manager Roz Condé

Executive Chairman Richard Cox

Marketing Manager Martin Steele

• ISSN 0306-5634 • is published monthly by:

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

76 SHARKLETS & SCIMITARS

Rising fuel costs have resulted in a number of aircraft manufactuers and airlines implementing measures to improve efficiency, as Mark Broadbent discovers.

82 JAL’S COMEBACK

David Armstrong explains how Japan Airlines is getting back on track after a year of challenges.

88 THE OLD NEW & UNTESTED

Norman Graf reports on the latest Red Flag exercise at Nellis AFB, Nevada, while David C Isby provides details on some of the participants.

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

Charles Cunliffe

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SKYLON - BRITAIN’S FUTURE IN SPACE?

SERBIA’S SWALLOW

of the Spanish Navy’s Agusta-Bell AB212 helicopters. .

Advertisement Manager Ian Maxwell [email protected]

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Breaking News

Mystery Surrounds Disappearance of Flight MH370 As AIR International went to press an extensive search and investigation had failed to find Malaysian Airlines flight MH370 or determine why it had disappeared ten days earlier. The Boeing 7772H6ER (9M-MRO, c/n 28420) with 227 passengers and 12 crew on board was flying from Kuala Lumpur International Airport in Malaysia to Beijing Capital International Airport in the People’s Republic of China. All communications with the aircraft and its transponder signal were lost at around 0122hrs on March 8 while over the South China Sea. No distress signal was broadcast by the crew. Malaysian airlines was informed of the situation at 0240 hrs and a major search and rescue effort began, initially focused on the South China Sea and the Malacca Strait, involving more than 20 aircraft and

vessels from nine countries. A NATO Airborne Early Warning Force Boeing E-3A Sentry was deployed from Geilenkirchen in Germany on March 10 to join the efforts to locate the airliner. By March 15, 14 countries and 53 aircraft were involved. Aircraft from Australia, Bangladesh, Burma, China, India, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, New Zealand, Philippines, Singapore, South Korea, Taiwan, Thailand, the United States and Vietnam have participated in the search, but had found nothing pertinent by March 18. Soon after the disappearance of the aircraft, Malaysian authorities revealed that two of its passengers were travelling on stolen Italian and Austrian passports. They were later identified as Iranian men believed to be wishing to seek asylum in Europe; Interpol later confirmed they had no known links

Turkmenistan Receives Boeing 777LR

Boeing 777-22KLR EZ-A778 (c/n 42296) was delivered to Turkmenistan Airlines on March 18, departing Snohomish County Airport/Paine Field in Washington for Türkmenbas¸hi General Airport in Turkmenistan. It is the first of two ordered on November 30, 2011 that will serve long-haul routes with the airline. An earlier 777-22KLR (EZ-A777, c/n 39548) delivered in August 2010 is equipped with a VIP interior and operated on behalf of the Turkmenistan Government. Joe G Walker

to any terrorist groups. Evidence that the flight had not ended when originally thought began to accumulate as the search continued. On March 11 Malaysian military radar indicated that the airliner had turned west and continued flying over the Strait of Malacca for at least 70 minutes after it was thought to have disappeared. On March 15 the Malaysian Prime Minister, Najib Razak, confirmed that the SITAproduced aircraft communications addressing and reporting system (ACARS) had been disabled shortly before the transponder was switched off. However, a series of ‘pings’ from the Swift 64 communication system acting in a failsafe mode had been received by the Inmarsat satellite network. Prime Minister Razak went on to say that the last time ACARS

had tried to communicate with a satellite was at 0811 hrs, by which time the airliner was either somewhere in a northern corridor stretching approximately from the border of Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan to northern Thailand, or in a southern corridor from Indonesia to the southern Indian Ocean. Countries in the area have been asked to search their radar records for any clues to the fate of the aircraft, while surface and air searches have been concentrated in these regions. By March 15 attention had focused back on the crew and passengers, including Captain Zaharie Ahmad Shah, who reportedly had built his own aircraft cockpit simulator at his home. Officials were investigating it to see if it would yield any clues to the fate of the airliner. Mark Broadbent and David Willis

Draken’s Scooter

Contract air services provider Draken International based at Mesa Airport near Phoenix, Arizona, displayed McDonnell Douglas A-4K Skyhawk N145EM at the airshow held at Luke AFB, Arizona, on March 15 and 16. The aircraft previously served with the Royal New Zealand Air Force as NZ6215 (and beforehand the Royal Australian Navy as ‘871’) and was the first to become operational with Draken. It has a Douglas D-704 refuelling pod under the centreline hardpoint. Draken operates several different types of high-performance former military aircraft to provide adversary training and contract air support to military and industry customers. Paul Ridgway

Singapore Orders A330 Tanker Transports On March 6 Singapore’s Minister for Defence, Dr Ng Eng Hen, announced to Parliament that the Airbus Defence and Space A330 Multi Role Tanker Transport (MRTT) would replace the Boeing KC-135R Stratotanker in the Republic of Singapore Air Force (RSiAF). Although the minister revealed no numbers, it is understood that six aircraft will be acquired based on the request for information released in 2011. Airbus submitted its ‘best and final offer’ to Singapore on May 30, 2013.

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The purchase will signal an expansion for 112 Squadron, which has four KC-135Rs, indicating that the A330s will also likely relieve the Lockheed KC-130B Hercules of their tanking duties. The addition of two extra aircraft will also support the RSiAF’s numerous overseas deployments and exercises. Delivery of the first is expected in 2018. The aircraft will be configured for 266 passenger seats. It is possible that they will be fitted with both the

multi-point refuelling system style probe and hose, and a side cargo door. With the versatile upper deck capability of the A330 MRTT, the RSiAF could carry out medevac, troop-lift or transport roles during its numerous overseas exercises while still being able to undertake the tanking role. France is also looking at the cargo door option for its prospective fleet of A330 MRTTs. Purchase of the A330 will allow the RiSAF to make use of infrastructure already in place in Singapore.

Singapore Airlines currently operates 22 Airbus A330-300s and has a full flight simulator for the type, which could be used to train air force pilots. ST Aerospace’s maintenance, repair and overhaul expertise on the aircraft puts it in a good position to become involved in the conversion programme of the ‘green’ A330 airframes. The company currently maintains the KC-135Rs and is likely to do the same for the A330s when they enter service. Chen Chuanren

Please send all news correspondence [email protected]

Breaking News

Improved E-Jet Rolled-Out 2

NEWS BY NUMBERS

KING AIRS FOR BOLIVIA

This Embraer 175 in United Express colours is the first E-Jet to be rolled-out with a package of performance enhancing features. Embraer

Embraer announced on March 12 that it had unveiled to its employees the first Embraer 175 with a package of aerodynamic improvements to reduce fuel burn at its São José dos Campos facility in São Paulo, Brazil. The airliner has redesigned wingtips 2.69m (8ft 10in) long with a dihedral of approximately 45°, and a strengthened wingbox, wing skins and area where the wing and fuselage join. Other aerodynamic refinements include fillers on the horizontal tailplane, revised rain deflector over cabin doors, improved ram air doors in the lower fuselage and low-drag wheel fairings. Use of engine bleed air within the environmental and anti-icing systems

has also been reduced. Together, the improvements are claimed to reduce fuel burn by 6.4% compared with a standard Embraer 175. The package of improvements was announced in January 2013 and is being introduced on the Embraer 175 and later on other members of the E-Jet family. They will also be incorporated on the second generation E2 variants. At the time of the unveiling, the manufacturer expected to deliver the first improved Embraer 175 “within weeks”. The launch customer for the enhanced Embraer 175 was Republic Airways Holding Ltd – its order for 47 examples plus 47 options was announced on January 24, 2013.

The airliners are due to be flown by Republic Airlines under the American Eagle brand. However, the aircraft recently rolled out was in United Express colours and is understood to be destined for SkyWest Airlines, which will operate it on United Airlines’ routes. The inaugural United Express Embraer 175 service will be flown by SkyWest on May 17 between Chicago O’Hare International Airport, Illinois, and Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, DC. On May 19 the carrier will begin using the airliner on its Chicago O’Hare to Boston Logan International Airport, Massachusetts, route. United Express 175s will be configured for 12 seats in first-, 16 in economy plus- and 48 in economy-class.

TBM 900 Revealed

s This pair of Daher-Socata TBM 900s are understood to be F-WWRE and F-WWRJ. Daher-Socata

Daher-Socata recently revealed the new TBM 900 single-engine turboprop after a three-year programme involving 160,000 research and development hours, and 200 hours of flight testing. Compared to the TBM 850, the new model features 26 modifications and improvements. The most noticeable is the

addition of winglets and a vertical tailfin strake, and a new five-blade composite propeller and redesigned spinner, slightly increasing the wingspan and fuselage length compared with the earlier mode. Other external changes include a new tailcone, a nose-to-firewall redesign to improve engine airflow circulation,

Please send all news correspondence [email protected]

a banana-shaped air intake, carbon fibre cowlings and new exhaust stacks. Inside, the cockpit has been restyled for improved visibility and easier access to secondary system controls, while the cabin has a new layout with more comfortable seats, lower noise levels and an automated pressurisation system. A revised electrical system with a 300-amp starter generator enables new avionics and electronic devices to be installed. The TBM 900 has an increased maximum cruising speed of 330kts (611km/h) at 28,000ft (8,534m), and reduced fuel consumption extends its maximum range to 1,730nm (3,204km) with five passengers. Customer deliveries were scheduled to begin at the end of March, by when at least 14 aircraft had been built or were being assembled at the company’s factory at Tarbes. The majority of the 14 have US civil registrations reserved. Mike Jerram

The Fuerza Aérea Boliviana (Bolivian Air Force) recently received two Beechcraft King Airs, one model 250 and the other a 350, for use on liaison and VIP transport duties. The aircraft were purchased new for $13 million and operate from El Alto Airport, near the city of La Paz, where the force has its main transport units. The air force also currently operates two C90s and two B200s. One of each model serves with the Grupo Aéreo Presidencial and will be replaced by the new aircraft. Santiago Rivas

Peruvian KT-1P Flown During a short ceremony on February 19 at Korea Aerospace Industries’ facilities at Sacheon in South Korea, the XKT-1P trainer for the Fuerza Aérea del Perú (Peruvian Air Force) made its first flight. This is the prototype of the KT-1P, a variant of the advanced trainer developed for the Peruvian Air Force, incorporating improved avionics and a digital cockpit, along with the weapons delivery capability of the KA-1 light attack versions in service in Korea. Certification and weapons integration trials are expected to take until mid-year and deliveries will start before the end of 2014. Twenty are being assembled, four in South Korea and 16 in Peru by the Servicio de Mantenimiento (SEMAN, Maintenance Service) of the Peruvian Air Force, at Las Palmas AB in Lima. Work to construct the production line began at SEMAN on July 16, 2013. Some components will also be built in Peru and the delivery of the first is due before the end of the year, and all 20 by the end of 2016. Santiago Rivas and David C Isby

GOT A NEWS STORY, PHOTO OR FEATURE ? 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]

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UK

Replica in the Open at Warton In mid-February 2014, video footage showing a large ‘futuristic’ aircraft being moved in broad daylight at Warton, Lancashire, appeared on aviation media sites, inevitably resulting in much speculative interest and comment. Top secret, black programme; undisclosed Tornado replacement; wind tunnel model; foreign collaborative programme; export potential; even a clever bit of public relations by the company, have all appeared as ill-informed and wild speculation. The truth is much simpler, and unclassified. In the early 1990s British Aerospace, in collaboration with the UK Ministry of Defence, embarked on project studies of an aircraft to replace the Tornado. This programme was known as the Future Offensive Aircraft System, essentially a strike aircraft. Low observable (LO) technology, commonly referred to as stealth, was to be an essential

The full-scale test aircraft known as Replica on the BAE Systems radar measurement range at Warton in Lancashire on February 28. Neville Beckett

feature. Obvious configuration shaping and other less obvious, but now well known, radar cross section (RCS) reduction measures were to be incorporated in this twin-engine, single-seat, nonSTOVL (short take-off vertical landing), supersonic, land-based, design. Obvious low RCS features included blended and facetted body contours, canopy treatment, edge

Typhoon E-Scan Radar Test-bed Flown

alignment of flying surfaces, scarfed and raked air intakes, a V-tail and internal weapons carriage. Replica was the name given to a programme to conduct RCS testing of a fullscale representative model, a true ‘replica’, in respect of its echoing characteristics. In simple terms it consisted of a ‘shell’ offering the radar returns of a flyable aircraft, and whilst excluding the ‘innards’

of a real aircraft, it included those elements contributing to RCS. It was the UK’s first truly LO aircraft design to be subject to a comprehensive series of fullscale measurements, which were completed in conditions of great secrecy under cover of night on the Warton radar range in 1999. Replica’s existence was not revealed by BAE Systems until March, 2003. Subsequently, Replica was brought out of storage, and was subjected to further testing in September 2010 and was on view during the day time. The recent appearance comes as no great surprise. Replica was sometimes referred to, quite appropriately, as Test Bed, because its programme name was classified. It can be surmised that now, especially in a smart new special finish, further use has been found for this ‘obsolete’ configuration in LO research and development. Neville Beckett

RAF TriStars Last Chance to See...

Eurofighter Typhoon ZJ700 (IPA 5) at Warton, Lancashire, on February 28 ready for its first flight after layup. It retains the Steedman Display Sword motif on its tail, awarded for test pilot Mark Bowman’s display at the Royal International Air Tattoo at RAF Fairford, Gloucestershire, in July 2011. Neville Beckett

Eurofighter Typhoon ZJ700 has completed its first flight since being modified ready to be equipped with the Captor-E Airborne Electronically Scanned Array Radar (CAESAR). Instrumented Development Aircraft 5 (IPA 5, b/n PS002), flew at BAE Systems’ airfield at Warton, Lancashire, on February 28. The flight is the first following an 18-month layup to prepare the aircraft for the radar and marks the start of the contracted development and flight integration programme of CAESAR. IPA 5 is the fourth British Eurofighter development aircraft and it has played a central role in the Typhoon programme since its maiden flight on June 7, 2004. Since August 2012 modifications have been undertaken on the aircraft to make it representative of a Tranche 3 Typhoon to facilitate integration of the Captor-E. Necessary work included adding attachment points to connect the

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radar to the airframe and its unique repositioner, power supplies, cooling system and electronic controls. Euroradar announced that it was working towards integrating an active electronically-scanned array (AESA) on Typhoon at the Farnborough airshow in 2010, but an agreement was not reached until 2012 for a development and integration programme to go ahead. The AESA radar will offer multiple, airto-air and air-to-ground modes, with a field of regard some 50% greater than fixed plate systems. Electronic scanning increases detection and tracking ranges, improves electronic countermeasures, and provides better detection and tracking of low radar cross-section targets. The radar will provide advanced air-tosurface capabilities and an enhanced interface with new weapons. The programme calls for CAESAR to fly in IPA 5 later this year. Neville Beckett

Lockheed TriStar C2 ZE705 about to touch down at Bruntingthorpe, Leicestershire, at the end of its last flight with the RAF on March 12. Charles Cunliffe

At the end of March the RAF will retire the Lockheed TriStar from the tanker transport role with No.216 Squadron at RAF Brize Norton, Oxfordshire. As AIR International went to press, the unit still operated five of the aircraft following the recent withdrawal of C2 ZE705 (c/n ex 1188, ex N509PA). The transport landed at Bruntingthorpe, Leicestershire, on March 12 and was due to be joined by another pair on March 19. The other three are also due to arrive at the same airfield after being withdrawn from RAF service. The fate of the fleet has yet to be decided, as there is the potential

for the well-maintained transports to be sold for further service with civilian operators. Alternatively they could be broken up to provide spares for the dwindling number of TriStars still active. ZE705 is currently stored at Bruntingthorpe in the company of several Boeing 747s, a pair of Qatar Airways Cargo Airbus A300600Fs and three former No.101 Squadron BAC VC10s, which it was based alongside at RAF Brize Norton. Both the VC10 and TriStar are being replaced by the Airbus Defence and Space A330 Voyager, supplied to the RAF by the AirTanker consortium under a Private Finance Initiative.

Please send all news correspondence [email protected]

Europe

European Weapons Pitched for F-35 MBDA is promoting a range of air-launched guided weapons for the Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II. The company is developing an advanced, network-enabled weapon known as Spear to provide the RAF’s F-35 with an air-to-ground precision capability. This 100kg (220lb) class, 100km (62 mile) range munition is powered by a turbojet offering increased stand-off and endgame agility when compared to glide weapons. In addition, the missile features a multi-mode seeker, a multi-effect warhead and data-linking, and has the capability to strike a spectrum of surface targets, either static or moving/manoeuvring at speed, regardless of the time of day or weather conditions. Aircrews can plot the missile’s intended flight path before launch with mission-planning software. Midcourse guidance is provided by a combined GPS/INS system with a two-way data-link allowing for midcourse updates, re-targeting and, if required, mission abort. Eight can be loaded into the Joint Strike Fighter’s internal weapons bays. Development is said to be advancing at pace and next year should see the first test drops carried out from a Eurofighter Typhoon. The Meteor beyond visual-range

air-to-air missile (BVRAAM) programme involves six different nations and integration on three different aircraft – the Dassault Rafale, Typhoon and Saab JAS 39 Gripen – and is also aimed at the Block 4 upgrade package of the F-35. Meteor features a ‘no escape zone’ far superior to any other existing or planned weapon, according to MBDA. The BVRAAM benefits from a throttleable ramjet propulsion system that aims to ensure maximum speed and agility are available even at extreme range. ASRAAM is already in service with the UK and Australian air forces, on the Typhoon and the F/A-18 Hornet respectively. It has been designed to dominate the ‘within visual range’ combat mission and has been contracted for integration on the F-35. The concept behind ASRAAM’s development was to provide unmatched speed and agility, thereby giving the pilot the ability to engage the enemy, fire and break away thus avoiding the risks inherent in a dogfight. MBDA claims that not only is ASRAAM able to defeat all other shortrange missiles in close-in combat, giving the pilot the all-important combat advantage of first shot, first kill, the weapon also has an uncontested maximum range in its class. David Oliver

Orlik MPT Rolled Out

On March 7 Airbus Defence and Space rolled out the prototype PZL-130 Orlik MPT (Multi Purpose Trainer) at the Warszawa Okeçie factory in Warsaw, Poland. The aircraft (SP-YZL, c/n 03940033) was modified from an Orlik TC-II equipped with Garmin avionics, and features a pair of multi-functional displays for student and instructor, and a head-up display (HUD) in the front and HUD repeater in the rear cockpit. Instrumentation and lighting has been made compatible with night-vision goggles. It also has a redesigned wing, Martin-Baker Mk 11L ejector seats, and a 750hp (560kW) Pratt & Whitney PT6A-25C turboprop with four-bladed Hartzell propellers with anti-icing. The aircraft is due to make its first flight by the end of March. The new Orlik variant is initially aimed at a Polish requirement to upgrade 12 Orlik TC-Is with a glass cockpit by 2018 (see 12 Upgraded Orliks, March, p8). Airbus Defence and Space/Pawel Bondaryk

Czech Gripen Lease Extended Approval was granted on March 12 by the Czech Government to extend the lease of its 14 Saab JAS 39C/D Gripens. Prime Minister Bohuslav Sobotka announced that the lease will be extended by a further 12 years, with an option for two more (further to Czech Gripen Extension Closer, September 2013, p12). Additional costs will be incurred if the Gripens fly more than 2,200 hour each year, while 25 pilots and 90 ground personnel will be trained on the aircraft by Sweden. Under the terms of the new contract the aircraft will be upgraded with improved air-to-ground capabilities,

Belgian Airbus A321

Airbus A321-231 EI-FDP (msn 1004, ex TC-OAL) was at Dublin Airport in Ireland on February 24 having arrived back from East Midlands Airport, Leicestershire, where it was painted in the livery of the Belgian Air Force. The airliner was previously operated by Onur Air of Turkey, and on delivery it will become CS-TRJ on the Portuguese register, as it will be operated by HiFly of Lisbon on lease to Belgium. The A321 will replace the A330-321 currently used by Belgium as a long-range transport, which is also leased from HiFly (see Belgium Looking to Replace A330 with A321, February, p9). Michael Kelly

Please send all news correspondence [email protected]

night-vision goggle compatible cockpits, and a terrain avoidance system will be installed. The Air Component of the Czech Republic’s Joint Forces has operated 12 JAS 39Cs and a pair of two-seat JAS 39Ds since April 2005 from the 21 Základna Taktickeho Letectva (21st Tactical Air Base) at Cáslav. The original lease was due to expire in October 2015 and several options were explored to provide the republic with an air policing capability in the future, including purchasing used fighters and pooling aircraft with neighbouring countries.

A330 Tanker Transports for France France will start its procurement of the Airbus Military A330 MultiRole Tanker Transport (MRTT) this year. Confirmation was given on February 18, by the head of the Delegation Générale de l’Armement, Laurent ColletBillon. The need for the aircraft to replace the Boeing C-135FR Stratotanker was identified in the latest defence white paper. Twelve A330 MRTTs will be delivered in two versions, comprising baseline tankers with a flying boom and wingtip drogue units, and a variant also equipped with a main deck cargo door and enhanced communications. All will later be upgraded to a common standard.

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North America

‘Thunderbolts’ and Lightning

Lockheed Martin F-35A Lightning II 11-5030/‘LF’ (b/n AF-41), escorted by F-16C Fighting Falcon 84-1297 during its delivery flight to Luke AFB, Arizona, from Naval Air Station Fort Worth Joint Reserve Base, Texas, on March 10. The F-35A is the first of 24 for the 61st Fighter Squadron ‘Top Dogs’, 56th Fighter Wing ‘Thunderbolts’ at the air base, ten of which will be delivered in 2014, and was flown there by F-35 test pilot Colonel Roderick Creiger. Major Justin Robinson, the assistant director of operations of the 61st Fighter Squadron, flew the F-16C, which the F-35A will replace at Luke AFB. A total of 144 F-35As will be assigned to six squadrons at Luke to provide operational training on the aircraft. F-35A AF-41 is the 100th Lightning II and completed its maiden flight on December 15, 2013 (see Lightning Strikes the First Hundred, February, p7). The aircraft took centre stage at the F-35 Lightning II Unveiling Ceremony held at the base on March 14 in the presence of General Robin Rand, Commander of Air Education and Training Command. However, the aircraft is not expected to remain at Luke in the immediate future, but will either be delivered to the F-35 depot at Hill AFB, Utah to undergo modification and update, or go to Edwards AFB, California. F-35 flight operations are expected to start at Luke in late-March, comprising continuation training for the four pilots currently assigned to the squadron. US Air Force/Jim Hazeltine

MSA Demonstrator Flown Scorpion Testing Progressing

Bombardier Challenger 604 N614BA flying from Toronto Pearson International Airport in Ontario after conversion by Field Aviation as the demonstrator of Boeing’s Maritime Surveillance Aircraft. Boeing

Boeing’s Bombardier Challenger 604 business jet-based Maritime Surveillance Aircraft (MSA) demonstrator made its first flight on February 28 from Toronto Pearson International Airport in Ontario, Canada. Field Aviation has modified the aircraft (N604BA, c/n 5476) for search-and-rescue, anti-piracy patrols and coastal and border security roles, its most recognisable external alteration being a large ‘canoe’ under the forward fuselage. “The aerodynamic performance was right on the money, and even with the additional aerodynamic

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shapes, such as the radome, the demonstrator performed like a normal [non-modified] aircraft,” reported pilot Craig Tylski. “Control and handling were excellent.” Further airworthiness flights are scheduled for the next two months, after which the aircraft will fly to Boeing Seattle in Washington for installation and testing of MSA mission systems. The MSA uses technologies developed for the Boeing P-8A Poseidon programme to provide multi-mission surveillance capability in a smaller airframe. These include a Seaspray 7000 active electronically scanned array multimode radar, FLIR Systems 380HD electro-optical/ infrared sensor, electronic support measures, a communications intelligence sensor and automated identification system. While the test-bed is a Challenger 604, the MSA offered is based on the current production Challenger 605 variant. Boeing first revealed it was working on the MSA on July 10, 2012, at the Farnborough airshow (see Boeing Announces MSA, September 2012, p17).

Mike Jerram

Textron AirLand’s Scorpion intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance/strike aircraft completed further test flights in January and February, and is scheduled to log several hundred hours throughout the year. Each flight is targeting specific objectives for airspeed, altitude, and performance. Most of the sorties will be conducted from McConnell AFB in Wichita, Kansas. “Overall, we’ve had very positive results through the initial test flights,” reports Chief Test Pilot

Dan Hinson. “We have evaluated the aircraft’s performance and tested a wide range of mechanical and electronic systems. The Scorpion is a very agile platform.” Textron AirLand, a joint venture between Textron Inc and AirLand Enterprises, says it is pursuing sales opportunities with US military branches as well as a number of ‘specific US partner nations’ that have expressed interest [in the Scorpion]”. The prototype first flew on December 12, 2013. Mike Jerram

CAT King Air in Burkina Faso

Noted at Ouagadougou in Burkina Faso on February 19 was Beech King Air 350 N840CA (c/n FL-104) of Commuter Air Technology (CAT), in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. CAT provides aircraft for US Special Operations Command and the King Air is understood to have operated in Africa on its behalf since December 2013. Built in 1993, it features several obvious modifications, including a large number of aerials on the top and lower rear fuselage, and a pannier, which is frequently used to house electro-optical sensors in King Air surveillance variants. All but one of the cabin windows appears to be blanked out. Benoît Denet

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North America

More Cracks Appear in F-35B Last Cruise for Navy Prowlers The Lockheed Martin F-35B Lightning II may require a redesign because of structural cracks. The defects were first detected in three of six bulkheads in the fuselage during fatigue testing last September when the stress test aircraft had reached 9,480 simulated flight hours, beyond the F-35B’s design life of 8,000 hours. However, the Pentagon did not reveal the test suspension or the airframe cracking until late February.

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US NAVY ORIONS DAMAGED A hangar roof has collapsed in Japan, damaging ten Orions that were undergoing maintenance. Four US Navy Lockheed P-3C Orion maritime patrol aircraft and three P-3Cs, one OP-3C, one EP-3 and an UP-3D of the Japan Maritime Self Defense Force were inside a NIPPI Corporation Aerospace hangar when the collapse occurred on February 15. No one was injured in the incident adjacent to Naval Air Facility Atsugi, Yamato City in Kanagawa. It happened early in the morning after heavy snowfall had accumulated on the roof of the building. A decision has yet to be made whether the aircraft will be repaired. David C Isby

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ADDITIONAL EAGLES DEPLOYED TO LITHUANIA Six more Boeing F-15C Eagle fighters were deployed on March 6 to reinforce

IOC for Super Galaxy

The Lockheed Martin C-5M Super Galaxy heavy transport has achieved its initial operational capability (IOC), the US Air Force announced on February 21. Milestones required for IOC included passing a qualification test, an operational test and evaluation, and delivery of the 16th aircraft, trained crews and ground personnel to Dover AFB, Delaware. In addition, before IOC, initial spare equipment and parts had to be available in the base supply system at Dover AFB, as well as some forward supply locations. The operational C-5M fleet is currently concentrated at Dover AFB with the 9th Airlift Squadron (AS) of the 436th Airlift Wing (AW) and its associate Air Force Reserve Command unit, the 709th AS, 512th AW, which shares its aircraft. The 16th aircraft (870036) was delivered on December 23, 2013. All 52 C-5Ms on order (one C-5A, 49 C-5Bs and two C-5Cs) are due in service at three locations by the end of 2016. The C-5M has an on-time departure reliability of 88 to 93%, compared with less than 50% for C-5A/Bs. David C Isby and David Willis

Redesign may require a return to the titanium bulkheads that were originally replaced with aluminium units in the F-35B in 2004 as a weight-saving measure. The current goal is to restart F-35B fatigue testing by September 30, with the objective of testing it to twice its service life. The issue has not delayed F-35B flight testing or progress towards initial operational capability. David C Isby

Tactical Electronic Attack Squadron One Three Four (VAQ134) ‘Garudas’ has started the final scheduled deployment on an aircraft carrier for a navy Grumman EA-6B Prowler unit. The squadron deployed on the carrier USS George H W Bush (CVN 77) when it left Norfolk, Virginia, on February 14. The EA-6B will be withdrawn from

NEWS BY NUMBERS

the NATO Baltic Air Policing mission at Šiauliai AB in Lithuania. The increased size of the NATO deployment was in response to the Russian occupation of the Crimea. The aircraft are from the 493rd Fighter Squadron of the 48th Fighter Wing based at RAF Lakenheath, Suffolk. They joined the initial four F-15Cs and 150 personnel with the 48th Air Expeditionary Group in Lithuania that assumed the mission from the Belgian Air Component on January 3. Two Boeing KC-135R Stratotankers from the 100th Air Refueling Wing at RAF Mildenhall, Suffolk, accompanied the F-15Cs to Lithuania. The US Air Force will man the deployment until April. David C Isby

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LC-130Hs COMPLETE DEEP FREEZE AIRLIFT Seven ski-equipped Lockheed LC-130H Hercules transports of the 139th Airlift Squadron, 109th Airlift

Wing (AW) of the New York Air National Guard have completed the end-of-summer airlift of personnel from the US base at McMurdo Station in the Antarctica. The aircraft moved approximately 1,100 people and 43 tons of equipment from the base initially to Christchurch, New Zealand, between late February and early March. The evacuation came at the end of the 2013-2014 season for Operation Deep Freeze, the codename for US missions to Antarctica, which began in October 2013 (see LC-130Hs Depart for Antarctic, December 2013, p17). Boeing C-17A Globemaster IIIs of the 62nd Airlift Wing from McChord AFB, Washington, usually transport researchers out of the Antarctic base, but this year the snow runway was not suitable for wheeled aircraft due to slushy ice conditions. The 109th AW extended its deployment, which usually ends in mid-February, to undertake the airlift. By February 14 the wing had completed 219 sorties

operational service by the US Navy by 2015 and replaced with the Boeing EA-18G Growler. Meanwhile, the EA-6Bs of Marine Tactical Electronic Warfare Squadron 3 (VMAQ-3) ‘Moondogs’ arrived at Al Udeid AB in Qatar on February 17, after being withdrawn from Afghanistan. The Marine Corps will keep its EA-6Bs operational until 2019. David C Isby

and expected to end the season having flown 284. David C Isby

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POSEIDONS ORDERED The US Department of Defense has awareded Boeing an order for 16 P-8A Poseidon maritime patrol/ anti-submarine warfare aircraft for the US Navy. Including previously allocated funds, the contract is worth $2.4 billion, and was announced on February 25. It marks the transition of the Poseidon programme from preliminary low-rate production, from which 13 aircraft have already been delivered. Fifty-three P-8As have been ordered to date and the navy plans to buy a total of 117 to replace its Lockheed P-3C Orion fleet. The latest order is due to be fulfilled by April 2017. The first operational Poseidon unit Patrol Squadron Sixteen (VP-16) ‘War Eagles’, deployed to Kadena AB, Okinawa, Japan in December 2013 and has been conducting operational missions ever since, including helping search for flight MH370. Mike Jerram

Upgraded Compass Call Redelivered

Lockheed EC-130H Compass Call 73-1580 (c/n 4542) is the first to be redelivered after upgrade to Baseline-2 standard. It is seen at the L-3 Communications Integrated Systems facility at Waco, Texas. US Air Force

The first upgraded Lockheed EC130H Compass Call Baseline-2 electronic warfare aircraft was redelivered to the 55th Electronic Combat Group (ECG), at DavisMonthan AFB, Arizona, on February 20. The upgrade package was designed by the US Air Force’s Big Safari programme office, a specialist in classified projects, and Air Force Material Command’s

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661st Aeronautical Systems Squadron based in Waco, Texas. It includes improved satellite and data link communications, with an antenna radome over the forward fuselage, and new ‘plug and play’ quick reaction capability mission systems, giving the aircraft what the 55th ECG’s commander, Colonel Marty Reynolds, calls a “fifth generation electronic attack

capability”. A total of 14 EC-130Hs are in service and although the number to be upgraded has not been released, under current plans the 55th ECG is due to lose seven of its aircraft in fiscal year 2016. Compass Calls logged some 10,400 sorties and 64,200 hours flying combat missions over Iraq and Afghanistan. David C Isby

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NEWS COLUMN

US Air Force Confro by Robert F Dorr “We’re burning the furniture to save the house,” said a US Air Force officer. The metaphor is not new, but it aptly describes the USAF’s $109.3 billion fiscal year (FY) 2015 budget request, which will be debated in Congress this spring. Facing spending cuts under the mandatory process known as sequestration, the Air Staff is preparing to retire seasoned aircraft it would prefer to keep in order to purchase more advanced aircraft that are as yet unproven.

“This is a response to harsh reality,” said a different officer. Secretary of the Air Force Deborah Lee James made the extraordinary admission in a talk to reporters that “we can no longer assume, as we have over the past 50 years, to dominate the skies” because “many other countries are advancing their technologies”. Referring to the controversial decision to retire the A-10C Thunderbolt II – eliminating five combat groups and 283 airframes beginning October 1 of this year – James said there was simply no choice. “We chose the A-10 because it’s a single-purpose aircraft,” she said, referring to close air support (CAS). It is “a very important mission, but we have other aircraft like the AC-130, the F-15 Eagle, the F-16 Fighting Falcon, the B-1 Lancer and the B-52 Stratofortress that can also do that mission. All are dual or multi-purpose aircraft.” James added: “80% of all close air support in Afghanistan has been accomplished by aircraft other than the A-10.” The Secretary appears not to recall that the A-10 was designed to defeat armour, a different mission from CAS that is very much in keeping with today’s shift in emphasis towards ‘peer’ warfare. The loss of the A-10 will be harder on some units than others. The 122nd Fighter Wing, Indiana Air National Guard, located at Fort Wayne, will swap its A-10Cs for F-16C/D Block 40 Fighting Falcons, it was announced on March 5, allowing the wing to continue a tactical flying mission with an aircraft

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The US Air Force announced on March 5 that the 122nd Fighter Wing (FW), Indiana Air National Guard, based at Baer Field in Fort Wayne, will swap its A-10Cs for Block 40 F-16C/D Fighting Falcons. The 122nd FW previously flew the F-16 between 1991 and 2010 when it converted to the A-10C Thunderbolt II. Senior Airman Shawn Nickel/US Air Force

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NEWS COLUMN

fronts Harsh Reality more advanced than the one it is giving up. But the 188th Fighter Wing of the Arkansas Air National Guard, based at Ebing Air National Guard Base in Fort Smith, must surrender its A-10Cs in exchange for a remote, split control MQ-9 Reaper mission: the unit will no longer own any aircraft. The overall defence budget plan is the first to come from

Chuck Hagel as Secretary of Defense. A former senator, Hagel came under fire from Senator John McCain (Republican-Arizona) and others in the upper chamber when defending the A-10 decision. Army General Martin Dempsey, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, testifying alongside Hagel on March 5, told Sen Kelly Ayotte (R-New Hampshire) that an A-10 had once saved his life in combat but that “something has to be cut given the budget caps”. McCain and Ayotte, who is married to a former A-10 pilot, are among Capitol Hill lawmakers expected to resist the A-10’s retirement.

Giving Up the U-2 Under the FY2015 plan, the air force will begin divesting itself of its 33 U-2 Dragon Lady manned reconnaissance aircraft. Congress has already enacted legislation forcing the service to adopt the RQ-4B Block 30 Global Hawk unmanned intelligence platform as a substitute, even though the RQ-4B cannot accommodate key sensors used daily by the U-2. Rather than acknowledge that the move is being forced on the air force by Capitol Hill, Air Force Secretary James came up with a novel explanation that sets a new standard for being disingenuous: she said that although the Block 30 was earlier scheduled for retirement, advances in technology over the past couple of years have made the U-2 more costly and the Global Hawk less. No-one else in Washington seemed to know what those advances might be. James, who has been in the job only since December, appears not to have seen official figures released by her staff that show an hourly flying cost of $30,813 for the proven U-2 and $49,089 for the mostly untested RQ-4B. Those numbers make the Global Hawk more than 60% costlier and no-one has demonstrated, yet, that

the RQ-4B can be bedded down at overseas bases the way a U-2 can. The U-2 has a mission capable rate of 80%, the Block 30 Global Hawk 74%. Both of these figures are respectable and exceed the inventory-wide average of 73%, but again the U-2 comes out ahead. The loss of A-10s and U-2s will be painful but it’s not the end of the story. If sequestration is not repealed, the air force says it will be forced one year later to retire its 59 KC-10 Extender tanker-transports and its 13 RQ-4 Block 40 Global Hawks (which, oddly, do not enjoy the Capitol Hill protection bestowed on the Block 30s). The service will also have to sharply reduce its buys of MQ-9 Reapers and purchase 19 fewer F-35As over the coming five-year period.

Sorting It Out James and air force chief of staff General Mark Welsh – rarely seen together and undoubtedly still sorting out their working relationship – talk frequently about the air force’s three top priorities, the F-35A Lightning II Joint Strike Fighter, the KC-46 tanker (recently named Pegasus) and the Long Range Strike-Bomber (LRS-B). What these three top-drawer procurement programmes have in common is that none has yet produced a combatready, operational aircraft. Two industry teams are working on LRS-B, one a partnership of Boeing and Lockheed Martin and the other headed by Northrop Grumman. Work is proceeding so quietly that officials will not even reveal the name of the person in charge of the programme. This does not mean, however, that the programme has produced a ‘black jet’ operating clandestinely in the Nevada desert: an aircraft has not yet been fully designed, let alone selected, and actual flying is years away. In a partly symbolic gesture that will help morale in some quarters, James granted

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last-minute approval of the air force’s programmes for a Combat Rescue Helicopter (CRH) to replace the HH-60G Pave Hawk, a T-X trainer to replace the T-38C Talon and a recapitalisation of the Joint Surveillance Target Attack Radar System (J-STARS) platform, meaning a replacement for the ageing E-8C aircraft derived from the Boeing 707-300, which is likely to be a version of an executive business jet. The Secretary’s approval does not confer dollars on these programmes. Even limited funding for developmental work must be taken from other funds already in the budget request. Supporters of CRH and T-X would have liked to see sufficient funding to permit construction of prototypes and a fly-off competition – neither of which now appears likely any time soon. Air force officers say, however, that they will underwrite CRH by transferring existing funds. Moreover, they intend to do it this summer rather than waiting for FY2015, which starts on October 1. The service will transfer $430 million from other air force programmes over the next five years and put the money into CRH to begin the process of buying 112 new helicopters to replace the HH-60Gs. Perhaps the greatest irony of the Pentagon budget situation is that, while programmes are being slashed, real defence dollars will still be spent during FY2015 in about the same amounts as this year (FY2014 ends on September 30). The defence ‘cuts’ causing so much anguish in Washington are cuts of expenditure that were contemplated but never undertaken by a seemingly insatiable military-industrial machine. In part because of relentlessly increasing personnel costs, especially paying retired military personnel, the US Air Force and its sister services are still spending at the current year’s high level – $600 billion, give or take – each year.

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Russia & CIS

T-50 Begins State Tests at Akhtubinsk

Sukhoi T-50-2 recently arrived at Akhtubinsk to begin state trials of the aircraft. Piotr Butowski

The Sukhoi T-50 Perspektivny Aviatsionny Kompleks Frontovoy Aviatsii (PAK FA, Prospective Airborne Complex of Frontline Aviation) has been handed over for state trials (gosudarstvennye sovmestnye ispytaniya). T-50-2 was flown by Sergey Chernyshev to the 929th Flight-Test Centre of the Ministry of Defence at Akhtubinsk in the Astrakhan Oblast from Zhukovsky outside Moscow on February 21. The arrival of the T-50 at Akhtubinsk signals the aircraft has completed its preliminary trials (predvaritelnye ispytaniya) since the first prototype made its maiden flight in January 2010. It first flew on March 3,

2011 (see Second Sukhoi T-50 Flown, April 2011, p30) and has undertaken tests of the aircraft’s systems, including the weapons bay door actuating mechanism and aerial refuelling, making the first dry contact with an Ilyushin Il-78 tanker on August 3, 2012. During 2013 it was strengthened and adapted to undertake high g-load and angle of attack tests. It has no mission systems installed and so can be used only in the initial phase of the state trials for performance and flight-handling testing. It will be joined at the base by subsequent aircraft fitted with complete mission suites and armament. Four T-50 flying prototypes remain at

Zhukovsky. In recent months T-502 and T-50-3 have been the most intensively flown, completing several flights each per week. The latest prototype, T-50-5, started tests at Zhukovsky on February 5. It made its first flight at the Komsomolsk-onAmur production facility on October 27, 2013 (see Five T-50s Flying, December 2013, p13). Completion of state trials and the start of full-scale production are scheduled for late 2016. The Russian National Armament Program stipulates delivery of 60 production PAK FA fighters during 2016 to 2020; additional deliveries will also continue after 2020. Piotr Butowski

2

TU-214ONs DELIVERED

NEWS BY NUMBERS

The two Tupolev Tu-214ON (Otkritoe Nebo, Open Skies) observation aircraft were delivered in January and February to the Russian Ministry of Defence (further to Tu-214ON and Tu-214R Closer to Service Entry, September 2013, p16). The first (RA-64519, c/n 42709019) was completed and flown from Kazan on June 1, 2011, while the second (RA-64525, c/n 42709025) completed its maiden flight on December 18, 2013. Equipped with a variety of optical reconnaissance sensors, they will replace a Tupolev Tu-154M-LK1 used by Russia as its Open Skies Treaty aircraft. The treaty permits overflights with prior notification to inspect signatories’ military capabilities as a confidence building measure. The Tu-214ONs will be used for up to 15 inspections and 41 observation flights over foreign countries annually. David C Isby

Russia Retires the Foxbat The Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-25R Foxbat-B reconnaissance aircraft was retired from Voyenno-Vozdushnye Sily Rossii (Russian Air Force) service in December 2013. The Russian Air Force had, until late 2013, operated small numbers of the MiG-25RBT photoreconnaissance and MiG-25RBF signals-intelligence versions. The last operational Foxbats were based at Monchegorsk with the 7000th Air Base. David C Isby

Model Reveals A-100 Configuration The Beriev A-100 model revealed during a Russian TV programme on February 9. Piotr Butowski

During a recent report by Russian NTV television from Ivanovo AB on the upgraded Beriev A-50U airborne early warning and control aircraft, a model of a previously unknown variant was displayed. The model is believed to be the A-100 aircraft, a prototype of which is currently under construction at the Berries facility at Taganrog in

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Rostov Oblast. The model’s stand bears the logo of Beriev Company and is thought to have been a gift from the company to the Ivanovo AB commanders. The A-100 strategic airborne early warning and control aircraft, also known as izdeliye (item) PM, will supplement and later replace the current A-50 and A-50U Mainstays.

It will be fitted with the new Premier radar system, designed by the Vega Company, featuring a rotating array with active electronic scanning in elevation and mechanical scanning in azimuth. The antenna of the Premier radar makes one revolution every five seconds, twice as fast as typical early-warning radars, including the Shmel (Bumblebee) of the A-50, improving effectiveness tracking fast targets. Externally the shape and installation of the array on two struts above the aircraft’s fuselage does not differ from the A-50. On the forward fuselage, over the cockpit, a round fairing is mounted that probably houses the passive radio sensor. A similar, aftlooking antenna is built in the vertical fin’s root; current A-50 aircraft have no such antennas. Additional antenna also appeared forward of the main landing gear sponsons. Teardrop-

shaped fairings mounted fore and aft on the side of the fuselage house aerials for the self-defence system, as used on the A-50. The A-100 also has a fairing in front of where the wing and fuselage meet for the satellite communication suite’s antennas. A prototype of the A-100 is being assembled by Beriev in Taganrog using an A-50 airframe (further to Premier-Equipped A-100 Taking Shape, December 2011, p4). Subsequent aircraft will use the new Ilyushin Il-76MD-90A transport as a starting point, which is now entering production at Aviastar in Ulyanovsk. The aircraft is powered by four new PS-90A-76 turbofans rated at 14 tons of thrust each (two tons more than the D-30KP engine). It has updated avionics and numerous structural improvements, including a lighter and stronger wing. Piotr Butowski

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Rest of the World

Saudi Arabia Pushing Typhoon Developments The Royal Saudi Air Force (RSAF) continues to push the pace of development for the Eurofighter Typhoon. It was the first air force to gain a night air-to-air refuelling clearance with the aircraft and the first to start air-to-ground operations with Tranche 2. An initial full self-designated end-to-end Paveway II drop, using the Thales Damocles laser designator pod, was undertaken at the end of 2013 and further bombing trials were being conducted in early February. It is understood that Saudi timescales (and funding) lies behind the sudden acceleration in the pace of Storm Shadow integration on the Typhoon, to meet an RSAF aspiration to have the air-launched cruise missile in service in 2015. Deliveries of RSAF Typhoons are

also proceeding, although pricing for the aircraft currently being delivered was only agreed in mid-February. Negotiations were required to reflect the change in production of aircraft 25 to 72 of the Saudi order. Originally, these were to have been assembled in the kingdom, but they are now undergoing final assembly at BAE Systems’ Warton facility in Lancashire. The first of the new batch (ZK085/317, CT007) was delivered on June 27, 2013 (see Further Saudi Typhoon Two-Seaters Delivered, August 2013, p22). Eleven have been delivered to date, bringing the fleet total to 14 twoseaters and 23 single-seaters. Hand over of the aircraft in the second batch has finally allowed the Tenth Squadron (the first frontline Saudi Typhoon unit) to form, which is understood to be close to becoming

Senegalese King Air

Beech King Air B200 6W-TNB (c/n BB-1927, ex N840U) of the Armée de l’Air Sénégalaise (Senegalese Air Force) was an unusual visitor to Ouagadougou Airport in Burkina Faso, on February 19. Two second-hand King Airs were acquired in 2011 and modified for cloud seeding operations by Weather Modifications Inc of Fargo, North Dakota, with silver iodide dispensers mounted on the wing trailing edge behind each powerplant nacelle. It appears these have now been removed from 6W-TNB. Benoît Denet

fully operational on the new fighter. While the Tenth Squadron was due to be the initial Saudi Typhoon unit, undertaking operational evaluation of the aircraft, and the first eight singleseaters delivered wore its markings, the plans changed. Instead, all 24 in the first batch went to the Third Squadron, which formed as the RSAF Typhoon Operational Conversion Unit. It became responsible for training all Saudi pilots for the new fighter, apart from an initial cadre trained in Europe – primarily by the RAF – plus a small number who converted at RAF Coningsby, Lincolnshire. The first 12 two-seat Typhoons all wore Third Squadron markings, as did 18 single-seaters, but the most recent deliveries (1010, CT013; 1011, CT014 and 1009, CS021) had Tenth Squadron markings.

The new unit has now taken up residence at Taif - Al Fahd AB in its own complex of hardened aircraft shelters, not far from a line of 78 withdrawn Northrop F-5E/F Tigers and RF-5E Tiger Eyes along an auxiliary runway. About a dozen of these were briefly reactivated in 2010 to equip the 17th Squadron, but they now await sale or disposal. Tenth Squadron deployed one of its aircraft (1009) to the Bahrain International Air Show, held between January 16 and 18, where it was displayed in the static park. Lieutenant Colonel Khalid Almalki (a veteran of the F-15 Eagle, who also flew a Third Squadron Typhoon into the show two years ago) is now one of the senior executives on the Tenth Squadron and he again flew a Typhoon into Bahrain. Jon Lake

A Dozen Flankers for Angola The Força Aérea Nacional de Angola (National Air Force of Angola) will only receive 12 – not 18 – of the former Indian Air Force Sukhoi Su-30MK/K Flankers (updating Indian Flankers for Angola, December 2013, p26). In early February Irkut Corporation president Oleg Demchenko said a contract for 12 had been signed and the aircraft would be delivered from next year. In October 2013 it was widely reported – incorrectly – that Angola had purchased all 18 Su-30s from Rosoboronexport as part of a $1 billion arms deal involving the fighters, spares and other hardware. Mr Demchenko said the remaining six of the 18 Su-30K/MKs available would be sold to an unidentified country. A

firm contract for them is due soon and they are being modernised by the 558th Aircraft Repair Plant at Baranovichi in Belarus, where all 18 have been stored since 2011. Belarus, Ethiopia, Sudan and Vietnam have previously been identified as potential recipients of the aircraft (see Indian Flankers for Ethiopia?, August 2013, p5). India received ten Su-30MKs and eight Su-30Ks between May 1997 and December 1999 prior to delivery of the optimised Su-30MKI, more than 200 of which have been ordered. As additional Su-30MKIs arrived, the 18 aircraft were replaced and returned to Sukhoi (see Russia to Sell to Belarus Former Indian Su-30Ks, November 2012, p9). Guy Martin

SAAF C-47TP to Leave Mozambique

At the end of March the South African Air Force (SAAF) will conclude its threeyear deployment of 35 Squadron Douglas C-47TP ‘Turbo Dakota’ maritime patrol aircraft to Pemba in northern Mozambique. The aircraft were part of Operation Copper, which aimed to improve security against pirates off the coast of Mozambique. South Africa established the deployment following the hijacking by Somali pirates of the Vega 5, a Mozambican fishing vessel, in December 2010. Initially a C-47TP and a Westland Super Lynx were deployed to Pemba to support South African Navy ships operating in the Mozambique Channel. Atlas TP-1 Oryx helicopters from AFBs Durban, Hoedspruit and Swartkop have also been based in Mozambique. David C Isby

Flight Tests of Qatari PC-21s Begin Pilatus PC-21 QA350 (c/n 210) is the first of its type for the Qatar Emiri Air Force. It completed the initial run of its Pratt & Whitney PT6-68B at the manufacturer’s facility at Stans, Switzerland, on February 20. The test registration HB-HVA was applied – and the Qatar roundel blanked out – for the aircraft’s maiden flight four days later. Qatar’s order for 24 PC-21s was revealed on July 23, 2012 (see PC-21s for Qatar Training Academy, September 2012, p24). Deliveries are due to begin in the summer, with the aircraft due to form the core of a new training syllabus for the air force. Stephan Widmer

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AI.04.14

13

Asia & Australasia

Leased Aircraft to Replace Malaysian Fulcrums Malaysia is looking to lease 18 fighter aircraft to replace its Mikoyan MiG-29N/NUB Fulcrums due to a lack of funds to purchase outright replacements. While the Multi-Role Combat Aircraft programme has been delayed several times due to a funding shortfall (see Malaysian MiG-29N Replacement Postponed, October 2013, p19), the Tentera Udara Diraja Malaysia (Royal Malaysian Air Force) has considered a number of potential replacements,

including the Boeing F/A-18E/F Super Hornet, Dassault Rafale, Eurofighter Typhoon and Saab JAS 39C/D Gripen. BAE Systems Group Business Development Director, Alan Garwood, revealed on February 20 that Malaysia has solicited leasing proposals from each of the manufacturers, with his company due to submit a proposal based on the Typhoon to the Malaysian government in March. “We will be submitting a leasing proposal next

month for Typhoon together with a purchase option, and expect to have further discussions later in the year, or maybe even early next year, around that,” he said. Russia’s MiG Corporation has proposed upgrading the MiG-29s as an alternative to leasing or purchasing new aircraft. The modernisation would be based on the MiG-29UPG developed for the Indian Air Force, with the work being performed in Russia and at the Russian-Malaysian ATSC joint

Images of a production Shenyang J-16 appeared on Chinese websites from mid-February. The J-16 is a long-range strike variant of the J-11BS equipped with a new radar, fire control system with additional air-to-ground modes, and compatibility with precision munitions. This example (1612, c/n 0102) is understood to be the second production aircraft and in comparison to the J-16 prototype (1601) it lacks the pitot tube on the tip of the radome, possibly indicating installation of an active electronically-scanned array radar. Xiao Xie/Shenyang via Andreas Rupprecht

India Re-evaluates IJT Options

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HJT-36 Sitara Intermediate Jet Trainer. Mr Antony revealed that a study by India’s Regional Centre for Military Airworthiness (Aircraft) had recommended extending the ‘total technical life’ of the Kiran through to 2017-18 to counter the shortfall of IJTs within the IAF. The IAF requires 240 pilots to be trained annually. Kirans are also being used for stage I (basic) training since the grounding of the HAL HPT-32 Deepak basic trainers in 2009. The Pilatus PC-7 is taking over that role, while the Sitara was due to fulfil the intermediate training mission. Minister of State for Defence, Shri Jitendra Singh, also detailed Sitara flight test progress in a written response to parliament on February 19. “The development of IJT is in the advanced stages of certification with more than 800 test flights completed so far. The activities are

and David C Isby

Poseidon for Australia

Production J-16 Breaks Cover

Industry has until April 4 to respond to an Indian request for information (RfI) for new intermediate jet trainers (IJTs). Details for a potential purchase of ten, 20, 30 and 50 single-engine, two-seat aircraft are sought. The aircraft must have at least five hardpoints and be able to carry a gun pod and four 250kg (551lb) bombs. India issued the RfI in late February. The new aircraft will be used to supplement the Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL) Kiran Mk Is currently used for stage II (intermediate) training by the Indian Air Force (IAF). In a written reply to questions in the Indian parliament on February 19, Defence Minister Shri A K Antony revealed that the Kiran Mk Is would receive a life extension. The measure is required because of delays to the initial operating capability (IOC) of its planned replacement, the HAL

venture facility at Kelantan. Malaysia’s 16 MiG-29Ns and two dual-seat MiG-29NUBs were delivered from 1994: a pair of single-seaters has since been written off, and nine of the survivors remain operational with 17/19 Squadron at Kuantan. The fleet was due to be retired from July 2009, but in February 2010 it was announced that they would be overhauled for a further five years’ service. Nigel Pittaway

progressing well, with completion of sea level trials, night flying trials, high-altitude trials as well as weapon and drop tank trials. The activities left for obtaining final operational clearance [FOC] are the refinement of stall characteristics and spin testing, which will commence as soon as stall characteristics are refined. All efforts are being made to achieve FOC by December 2014. Production of aircraft will commence immediately thereafter.” The Sitara was due to enter service in June 2012, but was delayed by the crash of a prototype during stall trials. IOC was due by the end of 2013, but not achieved (see IJT Problems Remain, December 2013, p22). The release of the RfI provides the IAF with the option to procure a different – albeit foreign – design should the Sitara fail to achieve FOC at the end of 2014. Nigel Pittaway, David C Isby and David Willis

Australia will acquire eight Boeing P-8A Poseidon maritime surveillance aircraft – according to an announcement by Prime Minister Tony Abbott on February 21. They will start replacing the 19 Lockheed AP-3C Orions operated by the Royal Australian Air Force. Mr Abbott also said options for a further four P-8As had been placed, confirmation being subject to the findings of a Defence White Paper review, due early next year. The cost of the acquisition is AUS4 billion including support facilities. Initial deliveries will take place in 2017 and all eight are due to be in service by 2021. The Poseidons are being acquired under Project AIR 7000 Phase 2B and will be joined at some point by a high-altitude longendurance (HALE) unmanned maritime surveillance platform, under Phase 1B of the programme, to completely replace the AP-3Cs in service. On March 13 the Australian Government announced the Northrop Grumman MQ-4C Triton HALE will be acquired if development by the US Navy is successful. Nigel Pittaway

Pakistan Acquires Jordanian Falcons The Pakistan Air Force will receive 13 ex-Royal Jordanian Lockheed Martin F-16A/B Block 15 Fighting Falcons. Twelve single-seaters and an F-16B are covered in the deal. Induction of the aircraft began in March and the latest arrivals will take the number of F-16s in Pakistani service to 76. The US government has approved the transfer. The aircraft are of the Air Defence Fighter variant and had received a mid-life upgrade at the US Air Force’s Ogden Air Logistics Center (now Complex) at Hill AFB, Utah. The work doubles an F-16’s service life to 8,000 flying hours. On average, the aircraft transferred have accumulated approximately 3,000 hours each. Nigel Pittaway

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Asia & Australasia

Cope North Guam 14

Exercise Cope North Guam 2014 was held between February 14 and 28. It was a multilateral training exercise conducted from Andersen AFB, Guam, and involved around 80 aircraft from the Japan Air Self Defense Force (JASDF), Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) and US Air Force and Navy. Air-to-air training was conducted involving dissimilar air combat scenarios, air-toground sorties and simulated humanitarian assistance and disaster relief operations. This formation of participants comprises an EA-18G Growler of VAQ-132 (tailcode ‘NL’), F-16C Fighting Falcon from the 35th Fighter Wing (‘WW’), an 18th Wing F-15D Eagle (ZZ), a B-52H Stratofortress from the 20th Bomb Squadron (‘LA’), JASDF F-15J (22-0929 of 204 Hikotai) and Mitsubishi F-2A, an RAAF No.75 Squadron F/A-18A Hornet and an F-16C of the 364th Fighter Wing (‘AK’). US Air Force/Tech Sgt Henry Hoegen

T-50I Deliveries Completed Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono hosted a ceremony at Halim Perdanakusuma Airport in Jakarta to mark the completion of deliveries of Korea Aerospace Industries T-50I Golden Eagle aircraft to the Tentara Nasional Indonesia – Angkatan Udara (TNIAU, Indonesia National Defence - Air Force). The ceremony on February 13 was also attended by Defence Minister Purnomo Yusgiantoro; the chief of the Republic of Korea Air Force, General Sung Il-hwan (ROKAF); Lee Yong-geol, the head of Korea’s Defense Acquisition Program Administration and senior military officials from the

FX-III and KF-X Edge Forward South Korea’s Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA) revealed plans for its ongoing fighter competition (FX-III) and future indigenous fighter programme (KFX) in its 322nd provisional session of the National Assembly Defense Committee Work Report released on February 19. The report expects contract signature for FX-III, likely to be for 40 F-35A Lightning IIs, in the third quarter of this year. DAPA will start the search for a prime contractor for KF-X in April or May, with a basic system development plan to be ready by October for implementation from November. Talks will also be held this year with the Indonesian government to confirm finance and workshare details. Nigel Pittaway

two nations. Indonesia ordered 16 T-50Is on May 25, 2011, as part of a $400 million deal to replace British Aerospace Systems Hawk Mk 53s in the air combat training role with 15 Skadron Udara at Iswahyudi in Madiun, East Java (see Indonesia Orders Super Tucano and Golden Eagle, July 2011, p4). The first pair was delivered on September 11, 2013 (see Initial Indonesian Golden Eagles Delivered, October 2013, p19). TNI-AU chief of staff Air Chief Marshal Ida Bagus Putu Dunia has said that eight T-50Is will also be used to re-form the Elang Biru (Blue Falcons) aerobatic team. Nigel Pittaway

Initial Australian Lightning Pilots The Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) has named its first two pilots due to begin training on the Lockheed Martin F-35A Lightning II later this year. Squadron Leaders Andrew Jackson and David Bell, currently based at RAAF Base Williamtown in New South Wales will start training at Eglin AFB, Florida, and later move to Luke AFB in Arizona when the first two aircraft for the RAAF are delivered there in January 2015. Deputy Chief of Air Force, Air Vice Marshal Gavin Davies, made the announcement during

J-11 Radar Test-bed

Second prototype Shenyang J-11B 524 is currently used as a test-bed for an active electronically-scanned array radar. It features a slightly longer radome than the standard J-11, with the air data probe repositioned from the tip to the top of the nose. The new radar has been flown in the aircraft by the China Flight Test Establishment since at least late 2013. The system is understood to be part of a mid-life upgrade for the People’s Liberation Army Air Force’s J-11A/B fleet, to be called J-11D. The aircraft was previously used to test ski-jump operations for the naval J-15 variant. Chinese Internet via Andreas Rupprecht

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celebrations marking 100 years of military aviation at RAAF Base Williams (Point Cook), Victoria, on March 1. “It is fitting to announce the future of this capability here at Point Cook, where military aviation in Australia was born,” he said. “Our history is important, and our first two pilots will make history as they become our first pilots to fly this fifth-generation aircraft. Not only do they represent the future of RAAF, they will have an important leadership and training role as future instructors for the F-35A.” Nigel Pittaway

C295 Demonstrated in Timor-Leste

A Força Aérea Portuguesa (FAP, Portuguese Air Force) Airbus Defence and Space C295MPA Persuader maritime patrol aircraft was recently shown to the Timor-Leste government. The aircraft (16712, c/n S-065) arrived at the capital Dili on February 17 where it was presented to Prime Minister Xanana Gusmã, who flew in it. Timor-Leste is interested in the C295 for fishery protection, environmental monitoring and search and rescue roles. The aircraft is being used as a demonstrator by Airbus under an agreement with the FAP. After being displayed statically during the recent Singapore airshow, the aircraft has been presented to authorities in Australia and the New Zealand Defence Force. David C Isby

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Unmanned Aerial Systems

Electric Air Strato’s Maiden Flight

The ARCA Air Strato prototype prior to making its maiden flight on February 13. ARCA

Flight tests of the ARCA Air Strato electrically-powered unmanned air vehicle (UAV) have begun in Romania. An initial hop was conducted to a height of 25m (82ft) from a rough-ground airstrip on February 13, the UAV having two additional electric motors added to shorten the take-off run and carrying

ballast instead of the majority of its batteries. Slight damage was inflicted on the starboard landing gear upon touchdown. Air Strato is being developed by space access company ARCA and is the largest in a family of UAVs being designed for a range of missions. Destined for high-altitude

Seeker 400 Flown

The Denel Dynamics Seeker 400 during tests at the Alkantpan test range. Denel Dynamics

Denel Dynamics’ Seeker 400 unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) flew for the first time in February after three years of development. An initial round of flight testing was completed at the Alkantpan test range in the Northern Cape of South Africa and was due to be followed by further tests in March. If all goes well, production is due to commence in the second half of this year. First flight was originally scheduled two years ago but was delayed by technical challenges as well as contracting and certification issues. Work is currently focused on an unarmed version, but a variant carrying two Denel Dynamics Mokopa air-to-surface missiles will be developed at a later stage. The Seeker 400 has an endurance of 16 hours, a ceiling of 18,000ft (5,485m) and a cruising speed of 150km/h (81kts). The manufacturer claims it is inaudible at altitudes over 3,280ft (1,000m) and invisible to someone on the ground when flying at typical operating altitudes between 4,500 and 9,000ft (1,370 and

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2,740ft). Currently range is restricted to 250km (155 miles) because of line-of-sight communications, but use of a tactical ground station and satellite communications could double that capability. Two payloads with a total weight of 100kg (220lb) can be carried simultaneously, including an electro-optical/infrared camera and radar, as well as a laser rangefinder and illuminator. An electronic surveillance payload is available to detect and locate radar emitters. Denel Dynamics has a production contract from the UAV’s launch customer (which has not been identified by the company, although it previously operated the Seeker I in the early 1990s) and has also attracted interest from other potential clients. Denel is promoting the Seeker 400 to Seeker 200 customers, as the new UAV can use the same control stations. The Seeker 200 is a refinement of the Seeker II offered to clients who require medium endurance and a dual payload capability. Guy Martin

long-endurance (HALE) operations with an operating altitude of 59,000ft (18,000m), Air Strato has a 16m (52ft) wingspan. It has an endurance of seven hours using internal batteries, although solar panels will enable it to remain airborne for up to three days. Air Strato can carry a payload of up to 30kg (66lb), including aerial photography and surveillance equipment, scientific instruments or additional battery pods for extended autonomy. Construction of a second prototype, featuring a retractable landing gear and improved avionics, is under way. Other versions of Air Strato will have smaller wingspans and lower altitude ceilings, but be faster and carry larger payloads. ARCA envisages operating the Air Strato on behalf of its clients to support missions, such as area surveillance, telemetry tests and scientific experiments requiring long endurance flights. Mark Broadbent

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NEWS BY NUMBERS

DOMINATOR XPs FOR MEXICO Aeronautics Defense Systems has sold two Dominator XP unmanned air systems to the armed forces of Mexico. The sale is the first to a military operator for the system, which uses a modified Diamond DA42 light twin as its airborne platform.

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RQ-4Bs FOR KOREA TO BE CONFIRMED IN JUNE The Republic of Korea is expected to finalise its purchase of four Northrop Grumman RQ-4B Global Hawk Block 30 unmanned air vehicles by the end of June. This will allow the vehicle to achieve its initial operational capability in 2018. The procurement, under the US Foreign Military Sales programme, is estimated to cost about KRW900 billion ($845 million). David C Isby

Watchkeeper Released to Service

In early March the UK Ministry of Defence cleared the WK450 Watchkeeper for its release to service (RTS), enabling the British Army to begin training flights of the tactical unmanned air system (UAS). RTS is a formal statement on behalf of the Chief of General Staff that authorises service flying of the aircraft, defining its configuration and listing its limitations. Its award means that the army is cleared to conduct training flights on Watchkeeper, with the 1st Artillery Battery initially to fly from QinetiQ Boscombe Down, Wiltshire, in segregated airspace over the nearby Salisbury Plain Training Area (SPTA). The WK450 is based on the Elbit Hermes 450 and is being built by UAV Tactical Systems Ltd, a joint venture between Israel’s Elbit and Thales UK. The MoD has conducted an extensive test and evaluation programme of the type at ParcAberporth in West Wales, recording more than 1,000 flying hours since its first sortie from there

in 2010 (see 30,000 Hours For Hermes 450...While Watchkeeper Flies in Wales, June 2010, p9). RTS had been expected earlier, but was delayed by the establishment of the UK’s Military Aviation Authority on April 1, 2010, as Watchkeeper is the first UAS approved by the organisation. It has been certified to the same standards as a manned aircraft. A total of 54 Watchkeepers have been ordered for the army, of which more than half have now been built, as have most of the 15 ground control stations. It was due to enter service in 2010 and serve in Afghanistan, but was delayed by development and certification issues and may not be deployed as part of Operation Herrick. The Royal Artillery’s 32 and 47 Regiments, which operate the army’s UAVs from Larkhill within the SPTA, will fly the vehicle. Watchkeeper was designed as a high-performance, multi-sensor, all-weather UAS with an endurance of more than 16 hours. Mark Broadbent

ZHZ TD220

The Beijing ZhongHangZhi (ZHZ) Technology Company displayed its TD220 unmanned helicopter for the first time at the recent Singapore airshow. The 300kg (661lb) class coaxial twin-rotor vehicle can carry a 50kg (110lb) payload at a cruising speed of 97km/h (60mph) for up to six hours. Powered by a 65hp (48kW) piston engine, the TD220 is equipped with a HeliAP autopilot with redundant avionics and has completed more than 2,000 hours of flight testing. David Oliver

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Commercial

Dual Maiden Flights Double A350 Test Fleet

The second and fourth prototypes of the Airbus A350-900 on February 26 during their maiden flights. Airbus/S Ramadier

Airbus doubled the number of A350-900s in the airliner’s flight test programme on February 26. On that date both msn 2 (F-WWCF) and msn 4 (F-WZNW) completed their maiden flights from ToulouseBlagnac in Southern France, with the aircraft in the air at the same time. Msn 2, wearing its distinctive ‘carbon’ livery (see Carbon A350 Emerges, February, p14), took to

Long-Range SSJ100 Enters Service

Gazpromavia put the first long-range version of the Sukhoi Superjet 100 (SSJ-100) into service on March 4. On that day the aircraft (RA-89018, c/n 95033) made its first commercial flight from Moscow-Vnukovo to Khanty-Mansiysk in western Siberia. The airliner is the first of ten SSJ-100-95LRs ordered by Gazpromavia in August 2011. It first flew on August 9, 2013, and was delivered to the carrier 20 days later. Its SSJ-100-95LRs will all be equipped with 90 economyclass seats. In addition to services to Khanty-Mansiysk, they will also fly from Vnukovo to Sovetsky and Beloyarsky, both in the Khanty-Mansi Autonomous Okrug region. The SSJ-100-95LR has a range of 2,844 miles (4,578km) and uses PowerJet SaM146 1S18 engines, which provide a 5% increase over the 1S17 of the baseline -95B, for a take-off thrust to 49.45 tonnes. Mark Broadbent

the skies first, followed by msn 4 presenting the opportunity for a series of publicity images of the airliners together. The two aircraft join msn 1 (F-WXWB) and msn 3 (F-WZGG) in the test fleet, which had accumulated close to 1,100 flight-test hours by the time they were joined by the latest pair. The certification programme is expected to require 2,500 flight

hours. Msn 2 is being used to validate cabin and passengerrelated systems and, from the spring, will be used for early longrange flights. Msn 4 is now being used for external noise, lightning and cockpit head-up display tests and will later be used to train pilots and maintenance teams from the first A350 customer, Qatar Airways, whose titles it wears. Mark Broadbent

Fifty New Twin Otters

Viking completed the 50th Twin Otter Srs 400 (C-GNVA c/n 894) in early March. The aircraft is the fifth of six of the aircraft for MASwings, the regional subsidiary of Malaysia Airlines, which currently has the largest civil fleet of the type. It will be delivered to the airline in April. The new production version has been delivered to 18 customers and Viking holds orders for aircraft from operators in 23 countries. Viking

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SOFIA Grounding Looms

NASA’s Boeing 747SP Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy (SOFIA) will be grounded later this year unless new sources of funding can be found. The White House’s 2015 federal budget request for NASA slashed SOFIA funding from $84 million in the current fiscal year (FY) to $12 million in FY2015. SOFIA will continue flying science missions through the remainder of FY2014, which ends on September 30. However the agency has said the aircraft will cease flying after this date and be mothballed if no funding is secured from outside NASA. Should none be forthcoming, the aircraft would probably be stored with the hope of restarting its operations once additional finances are found. The SOFIA programme is a joint venture between the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and the Deutsches Zentrum für Luft- und Raumfahrt, the German aerospace centre. The aircraft (747SP21 N747NA Clipper Lindbergh, c/n 21441, ex N145UA) is fitted with an 8ft 2in (2.5m) telescope installed in the rear fuselage that is used to observe celestial objects in infrared wavelengths not visible to the human eye. It entered service in late 2010 (see SOFIA Starts its Operational Career, January 2011, p16) and operates from NASA’s Armstrong Flight Research Center at Edwards AFB, California. (The Dryden Flight Research Center was renamed after Neil Armstrong – a NASA test pilot before he joined the astronaut programme – on March 1.) NASA Administrator Charles Bolden said the possible grounding of SOFIA did not stem from its mission performance: “SOFIA has earned its way, it has done very well.” Instead pressures on the administration’s science budget means it has to prioritise investments ahead of putting the James Webb Telescope – which is due to replace the Hubble Space Telescope – into orbit by 2018. NASA, which provides 80% of the annual funding for SOFIA, will engage with its German partners to see if they can increase their contribution to keep the 747SP flying beyond the end of FY14. Mark Broadbent

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NEWS COLUMN

Qantas Shak by Mark Broadbent Qantas has started a three-year, AUS2 billion cost-cutting programme involving aircraft retirements, new deliveries deferments, route changes and thousands of job losses. The restructuring was revealed after the Qantas Group posted an AUS252 million pre-tax loss for the first half of the 2014 financial year, which ended on December 31, 2013. The flagship Qantas International unit reported an underlying earnings before interest and tax (EBIT) loss of AUS262 million, up from an AUS91 million loss in the first half of the 2013 financial year. Qantas Domestic’s EBIT shrank to AUS$57 million from AUS$218 million the previous year.

Retirements

Job Cuts Some 5,000 full-time jobs will be axed and there’ll be a total

Challenges Qantas has faced several challenges in recent years. Like any other network carrier, it’s been affected by reduced air travel demand amid the economic downturn and high fuel prices. Aviation consultant John Strickland told AIR International that being an ‘end-of-the-line’ carrier is another issue for Qantas. He explained: “It’s [home base is] so far away from places it’s flying to that it’s got a more costly existence than other airlines. It doesn’t do lots of seven or eight-hour

sectors back and forth across the Atlantic like British Airways does, for example. Everything it does [long-haul] is 12-13 hours, taking large amounts of aircraft time and flying costs.” Qantas has also had to face intensifying competition. Ten years ago it had a 30.5% share of international services to and from Australia, according to figures from the Australian Government’s Bureau of Infrastructure, Transport and Regional Economics. By 20122013 that figure had declined to 17.2% after Asian and Middle Eastern airlines increased their slices of the air travel market to Australia. Emirates, for example, doubled its share from 4.4% in 2004 to 8.8% last year.

Mathieu Pouliot/AirTeamImages

One eye-catching element of restructuring is phasing-out 16 Boeing 767-300ERs used by Qantas Domestic and six Boeing 747-400s in the Qantas International fleet by Q3 2015. Several Airbus A330-200s will be transferred from the Group’s low-cost carrier Jetstar Airlines to Qantas International to replace the ‘Jumbos’. Nine other 747-400s re-fitted with

a new interior will remain in service. The group has also deferred its eight remaining A380 orders and an unspecified number of Airbus A320s and 14 Boeing 787s for Jetstar, though it did not disclose when they would be delivered. By 2017, it said, “the passenger fleet will have been simplified from 11 aircraft types to seven, with an average age of eight years.” Underperforming routes, such as Perth-Singapore, will be dropped to better match capacity to demand. There will be schedule changes to increase the fleet utilisation, and all growth plans at Jetstar have been suspended.

capital expenditure reduction of AUS1 billion by financial year 2017. The airline had previously announced it would close its Avalon maintenance and Adelaide catering bases. Unveiling the cuts, Qantas CEO Alan Joyce did not mince his words: “We must take actions that are unprecedented in scope and depth. We have to make sure that our fleet and network are the right size. We must defer growth and cut back where we can, so that we can invest where we need to. We have already made tough decisions and nobody should doubt that there are more ahead.”

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NEWS COLUMN

ake-Up Domestic Market

Qantas still holds 65% of the Australian domestic market, but has been under pressure there too as its competitor Virgin Australia has added capacity. Joyce said the domestic market is an, “unlevel playing field”, because Etihad Airways, Singapore Airlines and Air New Zealand are the principal shareholders in Virgin Australia. The CEO added: “In our view, that equates to a majority foreign-owned company getting benefits designed for majority Australian-owned and controlled companies. Seen in that light, Qantas is entitled, we believe, to question the motives of an apparently loss-leading strategy by our domestic competitor funded by three of our largest international competitors, each backed by their home government.” In response, Virgin Australia’s CEO John Borghetti said: “We have had to earn every gain we have made, against a dominant player who has not hesitated to use its scale to try to continue its privileged position in the market. Qantas is more than three times our size, has a liquidity position of around $3bn and is dominant in every sector of the domestic market.” The Australian Government

is unlikely to provide direct assistance, or a debt facility, to Qantas. Instead it is looking to amend the Qantas Sale Act, which limits the extent of foreign ownership and stipulates that much of the airline facilities and staff are based in Australia. The Labor opposition argues any amendment will lead to Qantas splitting its domestic and international divisions and shifting jobs offshore

Oversupply Amid these claims and counterclaims, it is notable that Virgin Australia also announced big losses for the first half of the 2014 financial year. It posted an after-tax loss of AUS83.7 million and said its underlying EBIT had declined to AUS25.7 million from AUS57.4 million a year earlier. John Strickland says this shows that the Australian market is over-supplied: “If you oversupply the market you fly at lower load factors and lower fares because each carrier is fighting for share of traffic. Ultimately there needs to be a more rational approach to the domestic market,” he said. And that rationalisation is what Qantas is trying to achieve: “Pushing out older equipment [will mean] they’ll end up with a more efficient

Qantas has deferred its remaining eight A380 deliveries. Darren Howie/AirTeamImages

fleet mix. It looks to me like they’re taking some pain now which in the medium-term will leave them in a better shape,” Strickland added.

Emirates Partnership On the international front the Qantas strategy is to develop in Asia, where there are big markets with tourism flows to Australia. It also has a commercial partnership with Emirates, which began in April 2013, involving co-operation on sales and schedules, and passengers transferring at the Dubai base of Emirates. This replaced a previous partnership with BA that saw Qantas passengers transfer in Singapore. Thierry Antinori, Emirates Chief Commercial Officer, told reporters on the sidelines of the ITB Berlin tourism fair that the partnership was working and had increased the number

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of business-class passengers on Australia-Dubai routes that are so highly prized by network carriers. John Strickland said: “The beauty of [the partnership] is it allows Qantas to serve Europe in a much more extensive and efficient way. Their previous joint venture with BA primarily gave them London access and two/three-stop access to other points in Europe. Now they can go to Dubai and offer more destinations on a onestop basis, allowing them to use their own capacity more efficiently. To partner with a strong player like Emirates is very positive.” It will be some time before the nature of the partnership and other restructuring at ‘The Flying Kangaroo’ will bear fruit, Strickland believes. “You’ve got to be realistic. Sowing your seeds in aviation takes time to reap a harvest.”

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Commercial

AZUL’s ‘50 Cities’ Embraer

Questions Over PIA Privatisation The Government of Pakistan has announced that it is unlikely to meet its deadline to sell a stake in Pakistan International Airways (PIA). Under the terms of an International Monetary Fund loan, the government was due to appoint a financial advisor by the end of March and sell a 26% stake in the carrier to a strategic investor by December. Mohammad Zubair, Chairman of the Privatisation Commission, speaking in February, said he would seek an extension to the deadline if needed. The government announced the decision to divest itself of at least 26% of PIA on January 8. The plan was for the airline to be restructured before its core business

Embraer 195AR PR-AXH (c/n 19000569) of AZUL Linhas Aéreas Brasileiras wears the airline’s 50 cities special scheme. The aircraft was departing Recife’s Guararapes-Gilberto Freyre International Airport in Pernambuco, Brazil, in early March. Benoît Denet

Air Serbia’s First ATR 72 to Carry New Livery

was transferred to a subsidiary and privatised. Responsibility for management of PIA would then pass from the government to the investor, although the other 74% would initially be retained by the state within PIA Holdings. However, on February 19 The International News quoted Shujaat Azim, Special Assistant to Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, and Muhammad Ali Gardezi, the Federal Secretary for Civil Aviation Division – and also the acting chairman of PIA – as saying the airline will not be privatised. Instead the airline would secure dry leases for ten unspecified narrowbody airliners, and also lease eight other aircraft.

Rebranded flag carrier Air Serbia (formerly Jat Airways, retaining the JU code) has introduced ATR 72-202 YU-ALO (msn 186) into revenue service with a new interior incorporating 66 leather seats and a new livery. The other three ATR 72-202s and two -500s (212As) will also be upgraded and rebranded. To date, Air Serbia has taken delivery of five Airbus A319s, and its first 164-seat A320 (Dash 232 msn 2587, currently VH-VQO) has also been leased and received the carrier’s livery. It will have a new interior installed before entering service. Air Serbia, 49% owned by Etihad, ordered ten A320neos during the Dubai Airshow in November 2013. Salinger Igor/Aermedia.com

Ethiopian Hijacking Outside Swiss Air Force’s ‘Office Hours’ The hijacking of an Ethiopian Airlines Boeing 767-3BG(ER) by its own copilot has raised questions about the effectiveness of the Swiss Air Force. Hailemedhin Abera Tegegn took control of Flight 702 from Addis Abba to Rome on February 17, when the captain left the cockpit to use the rest room, and announced he had hijacked

his own aircraft (ET-AMF, c/n 30563, ex B-2561). He flew the airliner, and its 202 passengers, towards Switzerland, where he wished to seek asylum. Two Aeronautica Militare Italiana (Italian Air Force) Eurofighter Typhoons from 36° Stormo were scrambled to accompany the aircraft over Italy. They were relieved by

Dassault Mirage 2000Cs from the Armée de l’Air (French Air Force) when the passenger jet neared Geneva on the Franco-Swiss border. However, Swiss fighters were not available to take over escort duty, as they are only operational during office hours on weekdays due to the limited number of qualified fighter

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March 12 February 12 February 18 February 17 March 4

pilots and the cost of maintaining aircraft on 24-hour alert. The hijacking took place in the early hours of Monday morning. After landing at Geneva at 0602 hrs, Mr Tegegn climbed out of a cockpit window, then slithered down an emergency rope and gave himself up to police. Guy Martin

New MRJ Factory The Mitsubishi Regional Jet (MRJ) will be assembled at a new factory to be built by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI) adjacent to Komaki Airport, Nagoya in Aichi Prefecture in Japan. Major components will be built at MHI plants throughout the Nagoya area. Assembly of the first prototype is under way at Nagoya following the delivery of the mid-fuselage from Tobishima on October 13, 2013. David C Isby

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Commercial

New Regional Air Kazakhstan Kazakhstan is setting up a new regional airline called Air Kazakhstan. The Kazakh Government has reached an agreement with Bombardier for ten new Q400s regional turboprops, although the Canadian manufacturer has yet to officially announce the order and add the aircraft to its backlog. Air Kazakhstan will fly services linking the capital, Almaty, with regional cities. Plans for the airline were announced on February 26 by the Kazakh President, Nursultan Äbishuly Nazarbayev, with Bombardier President and Chief Executive Pierre Beaudoin. It will be registered with the nation’s civil aviation authority by May and begin operations early in 2015. The founding of the regional airline will enable Kazakhstan’s flag carrier, Air Astana, to focus on international services. “There are many domestic airports we cannot serve with our all-jet fleet,” said Peter Foster, President of Air Astana, “and it was therefore imperative that steps be taken to serve these cities with modern turboprops operating to internationally compliant standards.” The new Air Kazakhstan is not associated with the airline of the same name that acted as the Kazakhstan flag carrier between 1996 and 2004. That airline entered bankruptcy and was replaced by Air Astana established in 2002, a joint venture between Kazakhstan’s Samruk-Kazyna sovereign investment fund and BAE Systems. Mark Broadbent

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ADDITIONAL DREAMLINERS SOUGHT FOR AIR NIUGINI The Papua New Guinea Government will sell its 50% stake in Air Niugini to fund the purchase of two more Boeing 787 Dreamliners for the airline, costing PGK260.6 million ($100 million) each. The sale is expected to raise approximately PGK500 million. Details of the privatisation were revealed by Prime Minister Peter O’Neill on February 3. Deliveries are planned for 2017 and 2018. David C Isby

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MORE A320 FAMILY AIRLINERS EACH MONTH Airbus has announced that it will again increase production of the A320 family. It will build 46 per month from the second quarter of 2016, up from the current 42. The company said the

RJ85 for Air Annobón

Irish airline CityJet has sold British Aerospace Avro RJ85 EI-RJS (c/n E2365, ex N531XJ) to Air Annobón of Equatorial Guinea. The regional airliner was withdrawn by CityJet on January 22 and painted in the livery of the new carrier at Shannon Airport, Ireland. It is seen arriving at Dublin on February 27 where it will receive attention prior to delivery to its new owner. Already carrying the new name Mebana on its nose, the airliner will be registered 3C-MAA when it is handed over. It will be based at San Antonio de Palé in Annobón. The airline currently operates a pair of BAe 146-300s (ZS-SOR, c/n E3155, ex G-BTNU, and ZS-SBR, c/n E3120, ex N611AW), both leased from Fair Aviation of South Africa, on domestic flights. Michael Kelly

RwandAir Takes Deliveries of its Q400

RwandAir has taken delivery of the single Bombardier Q400 NextGen it had on order. Using the Canadian test registration C-GXKR, the aircraft (c/n 4464, which became 9XR-WL) is seen on February 24 on a test flight at Toronto Downsview Airport, Ontario in Canada. RwandAir signed a purchase agreement for the turboprop on April 22, 2013 and it was delivered at the end of February. It has been fitted with 67 seats in a dual-class configuration, similar to the two Bombardier CRJ900 NextGen regional jets delivered to the carrier in late 2012. The aircraft will be used for short- and medium-haul domestic and regional routes between African destinations. RwandAir is the 12th operator of the Q400 in Africa; 11 other airlines in nine countries utilise approximately 40 of the airliners. Andrew H Cline

NEWS BY NUMBERS

new production rate “will be achieved gradually, with an intermediate step at 44 aircraft per month in Q1 [first quarter] 2016”. The rate increase will be achieved by ramping up production at the three existing A320 family final assembly lines (FALs) in Toulouse, France; Hamburg in Germany and Tianjin in China, and the introduction of a fourth FAL at Mobile, Alabama, which is scheduled to roll out its first aircraft in 2016. Tom Williams, Executive Vice President Programmes at Airbus, said the 4,200-aircraft backlog of A320 family aircraft (both ’ceos and ’neos) provides “a solid case” to increase monthly output. A320 output has steadily increased in recent years, from 36 at the end of 2010 to 38 in August 2011, then up to 40 in the first quarter of 2012 to reach 42 per month in the fourth quarter of the same year. From the

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second quarter Airbus’ competitor Boeing will produce 42 737 Next Generation family airliners per month. The American company plans to increase that rate to 47 in 2017 and is considering raising it to 52. Mark Broadbent

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ONEWORLD MEMBERS The oneworld airline alliance will increase to 15 members on May 1 with the accession of SriLankan Airways. As AIR International went to press, Brazil’s TAM Airlines is due to join the alliance on March 31, the same day as US Airways (newlymerged with American Airlines) is set to become an affiliate member. Oneworld is still the third-largest group behind the Star Alliance, which has 28 full members, and SkyTeam, which added its 20th

El Al Launches UP UP, the new low-cost subsidiary of El Al of Israel, was due to begin operations on March 30. The airline is scheduled to operate 11 weekly flights to Berlin in Germany, Budapest in Hungary, Kiev in the Ukraine and Prague in the Czech Republic, and six weekly flights to Larnaca in Cyprus. UP is El Al’s first foray into the low-cost market and is initially equipped with five Boeing 737800s wearing a distinctive blue paint scheme featuring white clouds. The carrier has been launched to take advantage of the Open Skies air travel agreement between Israel and the European Union. Mark Broadbent

carrier, Garuda Indonesia, on March 6. Mark Broadbent

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A320s CANCELLED IN FEBRUARY Airbus recorded 33 cancellations for its A320 family aircraft in February following airline restructurings. Of the total, 25 were A320ceos for Indonesian carrier Tigerair Mandala ordered (as Mandala Airlines) in 2007, while Air Serbia (the former JAT Airways) cancelled eight A319ceos. A third of Tigerair Mandala is owned by the Tigerair Group, using its sales, distribution and marketing channels. Mandala’s recent poor financial performance has prompted reports that Tigerair aims to sell its share unless there are signs of improvement this year. Air Serbia is currently restructuring after it became a member of Etihad Airways’ equity alliance last year. Mark Broadbent

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NEWS REPORT

Above: Approximately 1,300 enthusiasts from 32 nations flew on the nine specially-arranged pleasure flights from Birmingham Airport in February. Rob Skinkis Opposite top: The DC-10’s tri-jet configuration makes it a distinctive sight whether in the air or on the ground. Rob Skinkis Opposite bottom: S2-ACR, belonging to Bangladesh’s national flag carrier Biman Bangladesh Airlines,

was the 445th of the 446 DC-10s to be built. The DC-10 first entered commercial service in 1971. Cargo and military variants will continue to fly for some years to come. Charles Cunliffe Below: After the last flight had taken place, Bangladesh Biman’s CEO, Kevin Steel, praised the cockpit crew for their smooth handling of the aircraft. Charles Cunliffe

T

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he last passenger carrying McDonnell Douglas DC-10 flight took place from Birmingham Airport, UK, on February 24. Along with the rival Boeing 747 and Lockheed TriStar, the DC-10 was one of the pioneering widebody

airliners that helped to reduce the cost of air travel and introduce it to the mass-market. The DC-10 first entered service with American Airlines in 1971 and, despite several major accidents in the type’s early career, the distinctive tri-jet went on to establish a reliable reputation. Bangladesh Biman operated the last passenger-carrying examples. It had originally planned to donate its last airworthy

The P airframe, registration S2-ACR, to a US museum. It hoped to sell seats on several commemorative flights en-route to its new home while simultaneously gaining publicity for new Boeing 777-300ER services it is launching between Birmingham and New York later this year. To mark the DC-10’s withdrawal from service the Bangladeshi flag-carrier initially proposed a final scheduled service from Dhaka, Bangladesh, to Birmingham via Kuwait, arriving at the Midlands airport on February 20. It was envisaged that the aircraft would then carry out three one-hour enthusiast flights per day from February 22-24 before being flown to New York on what would have been the very last passenger service. However, Biman failed to gain permission to sell seats on the transatlantic leg, thereby making its BG008 scenic flight from Birmingham on February 24 the last chance for passengers to fly on a DC-10. Unfortunately, the US museum that ‘Charlie Romeo’ was intended for had a change of heart and said it was unable to accommodate the aircraft. Bruntingthorpe airfield in Leicestershire, UK, home to a wide-range of historic aircraft, then offered an alternative retirement venue. However, just days before its delivery, a buyer was found for the DC-10’s engines meaning the aircraft was flown back to Dhaka empty for scrapping.

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NEWS REPORT

e Perfect Ten Tom Allett joined the happy crowd aboard the world’s last passenger DC-10 flight

Despite this, the post-retirement pleasure flights from Birmingham were unaffected and approximately 1,300 enthusiasts from 32 different nations flew on the veteran airliner over the three-day period. The very last passenger flight had sold out well in advance. It was airborne from Birmingham at 15:20 on February 24 and,

amongst the DC-10 fans on board were some who had travelled from as far as China, the US and Uganda. Needless to say, all those on board felt privileged to be taking part in this little bit of aviation history. A happier group of passengers would be hard to find. Both take-off and touch-down were greeted by a warm round

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of applause and the Birmingham Airport fire service provided a water arch salute to mark the occasion as the aircraft taxied back to the stand. By coincidence, the McDonnell Douglas MD-11, the aircraft introduced to replace the DC-10 some 20 years ago, will also retire from passenger duties this year.

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Rotary Wing

Black Peter Puma

AW609 TiltRotor Progresses

Newly upgraded No.230 Squadron Puma HC2 ZJ955 (c/n 1363, ex SAAF 148) has received a black scheme, South East Asia Command (SEAC) roundels adopted by the RAF during World War II in the Far East, and the code ‘P’. (SEAC removed the red segment in the roundels to avoid misidentifications as Japanese aircraft.) The colour and markings recall Short Sunderland III JM673/‘P’ of No.230 Squadron, which was lost 70 years ago with its crew of ten on November 28, 1944, while operating off the east coast of Ceylon. Dark colours were adopted for the Sunderland to aid dawn and dusk attacks on enemy shipping in the Bay of Bengal. The Puma is seen operating near its home base at RAF Benson, Oxfordshire, on March 6. Rick Ingham

AgustaWestland has completed AW609 TiltRotor flight envelope expansion trials and is entering the certification testing phase, leading to planned US Federal Aviation Administration approval in 2017. The first two test aircraft have jointly logged 1,000 hours, more than a third having been flown in the last two years since the certification programme was transferred to the AgustaWestland TiltRotor Company. The flying rate will increase again this year at the company’s Cascina Costa, Italy, and Arlington, Texas, facilities. The third prototype, now being assembled in Italy, will join the flight-test programme later this year. A fourth airframe will serve as a test platform for the AW609’s Rockwell Collins Pro Line Fusion avionics system, which includes touchscreen displays, integrated flight management systems with satellite-based navigation, synthetic and enhanced vision systems and head-up display interfaces. Mike Jerram

Last Upgraded German Army Tiger UHT Delivered On March 6 Airbus Helicopters delivered to the German Army the last of 12 Tiger UHT support helicopters upgraded for missions in Afghanistan to support ground troops, protect convoys and perform reconnaissance operations. In a ceremony at the manufacturer’s Donauwörth production facility

in Germany, the milestone helicopter was handed over to Kampfhubschrauberregiment 36 (Combat Helicopter Regiment 36) ‘Kurhessen’ based at Fritzlar. It completed the three batches of four Tiger UHTs ( U n t e r s t ü t z u n g s h u b s c h r a u b e r, support helicopter) modified to the

ASGARD (Afghanistan Stabilization German Army Rapid Deployment) configuration through a programme launched in late 2011 by the then Eurocopter company and the German Federal Ministry of Defence. The ASGARD conversion includes installing engine sand filters and additional ballistic protection,

while incorporating a mission data recorder and enhanced communication equipment. German armed forces began deploying the ASGARD in December 2012, with operations beginning a month later in Mazar-e-Scharif. To date, the fleet has logged more than 1,000 flight hours. Mike Jerram

Bolivian H425 Deliveries Imminent

Pantera K2 Redelivery Imminent

As AIR International went to press the first Harbin Aircraft Manufacturing Corporation H425s for the Ejército de Boliviano (Bolivian Army) were due to be delivered. Six helicopters and a flight simulator were included in a bilateral agreement between China and Bolivia, signed on December 22, 2011, with the $108 million order covered by credit given by China to the Bolivian Government. They will be equipped with night vision goggles and will be operate from La Paz Airport, which is 13,000ft (3,962m) above sea level. The Bolivian Army Aviation received its first helicopters – a pair of Robinson R44s – in June 2013 to train the pilots of the H425s. Santiago Rivas

The first two HM-1 Pantera K2s were due to be redelivered to the Aviação do Exército Brasileiro (Brazilian Army Aviation) in March. They will be handed over to the Batalhões de Aviação do Exército (Army Aviation Battalions) for a technical and operational evaluation before work starts on modernising a further 32 HM-1s. Of the 34 helicopters, two will be rebuilt from wrecks and all will be redelivered by 2020. The Pantera K2 is re-engined with the Turbomeca Arriel 2C2CG, increasing power by 40%, has a new gearbox, an enlarged Fenestron tail rotor and Rockwell Collins Pro Line 21 avionics. EB-2010 (c/n 6359) is on the ramp of Helibrás’ facility at Itajubá, where the fleet will be modernised. The first Pantera K2 flew on October 24, 2012. Helibrás/Marcio Jumpei

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Rotary Wing

‘Black Bat’ on Liaoning

The first images of an operational People’s Liberation Army Navy Air Force Changhe Z-8YJ (Z-18YJ) ‘Black Bat’ on the aircraft carrier Liaoning have been released on Chinese internet sites. The Z-8YJ is an airborne early warning and control variant helicopter developed from the Z-8, itself a copy of the Aérospatiale SA321 Super Frelon. The Z-8YJ has the redesigned nose of the AC313 (another development of the Z-8), which is understood to be designated the Z-18 in military service (and thus the aircraft may be the Z-18YJ), but uses the original sponsons for the main landing gear. It also lacks the nose radome of other naval Z-8 variants. The airborne surveillance radar is located on the redesigned rear ramp; it is lowered in flight and rotates in a similar fashion to that of the French Army’s Horizon system. This aircraft retains the rescue hoist of other Z-8 variants. Of note is the ‘black bat’ insignia on the tail. Chinese Internet via Andreas Rupprecht

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OSPREY FOR US AIR FORCE A modification worth $76.1 million to the Lot 17 to 21 multi-year contract for Bell-Boeing V-22 Osprey tiltrotors was announced on March 7 by the US Department of Defense. The funds cover confirmation of an option for a single CV-22 for the US Air Force. Work is expected to be completed in December 2016, raising procurement of CV-22Bs for Air Force Special Operations Command to 51 aircraft.

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AW139s FOR TRAVIRA AIR AgustaWestland has announced that Travira Air of Indonesia will shortly take delivery of two AW139 helicopters for offshore passenger transport operations use. “I am delighted to know these helicopters will soon enter service with Travira Air which has a long and successful history of providing onshore and offshore helicopter services to its many clients in Indonesia,” said Vincenzo Alaimo, Head of Regional Sales SE Asia for AgustaWestland at the announcement on February 18. Nigel Pittaway

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MH-60Rs DELIVERED TO THE ROYAL AUSTRALIAN NAVY The third and fourth Lockheed Martin/ Sikorsky MH-60R Seahawks for the Royal Australian Navy (N48-003 and -004, ex BuNos 168816 and 168817) have departed Lockheed Martin’s facility. They left the company’s Owego, New York, premises on February 25 on delivery to NUSQN 725 at NAS Jacksonville, Florida. The helicopters joined the first pair officially handed over to the RAN at Jacksonville on January 24 (see Australian MH-60R Seahawks Enter Service, March, p44), which had flown more than 100 hours by early March. Aircrew training will be undertaken by the US Navy’s Helicopter Maritime Strike Squadron 40 (HSM-40) at NS Mayport. Maintenance technicians are with the Naval Aviation Technical

Turkey Signs for T-70s

A contract has been signed for 109 Turkish Aerospace Industries (TAI) T-70 Black Hawk helicopters by Turkey. The deal was concluded on February 21 during a meeting between Turkish Defence Industry Undersecretary Murad Bayar, TAI Chairman Yalçın Kaya and general manager Muharrem Dörtkas¸lı, plus Sikorsky Sales and Marketing President Bob Kokoru. The agreement is worth $3.5 billion and is the result of negotiations that began on April 21, 2011, when Sikorsky’s proposal was selected to fulfil the Turkish Utility Helicopter Program. The 109 aircraft are for seven organisations; Turkish Land Forces (20), air force (six), Special Forces

NEWS BY NUMBERS

Training Unit at NAS Jacksonville. A MH-60R prototype was salvaged from storage at DavisMonthan AFB, Arizona, for use by NUSQN 725 as a maintenance training device. It will also be used for annual escape training and operational flying training ground familiarisation. Australia will receive 24 MH-60Rs by 2017. Nigel Pittaway

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EC725s FOR TUNISIAN POLICE The Tunisian Ministry of the Interior is seeking six Airbus Helicopter EC725s. Details of the €300 million order was revealed on February 7. The helicopters, for police use, will be equipped with missile warning and night-vision systems. David C Isby

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ANSAT-Us TO REPLACE MI-2s During this year six Russian Helicopters Ansat-U training helicopters built at Kazan will be delivered to the Voyenno-Vozdushnye Sily Rossii (Russian Air Force) Sokol Training Air Group at Sokolovsky in the Saratov oblast to replace Mil Mi-2 Hoplites. The Ansat-U will be integrated into the training programme following a three-month conversion course for the instructors. David C Isby

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HELICOPTERS ORDERED FOR SPANISH AGENCIES Airbus Helicopters has signed a contract with Spain’s Traffic Department (DGT) for seven helicopters: four AS355NP Ecureuils and three EC135s, the latter to be operated by the National Police Force. Deliveries will begin this year with one of each type and be completed in 2016. The DGT has been operating the former Aérospatiale and Eurocopter range of helicopters for nearly half a century. Its current 18-strong fleet is used for surveillance, traffic regulation and highway patrols from Madrid and outstations

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throughout Spanish territory. Delivery of the four new Ecureuils will make it one of the world’s largest fleet operators of the type. The new EC135s will boost the Spanish Police’s Aerial Services fleet to 17. Mike Jerram

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MORE AW139s FOR WESTSTAR Malaysia’s Weststar signed a contract at the recent Singapore airshow for an additional 10 AgustaWestland AW139 helicopters for use in offshore oil and gas support operations. The latest order brings the total number of AW139s to be delivered to Weststar to 34. “The AW139 helicopters already make up the majority of the Weststar Aviation Services fleet and we have enjoyed a stellar track record utilising them,” Y Bhg General Tan Sri Muhammad Ismail Jamaluddin, Weststar Group CEO, said at the contract signature ceremony on February 11. “As Weststar Aviation Services moves forward in its international expansion efforts, we are delighted and confident to further cement AgustaWestland as our preferred helicopter partner.” Nigel Pittaway

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SAAF ALOUETTES FOR NAMIBIA Namibia is understood to be about to take delivery of 12 former South African Air Force (SAAF) Aérospatiale Alouette IIIs. The aircraft and spares are ready to be shipped to Namibia, although final approval and official confirmation had not been received by early March. France, as the original source of the helicopters, is understood to have approved the transfer. The Alouette IIIs would complement Namibia’s two Hindustan Aeronautics Chetaks (based on the Alouette IIIs) and single Cheetah (Lama) acquired from India. The Namibian Air Force also has two Harbin H425 Haituns, one AgustaWestland AW139 and

Command (11), Gendarmerie (30), Security General Directorate (20), Golbasi Electronics Command (two) and the Ministry of Forestry and Water Affairs (20). The T-70 is based on the Sikorsky S-70i International Black Hawk with a high percentage of Turkish systems and components. TAI is the prime contractor for the programme and will build the rotor blades, cabin and cockpit, as well as assembling the helicopters at Ankara. The General Electric T700-TEI-701D powerplant will be built by Turkish Engine Industries, with the transmission and other components by Alp Aviation. Aselan has announced a deal with TAI to supply electronics for the T-70.

two Mil Mi-17s in service. The 12 Alouette IIIs were originally destined for Zimbabwe, but delivery was halted by a court order obtained on January 25, 2013, by civil rights organisation AfriForum over fears the Zimbabwean Government would use the aircraft against its citizens. South Africa retired its Alouette IIIs in 2007, replacing them with AgustaWestland A109 Light Utility Helicopters. Guy Martin

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ENSTROM 480Bs FOR VENEZUELA The Venezuelan Defence Ministry has ordered a batch of 16 new Enstrom 480B helicopters to train air force and navy rotary-wing pilots. The contract includes spares, tools, training, maintenance and technical assistance and deliveries are expected to start this year, with the last one arriving inVenezuela within 18 months. Santiago Rivas

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AH-64Es FOR THE US ARMY A contract for the production of 84 Boeing AH-64E Apache Guardians has been announced by the US Department of Defense. The $1.16 billion deal, revealed on March 4, covers remanufacture of 72 AH-64Ds to the later standard and ten new AH-64Es, plus work on six crew trainers. Completion is estimated by the end of June 2016, with the work undertaken at Mesa in Arizona.

3,500

MI-17s EXPORTED Russian Helicopters has built the 3,500th export version of the Mil Mi-17 at its Kazan Helicopters facility. It will be delivered to the Indian Air Force as part of a contract signed in 2012 for 80 Mi-17V-5s. Between 2012 and 2013 India ordered a further 71 that are currently being manufactured. More than 250 Mil helicopters are in Indian service, on training, transport, search and rescue and medevac operations. Mike Jerram

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Rotary Wing...Heli-Expo 2014

Heli-Expo 2014 Debutants and Developm

A

gusta Westland launch the Trekker, a simplified derivative of the AW109SP GrandNew, at HAI HeliExpo. The helicopter combines the cabin, high speed and hot-and-high performance of the AW109SP with new features including a skid landing gear and simplified flight deck. The replacement of the original retractable wheeled landing gear and associated hydraulic system has reduced weight while the higher skids have raised the cabin floor, easing patientloading in the medical evacuation configuration. Production-standard Trekkers will use a GrandNew cabin and a significant proportion of composite materials. Powered by the same Pratt & Whitney Canada PW207C turboshaft engines used in the AW109SP, the Trekker has a maximum take-off weight (MTOW) of 7,000lb (3,175kg), a useful load of around 3,306lb (1,500kg), maximum range of 445nm (824km) and endurance of four hours and 20 minutes with a five-cell fuel system. Avionics are based on the Garmin G1000H with an optional third

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screen for the co-pilot. Production will be on AgustaWestland’s line at Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Certification is expected in 2015, with emergency medical services (EMS), law enforcement, utility transport and SAR configurations to be offered. The Trekker displayed at Heli-Expo wore the livery of Dallas, Texas-based EMS operator SevenBar, which ordered two of the type plus two AW119Kxs at the show. Heli-Expo also saw the North American debut of the AW169 and AW189. The AW189 received its type certificate from the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) on February 7 and delivery to launch customer Bristow is imminent.

Upgraded Super Puma Airbus Helicopters used Heli-Expo to announce an upgraded version of its Super Puma heavy twin, the EC225e. Targeted at the longrange offshore market, the new derivative boasts greater range and enhanced Category A performance thanks to more powerful Turbomeca Makilla 2B engines, increased payload and fuel capacity and an improved passenger cabin. A 470-litre (103 Imp gallon) extra fuel tank is installed in the baggage compartment and the EC225e’s radius of action is extended to 300nm (556km) with ten passengers

and two pilots. The MTOW is increased to 25,346lb (11,500kg) – 1,102lb (500kg) more than the standard EC225. The upgraded aircraft also boasts a new avionics suite – featuring automatic approach to oil rigs in bad weather to reduce pilot workload – and is due to receive EASA approval in 2015. Lease Corporation International, the aviation leasing arm of the Libra Group, is the launch customer, placing an order for 15 at HAI Heli-Expo. At Anaheim, Airbus displayed the multi-mission AS332C1e, a low-cost derivative of the Super Puma family offering limited customisation options. The first production AS332C1e exhibited was actually the second due to be delivered from an initial order placed in November 2012 by launch customer Starlite Aviation Group for

two firm and two options. The options were converted into firm orders in December 2013. The second production AS332C1e was delivered to Starlite in February and the helicopter at Anaheim was due to be handed over at the end of the show.

SLS Gets the X Factor Bell Helicopter formally christened its Short Light Single (SLS) the Model 505 Jet Ranger X at Anaheim. Announced at the Paris Air Show in June 2013 as the company’s return to the single-engine light helicopter market (following the end of 206B-3 JetRanger production in 2010), it saw up to 95 letters of intent signed at Heli-Expo. The Jet Ranger X is offered for $1 million, making it slightly more expensive than the current market leader in this segment – the $839,000 Robinson R66.

Top: The AgustaWestland AW109 Trekker combines the airframe of the AW109SP with a skid landing gear. The aircraft displayed at HAI HeliExpo 2014 wore SevenBar titles.

All images Alexander Mladenov Right: Bell displayed three mock-ups of the Model 505 Jet Ranger X. Middle right: Enstrom used HAI Heli-Expo

2014 to reveal its TH180 training helicopter, which retains the style of the company’s earlier designs. Far right: Sikorsky displayed a mockup of the S-97 Raider at Anaheim, promoting the technology used in the helicopter for civil applications.

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Rotary Wing...Heli-Expo 2014 executive/passenger transport. The Jet Ranger X will be built on a brand-new assembly line at Lafayette, Louisiana, which is due to open in 2015. Bell officials said 2013 was a good year for the company, with 12% growth in deliveries – from 180 in 2012 to 213 – and 64% of these taken by customers outside the US. The trend is expected to continue, as no less than 80% of orders received in 2013 were for international customers.

New Enstrom Trainer Enstrom Helicopters unveiled a new piston-engined rotorcraft optimised for flight training. The two-seat TH180 is a scaled-down development of the three-seat 280FX, powered by a 210shp (157kW) Lycoming HIO-390. It is expected to make its maiden flight this summer and receive its FAA certificate in the second quarter of 2015. The TH180 features Enstrom’s high-inertia main rotor blades and articulated hub combined with an

pments Bell is implementing a rapid development schedule using technology borrowed from the 206L-4 LongRanger, such as the transmission and rotor blade system, combined with the G1000H fully-integrated glass cockpit already certified on the 407GX. The Jet Ranger X will be the first Bell rotorcraft powered by a Turbomecca engine, the Arrius 2R. With a cruise speed of 125kts (232km/h), range of 360nm (667km) and useful load of 1,500lb (680kg), Bell claims it will be the safest and easiest aircraft to fly in the low-end single turbine market. Its maiden flight is expected by the end of this year and Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) certification in 2015. The three main configurations are for utility transport, law enforcement and

costs are expected to be around $175 an hour.

Swiss Challenger Independent Swiss company Marenco Swisshelicopter displayed the prototype of its privatelyfunded SKYe SH09 single-engined helicopter at the show. Ground tests are under way and the aircraft is due to fly in April. Powered by a 1,021shp (760kW) Honeywell HTS900-2 turboshaft, the SH09 has a MTOW of 5,842lb (2,650kg), rising to 6,170lb (2,800kg) with an external load. It can carry 2,200lb (1,500kg) externally and has a window under the cabin to monitor underslung cargo. Cruise speed is 141kts (260km/h), maximum range 432nm (800km) and endurance between 3.7 and 5 hours. In addition to the pilot, seven passengers can be carried. Some 50 orders have been placed for the $3.25 million helicopter, including three at this year’s HeliExpo. Marenco is primarily targeting markets in North and Latin America and Asia, because EASA restrictions

on options, the new model costs between $4 million and $5 million. Ms Tilton says the MD 530F continues to be in high demand from foreign military customers, mainly in Latin America and the Middle East. MD Helicopters expects to make 50 deliveries this year. Production time is nine months from receipt of an order, mainly due to the delivery time for M250-C30 engines from Rolls-Royce, but can be as short as 90 days if a powerplant is at hand.

Raider Promoted Sikorsky Aircraft’s presence at HeliExpo centred on a mock-up of the S-97 Raider high-speed scout and attack compound rotorcraft concept. The first prototype is being prepared at the company’s flight assembly facility in West Palm Beach, Florida, and is expected to take to the air before the end of the year. The S-97 is predicted to fly twice as fast as conventional helicopters, thanks to technology proven on the X2 demonstrator which achieved 250kts (463km/h) in level flight. The

This year’s Helicopter Association International (HAI) Heli-Expo, held at the Anaheim Convention Centre in California between February 24 and 27, attracted 700 exhibitors and 19,000 visitors. Several manufacturers unveiled new helicopters and variants of existing types. Alexander Mladenov reports from the event. unobstructed tail rotor for greater controllability and forgiving handling qualities. It is primarily intended to compete against the Robinson R22, which is widely used for civil rotarywing flight training. At Anaheim, Enstrom representatives also touted the TH180 as a replacement for the Sikorsky S-300, which is no longer produced. S-300 operators have reported difficulties supporting their aircraft, raising the prospect of a significant number needing to be replaced soon. Enstrom also hopes the use of the TH180 to train new pilots will establish brand loyalty when they go on to purchase their own helicopters. The TH180 is also offered for patrol, surveillance and as personal transport. With an optional glass cockpit, the basic helicopter costs just under $400,000. Operating

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on single-engine aerial operations limit opportunities within Europe. Customer deliveries are expected to begin in 2017.

Next Armed MD 530 Variant Revealed

At Anaheim MD Helicopters unveiled its new MD 530G armed aerial scout derivative. It’s based on the MD 530F airframe and aimed at the military export market. Company CEO Lynn Tilton says the 530G builds on the combat-proven success of the 530F, with MTOW increased to 3,750lb (1,701kg), strengthened landing gear, an integrated Moog munitions control system and an extensive selection of weapons. Certification of the MD 530G is due in the second quarter of this year and the first delivery expected in the third quarter. Depending

S-97 will have a cruising speed of more than 200kts (371km/h), a dash speed above 225kts (417km/h), an MTOW of 10,495lb (4,762kg) and range of 570nm (308km). The coaxial-rotor Raider was initially offered for the US Army’s Armed Aerial Scout (AAS) requirement to replace the Bell OH-58D Kiowa Warrior. But AAS was recently cancelled and Sikorsky is now promoting the Raider as a contender for the US Army’s Future Vertical Lift programme while hoping the service will look again at an armed aerial scout in the long term. Sikorsky will also promote the technology embedded in the S-97 to commercial operators, which will be invited to attend demonstrations and evaluate the potential for compound propulsion to reduce flight times in the long-range offshore transport role.

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Risin

to the Challe Robert F Dorr explains why the US Air Force has developed a new-found confidence in its F-22 Raptor superfighter after its first decade in service

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F-22 RAPTOR MILITARY

ing

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appears to pledge that both systems will be in cockpits by year’s end but pilots may still be waiting when that juncture arrives. Modern-day problems associated with the sleek, bat-winged F-22 – as distinguished from problems that occurred during its development – are less troubling than the issues of the past because the Raptor appears, at long last, on the verge of fulfilling its promise. In terms of aerodynamics, stealth, avionics and sheer lethality, the F-22 is the best combat platform in the world. Its adherents say no other fighter can touch it. Problems with its oxygen system appear to be history, a new way of deploying

the aircraft is proving itself, and Raptor pilots are feeling new confidence in their superfighter and in themselves. This is the Raptor’s time. When US leaders need a ‘silver bullet’ in a crisis – as happened last year when Iranian fighters intercepted an American drone – the F-22 is ready to show up. The Raptor is, finally, after years of hope and promise, at the top of its game.

All images Jim Haseltine

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he F-22 Raptor pilot who deems himself an optimist sees 2014 as the year when bounty will flow in the form of capabilities that pilots of other fighters took for granted years ago. Long promised is a helmet-mounted cueing system to expand the Raptor’s potential to aim and deploy missiles. Also possible but less likely is a datalink to permit exchanging images with other friendly fighters. A Pentagon programme document

Rudiments of the Raptor Before looking at current issues facing the Raptor community, it’s a good idea to review

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MILITARY F-22 RAPTOR the basics of the aircraft. Two 35,000lb static thrust (156kN) Pratt & Whitney F119-100 engines provide the power for the Raptor. Most of the world’s major fighters were designed to take advantage of twin-engine performance and reliability, and the F-22 is no exception. The F119-100 is a low bypass afterburning turbofan engine. It is the first fighter aircraft engine equipped with hollow wide-chord fan blades, which are installed in the first fan stage. Thrust vectoring is controlled by a Hamilton Standard dual redundant fullauthority digital engine control (FADEC). The M61A2 Vulcan cannon is installed internally above the right air intake and uses 480 rounds of link-less 20mm ammunition, fed into the gun at a rate of 100 rounds per second. Early plans to give the F-22 a new gun instead of this familiar mainstay did not materialise. Over decades, attempts to replace the ageing but reliable M61 have foundered. As a practical matter a new cannon probably is not needed. The term ‘fifth generation’, a marketing conceit dreamed up by the F-22’s manufacturer and now widely used in the fighter world, suggests that a stealth fighter is more advanced than a fighter not designed with low observable (LO), or stealth properties. The Raptor does not use

radar absorbent material (RAM) on all of its surfaces: the material is used selectively on edges, cavities and surface discontinuities. Nevertheless, the F-22 is considered to offer full stealth, unlike the F-35 Lightning II Joint Strike Fighter, which has a very good radar profile from the front, a less stealthy profile from the sides, and a not-so-stealthy profile from the rear quarter. The F-22 is also considered stealthier than radar-evading aircraft that preceded it, including the F-117 Nighthawk and B-2 Spirit. Not every expert agrees that stealth is all that important. But when other aspects of the F-22’s performance are taken into account, the superfighter is clearly a generation ahead of many of the world’s best-known fighter types. If the world was to witness a serious resumption of air-to-air combat — something not experienced by US pilots since Vietnam — the F-22 would clearly offer an advantage. The current fleet of just 184 Raptors is not large enough to have a dominant role in a full-scale ‘peer’ war but is a precious resource in limited engagements with high-value adversaries. Analysts Pierre Sprey and Jim Stevenson at a conference in Washington last December described the situation by calling the F-22 the Messerschmitt Me 262 Schwalbe of its time. The Me 262 entered combat in World

War Two far superior in performance to any allied fighter it might encounter. Yet only about 200 Me 262s, a fleet the size of the F-22’s, were fully operational at any given time and they were swept from the skies by more than 2,000 P-47 Thunderbolts, P-51 Mustangs and Hawker Tempests. One key issue with the Me 262, and now arising with the F-22, is insufficient flying time for pilot proficiency. Air force chief of staff Gen Mark Welsh warned in November 2013 that because of the ongoing budget crunch flying hours for all types might be reduced by 15% in 2014.

Okay with OBOGS A brief and very real, but somewhat overblown scandal, concerning the Raptor’s On Board Oxygen Generation System (OBOGS) has been left behind, Pentagon officials told AIR International. Acting Air Force Secretary Eric Fanning (the service’s civilian boss until Deborah Lee James became Air Force Secretary last December 20) presented a management award to retired Maj Gen Charles Lyon last November 18 for his “leadership and tenacity” saying Lyon found the root cause of F-22 life support anomalies and brought the Raptor back to flying status after a prolonged grounding. Lyon said the cockpit problems 2

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F-22 RAPTOR MILITARY

1 1 An F-22 Raptor dispenses a flare used for self-protection against infrared-guided missiles. 2 Air Force Reserve Command’s 44th Fighter Group is a reserve associate unit to Air Combat Command’s 49th Wing. 3&4 F-22 Raptors from the Langley-based 1st Fighter Wing at Kadena Air Base, Okinawa, during a temporary duty deployment to the South China Sea super base. 5 A Raptor pilot taxies his silvery Raptor painted in the Have Glass colour scheme on to the end of runway ramp at Holloman Air Force Base. 6 An airman signals to the pilot to apply the brakes, ready for the chocks to be placed against the main wheels for final checks, on the end of runway ramp at Holloman. 7 An airman pulls a pair of chocks out to the end of runway ramp to park the jet during final checks before take-off.

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F-22 RAPTOR MILITARY were caused not by a single issue but by a “mosaic”. The problems “reside in the cockpit,” he said, “in the upper pressure garment, in the oxygen delivery hoses, in the quick connection points and ...in the air filter canister”. Under Lyon’s direction, all were redesigned. Lyon is a formidable, no-nonsense man. Now that his recommended changes are standard throughout the F-22 fleet, most airmen who work on the superfighter seem to agree that the F-22’s OBOGS problems have been permanently solved. “It took them too long to fix it,” one F-22 pilot told AIR International, “but they did fix it.” The Pentagon maintained all along, and still does, that OBOGS was blameless in the November 16, 2010 crash that killed F-22 pilot Capt Jeffrey Haney (31) of the 525th Fighter Squadron ‘Bulldogs’ at Elmendorf, Alaska. Haney’s aircraft (serial number 06-4125) went down 100 miles (160km) northeast of Anchorage. An accident board determined that a malfunction with the engines’ bleed air system caused several other systems aboard the Raptor to shut down abruptly. Looking ahead, air force leaders and members of the F-22 community will face new challenges in the period just ahead. The maintenance-intensive F-22 costs $68,362 per hour to fly, compared to $41,921 for an F-15C Eagle and $22,514 for an F-16C Fighting Falcon. The truth is that the F-22’s operating cost has been a factor ever since the first operational aircraft (serial number 01-4018) arrived at Tyndall Air Force Base, Florida on September 26, 2003. Considering the technological issues, especially those related to the stealth coating, the operating costs seem reasonable but are still a challenge to an air force with nearly empty pockets. Worse, for reasons unclear, the dollar amount has gone up in each recent year when the maturing of the fleet should have caused it to go down. The F-22 has a mission capable rate (MCR) of 69%, compared to 73% for the F-15C and 74% for the F-16C. The average for all air force aircraft was 73% in fiscal year 2013. The Raptor’s MCR has gone down in each recent year when it should be expected to go up. This figure, too, is influenced by the costs associated with LO materials designed to make the Raptor difficult to detect on radar. The purchase price of the Raptor ($163 million, not including research and development) has been an issue since the two-seat F-22B combat-capable trainer, comparable to an F-15D or F-16D, was abandoned on the drawing board back in 1996.

Cueing System and Competition

Since the F-22 was conceived in the 1980s the prospect of equipping Raptor pilots with a helmet-mounted cueing system (HMCS) has been an on-again, off-again situation.

F-22 RAPTOR SQUADRONS (TAIL CODES IN PARENTHESES)

Air Combat Command 1st Fighter Wing, Joint Base Langley-Eustis, Virginia (FF) 27th Fighter Squadron ‘Fighting Eagles’ 94th Fighter Squadron ‘Hat in the Ring’ 49th Wing, Holloman AFB, New Mexico (HO) The 49th Wing will lose its F-22s in 2014 7th Fighter Squadron ‘Screamin’ Demons’ 8th Fighter Squadron ‘Black Sheep’ 53rd Wing, Nellis AFB, Nevada (OT) 422nd Test and Evaluation Squadron ‘Green Bats’ 325th Fighter Wing, Tyndall AFB, Florida (TY) 43rd Fighter Squadron 95th Fighter Squadron ‘Mr Bones’ Air Force Materiel Command 412th Test Wing, Edwards AFB, California (ED) 411th Flight Test Squadron Pacific Air Forces 3rd Wing, Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska (AK) 90th Fighter Squadron ‘Pair o’ Dice’ 525th Fighter Squadron ‘Fighting Bulldogs’ 15th Wing, Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii (HH) 19th Fighter Squadron ‘Gamecocks’ (associate to Air National Guard 199th FS) Air National Guard 192nd Fighter Wing, Joint Base Langley-Eustis, Virginia (FF) 149th Fighter Squadron, Virginia Air National Guard (associate to 1st Fighter Wing) 154th Wing, Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii (HH) 199th Fighter Squadron, Hawaii Air National Guard Air Force Reserve Command 44th Fighter Group, Holloman AFB, New Mexico (HO) 301st Fighter Squadron (associate to 49th Wing) 477th Fighter Group, Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii (HH) 302nd Fighter Squadron (associate to 199th Fighter Squadron, Hawaii Air National Guard)

Pilots have long argued that without an HMCS and an off-boresight missile, they could be vulnerable in a relatively closequarters battle — a ‘knife fight’ with an opposing fighter. Early in 2013, the air force announced it was cancelling plans to integrate the Vision Systems International (VSI) Joint Helmet Mounted Cueing System (JHMCS) — currently deployed on F-15C Eagles, F-15E Strike Eagles, Block 40 and Block 50 F-16C Fighting Falcons, Navy F/A-18E/F Super Hornets, and other fighters — into the F-22. The cancellation was announced only weeks after Col Robert Novotny, commander of the 53rd Test and Evaluation Group at Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada, told AIR International that the JHMCS would give the Raptor “first look, first shot” capability with an off-boresight, infrared air-to-air missile like the AIM-9X Sidewinder, which is carried by other fighters but is not yet certified for the F-22. Among other problems, the JHMCS simply occupies too much space in the relatively small cockpit of the F-22. It would be almost impossible to exaggerate how cramped the Raptor cockpit is in terms of headroom for the pilot. Rather than being integrated into the helmet itself, the JHMCS assembly attaches to modified HGU-55/P, HGU-56/P or HGU-68/P helmets, the standard models now in use with the US Air Force. Separate issues, mostly related to system integration, affect JHMCS in the F-22 context but the

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MILITARY F-22 RAPTOR 1&2 F-22 Raptors from the Langley-based 1st Fighter Wing at Kadena Air Base, Okinawa, during a temporary duty deployment to the South China Sea super base. 1

main concerns are size, weight and bulk. Under proposed legislation for fiscal year 2015, which begins on October 1, the air force must assess the risks of whether helmet equipment, including night vision or a helmet-mounted cueing system, can cause increased risk of death or serious injury during an emergency ejection. The amendment was introduced by Senators Mark Udall (Dem - Colorado) and Roy Blunt (Rep - Missouri) following the January 28, 2013 mishap that killed F-16C pilot Capt Lucas Gruenther of the 510th Fighter Squadron, 31st Fighter Wing near Aviano Air Base, Italy. During a night flight in inclement weather, Gruenther, piloting a Block 42 F-16C (serial number 88-0510) became spatially disoriented and ejected while flying at 560 knots. He was wearing helmet equipment when he ejected, and was killed by a 40G snapback when his drogue chute deployed. “The Aviano incident has raised concerns about adequate protection for pilots wearing advanced types of helmet and other helmet-mounted equipment that might not have been in use when the ejection seats were designed,” Udall’s spokesman James Owens told reporters. Gruenther was apparently wearing JHMCS, which is standard for F-16s at Block 40 and higher. Raptor pilots refer to JHMCS as a “full” helmet-mounted cueing system. They speak of a “partial” system when the discussion turns to the Visionix Scorpion HMCS — in its essence, a monocle — and its full-colour paddle display. Scorpion is intended to be installed on standard issue helmets and is fully compatible with standard US flight equipment without special fitting.

Last November, the air force said it was preparing a demonstration of Scorpion with the F-22. Today, Scorpion is undergoing evaluation with the Raptor by the 422nd Test and Evaluation Squadron at Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada. For the F-22, Scorpion is viewed (by pilots) as a compromise, yet it too adds sufficient bulk to the helmet to mean that some pilots are going to be bumping their heads on the canopy. The system does have one advantage: it is already in use on all A-10 Thunderbolt IIs and Air National Guard and Air Force Reserve Command Block 25, 30 and 32 F-16C and F-16D Fighting Falcons. The F-22 force includes an Air National Guard squadron in Hawaii that owns its own aircraft and another that enjoys associate status with the active duty force in Virginia; former F-16 pilots assigned to the two squadrons have experience with Scorpion and should become accustomed to it easily. The US is not alone in fielding HMCS, off-boresight missiles, or so-called fifthgeneration fighters — although no other country has an operational fifth-generation jet so far. The F-22 has had company since January 29, 2010, when Russia’s prototype PAKFA stealth fighter, the Sukhoi T-50, took off from Komsomolsk-on-Amur for a 47-minute maiden flight in the hands of Sukhoi test pilot Sergey Bogdan. Five aircraft in this series were flying at press time and Russian authorities say the fighter will enter service in 2016. Russia has two other stealth fighter designs under development. China’s Chengdu J-20 made its first flight on January 11, 2011 (see China’s Mighty

Dragon, p40-45). A second high-tech fighter, the Shenyang J-31, first flew on October 31, 2012. China remains largely dependent on Russian assistance for engines and for certain avionics. While neither Russia nor China faces the political pressure that halted F-22 production too soon or budgetary issues that may limit F-22 operations, the other two superpowers are clearly playing catch-up. What isn’t clear is whether they place the same importance on stealth and other fifth-generation technologies as the Pentagon does. Many in the F-22 community say their fighter is so good, and its potential for defeating the foe beyond visual range so great, that a HMCS needn’t be a gamechanging issue. For most purposes, the head-up display (HUD) on the F-22 enables the pilot to employ missiles in a wide range of situations in a battle. Thus, the Raptor pilot can dominate the engagement without ever having to worry about getting eyeballto-eyeball with the enemy. In contrast, the F-35 has no HUD and the Gen II Helemet Mounted Display System being developed for that aircraft is crucial.

Datalink In net-centric and information-driven warfare, the ability to transmit information, including images, is important. The hope, not yet fully achieved, is that war fighters on the ground and in the air will be able to share data and images by being connected to a network. Most US aircraft send and receive data from friendly air and ground commanders using a device called Link 16. But, uniquely, an intelligence and situational picture generated 2

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F-22 RAPTOR MILITARY

3 3 An F-22, in the markings of the now stood down 7th Fighter Squadron at Holloman Air Force Base, drops an inert 1,000lb GBU-32 JDAM on White Sands weapon range. 4&5 Airmen prepare to load a 1,000lb GBU-32 JDAM into the right hand side internal weapons bay of an F-22. 6 Airmen read data from the F-22 aircraft on a portable maintenance aid. 7 Airmen prepare to load an AIM-120 AMRAAM missile into the left hand side internal weapons bay of an F-22. 8 Airmen use a portable maintenance aid for reference during loading of a AIM-9 Sidewinder missile.

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by an F-22 cannot be transferred to an 7 6 F-15, F-16 or airborne early warning aircraft, even if they are all participating in the same operation. Link 16 requires the data to be transmitted and a stealth aircraft cannot retain its radar-evading properties by putting out emissions that can be readily detected by an enemy’s signals-intelligence efforts. Initially the Raptor did not have Link 16 but now has the system that soley operates in ‘receive’ mode. An F-22 pilot can only share data and information with other aircraft by using a radio, except when communicating with another Raptor pilot using the type’s operation, which might be seen as defeating unique Intra Flight Datalink (IFDL see below). its purpose, and has limited range. This was more important back in the days “Today we have this dog’s breakfast when air staff officers were touting the of different datalinks, formats and Raptor’s air-to-ground capability. Today, configurations in the airborne network,” said 8 F-22 pilots train only for the air-to-air role, the air force’s chief information officer, Lt which is where the superfighter excels. Gen William Lord at a 2011 conference. “So The stealth-qualified, narrow-beam Intra our staff, working with the navy, the marine Flight Datalink is unique to the F-22 force. corps and the army is coming up with the The technology in IFDL is highly classified Joint Aerial Layer Network,” that will link but so far the system only permits one F-22 ground, space and airborne communications to communicate with another F-22. It was nodes together enabling them to talk to explicitly designed to enable a small formation one another. Leaving aside the general’s of F-22s to talk to one another and to share metaphor, technical and fiscal issues have tracking data — “what I see on my radar, you hamstrung development of his planned can see too,” as one Raptor pilot put it. future gateway that would connect Link 16, In 2010, the air force cancelled plans – that IFDL and MADL-equipped aircraft. were fairly mature at that time – to equip In most situations, F-22 pilots will continue Raptors with the Multifunction Advanced to share information with non-F-22 recipients Data Link (MADL). At one time this was using the only means available to them – intended for all stealth aircraft, including the pressing the transmit button on their voice B-2 Spirit, but it will now be installed on the radio. That means no streams of data, no F-35 only. MADL is limited to line-of-sight radar readings and no images. While they

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MILITARY F-22 RAPTOR tend to degrade situational awareness, none of the helmet or datalink issues discussed here are viewed as seriously hindering the Raptor’s formidable air combat capability.

Getting it There As an instrument of policy, the F-22 is most useful to decision-makers in Washington if it can be quickly and effectively deployed to a world trouble spot. Air force leaders like to say that the United States can use the Raptor to “kick down the door” – another Pentagon officer called it “neutralising antiaccess threats” – to enable US forces to

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dominate in a location previously denied by the presence of a highly capable air defence system. The ability of the F-22 to span oceans was questioned in 2007 when Pentagon officials acknowledged that technical glitches kept the superfighter from appearing at the Paris Air Show. While attempting the Raptor’s first overseas deployment to Okinawa on February 11, 2007, six F-22s flying from Hawaii experienced multiple system failures while crossing the International Date Line (the 180th meridian of longitude) caused by software errors. The Raptors were

able to return to Hawaii by following their accompanying KC-135 tankers. Within 48 hours, the software error was rectified and the journey resumed. In 2009, F-22s deployed to Al Dhafra Air Base in the United Arab Emirates for training. In 2011, half a dozen F-22s deployed to the Gulf Air Warfare Centre at Al Dhafra to participate in an exercise. Both F-22 deployments were viewed by Iranian authorities as provocative. A third Al Dhafra deployment in 2013 was different and highlights the new, lean method of getting the Raptor quickly into

F-22 RAPTOR MILITARY harm’s way. Lt Col Kevin Sutterfield of Air Force Reserve Command’s Hawaii-based 302nd Fighter Squadron wrote a white paper. His document was widely circulated in the Pentagon and in combatant commands arguing against the need for large force packages and emphasising what he called “a way to generate and [rapidly] move small cells of fifth-generation jets” without need for massive support by tankers and airlifters. Sutterfield’s scheme for a nimble, no-frills response force was first tested during joint exercises in Alaska in August 2013. Half a dozen Raptors got to Al Dhafra with their

entire support cadre using just a single C-17 Globemaster III. During this deployment, the F-22 came closer than ever to actually shooting at somebody. Gen Mark Welsh, air force chief, told the story at a trade conference: “Did you see the news clip not long ago about Iranian F-4s that intercepted a remotelypiloted aircraft over the Arabian Gulf and then they were warned off? This is the guy who warned ‘em off.” Welsh introduced Sutterfield to an audience. “He flew under their aircraft to check out their weapons load without them knowing that he was there and A six-ship of F-22 Raptors flying over the White Sands range, near Alamogordo, in New Mexico.

then pulled up on their left wing, called them and said, ‘you really ought to go home’.” The mid-air meeting between two Iranian F-4E Phantom IIs — following a US MQ-1B Predator — and two F-22s ended without anyone pulling a trigger. Some air force officers thought Welsh told the story ineptly – braggadocio over military prowess being, in their minds, in bad taste. But it was a watershed moment. No longer does the Raptor community need to fear gremlins among the electrons inside their aircraft. No longer must the air force hesitate to deploy the Raptor when it wants to. And no longer does the F-22 require an entire armada of support troops and aircraft when it travels afar. In March of last year, the first appearance of the F-22 in South Korea was a measure of new American confidence in the Raptor even if North Korea called it “a dangerous step”. The deployment consisted of just a pair of F-22s but it left a clear message about US readiness. During the coming months, pilots and maintainers of the F-22 Raptor superfighter are expecting smaller and more frequent deployments. Watch for an F-22 Raptor, coming soon to an airfield near you.

F-22 RAPTOR SPECIFICATIONS Type Single-seat fighter Powerplant Two Pratt & Whitney F119-PW-100 afterburning turbofan engines each rated at 35,000lb static thrust (156kN) Two divergent exhaust nozzles with thrust vectoring for enhanced manoeuvrability Performance Maximum speed at altitude: Mach 2.25 (1,500mph, 2,414km/h) Super cruise: Mach 1.82 (1,220mph, 1,963km/h) Range: 1,600 nautical miles (2,960km) with two external fuel tanks Combat radius: 410nm (759km) Ferry range: 1,700nm (3,150km) Service ceiling: 65,000ft (19,812m) Weights Empty 31,670lb (14,365kg) Maximum take-off 60,000lb (27,216kg) Dimensions Wingspan: 44ft 6in (13.56m) Length: 62ft 1in (18.92m) Height: 16ft 5in (5.02m) Wheel base: 19 ft 9in (6.04m) Wing area: 840sqft (78m2) Armament One 20mm M61A1 Vulcan cannon with 480 rounds Six AIM-120 AMRAAMs or other air-to-air missiles carried internally First flight YF-22 August 27, 1990 F-22 September 17, 1997

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MILITARY CHENGDU J-20

China’s

Mighty Dragon

The stealthy fifth-generation Chengdu J-20 shows how China’s aviation industry has progressed, says Andreas Rupprecht

W

ith its distinctive planform and stealth capabilities, the Chengdu Aircraft Corporation’s J-20 ‘Mighty Dragon’ is undoubtedly one of the most exotic-looking military aircraft in development. China’s first fifth-generation fighter proves the country’s aviation industry is progressing and that it’s catching up with Western aircraft technology. The high level of secrecy surrounding all Chinese military aircraft means accurate reporting on the current status of the J-20 is difficult. This report attempts to present the known facts about the programme.

Project Origins The US Office of Naval Intelligence disclosed in 1997 that China was working on a new high-performance fighter for the People’s Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF) in a programme called the XXJ. At that time, all

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illustrations of the aircraft generated in the West were nothing more than conceptual guesswork, showing an aircraft similar in appearance to an F-15 with two outwardcanted fins. Chinese officials subsequently said the XXJ programme was to create a heavyweight fighter in the class of the F-15 or Sukhoi Su-27. During the years that followed it became clear that both major Chinese fighter aircraft corporations, Shenyang (SAC) and Chengdu (CAC) and their respective 601 and 611 Design Institutes, were responding to the XXJ requirement with advanced fighter designs featuring stealth characteristics and manoeuvrability comparable to the Lockheed Martin F-22 Raptor. It’s unlikely either of these projects ever received an official designation or title from the Chinese military in the early stages of their development. There were reports that SAC and CAC sought Russian expertise (SAC from Sukhoi and CAC from MAPO-MIG) for software support and calculating the radar crosssection of their designs. Each configuration was expected to feature an internal weapons bay and their overall stealth and agility were

thought to be superior to the European Typhoon or Rafale – although with inferior electronics – with stealth and super-cruise performance similar to the F-22’s.

Shenyang Concepts In 2002, Jane’s Defence Weekly reported an Aviation Industry Corporation of China (AVIC) source saying that Shenyang had been selected to lead the research and development for the new fighter. At that year’s Airshow China at Zhuhai, AVIC presented a short promotional video showing an SAC model in wind tunnel testing. This project, designated in the West as the J-12, featured two engines and shared certain design elements with the F-22, such as internal weapons carriage. It also had an F-16-style wing with two small outwardcanted fins under the rear fuselage. Recent information suggests this design was based on SAC’s concept studies into a twin-engine fighter (known variously as the J-13, ‘Concept 1993’, ‘new ‘93’ and ‘Fighter-D’) carried out from the late 1980s to the early 1990s. The J-12 was based around two Shenyang Liming WS-10A turbofans or a derivative of

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1 The third J-20 on its maiden flight on March 1. 2 & 3 J-20s 2002 (left) and 2001 (right) at CAC’s airfield in Chengdu. All images sourced from the Chinese internet

the proven Salyut AL-31F (which generates 130kN/29,225lb) and was probably equipped with thrust-vectoring nozzles. The use of such powerful engines indicated a take-off weight exceeding 20 tonnes, making the SAC proposal a true heavyweight fighter.

Chengdu Concepts Meanwhile CAC’s concept looked like an enlarged version of the J-10 multi-role fighter it began delivering to the PLAAF in 2002. The design had a more unconventional layout featuring canards, a tailless delta wing, twin canted rear fuselage fins and two vertical tails. There was speculation that this concept was based on two 85-90kN (19,108lb20,232lb) RD-93 or WS-13 turbofans with trust-vectoring nozzles, enabling the fighter to fulfil the requirement for high manoeuvrability. A prototype of the nozzle was displayed at Airshow China in 2002 by the China Aeronautical Establishment (606 Institute). It was estimated the fighter would have had an empty weight of 10 tonnes and a normal take-off weight of about 15 tonnes. The 2002 Zhuhai show also saw CAC unveil

a small, grainy picture of a design proposal unofficially designated the J-14. It was, like SAC’s J-12, based around two WS-10A or AL-31FN turbofans fitted with thrust-vectoring nozzles and possibly having a supersonic cruise capability, giving a maximum take-off weight of around 20 tonnes.

Change of Thinking High-ranking military and industrial leaders were later shown on several occasions in front of wind tunnel models of CAC designs for heavy fighters. Reports indicated that discussions between CAC and the Chinese military became more intense, with a change in the PLAAF’s thinking towards considering Chengdu’s design more advanced than SAC’s. A further evolution of the CAC concept emerged in 2006 when the respected journal Military Technology published a picture of a huge fighter inside a hangar. It later emerged that the image – initially thought to be an engineering mock-up or even a prototype – was computer-generated and had been created by a Chinese artist known for his contacts with several of the country’s aircraft manufacturers. It showed, however, that

Chengdu’s design had evolved to include a ventral air intake, significant radar crosssection reductions and pronounced wing/ body blending.

Decision Despite SAC being first awarded the contract to develop the PLAAF’s new premier fighter, by August 2008 it was clear the decision had been reversed in CAC’s favour. The new-generation aircraft would be developed by CAC’s 611 Institute, with the corporation’s Factory 132 the prime contractor, although SAC would reportedly still have an involvement as a sub-contractor. With Shenyang’s more conservative approach to new fighters, demonstrated by its incremental updates to the J-11, it seems the PLAAF had lost some faith in China’s once-leading fighter developer. It was later reported that SAC’s failed submission was redesigned into a project called the J-19 for a heavy multi-role fighter, though this is unconfirmed. Development progress of the CAC-designed fighter was briefly reported in November 2009 when General He Weirong, deputy commander of the PLAAF, said in an

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1 A rare shot of the first two flight-test J-20s parked together. 2 Early drawings of the Shenyang Aircraft Corporation’s concept which lost out to Chengdu’s design and an early CAC concept drawing in response to the JXX requirement. 3 One of the few photos that gives an idea of the J-20’s size compared to other types, with 2002 parked in front of two J-10s. 4 Aircraft 2011 during high-speed taxiing tests in February 2014. 5 J-20 2002 with two drag chutes deployed after landing at CAC’s airfield in Chengdu. 6 Shenyang’s wind-tunnel model from the early 2000s. 7 The third prototype J-20, aircraft 2011, during its first flight on March 1.

interview with a Chinese TV station that the type was to undergo test flights “soon” and would be operational in about “eight or ten years”. He added that the chosen design would be characterised by the four ‘S’ capabilities – stealth, super-cruise, supermanoeuvrability and short take-off.

The J-20 In late 2009 it was reported that a full-scale mock-up had been built and by May 2010 two prototypes were under construction. By this time, the new fighter had been redesignated the J-20. The project’s director, Yang Wei, and deputy director, Zhang Jigao, both provided a progress

report on the programme during the National People’s Congress plenary session in March 2010. But there was no clear evidence of any real progress until the first photographs emerged in late 2010 amid reports the two prototypes were finished. The poor quality of the photos led some observers to speculate whether the aircraft were just mock-ups – but better quality images emerged in the following days and weeks, confirming they were real. Shortly afterwards came the initial test achievements. The first prototype, aircraft 2001, conducted its first high-speed taxi trial on December 22, 2010 and its maiden flight on January 11, 2011 at CAC’s factory airfield at Chengdu Huangtianba. A photo from the celebration banquet after the flight revealed the J-20 programme to be designated Project 718

to watch, filter, censor and guide Chinese internet users,” as a 2013 report by The Economist put it. When those initial pictures of the J-20 before its first flight appeared on the Chinese internet they were almost immediately deleted or manipulated. But with the location of CAC’s airfield right in the city of Chengdu, any operations could be viewed quite easily, making it nearly impossible to hide anything secret. That led to the Chinese authorities seemingly giving up (maybe intentionally) blocking pictures of the J-20. A new Chinese combat aircraft had never before been revealed so early in its development. The first prototype was painted in dark grey, with the tailfin featuring a red star and the Chinese ‘Ba Yi’ characters (meaning August 1, the founding day of the People’s Liberation Army in 1927). It seems that by early 2012 at least three airframes had been built – aircraft 2001 and 2002 being the flight test airframes with 2000 reportedly acting as a static test specimen. The J-20 is now widely, though still unofficially, called the Mighty Dragon. The names Black Eagle and Black Silk have also been used.

Characteristics The J-20 shares several characteristics with other fifth-generation fighter designs. Most obvious is the resemblance to the F-22 Raptor’s front fuselage with a distinct sharp chine line and huge frameless single-piece canopy. The rear section of the J-20 also bears a visual resemblance to the Mikoyan MiG 1.44 technology demonstrator developed during the 1990s, but later cancelled. There were subsequently claims there had been close co-operation between CAC and MAPO-MiG in the J-20’s development. In August 2011, Reuters carried a report quoting an anonymous “highly-placed source close to Russia’s defence industry” who claimed the similarities between the two types “suggested Mikoyan technology had been passed into the hands of Chinese arms designers”. MiG parent company the United Aircraft Corporation denied this, and later a MIG spokesperson told the RIA Novosti news agency “we are not delivering any equipment to China, and never have”. No further claims about such a technology transfer have since emerged.

Features within the PLAAF and that the pilot had been Li Gang.

Openness There’s been a degree of openness from the Chinese authorities in their handling of the J-20’s emergence. They monitor internet traffic in the country through the Golden Shield programme. “China’s party-state has deployed an army of cyber-police...

A great deal of uncertainty exists about the J-20’s features, the level of technology it incorporates and its potential capabilities. One of the biggest mysteries surrounds the engine. Although CAC’s J-14 concept was believed to have been based around the WS10A or AL-31FN, the long-term aspiration in the XXJ programme was for the fighter to be powered by the WS-15 turbofan. Development of this engine, designed by Shenyang’s 606 Institute and manufactured by Xian, began in the 1990s. The engine’s core was reportedly first run in 2010 but it is still in development. The first clear pictures of the J-20 indicated that 127kN (28,550lb)

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Salyut AL-31FNs – the engines powering the J-10s in service with the PLAAF – had been fitted as an interim option. But other reports suggested a range of other powerplants: indigenous 132kN (29,674lb) Shenyang Liming WS-10A Taihangs, uprated AL-31F M1/2s, full authority digital engine control-equipped WS-10Gs or even 142kN (31,922lb) AL-41Fs, as used in the Sukhoi T-50 PAK-FA prototype. Slightly different exhaust petals seen in various photos of the J-20 added to the confusion and led to speculation that a specialised powerplant had been installed. Such rumours appear unfounded, since all these engines are either still under bench test or politically undeliverable. The most recent reports suggest the J-20 prototypes are fitted with AL-31FNs as used in the J-10, perhaps the slightly uprated AL-31FN series III, introduced in 2013, which delivers 137kN (30,798lb). Uncertainty also surrounds the J-20’s avionics, although the fire control radar is

STEALTH CHARACTERISTICS The J-20 has a number of stealth characteristics. The fighter has a blended fuselage with a clean wing/body junction and low-observable characteristics such as a small but prominent leading-edge root extension leading into the huge delta wing. Its delta canards have a small amount of dihedral and the ventral stabilising fins are canted outwards. There are all-moving vertical stabilisers and the intake is similar to the Lockheed Martin F-35’s with caret intakes to provide low radar cross-section. All visible panel lines around the fuselage as well as the wheel and weapons bay doors feature serrated edges, and there are several diamond-shaped structures around the front and under the rear fuselage. The diverterless supersonic inlet (DSI) improves stealth performance by eliminating unwanted radar reflections between the traditional diverter and the aircraft’s skin.

expected to be an active electronicallyscanned array (AESA) set called Type 1475 or KLJ-5. The fighter has a large central weapons bay which, it is said, can carry upgraded PL-12C missiles, ramjet-powered PL-12Ds and a planned long-range missile now designated PL-15. The main weapons bay is complemented by two additional side bays located within the intake trunks, which will house the new PL-10 infrared short-range air-to-air missile. When the first pictures of the J-20 appeared, some observers suggested it was more of a fighter-bomber than a pure fighter because it seemed so big next to the surrounding service trucks and mechanics. Initial estimates suggested an overall length of about 75ft (22.86m) and a span of 45ft (13.72m) with a take-off weight in the region of 75,000lb to 80,000lb (34 to 36 tonnes). But recent analysis using a nearby truck for comparison, and even satellite images showing that type standing beside a J-15 naval fighter, suggest the J-20 is actually shorter and has a smaller wingspan

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than first thought, roughly similar in size to an Su-27 Flanker.

Progress Testing of aircraft 2001 continued during 2010-2011. The second prototype, 2002, was rolled out in late March 2012. It began pre-flight ground testing the following month and made its first flight on May 16. A few days earlier, aircraft 2001 flew again after a long break during which several modifications were made. On May 11, 2012, it was transferred to the Chinese Flight Tests Establishment (CFTE) at Xi’an-Yanliang to begin the next stage of testing. Aircraft 2002 had some minor external differences compared to 2001. Its pitot tube was relocated to the nose tip and the main landing gear doors can now close after the gears have been extended. And there are rumours of a retractable in-flight refuelling probe installed on the starboard side. This

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second aircraft subsequently joined 2001 at the CFTE facility at Xi’an-Yanliang. In October 2012, aircraft 2002 appeared with a new radome, suggesting the AESA radar had been installed. Then, in early 2013, there were weapons integration tests with both the PL-10 missile on a retractable side missile launch rail off the side bays and, later, similar tests with the long-range PL-15 inside the main weapon bay. By mid-2013, it appeared aircraft 2002 had been renumbered as 2004 and better images of it appeared later in the year. Close to the end of 2013, aircraft 2001 was repainted in a light two-tone grey colour scheme.

Third Prototype Rumours about a third prototype nearly being ready surfaced in November 2013. A few blurred images appeared online and several eyewitness reports of the aircraft being prepared emerged late the following

month. The first better-quality image of this aircraft – which is numbered 2011 – appeared on Chinese internet forums on January 16, 2014. That day saw the aircraft undertake its first slow-speed taxi test, with a high-speed trial conducted a day later. It made its first flight on March 1. Images of the third prototype published so far reveal some substantial changes compared to the earlier pair. Besides a Raptor-style light-grey colour scheme, the engines’ diverterless supersonic intakes appear to have been redesigned, perhaps to improve radar cross-section characteristics. Other changes include an additional inner canopy frame similar to the F-35, clipped tails and canards, redesigned wheel bay doors and a reduction in the size of the wing actuators. There is a new frameless wide-angle holographic head-up display and, probably most importantly, an electro-optical targeting system protruding under the front

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fuselage, similar to the F-35’s. Aircraft 2011 also differs from the other flight test J-20s by having dielectric panels around the radome, wider and longer tail stings (where the tails are mounted), a straight (rather than an arced) leading edge and a redesigned rear fuselage featuring a wider and deeper ‘ditch’ between both engines. It seems as if the aerodynamics have been refined to improve both the J-20’s stealth characteristics and the management of vortex generation to increase lift and manoeuvrability.

Conclusions To some observers, the changes in the

third flight test aircraft from the first two machines indicate aircraft 2011 is a ‘true’ J-20 prototype, while aircraft 2001 and 2004 are technology demonstrators. This, though, is a moot point. While well-informed reports say changes for pre-production J-20s should be minimal, aircraft 2011 could well be another technology demonstrator. On the other hand, others say the PLAAF plans to introduce the first low-rate initial production J-20A as early as possible, and that it will be of a similar specification to aircraft 2011. It is said each production block will feature additional improvements and modifications until the final J-20 version becomes operational with the WS-15. Any

assessment depends on the results of the flight tests, if any additional prototypes are manufactured and, most importantly, when the WS-15 is finally installed in the aircraft. A change to this definitive engine from the powerplants fitted to the J-20s already flying would involve additional systems alterations and further flight testing. Whatever happens, it is likely to be several years before the J-20 enters operational service with PLAAF fighter units. Even then, there are questions over how many might be put into service and if the type might end up like the F-22 Raptor, performing a niche ‘silver bullet’ air superiority role against advanced enemy fighters. It also remains to be seen whether the PLAAF can afford the J-20, and all other ongoing projects, or if it will evolve into more of a multi-role fighter/attack aircraft than a pure fighter. Given the lack of knowledge in the West about how the Chinese manage military aircraft programmes, observers should be careful about making judgements about progress on the J-20. It shouldn’t be assumed the Chinese do things in the same way as other countries. And because so little detailed information is known about the aircraft, it’s difficult to compare it with other countries’ experiences of developing advanced combat types. The Chinese have, however, surely studied Western aircraft closely and incorporated lessons into their own solutions. CAC’s capabilities shouldn’t be underestimated and the amount of manpower and money China has put into its armed forces indicates there’s a political will to succeed in developing new military capabilities. We can be sure of one thing: the J-20’s progress is more proof of the Chinese aviation industry’s dynamic, fastmoving nature – faster than many in the West expected.

1 Fifth from the left is Li Gang, the pilot for the first flight. On the far right is the J-20’s chief designer and project leader, Yang Wei. 2 A low-quality, but rare, image of a PL-10 missile mounted on a J-20. 3 This photo of J-20 2001 at CAC’s airfield in Chengdu, shows the off-centre pitot tube and the configuration of the main landing gear doors when extended. 3

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F 1 An A380 undergoing replenishment at Pier ‘A’ Plus after its flight from San Francisco. Jürgen Mai/Lufthansa 2 The impressive flight control tower, flanked by “feeding” aircraft. Ingrid Friedl/Lufthansa 1

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Feeding at

Frankfurt Lufthansa’s hub operation at Frankfurt Airport is possibly the largest run by any European airline. Chris Kjelgaard visits the airline’s Hub Control Center to see how the carrier manages the 900 flights it operates during the airport’s 18-hour working day

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ight across the road from Frankfurt Airport’s Terminal 1, and reached by an overhead footbridge across the terminal’s departurelevel access road, is an unassuming building called the Frankfurt Airport Center. It has

quite a number of unmarked doors. Behind some of them are the nerve centres of the most important aviation organisations using the airport – which in 2013 was Europe’s third-busiest for passengers and the world’s seventh-busiest for international passengers. Behind one door is the global headquarters of the Star Alliance, the world’s largest airline alliance. Almost next to it is another unmarked door leading to a large

open office space. For Frankfurt Airport, this is even more important than Star’s headquarters. Like NASA’s famous Mission Control in Houston, this space contains row upon row of computer terminals and monitors, scrutinised almost round the clock by teams of managers and specialists. This is Lufthansa’s Frankfurt Airport (FRA) Hub Control Center (HCC), the heart of the airline’s huge hub operation at FRA. Every

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COMMERCIAL LUFTHANSA HUB OPERATIONS day Lufthansa operates approximately 900 flights to and from the airport, the HCC managing the day-to-day punctuality, rescheduling, gate allocation and other ground-support decisions for all of its arriving and departing Frankfurt flights. The HCC manages all 900 flights – and the ground-support actions required to minimise any disruption to the huge flow of passengers connecting to other Lufthansa flights and those of the airline’s Star Alliance partners. All Lufthansa and Star Alliance passenger flights use Frankfurt Airport’s original – but, over the years, greatly expanded – Terminal 1, which has 119 gates, including a sizeable number for buses transporting passengers to and from remote stands without airbridges. Dr Gerrit Klempert, head of Lufthansa’s Frankfurt Airport Hub Control Center, says the airline handles about 21 million departing passengers each year at Terminal 1, at least 18 million of whom Lufthansa itself carries. The other 3 million are flown by other Lufthansa Group airlines and Star Alliance member carriers. In addition, Lufthansa annually handles another 18 million passengers arriving at Frankfurt Airport (most of them connecting to another of its flights), so a total of around 36 million Lufthansa passengers fly to or from FRA.

Connecting Passengers Connecting passengers represent a “very high” proportion of Lufthansa’s passenger traffic at Frankfurt, says Klempert, who estimates that “60% to 65% of all [Lufthansa’s Frankfurt] passengers connect” from one

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LUFTHANSA HUB OPERATIONS COMMERCIAL

1 Lufthansa tries to get both international and short-haul flights onto gates at Terminal 1, represented here by an A340 parked next to an A320. Ingrid Friedl/Lufthansa 2 The new Pier ‘A’ Plus at Frankfurt features two levels of gates. Fraport AG 3 A Lufthansa Boeing 747 about to depart Frankfurt. Fraport AG

passengers between Terminal 1 and Terminal 2, which is further east.) Although Lufthansa has dropped its Frankfurt-Cologne flights in favour of its Deutsche Bahn codeshare, it has retained flights linking Frankfurt with Stuttgart and Düsseldorf, which are also Deutsche Bahn codeshare routes. “For a lot of passengers, it still makes sense to take a plane,” says Klempert. This is particularly true for passengers living near their local airports or a long way from a city-centre railway station; or those wanting to connect to a flight at Frankfurt without any hassle by checkingin and going through security at their local, smaller airports. Frankfurt Airport is also a road transport centre connected directly to two major autobahns. In Germany’s liberalised bus market, many bus companies operate hubs at Frankfurt where passengers can connect between their flights and local, regional and long-distance bus services; or transfer from bus to bus to reach their domestic destinations. Lufthansa’s job of managing its daily scheduling, gate allocation and other support tasks at Frankfurt Airport is made more complex by the fact its passengers connecting to outbound flights arrive on an enormous number of inbound flights. “We usually have up to 70 to 80 inbound destinations connecting with each of 15 to 20 outbound intercontinental flights,” says Klempert. In terms of managing outbound flight punctuality, “this is what makes it difficult”.

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Klempert and his team however have a number of weapons in their arsenal for managing punctuality and enabling passenger connections to be made when inbound flights arrive late. The HCC’s sophisticated IT systems help the staff in deciding whether to order a ‘direct transfer’ service, which transports late inbound connecting passengers directly from one aircraft to another across Terminal 1’s aprons by bus. Lufthansa Arrival Services guides meet connecting passengers and help them get to their follow-on flights. Additionally, Frankfurt Airport has a short-connection transfer centre – equipped with two customs booths and a security checkpoint – constructed by Fraport underneath the apron between the ‘A’ concourse and the midpoint of the ‘B’ concourse. This shortens the distances involved for connecting passengers being transported on direct transfers and changes from Schengen to non-Schengen flights, and vice versa.

Fraport AG

of its flights to another. These also include passengers connecting with Lufthansa’s flights via Frankfurt Airport’s long-distance railway station. Lufthansa has a codeshare agreement with Deutsche Bahn, Germany’s national rail operator (whose IATA ‘flight code’ is ‘2A’). So effectively does this work that Lufthansa no longer operates flights between Frankfurt and Cologne: Deutsche Bahn now carries all Lufthansa passengers between Frankfurt Airport and Germany’s fourth-largest city. Deutsche Bahn also transports passengers to and from Lufthansa’s Frankfurt flights (and to those of all other carriers serving FRA) from Germany’s other major cities. The long-distance station is located below a huge new ‘groundscraper’ building known as ‘The Squaire’ while the local/ regional railway station is under the Frankfurt Airport Center, slightly nearer the terminal. The stations are connected to Terminal 1 via a single-level indoor walkway which runs from The Squaire through the Frankfurt Airport Center to the footbridge between the latter and the terminal itself. So strong is the flow of rail-air connecting traffic at Frankfurt Airport that Fraport AG, the airport’s operator, calls the mezzanine plaza for its inter-city rail station the ‘AiRail Terminal’ and has introduced an ‘AiRail Check-In’ a few yards away. This enables passengers to offload their check-in bags just after leaving the station itself rather than wheeling them along for the entire 10-minute-plus walk to Terminal 1. (Shuttle buses and a peoplemover rail system called ‘Sky Line’ transport

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COMMERCIAL LUFTHANSA HUB OPERATIONS Another practice Lufthansa has adopted in order to minimise passenger connecting distances is to have all flights to and from a certain part of the world operate from a given cluster of gates which are relatively close together. For instance, all Lufthansa’s domestic trunk flights to and from Berlin, Hamburg and Munich (Lufthansa’s other hub) position at gates A11 to A24, which are just past the main security checkpoint area for the ‘A’ concourse. These gates, located close to the check-in area (or ‘main transfer node’ as Fraport and Lufthansa call it) and the arrivals hall, allows business people coming to Frankfurt to make quick exits from their flights. Gates A10 to A40 are used for flights within Germany and within Europe’s Schengen Agreement signatory nations, which require no customs and immigration control. The UK is not a Schengen signatory, so all flights to and from London Heathrow operate from gates in the ‘B’ concourse. According to Klempert, 97% of the time, Heathrow flights can be accommodated at a ‘contact’ gate – one that offers a direct airbridge connection between the terminal and the aircraft. Lufthansa operates all its India and Africa flights from the ‘B’ concourse. Other Star Alliance carriers use gates B10-B13, B20-B28 and B42-B48 too while Lufthansa operates much of its Far East schedule to and from the more distant gates C13 to C16.

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Helping Lufthansa maximise its schedule flexibility at Frankfurt is the fact that part of the ‘A’ concourse and the new half-milelong (800m) Pier ‘A’ Plus – alternatively known as Pier A/Z – comprises double-level piers with two levels of gates. These ‘A’ and ‘Z’ gates enable Lufthansa to perform Schengen and non-Schengen operations at the same time from different gates in the pier. Bussing of passengers from lower-level ‘A’ gates to regional jets on remote stands is routinely performed at the same time as adjacent ‘Z’ upper-level gates are boarding or disembarking intercontinental flights. Klempert says that normally all of Lufthansa’s intercontinental flights are positioned on contact stands. Even when the airline has to schedule late maintenance releases, these flights still operate from contact stands 96% to 97% of the time. All the airline’s Airbus A380 flights – to destinations such as Johannesburg, Beijing, Singapore and Miami – are positioned at Pier ‘A’ Plus gates. This isn’t the case for flights operated by its Boeing 747-8Is or other widebody types. Lufthansa tries to get most of its A320family and Boeing 737 mainline flights onto contact gates in Terminal 1, but regional flights frequently require bus transport from the gate for distances of a mile or more to the remote stands where regional jets are positioned. (Lufthansa no longer has any turboprops operated on its behalf, though Lufthansa Group carrier Tyrolean Airways/ Austrian still operates Bombardier Q400s.) Klempert estimates that, overall, 54% to 56% of Lufthansa’s intra-Europe flights at Frankfurt and 70% of all Lufthansa Frankfurt passengers board and disembark at contact

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gates. This is a performance comparable to the percentage of flights using such gates at other major European hub airports he says.

Minimising Curfew Problems Complicating Lufthansa’s ability to maintain its schedule at its biggest hub is a tight night-curfew policy, coupled with what the carrier sees as being an overly restrictive policy on the part of the Hesse regional authority regarding operational exemptions during the curfew. Frankfurt Airport has an overnight flight curfew from 11:00pm to 5:00am which is now enforced very strictly, particularly for departures after 11:00pm. Although completion of Frankfurt Airport’s new landing Runway 25R/07L in 2011 has greatly improved FRA’s overall on-time arrival rate, its introduction into service was accompanied by an absolute ban by the Hessian Administrative Court on all departures after 11:00pm for flights delayed for any reason. This includes any flight leaving the gate on time but which is delayed by aircraft-traffic congestion on the way to the runway. “The only real exception is weather at the field, such as a snowstorm or thunder, during the last hour of operation,” says Klempert. Lufthansa sees Frankfurt’s curfewrestriction policy as being the strictest of any major airport in the world. After an intercontinental flight was turned back because traffic congestion had prevented it from reaching its take-off runway by 11:00pm even though it had left its gate at 10:20pm (normally Frankfurt intercontinental flights reach their take-off runway within 20 minutes of departing the gate), the airline decided drastic action was necessary. Lufthansa rescheduled 112 flights for earlier take-off times and cancelled 28 short-haul flights to make sure there was enough time for its late intercontinental departures, the latest of which is conservatively scheduled at 10:15pm. Klempert says Lufthansa also had a ‘pit stop’ maintenance position installed away from the terminal apron and equipped with airstairs and all relevant maintenance equipment. This move was made “so that when we encounter a problem after the aircraft moves off-block, we have a dedicated position where we can fix it”, and still let the aircraft get to the take-off runway before the curfew begins.

Punctuality and Runways Despite the strictness of the curfew, Lufthansa is delighted with how the new landing runway has improved its Frankfurt operation. “We really have improved punctuality with the new runway,” says Klempert. “We think we easily compare [well] to other major hubs, or even smaller hubs like Zurich or Vienna, which are no longer any more punctual than Frankfurt is.” Frankfurt Airport’s runway layout, coupled with local noise-abatement procedures, has created unusual runway usage and departure routing practices. The airport’s two original runways, 07R/25L and 07C/25C, are only 1,699ft (518m) apart and are classified as closelyspaced parallel runways. This means they can’t be used simultaneously.

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COMMERCIAL LUFTHANSA HUB OPERATIONS

The predominant landing and take-off direction at Frankfurt is to the west, with 25L normally allocated for landings and 25C allocated for take-offs. Two runways, the takeoff-only Runway 18 (take-offs from the opposite end are not made, so the runway has not been allocated a ‘36’ direction) and the new, landingsonly Runway 07L/25R, have eased most of the congestion at Frankfurt Airport. In daily operation, 25R and 25L are normally used for landings, though landings on 07L/25R are restricted to aircraft no larger than the Boeing 777-300ER. (Because of the significantly higher approach speeds, landings by MD-11s – operated by Lufthansa Cargo in sizeable numbers as freighters – are not allowed on 07L/25R either.) Runway 07L/25R is located at the far north-west end of Frankfurt Airport, across a major autobahn, railway lines and the airport perimeter road, away from the rest of the airport. Aircraft taxi across a bridge to get to the main part of the hub. Take-offs are allocated to 07C/25C or 18 depending on whether the destination is in a southerly or northerly direction. Runway 18, which extends to the south beyond the rest of the airport at its western end, handles all southerly departures. Runway 07C/25C, predominantly used in the 250-degree direction, handles all northerly take-offs. However, Klempert notes that noise abatement procedures require each departure from 25C to route initially in a southerly direction, so that

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climbing aircraft don’t fly over towns near the airport’s western perimeter.

Flight Banks Lufthansa’s Frankfurt hub operation has four or five major banks of flights, depending on whether they’re viewed as operational or a commercial, according to Klempert. The fifth, ‘commercial’ bank is provided by early inbound flights arriving from just after the 5:00am curfew end until 6:30am. These lead into a mini-bank of departing flights from 6:00am until 9:00am. The day’s first operational bank really starts with inbound flights arriving between 7:00am and 9:30am. These are complemented by a bank of departing flights from 9:00am until midday. The second operational bank begins with arrivals from 10:00am until 12:30pm and a bank of departures from midday until 2:30pm. Most of Lufthansa’s flights to North America are in its first and second operational banks of departures. Next is a bank of arrivals beginning at 2:30pm and lasting until 5:00pm. There’s another ‘mini-bank’ of departures which start at 3:00pm and continue until after 6:30pm and include the day’s last Lufthansa flight to North America, its second Boston frequency. The day’s last major operational flight bank, the fourth, begins with a long sequence of arrivals (most of them European or domestic) starting at 7:00pm and continuing until about

9:30pm. There’s a round of departures which begins at 8:00pm and ends just after 10:00pm. Among the last Lufthansa departures of the day are its intercontinental flights to Johannesburg, Hong Kong, Shanghai, Bangkok and Rio de Janeiro.

Weather Disruptions Klempert says Lufthansa has worked hard in co-operation with Fraport to improve Frankfurt Airport’s poor operational response to the big snowstorm of December 18, 2010. “We were not satisfied in 2009 and 2010,” he says. The two organisations’ efforts to improve the airport’s ability to deal with major operational issues have come in two areas. One is a big effort by Fraport to more quickly remove snow by improving its organisational arrangements for such events and buying more clearing and transporting equipment to remove snow from the runway, taxiways and other aircraft-movement surfaces and cart it away. Fraport’s aim is to remove all snow from any runway within 30 minutes and to remove it at short intervals from the runway’s high-speed turn-offs. Fraport now has 120 ‘big box’ removal lorries which it uses to transport cleared snow from the runways, taxiways and ramp areas to a dump on the south side of the airport, well away from aircraft movements. In sharpening its response, Fraport consulted with other airports which are experts in snow clearing

Rolf Bewersdorf/Lufthansa

1 The business-class lounge in Pier ‘A’ Plus. Lufthansa 2 An Airbus A340 being prepped at the hub for yet another important flight. Ingrid Friedl/Lufthansa

LUFTHANSA HUB OPERATIONS COMMERCIAL Rolf Bewersdorf/Lufthansa

and removal during heavy snowstorms, particularly those in North America. Lufthansa and Fraport have also worked to improve their ability to recover normal operations rapidly following a major weather or other operational disruption at Frankfurt Airport – and to improve their capabilities in dealing with stranded passengers. Lufthansa now operates a passenger-handling scheme involving different colour-coded areas in Terminal 1’s ‘A’ and ‘B’ departure halls. Lufthansa staff sort travellers into different colour-coded groups, depending on the ease or difficulty of assisting them reach their destinations, by rebooking them on other flights or accommodating their requirements as best as possible. For instance, green colour-coding indicates a passenger is travelling locally and has dropoff baggage. Purple means they’re travelling within the European Union and requires rebooking, but has no connecting flights to worry about. Light blue indicates they require rebooking and have connecting flights, or may need rebooking on other airlines. Each colour-coded passenger then goes to the area in the departure hall with the same colour coding, where Lufthansa staff deal with each individual case. “This guarantees that the person is in the right area to help him with his booking,” says Klempert.

Making Tough Decisions Critical to the scheme’s success is for Lufthansa to be willing to decide at an early stage to launch the colour-coding operation – offering plenty of advance notice for staff – and not to be afraid to cancel as many flights as necessary to make sure it can reliably operate and book passengers on its remaining flights, according to Klempert.

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Being able to keep operating a reduced system in a stable fashion helps Lufthansa recover to normal operation more quickly once the disruption eases, says Klempert. Typically, the airline will cancel its shorthaul operation from Frankfurt to give its intercontinental flights (and flights to destinations that can’t otherwise be reached) every chance of being able to operate during the disruption. Of assistance here is that Deutsche Bahn accepts Lufthansa tickets and can transport many domestic and European passengers to their destinations on behalf of the airline. Lufthansa put its new disruption recovery policies into effect on March 18, 2013, when, during a blizzard, the airport closed its runways at 7:00am for two hours because insufficient braking action was available on their slippery surfaces for the safe operation of aircraft. At 11:00am Lufthansa decided

to cancel 90% of its remaining European schedule from Frankfurt and focus on making sure its flights to intercontinental and hard-toreach destinations could operate. With a day’s or (more commonly) halfa-day’s notice, Lufthansa can contact passengers travelling from Frankfurt before they check in, says Klempert. During the March 2013 blizzard, the airline was able to do this and to provide accommodation and nextday bookings for all the passengers already at the airport but unable to travel. “We were clear in the terminal by 11:00am the next morning,” says Klempert. In the previous year Lufthansa had experienced a similar situation and had tried to operate all its flights, but in the end could operate very few. It took two days to clear the passenger backlog entirely. So, for the boss of Lufthansa’s Frankfurt hub control, 2013 represented progress indeed.

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Britain’s Future in Space? The UK’s Skylon spaceplane concept and its innovative engine are attracting investment as their development advances. By Clive Simpson

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n rural Oxfordshire a group of passionate engineers are pursuing a dream. They’re doing the kind of thing the British do best – developing something extraordinary. In this case it’s a single-stage-to-orbit reusable spaceplane powered by an airbreathing rocket engine. Reaction Engines Limited (REL), based in Culham, south of Oxford, has been developing Skylon over the past

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two decades. Its key innovation is the SABRE hybrid engine which will operate in an air-breathing mode up to a height of around 18 miles (28,968m/95,040ft) and speed of Mach 5, before switching to a rocket mode for space operations. SABRE has the potential to revolutionise propulsion and launcher technology and reduce the costs of accessing space significantly.

Investment For the team of 30 engineers at REL, summer 2013 saw significant steps forward. In July the British government’s UK Space Agency (UKSA) announced it would invest £60 million in the development of SABRE. A month later the European Space Agency (ESA) committed €1 million to study Skylon’s suitability to deliver European payloads into low earth orbit, 160km (99 miles) above the

SKYLON SPACEPLANE TECHNOLOGY

SKYLON PAYLOADS REL has designed four systems which fit into the payload bay of its Skylon spaceplane. These are to support payloads which need services that the basic Skylon does not normally provide. The Skylon Upper Stage (SUS) uses up to seven tonnes of liquid oxygen and liquid hydrogen, burnt in the Skylon Orbital Manoeuvring Assembly (SOMA), to manoeuvre the spaceplane while it’s in orbit. The SUS can

be reused and has the capability to return to the same Skylon which launched it. An example of such a mission is launching a 6.25 tonne satellite into geostationary transfer orbit. For missions where recovery is not possible, or more payload mass is required, the SUS can be used as an expendable stage. In this mode it can launch over eight tonnes into orbit. The Skylon Small Payload Carrier (SSPC) is a bridge

elements of the SABRE engine’s development, each of which is critical to realising the full production engine design at

port and allows Skylon to attach to any facility with a compatible docking port. The SOFI leaves 10m (32.8ft) of the cargo bay free for large payloads such as space station modules. The Skylon Personnel/Logistics Module (SPLM) is a pressurised cabin which mounts in the payload bay and delivers people as well as cargo. If the cabin is configured to maximise the number of passengers, it has the capability to carry 24 people.

the end of the project. These are technical design work, improving the lightweight heat exchanger technology and manufacturing capability, wind tunnel and flight testing of the engine’s components and a ground demonstration. The investment is intended to move the project forward by acting as a ‘pump primer’,

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All images Reaction Engines Ltd

earth’s surface. These aren’t large sums when it comes to developing a new kind of hybrid engine for a spaceplane, but they were significant votes of confidence and definite signs that REL’s ambitious plans are being taken seriously. The UKSA funding will be staggered over two years, with £35 million received in the 2014/2015 financial year and £25 million in 2015/2016. It will be used for four

structure which can carry up to five payloads of 200kg (440lbs) each. It can be mounted either in the rear of the bay, where the main payload size and mass allows, or used in pairs to launch constellations of small satellites. The other two systems are designed to allow Skylon to service in-orbit facilities such as space stations. The Skylon Orbiting Facility Interface (SOFI) sits in the rear of the payload bay with a docking

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TECHNOLOGY SKYLON SPACEPLANE attracting the privately-funded capital needed for the engine’s full development. The aim is to attract several times this amount in commercial investment as part of a three-tofive year programme.

ESA Study The ESA study, concluded at the end of 2013, saw a number of aerospace companies and institutions assessing Skylon’s potential. Italy’s Thales Alenia Space designed a Skylon Upper Stage (SUS) system for deploying satellites into geostationary orbits. QinetiQ Space, of Belgium, looked at the different payload carriers that could fit inside Skylon’s cargo bay and UK-based 42 Technology Ltd studied the payload connections. London Economics assessed the economic case of using the vehicle as a launch system. Grafton Technology, based in the UK and supported by the civil engineering company Jacobs, studied what facilities would be needed at the European spaceport in Koudou, French Guiana, to enable Skylon operations there.

Potential According to the UKSA, the SABRE engine has the potential to create 21,000 high value engineering and manufacturing jobs in Britain, maximise the UK’s access to the space launcher market – conservatively estimated to have a value of £13.8 billion over the next three decades – and provide economic benefits from the ‘spill-over of technology into other fields’. During a briefing in the summer of 2013 David Willets, the UK’s Minister for Universities and Science, described SABRE as having the potential to “completely transform” how mankind currently accesses space and, in doing so, boost the burgeoning UK space sector. “By supporting this breakthrough technology we are giving the UK a leading position in a growing market of new generation launchers and removing one of the main barriers to the growth of 2

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commercial activity in space,” he stated. Alan Bond, a former British Aerospace engineer who founded REL and has led research in the field for over 20 years, described the government investment as “a fantastic shot in the arm” for the UK aerospace and space sectors. He said: “Thanks to the government’s support, REL is moving to the next phase in the development of its engine and heat management technology. Our proven and revolutionary technology is the result of two decades of hard work and has the potential to change the world, just as the jet engine did.”

1 1 The Skylon will feature a hybrid engine which will operate in both air-breathing mode and as a rocket. 2 The Skylon is intended to be light, reusable and operable from conventional airports. 3 The distinctively shaped Skylon will be 84m (275ft) long. 4 An impression of a Skylon reentering the atmosphere – the vehicle is designed to be re-useable and to fly anywhere in the world in four hours.

The Concept The 84m (275ft) long unmanned Skylon is designed to do the job of a rocket, but operate like an aircraft. It would provide reliable access to space and be capable of delivering payloads of up to 15 tonnes into low earth orbit at about 1/50th the cost of traditional expendable launch vehicles, such as Europe’s Ariane rocket. The SABRE engine works by extracting the oxygen it needs for low atmosphere flight before working as a more conventional rocket engine at higher altitudes. After reaching Mach 5 at 24,384m (80,000ft) the SABRE engine will switch to on-board fuel

supplies for its final push to orbit. Because it gets some of the oxygen it needs from the air, rather than storing it, the SABRE engine has the unique advantage of being able to fly lighter from the outset and make a single ‘leap’ to orbit, rather than using and dumping propellant during the ascent as is the case with current expendable rockets. As such, it has the potential to pave the way for a generation of spaceplanes which would be light, reusable and able to take off and launch from conventional airport runways.

Ground-breaking Design A key reason why the SABRE is so much lighter is the ground-breaking design by REL of the most powerful lightweight heat exchangers in the world. Heat exchangers are designed to transfer heat efficiently from one medium to another in an engine. The exchangers in the SABRE engine have extremely thin walls to separate the hot and cold fluids and therefore offer a very significant weight saving. They are 100 times lighter than the exchangers used in most commercial applications – but the advanced manufacturing techniques used to bond these fine structures mean they maintain their strength and durability. The air pre-cooler is designed to cool the incoming airstream from over 1,000oC (1,832oF) to -150oC (-238oF) in less than a hundredth of a second (six times faster than the blink of an eye). REL envisages the exchangers being used for a whole range of weight-critical aerospace applications as well as in the SABRE engine.

Milestones The viability of the SABRE engine was independently validated at the end of 2012 by the ESA, during a review undertaken at the request of the UK government. The ESA said the “pre-cooler test objectives had all been [met] successfully” and it was satisfied the tests demonstrated the engine’s technology. REL announced at the start of 2013 that extensive testing had proven other key features

SKYLON SPACEPLANE TECHNOLOGY

SKYLON IN DETAIL 1 2 3 4 5 6

Ceramic Aeroshell Canards Liquid Hydrogen Tanks Liquid Oxygen tanks Payload Bay Avionics

7 8 9 10

Air Intake Heat Exchangers SABRE Engine Orbital Manoeuvring Engines

Ten main features of the British Skylon spaceplane which also gives an indication of the physical scale of the concept

of the SABRE’s pre-cooler component, including aerodynamic stability and uniformity, structural integrity, freedom of vibration across a wide range above and beyond the flight envelope, preliminary cryogenic cooling and pre-cooler operation at very low temperatures. It is hoped that a prototype SABRE will run in 2017 and flight tests for the engine are currently scheduled for around 2020.

The Future Alan Bond describes the technology REL is working on as “the next logical step for travel and transport”. He said: “As far as we can see, we have every reason to believe [single-stage-to-orbit vehicles] are feasible and my view is that a Skylon-type craft will change the future.” He added that the company is always “open to talk” about how the technology can be pushed forward. The current schedule envisages Skylon could become operational in around 10 years from now at a development cost of around £8.5 billion. SABRE engine technology could enable

3 4 spaceplanes to cruise within the atmosphere

at up to five times the speed of sound with a range of as much 20,116km (12,500 miles), the equivalent of halfway around the world. “It will enable an aircraft to fly anywhere in the world in under four hours, or a spaceplane to fly into orbit around the Earth, slashing the cost of space travel and creating new commercial opportunities,” Bond said. Reaction Engines announced in midJanuary it has entered into a Cooperative Research and Development Agreement (CRADA) with the United States Air Force Research Laboratory’s Aerospace Systems Directorate (AFRL/RQ). It is the first formal US government relationship with Reaction Engines and will provide a framework to assess performance, applications and development paths for Sabre, informing stakeholders about the engine’s potential for hypersonic vehicle applications. AFRL/RQ project manager Barry Hellman told AIR International that the CRADA opened the door for “joint development and testing” to help AFRL understand the SABRE engine’s technical details.

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Serbia’s aerospace industry is making a comeback with the Lasta training and Kobac counter-insurgency aircraft. By Aleksandar Radic´

B

efore the start of the civil war in 1991, the former Yugoslavia’s aviation industry produced the Orao light attack aircraft and Galeb G-4 jet trainer for the country’s air force (YAF). The future looked bright, too: the YAF, industry and the government were discussing the development of a single-engine multi-role

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combat aircraft called the Novi Avion. Technological support was negotiated with the British and French aviation industries. But the civil war and the break-up of Yugoslavia destroyed these plans. And the events of the last 20 years – war, NATO bombing and the changing political landscape – have naturally had an impact. But the former Yugoslav aircraft industry, now in independent Serbia, is re-energised with the Lasta basic trainer and its Kobac counter-insurgency derivative.

Training Specialists In 1992, the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (FRY) was established by Serbia and Montenegro after the former Yugoslavia began to fragment. It took on the former country’s main aerospace R&D assets – the Vojnotehnic˘ ki Institut Beograd (VIT, Belgrade military technical institute) and the Utva Aircraft Industry factory in Panc˘ evo, east of the capital. Before the outbreak of war, Utva manufactured the central and rear parts of the fuselage and gun pod for half

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Aleksandar Radic´

of the G-4s and a quarter of the Oraos. The wings and front part of the fuselage, and the aircraft’s assembly, was undertaken by Soko in Mostar, which after Yugoslavia’s break-up became part of Bosnia Herzegovina. From being established in 1937, Utva primarily worked on producing piston-engine training aircraft, firstly with the assembly of the German Bücker Bü 131 Jungmann biplane. After World War Two came a series of its own gliders and light piston-engine aircraft. This culminated with the Utva-75,

which was used by civil aero clubs and by the YAF to assess the suitability of pilot training candidates.

New Trainer In 1982 the YAF defined a concept for a new piston-engine aircraft, later named the Lasta (Swallow), to provide a new, more effective, ab-initio training aircraft for its student pilots. At the time, the YAF carried out screening of cadets on the Utva75, prior to their admission into the YAF

Academy. Basic flying training was carried out on the Galeb G-2. The YAF concluded that introducing a new basic trainer would enable a smoother transition for the students. It would also reduce the cost because students would not have to conduct most of their training on jets, which had become expensive with the rise in fuel prices after the 1973 oil crisis Following the example of the French SOCATA TB30 Epsilon basic trainer, which first flew in 1979, the Lasta was fitted with

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MILITARY UTVA LASTA the Lycoming AEIO-540-L1B 5D 224kW (300shp) engine. It was intended that the Lasta should share avionics with those in the Galeb G-4. The plan was for the new aircraft to replace the G-2 and so, having commonality with the G-4, would help pilots transition onto the type. For a similar reason the Lasta was also intended to have high speeds at take-off and landing, so students would get used to the characteristics of a jet. The YAF also specified that the Lasta should be able to fulfil a secondary territorial defence/light attack role. Work therefore began on developing a second, armed, version of the aircraft with two underwing pylons capable of carrying either two 7.62mm calibre machine guns with 500 rounds each, two seven-barrel rocket launchers with 57mm calibre rockets or two 100kg (221lb) bombs.

Early Tests The Lasta prototype (serial number 54001) took off on September 2, 1985, from the YAF’s Vazduhoplovstvi Optini Centar (VOC, Aviation Test Centre) at Batajnica AB. During a test flight two weeks later, the test pilot had to carry out an emergency landing due to a malfunction in the fuel supply to the engine. The aircraft was damaged beyond repair and it was not until August 24, 1986, that the test programme resumed with the first flight of the second prototype (serial 54002). The tests demonstrated that although the Lasta flew well, its flying characteristics were too advanced for training student pilots. That led, in 1988, to discussions about abandoning the programme in favour of developing a variant of the Utva-75 called the Utva-90. However the decision was made to continue developing the Lasta, but modify the aircraft so it had more docile flying characteristics and clear warning signs of a stall, to assist students in their training. This revised aircraft was designated Lasta-2, with the earlier aircraft becoming the Lasta-1. Ten pre-serial production Lasta-1s had been ordered and now, due to fast pace in development, the YAF ordered ten test aircraft. But, after the start of the civil war, Utva had a new priority from the FRY government – the overhaul of the Galeb G-4s. This, and the changes to the Lasta, led to the decision being made that development would focus on the trainer. The plans for the armed version, and to ensure commonality with the Galeb, were cancelled and six rather than ten test aircraft were produced. The first of these flew on August 3, 1993, with two machines (serials 54152 and 54154) sent to the VOC for testing.

Destruction Development of the aircraft continued during the mid-1990s, with the type again redesignated Lasta-95. The FRY and Bulgarian governments opened negotiations on a joint venture to produce the aircraft. But on March 10, 1997, during preparations to demonstrate a Lasta-95 to a Bulgarian delegation, the VOC’s chief test pilot Colonel Zoran Vidic´ was killed when Lasta-95 54152 crashed. The proposed joint venture with the Bulgarians did not come to anything. In March 1999 NATO began Operation

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LASTA & KOBAC COMPARED Lasta-95

Kobac

Fuselage length

7.96m (26ft 1in)

8.60m (28ft 2in)

Wing span

9.70m (31ft 9in)

9.60m (31ft 6in)

Height

2.99m (9ft 9in)

3.20m (10ft 6in)

Wing area

12.9m² (138.85ft²)

11.6m² (124.86ft²)

Empty weight

903kg (1,990lb)

1,080kg (2,381lb)

Take-off weight (training mission)

1,205kg (2,657lb)

1,425kg (3,142lb)

Maximum take-off weight with armament

1,450kg (3,196lb)

1,900kg (4,189lb)

Max combat payload

240kg (529lb)

500kg (1,102lb)

Max speed

320km/h (173kts)

500km/h (270kts)

Max exceed speed

390km/h (210kts)

555km/h (300kts)

G limits

+6/-3

+6/-3

Service ceiling

6,700m (21,982ft)

8,000m (26,247ft)

Range at altitude of

675km (365nm) at 1,500m (4,922ft) and 229km/h (124kts)

1,600km (864nm) at 4,500m (14,764ft)

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Allied Force, a bombing campaign against the FRY in response to the country’s military action in Kosovo. On the morning of March 24 most of the Lasta-95s were transferred from the VOC to the Utva factory. However, when Allied Force missions began at around 22:00 that night, cruise missiles hit the Utva factory and almost all the Lastas were destroyed or severely damaged. Another airframe, 54002, which was at Batajnica in readiness to be handed over to the National Aeronautical Museum at Belgrade Nikola Tesla Airport, was destroyed in an attack on May 20.

Revival With the NATO bombing having destroyed all but one Galeb G-2, YAF pilots had to transition from the Utva-75 to the Galeb G-4. The large difference in the performance of

the types led to the Lasta-95 programme being revived by the defence ministry in Serbia and Montenegro (a State Union between these countries was signed in February 2003, with Montenegro going on to become independent in 2006). In 2005 the ministry ordered two prototypes and 15 series production Lasta95s. Two years after that, in December 2007, the government of Iraq placed an order for 20 examples via Yugoimport-SDPR, the Serbian government intermediary agency responsible for the import and export of defence equipment. All the new aircraft would be powered by 235kW (320shp) Lycoming AEIO-580-B1A engines, offering a 67kW (20shp) increase in power on the original AEIO-540-L1Bs. The Iraqi order came at a time when Utva was facing bankruptcy and, reflecting its

UTVA LASTA MILITARY

1 The Kobac will be offered to the market with a choice of the PT6A-25C or 544kW (730shp) Ivchenko4 Progress AI-450C engines. Igor Salinger 2 An Iraqi Air Force Lasta-95N. Iraq’s aircraft feature underwing pods for combat training. Aleksandar Radic´ 3 The Serbian Air Force & Air Defence colour scheme is a revival of that used by the former Yugoslav Air Force’s training aircraft from the 1970s and 1980s. Igor Salinger 4 The mock-up Kobac cockpit, showing the type’s multi-function display for the COIN role. Yugoimportant-SDPR 5 The Serbian Air Force and Air Defence’s Lasta-95 has glass instrumentation, including the Garmin G500 system. Aleksandar Radic´

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importance to the nascent Serbian aircraft industry, Yugoimport-SDPR provided financial support which assisted the company in developing the aircraft and fulfilling the order. The first Lasta-95 (serial 54011) made its first flight on February 5, 2009, from Batajnica.

Iraqi Deliveries The Iraqi Air Force requested that its aircraft should also have armaments for the lightstrike role, leading to the 1980s’ plans for an armed version featuring two under-wing pylons being revisited. The Iraqi aircraft therefore became Lasta95Ns (N for Naoružan, or armed), with a NOK-09 targeting system installed above the instrument panel and the capability of carrying 100kg (221lb) of free-fall bombs, rockets, a 12.7mm M87 machine gun. The first Iraqi aircraft, serial number YI-

160, made its maiden flight on February 24, 2010. After tests, this and two others (YI-161 and YI-162) were dismantled in the factory, transported to Niš airport and, in June 2010, flown in an Ilyushin Il-76 to Al Muthanna International Airport in Baghdad. After the final assembly and test flights, instructors transferred the aircraft to their new home base at Tikrit, the home of the Iraqi Air Force College. Eight Iraqi pilots had previously visited Serbia to undertake training on the Lasta-95N, becoming the first cadre of the air force’s instructors on the type. By July 2011, all 20 Lasta-95Ns for Iraq (serial numbers YI-160 to YI-179) had been delivered to the 201st Squadron. In Iraqi service, the Lasta-95 provides the first stage in pilot training for students, who subsequently transfer to the T-6A Texan II turboprop.

Serbian Aircraft Serbian economic policy prioritises exports, which means the Iraqi contract took precedence over the development of Lasta95s for the Serbian Air Force & Air Defence (SAF&AD). However, with the completion of the Iraqi order the first prototype for the SAF&AD (54012) took off on May 30, 2011. This was followed by the first series production machine (54201) undergoing its maiden flight on March 21, 2012. Just as the programme was moving forwards, some problems emerged. The AEIO-580 engines on two Iraqi aircraft suffered failures (which occurred on the ground). Analysis showed that during startup the engines ran for up to 20 seconds without the necessary level of lubrication. At Tikrit, Serbian technicians subsequently carried out modifications on the Lasta-95Ns,

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KOBAC – SERBIA’S COUNTER-INSURGENCY AIRCRAFT

Armour plating Ballistic protective panels in the cabin will lower the probability of a rifle round or a projectile fragment hitting the pilot. The Belgrade-based VTI researched this during the 1990s civil war and the Kobac presents an opportunity to revive the old project. The 1990s civil war showed that even a jet can be downed by a just a single shot from an automatic rifle.

aircraft”. The axle of the rear cockpit’s left pedal jammed, which meant no control inputs could be made and the rotation of the aircraft couldn’t be stopped.

Accident

Modifications

Later in 2012 came the loss of aircraft 52401 during a spinning trial on September 26, 2012. Control of the aircraft was lost and the pilots, Goran Savic´ in the front seat and Tomislav Bec´ agovic´ in the rear, bailed out. Bec´ agovic´ ’s parachute inflated and he landed, sustaining minor injuries. But Savic´ ’s didn’t fully inflate and he fell to the ground near to where the aircraft crashed in Nova Pazova. Although he was airlifted to hospital by a Mi-17 helicopter, he later died from his injuries. The accident report stated that the cause “lies in the elasticity of the direction commanding gear, smaller clearance between the moving parts on the aircraft, effects of lateral forces on commands and inertia during the manoeuvring of the

Changes were subsequently made to the other Lasta aircraft in light of the accident’s findings. The first prototype 54011 resumed Lasta-95 testing on May 17, 2013, with a 40-minute flight. There are also proposals to install the aircraft with ejector seats and flight data recorders to measure flight parameters and highlight any potential issues that might endanger flight safety. Unlike the Iraqi aircraft, which have analogue systems, Serbia’s feature a Garmin G500 glass cockpit featuring the GNS 430W navigation system, GTX 330 digital transponder and a radio compass, distance measuring equipment and interphone marker supplied by Bendix King Avionics. The SAF&AD’s

Iraqi Air Force

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Hardpoints Five hardpoints will be able to carry bombs, rockets, missiles, guns and an electronic warfare pod.

with the first one taking off on October 30, 2013. The modification work during autumn and winter 2013/2014 was carried out under constant risk of rebel mortar attacks on the base.

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Navigation-attack system The fire control system will be able to monitor mobile targets at ranges of up to 8,000m, inertial and GPS navigation systems and indicator of the tactical situation, as well as gyro-stabilised daytime and thermal cameras and a laser rangefinder. The navigationattack system will be displayed to both seats, with the front cockpit also including a head-up display.

Wingtip fuel tanks These will provide an extra 190kg (420lb) of fuel to the existing internal load of 156kg (344lb).

aircraft will just be trainers and won’t feature the weapons pylons and targeting systems of the Iraqis’ aircraft.

Serbian Service By mid-2013 eight of the 15 ordered Lasta-95s had been delivered to the Batajnica-based SAF&AD Technical Test Centre, where they have undergone preservice trials. The aircraft are due to enter service training students with the 252nd školsko-trenažna avijacijska eskadrila (252nd School Education-Training Aviation Squadron), also at Batajnica, in spring 2014. This unit is responsible for training all SAF&AD pilot cadets before they’re selected to fast jets, cargo transport aircraft or helicopters. In SAF&AD service, the Lasta-95 will be designated as the V-54. The V stands for veza, or liaison. While that’s not the aircraft’s role, the designation was selected to continue the trend of giving Utva-

Yugoimportant-SDPR

Cockpit A larger canopy will provide better visibility than the Lasta-95 for COIN operations. There will be a large central multi-function display screen, which will show tactical displays and sensor imagery. The cockpit will also feature hands-on-throttle-stick (HOTAS) controls and Martin-Baker Mk15B lightweight ejector seats.

UTVA LASTA MILITARY 2 rockets, free-fall aerial rockets and a

machine gun pod that will be able to carry 7.62mm M84, 12.7mm M87 and 20mm M55 guns. The outer wing pylons will be able to carry air-to-air or air-to-surface missiles, while the electronic warfare pod will be carried on the centreline hardpoint underneath the fuselage.

On the Market

Igor Salinger

1 An Iraqi Air Force Lasta-95N at Tikrit. The Lasta provides ab-initio training until students move on to the T-6A Texan II. Iraqi Air Force 2 The first series production Lasta for the SAF&AD (54012) Aleksandar Radic´

manufactured aircraft the ‘V’ designation in military service. The introduction of the Lasta-95/V-54 will lead to the changes in the pilot training syllabus. Of the 250-hour flying programme, students will spend around 100 on the V-54.

Enter the Kobac Encouraged by the experience of Iraq buying the Lasta-95, in 2012 Yugoimport-SDPR announced a project to develop a counterinsurgency (COIN) and reconnaissance version of the original 1980s-era Lasta-1. This aircraft, called the Kobac (Sparrowhawk), continues the country’s tradition of naming its military aircraft after birds of prey like the Orao (Eagle) and J-21 Jastreb (Hawk). The Kobac is one of several projects designed to secure a long term future for Utva, with others being a twin-engine short take-off and landing aircraft, an eight-tonne helicopter and reviving the abandoned Novi Avion fighter project. The starting point for the Kobac was the airframe of the original 1980s-era Lasta-1, as its dimensions and solid construction make it suitable to achieve the requirements for a COIN aircraft.

will be able to pick from one of two engine options – the more powerful 559kW (750shp) PT6A-25C or the 544kW (730shp) IvchenkoProgress AI-450C-2. Befitting its COIN mission the Kobac’s navigation-attack system will be displayed in both cockpit seats, with the front cockpit also including a head-up display. It will also have a greater weapons carrying capacity than the Lasta-95, comprising four general purpose FAB100M80 100kg bombs, LLU-007 seventube rocket pods or L57-016MD 16-tube

Compared to the Embraer A-29 Super Tucano and Beechcraft AT-6B, the COIN aircraft is cheaper and lighter on take-off. An empty Kobac will weigh 1,325kg (2,921lb) and have a maximum take-off weight (MTOW) of 1,700kg (3,748lb). While an empty A-29 weighs from 2,420kg (5,335lb) and has a MTOW of 3,190kg (7,033lb). The Kobac is less powerful and doesn’t carry the same amount of weapons – its 500kg (1,100lb) weapons load capacity is one-third that of the A-29’s 1,500kg (3,307lb) – but the manufacturer estimates that there is no need for more than the Kobac offers. Its view is that the probability of the aircraft being hit drastically increases after the first pass and, therefore, there is no need to carry more combat load than is necessary for more than a single attack. Target customers for the Kobac are countries with limited budgets in Latin America and Africa which want one costeffective aircraft to conduct both training and COIN – although primarily designed for the latter, the aircraft can be used to train pilots just like the Lasta-95. One interested customer has been found, but the country’s identity hasn’t been disclosed. With the Kobac now at the level of technology demonstrator, Yugoimport believes it will be able to quickly finalise the project and start serial production once a firm order has been received. In addition to securing Kobac orders, Yugoimport-SDPR is also aiming to sell the basic Lasta-95 to other countries. And it’s considering offering a turboprop version of the basic Lasta plus an inexpensive derivative without a retractable landing gear.

More Weapons

Aleksandar Radic´

Although the Kobac is based on the Lasta, there are numerous modifications to the fuselage, cockpit and avionics systems to make it suited to the COIN role (see Serbia’s Counter-Insurgency Aircraft for details). It will have a lengthened fuselage, a new tailfin, wingtip tanks and new avionics. The mockup presented by Utva in spring 2012 featured a 462kW (650shp) Pratt & Whitney PT6, but customers of the series-production aircraft

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TECHNOLOGY NASA GLOBAL HAWKS

Weat Senti

Mark Broadbent looks at the research work of NASA’s RQ-4A Global Hawks

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NASA’s RQ-4s routinely operate at up to 62,300ft (19,989m) on HALE missions. All images NASA

hink of the Northrop Grumman (NG) RQ-4A Global Hawk and you think of the high-altitude long-endurance (HALE) unmanned air system (UAS) being used for reconnaissance over warzones. NASA, though, operates two for a rather more peaceful purpose: researching Earth’s weather. The aircraft – both pre-production series Block 10 RQ-4As built under the Global Hawk Advanced Concept Technology Demonstrator programme and acquired from the US Air Force in September 2007 – are part of NASA’s Airborne Science Program. Flying from the Dryden Flight Research Center at Edwards AFB, California, the Global Hawks combine their long range (10,000nm/18,518km), ability to fly up to 65,000ft (19,812m) and 32-hour endurance

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with sophisticated sensors to fly Earth science missions gathering a huge amount of detailed measurements on complex weather phenomena.

Early Campaigns After modification from their previous configuration and a series of test flights in October and November 2009, the RQ-4As were placed at the disposal of NASA’s Science Mission Directorate (SMD), which controls the Airborne Science Program’s activities, and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). NASA and NG jointly operate the aircraft under a ‘Space Act Agreement’, with each partner providing 50% of the annual operating costs. Paul Newman, the chief scientist for atmospheres in the Earth Sciences Division at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, explained what happened next: “NASA SMD put out research calls and scientists then wrote proposals.

These were peer-reviewed and a few chosen.” The result was the Global Hawks’ use in several research campaigns. The first, in March-April 2010, was Global Hawk Pacific which saw the aircraft operating over the Pacific Ocean measuring the movement of stratospheric air (at heights from 30,000 to 40,000ft/9,144 to 12,192m), dust, smoke and pollution across the ocean from Asia. The second campaign, in AugustSeptember 2010, was the Genesis and Rapid Intensification Processes mission, studying storms in the Gulf of Mexico and the eastern Atlantic Ocean. This was followed by Winter Storms Pacific and Atmospheric Rivers in February-March 2011 over the Pacific and Arctic to test the newlydeveloped Airborne Vertical Atmospheric Profiling System (AVAPS). These campaigns built NASA’s expertise in operating the Global Hawks and resulted in the aircraft being allocated to two far more ambitious research projects

ather tinels – gathering data about hurricanes and humidity in the upper atmosphere.

HS3 Hurricane and Severe Storm Sentinel (HS3) is investigating two aspects of tropical storms – the environment around them and the internal processes that cause their intensification into hurricanes. This level of detail is something scientists have long sought but the problem is that manned high-altitude research aircraft like NASA’s ER-2 and WB-57A (which have 12 and six-hour endurance respectively) simply can’t station long enough to give scientists a continuous feed of information over the course of a day or more. NASA recognised that the Global Hawk’s HALE capabilities presented a solution to this problem. Newman explains: “The key roles of the aircraft in HS3 are to provide the means to collect data from high altitudes above the storms and for the long durations needed to either cover large areas around

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the storm or observe the changes that occur in storm structure over many hours.” From late 2011 into 2012, the Global Hawks were modified with new sensor payloads for HS3. One aircraft was allocated to flying around storms and hurricanes (what NASA terms the ‘Environmental’ research aspects of HS3) and the other to flying above them (‘Overstorm’), with the sensor packages varying slightly between the aircraft.

Environmental The ‘Environmental’ research Global Hawk is fitted with three key sensors. The Scanning High-Resolution Interferometer Sounder (S-HIS), mounted in the Global Hawk’s belly, measures thermal radiation at high spectral resolutions to obtain temperature and water vapour profiles of the atmosphere around a storm. The sensor is accurate to within 1.07nm (2km). The second sensor is a Cloud Physics

Lidar or CPL which is mounted in the aircraft’s nose. The CPL measures cloud structure and aerosols such as dust by bouncing laser light off of particles and clouds. This assesses cloud structures by using a laser and photon-counter which generates detailed cross-section images of cloud. The third sensor is the aforementioned AVAPS. This uses a dispenser in the Global Hawk’s tail to release up to 89 ‘dropsondes’, which are dropped into the air around a storm. These measure pressure, temperature, humidity and winds at different altitudes as they descend. Newman explains the value these payloads provide: “The role of the ‘Environmental’ payload is to obtain critical measurements in the hurricane environment in order to identify the role of key factors such as large-scale wind systems like troughs and jet streams, Saharan air masses, African Easterly Waves and their embedded critical layers.”

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1 A NASA RQ-4A landing at Edwards AFB, California, after completing a mission over the Atlantic Ocean as part of HS3. 2 NASA’s two Global Hawks on the ground at Edwards AFB. 3 One of the two NASA RQ-4s operating at altitude. 4 NASA Goddard support scientist Patrick Selmer installs cables during the installation of the Cloud Physics Lidar into a NASA Global Hawk for the HS3 mission. 5 The Scanning High-Resolution Interferometer Sounder system, used for the HS3 mission, mounted on the bottom of a NASA RQ-4A. 1 6 A tropical storm as seen during a HS3 Mission.

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Climate Change

Flight Operations

The Global Hawk that provides the ‘Overstorm’ capability in HS3 has a different sensor fit to reflect its purpose of flying directly above the eyes of storms and hurricanes to peer into their whirling centres. The High Altitude Monolithic Microwave integrated Circuit (MMIC) Sounding Radiometer (HAMSR) – a microwave atmospheric sounder which assesses temperature, water vapour, water and rain rates – builds a 3D visualisation of the strength of the precipitation inside a storm or hurricane. A similar 3D picture is built by a High-altitude Wind and Rain Airborne Profiler (HIWRAP), which uses a Doppler radar to scan a conical area, while a Hurricane Imaging Radiometer (HIRAD) multi-frequency radiometer assesses surface winds and rainfall at the base of the storm. “The role of the ‘Overstorm’ aircraft is to observe and understand, in 3D, the internal structures of tropical disturbances and cyclones and their role in intensity change,” says Newman. “In particular, we want to look at how bursts of thunderstorm activity lead to changes in the low-level winds in terms of storm organisation and intensification.”

The second mission the Global Hawks are currently engaged in is the Airborne Tropical Tropopause Experiment (ATTREX) which is investigating processes in the tropopause (air between 30,000ft/9,144m and 56,000ft/17,068m) above the tropics. “The tropopause is the boundary between the lowest layer of the atmosphere, the troposphere, and the next highest layer, the stratosphere,” Newman explains. Recent studies suggest changes in humidity in the tropopause influence stratospheric humidity, which in turn impacts on the ozone layer and Earth’s temperature. ATTREX is designed to measure moisture levels and chemical composition of the tropopause to give scientists a better understanding of physical processes occurring in this part of the atmosphere and help make more accurate predictions about climate change. As with HS3, the Global Hawk’s HALE capabilities provide an ideal platform for undertaking long research flights and gathering much detailed data. For ATTREX the Global Hawks are fitted with 13 sensors to measure humidity and temperature.

To meet the research requirements of both HS3 and ATTREX, the Global Hawk flying operations are split between the programmes. The aircraft are fitted with the HS3 sensor payload for the tropical storm and hurricane season in late summer, after which they are reconfigured with the ATTREX payloads. In 2012 avionics problems grounded the ‘Overstorm’ aircraft at Edwards, meaning that year’s HS3 campaign saw only the Global Hawk fitted with the ‘Environmental’ payload deployed to the forward operating base at NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia – conveniently situated for nearby hurricane activity over the eastern seaboard and the Atlantic. Paul Newman told AIR International: “We did six science flights. The first was during our transit from Edwards to Wallops Field, in which we did a large loop around the eastern side of Hurricane Leslie to look at the structure of the outflow layer – the part of the hurricane’s secondary circulation in which air spirals inward near the surface, rises within deep clouds in the rain bands and eyewall and then spirals outward aloft. “The other flights were done in long-lived

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Hurricane Nadine, starting from its initial formation and development into a hurricane, its movement to the eastern Atlantic where it weakened into a post-tropical low and then its redevelopment back into a hurricane.”

Hurricane Hunting Newman described a typical HS3 mission: “All flights involved rapid climbs to peak cruising altitude. We typically got up to around 49,000ft

[14,996m] within one hour after take-off and climbed up to nearly 62,300ft [19,989m]. All of our flights into Nadine involved what we call a ‘lawnmower pattern’, moving back and forth from west to east, then east to west, while moving from north to south across the storm. At the time of our second flight, Nadine was a tropical storm moving northwards with the potential of intensifying into a hurricane. However, the storm was under the influence

of strong vertical wind shear (the change of winds with height). In addition, a Saharan air mass was moving northwards on the eastern side of the storm and was wrapping around the northern side. “The goal of the flight was to examine the impact of the vertical shear and the Saharan air on the ability of the storm to intensify. We flew the lawnmower pattern above but along one of the west to east flight legs, and data showed that, while most of the Saharan air 6 remained far from the storm centre, there was a low-level intrusion of this air on the northern side beneath a mid-level cloud deck that may have affected the intensification of the storm. However, considerable research is still needed to quantify this.” Nevertheless the potential value of the Global Hawks is clear: their analysis of the environment around storms and how they intensify helps give scientists a deeper understanding of how and why hurricanes form. This in turn will enable weather forecasters and federal and state agencies to be better informed about when and where a hurricane might strike and how powerful it will be. The importance of tracking storms as they develop was highlighted by the 2012 hurricane season, the most active for many years, and the effects of Hurricane Sandy which killed 147 people and caused an estimated $7 billion of damage.

ATTREX After the 2012 HS3 flights, the ‘Environmental’ and ‘Overstorm’ payloads

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TECHNOLOGY NASA GLOBAL HAWKS

A view of the Global Hawk Operations Center at Edwards, showing the cockpit and payload control areas.

OPERATING THE GLOBAL HAWK Whether chasing hurricanes across the Atlantic or monitoring humidity above the tropics, NASA’s Global Hawks are controlled from the dedicated Operations Center within the Dryden facility at Edwards AFB. Paul Newman explains: “The Operations Center is divided into a cockpit area and a payload area. Typically there are two pilots and one mission manager in the cockpit area and around ten scientists in the payload area. The scientists monitor the instruments and see the data being gathered by the Global Hawks in real time. “Between four and six scientists in the payload area operate and monitor the instruments. We also have two mission scientists who make all the decisions about the sampling strategy. There is also a payload manager for co-ordinating between mission scientists, instrument scientists, and the mission manager, and an IT specialist.” NG provides technical, engineering, maintenance and operations support for all these operations and some parts of the ground control station. Dryden provides the operating facilities, flight approval responsibility, flight operations co-ordination and maintenance, operations and project staffing.

of that campaign led to the HS3-specific sensors being re-installed in the Global Hawks. For 2013’s hurricane season, there was a new payload added to the ‘Environmental’ aircraft called TWiLiTE (Tropospheric Wind Lidar Technology Experiment). This is a Doppler lidar designed to measure wind profiles in clear air from the Earth’s surface to 59,000ft (17,983m). Both Global Hawks operated together from Wallops Field – the first time the two had flown from there together. Compared to 2012, last year was a quiet hurricane season. “From a science perspective, it was disappointing because of the low amount of tropical cyclone activity,” said Scott Braun, HS3 principal investigator at the Goddard Space Flight Center But that’s not to say the 2013 HS3 didn’t have its achievements. Data from the dropsondes from both aircraft assisted forecasters at the National Hurricane Center in the analysis of a tropical depression that became Tropical Storm Gabrielle on September 4. And there were a number of scientific achievements. The ‘Environmental’ Global Hawks flew over the remnants of tropical storm Erin and captured valuable data on the Saharan Air Layer (SAL) in the eastern Atlantic Ocean on August 20 and 21. The CPL instrument showed an elevated dust layer between about 1.5 to 2.8 miles (2.5 to 4.5km) overrunning the remnants of Erin. A second flight into a large SAL air mass on August 2425 that provided a unique combination of data from the dropsonde system and CPL, which according to NASA “captured the tremendous variability in dust layer structure that occurs within the broader air mass.”

Measuring Hurricanes The ‘Environmental’ aircraft went on to gather data from the remnants of tropical storm Humberto on September 16-17. A dropsonde released from the Global Hawk showed that Humberto revealed it had a hybrid structure (a low-level warm core with an upper-level cold low) – an unusual phenomenon. Meanwhile, the ‘Overstorm’ Global Hawk carried the Hurricane Imaging Radiometer (HIRAD), the High-altitude Imaging Wind and Rain Airborne Profiler or HIWRAP, and the High-Altitude Monolithic Microwave Integrated Circuits Sounding Radiometer or HAMSR, on a flight over Hurricane Ingrid on September 15 as the storm moved through the Gulf of Mexico. The HIRAD identified an area of heavy rain and likely strong winds on Hurricane Ingrid’s eastern side by measuring energy coming from the rough ocean surface caused by the rain and strong winds.

Pacific Deployment The flights undertaken by the RQ-4A in the 2012 HS3 campaign illustrated how the type’s longrange capabilities help track storms from their origins way out over the Atlantic Ocean.

were removed and the ATTREX equipment installed. From January to March 2013 six flights were undertaken from Edwards AFB over the Northern Pacific Ocean during which the aircraft were airborne for more than 150 hours in total. The missions were carried out there because scientists were interested in finding out more about the tropopause in the winter, when the Northern Pacific is at its coldest and extremely dry air

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enters the stratosphere. The nature of scientific research means analysing the data gathered in these flights is an on-going process. NASA so far hasn’t disclosed any results from them but says they were completed satisfactorily.

2013 HS3 As per the schedule of switching between HS3 and ATTREX missions, the conclusion

In late 2013 the ATTREX payloads were again re-installed and on January 21, 2014, one of the Global Hawks deployed from Edwards to Andersen AFB in Guam in the western Pacific for this year’s ATTREX – the first time NASA’s RQ-4As will have operated from an airfield outside the mainland US. “We conducted flights in 2013 that studied how the atmosphere works and how humans are affecting it,” said Eric Jensen, ATTREX principal investigator. “This year, we plan to sample the western Pacific region which is critical for establishing the humidity of the air

NASA GLOBAL HAWKS TECHNOLOGY

“We conducted flights in 2013 that studied how the atmosphere works and how humans are affecting it,” Eric Jensen, ATTREX principal investigator.

entering the stratosphere.” For this year’s mission, the Global Hawk is carrying 13 instruments that will sample the tropopause near the equator over the Pacific Ocean, with different payloads providing readings on clouds, temperatures, water vapour, gases and solar radiation.

Antarctica In addition to another HS3 deployment later in 2014, one of the two Global Hawks is scheduled to fly even further afield – to Antarctica. Stemming from a partnership

between NASA’s Airborne Science Program and the Center for Remote Sensing of Ice Sheets (CReSIS) at the University of Kansas in Lawrence, the aircraft will be installed with a snow radar to measure accumulations on the continent’s glaciers and ice sheets, contributing data to ongoing research about the polar region’s changing climate. This deployment shows that NASA’s longterm vision is that the Global Hawks should have the adaptability to deploy on different research missions. “There’s a huge range of experiments and observations that could be

done with the Global Hawk,” Newman says. “This includes measuring carbon and other emissions, researching ecosystems and weather – such as routine observations of weather in the under-sampled Pacific – and oceanographic research.” It seems the Global Hawk’s weather sentinel role is here to stay. Newman concludes: “The aircraft is just spinning up for science research. I believe it could become the primary system for a great deal of environmental monitoring around the globe.”

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MILITARY AGUSTA-BELL AB212

Spain’s

AB212

Upgrade Roberto Yáñez and Alex Rodríguez look at the life extension programme for the Spanish Navy’s AB212s

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he budget cutbacks in Spain have forced the country’s military to make the maximum use of current resources rather than purchase new equipment. It is also why the Armada Española (Spanish Navy) has instigated a wide-ranging programme to modernise the 14 AgustaBell AB212 helicopters of the Flotilla de Aeronaves (FLOAN – Spanish Navy Air Arm), one of its longest-serving and most reliable weapons systems. Spanish naval aviation acquired the AB212s initially to undertake anti-submarine missions operating from the navy’s vessels. They entered service between 1974 and 1980, and were equipped with, among other things, the MM/APS-705 surface search radar, Bendix AN/AQS-13B dipping sonar and a UPX719 transponder. Over time they received armaments, such as lightweight torpedoes, wire-guided missiles and machine guns. Some examples were also fitted out for electronic countermeasures and intelligence work. After nearly four decades of sterling service, the seven remaining operational AB212s have adapted their mission to

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Upgrade Programme During the first half of 2011 the Spanish Navy launched its Plan de Extensión de vida de los Helicópteros Agusta-Bell 212 (PEVH AB212 or Helicopter Life Extension Programme) to extend the type’s serviceability beyond 2030. Its principal aim is to establish a common operational standard for all seven AB212s in the fleet to reduce maintenance costs. Another key objective is to introduce new mission equipment (including night-vision goggles) and self-defence measures. This includes the introduction of a ‘plug and play’ capability, which means components and systems can be quickly removed or installed so that helicopters can switch easily between roles. Finally, the programme will install the equipment necessary for the AB212 to operate from the Spanish Navy’s Meteoro class patrol ships on sea control and surveillance missions. AgustaWestland has undertaken upgrades for other countries’ AB212 fleets, for example in Austria. The Spanish Navy put the contract to upgrade its examples out to

tender, and four companies submitted bids. At the end of 2011 the deal was awarded to a joint venture comprising Spanish companies, the engineering and technology group SENER and INAER Helicopters. The upgrade work on the first helicopter began in 2012.

Basic Package The upgrade can be divided into three major areas: the basic package of improvements, new mission systems plus new special equipment and self-protection systems. The basic package covers completely rewiring the helicopter’s electrical system, installing an instrumented cockpit display system and replacing analogue instrumentation with a fully-digital cockpit.

Cockpit Screens All the data relating to the performance of the helicopter and its engines, flight parameters, navigation and mission are now displayed on an electronic flight information system (EFIS), made up of four multi-purpose 6in x 8in (152 x 203mm) digital screens supplied by Astronautics Corporation of America. The PEVH AB212 contract stated that new systems must already be certified for the AB212 (or similar helicopters in the Bell

family, such as UH-1 and AB412) to reduce development risks and time. The display screens are already installed in the US Air Force’s Bell TH-1H Huey IIs that are used by the 23rd Flying Training Squadron based at Fort Rucker in Alabama. The basic package also includes a new attitude and heading reference system, new air data computers and the L3 Avionics Systems Trilogy ESI-1000 emergency instrument and terrain awareness systems. These are all integrated and displayed on the cockpit screens, with audio signals on the new intercom and VHF/UHF system. The previous VOR (VHF Omni-Range) navigation system is being replaced by the AN/ARN-118(V) tactical aerial navigation system and an AN/ARA-50 automatic direction finder. All the helicopters will also be equipped with the Garmin GTN 750 GPS satellite navigation system, which incorporates a moving map. The existing AN/APX-72 identification friend or foe transponder will receive mode C capability, while an emergency locator transmitter (ELT) beacon will be installed.

All photographs Roberto Yáñez

include such diverse roles as supporting the Infantería de Marina (Marines), inserting special forces, armed escort, transport, plus search and rescue.

Mission Systems The second element of the upgrade will install mission systems that the AB212s

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previously lacked and replace older, outmoded ones. The Telephonics RDR1500B+ maritime surveillance and weather radar will replace the previous Selex unit. The AB212s will receive a new electrooptical and forward-looking infrared (EO/ FLIR) capability with the installation of the Wescam MX-10 that will be mounted in the nose of the helicopter, just in front of the cable cutter. A new automatic identification system (AIS) transceiver to track ships will also become the central tool for maritime patrol missions. The Honeywell observer mission tactical computer will be at the heart of the mission 2 system by integrating data from the radar, AIS and EO/FLIR with the information provided by the navigation system. All the data generated by the helicopter will be displayed on the EFIS and can be shared with other Spanish Navy assets via datalink,

Special Equipment The third part of the upgrade concerns special equipment and self-protection systems that the AB212s needs for the missions they’ll perform when operating from the Meteoro class ships in combat. These include modifications to the auxiliary fuel tanks and installing armoured, crashresistant seats and a ballistic protection system for the cabin (offering protection against projectiles up to 7.62mm), Dillon Aero M134D-T 7.62mm mini-guns and a missile approach warning system.

Teamwork Each of the different elements of the AB212 upgrade – design, integration, installation and certification – are interlinked to help find the best solutions on the market as quickly as possible. SENER and INAER’s teamwork on the AB212 upgrade is, says SENER, “a pioneering project for the Spanish aircraft industry”. The bulk of the design engineering

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AGUSTA-BELL AB212 MILITARY

SENER AND INAER The private engineering and technology firm SENER was founded in 1956 with the intention of offering its clients the most up-todate technologies on the market. Today the group employs 5,500 professionals worldwide and generates annual profits of more than €1 billion. As well as aerospace, SENER is involved in a wide range of industries including construction, infrastructure, transport, energy and the naval sector. The responsibility for the AB212 upgrade with SENER lies with José María Rodríguez, the programme’s chief, and Ignacio Cerezo, who is responsible for design and integration. INAER is an industry leader in Spain in the areas of aircraft maintenance and emergency aerial services. It is part of the Avincis Group, which specialises in search and rescue, aerial transport of personnel and cargo and environmental protection. The different companies that make up the Avincis Group operate a fleet of approximately 350 aircraft in Europe, South America and Oceana. The main INAER personnel for the AB212 upgrade are José Navarro (programme chief), Andrés Peinado, who is responsible for installation and production, and Benjamín Calvo in charge of the certification process. 3 1 The replacement of obsolete components and the installation of new ones will reduce the helicopter’s weight, an important factor given that it is retaining its current engine. 2 The four EFIS screens in the first newly-upgraded Spanish Navy AB212. Information from the Trilogy ESI-1000 and the Garmin GTN-750 are displayed on the centre screen. 3 The first upgraded AB212 outside INAER’s Albacete facility. 4 Crew debriefing in INAER’s Albacete facility after a test flight.

is carried out at SENER’s Madrid facility. INAER is responsible for developing the EO/ FLIR system, hoist, intercom system, ELT beacon and the AIS transponder. It also upgrades the helicopters and at its Centro de Integración de Prototipos (CIP - Prototype Integration Centre) at Albacete, south-east of Madrid, using a hangar built specifically for the programme. The project passed a milestone on December 17, 2013 when the first AB212 to be upgraded took to the air from the Albacete CIP. That was serial number HA.18-5/01-309 (HA.18 being the Spanish military designation 4 for the AB212). More than 14,000 manhours went into the design engineering and installation work before that first flight and it’s estimated that eventually 60,000 will be required to complete the project. The teamwork is underlined by the fact that the Spanish Navy has an office of its Comisión de Seguimiento del Proyecto (COMSE – or Project Management Committee) at Albacete, which consists of a pilot and two mechanics with AB212 experience from 3ª Escuadrilla at Rota, outside Jerez, which operates the type. The COMSE team, which has been part of the project since its inception, is responsible for providing the Spanish Navy’s input into the project and monitoring its progress.

INTA Engineers from the Instituto Nacional de Técnica Aerospacial (INTA, National

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AGUSTA-BELL AB212 MILITARY each one can receive the PEVH AB212 modifications and not hinder 3ª Escuadrilla’s need to meet its national and international security responsibilities and training commitments. Three of these six helicopters will pass through the Albacete CIP in 2014, with the three others following next year. The last modified helicopter is scheduled to be handed over in December 2015. Work is currently under way on the second helicopter to be modified. After being completely dismantled, HA.18-12/01-316 has received structural reinforcements for the armoured seats, the initial modifications for the use of night vision goggles and part of the new wiring.

Training

1 The AB212 now has a fully-digital cockpit. 2 Representatives from the Spanish Navy, INAER and SENER gathered in front of the upgraded AB212’s first flight on December 17, 2013. 3 Work on installing mission and special equipment to the first upgraded AB212 is currently under way.

Aerospace Technical Institute) are also at Albacete. They provide another indispensable pillar of support by supplying expertise to validate and test the upgrades and oversee their certification. In December, INTA issued a Certificate of

INAER is also responsible for training 3ª Escuadrilla’s pilots and maintenance crews to use the newly-upgraded helicopter. The personnel that make up the COMSE will be the first crew to be converted. Once they’re trained, there will be six more courses (one for each helicopter) in which three to four crew members will participate. It’s estimated 3 that each of these will last around a month, with each group using the aircraft then in the Experimental Airworthiness for the AB212 final phase of modification. upgrade which validated the changes Meanwhile, SENER and INAER are under the basic package of modifications. promoting the modernisation programme It enables the work to begin to install and on the international market. The companies certify the new missions systems and special hope to attract orders from operators of equipment. The target is to hand over the ageing AB212s because they can offer first fully-upgraded AB212 to the Spanish a cost-effective, custom design service Navy by mid-2014. that involves customers from the project definition stage. It’s hoped the upgrade will Upgrade Schedule appeal to customers who consider the cost The Spanish Navy’s schedule for its other of acquiring a more modern aircraft to six AB212s has been designed to ensure be prohibitive.

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Boeing and Airbus are both seeking fuel savings with their efficiency improvements to the 737NG and A320ceo. Bailey/AirTeamImages

The A320ceo and Boeing 737NG are being updated with new fuel-saving features, as Mark Broadbent reports

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he financial challenges faced by airlines in recent years due to the combination of rising fuel prices and choppy travel demand have made efficiency the industry’s watchword. That’s partly why Airbus and Boeing launched the A320neo and 737 MAX, their respective upgrades of their respective twin-jets equipped with new engine and airframe technologies. But airlines want cost savings in their aircraft of today as well those arriving tomorrow and that’s led to the manufacturers investing in efficiency improvements for the A320ceo (current engine option) and 737NG,

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rather than putting them out to grass as the new generation arrives.

Sharklets The most visible of these changes to the A320ceo family is the addition of the 2.4m (7ft 9in) Sharklets, curved fuel-saving devices which replace the type’s previous wingtip fences. Airbus announced the Sharklets at the Dubai Airshow in November 2009, with the Korea Air Aerospace Division in May 2010 selected to manufacture them. A320ceo test aircraft MSN1 was modified with Sharklets during 2011 and undertook its first flight with the wingtip devices on November 30 that year, kicking off a 12-month, 600-hour flight test and certification programme that involved eight of

Airbus’ A320ceo fleet. Approval for Sharklets to be used on newbuild A320ceos, powered by either of the type’s engine options (the CFM International CFM56 and International Aero Engines V2500), was received from the European Aviation Safety Agency and US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) in 2012. The first Sharklet-equipped A320ceo was delivered that December to Malaysian low-cost carrier AirAsia. Regulatory approval to install Sharklets in all new-build A321ceos and A319ceos was achieved in 2013.

Saving Fuel Sharklets, made from carbon fibre composites, work by optimising the wingtips’ aerodynamic profile. Airbus claims that a

SHARKLETS AND SCIMITARS TECHNOLOGY

Sharklets

Scimitars

Sharklet-equipped ceo uses 4% less fuel and generates 900 tonnes less carbon dioxide emissions each year compared to one flying with the standard wingtip fences. The company adds that a ceo with Sharklets can fly 100 nautical miles (185km) further or carry 450kg (992lb) more in payload compared to one without. With airlines eager to eke out any possible cost savings at a time of rising fuel prices, A320ceo operators were evidently impressed by these numbers. Within six months of the Sharklets’ entry to service, more than 40 A320ceo customers had ordered them for their aircraft. Airbus revealed, at its annual press conference in January, that 250 A320ceos delivered in 2013 had the devices installed.

Retrofit Options This success prompted Airbus, in October 2013, to announce that the Sharklet programme would be extended to include retrofit options for aircraft already in service. There’s a ‘production retrofit’ option on A320ceos built in the last three years. The wings on these aircraft have an internal structure that allows Sharklets to be installed, even if a customer didn’t opt for them initially. The first to take up this option were Turkish Airlines and Singaporean low cost carrier Tigerair, until recently Tiger Airways. For A320ceos that are more than three years old Airbus is developing an ‘in-service retrofit’ option. These older machines have a slightly different internal wing design, which means that rather than simply swapping their wingtip

fences for the Sharklets, they need their wing structures reinforcing before the devices can be installed. This option will be available on A320ceos and A319ceos from 2015.

Split Scimitar Winglet The 737NG is also receiving new fuel-saving winglet technology. In January 2013 Aviation Partners Boeing (APB), a joint venture between Boeing and Seattle-based Aviation Partners Inc, launched the Split Scimitar Winglet as a retrofit for the 737-700, -800, -900 and -900ER and the Boeing Business Jet (BBJ) derivatives of these variants. The Split Scimitar is designed to replace the 737NG’s current Blended Winglets. These devices, developed by APB in the late 1990s, yielded a 3% reduction in fuel burn

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2

CUTTING THE A320CEO’S NOISE While manufacturers are taking the lead in improving the A320ceo and 737NG, that doesn’t mean innovations can’t come from other sources. For example, the renowned aerospace research institution the Deutsches Zentrum für Luft und Raumfahrt (DLR, German Aerospace Centre) has recently come up with a way of reducing the A320ceo’s noise footprint. Underneath each A320ceo’s wing is a pressure equalisation vent. When airflow passes over this during flight, it creates a ‘humming’ sound reminiscent of that heard when blowing air across the mouth of a bottle. Using its own dedicated A320232 Advanced Technology Research Aircraft test-bed (D-ATRA), the DLR found that installing a small component on the underside of the aircraft generates a vortex, which causes airflow to be directed around the vents. Measurements made by the DLR from the ground, as D-ATRA flew overhead, showed that two noise tones were eliminated by the so-called ‘vortex generators’ and the aircraft was up to two decibels quieter. In January 2014, Lufthansa began installing vortex generators on the 157 A320ceos it operates from its Munich and Frankfurt hubs to reduce the type’s noise impact on communities living near the airports.

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3 1 Boeing is working on a number of structural and systems improvements to the 737NG to reduce its fuel burn. Jorgen Syversen/AirTeamImages 2 Tests using the DLR’s A320-232 Advanced Technology Research Aircraft found vortex generators underneath the aircraft eliminated two noise tones. DLR 3 A Sharkletequipped Air France A320ceo coming into land at Amsterdam-Schiphol. Tom Kool/AirTeamImages 4 Lufthansa’s A320ceos are now receiving both Sharklets and the DLR-developed vortex generators. Airbus 5 AirAsia was the first airline to fit Sharklets to its A320ceos. Tek/AirTeamImages

and 130 nautical mile (240km) range increase compared to a 737 without them. They were originally developed for the BBJ family, but the performance figures meant they were soon made available for 737NGs too. They’ve been very popular – some 5,000 are 4 now in use and virtually every new 737NG produced since the early 2000s has been built with them. Like Airbus with its Sharklets, APB spent several years working on the Split Scimitar’s aerodynamic configuration. The device is currently only available as a retrofit on 737NGs which already have Blended Winglets. That’s because the Split Scimitar uses the existing Blended Winglets’ structure rather than installing a completely new component. The Blended Winglet’s aluminium cap is replaced by a sharply swept-back tip (hence the scimitar name) and a ventral strake, also featuring a scimitar tip, is attached to the lower part of the winglet. APB claims the Split Scimitars increase the fuel burn reduction to 5% from the 3% offered by Blended Winglets. As with Airbus’s A320ceo customers, the extra saving has prompted a rush from 737NG operators to order Split Scimitars. APB has received orders for 1,451 devices. Certification to use the Split Scimitars on 5 737-800s was received from the FAA on February 6, 2014, with that for the -900ER set to follow in March. 737NG operators will begin receiving the Split Scimitars soon afterwards. Launch customer United Airlines will be the first carrier to have its aircraft outfitted with the devices. Other customers include Southwest Airlines, Alaska Airlines and TUI Travel in Europe. APB says airlines operating fleets with dozens of 737NGs will be able to save millions in costs each year. For example, it says Alaska Airlines will save $20 million in fuel costs per year from equipping its fleet of 113 737NGs. It’s intended that the Split Scimitar Winglet will be available for new-build 737NGs on the assembly lines at Renton in the future, neither APB nor Boeing have yet disclosed when that might occur.

to improve efficiency. Boeing, in 2011, introduced a Performance Improvement Package (PIP) for the 737NG, which introduced streamlined surfaces onto

several fairings and controls. The housing for the anti-collision lights, the plug and cutback nozzle on the CFM56 engine and environmental control system exhaust now

Streamlining The wingtips aren’t the only area where the manufacturers have made changes

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TECHNOLOGY SHARKLETS AND SCIMITARS all have curved rather than angular surfaces. The aluminium filler, formerly used on the slat and spoiler trailing edges, was replaced by machine-tapered filler which is 60% thinner. The gaps between the spoilers and their respective flaps were reduced by between 0.05in/1.27mm and 0.32in/8.12mm, depending on the flap. The five aft wheel-well fairings and five panels at the rear of the main undercarriage wheel bay were recontoured. These changes were all carried out to smooth the airflow around the back of the wing and the gear when it’s extended for take-off and landing. The alterations may seem very minor but operators who opted for the PIP on its release, including Japan Airlines and flyDubai, were reporting a 2% reduction in fuel burn by the end of 2012. Boeing says the PIP reduces the cost of operating one 1 737NG by $120,000 per year. 2

3

eTaxi Meanwhile, Airbus says it’s investing €300 million per year to improve the A320ceo. A significant new research project is looking at how electrical power can be used during ground operations to further reduce the type’s fuel burn and emissions. In December 2013 Airbus announced that it had signed a memorandum of understanding with EGTS International, a joint venture between Safran and Honeywell Aerospace, to develop and evaluate an autonomous Electric Green Taxiing System (EGTS) for the A320ceo. This followed initial research carried out by Airbus from 2011. It’s envisaged that the EGTS, dubbed eTaxi by Airbus, will use an A320ceo’s auxiliary power unit to drive electric motors fitted to the main landing gear wheels. This would enable a ceo to push-back from the gate without a tug and taxi to the runway, and return to the gate after landing, without using its engines. Airbus says its initial projections

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show eTaxi could reduce an A320ceo’s fuel and carbon dioxide emissions by 4% per trip and cut carbon and nitrous oxide emissions “by more than half” during the taxiing phase of a flight. Airbus and EGTS International are now carrying out more in-depth studies to validate the proposed technologies and define specifications.

Improved Data Boeing hasn’t disclosed whether it intends to launch, or even study, an electric taxiing option for the 737NG. But the company is chasing efficiencies in other areas. In October 2013 it announced that 737NGs being delivered from 2015 will 5 have a new enhanced digital flight data acquisition unit (eDFDAU) and network file server. These systems were successfully trialled on a American Airlines 737-800 as part of the 2012 edition of Boeing’s ecoDemonstrator programme to test and validate ways of enhancing commercial aircraft efficiency. These systems will double the amount of maintenance data a 737NG generates during a flight, and enable airlines’ engineering teams to monitor maintenance information about a 737NG in real time. The idea is that carriers will be able to identify any maintenance issues more quickly, giving them the chance to prepare a fix for when the aircraft lands and therefore avoid the cost of having an aircraft out of service while a problem is investigated.

in the middle of 2014. By putting these enhancements into the 737NG first, Boeing is aiming to identify and iron out any developmental snags before the MAX becomes a reality. Airbus is using the improvements to the A320ceo in a similar way as it prepares for the neo. The introduction of Sharklets – which will be standard on all neo variants – as retrofit options on A320ceos first has enabled the company to validate the device’s operational effectiveness well in advance of the neo programme ramping-up. In this respect, the improvements to the A320ceo and 737NG are crucial stepping

stones to the new aircraft. By ‘frontloading’ key aspects of the neo and MAX’s development with the existing models, Airbus and Boeing are attempting to minimise development risk and provide confidence in the design and the supply chain before the new aircraft enter production. In the meantime, A320ceo and 737NG operators benefit from the improvements. And with the manufacturers still holding sizeable backlogs for their current generation models – Airbus still has to build 1,688 A320ceos and Boeing 1,917 737NGs – expect the companies to continue their investment in the ceo and NG.

1 An artist’s impression of how the Aviation Partners Boeing Split Scimitar Winglet will look on a Thomson Airways Boeing 737-800. Aviation Partners Boeing 2 For low-fare airlines, like Jetstar, minimising costs is especially important. Angelo Bufalino/AirTeamImages 3 Blended Winglets on a line-up of KLM Boeing 737-800s. Martin Boschhuizen/AirTeamImages 4 Spanish budget airline Vueling was the first European carrier to introduce Sharklets on its A320ceos. Lars Veling/ AirTeamImages 5 Tigerair was one of the first airlines to go for the ‘production retrofit’ option to install Sharklets on its A320ceos. Airbus

Stepping Stones The eDFDAU and file server, and changes in the PIP, are being rolled into the 737 MAX, the design of which will be frozen

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JAL’ s W Comeback

hen Japan Airlines (JAL) filed for bankruptcy protection back in January 2010, noone was quite sure what the de facto flag carrier would look like when it emerged. Aviation-watchers generally agreed that JAL – battered by debt, unprofitable routes and the international financial crisis – would at the

Japan Airlines is getting back on track after a tumultuous few years, as David Armstrong reports

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JAL was the second operator of the 787-8. Aleksi Hamalainen/AirTeamImages

JAPAN AIRLINES COMMERCIAL very least surface from court protection and reorganisation as a much smaller, leaner airline. Some suggested longhaul international routes would be all but abandoned by a much-diminished company. When Tokyo-based JAL came out of bankruptcy protection in March 2011, it was, as predicted, smaller. The airline, founded in 1951 during the Allied occupation of postwar Japan, shed some 40% of its workforce, reduced capacity and retired older, fuelguzzling jets. It reduced wages by a fifth, pensions by nearly a third and de-listed its shares from the Tokyo Stock Exchange. At the same time, however, JAL’s

membership of the oneworld alliance survived, as did its joint venture with American Airlines and code-share agreements with oneworld partners such as British Airways. So too did money-making routes in its international network. In the three years since emerging from bankruptcy protection, JAL has morphed into a more profitable and nimbler company.

Shock Therapy Bankruptcy protection reorganisation – during which JAL flights continued as normal – was shock therapy, but it seems to have worked. “JAL’s

restructuring may have been the largest in aviation history, with significant cuts to employees, aircraft and practices,’’ observes Will Horton, a Hong Kong-based industry analyst for Sydney’s CAPA Centre for Aviation consultancy. “Changing the mindset of employees can be difficult, but there does now seem to be a culture at JAL of greater efficiency than before.’’ The carrier by no means abandoned its global route network, which includes major markets in East Asia, Europe and North America. “But it certainly made significant cuts,’’ Horton says. “There were and still are many profitable

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opportunities, but JAL needed the cost-base and efficiency to be able to fly them.’’ The company’s comeback is worthy of a Hollywood screenplay. Every back-fromthe-brink story should have a transformative hero, and the JAL story has a good one. He is Kazno Inamori, an iconic Japanese business leader who was lured out of retirement to chair JAL. Now 82, Inamori had no airline managerial experience, but his entrepreneurship, high-profile philanthropy and financial acumen provided a steady hand. The leadership of the former international advisor to Goldman Sachs signalled JAL’s seriousness about creating a successful future. Inamori became chairman emeritus in April 2013.

and has carried passengers from its Tokyo hub since 1953, do not enjoy a comparable level of official support. Taken as a whole JAL has come back strongly. It reported a JPY171.6 billion (US$1.65 billion) profit for the first half of its 2013 fiscal year to September 30, with a healthy 15.8% operating profit margin. It earned profit of JPY204.9 billion (US$2.6 billion) in fiscal year 2012. Things also went well for JAL when it re-listed on the Tokyo Stock Exchange in September 2012 and launched an initial public offering (IPO) of new stock. The company raised JPY663 billion (US$8.5 billion). It was the second-largest global IPO in 2012 after Facebook’s US$16 billion debut.

National Symbol

Dreamliner

It is important to note that JAL had additional help, thanks to its status as an integral part of ‘Japan PLC’. The airline, governmentowned from 1953 until it was privatised in 1987, is still seen as an important national symbol. That led to the Japanese Government pouring JPY350 billion (US$3.36 billion) into the airline, in exchange for a 96.5% stake, during its 15-month bankruptcy protection reorganisation. Other Japanese airlines, including JAL’s arch-rival All Nippon Airways, which is privately owned

There was a fresh jolt for JAL in January 2013, when the Boeing 787 Dreamliner developed a series of well-publicised battery problems, and the plane was grounded worldwide well into the spring of last year. JAL is the second-largest operator of the 787, with 11 Dreamliners currently in the air, while launch customer ANA operates 22 examples. Boeing 787s are used on both long-haul international and short-haul domestic and East Asia routes where the airline carries

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business travellers to and from the growing markets of South Korea, Hong Kong, Singapore and China. The airline’s latest traffic figures, released in January, show JAL carried 5,786,863 passengers on international services from April 31 to December 31, 2013. That represented a 4.4% rise in revenue per passenger kilometre (RPK) on the same period in the previous year. Some 23,841,686 passengers were carried on domestic services compared to 22,946,237 a year earlier, a 2.9% growth in RPKs. Jian Yang, a spokesman for JAL, told AIR International that the airline remains committed to the 787 despite the battery problems experienced in 2013, and confirmed the airline will take all of its remaining Dreamliner orders to eventually operate a fleet of 45.

A350 Order Be that as it may, JAL made headlines last October when it announced it would buy 31 Airbus A350s (18 A350-900s and 13 A3501000s) at a list price of US$9.5 billion. This purchase made it the first Japanese carrier to buy the type and deliveries are scheduled to begin in 2019. Some business media reports characterised JAL’s decision to go for the A350 as a “defection” from Boeing after the

JAPAN AIRLINES COMMERCIAL

Delta Interest

TT/AirTeamImages

dragging its feet, while Airbus has been quite aggressive with the A350XWB. In a high fuel-cost environment, an airline doesn’t want to be years behind the competition in a new jet introduction. So, while JAL may also buy 777Xs eventually, it probably feels safer with an up-front A350 order. This decision also reflects the conservatism that results from bankruptcy [protection]. In other words, nothing focuses the mind like the sight of the gallows.’’ In 2009, a corporate suitor in the form of Delta Air Lines called on JAL. In a round of widely-reported meetings, Delta wooed JAL as a potential joint venture partner and tried to pry the carrier loose from oneworld to join Delta in the SkyTeam alliance. In the end, JAL stayed in oneworld and deepened its relationship with American Airlines, with the latter filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in 2011. The author visited JAL’s corporate headquarters in the Shinagawa district of central Tokyo in November 2010 during its bankruptcy protection period and after the curtain came down on Delta. Inside the glassy, modern tower, JAL executives spoke to visiting journalists, promoting JAL’s expanded presence at the revamped Tokyo- 1 Haneda International Airport, which had just opened a new international terminal. They 2 also outlined a recovery strategy through to 2016. On hand were Takeshi Morita, JAL’s manager of corporate planning, and Atsuyuki Agawa, manager of international affairs.

American JV Just days before, on November 10,

Darryl Morrell/AirTeamImages

787 problems. Richard Aboulafia, an analyst with the Teal Group, a Fairfax, we can talk in more detail Gregory/ AirTeamVirginia-based aviation [with American].’’ Anticipating Images consultancy, thinks the switch, steps that have since been taken, “reflects dissatisfaction with he added: “It’s a good thing for the Boeing’s 787 development troubles”. companies. We can coordinate schedules, Jian Yang responded that the A350 fares [and] networks.’’ JAL also moved order, “was nothing about the Boeing 787. closer to another oneworld member, Cathay The Airbus order was based solely on a Pacific Airways, especially in Southeast comprehensive evaluation after reviewing our Asia through code-shares and co-ordinated company’s goals and needs’’. schedules. However, JAL’s chairman Inamori, was Morita noted that Haneda airport, blunt in an interview with American TV nine miles from Tokyo Station, is much network CNBC last year. “In a normal closer to central Tokyo than Tokyo-Narita market there is tremendous risk in relying on International Airport, home to nearly all one vendor; a dual vendor system is a must,” international flights from 1978 until 2009 he said. “We should have been much, much and 42 miles away from the city. “It is more more careful. It is unacceptable to jump at convenient for passengers and it deepens every new technological breakthrough.’’ demand,’’ Morita declared, suggesting the return of large-scale international service Big Change at Haneda airport enhances JAL’s value to Aboulafia believes, “the A350 order oneworld. “We are shifting toward Haneda represents a big change in JAL’s more and more,” he said. preferences”, after JAL had for years stuck American is also a better fit for JAL than with Boeing equipment. However, he Delta due to AA’s emphasis on high-yield thinks another factor in the A350 decision business travellers to Japan and elsewhere was JAL’s “dissatisfaction” with Boeing’s in Asia, according to Agawa. “That fits with recently-launched 777X. our strategy. With Delta, we had none. We He told AIR International: “While the 777X operate differently,” he said. looks quite promising, Boeing has been In 2013 American exited Chapter 11

Abram Chan/AirTeamImages

JAL had received the go-ahead 1 Owning from Japanese regulatory a stake in Jetstar authorities to launch a joint Japan gives JAL a presence in the low cost venture with American Airlines airline market. Edwin Chai/Airthat would be shielded from TeamImages 2 Recent years anti-trust actions. “We’ve have seen the airline deepen had 14 working groups since its commitment to the February,’’ Agawa said. “Now, oneworld alliance. Simon

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bankruptcy protection and merged with US Airways, which plans to leave the Star Alliance for oneworld. The effect of this merger on AA’s joint venture with JAL has yet to be determined.

LCC Competition In JAL’s post-bankruptcy protection era it has had to adapt to an altering aviation scene. One change is the rise of low cost carriers (LCCs) in the Asia-Pacific region. Having transformed the airline business in North America and Europe, LCCs are aiming to do the same in Asia, especially in big, established aviation markets such as Japan and the even larger, emerging market of China. Both JAL and ANA are taking an ‘if-youcan’t-beat-them, join-them’ approach to LCCs, although their responses differ. ANA has established two dedicated budget airlines, Peach and Vanilla (the latter being the former AirAsia Japan operation). JAL hasn’t set up a dedicated LCC unit – it is instead a 33.3% shareholder in Jetstar

Japan stake. He says: “JAL wants to see Jetstar Japan help [it] in certain markets, but JAL is not overtly controlling the LCC, which has happened in other dual-brand strategies and resulted in negative outcomes.”

Japan, which began operations in July 2012. “LCCs in Northeast Asia are few,’’ notes CAPA’s Horton, “so the threat to JAL is very small compared with Singapore Airlines and Malaysia Airlines, for example. The largest and most important step so far was for JAL to have a presence in this sector. Jetstar Japan is the largest of the new LCCs in Japan, so all signs so far show JAL having a leading role [in the LCC market in the country].’’ In North America, legacy carriers started their own LCC brands early in the last decade, with underwhelming results. When United Airlines launched Ted, an in-house LCC, in 2003 it was not clearly differentiated from the mainline carrier. In the same year Delta launched Song, repainting aircraft in a new livery and lowering fares on selected domestic US routes. Both were short-lived; Song was shut down after three years and Ted ceased operations in 2009. JAL is following what Horton considers a more sophisticated strategy with its Jetstar

Transformation In common with other Japanese carriers, JAL was deeply affected by the travel slowdown that followed the earthquake and tsunami on March 11, 2011 and the subsequent Fukushima nuclear power plant meltdown. The triple tragedy came just two weeks before JAL left bankruptcy protection. “Passenger cancellations are continuing and revenue from March is falling heavily,’’ JAL chairman Inamori glumly told reporters at a Tokyo news conference that month. He added that JAL had secured an additional US$3 billion in government money and bank loans to help fund operations during the post-bankruptcy protection transition. Along with the entire Japanese travel and transport sector, JAL rode out the worst disruptions caused by the trio of disasters by the end of 2011. All this upheaval has challenged and transformed a company that began its existence as an arm of the Japanese Government. JAL’s founding mission was to reflect and promote Japan’s recovery from the devastation of World War Two. In line with that task, JAL began scheduled passenger services in 1953, initiating its first transpacific service on February 2, 1954, when it flew a Douglas DC-6B aircraft from Tokyo Haneda to San Francisco International Airport, stopping en route at Wake Island and Honolulu, Hawaii Yukihiro Kaneko/AirTeamImages

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Today’s Fleet Sixty years later, JAL operates a fleet of 217 aircraft (down from 270 in 2007), deployed on 113 domestic and 49 international routes in 41 countries, including Japan. The fleet consists of 15 aircraft types, dominated by Boeing but also including Embraer, Bombardier and Saab aircraft used for short-

JAPAN AIRLINES COMMERCIAL 1 unveiled the New Sky project, a major

revamp of its in-flight services on the Boeing 777-300ERs and Boeing 767300ERs it uses on routes from TokyoNarita to North American and European cities. The revamp features more spacious seats in every class, Wi-Fi connectivity, new amenities and in-flight meals. New Sky was launched on the Heathrow

been as innovative, simply because the Japanese market heavily prefers its local airlines. That led to product stagnation, since the threat of competition was low, but JAL and ANA are now catching up in the premium product space.’’

Potential Observers applaud JAL’s recent initiatives,

2

1The airline’s Boeing 737s will begin receiving the New Sky interior from May. Weimeng/AirTeamImages

2 An order for 31 A350s, placed in autumn 2013, marks a major change from JAL’s Boeing-dominated fleet. Airbus

haul flights. JAL owns 162 aircraft and leases 55. The airline has recently retired the last of its workhorse Boeing 747s and Airbus A300s in favour of more fuel-efficient aircraft such as the 787 and the forthcoming A350. The long history of the San FranciscoTokyo flight is honoured by the fact that its flight code is JL001; the return sector is JL002. The carrier employs a Boeing 787-8 on the route, configuring the plane for 186 passengers – 42 in Business Class (which JAL calls Executive Class) and 144 in Economy.

service in January 2013 using a 777-300ER. It’s since been extended to include other 777 routes from Narita to Chicago, Los Angeles, New York JFK, Paris and, from April, Frankfurt. The product is also offered on 767-300ERs flying to Dalian, Hanoi, Kuala Lumpur, Seoul and Vancouver. At the end of January, JAL announced that New Sky will be launched from May on the 777-200ER/-300ERS, 737-300s/-800s used on its domestic network. Richard Aboulafia says: “I haven’t flown JAL since its restructuring, but I flew them a few years ago, and found them to be adequate at best, and considerably inferior to ANA. I gather that has changed for the better. They’ve been a positive surprise so far, and look set to become a far better brand and a much more viable business.” Will Horton agrees largely. “JAL’s economy product is generally regarded as quite good, while business class has not

The airline has made a number of route changes. It launched non-stop services between Tokyo and Helsinki, with connecting flights to many parts of Europe, in February 2013. In October last year, it secured five additional international slots at Tokyo Haneda, the world’s fourth-busiest airport, while international carriers obtained 15 and ANA landed an additional 11. Japan’s transport ministry said it awarded more slots to ANA to compensate for the government’s earlier aid to JAL. On March 30 of this year, the airline began a second daily non-stop flight between Tokyo Narita and New York JFK and the launch of a new joint venture between JAL, British Airways and Finnair is also due in the spring. The three carriers received antitrust immunity from Japan’s Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism in October 2013 for the venture, which will see them co-operate commercially on services between Europe and Japan and, they say, offer, “more flight choices and enhanced frequent flyer benefits”.

New Sky JAL offers four classes of travel: First, Executive, Premium Economy and Economy. In September 2012 the airline

SHO/AirTeamImages

Route Changes

but the airline’s future success may ride as much as anything on how the East Asia region performs economically. “There has not been an overall weakness in Asia the way there has been in Europe and the US,’’ observes Horton. “The declining yen is impacting Japanese airlines, but ANA and especially JAL have had high margins. A challenge for Japan as a whole is to market itself as a more affordable destination. For so long it has rightfully been known as an expensive destination.’’ However, JAL executives are optimistic. “Economic indicators show a positive outlook for travel to/from Asia,’’ JAL said in a statement to AIR International. “However, we cannot merely depend on forecasts to ensure future growth and profitability. Instead we remain fully committed to providing high-quality full service, and are focused on ensuring we reach our target of becoming our customers’ favourite airline.’’

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MILITARY EXERCISE RED FLAG

The

Norman Graf reports from Nellis Air Force Base in Nevada on the latest Red Flag exercise – and David Isby provides details of some of the most interesting aircraft involved

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EXERCISE RED FLAG MILITARY

hat happens at Nellis is shared with coalition forces worldwide – at least in the case of Red Flag, the international largeforce exercise normally held three times a year in the skies of southern Nevada. The first exercise of 2014 began on January 27 and ran for three weeks till Valentine’s Day. More than 3,200 personnel and 160 aircraft deployed to Nellis Air Force Base for Red Flag 14-1, one of the largest and most ambitious exercises in the series’ 40-year history. Aircraft from the US Air Force, US Navy and US Marine Corps were joined by forces from the UK and Australia, all training to go into combat situations and to be more effective and survivable when they do.

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Paul Ridgway

w& ested W

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MILITARY EXERCISE RED FLAG E-3G Block 40/45, serial number 75-0557/’OK’, the latest version of the US Air Force Boeing E-3 Airborne Warning and Control System aircraft participated in Red Flag 14-1. Norman Graf

RED FLAG’S CON The network-centric operations and cyber warfare elements of the Red Flag 14-1 mission scenarios were reflected in the participation of upgraded US and allied radar aircraft. These included at least one E-3G Block 40/45, the latest version of the US Air Force Boeing E-3 Airborne Warning and Control System (AWACS) aircraft. The Block 40/45 upgrade enables the US Air Force AWACS force to operate in an integrated way with other airborne early warning aircraft like the RAF E-3D Sentry AEW1 and the RAAF Boeing E-7 Wedgetail, both of which also took

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part in Red Flag 14-1. Only the US Navy’s Northrop Grumman E-2D Advanced Hawkeye was conspicuous by its absence from the exercise. The E-3s and E-7 deployed to Nellis were critical to the Red Flag 14-1 scenario for which mission success requires them to feed the air picture to the battlespace network. But the need to continue transmitting leaves the E-3 susceptible to jamming, electronic attack or cyber warfare threats. An AWACS’ capability to defeat such threats

with limited remote support is important, even though an E-3 crew does not include information assurance or cyber warfare specialists. The operational restrictions and limited bandwidth likely to be available to AWACS-type aircraft mean that accessing timely remote support would likely prove difficult. Consequently AWACS users will have to develop and implement tactics, techniques and procedures that will effectively use the Block 40/45’s upgraded hardware to defeat threats using on-board crew and capabilities:

EXERCISE RED FLAG MILITARY During the Vietnam War it was found that once fighter pilots made it past their tenth combat mission their survivability rate increased considerably. Red Flag was developed to improve the tactical dogfighting skills of new or inexperienced fighter pilots by giving them those first ten missions in training instead of in actual combat. By pitting friendly Blue forces against adversary Red forces specially trained in the tactics of a real or potential enemy, the training could be made extremely

realistic. The name ‘Blue Four’ is given to the brand new wingman, indicating he’s number four of the standard four-ship and hasn’t experienced real combat situations before. Lt Col Jordan Grant, Nellis-based 414th Combat Training Squadron deputy commander, explained: “The Vietnam era is what inspired Red Flag initially and we have that exact same

charter: to give the first ten combat missions to a new or relatively inexperienced wingman just like we did 40 years ago. Red Flag exists to take those Blue Fours and give them that combat experience. That’s what Red Flag 14-1 is about and a significant amount of effort goes into making that happen because that job is so important: to prepare folks as best we can before sending them into

AG’S CONTROL SHIP

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hence the importance of exercises such as Red Flag 14-1. The Block 40/45 upgrade is designed to provide integrated net-centric capability for AWACS, replacing 1970s-vintage (and no longer sustainable) mission systems with contemporary electronics to enhance tracking and combat identification capabilities, improve mission effectiveness and system reliability and provide lower life-cycle costs. The E-3G’s open-architecture mission computer system (50 linked computers running 24 types of

mission software) uses new battle management tools to enable the mission crew to access air tasking order data in flight, improving the capability to flexibly re-task coalition airpower. The datalink infrastructure prioritises bandwidth between the Block 40/45’s Situational Awareness Data Link, Link 11 and Link 16 systems. The Block 40/45’s upgrade introduces automation and new operator consoles to reduce operator workload. Equipped with improved electronic support measures and a passive surveillance capability,

the Block 40/45 is an effective multi-spectral sensor system with full next-generation identification friend or foe capability. The E-3G is scheduled to achieve initial operational capability (IOC) later in 2014 enabling this latest version to be deployed on operational missions worldwide. The E-3G programme entered full-rate production at the end of 2012 and six aircraft are currently either flying or undergoing upgrade. All 31 US Air Force AWACS are scheduled to be converted by 2020. David C Isby

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MILITARY EXERCISE RED FLAG harm’s way. “That’s my piece of it as Red Flag deputy commander. I’m responsible for building what that picture looks like and co-ordinating all the million moving pieces it takes to get all these people in one place for three weeks and to actually exercise and train together.” All of this activity takes place over 3 million or so acres of the Nevada Test and Training Range which is equipped with world-class ground threats and targets as well as bountiful airspace in which to manoeuvre. During the exercise, the Blue forces, consisting of all the visiting units, are tasked with planning and carrying out various mission scenarios. The 64th and 65th Aggressor Squadrons based at Nellis simulate the airborne threats arrayed to deny the success of the Blue force’s mission. By studying various nations around the world and determining which might be an adversary and what sort of tactics they might employ, these Red forces provide a highly realistic combat training environment available nowhere else. It’s one reason why air forces from around the globe are so keen to take part in Red Flag.

with surface-to-air missile threats before switching over to the 547th IS. The nature of modern combat has changed significantly in the past 40 years: “It used to just be fighter pilots but now we’re into something a little bit more complicated than that,” says Lt Col Grant. “The nature of air warfare and warfare in general has expanded beyond merely airplanes going nose-to-nose or airplanes going over badguy land. We have a lot of other things going on that support the fight and we therefore have a lot more Blue Fours.”

more complex, mission scenarios which integrated intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) assets into the mix. Zap’s team has been front-and-centre in that transformation. ”We’ve been working with all the different entities that host the Flag, essentially capturing what all the scenario planners and developers want to see happen and expect via intel means,” she said. “One thing we spent a lot of our downtime doing was working with those other domains and capturing what it is that they can bring to the table to enable the tactical fighter to be more effective and be more survivable. Let’s say, on Monday, there’s a shoot down, a personnel recovery event; then perhaps that guy out there is using his radio, and he’s got a beacon signal. That’s now available to be captured, so if they figure that out, they could use that for subsequent mission planning knowing we might have to plan a pick-up event to go get

A P-3C Orion (similar to the example above) thought to be a Block Modification Upgrade Program-plus standard aircraft, carrying an AN/APS-149 Littoral Surveillance Radar System (LSRS), also participated in Red Flag 14-1. The LSRS is used to track small targets on land or sea and is able to gather synthetic aperture radar-type images of the targets for analysis. The battle scenarios staged at night during Red Flag 14-1 would have provided ample opportunity to employ the system for target identification. Matthew Clement

A New Kind of Red Flag “This is not your father’s Red Flag, it’s not even your slightly older brother’s Red Flag,” says Capt Hayley Hartstein of the 547th Intelligence Squadron, who is the Intelligence Operations Lead for White force, which runs the exercise. Zap, as her colleagues call her, has been at Nellis since 2010 and was previously an air defence aggressor working

The Lockheed EP-3E Aries II signals intelligence (SIGINT) aircraft is in its final years of US Navy service. The average age of EP-3E airframes is nearly 40 years and in August 2011 the navy announced the fleet will be reduced from 16 airframes (12 operational) to 12 by the end of 2014. By 2020 the EP-3E will be replaced by the Northrop Grumman MQ-4A Triton Broad Area Maritime Surveillance (BAMS) unmanned air vehicle. Since 2001, the EP-3E fleet has been heavily tasked in Afghanistan and Iraq and gathering intelligence on threats and conflicts worldwide.

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Because of that, the exercises have matured into a much broader training effort which encompasses command and control, realtime intelligence, analysis and exploitation as well as sophisticated electronic warfare. Planners used an almost year-long hiatus (caused by the US budget sequestration process which led to the cancellation of last summer’s Red Flag 13-3) to put together

A range of urgent improvements and upgrades have been incorporated in a programme called the Joint Architecture Modernisation Common Configuration Spiral 3. This was authorised in 2011 and will be completed this year. Spiral 3 incorporates low-band communication system upgrades, information operations capability (considering the level of information operations included in the Red Flag 14-1 scenario, this may have been employed in the exercise), a range of quick reaction capabilities (QRCs) developed to meet operational needs

this guy.” Lt Col Grant added: “For the first time ever, there is continuity from one day to another. In previous Flags, going back 40 years, every day was a new war because the initial piece of a war is the most intense, when all the airframes and all the air defence assets are up and running.” That presented the most intense combat

RED FLAG’S OLD

in recent years and the replacement of ageing and obsolescent antenna arrays. In addition, the EP-3E is receiving additional add-on capabilities, codenamed Red Falcon (a tactical cryptologic system), Escort and Vortex. The navy has never liked the EP-3E. Most of the SIGINT collection missions undertaken by the Aries are flown in response to national-level tasking from the National Security Agency and the Defense Intelligence Agency, or from a theatre combatant commander, rather than naval commanders. In 1992 the navy wanted to retire

EXERCISE RED FLAG MILITARY situation that could be simulated, but it did not allow for the effects of mistakes made or lessons learned to be integrated into following-day or later scenarios. “Since we started the war over every day, we didn’t necessarily pull things from previous fights into later days,” added Lt Col Grant. “Things that happened on Monday didn’t really affect the things that happened on Wednesday or Thursday later in that week. Now, since we expanded our audience to beyond just the Blue Four fighter pilot, we’re bringing in the really critical pieces from the intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance world that you need in order to actually fight a war. “You’re not going to initially have everything you want: early on you’re going to have to work for it. So now our ISR folks and our intelligence folks are a

and Friday for those intel folks to get credit for the work they do and to see the fruition of that later on. “It’s still not completely integrated, probably 80% of the war is new every day, but there are parts of it that translate into the week. If you’re going to do that, it takes a lot of time and effort to make sure everything is consistent and you have to have controls in place so that the scenario you’re presenting, the fake world you’re presenting to the Blue forces, makes sense from Monday through Friday and they [the White force] can still take credit for those things. Capt Hartstein had a key role in making that happen. It took a lot of time and a lot of effort

deliberate training audience we’re giving specific training to. You need to make the war have some level of continuity between Monday and Friday. The ISR business is sort of backwards looking, looking at what has happened or what was collected in real time and trying to feed that into the future operations. So you have to have some sort of continuity between Monday

for her folks to actually do that.” By all accounts, having that mission continuity as an integral part of this exercise has already begun to show huge payoffs, especially feeding in real-time intelligence and surveillance information. This increased realism and connectivity of the exercise that has resulted in a much more complex and demanding planning process. Lt Col Grant

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the EP-3Es without replacement but this was not approved by the Joint Chiefs of Staff. A decade later, the navy co-operated with the US Army in the Advanced Common Sensor programme using a modified twin-engine Bombardier business jet, but it was cancelled. The navy now wants to replace a manned airplane that operated mainly over land in response to national level tasking with a UAV that will operate over water in response to servicespecific tasking. There is little enthusiasm within the Department

continued: “The hard part is what if things didn’t go exactly the way you would like them to go? You have to have controls in place to make sure Friday is not a waste of time: that you still have the ability to win, to get that mission done even though those things you tried to get done on Monday or Tuesday didn’t actually happen because of some mission failure. “The line we want to ride is to have people have the ability to either win or lose based on how well they perform. Sometimes they lose, sometimes they win, depending on how things go. We have back-up plans and contingencies in place to make sure that missions can still happen, and more importantly that the training can still happen to the same level.”

Talking the Same Music Red Flag attracts units from all over the globe, and each exercise is unique. The

of Defense or the services for large ISR aircraft with commensurately large crews, however capable or flexible. But the appearance of an EP-3E at Red Flag 14-1 – operating alongside its US Air Force counterpart, the Boeing RC135W/V Rivet Joint and one Raytheon MC-12W Liberty (which the USAF is looking to transfer to the army) – is a reminder that neither the EP-3E nor comparable aircraft, designed for SIGINT but now increasingly using multi-spectral sensor technologies, should be counted out quite yet. The planned replacement of the US Air Force’s

Department of Defense, the US Air Force and Air Combat Command (ACC) decide who the players are going to be. Decisions are made months in advance and the job of the 414th Combat Training Squadron is to execute the plan once it is known who is going to participate. As the major component of the White force, they co-ordinate arrangements for units to

Lockheed U-2S manned surveillance aircraft by Northrop Grumman RQ-4C Global Hawk Block 30s has, at least temporarily, come to a halt. The bandwidth requirement of UAVs remains substantial and each BAMS system will require at least 500Mbps – more than five times greater than all US forces combined used during Operation Desert Storm in 1991. Defending this satellite connectivity against electronic attack and cyber warfare is likely to be one of the threats that will have to be exercised in future Red Flag exercises. David C Isby

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MILITARY EXERCISE RED FLAG

EA-18G Growler BuNo 166642/’DD500’ (c/n EA-2) was the second prototype built and is currently operated by Air Test and Evaluation Squadron 31 (VX-31) ‘Dust Devils’ based at Naval Air Weapons Station China Lake, California. Its continued operation configured as a test-bed aircraft fitted with the latest systems is the most likely reason for its participation in Red Flag 14-1. Paul Ridgway

RED FLAG’S NETWORK -CEN One of the key indicators that Red Flag 14-1 was running a cutting-edge network-centric and cyber warfare scenario was the participation of a sizeable contingent of F/A-18E/F Super Hornets and EA-18G Growlers operated by Air Test and Evaluation Squadron 31 (VX-31) ‘Dust Devils’ based at NAWS China Lake, California. Over the past 24 months this developmental test squadron has used its aircraft to make substantial advances in network-centric operations. While details have not been publicised, VX-31’s participation in Red Flag 14-1 is particularly

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significant because it would have allowed the squadron to employ these capabilities in an operational scenario. Among the systems VX-31 has already tested, and was presumably able to employ at Red Flag, was the Distributed Targeting System, which entered low-rate initial production in 2012. Enabled by precise on-board GPS grid-locking, it facilitates co-operative weapons targeting by Super Hornets and Growlers using radar, forward-looking infrared pods and off-board sensors. It generates precise co-ordinates

aboard the aircraft even at long range by georegistering sensor images with an onboard image database, even in the face of jamming or clutter. VX-31 had the opportunity to employ other new capabilities it had previously demonstrated last year during exercise Flex 13 off the coast of California. They included the use of networked sensors without the need to turn on the launch aircraft’s radar, thereby minimising its signature and decreasing the potential warning given to a threat radar system. During Flex 13 an E-2D Advanced

EXERCISE RED FLAG MILITARY

travel to Nellis and have the assets they need and give them the fight they need to have to train. Lt Col Grant explained: “We minimise the number of assets not physically located at Nellis. One of the key benefits of Red Flag is the ability to crosstalk with other folks. If you’re a fighter pilot and you live on a fighter base, you talk to other fighter pilots and that’s all you ever do. You don’t ever get a chance to talk to an MQ-1 pilot or crew from another ISR platform. We get a chance to actually come to Nellis and be in the same building and brief and debrief together. If we start to include assets

operating from other places, even if they are part of the mission, we lose the briefing and planning part of it and more importantly we lose the debriefing.”

Love to Hate “My job is to use your tax dollars to become the best bad guy the Blue forces are going to love to hate,” said Major Eric Flattern, 57th Adversary Tactics Support Squadron commander and Red force chief of adversary weapons, by way of an introduction. “My job in the group is to take all those components – surface-to-air, air-to-air and the other

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Hawkeye, one F/A-18F Super Hornet and two EA-18G Growlers were successively networked together using passive and offboard sensors to conduct precision longrange targeting against maritime targets. The Dust Devils also made use of a satellite communication (SATCOM) capability and single-ship geolocation and specific emitter identification, which have improved the performance of the Super Hornet/ Growler’s existing Raytheon ALR-67(V)3 radar warning receiver for high-gain

electronic support measures. The China Lake-based squadron is also involved in the incremental Multi-Sensor Integration (MSI) programme designed to add sensor fusion capability to the Super Hornet/Growler. Under the first increment, MSI Phase I, targeting information generated by the Super Hornet’s air-to-ground sensors is fused with data fed to the mission computer from off-board sensors via datalink, and was released to the fleet with the H8E software in 2013. The second increment, MSI Phase II,

incorporates the aircraft’s air-to-air sensors and will be released with the H10E software later this year; it is currently flying in VX-31’s developmental test aircraft. MSI Phase III will add counter-electronic attack (CEA) and an enhanced air-to-air tactical picture, with firmware upgrades and symbology and crew vehicle interface improvements to the cockpit display to enhance air-to-air and CEA sensor integration. It is expected to be released with the H12E software. David C Isby

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MILITARY EXERCISE RED FLAG domains [intelligence, cyber and space] that we fight in – and try to combine those into a training scenario that helps support the Red Flag commanders. As we move forward with these exercises it’s become a lot more challenging from the Red force point of view to make sure that we’re providing them [Blue force] with challenges across the entire spectrum of operations.” The long duration and increasingly integrated scenario planning allows for very complex operations to be implemented and tactics to evolve. “At the beginning, when your sparring partner doesn’t know what to expect, we start out with one arm behind our back, but we still try to bloody their nose a little bit. It turns out that the Blue forces are resilient and they don’t like getting punched in the face, so they get better – but so do we,” said Major Flattern. “The good news is that the Blue forces are stepping up. Ultimately it would be fantastic if we went out there and they completely crushed us. That’s what we’re hoping for. But it wouldn’t be fair if we let them go out and have an easy fight every day. They’re getting better and we see more crosstalk.” Although the Red force normally operates on its own, during certain

the day. It adds a level of transparency, so they know we’re not out to get them every day, not always trying to steal their plan or break them. We just want to give them a fair fight and show them what they could potentially be doing better.”

It Comes Down to Risk Modern warfare demands a constant state of readiness, which in turn requires a high level of training. Training at the highest level, such as Red Flag, is expensive and time-consuming, so identifying what equates to readiness or how one establishes that a fighter is prepared is a fair question to ask. “We need to be as good as we possibly can. From a command perspective it comes down to risk. How much risk are you

adversary group delivers is what we might have to be prepared to fight against. Therefore this is the ultimate test and making sure the crews can actually deliver against that kind of threat is the measure that the risk is acceptable as opposed to

B-2 Spirit 88-0328 ‘Spirit of Texas’ leaving Nellis. Bruce Smith

scenarios, such as defensive combat air, Blue force assets are used to augment the adversary force. “During the big air-to-air dogfight, we let them be strikers, jammers or escort fighters; it’s up to the commander of

The US Air Force has 20 Northrop Grumman B-2 Spirit stealth bombers. Having three flying in the exercise shows their importance, considering the air force has struggled to keep them operational, only achieving a 46.7% availability rate in 2013 (compared to 75.3% for its more than 50-year-old Boeing B-52H Stratofortress bombers). Not counting the B-2s being used for research and development, training or in overhaul, sending three to Red Flag 14-1 represented a higher percentage of a frontline force committed to an exercise than any other major US combat aircraft.

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prepared to take? How many losses are you prepared to take? If you’re going to go fight a capable adversary, the less well prepared you are the more platforms you’re going to lose – and that’s going to translate into airmen’s lives that you’ll be potentially throwing away, explained RAF Gp Capt Mark Jeffery, vice commander of Red Flag. “This is a really realistic scenario, and the people who work up the adversary tactics don’t just think them up themselves, they study nations around the world and work out what sort of tactics they use. We know that what the

unacceptable,” said Gp Capt Jeffery. Major Flattern presented his view: “The aggressors have a proud tradition of being old and grizzly fighter pilots that have been around the block and have done the instruction thing for quite a while. That gives them a lot of background knowledge in sound air-to-air tactics and sound air-to-ground tactics.

But the B-2’s importance to the ‘strategic pivot’ in the Western Pacific, as exemplified by its forward deployments to Guam and participation in the 2013 Foal Eagle exercise in Korea, hints at the rationale behind its extensive commitment to Red Flag 14-1. The B-2, for all its futuristic appearance, is now a middle-aged combat aircraft. It is going through a number of upgrades intended to keep it viable into the 2040s, operating as part of an integrated coalition air operation rather than the ‘Cold War’ doomsday scenario – roaming Soviet airspace to destroy mobile missiles located by satellites – that shaped its original design. The

RED FLAG’S STR

upgrades to enable its improved integration, however, are still not operational. This reflects the air force’s priority of funding the nextgeneration Long Range Strike Bomber rather than investing in current capabilities. The upgrades still absent from the combatcoded B-2s include improved stealth radar, the advanced extremely high frequency satellite communication system (which offers greater bandwidth for networked operations) and the defensive management system modifications. Stealth by itself is not enough to keep the B-2A survivable in the face of unsuppressed air defences.

EXERCISE RED FLAG MILITARY We pick a particular tactic of the day based on the desired learning objectives of the mission and we try to give the Blue forces something to swing at. “Where we make our money is when we’re flying and things start to go

wrong. How do we still manage the forces which are airborne so we don’t waste a whole million dollar vulnerability period with a hundred plus aircraft flying around? We still have to make sure they’re getting the appropriate training as well as ensuring safety in the airspace so we don’t run airplanes together.”

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The B-2 played a major role in planning potential US military action against Syria and Iran in 2013. B-2s taking part in Red Flag 14-1 had upgraded conventional weapons capacity rather than on-board systems – the biggest conventional weapon in the US inventory, the GBU-57 Massive Ordnance Penetrator, was dropped by B-2s in May and July 2013 during successful live-fire testing at White Sands Missile Range. A possible, significant indicator of how B-2s would operate as the part of a future conflict was the absence from Red Flag 14-1 of another type of aircraft usually associated with B-2 missions, the US Navy’s

Safe, Reliable Maintenance Keeping the large number of disparate platforms in safe flying condition is a huge undertaking, and although each unit is responsible for individual maintenance, one core group is tasked with overall maintenance oversight. Lt Col Grant explained: “The unit is selected from ACC and is identified well ahead of time. This time it was the 366th Fighter Wing from Mountain Home Air Force Base. It’s a fairly big stress on the wing to undertake such a mission because they have their wing commander and deputy group commander present.” The 366th Maintenance Group’s deputy commander, Lt Col Tony Lombardo, explained: “Chief Master Sergeant Gerard Liburd and I have been pretty much responsible since we hit the

deck to try to get 25 different units, both from a coalition and a multi-service standpoint, to find the commonalities in aircraft maintenance and how we’re going to work as a team. We’ve got over 2,000 maintainers from different services and countries here. We all do things a little bit differently, but the foundation that we all rest on is safe, reliable maintenance. “From a maintenance standpoint Red Flag is really focusing our entire process around the safety aspect. Because we’re flying off an ATO [air tasking order] here, the

Boeing E-6B Mercury. Designed for nuclear command and control missions during the ‘Cold War’, in recent years E-6Bs have been used in support of B-2 global strike missions. This was seen in missions against Libya in 2011 and in exercises including Trans-Pacific 2013 (flown on March 28) and Trans-Atlantic (flown on September 13). Its absence may have been the result of an E-6B simply being unavailable for Red Flag or because an aircraft was operating from the Mercury fleet’s home station at Tinker Air Force Base, Oklahoma. Alternatively, the B-2s may have been simulating operating from a

maintainers understand that it’s not quite war-level maintenance. However, we’re loading live munitions so that does ramp things up. The operations and the tempo you see here is about ten times more than normal operations at home.”

It’s a Big, Big War With more than 3,200 personnel in the Blue forces deployed on TDY to Nellis and 160plus aircraft, this was a big Red Flag. “We’re about maxed-out,” said Lt Col Grant. “We’re overflowing out of the building, which was never designed to handle this many people. Same thing with the range: it’s pretty big, although when you put this many airplanes on the range it gets small fast. It’s a big, big war. There are a lot of assets out there.” Some participants arrive at Nellis early for additional training because they play key roles. “The air operations folks do some training on the specific systems and procedures as they spin up for Red Flag,” added the colonel. “The intelligence personnel have an entire course built by Zap’s folks in order to train them for the tasks they’re going to have to execute. That’s new this year; we’ve made huge strides to be able to provide that kind of training. Realise that Red Flag is simulating a deployed environment so those folks are preparing to be ready to deploy for real.” In addition to the primary training

audience – inexperienced fighter pilots – a group of experienced pilots participate in the joint warfighter preparation course which trains them to be mission commanders capable

forward base rather than striking directly from Whiteman Air Force Base, Missouri, home of the Spirit-equipped 509th Bomb Wing. The other stealth aircraft taking part in Red Flag were Lockheed Martin F-22 Raptors from Langley Air Force Base, Virginia. Operational F-22s have now been given an upgrade, called increment 3.1, that gives the fighter an improved air-to-ground combat capability (including synthetic aperture radar) and also affords an electronic attack capability using the aircraft’s AN/APG-77 active electronically-scanned array radar, although it is uncertain when this capability will actually be operational. David C Isby

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MILITARY EXERCISE RED FLAG 1 Also participating in Red Flag 14-1 were two veteran EC-130H Compass Call aircraft. Once pioneers in electronic attack tactics, and used extensively in combat over Afghanistan and Iraq to counter insurgent activity, today the aircraft are back to their primary mission – suppression of enemy air defences. In previous Red Flag exercises Compass Calls have alternated between the Blue and Red force to enable each side to function in an electronic warfare environment. Paul Ridgway 2 An EP-3E Aries II signals intelligence aircraft like the one in the picture participated in many of the night missions during Red Flag 14-1. The EP3E at Nellis was configured to Spiral 3 standard which incorporates low-band communication system upgrades, new antenna arrays, and systems used for information operations, which may have been employed for the Red Flag mission scenarios. Matthew Clements 3 Sending three B-2 Spirit bombers to Red Flag 14-1 represented a higher percentage of a frontline force committed to the exercise than any other major US combat aircraft. Paul Ridgway

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of combining all the assets of a modern air combat force, effectively employing them to accomplish a mission. “We have folks who are coming from F-16, F-15 or F-22 squadrons where they’re really good at running a four-ship and employing their own tactics,” explained Lt Col Grant. “But somebody has got to lead the entire war. So those individuals come to Nellis and we give them a week of academics to help prepare them for that role during Red Flag. They’ll have the responsibility to combine all the assets, kinetic and non-kinetic, to form a safe and executable plan to accomplish the mission. I would argue that until a pilot goes to weapons school and gets to spend six months 3

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learning that, they will get no other better training to command a wide variety of forces than being a mission commander at Red Flag.”

Best Executed “There are a lot more moving pieces that go into a Red Flag now because we’re trying to simulate a broader, multi-domain threat environment to fight in and be used to,” explained Lt Col Grant. “That means there’s a lot more that needs to go into building a scenario, building the entire world of this fake war that we invent for people to fight. Every piece interacts with the others because it’s an integrated fight. That means there are

a lot of things you have to co-ordinate, and ensure that they make sense to your Blue forces or else it hurts the relevance and the realism of that fight. We were able to use the time [the period since the last Red Flag, extended due to cancellations caused by sequestration] to put a little more detail into this exercise. There are only so many hours in the day [and] only so many people, so when you have a little bit more time available, if you’re smart, you’ll use it to make your process and product better. I think we’ve done that with Red Flag 14-1 and I think it’s the best one we’ve ever executed. That will pay dividends as we move forward. “Give me more money, more time and more people and I can make Red Flag twice as good, but there are constraints and we do a pretty good job of working with what we’ve got. We have some world-class air, ground and space assets and we do a lot with them. Would I like to dream bigger? Absolutely! There are other things that I would love to do. Without increases in any of those nice-to-have things over the past three to four years, we’ve made huge improvements and achieved a huge expansion in what we do here at Red Flag with just the resources available. I think we’re going to continue to make that better as we go into the future.”

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CHENGDU J-20 MILITARY

MILITARY CHENGDU J-20

China’s

The stealthy fifth-generation Chengdu J-20 shows how China’s aviation industry has progressed, says Andreas Rupprecht

W

ith its distinctive planform and stealth capabilities, the Chengdu Aircraft Corporation’s J-20 ‘Mighty Dragon’ is undoubtedly one of the most exotic-looking military aircraft in development. China’s first fifth-generation fighter proves the country’s aviation industry is progressing and that it’s catching up with Western aircraft technology. The high level of secrecy surrounding all Chinese military aircraft means accurate reporting on the current status of the J-20 is difficult. This report attempts to present the known facts about the programme.

Project Origins The US Office of Naval Intelligence disclosed in 1997 that China was working on a new high-performance fighter for the People’s Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF) in a programme called the XXJ. At that time, all

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thought to be superior to the European Typhoon or Rafale – although with inferior electronics – with stealth and super-cruise performance similar to the F-22’s.

3

Shenyang Concepts

the proven Salyut AL-31F (which generates 130kN/29,225lb) and was probably equipped with thrust-vectoring nozzles. The use of such powerful engines indicated a take-off weight exceeding 20 tonnes, making the SAC proposal a true heavyweight fighter.

In 2002, Jane’s Defence Weekly reported an Aviation Industry Corporation of China (AVIC) source saying that Shenyang had been selected to lead the research and development for the new fighter. At that year’s Airshow China at Zhuhai, AVIC presented a short promotional video showing an SAC model in wind tunnel testing. This project, designated in the West as the J-12, featured two engines and shared certain design elements with the F-22, such as internal weapons carriage. It also had an F-16-style wing with two small outwardcanted fins under the rear fuselage. Recent information suggests this design was based on SAC’s concept studies into a twin-engine fighter (known variously as the J-13, ‘Concept 1993’, ‘new ‘93’ and ‘Fighter-D’) carried out from the late 1980s to the early 1990s. The J-12 was based around two Shenyang Liming WS-10A turbofans or a derivative of

Meanwhile CAC’s concept looked like an enlarged version of the J-10 multi-role fighter it began delivering to the PLAAF in 2002. The design had a more unconventional layout featuring canards, a tailless delta wing, twin canted rear fuselage fins and two vertical tails. There was speculation that this concept was based on two 85-90kN (19,108lb20,232lb) RD-93 or WS-13 turbofans with trust-vectoring nozzles, enabling the fighter to fulfil the requirement for high manoeuvrability. A prototype of the nozzle was displayed at Airshow China in 2002 by the China Aeronautical Establishment (606 Institute). It was estimated the fighter would have had an empty weight of 10 tonnes and a normal take-off weight of about 15 tonnes. The 2002 Zhuhai show also saw CAC unveil

Chengdu Concepts

a small, grainy picture of a design proposal unofficially designated the J-14. It was, like SAC’s J-12, based around two WS-10A or AL-31FN turbofans fitted with thrust-vectoring nozzles and possibly having a supersonic cruise capability, giving a maximum take-off weight of around 20 tonnes.

Change of Thinking High-ranking military and industrial leaders were later shown on several occasions in front of wind tunnel models of CAC designs for heavy fighters. Reports indicated that discussions between CAC and the Chinese military became more intense, with a change in the PLAAF’s thinking towards considering Chengdu’s design more advanced than SAC’s. A further evolution of the CAC concept emerged in 2006 when the respected journal Military Technology published a picture of a huge fighter inside a hangar. It later emerged that the image – initially thought to be an engineering mock-up or even a prototype – was computer-generated and had been created by a Chinese artist known for his contacts with several of the country’s aircraft manufacturers. It showed, however, that

Decision Despite SAC being first awarded the contract to develop the PLAAF’s new premier fighter, by August 2008 it was clear the decision had been reversed in CAC’s favour. The new-generation aircraft would be developed by CAC’s 611 Institute, with the corporation’s Factory 132 the prime contractor, although SAC would reportedly still have an involvement as a sub-contractor. With Shenyang’s more conservative approach to new fighters, demonstrated by its incremental updates to the J-11, it seems the PLAAF had lost some faith in China’s once-leading fighter developer. It was later reported that SAC’s failed submission was redesigned into a project called the J-19 for a heavy multi-role fighter, though this is unconfirmed. Development progress of the CAC-designed fighter was briefly reported in November 2009 when General He Weirong, deputy commander of the PLAAF, said in an

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1 The third J-20 on its maiden flight on March 1. 2 & 3 J-20s 2002 (left) and 2001 (right) at CAC’s airfield in Chengdu. All images sourced from the Chinese internet

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illustrations of the aircraft generated in the West were nothing more than conceptual guesswork, showing an aircraft similar in appearance to an F-15 with two outwardcanted fins. Chinese officials subsequently said the XXJ programme was to create a heavyweight fighter in the class of the F-15 or Sukhoi Su-27. During the years that followed it became clear that both major Chinese fighter aircraft corporations, Shenyang (SAC) and Chengdu (CAC) and their respective 601 and 611 Design Institutes, were responding to the XXJ requirement with advanced fighter designs featuring stealth characteristics and manoeuvrability comparable to the Lockheed Martin F-22 Raptor. It’s unlikely either of these projects ever received an official designation or title from the Chinese military in the early stages of their development. There were reports that SAC and CAC sought Russian expertise (SAC from Sukhoi and CAC from MAPO-MIG) for software support and calculating the radar crosssection of their designs. Each configuration was expected to feature an internal weapons bay and their overall stealth and agility were

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