Nato Notes by Peter Foster
First CN-295 delivered
The first of the four CASA C-295s transport planes that are to replace the outdated Antonov An.26 aircraft in the Czech military was scheduled for delivery at the Prague-Kbely airport on January 11, Defence Ministry spokeswoman Lucie Kubovicova has been quoted as saying.
The contract reportedly includes logistic help, spare parts and training of the crew and personnel.
The ministry wants one of the CASAs to be acquired in exchange for five of the Czech air force's surplus L-159 combat aircraft. The Spanish Air Force, EdA, is apparently interested in acquiring these to use them for training of its pilots.
Eurocopter secures orders for EC.225 from Aeronvale
With the delays to NH.90 continuing Aeronavale has been forced into a short-term procurement of two EC.225 Super Puma helicopters.
The EC.225s ordered by the French Armament Procurement Agency (DGA) will be the first to be operated by the French Navy. The helicopters, which will be used to perform search and rescue (SAR) missions off the coast of Brittany, are slated for delivery in the first half of 2010 and will be assigned to the Lanvéoc naval air station in the Finistère region. They are destined to replace the navy's Super-Frelon helicopters, which are near the end of their service life, and will be operated until such time as the first NH.90 NFH helicopters enter service at the base in late 2011.
Third wing begins transition to EF2000
To mark the first handover ceremony at Nörvenich Airbase on December. 16, 2009 four Eurofighter EF2000 aircraft were flown in from Laage Airbase on December. 15, 2009.
3024 arrived with the ‘new’ JaBoG.31 Wing Commander in the rear seat. The other three aircraft, 3023, 3116 & 3117 all wore the JaboG 31"Boelcke" insignia.
The JaboG 31"Boelcke" becomes the first Fighter-bomber Wing which will be equipped with the Eurofighter, as the other two others, JG 73"S" and JG 74 currently fly the Eurofighter in the air defence or conversion training role.
Kon Marine takes delivery of first navalised NH90
The Dutch Armed Forces has taken delivery of the first NATO Frigate Helicopter (NFH), the naval version of NHIndustries’ NH90. However, this first helicopter (designated NNLN03), from
A total order of 12 NH.90 NFH for the Netherlands
NNLN03 or N-110 as it will be in Dutch service, was handed over at the AgustaWestland plant in Italy on 23 December 2009, is in a temporary so-called Meaningful Operational Capable (MOC) configuration, meaning is does not meet all contractual specifications of the final version. Nevertheless, it can immediately be used for crew training and basic coastal surveillance operations, while NHIndustries works towards completing development of an operationally ready, production standard aircraft.
As soon as the Dutch MoD has accepted the helicopter, it will be transferred to the De Kooy Naval Air Station in Den Helder, Netherlands, where the Dutch Defence Helicopter Command will begin the first crew training courses.
AMI extends loan period for F-16Ms
As planned from some years the Peace Caesar Program has been extended until mid- 2012 for 14 of the AMIs 28 Lockheed Martin F-16AMs. The unit at Trapani Birgi, 18 Gruppo 37 Stormo, will now retain the type for a further three years whilst 5 Stormo will retire its aircraft during 2010. The fleet of 28 aircraft has now accumulated more than 39.000 flight hours in service with AMI.
Swiss Air Force see delivery of final EC.635
Under of 2006 sales contract Switzerland's Armasuisse procurement agency has taken delivery of the final example of the Eurocopter EC.635 helicopter purchased to replace the aging Alouette III.
Ordered to fulfil the light transport and training helicopter requirement the order comprised of two EC.135 versions of the helicopter for use by the federal air transport service and 18 EC.635s for transport and training. Eurocopter manufactured the first four aircraft at its Donauwörth plant, with final assembly of the remaining 16 performed by Ruag Aerospace in Alpnach, Switzerland. Ruag will also be responsible for maintenance levels I and D and will support the Swiss air force's fleet of EC635s/135s throughout its lifecycle.
Short-term defence proposals see significant cuts in RAF capability
On December 15 the UK Ministry of Defence announced a series of cuts aimed at prioritizing and enhancing the capabilities of the front line. The £900 million package for operations in Afghanistan has seen the MOD have to make some tough decisions and this has seen the RAF effectively come out worst in this round of cuts.
On the positive note the long overdue decision to buy more Boeing Chinook helicopters has been made. The amount involved is slightly confusing as the carefully worded press statement clearly says that the RAF is to receive 22 new Chinooks. However it was not immediately clear from that statement whether that included or excluded the two replacement helicopters that were to be ordered for ZA673 and ZA709 lost on operations in Afghanistan. However further in the wording the figure of 24 does emerge.
It is also not clear whether these helicopters will be bought off the shelf so to speak as the current CH-47F configuration currently being built by the Boeing company and thus creating a fleet within a fleet or whether MOD will insist on introducing modifications on the line such as the incorporation of the digital upgrade currently being performed as part of Project Julius. If the latter then the delivery timeframe will slip and thus negating any real benefit based on Gordon Browns declaration regarding UK withdrawal from Afghanistan in the first place.
In truth the helicopters should have been ordered a number of years ago to reap any real benefits from current ongoing operations. Well placed RAF sources have however confirmed that the new Chinooks will be delivered with the same engine fit as current RAF examples and that it had negotiated an early delivery, certainly of the first ten, with both the Boeing company and the United States military who will have to see their own current procurement slip.
The sting in the tail however is that the Chinooks will not add a new and enhanced capability to RAF rotary wing operations but will merely replace the Merlin HC.3/3A helicopters currently in use with Nos 28 and 78 Squadrons, their mounts in turn being transferred to the Royal Navy as a Sea King HC.4 replacement. This will see the probable need for the Merlin HC.3/3As being returned to the manufacturer for ‘navalisation’.
In the meantime Boeing has ‘delivered’ the first of the retrofitted Chinook HC.3s to the RAF, ZH899, apparently on budget and early. It arrived at RAF Odiham on December 1. Not quite sure how that equates to their time spent gathering dust and a vast taxpayer expense. The delivery of these ‘new’ Chinooks will at least release some of the current fleet of Chinook HC.2/2As for service within the Afghanistan theatre.
The RAF Harrier force will also take a significant knock with the statement confirming that one squadron will be disbanded and the remainder re-locating to RAF Wittering with the subsequent closure of RAF Cottesmore. It further states a second squadron; out of the five currently in the order of battle will possibly disband under the forthcoming SDR.
Reading between the lines it suggests that in fact what will happen is that the Harrier force will initially loose No 1 (F) or No IV (AC) Squadron with the jets and personnel shifting to fill the current asset gap within the Naval Air Wing which currently only has one of its two ‘assigned’ squadrons operational due to a shortage of trained personnel. Then if/when the second squadron is disbanded under SDR the remaining fleet will become Royal Navy driven thus allowing the ‘Lordships’ to preserve a VSTOL capability for their new aircraft carriers. This would shift the cost of what is now Joint Force Harrier entirely within the Royal Navy budget thus introducing savings to the RAF. Whether or not No 20 (reserve) Squadron will inactivate in favour of a rejuvenated No 899 squadron is at present a subject of conjecture.
It will also be interesting to see whether there will also be a push to return the ‘Naval Harriers’ back to RNAS Yeovilton as part of a budget shift. RAF Wittering will, in my opinion, be retained however due to its other current host units. The closure of RAF Cottesmore and reduction in Harrier numbers also leaves an unanswered question over the recent support contract with BAE Systems scheduled to run until 2018.
Again well placed sources suggest that the RAF has been prepared to give up Harrier for some time as documented in the well publicized spat between the First Sea Lord and the Sir Glenn Torpy then Chief of the Air Staff. What ever happens the Royal Navy will fight to keep the VSTOL capability so as to run on with the arrival of JSF otherwise it will have nothing on which to operate from the new carriers and will in turn induce increased expenditure to retrain aircrew if the capability gap is allowed to happen.
Any reduction to three Harrier squadrons--and an as yet indeterminate cut in aircraft numbers--also raises potential questions as to the number of Lockheed Martin F-35s the U.K. will purchase. The ministry says it will not commit to acquisition numbers until 2015, and will likely take on the type in batches. "We would not expect delivery until 2016 at the earliest” officials have said.
However Lockheed Martin also announced over the Christmas recess that the United Kingdom has received financial approval to purchase its third Lockheed Martin F-35B Lightning II operational test aircraft, reinforcing the U.K.'s continued commitment to the Joint Strike Fighter program's upcoming Operational Test and Evaluation (OT&E). "The U.K. this week received financial approval to go ahead and purchase the third U.K. STOVL OT&E aircraft that is planned within LRIP 4. Given the extremely tight financial climate in the U.K. government and the consequent impact across public spending, especially defence, this is a significant achievement," said Air Commodore Graham Farnell, the U.K.'s Joint Combat Aircraft Team head. "I believe it reflects well upon the JSF program and it is a measure of the confidence that the U.K. has in both the F-35 Lightning II and the program to deliver this capability."
The third major announcement has been the decision to retire the current fleet of Nimrod MR.2s a year early in April 2010 and to slip the service introduction of the Nimrod MRA.4 until 2012. To some degree that was not unexpected as the cost of maintaining the aging Nimrod fleet coupled to the current adverse publicity created following the loss of XV230 it made the type an easy and probably outside the service a popular target.
The Nimrod MRA.4 will continue to be delivered to the RAF on the current target levels, the first in February 2010 with three further example by the end of the year, but its introduction will be slowed, However what has not yet been announced is the replacement of the current fleet of Nimrod R.1 ‘sigint’ aircraft in use with No 51 Squadron at RAF Waddington. As mentioned last month one aircraft, XW665, was recently retired leaving just XV249, of Project Aneka fame, and XW664 to provide the capability. The type was scheduled to be retired at the same time as the Nimrod MR.2 due to the supportability issues of retaining the small force. It has not been announced what will happen to the ‘R.1’ in April 2010 or what its eventual replacement will be. However informed sources suggest the two surviving Nimrod R.1s will run on until they reach their next major servicing dates and will then be retired. It is also believed that the RAF will buy into the USAFs ‘Rivet Joint’ programme and purchase three former USAF KC-135Rs suitably upgraded and modernized to RC-135W standard.
In the short term this is likely to see RAF crews either operating with USAF crews in USAF aeroplanes or the short-term lease of 55th RW RC-135Ws. Therefore this spells the demise of the three prototype Nimrod MRA.4s, ZJ516 – 518, that had been offered as suitable replacements for the Nimrod R.1s and the effective death of Project Helix.
The final sweetener in this sorry tail of defence medaling comes in the shape of an additional Boeing C-17A Globemaster III, ZZ177, once again with relative early delivery in December 2010 with service entry in March 2011.
Therefore in real terms the effects of Planning Round 10 (PR10) are pretty negative that will leave the RAF an even more depleted force. The moves have bought condemnation from many sources including the Shadow Defence Minister Liam Fox. The Conservative Party shadow defence secretary welcomed the Chinook order but criticized the government for taking so long to fix the shortfall in helicopter resources. He said it couldn't "mask the severity of the cuts being made elsewhere."
The government "has raided 900 million pounds from the core defence budget to fund current operations when it is the Treasury reserve which should be paying," Fox said. "The core defence budget is having to bear the cost of today's operations, seriously damaging our ability to engage in more conventional operations in the future. The Government is mortgaging our current security to pay for the shortfall in current operations."
US News by Bob Archer
The F-5N Aggressor
The Navy and Marine Corps have flown the F-5 in the aggressor role for three decades. However, the initial aircraft assigned were F-5E and F models, which were some of the first production models, manufactured during the early 1970s. As such they had flown numerous aggressor sorties involving a great deal of high-g manoeuvres. Flight operations involving excessive stress levels had taken its toll on the aircraft, resulting in high maintenance requirements. The answer to the problem was for the Department of Defense to purchase 44 surplus F-5Es from the Swiss government. Despite the aircraft having been manufactured in 1976, the Swiss Air Force had performed only limited flight operations. The Swiss had averaged only 2,500 flight hours per aircraft, against approximately 7,000 for the existing US versions. Additionally the aircraft had not been subjected to the same rigorous flight characteristics as those flown during air combat training. 44 F-5s were obtained by the US DoD between 2003 and 2005, and were airlifted to the USA in Navy C-130s. Northrop Grumman performed an overhaul, and preparation for their new role. This included an improved inertial navigation system, new radar warning receiver capability, a chaff/flare dispenser, upgraded anti-skid capability, an enhanced airborne radar, and a standardised cockpit configuration.
Designated as the F-5Ns, the aircraft were allocated to three squadrons. At NAS Key West, Florida VFC-111 “Sundowners” and NAS Fallon, Nevada VFC-13 “Saints” operate the aircraft for the Navy, while the Marine Corps F-5Ns are located at MCAS Yuma, Arizona with VMFT-401 “Snipers.” The primary role is for the three adversary squadrons is to host training exercises, where they simulate the small, low-cross-section (and hence hard to spot) of enemy aircraft. Overhauling the small number of aircraft has been contracted to Sikorsky Aerospace Maintenance of Stratford, Connecticut, although the work, including selected intermediate, and limited depot-level maintenance, will be carried out at the three home stations.
C-5A Exchange for New C-17s
The Air Force has been allocated funds by Congress for ten additional Boeing C-17As from the fiscal 2010 budget. However Air Force leaders have expressed a desire to retire one elderly Lockheed Martin C-5A Galaxy for each new C-17. The $2.5 billion investment in C-17s was added by Congress to increase the airlift capability based upon the requirement to support the vast air bridge to the Middle Eastern. In addition the politicians were mindful of the 5,000 employees, many of whom are highly skilled, at the Long Beach, California facility.
The Air Force did not budget for the aircraft, so the service is has a budgetary dilemma how to pay and operate them. The Air Force’s 59 C-5As are badly in need of upgrades to improve reliability, and have become a likely target for the axe. In recent years, the mission-capable rate for C-5As fell below 50
per cent. Despite this adverse issue, Congress is not yet convinced that the C-5A is a hopeless cause, and has directed the Air Force to justify retiring any of its C-5As. The Galaxy can carry about 60 percent more cargo than a C-17, and has a greater range. Congressmen cite the criteria that if engine and avionics upgrades improve reliability, the Air Force should further evaluate the cost of equipping all of its C-5As with these improvements. A single C-5A, called the C-5M Super Galaxy, has been upgraded with the new engines and avionics and is undergoing tests at Dover AFB, Delaware. The tests are scheduled to finish later this year. In 2008 the Air Force cancelled plans to upgrade more than one C-5A to C-5M standard because of estimated costs of $148 million each. Under current planning, the service will now
upgrade only the C-5B version, as well as the two C-5Cs. Should the Air Force decide to retire the C-5As, there will need to be a radical overhaul of the airlift capability, as the C-5As are operated exclusively by the Air National Guard and Air Force Reserve. In such an event the new C-17s will probably assigned directly to the reserves.
Air Force Acquisitions in 2010
The Air Force is to acquire almost all the aircraft that were requested for fiscal year 2010, in addition to the ten C-17s, mentioned earlier. Not surprisingly, the single most important programme is the Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II, with $2.3 billion allocated for ten aircraft (the Navy and Marine Corps will receive 20 aircraft between them). The importance of the unmanned aerial vehicle has been realised during operations above the Middle East where the system has forged an unprecedented capability. The high utilization has not been without a degree of loss, with the budget rectifying this accident rate. Funds of $544 million have been allocated for five Northrop Grumman RQ-4 Global Hawks. In addition, General Atomics has received $489 million for 24 MQ-9 Reapers, and $80 million for an unspecified number of MQ-1 Predators.
Special operations are also considered a priority organisation for funding purposes. The Bell Boeing CV-22 Osprey programme continues with the allocation of $600 million for five more aircraft. USAF’s Special Operations Command have been given a further boost with the provision of $905 million for the first five tanker versions of the C-130J models, together with the initial funding to begin procurement of 20 more MC-130Js. AFSOC anticipates replacing its entire AC and MC-130 fleet, numbering some 100 aircraft, with the new J model during the coming years. The delayed rescue helicopter replacement programme has forced the Air Force to fund $140 million for five Sikorsky HH-60G Pave Hawks to replace aircraft that have been lost since 2001. Another programme gaining momentum is the Joint Cargo Aircraft, with the Alenia C-27J Spartan satisfying this requirement with $319 million provided for eight aircraft for the Air National Guard. The ANG is also the primary organisation operating the Northrop Grumman E-8 J-STARS. The budget contains $116 million allocated for continued research into the installation of new Seven Q Seven JT8D-219 engines. Finally the stalled KC-X tanker requirement is provided with $306 million for development. The KC-X tanker office will utilise the funds to maintain the programme, even though no decision has been made as to the final product to be selected from the two rival producers, Airbus and Boeing.
RC-12X Completes Evaluation
The US Army has a long history of reconnaissance operations using versions of the Beechcraft RC-12 King Air series. The latest is the Northrop Grumman RC-12X Guardrail, which has successfully completed electromagnetic emissions and interference (EMI/EMC) tests. This is a key milestone in meeting a June delivery target for the first four next-generation airborne signals intelligence platforms (ASIP). The RC-12X is a modernised version of the Army's existing signals intelligence Guardrail
fleet. The $462 million programme will fund the purchase of 33 aircraft, 29 of which will have the Northrop ASIP sensor package installed, while the remaining four will be dedicated trainers, but with the capability of accepting the sensor packages if needed. All 33 are set to be delivered by the end of 2014.
In addition to a modernised glass cockpit installed by Stevens Aviation, the RC-12X also carries a refurbished payload bay, wingtip pod modifications for new antennas and two large flat-panel arrays on the aft portion of fuselage. These modifications performed by Hawker Beechcraft. The SIGINT package itself has enhanced frequency range and signal-type coverage for precision and geo-location, and identification to help ASIP operators on the ground focus imagery on the right target quickly and accurately.