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TU-142: headed out
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In a November 2005 article, DID covered India’s $133 million deal for 2 P-3C Orion maritime-optimized patrol and surveillance planes. As it happens, that deal fell through on grounds of expense, support costs, and timing. Apparently, it would have taken 18-24 months for the US Navy to retrofit the aircraft to the Indian Navy’s specifications, once the lease had been finalized.

In December 2005, therefore, India’s navy floated an RFP for at least 8 new maritime aircraft. Subsequent statements by India’s Admiral Prakash suggested that they could be looking for as many as 30 aircraft by 2020. Lockheed was invited to bid again, and this time, they werre not alone. The bids were submitted in April 2007. The plan was for price negotiations to be completed in 2007, with first deliveries to commence within 48 months.

India’s Ministry of Defence has extreme problems with announced schedules, but their existing fleet was wearing out, international requests for India’s maritime patrol help are rising, and some action is necessary. DID discusses the geopolitical drivers, the current fleet, and the known competitors.

As of January 2009, the competition has a winner – and a deal…

• With Growing Naval Power Comes Growing Naval Responsibility
• The Competitors
• Listed, But Not Submitted
• Contracts and Key Events
• Additional Readings
  
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P-8A Poseidon
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Many people would contend that the P-3 Orion is the greatest maritime patrol aircraft ever flown. These aircraft entered service in 1959 and will continue to serve past 2011. Modifications to their equipment have sharpened their capabilities, and even given them a land-attack and surveillance role. In service with 15 countries, the Orion is a great success – but it’s a very old success, and a replacement is needed.

The P-8A has emerged from the P-7 LRAACA program that was begun in 1988. That program originally envisaged an improved P-3G design, but program cost overruns and interest in opening the competition to commercial designs led to cancellation in 1990. The successor MMA program was begun in March 2000, and Boeing beat Lockheed’s “Orion 21” for the contract with a design based on the ubiquitous 737 passenger jet.

Filling the P-3 Orion’s shoes will be no easy task. What missions will the new P-8A Poseidon face? What do we know about the platform, the project team, and ongoing developments? Will the P-3’s level of global customer coverage give its successor a comparable level of export opportunities? Australia has already signed on, but has the larger market shifted in the interim?

This is DID’s FOCUS Article concerning the P-8A Poseidon Multi-mission Maritime Aircraft, and it will be updated as events and contracts are announced. In the latest news, the US Navy has picked basing arrangements for its fleet, and DID has received answers that explain its compatibility with the 108 aircraft program objective. Meanwhile, the Navy is reportedly attempting to cut early P-8 buys that support critical maritime and front-line capabilities, in order to fund a destroyer program that it’s terminating. On a brighter note, India has a surer sense of its priorities, and has now become the program’s 1st confirmed export customer…

• The Controversy: Turboprop, or Turbofan Jet?
• P-8A Poseidon: Platform & Capabilities
• The P-8’s BAMS Companion: Kicking It Up a Notch
• P-8A Poseidon: History, Program, and Industrial Players [updated]
• P-8A Poseidon: Contracts & Events [updated]
• News & Analysis: India’s Interest, and Broader Export Potential [updated]
• Additional Readings & Sources: Platforms & Program Background [updated]
• Additional Readings & Sources: News & Updates
  
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RC-7B “Crazy Hawk”

The US military has planes like F-22A stealth fighters that make a lot of news. It also has planes that make very little news, even though they play key roles in a number of conflicts around the world. One example is the RC-7B/EO-5B “Crazy Hawk”/ Airborne Reconnaissance Low aircraft, who use their short-field takeoff capabilities and array of imaging, signals collection, and radar sensors to monitor developments on the ground. The RC-7B made the news briefly in 1999 when one went down in Colombia, and again when the US military had to cancel the $8 billion ACS (Aerial Common Sensor) replacement program in 2006 and start over in 2008. Meanwhile, the situation in Afghanistan and Iraq is well suited to planes like the Dash-7 derived RC-7Bs.

ACS’ cancellation, delay, and restructuring have left the Navy pursuing its own independent program. The US Army’s RC-12N Guardrail electronic intelligence aircraft are being refurbished to keep them current and in service until the ACS arrives. And the RC-7B fleet continues to receive additional help, via a parallel program called MARSS…

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T-50 Golden Eagle
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Korea’s defense industry is advancing on all fronts these days. On the armored vehicle front, vehicles like the XK2 tank and K9/K10 self propelled howitzer are beginning to win export orders, and its XK-21 amphibious infantry fighting vehicle may not be too far behind. All fill key market niches, promising performance at a comparatively inexpensive price. Its shipbuilding industry, one of the world’s busiest, is beginning to turn out LHDs, and December 2008 saw its first-of-class KDX-III AEGIS destroyer accepted into service on time and on budget. Now its aerospace industry is in flight with the already-exported KT-1 trainer/ light attack aircraft. Not to mention a clever entry into an incipient market.

Enter the T-50 Golden Eagle family, which offers a supersonic high-end trainer and light fighter aircraft at an attractive price. The aircraft is hitting the international market just as many of the world’s jet training fleets are reaching ages of 30 years or more, and high-end fighters are pricing themselves out of reach for many countries. The T/A-50 LIFT variant and F/A-50 lightweight fighter are especially attractive as lightweight export fighters, and the ROKAF’s own F-5E/F Tiger II and F-4 Phantom fighters are more than due for replacement.

Weapons export and corporate issues have now been resolved, and a contract to produce the F/A-50 is now underway…

• T/F/A-50: The Program, The Planes
• Contracts & Key Events [updated]
• Additional Readings
  
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USCG CN-235
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The Korean Times reports that South Korea is looking to improve its Coast Guard, which currently consists of 15 helicopters and just one patrol plane. To that end, a contract has been signed with Indonesia’s Digiranta for 4 CN-235-100 aircraft, at a cost of about $92 million. The CN-235-110 uses GE’s CT7-9C engines, but lacks features like the pressurized cabins, aerodynamic improvements, and range extensions found on subsequent versions.

The CN-235 turboprop is a joint venture between EADS-CASA of Spain and Indonesia’s IPTN, and either partner can take orders to produce them. It operates in a light transport role for a number of countries, including South Korea. A maritime patrol version has also been created. It been ordered by Indonesia, Spain, Brunei, Colombia, Ireland, Thailand, Turkey, and the UAE; and a modified version serves as the US Coast Guard’s new HC-144A Ocean Sentry. The CN-235 has a cruising radius of over 1,000 nautical miles, and the MP variant’s systems can detect and track more than 100 targets, up to 200 nautical miles away, in a wide variety of weather conditions.

Coast Guard missions often include border patrol, and these aircraft will have some value as surveillance platforms. In practice, however, that mission is too dangerous for South Korea’s Coast Guard to execute at sea. South Korea’s navy is tasked with handling incursions from North Korea, and an ongoing history of minor incidents and warning shots flared into significant naval skirmishes in 1999 and 2002. On the water, South Korea’s Coast Guard is more concerned with activities like illegal fishing by Chinese vessels, who murdered a Coast Guard official in September 2008. South Korea’s Coast Guard also provides a “softer” way of asserting sovereignty over the disputed Liancourt Rocks (Korean: Dokdo/ Japanese: Takeshima).

CC-115, BC coast
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The USA isn’t the only country whose SAR aircraft program is having a hard go of it lately. In 2004, Canada announced a program to replace its aging DHC-5 (CC-115) Buffalo (West Coast) and CC-130E/H Hercules (East Coast) search-and-rescue planes with at least 15 new aircraft. Some of the Canadian Forces’ CC-130s have already been grounded after flying 40,000 – 50,000 hours, and a contract has been signed for C-130J replacements.

The first SAR aircraft was to be delivered in 2006, with all deliveries complete by 2009. The competitors were a familiar duo: the Alenia C-27J Spartan and its C-130J compatibility, vs. the EADS-CASA C-295M with its longer fuselage and lower operating costs. The competition was put on hold, but 2009 looks set bring in a new C$ 3 billion RFP, with new competitors added to the mix. Or will it be a fixed single-choice process instead, per recent media reports?

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EA-6B Prowler
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With the retirement of the US Air Force’s long-range EF-111 Raven “Spark ‘Vark,” the aging 4-seat EA-6B Prowlers are now the USA’s sole remaining tactical aircraft type for radar jamming, communications jamming and information operations like signals interception. They’ve been predictably busy as a result. In Iraq, they’ve been used for everything from escorting strike aircraft against heavily defended targets during the opening days of the war, to disrupting enemy IED attacks by jamming all radio signals in an area.

All airframes have lifespan limits, however, and the EA-6B is no exception. The aircraft’s 50 year old airframe design is also something of a mixed blessing. The good news? It offers excellent range, ample carrying capacity, and efficient subsonic performance. The bad news? This comes at the expense of poor self-defense against aerial opponents, and difficulty keeping up with friendly aircraft traveling at high subsonic cruise speeds.

EA-18G at Pax
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By 2009, therefore, a new electronic warfare aircraft is scheduled to make its appearance – one based on a new airframe, with strong self-defense capabilities as well as electronic attack potential. The EA-18G Growler is based on Boeing’s 2-seat F/A-18F Super Hornet multi-role fighter and has 90% commonality with its counterpart, just as its predecessor the EA-6B was based on Grumman’s robust A-6 Intruder attack aircraft. At present, the EA-18G is slated to be the only dedicated electronic warfare aircraft in the USA’s future force – and since the USA is the only western country with such aircraft, it would become the sole source of tactical jamming support for NATO air forces as a whole.

DID’s FOCUS articles offer in-depth, updated looks at significant military programs of record. This article describes the aircraft and key systems, outlining the program, and keeping track of ongoing developments, contracts, et. al. that affect the program. New items will be highlighted via green type.

The latest additions include a a potential new competitor in the electronic attack space, engineering support, and an electronic attack systems order for FY 2009 production…

• EA-18G: The Platform
• EA-18G: The Program [updated]
• EA-18G: Contracts & Other Key Developments [updated]
• Appendix A: The EA-18G and the Future Force Mix
• Appendix B: Additional Readings and Sources
  
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KC-135 & RNoAF
F-16, Afghanistan
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While Team Boeing and EADS Airbus/Northrop Grumman duke it out for the USA’s $20-30 billion KC-X order of about 175 aerial tankers with secondary cargo capacity, the existing KC-135 fleet still needs to be maintained. Based on the 707 airliner’s initial designs, the KC-135s first entered service in 1954, and they were delivered until 1965. Despite their age, they remain the mainstay of the USA’s aerial tanker fleet as it helps fighters make long-distance flights, keeps US and foreign combat air patrols on station, refuels transports on their way to remote destinations, and generally makes long-range force projection possible.

Unforseen mechanical issues and the accompanying fleet groundings would create a crippling bottleneck in this defining array of American airpower capabilities, which is why KC-X was designated as the USAF’s highest procurement priority. Meanwhile, the KC-135s need to be well and carefully maintained in order to avoid that bottleneck. Which is why Boeing received a $1.1 billion, 10-year contract to maintain the USAF’s KC-135 fleet, ater breaking with its former partners at Pemco/AAII.

The new USAF contract didn’t follow the advanced “we pay for flying planes” model being implemented for Britain’s 707-based E-3D Sentry AWACS fleet, its VC10 aerial tankers, etc. Even so, this contract’s size, the American fleet’s importance, and the convoluted contract history that led to the first GAO ruling overturning the award, all make attention to its details worthwhile. The USAF eventually awarded the contract to Boeing again, and this time the GAO sustained it. But Pemco/AAII took its case to Federal Court – and won. While that’s being sorted out, the USAF’s tankers still need to be maintained. Hence the recent contract…

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P-3 Orion, armed -
note Sidewinder
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The P-3 Orion remains the USA’s main maritime patrol aircraft, and is also finding use in overland surveillance roles despite the fleet’s age. Earlier DID articles have noted the extra effort required to preserve the USA’s P-3C Orion maritime surveillance & patrol aircraft, along with radar and weapons upgrades. Lockheed has even opened a new production line for the international fleet to cover wings that have to be replaced.

The SMIP program is intensive depot-level inspection and repair process that includes P-3 airframe and component inspection, identification of problems, and corrective maintenance. The idea is to ensure safe and reliable operation, while trying to get more hours out of each airframe in order to sustain dwindling global fleets. More intensive “MIP” efforts may be launched once inspection results become clear, such as the USA’s P-3 recovery plan and full “ASLEP” re-winging efforts in Norway and Canada.

SMIP work is performed on all types, models and series of P-3 aircraft in the 164-aircraft U.S. Navy fleet, as well as P-3 aircraft supported through U.S. Navy-administered foreign military sales programs. This work includes 2 types of activities…

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F/A-18F Super Hornet
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The US Navy flies the F/A-18 E/F Super Hornet, and has just taken delivery of its first operational EA-18G Growler electronic warfare & strike aircraft. These buys are actually managed out of a common multi-year procurement (MYP) contract, which also manages many of the EA-18G’s support costs since it’s derived from the Super Hornet and many of the required maintenance items are common to both planes. The contract covers 42 aircraft per year, split between Super Hornets and EA-18Gs, with a variation quantity clause permitting up to 6 additional aircraft per year under the same terms. FY 2008 marks year 4 of the 5-year MYP-II contract.

DID already has an EA-18G FOCUS Article; we will be using this entry to cover the Super Hornet MYP program’s budgets, and this article has been updated to include all announced contracts since MYP-II began. The latest entry is an order for F414 engines…

• Hornet MYP: Aircraft Types & Budgets
• Contracts & Key Events [updated]
• Additional Readings
  
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