Helicopters: Air 9000 reorganises phases | ADM Jul 08

1 July 2008

With onerous demands being made of its six CH-47D Chinook heavy-lift helicopters, Army is planning to bolster its tactical airlift resources with the acquisition of three of the latest-model CH-47F configuration, and the upgrade of the current fleet to the CH-47F standard.

By Julian Kerr, Sydney

Two of the Chinooks are currently deployed to Afghanistan, two are undergoing deeper maintenance, and two are engaged in training activities, providing no reserves for attrition, unexpected maintenance problems, or new operational demands.

The two Honeywell T55-L-712 turboshaft engines in all six Chinooks were replaced last year by BAE Systems Australia with Honeywell T55-GA-714A units in a program, which began in March and was completed in December, ahead of schedule and under budget.

The new engines, purchased through the US Foreign Military Sales (FMS) program, are equipped with FADEC (Full Authority Digital Electronic Control) and increase fuel efficiency by about three per cent.

They also provide eight per cent more power, a vital safety advantage in the hot and high conditions experienced in Afghanistan.

The new engines also equip US Chinooks serving with the International Security Assistance Force in Afghanistan, reducing the logistics tail for the Australian aircraft there.

As set out in the 2006-2016 Defence Capability Plan under Project Air 9000 Phase 5B.1, selected elements of the Chinook capability were to be upgraded to address immediate obsolescence problems.

Phase 5B.2 was intended to provide a substantial upgrade to the Chinook capability to ensure long-term cost effectiveness.

However, virtually all the work anticipated in Phase 5B.1 was covered in the $25 million Rapid Acquisition (RA) program undertaken in the four months prior to the first deployment of Chinooks to Afghanistan in March 2006.

At that time the aircraft received the AAR-60 missile warning system and the ALE-47 countermeasures dispensing system, the latter because a design package was available from the US Army and the hardware could be obtained quickly via the FMS program.

Other modifications under the RA project included a day head-up display, new secure communications, blue force tracker, a M134 door gun, additional ballistic protection including side armour developed in Australia, new crashworthy seats for crew and passengers, and an external hoist.

Whether an aircraft flies with full armour or only floor protection depends on the nature of the mission and the threat environment and is decided on by the operational commander.

In for the long haul
Unlike new kit fitted to Australian Chinooks during the first Gulf War and then removed, the equipment installed under the RA program will remain on the aircraft for life-of-type, or until major modifications are required.

A second RA is believed to be under consideration when the aircraft now in Afghanistan return to Australia in October.

This is expected to focus on improving the ballistic protection with new wall armour.

In view of the above, Phases 5B.1 and 5B.2 of Air 9000 have now been combined into a single Phase 5B, which proposes the upgrade of the current CH-47Ds to CH-47F standard.

Phase 5C, introduced since the publication of the 2006 DCP, proposes the acquisition of three new off-the-shelf CH-47F for Army at a cost of about $100 million and received first pass approval last September from the previous government.

According to informed sources, second pass approval for Phase 5C had originally been planned for October or November this year.

However, the intention now is for Capability Development Group to put both Phase 5B and 5C to government at the same time, seeking a combined first and second pass for Phase 5B and second pass approval for Phase 5C.

This is not expected to occur until October 2009, although the intention to do so will be included in the new DCP expected by the middle of next year.

As part of Air 5416 Phase 2 - Project Echidna - the Chinook and Black Hawk fleets had been scheduled to receive a $121 million upgrade to their electronic warfare self protection (EWSP) capabilities.

This was to have included the design and installation of a fully-integrated EWSP suite including the AAR-60 missile warning system, BAE Systems’ ALR-2002 radar warning system, Thales VICON 78 countermeasures dispensing system, BAE Systems’ SIIDAS EW controller, and a human-machine interface, including a BARCO multi-function display.

Installation of the new equipment was to have begun in March, but Defence said in January that the high operational commitment of the Chinook fleet meant it would not be possible to provide aircraft for modification in 2008.

Resources were therefore being diverted to a new requirement for an interim EWSP for 12 Army Black Hawk helicopters - thought to be those supporting Special Forces.

According to the sources, the whole of Project Echidna Phase 2 is now under review, given the quality of EWSP already on Chinooks and the interim fit anticipated for Black Hawks.

“The value for money decision at the moment is whether we should invest all that money on EWSP when it’s already sufficient for the theatres in which we’re deployed, and given the replacement of Black Hawk by MRH90 in 2012 and the massive rebuild intended for the Chinooks,” one source commented.

Upgrade specs
The Chinook upgrade to CH-47F configuration will involve almost a complete rebuild of the aircraft on a Boeing production line with new drive trains, a digital cockpit that permits installation of enhanced communications and navigation equipment, and airframe structural modifications.

These will reduce vibrations, lower operational and support costs, and improve crew endurance.

Additional airframe alterations will provide a 60 per cent reduction in the time required to tear down or build up the aircraft after it is deployed on a C-17 airlifter.

Notwithstanding the benefits flowing from the proposed upgrade, it will add a further planning complexity to Army Aviation at a time when it will be grappling with the introduction of the MRH90 multi-role helicopter and Tiger armed reconnaissance helicopter, the withdrawal from service of Black Hawk, and, in conjunction with Navy, planning for a replacement for the Navy’s Squirrel and Army’s Kiowa as the ADF’s basic rotary wing training platform.

A 2007 industry briefing by the Aerospace Development Branch called for a platform with twin turbines, a night vision goggle-compatible glass cockpit, more than 2.5 hours endurance, a two-person hoist and advanced avionics.

The helicopter aircrew training system (HATS) for both Army and Navy pilots planned under Air 9000 Phase 7 received first pass approval early in 2007 and had been scheduled to seek second pass early in 2009.

This is now not anticipated until at least 2010, although, unlike some other projects, its future is unlikely to be dependant on the outcome of the White Paper.

Informed sources said a draft Request for Tender had been planned for mid-2008 but this would be delayed as the definition of several requirements, including those for an aviation training vessel, had yet to be completed.

With a close watch being kept on costs, the proposed ship is not expected to eventuate as much more than a large tender with a deck sufficient for pilots to obtain their initial deck qualifications.

Funding models
The interest being shown in Public Private Partnerships (PPP) and Private Finance Initiatives (PFI) by Mr Greg Combet, the Parliamentary Secretary for Defence Procurement, has also obliged a rethink of acquisition strategy, including the vexed question of ownership.

UK, French and Singaporean schemes are all being examined, with input on regulatory issues from the Department of Finance.

Second pass approval in 2010 could mean first deliveries in 2012 for HATS, which will also include synthetic training environments, should contract negotiations be expedited.

Originally divided into Phases 7A (Navy) and 7B (Army) with Army involvement lagging an average of seven years behind that of Navy, HATS was merged into a single project prior to first pass.

Army is now understood to believe it can manage the transition to a new training helicopter earlier than previously anticipated, so the outstanding issue is whether Army students will attend the new facility from the outset.

Whatever helicopter is eventually chosen under Air 9000 Phase 8 to replace Navy’s Seahawks and the ill-fated Super Seasprites is unlikely to have any significant impact on training plans under Phase 7 since Phase 7 is anticipating a modern multi-role helicopter already.

The limited number of potential contenders means the types of glass cockpits and systems for which training will be required is already known, while the mix of systems in Seahawk, MRH90 and ARH gives a good understanding of what students need to train towards in both basic and advanced environments.

Timelines
Although a decision on Phase 8 was not anticipated until 2015 at the earliest in the 2006 DCP, the cancellation of the Super Seasprite program and the increasing difficulty of maintaining the ageing Seahawk suggest a choice may be made sooner rather than later.

In particular, the cancellation of the Super Seasprites has left a gap in anti-ship and surveillance capabilities which is likely to advance the acquisition of new aircraft.

Australian Aerospace and Sikorsky were asked in January by the Capability Development Group to provide up-to-date information on the possible supply of up to 27 helicopters to Navy - clear numerical replacements for the RAN’s 16 S-70B Seahawks and the 11 SH-2G(A) Super Seasprites.

Australian Aerospace, which is already contracted to supply 46 MRH90 multi-role helicopters to the ADF, is now offering the NH90 NATO Frigate Helicopter (NFH) for the new requirement (see P34 and P58 for more).

According to the sources, Sikorsky was asked to provide information on both the MH-60R Seahawk deployed with the US Navy, and the S-70B variant ordered by Singapore for service on its Formidable class stealth frigates.

While requirements are still being defined, the emphasis is on an-off-the-shelf, in-service multi-role platform capable of both anti-submarine and anti-surface warfare role.