Strong interest in JP129 TUAV requirement

The JP129 request for tender was due out at the end of last month - international interest in this program has been significant.
The ADF's requirement for a tactical UAV capability worth perhaps $150 million has aroused considerable international interest with bids anticipated from a number of OEM's with mature systems on their shelves. They include examples from France, Israel, South Africa and the United States.

Under JP 129 Phase 2 the ADF intends to acquire a TUAV system to enhance the reconnaissance and surveillance capabilities of deployed forces for both land operations and selected maritime operations, by overcoming the limitations of mobility, terrain and range experienced by current capabilities. The system will fill capability gaps identified in Army's current Intelligence, Surveillance, Target Acquisition and Reconnaissance (ISTAR) architecture by providing:

* A Near Real Time (NRT) reconnaissance capability for a deployed Joint Task Force

* an integral, responsive and accurate target acquisition system capable of providing a NRT sensor-to-decider-to-response asset link

* a Battle Damage Assessment (BDA) capability.

With the RFT (request for tender) due for release in late-July, bids will be due by November and the selection of the preferred tenderer is expected by May 2005. The current in-service date is planned for the latter half of 2008.

The Tactical UAV (TUAV) capability will be operated by a new Surveillance and Target Acquisition Regiment located at Enoggera Barracks in Brisbane. This new regiment will include the existing 131 Surveillance and Target Acquisition Battery together with a Combat Support Services Battery.

The system acquired will comprise air and ground segments in quantities sufficient to provide a full TUAV capability for each of three operational troops as well as a training element. It is anticipated that each troop level TUAV capability will comprise:

* four Air Vehicle (AV) sub-systems and their Sensor Payload sub-systems with a mission dependent mix of sensors likely to include electro-optical and infra-red (EO/IR) sensors, laser range finder (LRF) and laser target designator (LTD), and synthetic aperture radar (SAR)

* one Ground Control Station (GCS)

* one Ground Data Terminal (GDT) providing LOS C2 links to the AV

* one Launch & Recovery (LR) sub-system nd

* four Remote Video Terminals (RVT) to receive, process and display NRT imagery, video and telemetry but with no data transmit capacity.

According to Defence Minister Robert Hill the aircraft will have a radius of action of at least 150km and up to 24 hours endurance and it is anticipated that both fixed and rotary wing configurations will be considered as well as a variety of launching and recovery methods including conventional wheeled take-off and landing, vertical take-off and landing, catapult launch and parachute recovery.

Potential bidders are known, or in some cases, believed to include:

* AAI/BAE Systems with Shadow 200

* Aeronautics (Israel) with Aerostar

* ATE with tactical Vulture

* Boeing/IAI with Searcher II

* EADS with Fox-T or Eagle

* Kentron with Seeker II

* Korea Aerospace Industries with Night Intruder

* Northrop Grumman with Fire Scout

* Sagem/Tenix/Saab with Sperwer and Aerosonde

* Thales/ADI/Elbit with Hermes 180/450

Apart from those teams which have announced their intention to bid this project, such as AAI with BAE Systems Australia, IAI with Boeing Australia, Sagem with Tenix and Saab, and Thales with ADI and Elbit, there will be no clear indication as to who else is in the race until other likely contenders have had the opportunity to carefully review the RFT. The degree of importance that the tender requirements attach to issues such as safe launch and recovery of AVs will determine whether more costly but more capable systems such as rotary wing TUAVs, capable of autonomous landing and takeoff, will find their way into ADF service.

The Canadians appear undeterred by the hiccups they experienced introducing their newly acquired Sperwer UAVs into service last year. The Canadian Forces acquired and deployed the Sperwer, its first-ever UAV, with two ground control and exploitation stations at three months' notice to support the Canadian-led multi-national Brigade in Kabul and the UAVs operated very successfully both by day and night for the entire tour. Bad weather and lack of operator proficiency saw two of the six Sperwer UAVs destroyed in landing accidents. Nevertheless, they were deemed to be successful in their role and Canada now has notched up the highest rate of effort of the six nations which have ordered Sperwer so far.

Canada expects to order more Sperwer TUAVs and ground stations next year, some two years ahead of the original 2007 goal for fielding a UAV in the surveillance/reconnaissance role.

The team offering Sperwer for JP129 has also brought in Saab Systems which not only has extensive experience in systems integration and land warfare through the Army's Battlefield Command Support System (BCSS) but brings with it the Australian-developed Aerosonde UAV. According to Tenix the Aerosonde UAV naturally complements the Sperwer by its long (30 hour) endurance, low observability, payload versatility and rapid deployment capability.

While the incorporation of an entirely different UAV capability into the framework established for JP129 appears somewhat far-fetched to us, there appears to be a downstream capability under JP 2072 Battlespace Communications Systems Land. Saab Systems in conjunction with DSTO, has now begun trials with Aerosonde to determine its capability as a high bandwidth airborne battlefield radio relay, using Raytheon's Enhanced Position Locating Reporting System (EPLRS). It requires no great leap of the imagination to foresee Aerosonde forwarding ISTAR data from JP129's GCS analysts on targets or fall of shot to forward artillery or tank formations in near real time.

However one industry source, who knows as much as anyone about these issues, makes the point that those wringing their hands over what they see as bandwidth problems in relation to TUAV data are mistaken. He says that while the Ground Data Terminal will need to receive real time video and other data from the TUAV via the LOS datalink at fairly high data rates (eg10 megabits/sec) this data is then processed by analysts (and retained for training or audit purposes) and only low bandwidth contact reports are then loaded onto the BCSS or transmitted direct to those concerned.

Following are some brief overviews of possible candidate contenders for JP129:

AEROSTAR - Built by Aeronautics Defense Systems of Israel and developed in cooperation with the Israeli Intelligence Corps, Aerostar was first introduced in 2002 and has since broken several world records. Deployed on four continents Aerostar TUAV was chosen by the Israeli Defence Forces for routine security missions and within 18 months had logged 10,000 flight hours. Aerostar is a multi mission system capable of carrying various payloads.

EAGLE - Eagle was developed by Israel Aircraft Industries and EADS Matra in response to a French Air Force requirement for strategic intelligence missions at an altitude up to 25,000 feet, and flight duration of up to 24 hours. Eagle 1 is a straightforward derivative of the IAI Heron, but has a bulbous nose like that of the US Global Hawk, and will be fitted with French-Israeli avionics as required by the French Air Force. The Eagle 1's avionics suite will include an automatic takeoff and landing system, a TV IR imaging turret, a laser target designator, an Elbit-built SAR-MTI sensor, and a satellite communications link.

FIRE SCOUT - Northrop Grumman's Fire Scout VTUAV is able autonomously to takeoff and land on any aviation-capable warship, and at unprepared landing zones in proximity to the forward edge of the battle area. The Fire Scout System includes advanced ground control facilities. With vehicle endurance greater than six hours, Fire Scout will be capable of continuous operations providing coverage 110 nautical miles from launch site. It contains a baseline payload that includes electro-optical/infrared sensors (EO/IR), and a laser designator enabling Fire Scout to find tactical targets; track and designate targets; and accurately provide targeting data to strike platforms and perform battle damage assessment.

HERMES 450/180 - Elbit's Tactical Long Endurance Hermes comprises a single engine system with advanced composite structure and optimized aerodynamics. Advanced avionics enable autonomous flight and precise GPS navigation. Fully redundant systems significantly increase reliability. Target detection and recognition are performed by gimbaled, electro-optical, payloads.

Hermes 180 TUAV is designed for Brigade to Division Level and addresses needs for high mobility and field deployment. Ideally suited for brigade- level Intelligence, Surveillance, Target Acquisition and Reconnaissance (ISTAR) missions. Performs in diverse environmental conditions. Ideal for customers seeking the innovative, performance- proven capabilities of the Hermes 450 combined with comprehensive field deployment capabilities

NIGHT INTRUDER - KAI's Night Intruder 300 is designed for multi-purpose operations such as extended area surveillance, routine reconnaissance, target acquisition and location, battlefield monitoring, damage assessment, and search and rescue. KAI has successfully developed the UAV system and achieved the advanced technologies related to UAV in the field of design, integration and flight test. It has been selected by the Korean Army and Navy.

SEARCHER II - IAI's Searcher Mk II System is an operational, advanced fourth generation UAV system derived from the original third generation Searcher. The Mk II has excellent engine and aerodynamic performance, superior deployment and handling qualities and a new advanced universal UAV mission ground control centre compatible with all MALAT systems. Both Searcher systems are in operational use. With more than 120,000 operational hours, IAI is well established in integrated UAV systems solutions. Missions include enhanced tactical multi-payload UAV system for surveillance, reconnaissance, target-acquisition & artillery adjustment.

SEEKER II - The Seeker UAV system from South Africa's Denel Group has now been replaced by the Seeker II, a greatly enhanced version that has begun deliveries. Developed by Kentron, an aerospace division of Denel, the Seeker had been operational in South Africa for approximately 15 years. Now sporting a new design, major improvements in all important areas including mission capability, performance and system features. Production of the Seeker II system is planned to continue well into the foreseeable future with improved functionality being added along the way. Expansion of the UAV system capability includes electronic surveillance that allows for the detection, classification and location of radar emissions, inclusive of threat warning. More than one air vehicle can be flown concurrently from the same ground station. Range and mobility are improved with the Seeker II's ability to transfer in-flight to other ground stations.

SHADOW 200 - AAI's Shadow 200 is a lightweight, tactical UAV system transportable in two high mobility multi-purpose wheeled vehicles with shelters, and two additional vehicles with trailers as troop carriers. Shadow is intended to provide coverage of a brigade area of interest for up to four hours, at 50 kilometres from the launch and recovery site. The air vehicle uses a pneumatic launcher and is recovered by a tactical automatic landing system without pilot intervention on the runway. The air vehicle is stopped using an arresting hook and cable system. The US Army chose AAI's Shadow 200 as its tactical UAV system in 1999 after an extensive competition.

SPERWER - SAGEM's Sperwer was developed to meet a Dutch army requirement for a tactical UAV. Its lineage is rather complex. The SAGEM Crécerelle is its immediate ancestor but that shorter-range UAV is derived, in turn, from the MDS Banshee, a British target drone. Both earlier designs shared the delta winged form of the new Canadian Forces Sperwer tactical UAV. Its airframe design has been constrained by the need to position turret-mounted sensors close to the UAV's nose. As a result, the Rotax engine is installed in the tail driving a 4-bladed, pusher propeller. Sperwer's small delta wings, angled twin tails, and simple rectangular fuselage-section all serve to lower the vehicle's radar return signature. Sperwer is launched from a cradle propelled along a truck-mounted rail to gain flying speed. Recovery is by parachute with landing cushioned by airbags under each wing as well as the fuselage. Sperwer TUAVs are in service with France, the Netherlands, Sweden, Greece, Canada, Denmark and NATO.

VULTURE - Another South African tactical UAV, the Vulture, requires no ground pilot or runway - it is recovered via a laser-based approach with aircraft capture in an energy absorption device. South African-based Advanced Technologies and Engineering (ATE) believes this recovery method is adaptable for UAV recovery on naval vessels. ATE has been awarded a contract for the supply of Vulture tactical UAV systems to the South African Army Artillery which has confirmed the successful completion of the first of a series of test flights according to this awarded contract.

The Vulture UAV is designed specifically to perform target acquisition, fall-of-shot localisation and artillery fire correction. With deployment within thirty minutes in unprepared terrain and training limited to twenty days, Vulture will support tactical brigade level operations as an automated forward observer.

By Tom Muir, Canberra