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 Welcome

T
his issue of AIR International comes hot on the Combined military and commercial operations continue ABOVE:
A Boeing F/A-18F
heels of the 2020 Singapore Airshow. While with this month's special report, Disaster Down Under, on
Super Hornet – BuNo
not quite as lofty as its European counterparts pages 72 to 78. It details the people and aircraft that have 166920 ‘NF-105’
in Farnborough or Le Bourget, the biennial been battling Australia’s devastating wildfires over the last five (c/n F228) – conducts
event has carved out a respectable niche in the months – a season that began with infernos and is ending flight operations over
global calendar. However, this year the story with floods. Mount Fuji, Japan,
was not what was happening in the skies high In further military news, we highlight the remarkable story in January.
above the city state, but rather what wasn’t happening on the of the manned/unmanned teaming experiment conducted US Navy/PO2
Codie Soule
ground within the Changi Exhibition Centre. by Naval Air Systems Command, on pages 66 to 69.
The coronavirus, now officially known as COVID-19, Development of the three EA-18G Growlers is explained in
scuppered the carefully drawn plans of event organisers and detail, as is progress of the Next-Gen Jammer for the type.
exhibitors alike, with dozens of big names from across the This comes at an interesting time for the EA-18G, as the
world of defence, commercial and business aviation pulling navy gives the go-ahead for Block II development, which will
out at the last minute. While thousands of delegates were still herald a major step-change in overall capability for the type.
in attendance, numerous stands resembled the aeronautical Conversely, the navy budget for fiscal year 2021 calls for
equivalent of the Mary Celeste. Of course, the impact of the Super Hornet production to end two years earlier than
virus is as severe as it is wide-reaching, with a lacklustre previously planned.
airshow of little consequence within the wider public health We share your passion for all-things aviation – both military
narrative and immense human cost in and around the and commercial – so don’t forget to prompt us about the
Wuhan epicentre. stories you would like to see covered in your AIR International.
Those seeking a comprehensive digest of the military and As always, we’re ready to hear your news, views and requests
civil developments in Singapore should look no further than at airinternational@keypublishing.com
pages six to nine, where Nigel Pittaway, who was at the show,
presents his analysis. I hope you enjoy your April issue.
The AIR International team will keep you updated as the
COVID-19 story develops, charting its impact on some of the Carol Randall
biggest events of the aviation year, including the ILA Berlin Air Associate Editor, Commercial Aviation
Show in May. SINGAPORE
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26

REGULARS 20 TECHNOLOGY NEWS

10 COMMERCIAL NEWS
Boeing confirms plans for a new midsize airliner are being
revised, the first converted A321 freighter conversion nears
delivery, the A330-800 is certified and new King Airs begin
operations with the UK Coastguard.
12 MILITARY NEWS
The RAF’s Sentry fleet is halved, the USAF plans to reduce
its B-1B Lancers, Growlers fly autonomously and the
Luftwaffe’s first ACJ350-900 XWB rolls out.
14 UAV FOCUS
The first US Navy MQ-4C Triton arrives, UK police powers
stepped up to tackle unmanned aircraft misuse, developers
partner in hybrid system for US market.
The USAF moves forward with B-52 engine replacement
campaign, the European Future Combat Air System enters
the demonstrator phase and NASA releases its latest
Strategic Implementation Plan.
48 AT THE CONTROLS
Recent trials with automatic take-off and landing systems
have demonstrated their viability, but will passengers accept
‘Captain Autopilot’? AIR International columnist Dave Unwin
delves into the pros and cons of pilotless flight.
62 RUSSIA REVIEW
Aerospace expert Piotr Butowski reports on the latest
developments in the Russian aircraft industry. This month he
reviews recent export orders, the fall of Il-96-400TZ tanker
and start of Ka-62 helicopter certification.

16 ROTARY FOCUS 86 TALKING POINT – MILITARY AVIATION TRAINING

France moves forward with H160M Guépard development, In the second instalment of this two-part feature, Dave
the US Navy receives its first CMV-22B Osprey and New Unwin discusses modern fighter training and considers the
Zealand trials eVTOL passenger flights with Cora. fast-paced future for students.

18 BUSINESS FOCUS 96 HIGH-FLYER – BAE SYSTEMS

Gulfstream’s largest product – the G700 – completes Chris Hepburn, senior engineer at BAE Systems, reveals
its maiden flight, Embraer’s Phenom 300E gets an some of the projects being explored that could transform
upgrade and development on the Stratos 716 light how a pilot operates, and the concepts pushing the
jet progresses. boundaries of technology.

4 April20
Contents FEATURES
06 SHOW REPORT – SINGAPORE AIRSHOW
Organisers of the Singapore Airshow 2020 say the event
was a success, despite the coronavirus COVID-19 outbreak
causing high-profile participants to pull out. Nigel Pittaway
reports for AIR International.

90 STILL UP IN THE AIR?

26
A landmark appeal court ruling has stated that a third
runway at Heathrow is illegal on grounds of climate
change commitments. How can the UK’s capacity issues
be resolved?
Mark Broadbent considers the latest on
the decades-long airport expansion saga

32 PROTECTING AIRLINES
FROM MISSILE ATTACKS
Following the shootdown of Ukraine International Airlines
Flight PS752 at the start of the year, Mark Broadbent reports
on what more can be done to reduce the risk of similar
tragedies occurring again.

38 MAY-JUNE EVENTS & CONFERENCES

AIR International outlines some of the biggest upcoming
aerospace conferences and trade events.

40 GROWLER
Mark Ayton provides an overview on the Boeing
EA-18G Growler electronic attack aircraft and considers
what lies ahead for this sophisticated platform in the
modern battlespace.

50 ISRAEL’S ‘KILLER DRONES’

50
Arie Egozi explores Israeli-produced loitering munitions.
Designed to engage beyond-line-of-sight ground targets,
these precision unmanned weapons are being scaled down
to provide infantry with portable firepower

54 BOEING 757
Four decades after its first flight the 757 remains peerless in
50 90
its multi-purpose duties.
Mark Broadbent charts the history of the airliner and
considers operator options to replace the enduring all-
rounder.

66 US NAVAL EVOLUTION
US Navy aviation is at a crossroads, with production for
some aircraft types having finished or nearing an end, while
procurement of others slows.
Rick Burgess investigates the service’s switch to future air
dominance.
72 72 DISASTER DOWN UNDER
72
Australia is starting to emerge from its worst bushfire
season in living memory, with blazes giving way to storms
and floods in some states. Khalem Chapman and Paul Eden
scrutinise the aviation offensive to protect life and land.

80 SHOW REPORT – HELI EXPO

Ian Frain reports from Anaheim, California, on Heli
Expo 2020 – a major international trade event for the
helicopter industry.

90
90 FUTURE LONG-RANGE ATTACK HELICOPTER
Following FARA, AI’s Khalem Chapman details the
contenders in the US Army’s FLRAA programme – Bell’s
V-280 Valor tiltrotor and the Sikorsky/Boeing SB>1 Defiant.

. April20 5
 SPECIAL REPORT Singapore

A Subdued S
Organisers of the 2020 Singapore Airshow, held between February 11 and 19,
say the event was successful, despite many participants pulling out due to fears of
the coronavirus. Nigel Pittaway was there for AIR International.
RIGHT: A pair of Australian
Army Aviation (AAAvn)
Airbus Helicopters Tiger Armed
Reconnaissance Helicopters
(ARH) land at RAAF
Learmonth in Western
Australia in February 2017.
Commonwealth of Australia

Singapore
becomes launch
customer for AAR
ON FEBRUARY 12, Airbus
Defence and Space
announced that the

Airbus offers Tiger and H145M to Australia

Republic of Singapore Air
Force (RSAF) will become
the launch customer for the
Automatic Air Refuelling
(A3R) system on its
A330-243MRTT fleet, which
will be certified in 2021. The
first A3R demonstration was
performed in July 2018 with
a dry contact between the
manufacturer’s A310 MRTT
testbed and a Portuguese
Air Force F-16.
AIRBUS AUSTRALIA Pacific will offer to
upgrade the Australian Army’s 22 Tiger
Armed Reconnaissance Helicopters by
supplying seven H145ms for the Land 4503
competition. Australia is seeking to replace
their Tigers in the mid-2020s and the Bell
AH-1Z Viper and Boeing AH-64E Apache are
already under consideration. At Singapore
2020, it was revealed that Airbus will offer the
Tiger/H145M combination as a sole-source
acquisition, using Australia’s Smart Buyer
methodology. This would effectively
short-circuit the competition and, according
to Airbus Australia managing director
Andrew Mathewson, will save around AU$3
billion to 2040, compared with introducing
and supporting a new aircraft. Mathewson
said: “To replace an armed reconnaissance
capability right now and to spend AU$3
billion to buy something that will offer the
same capability as Tiger would be a terrible
waste of taxpayers’ money, I think.”
The seven H145Ms would be in addition
to 16 similar aircraft offered in Airbus’s
bid for the Australian Army’s Land 2097
Phase 4 (Light Special Operations
Helicopter) competition.

Upgraded RTAF F-5THs

TWO ROYAL Thai Air Force (RTAF)
Northrop F-5TH Super Tigris – a
single-seat F-5TH and a two seat
F-5THF – from 211 Sqn at Ubon made
their inaugural visit to Singapore 2020.
The RTAF ordered 40 F-5E (34 new
build and six ex-USAF) and six two
seat F-5F Tiger IIs, entering service
in 1978. A number were upgraded
to F-5T/TF Tigris configuration from
2003, and subsequently 11 F-5T and
F-5TFs are being upgraded to Super
Tigris standard in conjunction with
Elbit Systems. The first two aircraft
were unveiled in May 2018. The
upgrade includes Elta’s
EL/M-2032 radar, sovereign Link T
data link, multi-colour multi-function
cockpit displays, Elbit’s DASH IV Stars of the static display were
helmet-mounted sight and a pair Royal Thai Air Force
Rafael’s Sky Shield advanced (RTAF) Northrop F-5 Super
Tigris – a single-seat F-5TH and
jamming pod and Litening a twin seat F-5THF – from 211
III targeting pod. It also Sqn at Ubon. Nigel Pittaway
includes Rafael's Python V,
I-Derby air-to-air missiles
and Lizard laser-guided
bombs.

6 April20

d Singapore 2020
MORE THAN 70 companies withdrew
their participation in the days leading
up to the event, including US aerospace
giants Lockheed Martin, Northrop
Grumman and Raytheon, as well as
Europe’s Leonardo. Just 32 aircraft
featured in the static display but, from
IAI unveils
Heron Mk.II
Malaysia’s A400M milestones
MALAYSIA HAS four A400Ms in
service and 22 Skn’s Major Lo Chee
Sing provided detail of operational
experience during the show. The
Royal Malaysian Air Force (RMAF)
received its first aircraft in March 2015
and the fleet has accumulated almost
7,400 flight hours over 944 missions,
becoming the global leader for 2018 and
a military perspective, the show had
several highlights, including the debut
flying appearances of a USAF Lockheed
Martin F-22A Raptor and USMC F-35B
Lightning II and the Chengdu J-10/S of
the PLAAF’s Ba Yi (August 1st) formation
display team.
2019. Missions include humanitarian
relief operations outside Malaysia and
support for fighter deployments to
exercises. Major Lo also said that the
A400Ms would support a deployment of
RMAF Su-30s to Australia in the middle
of this year, as well as the first two
Hornets to travel to Williamtown, north
of Sydney, for overhaul.
Singapore SPECIAL REPORT
A pair of Boeing AH-64Ds from the Republic
of Singapore Air Force’s 120 Squadron at
Sembawang going through their impressive
two-sip routine. Nigel Pittaway
ISRAEL AIRCRAFT Industries (IAI) unveiled
the Heron Mk.II medium altitude long
endurance (MALE) UAVs at the show.
The new aircraft is an updated version of
IAI’s Heron Mk.I platform and includes a
Rotax 915 iS engine, enabling an altitude
of 45,000ft and maximum cruise speed of
140kts. Endurance has been extended to
45 hours and new sensors, installed in a
strengthened and wider fuselage, allow
additional missions such as ELINT, COMINT
and SIGINT. Moshe Levy, IAI VP and GP of
LEFT: Israel Aircraft Industries
its Military Aircraft Group said: “The Heron
(IAI) unveiled its new Heron
Mk.II allows for considerable expansion of Mk.II medium altitude
the operational package with an emphasis long endurance (MALE) in
on stand-off intelligence collection.” Singapore. Nigel Pittaway
LEFT: Malaysian A400M pilot
Major Lo Chee Sing provided
detail of operational experience
with the type. Nigel Pittaway
April20 7
 SPECIAL REPORT
ABOVE & BELOW: Airbus
revealed a new research
programme dubbed MAVERIC
– Model Aircraft for Validation
and Experimentation of
Robust Innovative Controls.
Airbus
8 April20
Singapore
ON THE opening day of the show, ATR
signed a deal with Papua New Guinea
carrier PNG Air for three ATR 42-600S
short take-off and landing (STOL)
regional airliners.
The carrier currently operates seven
larger -600 aircraft and will be the launch
customer for the ATR 42 STOL, which was
launched at the 2019 Paris Air Show. The
first ATR 42-600S will be delivered to the
airline in early 2022.
Papua New Guinea is a mountainous
country with challenging weather
conditions. According to PNG Air CEO
Paul Abbot, only 60 of the 528 airstrips
in the country are sealed and many are
of limited length and width: “They are
poor and rural communities – there are
around 800 different languages in Papua
New Guinea and people stay in their
local communities. Often there are no
roads and basically the only way they
can get out is by air. That is why the
aviation business is so important to the
success of the country and it’s about
having the right aircraft for that. We see
ourselves as a regional carrier, so the
ATR 42s and 72s will meet our needs for
the future.”
ATR sales director Laurent Janitza says
the STOL variant of the ATR 42, which
can operate with a full load into 1,000m
runways and with a reduced load into
runways as short of 800m, is perfect for
the Asia-Pacific region, where remote
locations often have no regular air
services: “The STOL version currently has
no direct competitor in this niche. Almost
500 airports have runways between 800
and 1,000 metres, and almost a third of
them are in the Asia-Pacific region.”
ATR also enjoyed further success,
announcing on February 12 that
Singapore-based lease company Avation
PLC has converted two purchase rights
for ATR 72-600s into firm orders. The
aircraft will be delivered to US-Bangla
Airlines by the end of 2020.
Despite the numerous no-shows in
Singapore, some senior representatives
were still in attendance. Among those was
Shingo Nishida, president and CEO of JAL
Group’s new mid-long haul international
low-cost carrier Zipair. He confirmed to
AIR International that the firm’s Boeing
787-8 flights will begin between Narita
and Bangkok on May 14, followed by
a Narita-Seoul service starting on July
1. “We’re ready to start on May 14, our
business model is to target travellers who
use a full-service carrier for business
but a low-cost carrier for their family
holiday,” he said. “We’re appealing to a
wide age demographic. We want them to
enjoy a cheap air fare, but we don’t want
passengers to put up with the discomforts
of long-haul flight.”
Zipair is also eyeing trans-Pacific
routes between Japan and North
America, but because it will operate
under its own Air Operator Certificate, it
will have to be granted ETOPS approval
before definite plans are announced.
Nevertheless, Nishida said he is targeting
the early launch of a trans-Pacific city
pair, becoming the first LCC to service
the route. “The 787-8 fits Zipair’s
requirements perfectly,” he said. “We

want to set the new standard, a ‘new
basic’ between a low-cost carrier and a
full-service carrier.”
Initial equipment will be two 787-8s,
transferred from parent Japan Airlines,
but two more will be added each year, up
to a total of ten examples. Whether the
additional aircraft will be sourced from JAL
will be up to the parent’s fleet strategy.
Elsewhere, Airbus unveiled its ‘blended
wing body’ prototype, the basis of which
could offer significant fuel savings
compared with existing technology and
will overhaul the onboard passenger
experience. The project, dubbed MAVERIC
(Model Aircraft for Validation and
Experimentation of Robust Innovative
Controls) features a so-called “disruptive
aircraft” design that could become the
benchmark for airliners of the future.
Speaking at the show, representatives
from the European aerospace giant
revealed it had already flown a sub-scale
test demonstrator as part of its early
research trials. The prototype is 6.6ft (2m)
long and 10.5ft (3.2m) wide, offering a
surface area of approximately 24.2sq ft
(2.25m²). Although still in its formative
stages, Airbus believes the design has
the potential to reduce fuel consumption
by up to 20% compared to current
single-aisle examples. In addition, noise is
expected to be “significantly reduced” due
to a shielded engine mounted above the
central body of the aircraft.
Echoing the rather sombre atmosphere
inside the conference hall, there were
slim civil aviation pickings on display
outside. Those that did make it included
Embraer’s E195-E2 ‘Tech Lion’ PR-ZIQ (c/n
19020041), which completed its first formal
engagement in the region following its
global debut at last year’s Paris Air Show.
There was also an opportunity to see
Bangkok Airways’ ATR 72-600, HS-PZO
(c/n 1549). A Boeing representative at the
show confirmed to AIR International that
the firm had shelved plans to showcase
its new 777-200 ecoDemonstrator model,
N772ET (c/n 29747), a move which did
little to help the already sparse
static display.
Dassault was the only business aircraft
manufacturer to have a major presence
at the event, bringing along examples
of its Falcon 8X and Falcon 2000LXS,
together with a full-size cabin mock-up
of its new widebody Falcon 6X, due to
enter service in 2022. The company’s
president for the Asia Pacific region,
Jean-Michel Jacob, said he sees potential
for all of Dassault’s product range (7X,
8X, 2000LXS and 6X) in the area, but
noted that recent growth had only been
modest: “The Chinese market is slowing
down and the main growth we see is in
southeast Asia. The Chinese market will
come back, looking at the amount of
investment they are making around the
world, but the good news is there is a
trend across the region for larger aircraft
with greater range, and that’s what we
Singapore SPECIAL REPORT
LEFT: Ng Eng Hen, Singapore’s
minister for defence, and
Khaw Boon Wan, co-ordinating
minister for infrastructure
and minister for transport, at
the ribbon-cutting ceremony.
Experia Events
LEFT: Senior representatives
from JAL and Boeing were
in attendance to provide an
update on low-cost
subsidiary Zipair.
Nigel Pittaway
have with the Falcon family.”
The Falcon 6X cabin mock-up was
making its debut in Asia and Jacob
said the first aircraft is currently on the
production line in Bordeaux, with a first
flight anticipated early in 2021. Type
certification is planned for early 2022,
with deliveries to the first customer set
to begin shortly thereafter. Jacob said the
aircraft will be capable of flying 5,500nm
(10,190km), the equivalent of Singapore to
London or Paris, and features a cabin 8.5ft
Paul Abbot, chief executive of
(2.58m) wide, 6.5ft (1.98m) high and 40.3ft
PNG Air, and Stefano Bortoli,
(12.3m) long: “The level of interest in the CEO of ATR Aircraft.
aircraft is high, particularly in Europe and Nigel Pittaway
the United States, the 5,500nm range is
the perfect range for European operators.
We haven’t seen much of a market in Asia
until now, but we’re launching it here in
Singapore and we expect the Asia-Pacific
region to be a major driver for the 6X.”
LEFT: This Dassault Falcon
2000, N58GG (c/n 285), was
one of the few business jets
on static display.
Nigel Pittaway
April20 9
 COMMERCIAL News by Mark Broadbent

Boeing Revisits the Middle of the Market

ABOVE: Boeing is revisiting
its concept for a new midsize
design to replace the 757.
AirTeamImages.com/Alex Filippopoulos
THE NEW Boeing President and CEO
David Calhoun has confirmed that plans for
a new midsize airliner have been shelved
to make way for a new approach. During
the company’s most recent earnings call,
Calhoun said Boeing’s designers are “going
to start with a clean sheet of paper” for a
new product in the segment.
For several years Boeing studied the
concept of a New Mid-market Airplane
(NMA) with around 200-270 seats and up
to 5,000nm (9,300km) range. Although
a launch appeared likely a year ago, the
737 MAX crisis prompted Calhoun to
ask the company’s development team to
“step back and reassess our commercial
product development strategy to
determine what family of airplanes will be
needed in the future”.
Meanwhile, Airbus has secured more
than 450 orders for the A321XLR variant
it launched last year in response to an
emerging replacement market for ageing
midsize aircraft such as 757s and 767s.
Calhoun said: “Since the first clean sheet
of paper was taken to it, things have
changed a bit... the competitive playing
field is a little different.”
The A321XLR’s success, and a slowdown
in business for larger twin-aisle widebody
airliners in recent years, testifies to the
efficiencies of more capable single-aisle
aircraft, but analysts suggest Boeing is at
risk of being left behind in the segment
if it doesn’t act. Speaking at the Pacific
Northwest Aerospace Alliance conference
in Lynnwood, Washington in February,
Richard Aboulafia, vice president of
analysis at the Teal Group said: “If
they don’t turn on a dime and launch
something for that midsize space, the
consequences will be dire.”
Scott Kirby, CEO of United Airlines,
which in December 2019 ordered 50
A321XLRs to replace its 757s, told an
audience at the Aero Club in Washington,
DC that the airline is “encouraged” that the
manufacturer is revisiting its NMA plan.

Converted A321 Freighter Nears Delivery
ABOVE: The initial Airbus
A321P2F conversion by the ST
Engineering-Airbus-EFW joint
venture on its maiden flight.
ST Engineering
THE JOINT venture between ST Engineering,
Airbus and Elbe Flugzeugwerke (EFW) is
preparing to deliver its initial Airbus A321
passenger-to-freighter (P2F) conversion.
January 2020 saw the initial flight test for the
first converted aircraft, D-ANJA (c/n 835).
After the European Aviation Safety Agency
issues a supplemental type certificate (STC)
for the conversion, which is expected by
the end of the first quarter, the aircraft will
be delivered to its customer, Vallair. The
21-year-old jet, once operated by BMI as
G-MIDC, was most recently used by Onur
Air before it entered ST Engineering’s facility
in November 2018.
Airbus contributes OEM data and
certification support, on-board computer
development, airframe engineering, flight-
physics and flight-testing expertise. EFW
will be the STC holder and leads the overall
programme as well as marketing and sales.
The A321P2F recently secured further
orders after Keystone Holdings signed
a letter of intent with Qantas for the
conversion and leasing of one aircraft,
currently on lease to the flag carrier
for passenger services, which will be
converted and redelivered by the end of
2021. Meanwhile, the first of two A321P2Fs
for the lessor BDAM was inducted into ST
Engineering’s facility in January 2020, with
work on a second due to begin in March.
The A321P2F offers containerised
loading on both the main deck (up to 14
container positions) and lower deck (up
to ten positions). It is designed for express
domestic and regional operations, will carry
up to 27,900kg (61,508lb) payloads and offer
2,300nm (4,259km) range.

A GERMAN company has upcycled parts from the first airline-operated Airbus A380.
Aviationtag has manufactured 7,000 identity tags using the outer skin of A380 9V-SKA
(c/n 003), recently broken up for spares by Tarmac Aerosave in Tarbes, France.
The ex-Singapore Airlines jet was the first A380 to operate a revenue service in 2007.
THE START-UP airline formerly known as Moxy has been officially launched as
Breeze Airways. The carrier plans to operate point-to-point flights across North America
using both Embraer E190s and Airbus A220-300s. Established by David Neeleman,
who previously co-founded JetBlue Airways and Azul Linhas Aéreas Brasileiras among
other carriers, Breeze aims to begin services by the end of 2020.

10 April20
 News COMMERCIAL

A330-800 Certified, but Orders Remain Weak

THE AIRBUS A330-800 has received joint
type certification from the European Aviation
Safety Agency and the Federal Aviation
Administration. F-WTTO (c/n 1888) has
completed 370 flight-test hours and 132
flights since its first sortie in November 2018.
Like its larger A330-900 stablemate,
which entered service with TAP Portugal
in 2018, the A330-800 has Rolls-Royce
Trent 7000 engines and a 3D-optimised
wing with Sharklet tips to provide what
Airbus claims is a 25% reduction in fuel
consumption from “older-generation
competitor aircraft of similar size”. The jet
will typically seat 220 to 260 passengers
and up to 406 in an all-economy setup.
It also offers the Airspace cabin and
Skywise predictive maintenance systems.
Although the A330neo has secured 337
firm orders from 22 operators, only 15 are
for the A330-800 (including eight from
Kuwait Airways, two from Uganda Airlines
and one from Air Greenland). The variant ABOVE: The A330-800 offers
also suffered a setback when Hawaiian a maximum take-off weight
Airlines cancelled its order in 2018. of 242,000kg and up to
7,500nm range.
Airbus has not yet announced which
Airbus
customer will receive the first A330-800
or exactly when, although it did say the
delivery will take place this year. The
European manufacturer positions the
A330neo as what it calls an “entry-level
widebody”, able to replace ageing A330-
200/-300s and Boeing 767s.

King Airs for the UK Coastguard

TWO NEW Beechcraft King Air 200s are
now undertaking surveillance flights for
the UK Maritime and Coastguard Agency
(MCA). The aircraft and their crews,
based at Doncaster Sheffield Airport,
are provided by 2Excel Aviation’s Special
Missions division.
The aircraft are on hand to respond 24
hours a day, 365 days a year supporting
the MCA’s search and rescue (SAR), law
enforcement, fisheries protection and
pollution detection activities in UK waters.
The aircraft, G-HMGA (c/n BB-744) and
G-HMGB (c/n BB-752), are the first King
Airs to be used by a coastguard agency.
They enable the MCA to conduct wide-
area searches and co-ordinate responses,
enabling the agency’s SAR helicopters
to focus on operations where they are the first mission in the King Air was just eight includes a Leonardo radar system, an HD ABOVE: One of two Beechcraft
most effective. Their introduction follows months. The work drew on expertise across electro-optical sensor turret, an infrared/ King Air 200s now supporting
UK Maritime and Coastguard
a 2016 trial involving an Eastern Airways 2Excel, including our Capability Development ultraviolet line scanner, a SAR direction
Agency operations.
Jetstream 41, which concluded that team – from integrated design, manufacturing finder, integrated broadband satellite 2Excel Aviation
fixed-wing aircraft were capable of rapid and installation of the specialist mission data, voice connectivity and line-of-sight
response, were cost-effective and offered equipment – to training our crews to operate broadband voice communications. The
enhanced endurance. the aeroplane.” suite increases crew situational awareness
Arnie Palmer, Director of 2Excel Special The King Airs have a multispectral while reducing workload and providing
Missions, said: “Since the MCA contracted surveillance suite and an integrated command and control capabilities to the
us to provide a complete solution, to us flying mission control system. Equipment MCA and other agencies.

BOMBARDIER HAS now fully withdrawn from commercial airliner production after
relinquishing its remaining stake in the Airbus A220. The European manufacturer’s share of
the programme stands at 75%, with the Government of Québec holding the remaining 25%
through its Investissement Québec company. Canada’s stake can be redeemed by Airbus in
2026. Bombardier’s main involvement in aerospace is now with its business jets.
A MARCH 31 deadline looms for Qantas to firm up provisional orders for A350-1000s
for ultra-long-haul Project Sunrise flights from Australia’s east coast. The carrier has
warned rebel unions it will bypass its own pilots and, if required, find others to operate
the nonstop flights from Melbourne and Sydney to London and New York.

April20 11
 MILITARY News by Khalem Chapman
RIGHT: A pair of Boeing EA-18G
Growlers, BuNo’s 168377
‘SD-523’ (c/n G63) and 169143
‘SD-527’ (c/n G134), assigned
to the US Navy’s Air Test and
Evaluation Squadron 23 (VX-23)
fly in formation over the Atlantic
Ocean in August 2018.
US Navy/Elizabeth A Wolter
BOEING AND the US Navy have
successfully flown a pair of EA-18G
Growler electronic attack aircraft
autonomously. Testing consisted of 21
manned-unmanned teaming (MUM-T)
demonstrations across four flights and
was staged from Naval Air Station (NAS)
Patuxent River, Maryland.
TWO EA-18GS flew as unmanned aerial
systems (UAS) while being controlled by
a third, manned Growler. The flights took
place during fleet experiment (FLEX)
exercises held by the Navy Warfare
Development Command (NWDC), with
the US Navy and Boeing aiming to prove
“the effectiveness of technology allowing
F/A-18 Super Hornets and EA-18G
Growlers to perform combat missions
with unmanned systems.”
UK Halves Sentry Fleet Numbers
Boeing E-3D Sentry AEW1, THE RAF has halved its number of
registration ZH101 (c/n operational Boeing E-3D Sentry AEW1
24109/993), preparing to depart airborne early warning and control
RAF Fairford after being on
(AEW&C) aircraft in preparation for its
display at RIAT 2015.
Khalem Chapman replacement, the E-7A Wedgetail.
In a Freedom of Information (FOI)
response to a request from AIR
International, the Ministry of Defence
(MOD) confirmed that, since the
announcement of the UK’s procurement of
the Boeing E-7A Wedgetail in March 2019,
the RAF’s fleet of E-3D Sentry AEW1 aircraft
has been reduced from six to three.
THE US Department of Defense (DoD) has contracted Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI)
to produce wings for the T-38 Talon under an indefinite-delivery, indefinite-quantity
(IDIQ) contract worth US$240m. Work will be performed in Lod, Israel, and is expected
to be completed by January 2033.
12 April20
Growler Goes
Autonomous
Tom Brandt, Boeing’s MUM-T
demonstration lead, said: “This
demonstration allows Boeing and the
navy the opportunity to [analyse] the
data collected and decide where to make
investments in future technologies… It
could provide synergy with other US
Navy unmanned systems in development
across the spectrum and in other services.
“This technology allows the navy to
extend the reach of sensors while keeping
manned aircraft out of harm’s way… It’s
a force multiplier that enables a single
aircrew to control multiple aircraft without
greatly increasing workload. It has the
potential to increase survivability as well
as situational awareness.”
After the US Navy announced its interest
in upgrading its Growler fleet to Block II
In January, E-3D Sentry AEW1 serial
ZH104 (c/n 24112/1007) was withdrawn from
operational service and placed in storage
in the US. This followed the withdrawal
of both ZH102 (c/n 24110/996) and ZH107
(c/n 24499/1012) in March last year. These
aircraft have been placed in long-term
storage at RAF Waddington, Lincolnshire,
awaiting disposal, but they remain on the
military register as of February 2020.
Before ZH104’s withdrawal, the Sentry
fleet comprised four aircraft, with three
operating in the forward fleet and one in
sustainment. The remaining examples
– ZH101 (c/n 24109/993), ZH103 (c/n
24111/1004) and ZH106 (c/n 24114/1011)
– continue to routinely conduct NATO
missions as part of the UK’s commitment to
the alliance’s intelligence, surveillance and
reconnaissance (ISR) operations.
The MOD said: “The RAF’s fleet of Sentry
aircraft have contributed to every major UK
air operation since its introduction to service
with the RAF in 1991. However, they are
FRANCE HAS received the second of two Lockheed Martin KC-130J Super Hercules multi-
role tanker/transport aircraft. The aircraft, serial 5890 ’61-PR’ (c/n 5890), was delivered to
air force representatives at the company’s facility in Marietta, Georgia, on February 4.
The Hercules fleet will be jointly operated with the German Luftwaffe.
standard in 2019, with Boeing designing
the upgrades, the company stated that
the Block II-configured EA-18Gs would
have the capability to manage ‘Loyal
Wingman’-type autonomous platforms.
F/A-18E/F Super Hornets and EA-18G
Growlers have a significant presence in
Boeing’s Airpower Teaming System (ATS),
which is being developed jointly with the
Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF). It aims
to be a low-cost, attritable force multiplier,
working as a ‘Loyal Wingman’ unmanned
combat air vehicle (UCAV). This concept
sees one or more UAS being controlled
by manned platforms in the battlespace,
increasing overall combat air mass,
providing support to the manned aircraft,
and reducing the risk for aircrews in
high-threat scenarios.
now ageing and, as is eventually the case
with all military aircraft, the decision was
taken to replace them with a more modern
and capable aircraft to meet the UK’s
future needs.”
At its height, the RAF operated a total of
seven E-3Ds under No 8 Squadron and No
54 Squadron from their home base at RAF
Waddington. In 2009, the RAF withdrew
ZH105 (c/n 24113/1010) and this was used
as a source for spares for its operational
counterparts. As of 2020, the aircraft still
resides at RAF Waddington.
Modification work by Boeing on the first
E-7A Wedgetail airframe – based on the
company’s 737-700ER airliner – is scheduled
to begin in 2021, with the first aircraft for the
RAF due for delivery in 2023. According to
'The Equipment Plan 2019-2029' report by
the UK's National Audit Office (NAO), the
RAF has brought forward the Sentry's
out-of-service date to December 2022,
"which is nine months before the [E-7A]
aircraft are expected to enter service."
 News MILITARY

RAF’s First Poseidon Arrives

THE RAF’S first Boeing P-8A Poseidon MRA1,
serial ZP801 (c/n 64175/7532), named Pride
of Moray, has landed on UK soil. It departed
Naval Air Station (NAS) Jacksonville, Florida,
on February 4 and arrived at Kinloss Barracks
on the Moray Firth in northern Scotland the

MoD Crown Copyright/Sgt Ashley Keates

same day.
Kinloss Barracks is the former home
of the RAF’s maritime patrol capability.
It’s maintained as a relief landing ground
for aircraft operating from nearby RAF
Lossiemouth, which is currently undergoing
runway resurfacing work and will be the
permanent home of the UK’s Poseidon force and her crews returning to maritime patrol the Atlantic returning to Cold War levels, while
– consisting of No 120 Squadron and No 201 flying from Scotland, working alongside China is also investing heavily in new Arctic
Squadron – later this year. the Royal Navy to secure our seas and facilities, infrastructure and ice-capable ships”.
ACM Mike Wigston, Chief of the Air protect our nation.” The UK’s P-8 fleet will also be a core
Staff, said: “The Poseidon MRA1 is a A press release stated that the Poseidon’s defence in the UK’s continuous at-sea
game-changing Maritime Patrol Aircraft. I am purchase is a direct response to increasing nuclear deterrent and will work with allies
delighted and proud to see Pride of Moray threats “such as Russian submarine activity in across NATO, such as the US and Norway.

B-1Bs Face Retirement

THE USAF has proposed retiring 17
“structurally deficient” B-1B Lancer
supersonic strategic bombers in 2021.
The plan was announced by Air Force
Global Strike Command (AFGSC), which
intends to focus maintenance costs
and manpower on the fleet’s healthier
aircraft. AFGSC in co-ordination with
contractors, the programme office,
combatant command planners and
airmen from the air arm’s weapons
school has changed a variety of
the flight employment tactics of
its remaining Lancers to keep
them airworthy.
AFGSC said: “Currently a portion of
the B-1Bs are in a state that will require
tens of millions of dollars per aircraft
to get back to a status quo fleet in the
short term until the B-21 Raider comes
online… Continuous [B-1B] support
operations over the last 20 years have
taken a toll on the airframe’s structure
due to overuse in a manner not
commensurate with its planned design”.
The retirement of 17 aircraft from an
operational fleet of 62 will help AFGSC LEFT: A B-1B Lancer
reduce costs associated with potential assigned to the 77th
structural repairs during the air arm’s Weapons Squadron at
Dyess AFB, Texas, takes
transition from the Lancer to the B-21.
off for Weapons School
However, the USAF is not planning to Integration at Nellis AFB,
stand down any squadrons operating Nevada, in November 2019.
the B-1B, reduce manpower pools for USAF/A1C Bryan Guthrie
the type or close any bases hosting
the supersonic bomber. The aircraft
withdrawn from US service will be
spread across units based at Ellsworth
Air Force Base (AFB), South Dakota,
and Dyess AFB, Texas.

AN ADDITIONAL two Northrop Grumman MQ-4C Triton high-altitude, long-endurance POLAND HAS officially signed a contract for the production and delivery of 32 Lockheed
(HALE) unmanned aerial systems have been ordered by the US Navy. The production Martin F-35A Lightning IIs in a deal worth US$4.6bn. The contract includes 32 aircraft and 33
and delivery of the new aircraft comes under a contract modification worth US$172.4m Pratt & Whitney F135 afterburning turbofan engines, along with specific pilot, ground handling
that was awarded on February 6. and operational equipment. Deliveries are set to begin in 2024 and conclude by 2030.

April20 13
 UAV News by Mark Broadbent

Hermes 900 Trial

RIGHT: The UK coastguard is
to evaluate the Hermes 900. HM
Maritime and Coastguard Agency
BELOW: The Air Traffic
for UK Coastguard
THE UK’S Maritime and Coastguard
Agency (MCA) is to evaluate the Elbit
Systems Hermes 900 as it studies how
UAVs could assist in the future of search
and rescue (SAR) operations in the UK.
The wide-ranging new project run
by the agency will investigate if UAVs
could improve the effectiveness of SAR
responses by visiting rescue sites ahead
of air, sea or land-based recovery teams,
providing a full picture of the situation
and helping to develop the appropriate
response. It will also explore how
current regulations can be developed to
“unlock the potential” for UAVs to help
make SAR operations safer and more
efficient as well as researching how
unmanned systems could contribute to
counter pollution and maritime aerial
observation operations.
The project will specifically assess
the use of drones for regular and
routine flights beyond the visual line
of sight (BVLOS) in unsegregated and
uncontrolled UK airspace, an MCA
statement said.
Trial flights will use several UAVs, of
which the Hermes 900 is the largest.
The agency said it will work with Elbit
Systems UK and the Civil Aviation
Authority to carry out the demonstrations
in the coming months. No further
details were given.
Last year the MCA responded to seven
missions a day on average. It saved
more than 1,600 people, co-ordinated
more than 22,000 incidents and
rescued more than 7,000 people. The
then Maritime Minister Nusrat Ghani
said drone technology has “enormous
potential” for the UK’s search and
rescue teams: “This ground-breaking
project will not only hope to boost the
capabilities of our already fantastic
teams but will also boost our ability to
spot pollution hazards and protect our
precious marine environment.”
It is part of a wider Department
for Transport effort called the Drone
Pathfinder Programme, which works
with drone users and the CAA to
identify and overcome barriers to more
routine and safer BVLOS operations by
UAVs in UK airspace.

Drone Law Enforcement

Management and Unmanned
Aircraft Bill gives UK police
powers to land, inspect and
seize drones.
UK Department for Transport

ALL UK police forces now have increased
powers to tackle the misuse of unmanned
aircraft after the Air Traffic Management and
Unmanned Aircraft Bill received its second
reading in Parliament at the end of January.
The legislation gives the police new
powers to land, inspect and seize drones
if an offence has been committed and a
warrant is secured.
Drone users could additionally face an
on-the-spot-fine for certain offences such
as failing to provide evidence they have
the correct permissions and exemptions if
found to be flying their system too high or
too close to buildings or failing to provide
evidence of competency or registration.
The bill also gives the police new stop
and search powers around prisons and
other restricted areas, such as airports.
It amends the Police Act 1997 to allow
the police and senior prison authorities
to authorise the use of counter-drone
measures to combat illegal drone use.
The UK Government published its
Counter-Drone Strategy in October 2019,
and a month later it became the law for
small UAV owners to register and take
an online competency test, with 80,000
having registered so far. The government is
also reviewing its approach to tackling the
malicious use of drones, including testing
and evaluating counter-drone technology.

KAMAN IS developing a K-MAX kit for commercial applications, with first flight
scheduled in Q3 2020. Helicopter Express and Swanson Group Aviation have placed
orders for delivery in 2021. Kaman also reports interest from ROTAK for autonomous
helicopter operations in Alaska. The unmanned K-MAX served the US military in
Afghanistan in 2011-2013.
ST ENGINEERING and Wilhelmsen Ships Service (WSS) will collaborate to develop a UAV
to undertake shore-to-ship parcel deliveries. ST Engineering will provide flight test and
technology development services including precision landing systems, a data link and a
parcel delivery authentication and release system. WSS will focus on commercialisation and
operational aspects of the project.

14 April20
 News UAV

Hybrid UAV eyes US Markets

UAV DEVELOPERS Auterion Government
Solutions (AGS) and Quantum-Systems
GmbH have partnered to offer a hybrid
UAV system that can be transformed to
undertake different roles.
The developers are offering what
they call a “two-in-one system kit”. One
configuration option is the Scorpion, a
tri-copter that could be used in urban
environments and missions that require
a combination of manoeuvrability and
hover for intelligence, surveillance and
reconnaissance (ISR) tasks or for gathering
information to boost situational awareness.
By reconfiguring the base fuselage with
fixed wings and tail section, the Scorpion
can be converted into Vector, a separate
fixed-wing vertical take-off and landing
system designed for longer range and
extended endurance ISR missions.
Quantum-Systems has designed a Quantum-Systems to bring forth a new, Inc will change the market in many ABOVE: Two in one: the
proprietary flight control system and its integrated, rucksack-portable sUAS (small ways. AGS Inc is a key partner in the reconfigurable UAV can be
a rotary-wing Scorpion or fixed-
qBase command and control software unmanned aircraft system) that we feel will development and deployment of [the]
wing Vector. Quantum-Systems
for the two vehicles, and the platforms transform the way our customers collect, US Department of Defense’s Group 1
can be integrated with Auterion’s process and disseminate ISR and situation UAS Architecture.”
open-source software. awareness information, in all environments.” The reconfigurable system is designed BELOW: One of the first MQ-4C
David Sharpin, CEO for AGS, said: Florian Seibel, Quantum-Systems' to appeal to the US government, defence Tritons to arrive at Andersen
AFB in Guam. US Navy/MCS
“We are excited to be working with CEO, added: “Teaming up with AGS and security markets. MacAdam Kane Weissman

Triton in the Pacific

THE US Navy recently announced that its first MQ-
4C Triton unmanned aircraft systems have arrived
at Andersen Air Force Base in Guam for initial
deployment in the Pacific theatre.
Two will be operated and maintained by
Unmanned Patrol Squadron (VUP) 19 as part of
an early operational capability to further develop
the concept of operations and fleet learning for
maritime high-altitude, long-endurance systems.
The fleet will expand to four aircraft to
achieve initial operational capability and will
be capable of 24/7 intelligence, surveillance
and reconnaissance operations. The US Navy
stated “multi-sensor mission payloads” will
provide “persistence, capability and capacity” to
complement the P-8A Poseidon manned
maritime patrol aircraft.
Captain Matt Rutherford, commander of
Task Force Seven Two, which leads patrol,
reconnaissance and surveillance forces in the
Navy’s 7th Fleet, said: “Coupling the capabilities
of the MQ-4C with the proven performance of
P-8, P-3 and EP-3 will enable improved maritime
domain awareness in support of regional and
national security objectives.”
Captain Dan Mackin, manager of the
Persistent Maritime UAS programme office,
added: “The fielding of the Navy’s premier
unmanned aircraft system and its additive,
persistent, multi-sensor data collection
and real-time dissemination capability will
revolutionise the way maritime intelligence,
surveillance and reconnaissance is performed.”

DEVELOPMENT WORK by HAPSMobile on a communications payload for its HAWK30
solar-powered UAV, which will fly high in the stratosphere, recently finished. The
payload is an adaptation of technology already used by Google subsidiary Loon on
stratospheric balloons. The developer is still planning to begin test-flying the HAWK30
from Hawaii in the spring.
INDIAN COMPANIES Hindustan Aeronautics (HAL) and Dynametic Technologies have signed
a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) to undertake
indigenous production of IAI’s unmanned aircraft for customers. The pact was signed on the
opening day of DefExpo 2020. HAL said the partnership would enable it to expand its product
offerings and “absorb critical technologies”.

April20 15
 ROTARY FOCUS
The first CMV-22B Osprey
has been delivered to Naval
Air Station Patuxent River
for developmental testing.
Bell Boeing hosted a reveal
ceremony in Amarillo, Texas to
commemorate first delivery.
Bell Boeing
Updated Air Crane
HONEYWELL IS to supply its Primus Epic 2.0 flight deck for Leonardo to offer on its
AW139 helicopters. Primus Epic 2.0 is designed to provide better maps, increasing
safety and situational awareness at night and in marginal weather, along with easier
access through wireless connectivity. The system is track-based with navigation
following the helicopter’s true path.
16 April20
by Mark Broadbent
Initial CMV-22B
for the US Navy
BELL BOEING delivered the US Navy’s
first CMV-22B Osprey early in February,
holding a reveal ceremony at its
plant in Amarillo, Texas. The tiltrotor
will replace the C-2A Greyhound in
the Carrier Onboard Delivery (COD)
mission, transporting personnel and
high-priority cargo from the shore to
aircraft carriers at sea. The US Navy will
receive 48 examples.
Capt Dewon Chaney, Commodore,
Fleet Logistics Multi-Mission Wing,
commented: “The CMV-22B brings
expanded capabilities not only to the
COD mission, but to the high-end fight.
We are anxious to get it to the fleet and
show off its immense capabilities and
agile flexibility.”
A new-generation S-64F+ is to be
produced with airframe, engine and
systems improvements. Erickson Incorporated
The CMV-22B is the only aircraft that
can land on the flight deck of an aircraft
carrier with an F-35C engine power
module secured inside its fuselage
and provide roll-on/roll-off delivery.
The aircraft has extended sponsons to
increase fuel capacity and enable it to
provide enhanced logistical capability.
The variant can carry up to 6,000lb
(2,721kg) payloads over more than
1,150nm (2,129km).
The CMV-22B conducted its first
flight in December 2019 and the initial
developmental test model arrived
at Naval Air Station Patuxent River,
Maryland, on February 2 to continue
developmental testing.
US Marine Corps Col Eric Garcia,
UTILITY SPECIALIST Erickson
Incorporated – which has produced the
S-64 Air Crane for more than 25 years
– recently launched a new variant of the
helicopter, the S-64F+.
According to the company, the market
has “signalled a demand for the S-64 as a
firefighting platform of the future” and that it
would “transition to new production aircraft
with the future introduction of the S-64F+.”
Few specifics were provided, but
Erickson stated the S-64F+ would have
a modern engine to boost range and fuel
efficiency, new composite main rotors,
enhanced flight control and cockpit
systems and an improved water cannon.
Separately, Erickson and Sikorsky have
agreed to integrate MATRIX Autonomy
LEONARDO HAS launched a long-range version of its AW189. Powered by two Safran Aneto-
1K engines, the AW189K is designed to cater for “efficient long range, high-endurance and
large-capacity operations,” according to Leonardo.
Gulf Helicopters, the AW189 launch customer in the offshore market, will introduce the
AW189K in the second half of 2020.
Marine Aircraft Group 16 commanding
officer, said: “Navy maintainers and
aircrew have embedded in multiple
squadrons within Marine Aircraft Group
16, with significant benefit to both Navy
personnel and our squadrons. This
integration has been so successful…
that we currently have members of the
upcoming navy squadron integrated
into one of our forward-deployed units.”
Col Garcia added that this work “bodes
well for further integration of navy and
fleet marine forces as we prepare to
employ the CMV-22’s vast capabilities
at home and abroad.” The CMV-22B will
initially be based at Naval Air Station
North Island in San Diego, California, and
later at Naval Air Station Norfolk, Virginia.
Technology into the S-64. The type is slated to
receive “a digitally enabled fire management
system never before used in night firefighting.”
The helicopter will receive “next-generation
flight controls and navigation systems
powered by MATRIX” to enhance cockpit
awareness and crew safety.
An Erickson statement read: “Currently
night-time firefighting is complex and
dangerous, making for a massive
challenge in the market that needs to be
solved in the safest way possible. Both
legacy manufacturers are committed
to developing a safe alternative to night
vision goggles, providing new and
innovative ways to enhance the safety
for pilots [that are] not yet used in the
commercial market.”
 ROTARY FOCUS

Guépard Developments
THE DIRECTION Générale de l’Armement
(DGA) – the French military procurement
agency – and Airbus Helicopters are
to work on a “new set of studies” to
militarise the H160. A recently signed
contract launches “pre-development
activities” for the military version of
the helicopter, which will be called the
Guépard (cheetah) in French service.
The H160M is being acquired by the
DGA under the Hélicoptère Interarmées
Léger (HIL, Joint Light Helicopter)
procurement initiative. As its name
implies, HIL intends to introduce a
single platform to meet the needs of the
army, navy and air force. France intends
to acquire 169 Guépards to perform
missions ranging from commando
infiltration to air interception, fire support
and anti-ship warfare. DGA, so the Marine Nationale (French Feedback from Marine Nationale The H160M will be used by all
Airbus Helicopters said the joint work Navy) can sustain a search and rescue operations with the four H160s will be three branches of the French
will focus on defining support for a (SAR) capability. The quartet will serve as used in design work on the Guépard armed forces. Airbus Helicopters
tri-service H160M fleet, maximising the a stopgap in the SAR role until the Marine and its support system. Airbus
helicopter’s availability rate and optimising Nationale’s Guépards arrive in the late Helicopters and its partners, Safran
fleet support costs. The first Guépard 2020s, enabling the service to phase out Helicopter Engines and Babcock, will
deliveries are scheduled for 2026. its veteran Aérospatiale Alouette IIIs. The be responsible for supporting the fleet
The manufacturer also recently H160s will be operated from 2022 for ten with a high level of availability and
announced it will supply four H160s to the years, Airbus Helicopters reported. performance commitments.

NZ Trials Passenger Flights with Cora

A NEW electric vertical take-off and
landing (eVTOL) aircraft designed for
the emerging urban air mobility market
is to undergo passenger transport
trials in Canterbury, New Zealand. The
government has signed a memorandum
of understanding (MOU) with start-up
developer Wisk to test the company’s
Cora air taxi.
Wisk is the first industry partner to
join the New Zealand government’s
Airspace Integration Trial, announced in
October 2019, which seeks to work with
industry to safely test and demonstrate
new technologies.
Wisk president and CEO Gary Gysin
said: “We are delighted to now have
a signed agreement with the New
Zealand government, which will propel
Cora’s entry to the air taxi market.
We see this agreement as a sign of
confidence in our product and abilities
to develop and deliver a safe and Passengers will fly on Wisk’s
reliable air taxi service, starting in Cora air taxi during trials in
New Zealand. Boeing
New Zealand.”
Cora is an eVTOL air taxi which,
according to Wisk, “will make it
possible for passengers to skip traffic
gridlock and get to their destination
faster.” Based in the San Francisco
Bay Area and New Zealand, Wisk is
an independent company backed by
Boeing and the Kitty Hawk Corporation.

AIRBUS HELICOPTERS has announced a new alternate gross weight option for its
H135 family.
Helicopters with the option will benefit from an increased 265lb (120kg) take-off weight
and useful load, which can be used either to extend range by up to 75nm (139km) or
endurance by up to 40 minutes under standard conditions.
AFTER THE S-76 helicopter crash that killed nine people, including basketball star Kobe
Bryant, US congressman Brad Sherman has called for mandatory terrain awareness and
warning systems in civil helicopters.
Sherman wants a commission on helicopter safety and for the Federal Aviation Administration
to report on best practices in low visibility.

April20 17
 BUSINESS News by Dave Willis

Stratos 716 Advances Stratos Aircraft launched the 716 on

An artist’s impression of the
Stratos 716X, the kit-built
version of the very light
aircraft. Stratos Aircraft
THE PROTOTYPE Stratos 716 very
light jet is currently being assembled at
Redmond, Oregon, and is due to fly in the
second half of this year.
July 23, 2018 at EAA AirVenture held
at Oshkosh, Wisconsin, as a larger
development of the Stratos 714. The
primary change is an increase in the cabin
size, lengthened by 79cm (31in), and 9cm
(31/2in) wider. A full-scale mock-up of the
new cabin was displayed at AirVenture
last year.
A single Stratos 714 was built, flying on
November 21, 2016, as a proof-of-concept
demonstrator. It continues to be used to
support development of the 716, having
accumulated an additional 145hrs in the
air since the July 2018 launch.
Orders will be taken once the
Stratos 716 enters flight testing. Plans
envisage initially offering a kit-built
version, known as the Stratos 716X,
with a builder’s assist programme to
help completion. It will be powered by
a single Pratt & Whitney JT15D-5, as
used by the Stratos 714, while avionics
will include dual Garmin G3X Touch
screens, a GTN750 multi-functional
display and an integrated autopilot. An
unspecified, limited number of 716Xs
will be offered, with lessons learnt
during their construction and assembly
to be incorporated in a second, FAR
Part 23-certified version. Differences
between the two variants will include
using a more powerful Pratt & Whitney
Canada PW535E and either Garmin
G3000 or G5000 avionics. No timetable
for the certified 716 has been released.

Business Jets to Remain at Bombardier’s Core?

AS AIR International went to press, it
appeared the future of Bombardier’s aircraft
activities will continue to be centred on its
business jets, after a period of uncertainty.
Over the last few years Bombardier has
sought to sell assets to reduce its level of
debt – the divestment of its commercial
aviation programmes being the most
visible aspect of the plan. The company
presented Airbus with a controlling stake in
the C Series airliner (later A220), while the
Dash 8 programme was sold to Longview
Aviation Capital and the CRJ to Mitsubishi
Heavy Industries. In addition to its aviation
assets, the company also offered its rail
division for sale. Little information about
the future of the business jets was released
however, until an article appeared in
the Wall Street Journal on February 4
claiming that talks about their sale to
Textron Aviation were under way. While
neither party confirmed the negotiations,
the prospect of Textron acquiring
the Challenger, Global and Learjet
programmes raised several intriguing
questions about the future of the Canadian
company’s involvement in aviation and its
impact within the business jet market.
Acquisition of Bombardier’s assets would
have made Textron responsible for more
than half the annual business jet deliveries
and an even larger percentage of the
installed base. It would have given Textron
a presence in the large-cabin segment for
the first time, thanks to the Global family,
allowing the company to compete with
Gulfstream and the bigger Dassault Falcons.
Textron’s jet product line would range from
the entry level Citation M2 to the Global
7500. The company’s most recent plans
to add products at the top end of its range
focused on the Cessna Hemisphere, work
on which was suspended in July 2019 due to
problems with the Safran Silvercrest engine.
How the Challenger models would have
fitted into the line-up is more difficult to
define. While the super-midsize Challenger
350 sells well, it would compete with
Textron’s Citation Longitude, which only
entered service at the end of last year. The
Challenger 650 bridges the gap between
the Longitude and Globals, but while it
is equipped with upgraded avionics and
more powerful engines, it remains the
latest variant of an aircraft that first flew in
1978 and may have reached the end of its
development potential.
Sales of the Learjet 75 remain low but
steady, with 12 delivered in both 2018 and
2019. Bombardier is seeking to boost its
appeal with the new Liberty version, due
to be available from mid-2020, which
repositions the aircraft in the six-passenger,
sub-$10m market.
Recent developments are understood
to have diminished the chances of a sale.
On February 12 Bombardier revealed it
was transferring its remaining interest in
Airbus Canada Limited Partnership (the
holding company for the A220 programme)
to Airbus and the Government of Québec,
for around $591m. More significantly, four
days later it was announced that Alstom
of France would acquire the rail business
for approximately $7bn. AIR International
understands that concluding the Alstom
deal will go a long way towards alleviating
Bombardier’s debt and negate the need to
sell the business jet division.
Bombardier’s financial results for 2019
were released on February 13, with the
aviation division reporting better figures
than the previous year. It generated
$7.5bn in 2019, with a profit of $1.2bn,
nearly three times that reported in 2018.
In total, the company handed over 142
new business aircraft (12 Learjets, 76
Challengers and 54 Globals) last year,
five more than in 2018. The breakdown
was also weighted towards larger, more
profitable aircraft (with an increase of 12
Globals over 2018), contributing to the
improved financial figures.
The turnover was lower than originally
predicted (by around $0.5bn) however, this
was partially because it managed to deliver
only 11 Global 7500s, down from the 15 to
20 expected. Bombardier cited a backlog
outfitting the new aircraft as the cause for
the lower total. It expects to hand over 154
aircraft this year. About a quarter, between
35 and 40, will be Global 7500s.
Bombardier predicts that the worldwide
large-cabin fleet will grow by 52% by 2028,
with a 14% increase in the midsize inventory
and 22% of light jets. It expects a total of
7,000 business aircraft will be delivered in
the next decade.

PC-24 Gets Rough Field Approval

Rough field certification for the Pilatus PC-24 was announced by the manufacturer on February 7. The approval from the European
Aviation Safety Agency permits operations from grass, earth, sand, gravel and snow surfaces. The test campaign for the capability
included flights by the prototype HB-VXA from sand and gravel runways at Woodbridge in Suffolk in 2018. Take-off and landings from
grass runways took place at Goodwood and Duxford in the UK, Kunovice in the Czech Republic and at Poitiers, France. Flight tests from
a snow-covered gravel runway at Kuujjuaq in Québec, Canada, was completed in 2019. Pilatus states that the recent approval doubles
the number of runways from which the PC-24 can operate. Pilatus Aircraft

18 April20

Largest Gulfstream Airborne
EXPERIMENTAL TEST pilots Jake Howard
and Eric Holmberg recently completed
the maiden flight of the Gulfstream
G700 from the manufacturer’s facility
in Georgia. The two were joined by
test engineer Bill Osborne during the
2hrs 32min sortie by G700 T1 (N700GA)
from Hilton Head International Airport,
Savannah, early in the afternoon of
February 14. During the flight the business
jet prototype used a 30/70 blend of
sustainable aviation fuel as part of
Gulfstream’s continuing efforts to promote
a greener image for the industry.
The aircraft will be used to expand the
flight envelope of the type, to investigate
flutter, stall, flight qualities and control
characteristics, and icing. The second
Phenom 300E Upgraded
EMBRAER PHENOM 300Es delivered from May
will incorporate a number of enhancements.
The changes are being made to ensure
it will maintain its appeal and increase
competitiveness in the light business jet.
Hardware modifications include the latest
version of the Pratt & Whitney Canada
PW535E engine. The PW535E1 was
approved by the European Aviation Safety
Agency on January 10, with an increase in
thrust to 3,478lb st (15.5kN) from the baseline
PW535E’s 3,360lb st (14.9kN). This takes the
Phenom 300E’s maximum speed to Mach
0.80, an 11kts (20km/h) increase to 464kts
(858km/h). It also extends the range by 38nm
(70km), to 2,010nm (3,724km) with NBAA IFR
reserves carrying five on board.
Initial Phenom 100 Upgrades Completed
Eagle Creek Aviation of Indianapolis, Indiana, has upgraded the first three Embraer
Phenom 100s with the Garmin G1000 NXi suite. The change from the baseline G1000
adds wireless flight planning and database updates using FlightStream 510 and
Connext technology, SurfaceWatch runway monitoring, visual approach guidance, and
(T2) is assigned to cabin developments
and for static tests; T3 for loads, operation
of the engines and thrust-reversers,
as well as well as other performance
indicators, including airfield and climb
performance. The environmental control
system, mechanical systems, cooling, and
flight-into-known-icing will be undertaken
by T4; and the fifth (T5) will evaluate
the Gulfstream Symmetry flight deck
avionics and data for incorporation in
level-D simulators. Six aircraft have been
assembled, comprising the flight test
G700s T1 to T5 and a static test airframe.
Load trials have already been completed
on the latter. A sixth airworthy airframe will
join the fleet towards the end of the flight
campaign as a production test aircraft. The
Improvements to the Prodigy Touch
flight deck, based on the Garmin G3000,
include added predictive wind shear, an
emergency descent mode, and a runway
overrun awareness and alerting system.
The pilot and co-pilots have been provided
with additional legroom by changing the
tracking of their seats.
The Bossa Nova interior, which was
inspired by the calçada mosaic sidewalks
of Rio de Janeiro (especially Copacabana
and Ipanema beaches), and offered from
2018 in the Praetor 500 and 600, has been
added to the list of options for the
upgraded aircraft.
Cabin noise levels during boarding
and flight have been reduced, while 4G
map overlay on the horizontal situation indicator.
On February 6 the company announced the work was complete. Avionics producer
Garmin International of Kansas received approval for the upgrade from the Federal
Aviation Administration late last December.
News BUSINESS
G700 is scheduled to enter service in 2022. The prototype G700 making
Details of the G700 were first revealed its maiden flight on February
14. Gulfstream
at Las Vegas, Nevada, on the eve of the
National Business Aviation Association
(NBAA) Business Aviation Convention &
Exhibition on October 21. It was designed
as a larger, longer-range variant of the
G650ER, with up to five zones in the
cabin for a maximum of 19 passengers.
Gulfstream claims it has “the tallest, widest
and longest cabin in the industry with
leading range and speed capabilities.”
The G700 will have a NBAA IFR range
of 7,500nm (13,890km) while cruising at
Mach 0.85, or 6,400nm (11,853km) at 0.90,
while retaining the G650’s 0.925 maximum
speed. Power is provided by a pair of Pearl
700s, rated at 18,250lb st (81.2kN).
connectivity via the Gogo AVANCE L5 The Bossa Nova interior will
internet system is now standard. be an option in the Phenom
300E cabin from May. Embraer
Upgraded aircraft continue to be designated
Phenom 300Es. It has a list price of $9.65m,
approximately $200,000 above that of the
baseline 300E.
April20 19
 TECHNOLOGY News by Mark Ayton

Redefining Aviation
An artist’s impression
of NASA’s single-aisle
turboelectric aircraft concept.
NASA Aeronautics
NASA HAS released its latest Strategic
Implementation Plan. First published in
2015, the most recent version, developed
in co-ordination and consultation with
the US government, industry and
academic institutions, revises the
agency’s six guiding principles:
• Support the Federal Aviation
Administration and work with other
agencies to modernise the management
of America’s airspace, improve safety
and make operations more reliable
and predictable.
• Advance groundbreaking technologies
and generate data to help overcome
barriers to enable a safe, overland,
commercial supersonic transportation
market with minimal environmental
impact. One example is NASA’s nascent
X-59 Quiet SuperSonic Technology
sustainability. Such future air vehicles
are likely to be shaped differently from
current designs, be built from lighter,
advanced composite materials, and be
powered by electric propulsion systems in
combination with alternative fuels.
• Investigate advanced technologies
related to air vehicles capable of vertical
take-off and landing (VTOL), and make
them safer and quieter. This research area
is driven by the demand for knowledge
about how to design, build and fly VTOL
air vehicles in a fully integrated urban air
mobility (UAM) transportation system.
• Design and test new operational
capabilities for all types of air vehicles
that are equipped with systems that
can accurately predict or detect
safety-related problems and prevent
accidents happening.
vehicles, such as those in a UAM.
NASA has changed several research
areas to cater for the number of
companies not usually associated with
aviation that have entered the market,
and to meet the demand for new airborne
services using the endless stream of
emerging advanced technologies.
Robert Pearce, NASA’s associate
administrator for aeronautics said:
“With this updated plan we are poised
to help usher in a new era of aviation
with innovations as transformative
as those seen when the jet age in
commercial air travel began more than
a half-century ago. Aircraft won’t look
the same as they do today, they won’t
be propelled the same way, and
the world will continue to shrink as
commercial supersonic flight over land

BELOW: NASA Glenn’s DHC-6

Twin Otter, N607NA (c/n 4),
fitted with the laser and
photon communication
frequency detection device.
Jef Janis/NASA Glenn
aircraft, which will provide data on the
validation of flying faster than sound and
generating only gentle sonic booms.
•
Explore out-of-the-box ideas for
designing subsonic aircraft with
exponentially greater environmental
• Develop systems to support
ever-increasing demand for reliable
automation and autonomy in aviation with
a focus on intelligent machine systems
that can safely handle complex situations
involving semi- and fully autonomous air
becomes a reality. As air travel seeks
to reinvent itself in ways unimaginable
even just half a decade ago, we’re
confident this updated plan keeps
us on the right path to make that
future possible.”

Ensuring Secure Communications W

QUANTUM KEY distribution – the use of
quantum properties to exchange secret
information, such as a cryptographic
key, which can then be used to encrypt
messages that are being communicated
over an insecure channel – is a specialised
science conducted by the NASA Glenn
Research Center at Cleveland, Ohio.
As part of its broader research efforts,
NASA Glenn is currently testing a device
to detect laser and photon communication
frequencies as the foundation of a
quantum key distribution system.
Fitted to the underside fuselage of NASA
Glenn’s 1966 model De Havilland Canada
DHC-6 Twin Otter, N607NA (c/n 4), the
detection device is being flight tested for
use on unmanned aircraft.
According to NASA Glenn, the number
of unmanned air vehicles in US airspace is
growing and their ability to communicate
with ground operators and each other is
critical to a safe environment. The increase
in traffic is leading to an increase in
communications disruptions because too
many air vehicles are trying to use the same

Advanced Composite Structures Certification

A team comprising the Air Force Research Laboratory and Cornell High Energy
Synchrotron Source (CHESS) personnel are developing the capability to accelerate
certification of advanced manufactured composite structures.
Thanks to an upgraded modelling facility, known as the Materials Solutions Network,
composite manufacturing is now treated as a physics-based exact science that can be
predicted and modelled in ways that were previously impossible. Processing material
models faster than ever will shorten certification times of new materials and complex
processing methods such as additive manufacturing.
The beamline (the trajectory of the beam of accelerated particles, including the
overall construction of the path segment along a specific path of the accelerator facility)
allows manufacturers and researchers to observe materials in real-time and at
atomic scale for structural components or additively manufactured articles for
limited life applications.
Two new X-ray beamlines, one for structural and one for functional materials, are
housed at the facility. The structural materials beamline uses high-energy X-rays to
understand the evolving internal structure of metals, ceramics and composites during
service and processing conditions.
The functional materials beamline is designed to analyse soft materials, such as organic
molecule and polymer-based materials and composites used in lightweight structural
components and organic electronics, during processing and under real-life load conditions.

20 April20
 Dassault Aviation
News TECHNOLOGY

LAUNCHING THE demonstrator phase for the
Système de Combat Aérien du Futur (SCAF;
Future Combat Air System), the French, German
and Spanish governments have awarded the initial
framework contracts (Phase 1A) to a consortium
comprising programme leaders Dassault Aviation
and Airbus, along with project partners MBDA,
MTU Aero Engines, Safran and Thales.
The contracts were finalised on February 12 after
the German parliament approved spending on its
half of the agreed €155m budget with France. The
countries, along with Spain, signed the agreement
on February 20 in Paris.
According to Airbus, the “framework contract
covers a first period of 18 months and initiates work
on developing the demonstrators and maturing
cutting-edge technologies, with the ambition to
begin flight tests as soon as 2026.”
European SCAF
Development
Moves Forward
Since the start of last year, the industrial partners
have been working on providing future
architecture under the programme’s Joint
Concept Study. The award of the Phase 1A initial
framework contract enables the project to enter
another decisive phase.
Dassault Aviation will develop the proposed
Next Generation Fighter (NGF) as prime
contractor, with Airbus acting as a main
partner on the project. The NGF is set to be
a core element of the SCAF. Airbus will be the
prime contractor in providing an Air Combat
Cloud (ACC) and an unmanned systems Remote
Carrier (RC), partnering with Thales on the
former and MBDA on the latter. Safran and MTU
Aero Engines teamed up early last year to develop
the platform’s engines.
Airbus said: “The launch of the demonstrator
phase underlines the political confidence and
determination of the SCAF partner nations and
the associated industry to move forward and
cooperate in a fair and balanced manner.
“The increased momentum enables industry
to deploy the necessary resources and best
capabilities to develop this decisive European
defence project… SCAF will be the cornerstone
project guaranteeing Europe’s future operational,
industrial and technological sovereignty.”
The SCAF was unveiled at the Paris Air Show
in 2019. The programme will produce a sixth-
generation fighter that is scheduled to enter
service with France, Germany and Spain sometime
between 2035 and 2040, replacing the Dassault
Rafales, Eurofighter Typhoons and Boeing F/A-18
Hornets in current service.
Khalem Chapman

ons With Greater Cybersecurity

limited number of frequencies. and IJK Controls, a Pasadena,
LEFT: Close-up of the laser
and photon communication
frequency detection device
fitted on the Twin Otter’s
Laser and photon detection technology California-based company that
fuselage underside.
enables unmanned air vehicles to exchange manufactures stabilised gimbals. Jef Janis/NASA Glenn
encryption keys to communicate on The broader objective of QTech is to
extremely secure radio frequency channels. harness the power of quantum technologies
In addition, an optical channel provides a to ensure communication availability and
high data rate communication link for high provide greater cybersecurity.
bandwidth applications. NASA Glenn claims the hardware has
System development and flight testing is performed successfully in flight test, and
being undertaken as part of the Quantum its researchers hope to continue advancing
Technologies project, known as QTech, in quantum key distribution applied to
partnership with the NASA Ames Research simulated unmanned air vehicle flight
Center, the Air Force Research Laboratory applications in different environments.

Robotic Processes in the MRO World

Pratt & Whitney’s blade and vane repair specialist, Turbine Overhaul Services, has
developed the first fully automated ultrasonic measurement system. The
Singapore-based company has introduced an advanced robotic inspection of air foil
wall thickness to conduct fast and reliable inspections, to free up inspector hours to
perform more critical visual tasks.
Pratt & Whitney’s partner company, Component Aerospace Singapore, has
introduced an automated system comprising 12-armed robots to replace manual
fixtures for tube repair to improve productivity.
Elsewhere in Pratt & Whitney’s empire, part repair specialist for compressor stators and
seals, variable vanes and shrouds, Component Solutions is adopting a fully automated
robotic loading process that incorporates a Computer Numerical Control machine and
a Collaborative Robot to enable 24/7 operations without human supervision.
This year, Pratt & Whitney will introduce a major enterprise resource planning update to
unlock the full potential of data access, which will enable analytics across the business.
This digital-driven approach builds on the company’s pioneering use of Robotic Process
Automation designed to weave a digital thread across its operations.

April20 21
 TECHNOLOGY News by Mark Ayton

Boeing Completes First

Loyal Wingman Fuselage
Boeing announced that BOEING AUSTRALIA has completed
the first major structural the major structural assembly of its first
assembly for its ATS was
Airpower Teaming System (ATS) prototype
completed on February 9.
Boeing
fuselage. The aircraft will be the first of three
prototypes to be developed as part of the
Loyal Wingman – Advanced Development
Program, in which Boeing has partnered
with the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF).
Dr Shane Arnott, program director
of the Boeing ATS, said: “This is an
exciting milestone for the development
[programme] and the Australian aerospace
industry, as we progress with production of
the first military aircraft to be developed in
Australia for more than 50 years.”
Arnott added that Australian industrial
participation was critical to the
programme’s rapid development. That
team includes BAE Systems Australia,
RUAG Australia, Ferra Engineering
and AME Systems. BAE Systems
Australia provided hardware kits such
as flight control systems and navigation
equipment. RUAG Australia delivered
the ATS’ landing gear. Ferra Engineering
supplied precision machine components
and sub-assemblies for the platform and
AME Systems provided the wiring looms
to support the vehicle.
Boeing Australia has applied digital
engineering and advanced composite
materials to achieve cost and agility goals
set for the 38ft (11.7m) long unmanned
combat air vehicle. The ATS is designed to
use artificial intelligence in teaming with
both manned and unmanned platforms.
Air Commodore Darren Goldie, RAAF
Director-General of Air Combat Capability,
said: “The partnership with Boeing is key
to building our understanding of not just
the operational implications for these
sorts of vehicles, but also making us a
smart customer as we consider options
for manned-unmanned teaming [MUM-T]
in the coming decade.”
Once the first ATS has been delivered,
the prototype will provide key lessons
for future production. Boeing Australia
is developing the platform for the global
defence market, where customers will be
able to tailor the low-cost, attritable
force-multiplier’s sensors and systems to
suit their own needs.
The next stage in the platform’s
development will be when the fuselage
moves from the assembly jig and onto
its own landing gear. From there, system
integration and functional testing will
continue, with the aircraft expected to
make its first flight later this year.
Khalem Chapman

Fast and Flexible Repair Solutions

INDUSTRIAL USE of additive manufacturing
of engine components within an aero engine
maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) facility
will be performed for the first time by mid-2020. The
capability will be used at Component Aerospace
Singapore, which provides engine part repair for
combustion chambers, fuel system components,
tubes, ducts and manifolds for the V2500 and
PW4000 engines.
The capability is a result of a collaborative effort
between Component Aerospace Singapore and
the land systems arm of ST Engineering set up to
deliver faster and flexible repair solutions for Pratt &
Whitney engines.
More specifically, ST Engineering’s experience in
metal printing via a controlled process first put into
production line operation by Pratt & Whitney; the
part in question is a fuel system component.
Speaking at the Singapore Airshow, Brendon
McWilliam, Pratt & Whitney’s executive director,
aftermarket operations, Asia Pacific said: “We are
now another step closer to scaling the technology
to meet our growing aftermarket operations, and
industrialisation of additive manufacturing for the
industry. This is part of a wider technology roadmap
to introduce advanced technologies that integrate
artificial intelligence, robotics and automation across
our operations as part of our digital transformation.”
Additive manufacturing enables parts to
be produced on demand and to complex
specifications. Chin-Huat Sia, Component
Aerospace Singapore’s principal engineer
said: “Additive manufacturing will be a game-
changer for the MRO industry worldwide. This
technology enables greater flexibility in our
inventory management. Both Pratt & Whitney and
ST Engineering will now examine how additive
manufacturing can be applied to other aviation
components and other engine types, and further
developed to enable hybrid repairs and realise
the full potential of additive manufacturing for
commercial aftermarket operations.”
Tan Chor Kiat, ST Engineering’s senior vice
president, Kinetics Design & Manufacturing said:
“To 3D print an aero-engine component for a
working air turbine engine is a first for us, and
demonstrates our advanced capability to offer a
full turnkey manufacturing solution, which not only
includes production-level additive manufacturing,
but also post-production processes, such as heat
treatment and machining.”

22 April20

Giant Fan
Blades
Take Shape
in Bristol
THE FIRST examples of Rolls-Royce’s
140-inch (3.56m) diameter fan blades for
its UltraFan demonstrator engine are being
manufactured at the company’s technology
hub in Bristol. These will be the largest fan
blades in the world.
Rolls-Royce claims its UltraFan will offer a
25% fuel reduction and a similar percentage
in emission compared with the first
generation of Trent engine. This efficiency
is achieved by a 1,540lb (700kg) weight
reduction thanks to composite fan blades
and fan case. It also features a new engine
core architecture to deliver maximum
fuel burn efficiency and low emissions;
components made from advanced ceramic
matrix composites which are heat resistant
that operate more effectively in high turbine
temperatures; and a geared design to
maximise high-thrust, high-bypass ratio
engine efficiency.
America’s Monster Digital Network
NORTHROP GRUMMAN is working to
develop its all-domain command and
control system, dubbed Distributed
Autonomous/Responsive Control (DA/
RC). The company aims to convince
the US Air Force that the system
should be included in the next phase of
experimentation for the nascent Advanced
Battle Management System (ABMS).
The DA/RC system knows the capability
and status of each and every asset in
the battlespace, such as its location,
fuel level, sensor and weapon payloads,
allowing the artificial intelligence-based
system to use that knowledge to assign
air vehicles to all tasks, especially to those
with intelligence gathering, command and
control, strike and special operations roles.
The system provides one big advantage:
it selects those assets best suited to each
task using just a few operators to manage
and control the entire airborne armada
at once and, in theory, gain a combat
advantage over the enemy by automation.
This is combat autonomy on a grand
scale, but it’s meant to be scalable from
fully autonomous to fully manual. The
former mode would be essential in the
event that communications are disrupted
such that the DA/RC system assumes
According to
the company,
composite fan
blades are created
by building up
hundreds of layers of
carbon-fibre materials,
pre-filled with
toughness-enhanced
resin material.
Heat and pressure are then applied. Each
blade is finished with a thin titanium leading
edge to provide extreme protection against
erosion, foreign object damage and bird
strikes. Rolls-Royce used the Advanced
Low Pressure System development engine
to test its composite blade design on the
company’s Boeing 747-200 test bed,
N787RR (c/n 21966).
To support its IntelligentEngine
programme, the company has bought
control and makes changes to the original
mission plan. The latter mode enables
operators to approve any changes
devised by the DA/RC system.
ABMS is an open digital architecture
family of systems designed to link all of
the air force’s weapon systems and those
of the other armed services. It’s also a
concept that’s set to replace low-density,
high-demand aircraft such as the E-8C
JSTARS, which in any future conflict would
be classed as high-value targets to a well-
equipped enemy, and almost certainly
sitting ducks against high-performance
surface-to-air missile systems.
However, ABMS is part of a much
greater Department of Defense initiative
called the Joint All Domain Command
and Control or JADC2 which seeks to
create the most extensive network ever
designed to link all ground, air, sea,
space and cyber assets so each can share
the same data.
In a haunting war scenario graced with
a heavily jammed, anti-access/aerial
denial environment, the US Department
of Defense (DoD) hopes to still defeat
the enemy using emerging capabilities in
autonomy, advanced artificial intelligence
and hypersonic weapons.
News TECHNOLOGY
RB211-powered, ex-Qantas Boeing A computed-generated
747-400 N744RR (c/n 25566) which is image of the Rolls-Royce
currently undergoing a two-year test bed UltraFan engine.
Rolls-Royce
modification with AeroTech at Moses Lake,
Washington. Rolls-Royce describes its new
mount as an airborne laboratory capable
of testing at higher altitudes and faster
airspeeds, recording and analysing more
data faster than N787RR.
N744RR will support the Rolls-Royce
IntelligentEngine programme in which
engines are connected, contextually aware
and comprehending, starting from their time
on the test bed.
In the case of DA/RC, it’s no A view of the Distributed
surprise that Northrop officials reckon Autonomous/Responsive
commanders using its system will be Control (DA/RC), Northrop
Grumman’s all-domain
able to comply with military doctrine,
command and control system.
rules of engagement and international Northrop Grumman
humanitarian law as ratified in the
Geneva Conventions, while directing
every asset in the battlespace aided by
an autonomous system. The latter point
may challenge the DoD’s principle that
humans will never be removed from
decisions to kill, and will require new
doctrine and concepts of operation.
Northrop Grumman’s system is
heterogeneous, so systems produced
by other companies should be able to
plug in, and the number of aircraft or
other weapon systems that can be used
is intended to be unlimited.
April20 23
 TECHNOLOGY News by Mark Ayton

Pearl-powered G700
Soars Over Savannah

ABOVE: Cutaway
graphic of a
Rolls-Royce Pearl 700
turbofan engine.
Rolls-Royce
RIGHT: Gulfstream G700,
N700GA (c/n 87001), takes off
from Savannah International
Airport, Georgia on the type’s
February 14 maiden flight.
Gulfstream Aerospace
pressure ratio
of 24:1 and six blisked stages, an ultra-
with the earlier low emissions combustor, a two-stage
BR725 engine. The shroud-less high-pressure turbine and an
company reckons the enhanced four-stage low-pressure turbine.
Pearl 700 offers 12% Pearl 700 features an engine health
better thrust-to-weight monitoring system with vibration
TWO ROLLS- ratio and 5% higher efficiency, detection, remote engine diagnostics, bi-
ROYCE Pearl 700 such that the G700 will be capable of directional communications, which allow
engines successfully flying at Mach 0.925, nearly as fast as the easy remote reconfiguration of engine-
powered the brand new Gulfstream G700 speed of sound. monitoring features from the ground,
on the type’s maiden flight on February 14. Engine components also include a cloud-based analytics, and the use of
Gulfstream G700 N700GA (c/n 87001) highly-efficient 51.8-inch (131.5cm) blisked smart algorithms and artificial intelligence
used a 30/70 blend of sustainable fan, a high-pressure compressor with a to provide high reliability rates.
aviation fuel for the flight from Savannah
International Airport, Georgia. The flagship
jet took off at 1:19pm local time and landed
2hrs and 32 mins later; the first flight of an
intensive flight test programme.
The Pearl 700 engine was developed
at the Rolls-Royce Centre of Excellence
for Business Aviation Engines in
Dahlewitz, Germany.
According to Rolls-Royce, the Pearl
700 combines the Advance2 engine core
with a brand-new low-pressure system,
resulting in an 8% increase in take-off
thrust rated at 18,250lb (81.8kN) compared

USAF Explores Tanker C2 Node Capability

THE USAF has turned to industry for information on integrating beyond-line-of-sight
(BLOS) technologies onto its KC-135/KC-46A aircraft that would give its tanker fleet
a command and control (C2) node capability.
The service issued a request for information (RFI) on February 3 that said its focus is
“on the identification of existing technologies and the near- to long-term development
potential for the next generation of [BLOS] communications systems that can be homed
within a wing-mounted pod on tanker platforms and capable of providing voice, video
and data communications capabilities.
“The government is interested in systems that could provide the best redundancy to
SATCOM systems in terms of performance characteristics. The response should address
aspects such as operating distance of each technology, reliability, throughput, latency,
time of day and weather dependence,” it added.
BLOS technologies in use today are typically employed by tethered/untethered UAVs
and tropospheric scatter/high-frequency systems. Khalem Chapman

24 April20
 News TECHNOLOGY

B-52 Engine Replacement

Campaign Gathers Pace
THE USAF has provided an update on its
Commercial Engine Replacement Program
(CERP) to replace the powerplant of its
venerable Stratofortress fleet. The service aims
to procure roughly 650 engines to modify and
support its 76-strong fleet of B-52s.
The Director Operational Test and
Evaluation (DOT&E) FY2019 Annual Report
explains that CERP is a government-led
digital model for each candidate engine
to assess two-engine, side-by-side pod
design options.” The results collated from
the vPPP will support the development of a
Virtual System Prototype (vSP), a full aircraft
design digital model of the selected engine.
The “physical modification of two B-52H
prototype aircraft to support initial aircraft
performance, flying quality and structural
claims that when the engine is installed it ABOVE: Boeing B-52H
will provide vastly greater fuel efficiency Stratofortress, 61-0006 (c/n
and increased range while reducing tanker 464433), of the 96th Bomb
Squadron ‘Red Devils’ departs
requirements. It adds that the F130 “can stay
RAF Fairford, Gloucestershire,
on wing for the planned B-52 lifetime.” to train with Norwegian
Pratt & Whitney plans to offer its PW815 counterparts during Bomber
turbofan, which is currently employed Task Force Europe 20-1 in
by the Gulfstream G600 business jet. As October 2019.
an alternative, the company is offering to USAF/SA Stuart Bright

campaign to source new engines for the
B-52H long-range strategic bomber fleet,
to replace its legacy Pratt & Whitney TF33
turbofans. According to the report, the
programme is “built around a five-phase
integrated test strategy designed to
maximise operational test data collection
during the prototyping phase” and “includes
a limited operational demonstration
using prototype aircraft followed by a
comprehensive [Initial Operational Test &
Evaluation (IOT&E)] using Low-Rate Initial
Production (LRIP) aircraft prior to a
Full-Rate Production decision.”
The programme, which began in February
2018, has since been designated as a middle
tier of acquisition (MTA) rapid prototyping
development effort. The air arm is following
a strategy of starting with the development
of “a Virtual Power Pod Prototype (vPPP)
test activities” will follow.
Of the 76 B-52s, 11 will receive new engines
under LRIP as part of the final phase of
system development testing/IOT&E and the
remaining 65 will go through the process in
six full-rate production lots.
General Electric (GE) Aviation, Pratt &
Whitney and Rolls-Royce are vying for
the deal. The trio is expected to deliver
their initial aerodynamic models early this
year, ahead of the air arm’s final selection
next January.
Rolls-Royce is offering a version of the
BR700 turbofan engine – designated F130
by the USAF. The BR700 boasts more than
25 million flight hours powering business
jets and has flown around 200,000 combat
flight hours with the service, employed by
the C-37 and the E-11 Battlefield Airborne
Communications Node (BACN). Rolls-Royce
provide a life extension of its TF33 engines,
but the USAF is unlikely to take that route
given that the service wants replacement
engines to improve maintenance costs
and fuel efficiency.
GE Aviation is offering two engines: the
CF34-10 and the Passport. The company
states the CF34-10 is a scaled-down and
improved version of the CFM56. More
than 1,600 CF34-10s are in service with
multiple operators and the CF34 family
has amassed over 159 million flight BELOW LEFT: In service, the
hours to date. The Passport engine is Be-200ES/PS will have multiple
the company’s most advanced 18,000lb+ roles, including search and
thrust-class engine. It claims it has rescue, maritime patrol,
“99.96% dispatch reliability” and can anti-submarine warfare and
cargo/passenger transport.
increase the B-52’s mission range, while The Be-200ES will have
providing low emissions and the lowest firefighting capabilities that are
fuel burn of any engine in its thrust-class. not shared by the Be-200PS.
Khalem Chapman TANTK Public Affairs Office

Serial Be-200ES Flies

THE FIRST Beriev Be-200ES amphibious aircraft destined to serve the Russian Navy, RF-88450
(c/n 64620090311) ‘20 Yellow’, made its first flight on February 14.
The sortie took place from Beriev’s Taganrogskiy Aviationnyy Nauchno-Teknicheskiy Kompleks
(TANTK/Taganrog Aviation Scientific and Technical Complex) facility in Rostov Oblast, Russia.
After completing a programme of acceptance tests RF-88450 will be transferred to the Russian
Ministry of Defence. The navy has ordered six Be-200s (two Be-200ES and four Be-200PS) to
replace its Be-12 fleet. Khalem Chapman

April20 25
 Still Up i
A
landmark verdict by unlawful because it does not meet the
the Court of Appeal on nation’s climate change commitments.
February 27 has ruled Transport Secretary Grant Shapps said
that the UK government’s the government would review its next
decision to expand move, but will not appeal the judgement.
London Heathrow Airport However, Heathrow Ltd has vowed to
with a third runway is contest the ruling, renewing uncertainty

26 April20
p in the Air
Plans for a controversial third runway at Heathrow have been ruled illegal,
fuelling debate on how the UK can tackle its airport capacity challenge.
Mark Broadbent considers the latest on the decades-long airport saga.

An artist’s impression of what a newly expanded Heathrow could look like. All photos Heathrow Ltd

April20 27
 over just how and where the growing
airspace capacity battle can be settled.
Back in 2016, the UK government
accepted a recommendation by the
Airports Commission to build a third
runway at Heathrow. Two years later, MPs
voted overwhelmingly – by 415 votes to 119
– in favour of the proposal.
With expansion proving so contentious,
a raft of public consultations have taken
place, and environmental groups, councils
and the current Mayor of London, Sadiq
Khan, brought the appeal court challenge.
The ruling in the activists’ favour has
provided yet another twist to the
long-running saga and set the stage
for continuing debate.
Expansion Options
The latest Civil Aviation Authority (CAA)
data shows 80.8m travellers passed through
Heathrow in 2019, an annual record and
the ninth consecutive year that passenger
numbers have increased. This compares to
65m passengers ten years ago, which was
up from 61m a decade before that and 42m
back in 1990.
28 April20
The Airports National Policy Statement
(ANPS), the UK government’s official
line on Heathrow expansion adopted in
June 2018, says: “Heathrow is operating
at capacity today, Gatwick is operating
at capacity at peak times, and the whole
London airports system is forecast to be
full by the mid-2030s.
“With very limited capability at London’s
major airports, London is beginning to find
that new routes to important long-haul
destinations are being set up elsewhere in
Europe. This is having an adverse impact
on the UK economy and affecting the
country’s global competitiveness.”
The Airports Commission was set up
by the coalition government in 2012
to evaluate how to provide additional
capacity. As the subsequent ANPS stated,
the commission – reporting three years
later – concluded a new northwest runway
at Heathrow would offer the greatest
strategic and economic benefits.
The alternatives, either extending
Heathrow’s existing northern runway
(a proposal from a private company,
Heathrow Hub Ltd), or building a second
runway at Gatwick (proposed by that
airport’s owners, Gatwick Airport Ltd), were
dismissed. An earlier interim report by the
Commission had previously concluded
a further option, a new Thames Estuary
hub (an idea championed a decade ago
by the then London Mayor, now the Prime
Minister, Boris Johnson), was unviable.
The ANPS says: “Expansion at
Gatwick would not enhance, and would
consequently threaten, the UK’s global
aviation hub status. Gatwick would largely
remain a point to point airport, attracting
very few transfer passengers. Heathrow
would continue to be constrained,
outcompeted by competitor hubs which
lure away transfer passengers, further
weakening the range and frequency of
viable routes.”
The report adds: “At the UK level, there
would be significantly fewer long-haul
flights [from Gatwick], with long-haul
destinations served less frequently.
Expansion at Heathrow is the better
option to ensure the number of services
on existing routes increases and allows
airlines to offer more frequent new routes
to vital emerging markets.”
The report also cites Heathrow’s
“substantial freight handling operation” and
said it deals with around 20 times more
freight by tonnage than Gatwick Airport,
saying: “Expansion at Heathrow will further
strengthen the connections of firms from
across the UK to international markets.”
Further Consultations
The ANPS states that Heathrow's
proposed third runway has to be 11,482ft
(3,500m) long and should enable “at
least 260,000 additional air transport
movements per annum”.
As the report notes, the runway is
regarded as a “nationally significant
infrastructure project” under the Planning
Act 2008, so further work to examine the
final location of the scheme is required,
as well as additional studies on air quality,
noise, carbon emissions and “mitigating
impacts on affected local communities”.
 In June 2019 the airport’s owners, Heathrow
Ltd, unveiled a long-term master plan
for the airport involving the new runway,
other infrastructure such as terminals and
proposals for diverting rivers and road
access, including rerouting the M25 through
a tunnel under the new runway.
The ANPS document states: “For a
scheme to be compliant with the ANPS,
the Secretary of State would expect to see
these elements comprised in its design, and
their implementation and delivery secured.”
This led to further public consultations
to enable local communities to review the
proposals and offer feedback. In December
of that year, the CAA said it would limit early
spending on the third runway project.
Heathrow Ltd said: “Capping spending
has prolonged the construction period of
a new third runway and means Heathrow
will need to undertake refreshed modelling
of key aspects of the plan – including
public transport to and from the airport – to
evidence that ANPS targets can be met.”
Speaking in Parliament in February 2020,
the then Transport Minister Paul Maynard
said: “Expansion is a private sector project,
therefore the cost of the scheme is a
matter for Heathrow, who are regulated by
the CAA. It is for Heathrow to demonstrate
that the project can be financed and built
and that the business case is realistic.”
A consultation was set for April to June
2020. Heathrow’s owners said responses
would subsequently be fed into the final
application for a Development Consent
Order (DCO) required for the project,
which was expected to be submitted to the
Planning Inspectorate by the end of
this year.
Transport secretary Grant Shapps, would
then review the scheme and make the
final ‘go or no-go’ decision. February’s
court ruling is likely to further delay
that announcement.
Arguments for Expansion
Coping with increased demand for air
travel and strategic economic benefits are
key to the case for a new runway.
Reports and Reversals: Milestones in the UK Airport Story
1946 Heathrow opens its first full-length runway
1953 A Conservative government white paper proposes Gatwick as the second London airport
1958 Gatwick opens
1966 Commercial operations begin at Stansted
1968 The Labour government sets up the Roskill Commission to look at the need for a third London airport (subsequently, the
Roskill Commission recommends Cublington, Oxfordshire)
1971 The Conservative government selects Maplin Sands, Foulness, as the site of a new hub airport
1974 The Maplin Sands proposal is abandoned by the newly elected Labour government
1978 The Labour government’s aviation white paper identifies Heathrow capacity as “restricted”
1986 Heathrow opens Terminal 4
1990 The Conservative government commissions another study on airport capacity in the southeast, which backs the
expansion of Heathrow with a third runway
1991 New terminal at Stansted opens
2001 Manchester’s second runway becomes operational; it is the first new runway at a UK airport for more than 20 years
2003 The Labour government’s Future of Air Transport white paper supports a third runway at Heathrow and a second
runway at Stansted
2008 Heathrow’s Terminal 5 opens and Boris Johnson, then London mayor, raises the option of locating an airport in the
Thames estuary
2009 The Labour government backs a third runway at Heathrow
2010 The Conservative-Liberal Democrat coalition government reverses Labour’s decision and also rules out new runways at
Gatwick or Stansted
2012 The coalition government establishes the Airports Commission, which in an interim report rules out a Thames
Estuary airport
2015 The Airports Commission recommends a new runway at Heathrow
2016 The Conservative government supports the proposal for building a third runway
2018 The House of Commons votes in favour of the runway plans
2019 Heathrow’s owners, Heathrow Ltd, unveil a long-term master plan for the airport. UK Civil Aviation Authority asks
Heathrow Ltd to review spending
2020 Final planning submission expected to be submitted Heathrow Ltd ahead of a decision
The ANPS states that London’s five OPPOSITE: Last year a record more than 80m
primary airports – Heathrow, Gatwick, City, passengers used Heathrow.
BELOW: Terminal 5 has been open since 2008.
Stansted and Luton – “will all be full by the
mid-2030s if we do not take action now”
and that four of the five could even be “full
by the mid-2020s”.
The ANPS says demand at these airports
“is expected to outstrip capacity by at least
34%” by 2050, even using a low-demand
forecast. It notes: “There is relatively little
scope to redistribute demand away from
the region to less-heavily utilised capacity
elsewhere in the country.”
It adds that other European hubs such
as Paris CDG, Frankfurt and Amsterdam
“have spare capacity and are able to attract
new flights to growth markets in China and
South America”, and noted the competition
from the big Gulf hubs.
The ANPS warns: “The consequences
of not increasing airport capacity in the
April20 29
 260,000
southeast of England – the ‘do nothing’
or ‘do the minimum’ scenarios – are
detrimental to the UK economy and the
country's hub status.
“Capacity constraints lead to trade-offs
in destinations, and while there is scope
Additional Air Transport Movements
180,000
to respond to changing demand patterns,
this necessarily comes at the expense of
other connections. Domestic connectivity
into the largest London airports will also
decline… The Government believes that
not increasing capacity will impose costs
Jobs Generated by the Development* on passengers and on the wider economy.”
£15.6
The ANPS says aviation contributes around
£20bn to the economy every year and
directly supports approximately 230,000
jobs, while also “enabling activity in other
important sectors like business services,
financial services and the creative industries”.
Billion Development Cost*
£211
The CBI’s infrastructure and energy
director Tom Thackray said last year: “We
can’t wait any longer for the growth in
trade we need to see if the UK is to remain
a globally competitive economy.
“With the new global links and routes it
Billion Economic Benefit* will bring and the opportunity to unlock
jobs right across the UK, a third runway at
*figures claimed by Heathrow Ltd in ‘Britain’s Final Call’ Heathrow operational by the 2030s will set
the UK on course for a bright trading future.”
OPPOSITE: Heathrow’s owners say it will cost £15.6bn to
develop the airport. Court of Appeal Decision
BELOW: A new runway would add at least 260,000 air
Business groups reacted furiously to the
transport movements per year. verdict from the appeal court, with British
Chambers of Commerce director general
Adam Marshall protesting that firms “risk
losing crucial connectivity and access to
key markets”.
However, the Court of Appeal concluded:
“The designation of the ANPS was
unlawful by reason of a failure to take into
account the government’s commitment to
the provisions of the Paris Agreement on
climate change.”
30 April20
Its ruling says: “The Paris Agreement
ought to have been taken into account by
the Secretary of State in the preparation of
the ANPS and an explanation given as to
how it was taken into account, but it was
not. That, in our view, is legally fatal to the
ANPS in its present form.”
However, vocal pressure groups,
which work with and through the main
No 3rd Runway Coalition, along with
environmental campaigners welcomed the
Court of Appeal decision.
Friends of the Earth said the ruling was
"an absolutely ground-breaking result
for climate justice" and the London
Mayor, Sadiq Khan, tweeted to say that
the judgement is “a major victory for all
Londoners who are passionate about
tackling the climate emergency and
cleaning up our air”.
Despite parliament overwhelmingly
voting for development, several local MPs
in constituencies near Heathrow have
repeatedly raised concerns over health
impacts and question how more airport
capacity is compatible with legally binding
climate change targets the government
signed up to in the 2015 Paris Agreement
to reduce carbon emissions.
For example, during a February 5, 2020
debate on transport, Twickenham MP
Munira Wilson spoke of how a third
runway would be “bad for [the] climate,
bad for our health and wellbeing.” Similarly,
Putney MP Fleur Anderson said that
increased noise and air pollution would be
“a disaster” for her constituents and others
across southwest London.
Both of these MPs obviously welcomed
the Court of Appeal’s verdict, with
Anderson hailing what she claimed was a
“historic ruling” and Wilson using a single
word: “Victory”.
"I See No Bulldozers"
So what happens next? Heathrow Ltd
said it would appeal the decision at the UK
Supreme Court, saying it is “confident that
we will be successful” and that, “expanding
Heathrow…is essential to achieving the
Prime Minister’s vision of global Britain”.
Before the Court of Appeal decision,
operators Heathrow Ltd said the runway
could open in 2028 or 2029 should the
government sign off its development.
Importantly, the Court of Appeal
judgement stated it had “not decided, and
could not decide, that there will be no third
runway at Heathrow”. Its decision only
means the government “will now have the
opportunity to reconsider the ANPS”.
A third Heathrow runway could give the
Conservative government, elected with a
substantial parliamentary majority at the
December 2019 general election, another
flagship national infrastructure project to
bolster its narrative of economic “levelling
up”. This would follow the recent approval
of another equally controversial initiative,
the HS2 high-speed railway from London which compares favourably with the time it does not support the runway, but would
to northern England, however the Prime takes to get from Heathrow by taxi, a point “wait to see the outcome of the various
Minister, Boris Johnson, has long been a I just draw to the attention of the House.” legal processes that are currently under
vocal critic of Heathrow expansion. When asked by Munira Wilson whether way to see if the promoters of the third
More than a decade ago, while Johnson he would keep his promise about the runway can satisfy their legal obligations
was London mayor, he backed the idea of bulldozers and scrap the third runway under air quality and noise pollution”.
building the Thames Estuary hub airport proposal for Heathrow, the PM said: “I The Court of Appeal’s decision only adds
instead of enlarging Heathrow. Later, see no bulldozers at present, nor any to the sense that, as The Guardian put it: “It
under the Conservative/Lib Dem coalition immediate prospect of them arriving.” now looks very easy for a PM with a large
government of 2010-2015, he claimed A ‘no’ decision to more infrastructure majority to kill the third runway.”
that he would “lie down in front of those in the southeast could conceivably also
bulldozers” to stop any construction work play well in UK regions – areas where Further reading
proceeding at Heathrow. the Conservatives gained ground at the The UK Airports National Policy Statement:
Johnson said in the House of Commons election and where there are complaints of https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/
on February 11, 2020 when speaking about central government underfunding. airports-national-policy-statement
the HS2 interchange: “Passengers arriving When asked directly about the runway Heathrow Ltd expansion plans:
at Birmingham Airport will be able to get during Prime Minister’s Questions on https://www.heathrowexpansion.com/
to central London by train in 38 minutes, February 12, 2020, Johnson again said he

April20 31
How to Prote
P
rotecting civilian aircraft
from missile attack has been
placed in the spotlight once
more after the recent Ukraine
International Airlines tragedy.
On January 8, 2020 the
Boeing 737-800 operating
Flight PS752 to Kiev crashed shortly after
departure from Tehran Imam Khomeini
International Airport, Iran. All 176 passen-
gers and crew aboard were killed.
A video circulated on social media, later
shown by TV news networks globally,
showed a burning aircraft descending in
the night sky before impact.
Within hours, Western political leaders
said their intelligence showed that the
Iranian military had shot down the aircraft.
Reuters quoted a US official as saying it
had detected the heat signatures of two
32 April20
surface-to-air missiles (SAMs), followed by
an explosion around the aircraft. The New
York Times published what it said was a
verified video showing a missile hitting an
aircraft near Tehran Airport.
Iranian authorities initially rejected the
claims, but later backtracked, admitting the
737 had been unintentionally shot down
after being mistaken for a hostile target
as it turned towards a “sensitive” Islamic
Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) site.
The shootdown happened at a time of
heightened tensions between Iran and the
West. Just hours before the crash, Iran had
attacked two US military targets in Iraq in
response to the January 3 assassination of
General Qasem Soleimani.
Iran’s admission provoked an angry
global reaction and anti-government
protests in Iran. The International Air
Transport Association labelled the downing
an “outrage”, saying: “No effort should be
spared to make sure that such a tragedy is
never repeated.”
Sadly, the loss of PS752 was just the
latest entry to a long list of comparable
incidents (see panel, Airliner Shootdowns).
The question persists: what can be done to
stop or minimise such incidents?
Sophisticated Countermeasures
Man-portable air defence systems
(MANPADS) pose one of the most
dangerous threats to airliners because of
their relative ease of use and compactness.
A December 2019 report, Acquisition and
Use of MANPADS Against Commercial
Aviation, was issued just days before the
Tehran incident. According to the report,
produced by the US-based think-tank
tect Airliners?

MAIN IMAGE: A Boeing 737-800, UR-PSR (c/n 38124),

was mistakenly shot down by the Iranian Islamic
Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) on January 8.
AirTeamImages.com/Matthieu Douhaire
BELOW: Man-portable air defence systems (MANPADS)
pose one of the most dangerous threats to airliners
because of their relative ease of use and portability.
USAF/A1C Jonathan Snyder

The shooting down of Ukraine International Airlines Flight PS752 at

the start of the year made headlines around the world. What can be done to
reduce the risk of similar tragedies happening again? Mark Broadbent reports.
RAND Corporation, they have been used
to hit civilian aircraft in 65 incidents since
1975, “resulting in the deaths of over
1,000 civilians”.
Of course, basic infrared
countermeasures such as flares and chaff
can protect aircraft, but as the RAND
report reveals, these are “ineffective
against advanced imaging MANPADS or
command-guided systems”. Further
weaknesses of basic countermeasures
are that they require dispensers
and impose maintenance and staff
training requirements.
More sophisticated self-protection is
provided by directed infrared
countermeasures (DIRCM), which detect
and track infrared signatures with a missile
approach warning system and fire a laser
beam at incoming missiles to jam the

April20 33

ABOVE: The USAF tests its electronic countermeasures
regularly. Here, a training surface-to-air missile is
launched at a C-17A Globemaster III. USAF/SA William Johnson
MAIN IMAGE: Another high-profile incident relating to
surface-to-air missiles involved a Malaysian Airlines
Boeing 777-200ER which was shot down over Ukraine on
July 17, 2014. AirTeamImages.com/Serge Bailleul
FAR RIGHT: The USAF trains its aircrews to react to
surface-to-air missile threats using a man-portable
aircraft survivability trainer. USAF/TSgt JT May III
34 April20
weapon’s guidance head, causing it to lose
lock and be diverted away.
DIRCM Defence
Among DIRCM products available for
large commercial aircraft, Elbit Systems
has C-MUSIC, which the company says
provides “effective, reliable and
affordable protection”.
The system is contained in a single 352lb
(160kg) fuselage-mounted, 8ft 8in (2.7m)
long pod. Elbit says it “has been designed
to meet the highest demands required
by civil aviation including high reliability,
simple installation, low drag and no effect
on crew workload.”
The company launched C-MUSIC after
the attempted shootdown, in September
2002, of an Arkia Israeli Airlines Boeing
757-300 in Mombasa, Kenya. The Israeli
government later mandated that every Is-
raeli carrier must install the system on their
airliners. C-MUSIC has now amassed more
than 35,000 hours of use, having “proven
effective in the full range of operational
conditions”, so says Elbit.
Back in the 2000s, the US Congress
directed the Department for Homeland
Security (DHS) to evaluate the effectiveness
of DIRCM technologies for commercial
aircraft. The DHS’ subsequent
Counter-MANPADS Programme evaluated
the BAE Systems JETEYE and Northrop
Grumman Guardian DIRCM products.
Three American Airlines Boeing 767-200s
were equipped with JETEYE and ten FedEx
Express MD-10Fs received the Guardian for
the tests, which finished in 2008.
The DHS subsequently concluded that
both systems could counter multiple
missiles, but each fell short of reliability
requirements and it would cost US$2.2bn
to put such equipment on airliners in the
US commercial fleet. The US Congress
later shelved the idea.
There have been many high-profile
incidents where airliners have been
shot down by more sophisticated
weapons systems than MANPADS such as
ground-launched, radar-guided missiles or
air-to-air missiles. Most recently, Malaysia
Airlines Flight MH17 was downed over
eastern Ukraine in 2014 by a Russian-linked
surface-to-air missile.
The Congressional Research Service
(CRS), which provides policy and legal
analysis to Congress, stated in an article
that it is “unlikely” DIRCM systems would
be able to defend an airliner targeted by
such weapons.
Effective Protection?
The CRS said that although DIRCM
systems may provide some defence, more
sophisticated missiles “cannot be spoofed”
and that DIRCM does “not protect against
the full array of military weapons that rely
on other means of guidance”.
Both the RAND analysis and the CRS
study say other anti-missile technologies
that can acquire, track and destroy a
missile such as high-energy laser (HEL)
systems have limitations. Although HELs
can destroy a missile, not just deceive it,
RAND reported they “vary in effectiveness”,
depending on the seeker type and the
missile’s own infrared countermeasures.
It also said HELs “can only engage a
single missile at a time and can only
defend relatively small zones around
airports”, that they may “only be able to
protect aircraft during limited portions of
the flight” and that it might be impractical
to deploy them at airports.
 “We can continue to analyse and point fingers, but this will not help us save lives.”
Some nations, such as Israel with its Iron
Dome system, have installed ground-based
missile defences near their hubs. The DHS
even considered installing laser-based
defences in unmanned aircraft flying at
high altitudes above airports. According
to the CRS report, the idea was scrapped
after tests which “indicated that available
DIRCM systems could not reliably defeat a
shoulder-fired missile”.
Restrictions to Reduce Risk
Technology aside, a more immediate
way to mitigate the risk is simply to avoid
putting aircraft in harm’s way.
In the hours after PS752 crashed,
international airlines moved quickly to
modify flight plans through the Middle
East to ensure they did not enter airspace
deemed to be at high risk.
Aviation authorities conduct risk
assessments and issue a notice to airmen
(NOTAMs) advising on dangers and, in
some cases, imposing restrictions on
certain blocks of airspace.
The US Federal Aviation Administration
issued a NOTAM after the Tehran
Philip von Schöppenthau, European Cockpit Association
shootdown, prohibiting US airlines from
flying into Iran, Iraq, the Gulf of Oman and
the waters between Saudi Arabia and
Iran. Although the complete ban was later
relaxed, subsequent NOTAMs
maintained restrictions on certain parts
of airspace in the Persian Gulf and
Gulf of Oman, including minimising
over-water operations.
By February 2020, the FAA’s website also
listed NOTAMs prohibiting or restricting
operations in Afghanistan, Kenya,
Libya, North Korea, Somalia, Syria, parts of
Ukraine, Venezuela and Yemen.
Strengthening potential weaknesses
in airport security is a further way to
reduce the risk of shootdowns. The US
Transportation Security Administration's
(TSA) Federal Air Marshal Service
conducts vulnerability assessments, known
as MANPADS Assist Visits (MAVs), to
identify potential security gaps at an airport
and recommends mitigation measures.
These visits are carried out mainly at US
airports and sometimes in other nations.
The TSA says it has conducted 38 MAVs
since the programme began in 2003.
Stopping the Supply
Another method to counter the missile
threat is action to stop MANPADS or
other missile systems falling into the
wrong hands by undertaking what the
RAND Corporation’s analysis calls
“disruption and degradation” of
weapons belonging to “non-state
armed groups” (NSAGs).
The TSA states that since 2003,
co-operation between the US and other
countries has seen more than 33,500
examples of what it calls “excess,
loosely secured, illicitly held, or
otherwise at-risk MANPADS in over
30 countries” destroyed.
The RAND report discloses that
authorities can seize financial assets,
extradite and prosecute members of
NSAGs, prosecute entities that do
business with them, launch military
operations against specific groups,
impose export control agreements and
intercept illegal weapons shipments.
The agency maintains that tight
controls on weapons storage,
close monitoring of stockpiles and
disablement training are other tactics.
It also cites what it calls “market reduction
activities” to make it more costly for
NSAGs to acquire MANPADS.
It explains: “Once MANPADS are outside
state control, US and allied countries could
acquire them from black markets and
either return them to appropriately secured
stockpiles or render them inert.
“Doing so reduces the supply of
MANPADS available for purchase by
NSAGs. Although these programmes are
unlikely to eliminate supply, they could drive
up prices... which might place them beyond
the financial means of NSAGs.”
April20 35
 “We need a pragmatic, industry-based setup
that can provide meaningful protection in
the here and now.” Jon Horne, European Cockpit Association

MAIN IMAGE: El Al has used anti-missile

countermeasures since the early 2000s. It equips
aircraft operating on more sensitive routes with Elbit’s
C-MUSIC system. AirTeamImages.com/Florent Lacressonniere
BELOW LEFT: The C-MUSIC system is contained within a
single 352lb fuselage-mounted pod measuring 8ft 8in x
1ft 9in x 1ft 6in. Elbit Systems
BELOW MIDDLE: Elbit Systems manufactures directed
infrared countermeasure devices that can be fitted to
the underside of commercial aircraft. Elbit Systems
BELOW RIGHT: Launched in 2002, C-MUSIC has amassed
more than 35,000 hours of use over a wide range of
operational conditions. Elbit Systems

Tackling the Issue
The report declares that the missile
threat to airliners can only be tackled
by combining all the different activities
– preventing missiles from falling into the
wrong hands, managing airspace and
deploying anti-missile technology:
“Employing a multi-layered approach
involving several options should be
pursued as part of a wider strategy
to lower risk.”
It also acknowledges the risk of a
MANPADS attack on civil aviation is
“easy to blow out of proportion”, but
cautions the “threat will not disappear”,
adding: “Unstable countries continue
to stockpile these systems, and producer
countries have shown little compunction
in selling them to unstable regimes.
From this, it is not difficult to imagine
deadly scenarios involving civilian
airline passengers and MANPADS use.”
The report warns: “Ample non-state
actors active in conflict settings
possess [MANPADS] capability and
have demonstrated the potential intent
to use it to the harm of civilians.”

36 April20
 Airliner Shootdowns
The highest-profile airliner shootdowns have involved radar-guided missiles
launched from the ground or air-to-air missiles from other aircraft.
Korean Airlines Flight 007 was shot down in 1983 by a Soviet Air Force Sukhoi
Su-15, Iran Air Flight 655 was hit in 1988 by a radar-guided missile launched by
the US Navy cruiser USS Vincennes, and a Siberia Airlines Tupolev Tu-154 was shot
down in 2001 over the Black Sea during a Ukrainian military exercise.
Most recently, Dutch Safety Board investigators were looking into the July 2014
shooting-down over eastern Ukraine of a Malaysia Airlines Boeing 777, operating
Flight MH17 between Amsterdam and Kuala Lumpur, which killed 298 people. It
concluded a radar-guided Buk missile fired from pro-Russian separatist territory
had downed the aircraft.
However, most airliner shootdowns are caused by man-portable air defence
systems (MANPADS). According to the US Transportation Safety Administration, 40
civilian aircraft have been struck by MANPADS missiles since 1975, causing about
28 crashes and more than 800 deaths.
Notable incidents in the 1970s included an Air Vietnam Douglas C-54D-5-DC
crashing into Vietnamese territory in March 1975 after being hit by MANPADS (all 26
aboard were killed) and an Air Rhodesia Vickers Viscount crash-landing in
Zimbabwe in 1978, which was caused by MANPADS fired by forces from the People’s
Revolution Army (four crew and 34 of the 56 passengers were killed).
In December 1988, two Douglas DC-7 spray aircraft chartered by the US Agency
for International Development to eradicate locusts were hit by MANPADS fired by
militants in the Western Sahara; one crashed, killing all five crew. September 1993
saw Transair Georgia Tu-134 and Orbi Georgian Airways Tupolev Tu-154B shot down
within a day of each other during the war in Abkhazia, killing 135 people.
A Congolese Airlines Boeing 727 was downed over the Democratic Republic of
the Congo in 1998, killing 41, and two United Nations-chartered C-130 Hercules were
shot down in Angola within weeks of each other in December 1998 and January
1999, killing 23.
In November 2002, terrorists fired two missiles at an Arkia Airlines Boeing 757
carrying 271 passengers and crew as it departed Mombasa, Kenya. Both weapons
missed their target, but the incident led directly to the development by Elbit
Systems of its C-MUSIC technology (see main article).
A year later, a DHL Airbus A300B4-203F transporting mail in Iraq was struck and
damaged by a MANPADS-launched missile. The weapon hit the aircraft’s left fuel
tank, but the jet landed safely in Baghdad. In March 2007, a TransAVIAexport
Airlines Ilyushin Il-76TD cargo aircraft was allegedly brought down by a surface-to-
air missile over Mogadishu, Somalia, killing the crew of 11.

Slow Progress
In the 2000s, the International Civil
Aviation Organization (ICAO) launched
Regional Aviation Safety Groups as “focal
points to promote the reduction of aviation
safety risks through the involvement of all
aviation safety stakeholders” to co-ordinate
the mitigation of safety risks.
The high-profile downing of MH17 led an
ICAO to form an international task force
on civilian aircraft operating in conflict
zones. The ICAO also established roles
and responsibilities for states, airlines, air
navigation service providers and other
stakeholders, and launched a Conflict Zone
Information Repository, a website where
countries can share details about potential
risks worldwide.
Despite this, the IATA’s annual meeting
last June saw the association’s senior
vice-president for safety and flight
operations, Gilberto Lopez Meyer,
complain about a lack of progress with
airlines needing better information. There
remains no international agreement on
how or when to close airspace, with
individual regulators and airlines making
their own risk assessments and decisions.
‘Two Out – All Out’?
The European Cockpit Association
(ECA), an umbrella organisation
representing 40,000 pilots across
Europe, recently called for more urgency
in addressing commercial aircraft flying
in conflict zones.
One ECA proposal is a so-called ‘two out
all out’ rule: if two European Union (EU)
member states or two major airlines decide
to suspend flights to a conflict zone, then
all EU carriers would stop links to that area.
ECA president Jon Horne said: “What
we urgently need is a method of sharing
and acting, not upon closely guarded
intelligence, but upon the outcome of
risk analysis about conflict zones. No
European airline or pilot should be left
in the dark – all have the opportunity to
benefit from…the privileged information of
the best informed.”
Horne added: “Whilst many believe there
should be an EU or international authority
to take responsibility for the closure of
hostile airspace, it is not something that
shows any sign of happening soon, and so
we need a pragmatic, industry-based setup
that can provide meaningful protection in
the here and now.”
ECA secretary general Philip von
Schöppenthau added: “The international
failure to effectively cope with flying over
and into conflict zones keeps costing
lives. We can continue to analyse and
point fingers at individual states or
institutions, but this will not help us save
those lives.”

April20 37
CONFERENCES AND EVENTS 2020

Events &
Conferences
Your Monthly Guide to Upcoming Aviation Business
Keep your industry event in the spotlight
Good working relationships lie at the heart of successful events, and
when it comes to global aviation, space exploration expos, conferences
and shows AIR International is the perfect partner to help you tap into
that professional potential.
Here, we provide a two-page guide to key events in the spring of 2020,
with detailed listings showing what’s on and where.
From essential trade events and airshows where major industry deals
are sealed to niche gatherings of emerging innovators and specialist
launches, we have it covered in AIR International.
If your event is not featured, assistant editor Khalem Chapman and
advertising manager Ian Maxwell are on hand to assist. Just contact
them at airinternational@keypublishing.com to learn how
AIR International and its portfolio of sister titles can enhance exposure
of your aviation event.
Helicopter Technology – Central and
Eastern Europe
May 20-21
Novotel Budapest Centrum, Rákóczi út 43-45,
Budapest, Hungary
Hosted by SMi Group, the Helicopter Technology – Central and
Eastern Europe conference returns for its sixth annual edition. The
forum is expecting to focus on key topics such as modernisation
programmes, procurement goals, national security, interoperability
and operational fleet readiness. Airbus, Bell, Leonardo and other
industry leaders will be in attendance, along with representatives
from the Hungarian military and experts from across the region.
HeliRussia
Trade show, May 21-23
Crocus Expo Centre, Krasnogorsk, Moscow, Russia
This trade-only event returns, demonstrating the achievements

MAY
made by the Russian helicopter industry, as well as welcoming

ILA Berlin Air Show

Trade days, May 13-15
Public days, May 16-17
Berlin ExpoCenter Airport, Messestraße 1,
12529 Schönefeld, Germany
All eyes will be on Berlin as one of the world’s largest aerospace
trade events returns. The show will feature more than 1,000
exhibitors, displaying some of the latest and most technologically
advanced aerospace products on the market. The last edition
was held in 2018 and recorded around 65,000 trade visitors and
another 115,000 on its public days. More than 100 aircraft, along with
thousands of military/civil aviation and spaceflight products were
exhibited across its display halls.

38 April20

big names to the country from the international community. Last
year’s edition hosted a programme of 60 events and was attended
by approximately 12,000 visitors. More than 230 companies were
present, from 20 separate countries.
European Business Aviation
Convention & Exhibition (EBACE)
Trade show, May 26-28
Geneva Airport, Geneva, Switzerland
This annual convention is hosted in 2020 by the European
Business Aviation Association (EBAA) and its US
counterpart, the National Business Aviation Association
(NBAA). The event brings together more than 13,000
professionals from all over the world and expects to welcome
more than 400 exhibitors, displaying the latest innovations
and aircraft, including urban air mobility, solar-powered
/electric aircraft and unmanned vehicles.
Kazakhstan Defence Exhibition (KADEX)
Trade days, May 28-29
Public days, May 30-31
Nursultan Nazarbayev International Airport,
Yesil District, Nur-Sultan
Kazakhstan’s biennial international defence technology
exhibition, KADEX, is expanding its horizons this year by
attracting more international business to explore mutually
beneficial contracts within the defence industry. The event
showcases a variety of products, with a focus on alternative
energy sources, aerospace, defence equipment, IT solutions,
robotics, spaceflight and UAVs.
2020 CONFERENCES AND EVENTS
JUNE
AeroExpo UK
June 11-13
Wycombe Air Park, High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire SL7 3DP
The annually held AeroExpo UK enables pilots and enthusiasts to get
up close to current general aviation on the market along with historic
examples. With more than 200 exhibitors spread across four display
halls and an outdoor static area. The show features something for
everyone, including aerobatic displays, pleasure flights and seminars.
TOP RIGHT: The German Heavy-Lift Helicopter Replacement programme is just one of the
defence-related topics that will be considered at this year’s ILA Berlin Air Show. Sikorsky’s
CH-53K King Stallion (pictured) and Boeing’s CH-47F Chinook are both in the running.
ILA Berlin Air Show
TOP LEFT: Airbus A350-941 eXtra Wide Body (XWB) – registration F-WWCF (c/n 2) – takes to
the skies over the Berlin ExpoCenter Airport in 2018. ILA Berlin Air Show
LEFT: HeliRussia 2018 presented a variety of helicopters designed to operate in specific
roles, such as medical evacuation. HeliRussia
BELOW: EBACE has a static display of more than 50 aircraft, ranging from large
intercontinental business jets to smaller propeller-driven aircraft. EBACE
April20 39
 EA-18GG
B
oeing’s EA-18G
Growler dates AIR International details the Boeing EA-18G Growler
back to a 2001 electronic attack aircraft and its Next-Gen Jammer,
requirement
from the US as Mark Ayton considers what lies ahead for this
Department of
the Navy for an
sophisticated node in the modern battlespace.
analysis of alternatives for a
new electronic attack aircraft to
replace the EA-6B Prowler. The
EA-18G, an advanced derivative
of the F/A-18F Super Hornet,
was selected as the ideal
stand-off and escort jammer for
the US Navy. Now in its second
decade of service with the
navy, the EA-18G continues to
be the only dedicated tactical
electronic attack aircraft in the
US Department of Defense
(DoD) inventory.
Capt Jason Denney, the
US Navy F/A-18 Hornet and
EA-18G Growler programme
manager with Naval Air
Systems Command’s PMA-265,
said the aircraft has a fantastic
ability to disrupt signals, deny
communications, jam radars
and provide crucial support
and intelligence: “The Growler’s
ability to work with all other
aircraft, not just those in the
carrier air wing but within the
DoD, makes it a critical node
operating with deployed air
force, army and marine corps
expeditionary units
– interoperability is a key

Growler mission systems

at a glance
O ALQ-99 tactical jamming pods with
separate low-band and high-band
configurations.
O ALQ-218 digital receiver system
(wingtip pods).
O ALQ-227 communications
countermeasures system and
electronic attack unit.
O AN/APG-79 active electronically
scanned array radar.
O INCANS (interference
cancellation system) to enable UHF
communications to be made during
jamming.
O Multi-mission Advanced
Tactical Terminal (MATT) satellite
communications receiver.
Ops Around the ‘Boat’
Development from the Super Hornet ensured that the EA-18G was
readily suited to carrier operations – its core role. Bring-back is a term
related to the stores load that an aircraft is able to carry and still safely
recover to the carrier’s flight deck. The Growler’s only releasable stores
are its weapons or drop tanks – the former being its kinetic weapons:
the AGM-88 High-Speed Anti-Radiation Missile (HARM), AGM-88E
Advanced Anti-Radiation Guided Missile (AARGM) and AIM-120 Advanced
Medium-Range Air-to-Air Missile (AMRAAM). During carrier suitability
trials, VX-23 undertook gross-weight expansion testing to increase the
Growler’s bring-back capability to 48,000lb (21,773kg) including fuel, up
from the Super Hornet’s 44,000lb (19,958kg) load. Catapult shots had
to ensure tow-bar, nose-bar, gear and hook point loads were within the
required limits for launching the aircraft. Arrested landings with a gross VX-31 ‘Dust Devils’ at NAWS China
Lake, California, undertakes much
weight of 48,000lb (21,773kg) were conducted under various simulated
of the Growler development work
conditions to test de-acceleration, high-sink rate landings, roll/yaw in partnership with VX-23 at NAS
offset landings and different attitudes. Patuxent River, Maryland. Jamie Hunter

40 April20
GGrowler
21st Century Electronic Attack

April20 41

performance parameter for the
Growler.”
Naval Air Systems Command
(NAVAIR) dedicated three
Super Hornets to Growler
flight test in July 2004. All
three were fitted with wingtip
pods and other sub-systems
with the same weight, centre
of gravity and aerodynamic
characteristics representative
of the latest equipment for the
new variant.
The first aircraft to fly
configured as an EA-18G was
F/A-18F BuNo 165875 (F35),
which started testing on March
30, 2006. Air Test and Evaluation
42 April20
Squadron 23 (VX-23) ‘Salty Dogs’,
based at NAS Patuxent River,
Maryland, undertook 346 flights
with this jet. Mission systems
testing of the first System Design
and Development (SDD) EA-18G
(EA-1) started in the anechoic
chamber at ‘Pax’ in late
October 2006.
Growler Wizardry
The EA-18G’s primary antenna
is the ALQ-218, housed in its
wingtip pods, with additional
antennae located in the forward
and aft sections of the airframe,
appropriately separated so the
system correctly processes
signals. Threats can be
detected throughout the radio
frequency (RF) spectrum,
measured in small elements.
The signal is handed over to
a secondary receiver, which
measures very fine and
parametric measurements of
the frequency and amplitude.
Geo-location of the threat is
calculated by interferometry
– measuring differences in
phase, and the waveform angle
relative to the aircraft’s position.
Growler system software is
aligned with that of the Super
Hornet, but with specific
electronic attack elements in
a ‘third level’. Recognition of
the aircraft’s electronic attack
systems and the ALQ-218
activates this ‘third level’ and
the pilot and weapons systems
officer (WSO) use HOTAS
(hands-on throttle-and-stick)
controls to view, operate from
and switch between modes.
Paring down the EA-6B’s
four-person crew to just two
in the EA-18G required a lot
of automation. The WSO’s
advanced crew station (ACS)
interlinks seamlessly with the
pilot and permits the two crew
to operate the systems with full
co-ordination.
Tactical Jamming
As well as its built-in systems,
the Growler team took a
risk-reduction approach when
it came to the electronic attack
mission. The EA-18G carried
over the Prowler-era
ALQ-99 tactical jamming pods.
Continual upgrades enabled
these to remain relevant
against potential threats, but
were taken on as an interim
capability for the Growler.
Two different variants of ALQ-99
pod are dedicated to notional
wave bands and therefore
target sets and attack solutions.
Over the past 35 years, ALQ-99
pods have been upgraded by
either waveband, RF exciter or
universal exciter. Back in 2005,
these pods hit their technology
ceiling. Certain new target
sets – of a communication or
asymmetric warfare type – can be
accommodated with tweaks, but
for the latest surface-to-air missile
(SAM) systems, the ALQ-99 was
at the end of the line.
The search for a replacement
Next Generation Jammer (NGJ)

was completed in April 2010.
In November of that year, a
resources, requirements and
review (R3) board sat at the
Pentagon and provided validation
to build a new system for the
EA-18G. During 2010, technology
and maturity contracts were
awarded to Raytheon, Northrop
Grumman, ITT/Boeing and BAE
Systems to look at maturing the
requisite technology for NGJ.
Providing sufficient power
and cooling for an electronic
attack capability on a tactical
aircraft is a major challenge.
Power generation needs to be
built into the pod. The ALQ-99
uses a RAM air turbine, a small
propeller on the front end. This
solution wasn’t an option for
the NGJ because the power
required by its solid state and
active array technologies is too
great. Instead, the new pod
uses an internal RAM air turbine
generator – dubbed RAT G.
The new advanced arrays also
present unique challenges. An
AESA radar works best using a
large flat plate, an arrangement
that allows a beam to be
formed by focusing a lot of
energy. Electronic attack is no
different – requiring efficient
beam formers and amplifiers.
Use of gallium nitride circuits
for close to 100% duty cycle
jamming required mature
technologies. Development
contracts were awarded to
four companies in 2010, with a
follow-on contract for gallium
nitride circuits awarded to
Raytheon in July 2013.
Electronic Attack
Under the Joint Electronics
Type Designation System, the
NGJ Mid-band is called the
ALQ-249; a high-powered,
agile, electronic attack system
capable of operating at
stand-off ranges, attacking
multiple targets simultaneously
with advanced jamming
techniques designed for rapid
upgrades with a modular, open
systems architecture. Equipped
with agile AESA and an all-
digital back-end, the ALQ-249
conducts precise jamming
assignments against advanced
and emerging threats operating
throughout a wide range of
radio frequency bands.
Confronted with integrated
air defence system radars,
communications and data links,
the ALQ-249’s ability to engage
threat systems and conduct
robust jamming at standoff
distances is vital. Consequently,
the ALQ-249 must provide
sufficient effective isotropic
radiated power (EIRP); the
measured radiated (output)
power of an antenna in a
specific direction.
In addition to the technical
complexity and the necessary
size and all-up weight
restrictions of a new-generation
electronic attack pod, the NGJ
design team was faced with
other constraints. The EA-18G
Growler embarked as part of
a carrier air wing endures the
rigours of flight deck catapult
launches and arrested landings.
Its operation involves emission
of electromagnetic and directed
energy to degrade, neutralise
or destroy an enemy’s
combat capability, which
requires careful control and
management to ensure both
the aircrew and the aircraft are
not adversely affected.
So what are the defining
design drivers for the NGJ pod?
According to Capt Michael
Orr, programme manager for
electronic attack systems, there
are four. Power requirement,
driven by operational scenarios;
power generation capability,
which defines the cooling
requirement; processing
power, which must enable all
of the pod’s combat functions,
many of which are automated;
airworthiness, which includes
integration constraints,
structural limits and system
software integration.
In performance terms, each
of the four elements had to be
balanced and optimised against
each other to produce the
required capability.
Once integrated with the
EA-18G, the ALQ-249 will be
capable of contributing to
the full range of warfare, from
air strikes in anti-access/
area denial environments to
the type of irregular warfare
encountered in Afghanistan.
LEFT: EA-18G Growlers assigned to VX-23
‘Salty Dogs’, which undertakes a lot of
handling stores integration work.
US Navy/Elizabeth Wolter
OPPOSITE BOTTOM: The ALQ-218 pods
on the wingtips of the EA-18G required
a wing redesign in order to cancel out
vibration and aileron ‘buzz’.
US Navy/MCS3C Skyler Okerman
OPPOSITE TOP: An EA-18G Growler from
VAQ-132 ‘Scorpions’ takes on fuel from a
Royal Australian Air Force KC-30A Multi
Role Tanker Transport, an as F/A-18E
holds alongside.
Australian Defence Force/Sgt Peter Borys
BELOW: A VX-31 EA-18G pilot straps in for
a mission at NAWS China Lake. Jamie Hunter
One outcome of the
November 2010 R3 board was
to return the NGJ programme
into incremental capabilities.
Increment 1 is the mid-band,
which covers the most critical
threat waveforms across a
full spectrum of agile and
adaptive communications,
data links and non-traditional
radio frequency targets.
Increment 1 will be used to
deny, degrade or deceive
use of the electromagnetic
spectrum employing both
reactive and pre-emptive
jamming techniques and is
currently in the engineering and
manufacturing development
(EMD) phase.
Increment 2 is the low-band,
which includes important
threat waveforms and has
an initial operating capability
(IOC) targeted for after 2022.
Increment 3 is the high-band
with an IOC after 2024. This
will be housed in a smaller pod
carried on the outer wing
April20 43
 stations 2 and 10. NAVAIR
currently describes Increment
2 and Increment 3 as planned
future efforts.
April 2016 was an important
month for the NGJ Mid-Band
programme as it received
Milestone B approval to
enter EMD and Raytheon
was awarded a 56-month
contract valued at US$1
billion for execution of the
phase. In accordance with
the contract, Raytheon will
deliver 15 EMD pods to be
used for mission systems
testing and qualification, and
14 aeromechanical pods for
airworthiness certification.
On April 27, 2017 the NGJ
programme completed its
critical design review (CDR)
– it identified deficiencies that
deemed a redesign of the
pod structure, which caused
schedule and cost breaches.
Despite the structure
redesign, manufacturing,
integration and testing of
the antenna arrays, power
generation system, software
and common electronics
unit continued in accordance
This EA-18G is from the electronic attack weapons school, the Growler equivalent of TOPGUN at NAS Fallon, Nevada, known as HAVOC. Jamie Hunter
44 April20
with the EA-18G H16 data which is used to ensure was based on analysed data
software integration schedule the pod does not overheat or captured from ALQ-99 pods
On October 18, 2017 a adversely affect the aircraft in operational scenarios. Last
memorandum of understanding and the aircrew. Data captured summer, Raytheon delivered
(MOU) was signed with in the chamber is also being the first NGJ Mid-Band EMD
Australia – the only other used to gain an interim flight pod to Patuxent River to begin
current operator of the EA-18G clearance authorisation to initial stores integration. This
– forming a joint programme operate a Growler fitted includes verification of ground
office and a co-operative with NGJ pods in non- procedures, mass properties,
development project. standard configurations, in aircraft installation and built-in
different flight envelopes and test checks, all in preparation
NGJ in Testing conditions. The chamber for chamber and flight-testing.
NAVAIR’s anechoic chamber testing is providing real, as Different types of tests require
at Patuxent River is currently opposed to analysed, data different configurations of
occupied by an EA-18G for use in the mission system pods, such as fatigue, static,
fitted with the first set of two modelling process to begin jettison and aeromechanical
EMD pods. The aircraft and validation. Previously, extensive versions – the latter used for
pods were first placed in the mission system modelling flying qualities and aircraft
chamber last November, and to of the pod’s application to integration. Pods used for
date have undertaken more electronic attack and jamming mission system testing are in
than 400 hours of full-up configuration with all
testing with both of the sub-systems installed.
pods radiating Unsurprisingly, mission system
to check basic pods are expensive and are
functionality actually unnecessary for
and to capture some elements of the flight
electromagnetic test programme.
interference Before its first flight, the
data. The NGJ pod is undergoing
latter all of the standard tests
being the required for stores
measurement integration. Static
of radiation strength testing
was completed in the early
autumn of 2019. Once flights
begin, a set of NGJ pods will
undergo captive carriage
tests; loads, environmental,
flying qualities, performance,
drag and structural integrity.
Performance and jettison
tests will follow as part of the
employment phase.
Capt Orr described the
forthcoming NGJ flight-test
programme as “thorough and
extensive”, involving hundreds
of missions. It will include
aero mechanical tests of the
pod’s physical integration on
the aircraft; mission systems
testing of its performance and,
ultimately, carrier-
suitability testing.
The ‘Salty Dogs’ of VX-23
will conduct the NGJ flight test
programme. The squadron
hosts five Growler aircraft and
will receive a series of pods
during March and April 2020
for its work; the set of pods
currently in the chamber will
not be used for flight test.
Flight-testing was expected to
start this spring and to continue
through most of 2021.
Chamber testing will continue
for quite some time as its
focus changes to increased
performance. Milestone C,
the low-rate initial production
decision, was anticipated at the
end of Fiscal Year (FY) 2020.
An operational test readiness
review should take
place by early 2022. If the
review is successful, the NGJ
pod will enter operational test
that year, followed by an IOC
declaration in FY 2022.
Test Bed Test Work
In 2019, Raytheon contracted
Calspan to fly a Gulfstream III
test bed aircraft fitted with a
trials pod designed specifically
for power generation testing
and risk reduction efforts in
support of the NGJ’s initial flight
clearance process.
Raytheon’s NGJ test pod was
configured with a RAT G to
demonstrate the functionality,
mechanical interfaces and
controls of the RAM air turbine.
The turbine’s design
requirements are significant
to such an extent that the
Gulfstream test flights were
planned from the start of the
programme, and named the
prime power generation
capability, or PPGC.
Orr said the testing
was conducted as a
risk reduction effort
because the RAT G was
identified as a potentially
troublesome area early on in
the NGJ programme. NAVAIR
set the test objectives and
observed the flights carried out
by Raytheon and Calspan. Orr
said: “There were no surprises
during the test flights. The
objective was to validate some
of the assumptions we held, but
the data captured did not lead
to any design changes.”
Pod Programme
The NGJ pod runs on its own
operational flight programme
(OFP) software, which is
independent, but aligned with
the Growler’s own OFP. The
Growler runs on high order
language OFPs – designated
by the letter H. The NGJ will
be integrated and enter fleet
service with EA-18G Growler
aircraft using H16 software. So
critical is alignment of the two
OFPs that the PMA-234 NGJ
programme office has an NGJ
integration team that works on
a daily basis with the PMA-
265 Growler programme office
team. Capt Orr said PMA-
234 staff understand the H16
software schedule and the
April20 45

releases and tie
the NGJ pod releases, from a
capability perspective, to the
corresponding H16 releases,
to ensure that when that is
delivered to the fleet it will be
able to use NGJ.
Explaining the process, Orr
said: “We use the interface
control documents issued to us
by PMA-265, for hardware and
software, and fully understand
what the constraints are with
H16. If we need to update the
pod’s software, to the maximum
extent possible we design it
such that we can update the
pod without having to touch
the H16 OFP. If a situation arose
in which we wanted to add
capability to the pod that would
not run on the existing aircraft
OFP, we would likely delay
until the next aircraft OFP was
released.”
Given that electronic
warfare is constantly evolving,
an electronic attack pod needs
to keep pace with emerging
threats. This requires labs to be
able to quickly tweak the pod
without the need to change
the OFP. According to
Orr, the pod’s capability
can be updated for the
majority of conditions
independent of the OFP.
Greater Growler
As part of the Growler
road map, the aircraft is
continually improved primarily
through a roughly biennial OFP
software drop. The H12 release
included enhanced ALQ-218
geolocation, communication
countermeasures set
improvements, display
improvements to enhance
air-to-surface, air-to-air and
counter electronic attack sensor
integration to manage
aircrew workload, and
additional capabilities to
operate in ATC-controlled
airspace. H14 began
operational testing in October
2018, and concluded earlier this
year, and has just been released
to the fleet. In July, live-fire
missile testing was undertaken
to demonstrate the integration
of the AIM-120 with the Super
Hornet and Growler aircraft
operating with the H14 software.
PMA-265 is now under
way with the developmental
test of the subsequent H16,
which includes: software and
hardware upgrades to the
ALQ-218 digital receiver – an
open architecture, multi-level
secure processor known
as the Distributed Tactical
Processor-Network (DTP-N)
which is reckoned to be 17
times more powerful than
the original Growler system;
and the Tactical Targeting
Networking Technology (TTNT)
– a high throughput, low
latency data link with satellite
communications for advanced
network connectivity.
Equipped with DTP-N and
TTNT, a pair of Growlers will
be able to fuse
data acquired by on board and
off board sensors to generate
a common tactical picture of
the battlespace and rapidly
exchange that information with
other assets. What does that
achieve? It enhances targeting
capabilities and improves
air-to-air timelines and
performance. This capability is
scheduled to be implemented
with several H-series software
builds.
Back in August 2017, the US
Navy staged a series of fleet
experiments called ‘Netted
Sensors 2017’, conducted by
the Navy Warfare Development
Command involving, among
others, F/A-18 Super Hornet
and EA-18G Growler aircraft.
EA-18Gs were focused
on working a common
tactical picture, multi-ship
electronic surveillance, Growler
manned-unmanned teaming
and network-centric
collaborative targeting (NCCT)
technologies. It meant they
were using joint data standards

Growler Goes Unmanned
Last October, the latest iteration of the US Navy’s
Fleet Experimentation (FLEX) programme was
staged. According to Navy Warfare Development
Command, FLEX examines various solutions to cover
capability gaps. Additionally, it embraces innovative
concepts, tactics, techniques, and procedures, as
well as concepts of operation.
Last October’s FLEX included three EA-18G
Growlers assigned to VX-23 that were fitted with
a control system called Artificial Reasoning and
Cognition (ARC) and prototypes of the DTP-N and
TTNT. The name of the control system implies it’s
an artificial intelligence (AI) machine (computer)
that mimics the reasoning and cognitive functions
of the human mind, specifically learning and
problem-solving respectively.
Within AI a machine learning system identifies
patterns within data sets and tries to make
predictions based on the data, and a reasoning
system solves problems in an ambiguous and
changing environment using available knowledge
and logical techniques such as deduction and
induction. Both machines have direct application
in the control of autonomous systems.
The DTP-N improves the aircraft’s computer
processing power, while the TTNT is a high-capacity
data pipe – improving the flow on and off the aircraft.
Combined, the two make the aircraft a smart network
in the Naval Integrated Fire Control-Counter Air
(NIFC-CA) construct.
The three systems enabled two of the Growlers to
be operated as unmanned autonomously controlled
surrogate aircraft, and the third as a control
station; a concept known as manned-unmanned
teaming or MUM-T. Each surrogate aircraft had a
safety pilot on board who performed the take-off
and landing.
Jointly funded by NAVAIR and Boeing, the
demonstration helped validate technology that
enables an EA-18G to fly autonomously as an

46 April20
 and interfaces to speed up
sensor cueing and targeting
through to launching strikes
in multi-sensor geolocation
events.
Capt Denney outlined other
initiatives to deliver new
capability to the fleet faster to
outpace potential threats, to
improve and sustain aircraft
mission capability rates by
using predictive maintenance in ABOVE LEFT: A Royal Australian Air Force
order to spend time performing Growler from No.6 Squadron returns from
effective and proactive programme (SLEP) to assess said it was the team’s number a Pitch Black 2018 mission.
maintenance rather than utilisation and when a SLEP one mission: “Our motto is to Australian Defence Forces/Cpl David Gibbs
reactive maintenance. will need to start. support, to sustain and advance TOP FAR LEFT: A computer-generated
One change already in effect Denney explained that the fleet. That is what we do, image of a ALQ-249 Next-Gen Jammer
Mid-band pod. Raytheon
and in support of the above is because of the Growler’s whether that’s getting the OPPOSITE TOP RIGHT: This image of a
migration from multi-sensor utilisation, a SLEP would not mission capability rate above ALQ-249 NGJ Mid-band pod shows the
integration to multi-system begin until after conversion to 80% or making sure the aircraft forward and aft arrays. Raytheon
integration. This allows for the Block II is complete: “We is able to fight and win against OPPOSITE BOTTOM: An interesting
insertion of new technologies are forecasting 2025 as the potential adversaries, that is perspective of electronic attack activity
and requirements to keep pace Block II IOC,” he explained. why we make incremental radiated from two ALQ-249 NGJ Mid-band
pods. Raytheon
with the fleet’s demands; this When asked whether the improvements. We are
BELOW: The first publicly released image
will continue with H16. PMA-265 team will be able to developing the Block II Growler of an EA-18G Growler assigned to VX-23
stay ahead of fast developing to exceed the capabilities of our loaded with a ALQ-249 Next Gen Jammer
Block II Capability emerging threats, Denney potential adversaries.” pod on station 3 (middle). NAVAIR
Ongoing work is defining a
Block II capability development
programme for the EA-18G,
which will include conformal
fuel tanks in pretty much the
same configuration as those
under development for the
Block III Super Hornet.
Similarly, the ACS featuring a
large area display and low-
profile head-up display will
initially deploy on the Block
III Super Hornet and then the
Block II Growler.
Growlers are not equipped
with a cannon, but the internal
space is not left empty, it’s
fitted out with an airborne
electronic attack palette, which
will be replaced in Block II to
overcome obsolescence.
Given the relatively small
fleet of aircraft, their ongoing
utilisation rates and an
out-of-service date currently
pitched for the mid-2040s,
PMA-265 is already conducting
a service life assessment

unmanned electronic attack platform with the ability
to operate some of its sensors; in this case the
APG-79 AESA radar. According to an official release,
the surrogate fighters were flown in multiple pre-set
formations and linked air-to-air sensor data [captured
by the radar] via TTNT to the manned aircraft.
Given the complex electronic attack and jamming
mission performed by the system-laden Growler,
this proof-of-concept experiment is likely to be
the first step toward further flight trials in which
jamming pods and mission systems are operated
autonomously.
This probable objective was not mentioned in
Boeing’s official release, but the company claims the
technology used in the demonstration enables the
navy to extend the reach of sensors, while keeping
manned aircraft out of harm’s way.
Boeing would not confirm if the ARC system is a
propriety company product or how long it has been in
development, but did confirm the ARC control system
used in FLEX 2019 is a separate effort from the Boeing
Defence Australia’s Airpower Teaming Systems, the
so-called loyal wingman concept.
Boeing told AIR International that though the two
projects may have similar goals regarding manned-
unmanned teaming, they are separate efforts.
Despite Boeing’s official release stating that ARC
could provide synergy with other unmanned systems
in development across the warfare spectrum, the
company would not confirm that the system is a
derivation of that used by its new MQ-25 Stingray
unmanned carrier-based aerial-refuelling system.
Over the course of four flights, each involving the
three modified Growlers, 21 demonstrations
were completed.
Appropriately, Boeing describes the concept as
a force multiplier that enables a single aircrew to
control multiple aircraft without greatly increasing
workload. It seems likely that further application of
the concept will be forthcoming to ensure the Growler
continues to protect all strike aircraft during even the
highest-threat missions.

April20 47
 AT THE CONTROLS by Dave Unwin
Are You Ready For a Robot?
Recent trials with automatic take-off and landing systems have demonstrated
their viability, but will passengers accept ‘Captain Autopilot’? Dave Unwin
A
delves into the pros and cons of pilotless flight.
irbus recently completed a series of tests with an
A350 where it successfully performed an automatic
take-off. Using image recognition technology
installed directly on the aircraft, the successful test
– along with Garmin’s incredible ‘AutoLand’ system
coming to market – made me wonder how far are
we from an autonomous airliner? Technologically,
we’re very close – if not already there, although culturally, possibly
not so much. However, it is probable that a lot of the resistance to
48 April20
a pilotless aircraft is generational, and that young people will be
more comfortable with the concept of a computer in charge. Indeed,
the technology is already quite mature, with autopilot technology
having been around for a lot longer than you might think – by 1930
the Sperry Corporation had built and demonstrated a system that
could hold a heading and altitude for several hours. As is often the
case, the exigencies of war accelerated developments and by the
late 1940s' (assisted by significant advancements in the field of
electronics, avionics and radio-navigation beacons) autopilot had
become an integral part of any large aeroplane.
An Autonomous Airliner?
Developments continued, with landings completed automatically
in very low visibility. By 1975 the Hawker-Siddeley Trident had
been certified to CAT IIIB standards (a ‘decision height’ of 50ft
and visibility on the runway of at least 164ft (50m), while today
many aircraft are certified to CAT IIIC (no minimums). However,
it is important to understand that both aircraft and airport must
be certificated to CAT IIIC if a landing in these conditions is to
be attempted. This is one of the big differences between Airbus’
Autonomous Taxi, Take-Off & Landing (ATTOL) project
and previous systems. Basically, rather than relying on the
Instrument Landing System (ILS) installed at any given airport,
ATTOL will allow take offs using image recognition technology
installed in the aircraft. Launched in June 2018, ATTOL is one of
the technological flight demonstrators being tested by Airbus
in order to understand the impact of autonomy on aircraft, and
the next steps will be focused on automatic vision-based taxi
and landing sequences, which are scheduled for later this year.
Free Flight For All
NASA was thinking about autonomy and automation in 2000,
when it began funding its 'Small Aircraft Transportation System'
(SATS) programme. One of the cornerstones was the concept of

‘free flight’ – allowing pilots to operate independently, planning and
flying routes of their own choosing directly to their destinations
with little or no assistance from air traffic controllers (ATC), even
in poor weather. For instrument approaches the basic operational
minimums were a 200ft ceiling and 2,625ft (800m) visibility for a
3,281ft-long (1,000m), 66ft-wide (20m) runway with a 3° glideslope.
‘Smart’ unmanned airports would provide pilots with weather
reports, operational data and traffic sequencing information via
data link by means of a ground-based Airport Management
Module. This would make sequencing assignments based on
calculations of aircraft performance and position, winds in the
terminal area, missed approach requirements and predetermined
operating rules.
The Flight Management
System (FMS) and
autopilot would gather,
collate and analyse
information from a
wide variety of sources,
including a combination
of air data and GPS
for navigation, with an
ADS-B type data link
for real-time weather
and traffic. The ultimate
goal of SATS was for
total automation, but at
the time, even the most
enthusiastic proponents
admitted that this might
never happen – yet
now, Garmin’s Autoland system is on the market. It engages
automatically if it senses the pilot has become incapacitated and
can no longer fly the aircraft, or a non-pilot passenger can select it
by simply pressing a button. Once engaged, it uses its database to
study the various airports within range, considers various factors
such as weather, range and runway length, and chooses the best
option. It navigates while actively avoiding inclement weather,
hazardous terrain, obstacles and routinely announcing position,
route and intentions to ATC and the aircraft’s passengers. And
then, when it arrives at the destination airport, it lands on the most
suitable runway. All pilots know that the most challenging parts
of any flight are usually the take-off and landing, and it seems
that not only does the technology already exist for automatic
take-offs and landings, but soon it will no longer rely on ground-
based systems. I really think it’s just a matter of time, for a truly
autonomous airliner which will have many advantages over a
human pilot.
AT THE CONTROLS
Stupid Mistakes
It won’t be fatigued after a long duty day crossing multiple time
zones, or stressed about an impending divorce. Nor will it make
stupid mistakes. Take the recent Boeing 737 over-run at Istanbul
/Sabiha Gökçen. A robot would have considered the strong
tailwind and wet runway, calculated the landing run using the
aircraft’s weight and groundspeed at touchdown, concluded it was
greater than the landing distance available (LDA), decided that
a safe outcome was impossible on the chosen runway and gone
around – not pressed on while ‘hoping for the best’.
In the early days of flight, approximately 80% of accidents
were caused by machine malfunctions and the remaining 20%
by human error. Today those numbers are reversed, with most
accidents due to human
error. That statistic
suggests that if humans
were removed from
the process wherever
possible, the accident
rate would reduce
exponentially.
A truly self-sufficient
aircraft will be specifically
designed from the outset
and equipped with a
much wider array of
sensors than a manned
aircraft. In addition, true
Artificial Intelligence (AI)
– the next generation of
AI – will literally ‘learn’
things as it goes along. A lot of what pilots used to call airmanship
and ‘local knowledge’, a robot aircraft will ‘learn’, and compensate
for, just as a human pilot does. If you think about it, in some
ways an autonomous aircraft should be easier to build than a
self-driving car. An instrument flight rules (IFR) flight is a very
structured affair, with considerably less variables than a car on
a busy road. The first autonomous aircraft will be freighters, will
have a single pilot monitoring and will probably be trialled in less
dense airspace and banned from over-flying large conurbations.
Then, when none have crashed during the trial period but several
manned airliners have, they’ll start flying passengers. The first
jet airliners had a flight crew of five, but as they got bigger the
cockpit crew contracted. Take the previous sentence to its logical
conclusion and the manned flight deck must inevitably become
redundant. Of course, it’s the travelling public who will ultimately
decide and, while I doubt that most of us would get on a pilotless
plane tomorrow (I certainly wouldn’t), our children – who have
grown up with automation and reliable computers – might. An
interesting philosophical question could arise if the machine has
to sacrifice itself. When Sully chose the Hudson (Captain Chesley
‘Sully’ Sullenberger piloted a forced water landing of a US Airways
Airbus A320 after both its engines failed) he knew that aircraft
would never fly again, but hoped the passengers would live. All 155
passengers and crew survived. Would a robot aircraft have tried to
‘save’ itself by trying to reach a runway?
ABOVE: By 1975 the Hawker-Siddeley Trident had been certified to autoland within CAT
IIIB conditions.
LEFT: Early autopilots were quite crude, but the technology advanced rapidly.
FAR LEFT TOP: Technology takeover? Autoland active is clearly shown on all three
screens in this cockpit shot.
FAR LEFT BELOW: Airbus has recently completed a series of tests where an A350
successfully took off automatically using image recognition technology.
April20 49
 Israel has long been the pioneer of loitering munitions.
Designed to engage beyond-line-of-sight ground
targets with an explosive warhead, these precision
weapons are being scaled down to provide
infantry with portable firepower,
as Arie Egozi discovers.

Israel’s
‘Killer
Drones’
T
he Israel Defense remains silent about the weapons made a major leap The Harop can be launched
Forces (IDF) particular weapon systems forward some five years ago. from various transportable
have performed used in these highly accurate Until that time, the country’s platforms, including sea- and
a series of aerial attacks, but the IDF has a only operational system in ground-based canisters,
attacks in recent wide variety of options in this class was the Harop, or it can be air-launched
months, mainly its armoury. One of these is developed by Israel Aerospace before navigating towards
on targets in loitering weapon systems. Industries (IAI) on the basis of the potential target area.
Syria, to foil Iranian efforts to equip Until fairly recently, loitering the 1980s-era Harpy. Like its It can be launched at any
its proxy, the Hezbollah terror weapons were considered a predecessor, the Harop was angle, including horizontal
organisation based in Lebanon. ‘luxury’ item for IDF fighting designed specifically to destroy or vertical trajectories, and
Tehran has sought to provide the units, but they are now almost high-value targets, including air the sealed container ensures
group with increasingly accurate a baseline requirement for defence radars. protection from harsh
surface-to-surface missiles and many of the country’s offensive The Harop consists of a battlefield conditions.
rockets that have been used in operations. Such systems munitions unit, a transportable The Harop is armed with a
attacks on Israel. are currently in considerable launcher and a mission control 35lb (16kg) warhead and is
Some reports from Syria demand and Israel’s defence shelter, the last of these equipped with an advanced
indicate that manned fighter industries are working hard to providing a real-time control POP-250 day/night optronic
aircraft were not detected over supply them. function for the weapon using payload produced by IAI’s
the targets. Israel generally Undoubtedly, Israel’s loitering ‘man-in-the-loop’ guidance. Tamam Division. It has an

50 April20

operational range of 6,230
miles (10,026km) and an
endurance of six hours.
Mini Harpy
Big and heavy, the Harop was
built to attack hardened targets,
but the trend towards loitering
weapons has also resulted
in a diversified range of sizes
and payloads for different
applications. Last year, IAI
unveiled the Mini Harpy, based
on Harop technology.
In an interview with AIR
International, Boaz Levi,
general manager and executive
vice-president of IAI Systems’
Missiles & Space Group,
explained that the Mini Harpy
is designed to neutralise
radiation-emitting threats such
as radars and other air defence
systems: “The system was
designed to provide operators
with control up to the last
moment, including cessation of
attack at any stage. Electrically
powered, it is extremely quiet,
carries a shaped charge of
approximately 17 pounds [8kg],
operates over a range of 62
miles [100km] for a duration
of two hours and has a total
weight of 100 pounds [45kg].”
He added that the Mini
Harpy is fitted with a dual
sensor working in the
electro-optical (EO) and
electromagnetic realms.
Tactical Systems
While IAI’s main loitering
weapon systems are the
massive Harop and the
downsized Mini Harpy, the
company has also developed
devices for smaller units
on the move. One is the
Green Dragon, a tube/
canister-launched attack
drone designed for use at the
battalion and brigade levels.
The Green Dragon weighs
only 33lb (15kg) and carries
a small EO seeker and a
warhead weighing just 5.5lb
IAI’s Rotem is a vertical take-off and
landing loitering munition that employs
the tried-and-tested quadcopter
configuration. In a series of trials in
southern Israel in 2018, the company
evaluated the attack drone against
targets including simulated terrorist
cells, explosive devices and unarmoured
vehicles. All photos via Arie Egozi
(2.5kg). Despite its small size,
it is considered useful against
most tactical targets, loitering
for 1.5 hours at distances of 24
miles (39km) from the control
point. The launch tubes can be
carried in a backpack or as a
stack in groups of 12 to 18 on
board a vehicle.
The Green Dragon uses a
hardened tablet computer
to control the entire mission,
with a single unit capable of
conducting both surveillance
and attack. The operator can
designate and engage the
target as it appears on the
tablet screen, or else halt the
operation at any time before
April20 51
 RIGHT: The Orbiter
1K is Aeronautics’
first loitering munition
and utilises the structure
of the Orbiter 2 man-portable
UAV. The Orbiter 1K is launched
from a catapult and can fly for up to
three hours.
impact, using a built-in ‘abort
and circle’ capability designed
to prevent collateral damage or
mistaken targeting.
VTOL Rotem
Back in 2016, IAI unveiled
a new lightweight loitering
munition. The system is named
Rotem and weighs around 10lb
(4.5kg). This vertical take-off
and landing (VTOL) device is
powered by electric motors
52 April20
driving four rotors and it carries
an interchangeable day/
night payload. The
Rotem is
armed
with
two hand
grenade-size
explosive units.
The company
says the system is
intended for troops
involved in urban warfare
and that it can be controlled
to “get through a window”. The
Rotem has an endurance of
30-45 minutes and a soldier
can carry three or four such
systems and operate them
using a tablet-size control unit
similar to that used for the Green
Dragon. A single infantryman
can fly the Rotem using simple
‘point and click’ commands on
the controller. The system is also
equipped with an acoustic sensor
to avoid collision with obstacles
in the area of operation.
Other Manufacturers
Once it became clear that there
was a significant market for
loitering weapons, other
Israeli companies joined
the effort.
Four
years ago,
Raytheon
teamed up
with UVision to
win an order to supply the
Israeli-developed Hero-30
loitering munition to the United
States Special Operations
Command under the US Army’s
Lethal Miniature Aerial Missile
System (LMAMS) programme,
for which a contract is expected
in the coming months. The
programme aims to purchase
25,000 examples of a new
loitering weapon over a
15-year period. If the Hero-30 is
selected, Raytheon will serve as
primary contractor.
The derivative of the Hero-30
developed for the US Army
will be lighter and carry a
smaller warhead. The current
version weighs 6.5lb (2.9kg)
and is armed with a 1lb (0.45kg)
warhead and is carried in a
canister that also serves as
a pneumatic launcher. After
launch, the electric motor is
switched on and the drone
locks on to the pre-designated
target, transmitting video to the
operator via a handheld unit.
The Hero-30 is equipped with
a day/night sensor and has a
30-minute endurance, loitering
at altitudes between 980ft and
2,000ft (300 and 609m). The
data link developed for the
system provides control up to a
maximum range of 6 or 24 miles
(10 or 40km), depending on the
antenna used.
UVision says it has identified
an increased demand for
small loitering munitions in
recent years, mainly due to
operational lessons from
tackling international terrorist
groups. A company source
said: “The capability of
small units to attack sources
of fire independently has
become crucial in combat in
urban areas.”
In response to this trend,
Israeli industries are working
to develop more such systems.
Some are already at an
advanced stage, while others
remain studies. However, there
seems little doubt that the
variety of loitering weapons
will increase dramatically in the
near future.
Last year, UVision unveiled its
latest design, the Hero-400EC.
This is larger than the Hero-30
and has a distinctive cruciform
 LEFT: A Harop in its transportable launcher. Thanks to its folding wings, the weapon
can be launched from a truck- or ship-mounted canister or configured for air-launch.
Confirmed customers include India and Azerbaijan.
BELOW FAR LEFT: An infantryman launches a UVision Hero-30. Weighing only 1lb,
the device’s anti-personnel warhead is designed to destroy light-skinned vehicles,
motorcycles or troops in the open.
BELOW LEFT: The UVision Hero family of loitering munitions includes eight systems: the
Hero-30 (pictured), Hero-70, Hero-120, Hero-250, Hero-400, Hero-400EC, Hero-900 and
Hero-1250. They are designed to perform a number of different tasks at various ranges.
BOTTOM: IAI’s Green Dragon. Early last year, photos appeared showing a Green Dragon
launcher on board one of the IDF’s Hetz-class fast attack missile craft, marking the first
confirmed naval application of the weapon.
BELOW: Launch of a Harop and (inset) the terminal dive onto its target. Flying at speeds
of up to 225kts, the drone also boasts a radar cross-section of less than 0.5m².

aerodynamic shape. According re-engagement with the enemy

to the company, this ensures
accuracy and reduces collateral
damage. Its electric motor
enables it to loiter silently above
a target, ready to instantly
respond to ‘pop-up’ threats.
The company adds
that the Hero-400EC was
developed to meet a growing
operational requirement for
a loitering weapon that can
remain in the air for extended
periods, provide a substantial
warhead effective against a
wide variety of targets and
deliver missile-level pinpoint
strike capabilities.
The Hero-400EC uses
‘man-in-the loop’
technology
and advanced
electro-optical/
infrared (EO/IR)
payloads that can
locate, track and
strike static or
moving targets
accurately
and without
warning. The
system features
a low noise and
thermal signature,
plus a modular
multi-tube launcher that can
be adapted to a wide range of
platforms, thereby offering air,
land, and sea capabilities. The
new drone’s abort capability
also allows automatic re-entry
into the loitering mode,
or a return to the recovery
area using a parachute. It has
a maximum take-off weight
of 88lb (40kg) and a warhead
weight of 22lb (10kg), with an
endurance of up to 2 hours.
UVision has also developed
the Hero-120, which can be
fitted with a range of powerful
multi-purpose warheads. This
model is intended for pinpoint
strikes in populated urban
areas or remote locations with
minimal collateral damage. An
endurance of more than an
hour and a loitering range of
up to 24 miles (39km) enable
independent operation by
frontline forces, including
precision strikes against time
sensitive
targets.
Featuring
low acoustic,
visual and thermal signatures
and fully gimballed and
stabilised day/night tracking,
the Hero-120 can also
provide critical situational
awareness and real-time
intelligence via its advanced
data link. Recoverable using a
parachute, the system is also
cost-effective.
Aeronautics
The Israeli unmanned systems
manufacturer Aeronautics has
joined the development effort
with its new Orbiter 1K loitering
weapon. The new system is
based on the structure
and
design
of the firm's Orbiter
2 and marks the first time
Aeronautics has developed
a loitering device.
The Orbiter 1K is launched
from a catapult and can fly
for 2-3 hours, carrying a
multi-sensor camera with
day and night channels. The
system is compact and easily
operated from a personal
ground-control system.
Aeronautics says that, given
a specific waypoint, the Orbiter
1K can detect and destroy a
moving or a stationary target.
The system can also operate
within a predetermined area,
independently scanning the
area before detecting and
destroying the target.
If the target isn’t
detected
or if plans
change, the
system’s recovery capability
allows it to return to its base
camp and land safely using a
parachute and airbag.
According to Dany Eshchar,
deputy CEO at Aeronautics,
the first armed Orbiter 1Ks will
be supplied to undisclosed
foreign customers in coming
months, only confirming the
company has received orders
for “hundreds” of systems.
Military commanders in
Israel and elsewhere clearly
want more loitering weapons
– and fast.

April20 53
 In the 1980s, the 757
earned the nickname
"Atari Ferrari" because
of its then
state-of-the-art glass
cockpit and excellent
performance.
Ken Hoke, UPS Airlines 757 captain

Cargo carriers including UPS Airlines are set to operate 757s for years to come. UPS Airlines

W
hether flying to its CV and the effectiveness of the new uses and the withdrawal of the type
bleary-eyed multi-tasker cannot be overstated. expected to be a relatively slow process,
passengers on Yet, this stalwart of the commercial it appears set to remain a mainstay of the
early morning aircraft scene does not rank highly on the commercial aircraft industry.
trips across the list of the biggest-selling airliners. The total
Atlantic, shuttling 1,049 production examples delivered to Original 757-200
freight between customers from 1983 to 2005 pales against The initial variant was the 757-200, which
cargo hubs or ferrying holidaymakers other types. entered service with Eastern Air Lines in
across Europe, few airliners undertake such Despite the arrival of new-generation January 1983 following certification. It is
a variety of tasks as the Boeing 757. Add midsize aircraft with better efficiency, the certified for a maximum capacity of 239
transporting VIPs, supporting humanitarian 757 is not easily replaceable. With useful seats, has a 255,00lb (116,000kg) maximum
operations or trialling new technologies life remaining in many, others finding take-off weight (MTOW) and 3,850nm

54 April20
757
The

Conundrum
The multi-purpose Boeing 757 remains peerless four
decades after its first flight. Mark Broadbent charts the
history of the ‘Swiss army penknife’ of aviation and considers
operator options to replace the enduring all-rounder.
April20 55
 port-side cargo door.
Trialling New Technology The -200M carries two to four cargo
Various 757s have been used as testbeds. The 1990s saw the first 757 used for Lockheed Martin F-22 Raptor pallets on its main deck, along with up to
avionics and sensor integration work and the second production example served as the NASA Airborne 148 passengers in the remaining cabin
Research Integrated Experiments System (ARIES) evaluating hybrid laminar flow control, avionics for the space. It has RB211-535E4 engines and an
Northrop YF-23 and fly-by-wire control for the 777. increased MTOW of 240,000lb (109,000kg).
Honeywell uses 757-256, N757HW (c/n 22194), formerly with Eastern as N504EA and Airtours International Nepal Airlines was the only carrier
Airways (later MyTravel Airways) as G-JALC. Aboard this ‘Connected Aircraft’ testbed are the company’s to order a production 757-200M for
wireless technologies and a pylon aft of the cockpit for airborne engine tests. its requirement to serve Tribhuvan
In 2015, ex-United 757-233, N757ET (c/n 24627), was part of Boeing’s ecoDemonstrator project testing International Airport in Kathmandu, but
technologies to improve efficiency; its subsequent dismantling studied new parting-out and recycling methods. numerous 757-200s have undergone
Yet another 757 to become a testbed is ex-TUI 757-236 G-BYAW (c/n 86749). According to Jane’s Defence passenger to freighter (P2F) conversion.
Weekly, Leonardo will use this aircraft, sourced from 2Excel Aviation, to test avionics, systems and sensors for Pemco World Air Services in Tampa,
the Team Tempest future combat aircraft project and systems for the Typhoon and F-35. Florida, Precision Conversions in Portland,
Oregon and VT Mobile Aerospace
(7,130km) range with a full payload. for the overnight package delivery needs Engineering in Mobile, Alabama each offer
Engines used include the Rolls-Royce of cargo airlines, offering a medium- to aftermarket conversions that modify the
RB211-535E4/E4B and the Pratt & Whitney long-range aircraft able to fly key trunk forward portion of the aircraft to provide
PW2037 and PW2040. routes between hubs. UPS Airlines room for up to ten cargo pallets and 58
Boeing built 913 757-200s. Many of these received 75 between 1987 and 1998, passenger seats. Customers have included
aircraft, especially those with the ‘big three’ accounting for the bulk of the variant’s the Air Transport Services Group, National
mainline US carriers – Delta Air Lines, 80-aircraft production run. Airlines and North American Airlines.
United Airlines and American Airlines The 757-200PF can carry up to 15
– were later equipped with Aviation standard-sized (15 x 25in/381 x 635mm) Stretched 757-300
Partners Boeing (APB) Blended Winglets containers on its main deck in a 6,600 Another conversion option is the
to improve their performance. cu ft (187m3) volume, with loading -200SF (Special Freighter), offered by
These devices were developed in the late and unloading carried out through an Boeing Wichita in Kansas, 321 Precision
1990s, initially for the 737NG, to reduce upward-opening door on its forward Conversions in Oregon, ST Aerospace
the induced drag disrupting the efficient port-side fuselage. Two lower holds (one in Singapore and IAI in Israel. It has a
circulation of air around the wing. They were forward of the wings, one aft) provide 1,830 main-deck cargo capacity for 14 pallets.
later approved for the 757 and the equipped cu ft (51.8m3) of space for bulk cargo. Most -200SFs are operated by FedEx
aircraft were designated 757-200W or A UPS Airlines spokesperson told AIR Express, which has 109 jets. Other users
757-200WL. As well as cutting fuel burn, International the 757-200PF can carry a include DHL, whose various carriers –
the winglets extend range from the basic maximum 86,900lb (39,417kg) load on the including DHL Air UK at Nottingham East
3,915nm (7,250km) to 4,100nm (7,600km). main deck. The variant has a maximum Midlands Airport, EAT Leipzig, DHL Latin
take-off weight of 255,000lb (115,666kg) America in Fort Lauderdale and Blue Dart
Production Freighter and 3,150nm (5,830km) range. in India – fly a total of 35.
The 757-200 was the basis for several The -200M convertible version, also known The last new 757 variant was the
other variants: the 757-200PF (Production as the 757-200 Combi, can carry both cargo stretched-fuselage -300, which entered
Freighter), 757-200M convertible and the and passengers on its main deck. It retains service with Condor in 1999. The variant
757-200SF aftermarket conversion. the base aircraft’s passenger windows and combines the -200’s basic design with an
The 757-200PF was developed to cater cabin doors but adds the -200PF’s forward extended fuselage: at 178ft 7in (54.5m) it is

56 April20

the longest single-aisle twinjet yet built.
Its extra length means it features a
retractable tailskid on the aft fuselage
to avoid tail strikes. The model carries
up to 280 passengers as standard, with
a maximum certified capacity of 295, a
1,049
fly from its European hub in Cologne to
Stockholm, from its main Worldport hub
in Louisville to Jacksonville, from Miami
to Managua and from Shenzhen to Clark
International in the Philippines.
The 757’s range also means it can fly

higher MTOW of 272,500lb (124,000kg)
and 3,395nm (6,290km) range.
The -300 was specifically designed to
serve the charter airline market and launch
operator Condor ordered it specifically
to serve its high-density holiday routes.
The variant is also used by Delta (which
600+
intercontinental services while European Aircraft Built
operators have long used the type to
operate seasonal routes to Caribbean and
US East Coast destinations.
The Right Size
The type’s range has also enabled the 757

absorbed aircraft ordered by Northwest
Airlines), United and Icelandair.
Why is the 757 so Popular?
With more seats than single-aisles
but fewer than the smallest twin-aisle
widebodies, the 757 was designed
principally to let airlines add capacity to
high-frequency short- and medium-haul
shuttle services in the US.
The ‘big three’ US majors initially used
757s, predominantly on high-density trunk
routes, and they continue to operate the
type on some transcontinental services.
In February, for example, American was
flying 757s on New York-Los Angeles,
Charlotte-Boston, Charlotte-Dallas/
Fort Worth, Philadelphia-Vail/Eagle and
Phoenix-Hawaii routes.
Charter operators elsewhere, such as
Condor, TUI and Jet2.com in Europe, also
use 757s to serve high-demand routes. The
freighter 757s similarly provides capacity
along ‘the spokes’ from the regional hubs
of cargo carriers, thereby complementing
the larger widebody types they use to fly
intercontinental routes.
When AIR International spoke with UPS
Airlines, the carrier had rostered 757s to
to fill a niche: operating so-called ‘thin’
transatlantic routes – the services from the
US majors’ large US East Coast hubs to
secondary European destinations, where
passenger volumes are insufficient to
justify using a higher capacity widebody.
These routes currently include
of these routes are American’s
Philadelphia-Reykjavík and United’s
Washington-Madrid services. This March,
United is set to put the type onto a
New York Newark-Porto route and two
months later Delta will start flying them
from Boston to Manchester and London
Gatwick. Such services would be unviable
were it not for the 757.
Network airlines must also manage
seasonal shifts in passenger travel patterns
and the 757’s characteristics gives carriers
a useful tool in ‘right-sizing’. Its size and
range enable a route to continue if demand
drops and makes larger-capacity aircraft
too expensive.
The 757’s utility in this respect is not
limited to passenger carriers. A UPS
Airlines spokesman explained to AIR
International: “They’re the only narrowbody
freighters in our fleet, so we match them
to the capacity needs on a particular route.
4,100
Still in Service
Nautical Miles Range
It’s very easy to swap tails and adjust
capacity up or down on a particular day
as necessary.”
Icelandair is another example of the
757’s right-sizing value. This carrier has in
recent years expanded from Reykjavík as it
seeks to establish its base as an alternative
transfer hub between Europe and North
America. Its 25 757-200s and two -300s
offer range to serve long-haul routes on
both continents but do so without the risk
of deploying too much capacity.
Flexibility
The 757’s specific mix of midsize capacity,
range, extended twin-engine operations
clearance and short-field take-off and
landing performance is also ideal for
aircraft, crew, maintenance and

Honeywell’s ‘Connected Aircraft’ evaluates connectivity

and has a pod to test engines. George Tenney/Honeywell

April20 57
 ABOVE: Ex-United N757ET (c/n 24627) used in the Boeing
ecoDemonstrator in 2015, for which it was painted in the
livery of project partner TUI. Boeing
OPPOSITE TOP: Condor was the first to put the stretched
757-300 into service. AirTeamImages.com/HAMFive
OPPOSITE BOTTOM: The New Zealand Air Force uses two
757-2K2s for strategic airlift, including flying into Scott
Base in Antarctica. New Zealand Defence Force
insurance (ACMI) charter specialists.
John Mahon, who flew the aircraft with
now-defunct ACMI specialist Astraeus, told
AIR International: “It’s just so flexible. We
did things with it that other aircraft couldn’t
do. Because the 757 has a four-bogie
undercarriage, we were able to go into
much smaller airports. We took the 757 into
some really interesting places.”
For instance, an Astraeus 757 flew
equipment and supplies into Haiti in the
aftermath of the January 2010 earthquake.
The 757 was the only civil aircraft allowed
to land there after the quake, Mahon
pointed out.
He also recalled: “I got a phone call saying,
‘We need an airplane and crew to go down
to South America and fly up to Miami via
Aruba’,” a small island off the coast of South
America in the Dutch Antilles.
Mahon said the 757 “was ideal for the
task”. The runway at the island’s Queen
Beatrix International Airport is 8,999ft
(2,743m) long, but the 757-200 can take
off in just 6,800ft (2,070m), enabling it to
comfortably operate from Aruba yet also
provide the range the tasking required.
Delta and American have also operated
757s to the island from Miami.
One of Astraeus’ more unusual 757
charters was to provide aircraft for Iron
Maiden’s world tours (lead singer Bruce
Dickinson was a qualified commercial
pilot with the carrier). Two separate aircraft
became the so called ‘Ed Force One’: firstly
G-OJIB (c/n 24292, now a freighter with
FedEx Express as N938FD) in 2008/2009,
and then G-STRX (c/n 25621, now stored
as EI-ETR) in 2011.
Some 757s have become luxurious private
jets. One currently on the market, is the
20-year-old 757-256, N757AG (c/n 29306),

A Pilot’s View
Captain Ken Hoke is a UPS Airlines 757 and 767 pilot with more than 4,000 hours
flying both types. He told AIR International: “The 757 is great fun to fly. The plane is
nimble and has a nice, solid feel on the controls. It has the perfect combination of
old-school systems and modern automation. When the autopilot is turned off, it’s
easy to fly.
“The 757-200PF has a small cockpit compared to passenger variants; the floor
plan is optimised for freight. The crew entry door is better described as a hatch,
and it’s a bit of a squeeze to get into the pilot seats. But once strapped in, it’s pure
Boeing 757.
“In the 1980s, the 757 earned the nickname ‘Atari Ferrari’ because of its then
state-of-the-art glass cockpit and excellent performance. It’s a forgiving aircraft
with outstanding crosswind landing characteristics that make it a pleasure to fly.
“Initial pilot reaction to the large-format display system [LDS] flight deck upgrade
was very positive. Although the classic cockpits are well liked, crew members who
previously flew more modern equipment missed the benefits of advanced displays.
Those of us raised on older ‘steam gauges’ were excited about the new features
available with LDS. As more aircraft are converted, maintaining currency is easier.
“For an old-timer like me, the first few flights in an LDS aircraft were a fun challenge.
LDS provides more information to the pilots. And it’s all good info. Speed tapes,
trend vectors, improved traffic collision and avoidance system [TCAS] guidance,
flight path vectors, and more, improve situational awareness. All this new data
requires a different visual scan. It takes time and concentration to adapt.
“The Collins LDS is intuitive. After only a few flights, I prefer the LDS cockpit;
and our flight crews will soon enjoy the benefits on every flight. I may be a fan of
antiques, but I won’t miss the classic Seven-Five instrument panel.”

58 April20
described in a brochure listing by vendor
Avjet Global Sales as “one of the rare gems
in luxury private aviation today”. The jet has
39 seats, up to 21 fully lie-flat beds, a master
bedroom, lounges, a guest room, office and
a shower. There is LED lighting throughout,
audio-visual systems including large-format
TVs and surround sound, wireless internet
connectivity and a galley.
Fleet Changeovers
Operating the 757 presents a conundrum.
The type has useful capabilities and
gives carriers a lot of flexibility. It also has
another, less obvious benefit: because
it has been in service for a long time its
capital expenditure (capex) has been
absorbed, so it has low ownership costs
compared to newer aircraft.
However, older airlines are more
expensive to fuel and maintain, and the
‘Seven-Five’ does not compare favourably
with newer aircraft. Airbus’ A321LR/XLR,
the long-range versions of the A321neo,
use 25% less fuel than the 757, the
manufacturer claims.
These new midsize jets have bagged
hundreds of orders. The French all business
class carrier La Compagnie, has already
substituted 757-200s for A321LRs while
UK ACMI specialist Titan Airways recently
announced it will replace its two 757s with
A321LRs this summer.
The last of four 757s wet-leased by
Aer Lingus from ASL Airlines, EI-CJX
(c/n 26160), will be withdrawn by the
Irish carrier in May 2020. Three have
already left its fleet: EI-LBR (c/n 28167)
and EI-LBS (now N726WN, c/n 27623) in
late 2019 and EI-LBT (c/n 28170) in
January 2020.
The changeover from the 757 is
happening even among the big US
carriers. Data published by Airfleets shows
that by early 2020 United had trimmed its
fleet to 72 jets and American to 34. United’s
A321XLRs will arrive from 2024 and
American is expected to completely phase
out the type by 2025/26, having already
substituted the type for A321neos on some
transcontinental flights.
The decision of when 757s are replaced
is down to each individual operator, who
must work out the optimal time to phase
out their specific aircraft by trading off
the upcoming maintenance requirements
and costs on their jets against the capital
expenditure cost of new aircraft.
With most 757s now more than 20 years
old, the market is seemingly moving
inexorably towards a new generation, as
the A321LR/XLR’s popularity indicates.
However, it is a mark of the 757’s
usefulness that some operators plan to
phase it out slowly.
United will replace its fleet over several
years and Delta, which with 127 jets
flies the most examples of any single
From ‘Air Force Two’ to Antarctica
Several government and military operators
use 757s for strategic airlift and VIP transport.
The USAF's 1st Airlift Squadron of the 89th
Airlift Wing at Andrews AFB uses four
757-200s, designated C-32As. Other C-32s
are used by the 486th Flight Test Squadron.
The Kazakhstan Government and the Saudi
royal family also use VIP-configured 757-200s,
as did the presidents of Argentina and until
Mexico 2015 and 2018 respectively.
The Royal New Zealand Air Force (RNZAF)’s
No.40 Squadron at Christchurch operates two
757-200Ms, designated 757-2K2s, NZ7571 (c/n
26633, ex-Transavia PH-TKA) and NZ7572 (c/n
26634, ex-PH-TKB). They carry personnel and
equipment for operations and deployments
and provide VIP transport, aeromedical
evacuation and rapid response support.
The aircraft have a main-deck cargo door,
strengthened floor and cargo loading system
to carry large and heavy loads and internal air
stairs. Their duties include flying to New Zealand’s
Scott Base in Antarctica.
April20 59
 operator, appears to be in no hurry. Wayne
Gilbert West, Delta’s chief operating
officer and senior executive vice president,
told investors in December: “Keep in mind
the delivery cycles of our 757s [were]
staggered. We’ve retired some already
and we’ve got retirement plans, but a
large portion of those are out in the more
distant horizon.”
Delta previously said it would be
interested in Boeing’s proposed New
Mid-market Airplane concept, dubbed
the 797, but a new midsize Boeing is more
distant than ever after new company CEO
David Calhoun said the company is going
back to the drawing board.
Delta’s West said: “In the meantime,
we’ve got options or levers to pull as some
[757s] retire… namely the A321 series
aircraft.” Delta has ordered 100 A321neos.
Cargo operators will also use 757s for
many years to come. FedEx’s phased
replacement of the 727 with the 757 was
only completed in 2013 and similarly UPS
intends to fly its 757s for decades.
Upgrades
A long-term commitment to the 757 is
reflected by continued investment in
the aircraft. In 2013, APB introduced the
Scimitar Blended Winglet (SBW) to the
757, which replaces the Blended Winglet’s
aluminium cap with a sharply swept-back
60 April20
ABOVE: Transatlantic routes are a key part of 757
operations at the big US airlines. Here United’s N14102
(c/n 27292) taxies at Manchester, UK in October 2019.
AirTeamImages.com/Enda Burke
TOP: When carrying the US Vice-President, the US Air
Force C-32As assume the air traffic control callsign
‘Air Force Two’. USAF/SA Christina Russo
BELOW: The 757 serves major cargo airlines by providing
vital transcontinental links from key hubs, including
those across America. UPS Airlines
tip and adds an aerodynamic trailing-edge
‘wedge’ to the lower part of the winglet.
The SBW reduces fuel burn by an extra
1.1% and by 6% than a 757 without any
winglets, APB claims. Icelandair and
United have retrofitted their 757s with the
scimitar tips.
Meanwhile, Collins Aerospace (formerly
Rockwell Collins) and Boeing offer a flight
deck retrofit for the 757 which replaces six
cathode ray tube displays with large-format
(15.1in/38.3cm) LCD screens.
UPS Airlines is upgrading its 757s (and
its 767s, with which the 757 has a common
type rating) with the system. The carrier
told AIR International: “The project is
driven by the obsolescence of cathode ray
tubes. Soon they just won’t be available
any longer, so we either had to stockpile
CRTs or upgrade. We also expect the LCD
displays to be more reliable.”
Several airlines have also updated their
757 cabins. Most of American’s jets now
have an all business-class cabin with
lie-flat seats and Wi-Fi connectivity,
both Delta and United have installed
new slimline seats on their aircraft, and
Icelandair added new seats, LED lighting
and Global Eagle Entertainment satcom
systems offering gate-to-gate Wi-Fi.
All these investments show that many
operators believe the 757 will continue to
serve them well for a long time to come,
despite the emergence of new midsize aircraft.
As John Mahon put it: “Nothing
compares to the 757 in terms of ability. The
757 does things other aeroplanes can’t.”
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115 AI Bundle fp APR20 overseas.indd 61 28/02/2020 14:21

 RUSSIAN REVIEW by Piotr Butowski

On January 24, President Rodrigo Duterte of

the Philippines revealed in an interview with
a Russian state-owned television channel
that his country had ordered 12 multi-purpose
transport helicopters – probably Mi-17s.
Previous information had confirmed plans
by the Philippines to purchase 16 Mi-17s.
“We are not that rich,” Duterte said, “but we
have placed the orders now – 12 military
helicopters, cargo choppers”. The Mi-17s will
complement 16 S-70i Black Hawks ordered
by the Philippines last year and assembled at
Lockheed Martin’s facility in Mielec, Poland.
While unconfirmed by official sources,
Russian newspaper Vedomosti reported on
January 29 that Vietnam had ordered a batch
of “at least 12 Yak-130 jet combat training aircraft
for a total of over US$350m.” If correct, Vietnam
would become the fourth Asian country to
operate the Yak-130, after Bangladesh (16
aircraft introduced to service in 2015-16),
Myanmar (16 delivered in 2016-19) and Laos
(ten ordered, deliveries beginning in 2018).
Other foreign operators are Algeria, which took
delivery of 16 Yak-130s in 2011, and Belarus,
which received a total of 12 in 2015-16 and 2019.
Starting in 1995, Vietnam acquired several
batches of Russian combat aircraft: first 12 Su-
27SK and UBK fighters, then 36 Su-30MK2V
multi-role fighters; the last four were delivered
in 2016. Currently, the country operates around

Flurry of Export Orders

30 Czechoslovak L-39C jet trainers.

TOP: If the reported

for Russian Industry
Vietnamese order for “at least
12” Yak-130s is confirmed,
the country will become the
fourth Asian nation to operate
the combat trainer.
All photos Piotr Butowski unless stated
RIGHT: A Mi-38T in VIP
configuration. Two examples
with “increased-comfort
cabin configurations”
have been ordered by an
undisclosed customer, likely
in the Middle East.
SEVERAL NEW export contracts for Russian
military aircraft were revealed in January.
Most interesting is an order for Mi-38T
medium helicopters, the first export deal for
this aircraft. Previously, only two Mi-38Ts had
been acquired by Russia’s defence ministry.
Russian Helicopters says that the Kazan
factory will be providing Mi-38Ts to a foreign
client “in transport and in increased-comfort
cabin configurations” in 2021-22. The identity
of the customer and number of helicopters
ordered are unknown, however Russian
media reports that they are in the Middle
East, while the fact that the contract was
signed by the Rosoboronexport arms trade
company indicates the end user is military.

Russian Engines for MC-21-310

IN MID-JANUARY, a convoy of trucks covered almost 2,485 miles (4,000km) from Perm to Irkutsk,
transporting three Aviadvigatel PD-14 turbofan engines intended for the Irkut MC-21 airliner. Two
engines – numbers 100-14 and 100-15 – will be installed on the aircraft; the third, 100-16, is a spare.
In fact, the engines were made in 2018, but the aircraft was not ready to receive them. The Russian
PD-14 engines will be installed on the fifth flying aircraft, assembly of which is currently being
completed in Irkutsk. The Russian-engined version will be designated MC-21-310. Currently, four
MC-21-300 prototypes are flying, all with American Pratt & Whitney (P&W) PW1431G-JM turbofans.
As for the schedule for MC-21-310 trials, United Engine Corporation is unclear, only stating:
“The first flight of an MC-21 with PD-14 engines is expected in a timely manner.” Previously,
it was announced that tests were to start “in spring 2020” (ie,
between March 1 and May 31). At the end of this year, PD-14s
will also be fitted to the first prototype, ‘001’, currently flying
with P&W engines. Yuri Slyusar, president of the United Aircraft
Corporation, said in December 2019 that the MC-21/PD-14
test programme would last two years, during which the two
aircraft will carry out around 400 flights. In 2022, the MC-21-310 The Aviadvigatel PD-14
version is due to receive type certificate (an addition to the turbofan engine for
MC-21-300 certificate) and should be ready for delivery. the MC-21-310.

62 April20
 RUSSIAN REVIEW

It's End of
the Line for
Il-96-400TZ
IN ITS first issue of the year, Russian
magazine Radioelektronnye Tekhnologii
published an interview with deputy
defence minister Alexei Krivoruchko, who’s
responsible for armament acquisition
policy. The article stated: “In May 2020, it’s
planned to complete factory flight tests
of the Il-96-400TZ prospective refuelling
aircraft.” This type is based on the Il-96-400
widebody airliner.
In fact, the ‘interview’ had been prepared
by Krivoruchko’s office, with the minister’s
advisors adding their vision to the text.
The phrase regarding the new tanker was
from an October 2019 speech by Minister
of Defence Sergei Shoygu. However,
Shoygu didn’t name the aircraft type,and
the term ‘prospective refuelling aircraft’
or Perspektivnyi Samolyot Zapravshchik
(PSZ) is used in Russia to describe
the Il-78M-90A.
Development of the new Il-78M-90A
(izdeliye 478) tanker was ordered by the
Ministry of Defence (MoD) on December
19, 2012 – the same day that the new II-
76MD-90A (izdeliye 476) transport aircraft
was also requested.
Production of both was launched at the
Ulyanovsk plant in Russia (in contrast to
Soviet-era Il-76 transports and Il-78 tankers,
which were manufactured in Tashkent,
Uzbekistan).
The first Il-78M-90A (registration
RF-78741) made its maiden flight on
January 19, 2018. The following January
25, in the presence of President Vladimir
Putin, the aircraft made its official debut at
Ulyanovsk (in reality, its third flight). The
aircraft then returned to the manufacturing
hall for further work. The fourth flight – and
the actual start of test work – took place 11
months later, on December 27, 2018. This
May, it should become the first Il-78M-90A
to complete the factory (initial) tests.
The Il-96 widebody passenger and cargo
aircraft has not been a great success.
Including prototypes, only 29 examples
of all versions have been built since 1988.
The main operator is the Presidential
Administration of Russia, which has ten.
Nevertheless, Russia intends to continue
production of the aircraft in its modernised
Il-96-400M form.
Plans for a tanker version of the
Il-96-400 have existed for some time,
having been first proposed as early as
2003. The proposal was addressed again
in 2013, when a civilian user ceased
operations with its three Il-96-400T aircraft
and failed to collect a fourth example
ordered from the production plant. Two
of these aircraft were converted as VIP
versions for the MoD (RA-96102) and the
Federal Security Service (RA-96104). The
two remaining aircraft, RA-96101 and
RA-96103, were to be converted to
become Il-96-400TZ (Zapravshchik,
tanker) versions. According to a contract
between the MoD and the United Aircraft
Corporation (UAC) signed on January 6,
2015, both tankers were to be delivered to
the air force by November 25, 2018.
At the end of 2014, Il-96-400T RA-96103
made several flights from Zhukovsky
with MiG-29 and Su-30 fighters, to
examine wake turbulence behind the
large transporter. The Il-96-400TZ project
envisaged using only a single UPAZ
refuelling pod on the rear fuselage, while
the Il-78 has provision for a single fuselage
or two underwing pods. The Il-96-
400TZ was intended to deliver 143,300lb
(65,000kg) of fuel to a distance of 2,175
miles (3,500km).
However, apart from preliminary work,
the Ilyushin and Myasishchev design
bureaus jointly responsible for the project Ilyushin Il-96-400T RA-96101
did not proceed to more detailed design is one of the aircraft that
was originally planned to be
of the tanker. Taking into account the full
converted into a tanker.
test cycle, it was judged that the costs of
conversion would be much greater than
previously estimated. At some point in 2017,
the MoD abandoned conversion of the two
Il-96-400TZ tankers and UAC’s contract
was terminated.
Russia’s demand for tankers is
increasing significantly due to the
introduction of new tactical aircraft, all of
which can refuel in the air.
Currently, the air arm has only around 15
Il-78 and Il-78M tankers and they mainly
serve to support Tu-160 and Tu-95MS
strategic bombers. Deputy defence
minister Alexei Krivoruchko, visiting
Ulyanovsk in August 2018, said the air
The first and, so far, only
force intended to order 14 new Il-78M- Il-78M-90A is scheduled to
90A aircraft by 2027 (31 tankers were complete its factory tests
previously mentioned). this May.

Sukhoi Completes 200th Superjet

The 200th Superjet at its roll-out at the Komsomolsk-on-Amur assembly facility. SCAC
The Sukhoi Civil Aircraft Company celebrated 15 years of Superjet SSJ100 operations at
the Komsomolsk-on-Amur assembly facility on February 1.
The first aircraft left the factory in 2008. Several distinguished employees received
industry awards and the 200th Superjet made there, c/n 95200, was rolled out of the
assembly hall.
The aircraft is in the basic RRJ-95B version and is intended for Aeroflot, where it will be
registered RA-89140. With 54 aircraft as of January, Aeroflot is the largest Superjet user;
in total, around 120 aircraft are in active operation.
To date, the SSJ100 fleet has accumulated more than 700,000 hours during 450,000
commercial flights.

April20 63
 RUSSIAN REVIEW by Piotr Butowski

The Ka-62 has had its fair
share of setbacks, but
has now begun Russian
certification tests and there
are plans to re-engine it with
an indigenous powerplant.
Ka-62 Commences
Certification
AT THE end of January, the Kamov
Ka-62 medium helicopter began
certification tests according to Russian
AP-29 standards. The test programme
provides for 480 flights, all of which
are due to be completed by the end
of the year. The next stage plans for
certification according to EASA CS-29
specification. In a typical transport task,
the Ka-62 will carry 12 passengers and
two pilots over a distance of 373 miles
(600km); in high-density configuration,
the helicopter can carry 15 passengers.
The first of two military Ka-60
prototypes flew in December 1998,
before the programme came to a
standstill. In 2010, Russia reconfigured
the project entirely as the civilian Ka-62
and the most important components
were ordered from abroad. The engines
are French Turbomeca Ardiden 3G
turboshafts, while the gearboxes and
transmission are made by Austria’s
Zoerkler Gears GmbH. The first of three
flying prototypes of the ‘new’ Ka-62
made an initial hovering flight on April
28, 2016, and a first full flight on May
25 the following year. Then there was
a long break before the helicopter
resumed trials in February 2018. These
were suspended after early flights
revealed problems with the reduction
gears and systems.
In April last year, the Progress plant in
Arsenyev began to produce
sub-assemblies for serial Ka-62
helicopters. Last autumn, the fuselage
of the first example arrived in the
assembly hall. The first four serial
Ka-62s will be delivered to unspecified
civil users in the Primorsky Krai
region, where Arsenyev is located;
production is subsidised by the local
administration. A press release from
Russian Helicopters quotes Progress
plant CEO Yuri Denisenko as saying the
factory has the capability to assemble
up to 45 helicopters a year, as both
military Ka-52s and civilian Ka-62s.
Anticipating future military
applications for the Ka-62, Russia
wants to avoid dependence on French
engines. On March 1, 2019, Klimov of St
Petersburg was contracted to develop
a new VK-1600V turboshaft in the
1,400-1,600shp (1,044-1,193kW) power
class for the helicopter. Based on the
current schedule, the engine is due to
be certified in April 2023, according to a
statement last December from Anatoly
Serdyukov, director of the Rostec
corporation’s aviation division. Judging
from this short deadline, the VK-1600V
will not be a completely new design, but
will be built using existing technologies.
It will likely be a reduced-size
version of the 2,000-2,500shp
(1,491-1,864kW) Klimov VK-2500 engine
now in production.

Russia's New Partisan

FPI

The Russian FPI foundation is financing development of a hybrid-propulsion aircraft at the Siberian
Aviation Research Institute (SibNIA) in Novosibirsk. The FPI – Fond Perspektivnykh Issledovaniy
or Foundation for Advanced Research Projects – is a state fund tasked with promoting high-risk
research and development projects in the interests of Russian defence and state security.
The new aircraft has been named Partisan, because, as FPI deputy CEO Vitaly Davydov told
the Russian press: “It performs tasks important for partisan units.” It is intended to deliver a
payload of 1,102lb (500kg) over a distance of 621 miles (1,000km), taking off within a distance
of just 164ft (50m). extra thrust, the electric motors generate airflow over the wing to increase lifting
Two turboprop engines will drive the Partisan in cruise flight. In addition, ten small propellers force. The first flight of a full-size Partisan demonstrator is scheduled for 2022.
operated by electric motors and activated during take-off are mounted on the wing. As well as the It remains to be seen which ‘partisans’ Russia intends to equip with these aircraft.

64 April20
 RUSSIAN REVIEW

Ka-52K to
Get Another
Chance
THE COMMANDER-IN-CHIEF of the
Russian Navy, Admiral Nikolai Yevmenov,
told the Russian press in January 2020 that
keels would be laid for two new warships
at the beginning of May. These will be
universal amphibious assault ships of a
new class, with a displacement of more
than 20,000 tonnes. Yevmenov said they
will exceed the French Mistral class in
terms of “seaworthiness, operational and
construction characteristics.”
Reference to the French Mistral was
no accident. In June 2011, Russia ordered
two Mistral-class helicopter carriers
from France, with a further two vessels
to be built in Russia. However, in August
2015, the contract was cancelled after an
embargo was imposed on western arms
sales to Russia following Moscow’s seizure
of Crimea.
The Mistral ships were intended to
accommodate an air group of 16 rotorcraft,
including eight Ka-52K combat helicopters. unchanged, since the helicopter can be purchase of Ka-52Ks make sense. Russia ABOVE: Among the
The Ka-52K (Korabelnyi, shipborne; used “on other Russian ships as well as is also actively promoting the Ka-52K in naval-specific features of the
Ka-52K are folding rotors, as
izdeliye 800.20, nicknamed Katran or ‘spiny by navy coastal aviation.” In fact, the 2014 Egypt, as that country acquired the two demonstrated by ‘103’.
dogfish’) is a derivative of the land-based contract for a batch of 32 operational Mistral ships originally built for Russia.
Ka-52 combat helicopter, introducing naval Ka-52Ks has been cancelled. The In the meantime, Kamov is using four TOP: Ka-52K ‘104’ equipped
features such as folding rotor blades and Russian Navy has only one Project pre-production Ka-52Ks for testing new with the OES-52 optoelectronic
wings. Maritime navigation equipment and 1174 (Ivan Rogov-class) assault ship in systems under the Ka-52M modernisation targeting turret and L418-5
crew life-support systems were added, service, able to carry four Ka-29 assault programme; undoubtedly, the later infrared jammers for
self-defence.
and Kh-35UV anti-ship missiles were helicopters. Other ships, such as missile Ka-52Ks will feature similar improvements.
integrated. Four Ka-52Ks – numbers 101 to cruisers, destroyers and frigates, each For example, Ka-52K ‘103’ (the third
104 – were completed for the tests; the first carry one or two anti-submarine or pre-production example) is being
of these took to the air on March 7, 2015. search-and-rescue helicopters and do tested with the new V006 Rezets active
Despite the lack of Mistrals, Russian not require Ka-52Ks. Only now, with electronically scanned radar while ‘104’ is
Helicopters’ management has declared the construction of new large flying with the new OES-52 optoelectronic
that the Ka-52K programme is continuing helicopter-carrying ships, does the navy’s targeting turret and L418-5 infrared jammers.

April20 65
 Naval
Aviation
the Next Decade

The US Navy is set to halt Super Hornet

production early to free up funds for its
next-generation fighter.
US Navy/LT Alex Grammar

66 April20
 US naval aviation is at a crossroads. Production for some aircraft types has
finished or is nearly completed, while the procurement of others has slowed
down. Rick Burgess investigates the switch to future air dominance.
‘F
ewer aircraft’
was at the heart
of the Fiscal Year
2021 US defence
budget request
released on
February 10. It
revealed a significant reduction
compared with the 2020
request and the Future Years
Defense Plan (FYDP)
– which budgets
five years ahead – and
forecasts some
accelerated retirements or
cutbacks in some aircraft types.
The US Navy’s 2021 budget
is focused on all-domain
dominance – sea, air, land,
cyber, space, assured
command and control,
battlespace awareness and
development of an integrated
force. The service is making a
priority of “capable capacity
over less-capable legacy
platforms to pace a rapidly
changing threat”, according to
the budget briefing slides.
The Department of the Navy
plans to fund 121 aircraft with
US$17.2bn in 2021, compared
with US$19.7bn enacted in 2020
for 163 aircraft. The numbers
are projected to drop even
lower in the years from 2022
to 2025, at 107, 113, 96 and
100, respectively. The navy is
now on the final push of its
modernisation effort.
Even so, a report from the
Congressional Budget Office
(CBO), The Cost of Replacing
Today’s Naval Aviation Fleet,
said that naval aviation was
in pretty good shape for now,
having sustained an ambitious
programme of modernising its
aircraft fleet over the past two
decades. Almost half of the
approximately 4,000 aircraft are
less than ten years old.
That is good news in an
era when military aircraft
generally are being retained
in service longer and longer.
Like cars, today they are better
built than their predecessors
and many are designed
for easier modernisation.
Remanufacturing often is a
viable option for lengthening
service lives. Older observers
may well stand amazed that
aircraft designed in their youth
remain in service. Think of the
U-2, B-52, C-130 and C-135.
The E-2, C-2, H-1, VH-3, H-47
and P-3 aren’t much younger
designs. In most cases, the
actual examples of these
aircraft in service today are not
as old, of course, and many
have gone through service-life
extension programmes and
other airframe and
mission-system upgrades.
The CBO report, using data
from June 2018, notes the
average ages of the naval
aircraft fleet is 15.5 years:
17.6 years for strike fighters
and attack aircraft; 6.2
years for electronic attack;
11.6 for rotorcraft; 14.6 for
patrol/reconnaissance/
communications; 21.1 for
fixed-wing transports;
and 20.1 for trainers and
adversary aircraft.
The average ages of some
types stand out. For the T-44
multi-engine trainer it’s 40
years; likewise for the soon-
to-go AH-1W SuperCobra
helicopter gunships. The
T-38C Talons used by the US
Naval Test Pilot School ran an
average age of 50.3 years, while
for the EP-3E Orion fleet it
April20 67
 was 45.7. (The Naval Test Pilot
School’s single NU-1B Otter is 62
years old, but its age is a matter of
pride, not performance).
US Navy aircraft proposed for
procurement in 2021 include 24
F/A-18E/F Super Hornet strike
fighters; 11 F-35C Lightning
II strike fighters; four E-2D
Advanced Hawkeye early warning
aircraft; six CMV-22B Osprey
tiltrotor carrier onboard delivery
(COD) aircraft; and 36 TH-73A
training helicopters.
Procurement for the US Marine
Corps includes ten F-35B and
ten F-35C Lightning II strike
fighters; three MV-22B Osprey
transports; five KC-130J Super
Hercules tanker/transports; seven
CH-53K King Stallion transport
helicopters; and six VH-92A
presidential transport helicopters.
Last Super Hornets
Fiscal 2021 will fund the last
batch of Super Hornets for the
US Navy, under current planning.
The navy had planned to buy
36 more ‘Rhinos’ between 2022
and 2024, but the decision was
made to terminate the F/A-18E/F
procurement early – although it
already has lasted longer than
originally envisioned – and shift
funds to the development of the
Next-Generation Air Dominance
(NGAD) concept, which may
result in a new strike fighter in
the 2030s.
The currently undefined NGAD,
formerly F/A-XX, likely will be
procured in the mid-2030s as
the F/A-18E/F phaseout begins.
Under latest planning it will not
be a joint design with the US Air
Force, reflecting a lesson from
the F-111 project of the 1960s
that had to be re-learned in
68 April20
today’s F-35 programme. The
F/A-18E/F finally has replaced
the F/A-18C in deploying US
Navy strike fighter squadrons
and only one more F/A-18C
carrier deployment will be made
by a US Marine Corps Hornet
squadron.
The navy is now modifying
existing F/A-18E/F Block II
aircraft into Block III versions.
It will also manufacture new
Block III examples featuring
the same conformal fuel tanks,
a new mission computer and
display, a service life of 9,000
hours, Block II infrared search
and track sensor and enhanced
network capability.
The F-35 programme is
planning its 15th year of
low-rate initial production after
two decades of development
and production.
More than 450 F-35s of all
types have been delivered
already, but the milestone of
full-rate production, which
cannot begin until the aircraft
completes initial operational test
and evaluation (IOT&E), remains
elusive for now.
The IOT&E was paused last
year and is expected to resume
in mid-2020 when issues with
the Joint Simulation Environment
are resolved.
Funding is now being provided
for the Block 4 software and Tech
Refresh 3 for the F-35, which will
give the aircraft more computing
power from a new processor,
enhanced memory, a panoramic
cockpit display, additional
weapons capability, electronic
warfare updates, more external
fuel capacity and a ground
collision-avoidance capability.
On the US Marine Corps side,
the F-35B is slowly displacing the
AV-8B Harrier II and F/A-18A/C
Hornet and now the F-35C also
is on strength.
The AV-8B is scheduled to serve
into 2028.
The F-35C Lightning II is
approaching its first carrier
deployment in 2021 with VFA-147
on board USS Carl Vinson (CVN
70). The second is likely with
VMFA-314, which is in transition
to the F-35C.
The EA-18G Growler electronic
attack aircraft has superseded
the EA-6B Prowler in US Navy
squadrons, while the US Marine
Corps retired its last EA-6Bs in
2018, with no direct successor.
Production of the Growler is
ending. The navy has pushed
one more squadron – VAQ-131
–into land-based expeditionary
duty while an air wing is idled.
The E-2D Advanced Hawkeye
is halfway through recapitalising
the E-2C, and the E-2D
requirement has been upped to
77 aircraft.
Replacements for both the
EA-18G and E-2D will be needed
in the mid-2030s.
Future COD
The first CMV-22B carrier
onboard delivery (COD) version
of the Osprey aircraft was
delivered to the US Navy in
February for testing. The navy
plans to procure 44 to replace
the C-2A Greyhound COD
aircraft. Deliveries to the fleet are
slated for later this year and first
deployment is likely to take place
in 2021.
The MH-60R/S Seahawk has
edged out the SH-60B/F and
is now a likely candidate for a
service-life extension programme.
The navy must start looking
at a successor beginning in
the 2020s. Both the navy and
marine corps are monitoring the
US Army’s Future Vertical Lift
(FVL) programme to consider its
solutions for future rotorcraft.
The P-8A Poseidon maritime
patrol reconnaissance aircraft has
mostly replaced the P-3 Orion.
The 2021 budget does not allow
for any more P-8As, although
with the production line open for
foreign procurement the navy
could order more if Congress
funds them in the next few years.
The Congress added three
P-8As to the 2020 budget
because the navy’s requirement
is for about 20 more than
currently financed.
Unmanned Platforms
The MQ-4C Triton high-altitude,
long-endurance (HALE)
unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV)
has reached early operational
capability and, in 2022, will
allow retirement of the
EP-3E Orion (Aries II) electronic
reconnaissance aircraft as the
Triton reaches full operational
capability. Procurement of the
MQ-4C Triton UAV is being
‘gapped’ for 2021-22 to allow
time to mature the UAV’s signals
intelligence suite. The navy’s
few remaining RQ-4A Global
Hawk Broad-Area Maritime
Demonstration UAVs will be
retired beginning in 2023, freeing
up funds for MQ-4C sustainment.
The budget funds research
and development of the
MQ-25A Stingray unmanned
aerial refuelling aircraft for initial
production in 2023 and initial
operational capability in 2024. If
successful, the MQ-25 will
open doors for further uses of
carrier-based UAVs.
The possibility of more
unmanned aircraft also exists.
Success in the MQ-4 and MQ-25
programmes may engender more
missions and development of
more types. The MQ-8 Fire Scout
UAV has been judged a success
and may foster greater potential
for UAVs in the form of the US
 LEFT: The navy is looking at more
unmanned options, building on the
current MQ-25 initiative.
Boeing
OPPOSITE TOP: The maiden flight of the
first CMV-22B took place at Bell’s facility
in Amarillo, Texas, in December 2019.
Bell
OPPOSITE BOTTOM: The CH-53K is
ramping up its flight-test work and will
soon start replacing the CH-53E
in service.
Sikorsky
BELOW: The final AH-1Ws will retire soon
as recapitalisation with the newer AH-1Z
is completed.
USMC/LCpl Andres Hernandez

Marine Corps’ MUX requirement.

The navy also plans to start
retiring the MQ-8B version of the
Fire Scout UAV in 2024, starting
with the first 14. These will be
followed by the final nine when
the MQ-8C version reaches initial
operational capability with a
mine-countermeasures capability
– projected to be 2028 – when
the last MQ-8Bs will stand down.
The navy says it will accelerate
retirement of the MH-53E Sea
Dragon minesweeping helicopter
to begin in 2022, three years
earlier than the original plan to do
so in 2025.
In 2022 the navy reserve will
deactivate Helicopter Sea Combat
Squadron 85, a unit based at
Naval Air Station North Island,
California, that supports special
operations forces (SOF) with its CH-46E Sea Knight and is The CH-53K King Stallion will author that the number 68 is to
MH-60S helicopters. The USAF nearing the end of its production. soon start displacing the CH-53E provide for attrition replacements
and US Army will retain a robust By the mid-2030s, development Super Stallion in US Marine Corps but also to replace Tritons as
SOF support capability and the will need to begin for the heavy helicopter squadrons. The their fatigue life is expended. The
navy’s general-purpose MH-60S replacements for the Osprey. VH-92A presidential transport will excess production will be placed
squadrons also are trained to The UH-1Y Venom utility soon replace the VH-3D Sea King in storage to sustain the fleet for
provide similar capability, the helicopter has allowed the UH-1N and VH-60N White Hawk fleets. decades to come.
navy’s budget book said. to be retired, while the AH-1Z In his February 10 briefing at the
The large quantity of Viper gunship has almost finished The Case for Surplus Pentagon, RADM Randy B Crites,
Leonardo TH-73As planned replacement of the AH-1W The healthy aircraft procurement deputy assistant secretary of the
for procurement in 2021 should SuperCobra helicopter gunship. over the last two decades will navy for budget, said that the
permit the navy to accelerate Next year the retirement of the enable lower budgets from the refuelling and complex overhaul
retirement of the TH-57B/C AH-1W likely will be completed as early 2030s when the F-35, of the aircraft carrier USS Harry S
training helicopter fleet and allow the reserve Marine Light Attack CH-53K and MV-22B Truman (CVN 75) will be funded
it to cancel further depot-level Helicopter Squadron 775 makes programmes wind down, the over the next few years and that
overhauls of the TH-57. However, the transition to the AH-1Z Viper. CBO report said. Beyond that a tenth carrier air wing would be
on February 3, Airbus formally The KC-130J Super Hercules is point, costs are likely to rise as a restored as the navy returns to an
filed a protest about US Naval Air steadily replacing the KC-130T in new round of procurement will 11-carrier force.
Systems Command’s selection of the Marine Corps Reserve, some be needed to replace the current In February the US government
the Leonardo TH-73A. This was of which have been transferred platforms. decided to transfer some funds
filed with the US Government to the Navy Reserve. The navy One approach in sustainment of from the Fiscal Year 2020
Accountability Office (GAO) and is considering procuring more the aircraft inventory is to aircraft procurement accounts
Airbus claimed certain technical KC-130Js to allow retirement of its over-produce and store airframes and cancel the funding of
aspects of its proposal were not C-130T and KC-130T transports. for future use. This is being done two F-35Bs, two MV-22Bs and
assessed accurately. The GAO is The US Navy last year with the MQ-4C Triton. The one P-8A.
expected to make its decision on completed delivery of its C-40A navy plans to order a total of 68 All of the above is subject
this by mid-May, but until then Clipper transports, but also production aircraft, even though to the upcoming rancorous
all work on the programme will ordered the conversion of two its operational requirement is for congressional deliberations, and
be halted. Boeing 737 airliners into C-40As five ‘orbits’ which would need a often the navy and marine corps
The MV-22B Osprey tiltrotor for the marines, which will equip total of 20-25 Tritons to sustain happily end up with more aircraft
transport has replaced the Marine Transport Squadron One. them. Officials explained to the than they requested.

April20 69
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U
nprecedented in its severity,
Australia’s 2019/2020
Australia is starting to
bushfire season has led to emerge from its worst
the death of 33 people and
incinerated millions of acres bushfire season in living
of land containing homes memory, with severe
and wildlife habitats.
As AIR International went to press, fire weather switching to storms
officials in the country’s most populated
state of New South Wales (NSW) were
and floods in some states.
reporting that the fires had been Khalem Chapman and
“contained” following major storms that
brought flooding to the region, although
Paul Eden scrutinise the
they persist in other states. aviation offensive to protect
Australians are well used to fighting
widescale and destructive blazes and the life and land.
nation’s annual preparedness includes a
large fleet of firefighting aircraft assembled
and managed by the National Aerial
Firefighting Centre (NAFC), an
organisation established in 2003 on a
co-operative basis between states and RAN Aircrewman Leading Seaman
territories. The NAFC fleet provides a Ben Nixon from No 808 Squadron
baseline capability through contracts assesses the Tianjara fire in both
the Moreton and Jerrawangala
with a number of external providers
National Parks out of the side door
and totalled 167 aircraft for the current of an MRH90 Taipan multi-role
season, among them 54 Air Tractor AT-802 utility helicopter. The RAN was
single-turboprops in various configurations. operating its MRH90s from HMAS
Josephine Stirling, NAFC’s business Albatross, Nowra and has been
manager, explained: “We lease these integral in the evacuation of
residents from Fishermans
aircraft over the summer period under
Paradise and North Sassafras on
arrangements of different durations. The the south coast of NSW.
fleet is supplemented greatly in number All photos provided by the Commonwealth
of Australia/Department of Defence
under call-when-needed aircraft unless otherwise stated
arrangements, made by the states and
territories themselves. Although we don’t
have visibility over these, by way of
illustration, the highest number of
aircraft engaged on a single day in New
South Wales – which saw the greatest
activity – was 160 on December 22, 2019.
There are 38 aircraft normally available
to NSW, so the additional 122 were all
call-when-needed.”
The current fire season is considered to
have begun last June and the
authorities soon realised it was unusual.
“The challenge for NAFC has been to meet
the emergency ad-hoc requirements of the
States,” Stirling said. “The NAFC fleet was
in place at the beginning of the season, but
its nature meant we added 21 services in
short order, including large fixed-wing air
tankers from North America.”
Three EC-130Q Hercules, one
subsequently replaced by a 737-300
Fireliner, were brought in from Coulson

Disaster D
Aviation’s US fleet, while Oregon-based
Erickson Aero Tanker supplied a pair of

72 April20
Down Under
April20 73
 MD-87s. Together, these aircraft provided
large-capacity support to two RJ85s and In at the DEAP End
three DC-10s from Australia’s Field Air and Australia’s Defence and Science
Technology Group deployed a research aircraft Darwin
AGAIR, respectively. – a modified Beech 1900C known as the
Defence Experimentation Airborne Platform
Three Crew Lost (DEAP) – tasked with looking for hotspots
across Kangaroo Island, South Australia, and
Such large machines bring a
providing image data for RAAF analysts.
particular capability to firefighting efforts, The DEAP employs the WESCAM MX-20HD
with AGAIR noting that while its AT-802s electro-optic/infrared (EO/IR) full-motion
deliver up to 3,000 litres of retardant video kit and a wide-area motion imagery
(WAMI) system, also known as Angel Fire. The bushfire crisis was the first time the
with computer-controlled precision, the aircraft and its kit had been employed to support firefighting efforts. During its inclusion
DC-10 releases 45,000 litres in a single in the operation, defence scientists have investigated the possibility of enhancing the
pass. The company is also notable for platform further by adding a short-wave infrared sensor so it can conduct surveillance
through smoke in the event of future bushfires as well as other emergency response
supplying the NAFC fleet with four Aero scenarios. The DEAP system informs the RAAF on future upgrade options for its P-8A
Commander 690 and two 695 twins, Poseidon fleet. Hawker Pacific
plus a Cessna 337G and Citation 525 in
support roles. Known as Birddogs, the
Aero Commanders in particular are used
to move Air Attack Supervisors rapidly into
position. Remaining on station while
AGAIR’s DC-10s go into action, the
twin-turboprops are equipped
with specialist suites of
cameras and radios that
enable the safe direction
and oversight of
large-aircraft operations.
But combatting any
forest or bush fire,
however well-managed
the operation, is inherently
highly risky and Coulson
Aviation EC-130Q N134CG
crashed during a
firebomb__ing mission to
the Snowy Monaro area of
southern NSW on January 23.
Its three-man crew of Captain
Ian H McBeth, First Officer Paul
Clyde Hudson and Flight Engineer
Rick A DeMorgan Jr was lost.
Accidents also claimed at least
two helicopters, the first a
McDermott Aviation Bell
214B-I 'Big Lifter' - registration Perth
VH-ONZ (c/n 5229) which landed
heavily and rolled onto its side at
Pechey, to the west of Brisbane,
during a firefighting operation
on November 13, 2019. Then, on
January 10, a Touchdown
Helicopters Bell UH-1H - registration
VH-OXI (c/n 4204) - crashed into Ben
Boyd Reservoir in the Ben Boyd
National Park at Edrom, Bega Valley Shire Flight of the Wasps
on NSW’s south coast, as the pilot At the beginning of the year, the ADF employed its
AeroVironment Wasp III small unmanned aerial vehicle
attempted to take on water before (SUAV) to monitor the fire’s progress in the early hours
returning to action. In both cases, the pilots of the morning when helicopters and fixed-wing aircraft
escaped with injuries. The latter machine were not patrolling the area.
Capt Shaun Montgomery, 20th Regiment, Royal
was attached to the NSW Rural Fire Australian Artillery, said: “MRH-90s, MH-60Rs and civilian
Service, which contracts additional aircraft were flying in the area all day from 9am and
firefighting aircraft according to need. most of the night, but there was up to a seven-hour gap
overnight when the fire wasn’t being monitored. The first
These are typical of the machines details of where the fire had spread overnight came from
bolstering NAFC resources and reports back from crews on the ground.”
Josephine Stirling is quick to praise the He added: “We saw an opportunity to provide
reconnaissance support and co-ordinated the airspace
local organisations: “From our
to enable operations during that early morning period.”
perspective, the states and territories did According to Bombardier Jarrod Logan of the same unit, the Wasp III can capture electro-optic/infrared imagery from the ground.
really well, scaling up their response to “We’ve been able to provide some really good product to help the [Emergency Services Agency] detect where the fire front is and decide
meet the challenge of this fire season, how to best delegate their resources,” he said.
As of February 18, the Wasp III was being employed by ADF personnel to monitor spot fires and to assist ACT Emergency Services in
including managing the fatigue of our planning future operations.
firefighters, with the assistance of the

74 April20
 Nightmare over Mallacoota
On New Year’s Eve, bushfires tore through national parks in eastern Victoria, encircling and cutting
Every Life Counts off the coastal town of Mallacoota and its residents in what was one of the worst incidents during the
Crew members of the Royal crisis. For the evacuation and firefighting effort, the RAAF deployed three C-27J Spartans and 34 personnel
Australian Navy’s Airbus Helicopters from No 35 Squadron to assist the army’s Chinooks, MRH-90s and Black Hawks, as well as the RAN’s
H135T2+, serial N52-009 (c/n HMAS Choules and contracted SAR helicopters. RAAF King Air 350s also brought in essential supplies and
1232), have been working with emergency personnel to the town, as well as being used to extract local people.
environmentalists to check on the Heavy smoke and poor visibility provided horrific conditions for aircraft crews trying to get into
status of habitats belonging to Mallacoota and it wasn’t until January 3 that the first C-27J was able to land. That day it evacuated 25
critically endangered species, such people. The next day, conditions thwarted attempts to reach the town. On January 5, conditions had
as the Southern Corroboree frog, improved enough for the ADF to evacuate 381 people, 243 of which were rescued by the C-27J across eight
which inhabits Mount Kosciuszko missions. By January 8, 472 people had been removed from Mallacoota, while both ADF and contracted SAR
National Park. helicopters had delivered medical personnel and nearly 17.7 tons (18 tonnes) of supplies to the town.
Flt Lt Sean Joyce, an RAAF C-27J pilot with No 35 Squadron, said: “I don’t think any of the crew on board
have encountered conditions like this
before.” He added that on some days the
visibility was down to 1640ft (500m) or less
and getting into the town was impossible.
“We were utilising all of the tools we have
available to get in – and on some days,
none of those will get us there. On other
days, we can make it in and we’ll work a
full crew duty just to get as much as we
can in and out of Mallacoota,” he added.
In total, the ADF’s C-27J, CH-47F,
MRH90, King Air 350 and S-70A-9 aircraft
helped in evacuating 4,000 residents
from Mallacoota.

Pechey: scene of Bell 412 crash

Brisbane

Jerry to the Rescue

New South Erikson’s Sikorsky S-64E Skycrane – N247AC
(c/n 64-052), known as ‘Jerry’ – comes in to refuel at

•
Wales State Mittagong Airfield in the Southern Highlands of NSW.
Helicopters such as ‘Jerry’ were employed as aerial
firefighters alongside fixed-wing aircraft.

Sydney

Adelaide
Canberra

•
Melbourne

Victoria

Snowy Monaro: scene of EC-130Q crash

International Response
The Royal New Zealand Air Force (RNZAF) provided three
NH90s from No 3 Squadron in support of Operation Bushfire Assist.
Ben Boyd: scene of UH-1H crash Two of the helicopters were based at HMAS Albatross, supporting
bushfire preparation work ahead of threats in the ACT. Soldiers from
the 7th Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment, cleared access trails and
helicopter landing points prior to the deployment of ACT firefighting
Southern Tasmania strike teams.

Hobart
April20 75
 160 Highest number of aircraft
used on a single day in NSW,
on December 22, 2019

38 Aircraft normally available

to NSW

122
International Military Support

Call-when-needed aircraft
in NSW

National Resource Sharing Centre, which

called upon our friends in North America to
come over and join the effort.”

Military Response
With the annual bushfire season quickly
turning into a crisis of national and even
global proportions – ash was detected as
far away as South America – the Australian
Defence Force (ADF) launched Operation
Bushfire Assist in June 2019.
Domestically, the ADF deployed air assets
to assist three Joint Task Forces (JTF)
operating around the most affected regions The Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) MRH90 Taipan (NH90) and S-70A-9 Black
– those being JTF 646 in Victoria, JTF 1110 mobilised its C-17A Globemaster III, B350 Hawks, while the Royal Australian Navy
in New South Wales and the Australian King Air, C-27J Spartan, C-130J-30 Super (RAN) deployed H135T2+ helicopters,
Capital Territory, and JTF 1111 operating in Hercules, KC-30A and P-8A Poseidon MRH90s (which are pooled with the army’s
South Australia and Tasmania. fleets. The Australian Army Aviation Corps Taipan fleet) and MH-60R Seahawks.
The aircraft involved come from all (AAAvn) provided the bulk of the helicopter From January 2020, three AAAvn MRH90
three branches of the Australian military. support, employing its CH-47F Chinooks, helicopters operating out of RAAF Base

4 Known Aircraft Lost

Coulson Aviation EC-130Q N134CG, Snowy Monaro,
NSW, January 23, with loss of three crew.
Aerial Agriculture's Bell UH-1H Iroquios, VH-ONZ (c/n
5229), January 9, Ben Boyd National Park at Edrom,
on NSW’s south coast.
Touchdown Helicopters' UH-1H, VH-OXI (c/n 4204),
December 7, 2019, Crawford River, north of
Newcastle, NSW.
McDermott Aviation Bell 214B-I 'Big Lifter',
P2-MLJ (c/n 28066), Pechey, November 13, 2019.

76 April20

ABOVE: Lockheed EC-130Q Hercules – N134CG (c/n
382-4904) – drops fire retardant to douse bushfires
in Penrose, NSW, on January 10. Unfortunately, the
aircraft collided with terrain after dropping retardant
during fire control operations near Peak View, NSW,
on January 23. The aircraft was completely destroyed
and its three crew onboard was fatally injured. The
Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) is currently
investigating the accident and a final report will be
published following its conclusion. The aircraft entered
service in the early-1980s with the US Navy as BuNo
161496 and was placed into storage at Davis-Monthan Air
Force Base (AFB), Arizona, before being resurrected and
repurposed as an air tanker for Coulson Aviation in 2017.
Saeed Khan – AFP/Getty Images
LEFT: A variety of aircraft, both large and small, have
been employed to combat the fires raging in Australia.
Infantrymen from the 1st/19th Battalion, Royal NSW
Regiment, rush to load an AT802 Air Tractor fire bomber
with fire retardant at Canberra Airport.
RIGHT: C-27J Spartans have proved their value in the
operations, being able to deliver cargo, transport
firefighters and evacuate residents from areas
inaccessible to larger fixed-wing transport aircraft.
“It's eye-opening to see the amount of
devastation these bushfires are causing, and
humbling to witness the selflessness of
volunteers and community spirit.”
RAAC C-27J pilot Flt Lt Andrew Willesdorf
East Sale in support of operations in
Victoria, although by mid-February they
were due back at their Townsville home
base imminently. Usually an RAAF training
base at its peak in January, the East Sale
site hosted an AAAvn MRH90, two S-70As,
along with four C-27Js and four Chinooks.
While firefighting is the responsibility of
civilian airborne assets, ADF aircraft have
been heavily involved moving military and
civilian personnel, equipment, retardant
and relief supplies, as well as performing
reconnaissance and surveillance missions,
and supporting ADF personnel deployed
in the field.
Fire-mapping surveillance of the fire
was provided by the Poseidon and the
platform’s extensive sensor suite but, from
February, its requirement was reduced
as the fire threat eased across the nation.
C-130J-30s and C-27Js have supplied
the majority of the RAAF’s domestic air
transport mission, with the service’s C-17
and KC-30A fleets leading an international
cargo mission. In January, the C-17 and
KC-30A fleets delivered 117 tonnes of fire
retardant in powder form from the US. Up
April20 77
 International Military Support
Military Contingent Personnel Numbers Aircraft Status (as of mid-February)
Indonesian National Armed Forces (INAF) 43 1 x C-130H (at Engineers arrived in early February to support operations in the Blue Mountains, NSW. INAF assistance was
least) ongoing.
Japan Air Self-Defense Force (JASDF) 71 2 x C-130H The JASDF aircraft and personnel departed Australia on February 9.
New Zealand Defence Force (NZDF) 80 (approx) 3 x NH90 The RZDF engineering support and aircraft have returned to New Zealand.
1 x C-130H
Papua New Guinean Defence Force (PNGDF) 99 N/A The PNGDF supported JTF 646. All personnel returned to Papua New Guinea on February 21.
Republic of Fiji Military Force (RFMF) 54 N/A Engineers from the RFMF were still working with ADF personnel in East Gippsland, Victoria.
Republic of Singapore Air Force (RSAF) 40 (approx) 2 x CH-47SD The RSAF has completed its final tasking and were located in Oakey, Queensland. The RSAF assisted the
ADF in delivering fodder, food and water, along with the movement of firefighters to inaccessible areas.
Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) N/A 1 x CC-177A At least one RCAF CC-177A Globemaster III delivered personnel, retardant and equipment from overseas to
(at least) assist the operation.
United States Air Force (USAF) 10 N/A Remaining personnel departed for Guam on February 16. When the USAF assisted the ADF, it operated from
RAAF Base East Sale, Victoria.

to February 18, Operation Bushfire Assist

delivered 5,813,500 litres of water, 73,300
litres of fuel and 1,344,075kg of fodder
(hay/straw) to affected communities by air
and ground transports.
Flt Lt Andrew Willersdorf, an RAAF C-27J
pilot, said: “It’s eye-opening to see the amount
of devastation these bushfires are causing and
humbling to witness the selflessness of volun-
teers and community spirit… Being a pilot in
the air force is always diverse and rewarding,
but giving back to our own communities
makes me very proud to be part of the ADF.”
He praised the Spartan for being “suitable
for sustained operations like this because
it is light on the ground and won’t damage
airfields during constant take-off and landing
rotations”. By January, C-27J operations as we were facing.” ABOVE: Australian Army personnel belonging to the
part of JTF 646 had totalled 119 flights moving After more than four months of 1st/19th Battalion, Royal New South Wales Regiment
139,001lbs (63,049kg) of cargo, 1014 passen- nightmarish conditions, the number of refill 10 Tanker Air Carriers’ McDonnell Douglas DC-10-30,
gers, 30 household pets and 14 koalas. military personnel involved in Operation N522AX (c/n 48315/436), with fire retardant solution.
Many nations provided additional Bushfire Assist is reducing daily. As of BELOW: An RAA MRH-90 and its crew belonging to
support, in the form of firefighters, aid February 18, domestic forces from the the 6th Aviation Regiment braves hellish conditions
and even military aircraft. Among the Australian Defence Force (ADF) stood to provide support at Polo Flat, Cooma, not far from
latter, the Royal New Zealand Air Force at 4,600 – including 1,100 reservists Mallacoota.
deployed three NH90 helicopters and the – compared to January’s figures of 6,400
Republic of Singapore Air Force and 2,500 respectively. At the same time,
supplied two CH-47SDs, while the Japan the total number of international military
Air Self-Defense Force contributed a pair of staff supporting the fight against the raging
C-130H Hercules. Other aircraft delivering inferno sweeping across the country had
personnel, retardant and equipment from also dropped to 196 from 350.
overseas included Canadian CC-117A and With the fire beginning to ease in late
Indonesian C-130H transports. January, due to intense and much-needed
Looking back to when the crisis was at rainfall Australia was faced with another
its peak, NAFC’s Josephine Stirling said: issue – flooding. To assist in areas under
“I understand that approximately 120 threat, rotary wing assets from the ADF
countries offered support of differing kinds have been on hand to provide SAR and
to Australia. It was heartening, given what cargo transport operations.

78 April20

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Rotary
Roundup
H
elicopter Association
International’s (HAI’s)
annual Heli Expo 2020
was held earlier than in
previous years, taking place
at the end of January. It has
been six years since the
event was last held in Anaheim, California,
80 April20
California’s
and unfortunately the latest iteration was
somewhat overshadowed by the fatal crash
of a Sikorsky S-76 within the Los Angeles
county area, two days before the event.
The victims were the pilot, famous former
basketball player Kobe Bryant, as well as
some of his family and friends.
All the main original equipment
Ian Frain reports from
Anaheim, California, on Heli
Expo 2020, a major trade event
for the helicopter industry.
manufacturers (OEMs) and major suppliers
flock to this leading rotary event to talk
helicopter business. They were treated to
a host of exciting developments – looking
forward to the future and also to the best
of the past, with some classic legacy
airframes being exhibited.
Bell brought in a single-engine Bell 505
 LEFT: Bell brought a twin-engine 525 Relentless prototype to Heli Expo. Bell
BELOW MIDDLE: MD Helicopters (MDH) exhibited its armed MD530G Block II scout light attack helicopter, which is
equipped with an Elbit Systems’ Integrated Weapons System (IWS), the Helmet Display and Tracking System (HDTS),
Weapons Management System (WMS) and Mission Management System (MMS). All images via Ian Frain unless otherwise stated
BOTTOM: The new Subaru Bell 412 EPX is a joint venture with Japanese company Subaru Aerospace. Subaru
BELOW: Sikorsky and United Rotorcraft showed this S-70i Firehawk of the San Diego Fire Department.

p
ent

JetRanger light helicopter and a twin-

engine 525 Relentless prototype that
was fitted with passenger seating. The
company has an exemption that allows
it to fly potential customers, even though
the airframe is classed as experimental.
It announced its collaboration with
Norwegian oil and gas operator

April20 81

Wintershall Dea Norge A/S in introducing
the Relentless to the North Sea operations.
On a smaller scale, the Southern
California Edison Electricity Board’s new
Bell 429 was among the products on
display. It was flown in and out by former
Helicopter Association International
chairman Torbjorn ‘TC’ Correll, who is also
the chief pilot for the operation. Both the
Bell 429 and Bell 505 were used for flight
demonstrations at the Angels of Anaheim
sports stadium.
Two blue helicopters dominated the Bell
booth. One Bell 407GXi, equipped with
rescue hoist for the parapublic role, was on
display, while the new Subaru Bell 412EPX
also appeared. This joint venture between
Bell and Japanese company Subaru
Aerospace is a result of the Japanese
ministry of defence and Japan Ground
Self-Defense Force (JGSDF) UH-X (Utility
Helicopter-X) programme to replace their
fleet of 127 legacy Bell Fuji UH-1J utility
helicopters. Bell won the competition
with then-Fuji to build the helicopters in
Japan to supply the armed forces, with the
commercial variant also exhibited from
the launch customer for the 412EPX – the
Japanese National Police Agency. Japanese
authorities fly a combination of Airbus, Bell,
Leonardo and even Sikorsky airframes
and, with Bell, they fly the legacy 206L4
LongRanger and 412.
Airbus’ Enhanced Presence
Mention must be made of Airbus
Helicopters as its products across the
globe achieved a major fleet milestone of
100 million flight hours as of this year. There
were two UK-registered helicopters at the
Airbus stand, an H125 (formerly designated
as AS350B3) and a luxury Airbus
Corporate ACH130 (formerly known as
EC130T2) Aston Martin Edition Helicopter.
The H130 was based on, and developed
from, the successful AS350B3 series.
82 April20
Aeronautics and Space Administration
(NASA) placed an order at the show for
three H135 twin-engine helicopters, which
are used globally within the parapublic
marketplace. The H135s replace the
legacy UH-1H helicopters in support of
operations at the Kennedy Space Center
with a multitude of missions such as
safety, security during rocket launches,
aerial firefighting and transportation of
key personnel. The H135s will be procured
via Davenport Aviation and the HUBZone
contractor, the latter an expert in the
supply of aerospace equipment to federal,
state and government agencies.
Standing alone behind the Airbus booth
was the new San Diego Gas and Electric
H145 used for powerline support, among
other missions, to monitor, support and
repair the city and county electricity and
gas supplies. This is the first H145 utilised
for this mission in North America.
Leonardo Leads the Way
Leonardo recently won the US Navy TH-XX
Recently, Airbus Helicopters partnered competition to replace the five-decade-old
with British luxury car manufacturer Bell TH-57C Sea Ranger training helicopter.
Aston Martin Lagonda and, on January The competition included proposals from
3, launched the ACH130 Aston Martin Bell with the 407GXi and Airbus Helicopters
Edition Helicopter, with four versions H135. During the year of campaigning,
available. These include external liveries Leonardo utilised an AW119 Koala platform
– Skyfall Silver, Xenon Grey, Arizona and dubbed TH-119 at various locations, though
Ultramarine Black – with complementary primarily at Naval Air Station Whiting Field,
interiors and the synonymous Aston Martin
wings embossed on the seating.
The white Airbus Helicopters H125 on ABOVE: NASA placed an order at the show for three
static had ‘More Power, Enhanced Visibility, H135 twin-engine helicopters. NASA
Simplified HMI’ emblazoned on the tail as THIS IMAGE: Airbus Helicopters has partnered with
the type will now receive a boost with up luxury car manufacturer Aston Martin for the ACH130
Aston Martin Edition. Airbus Helicopters
to an additional 190kg (418lb) of payload
from the new Safran Helicopter Engines
Arriel 2D. Additional improvements with
performance include the hover ceiling
out of ground effect (OGE) increase of an
extra 1,500ft (up to 12,600ft) as another
example. The ‘Simplified HMI’ statement
refers to the human machine interface,
with improvements in the helicopter’s
avionics suites in the form of an upgrade
to its Vehicle Engine Management Display
(VEMD) software. The more compact and
simplified cockpit improvements include
the Garmin G500H TXI touchscreen
and a ‘remote FLI solution’ developed
by California’s AKV Inc. This gives the
pilot the ability to see the VEMD engine
display on a smartphone or tablet via
Bluetooth connection, while keeping an
eye on external loads by sight. All in all,
these improvements had an emphasis on
improving visibility and pilot awareness,
and physically reducing the cockpit display
surface area by 40%.
The offshore marketplace was
represented by Mexican operator
Transportes Aereos Pegasso’s H175. The
company operates in the Gulf of Mexico
and has a sizeable fleet of 20-plus aircraft,
including a few of the seven ton-class
helicopters in support of the oil industry.
In a historical first, the National
Florida. The Koala platform will be designated
TH-73 in service and during the show
Leonardo demonstrated the TH-119 in navy
livery to customers and media who had the
opportunity to fly around the local area.
In another first, Texas-based Travis
County STAR (Shock Trauma Air Rescue)
Flight’s new AW169 was on display at the
Leonardo booth. This is the first helicopter
emergency medical service (HEMS)
AW169 in the North American marketplace.
Travis County purchased three AW169s
replacing three HEMS Airbus Helicopters
EC145 and one Bell UH-1H Super Huey
(used for firefighting). The AW169 will be
equipped with a Simplex belly firefighting
tank to fulfil the aerial firefighting role as
well as its primary HEMS duties.
On the corporate side, there was an
AW139 helicopter fitted with a luxury
interior while, from the offshore sector,
there was a larger AW189 belonging
to Era Helicopters.
Several Sikorsky (Lockheed Martin) Black
Hawks, albeit in Firehawk configuration,
were present at the event. Most notable
was a trio of the newest S-70i Firehawks.
The i-version – international Black Hawk
– is manufactured by Sikorsky’s Polish
subsidiary PZL Milec, which handles all
S-70/UH-60 airframes destined for foreign
militaries, parapublic or commercial
operators globally, including the
continental United States, but not the US
Army, Air Force or Navy.
The Los Angeles County Fire Department
(LACoFD) has taken delivery of two new
S-70i in addition to their fleet of three
20-year-old S-70 Firehawks and five legacy
Bell 412s.
The S-70i can feature an EMS interior
from Air Methods (a division of United
Rotorcraft) and a 1,000 US gallon (3,785
lit) belly tank that necessitates raised
“In a historical first, the National Aeronautics and Space
Administration (NASA) placed an order at the show for three Airbus
Helicopters H135 twin-engine helicopters.”
undercarriage, synonymous with the
Firehawk design. Historically, the LACoFD
inspired the design of the Firehawk and
was the first customer in the late 1990s.
Both Sikorsky and United Rotorcraft
delivered new S-70i Firehawks, not only
for the LACoFD, but also to the San
Diego Fire Department (SDFD) and the
California Department of Forestry (CDF).
Both the SDFD and CDF Firehawks were
also on display.
The LACoFD was not the only operator
on show with commercial Black Hawks as
there were several other operators/owners
at the show. However, these were all ex-US
Army airframes now being utilised in the
commercial marketplace. Four years ago at
Heli Expo 2016 in Louisville, Kentucky, an
ex-US Army UH-60A appeared for the first
time with its respective new commercial
operator, and since then more and more
UH-60As have been entering service
and performing a multitude of missions,
predominantly aerial firefighting and
systems testing. Florida-based Firehawk
Helicopters brought its UH-60A to
Anaheim, while California-based HP (High
Performance) Heavy Lift and Construction
Helicopters showed a white UH-60
equipped with an unusual combination
of leather-bound VIP interior and belly
firefighting tank.
Heli Austria’s new Firecat, an Airbus
AS332L1 Super Puma modified for aerial
firefighting, was also on display. Roy
Knaus, who owns one of the largest
helicopter companies in Europe in
April20 83

Heli Austria, operates a mixed fleet of
Airbus Helicopters H125, H130, H135,
H145, AS355, AS332L1, MD Helicopters
MD902, and Bell 412. The company is
headquartered south of Salzburg at St
Johann im Pongau, and operates all over
the country, in addition to neighbouring
Switzerland, Germany and Italy, as well as
further afield in Iceland. The AS332L1 is
a modification and a Supplemental Type
Certificate (STC) for the Super Puma. This
includes shaving off weight by removing
the fuel and undercarriage sponsons, with
a fixed undercarriage in its place. Heli
Austria has also acquired a former AS332L
Super Puma, which will be converted
into ‘Firecat’ configuration and equipped
with the Helitak belly-mounted, aerial
firefighting tank. This tank has a capacity
of 4,250 litres ( just over 1,100 US gals). This
particular Firecat is off to Canada to join
Coldstream Helicopters in Kelowna, British
Columbia, for the fire season.
Airborne Emergency Response
It wasn’t just the global commercial
helicopter companies that had a presence
inside the exhibition halls – airborne law
enforcement had a big part to play.
Both the Los Angeles Police Department’s
(LAPD’s) Air Support to Regular Officers
(ASTRO) Division and San Bernardino
Sheriff brought the latest H125 in its fleet.
At the opposite end of the scale the Pinal
County Sheriff exhibited a UH-1H Huey.
Other legacy aircraft operators included
the Santa Barbara County Sheriff Bell
UH‑1N used for search and rescue (SAR),
while Washoe County RAVEN (Regional
Aviation Enforcement Unit) showed a Bell
OH-58C Kiowa.
Aside from the airborne firefighting
Firehawks, which are equipped with
EMS equipment for secondary medical
evacuation (medevac) missions, there were
a couple of air ambulances.
Metro Aviation from Shreveport,
Louisiana, provided an Airbus Helicopters
EC145e eLite and Bell 407GX. Air Methods
provides 130 aircraft across 18 states for
84 April20
the emergency medical service mission.
The other half of Metro’s business involves
air medical completions, and as such the
company holds some 30 Supplemental
Type Certificates (STCs).
Metro designs, manufactures and then
installs air medical interiors for around 35
aircraft per year.
About five years ago, Airbus Helicopters
began to cease production of the EC145
(BK117C2), then, with the interest and
encouragement of Metro Aviation, the
EC145e eLite was developed and produced
by Airbus Helicopters USA.
The eLite is a lighter version of the EC145,
following the removal of the Single Pilot
Instrument Flight Rules (SPIFR) equipment.
Metro Aviation was the launch customer
and subsequently it now markets the eLite
across the North American marketplace.
Smaller But No Less Important
MD Helicopters (MDH) exhibited its
latest products, which included a new
airborne law enforcement MD530F
belonging to Fresno County Sheriff and
LEFT: The Los Angeles County Fire Department (LACoFD)
has taken delivery of two new S-70i Firehawks.
OPPOSITE TOP: A Kaman K-Max owned by
Helicopter Express.
OPPOSITE BOTTOM: A new airborne law enforcement
MD530F owned by Fresno County Sheriff Department.
BELOW: The S-70i can feature an EMS interior from
Air Methods (a division of United Rotorcraft) and a
1,000 US gallon (3,785 lit) belly tank that necessitates
raised undercarriage, synonymous with the
Firehawk design.
the armed MD530G Block II scout light
attack helicopter. The Block II product is
equipped with Elbit Systems’ Integrated
Weapons System (IWS), the Helmet
Display and Tracking System (HDTS),
Weapons Management System (WMS)
and Mission Management System
(MMS).
Enstrom Helicopters from Michigan
exhibited a turbine 480B and F280 light
training helicopters, while Robinson
Helicopters of Torrance, California,
exhibited its R44 Cadet and R66
Turbine helicopters.
One major piece of news came from
Leonardo, which has acquired Swiss
Kopter company (formerly known as
Marenco Swiss Helicopter).
Kopter exhibited another mock-up of
its SH09 at the show, displaying the final
design features.
These include a new main rotor
configuration, a redesigned tail rotor,
an enhanced gearbox, modified landing
gear and larger cabin space for
extra seating.
The Future of Vertical Flight?
Several companies including the major
OEMs such as Airbus Helicopters and
Bell, partnering with the likes of Uber,
are developing vertical take-off and
landing (VTOL) urban air taxi/personal
air transport for the near future. Heli
Expo 2018 was at the forefront of
showing these emerging technologies,
and now in 2020 we were able to see
some of the results.
Airbus Helicopters A3 first flew the
Vahana self-piloted electric VTOL
(EVTOL) tilt0wing vehicle demonstrator
at the end of January 2018. A month later
in February, Airbus Helicopters partnered
with Fly Blade Inc, which arranges
commercial helicopter transportation for
customers, to develop an on-demand
helicopter flight experience, with a view
to leading the urban air mobility (UAM)
marketplace. At this year’s Heli Expo, the
Vahana was on display for all to see and
currently it has conducted more than 80
full-scale test flights.
The helicopter industry has seen its share
of ups and downs in recent years, notably
with the offshore marketplace and the this workhorse, mainly in the aerial military support and commercial
downturn of the oil market. At the end of logging and firefighting mission, with its helicopter work in Afghanistan, including
January 2020, two of the largest offshore S-64E/F Aircranes. Erickson operates vertical replenishment (VERTREP) for
operators merged, Bristow Group and Era in the Mediterranean region from Italy, navy vessels.
Group (Era Helicopters in Louisiana and Greece and Turkey during the firefighting As usual at Heli Expo conventions, aside
Alaska). Bristow has a large fleet of just season with a fleet of S-64 Aircranes. It from the main OEMs exhibiting their
over 200 aircraft while Era has a fleet of has sold Aircranes in the Chinese and products, there was a range of helicopters
around 100, both coming together under Republic of Korean marketplaces, and on sale – from used Bell 429 and Bell
the Bristow banner. to the Italian Forestry Corps (Corpo 206L to a former law enforcement Airbus
In other notable news, Erickson Aircrane di Forestale). Erickson also operates Helicopters H125.
Incorporated announced it would be a varied fleet of rotary and fixed-wing In this booming marketplace, Heli Expo
introducing the S-64F+ Aircrane into the aircraft, having acquired the then legacy underscored its position as a world-leading
marketplace. Erickson took over the type Evergreen Helicopters. The fleet event, showcasing new technologies and
certificate of Vietnam-era Sikorsky CH-54 includes Airbus Helicopters H125, AS332, offering a valuable range of updates from
Tarhe flying crane in the early 1970s. The Bell 212, Bell 214ST (Super Transport) around the world of rotary aviation, albeit
company still manufactures and operates and Bell 412, and it also undertakes with a strong US flavour.

April20 85
 Modern fighter training is put to
the test as Dave Unwin
gets airborne in the second
part of his focus on pilot
training. Here he considers
the fast-paced future
for students.
Future Fighters and H
H
aving already
flown most of
the RAF’s basic
and advanced
trainers, when I
was offered the
opportunity to
evaluate the force’s latest machine,
the Grob 120TP, at the company’s
HQ in Tussenhausen, Germany,
it was an enticing prospect.
Comparisons with my previous
experiences with the Tiger Moth,
Magister, Harvard, Chipmunk,
Bulldog, Gnat and Hawk, among
others, would be inevitable.
This machine would handle
very differently.
Known as the Prefect in RAF
service, it is an all-composite
aeroplane with side-by-side
seating based on the successful
piston-engine G120A, but is a
much more potent machine as it is
powered by a 456shp Rolls-Royce
M250-B17F turboprop turning a
five-blade MT Aerospace constant
speed/reversible propeller. In
keeping with military philosophy
(and for pilots who may eventually
be streamed on to helicopters or
86 April20
become co-pilots on transport
aircraft), the cockpit is configured
to be flown solo from the right seat.
Teutonic Systems
The fully integrated glass
cockpit contains a graphical FMS
(flight management system),
synthetic vision with Highway in
the Sky (HITS) presentation for
both precision and non-precision
approaches, Terrain Awareness
I fired 95 virtual rounds with good ranging.
and Traffic Avoidance Systems
(TAWS/TAS) and integrated
audio/radio. The instrument
panel is fitted with a sophisticated
Genesys Aerosystems avionics
suite, which consists of four
identically-sized liquid crystal
display screens mounted
vertically. These are arranged as
a PFD (primary flight display) in
front of each pilot, with the other
two functioning as MFDs
(multi-function displays) – one
for systems, the other for
situational awareness in the
centre of the panel.
In flight, it felt and flew more
like a jet than a propeller-driven
aircraft. To the uninitiated this
may seem unlikely, bearing in
mind there is a massive
five-bladed prop churning away
– but Grob’s engineers have
done an excellent job in making
the G120TP, well, jet-like. From
the single power lever operation
to the absence of P-factor
(asymmetric blade effect),
it just doesn’t feel like a
propeller-driven aeroplane.
I think that the G120TP is
a great aircraft. It possesses
superb performance and
outstanding handling,
combined with good fuel
economy; a relatively
low-maintenance airframe with
a large comfortable cockpit and
advanced, integrated systems.
I also think it’s a fine trainer. It’s
easy – but not too easy to fly,
while the integrated CVR/FDR
(cockpit voice recorder/flight
data recorder) is a powerful
MDS (Mission Debriefing
System) tool. The arguments
for side-by-side as opposed
to tandem seating have their
pros and cons, but having been
instructed and given instruction
in aircraft featuring both
configurations, I’d say that in the
early stages of flight training the
pros of side-by-side outweigh
the cons. And, of course, the
G120TP is much more than
just a training aircraft – it is
part of a complete package
that incorporates Ground
Based Training Systems
(simulators and cockpit
procedure trainers) along with
computer-based training for
theoretical instruction.
Finally, although
turbine-powered aircraft are
thirstier and more expensive
to both buy and maintain and
as there are practically no
operational piston-powered
aircraft in both the civil and
military worlds, starting off
in a turbine-powered aircraft
d Hi-Tech Turboprops
seems to make perfect sense.
In fact, as the G120TP can also
be fitted with HOTAS (hands
on throttle and stick) systems
and lightweight Martin-Baker
Mk17B ejection seats, it’s an
ideal introductory aircraft for the
world of military flying. I really
liked it, and am not surprised
it won the UK Military Flying
Training System competition.
RAF pilots graduate from the
G120TP to the Beechcraft
Texan T1, but many air forces
now use the Pilatus PC-21 for
advanced training, so as well
as visiting Tussenhausen, AIR
International journeyed to Stans
in Switzerland to fly the PC-21.
Alpine Interlude
My visit to Stans started with
a comprehensive briefing,
not just on the aircraft but the
entire training system, because
that’s exactly what it is – a fully
integrated 21st century platform
built around the PC-21 that
uses the very latest computer
technology, in the air and on
the ground. The premise behind
Pilatus’ training system is very
simple – to bypass the jet
module of a trainee fighter pilot’s
syllabus completely, while fully
preparing them for the cockpit
of a modern fighter. And, as
I was soon to learn, not only
does the PC-21 feel like a jet,
its systems cleverly replicate
those of a modern fighter. For
example, by using datalinks it
is possible to synthesise the
use of air-to-air weapons, while
employing GPS along with
TOP LEFT: Current thinking is that
by 2040 the Typhoon fleet will be
approaching its out-of-service date,
with the prospect of its successor, the
Tempest, being optionally manned.
BAE Systems
TOP RIGHT: The PC-21 is unlike any
prop-driven aircraft I’ve ever flown.
Pilatus
LEFT: The Grob 120TP has a fully
integrated glass cockpit, featuring a
Genesys Aerosystems avionics suite.
Grob
pre-programmed virtual ground
targets allows it to accurately
represent the air-to-ground role,
right down to having synthetic
gun and surface-to-air missile
(SAM) sites to avoid or attack.
It even has a virtual radar
warning receiver (RWR) system.
Additionally, the hands on
throttle and stick (HOTAS),
head-up display (HUD) and
multi-function displays (MFDs)
are completely customisable. So,
when a student graduates from
the PC-21 training system they
will have already accumulated
a great deal of flight time in an
aircraft whose systems are in
many ways like the F-16, F/A-18,
Rafale or Typhoon they’ll fly at
the Operational Conversion Unit.
The importance of this is hard
to overstate, as familiarisation
with the symbology in the HUD
is very helpful, as is developing
‘muscle memory’ regarding
the ‘switchology’ of the HOTAS
system. It features 14 different
buttons and switches, and some
have more than one function.
Operating the HOTAS system
April20 87
 is not a skill that can be learned
in a single session.
Having climbed into the
tandem cockpit and strapped
myself into the Martin-Baker
Mk16 ejection seat, I took stock
of the instruments and controls.
Incidentally, at the advanced
stage of training, tandem seating
is more appropriate. All the
primary flight and navigation
information is displayed on
the HUD and the rear cockpit
HUD repeater, along with the
weapons aiming data. The panel
is dominated by a central primary
flight display (PFD) and two large
MFDs, while the Pratt & Whitney
PT6-68B engine turns a
five-blade composite prop.
Although the maximum power
output is 1,600shp, this is
scheduled as a function of
airspeed through the Power
Management System (PMS).
Consequently, at speeds below
80kt the power is limited to
1,080shp, while the full 1,600 isn’t
available until 200kt has been
attained. It’s a very clever system,
which greatly reduces rudder
inputs during take-off. It’s this
combination of the PMS and
automatic yaw compensation
provided by the TAD (Trim Aid
Device) that allows the -21 to
more accurately replicate the
flying characteristics of a jet.
88 April20
As the wing is quite small the
wing-loading is relatively high
and it really does feel like one as
the speed, lack of vibration and
rock-solid ride make it unlike
any prop-driven aircraft I’ve
ever flown. Indeed, apart from
the prop, the biggest clue that
we aren’t in a jet is that the fuel
flow gauge shows we’re only
burning about of 200kg of Avtur
an hour. That said, at the top of a
loop is when the similarities part
company, as the slow airspeed
and high power setting at the
apex requires a squeeze of right
rudder to keep the ball centred.
I flew the aircraft twice and
dropped or fired virtual bombs,
rockets and the cannon in both
air-to-ground and air-to-air
modes, as well as seeing how
the synthetic radar and RWR
panel works.
Swish Swiss
When air-to-ground, we
achieved near-instantaneous
scores on the MFD, just as if
we were on the range, and
when air-to-air the MFD also
confirmed whenever one of our
virtual AA missiles destroyed
the target. After each flight, we
downloaded all the information
from the Mission Data Recorder
(MDR). This is an incredibly
powerful debriefing tool because
it completely removes any
ambiguities or misunderstandings
between student and instructor.
For example, during the debrief
the MDR revealed that in one
dogfight I fired 95 virtual rounds
with good ranging, of which 6-9
had good tracking, for a definite
kill. There was no room for
misunderstanding there.
After both of my flights we still
had plenty of fuel – the biggest
advantage of using a turboprop
instead of a jet. Indeed, the only
thing that the PC-21 can’t do
is fly equivalent speeds. When
I flew the Hawk a couple of
times many years ago, we did
everything at 420kt, or seven
miles a minute. However, 300kt
is still fast, and certainly faster
than any other military turboprop,
but it isn’t just about the aircraft.
The whole package is simply so
sophisticated and well integrated
that the PC-21 is probably the
first true 21st century trainer. The
jet-like performance at turboprop
costs, customisable HOTAS, HUD
and MFD pages make it a great
trainer. The synthetic A/A and
A/G radars and RWR,
on-board target generation
and the real-time Datalink also
provides simulated weapons
training, and at a fraction of
the cost involved in flying a jet.
As much as I thought that the
G120TP is quite something, the
PC-21 is something else.
An Unmanned future?
As for the future? It was
announced recently that once
the current order of Hawk
T2s for Qatar is complete, the
production line will be closed. It
seems likely that the Hawk T1s
will be out of service by 2030,
with the T2s phased out around
2040. Current thinking is that by
2040 the Typhoon fleet will be
approaching its ‘out of service’
date and that its successor, the
Tempest, may be unmanned. If
this is the case, the argument for
dedicated training aircraft for the
RAF is nebulous and a simulator
TOP: The RAF has been phasing out
its Typhoon T3s. However, single-seat
variants are due to be in service for a
further two decades.
Key Collection
LEFT: Fighters developed during the
1970s such as the SEPECAT Jaguar had
complex cockpit layouts.
Key Collection
RIGHT: The British Aerospace Hawk T1 is
expected to be retired around 2030.
Key Collection
is entirely appropriate for pilots
who fly unmanned aircraft.
Nevertheless, countries that still
have manned fighters will need
trainers, for although the modern
simulator is a wonderful tool, it
should supplement, not supply
flight training. Just getting
appropriately attired and strapped
into a fast jet takes time and
practice, while even a modern
centrifuge cannot entirely
replicate the forces experienced
when flying one.
I believe that as long as there
are manned fighters there will
be a requirement for manned
fighter trainers.
 AIRCRAFT • PERSONNEL • SQUADRONS • MISSIONS • PROGRAMS
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FLRAAModern
T
As part of the US Army’s large-scale
recapitalisation of its aviation
assets, it’s preparing to choose its
next-generation medium-lift helicopter
under the FLRAA programme, as
Khalem Chapman reports.
90 April20
he Future which was featured in the
Long-Range
Assault Aircraft
March issue of AIR International.
FLRAA seeks to provide a
(FLRAA) successor to the venerable
campaign falls
under the US
UH-60 Black Hawk
twin-engine, medium-lift
Army Futures
Command’s wider Future
utility helicopter. Developed by
Sikorsky, the UH-60 first flew
Vertical Lift (FVL) portfolio, in October 1974 and joined
alongside its sister project, the the US Army’s ranks with the
Future Attack Reconnaissance 101st Combat Aviation Brigade
Aircraft (FARA) campaign, in June 1979. More than 1,000

rnising the Army
examples have been delivered
to the service, with multiple
variants serving throughout
a 40-year operational career.
The army has outlined that
the FLRAA platform must
have enhanced characteristics
compared with the UH-60,
including increased speed,
range, mobility and payload
capacity, along with greater
reliability, sustainability and
survivability. Although the
FLRAA programme is gathering
pace, development of the Black
Hawk is continuing, with the
service planning to convert 760
UH-60Ls to UH-60V standard
from US Fiscal Year (FY) 2019.
In a request for information
(RFI) issued in April 2019,
the US Army detailed its
need for a “solution that
is operationally effective,
Concept art of Bell’s V-280 Valor in its assault configuration. Note the fuselage-mounted
AGM-114 Hellfire missiles and what appears to be side-facing tube-launched weapons
systems. Bell
suitable and survivable in a
2030 threat environment.”
It seeks a platform which
has the potential to increase
its capabilities – following
a modular open-systems
approach – and maintain its
relevance over a 50-year useful
lifespan. It must also be in line
with the army’s affordability
objectives, including an average
unit manufacturing cost capped
at US$43m. The service aims
to field the FLRAA by early
2030, two years after it plans
to accept the first operational
examples of its FARA platforms.
The FLRAA will be performing
air, amphibious and urban
assault operations, along with
executing a variety of missions:
security, attack, maritime
interdiction, medical evacuation
(MEDEVAC), humanitarian
assistance/disaster relief (HA/
DR), tactical resupplying,
non-combatant evacuation
operations (NEO) and combat
search and rescue (CSAR). The
platform will also be used to
carry supplies and weapons
- such as light field artillery
pieces - into the battlespace.
In terms of weaponry, a US
Army spokesperson stated that
"FLRAA is required to have two
medium [calibre] machine guns
[and] Air Launched Effects
(ALE) may be integrated in the
future." They added that the
platform will have "enhanced
pilotage, increased autonomy
and improved survivability,"
along with being interoperable
with unmanned army platforms.
In August 2014, prototypes
from AVX Aircraft and Karem
Aircraft were dropped from the
FLRAA selection process, leaving
just two contenders: the Bell
V-280 Valor and the Sikorsky/
Boeing SB>1 Defiant. Both are
currently undergoing flight tests
under the US Army’s Joint
Multi-Role Technology
Demonstrator (JMR TD)
programme.
Dan Bailey, programme
director of Joint Multi-Role
Future Vertical Lift (JMR FVL)
at the US Army’s Aviation and
Missile Research, Development
and Engineering Center
(AMRDEC), said: “The intent
of the JMR TD effort is to
maximise the knowledge gain
and risk reduction toward an
anticipated [FVL] acquisition.”
V-280 Valor
The Bell V-280 Valor is a
compound tiltrotor design
and an airworthy prototype,
registration N280BH (c/n
60105), was first flown on
December 18, 2017 at the
company’s facility in Amarillo,
Texas. Since then, it has
undergone a rigorous test
campaign with US Army pilots,
amassing more than 150 flight
hours. The V-280 achieved
multiple milestones during
testing, from reaching true
airspeeds of 300kts (345mph/
555km/h) to assessing fast
rope deployment options and
low-speed agility.
On December 18, 2019, the
platform flew autonomously for
the first time in a demonstration
in front of army representatives
and members of the press. The
display consisted of two sorties,
with the aircraft performing an
unmanned take-off and landing.
It also autonomously converted
between cruise and vertical
take-off and landing modes,
performed loiter manoeuvres
and precisely navigated
through various waypoints.
Keith Flail, vice president of
Advanced Vertical Lift Systems
at Bell, said: “The V-280 and
flight test [programme] teams’
performance have gone above
and beyond expectation.
April20 91
 FLRAA Cross-Service Minimal Requirements
US Army/SOCOM USMC
Unrefuelled combat radius 200nm (230 miles/370km) with 365nm (420 miles/ 675km) with
30 minutes of loitering time 30 minutes of loitering time
Maximum gross weight/ 250kts (287mph or 463km/h 305kts (350mph or 564km/h)
full payload continuous
cruise speed
External payload Between 8,000lb (3,638.7kg) N/A
and 10,000lb (4,535.9kg) with
cargo hook capacity
Internal payload 5,000lb (2,267.9kg) 4,400lb (1,995kg) maximum
Crew 4 4
Passenger capacity 11 8
Condition-based Capable of conducting 100 N/A
maintenance flight hours over a 45-day
period between scheduled
maintenance during operations
Operational readiness Maintained at 84% N/A
In-flight refuelling Shall include structural Aircraft must include the
capability engineering to facilitate capability for air-to-air refuelling
installation of an air-to-air
refuelling system
Marinisation N/A Yes
Joint/Combined Operations Yes Yes

Our talented employees

Cross-Service Involvement An attack variant of the FLRAA platform is also being are innovators who have
The US Marine Corps (USMC) is tagging along with the US sought by the USMC. This should be capable of employing reimagined how vertical lift can
Army-led FLRAA programme as it seeks to replace its Bell internal and external weapons, including a fixed or help [modernise] the army. We
UH-1Y Venom twin-engine, medium-lift utility helicopters. turreted gun system, guided/unguided rockets, air-to-air are proud of what the V-280
The Venom first flew in December 2001 and entered missiles, air-to-ground missiles – such as the AGM-114 and Team Valor have
service with the USMC in 2007. The marines currently Hellfire and AGM-179 Joint Air-to-Ground Missile (JAGM) achieved in [six] short years
operate 141 UH-1Ys from a total of 165, with 12 in storage, – and an to deploy unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). and look forward to building on
seven lost to attrition and five examples withdrawn from The US Special Operations Command (SOCOM) is also our success to bring
service. piggybacking on the FLRAA programme, seeking to next-generation capability to
According to the army’s RFI in April 2019, the USMC’s employ the platform in special operations missions. This the warfighter in coming years.”
acquisition programme is scheduled to begin two years follows the requirements set out by the US Army (see The Valor employs a fly-by-
after the army’s. The document also notes that the table), but adds that the aircraft must be configurable for wire flight control system, has
marines seek to procure a total of 349 aircraft. transport aboard a single C-17A Globemaster III. an air-to-air refuelling capability
and features a retractable

92 April20
 undercarriage. The company
says it is “building on 450,000
hours of tiltrotor experience”
to reduce sustainment costs
through focused systems and
component redesign.
This experience comes via
Bell’s V-22 Osprey, the first
tiltrotor to enter operational
military service, a joint venture
between Bell and Boeing
Defense in the early 1980s.
The type is currently in service
with the US Air Force (USAF)
and USMC, with
the US Navy
receiving its first
examples earlier
this year and the
Japan Ground
Self-Defense
Force (JGSDF) operating five
MV-22Bs for flight testing in the
US as of December 2018.
The V-280 has flown test
flights using the Lockheed
Martin’s Pilotage Distributed
Aperture System (PDAS)
mission equipment package.
The PDAS is a survivability
suite that provides a 360°
situational awareness sphere
around the aircraft, supplying
real-time, multi-spectral fused
THIS IMAGE: The V-280 passes at high speed. This third-generation tiltrotor employs
a remarkably different design to other aircraft in its class, such as the Osprey. It uses
a V-tail, smaller wings and a sleeker, compound fuselage. It is also smaller than the
V-22. Bell
RIGHT: V280 Valor – registration N280BH (c/n 60105) – during flight testing. Bell
BELOW: The V-280 transitions between flight modes. When the rotors are in airplane
mode, the tiltrotor will be able to fly faster and manoeuvre like an aircraft. When
employed in helicopter mode, the Valor will have the same characteristics – such as
hovering – as a rotorcraft. Bell
imagery to the pilots and crew
through head-tracked,
high-resolution
helmet-mounted displays.
The system uses a network
of sensors distributed
around the aircraft and it
has a modular open systems
architecture (MOSA) for
the rapid integration of new
technologies.
To reduce complexity, the
company adds that it will
employ a “revolutionary
approach to manufacturing
and reducibility for [the
Valor’s] blade, wing and
cabin assemblies”, along with
using a “commercially proven
maintenance approach” by
providing extended upkeep in a
scheduled environment.
The V-280 has a combat
range of between 500nm (575
miles/926km) to 800nm (920
miles/1,481km), a cruising speed
of 280kts (322mph/518km/h)
and a high-hot hover out
of ground effect (HOGE) of
6,000ft (1,800m)
at 95°F (35°C).
The aircraft has
the flexibility to
provide responsive
logistical support
in offensive and
defensive operations, and is
configured for both internal and
external payloads.
SB>1 Defiant
Developed in a partnership
between Sikorsky and Boeing,
the SB>1 Defiant, N100FV (c/n
100-0001), made its inaugural
flight on March 21, 2019, just
over a year after the V-280. This
delay was due to issues with
blade production, specifically
setting up the automated
fibre placement tooling to
manufacture the composite
rotor blades. Then a fault was
discovered with the gearbox
in the propulsion system test
bed (PSTB), which validates
the capability of all of the major
systems, including the dynamic
drive and rotors.
As with Sikorsky’s FARA
contender, the Raider X, the
SB>1 employs the technology
used in the X2 experimental
high-speed helicopter. The
April20 93
 SB>1 consists of a compound,
blended fuselage, with a lift
offset coaxial main rotor and
pusher propeller to enhance
manoeuvrability and ensure
higher speeds during flight. It
also features an
advanced rigid
rotor system
with manually
foldable rotor
blades, cabin
space for up to
12 combat-equipped troops,
an advanced drive system,
retractable undercarriage,
fly-by-wire flight controls, along
with active rudders, elevators
and vibration controls. It
requires a crew of four, but
will also be able to team up
with autonomous aircraft,
providing the US Army with
capabilities not available with its
current inventory.
The SB>1 will employ new
technologies to provide
self-monitoring and
condition-based maintenance
to increase the platform’s
operational availability and
enable it to be more flexible
in service. It will be part of an
already established supply chain
to reduce overall life-cycle costs
while increasing efficiency and
decreasing the time it takes for
new systems, such as sensors
and weapons, to be integrated
onto in-service examples using
a MOSA-based approach.
Sikorsky/Boeing add that
its platform follows a
state-of-the-art digital design
by utilising X2 technology to
provide “unmatched capability
growth potential, unbound
by the same limits of physics
holding back traditional
helicopter designs.”
As with the Bell V-280, the
SB>1 is currently in the middle
94 April20
of a flight test campaign at for people. They’ve got to keep We want them in a place where
Sikorsky’s Development Flight pace with us if they want to do we have at least good test data."
Test Center in West Palm Beach, business with us.” When asked if each
Florida, during which it has However, Maj Gen Thomas competitor's development stage
exceeded 100kts (115mph or Todd, the Army’s Program will influence a FLRAA decision,
185km/h) and has performed Executive Officer (PEO) for a US Army spokesperson told
manoeuvres at Aviation, pointed out that the AIR International that both
30° angle of bank. service is encouraging industry the Valor and Defiant were
Sikorsky and Boeing to move as fast as possible. He produced under the JMR-TD
believe the aircraft said: "The advantage that any project, which "developed and
will be able to of them have if they choose to demonstrated new vertical lift
reach top speeds of have aggressive schedules… is technologies and processes.
250kts (287mph or ultimately they burn down risk. It did not develop a weapon
463km/h), exceeding the US
Army’s requirements.
In mid-February, the SB>1
gave a demonstration to
the army and congressional
representatives. The Sikorsky-
Boeing team added that the
Defiant is working its way up to
the army's speed requirement
–currently at 140kts (161mph or
259km/h). It has also flown with
landing gear retracted
and continues to expand its
flight envelope.
Type Registration c/n Year Built
V-280 Valor N280BH 60105 2017
SB>1 Defiant N100FV 100-0001 2018
FLRAA Going Forward
Both teams from Bell and
Sikorsky/Boeing are continuing
their respective test campaigns,
developing the technology,
maturing the platforms,
reducing technical risks and
expanding their flight envelopes.
The V-280 is ahead in its test
series, having not been hit with
the technical issues and delays
that arose on the SB>1.
According to a report from
Breaking Defense, US Army
Secretary Ryan McCarthy made
it clear that the service will not
wait for the SB>1's development
to catch up, saying: “The world
is incredibly complex. We don’t
have the time or luxury to wait
system against a well-defined
[army] approved requirement."
As the JMR-TD programme
comes to an end, the US Army
prepares to officially launch the
FLRAA contest, which will see
the V-280 and SB>1 go head to
head to be the service's future
workhorse on level terms.
Regarding the contenders, the
spokesperson added that "both
JMR-TD vendors completed
significant technology
maturation and demonstration...
These efforts provide valuable
insights into the technical risks
that may be experienced during
the [FLRAA programme]."
As the current schedule
stands, the US Army is expected
to have already awarded the
project teams a competitive
demonstration and risk helicopters in its ABOVE: The SB>1 Defiant is the largest platform produced by Sikorsky to employ its X2
reduction (CDRR) contract. current inventory. technology. Sikorsky
The service is due to select With the service actively OPPOSITE TOP: The SB>1 continues its flight test campaign. This shot provides a good
view of the rear of the platform, showing its eight bladed ‘pusher propeller’ and twin-
a winning design in 2022 and upgrading 760 aircraft to engine exhausts. Sikorsky
aims for the platform to phase UH-60V standard over the next BELOW: Up close with the Defiant. Sikorsky
out its UH-60 aircraft and enter decade, it may see a lower
operational service from the FLRAA order placed as the
start of the next decade. enhanced Black Hawks could
The US Army has more than compliment the V-280 or SB>1
1,500 examples of Black Hawk, in service well into the 2030s.

April20 95
 HIGH-FLYER by Chris Hepburn
Blending Virtual
and Real Worlds
Augmented reality, holographic displays, synthetic training – the concepts for
future fighter aircraft cockpits are pushing the boundaries of technology. Chris
Hepburn, senior engineer at BAE Systems, reveals some of the projects that are
Y
being explored that could transform how a pilot operates.
ou’re 18 and just out of senior school and joining
the Royal Air Force. Imagine if you are issued with
an artificial intelligence headset as you start your
training as a pilot. You can watch videos of flight
school and link up to a control column and throttle in
a classroom and actually start learning how to fly – all
in a virtual world. When you progress to the training
aircraft for live flying, you are learning in new physical spaces,
but you’re wearing that same headset with the same information
being presented. Moving forward into either a Typhoon or the
new Tempest front line fighter, it’s still wearing the same headset.
It provides a continuous stream of training throughout the entire
lifecycle process, with no negative learning, no changing of devices
or learning new ways and means – one seamless training pipeline.
Essentially, this is about using technology in order to learn and
operate in an intuitive and immersive manner. We are interested
in exploring how a future cockpit could look. That applies to future
programmes such as Tempest, as well as our current aircraft such
as Hawk and Typhoon – which will have a fundamental role in
developing technology for Tempest – and which is strategically
critical to what we want to do in future.
This approach and direction isn’t coming from a current need,
it’s more driven by a future requirement. Right now we use the
man-machine interfaces to do what we want them to do. A pilot
is in an environment where they must actively fly the aircraft. In
96 April20
future, through artificial intelligence and autonomy, it will be able to
largely fly itself. There is a feeling that the pilot will become more of
a systems manager, much the same as a car, for example; as they
too become autonomous, the driver becomes more of a passenger.
So what can you physically do as that passenger? As a forward
operational commander in the aircraft, that person will need
to be able to control the environment more fluidly. Augmented
reality massively enhances the ability to view and understand the
battlespace, observing and interacting with a hologram compared
to looking at a flat screen and pushing buttons.
A Stepped Approach
At its core, the next generation of cockpit leverages the adaptability
of the current Striker II helmet-mounted display (HMD). The
full-colour HMD is used to project augmented and virtual reality
interactive cockpit displays and controls directly in front of the pilot’s
eyes – and these replace the current physical ones.
The technology allows pilots to customise the display and the
way they interact with it based on their own personal preferences
and mission objectives. The technology is designed to improve
situational awareness, speed of decision-making and the
ability to affordably and rapidly upgrade the cockpit in line with
aircraft enhancements.
We are using Striker II as a stepping stone to a cockpit that is
fully augmented, where the only interface with the aircraft would

be via the stick and throttle, potentially with the pilot only touching
a synthetic environment that isn’t there in the real world. With
augmented reality you can still look out of the cockpit, but imagine
being able to see all the missile engagement zones, being able to
keep your head up constantly.
Virtual reality is used to design and develop because it can put
engineers in a suitable environment. Augmented reality is great,
but we can’t easily go flying at 50,000ft and see what it looks like,
so virtual reality allows us to design for the augmented side, to be
there and test these ideas out.
The work includes voice inputs, use of gestures, eye-tracking
and touch to allow the pilot to interact with these virtual cockpit
controls by, for example, selecting something on the helmet display
and then using gesture to reposition it.
The aim is to develop a capability to meet the changing and
increasingly complex demands that future developments in combat
aircraft will bring. The concept will be usable in multiple aircraft,
reducing development time, cost and training requirements
– effectively doing things quicker, cheaper and smarter.
It would also introduce several potential benefits to the pilot,
including the ability to change the number and sizes of displays to
the pilot’s precise preferences, without being restricted by physical
space. It would also provide the ability to lay concepts on to the
display such as ground terrain overlays, pop-up tracking windows,
restricted airspace and 3D situational displays.
Autonomous capability can also be used for physiological
monitoring of the operator, understanding stress levels of the
pilot. If the system felt the pilot was under too much duress or
struggling, it would look at taking over some of the work from the
pilot to enable them to better concentrate on the task at hand.
We are looking at things like pupil dilation and heart rate, so for
example if a missile is coming at the aircraft, the pilot is likely to
be concentrating on that factor – the countermeasures – so the
autonomy might take over something else.
We are seeing this kind of technology in vehicles and gaming
– holographic displays will change the way we interface with
our environment. It will be a new way to interact with things in
day-to-day life, making everything more adaptable.
That is the key word here. If, say, the pilot needs to take control
because the systems fail, then the traditional flight controls
– the get-you-home devices – would pop-out. But if everything’s
running fine, you don’t need to see those things at all; they’d
all be superfluous. You want a blank canvass and say: “I’m only
interested in the operational space right now.”
I see this as a phased approach. In a Typhoon, you have all the
traditional controls and displays, but when you bring the helmet
visor down you unlock all that extra information. As we gain
confidence of what it can and can’t do we will better understand
what can be replaced or what is no longer needed and we can
build assurance.
HIGH-FLYER
The best comparison I can make is with the Tesla car. They
have the ability for you to have a fully autonomous car: you
can sit in it and it will drive you from point A to point B, but you
aren’t allowed to do that. The steering wheel knows if you’re
gripping it – if you let go the car pulls over and puts the hazard
lights on. That’s about building confidence in the system and
about meeting strict rules and regulations. We do the same, in a
rigorous, layered process.
Design and Development
We are building that knowledge and confidence with two
fighter aircraft development simulators, one of which includes
an augmented reality headset. Every few minutes an engineer
comes and checks something. Our fail-fast mantra means
that if something doesn’t work, we move on quickly, learning
from the experience.
It has all manner of implications, from the fighter cockpit to the
way we train – we could potentially get away from the need for
huge dome simulators and into using virtual reality headsets in far
smaller spaces, bringing the associated costs down to thousands
rather than millions.
There’s a big cost reduction element to this and it’s why it is
so successful so quickly. The lifecycles are massively reduced in
terms of design and development, requiring smaller test facilities
and teams. If you look back 20 years, prestige was based on how
big you are, whereas now it’s all how small and agile you are, while
producing the same quality products.
The Tempest programme calls for an aircraft to be in the air by
2035. It will undoubtedly have an augmented cockpit. Already in
Typhoon, Striker II brings a level of that technology and over the
coming years I think we’ll see Typhoon bringing in most of that new
capability as we move towards Tempest, proving the technology
delivers and continues to evolve what Typhoon can do.
ABOVE RIGHT: There will be no need for
physical displays; it will all be configured
through augmented reality.
ABOVE LEFT: Hand and head tracking will
be key element of a future cockpit.
MAIN IMAGE: An idea of how the future
cockpit could look in the Tempest
programme, with holographic displays
and interactive modelling.
LEFT: Chris Hepburn with a virtual reality
headset. All photos courtesy of BAE Systems
April20 97
 Next INTERNATIONAL

Month
The Team
Gordon Smith Group Editor, Commercial Aviation
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o A Measured Approach
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Leonardo’s TH-119 has been selected by the US Navy to Debi McGowan Ad Production Manager
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98 April20
 Royal Air Force Annual Review 2020
The Official RAF Annual Review 2020 has been
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FEATURING
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