Siva Govindasamy: February 2009 Archives

Will Australia order additional Boeing F/A-18E/Fs? That is the view of some industry sources after today's announcement that Canberra will wire 12 of the 24 Boeing F/A-18E/Fs it has ordered for electronic attack capabilities, allowing it to upgrade these into the E/A18 Growler later on if it wishes.

When the country finally releases its long overdue defence white paper, it should give details on its plans for to buy the Lockheed Martin F-35 Joint Strike Fighter. But while Australia remains committed to the JSF programme, but the delays that have plagued the F-35 mean that it is still uncertain when the fighter will finally join the Royal Australian Air Force fleets.

The RAAF's air defence capabilities will inevitably fall after it begins to retire the General Dynamics F-111s from next year. Upgrades to the service's older F/A-18A/B fleet will help to plug that gap, as will the induction of the Super Hornets from 2011.

However, that may not be enough and some sources believe that Canberra will convert 12 Super Hornets from the original order into Growlers, and place an order for more F/A-18E/Fs in the coming months. That could then have an impact on the number of F-35s that Australia finally orders,

Whatever the case, there is still much uncertainty about Australia's fighter procurement programme. Hopefully, the situation will become clearer at the Australian International Airshow and Exhibition, Avalon 2009, which will take place in a fortnight.

The Korea Aerospace Industries T-50 programme has suffered a serious blow after the United Arab Emirates selected the Alenia Aermacchi M346 for its advanced lead-in fighter trainer requirement.

If the South Korean company and Lockheed Martin, which helped to develop the aircraft and works with KAI to market it internationally, want to develop an export market for the T-50 (left), they need to assess what went wrong in the UAE and do it quickly.

The next major competition is in Singapore, where the T-50 is up against the M-346 (below) once again. The aircraft is also in contention in Poland against the BAE Systems Hawk 51 modified by Finland's Patria. Chile, Greece and the USA are other markets further down the line.

Abu Dhabi has not said why it went for the M-346 but does not take a lot to figure out that a combination of cost and capabilities ultimately decided the competition. The UAE is a savvy customer, as is Singapore. They know what they want, and it is up to the manufacturers to convince them that they have the best product.

Marketing plays a big part in any competition as well. At the end of the day, countries likes the UAE and Singapore only want an aircraft that ensures their pilots are properly trained to fly their new generation fighters.

The Italians have kept the attention on the M-346's training capabilities at every opportunity, and used this to say why they are the best option for the countries that are assessing the aircraft. KAI and Lockheed have raved about the T-50's ability to go supersonic and have attack variants, but that adds to the perception that it is simply a souped up toy that simply costs too much for an advanced trainer requirement. The T-50 marketing team needs to go back to the basics.

Winning in the UAE has given the M-346 an edge in upcoming coming competitions, but this can be a good wake up call for KAI and Lockheed if they learn the right lessons from their loss.

It was Groundhog Day at Aero India when a Sitara HJT intermediate jet trainer prototype crash-landed on the show's eve, just as one did at the 2007 show.

But the Tejas light combat aircraft and Dhruv Advanced Light Helicopter demonstrated that the country's indigenous programmes are making headway. And plans for medium combat aircraft, combat and utility helicopters, and joint programmes with Russia to build transports and fifth-generation fighters show the scale of New Delhi's ambitions.

India, however, is far from its defence minister's aim of meeting 70% of its military requirements locally. Reality supersedes political rhetoric and some in India realise that, including the Tejas developers.

They have decoupled the beleaguered Kaveri engine programme from the much-delayed fighter, deciding it is far more important for the air force to have a viable aircraft than an indigenous but underpowered one.

As a result, the first seven LCA squadrons will have foreign powerplants. Such pragmatism is encouraging in the face of growing calls for indigenous products in India's armed forces.

India is increasingly important on the global stage and must find a balance. Local industry should be encouraged as India needs its own source of weapons. But there is no harm in detouring abroad if it helps India reach its destination. The much-belittled LCA could, ironically, show the way forward for India's aircraft industry.

This is some amazing footage from India's CNN-IBN television news channel, showing one of the two Liberation Tigers of Tamil Elam (LTTE) Zlin Z-143 aircraft that took part in a surprise raid on Sri Lanka's capital Colombo.

The rebel aircraft apparently approached Colombo around 21.30h on Friday night and were met by anti-aircraft fire. They were brought down, one on top of the country's Inland Revenue building, killing two people on the ground and injuring more than 40. Both pilots also died in what appears to have been a kamikaze attack.



According to several intelligence sources, the Air Tigers, as the LTTE's aviation wing is known as, may have only one more Z-143 aircraft left in its fleet. Since 2007, these aircraft have conducted an estimated nine bombing missions, making them one of the few rebel movements in the world with an aviation arm.

Earlier this year, the Sri Lankan troops overran the LTTE's former strongholds in the country's Northeast and captured several airfields from which the rebels previously launched air strikes. They also found camouflaged hangars constructed from shipping containers. It is believed that the aircraft that took part in Friday's attack may have taken off from a national highway.

The Sri Lankan troops had not found any aircraft despite taking over almost all of the area previously controlled by the LTTE, and it is believed that the rebels either may have hidden or buried the aircraft in the jungle. The Z-143s are believed to have been procured by the rebels' supporters earlier this decade and smuggled into the country after being modified for light attack and bombing missions

Singapore has taken delivery of its first Gulfstream G550 aircraft modified with the Elta Systems airborne early warning and control system aircraft. The country's defence ministry was, as usual, stingy with details and released only one photograph (below).

The MoD would only say that the four aircraft ordered - which unofficial sources estimate would cost the Southeast Asian country around $1 billion in total - have a "sophisticated mission suite that includes an active electronically scanned array (AESA) radar", a longer detection range than the E2C Hawkeye, and the ability to "detect, identify and track aerial targets".

Really? Wow, an airborne early warning aircraft with the ability to detect, identify and track aerial targets? Thanks for the insight! Duh.

In any case, Flight understands that aircraft have a similar configuration to the Israeli air force's G550-based conformal AEW (CAEW) aircraft (below), the first two of which entered service in February and May 2008.

Israel Aircraft Industries subsidiary Elta says the CAEW platform offers a mission endurance of 9h when operating at an altitude of 41,000ft (12,500m) and 185km (100nm) from its home base. The aircraft features dual S-band radar arrays at the front and rear, plus L-band sensors on the fuselage side, providing 360° coverage. Israel's configuration has six onboard operator stations (see diagram below).

The modified G550 also has pod-housed electronic support measures equipment, plus satellite communications and line-of-sight datalinks. Elta says the airframe modifications have "minimal impact" on the business jet's performance.

According to a previous statement by Singapore's defence ministry, the G550 AEW aircraft, which will replace its 20-year-old Northrop Grumman E-2C Hawkeyes, will be delivered between late 2008 and 2010.

There is little surprise that Israel will have a major presence at the Aero India 2009 show in Bangalore next week, especially since it has become India's second largest arms supplier after Russia in the last few years.

One of the highlights will next week will be Israel Aerospace Industries' Gulfstream G550-based conformal airborne early warning and control (CAEW) system aircraft. The aircraft is equipped with a conformal dual-band active electronically scanned array radar, plus identification friend-or-foe equipment, electronic support measures and an integrated self-protection system. It also has a comprehensive communication suite designed to support network-centric operations.

IAI officials recently cited India as a potential customer for additional airborne early warning systems, with Elta already poised to deliver the nation's first Ilyushin Il-76 modified for the role. And this is only the second time that the aircraft will be on display at an air show.

Developed by IAI's Elta Systems subsidiary for the Israeli defence ministry, the modified business jet was delivered to the Israeli air force in February 2008 and has subsequently entered operational service. A second example was delivered in May 2008. Singapore has also ordered four aircraft, the first of which was due to have been delivered by end-2008.

Given that each G550 with the radar is estimated to cost around $250 million, the aircraft will not come cheap. But money is available for the India's armed forces modernisation programme, the country is keen to increase it surveillance abilities, and the country will certainly take a close look at the G550 AEW if the Israelis are keen to push it.

There is a classic scene in The Devil's Advocate where Al Pacino, who plays the devil, talks to Keanu Reeves about God teasing humans. And he utters this memorable line: "Look, but don't touch. Touch, but don't taste. Taste, don't swallow."

That must be how the Japanese are feeling after the US Air Force deployed the Lockheed Martin F-22 Raptor to their country for the second time in two years.

The 12 F-22A Raptors will be based at Kadena Air Base in Okinawa as part of a three-month deployment in support of US Pacific Command's security obligations in the Western Pacific. They will spend the next few months conducting air combat training alongside Kadena's Boeing F-15s, and will work to integrate with all of the aircraft assigned to the 18th Wing.

It is unclear if they will take part in joint exercises with their Japanese counterparts, but the sight of the Raptors will be like a rapier into the heart of the Defence Ministry in Tokyo. Japan craves for the F-22, which if they have the choice would be selected for the F-X competition to choose a new generation of fighters. The US Congress' Obey Amendment, however, prevents Washington from exporting the F-22 and Tokyo has so far been unsuccessful in its attempts to overturn that and get access to information on the aircraft.

Things could change after President Barack Obama took office in January, and there has been a renewed attempt over the last month to put pressure on new administration to relent.

Publicly, Lockheed Martin says that it has to wait for the Congress' or the President's directive. Privately, its officials are keen on exports to extend the F-22 production line beyond 2010 and keep several high-paying jobs at home. Selling the aircraft overseas would reduce the unit to the USAF and make strategic sense for Washington, say observers.

"I find the U.S. policy in this case incomprehensible," James Auer, director of the Center for US-Japan Studies and Cooperation at the Vanderbilt Institute for Public Policy Studies, says in a recent article in World Politics Review. "The U.S. has always said it favours a relationship of trust . . . and Japan is located in a very dangerous part of the world."

Dan Blumenthal, resident fellow at the American Enterprise Institute, points out in a recent article in The Weekly Standard that  "exporting the F-22 to Japan makes sound strategic and military sense" by improving alliance relations, furthering the country's Asia-Pacific defence policy, and creating jobs.

Japan remains hopeful and it is likely to make another push for information on the F-22 in the coming months. However, it is running out of time. The problem is that the US Congress has to debate this issue at a time when it has so many other pressing matters, and doubts remain on whether the Obey Amendment would be overturned or even if its restrictions are eased.

In the meantime, the Japanese will continue to ache as they see the F-22s on their soil for training exercises until this is resolved. And the tease will continue, with no end in sight.