Douglas Barrie/CANBERRA
Instability is a concern for the recently appointed Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) Chief of the Air Staff, Air Marshal Les Fisher. His concern is with his personnel, however, not regional politics.
The RAAF is in the throes of finalising its Manpower Required in Uniform study into its future force structure, with further cuts in uniformed staff, a certainty. He says that uniformed numbers will be reduced, although to what extent "...is still to be determined". Fisher is alert to the harm that such cuts could inflict on RAAF morale.
The study is intended to determine RAAF core activities, while identifying those, which could be contracted out to the private sector.
Fisher says: "It will be mid-1995 before we can finally identify what, if any, further RAAF activities should be subject to commercialisation. I'm very aware of the personnel impact, since things have not been finally determined. It is absolutely critical that we resolve this matter as soon as possible."
Fisher is in no doubt that, if the issue remains unresolved, it "...will have a detrimental effect on the RAAF".
IMMEDIATE PRIORITY
It is this issue which Fisher views as his immediate priority, rather than the numerous procurement programmes which the RAAF also has under way. His intention is to spend much of 1995 visiting RAAF bases to discuss the implications of the study with personnel, and to allow them to voice their concerns.
Fisher is faced with the same dilemma, which confronts every air force struggling with budget cuts, or at least "zero budget growth". People or programmes have to be cut.
Opting for procurement rather than personnel cuts may be more palatable in the short term (and less painful), but the inevitable result, in the longer term, is to reduce the operational capability of the air force.
In attempting to protect the air force's "teeth", Fisher recognises that elements of the "tail" may have to be offered to the civil sector.
"To maintain and increase our operational capability, we have to strive for efficiencies through reducing our logistics tail."
By the "tail", Fisher means activities such as depot-level maintenance, base and engineering support, all of which have been pushed into the commercial sector to reduce costs and free remaining funding for "core" activities. These "tail" activities were privatised in 1990 under the Commercial Support Programme (CSP).
"These activities produced between 30-40% savings in the first round, although whether this can be sustained over the long term is another matter," says Fisher. He recognises, however, that "...if we hadn't gone down the commercial-support path, it would have been difficult to sustain our equipment programme."
Since 1991, air force numbers have been cut by almost 20%, from just over 21,000 to a little under 18,000 uniformed personnel. Despite this, Fisher is confident that, in terms of capability, the impact has been minimised. "We still have the same operational capability, and acquisition programmes will improve this."
HIGH PROFILE PROGRAMME
The most high profile of the RAAF's procurement programmes is for a lead-in fighter trainer to replace its Aermacchi MB.326H.
This is an urgent requirement, as well as a high-profile procurement. "The most time-critical major acquisition is the lead-in fighter trainer," says Fisher. "The MB.326 is fatigue limited. Mid-1999 is the critical date, so we are most concerned that the procurement proceeds on time."
The RAAF's request for information solicited no less than 14 submissions, which it has since thinned down to an initial shortlist of six:
Aermacchi MB.339FD;
Aero Vodochody L-59F;
AMX International AMX-T;
British Aerospace Hawk 100;
Dassault/Dornier Alpha Jet ATS;
McDonnell Douglas T-45 Goshawk
A request for tenders will be issued in the middle of this year, with a decision due by the end of the year. The first aircraft, is scheduled to be delivered, by June 1999 and the first squadron will go into service, in January 2000. About 35-45 aircraft will be required to satisfy the planned rate of use for a service life of 25 years.
While the competition remains open, both the Goshawk and the Hawk should be competitive candidates. In the case of the Goshawk, cockpit commonality with the RAAF's McDonnell Douglas F-18s is seen as a strong plus, despite the cost of the trainer. Meanwhile, BAe is attempting to assemble a package offering licence production of the Hawk 100 in Australia, to service not only the RAAF, but also the regional market.
While the invitation to register interest did not specify a combat-capable aircraft, the list of associated "desirables" reflects a flexible trainer, which represents good value for money.
The RAAF would like the aircraft to be equipped with probe-and-drogue air-to-air refueling; radar-warning receiver and missile-approach warner; countermeasures; air-to-air radar simulation; forward looking infra-red targeting-pod capability; and anti-ship missile provision. It would also like the aircraft to have the capability to use the AIM-9 Sidewinder.
AEW REQUIREMENT
Alongside the lead-in fighter, the RAAF is also seeking an airborne early-warning (AEW) aircraft, with an initial project-definition study now under way. An initial in-service date of around the turn of the century has been projected.
Several AEW aircraft are being offered for the RAAF requirement, although Fisher has firm ideas on what the air force actually needs.
"The Boeing E-3 Sentry is over and beyond what is needed. It is also more expensive than we would wish."
Counting out the E-3 may come as cold comfort to some of Boeing's competitors, particularly Israel Aircraft Industries (IAI) with the Phalcon. IAI has been promoting the aircraft to the RAAF, but Fisher does not favour the use, of the 707 as the host platform, saying, "There are solutions below the Boeing E-3 level, based on proven technology". Fisher says that he would like to fit this technology to aircraft "already in the military or civil inventory". Fisher is dismissive of a conformal phased- array approach, believing that this involves "too much research and development".
The RAAF also needs to supplement its aging transport fleet. It's Lockheed C-130E Hercules is "time-lifed". The RAAF has looked at both the C-130H and the C-130J, with the latter the preferred solution. Fisher says: "We hope eventually to have a total fleet of 24 C-130Js."
These would be acquired in two tranches: the first batch would replace the C-130Es, and the second would replace the air force's remaining C-130Hs when they reach the end of their service life.
Apart from revamping its Hercules fleet, the RAAF also needs to replace its de Havilland DHC-6 Caribou tactical transports. Fisher says that, while the air force "...is reviewing the whole of its air-transport requirement", he hopes that eventually a replacement aircraft will be procured. The capability sought could well be met by aircraft types similar to the Alenia G.222 and the CASA/IPTN CN235 .
The core of the RAAF's air-defence/tactical-strike capability into the next century will be the F-18. The air force operates three tactical- fighter squadrons equipped with the aircraft and Fisher sees the Hornet remaining in service up until around 2015/20.
With the intention being to keep the aircraft in service until well into the second decade of the next century at least, the RAAF has effectively instituted a programme of "rolling upgrades". Fisher says that, as far as the F-18 is concerned, "...upgrade programmes are a very important issue".
Several projects covering the Hornet are under way or in the procurement pipeline. Air 5376 is intended to upgrade the aircraft's electronic-warfare (EW) suite, communications and navigation systems, and its Hughes APG-65 radar.
OFFENSIVE WEAPONS
The RAAF has launched a study into the replacement of its AIM-9 Sidewinder infrared (IR)-guided and AIM-7 Sparrow semi-active- radar-guided air-to-air missiles under project Air 5400. Several weapons, including the Israeli Rafael Python 4, are under consideration for the IR requirement. The missile would be introduced into service around 2000.
Fisher describes the Hughes AIM-120 advanced medium-range air-to-air missile as "a strong contender" for the beyond-visual-range weapon.
As well as improving the F-18's close-in air-combat capability, the RAAF wants to give the aircraft a stand off strike capability and has issued Air 5398 for an air-to-surface missile (ASM). The ASM chosen would first be integrated with the RAAF's General Dynamics F-111C/G and then with the F-18.
Looking further ahead, Fisher sees the roles, which are now fulfilled by the F-18 and the F-111 as possibly being filled by one aircraft type in the future.
He is cautious about the F-111's longevity. "The F-111's operability will depend on how long the US Air Force actually continues to operate the aircraft," he says.
The RAAF will begin seriously to look for next-generation combat aircraft around 2003, says Fisher. "The F-18E/F now in development offers us some commonality," he says, "but there will be other aircraft around."
Both the Dassault Rafale and the Eurofighter EF2000 will be pitched into the procurement battle alongside the F-18E/F. The RAAF has already been briefed on the EF2000. British Aerospace, for one, has considerable hopes that both the Hawk and the EF2000 could appear in RAAF colours.
Fisher may have to assuage RAAF personnel concerns over the security of some of their jobs, but the continuing procurement programmes are evidence of the continued commitment to providing the air force with an equipment inventory which in terms of quality, if not quantity, is second to none.
Source: Flight International
