Modern technology has widened the potential of business aircraft and increased their attractions to the military
Paul Seidenman/SAN FRANCISCO
As their capabilities increase, and as sophisticated military electronics shrink in volume and weight, business aircraft will play an increasingly important role in government-related special missions. At the same time, such aircraft will be procured more often for multimission roles - including surveillance, VIP transport, training and medical evacuation (medevac) - instead of for a single purpose.
The success of any business jet in special military applications ultimately depends on the aircraft's flexibility, says David Brant, vice-president of operations for Galaxy Aerospace, the Fort Worth, Texas-based joint venture of Israel Aircraft Industries (IAI) and the Pritzker Group. The company is positioning its 18-seat Galaxy business jet - certificated in December last year - for special mission use, alongside its primary role as a long-range corporate jet. Galaxy's other in-production business jet, the Astra SPX, has also been designed to handle surveillance or special missions. "Today, customers for special mission aircraft want a lot more flexibility for a lot less money," Brant says.
Recent military sales by corporate jet manufacturers bear this out. A notable success is Cessna's Citation Ultra business jet, which the US Army selected in 1995 for its UC-35A programme: providing VIP transport, liaison and high priority cargo. Since the first delivery to the army in late 1996, Cessna has delivered 14 of an initial order for 35. The last is due for delivery in 2001.
For cargo missions, all of the aircraft have been equipped with a special clamshell door, 900mm (35in) wide by 1.15m tall, on the left forward portion of the fuselage. The UC-35A has the same 7,400kg (16,300lb) maximum take-off weight as the civil version. Quickly convertible to a VIP transport, the army's machine is generally configured for up to eight passengers - as is the civil Ultra - even though it is certified for up to 12.
Because the UC-35A is equipped with specialised military communications gear, it has been fitted with a standard 1553 military databus, which is expandable to work with future defence electronics that might be installed on the aircraft.
Almost every Citation model has found a niche in some type of special mission work, according to Scott Sarver, Cessna's manager of special mission programmes. "Since the early days of the Citation programme in 1974, we have found that about 10% of our annual production has been for special mission applications," he says. "However, I expect that this percentage may increase slightly because of the success of the UC-35A programme, which has drawn international attention." Sarver adds: "In fact, historically, about 60 % of the special mission aircraft have been ordered by international [non-US] customers."
Nearly all of Cessna's special mission aircraft have been new, but some used Citations have been reconfigured for their new jobs. Most modifications are done at the company-owned Citation Service Centers, but some are contracted to outside specialists.
IAI's four-passenger Galaxy, with a 6,700km (3,620nm) range, offers many applications for surveillance and special transportation uses. "The aircraft's long range makes it applicable to missions that require aircraft to remain on station for long periods. That makes it especially suitable for electronic surveillance and photo mapping," says Galaxy's Brant.
But, even with its healthy two-year backlog, Brant notes that no Galaxy has yet been ordered in a special mission configuration.
While the Astra SPX's 5,460km range is not as great as the Galaxy's, the aircraft has found a growing niche in high-speed target towing operations. Brant says Galaxy Aerospace is responding to unnamed international programmes that want to buy target-towing aircraft. "Basically, a target-towing aircraft can offer two specific and different training capabilities," Brant says. "On the one hand, the aeroplane helps to train pilots to intercept targets. But, if the target-reeling machines are removed, it can be used for regular flight training."
Brant predicts also that, as electronic surveillance equipment becomes smaller and lighter, business aircraft will be used more for special missions. "When you look at the technology of today, compared to what it was 20 years ago, we can now put a lot more - and more capable - equipment into an aeroplane the size of a business jet. Because of the advances in technology, we are able to perform many of the same missions we could 20 years ago with a commercial-sized aircraft, but with a lot less [cabin] space than was required."
For Bombardier's Business Aircraft division, what the company calls "missionisation" has been a traditional role for the Learjet and Challenger business jets. Peter Edwards, senior vice-president for international sales, says Learjets have "also played a major role" in target towing, airborne surveillance and electronic warfare, as well as airways calibration and air ambulance service.
Another emerging role is natural resource protection, requiring electronic equipment for mapping and protecting coastal waters and forests. A relatively new special mission for the general aviation jet is as a sensor platform, once the domain of airliner-sized aircraft that could accommodate the equipment and the personnel who analysed the data gathered.
Improved sensing equipment
With the advent of microelectronics, the sensing equipment is smaller and capable of downlinking data to ground-based analysts. Not only do business jets cost less to buy and maintain than commercial jets, but "they fly higher and faster and have better short-field performance", Edwards says.
Bombardier is promoting its new, very long range (12,000km) Global Express as an airborne sensor platform. Edwards says airborne surveillance and other government applications were major considerations, even at the design phase of the Global Express, the airframe selected for the UK Ministry of Defence's Airborne Stand-Off Radar (ASTOR) programme, a contest won by a Raytheon-led team.
Bombardier recently sold a Challenger 604 (above) to the Royal Danish Air Force, for a multimission role. Edwards says that this is the first Challenger 604 to be used in Denmark for a government role. Delivery is due at year-end.
About 10% of the combined fleets of Challengers and Learjets are used in government and special mission-type service, Edwards says. Late last year, about 1,800 Learjets and 435 Challengers were in operation worldwide. "The overall percentage of the fleet used in special mission roles should remain constant, but I think that there will be some growth in the number of our aircraft used in those roles, because overall production of both families will increase," he says.
Edwards predicts that North America and Europe together will continue to account for about half of the world market for special mission business jets, with the remaining 50% of the market in Asia and the Middle East. While Asia's economic problems have affected commercial aircraft sales, they have not significantly impinged upon sales of business jets to governments. "There are still programmes in Asia that Bombardier is pursuing,'' he says.
Jean-Claud Demay, vice-president of Dassault Aviation's civil aircraft division, says the government market continues its commanding presence, with the Falcon accounting for up to 15% of sales over the past 10 years.
Recently, four Falcon 50EXs were sold to the French navy, primarily for maritime surveillance and search and rescue operations, including medevac. The first aircraft in the order flew in November last year. The second delivery is due in October, with the remaining two slated to be delivered in the first quarter of next year. Demay says the sale of the specially configured Falcons has drawn enquiries from other governments considering the aircraft for maritime surveillance.
Longer loiter times
One reason, he says, is that the Falcon 50 EX offers higher speeds and longer loiter times than older turboprops, which many governments use in maritime patrol operations today. In addition to the Falcon 50EX, Demay says three other models, all with greater cabin volume than the Falcon 50, are being promoted in special mission roles. For example, he says that the Falcon 900C's cabin can be divided so that the forward part can be used for electronic surveillance equipment and the aft section for VIP transport, accommodating up to eight passengers. Similarly, the Falcon 2000 can be used in a dual-role configuration, with the aft part of the cabin accommodating four to six passengers. The Falcon 900E is promoted more for straight VIP transport. Other special mission roles include signals intelligence - communications and electronics - and navigation aids checking pilot training and target-towing.
Gulfstream Aerospace was a major competitor for the ASTOR, with both Lockheed Martin and Northrop Grumman proposing the 12,000km range GV. According to Buddy Sams, vice-president for government sales and marketing for the Savannah, Georgia-based manufacturer, the GV design also took special missions into consideration at the outset.
Sams says 13-14% of Gulfstream sales have been to governments, accounting for about 135 of the 1,000 Gulfstream jets in service. About 25% of that 135 are involved in special missions, other than VIP-type transport. He points to the Royal Swedish Air Force's operation of two Gulfstream IV-SPs for signals intelligence as "very relevant" to its efforts in the special missions market.
Gulfstream is also supplying seven aircraft for the Japan Defence Agency's U-4 programme, for cargo, personnel and air ambulance services. The builder began delivery of the first three Gulfstream IV-SPs in 1997. The remaining four will be delivered by 2001. "These aircraft have been configured with a 6ft [1.8m]-high cargo door in the forward right side of the fuselage," he says. "The interior can be quickly configured to accommodate up to 19 passengers or three cargo pallets."
The news in special mission aircraft is not confined solely to jets. Dick Klass, Raytheon Aircraft's vice-president for government marketing, reports that Japan has selected the Beech King Air 350 twin turboprop for its army for transport and aerial photography missions. The first delivery was this year.
The same aircraft was also selected by the Japan Maritime Safety Administration for maritime patrol, including search and rescue. The first three of the seven ordered are undergoing modifications in Japan, with five projected to enter service this year. "We expect that the order might be expanded to as many as 15-20 aircraft," Klass says.
All the King Airs ordered by the Japanese Government are to replace older special mission aircraft. As Klass notes, those used by the Maritime Safety Administration will replace the out of production Beech Queen Air twin pistons, while the Army's King Airs will replace its Mitsubishi MU-2 twin turboprops.
The Japanese have also been customers for Raytheon jets. The Wichita-based company has delivered nine Beechjet 400As to the Japanese Air Self Defence Force. A tenth will join the fleet by year-end. The Air Self-Defence Force also uses the Hawker 800 - designated the U-125A - modified for search and rescue with the installation of a drop hatch and bubble window, as well as forward-looking infrared and radar equipment. As Klass explains, there are now 10 (of a total order of 17) in service. "That order could go to as much as 27 aircraft, with the deliveries extending to the years 2004 or 2005,'' he says.
Last December, Raytheon flew its Premier I entry level business jet for the first time. While no orders for the aircraft in a special missions configuration have been placed, Klass says that the Premier I would be viable for multi-engine pilot training, along with some light special mission roles, such as flight or airways inspection and medevac. By the end of this year, Raytheon expects to fly its large-cabin Hawker Horizon for the first time. Because of the aircraft's size, range and payload, the builder is studying special missions applications.
Korean configurations
"It could be a follow-on to the Hawker 800XP," Klass says. "Right now, there are eight Hawker 800XPs slated to be delivered to South Korea for special missions work." Four aircraft have been configured by Raytheon Systems to gather electronic intelligence, and four by Lockheed Martin for surveillance. The aircraft will primarily be used over the demilitarised zone between North and South Korea.
North Asia is Raytheon's largest market for its special mission aircraft, with Japan "clearly the largest within that sector. Today, it represents an $80-100 million market for special mission aircraft," Klass says. "Despite the economic problems, Asia is a promising market for special mission aircraft because - as with other parts of the world - they are using a lot of older aircraft coming to the end of their economical lives."
While business aircraft that lend themselves to multiple special roles will have the leading edge, Klass says multirole applications are not always simple. "When you look at aircraft that have been modified for special surveillance or intelligence-gathering missions, these usually involve the installation of fixed consoles and antennas," he says. "At that point, the cabin is not readily convertible for VIP transportation. Still, if a customer can find at least a couple of uses for a special mission aircraft, he can better justify it from a budgetary standpoint."
Source: Flight International
