Ramon Lopez/WASHINGTON DC
THE US Navy will determine over the next two years whether a new Common Support Aircraft (CSA) should be developed to replace about 260 aging in-service aircraft such as the Lockheed Martin S-3B Viking and ES-3A Shadow, and the Northrop Grumman E-2C Hawkeye and C-2 Greyhound.
USN Capt Gary Peterson, S-3 Viking requirements officer, says that the two-phase study will determine the future mission requirements, and the feasibility of combining all the missions into a common airframe.
The USN is not necessarily talking about a one-for-one replacement for the 260 aircraft. Development of a multi-mission CSA could reduce the total requirement and free space on already crowded aircraft-carrier decks. He says, that the long-range, high-endurance CSA, may also be adopted by other US military services and government agencies.
Peterson says that options also include restarting S-3B, ES-3A and C-2 production lines and maintaining Hawkeye production. The study will also examine the ability of unmanned air vehicles (UAVs) to satisfy the missions. Although the best solution may be to procure a new aircraft, Peterson says that, ".the spectrum of possible alternatives is wide".
Peterson maintains that the study could culminate with drafting of the CSA's mission-need statement in fiscal year 1998. With a Milestone 0 go-ahead for concept exploration in FY98, production could begin as early as the FY09 timeframe, and initial CSAs could be deployed by 2012 or 2013. The S-3Bs and ES-3As would be the first to be retired.
The study will consider whether the CSA should be a conventional take-off-and-landing (CTOL), short-take-off-and-landing (STOL) or short-take-off-vertical-landing (STOVL) aircraft. The aircraft power plant - whether turbofan or turboprop - is also an open question. The crew complement for CSA could range between two and seven individuals. Peterson says that the USN must define mission requirements before settling on a particular aircraft configuration.
Source: Flight International
