EADS' A319MPA Detailed

The 75.5-tonne A319 MPA, being proposed by EADS Military Transport Aircraft for the Indian Navy, is based on the A319CJ Corporate Jet (one of which is already being operated by the RMAF for the Prime Minister's Department). The platform combines the ground breaking fly-by-wire flight controls technology and with the most up-to-date design features, including the extensive use of lightweight composite materials, resulting in improved fuel consumption, increased durability and better corrosion resistance in the harsh environmental conditions of LRMR/ASW operations. The A319 MPA is provided with additional centreline fuel tanks and a ferry range of more than 4,000nm. It is also well-equipped with a state-of-the-art air-conditioned bomb bay with eight stations, placed on the rear fuselage, which provides the capability to transport and launch a variety of ASW weapons, including torpedoes, depth charges and mines. Enhanced ASuW capability is provided by four underwing points for carrying anti-ship cruise missiles. The on-board, open-architecture FITS mission management system enables the five-man mission crew to gather, process and display up to 20 times more technical and strategic data than was possible before.

The A319 MPA, like the P-8I—can be flown high, low, fast and slow and remain on-station for very long periods of time (eight to 10 hours without aerial refuelling) while carrying a variety of weapons and mission sensor packages. As the Indian Navy has clearly indicated its preference for a LRMR/ASW platform, the selected platform will be required to undertake the following primary naval missions:

* Monitoring of littoral approaches
* Support to the Indian Navy fleets in the high seas
* Anti-submarine warfare (ASW)
* Anti-surface unit warfare (ASuW)
* Over-the-horizon target acquisition and reconnaissance (OTHTAR)
* Intelligence gathering

To perform such functions, the selected platform will be required to takeoff with maximum engine power and climb to a cruising altitude of 42,000 feet, have a maximum rate of descent at more than 10,000 feet/minute, engage in tactical manoeuvres at the not-uncommon maritime reconnaissance altitude of 200 feet, and accomplish a wide range of tasks within a single sortie, including SSK search-and-destroy missions, monitoring sea traffic, launching anti-ship cruise missile attacks on naval or land targets as required, and engaging in communications relays and electronic signals intercepts. Land-surveillance missions are also a distinct possibility. The resulting aircraft will thus play a role in a number of emerging military doctrines of the Indian Navy.

The Indian Navy has already completed evaluations of the P-8I Poseidon and A319 MPA, with the latter being offered with the EADS/CASA-developed FITS mission management system that in turn integrates an ELTA Systems-built EL/M-2022V(A)3 multi-mode search radar from Israel. But the FITS’ open-architecture and modular configuration based on state-of-the-art components allows easy reconfiguration and integration with alternative state-of-the-art radars like the Seaspray7000e I-band 360º multi-mode active phased-array search radar from Italy's SELEX Sistemi Integrati. Boeing has pitched its P-8I for US$2.01 billion, while EADS Military Aircraft is reportedly asking for US$1.6 billion (for eight platforms). The Indian Navy early last January began negotiations with the two bidders so that the contract can be finalised before the next financial year ends in March 2009. The selected platform is required to operate for more than 15 years, fly at a speed of more than 200mph, and carry a multi-mode radar that can track 80 airborne and an equal number of surface targets, along with an IFF transponder, ESM/ELINT/SIGINT suite, EW suite for self-defence, chin-mounted optronic sensor operating in the 3-5 micron bandwidth, air-to-surface cruise missiles and torpedoes, sonobuoys, secure data links, and a tail-mounted magnetic anomaly detector. Between the two competing offers, the EADS offer appears to be more flexible and tailor-made as it will accommodate the Indian Navy’s peculiar operational requirements in terms the platform’s weapon systems and network-centric mission avionics suites. But most importantly, the proposed A319 MPA for the Indian Navy will simultaneously engage in long-range surface search and target tracking, remain capable of periscope detection in high sea states, undertake warship-imaging and classification using the high-resolution inverse synthetic aperture radar (ISAR) mode of operation (for imaging and classifying small, fast-moving vessels that operate close to the shore), and use the spot-synthetic aperture radar (SAR) mode for overland surveillance, ground mapping (via multiple resolution strip-map), identifying moving overland targets, conducting battle damage assessment, and provide real-time over-the-horizon targeting cues for anti-ship/land-attack cruise missiles. Other key superior performance parameters of the Seaspray 7000e radar that make it superior to other radar like Raytheon’s APS-137 or Telephonics APS-153 include:

* The receptor-transmitter of the Seaspray 7000e AESA is suppressed, as this function is performed by the tiles that make up the radar’s antenna. This in turn increases the radar’s RMA (reliability increases significantly).
* The radar utilises modular configuration items and allows functioning with several of these items in failure mode. For instance, the radar still functions with 10% of the tiles down.
* Much lower maintenance costs, although it has slightly higher acquisition costs than traditional radars.

In light of the above, prudence demands that the LRMR/ASW platform that will ultimately be selected should be based on a new-generation, highly reliable turbofan-powered airframe that can accommodate comprehensive maritime surveillance and attack capabilities, thereby allowing a smaller inventory of aircraft to provide high responsiveness for its three main roles (ASW, ASuW, maritime surveillance, and SAR), adaptable capabilities in maritime reconnaissance and attack operations, and high endurance (with provision for two sets of mission crew on-board) with a smaller support infrastructure. Though turbofan-powered MR/ASW platforms are most economical at high/medium altitudes and less economical at low altitudes, the transit to the operational area can be made at high-altitude and in a turbofan-powered aircraft this is not only economical on fuel but fast as well, compared to turboprop-powered aircraft. After transit, such platforms rapidly descend to the patrol area while using both turbofans for cruise flight, but as fuel is used up and the platform’s weight gets reduced, one engine is closed down. This allows the remaining turbofan to be run at an efficient RPM rather than running both turbofans at less efficient RPMs. A special ‘rapid start’ system should be fitted should the closed-down turbofan has to be started quickly again. Instead of relying only on airspeed for re-starting the turbofan, compressor air from a live turbofan could be used in a starter turbine, which rapidly accelerates the engine being started. For transit back to base, the closed-down engine can be re-started and the aircraft regain its high-altitude flight profile.

Care should also be taken by the Indian Navy to induct into service a new-generation synthetic training suite that will allow the aircraft operator to transfer training from the aircraft to a ground-based training system. This, consequently, will increase aircraft availability for operational missions while optimising flight and mission crew performance and capabilities.--Prasun K. Sengupta