Revisiting the EC-725 Saga

While it is perfectly justifiable to call for credible probity regarding any perceived or alleged impropriety and irregularity in the process of selecting the winner for the project to replace the Royal Malaysian Air Force’s (RMAF) Sikorsky-built S-61A-4 ‘Nuris’, the outright hostile and ill-informed postures adopted by member-parties of the ‘Pakatan Rakyat’ (PR) political coalition over the past week have, regrettably, revealed a dismal lack of knowledge and understanding of the methodologies applied for taking enlightened and informed decisions for procuring military hardware to sustain the force modernisation programmes of the Malaysian Armed Forces. Two instances of the PR’s flawed logic are highlighted below.

1) Contrary to what has been popularly claimed by some quarters, the process of selecting a replacement for the ‘Nuri’ did not commence with merely the floating of global tenders last year, but as far back as 2003, when an initial Staff Paper was prepared by RMAF HQ. This Staff Paper had by late 2004 been refined into a Position Paper and a year later had matured into an Air Staff Target. By 2006 this had morphed into the definitive Air Staff Requirement (ASQR) and it was only after this that global tenders were floated last November and a Technical Negotiations Committee (TNC) was established. The TNC’s members hailed from the RMAF, MINDEF and Ministry of Finance (MoF). Subject to a shortlisting of potential candidates (which in this case were Eurocopter’s EC-725 Cougar Mk2+, AgustaWestland’s AW-101 and Rosoboronexport’s Mi-17V-5), the TNC would next have identified the ultimate winner (which turned out to be the EC-725) by issuing a Letter of Intent (issued on September 15), following which a Price Negotiations Committee (PNC) would have to be created jointly by MINDEF and the MoF to visit Eurocopter’s facilities for on-site physical verifications (and not for flight evaluations or flight-tests, which were already conducted in April 2006 and December 2007 over a period totaling three weeks) and after that, negotiate the definitive sales & purchase contract. Following this, a Project Monitoring Team comprising personnel from MINDEF and the RMAF would have been raised to monitor and oversee project implementation and service induction of the new helicopters.

2) Nowhere has it been officially stated by MINDEF or RMAF HQ that a physical evaluation of the selected or shortlisted helicopters is MANDATORY prior to selecting the winner. In fact, it is an universally accepted practice to undertake physical evaluations of military hardware ONLY in cases where the hardware being offered is still a prototype and has not yet been ordered in bulk by a launch customer. And it was for this very reason that prior to ordering the Su-30MKM multi-role air dominance combat aircraft, the RMAF, from May 27 to June 4, 2001, had dispatched a flight evaluation team to Russia to a) verify the aircraft’s flight performance and handling qualities when firing guided/unguided weapons, verify the aircraft’s open-architecture avionics suite, verify the aircraft’s ground maintenance concepts, verify the aircraft’s specified integrated logistics system; and verify the aircraft’s aircrew training package and the technical type-training package for the ground crews. This type of on-site evaluation was done on board a generic Su-30MK, as the Su-30MKM being offered then had existed only on paper, and was later developed over a three-year period AFTER the procurement contract had been inked by mid-2003. In contrast, the EC-725, AW-101 and Mi-17V-5 are all in the series-production phase since 2004 and therefore no amount of physical flight/ground evaluations of these helicopters would have enabled the RMAF to gain any additional insights to the RMAF other than what has already been documented by Eurocopter, AgustaWestland and Rosoboronexport thus far.

Interestingly, even in India, when there was a recent three-cornered competition between the AW-101, Mi-17V-5 and Sikorsky’s S-92 underway to supply 12 VVIP transportation helicopters worth €600 million, the Indian Air Force’s (IAF) TNC conducted only an in-house evaluation of the competing tender bids, which subsequently established that between the three contenders the AW-101 came out as the preferred candidate due to its ‘fully ASQR compliant’ status. Only AFTER this did the IAF issue a Letter of Intent (LoI) to AgustaWestland and later dispatched its TNC to visit AgustaWestland’s UK-based industrial facilities in Yeovil to verify AgustaWestland’s tender submissions, following which a PNC was constituted.

In conclusion, if those parties presently claiming to represent the true national interests of Malaysia want to demonstrate their genuineness in terms of consistent adherence to public probity in matters concerning major government contracts, then they have to shrug off their xenophobic, politically motivated hostility and instead ask MINDEF for constructive explanations regarding the following:

1) In what way will the contract award to Eurocopter benefit Malaysia in terms of making the country a regional aerospace industrial hub for rotary-winged aircraft?

2) What is the quantum and type of direct and indirect industrial offsets being offered by Eurocopter through EADS, its parent company?

3) To what extent is Eurocopter prepared to fully localise the EC-725’s maintenance, repair and overhaul activities and over what time-frame?

4) What will be the future status of the RMAF’s existing 26 S-61A-4 Nuris? Given the fact that these helicopters have each logged in no more than 10,000 flight hours and are good to go another 40,000 hours, can these Nuris be upgraded and be transferred to the Royal Malaysian Navy, Malaysian Army or the Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency?--Prasun K. Sengupta

Project 28 ASW Corvette Detailed

At the 11th Defence Services Asia exhibition (DSA 2008) that was held in the Malaysian capital city of Kuala Lumpur from April 21 to 24 this year, Kolkata-based Garden Reach Shipbuilding & Engineering Ltd (GRSE) showcased a representative scale model of the Project 28 ASW corvette. GRSE will in the coming weeks finalise (in concert with Navy HQ) various contract packages for the corvette that call for the design and supply of the vessel’s combat management system, integrated platform management system, battle damage control system, and the weapons suite. But what has already been decided upon is the installation on board of the IAI/RAFAEL-supplied Barak-1 anti-missile defence system, OTOBreda’s 76/62 main gun, Larsen & Toubro-built twin triple-tube torpedo launchers, and the DRDO-developed Revati 3-D S-band radar that will be built by BEL. Presently, sea trials of these two systems are underway on board the Leander-class frigate INS Dunagiri, which has been modified to act as a trials vessel. The frigate’s main mast now carries the 2.5-tonne Revati radar. The main mast also houses an EL/M-2221 STGR fire-control radar illuminator for the Barak-1, as well as a BEL-built Shikari (THALES’ Flycatcher) fire-director of the main gun. The sea trials in this configuration are meant to ensure that EMI emissions do not neutralise each other. The first four planned Project 28 ASW corvettes, each costing Rs7 billion, will also have on board the ELBIT Systems-built Deseaver decoy dispensers on board. The first such corvettes will be launched by GRSE in the middle of next year. The subsequent ‘hunter-killer’ corvettes will be delivered within a gap of 15 months. Though the order for the first four corvettes was given as early as 2003 for some unforeseen reasons plate-cutting for the first vessel commenced only on August 12, 2005. Each corvette will have 2,500 tonnes standard displacement, and a length of 110 metres. It will sail at a maximum speed of 32 Knots. The vessel will be powered by four SEMT-Pielstick 12 PA6 STC diesel engines, each rated at 4,270kW. The hull-mounted sonar will be the BEL-built HUMSA-NG, that will be encased within a fibre-glass dome supplied by ATLAS Elektronik.--Prasun K. Sengupta

Upgrades For Sea King Mk42B & Ka-28PL

To provide its new-generation principal surface combatants with extended precision warfare capabilities for both ASW missions and anti-ship strike operations via over-the-horizon targetting, the Indian Navy (IN) has initiated a two-pronged approach: procuring the initial 16 of a projected 60 new-generation shipborne 10-tonne multi-role helicopters; and upgrading the mission sensor suite of 18 of its AgustaWestland-built Sea King Mk42B multi-role, medium-lift, shipborne helicopters and 28 Kamov Ka-28PL ASW helicopters. Navy HQ has already issued restricted RFPs to AgustaWestland, Sikorsky Aircraft and NH Industries (part of EADS) calling for the off-the-shelf supply of an initial 16 helicopters. Contenders for fulfilling this requirement include AgustaWestland’s AW101, NH Industries’ NH-90, and Sikorsky’s CH-148 Cyclone.

For the existing Sea King Mk42Bs and Ka-28PLs to be upgraded at a cost of Rs6 billion and Rs8.5 billion, respectively, the only ultra low-frequency dipping sonar being offered for the selected helicopter is L-3 Communications’ Ocean Systems Division’s HELRAS DS-100, while low-frequency sonars being offered are THALESRaytheon’s FLASH and the DRDO-developed/BEL-built Mihir. Tactical anti-ship strike missiles being proposed include MBDA’s AM-40 Block 3 Exocet and Kongsberg Marine’s NSM. The belly-mounted search radar is widely expected to be the ELTA Electronics-built EL/M-2022H(A)3, while an ELTA-built optronic turret is favoured as a chin-mounted installation. The mission management suite likely to be selected is Galileo Avionica’s (part of Finmeccanica) ATOS-LW, which will also function as an acoustic signals processor. The 18 Sea King Mk42Bs will each have an all-glass cockpit similar to the one on board the Dhruv ALH, and its mission sensor/weapons suite will be the same as that on board the 16 to-be-acquired shipborne helicopters. Each of the 16 new shipborne helicopters will cost as much as Rs1.1 billion, and will be required to carry 15 combat-ready soldiers or two medium-range anti-ship cruise missiles.

The specified new enhancements for the Sea King Mk42Bs and Ka-28PLs include new composite main rotor blades, five AMLCD cockpit displays (two primary flight displays and three multi-function displays), an automatic flight control system (AFCS), twin AHRS for providing aircraft attitude and heading information to the cockpit display and AFCS. The AMLCDs will serve as replacements for a majority of the older style ‘steam gauges’ and provide the aircrew with a wealth of versatility and selectability in presentation of aircraft flight, navigation, and engine system information and monitoring. The AFCS will be of the 3-axis type with duplex architecture, comprising two AFCS computers and two AHRS. The duplex feature will give the AFCS a fail-passive and fail-operational capability after any first failure. The AFCS will also provide for attitude retention and automatic heading hold in a hover. For cruise flight modes the pilot will be able to opt for basic attitude retention or select to couple to heading or GPS, and altitude or airspeed for true hands-off flight. These new digital, solid-state units now allow for elimination of the older and sometimes shortlived spinning mass vertical gyros and directional gyros and their associated sensors.

The IN is also going in for five more Kamov Ka-31 airborne early-warning (AEW) helicopters worth Rs2.75 billion each, to add to the nine Ka-31s already inducted in 2003-2004.—Prasun K. Sengupta

Mobile Calibrator for Avionics & Instrumentation On Board Su-30MKI & MiG-29K

Su-30MKI's Russia-Origin Air-to-Ground Weapons

The FAB-500M-62 with MPK and PBK-500U SPBE-K are GPS-guided, using the GLONASS GPS satellite constellation for course-correction updates.--Prasun K. Sengupta

CABS’ AEW & CS Detailed

In a path-breaking development, Brazil and India on July 3, 2008 inked a US$210 million agreement to jointly develop an airborne early warning and control system (AEW & CS) for the Indian Air Force (IAF). The agreement was signed by Dr S Christopher, Director, of the Indian Defence Research & Development’s (DRDO) Bangalore-based Centre for Airborne Systems (CABS), and Luis Carlos Aguiar, Embraer’s Executive Vice President (Defence and Govt Market), in the presence of Marco Brandao, Brazilian Ambassador to India, and M Natarajan, Scientific Adviser to India’s Defence Minister and Secretary, DRDO. India, incidentally, had earlier acquired five EMB-135BT ‘Legacy’ executive jets, under a Rs7.27 billion contract with Embraer, to ferry VVIPs around the country and abroad. Under the latest deal, Embraer will modify its EMB-145 regional jet aircraft to carry the Active Array Antenna Unit (AAAU), developed by the CABS, on the aircraft’s fuselage. Three modified EMB-145s will be developed under this agreement, with the first being delivered by 2011. The various sub-systems of the AEW & CS’ mission management system will be integrated into the ‘modified green’ EMB-145 by CABS and the full-fledged AEW & CS will be flight-tested in India by CABS and the Indian Air Force (IAF) from 2012.

The AEW & CS’ S-band pulse-Doppler active phased-array radar will operate within the 2GHz to 4GHz bandwidth. The 8 metre-long, 900kg antenna (using 1,280 phase shifters) will be mounted on the upper dorsal spine of the aircraft’s fuselage. The radar’s dorsal unit (DU) will include the carbon-fibre radome, antenna array, RF distribution network, and 192 transmit/receive modules that will be cooled by ram-air. Each such module will comprise a power amplifier for the transmitted microwave signal, low-noise amplifiers as front-ends for the receiver channels, and phase shifters for accurate control of the signal phase in both transmit and receive modes. In the latter, amplification of the signal will be controlled as well. The phases and amplitudes will be continuously calibrated. Each T/R module will be connected to one vertical slotted waveguide on each side. An electronic switch in the module will select the side. By feeding the slotted waveguide separately in the upper and lower half, the beam will be shifted in elevation for height measurement. This shifting will be conducted by single-step phase shifters in the front-ends of the modules. A module-control databus will provide control of the modules to achieve instantaneous antenna beam-steering and the very low sidelobes required. A receiver/exciter processor will generate the pulsed microwave signals and send them to the antenna. It will also accept the received signals from the DU and generate both digitised video signals for signals processing as well as data signals for steering the beam. The transmit drive signal will be generated by a frequency synthesizer and will be up-converted and modulated for pulse compression (using polyphase coding), and will be amplified before being sent to the DU. A programmable signal-and-data processor will receive the returned radar signals from the receiver/exciter via optical data links in digitised quadrature video format. The radial velocity of detected airborne targets will be determined from the Doppler frequency via combined signals from the T/R modules. By combining these signals, the processor will modify the effective antenna sidelobe pattern to place nulls in the direction of hostile jammers. The processor will also perform coherent integration by Fast Fourier Transform that will form a Doppler filter bank. This will be followed by pulse compression, constant false alarm rate processing and binary integration. Due to all this, the AESA radar’s processor will generate clutter- and interference-free position data for all targets.

The two identical antennae in the DU will comprise a row of vertical slotted waveguides each with two sections that will each contain five slots providing low vertical sidelobes. By shifting the signal phase from the upper and lower parts respectively, two tilted lobes will be provided for measuring target altitudes. By adjusting the gain, a proper sidelobe in azimuth will be obtained. The AESA radar will provide 270-degree airspace surveillance coverage and have an instrumental range of 450km and detection range of 350km in a dense hostile electronic warfare environment. The radar’s optimum performance (with very low sidelobes) will be over the 120° azimuthal sectors on each side of the aircraft. In addition, the radar will also have a secondary sea surveillance mode. For the IAF, the radar will be configured for detection, tracking and height finding of airborne contacts, automatic track initiation and continuous tracking of up to 300 airborne targets, moving ground target detection and area ground mapping. In a severe EW environment the radar’s adaptive sidelobe cancelling feature will severely diminish the effects of hostile EW jamming. Pulse compression will be resorted to improve range resolution, while frequency agility will be used to avoid the negative effects resulting from hostile jamming. Doppler processing in both low- and medium-pulse repetition frequencies will be the main target detection mode amidst ground clutter, while horizontal antenna polarisation will provide an indication of the altitudes on which the tracked contracts are flying. High instantaneous bandwidth and Doppler resolution will enable the AESA radar to undertake target analysis via non-cooperation recognition techniques. For detecting hostile airborne aircraft, two mean antenna scan rates of 12 degrees/second or 3 degrees/second will be used, while a scan rate of 3 degrees/second will be used for detecting terrain-hugging or sea-skimming cruise missiles. Warships will be detected using a low-PRF without Doppler filtering. An adaptive radar control mode will control beam scheduling to share the total available time between search, confirmation of detections, and track updates. The radar will also include an L-band IFF transponder.

Inside the AEW & CS will be five tandem-mounted multifunction display/processor consoles that will make up the Central Tactical System (CTS) for providing tactical data management solutions via tactical aids, cues, alerts and bookkeeping functions. The platform will also have a communications suite comprising dual HF and five sets of V/UHF radios for enabling the exchange of tactical data with friendly land, sea and air forces as well as communicating with civilian ATC networks. A Link 16-type data link will provide automatic clear or secure communications channels via one of the HF radios and one dedicated UHF transceiver. The data link will be used for relaying information such as tracking cues, contact range, bearing, velocity, altitude and intercept vectors to friendly airborne combat aircraft, while the IAF’s ground-based Sector Operations Centres (SOC) will be networked with the AEW & C platform via the Ground Interface Segment (EGIS) that will provide two-way exchange of data between the airborne AEW & C platform and ground-based SOCs.

For self-protection, the AEW & CS will have on board a fully integrated defensive aids suite that will include multi-spectral optronic sensors and an ESM suite, designed for the protection of aircraft against infra-red/laser-guided MANPADS). This will in turn be fully integrated with wingtip-mounted lightweight chaff/flare countermeasures dispensing systems. Designed from the outset as a fully integrated modular system, the fully integrated defensive aids suite will combine radar/laser/infra-red/ultra-violet missile approach warning and countermeasures dispensing functions in a single systems controller. Another component will be the ESM suite that will combine the radar warning receiver and countermeasures dispensers with interferometer antenna arrays, a missile approach warning system, laser warning system, defensive aids controller, and a display-cum-control unit.—Prasun K. Sengupta

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