asian defence and diplomacy vol 17 dec 2010/jan 2011

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a Volume 17 December 2010/January 2011 www.AsianDefence-Diplomacy.com

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Artillery SystemsArtillery Systems

HelicoptersHelicopters

Tactical Transport Aircraft

Tactical Transport Aircraft

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3www.AsianDefence-Diplomacy.com December 2010/January 2011

CONTENTS

ASIAN DEFENCE & DIPLOMACY

ASIAN DEFENCE & DIPLOMACY is a monthly publication for diplomats and professionals in the defence, security and academic fields. Opinions expressed by con-tributors in ASIAN DEFENCE & DIPLOMACY do not necessarily represent those of the publisher or editor.

Distributed by MarketAsia Distributors (S) Pte Ltd, Singapore.Printed by Xpress Print Pte Ltd, Singapore.

This publication may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form in whole or in part without the written express consent of the publishers.

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GLOBAL BUSINESS PRESS

DEFENCE & DIPLOMACYASIAN Contents

AIR SYSTEMS

MEDIUM MATTERS – The C-27J Transport Aircrast

The Alenia Aeronautica C-27J me-dium tactical transport aircraft has already been selected by five Eu-ropean NATO nations, the US and Morocco. In this article we look at the transport aircraft sector and then discuss the role of the C-27J in that sector and the development history of the aircraft. After that we explore the market potential of the C-27J in the light of evolving medium tactical transport requirements in Asia and around the world.

IN FOCUS 5

6

21

32

26

32

21

GROUND SYSTEMS

REGIONAL FOCUS

AIR SYSTEMS

Artillery in Asia A Renewal Of Interest

Chinese Military Developments

Helicopter Happenings Regional Helicopter Developments

Front Cover Picture: Our front cover image for this, the final issue of Asian De-fence & Diplomacy of 2010, is this Alenia Aeronautica C-27J medium tactical transport aircraft of the Italian Air Force flanked by two Eurofighter Typhoon fighters of the Italian Air Force. The Italian Air Force has 12 C-27J aircraft in service with the 46th Aviation Brigade (46^ B/A), based at Pisa. The 46^ B/A operates all Italian Air Force tactical air transport assets, apart from the C-27J it operates the Italian fleet of 21 C-130J Hercules aircraft. Pisa is also the site for the Italian National Training Centre for tactical transport aircraft, where there is a CAE Full Flight Simulator (FFS) for the C-130 and in November an Alenia Aeronautica FFS for the C-27J was inaugurated. (Photo: Alenia Aeronautica )

Editorial Director David Saw, [email protected]

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Contributors Ze’ev Cohen, Ron Matthews, Kogi Balakrishnan, Andrew Drwiega, Peter La Franchi, Sergei DeSilva-Ranasinghe

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The Indian Defence Procurement Roadmap

February 2011

The Asian Airpower Environment

AERO INDIA (BANGALORE, INDIA)

IDEX (ABU DHABI, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES)

Regional Tank Developments

The Indian Air Force – Continuing

Modernisation

Bonus Exhibition Distribution

A rapidly growing economy, increasing status as a regional superpower and a global footprint is transforming India. Also being transformed are the capabilities of the Indian Armed Forces. Vast budgets are now available to support an unprec-edented level of defence modernization, as this article reports.

This article takes a look at the key air fore pro-curement contracts around the region. The aim is to identify the key procurement programmes and systems that Asian Air Forcers will be looking at in 2011. Regional combat aircraft requirements have never been higher.

Asian Defence & Diplomacy evaluates the regional tank scene, with particular focus on developments in India. Other regional tank issues are not ig-nored, as we look at programmes and possibilities in Korea, China, Singapore and other regional tank users. Both newbuild and upgrade programmes are covered.

The Indian Air Force (IAF) has generated a seem-ingly endless array of operational requirements in recent years, but it is in the extremely pleasant position of being able to make its requirements a reality. The scope of IAF procurement plans is investigated in this article.

Reserve your advertising space today! Call or write to Vittorio Rossi Prudente T : +393356119295 E : [email protected]

Order/Booking Deadline:

10th January 2011



IN FOCUS


Having written a very large article on North Korean tanks in the last issue of Asian Defence & Diplomacy (Novem-ber 2010), one must admit that we had little intention of writing about North Korea for quite some time. And then all of a sudden they decide to show a new uranium en-richment facility to a visiting US scientist – Pyongyang’s way of saying that your sanctions regime does not work.

The fact that they have constructed a new, and apparently very modern enrichment facility with 2,000 centrifuges, is proof that the DPRK nuclear weapons programmes is not only alive and well, but potentially is increasing in scope. This comes at a time when the situation in the DPRK is, to say the least, unpredictable, as the leadership transition from Kim Jong-il to Kim Jong-un is taking place. North Korea is unpredictable at the best of times, but just how unpredictable they can be was graphically demonstrated by the events of 23rd No-vember.

The island of Yeon-pyeong-do sits close to the North Limit Line (NLL) in the West Sea, it is one of a number of islands belong-ing to the Republic of Ko-rea (ROK) in that area. The islands are garrisoned by units of the ROK Marine Corps (ROKMC) equipped with artillery, generally in hardened positions. Civil-ians on the islands have access to public shelters in case of emergency.

Every month ROKMC artillery conducts firing drills from one of the islands, in November it was Yeonpyeong-do and the impact area was in the sea, some 20-30 km south-west of the island, in ROK waters. Artillery systems available included six K9 155 mm 52-calibre self-propelled guns, and a number of M101/KH178 105 mm howitzers. Also located on the island was an AN/TPQ-36 Firefinder artillery locating radar.

The artillery drill was completed and then came a bar-rage of DPRK artillery fire, a total of 150 rounds in the first attack of which 90 hit the sea around Yeonpyeong-do and 60 hit the island itself. ROKMC artillery responded firing 80 rounds in response. Then came a second DPRK bar-rage of 20 rounds, followed by a ROKMC response. Two ROKMC soldiers were killed and 16 injured, with two ci-

vilians also killed.This DPRK action was total adventurism and was to a

great extent unexpected. However, it soon emerged that ROK intelligence means had detected unusual DPRK mili-tary activity and that activity could have been aimed at Yeonpyeong-do. The problem was that this possibility was seen as unlikely. Hence no real warning to the garri-son on the island to raise readiness or any warning to the local population that an attack was in prospect.

The ROK military response then started to receive criti-cism, of the six K9 systems on the island only three were able to return fire and the Firefinder system was unserv-iceable. It took 13 minutes to initiate a response to the first barrage and 15 minutes to respond to the second. Of the 80 rounds fired in response to the first barrage, 35 impacted in the sea and only 45 hit DPRK territory. Apparently none of the battery of DPRK BM-21 122 mm Multiple Rocket Launchers that fired on Yeonpyeong-do were successfully engaged.

The ROK military response was seen as unsatisfactory and their explanation for their actions in the ROK media was particularly badly handled. In the aftermath ROK De-

fence Min-ister Kim Tae-young resig ned. He was r e p l a c e d by Kim Kwan-jin, a former C h a i r -man of the ROK Joint Chiefs. In his con-f irmation

hearing in the ROK National Assembly on 3rd December, Kim promised that there would be airstrikes in response to further DPRK provocations. Most significantly he said: “In case the enemy attacks our territory and people again, we will thoroughly retaliate to ensure that the enemy can-not provoke again.”

It also appears that the ROK population, previously generally supportive of a soft line on dealing with North Korea, has run out of patience. This could further increase pressure on the ROK government and military to respond decisively in the face of a future DPRK provocation.

For the ROK government and for the military there are real lessons to be taken from what happened at Yeo-npyeong-do. They must make better use of intelligence information and they must modify their procedures and chain of command to allow for rapid response. Half-heart-ed responses will only serve to make the DPRK bolder.

ADVENTURISM AND ARTILLERY

IN FOCUSDavid Saw, Editorial Director


6 www.AsianDefence-Diplomacy.comDecember 2010/January 2011

AIR SYSTEMS


MEDIUM MATTERS THE C-27J TRANSPORT AIRCRAFT By David Saw

Ready to depart on a night mission, an Alenia Aeronautica C-27J medium tactical transport aircrast. During the 1990s Alenia Aero-nautica started work on developing a new tactical transport aircrast to succeed the previous generation G.222. The aircrast is now in service or on order for six NATO nations and Morocco. (Photo: Alenia Aeronautica)

Military air transport requirements are driven by a number of factors, with the fundamental issues be-

ing what do you intend to transport and how far do you intend to transport it. Then the issue is where will you be landing: an established airbase, a semi-prepared strip or a rough field. Depending on the operational environ-ment a landing might be out of the question, so then the airdrop capabilities of your transport aircraft come into the equation. To these issues numerous other factors can be added, illustrating the point that acquiring the right transport aircraft to meet military requirements is a com-plicated process.

To simplify, it comes down to payload versus range ver-sus cost (acquisition, operational and through-life). Then

there is of course the operational environment to be taken into account, if it is relatively benign then militarised ver-sions of commercial aircraft are a possibility. However, if it is an operational environment that demands operating in harsh conditions then you obviously require a true pur-pose-designed military transport aircraft.

At the top end of the military transport aircraft comes what we might describe as the strategic transport aircraft.



AIR SYSTEMS


This brings us to the tactical transport area, a far more competitive area of the marketplace. This can be sub-divided into two main areas, effectively the high end with a payload of 18 tonnes and upwards and the medium tactical transport aircraft with a payload of 12 tonnes or below.

For many years the high end of the medium marketplace has been domi-nated by the Lockheed Martin C-130 Hercules, with the current version be-ing the C-130J. The C-130J has a maxi-mum payload of some 18,955 kg and

The Tactical Zone

The aircraft that best represents this category today is the Boeing C-17, with a maximum take off weight of 265,350 kg and a maximum payload of 77,517 kg. Performance and payload is significantly greater than the clos-est competitor, the Ilyushin Il-76. The majority of air forces will not be in the market for an aircraft in the C-17 class, as they do not need the payload capability or performance, and cannot afford the cost.

continues to obtain orders at a signifi-cant rate. For example India has or-dered six of the aircraft to support its Special Operations Forces (SOF) and is intending to add to this order shortly.

The C-130 will soon start to face some serious competition in its mar-ket niche from a number of different aircraft. Even though India has pur-chased the C-130J and will purchase more, it is intending to acquire a new transport aircraft known as the Multi-Role Transport Aircraft (MRTA) being developed by the Irkut Corporation of Russia and Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) of India. This aircraft has a 20 tonne payload, roughly in the same class as the C-130J, and consid-erably more than the Antonov An-32 that it is supposed to replace. India will acquire around 40 aircraft, with Russia to get 100 for both military and civil applications, and a hoped for ex-port market of 60 aircraft.

Another emerging competitor to the C-130J is the Embraer C-390 from Brazil. This aircraft is supposed to be available from around 2015, roughly the same time as the Indo-Russian MRTA, and has a payload of 23.6 tonnes. The aircraft already has cus-tomers signed up in the form of Brazil, Argentina, Chile, Colombia, Czech Re-public and Portugal who at this point are set to order 60 aircraft. Notably both the MRTA and the C-390 are to use turbofan engines rather than tur-boprops.

Before leaving the high end of the tactical transport area we should men-tion the Airbus Military A400M. This aircraft actually straddles the catego-ry of tactical transport and strategic transport. At 37,000 kg its payload is nearly double that of a C-130, but half of a C-17s. The A400M has its prob-lems, but eight nations still have 174 aircraft on order, and the programme

A C-27J Spartan lands at Hector International Airport, Fargo, North Dakota in October dur-ing a familiarisation flight. The selection of the C-27J to meet the Joint Cargo Aircrast (JCA) requirement of the US Army and US Air Force was a major victory for this Italian aircrast. The US Air Force is now responsible for C-27J operations. (Photo: US Air Force by Senior Master Sergeant David H. Lipp)



AIR SYSTEMS


In the 1960s NATO developed a requirement for a new tactical transport aircrast, the NATO requirement came to nothing but provided the basis for the G.222 to be developed for the Italian Air Force. Italy would eventually purchase a total of 52 aircrast for transport and special mission applications. (Photo: Aeronautica Militare)

Back in the 1960s, NATO generated a requirement for an extremely spe-cialised medium tactical transport aircraft. At that time it was believed that in the future air forces would be operating Vertical/Short Take-Off and Landing (VSTOL) combat air-craft from dispersed bases and that it would be necessary to support these dispersed bases with a transport air-craft that had VSTOL capabilities.

In Italy, Fiat Aviazione (later Aeri-talia and now Alenia Aeronautica) decided to respond to this NATO re-

The G.222 Era

the Chinese Shaanxi Y-8 and the Y-9 to the list of aircraft being considered as well.

Of course there are many operators who do not need to move payloads in the region of 20 tonnes on a regular basis, and others who find investing over $60 million in a military transport aircraft to be prohibitive. For these op-erators the medium tactical transport aircraft is the category to which they turn to meet their transport aircraft needs. Here we are talking about a payload of less than 12 tonnes.

The medium tactical transport air-craft also plays a role with those op-erators who operate aircraft in the C-130 class and above. It performs the missions that would not be justifiable or economical with a larger aircraft. Greece presents a perfect example of this trend, the Hellenic Air Force has five C-130B and ten C-130H aircraft but has acquired the Alenia Aeronautica C-27J as a medium tactical transport aircraft to supplement its C-130 fleet.

now appears to be getting back on track. This is much more than can be said for the Antonov An-70, which oc-cupies similar territory to the A400M, although its payload is somewhat larg-er. Being developed by the Ukraine and Russia, technical problems and funding shortfalls have plagued this programme, with resolution still be-ing sought.

Thus far we have covered the strate-gic transport sector and the top end of the tactical transport sector, essential-ly we are talking about a payload in the region of 20 tonnes and upwards for all of these aircraft. If you need to move payload of this size over ex-tended ranges and your budget goes from $65 million per aircraft upwards (flyaway cost), then the aircraft we have listed are those that you would be likely to consider. Of course for the sake of completeness we ought to add

Expanding Envelope

The same logic also applies in the Ital-ian Air Force, where the C-27J supple-ments the C-130J.

The Alenia Aeronautica C-27J pres-ents an excellent means of exploring the medium military transport air-craft marketplace. However, it should be noted that Alenia’s involvement in the sector predates the arrival of the C-27J and starts with an older aircraft known as the G.222, an extremely successful transport aircraft in its own right.



AIR SYSTEMS


In the end over 100 G.222 aircrast were built, with Italy being the major customer. Other customers for the aircrast included Argentina, Dubai, Libya, Thailand, Tunisia and Venezuela. The G.222 gained a reputation for being both rugged and reliable, proving suitable for both military and humanitarian missions. (Photo: Alenia Aeronautica)

aircraft) and the G.222VS (2 aircraft) for ECM missions.

Internationally the aircraft achieved some significant sales to Argentina, Dubai, Nigeria, Thailand, Tunisia and Venezuela amongst others. To meet the requirements of Libya a new ver-sion of the aircraft was developed in the form of the G.222T. Due to a US embargo on Libya it was necessary to remove US-sourced equipment from the aircraft and this resulted in a ver-sion powered by Rolls-Royce Tyne en-gines. Libya eventually purchased 20 G.222T aircraft. The last major order for the G.222 came in 1990 when the US Air Force selected the aircraft for its Rapid Response Intra-Theater Air-lifter requirement and ordered 10 air-craft under the C-27A designation.

Over 100 G.222 aircraft were built in Italy and the programme was con-sidered to be successful. The possi-

A Second G.222 Life

quirement and developed a design known as the G.222. The G.222 was powered by Rolls-Royce Dart turbo-prop engines, and with additional Rolls-Royce jet engines providing lift to meet the VTOL aspect of the re-quirement. The NATO requirement never resulted in a procurement pro-gramme, but the Italian Air Force had developed a separate requirement for a medium tactical transport aircraft and in 1968 awarded Fiat a contract to develop the G.222.

The G.222 for the Italian Air Force were not required to have a VTOL ca-pability and so the design team were able to develop the aircraft based on the use of two General Electric T-64 turboprop engines. The first G.222 prototype flew on 18th July 1970 and the Italian Air Force started evalu-ating the aircraft at the end of 1971. Pleased with the design, the Italian Air Force ordered 44 aircraft and the first production aircraft flew at the end of 1975. In the end Italy would acquire 52 G.222 aircraft, including special mission variants such as the G.222RM for radio calibration (5 air-craft), G.222SAA for fire fighting (4

bilities offered by the G.222 are now more appreciated than they were pre-viously, this has led to the aircraft ob-taining a second life and opening up new market possibilities. Indeed the G.222 has become a rather hot prop-erty in the second-hand marketplace, leading Alenia Aeronautica to lament a lack of suitable airframes to meet potential demand.

Existing users of the G.222 have looked to extend the service life of the aircraft, for example Nigeria had five G.222 in service and signed a contract with Alenia Aeronautica in 2005 covering repair, overhaul and logistic support of the aircraft. Later the Nigerian Air Force acquired an ex-Italian Air Force G.222 via Alenia Aeronautica to add to its fleet.

In 2005 the Italian Air Force start-ed running down its G.222 fleet in preparation for the arrival of the new C.27J (of which more later), with the aircraft being stored at Pisa. Mean-while in Afghanistan the US was



AIR SYSTEMS


A US Air Force C-27A flies over Panama aster departing from Howard Air Force Base. In 1990 the US Air Force selected the G.222 for its Rapid Response Intra-Theater Airlister requirement and ordered 10 aircrast under the C-27A designation. Later these aircrast would be used by the US State Department for anti-drug missions. (Photo: US Air Force)

During the 1990s work started at Alenia Aeronautica on finding a suc-cessor to the G.222, with the obvious target being the Italian Air Force as a launch customer. The move towards developing a G.222 successor quickly evolved from an Italian programme into an international programme. In 1995 Lockheed Martin and Alenia Aeronautica started discussing devel-oping a new medium tactical trans-port based on the G.222 design. This evolved into a baseline configuration that combined elements of the G.222 airframe with the cockpit and avion-ics of the C-130J.

Once this work had commenced

Enter The C-27J it soon became apparent that further performance gains were possible. For example, originally it had been in-tended to look at an uprated version of the General Electric T-64 to power the aircraft. This approach was re-jected, and instead the Rolls-Royce AE2100-D2A engine and the Smiths Aerospace (now General Electric) R-391 six-bladed propeller used on the C-130J were installed. As a result the aircraft had substantially more power and performance to play with and further increases in engine power were forecast.

The two companies decided to des-ignate the new aircraft as the C-27J and in 1997 formed a company to jointly develop and market the aircraft in the

looking to rebuild the aviation capa-bilities of the Afghan National Army (ANA). In particular its transport ca-pabilities that at the time rested with some elderly Antonov An-26 and An-32 aircraft. It was possible to acquire new An-32 aircraft, but the US was looking for something with more per-formance.

Eventually this led the US to Ale-nia Aeronautica and in September 2008 a decision was taken to order 18 G.222 aircraft (known as the C-27A in this application) for the Afghan National Army Air Force (ANAAF). The aircraft were refurbished in It-aly, and as part of the contract two VIP modules will be supplied to al-low the aircraft to be re-configured for VIP missions. More recently the US has placed an order for two more C-27A aircraft to bring the ANAAF fleet up to 20 aircraft.



AIR SYSTEMS


A Royal Thai Air Force (RTAF) crewmember sits in the door of a G.222 during the 2001 Cobra Gold exercise with the US. The RTAF originally acquired six G.222 aircrast, but now its fleet is down to five. As budgetary conditions for the RTAF are improving they could be looking for a new transport aircrast and the C-27J would be a contender. (Photo: US Air Force)

form of Lockheed Martin Alenia Tac-tical Transport Systems (LMATTS). The belief was that the C-27J would form an ideal complement to the larg-er C-130J.

Before looking at the evolution of the C-27J, it is worth having a brief discussion of its performance. The C-27J has a maximum take-off weight (basic) of 30,500 kg and a maximum payload of 11,100 kg, maximum land-ing weight (6 FpS sink rate) is 30,500 kg. Performance figures are tactical take-off ground run (MTOW, ISA, SL) of 580 metres, landing ground roll (MLW normal, ISA, SL) is 340 me-tres. Range with 9,000 kg of payload is 1,852 km and 3,704 km with 6,000 kg of payload. Italian Air Force C-27J air-craft are fitted with a refuelling probe. Maximum cruise speed is 325 KTAS, with maximum service ceiling being 9,144 metres. The aircraft cockpit is NVIS/NVG compatible.

Payload consists of 60 troops or 46 paratroops, or in a ‘Medevac’ role 36

stretchers and six medical person-nel. Moving cargo, the C-27J can ac-commodate standard NATO HCU-6-/E (463L Master Pallet) pallets that can carry up to 4,500 kg of cargo and are used on the C-130 and CH-47, and HCU-12/E pallets that carry up to 2,250 kg of cargo. A typical load would be three HCU-6/E pal-lets and a single HCU-12/E pallet, or six HCU-12/E pallets. In terms of air drop capability the C-27J can drop up to nine tonnes, up to five tonnes in the LAPES mode or up to six tonnes in the combat off load mode.

The large-cross section of the air-craft (3.33 metres in width and 2.60 metres in height), added to its high floor loading capability, the C-27J floor is stronger than that of a C-130, means that vehicles of up to nine tonnes can be transported, and be driven on to

and off the aircraft. Another typical load would be fighter or transport air-craft engines that can be easily loaded into the aircraft on their dollies.

The C-27J is designed to meet all of the requirements necessary for me-dium tactical transport operations, as one might expect the aircraft is extremely rugged and optimised for short take-off and landing operations on rough/unprepared strips. Once on the ground, cargo or other payloads can be rapidly loaded or unloaded. Performance in the air is also impor-tant, thus the C-27J has 3 g manoeu-vrability and a 2.5 g sustained turn rate at 180 KTAS. The aircraft can also be fitted with self-protection capabili-ties. In the Italian Air Force C-27J, the aircraft is fitted with a radar warning receiver, missile approach warner and laser warning receiver.



AIR SYSTEMS


older systems such as the C-23 Sherpa, C-12 Huron and C-26 Metroliner. One aspect of the requirement was that the aircraft would allow access to a great-er number of airfields in both Iraq and Afghanistan. The JCA would also re-place the CH-47 helicopter in many missions, therefore reducing the im-mense workload pressure than this system was under.

While the US Army was develop-ing its transport aircraft requirement, the US Air Force was developing a re-quirement for what it called a ‘light-weight inter-theater airlifter.’ This came about due to the fact that the C-130 was just too big and uneconomic to use for many missions. In addition, the new aircraft would be necessary

to support ongoing operations in Af-ghanistan. Then there was an emerg-ing requirement to support disaster relief efforts, a mission that would demand operations from unimproved and damaged runways in both the US and other areas of the world.

At the end of 2005, the US Depart-ment of Defense (DOD) directed that the US Army and US Air Force look to combine their transport aircraft re-quirements and talks commenced be-tween the two services. In the mean-time, in March 2006, the US Army issued a Request for Proposals (RfP) for the new transport aircraft. Finally in June 2006 the US Army and US Air Force reached agreement on the JCA programme and it became a truly joint

An Antonov An-32 and two C-27A aircrast of the Afghan National Army Air Force (ANAAF) perform a flypast at the 28th April 2010, Victory Day Parade in Kabul, Afghanistan. The US ordered 18 C-27A aircrast for ANAAF in 2008; these were ex-Italian Air Force G.222 aircrast that were refurbished by Alenia Aeronautica. (Photo: US Air Force by Staff Sergeant Markus Maier)

Having looked at the evolution of the C-27J and some of its performance characteristics; now is the point where we deal with its fortunes in the mar-ketplace. For both Alenia Aeronau-tica and Lockheed Martin joining to-gether to form LMATTS was a logical move, the combination of the C-27J and C-130J would meet the transport aircraft needs of the majority of coun-tries. The fact that there were high levels of interoperability between the two aircraft and many shared systems only added to the benefits of this joint approach.

The LMATTS teaming arrangement did not last though, the reason for this was a US programme known as the Joint Cargo Aircraft (JCA). Originally this was a US Army requirement for what was described as an ‘organic inter-theater airlift’ aircraft to replace

US Victory



AIR SYSTEMS


A newly refurbished C-27A for the Afghan National Army Air Force (ANAAF) departs from Naples, Italy. Although ANAAF had Antonov An-26 and An-26B aircrast in service, and had acquired the An-32, there was a requirement for an aircrast with better performance hence the C-27A acquisition. This year two more were ordered bringing the ANAAF fleet to 20 aircrast. (Photo: Alenia Aeronautica)

activity. The two services defined six key missions for the JCA. These were: critical resupply, casualty evacuation, air drop (personnel and supplies), aer-ial sustainment, troop transport and homeland security missions.

The potential size of the JCA pro-gramme was estimated to be around 145 aircraft, with 75 for the US Army. With a requirement of this size in prospect, Lockheed Martin decided to offer the C-130J for JCA and this ef-fectively dissolved LMATTS. Alenia Aeronautica decided to bid for JCA and formed Global Military Aircraft Systems (GMAS) with L-3 Communi-cations to offer the C-27J. While Ray-theon joined with EADS CASA to offer the CN-235 and C-295 as Team JCA.

The three candidates were reduced to two on 1st August 2006, when the C-130J was eliminated from the JCA competition, essentially for being too big and too expensive. Eventually on 13th June 2007, GMAS and the C-27J were selected as the winners of the

JCA competition with a minimum of 78 aircraft to be acquired over the life of the programme. The US orders its C-27J aircraft on an annual basis and in July 2010 ordered eight more, bring-ing total orders to date to 21 aircraft.

The US selection of the C-27J to meet the JCA requirement was an im-portant victory for the Italian aircraft with a reference customer. The first C-27J was presented to the JCA Joint Program Office on 25th September 2008. However, in April 2009 the DOD decided to move the C-27J programme and mission from being a joint effort to being a US Air Force programme and mission, with the aircraft being operated by the Air National Guard (ANG).

These changes in the structure of the C-27J programme, also conspired to derail a US Air Force Special Op-erations Command programme to acquire the C-27J and convert it into a gunship, with the AC-27J Stinger II designation, the intention was to

Having retired its G.222 fleet, the Ital-ian Air Force ordered 12 C-27J aircraft

International C-27J

acquire a total of 16 aircraft. This re-quirement was seen as necessary to support the overworked AC-130 gun-ship fleet.

What the US Air Force intends for the C-27J in the future is hard to deter-mine. However the total US require-ment for the C-27J is potentially huge over the next 20 years. The original JCA outline requirement was for 145 aircraft and if you add in other poten-tial applications for the C-27J in US, this could come to in excess of 200 air-craft.

While the US attempts to resolve its C-27J issues, it should be noted that the fact that the aircraft is in US military service opens up a host of possibilities. The C-27J can be offered under For-eign Military Sales (FMS) and Foreign Military Funding (FMF) programmes to foreign countries. Purchasing via this route opens up extra markets for the aircraft, with a classic example being Taiwan who would look for an FMS purchase.



AIR SYSTEMS


The C-27J has become one of the most successful aircrast in the medium tactical transport category. The aircrast has 3g manoeuvrability and a 2.5 g sustained turn rate at 180 KTAS. It can carry a payload of 11,100 kg and can fly 1,852 km with 9,000 kg of payload. (Photo: Alenia Aeronautica)

quirement for aircraft in the C-27J cat-egory, as does Taiwan. The Republic of Korea is also reported to have ex-pressed interest in the C-27J and could look to secure the aircraft through the FMS route.

As to Alenia Aeronautica, they be-lieve that the C-27J has enormous sales potential. They suggest that Morocco was an extremely important contract to win, as it has put the C-27J on the map in Africa. In sub-Saharan Africa they have identified potential C-27J re-quirements in Gabon, Ghana, the Re-public of the Congo and South Africa. Nigeria, already a G.222 customer, is seen as likely to trade-up to the C-27J in the coming years.

Turning to North Africa, it appears that an opportunity is evolving in Algeria. Having acquired the EADS CASA C-295 aircraft for transport and MPA missions, Algeria is now look-ing to add to its transport capabilities with a more high performance solu-tion and this could open the door to the C-27J. Egypt was looking for a re-placement for its fleet of DHC-5D Buf-

with first deliveries in January 2007 and last deliveries in May 2009. These Italian aircraft are equipped with a HUD for each of the two pilots, self-protection system and a flight refuel-ling probe. The C-27J is in service with the 46th Aviation Brigade (46^ B/A) of the Italian Air Force at Pisa, the tacti-cal transport unit that also operates the Italian Air Force C-130J fleet of 21 aircraft. Two Italian C-27J aircraft were deployed to Afghanistan from September 2008 to January 2009.

The first export customer for the C-27J was Greece, with the Hellenic Air Force receiving 12 aircraft. Then Bulgaria ordered five C-27J in February 2006, receiving its first aircraft in No-vember 2007, a second in late 2008, with the remaining three to be delivered in 2011. The next customer was Lithu-ania, who ordered three C-27J aircraft in June 2006. All of these aircraft have been delivered and the Lithuanian Air

Force has already deployed a C-27J to Afghanistan to support NATO opera-tions in that country.

The C-27J already had four NATO customers in the form of Italy, Greece, Bulgaria and Lithuania, before the US signed up for the aircraft. To these five NATO customers, number six was soon added when Romania signed for seven C-27J aircraft in December 2007. The most recent customer for the C-27J was Morocco that ordered four air-craft in September 2008. Therefore as of July 2010, there were 64 C-27J air-craft in service or on order for seven different customers.

The order intake for the C-27J will be significantly boosted once the US de-fines its strategy for the aircraft. An-other factor that will come into play are FMS/FMF sales. Israel has a re-

Future Options



AIR SYSTEMS


A US Air Force instructor and an Afghan pilot from the Afghan National Army Air Force go through the pre-flight checklist before departing with their C-27A from Kabul in May 2010. It is worth comparing this view of the G.222 or C-27A cockpit with that of the C-27J – the difference is extraordinary. (Photo: US Air Force by Staff Sergeant Manuel J. Martinez)

falo aircraft, but its requirement was limited in performance and scope, and this eventually led to an order for six Antonov An-74TK-200A aircraft. The first aircraft arrived, but with no spares and then the rest of the deliv-ery programme stalled. It is believed that three An-74 are now in service and that the acquisition is back on track. Originally Egypt was looking for 10 transport aircraft, thus they are four short of their stated need and this might yet present a C-27J possibility, especially through an FMF acquisi-tion.

In the Middle East there are a num-ber of potential openings for the C-27J. Oman is modernising its capabilities and had generated a requirement for up to eight transport aircraft, three MPA aircraft and three AEW aircraft.

Then its plans changed to the trans-ports plus four MPA aircraft. Alenia Aeronautica is reported to have bid the C-27J for the transport requirement and an ATR-72 based MPA solution. A decision this programme is expected by the end of 2010 or early in 2011.

Qatar presents an interesting ex-ample of how an air force can change its mind on requirements, especially an air force with lots of money at its disposal. Qatar had no tactical trans-port capability and looked to acquire this capability through the acquisi-tion of four C-27J aircraft. Then its ambitions were vastly increased, leading to an order for two Boeing C-17 aircraft (with a possibility of two more) and four Lockheed Martin C-130J-30 aircraft. It will take time for Qatar to digest its new transport

aircraft fleet, but once that happens it could be that they will return to the C-27J to provide a properly bal-anced transport fleet.

The Royal Saudi Air Force has a large fleet of over 30 C-130E/H Her-cules aircraft and is apparently work-ing out its future transport plans. The possible options could include an up-grade programme for the C-130H fleet and/or the acquisition of new C-130J aircraft. Whether the scope of Saudi transport ambitions encompasses an aircraft in the C-27J class remains to be seen.

Elsewhere in the Middle East, Iraq might emerge as a market even though they have reportedly acquired six An-32 aircraft. The difference between the C-27J and the An-32 in terms of perfor-mance and payload is so large, that a requirement for a new medium tactical transport could yet emerge. The United Arab Emirates has shown interest in a new medium tactical transport aircraft,



AIR SYSTEMS


The cockpit of the C-27J is in a totally different league from that of the G.222, this is the Ital-ian Air Force cockpit configuration; note the HUD and the multifunction colour displays. This image was taken in the new Italian Air Force C-27J simulator at Pisa, built by Alenia Aeronau-tica. (Photo: Alenia Aeronautica)

potentially six aircraft plus one more with a VIP module. However, having acquired the C-17 and with a number of major programmes in the decision phase, its transport aircraft plans will have to wait.

Libya had previously acquired 20 G.222T aircraft, but like the rest of its air force, these were rendered inoper-able due to an international embargo. These aircraft are probably beyond economic repair at this point. Add the need for a G.222T replacement to the need to replace older Antonov An-26 aircraft, and you have a potentially significant transport aircraft require-ment. Bearing in mind how good rela-tions are between Libya and Italy, this could be a developing opportunity for the C-27J.

Turning to Europe, there are five countries that already operate the

C-27J. Restricted defence budgets, and the fact that there is intense com-petition for any requirements in this sector that might emerge, lead Alenia Aeronautica to think that there are few possibilities in Europe. Turning to Latin America, there are opportuni-ties here but no firm programmes.

Canada has shown interest in the C-27J in the context of its requirement for an SAR aircraft to operate in the north of the country and in the Arctic. This is a mission that the C-27J could fulfil, even though it would probably require the addition of a new radar plus FLIR, LLTV capabilities. This type of ‘special mission’ requirement is seen as an interesting area for the C-27J, as the aircraft has the capabil-ity to accommodate mission specific payloads with no performance com-promise.

In Australia, the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) has retired its fleet of DHC-4 Caribou transport aircraft and will eventually need a replacement. One driver for this is the fact that the loss of the Caribou capability has seen the workload of the CH-47 helicopter fleet heavily increased, and this is in-creasing costs while diminishing ca-pability. The RAAF could eventually having a requirement for 10-12 aircraft in the C-27J class and this is obviously an interesting potential market.

Exploiting this potential Australian opportunity could require some in-novative thinking though. The RAAF could acquire the C-27J through a di-rect purchase or via the US FMS sys-tem. Or there are other possibilities, for example leasing (something that Australia has done with transport air-craft) or a lease to buy arrangement. Inspired by the Australian Customs Service Coastwatch maritime surveil-

Asian Opportunities



AIR SYSTEMS


An Italian Air Force C-27J on an overseas operation. The Italian Air Force will soon deploy two C-27J aircrast to Afghanistan to support the two Italian C-130J aircrast in the theatre. This will be the third Italian C-27J deployment to Afghanistan. The Italian Air Force considers the C-27J to be an exceptional tactical platform. (Photo: Aeronautica Militare)

lance aircraft programme, another option could be to contract for the air-craft plus crew and support to provide a negotiated amount of hours of trans-port capability.

In Asia there are a number of evolv-ing requirements for medium tactical transport aircraft. Brunei has long wanted to add to its transport capa-bilities, but it is also looking for an MPA/EEZ surveillance capability as well. The aim is to have at least one transport aircraft that can move a platoon of troops, all their equipment and stores, as well the capability to perform MPA/EEZ surveillance mis-sions with a palletised sensor system to allow for rapid role changes.

Singapore could also emerge with a transport aircraft requirement to replace its Fokker 50 fleet. Currently the Republic of Singapore Air Force (RSAF) operates four Fokker 50 trans-ports, four Fokker 50 MPA aircraft and a single Fokker 50 ELINT aircraft. RSAF has a plan to upgrade its MPA aircraft with a new sensor package and then, once it has selected a large,

long-endurance UAV, move the sensor package to the UAV and retire the Fok-ker 50. Another possibility is that they could acquire ex-US Navy P-3B/C Ori-on aircraft, perform a structural up-grade and life extension programme, then integrate new avionics and sen-sors to provide a dedicated MPA air-craft. An Orion would also make a rather useful ELINT platform as well.

Clearly RSAF intends to retire its Fokker 50 fleet, but it is also working on enhancing its transport capabili-ties. The existing RSAF fleet of four KC-130B, five C-130H and a single KC-130H are going through an avionic upgrade and service life extension programme at Singapore Technolo-gies Aerospace. The first upgraded KC-130B has been delivered, with two more aircraft expected to be delivered in 2011. The aim is to keep the Her-cules fleet in service through 2030.

While the RSAF Hercules fleet will re-main in service, they will also need a replacement for the Fokker 50 fleet in the transport role and this is a real op-portunity for the C-27J.

The Royal Thai Air Force (RTAF) has potential for the C-27J. Previously the RTAF purchased six G.222 aircraft and today they have five aircraft in the inventory. Years of under fund-ing have seen the G.222 fleet starved of maintenance and spares, thus the fleet is currently inoperable. There was interest in potentially construct-ing a deal where the five G.222 would be traded in as a part of a new trans-port aircraft purchase. That failed to progress, instead they decided to pur-chase four ATR 72-500 aircraft as an interim solution for personnel trans-port. Beyond that there is an intention to add more transport capability and the C-27J is certainly seen as an attrac-



AIR SYSTEMS


On 19th November the first C-27J Full Flight Simulator (FFS) for the Italian Air Force was inaugurated at the Pisa base of the 46th Aviation Brigade (46^ B/A). The 46^ B/A is the tacti-cal transport unit of the Italian Air Force that operates 12 C-27J and 21 C-130J aircrast. The training centre at Pisa also houses a C-130J FFS. (Photo: Alenia Aeronautica)

tive option.Despite acquiring 20 G.222 air-

craft, the Afghan National Army Air Force (ANAAF) might evolve into a C-27J market due to the enhanced performance offered by the aircraft. Inevitably a C-27J purchase would come through the US, but as they are seeking to build the capability of the ANAAF it is not beyond the bounds of possibility.

On the surface India might not seem to offer much in the way of potential for the C-27J, but Alenia Aeronautica would disagree. They do see an oppor-tunity and further more see real pos-sibilities to develop a long-term rela-tionship with the Indian military and

Indian industry. Looking at the Indian Air Force (IAF), their transport plans see the acquisition of the C-17 to pro-vide a high-end capability, retention of the Ilyushin Il-76 fleet, acquisition of the C-130J-30 for Special Operations Forces (SOF) with six on order and six more likely to be acquired, acquisition of the Irkut-HAL MRTA and in the meantime an upgrade programme for 104 Antonov An-32 aircraft.

Looking at that listing one might have thought that the IAF had covered all of its transport needs, but that is not the case. One capability that they have that is in real need of replace-ment is the AVRO 748. These aircraft first entered service in 1961 and 63

were acquired between 1961 and 1984, with 53 built at HAL. Fulfilling a tacti-cal transport role, these aircraft could be replaced by a C-27J capability.

The C-27J could also prove attrac-tive to India for operations in the ex-treme climatic conditions encountered in Jammu and Kashmir. Here, the ability of the C-27J to deliver serious payloads to unprepared strips could be a bonus. Indeed in December 2009, the IAF issued a Request for Informa-tion (RfI) regarding the acquisition of 16 medium-tactical transport aircraft, and the C-27J is being considered in connection with this evolving require-ment. Another intriguing possibility is the addition of further transport ca-pabilities to India’s Special Operations Forces, where the successful combina-tion of the C-27J and the C-130J might well be repeated.

These performance characteris-tics might also see the C-27J interest India’s paramilitary Border Security Force (BSF) that is looking to increase its organic air transport capabilities. Currently the BSF operates two AVRO 748 aircraft, but it is looking to replace these with an initial order of two new transport aircraft, with potentially at least two more in prospect. The C-27J was evaluated in the north of India in 2009 in connection with this require-ment and a decision by the Indian Ministry of Home Affairs on the fate of the BSF aircraft requirement is ex-pected shortly.

As noted previously the current C-27J orderbook (including deliver-ies) stands at 64 aircraft, as of July 2010. Our look at future possibilities for the C-27J indicates that this order-book ought to expand dramatically in the coming years. One obvious source would be the US, at a bare minimum the US Air Force will acquire at least 17 more C-27J, but that could increase to cover the original JCA requirement for 78 aircraft. In theory US C-27J re-quirements are, as discussed previ-ously, in the 200 aircraft range.

Looking at the broader internation-al marketplace for the aircraft, and at-



AIR SYSTEMS


A view inside the Alenia Aeronautica C-27J Full Flight Simulator at Pisa. The Italian Air Force intends to train 16 C-27J pilots per year at Pisa in the basic C-27J course, as well as provid-ing recurrent training. Other C-27J users will also be able to use the Pisa facility to train their crews. (Photo: Alenia Aeronautica)

tempting to be realistic, the numbers are very significant. In Sub-Saharan Africa there could be requirements for up to 20 C-27J. North Africa and the Middle East also offer real numbers, potentially in the region of 45 aircraft. Asia, without India but including Aus-tralia, could be up to 27 aircraft. India could be worth at least 20 aircraft and at best around 40 aircraft. Potential FMS/FMF sales and other countries such as Canada could account for over 20 aircraft. Add all of this together and the possible C-27J international mar-ket is between 132 and 152 aircraft.

With 64 aircraft already on order or delivered, plus future US orders (in this case not the full requirement), it would appear that C-27J production could eventually be well in excess of 250 aircraft over the next 15-20 years. Our brief analysis of the C-27J market has demonstrated that there is sig-nificant demand in the medium tacti-cal transport area; indeed the market

Alenia Aeronautica realising that the C-27J has an a service life in excess of 30 years ahead of it, has already started working on a roadmap for fu-ture C-27J developments. Potential enhancements include new avionics, increased performance and uprated STOL characteristics. As this roadmap for the future of the C-27J becomes clearer, many of the new capabilities being envisaged for the aircraft could be applied to existing C-27J aircraft as

Future Developments

a part of a Mid-Life Upgrade (MLU) programme. The Italian Air Force is already looking to add to the capa-bilities of its C-27J fleet, through the addition of a DIRCM system for self-protection and enhanced communica-tions equipment, for example.

Although the C-27J is still in the early stages of its life, Alenia Aeronautica have already started thinking about the future and a potential C-27J suc-cessor. Equally, the immense military transport aircraft experience that Ale-nia Aeronautica has could be applied in other ways, for example through partnership arrangements. For in-stance a new transport aircraft could emerge out of something similar to the sort of partnership arrangement in place with Russia on the Sukhoi Su-perjet 100 programme for a 75-100 seat

might be even bigger than we have suggested. In the case of the C-27J, if the US acquires the original number specified in the JCA contract (78 air-craft), so much the better for Alenia Aeronautica



AIR SYSTEMS


An excellent image of an Italian Air Force C-27J of the 46th Aviation Brigade (46^ B/A). Note the flight refuelling probe and the self-protection systems on the front of the aircrast. Cur-rent C-27J orders and deliveries stand at 64 aircrast, but the potential marketplace for the C-27J could be in excess of 250 aircrast. (Photo: Alenia Aeronautica)

regional jet.The Superjet 100 regional jet is being

developed by the Sukhoi Civil Aircraft Company (SCAC), and here Alenia Aeronautica acts as the ‘Programme Strategic Partner.’ As such they have acquired a 25% plus one share stake in SCAC, with a level of financial in-volvement in the development pro-gramme reflecting their shareholding. In addition SuperJet International has been formed, with Alenia Aeronautica having a 51% share and Sukhoi Hold-ing a 49% share. This company will be responsible for marketing and sales for the Superjet 100, as well as delivery on the western market and post-sales support.

The Superjet approach has real at-tractions for both parties. Sukhoi gets assistance in developing the aircraft, in sales and marketing and post-sales support. From the perspective of Ale-nia Aeronautica, involvement in Su-perjet gives them a real stake in a very promising programme in a new mar-ket area. A similar approach could

translate into collaboration on a mili-tary transport aircraft with a suitable partner.

One country that Alenia Aeronautica sees great possibilities with is India. We have already discussed the fact that the C-27J is involved in competi-tions for both the IAF and the BSF, then there is the possibility of there being further requirements for the aircraft with the IAF, the other Indian ser-vices and paramilitary forces. These Indian requirements if they turn into real orders might set the scene for a partnership approach between Alenia Aeronautica and Indian industry that could go far beyond C-27J related ac-tivities.

There can be no doubt that India has huge potential as an aerospace and defence marketplace, but India is look-ing to move beyond direct acquisition of foreign equipment and license pro-duction. The aim is that India devel-ops it own capabilities, initially to meet its own needs, and then moves on to marketing products to meet the

needs of other customers. One way of speeding this process is through joint ventures and partnership arrange-ments such as the Irkut/HAL MRTA programme.

Alenia Aeronautica could certainly offer India a partnership arrangement similar to the MRTA for the C-27J suc-cessor aircraft, but the scope of the Italian company in terms of its activi-ties in commercial, as well as military aerospace, creates vast potential for real collaboration with India. As such, Alenia Aeronautica could prove to be an extremely attractive partner as India looks to move up the aerospace and defence value chain.

It remains to be seen how the strat-egy of Alenia Aeronautica will evolve in India. In the meantime though it is apparent that in terms of the present, Alenia Aeronautica has in the C-27J a highly competitive medium tactical transport aircraft that has the ability to meet numerous global needs in that sector of the marketplace. Taking into account the current C-27J orderbook and the market potential that we have outlined in this article, it would ap-pear that a target in excess of 250 C-27J aircraft being sold is both realistic and achievable.


HELICOPTER HAPPENINGS REGIONAL HELICOPTER DEVELOPMENTS By David Saw


AIR SYSTEMS


The international defence marketplace is changing, being driven by the consequences of the economic

downturn that commenced in 2008. Two years on, we can see that in Europe financial pressures are forcing severe reductions in defence expenditure. However, in other ar-eas of the world, recovery from the economic downturn has been much faster and there are those who experienced no downturn at all.

European problems have an obvious impact on helicop-ter producers, Europe is home to two of the most impor-tant helicopter manufacturers in the world in the form of AgustaWestland and Eurocopter. With their home market shrinking, there is no alternative but for them to look at ex-port sales. For the US helicopter manufacturers, primarily Bell, Boeing and Sikorsky, they are cushioned by ongoing major US government orders, but even here export sales are growing in importance.

Elsewhere in the world, there are other major helicopter players such as Russian Helicopters. This company was es-tablished in 2006 and includes the major helicopter facili-ties in Russia such as Mil, Kamov, Kazan, Rosvertol and Ulan-Ude. In 2009 Russian Helicopters produced a total of 183 helicopters, 8.3% up on 2008, of which 50% were ex-ported. It is interesting to note that of these 183 helicopters, 105 were for commercial customers. This is interesting, as the Mi-8, Mi-17 and Mi-171 helicopters produced by Rus-sian Helicopters continue to be much appreciated in mili-

US troops experience rotor wash from an Afghan National Army Air Force (ANAAF) Mi-17V5 helicopter while delivering relief supplies to the village of Chinari in Afghanistan in August. The ANAAF oper-ates an all Russian helicopter fleet, by 2015 this is programmed to consist of 58 Mi-17V5 and three Mi-17DV helicopters. (Photo: US Navy by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class David Quillen)



AIR SYSTEMS


The Philippine Air Force (PAF) has sought to supplement its helicopter strength through the acquisition of US surplus UH-1H helicopters under the Excess Defense Articles (EDA) programme. This image shows one of five refurbished UH-1H helicopters for the PAF being loaded on to a freighter in Jacksonville, Florida in early November. (Photo: US Army)

tary markets around the world.In this region helicopter capabili-

ties are continuing to evolve. China is now starting to move into the ex-port marketplace with its helicopters, with customers in Africa and through supplying the needs of traditional clients such as Pakistan, for example the Pakistan Navy has acquired six Harbin Z-9EC helicopters for its F-22P frigates. Conceivably China could be-come a force in the helicopter market-place, but that will be through the next generation of indigenous helicopters that are under development.

New Ambition

India also has significant helicopter ambitions, both as a customer and as a producer. The Hindustan Aeronau-tics Limited (HAL) Dhruv is entering service in large numbers with Indian military and commercial customers, as well as achieving some export suc-cess as well. India sees itself develop-ing a much broader helicopter indus-try, with technology inputs gathered from overseas, and will hope to make an even greater impact in the export marketplace.

The Republic of Korea (ROK) has set its sights on the development of

an indigenous helicopter capability. ROK industry is certainly no stranger to helicopters, having licensed pro-duced designs from Bell and Sikorsky amongst others. The next step was to develop a capability that met domes-tic needs and also had the potential to be exported. Defence exports are seen as particularly important in the ROK, in 2007 ROK industry achieved $850 million in sales, by 2009 export sales had reached $1.17 billion and this year they hope to reach $1.5 bil-lion in sales.

There are high hopes that the mo-tor for their entry into the helicopter export marketplace will be the Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI) Surion. Developed in association with prime industrial partner Eurocopter, the Surion has been selected to meet the requirements of the Korea Utility He-licopter (KUH) programme, with the ROK Army (ROKA) having a firm re-quirement for 245 helicopters. ROKA also has requirements for a new at-tack helicopter to replace its AH-1 fleet of over 50 helicopters. This re-

quirement has existed for some time, even so, there is increasing pressure to acquire a new helicopter and this could become an interesting indig-enous programme possibility.

That the military helicopter mar-ketplace is more than big enough to support all of these producers is evi-denced by a recent series of US De-fense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) arms sales notifications to Congress. In October there was a DSCA notification on the sale of heli-copters to Saudi Arabia, this covered a total of 70 Boeing AH-64D Block III Apache attack helicopters, 72 Sikor-sky UH-60M utility helicopters, 36 Boeing AH-6i light attack helicopters and 12 MD Helicopters MD-530F he-licopters. By any standards that is a lot of helicopters!

Old Becomes New

In Asia there is an obvious and ac-tive market for new helicopters, but there is also a strong market for sur-plus helicopters. One country that has


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AIR SYSTEMS


One of the last ex-US Army AH-1 attack helicopters, now destined for Thailand, going through refurbishment in the US in October. The Royal Thai Army (RTA) will be receiv-ing four AH-1 helicopters to add to its current fleet of three AH-1F helicopters. Pakistan has also been a major recipient of US surplus AH-1 helicopters. (Photo: US Army by Paul Stephen Ghiringhelli)

taken advantage of the availability of surplus helicopters is the Philippines. The Philippine Air Force (PAF) has sought surplus helicopters and spares primarily from the US to make up for attrition to its helicopter fleet and to compensate for limited budgets that have prevented new acquisitions.

US Army Security Assistance Com-mand (USASAC) have been instrumen-tal in meeting PAF surplus helicopter needs. In August, 20 refurbished MD-520 helicopter engines were provided to the Philippines and in early No-vember, five UH-1H helicopters left Jacksonville, Florida, by ship for the Philippines. The PAF hopes to add another five UH-1H helicopters to this total next year. US surplus has been the primary source of UH-1H helicop-ters for the PAF, but 20 were acquired through and refurbished by Singapore Technologies Aerospace.

The PAF is now starting to receive an improved procurement budget and earlier this year that led to an order for eight PZL Swidnik W-3WA Sokol he-licopters from Poland, with delivery due in the first quarter of next year. The helicopters are night capable and

come fitted with the GSz-23L 23 mm cannon and four hardpoints. Accord-ing to PAF statements, the helicopters will be equipped with pods for 57 mm S-5 and 80 mm S-8 unguided rockets, ZR-8 bomblet dispensers, minelaying packs and machine gun mounts in the cabin. Interestingly it was stated that the helicopters would have an air-to-air capability through the Strzala-2M missile. This missile is in fact a li-cense produced 9K32 Strela-2M mis-sile (SA-7), which is hardly state of the art, and has not been produced in Poland since the late 1990s when it was replaced by the indigenous Grom system.

Thailand was another regional na-tion that opted to use the surplus route to keep its helicopter fleet intact. For almost a decade financial crises and political instability led to helicopters being grounded due to spares short-ages and often due to lack of fuel. In recent years circumstances have im-proved and this has led to some sig-nificant purchases.

For the Royal Thai Air Force (RTAF), their main helicopter acquisition has been three Sikorsky S-92 VIP heli-

copters, while the Royal Thai Navy (RTN) has sought to add to its fleet of six Sikorsky S-70B-7 helicopters with the acquisition of six MH-60S helicop-ters. Meanwhile, the Royal Thai Army (RTA), the largest helicopter operator in Thailand, is opting for a mix of new and surplus purchases.

Earlier this year the RTA purchased 16 Enstrom 480B training helicopters to refresh its training capabilities, pre-viously the province of a large fleet of TH-300C helicopters. Like the other Thai services it has turned to Sikorsky to meet its helicopter needs, acquir-ing S-70A-50 and UH-60L helicopters. There are also reports of an order for six Mil Mi-17 helicopters, but no firm delivery dates.

The RTA has a small attack heli-copter fleet, originally acquiring four Bell AH-1F helicopters. The fleet was reduced to three after a crash in 2001, it is believed that only two of the re-maining helicopters are now flyable. There was a long-standing require-ment to obtain a new attack helicop-ter, but the RTA never had the cash to make it a reality. Now the RTA attack helicopter capability is to be increased in strength.

At the end of October at Wheeler-Sack Army Airfield, Fort Drum, New York, work was completed on the last four ex-US Army AH-1 helicopters declared as Excess Defense Articles (EDA) by the US Army. The destina-tion for these refurbished helicopters is Thailand, potentially allowing the RTA to refurbish the three AH-1F helicopters that it already has in its inventory.

Emerging Needs

Elsewhere in the region there is no shortage of helicopter requirements. The capabilities of the Afghan Na-tional Army Air Force (ANAAF) are being enhanced under US tutelage, al-though its helicopter requirements are mainly based on Russian helicopters. ANAAF currently operates two Mi-8-MTV, 25 Mil Mi-17V5, three Mil Mi-



AIR SYSTEMS


The third AgustaWestland AW159 Lynx Wildcat test aircrast made its maiden flight in November, a total of 62 of these helicopters are on order for the British Army and Royal Navy. The AW159 is due to enter service with the Royal Navy in 2015. In Asia existing Lynx customers such as Malaysia and the Republic of Korea could present key export opportuni-ties for the AW159. (Photo: AgustaWestland)

17DV and nine Mil Mi-35. By 2015, the aim is to replace the Mi-8 and Mi-35, to have a fleet of 58 Mi-17V5 and three Mi-17DV. There is also a requirement for six training helicopters.

Smaller regional nations are also moving forwards on new helicopter requirements. Brunei operates a di-verse helicopter fleet of six Sikorsky S-70A/L, 10 Bell 212, six Eurocopter Bo 105CB, a single Bell 214ST and two Bell 206. It has plans to replace its Bell 212 fleet and the Bo 105 fleet.

Having finally ordered 12 Eurocop-ter EC725 Cougar helicopters to meet the CSAR/SAR requirements of the Royal Malaysian Air Force (RMAF), Malaysia is likely to become a very active helicopter marketplace. The future helicopter programmes of the

Royal Malaysian Navy (RMN) are dependent on ship construction pro-grammes. If the planned Multi-Role Support Ship (MRSS) goes ahead, then the RMN will be looking to ac-quire three new utility helicopters.

With a new corvette programme for six units getting underway, the RMN has a problem in that their fleet of six AgustaWestland Super Lynx series 300 Mk100 helicopters can-not cover two frigates, six OPVs and the new corvettes. Ideally the RMN would look to acquire six more naval helicopters either more Super Lynx or alternatively the AW159 Lynx Wildcat that is due to enter service with the British Royal Navy in 2015.

The Malaysian Army hopes to be in a position to acquire a squadron of

between six and 12 attack helicopters with funding from the 10th Malaysia Plan (2011-2015), though numbers are dependent on funding allocation. In addition there is still interest in add-ing to the existing Light Observation Helicopter (LOH) fleet of 11 AW109, with some eight helicopters required. Downstream they would like to ac-quire utility helicopters as well, but this is dependent on how Malaysia goes about replacing the RMAF Nuri helicopter fleet.

In this article we have attempted to provide a different view of the regional helicopter marketplace, by focusing on some of operators, such as the Philip-pines and Thailand, who are often ig-nored as the bulk of attention is usually drawn to the bigger players such as In-dia and China. The regional helicopter marketplace remains heavily competi-tive, but the level of requirements are such that there will never be a shortage of contenders for programmes.


In an era with so many precision strike options, the importance of artillery on the modern battlefield is of-

ten neglected. This is despite the obvious and continuing utility of artillery in both conventional and asymmetric military operations. Of course any student of military history would be quick to point out that artillery was arguably the most lethal battlefield combat system of the 20th century.

Looking at the First World War (1914-1918), here the commonly accepted historical narrative was that the ma-chine gun was the decisive weapon. Yet the fact is that 58% of British casualties on the western front in France,

where the bulk of British troops were concentrated, were caused by artillery. In the Second World War, in the North African campaign of June 1940 to May 1943, 75% of British casualties were caused by artillery.

Between June 1941 and May 1945, the Soviet Army es-tablished that 51% of its casualties were caused by artil-lery fire. In 1944/45 that percentage had increased to 61%. Analysis of the eastern front in the Second World War demonstrated that it was essential for the Soviet Army to severely degrade German artillery if an offensive opera-tion was to succeed. On the other side of the coin, esti-mates are that 70% of German losses in terms of personnel and materiel were caused by Soviet artillery.

In the Korean War (1950-1953) almost 60% of US casual-ties were caused by fire from Chinese/North Korean artil-lery and mortar systems. This last example brings us to the present day, because Korea provides the most recent example of the use of artillery in anger in Asia.


GROUND SYSTEMS


Scenes from Yeonpyeong-do on 23rd November, as a K9 self-propelled gun of the Republic of Korea Marine Corps (ROKMC) moves position, note the damage behind. The island was hit by 60 rockets fired by the DPRK in the first bombardment, killing two ROKMC personnel and injuring 16 others, as well as killing two civilians. (Photo: ROK MND)

ARTILLERY IN ASIA A RENEWAL OF INTEREST By David Saw



GROUND SYSTEMS


Another picture from Yeonpyeong-do showing damage to a concrete shelter housing a K9 self-propelled gun, in the main the DPRK bombardment was indiscriminate hitting civilian and military targets. Of the six K9 guns deployed to the island only three could be taken into action to respond to the DPRK bombardment. (Photo: ROK MND)

Message By Rocket

On the 23rd November of this year, what was apparently a battery of Korean People’s Army (KPA) BM-21 122 mm Multiple Rocket Launchers (MRL) opened fire on the Republic of Korea (ROK) island Yeonpyeong-do (the KPA also has BM-11 and the M-1985 122 mm MRL systems). ROK estimates were that 150 rounds were fired in the first bombardment, fol-lowed by 20 rounds in a second bom-bardment. Of the 170 rounds, or to be more precise rockets, fired, we know that from the first barrage that 90 impacted in the sea around the is-land with 60 hitting the island itself. Known casualties include two killed and 16 wounded from the ROK Ma-rine Corps (ROKMC) garrison of the island, and two civilian dead.

The BM-21 Grad system (Hail) is still probably the most widely de-ployed MRL system in the world. On the other hand it is hardly state of the art. The system was the result of

a Soviet military requirement of 1957 to replace the old BM-13 and BM-14 systems, and was developed by GNPP Splav, which is still the centre for Rus-sian MRL design today. Essentially the system consists of the 9P132 40-tube launcher mounted on a Ural-375 truck. Total system weight is 13.7 tonnes and there is a crew of six. The standard 122 mm rocket used is the 9M22 high explosive rocket that weighs 66.5 kg with an 18.4 kg warhead. Maximum range is 20.5 km and minimum range is 5km. It takes roughly 2.5 minutes to prepare a BM-21 system for action and the system is ready to move 30 seconds after firing.

In principle a single MRL battery of six BM-21 launchers can ripple fire a total of 240 rockets in 20 seconds, covering a target area of some 950 by 600 metres with 441.6 kg of HE war-head and some 11 tonnes of fragments

from the rocket bodies. It would take a battery of conventional 122 mm artil-lery over an hour to deliver the same amount of firepower on to a target!

If you were looking for a precision engagement capability, the BM-21 would not be your first choice due to dispersion at range, this is far greater than that of tube artillery. What the BM-21 is particularly good at is hit-ting area targets and suppressing them. In the Soviet Army an infantry division would have a divisional ar-tillery regiment within which there would be an MRL battalion with three batteries of BM-21, having a total of 18 systems. Being on the receiving end of a salvo from an MRL battalion with 18 BM-21 systems is a most unpleas-ant prospect.

We know that in the attack on Yeonpyeong-do that the DPRK MRL systems were firing from prepared



GROUND SYSTEMS


was advantageous, as the superior reconnaissance and targeting sys-tems available to the ROK ought to have identified the bulk of these po-sitions. This should have allowed the ROKMC gunners to rapidly and eas-ily target the DPRK gun positions. However, if the DPRK are going to prepare new field firing positions and then deploy into them, then it is up to higher level intelligence and reconnaissance assets to pass this in-formation to the ROKMC gunners.

It appears that there were a total of six ROKMC K9 155 mm 52-calibre self-propelled guns on Yeonpyeong-do. In addition there were also an unidentified number of M101 and KH178 105 mm howitzers located on the island as well. The M101 has a range of 11.27 km, while the ROK produced KH178 has a reported range of up to 18 km. Conceivably the bulk of the 105 mm systems are probably located in fixed positions. To assist counter-battery fire an AN/TPQ-36 Firefinder artillery locating radar was also located on the island.

Ukrainian Army BM-21 Grad (Hail) 122 mm Multiple Rocket Launchers (MRL) during a firing exercise. The BM-21 system became operational in the early 1960s and carries 40 122 mm rockets with an 18.4 kg warhead, all the rockets can be fired in 20 seconds. A BM-21 battery can saturate an area of 950 by 600 metres. (Photo: Ukrainian Ministry Of Defence)

The Other Side

Yeonpyeong-do is some 12 km from the DPRK coastline and the large amount of hardened coastal artillery positions that are located there. These positions are supported, as we know, by pre-surveyed and established fir-ing positions for MRL systems and presumably for self-propelled and towed tube artillery systems. Com-mon DPRK practice is that MRL and self-propelled artillery systems are based in bunkers and will then de-ploy to their firing positions.

From the perspective of the ROKMC defenders of Yeonpyeong-do, the fact that they were so close to so many hostile artillery systems that could engage them was hardly a comforting thought. On the other hand, the fact that the DPRK artil-lery was emplaced in static positions

positions, presumably these were pre-surveyed as well. The fact that only 40% of the rockets fired hit the island is hardly testimony to the accuracy of the BM-21, but as previously stated this is not a precision weapon.

It would also appear that the DPRK was somewhat restrained in that only four BM-21 systems were used for the initial attack. Had they used a full battery then the impact of the strike would have been significantly worse. Also the gap between the two bom-bardments is odd, as we know the BM-21 can move 30 seconds after firing. It also takes ten minutes to reload a BM-21. So conceivably within 30 minutes a BM-21 battery could easily fire a salvo, move to a new location, reload, fire an-other salvo and then move again. That this did not occur is fortunate for the ROKMC garrison and the civilians on Yeonpyeong-do.



GROUND SYSTEMS


The primary tube artillery system of the Afghan National Army (ANA) is the D-30 122 mm Howitzer, with 86 systems in service and an eventual target of 236 guns. These ANA gun-ners are being trained by a team from the Australian Army. Tube artillery might lack the rate of fire of rocket systems, but it is far more accurate. (Photo: Defence, Australia)

The ROKMC garrisons on Yeonpyeo-ng-do and other ROK islands in the vicinity conduct regular monthly fir-ing drills with their artillery. Prior to the DPRK attack, the Yeonpyeong-do garrison are reported to have had a firing drill with the impact area being in the sea 20-30 km to the southwest of the island. It should be noted that the DPRK were well aware of these ar-tillery drills and that they had never been seen as a provocative act. The DPRK attack was an unprovoked as-sault.

After finishing the firing, the ROKMC K9 self-propelled guns re-turned to their garrison where they have protected positions. It appears that of the six guns three were unus-

Responses able at that point and that the AN/TPQ-36 was also unusable. Elsewhere, ROK intelligence did seem to have established that something was un-derway in the DPRK, but no specific warning appears to have been passed to the garrison at Yeonpyeong-do.

According to ROK media reports it took 13 minutes after the DPRK bar-rage had commenced for the ROKMC gunners to return fire. They are re-ported to have fired 80 rounds, of these 35 impacted in the sea and 45 hit the DPRK. Satellite images indicate no hits on the positions that the DPRK MRL systems had fired from, but there were obvious shell impacts in the vi-cinity of the DPRK positions. The sec-ond and much smaller DPRK barrage took 15 minutes to respond to.

Inevitably in the wake of the DPRK

attack there was criticism from ROK politicians and in the media. Why did it take so long to return fire, why were the DPRK artillery systems not de-stroyed and so on and so forth. Bearing in mind the absence of any warning of DPRK intentions and there being no direct order to heighten readiness. Added to the fact that a firing exercise had finished and so many systems were down for repair, responding under hostile fire in 13 minutes is not that bad at all.

As to the accuracy of the ROKMC artillery response, had the AN/TPQ-36 been working properly then it is conceivable that the counter battery fire should have been more effective. According to some reports coming out of Korea it seems that the DPRK was actually surprised by the volume of counter battery fire that it faced and this might have caused the BM-21 sys-tems to switch firing position earlier than they had intended.



GROUND SYSTEMS


In the wake of Yeonpyeong-do there are a number of lessons that can be learned. Firstly there is always the belief that equipment should work as intended straight out of the box, and continue working in the desired man-ner for as long as necessary. Of course reality is not like that, for example the fact that three of the six K9 systems were not operable. Had the ROKMC garrison been on a heightened state of alert then it is highly unlikely that three guns would have been down.

There should not be any criticism placed on the K9 self-propelled gun, this is a highly rated system. With a crew of five, the K9 can fire a burst of three rounds in 15 seconds and oper-ate at a sustained rate of fire of two rounds per minute. Maximum range with a standard HE nature is 30 km or 41.6 km with an ERFB round. It has a sophisticated fire control system and from a static position is capable of get-ting the first round off in 30 seconds.

All of this performance from the K9 assumes that the vehicle is crewed, fully provisioned and combat ready. It is highly likely that was not the case for the K9 guns at Yeonpyeong-

Possible Lessons The Korean People’s Army (KPA) of North Korea is credited with having over 17,900 guns and mortars available. Within that total are some 2,500 Multiple Rocket Launcher (MRL) systems of 107 mm, 122 mm and 240 mm calibre. As a country North Korea might be short of food, but it is certainly not short of artillery. (Photo: via SVT)

do. Again, had the AN/TPQ-36 sys-tem been working it is likely that the ROKMC counter-battery fire would have been more effective. Though it would appear that the ROK military is becoming more and more interested in having gun sound ranging equip-ment at the moment. Additionally the fact that the ROK has purchased Saab Arthur C weapon locating radars re-cently indicates some dissatisfaction with the AN/TPQ-36.

Certainly if the ROKMC had access to an artillery locating radar and gun sound ranging systems that would have greatly helped their cause. But then that is based on the assumption that there was a functional command and control network and artillery fire direction centre present. Ideally there would have been other assets that could have been called upon to pro-vide more data on the position of the hostile artillery targeting the island and to correct fall of shot.

In an ideal world there are plenty of additional systems that could have been present to help the ROKMC

gunners respond quickly and deci-sively to the DPRK attack. The thing to be taken into account is that the ROKMC garrison was caught by sur-prise, nobody can expect a small gar-rison to be ready to respond to an at-tack 24/7. Had they been at a higher level of readiness, which would have occurred if they had received the available information on DPRK move-ments, and had they been given rules of engagement that allowed them to fire if fired upon then their reaction would have been far faster and more effective.

There are lessons that can be taken from Yeonpyeong-do and next time doubtless the ROK reaction will be better. The real issue though is to avoid getting surprised and the fault for that does not rest with the ROKMC garrison, the fault is far higher up the chain of command in Seoul. It is in Seoul, at the higher command levels in the military and with the politi-cians, that the real lessons of Yeon-pyeong-do need to be understood and acted upon.



REGIONAL FOCUS


China continues to make impressive strides in develop-ing its naval capabilities, with new construction being

provided to the People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) at a significant rate. The purpose of this brief article is to focus on some of the most important developments that have taken place in the latter part of this year.

In September there was a surprise at the Wuchang Ship-yard in Wuhan, when the first unit of a new conventional submarine class was launched. This unit appears to com-bine the characteristics of recent Chinese submarine de-signs, although it appears to have a larger displacement, with a number of characteristics common to Russian sub-marines. Also launched at Wuchang was the fifth unit of the Yuan class, previously though to be the most modern indigenous submarine class destined for PLAN.

Work on the aircrast carrier Varyag is proceeding at pace at the Dalian Shipyard, with the vessel due to go to sea in 2011. Recent additions include the installation of Type 730 CIWS units (visible here) and FL-3000N close-in missile defence systems. There is still a lot to do, but 2011 will be the year of the aircrast carrier in China. (Photo: via SVT)

PLAN is not only adding to its sub-surface warfare ca-pabilities, its surface warfare capabilities are expanding as well. The force of Type 054A frigates continues to be built at a high rate. The 10th Type 054A is currently under con-struction at the Huangpu Shipyard in Guangzhou, while the 9th Type 054A, built at the Hudong-Zhonghua Ship-yard in Shanghai, is currently undergoing sea trials off Shanghai. The first Type 054A was only launched in Sep-tember 2006, indicating a significant build rate – they have launched nine Type 054A frigates in some four years.

It has been somewhat quieter regarding destroyers for PLAN. Two Type 052B Luyang class destroyers were com-missioned in 2004, while the two very impressive Type 052C Luyang II class destroyers were commissioned in 2004/2005. All four destroyers were built at the Jiangnan

Shipyard in Shanghai. In addition, two Type 051C Luzhou class destroy-ers were built at Dalian Shipyard and commis-sioned in 2006/2007.

There have long been rumours of a new de-stroyer class under con-struction, often referred to as the Type 052D, but little more information was available. Then it became apparent that a destroyer-sized unit was under construction at the Jiangnan Shipyard, was this the long await-ed Type 052D? Well a destroyer was launched at Jiangnan in late No-vember, but thus far the evidence would seem to indicate that this is either a Type 052C derivative or even a standard Type

052C. More information will become available as the ship is completed at Shanghai over 2011. There is also a second destroyer currently under construction at Jiangnan, indi-cating that both ships will be commissioned in 2012/2013.

The Type 052D destroyer still remains a mystery, but

CHINESE MILITARY DEVELOPMENTS By David Saw


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REGIONAL FOCUS


The second 20,000 tonne displacement Type 071 Yuzhao class LPD was launched at the Hudong-Zhonghua Shipyard in Shanghai on 16th November. Kunlunshan, the first Type 071 was launched in December 2006 and commissioned in November 2007. The arrival of a second LPD illustrates the growing investment in amphibious warfare. (Photo: via SVT)

Larger Surface Units

Kunlunshan (998), the first Type 071 Yuzhao LPD for PLAN, was launched at Hudong-Zhonghua on 22nd De-cember 2006 and commissioned into the PLAN South Sea Fleet on 30th No-vember 2007. The arrival of this unit marked a major boost to the amphibi-ous warfare capabilities of PLAN, and with an estimated displacement in the region of 20,000 tonnes, it dem-onstrated the growing maturity of Chinese naval shipbuilding.

On 16th November this year, a second Type 071 LPD was launched at Hudong-Zhonghua. There are ru-mours that this second unit could be slightly redesigned compared to the original Type 071, incorporating lessons learned during operations. That does sound plausible. What the expansion of the Type 071 fleet indi-cates is that PLAN is serious about amphibious operations, an LCAC class has also been developed for the LPD as well.

Finally we move on to the Dalian

Shipyard and the ongoing works on the aircraft carrier Varyag. Visible progress is being made here and so estimates of the carrier going to sea in 2011 appear to be correct. Recent additions include the installation of Type 730 CIWS systems, FL-3000N close-in missile defence systems and decoy launchers. Radars have been mounted and the ship obviously has power.

There is still much work to do on Varyag and more weapon systems to install, although what these might be is still open to question. What will be interesting will be the air group of the carrier, PLAN has no concerns regarding helicopters but the issue will be fighters. The Shenyang J-15, the purported naval fighter, has been seen, though its readiness to become operational from Varyag in 2011 seems debateable at this point.

What is plain with PLAN is that they are embarking on a major capa-bility growth programme and that Chinese shipyards are more than capable of building at a high rate. In 2011 with the carrier going to sea, new destroyers, frigates and conventional submarines, PLAN will become an even more formidable force.

bearing in mind the production ca-pabilities at Jiangnan, there should not be that long to wait until a new destroyer class emerges. In the mean-time, the two existing Type 052C destroyers, Lanzhou (170) and Hai-kou (171), appear to have undergone a modernisation process though con-clusive details of this process are not yet available.

PLAN could finally be moving for-ward on a replacement programme for the elderly Type 053H/53H1 Jianghu I/II frigates, some 13 of which are still in service. This potential replacement could be the Type 056 corvette de-sign that has been receiving a fair bit of visibility in Chinese naval circles. The new unit could be a development of the Pattani class OPV built for the Royal Thai Navy, Hudong-Zhonghua built two of these 1,440 tonne dis-placement, 95.5 metre length vessels. Available information indicates that the Type 056 will have a 76 mm gun, FL-3000N close-in missile defence system, YJ-83 anti-ship missiles, and a helicopter deck but no hangar.


asian defence and diplomacy vol 17 dec 2010/jan 2011

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