FLUG REVUE August 2003: Atlantic over the Indian Ocean

ATLANTIC SUPPORTS “ENDURING FREEDOM”

By Daniel Hautmann

When the naval aviation forces arrived in Mombasa, Kenya in March of last year, they managed to fax the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (IOC) of their “operationally ready” status in the record time of only three days. On the very same day the first aircraft set off from Mombasa International Airport and flew the first reconnaissance sortie in the Horn of Africa.

Since then the flights in the operating area off the Somalian coast have become routine. The approximately 140 servicemen have made themselves at home in the “Giriama Quarters”, a dilapidated hotel complex with a private beach, and in their free time many of them do voluntary work for African orphans in the WEMA Centre.

Atlantic, Marineflieger

The terms of reference for the Bréguet-Atlantic crew contain three elements: identification, surveillance and reconnaissance. Their operating area is about three times the size of Germany and stretches from the northern coast of Kenya through to the easternmost tip of the African continent. The tip of the Horn of Africa, in Somalia, is the turning point for the maritime patrol aircraft. During their sorties, the 12-man crew is airborne for about nine hours and covers 4,000km, i.e. 2000km in a straight line in each direction.

The interesting part of the flight takes place in the back of the plane, rather than in the cockpit. This is where the workstations of the Tactical Co-ordinator (TACCO), navigator, radio operator and the two other operators are to be found. They monitor the sea traffic on their screens and operate the radar, surface sensors and electronic support measures (ESM).

It may sound amusing, but the table covered with greaseproof paper is one of the most important instruments of all. “This is where you get an overview of the entire operating area,” says navigator Eike. The sectors to be overflown are marked in on the paper. The radar and GPS indicate the ship's co-ordinates on the table, and every six minutes the navigator marks the position of the aircraft on the paper overlay. In this way it is possible to see where one is at any time. If required, the paper will serve later on as evidence of the location of every contact, as the encounters with ships are called.

The system may be antiquated, but on the last NATO manoeuvre the German crew outperformed everyone else. This is down to the “three C's” crew concept: command, camaraderie and co-operation. The crew have been flying together for about two years and are extremely well practised at working together. This they demonstrate in the evenings as well. Then they can be found in the “Pirates”.

All the data is fed to Thomas, the TACCO. He is the “information provider”, he co-ordinates the altitude from the situation, documents the entire mission and passes on the data to headquarters in Bahrain over the tactical radio set. These messages are sent as a series of bursts, making them interception-proof. It is he, too, who releases buoys and colour and smoke signals marking a ship for the boarding crews.

Again, when it comes to seeing out of the aircraft, the best seat is reserved not for one of the two pilots but for the photographer. From the glass cupola below the cockpit he photographs the names of cargo boats and their load – at extremely high resolution. In this way it is possible later on to actually see between the containers and identify what is hidden there. On one picture, Thomas zooms in so far that the contours of a vehicle covered with a tarpaulin become visible. This time it was an unusual vehicle, but there are also examples which prove that weapons are being smuggled.

The crew insignia depict a catch in the net, but only small fish have been caught in Africa so far. Nevertheless, as pilot Jörn explains, “Piracy in the area has declined enormously.” This in turn will benefit the native traders, who transport their goods around on small boats.

The danger to which the crew are exposed is pretty small. The possibility of hostile fire is remote, as it would be a long and tedious undertaking to wait armed in the middle of the ocean in a dhow (the classic Arab sailing ship) until the Atlantic flew over it. However, the crew are cautious, so the aircraft always flies only once over the ships, as they want to avoid an emergency landing at all costs. This would have to be on Somalian soil, since “Mogadishu is not a landing option,” as Thomas puts it. To be on the safe side, special desert survival equipment is carried on board. The bright orange aluminium chest contains tents, water and food.

The Atlantic is fitted with the standard equipment for Africa, but without any underwater detection equipment, as fortunately the terrorists do not yet ride around in submarines.

ICAO has cleared some special VHF and HF frequencies for the operations. As there is no radar coverage in large parts of Africa, aircraft have to make “area calls”, which entail reporting their altitude, position and heading by radio, in order to be able to warn other aircraft.

Franz, the Technical Officer (TO) is responsible for spare parts. His kingdom is the “Marcent”, a guarded corner of Mombasa airport. The planes are parked here as well. He co-ordinates the pending maintenance work and repairs. “Because of the change in climate, especially with low altitude flying, we need more electrical spare parts,” he says. At the end of the flight the temperature can be as high as 70ºC in the switch cabinets; and when the air-conditioning unit is connected, condensation water quickly develops. This in turn causes short-circuits in the electrics.

The fact that there is no hangar for the aircraft in Mombasa is a drawback. During the rainy season, between April and June, it is possible for water to penetrate the aircraft as they are not pressurised. Otherwise, it is the technicians who feel the full brunt of the extreme climatic conditions. The main maintenance event lasts about two weeks, and has to be performed in the baking sun. An engine technician and an electrician from Nordholz come out to Mombasa specially for the occasion. The naval aviation forces have so far been spared any major failures. The only incident has been a problem with the auxiliary power unit (APU). “But that was fixed within a day. One of the fuel lines was not sealed,” explains Franz. Altogether the Germans have three planes in Mombasa. They are constantly rotated, so that all of them experience the same wear and tear. Two of them are always fit for action, and the third serves as reserve.

One small difference between flying out here and in Germany is that consumption of water/methanol during the takeoff phase is significantly higher here. “We use up about 100 litres a week here,” says the TO. The mixture is added at external temperatures from 10ºC. It is a kind of additional fuel which increases the oxygen mass flow rate and hence cools the engines more effectively, giving them more power. However, it is annoying that the filters through which the turbo mixture flows get blocked up very quickly. Franz explains, “The facilities for storing the fluid here on site are poor. Heat and dust get into the mixture.”

“The attraction of flying in Africa,” says Jörn, “is the weather and the lack of air traffic control.” Sometimes they come across old acquaintances, such as the “Hind” freight carrier. It is used to transport camels and if one of them does not survive the exhausting journey, it simply gets thrown overboard.

By and large the operation in the Horn seems to be quite pleasant for the servicemen. It is just the long straight flights that are a little boring. That is the reason why Jörn laments, “Compared with anti-submarine warfare, the missions are not very demanding of the pilot.” Every now and then they get a treat, as the Atlantic also flies ferry flights. These are transport flights like one recently flown when an important politician's jet was out of action. “We flew then and there with the Atlantic to Daressalam and fetched him. Then we flew back to Mombasa at low altitude above the Tanzanian coast. Now that was fun!”

From page 50 of FLUG REVUE 8/2003

Last updated 7 July 2003

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