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MID-SIZE AWACS MODELS FIND MARKETS

It has been known for a long time that AWACS (Airborne Warning and Control System) is extremely important for the successful deployment of air forces. NATO runs a fleet of Boeing E-3A for this very reason. Aircraft with these specifications are extremely expensive and not affordable for most countries.

However, since the E-3 Senrty was developed at the beginning of the 70s, there have been fantastic advances in electronics. This does not only apply to computers, which are now indispensable, but also for aerials, where systems with active electronic scanned arrays are used increasingly. This is why systems performing just as well as the Sentry are nowadays on offer at a much lower price.

It is therefore not surprising that over the last few years quite a few countries have obtained flying radar stations. The "Wedgetail-Tender" (Project Air 5077) in Australia was followed with a lot of interest, because it had potential to become the benchmark for "middle range"- early warning systems.

The "undisputed winner" was the Boeing 737 AEW&C (Airborne Early Warning & Control). On 21 June 1999 the Minister of Defence John Moore announced that negotiations were taking place with the Boeing Team as the "favoured supplier". Nothing has been signed yet, but seven aircraft will be handed over from 2004/5.

The Royal Australian Air Force intends to invest over $2bn (Australian) into this acquisition, which is "long overdue", in order to complement ground based radar and the Jindalee Over The Horizon Radar Network (JORN). After all, this country has to protect one of the largest air spaces in the world. The 737 AEW&C of the reactivated No 2 Squadron in Williamstown (150km north of Sydney) are brought into action. One detachment will be stationed permanently in Tindal in the Northern Territories. According to the RAAF Boeing offered "the lowest price and the best price/performance ratio". The involvement of the Australian industry might have also played a part in this decision. It is planned to create a "Centre of Excellence" in this country. Taking part will be Qantas (maintenance), ASTA, Boeing Australia (service) and British Aerospace Australia (electronic warfare systems, simulators).

The most important US team member is Northrop Grumman. This company's MESA-Radar, (Multi-Role Electronically Scanned Array) form the main component of the Wedgetail offer. The 7.6 meter long aerial with integrated IFF (Friend-Foe-Identification) is mounted on the fuselage. The transmission/reception modules are not just pointed to the left and to the right, but (in the upper part) to the front and to the rear.

The range of the system, which operates in the L-frequency band is said to be over 370km, while the performance can be optimised within a fraction of a second, if the available energy is not used to operate the entire aerial, but is concentrated on small sectors. Different operating modes can be used in such short time spans that operators can practically use them parallel.

Six consoles are installed in the cabin. Within these, as in the entire system, equipment and software, which is available in civilian operations, is used. A modular open construction will aid further development and integration of new technologies. To begin with there is enough capacity to evaluate more than 3,000 targets.

The basis of the early warning version is the fuselage of the 737-700 combined with the wing of the 800 version and an increased take off weight of 77,565kg. Modifications might be undertaken to accommodate a possible air-refuelling probe above the cockpit and additional aerials for electronic support measures. Self-protection (radar warning receiver, (chaff dispenser) has not been neglected either.

The 737 AEW&C can operate for more than nine hours and has a range of 7,040km. The maximum speed is Mach 0.78 while the speed for a patrol flight is between 555 to 640km/h.

During the Wedgetail competition, which went on over several years, Boeing has successfully competed with two other US rivals:

* Lockheed Martin had put the C-130J-30 Hercules with AN/APS Radar by Northrop Grumman on offer. This conventional system with a rotating aerial is used in the E-2C Hawkeye. Lockheed Martin intended to use the so-called Hawkeye-2000 equipment. There would have been up to twelve workstations. Everything was to be housed within a module, which was isolated from noise and vibrations, in the cargo hold.

Patrol time of the C-130J is about eight hours at an altitude of only 7,620meters. Naturally the speed is lower than in a jet. Operating this version would have been advantageous, since the RAF is already using the Hercules as a transport aircraft.

Raytheon used an Airbus A310-300 with Phalcon-Radar of the IAI-daughter Elta in its Wedgetail tender. It works with electronic scanned array, but it is housed in a (fixed) rotodome. The aerials form a triangle, the top of which points to the back in order to achieve a good 360*cover. The mission system uses DEC Alpha Computers. Patrol time is said to be over eight hours. With a take off weight of 164,000kg the A310 is one of the large AWACS platforms. Ericsson proves that a smaller carrier aircraft can be used with its Erieye-System, which in the case of the Swedish Flygvapnet makes do with a Saab 340.

The nine meter long aerial with electronic scanned array is installed on the back of the turboprop propelled regional commercial aircraft. The range is an impressive 350 to 450km, although there is no complete 360*cover. In the area of +/- 15* to the front and back the performance drops markedly. Another negative aspect is the low number of consoles, which means that data for intensive analysis has to be sent to ground stations.

Purchasing and running costs of this aircraft are very low, which makes this solution very attractive. According to Ericsson these costs are 80 percent lower than for the E-2C and 95 percent lower than for the E-3A. To date Brazil (five for the DIV AM Program) and Greece (four) have made a decision in favour of the Erieye-System.

Neither country uses a turboprop as carrier for the radar, but the larger regional jet Embraer ERJ-145 instead. This aircraft can also accommodate systems like the DRS-3000 (EW) by Thomson-CSF. The four Greek models have been configured to be NATO compatible and cost $500mio. After the decision for Erieye was made in December 1998, the contract was signed in the summer of 1999.

The market is far from saturated with these orders. A decision from Turkey is expected next, where after preliminary elimination the decision between Raytheon/Elta and Boeing will be made. Shortage of funds has delayed the competition. However, after definitive offers were handed in February, the winner will be announced in the summer.

Since the Turks followed the selection process in Australia closely, Boeing with its 737 is favourite. An interest has been expressed for four aircraft to start with, and an option of a further four. Incidentally part of the cost will be covered by the lottery. There was no call for the Hawkeye in the most recent export sales. However, despite this Northrop Grumman's Integrated Systems and Aerostructures Sector has as solid basis for the next few years. In May 1999 the US Navy placed an order worth $1.3bn. 21 aircraft will be delivered from October 2001 until the beginning of 2006. Additionally there is one model destined for France. In December 1998 and April 1999 the Aéronavale has already taken delivery of two E-2C for its aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle.

The newly constructed E-2C, known as Hawkeye 2000, will be equipped with a new mission computer and more progressive consoles. This proves once more that even supposedly "old" aircraft, (the maiden flight of the E-2A was in 1960), can be kept "young" with new electronics. As far as Hawkeye is concerned, a replacement is not planned before 2015.

From page 60 of FLUG REVUE 4/2000