| By RICHARD R. BURGESS
Managing Editor
The F/A-18E/F Super Hornet, support
aircraft, and other high-visibility aircraft and aircraft systems covered in detail
elsewhere in this issue of Sea Power represent an important but relatively narrow
spectrum of naval aviation. Following, by Managing Editor Richard R. Burgess--former
editor of Naval Aviation News and of the 1996 edition of the Naval Institute's Naval
Aviation Guide--are status reports on several other major naval aviation and aviation
systems programs.
MV-22B OSPREY
The operational debut of the Bell
Boeing-built MV-22B Osprey tiltrotor aircraft has come two steps closer with the May
delivery of the first LRIP (low-rate initial production) MV-22B (Osprey No. 11), and the
scheduled stand-up this month of the Marine Corps' V-22 replacement training squadron,
Marine Medium-Lift Training Squadron 204 (VMMT-204), at Marine Corps Air Station New
River, N.C. VMMT-204 is scheduled to be ready for training (RFT) in March 2001 with 12
Osprey production aircraft.
The first LRIP MV-22B was rolled out in
14 May ceremonies at the Bell Flight Research Center in Arlington, Texas. Osprey No. 12 is
scheduled for delivery in August. Osprey No. 13 is in final assembly at Bell Helicopter
Textron's new plant in Amarillo, Texas, where all future V-22s will go through final
assembly. Two of the four MV-22Bs (Ospreys 7 and 9) now in the EMD (engineering and
manufacturing development) test fleet at Naval Air Station Patuxent River, Md., are
scheduled to return to Bell this summer for conversion into development aircraft for the
Air Force's CV-22B special operations version of the Osprey. The EMD fleet has flown over
1,200 hours, bringing total Osprey flight time to more than 2,400 hours.
VMMT-204 will use a new motion-based
operational flight trainer (OFT) that was delivered in April, three months ahead of
schedule, by Raytheon Systems Company, to train Marine Corps and Air Force instructors to
fly the Osprey.
"The delivery of this trainer is
very important because it will stand up the initial Marine Corps and Air Force instructor
pilot training cadre," said Maj. Mitch Bauman, assistant program manager for V-22
Training Systems. "It also represents the first time the Marine Corps has ever had a
trainer in place before an aircraft."
The OFT cockpit and its simulated
multifunction displays, computer system, and electronic display unit make it almost
totally representative of the MV-22B EMD aircraft. The OFT will provide the pilot with
computer-generated horizontal and vertical visual scenes within a 24-foot dome. Both
out-of-window visual scenes and forward-looking infrared imagery are made possible by the
OFT's six-channel visual-display system. Its full range of motion also allows pilots to
get "a real feel" of both acceleration and deceleration and gives them the
opportunity to train in a broad spectrum of simulated environments.
The OFT has "the fidelity and
realism to support the MV-22's dynamic training tasks," Bauman said. "Today's
image-generation and display systems have the ability to support low-level terrain flight
operations as well as high-altitude flight," he said.
"Even the demanding night-vision
goggles, forward-looking infrared, and aerial-refueling training can be accomplished
penalty-free in this device."
Twenty pilots, including two V-22
developmental test pilots and specially selected pilots from various Marine helicopter
squadrons, are scheduled to be certified as instructors by March 2001. To be certified,
each pilot must accrue 38 flight hours in the Osprey and 68 hours in the OFT.
In a related development, program
officials said that they expect substantial savings in the V-22 program because of the
adoption of Active Matrix Liquid Crystal Displays (AMLCDs), or "flat panels,"
which are slated to replace the older-technology CRT (cathode-ray tube) displays.
There are four multifunction displays
(MFDs) in the V-22 cockpit that provide pilots with primary flight symbols used to control
and navigate the aircraft and to display video imagery--e.g., forward-looking infrared
(FLIR) and digital map data. Replacing the MFD CRTs with AMLCDs "is expected to save
approximately $500 million in procurement savings alone over the life of the program,
which extends out to 2020," said Col. Nolan Schmidt, V-22 program manager.
The AMLCDs will be both cheaper and
lighter, and will perform better than the CRTs they are replacing. The use of flat-panel
displays also will correct a nighttime "glow" problem that depreciates the
capabilities of the CRT-equipped MFDs. (The glow decreases the pilot's outside-the-cockpit
night vision when he or she is not wearing night-vision goggles.)
"By installing the AMLCD we can not
only resolve the technical deficiency, but we can also achieve other benefits, such as
increased contrast and better sunlight readability. Better in the day and better at night,
a combination difficult to achieve with CRT technology," said Cdr. Don Mueller,
former V-22 avionics system project officer and now deputy program manager for systems
integration.
The need for greater affordability and
reliability is another major force behind the drive to flat panels. "For the cost of
one CRT display we will be able to buy 10 flat panels, with change left over," said
Mueller. The AMLCD is about 50 percent lighter than the 40-pound CRT, and according to the
Navy will be more reliable than the CRT, which is prone to frequent tube and power supply
failures.
AMLCDs will be installed in all MV-22B
aircraft beginning in fiscal year 1999, and in the CV-22B variant starting in fiscal year
2001. A total of 410 Ospreys will be outfitted with the flat-panel displays, which are
built by EFW of Fort Worth, Texas.
"This change means increased savings
... [as well as] increased reliability, and decreased weight--a 'triple treat' that does
not happen very often," said Cdr. Michael Ahern, V-22 deputy program manager for
business.
In two other related developments:
(1) The Bell-Boeing Joint Program Office
has been awarded a $29 million contract for nine operational test sets for the Osprey
program, and a $24.9 million contract to modify the design of the MV-22 FFS (full-flight
simulator), and to build a fully integrated FFS (including logistics support) for the
CV-22B.
(2) An EMD MV-22B has been delivered to
the Weapons Survivability Laboratory at Naval Air Weapons Station China Lake, Calif., for
live-fire testing, during which live-ordnance penetration tests will be performed on the
fuselage.
AH-1Z SUPER COBRA & UH-1Y
"HUEY"
The program to upgrade the Marine Corps'
AH-1W Super Cobra and UH-1N Iroquois ("Huey") helicopters by fitting them with
four-blade rotors and incorporating other improvements (helmet-mounted displays, for
example) is on schedule, according to Bell Helicopter Textron officials.
The remanufactured aircraft--now
designated AH-1Z and UH-1Y--are expected to begin flight testing in October and November
2000, respectively. Four helicopters are awaiting modification at Bell; airframe assembly
began in April. Bell expects to complete airframe fatigue tests this year, and will supply
some components to the Naval Air Warfare Center's Weapons Division at China Lake, Calif.,
for live-fire testing. Bench testing of the drive train for the helicopters also is
scheduled to begin later this year.
The upgrade program will improve the
capabilities of some 100 AH-1W and 180 UH-1N helicopters expected to enter service by 2004
and operate beyond 2020. An unspecified number of unarmed HH-1N rescue versions also may
be included in the modification program. Among the systems and equipment that will be
common to both the AH-1Z and the UH-1Y will be their General Electric T700 engines,
four-blade composite hingeless and bearingless main rotor systems and tail rotors, drive
trains, hydraulics, and electrical systems.
Litton Guidance and Controls has been
selected to upgrade the cockpits of both aircraft into a common configuration so that
Marine Corps aviators assigned to light-attack helicopter squadrons--which fly both types
of aircraft--can easily switch from one cockpit to the other. The use of a common
cockpit--which will be equipped with multifunction color displays--also will lighten the
training workload for pilots and reduce maintenance and logistics costs for the two types
of aircraft. In the case of the AH-1Z, the new cockpit also will permit a better balanced
workload between the pilot and the gunner.
Lockheed Martin has been selected to
supply the Target Sight System (TSS) for the AH-1Z. The TSS features a high-resolution
television, a Litton laser range finder, and a third-generation FLIR (forward-looking
infrared) system that operates in a passive mode and can track targets beyond the range of
the Hellfire missiles carried by the AH-1. Lockheed officials say that the TSS offers the
longest detection, recognition, and identification ranges of any sight now available or in
development.
Among other modifications and add-ons now
planned for the AH-1Z are two additional wing stations that will carry an additional 50
gallons of fuel. Both types of helicopters also will be fitted with a more powerful
transmission system and a semiautomatic blade-fold mechanism.
T-45 GOSHAWK
The Navy has signed a Selected
Acquisition Report (SAR) committing to the purchase of 234 T-45 Goshawk carrier-capable
training aircraft from Boeing, an increase of 47 aircraft over the previous program
requirement of 187 Goshawks.
The additional buy of T-45Cs is expected
to stave off, for 15 years, the need to procure a new training aircraft and will save
American taxpayers an estimated $23 billion, according to Boeing officials.
The SAR was signed shortly after the
T-45A fleet accrued its 200,000th flight hour and after Boeing delivered its 100th T-45 to
the Navy. A third milestone was reached with the "winging" on 9 April of the
first class of aviators trained in the T-45C version of the Goshawk; all nine students in
the class carrier-qualified in the T-45C.
Program officials said that the T-45C is
"on track to completely replace the TA-4J Skyhawk" by September 1999 as the
Navy's advanced training aircraft; the Goshawk is expected to supplant the remaining T-2C
Buckeye training aircraft in the Navy's inventory by 2003. More than 20 T-45Cs had been
delivered to Naval Air Station Meridian, Miss., as of early May. Retrofit of the digital
Cockpit-21 into the T-45A fleet at Naval Air Station Kingsville, Texas, is scheduled for
completion between 2007 and 2009--the T-45As will be redesignated T-45Cs after the
retrofit.
Two T-45As (the second and third
produced) now serve as test aircraft at the Naval Air Warfare Center's Aircraft Division
at Naval Air Station Patuxent River, Md.
The Navy has not yet committed to further
modernization of the T-45 fleet. Boeing has been awarded a contract, though, to develop a
Cockpit-21 display processor with full open architecture. The fielding of such a
processor, officials said, will enable the Navy to keep the technology gap between
training aircraft and front-line fighters from becoming unacceptably wide. Night-vision
goggles and a radar airborne intercept simulation are among the other systems and
equipment items being considered for inclusion in the T-45C training curriculum.
In a related development, Boeing has been
awarded a $91.3 million contract to provide contractor logistics support for the T-45
training system (T45TS) through September 2000.
KC-130J HERCULES
The first KC-130J Hercules aerial
refueler/transport being built for the Marine Corps is in final assembly at the Lockheed
Martin Aeronautical
Systems (LMAS) plant in Marietta, Ga.
The Marine Corps has five KC-130Js under
contract, and two more funded (in the fiscal year 1999 budget). The J versions of the
aircraft will replace some of the Corps' KC-130Fs, which first entered service in 1960;
they also will augment the KC-130R and KC-130T versions in service with three active and
two reserve Marine aerial refueler/transport squadrons. First deliveries of the KC-130J
are scheduled to begin in 2000.
The KC-130J, which can refuel both
fixed-wing aircraft and helicopters, is equipped with the new Mk32B-901E aerial refueling
system--built by Flight Refueling Ltd. (FRL)--which features two
microprocessor-controlled, electrically driven, hose-drum units connected via a
MIL-STD-1553B data bus. The FRL system allows fuel delivery pressure and flow to be
adjusted at the hose end to suit various receivers. Ram-air turbine-driven fuel boost
pumps in each pod improve the aircraft's fuel offload capabilities. The FRL system will
give the KC-130J the ability to deliver up to 270 gallons per minute at 50 psi without a
fuselage tank--almost double the capacity of the Corp's current KC-130s. Each of the FRL
pods is equipped with a self-contained maintenance memory unit for fault detection.
Information can be downloaded directly from the pod or through the aircraft's computerized
maintenance system.
Fuselage tanks, which would add another
24,392 pounds of fuel capacity, are required on current-model KC-130s to ensure that
adequate fuel pressure is maintained. Because the FRL system operates more effectively
than the system it replaces, the KC-130J's cargo compartment can be used more often
primarily for cargo rather than as a built-in fuselage tank. The FRL system is set up,
though, to accept a fuselage tank if one is needed.
The KC-130J's four Allison-built AE2100D3
engines and six-bladed Dowty composite propellers give the aircraft 30 percent greater
thrust than previous models and a 20-knot increase in refueling speed. The new propulsion
system also cuts, by 24 percent, the KC-130J's time to climb to altitude, and reduces
runway length requirements as well, LMAS officials said.
The KC-130J features the same level of
automation on the flight station that makes two-pilot operation the standard for airlift
missions. Its digital-cockpit features twin head-up displays (HUDs) certified as primary
flight instruments. The twin quadruple-redundant mission computers being installed are
expected to greatly reduce both crew workload and maintenance requirements. Among the
other advanced systems being installed are an Advisory, Caution, and Warning System, a
Traffic Collision-Avoidance System, a Ground Collision-Avoidance System, a color weather
radar (with ground mapping capability), a digital moving-map display, and an ARC-210
satellite communications radio.
The KC-130J also features a number of
survivability enhancements, including an integrated radar warning receiver, a missile
warning system, an infrared countermeasures system, and a countermeasures dispensing
system. For greater safety during covert missions, night formation refueling, and night
tactical ground refueling, the KC-130J will be able to convert from normal lighting to
covert lighting at the turn of a switch.
Another new feature on the KC-130J is its
dual uplock and actuator system, which provides a high-speed airdrop capability and allows
the aircraft's rear cargo ramp and door to be operated at 250 knots indicated air speed
(compared with the 150-knot maximum of other KC-130 models).
"The KC-130J is an excellent example
of how the basic C-130J enhancements can be fully exploited to dramatically improve the
performance for this critical mission," said Gene Elmore, vice president of Hercules
programs at LMAS. "We have worked with the customer to design a system that builds on
the superb capabilities of the basic platform and gives the Marine air wing the best
technology available for the tanker mission requirement. That translates to greater
success for our military forces that rely on Marine Corps tankers."
P-3C ORION: SRP, MIP, SLAP, AIP,
BMUP
The Navy is continuing several programs
to modernize and sustain its fleet of P-3C Orion maritime patrol aircraft. Following is a
brief update on each:
I: SRP--Raytheon Systems Company
is extending the service life of the Navy's P-3C aircraft (to 38 years from the previous
29.5 years) through its Sustained Readiness Program (SRP). P-3 aircraft are inducted into
the company's facility in Greenville, Texas, and inspected, disassembled (to an extent
never before performed on the P-3), refurbished, and then reassembled. Advanced laser and
photogrammetry techniques are used for precision alignment during reassembly. Some major
structural components are replaced on all aircraft; other components are replaced on a
case-by-case basis. Material changes are used for such items as wing-spar caps, horizontal
stabilizers, electrical harnesses, and cabin interiors. SRP and a follow-on SLEP
(service-life extension program) are planned for 221 Orions by 2010.
II: MIP--Raytheon also is under
contract from the Navy to carry out an extensive Modification/Installation Program (MIP)
during which the company upgrades a wide variety of current equipment and/or installs new
systems and equipment in P-3 (and S-3) aircraft without being required to compete for each
individual job order. The MIP contract allows for much quicker place-ment of delivery
orders, the company said. The program funds, among other things: (a) the installation of
avionics and mission systems and components (including upgrade kits and
government-furnished equipment); (b) structural rework (including airframe changes) and
repair; (c) corrosion-control work; and (d) long-term logistical services. Modifications
to P-3 aircraft sold under Foreign Military Sales contracts also come under the MIP
program.
III: SLAP--Lockheed Martin
Aeronautical Systems has been selected by the Navy to conduct Phases II and III of the
P-3C Service-Life Assessment Program (SLAP). The company will conduct full-scale fatigue
testing of a P-3C under the $30 million contract, followed by a teardown and analysis of
the airframe. The Phase II/III contract is a continuation of Phase I, the results of which
will be used to establish benchmarks for the next phases. The SLAP, to be completed by
March 2002, will be used to determine the requirements for a SLEP to extend the life of
the P-3C fleet out to 2015.
IV: AIP--Lockheed Martin Tactical
Defense Systems (LMTDS) has delivered 18 P-3C aircraft that have been upgraded through the
Antisurface Warfare Improvement Program (AIP). The AIP upgrades include a number of added
or improved systems--especially radar, electro-optical, computer, and communications
systems, as well as SLAM land-attack missiles--that give the aircraft substantial more
ability both to operate in the littoral environment and to conduct reconnaissance and
strike targets inland. LMTDS--now working under a $175 million contract to deliver a total
of one pilot-production aircraft and 28 production kits--is negotiating with the Navy for
a follow-on contract, potentially worth $200300 million, for up to five years of various
production options. James Conn, AIP manager for Lockheed Martin, said that the company
expects to produce between 60 and 70 AIP kits for installation in the Navy's P-3Cs. Only
42 kits have been funded to date, however, but funding for four more is requested in the
fiscal year 2000 budget. (The AIP version of the P-3C also has been heavily engaged in the
air operations over the former Yugoslavia.)
V: BMUP--LMTDS also is producing
kits to upgrade P-3C Update II/II.5 aircraft to a common-configuration Update III. The
company's P-3C BMUP (Block Modification Update Program) uses commercial-off-the-shelf
technology to increase reliability at lower cost and reduce the weight and complexity of
installed systems, while ensuring the same capability and crew interface provided by older
Update III systems. A total of 25 BMUP kits have been authorized and funded by Congress to
date. Funding for additional kits will be needed over the next several years. LMTDS is
under contract for approximately $71 million to engineer the BMUP integration and produce
three kits, two of which will be installed in P-3C aircraft at the company's facility in
Greenville, S.C.; delivery of the first P-3C BMUP aircraft is scheduled for January 2001.
The company plans to produce the remaining 22 kits authorized under a contract valued at
approximately $85 million, according to Michael Lulu, LMTDS manager for business
development. Raytheon Systems Company (under MIP, discussed above) and Boeing have been
selected to install a combined total of 23 kits.
CH-60S KNIGHTHAWK
Production of Sikorsky's CH-60S
Knighthawk multirole helicopter--which Navy officials call the "linchpin of the
Navy's Helicopter Master Plan"--is underway, with first deliveries scheduled for
later this year. The Navy plans to procure up to 237 Knighthawks; 13 have been requested
in the fiscal year 2000 budget.
A Fleet Introduction Team already is in
place at Naval Air Station North Island, Calif., preparing for initial CH-60S deliveries
to the fleet readiness squadron for the Navy's vertical replenishment community.
Helicopter Combat Support Squadron Three (HC-3), which currently trains crews to fly and
maintain the "aging" H-46D Sea Knight helicopter, will now also train the CH-60S
crews assigned to HC-5, the first fleet squadron scheduled to receive the CH-60S. HC-5,
based at Andersen Air Force Base in Guam, is one of four fleet squadrons currently
operating the CH-46D, HH-46D, and UH-46D versions of the Sea Knight.
Sikorsky's YCH-60 demonstrator aircraft
is being readied for a demonstration later this year of its mine countermeasures (MCM)
capabilities. The CH-60 is being considered as a possible replacement for the much larger
MH-53E Sea Dragon MCM helicopter, but in an MCM role the CH-60 would fly as an
"organic" asset of a deploying battle group rather than as a unit of specialized
mine countermeasures forces.
AGM-84H SLAM-ER
A Milestone III decision on production of
the Boeing-built AGM-84H SLAM-ER (Standoff Land-Attack Missile--Expanded Response) is
ex-pected in late July or early August, according to company officials.
The SLAM-ER has completed five
developmental test shots and three combined developmental/operational test shots, and has
now been incorporated in the workup cycles of Carrier Air Wings One and Two. Officials
said that the ER version of the missile may deploy this summer with Navy F/A-18 and P-3
squadrons supporting the NATO air campaign in Yugoslavia. The SLAM-ER is an improved
version of the AGM-84E SLAM, which has been fired in recent months by Navy P-3C and
(possibly) F/A-18C aircraft participating in the air campaign.
The SLAM-ER is considered a substantial
improvement over the SLAM; it is easier for planners to program and for the controlling
pilot to update target acquisition on final guidance. A new ATA (Automatic Target
Acquisition) system scheduled to go through operational testing later this year will give
pilots an optional "fire-and-forget" capability that Boeing officials say will
be even more accurate than GPS (global positioning system) targeting. (An image of the
target loaded into the missile's control system is used by the ATA's scene-matching
capability to fly the missile directly into the target.) Real-time mission planning can be
performed on board a P-3 aircraft, allowing for the inflight reprogramming of missions.
Among the operational aircraft capable of
launching the SLAM-ER are the F/A-18C/D Hornet and the P-3C; the S-3B Viking can carry a
data-link pod, however, that will allow its crew to control SLAM-ERs launched by other
aircraft.
The SLAM-ER is scheduled to be tested on
the F/A-18E/F Super Hornet in September 1999 during that aircraft's operational test
program. Boeing expects to convert 700 Harpoon and SLAM missiles to the SLAM-ER
configuration. |
