A survey of Western air transport capabilities.

A Survey of Western Air Transport Capabilities

The Long, the Short and the Tall

Ground and airborne operations alike depend for their success on the availability of an airmobile capability. Only air transport gives the flexibility and swift response required for showing the flag operations worldwide, for the reinforcement of units stationed overseas, for widescale operations aimed at seizing territory and for covert operations deep in the enemy rear. We only have to look at the following examples in the recent past to illustrate this.

* Yom Kippur war (1973)

After five days' preparation the US Air Force Military Airlift Command (MAC) airlifted to Israel over 20000 tons of military stores in 566 sorties to replace the Israelis' losses. Over a distance of 12 000 km, with a stopover in the Azores, the above flights ferried, in addition to munitions of all types and sizes, 50-ton MBTs, disassembled combat aircraft and ready assembled helicopters. Some of these back-up supplies were already in place on the Golan Heights within three hours of being offloaded and on the canal front in the Sinai in ten hours.

* Soviet Union

Since the end of the sixties the Soviet Union has on several occasions demonstrated its air transport command's overall efficiency. Units of the VTA (Voenno Transportnaya Aviatsiya-the equivalent of the MAC) and of the state airline Aeroflot played a vital role both in the invasion of Czechoslovakia in 1968 and of Afghanistan in 1979. Each one of these operations comprised around 300 sorties over a period of one to three days. In addition, before and after the Yom Kippur war the Soviet Union airlifted a vast amount of supplies to Egypt and Syria in the space of 30 days in a total of about 900 flights.

* REFORGER 1987

Fully equipped with the most up-to-date weapons such as the M1 Abrams MBT, M2 Bradley APC, MLRS and AH-64 helicopter gunship, III US Corps was airlifted virtually lock, stock and barrel to West Germany in the 1987 REFORGER (REturn of FOrces to GERmany) exercise. Amongst other things the exercise put to the test the efficiency of the POMCUS (Prepositioned Overseas Material Configurated in Unit Sets) organisation. In addition to four transport ships, the deployment of the above, which included some 35 000 troops, required 28 C-141 Starlifters, 6 C-5 Galaxies and 79 civil aircraft, taking off from 21 airbases in the USA.

Airmobility is also increasingly gaining in importance on the tactical and operational level. The fast-moving modern 24-hours battle, ranging over wide stretches of territory, calls for enormous air transport capacities. On the tactical level and in the context of combined arms combat, Army air units already offer ground forces this airmobility potential. So-called "airmobile mechanised units" will in the near future augment this capability on the operational level. Made up of a combination of attack, escort, transport and dedicated helicopters, including in the future tilt-rotor aircraft, these airmobile units can be deployed as operational reserves at critical points on the battlefield. They can for instance vertically envelop strongly protected enemy defences and leapfrog over stretches of terrain which are impassable to the ground troops with the object of sealing off enemy breakthroughs and thrusts, reinforcing friendly units in critical sectors as well as containing and neutralising enemy landings in own forces' rear areas. They have a lot in common with the TAF e.g. high fire-power and effectiveness against a broad spectrum of targets, short reaction times, great operational flexibility and the ability rapidly to bring the main effort to bear, or to shift the emphasis, at the right place. Airmobile units can in addition occupy and hold the ground in certain sectors. In the field of "airborne mechanisation" various interesting solutions have emerged, such as the Airborne Assault Brigades of the Warsaw Pact, the US Army and Air Force's Airland Battle concept, the [4.sup.e] Division Aeromobile Francaise (part of the Force d'Action Rapide) and the Bundeswehr's Airmobile Brigades. The latter units - deployed mainly as an operational reserve - consist of a combined strike force of PAH-2, HAP and medium transport helicopters and a parachute battalion broken down into a variety of formations, depending on their task.

Special-Purpose Transport Units

A large number of countries possess air transport units for special tasks such as covert operations on all combat levels. An example is the US Special Operations Command recently set up on the MacDill AFB. Its principal tasks are the operational support of Special Operations Forces, search and rescue of e.g. combat pilots shot down over enemy territory and operations in the field of psychological warfare. To enable them to carry out these wide-ranging tasks the actual operational units already possess efficient air transport systems, and a future generation is at various stages of development and/or in-service introduction. Here is a brief description of some of the more noteworthy types.

* McDonnell Douglas C-17

The US Military Airlift Command is impatiently awaiting the delivery to its operational squadrons of 210 tactical/operational C-17 transport aircraft. Under construction by MDD and powered by four Pratt & Whitney 2037 turbofan engines with powerful thrust reversal systems, this high-wing cargo plane should start rolling off the production line in January 1990. The MAC plans to form the first operational unit of 12 C-17s in 1992 on the Charleston AFB, South Carolina. The C-17 was designed from the outset for the airlifting of troops and stores. Equipped with an ingenious power-assisted take-off system, the C-17 is able to operate from small airfields near the combat zone. For example, in time of war some 130 airfields could be used by the C-17 in West Germany, as compared with only 47 in the case of the C-5 Galaxy. The C-17 can transport a military payload of 75 tonnes over a distance of 4 400 km, land on a strip of only 914 by 24 metres and after unloading take off immediately on its return flight. In its 26.8 long by 3.75 metres high cargo hold it can airlift a M1 Abrams MBT and an AH-64 Apache helicopter-gunship. It carries a crew of two pilots and one loadmaster, and features a modern cockpit equipped with two Head-Up Displays and four multi-function screens as well as a number of aids for loading and unloading stores on improvised airstrips. Among its other features are a super-critical wing with winglets, a special undercarriage for landing on unprepared air strips, externally blown flaps and an auxiliary power unit for operating from makeshift airfields.

* Lockheed C-130 Hercules

Lockheed has delivered well over 1 800 C-130 Hercules cargo planes in more than 50 versions to users all over the world. The Hercules' tasks range from cargo-carrying, the transport of troops, acting as an air ambulance or tanker aircraft to special missions such as aerial survey and AWACS-type missions. In addition, it is used as a flying radiocommunications centre, as an observation plane for keeping track of icebergs and hurricanes and as an electronic warfare platform. With a maximum take-off weight of 70 300 kg, inclusive 36 600 litres of fuel, the C-130 can transport 92 combat-equipped infantrymen or 64 paratroops. As an air ambulance, apart from two first-aid orderlies, it can carry up to 74 patients. As part of its Advanced Tactical Transport Program the US Air Force is currently planning to develop a successor.

* High Technology Test-Bed (HTTB)

In order to try out new technologies for future air transport systems Lockheed has built an experimental platform based on the L-200-20 Hercules. This prototype, currently undergoing flight trials, has genuine STOL capabilities and is powered by four Allison T56-A-101 engines fitted with special propellers and developing 4 340 kW. With a take-off weight of 59 000 kg thanks to its power-plant and power-assisted take-off the HTTB only needs a take-off strip 460 metres long. The HTTB serves as an experimental carrier for, amongst other things, a new landing gear, power-assisted take-off system, fly-by-wire flight control system with built-in redundancy, plus a variety of sensors, among which a LLTV camera, a FLIR and a laser rangefinder.

* Lockheed MC-130E/H

In support of the Special Operations Forces the US Air Force are currently putting into service 14 units of the C-130-based MC-130E Combat Talon I special-mission transport plane. Its range of tasks is as follows: * The landing and evacuation of SOF units by day and by night and deep in the enemy rear * Supplying the above with back-up stores * Psychological warfare operations, and * Aerial reconnaissance.

To cover the above operational spectrum the Combat Talon I is equipped with a large variety of special systems and devices, the more important of which are as follows: * A Texas Instruments AN/APQ-122 obstacle-warning and contour-matching radar * A high-precision navigation suite * An electronic warfare suite * A High-Speed Low-Level Airborne Delivery System permitting the dropping of pallet loads weighing up to 1000 kg from a minimum height of 75 metres above the ground. * A Fulton Surface-to-Air Recovery System stowed in the nose for the simultaneous rescue of two persons or the recovery of up to 226 kg of stores by day and by night and over land or water.

To supplement the above fleet of Combat Talon Is the US Air Force is about to put in service another 24 units of an improved version II. This design will dispense with the integrated Fulton system. However, it will receive among other equipment an AN/APQ-170 obstacle-warning and contour-matching radar, a thermal-imaging sensor, an inertial navigation system with back-up system and an EW installation consisting of a radar warning receiver, radar and infrared jammer and chaff and IR flare dispensers. The Combat Talon II will be the first of the US Air Force's giant aircraft to have a cockpit equipped with an instrument display console. This type of transport plane will be able to fly in nap-of-the-earth profile at a minimum height of 15 metres above the ground. Its range, without air-refuelling, will be about 3 300 km. The crew will consist of six officers and five mission specialists. MC-130 units are at present assigned to the 8th Special Operations Squadron, Hurlburt Field, Florida, the 7th SOS, Rhein-Main AFB, W. Germany and the Ist SOS, Clark Field in the Philippines.

* Lockheed C-5B Galaxy

In April last year Lockheed made over to the MAC the 50th and last of the C-5B Galaxy large-capacity cargo planes which the MAC had ordered to supplement its fleet of 77 C-5As. With a load-carrying capacity of 120 tons of freight it measures 75.5 metres in length, has a wingspan of 67.9 metres and a cargo hold 44 metres long by 5.79 metres wide and 4.11 metres high. The C-5 is the only cargo-plane in the western world that can simultaneously transport two MI Abrams MBTs. Once up to strength all these aircraft will be operated by the Strategic Airlift Centers of the 436th Military Airlift Wing (MAW), Dover AFB, Delaware, and the 443rd MAW, Altus AFB, Oklahoma. Powered by four General Electric TF-89-GE-IC turbojets, each with a static thrust of 18 643 kp, the C-5B can attain a top speed of 919 km/h at an altitude of 7 620 metres. With a maximum load it has a range of 4 390 km. Over the last few years the C-5As incidentally underwent a life-extension modification programme during which they were all fitted with, amongst other things, new wings.

* Advanced Tactical Transport (ATF)

For the re-supply of combat units in the battle-zone, i.e. for operations involving the use of improvised air-strips close to the FEBA, the MAC is currently studying a new type of tactical transport aircraft called ATF. The salient features of this new design are a V/STOL capability, the use of Stealth technology and the ability to transport very heavy equipment. In this context it is worth noting that the application of the American Airland Battle doctrine calls for doubling the strength of tactical transport aircraft at present earmarked for the ground forces.

* Grumman C-2A Greyhound

After producing an initial series of 19 units Grumman is nearing the end of a production run of second lot of 39 of the carrier-borne C-2A Greyhound transport aircraft. The main task of this high-wing plane is the airlifting of personnel and essential stores to aircraft-carriers. Studies made by the US Navy have shown that the use of these 39 C-2As would enable it to cut down the number of carrier-borne combat planes "grounded" through lack of spares by no less than 10%. This would mean that, compared with the present situation, the US Navy carriers would be able to count on an additional 88 combat aircraft.

* Bromon BR-2000.

With its BR-2000 design Bromon Aircraft Corporation is endeavouring to secure an order from the US Air Force for a transport aircraft designated C-27A to be used as a battlefield transport in guerilla warfare areas. Equipped with a rear loading door, the BR-2000 would be able to operate from short, unprepared airstrips and to deliver either two Hummer trucks and three 463L pallets or up to 36 fully-equipped troops. Powered by two General Electric GE-CT-9B turbines and fitted with Hamilton-Standard four-blade propellers and an up-to-date wing unit featuring Fowler flaps, the BR-2000 reaches a maximum speed of 414 km/h and has a cruising speed of 389 km/h.

* FIMA (International)

As a substitute for the C-130 Hercules and C-160 Transall cargo-planes a consortium consisting of Aeritalia, Aerospatiale, British Aerospace, CASA, Lockheed and MBB is studying a so-called Future International Military Airlifter (FIMA). The NATO Independent European Programme Group (IEPG) has a requirement for about 400 of these next-generation transport systems and is engaged in formulating an European Staff Target. Initial deliveries of series-produced FIMAs are scheduled for the beginning of the next century. This new tactical design is to have a payload of between 20 000 and 25 000 kg and thus will offer a rather greater capacity than the C-130. Among its main features are a high technology cockpit including a Head-Up Display, a power-plant consisting of four turboprops or propfans, a landing gear permitting operation from improvised airfields, an in-flight refuelling hose-and-drogue system and an airframe extensively built of composite materials. In order to meet the in part widely divergent requirements of the IEPG's member states two outwardly identical versions of the FIMA will be built but with different payloads and ranges. The consortium's members reckon that there will be a global requirement for about 1 400 air transport systems in this performance category. The FIMA design will also be able to serve as the basis, among other types, for anti-submarine, maritime surveillance, AWACS-type and tanker aircraft.

* Shorts C-23A Sherpa

This light multi-purpose military transporter based on the 30-seat Shorts 330-200 commuter aircraft is used by the USAFE for, among other things, the distribution and transfer of spare parts, including turbojet engines. According to American calculations the deployment of this high-wing transport plane, which is driven by two 1 198 shp Pratt & Whitney (Canada) PT6A-45R turboprops and features a rear loading ramp, should in the event of a conflict enable the USAF to carry out about 700 additional sorties per day. At the moment the US Air Force operates 18 C-23As and has an option, recently extended to 1990, for the procurement of another 48 units. As a replacement for its C-7 Caribou STOL transporter the US Army National Guard is also being issued with ten Sherpas.

* British Aerospace 146STA

British Aerospace is proposing a multi-mission transport system based on its short-haul commuter 146 called the Small Tactical Airlifter. It has a payload of 7.5 tonnes, the freight being loaded by a 3.33 by 1.93 metres door situated aft of the main wing assembly on the port side. Under study also is a rear-door configuration to facilitate loading. The maximum take-off weight of the 146STA is 42 184 kg. The cargo bay with its 13.56 m capacity can accomodate six 1-tonne A22 pallets or five 108" X 88" pallets. BAe are in addition proposing a tanker version. On the occasion of a visit to Australia a prototype 146STA operated from an unprepared airstrip only 1 300 metres in length.

* CASA/IPTN CN-235

The signing of a letter of intent by the French Armee de l'Air regarding the purchase of eight CN-235 transport planes may at last open the way for this joint Spanish/Indonesian development to break into the 5-tonne payload category. The high-wing STOL-capable aircraft, powered by two General Electric CT7-9C turboprops, features a tail loading ramp which allows the dropping of paratroops and/or stores in HAD (High Altitude Drops) or LAPES (Low Altitude Parachute Extraction System) operations. Its roomy cargo bay can take 41 paratroops or 48 fully-equipped infantrymen or a load of lightweight cross-country vehicles or other stores of a total weight of up to 2 270 kg (e.g. four LD-3 containers or two 88" X 125" and one 88" X 80" pallets). Up to now CASA/IPTN have sold 126 CN-235s to civil and military users. The CN-235 operates in a military role in the following countries: Saudi Arabia (4), Indonesia, Botswana (2) and Ecuador (2). Negotiations are under way on the sale of 18 units to the Spanish Air Force, which already operates two of these aircraft in a VIP version. CASA/IPTN are currently examining the possibility of producing other versions of the CN-235 for EW, maritime surveillance, anti-submarine warfare and as an AWACS-type platform.

* IAI 201 Arava

Israel Aircraft Industries' light transport aircraft, the Arava, has given a good account of itself in operations all over the world. The STOL-capable high-wing plane is powered by two Pratt & Whitney PT6A-36 turboprops each developing 783 HP, and in Israeli Air Force service has shown itself to be a tough, easy-to-operate transport that is capable of carrying out a large variety of tasks. Crewed by two men, the Arava can transport either 23 infantrymen or 16 paratroops, or else eight stretcher cases plus two first-aid orderlies, or up to 2500 kg of stores.

* Bell Boeing V-22 Osprey

This in many respects revolutionary design from Bell Boeing took off on its successful maiden flight on 19 March this year. The tilt-rotor aircraft features a wing assembly on the tips of which are carried tilting turboprops. When in horizontal position the rotors permit vertical take-off and landing but they are tilted forward for horizontal flight, transforming the <<helicopter>> into a form of propeller-driven aircraft. Compared with a conventional helicopter, the Osprey is capable of flying about twice as fast and at double the range. After the US Army temporarily pulled out of the project for budgetary reasons, the US Navy as the main customer is actively endeavouring to sell this genuinely multi-mission transport system to allied and friendly nations. The latest news, however, is that the US Defense Secretary has recommended the scrapping of the V-22 Osprey programme under the current US military budget economies. The first deliveries to the US Marine Corps were scheduled in December 1991.

The following versions of the Osprey were to have been ordered: * 552 MV-22As for the US Marine Corps as a replacement for its fleet of CH-46E helicopters. Their main tasks were to have been medium-range transport missions in the combat zone, the most important requirements being as follows: ship-to-shore ferrying of 24 combat-equipped troops over a distance of 92 km without refuelling; transport of an underslung load of max. 4.5 tonnes; ability to operate from LHA class Amphibious Assault Ships; finally, ability to be deployed worldwide independently. * 55 CV-22As for the US Air Force as a replacement for its HH-53 helicopters. The US Air Force wanted to use the Osprey inter alia for long-range special operations such as the rescue of aircrew brought down behind enemy lines, as well as for the transport of Special Operations Forces, for which roles, especially the latter, the requirement was that it be able to carry 12 troops over a distance of 1 297 km. * 50 HV-22A for the US Navy. The US Navy had laid down the following roles for the Osprey: the logistic support of naval task forces, search and rescue missions, special operations and covert operations. The Navy was also examining its possible use for anti-submarine warfare, for which up to 300 units would have been required.

According to the manufacturer the Osprey could in a future development phase be equipped with a new generation of sensors and weapon systems to enable it to be deployed for airborne early warning, EW, the armed escort of helicopter formations and ground attack.

All the V-22 Ospreys are equipped with a wing-folding system, an air-refuelling boom, a terrain-following and obstacle-warning radar as well as a FLIR for day/night, adverse weather low-level navigation.

* EUROFAR

A group of four European aeronautical firms - Aeritalia, Aerospatiale, CASA and MBB - are working on the technology concept and definition of a tilt-rotor aircraft. Going by the name of European Future Advanced Rotorcraft (EUROFAR), this project is for a flying machine in the approximately 9 000 kg weight category with a length of 11.7 metres, a wingspan of 13.5 metres and a rotor with a diameter of 10 metres. Although primarily foreseen for civilian use, the design should have a not inconsiderable military potential. A decision regarding the construction of an experimental carrier is expected in the coming year, which could allow a maiden flight to take place in 1994.

PHOTO : Dramatic artist's sketch of an MDD C-17 heavy lifter preparing to land on a temporary

PHOTO : airfield near the frontline.

PHOTO : The legendary "Here" has demonstrated its capabilities in a number of operations around

PHOTO : the world. Over 1 800 C-130s of all types have been delivered to date.

PHOTO : The Lockheed C-5 A Galaxy features castoring main landing gear wheels to improve

PHOTO : manoeuvrability on the ground.

PHOTO : The E-2A Hawkeye-derived C-2A Greyhound was developed in the 1960s for use by the US Navy

PHOTO : as a Carrier Onboard Delivery (COD) transport aircraft.

PHOTO : Bromon-Aircraft Corp's BR-2000 is a contender for a US Air Force programme aimed at

PHOTO : meeting a requirement for a transport to be used in guerilla areas.

PHOTO : Artist's impression of the FIMA transport aircraft due to replace the C-160 Transall and

PHOTO : the C-130 Hercules workhorses at the turn of the century.

PHOTO : The Shorts C23A Sherpa, based on the Shorts 330 commuter-liner, features a rear loading

PHOTO : ramp and is part of the USAF's European distribution system.

PHOTO : The BAe 146STA Small Tactical Airlifter, based on the commercial BAe 146, features a large

PHOTO : side-loading door. It made its public debut at Farnborough in 1988.

PHOTO : The Airtech CN-235 is a joint CASA (Spain)/IPTN (Indonesia) programme. France has recently

PHOTO : publicly announced that it intends to procure 8 units.

PHOTO : The original design of the Israel Aircraft Industries Arava light STOL transport dates

PHOTO : back to the mid-1960s. It has done noble service in many conflicts.

PHOTO : Currently under the axe of the US Administration, the revolutionary Bell Boeing V-22

PHOTO : Osprey transport aircraft might well be tilted towards the scrap heap.