A380 of course but a lot more ... there is no doubt that this year's show was stolen by the new Airbus that had made its maiden flight only a few weeks earlier and, although nothing very spectacular was to be announced on the military aircraft front, there was a lot of activity in the drone arena and a lot more going on behind the scenes.

It has been a long time since the halls and outdoor display areas had been so crowded with both aircraft and visitors. No doubt, of course, that the return en masse of all the major American companies that were not present in 2003 added to the contrast.

Aeroplanes

Thales gave us a briefing on its activities regarding the long-awaited European A400M military transport aircraft. The interesting aspect of the aircraft's systems is its strong cross-breeding with civilian transports. This is as much driven by synergies with Airbus as it is by today's increasing necessity for military aircraft to operate in a civilian environment, in fact now up to 90 per cent of their lives. The A400M's flight management system design is a good example of this heavy civilian bias, apart from the fact that the civilian Airbus flight management systems are American. Eads is in charge of the military aspects but, according to Thales, the configuration of the flight management is not yet entirely specified, and cooperation between Thales and Eads has not been able to get off the ground.

The aircraft will also have two head-up displays that will be directly connected to the normal displays and provide tactical data. Thales is the main contractor for the avionics suite of the aircraft--which at about 1 million [euro] represents 30 per cent of the total value of the A400M, according to Thales--but sub-contracts about 50 per cent of the work. Diehl Avionics, for example is in charge of the cockpit display graphics generation. A wealth of other subsystems (self-protection, identification friend-or-foe, radio navigation, flit and so forth) are still up for grabs, although Eads has already been selected for the radar warning system. The Thales head-up display is a no-option item and will thus be present on the prototype, which is due to take to the air in 2007.

Upgrades

L-3 Communications had announced an $ 89.6 million contract to update Australian and Canadian F/A-18 Hornets. The contract from Boeing to L-3's Canadian Electronic Systems is to produce cockpit display suites including multi-function, repeater and situation displays with digital moving map capability with deliveries to be completed in December 2008.

The work is part of the Australian Hornet Up-Grade (Hug) programme and Canada's F/A-18 Incremental Modernization Project (Imp). In February Boeing Integrated Defense Systems' completed modifications to two F/A-18s in Phase 2.2 of the Hug programme. This included a Link 16 datalink and Joint Helmet-Mounted Cueing System (JHMCS) BAE Systems Com-Bat radar warning receiver and decoy dispenser. Tests will be completed by the end of the year but, as yet, no decision has apparently been made about a targeting pod.

In March Boeing signed a C$ 177 million contract for Phase 2 of the Imp, which will see improvements to some 80 CF-18s. From 2009 they also will receive Link 16 and JHMCS as well as a night vision system, while targeting pods are also envisaged.

Boeing and Raytheon provided an update to the F/A-18E/F Super Hornet, announcing they are in the fifth year of delivering 210 aircraft (42 per year). The Block 2 version is set to replace the F/A-18A through C versions, the EA-6B, the S-3B and the F-14A/D.

No-Man's Land

One would have to have been blind at le Bourget not to understand that the era of unmanned flight has definitely taken off. Real drones and Ucavs or models thereof were lying all over the place, not to mention the Israeli compound in which they were so tightly packed any attempt to take a picture would result in a graphic pot-pourri of wings, booms and tails.

The event was taken by Dassault as an opportunity to officially launch the Neuron programme. The aim of this six-nation venture, which is led by Dassault (with a 50 per cent stake in the programme), is to first build an unmanned combat aircraft demonstrator. Asked about the durability of Saab's presence after Sweden's reluctance to invest in this type of aircraft at this stage, a Dassault official told Armada << We have signed all the industrial contracts--the last ones with Greece and Spain >>, meaning that Saab would remain as a committed partner. The other players are Italy and Switzerland. The above-mentioned contracts involve Saab of course, but also Alenia, Eads Casa, Hal and Ruag. Belgium could soon step in, according to Dassault. The firm's research in the field had begun with the scaled-down Petit Duc, that was to be followed by the Moyen Duc and Grand Duc. << This is over, >> said the official, who also mentioned that all attention is now turned towards the Neuron, the design phase of which is to start in 2006 with initial construction in 2007 and 2008 followed by assembly in 2009. The significant milestone, i.e. maiden flight, in 2010 will then open the way to two years of flight tests in Istres (France), Vidsel (Sweden) and Salto de Quirra (Sardinia). European weapon manufacturer MBDA is not involved at this stage because as Dassault points out, it really is a demonstrator and may use laser guided bombs at some stage. At the time of the show, work-sharing was not entirely finalised, but the smart weapons bay will be essentially an Alenia affair whilst, unsurprisingly, the ground station will be an Eads-Casa business given the experience garnered by Eads with various drone programmes, particularly the Eurohawk.

The sight of a model Predator B carrying a Hellfire four-pack under each wing (see title picture) prompted Armada to knock at the General Atomics stand door. << We've done most of the EGBU-12 and GBU-38 integration on an Air Force Predator B and we're doing the Helfire right know as part of a demonstration programme,>> an official said. The company is also working on a maritime radar version of the aircraft, but a new major step should materialise towards the end of 2005 with the maiden flight of a Predator C. This is a company-funded jet-powered aircraft offering better survival capability through higher speeds.

Airborne Ground Surveillance

Raytheon announced that an unmodified Bombardier BD700 Global Express had completed the third of five test flights, while the maiden flight of the first British modified and integrated Sentinel Mk 1 aircraft to meet the Airborne STand-Off Radar (Astor) requirement was still anticipated in July.

The first aircraft was modified by Raytheon in the United States and made its maiden flight last year. The Astor will consist of five aircraft and five ground-based workstations.

The Astor will consist of five aircraft and five ground-based workstations. The aircraft's Astor will feature both Ground Moving Target Indicator and Synthetic Array Radar and there will be a Link 16 datalink system.

Tips on AGS

The team that aims to provide Nato's Alliance Ground Surveillance (AGS) system intends to create a commercial entity by the end of 2005.

The Transatlantic Industrial Proposed Solution (Tips) also revealed a subtle name change to Transatlantic Integrated Partnership for Surveillance. In April Tips received a 23 million [euro] contract to study interoperability with the E-3A Sentry airborne command control and early warning force, C4ISR implications and the AGS role in net work-centric operations.

The replacement of the existing arrangement involving 23 nations and six major companies, including Eads Deutschland, Galileo Avionica, General Dynamics Canada, Indra. Northrop Grumman and Thales will certainly smooth the way for the programme as will planned reorganisation of the Nato organisation, and pave the way for the assignment of a 350 million [euro] design and development contract by next year. An EMD contract is anticipated at the beginning of 2009 and an acquisition contract in mid 2010

The whole programme is estimated to be worth [euro] four billion. It was originally envisaged as having five manned and seven unmanned platforms, both with the Transatlantic Co-operative AGS Radar (Tcar) and an above-fuselage antenna, the drones also having electro-optical sensors. However, Tips officials have stated that this figure may be revised as a result of the latest contract.

The Airbus A321, which will have 30 hours endurance, was selected as the manned platform with the Northrop Grumman Global Hawk, with its 35-hour endurance, providing the unmanned platform.

It is also expected that there will be 38 ground stations (24 mobile and 14 transportable), 48 remote workstations and a maritime ground station but these figures may also be modified. The Tcar to be produced by the Tips members with Raytheon will be a synthetic aperture sensor with ground moving target indicator. The aircraft will also receive electronic support measures data.

Weapons

Rafael introduced its Smart Precise Impact and Cost-Effective (Spice) 1000 guidance kit that converts a standard bomb into a standoff autonomous weapon system. Rafael says the Spice 1000 is the smaller brother of the Spice 2000 (2000-lb warhead), and features a range of over 60 km with a circular error probable of three metres (although zero metres has been the real-world test norm). The company mentioned that the 1000 will fit into the internal bays of the JSF and easily onto future Ucavs, and seven can be carried on an F-15. The system features an advanced infrared/CCD seeker, GPS/ INS and full automatic target acquisition through scene matching, and can store and retrieve 100 in-flight-selectable targets per weapon.

Rafael also boasts that, with no on-board communications and no motor, the company can shuttle them out the door at 20 per cent the cost of similar guided weapons. <<The cost and precision will bring customers,>> a representative told Armada.

The Aargm Harm missile upgrade was recently discussed in Armada (see issue 4/2005 page 36) but ATK was able to provide us with some late news. The missile now has a GPS receiver as well as a millimetric-wave sensor to minimise risks of fratricide engagements. It also features a more accurate passive circular antenna for ranging. Currently still under a Department of Defence system development and demonstration contract phase, the missile is expected to go into production in 2008 with deliveries to the US Air Force to commence in 2009.

Helicopters

2005 proves to have been a good vintage year for the Eurocopter Tiger programme. Deliveries of the first production aircraft have started to both the French and German Armies, and one Hap variant was delivered to Spain. In addition to this the first Australian assembled aircraft had taken to the air the week prior to the Paris Air Show kick-off, and it fired a Hellfire and scored a bull's eye at a range of six kilometres.

For the NH90, 2005 has been a qualifying year, but it also saw the maiden flight of the 'Tall Cabin' which was designed for the Swedish Armed Forces. All versions included, the helicopter's order scoreboard has now exceeded the 350 mark. The chopper is firmly selected by New Zealand and at time of interview with NH Industries contract negotiations (terms, conditions and final configuration concerning avionics and accessories) were well underway. Other markets look promising and the firm has responded to Qatar's and Turkey's request for information as well as to a request for proposals from Saudi Arabia on four machines.

Having acquired a substantial know how in helicopter armouring, first with the Bell 205, the Mi-17 and finally the Black Hawk using a jigsaw puzzle-like pattern to cover the entire floor area whilst remaining easy to dismantle, Plasan Sasa was recently challenged by the RAF to do the same for its fleet of Chinooks in a crash programme. The Israeli company raised the gauntlet and came up with a solution in three months. In addition, it had to be saltwater-proof. An order for similar kits was recently placed by the Dutch Army.

Trainer Aircraft

Le Bourget provided many an opportunity to see the new generation of turbo-prop aircraft which are providing air forces with a very cost-efficient means of training. It would be impossible to provide an account of every update announced at Le Bourget in such a restricted space, but briefings were provided by Raytheon on the Texan II, Korean Aerospace Industries was marketing its KT-1 Woong-Bee, Pilatus informed that production of the PC-21 will begin in January while the first series standard aircraft was to fly in August, whilst Aermacchi intends to offer the M311 turbofan-powered basic trainer to replace the RAF's fleet of Shorts Tucano turboprop aircraft. However, mention must be made here of Aermacchi's embedded tactical training in association with its M346 advanced trainer.

The idea is to provide maximum availability together with realistic and rehearsable scenarios in which the student's performance can be monitored. The embedded trainer will simulate air, ground and sea-based computer-generated targets, multirange weapons and sensors as well as tactical data links.

The concept has been under development since 2000 in an MB-339CD for both Italian Air Force and Nato research programmes. The second batch of 15 MB-339CDs has received Aermacchi embedded simulation primarily for electronic warfare training. The Nato programme involves participation from Eads and Aermacchi, and Dutch, Turkish and Portuguese industry and is aimed at producing autonomous tactical simulation with an improved man-machine interface.

Aermacchi aims to incorporate embedded simulation using technology from both programmes in the M311 basic jet trainer and the M346 advanced trainer, which are scheduled to appear in 2006/2007. They are also hoping to include a networked tactical simulation capability. It is hoped to complete system qualification in 2007 and to begin flight tests the following year. This embedded tactical simulation demonstration programme will involve Aermacchi, Galileo Avionica, who will be responsible for system integration, and BVR from Israel, who will develop the embedded tactical simulation applications.

BVR's Embedded Virtual Avionics (EVA) package that includes a tactical simulation suite and electronic warfare simulator, is integrated with the Galileo mission computer symbol generator and was demonstrated in an M346 at the show.

Twisting Net Centric

IAI provided a live demonstration of its mind-twisting Twister net-centric command and control centre. All the gear inside the room was actually real hardware and the software generated a real situation of a terrorist coastal attack performed by commandos in fast zodiac-type craft. The Twister system enables one person to have an overall view of the situation and manage multiple forces to counter-attack. The command centre included three stations each, including three flat panel displays, while a larger display showed the location of drones and Apache helicopters. The large display not only showed the drones but also, by means of a shadowed area, the footprint of their gimballed sensors on a graphic, three-dimensional map, while another screen showed the actual picture seen by those sensors. Just by moving a mouse, the commander could click on the shadowed area and drag it onto an area of interest. This immediately caused the drone's gimbal to swerve and provide a new view of what it was looking at. Naturally all co-ordinates update during the operation. Upon assessing that one of the Zodiacs is packed with hostiles, order is given to the Apache helicopter to handle it with a Hellfire--which is swiftly done. However, the second dinghy in the meantime manages to swim out of the helicopter's range and make it to the shore, constantly monitored by one of the drone's sensors. The commander alerts the ground forces and informs them that the occupants had now jumped into a Toyota 4 x 4 pick-up which is intercepted by a Delta force.

ESRI, for its part, had also constructed a geospatial pavilion that included a demonstration theatre where one could 'sit' and learn how a GIS framework is constructed and some rather unorthodox applications of a GIS database. The 'geospatial exercise'demonstration showcased how open-source data and cots software (ArcGIS, for example) use can be applied to intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance missions.

Partnered with ESRI in the pavilion was Pyramid Vision with its Terrasight Product Suite, an aerial video surveillance solution for the exploitation of real-time targeting and surveillance video. The company's Terrasight Analyst is an ArcGIS extension for importing, presenting and analysing video information as a inlaid layer within ArcGIS 9.

Hisar Beech 350ER

Raytheon flew the new Hisar 100 version of its synthetic aperture radar surveillance aircraft to Paris. The Beech 350ER now offers an eight-hour on-station capability thanks to the extra 180 gallons of fuel added into the extended nacelles. It has a multiple spectral targeting system which is the same as the one used on the Predator.

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Slamraam to Replace Hawk

Certainly India will not contradict this with Pakistan's recent test of the Babur (its first cruise missile), but the general proliferation of air-breathing missiles and vehicles is becoming a tremendous threat. With the easy availability of satellite navigation receivers, miniature autopilots and light and powerful engines, terrain-hugging cruisers are within reach of any ill--intentioned nation. Where a shorads is perhaps too short and a Patriot too heavy, the Slamraam squeezes in neatly to fill the cop's role. This Raytheon system relies on a perfectly proven and absolutely standard missile, namely the Amraam. Raytheon is under contract from the US Marine Corps (where it is known as the I-Claws) for which testing will start in November at White Sands. The Army Slamraam programme is expected to come next and will use an X-band Sentinel radar as well as a fire distribution centre from Kongsberg. This enables the entire battery to be very flexible, with the radar that can be emplaced miles away. Because the Sentinel has an excellent clutter rejection performance, it can be operated from an aerostat. A lightweight version was tested in May 2005. Basically, the Slamraam is an ideal replacement for current Hawk users. It is much less manpower demanding and can deal with saturation attacks. Some 20 nations use the Hawk, but no longer the United states, which means that a support problem will emerge sooner or later. The Slamraam can be smoothly phased into service as a change of radar can be first slipped in, later followed by the new fire control unit and finally the launchers. In terms of capabilities, Raytheon showed a no-comment picture of a direct hit without warhead. The company is now looking into a shoot-on-the-move capability.