By Robbin Laird

We had three different sets of presentations throughout the International Fighter Conference 2019 which discussed how the capabilities of the French, German and Eurofighter operating forces in. the years to come will evolve.

Namely, the new Future Combat Air System, Rafale and Eurofighter modernization.

But the core question is how convergent these paths are or are not?

With the Future Combat Air System approach and target goals, cross-cutting modernization is crucial to reach a convergent outcome for a new fighter in 2040.

With regard to Eurofighter modernization, the full consortium that has built, and generates modernization for the Eurofighter is not in FCAS, and indeed, the most modern of the Eurofighter operators, the RAF, has already generated significant modernization outside of the usual modernization channels, and is operating the F-35 and is focused on a unique path which is being framed as Team Tempest.

This means that convergence between FCAS and Eurofighter is already challenged by the question of how much overlap between the two approaches, FCAS development and multi-national Eurofighter modernization strategies will occur?

Then we come to the French and the Rafale.

There is no question that France is committed to the modernization of Rafale and seeks to export the airplane as it can, and will leverage new Air Forces operating Rafale to support an overall modernization process.

But because France operates Rafale on carriers, and has a unique European air delivered nuclear role, several aspects of Rafale modernization will be unique to the French Air Force.

And there is little doubt that the FAF is clearly tracking how to integrate with the F-35s CNI capability (and MADL), and is more than interested in going beyond the text messaging associated with Link 16.

The Future of Rafale

Major General Fred Parisot, head of FAF Plans and Programs, laid out a long-range plan for Rafale modernization with the goal of supporting a new FCAS fighter in 2040.

The Rafale is projected to be in operation for several decades ahead and will embody major upgrades in the F-4 software and hardware changes, which are designed to enhance the capability of the aircraft to be more software upgradeable, but also more lethal in terms of the weapons it can carry and leverage in the connected battlespace.

And there is a clear focus on the upgrade of the Rafale to be able to carry the next generation nuclear capable weapon as a core national requirement.

The following slide from Major General Parisot’s presentation highlight the way ahead which is envisaged by the FAF:

At the heart of these changes will be a focus on building a more connected force which will overtime go from additive connectivity to connectivity by design built into the new platforms for the air combat force.

The following slide from Major General Parisot’s presentation highlights the way ahead which is envisaged by the FAF with regard to connectivity:

 

As Gareth Jennings noted about the discussions of Rafale at IFC 19:

France has laid out the upgrade path it intends to rollout for the Dassualt Rafale to keep the multirole combat aircraft in air force and naval service through to about 2070, a senior service official said on 13 November.

Speaking at the IQPC International Fighter conference in Berlin, Major General Frederic Parisot, Deputy Chief of Staff, Plans and Programmes, French Air Force (Armée de l’Air: AdlA), said that there will likely be a further four upgrade phases for the platform beyond the latest F3R configuration currently being rolled out, and that it is the country’s plan for the Rafale to serve as the force-multiplier alongside the New Generation Fighter (NFG) currently being developed with Germany and Spain as part of the wider Future Combat Air System (FCAS)/Système de Combat Aérien Futur (SCAF).

The Rafale’s current F3R configuration features major software and hardware upgrades that include the integration of the MBDA Meteor beyond-visual-range air-to-air missile (BVRAAM) and the latest laser-guided version of the Sagem Armement Air-Sol Modulaire (AASM) modular air-to-ground precision weapon; the Thales RBE2 active electronic scanned array (AESA) radar; the Thales TALIOS long-range airborne targeting pod; and automatic ground collision avoidance system (Auto-GCAS); an improved buddy-buddy refuelling pod; as well as the Spectra electronic warfare system.

The F4 standard plans to operate between 2023 and 2030, and it adds enhancements to the Thales RBE2 active electronic scanned array (AESA) radar, the TALIOS pod, and the Reco NG reconnaissance pod; upgrades to the aircraft’s communications suite; improved pilot helmet-mounted displays; a new engine control unit; and the ability to carry new weaponry such as the Mica Next-Generation (NG) air-to-air missile and 1,000 kg AASM. Further to the software and hardware improvements, the F4 upgrade will include a satellite antenna, as well as a new prognosis and diagnostic aid system designed to introduce predictive maintenance capabilities.

The Future of Eurofighter

Here the challenge is that there is no single Eurofighter but there are national Eurofighters which share commonality.

Indeed, the European Air Group has set up a working group to address ways to enhance the capability of Eurofighters to become more congruent among the national air forces.

This effort is a key one and a harbinger of success for either FCAS or Team Tempest.

With regard to mid-term modernization of Eurofighter, Airbus recently announced the launch of a new version of Eurofighter focused on delivering new electronic warfare capabilities to the force.

At the International Fighter Conference in Berlin Airbus and its partners introduced for the first time concrete details of the new Eurofighter electronic combat role (ECR) concept. This role will enlarge Eurofighter’s multi-role capabilities and further increase the survivability of coalition forces in hostile environments.

Collaborative electronic warfare capabilities are essential for future combined air operations.

Initial Eurofighter ECR capability is expected to be available by 2026, followed by further development steps and full integration into the future combat air system (FCAS) ecosystems.

Eurofighter ECR will be able to provide passive emitter location as well as active jamming of threats, and will offer a variety of modular configurations for electronic attack (EA) and suppression/destruction of enemy air defence (SEAD/DEAD). Latest national escort jammer technology will ensure national control over features such as mission data and data analysis. The concept also features a new twin-seat cockpit configuration with a multi-function panoramic touch display and a dedicated mission cockpit for the rear-seat.

The concept is driven by the leading aerospace companies Airbus, Hensoldt, MBDA, MTU, Premium Aerotec, Rolls-Royce and supported by the German national industry bodies BDSV and BDLI. It specifically targets the German Air Force requirements for an airborne electronic attack capability. Furthermore it is the single opportunity to deliver such capabilities on the basis of national sovereignty, whilst also securing key military technologies within Germany.

A presentation by Brigadier General Christian Leitges of the Luftwaffe made it clear why launching a new variant of the Eurofighter was needed certainly by the Luftwaffe.

He underscored that Germany had made a NATO commitment to expand its EW capabilities for the common defense.

Brigadier General Leitges argued: “We need to assure, that airborne assets can operate effect based in the whole spectrum of air operations against current and future hostile weapon systems.

“That means to prioritize the build up of capabilities that haven‘t been focused on in the past, e.g. Airborne Electronic attack.”

Brigadier General Leitges looked at the evolution of EW over time and underscored that the Luftwaffe had been organized I the past to penetrate ED “fences” but that the new challenge is to penetrate not simply fences but the A2/AD bubble.

The following slide from his presentation highlighted his perspective on the challenge:

Brigadier General Leitges noted that the HARM missile was becoming AARGM which is an upgrade for the German Air Force in terms of anti-radiation missiles.

He also noted that adding a new AESA radar to the Typhoon was a key capability enhancement which was clearly a step ahead as well.

Electronic Warfare Capabilities as Near to Mid Term Focus: A SAAB Perspective

Jonas Grönberg from SAAB provided his perspective on “Outsmarting threats: enabling mission success in an A2/AD environment.”

He focused on the importance of having a wide range of EW capabilities which would allow one to influence the adversaries kill chain and defenses in a variety of ways and in a variety of time settings.

He conceptualized survival in the air from the perspective of electronic support and EW measures as follows:

He then focused on a variety of ways to deliver the EW effect.

The first was standoff jamming.

The second is escort jamming.

The third is to generate multiple false target radar jamming.

The fourth is to air launch a decoy.

And, of course, these assets need to be blended into a combat package with effective C2.

He underscored that SAAB was proceeding along these lines with its Gripen fighter aircraft, with a recent test of an electronic attack jammer pod on November 4, 2019.

Conclusion

There is a clearly a challenge to sort out ways to ensure as much convergence as possible to reach a common outcome.

But as a senior RAF officer put it:”We are working F-35/Typhoon integration while in direct contact with the adversary.”

And certainly, the FAF being one of the most active of Air Forces, will not have the luxury to think about the future of airpower while it is busily trying to keep its planes flying, and operating an diverse range of settings, and clearly modernizing based on that operational experience.

That gets at a significant challenge facing the major air forces.

There is no down time.

Modernization is being generated on the fly (sorry about the pun) and the challenge then is to ensure how modernization of any particular national force enhances or detracts from the ability to work together.

This is a general problem facing all of the active major air forces, but a general challenge to any multi-national efforts, such as FCAS, Eurofighter or the F-35 global enterprise.

How this challenge gets met or not, will determine the actually operational capability which can be delivered to the allied air forces working together.

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The briefing given to IFC 19 by Raffael Klaschka, head of strategic marketing for Eurofighter, provided an overview of the new Eurofighter EW variant and slides from that presentation can be seen in the slideshow below.

My own report on Eurofighter modernization based on several visits to Eurofighter nations, can be read below:

Also, see the following:

With FCAS, French Air Force’s Renaissance Begins

French Quick Reaction Force Key To Syrian Missile Strikes

 

The European Air Group and Typhoon Integration: Shaping a Way Ahead for More Effective Operational Impacts

The French Shape an Evolutionary Approach to Their Future Combat Air System

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

By Max Blenkin

The big grey warships, the frigates and guided missile destroyers, may well be the star athletes of the modern Royal Australian Navy, but it’s always been the little ships which did most of the work.

The numbers tell the story. Budget documents for 2019-20 show the Navy’s minor combatants, the patrol boat fleet and minehunters, achieved 4,098 unit available days, against 3,053 for the major combatants – the frigates, destroyers and submarines.

So much of the work was thrust upon the Armidale class patrol boats that they literally started to crack, their aluminium hulls never designed for the extended periods at sea as was demanded of them in the border protection mission.

But their replacements are on the way under the SEA 1180 offshore patrol vessel (OPV) program, 12 much larger steel hulled vessels that are better able to operate for extended periods at sea and designed to perform a range of missions.

Ship numbers one and two are now under construction by ASC Shipbuilding at Osborne in Adelaide, while work on ship three will start at Henderson near Perth next year. Ship one will be named HMAS Arafura and all 12 will form the Arafura class. The Navy hasn’t yet revealed names for the other 11 vessels.

The Arafura is based on the OPV80 design by German shipbuilder Luerssen, similar to the Darussalam class OPVs of the Royal Brunei Navy. These are substantially bigger vessels than the hard-worked Armidales – 80 metres and 1,640 tonnes versus 56 metres and just 300 tonnes.

Fourteen Armidale boats were commissioned between June 2005 and February 2008, replacing 15 220 tonne Fremantle class patrol boats. The Armidales have copped the brunt of the ongoing border protection mission, prompted by an initial influx of asylum seekers voyaging perilously south from Indonesia and Sri Lanka aboard clapped-out fishing boats.

A combination of the aluminium hull and wave buffeting on long operations created hull cracks – along with a firm belief in Navy that future vessels needed to be made of steel. But despite the problems, just one of the 14 Armidales has departed service, HMAS Bundaberg which was written off after a fire during a refit in 2014.

The government first outlined its vision for a replacement in the 2009 Defence White Paper. It said a fleet of 20 new Offshore Combatant Vessels, each as big as 2,000 tonnes, would replace the 14 Armidales, six Huon-class minehunters, plus hydrographic and oceanographic vessels. A single type of vessel would be configurable to different missions from mine-hunting to border protection to counter-terrorism.

In 2013 that was dialled back a bit, with the government declaring that a modular multirole vessel remained a ‘possible longer term capability outcome’. The Armidales would be replaced, and the Huons and other vessels upgraded ‘until the longer-term solution can be delivered’.

The 2016 White paper said 12 new offshore patrol vessels (OPVs) would be acquired, with greater range and endurance than the Armidales and capable of performing different missions. Work would start in 2018, with all vessels delivered by 2030. The Defence Integrated Investment Plan (IIP) cites a program cost of $3-4 billion over the period 2016-33.

Meanwhile, the Huons and military hydrography capability were initially planned to be updated, but that’s not quite how it turned out. During the 2019 election campaign, Prime Minister Morrison announced that two new mine warfare support vessels would be constructed in WA though Project SEA 1905, while a new hydrographic vessel would be constructed through project SEA 2400.

So now it could mean 15 new vessels from three separate projects – 12 Arafuras plus three others of types to be advised. However, these may well be based on the Arafura as Luerssen almost certainly plans to bid for these builds, especially as OPV production at Henderson will be well underway by then.

Compared to the bigger projects – SEA 1000 for Future Submarines and SEA 5000 for Future Frigates – SEA 1180 for OPVs was low key, pitting Luerssen against fellow German shipbuilder Fassmer, and Damen of the Netherlands. Long before the final decision, Luerssen and Damen had both teamed up with ASC Shipbuilding and WA engineering firm Civmec, while Fassmer partnered with WA shipbuilder Austal.

The final decision was announced in December 2017, but there were some novel provisions. The first two vessels are to be built in South Australia, and the remaining 10 in WA. Although Austal appeared to dip out, the government called for Luerssen to talk to Austal to explore options to leverage wider WA shipbuilding experience.

But Luerssen announced in May last year it had been unable to reach a viable commercial agreement with Austal so, at this stage, Austal is playing no part in the OPV project. Fortunately, it is hard at work turning out the new Guardian class Pacific patrol boats, 21 of which Australia is donating to PNG, various Pacific nations, and Timor Leste.

Luerssen’s two major sub-contractors are ASC Shipbuilding, now a wholly-owned subsidiary of BAE Systems Australia, and Civmec, a heavy engineering firm in the resources sector which has increasingly focused on the rising naval shipbuilding industry.

In 2016, Civmec acquired Newcastle firm Forgacs Marine and Defence which had built hull sections of ANZAC frigates and the Hobart class DDGs. For its growing role in shipbuilding, Civmec has been building an enormous shed at Henderson which one Defence official has quipped could be seen from space.

This shed will fit a Hobart class DDG and, even at peak production, the OPV project will occupy just 40 per cent of the space, leaving plenty of room for other work. And last year Luerssen Australia and Civmec formed a new company, Australian Maritime Shipbuilding and Export Group (AMSEG) to exploit emerging opportunities.

The build split between Osborne and Henderson initially raised some eyebrows. For efficiency’s sake, how could one yard launch production and build two boats, then shut down and start all over again on the other side of the country?

The government’s key objective in starting the build at Osborne was to ensure a nucleus of skilled workers remained between the end of SEA 4000 air warfare destroyer project and the start of construction of the new SEA 5000 Hunter class frigates.

“It’s working,” ASC Shipbuilding managing director Craig Lockhart told ADBR. “It’s providing an infill. It’s providing a level load. Without OPV it would have been a significant challenge on the trade and industrial side from having nothing in the yard.”

All steel for the two SA OPVs was cut by Civmec in Henderson, with truckloads of hull sections and bulkheads arriving each week for assembly. The steel itself comes from NSW. The first steel was cut at Henderson in October 2018, with Prime Minister Morrison officiating in the obligatory hard hat and high-viz vest. That same day, Civmec erected the first steel on its 53,000 square metre ship assembly building.

Almost a year on, Luerssen Australia chief executive officer and project director Jens Nielsen said they are pleased with progress. The big event for the year was the keel laying ceremony for Arafura on May 10, while construction of ship two started in Adelaide in early June. Construction of ship three is scheduled to start in Henderson at the end of March next year.

For a shipbuilder starting up in Australia, a single yard would have been a whole lot easier, but Luerssen took on board the government’s requirement for production at yards more than 2,000 kilometres apart.

“There was a request by the government – can we accommodate this – and we have made the analysis and said yes we can do this,” Nielsen told ADBR. “We are quite confident we can deliver.

“That fact is that this requires more communication and more explanation, but that is going very well. It is open and transparent communication and we are quite pleased with it, otherwise we wouldn’t be where we are.”

Nielsen said ship assembly in SA and WA is actually quite different. “In Osborne we build the ship in two halves, and the two halves get put together, and that is based on the infrastructure available,” he said. “In Western Australia with the modern technology Civmec is putting in place, we are able to build layer by layer. We start at the bottom and just go layer by layer.

“We are very very pleased so far with what we are getting out of Henderson with respect to the steel cutting and all the other materials from Civmec, and also the progress on the construction of the shed.”

Nielsen said that was positioning Civmec and Luerssen very well for the future. While building 12 vessels for Australia is a significant deal in itself, that project will come to an end in a decade. From then on, Luerssen and Civmec will be looking to export.

“It was always the intention when Luerssen first came here to establish a regional export base from Australia, it being far easier to export from Australia to the region than it might be from Germany,” said former Navy chief VADM Chris Ritchie (Ret’d), now a Luerssen Australia director. “It doesn’t mean they will stop shipbuilding in Germany.”

However the German government’s attitude to defence exports has hardened, and total exports have declined for the last three years, though they remain significant.

Last year defence exports totalled €4.82bn (A$7.8bn), well down from €7.86bn (A$12.7bn) in 2015. That’s been attributed to stricter government guidelines for export permits, driven by growing public opposition to arms exports, particularly to regimes such as Saudi Arabia.

Nielsen said there were areas where Germany for some time had been reconsidering its position, and that had made Luerssen consider a second hub for export. “We consider it a second hub to be developed, and it’s not a sole export hub. That is not the direction we are taking,” he said.

Germany itself will be buying a range of new vessels and Luerssen’s civil shipbuilding business, constructing mega-yachts is very busy.

However, there is a growing export market for small naval vessels, as various regional nations recapitalise and expand their fleets.

Like other defence companies, Luerssen acknowledges the challenge of acquiring the skilled Australian workers it needs.

But it has a couple of advantages – it’s starting early, and it won’t need the big numbers as will be required for construction of new submarines and frigates.

At peak, that will be around 400 working directly on the project, or 1,000 including the supply chain. The peak arrives quite soon and covers the period of parallel production at Osborne and Henderson. Right now there are 15 German nationals working on the project in Australia.

Nielsen said they were able to find needed skilled workers from the market, but were still ramping up.  “

We do see the difficulties everybody has,” he said. “Getting shipbuilding expertise from the market is not easy, and we are involved in various programs and discussions with respect to workforce and our scholarship program we launched last year in December.”

Luerssen’s main sub-contractors are ASC Shipbuilding and Civmec for construction, Saab for the combat system, Taylor Brothers for accommodation, Penske Marine for MTU diesel engines, Noske-Kaeser for air conditioning and refrigeration, and MTA for electricals.

The target is 63 per cent Australian industry content, but Luerssen believes it’s on track to do better. “We are also very much promoting that the SME base is interested in taking over elements which are currently being done out of the country and getting them connected to European suppliers,” Nielsen said.

For our money, Australia will be acquiring vessels vastly more capable than their predecessors. These will be competent blue water vessels, albeit with somewhat reduced capacity for littoral area operations.

Although the Arafuras feature a substantial flat rear deck which could land a helicopter, the government didn’t specify a helicopter capability. That gives the vessel the ability to quickly adapt to different missions through the integration of modular equipment for mine-countermeasures, special forces, or extra accommodation.

It was always envisaged the OPVs would be equipped with an unmanned aircraft system. Either fixed or rotary-wing systems, both of which the Navy has been trialling, could be embarked giving the vessel a greatly increasing ability to conduct surveillance or search and rescue.

For basic armament, the vessels will be equipped with a Leonardo stabilised 40mm gun system plus a pair of 50 Cal machine guns. For a small vessel, the Saab combat system will be very sophisticated, raising the prospect that down the track, the OPVs could be up-gunned.

That would make them formidable small combatants, of a kind Australia has never possessed but which are common across other Navies.

This feature appeared in the September-October issue of ADBR.

 

 

 

By Lieutenant Commander Kelli Lunt

An Australian command task group element was based in a Japanese ship for the first time during a mine counter-measures exercise in Japan.

Minehunters HMA Ships Diamantina and Gascoyne, together with a commander task group, participated in Exercise Hyuga Nada, a mine counter-measures exercise, off the coast of Miyazaki, Japan, from November 18-24.

About 1000 people and 17 ships from the Japanese Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF), the Royal Australian Navy (RAN) and the United States Navy took part in the exercise.

RAN’s Commander Task Group, Commander Brett Dawe, said providing a command task group element based in a Japanese ship was a first.

“Being embarked in JS Uraga is a first for the RAN, but even more significant is the JMSDF willingness to design the exercise, enabling us to command and coordinate as co-leads,” Commander Dawe said.

“This really shows a deep level of trust, familiarity and friendship.

“Exercise Hyuga Nada gave our minehunters the chance to refine methods of working with our regional partners and an opportunity to develop ways of commanding and controlling with and from a Japanese ship.

“This really shows a deep level of trust, familiarity and friendship.”

“With the personnel from two commander task group mine warfare staffs working so closely together, this will absolutely enhance our interoperability.”

The exercise included mine clearance hunting, clearance diving and a “raft” replenishment at sea with JS Uraga.

Commanding Officer Diamantina and Commander Task Unit, Lieutenant Commander Darren McDevitt, said the exercise would improve procedures when working with regional partners.

“This is a great opportunity to build on not only our relationship with the JMSDF, but also to find ways to better conduct operations, including standard procedures such as communicating and seamanship manoeuvres,” Lieutenant Commander McDevitt said.

“There were challenges, such as an unfamiliar exercise area, but this exercise gave the RAN an opportunity to showcase our mine counter-measure capability and competence to a navy that excels in this area.”

Commanding Officer Gascoyne, Lieutenant Commander Sean Aitken, said taking part in Exercise Hyuga Nada with Japanese mine warfare counterparts was a highlight of the East-Asia deployment.

This is the second year Gascoyne has participated in Exercise Hyuga Nada and the crew revelled in the chance to conduct their core mine counter-measures role.

“I have a lot of respect for the JMSDF mine counter-measures forces and was excited to be able to work alongside them in this exercise to help strengthen our interoperability and bonds of friendship,” Lieutenant Commander Aitken said.

Diamantina and Gascoyne have been deployed on the Maritime East-Asia Deployment since September.

This article was published on the Australian Department of Defence website on 26 November 2019.

The featured photo shows Commander Brett Dawe, left, being welcomed onboard Japanese Maritime Self-Defense Force ship, JS Uraga, by Captain Masahiko Koseki as part of Exercise Hyuga Nada.

Photo: Lieutenant Commander Kelli Lunt