Navy aircraft managers refine requirements in post-Iraq era

Sea Power, Jun 2003 by Burgess, Richard R

U.S. defense officials and industry program managers are examining the lessons learned from Operations Iraqi Freedom and Enduring Freedom as they proceed with designing the aircraft and weapons that will transform today's armed forces to a more mobile, precise, and persistent force. A look at the following selection of high-profile naval aviation programs reveals that, for the most part, the managers anticipated the lessons from the two operations and are working primarily on fine-tuning their designs to incorporate those lessons learned.

Multimission Maritime Aircraft

Boeing and Lockheed Martin-competitors for the Multimission Maritime Aircraft (MMA) program-are refining their proposals for the selection decision, which is expected in January 2004. Each was awarded a $20 million advanced concept development contract. The Navy's requirement for MMA has been reduced from 251 aircraft to 150 aircraft. Initial operational capability is scheduled for 2012.

The MMA originally was intended to replace the Navy's P-3C maritime patrol aircraft and EP-3E electronic reconnaissance aircraft. Initially, the service wanted two versions: a search/attack (SA) version and an electronic reconnaissance, or surveillance/intelligence (SI), version. However, the Navy has changed its requirements and now wants only the SA version-but program managers are determining which roles previously earmarked for the SI version could be carried out by the SA version. The Navy's plans to replace the EP-3E now are uncertain, but may hinge on the scope and progress of the Air Force's E-10 multirole command-and-control aircraft. The E-10 is the proposed three-in-one replacement for the RC-135 electronic intelligence aircraft, the E-8 Joint Strategic Attack Radar System aircraft, and the E-3 airborne warning and control aircraft.

Boeing is refining its MMA proposal for a design based on the Boeing 737 airliner, but has upgraded its entry from the 737-700 design-which would have the wings of the 737-800-to a 737-800 aircraft fitted with 737-900 wings. The 737-800 design features 10-foot fuselage extensions, both fore and aft of the wing, that would allow for more internal mission space, and relocation of the internal weapons bay (possibly a lengthened bay) from the forward fuselage to a position aft of the wing. Additional fuel tanks would allow the crew greater flexibility in managing the aircraft's center of gravity. The extensions also would provide more surface area for antennas; the 737-900 wing would be internally strengthened to support an extra 10,000 pounds in the aircraft's gross weight.

Boeing's MMA is designed to meet, among other requirements, the conduct of an antisubmarine mission with four hours on station at a radius of 1,200 miles. The aircraft is designed for a crew of eight, including two pilots in the cockpit and six mission specialists.

Boeing recently demonstrated its proposed mission system, which uses BARCO weight-saving flat-panel displays at six multifunctional crew stations. The system detects and tracks moving targets using pattern-matching technology. It includes the VITEC electric light table for side-by-side image comparison of potential targets within the system's library of target images. The mission system enables the aircraft to attack targets within "minutes from initial contact" said Jack Zerr, Boeing's general manager of Maritime Aircraft Programs. The aircraft also is designed for airborne control of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) and will be able to download search data from UAVs.

Lockheed Martin (LM), the longtime builder of the P-3 aircraft, is proposing a derivative of the proven P-3C as an affordable solution to the MMA requirement. The LM proposal includes systems derived from those installed on the aircraft under the P-3C Aircraft Improvement Program, the P-3C Baseline Modification Program, and the Joint Airborne Signature Modernization Baseline program.

LM recently completed full-scale fatigue testing of a P-3C during a Service-Life Assessment Program (SLAP) and anticipates using the test data, expected to be available in June 2003, to define and develop its concept for the MMA airframe. LM is counting on leveraging the existing capabilities of the P-3C to offer a transformational solution at low cost. The P-3C was first deployed in 1969. One industry source (who did not wish to be named) said that the preliminary SLAP results indicate that the fatigue-life expenditure (FLE) in the P-3C fleet is much greater than earlier believed, that the FLE of the fleet needs to be recalibrated, and that numerous P-3Cs may have to be grounded and/or retired sooner than previously anticipated.

Rather than producing all-new airframes, or completely remanufacturing the current P-3Cs, LM is emphasizing focused production, the retaining of components not significantly affected by FLE-such as landing gear-and producing new components, especially wings, to replace worn-out items, and replacing obsolete mission systems. Vought Aircraft would fabricate the new wings. LM officials said that the Rolls-Royce Allison T56 engine and the propeller used on the current P-3C meet the requirements of the MMA program.