C3I: RNZAF Orion upgrade 'on schedule' | ADM Nov 06

1 November 2006

By Nick Lee-Frampton

The RNZAF's P-3K Orion upgrade program is still on schedule, and the service has also introduced an all-new Flight Deck Trainer for conversion and continuation training.

The NZ$352 million RNZAF P-3K systems upgrade project (previously called Project Guardian) is currently proceeding to schedule, Stuart Iggo, the NZ Ministry of Defence P-3K Systems Upgrade Project manager, has told ADM.

He said that the projected delivery date of the P-3K prototype is on schedule for mid-2008 - the sixth and final aircraft is expected to be upgraded by 2010.

New Zealand's Minister of Defence Phil Goff says the project represents a significant advance in the aircraft's maritime and overland surveillance capabilities - "capabilities which are in high demand internationally. "

Work on the project's prototype Orion began in September 2005 at L-3 Communications Integrated Systems' (L-3/IS) premises in Greenville, Texas little more than two years after the request for tenders to upgrade the aircraft's sensors, mission management system, communications and navigation systems was issued.

Flight testing of this aircraft is scheduled for 2007 and the RNZAF crew selected for the task will be able to simulate their test flying by using the Flight Deck Trainer (FDT) that is presently being developed by Fidelity Flight Simulation after the US company was awarded the sub-contract for the simulator from L-3/IS in March 2005.

With six-axis motion driven by electric motors rather than hydraulics, an LCD "mosaic wall" external visual display and "dynamic control loading" the FDT will be the most sophisticated flight simulator ever to be operated by the RNZAF.

Previously RNZAF Orion simulation has been obtained by using the RAAF's P-3 simulator and a near-40 year old Redifon procedures trainer located at 5 Squadron's base at Whenuapai near Auckland in New Zealand.

Iggo says three Wescam MX-20 multi-sensor electro optical/infrared (EO/IR) imaging turrets were delivered two months early between August and October 2005.

The installations are providing a significant increase in visual and IR detection capabilities although ADM understands that 5 Squadron will retain the ability to use a crew member to manually photograph targeted vessels as a backup to the sophisticated turret.

Meanwhile the prototype aircraft has been stripped of its obsolete systems in readiness for the installation of the new suite of equipment over the next 12 months.

As well as the MX-20 turrets, the upgrade includes a new imaging radar (Elta EL/M-2022A (V)3) and L-3/IS's integrated data handling system (IDHS).

New communications and navigation equipment includes flight management systems, electronic flight instrument systems, engine instrument display systems, navigation systems with LN-100 GPS inertial systems, digital radios, dual air data computers and traffic collision alert system.

The existing BAE Systems digital autopilot system will be upgraded with a new flight director and a corresponding upgrade to the autopilot control panel.

L-3/IS also has sub-contracted NZ companies Safe Air Ltd and Beca Applied Technologies.

Safe Air are writing the publications and developing the maintenance training for the 'new' Orions and will upgrade the subsequent five production aircraft at Woodbourne.

There are currently three Safe Air staff in Greenville with other Safe Air staff working on the project at Blenheim in New Zealand.

Beca has a team of nine people in Texas working on software development. and the NZ Ministry of Defence currently has seven people in Texas supporting the project.

The system integration and training laboratory has recently been commissioned in Texas and is the platform where the software is being integrated with the sensors, the data management system and the navigation and communications hardware.

This on-going integration, together with equipment installations on the prototype aircraft, will be the focus over the next phase of the project until mid-2007, Iggo told ADM.

The RNZAF upgrade bears little resemblance to the 'Sea Sentinel' project that saw the RAAF Orions upgraded.

The NZ Ministry of Defence's tender, says Iggo, was based on functional requirements and the tenderers were at liberty to select appropriate equipment to satisfy the functional requirements.

"Consequently, the suite of equipment that New Zealand has selected for the P-3 systems upgrade has only the radar (albeit our radar is a later version) and some of the communications equipment in common with the RAAF fit."

So overall the news is good for the Kiwi Orions, although the staged withdrawal of each P-3K Orion for the upgrade work will of course have an adverse effect on the duration of any operational deployment and the ability to rotate any such deployments.

Once updated the RNZAF Orions will be designated P-3K2 (the P-3K designation was applied following the Project Rigel upgrade to avionics and radio systems some 20 years ago).

Although improvements to the Orion's self-protection suite is mentioned in the Defence Long Term Development Plan it has yet to be awarded any funding.

The RNZAF Orions celebrated 40 years operational service in September this year.