Air Power: The battle for the Battlefield Airlifter |ADM February 2012
Julian Kerr | Sydney
Although a Defence spokesperson stressed in December that a final decision had yet to be taken, this statement was delivered amid media assumptions that what the RAAF wanted, the RAAF was likely to get. In other words, the C-27J was expected to be chosen over the Airbus Military C295 to meet the requirements of Air 8000 Phase 2 for up to 10 new, light fixed wing tactical transports.
The current iteration Defence Capability Plan (DCP) anticipates a decision between 2012-2015 and first deliveries in the 2014- 2017 range. However, lower acquisition and operating costs claimed for the C295 and a hard-won reputation for reliability during long deployments to remote locations may yet prove it to be a worthy competitor for the more powerful and reportedly more expensive C-27J.
For both contenders the program represents a commercial version of Groundhog Day. For 35 of its 45 years in service, the Caribou was the subject of replacement studies. The precursor to the current program saw the C295 and C-27J pitted against each other under Air 5190 only to see the program abruptly cancelled in 2000. Defence referred to higher capability priorities; the comments of both contenders, several million dollars down, were said to be more lurid.
In October 2011, Defence submitted what it termed a ‘nonbinding/no-commitment’ Letter of Request to the US Department of Defence seeking price and availability information on the C-27J for a possible purchase through the US Foreign Military Sales (FMS) program.
Noting the eventual completion of the contract under which L-3 Communications is modifying 38 C-27Js for the US Air National Guard, Defence Minister Stephen Smith and then-Defence Materiel Minister Jason Clare nevertheless emphasised that the issuing of a Letter of Request did not involve any financial or contractual commitment by Australia.
“The information from the Letter of Request will inform Government consideration of capability, cost and schedule issues associated with this project as well as consideration of the acquisition strategy, including whether a broader tender process will be pursued,” they added.
Government expected a response to the letter by February after which it would also consider other alternatives to meet the RAAF’s needs for a Battlefield Airlifter, including the C295.
However the RAAF’s preference for the C-27J’s greater sophistication, higher cargo hold and perceived avionics/propulsion system commonality with its own 12 C-13OJ Hercules medium transports is well-known.
Speaking to media at the Langkawi air show on 9 December, Chief of Air Force Air Marshal Geoff Brown referred to the inability of the C295 to transport some types of ADF vehicles, including the Army’s new G-Wagon all-terrain vehicle. Australia’s vast distances made this a more important issue than might be the case in Europe, he said.
Ten days later, the US Defence Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) notified the US Congress of a potential FMS sale to Australia of 10 C-27Js and associated equipment, parts, training and logistical support, at an estimated cost of US$950 million.
The putative prime contractor was named as L3 Integrated Systems Group in Waco, Texas. L3 receives the ostensibly complete C-27J aircraft from Alenia Aeronautica’s plant in Turin, Italy, then equips them in Florida to the USAF/Air National Guard standard.
While the DSCA release is no guarantee that the RAAF will acquire the C-27J, such detailed notifications generally – but not always – provide a good indication of future intentions. There are few cases where FMS cases investigated turn into FMS cases that are not followed through.
US status
The C-27J was originally selected as the USAF/Army Joint Cargo Aircraft (JCA), but an order for 78 was slashed to 38 in 2009 and the program redirected to the Air National Guard. Last November, US Air Force Chief of Staff General Norton Schwarz specifically named the 17 C-27Js still to be delivered as potential victims of further budget shrinkage, with the possibility of the type being removed from inventory altogether.
ADM has learnt that Defence has also sought availability and pricing information for the purchase of 10 C-27Js on a commercial basis from Raytheon Australia – whose parent company teamed with Airbus Military in offering the C295 for the US JCA requirement.
Confirming this, a Raytheon Australia spokesman said that a direct commercial sale offer from the company, supported by Alenia, was for the delivery of a C-27J capability for Australia that was equal to or exceeded the capability provided to the USAF through the JCA.
If acquired under FMS arrangements, the aircraft would be flown from Italy to Waco for the installation of JCA-specific equipment (some radios, defensive aids suite and ballistic matting) before being flown to Australia for delivery, the spokesman said. If acquired under commercial arrangements, the aircraft would be manufactured in Italy then flown to Australia where JCA-specific equipment would be fitted prior to delivery to the RAAF.
The retirement in December 2009 of the last 13 of the original 29-strong Caribou fleet has seen the RAAF fill this gap on an ad hoc basis with eight Hawker Beechcraft King Air 350 light utility aircraft (three of which were transferred from Army in November 2009) C-130H and J Hercules, and helicopters. Although the seven C-130H still flying are due to retire in 2013, Defence is developing options to retain at least some of these aircraft until 2016.
This would continue to cover aspects of the transport capability gap while providing breathing space for a smooth transition to the new Battlefield Airlifter, whatever it may turn out to be.
And what’s on offer?
The C-27J’s cargo hold is shorter than that of the C-295. However, Alenia states it is designed specifically to carry three of the 83-inch high pallets packed for a Hercules which can be rolled directly into a C-27J, while the C295 is restricted to five 59-inch height pallets.
Alenia does note that claims of interference with loads by aircraft structure are best left to the end-user to determine any operational impact. Uniquely, the C-27J can also vary cargo floor height and continuously adjust attitude, ensuring easy loading and unloading of large volume, high density payloads without ground support equipment.
Ordered by nine nations, the Spartan has seen operational service in Afghanistan with Italy, Lithuania and the US – the latter’s first successful deployment of two aircraft taking place before Initial Operating Capability was officially reached.
The C295’s similarity in fuselage cross-section with the CH-47 Chinook allows the transfer of palletised cargo between the two types without the need to break down or build up the payload in height, length or width. The aircraft has been ordered by 13 countries and has been deployed to Kosovo, Iraq and Afghanistan.
With the tide appearing to run in the C-27’s favour, Airbus Military Chief Executive Domingo Urena used a visit to Canberra in September 2011 to call for the Caribou replacement to be decided by open competition rather than by sole source selection. He was very clear in citing the cost savings that the Commonwealth had achieved by holding a competition for the naval helicopter program that saw Team Romeo (Lockheed Martin and Sikorsky) beat the NH90 from Airbus Military.
A matter of cost
And what was not immediately disclosed at the time of October’s Ministerial statement was that a price and availability update for up to 10 C295, three years of support and a full flight simulator had been requested from Airbus Military in the same month.
A 300-page response was provided during a two-day presentation in Canberra on 14-15 December that was described by EADS CEO Australia Pacific, Fabrice Rochereau, as ”very useful”.
Rochereau told ADM that Airbus Military could supply the 10 aircraft, three years support and a full flight simulator for about half the figure quoted by the US DSCA for the same number of C-27s.
Using the parameters supplied by the Commonwealth, Airbus Military had calculated fuel consumption 40 per cent lower and maintenance costs 50 per cent lower than those of the C-27J, creating savings of hundreds of millions of dollars over the life of the aircraft.
However, Alenia maintains that payload restrictions, cabin dimensions and aircraft performance mean that around 40 per cent more C295s would be required to conduct the same mission profile as the C-27J.
Airbus Military told ADM it is ready to commit to a performance-based contract guaranteeing more than 95 per cent mission availability at half the cost of the C-27J FMS package.
For its part, Alenia says the direct commercial sale offer (from Raytheon Australia) is significantly lower than the FMS figure quoted by the DSCA and demonstrates significant savings over the C295, justifying a comparison by Defence of the two commercial sale proposals.