Team Infidel
Forum Spin Doctor
Aviation Week & Space Technology
September 22, 2008
Pg. 28
Procurement issues bog down USAF, but its special ops command proceeds with aircraft buys
By Amy Butler and Graham Warwick
Even as the U.S. Air Force appears stuck in a rut after a series of major mishaps, its special operations command is quietly moving ahead with an ambitious plan to replace its aging fleet of fixed- and rotary-wing aircraft.
The key for Air Force Special Operations Command (Afsoc) is that it directly supports the war on terrorism, and its funding comes from two sources: The Air Force and the Pentagon’s special operations coffers. Congress has also been supportive of special operations projects in various supplemental spending bills for the war. Meanwhile, Afsoc is pressing its newest hardware, the CV-22 Osprey tiltrotor, into service in Africa for the first time next month. And the command is well on its way to satisfying a multifold strategy to replace its aging refuelers and helicopters, buy new small cargo aircraft and boost gunship support to the war.
At the same time, the larger Air Force, which conducts missions ranging from destroying enemy air defenses and global cargo and personnel movements to satellite operations, is struggling to boost its support for the war as well as handling the fiscal and political battles in the Pentagon.
The new Bell-Boeing CV-22 only recently completed its initial operational test and evaluation (IOT&E) trials, but the command plans to begin deploying it next month to Africa to support Flintlock ’09, according to a command statement. Officials are mum on the details of the deployment, other than to note the tiltrotor will be used in exercises designed to help nations on the continent patrol and control their own territory.
The command has nine CV-22s, five at the Hurlburt Field operating location in Florida and four for training at Kirtland AFB, N.M. A sixth is due to Hurlburt by year-end, Bell-Boeing officials say. The formal IOT&E report is forthcoming, but Brig. Gen. Bradley Heithold, the command’s director of plans, programs, requirements and assessments, says, “We are sure today” that the CV-22 can handle its mission. “It has proven its capability” during the testing.
The final seven MH-53 Pave Low helicopters, which are being replaced by the CV-22, will be retired by the end of this month. The Air Force originally had 72 HH-53s, 39 of which became MH-53s. Six of them will continue operations in Iraq until they are retired, demonstrating the high demand and operating tempo for large helicopters there, says Lt. Gen. Donald Wurster, Afsoc commander. The plan is to purchase 50 CV-22s, but Wurster says that requirement will almost certainly increase. With manpower boosts in special forces, the Pentagon is likely to need more of the Ospreys to transport those specialized operators for missions behind enemy lines.
Wurster also wants to accelerate the rate of CV-22 purchases, for which money is expected in the Fiscal 2010 budget request. Currently, the purchase rate is two or three aircraft per year, leaving a gap between the growing CV-22 fleet and the MH-53 drawdown.
The Marines continue to operate MV-22s in Western Iraq to evacuate injured soldiers and provide executive transport.
For the CV-22 deployment, by contrast, the aircraft will likely be used at night, possibly with low-level flight. The CV-22 low-probability-of-intercept and low-probability-of-detection, terrain-following radar is working well, and it is ready for use for low-level flight at high speed. Afsoc is proceeding to clear it for use at very low speeds as well, according to Bell-Boeing officials. Also, the command is conducting tests of a 7.62-mm. belly-mounted all-quadrant gun for front and side coverage the aircraft now lacks. The remotely operated BAE Remote Guardian System is installed in the cargo floor and the tiltrotor also carries a ramp-mounted machine gun, both of which will be used by the Marine Corps for its MV-22.
Heithold also says the Suite of Integrated Radio Frequency Countermeasures (Sirfc) for the CV-22 operated as expected in IOT&E and is ready to deploy. This system was being studied closely because of technology risk in the program, and Afsoc conducted a series of tests on Sirfc prior to the IOT&E trials this year.
Afsoc is expected to declare initial operational capability for the CV-22 in 2009, Heithold says.
With acceleration of the CV-22 buys as his second priority, Wurster says his top priority is to replace 37 aging MC-130s, which are used for infiltration/exfiltration of covert forces and as refuelers for special operations helicopters. The Pentagon approved funding for the first 14 HC/MC-130J purchases and plans to buy up to 68 of the aircraft. The “HC” designation refers to Air Combat Command’s combat search-and-rescue mission.
Wurster’s third priority is to add capacity to his gunship fleet. Some of the Air Force’s AC-130 gunships are flying at four times their estimated monthly rate, raising concerns about wear and tear on the hardware as well as the tempo for crews. To augment the eight AC-130Hs and 17 AC-130Us in the fleet, the command is planning to experiment with a prototype AC-27J Stinger II gunship. Wurster says he’d like to acquire 16 of them within seven years.
His objective is a blended fleet to provide close-air support: A small C-27J, the AC-130 and an aircraft with high-end stealthy strike capability that would be provided from Air Combat Command with the next-generation bomber. While Afsoc had earlier plans to build a gunship on the bomber platform, it has now ceded that portion of the mission to ACC, Heithold says.
Afsoc requested funding in the Pentagon’s Fiscal 2008 omnibus reprogramming proposal for a prototype, but the request was nixed by Congress, which said it did not want to fund new start programs through reprogrammings. The request is now included as an unfunded priority in the Fiscal 2009 budget.
Meanwhile, a decommissioned C-27A that was at Davis-Monthan AFB, Ariz., has been moved to Eglin AFB, Fla., as a ground-testing asset to begin exploring the effects of placing a gun in its fuselage. Gun options include a 25-mm., 30-mm. or 40-mm. weapon. The use of the 30-mm. weapon on the AC-130U was dashed this year after problems with the gun mount crippled its ability to reliably fire at the target. “We couldn’t get the consistency out of the gun to be able to walk the round onto the target,” Heithold says. A different mount, however, could prove solid for the AC-27J. The 40-mm. and 25-mm. weapons are being put back on the AC-130U and it could be the choice for the AC-27J as well.
Both gunships could eventually carry a small precision-guided munition, roughly 2.5 lb., that is desired by Afsoc. The requirements are now being considered, but it is clear it should be a precision strike weapon that is low-yield.
Afsoc is also looking at options to add to its transport fleet. The command has 19 U-28s, which are modified single-engine Pilatus PC-12s, and Heithold says it wants to add one or two more models to total 40 small utility aircraft for intratheater supply and troop movement. Afsoc is now leasing four Bombardier Dash 8s for part of this mission.
Another growing area for the command is development of tactical intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance support through the establishment of its 11th Intelligence Sqdn. at Hurlburt, which operates the Predator unmanned aerial system (UAS). Ninety-eight percent of the squadron’s missions are dedicated to operations, says Lt. Col. Paul Caltagirone, commander of the 3rd Special Operations Sqdn. at Cannon AFB, N.M. In 2007, the unit flew 60% of all Air Force Predator sorties in Iraq and Afghanistan. It is credited with 85 kills or captures of high-value enemies, he says. The unit is developing procedures to support the special needs of its tactical users; it is not responsible for providing the strategic intelligence used by national authorities.
September 22, 2008
Pg. 28
Procurement issues bog down USAF, but its special ops command proceeds with aircraft buys
By Amy Butler and Graham Warwick
Even as the U.S. Air Force appears stuck in a rut after a series of major mishaps, its special operations command is quietly moving ahead with an ambitious plan to replace its aging fleet of fixed- and rotary-wing aircraft.
The key for Air Force Special Operations Command (Afsoc) is that it directly supports the war on terrorism, and its funding comes from two sources: The Air Force and the Pentagon’s special operations coffers. Congress has also been supportive of special operations projects in various supplemental spending bills for the war. Meanwhile, Afsoc is pressing its newest hardware, the CV-22 Osprey tiltrotor, into service in Africa for the first time next month. And the command is well on its way to satisfying a multifold strategy to replace its aging refuelers and helicopters, buy new small cargo aircraft and boost gunship support to the war.
At the same time, the larger Air Force, which conducts missions ranging from destroying enemy air defenses and global cargo and personnel movements to satellite operations, is struggling to boost its support for the war as well as handling the fiscal and political battles in the Pentagon.
The new Bell-Boeing CV-22 only recently completed its initial operational test and evaluation (IOT&E) trials, but the command plans to begin deploying it next month to Africa to support Flintlock ’09, according to a command statement. Officials are mum on the details of the deployment, other than to note the tiltrotor will be used in exercises designed to help nations on the continent patrol and control their own territory.
The command has nine CV-22s, five at the Hurlburt Field operating location in Florida and four for training at Kirtland AFB, N.M. A sixth is due to Hurlburt by year-end, Bell-Boeing officials say. The formal IOT&E report is forthcoming, but Brig. Gen. Bradley Heithold, the command’s director of plans, programs, requirements and assessments, says, “We are sure today” that the CV-22 can handle its mission. “It has proven its capability” during the testing.
The final seven MH-53 Pave Low helicopters, which are being replaced by the CV-22, will be retired by the end of this month. The Air Force originally had 72 HH-53s, 39 of which became MH-53s. Six of them will continue operations in Iraq until they are retired, demonstrating the high demand and operating tempo for large helicopters there, says Lt. Gen. Donald Wurster, Afsoc commander. The plan is to purchase 50 CV-22s, but Wurster says that requirement will almost certainly increase. With manpower boosts in special forces, the Pentagon is likely to need more of the Ospreys to transport those specialized operators for missions behind enemy lines.
Wurster also wants to accelerate the rate of CV-22 purchases, for which money is expected in the Fiscal 2010 budget request. Currently, the purchase rate is two or three aircraft per year, leaving a gap between the growing CV-22 fleet and the MH-53 drawdown.
The Marines continue to operate MV-22s in Western Iraq to evacuate injured soldiers and provide executive transport.
For the CV-22 deployment, by contrast, the aircraft will likely be used at night, possibly with low-level flight. The CV-22 low-probability-of-intercept and low-probability-of-detection, terrain-following radar is working well, and it is ready for use for low-level flight at high speed. Afsoc is proceeding to clear it for use at very low speeds as well, according to Bell-Boeing officials. Also, the command is conducting tests of a 7.62-mm. belly-mounted all-quadrant gun for front and side coverage the aircraft now lacks. The remotely operated BAE Remote Guardian System is installed in the cargo floor and the tiltrotor also carries a ramp-mounted machine gun, both of which will be used by the Marine Corps for its MV-22.
Heithold also says the Suite of Integrated Radio Frequency Countermeasures (Sirfc) for the CV-22 operated as expected in IOT&E and is ready to deploy. This system was being studied closely because of technology risk in the program, and Afsoc conducted a series of tests on Sirfc prior to the IOT&E trials this year.
Afsoc is expected to declare initial operational capability for the CV-22 in 2009, Heithold says.
With acceleration of the CV-22 buys as his second priority, Wurster says his top priority is to replace 37 aging MC-130s, which are used for infiltration/exfiltration of covert forces and as refuelers for special operations helicopters. The Pentagon approved funding for the first 14 HC/MC-130J purchases and plans to buy up to 68 of the aircraft. The “HC” designation refers to Air Combat Command’s combat search-and-rescue mission.
Wurster’s third priority is to add capacity to his gunship fleet. Some of the Air Force’s AC-130 gunships are flying at four times their estimated monthly rate, raising concerns about wear and tear on the hardware as well as the tempo for crews. To augment the eight AC-130Hs and 17 AC-130Us in the fleet, the command is planning to experiment with a prototype AC-27J Stinger II gunship. Wurster says he’d like to acquire 16 of them within seven years.
His objective is a blended fleet to provide close-air support: A small C-27J, the AC-130 and an aircraft with high-end stealthy strike capability that would be provided from Air Combat Command with the next-generation bomber. While Afsoc had earlier plans to build a gunship on the bomber platform, it has now ceded that portion of the mission to ACC, Heithold says.
Afsoc requested funding in the Pentagon’s Fiscal 2008 omnibus reprogramming proposal for a prototype, but the request was nixed by Congress, which said it did not want to fund new start programs through reprogrammings. The request is now included as an unfunded priority in the Fiscal 2009 budget.
Meanwhile, a decommissioned C-27A that was at Davis-Monthan AFB, Ariz., has been moved to Eglin AFB, Fla., as a ground-testing asset to begin exploring the effects of placing a gun in its fuselage. Gun options include a 25-mm., 30-mm. or 40-mm. weapon. The use of the 30-mm. weapon on the AC-130U was dashed this year after problems with the gun mount crippled its ability to reliably fire at the target. “We couldn’t get the consistency out of the gun to be able to walk the round onto the target,” Heithold says. A different mount, however, could prove solid for the AC-27J. The 40-mm. and 25-mm. weapons are being put back on the AC-130U and it could be the choice for the AC-27J as well.
Both gunships could eventually carry a small precision-guided munition, roughly 2.5 lb., that is desired by Afsoc. The requirements are now being considered, but it is clear it should be a precision strike weapon that is low-yield.
Afsoc is also looking at options to add to its transport fleet. The command has 19 U-28s, which are modified single-engine Pilatus PC-12s, and Heithold says it wants to add one or two more models to total 40 small utility aircraft for intratheater supply and troop movement. Afsoc is now leasing four Bombardier Dash 8s for part of this mission.
Another growing area for the command is development of tactical intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance support through the establishment of its 11th Intelligence Sqdn. at Hurlburt, which operates the Predator unmanned aerial system (UAS). Ninety-eight percent of the squadron’s missions are dedicated to operations, says Lt. Col. Paul Caltagirone, commander of the 3rd Special Operations Sqdn. at Cannon AFB, N.M. In 2007, the unit flew 60% of all Air Force Predator sorties in Iraq and Afghanistan. It is credited with 85 kills or captures of high-value enemies, he says. The unit is developing procedures to support the special needs of its tactical users; it is not responsible for providing the strategic intelligence used by national authorities.