Beasts of Burden

Many nations expected any niche capabilities to be provided by allies and, thus, there was little investment in air-to-air refuelling (AAR) or intelligence, surveillance, target acquisition, and reconnaissance (ISTAR), and even air transport capabilities were frequently modest.

But, in recent years, the countries of the Gulf Cooperation Council have increasingly wanted to become more involved in multilateral humanitarian efforts and are routinely providing billions of dollars annually in aid to developing and conflict-affected countries.

Humanitarian disaster relief operations promise to give exposure on the world stage, as was demonstrated by the earthquakes in Pakistan, and military transport aircraft allow a nation to deploy heavy rescue equipment directly where it is needed, landing on rough runways in a way that chartered civilian aircraft often cannot.

Such aid was once focused on fellow Arab nations in the Middle East and North Africa but the Gulf states are increasingly funding projects further afield, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa.

The Arab world has also become more involved in international peace-keeping and peace enforcement operations, deploying and supporting land and air forces out of area. This has all placed greater emphasis on the need for robust long-range air transport capabilities and has helped to fuel an increased demand for military transport aircraft, and especially strategic transports, in the region.

Such demand has been further stimulated by the USA’s policy of expecting greater ‘burden-sharing’ by its allies, which has prompted some nations to increase their transport capabilities. In some cases, those existing tactical air transport aircraft that are in service with Arab air forces are also in need of replacement, with many operators now flying older-model C-130 Hercules, which are now showing their age.

Though it was first designed in 1951, with a fuselage cross-section chosen when land forces used jeeps and Sheridan tanks rather than Humvees and M1s, and when helicopters meant Bell 47s rather than Apaches, Blackhawks or Chinooks, many believe that the best replacement for a Hercules is another (modernised) Hercules. The C-130J is designed to meet exactly this requirement.

Though it is similar to the ‘heritage Hercules’ in external appearance, the C-130J is in many respects an all-new design, with 21 per cent higher maximum speed than the previous model C-130H, and offering 40 per cent greater range and about 40 per cent less take-off distance. This is made possible by the use of new Rolls-Royce AE 2100 D3 turboprop engines driving Dowty R391 composite scimitar propellers, though the C-130J offers further efficiencies thanks to its two-man cockpit, advanced digital avionics and enhanced cargo handling system.

Since entering service with the UK Royal Air Force in 1999, the C-130J has overcome early problems and is now being energetically marketed to international customers.

The Middle East is already a vital export market for the C-130J, with firm orders for the aircraft from Iraq (which ordered six C-130J-30s in July 2008), Kuwait (which ordered three KC-130J air refuelling tankers in May 2010), Oman (which ordered a single C-130J-30 in 2009 and two more in August 2010), Qatar (which ordered four C-130Js in October 2008) and the UAE (which announced an order for 12 C-130J transports in early 2009). Israel has also ordered three C-130J-30s, of an eventual requirement for nine.

Jim Grant, Lockheed Martin’s vice-president business development for the C-130J highlighted the type’s suitability in the region due to its hot and high capabilities, and expressed optimism that there would be “a lot of demand from the Middle East and Pacific Rim in the coming years”.

The big prize for Lockheed would be an order from the Royal Saudi Air Force, which has a four-squadron, 42-aircraft Hercules fleet due for replacement.

Lockheed Martin has also offered the C-27J Spartan in the region.

A jointly developed advanced derivative of Alenia’s G.222, the C-27J uses the C-130J’s glass cockpit and Rolls-Royce AE 2100 engine and six-blade propeller. It offers a 35 per cent increase in range and a 15 per cent faster cruise speed by comparison to the basic G.222.

So far, the only Arabian customer for the C-27J is the Royal Moroccan Air Force, which has received three of the four ordered.

The USA’s other main transport aircraft offering in the region is Boeing’s mighty C-17 Globemaster III.

The C-17’s cavernous cargo compartment is 88ft (26.82m) long by 18ft (5.49m) wide by 12ft 4ins (3.76m) high, accommodating loads as big as an M1 Abrams tank or a Chinook helicopter. The C-17 can carry a maximum payload of 170,900lb (77,500kg), and has an unrefuelled range of about 2,800 nautical miles (5,200km) when carrying a 160,000lb payload.

Despite its considerable capabilities, the C-17 has struggled to find much export success. And, with domestic requirements virtually fulfilled, Boeing is desperate to find customers for the aircraft to keep its Long Beach production line busy. Despite orders for half-a-dozen aircraft from Qatar and the UAE, a significant C-17 export order has proved elusive, however, though there have been periodic reports of a potential RSAF requirement for a ‘double digit’ fleet of C-17s.

For the moment, though, the C-17’s presence in the region is limited to detachments, deployments and visits by USAF, Canadian, NATO, RAF and RAAF aircraft, and to the handful of aircraft delivered to Qatar and the UAE.

The Qatar Emiri Air Force today operates two Boeing C-17s from Al Udeid Air Base, having taken delivery of the first on August 11 2009 and the second on September 10 2009. The second wears the same grey, maroon and white livery as is used by the state-owned Qatar Airways, chosen to build awareness of Qatar’s participation when the aircraft is used during humanitarian operations around the world.

The United Arab Emirates signed a contract for six C-17s in January 2010, receiving the first of these on May 10 2011, and the second on June 10. Boeing is scheduled to deliver two more C-17s to the UAE this year and two in 2012.

The USA faces competition in the Middle East region, principally from Airbus Military, but also from Russia.

The Antonov An-26 has been used by Libya, Syria and Yemen, while the Antonov An-32 has been ordered by Iraq (six) and Jordan (two for Jordan’s Special Operations forces).

From about 2004 for an unknown period, the UAE Air Force and Air Defence was the notional operator of an Antonov An-124 (probably leased from and crewed by Aviant), painted all white and registered UR-ZYD (for Sheikh Zayed, late ruler of Abu Dhabi and president of the UAE). More recently, the first of two Il-76MF military transport aircraft was delivered to the Kingdom of Jordan. The Il-76MF is a stretched derivative of the Il-76MD, with a 6.6m fuselage extension, and powered by more powerful and fuel-efficient PS-90A-76 engines.

Airbus Military offers products that ‘straddle’ the C-130J in size, price and capability. At the ‘lower’ end of the scale, the CN235 and stretched C295 represent a direct competitor to the C-27J, and an alternative to the original model Hercules in some roles. Despite carrying less than half of the payload of a ‘heritage’ Hercules, for example, the C295 can carry 71 passengers – only 21 fewer than a C-130E or a C-130H.

Originally developed as a joint venture between Spain’s CASA (now part of Airbus Military) and the Indonesian manufacturer IPTN, the Airtech CN235 has enjoyed some success in the Middle East region. This was most notable in Turkey, where 59 were built under licence for the Air Force (50 transports), Navy (six CN235MPA aircraft with Thales airborne maritime situation & control mission (AMASCOS) systems, and Coast Guard (three similarly equipped CN235MSAs).

The type also serves with the Royal Moroccan Air Force (six), the Royal Oman Police (two), the Royal Saudi Air Force (four) and the UAE Air Force and Air Defence (seven).

The Royal Jordanian Air Force operated two on lease from the Turkish Air Force for several years but these are no longer in service though, more recently, Jordan has acquired two further ex-Spanish aircraft for conversion as gunships.

The stretched and extensively modernised C295 was developed by CASA alone (not in partnership with IPTN), and has new PW127G turboprop engines and 50 per cent greater payload capability.

In the broader Arabian region, the Algerian Air Force has received six C295s for transport and maritime patrol duties, while the Egyptian Air Force has ordered three as tactical transports for delivery from 2011. The Royal Jordanian Air Force has received two aircraft.

Airbus Military does offer a dedicated C295MPA (maritime patrol aircraft), known as the Persuader, with six under-wing hard points for weapons and with a fully integrated tactical system (FITS). This ASW/ASuW/MPA mission system includes a ventral 360-degrees search radar, electro-optical/infrared sensors (EO/IR), a tail-mounted magnetic anomaly detector (MAD), acoustics systems, electronic support measures (ESM) systems and sea pollution detection systems, as well as advanced communications and datalink systems.

An order for four by the UAE, reportedly placed in 1998, came to nothing, and maritime versions of the DHC-8 will be used instead.

Today, the attention of Airbus Military is focused on selling the A400M into the region. With contract amendment negotiations between Airbus Military and the Organisation Conjointe de Coopération en matière d'ARmement (OCCAR) and the seven A400M launch customer nations now signed (on April 7 2011), the way is now clear for export negotiations.

Airbus hopes to grab about half the replacement market for military airlifters over the next 30 years and estimates a global requirement for 400 of its A400M airlifters, with potential sales of 50 to 100 of its A400M military airlifter in the Middle East and North Africa.

Peter Scoffham, Airbus Military’s head of defence capability marketing once said: “One particular nation in that area (the Middle East) has said that once we have got four to six months into the flight test programme they want to start contract negotiations.”

Airbus Military estimates the world market for military transports to total about 800 aircraft, which will replace a 1,800-aircraft current transport fleet.

Airbus hopes that the A400M will mop up the market for aircraft with payloads of 25-50tons, flying heavier armoured vehicles, humanitarian equipment and helicopters, while the CN235 and C295 will compete with the C-27J, the KC-390 and the Lockheed Martin C-130J to share the market for aircraft with a 12-25-ton payload.

The company also hopes that many operators will choose to procure larger aircraft, whose higher ‘sticker price’ is compensated for by superior capability.

The A400M can lift 37tonnes, for example, where the basic Hercules lifts just 19tonnes. The A400M can also fly twice as far as a C-130 with the same payload.

A Hercules can fly 1,600 nautical miles with a particular load, for example, while an A400M, carrying the same weight, could travel 3,450 miles.

And there are many loads that a Hercules simply can’t carry due to weight or dimensions. A typical modern armoured personnel carrier now weighs 25tonnes – too heavy for a Hercules to lift, while the A400M can swallow even a Chinook helicopter in its capacious hold.

And the A400M can do this while retaining true tactical capabilities, landing on sand, dirt or a semi-prepared strip, in a way that the larger and more capable C-17 cannot emulate.

Airbus Military is also quietly hoping for further tanker sales in the region, following the orders it has already received from Middle Eastern states for its A330 MRTT air-to-air refuelling and strategic transport aircraft.

The UAE has already ordered three of the big Airbus tankers, with the first delivery planned for later this year, while Saudi Arabia has ordered six A330 MRTTs, the first of which is due to be delivered in 2012.