Post by rubberduck on Jun 29, 2007 9:34:14 GMT 12
I've lost track of how many near-misses there have been in the Caribou replacement programme. Here's the latest, from The Australian :-
Defence looks to Italian craft
A transport aircraft that is made in Italy and chosen by the US is a force to reckon with, writes Patrick Walters
June 29, 2007
ALENIA Aeronautica's C-27J Spartan tactical transport aircraft is a hot favourite to replace the RAAF's 40-year-old Vietnam-era DHC-4 Caribou fleet.
This follows the decision by the US Army and Air Force two weeks ago to opt for the Italian C-27J over its Spanish C-295 rival as the military's joint cargo aircraft.
The two services awarded an initial $US2 billion ($2.3 billion) contract on June 13 to L-3 Communications Integrated Systems for 78 C-27Js.
The US military's decision to opt for the Italian aircraft will almost certainly mean the RAAF will follow suit, given the C-27J's strong avionics and loading systems compatibility with the larger C-130J Hercules and the increasingly close US-Australia defence industry partnership.
Any future Australian purchase of the C-27J could come from Alenia, through a foreign military sale buy from the US.
The Australian aircraft would be fitted with the same communications and electronic warfare self-protection as the US military's aircraft.
Australia is looking to acquire up to 12 aircraft and possibly more if the RAAF decides not to replace all its C-130H Hercules transports.
Defence Minister Brendan Nelson told The Australian recently that he expected a tender evaluation would be held for the Caribou replacement between the C-27J and C-295, with a decision expected next year.
Dr Nelson said this was his preferred course over a sole source buy from a single supplier.
Seven years ago, the Defence Department decided not to proceed with a request for tender to supply up to 18 new tactical transport that pitted the C-27J against the C-295.
This meant a further overhaul of the RAAF's Caribous, which first saw service in 1964 and were deployed to Vietnam two years later.
The RAAF still has 14 Caribous used for light transport and tactical airlift in Australia and the immediate region but they cannot be deployed to high-threat theatres such as Afghanistan.
With the Caribous due to be retired from 2010, the defence force is looking for a versatile aircraft able to take off on short, unsealed airstrips from the South Pacific to Afghanistan.
Just as it will for the US military, the new-generation twin-engine medium transport will take the pressure off the RAAF's hard-working C-130Js, which have seen heavy service in the Middle East. The US military said this month that under-utilisation of the cargo area in the C-130 was a key reason why they had now opted for the C-27J.
The C-130s are often flown in Iraq with only a handful of passengers and barely a single pallet of cargo in a grossly inefficient use of the aircraft's load capacity.
The US military has been working its heavy-lift transport fleet hard in Iraq, seeking to reduce the number of daily road convoys taking supplies from Kuwait.
The C-27J Baby Hercules is considered the most advanced tactical transport of its type in the world.
It can carry up to 11.5 tonnes of cargo, including light trucks or armoured vehicles and artillery and can vary its cargo floor height for larger loads.
It can also ferry up to 68 troops or medivac up to 36 casualties with nursing staff and has a range of more than 4000 nautical miles with a six-tonne payload.
Under the US Joint Cargo Aircraft program, the army and air force agreed to fund a common aircraft for intratheatre airlift.
The decision to opt for the C-27J over CASA's C-295M came despite the Spanish plane's ability to carry more basic cargo pallets and offering lower operating costs. The C-27J replaces the US army's C-23 Sherpas as well as its C-12 and C-26 transports.
Under the JCA program, the US military could eventually buy 145 aircraft in a $US6 billion investment.
The C-27J Spartan team in the US comprises Alenia Aeronautica, L-3 Communications and Boeing Integrated Defence Systems, with Rolls Royce supplying the engines.
Defence looks to Italian craft
A transport aircraft that is made in Italy and chosen by the US is a force to reckon with, writes Patrick Walters
June 29, 2007
ALENIA Aeronautica's C-27J Spartan tactical transport aircraft is a hot favourite to replace the RAAF's 40-year-old Vietnam-era DHC-4 Caribou fleet.
This follows the decision by the US Army and Air Force two weeks ago to opt for the Italian C-27J over its Spanish C-295 rival as the military's joint cargo aircraft.
The two services awarded an initial $US2 billion ($2.3 billion) contract on June 13 to L-3 Communications Integrated Systems for 78 C-27Js.
The US military's decision to opt for the Italian aircraft will almost certainly mean the RAAF will follow suit, given the C-27J's strong avionics and loading systems compatibility with the larger C-130J Hercules and the increasingly close US-Australia defence industry partnership.
Any future Australian purchase of the C-27J could come from Alenia, through a foreign military sale buy from the US.
The Australian aircraft would be fitted with the same communications and electronic warfare self-protection as the US military's aircraft.
Australia is looking to acquire up to 12 aircraft and possibly more if the RAAF decides not to replace all its C-130H Hercules transports.
Defence Minister Brendan Nelson told The Australian recently that he expected a tender evaluation would be held for the Caribou replacement between the C-27J and C-295, with a decision expected next year.
Dr Nelson said this was his preferred course over a sole source buy from a single supplier.
Seven years ago, the Defence Department decided not to proceed with a request for tender to supply up to 18 new tactical transport that pitted the C-27J against the C-295.
This meant a further overhaul of the RAAF's Caribous, which first saw service in 1964 and were deployed to Vietnam two years later.
The RAAF still has 14 Caribous used for light transport and tactical airlift in Australia and the immediate region but they cannot be deployed to high-threat theatres such as Afghanistan.
With the Caribous due to be retired from 2010, the defence force is looking for a versatile aircraft able to take off on short, unsealed airstrips from the South Pacific to Afghanistan.
Just as it will for the US military, the new-generation twin-engine medium transport will take the pressure off the RAAF's hard-working C-130Js, which have seen heavy service in the Middle East. The US military said this month that under-utilisation of the cargo area in the C-130 was a key reason why they had now opted for the C-27J.
The C-130s are often flown in Iraq with only a handful of passengers and barely a single pallet of cargo in a grossly inefficient use of the aircraft's load capacity.
The US military has been working its heavy-lift transport fleet hard in Iraq, seeking to reduce the number of daily road convoys taking supplies from Kuwait.
The C-27J Baby Hercules is considered the most advanced tactical transport of its type in the world.
It can carry up to 11.5 tonnes of cargo, including light trucks or armoured vehicles and artillery and can vary its cargo floor height for larger loads.
It can also ferry up to 68 troops or medivac up to 36 casualties with nursing staff and has a range of more than 4000 nautical miles with a six-tonne payload.
Under the US Joint Cargo Aircraft program, the army and air force agreed to fund a common aircraft for intratheatre airlift.
The decision to opt for the C-27J over CASA's C-295M came despite the Spanish plane's ability to carry more basic cargo pallets and offering lower operating costs. The C-27J replaces the US army's C-23 Sherpas as well as its C-12 and C-26 transports.
Under the JCA program, the US military could eventually buy 145 aircraft in a $US6 billion investment.
The C-27J Spartan team in the US comprises Alenia Aeronautica, L-3 Communications and Boeing Integrated Defence Systems, with Rolls Royce supplying the engines.
