CASR

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A Modest
Proposal
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Canadian Aviation – Electronic Warfare Training Aircraft – ModProp – May 2010 A Renewed Aerial EW Training Capability for the Canadian Forces ? A Modest Proposal  by  Steve Daly, CD Ed: This article argues the advantages of having in-house aerial Electronic Warfare training capability. At present,  the aircraft and  flying aspects of  EW training are done by a private contractor – Top Aces –  under the Interim Contracted Airborne Training Services program. The road to fufilling  ICATS was a tortuous one for DND but  it is worth reviewing how the Canadian Forces handled the aerial  EW training  role before the Department first embarked on public/private partnerships. That story must focus on the Canadian-made Challenger – the Canadian Forces no longer owns jet trainers to rival the leased Alpha Jets of Top Aces. Since the early '80s, the CF have operated a total of  18 Challenger bizjets. Of these, 11 have been Canadair CL-600 model Challengers (which entered service as CC-144As. [1] Six of the CC-144As were converted into CE-144A Interim Electronic Support Trainers (IEST). Another became a CE-144B Airborne Receiver System (an electronics intelligence gathering platform) and, in 1995, two of the IESTs finally became full CE-144C Electronic Support Trainers (EST). Stephen Daly advocates the re-instatement of  414's Challenger jets. As an 'in-house' asset, these capable aircraft could replace contracted bizjets and replaced the leased Alpha Jets in some of their roles. Canada would then have the best of  its public and private partnerships. 414 (EW) Squadron Challengers & the heyday of CF Aerial Electronic Warfare Training In the recent past,  the Canadian Forces have had its own Combat Support Squadrons – the units which provided valuable training aids to the Army, Air Force and Navy. Such Combat Support Squadrons mimicked electronic warfare adversaries, towed  gunnery practice aerial targets,  and  performed  maritime-threat simulations to help train  the CF's combat elements.   One units which provided such support was 414   Combat Support Squadron  – The Black Knights.   During the late 1980s and early 1990s – operating   as 414  ( Electronic Warfare) Squadron – this unit   was one of the busiest in Canada's Air Force. The   CF-18 was newly in service (the product of DND's   New Fighter Aircraft program ) and  the  Canadian   Patrol  Frigate  program was close to bearing fruit. With the new fighters and the arrival of  the first Halifax class ships imminent, demand was very high for realistic training in a hostile electronic warfare environment. It was a rare week that did not see a  414 (EW) detachment  deployed somewhere  to provide such training. [2] Defence cutbacks in the mid- to late-1990s would see the CF shed many 'secondary' roles in a effort  to protect  core combat mission capabilities. Funding cutbacks had created a short- fall so severe that it could only be addressed through a wholesale slashing of  non-frontline units. Among the sacrifices would be the Combat Support Squadrons, grounded in 2002. [3] Shopping for Alternatives – Aerial EW Training in the era of Public/Private Partnerships The replacement for the Combat Support Squadrons was to be an ASD (Alternative Service Delivery) program called Contracted Airborne Training Services. As a procurement exercise, CATS was a complete failure. After several slippages, this public/private partnership (which was to be active by 2001) attracting not a single qualified bidder. As 'surplus' CF aircraft sat awaiting buyers, DND launched a revised ASD program  –  Interim CATS  –  to fill the gaps. The contract for  ICATS was awarded to a Quebec- based  firm, Top Aces Inc.,  in 2005.  The CF would have combat support services  once more but, this time,  provided  by a  private contractor.  Top Aces operate jet trainers and modified bizjets as did their CF predecessors  ( in Top Aces' case,  ex-Luftwaffe Alpha Jet trainers and  IAI  Westwind 1124 bizjets). Top Aces Inc.  flies missions for Canadian  Air Force, Army, and  Navy units  ranging from electronic warfare simulations to the training of  Forward Air Controllers, and target towing. Canadian Forces participation is limited  to the Electronic Warfare Officers ( EWOs ) from a partially-reformed  414  ( EW )  Squadron flying as ' back-seaters ' in the contractor's aircraft. Switching to contractor-supplied services allowed  DND to realize substantial savings. One leg of the savings was accomplished by retiring older airframes. Other savings were realized through scheduling.  With the demands for training at a 'low-ebb', it was now possible for a single contracted service-provider to accomplish all required tasks with a much smaller fleet. That low-ebb is now ending with increases in both CF mission activities (the Top Aces fleet has now risen to 20 aircraft to meet the pace – 16 Alpha Jets and 4 Westwinds) and planned DND defence acquisitions.  The coming decade should see a  new fighter aircraft  to replace the CF-18 and new Canadian Surface Combatants for the Navy. Training demands will spike once again as transition and  workups  require intensive exercise periods. How best to meet the surge in demand  –  increased contractor involvement or a restoration of  CF capability? Shopping for Fresh Solutions – Re-Assessing the Value of In-House Aerial EW Training One solution to the coming Electronic Warfare training crunch is simple  –  re-establish 414 (EW) Squadron in its full  form, complete with CE-144 Challenger-EST aircraft. [4]  Through   prior  service with 414,  Canadian-made   Challengers have proven track records   providing reliable,  high-capability  EW   training. Those earlier CE-144s showed   that airframe modifications are minimal,   the aircraft  simply being  a platform for   onboard  airborne electronics packages. Previous experience with  CE-144s also demonstrated  the importance of  fielding a common sub-type of  Challenger. However, used Challenger airframes represent significantly lower acquisition costs (CL-604 model Challengers currently running between $9.9M and $18.0M each). This means that the incurred capital costs to acquire, standardize and mission-modify the airframes of  used CL-604 Challengers would be relatively modest (the final costs being determined by the degree of  standardization required and  the exact equipment  fit chosen ). Other than capital costs, ongoing costs for maintenance, crews, fuel and the like would also have to be accounted for. Hourly operating costs for Top Aces' Westwind 1124s and  larger CL-604 Challengers are roughly comparable. [5]  The military payscale is,  likewise, roughly comparable to civilian equivalents.  Also, Top Aces is a profit-making entity,  so naturally a mark-up is applied  to its operating costs.  The tallying of  these cost considerations should result in any revived integral CF EW training capability being competitive on a hourly basis. Re-establishing 414 Squadron's  CE-144 fleet now would allow the unit  to refine its methods prior to that expected peak in CF training demands. The ideal, next-generation CE-144 would be derived from an existing Challenger modification package, the Multi-Mission Aircraft or MMA. The Challenger CL-604 MMA belly mount accepts different radar systems. [6] That same mount could be adapted for alternate packages  –  including a dedicated EW pod. The Challenger MMAs also features a retractable EO/IR turret bay as well as a chaff dispenser. A new CE-144 platform would offer great utility to the CF and  the Canadian people in tasks other than EW training. As a CL-604 MMA 'hybrid', this new CE-144 Challenger – let's call it the 'CE-144D'  – would  be quickly adaptable to other roles.  In its patrol configuration, the CE-144D would be capable of  NorPat (Northern Patrol ) sovereignty patrols and long-range SAR missions. [7] The same equipment fit gives a CE-144D an Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance ISR ) capability  –  whether for operational tasking or training for the Army. In its Electronic Support Trainer guise, the new Challengers would offer Electronic Support Measures support  –  ESM being the ability to 'passively' gather electro-magnetic emissions from any hostile military aircraft,  ship, or  vehicle. The Challenger-ESTs would also be able to conduct  'protected'  VIP transport, or to function as a limited command and control node. Canada must expand its EW training capability soon and we have a  long-standing  need of expanded  northern patrol capabilities. One aerial platform can be configured to satisfy both needs, as well as provide the CF with ongoing future flexibility. In an era requiring maximum adaptability from military forces, a multi-mission platform capable of fulfilling more than one role is essential. A Challenger MMA/EST as 'next-generation' CE-144 is one such platform. Stephen Daly C.D. retired in 1995 after serving 15 years in the CF Air Element.  He served at CFB North Bay (414 Electronic Warfare Squadron), in Baden, West Germany (with 1 Air Maintenance Squadron) and  CFB Cold Lake  (with 441 Tactical Fighter Squadron). [1] Offical designations are CC-144A for the early-model  CL-600 Challengers and  CC-144B for both later-model Canadair CL-601s and Bombardier CL-604s. CE-144 must be regarded as a semi-official designation at best. The six  CE-114A or Challenger-IEST ( Interim Electronic Support Trainer ) conversions were serials 144603, '606-'609, and  '611. The Challenger-ARS Airborne Receiver System or CE-144B had been CE-144A 144603,  the three Challenger-EST Electronic Support Trainer or CE-144C upgrades were CE-144As  144606, 144608 and 144609. For a full listing of Challengers, see Bill Walker's Canadian Military Aircraft Serial Numbers. [2] As a member of the original 414 (EW) Sqn, the author spent several months working day shifts in North Bay and night shifts in Cold Lake. ( Cold Lake Base Flight prepared  Stephen Daly's annual Performance Evaluation Report before realizing that  he was not posted there.) [3] Almost all aircraft were sold as surplus.  The CE-144 fleet had been made up of disparate sub-types and CT-133 trainers were 50+ years old  –  making both types difficult to support. [4] The original  Electronic Support Trainers were CE-144A Challenger-IESTs  (Interim EST) and a single CE-144C Challenger-EST – all of these late '80s/early '90s aircraft were mission- modified versions of the CF's first Challenger bizjet transports, the CL-600 model  CC-144A. [5] According to Jet Brokers, direct operating costs for the Westwind 1124 is US$2,096, while DOCs for the CL-604 is US$2,031 (newer CL-605s is US$1,976, older CL-601s around $2,500). [6] When the Danish Air Force found their CL-604 MMA's APS-143 search radar difficult to integrate, the Dane's switched to a domestic, belly pylon-mounted synthetic aperture radar. [7] The Challenger's advantage as an SAR sensor platform, is a quick transit time and very long range allowing it to deploy from southern bases,  reaching Arctic search areas rapidly.