Jane's IDR: Jan. 15th- Grudge Match for Singaporean Fighter bid

Date Posted: 15-Jan-2004

INTERNATIONAL DEFENSE REVIEW – FEBRUARY 01, 2004

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Grudge match for fighters in Singapore
Three manufacturers competing to supply Singapore’s next combat aircraft are due to deliver detailed proposals around the end of this month (February). Singapore narrowed the list of candidates to the Boeing F-15T, Dassault Rafale and Eurofighter Typhoon in October 2003. The same aircraft were the finalists in the contentious and controversial Republic of Korea (RoK) deal, which ended in April 2002 with the selection of the F-15 and an infuriated reaction from Dassault, which still maintains that the Rafale was the RoK’s technical and operational first choice but that the F-15 was selected under intense pressure from the US.

Singapore’s requirement – for perhaps a dozen aircraft initially, with an ultimate total purchase of up to 24 aircraft – is not as valuable as the RoK’s but is certainly important, particularly for the European competitors. Rafale has yet to score an export sale, and a win for Typhoon would indicate that the long-delayed plans to develop the fighter’s multirole capabilities are firm.

Unlike the RoK, Singapore does not represent a life-or-death decision for the F-15 line. The proposed F-15T is similar to the RoK’s F-15K; the airframe is that of the USAF’s F-15E but with modernized avionics based on the Honeywell Advanced Display Core Processor (ADCP), which uses commercial processor technology and drives a new set of full-color LCD screens.

The electronic warfare suite includes the BAE Systems ALR-56C(V)1 radar warning receiver and the Northrop Grumman ALQ-135M jammer. Both systems can be expected to fix long-standing issues with coverage gaps and reliability: the ALQ-135 is being revised to incorporate Northrop Grumman’s microwave power module (MPM) technology and commercial PowerPC processors, and is also being tested with the ALE-55 towed decoy.

Singapore is being offered the Raytheon APG-63(V)2 radar with an active electronically scanned array (AESA). It is based on the latest F-15 radar, the APG-63(V)1, which despite its name is a newer radar than the APG-70 on the USAF F-15E and represents a thoroughly modernized version of the F-15 radar.

Eurofighter confirms that it intends to offer a “swing-role” Typhoon to Singapore – that is, an aircraft that can perform air-to- surface and air-to-air missions in the same sortie. So far, however, the consortium is not under a firm contract to develop such an aircraft for the Eurofighter nations – Germany, Italy, Spain and the UK.

The first of 148 Tranche 1 Typhoons are rolling off the production line, primarily equipped for air-to-air missions. Under plans unveiled in 2000, the 236-strong Tranche 2 would introduce a range of air-to- surface capabilities, and Tranche 3 would add a range of avionics and systems improvements. A framework agreement covering Tranche 2 was signed in mid-2003 but no specification had been agreed by the end of the year, and the Typhoon program has reached a point where there may be a gap in production if decisions are not taken by mid-2004.

“We have set a gate to finalize the Tranche 2 configuration in the first half of 2004,” a Eurofighter official tells IDR. “Everyone realizes that there are difficulties associated with a production gap.” Eurofighter has now set down a bracket of decision dates; with an early decision, there will be no break.

Typhoon is behind the 2002 schedule for service entry. A problem with the braking system, encountered in October 2003, was traced to faulty processing hardware, resulting in a halt to flight trials while a thorough audit of similar components was carried out. This stopped progress with the Typhoon’s Auto Low-speed Recovery System (ALRS), which is designed to prevent the aircraft from entering a nose-high, low-speed regime where it can suffer a non-recoverable loss of control. ALRS warns the pilot of decreasing speed and, if necessary, takes over control and returns the aircraft automatically to a safe speed in a wings-level, 5º climb. The ALRS must be qualified before the Typhoon is released for service.

Dassault brings a more mature Rafale to the Singapore contest. Development of the F2 standard – the first French Air Force service entry standard – is almost complete, and the first squadron is due to be operational in early 2005 at St Dizier. The first production F2 aircraft flew in April 2003. Buddy-buddy refueling has been demonstrated, the 2,000 liter underwing tanks have been cleared to M1.6 and the Rafaut triple-store rack for 450kg-class weapons has been tested.

The F2 aircraft will be armed with active-radar and infrared (IR) versions of the MBDA MICA missile and the SCALP-EG cruise missile. Dual SCALP carriage was demonstrated in 2003, along with MICA IR integration. For the French Air Force, Rafale’s precision-strike capability will be based on the Sagem Armement Air-Sol Modulaire (AASM), which is expected to enter service in 2006, but it will also be compatible with the US GBU-12 laser-guided bomb.

The F3 standard – the final basic standard for France – has now been frozen, and a development go-ahead is expected this year, with operations starting in 2007. F3 will introduce the Reco-NG reconnaissance pod, the AM39 anti-ship missile and the ASMP-A nuclear cruise missile. The French military does not have a requirement for an AESA, but its development has continued, and it is being flight tested. The French government has offered Singapore the opportunity to join development of the AESA, and it could be retrofitted to existing aircraft.