At Farnborough Air Show 2014, Boeing will showcase the P-8 POSEIDON and a new MSA (Maritime Surveillance Aircraft) on static and flying display.
The P-8 offers more capabilities, focused on the US Navy requirements. The MSA takes part of these capabilities to a smaller platform with no risk for the customer. But there are a lot of other news and topics coming from Boeing and they promised even more new products and surprises in the second half of 2014.
“More for less” will be the topic for the future, according Chris Chadwick, Executive Vice President, President & CEO Boeing Defence, Space & Security. That means more product capabilities at fewer costs. “Customers are looking for innovations, quality and affordability”, said Chadwick. Boeing has been following this since some years now. According to Boeing the needs of customers have involved tremendously. 20 years ago it was all about the platform. Now technology has moved forward and the question must be where the fighters still fit in today’s scenarios. What are the right sensors and weapons, not only the right platform? But Boeing is sure that there is still an important place for the F-15 and F-18 – side by side with the F-35. “We have to take the right steps, develop the right upgrades for new capabilities”, explained Chadwick. The procurement of F-15 and AH-64 APACHE from Saudi Arabia for example really woke up the whole region. These platforms showed what big capabilities they still can offer. Since then Boeing is talking to a lot of countries in the Arabic and Asian region about the AH-64 APACHE, V-22 OSPREY or CH-47 CHINOOK. The V-22 is just opening eyes domestically and internationally.
Current Boeing Topics
Boeing is waiting for a tender for the next Air Force One (Presidential Machine) and will offer the 747-8 as a platform. Because the 747-8 is very well doing on the civil market there is only limited production space available, but Boeing will make sure that the 747-8 will be available for the US Air Force (USAF) if that prestige projects comes up.There are no requirements from the USAF for a post C-17 at the moment, but Boeing is already looking at options, even at commercial platforms.
With the KC-46 tanker they are taking part in two big competitions in South Korea and Japan. A preliminaries is expected by the end of 2014/beginning of 2015.
If it comes to vertical lift, Boeing is focusing on the medium vertical lift capability at the moment. There are a lot of options for the development of the next generation CH-47 CHINOOK – new materials and technologies.
According to Boeing the UAV (Unmanned Aerial Vehicle) world is still in the early stage, so for a while there will be unmanned, manned and even optional remote piloted (OPV) existing parallel. The civil approach to UAV is developing very slowly – especially with the FAA approach and the limits that exist in Europe. Their SCAN EAGLE is used by US Forces and in the civil arena.
Future of F-15 and F-18
The fielding of a revolutionary aircraft nower days is really rare. Boeing is looking at a balanced, evolutionary approach that offers affordability, capability and availability with low risk at the same time. The F-15 and F-18 platforms will still be used by the USAF and US Navy for decades. So there will be several upgrades coming up. They will be a compromise of the key features: speed, altitude, agility, range, payload, lethality and survivability. Innovations at these platforms will be: infrared search and track, AESA radar, conformed fuel tanks (CTF – bigger range 810+ nm instead of 650+ nm), next generation cockpit, open processing apps (for multi sensors, networking and sensor fusion etc.) as well as enclosed weapon pads (EWP – for better stealth, can hold up to 4x AIM-120/6x SDB + 2x AIM-120 etc.). A F-18 SUPER HORNET can carry up to three EWPs and will also get an enhanced engine, internal IRST and missile/laser warner. The F-18 prototype flew at 5th August 2013 and the US Navy will fly the SUPER HORNET through the 2020s. Denmark is looking at that solution at the moment and Boeing is expecting emerging foreign military sales. In the future there might be also a SUPER HORNET/PROWLER hybrid version with ISR sensors (of the PROWLER) and strike capabilities at the same time.
The F-15 evolution will see the maximisation of weapon stations (9x), conformal weapon bays, AESA radar (from Raytheon), fly-by-wire system, next generation cockpit as well as Digital Electronic Warfare System (DEWS).
Weapons
The future will bring upgrades for HARPOON (enhancement), SLAMER (Restart) and the new CHAMP (takes out all electronics, but does not destroy the infrastructure). Also under development is the B61 TKA and the HAAWC (torpedo launched at high altitude, to protect the aircraft – link kit for MK 54 torpedo). The HARPOON just got operational at the P-8 POSEIDON; the HARPOON Block II will have GPS/INS and a radar seeker. The SLAMER is for surgical strike capabilities at long range and is in use with two customers and another ten are interested. New is the JDAM (Joint Direct Attack Munition) Extended Range (ER) for the 500 and 2,000lb variants with a range up to 40 miles (triple than normal JDAM). Australia will get it from 2015 on. The SDB (Small Diameter Bomb – 20 fits on a F-16) will be integrated in Saab GRIPEN and Panavia TORNADO (process still going on). The new Laser SDB can hit moving targets (speed up to 50 mph). Boeing thinks about a number of SDB derivatives: BRU-61 (new rack for 5 SDB), Laser SDB, Focused Lethality Munition (FLM) SDB (operational with USAF), and still under development are the multimode seeker SDB (image based navigation and increased anti-jamming technology, flight test coming up), ground/maritime launched SDB (using a M26 rocket motor to start the SDB from ships, ground etc, - flight demonstration late 2014) and an Area Attack Warhead (with ATK, just did the first tests). In the area of weapons Boeing is focusing on affordable, low-risk derivative solutions with the goal of extended ranges and increased effectiveness.New Products
If it comes to ISR Boeing is offering a great portfolio from the small UAV SCAN EAGLE, the tactical RAMIS (on King Air 350ER), the medium MSA (role out at Farnborough) and the strategic P-8 POSEIDON. RAMIS (Reconfigurable Airborne Multi-Intelligence System) enables the user to meet diverse mission requirements while maintaining a strong multi-intelligence collection capability within a single platform. RAMIS combines high-definition Imagery intelligence (IMINT), Electronic Intelligence (ELINT), braod-spectrum Signals Intelligence (SIGINT) and Communications Intelligence (COMINT) with electro-optical, high definition, full motion video and surveillance radar (GMTI/SAR). RAMIS is a follow up of the Yellow Jacket (US Army) project and has a rectable nose turret EO/IR/FMV sensor, a gimbaled turret and four sensor bays (nose turret, gimbaled turret, active sensor bay, aft sensor bay) altogether for maximum flexibility and optimum sensor mix. For line-of-sight (LOS) and beyond-line-of-sight (BLOS communication RAMIS has UHF/VHF/HF/CDL/TDCL/SATCOM (Ka/Ku Band) as well as Link 16 on board. Sensor packages can be rapidly changed. Already integrated are the sensors: L-3/WESCAM MX-15DiD EO/IR/FMV incl. designator, Thales i-Master SAR/GMTI/DMTI, L-3 X-15W WAAS and L-3 MX-15HDi EO/IR/FMV. The modularity allows optimizing for each mission. Crew consists of two pilots and three operators.Just a concept is the Phantom Swift programme (DARPA VTOL X-Plane) for the future medium VTOL. This project is showing, where Boeing is standing from an innovation standpoint, but under affordable conditions. DARPA asked for capabilities like: Max. weight of 10-12,000lbs, high speed cruising speed (300-400 kn), 40% payload of GVW, longer hover capabilities (75% efficiency instead of 50-60% with normal helicopters) and a better range. Boeing presents a solution with two body lift fans in the center and two variable pitch fans (ducted fan technology) at the wing tips. A first flight demonstrator is already flying and the actual VTOL should fly at the end of 2017. The project could lead to a manned or unmanned vehicle. At the moment Boeing is planning to use General Electric GE CT 7-8 engines, but in the future electric engines could also be possible. The VTOL is built out of very light composite material. Boeing is one of four competitors.
Andre Forkert