Page 20 - Australian Defence Magazine April 2019

DEFENCE BUSINESS
AVALON
Jericho Hercules on show
NIGEL PITTAWAY | AVALON
VISITORS to the static aircraft display at Avalon 2019 were able to see a repre- sentation of capability enhancements the RAAF is making to its Lockheed Martin C-130J-30 Hercules fleet under the aegis of Plan Jericho.
The Hercules was parked between an Army Boeing CH-47F Chinook heavy-
lift helicopter and an Abrams M1A1 Main Battle Tank (MBT), to simulate a Forward Arming and Refuelling Point (FARP) capability.
Although not new, the ability to con- duct FARP operations has recently been enhanced by a software upgrade (Block Upgrade 6.1), which increases the Her- cules’ maximum take-off weight to 174,000 pounds (79 tonnes). This in turn has permitted the viable use of external
fuel tanks, acquired for at least two of the fleet, to increase the amount of fuel able to be offloaded at remote locations.
Commander of the RAAF’s Air Mobil- ity Group Air Commodore Bill Kourela- kos said that fuel pump kits may also be acquired to enable the faster transfer of fuel between the Hercules and Army helicop- ters or tanks.
“There are times when it’s useful to have a boost pump in the system and there is kit available,” AIRCDRE Kourelakos told ADM shortly before the show. “You get a boost pump and therefore deliver a higher pressure and higher flow rates to the receivers.”
Other enhancements either already tested or in the pipeline for the Hercu- les fleet under the Jericho banner include Link 16 Tactical Data Link, a wideband Ka-band SATCOM capability, the ex- panded use of the Joint Precision Air Drop System (JPADS) for accurate delivery of air-dropped loads, and the potential inte- gration of the Northrop Grumman AAQ- 28(v) Litening targeting pod.
The Litening pods, made surplus by the impending retirement of the RAAF’s F/A- 18A/B ‘Classic’ Hornet, will provide en- hanced situational awareness for crew and would be used in conjunction with other initiatives such as Link 16 and SATCOM.
JORN upgrade on the go
JULIAN KERR | AVALON
THE major 10-year upgrade of Austra- lia’s JORN over-the-horizon radar under Project Air 2025 Phase 6 is proceeding on schedule, meaning the Longreach radar site will be taken offline in 2022.
Post-upgrade Initial Operating Capabil- ity (IOC) for Longreach in the first quarter of 2024 is intended to coincide with IOC for a major upgrade to the JORN Coordi- nation Centre at RAAF Edinburgh near Adelaide, said Steve Wynd, BAE System Australia JORN program manager.
The Laverton site in WA will then be taken offline for slightly less than two years, followed by the NT’s Alice Springs radar for a full two years.
JORN’s overlapping coverage means an individual radar can be taken offline for maintenance, research, development and upgrade without disrupting surveillance.
Wynd said the $1.2 billion upgrade was in essence a mid-life activity that will move JORN into a new era with digital waveform transmitters and receivers, en- hanced frequency management, commu- nications and information systems, and better supportability.
20 | April 2019 | www.australiandefence.com.au
DEFENCE
NIGEL PITTAWAY