Publication:Sea Talk Winter 2007/A109E set to fill the gap
By LCDR Terry Garside OIC RAN A109E Flight
The Agusta 109E is the newest helicopter to join the RAN and is a training initiative that will assist in the retention and motivation of junior aircrew. Dubbed the ‘RMI’ project, the aircraft will be based at HMAS Albatross and will form the A109E Flight, a fully integrated component of 723 Squadron. The three A109E aircraft have been selected to ‘fill the gap’ for aircrew who have completed basic rotary conversion and are awaiting operational flying training.
Following an in-depth tender and negotiation process, Raytheon Australia was awarded the 4 year contract. Commander Australian Naval Systems Command CDRE Peter Jones and Raytheon Australia’s Mr Michael Ward signed the $28 million, four-year contract last December 8.
The aircraft arrived in Australia in March and are undergoing modifications in the Heliflite facility Sydney’s Bankstown Airport. The modifications include hook, hoist, floatation equipment and some avionic installations.
The aircraft will be civil leased and managed under Civil Aviation Safety Authority CASA guidelines by Raytheon Australia. They will be issued an Australian Military Type Certificate (AMTC) and obtain service release prior to transfer to the state register. As a state aircraft, technical airworthiness will be managed as specified in AAP 7001.053 (Regulation 2.7). Aircraft history
The previous operators of the aircraft were the Swedish Armed Forces and a French civilian Emergency Service (EMS) operator. At the time of going to press, delivery of the first platform to HMAS Albatross was expected at the end of May, early June. The aircraft are scheduled to remain in service until 2010 with options to extend if required.
Training benefitsThe A109E will provide significant parallel benefits to junior aircrew in core skill retention and building of confidence in flying assimilated military evolutions.
Qualified pilot, observer and aircrewmen graduates, who have completed their basic and advanced rotary training on the AS350BA Squirrel at 723 Squadron, will undertake conversion to the A109E, qualifying them as full captain (pilots), TACCO (observers) and utility aircrewmen. The skill retention and enhancement provided by this aircraft ensures aircrew consolidation and advancement to meet operational flying training (OFT) objectives of the Seahawk, Sea King and Seasprite platforms.
Approved ADF roles
The A109E is a single pilot, fully IFR capable platform that has sufficient integrated systems and avionics to consolidate and enhance the skills of the three naval aircrew streams
The spectrum of operations for this platform encompasses all aspects of general flying, instrument flying and utility/search and rescue (SAR) operations from shore.
The A109E has retractable landing gear and a glass cockpit. It will be flown day and night, in most weather conditions and will be capable of over water operations.
Roles of the A109E include:
- Aircrew type conversion;
- Skills consolidation and retention flying;
- Utility operations which include external loads, hoisting and passenger transfers;
- Search and rescue/MEDEVAC
- Support to fleet units from shore which includes surveillance and reporting, personnel transfers, Anti Submarine (but not as an embarked asset / no deck landings)
- Aircraft controller (ASAC) training, naval gunfire support (NGS) spotting; and;
- Support for public relations, general communications flying and ADF recruiting activities.
The additional benefits include enhanced morale, aviation training continuum stability, ADF public relations, RAN image, ADF recruiting and personnel communication flexibility.
Capability
The A109E is a proven platform capable of a diverse range of operations. It can be flexibly employed in either the utility or communication (transport) role.
The standard utility configuration is a winch, hook and floats/bottles. The platform in the utility role has a maximum external load capability of 1500kg up to a internal maximum weight of 2850 kg. It also has a rescue hoist capable of dual lift (272 kg). In the communication role the platform has an endurance of 235 minutes (3.9hrs) with two crew. In the surveillance role the platform is fitted with floats and bottles and utilises the radar to provide contact positioning for visual identification. Generally, sorties are configured purely for the role intended. However, due to time constraints involved in configuration changes, aircraft may fly sorties in a non-typical configuration, without detriment to profile outcomes. Most sorties are conducted with a crew of three - pilot/TACCO/aircrewman - but this can be reduced to two: either, pilot/TACCO or pilot/aircrewman if necessary.
Rate of effort and operating environment
The planned annual rate of effort for the three A109E aircraft is 1500 hours with an additional 500hrs available for surge. The A109E will generally fly within 150nm of NAS Nowra. with occasional deployments of up to two weeks elsewhere in Australia to support skill retention and experiential learning.
Typically, one aircraft will deploy to areas such as Tasmania, the Snowy Mountains, RAAF Bases Amberley, Darwin, East Sale, Edinburgh, Townsville, Wagga, and Williamtown.
Shorter (one to two-day) deployments will also be conducted, mostly within a 500nm radius of Nowra to ensure skill diversity is maintained. Most operations are conducted at a density altitude of 0 – 2500 feet, however a D.A. of up to 9,500 feet may be encountered for operations in the Snowy Mountains region.
The majority of operations overland are to non-sealed landing sites or confined areas in the conduct of the range of defined profiles; the majority include confined area winching, load lifting and approaches, as well as power-on running landings on flat areas of surveyed aerodromes . The A109E is not endorsed for embarked operations, in its designated role, while in RAN service. However, operations in support of fleet units will be conducted from shore. For aircrew graduating from their initial rotary training, this platform will provide an ideal stepping stone to the operational environment. Aircrew who have spent several hundred hours on the Squirrel are well prepared for the A109E and will enjoy the range of additional opportunities this platform will provide.
Gone are the days of aircrew being forced to wait many months between courses.
