Early-warning Wedgetail late again

[Guest Chainsaw]

THE RAAF's $3.5 billion Wedgetail early-warning aircraft project has again been delayed, pushing back the expected acceptance date to 2009 and contributing to a $US274 million ($353 million) fourth quarter write-off by manufacturer Boeing.The delays mean the complex project is now more than two years behind schedule and that the first two planes will not be delivered until March 2009.

The remaining four planes will be delivered the same year but it will be 2010 before the first aircraft are declared operational within the RAAF.

 

The six Australian Wedgetail aircraft are breaking new ground by adapting airborne early warning and control (AEW&C) systems to Boeing's popular 737 airframe.

 

The aircraft are designed to carry a powerful new type of radar that provides 360-degree coverage electronically.

 

The radar will combine with other sensors to scan big areas and provide reports on potential threats and targets to fighters, naval vessels or troops on the ground. But Boeing and its suppliers have had problems developing the plane's hardware and software as well as difficulties integrating its sophisticated technology.

 

Most importantly, it has had problems getting the revolutionary phased array radar - a Northrop Grumman system forming the centrepiece of the new planes - to work properly.

 

The problems have already resulted in a $US496 million write-off in Boeing's second-quarter results last year and prompted a comprehensive review of the program.

 

The US manufacturer announced yesterday its AEW&C program would take a further $US274 million charge for the fourth quarter. But it says it has worked with suppliers to move significant resources to the program and is now confident it can meet its revised timetable as well as the RAAF's operational requirements.

 

"The bottom line is this: there is no doubt that there is rock solid commitment by the Boeing Company to ensure that we deliver this operational capability to the Commonwealth of Australia," said Maureen Dougherty, the Boeing vice-president for the 737 AEW&C program. "I see that every day in my requests for support, for funding, for whatever."

 

Ms Dougherty said Boeing had originally planned to get the radar up to full power and then work on building and integrating other systems on the plane.

 

She said it was now trying to get all the systems working at a certain level, integrate them and then build up each sub-system to the necessary operational requirements.

 

"Our new plan allows us to make progress with the radar in parallel to the electronic support measures, com systems and the datalink," she said. "So it's much more robust, it's much more agile with respect to our ability to react and to make more progress when upgrades are available."

 

Radar development is expected to be completed this year. Boeing also expects to get Federal Aviation Administration certification for mission systems such as an electronic warfare self-protection system and its datalink.

 

Two of the aircraft are being worked on and tested in Seattle and two more are already being modified in Australia at Amberley RAAF base. The fifth aircraft arrived at Amberley last month with work due to start on it soon, while the final aircraft is due to arrive later this year.

 

Significantly, Boeing sees no need to change the structure of the aircraft's distinctive antenna.

 

"The changes that we have identified to date or we anticipate are in things like the electronics stored in the airplane or easily accessible in things like cabinets or the transmit-receive disk," Ms Dougherty said.

 

Air Vice-Marshal Chris Deeble said he believed the Wedgetail program was "back on the rails" but managing the residual risk associated with the radar, systems integration and software development would remain a key issue.

 

Air Vice-Marshal Deedle said Defence was working closely with Boeing to understand what the delays meant in operational terms.

 

He said the key issue was when to start training on the aircraft and their systems.

 

The first two aircraft would initially be used to train crews that would fly AEW&C as part of 2 Squadron at RAAF Williamtown.

 

He said the RAAF would not declare initial operational capability until those crews were fully trained and that usually took about 18 months.

 

"I envisage ... initial operational capability will be around the start to the middle of 2010 and then ... full operational capability approximately a year later," he said.

 

"But that's subject to some more detailed planning and analysis."

 

Boeing has a fixed-priced contract with Australia that includes a provision for liquidated damages but Air Vice-Marshal Keeble said the present focus was on delivering the aircraft and making sure they met requirements.

 

The air force was already looking at gaps in its air defence capability that Wedgetail was to plug, with the retirement of F-111.

 

But a potential upside to the delay is that expertise gathered in solving the problems, and the aircraft's advanced nature, should allow Australia to benefit from a big and lucrative AEW&C market.

 

"The advantage of going down this path is that if we get it to work, which I'm confident we'll achieve, then this will be a world beater," Air Vice-Marshal Keeble said.

http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/st ... 49,00.html