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Олег Радько
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25.11.2008 01:19:25
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Современность; Флот;
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Здравствуйте, уважаемый Олег Радько!
Вот статья полугодовой давности про действия Harrier GR.7/GR.9A в Афганистане из JDW, а также пара более ранних статеек из IDR.
Если вкратце, то британцы ими довольны, причем довольны именно по тем пунктам, которые обычно являются предметом критики в отношении самолетов КВВП - потолок, нагрузка, дальность полета. Положительно оценивается хороший обзор из кабины по земле (особенно ценный при решении задач непосредственной поддержки войск), наличие двух радиостанций, богатый выбор вооружения. Отмечается высокая боеготовность парка.
Недостатками назывались недостаточная эффективность контейнеров целеуказания TIALD, недостаточно богатый набор ВТО, а также отсутствие полностью интегрированного цифрового даталинка для обмена данными с передовыми авианаводчиками. Эти недостатки постепенно фиксятся - с осени 2007 г. вместо TIALD используются контейнеры AAQ-33 Sniper, позволяющие в реальном времени сливать картинку передовым авианаводчикам на терминалы ROVER III, самолеты GR.9A начали использовать УАБ Enhanced Paveway II+ и Paveway IV.
Главным недостатком Harrier в афганских условиях остается отсутствие встроенных пушек. Вместо них приходится импользовать 70-мм НАР. В этом отношении пилоты Harrier завидуют летчикам американских А-10.
Jane's Defence Weekly
27-Mar-2008
Forward-looking force: UK Joint Force Harrier operations in Afghanistan
Gareth Jennings, Jane's Aviation Reporter, London
The operational tempo of the UK RAF and RN Harrier force is at full stretch in Afghanistan, reports Gareth Jennings
On 1 April, the UK Royal Air Force (RAF) celebrated its 90th anniversary as an independent service. In the nine decades since it came into being, the RAF has rarely been as busy as it is now.
Long-term commitments in Iraq and Afghanistan, as well as the usual fare of detachments, deployments and exercises, are working the RAF to an extent not seen since the Second World War.
At the forefront of this effort is the UK's Joint Force Harrier (JFH) - an amalgamation of the RAF's and Royal Navy's (RN's) fleet of BAE Systems Harrier GR.7/9A strike aircraft - based at RAF Cottesmore, some 150 km north of London.
Since it was first deployed in September 2004, JFH has been the UK's sole fixed-wing combat asset in Afghanistan, with the RAF's 1 (Fighter [F]) and 4 Squadrons (Sqns) and the RN's Naval Strike Wing (NSW) providing round-the-clock offensive air support to coalition forces as part of Operation 'Herrick'.
Each JFH squadron will typically be deployed to Afghanistan for approximately four months although this can vary (the rotation is arranged so as to ensure that during the course of combat operations every squadron will get at least one Christmas back in the UK).
With 4 Sqn's tenure nearing its end, 1(F) Sqn is currently preparing its approximately 80 ground crew and 14 pilots for the move to Kandahar Airfield to take up the mantle of supplying combat air support (CAS) to coalition forces in the country.
One of those pilots is Squadron Leader Chris Averty. This will be his third deployment to Afghanistan, having already completed tours in 2005 and 2006.
Although very much looking forward to the squadron's forthcoming deployment, Sqn Ldr Averty conceded that flying combat operations in Afghanistan can be challenging: "It's difficult in terms of it being extremely hot, it's very high and the terrain is outrageous - you're in the foothills of the Himalayas. The flying is very challenging and it places a huge demand on the aircraft as [Kandahar] airfield is at 3,500 ft and the outside air temperature can get up to 50 degrees centigrade."
In these hot and high conditions, the Harrier's Rolls-Royce Pegasus Mk 107 engine has to work especially hard and this is exacerbated by the requirement to continually operate the aircraft at, or near, its maximum take-off weight. According to the RAF, the engine hours on the eight GR.9A aircraft currently deployed are "through the roof", but that this is not affecting the fleet's ability to conduct operations - the only consequence being that the intensive maintenance incurs additional expense.
Surprisingly, given the age of the aircraft, the hostile operating environment and the number of sorties being flown - approximately eight per day, seven days a week - airframe fatigue is not causing JFH much concern. A JFH spokesperson explained that this is because the Harriers are primarily being operated at medium to high levels, which reduces the stress to the aircraft when compared to low-level flying.
When it comes to keeping the aircraft serviceable, Sqn Ldr Averty pointed out that no two Harriers are the same - they each have their own quirks and foibles - and the need to carefully husband the fleet is paramount so as to maintain the JFH's combat capability.
JFH is proud of its in-theatre aircraft availability rate. One spokesperson said: "Compared with other aircraft [in Afghanistan] I think we have a very good capability and serviceability record - it's virtually 100 per cent. When a Harrier [becomes] unserviceable out there, it's very surprising."
Sqn Ldr Averty believes that it is this operational reliability that makes the Harrier such an effective tool for the job. "We go out there with probably the smallest logistical footprint and produce probably the [greatest] operational effect out of almost any [fixed-wing combat] aircraft out there," he said.
In accordance with JFH's interservice ethos, 1(F) Sqn's deployment will include both RAF and RN air and ground personnel. That JFH is comprised of two different services does not appear to have been as problematic as one might think. As Sqn Ldr Averty explained, although the RAF and the RN have their different traditions, in terms of the Harrier they both operate "identical" standard operating procedures (SOPs). In addition, for deployment to Afghanistan, a British Army ground liaison officer (GLO) will be attached to the squadron.
According to Sqn Ldr Averty, the GLO is a vital asset as he "knows how the army works and can provide the link between the pilots and the Joint Tactical Air Controllers [JTACs] - he speaks their language".
The role of the JTAC has become so important to coalition forces, both in Afghanistan and Iraq, that in November 2007 Group Captain Steve Fox, Chief of Staff of the UK Joint Air Land Organisation (JALO), speaking at the Omega Close Air Support Conference in London, said that the UK is training up additional forward air controllers (FACs) as "a matter of urgency".
According to Gp Capt Fox, the UK Ministry of Defence has recognised that a small investment in the provision of additional JTACs can bring a huge effect on the battlefield and that air/land integration is now Chief of the Air Staff Sir Glenn Torpy's "number one priority".
The Harrier pilots are finding that working with JTACs is something they are called on to do most days and on nearly every sortie. Largely, this is working well for both the aircrew and the troops on the ground, although Sqn Ldr Averty admitted that when it comes to working with multinational JTACs there can be issues such as language and rules of engagement (ROE), which differ from country to country.
A significant advance in the Harrier's combat capability came with the introduction of the Lockheed Martin AN/AAQ-33 Sniper targeting pod in the third quarter of 2007. The Sniper was hurried into service in response to an urgent operational requirement (UOR) for a high-fidelity pod with a video downlink. According to Sqn Ldr Averty, the improvement offered by the Sniper's high-resolution imaging over previous-generation systems is "fantastic".
The Sniper's Remotely Operated Video Enhanced Receiver (ROVER) III video downlink means that the JTAC can see on his laptop exactly what the pilot can see in the cockpit, cutting down the risk of confusion and errors.
As Sqn Ldr Averty explained: "Let's say we're talking about a compound; I look out the window and I can see 200 compounds and if [the JTAC] can't see what I can see through my pod we can spend 15 to 20 minutes trying to confirm the right compound and even after that there may be two per cent doubt that we're both talking about the same compound. With ROVER he can look at my picture and can instantly say 'That's the compound'." Such is the leap in capability that the pod offers that the Harrier force is finding new applications for the system, in particular convoy protection.
Convoy protection
Before Sniper, the quality of the picture presented to the pilot was such that, if he did see a relatively small object on the ground, he probably could not use the low-fidelity television image to tell him what it was. This, coupled with the fact that there was no video downlink to the ground, meant that there was little a pilot could do to assist a convoy in the event of it encountering a potential roadside bomb. With the Sniper, if the convoy sees something suspicious ahead of it, it can stop and ask the Harrier pilot for advice. According to Sqn Ldr Averty, this is a role that they are being asked to perform more and more.
Other than convoy protection and reconnaissance, the real 'bread and butter' of the Harrier fleet is providing close air support (CAS). Sqn Ldr Averty is keen to point out that this is not necessarily about "dropping iron" onto the enemy, but, rather, demonstrating the Harrier's military might so as to cause an effect on the enemy such that they retreat from the battlefield - a concept he succinctly sums up, saying: "We're there to create effects, not wrecks."
A key element in this is the concept of the show of force, which is used by coalition airpower as a non-kinetic method of producing an effect on the ground through non-lethal intervention, such as the dropping of flares or by simply loitering in an area to let enemy forces know the aircraft are there. Sqn Ldr Averty conceded, however, that the Taliban has become "more resilient" to such shows of force than it was three or four years ago.
When a show of force is not sufficient to create the desired effect on the ground, the Harrier can then call on a wide array of ordnance to get the job done.
For CAS missions in Afghanistan, the Harrier employs the Raytheon Paveway II, Enhanced Paveway II and Enhanced Paveway II + laser-guided munitions, AGM-65 Maverick laser-guided missiles, 540 lb (245 kg) and 1,000 lb (455 kg) 'dumb' bombs, and CRV-7 70 mm unguided rockets. Notably, the Harrier is not equipped with a gun but Sdn Ldr Averty does not feel that this puts the aircraft at any kind of disadvantage when it comes to delivering effective CAS.
"The only aircraft that has a huge advantage with its gun is the [US Air Force Fairchild Republic] A-10. We use rockets and they do the job just fine."
JFH is proud of its CAS role in Afghanistan, saying that "the air land integration between the [RAF and the army] has been well and truly bridged". Despite being completely immersed in the preparations for its imminent deployment, 1(F) Sqn already has one eye on life after Afghanistan. Almost immediately after its return, 1 (F) Sqn is due to embark on a Carrier Vertical Strike (CVS) deployment to one of the navy's two in-service aircraft carriers - HMS Illustrious or HMS Ark Royal. Being able to operate from a carrier is an essential skill for JFH and CVS missions typically last for about a month. Sqn Ldr Averty finds such deployments to be "challenging" and highly enjoyable, but he does, admit, however, that while the "navy boys love it", life at sea is certainly "not for everyone". Once the Afghanistan and CVS deployments are over, 1(F) Sqn will be looking forward to a welcome, and much needed, period of regeneration.
As a JFH spokesperson explained: "Afghanistan is such a demanding commitment for such a small force. We have pilots and ground crew in the Harrier force who have spent over a year of their lives in Afghanistan and that would have a huge impact on anybody's life. Some of these guys have over 100 operational missions. When people had done that in World War II, they were taken off frontline duties. These guys need a period of getting back to normality."
The UK Ministry of Defence (MoD) has said that the UK Harrier force will be withdrawn from Afghanistan in 2009, after five years in-theatre. Jane's understands that they will be replaced by Panavia Tornado GR.4 strike aircraft, although this has not yet been confirmed by the MoD.
The Harrier is due to be retired from RAF service in 2018 when it will be replaced by the Lockheed Martin F-35B Lightning II Joint Strike Fighter.
И еще пара из IDR:
INTERNATIONAL DEFENCE REVIEW
FEBRUARY, 2007
Afghan operations demonstrate Harrier strengths and shortfalls
Rupert Pengelley
Close air support (CAS) operations in Afghanistan have underlined the soundness of the UK Royal Air Force's (RAF's) Harrier GR.7A as a weapons delivery platform, while also bringing to light the desirability of a number of improvements.
Squadron Leader Tony Cann from the RAF's Air Warfare Centre, speaking at the Omega CAS Conference in London in October 2006, noted that its operational ceiling of better than 30,000 ft with a full weapon load placed it above the Manportable Air Defence System (MANPADS) threat, and that it was also faster and more manoeuvrable than some of its contemporaries.
Other attributes include good persistence (two hours 10 minutes at high altitude, extendable with air-to-air refuelling), the ability to carry mixed weapon loads (Enhanced Paveway II, CRV7 rockets, 1,000/540 lb freefall bombs, Maverick, BL755 cluster munition family, AIM-9L/M, Paveway III), a good cockpit design for CAS, a dual V/UHF communications suite "so we can talk to anyone in theatre securely", and an austere basing capability.
Principal weaknesses in the Harrier's current equipment were identified as the TIALD targeting pod (which lacks sufficient image definition for personnel identification from above hostile weapon height); the lack of a gun (which is to be preferred to CRV7 rockets for forward-firing ground engagements); and lack of a fully integrated datalink capability for digital CAS.
Among the other debits noted by Sqn Ldr Cann is the lack of a secure radio for air-ground communications (only one of the radios is encrypted and this is not compatible with supported forces equipped with secure Bowman radios). Harrier also has no image transmission and reception capability.
Neither the current Harrier Tactical Data Receiver (HTDR) nor the enhanced EHTDR, to be fitted to the improved Harrier GR.9 as a digital CAS gapfiller - pending delivery of the definitive Tactical Information Exchange Capability (TIEC - see IDR 12/2006, p10), can receive or transmit target images, while the only RAF aircraft slated to carry the Litening III pods (modified for image transmission to the 40 L-3 Remote Operated Video Enhanced Receiver [ROVER III] terminals being acquired for UK ground controllers) will be four Tornado GR.4 aircraft.
Other desirable improvements include acquisition of low-yield weapons (540 lb free-fall bombs still have 70 per cent of the yield of 1,000 lb bombs), and programmable fuzes to enable yields to be tailored or delay functions to be altered.
Looking further ahead, Sqn Ldr Cann said there is a need for additional algorithms for the new MBDA Brimstone missile to make it applicable to a wider target array, and for the incorporation of an air-ground combat identification capability in UK CAS aircraft.
International Defence Review.
January, 2008
UK Harriers receive new ordnance for Afghanistan mission
Richard Scott
Two new pieces of air-to-ground ordnance have been rushed into service to equip Harrier GR.9A aircraft from the UK's Joint Force Harrier (JFH) deployed in Afghanistan to conduct close air support.
Based at Kandahar, Harrier GR.9A aircraft from JFH squadrons undertake around 80 per cent of offensive missions in support of UK ground forces deployed on Operation 'Herrick' (the UK contribution to the International Security Assistance Force mission in Afghanistan).
The first addition to the Harrier arsenal is the Raytheon Enhanced Paveway II+ (EPW2+) precision-guided bomb. Developed in response to an Urgent Operational Requirement (UOR), this new GPS-guided weapon combines the UK's existing Enhanced Paveway II body with the Enhanced Computer Control Group from Paveway IV to provide the GR.9A with an integrated, through-cloud, precision bombing capability.
The programme - which involved the integration of the new weapon, rig test, flight trials, weapon performance analysis and certification - was delivered in just four months through a partnership between the UK Ministry of Defence, BAE Systems, Raytheon Missile Systems, Portsmouth Aviation Limited and EDO-MBM.
According to the Defence Equipment and Support (DE&S) organisation's Harrier, Jaguar and Survival Integrated Project Team (IPT), the EPW2+ programme was started in May 2007. BAE Systems issued the Design Authority Operational Emergency Clearance Advice early, allowing evaluation and release-to-service within the UOR requirements. Additionally, the modular design of Paveway IV and early risk mitigation through common guidance algorithm development allowed the rapid integration of the Paveway IV guidance section with the UK 1,000 lb Enhanced Paveway II and the Harrier GR.9 aircraft platform.
In a second development, a supplementary high-explosive warhead has been rapidly brought into service for use with the CRV7 rocket pod, providing Harrier GR.9A pilots with the ability to deliver increased effect on enemy targets.
As a result of UK forces identifying the need for an enhanced CRV7 warhead for use against Taliban elements, the DE&S's Air Launched Munitions IPT investigated various warhead solutions. Its evaluation recommended the M151 warhead - originally designed and developed for the United States 2.27-inch Hydra rocket - as being best suited for use with the CRV7 2.75-inch air-to-ground rocket. The M151 is an anti-personnel and anti-materiel high-explosive point-detonating rocket made of modular, malleable cast iron.
A UOR for the M151 was subsequently raised and signed off in March 2007. An initial M151 trial order to meet QinetiQ/Platform IPT weapon/aircraft integration requirements was placed, with trial warheads taken to Boscombe Down where QinetiQ carried out weapon-to-aircraft integration flight trials. The selected ordnance was then successfully proved on Larkhill range in Wiltshire.
An initial quantity of 400 warheads was issued in-theatre at the start of October 2007, with the balance of the UOR buy delivered by the end of November 2007. The Air Launched Munitions IPT says that initial reports from theatre "have been very favourable and the new warhead is currently meeting the operational requirement".
С уважением, Exeter