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RNZAF considers A-4K's renewed future

Michael J Gething and Phillip Mckinnon (Jane's Defence Upgrades)

Foto RNZAF

On 20 March this year, New Zealand's new left-wing Prime Minister, Helen Clark, announced that her government would not proceed with the arrangement to lease 28 F-16A/B fighters from the United States. In her announcement, Ms Clark emphasised the decision "was not ... about the future of the air-combat capability" of the Royal New Zealand Air Force (RNZAF). "The Skyhawks remain capable for some years to come," she said. However, Ms Clark is also on record as saying that retiring the Skyhawks has certain "fiscal attractions", a sentiment shared by many in the New Zealand government.

After it's election last November, Ms Clark's Labour-Alliance government announced an Interim Defence Assessment which was delivered in mid-June. Strong on policy but light on detail, the assessment confirmed the New Zealand government's requirement was for "well-equipped, combat-trained land forces supported by the navy and air force". Against this requirement, the RNZAF's Air Combat Force rates last in the New Zealand government's defence priorities. Further force structure reviews are continuing with further recommendations expected in November, which may involve the future of the RNZAF's Air Combat Force.

According to Air Vice Marshal Don Hamilton, the RNZAF's Chief of Air Staff, the most pressing question is "how best the Skyhawks can be used over the remaining years of their lives to deliver the capabilities the government requires".

The RNZAF is now considering what action is required to regenerate its McDonnell Douglas A-4K Skyhawk fleet and sustain its operational capability. According to Jane's World Air Forces, the RNZAF has 14 single-seat A-4K and five TA-4K trainer versions of the Skyhawk in service.

When the F-16 deal was originally brokered, in December 1998 (see JDU Vol III No.1 p1), it was estimated that the RNZAF Skyhawks would be withdrawn from service four-to-five years earlier than anticipated.

It was envisaged that a saving of NZ$54 million (US$24m) would be made. This sum covered an airframe Life-of-Type Study (LOTS), for which two aircraft have been instrumented and were being trialed; the Skyhawk Ejection Seat Replacement; and the Project Kahu II upgrade.

Project Kahu II, initially announced in New Zealand's 1997 Defence White Paper (see JDU, Vol I No.23 p5), would have seen the navigation/attack computer upgraded to accommodate information from a new laser designator, a forward-looking infrared (FLIR) system, and a longer-range anti-ship missile (ASM) to replace the AGM-65B TV-guided Maverick. Given the current political climate, however, the RNZAF will not press for any enhancement of the Skyhawk's tactical systems or weapons inventory.

Now, the RNZAF is in the process of re-examining a number of operational and maintenance support issues. Before the F-16 lease was announced the RNZAF's Skyhawks were scheduled for replacement around 2007-08 (based on predicted fatigue life of the airframe). With the wing approaching the end of its estimated fatigue life and the fuselage now at its estimated fatigue life of 1.4 that of the wing, a LOTS was commenced in 1998. This addressed airframe structural issues with the aim of quantifying the useful life remaining on the 30-year-old aircraft.

That study was suspended in early 1999 after the F-16A/B lease-to-buy deal had been announced. As a result, a phased reduction of technical support for the Skyhawk was well underway when the deal was cancelled.

Of most concern to the RNZAF is the status of the LOTS. This has now been reinstated with an airframe at Ohakea and one at Nowra instrumented to represent the operational environment encountered by the RNZAF's Skyhawks. Once the LOTS is complete the RNZAF will be able to make any modifications to the way it employs the Skyhawks to ensure a viable number of airframes remain in service until at least 2007. It is expected, however, that a number of airframes will have to be retired before then. At this stage, it is estimated that around 14 will be available in 2007 with a number of these able to continue for several years beyond if necessary.

While the LOTS addresses longer-term issues, a number of pressing short-term issues are also being re-addressed. Some items of aircrew flying clothing, particularly the torso harness, are in need of replacement, while a number of aircraft systems are beginning to obsolesce. In particular, it is becoming increasingly difficult to source parts and repairs for some elements of the original Kahu avionics system. With the run down of Skyhawk support pending the arrival of the F-16, the RNZAF is now faced with spending around NZ$10 million (US$4.5m) on catch-up maintenance. To keep the Skyhawk in service until 2007, the RNZAF estimates that a NZ$35 million (US$16m) increase in maintenance and support funding will be required.

Project Kahu was an upgrade of the Skyhawk commenced in the late 1980s, which introduced new wings and a completely revised cockpit. The Kahu avionics suite included a 1553B databus, a Westinghouse (now Northrop Grumman) APG-66(NZ) radar, a custom-built HUD (Heads-Up Display), multifunction display, data-handling system, HOTAS (Hands-On Throttle And Stick) controls, Hazeltine AN/APX-72 IFF, General Instruments AN/ALR-66(VE) RAWS and Goodyear AN/ALE-39 chaff/flare dispensers.

Due to the age and 'orphan' status of many of these systems, problems of supportability are occurring. In conjunction with the renewed LOTS, the RNZAF will also have to address the components of those systems that are proving difficult to source or repair.

Another upgrade project that will need to be reconsidered is the replacement of the current Escapac 1G-3 ejection seat, which has demonstrated its age and limitations in recent RNZAF use. The Escapac seat also contains safety equipment that can no longer be supported. A project to replace the seat saw the RNZAF purchase a number of Universal Propulsion (UPCO - formerly Stencil) SIIIS-3ER seats from the US Navy in mid-1998. This seat was partially type-certified by the US Navy, leaving the RNZAF only to complete type certification, effectively limiting the choice to this seat. These seats were held by UPCO in the US pending reconditioning and modification for the A-4K but were subsequently purchased by UPCO once the F-16 lease was signed.

The RNZAF is treating the ejection seat situation as a health and safety issue. However, any decision to replace the existing seat and how many airframes will be involved will depend on the as yet unknown remaining service life of the aircraft.

The Pratt & Whitney J-52 turbojet engine is in reasonable shape and is currently undergoing minor modification to take it from P8-B to P8-C status, which provides better parts commonality with the more widely used PW-408 engine series. This should ensure the engine remains supportable for some time yet.

The aim of the RNZAF is to continue to maintain current operational skills and capabilities with the Skyhawk until at least 2007. The RNZAF will continue its commitment to the Enhanced Nowra Agreement, whereby 2 Squadron, RNZAF, is stationed at the Royal Australian Navy's Nowra naval air station to provide fleet support, until at least June 2001.