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UnitedStatesMarineCorps CommandandStaffCollege MarineCorps University 2076SouthStreet MarineCorpsCombatDevelopmentCommand Quantico, Virginia22134-5068 MasterofMilitary Studies TITLE: CAS- A Turboprop Solutionforthe COINFight SUBMITTED INPARTIALFULFILLMENT OFTHEREQUIREMENTS FORTHEDEGREE OF MASTEROFMILITARYSTUDIES AUTHOR: Roberto C. Scott, Major, USMC AY08-09 MentorandOralDefense CommitteeMember: ~~ A- W"n/Wnqlll Approved: ~d :::::~..::~ Date: /4 APe ?-oc))Cj' Report Documentation Page Form Approved OMB No. 0704-0188 Public reporting burden for the collection of information is estimated to average 1 hour per response, including the time for reviewing instructions, searching existing data sources, gathering and maintaining the data needed, and completing and reviewing the collection of information. Send comments regarding this burden estimate or any other aspect of this collection of information, including suggestions for reducing this burden, to Washington Headquarters Services, Directorate for Information Operations and Reports, 1215 Jefferson Davis Highway, Suite 1204, Arlington VA 22202-4302. Respondents should be aware that notwithstanding any other provision of law, no person shall be subject to a penalty for failing to comply with a collection of information if it does not display a currently valid OMB control number. 1. REPORT DATE 3. DATES COVERED 2009 2. REPORT TYPE 00-00-2009 to 00-00-2009 4. TITLE AND SUBTITLE 5a. CONTRACT NUMBER CAS- A Turboprop Solution for the COIN Fight 5b. GRANT NUMBER 5c. PROGRAM ELEMENT NUMBER 6. AUTHOR(S) 5d. PROJECT NUMBER 5e. TASK NUMBER 5f. WORK UNIT NUMBER 7. PERFORMING ORGANIZATION NAME(S) AND ADDRESS(ES) 8. PERFORMING ORGANIZATION United States Marine Corps,Command and Staff College, Marine Corps REPORT NUMBER University,2076 South Street, Marine Corps Combat Development Command,Quantico,VA,22134-5068 9. SPONSORING/MONITORING AGENCY NAME(S) AND ADDRESS(ES) 10. SPONSOR/MONITOR’S ACRONYM(S) 11. SPONSOR/MONITOR’S REPORT NUMBER(S) 12. DISTRIBUTION/AVAILABILITY STATEMENT Approved for public release; distribution unlimited 13. SUPPLEMENTARY NOTES 14. ABSTRACT 15. SUBJECT TERMS 16. SECURITY CLASSIFICATION OF: 17. LIMITATION OF 18. NUMBER 19a. NAME OF ABSTRACT OF PAGES RESPONSIBLE PERSON a. REPORT b. ABSTRACT c. THIS PAGE Same as 21 unclassified unclassified unclassified Report (SAR) Standard Form 298 (Rev. 8-98) Prescribed by ANSI Std Z39-18 ExecutiveSummary The CounterInsurgency(COIN) fight andasymmetricwarfarein general, have becomethenewnorminmodemwarfare. Asthe U.S. militaryadaptsto thisever- evolvingfight, a shortfallhas developedinCloseAir Support(CAS) delivery. Modem U.S.·fightersbring aterrificpunchto thebattlefield, buttheirlimitedon-stationtime and highattackvelocitiesmakethemapoorfitfor complex CAS deliveryinthe COINfight. Attackhelicopters are formidable platforms,buttheir slowspeedsmakefor longtransit timesto andfromthefight. Fixedwingandrotarywingattackaircraftarevery expensivemachinesto fly andmaintain. Today's ForwardAirController(PAC) isoften underfire, onthemove, orcannotseethetarget. OurInformation Surveillanceand Reconnaissance aircraftareover-workedandinhighdemand: A possible solutionis anoff-the-shelfturboprop aircraft. There are several models availableimmediatelythatcansolvemanyoftheseproblems. Modemturboprop aircraftarefast; mostofthemodelspresentedhere are300+knotaircraft. Theycan deliverordnance atsurvivable speedsthatstillallowfor solidtargetacquisition. These aircraftareveryaffordable. Theinitialpurchaseprices arefractions ofwhata modemjet costs. Turbopropsaremuchcheaperto operatethanrotorwingorfixedwingaircraft. Theyare survivable. ManyoftheseaircraftarebuiltwiththelatestAviation SurvivabilityEquipmentinstalled, oratleasthardwiredfortheupgrade. Modem turboprops haveincredibleendurance; some ofthemodelshere canloiterfor 5+hours of on-stationtime. This allowsthepilotto developa highdegreeofsituationalawareness 2 Scott, R.C. MMS CSC CG8 hardwiredfor off-the-shelfsensors, suchas thethirdgenerationBriteStarfromFLIR Systems. Theadvantages offeredbytheseturboprops aretremendous. Itadds up to very capable aircraftthatbridgestheperformance gap betweenrotorandfixed wingaircraft, and itdoes so economically. 3 Scott, R.C. MMS CSC CG8 TheUSMChas developeda CAS doctrine overthelastseveraldecadesthatis unequalledbyanyotherservice inanycountry. While some servicesviewCAS as a secondarymissionatbest, USMCpilotstrainto supporttheinfantryas THEmission from dayone. Fromthe earlydevelopmental stages ofCAS techniques inWWIIthrough the currentJointTactics, Techniques, andProcedures for CloseAir SupportJP3-09.3, the Marine Corpshas beenatthecutting edgeofemploymentanddevelopment The evolutionofwarfare overthelasttwo decadeshas showna greatlyincreasedCAS sortie rate acrossall ofthe services.l Therecentevolutionofthe COINfighthas only acceleratedthis increase. Theincreasedprominenceofthe CASmissionhas spurred greaterefforts fromtheUSMCto developbettertacticstechniques, andprocedures (TTPs) andare-evaluationofCAS missionprominencebyotherservices. 80 70 60 50 40 30 20 10 0-1=="---- DesertStorm Allied Force Iraqi Freedom (1991) (1999) (2003) J 0 %ofTotal CombatSortiesthatwereCASSorties Source: Milit8!YAviation: IssuesandOptionsforCombatingTerrorismand Counterinsurgency. 4 Scott, R.C. MMS CSC CG8 ,.. lbisrenewed emphasisonthe CAS environmentcomes evenas newchallenges are developingforthe FAC andthe FAC(A) (Airborne) inthe COINenvironment. FACs, astalentedas theyare, oftenhave a difficulttimemarkingtargetsand gettinga pilot'seyes onthetarget. lbis isthroughnofault oftheirown; oftentheyare underfIre oronthemove andindiffIcultterrain. ModemFixedWing(FW) aircraftare incredibly fast andhaveahardtime acquiringtargetsincomplextype I, II, andIII environments 2 evenunderthebestofcircumstances. Ofthemanylessonsidentifiedfrom CAS engagementsinOIP and OEF, identifyingthetargettothepilotproved-to beoneofthe mostdifficultlinks inthekillchain;3 There aretoolsthatfacilitate thistalk-on, suchas the RemotelyOperatedVideoEnhancedReceiver(ROVER) system, buttherequired 4 footprintis robust andthe equipmentis delicate. A possible solutiontotheseissuesis areturnto apropellerdrivenaircraft. There aremanyoff-the-shelfplatformsthatarea greatfitforthe CAS/FAC(A) missionthat are gearedtowardthe COINfight. TheUSMC, andsisterservices, shouldtake a hardlookat them. Modemturboprop aircraftcanfIlltheperformancegap betweenjets and helicopters, cancarryaformidable ordnanceload, andhavethe endurancetoremainon stationfor extendedperiodsoftime. There areseveraloffthe shelfaircraftinproductionthatare capableofawide array ofweaponrytailoredto'the COIN/lower-threat fight. The legendaryDouglasA-I Skyraideris agreatmodelto emulate. Originallydesignedfor serviceinWWII as an 5 attackaircraft, the Skyraiderarrivedtoo lateto forthe conflict. However,theA-I saw servIceforovertwentyyears, andllewcomBatmISSIOnS InbotlfKoreaand VIet-Nam. The Skyraiderwascarrier-capableandboastedatop speedofover30'0knots. The 5 Scott, R.C. MMS CSC CG8 L I Skyraidercouldcarrythousands ofpounds ofordnance and, incertainconfigurations, couldloiterforninehours offlighttime. The Skyraider's drawbacks werethe lackofan ejectionseatandanoutdatedpowerplantandavionics'system. Sincethen, the USMC, andtherestofthe US military, has adoptedjetsforthisroleunderthepremisethatfaster is better. ModemCOINexperiencehas shownthatthis line ofthinkingmightnotalways holdtrue. MichaelFabeyinhis article "Counter-InsurgencyUrgency,"wrote "TheAirForcehistoricallyhas modifiedhigh-techjetfighters orbombers for COINoperationsinsteadofinvestingina counter-insurgencyfleet, whichwould consistof...lower, slowerflyingturboprop aircraftforfixed-wing needs. Jets can beusedforlimitedCOINwork, whileitwouldbe difficultifnotimpossibleto do thereverse.,,6 Theinabilityfortheslowerturbopropsto conducttheentiremissionset, from airto air andairto ground, hasledto zerofunding dollarsfor a dedicatedCOINaircraftandtothe adaptingofjetsto the COINfight. DepartmentofDefenselogichas beento fundmulti- roleaircraft. "Speedislife"is a soundtenetbeatenintotheheadsoffighterpilots everywhereanditcertainlyholdstrue intheAirCombatManeuvering(ACM) realm. Unfortunately, thedevelopmentofeverfaster aircrafthasledto poorperformance and efficiencyatlowerairspeeds. Inthe COIN/Lowthreatenvironmenta slowerattackspeed means greaterpilot situationalawareness and greateraccuracywithoutnecessarily increasingrisk. A turboprop aircraftcanfill thisperformanceniche. Christopher Bolkcom'andKennethKatzmantouchedonrequirementsfor a simple CASplatformin llierrCongresswnatResearcliServIce ReportjorCongress: NlilltaryAVIation:issuesand Optionsfor CombatingTerrorism andCounterinsurgency, publishedinJan2005: 6 Scott, R.C. MMS esc CG8 "Today's CAS platforms suggest that modem avionics and targeting capabilities are essential to effectively attacking small groups ofmoving targets, but modem advances in stealth, maneuverability, and speed may not be required or even attractive...,,7 A highlycapableturboprop aircraftcanoperateintoday's technologicallycomplex environmentatliterallyfractions ofthe costsofthe modemjetaircraftcurrentlyfielded and/orproposed. There are manyaircraftthatcan step intotheCOINfight thatfit Bolkcom'sandKatzman's suggestions. BrazilEmbraerEMB 314 SuperTucano Anexcellentcandidateisthe SuperTucano. Thispowerfulturboprop aircraftis producedbyEmpresaBrasileirade Aeronautica(Embraer)headquarteredinBrazil. Embraeristhefifthlargestmanufacturerofaircraftinthe worldandhasproducedmany 8 l:l,ircrafttailoredforbothcommercialandmilitary applications. The SuperTucano is currentlyinservice as amilitarytrainerinseveral countries andas anattackplatforminothers. The airplane was introducedin2003. Performance- Poweredbythe indomitablePratt& WhitneyPT-6A,theTucano'sperformanceis impressive. Itis ratedat+7G/-3.5G, has amaximum speedof320kts, a service ceilingof35,000 feet, and anadvertised range ofnearly3000miles. Thehardenedcanopycanwithstand a bIrdSffiKeupto 270~Tlietwo-seatverSIonnas anadvertisedendtirance·of6verTou.ru ---- hours witha standardweaponloadout. A single seatversionoffers anadditional 80 7 Scott, R.C. MMS esc CG8 gallons offuel, pushingthe endurancetonearly7hours. Embraeradvertises a service lifeof18,000hoursforthetrainingconfigurationand 12,000hours forthe operational configuration. TheTucano sports anOnBoardOxygenGenerating System (OBOGS), furtherreducingthemaintenancefootprint. Avionics- The Tucano cockpitarguably rivals all butthe F-22inergonomics, functionality, andupgradeability. Embraerhas developeda fourth-generation HMI (HumanMachineInterface)thatis designedto easepilotworkload. Its all glass cockpit is ablendofform andfunction. Thecockpit features HOTAS (Hands onthrottle andstick) technology, laserINS/GPS Navigation, aHeads Up Display, ColorMulti-FunctionDisplays, integratedCommlNavsuite,provisionsfor data linkinterface, FLIR, aildaNightVisionDevice compatible cockpit. ArmamentiSurvivability- The SuperTucano can field animpressivearrayofweaponry. Two .50-calibermachine guns are embeddedin the wings, andthe airframe sports five hardpointsthatcanbefitted witha varietyof. ordnance. A widerange ofsurvivabilityequipmentisincorporated. The airframe has armorprotection, chaffandflare capability, a Missile Warning System, anda Radar WarningReceiversystem. Ifall elsefails, the SuperTucano is equippedwithMartin 9 BakerMK-lOLCXejectionseats. 8 Scott, R.C. MMS CSC CG8 HawkerBeechcraftAT-6 TexanII Anotherprovencandidateisthe TexanII. Asthe currenttrainerforAirForce and Navyprimaryflight schools,the TexanIIhas a strongfoothold intheUS militaryand will soonbethe"firstlove" ofhundreds ofnewlymintedNaval andAirForce aviators. Performance- The Texanis also powered bythe Pratt& WhitneyPT-6 engine, and the airframeis rated for +70/-3.50s, with atop speed of 316kts. Her service ceiling is 31,000 feet with a range of1491 miles. The cockpitis well designed, all glass, and tailorable to consumer specifications. The plane has an expected training life of approximately 16,000hours. Avionics- The Texanalso has anpartial glass cockpit thatis highlyfunctional andupgradeable. The cockpitfeatures OPSNavigation, provisions for aHeadsUp Display, six ColorMulti-FunctionDisplays, andan integrated CommlNavsuite. HawkerBeechalso reportsthatmore advancedavionics, a datalink system, anda FLIRsystemandAircraftSurvivabilityEquipmentare all systems easily incorporatedintothe airframe. Armament/Survivability-AlthoughtheT-6 onlyflies as atrainerintheU.S., theHellenic are------ AirForceflIes the T::oA as apnmaryandaovancedtraiiief:-Thefrrsf2S-ordered- straightlegtrainers, butthefollow onaircraftwill have sixhardpoints exposedfor 9 Scott, R.C. MMS esc CG8