Special Mission Aircraft
The Pilatus Spectre is a special mission version
of the PC-12 with options that include a retractable
EO/IR turret in the unpressurised tail cone,
hiding its ISR role when on the ground. (Pilatus)
SPECIAL MISSION AIRCRAFT
The best way to respond to some mission needs is to add sensors, work stations,
extra communications equipment, defensive aids (and even armour and armament) to
existing utility or transport aircraft. This can provide a relatively low-cost, well-proven
platform that minimises the time and funds required for development.
Roy Braybrook
D
eveloping special mission variants
of existing aircraft is an approach
that is applicable to several military
and paramilitary roles, such as
border patrol, search-and-rescue, target
towing, small-scale personnel infiltration
and exfiltration, airborne early warning and
maritime surveillance.
Starting at the lightweight end of the scale,
Cessna markets ‘Enforcer’ special mission
versions of its single-engined range, starting
with the 1157-kg Model 172 Skyhawk with
134 kW piston engine. The Enforcer 172 has
a gimballed sensor on the starboard wing
strut, feeding imagery to a laptop in the cabin.
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This example of the paramilitary Cessna Enforcer
series is based on the Model 206 Stationair. It has a
gimballed sensor on the right-hand wing strut,
feeding images to a laptop in the cabin. (Cessna)
The Northrop Grumman Air Claw is based on the Quest Kodiak 100. It has a
Persistent Surveillance Systems Hawkeye camera array and a Flir Systems Star Safire
380-HD EO/IR turret. (Northrop Grumman)
Aimed primarily at law enforcement
agencies, it offers longer endurance than a
helicopter. In its basic form the Cessna 172
has a flyaway price of $ 289,500.
Topping the Cessna single piston-engined
range, the 1633-kg Model 206 Turbo
Stationair with 230 kW engine sells from $
597,500. Moving up to a single turboprop
(645-kW P&WC PT6A), the sticker-price for
a 3995-kg Cessna 208 Grand Caravan EX
starts at $ 2.149 million. Maximum payload
goes up with size, from 412 kg for the
Skyhawk and 573 kg for the Stationair to 1463
kg for the Grand Caravan.
The Iraqi Air Force operates three RC-208s
in the reconnaissance role, and three AC-208
‘Combat Caravans’ with EO/IR sensors and
laser designators. The AC-208 is cleared to
carry and fire two Lockheed Martin Hellfire
This Hellfire-armed, sensor-equipped Alliant
Techsystems AC-208B Combat Caravan of the
Iraqi Air Force is a special mission version of the
Cessna 208 Grand Caravan. (Multinational
Security Transition Command Iraq)
missiles. All Iraqi Model 208s were supplied
by ATK Integrated Systems, which has also
delivered two AC-208s to the Lebanese Air
Force under a $ 14.7 million contract. In 2011
the US Air Force contracted Cessna to supply
26 Models 208 Caravans for the Afghan Air
Force, with options on 24 more.
The Northrop Grumman Air Claw is
based on the 3290-kg Quest Kodiak 100 with
560-kW PT6A-34 turboprop. System
integration is provided by NG’s Aberdeen
Integration Center. The baseline fit includes a
Flir Systems Star Safire 380-HD EO/IR turret
and a Hawkeye Wide Area Motion Imagery
(Wami) camera array by Persistent
Surveillance Systems. It has two operator
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Special Mission Aircraft
Wearing two-tone grey camouflage, this US Air Force Pilatus
U-28A serial 05-0477 (formerly N477PC, c/n 477) is assigned
to the 318th Special Operations Squadron. It was
photographed beside the ramp badge of the 27th Special
Operations Wing. (Cannon AFB)
stations and an observer position. Endurance
exceeds eight hours. The basic Kodiak costs $
1.7 million, but the surveillance version sells
for around $ 4.0 million.
The fastest single-turboprop business
aircraft is probably the 3353-kg Daher-Socata
TBM 850, with a 1360-kW PT6A-66D flatrated at 635 kW, giving a maximum cruise
speed of 593 km/hr at 26,000 ft. The TBM
850 has a payload of 654 kg, and is offered
with a retractable Thales Agile 2 multi-sensor
turret in the rear.
The Pilatus PC-12/47 has been adopted by
US Afsoc (Air Force Special Operations
Command) as the 4960-kg U-28A component
of its NSAv (Non-Standard Aviation) fleet.
Powered by 895-kW PT6A-67Bs, U-28As
were purchased as pre-used PC-12s and fitted
with an advanced communications and
navigation suite, survivability equipment and
EO/IR sensors. Funding was provided by
Socom (Special Operations Command) and
unit cost is given as $ 16.5 million.
The U-28A was first deployed in 2006 in
Operation Enduring Freedom and Iraqi
Freedom. The US Air Force currently lists 21
with active duty units, namely the 34th and
319th Special Operations Squadrons (SOS)
with the 1st Special Operations Wing (SOW)
at Hurlburt Field, Florida, and the 318th SOS
with the 27th SOW at Cannon AFB, New
Mexico. The service purchased at least 34 PC12s between FY04 and FY09. The U-28s are
currently in use in ISR operations over Africa,
Painted to look like a civil M28, this PZL-Mielec C-145A Skytruck serial 11-0326
(formerly N326DD, c/n AJE-00326) was assigned to the US Air Force
318th Special Operations Squadron for night-time infiltration
and exfiltration duties. (US Air Force)
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codenamed Creek Sand and Tusker Sand.
Pilatus markets in America the Spectre
special mission version of the PC-12.
Options include a utility/jump door built into
the large freight door, and a retractable
EO/IR sensor turret in the unpressurised tail
cone. In October 2012 Sierra Nevada (SNC)
was awarded a $ 218 million contract to
provide 18 specially equipped PC-12/47Es
for the Afghan Air Force, to support Afghan
National Army Special Operations Forces.
I LIGHT TWINS
Another component of Afsoc’s NSAv fleet is
the PZL-Mielec M28, designated C-145A
Skytruck. Powered by two 610-kW PT6A65Bs, the 7500-kg M28 has a maximum
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April/May
Special Mission Aircraft
payload of 2500 kg, and can operate from
short, unpaved airstrips.
Socom acquired eleven M28-05s (which
PZL refers to as M28 Alfas) between FY09
and FY11. They were originally purchased
by Sierra Nevada and ferried across the North
Atlantic to the US under Polish registrations.
At Sparks, Nevada, SNC modified them,
presumably with equipment for night-time
operation, precision navigation and military
communications.
Ten C-145As were assigned to the 318th
SOS of the 27th SOW at Cannon AFB, New
Mexico, and the eleventh was reportedly
based at Hurlburt Field. The task of the 318th
was night-time infiltration, exfiltration and
resupply of joint special operations forces. In
March 2013 the aircraft were reassigned to
the 6th SOS of the 1st SOW, to be based at
Duke Field, Florida, an auxiliary airfield of
Eglin AFB. The 6th is tasked with training
the personnel of foreign air forces.
I KING AIR IS KING!
The current Northrop Grumman Guardrail is
the end product of a whole family of sigint
developments, the earliest of which were
conversions of the 4580-kg U-21 Ute, the US
Army version of the Beech King Air A90 with
410-kW PT6A-20A turboprops.
Guardrail (GR) operations were launched
in 1971 with the GR-I, equipping the RU21E. It was used in standoff mode, tracking
Warsaw Pact troop movements in East
Germany and Czechoslovakia. The RC-21E
graduated to the GR-II mission system in
1972 and to the GR-IV in 1974. Operations in
Korea began in the mid-1970s, monitoring
the demilitarised zone. The GR-V entered
service with the RU-21H in 1978.
Beginning in 1984 and while still
operating the RU-21, the US Army switched
Sigint developments to the 7345-kg C-12
Huron, the military Super King Air, powered
by two 635-kW PT6A-41s. The first of these
was the RC-12D, equipped with Improved
Guardrail V (IGV).
The RC-12D was operated from bases in
West Germany, by the 1st Military
Intelligence Battalion (MI-BN) at Wiesbaden
and the 2nd MI-BN at Stuttgart Airport. In
December 1990 some German-based RC12Ds were deployed to Al Qaisumah in Saudi
Arabia for operations against Iraq. From late
1991, following dissolution of the Soviet
Union, most RC-12Ds were withdrawn to
Stateside bases.
Five RC-12Ds have also been operated
(alongside two RC-12Ks) under the name
Kokiya (Cuckoo) by the Israeli Air Force No
191 Sqn, No 15 Wing, from Sde Dov Airport
(Tel Aviv). Israel also developed its own
Sigint C-12, named Tzufit.
The next major step was the RC-12H,
which entered service in 1988 with the
Guardrail Common Sensor (GR/CS) System
Three. It was followed by the RC-12K with
GR/CS System Four in 1991, and the RC-12N
with GR/CS System One in 1995.
In 1998 the US Army introduced the
heaviest in the series, the 7480-kg RC-12P
with GR/CS System Two. This was joined in
2000 by the RC-12Q (distinguished by a
dome-shaped dorsal radome), mounting the
same system, plus Direct Air Satellite Relay.
These two models operate together, the
RC-12Q serving as the airborne relay
facilities (ARF) ‘mother-ship’ to one or more
This US Army RC-12X is one of 14 that Northrop Grumman
produced by converting existing RC-12N/P/Qs under the
Guardrail Modernization Program. The RC-12X is to remain
in service until 2025. (Northrop Grumman)
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The Boeing Emarss (Enhanced Medium-Altitude
Reconnaissance/Surveillance System) Beechcraft
SKA-350ER is shown on its first flight, on May 22, 2013.
Note the dorsal satcom radome. (Boeing)
IED-related casualties in Iraq and
Afghanistan led to multiple airborne sensor
platforms being deployed to theatre. One
such was the Angel Fire SKA, a US Air Force
project used to support Marine Corps
operations in Iraq. (US DoD).
RC-12Ps, transmitting data from the group via satcom to an
integrated processing facility (IPF) on the ground. Each RC-12 is
crewed only by the two pilots, its mission system being controlled
remotely from the IPF.
Guardrail integrates IGV with a Communication High
Accuracy Airborne Location System (CHAALS) and the ALQ-133
Advanced Quick Look (AQL) radar data collection system. It
provides near-real time intelligence, precise geo-location of high
value target (HVT) emitters, and persistent targeting for artillery.
All Guardrail units are assigned to the US Army’s Inscom
(Intelligence & Security Command).
The basing of US Army Guardrail units has been (at least until
recently) as follows. The 3rd MI-BN, equipped with the RC12D/H has been at Yongsan (Seoul), South Korea, where it operates
alongside the de Havilland Canada/Northrop Grumman RC-7B
Airborne Reconnaissance Low (ARL), but it is being moved south,
to Camp Humphreys, Pyeongtaek. The 1st MI-BN with the RC-12K
has been based for many years at Wiesbaden, Germany. The 15th
MI-BN with the RC-12P/Q is based at Fort Hood, Texas, but is
Special Mission Aircraft
This US Air Force L-3 Communications
MC-12W Liberty serial 09-0626 (c/n FL-626)
was visiting RAF Mildenhall, Suffolk in May
2013. Note the ventral sensor pod with
EO/IR turret, dorsal satcom radome and
17 mission symbols. (US Air Force)
currently deployed to southwest Asia. The
224th MI-BN with the RC-12N is based at
Hunter Army Airfield, Savannah, Georgia.
The 304th MI-BN is a training unit at Fort
Huachuca, Arizona. Each battalion has a
nominal establishment of twelve aircraft.
Following cancellation of the Aerial
Common Sensor (ACS) programme to
replace the Guardrail, in September 2007
Northrop Grumman was awarded a $ 462
million contract for the Guardrail
Modernization Program or GR/CS Upgrade.
The US Army’s 44 RC-12s of five different
models are thus to be replaced by an
advanced standardised development, the
RC-12X. A total of 14 late-model Guardrail
aircraft (selected from 14 RC-12Ns, nine RC12Ps and three RC-12Qs) have now been
brought to RC-12X standard. The first two
were delivered to the US Army in January
2011, and deployed to Afghanistan. The last
of the batch was handed over by the end of
2013. The RC-12X is expected to remain in
service until 2025.
I MISCELLANY
The US services had meanwhile introduced
into service various quick-reaction EO/IR
and radar sensor platforms, responding to
the large number of casualties produced by
IEDs in Iraq and Afghanistan.
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The US Air Force C-12R Horned Owl
aircraft was equipped with the SRI
International PenRad Six foliage/earthpenetrating radar, and a Wescam 14 Skyball
EO/IR turret. It was evaluated in Iraq in 2005,
making over 680 sorties and detecting 21
IEDs and 24 weapons caches. The US Army
evaluated the PenRad Seven in its Desert Owl
programme, using a similar aircraft.
“It was evaluated in Iraq
in 2005, making over 680 sorties
and detecting 21 IEDs and 24
weapons caches”
Under the US Army Constant Hawk
programme, seven aircraft (C-12s and Shorts
360s, the latter owned by Air Cargo Carriers of
Milwaukee) were equipped with the BAE
Systems Awapss (Airborne Wide Area
Persistent Surveillance System), which
produced 100 megapixel images at one/two
frames per second. Each would fly at 17,000 ft,
orbiting around a fixed point at four
kilometre radius, producing one-metre
resolution images of the enclosed area.
In 2006 the US Army established Task
Force Odin (Observe, Detect, Identify and
Neutralize) with a fleet of 25 drones and
manned aircraft, specifically to detect IEDs
in Iraq. Based at Camp Speicher near Tikrit,
the fleet included seven C-12s with the Sierra
Nevada
Marss
(Medium-Altitude
Reconnaissance/Surveillance
System),
combining a General Atomics APY-3 Lynx
radar, an L-3 Wescam MX-15 EO/IR turret,
Sigint equipment, and Ku-band Satcom.
Marss-II added Elint and Comint. Other
Odin elements included the Science
Applications International (Saic) Saturn
Arch, again based on the King Air.
The Boeing Emarss (Enhanced Marss) is
an SKA-350ER with a retractable EO/IR
turret, three workstations and extra fuel tanks
to give an endurance of seven hours. The
initial contract was awarded to Boeing in
November 2010, when Emarss was seen as a
48-aircraft programme. A prototype flew in
October 2012. Boeing is contracted to build
four development aircraft, the first of which
flew in May 2013. Following cutbacks, it is
now anticipated that there will be two more
development aircraft, plus four Lrip aircraft
funded in FY14, and two in FY15.
The need for additional sensor platforms
in Afghanistan and Iraq led the US Air Force
to deploy contractor-owned, contractoroperated Beech A90s under codenames
Angel Fire and Blue Devil One.
The Angel Fire was a persistent wide-area
surveillance system with multiple sensors,
detecting changes in the chosen area.
Developed by the US Air Force Research
Laboratory and the Los Alamos National
Laboratory, it provided near-real time
imagery to tactical units. In 2008 it was
evaluated by the 922nd Expeditionary
Research Flight at Al Asad AB in Iraq, to
support US Marine Corps units.
The four Blue Devil A90s, owned by Saic,
each combine a wide-area EO/IR sensor with
Sigint, specifically aimed at cellphone usage.
I LIBERTY
A total of 37 MC-12W Liberty aircraft were
purchased by the US Air Force between FY08
Special Mission Aircraft
The Saab 340 MSA (Maritime Security Aircraft) demonstrator (SE-MCG) is equipped with a
Telephonics 1700B radar and thermal imaging camera. Based on a pre-used aircraft,
unit cost is around $ 20 million. The Japan Coast Guard operates similar aircraft. (Saab)
and FY10, in the form of SKA-350ERs with
L-3 Pennant Race Sigint, a L-3 Wescam MX20Di EO/IR turret and Ku-band Satcom. As
prime contractor and systems integrator, L3 Communications performed most of the
conversions, but some were subcontracted to
ATK to speed deliveries. The MC-12W has
two pilots, a sensor operator and a
cryptological operator. It can achieve an
endurance of over seven hours at low level.
Unit cost is around $ 17.0 million, compared
to $ 10.0 million for the basic aircraft.
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In June 2009 the MC-12W entered service
with the 362nd ERS (Expeditionary
Reconnaissance Squadron) at Joint Base Balad
in Iraq, followed by the 4th ERS at Bagram
Airfield in Afghanistan, to be joined by the
451st ERS at Kandahar Airfield in April 2010.
By mid-2010, 30 MC-12Ws were deployed to
southwest Asia, while seven were retained for
training with No 9 RS at Beale AFB in
California, the home base for the fleet. It has
recently been reported that the MC-12W will
‘Buddy Laze’ for other aircraft dropping LGBs.
Looking beyond Afghanistan, it is
planned that a reduced MC-12W fleet will
equip Air National Guard units at Key Field,
Mississippi, Joint Reserve Base Fort Worth,
Texas, Bradley ANG Base, Indiana, and the
training unit at Beale AFB.
It is believed that Britain’s five Beechcraft
Shadow R1s are generally similar to the MC-
Britain has five Raytheon Sentinel R1
battlefield surveillance aircraft assigned to
Royal Air Force No 5 (Army Cooperation)
Squadron. Based on the Bombardier Global
Express, Sentinel may later be modified for
overwater operations. (Raytheon Systems)
In 2008 India ordered three Embraer
ERJ-145s to serve as platforms for AEW radars
developed by its own Defence Research and
Development Organisation. The first flew in
Brazil in late 2011 and was delivered to
DRDO in August 2012. (Embraer)
The IAI/Elta CAEW (Conformal Airborne Early Warning) aircraft is based on the Gulfstream G550
and is equipped with the Elta EL/W-2085 radar with IFF, plus Elint and Comint equipment. The
CAEW is used by Israel and Singapore. (IAI)
12W. There is talk of them later being
modified for the maritime patrol role. Iraq,
Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Turkey all operate
ISR Beechcraft aircraft with mission systems
by L-3 or Raytheon. Colombia operates Elint
SKA-350s with Elta avionic systems.
The US companies offering ISR/Elint
conversions of aircraft such as the King Air
include Boeing with Ramis (Reconfigurable
Airborne Multi-int ISR System), General
Atomics with Griffin Eye, L-3 with the
Spyder, Lockheed Martin with the Dragon
Star, Sierra Nevada (teamed with ITT Exelis)
with the Vigilant Stare wide-area persistent
surveillance system, and Aerial Surveillance
Systems with the SkyEye 350. Canada and
Saudi Arabia are seen as early customers.
Boeing estimates an export market as high as
90 aircraft.
I LARGER AIRCRAFT
This discussion has been largely concerned
with relatively small, affordable platforms that
have been used intensively since the Vietnam
War, and which will probably dominate the
international market for years. However,
larger aircraft are easier to deploy over large
distances, provide higher ceilings and heavier
payloads, and are more self-contained, relying
less on supporting ground vehicles.
Turboprops have the advantage in
missions requiring endurance at low/
medium altitude, hence the maritime patrol
conversions of the Saab 340, Bombardier
Dash 8-400 and the ATR42/72.
Turboprops also represent a less expensive
way to acquire an AEW&C aircraft,
exemplified by Saab Erieye conversions of
the Saab 340B, used by Sweden, Thailand and
the United Arab Emirates.
The US Army’s Airborne Reconnaissance
Low (ARL) fleet of RC-7Bs is deployed to
Southern and Central Commands from the
204th MI-BN at Biggs Army Airfield in
Texas. In July 2013 the service released an
RFI for an ARL – Enhanced (ARL-E),
envisioning a fleet of nine aircraft with
advanced sensors and satcom. Northrop
Grumman, prime for the current RC-7B
ARL, is proposing a ‘Quick Mission’ system,
which could be applied to a variety of aircraft.
Jets provide better speed and altitude,
and thus a higher rate of terrain coverage.
Examples include Britain’s Raytheon
Sentinel battlefield surveillance aircraft
with sar/gmti radar based on the
Bombardier Global Express. Lockheed
Martin proposes its Dragon’s Eye ISR system
for business jets, and is flying its Airborne
Multi-INT Laboratory (AML), a converted
Gulfstream GIII.
As instanced by the Boeing E-3 Awacs
development of the 707, high-flying jets
provide greater distance to the radar horizon
than turboprops, and are thus the natural
choice for AEW&C applications. Hence the
Embraer ERJ-145 Erieye conversions used by
Brazil, Greece, Mexico and India, and the
IAI/Elta CAEW (Conformal AEW) aircraft,
based on the Gulfstream G550 and used by
Israel and Singapore.
The traditional viewpoint is that jets are less
suitable for the maritime patrol role, but that
did not stop the US Navy from choosing the
Boeing P-8A, based on the 737-800, to replace
its Lockheed Martin P-3C. Finally, it may be
noted that in 2012 an undisclosed Chinese
customer purchased seven Bombardier
CRJ700 “special mission aircraft”. It is now
known that they will be completed by
Ontario-bassed Flying Colours, with
emphasis on VIP modifications. The last
will be delivered in early 2015.
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