MPAs Over South China Seas

MPAs Over South China Seas MPAs over South China Seas Tension continues to increase in the seas of South East Asia as territorial claims escalate. T...
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MPAs Over South China Seas

MPAs over South China Seas Tension continues to increase in the seas of South East Asia as territorial claims escalate. The exploitation of deep sea gas and oil reserves is often at the heart of disputes, as Alan Warnes explains. And what maritime patrol aircraft do the region’s air forces have in their inventories to counter the threats?

One of the two Bombardier 415MPs operated by the Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA) departs LIMA Air Show in March 2013. The aircraft is fitted with the SSC MSS 6000 maritime surveillance system and was used during the Sabah uprising in early 2013. Just behind the wing you can see the pencil shaped Sideways Looking Airborne Radar (SLAR). Alan Warnes

FOR YEARS there have been territorial disputes in the South China Sea, which are getting worse. China now claims 90% of the waters which includes the Spratley Islands and Paracel Islands - high in oil and mineral resources. Brunei, the Philippines, Taiwan, Malaysia and Vietnam all hotly dispute China’s claims as they also have territorial rights. Tension between China and the others has deepened over the past couple of years because of the Beijing Government’s continued reclamation of land on reefs and atolls. New harbours have been dredged and artificial islands built atop submerged reefs. This and the construction of airfields and other military facilities has sparked concern in Southeast Asian capitals as well as Washington and Tokyo. On March 11, China media reported that flights to Sansha city, on Woody Island in the Paracel archipelago, would start within a year. Sansha is China’s administrative base for islands and reefs it controls in the South China Sea.

The USA is keeping a keen eye on the situation, even more so after China deployed an advanced surface-to-air missile battery to the Paracel Islands. The head of US Pacific Command, Admiral Harry Harris told US lawmakers during a testimony on Feb 24: "In my opinion China is clearly militarizing the South China Sea. You’d have to believe in a flat Earth to believe otherwise." Clearly the two sides are heading for a stand-off. The aircraft carrier USS John C Stennis along with two destroyers two cruisers and the 7th Fleet flagship sailed into the disputed waters in early March. The US Navy’s newest ASW aircraft, the Boeing P-8A Poseidon was deployed to Singapore in December 2015 to carry out surveillance on China’s progress. Patrols by P-8As continue today. Recent Clashes One of the biggest clashes came in May 2014 when vessels from Vietnam and China clashed off the Paracel Islands. The Straits Times reported: “Vietnam claims four ships were attacked and at one point on May 26 there were reportedly 113 ships up against 60 Vietnamese vessels.” Later that day, a Vietnamese vessel was sunk, though all ten people on board were saved. This was the latest in a series of bitter exchanges between China and Vietnam and has led the Vietnamese to investigate the acquisition of an armed maritime patrol aircraft. The tensions are not likely to go away. China’s Vice-Foreign Minister told reporters in Beijing during May 2014: “Being the lifeline for China, the South China Sea is far more important to China than to other countries.” The Philippines has also confronted China at sea over the poaching of endangered turtles. Clashes between the two are now a regular occurrence after China took control of the rich fishing grounds of the Scarborough Shoal in 2012. The Philippines, and China claim ownership of the Shoal as part of their territories, as do other countries. This is one of a number of disputed territories in the South China Sea. Much of the region’s tensions focus on the Spratlys, a group of around 750 islands spread over a 164,093 square mile area (424,968km2) off the coasts of the Philippines and Sabah in Malaysian Borneo. Brunei, China, Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan and Vietnam all claim them. While none of the islands have any native population, there are several military bases. The islands are believed to have large oil and gas reserves around them and are areas of rich biodiversity and wildlife. The Senkaku Islands (known in China as Diaoyu islands) are also surrounded by rich fishing grounds and large, untapped deposits of natural gas. Japan effectively nationalised the islands in 2012 and the tensions with China threatened to escalate from a local, containable, manageable spat into a state-on-state conflict.

All this uncertainty and mistrust of each other’s intentions can be likened to a game of chess. Most states have realised the value of intelligence and many are committed to strengthening maritime surveillance fleets, with maritime patrol aircraft a priority. There is a growing need for cost-effective early warning aircraft to work for long periods off coastlines. On land, similar tensions have arisen Thailand has a border dispute with Cambodia; as well as a long-running issue over Moslem autonomy along its southern border areas with Malaysia. Singapore still relies on fresh water from its Malaysian neighbours in an often tense relationship. It is also concerned about Indonesia, another state to the west and south, which it does not fully trust. All fear attacks from personnel using the seas to avoid detection and strike their countries. Around 100 Filipino Sulu rebels deployed this tactic in February 2013 to attack and kill several policemen in Malaysia’s eastern state of Sabah, which it claims is their land. Tension over sovereign disputes is a concern to the western world, as the South China Sea is critically important, not just for security and stability reasons but because it is crucial to local economic activity. One of the biggest threats to maritime vessels in the South China Sea are pirates, particularly along the region’s key shipping route, the Malacca Straits. Aircraft are among some of the assets used to ensure the waters are safe. In some cases, pirates have been known to hijack a multi-million dollar oil tanker, rename and paint it, then divert to a friendly port and offload the valuable cargo. There is also a need to work together. The loss of Malaysian Airlines MH370 in early March 2014 highlighted the lack of cohesion, during the early stages of the search, between all the nations as they tried to find the Boeing 777 in the seas off eastern Malaysia. Maritime Surveillance/Maritime Patrol Aircraft in the region Skirmishes between China and other nations over disputed territories have highlighted the need for a more sophisticated maritime surveillance aircraft (MSA); even an armed maritime patrol aircraft (MPA). Many countries are looking at options to detect potential trouble long before it arrives - and to have a solution when it does. It has not been a fast process, and most governments have not funded an efficient airborne maritime patrol force, although Vietnam has upgraded its oceanic surveillance capabilities. Here is our country-by-country guide to MPA/MSA air assets in the region. Australia The Royal Australian Air Force deploys two AP-3C Orions to RAAF Butterworth, Malaysia, to monitor the Indian Ocean for ships that could pose a threat to Australia’s security. They fly west from the airbase and patrol for up to eight hours before returning to Malaysia. Ideally, the local nations would be doing this but none has the sophisticated equipment or funding to do the job properly.

There are two RAAF AP-3Cs permanently deployed to RAAF Butterworth, Malaysia as part of Operation Gateway Australia's enduring contribution to preserving regional security and stability in South East Asia. RAAF

Brunei The country’s first Defence White Paper in 2004 said maritime patrol aircraft should be a major procurement programme. Twelve years on nothing has changed. This is quite surprising, given Brunei’s vast oil reserves which are the country’s main source of income. The Sultanate’s small air arm operates a single IPTN-built CASA CN235. It was initially intended to install a maritime surveillance avionics suite but this does not appear to have happened. The aircraft is used mainly for VIP/transport purposes and is not known to house any special mission equipment. Speculation that Brunei had ordered three Indonesian-developed CN235MPA Persuader aircraft in early-2000s proved to be unfounded. Boeing was allegedly contracted as the systems integrator for the aircraft, which would have been equipped with a FLIR Systems AN/AAQ-21 Safire FLIR, a BAE Systems Sky Guardian electronic support measures electronic warfare system and an AN/APS-134 radar. Indonesian Aerospace (more commonly known by the initials PTDI - PT Dirgantara Indonesia) talk regularly to Brunei about a maritime surveillance aircraft but nothing has materialised.

Indonesia Indonesia has a large number of special mission aircraft to patrol the 17,000-island archipelago. Three Boeing 737-2X9 Surveillers, acquired in 1983, and operated by the Hasanuddin-based Skadron Udara (SKu) 5 are the biggest aircraft. They are equipped with the Motorola AN/APS-135 (V) high resolution Side Looking Airborne Modular Multi-mission Radar (SLAMMR). The aircraft have two dorsally-mounted fairings running down each side of the fuselage to house the 16ft (5m)-long blade antennae linked to the internal SLAMMR console. The installation enables the aircraft to detect a small ship at ranges of up to 100 miles (185km) on each side of the aircraft’s flight path. The last time they were known to have been upgraded was in 1993, when Boeing incorporated a nose-mounted APS-504(V)-5 search radar, GPS, IFF (Identification Friend or Foe) and a new five console data processing and display system. The SLAMMR was also installed at that time. However PTDI has also been carrying out small incremental upgrades such as the installation of a Forward Looking Infra Red (FLIR) turret in the nose. Missions include maritime patrol and the detection of surface targets but the focus depends upon communication from the Department of Agriculture, which is responsible for fisheries protection. The aircraft carry 12 strategic intelligence personnel, including five console operators (commander, mission commander, SLAMMR operator, radar operator and navigations communications operator, as well as engineer, photographer, loadmaster and four observers). With approximately 5,000 miles (8,000km) separating the north-west tip of Sumatra from the eastern point of Timor, the five-hour endurance limit often means they deploy to other bases. The three Boeing 737s are also configured with 14 first class and 88 economy class seats to act as government transports when not needed for maritime surveillance. In February 2008, Indonesia exhibited its newly developed CN235-220MPA at the Singapore Air Show. It was the first of a batch of three in an $80 million deal between the state owned PTDI (formerly IPTN) and the Indonesian Air Force. The aircraft is equipped with a Thales Airborne Systems Airborne Maritime Situation Control System (AMASCOS) 200 that houses a Thales/EADS Ocean Master Mk II search radar, Elettronica’s ALR 733 radar warning receiver and CAE’s AN/ASQ-508 magnetic anomaly detection (MAD) system. This latest MPA was delivered to SkU 5 at Hasanuddin to work alongside the three Boeing 737s, while the other two aircraft were never delivered as maritime patrol aircraft (MPAs) because of budget issues and operate purely in a transport role. With obsolescence now creeping in, PTDI has been contracted to replace the Thales radar on the original aircraft with a Telephonics AN/APS 143C3 system. A second MPA has been ordered, which will be delivered with same radar and join the same unit. Another squadron tasked with maritime duties, SKu 4, works out of Abdulrachman Saleh with NC212MPAs, but it is not clear how sophisticated these aircraft are.

Indonesia’s PTDI is marketing the CN235-220MPA to several countries in the region, but this example seen at its Bandung facility in early June 2014 is for a customer closer to home – the Indonesian Navy. It is the third and final aircraft of the MARPAT 1 contract, fitted with a Thales AMASCOS system, which was delivered in September 2014. Alan Warnes

The Indonesian Navy operates several NC212s fitted with a FLIR for maritime surveillance. This example was seen at Pondok Cabe in July 2013. Alan Warnes

The Indonesian Navy received a third CN 235MPA as part of the Maritime Patrol (MARPAT) 1 contract in September 2014. The aircraft is fitted with the AMASCOS system and a Star Safire FLIR. All three are operated by Skuadron 800 at Surabaya. Three more aircraft, under MARPAT-2, have also been ordered. One example is for the Air Force and two more for the Navy this year with the work being carried out by US based Integrated Surveillance and Defence (ISD). All three will come with VIASAT line of sight datalinks that will allow the aerial picture to be downloaded to a ground station. Representatives from the Indonesian Air Force and PTDI were expected to visit Portland, Oregon in late March to accept the mission equipment. The status of the two Navy aircraft is unknown. Malaysia The protection of Malaysia’s maritime resources, illegal oil extraction, disputes over the Spratly Islands and supervision of its economic exclusion zone led to the activation in 1980 of three C-130H-MPs, or PC-130Hs as they are designated by the Tentera Udara DiRaja Malaysia (Royal Malaysian Air Force – TUDM). The ever increasing workload of these specialised C-130s, and the need to carry out more intense work, led to four Beech 200Ts being ordered in late 1991 to replace them. Today, they are still operated by 16 Skuadron, based at Subang, although they do forward deploy to Labuan occasionally. They monitor high-tech pirates, smugglers, ships tipping waste, oil-rig inspections to prevent illegal transfer of oil, illegal fishing and people-trafficking. The aircraft are also fitted with hard-points to carry smokemarkers. Two of the King Airs have been modified by AIROD with Telephonics RDR 1700 radar, while similar work on the other pair is also now under way. Local media reports in March 2010 suggested that a letter of intent (LOI) for the purchase of four Indonesian-built CN235-220MPA aircraft was to be issued within week. PTDI the author that it is still in discussions with the TUDM over such a deal in May 2014, which could see the four existing CN235s upgraded with a Thales AMASCOS system. Two Bombardier 415 amphibians were acquired in 2009 by the Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (APMM) and subsequently converted by the Swedish Space Corporation into a maritime patrol configuration with its MSS 6000 airborne maritime surveillance system. The two 415MPs operate alongside a small fleet of helicopters in Malaysia’s territorial waters. The Malaysian Police ordered five Beech 300 aircraft in 2004, with deliveries from 2009 onwards. The final two aircraft delivered in late 2013 have been fitted with 360° Telephonics RDR 1700 surveillance radars, FLIR turret and satellite downlink capability. The Malaysians have had a long-running need for an airborne early warning and control aircraft but as of yet nothing has materialized.

Philippines Despite the vastness of the Philippines, covering some 115,840 square mile2 (300,000 km2), the Philippine Air Force (PhAF) is geared mainly for counter-insurgency (COIN) operations because of the Islamic militants in Mindanao, the largest island in the south. Its sovereign integrity, including the economic exclusion zone (EEZ), is prone to intrusion at any time, because it does not have any of its own fighters, a modern maritime patrol aircraft or an airborne early warning platform. In 2011, the government did authorise the acquisition of one special mission aircraft and two light aircraft for P1.6 billion. No more details have emerged. Manila has been looking at options for additional maritime patrol aircraft (MPA) for several years. In 2014 a tender was issued for two long-range MPAs, but it appears not of the offers were suitable. Last year, the possible acquisition of surplus Japanese P-3C Orions was also being looked at, but nothing further has come of this proposal as yet. Japan is set to lease five Beech TC-90 King Air trainer aircraft to the Philippines for maritime patrol operations. The aircraft, previously operated by the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force, will be used to patrol Philippine-claimed waters and outcrops in the disputed South China Sea. It is not yet clear if they will be used merely for visual observation or whether some sort of surveillance radar will be installed. Plans for the lease deal were confirmed by Philippine President Benigno Aquino during a speech on March 9 at Fernando Air Base. Final details, including the cost and length of the lease, have yet to be agreed and no possible timescale for deliveries has been announced. Initially, Japan had wanted to donate the TC90s to the Philippines, but this was prevented by current Japanese law, which prohibits free transfer of government assets to another current. The leasing option was therefore determined as the best option to overcome this problem. The PhAF did have a Fokker F27 delivered with a Litton APS-504 Search Radar lodged into the aircraft’s blister under the fuselage, but the aircraft is thought to have been grounded now. It was flown by the 27th Maritime Patrol Squadron/240th Composite Wing based at Sangley Point, Cavite. The PhAF also operates a Nomad Searchmaster but its operational status is unknown. In a bid to deter pirates in Philippines waters, six of the S211s have been armed with guns. The Philippine Navy has around five BN-2A Islanders, although it is thought they are predominantly used for liaison. During mid-June 2014 PTDI told AFM it had been selected to supply two CN 235ASW to the Philippines Navy in a $135 million deal, that will see a Raytheon Systems suite installed however the deal was never done.

Singapore Singapore has four sophisticated Conformal Airborne Early Warning (CAEW) Gulfstream 550s based at Tengah with 111 Squadron to monitor piracy in the Malacca Straits as well as monitor movements in its air space and that surrounding it. A veteran E-2C Hawkeye had provided airborne intelligence for 23 years before being retired in 2010 when the first CAEWs were delivered. The CAEW is revolutionising the way the RSAF carries out its airborne early warning role. The aircraft can operate at a greater height, stay on station for longer, has a longer range and has an enhanced AEW performance.

The Republic of Singapore Air Force Gulfstream 550 Conformal Airborne Early Warning (CAEW) is one of the most sophisticated special mission aircraft in the region. While its role focusses on AEW, it also carries out high level surveillance of Singapore’s coastal waters courtesy of its on board Elta EL/2085 system. Alan Warnes

The onboard EL/W-2085 sensor suite, developed by Israel’s Elta Systems, provides rapid target acquisition and information because of its 360º coverage. The latter comes courtesy of a forward-facing hemisphere radar array and a weather radar mounted in the nose radome. Lateral arrays are housed in conformal radomes along the sides of the forward fuselage, while the radome located in the tail cone houses the rear-facing hemispherical array. Singapore Technologies Aerospace provides maintenance and logistical support for the RSAF’s CAEW. Eight RSAF crew members are believed to man the aircraft during flying operations – two aircrew and six operators.

The RSAF also has five MPA-configured Fokker 50MPAs based with 121 Sqn at Changi (West) AB. They are used to patrol Singapore’s EEZ and other interests. A Fokker 50MPA was deployed to Djibouti from April to July 2011 as part of multinational Task Force 151 and charged with counter-piracy duties in the Gulf of Aden. After the detachment finished, Singapore’s Minister for Defence commented: “That as a responsible member of the international community and a major maritime nation, Singapore understands why it is important that sea routes continue to be free and that trade routes are safe. When freedom of navigation is threatened and where we can make a useful contribution, we will do our part to counter piracy. This is why we are in the Gulf of Aden to assist the shipping community and maintain maritime trade.” The 121 Squadron CO, LTC Song Chun Keet, added: “The Gulf of Aden is a strategic waterway and ensuring safe passage along the Gulf is integral to the economic stability of Singapore.” Thailand The Royal Thai Navy (RTN) is tasked with maritime surveillance, mainly from U-Tapao Naval Air Base. It uses six Dornier Do228s operated by 101 Squadron and delivered in the early-1990s, plus two P-3Ts delivered in 1995 and three Fokker 27MPAs which are even older, having been delivered in the mid-1980s and still flying with 102 Squadron. All the Dornier Do-228s are in desperate need of modernisation, as they are still using the old Telephonics RDR-1500 radar. Although the RTN issued a tender to replace them, no contract was awarded so they soldier on with the original obsolete maritime surveillance radar. Telephonics, Raytheon, Thales and Selex ES could all provide solutions. The two P-3Ts continue to use the Raytheon SeaView Radar that they were delivered with in the mid-1990s. It was the standard equipment fit in any Foreign Military Sale (FMS) deal. Pakistan Navy aircraft have a similar radar. Three Fokker F27s are also on the Navy’s books. Southend-based Avionicare put a Seaspray 7300E into an F-27-200ME but there was no follow on order for the other two aircraft. The upgraded aircraft is now grounded due to a lack of spares and there is only one F-27-200ME airworthy, with painfully old technologies.

Efforts by the RTN to field an efficient maritime patrol aircraft saw a state-of-the-art Seaspray 7300 being installed in this Fokker 27-200ME, 1201 (c/n 10666), but the aircraft was later grounded due to a shortage of spares. Analayo Korkasul

Vietnam The Vietnam Government has begun spending more on defence and maritime patrols appear to be at the top of the agenda. The Vietnam Marine Police (VMP) operates three new CASA 212-400 Aviocars, fitted with Swedish Space Corporation’s (SSC’s) MSS 6000 surveillance radar system. The contract between SSC and the VMP includes installation and test of the systems in the aircraft, setting up of a ground station and a mission command centre (MCC), as well as operational and technical training of the customer's personnel. The MSS 6000 system is designed to fulfill the specific needs of the coast guard mission and will provide the VMP with an efficient tool in its surveillance task. The systems will be used for patrolling the Vietnam seas, to detect and suppress oil spills and illegal fishing activities, to protect the economic zone and to take part in search and rescue operations. The MCC allows mission command to plan, follow, analyse and archive the missions of all aircraft. Preparations before flight allow ground controllers to follow and manage in real time during a sortie. The MCC displays the flight track of all units on the tactical map and receives data from the aircraft including position, updates, incident reports, Automatic Identification System (AIS) and target information, images and streaming video. Further instructions can be issued from the MCC to the aircraft in real time on how to proceed with the mission. All mission information is

stored in a database, from where it can be analysed and processed. Important information about ship movements and the identity and activity of observed vessels can be easily seen on the screen by using the filter functions and background databases. The Vietnam Navy bought six amphibious DHC-6 Twin Otter Series 400 aircraft, which will include special mission equipment. David Curtis, Viking president and CEO, commented in 2011: “After a long and thorough procurement process, Viking is proud to have been selected by the Vietnamese Navy to supply new DHC-6 Twin Otter aircraft, perfectly suited for use over Vietnam’s extensive 3,400km (2,125 miles) coastline.” The Series 400 Twin Otters are now being delivered and will be equipped for amphibious operations. The six aircraft will be configured with convertible interiors, giving the option of VIP, commuter and utility layouts, with three of the six designated Guardian 400 maritime patrol variants. Ideally suited for the Navy’s operations, all six Twin Otter Series 400 aircraft will be used for transport, resupply, maritime surveillance and search and rescue throughout Vietnamese coastal regions. Options At this year’s Singapore Airshow, it was the MPA/MSA business which dominated the military aerospace sector. Saab launched their Swordfish MPA system based on the Global 6000 or Q400 turboprop aircraft. Boeing continues with the Challenger 614 MSA it started marketing at Dubai in 2013, while the expensive Boeing P-8A could be an option but unlikely. Many in the region might prefer to have an MPA system on a new C295. PTDI is now building them, and Airbus has already sold four C295MPAs to Oman. Systems integrators like Thales, IDS and SSC have also worked on the region’s MPA/MSAs in the past. Protecting interests Vietnam and Indonesia agreed in September, 2011 to establish joint patrols on their maritime border to improve security in the heavily disputed South China Sea where Indonesia's exclusive economic zone overlaps with China's claim. Indonesia does not claim any of the islands in the disputed Spratly or Paracel chains, but look upon the Natuna islands, which China recently claimed, as its own. Vietnamese Prime Minister, Nguyen Tan Dung, said his country and Indonesia needed to better patrol their border. "We agreed to task our foreign ministries with negotiating and signing an agreement to establish joint patrols in the sea area and lines of communication between our two navies," Dung said. Vietnamese poachers are often caught in Indonesians waters where authorities have seized hundreds of trespassing vessels in recent years. The then Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono said: "We agree that there needs to be effective co-operation in maritime and fishery affairs to bring benefits to both countries, including the

prevention of illegal fishing." Indonesia loses around 30 trillion rupiah ($3.5 billion) each year because of illegal fishing in its waters, according to ministry figures. This prompted the passage of a law in 2009 that allowed marines to shoot and sink poaching vessels. The neighbouring nations also agreed to increase trade from $3.3 billion in 2010 to $5 billion by 2015 and signed a rice co-operation framework to ensure food security for all ten Southeast Asian nations in the ASEAN bloc. The USA also has commercial and military interests in the region. During late 2011, the outgoing Pacific Fleet Commander of the US Navy, Admiral Patrick Walsh, said claims by the six Asian nations on the oil-rich Spratly Islands in the South China Sea could descend into conflict and lead to serious military confrontations. The South China Sea – which is heavily travelled by shipping companies, including tankers transporting oil from the Persian Gulf – is vital to the Asia-Pacific region. With so much at stake for everyone, the region could become the focal point of a worldwide conflict. That is why the USA’s strategic defence paper, issued in January 2012, was keen to deploy more assets to the region to support many strategic military partners and, of course, its own oil interests. The US would like to see the Asian nations helping themselves and that would include the acquisition of airborne surveillance assets. Other than that there doesn’t seem much else anyone can do apart from using diplomacy, which doesn’t alter much when your dealing with bullies. April 2016

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