entered the fray so far. It might
be expected that at least some
try to get involved. There is a
possibility they are in discussions
with existing bidders and could
emerge as important players.
The MOD will be looking for a
level of investment from the
consortiums to field the assets
and will need to be confident they
can deliver a 15-year service.
While Leonardo executives
would not reveal any bid with the
M-346FA, a board in front of the
prototype on display at RIAT said it
all. “The M-346FA is ideally suited
to the UK’s ASDOT requirement,
offering high-end ‘aggressor’
performance cost-effectively.”
Leonardo believes it has
technology that can be continually
upgraded in order to reflect
developing aggressor capabilities,
through the aircraft itself or via
podded solutions. It is likely that
Leonardo will pitch the M-346FA to
span ASDOT’s second- to fourth-
generation aggressor needs.
However, the cost of a brand-
new jet, particularly at the outset,
could preclude the aircraft from
being included in a bid. The same
could apply to the Scorpion, which
currently being evaluated under
the USAF light attack experiment.
This autumn, all the industry
consortiums will be involved in a
Pre-Qualification Questionnaire
(PQQ) stage. The teams will
demonstrate to the UK MOD
their capabilities, with each
company being asked to cover
its particular skills in any teaming
arrangement. Should they get
through this, the teams will
be invited to proceed to the
bidding stage next year. All the
consortiums will be expected
to own the required assets.High-end Red Air
The two new RAF air defence
Typhoon squadrons announced
in the 2015 Strategic Defence and
Security Review are expected to
stand up at RAF Lossiemouth,
Moray, and at RAF Coningsby
on January 1, 2019. They are
expected to be tasked to fly
around 1,200 hours a year
supporting an aggressor function,
perhaps establishing standard
operating procedures before
the ASDOT contract starts on
January 1, the following year.
At that point 736 NAS will
withdraw its Hawks from use,and the first phase of ASDOT
is expected to start. This will
include an element of live, virtual
and constructive (LVC) training.
The winning consortium will be
expected to field its solution,
replacing the Falcon 20s and
RN Hawks, providing more
than 7,000 hours per annum.
Another 1,000 hours will be
generated using synthetics.
It should continue that way until
2027, when the No 100 Squadron
Hawks are retired and Phase Two
of ASDOT begins. This will see
the winning contractor taking
on an additional 6,000 hours.
As one source told AFM: “There
are an awful lot of technologies
out there and some really good
fielded solutions, but there
are real limitations. And thelimitations come when you try
to train fighter pilots with virtual
and constructive entities that
they won’t be able to see on
radar, only on their data link. The
limitation is getting the heads
of the pilots around that. He
or she will have to consider all
those things and reapportion
assets to cover them without
seeing them on the radar, or out
of the window. To provide really
good training you need to show
the big fight on the screen.”
Ultimately, everything should
be displayed on the aircraft’s
radar. That work is ongoing in the
US. The USAF’s recent Northern
Edge exercise in Alaska (see North
to the future, July, p54-59) was
used to test some LVC elements.
The USAF is hoping to field the
solutions the RAF is looking for in
its own Red Air contracts before
the ASDOT contract starts.
The same source concluded:
“The ASDOT programme will
have one eye firmly fixed on the
development of LVC capabilities,
but is not seeking to deliver this
in isolation. ASDOT will seek to
find a blended live/constructive
capability that adds mass and
complexity to the live training.”
After a year of negotiations, a
winner should be announced
by mid-2019 leading to full
operational capability by the end
of 2020. We might then expect
to see similar competitions
rolled out by other countries.
Australia, Saudi Arabia and
the United Arab Emirates all
operate expensive fourth/fifth-
generation fighters and could be
potential candidates for similar
aggressor training initiatives.Above: The impressive Airborne Tactical Advantage Company (ATAC) adversary fleet could yet play a part in ASDOT, after
the company was acquired by Textron. ATAC operates a fleet of 16 former Swiss Air Force Hunters. Rob DeStasio
Cobham currently operates 15
upgraded Dassault Falcon 20s for
its live flying roles. While these will
be superseded by the new ASDOT
system at the end of 2019, the
company remains involved in bidding
for the new contract after signing
an agreement with Draken at RIAT.
Derek BowerAFMhttp://www.airforcesmonthly.com‘In association with...’36 // SEPTEMBER 2017 #354 http://www.airforcesmonthly.com
INTEL REPORT