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World News & Analysis
USAF Searches For Vast Global Attack Capability
Aviation Week & Space Technology
05/31/2004, page 28
David A. Fulghum
Washington
With no funding in hand, USAF is searching for a cheap, fast global attack capability
Taking a Chance
A new, even larger unmanned combat aircraft and a version of the B-1 that goes twice the speed of sound are among the industry responses to the U.S. Air Force's request for information (RFI) about a near-term, long-range strike capability.
The service has expressed interest in concepts for an interim capability, possibly a regional bomber, that could start development in 2008. The project would need an initial operational capability by 2015 and full operational capability by 2020.
BOEING LED ITS OFFERINGS with a B-1R (regional) proposal that would reengine the bomber with the F/A-22's F-119 engines giving it enough thrust to reach Mach 2.0, but leaving it fuel-efficient enough for a 3,000-mi. mission radius--including a "couple of hours loiter time" over the target at altitudes of up to 60,000 ft. with a single refueling, according to a participant in the study. One version of the aircraft would use radar cross section reducing coatings, a dual-mode (air-to-air and air-to-ground) missile of the Amraam-class with 100-mi. range and the towed decoy and electronic-warfare countermeasures suite developed for the Navy's F/A-18E Super Hornet. Another would feature an AESA radar and external carriage of AIM-120 Amraam missiles for self defense. Both would be heavily network-centric, says Rich Parke, the company director of global strike integration.
A second concept from Boeing was a larger D model of the X-45, an unmanned combat aircraft that would be grown from an F-16-sized, containerized vehicle to a long-endurance bomber with delta wings, and a much larger bomb load, that is designed for daily use. Both A and B models of the aircraft have been built and the C model proposed for development. Range, size, payload and endurance would all increase with the new X-45D concept.
Other notional ideas from Boeing, involving a family of weapons approach, included a conventionally armed ICBM with a guided reentry vehicle, a transoceanic range cruise missile with network connections for target updating during its sub-sonic flight as well as a Mach 6.0 cruise missile with roughly a 10-min. time of flight. Also in the company's 10-page submission was an airborne arsenal ship version of the blended-wing body aircraft packed with cruise missiles for air launch, Parke says. Other options could be C-17 or 747 variants.
Lockheed Martin officials said last week that they worked up studies for both one- and two-seat versions of the FB-22, with and without a conventional tail, for their response to the RFI. The larger wing, they contend, would allow enough additional control surfaces to eliminate the horizontal tail while likely retaining both vertical stabilizers, although a completely tailless version is "conceivable," according to an F/A-22 program official. The larger wing would also hold additional fuel, and the weapons load would be increased to 30 joint direct attack munitions and possibly even heavier options. And the aircraft would be designed to control low-cost, unmanned aircraft as part of its mission, a function of its massive processing power. "If you're going to be in the cockpit for 10 hr., it would be nice to have another guy back there," a company official said.
Company executives believe the F/A-22 derivative design would be less expensive than all-new concepts. The stealth and fused sensor array developed for the fighter also "bring tremendous advantage to a bomber," said Rob Weiss, deputy vice president for F/A-22 customer requirements. "A couple of our analyses indicate we can deal with upward of 95% of target threats that are out there with a derivative configuration. The cost of a derivative versus a clean sheet design is probably 30-40% or less." Savings also are expected to result from common parts, logistics and training as well as software maturation in the fighter program. At least one of the versions could be built right on the existing F/A-22 production line.
IN ADDITION, LOCKHEED MARTIN is expected to offer a variant of a large manned aircraft design, probably one of its advanced heavy-lift, flying wing concepts, that would carry large numbers of extended-range cruise missiles that could be launched from far outside any possible air defense system.
Northrop Grumman is to offer upgrades to the existing B-2 bomber fleet--including increasing the weapons load to 240 small-diameter bombs--but is not expected to suggest any plan for new production. Northrop Grumman also has the X-47 unmanned combat aircraft and has plans to expand the design's wingspan and weapons payload.
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