AEW&C REPORT: Arctic Overwatch

The RCAF’s Need for AEW&C Aircraft

As part of Canada’s Defence Policy Update ‘Our North, Strong and Free’ DND has allocated $307 million over 20 years for an Airborne Early Warning and Control (AEW&C) aircraft that will vastly improve Canada’s ability to detect, track and prioritize airborne threats. As this procurement begins to ramp-up, CDR asked its writer, Richard Nghiem, to delve into the importance of these AEW&C aircraft and explore some of the best options available to Canada. Over the coming months, CDR intends to feature dedicated articles on the various options. So, stay tuned for more on this important procurement.

With Russia and China continuing to aggressively pursue and field a number of advanced capabilities, including hypersonic missiles, glide vehicles, and modern stealthy low-flying cruise missiles, designed to evade detection across multiple domains and strike high-value targets anywhere in North America, both Canada and the US are faced with an unprecedented threat for which they currently do not have an adequate defence. This challenge to NORAD’s ability to provide threat warning and attack assessments is a grave danger to not only homeland defence and domestic contingency plans, but also the Nation’s power projection capacity abroad. Therefore, it is imperative that Ottawa does its part to improve its aerospace defence systems as much as possible, further build upon its $38.6 billion NORAD refurbishment plan, and make additional investments that will contribute to bolstering the security of North America. These new upgrades will help restore deterrence in the North in cooperation with the United States and address any capability gaps that have not been rectified by current NORAD modernization efforts.

Canada’s DND, to its credit, has already started working with its long-standing defence and security partner, Australia, to build a new over-the-horizon military radar (OTHR) system, called the Jindalee Operational Radar Network (JORN), to quickly detect and respond to both air and maritime threats throughout the Nation’s Arctic at long-range distances. With a cost of more than $6 billion, the JORN monitors the air and sea domains across 37,000 square km, up to 3,000 km away. It accomplishes this by unconventionally bouncing its signals off the ionosphere to see distant targets or by using low-frequency radio waves that, due to diffraction, follow the curvature of the Earth to reach beyond the horizon. As a result, these systems are able to achieve detection ranges five times greater than those of small, conventional radar installations.

Land-based OTHRs, however, can not be the military’s only focus if Canada is to effectively safeguard itself against new threats such as hypersonic missiles. It will need a much larger and comprehensive information and detection network. Such a defence structure, as part of NORAD, would require additional surveillance and communication assets including Airborne Early Warning and Control (AEW&C) aircraft, a clear priority of the DND’s recent “Our North, Strong and Free” DPU, unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), improved signals intelligence facilities, and new satellite constellations.

That said, of all the aforementioned defence equipment, one can make a strong argument that AEW&C planes are the most valuable airborne air defence systems, capable of strengthening Canada’s ability to enforce its sovereignty against regular incursions by Russian long-range aviation into its Air Defence Identification Zone (ADIZ). These aerial assets, using their powerful radars to pinpoint and single out hostile strategic bombers and fighter jets, can guide and control RCAF fighter aircraft, directing them to intercept targets, engage in combat, or deliver support to other operations. They can also detect and provide early warning of incoming Intercontinental Ballistic Missiles (ICBMs), hypersonic weapons, stealthy low-flying cruise missiles, and to a lesser extent, hypersonic glide vehicles, and directly transmit this information to the NWS radar network by plugging into the system of systems, generating increased domain awareness. Last but not least, such high-endurance platforms are essential given the sheer size of Canada’s airspace and the fact that it is impossible for stationary ground-based radars to singlehandedly monitor all of it. To counter this challenge and constitute another line of defence, AEW&C planes could be leveraged to help the RCAF provide additional aerial surveillance nodes to ensure that there are as few “gaps” as possible in NORAD’s multi-layered integrated air defence network.

IMPORTANCE OF AEW&C AIRCRAFT

Before proceeding on to Canada’s potential procurement options for this type of aircraft, one must first understand what AEW&C really means. It is typically understood to be a sophisticated airborne system capable of detecting and tracking airborne and surface targets such as aircraft, missiles, drones, ground vehicles, and maritime vessels. However, AEW&C is more than just this function alone as it also incorporates advanced communication, navigation, and electronic warfare capabilities, making it an essential asset for all military operations. With their ability to operate at 30,000 feet or higher if needed, these fixed-wing early warning platforms can detect air and surface tracks at extremely long distances without the limitations of line-of-sight restrictions inherent in ground-based systems, enabling them to contribute to a robust common operating picture and provide comprehensive situational awareness. They also play a crucial role in gathering and processing vast amounts of information about enemy aircraft for long-range over-the-horizon missile engagements along with surveillance, reconnaissance, and C3 operations.

AEW&C aircraft, in other words, are not only aerial surveillance nodes and the ‘eyes and ears’ of the Joint Force, but also strategically important battle management command and control platforms that are far less vulnerable to enemy attack than stationary land-based C4ISR nodes. They manage entire air battles, identify friendly aircraft from hostile ones in real-time, coordinate and optimize the use of all available air combat assets, and provide ground-based air defence systems with precise target data and intelligence to ensure that those missile batteries can operate effectively within a larger air battle context. Such defence platforms include Aegis Ashore Sites, Mid-Course Ground Based Interceptors, Terminal High Altitude Area Defence (THAAD) systems, MM-104 Patriot batteries, and Aegis Ballistic Missile Defence ships such as Ticonderoga-class cruisers, Arleigh Burke-class destroyers, and potentially, Canada’s future River-Class Destroyers. Overall, by having a robust airborne early warning capability, the RCAF will be able to effectively detect, track and prioritize airborne threats, improve its interoperability with the United States, and continue making meaningful contributions to NORAD along with America’s future Golden Dome defence shield while also supporting its allies and partners globally.

Now that we’ve explained the importance of AEW&C aircraft and how they are vital assets in securing Canada’s sovereignty – especially in the far North – we can look at some of the AEW&C aircraft options available for Canada.

SAAB GLOBALEYE

Taking into account these operational and strategic advantages, one can easily argue that the immediate acquisition of new AEW&C aircraft must be made a top priority. Having said that, for the past several decades, most of Canada’s military equipment has been purchased from America, facilitated by the US Foreign Military Sales system, which enables rapid procurement for the RCAF. This strategic dependency and heavy reliance on American technology, as a result, is becoming increasingly problematic as with current economic and political tensions between Ottawa and Washington at an all-time high and critical questions regarding the reliability of the US as a credible military partner running rampant, the CAF, as a whole, has been forced to explore their own defence initiatives and to pay more attention to domestic or foreign alternatives to American-made weapon systems.

Continuing along that vein, in terms of the international AEW&C aircraft market, Saab’s GlobalEye can be considered as a strong procurement choice for Canada’s air force. This platform is an airborne air operations centre and multi-domain force multiplier that is capable of detecting, tracking, and identifying objects in the air, on land, and at sea. The twin jet is built around its primary sensor, the Erieye Extended Range radar system, that is housed in an external dorsal ‘plank’, mounted on the top of its fuselage. Equipped with new gallium nitride transmit/receive modules, this AESA radar can detect targets up to 450 km away when flown at an operating altitude of 30,000 ft, and 550 km away at 35,000 ft, a 70% increase in performance compared to its older variants.

Besides the Erieye, this Swedish AEW&C aircraft is also equipped with several other advanced sensors including an Automatic Identification System (AIS), Electro-Optical System (EOS) and Inverse Synthetic Aperture Radar (ISAR) for conducting maritime surveillance and detecting sea targets such as small boats out to the elevated horizon. To top that off, the unique combination of Erieye ER radars and maritime surveillance radars, such as the Leonardo Seaspray 7500E, which features synthetic-aperture radar and ground-oriented moving target indication modes, even allows for the identification of mobile objects as small as a submarine periscope. Such a capability is absolutely critical for the RCAF given Russia’s rapidly growing naval presence in the Arctic, particularly in the undersea domain. The GlobalEye additionally has an electro-optical/infrared sensor, which is situated underneath the forward fuselage, and an advanced multi-domain Command & Control suite that is fully outfitted with data links, voice and satellite communications, and five onboard operator stations. Collectively, by leveraging this formidable collection of ISR assets, consisting of a baseline AESA radar and C2 system for air, land and sea surveillance, along with some electronic intelligence functions; additional infrared and sea-search functionality; and a dedicated signals intelligence (SIGINT) system, the GlobalEye can simultaneously perform airborne, maritime and ground surveillance missions. It can also coordinate various other air tasks vital for expeditionary warfare, including air superiority operations, strategic airlift, aerial refuelling, close air support, and sustained deep strike campaigns.

However, regardless of how sophisticated its radars, sensors, and C2 capabilities may be, any aerial platform’s effectiveness is heavily defined by its own physical performance. Based on the Global 6000/6500 business jet from Bombardier, the GlobalEye offers over 11 hours of operational endurance or mission time and an impressive range of 6,600 nautical miles, both of which are absolutely crucial for an air force like the RCAF which is responsible for patrolling the longest coastline in the world and defending the second-largest country worldwide in terms of landmass. Not only that, it has a maximum combat flying altitude of 51,000 ft and is equipped with state-of-the-art avionics and ideal working conditions for all crew members, making it perfectly suited for AEW&C missions. It also utilizes Combined Vision Systems, a cockpit display technology that merges Enhanced Vision Systems and Synthetic Vision Systems, to provide pilots with a single, comprehensive view of the outside world and a high level of situational awareness, thereby reducing pilot workload, especially in challenging weather or low-visibility conditions. More importantly, though, the Global 6000/6500 has excellent airfield performance as it can land on and take off from runways that are only 6,500 ft long, enabling it to use smaller airbases.

Having said that, the most outstanding feature of this Swedish early warning aircraft may in fact be its ability to be operated without any onboard operators, streaming its surveillance output to ground-based stations instead, even in highly contested electronic warfare environments. This optional unmanned capacity is especially important for the RCAF given the fact that the service branch is currently struggling to recruit and retain enough people to fill its ranks. Top defence officials have revealed that the service is short nearly 2,000 active personnel along with 500 reservists, at a time when it is supposed to be expanding. Such a manpower deficit has put immense pressure on the RCAF as it tries to coordinate the training of personnel for soon-to-be acquired F-35As, P-8As, and MQ-9B SkyGuardian drones as well as future platforms like AEW&C planes while having enough pilots, mechanics and other maintenance members to continue flying existing combat aircraft in the meantime. 

Last but not least, from an acquisition perspective, while the GlobalEye will undoubtedly face stiff competition from the Boeing E-7 Wedgetail – covered later in this article – which has been selected by the US Air Force and NATO, among many other countries, the Swedish solution may have a slight home court advantage in DND’s procurement process as it leverages a Canadian-made Bombardier Global 6000/6500 airframe, offering a unique opportunity to deliver unmatched capability while growing the Nation’s aerospace and defence sectors. Ottawa, by purchasing the Saab GlobalEye, would be getting a locally built platform along with various industrial advantages, in terms of jobs, domestic content, and involvement of Canadian companies within a global supply chain.

L3HARRIS PHOENIX AEW&C

L3Harris Technologies is offering an aircraft named Phoenix AEW&C, with a team comprised of IAI/Elta Systems and Korean Air Aerospace Division (KAL-ASD). This early warning aircraft is based on a battle-tested L3Harris platform design using Bombardier’s premier Global 6500 high-altitude business jet, and includes the integration of IAI/ELTA’s sophisticated radar technology and artificial intelligence algorithms, specifically the EL/W-2085 multi-band radar system, to provide militaries such as the ROK Air Force with one of the world’s most advanced airborne battle management command and control platforms.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                         

Instead of using a rotodome, a moving radar found on some AEW&C aircraft, the EL/W-2085 relies on an advanced fifth-generation conformal dual-band Gallium Nitride active electronically scanned array (AESA) radar. This system consists of an array of transmit/receive (T/R) modules that allow a beam to be electronically steered, making a physically rotating rotodome unnecessary. Furthermore, AESA radars operate on a pseudorandom set of frequencies and have very short scanning rates, which makes them difficult to detect and jam. Up to 1,000 targets, as a result, can be tracked simultaneously to a range of 450 km, while multitudes of air-to-air interceptions or air-to-surface (includes maritime) attacks can be guided and executed. Additionally, with one L-band radar on the left and right sides on the fuselage and a S-band antenna in both the nose and tail of the aircraft, the phased array allows the positions of enemy aircraft on operator screens to be updated every 2–4 seconds, rather than every 10 seconds as is the case on the rotodome AEW&C platforms. Lastly, but equally important, the Global 6500 is a modern aircraft, with favourable readiness rates, that will fly higher, faster, longer, and at a lower life cycle cost than existing AEW&C platforms.

This proposed ROK Air Force early warning solution is ultimately built around a mature and proven mission system design, ensuring that the ROK program will be low-risk, low-cost and delivered on-time, all while providing maximum support to Seoul’s Air and Missile Defence Initiative along with air communications suites and datalinks that are compatible with US and other allied platforms for enhanced interoperability. Such a procurement project will also be highly beneficial for South Korea from an economic point of view as Korean Air will provide local production using an existing and highly capable local industrial base. This arrangement will grow a new AEW&C aircraft solution that is Korean made, Korean operated and Korean maintained, a strategic objective that Canada also shares for its own air force and private defence sector. The technology transfer involved in this partnership will additionally support higher aircraft readiness rates with improved mission and aircraft availability and lower operational costs.

Most critically, though, Korean industry will be participating in each phase of the installation to ensure direct transfer of the knowledge required to complete follow-on production aircraft and systems in the ROK. It will be engaged in the cross-decking, integration, certification and maintenance of the aircraft and mission system. This partnership with L3Harris and ELTA, therefore, guarantees that the ROK Air Force will not have to wait on foreign assistance to maintain its airborne battle management command and control platforms as Korean Air will be able to provide full control over this critical military capability. Furthermore, sustainment, obsolescence management and integration of future capability upgrades will also be Korean industry-led with support from the L3Harris team. Such extensive strategic support extended to Korean Air paves the way for independent domestic research and development and fostering excellence in aircraft system integration, upgrades, and modifications, which will contribute significantly to the advancement of the ROK’s aerospace and defence sector.

As a result, if DND were to procure this same platform, one could make a strong argument that the technological and economic growth associated with this acquisition would be even more profound in the context of Canada. Given L3Harris’ and ELTA’s evident willingness to facilitate knowledge transfers and the fact that Bombardier manufactures the Global 6500 jet, the airframe of Phoenix AEW&C, the Nation’s military aviation industry would, without question, grow at a significantly greater pace. The RCAF would additionally be able to finally exercise full sovereign control over its own aircraft and gain a new battle management command and control capability while still retaining its interoperability with the US military for NORAD and NATO operations.

BOEING E-7 WEDGETAIL

Having said that, while Ottawa is currently trying to avoid the future purchase of any new US military equipment, such an endeavour is practically impossible, particularly in the aerospace domain. The US, for decades, has been the world’s leading developer and user of AEW&C aircraft. This dominance is clearly evident as the US military currently operates more than 87 of these planes. However, with the impending retirement of the E-3 Sentry, Boeing’s new E-7 Wedgetail is in a prime position to be the new ‘eyes and ears’ of America’s Joint Force. Based on a militarized Next-Generation 737, the E-7 is a twin-engine early warning aircraft and an integrated, flexible command and control node that leverages networked connectivity, edge processing capabilities, and sensor data generation to support significantly improved operational decision-making and efficient force employment. It is outfitted with a fixed AESA radar antenna instead of a mechanically-rotating one, located on a dorsal fin, dubbed the “top hat,” that is mounted on the top of its fuselage. This detection system is capable of 360-degree simultaneous air and sea search, fighter control, and area search, with a maximum range of over 600 km (look-up mode), providing effective ISR coverage over more than 4 million km2 of air and maritime space in a standard mission. Not only that, the radar antenna array can also double as an ELINT array to gather information from non-communication electronic signals, such as radar and other electromagnetic radiation, at ranges of over 850 km at an operating altitude of 30,000 ft. As a result, given their massive sensing capacity, a fleet of Wedgetail aircraft could possibly be considered quite attractive for an air force like Canada’s which is tasked with monitoring vast amounts of territory, including the Nation’s air and maritime approaches.

This stationary fuselage-mounted radar, however, is by no means the sole sensor that the E-7 possesses. Besides its AESA antenna array, the Wedgetail can leverage both a next-generation airborne moving target indication (AMTI) system and a powerful Multi-role Electronically Scanned Array (MESA) radar that provides high-quality sensor data at ranges in excess of 600 km and tracks hundreds of aerial targets simultaneously. Such a capability is absolutely vital to preserving a tactical advantage in air-to-air combat and therefore achieving and maintaining air superiority. For example, in the event of an incursion by Russian strategic bombers or fighters into Canada’s national airspace, newly acquired E-7 Wedgetails, using their powerful MESA radars, would be able to provide RCAF F-35s with the necessary targeting data required to take the first shot at a significant standoff range. This capability is critical as modern day aerial combat revolves around beyond visual range missile engagements, where the duelling pilot who sees the adversary first has an overwhelming advantage. Besides defending against hostile aircraft, E-7s can also detect and track hundreds of low flying, radar evading hypersonic or cruise missiles heading for major Canadian population centres, vector and coordinate fighters as well as ground-based air defence systems to intercept them, confirm NORAD’s overall air picture, and enhance the real-time situational awareness of Joint Force commanders.

Put simply, the E-7 is a combat-proven force multiplier that provides unparalleled abilities.  It can scan the skies; communicate with surface, ground and air assets; enable integration and interoperability across the Joint Force inside degraded and contested environments; supply multi-domain surveillance; and augment the effectiveness of existing forces such as UAVs, fighter jets, land-based long-range fires units, and air and missile defence platforms by sharing ISR, targeting data, and common operating pictures between multi-domain systems – from sensor to shooter. Crews aboard this AEW&C aircraft can also provide tactical control to other assets via voice and tactical data link and utilize ten state-of-the-art command and control consoles to deliver numerous multi-domain battle management capabilities. By executing such actions, Wedgetail operators not only coordinate a joint air, sea and land battle in real time and significantly enhance the lethality of friendly combat assets, but also increase these units’ survivability in a contested environment.

Lastly, from a logistics perspective, the E-7 has a maximum range of over 6,500 km and can employ in-flight aerial refuelling via a receptacle on the top of its forward fuselage to extend its usual 10+ hour mission duration, allowing for the AEW&C aircraft to be capable of unlimited long-range deployment and to remain on station indefinitely. Moreover, as it is based on Boeing’s 737, the Wedgetail is also a persistent, off-the-shelf platform that brings lower life cycle costs along with higher mission readiness rates. Such operational benefits are due to a well-established global supply chain, countless support hubs, and unmatched interoperability among a growing global user community that consists of numerous US allies, including all five member nations of the Five Eyes alliance which operate either the P-8 Poseidon or the E-7 or both. The RCAF, for example, will soon be deploying 16 P-8s for maritime patrol and ASW. That said, when compared to its primary rival, the Saab GlobalEye, the Wedgetail has one notable weakness in that while it can perform surface surveillance with its radar, this is not its primary mission set, and as a result, the aircraft does not have a second dedicated array for it.

NORTHRUP GRUMMAN E-2D HAWKEYE

Finally, in terms of viable AEW&C platforms for the RCAF, DND should consider one last American plane, the Northrup Grumman E-2D Hawkeye. While typically known as a carrier-borne early warning aircraft for the US Navy, this twin-turboprop can just as effectively operate from land and be used in ground-based operations. Equipped with a 24-foot diameter rotating radar dome that is mounted above its fuselage and wings, carrying its primary antennas for its long-range AN/APY-9 radar and IFF systems, the E-2D provides all-weather airborne early warning of enemy aircraft and incoming missile attacks as well as highly sophisticated command and control capabilities. It can also track over 3,000 air and ground targets simultaneously with UHF band radar while detecting 20,000 contacts within a 640 km+ radius and, at the same time, coordinate 40–100 air-to-air interceptions or air-to-surface strikes.

Furthermore, similar to the E-7 Wedgetail, the Hawkeye is fitted with an aerial refuelling capability, enabling it to double its time on station to five hours and increase its total mission time from four to seven hours. It is with this extended combat range and augmented endurance that the E-2D can execute its regular sea and land surveillance missions to provide real-time common operating pictures to Joint Force commanders, control combat air patrol (CAP) fighter jets for air defence, direct close air support strikes by attack aircraft, and manage SAR missions for downed combat aviators. This AEW&C plane can also serve in an air traffic control (ATC) capacity in emergency situations when land-based ATC is unavailable.

Having said that, the Hawkeye’s APY-9 radar’s ability to detect fifth-generation fighters like the Russian Sukhoi Su-57 is far more impressive and important, especially given Moscow’s belligerent air posture in the Arctic with increased numbers of combat air patrols and strategic bomber missions. This sensing capability is also a key component of the concepts of Cooperative Engagement Capability (CEC), Naval Integrated Fire Control-Counter Air (NIFC-CA) capability, and Joint Force interoperability, all of which will soon be integral parts of the Nation’s air defence. Such an assertion is backed by the fact that the RCN will soon be receiving new surface combatants, equipped with Aegis Combat Systems, AN/SPY-7 radars, and CEC hardware. As a result, with Ottawa’s procurement of these ships, any decision to acquire the E-2D as Canada’s primary AEW&C platform in the future would be a sound and coherent one.

According to the NIFC-CA concept, Hawkeye aircraft can guide RCAF and RCN weapons, such as AIM-120 AMRAAM and SM-2 missiles, onto targets far beyond a launch platform’s detection range or engagement envelope. These interceptions are made possible due to the use of data-links to provide every fighter jet and warship with a single, real-time composite track picture of the entire battle-space. This process of rapid aggregation and diffusion of combat sensor information is officially known as Cooperative Engagement Capability which leverages the Aegis radar systems of guided missile destroyers such as the RCN’s future River-Class Destroyers and links them together into a single network to share data as a whole. Such integration allows enemy targets detected by one ship, as well as those seen by AEW&C aircraft like the E-2D, to be identified by another warship and engaged with long-range missiles without that vessel having to actually detect it themselves. Consequently, in the event of a conflict, highly erratic and maneuverable hypersonic glide vehicles could be intercepted by Hawkeye-guided SM-6 missiles while NSMs and Block V Tomahawks could be launched from Canada’s River-Class Destroyers against enemy warships, outside their effective weapons engagement zone. This unique capacity is crucial in warfare as not needing to fire on targets only once a ship’s or jet’s own sensors see them allows for expanded attack options, increased standoff distances for offensive and defensive operations, and enables naval flotillas or fighter squadrons to collectively intercept threats, like high-speed cruise missiles, immediately upon detection by a single destroyer or an AEW&C plane. Combat aircraft deploying weapons also may not need to control missiles after launching them, as an E-2D could direct them by a data-stream to the target. In other words, forward-deployed CF-18 Hornets and CF-35s would be able to receive data and fire weapons without needing to even have their own radars active, therefore concealing their precise location.

Most importantly, though, an AEW&C platform like the E-2D would give Canadian warfighters decision dominance through robust battle-space awareness and greater stand-off radar coverage, and enhance Joint Force air and missile defence capabilities by fusing data from multiple air search sensors on CEC-equipped units into a single, real-time, common operating picture. Working in conjunction with River-Class Aegis Destroyers, equipped with CEC and AN/SPY-7 radars, these planes would effectively monitor Canadian airspace, coordinate the air defence of all deployed naval task groups, and enhance the CAF’s contribution to NORAD by boosting its ability to defend Canadian cities from Russian ballistic missile attack.

STRATEGIC IMPERATIVE
FOR NORAD MODERNIZATION

In closing, the acquisition of an AEW&C capability represents an imperative strategic objective for the RCAF. It holds the promise of bolstering Canada’s defence posture, improving continental security cooperation with the United States, enhancing domain awareness in the Arctic region, and serving as a highly effective force multiplier for military units, deployed on expeditionary warfare missions all around the world. By investing in this critical capability, Ottawa can better anticipate and respond to evolving security challenges and expedite its NORAD modernization efforts, thereby safeguarding Canada’s national interests while contributing to international peace and stability.

Richard Nghiem is a Regular CDR Contributor