A Special Mission Aircraft is a platform either in the regime of fixed-wing aircraft or rotary-wing machines that is equipped with advanced technologies and is customised for any one from amongst a variety of specialist tasks. These could include aerial reconnaissance, aerial photography, air ambulance, in-flight refuelling, maritime surveillance, geothermic survey, disaster management, remote sensing, power line inspection, law enforcement, electronic intelligence gathering, flight inspection, calibration of navigational aids, VIP transport, weather monitoring & modification, anti-submarine warfare, forward air controller in the tactical battle area, communication relays, search and rescue, border patrol, command and control, military pilot training, etc.

The size of the platform may vary from a light single-piston engine aircraft, mid-size business jets or turboprops to an aircraft of the size of a four-engine Boeing 747 or even an Airbus 380 in the future if mission requirements so necessitate.

Design Paradigms

The concept underlying the philosophy of a Special Mission Aircraft is to combine sophistication with simplicity as well as provide high levels of automation to reduce workload on the pilots and operational crew. The task of integration of specialised hardware with the platform, development of software, modification of the airframe, flight test and certification of special mission aircraft, are all challenging responsibilities that should normally be undertaken by original equipment manufacturers. Maintenance of the platform and the sophisticated equipment fitted on the aircraft as well as training of flying and operational crew to the right levels of proficiency are activities that remain the responsibility of the customer nation.

Apart from the major players dealing with large-size platforms such as Boeing Defense Space and Security as well as the Airbus Group, some of the other aerospace companies such as Gulfstream Aerospace Corporation, Embraer of Brazil, Bombardier of Canada, Saab of Sweden, Israel Aerospace Industries and Beechcraft Corporation of the US provide a variety of solutions to cater to a wide range of customer needs for Special Mission Aircraft in both military and civilian segments. Usually the aircraft employed for Special Mission task is a modified version of a platform developed for some other or general purpose such as for the long-range airliner or a short-haul commuter aircraft or even a business jet. An example would be Embraer Legacy jets that are modified for VIP travel or the Embraer ERJ-145 that is customised for airborne early warning and control (AEW&C) tasks. However, new generation technologies are continuing efforts at reducing the size of high capability sensors to make them a viable payload for small, twin-engine aircraft like the Beechcraft King Air 350ER. And of course the requirement to make the platform environmentally-friendly remains a compelling necessity.

Special Mission Aircraft and the IAF

While the demand for Special Mission Aircraft is growing worldwide, today the Gulf region is one of the fastest growing markets for such specialised platforms. This trend was clearly visible in the Dubai Airshow last year. However, in recent times, the Indian Air Force (IAF) has been engaged in a process aimed at achieving complete transformation. Apart from acquisition of major fleets of combat aircraft, strategic and tactical airlift aircraft and both light and heavy rotary-wing platforms, the IAF is also inducting Special Mission Aircraft. On top of the list is the Airbus A330 multi-role tanker transport (MRTT) for which the IAF is pursuing a case to acquire six platforms to augment its fleet of the Russian IL-78. Hopefully, the contract would be concluded in the near future. Meanwhile, the three ERJ-145 based AEW&C from Embraer of Brazil contracted for some time ago, have already arrived in India and are under integration of specialised equipment. Of course, the IAF would need several more of such platforms, perhaps another dozen or so to provide gap free air defence against threat to the national airspace. Apart from these, the IAF is moving ahead to enhance its electronic warfare (EW) capability for which in 2012, it had initiated a proposal to procure nine mid-size Special Mission Aircraft. Two of the aircraft would be equipped for signals intelligence (SIGINT) role and the remaining seven aircraft would have multi-mission capability such as aerial survey, target towing and communications jamming (COMJAM).

For this requirement, the IAF would be looking at military version of business jets that are rugged and provide good endurance. The aircraft should be powered by twin turbofan engines with low noise and vibration levels, with hot-and-high capability and that can be operated from bases located at 10,000 feet above mean sea level. The aircraft should have a speed of around Mach 0.8 and a minimum range of 4,500 km. The product range available in the market to meet with this requirement is wide and varied, posing its own challenge for the IAF to make the final selection of the most appropriate product.