17 – Multi-purpose helicopters designed for Special Air Operations
COL Tomislav Pušnik, HRV (Air)
Native of Celje, Slovenia. Graduation in June 1997 from the Faculty of Transport and Traffic Science, 1st generation Croatian military pilots.
Aircraft commander at the squadron, wing level, with more than 2,500 hours in the Bell 206 Jet Ranger, Mi-8T, Mi-8 MTV1 and Mi-171Sh helicopters, including about 180 flight hours in operations KFOR, ISAF and RESOLUTE SUPPORT.
Email: tomislav.pusnik@msaptc.org / tomislav.pusnik@morh.hr
Introduction
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 marked a dramatic escalation of the eight-year-old conflict, which began with Russia’s annexation of Crimea and signified a historic turning point for European security. Since that day, we can say that the period of living in a peaceful and stable environment is behind us, and that we need to prepare for an extended period of life in which most countries in Europe will be exposed to different types of threats, from conventional conflicts to various asymmetric threats. As can be seen, European countries should prepare for various types of military conflict in which the role of Special Operations Forces (SOF) will be enormous, especially if it is a question of asymmetric threats and unconventional warfare.
When we mention SOF and their role in today’s military conflicts, we must be aware that Special Operations are nothing new. Special Operations have been around forever, and the SOF that conduct such operations have existed since the beginning of the first more significant military conflicts, differing only in size and type of organization.
An excellent example of the importance of SOF and their influence on the outcome of military conflicts can be seen in the article “A Handful of Heroes on Desperate Ventures: When do Special Operations Succeed?” published by Colin S. Gray for the US Army War College Quarterly, Parameters, where a great Mongol warlord was quoted. Colonel Yasotay, an officer in the army of Genghis Khan, the great Mongolian Emperor, is reported to have told General Khan:
“When the hour of crisis comes, remember that 40 selected men can shake the world”.
Colonel Yasotay was referring to how, during missions of national strategic importance or during military campaigns, a small but specially trained elite force could change the dynamics and outcome of a complex and challenging situation far beyond any physical measure of their capability.
Special Operations, and therefore Special Air Operations, are those military activities conducted by specially designated, organized, trained, and equipped forces using operational tactics, techniques, and modes of employment that are not standard to conventional (regular) forces, and that are often conducted in hostile, denied, or politically sensitive environments. These operations are often high risk, time sensitive, clandestine, or low visibility. SOF Air Operations are activities within SOF operations conducted by Special Operations Air Forces, often requiring support from conventional air units.
NATO Special Operations Forces are vital to multi-domain operations (MDO) where the coordinated use of capabilities from all service branches in more than one physical domain (land, sea, air, space, or cyberspace) or dimension (physical, human, or informational) is required. The defeat of enemies of great power requires the defeat of the enemy’s entire warfighting systems. This means defeating capabilities in all domains, the electromagnetic spectrum, and the information environment (IE); including personnel, command and control (C2) architecture, intelligence, logistics base, and the enemy’s means of using data. Finally, the enemy must be defeated cognitively by destroying the will to fight.
This means that SOF must be organized, trained, and equipped to be deployed and to conduct operations in diverse geographic environments at short notice, and one of these is the mountainous environment. Generally speaking, the environmental considerations for Special Air Operations crews (Special Operations Aviation Task Units – SOATUs) are no different than for conventional operations crews. The exception is that SOATUs may find themselves deployed more independently, away from the large administrative areas afforded to a conventional deployment. This means that SOATU aircrew should continually improve their personal survival skills with periodic survival, escape/evasion, resistance, and extraction (SERE) refresher training and maintain their physical condition. Just like their land and maritime counterparts, special operations air personnel conduct special operations across the spectrum of conflict, using whatever equipment they have available in unconventional and innovative ways.
One of the main roles of rotary-wing (RW) SOATUs is the transport of SOF personnel and equipment in support of the SOF’s principal tasks: Military Assistance (MA), Special Reconnaissance (SR), and Direct Action (DA). These transport missions frequently involve extended ranges and difficult flying conditions (e.g. low visibility, austere environments, and high threat levels). The movement, pre-positioning, and resupply of these personnel and their equipment and supplies, which is often conducted in a discreet or covert manner and which is critical to the overall success, are carried out by SOATUs conducting special Air Transport (AT). Some nations have expanded their internal Special Operations Air Force capabilities beyond special AT, which may include ALI (Aviation Location Identification), close air support (CAS), close-combat attack (CCA), electronic warfare (EW), air-to-air refuelling (AAR), personnel recovery (PR), medical evacuation (MEDEVAC)/casualty evacuation (CASEVAC) for SOF, and intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR).
Multi-purpose Helicopters Designed for Special Air Ops
General
Special Operations Air Forces are the primary providers of air support to land and maritime SOF. Conventional air support, especially CCA, CAS, air interdiction (AI), ISR, airlift, PR, MEDEVAC, and AAR, can be provided to and used by SOF. However, it would be inappropriate to use conventional assets in environments where there is a level of physical and/or political risk not normally associated with their capabilities, or where special insertion or extraction techniques are required.
In order for the SOATU to be able to carry out its primary and additional missions defined by the doctrine of Special Forces, they should have helicopters in their composition that enable them to carry out operations in a politically sensitive environment which includes the acceptance of high risk, the constant presence of adversaries and a complex geographical environment.
Some NATO nations’ Special Operations Air Task Units fly helicopters which are highly modified, technologically sophisticated, and offer significant advantages in threat avoidance, survivability, extended ranges, and environmental capacity. While specialized helicopters have an essential role in extending the capabilities of special air warfare forces, high-end capabilities are costly to procure and sustain in terms of equipment, logistical support, and aircrew training. It is considered that a small number of NATO countries can have a different fleet of specialized and highly sophisticated helicopters intended for carrying out specific missions.
On the other hand, combat experiences from the past have demonstrated that in a counter-insurgency environment, technologically sophisticated helicopters are not necessary for many SOF Air Operations, and that for some NATO nations, the process of acquiring and introducing into operational use technologically sophisticated helicopters is very long and challenging. Given that, they are striving to upgrade their current fleet of helicopters.
However, SOF Air Operations in a near-peer environment will need more sophisticated helicopters and capabilities, given the advanced anti-access/area denial (A2/AD) systems peer states have in their arsenal. Depending on the operational requirements, threats, environment, etc., RW aircraft can effectively support mission areas such as close air support (CAS) or special air transport (AT). They may be a lower-cost alternative to FW aircraft in specific roles and missions. In nearly every case, the requirement is for highly trained air personnel instilled with the special operations mindset who can employ the available vessels in ways unexpected by their adversaries.
Minimum NATO Special Operations Air Forces Standards
SOATUs quickly discover that more than traditional equipment will be needed; specific equipment often needs to be smaller, more discreet, distributed in sufficient numbers, and easy to maintain to ensure near-instant readiness. Deploying anywhere at very short notice requires that assets can be easily prepared/equipped (i.e. with a modular solution) for a variety of environments and scenarios.
Special Operations Air Forces use unique operational techniques, modes of employment, and/or equipment that may not be standard to conventional air forces. For this reason, Special Operations Air Forces must achieve specific minimum standards and operational capabilities to be certified as a NATO SOF unit.
The AFS Volume X, Special Operations Forces and NSHQ Guidelines for NATO SOF Helicopter Operations describe the minimum capabilities that SOF aircrew should acquire to attain essential Special Air Operations capability. In general terms, the minimum capabilities necessary to be considered SOF-qualified are:
- Capable of planning and conducting special operations (including at least one of the three principal tasks of MA, SR, and DA) in the land and/or maritime environments through the provision of special operations air support, across the full spectrum of military operations, unilaterally and independently as directed by a SOCC, SOAC, or SOATG, or in support of a conventional command.
- Capable of infiltrating and exfiltrating to or from hostile, politically sensitive, and potentially high-risk operational areas by day and night using special TTP that maximize the probability of mission success.
- Capable of operating by day and night, in low illumination, in all terrains and environments, in adverse weather conditions (including cold and extremely hot temperatures, low visibility, low cloud ceilings, and high winds), and under austere conditions to insert, extract, resupply, or support land and maritime SOTGs or SOTUs.
- Capable of conducting low-altitude (less than or equal to 500 feet above ground level) tactical-flight operations commensurate with mission requirements and the expected threat environment.
- Capable of operating subordinate to a SOATG, SOAC, or SOCC, including conducting integrated mission planning and C2 of organic assets through the provision of liaison elements.
To carry out Special Air Operations by the minimum capabilities prescribed in AFS Volume X, as well as in the security environments and high threats, the Special Air Forces units should have in their composition helicopters adapted for today’s conditions of carrying out Special Air Operations. Given the helicopter platforms in their composition, the Special Air Forces should modify and equip them with technologically sophisticated equipment that offers significant advantages in threat avoidance, survivability, extended ranges, and environmental capacity. These systems or equipment can be installed individually or modularly. Some of the more common special air operations modifications that NATO nations have pursued include:
- Night vision goggle (NVG) compatible interior and exterior lighting.
- Air refuelling (FW to RW).
- Fast rope insertion and extraction kit.
- Ballistic protection.
- Extended range modifications.
- Global navigation satellite systems.
- Terrain-following and terrain-avoidance radars.
- NATO standard secure line of sight (LOS) and beyond line of sight (BLOS) communications and data transfer suites.
- ISR equipment.
- Armaments (offensive and defensive).
- Defensive systems, electronic countermeasures, chaff, and flares.
- Temporary, usually water-based, aircraft paint to allow scenario-appropriate camouflage.
- Situational awareness (SA) equipment to facilitate reduced visibility operations.
Conclusion
In all aspects of Special Air Operations, humans are more important than hardware. This means that special operations aircrews will often use conventional aircraft and equipment to achieve unconventional results. Some nations have employed very specialized, purpose-built aircraft, while other nations have been able to achieve very good results with some after-market modifications to aircraft already in use by their conventional fleets. The main goal is to modify the helicopters and equip them to enable the implementation of special air operations in politically sensitive areas where there is a real danger of various threats due to the constant presence of the adversary. In addition, given that the logistical maintenance of helicopter platforms is costly, the goal is to have a unique platform that will reduce the cost of maintenance and the need to store spare parts for several different helicopter platforms. Also, today, when the demand for human resources is very high and their training is expensive and time-consuming, the goal is to speed up and simplify it, which is achieved by introducing into operational use multi-purpose helicopters that can perform several different specialized tasks.
The UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter is the best example of a multi-purpose helicopter platform. More than 30 militaries around the world depend on UH-60 and S-70 Black Hawk fleets for high reliability in tough environments. These multi-purpose platforms have a proven military pedigree of transporting troops and cargo into battle, conducting armed reconnaissance, combat search and rescue, medevac and humanitarian relief missions. The U.S. Army’s stated intent to continue operating Black Hawk helicopters into the 2070s means the platform will benefit from continued investment for another 50 years from both Sikorsky and the U.S. military. As part of that effort, Sikorsky has developed and certified a new weapons system retrofit kit for the Black Hawk. Armed Black Hawks do exist, but the majority of these have been modified by the U.S. Special Operations community for their specific needs and are therefore not available internationally.
The genesis of Sikorsky’s new weapons system kit dates back to 2009, when Sikorsky and Elbit Systems conducted proof-of-concept demonstrations for an armed Black Hawk in Israel. Both companies invested their own money and, over two years, test-fired a number of weapons, including a turreted gun, guided advanced tactical rockets (GATR), and the Spike air-to-ground missile.
“The demonstration programme in Israel had very positive results,” said Joe Palumbo, Sikorsky’s programme director overseeing the weapons system programme for the Black Hawk. “Couple that with the strong international customer base of almost 1,400 Black Hawks, and the fact that many nations can’t support both a utility helicopter and an attack helicopter – these factors taken together supported the business case to develop a kit to weaponize the Black Hawk. The new weapons system kit also leverages our whole logistics and support package by having one inventory of parts and one training path for pilots, so that’s also very attractive to fleet operators.”
The new weapons kit is designed for third-generation S-70M and S-70i Black Hawks, all of which are built to a military standard and equipped with a digital cockpit, digital interface database, enhanced engines and blades, an integrated vehicle health management system (IVHMS), and various other safety and product improvements.
The digital architecture of these aircraft facilitates full integration of the weapons system kit with the cockpit avionics, and will enable the crew to fire fixed-forward guns, rockets and missiles during armed reconnaissance missions; it can also act as a multi-role medium attack helicopter supporting ground troops. Weapons are carried by two external wings – the external stores and weapons system (ESWS). Together, the wings have four weapons stations that can support any combination of certified munitions or up to four 200-gallon external fuel tanks, which allows the aircraft to self-deploy on long missions or be ferried up to 1,400 km.
It takes around three months to modify a Black Hawk with the integrated weapons system kit, which is then warrantied by Sikorsky. Once modified, support crews can configure the aircraft to its medium attack role in less than three hours, thus giving military commanders flexibility as battlefield situations dictate.
The weapons management targeting system for the new kit is made by Elbit Systems, and is now integrated with the Black Hawk’s integrated head-up display (I-HUD). By integrating with the I-HUD, the pilot no longer has to look down to his weapons pages to select weapons or to do any ballistic calculations.
The primary benefit of a weapons system integrated with the aircraft’s flight controls is the ability to put the first round onto a static or moving target with minimal training. Extreme accuracy is ideal for minimizing collateral damage to assets in close proximity to targets, thereby reducing the risk for troops in the field while providing close air support.
The weapons include fixed-forward GAU-19 and M134 guns, seven different types of unguided 2.75-inch (70mm) Hydra rockets in 19-shot or 7-shot pod configuration, and the Hellfire air-to-ground missile. The new weapons kit is also able to launch the 2.75-inch guided advanced precision kill weapon system (APKWS) and/or TALON rockets. These precision weapons require a laser designator, which is part of the EO/IR pod fitted to the aircraft.
Considerable effort was spent developing new software for the aircraft’s flight management system and for weapons symbology in the multi-function displays. The aircraft’s electrical system was also amended to support the power required for the weapons.
The pilots’ cyclic grips have weapons selection and trigger mechanisms added, while the collective is now configured with additional weapons features. Also added are integrated electronic circuit breakers and two centre-console mission grips (for pilot and co-pilot) to operate weapons and electro-optical/infrared (EO/IR) sensors. The aircraft are also fitted for engine inlet barrier filters and internal auxiliary fuel tanks.
Rounding out the major systems enhancements is the pilot’s helmet tracking system, which is completely mapped to the cockpit so that weapons symbology is harmonized when the pilot turns his or her head. The weapons system mission kit also includes ammunition pallets that fit inside the cabin to feed the GAU-19 and M134 guns.
The test aircraft were fitted with the FLIR Systems BRITE Star II EO/IR pod, though the Black Hawk can accommodate other vendors’ pods to suit customer requirements. Although these sensors can be removed when not in armed configuration, Sikorsky believes that most operators will elect to keep them on the aircraft for enhanced situational awareness during day or night, and the ability to conduct search and rescue operations as needed.
