MILITARY ATLANTIQUE 2
Henri-Pierre Grolleau tells us how the French Navy’s Atlantique 2 has become a versatile combat tool conducting a wide spectrum of missions over both land and sea
Since the closure of Base Aéronautique Navale (BAN or Naval Air Station) Nîmes-Garons, in 2011, all French Navy Atlantique 2 maritime patrol aircraft (MPA) have been stationed at BAN Lann-Bihoué, near Lorient, in Brittany, a short distance away from the Île Longue navy base, home of France’s nuclear ballistic missile submarines. Two naval squadrons, Flottilles 21F and 23F, share the maritime patrol and overland missions now carried out by the faithful twin. They are both organised along the same lines and are each equipped with seven Atlantique 2s. The two units maintain two aircraft and two crews at immediate readiness all year round. They are ready to respond at short notice to demands for their expertise, either on their own or in direct support of a Falcon 50 from Flottille 24F, also based at Lann-Bihoué, for search and rescue or other missions such as maritime patrol, counter maritime terrorism or interdicting drug traffickers.
Increasing the size of the force
With defence budgets on the rise, France’s armed forces are being recapitalised and the maritime patrol force is no exception. Capitaine de Vaisseau (Captain) Éric Janicot, Lann-Bihoué base commander at the time of the interview told AIR International: “We are boosting the number of Atlantique 2s in front line service to progressively reinforce Flottilles 21F and 23F. The training syllabus for pilots, flight engineers and rear cabin crew members starts with a lot of simulator instruction during which the complexity of missions is gradually increased. About 75% of all conversion training is now performed using simulators.
However, we will not go any further than that [in the use of simulators] because aircrews have to practice in realistic conditions, as close as possible to real combat conditions, against real French or allied submarines. Crews are established for three to four years during which they will work together and operate as combat-efficient teams.”
Atlantique 2 aircrews have become real experts in deep water and littoral combat operations. Captain Janicot insisted: “The ‘core business’ of Flottilles 21F and 23F crews is anti-submarine warfare [ASW], especially for the protection of our nuclear ballistic missile submarines as part of France’s nuclear deterrence policy. After the premature withdrawal of the Nord 262 following a technical issue, Atlantique 2s were often tasked with conducting maritime surveillance and fishery protection missions. These types of missions are less common for 21F and 23F these days thanks to the doubling of the number of available Falcon 50M and Falcon 50Mi aircraft, that now bear that burden, from four to eight. Accordingly, pressure on the Atlantique 2 fleet has somewhat eased up, allowing 21F and 23F to refocus on their combat roles. Today, aircrews each log, on average, 330 flying hours per annum although some individuals reach 410 hours. By comparison, when I was a young pilot, in the 1990s, we barely reached 300 hours each year. The number of hours per aircrew has increased, but the number of available crews is also rising. The submarine threat has become a reality again. To track a submarine for an extended period of time, you have to ensure that enough aircraft are available, and we devote an increasing number of flight hours to that mission. It is one of the reasons why it is crucial to expand the number of available crews.”
An aircraft optimised for operations at sea
The Atlantique 2 was specifically designed to operate and manoeuvre at very low level over the sea. Lieutenant Habrien, one of Flottille 23F’s pilots explained that: “The aerodynamics of the aircraft are optimised for manoeuvrability at slow speed, low above the wave tops … the Atlantique 2 is extremely responsive to control inputs, with predictable behaviour. Typically, we fly at 180 knots at low-level, making sure we are not too aggressive on the controls, avoiding sharp changes in aircraft trajectory to spare the crew members in the rear cabin to reduce stress and fatigue, an absolute necessity for long and complex missions. Various systems have been incorporated in the design to guarantee aircraft stability and a smooth ride. This is one of the reasons why we obtain such good results during photo reconnaissance runs. The aircraft is fitted with a very advanced autopilot, which allows us to couple the aircraft in pitch but not in roll to remain fully agile. The autopilot can be engaged down to 110ft. It accurately follows the information provided by the radio altimeter to maintain us at the selected height. Even though the Atlantique 2 is easy to fly, it is not easy to land. Final approach is flown with a noticeable nose down angle, which presents challenges during the flare to land. Lightly loaded, in high temperatures, it behaves like a glider because of its huge wings and ‘floats’ above the runway, refusing to come down. When that happens, we have to firmly push it down onto the concrete.
Modernising the Atlantique 2
A gap in terms of detection performance had progressively appeared between the Atlantique 2 and other aircraft such as the modernised Royal Canadian Air Force CP-140 Aurora Block III and the P-8A Poseidon now in service with the US Navy, the Royal Australian Air Force and the Indian Navy (and ordered by the UK, Norway and South Korea). The entry into service of the NH90 Caïman and of the new Aquitaine-class Frégates Multimissions (FREMM or multi-mission frigates), both itted with the latest generation of anti-submarine sensors, has also widened the gap between the Atlantique 2 and its French partner systems. FREMM has been designed around the Thales Underwater Systems CAPTAS 4 (Combine Active Passive Towed Array Sonar) variable depth sonar suite that also equips British Type 23 frigates (known as Sonar 2087 by the Royal Navy) while the NH90 carries the Thales FLASH (Folding Light Acoustic System for Helicopters) dipping sonar, which sets new standards in helicopter sub hunting. FLASH is also in service with the Royal Navy on Merlin HM2s and with the US Navy on its MH-60R Seahawk helicopters. It is built under license in the US by Raytheon as the AQS-22. Lieutenant Guillaume, one of Flottille 23F’s tactical coordinators told us about tactics. “We have radically changed our tactics for combined operations with helos.
Previously, the aircraft’s role was to be in charge of ensuring tactical control in an area of operations and of positioning the Lynx [France’s legacy ASW helicopter] thanks to the Atlantique 2’s better picture of the developing situation. Today, the Caïman can hunt on its own thanks to the FLASH’s amazing detection ranges. Instead of closely cooperating with the rotary assets, we now work in distinct geographical areas. The obvious advantage is that the search area is considerably enlarged, thus increasing the likelihood of inding a hostile sub. In any case, the Atlantique 2 remains the primary shooter. We are also impressed by the outstanding operational capabilities – in terms of range and of low false alarm rate – ofered by the ship-borne CAPTAS.”
Launched in the 1980s, the Atlantique 2 programme was planned to encompass 42 aircraft to replace the ageing Atlantic 1 (note the diference in spelling due to the fact that the Atlantic was a NATO-led multinational programme while the Atlantique 2 is purely French). However, the end of the Cold War and the disappearance of the potential Soviet submarine threat led to a reduction in the number of aircraft built to just 28. Today, 22 Atlantique 2s remain in the active inventory. Six aircraft have been withdrawn, including No.1, the first production aircraft, No.10, damaged during an accident at Lann-Bihoué on January 21, 2007, and another four aircraft used for spares reclamation.
Surveillance missions
In Syria and Iraq, Atlantique 2s were engaged in a wide range of surveillance, intelligence, eavesdropping, forward air control, close air support and kinetic destruction – bombing - missions. Non-traditional intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (NTISR) occupies an increasingly important place in Flottille 21F and 23F missions. The two squadrons have been provided with new hand-held digital SLR cameras used in conjunction with powerful lenses. Aircrews shoot high resolution imagery through the front lateral window positioned on the right side of the nose. That lat window was previously used for an Omera wet ilm reconnaissance camera. This ixed system was withdrawn a few years ago in favour of digital SLRs, less expensive and more user-friendly. Chief Petty Oicer Julien explained: “Our digital SLRs are directly connected to a laptop in the main cabin. An operator in the back can immediately examine the photos to gather intelligence that will be exploited in the shortest amount of time.
“It proves to be a useful tool that supplements the Wescam turret. Obviously, we can also record and analyse MX- 20D imagery. The beauty of the system is that the MX-20D can be pointed at a target while the Tango FLIR is aimed at another, thus augmenting our capabilities to track targets, for example when a terrorist group splits during an action or after a meeting, allowing us to pass on data to Special Forces teams on the ground.”
Six successive standards
The Atlantique 2 has benefited from a number of upgrades since entering service. In all, there have been six Atlantique 2 standards: - the initial Standards 1 and 2, which date back to the 1990s, when the aircraft was initially accepted into service.
- Standard 3, introduced in 1995 for the adoption of the Link 11 datalink to automatically share tactical data with other NATO platforms. - Standard 4, which appeared in 2006, for the integration of the MU90 torpedo.
- Standard 5/ICAO (International Civil Aviation Organisation), with the adoption of an updated instrument panel with four multifunction displays and a TCAS (Traffic Collision Avoidance System). First deliveries in 2012.
Aircraft in service today are either in a Standard 4 or Standard 5 configuration, but Dassault Aviation, Thales, their industrial and governmental partners are busy developing Standard 6 which could be considered as the Atlantique 2’s mid-life upgrade.
Standard 4 and the MU90 torpedo
The adoption of the Franco-Italian MU90 torpedo was a major step forward for the Atlantique 2 community. This state-of-the-art 12.75in (324mm) torpedo has now completely supplanted the Mk46 torpedo, which is totally outdated against the latest generation of fast, deep diving and stealthy submarines. Commander Laurent, deputy commander of the French Naval Aviation Operational Evaluation Centre said: “Compared to the older, US-produced Mk46 which armed the Lynx and the Standards 1 to 3 Atlantique 2s, the MU90 offers significant advantages. It is faster, has a better range and dives to greater depths, which means that its iring envelope is much wider, thus ofering more operating options. The MU90 is far less sensitive to countermeasures, decoys and jammers, while being more efective in shallow or coastal waters, in straits or gulfs for instance. Its seeker can be programmed to operate in passive mode during initial approach so as not to betray the presence of the torpedo before switching to an active mode at the last moment. Moreover, its propulsion system is extremely quiet, reducing the likelihood of an early detection by the targeted submarine. Its warhead is designed to defeat the latest and thickest hulls built in high strength, high tensile alloys.”
The Atlantique 2’s weapon bay can carry up to six MU90s. Lieutenant Guillaume explained: “The MU90’s range is such that we can now ire at stand-of distances, without overlying our prey. The torpedo’s search and attack parameters can be easily programmed, with pre-set geographical limits or vertical and horizontal separations to avoid accidentally targeting friendly assets that could be operating in the area, even below the surface. As the MU90 is remarkably fast, there is little risk its passive/active seeker might lose its intended prey and, should that happen, the torpedo automatically initiates another search and attack pattern.”
On top of the MU90, the Standard 4 beneits from a secure Aviasat Satcom for data and voice transmissions, allowing crews to remain in contact with higher command even when operating in the middle of the desert or ocean.
For anti-ship missions, the Atlantique 2 can carry two Exocet missiles in its large weapons bay. While Rafale M ighters are equipped with the latest AM39 Block 2 Mod 2 digital variant of the Exocet, the Atlantique 2 retains the earlier AM39 Block 7.
Overland missions
When the Atlantique 2 entered service, in the early 1990s, the overland missions, which had previously been carried out by the Atlantic 1 deep in the African desert were progressively abandoned, the units refocusing instead on a purely naval role, for littoral and blue water operations. The resurgence of the terrorist threat in recent years has led to a need for increased surveillance capabilities in the desert and forced the Flottilles to deploy to Africa again as part of a wider efort to deter and defeat terror groups in the Sahara. When the situation deteriorated in Iraq and Syria, the Atlantique 2 was engaged in the Middle East as well. Captain Janicot said: “We currently maintain one aircraft there, with aircrew and maintenance teams rotating in and out every month. Aircraft are rotated as needed, depending on the number of light hours logged. Our aircraft have accumulated in excess of 2,000 lying hours in theatre, conducting numerous kinetic strikes.”
Overland, the navigator/radar operator uses the Iguane radar to detect dangerous weather and transponders of aircraft operating in the vicinity of the Atlantique 2, thus contributing to a better understanding of the environment around the MPA.
ICAO upgrade
Launched in 2008, the so-called ICAO/ Standard 5 modernisation will conclude in 2020 with the delivery of the last of 22 upgraded aircraft. Commander Laurent explained: “The aircraft’s instrument panel is updated at [BAN] Cuers, during V36 and V72 depot-level inspections carried out at 36 or 72-month intervals. This Standard 5 upgrade has been implemented so that the aircraft can operate in all civilian air space while adhering to the latest regulations. Standard 5 aircraft now have a modern instrument panel, with four large displays and two flight management systems for the aircraft commander and the co-pilot. This is a major step forward, which helps reduce aircrew workload and improves navigational accuracy when flying in airways. While the civilian world has stopped including flight engineers in its cockpit crews since the advent of aircraft of the A320 generation, the French Navy has decided, for the moment, to retain a flight engineer on the Atlantique 2. That decision might be reversed in the future, when the next generation MPA enters service in the 2035-2040 timeframe.”
Laser-guided bombs
New systems are regularly introduced as part of urgent operational requirements, meeting specific needs in a timely manner. It was the case for the GBU-12 Paveway II laser-guided bomb (LGB). Commander Laurent told us: “After action reviews after initial combat operations against terror groups led to the decision to arm the Atlantique 2 with air-tosurface weapons to allow aircrews to attack targets of opportunity. The aircraft’s weapon bay is large enough to carry various types of precision weapons, but the choice was made to select the GBU-12 Paveway II already in use with both the French Armée de l’Air (Air Force) and Aéronautique Naval (Naval Air Arm). Up to four GBU-12s can be carried internally and the first bomb was dropped in combat in Mali. Since then, numerous other targets have been engaged and destroyed, mainly in Iraq and Syria. Delivery modes were progressively expanded. Initially limited to laser spiking by forward air controllers on the ground, it was later widened to target designation by a fighter, then by a UAV. With the arrival of the L3 Wescam MX-20D turret, the Atlantique 2 can now detect, identify, and self-designate a target before engaging it with a GBU-12.” The French Navy and its partners have worked on the integration of the GBU-58 LGB, a lighter 250lb (125kg) class weapon initially adopted for the Super Etendard Modernisé to engage targets while minimising the risk of collateral damage, and of the GBU-49 Enhanced Paveway II fitted with a dual mode GPS/laser seeker to attack targets through a cloud layer.
MX-20D turret
As part of an urgent operational requirement, a limited number of Standard 5 Atlantique 2s have, since 2013, been equipped with a L3 Wescam MX-20D multispectral turret in addition to the nose-mounted Tango FLIR. According to Commander Laurent, “the MX-20D is an optional piece of equipment which can be installed or not, depending on the operational requirements and the missions of the day. Only a few aircraft can be fitted with the system as we do not have enough turrets to equip the whole fleet. The MX-20D is mounted under the starboard side of the rear fuselage, replacing one of the two sonobuoy launchers. It offers excellent performance levels and has proved to be extremely flexible, with numerous operating modes and various functionalities that have shown their worth in action: daylight TV sensor, thermal day/ night imager, laser pointer, laser rangefinder to extract accurate coordinates, and laser illuminator to designate targets for laserguided weapons. The turret is operated from a dedicated workstation which replaces one of the two sonobuoy acoustic consoles. As the Atlantique 2 loses nearly half of its anti-submarine warfare capabilities when it is installed, the MX-20D is primarily used for overland operations, mainly in Africa and in Syria and Iraq. It is not integrated to the aircraft’s weapon system, which means it cannot be automatically pointed onto a radar track, a problem that will be addressed with the entry into service of the Standard 6.”
Standard 6
The Standard 6 requires a lengthy, indepth development and trial programme. Commander Laurent revealed: “The Standard 6 upgrade is a two-step modernisation. The first step will focus on the sensor suite – radar and acoustic/sonobuoy system – while the second will be dedicated to solving obsolescence issues. The contract was signed in 2013 and Atlantique 2 No.25, an instrumented airframe, has been used for the trial programme by Dassault Aviation, at [Base Aérienne] Istres, since December 2016.”
The Thales Searchmaster radar is one of the key elements of the Standard 6. Commander Laurent said: “This is a really promising system, which relies on AESA [active electronically scanned array] technology borrowed from the latest variant of the Rafale’s RBE2 radar, but with specific architecture and algorithms for maritime patrol missions over the sea. It is fully capable of detecting and tracking small targets such as submarine periscopes, snorkels or radio antennas in high sea states, or small fast attack craft travelling at high speed in stormy conditions. It also offers more traditional functionalities to detect large vessels at extreme distances in adverse weathers. An ISAR [inverse synthetic aperture radar] high resolution imagery mode has been developed to identify naval targets at stand-off distances and a specific air-to-air mode has been adopted for the new radar. The synthetic aperture radar cartographic mode and the ground moving target indicator optimised for overland operations both remain on option and they may be adopted in the future. The Searchmaster relies on a double mechanical/ electronic scanning system to guarantee an optimal rate of visitation for each search sweep, allowing small, pinpoint targets to be tracked with outstanding accuracy. It will be used in conjunction with a new IFF interrogator.”
New systems
Atlantique 2 aircrews have at their disposal speciic equipment to detect, track and destroy hostile submarines, including a magnetic anomaly detector, sonobuoys and a data processing system. Several types of sonobuoys are in service: - SSQ-62E Mod DICASS (DIrectional Command Activated Sonobuoy System) active omnidirectional. - SSQ-906G LOFAR (LOw Frequency And Recording) wide band passive. - SSQ-955 DIFAR (DIrectional Frequency And Recording) passive.
All these systems are ageing fast. Thankfully, Standard 6 aircraft will be itted with a new architecture and a new data processing system called STAN (Système de Traitement Acoustique Numérique, or digital acoustic data analysis system). Commander Laurent explained: “With the advent of the STAN, operators will beneit from massively expanded surveillance capabilities, with the possibility of monitoring simultaneously up to 32 active and passive British Ultra and US Sparton sonobuoys. These new digital buoys will progressively replace the current types. They will ofer better detection performance in terms of range and a better angular precision than the DICASS, the LOFAR and the DIFAR.
It will be a major step forward to track the latest generation of diesel-electric and nuclear submarines that are quieter and harder to detect than their predecessors, especially in complex natural environments - in shallow waters for example. Thales is also developing indigenous buoys for sovereignty reasons and they will probably be used on the Standard 6. The STAN will work with a speciic software developed by DCNS/Naval Group. The new system, speciically designed for anti-ship warfare and anti-submarine operations, will prove highly powerful and highly eicient.”
Standard 6 Atlantique 2s will all be itted with either a MX-20D or a MX-20HD turret (the latter without a laser designator to reduce costs). The loss of one of the sonobuoy dispensers will be compensated for by an increased number of internally carried buoys released via the secondary dispenser reloaded from inside the cabin by a crew member, generally one of the two light engineers. The MX-20D/MX-20HD will be fully integrated into the aircraft weapon system, addressing the aforementioned issue of not incorporating a laser designator into the MX-20HD: the turret will be slewed onto a radar track at the lick of a switch to visually identify a vessel, thus complementing the Searchmaster’s ISAR mode. The nosemounted Tango FLIR will be removed and replaced by a ‘shape’ and ballast to avoid aerodynamic and weight and balance issues.
New displays
The Atlantique 2 has been in service for over 25 years and some of its systems are increasingly diicult to support and repair. This is the case, for example, with the workstations in the main cabin as Commander Laurent explained: “As part of the Standard 6 upgrade, new workstations, with large colour touchscreens, have been adopted, helping give aircrews a better understanding of the tactical situation and a better ability to analyse sensor data.
The tactical coordinator, the two acoustic sensor operators, the radar operator, the navigator and the radio operator will all get the new workstations. However, the electronic warfare operator who handles the ESM [electronic support measures] will keep his/ her old workstation, because the ESM suite will not be modernised as part of the Standard 6 programme. For budgetary reasons, the upgrade does not cover communications systems either; due to inancial constraints, choices had to be made and the comms [systems] have been judged suicient for our current missions. The ELINT/COMINT [electronic intelligence/communications intelligence] systems are going to be upgraded independently.”
Towards service entry
Standard 6 trials are undertaken by a joint Dassault Aviation, French Navy and French Flight Test Centre team. According to the latest plan, trials should be completed in 2019 and the first modernised aircraft delivered to the Navy later in the year. If everything goes according to the plan, initial operational capability should be declared in 2020 with full operational capability the following year. Atlantique 2 modernisation will be mainly carried out at the Cuers depot, in the south of France.
Trials have so far been a success. The radar has been successfully tested and sonobuoys have been dropped. The prototype has worked with frigates and submarines to carry out tests in realistic conditions, as part of a global approach to ensure the various systems could work together as early as possible within the trial programme. The contract, initially for ifteen aircraft and three options, has recently been confirmed at eighteen aircraft. The four un-modernised airframes will remain available for training, pilot conversion and maritime surveillance missions.
The French Navy is busy preparing the Standard 6’s entry into service. The first Standard 6 crew began conversion training in September 2017 and the first aircraft is due to be delivered to the French Navy in mid-2019. The switch from the current Standard 5 to the Standard 6 will be spectacular in terms of operational capabilities. It should prove to be a decisive move, at least as signiicant as the conversion from the Atlantic 1 to the Atlantique 2 in the 1990s. The Atlantique will remain a kind of ‘Swiss Army Knife’ for the French Navy until its replacement, possibly the Franco-German Maritime Airborne Warfare System, is introduced in the 2030s.
