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Canadas Air Force: Ability to Fulfill Roles

2 Introduction The Air Force of any nation is one of the most significant elements of its Military force. Within Canada this is no different with Canadas Air Force given the role to safeguard Canadas massive airspace. The Canadian Air Force has an illustrious past especially over the skies of Europe during World War 2. During the Cold War Canadas Air Force had the role of patrolling Canadas skies and safeguarding them in the event of a Soviet attack or incursion. Recently Canadas Air Force has been involved in NATO campaigns and the War on Terror within the war torn nation of Afghanistan. However many have argued that Canadas current Air Force, now part of the Amalgamated Canadian Forces, and is now unable to fulfill the roles that it has been assigned due to persistent under funding. Others have countered this argument by asserting the current modernization projects carried out in line with the new post September 11 atmosphere. In this paper we will examine the Canadian air force and argue that it is indeed able to perform its current missions and will be able to more so in the future. In order to do this we will begin by briefly describing Canadas Air Forces and the current makeup of the Canadian Air Force fleet. Secondly we will discuss the effects of the Cold War on Canadas Air Force. Thirdly we will examine criticisms of the Canadian Air Force. Fourthly we will present a case study of the involvement of Canadas Air Forces in Kosovo. Fifthly we will examine the effects of the September 11th attacks on the Canadian Air Force and its role. Sixthly we will examine the current role of the Canadian Air Force. Seventhly we will examine Modernization Projects which the fleet is currently undergoing in order to allow it to fulfill its roles. Eighthly we will discuss future plans for Canadas Fleet.

3 Fleet Makup The Canadian Air Force as it was known during World War 2 no longer exists today. Currently Canadas Air force is part of the integrated Canadian Forces Command structure and in 1975 placed under the Canadian Forces Air Command (AIRCOM), however it is still commonly known as the Canadian Air Force. Thus Air Command is responsible for all aircraft within the Canadian Fleet. Current Canadian Air Forces are composed of 14,500 regular personnel, 2,600 reserve forces and 2,500 civilians1. The fleet is composed of a variety of active aircraft including recon aircraft, helicopters, transports and fighters. The flagship of the Canadian fleet is the CF-18 Hornet, a variant of the American F-18 multirole fighter, of which Canada has 98. The next largest segment of the force is helicopters including the CH-146 Griffon (Bell 412) Utility Transport Tactical Helicopter (UTTH) and the CH-124 Sea King ship based transport helicopters of which Canada has 85 and 27 respectively. Canada also has a fleet of 30 C130 Hercules transports and a 19 CP-140 Aurora Patrol/Anti Submarine Aircraft 2. The current fleet makeup is largely an effect of the end of the Cold War

Effect of the End of the Cold War Geopolitical events have a played a large role in the reduction of Canadas Air Forces. With the break up of the Soviet Union in 1991 the end of the Cold War officially occurred. Thus as early as 1989 with the fall of the Berlin wall the reduction of Canadas defense budget was discussed to address fiscal imbalances. This policy was cemented with the 1994 White Paper which called for a general force reduction in line with fiscal responsibilities3. For the Canadian Air Force these budget cuts meant a 25% fleet

4 reduction. In order to achieve this the Air Force retired its 45 strong CF-5 fleet and cut the number of operational fighter aircraft from 72 to between 48 and 60. These force reductions were achieved in 1999. Canadas Air Forces today encompass 48% fewer regular force military personnel, 69% fewer civilians, 56% fewer aircraft and 59% fewer flying hours then in 1989 4. Thus we can see that the end of the Cold War had an extreme impact on the Canadian Air Forces fleet and subsequently its capabilities.

Criticism The criticism of the Canadian Air Forces stems mainly from the overall nature of the aging fleet which is a result of persistent military under funding which has affected all branches of the Canadian Forces. These result from the cost reduction strategies explored above implemented in the Post Cold War atmosphere which has seen a reduction of Canadas Air Force from half the levels of personnel and aircraft seen since 1989. The current flagship of the Canadian fleet is now over a quarter century old with questions of the reliability of these aircraft with technologies based on 1970s designs. However it is the CH-124 Sea King which is the most controversial and criticized with many regarding these aircraft, that were in the mid 1960s, as unreliable and outdated. Some criticisms stem from claims that the Sea Kings are one of the most unreliable aircraft within the fleet needing over 30 hours of maintenance for every hour in the air. The aircraft have serious engine, airframe and avionic issues which lead to them being grounded around 40% of the time. Unlike many other criticisms of Government programs these criticism have not fell upon deaf ears with the Command stating that in hindsight these reductions were undertaken without the benefit of a comprehensive and coherent forward looking

5 strategy. The rapidity and frequency of the reductions did not allow sufficient time for a strategy to be developed. The culminate effects of these reductions are starting to expose unexpected and unintended adverse consequences.5

Canadian Air Forces in Kosovo Though there has been criticism of Canadas Air Force it is by no means an ineffective or obsolete force, as demonstrated by its involvement in Operation ECHO within the Kosovo conflict. As a NATO member Canada has certain responsibilities in terms of NATO missions. The NATO actions in Kosovo heavily involved Canadian Air Forces. In order to assess the capabilities of the Canadian Air Force we shall examine the role that Canada played within this NATO mission. On March 24th 1999 four CF-18 Hornets took off from the Aviano Air Base in Italy towards planned targets within Kosovo. These forces were part of the 16 aircraft Canadian contingent and part of a much larger NATO strike force6. The Canadian forces were fitted with Laser guided precision munitions and assigned ground targets within Kosovo. This was one of the most extensive missions for Canadian Air Forces since the end of World War 2. At the end of the conflict Canadian Air Forces would have flown 678 combat sorties over nearly 2600 flying hours 7, delivering 532 bombs battling targets within Kosovo and Yugoslavia. However Canadas role in this conflict was not simply in terms of bombing runs using precision guided munitions, they were also responsible for a large number of air patrol missions and were fitted with Sidewinder and Sparrow air-to-air missiles in the event that enemies were engaged in the skies above Kosovo. In terms of interoperability Colonel DA Davies sums up this fact well We led over half of all missions flewthe bulk of the

6 remainder were led by US forces. Interoperability, given the absolute predominance of the US forces meant interoperability with US procedures. We train frequently with them and have a capability second to none in this area8. The overall strength of Canadas force is demonstrated by the fact that during the conflict while Canada possessed only 2 percent of the aircraft that were involved they flew almost 10 percent of the Battle Air Interdiction Missions9 which were the highest risk and most significant missions of the war10.

Post September 11th Security Context and Transformation Though the end of the Cold War signaled a significant change in defense policy and spending another event would redefine the role of the Canadian Air Force once again; the events of September 11th 2001. This significantly altered focus is re-iterated in a series of Canadian policy documents The Aerospace Capability Framework: a guide to transform and develop Canadas air force (ACF), released in 2003, Security above all: Transforming Canadas Air Force (SAA) released in 2004 and Strategic Vectors: The Air Force Transformation Vision (SV) also released in 1994. These documents reflect Canadas increased commitments in light of the new post September 11th atmosphere. The current key objectives of the Canadian Air Force, as outlined in the ACF, are to defend Canada, to contribute to the defense of North America in cooperation with the United States and to contribute to international peace and security11. This is in line with the new security paradigm which stands at the core of the Canadian Air Force in the post September 11th atmosphere.

7 The SAA document makes clear the need to modernize Canadas force in light of these new global trends and in order to counteract the results of fiscal cuts which have caused Canadas Air Force has become a fragile organization; one that requires further changes a transformation to reach the demands of the future12. These transformations will ensure that National Security is a top priority and that the Canadian forces have the capabilities to swiftly and effectively provide security for the Canada of the future in the world of tomorrow13. The transformation has been outlined extensively in the SV document which defines it as a process of strategic re-orientation in response to anticipated or tangible change to the security environment designed to shape a nations armed forces to ensure their continued effectiveness and relevance14. The document also sets out 8 vectors which will form the backbone of the Canadian Air Force in the New Security situation and enable it to fulfill its security roles. These include Results focused operational capability, responsive expeditionary capability, transparent interoperability, transformed aerospace capabilities, transformation enabling leadership, multi skilled and well educated people, actively engaging Canadians and improved resource stewardship15. Though the Canadian Air Force is committed to transformation they have also kept a prudent attitude towards fiscal responsibility and planning.

Towards this end all these documents emphasize the need to generate, employ and sustain high quality combat capable, interoperable and rapidly deployable task tailored forces. We will exploit leading edge doctoring and international roles in the battlefield of the 21st century and be recognized both at home and abroad as an innovate, relevant and knowledge based institution16. The main transformation of this force will

8 involve the move from a static platform focused air force to an expeditionary, network enabled compatibility based and results focused aerospace force. The need to transform Canadas current force also reflects the global nature of security as emphasized in the post September 11th context. The Air Force must now be capable to deploying, being employed, sustained and redeploying from locations including those that are unprepared, around the globe17. Within the ACF document one of the most significant threads has been the concept of interoperability given the importance of combined and joint operations in the future, it is critical the air force do everything possible to ensure interoperability with other services and nations.

The doctrine of aerospace capability as outlined in these three important policy documents demonstrates the overall ideal of a transformation of the force into an aerospace force. Aerospace is defined as the use of both air and space to allow the Air Force to fulfill its roles. However is stands in contrast to the use of space based weaponization which Canada opposes. Demonstrating the need for an increasing technological role of the Canadian Air Force.

Current Role of Canadian Forces The current role of the Canadian Air Force is described in the ACF as safeguarding sovereignty, defending the nation, protecting the citizens of the nations, protecting the resources of the nation, projecting power abroad and projecting interests abroad 18.This clearly falls into line with those outlined within the various documents. These involve a primarily stance towards security: of our homeland, our continent and the

9 world. The Canadian Air Force is currently concentrated on the US-led war in Afghanistan. Canadas operational force is known as Operation Athena with the air detachment of this force composed of a Tactical Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (TUAV) unit comprised primarily of personnel from 438 Tactical Helicopter Squadron (438 ETAH) based in St-Hubert, Quebec, and members from 5 RALC in Val Cartier19 This force is equipped with 9 CH-146 Griffon helicopters. The Canadian Air Force is also actively involved in a number of UN missions but many of these are simply observation missions including Air Force Personnel. The other main role of the Canadian forces is to protect Canadian Sovereignty and protect NORAD, roles which is currently engaged in.

Modernization Projects We shall examine three modernization programs which the Canadian Fleet is currently undergoing in order to ensure that these aircraft remain reliable and viable options within the future. These shall be examined with some degree of detail because it is these modernization projects which will ensure that the Canadian Air Force is able to fulfill the roles outlined in the policy documents examined above and will ensure the viability of the force in the future. All these modernization plans are outlined within the Planned Transformation (Chapter 5) section of The ACF. As we can see through the CF18 Incremental modernization program much of the initiates undertaken were done so in order to bring the aircraft up to spec with NATO allies.

10 CP-140 Aurora We shall being by discussing the Aurora Incremental Modernization Project (AIMP) which specifically addresses the need to update and upgrade the CP-140 Aurora aircraft. This program will address the 18 CP-140s that Canada has within its fleet many, of which have surpassed 20,000 hours of flight time. The cost of this program is estimated to be $1.67 billion and will be accomplished in 4 blocks combining 23 individual projects slated to be completed by 2010. Within the respective blocks the avionics (flight recorders, radio and antenna gear), navigation equipment, communication and an air to surface missile system will be added. The 4 phases of this project shall include 4 blocks. Block I will be legacy projects, block II will be an extensive upgrade of the navigation systems, Block III will upgrade the Communications, DMS sensors and acoustic capability group, Block IV will be other upgrades. Block III will be composed of extensive upgrades broken into 3 groups. To show the extensiveness of these projects we shall examine one section of Block III upgrades. This is Data Management Systems and Sensors group and will include upgrades to mission computer, operation mission simulator, imaging radar, electro optical system, electronic support measures, stand off air to surface weapons capability, magnetic anomaly detector modernization, defensive electronic warfare system. Once the modernization project is completed the force will remain viable until 2025. One important upgrade as described in the ACF is the implementation of the C4ISR capability (Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance) which will enable the aircraft air surface and subsurface surveillance capability from its current role as a long range patrol aircraft. This will also give the CP-140 increased capabilities to perform boarder roles in air, land and maritime operations. This

11 modernization program should expand the Estimated Life Expectancy of the CF-140 from 2010 to 2025.

CH-146 Griffon The CH-146 Griffon helicopter shall also undergo a set of intense modernization. The Griffon is a militarized version of the Bell 412 helicopter and entered service in 1994 and is a Utility tactical transport helicopter. The modernization program will reduce the overall fleet from 88 to 75. This program will include improvements to the fuel systems, navigation and communication systems, night vision goggle capability and heads up display. Other improvements involved the addition of a self protection system including advanced armaments, infrared suppression system and defensive external warning systems. The CH-146 is scheduled to undergo another major refit operation in the post 2010 timeframe in order to keep its systems up to date and viable.

CF-18 Hornet The flagship of the Canadian fleet, the CF-18 Hornets, are also slated to undergo a major upgrade this upgraded is intended to modernize the fighter force and bring them in line with other NATO forces with the cost expected to be 2.6 billion dollars. This modernization project was awarded to Boeing. The project was broken down into two phases. The first phase of this project involves replacing the radar systems with one that have triple the processing power and allow for the use of medium range missiles. One of the most significant aspects of this modernization project is the inclusion of the APX-11 interrogator and transponder which is also known as the Identification friend or foe. The

12 inclusion of these brings the force up to NATO allied standards for identification and allow medium range missiles to be used out of range and reduce friendly fire incidents. Further within phase I radios were updated which brought the radios now having resolved issues of compatibility with the allied force. Moreover computer and storage systems have been upgraded to allow for the use of advanced precision guided bombs. Finally navigation capabilities were increased with the inclusion of GPS navigation systems. Phase I was completed on August 31st 2006. Phase II is based heavily on electronic modernization and advancement and includes the addition of Link 16 data systems, which will increase interoperability with NATO allied system, the introduction and joint helmet mounted suing system, survivable flight data recorder and upgraded electronic warfare suite.

Thus we can see that modernization was undertaken in line with the new transformation of the fleet as a whole. Much of these modernization initiatives also aim to bring the aircraft up to spec with other NATO aircraft emphasizing the need for a Canada to be an active part of the new Defense Initiatives undertaken in light of the September 11th attacks.

Future Fleet Plans While these Incremental Modernization Projects are meant to modernize the force they are not meant to keep the fleet viable forever. The CF-18 is scheduled to be replaced by the F-35 lightning fighter in 2020. Canada is a Tier 2 supporter to the JSF project having pledged $450 million to the development of the fighter. In 2008 the Canadian Air

13 Force is expected to form a New Generation Fighter Capability Project and select a replacement aircraft by 2011 and place a contract in 2012 and expect initial deliveries by 2015. The aircraft currently being considered are the 5th generation fighters designed ion the US being the F-22 Raptor and the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter 20. Canada also aims to replace its ageing Sea King fleet with the more advanced CH-148 Cyclone. This helicopter will have advanced Data Management and sensor including image capable radar and full night vision, self protection systems, advanced communication and navigation systems, Armament and stores control capability and Rescue capability21.

Conclusion In conclusion we can see that through Canadas modernization projects the Canadian Forces have been able to maintain the viability of their force within the new security environment that exists within the Canadian context. As is witnessed through the Campaign in Kosovo Canadian Air Forces are able to fulfill all the roles that it must even in light of the new doctrine of the post September 11th world. With the intensive modernization programs underway this role can only be further strengthened. This is further reinforced by the nature of the transformation projects as seen through the incremental modernization project for the CF-18 which aims to increase interoperability with allied and NATO forces. Wee can also conclude that these transformation projects have increased the viability of the Canadian forces making them capable of meeting the diverse security needs of Canada.

Chief of the Defence Staff. The aerospace capability framework : a guide to transform and develop Canada's Air Force.

Ottawa: NDHQ, 2003.

Aerospace Capability Framework, 22. Aerospace Capability Framework, 45. Aerospace Capability Framework, 46. Chief of Defense Staff. Stratigic Vectors. Ottawa: NDHQ, 2004, 22. Bashow, David. Mission Ready: Canadas Role In the Kosovo Air Campaign Canadian Military Journal Spring 2000, 55-

61.
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Bashow, 55. Bashow, 58. Bashow, 58. Bashow, 58. Aerospace Capability Framework, Chief of the Defence Staff. Security above all: transforming Canada's Air Force. Ottawa: NDHQ, 2004. Stratigic Vectors, 25 Stratigic Vectors, 25 Stratigic Vectors, 25 Stratigic Vectors, Chapter 4. Security Above All, 7. Aerospace Capability Framework, 7. Canadian Forces Website Aerospace Capability Framework, 68. Aerospace Capability Framework, 72.

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Works Cited

Bashow, David. Mission Ready: Canadas Role in the Kosovo Air Campaign Canadian Military Journal Spring 2000, 55-61. Chief of the Defence Staff. The aerospace capability framework : a guide to transform Canada's Air Force. Ottawa: NDHQ, 2003. Chief of Defense Staff. Stratigic Vectors. Ottawa: NDHQ, 2004, 22. Chief of the Defence Staff. Security above all: transforming Canada's Air Force. Ottawa: NDHQ, 2004. and develop