Tech Specs Released for PAF's Medium Lift Fixed Wing Transport Aircraft - Is there a Sure Winner?

Just right after MaxDefense posted the blog regarding the Php 5.3 billion Medium Lift Fixed Wing Aircraft acquisition project, PhilGEPS made available the Technical Specifications for the said project. Earlier it was discussed that this is the key to know who will be eligible to join the race and probably know who will win as well.

The Alenia Aerospace C-27J Spartan, one of the expected competitors for the Medium Lift Fixed Wing Aircraft program.
Photo taken from Wikimedia.

Here is the summary of the Technical Specifications for the said program:

- Requirement is for 3 brand-new units, and will be used for Airborne Operations, Aero-Medical Evacuation, Passenger Transport, and Limited Maritime Patrol and Search and Rescue Operations;
- For the aircraft to do such missions, it has to be equipped with paratroop seats, capable of static and free fall paradrop operations, must be able to accomodate at least twelve (12) litters, must accommodate at least 40 seated passengers, and must be convertible from full-cabin military transport to maritime patrol aircraft;
- A minimum range of 950 nautical miles (nm) without refueling;
- A minimum payload of 11,000 pounds (lbs) with maximum fuel load;
- An endurance of at least 4 hours and 30 minutes;
- A minimum crusing speed of 230 knots and a service ceiling of at least 25,000 feet;
- Must be capable of loading at least four (4) palletized cargo with dimensions of 2.5m x 2.0m x 1.6m and has a ramp loading capability;
- Short Take-off and Landing Capable, maximum of 1,000m length;
- Communications to include VHF-AM/FM/Marine Band and HF radios and provision for future upgrades;
- Autopilot capable, with GPS, Traffic Collision Avoidance System, Ground Proximity Warning System, Colored Weather Radar, Glass Cockpit;
- Programmed to fly 500 hours/year for thirty (30) years;
- Paint Scheme to follow the current Fokker F-27s with the 220th Airlift Wing (white and grey, as indicated).

According to the technical specifications, the paint scheme shown above will be followed for the Medium Lift Fixed Wing Aircraft requirement.
Photo taken from DND.

As discussed before, there are 3 expected competitors which already made known their interest to join the bidding: 

1. Alenia Aerospace (Italy) with the C-27J Spartan,
2. EADS/CASA - Airbus Military (Spain/EU) with the C-295,
3. PT Dirgantara Indonesia / Indonesian Aerospace (PT DI / IAe) with the CN-235.

(Discussions regarding the 3 aircraft models are discussed HERE). 

Looking at the above summarized specifications, MaxDefense believes that all 3 aircraft meet the required range, payload, cruising speed, endurance, and STOL requirements. All 3 can also do the required mission profiles, although it appears that the C-27J is weak with regards to configuration for limited Maritime Patrol since this aircraft has no MPA variants so far, unlike the CN-235 and C-295 which has palletized MPA suite as an option, although MaxDefense believes the DND/PAF won't avail of them for this program. The C-27J is also weak with regards to pricing, as the minimum requirements is enough for its 2 cheaper competitors to fit the requirement albeit a lesser capability. These 2 parameters is where the CN-235 and C-295 may beat the more capable C-27J. 

CASA-EADS's C-295 (above) is the middle-spec'd of the 3 possible competitors.
Photo taken from Wikimedia.

It is surprising though that the specifications, specifically the payload is way lower than even the smallest of the competitors, the CN-235, as MaxDefense expected the specifications to be closer to a fight between the C-27J and C-295. With a lower labor cost in Indonesia than in Western Europe (Spain & Italy), plus its smaller dimensions and lower specifications, Indonesia Aerospace's CN-235 is actually a strong candidate in this acquisition program in terms of pricing, it can definitely submit the lowest bid of all 3 candidates.

The IAe's CN-235 (above) is the cheapest of all the possible offers, but is it the aircraft to beat? Let's see in a couple of weeks.
Photo taken from Wikimedia.

But it now appears that the CN-235 and C-27J may fail the requirement on cargo capacity space. 

Although the CN-235 claims to be able to carry 4 108" length  x 88" height (2.74m length x 2.24m width) pallets, it can only do so with the ramp opened and flat, as shown on the photo below:

For the CN-235, only 3 pallets of 2.74m length each can be carried by closed ramp, and will need an open supported ramp to carry a 4th pallet, as shown above.
Photo taken from nifc.gov and EADS.

The DND requirement is for 4 pallets with dimensions of each pallet at 2.5m length x 2.0m width x 1.6m height. Thus, 4 pallets will require a little more than 10.0m cargo space length to fit. The DND is not clear though if the 4th pallet can be placed on an open but flat supported ramp. As shown on the photo below, the CN-235 only has a cabin length of 9.65 meters excluding the ramp. If including the winch, the space becomes less. 4 pallets as required by the technical specifications require a cabin space of at least 10.0 meters excluding the ramp and winch space.

The CN-235's cabin length is 9.65m excluding ramp, if including the winch (shown in orange square), the space becomes even less. 4 pallets requires at least 10 meters of cabin space length excluding ramp and winch space.
Photo taken from nifc.gov and EADS.

So it appears that the CN-235 may not be capable of meeting the cabin space requirements of the DND as specified in the technical specifications, except if the DND will accept the ramp area as a possible space. More of the report regarding the CN-235 HERE.

The Alenia C-27J Spartan may have the same problem as the CN-235 due to its short fuselage length, the aircraft being shorter than even the CN-235 by around 3.0 meters. Some sources quote the cabin length as only at 8.58 meters, shorter than CN-235's 9.65 meters including winch.

The C-27J's length is shorter than even the CN-235 although it meets the width and height requirements for cargo fuselage.

MaxDefense now believes that it could be a chance for C-295 to win the bidding. The C-295 has the same cabin width and height dimensions as the CN-235, but is 3.10m longer in the cargo fuselage portion, thus giving it a cargo space of at least 11.0 meters long and can fit 4 pallets of 2.5 meters long each as specified.

The specifications has been released and is available at PhilGEPS's website. Even with the availability of the specifications, bidders are required to pay the necessary dues to join the bid.
Photo taken from DND's Medium Lift Fixed Wing Aircraft technical specifications.

The only parameters in which will either chop off some of the bidders will be the other requirements in the specifications, specifically the Eligibility Documentation portion, where many bidders in other procurement projects fail to pass. Take note that Daewoo/Daesun failed in this portion for the Strategic Sealift Vessel (SSV) project, while Sikorsky failed in this regard for the Light Lift Fixed Wing Aircraft project.

Another parameter that needs to be given a second look are the Maintenance Requirements, which include flying hours required before overhaul of the airframe, powerplant, propeller, landing gears and other major aircraft components. These information are usually not made known publicly by aircraft manufacturers and may only be included on previous offers made to PAF and DND.

So although the C-295 seems to be the aircraft to beat in this program, we cannot finally say that until the bidding actually proceeds and everyone pass the initial requirements as indicated in the specification checklists, and also when DND makes a decision. There could still be some hook-ups along the way for any of the 3 potential bidders, although this is actually a good fight to watch.

For a public copy of the Technical Specifications, you may take from 'HERE'.


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Updates:

October 26, 2013: 
The bid submission and opening was moved from October 29, 2013 to November 11, 2013. This is according to the new Supplemental Bid Bulletin issued by the DND on October 21, 2013. No word if bidders requested the schedule change or if DND's decision.
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November 12, 2013: 
Another adjustment on the schedule for this project. The bid submission and opening was moved again, now to November 18, 2013. This is according to the new Supplemental Bid Bulletin issued by the DND on November 11, 2013. No official reason why it was moved but it is possible that the bidders requested for an extension. 
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January 14, 2014: 
Only 2 bidders submitted in the bid submission and opening for this project on January 13, 2014, namely EADS-CASA (Airbus Military) and PT Dirgantara Indonesia (PT DI / Indonesian Aerospace). Of the two entities, only EADS-CASA's bid using the C-295 was found eligible, while PT DI's bid failed to meet the requirements with its CN-235. More on MaxDefense's latest blog on this project.
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PAF's Medium Lift Fixed Wing Aircraft Program - A Simple Analysis of the 3 Contenders

With the pre bid conference started for the much anticipated bidding of the Philippine Air Force (PAF) Medium Lift Fixed Wing Aircraft worth Php 5.3 billion, it is worth noting that 3 contenders were present, and they have long been anticipated to participate in this project. The following aircraft manufacturers are:

1. Alenia Aerospace (Italy) with the C-27J Spartan,
2. EADS/CASA - Airbus Military (Spain/EU) with the C-295,
3. PT Dirgantara Indonesia / Indonesian Aerospace (PT DI / IAe) with the CN-235.

For the case of Airbus Military and Indonesia Aerospace, tt's surprising to see that they will be competing separately although these companies and their products are closely related to each other, MaxDefense didn't expect them to bid separately using 2 almost similar aircraft models.

The PAF is in need of a new medium-sized transport aircraft to complement and eventually replacement the venerable Fokker F.27 aircraft (above), which lacks the capability to fill-in transport duties from the larger Lockheed Martin C-130 Hercules.
Photo taken from defense-studies.blogspot.com c/o sires9094.

Brief Summary of the Contenders:
Construcciones Aeronauticas SA (CASA) was a Spanish aircraft manufacturer which tied up with Industri Pesawat Terbang Nursantara (IPTN) of Indonesia to build a medium transport aircraft which eventually became CN-235 (C for CASA, N for Nursantara). Both aircraft manufacturers eventually made changes to their organizations, with CASA eventually changing its name to EADS-CASA (with EADS being a consortium of European aerospace companies where CASA is a member), which also includes Airbus and Airbus Military in the consortium. IPTN in the meantime was restructured and was renamed PT Dergantara Indonesia, or Indonesian Aerospace in 2000. Although both have rights to the CN-235, EADS-CASA and PT DI decided to develop and market the aircraft independently after the Series 100, which includes the division of marketing between the 2 countries for the aircraft. The Philippines is actually part of PT DI's jurisdiction thus they are the one marketing the CN-235. The CN-235 is a successful military aircraft with more than 26 countries operating them in military organizations plus a few other civilian operators.

The CASA-IAe CN-235 aircraft, photo above in Spanish Air Force colors.
Photo taken from Wikimedia.

EADS-CASA further developed the CN-235 into a bigger aircraft, the C-295 (C for CASA, take note the missing "N" unlike the CN-235), which is actually a stretched and more powerful derivative of the CN-235. Being a different aircraft but almost in the same category of the CN-235, EADS-CASA's offer with the C-295 actually gives the Europeans a chance to challenge and provide an alternative to the Indonesian-built CN-235. Spain and 15 other countries operate the C-295.

The CASA-EADS C-295 aircraft, in Polish Air Force service.
Photo taken from Wikimedia.

Alenia Aerospace's C-27J Spartan is actually a derivative of the older Aeritalia G.222 medium transport aircraft from Italy. Early G.222 aircraft were sold to the US miltary, and was called the C-27A in behalf of the US military requirements. Further development of the aircraft was made, with assistance of Lockheed Martin resulting to the C-27J Spartan. It uses the same engine, propellers and many systems found on the Lockheed Martin C-130J Super Hercules, thus the "J" designation. Aside from the US and Italy, 7 other countries use the C-27J, with more countries taking some interest on the aircraft.

The Alenia Aerospace C-27J Spartan of the Italian Air Force.
Photo taken from Wikimedia.

The Acquisition Project:
The 3 aircraft being offered have their strengths and weaknesses as different platforms, and the DND will have to release it's specifications that will ultimately pinpoint to who will take the project. Here's why:

The C-27J has the largest cargo capacity with almost 3 times that of the CN-235, is the fastest, longest ranged, and most expensive of the choices. MaxDefense believes that the C-27J would lose the bid if the C-295 or CN-235 are all within the specifications of the project because of high cost. The only way this aircraft would bag the project is for the specifications to be high enough for C-295 and CN-235 to impossibly possess. This is by making the most of the C-27J's strengths in terms of capacity and power.

A Lithuanian Air Force C-27J Spartan with an aerial refueling probe.
Photo taken from Wikimedia.

The C-295 is a cheaper alternative to the C-27J, but has less payload capacity and smaller fuselage size, operational range, and speed. The CN-235 has an even lesser capability than the C-295 due to its smaller size. But it is expected that the CN-235 will be the cheapest of the 3 aircraft being offered to the DND & PAF. 

Photo above shows the fuselage difference between the C-27J and C-295. The C-295 might not even be capable of taking in a Humvee which the Philippine military widely uses. This proves a disadvantage for the C-295 and CN-235 which are both smaller than the C-27J.
Photo taken from militaryphotos.net c/o Hyde.

MaxDefense believes that comparing the 3 different aircraft models is like comparing different fruits, lets say an apple to an orange and to a pear. Unlike the Light Lift Fixed Wing Aircraft Program where the competing aircraft models are closely similar, the aircraft models competing for the Medium Lift Fixed Wing Aircraft Program are not.

Ultimately the specifications will immediately say who will win as it will set the parameters into order for the 3 manufacturers. If the CN-235's dimensions and capability is enough to pass the set specifications by the DND, then it will surely win the bid due to pricing as compared to the C-295 and C-27J. Thus it would be easy to guess who will win the bid by just looking at the specifications to be released by the DND.

But MaxDefense believes that the C-27J has a lead in this project, based on previous announcements and press releases by the DND and PAF. Like the Light Lift Fixed Wing Aircraft and Surface Attack Aircraft/Lead In Fighter Trainer acquisition programs, DND's ASec Patrick Velez told Aviation Week late last year that they have already chosen the C-27J as the next medium lift transport aircraft for the PAF after evaluating it against other aircraft models like the C-295 and CN-235. This was also pointed out by reports from ABS-CBN in an earlier news report, thus making the C-27J's bid stronger compared to its competitors. Take note that so far, all aircraft models pointed out by the DND and PAF came out leading the respected bidding programs, except for the Attack Helicopter which reverted back to its original choice. If not for the bidding requirements as decided by the Aquino administration, the DND could have already signed a contract with either Alenia Aerosspace for the C-27J as early as 1st quarter 2013.

Photo showing fuselage comparison between a C-130, C-27J, Antonov An-32, C-295, CN-235. Take note of the size differences and capability to take in different kinds of expected cargo like vehicles, goods and fighter aircraft engines. These cargo are expected to be carried by PAF medium lift transport aircraft as well.
Photo taken from militaryphotos.net c/o Hyde.

Bid opening was moved from October 14, 2013 to October 29, 2013 as indicated in the 1st Supplemental Bid Bulletin, as expected like other similar procurement of major defense equipment. So it would be best to see who are the final contenders for the next week. MaxDefense will post updates upon availability as the acquisition program progresses.

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Updates:

October 26, 2013: The bid submission and opening was moved from October 29, 2013 to November 11, 2013. This is according to the new Supplemental Bid Bulletin issued by the DND on October 21, 2013. No word if bidders requested the schedule change or if DND's decision.

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