Pooling Maritime Patrol Aircraft
Since 2008, the German Maritime Patrol Aircraft (MPA) P-3 C has been participating in EUNAVFOR ATALANTA. But they are not alone in the Gulf of Aden. NATO´s operation ''OCEAN SHIELD'' is also fighting against piracy to secure the sealines of communication. Together, all assets are taking part in exchanging information to stay tactically flexible in times of budget shortages and reduced platforms at sea.
At a time of financial crisis, not all Member States can afford their own fleet of maritime patrol aircraft. And even if maritime patrol aircraft have proven their effectiveness in the field, their numbers remain low mainly due to their exorbitant price tag. "Pooling a fleet of maritime patrol aircraft would make it possible to allocate them more effectively to the Alliance's missions and operations as well as to the European Union. Maintenance could also be pooled and the costs shared" explains Ludwig Decamps, Director of Armament and aerospace capabilities directorate, Defense investment Division, NATO.
A German Maritime Patrol Aircraft in support of a NATO Frigate
A typical mission for the German aircrew at the French base Aríenne in Djibouti begins at 3:00am. Long before the aircrew arrives at the main gate, the technical crew has been preparing the DEU P-3C for today´s operational flight. Working through the checklists, the crew secures every bolt that might hamper the mission, with the goal of ensuring flight safety and mission effective. The mission support center has already prepared the different mission folders for the Patrol Plane Commander, the Tactical Coordinator, the Navigator/Communicator and the different sensor stations onboard the P-3C with the latest updates available.
Today´s surface search mission along the International Recommended Transit Corridor (IRTC) is combined with an Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR) mission along the northern coast of Somalia to take pictures of specific spots along the shoreline and report the suspicious activities ashore. This kind of information is vital for commanders to analyze the situation and to get a perfect picture to decide what kind of platform to send to a specific location.
During the mission briefing the aircrew is informed about the latest position of coalition forces to get a proper understanding of the tactical situation at sea. "Knowing where our friends are and what kind of mission they are executing is always necessary for the situational awareness", says the Tactical Coordinator. After the mission briefing, the aircrew preflights the DEU P-3C to upload every essential detail in the mission computer, running through the checklist, performing radio checks and different tests to ensure every subsystem onboard the DEU P-3C is completely functional.
Afterwards the DEU P-3C is ready for take-off to execute its 9 hour mission along the Somali shoreline. In the morning heat of East Africa, the German MPA is taking off in a sweltering 40 degrees Celsius. The airspace around Djibouti is temporarily crowded with civil and military air contacts. Good and standardized air-to-air communication and avoidance are essential for the professionally trained aircrew.
During a routine flight along the IRTC identifying merchant vessels and photographing images of typical local dhows with the electro-optical and infrared imaging sensors, the crew reports those contacts of interest to the nearest coalition warship via voice or data link. This is key to supporting the fleet for mission success. The DEU P-3C is now settling in for the ISR part of the mission, taking pictures of suspicious villages and spots along the austere Somali coast.
Exchanging information for awareness and action
The MPA flies over a NATO frigate operating in the vicinity of the DEU P-3C’s area of interest and sends this information. The MPA has reached one of its target positions and is orbiting at an undetectable height to observe the activities ashore. The camera operator suddenly spots a vehicle driving towards the shoreline to equip a skiff with two outboard motors and other suspicious material. This information is immediately transmitted to the Dutch NATO vessel, operating for the NATO Operation OCEAN SHIELD, for their situational awareness and further required action.
After one hour of loading and unloading material, the skiff rapidly drives away with nine people onboard. The Technical Coordinator decides to focus on this special activity and arranges a tactical communication line with the Dutch NATO vessel. The contact is deemed as suspicious and should be checked out by the NATO vessel. The Dutch NATO vessel is steaming through the rough sea to surprise the skiff long before it reaches its hunting grounds. After the skiff has detected the NATO-warship the Somali crew throws small arms overboard, already aware that it is not a good idea to confront with Dutch mariners.
During its high-level surveillance the DEU P-3C constantly reports the situation onboard the skiff and prepares to control other merchant vessels to avoid the potentially hazardous region.
Due to the close and efficient action of both EU and NATO, a suspicious skiff was disarmed and a potential piracy act was prevented.
After its nine-hour mission the DEU P-3C landed safely in Djibouti. While debriefing, the crew settles for the much needed break and the engineers put the aircraft to bed. The Mission Support Team is already preparing the next tailored mission for the DEU P-3C out of Djibouti.
For future NATO and EU operations a pool of MPA could be vital for operational use of the Alliance, enhancing the efficiency of its employment in particular in critical times, in which resources are scarce.