Dealing with the day-to-day constraints created by the coronavirus pandemic has become a challenge for everyone in 2020, but how do the barriers to normal life affect those supporting important military tasks?
To gain insight into some of the operational adjustments needed, FlightGlobal spoke with General Arvind Badrinath, director of flight tests for French defense procurement agency DGA, about its activities this year.
"Things cannot be disturbed in military life," said Badrinath, noting that despite the pandemic, the organization cannot rely on some of its most important tasks.
"The defense of French airspace must be carried out every day and night, Covid [-19] or there is no Covid," he said. For example, the personnel must perform tasks such as approving updates to the Air Force's Boeing E-3F Air Warning and Control System (AWACS) aircraft.
“You can't wait another week to complete the AWACS acceptance test,” he noted.
Supporting France's nuclear deterrent capability is another activity that cannot be given on leave in any way. In June, it involved a test aircraft organization providing air-to-air support during a test fire of an M51 ballistic missile launched by a new French Navy submarine.
Likewise, Badrinath said the DGA's focus on undertaking "a large number of preparations for foreign troops" remained.
"Soldiers, navies and air forces grounded around the world need special equipment, some of which you cannot test with a home computer," he said. In the case of the reconnaissance and laser indication pods worn by fighter planes, "you have to test on a real plane that makes 5g maneuvers and has real vibrations and check that it works properly".
Badrinath said that when the DGA began to see the possibility of a serious coronavirus outbreak in late February, aviation testing organizations "began to prepare to keep our actions going."
Mission hasn't really changed. But the way to achieve the mission has changed completely, with a high priority in completing protective measures for our staff - that's the main driver for this year, ”he said.
"Some activities should be postponed for maybe two months," he said, and non-essential events - such as holding student visits - were canceled.
“As of March, I had many test engineers and test pilots all over France,” he said. This ensures that the DGA is able to continuously review updates to existing resources, along with the task of receiving new aircraft for the country's military. "We have to do our work every day - like checking integration and system qualifications like IFF [identification of friend or foe] in our fleet."
From July 20-31, DGA personnel were involved in the trials in which Airbus Defense & Space A400M delivered fuel to the Airbus Helicopters H225 Caracal for the first time in flight. Additional air-to-air tank tests concern the French Air Force Lockheed Martin KC-130J tanker operating with the C160G Gabriel electronic intelligence aircraft. About 70 staff were involved in each of these activities, Badrinath noted.
But in addition to these mundane tasks, staff are also asked to support French President Emmanuel Macron's Operational Resilience initiative, which aims to safely transport patients affected by the coronavirus by air.
This required rapid modifications to the Air Force's Phenix A400M and A330 tankers / transport tankers, enabling them to operate with standard intensive care (ICU) medical equipment on board. French Caracals helicopters and Airbus Cougar helicopters also received a similar update.
The helicopters were adapted to enable them to carry out transfer flights longer than 2 hours, for example for transferring a patient from France to Germany, or transporting another person between regions of France itself. Badrinath noted that while special emergency medical helicopters have standard ICU equipment, they don't lack the durability and ability to generate onboard power for long-term use.
"This forces us to adapt the A400M, NH90 and Cougar in a very fast way," he said.
"All of these projects carried out by the armed forces with our support require our expertise to verify compatibility and ensure the changes are airworthy."
The need for test pilots and flight test engineers to operate safely also requires the DGA to assess the effectiveness of the various masks worn in the cockpit. This process involves checking “filtration and breathability,” Badrinath notes, as well as being suitable for use with a microphone.
"Protective measures should be a minimal risk to all of our personnel," he said. For example, "at an altitude of 10,000 feet in a helicopter with no oxygen, you could be hypoxic if the mask has poor breathability." This means that new procedures must be adopted to limit the amount of time spent working in such conditions.
Cleaning measures are also being investigated to determine which products can be used without endangering the airworthiness of an aircraft. Gloves normally worn by Dassault Rafale fighter pilots are also used as they are suitable for use with touch screens.
It has also spread abroad, for example by sending teams to Spain prior to the shipment of the new Phenix tanker from Getafe near Madrid. And the staff is also supporting the introduction of two French Air Force Beechcraft King Air 350ER reconnaissance aircraft in 2020.
Some staff members have to work from home during part of the pandemic, for example to prepare for future tests or new innovative test kits.
“When you have a crisis like this, you always have a few people in the organization who have good ideas for solving everyday problems,” said Badrinath. In the case of DGA, this includes technical personnel looking for ways to increase the protection of medical personnel at the height of the pandemic.
Comentarios