BBJ VIP Fleet Review

[Stuart Trevena]

Hi All,

According to the Hearld Sun - The Prime Minister is reviewing options of replacing the Current VIP Fleet with larger Aircraft better suited to the current / future needs.

The Article is here

Prime Minister Tony Abbott seeks media deal over VIP jets

By IAN McPHEDRAN National Defence Writer•
News Limited Network •
January 01, 20147:44PM

THE Abbott Government will seek a truce with media outlets and taxpayers so it can buy or lease larger VIP jets to fly politicians, officials and journalists overseas on the same aircraft.

The bigger RAAF planes would also be fitted with the latest in global communications systems ensuring the Prime Minister is never out of touch with his cabinet colleagues and key officials.

At present the nation's leader is incommunicado whenever he travels on a VIP jet.

The $600 million lease on the current RAAF fleet of two Boeing 737 business jets and three smaller Challenger 604 aircraft will expire next year and the government will seek agreement from media companies to limit criticism of any decision to opt for bigger planes.

Any negative publicity would be limited to plush add ons such as gold taps or marble sinks.

The Boeing 737 BBJ aircraft are operated by 34 Squadron at Fairbairn in Canberra and are used by the Prime Minister and the Governor-General for official overseas trips, but they are too small to carry a full complement of press gallery journalists and crews.

The aircraft also lack modern day in-flight communications, such as those fitted to the US President's jumbo jet Air Force One, allowing leaders to stay in touch in transit.

The BBJs were leased by the Howard government after then secretary of prime minister and cabinet, Max "The Axe" Moore-Wilton, convinced the government to force the media to make their own way to overseas events.

In 2007 media companies threatened to ignore official overseas visits altogether in the wake of the deaths of five Australians, including journalist Morgan Mellish, when the Garuda Airlines plane carrying reporters and officials crashed in Indonesia during an official visit by then ministers Alexander Downer and Phillip Ruddock.

"Our current position and that of Fairfax is that our editors and bureau chiefs will not send correspondents on commercial aircraft in countries where air safety is an issue, if there is no room for them on official aircraft," then News Limited chief John Hartigan said at the time.

Both Mr Howard and his successor Kevin Rudd pledged to take action but nothing has happened in the six years since the tragedy.

The concerns were supported by Defence Chief Air Chief Marshal Angus Houston who said the BBJ was just too small and he urged the then Rudd government to go for a bigger aircraft.

"It is imperative we look after our journalists in places where the airline standards are perhaps not as high as they are in our own country," Houston said.

According to senior government sources the new plan would involve aircraft such as the Airbus A-330 or Boeing 777 that can fly hundreds of passengers over long distances with fewer stops.

The RAAF already operates Airbus A-330 multi-role tanker/transport planes that can be fitted with seats to carry more than 300 people.

Both US giant Boeing and European maker Airbus would be likely to offer highly competitive deals to secure the plum deal for the VIP jets.

The Boeing 777 and Airbus A-330 each cost about $250 million and both can carry in excess of 200 passengers in VIP configuration.

I did suggest this over 5 years ago, but was shouted down on this forum and or Jetspotter.com.

My current suggestions would be a B777/200LR or B787-800 if Space permits. This would give Non Stop to 95% of the World - London and New York, Non Stop.
Failing that B777-300ER.
From Airbus, the options are ACJ350 or A340 for the Range, both are able to do 18,000kms or A330.

It gets back to cost, but also do they want a Proven Jet already in Field or New Jet yet to come of the line.

Stuart

[Ash W]

I would say the A330 would be the lead contender, simply because the RAAF and Qantas already have them. The only question is new build specifically for VIP or back to the 707 days of the VIP fleet also being tankers.

PS there is no 787-800, I presume you mean 787-8?

[Ray P.]

Originally Posted by Ash W

I would say the A330 would be the lead contender, simply because the RAAF and Qantas already have them. ...

That may be a good reason, but Commonwealth purchasing regulations would require an open tender, so choosing an aircraft on the basis of Qantas already maintaining them for the RAAF would not be seen as a open and fair process. I imagine it would be a consideration, but not a discriminator.

[Yusef D]

There are some pretty cheap late model A340s around, and the uncompetitive fuel burn doesn't matter so much with the small number of hours that VIP aircraft fly.

The same pilots that fly the A330MRTT can cross-qualify very easily.

[Ash W]

Originally Posted by Ray P.

That may be a good reason, but Commonwealth purchasing regulations would require an open tender, so choosing an aircraft on the basis of Qantas already maintaining them for the RAAF would not be seen as a open and fair process. I imagine it would be a consideration, but not a discriminator.

Commonwealth purchasing regulations do actually allow for limited invitation tenders, including sole source. Reasons for doing so would have to be pretty sound, and maintaining commonality with your exiting fleet would be one such reason I would imagine, especially when the VIP fleet is so small.

PS you may also notice I said lead contender, not done deal.

[Ray P.]

Ash, you are correct in that there are limited tender/sole source options available under the CPGs. In fact, the politicians can also do what they wish and circumvent CPGs without batting an eyelid.

[Jaryd stock]

The Howard GOV and RAAF wanted to consider buying bigger airframes, so it could also take the media with them overseas, But I think they were going to leave that decision till after the 07 election. As the article suggests There was thought that since the A330 was being purchased for the MRTT role, the obvious choice would be a A330, as I think the GOV at the time had options to purchase two or more airframes, (Andrew you might have to confirm). But the time frame has way past that date to exercise on that option.

And then EADS/ Airbus offered one more airframe at a cheaper rate if the C-295 was purchased for AIR8000 phase 2, to get the C-295 over the line vs the C-27J.

Anyway there probably will be a letter of request sent to both Boeing and Airbus, to keep everything above board but I dare say the A330 will be picked, as an outsider looking in, it just makes sense in keeping with the idea to limit the number of different airframes to keep costs down on maintaining/ operating them, As 33 SQN are already operating that aircraft.
It wouldn't take long to transfer 34SQN personnel to 33SQN to work up hours on KC-30's to get them ready for a transition to a hypothetical 34SQN VIP A330, If they haven't already.
Then there was an idea (unofficial) to have a palletised seat version of a KC-30, where seats could be moved in or out kind of like the JASDF KC-767 but this would require a side cargo door being retro-fitted to an existing airframe, or a new KC-30 airframe being purchased with this option, And that won't happen. KC-30's have transported a PM on a official visit to China in 2013, so this could also be a stop gap measure if decision is not reached in time.

It will be interesting to see what regional VIP aircraft will be picked to replace the 604's as the Challengers have also sometimes found there way overseas on different trips, so will bigger airframes with bigger range be selected.

There is my 2 cents worth.

[Nigel C]

G650 or GLEX would be nice

[Jonathan W]

2 more KC-30s will be purchased (along with one or two C17s) with one KC-30 to be converted to a VIP aircraft for the PM.
http://www.news.com.au/national/prim...-1227023370734

[Stuart Trevena]

Hi All,

A little disappointed they didn't decide to buy a B777-200LR or 300ER BBJ, but it does make sense to keep the RAAF fleet the same, as it does cut down on operational costs.

But I assume the Government will buy the VIP Jet as a New ACJ330 from Airbus Ready for purpose with Custom interior, instead of a KC30A then converting to a VIP Interior.

I say this as the PM has complained in the Past, There is no link to the outside world, once he / she is onboard, until they touchdown again.

So a whole suite of communications need to be installed, not just for the PM, but also for the Travelling Media. This would be better done at construction, not at conversion, IMOP.

Looking at range, if they were looking at Airbus, still think the ACJ340 would be better, as it has a great range - 18,000kms vs 14,000kms, and 4 Engines incase, well, incase one or more has trouble.

Only need 1 x Air to Air refuel to get anywhere, Where as to get to Europe or Washington, would need 2 x Air to Air refuels.

Food for thought.

Stuart