OVERVÅKING AV NORDOMRÅDENE

lance asset at its disposal, the UK P-8s could concentrate on the much more challenging role of ASW, along with search and rescue (SAR) and non-maritime tasks.

Norway would also benefit significantly from the arrangement. For example a Triton, the HALE UAS, is significantly more affordable than the P-8, and indeed the Orion it would replace, whilst at the same time delivering a step change in ISR capability to Norway. A single sortie could provide a surface picture of the entire Norwegian Sea, before going on to respond to the challenge of surface surveillance of the High North, an area of growing strategic interest to Norway as the shrinking ice cap increases accessibility to oil and gas, fishing and shipping routes. Alternatively, the extended duration and height at which it can loiter means it can sit close to areas of strategic interest for the best part of a day, searching deep into inaccessible territory for items of intelligence value. The replacement of the P-3 with the Triton would, however, mean a significant dent in Norway’s ASW capability. Other assets are, of course, available, but none have the speed, reach or flexibility offered by an MPA, and so the ability of Norway to draw on the UK MPA fleet for support would answer this question, giving the country access to a gold standard ASW platform at much reduced cost.

The success of the proposed arrangement would be underpinned by the shared agenda of both nations, driven by their geography and common foreign policy, defence and security interests. The whereabouts of a non-NATO submarine being tracked in the Norwegian Sea by an RAF P-8 is of just as much interest to Norway as the UK, as is the radar signature of a new non-NATO frigate, undergoing testing in its home waters.

Delivering A Combined Force

So how might such a combined force work? Cost pressures are likely to demand a light touch approach that has efficiency and effectiveness at its core. Existing C2 arrangements have for decades served the MPA forces of North West Europe well, often being tested during intense and protracted multi-national operations. But they also allow forces to operate independently on national eyes-only tasks where required, or indeed to operate as part of a NATO or coalition package, wherever necessary. Accordingly, there is little to argue for any form of combined Force HQ or even a new combined tasking organisation. The establishment of a Norwegian Forward Operating Location for RAF P-8s, logically at Andøya Air Base, could be done at little cost (indeed the Nimrod MR2 was a frequent visitor), and there might be scope for exchange postings between the two force elements, to further enhance the relationship.

Looking ahead, several enhancements also appear possible. While the HALE UAS is a long way from being able to match the P-8 as an ASW platform, work is underway to develop podded sonobuoy dispensers for these platforms. A UK company is working on micro-sonobuoys for deployment from these systems, as well as the necessary equipment to allow UAS to play a role within multi-statics and to relay acoustic data back to a ground station for exploitation. This could increase the utility of the HALE UAS segment to cover the search and any loose tracking phases of an ASW prosecution, before handing over to a P-8 if close tracking, or an attack, is required. Another enhancement could see the UK acquire its own HALE UAS, as a replacement for the Sentinel R1 in the overland ISR role. Such a development could result in the mooted Combined Force extending its mission set overland, and even offer the possibility of shared basing of UK and Norwegian HALE UAS in Norway, with the attendant benefits in cost and airspace complexities. This cooperative proposition is further strengthened by the clear indication that the USN may return to Iceland, to Keflavik, to operate P8 ASW aircraft. In this paper’s scenario, the Norwegian Tritons would maximize the capability of this larger and more viable North Atlantic USN and UK P8 aircraft force.

Conclusion

The Norwegian Sea is back on the front line and the maritime nations on its rim understand what this demands from a security perspective. However, budgets are stretched and every pound or Krone spent on defence must be made to count. With the UK having ordered the P-8 MPA, and Norway’s Orion fleet nearing the end of its life, these two nations have a unique opportunity to move ahead together, sharing the burden of airborne maritime surveillance by using a mixed hybrid fleet of MPA and HALE UAS, thereby delivering far greater capability at less cost, to the benefit of both, as well as to the NATO Alliance as a whole. All that is needed is the political will of the two nations to make it a reality.