d - Mönch

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d - Mönch

Vol. XXXVII · Issue 10 · 2013
ISSN 0722-3226
●
Official Media Partner
Defence International
RAN
UPDATE
UNMANNED SYSTEMS
FROM KOREA
AUSA
FOCUS
● € 15,00
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YOUR MILTECH CONTACT:
CONTENTS
Editorial:
Dark Times Ahead in Afghanistan ............... 4
Dennis-P. Merklinghaus
Letter from Perth, Western Australia:
The Strategic Importance of
Western Australia .......................................... 6
Sergei DeSilva-Ranasinghe
Letter from Edinburgh:
The Spratlys and China................................. 6
Gavin Don
Letter from New Delhi:
Equipping for the Mission (2) Securing Asia Minor ...................................... 8
Mohammed Ahmedullah
Letter from Kuala Lumpur:
A Potential Path Southeast Asian Navies
May Want to Consider ................................ 10
Dzirhan Mahadzir
Industrial Focus ........................................... 11
AUSA FOCUS
- US Investments in Asia-Pacific............... 15
Chuck Hagel
- Military Pistols ........................................... 16
Peter Donaldson
- Land Battle Signature Management ...... 20
Hugh Jameston
- Today’s Directed Energy Weapons Meeting the Realities of Power, Heat,
Size and Inclination .................................. 26
John Antal
- Retrograde Logistic Strategies
and Solutions............................................. 31
Brian Kindamo
- SMDC’s Low-Cost Targets Saves
Army Money............................................... 35
Jason B. Cutshaw
Infantry Firepower Part 3
Sniper and Anti-Materiel Rifles .................. 38
Malcom Phillips
Seeing the Target ........................................ 46
AUVSI Europe:
Airships: Cargo Delivery and a
Persistent View of the Battlefield .............. 48
SSI Leads the Way to Global Platforms.... 53
Interview with L. Aral Alis,
¸
the first Chairman of the Association of the
Defence & Aerospace Industry Exporters (SSI)
SpecOps Survivability Options................... 54
PACIFIC 2013 FOCUS
- Royal Australian Navy Modernisation
Agenda in 2013.......................................... 56
Interview with the RAN Head Navy
Capability, R.Adm. Mark Campbell
- Royal Australian Navy:
Force Projection for Defence.................. 59
Ted Hooton
SEOUL FOCUS
Defending the Republic of Korea .............. 63
Stefan Nitschke
KORMARINE FOCUS
Naval Awareness How Networked Sensors Enable
Information Superiority ............................... 66
John Antal
Military Technology · MILTECH 10/2013
Epilogue
- IDEF 2013 - Turkey Demonstrates
Growing Defence Capabilities:
Going Far Beyond Supplying Just
the Turkish Armed Forces ....................... 68
- DSEi 2013 – Bringing Together the Best
of Industry and Military ............................ 71
India Defence Update ................................. 80
Global Market Place .................................... 81
News.............................................................. 82
COVER
9/20/13 1:57 PM Seite 1
FLIR Systems’
COMMANDSPACE
KRAKEN
is a Transportable
Force Protection
RAN
UPDATE
System (FPS),
UNMANNED SYSTEMS
providing flexible
FROM KOREA
layered force
AUSA
FOCUS
production using
various sensors
and FLIR’s adaptive
C2 suite based on
FLIR’s CohesionIF
software.
The requirement
for integrated capabilities in combat
operations has become indispensable for
force protection operations. With the
Combat Outpost Surveillance & Force
Protection System (COSFPS),
comprehensive detection, tracking,
assessment and response capabilities have
become easy for commanders to deploy.
COSFPS provides a single container
modular force protection system that is
quick to emplace, with plug and play
components that conform to the ICD-0100
integration standard.
The COSFPS system provides mastmounted long range monitoring capabilities
for multiple combat outpost missions.
The system will be showcased at AUSA.
(Photo: FLIR Systems)
Vol. XXXVII · Issue 10 · 2013
ISSN 0722-3226
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● € 15,00
US $ 25,00
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Defence International
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INDEX OF ADVERTISERS
AIM Infrarot-Module GmbH........................... 43
Aimpoint AB................................................... 41
Coges – Eurosatory ....................................... 12
Daimler AG ........................................ 2nd cover
ESG Elektroniksystem- und Logistik GmbH. 29
Falck Schmidt Defence Systems A/S ............. 8
Flir Systems ..................................................... 5
IAI Elta ............................................................ 61
Invisio Communications A/S ......................... 35
Istec Services LTD......................................... 13
JENOPTIK Defense&Civil Systems ESW GmbH ................................................ 11
Kelvin Hughes LTD ........................................ 23
L3 Communications WESCAM ..................... 17
Messe Berlin GmbH ...................................... 36
Rada Defense Electronics Ltd....................... 21
Rafael.................................................. 4th cover
Rheinmetall AG .......................................... 6 - 7
Roketsan .......................................................... 3
SAAB AB........................................................ 55
SFC Energy AG...................................... 24 - 25
Trijicon, Inc..................................................... 39
Vectronix AG.................................................. 40
WEW Westerwälder Eisenwerk GmbH ......... 33
USA, Canada
Mrs. Sally Passey
Mr. Brian Passey
(Directors)
BSP Media
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1
MASTHEAD
WORD FROM THE EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
Mönch
Verlagsgesellschaft mbH
(Mönch Publishing Group)
Military Technology
Editor-in-Chief: Dr. Dennis-Peter Merklinghaus
Publisher: Stephen Barnard
Correspondents:
Mohammed Ahmedullah, Massimo Annati,
John Antal, Franco Apicella, Fulvio Bianchi,
Nick Bravemann, Chase Cunningham,
Sergio Coniglio, Sergei DeSilva-Ranasinghe,
Andrew Drwiega, Peter Donaldson, Giles Ebbutt,
Rolf Hilmes, Ted Hooton, Hugh Jameston,
Brian Kall, Brian Kindamo, Kim Kindelspenger,
Marty Kauchak, Eugene Kogan, Georg Mader,
Dzirhan Mahadzir, Tim Mahon, Deba Mohanty,
Andy Oppenheimer, Paolo Quaranta,
Radhakrishna Rao, Santiago Rivas, Tim Robinson,
Gen. Salim Abou Ismail, Mark Sheppard,
Ian W. Strachan, Ibrahim Sünnetci, Tomasz Szulc,
Gérard Turbé, Walter Ullrich, Thomas Withington
Corporate Editor: Stefan Nitschke
Editor-at-Large: Dr. Ezio Bonsignore
President: Manfred Sadlowski
Chief Executive Officer: Volker Schwichtenberg
Deputy Managing Director: Christa André
Cover and Layout: Frank Stommel
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2
Dark Times Ahead
in Afghanistan
fter 12 years of war and thousands of
deaths on both sides, the US and the
Taliban are finally ready to talk peace …
to an extent, as while the West hopes to
smooth its withdrawal, I forecast the return of
dark times for women and minorities.
Women in Mazar-e-Sharif have straddled
the worlds between Western freedoms and
conservative traditions for a decade. As the
Taliban gains strength and the West pulls out,
Afghanistan’s most liberal city is being
plagued by a rash of suicides.
Living in Mazar-e-Sharif meant living in
relative security. But now more and more
women are starting to hurt themselves there,
as they already are doing throughout the
country, having no other means of escape. It
leaves one baffled, but it is still no coincidence. More than anywhere else in
Afghanistan, women in Mazar-e-Sharif are
torn between tradition and their newly-won
freedom, between family expectations and
their own sense of self. They are trapped in a
society that is at once deeply conservative
but also offers just enough freedom for
women to discover a modern, Westernised
lifestyle. Girls can go to school, women can
work, and both can surf the Web and watch
cable TV. But forced marriages, domestic
violence and many limitations continue to
exist for many of them – and are all-the-more
difficult to bear. Under these circumstances,
choosing how and when to die can become
a form of self-determination.
No official statistics are kept, and no one
can confirm their figures; nevertheless,
Afghanistan is believed to be one of the few
countries in the world that has more women
taking their lives than men. A recent study
concluded that five out of every 100,000
women are committing suicide each year.
But the real number is likely to be much
higher, especially in rural areas far away from
the big cities. More than 1.8 million women in
Afghanistan, which has an estimated population of 31 million, are said to be suffering from
depression.
When Western forces invaded Afghanistan
in 2001 and ended Taliban rule, conditions
started improving for Afghan women. For
example, girls could go to school again, and
women and men became equals in the eyes
of the law. But now there are more and more
indications that such progress might be
reversed.
In May 2013, the parliament in Kabul opted
not to pass proposed legislation outlawing
violence against women; instead, representatives are now considering an amendment
that would prohibit relatives from appearing
as witnesses in trials, thereby making it
significantly harder to prosecute cases of
A
domestic violence. And the quota for women
in provincial councils was recently reduced
from 25 to 20 percent.
What’s more, the Taliban are regaining
some of their military and political power.
Human rights experts are concerned that the
West, as well as the government of Afghan
President Hamid Karzai, might be willing to
sacrifice women’s rights in order to reach a
compromise with the Islamists.
As NATO withdraws and the Afghan Army
officially takes over responsibility for security
in the entire country, the West hopes that it
can at least leave behind a country that isn’t
steeped in chaos. In 2001, the West set lofty
goals for Afghanistan, including implementing democracy, safeguarding human rights
and fostering responsible governance. But
the countries contributing forces to ISAF
gave up on achieving such goals long ago.
The US has signalled that the Taliban will be
allowed to do what it wants as long as it
refrains from allowing international terrorists
to seek refuge in the areas it controls.
The oft-expressed distinction between
“moderate” and “radical” Taliban elements
straddles precisely this border. On the one
side, there are the Taliban members who
want to usher in a global Islamic empire with
the help of al-Qaida. On the other are those
who would be satisfied with ruling in Kabul.
What unites both groups is their disregard
for the rights of women and minorities.
Human Rights Watch is already painting a
grim picture of the future of women’s rights in
the country, and Amnesty International is
complaining about extensive violations of
human rights. In its annual report, the latter
said that women and girls are already being
subjected to particular and repeated
violence.
A study released by the Bundeswehr at the
end of May 2013 testifies to just how bad the
security situation has gotten. It reports that
the number of attacks on troops and civilians
saw a year-on-year jump of some 25% in
2012.
Endnote: The Taliban is growing ever more
confident: At the opening of their offices in
Doha, Taliban representatives posed under a
banner bearing the words “Political Office of
the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan;” the same
name that the country had between 1996 and
2001, when the Taliban held power in Kabul.
‘nuff said?
Military Technology · MILTECH 10/2013
LETTERS
Sergei DeSilva-Ranasinghe
Gavin Don
Perth, Western Australia
The Strategic Importance of Western Australia
Edinburgh
The Spratlys and China
In the wake of the 20th Century the Indian
Ocean has re-emerged as a region of national
importance to Australia. The reason for this
change derives from the region’s intensifying
geo-politics, rising economic prosperity,
militarisation, and the growing economic
importance of Australia’s northwest region,
which has made Australia’s largest and
most prosperous state - Western Australia
(WA) - of increasing strategic importance to
Australia’s national security and economic
prosperity.
In recent years reference to the Indian
Ocean in official parlance has taken prominence in a range of Australian Government
reports, namely the 2012 Australian Force
Posture Review, Australia in the Asian Century
White Paper and the Defence White Paper
2013. Though not as high-profile, equally
significant was the publication of the
Parliamentary Inquiry into the Indian Ocean
region and Australia’s foreign, trade and
defence policy report in June this year: the first
such parliamentary inquiry into the Indian
Ocean since 1977. Explaining the reemergence of the Indian Ocean in Australian
strategic policy lexicon, Professor Michael
Evans, who occupies the General Sir Francis
Hassett Chair of Military Studies at the
Australian Defence College, affirmed: “The
evolution of the Indo-Pacific region based on
energy and sea lines of communication
through key arteries such as the Malacca
Straits and the Lombok Straits will make
Australia’s strategic position in Asia, and WA’s
in particular, more important in the years
ahead. WA has an Indian Ocean littoral, is close
to the Indonesian archipelago and is home to
important mineral and natural gas supplies – all
of which will increase the strategic significance
of the west in Canberra’s eyes.”
Indeed not since the advent of the “Two
Ocean Navy” policy in the 1980s has Australia
seriously reconsidered its Western frontier.
For example, prior to the Two Ocean Navy
policy, Royal Australian Navy (RAN) Chief,
V.Adm. Ray Griggs, recalled in a March 2012
interview: “In the 1980s the Australian government made a decision to develop a Two
Ocean Navy, because, until then, the RAN had
few assets on the west coast. In fact, it was
quite minimal; a couple of patrol boats and
a survey ship was about all we had at the
time.”
However, since the Two Ocean Navy policy,
the RAN has emerged as the dominant ADF
arm in WA. Today, a third of the RAN operates
in the Indian Ocean, mostly out of HMAS
STIRLING, dubbed as “Pearl Harbour of
Australia,” which is the RAN’s largest base and
hosts more than 2,300 personnel, 600 defence
civilians and 500 contractors. The base also
hosts the headquarters of the Australian
Submarine Squadron and the Navy’s entire
fleet of six diesel-electric Collins-class submarines, four of the eight ANZAC-class
frigates, the tanker HMAS SIRIUS and the
replenishment oiler HMAS WESTRALIA, the
One of the world’s more interesting naval
conundrums can be found in the South China
Sea, where an archipelago of some 750
islands, islets, reefs, rocks and atolls make up
the Spratly Islands. Until WWII, ownership of
the Spratlys was an uninteresting subject. Their
waters were too deep to allow any meaningful
use other than fishing, and the concept of territorial seas was undeveloped. Now, with deepwater oil drilling working at depths of 3,000m,
and a world used to the idea that small pieces
of land bring ownership of large pieces of
seabed, the question of who owns the Spratlys
has come alive. Estimates vary wildly, but our
best (and most sober) source suggests that the
Spratlys’ EEZ might contain 16 billion barrels of
recoverable oil, with a potential to support long
term production in the region of a million barrels a day – roughly 1% of the world’s present
demand, and about 10% of China’s.
In theory, the answer lies in law. The Spratlys
have been variously discovered, occupied,
claimed, named and fought over for 1,800
years by France, Britain, Vietnam, China, the
Philippines, Japan, Brunei, Malaysia, Taiwan,
Indonesia, and even the descendants of the
seafarer Capt. James Meads, who claimed the
islands as a new kingdom in 1877. The tracks
of these many claims of ownership, occupation
and administration are complex, incomplete
and naturally competing. Not all the parties
think that the question is indeed a legal one. In
practise the law will fail to provide an answer.
When law breaks down the traditional alternative is force, and when the argument is about
the ownership of land one expects the fighting
to take place on, or over, land. But in the South
China Sea the land is only important in so far as
it brings ownership of the seabed, so I think we
will see a very maritime conflict.
Spratlys oil (if it is indeed there) is too remote
to tie up to an export pipeline, so production
will be from FPSOs – basically large ships
which can store and then offload production. At
first sight it might seem possible that opponents will attack each other’s FPSOs, but
destroying a FPSO has a very high environmental cost (think Deepwater Horizon). I don’t
think we will see attacks on FPSOs as such.
Rather, strategy will revolve around protecting
one’s own FPSOs, while interdicting one’s
opponents. When one thinks about how to stop
oil exploration or production without damaging
the exploring platform the question boils down
to some very old fashioned answers – namely
boarding and capture on one hand, and interception of export tankers on the other – capture
the loaded ones, and sink the empty ones.
So, the protagonists will try to protect their
FPSOs against capture with a close escort of
small fast ships armed with relatively simple
weapon systems. These would include some
light anti-helicopter weapons to prevent
4
patrol
boats
HMAS
BUNBURY and HMAS
GERALDTON, and the
RAN’s elite Clearance Diving Team Four. In
contrast, the only Australian Army regular unit
in WA is the Special Air Service Regiment,
while the Royal Australian Air Force maintains
an even smaller capability.
Although a vital waterway to the RAN and
increasingly to Australia, with exception to the
introduction of the Two Ocean Navy policy, the
Indian Ocean has traditionally been underrepresented in strategic policy calculations.
Australia’s strategic culture is overwhelmingly
east coast centric and has a skewed focus
towards the Asia Pacific and the South Pacific,
which receives inordinate attention in contrast
to the Indian Ocean.
The dominance of Australia’s east coast
strategic culture is mostly due to the simple
fact that the geographic centre of gravity of the
nation’s population and industrial base is
centred along its eastern coast. The debate on
the Indian Ocean has been given further impetus in Australia due to the fact that the region
has become increasingly important to the US.
The US has shown a strong interest in WA,
which is strategically well placed to influence a
wide region stretching from the Southeast
Asian archipelago, the South China Sea, Bay
of Bengal and South Asia, the Middle East
Indian Ocean littoral and Africa’s eastern
littoral.
As such, US interest has been amply
demonstrated by a recent Washington-based
Centre for Strategic and International Studies
report, which pointed out that HMAS
STIRLING would be used more frequently by
the US Navy, which could include an
expansion of the naval base to accommodate
larger warships; regular high profile visits by
senior US Government officials as principally
demonstrated in 2012 when Perth hosted the
Australia-US Ministerial Consultations; and the
recent opening of a new US Asia Centre at the
prestigious University of WA to foster bilateral
linkages and promote debate on the IndoPacific region.
Although the present Australian Government
has shown an inclination to develop the
rudiments of a “Look West” policy, much
remains to be done. For example, many of the
dividends from the 2012 Force Posture Review
have yet to be seen in WA, and it is somewhat
open to question whether the recommendations of the Indian Ocean parliamentary
inquiry will be taken seriously by the Australian
Government. In addition, there is institutional
resistance within the DoD and the ADF to the
prospect of shifting resources to WA,
especially under tight budgetary circumstances. Until this situation alters, it is likely
that Australia will continue to remain a long
way off from fully realising the true importance
of its Indian Ocean frontier. Hence, for the time
being WA’s geo-strategic significance to
Australia’s national interest will remain underutilised.
Sergei DeSilva-Ranasinghe is a security analyst,
defence writer, and a visiting fellow at the National
Security Institute at the University of Canberra, and a
regular contributor to MT.
Prof. Gavin Don is a regular contributor to MT.
Military Technology · MILTECH · 10/2013
LETTERS
boarding by helicopter assault. A successful
screen will need numbers, agility and speed.
The close escort screen would be vulnerable
to attack in all three dimensions, and success
will therefore also require an ASW screen effective out to probably a dozen miles and an AAW
screen out to about fifty miles.
Finally, it will be necessary to protect the
tankers that offload production ashore, turning
a Spratlys war into a series of convoy actions in
which some of the convoys are static (the
FPSOs on task) and some are mobile (the
tanker shuttle, and a daily traffic of small
support vessels).
If my thoughts so far are correct then success will go to the side that can successfully
maintain an air, surface and subsurface presence at great distances from land. Vietnam,
Malaysia and the Philippines need the shortest
“legs” – being 300 to 400 miles from the likely
areas of operations – but China needs to project power at least 700 miles offshore.
All the likely protagonists have enough surface units. China has some 120 fast attack
craft, 50 frigates and 25 destroyers, and its
opponents can muster some thirty frigates and
corvettes, with approaching a hundred FACs
and patrol vessels. The surface balance is not
decisive. Underwater the picture is strongly
tilted in China’s favour – with 12 Kilos and some
three dozen others boats of varying age and
quality, against only two operational boats in
the Malaysian navy. China need not lose much
sleep over the subsurface war. China’s
weakness, though, lies in the air. The likely
operational areas are too far from China to
allow sustained presence from land-based aircraft, so success will rest on the presence of
China’s almost-operational aircraft carrier
Liaoning. The key word there is “almost” –
Liaoning is not yet operational.
Assets and capabilities are one thing. The
will to use them is another. China has consistently shown its willingness to deploy force to
protect its interests and prestige. It has already
opened fire on Vietnamese and Philippine vessels in the Spratlys, and in May 2011 a Chinese
ship cut the seismic cables of a Vietnamese
survey vessel. China’s clear stance is that the
Spratlys are (and have always been) Chinese,
and that force may and will be used against
trespassers.
But is the same willingness present in the
one power which has no direct ownership claim
over the Spratlys? If it chose, the US Navy
could fill the air cover gap in support of its
south east Asian allies to protect their oil exploration assets. However, it seems clear that to
do so would bring America into direct violent
confrontation with China, over sea to which it
has no claim, and in circumstances which convey no clear legal right to use force. It seems to
me more likely that the USA will not be willing
to start a war with China over the South China
Sea, leaving China as the power with overwhelming force in the region.
Sun Tzu said that the best battle is one that
isn’t fought. China will not choose to fight for
vanity. Rather China’s strategy will be to wait
until it can bring overwhelming force to the
arena (which means waiting until Liaoning’s air
wing is fully worked up) before applying the
lowest levels of force available to obstruct oil
exploration activities by its opponents. There
will be no Battle of the Spratlys, just a long slow
series of low level, almost police, actions in
which non-Chinese access to the seabed is
prevented, and Chinese use is protected.
Whatever reaction is offered, China will check
at an equivalent level, plus one small notch. In
the presence of overwhelming force in all three
dimensions the point will quickly be made, with
little blood spilt. Like a python strangling a goat,
the conflict will be played out without fuss, but
with deadly effect. And the python will win.
Mohammed Ahmedullah
New Delhi
Equipping for
the Mission (2) Securing Asia
Minor
Rapid response rather than deep military
strength is the catchphrase regarding military
modernisation in South East (SE) Asia. Rapid
response to terrorism, piracy, drug and humantrafficking, gun-running; and something that
F o r c e p r ot e c t i o n i s o u r
LETTERS
members of the Association of SE Asian
Nations (ASEAN) do not publicly acknowledge,
the emerging military threat from China, has
become the dominant theme of military and
internal security modernisation.
First responders to military, internal security
and even environmental threats are being
equipped with the latest assets to counter
instant threats. Existing military assets are
being re-organised so as to be a part of the first
response chain in Singapore, Malaysia,
Indonesia, Brunei, Philippines, and Thailand. In
Singapore, Military UAVs are being equipped
with smog sensors so that there is sufficient
warning when smoke from forest fires in
Indonesia blinds Singapore. In Malaysia, military commandos are being re-trained in rapidresponse techniques to prevent surprises like
the Sula rebels’ attempted takeover of the
Sabah province in March this year, which led to
a full-scale assault with airstrikes to evict them
from islands close to the Philippines.
The ASEAN nations are particularly in awe of
sea-borne assaults, such as the 2008 Mumbai
attacks in India when terrorists entered the city
from the sea and caused a night-long mayhem
killing over 200 people and destroying the
iconic Taj Mahal Hotel on the city’s sea-front.
Singapore, Malaysia, and Indonesia are known
to have erected several rapid-response systems including surveillance on the high seas,
close monitoring of near-shore activity of small
boats, eavesdropping on electronic communications and keeping naval commandos at the
mission
ready should terrorists still be able to bypass
the elaborate defences. Improved coastal
defences are known to have addressed human
trafficking and piracy issues, as well as leading
to a marked decline in such incidences in
recent months.
Response to weapons of mass destruction
has regained significance after the Bali
bombings. The US is reported to be helping
countries in the region to have more effective
maritime protection and rapid threat response
systems. The US Defense Threat Reduction
Agency (DTRA), which monitors the spread of
weapons of mass destruction, is reported to be
helping ASEAN nations develop a joint rapid
response system under which they would keep
each other informed of mutual threats. In
August 2013, Raytheon was awarded a DTRA
maritime border security contract to design and
construct a National Coast Watch Center
(NCWC); support integration of data from
various agencies into the NCWC; and provide
acquisition, installation and training on an automatic identification system as well as radio
communications for the Government of the
Philippines.
Considering the high levels of people movement between different SE Asian countries,
border control has assumed significant importance to guard against human and drug
trafficking, as well as gun-running. Singapore
and Malaysia already have world class passenger and cargo handling capabilities at their
airports and can identify and weed out sus-
pects without causing hindrance to genuine
passengers. The other countries in the region,
too, are in the process of beefing up their airport passenger control systems. Installation of
whole body scanners, drugs detection systems, and passenger profiling is steadily being
implemented all across the region with
Singapore taking the lead in airport security
considering its vulnerability as a transit hub,
which caters to high volume of passengers on
a daily basis.
Though not officially acknowledged, the
growing might of the Chinese Navy has led
some of the SE Asian nations with whom China
has a territorial dispute over the Spratly Islands,
to bolster their first response ability when faced
with an impending Chinese invasion. Aside of
the Spratly claim, Beijing has also been flexing
its muscles over the hunt for oil and fishing in
the South China Sea by SE Asian countries.
The massive increase in China’s military budget
during the last decade has been met with a
steady decline in military spending by SE Asian
nations. Though Singapore and Malaysia could
be qualitatively superior to the Chinese Navy’s
assets, the capacity of the Chinese Navy to
mobilise a naval assault force in a relatively
short time has given naval planners in these
countries sleepless nights. The Chinese threat
has been emphasised in several conferences
Mohammed Ahmedullah is a strategic affairs and defence journalist based in New Delhi. His area of expertise extends from the Middle East to South East Asia.
www.rheinmetall-defence.com
Logistic vehicles
Tactical vehicles
Air defence systems
Weapons and ammunition
Infantry systems
Protection systems
Command and control
Electro-optical products
Simulation and training
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8
held in Singapore and Kuala Lumpur over the
past couple of years.
Largely dependent on western sources for
naval equipment, SE Asian nations have learnt
from a few face-offs with the PLA Navy that
they will need to add more rapid response
teams in the form of fast missile cruisers, ships
and landing craft, aerial surveillance and airborne assault forces. The next few years could
see a reversal of the curtailment in military
spending and order threat-specific assets
which could challenge the might of the PLA
Navy.
Dzirhan Mahadzir
Kuala Lumpur
A Potential Path
Southeast Asian
Navies May Want
to Consider
There has been much said and written about
the recent deployment of the littoral combat
ship (LCS) USS FREEDOM to Singapore,
mostly on whether the FREEDOM and its sister ships that will also be deployed in the future
to the region can survive a hypothetical conventional war engagement, and the other
being on the teething problems in regard to the
ship’s generators. Overlooked in this is the
ship’s suitability for day to day operations and
the US engagement policy in the region, and
that the fact that the aspect of the FREEDOM’s
mission module design, high speed capability
and minimum crew manning provides an
example of a potential path that South East
(SE) Asian Navies may want to consider in
future ship development and designs for their
navies.
One of the longstanding cornerstones of US
engagement in SE Asia has been the
Cooperation Afloat Readiness And Training
(CARAT) series of annual bilateral exercises
that the US Navy along with the USMC conducts with eight SE Asian countries and
Bangladesh. The type of activities conducted
under the CARAT series of exercises vary with
the host nations based on their capabilities and
the availability of their military forces for the
exercise. To a certain extent, the US occasionally has problems ensuring that the
exercises are capability compatible, the
advanced nature and capabilities of the US
military results in a vast disparity between the
US and the host nation military particularly in at
sea operations, the fact that a US frigate alone
is often larger and more capable than the
leading ships of most SE Asian Navies makes
planning meaningful exchanges and interaction
in maritime exercises a challenge. While the
gap in US capability compatibility for CARAT
partner countries like Singapore, Thailand,
Malaysia, and Indonesia are not that wide, it is
the case for other CARAT Southeast Asian
partner nations Brunei, Cambodia, Philippines,
and Timor Leste.
The characteristics of the LCS however overcome this problem. The LCS’ focus on
maritime security missions, such as the interdiction of suspect ships, VBSS (Visit, Board,
Search and Seizure) and counter-piracy, makes
it ideal for engagement with SE Asian Navies
who face the challenges of preventing maritime
terrorism and maritime crimes. Moreover the
LCS’ capability to operate in shallow waters
and it’s smaller size compared to conventional
US Navy ships allows greater flexibility in operations and engagement in the region, particularly when considering that a number of naval
bases in the region are of limited size and not
designed to accommodate US Navy ships. In
the recent CARAT Malaysia exercise in June
2013, the USS FREEDOM easily docked and
operated out of the RMN Kuantan naval base,
while the destroyer USS CURTIS WILBUR had
to be anchored offshore due to it being too
large to dock at the base. As such, the US Navy
is able to engage more effectively with the LCS’
compatibility to regional Navy capabilities and if
necessary, the LCS’ high speed and shallow
draft makes it more flexible in responding to
and assisting regional navies in maritime
security missions if requested.
The design characteristics of the LCS should
bear consideration by SE Asian Navies in their
future ship procurement, in an era where the
cost of naval ships along with personnel are
rising, the modular design of the LCS allows a
Navy to maintain a single standardised hull
class of ship that can be switched easily to
execute different requirements depending on
the mission and at the same time, a modular
design allows greater flexibility in future growth
of the ship or adapting the ship in the future to
mission requirements not originally planned for
or anticipated during the ship’s inception. At
the same time, the LCS concept of minimal
crew and mission specialists is likely to give a
Navy better flexibility and capability in
maintaining and training adequate numbers of
personnel. For instance, training would be
simplified with a common class of ship capable
of carrying differing missions in contrast to
maintaining differing designs for specific
missions. Interestingly in its replacement of its
FEARLESS-class patrol vessels with the Littoral
Mission Vessels, Singapore has gone for a
mission modular capability as part of the ship
design. The high speed of the USS FREEDOM
at 47kts is also something SE Asian Navies
should be considering for future designs, given
the vastness of territorial waters and EEZs to
patrol and the fact that the insurgents, pirates,
smugglers, militants, and terrorists all have a
predilection for utilising high speed craft at sea.
Navies in the region need to operate fast
vessels to allow them to reach areas rapidly
and at the same time able to pursue, intercept
and apprehend fast small vessels. The current
trend of 20-30kts for most naval vessels simply
leaves them unable to successfully pursue or
intercept most small craft.
This is not to say that SE Asian Navies
should buy the US LCS design. The cost of the
ships without the mission modules already puts
it beyond the budget of Navies in the region,
however the concept and characteristics of the
LCS are something SE Asian Navies should
take into consideration in their future ship procurement.
Dzirhan Mahadzir is a defence journalist and analyst
based in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, and a regular contributor to MT.
Industrial Focus
P C Jain took charge as Director (Marketing) of
Navratna Defence PSU Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL)
on 1 September 2013. He was General Manager of the
Missile Systems Strategic Business Unit at BEL’s
Bangalore Complex before his elevation. He was
elevated as the General Manager of the Military Radars
Strategic Business Unit at BEL’s Bangalore Complex in
January 2010.
(Photo: Bharat Electronics
Limited)
CAE has named Raymond Duquette as President and
General Manager of CAE USA. In this position, Duquette
will report to Gen. (Ret.) Michael E. Ryan, USAF and
Chairman of the Board of CAE USA. Duquette will be
responsible for the general management and operation
of CAE USA, which is part of CAE’s Military business
segment and based in Tampa, FL/USA.
(Photo: CAE)
Dr. Anna-Katharina Wittenstein has joined
Wittenstein North America as Chairwoman of the Board
at their Bartlett, IL/USA design and manufacturing
facility.
(Photo: Wittenstein)
Heads in the Industry
Hypertac Micro Snaptac Connector Series Continues
to Lead the Way In
Micro SnapTac connectors
deliver great performance
over the course of a long
lifetime. The series
features an inherent
self-cleaning wiping action
and specifically designed
metallic and plastic
protection caps are also
available. Moreover, the
nature of the electrical
spring loaded contacts
significantly reduces
fretting thus providing a
greater level of reliability.
(Photo: Hypertac)
Hypertac, a Smiths Connectors
business and provider of high
performance interconnect solutions, has completed a comprehensive initiative designed to
extend the range and over all
capability of its robust SnapTac
circular connector series by unveiling a new generation of
miniature low-profile connectors,
the new Micro SnapTac Series.
This is the latest entry in
Hypertac’s extensive portfolio
and it incorporates all of the tried
and tested features and benefits
that have been built into the
SnapTac connector family since its
initial introduction to the market in
2007.
In real-world operating environments, the rugged and compact
Micro SnapTac family, that
features lighter weight spring
loaded contacts, has proven to be
an interconnect solution that
delivers a level of robustness, high
reliability, low contact resistance,
high mating cycles and durability,
as well as enhanced signal integrity
that sets it apart from competitive
product offerings from across the
industry.
Due to an innovative design
process, these highly engineered
solutions from Hypertac continue
to lead the way by delivering
exceptional performance in the
most demanding environmental
conditions
while
providing
immunity to the shock and
vibration that is associated with
military applications. This series
represents the next step forward in
showcasing the extended reach of
SnapTac in satisfying customers’
needs for higher contact density in
limited space for optimal performance.
“We have listened closely to the
voice of our customers, and we
have clearly heard what they’ve
been telling us relevant to their
interconnect needs and requirements,” said Gabriel Guglielmi,
Business Development and
Strategy Vice President of
Smiths Connectors. “The cuttingedge features embodied in our new
Micro SnapTac Series speak
volumes in terms of differentiating
and setting it apart from competitive offerings. It provides
further evidence of Smiths
Connectors ongoing commitment
to remain as an industry leader in
delivering best-in-class solutions
to the global customer community.”
Maibach Industrie Plastic –
Containers for Retrograde Operations
Maibach Industrie Plastic is
manufacturing and distributing
highly qualified technical products
for the long-term storage and the
manifold transportation by land,
sea and in the air, as well as
moulded parts for the aerospace,
defence and high-tech industries.
Transportation
and
Storage
Containers
include
the
MILTAINER-TSC, containers that
are designed for the toughest
applications and secure one’s
valuable systems, components, instruments, and electrical parts
for the defence, aerospace, R&D,
high technology and industrial
markets. The MILTAINER-LWC
lightweight containers were specifically designed in response to
customers’ individual technical
requirements. The sandwich constructed containers provide high
strength while being lightweight.
All functional items like closure fasteners, valves and lashing eyes are
recessed flush with the container
surface. The company furthermore
manufactures the MILTAINERMDC and HDC(pressure and
water-vapour proof container in
approved sandwich construction),
holding systems (each and every
foam cushioning and holding
system is individually designed
and
tested
according
to
customers’ needs to provide
superior protection for one’s item
of supply), the 19” Instrument Case
(a very lightweight instrument case
made from glass-fiber reinforced
sandwich panels, suitable to install
19” racks), and MILTAINER-IM
(manufactured with HPX high performance resin, easy press & pull
latches and soft-grip handles,
comfortable and tough transport
cases).
Patria nominated as Nordic NH90 Service Center
by NH Industries
Patria and NH Industries (NHI)
have signed a NH90 Service
Center Agreement enhancing
their co-operation in the helicopter life-cycle support services
for the Nordic customers. Through
this agreement, Patria gets an
official status to act as NHI
authorised Nordic NH90 Service
Center in Finland, Sweden and
Norway in the agreed perimeter of
activities. The Nordic NH90
Service Center status gives Patria
an authorisation to deliver most of
NH90 spare parts for Finnish,
Swedish
and
Norwegian
customers. In addition, according
to the agreement, Patria has an opportunity to be a logistic platform
provider
and
to
provide
Maintenance Repair and Overhaul
(MRO)
services
for
Nordic
customers in cooperation with NHI
utilising Patria’s capabilities and
competencies.
“This
agreement
further
strengthens the unique skills and
competencies of Patria in helicopter support and repair technologies as well as represents a
great opportunity to expand the
utilisation of Patria’s existing NH90
capabilities in providing services
locally towards the NH90 users in
the Nordic countries. This clearly
strengthens our position as the
leading helicopter LCS provider in
the
region,”
stated
Lassi
Matikainen, President of Patria
Aviation.
The (R)evolution of Ground Tactical Radars
Since over half-a-century ago,
the initial use of ground radars was
primarily long-range strategic
aerial surveillance from fixed and
elevated sites. As can be expected, the equipment was expensive
and large. The progress in RF technology on one hand, and the
arising need for detection of
combat threats by tactical levels on
the other, led to the development
over the last three decades of
artillery/missiles locating radars
(e.g. TPQ-36/37 FIREFINDERs,
GIRAFFE) and medium/shortrange air defence radars (e.g.
MPQ-64 SENTINEL). After cycles
of technology injection, upgrades
and introduction of modern systems, today’s radars can typically
perform both air defence and fire
detection/location missions (i.e.
TPQ-53, TPS-80 G/ATOR, and
ELM-2084 MMR). Due to their size,
all such radar systems are installed
on trucks for tactical mobility and
9
Left:
The Multi-mission Hemispheric Radar (MHR)
is designed for force and border protection
applications such as C-RAM, C-UAS, GMTI,
air surveillance, and more.
Right: The Compact Hemispheric Radar (CHR)
is designed for combat vehicles and
short-range force protection applications
such as Active Protection Systems and
Hostile Fire Detection.
(Photos: RADA Electronic Industries)
are transportable by cargo aircraft/helicopters. They are stationary in nature, operated by
specialized units, and are connected to centralized C3 posts.
Systems are typically failry expensive.
In the early days of the irregular
warfare in the Near East and
South Asia, soldiers have surfaced two areas where portable
radar technology can provide the
detection of short-range combat
threats and provision of the information directly to the fighting
level:
– Ground surveillance of moving
objects (GMTI) and cueing of
optical sensors, and
– Short-range
elevated
fire
(mortars) detection, alert, and
source localisation.
Recurring Military and Technological Abbreviations and Acronyms
AESA
AEV
AEW
AEW&C
AFV
APC
ASW
ATGM
AUV
C2
C4
C4I
CAS
CASEVAC
CBRNE
COIN
COMINT
COTS
EFP
ELINT
EO
EOD
ESG
FIBUA
FLIR
FMS
HALE
HAZMAT
HMMWV
I2
IDF
IDIQ
IED
ICV
IFF
IFV
IOC
IR
ISR
M-ATV
MALE
MANPADS
MBT
MEDEVAC
MOTS
MOUT
MPA
MRAP
MRO
OEF
OIF
OPV
PRR
R&D
ROV
RPA
RPG
SINCGARS
STOL
UAS
UAV
UGV
UOR
USV
UUV
UXO
VTOL
10
- Active Electronically Scanned Array
- Armoured Engineer Vehicle
- Airborne Early Warning
- Airborne Early Warning and Control
- Armoured Fighting Vehicle
- Armoured Personnel Carrier
- Anti-Submarine Warfare
- Anti-Tank Guided Missile
- Autonomous Underwater Vehicle
- Command and Control
- C2, Communications and Computers
- C4 and Information
- Close Air Support
- Casualty Evacuation
- Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear, and Explosive
- Counterinsurgency
- Communications Intelligence
- Commercial Off The Shelf
- Explosively Formed Penetrator
- Electronic Intelligence
- Electro-Optical
- Explosive Ordnance Disposal
- Electronic Support Measure
- Fighting in Built Up Area
- Forward Looking Infra-Red
- Foreign Military Sale
- High Altitude Long Endurance
- Hazardous Materials
- High Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicle
- Image Intensified
- Israel Defense Forces
- Indefinite-Delivery/Indefinite-Quantity
- Improvised Explosive Device
- Infantry Carrier Vehicle
- Identification-Friend-or-Foe
- Infantry Fighting Vehicle
- Initial Operational Capability
- Infra Red
- Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance
- MRAP All-Terrain Vehicle
- Medium Altitude Long Endurance
- Man-Portable Air-Defence Systems
- Main Battle Tank
- Medical Evacuation
- Military Off The Shelf
- Military Operations in Urban Terrain
- Maritime Patrol Aircraft
- Mine Resistant Ambush Protected
- Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul
- Operation „Enduring Freedom“
- Operation „Iraqi Freedom“
- Offshore Patrol Vessel
- Personal Role Radio
- Research and Development
- Remotely Operated Vehicle
- Remotely Piloted Aircraft
- Rocket Propelled Grenade
- Single Channel Ground and Airborne Radio System
- Short Take-Off and Landing
- Unmanned Air System
- Unmanned Air Vehicle
- Unmanned Ground Vehicle
- Urgent Operational Requirement
- Unmanned Surface Vehicle
- Unmanned Underwater Vehicle
- Unexploded Ordnance
- Vertical Take-Off and Landing
As a result, quite a few models of
man-portable Ground Surveillance
Radars (GSRs) were developed by
radar companies worldwide and
fielded by the forces (later also
adopted to border and strategic
sites protection missions); and
the development and fielding of the
Light
Counter-Mortar
Radar
(LCMR, TPQ-48/49/50), carried
and operated by soldiers.
More than a decade of accumulated operational experience
during irregular fighting refined
and surfaced new requirements
from tactical radar-based force
protection solutions, in addition to
the abovementioned initial capabilities (i.e. ground surveillance
and mortars detection):
– Detection, alert and accurate
localisation of all types of
weapon
threats:
Indirect
(Rockets, Artillery, Mortars RAM), Direct (Anti-Tank Guided
Missiles – ATGM, Tank Cannon
Projectiles – including KE),
Irregular (Air Breathing Targets,
top attack, Low-QE);
– Detection and location of aerial
vehicles, with emphasis on helicopters and UAS;
– On-the-Move capability, to enable freedom of manoeuvre and
mounted operation;
– Multi-Mission – “one radar does
it all”: avoid arsenal of singlemission of equipment;
– Improved situational awareness
and performance through integration, networking and/or cooperative control/cueing of multiple radar systems (multi-static);
– Minimal
Size/Weight/Power,
modularity – to enable portability and ease of deployment
and theatre entry;
– Simple, intuitive activation and
displays, minimal maintenance
actions; and
– Affordability & key to wide
deployment.
In particular, the need to protect
tactical vehicles (both tracked and
wheeled) from threats like small
arms, Rocket Propelled Grenades
(RPG), ATGMs and tank shells was
surfaced. Single vehicles (or small
groups of vehicles) typically carry
EO and/or acoustic sensors;
however the need to have broad
protection solutions – e.g. Hostile
Fire Detection and source localisation, autonomous Active Protection Systems (APS) – require
the introduction of compact, agile
and affordable radars to enable
such operational capabilities. This
segment of tactical radars is in its
infancy, and currently there are
very few solutions available.
The evolution of ground tactical
radars is summarised by the
following categories:
– Size and Weight: from big, thru
medium, to extremely compact,
– Mobility: from Static, thru transportable/portable, to full On-theMove (OTM),
– Functionality: from single-mission, thru combination of missions, to full multi-mission, and
– Affordability: wide deployment
requires
highly
affordable
radars,
Naturally, radar systems of all
categories are required, and need
to work ensemble in order to
provide the ultimate solutions to
the soldiers at all levels. In order to
meet such demanding performance requirements while staying
compact and affordable, the new
tactical radars need to be based on
cutting-edge RF technologies and
techniques, namely:
– AESA,
– Hemispheric search and track,
extremely fast volume coverage,
– Pulse-Doppler, wide range of
threat velocities,
– Innovative angular measurements techniques to overcome
small antenna size,
– Digital, adaptive beam forming,
– Advanced signal processing
and algorithms for enhanced
and automated performance,
– Frequency band that enables
usage of COTS components for
increased affordability,
– Standard and common interfaces, for integrability with sensors and C3 systems, and
– ECCM technologies and techniques.
These
technologies
are
currently applied by the most
modern and large tactical radars,
such as the G/ATOR, the MMR,
and the GIRAFFE AMB.
RADA Electronic Industries, a
pioneer in the field of compact
tactical radars, has recently
introduced two radar platforms
that meet the abovementioned
requirements and implement those
cutting-edge technologies:
– Multi-mission
Hemispheric
Radar (MHR), designed for force
and border protection applications such as C-RAM, C-UAS,
GMTI, air surveillance, and
more; and
– Compact Hemispheric Radar
(CHR), designed for combat
vehicles and short-range force
protection applications such as
Active Protection Systems and
Hostile Fire Detection.
Both
are
software-defined
radars, having sophisticated beam
forming capabilities, advanced
A range of Safetykleen’s
automatic and manual parts
cleaning systems are used to
clean virtually every part of
every piece of equipment.
Often, this machinery will be
manufactured bespoke to suit a
particular purpose, for example
larger casing for certain
weaponry components or the
use of the latest ultrasonic
cleaning technology for more
delicate items.
(Photos: Safetykleen)
signal processing, provide multiple
missions on each radar platform,
and offer great performance-toprice ratio. The radars are currently
undergoing operational field tests,
and are in the Low Rate Initial
Production (LRIP) phase.
Lean, Mean and Kleen Extending Military Assets through Effective
Cleaning and Maintenance
As British troops and thousands
of tonnes of military equipment
continue to be withdrawn from
service in Afghanistan, the major
task of repair and maintenance is
already well underway.
Millions of pounds worth of
military
hardware
including
weapons, vehicles and support
equipment now needs to be
stripped down, cleaned and made
ready for redeployment after
having performed tirelessly in the
most demanding of environments.
Much of this equipment will return to a major site in Shropshire,
and other establishments across
the UK, where a range of modern
and bespoke cleaning equipment
is used to thoroughly wash and
degrease each mechanical part of
every working component.
Everything from basic equipment to complex aircraft with
thousands of working mechanical
parts, are stripped down to their
individual components as part of a
strict maintenance schedule to
ensure maximum safety and reliability.
The task of managing these
valuable military assets is of the
highest priority as the cost of
effective maintenance is significantly lower than the cost of replacement. Even more important is
the fact that many parts of some
older equipment simply aren’t
manufactured
anymore,
so
maintaining what we have is
critical.
The speed of which this equipment is cleaned, repaired and
returned to service is also vital, as
priority equipment is constantly
required for theatre or training.
Thankfully, gone are the days
where good old-fashioned elbow
grease and Brillo pads were relied
upon, as this labour intensive and
arduous process kept highly skilled
mechanics from performing critical
tasks. With the use of modern
cleaning equipment, such as such
as Safetykleen’s high-powered
JETKLEEN pressure washer,
modern mechanics can remove
oils, grease, brake dust, and other
contaminants in a matter of
minutes rather than hours.
Modern cleaning technology
also uses water based solutions
rather than solvents. This not only
means less exposure to chemicals
Power
Power - Precision
Precision - Protection
Protection
for operators, but also helps to
ensure environmental compliance.
In today’s budget constrained
environment it is hard to overstate
the important role that effective
parts washing plays in the extension of military assets and the resulting cost saving that this
achieves.
AUSA Annual Meeting
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21-23, Washington
Washington D.C., USA
October 21-23,
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11
Zycraft Completes Phase 1 Development
of VIGILANT Unmanned Surface Vessel
Zycraft has successfully completed the Phase 1 development
of the VIGILANT Class Independent USV. A lead vessel named
the LONGRUNNER has already
completed over 24 months of inwater testing in Singapore waters
and travelled a total of 2,000
nautical miles. During this period,
the vessel also participated in
several Fleet Battle Experiments
and demonstrated continuous
unmanned operations exceeding
48 hours and travelled 100nm into
the South China Sea. The
LONGRUNNER was remotely
commanded and controlled from
Zycraft’s headquarters ashore
using satellite communications.
★★★
Saab Seaeye, a wholly owned
subsidiary of Saab, has acquired
Hydro-Lek, a UK manipulator and
tooling manufacturer for underwater vehicles. The acquisition
Food for Thought
Acquisitions, Mergers, and Joint Ventures
Saltwater Leadership:
A Primer on Leadership for the
Junior Sea-Service Officer
by R.Adm. Robert O. Wray JR.
USN
192pp
ISBN-13: 978-1612512129,
Naval Institute Press
Russian Helicopters, a subsidiary of Oboronprom, part of
State Corporation Rostec, and
AgustaWestland, a Finmeccanica
company, have signed a Heads of
Agreement at the MAKS 2013 Air
Show defining the joint design and
development programme for a new
2.5t class single-engine helicopter.
The agreement was signed by
Daniele
Romiti,
CEO
of
AgustaWestland, and Russian
Helicopters CEO Dmitry Petrov.
The preliminary assessment of the
helicopter’s technical design and
commercial opportunities is expected to be completed in the next
few months. The programme, first
announced by the partners in
Designed for busy junior officers
in the US Navy, Coast Guard, and
Merchant Marine, this primer
teaches the basics of leadership in
five sequential steps. It begins with
a useful overview of major leadership studies, followed by an informative summary of the wisdom of
380 senior sea-going officers regarding those leadership attributes
required of the junior officer. One
chapter includes sea stories from
officers of varied backgrounds,
each offering a leadership lesson
that was learned the hard way.
Along with this sage advice from
experienced sea-service officers,
the book offers a final chapter that
helps readers build personalised
summer 2012, is intended to be
shared on a 50/50 basis, with the
new helicopter being designed for
the worldwide market and a wide
range of applications.
★★★
SFC Energy, a market leader for
off grid power generation and stationary power distribution, in July
signed a contract to acquire
Simark Controls, a Canadian value
added (VAR) distributing company
with product integration and manufacturing expertise for power
products, instrumentation, and
automation. This forward integration is a further important step in
implementing SFC’s strategy as a
systems provider.
strengthens
Saab
Seaeye’s
product portfolio of remotely
operated, autonomous and hybrid
underwater vehicles with the
ambition to further grow the company.
plans to improve their own leadership skills. Such a practical guide is
certain to turn young officers into
successful leaders.
13
MÖNCH VERLAGSGESELLSCHAFT MBH
HEILSBACHSTRASSE 26
53123 BONN · GERMANY
WWW.MPGBONN.DE
2015
Exxhibition
Surface Navy
Soldier Tech
DWT: Perspektiven der Verteidigungswirt.
IAV UK
SGW: Ang.Forschung für Verteidigung
DEFEXPO 2014
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6-9 February 2014
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29-30 April 2014
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7-8 May 2014
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12-15 May 2014
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14 May 2014
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25-28 November 2014
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January 2015
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AUSA FOCUS
Chuck Hagel
US Investments in Asia-Pacific
America and nations of the Asia-Pacific
region must continue to strengthen existing
alliances, forge new partnerships, and build
coalitions based on common interests to
ensure this region’s future is peaceful and
prosperous.
In support of this goal, America is implementing a rebalance, which is primarily a
diplomatic, economic and cultural strategy.
President Barack Obama is increasing funding
for diplomacy and development in Asia,
including a 7% increase in foreign assistance in
the Asia-Pacific region. The US is providing
new resources for regional efforts such as the
Lower Mekong Initiative, which helps improve
water management, disaster resilience, and
public health. We have built strong momentum
toward implementing a next-generation trade
and investment agreement through the TransPacific Partnership negotiations. We are
fostering regional trade and investment through
our work in APEC and our support to ASEAN.
The Department of Defense plays an important role in securing the President’s vision
of rebalance. Our approach was outlined in
the President’s 2012 Defense Strategic
Guidance, which is still guiding the US military
as we reorient its capabilities and capacities to
better prepare for future global security
challenges.
As we carry out this strategy, it is true that
the Department of Defense will have fewer
resources than in the recent past. It would be
unwise and short-sighted to conclude, however, that our commitment to the rebalance
cannot be sustained – particularly given the
truth that even under the most extreme budget
scenarios, the US military will continue to
represent nearly 40% of global defence expenditures. Like the employment of all resources, it
is always a matter of the wise, judicious and
strategic use of those resources that matters
the most and has the most lasting impact.
The fact of the matter is that new fiscal
realities present an opportunity to conduct a
thorough and much-needed review to ensure
we are matching resources to the most important priorities. With that goal in mind, I recently
directed a Department-wide Strategic Choices
and Management Review. Although the
review’s outcome is not final, the direction I
provided was to follow the President’s defence
strategic guidance, to focus new energy and
thinking on addressing long-standing
challenges, and to make our defence enterprise
one that better reflects 21st Century security
realities – including the rise of Asia.
For the region, this means I can assure you
that coming out of this review, the US will continue to implement the rebalance and prioritise
our posture, activities and investments in AsiaPacific. We are already taking many tangible
actions in support of that commitment.
For example, the US is adding to the capacity of our ground forces in the Pacific after Iraq
and as we draw down from Afghanistan. The
1st and 3rd Marine Expeditionary Force and the
Army’s 25th Infantry Division are all returning to
their home stations in the Pacific theatre. The
US Army is also designating 1st Corps as
“regionally aligned” to the Asia-Pacific region.
In addition to our decision to forward base
60% of our naval assets in the Pacific by 2020,
the USAF has allocated 60% of its overseasbased forces to the Asia-Pacific – including
tactical aircraft and bomber forces from the
continental US. he Air Force is focusing a
similar percentage of its space and cyber capabilities on the region. These assets enable us to
capitalise on the Air Force’s inherent speed,
range, and flexibility.
America’s enduring commitment to peace
and security in the Asia-Pacific region depends
on sustaining the ability to deter aggression
and operate effectively across all domains,
including air, sea, land, space, and cyberspace.
Our five year budget plan submitted to
Congress this year put a premium on rapidly
deployable, self-sustaining forces – such as
submarines, long-range bombers, and carrier
strike groups – that can project power over
great distance and carry out a variety of missions. In the future, this region will see more of
these capabilities as we prioritize deployments
of our most advanced platforms to the Pacific,
including the F-22 RAPTOR and F-35 JSF
deployments to Japan, and a fourth VIRGINIAclass fast attack submarine forward deployed
to Guam.
Even further over the horizon, we are investing in promising technologies and capabilities
that will enhance our decisive military edge well
into the future. For example, last month, for the
first time ever, the US Navy successfully
launched an experimental RPA from an aircraft
carrier, ushering in a new era in naval aviation.
Having achieved a series of technological
breakthroughs in directed energy, next year for
the first time the US Navy will deploy a solidstate laser aboard a ship, the USS PONCE.
This capability provides an affordable answer
to the costly problem of defending against
asymmetric threats like missiles, swarming
small boats, and RPAs.
Combined with new concepts, doctrine, and
plans that integrate these new technologies
and other game changing capabilities, we will
ensure freedom of action throughout the region
well into the future.
Our investments in Asia are not just about
cutting-edge technology and platforms, they
are also about cultivating deeper ties between
our people and building a network of professional military personnel and security experts
across the region.
In the 20th Century, America’s role as a
leader in the world community helped this
region grow and prosper. It came at a cost –
one I experienced first-hand as my father, my
brother and I were sent off to war in Asia. Many
others from other nations across the region
understand, far better than I, the high price so
many have paid for the peace and prosperity
we have enjoyed.
We must not squander those precious
sacrifices. I do not want my children, or anyone’s children, to have to face the same brutal
realities that were visited on this region in the
last century. Instead, I, like each of you, want
them to have an opportunity to live in a century
of peace and prosperity. We owe that to future
generations.
This is a complex and challenging time, but it
is also a hopeful time. It is hopeful because of
the tremendous legacy that has been built
through the shared sacrifices of many nations
and millions of their people. It is hopeful
because there exists today more real possibilities for more people than ever before in the
history of man. Whether those possibilities will
be fulfilled depends on us.
The world’s seven billion people are being
brought closer together than ever before in
human history. Together, we have the opportunity to forge a secure, prosperous and inclusive future. The decisions we make today will
help determine how that future unfolds in what
will undoubtedly be a Pacific century.
Chuck Hagel is the US Secretary of Defense. This is an
abridged version of the secretary’s 01 June 2013
speech at Shangri-La Dialogue 2013 First Plenary
Session.
15
AUSA FOCUS
Peter Donaldson
Military Pistols
It is hard to avoid a sneaking
suspicion that the military doesn’t
really take pistols seriously. If it did,
there would be fewer new purchases of weapons chambered for
the 9x19mm and .45 ACP rounds,
and many more chambered for
more modern, potent ammunition
such 10x25mm and 5.7x28mm
rounds.
Despite the pistol’s status in the military as a
secondary weapon, the growing importance of
urban operations has shone a spotlight on the
need for an effective modern firearm that is
easier to bring to bear quickly in confined
spaces than a rifle. While submachine guns fit
that mould they are generally too cumbersome
for the heavily burdened modern soldier to
carry in addition to an assault rifle, so the venerable self-loading pistol is probably the best
compromise.
While the law enforcement and private
markets drive pistol developments, the military
is spoilt for choice by the enormous and
growing variety of weapons that combine
advanced materials, manufacturing techniques
16
and surface treatments with design features,
such as integral accessory rails, ambidextrous
controls, high-capacity magazines and refined
ergonomics that make them easier to use in
stressful situations than their predecessors –
despite the fact that firearms technology is
mature and unlikely to yield great leaps forward.
Another M1911 for the Marines
A stark illustration of this point is the USMC’s
selection last July of yet another variant of John
M Browning’s classic M1911 to arm its special
operators and reconnaissance troops. The
basic M1911 design is more than a century old,
has been through innumerable refinements and
has manufactured in many forms by what
seems like the entire firearms industry in the US
and beyond. Colt was the first company to
make the pistol and its new M1070 is now
being supplied to the USMC as the M45A1
Close Quarter Battle Pistol (CQBP).
The new M45A1 is also known as the Colt
Rail Gun in a reference to the integral Picatinny
accessory rail, the weapon’s most obvious distinguishing feature. Other modern features
include a stainless steel frame, the CERAKOTE
protective finish in desert sand colour and
tritium illuminated sights from Novak. Weighing
1.27kg (2.8lb), and chambered for .45 ACP, the
M45A1 packs a 12.7cm (5in) barrel into its
21.59cm (8.5in) overall length.
As it is a single-action pistol, cocked with a
round in the chamber and the thumb-operated
safety applied (“cocked and locked”) is the
condition from which the M45A1 can be
brought into action most quickly. Many forces
would not consider this safe enough, but it is
clearly not something that bothers USMC
special operators.
High Capacity .45 Alternatives
The aspect in which this pistol is most
compromised by its design heritage is in its
magazine capacity of seven rounds. This is
surprising in an era of high capacity doublestacked magazines. Many modern pistols,
even those chambered for the fat .45 ACP,
have magazine capacities in double figures.
The current record holder is probably FN
Herstal’s FNX-45 Tactical. This pistol is derived
from the FNP-45 Tactical that was developed
for the defunct US Army Joint Combat Pistol
requirement, which has come to life again in the
form of the Modular Handgun System effort
AUSA FOCUS
A British soldier aims a Browning 9mm
pistol on a shooting range at Basra, Iraq.
(Photo: Crown)
(see below). The FNX-45 Tactical packs a 15round magazine into its chequered polymer
frame and combines a host of features that
define the 21st Century self-loading pistol. The
frame has replaceable steel rails on which the
slide runs, two interchangeable back straps to
accommodate different hand sizes, an integral
Picatinny rail and a serrated trigger guard to
improve grip in a two-handed hold. The slide is
made of stainless steel and features cocking
serrations both behind and ahead of the ejection port to ensure a secure grip when
cycling the action with wet or slippery
hands. The 5.3in (13.46cm) cold hammer-forged barrel is also stainless steel,
is threaded at the muzzle to accept a
suppressor or a compensator. A ringstyle external hammer enables thumb
cocking and the trigger has a
single/double action mechanism. The
rest of the controls, including the
decocking/safety levers, slide stop lever
and magazine release, are fully
ambidextrous.
Weighing 33.6oz (952g) empty, the
FNX-45 Tactical is 7.9in (20.66cm) long
overall, 1.58in (4.01cm) wide and 6.5in
(16.51cm) high. Standard colours are
black and flat dark earth.
Turkey’s 39.3oz (1.115kg) Sarsilmaz
K2-45 takes a 14-round magazine. A
simpler pistol with a more basic specification, the K2-45 has a double-actiononly trigger and lacks fully ambidextrous controls and the out-of-the-box
facility to accept both red dot and iron
sights together, suppressors, compensators etc. However, it does feature an
integral rail, an adjustable rear sight and
a changeable front sight. The frame and
slide are in forged alloy steel with a
blued finish, while the 4.7-in barrel is
also made from forged alloy steel with a
white chrome finish.
The Glock 21 Gen 4 is the Austrian
manufacturer’s latest high-capacity .45
ACP pistol and features a 13-round
magazine capacity. As with all Glocks, it
features the Safe Action trigger mechanism that disengages the trigger safety,
firing pin safety and the drop safety
when the trigger is pulled and automatically engages them once more as soon
as it is fully released beyond the audible
and tactile ‘reset’ position. Other than
the magazine and slide releases, the
trigger is the only control on a Glock
pistol. While this has proved very popular with many law enforcement and military users, it is a showstopper for some
organisations that insist on an external
safety.
Springfield’s XD 45 has a 13-round
magazine and bears a considerable
resemblance to a Glock, being a strikerfired pistol with a safety integrated into
the trigger mechanism, but with the
addition of a grip safety and a
visual/tactile striker status indicator on the rear
face of the slide.
Heckler & Koch’s Universal Selfloading Pistol
(USP) is offered in .45 ACP with a 12-round
magazine capacity. A version of this weapon is
in service with US special forces as the Mk 23.
Taurus’ 24/7-G245B-12 also holds 12 rounds.
Israel Weapon Industries’ (IWI) Steel
JERICHO holds 10 rounds in the .45 ACP
chambering, as does Sturm, Ruger & Co’s
SR45, SIG Sauer’s P250, the CZ 97 BD, the
Beretta PX4 Storm, Smith & Wesson M&P 45
and Tanfoglio’s Force family.
High magazine capacities are also available
in some 1911 pattern .45 ACP pistols including
the Bul M-5 Government (13) and the STI
Tactical 50 (14).
Seeking a Modular Handgun
The US military continues to invest in 9mm
pistols, awarding Beretta a contract for up to
100,000 M9 pistols last September. Just
months later, however, the US Army announced in January 2013 an RfI on a Modular
Handgun System that might eventually replace
the M9. This follows a series of abortive efforts
in the 2005-6 timeframe including the Future
Peter Donaldson, with 25 years of experience as a
journalist and writer covering aerospace and defence
technology and operations, is a regular contributor to
MT. With additional comments by DPM. For a pictorial outlook on what is available on the pistols market, as
seen at DSEi 2013, please see www.miltechmag.com
I DENTI FY AND DOM I NATE
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TM
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payloads that match your budget and mission portfolio
• 4-axis stabilization allows for superior on-the-move imaging
capability
MX-RSTA
• Unrivaled ruggedization enables continuous performance
under the harshest climates and terrain conditions
To learn more, visit www.wescam.com.
WESCAM
L-3com.com
17
AUSA FOCUS
The CZ PP-09 is the latest high capacity
service pistol from CZ and is following the
design of the successful and compact
CZ 75 P-07. The CZ P-09 is offering some
improvements: a better OMEGA trigger
mechanism, new shape of the trigger blade
for a better trigger reach, a highly resistant
polymer frame reinforced with fiberglass
with a long accessory rail under the barrel.
The safety and decocker is interchangeable, also the ergonomic grip was
improved and can now be adjusted to three
different sizes thanks to backstraps. The
CZ P-09 9x19mm pistol has a magazine
capacity of 19+1 a length of 205mm with a
115mm barrel and a weight of 840 grams.
(Photo: Mönch / AF)
Handgun System, the Special Operations
Forces Combat Pistol, the Joint Combat Pistol
and the Combat Pistol programmes.
In this latest effort, the Program Manager for
Soldier Weapons (PM SW) at Picatinny Arsenal
has said that it is assessing handgun technologies and the state of the US small arms industrial base. On the technology front, PM SW is
looking for improvements in accuracy and dispersion out to 50m, terminal performance in the
target, modularity and reliability and durability
in all environments.
The combination of gun and ammunition,
says PM SW, should have a 90% probability of
hitting a 4in (10.16cm) circle from a range of
50m when fired from a test fixture and maintain
this level of accuracy throughout its service life.
Indicating apparent open mindedness as to the
calibre it might choose, the organisation also
wants industry to make use of improvements in
ergonomics that “minimise the effects of
greater recoil energies.” This is to reduce
degradation in accuracy caused by shooter-inthe-loop dispersion.
Under the modularity banner comes compatibility with accessories including tactical
lights, lasers and suppressors and adaptability
to the hand sizes of the 5th percentile female
up to the 95th percentile male to ensure that
they can easily reach all the controls, for which
PM SW is also interested in full ambidexterity.
More Lethality Wanted
PM SW is also looking for greater lethality
than that of the current M882 9x19mm round
fired from the M9 while complying with the
international law of war conventions that apply
to general purpose military ammunition.
Terminal ballistics are to be evaluated at ranges
of 0-50m into 0-14in of ballistic gelatin.
One stipulation for all pistols evaluated is that
they can withstand chamber pressures equal to
or greater than the specification for the particular cartridge laid down by the Sporting Arms
and Ammunition Manufacturers’ Institute
(SAAMI). While they must function at these
pressures at least as reliably as the M9 does,
PM SW expressed specific interest in weapons
that can function at pressures more than 20%
above SAAMI spec without losing reliability.
The main reliability measures are Mean Rounds
Between Stoppages (MRBS), Mean Rounds
Between Failures (MRBF) and service life. PM
SW is particularly interested in designs rated at
least at 2,000MRBS, 10,000MRBF and 35,000
rounds.
PM SW has also asked for production rate
and capacity estimates beyond any current
orders or sales, lead times to achieve those
rates and whether new facilities will be
required. The organisation has also asked candidates to factor in US based manufacturing by
the third year of deliveries. The organisation
also asked for a list of any US state and feder-
al agencies and foreign governments that have
adopted the weapon along with ‘detailed and
summarised’ test data from certified test facilities that shed light on the desired areas of
improvement.
Based on PM SW’s request for pricing estimates, the Modular Handgun System programme could potentially result in orders for
250,000 to 550,000 guns, although the organisation stresses that the RfI is for planning purposes only.
Testing of MHS candidates is reportedly due
to take place next year. Contenders are likely to
include Beretta’s own model 92A1 in 9mm and
the 96A1 in .40 cal, which represent a major
update of the model 92F on which the M9 is
based. The Italian manufacturer’s PX4 STORM
in .45 ACP has history with recent US pistol
requirements and remains a likely contender in
this and other chamberings. Smith & Wesson’s
M&P pistol in .40 cal was selected by the US
Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (ATF)
in 2010. SIG Sauer’s P226 is popular with Navy
SEALs, while H&K’s P2000 is in service with the
US Border Patrol. Glock, meanwhile, picked up
a major order from the UK MoD for 25,000
9mm model 17s to replace the FN Browning
Hi-Power. The Austrian gun maker’s pistols
also remain firm favourites with numerous US
police departments.
One weapon that probably will not be an
MHS candidate, although is certainly worth
considering is the innovative Strike Pistol
System from Arsenal. The pistol’s Strike
Locking System (SLS) is claimed to offer the
fastest locking and unlocking process enabled
by moving only the locking block and not the
barrel, with the relationship between the slide
and the barrel controlled by a rail system inside
the slide to maximise accuracy. A very low bore
line minimises muzzle rise, while a high ammunition feed level enables “trouble-free use of
any type of bullet, with no deformation upon
chambering.” The design also includes a
“totally sealed” ejection port to keep contaminants out of the action and extra strength in
the slide around the ejection port.
This programme, in the RfI stage at least,
seems less prescriptive than earlier efforts; for
example it does not stipulate an external safety,
which would give Glock more of a chance.
Neither does it specify the 9x19mm calibre,
meaning that both the .45 ACP (11.43x23mm)
and more modern alternatives such as the .40
S&W (10x22mm), the .357 SIG (9x22mm) and
even wild cards such as the 5.7x28mm and
10mm auto (10x25mm) rounds might be considered. The popularity of the .40 with US law
enforcement agencies probably makes it the
favourite among the non-9mm contenders,
although the .45 ACP with its status as a
cultural icon can never be discounted.
Turkish Pistols
The number, the extent and the breadth of
Turkish gun making capability is vast. MKE is a
ATK Blackhawk!’s SERPA tactical holster
system. With high-speed draw under stress
and immediate lock-in upon re-holster.
This light-bearing holster is ideal for even
the most threatening tactical environments.
(Photo: Mönch / DPM)
18
AUSA FOCUS
Sailors from the Fuerza Especial Naval,
the Guatemalan Naval Special Forces,
participate in a pistol familiarisation course
taught by Sailors from Naval Special
Warfare Command at the pistol range
at Base Naval Del Pacifico in San Jose,
Guatemala.
(Photo via Author)
Turkish manufacturer providing the Turkish
Armed Forces (TAF) with licensed copies of the
German G-3 7.62x51mm service rifle and the
9x19mm calibre MP5 submachine gun. TiSAS
concentrates on 1911 style pistols, together
with a double action pistol that approximates
the style and size of the Classic Sig pistols, but
it does so with a slide mounted safety. TiSAS
has an annual production capacity of approximately 50,000 firearms and it is ISO 9001 certified in its manufacturing techniques. They have
also been extensively endurance tested by the
Turkish military. CANiK is another Turkish
handgun manufacturer whose products follow
designs well established by more traditional
manufacturers. GiRSAN manufactures both
handguns and shotguns in Turkey. Their handguns mimic the Beretta 92 in design and operation and another version has a SIG-like
appearance, but features a slide-mounted
safety. Like others in Turkey they also manufacture a 1911 style pistol in .45 ACP.
By far the biggest of these Turkish handgun
manufacturers is Sarsilmaz. They offer both
semi-autos and swing-out cylinder revolvers.
The semi-autos for the most part borrow
heavily from the CZ design and the revolvers
are traditional in both size and operation, but
they are solid and proven designs.
Many of these firms are already on the international market, but most consumers do not
know them because their importers are selling
these products under their own proprietary
labelling.
Unpopular Calibres Best?
This brings me to the provocative statement
with which I began. Neither the 10mm auto nor
the 5.7x28 rounds have gained much traction in
mainstream military pistols, but both probably
ought to.
With its much higher chamber pressure, the
10mm out performs the .45 ACP in terms of
range and penetration while being slimmer and
therefore allowing more of them into a pistol
magazine. It has a reputation for relatively fierce
recoil, but that is something to which good
pistol ergonomics can make a big difference.
The .45 ACP fires a round with higher sectional density and a larger diameter, so it makes
a bigger but shallower hole. A 1989 FBI study
entitled Handgun Wounding Factors and
Effectiveness concluded that, first, depth of
penetration and, second, the size of the permanent wound channel were crucial to rapid
incapacitation of a human target.
“Physiologically, no calibre or bullet is certain
to incapacitate any individual unless the brain is
hit. Psychologically, some individuals can be
incapacitated by minor or small calibre wounds.
Those individuals who are stimulated by fear,
adrenaline, drugs, alcohol, and/or sheer will and
survival determination may not be incapacitated
even if mortally wounded,” the study’s author
Special Agent Urey W Patrick wrote. “The will
to survive and to fight despite horrific damage
to the body is commonplace on the battlefield
and on the street. Barring a hit to the brain, the
Caracal International, the UAE-based
small arms manufacturer for the civilian,
military, law enforcement and sporting
markets and a subsidiary of Tawazun
Holding, has at DSEi 2013 introduced
two new pistols.
Of the two new Caracal pistols, the
CP663 is a double action hammer pistol
designed both for use by Special Forces
and for sports applications. It has a 9x19
calibre and supports an 18 round
magazine. The CP664 is a strike version
of the CP663, using the firing pin principle rather than a hammer. Available in
either 9x19mm or 9x21mm calibre, the
CP664 has a 15 round magazine. Both
pistols, designed, developed and manufactured in Abu Dhabi, are available in full
and compact sizes and feature a double
stage trigger, rotating barrel chamber
locking, horizontally and vertically
adjustable rear sights, and a steel grip
frame.
The CP663 and CP664, like all of
Caracal’s products, are manufactured at
the company’s high technology facility
within the Tawazun Industrial Park,
located between Abu Dhabi and Dubai.
The Park is a unique, self-contained,
world class industrial zone which plays
an important role in the ongoing development of the UAE’s industrial capabilities
and in providing career opportunities for
local engineers.
only way to force incapacitation is to cause sufficient blood loss that the subject can no longer
function, and that takes time. Even if the heart
is instantly destroyed, there is sufficient oxygen
in the brain to support full and complete
voluntary action for 10-15 seconds.”
Patrick also tackled some common misconceptions about wounding effects: “Kinetic
energy does not wound. Temporary cavity does
not wound. The much-discussed ‘shock’ of
bullet impact is a fable and ‘knock down’ power
is a myth. The critical element is penetration.
The bullet must pass through the large, blood
bearing organs and be of sufficient diameter to
promote rapid bleeding. Penetration less than
12in is too little.”
While the 5.7x28 is both less energetic and
smaller in diameter than either the 10mm auto
or the .45 ACP, its velocity is much higher and,
more importantly it was designed to penetrate
body armour at combat ranges, which could be
a vital for soldiers in urban combat.
Israeli Special Forces handgun training
(Photo via Author)
19
AUSA FOCUS
Hugh Jameston
Land Battle Signature Management
Special Forces are dependent on not being seen. Shown here is a sniper-ghillie suit. (All Photos via Author, unless otherwise mentioned)
So many sensors now populate the
battlefield that there is almost no
portion of the electromagnetic
spectrum unexploited by imaging
devices operating in the visual,
near IR, short, medium and long
wave IR, and even ultraviolet wavebands. IR sensors, however, are
now so widespread that managing
thermal signatures has become as
important as visual camouflage. As
with stealth at sea and in the air,
however, benefits are generally
analogue rather than digital –
people and things are not either
visible or invisible, rather they are
more or less visible at varying
ranges. This means that small
improvements in signature management can give the side that
possesses them a significant
advantage.
20
The ancient art of camouflage remains useful
even in an age of proliferating multispectral
sensors and continues to evolve, although it is
still environmentally specific. Camouflage
patterns and colour schemes rarely if ever work
as one-size-fits-all solutions. Desert, arctic,
woodland, crop land, urban, and transitional
environments all present their own challenges
and demand their own patterns and palettes. In
recent years, improved understanding of fractal
patterns common in nature – complex patterns
formed from multiple irregular repetitions of
simple elements – have made camouflage
materials much more effective.
Improve Development,
Cooperate More, Forces Told
To make the most of this knowledge, however, requires consistent application of clear
procurement policies and procedures and
proper tests of candidate patterns and materials. While the USMC has done this, the US
Army and the USAF have not, according to a
critical report from the US Government
Accountability Office (GAO) published September 2012, which also added to a growing chorus calling for inter-service cooperation.
Further impetus for cooperation and common camouflage patterns came early June
2013, when the House Armed Services Committee (HASC) voted to support of an amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act
requiring the services to have a joint combat
uniform.
The Army pattern deemed not to work well is
the Uniform Camouflage Pattern (UCP) applied
to the Army Combat Uniform (ACU), development of which began in January 2003. Among
the requirements were better visual/near IR
camouflage and a UCP with “acceptable”
performance in woodland, desert and urban
terrains. After spending around $3.2 million to
the develop the ACU and its camouflage pattern, the Army began fielding it in February
2005, only to be directed by Congress in 2009
to develop a pattern better suited to the Afghan
environment in the wake of complaints from
soldiers. The result, after another $3.4 million in
development, was the interim MultiCam OEF
AUSA FOCUS
Camouflage Pattern (OCP), which began
fielding in July 2010.
In 2011, the Army launched a new fourphased camouflage improvement effort to
identify three colour variations – desert, woodland and transitional. The effort entered its
fourth phase in January 2012 and the Army was
about to make its choice from among four
candidate patterns, when the June 2013 HASC
vote went through. Now, the process seems to
be on hold while the Army and the other services await guidance.
The companies whose patterns have made it
to this final selection stage are ADS (in partnership with Guy Cramer, President and CEO of
Canada’s HyperStealth Biotechnology Corporation, see below), Brookwoods, Crye Precision, and Kryptek.
ADS’ offering is the US4CES pattern, which
uses “digital” patterns based on fractal geometry that can trace its ancestry back to the
Canadian Disruptive Pattern (CADPAT) of the
1990s and the USMC MARPAT design that
was a licensed CADPAT copy using different
colours. According to Guy Cramer, Canadian
military research showed that soldiers wearing
CADPAT stood a 45% smaller chance of being
detected from ranges 50-300m when wearing
CADPAT than when wearing the then current
monotone olive drab uniform.
According to ADS, digital patterns outperform analogue (non-pixelated) patterns
because they more closely re-create fractals
that the brain interprets as background noise.
This helps the pattern to break up shapes and
to disguise movement. Although fractals could
be represented by analogue shapes, the
company argues that this comes too close to
mimicry, which works well against the backgrounds it is designed to mimic, but is
extremely limited in its functionality. Fractal
patterns work well in a much broader range of
environments.
Adaptive Camouflage
and “Invisibility”
Currently, a major thrust of government and
industry R&D around the world is towards perfecting adaptive camouflage that, if it achieves
its potential, could enable soldiers and vehicles
to become functionally invisible, something that
many animals - famously chameleons and
cephalopods, such as octopuses and cuttlefish
– have been able to achieve for millions of
years.
While the technologies involved are diverse,
there seem to be two basic approaches to
adaptive camouflage that is designed to work
in the visible spectrum; the first involves a system of video cameras and display surfaces that
capture the scene on one side of the camouflaged object and display it on the other side so
that it disappears from view to an observer on
either side; the second is said to involve
causing the camouflaged object to bend light
around it, analogous to the way in which a rock
in a stream forces water to flow around it. This
second description is vague as the technology
is proprietary and closely guarded.
Clothing made from material that exploits
this technology may be in service already if a
short piece of video footage aired by CNN and
purported to have been taken by Iraqi insurgents is authentic. It shows an ABRAMS MBT
triggering a large IED before rolling slowly out
of shot. In a subsequent sequence shot from
the same point of view more vehicles arrive, led
by a second ABRAMS, which stops on the left
of the frame. From the right of the frame, at
least two human-sized blurs move rapidly
towards the ABRAMS and resolve themselves
as indistinct but unmistakable human shapes
against the skyline as they climb onto the tank
to seek sanctuary. I offer no opinion of the
footage’s authenticity, but the appearance of
the indistinct figures is consistent with the
described performance of the new QUANTUM
STEALTH “invisibility cloak” material from
HyperStealth Biotechnology. A link to the CNN
Situation Room footage is available on the
HyperStealth website.
Formed in 1999, HyperStealth develops
camouflage patterns and manufactures military
uniforms. The company has worked with more
than 50 countries and had over two million uniforms produced, according to Guy Cramer.
Hugh Jameston, with 25 years of experience as a journalist and writer covering aerospace and defence
MT. With additional comments by DPM.
21
AUSA FOCUS
Revealed in September 2011, the system
has been applied to a CV90 and, says the company, is robust enough to provide useful
armour protection and consumes very little
power. The modules can be produced in different sizes to generated resolutions appropriate
to vehicles, aircraft, warships or buildings.
Hiding in the Open
Are digital pixel camouflage patterns ineffective?
Bending Light Differently
The new QUANTUM STEALTH material,
whose existence the company announced in
October 2012, when Guy Cramer wrote,
“QUANTUM STEALTH is a material that renders the target completely invisible by bending
light waves around the target. The material
removes not only your visual, infrared (night
vision) and thermal signatures but also the
target’s shadow.”
Pictures of the material that have appeared
in the media so far are mock-ups, but the real
thing has been shown to potential customers,
Guy Cramer says.
“Two separate command groups within the
US Military and two separate Canadian military
groups as well as Federal Emergency
Response Team (Counter Terrorism) have seen
the actual material so they could verify that I
was not just manipulating video or photo
results; these groups now know that it works
and does so without cameras, batteries, lights
or mirrors. It is lightweight and quite inexpensive. Both the US and Canadian military have
confirmed that it also works against military IR
scopes and thermal optics.”
Interviewed for Canadian broadcaster Global
TV’s Shaw Tech Report, he hinted that the principle by which QUANTUM STEALTH works is
not unrelated to fibre optics: “We bend light all
the time with fibre optic cables; I’m just doing it
differently.”
Adaptive camouflage applied to vehicles and
designed to defeat IR sensors, however, is also
maturing. BAE Systems’ aptly named ADAPTIV
technology works by rapidly heating or cooling
modular hexagonal tiles to mimic the vehicle’s
thermal surroundings. More than this, it can
reproduce the thermal signatures of nonthreatening vehicles and other objects (even
animals), display symbols or patterns to signify
its allegiance to prevent fratricide and even
flash text messages.
Saab Barracuda manufactures multi-spectral
camouflage and heat reducing systems that
protect against threats from sensors and
reduce the effects of heat and solar loading on
personnel and equipment. Innovations include
the Ultra Lightweight Camouflage Net System
(ULCANS), Signature Concealment Personnel
Suit, Gun-Mounted Vehicle, the Two Man
Collapsible Tent, and the Solar Shading and
Concealment System.
Saab has been awarded a contract for
Multispectral Static Camouflage Nets from the
Canadian DoND. The order amounts to SEK54
million with the right to exercise several options
with for potential additional orders of SEK44
million over 5 years.
“Saab has an unrivalled leading position in
the world within Signature Management technology. We continue to attract and retain new
and existing customers around the globe,” said
Anders Wiman, Managing Director for Saab
Barracuda
Saab Barracuda’s advanced Camouflage
technology products have been exported to
more than 50 countries. Saab offers a unique
package of camouflage systems and force protection solutions with the purpose to decrease
the enemy’s ability to detect and engage.
These solutions protect camps, vehicles and
personnel against hostile sensors and enemy
target acquisition.
Violating the Second Law
Future advances in IR signature management may stem from theoretical developments
over the last 15 years that cast doubt upon the
This is mock-up of Hyperstealth
Biotechnology’s QUANTUM STEALTH (Light
Bending) material. No cameras and no
projectors are used. These photos are to show
the concept, for obvious security issues the
actual technology is not show. With the real
material the company determined a 95%
reduction of shadow in testing.
22
AUSA FOCUS
Within the NIR spectrum, AOR2 reflects
darker than MARPAT Woodland, we see
that the two dominant colours in AOR2
become one colour in the NIR so the
pattern loose much of the disruptive effect
in the NIR and the darkest colour is not as
dark as either MARPAT Woodland or
CADPAT TW, which was developed by the
Canadian military with colours that worked
in the NIR for Woodland type environments.
In Afghanistan it was a common practice
for Canadian Soldiers to use CADPAT AR
(Arid Regions) in the day time and CADPAT
TW (Temperate Woodland) on night
missions. Notice that US4CES Woodland
achieves a similar NIR reflectance without
having to use the dark CADPAT TW
colours.
absolute status of the second law of thermodynamics, according to Daniel P Sheehan of
the University of San Diego’s (USD) Department of Physics. Writing in the journal Entropy,
Sheehan suggests that the breakdown of the
second law under specific circumstances
might “open the door to a new class of broadband IR stealth and cloaking techniques.” He
calls these techniques second-law based IR
signature management (SL-IRSM).
The second law of thermodynamics, which
Sheehan calls probably the most depressing
law in nature, states that energy in a closed
system always degrades into its most disorganized form – heat. In other words, entropy
always increases in a closed system. It bans
perpetual motion machines, ensures that heat
energy always flows from hot regions to cold
ones – unless external work is done to reverse
the flow – and it outlaws perfectly efficient heat
engines and refrigerators.
The second law intersects with IRSM
through radiation theory, Sheehan points out,
because every object warmer than absolute
zero must emit thermal electromagnetic radiation.
While the scientific community has so far not
recognised any violations of the second law,
more than 60 mainstream journal articles,
monographs and conference proceedings have
raised dozens of theoretical and experimentally
testable challenges to its universal status –
more than the combined total during its previous 160 years of history, Sheehan wrote in the
Entropy journal article.
Thermally Powered MEMS
Using Micro-Electro-Mechanical Systems
(MEMS) fabrication techniques, Sheehan’s
USD team has built solid-state semi-conductor
devices in the form of Thermal Diodic
Capacitors (TDCs) that can convert waste heat
into mechanical work. TDCs consist of standard p-n diodes made from negatively doped
silicon joined to positively doped silicon formed
into a horseshoe shape. Where the two pieces
of silicon are in physical contact, the charges
migrate across the junction creating intense
electric fields. The ends of the horseshoe are
separated by a tiny vacuum gap.
Intense electric fields also exist
across this gap and have been
measured directly with Scanning
Kelvin Probe Microscopy (SKPM)
and Electric Field Microscopy
(EFM) techniques.
The TDC, writes Sheehan,
“can exist in two distinct
equilibrium states – a highenergy (vacuum gap open) configuration and a low-energy (gap
closed) configuration – and can
be
mechanically
switched
between them, exploiting their
energy difference in the process.
As such, a TDC can perform net
work in a thermodynamic cycle,
but in doing so it must subvert the second law.”
They will keep working as long as they are kept
warm.
Hiding Underground
Sheehan gives two examples of SL-IRSM
applications, the first to an underground installation, such as a command post and the second to an aircraft turbojet engine. The latter is
the more astonishing because it suggests that
the engine could power itself from the heat in
the air passing through it without using fuel and
ejecting only cold air – a dramatic violation of
the second law.
The underground installation, however, is a
more modest application. In it, TDC power
units would drive electrical loads such as lights,
ventilation fans, computers etc, recycling the
waste heat from their normal inefficiencies and
from the body heat of the installation’s occupants. With the heat energy contained in this
second-law-violating thermodynamic cycle it
would not be free to flow out into the surrounding earth and reveal the installation’s presence
to infrared sensors on satellites or aircraft.
As scientific understanding has progressed,
many laws of nature have had to be modified.
Such laws are discovered through theory and
experiment and not handed down on tablets of
stone, and the second law of thermodynamics
should be no exception, Sheehan argues. “For
any spontaneous process, the entropy of the
universe never decreases – except when it
does.”
23
Communication
Highly efficient portable and mobile power
reduces weight and increases flexibility in the field
Modern soldier systems are
becoming more and more sophisticated, with an increasing demand
for reliable and flexible power.
Batteries alone are pushed to their
limits. Soldiers have to carry an
abundance of spare batteries to
provide sufficient power for multiday mission scenarios, increasing
the weight tremendously and wasting volume they could use to carry
water, food or ammunition.
Fuel cell power generators
for defence applications
Portable power for soldiers
In the past years, portable fuel cell generators have become the solution of choice for
special and specialized forces, supplying reliable power for several days in the field while
reducing the load of the soldier. The latest dedicated power product of SFC Energy for
defense applications- the portable JENNY
1200 fuel cell generator (fig. 1) – offers decisive
advantages over other fuel cell technologies.
The new 50 Watt portable fuel cell generator is
not only the smallest maintenance-free
portable fuel cell developed and qualified for
military use. It also uses pure methanol, available in four convenient fuel cartridge sizes, thus
offering market-leading energy density and
enormous weight savings over fuel cell generator technologies with a conventional
methanol/water blend.
Unlike other miniaturized fuel cell generators,
JENNY 1200 targets 2,500 warranted operating
hours – completely maintenance free. As a
result, users benefit from higher performance,
shorter charging times, and reduced cost.
Fig 1. Portable fuel cell
generator JENNY 1200
Like all SFC Energy’s power generation and
distribution products for defence applications
JENNY 1200 integrates seamlessly into the
existing SFC defence product family and into all
SFC energy networks and power solutions.
In connection with one of SFC Energy’s intelligent SFC Power Managers, JENNY 1200 can
simultaneously recharge multiple batteries.
Connected to a 10 liter fuel cartridge, JENNY
1200 will ensure uninterrupted battery power
for more than 9 days without requiring any user
intervention.
Efficient power management
in the field
For even more flexibility in using any available power source in the field, SFC Energy is
currently developing a new and more powerful
version of the smallest and most capable
power management devices available – SFC’s
Soldier Power Manager.
©2013 Mönch Verlagsgesellschaft mbH
Fig 3. EMILY fuel cell generator
for vehicle based defence applications
For reliably recharging on board batteries in
military vehicles - without ever turning on the
engine - SFC Energy has developed the EMILY
3000 fuel cell generator (fig. 3). It can be used
as on-vehicle and mobile off-vehicle charging
device. The fully ruggedized fuel cell generator
enables charging of a large variety of batteries
from conventional batteries to modern lithium
ion and lithium polymer batteries. Connected to
the SFC Power Manager 3G EMILY 3000 can
charge up to 4 batteries simultaneously. EMILY
3000 produces no noise, emissions or signature, thus making it the perfect power source
for covert missions.
Reliable stand alone power –
in any season,
climate and weather
Fig 2. Small SFC Soldier Power Manager
for harvesting power from different sources
and for charging a wide variety of devices
SFC’s Soldier Power Manager’s (fig. 2)
simplified architecture allows connecting one
power source, one battery and one power consuming device or a second battery for
recharge. Two USB-devices can be connected
for charging. It harvests power from fuel cells,
solar, batteries, grid power and vehicles, and
supports level 3 charging of Li-ion batteries
such as the BB-2590, CWB (Conformal
Warfighter-Wearable Battery) or AN/PRC-148,
152, 154 batteries. SFC’s Soldier Power
Manager is a technological upgrade of the popular and successfully fielded SFC Power
Manager 3G. In comparison to the sophisticated SFC Power Manager 3G which was
designed to meet complex Special Forces
requirements, the new, smaller Soldier Power
Manager is a plug & play device. It was developed following the “where it fits it works”
strategy – thus eliminating user adjustments or
training to manage energy supply.
24
Silent, fully automatic power
on board military vehicles
EMILYCube 2500 (fig. 4) combines a 100 W
fuel cell based on the field proven EMILY technology, a 6.8 Ah li-ion battery, and a fuel cartridge in a lightweight, compact box. Weighing
Fig 4. Integrated EMILYCube 2500
power solution for stand-alone or plug & play
operation
Communication
merely 13.5 kg (22 kg including 10 l fuel cartridge), EMILYCube is a portable
charging station or power supply that will immediately deliver reliable power when
plugged in and connected to a fuel cartridge. It can be used as a stand-alone and
plug & play energy solution as required and can easily be hybridized with other
alternative power generators.
The entire military product portfolio of SFC Energy has been field tested and
proven in harsh environments by several military organizations around the world.
SFC Energy is market leader in fuel cell technologies for mobile and off-grid power
applications. SFC Energy has shipped more than 28,000 fully commercial products
to law enforcement, defence, industrial and private end users, and has created a
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Fielded SFC power products are currently in use in the missions of defence
organizations all over the world. They also power a multitude of security and
surveillance applications of government, public and private organizations.
The company has developed a strong customer base within the NATO and U.S.
defence communities. Fully integrated fuel cell/battery hybrid systems by SFC
Energy offer armies around the world a wide range of safe, lightweight and independent power sources for nonstop equipment operation by soldiers in the field.
Solutions range from vehicle based power generators to mobile and stationary
turnkey energy solutions used as field charging devices, and finally to lightweight
man portable systems as an alternative to carrying spare batteries.
Fuel cell power generators for security &
surveillance and professional applications
SFC Energy’s portfolio of power products for defence applications is complemented by a wide range of integrated power generation and power distribution
solutions for security and surveillance and other industrial applications, where the
reliable availability of energy for strategic devices like cameras, communication
equipment, sensors or signals is imperative.
Fig 5. EFOY Pro fuel cell generator for industrial applications
These solutions integrate the EFOY Pro fuel cell generator by SFC Energy (fig. 5).
The EFOY Pro fuel cell series was specifically developed for the sophisticated
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of uninterrupted service for all kinds of off-grid devices in the oil and gas industry,
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long autonomous operation significantly reduces logistics and service time and
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Based on the efficient EFOY Pro fuel cell generator SFC Energy has developed
a series of integrated plug and play power solutions for demanding outdoor applications. EFOY ProCube is a complete, mobile and maintenance-free off-grid power
supply solution in an easy to transport and easy to conceal box that is immediately
ready for use in any outdoor scenario. The EFOY ProEnergyBox is SFC Energy’s
power system for extreme weather and climate scenarios at temperatures from
- 40 °C to + 50 °C (- 40 °F to + 122 °F). EFOY ProCabinet is an outdoor energy
solution integrated into an industrial cabinet.
For more information about SFC Energy’s power products in defence
applications, please visit www.sfc-defense.com. More information on SFC
Energy’s solutions for industrial applications at www.efoy-pro.com.
AUSA FOCUS
John Antal
Today’s Directed Energy Weapons
Meeting the Realities of Power, Heat, Size and Inclination
R.Adm. Matthew Klunder,
Chief of Naval Research,
is interviewed
on April 8, 2013 by
ABC News concerning the
LaWs solid-state laser
and the announcement by
Chief of Naval Operations
Adm. Jonathan Greenert
that the laser will be
deployed aboard the
Afloat Forward Staging
Base (Interim) USS Ponce
in 2014. “Our directed
energy initiatives,
and specifically the
solid-state laser,
are among our highest
priority science and
technology programmes.”
Klunder said.
“The solid-state laser
programme is central
to our commitment to
quickly deliver advanced
capabilities to forwarddeployed forces.”
(Photo: US Navy/
John F. Williams/
Released)
In the last decades of the 20th
Century, the proponents of
Directed Energy Weapons (DEW)
have promised that lasers and
high-power energy weapons would
revolutionise warfare. In many
ways, this promise has come true
in a different form as thousands of
smaller lasers fill the arsenals of
modern military forces. These
lasers, however, are mostly rangefinding systems designed to
improve the capability and effectiveness of kinetic weapons or
dazzlers designed to incapacitate
enemy optics. Recent developments, however, suggest that the
promise of DEW is moving closer to
reality.
Lasers, phasers, blasters, and EMP
weapons have been part of our lexicon as they
are the iconic armaments of science fiction
(SF), but the real-world issues of power, heat
capacity, size, and the “inclination to use
directed energy weapons against fellow
26
humans,” has made these visions difficult to
materialise. Today, DEW technologies are
generally differentiated as high-energy lasers
(HELs), high-power microwaves (HPMs), or
charged-particle beams. The truth is that we
are getting closer to the day when DEW
systems will be widely deployed in the battlespace. This article reviews several promising
RF and laser systems that are available today
and considers the most likely trends for the
military application of DEW systems in the next
decade.
Active Denial System (ADS)
The Active Denial System (ADS) is a DEW
system that is available, fielded and ready for
combat. The ADS, sometimes referred to as a
heat ray or pain ray, was created by Raytheon,
a world-leader in microwave development and
design, and is one of the first non-lethal,
directed-energy, counter-personnel systems
fielded to the US Army. The ADS was designed
to be a non-lethal crowd control and area
denial system. It is vehicle mounted and has
been tested at a range of approximately one
kilometre. ADS sends an extremely high frequency and focused beam of 95GHz waves at
a person, or group of people, causing intense
pain. The energy causes human skin surface
temperature to rise and become so uncomfortable in a few seconds that people are compelled to leave the target area. Hundreds of
human tests have been conducted and the
ADS has been certified as non-lethal, but
doubts remain concerning its long term health
effects or what happens to a person under
extended exposure. The ADS was deployed to
Afghanistan in 2010, but was never used and
was withdrawn by sceptical field commanders.
The ADS was demonstrated by the US Marines
at Quantico, VA in March 2012, and the system
was enthusiastically embraced by the Marines.
“You’re not going to hear it, you’re not going to
smell it, you’re going to feel it,” said Col. Tracy
Tafolla, Director of the Joint Non-lethal
Weapons Directorate, “and that provides us
with some advantages we can use.”
High Energy Laser Mobile
Demonstrator (HEL MD)
Boeing has been at the forefront of DEW
development and has designed and tested a
10kW, solid-state laser system called the High
Energy Laser Mobile Demonstrator (HEL MD)
for the US Army. This is the closest thing to the
“death ray” of SF as it is actually a very big laser
AUSA FOCUS
cannon. The entire HEL MD system is housed
aboard an Oshkosh Heavy Expanded Mobility
Tactical Truck (HEMTT). The complete HEMMT
mounted HEL MD system weighs about 17t,
but it does something remarkable; it is one of
the only mobile systems that can shoot down
incoming mortar shells at laser light speed. The
system includes the hardware to track incoming shells and, once the laser is locked-on, the
high-power laser incinerates the target. Military
planners envision the HEL MD defending
priority facilities and bases where there will be
an ample supply of energy to provide the HEL
MD with an abundant supply of ammunition.
“The Boeing HEL MD programme is applying
the best of solid-state laser technology to
ensure the Army has speed-of-light capability
to defend against rockets, artillery, mortars, and
unmanned aerial threats – both today and into
the future,” said Mike Rinn, Vice President and
Program Director for Boeing Directed Energy
Systems. Boeing expects the system to be
complete and ready for production by 2018
and will upgrade the laser from 10kW to 100kilowatts.
developed the Area Defense Anti-Munitions
(ADAM) system to defend critical locations
against short-range threats such as UAVs and
improvised artillery rockets like the QASSAM
rocket. ADAM’s laser and fire control system is
contained in a large trailer that can be pulled by
a truck. Once ADAM is in position and powered
up, it can receive information from a network of
nearby radars or, if properly cued, operate as a
stand-alone system. After an alert is received,
ADAM can track targets at a range of 5km and
destroy them up to 2km away with its 10kW
laser. According to Lockheed Martin, during
demonstrations in 2012, the system acquired,
tracked and destroyed the target within three
seconds. In November 2012, Lockheed Martin
reported that ADAM had successfully
“destroyed four rockets in simulated flight from
Col. John Antal, US Army (Ret.) is a military affairs
expert and a regular contributor of MT. His latest book,
“7 Leadership Lessons of the American Revolution,”
was published in September 2013. With additional
comments by Dennis-P. Merklinghaus.
The USMC demonstrated the Active Denial System (ADS) on November 12, 2012
at Quantico, Virginia. ADS is a state-of-the-art millimeter-wave DE system that gives
warfighters something more persuasive than shouting but less harmful than shooting
when dealing with potentially hostile crowds. (Photo: via Author)
YAL-1 Airborne Laser Testbed
(formerly Airborne Laser)
The Boeing YAL-1 Airborne Laser Testbed,
formerly Airborne Laser (ABL), weapons system is a megawatt-class chemical oxygen
iodine laser (COIL) mounted inside a modified
Boeing 747-400F. It is primarily designed as a
missile defence system to destroy tactical
ballistic missiles (TBM) while in boost phase.
The US Missile Defense Agency (MDA) in
August 2009 successfully fired the HEL aboard
the aircraft in flight for the first time. In January
2010, the HEL was used in-flight, to intercept,
although not destroy, a test Missile Alternative
Range Target Instrument (MARTI) in the boost
phase of flight. In February 2010, in a test off
the central California coast, the system successfully destroyed a liquid-fuel boosting TBM.
Less than an hour after that first missile had
been destroyed, a second missile – a solid-fuel
design – had, as announced by the MDA, been
successfully engaged, but not destroyed, and
that all test criteria had been met. The MDA
announcement also noted that ABL had
destroyed an identical solid-fuel missile in flight
eight days earlier. This test was the first time
that a directed-energy system destroyed a
TBM in any phase of flight. It was later reported
that the first February engagement required
50% less dwell time than expected to destroy
the missile, the second engagement on the
solid-fuel missile, less than an hour later, had to
be cut short before it could be destroyed
because of a “beam misalignment” problem.
Funding for the programme was cut in 2010
and cancelled in December 2011. As of 2013
studies are underway to apply the lessons of
the YAL-1 by mounting laser anti-missile
defences on UCAVs that could fly above the
altitude limits of the converted jetliner.
Being aware of the fact, that the future is in lasers, Boeing has designed a mobile laser
weapon system from a truck. (Photo: via Author)
Area Defense Anti-Munitions
(ADAM)
Lockheed Martin has also been a forerunner
in the development of HEL weapon systems.
For the past few years Lockheed Martin has
27
AUSA FOCUS
Diehl Defence’s HPEMcase Plus is a
compact autonomous mobile system,
that has 50% more power and range
than the standard version.
It can be used to destroy bugging devices.
selected electronic devices in weapons,
showing that it could be a valuable complement
to other weapons, particularly in an ‘asymmetric’ environment where real threats are
mixed up with innocent civilians.” It is clear that
DEW systems like the Bofors HPM BLACKOUT
could be used to dominate the electromagnetic
battlespace.
High-Power-Electro-Magnetics
(HPEM)
a distance of 2km, and ‘engaged’ with a UAV
from 1.5km, forcing it into a controlled crash.”
In further testing in March and April 2013,
ADAM destroyed eight incoming small-calibre
QASSAM-like rockets. Lockheed Martin is continuing to improve ADAM and, according to
Tory Bruno, President of Strategic and Missile
Defense Systems, Lockheed Martin Space
Systems, ADAM is “a practical, affordable
directed-energy solution to the real-world problem of close-in threats.”
Bofors High-Power Microwave
(HPM) BLACKOUT
Some non-lethal DEW systems can be difficult to detect. This can provide a unique tactical advantage in modern conflict. Imagine if
you could deny the opponent’s use of electronic devices at a flip of a switch? An example is
the BAE Systems Bofors High-Power
Microwave (HPM) BLACKOUT. This system is a
mobile microwave source that can turn off
unprotected electronic systems. Originally
designed as an evaluation and research device,
the Bofors HPM BLACKOUT could have operational capabilities. An information sheet on the
system stated that the system “has proven
destructive effects at considerable distance
against a broad field of COTS equipment…
The system is composed of an integrated modulator, a microwave source and an antenna.”
The system weighs less than 500kg and the
about 2m long. An operational version of the
Bofors HPM BLACKOUT could knock out key
target areas, turning off many COTS and some
military electronic systems, leaving the opponent unable to use mobile cell phones, smartphones, tablets, devices, and weapon systems.
According to a recent BAE Systems report, a
team of their researchers from Karlskoga,
Sweden, “demonstrated that the Bofors HPM
BLACKOUT system had a destructive effect on
28
Diehl has developed a series of microwave
sources, based on multi-stage Marx generators
and microwave oscillators (the method of
generating microwaves from DC pulses is
unclear), ranging from man portable (operating
at 375 MHz and DS110B operating at 100300MHz range), and stationary unit (operating
at 100MHz [in oil], 60MHz [in glycol] and
50MHz [in water]-all at maximum PRF of 50
Herz). The man portable systems reportedly
generate 400kV and 700kV, while the stationary
unit output can achieve 1MV. Diehl’s technical
staff has been working on the development/
implementation of a high-gain antenna to
improve the efficiency of the above systems to
be used in military applications.
In January 2013, the US Patent Office
assigned a patent to Diehl BGT Defence for
their Microwave Generator.
The use of nonlethal HPEM (High-Power-
Electro-Magnetics) systems is a new capability
enabling military and civil forces to eliminate
command, information and monitoring systems. HPEM sources can be used for personal
and convoy protection, for instance, to overload and permanently destroy radio-based
fuzing systems. In contrast to conventional
jammers, the HPEM convoy protection system
is also effective against new types of sensorbased IEDs. Enemy vehicles with electronic
motor management can be stopped
inconspicuously by mobile and stationary
HPEM systems. Diehl Defence’s new HPEM
technology protects convoys against IEDs, can
stop getaway vehicles and prevent
unauthorized access to limited access areas.
Thus, this technology contributes decisively to
the protection of soldiers in international
missions.
HPEM can also support special and police
forces in fulfilling their tasks. HPEM systems
suppress enemy communication and disturb
reconnaissance and information systems, for
instance, in freeing hostages. Analyses dealing
with the effect of high-energy electro-magnetic
pulses on weapon systems lead to the concept
of nonlethal effectors capable of neutralising
hidden IEDs at a safe distance without harming
human beings and the environment.
Portable HPEM units are available as test
systems, as well as vehicle-integrated basic
systems against IEDs and for car stopping. In
the spring of 2011, HPEM prototypes for convoy protection (C-IED) were successfully tested
on an armoured carrier platform in Afghanistan.
LaWs Ship-borne Laser
LaWs is a solid-state laser weapon system
designed by Raytheon for close-in ship
The Laser Weapon System (LaWS) is a technology demonstrator built by the Naval Sea
Systems Command from commercial fiber solid-state lasers. LaWS can be directed onto
targets from the radar track obtained from a MK 15 PHALANX Close-In Weapon system or
other targeting source to defeat small boat threats and aerial targets without using bullets.
(Photo: US Navy / John F. Williams / Released)
AUSA FOCUS
MBDA Germany’s High-Energy Laser
Demonstrator.
(Photo: MBDA)
increase both the engagement range and target
sets that can be successfully engaged and
destroyed.”
The US Navy considers LaWs to be a capable and accurate system that is low-risk and
high-payoff. “Our conservative data tells us a
shot of directed energy costs under $1,” Chief
of Naval Research Rear Adm. Matthew Klunder
said in an 8 April 2013 interview. “Compare that
to the hundreds of thousands of dollars it costs
to fire a missile, and you can begin to see the
merits of this capability.”
Citing a series of technological breakthroughs in the LaWs development programme, the US Navy announced that it would
deploy the LaWs aboard the USS PONCE, an
AUSTIN–class amphibious transport dock ship,
in 2014.
defence. This DEW system combines six HELs
into a single beam to target slow-moving targets and is connected to a radar-controlled
system that locates and tracks incoming targets. LaWs is expected to supplement conventional close defence kinetic weapons systems
and can be directed onto targets from the radar
track obtained from a MK 15 PHALANX Close-
In Weapon system or other targeting sources.
After successful operational testing in 2012,
Captain David Kiel, the US Navy’s Program
Manager for LaWs stated that “the success of
this effort validates the military utility of Directed
Energy Weapons in a maritime environment.
Further development and integration of increasingly more powerful laser in to LaWs will
Development of a High-Energy
Laser Weapon-Based
(V)SHORAD System
A laser weapon, or DEW, emits energy in an
aimed direction without the means of a projectile. It transfers energy to a target for a desired
effect. Intended effects on humans may be
non-lethal or lethal. These effects have been
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D E D I CAT E D T O S O L U T I O N S .
W W W. E S G . E U
Mönch Journal Review
MILITARY TECHNOLOGY 9/2013 – in English – Word from the Editor-in-Chief:
BNritish Court Extends Human Rights Laws to the Battlefield – Dennis-Peter
Merklinghaus + Letter from Buenos Aires: The Latin American War + Letter from
London: We’ve Got a Brand New Bunch of GOCOnuts. + Letter from Tel Aviv:
Islrel’s Budget Dilemma 2013 + Industrial Focus + DSEi Focus – UK Transparency Within a Multilateral Framework + Providing Industry and the Armed
Forces with Clarity and Certainty + The Association of the German Army
Supporting + Personal Statements by the Chiefs of Defence + Belgian DINGO
II Ambulance + The Best of Many Worlds – the Joint Support Service as the
Driving Force Behind Reorientation + Mounted/Dismounted Communications +
IP Technology Brings Freedom and Flexibility to Tactical Communications+
Battle Vision – The Future of Night Vision Devices + A Brief Perspective on Night
Vision Developments + Explosive Ordnance Disposal and Decommissioning –
Thinking Outside the Box + Military Logistic Vehicles – Trucks and Trailers +
SFC Energy – Reliably Produce Power on Demand Directly Where Needed+
Contractors on the Battlefield + Supreme Group – The Right Capabilities for
Deployment + AuTx Advanced Aramid Technologies + Soldier Modernisation +
Nordic Innovation + Infantry Firepower + EXPOMIL Focus + Modern Day Marine
Focus + Air Force Association’s (AFA) Air & Space Conference and Technology
Exposition 2013 Focus + News + India Defence Update + Global Market-Place
THE WORLD DEFENCE ALMANAC 2013 – in English –
MILITARY TECHNOLOGY SPECIAL ISSUE 2013 – in English –
SOLDIER TECHNOLOGY
MILITARY TECHNOLOGY SPECIAL ISSUE 2013 – in English –
INTERNATIONAL ARMOURED VEHICLES 2013
NAVAL FORCES IV/2013 – in English – Editorial – Stefan Nitschke + Letter
from the U.S. – Otto Kreisher + From the Navies – Stefan Nitschke + DSEi
Forum – Naval Armaments – Part II: Naval Gun Systems + MCM Denmark +
Ship Automation + Struggle for Safe Coastal Waters + Fire Control Systems for
Surface Combatants + Rheinmetall Details Naval Simulation & Training Projects
+ Conventional Submarine Periscopes vs. Optronic Masts + Warfare Concepts
– Port Security + IDAS – Ready for Change? +Naval Helicopters + Naval
Technology – BlackAce – Speed Up Your Navy Diver + Equipping the Citadel +
SWATCH – Concern at the Top + DCNS Demonstrates A3SM Concept + Deck
Handling Equipment + Naval Plans – Royal Navy Programme Review + Navy
Profile – Mediterranean Dialogue Navies + Special Ship – “Arleigh Burke” Class
(Flight IIA/III) Destroyers + Exhibitions and Events – IMDEX Asia 2013, Singapore + UDT 2013, Hamburg + MAST 2013. Gdansk + Mail Buoy Watch
WEHRTECHNIK IV/2013 – in German – Brief aus Bonn: Fehlendes Verständnis
für Bundeswehrbeschaffungen und Mittelstand – Volker Schwichtenberg + Personen + Global WEHRTECHNIK + Paris Air Show + Bücher + „PATRIOT ist das
einzige Luft- und Raketenabwehrsystem mit operativem Wissen und Einsatzerfahrungen bei der Bekämpfung sich entwickelnder Bedrohungen“ - Interview
mit Tim R. Glaeser + Wie die Einführung des Airbus A400M ATLAS den militärischen Lufttransport verändern wird + Der Tod eines Programms – Wie kann
es mit der luftgestützten signalerfassenden Aufklärung weiter gehen? + Zukunftsfeld Air Surface Integration – Der streitkräftegemeinsame Mehrwert + Aus
der Industrie + Spezial Marine - „Als Marine wollen wir unseren Soldaten und
zivilen Mitarbeitern ein hohes Maß an Zufriedenheit und Motivation ermöglichen
und dabei gleichzeitig eine professionell und leistungsfähige Auftragserfüllung
gewährleisten“ Interview mit Vizeadmiral Axel Schimpf + 100 Jahre Marineflieger + Maritime Ausbildung und Simulation aus der Sicht der Industrie + Spezialfahrzeug für SEK M + Marine News + Das Mittelstandsforum + Zwischenruf:
„Wir sollten die Rolle als eine europäische Anlehnungsmacht annehmen und sie
entsprechend gestalten“ Interview mit dem MdB Florian Hahn (CSU) + Tag der
Infanterie + Mobile Energieversorgung + Das Führungsinformationssystem des
Heeres + wt-Berichte + IT-Services und Führungsunterstützung in der Bundeswehr + Produktvorstellungen anlässlich der AFCEA 2013 + Aus der Bundeswehr
TECNOLOGIA MILITAR 2/2013 – in Spanish – Editorial: 35 años de “Tecnología Militar” – Volker Schwichtenberg + Carta desde Chile + Adquisiciones
militares en Ameérica del Sur: Financiación, requerimientos y toma de Decisiones + Buques de patrulla oceánicos – una tendencia mundial + RUAG
Aviation + La industria aeronáutica militar en España + La Armada de Colombia
y sus actividades en materia de protección del medio ambiente marino + A
Marinha Portuguesa no presente + Nombramientos + Pods de Reconocimiento
+ Reestructuraciones y adquisiciones tanto militares como policiales en México
+ El futuro próximo de la aviación de combate+ “Los servicios de apoyo son
una fuente de ingresos natural y previamente olvidada” +La situacíon actual del
transporte táctico y estratégico aéro + Theissen Training Systems (TTS) + Helicópteros de transporte pesado + ABIMDE + LAAD – Un mercado creciente se
vió en Brasil + Colombia participó activamente en el salon LAAD-2013+ Noticias internacionales + Noticias de Brasil
RIVISTA ITALIANA DIFESA 8/2013 – in Italian + Editoriale + Lettere –
Recensioni + Notiziario – Aree di crisi + Obiettivo Italia + Servizi & Segreti +
Intervista al Ministro della Difesa Mario Mauro + Bourget 2013: se non fosse per
il civile.. + Armi medio/leggere sulle navi + CCW: il salone delle comunicazioni
radiomobili professionali + Fronteggiando la Cina + Aero Sekur: UXV e dintorni… + Più precise ed efficienti + Il missile da crociera Kh-102 entra in servizio
+ Gli F-5 TIGER II messicani + Storia: due settimane che cambiarono il mondo
To qualify for sample copies and further information please contact:
E-Mail: marketing@mpgbonn.de / Website: www.mpgbonn.de
30
AUSA FOCUS
categorised as physical, physiological and psychological. The
energy can come in various forms, electromagnetic radiation,
including radio frequency, microwave, lasers and masers;
particles with mass, in particle-beam weapons (technically a
form of micro-projectile weapon); and sound, in sonic weapons.
Laser Weapons are particularly suitable for operations
requiring high precision, fast, scalable effects and for defence
against low-cost targets in large numbers.
MBDA is advancing high power lasers in developing an integrated systems approach for laser weapon systems. Application
advantages include, immediate effect on target; low optical
detectability; low costs for logistics/maintenance and very low
costs per operation; scalable effects on target / possibility to
escalate; very precise; extremely selective; no collateral damage
caused by ammunition; and no procurement, storage or transport of ammunition.
Potential applications for laser weapon systems include protection of high value assets, such as Forward Operating Bases,
soldiers and vehicles (air, ground, and maritime); the ability to
enhance or inhibit tactical mobility; and for defence against
terrorism. This by being able to do Counter-RAM, Counter-UAV,
C-IED/IEDD, and Counter-MANPADS missions.
Today the focus of high power laser activities in MBDA is on
an integrated systems approach for laser weapon systems.
MBDA is working on a C-RAM Laser Weapon System. This work
contracted by the European Defence Agency (EDA) and the
Federal Office of Bundeswehr Equipment, Information
Technology and In-Service Support (BAAINBw) is making excellent progress. To accelerate development, MBDA has invested a
significant amount of its own money in the programme.
Using 40kW of laser power, the laser demonstrator successfully acted on airborne targets at a range of over 2,000m and an
altitude of 1,000 metres.
The necessary infrastructure is already in place at MBDA‘s
Schrobenhausen site. This comprises: three test ranges for firing
and tracking trials, a test laboratory and a roof laboratory with a
laser demonstrator which together offer exceptional possibilities
for current and future development work.
The Next Ten Years
DEW systems are showing us what the future may look like.
Before DEW can replace gunpowder and become a gamechanging technology of war, the issues of power, heat, size and
inclination must be overcome. “A useful rule of thumb is that a
stick of TNT contains about a megajoule (MJ) of chemical energy, and this amount is often needed to destroy a military target,”
stated a June 2013 DEW report, Leading Edge, published by
Naval Surface Warfare Center, Dahlgren Division. To become
common battlefield weapons any future laser, phaser or blaster
will need to consistently produce close to 1MJ of destructive
power. Most DEW systems are not there yet, but some systems
may reach this capability as early as 2016.
At this moment, from what we can report from “open-source”
information on DEW systems, the major promise of directed
energy for military applications is in the ability to control crowds
(ADS), turn-off non-shielded electronics (Bofors HPM BLACKOUT, HPEM), and protect critical areas and equipment (ADAM,
LaWs and HEL MD). These capabilities alone provide an important battle capability that will impel continued R&D in DEW systems. For more lethal systems, power requirements will relegate
DEW systems to large ships, large aircraft and as ground based
point defence of locations with large power sources. Although
the first lethal ground mobile laser system has already been
deployed in a large vehicle, the HEL MD, it is not yet as mobile,
versatile or lethal as current kinetic systems. In the next decade
it may be possible to field a tank equipped with a newer version
of an “HEL MD-like” laser system as significant technological
hurdles are overcome. As Peter A. Morrison, a programme officer for the Office of Naval Research’s Solid-State Laser
Technology Maturation Program reported on 8 April 2013, “the
future is here. The solid-state laser is a big step forward to
revolutionising modern warfare with directed energy, just as gunpowder did in the era of knives and swords.”
AUSA FOCUS
Brian Kindamo
Retrograde Logistic Strategies
and Solutions
A retrograde operation is a
manoeuvre to the rear or away
from the enemy. It is part of a larger
scheme of manoeuvre to regain the
initiative and defeat the enemy. Its
purpose is to improve the current
situation or prevent a worse situation from occurring. Its objectives
are to gain time, to preserve forces,
to avoid combat under undesirable
conditions, or to manoeuvre the
enemy into an unfavourable position. Retrograde operations may
facilitate repositioning forces,
shortening or permitting unit withdrawals for employment elsewhere.
Commanders use retrograde operations to
harass, exhaust, resist, delay, or damage an
enemy. While retrograde operations are difficult, delays and withdrawals are particularly
risky. Due to their rearward orientation, retrograde operations tend to cause increased
levels of psychological stress in soldiers. They
tend to see movement away from the enemy as
a harbinger of defeat. Unless held in check,
such concerns can lead to rout and panic.
Success in retrograde operations requires
strong leadership, exemplary organisation, and
disciplined execution. A disorganised retrograde operation in the presence of a strong
enemy invites disaster.
As do other operations, retrograde operations rely on logistics support. Logistics planners advise commanders and limitations of the
logistics support for retrograde operations.
The ability to conduct a timely withdrawal is
especially dependent upon sufficient transport.
Logisticians assist in formulating courses of
action, adjusting support operations to conform to the commander’s decisions. Logistics
unit commanders and staff officers play a key
role in assisting and preparing the force for retrograde operations.
Withdrawals Are Inherently
Dangerous
Commanders conduct withdrawals to
extract subordinate units from combat, adjust
defensive positions, or relocate the entire force.
Whether it is a local or general withdrawal,
forces voluntarily disengage from the enemy
and move rearward. Normally, withdrawals are
free from enemy pressure and do not require
the assistance of other friendly units. Since the
force is the most vulnerable if the enemy
attacks, commanders plan for a withdrawal
under pressure first. Then they develop plans
for a withdrawal without pressure.
Sgt. Matthew Berg, an automated logistical specialist, tightens a metal strap 3 August 2013
to ensure used tyres will not fall off during transport out of Camp Liberty, Iraq.
These tyres, along with other unserviceable gear, will be taken to a yard where they will be
retrograded out of Iraq.
(Photo: US Army / Cpl. Daniel Eddy, 196th MPAD, USD-C)
Withdrawals are inherently dangerous.
Whatever their size, withdrawing forces prepare as thoroughly as time allows and defend
themselves if the enemy interrupts the operation. In a general withdrawal by a division or
corps, commanders organize a covering force
and a main body. The covering force prevents
effective pursuit or interference with the main
body’s withdrawal; the main body forms behind
the covering force and moves to the rear.
In all withdrawals, commanders attempt to
deceive the enemy. The plan includes deception for the covering force and main body,
using multiple routes, additional transportation,
route improvement, and coordinated traffic
control and movement planning.
Normally, air and ground reserves are available to support a general withdrawal. Since
withdrawing forces are extremely vulnerable to
enemy detection and interdiction, the presence
of effective indirect and missile counter fires,
strong air defences, and air superiority is
desirable. Conducting demonstrations in
adjacent areas can also divert the enemy’s
focus on the withdrawing forces.
Whenever possible, withdrawals take place
at night or in adverse weather to help negate
enemy detection.
Commanders anticipating withdrawals avoid
signalling their intentions by obvious relocation
of facilities, premature obstacle installation, or
route destruction. Jamming enemy C2 nodes
slows the enemy’s reaction once the withdrawal is underway.
The foundation of withdrawal plans and
orders is the commander’s intent and scheme
of manoeuvre. The plan also prescribes combat organisation, primary and alternate withdrawal routes, and the movement schedules of
the withdrawing units.
In the conduct of a withdrawal, commanders
anticipate enemy interference by fires, direct
pressure, and envelopment. Withdrawing
under enemy pressure; they fight a delay, permitting the main body’s withdrawal. Main body
units reinforce the covering force as necessary
and will themselves delay or defend if the covering force fails to slow the enemy. All available
fires, electronic warfare assets, and obstacles
support the withdrawal of these closely
engaged forces. Deep operations may be useful in relieving pressure on units in contact with
the enemy. Commanders must tightly control
Brian Kindamo is an expert in battlefield technology, a
defence journalist and a constant contributor to MT.
31
AUSA FOCUS
Case and Container Manufacturer Celebrates Growth – at Home and Abroad
rearward movement and maintain synchronisation throughout the force.
If the withdrawal begins without enemy pressure, the covering force may remain in position
to prolong the deception. If the enemy does not
attack during the withdrawal, covering forces
and rear guards remain between the enemy
and the main body. The main body moves as
rapidly as possible rearward. After the main
body withdraws a safe distance, the covering
force can move to intermediate or final positions. Every withdrawing force element must be
capable of defending itself, at least temporarily,
against ground attack.
Reports of enemy activity in the rear area are
a matter of great urgency. When the enemy
blocks movement to the rear, commanders
either shift to alternate routes to bypass the
interdicted area or attack through the roadblock.
When corps or divisions withdraw, their
reserves remain well forward to assist other
units by fire or ground attacks. While units withdraw under pressure, reserves launch spoiling
attacks to disorganise and delay the enemy.
Reserves can extricate encircled or heavily
engaged forces.
Defending forces may provide the withdrawing unit with fire support, EW support, air
defence, and logistical assistance. More importantly, they assume sector responsibility
once the withdrawing force passes through
them. When a defending force is in position, the
withdrawing unit coordinates support as early
as possible. The unit conducts the withdrawal
in the usual way until the withdrawing force
32
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ZERO have introduced new
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(Photo: ZERO Cases UK)
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bucking the trend in UK manufacturing by
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market position. Advances into the Asian market also complement the company’s robust
sales throughout Europe in 2013.
With future plans to further extend marketing
activities, ZERO are also in the process of
developing new product ranges to be launched
shortly. Featuring vacuum formed plastic and
additional lightweight aluminium rack cases,
passes behind the assisting force. Once in the
defended area, the withdrawing force either
joins the defence or continues to the rear in a
retirement.
The Underpinnings of Logistics
A dependable, uninterrupted logistics system helps commanders seize and maintain the
initiative. Conversely, attacking the enemy’s
support system can often threaten or weaken
its centre of gravity. Destruction of the enemy’s
support system and protection of one’s own
are important aspects of campaigns and major
operations. Strategic concentration and operational manoeuvre and the exploitation of operational or tactical success often hinge on the
adequacy of logistics and the ability of the force
to safeguard its materiel and infrastructure.
While effective logistics operations sustain
combat effectiveness throughout the duration
of operations, they retain the ability to surge in
support of decisive operations. As the scale
and complexity of Army operations increase, so
does the importance of logistics to the success
of these operations.
The objective of logistics is to ensure that
operations succeed. Logistics arrangements
cannot be so meagre that they do not meet the
needs of commanders as they execute their
operations, nor can they be so excessive that
they overwhelm the ability of commanders to
move, protect, and employ them efficiently. The
logistics system must strike a balance of sufficient support to sustain operations throughout
the peaks and valleys of their duration without
burdening commanders with more support
than is necessary to succeed.
Logistics is one of the combat functions that
helps commanders build and sustain combat
power. It is also a major operating system at
each level of war. Combat operations and
logistics merge at higher levels of war. Neither
can be conceived without consideration of the
other. Strategic and operational logistics support wars, campaigns, and major operations;
tactical logistics supports battles and engagements.
Serious German Concerns
about Withdrawal
At the end of last year, the Bundeswehr held
an official ceremony in which it handed over
control of its camp in Faizabad to the Afghan
security forces, a move that was seen as a test
of how the situation might develop after the
troop withdrawal. Now, ISAF officials are doing
their best not to recognise any trend in the
dramatic increase in the number of incidents.
No one is willing to admit the possibility of failure in the northeast of Afghanistan.
The withdrawal has begun and heavilyloaded military transport aircraft leave the
country and head west nearly every day. The
first camps have already been closed, and in
2013 the Bundeswehr intends to close its
fortress at OP North and the Kunduz field
camp.
In northern Afghanistan the government is
expressing serious concerns about the withdrawal of the Germans, which is proceeding
AUSA FOCUS
Facing a tight withdrawal deadline and
tough terrain, the US military has destroyed
more than ₤170 million of vehicles and
other military equipment as it rushes to
wind down its role in the Afghanistan war
by the end of 2014.
(Photo: US Army)
much more rapidly than many had imagined.
Locals fear that without the help of the
Germans, the new Army will quickly fall apart
again. While the situation is better than it was
during the crisis year of 2011, the Afghans are
still unable to achieve security on their own. In
other words, the security situation is so precarious that Afghanistan is in danger of sinking
into chaos and civil war after the withdrawal of
ISAF troops.
It still remains unclear whether, and how, the
international mission will continue following the
withdrawal at the end of 2014. In April,
Germany pressed ahead with an offer to station
600 to 800 soldiers to train Afghan military
forces starting in 2015. The main objective of
this early commitment was to ensure that the
issue remained out of the election campaign as
Germans go to the polls in September 2013.
Nevertheless, German Defense Minister
Thomas de Maizière pointed out in April 2013
that this offer depends on a number of factors.
As planned, NATO must launch a training mission throughout the country, and not merely in
Kabul, he said. The UN Security Council must
also grant this military force a mandate, he
added. But above all, the minister demanded
that Kabul be more obliging, saying that he
expected a formal invitation from the Afghan
government: “We want to be welcome,” de
Maizière said.
That invitation has not been extended. In view
of the shaky security situation, it is particularly
important to maintain good relations with the
Afghan hosts during the withdrawal phase. It’s
not merely a lack of trust between Berlin and
Kabul that is making post-withdrawal planning
difficult, though. Germany’s NATO partners
have also been hesitant to commit to a further
mission. France and Canada have stayed out
33
AUSA FOCUS
MRAP vehicles wait in a staging area for onward movement at an undisclosed base in Southwest Asia 20 March 2013.
The joint team of soldiers, sailors, airmen and Marines of the CENTCOM Deployment & Distribution Operation Center will
play a major role in moving the more than 50,000 Coalition (US and NATO, of which 28,000 are US) military vehicles
in Afghanistan that will need to be redeployed or pre-positioned in worldwide contingency stocks abroad.
(Photo: USAF / Senior Master Sgt. George Thompson)
completely, and among the remaining major
allies it is primarily the British who are reluctant
to shoulder a portion of the burden.
Nevertheless, the Mongolians, Swedes and
Belgians have indicated that they are willing to
remain in northern Afghanistan under German
leadership. The greatest problem is the US.
Negotiations over stationing a follow-up mission
have stalled. While President Karzai indicated
that he is prepared to tolerate American military
bases even after 2014, the mid-June 2013
summit planned by leaders of NATO member
countries to determine their further engagement
in the country did not take place. If Obama
decides against committing some 8,000 US
troops, all plans for the period following the
combat mission will be off, and the Germans will
have little choice but to withdraw their trainers
from northern Afghanistan – leaving the Afghans
to face an uncertain future on their own.
We Deliver to the World – Anytime, Everywhere
TF-ALF in YMAV
taking off.
(Photo: National
Air Cargo)
Since 1991, National Air Cargo has been
supporting the US government and other
NATO countries as a global logistic hauler
company for heavy and time-critical or
complex missions. It started with air transport, but today National Air Cargo offers the
complete range of logistic support – in the
air, on the ground and at sea. With National
Airlines, National Air Cargo has its own fleet
of aircrafts (B747, B757) for air transport
missions, which puts them in a position to
respond quickly to unusual requirements. In
addition National controls a fleet of leased
aircrafts including AN124, A300F, IL76 and
delivers air charter solutions (passenger and
cargo) for all type of services, from helicopters to AN225. National Airlines is a
34
member of the CRAF (Civil Reserve Air Fleet)
program of the U.S. government. With Mi-8
helicopters or L-100 aircrafts (civil version of
the C-130 HERCULES) their direct deliveries
can even reach the Forward Operating Bases
(FOB) in Afghanistan. Critical missions do not
always mean dangerous, but it could mean live
saving like the deliveries of medicine or other
sensible goods(weapons, SOF equipment,
food, etc.), which other logistic companies cannot or do not want to deliver. For particularly
sensitive goods, real-time monitoring of temperature, humidity, vibration and location will
be offered to every package.
To guaranty the delivery in time at the right
place, National Air Cargo has their own personnel at nearly all locations. This personnel has
the needed logistic knowledge and up to the command level a lot of them
have a military background.
So they know what their
customer and former family
think, act and wants. The
military (near all NATO
members) is not the sole
customer; also NGO organizations use the worldwide
logistic support - for disaster relief and special transports, in the emergency medical
services and the charter sector as well as
Special Operation Police Forces.
At the moment the focus lies on the withdrawal from Afghanistan. Therefore National
Air Cargo has framework contracts with the
US and NATO. All the effort has one goal:
shorten transport ways and –times and to
reduce costs significantly.
The service of National Air Cargo in
Europe is managed from their office at the
Frankfurt/Main airport in Germany, but they
have also offices in Orlando/USA, Dubai/
UAE (the biggest one at the moment), Kuala
Lumpur/Malaysia, Okinawa/Japan, Djibouti
and many more.
AF
AUSA FOCUS
Jason B. Cutshaw
SMDC’s
Low-Cost
Targets
Saves
Army
Money
The US Army Space and Missile
Defense Command/Army Forces
Strategic Command (USASMDC/
ARSTRAT) is turning the old into
the new, saving the Army testing
funds and providing capabilities by
using low-cost targets during
missile defence testing.
A PATRIOT PAC-3 (MSE) advanced missile defence system launches during
a recent ballistic missile target test. The USASMDC/ARSTRAT is providing a low-cost,
realistic threat ballistic target called ZOMBIE.
(Photo: US Army)
The USASMDC/ARSTRAT Technical Center
has developed a realistic threat ballistic target
called ZOMBIE for use in testing the PATRIOT
Advanced Capability-3 Missile Segment
Enhancement (PAC-3 MSE), advanced missile
defence systems.
Jason B. Cutshaw is with USASMDC/ARSTRAT
Public Affairs
AUSA FOCUS
ZOMBIE uses government-owned material
components that have reached the end of their
useful life and are subject to consideration of
demilitarisation. The use of this government
hardware instead of demilitarisation ultimately
saves the taxpayers’ money.
During this era of budget uncertainty, Army
missile defence testers looking to save money
on ballistic missile targets can still meet their
mission requirements but spend less to do so.
SMDC has developed low-cost targets that cut
expenses from the approximately $30 million
each for high-end targets, to approximately $4
million for SMDC’s low-cost ZOMBIE targets.
These savings will allow programme managers
to stretch their testing budgets and apply funding to where it is needed while reducing the
programme’s overall testing budget.
SMDC members are using components from
legacy systems and reconfiguring them to fly, in
modified configurations, as ballistic targets.
“Some of the legacy components are from
systems that are referred to as ‘dead components’ or components that are not part of the
active programme’s future developments,” said
Bryon K. Manley, Technical Center Flight Test
Services chief. “The ‘rebirth’ of the dead components is where the term ZOMBIE came from.
People working this programme love this name
because of recent pop culture popularity, and
even the PATRIOT interceptor programme
operators have used the name ‘Zombie Killers’
in their documentation. It is a name that people
can get behind and get motivated.”
ZOMBIE is an alternative to the high-cost,
high-performance, high-fidelity tactical ballistic
missile targets historically used in PATRIOT
PAC-3 testing, such as the JUNO. ZOMBIE is
not a replacement for JUNO, as JUNO is still
needed for the occasion when its specific performance capabilities are required.
The ZOMBIE idea is one of several low-cost
ballistic targets that have been developed and
are being developed. The Economical Target-1,
the first in a suite of low-cost targets was
launched on its first flight in February 2012.
Two other developments currently ongoing,
however, add more flexibility and performance
at longer ranges.
“When the developments are complete,
SMDC will be able to make these low-cost target options at lower-than-traditional target
costs,” Manley said. “The goal is to build huge
capabilities at a low cost. LANCE is another in
our low-cost target suite. For less than
$500,000 apiece, we are providing eight
telemetry configured Lance missiles to get real
tactical ballistic missile test articles to exercise a
defence system at a fraction of what other targets are normally available in the integrated
missile defence community.”
On 6 June, a PAC-3 (MSE), missile successfully engaged, intercepted and
destroyed a second ZOMBIE low-cost
threat representative target during a flight test
at White Sands Missile Range, NM. “The idea
behind our approach is to develop a whole new
suite of targets that utilise old rocket motors
that the Army has already invested in to develop and have no future planned usage,” Manley
said. “We are taking them and retrofitting and
reconfiguring them to fly in a manner for which
they were not designed. From our mission perspective, we are looking for solutions to allow
our customers to save money in the targets
arena, so they can increase the amount of testing opportunities and ultimately be successful.
The SMDC Technical Center is at the forefront
of providing the kind of missile defence testing
capability to really save the Army a lot of money
on its targets.”
A LANCE missile is launched to provide a low-cost target
for the PATRIOT PAC-3 (MSE) advanced missile defence
system. The USASMDC/ARSTRAT has developed the
LANCE alongside the ZOMBIE as another in its low-cost
suite of threat ballistic targets.
(Photo: US Army)
37
INFANTRY FIREPOWER Part 3
Malcom Phillips
Sniper and Anti-Materiel Rifles
A sniper is a highly trained marksman who operates alone, in a pair, or with a sniper-team
to maintain close visual contact with the enemy and engage targets. (Photo via Author)
Sniper rifles and their Anti-Materiel
Rifle (AMR) counterparts are significant force multipliers that combine precision, destructive power
and psychological impact along
with sufficient accuracy to minimise collateral damage. Their
capabilities overlap as, given the
right ammunition, sniper rifles can
be very effective for anti-materiel
tasks and many of the heavier
calibre weapons are designed for
both roles.
The reverse is not necessarily true because
the dedicated anti-materiel rifles, usually
weapons of between 12.7 mm (.50 cal) and
20mm, mostly cannot achieve the 1 Minute of
Arc (MoA) or better accuracy required of sniper
rifles. This has more to do with the ammunition
than the rifles themselves however. While this is
not a major problem for AMRs because the
targets against which they are used are generally much bigger than humans, more accuracy
would enable a greater proportion of their
maximum range to be exploited through
emerging fire control technologies.
With the Russian MoD announcing late 2012
its intention to buy several types of sniper rifle,
the Indian Army taking an interest in new sniper
38
weapons, Iran revealing a 14.5mm AMR, new
footage of a large Chinese semi-automatic
weapon emerging, and the US Army issuing an
RfI for the rework or new manufacture of the
Compact Semi-Automatic Sniper System
(CASS), there is significant activity in the market
in both hemispheres.
Russian Requirements
Russia’s Deputy Defence Minister Yuri
Borisov announced in late December 2012 the
intention to buy 12.7mm Degtyarev 6S8-1 rifles
under the 2013 weapons procurement programme, followed by 7.6 mm DRAGUNOV
rifles, 9mm VSS rifles and others under the
2014 programme. This spending spree will
include new EO sights for the weapons.
According to RIA Novosti, the ministry also has
its eye on the new generation ORSIS rifle.
Degtyarev’s 6S8/6S8-1 is a family of large
bullpup, bolt-action sniper rifles and AMRs
chambered for the Russian 12.7x107/108mm
calibre. They are designed to defeat lightly
armoured and unarmoured targets including
vehicles and personnel wearing body armour at
ranges out to 1.5 kilometres.
With the five-round magazine empty and
devoid of optics and accessories, the rifle
weighs 12.5 kilogrammes. It is 1.42m long and
has a 1m barrel with a large muzzle brake. The
company guarantees a service life of 3,000
rounds.
The designated sniper round for which this
rifle is chambered is the 7H34 from the
Novisibirsk Cartridge Plant JSC. With an
average pressure of 3,100kg/cm2 and a
maximum of 3,300kg/cm2, the 7H34 generates
muzzle velocities of 770-785m/sec for the
59.2g bullet, giving it an 80% probability of
penetrating a 10mm sheet of steel armour at
ranges 627-899m, according to the manufacturer’s figures. In terms of accuracy, the
company claims that of 100 rounds fired, all will
strike inside an 8.5cm circle at 300 metres.
Izhmash, known since July 2013 as JSC
Kalashnikov, has built the DRAGUNOV semiautomatic sniper rifle for half a century and
currently offers the fixed-stock SVD and
folding-stock SVDS models. It is not clear from
reports of the Russian Government’s statement
whether the subject of the 2014 orders is likely
to be either of these or the new VS-121 bullpup
rifle that the company revealed on 6 May 2013.
Based on the DRAGUNOV action, the
VS-121 will be chambered for the 7.62x51mm
NATO round and the 7.62x54mm Russian, as
well as a new round on which the company is
working. The first example has a 62cm barrel.
The weapon has been designed to accept a
suppressor. Photographs show what look like
M1913 Picatinny rails in the usual positions. At
the time of the VS-121’s launch, Kalashnikov
said that it was still in the process of refining the
rifle, which will be equipped with a new trigger
mechanism.
The VSS (Special Sniper Rifle), aka
VINTOREZ, is an integrally silenced, gas
operated, selective fire weapon chambered for
9x39mm subsonic ammunition that is available
in SP5 ball and SP6 AP form. The AP ammunition has a steel core and is reported to be able
to penetrate most body armour at ranges 300400 metres. Polymer box magazines hold 10 or
20 rounds. The silencer completely envelops
the barrel and the weapon is not designed to be
fired without it, although it can be removed for
maintenance. Designed by TSNII Tochmash
(the Central Institute for Precision Machine
Building) for Russian Special Forces, the VSS
entered service in the late 1980s.
ORSIS, Russia’s New Bear
The ORSIS rifle to which Russia’s Deputy
DefMin referred is almost certainly the T5000, a
bolt-action sniper rifle offered in .308
Winchester, .300 Winchester MAGNUM and
.338 LM calibres that was launched in March
of 2011 as part of a range of sporting and
tactical rifles from the Moscow-based
Promtechnologies Group.
The weapon’s architecture is conventional in
that it consists of a barrelled action fitted into a
stock. However, Promtechnologies/ORSIS is
keen to establish a reputation for quality and
emphasises advanced machining techniques
and material specifications. The T5000 features
a fluted barrel made from 416R stainless steel
with rifling cut using what the company
describes as an advanced single-point technique that enables very high precision; ORSIS
quotes a groove depth tolerance of 0.0025mm,
a deep groove precision of 0.001mm and rifling
pitch precision of 0.04mm, for example.
To produce rifling by the single-point method,
ORSIS uses a CNC hook cutter that passes
through the barrel between 80 and 100 times to
complete each groove.
STA 30 Tactical Rifle
AEI Systems’ STA 30 is a NATO 7.62 x 51mm
bolt action sniper rifle system complete with
suppressor and magazine. Its match grade
600mm barrel with 1 in 305mm, four rifle groove
is a free floating’ heavy barrel with muzzle end
thread for suppressor attachment. The gun
body receiver and barrel assembly fit directly to
AEI’s and AI’s Chassis System rifle stocks, and
is compatible with Remington 700 trigger units.
The bolt has four breech locking lugs that provide uniform cartridge case support. The bolt
extractor and cartridge case ejector plunger
parts are standard off the shelf items. As standard, it has a Picatinny Rail on receiver body in
a 12 o/c position however modifications can be
made to suit clients requests.
Remington’s Precision Sniper
Rifle (PSR) Winner
By way of comparison, the bolt-action
Modular Sniper Rifle (MSR) with which
Remington won the long running US Special
Operations Command Precision Sniper Rifle
(PSR) competition in March 2013 has a fully
floating barrel surrounded by a detachable
hand guard. The receiver is made from titanium
with steel-on-steel lock-up in the barrel extension. There is no stock in the conventional
sense.
The user in the field can change the stainless
steel barrel in minutes by removing the hand
guard, magazine and a screw collar that fixes
the barrel to the action. Calibre change
between .338 LM, .338 Norma Magnum, .300
WM and .308 Winchester can be effected by
removing the bolt, changing the bolt face and
installing the appropriate magazine, of which
five- and 10-round versions are available for
each calibre. Barrels are offered in 20-, 22-, 24and 27-inch lengths and accept the AAC
Blackout flash hider and Titan sound suppressor.
The butt stock folds over the bolt handle and
locks into place for transport. It also offers pull
length, cheek piece height and fore-and-aft
adjustment along with butt pad vertical adjustment. The basic rifle weighs 5.9kg, or 7.7kg
Malcom Phillips, with 25 years of experience as a journalist and writer covering aerospace and defence
MT. With additional comments by DPM. For a pictorial
outlook on what is available on the market in Sniper
and Anti-Materiel Rifles, as seen at DSEi 2013, please
see www.miltechmag.com
39
“Given the tsunami of cutbacks our military
organizations are crashing head-on into, we feel
the substantial costs required for LaRue
Tactical to pursue the upcoming CSASS /
M110-Upgrade would simply be a waste of
resources,” said LaRue Tactical’s President
Mark LaRue.
With a stated accuracy better than 1MoA for
a five-shot group, the company’s AR-pattern
Optimised Battle Rifle (OBR) would have been
a contender for the requirement that called for
a rifle no more than 36in long with the stock at
its shortest position and without the suppressor
mounted. At 37.5in long and weighing 0.25lb
more than the CSASS 9.0lb limit the shortest
16.1in barrelled OBR would have required
some modification, which was probably a factor in the company’s decision.
The DRAGUNOV sniper rifle is a semi-automatic sniper rifle/designated marksman
rifle chambered in 7.62x51mm NATO round
and the 7.62x54mm Russian, as well as a
new round JSC Kalashnikov is working on.
(Photo: JSC Kalashnikov)
complete with optics, bipod and other accessories.
On 11 March 2013, the US DoD announced
that it was awarding the PSR contract to
Remington as an IDIQ, firm fixed price deal with
an estimated value of almost $80 million.
Projected quantities are around 5,150 rifles and
nearly 4,7 million rounds of ammunition.
Completion of the contract is expected in
March 2023.
CSASS Squeezed?
Amid the stresses of the US defence budget
squeeze, parts of industry are showing
weariness with the procurement process.
LaRue Tactical, for example, announced on 08
March that it was pulling out of the US Army’s
Compact Semi-Automatic Sniper System
(CSASS) programme. Under CSASS the Army
wants either to upgrade the existing Knight’s
Armament Company M110 SASS to reduce its
size and weight or to procure up to 3,643 new
rifles to a revised specification.
The Marketplace is Vast
Following the introduction of the FN SCAR-H
PR precision rifle late 2011, Belgium-based
small arms manufacturer FN Herstal unveiled
the tactical variant at Eurosatory 2012. The FN
SCAR-H TPR Tactical Precision Rifle features a
non-foldable sniper-type buttstock with precise
adjustments for length and height. The distinctive feature of the new FN SCAR-H TPR is a
non-foldable sniper-type buttstock adjustable
in length (10 positions) and height (eight positions) to accommodate operator’s body
armour, web gear and head position when
using iron or optical sights. In addition, the
Remain Undetected
Stay Focused +
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+ Remote control for gain & focus
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+ Up to caliber .50
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+ Three accessory rails for
& Location Unit
additional attachements
+ Outstanding
The new Commander’s
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thermal imaging
Vectronix AG | Switzerland | www.vectronix.ch
40
The Meprolight NOA DUAL-FIELD
is a feature-rich uncooled thermal weapon
sight for long range sniper rifles delivering
the ability to change from observation
to targeting by optically switching
magnification between 7x to 3x.
It enables snipers to detect the target
in the wide Field-of-View, using the
3x magnification and upon detection
of target switching easily to a farther
field using the 7x magnification,
enabling better target recognition,
thus preventing identification faults.
(Photo: Meprolight)
buttstock is fitted with a lower MIL-STD 1913
Picatinny rail for add-on monopod. The new FN
SCAR-H TPR offers the same performances
and benefits than the FN SCAR-H PR model.
Both are lightweight, yet durable, and guarantee rapid and accurate fire at long and close
ranges. They both come standard with extended upper, lower and lateral MIL-STD 1913
Picatinny rails, a steel magazine (10- or 20round capacity), and a multi-position fire selector (either safe and semi-auto or safe, semiauto and full auto).
It may be related to the Barrett Model
82A1/M107, but the M107A1 is far from a simple evolution. Driven by the demands of combat, every component was re-engineered to be
lighter yet stronger. The result was a high-performance rifle that weighs 5lbs less than the
original M107, but is every bit as tough.
Designed to be used with a suppressor, this
rifle allows the user to combine signature
reduction capabilities with the flawless reliability of the original M107, but with a rifle weight
reduction. An all new bolt carrier group has
been designed and is key to making the rifle
suppressor-ready. Its steel four-port cylindrical
muzzle brake is engineered to work seamlessly
with a quick-attach Barrett QDL Suppressor.
The lightweight aluminium upper receiver features an integrated 27 MOA optics rail. Inside
the upper receiver, the bolt carrier rides on a
hardened steel anti-wear strip for added durability. A thermal-guard cheek piece protects the
user’s face from extreme heat or cold.
Advanced design and manufacturing make the
M107A1 more precise than ever. The rear
barrel stop and front barrel bushing are bolted
and bonded with a high strength compound. A
titanium barrel key and fully-chrome-lined bore
With an effective range of 800 yards,
the CZ 750 SNIPER is ideal for use by the
elite military and law enforcement snipers.
(Photo: Ceská Zbrojovka)
and chamber add to the rifle’s durability.
Enhanced modularity is also a key feature of
the M107A1. The rail-mounted aluminium rear
grip can easily be reconfigured. The newly
designed titanium and polymer monopod is
adjustable from either side.
With an effective range of 800 yards, the
Ceská Zbrojovka CZ 750 SNIPER is ideal for
use by the elite military and law enforcement
snipers it was designed for. The synthetic
thumbhole sniper-style stock is adjustable for
comb height, as well as length of pull. The
underside of the fore-end is fitted with a
220mm long rail that provides multiple attachment points for a bipod. Two scope mounting
options are available for the 750 Sniper. A
weaver rail comes installed, or by removing the
rail, the integrated CZ 19mm dovetail may be
used. The Sniper features a muzzle brake,
thread protector, mirage shield and two
10-round detachable magazines. The SNIPER
has a 26 barrel with 4-groove rifling in 1 in 12
twist.
Advanced Fire Control
Accurate long range shooting requires much
calculation and those calculations take time
that could otherwise be used to engage more
targets. Ballistic software for PDAs, tablets and
smart phones has been available for a few
years now. Loaded with ballistic tables for the
ammunition and fed with information such as
target range, elevation angle, air temperature
and pressure and the speed and direction of
the wind, they output elevation and windage
settings for the scope. Industry is bringing such
capabilities to the scopes themselves, either as
add-on devices like the Barrett Optical Ranging
System (BORS), for example, or as a system
such as TrackingPoint’s XactSystem that integrates a telescopic sight with range finding,
ballistic calculation and target tracking capabilities with a ‘guided trigger’ to produce what the
41
The Remington Modular Sniper Rifle (MSR)
combines lethal accuracy at 1,500m with a
user-adjustable folding stock, free-float
handguard, and the potential to change
barrel lengths and calibres within minutes
at the user level from .338 Lapua MAGNUM
to .338 Norma MAGNUM to .300
Winchester MAGNUM to 7.62mm NATO.
(Graphic: Remington)
company describes as a Precision Guided
Firearm (PGF).
Barrett’s BORS is a ballistic computer that
mounts standard telescopic sights and couples
to the elevation adjustment post. Loaded with
ballistic tables for up to 100 rounds and able to
accept user-generated tables, the BORS automatically compensates for temperature and
barometric pressure, calculates bore line angle
cosine for uphill and downhill targets and display’s the rifle’s cant angle. The BORS does not
measure range or compensate for wind. The
shooter adjusts the BORS elevation knob to
match the range shown on the display to the
target’s measured range. “This eliminates the
need for ‘counting clicks’ as target ranges
change,” according to Barrett, “allowing the
shooter to focus on other environmental conditions, and quickly engage multiple targets at
varying ranges.”
While TrackingPoint’s XactSystem can function as a normal telescopic sight, in advanced
mode it enables the shooter to place a cursor
on the target and press a button to “tag” it. The
system’s target tracking software then keeps
South African Anti-Material / Sniper Rifles
While sniper rifles and their trained
snipers specialise in targeting and engagement of personnel, anti-material rifles such
as the NTW-20 are primarily charged with
penetration - and ultimate disabling - of key
structural components on a selected target.
This is accomplished through use of various
ammunition types and high delivery velocity
against the target in question. Such weapon
systems have been proven highly-effective
in disabling vehicles by way of penetrating
the engine block and have seen similar
success against such targets as aircraft,
concrete structures and long-distance
ordnance disposal (the disabling of bombs
such as IEDs). Other targets of note particularly when utilising the explosive
ammunition cartridge - also include dug-in
enemy troops such as those teams manning a mortar tube or a machine gun nest.
The NTW-20 is produced by the Mechem
Division of Denel. The system is a heavy calibre design whose origins go as far back as
its announcement in 1993 and it development beginning in 1995 when it was under
the Aerotek brand label. The NTW-20
comes in three available heavy calibres
firing either the 20x83.5mm (NTW-20), the
14.5x114mm Russian (NTW-14.5) and the
large 20x110mm Hispano-Suiza cartridges
(NTW-20x110). The cartridges are held in a
spring-loaded, three-round detachable box
magazine and fed into the firing chamber by
42
way of a hand-operated bolt-action system
mounted along the right side of the receiver.
The trigger group and pistol grip reside directly
under the bolt-lever area. The buttstock is fullyintegrated as part of the receiver itself,
supplying clean lines to the overall design
appearance. There is a bipod fitted to underside of the receiver at forward and an integrated carrying loop built around the scope
mount. The bipod is fully-adjustable and
detachable and complimented by a monopod
fitted at the rear for additional recoil
absorbance. A safety catch is manually-operated. As it stands, the NTW-20 fires one of the
most powerful cartridges available to a relatively portable anti-materiel rifle. It is noteworthy
that the NTW-20 showcases what is believed to
be the largest amount of recoil of any known
personal weapon, often times detailed as the
most recoil an average soldier can control.
One of the key components of the NTW-20
system lies in the ability to convert between the
14.5mm and 20mm calibre versions without
much heavy modification or reworking of the
base weapon components. To commit to such
an action requires only a changing of the barrel,
sights, magazine and the bolt itself and this is
done without the need for any specialized tools
on the part of the operator.
Truvelo Manufacturers entered into the field
of barrel and rifle manufacturing in 1994. The
success of the manufacturing of highly accurate barrels led to the development of a combi-
nation of their own barrel range and sophisticated sniper rifle technology. The proud
result of this combination is Truvelo’s range
of highly accurate, long range rifles with
calibres up to 20x110 Hispano. The Truvelo
design team has added the Counter
Measure Sniper Rifle (CMS) series to its
range of small arms. The CMS was developed for Urban Type Warfare at a shorter
range. The rifles are compact and allow for
easy manoeuvrability. The stock is foldable
and the rifle lighter which makes it easier to
carry in confined areas. Truvelo currently
fields AMR (anti-material rifles) in four
calibres, namely the 12,7x99mm, the
14,5x114mm, the 20x82mm and the 20x110
Hispano. In addition to this, the Truvelo APR
(anti-personnel rifle) series is available in
7,62x51 Nato and the .338 Lapua. The key
to the success of the Truvelo range of sniper
rifles is traditional attention to detail and
sticking to what works best. While Truvelo’s
Midrand plant is home to proven technology, its designs also match space-age material with classical lines. All rifles are bolt
action. The combination of the right steel,
the manufacturing process of the barrel, the
bolt action and the fitment of the barrelled
action into an ergonomically designed stock
ensure unsurpassed accuracy. The most
important features of these precision
weapons are that they are lightweight,
adjustable and accurate.
the red dot on the target regardless of its movement. The laser then measures the range to
enable the software to factor in ammunition
ballistics and environmental conditions, including manually entered wind speed, to apply corrections that drive a virtual crosshair that the
shooter must place over the red tag dot. After
the shooter activates the guided trigger by
squeezing, effectively giving a fire command,
the system picks the best moment to fire the
shot.
The system also records video of each shot
and can download it wirelessly to a smartphone
or computer and/or share it via a live link with
other team members, such as a spotter.
TrackingPoint currently offers three boltaction XactSystem rifles. The XS1 is chambered for .338 LM and matches a Surgeon XL
action from Surgeon Rifles with a Krieger barrel
in an Accuracy International AX chassis. Using
300 gr Sierra open-tipped match XactShot
ammunition from Barnes loaded to +/- 10 fps
standard deviation muzzle velocity, the XS1 is
effective at up to 1,200 yards, says
TrackingPoint. The XS2 and XS3 are both .308
WM weapons, the first on an AX chassis and
the second on a McMillan A5 chassis.
With these products now on the market,
should DARPA’s Extreme Accuracy Tasked
Ordnance (EXACTO) laser-guided .50 cal ammunition project yield an operational weapon
system, long range sniping and anti-materiel
tasks will be forever transformed.
Continued on page 46
Performance without compromise - small - lightweight - low power
HUNTIR MK2
Thermal weapon and observation sight
Force protection and superiority
in asymmetrical warefare
24/7 situational awareness,
multi-purpose mission support
AIM INFRAROT-MODULE GmbH . Theresienstraße 2 . D 74072 Heilbronn / Germany . Tel.: +49 71 31 62 12 - 0 . Fax: +49 71 31 62 12 - 939 . info@aim-ir.com . www.aim-ir.com
43
Editorial Programme
MILITARY TECHNOLOGY 2014
1/2014
RD: 14 Feb
THE WORLD DEFENCE ALMANAC
Bonus Distribution:
/ CD: 14 Mar / PD: 14 Apr
Every major defence exhibition
April 2014-April 2015
RD = Reservation Deadline
CD = Copy Deadline
PD = Publication Date
4/2014 – APRIL
RD: 13 Mar / CD: 19 Mar / PD: 4 Apr
NAVY LEAGUE FOCUS:
-
LAAD SECURITY FOCUS:
DSA FOCUS:
SPECIAL ISSUE:
SOLDIER TECHNOLOGY
RD: 3 Jan / CD: 6 Jan / PD: 17 Jan
CTX / Soldier Tech Europe
FOCUS:
From Combat Supplies to Communications:
supporting the front-line soldier
The Integrated Warfighter
Tactical Interoperability
Battlefield Awareness
Squad Mobility
UGV Developments
SPECIAL ISSUE:
UNMANNED SYSTEMS
2/2014 – FEBRUARY
RD: 9 Jan / CD: 15 Jan / PD: 31 Jan
DEFEXPO FOCUS:
-
SINGAPORE FOCUS:
AUSA WINTER FOCUS:
-
BMP-2 Upgrades/FICV Programme
Artillery Upgrades
Army Aviation
Interviews Sec Def & Sec Def Prod
DRDO: Performance Assessment
DPSUs Performance Assessment
Army Procurement Plans
Equipping a Rapid Reaction Force
Ammunition Update Pt. 2:
Less than Lethal small calibre ammo
Airborne Radar
Interview RSingAF Chief and DEFMIN
Acquisitions and Upgrades
Integrating Technology and Ops
Interview DSTA
Defence From and For Singapore
Global Industry /
US Army Partnerships
SPECIAL ISSUE:
RD: 17 Jan / CD: 20 Jan
INTERNATIONAL ARMOURED VEHICLES
RD: 7 Apr / CD: 15 Apr / PD: 2 May
QUAD A FOCUS:
- US Army Aviation Review:
Program Successes / Program Failures
- Special Ops: Desert / Mountain Warfare
- Special Forces Mobility, Operational
Equipment, Weapons, Training and Comms
- Special Ops: Urban / Littoral Warfare
- Global Interoperability
- Cyber Defence
- Miniaturisation
- Practical Applications for advanced
Electronics
- Nano-Electronics
- Hardening Electronics for Military
Applications
- Slovakian Advanced Defence Technologies
and Partnership Developments
- Slovakia and NATO
- Practise Makes Perfect:
European Training & Simulation company
review
- Matching AFV Theory with Operational
Reality
- The German Military Aviation industry:
quality and reliability
- Unmanned Systems in Germany
- GE/CH/Austrian Air Force Review
- Mil SHOW DAILIES!
- NAVSEA and the Eurasian region
- Naval expertise from Turkey
- How to do Business in Kazakhstan
- Threats and Security in a time of poverty
- Single-Service Acquisitions and Upgrades,
incl. MSVS SMP, Helicopter, Air Transport,
Navy (esp. NSPS) programmes
SOFEX / SOFIC FOCUS:
AFCEA FOCUS:
IDEB FOCUS:
ILA BERLIN FOCUS:
3/2014 – MARCH
RD: 13 Feb / CD: 19 Feb / PD: 7 Mar
MAST Eurasia FOCUS:
IWA FOCUS:
DIMDEX FOCUS:
-
KADEX FOCUS:
HEMUS FOCUS:
CANSEC FOCUS:
With NATO’S NATIONS & PARTNERS FOR PEACE Supplement:
NATO SUMMIT EDITION: Afghanistan: 4 Phases of Lessons Learned:
Deployment, Ops, Reinforcement, Withdrawal
RD: 24 Apr / CD: 28 Apr / PD: 9 May
5/2014 – MAY
Armoured Cars and Conversions
Major Developments since WW1
Motion Control
AFV Crew Training
Displays for Severe Environments
Tracks v. Wheels
Turret Systems/Equipment
Passive / Active Vehicle Protection
FIDAE FOCUS:
- Fundamental Requirements for Survival
on the Front Line
- Critical Infrastructure Protection
Air Traffic Coord/Airspace Management
Naval Unmanned Systems
Unmanned Systems, Technologies and Applications Review
Stealth
Multimission Platforms
/ PD: 31 Jan
Military Handguns
Counter-Mine Warfare
Defence From and For Qatar
Patrol Boats and the Gulf Navies
Future Aircraft Programmes
Army Programmes
Fighter Aircraft Regeneration
Tactical Aviation for Chile
Chilean Ground and
Naval Forces Update
Task Force Composition and Capabilities
Medium-Range Naval Weapons
Air-Land Battle Update
Military Assets for Urban Security
Armouring the Land Cruiser™
Intelligence at War
Malaysia’s Defence Industry and Partners
Support Contracts in Malaysia
MRCA Update
Light Strike Vehicles
ITEC FOCUS:
AFV SHRIVENHAM FOCUS:
MT ILA Show Daily 1
MT ILA Show Daily 2
MT ILA Show Daily 3
CD: 15 May / PD: 20 May
All information contained in this document is property of MILITARY TECHNOLOGY
© The right of alteration is reserved by Mönch Verlagsgesellschaft mbH
6/2014 – JUNE
RD: 22 May / CD: 28 May / PD: 13 June
UDT FOCUS:
- UK Naval Expertise / Applications
- Nuclear v. Conventional Naval
Deterrence
- Polish Navy Programmes and
Developments
BALTIC FOCUS:
UNMANNED SYSTEMS
GERMANY:
DVD FOCUS:
UGV C2
Tactical Enhancement Through UGVs
Silent Guardians
Airspace Management in Europe
Fit for Role? – the UK’s Armoured
and Heavy Transport fleets
8/2014 – AUGUST
RD: 17 July / CD: 23 July / PD: 8 August
WW1 Centenary:
- Key Technological Developments:
Part 2: the Death of the Ground
Offensive
- US Mil Veh. mfrs. reaching beyond
CONUS
- Future Military Vehicles
- Armouring the F-150
- Missile Propulsion
- Surveillance radar
- Warhead Technology
- Polish Technology and role in the
international defence arenas (Mil. & Ind.)
SMDC FOCUS:
MSPO FOCUS:
FUTURE SOLDIER FOCUS:
- Training/Equipment/Support for the
21st Century NATO soldier
- Surviving the Budget Battle – US Army style
- Counter-IED Developments
- JLTV Update
- Naval Power Projection
- Smart Naval Procurement in NATO’s Navies
- European Capital Ship Programmes
- Russian Land Forces Re-Equipment and
Modernisation Programmes
- Defence From, Of and For Australia
- Indonesian Modernisation Plans
- National / Regional Partnerships
and Capabilities of Indonesian
Defence Forces and
Defence Industry
- Lessons Learned – Syria 2013
AUSA FOCUS:
IDELF FOCUS:
LAND WARFARE FOCUS:
INDODEFENCE FOCUS:
CBRN SYMPOSIUM:
SPECIAL ISSUE:
EURO / EXPO NAVAL
OPV Review
Frigate Programmes/Developments
CIWS
Anti-Ship Weapons
Naval Aviation
Submarine Hunting
11/2014 – NOVEMBER
MILIPOL FOCUS:
ZHUHAI FOCUS:
EXPONAVAL FOCUS:
- Security By the People Of the
People For the People – From the People
- Chinese Military Materiel for Asia,
Africa and beyond
- PLAAF Assessment
- Speed at Sea
- Naval Solutions to Defence Without Depth
12/2014 – DECEMBER
RD: 6 Nov / CD: 12 Nov / PD: 28 Nov
IDEAS FOCUS:
- Technology for Border Security
- Innovation and Quality in Pakistan’s
Arc of Influence
- Ammo Update Pt 4:
120mm to 155mm+
- CHORAL Series
- Virtual Reality for S&T
- Who Makes the Systems?Systems of Systems, Commonality
and Economy
- Man Out of the Loop Warfare
- Blast Simulation
- Biomechanical Developments
- BAMS Update
- Naval Trainers:
Bridge/Weapons/Navigation
- Naval Warfare Simulation
RD: 14 Aug / CD: 20 Aug / PD: 5 Sep
The Annual Future Soldier Programmes Update
Battlefield Encryption
AAD FOCUS:
- Deep Water Submarine Programmes
- SAAF Procurement & Plans
- Border Protection Solutions
MODERN DAY MARINE
FOCUS:
- Winning the Budget Battle –
USMC style
RD: 16 Oct / CD: 22 Oct / PD: 7 Nov
THE SECURITY ALMANAC 3rd edition:
1. The Less than Lethal Yearbook: Immobilising Technologies
2. CBRN Review: Introduction of Chemical Warfare
Forward Defensive Options against a CBRN Threat
CBRN assets for offense
3. The Protective Armour Compendium: Lightweight Armour Options
4. Cyber Defence
I/ITSEC FOCUS:
9/2014 – SEPTEMBER
RD: 7 Oct / CD: 9 Oct / PD: 23 Oct
RD: 19 June / CD: 25 June / PD: 11 July
FARNBOROUGH FOCUS: - Multi-Configuration airframes
(manned / unmanned / hybrid)
- Helmet Systems
- Cockpit developments
- Directed Thrust:
Aero-Engine Developments
- Military Aero-Engine Market
- MAIL Series
- F-35 Update
- Airborne Sensors
- Air-to-Air Weapon Developments
- IFF
MVEC FOCUS:
RD: 18 Sep / CD: 24 Sep / PD: 10 Oct
EURONAVAL FOCUS:
-
INTERNATIONAL MISSILE
DEFENCE FOCUS:
- Missile Defence Hotspots
around the world
- Missile Guidance Technology
EUROSATORY FOCUS:
- CHOD Interviews
- The Machine Gun in Unlimited War
- Local Area Communications
- Grenade Warfare
- Mobile Power Supplies
- 100 Years of MBT Development
- Tactical Battlefield Detection and
Observation
- Army Aviation in Europe
- Electricity on the Battlefield
- Ammo Update Pt 3: .50 cal to 120mm
- Military Geo Information
- WW1 Centenary Pt. 1: Introduction:
Key Technological Developments:
Loading the Defences
7/2014 – JULY
10/2014 – OCTOBER
SURFACE NAVY FOCUS:
Continued from page 43
Snipers have to be effective
night or day, but a sniper is only
as good as his rifle and his rifle
scope. The marketplace is cluttered with sniper sights and this
short article in no way will
attempt to give an outlook on
what is available, but what is
new.
A sniper scope is basically a specialised
telescope containing components that lay a
targeting reticule (crosshairs) over the
amplified image. When sighting a target
through a scope, snipers are comparing
point of aim to point of impact. Simply put,
when firing a bullet from over 600 yards,
where you are aiming is not going to be
where the bullet lands. All sorts of variables
work on that bullet during its long flight to
the target. Ideally, snipers want point of aim
and point of impact to be the same. They
line up these points with fine adjustments to
the scope once range, heat and windage
have been factored into the shot.
Aimpoint offers lightweight sights for
extreme conditions. Built to offer the same
battle-proven ruggedness as other
Aimpoint products, e.g., the MICRO T-1
performs reliably under extreme conditions
while adding negligible weight to a rifle. The
Aimpoint MICRO T-1 is ideal as a standalone sight, and can also be piggybacked
on top of larger magnifying scopes, night
vision (NV), or thermal imaging optics.
Aimpoint’s coating on the front lens reflects
the dot’s selected frequency of red light at
near 100% efficiency to give the highest
possible dot brightness with the least
amount of energy while other wavelengths
46
Seeing the Target
in the visible and near-IR part of the spectrum
pass with a minimum of reduction. This provides a clear, bright image when used with a
3rd generation NV Device (NVD). With four
NVD-compatible brightness settings and eight
daylight settings including one extra-bright setting, the MICRO T-1 is ready for round the
clock use. Ideal for rifles, it weights 3.7oz (105g)
including the mount (sight: 3.0oz/84g). The
integral Picatinny-style base allows easy
attachment to any rail, new ACET technology
allows 50,000 hours (over 5 years) of constant
operation with one battery, and it can beused
as a standalone sight or piggybacked on larger
magnifying, thermal, or NV optics.
FLIR Systems’ MilSight T105 UNS (Universal
Night Sight) AN/PVS-22 and MilSight S135
MUNS (Magnum Universal Night Sight™)
AN/PVS-27 are high-resolution clip-on NVD
(CNVD) that mount on any MIL-STD-1913 rail
interface forward of an existing scope, adding
NV capabilities to daytime target acquisition
platforms. Both utilise a full MIL-SPEC Gen 3
(autogated pinnacle) I2 tube, a fast f/1.15 and
f/1.0 respectively catadioptric lens for a bright
and sharp image in starlight, and patented permanent boresight alignment technology. The
MilSight S135 MUNS gathers twice as much
light as the MilSight T105 UNS (AN/PVS-22)
and can be used against targets at 1.5 times
the range. Both are installed, operated, and
removed without tools and without affecting
boresight (permanent boresight alignment). The
units can be mounted on a spotting scopes for
long range reconnaissance, handheld as a
Night Observation Device (NOD), or used in
other night time operations requiring NV capabilities. The T105 UNS is effective on all
weapons from carbines to .50 calibre semiautomatic sniper rifles, and optimised for
medium-range sniper weapons, assault rifles
A representative view through a representative scope – in this case from L-3,
demonstrated at DSEi 2013 – showing
reticles for 40mm and .50 calibre weapons.
Sniper rifle scopes are very different from the
"normal" scopes found on most rifles, having
variable adjustments that take into account
the distance to the target, wind speed,
light conditions and many other factors.
They have complex inner components that
determine shooting accuracy but that that
can absorb the impact of heavy recoil during
shooting and remain in place, allowing the
shooter to stay on target and deliver a
second shot if necessary. A sniper rifle
scope also needs to stand up to the rigours
of the field: without shockproof construction
the slightest bump can ruin previouslyapplied settings. Physical features are an
important consideration: snipers can travel
long distances on foot, predicating a lighter,
less bulky scope. Also, the scope that is
perfect for long range shooting will not
perform well in a situation that requires
quick target acquisition, and a more
compact design is necessary for close
range or urban sniping.
(Photo: Mönch / SB)
and machine guns, while the S135 MUNS is
effective on all weapons from carbines to .50
calibre semi-automatic and bolt action sniper
rifles, and optimized for medium- & long-range
sniper weapons.
FLIR has added many new features to its
RECON B2-FO unit including the ability to
share imagery with FLIR’s thermal sniper
scopes. The Recon B2-FO is a handheld,
sniper and forward-observer targeting sensor
that is equipped with a medium-wave IR
(MWIR) thermal camera, a day-camera, laser
rangefinder (LRF), GPS and digital magnetic
compass. This is highly-capable modular system provides the user, whether a sniper
observer or forward observer, with a host of
system configurations to meet weight and
portability budget and the choice of manual,
magnetic, celestial and gyroscopic north finding options for targeting.
Leupold’s MARK 6 series offers state-of-theart tactical features that are common throughout their tactical product line. Leupold long
range/tactical riflescopes’ accuracy is proven in
the field, rugged and waterproof.
In 2011, Schmidt & Bender received the
most important precision sniper scope contract
for the company. Schmidt & Bender is supplying its 5-25x56 PMII scope in the special PSR
version to US Army, Navy, Air Force and Marine
Special Forces for existing and future sniper
rifles. The precision sniper rifle scope is used all
over the world under widely varying and delicate environmental conditions: under water,
near coastlines, in arctic surroundings, in the
jungle and last, but not least, in urban warfare.
Following the major success of the 3-12x50 PM
II model which, after two years of comprehen-
sive testing by the US Marines, won the competition against 25 rival scopes and the resulting service contract awarded by the USMC,
this is already the company’s third big success
story. Other sniper sights include the 3-20x50
PM II and the 12-50x56 PM II/P.
The Steiner 5-25x56mm model 5550 long
range military/tactical riflescope was designed
from the bottom up to achieve consistent 1500
plus yard shots and have the ability to do them
in next to near darkness. Not many Scope
makers can bend glass to achieve a five times
magnification like Steiner did with the 5-25
Military riflescope. This is a very difficult feat of
engineering. Not only does Steiner accomplish
this with the 5-25x56mm Military riflescope, but
also they packed in all of the features Steiner is
known for: 90% plus light transmission, submersible to 30 plus feet, shockproof, nitrogen
purged fog proof and overall Germany quality
manufacturing into this scope. The Steiner 525x56 riflescope boasts a MSR reticle (MultiPurpose Sniper Reticle). The parallax adjustment and digital illumination settings are combined in the left side turret. The illumination settings have 11 brightness stops and 10 standby
off settings that allow the shooter go from their
selected brightness to off and then directly
back to the same selected setting without having to cycle through the brightness settings all
over again.
Trijicon has had their line of rifle scopes for
several years now and their long range tactical
AccuPoint series of rifle scopes has one model
that is set up for snipers. Trijicon’s longestrange TR23-2G AccuPoint 5-20x50 riflescope
(Mil-Dot crosshair with green dot) gives snipers
the ability to accurately extend their range in
any light. Furthermore, the Trijicon VCOG
(Variable Combat Optical Gunsight) is a rugged
variable powered riflescope with an LED illuminated first focal plane BDC reticle. The VCOG is
designed for extreme durability and features
superior glass quality. The magnification range
accommodates CQB and long distance marksmanship. The VCOG is a MIL-spec grade optic,
robust enough for any application. The Trijicon
1-6x24 VCOG utilises a single AA battery, giving it a considerable battery life of 700 hours at
setting 4 of 6 (constant on). Also, the Trijicon
TARS (Tactical Advanced RifleScope) is a
rugged variable power riflescope with the precise adjustability that long-range shooting
demands. It features a first focal plane reticle
with ten illumination settings – including two for
NV. Oversized target adjusters feature 150
MOA / 44 mil total elevation adjustment and 30
MOA / 10 mil adjustments per revolution, as
well as a mechanism to prevent unintentional
adjuster rotation. Combined with an elevation
Return to Zero feature, the Trijicon TARS allows
for rapid zeroing on a target no matter the distance.
Vectronix manufactures the SWORD
SNIPER, new generation day/night, 3-in-1 precision weapon sight, including a thermal channel, direct optical channel, and laser range finder. SWORD SNIPER combines a day lens, an
uncooled IR channel (8-12µm) and a laser
range finder in a single device. Rugged, easyto-use and quiet, featuring a multimedia interface and a single shooter correction for day and
thermal channels, SWORD SNIPER has already
been commanded by over 1000 units.
Vectronix’ I2 device, providing NV capability to
a wide variety of scope and observation sights
is the NITESPOT50, an excellent complement
to existing equipment for military snipers.
Fastened to the front of the sight, it does not
alter the line of sight. It is movable by remote
control so the operator can use it without having to change his position.
Other manufacturers include US Optics,
Premier, key S&B, Vortex, IOR, Bushnell,
Once a shot is taken, the spotter watches the shot to help the sniper readjust his aim or
his position in the unlikely event that he misses his target. The way that the spotter watches the shot is fascinating. High velocity, long-range rounds like the kind used in a sniper
rifle actually leave a vapour trail as they fly through the air. The spotter can track the shot
by watching for that vapour trail. In observation missions, the two can take turns using the
spotter scope to spy on the enemy. This helps to avoid eye fatigue and allows one team
member to rest while the other watches. This is important, since in many cases they can
be out there observing for days at a time.
Hensoldt, Kahles, Nightforce, Qioptiq,
Raytheon Elcan and Raytheon IIS.
Observation and
Information Gathering
Snipers are not only highly trained precision marksmen but also skilled in observation and information reporting. They are an
important part of the intelligence-gathering
network, as are the tools they use to get the
job done.
After 25 years of successful work with IR
components for the Bundeswehr and allied
nations, AIM developed a thermal sight to
meet the requirements for the German GLADIUS soldier modernisation system. The
HuntIR sight was to combine day/night surveillance and targeting. With two fields of
view, 2.3°x3.0° for range performance and
6.8°x9.1° for panoramic view it provides an
identification range of 1,700m as required
for long-range sniper rifles or crew served
support weapons like the 40mm automatic
grenade launcher (AGL). For the GLADIUS,
AIM has boosted the capabilities of HuntIR
by adding a laser range finder (LRF), a 3-axis
digital magnetic compass (DMC) and a link
for the wireless transmission of data and
images within the infantry section with the
new RangIR device.
Vectronix, a Switzerland-based manufacturer and part of Safran, is an industry leader
in the field of observation, detection,
rangefinding, and targeting solutions and
systems. Snipers from many NATO countries
use Vectronix solutions and systems as core
components to their sniper kits. The MOSKITO, one of the company’s newer solutions, is
a compact, lightweight, 24-hour-capable,
handheld observation/targeting monocular.
With the VECTOR and Pocket Laser Range
Finder (PLRF) solutions becoming one of the
standards for observation/targeting rangefinders, Vectronix has stepped up its game
to produce an even more capable solution.
The core of the MOSKITO is a 5x monocular
with an integrated class 1 eye-safe laser
rangefinder that can measure a 2.3×2.3m
target at 10,000m (plus or minus 5 metres).
The laser wavelength is 1,550 nanometres,
making it invisible to night-vision devices.
The rangefinder is very fast, taking between
0.4 and 0.9 seconds per measurement, and
two CR123A batteries will provide power for
over 5,000 measurements.
Vectronix’ SORD (Shooter Objective
Ranging Device) links two mission-critical
tools for accurate aiming solutions. SORD
enables rapid ranging with a Vectronix
Pocket Laser Range Finder (PLRF) and
instantly sends target data into the HORUS
ATrag MX Ballistics Calculator. In a flash,
SORD creates versatile solutions for targets
across multiple zones. It reduces the possibility of human error and eliminates manual
entry of ranging data.
For a detailed description on night vision technology, please see Battle Vision article in MILITARY
TECHNOLOGY 9/2013 on pages 76-87.
AUVSI EUROPE
Airships: Cargo Delivery and a
Persistent View of the Battlefield
The primary goal of Millennium Airship
is to design, engineer, build, market and
operate the world’s first Heavy-Lift Air
Vehicle that is lighter-than-air, all-weather,
amphibious semi-rigid, multi-mission,
hybrid. The key feature of this aircraft will
be in that it is so manoeuvrable that it can
operate in and out of virtually anywhere
(land or sea) where there is enough space
to accommodate its size.
(Photo: Millennium Airship)
Since the Civil War, when Union
Soldiers utilised hot air balloons to
serve as a surveillance platform,
lighter than air technology has
been a part of the military’s inventory. As US forces began a troop
surge in Afghanistan while maintaining security in Iraq the need to
provide soldiers with a persistent
view of the battlefield was paramount.
Aerostat systems are typically configured
with a radar and/or EO sensor to provide persistent, low-cost, wide-area surveillance.
Additional payloads concurrently carried aloft
by aerostats could include communications
suites and other surveillance assets. Aerostat
systems operate either as stand-alone sentries
or as fully integrated nodes in C4I networks.
This article covers the current trends in
aerostats, blimps, airships, lighter-than-air
vehicles, persistent surveillance systems,
balloons, tethered aerostats … however you
might call them …
Over the last 30 years, small teams of
engineers and businessmen have worked to
develop the airship concept. Using advances in
engineering techniques, improved materials
and practical innovation these groups have
tested new ideas, and in many cases rediscovered concepts that have lain dormant
until the materials sciences could catch up.
Occasionally larger corporations or government departments put some effort in to projects to investigate the state of the market; but
shifting personnel, budgetary constraints and a
lack of immediate need, have usually closed
down these projects.
Currently there are several serious funded
projects that are looking into the applicability of
airship technology for a range of uses. While
the surveillance market is the main driver of
some of these projects, it is likely that the
benefits of Transport Airships are being
explored by government and mainstream
industry. As at the time of writing (July 2013),
several hybrid airship projects have flown prototypes, and more are being constructed by
different corporations.
Aeronautics’ SKYSTAR 300
Surveillance Aerostat
48
Aeronautics’ SKYSTAR 300 tactical aerostat
system enables continuous day and night ISR
operations at 1,000 feet. The system is highly
mobile and rapidly deployed. It provides high
quality information gathering and accurate
target allocation utilising tri-sensor gyro stabilized payloads and GPS/INS navigation. The
downlink video and interactive digital map are
displayed in real time at the ground control
station.
Aeros AEROSCRAFT
Aeros’
newest
air
vehicle,
the
AEROSCRAFT, was developed to provide new
ways of moving heavy and oversized cargo
from point-of-origin to point-of-need, even to
areas with damaged infrastructure or those
lacking development. The AEROSCRAFT offers
the most flexible and efficient vertical freight
logistics solution for oversized cargos. The
Aeroscraft is not a blimp. It is a new type of air-
craft built with a suite of new technologies
enabling VTOL and hover capabilities.
In
June,
Aeros
announced
the
AEROSCRAFT Model ML866 (66t payload) and
ML868 (250t) airlift cargo vehicle configurations
featuring true VTOL capability empowered by
an innovative internal ballast control system.
“The initial fleet of 24 vehicles will be allocated based on our clients’ needs, which
include Project Cargo, resupplying offshore oil
rigs, moving wind components across the vast
landscapes and over borders of Southern
Africa, and bringing renewable energy power
sources and equipment to rural villages in
India,” explained Aeros CEO Igor Pasternak.
“Recognising about half the fleet will be located
in South America, the Arctic and sub-Saharan
Africa, our vehicles have been tested and
developed with the goal of global operations in
all climates.”
Aerostar Persistent
Surveillance Systems
Established in 1986 as a wholly owned subsidiary of Raven Industries, Aerostar is everything Raven was at its inception in 1956: scientific research balloons, tethered aerostats and
parachutes. With over 50 years of lighter than
air experience and techology, Aerostar manufactures aerostats providing great performance, rapid deployment and turnkey persistent surveillance Solutions for a multitude of
needs, port security, persistent surveillance,
homeland security, critical infrastructure, fob
surveillance, coastal surveillance, situational
awareness, rapid acquisition, forest fire surveillance, and communications relay
Aerostar’s Tethered Aerostat systems can be
tailored to meet challenging operational environments.
The TIF-25K Tethered Aerostat System is a
versatile, value-driven turn-key, rapid deployment, tethered aerostat system for persistent
surveillance solutions and aerial communication relays. The TIF-25K provides an aerodynamically stable, reliable, cost-effective aerial
platform. The standard system configuration
will fly user payloads weighing up to 420lbs to
2,000tf Above Ground Level (AGL) on a standard atmospheric day. Flight altitudes up to
AUVSI EUROPE
3,000ft can be accommodated with the standard system configuration.
All of Aerostar’s turn-key aerostat systems
utilise their proprietary Integrated Telemetry
System (ITS), which allows for instantaneous
monitoring of the aerostat and all systems as
well as the wind direction, speed, GPS location
and temperature.
The TIF-17K complete system includes an
aerostat envelope, Mobile Mooring Platform
(US DOT compliant), winch system, EO tether
and C2 module, which can be customised for
specific mission requirements. Dependent on
payload and mission requirements, the system
can operate up to 2,000ft AGL.
The TIF-75KH has the capability to lift
extremely heavy payloads up to 5,000ft AGL,
providing visual data, communications and
radar data to the user. The TIF-75KH is the
mid-size aerostat to attain a 5,000ft AGL while
providing power and fibre optic communications through the tether line.
The TIF-4500, TIF-5500, and TIF-6500
tethered aerostats are useful tools for emergency response, aerial surveillance and communication needs. The TIF-2675 and TIF-3750
tethered blimps are can carry lightweight
payloads to heights greater than 2,500ft AGL.
These blimps are capable of aerial surveillance,
communications relay platforms, and aerial targeting as well as location marking and aerial
advertising. The TIF-900 and TIF-1600 are easy
to deploy, compact footprint tethered blimps,
which can also carry a useful payload.
To fly an unmanned airship between 60,00070,000ft above the surface of the earth is highly
complex and interdependent. Aerostar teamed
with Southwest Research Institute to develop
the HISENTINEL airship, a tactical high altitude
airship capable of sustaining station-keeping
flight for 30-90 days. In 2005, HISENTINEL
carried a 60lbs user payload and telemetry pod
to 74,000ft and achieved powered flight for 1.5
hours during a five hour flight. Since this
In the 1990s, the successor of the original Zeppelin company in Friedrichshafen,
the Zeppelin Luftschifftechnik GmbH, reengaged in airship construction.
The first experimental craft (later christened Friedrichshafen) of the type Zeppelin NT flew
in September 1997. Though larger than common blimps, the new technology ZEPPELINs
are much smaller than their giant ancestors and not actually ZEPPELIN-types in the
classical sense; they are sophisticated semi-rigids. Apart from the greater payload, their
main advantages compared to blimps are higher speed and excellent maneuverability.
Meanwhile, several ZEPPELIN NT have been produced and operated profitably in joyrides,
research flights and similar applications.
(Photo: Zeppelin)
historic flight, additional flights were completed
in 2008 and 2010. Today, Aerostar continues
extensive development of the next high altitude
airship.
Boeing JHL-40 SKYHOOK
Boeing/SkyHook International’s JHL-40
SKYHOOK was shaping to be a heavy-lift
vehicle that combines rotorcraft technology
with a blimp-like airframe. It was to take a 40t
sling load up to 200mi at a speed of around 70
knots. First flight was scheduled for 2014,but
funding has been cut thereby halting development until an infusion of $100 million in public
funding would be available.
Hybrid Air Vehicles ISR Platforms to Provide
Additional Capabilities
The team at Hybrid Air Vehicles (HAV) has
re-examined the basic principles behind
Lighter-Than-Air Science and applied modern
technology and materials to this 100 year old
concept. The result is a range of products with
global market potential – demand is being
driven, in particular, by changing defence &
environmental requirements. HAV has created
a mode of air transport that offers major
improvements in safety, operating costs, environmental impact and operational flexibility.
Partnering with Northrop Grumman, HAV won
Aeros’ newest air vehicle, the AEROSCRAFT, was developed
to provide new ways of moving heavy and oversized cargo from
point-of-origin to point-of-need, even to areas with damaged
infrastructure or those lacking development.
The Long Endurance Multi-Intelligence Vehicle (LEMV) is a hybrid
military airship developed by Northrop Grumman and Hybrid Air
Vehicles for the US Army providing ISR support for ground troops.
(Photo: Hybrid Air Vehicles)
49
AUVSI EUROPE
a $517 million contract to develop the LongEndurance Multi-intelligence Vehicle (LEMV) for
deployment by the US Army to Afghanistan in
early 2012. The vehicle is capable of operating
at 20,000ft above sea level, with a 21-day onstation availability, a 2,000ml radius of action
and is runway independent.
In July 2012 the company announced a deal
with Discovery Air International (DAI) for the
production of a number of AIRLANDER 50
Heavy Lift vehicles.
The first flight of the LEMV took place on 7
August 2012 over a base in Lakehurst, NJ/USA.
The flight lasted for 90 minutes and was performed with a crew on board. All objectives
were met during the first flight. That put the
combat deployment of the LEMV to
Afghanistan in early 2013. However, two
months after the test flight, the Army said it had
concerns about sending the airship abroad.
These included safety, transportation to the
theatre of operations, and the timeline of
deployment. On 14 February 2013, the Army
confirmed that it had cancelled the LEMV
development effort, citing technical and performance challenges, as well as the limitations
imposed by constrained resources.
HAV has expressed interest in purchasing
the airship from the Army before the craft is
dismantled. Apparently, they would use it for
cold- weather flights and other testing for the
development of their AIRLANDER 50.
Lockheed Martin
Lighter-Than-Air-Based
Persistent ISR Systems
Lockheed Martin delivered its first lighterthan-air-based persistent ISR systems to the
US Navy more than 75 years ago. This enduring legacy of lighter-than-air (LTA) innovation,
engineering and production has resulted in
more than 300 airships and thousands of
aerostats in support of military operations
world-wide.
Lockheed Martin LTA product line includes
the US Army’s Persistent Threat Detection
System (PTDS), the USAF’s Tethered Aerostat
Radar System (TARS), and the US Army’s
unmanned High Altitude Airship (HAA).
Lockheed Martin offers a full line of aerostat
systems for domestic and international markets
at envelope volumes ranging from 8K through
660K (660K= 660,000 cubic feet). The larger
the aerostat, the greater the payload it can lift,
and/or the higher the altitude at which it can
operate.
Mav6 BLUE DEVIL
Mav6 was working under a DoD contract to
develop and deploy its BLUE DEVIL 2 multisensor aerostats to Afghanistan by 2012. The
behemoth, 340ft -long blimp and all of its
surveillance gear should have been ready for
USAF duty by January 2012. The USAF terminated the project, due to unaaceptable performance and recurring failures to meet minimum
operating standarts. The company has, as of
2013, divested itself of its airship business.
Northrop Grumman’s
Long Endurance Multi
Intelligence Vehicle (LEMV)
Northrop Grumman’s open architected Long
Endurance Multi Intelligence Vehicle (LEMV) is
a revolutionary aviation concept that has
shaped the future of ISR. The company developed a clean aerodynamic design with less
drag than competing designs, use existing
proven hull materials, a type certified engine,
off-the-shelf sensors, and the Army’s Universal
Ground Control Station with 100% interoperability with DCGS-A. Northrop Grumman integrates ISR payloads most efficiently through
their Murphy Bay on the vehicle centreline.
Every design trade-off was made with an
unyielding commitment to schedule. Their open
architecture business model invited third parties to get on-board the aircraft with limited
interference, weapon system, balanced by its
elegant simplicity.
Raven Industries
Persistent Surveillance
Solution Supports US Navy
South Maritime Operations
Raven Aerostar, recently concluded a successful maritime operation in response to an
urgent requirement for a maritime persistent
surveillance solution aimed at enhancing security in the Caribbean Basin. Quickly meeting the
requirements provided by US Navy South,
Raven Aerostar deployed a turnkey Maritime
Persistent Surveillance Solution featuring a
Raven Aerostar Tethered Aerostat System integrated with a state-of-the-art Vista Smart
Sensing Radar System, a General Dynamics
EO/IR camera, and a data link aboard the HighSpeed Vessel – SWIFT (HSV-2). Departing from
Key West, Fla. On-board the flight deck of the
HSV-2, Raven Aerostar’s Maritime Persistent
Surveillance Solution was deployed to support
US Southern Command’s international effort to
provide surveillance in the Caribbean Sea. This
successful operation builds on the continued
international engagement of Raven Aerostar,
and their wholly owned subsidiary, Vista
Research, providing cost effective, persistent
surveillance solutions that leverage tethered
aerostats integrated with radars and other surveillance capabilities to enhance regional security in both land and maritime environments.
Using a systems-of-systems approach, the
HSV-2 also employed complimentary ISR technology during operations: the PUMA tactical
UAV.
Lon Stroschein, Raven Aerostar president,
explained, “Aerostar has been providing highly
engineered, lighter than air products for over 50
years to customers including the US Military
and NASA. With our aerostat platform and the
proven capability of our Vista radar, we had the
utmost confidence that this maritime solution
would be a success. We are committed to supporting maritime domain awareness programmes with our US and international customers. Our team was excited to prove the
aerostat, a perceived ‘old’ technology, can provide cost-effective, mission enhancing, maritime capabilities when integrated with highperformance sensors like the Vista radar and
General Dynamics camera.”
Raytheon’s Joint Land Attack
Cruise Missile (JLENS)
Raytheon’s Joint Land Attack Cruise Missile
(JLENS) is an aerostat platform featuring longduration, wide area, over-the-horizon detection
and tracking of low-altitude cruise missiles and
other threats. Its capabilities provide the battlefield commander with enhanced situational
awareness and elevated communications,
enabling sufficient warning to engage air
defence systems and defeat threats. Deployed
on two 242ft aerostats, JLENS provides
soldiers with a low-altitude single integrated air
picture and the ability to conduct air-directed
surface-to-air missile engagements. Earlier this
year, the JLENS programme achieved two significant programme milestones, one with the
surveillance radar and the second with the fire
control radar (FCR). While undergoing testing at
the Utah Test and Training Range last fall, the
JLENS aerostat was elevated to 10,000ft mean
sea level, and the surveillance radar began
emitting radio frequency radiation into free
space for the first time. In addition, the FCR
Raven Aerostar’s Maritime Persistent
Surveillance Solution can be sized
appropriately to fit specific missions and
can be paired with other complementary
surveillance solutions.
(Photos: Aerostar)
50
AUVSI EUROPE
ATK has been awarded a contract by
Lockheed Martin to provide the Thermal
Control Subsystem for the Integrated
Sensor is Structure (ISIS) programme,
an integral part of DARPA’s ISIS airship.
The DARPA ISIS project is trying to make a
blimp, which has massive sensors as part
of the blimp structure A demonstration unit
should be flying around 2012-2014.
ISIS will provide “unsurpassed situational
awareness with a surveillance range
of 187mi for individuals on the ground
and 373mi for advanced cruise missiles.”
(Graphic: ATK)
successfully demonstrated “targets of opportunity” tracking in the Salt Lake City air space on
the first attempt.
World Surveillance Group
World Surveillance Group (WSGI) is a highly
focused company set on providing various services through its lighter than air platforms (LTA),
and designs and builds specialised airships
capable of carrying various payloads and transmitting various types of wireless communications. Placing a communications platform into
the stratosphere is an idea that can fundamentally change how the world delivers wireless
telecommunications, and the way we communicate.
WSGI has developed a new mid-altitude
(10,000 to 20,000 foot) LTA UAV, the ARGUS
One, which represents a new airship design
and is equipped with the company’s newly
developed stabilisation system that autonomously controls the level of rigidity of the airship in flight and an integrated payload bay
capable of initially carrying up to approximately 30lbs of high technology sensors, cameras or
electronics packages. ARGUS One is an
unmanned autonomous airship with automated
control for individual body modules for
improved flight stability and aerodynamic control. The design features the ability to control
the rigidity between each module and the abili-
ty to pivot. The modules are operated by microcontrollers based on aerodynamic requirements. The airship’s altitude, overall response
and handling characteristics and flight control
utilises a system of ballonets contained within
each individual module, thereby creating a
dynamically adjustable airship.
The SKYSAT Low/Mid altitude airships bring
the concept of the STRATELLITE to lower altitudes, typically in the 10,000-30,000ft range. It
provides many of the same features of the
STRATELLITE for communications and ISR but
is used as a moving platform for ISR missions
or a stationary platform for communications.
The SKYSAT is a traditionally designed airship
designed to perform low to mid altitude missions for short durations of less than one week.
The SKYSAT is capable of supporting both
tactical and strategic missions. Due to the rich
heritage of the “Cigar” based airship concept,
the stability of the platform, flexibility in performance and relative simplicity in design, the
SKYSAT brings all the advantages of mission
variety, complete sensor compatibility and cost
effectiveness.
The STRATELLITE is the largest of the WSGI
UAV airships. It is intended for HALE missions,
populating “near space” with surveillance and
communications capability. A presence in near
space with high tech sensors and communications suites offers enormous potential for both
commercial and government applications.
Whether hovering stationary at 65,000ft providing dedicated coverage of a specific area, or
flying a variety of mission profiles, the
STRATELLITE offers many of the features of
satellites but with significant cost savings, no
signal lag time, much greater sensor resolution/detail (it is miles not thousands of miles
away from its coverage area) and the ability to
be cycled (flown) down for service and maintenance upgrades.
Conclusion
Airships, Aerostats, Blimps, or however you
might call them have an advantage over UAVs,
as they can stay in the air for much longer than
any drone. Instead of, e.g., a PREDATOR’s single camera, the blimps can carry a whole lot of
surveillance equipment, because they are so
big. Any one of those sensors could recce an
entire town at once. There is even enough
space on board the airship to process all that
data in the sky, easing the burden on overloaded intelligence analysts.
Operated by a small crew with little need of
much logistical support, an aerostat can provide a considerable capability for relatively
small cost. However, they cannot be launched
in high winds, so must be backed up by other
complementary
fixed
wing
systems.
Nevertheless, these aerostat systems are being
continually refined and improved and probably
will soon be a common fixture wherever US
Forces are deployed.
Still, experts wonder how practical they
would be in a conflict against a foe with better
capability to shoot them down. Only time will
tell if finally H.G. Wells’ novel “Tono-Bungay”
can be proven wrong, and hybrid airship designs will loose their arguable lack of success.
JLENS is an airborne radar platform
designed to provide surveillance and
targeting quality radar data on Land Attack
Cruise Missiles (LACM) and other air
breathing targets. PATRIOT, Navy Standard
Missile, etc. can use the JLENS PTIR data
to engage low-flying terrain masked
LACMs before their own ground-based
sensors can detect them.
JLENS supports Air-Directed Surface-toAir-Missile (ADSAM) and Air-Directed
Air-to-Air Missile (ADAAM) engagements
through both the engage on remote and
forward pass mechanisms.
(Photo: Raytheon)
51
SSI Leads the Way
to Global Platforms
L. Aral Alis,
¸ the first Chairman of SSI (left),
being interviewed by Hakki Aris,
Publisher SAVUNMA VE HAVACILIK (right),
on behalf MILITARY TECHNOLOGY.
(Photo: Mönch)
Industries (SSM) work together very closely.
As the Exporters Association of the Turkish
defence and aerospace industries, in accordance with our legislation, all exporting companies of the sector are required to become a
member of our association. We have accumulated 195 members as of August 2013, which
means that our membership has tripled since
its establishment. This figure continues to
increase daily.
With the coming of age of Turkish
defence industrial capabilities in
various areas, their long term sustainment is placing a strong
emphasis on export. As indigenous
Turkish defence solutions start to
take their place on line-ups of
national products, the attempts of
the individual producers to establish themselves on the global
scene, has resulted in the need for
a systematic approach to exports.
Under the leadership of the
Ministry of Economy , over the last
several years Turkey has been
focusing on strengthening defence
industrial exports. This through the
establishment of export policies
and standardisation of rules and
regulations of control mechanisms,
creating means of support and
guidance both technically and
financially, to name a few. One of
those has been the establishment
of the Association of the Defence &
Aerospace Industry Exporters
(SSI). MILITARY TECHNOLOGY
talks to L. Aral Alis,
¸ the first
Chairman of SSI on the goals and
expectations of his organisation.
MT: What can you tell us about the creation of
the Defence and Aerospace Industry Exporters’
Association (SSI); what will the tasks and the
mission of SSI be; and how does the membership mechanism work?
L. Aral Alis:
¸ SSI has been established in
October of 2011, in a move to improve and
further the exports of the Turkish defence and
aerospace industries. SSI is the single entity
representing the Turkish defence and aerospace industry sector and works under the
auspices of the Ministry of Economy. SSI
cooperates fully with the Ministry of National
Defence (MoND), the global vision and the perspective of Turkish Minister of Defence, his
Excellency Ismet Yilmaz paves the way and
guides the Turkish defence industry, and also
SSI and the Undersecretariat for Defence
MT: What do the members expect from SSI,
and what does SSI offer its members? Will
there be opportunities whereby members will
be able to work individually with SSI?
L. Aral Alis:
¸ The primary expectation of our
members from SSI, naturally, is to ‘assist them
in all means possible towards increasing their
exports on a global basis.’ We are working in
full cooperation with all the relevant bodies. Our
main approach is to cover and enhance the
interests of all our members. Of course we are
in close contact with all of our members on a
regular basis.
Our main mission is to support and provide
guidance to our members, namely the
exporters of the Turkish defence and aerospace industry. With this aim, SSI provides
technical consultancy in market know-how and
policies, as well as financial support through
governmental grants to exporting companies
towards penetrating new markets.
In short, SSI acts as a two-way bridge
between the sector and the state organisations.
Turkish Delegation at MSPO from left to right - SSI Chairman L. Aral Alis,
¸
SSM Undersecretary Murad Bayar,
Turkish Minister of Defence Ismet Yilmaz,
and Ambassador Yusuf Ziya Özcan.
(Photo: SSI)
52
SSI business lounge at IDEF 2013. (Photo: Mönch)
SSI provides relevant information about target markets and offers technical advice to
members on exports, logistics, banking, customs regulations and policies in general.
It also communicates and coordinates with
other national and international organisations.
In this context, organising national participation in leading international defence and aerospace exhibitions around the world or representing its members in major international
organisations through information material also
come under the objectives of SSI.
MT: How does SSI coordinate its efforts with
the Undersecretariat for Defence Industries
(SSM)?
L. Aral Alis:
¸ Following up from the previous
question, I may sum it up by saying that; everything is built on a system as defined by all the
necessary regulations. I can clearly state that it
is a well-designed system we are working and
collaborating in. And I have to underline that,
especially SSM is one of the most important
actors in this sector, an actor which we fully
respect and work in close coordination and
cooperation. SSM is the representative of the
governmental bodies and we work in full
synchronisation with them. SSI is a governmental organization established by law and it is
the single entity which follows up all export and
import data.
MT: How would you best describe Turkish
defence and aerospace industry today; in terms
of sales, exports and capabilities?
L. Aral Alis:
¸ We are the leading sector in Turkey
in terms of the increasing rate of exports. Of
course, it will take several years to lead in terms
of sales but we are headed in the right direction.
When it comes to the global market, SSI
works closely with multinational partners: Of
course there is one important factor that has to
be kept in mind:
78% of the world market is under the control
of the ‘5 Big League Players’. Yet there is still a
considerable percentage that can be aimed at.
And that is what we are working on.
We are fully aware of the importance of the
many marketing communications tools and
opportunities and are positioning ourselves
accordingly.
Otokar ARMA 8x8 at IDEF 2013. (Photo: Mönch / DPM)
MT: Can you elaborate on the Turkish defence
and aerospace industry’s export performance
during 2013? Can you give us a break-down of
sectors?
L. Aral Alis:
¸ We are aiming to reach the U$1.5
billion export revenue target in 2013, which will
mean a 25% increase over that of 2012.
As the Turkish MoND always points out, we
aim to increase our exports through advancedtechnology products generating a high value
addition.
There is something I wish to emphasize
here – it is important for industry representatives to regularly convene to plan strategic
steps. I would like to state that we, as the SSI,
will continue our industry-wide ‘brain storming
sessions’ on a regular basis. Such meetings will
continue to be held twice a year.
As for the breakdown of the top ten export
items and material in 2013; Fixed and rotary
wing parts and components for both military
and civil platforms and engines; armoured vehicles of various classes, ships and patrol boats,
missile and rockets and launching platforms,
rifles-guns and ammunitions, integrated electronic systems, logistical support materials,
engineering and technology transfer services
could be listed.
In general, SSI directly deals with a large
number of sub-business segments such as
defence and security systems, software, land,
air, and sea platforms and associated parts and
components, electronic warfare systems, support systems and logistical services, R&D,
engineering, and manufacturing services.
MT: Can you tell us about the countries and
regions that make up Turkey’s defence and
aerospace export market?
L. Aral Alis:
¸ There are six main regions vis-avis our exports: North America, Commonwealth
of Independent States, the EU, the Caucasus,
and the Gulf Regions, as well as South East
Asia.
There are various measures and steps being
initiated both by our members, the official
organisations and financial institutions in a
move to increase Turkish defence exports.
These include developing Government to
Government sales opportunities, creating
financing options and long term programmes.
Of course we are planning to enhance our inter-
national presence as SSI, as well. We need to
enhance and increase all related efforts in
those areas, not forgetting the marketing communications activities. And I can assure you
this is what we are focusing on and initiating at
the moment.
MT: Promotional activities have a significant
value in exports. In this respect, national participation at a number of international defence
fairs is being organised under SSI umbrella in
cooperation with the SSM. Can we hear your
thoughts in this regard?
How will it work in the future: do you see a sharing of the markets for SSM and SSI, where the
lead could be shared respectively?
L. Aral Alis:
¸ As I tried to point out, we are working in full cooperation and coordination with all
the relevant parties. SSM is of course one of
the most important actors in Turkish Defence
and Aerospace Industry as the representative
of the governmental structure. We do fully
respect their views and work in close cooperation within the regulatory framework. And we
will together continue to deepen our efforts,
cooperation and synchronisation to help
increase the defence and aerospace industry
exports of Turkey. One of the main aim of SSI
is to control the exports and imports of the
Turkish defence and aerospace companies and
to control that the import goods are used in the
production of export goods without any violation of any regulation and SSI reports to the
Ministry of Economy with the necessary data.
MT: Would you like to add anything by way of a
message for our readers?
¸ Turkey with its strategic approach,
L. Aral Alis:
political will and determination, national coordination and cooperation among relevant institutions and bodies, fast developing know-how,
highly talented R&D work-force, fast growing
companies, high quality products, increasing
PR and sales efforts, political, economic and
historical links with many regions and countries
of the world; is willing to be one of the important members of this league. And as SSI, we
are well aware of our responsibilities and are
working very hard to that end.
MT: Chairman Alis,
¸ thank you for talking to our
readers and good luck.
53
SpecOps Survivability Options
CamelBak Mil Tac H.A.W.G. Integrates
the Mil Spec ANTIDOTE Reservoir
ReconRobotics Introduces Video Share System to
Distribute Robot-Supplied Video to Multiple Operators
CamelBak Mil Spec ANTIDOTE Reservoir
part of the Mil Tac H.A.W.G. pack.
(Photo: CamelBak)
CamelBak’s
Mil
Spec
ANTIDOTE Reservoir, with a total
capacity of 3l at 260g, has just
upped its usefulness on the battlefield. Now integrated in the Mil Tac
H.A.W.G. pack, a favourite of US
Navy SEALs, it provides even more
adaptability for changing missions
or combat environments.
The Mil Tac H.A.W.G. has a total
capacity of 23l at 1.2kg, and features, independent suspension
harness and Air Director Back
Panel for optimal load distribution
and breathability; adjustable compression straps for minimum or
maximum compression; lower
drink tube exit ports for routing
tube under arm; noiseless zipper
pulls throughout; external quick
stash pocket; and 500D Cordura
fabric. The Mil Spec ANTIDOTE
reservoir provides water supply
and includes CamelBak’s Quick
Link exit port and QL HydroLock
bite valve adapter (the tube clicks
off for faster refilling with auto
shut-off); a new Fillport (one of the
industry’s largest opening with airlight 1/4 turn open/close for quick,
secure seal that can’t be overtightened); and a lighter-weight,
lower-profile design.
All storage is internal, the new
reservoir is slimmer and more user
friendly. If additional storage is
needed, MOLLE gear is attacheable through the MOLLE
webbing or the four loops on the
bottom, as well as the smaller
loops for carabiners on the sides of
the pack.
Soldiers can deploy with this
highly functional, durable, and
sturdy pack, stay hydrated, and be
mission ready.
An Ideal Knife for Combat Situations
The UK Special Forces Knife
(UK-SFK) features a broad,
symmetrical blade for a great
combination of edge geometry,
point strength, and penetration.
Specifically designed for the UK’s
elite Special Forces, it also comes
complete with an integrated crossguard and distinctive full-tang
handle design. With a blade length
of 158mm it measures 289mm
overall. The blade material is D-2
tool steel with a black epoxy
powder coating or brushed satin
finish. It features injection-molded
nylon with mounting plates for
S.T.R.I.K.E. or drop-leg platform
BLACKHAWK!’s
attachment.
selection of tactical knives include
fixed and folding blade knives,
54
BLACKHAWK!
UK Special Forces
Knife
(UK-SFK)
(Photo:
BLACKHAWK!)
At AUVSI 2013, ReconRobotics
introduced the ReconRobotics
VIDEO SHARE system. VIDEO
SHARE is designed to protect law
enforcement and military personnel by distributing real-time video
from Recon SCOUT XL or
THROWBOT XT reconnaissance
robots to multiple operators and
entry teams. The VIDEO SHARE
Unit (VSU) works by receiving the
video signal from the robot and retransmitting it on a secure Wi-Fi
network. Up to five operators can
receive this reconnaissance video
by using a proprietary app and a
phone or tablet running either
Android OS or Apple iOS.
Until now, only the operator of a
robot – the individual using the
Operator Control Unit (OCU) could receive and view video transmissions. What was seen on the
OCU would then have to be
verbally communicated to other
operators or entry teams. By using
the VSU, operators can now see in
real time what the robot reveals as
it moves through the environment –
the layout of the rooms, the
location of armed subjects and the
condition of hostages. This increased level of situational awareness not only protects operators
from hidden threats, but also
allows them to maintain their tempo of operations and instantly and
collectively react to evolving
situations.
“This is a significant step forward in the situational awareness
capabilities of SWAT teams and
dismounted troops,” said Alan
Bignall, President and CEO of
ReconRobotics. “By instantly
sharing reconnaissance video with
the team, the VSU delivers an immediate tactical advantage that we
expect will save many lives and enhance the success of countless
missions.”
The VIDEO SHARE Unit (VSU) can
receive robot video transmissions
from up to 100ft away, through
walls, windows and doors, and it
can retransmit the video signal
another 100ft, thereby effectively
doubling the video transmission
range of the robot. The VSU can
be carried on an operator’s belt
or in a cargo pocket, or left
stationary within the operational
range of the robot.
(Photo: ReconRobotics)
SAFCell and UltraCell to Develop Portable Power Unit
for Army
SAFCell has received a $1
million grant to demonstrate a 50W
wearable power unit for the
dismounted warrior. Under the
Army Phase II Small Business
Innovation Research (SBIR) grant,
SAFCell’s proprietary solid acid
fuel cell (SAFC) stacks will be integrated into UltraCell’s,a wholly
owned subsidiary of Bren-Tronics,
rugged, lightweight micro fuel cell
systems and delivered to the
Army for initial alpha testing in late
2014.
Lightening the Path
sheaths,
pouches.
accessories
and
Versatility is a vital component of
success in current combat operations. Gerber’s HFR-M (Hands
Free Recon) brings this to the fight,
acting as a force multiplier giving
the soldier the ability to do more.
The HFR-M features, Reversible
universal clip, attachable to
Remington Announces SOCOM PSR Contract Award
Gerber’s HFR-M (Hands Free Recon).
(Photo: Gerber)
MOLLE
webbing,
para-cord
adaptable. The mounting is
mounted to the helmet, MOLLE
vest, hand-held or table-top this
light brings high intensity illumination where it is needed; 360° light
articulation for visibility at every
angle; four colour outputs - white,
red, NVIS (low detection by NVG’s
& full colour rendering for map
reading) and IR; multi-mode output
- low, medium, high or beacon
mode; interchangeable battery
technology - (AA or CR123).
Troops downrange simply need to
grab whatever is available and roll
out. All in all, this light will last for
hours off of a single battery.
At 2.99x2.99x1.74in, it weighs
3.92oz (CR123 battery & helmet
mount) or 4.19oz (AA battery), with
59 lumens. It furthermore features
100 lumen burst capability, and
has a six hour runtime.
USSOCOM Orders SCANEAGLE UAS
Insitu has been awarded a $300
million contract for hardware and
operational and maintenance
services in support of the
SCANEAGLE UAS operated by
the USSOCOM. The hardware
and services to be provided
include replacement air vehicles,
spare and consumable parts, and
in-theatre field service representatives to supplement naval special
warfare operators. Work is
expected to be completed in
September 2016.
Remington Defense already holds the US Army’s $28 million
contract for 3,600 XM2010 enhanced sniper rifle systems.
Remington Defense will be able to leverage its sniper rifle
management, workforce, and supply base to ensure the delivery
of quality and highly-effective PSR systems.
(Photo: Remington Defense)
US Special Operations Command
(USSOCOM)
awarded
Remington Defense a 10 year
contract worth over $79 million for
5,150 Precision Sniper Rifle
Systems and 4,696,800 rounds of
ammunition.
The
expected
completion date is 7 March 2023.
Remington Defense will serve as
the system integrator for the PSR,
which is a durable sniper system
capable of providing accurate
target engagement and modular
capabilities in barrel length and
calibre conversion. Remington
Defense will utilise two other FGI
companies in the production
process; Barnes Bullets will produce ammunition and Advanced
Armament Corporation (AAC) will
manufacture muzzle brakes and
suppressors.
55
PACIFIC 2013
Royal Australian Navy
Modernisation Agenda in 2013
The Royal Australian Navy (RAN)
today is headed towards a
challenging era replete with the
introduction of new capabilities
and platforms amidst increasingly
tighter budgets. In a wide-ranging
interview,
the
Head
Navy
Capability, R.Adm. Mark Campbell,
talked exclusively with MILITARY
TECHNOLOGY
correspondent
Sergei DeSilva-Ranasinghe about
the implications of budget cutbacks,
the RAN’s strategic modernisation
agenda, status updates on the Air
Warfare Destroyers and LHDs,
upgrade of the ANZAC-class
frigates, the implications of the
retirement of the PERTH-class
destroyers, the future of the
ARMIDALE-class patrol boats, the
future of naval aviation, the
Australian Submarine Corporation’s capacity to fulfil its expanding workload, the status of the
future submarine project, RANArmy cooperation in building
amphibious warfare capabilities
and doctrine, and the Head of Navy
Capability’s future objectives.
MT: Where modernisation is concerned, can
you provide an overview of where the RAN is
currently at?
R.Adm. M. Campbell: Many ships in the fleet
have been around for 30 plus years. There’s a
requirement to renew. It’s well known that
we’re getting some marvellous new capability
that’s already in production - ships like the new
Air Warfare Destroyers (the Navy refers to these
as ‘DDGs’ [NATO term for Guided Missile
Destroyer]), which are being built in Adelaide.
They’re a long way down track. The new LHD
(Landing Helicopter Dock) is already fitting out
in Melbourne. So that’s part of the modernisation process; the DDG will be replacing our
older FFG (Guided Missile Frigates) the old
OLIVER HAZARD PERRY-class, and in part,
the ANZAC Frigates. The FFG ships are getting
pretty old, so that part of modernisation is
simply about replacing older vessels. We also
need to replace several of our other vessels
including a major part of the afloat support
force, HMAS SUCCESS which is getting fairly
long in the tooth. We had some indifferent
press post the release of the Rizzo Report of a
few years ago. The Navy needs to avoid
the cash flow that we had five or ten years ago.
Nevertheless, the 2013 Whitepaper makes it
clear that the government is committed to all of
those projects that you’ve just mentioned. Both
sides of politics are pretty keen on building 12
submarines in South Australia. We’ve just had
the test flight of the first of the 24 new
SEAHAWKs in the Romeo Programme, so
that’s coming along nicely. I have already
talked about the two LHDs and the DDGs,
which are either fitting out or in production. We
will need to replace the ARMIDALE-class patrol
boat fairly soon, that’s also made clear in the
Whitepaper. So, yes, we are suffering some
budgetary constraints, but you still need to
keep a Navy when you’re a large island
continent and we’ll keep as strong and as
flexible a Navy as possible.
MT: In relation to the Air Warfare Destroyer and
the LHD, can you tell us why was a Spanish
company selected to build the capability?
R.Adm. M. Campbell: There wasn’t a strategy
of buying Spanish vessels necessarily.
R.Adm. Mark Campbell, CSC,
RAN is a helicopter warfare instructor
with substantial aviation, command,
acquisition and sustainment experience.
He took up his current appointment as
Head Navy Capability in October 2012.
(Photo: Royal Australian Navy)
revisiting some of the challenges of the past
that the Rizzo Report was critical of. We bought
some older ships in the past that we kept going
for a long time – longer than some would
suggest was wise. Nevertheless, we will keep
extending ships. We have just had the government agree to extend our survey motor
launches for instance, and we’re going to
extend some of our other auxiliary vessels,
such as our minehunters. We will extend ships
where it makes sense to do so, where the hull
is ok, and the systems are still ok. But where it
is not cost effective to extend ships, such as
with the afloat support ships, we’ll get new
ones. The 2013 Whitepaper makes it clear that
we have got the government’s full support for
this.
MT: Tell us how the wide-ranging defence cutbacks have impacted upon the Navy’s modernisation agenda?
R.Adm. M. Campbell: There is no doubt that
the Defence Force is being affected. I think its
general knowledge that our economy is not as
strong as it was. Australia still has one of the
stronger economies around, but we don’t have
ANZAC-class (MEKO200ANZ) frigate HMAS PERTH (FFH 157) equipped
with CEA technologies’ CEAFAR and CEAMOUNT phased array radars.
(Photo: US Navy)
56
PACIFIC 2013
When completed, the two CANBERRA-class LHDs
based on NAVANTIA’s BPE design will be more than
230m long, 27.5m high, and weigh around 27,500
tonnes. Each ship can carry a combined armoured
battlegroup of more than 1,100 personnel,
100 armoured vehicles, and 12 helicopters.
Navantia designs were put up in competition
with several other designs as part of the normal
acquisition process for both programs. Other
designs were also put forward. It just so
happened that Navantia designs won both
competitions. There was no particular desire to
suddenly start buying European or not buy
American. It was just they won the competition
fair and square. It is fair to say that we have
since developed a close working relationship
with the Spanish Armada, in fact it is a very
good, close relationship now, and I get to talk
to the Spanish fairly regularly. The Chief of
Navy and Deputy Chief of Navy also talk fairly
regularly to their counterparts as well. The
Spanish Armada is a mid-sized navy in a different part of the world, but with a similar outlook
to Australia, and a similar size to Australia.
MT: To what extent has a capability gap
materialised by the retirement of the PERTHclass Guided Missile Destroyers in 2001?
R.Adm. M. Campbell: It has. The old
CHARLES F ADAMS-class DDG in RAN service
was a fantastic capability, we improved it
greatly over that which was resident in the US
Navy and we were very comfortable with that
ship. But they were getting very old and we had
to replace it. So it did leave a small gap. I would
point out the FFGs always did have Standard
Missiles, SM-1s, and it was always a capable
ship in a self-defence role. But I think we are
moving with the times quite satisfactorily,
we’ve got SM-2 into the FFG-class now, we’ve
got the EVOLVED SEA SPARROW into the
ANZACs, and we’re feeling more confident with
the DDG on the horizon that we are on the way
back into the anti-air warfare game.
MT: Where modernisation of the ANZAC-class
frigates are concerned, could you give an
update on what’s happening? Is this as an
appropriate air defence capability until the
delivery of the Air Warfare Destroyers?
R.Adm. M. Campbell: The ANZAC Anti-Ship
Missile Defence (ASMD) Project is not designed
to either replace or stopgap for the DDG in an
air-warfare sense. It’s a stand-alone project in
its own right. The FFG, the OLIVER HAZARD
PERRY/ADELAIDE-class, that we have fitted
with SM2 (the RIM-67 surface to air missile as
part of the AEGIS system) is more the interim
anti-air warfare vessel in our inventory while we
await the air warfare Destroyers. Our ANZACclass ASMD upgrade does give us a marvellous
defence capability though; in fact we have one
of the first vessels fitted out in Hawaii right now
preparing to do a series of firings against some
challenging targets. And we’re quite excited by
the level of capability that ANZAC ASMD brings
57
PACIFIC 2013
to the party. But the SM2 capability in the FFG
is the Navy’s primary Anti-Air Warfare capability
until the DDG comes online in a few years time.
MT: A 2010 Australian Strategic Policy Institute
(ASPI) report claimed that the RAN’s naval aviation capacity in this area was “below state of
the art.” Your response?
R.Adm. M. Campbell: I have not read that particular ASPI report about naval aviation, but
when you think back to 2010 you’d have to say
that that’s probably a fair enough assessment.
Back in 2010 we had the classic SEA HAWK,
which was 20 years old at that stage and we
also had the aging SEA KINGs, which are now
out of service, The Eurocopter SQUIRREL was
also 25-30 years old at that stage. So it was an
aging fleet in 2010. It was still well looked after
with plenty of life left in it, but the designs were
quite old and restrictive. When you roll the
clock forward three years, we now have the
MRH 90 in service; they’re still undergoing trials, but we have one flight at sea at present.
And we also have a flight on a New Zealand
ship at present undergoing first of class flight
trials. The MRH-90s are an all carbon fibre helicopter, very modern systems, a great quantum
leap over the Sea King. We have also got the
AIR9000 Phase 8, the Romeo version of the
SEA HAWK helicopter, which is about to enter
service in a years’ time. The first one will be
delivered towards the end of this year, and they
will be in service in Australia at the end of next
year. AIR9000 Phase 7, the helicopter aircrew
training system replacement for the Squirrel, is
well down track, and should achieve second
pass next year. Basically, we have taken a
great step forward in a couple of years.
MT: Do you really believe that the RAN will
acquire 12 submarines? Even if these submarines are indeed acquired, can they be adequately manned anyway? It seems quite an
ambitious goal.
R.Adm. M. Campbell: That is what government has announced, and what the opposition
has stated is also their commitment. Whether
we end up producing 12, I really do not know. I
do know that we do need about that number.
The future ship-building paper that came out
with the Whitepaper recently suggested a continuous build approach. To produce the effect
for 12 submarines you might need a continuous
build of a lesser number depending on the
parameters of the continuous build. There is a
lot of work required in this area and we still
have that ahead of us. I know how many submarines that we need; we certainly need more
than we currently have. As for the manpower
question, I am pretty confident that we can man
them when we get them because we’ll have
plenty of time to work on the workforce.
MT: To what extent has the Australian
Submarine Corporation (ASC) been overburdened by its mandate to build the HOBARTclass and eventually the Future Submarine
Project to realistic timeframes?
R.Adm. M. Campbell: The ASC is working
hard to sustain COLLINS, and they are also
working very hard to produce the HOBART
CLASS DDG. The Air Warfare Destroyer is construction is being managed by an alliance, and
the Australian Submarine Corp is just one
member of the Alliance. The DDGs are being
built at the ASC facility in Adelaide. Now with
the Future Submarine, whilst both sides of politics have committed to building 12 submarines
in Adelaide, they have not said who is going to
be selected do this work. I do not think there is
any danger of the ASC being overburdened.
There is going to be a lot of work to do heading
towards the SEA1000 Future Submarine and
so we shall have to wait and see how much
work, if any, that ASC will be given in that project.
MT: Given that you’ve been in your role as
Head of Navy Capability since 2012, what are
you plans for the rest of your tenure in this area?
R.Adm. M. Campbell: I’m coming up to end of
year one in my job. My term as Head Navy
Capability is quite short when you look at the
life of a ship. I’ve been in the Navy for almost 35
years and there are several ships and helicopters that have been around as long as I
have. My aim is always to be focussed on the
long term goals of making sure we improve the
fleet, keep it as flexible as we can to improve
the sustainability and capability of it in the way
the Rizzo Report suggested as cost effectively
as possible. I think part of my remit is to make
sure that we take as robust an approach to
managing the capability as we possibly can. I
came into this job from the Defence Material
Organisation and I knew a little about maintenance at an operational level and also deeper
maintenance levels. I am trying to apply some
of the things I learned in the DMO in terms of
maintenance and asset management to
improve the way that we modernise the fleet.
So, there is plenty of work to do, it is a great
honour to have the opportunity to be in this
position to be able to contribute and I’m looking forward to the work ahead.
MT: Thanks for the opportunity Admiral.
The operational characteristics and range
of the six 77.42m long COLLINS-class
diesel-electric submarines have been
tailored specifically for the “Two Ocean”
surveillance role in the Royal Australian
Navy. Pictured here is the third of the class,
HMAS WALLER (SSG 75), on 11 July 2013.
58
PACIFIC 2013
Ted Hooton
Royal Australian Navy:
Force Projection for Defence
The Royal Australian Navy (RAN) is
a service that punches above its
weight and will receive a substantial boost to its force projection
capability.
The RAN has to cover a huge expanse of
water, around the 7.7 million square kilometre
island continent and Canberra’s interests
extend into the Solomon Islands, where the
RAN supports a regional assistance mission in
Operation “Anode,” and New Guinea to the
north west, the Antarctic, as well as deploying
a frigate in the Persian Gulf supports the
campaign against terrorism by operating in
Operation “Slipper.”
Australia prospers as Asia’s economies continue to rise but this does not blind the country
to the potential rivalry with the Navies of fellowCommonwealth country India, as well as China.
The RAN has 61 vessels and six submarines
supported by 44 helicopters manned by 13,998
personnel and 8,596 reservists of whom 4,642
are active (to read more on the RAN’s numbers,
please see the WORLD DEFENCE ALMANAC).
Naval headquarters under Chief of the Navy,
V.Adm. Ray Griggs, are in Canberra and he is
responsible for implementing Defence Department policy and for overall operational issues.
Below him is the Fleet Commander R.Adm. Tim
Barrett whose forces are split into four elements; Submarine Force, Surface Force, Mine
Warfare, Hydrographic and Patrol Boat Force,
and the Fleet Air Arm. The RAN support
organisation is Navy Strategic Command under
R.Adm. T.N. Jones which meets the engineering, logistic and training requirements.
Submarine Force
The submarine force, based in Western
Australia, consists of six COLLINS-class boats
based on Kockums’ Type 471 design and have
proved a major challenge to the RAN. A RAND
study submitted in February 2010, but revealed
only in January 2012, noted the COLLINS programme was plagued by difficulties from the
start as it was Australia’s first submarine project and based upon untested weapons and
platform systems with little risk management.
Due to manning and maintenance problems
there are rarely more than two boats available
for operations and one conducting limited training, while the remainder undergo repairs and
refits. Annual maintenance costs have risen
from AU$204 million in 2004-2005 to AU$443
million in 2011-2012, but substantial improvements are expected following a fundamental
review of RAN maintenance. In mid-June 2013,
submarine manufacturer ASC stated they had
finally solved the outstanding diesel engine and
electricity generator problems with the boats
An artist’s impression of the new ANAIT-air warfare destroyers of the HOBART-class
(Photo: BAE Systems)
that are constantly being improved, the latest
being upgrades to the Thales Underwater
Systems SCYLLA sonar.
The RAN has been unable to find enough
trained manpower for more than four boats and
long patrols have strained morale. Given these
problems the Aus$36 billion plan to replace the
COLLINS, Project Sea 1000, or Future Submarine Programme, seems incredibly ambitious envisaging up to a dozen submarines with
a submerged displacement of some 4,000
tonnes. In May 2013, the Australian government revealed that under a Aus$214 million
study plans to seek modified or unmodified offthe-shelf designs, which might have cost AU$9
billion, have been abandoned in favour of either
an improved COLLINS or a new dedicated
design built in country.
Also in May, Australia and Sweden signed a
submarine intellectual property rights agreement. No details were provided but this may
relate to the Swedish AIP system, for in January
2013, there were reports that Japan might
share submarine technology with Australia. A
year earlier, an Australian official inspected a
Japanese SOURYU-class submarine with AIP.
The new boats will enter service about 2025 as
the first COLLINS are paid off although some
pessimists put the date as 2029.
Surface Force
The Surface Forces has surface combatants
and amphibious warfare vessels, which are divided between Sydney and Perth. The surface
combatants are foreign designs; the OLIVER
HAZARD PERRY (FFG 7) and MEKO 200, the
former being the keel for the ADELAIDE-class
and the latter for the ANZAC-class.
The ADELAIDEs, based in Sydney, are the
prime Anti-Air Warfare (AAW) shield for the
Ted Hooton is a defence journalist and a regular contributor to MT.
59
PACIFIC 2013
The new operations room of HMAS PERTH
with the new Saab combat system 9LV Mk4.
(Photo: Saab)
RAN, using Standard Missile area defence
weapons and fighter control facilities. Four of
the six ships have been substantially upgraded
under Project Sea 1390 (FFG Upgrade
Programme) with improved combat system
and sensors, a Mk 41 vertical launch system,
allowing them to operate SM-2MR Block IIIA,
as well as EVOLVED SEASPARROW missiles
(ESSM). When deployed they receive enhanced
communications, a TOPLITE EO system and
Mini-TYPHOON guns.
The eight ANZACs are multi-role vessels with
three based in Sydney and the rest in Perth.
Under an AU$270 million contract awarded to
prime contractor BAE Systems Australia, all will
follow HMAS PERTH in receiving an Anti-Ship
Missile Defence (ASMD) system based upon
ESSM, the Saab 9LV Mk 4 combat system, the
domestically-produced CEA Technologies’
CEAFAR active phased array radar, and
CEAMOUNT illuminator together with the
SAGEM VAMPIR NG IR search and track system and Kelvin Hughes SHARPEYE navigation
radar. This work will require the masts to be
replaced and is to be completed by
2017.
The ADELAIDEs will be augmented, and then replaced, by three
HOBART-class
Air
Warfare
Destroyers based upon the Navantia
ALVARO DE BAZÁN (F100) -class
under the AU$100 million SEA 4000
phase 3.2 project. These ships will
feature an AEGIS combat system
with potential Ballistic Missile
Defence (BMD) capability and Mk 41
launchers operating SM-6 and
ESSM. The vessels are being built in
modules from several yards and
assembled by ASC in Adelaide, but
there have been problems causing
some slippage. They are scheduled
for commissioning between 2015
and 2018, and may receive
TOMAHAWK land-attack missiles,
but even without them they will
remain formidable vessels capable of making
Canberra’s presence felt all over the Pacific
Rim. The government confirmed in May that
there are no plans to take up an option for a
fourth destroyer.
There are plans to replace the ANZACs with
eight future frigates, possibly of around 7,000t
displacement. It is possible this programme
may benefit from a defence treaty signed by
Australia and the UK in January 2013, which
included possible collaboration on a frigate
based upon mutual design work for the BAE
Systems’ Global Combat Ship that is to be the
basis for the Royal Navy’s Type 26 frigate.
Australia’s force projection capabilities have
suffered a short-term set-back. The plan was to
retain two modified and refitted NEWPORTclass, KANIMBLA-class, tank landing ships
(LST) until the middle of the decade, when they
would be replaced by the Navantia-built
HOBART-class amphibious assault ships or
Landing Helicopter Dock (LHD) being built
under Project JP 2048. Unfortunately, planned
refits to keep the KANIMBLAs operational did
not prove cost-effective and both were paid off
in 2011, leaving only the Sydney-based heavy
lift ship HMAS TOBRUK, which spent most of
2012 under refit. As a stop gap Australia
acquired the former British dock landing ship
(auxiliary) RFA LARGS BAY as HMAS
CHOULES, also based in Sydney, but she has
suffered major problems in her propulsion system. In June 2012, the 6,500t former offshore
support vessel Australian Defence Vessel
OCEAN SHIELD (formerly SKANDI BERGEN)
joined the fleet having been purchased and
modified earlier this year. She will have a secondary troop-carrying role.
Meanwhile, work continues on the
CANBERRAs, based upon the REY JUAN
CARLOS I design, the hulls being built in Spain
and shipped to Australia for fitting out with the
first-of-class officially named in February 2014.
Both vessels have now arrived in Australia and
will be commissioned from next year. They will
carry up to 11 NH-90 medium weight (10t) helicopters and 1,100 troops with equipment,
while under JP 2048 Phase 3 Navantia are also
supplying 12 LCM-lE medium landing craft for
these ships. These will replace five
BALIKPAPAN heavy landing craft. Together
with the HOBARTs the CANBERRAs will give
Australia a significant improvement in its
strategic projection capabilities, and there is a
plan for a landing platform dock (LPD) type
Strategic Sealift Vessel.
Logistic support is provided by the converted civilian tanker HMAS SIRIUS, which is to
remain in service until 2020 and is based in
Perth, and the DURANCE-class HMAS
SUCCESS, which is based in Sydney and
scheduled to pay off later this decade. The
Project Sea 1654 Phase 3 requirement is to
replace her with a Sea Logistic Support and
Replenishment Support ship. Navantia must be
a front runner in this contest and in February
The ARMIDALE patrol boats are
the prime coastal patrol platform
of the RAN.
(Graphic: Wescam)
60
PACIFIC 2013
The ADELAIDE-class frigates
are the RAN’s prime AAW asset.
They were externally
identical to the US Navy Oliver
Hazard Perry (FFG 7) class.
(Photo: BAE Systems)
the SPS CANTABRIA began a yearlong visit to Australia following an
inter-governmental agreement the
previous November.
Mine Warfare,
Hydrographic and
Patrol Boat Force
The Defence Department admits
the RAN’s mine counter-measures
force has suffered from a lack of
funding, training and equipment performing only 78 hours of route survey work in port approaches
between 2007 and 2011, exposing
them to a threat from covert minelaying.
Canberra has six HUON (GAETA)-class minehunters based at HMAS Waterhen in Sydney,
but two are in reserve and to restore the flotilla
to full operational capability will take five years.
The vessels operate DOUBLE EAGLE Mk 2s
RPAs together with mechanical and influence
sweeps. Two tugs acting as auxiliary
minesweepers with three Hamil Haven
minesweeping drones, HMAS BANDICOOT
and WALLAROO, will be paid off this year.
The Patrol Boat force consists of 14
ARMIDALE class vessels built under Project
Sea 144, being operated by 21 crews under a
multi-crewing arrangement to maximise operational availability of the 270t boats, which have
a 25mm gun and TOPLITE detector. At least
seven ARMIDALEs are normally deployed on
Operation “Resolute,” with a frigate patrolling
the EEZ, and 10 patrol boats operate from
Darwin and four from Cairns.
Most of the ships of the Hydrographic
Service are based in Cairns including the two
LEEUWIN survey ships, supported by six
survey motor boats, and the four PAULUMAclass catamarans, which tend to operate in
pairs. Two more survey motor boats are
attached to the hydrographic school HMAS
PENGUIN in Sydney and HMAS WYATT EARP
is the Antarctic Survey Vessel.
The RAN is planning to replace all of these
vessels under Project Sea 1180 with 20 Offshore Combat Vessels with displacements up
to 2,000 tonnes. Canberra is looking at a concept similar to Spain’s BUQUES DE ACCION
MARITIMA (BAM) or METEORO-class, where
one hull is adapted to meet all the requirements. It is worth noting that the UK has a similar requirement for Mine counter-measures/
Hydrographic Patrol Craft (MHPC) and a common design is a possibility under the January
2013 treaty
Fleet Air Arm
The Fleet Air Arm operates from Jervis Bay
at Nowra, New South Wales (HMAS
ALBATROSS) and consists of four helicopter
squadrons. No 723 Squadron is a training unit
with 13 SQUIRREL AS 350B and three Bell 429
working alongside the other utility squadron No
817 with six SEA KING HAS 50s. The operational squadrons are No 816 which is receiving
16 Sikorsky S-70B-2 SEAHAWK in the antiship surveillance and targeting and anti-submarine warfare roles operating from frigates,
and No 808, which is receiving six Eurocopter
NH 90 Maritime Support Helicopters that will
operate from the amphibious warfare ships.
Under Project Air 9000 Phase 8 the S-70B
SEAHAWKs will be replaced by 24 Sikorsky
MH-60R SEAHAWKs.
The RAN will continue to be a small but
formidable force in the Pacific Rim although
increased funding would certainly benefit its
mine counter-measures force. This seems
unlikely due to the need to support the submarine programme, which many regard as over
ambitious, as well as new frigates and small
combatants. Canberra will need to do some
skilful financial juggling to achieve its objectives.
An artist’s impression of the Global
Combat Ship which might be the
basis of the RAN’s Future Frigate
(Graphic: BAE Systems)
62
SEOUL FOCUS
John Antal
Defending the Republic of Korea
Defence Industries in
South Korea have become
Leaders in Unmanned
Military Systems
Soldiers from the Communist North Korean People’s Army peer south while on duty in the Joint Security Area on the Demilitarized Zone
(DMZ) that separates the two Koreas. With an unpredictable and intransigent enemy to their north, the Republic of Korea (ROK) has been
forced to deal with the reality that war could break out at any moment. The ROK has become a leader in the development and production
of defence systems. (Photo: US Army)
South Korea takes its security
issues very seriously. For years the
Republic of Korea (ROK) relied on
foreign
military
equipment,
primarily from the US, but as the
South Korean economy surged,
ROK industries became leaders in
military technology development
and production. One of the areas
that the ROK has excelled is in the
area of unmanned robotic military
systems. This article looks at some
of the unmanned systems (UnS)
currently developed by the South
Korean defence industry.
The Land of the Morning Calm, as Korea is
poetically referred, has been anything but calm
for the past 70 years. The ROK has been facing
an intransigent opponent, Communist North
Korea, since the end of the Korean War in
August 1953. During the ensuing 60 years of
the troubled “cease fire” hundreds of South
Korean Soldiers have been killed or wounded in
fighting with North Korean infiltrators across a
demilitarised zone (DMZ) that is, in fact, the
most militarised area on planet Earth. The 27
July 1953 armistice between North and South
Korea separated the fighting forces and
created a buffer zone 2.5mi wide that runs
along the 38th parallel and divides Korea in two
(160 mi [250km] long). The 1953 armistice did
not end the war and the two countries remain
formally at war to this day.
Since the end of the Korean War the ROK
has forged ahead and developed a vibrant
economy and a thriving democratic republic.
North Korea on the other hand has remained a
military camp and seems to thrive only on
dreams of fighting another war. North Korea
has launched several bloody provocations in
recent years. In March 2010, a North Korean
submarine attacked and sank the South
Korean warship CHEONAN, with the loss of 46
South Korean Sailors. In November 2010, a
massive North Korean artillery barrage of 200
artillery shells hit the island of Yeonpyeong and
left two Republic of Korea Marines and two
civilians dead. To add to the tensions, North
Korea has continued to fire and test long range
missiles and in February 2013, the North conducted a third nuclear weapons test, which was
reported to be twice as large as the 2009
John Antal is an expert on military technology and military operations, the author of 12 books on military subjects, and a regular contributor to MT. His latest book,
“7 Leadership Lessons of the American Revolution,”
was published in September 2013. With additional
comments by DPM.
63
SEOUL FOCUS
Samsung Techwin
armed Sentry-bots may
be protecting the DMZ.
(Photo: Samsung
Techwin)
explosion. Most recently,
on 25 June 2013, the
anniversary of the North
Korean attack on South
Korea in 1950, North
Korean hackers attacked
South Korean computer
networks in a major
cyber-attack that temporality shut down South
Korean networks. In each
case South Korea has
showed resolve and admirable restraint and did
not allow these renegade acts to trigger an allout war on the Korean peninsula.
Sentry-Bots
(Stationary Robot Sentinels)
The Korean DMZ is a unique area where the
rules of engagement are less restricted than
almost any other area in the world. By the rules
of the Korean Armistice, no one is allowed
unauthorised access to the DMZ. It becomes,
therefore, a perfect place for the positioning of
robotic defensive weapon stations.
The ROK has positioned, or has plans to
position, remotely controlled, robotic weapons
platform at unidentified locations along their
portion of the DMZ. Reports indicate that there
is a plan to deploy 71 Remote Weapon Stations
along the DMZ by 2015. South Korean defence
firms competing for the development and production of these integrated surveillance and
security systems include DoDaam Systems (a
spin-off company of Korea Aerospace
Industries that specialises in military weapon
systems), Hyundai Wia, Samsung Techwin, and
S&T Dynamics.
An example of a stationary sentinel robot is
the SGR-A1 Intelligent Surveillance and Guard
Robot developed by Samsung Techwin. The
SGR-A1 is specifically designed to replace soldiers on sentry duty to guard the DMZ, and is a
stationary remote weapons platform that can
be equipped with a variety of weapons options
including a Daewoo K3 5.56mm machine gun
and an automatic grenade launcher. A key feature of the SGR-A1 is its high-fidelity twin optical visible light and IR cameras that allow the
system to differentiate between human and
animal movements and correctly identify
human infiltrators from over 3km away in daylight and 2km at night. The SGR-A1 is
equipped with a communications system that
allows the sentry-bot to communicate with
friendly patrols and exchange passwords. “The
robots are not being deployed to replace or free
up human soldiers,” said Huh Kwanghak, a
spokesman for Samsung Techwin. “Rather,
they will become part of the defence team with
our human soldiers. Human soldiers can easily
fall asleep or allow for the depreciation of their
concentration over time. But these robots have
automatic surveillance, which doesn’t leave
room for anything resembling human laziness.
They also won’t have any fear (of) enemy
64
attackers on the front
lines.”
The SGR-A1 sentrybot is designed to use
lethal force in one of two
settings: automatically
aimed and fired at targets
detected by sensors or,
once sensors detect a
target, the command to
engage the target is confirmed by a human operator. Currently, the SGRA1 is used within the
Republic of Korea to
guard military facilities
DoDaam Systems has
a
robotic
remote
weapons station that is
similar called the AEGIS 1 and AEGIS II. The
AEGIS robot series is equipped with a chargecoupled device (CCD) camera, IR sensor and
laser illuminator and detects any intruder in
zero visibility situations. Reports indicate that
DoDaam has exported these systems to countries in the Persian Gulf and that they are in use
in the UAE to guard air bases.
South Korean Unmanned
Ground Vehicles (UGV)
South Korea’s robot development extends
beyond stationary sentry-bots to a host of
small to medium sized UGVs. Hoya Robot
makes a small series of UGVs, with one model
called the FIREFIGHTER Support Robot, is
similar to the throwable-bot used in the US
Army. This UGV has video and voice transmission capability, and is equipped with sensors to
detect temperature and poisonous gas. The
FIREFIGHTER could be very effective in assisting naval personnel during a fire aboard ship.
Larger robots include a mobile surveillance
and combat robot called ATHENA, developed
by DoDaam Systems, which simply made their
AEGIS sentry-bot stations mobile by placing
them on mobile platforms. At 308lbs, the Super
AEGIS II sentry-bot can easily fit onto a variety
of mobile wheeled or tracked platforms.
DoDaam Systems is developing a fourwheeled, 1.2t, experimental autonomous
vehicle (XAV). The XAV employs real-time collision avoidance and GPS navigation that could
carry a Super AEGIS II robotic turret in
autonomous or remote operation mode. In
addition, ATHENA will be networked allowing it
to collaborate with other Athena systems and
communicate with anyone, or anything else, on
the network.
Not all UGVs are for combat. The Korean
Atomic Energy Group and LIG Nex1 (an aerospace and defence subsidiary of LG) are jointly
developing a robot that will scare away birds
from airfields. Bird strikes that occur near airfields can cause catastrophic damage to the
aircraft. The Korean Atomic Energy Group and
LIG Nex1 system is called BIRDSTRIKE and it
is a six-wheeled semi-autonomous bird
defence robot. The system works by detecting
the birds, automatically aiming an acoustical
dish and then blasting the birds with a focused
beam of noise or harmless laser beams to
frighten them away. According to the developers, no birds are killed by the system. The
system is semi-autonomous, as a human in a
control station manages it, but the system can
avoid obstacles and will return to a designated
location autonomously. Lessons learned from
this system could be incorporated in other
robotic systems for military applications.
Underwater Vehicles (UUV)
Defence companies in South Korea are also
busy making unique designs of underwater
robotic vehicles. One design, spurred by the
sinking of the ROK Navy warship CHEONAN in
2010, and the recognition that more underwater SAR systems were desperately needed,
is called the CRABSTER CR200. The
CRABSTER is the brainchild of the Korean
Institute of Ocean Science and Technology
(KIOST). It may look like a monster from outer
space, but once you see it in operation the
CRABSTER makes a lot of sense. It was developed to crawl along the bottom of the ocean
floor to explore shipwrecks. It also offers the
ROK Navy new possibilities for underwater
SAR. The CRABSTER is a big, 1,322lbs underwater crawler robot with six legs. The front legs
double as articulated hands that can sport a
variety of tools. The remotely controlled robot
measures 7.9x8x6.5 feet. It requires a control
crew of four humans to operate the CRABSTER
with one person directing the walking, one
monitoring the sonar and search capability,
another governing the navigation and a fourth
controlling the manipulation of the arms. The
CRABSTER CR200 conducted underwater trials in the summer of 2013.
Air Vehicles (UAV)
The ROK military recognises the great utility
of UAVs and South Korean industry is responding with a range of capabilities. “We are
developing next-generation combat drones and
reconnaissance UAVs simultaneously for Army
units,” a military official announced in late
August 2012. “About 500 billion ($0.45 Billion)
has been earmarked for the projects.”
The most significant South Korea UAVs are
low-altitude and include the SONGGOLMAE
RQ-101, the KUS-7 and KUS-9, a MALE UAV,
and the tilt rotor Smart UAV.
The SONGGOLMAE RQ-101 is developed
by Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI) and
entered service with the ROK Army in 2004.
KAI was created in 1999 from the merger of the
Unmanned Systems from Korea.
(Photos: Mönch / SB)
SEOUL FOCUS
The Korean Airlines Aerospace Division
(ASD) KUS-9 UAV in flight. The KUS-9
is a second generation UAV designed
and produced in South Korea by ASD.
(Photo: Korean Airlines Aerospace Division)
aerospace divisions of conglomerates Daewoo
Heavy Industries, Hyundai Space & Aircraft,
and Samsung Aerospace. The RQ-101 is a tactical high wing monoplane UAV with twin tail
booms and single pusher propeller. It has a
50HP engine, a range of about 120km from the
ground control station and a flight endurance
time of approximately 6-9 hours. The top cruising speed is 75mph and it can carry a payload
of nearly 100 pounds. The system uses a lineof-sight data-link and relay stations for beyond
line-of-sight operations. KAI expects to
upgrade the existing systems with enhanced,
long-range payloads and improved avionics, as
well as introducing other improvements to the
ground control station and launch control station. Locked into a tight competition with
Korean Airlines, South Korean Defence Minister
Kim Kwan-jin approved a plan in October 2012
to select KAI as the developer for the successor to the RQ-101 main system and aircraft,
LIG for the ground control and radar system,
and Samsung Thales for the data link system.
Korean Airlines Aerospace Division (ASD)
has produced the KUS-7 (developed in 2007)
and the KUS-9 (developed in 2009) UAVs. The
KUS-9 weighs 330lbs and can operate for
eight–hours, day or night in all most weather
conditions. In September 2010, ASD was
awarded a contract to develop an upgraded
tactical UAV, based on the KUS-9. The contract calls for 30 new UAVs to be developed
and tested by ASD for division sized units of the
ROK Army beginning in 2014. ASD is also
developing the MALE UAV which will have flight
specifications similar to those of the USAF’s
MQ-1 PREDATOR. The MALE UAV is a
14,330lbs medium altitude UAV, with an
upgraded platform that provides for real-time
data transmission. The ASD designed MALE
has a maximum altitude of about 4,000m, a top
speed of nearly 124mph and can operate for
extended durations.
An interesting project that is under development by the Korea Aerospace Research
Institute (KARI) and a consortium of 20 other
companies is a “smart,” tilt rotor UAV. The
KARI Tilt Rotor Smart UAV started development in 2005 and was flight-tested in 2008.
This UAV is specifically suited to Korea’s
mountainous terrain as it can fly like an airplane
and land like a helicopter, much like the US
V-22 OSPREY. The KARI can attain speeds as
high as 300mph in level flight and has an
endurance of 5 hours. It is ‘smart” as it includes
sophisticated collision avoidance and active
flight control capabilities that make it semiautonomous. The KARI is 5m long, 7m wide
and weighs 2,204 pounds. Mass production is
expected in 2014.
Since 2001, Uconsystem has been developing small UAVs(REMOEYE-002, REMOEYE006) which can be operated in small military
units for day and night reconnaissance.
REMOEYE-006 was delivered to the ROK military in 2009. Newr system, like the
FIRESCOUT-like REMOH-M100, the VTOL
tethered TROTOR, and the VTOL MULTIROTOR
have recently been unveiled at AUVSI.
Combat Air Vehicle (UCAV)
American and European aircraft industries
have seriously invested it the development of
stealthy UCAV designs in recent years. The US
Northrop Grumman X-47 and the Euro
Dassault Aviation nEUROn technology demonstrators are cases in point (as well as GA’s
REAPER-The Ed.). UCAVs are touted as the
future of armed combat aircraft and the ROK
recognises the necessity to develop their own
UCAV capability. The result of this requirement
is the development of a Stealth K-UCAV
Demonstrator by KAI. A model of the K-UCAV
was displayed in 2009 at the Seoul Air Show.
KAI’s UCAV design is a small and stealthy prototype that is still under development and will
not see production for ten years or more, but
allows South Korea to be in the UCAV game
and continue learning. The smaller size of the
model could be to save costs in developing the
prototype or could be part of the design as
smaller, faster UCAVs fit well into South Korean
crisis scenarios. According to one South
Korean defence Ministry report, the ROK hopes
to have the know-how to produce state-of-theart, artificial-intelligence-based UCAVs by the
year 2020.
As North Korea continues to rattle the war
sabre, the ROK emphasises its indigenous
defence capability and the professionalism of
its Armed Forces. In conventional forces, if
manpower and equipment are counted onefor-one, South Korea is outnumbered by North
Korea almost six-to-one. The ROK has a special alliance with the US that has helped maintain the peace since 1953, but South Koreans
yearn for self-reliance and understand the need
to develop home-grown defence technologies.
One of the means for South Korea to redress
the imbalance of forces with the North is in the
development of robotic systems. South Korea
has a robust manufacturing, electronics and
aviation industry that is meeting the challenge
by exploring new ground in the world of military
robotics on land, sea and air. As a result the
value of the South Korean defence market
reached nearly $30 billion in 2013.
The unique situation of the Korean DMZ and
the demographic fact that South Korean couples having fewer children each year is pushing
defence industries in the ROK to develop better
robots and specifically the need for
autonomous remote-sensing, targeting, and
decision making robots. With the danger of war
at their doorstep, and Seoul, the Capital of
South Korea, always under threat of North
Korean missile and artillery attack, the ROK
takes security matters very seriously. South
Korea’s domestic defence industry will grow in
the next decade, as will military technology
exports from South Korean companies. Watch
for South Korean industries to lead in the
robotics field in the years ahead. ROK robots
are coming.
65
KORMARINE FOCUS
Stefan Nitschke
Naval Awareness
How Networked Sensors Enable Information Superiority
How can naval fleets improve their
knowledge to protect them against
evolving threats? Today’s shipcentric security identify potential
threats from the air/sea in time,
principally by employing sophisticated shipboard and aircraftcarried sensors. This analysis
takes a look at four key developments in this field: IRST systems,
airborne maritime radars, handheld
sonars, and sonobuoy data procession.
IR Search & Track (IRST) systems are ideal
force multipliers. They are configured to offer
ship crews the ability to visually determine the
type and identity of an approaching surface or
air target, providing advanced warning of
potential threats. The philosophy of implementing advanced IRST technology increasingly
includes the fusion of information derived from
other multiple sensors like optical target designators, radars, laser rangefinders (designators
and land-based IRST and FLIR packages) in
combination with secure real-time data links
and decision and navigation aids.
For ship security, Rheinmetall Defence
launched HEROLD Navy, a naval air/surface
surveillance and fire control system, consisting
of the FIRST (Fast IR Search and Track) system
and the MSP600 Multi Sensor Platform. As said
in Abu Dhabi, the new solution is a fully stabilised platform to support operations of any
type of surface warship, including FAC, OPV,
corvettes, frigates, and mine countermeasures
vessels.
The same is true for other newer systems like
SAGEM’s VAMPIR NG very long-range IRST
system. It is an efficient and cost-effective solution for ship self-protection, detecting low-level
aircraft and anti-ship missile threats. The sensor has been fitted to the Royal Australian
Navy’s ANZAC frigate HMAS PERTH, the first
ship in the class that received a major upgrade
of her anti-missile defence capability under
Project SEA 1448 Phase 2.
Dual Approach
Although EO/IR sensors have been the predominant payload fielded on manned and
unmanned aircraft to date, the nature of
ISR/C4ISR/C4ISTAR is resulting in a greater
emphasis on miniaturised radars. Recent
demonstrations showed that smaller, less
expensive, and lighter unmanned aircraft can
perform the tasks inherent in most of the 17
mission areas as identified in the Department of
Defense’s Unmanned Aircraft Systems
Roadmap 2005-2030 to specifically include the
detection of targets on the move, requiring allweather Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) sensors with Ground Moving Target Indication
(GMTI) capability.
When operating in the SAR and GMTI functions simultaneously, the I-MASTER sensor
developed by THALES UK will be able to penetrate environmental and physical barriers such
as cloud cover, fog, smoke, and manmade
camouflage or foliage. Radars of this type can
be easily integrated into a variety of UAS, business jets, and fighter aircraft. The I-MASTER
radar has completed flight trials on-board a
Diamond DA42MPP (Multi-Purpose Platform)
GUARDIAN aircraft in June 2013.
With the ground-breaking introduction of the
NanoSAR, even the small, lightweight SCAN
EAGLE UAS platform from Boeing’s Insitu will
have the capability to image and track moving
objects in adverse conditions and reduced visibility. A highly miniaturised radar optimised for
use by small UAS is the MiSAR sensor developed by CASSIDIAN. It fits inside a 10dm3
payload bay of a drone, delivering high-resolution, real-time images for tactical military missions or time-critical security purposes.
AESA technology brings an extra capability
to airborne surveillance platforms. A fourthgeneration AESA radar from Northrop
Grumman, which draws on the company’s
APG-80 radar developed for the Lockheed
Martin F-16 Block 60 fighter aircraft and the
APG-81 scalable agile beam radar offered as
an upgrade option for earlier variants of the
type, attracted the interest of Malaysia’s military. Contained in a sensor pod dubbed VIGILANCE, which has been developed by
Lockheed Martin and proposed for the UK
Royal Navy’s CROWSNEST (formerly MASC)
project, it could be fitted to Malaysia’s Mi-17
helicopters or Airbus Military CN-235 aircraft to
provide 360 degree radar coverage.
Adding improved capabilities to manned surveillance is Saab’s Maritime Security Aircraft
(MSA), which made its first public appearance
at the Farnborough Air Show in July 2012.
Based on the 340 regional airliner, this aircraft
is a multi-role surveillance aircraft for the detection, classification, and identification of maritime contacts. Telephonics’ RDR-1700B SAR
sensor brings an extra capability to the aircraft.
This multi-mode maritime and imaging radar
has been designed to serve as a search, surveillance, tracking, and weather avoidance
A HERMES 900 equipped
with the Maritime Patrol Radar (MPR)
and EO/IR payloads.
(Photo: Elbit Systems)
66
KORMARINE FOCUS
radar system, which can be carried for maritime missions such
as airborne patrol, interdiction,
and EEZ patrol. The X-band
radar uses SAR and ISAR
(Inverse SAR) modes to provide
a maximum image resolution of
1m.
Manned aircraft will also benefit from a completely new
development at CASSIDIAN. As
part of a series of flight tests,
the company recently demonstrated its new softwaredefined SmartRadar that can be
deployed on a variety of
manned platforms for the
detection of ground and sea
targets. Recent flight tests in
Germany showed that a highly
miniaturised, software-defined
radar sensor can be used for
different surveillance tasks
while only requiring minor modifications.
The CERBERUS Mod 2 diver
detection system detects
underwater threats over
distances of up to 1,800m,
enabling reliable alerting of
multiple underwater targets
with very few false alarms.
(Photo: Atlas Elektronik UK)
How to Process
Sonar Data
Navies traditionally employ
sonobuoys dropped from MPA
to detect underwater threats.
The data derived from the
sonobuoys is then transmitted to
the aircraft or to a surface ship
by VHF radio link, with signal
processing and analysis being
performed in the aircraft or
aboard the ship. According to
Andrew Boyle of General
Dynamics
UK,
sonobuoys
remain inexpensive and can be
deployed in many tactical scenarios where towed or platformfixed sonars are impossible or
inadvisable to use.
The
same
applies
to
sonobuoy processing systems.
GD Canada developed the
VENOM airborne acoustic processing system that has been
launched at the IMDEX Asia
2013
exhibition.
Providing
advanced signal acquisition and
tracking for airborne maritime
patrol, VENOM (also designated
UYS-505) leverages commercial-level advances in hardware
and the latest innovations in signal processing technologies to
maximise the detection of submerged threats in deep and
coastal waters. VENOM is built
specifically for fixed-wing and
rotary-wing applications and
engineered to improve tactical
awareness, thus reducing operator workload and alleviating size,
weight, and power concerns in
the cramped cabins of modern
military aircraft.
Purpose-built
Sonars
When the UK manufacturer
Sonardyne
International
unveiled its 1,500m range
Navigation
and
Obstacle
Avoidance Sonar (NOAS) earlier
this year, it became clear that its
design will be able to cope with
the increased demand for an
integrated forward-looking navigation and obstacle avoidance
sonar coupled with the capability to provide an intruder detection mode to protect naval vessels against diver attacks.
Sonardyne also developed
SENTINEL IDS that is configured around a sonar head
weighing 35kg. It can be
dropped over the side of a ship
to provide 360 degree coverage
out to a range of around 600m.
Alternatively, SENTINEL IDS
can be mounted on the seabed.
For detecting terrorist divers,
Atlas Elektronik UK developed
the lightweight CERBERUS
Mod 2 diver detection system.
Carl Stone of Atlas Elektronik UK told the sister
magazine NAVAL FORCES that the CERBERUS DDS is probably the most versatile of
the lightweight systems on the market as it can
be readily and rapidly deployed from any surface vessel, permanently installed on the
seabed in a port or harbour, permanently
mounted on a jetty wall or suspended from a
jetty using a temporary davit. “The system is
capable of detecting and classifying swimmers,
open and closed circuit divers, mini-subs, SDV
[swimmer delivery vehicles] and UUV, and can
be used in military, paramilitary, and commercial or civil domains,” he said.
Five CERBERUS Mod 2 systems are on
delivery for the German Navy’s Type F125
frigate project. It can be operated from the
ship’s bridge as well as from a processing and
display unit below deck, showing the surrounding area on a sea chart.
A system in this category is the AquaShield
Diver Detection Sonar developed by the Israeli
company DSIT Solutions. Providing 360°
coverage, AquaShield is able to monitor up to
1,000 targets within a 1,500m radius.
AquaShield can detect individual divers using
open circuit breathing apparatus at a range of
700m and divers using closed circuit apparatus
at 1,000m. A useful additional capability of this
product is that it can detect SDV at up to
1,500m. Each workstation equipping the
AquaShield can manage several of its self-contained sonar and sonar processor units. Their
position, and the area which is being defended,
is presented to the systems’ operator via a map
or an aerial image.
Conclusion
At Aero-India 2013, Elbit Systems introduced
its newest UAS, HERMES 900, in a new configuration adapted for maritime mission. This
development shows that unmanned platforms
carrying EO/IR and radar sensors are forging
ahead to improve awareness at sea and to provide seagoing assets with timely information on
potential threats. The expansion of unmanned
technology and other closely associated innovations into the maritime domain was going to
take time to develop, but as an add-on to traditional shipboard systems, they will change the
nature of situation awareness at sea.
Stefan Nitschke is the Editor-in-Chief of our sister
magazine NAVAL FORCES.
67
SHOW REPORTS
Epilogue
IDEF 2013 Turkey Demonstrates
Growing Defence
Capabilities
Going Far Beyond Supplying Just
the Turkish Armed Forces
IDEF is one of the world’s largest and most important defence industry events, having brought
together more than 60,000 participants, 794
exhibitors from 52 countries, and 105 delegations with 529 members from 81 countries.
This report complements our blog (http://
www.miltechmag.com), where the show was
extensively covered with up-to-date features, insights, new innovations, and product
details. For more information on companies
and industry-changing innovation at this
show, please see our blog as well.
For further reading, the combined MILITARY
TECHNOLOGY/SAVUNMA VE HAVACILIK
Show Dailies are available for download on
the IDEF website and/or the SvH website.
IDEF 2013, the 11th International Defence
Industry Fair, which was held under the auspices and support of the MoND in response of
Turkish Armed Forces Foundation (TAFF), was
realised by the cooperation of Tüyap Fairs and
Exhibitions Organization between 7-10 May
2013 in Istanbul.
IDEF proved itself once more as one of the
most important indicators in the defence industry by a 25% increase in the number of
exhibitors and a 30% increase in the rate of
national participation compared to IDEF 2011.
During the exhibition, with naval vessels exhibited at Büyükcekmece Bay, drew great interest
by the visitors.
The Dutch Minister of Defence,
Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert,
visited Microflown AVISA’s booth.
The Dutch MoD has bought Microflown
AVISA’s RAM-SCORE system, which is
used on training ranges. Microflown
AVISA’s RAM-SCORE system is codeveloped together with the Dutch Army.
(Photo: Microflown AVISA)
IDEF 2013 Key Figures:
The 11th International Defence Industry Fair
at Tuyap Fair Convention and Congress
Center
794 exhibitors (255 national and 539 foreign
exhibitors) and sector professionals from 52
countries
98.000sqm exhibition area
105 delegations with 529 members from 81
countries
Two International Institutions in the attendance of 22 Ministers, four Deputy Ministers,
five Deputy Chiefs of General Staff, six Force
Commanders and eight Undersecretaries.
1,700+ bilateral meetings
IDEF 2013 included an increasing number of
local firms, as Turkey pursues a strategy of
building a national defence industry that can
address country’s defence requirements with
domestically developed and manufactured
solutions.
Employing over 21,000 engineers in R&D duties, Turkey’s defence companies unveiled
weapons systems ranging from MBTs to UAVs. As of 2013, Turkey has around 2,300
defence-related firms in operation, compared to just 40 in 2000. Largely made up of SMEs,
Turkey’s booming defence industry went far beyond supplying just the Turkish Armed
Forces (TAF) and turned into a global player with exports reaching $1.3 billion year,
up 43% over 2011. (Photo: Tübitak)
68
Exelis exhibited their CENTAUR
Secure Public VHF Vehicular Radio,
alongside the Microsat MANPACK Mission
Command (MiMMC) radio.
National Pavilions
The German Pavilion included Abeking &
Rasmussen, AIM, Atlas Elektronik, Bauer, Diehl
Defence, Geroh (a Will-Burt Company),
haacon, Kidde-Deugra, Fr. Lürssen, Northrop
Grumman LITEF, RAM Sys, Schleifring, Sinus,
Teijin Twaron, Thyssen-Krupp Marine Systems
(TKMS), and ZF.
The Pakistan Pavilion attracted a large
number of visitors and prospective buyers.
Defence manufacturing companies from
Pakistan included: Pakistan Ordnance
Factories (POF), National Engineering and
Scientific Commission (NESCOM), Heavy
Industries Taxila (HIT), Defence Export
Promotion Organization (DEPO), Pakistan
Aeronautical Complex (PAC), Military Vehicles
Research & Development Establishemnt
(MVRDE),
National
Radio
And
Telecommunication Corporation (NTRC), and
Global Industrial & Defence Solutions (GIDS).
Pakistan’s Secretary for Defence Production
Lt.Gen. (Ret.) Shahid Iqbal led the Pakistan
delegation to the event. The delegation also
included NESCOM Chairman Muhammad Irfan
Burney, POF Chairman Lt Gen Muhammad
Ahsan Mahmood, HIT Chairman Lt.Gen. Syed
Wajid Hussain, PAC Chairman Air Marshal
Sohail Gul Khan, Ambassador of Pakistan to
Turkey Muhammad Haroon Shaukat, MVRDE
Managing Director Maj.Gen. Rehan Abdul Baqi,
and other high officials.
Members of the Pakistan delegation held
meetings with their Turkish counterparts and
other visiting delegations from the Middle East,
Africa and Europe. Pakistan’s participation in
the fair came on the heels of a successful
defence exhibition IDEAS 2012 it recently
organised in Karachi. Pakistan is offering high
tech air and ground equipment and hardware
for sale, which manifests the country has
achieved self-sufficiency in many fields.
Pakistan’s defence industry is not only meeting
the requirements of its Armed Forces, but also
exporting defence products to many friendly
countries. Such export is not only contributing
to economic growth, but also trying to maintain
a balance between defence spending and
national development.
GIDS was making efforts to enhance its
export share in Pakistani technological products. Air Vice Marshal (Ret.) Zubiar Iqbal
Malik, Director General, CEO GIDS, explained
to MT that one of the main products available in
the market is the SHAHPAR medium range
SHOW REPORTS
tactical UAS with autonomous take-off and
landing. In operational use with the Pakistani
Army, the SHAHPAR UAS carries the indigineous ZUMR-I payload for reconnaissance and
day & night surveillance. Another product that
the company is focusing on for the export market is the ACMI (Air Combat Maneuvering
Instrumentation) system, designed to be rangeless, which can be operated without any
restriction in any area.
While speaking to IDEF Show Daily, AVM
Malik mentioned that Turkey is a very important
country for Pakistan, as, “the Turkish defence
industry has reached a very high level,” said
AVM Malik. He continued to explain that the
Pakistani defence industry has reached a very
high level as well.
PAC handed over a first batch of Turkish
UAV (ANKA) parts to TAI in a ceremony held
during the show. After the signing ceremony,
Muharrem Dortkasli, President and CEO of TAI
“It is a good idea to have the Pakistani
and Turkish defence industry collaborate,
thereby giving the best solution to the
Armed Forces of both countries,” Air Vice
Marshal (Ret.) Zubiar Iqbal Malik (right)
stressed while talking to MT.
(Photo: Mönch/SB)
expressed his satisfaction on the skill and
knowledge possessed by PAC, for undertaking
such assignments. He further expressed that
many more collaborations would be undertaken in the future as well. While talking to media,
Air Marshal Sohail Gul Khan, Chairman PAC,
Kamra paid his gratitude to TAI for paving
PAC’s way to enter into a new domain of commercialization. He further said that it was the
first step towards building up close cooperation
in the field of aviation which will open the doors
of further collaboration between the aviation
industries of Turkey and Pakistan.
A comprehensive and important marketing
platform for UAE companies and the entire
defence industry, IDEF attracted some of the
largest defence companies from around the
world. IDEX, using its wealth of international
experience and relationships with key industry
specialists, organised this year’s UAE National
Pavilion at IDEF. Over the four days, the
pavilion provided both a marketing and networking platform as well as exhibiting the innovative defence products available from UAE
companies. Attending IDEF for the first time,
IDEX was accompanied by Tawazun, Sofia
Trading and Advanced Integrated Systems
(AIS).
The US Pavilion included 36 companies
under the auspices of AUSA including,
AeroVironment, ATK, Boeing, Falck Schmidt
Defence Systems, Honeywell, L-3, Lockheed
Martin, Raytheon, Sikorsky, Trijicon, and US
Ordnance.
Aselsan’s Imposing Display
By far the most impressive exhibitor was
Aselsan, who brought and gave everything! In
my years of defence exhibitions I have not
witnessed a display as impressive as this year’s
Aselsan booth…to call it a booth is an absolute
understatement. The hall it exhibited still had
three other companies, the main eye-candy
was Aselsan’s display, though.
To be seen were amongst many other great
innovations, Aselsan’s new unmanned systems
portfolio, having developed two man-portable
UAS; the ARI-1T rotary-wing system and fixedwing Mini UAS (MUAS).
The aircraft were being developed for the
Turkish Armed Forces, and two ARI-1Ts had
been handed over for evaluation, while the
Aselsan’s impressive display of innovation.
MUAS, of which two variants exist, the
MUAS-1 and the MUAS-2, is set to finish its
development this year.
The complete ARI-1T system consists of two
air vehicles, a ground-control station, and a
ground datalink. The MUAS-1 and -2 feature
the same ground components and also two air
vehicles. Both systems are designed to act in
ISR roles.
Aselsan furthermore displayed three new air
defence systems, one being the KORKUT
35mm Gun VSHORAD system (built on FNSS’
KORKUT amphibious tracked engineering
vehicle concept, which also made its debut at
the show).
Additionally new on show were the AVCI
helmet integrated cueing system, Aselsan’s
counter mortar radar, the pedestal mounted
IGLA system; and Aselsan ATLAS 4900
handheld and Aselsan 9651 software defined
handheld radios.
Aselsan is a leading company in Turkey for
development and production of electronics and
EO systems including state-of-the-art next
generation Fire Control System for MBTs and
MBT upgrades. The company provides a superior performance and low life-cycle costs due to
its radical design.
Roketsan
Roketsan exhibited all their expertise, one of
them the design and development of the SOM
missile, Turkey’s first cruise missile.
Furthermore, Roketsan’s Smart Micro Munition
would likely be integrated and flight tested on
TAI’s ANKA in the near future.
Havelsan
Havelsan has become a major player in the
fields of C2, simulation and training, IT and
security systems, and has further strengthened
its position as a global actor, especially during
the last decade. Having delivered proven
indigenous system solutions to international
partners like Pakistan, South Korea, Azerbaijan,
and Georgia, Havelsan has been shifting its
strategy from being a direct supplier, to sharing
its know-how and cooperating on technology
transfer with friendly and allied countries.
Lockheed Martin successfully united the
capabilities of its AEGIS Weapon System with
the naval combat management capabilities of
Havelsan.
Aselsan’s AVCI Helmet Integrated Cueing
System (HICS) is a personal system
solution for attack helicopter pilots (to be
utilised into the T-129 Turkish Attack
Helicopter). With its ease of use, ergonomic
design, symbology and video display
capabilities, head tracking functionality,
AVCI HICS reduces the pilot workload
dramatically during missions. The AVCI
HICS consists of four major components
the electronic unit, the headgear,
the cockpit modules for head tracking
and the control panel (optional).
During the event, the Havelsan
. booth was
visited by Defence Minister Ismet Yilmaz,
Chief of Turkish General Staff
Gen. Necdet Özel and other high level
national and international delegations.
Shown is Sadık Yamaç,
General Manager Havelsan,
explaining his innovations at the show.
(Photo: Havelsan)
69
SHOW REPORTS
Anka is a MALE UAV produced by
Turkish Aerospace Industries (TAI).
the Turkish Navy and responsible for its constantly growing maritime expertise. By 2011,
Fr. Lürssen has received a total of seven contracts from the Turkish Navy; six of which called
for the local construction and delivery of 10
DOGAN-class missile FAC (Lürssen FPB57
design), three KILIÇ-class (Lürssen FPB57-052
B) missile FAC, and six TUFAN-class (Lürssen
FPB 57-052 Mod) fast patrol boats. The latter
also known as the KILIÇ-II programme included
the licence-production of five units at Istanbul
Naval Shipyard.
Roketsan and the German IDAS Consortium
formed by ThyssenKrupp Marine Systems
(TKMS) and Diehl Defence signed a cooperation agreement to develop and supply the submarine-launched IDAS (Interactive Defence and
Attack System for Submarines) missile. The
accord was inked on 9 May, and took place in
the presence of Thomas Kossendey, member
of the German Parliament and Parliamentarian
Secretary to the Federal Minister of Defence
and the German Armament Director Detlef
Selhausen.
Mercedes Benz exhihited their ACTROS,
amongst others at IDEF.
Naval Systems
Aselsan, showcasing its enormous portfolio
of defence innovations, also exhibited the
STAMP 12.7mm and STOP 25mm remote control weapon stations (RCWS) for use on-board
naval ships. The systems have been so far
delivered to Egypt, Georgia, Pakistan, Qatar,
and the UAE for fitment on-board MRTP16,
MRTP20, MRTP33, and METP34 fast intervention craft built by the Turkish fast boat specialist Yonca-Onuk. In 2009, ASELSAN received
two export contracts from the UAE for the
delivery of 134 STAMP and STAMP-G RCWS
plus 50 STOP 25mm systems alone. According
to our Turkish-language sister magazine
SAVUNMA VE HAVACILIK in its SHOW DAILY
on 8 May, ASELSAN has already supplied 34
STAMP/STAMP-G systems to the UAE, of
which 21 systems were installed on-board
naval ships as early as February this year.
During IDEX 2013, Aselsan signed a cooperation contract with IGG IAIS for the integration of
100 STAMP-G RCWS on-board UAE naval
platforms. Aselsan sees additional potential for
its STAMP/STOP RCWS in Azerbaijan, Bahrain,
India, Malaysia, and Nigeria, of which some
showed interest in Yonca-Onuk’s MRTP series
of intervention craft.
Under the programme management of
Aselsan, SDT developed the first indigenous
synthetic aperture radar (SAR), possessing
stripmap and spotlight imaging modes. This
radar will be integrated onto the ANKA MALE
UAS developed by Turkish Aerospace
Industries (TAI). An additional variant, named
ISAR (Inverse SAR), which will enhance the
system’s capabilities with the addition of an airto-sea mode, is also under consideration.
Fr. Lürssen Werft exhibited its portfolio of
OPV, fast patrol boats, and minehunters, as the
shipyard is a well proven, traditional partner of
70
IDAS signing with, (front row from left):
Malgowski (TKMS), Rauch (Diehl),
Yasar (Roketsan); Reuter (TKMS),
Pohl (German Ambassador),
Selhausen (German Armament Director),
Kossendey (Member of the German
Parliament and Parlamentary Secretary
of the Federal Minister of Defence),
Möller (Diehl), and Dr. Atzpodien
(ThyssenKrupp Industrial Solutions).
(Photo: Diehl)
Currently the IDAS Consortium is conducting
an Initial Development Program (IDP) with the
objective of developing a verified product.
Verification will be proven with successful firings from a submerged submarine scheduled
end of 2014. According to the cooperation
agreement, Roketsan will be responsible for
Fr. Lürssen Werft’s large indoor booth in
the German Defence Pavilion in Istanbul.
development, qualification and series production of the IDAS warhead, support testing of
CAS (Control Actuation System), participate in
system level design activities and perform a
work share in the series production of the CAS.
A further partner is Nammo, who is developing
and producing the rocket motor.
Aircraft
Alenia Aermacchi (a Finmeccanica company)
has signed an agreement with the SSM to
deliver two ATR 72-600 TMUA (Turkish
Maritime Utility Aircraft) and six ATR 72-600
TMPA (Turkish Maritime Patrol Aircraft MELTEM 3) to the Turkish Navy. The contract
calls for strong industrial collaboration between
Alenia Aermacchi and Turkish Aerospace
Industry (TAI) for the duration of the project.
MELTEM 3 will see the integration of Thales’
AMASCOS (Airborne Maritime Situation &
Control System) mission system and will
include new functionalities, such as AIS, LINK
16, and the last generation weapon systems
like the Mk54 lightweight torpedo. The first aircraft will be delivered in February 2017, with the
remaining five to be delivered in 2018.
Alenia Aermacchi and TAI have signed an
MoU formalising the interest of both companies
in expanding industrial and commercial cooperation on products of mutual interest and
identifying potential programmes in third
Diehl Defence presented their innovative
products at IDEF 2013. Apart from a model
the IRIS-T SLM medium-range air defence
system based on the newly developed
IRIS-T surface-to-air guided missile, one
of the world s most advanced air-to-air
guided missiles IRIS-T was on exhibit.
The Laser-guided SIDEWINDER air-tosurface guided missile LaGS, currently under
development, also made its first appearance
at IDEF 2013. The IDAS prototype is one of
the world s first guided missiles capable of
engaging threats from the air, from coasts
as well as from surface ships from a
submerged submarine. The prototype of the
Active Vehicle Protection System AVePS
makes an effective contribution to the
protection of crews and vehicles, while the
variants Counter-IED and Car Stopper,
based on HPEM technology, provide
convoy protection against IEDs and are
capable of stopping suspicious vehicles
inconspicuously. System- and rubber
band tracks, as well as suspensions for
numerous armoured vehicles worldwide
complemented Diehl’s product portfolio
at IDEF 2013.
country markets. The partnership is tangible
sign of the Alenia Aermacchi and TAI’s strong
relationship on the ATR 72ASW program for the
Turkish Navy. Based on the MoU, TAI and
Alenia Aermacchi established a joint Steering
Committee that will meet regularly to identify
and explore potential new markets. Possible
customers have been identified and discussions on how to approach these markets are
on-going.
(TAI) exhibited the ANKA MALE UAS along
with the R-300 UAV for ISR.
Armoured Vehicles
DSM Dyneema and FNSS signed an LoI at
the exhibition, affirming the companies’ mutual
interest in further cooperation to provide the
best armour protection for FNSS’s armoured
vehicles by capitalising on the company’s manufacturing capabilities and DSM Dyneema’s
balance of cost efficiencies and high performance to meet all necessary requirements.
FNSS is to manufacture 257 8x8 PARS APCs
for Malaysia, featuring spall liners made with
DYNEEMA BT10. The amphibious vehicle will
be supplied in 12 variants during 2013-2018.
Otokar unveiled three new armoured
vehicles at the show, the TULPAR New
Generation Tracked Armoured Vehicle (IFV and
APC), and the COBRA II. The TULPAR on show
was equipped with the MIZRAK 30 Medium
Calibre Remote Controlled Weapon Station,
which in turn incorporated the ATK
BUSHMASTER cannon.
The signing of a cooperation between RUAG
Defence and Aselsan enables the two companies to offer their customers further tailor
made mid-life upgrade solutions for armoured
tracked vehicles. Both are almost perfectly
complementary to each other: RUAG Defence
as the expert for upgrading tracked and
wheeled vehicles and Aselsan as manufacturer
of state-of-the-art optronics and fire control
systems.
Aselsan’s optronics and electronics capabilities combined with RUAG’s main battle tank
expertise in life cycle support, system integration and protection complements each other.
The combined approach of modularity and
open system architecture is capable to cover a
wide range of operational requirements and
enables rapid technology insertions when
needed. This shared understanding empowers
RUAG Defence and Aselsan to provide its customer base truly tailored solutions.
FNSS exhibited the KAPLAN light tracked
armoured vehicle concept, a new generation
armoured platform for the utilisation in antitank, armoured combat, and reconnaissance
missions.
Conclusion
All in all, IDEF 2013 was an exhibition that will
be on everyone’s mind well into 2015, when it
is time for IDEF 2015. The Turkish defence
industry has grown into a global defence player that Western countries will have to reckon
with. It will only be a few more years, until the
Turks have taken up the space of the
Europeans and the Americans and taken over
their growth markets, as the Turks are doing
the extra-mile, bringing that little bit more, that
arrogant “Westerners” have long forgotten.
Watch this space.
SHOW REPORTS
DSEi 2013 –
Bringing Together
the Best of Industry
and Military
DSEi 2013, 10-13 September 2013, provided
a unique opportunity for government ministers, senior civil servants and politicians
with an interest in UK defence and security
exports to see this vitally important industry
in action. The award winning exhibition was
also a valuable opportunity for members of
the UK political community to meet key
political and military decision makers from
overseas to further the cause of UK defence
and security exports.
This report complements our blog (http://
www.miltechmag.com), where the show was
extensively covered with up-to-date features, insights, new innovations, and product
details. For more information on companies
and industry-changing innovation at this
show, please see our blog as well.
For further reading, our sister magazine
NAVAL FORCES featured naval insights
from DSEi (link under http://www.miltech
mag.com).
DSEI is one of the world’s largest fully integrated defence and security exhibitions that
brings together the entire industry to source the
latest equipment and systems, develop international relationships, and generate new business
opportunities. Based in ExCeL, London every
two years, the event provides access to key
markets across the globe. Combining a high
quality of exhibitors across the supply chain,
networking opportunities and the ability to see
new technologies first hand on the show floor,
DSEI provides an inspirational experience to
nearly 30,000 visitors.
New Zones and Six Dedicated Features
for 2013
Six new dedicated seminar theatres offered
educational sessions and showcases. The
dedicated land seminar and briefing programme hosted senior military domestic/international speakers and senior industry decision
makers, who presented the very latest future
capabilities, technologies and innovations.
DSEI’s air seminar and briefing programme has
gathered outstanding support from the RAF,
who was working closely with the DSEI team to
deliver a comprehensive programme focusing
on future capabilities, combat air and ISTAR,
whole force concept and the next generation.
The Royal Navy played a central role in developing key topics, which will in future be highly
valuable for industry and military. The security
seminar and briefing programme reinforced the
fourth pillar at DSEI. The programme focused
on future capabilities, technology and innovation, cyber security and supply chain, making
sure that both military and industry visitors left
with the very latest updates and information to
further their projects. The UK Defence Medical
Services helped DSEi by hosting the Medical
and Disaster relief seminar and briefing programme, covering the best practices in said
subject. And finally, the Unmanned Systems
showcase.
Naval Systems
The show was dominated by announcements on equipment for the Royal Navy’s next
generation of frigates, the Type 26, which is
based upon BAE Systems’ Global Combat
Ship (GCS). BAE Systems has awarded design
and development contracts for four more key
systems on the UK’s future Type 26 warships,
underscoring the vessel’s emphasis on stealth.
Rolls-Royce will provide the gas turbine element of the Type 26’s CODELEG (combined
diesel-electric and gas) propulsion system, in
the form of a self-contained module housing a
36-40 MW MT30 engine. MTU is contributing
the diesel element, comprising four V-20 highspeed diesels and generators in an insulated
module, providing a total of 12mW for cruising
power and ship systems. David Brown Gear
Systems will use technology from the ASTUTEclass submarine in the reduction gearbox that
connects the two propeller shafts to the MT30.
A fourth contract went to the UK division of
Rohde & Schwarz for the ship’s integrated
communications system.
One of the most important was a £250 million production contract for the MBDA SEA
CEPTOR local area surface-to-air missile system. SEA CEPTOR is based upon the Common
Anti-air Modular Missile (CAMM) which is
aimed to replace the battle-proved SEAWOLF
DSEi 2013 Key Figures:
As the must-attend event of 2013 with more
exhibitors and educational content than ever
before, DSEI, 10-13 September 2013, gave
access to:
– 1,400 international exhibitors from more
than 50 countries;
– Specialised Air, Naval, Land, Security,
Unmanned, Medical & Disaster Relief
Zones;
– six new dedicated seminar theatres offering educational sessions and showcases;
– 40 international pavilions;
– Unmanned Conference and Unmanned
Systems Showcase;
– Expanded
live
Waterborne
and
Unmanned Systems Demonstrations; and
– Static vehicle displays for land, air and
naval sectors.
This report is the combined effort of Peter Donaldson,
Andrew Drwiega, André Forkert, Ted Hooton, Tim
Mahon, Stefan Nitschke, and DPM; and was compiled
by DPM.
71
SHOW REPORTS
steering gear, fixed pitch propellers) and MTU
(diesels, diesel generators, Callosum Integrated
Ship Automation System) and is claimed to be
a cost-effective design which can be tailored to
mission requirements.
VeeCraft Marine revealed their SEA
SCORPION armoured patrol boat designed to
protect high value offshore assets such as oilfields.
A record number of ships docked
alongside the ExCeL arena and formed
a significant element of the strongest
maritime proposition the event has ever
offered. The impressive roster of vessels
included: the German BRAUNSCHWEIGclass corvette, FGS MAGDEBURG; the
Dutch HOLLAND-class corvette,
HNMLS GRONINGEN; HSwMS VINGA, and
ULVON - two Swedish MCMVs which have
been recently updated; and the Republic of
Korea Navy ship DAE-JO-YOUNG, which is
a KDX-2 class destroyer, and the logistic
support ship, WHACHEON. Meanwhile the
Royal Navy despatched a Type 23 frigate
and a RIVER-class OPV.
(GWS 26) system. The new missile will have a
range of 13.5nm, some four times that of its
predecessor, and will feature active radar
seeker with mid-course guidance. Initially these
weapons will be installed in the DUKE (Type 23)
-class frigates but will then be transferred to the
Type 26 which will have two 24-cell silos.
During DSEi it was revealed that CAMM had
been successfully launched from a Lockheed
Martin Mk 41 launching system.
There is a fierce competition between BAE
Systems and Oto Melara for the Maritime
Indirect Fire System (MIFS) for the Type 26.
Each company is offering 127mm gun systems
with extended range ammunition and aims to
exploit commercial success; the former with
Mk 45 Mod 4 to the US Navy and Denmark, the
latter with sales to Italy, Germany and the
Netherlands.
Damen Shipbuilding extended their SIGMA
(Ship Integrated Geometrical Modularity
Approach) corvette family with a Compact version. The new family will range from 600-1,500t
displacement and will be 59-87m long and, as
with the existing range, and are intended to be
a standard basic design which can be optimised to meet customer requirements.
BMT Defence Services launched two platform design concepts; the VENATOR-110
multi-mission reconfigurable warship and the
VIDAR-7 small submarine. They have been
developed to deliver maximum capability,
flexibility and longevity within the limitations of
current fiscal constraints.
Rolls-Royce unveiled a new design of
maritime patrol craft aimed to be the first of a
“protection vessel family” of designs. The
design is from the Bristol-based team established last year looking at auxiliaries, offshore/coastal patrol and fast attack craft. The
500t, 55m, craft will feature a range of equipment from Rolls-Royce (stabilisers, thrusters,
72
Naval Weapons
Raytheon’s Standard Missile-3 (SM-3) Block
IA missile has demonstrated it can work with an
AN/TPY-2 ballistic missile defence (BMD)
radar. Major navies are considering their
requirements for anti-ship missiles to replace
weapons such as the MBDA EXOCET and
Boeing HARPOON. Lockheed Martin revealed
the first launch of a prototype Long Range AntiShip Missile (LRASM), produced for DARPA
and the Office of Naval Research (ONR) as part
of a demonstration programme.
It is known that London and Paris are considering a new anti-ship missile to replace
HARPOON and EXOCET. Preliminary discussions have been held and are likely to include
Rome so the same weapon can replace
OTOMAT but no details of the requirement
have been completed, although there are
reports that a minimum range of 110nm is
being sought.
Rafael highlighted their TYPHOON MLS
NLOS surface-to-surface missile launcher. This
can take eight SPIKE-NLOS (None Line-ofSight) weapons which have a range of 13.5nm,
although it can also take SPIKE-ER with a
4.5nm range.
MBDA, which introduced the Compact
Warfare System Package (CWSP) in 2010 to
provide fast patrol boats and logistics ships
with an integrated combat system for both selfdefence, is now incorporating in the package
the BRIMSTONE surface-to-surface missile. In
May 2013, the company conducted successful
trials using three BRIMSTONEs against simulated Fast Inshore Attack Craft (FIAC).
Oto Melara have begun production of their
Driven Ammunition Reduced Time of flight
(DART) munition. DART has been designed for
use in Oto Melara’s 76mm guns to provide a
close-in weapon system capability against antiship missiles using guided sub-calibre projecNexter’s TITUS is able to fulfil the full
range of missions from infantry transport
to combat missions, combat support
and combat service support functions,
in any kind of type of commitments likely
to occur in a hybrid conflict.
(Photo: Mönch / DPM) FLIR Systems revealed a compact EO
sensor, SeaFLIR 280-HD, which it claimed
was the first lightweight maritime EO/IR HD
sensor. It features four high definition
infra-red day and low-light cameras, a
short-wave infra-red spotter scope option
and a wide range of laser options. The
sensor head weighs 25kg and can detect
threats at ranges up to 8.5 nautical miles.
RUAG Defence unveiled the latest
enhancement to its SidePRO- LASSO
protection system on a General Dynamics
European Land Systems (GDELS) EAGLE
with the retrofittable VERO vehicle robotics
kit. VERO enables vehicle teleoperation
and provides operators with the capability
to conduct either manned or unmanned
operations, depending on the situation
and threat. The system includes a Multi
Purpose Sensor (MPS) head from Sagem,
which provide day and night reconnaissance and surveillance capabilities while
manned or unmanned.
tiles following a RF guidance beam from a
K/Ka-band (27-40 GHz) illuminator. The system
has a range of 2.5nm and has been purchased
by both Italy (as STRALES) and Colombia.
Naval Sensors
Cassadian revealed a new naval surveillance
radar based upon AESA radar technology. The
new I/J or X-Band (8-12 GHz) Tactical Radar for
Surface Surveillance (TRSS) is optimised to
detect extremely small objects, including individual swimmers, and to counter asymmetric
threats. Cassadian furthermore displayed their
SHOW REPORTS
modular OMS 200 optronic mast for submarines. This is a low-signature system which
can accept EO sensors including daylight television and short-wave and/or mid wave IR
cameras together with laser rangefinder with a
universal aerial interface.
Kelvin Hughes revealed further developments with its SHARPEYE coherent transmission sensor based upon a coherent transmitter.
This is claimed to aid detection of small targets
in clutter as well as improved situational awareness in the navigation role. The sensor has
been installed in the RFA ARGUS for helicopter
control and in the RFA Fort Rosalie to support
a QinetiQ programme aimed at aiding ship self
defence against Fast Inshore Attack Craft
(FIAC) by aiding situational awareness. The
company launched what it claimed as the
world’s first carbon composite housing for an
upmast navigation and situational awareness
radar replacing heavier aluminium ones. Unlike
downmast magnetron systems, as an upmast
system SHARPEYE features virtually no signal
loss in the interconnecting waveguide between
the antenna and transceiver and the company
claims the new housing, makes the mass of the
complete system the lightest on the market.
The use of a synchronous motor means the
antenna rotation rate is controlled electronically and with all components now becoming Line
Replaceable Units the new system has a greatly reduced maintenance requirement. The sensor now features an increase in peak power
from 200W to 300W.
Chess Dynamics, which has developed a
series of sensor systems as the SEA EAGLE,
family revealed a new fire control sensor as
SEA EAGLE Fire Control Radar Optic (FCRO). It
features a frequency-modulated continuous
wave Doppler radar integrated with an electrooptical suite. The sensor can be used in either
stand-alone or integrated combat systems.
Selex ES has also received a £12.2 million
(€14.1 million) contract from the British MoD for
in-service support for the Royal Navy’s
GSA8/GPEOD gunfire control system used on
Type 23 frigates to support the 114mm Mk 8
gun. The contract, which will last for 10 years,
will see Selex ES providing a managed support
arrangement for the GSA8/GPEOD which
includes background support activities, a number of repairs and the administration of obsolescence issues.
Armoured Vehicles
AM General, a global leader in design, manufacture and support of light tactical military
A smaller variant of Rheinmetall’s Rapid
Obscurant System (ROSY) smoke
protection system known as the ROSY
Modular has been launched at DSEi.
OSG’s Digital Visual Window (DVW) is,
according to the company, the world’s
first windshield with a built-in LCD digital
screen. The DVW is suitable for both
military and civilian platforms. The featurerich DVW’s digital display is fully integrated
with the vehicle’s window system,
maximising the space within the driver’s
compartment. Heightened situational
awareness – capable of high-resolution
video, text and graphics, the DVW displays
data or maps sent from a control room, as
well as output from other vehicle systems
and sensors. The digital screen can
be installed in any portion of the driver
or passenger windshields, and can be
connected to a rear/side camera for
increased driver awareness.
vehicles, showcased its innovation, global
reach and diversification at the show. AM
General exhibit highlighted, the Modernized
Light Tactical Vehicle (MLTV), a testament to
the more than 50 years of light tactical vehicle
innovation and evolution to meet the unique
requirements of AM General’s global customer
base. The company’s expertise in armour protection, powertrains, chassis, suspensions,
systems integration, and life-cycle sustainment
allows the vehicle to meet and support LTV
requirements at an affordable price. Also on
show was the International 205hp Upgrade
Option for the M1100 series HMMWV family of
vehicles, which increases the HMMWV’s
horsepower by 10%, engine torque by 15%,
and substantially increases vehicle payload.
The International 205 Upgrade Option performance components include the 205 Optimzer
6500 V-8 diesel engine and the higher load
capacity 4L85 automatic transmission with
tuned control module. Also included are
improved brakes, a large, single front-mounted
air conditioning condenser, higher geared
engine fan drive and a new suspension package.
General Dynamics presented different versions of the OCELOT 4x4 vehicle family. Please
see
http://www.miltechmag.com/2013/09/
dsei-2013-general-dynamics-european.html
for coverage of GDELS’ new maintenance
assistant software system development to aid
in the maintenance and service of any defence
equipment, from weapons and combat
vehicles to bridge systems.
Iveco Defence Vehicles had a significant
presence at DSEI, with vehicles being displayed both on the company’s stand and in the
static line vehicle display area. In keeping with
the increasing drive to make the most of COTS
and MOTS equipment, the focus of this exhibition was on demonstrating how Iveco’s engineering expertise has allowed the development
of existing platforms and drivelines to meet
new roles of direct relevance to current and
evolving requirements. The centre-piece of the
main stand display was the amphibious 8x8
SUPERAV which was being displayed in the UK
for the first time.
Nexter launched its new Tactical Infantry
Transport and Utility System (TITUS) 6x6 APC.
The TITUS has been designed with three key
ideals in mind: mobility, mission flexibility, and
human factors, the CEO of Nexter, Philippe
Burtin explained at the unveiling.
Australian Munitions, a part of Thales,
and ST Kinetics have signed an agreement
to cooperate in Australia and New Zealand
for the development, manufacturing and
marketing of ST Kinetics’ 40mm low
velocity, extended range, and air bursting
ammunition. The two companies will focus
on making new 40mm capabilities available
to the Australian Department of Defence
and establishing supply from within
Australia.
As Rheinmetall stands shoulder-to-shoulder
with today’s military customer, with not only a
whole host of effectors and sensors, the company’s booth featured, the new Future Soldier
System 2/GLADIUS; passive ballistic protection components, as well as active soft-kill and
hard-kill protection systems, such as the Active
Defence System ADS; precision products
extending from infantry weapons and ordnance
to high-performance medium-calibre systems
and globally acclaimed smoothbore tank guns
and ammunition, right through to high-tech
laser weapons; and Rheinmetall MAN Military
Vehicles’ (RMMV) HX4x4. Rheinmetall’s
ROSY_Mod – the modular variant of its innovative Rapid Obscurant System – made its debut
at this year’s DSEI.
Armour
Amsafe Bridport showed its remarkable
RPG-defeating lightweight TARIAN armour on
a service ready Navistar MXT MV vehicle for the
first time at DSEI in the Land Zone. Made from
strong DYNEEMA ultra-high molecular weight
polyethylene, TARIAN mesh crushes RPG warheads on impact, preventing detonation or
proper formation of the shaped-charge jet.
Mounted using spring-loaded arms, the panels
shrug off everyday brushes with buildings and
scenery and are easily replaceable.
AmSafe Bridport won the UK MOD contract
for its Improved Rocket Propelled Grenade
Protection in February and has since been executing the contract, working to deliver several
hundred TARIAN kits for multiple British military
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SHOW REPORTS
vehicle types by the end of the
Harris’ RF-7580M-HH multiband networking handheld radio.
year. Valued at £10.6 million, the
contract was awarded in the
“Datron’s Strategic HF product line includes
wake of an international compeIBD developed a Transparent Ceramic
the components required to deliver the unique
tition in which Tarian was one of
Protection with a ballistic performance
solutions that meet the exacting requirements
three solutions chosen for rigorcomparable to opaque ceramic armour, lighter
of our customers,” said Kevin Kane, CEO of
ous testing that included includby about 70% compared to armour glass and
Datron. “Datron HF solutions provide reliable,
ing live firings and vehicle field
can be built to have a multi-hit capability like
cost-effective, beyond-line-of-sight communitrials.
opaque armour. Last but not least, IBD develcations for naval, ground-to-air, and nationwide
“DSEI presents a fantastic
oped the Evolution Survivability Concept to
applications.”
opportunity for AmSafe Bridport
protect medium platforms and MBTs against
Datron furthermore introduced its new
to demonstrate TARIAN’s
heavy threats, using the latest NANO-technoloSPECTRE V HH2100V ruggedised tactical VHF
unique adaptability to fit a wide
gies integrated in the IBD PROTech Family of
handheld radio. With the addition of the
variety of vehicle types, as well
protection products. See http://www.miltechHH2100V to the SPECTRE V family of tactical
as fulfilling the requirement from
mag.com/2013/09/dsei-2013-new-protectionradios, secure and flexible network communithe military for a lightweight,
solutions.html, http://www.miltechmag.com/
cations operating over the 30-88 MHz band are
higher performance and more
2013/09/dsei-2013-new-transparent-ceramic.
now extended to dismounted soldiers across
robust alternative to other RPG
html, and www.miltechmag.com/ and for
the theatre of operations. The HH2100V feaprotection systems,” said Sales
details.
tures embedded ECCM, COMSEC and GPS
and Marketing Director Neal
RUAG Defence unveiled the latest enhancecapabilities and meets MIL-STD-810 for reliMcKeever.
ment to its SidePRO- LASSO protection sysable operation in harsh environments. Accurate
Ceradyne, for the first time, was showing the
tem. Designed in collaboration with serving
position and time-of-day capability is afforded
forces, the result is a reduction in weight by up
series model of the new Ultra Light Weight
by the embedded GPS receiver, while full- or
to 30% and an increase in the protected area of
Ballistic Bump Helmet (ULW-BBH). A prototype
partial-band frequency hopping and digital
a vehicle using the system. The enhancements
was shown at the infantry days in
encryption waveforms offer a high level of
Hammelburg/Germany some weeks ago. The
surround both the material and the method
jamming resistance and security. Utilizing the
used for securing the SidePRO- LASSO to the
ULW-BBH protects against hand gun rounds
pre-programmed short message functions, solvehicle. Attaching the mesh at only one point
and ballistic fragments. It can protect paradiers in the field can communicate quickly and
troopers during their jump and ground forces
and not two provides more flexibility to mainquietly with the touch of a button. The
against bumping objects – all in a very light vertain constant access to all the vehicle’s original
HH2100V handheld radio is fully interoperable
sion of all around head protection. The helmet
features, such as a winch or tow bar. Previously
with the PRC2100V MANPACK radio supportis produced with Ultra High Molecular Weight
the user had to choose between having access
ing network configurations from command
Polyethylene (UHMWPE) composites.
to all these features or being protected – now
headquarters to dismounted soldiers in the
he can do both and so increase the total proCeramTec-ETEC introduced PERLUCOR, a
field utilizing the base station, vehicle mount,
tected area of his vehicle. More on www.
highly transparent and extremely durable
mobile and retransmit capabilities of the
ceramics on a series-production scale.
miltechmag.com.
PRC2100V MANPACK. See http://www.
Ever on the forefront of innovation, IBD
Deisenroth Engineering research revealed that
miltechmag.com for details.
C4I
certain natural fibres with filaments in the
API Technologies, a trusted provider of
Elbit Systems presented an array of solunanometre range have exceptional dynamic
RF/microwave, microelectronics, and security
tions, providing an excellent opportunity for visproperties, surpassing those of other modern
solutions for critical and high-reliability applicaitors to view displays, demonstrations and
fibres, according to the company. Furthermore
tions, showcased solutions from its RF/
video presentations of the company’s latest
microwave and secure communications prodgeneration systems and core business activiuct lines at Stand S8-100, and unveiled API’s
ties. Highlights were their newly announced
GDELS-Germany celebrated the award of
new modular Active Antenna Array Unit (AAAU)
ELSAT2000E and MRJ. See www.miltechBS 11000 certification (UK certification –
concept for radar systems.
comparable with ISO certification) during
mag.com for more information.
DSEi. The photo shows Managing Director
At DSEI Elektrobit (EB) presented the EB
Chemring has completed the latest tests of
Robert Kauth (centre) and colleagues,
its CENTURIAN multi-role counter-measures
Tactical Wireless IP Network – a system
with Gp Capt Paul Ridge of the UK MOD
system which its developing with Raytheon
demonstrating a formation of wireless high data
Manoeuvre Support Team, who handed over
rate network connection. EB tactical Wireless
Missile Systems. The lightweight system can
the certificate. BS 11000 is the world’s first
IP Network is a high capacity backbone solulaunch mortar or rocket-based decoys, includstandard in collaborative business relationing acoustic, from 12 vertically-stored 130mm
tion connecting mobile and stationary tactical
ships and is achieved through improved
launchers on a rotary platform which can autounits. The system is used to build Link, Point to
engagement and effectiveness with collabomatically deployed them various angles for
Multipoint or MANET (mobile ad hoc network)
rative partners through optimised business
greater precision. Development began in 2009
connections in one logical network with autoand innovation processes leading towards
and the company is now developing an
matic configuration. EB was also presenting
more successful and sustainable partnerimproved prototype which will incorporate
their EB Tough VoIP product family providing
ships. GDELS-Germany is the first industrial
superior signature management. With
tactical IP telephony in all environmental condicompany to achieve this certification from
Raytheon, the company is aiming to adapt the
tions; EB Soldier Terminal Platforms for
the British Standards Institution (BSI).
mounting to launch short-range missiles and
ruggedized handheld computers and smartplanned a demonstration of this concept in
phones; EB Wideband COMINT Sensor for
October.
spectrum monitoring, recording, replaying,
interception and analysis of wideband signals
Datron World Communications at DSEI
with remote operation; and Intelligent Jamming
announced the addition of the PPS7700
Solutions with EB Counter RCIED Platform as
Pre/Post Selector and LPF7700 Low Pass Filter
to their 7700-Series Strategic HF Communian example of intelligent and reactive jamming
cations System. Datron’s PPS7700 Pre/Post
for the prevention of Radio Controlled IEDs
Selector provides 70 dB rejection of interfering
(RCIED) threats. See http://www.miltechmag.
signals, flat response over 2-30 MHz, and a 4
com/2013/09/dsei-2013-elektrobit-eb-demonmillisecond tune time. The LPF7700 Low Pass
strates.html for more information.
Filter also supports up to 16kW of signal power,
FLIR Systems’ NIDAR Command & Control
and features low in-band insertion loss, excel(C2) Security System, exhibited at DSEi, is dedlent out-of-band isolation, and minimal passive
icated to protect maritime and land based
intermodulation.
assets by automatically creating an intuitive sit-
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SHOW REPORTS
Jenoptik Defense & Civil Systems
The Defense & Civil Systems division is
part of the Jenoptik group and provides
mechatronic and sensor systems for civil
and military applications.
Jenoptik Defense & Civil Systems’ broad
product portfolio is divided into five areas
of competence, so that the company can
take advantage of synergies and bundle
its strengths in the best way. These
include, energy systems, optical sensor
systems, stabilisation systems, aviation
subsystems, and radomes and composites.
Jenoptik Defense & Civil Systems’ areas
of competence, each with its associated
product portfolio, covers a number of
industry sectors with different product
emphasis. Primarily Jenoptik serves
customers of the aerospace, security,
defence, and transportation industries.
Jenoptik pairs their tradition and expertise
with innovative technologies, which
satisfy the demands of its customers.
Energy Systems
Regardless of their function, drive configuration and purpose, vehicles and
electrical equipment are only as good as their
energy supply. Jenoptik Defense & Civil
Systems plans, develops, and builds electrical energy systems in various forms, for
applications that are just as varied, including
electrical systems, alternators and alternator
systems, power units, electrical motors,
voltage transformers, electrical components,
High Voltage and Hybrid Systems
The power supply demands for military
vehicles are increasing continuously.
Jenoptik’s high-voltage on-board systems in
the power range 20-500kW meet those
demands. The systems comply to military
standards and stand out due to their high
power density and efficiency.
An electrical system in the smallest configuration level consists of a (starter-)generator,
a power converter and a DC/DC converter.
An inverter for supplying external consumers
or a rectifier for connecting hybrid batteries
can optionally be integrated into the system.
One of the more advanced features of
such a hybrid system is KERS (Kinetic
Energy Recovery System), an electrical system for energy recuperation. KERS allows for
absorption of peak loads during acceleration/ boosting and regenerative braking to
reduce fuel consumption in military vehicles
considerably.
Generators and Generator Systems
The generators provided by Jenoptik are
characterised by their high power density
and reliability. Therefore these generators are
particularly qualified for military markets. The
generators ensure the safe power supply of
the on-board system and convert the engine
power efficiently into electrical power.
Power Units
The power units of the Defense & Civil
Systems division stand out due to their high
power density and ruggedness. The extensive
range of main and auxiliary power supply units
have proven their value in various applications
all over the world. The product portfolio ranges
from ground to auxiliary power units to traction
gensets.
Optical Sensor Systems
In the context of ISTAR or RSTA, availability
of comprehensive and timely information is vital
for the success of a mission. Jenoptik Defense
& Civil Systems’ view focuses on intelligent,
future-oriented, and practical solutions for system integrators as well as for end users
Target Acquisition Systems
The multifunctional NYXUS BIRD day/night
target acquisition system, and the NYXUS
Rangechecker compact laser rangefinder are
both in service in the Germany Army, with
NYXUS BIRD being part of the GLADIUS program, formerly known as “IdZ-ES”. Jenoptik
claims NYXUS BIRD being the most compact
system that combines a thermal imager with
direct view optics, laser rangefinder DMC and
GPS. Introduced at Eurosatory last year,
NYXUS BIRD has been demonstrated at this
year’s DSEi with new features and enhancements, for example the “fall of shot correction”
option or VIS-NV image fusion capability with
NV goggles.
Laser Rangefinder for
Defence and Security
:The EYESAFE laser rangefinder systems
from Jenoptik combine ultra-compact dimensions with excellent performance. Jenoptik’s
experience of optimally matching solid state
and diode laser sources, photo detectors,
optics and intelligent data processing, enables
measuring ranges of up to several thousands of
kilometers at highest precision also under
rough operating conditions.
The compact laser rangefinder modules are
designed for flexible system integration. This
includes mobile operation, for example as integrated part of the modern soldier or stationary
operation as integrated components of reconnaissance or fire control systems.
Stabilisation Systems
For certain purposes, it is necessary to
decouple the movements in a vehicle from
other vehicle functions, or to modify them.
Gun Turret Drives
The armoured land vehicles of today have to
successfully detect and fight targets even while
in motion in rugged terrain. This task can be
achieved with the electrical stabilisation
systems of the GTdrive product family. It
features short response times and in association with the vehicle system a high
first-round-hit probability while standing still
as well as during high speed. With the
weapon aiming and stabilisation system the
weapon follows the line of sight of the
controlling targeting device or it is led into
specific aiming positions by using control
handles
CATPackXS – Cool Action Technology
The most recent development for the
GTdrive family ist the CATPackXS power
electronics technology. New challenging
ambient conditions for military vehicles have
increased the necessity for power electronics
to keep the thermal loss to a minimum in
order not to overheat the complete weapon
stabilization system. With the new
CATPackXS, Jenoptik has adapted the
power electronics especially to these
requirements and minimized their power
losses. Furthermore, with small dimensions
and reduced weight, the CATPackXS is built
to fit into various small compartments.
Radomes & Composites
Even minimal deviations in characteristics,
quality and performance of materials can
have wide-reaching effects on the final
product. That is why Jenoptik Defense & Civil
Systems focus on the design, production
and intensive testing of various composites.
Radomes
Radomes are covering the extremely sensitive radar antennas of aircraft. Even the
smallest defects in the material can lead to
distortion of the signals being received.
Jenoptik is the licensed partner for
AWACS-radomes, as well as a consortium
leader at radome programmes for MRCA
TORNADO and Eurofighter TYPHOON.
Transparent Armour
Armor has become an increasingly important factor in today‘s vehicles as a significant
component of military effectiveness.
Changing deployment scenarios, more effective weapons and asymmetric threats
demand higher protection to ensure the safety of the soldiers in international deployments.
Jenoptik has a long tradition in providing
innovative technology for military vehicles all
over the world. Following this tradition the
business unit for composite materials
provides a concept for transparent armor,
consisting of pure high-transparency plastic.
lt protects against ballistic threats as well as
those from mine fragments and IEDs, which
leads to higher survivability of the soldiers.
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SHOW REPORTS
uational awareness picture detecting, tracking,
classifying and deterring security threats.
Alarms are raised automatically and optional
with a touch on the screen warning devices
such as surface loudhailers and laser dazzlers
can be activated. NIDAR’s patented anomaly
detector analyses each contact to evaluate risk
and instantly raises an alarm when suspicious
behaviour has been detected. By providing critical information and live video of the suspicious
target it enables users to make the right decision when time counts. Based on its modular
architecture, NIDAR is fully scalable to meet the
security needs of coastal infrastructures (ports,
power plants, navy bases), offshore assets
(rigs, ships, yachts) and wide area land and
border protection. NIDAR’s flexible integration
platform is equally suitable to ports, nuclear
power plants, military bases and other critical
costal assets. Depending on security requirements, the size of the asset and complexity of
the environment, a tailor-made solution is provided.
Harris exhibited, for the first time, new tactical radios that allow international air and
ground forces to work more closely together
during joint and combined operations. The new
RF-7850A Airborne Network Mission Radio
delivers secure and reliable voice and wideband data communications between the airplane or helicopter and the ground forces for
missions such as ISR, CAS, or border control.
The information (voice, video or images as well
as other applications) can be exchanges in
real-time. The RF-7850A can easily expand the
The SPEARNET tactical radio and Tactical
Mobility Night Vision Goggle (TM-NVG),
an integrated soldier system available
to international customers, was the main
feature of Exelis’ booth at DSEi.
This system combines the compact
and secure wideband data network of
the Spearnet radio with the lightweight,
monocular goggle that incorporates
Generation 3 night vision technology for a
system that creates advanced situational
awareness in low light and other
challenging conditions.
This combined with the Enhanced High
Capacity Data Radio (EnHCDR),
a networked radio that provides high bandwidth data and can simultaneously support
voice and data with full motion video,
makes it an excellent soldier system.
76
Elektrobit’s (EB) tactical wireless IP network.
existing Harris FALCON tactical radio family.
For wideband networking, the RF-7850A includes the Harris Adaptive Networking Wideband Waveform (ANW2) and the new Time
Division Multiple Access (TDMA) Networking
Waveform.
Kelvin Hughes presented its technological
developments. Among the technologies that
Kelvin Hughes displays and demonstrates at
DSEI are many of the company’s range of
SharpEye radar products, including, SharpEye
for security, naval and coastguard platforms,
and for small boats and USVs. See www.
miltechmag.com for more information.
“Creating situational awareness” was the
motto of the Rohde & Schwarz (R&S) booth at
DSEI 2013. The company offers integrated
communications and intelligence solutions for
all branches of the Armed Forces. The highlight
was the R&S SDTR software defined tactical
radio (launched in December 2012 and extensively covered in this magazine and blog), now
with an external control unit; with live demonstrations at the show. R&S also showcased integrated radio communications and radio monitoring systems for all classes of maritime platforms. At DSEI in London, the company presented itself as a single source of integrated
solutions for secure communications, radio
monitoring and radiolocation, once again
proving its position as a leader in this market
segment.
At DSEI 2013, RUAG Defence demonstrated
the latest set-up of its mobile battlefield communications. This is state-of-the-art and brings
further enhancements to the Tactical
Telephony functionality. Based on the Tactical
openAccess platform our network equipment
such as the Tactical openAccess Node,
Tactical LAN Switch and Tactical Power Supply
Unit allow military and homeland security
organisations to be securely connected, mobile
and more effective. Key to this mobility is the
existence of Tactical Telephony Services
(TTEL). This allows the building of a distributed
telephony system, whereby the directory can
be decentralised and support full user and subnet mobility. More information under http://
www.miltechmag.com/2013/09/dsei-2013ruag-defence-raises-tactical.html.
Much more than an intercom system, Thales’
new SOTAS Lite can form the basis of an entire
modular, scalable mission system IT infrastructure with an open architecture and very high
bandwidth, Joop Ockers, Marketing Director
for Thales Nederland Land Defence and C4I
Group explained at DSEI: “SOTAS Lite is effective configuration of new Sotas capabilities; it is
not a separate product. And the basis of Sotas
Lite are recent extensions that we developed
for the family.”
The company describes SOTAS Lite as an
innovative voice and data communications system for use in space-constrained vehicles, as
such it has a very small installation footprint.
For example, a fit for a C2 variant of a multirole
support vehicle with just two user stations connected via Ethernet provides all the services for
a crew of four. A distributed system, it needs no
central node. All the modules are equipped with
interface units for connecting radios, headsets
and other equipment.
Ultra Electronics, 3eTI made two announcements at the show that will help military bases
increase physical and cyber security, as well as
operations management efficiency; one was the
launch of the ETHERGUARD L3, an innovative
product that supports the advanced multi-layer
cyber security needs for industrial control systems (ICSs) supporting machine-to-machine
(M2M) and embedded systems connectivity;
and the preview of the new ULTRABASE
methodology that combines robust, innovative
solutions to provide a singular, holistic
approach to military base management.
Seeing is Believing
Designed for Naval Forces with demanding
range and high definition (HD) imagery performance requirements and size constraints, FLIR
Systems’ newly introduced SeaFLIR 280-HD is
one of the world’s first compact, maritime high
definition EO/IR imaging sensors. With up to
four individual HD, IR day and low light cameras, a Short-Wave IR (SWIR) spotter scope
option, one of the industry’s highest optical
zoom ranges and a wide range of laser payloads, this 55lb gimbal system allows the crew
to detect small boat threats at ranges greater
than 16km for 24 hours per day. Utilising the
SWIR technology option, the user can now
more easily penetrate sea mist, smog, smoke
and haze providing extended imagery. The
SeaFLIR 280-HD is FLIR Systems’ next evolutionary product in a proud heritage (more than
1,000 maritime systems in operation) of providing Special and Naval Forces around the world
with the advantage of surprise by maintaining
covert eyes on their targets at very long range.
Jenoptik
presented
the
NYXUS
Rangeschecker, now nearly a year on the market. The NYXUS BiRD offers new features
(more than the requirements of GLADIUS): Fully
rubberised (in brown and green), data for the
correction of a shot from 1st shoot and the
target, e.g. for mortar or artillery, guide-me
home function – optic function with the help of
a marker that show the position and range of
home. Older models could be adapted through
a software update.
As a world-leader in expertise and facilities,
Qioptiq brought along their image intensified
(I2), thermal and fused weapon and surveillance
sights; coverglass and optical solar reflectors
(OSRs) supplying 80% of the world’s satellites;
HUD (Head Up Displays) for fast jet and commercial aircraft; and STA systems and solutions. As a highlight of the show, Qioptiq exhibited their SAKER Fused Weapon Sight (FWS),
providing the Dismounted Close Combat User
with an enhanced detect, recognise and identify capability combining image intensifier (I2)
and uncooled thermal imaging sensors into a
SHOW REPORTS
single sight unit. See http://www.miltechmag.
com/2013/09/dsei-2013-qioptiq-brings-latestin.html for more information.
Robotics
USVs are becoming a growing part of naval
inventories and Atlas Elektronik UK unveiled
their Atlas Remote Combined Influence
Minesweeping System (ARCIMS) at DSEi.
ARCIMS is the company’s next generation
unmanned mine countermeasures system following work with the British Royal Navy in producing the Shallow Water Influence
Minesweeping System.
Datron World Communications, a privately
owned company located in Vista,CA and a
leader in extremely reliable HF and VHF military
voice and data radio products, flew the brand
new Aeryon SkyRanger small UAS (sUAS) at
DSEi’s waterborne demonstrations. Launched
earlier this year, the SkyRanger small UAS
(sUAS) is a new VTOL system featuring an allnew airframe and integrated design, and representing a significant leap forward in capabilities
for military, public safety, and commercial
applications. See www.miltechmag.com for
more information.
HDT Global’s focus at this year’s DSEi show
was on robotic solutions, including robotic
arms and robotic trail clearing/load carrying
solutions. HDT Robotics creates advanced
robotic systems for a wide variety of applications, including military, underwater, commercial, and healthcare. HDT’s military robots can
save lives and help to increase mission performance. The ADROIT line of manipulators was
originally developed for EOD, and the subsea
variant of HDT’s manipulators was created to
neutralise underwater mines. The PROTECTOR
robot was created to support infantry by clearing their trail and carrying their load. HDT continues to perform cutting edge research in
robotics and tactile applications, with a strong
focus on how humans and robots can work
together, creating a result better than either one
could achieve without the other.
Further Buzz from the Floor
DSEi 2013 featured bigger and better company stands, comferences and the waterborne
demonstrations, where companies were able
present their products in a dynamic environment rather than a static display on their
stands.
Airborne Systems, a division of HDT Global
showcased the latest technologies in personnel
parachutes, GPS-guided aerial delivery systems and military search and rescue equipment. The fully-autonomous Guided Precision
Aerial Delivery Systems (GPADS) are capable
of carrying payload ranging from 200-45,000lbs
and only require the impact coordinates and
landing direction (in lieu of standard into-wind
landing) to provide precision cargo delivery
from high altitude. On display at DSEI were the
MICROFLY and FLYCLOPS, both GPADS;
INTRUDER and T-11 personnel parachute systems; and other associated personnel support
systems such as the Special Operations Long
Range Oxygen Supply 3,000 psig (SOLR 3000)
that offers 60% more oxygen capacity than the
PHAOS; and the Parachutist High Altitude
Thermal Suit (PHATS) – lightweight, breathable,
windproof and water repellant to protect
General Dynamics Land Systems (GDLS) SCOUT SV.
against extreme cold temperatures during
HAHO jumps.
ATK highlighted a variety of its capabilities
and programmes including the company’s
small-, medium- and large-calibre ammunition,
BUSHMASTER automatic cannons, precisionguidance for artillery and mortars, light gunships, as well as ammunition and accessories
for law enforcement and Special Operations
Forces. ATK’s booth also featured the company’s capabilities in operating and managing
ammunition facilities and creating co-production opportunities for allied partners. Attendees
visiting ATK’s booth had the opportunity to see
the company’s ability to provide customised
medium-calibre cannon service packages that
include logistics, support and training offerings.
ATK announced the first contract (for low initial
rate production) with the US Army for their
Precision Guidance Kit (PGK) for 155 mm
artillery ammunition. Deliveries begin in early
2014 and the contract has a value of $57.8 million, with options for full rate productions worth
$250 million.
In a move that leverages a long heritage of
head-up displays (HUD) at its Rochester plant,
BAE Systems announced at DSEI 2013 the
launch of Q-WARRIOR, a see-through display
for dismounted soldier applications. “It’s really
all about integrating capability into a lowweight, efficient and affordable package,” said
Ross Hobson, Engineering Project Manager
for Electronic Systems at BAE Systems
Rochester. He explained that Q-WARRIOR
was developed in response to an American
requirement but all the technology is UKsourced and the system is available for global
use. There are six versions of the current standard (known as a Mod 2 pre-production standard) about to be delivered to US forces for test
an evaluation. Separate sources indicated later
The Invisio V60 Tactical Headset System
takes combat communications to a whole
new level of connectivity and control.
The V60 is smaller than most smart phones
making it, according to the company, the
world’s smallest advanced communication
system and also one of the only systems
that allows users to connect, control and
communicate across four separate
channels all at the same time (with the use
of a dual-net radio).
Patria showed off an 8x8 Armoured
Wheeled Vehicle (AWV) concept design,
which apparently has already logged
time on the test track.
that the testing might be conducted by US
Special Forces troops – an avid consumer of
advanced mission support technologies such
as this. Further details on http://www.miltechmag.com/2013/09/dsei-2013-bae-systemsenhance.html.
Beth-El Industries, a leader in CBRN and TIC
filtration and protection, ventilation, and air
conditioning systems for tents, containers,
vehicles, bomb shelters, and ships, introduced
a new configuration to its FA 160 ZM-2 multiplatform interoperable air filtration system. The
FA 160 ZM-2 for tents was developed to offer
the same high level of safety and protection as
is provided in the vehicle and mobile shelter
systems.
Caracal International, the UAE-based small
arms manufacturer for the civilian, military, law
enforcement and sporting markets and a subsidiary of Tawazun Holding, showcased two
new pistols, which were officially launched at
the Abu Dhabi International Hunting and
Equestrian Exhibition (ADIHEX) for which
Tawazun is acting as the Weaponry Partner. Of
the two new Caracal pistols, the CP663 is a
double action hammer pistol designed both for
use by Special Forces and for sports applications. It has a 9x19 calibre and supports an 18
round magazine. The CP664 is a strike version
of the CP663, using the firing pin principle
rather than a hammer. Available in either
9x19mm or 9x21mm calibre, the CP664 has a
15 round magazine. Both pistols, designed,
developed and manufactured in Abu Dhabi, are
available in full and compact sizes and feature
a double stage trigger, rotating barrel chamber
locking, horizontally and vertically adjustable
rear sights, and a steel grip frame.
77
SHOW REPORTS
Cassidian introduced a new naval X-Band
radar optimised for the detection of
extremely small objects and countering
asymmetric threats. Based upon the latest
AESA radar technology, the new Tactical
Radar for Surface Surveillance (TRSS) substantially increases the detection capabilities, and thus the protection level, of Navy
ships and coast guard vessels. The radar
was displayed for the first time during DSEi.
(Graphic: Cassidian)
Sultan Aouda, Caracal International’s
CEO, commented, “as a small arms brand
headquartered in the UAE, we are looking forward to the opportunity that DSEI 2013 offers to
bring our two new pistols to a truly international marketplace.”
Cassidian announced their next high grade
encryption device at the show. ECTOCRYP
YELLOW is Cassidian’s next stage in sovereign
UK cryptographic development and will utilise
CESG’s preferred solution for network layer
cryptography (PRIME Suite A). ECTOCRYP
YELLOW is a desktop, interoperable basis for
highly secure strategic and tactical networks. In
addition, the software can be fully updated in
the field and upgrades can be performed
remotely for deployed units. With insignificant
latency, ECTOCRYP YELLOW eliminates the
overhead of crypto on a network and provides
transparent operation to users. ECTOCRYP
YELLOW is in the final stages of evaluation and
conformance testing and full CAPS certification
is expected later this year. The core product in
the ECTOCRYP family is BLUE, which is one of
Europe’s only HAIPE-certified remotely operated cryptographic device. The ECTOCRYP
BLUE solution can transfer information classified up to Top Secret across public networks
allowing organisations to minimise the risk of
cyber-attack.
Cobham presented the AMULET, a robotmounted standoff Mine and IED Detection
System. The Ground Penetration Radar (GPR)
can be integrated on every UGV or vehicle, just
more modules will be placed next to each
other. To search an area the UGVs can also be
used in a swarm function, if the UGV can do
that.
Colt in cooperation with Systematic and
Skywatch exhibited a technology demonstrator
of SWORD (Sniper Weapon and Observer
Reconnaissance Devices). This is a network for
sniper and spotter up to the higher command.
The CZ PP-09 is the latest high capacity service pistol from CZ and is following the design
of the successful and compact CZ 75 P-07.
The CZ P-09 is offering some improvements: a
better OMEGA trigger mechanism, new shape
of the trigger blade for a better trigger reach, a
highly resistant polymer frame reinforced with
fibreglass with a long accessory rail under the
78
barrel. The safety and decocker is interchangeable, also the ergonomic grip was improved
and can now be adjusted to three different
sizes thanks to backstraps.The CZ P-09
9x19mm pistol has a magazine capacity of
19+1 a length of 205mm with a 115mm barrel
and a weight of 840 grams.
General Dynamics European Land SystemsGermany (GDELS-G) was awarded with the BS
11000 certification (UK certification – comparable with ISO certification) during DSEi.
Jankel launched their BLASTech seating,
where protection is delivered by allowing the
seat to move and absorb the impact of the initial blast, as well as the secondary slam down
of the vehicle, reducing the severity of injuries
to the spine and brain.
Andrew Jankel, CEO remarked at DSEi, “a
classic Jankel moment is the blast attenuation
seat. We couldn’t find anything that met our
needs or the needs of our customers. People
weren’t getting the protection they needed in
the event of their vehicle meeting an IED, so we
developed our own.”
Jenoptik presented the CATPackXS power
and stabilisation electronics, which according
to the company, should be part of all upcoming
combat vehicles. The new version is nearly
60% lighter than the old system (LEOPARD ca.
85kg) and 50% smaller.
Lista are the world leading manufacturer and
supplier of storage and workspace equipment.
Lista’s products provide a cost effective and
simple solution that increases the efficiency of
static or deployable stores and maintenance
facilities. Some of their major advantages of
modern solutions supplied by Lista are, space
saving, immediate inventory control, computerbased inventory, protection of sensitive components, tools and spare parts, individualised
access control, and quick and simple locating
of spare parts. During DSEi, and for the first
time in Europe, Lista exhibited their new
weapon storage solution integrated in to their
drawer storage wall.
NAMMO presented the new SWIMMER
ammunition, which according to the company,
should be very effective against small speed
boats. The ammunition can shoot/fly through
waves and hit small boats more easily. Other
NAMMO topics at DSEi were: shoulder
launched weapons and the NAMMO 25 mm
APEX ammunition for the F-35.
Polaris presented their MV850 (Germany will
be getting seven) and the four-seater MRZR 4,
as well as the start of series production of their
TERRAINARMOR (subsidary of POLARIS) nonpneumativ tire. The tire should have the same
features and comfort like a normal one, but is
Bren-Tronics’ new foldable charger.
unbreakable. This tire is only offered for the
MV850.
Among its advanced Air Defence Systems,
Rafael was displaying multi-purpose, tactical,
guided missile systems, like their SPIKE family,
EO systems (LITENING, RECCELITE, and
TOPLITE), and the TYPHOON MLS-NLOS, a
complete naval missile system. See www.
miltechmag.com/ for more information.
RUAG exhibited their completely lead-free
cartridges 5.56mmx45 LF HC SX (lead-free SS109 or M-855), which has been qualified
together with the Luxembourg Armed Forces in
Pendine/UK in May 2013.
Saab presented their CBRN solutions:
Vehicle, training and sensor. The vehicle is for
CBRN specialists with sampling and transport
equipment. The training can simulate a virtual
gas cloud so the soldiers can work and train
with the real equipment. Instead of giving the
sensors only into the hands of CBRN experts,
SAAB suggests to spread them as wide as
possible. So every vehicle or stationary use can
use the sensor to cover a wide area. Through
the automatic reporting and warning system
the CBRN experts would be informed and can
drive to the position of interest. So soldiers
don’t have to know the sensor works, they just
have to carry it, and the rest is done by the system. The system was shown at Eurosatory for
the first time. The Swedish Army is using it in
about eight vehicles. The equipment also has a
special vest for CBRN personnel and a small
carrier vest for infantry men to carry the sensor.
Sagem integrated the Metrovib PEARL
acoustic sensor into their family of optic sensors like JIM LR, SWORD, etc. If the shooter or
spotter is shot at, the information (direction and
range) is presented directly in the optic with red
arrows or a green dot (enemy position). It also
indicates the calibre. An upgrade of older systems should also be possible; according to the
company it is only a software upgrade and a rail
on top of JIM LR/SWORD.
Sagem also presented the new SMART vest,
in cooperation with NFM from Norway, extensively covered in MT 9/13.
ST Kinetics was showcasing its multiple
engineering capabilities in armoured and emergency response vehicles, weapon systems,
ammunition, and transmissions. These included the WARTHOG All Terrain Vehicle (ATV) and
the EXTREMV Emergency Response Vehicle
(ERV), an evolution of the highly successful
BRONCO family of all-terrain tracked vehicles.
For all of STK’s products on show, please see
http://www.miltechmag.com/2013/09/dsei2013-st-kinetics-showcasing.html.
Vectronix exhibited their range of products.
The PLR 10/PLR F25C BT was combined/integrated with the Kestrel HORUS via Blue Tac.
So the range measured with the PLR can be
shown and used by the Kestrel ballistic calculator. The information can also be used by the
Software Data Viewer (for Sniper), that runs on
all PDA/tablets (with HD resolution) with WIN
7/8 or Android and is available from Vectronix
for free. Krestel will come up with a new version
during next year. The Krestel system is in use
with the US Army and the UK Police. The optic
sensor can be programmed in the Kestrell
Horus and the ballistic (calibre) of the weapon.
The system should increase the probability of a
1st shot hit.
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www.miltechmag.com
Defence Issues Raised in Parliament
India Develops Counter-IED Robots: DRDO has developed the
DAKSHA Remotely Operated Vehicle (ROV), which is an automated
mobile platform for multi-purpose payloads. It is an electrically powered
state-of-the-art Robot capable of being remotely controlled over a
distance of 500 metres line-of-sight and can be utilised continuously for
3 hours before recharge. It has stair climbing capability and can be used
for handling Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs). Technology for
production of ROV has been transferred to Ordnance Factory Board
(OFB). Limited Series Production (LSP) order for 20 DAKSHAs placed by
the Army has already been delivered. This information was given by
Defence Minister Shri AK Antony in a written reply to Shri M. Anandanin
Lok Sabha.
Second Test Flight of AGNI 5 Successful: India’s AGNI 5 Long
Range Ballistic Missile, capable of delivering a warhead with high
precision, was recently successfully launched in a repeat of spectacular
maiden launch last year. A symbol of DRDO’s technological excellence
and India’s strength, the missile took off majestically at 0850h from
DRDO’s Launch Complex at Wheeler’s Island, off the coast of Odisha,
flew on a pre-defined path and reached its destination with expected
precision.
The missile, powered by three stage solid rocket motors had a flawless, spectacular launch in auto mode and followed its entire trajectory in
textbook manner, dropping the three motors at pre-defined stages into
the ocean. The ships located in mid-range and at the target point tracked
the vehicle and witnessed the final event. All the radars and EO systems
- ship based and those based on ground stations along the path monitored the performance parameters of the missile and displayed
information on real time.
DefMin Shri AK Antony congratulated DRDO Chief Shri Avinash
Chander and his team of scientists for the successful second test flight
of AGNI-5 ballistic missile. In a message, Shri Antony said this success
reinforces the capability of Indian defence scientists in designing
complex missile systems.
India and Kyrgyzstan to Increase Defence Co-Operation:
Maj.Gen. Taalaibek Omuraliev, Minister of Defence of the Kyrgyz
Republic, who was on an official visit to India from 11-15 September 2013
held a meeting with DefMin Shri AK Antony. Both Ministers discussed a
range of issues of mutual interest concerning bilateral defence
cooperation and also shared views on security issues. Both sides
reaffirmed their desire to further enhance bilateral defence cooperation
in areas of interest such as training, UN Peacekeeping and defence
industry cooperation. Both side also agreed to take steps to enhance
cooperation between the Armed Forces of both countries.
Defence Production, Procurement,
R&D News
India Signs $55M in Deals With Russia’s MiG Fighter Jet Maker:
Russia’s MiG fighter jet maker has signed two additional contracts with
India worth a total $55 million. They are part of a general contract with
India’s Air Force (IAF). Under the first, $43 million contract, a servicing
centre will be established in India for maintenance and repair of Zhuk-ME
on-board radars. The second, $12 million contract provides for the
creation in India of a servicing centre for modernised MiG-29UPG fighter
jets. Russia will deliver six MiG-29K FULCRUM Generation 4++ fighters
to India this year as part of a 2010 contract for 29 planes worth $1.5
billion. India currently has 21 aircraft. Under the contract, MiG is to deliver
29 planes before 2015. Last year, four aircraft were delivered and one has
been delivered so far this year.
Textron to Integrate SFW on Indian JAGUARs: Textron Defense
Systems has been awarded a $9 million contract modification for the
development of the remote terminal interface control document for the
munitions control unit to integrate the sensor fuzed weapon on the Indian
JAGUAR aircraft. Work is expected to be completed by 15 May 2014.
India Will Raise Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) in Defence
Sector: Commerce and Industry minister Anand Sharma has expressed
confidence that India will raise the limit for FDI in the defence sector,
indicating that Defence Minister A.K. Antony’s reservations are part of
the wider discussion process in the government.
“This is a dialogue within the government...we will continue to engage
with each other... nobody is opposed when it comes to induction of new
technologies of manufacturing systems in the country. I am sure that will
happen and we will discuss it among ourselves,” Sharma said on 5 July
in Mauritius, where he attended the Indian Ocean Rim Association for
Regional Cooperation (IOR-ARC) Economic and Business Conference.
The comments came after DefMin Antony expressed his reservations on
further opening of the defence production to foreign investors, upsetting
the ambitious reform that is being driven by the ministries of finance and
commerce and industry. A committee headed by Economic Affairs
Secretary Arvind Mayaram had proposed raising the FDI limit in the
sector to 49% from 26% as part of the government’s ambitious reforms
drive to ease restrictions to attract stable capital flows to fund India’s
large current account deficit.
C-17 GLOBEMASTER III Inducted into the IAF: “C-17 will Provide
Quantum Leap to our Leap to Our Airlift Capability,” according to DefMin
Antony. Giving impetus to the long standing strategic airlift of the IAF
Force, DefMin Antony in September 2013 formally inducted the Boeing
C-17 GLOBEMASTER III into the IAF at a special ceremony held at
Hindan airbase of the IAF. The Induction ceremony was attended by a
host of dignitaries including the Minister of State for Defence Shri
Jitendra Singh, the Chief of the Air Staff Air Chief Marshal N A K Browne,
Vice Chief of the Air Staff Air Marshal Arup Raha, Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief Western Air Command Air Marshal SS Soman, the US
Ambassador to India Ms Nancy Powell and other Senior Officials of the
IAF, USAF and Air warriors of the newly formed C-17 squadron
SKYLORDS.
Shri Antony said the government had expedited the process of procuring 10 C-17 GLOBEMASTER III from the US as part of the FMS
programme because it was felt that there was a need for a capable
strategic airlift platform.
Presently three aircraft have been delivered and are operational. The
newly
inducted
C-17
Squadron (81 Squadron)
will be based in Hindan.
Indian Air Force at
Joint Base Charleston
receiving
training instruction
from the 373rd Training
Squadron Detachment
5 for C-17 maintenance
training.
(Photo: USAF)
Russia will deliver six MiG-29K FULCRUM
Generation 4++ fighters to India this year as part
of a 2010 contract for 29 planes worth $1.5 billion.
(Photo: Mikoyan)
80
Global Market-Place
ASIA-PACIFIC
US to Sell Helicopters to Indonesia: In a first-of-itskind deal worth about $500 million, the US has agreed
to sell eight new APACHE AH-64E attack helicopters
and LONGBOW radars to Indonesia, US Defense
Secretary Chuck Hagel explained on 26 August. Hagel
announced the deal during a joint news conference
with Indonesian Defense Minister Purnomo
Yusgiantoro after productive meetings this afternoon
with Yusgiantoro and earlier today with President Susilo
Bambang Yudhoyono.
The two militaries recently launched an initiative to share
best practices in defence planning and management to increase
Indonesian military capability.
US Significantly Boosts Military Funding For SE Asia: The US has
announced a major increase in US funding for military education and
training programmes in Southeast Asia. US Defense Secretary Chuck
Hagel made the announcement in August 2013 during a speech at the
Malaysian Institute of Defence and Security in Kuala Lumpur. He said the
latest Pentagon budget includes $90 million for the programmes, an
increase of more than 50% compared to four years ago. The decision
comes as Washington is shifting its strategic focus increasingly toward
the Asia-Pacific region. Hagel said the US administration is seeking to
“rebalance” diplomatic, economic and security engagements with the
Asia Pacific “to reflect Southeast Asia’s emerging prominence and
importance.”
Beijing has expressed concern over America’s growing interest in the
region, viewing it as an attempt to encircle China and embolden its
neighbours. China has unresolved disputes with several countries,
including Vietnam and the Philippines, over portions of the South China
Sea. In his speech, Hagel stressed the importance of having emerging
powers such as China and India participate in a new security architecture
for the region. He argued that security is a critical foundation for
prosperity in Southeast Asia, saying trade “cannot flourish in waters that
are contested by force.”
Raytheon Wins SE Asia Border Security Order: Raytheon was
awarded a Defense Threat Reduction Agency (DTRA) maritime border
security contract for the Philippines. Valued at up to $18 million if all options are exercised, this is Raytheon’s first border security-related contract in Southeast Asia.
Under the two-year base contract, Raytheon will design and construct
a National Coast Watch Center (NCWC); support integration of data from
various agencies into the NCWC; and provide acquisition, installation
and training on an automatic identification system as well as radio
communications for the Government of the Philippines. The contract
was awarded July 2013, and will end 31 July 2015.
“The Philippines contract extends Raytheon’s border security
solutions portfolio to Southeast Asia and confirms that our integration
solutions, program management leadership and international expertise
are valuable as we expand our support of customers around the world,”
said David Appel, Director of Surveillance, Range, and Infrastructure
Solutions for Raytheon’s Intelligence, Information and Services
business. “With this contract, Raytheon continues its role in providing
critical services and solutions to help other countries deter, detect and
interdict illicit weapons and materials that could harm their citizens.”
Russia to Deliver 12 Su-30 Fighter Jets to Vietnam: Russia will
deliver another batch of 12 Sukhoi Su-30MK2 fighter aircraft under a
recent contract worth about $450 million. The Su-30s are expected to be
delivered to Vietnam in 2014-2015. Russia has delivered a total of 20
Su-30 fighter jets under two previous contracts signed in 2009 and 2010.
Qinetiq to Support Republic of Korea Submarine Development
Programme: QinetiQ Maritime has secured a contract from Daewoo
Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering (DSME) to support the development
of the Republic of Korea submarine programme. QinetiQ will be conducting submarine free-running model tests, which will include building
the submarine model and testing it in its Ocean Basin in Gosport, UK.
QinetiQ will also be running deep water tests at a separate location.
DSME was selected to build two 3,000t class conventional submarines by the Korean Defense Acquisition Program Administration. The
project, called Jangbogo-III, will have Korean shipyards build these nextgeneration submarines for the Korean Navy.
Boeing Wins Order for Korean APACHE Block III Helicopters:
Boeing was awarded a $904 million contract for 36 new Block III APACHE
helicopters (AH-64E) for the Republic of Korea to include logistical
support, spares and one LONGBOW crew trainer. This
contract is an approved FMS to the Republic of Korea.
Longbow Receives ROK Apache Radar Systems
Contract: The Longbow company, a joint venture of
Lockheed Martin and Northrop Grumman, received a
$51 million FMS contract to provide the ROK with
LONGBOW Fire Control Radars (FCRs) for the AH-64E
APACHE attack helicopter. The contract includes six
LONGBOW FCR systems, spares and in-country support.
Production is scheduled through 2016, with assembly of the
LONGBOW FCR performed at Lockheed Martin’s Ocala and Orlando, FL/USA facilities, and Northrop Grumman’s Baltimore, MD/USA
facility.
“The Republic of Korea is the 10th international customer for LONGBOW systems,” said Tom Eldredge, Longbow President and Director
of LONGBOW Programs at Lockheed Martin Missiles and Fire Control. “The LONGBOW FCR is a battle-proven radar system that will provide Republic of Korea APACHE pilots with increased situational awareness, survivability and lethality.”
Singapore to Buy ASTER 30 Missiles, Upgrade F-16 Fighters:
Singapore Minister for Defence Dr. Ng Eng Hen has recently announced
the acquisition of MBDA ASTER 30 medium-range air-defence missiles
in a reply to a question in parliament. The ASTER will replace the
I-HAWKs currently in service. The statement also described how the
ASTER 30s would fit into the island-state’s layered air defence.
“Newly expanded and improved airbases together with advanced
fighter fleets protected by a multi-layered air defence shield will
ensure that the Royal Singaporean Air Force (RSAF) maintains its
deterrent edge and continues to be an effective and formidable
Air Force,” said Singapore Minister for Defence Dr. Ng Eng Hen.
(Photo: Singapore MoD)
“The ASTER-30’s capabilities are many times more potent than our
current I-HAWK ground-based air defence system,” said the DefMin.
“The ASTER will allow us to engage multiple threats simultaneously and
from a longer distance. It will complement the SPYDER, which we have
already operationalised - it is a mobile, shorter-range, quick reaction
ground-based air defence system - and together, they will provide a
layered air defence shield.”
Ng also said Singapore would upgrade its F-16 fighters and evaluate
the F-35 as a potential replacement fighter.
“The Royal Singaporean Air Force (RSAF) will also be looking to
upgrade its fighter fleet,” he explained. “We plan to upgrade our F-16s to
modernise their avionics and extend their lifespan. Our F-15SGs were
recently acquired and have proven themselves in recent multilateral
military exercises with advanced Air Forces like those from the US and
Australia during Exercise ‘Cope Tiger’ and Exercise ‘Pitch Black.’ Also, as
announced at the Committee of Supply in March this year, we are
evaluating the suitability of advanced multi-role F-35 JSFs in meeting our
long-term security needs to further modernise our fighter fleet and
replace our older aircraft.”
81
News
studied is the assembly of Turkish
helicopters in Brazil and of
Brazilian aircraft in Turkey.
The space group will address
the possibility of cooperation on
launch systems and satellite
(sensing and communications). C2
will have a central focus on military
communications (with possible
civilian applications), through a
technology called Software Defined Radio (SDR). Brazil is interested in developing this technology, which will, among other
things, provide significant gains for
direct communications between
the Brazilian armed forces, thereby
improving their performance, for
example, in military operations.
The fifth group will address the
area of cyber defence, based on
the experience gained so far by the
military forces of the two nations.
Brazil will send a delegation to
attend the International Cyber
Warfare and Security that Turkey
will organize in November in
Ankara.
Netherlands Officially Selects F-35 to Replace F-16
On 20 August, an F-35 Lightning II carrier variant (CV) refuelled
from a USAF KC-135 for the first time. With the completion of this
test, the F-35C joins the A and B models in proving that all three
variants of the F-35 can be refuelled from a common tanker
platform, despite different methods. The aircraft, known as CF-1,
was piloted by Lt.Col. Patrick Moran. Earlier this month, the Strike
Fighter Squadron (VFA) 101, the Navy’s first F-35C Lightning II
carrier variant aircraft squadron, completed its first flight at Eglin
Air Force Base, FL/USA.
(Photo: Lockheed Martin)
Brazil and Turkey Create Groups to Study Defence
Development Projects
Brazil and Turkey will strengthen
bilateral cooperation in defence
through the creation of five working
groups to study partnerships in
the naval, aeronautics, space, C2,
and cyber defence fields. The decision was the result of an official trip
in August by Brazilian Defence
Minister Celso Amorim, who met
with Turkish political, military and
corporate executives in Ankara.
The decision to create working
groups was taken after talks between Amorim and the Minister of
National Defence of Turkey, Ismet
Yilmaz.
The groups will consist of civil
and military representatives of
both governments, and should also count on the participation of defence manufacturers from both
countries.
Defence
cooperation
with
Turkey is based on the central idea
that the two countries - nations
with similar levels of development,
with no conflicts of interest and
pursuing increasing participation
in the international arena - have
much to gain from the development of common projects, both
economically and strategically.
In the naval area, the teams will
study the feasibility of exchanging
82
information and the possible joint
development of escort ships, like
frigates and corvettes. Turkey has
designed and built a corvette
whose requirements and characteristics are of interest to Brazil.
Brazil also has a local corvette
design that served as the basis for
the construction of a new class of
Navy corvettes, the BARROSO.
This group will also discuss
possible cooperation in fields such
as sensors and electronic warfare.
The aeronautics group will
focus on aircraft, helicopters and
UAS projects. Turkey has undertaken military attack helicopter and
UAS projects using nationallydeveloped avionics, and also has
experience in integrating and
manufacturing parts and components of civil and military aircraft.
Brazil, for its part, is also developing UAS and, through Embraer, has
extensive experience in the
manufacture of both civil and military aircraft. The idea is to discuss
partnership opportunities in this
segment, essentially for dual-use
(civil and military) aircraft, including
negotiations on Turkey’s plan, now
in initial development, to develop a
5th-generation fighter. In this field,
one of the possibilities to be
The Royal Netherlands Air Force will decommission
the last F-16s in the mid-2020s.
(Photo: Royal Netherlands Air Force)
In an official statement, the
Netherlands government has selected the F-35 as the F-16 replacement. Compared with the
current fleet of F-16s, the Royal
Netherlands Air Force (RNLAF) will
in future deploy fewer F-35s for
longer periods of time. In addition
to the permanent deployment for
the protection of Dutch and allied
airspace, with 37 F-35s the
Netherlands will continue to be
able to deploy four fighter aircraft,
simultaneously and continuously,
to support Dutch ground troops as
was done in Uruzgan and is still
being done in Kunduz. In 2014, the
current number of F-16s will be
reduced by seven, to 61. This will
reduce the investment costs involved in maintaining the F 16 for a
longer period of time. The seven
aircraft will be added to the logistic
reserve, to improve the deployability of the remaining 61. The
deployability goals for the period
up to the replacement of the F-16
will be adjusted accordingly. The
F-16s and pilots stationed in the
Netherlands will be divided into
three squadrons.
On the basis of the current estimated timescale, the introduction
of the F 35 will begin in 2019. The
RNLAF will decommission the last
F-16s in the mid-2020s. As the
noise regulations in the Netherlands do not permit concentration
of all aircraft at one air base, Volkel
and Leeuwarden will both remain in
operation as the two Dutch fighter
air bases. In 2015, however, the
status of Leeuwarden will be
changed from a Main Operating
Base to a Deployed Operating
Base. This means that the functionalities of the base will be limited
to the necessary minimum. The
overheads will be concentrated at
Volkel Air Base.
VTS Radar Successes for Kelvin Hughes in Australia
Kelvin Hughes, a world leader in
the design and supply of navigation and surveillance systems, has
won a number of Vessel Traffic
Service (VTS) Radar System contracts with Australian Maritime
Systems, which is a leading VTS
supplier in Australia
All of these contracts involve the
supply of SHARPEYE SBS-800
radars with enhanced pulse compression and Doppler processing.
One of the latest in a long line of industry firsts from Kelvin Hughes,
the SHARPEYE radar system,
available in both X and S band
frequencies, represents a radical
and innovative departure from
current maritime radar technology,
according to the company. The
radar has no magnetron and uses a
coherent transmission, making it
capable of separating small targets
from clutter due to their differing
radial velocity components. The
benefits this brings in terms of safer
shipping operations, together with
its very low through-life costs,
account for the growing demand
for SHARPEYE.
(Graphic: Kelvin Hughes)
Kelvin Hughes was contracted
to supply two SHARPEYE Upmast
transceiver X-Band radars with the
innovative Kelvin Hughes low profile antennas that reduce windage
as part of a system designed to
protect what is set to be Australia’s
largest offshore platform.
In addition to the offshore system, the Wheatstone project also
encompasses an onshore VTS
system, focusing on the monitoring
and management of traffic at an
LNG terminal to be constructed
near Onslow, Western Australia. As
with the Wheatstone platform,
Kelvin Hughes has supplied
SHARPEYE Upmast transceiver
X-Band radars with a Kelvin
Hughes low profile antenna.
To ensure safe operations at the
Port of Darwin, which is Australia’s
closest port to SE Asia and over 18
times the size of Sydney Harbour, a
VTS system is being installed for
which Kelvin Hughes was contracted to supply two SHARPEYE
Upmast transceiver X-Band radars
and low profile antennas.
The Port of Dampier, located in
the Pilbara Region of Western Australia, is the world’s second largest
bulk export port and also a major
port for rig tenders servicing the
offshore gas fields. A 60% increase
in marine traffic over the last 10
years has led to the installation of a
new VTS centre for which Kelvin
Hughes has supplied two SHARPEYE Upmast transceiver X-Band
radars both with their low profile
antennas.
Robert Kleist, Kelvin Hughes’
Head of Sales for the ASEAN
region,
commented,
“this
succession of contract wins is
highly gratifying for us as it
highlights the superiority of the
SHARPEYE radar system when it
comes to protecting shipping and
demonstrates the range of our
global reach.”
Multiple Successes in Asia for
SHARPEYE and MANTADIGITAL
Kelvin Hughes Surveillance is a
division of Kelvin Hughes that focuses on naval, coastal and
military markets to supply surveillance radar technologies into land
and sea environments. Since the
launch of SHARPEYE, the advanced solid state radar is increasingly ordered by Navies throughout
Asia.
Successful demonstration of
Kelvin Hughes’ SHARPEYE radar,
and
the
associated
Naval
MANTADIGITAL tactical display,
has recently resulted in six orders
by Asian Navies and shipyards.
The recent wins in Asia include
SHARPEYE supply for the Royal
Thai Navy as part of a retrofit programme, and to the Pakistan Navy
through a US Navy ship transfer
programme. Kelvin Hughes will
also supply SHARPEYE to the
Royal Malaysian Navy and the
Republic of China Navy – Taiwan.
Kelvin Hughes has also seen recent success in the Indonesian
Coastal Surveillance market as a
supplier to the Bakorkamla and
DGST programme for radar installations on the islands and a commercial port respectively.
Rohan Dearlove, Head of
Sales Central Region at Kelvin
Hughes, stated, “we are very
proud of our recent achievements
in the Asian market and also proud
to be the radar supplier for the UK
MOD’s MARS programme.”
L-3 WESCAM Selected to Provide the
Royal Danish Air Force with MX-15 Imaging Turrets
The Danish Defence Acquisition
and Logistics Organisation (DALO)
has awarded L-3 WESCAM an
acquisition and sustainment contract to provide a minimum of eight
MX-15 EO/IR imaging systems for
the Royal Danish Air Force’s
(RDAF) EH101 aircraft. System
deliveries are expected to be
complete by 2014.
Installation of the turrets will be
done by DALO, while certification
Eurofighter TYPHOON has now achieved more than 200,000 flying hours since the entry-into-service of its worldwide fleet.
Eurofighter Jagdflugzeug confirmed the milestone adding that, with 719 aircraft on contract, 571 aircraft ordered and 378 aircraft
delivered, the programme has never looked stronger. Alberto Gutierrez, CEO of Eurofighter Jagdflugzeug said: “This impressive
milestone underlines the outstanding track-record of the Eurofighter Typhoon. Today, our congratulations go to all the air forces who
have achieved this target, to more than 100,000 employees in Europe who are involved in the development manufacturing and supply
chain as well as to all the 400 companies who support us on a daily basis with their know-how and competences. This is indeed a proud
day for all of them and a landmark day for Europe’s largest defence programme. Every day our aircraft are protecting the skies in Europe,
the Middle East and even in the Southern hemisphere. They are on Quick Reaction Alert (QRA) duty 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
Eurofighter Typhoon is combat proven since the Libya operations and is now gaining considerable momentum – indeed the programme
has never looked stronger. It has become the backbone of the Air Forces in the UK, Germany, Italy, Spain and Austria. When the chips
are down, air chiefs want an aircraft that is versatile, reliable, resilient and cost-effective. Eurofighter Typhoon fulfills all of these
requirements and the operational experiences gained during these flying hours have proven it.” (Photo: Eurofighter)
83
The MX-15’s all-digital, highdefinition EO and IR cameras
will provide increased visual
range and wider fields-of-view
than traditional standarddefinition cameras.
In addition, the systems will be
configured with a zoom TV,
high-magnification spotter TV,
two laser sensors and MX-GEO
Gen. 3 – a package that includes
GEO-Scan, GEO-Tracking and
Adaptive-GEO technologies.
Together, this software suite
helps deliver maximum
geographic location accuracy
and significantly reduces
operator workload in demanding
and stressful operations.
(Photo: L-3 WESCAM)
and configuration management
will be provided by Agusta
Westland. The newly equipped
EH101s will then be deployed to
the RDAF’s 722 Squadron in
support of RDAF Tactical Troop
Transport
(TTT)
operations,
training exercises within Denmark
and possible future use in mission
theatres globally. Maintenance of
the MX-15 systems will be
performed by DALO at its existing
maintenance
facility
in
Frederikshavn, Denmark.
“This order pairs the most
modern TTT helicopter with an
advanced EO/IR sensor suite that
provides crucial day/night imaging
manufacture, plus integrated
SCISYS
logistic
support);
(software and integration); Attica
Consulting (security and communications); KNK (concepts and
doctrine);
Polaris
Consulting
(whole life cost modelling), and
Safety Assurance Services (safety
and environmental work).
The FDG system includes a fleet
of 11 GDELS Mowag DURO II 6x6
vehicles acting as a two-man
tactical
exploitation
working
environment and used for tactical
information collection and GEOINT
analysis. FDG also delivers three
vehicle-mounted
containers
equipped as TMDP (tactical map
distribution points) and operated
by a two-man team.
“This UK-designed and built system, using COTS software, elevates the collection, dissemination
and effectiveness of geospatial intelligence on the battlefield to a
new level,” said Andy Hannam,
Director of Commercial Geospatial Intelligence for Lockheed
Martin UK Information Systems
& Global Solutions. “There is
already strong overseas interest in
the technology.”
TDW Successfully Demonstrates Scaleable Warhead
Technology
capabilities for a broad range of
missions,” said Paul Jennison,
Vice President of Government
Sales and Business Development for L-3 WESCAM. “We are
proud to be selected as a contributor to this important fleet enhancement programme and are
looking forward to a long and successful partnership with the RDAF,
DALO and AgustaWestland.”
The MX-15 system has been engineered as a single line replacement unit solution, which reduces
installation weight by 25% and increases
much-needed
cabin
space for transporting equipment,
evacuees and personnel.
Jenoptik Delivers Equipment for LEOPARD 2
Jenoptik Defense & Civil
Systems will equip a total of 62
LEOPARD 2 MBTs with series production units for the mirror head by
mid-2016. The order in the singledigit million euro range has been
received from a leading German
systems company. The series production units for the mirror head
are part of the LEOPARD 2 gunner’s targeting device. They help to
stabilise the field of vision when the
tank is moving over uneven terrain.
“Jenoptik has been a key
supplier of subsystems and com-
ponents for military land vehicles
such as the Leopard 2 for many
years,” said Jenoptik CEO
Michael Mertin. “The order for the
Leopard series once again shows
that our solutions are at the cutting
edge of technology.”
Jenoptik had already announced a major order for the
Defense & Civil Systems division in
June 2013. This involved the delivery of NYXUS BIRD thermal
imaging target acquisition systems
to upgrade the equipment used by
the German Armed Forces.
New Geospatial Intelligence Capability for British Army
A new development in battlefield
geospatial intelligence (GEOINT)
that will provide significantly
improved situational awareness
(SA) for the British Army has been
delivered by Lockheed Martin UK
Information Systems & Global
Solutions (IS&GS) and its industry
team, Team SOCRATES. The team
has developed a coherent set of
deployable GEOINT capabilities
and services under the Future Deployable GEOINT (FDG) programme, which will be provided to
the UK’s Joint Force Intelligence
Group (JFIG). FDG provides soldiers with field deployable GEOINT
exploitation and map production
capabilities to support strategic to
tactical level operations. It will
84
enable commanders to dynamically and rapidly brief and equip their
frontline troops for operations with
up-to-date, customised and digital
GEOINT.
The TIGAS (Tactical Information
and Geospatial Analysis System)
technology consolidates, enhances and extends existing
battlefield GEOINT capabilities
and upgrades digital geoservers,
initially introduced under Urgent
Operational Requirements (UORs),
with new virtualised variants.
Team SOCRATES comprises
Lockheed Martin UK as prime and
overall
systems
integrator
responsible for hardware and software integration; Marshall Land
Systems (container design and
With this successful test, the Schrobenhausen-based company
has demonstrated not only the high maturity of the technology, but
also the possibility of its integration into existing effector systems.
This opens the door to capability extension in air-to-ground roles
for Air Forces. The technology can be integrated, for example, into
precision guided bombs. The German Air Force’s EUROFIGHTERs
and TORNADOs are equipped with such weapon systems.
In principle, the effector technology can also be employed in Army
and Navy missiles.
(Photo: TDW)
Engineers at TDW, a subsidiary
of MBDA, have developed a new
effector technology that gives
Armed Forces the ability to achieve
scalable target-adapted effectiveness, which was successfully
tested recently. The demonstration, which took place on the
grounds of Bundeswehr Technical
Centre 91 (WTD 91) in Meppen,
used 100kg of explosive in a Mk82
shell with a scalable warhead. The
effect of the tested warhead was
comparable to the effect of 10kg
of high explosive. The purpose of
the test was to significantly reduce
the effective radius, i.e. to be able
to effectively engage targets while
at the same time minimising the
damage to nearby buildings and
vehicles.
“We’ve been working for some
years on technological approaches
to solving this problem. We’ve now
demonstrated that this technology
actually works. This success is
another step forward in the flexibility of advanced future effectors,”
Helmut Hederer, Managing Director of TDW explained.
Selex ES and Ultra CCS Chosen for British Army
WARRIOR Situational Awareness
Selex ES, a Finmeccanica company, and partner Ultra Electronics
Command & Control Systems have
been awarded a contract by prime
contractor Lockheed Martin UK –
Ampthill for the supply of driver’s
and local situational awareness
(SAcameras for the Demonstration
phase of the British Army’s
WARRIOR vehicle upgrades.
As part of the £1 billion
WARRIOR Capability Sustainment
MBDA and Lockheed Martin Co-Operation Achieves
First Missile Launch from a MK 41 Launcher
The camera solution consists of a combination of the Selex ES
Driver’s Night Vision System 4 (DNVS4) sensor and the Ultra CCS
HUBE cameras fitted around the vehicle. Compliance of the
Selex ES DNVS4 with the UK’s Generic Vehicle Architecture (GVA)
ensures that the solution is future proofed against any further
capability enhancements that may be required for the vehicle
through its life. (Photo: Selex ES)
Programme (WCSP) to upgrade
the WARRIOR vehicle, the new
driver’s and local SA cameras will
provide the WARRIOR’s crew with
an under armour capability to see
360° around the vehicle and drive
by indirect view under both day and
night conditions. Initially, the
camera solution will be supplied for
up to 13 WARRIOR vehicles. Following a successful Demonstration
phase, a manufacturing contract is
expected in 2016 which will see the
camera system fitted to several
hundred WARRIOR vehicles.
“Selex ES has previously provided night vision and vehicle SA
cameras for a majority of British
Army vehicles including VIKING,
CHALLENGER
II,
MASTIFF,
RIDGBACK, WOLFHOUND and
WARTHOG,” said Mike Gilbert,
SVP Optronics UK at Selex ES.
“Building on this heritage, our
collaboration with Ultra CCS brings
the best of both companies
together to provide an exceptional
visual capability for the WARRIOR
crews.”
“Ultra CCS is proud to be involved on the WARRIOR Programme,” said Mike Williams,
Managing Director at Ultra CCS.
“The collaboration between Selex
ES and Ultra CCS is a great
example of two British companies
working together and using their
combined
knowledge
and
experience to provide the optimum
camera solution.”
To demonstrate the first launch
of a Common Anti-air Modular
Missile (CAMM) from Lockheed
Martin’s MK 41 Vertical Launching
System (VLS) launcher, the host
variant of MBDA’s Extensible
Launching System (ExLS) was
used. The test used MBDA’s soft
vertical launch technology to eject
the CAMM from its canister and
position the missile for main motor
ignition. The trial is the first in a series to demonstrate that the CAMM
can be installed using ExLS in vessels that use the MK 41 launcher or
on the 3-cell stand-alone ExLS
CAMM launcher.
Lockheed Martin, in
collaboration with MBDA, is
developing a 3-cell stand-alone
ExLS CAMM launcher for those
navies whose ships cannot
accommodate the larger MK 41
VLS but desire the superior
missile packing density,
survivability and reliability that
the 8-cell MK 41 launcher has
been offering for over 30 years
to 13 Navies worldwide.
(Photo: MBDA)
Rheinmetall Denel Wins Mortar Contract
Airborne Systems Awarded Contract to
Supply Anti-Missile Decoys to the US Navy
The US Navy has awarded a
contract to Airborne Systems, a
division of HDT Global, to supply its
Mk59 naval floating corner
reflector decoy system, valued at
$41.7 million over the next five
years and will see the decoy
system fitted to US frigates/
destroyers. “The U.S. Navy has
recognised the capability that the
Mk59 system offers, and to win this
contract is a major achievement for
Airborne Systems,” said Dr. Vicki
Panhuise, President, Airborne
Systems. “The award of this contract further confirms the position
of Airborne Systems as the world
leader in naval decoy technology.”
The Mk59 corner reflector decoy offers a unique
countermeasure protection against the most advanced
emerging RF seeking missiles.
(Photo: Airborne Systems)
Rheinmetall also sees the order as a validation of its strategy of
internationalisation. A presence in the MENA region and entering
into strategic partnerships could assist the Düsseldorf-based
group to further strengthen its reputation as a reliable partner
of the military as well as local industry. Shown 120mm Mortars.
(Photo: Rheinmetall)
Rheinmetall Denel Munition has
been awarded a €50 million contract to supply 120 mm mortar
ammunition to an undisclosed
Middle East/North African customer. The contract, which runs
for several years, will be completed
in partnership with a local company
in the customer country, with
delivery of the ammunition commencing in September next year.
“The order encompasses tens of
thousands of service, illumination
and smoke/obscurant rounds.
They are developed for a modern
120mm mobile mortar system, with
ballistic characteristics specifically
adapted to its advanced fire control
unit. The ammunition’s range of
over 8 000 metres and proven performance in battle underpin its
leading role in the market and with
it, Rheinmetall’s technological
leadership,” the company said.
85
Dassault Aviation Delivers a New FALCON 50M
to the DGA
The FALCON 50M is the first in a series of four state-owned FALCON
50B (initially operated by Etec, the French Air Force squadron that
ensured presidential and other official flights) to be transformed for
maritime surveillance missions. It will join four other FALCON 50M
jets in service in the French Navy since the early 2000s.
(Photo: Dassault Aviation / Pk Dhaud)
On 11 September 2013 in
Mérignac,
France,
Dassault
Aviation delivered a FALCON 50M
to the French defence procure-
ment agency DGA to ensure
maritime surveillance tasks. Delivery of the three other FALCON 50M
will be staggered up to early 2015.
Helibras has successfully
completed flight testing
of a chaff and flare
countermeasures dispensing
system for EC725 helicopters,
completing a first-of-its-kind
system integration project in
Brazil and marking another
key phase in Eurocopter’s
contract to supply 50 of these
Super Puma/Cougar family
rotorcraft to the Brazilian
armed forces.
(Photo: Eurocopter /
Anthony Pecchi)
Raytheon’s SM-3, AN/TPY-2 Successful in First-of-Kind
Operational Ballistic Missile Defence Test
Raytheon’s Standard Missile-3
(SM-3) Block IA guided missile and
AN/TPY-2 ballistic missile defence
radar played integral roles in the
success of Flight Test Operational01, the Missile Defense Agency’s
(MDA) first operational test of the
US Ballistic Missile Defense System. During the test, a SM-3 Block
IA guided missile fired from the
USS DECATUR (DDG 73) intercepted a medium-range ballistic
missile target. An AN/TPY-2 radar,
operating in forward-based mode,
detected,
discriminated
and
tracked the target throughout the
target’s trajectory
“The SM-3 and AN/TPY-2 are
two indispensable elements of the
Ballistic Missile Defense System,”
said Dr. Taylor W. Lawrence,
President of Raytheon Missile
Systems. “This operational test
proves our nation has capable, reliable systems deployed today defending the US and its allies against
the growing ballistic missile threat.”
“As ballistic missiles continue to
proliferate and the weapons become more sophisticated, it’s imperative the U.S. and our allies have
proven, reliable defensive systems
like SM-3 and AN/TPY-2,” said
Dan Crowley, President of
Raytheon Integrated Defense
Systems. “SM-3 and both modes
of the AN/TPY-2 are deployed
around the world today, protecting
warfighters, civilians and critical infrastructure.”
Kelvin Hughes to Undertake a Number of
New Radar Projects for the UK Mo
Kelvin Hughes is undertaking a
number of new projects for the
UK’s Royal Navy (RN) in addition to
the supply, installation and post
design services (PDS) work it is
86
already carrying out. In September
of last year, Kelvin Hughes was
contracted to supply integrated
bridge systems (IBS) and helicopter control radars for four
TIDE-class fleet tankers being built
for the UK Royal Fleet Auxiliary
(RFA). These ships – TIDESPRING,
TIDERACE, TIDESURGE, and
TIDEFORCE – represent the first
phase of the UK MOD’s Military
Afloat Reach and Sustainability
(MARS) programme, commissioned to maintain the RN’s ability
to refuel at sea and provide fuel to
warships and task groups.
The Kelvin Hughes IBS is based
on its state-of-the-art solid state
SHARPEYE radar sensor and
Naval MANTADIGITAL (NMD)
display,
bringing
significant
operational benefits such as a low
integration risk, enhanced operational capability and reduced
whole-life cost. Equipment delivery is scheduled to commence
in 2014. RFA ARGUS is the first
UK armed forces vessel to be
equipped with SHARPEYE radar
with its fully coherent transceiver
technology. The dedicated helicopter control radar replaces a
combined magnetron radar / RRB
fit and was installed in a very short
time during a recent refit. Integrated within the vessel’s RFACTS
command system, SHARPEYE,
with its Doppler processing, is
capable of detecting helicopters in
the rain.
Contracted by QinetiQ on behalf
of the Defence Science and
Technology Laboratory, a trading
fund of the MoD, Kelvin Hughes
has installed a SHARPEYE radar
system on-board RFA FORT
ROSALIE where it is currently
being evaluated for its capabilities
in detecting small, fast and agile
targets such as FIACs and other
swarming attack craft.
MAPAM Advanced Mortar System Improving Infantry
Mobility and Efficiency
Saab’s MAPAM offers close
combat deployment capabilities
by outstanding lethality in controlled area. It gives the decisive
advantage in combat provided to
soldiers, while also decreasing inadvertent damage and protecting
own troops. Due to clear separation of lethal-, danger-, and safetyzones, close combat is possible,
with low weight and usability with
every existing in service launcher
and in-service fuze (also with
different fuze modi).
New Exelis System Ensures Communications Capability
in Areas of Heavy Jamming or Electronic Interference
To allow continued communications in a heavily jammed battlefield environment, Exelis has recently unveiled a small, lightweight
Integrated Protection and Transmission System (iProTxS) that can
be quickly integrated with existing
radios and electronic countermeasure (ECM) equipment on both
mounted and dismounted platforms.
The use of jamming on the
battlefield by coalition forces has
become increasingly common and
complex, making effective communications difficult. Jammers are
typically located close to tactical
radios, both physically and in the
radio frequency domain, placing
significant constraints on communications and battlefield effectiveness. A single iProTxS system can
be paired with as many radio
systems as needed within an ECM
system area of operation, providing an easy and affordable
solution. The system integrates
with narrowband FM radio systems, AM systems, digital 4-FSK
frequency hopping, VHF, UHF,
combat net radio, TETRA and professional mobile radio frequencies.
“We are excited to bring this
capability to our products to help
improve operational communications in difficult jamming environments,” said Nick Bobay,
President of Exelis Night Vision
and Tactical Communications
Systems.
Exelis has incorporated this
technology into its wide-ranging
product portfolio to enhance the
capability of radios for its customers, as shown at DSEi 2013 (to
be read in the DSEi show report).
ATK’s XM1156 Precision Guidance Kit –
Entering Initial Production
GPS guidance and new technologies have helped solve the
conventional-artillery-off-of-the
battlefield problem, and while there
are currently fielded rounds offering publicly-disclosed CEP (Circular Error Probable, where 50% of
rounds hit within that radius) of 20
metres. Testing indicates a real
CEP of around 5m, but each shell
costs over $100,000, and must be
produced as a complete unit. Enter
artillery fuze and propellant maker
ATK’s XM1156 Precision Guidance
Kit (PGK), which screws into existing 155mm M549A1 and M795
shells, is very cost effective, and
offers a proven less than 30m CEP.
Reducing the risk of friendly and
civilian casualties and collateral
damage to infrastructure is critical.
This combination of constraints
coupled with the performance of
conventional artillery munitions
has often limited the commander’s
options and, sometimes, has taken
artillery out of the fight. To remain
relevant, artillery must be accurate,
responsive and flexible. The PGK
provides the necessary precision
and flexibility and at a price that
permits its use in tactically significant quantities, as well as for training. ATK was awarded one of two
technology demonstration contracts from the US Army in 2006 to
develop the PGK for the 155mm
howitzer artillery system. The kit
will make the stockpile of existing
artillery ammunition significantly
more effective by adding GPS
guidance and navigation capability
in a package that fits into the fuze
well of an existing 155mm projectile. ATK’s PGK solution, featuring
a highly effective fixed-canard
guidance approach, gun-hardened electronics, self-generated
power, and a minimum number of
moving parts, not only meets but
exceeds programme requirements
for accuracy, effectiveness, range
and cost. In August, a $57.8 million
firm-fixed-price contract was
awarded by the US Army for low
rate initial production of the
XM1156 PGK. The contract also includes a quantity of PGK fuzes
destined to Australia for demonstration and test purposes. Additionally, the contract contains options for full rate production and
fielding of up to an additional approximately 40,000 fuzes through
2016 at a value of nearly $250
million. Work will be performed in
Rocket Center, WVA, with the US
Army Contracting Command in
Picatinny Arsenal, NJ acting as
Australia’s agent. Australia’s formal export request is for up to
4,002 M1156 PGKs, plus training,
publications, and other contractor
support. Previous to this award,
ATK has received orders of 2,400
XM1156 kits for the US Army and
another 700 for the USMC in April
2013 under an urgent material
release to support training and
tactical use in Afghanistan.
MBDA Adds BRIMSTONE Anti-FIAC Capability
to CWSP Naval Warfare Solution
The SCORPION is designed to accommodate the increasingly
stringent budget constraints of the US DoD and US partner
nations. The SCORPION’s design is well matched to the Air
National Guard’s missions such as irregular warfare, border patrol,
maritime surveillance, emergency relief, counter-narcotics and
air defence operations.
(Photo: Textron AirLand)
press conference at the Air Force
Association Air & Space Conference and Technology Exposition in
National Harbor, MD/USA. The
demonstration aircraft is now in
test phase, with first flight
scheduled to occur before the end
of this year – a rapid schedule by
any measure of military jet development.
Textron Chairman and CEO
Scott Donnelly said, “We began
development of the SCORPION in
January 2012 with the objective to
design, build and fly the world’s
most affordable tactical jet aircraft
capable of performing lower-threat
battlefield and homeland security
missions. We relied on commercial
best practices to develop a tactical
jet platform with flexibility and
capabilities found only in far more
costly aircraft.” While Scorpion’s
lower acquisition price is an
advantage, an equally important
benefit is the lower cost of operation over the aircraft’s full lifecycle.
Combining ease of maintenance
and globally-available commercial
components, the SCORPION can
significantly lower the customer’s
total cost of ownership.
FLIR Systems Announces Delivery of RECON B2-FO
Sniper and Forward-Observer Targeting Sensors
BRIMSTONE, in its air launched version, has proven its unerring
accuracy during UK RAF combat operations in Libya and Afghanistan.
(Photo: MBDA)
In 2010, MBDA launched CWSP
(Compact
Warfare
System
Package) to provide fast patrol
boats and logistics ships with an
integrated combat system for both
self-defence and the means to
secure sensitive coastal zones. In
this respect, CWSP’s common
architecture has up to now incorporated MBDA’s automated, twin
turret
MISTRAL
missile
SIMBAD-RC air defence system
and a twin launcher MARTE Mk2/N
missile system for the anti-ship
role. However, in recognition of the
growing complexity of operations
in the littoral, MBDA is now offering
CWSP with an additional capability, namely that provided by
BRIMSTONE to counter agile high
speed craft operating in potentially
large numbers often in well-co-ordinated formations. These Fast Inshore Attack Craft (FIAC), when
operating together, can overwhelm
the defences of well-armed naval
craft equipped with medium
calibre gun systems. In May 2013,
MBDA successfully carried out a
surface-to-surface, rapid salvo firing of three BRIMSTONE missiles
in a trial scenario representing just
such a FIAC attack. Each of the
missiles hit its intended target. This
trial followed on from two previous
BRIMSTONE successes against
FIAC targets. With its all-weather,
fire-and-forget, single button push
salvo firing capability, Brimstone is
therefore both a logical and significant addition to the capability already offered by CWSP.
Textron AirLand Introduces SCORPION ISR/
Strike Aircraft
Textron AirLand, a joint venture
between Textron and AirLand
Enterprises, recetnly unveiled its
SCORPION prototype, a versatile
ISR/Strike aircraft platform. The
aircraft was introduced during a
FLIR Systems recently announced that it is delivering
RECON sniper and targeting
advanced systems to the Royal
Netherlands MoD in support of a
$14-million order received in late
2012.
The RECON B2-FO is a handheld, sniper and forward-observer
targeting sensor that is equipped
with a medium-wave IR (MWIR)
thermal camera, a day-camera,
laser rangefinder (LRF), GPS, and
digital magnetic compass. This
highly-capable modular system
provides the user, whether a sniper
observer or forward observer, with
a host of system configurations to
meet weight and portability budget
and the choice of manual, magnetic, celestial and gyroscopic north
finding options for targeting.
Many new features have been
added to the RECON B2-FO unit
including the ability to share imagery with a FLIR Systems thermal
sniper scope. “This order represents our commitment to identify-
The RECON B2-FO fully
integrated multi-sensor system
dual channel day/night thermal
binocular with geo-location.
(Photo: FLIR Systems)
ing threats through usage of our
long-range thermal handheld sensors,” said Bill Sundermeier,
President of FLIR Government
Systems. “Our proven ability to
provide state-of-the-art imaging
technologies that are critical to detect, recognize and identify threats
are developed on a commercial basis, resulting in lightweight, lower
cost and reduced delivery time for
our customers.”
MBDA Receives Royal Navy SEA CEPTOR Production
Order
On 9 September 2013, MBDA
received a £250 million production
contract from the UK MoD for the
delivery of the SEA CEPTOR air
defence weapon system that comprises of the Common Anti-air
Modular Missile (CAMM) and
system equipment. SEA CEPTOR
will initially equip the Royal Navy’s
(RN) Type 23 frigates from 2016
onwards replacing Seawolf and
then be integrated into the Type 26
frigates as the primary air defence
system.
87
SEA CEPTOR is being delivered under the Portfolio Management
Agreement between the UK MoD and MBDA to deliver the next
generation of complex weapons. This ensures savings for the MoD
due to SEA CEPTOR’s lower cost of ownership and by operating a
common stockpile of the CAMM for a future planned land system.
(Photo: MBDA)
SEA CEPTOR will be installed in
the Royal Navy’s Type 26 Global
Combat Ship as they replace the
Type 23s in the 2020s. With MoD
expected to commit to manufacture of the T26 in the middle of this
decade,
cross-decking
this
capability will ensure that the T26
enters service with a proven air
defence capability. UK Defence
Secretary, Philip Hammond said:
“The production of SEA CEPTOR
will be a huge boost to the UK’s
world-leading missile industry,
providing hundreds of jobs and
once again proves our commitment to providing battle winning
technology to our Armed Forces.
Having balanced the defence
budget we continue to order new
equipment for our forces with
confidence.”
ERRATA
In MT 9/2013 on page 78 it states
Qinetiq MINIE-D… of course it
should say Qioptiq MINI-D. Also
on page 82 of MT 6/2013, the
same mistake occured. It should
be noted that Qioptiq are the
technology
bearers
of
the
MINIE-D, not Qinetiq, who can
test night vision kit, but have none
of their own.
NEWS FLASH · NEWS FLASH · NEWS FLASH · NEWS FLASH · NEWS FLASH ·
The US Navy in August 2013
fired two Raytheon Standard Missile-6 (SM-6) interceptors from
the USS CHANCELLORSVILLE,
successfully
engaging
two
cruise missile targets (BQM-74
drones) in the missile’s first overthe-horizon test scenario at sea. In
February, Raytheon delivered the
first SM-6 and in May, a Defense
Acquisition Board approved fullrate production of the SM-6 missile.
★★★
In a ground-breaking deal,
Russia is to deliver Mi-17 military
transport
helicopters
to
Cameroon. The deal was signed
by Russia’s state-run arms
exporter Rosoboronexport, which
is part of Russian Technologies,
and Cameroon’s MoD at MAKS
2013 Air Show. Rosoboronexport
is seeking to renew ties with
Botswana, Ghana, and Equatorial
Guinea.
★★★
Curtiss-Wright Controls (CWC)
has received a contract from the
Kamov division of Russian
Helicopters to supply rugged data
acquisition systems for use on
the new Ka-62 helicopter. The
Ka-62 rotorcraft first prototype
recently received its first public
appearance at MAKS 2013 Air
Show. Under the agreement,
CWC’s Avionics & Electronics
division provided Russian Helicopters with its ACRA KAM-500
data acquisition products. Shipment of the products was completed in late 2012.
★★★
The Commonwealth of Australia
has accepted into service the first
CAE MRH90 full-flight and
mission simulator (FFMS) located at the Army Aviation Training
Centre Oakey in Queensland. It
88
has also been certified by the
Australian Defence Force Airworthiness Authority to Level D
under the Australian Civil Aviation
Safety Authority (CASA) and Joint
Aviation
Requirements
(JAR)
standards based on an evaluation
conducted by an independent
authority.
★★★
In August, the security committee of the National Council in
the Swiss Parliament debated
and voted “yes” to the procurement of GRIPEN E.
★★★
The US Army Close Combat
Weapons
Systems
Program
Executive Office Missiles and
Space (PEO MS) awarded Aero
Vironment a total of $15.8 million
in orders under a contract for
SWITCHBLADE tactical missile
systems. AeroVironment and its
strategic teammate for advanced
warheads, ATK, will continue to
work together to produce and
deliver the systems.
★★★
After successfully completing
cold tests in Norway in 2012, the
German Armed Forces over the
next two months will hot weather
test the performance of the new
PUMA IFV in the UAE, under the
direction of the Federal Office for
equipment, information technology and operation of the
Bundeswehr
(BAAINBw)
by
personnel of the Bundeswehr
Technical Centre (WTD) 91
Meppen (weapons) and WTD 41
Trier for mobility.
★★★
The US Naval Air Systems Command has awarded FLIR Systems
a $136,600,358 firm-fixed-price,
IDIQ contract for BRITE Star
Block II Systems, BRITE Star I
upgrades, cables, depot repair
actions, data, BRITE Star II class I
engineering change proposal,
provision item order and engineering services for the UH-1 programme and the VTOL UAV
programme. Work is expected to
be completed by August 2018.
★★★
L-3 Link Simulation & Training
(L-3 Link) has been awarded a contract modification from the USAF
Life Cycle Management Center at
Wright-Patterson Air Force Base,
OH/USA, to build the Iraqi Air
Force (IqAF) two F-16 Block 52
Weapon
Tactics
Trainers
(WTTs), two brief/debrief systems
and one mission observation
centre. This contract modification
follows L-3 Link’s November 2012
award to build two F-16 Block 52
Full Mission Trainers (FMTs) for the
IqAF. Plans currently call for the
first F-16 Block 52 FMT to become
ready-for-training during the first
quarter of 2015.
★★★
The
Australian
Maritime
College (AMC) has selected
QinetiQ Maritime’s PARAMARINE
ship and submersible design
software to use as part of their
maritime engineering training
programme. Through AMC’s
National Centre for Maritime
Engineering and Hydrodynamics,
the software will assist students
on a four-year Bachelor of Engineering degree that is accredited
by Engineers Australia and recognised worldwide.
★★★
In September, at the military
airport of Frosinone in Italy a ceremony was held for the inauguration
of the Selex ES, a Finmeccanica,
TH-500 helicopter simulator. The
system will be used in training
courses for student pilots.
★★★
Thales-owned
Australian
Munitions and Diehl have signed
an agreement to co-develop an
insensitive munitions variant of
the Australian in-service fragmentation hand grenade.
★★★
Turkish Basic Trainer Aircraft
HÜRKUS, which was designed
and manufactured by TAI, to meet
the training and Light Attack/
Armed Reconnaissance aircraft
requirements of the Turkish Armed
Forces, successfully realised its
maiden flight on 29 August 2013 at
TAI’s premises in Ankara, Kazan.
★★★
Bluefin Robotics, a leading provider of AUVs, has added the L-3
Klein UUV-3500 Side Scan Sonar to
its growing list of vehicle payload
offerings. The integration effort was
internally funded to support company initiatives to expand sensor
options and continue to provide
state-of-the-art technology to the
market. The L-3 Klein UUV-3500
sonar is one of several next-generation, compact digital sensors
available on Bluefin vehicles that
provide both side scan sonar and
interferometric bathymetry data
particularly suited for mine countermeasures applications
★★★
Presagis recently released its
new modelling and simulation
(M&S) software portfolio, M&S
SUITE 13. The latest version of this
end-to-end solution includes hundreds of product enhancements
designed to expedite application
development for training, operations and simulation analysis.
Presagis’ M&S Suite 13 saves
users time and money by
seamlessly uniting 3D modelling,
terrain generation, simulation and
visualisation software into one
tightly integrated package.

d - Mönch

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