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ContentsContents

Front Cover Photo:Beechcraft’s T-6 Texan-IIturboprop trainer whichcan be configured as a counter-insurgency platform is one ofseveral aircraft examined inDavid Oliver’s ‘COIN In The Slot’article in this issue.

Deterrence and DoctrineJapan-based Asia-Pacific security expert Alex Calvo examines some of the

recent developments in Pakistan’s military modernisation.

46

AMR editorThomasWithington’s‘Pulse’ columnprovides allthe latestnews andanalysis acrossthe defenceRF (RadioFrequency)spectrum.

06PULSE

03l DECEMBER 2014/JANUARY 2015 l

COIN in the SlotUnited Kingdom-based aviationjournalist David Oliver explainssome of the latest evolutionsin counter-insurgency and armedreconnaissance aircraft.

MicrowaveableRadar provides an ever-presentsentinel for ground forces, notonly for the detection of hostilefire, but also hostile personneland vehicles, as AMR editorThomas Withington explains.

10 36

Personnel TrainerAsia-Pacific militaries arepouring investment into theirsynthetic training equipment andsimulators as United Kingdom-based defence journalistClaire Apthorp finds out.

40

The Grim Reaper’sText MessageCombat operations maybewinding down in Afghanistan,yet investment intoremote-controlled bombprotection for convoys iscontinuing, as AMR editorThomas Withington discusses.

28

Tanks for EverythingVibrant interest in Main Battle Tankprocurement and upgrades is beingwitnessed in the Asia-Pacific, asJohn Ross, a United Kingdom-baseddefence journalist discovers.

22

68 GunsUnited Kingdom-based defencejournalist Peter Donaldsonexplores the world of naval guns,detailing a range of technologicaldevelopments which arekeeping these weapons relevant.

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Content & Edit Nov 14:AMR 11/21/14 11:29 AM Page 1

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Editorial

Vietnam has not received any United States supplied defence materiel since the latter countrywithdrew from its involvement in the VietnamWar in 1975. This followed its dramatic evacuation of 7000 American personnel

and South Vietnamese nationals from the city of Saigon in the south of Vietnam, nowknown as Ho Chi Minh City, on 29 April 1975. The North Vietnamese Army would rollinto Saigon the following day, effectively unifying the country under the communist government controlling North Vietnam. Predictably enough US-Vietnamese relations subsequently chilled.

Next year will mark the 40th anniversary of the Fall of Saigon against a backdrop of improving US-Vietnamese relations. On 11 July 1995, US president Bill Clinton signed anormalisation agreement establishing full diplomatic relations between the two countries.Since then a bilateral trade agreement was signed in July 2000, followed by subsequentagreements covering civil aviation and the textile industry. The net effect of these efforts isthat support for the United States in Vietnam has soared with 76 percent of the populationviewing the US in a favourable light according to a 2014 survey performed by the PewResearch Global Attitudes Project based in Washington DC.

While US-Vietnamese trade and diplomatic relations have warmed, cooperation in the military domain has remained stagnant. The Vietnamese People’s Ground Forces order ofbattle still includes some US-supplied equipment absorbed from the South VietnameseArmy, notably M48 Patton Light Tanks which could justifiably be considered museumpieces. That said, on 2 October 2014 the US State Department announced that it would liftits ban on the supply of lethal military equipment to the country. Any future supplies ofmateriel are expected to be witnessed in the naval domain. This is unsurprising givenVietnam’s tensions with China in the South China Sea regarding the sovereignty of theSpratly and Paracel Islands. The United States has been concerned for some time regardingChina’s maritime machinations in this stretch of the Pacific. Supplying Vietnam withequipment to this end could win Washington DC support in the region as it seeks to diplomatically counter Chinese maritime muscle-flexing.

The specific platforms which Vietnam may obtain have not been formally announced bythe State Department, although press reports have hinted that Lockheed Martin P-3COrion maritime patrol aircraft, possibly drawn from US Navy stocks as the aircraft areretired, could be on Hanoi’s wish list.

Some opposition has been voiced in the US, notably from the Republican senator forArizona John McCain who stated that any arms sales must be dependent human rightsimprovements in Vietnam, which remains a communist-ruled one-party state.Nevertheless, the State Department has said that further relaxations of the US arms embargo will require progress on human rights in Vietnam.

Thomas Withington, Editor

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RadarDuring the Euronaval exhibition held in Paris between 27 and 31October 2014, Thales unveiled its new Sea Fire 500 naval surveil-lance radar. This S-band (2.3-2.5/2.7-3.7 gigahertz/GHz) radar hasa modular design and can thus be scaled up or down to equip ves-sels displacing from 3500 tonnes up to in excess of 7000 tonnes. Theonly element of the radar which changes in this regard is its anten-na size, with the back end remaining the same.The company is using GalliumNitride technology in the radar’s

Active Electronically Scanned Array (AESA) antenna which prom-ises significant performance enhancements compared to theGalliumArsenide that AESA antennae currently use for their trans-mit/receive modules. The radar also has an integrated uplink toprovide radar guidance for active radar homing surface-to-air mis-siles. The Sea Fire 500’s architecture includes four flat-panel AESAantennae, each of which provides 90 degrees of coverage, and aninstrumented range of circa 216 nautical miles (400 kilometres).Currently the radar is still in development, although produc-

tion could commence in 2019 with deliveries following in 2020. Aswell as being a standalone radar, Thales states that it could beoffered as part of the firm’s I-Mast family of integrated navalmasts. In addition, the firm states that the radar is fully digital andperforms Electronic Counter-Counter Measure (ECCM) support

using a software-only approach, with a similar approach beingused for future upgrades of the radar.On 13 October 2014 Raytheon announced that it had delivered

its tenth AN/TPY-2 ballistic missile defence radar to the UnitedStates Missile Defence Agency (MDA), the division of the UnitedStates Department of Defence which manages ballistic missiledefence capabilities across the US armed forces.This latest radar will form part of the fifth Lockheed Martin

Terminal High Altitude Air Defence (THAAD) high-altitude sur-face-to-air missile systemwhich is equipping the US Army. In addi-tion to the five AN/TPY-2 radars equipping the THAAD systemswhich the US Army has in service and on order, five additionalAN/TPY-2 radars are deployed around the world to provide ballis-tic missile defence surveillance. In October 2013 Japan granted per-mission to the US Government to supply and install a new X-band(8.5-10.68GHz) AN/TPY-2 radar at Kyogamisaki Air Force Base,close to Kyotango on the western coast of Honshu Island. Japan isalready home to a AN/TPY-2 radar which is deployed in the northof the country. Other AN/TPY-2 units are deployed to Qatar to pro-vide ballistic missile detection over the Persian Gulf, and in easternTurkey and the Negev Desert in Israel to provide similar surveil-lance over the eastern Mediterranean. The deployment of theAN/TPY-2 to Turkey represents a key part of the first phase of theNorth Atlantic Treaty Organisation’s (NATO) European PhasedAdaptive Approach ballistic missile defence initiative.The AN/TPY-2 uses an AESA antenna comprising 25344

Transmit/Receive modules. The radar has a ceiling of around 536nautical miles (1000 kilometres) and can be used to detect both

PULSEby Thomas Withington

Thales unveiled its new S-band Sea Fire 500 radar at the October2014 Euronaval exhibition in Paris. The radar has a modular designand can thus equip surface combatants of varying sizes © Thales

Pulse Dec-Jan:AMR 11/21/14 11:32 AM Page 2

short- and long-range ballistic missiles, and to discern these fromother objects such as space debris.Indonesia is investigating the purchase of coastal surveillance

radars from China according to local press reports in earlyOctober 2014. The radars are to be procured to monitor maritimeactivity in the Strait of Malacca which flanks the Indonesianisland of Sumatra, the Torres Strait in the south of the country,and the Celebes Sea to the west of Kalimantan, Indonesia’s por-tion of the island of Borneo.According to quotes from Indonesia’s defence minister

Purnomo Yusgiantoro, the country is interested in procuring theChina National Electrics Import and Export (CNEIE) SLR-66 radarsto this end. There is noword regarding howmany radars Indonesiamay acquire, when deliveries will commence, or when they mightconclude. Details are similarly sparse regarding the capabilities ofthe SLR-66. However, it is known that the radar is capable of over-the-horizon surveillance with a 269nm (500km) range, although nodetails have been published regarding the radar’s operating fre-quencies, architecture or performance characteristics.TheUnited States Army is planning to develop amaritimemode

for the LongbowLLC (a joint venture betweenNorthropGrummanand Lockheed Martin) AN/APG-78 Longbow fire control radarequipping the Boeing AH-64E Guardian attack helicopter.Speaking during the Association of the US Army exhibition held inWashington DC in mid-October 2014, Colonel Jeffrey Hager, proj-ect manager for the AH-64E at the US Army’s Project ManagementOffice told the press that plans are afoot to improve the radar’s abil-ity to detect large vessels in differing sea states.

According to Wade Griswold, Lockheed Martin businessdevelopment manager for the AN/APG-78 radar, enhancementsare being planned for all radars equipping the AH-64E fleet. TheUS Army plans to acquire a total of 634 AH-64Es derived fromlegacy AH-64Ds upgraded to the Echo standard, along with 56new-build AH-64Es, the latter of which will commence produc-tion in 2019. As of 2011, the US Army has begun to accept deliv-eries of rebuilt AH-64Ds equipped to the AH-64E standard. Mr.Griswold states that the maritime mode capability insertion forthe AN/APG-78 radar is expected to commence during the startof the Lot-6 production run for the AN-64E which should beginlater this decade. This should then enable the rest of the AH-64Efleet delivered to the US Army to receive the maritime modeupgrade. The AN/APG-78 is a Ka-band (33.4-36GHz) systemwith a range of around four nautical miles (eight kilometres).In early October 2014, Thales was awarded a contract worth

$112 million by the French Direction Générale de l’Armement(General Armament Directorate) defence procurement agency toperform research for new capabilities to be rolled out onto thecompany’s RBE-2 X-band Multi-Role Combat Aircraft (MRCA)radar. The RBE-2 furnishes the Dassault Rafale-F3B/C/MMRCAequipping the Armée de l’Air (French Air Force) and Aeronavale(French Naval Aviation). The aircraft has also been selected asthe preferred candidate to fulfil India’s Medium MRCA require-ment for 126 new jets.The DGA contract is to be four years in duration and is intend-

ed to develop technologies which can be rolled out onto the RBE-2later in the radar’s career, and also be utilised for future Unmanned

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The United States Missile Defence Agency took delivery of its tenthRaytheon AN/TPY-2 ballistic missile defence radar in mid-October2014. As well as equipping the United States Army, these radars havebeen forward-deployed to Japan © Missile Defence Agency

l DECEMBER 2014/JANUARY 2015 l

Longbow LLC, a consortium which includes Northrop Grumman andLockheed Martin, is upgrading the AN/APG-78 Longbow radarsequipping the Boeing AH-64E Guardian attack helicopter with a maritimemode © Lockheed Martin



Combat Aerial Vehicles (UCAVs). In particular, work is focusingon extending the range of the radar’s AESA antenna and reducingthe probability of interception of the radar’s emissions.

According to Bruno Carrara, vice president for electronic com-bat systems at Thales, “Through this advanced study contractThales will demonstrate the technological readiness of variouscomponents and design a new generation of multifunctionarrays. These new technologies will ultimately equip the RBE-2AESA.” The company has demurred from providing a timelineas to when these new components may equip the RBE-2,although Mr. Carrara adds that, “After validation, the results ofthese advanced studies will be applied to the next phases (ofdevelopment for the radar) and then industrialisation (and)serial production.”

Dassault Aviation commenced deliveries of four Rafale-F3A/BMRCAs equipped with Thales RBE-2 to the French Air Force inearly November 2013. These aircraft followed the delivery of thefirst RBE-2 equipped Rafale-F3A/Bs to the service in October 2012.The RBE-2 can perform simultaneous air-to-air and air-to-groundsurveillance, automatic target prioritisation, terrain following andavoidance, and the detection and tracking of sea-skimming targetssuch as anti-shipmissiles. It has low sidelobes helping to reduce itschance of detection by electronic support measures, along withECCM and open architecture to enable the radar to be relativelyeasy to upgrade and modify in the future.

Electronic WarfareThe Pakistan Air Force’s new Exelis AN/ALQ-211(V)9 self pro-tection pods for its Lockheed Martin F-16A/B Block-15 MRCAhave been certified for use on these aircraft, the companyannounced on 1 October 2014. Exelis’ AN/ALQ-211 SIRFC (Suiteof Integrated RF Countermeasures) product family can detect,classify and counter a wide range of ground- and air-based RadioFrequency (RF) threats including Pulse Doppler and ContinuousWave radars. In addition to its RF capabilities the AN/ALQ-211can provide infrared and laser warning.

As its nomenclature denotes, the AN/ALQ-211 system isavailable in a number of variants. For example, the AN/ALQ-211(V)9 is delivered in a podded configuration which providesdigital radar warning, high power jamming and threat geoloca-tion in a modular, scalable package. The other eight versions ofthe AN/ALQ-211 are designed to outfit rotorcraft and fixed-wing aircraft with an internal self defence system. Certification ofthe AN/ALQ-111(V)9 pods for the Pakistan Air Force was pro-vided by the United States Air Force Seak Eagle office (AFSEO).The AFSEO is tasked with certifying aircraft internal and exter-nal stores including subsystems, weapons, drop tanks and pods.The conclusion of the AFSEO certification process effectivelyclears the pod for use on Pakistan’s F-16A/Bs. For more newsregarding these aircraft, please see Alex Calvo’s Deterrence andDoctrine, and the Pakistan receives upgraded F-16s from Turkeynews story in this issue.

Tactical RadioExelis has been awarded an order from the US Army to supply itsSideHat SRW (Soldier Radio Waveform) appliqué radios to theforce for evaluation. The order, announced in mid-October 2014,will see 50 SideHat radios being delivered to the army, accordingto Tim White, Exelis’ night vision and communications solutionsspokesperson. Deliveries are expected to be completed by the endof November 2014. Mr. White adds that the radios will be used for“both field and bench testing” adding that “the tests will take placeat Fort Huachuca (primarily for field testing), Arizona andAberdeen Proving Ground, Maryland for field and bench testing.”

The SideHat radio is designed to enable vehicular tactical radioscarrying the SINCGARS (Single Channel Ground and AirborneRadio System) Very High Frequency (30-87.975 megahertz/MHz)waveform to use the new Soldier Radio Waveform. The SRW,developed by Exelis, uses Ultra High Frequency (UHF/300MHz tothree gigahertz) and L-band (one to two gigahertz) frequencies.The waveform has been developed as part of the US Joint TacticalRadio System and is designed to provide data and voice commu-nications at the lowest tactical level between dismounted troops,and dismounted troops and their vehicles. Adding the SRW tovehicular radios via the SideHat appliqué allows squad and pla-toon commanders to then seamlessly connect to their troops and tohigher echelons of command.

Data Link Solutions (DLS), a joint venture involving RockwellCollins and BAE Systems announced on 16 October 2014 that itwas adding its TacNet Tactical Radio (TTR) to its military aircraftcommunications product line. The TTR can be used to handleNATO Link-16 tactical data link air-to-air and air-to-ground pro-tocol communications. Link-16 allows the transmission and recep-tion of voice and data traffic at speeds of between 2.4 kilobits-per-second (kbps) up to 16kbps across UHF radio channels.

PULSE

The United States Army is taking delivery of Exelis’ SideHat Soldier RadioWaveform (SRW) appliqué tactical radios which will enable transceiversusing the SINCGARS waveform to also utilise the SRW © Exelis


According to Doug Schmidt, director of DLS, the TTR terminalis in production and has flown on the Lockheed Martin F-22ARaptor MRCA during ‘Project Missouri’. Project Missouri is an ini-tiative led by Lockheed Martin to demonstrate a data link capabil-ity to connect the company’s F-22A MRCA with its F-35A/B/CLightning-II series of MRCA. The programme aims to widen thecommunications links available to the F-22A which was originallydesigned to link only with other F-22As in a bid to reduce the air-craft’s radio emissions and thus preserve their low observability.However, reductions to the original order size for the F-22A (187aircraft purchased as opposed to an original anticipated order sizeof 648) have enhanced the imperative for the F-22A to be able tocommunicate with other platforms such as the F-35A/B/C.Using the Link-16 waveform, the TTR can handle up to 238kbps

of traffic, with the potential for this to increase to two megabits-per-second (mbps), Mr. Schmidt continues. He says that the radio“is specifically designed for space-constrained platforms needingLink 16 situational awareness. Additionally, the radio’s weightand cost bring customer value above the larger, traditional Link 16terminals for these disadvantaged user platforms such asUnmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs), helicopters, small boats andground vehicles.” This will be important in potentially rolling outLink-16 connectivity onto platforms which traditionally have notbeen able to benefit from this because of the physical size andpower demands of existing Link-16 terminals. Looking towardsthe future, Mr. Schmidt continues that TTR design evolutionscould encompass “a two-channel variant to include an airbornenetworking waveform”. This could extend the TacNet radio’scapability beyond the Link-16 protocol.Finnish defence firm Patria unveiled its new CANDL

(Compact Airborne Networking Data Link) in early October2014. CANDL is designed to provide connectivity for UAVs andtheir ground control stations using a data link which provides upto eight megabits-per-second of bandwidth. This will enable thedata link to handle full motion video as well as digital voice com-munications and internet protocol networking using a softwaredefined radio terminal.CANDL enables both air-to-air and air-to-ground communica-

tions. In terms of frequency it operates across NATO’s so-called‘IV Band’ (4.4 to five gigahertz), as well as the InternationalTelecommunications’ Union’s UAV command and control fre-quency band as defined by the 2013 World Radio Congress.According to Sini Makipaja, senior vice president for businessdevelopment at Patria, along with UAVs, “CANDL is suitable forboth fixed-wing and rotary-wing platforms includingMRCAs.” Inaddition, the size, weight and power configuration of the CANDLoptimises it for mini and medium-sized UAVs.Patria has experience of equipping UAVs with data links, with

the company’s Multi-Purpose Networking Data Link (MPNDL)having been used onboard Airbus Defence and Space’sBarracuda test-bed UAV. In addition, the MPNDL is used to pro-vide a data link for the Ilmavoimat (Finnish Air Force)

McDonnell Douglas/Boeing F-18C/D MRCA which forms thebackbone of the service’s combat fleet. Although CANDL isexpected to fly on another platform before the end of 2014, Patriahas not revealed which aircraft this might be. In terms of per-formance, the CANDL offers an air-to-ground range of 80nm(150km), although this can be extended with the addition of anexternal power amplifier and advanced antennae.

SATCOMIsraeli defence electronics specialists Elbit Systems are to deliverELSAT-2100 terminals to the Canadian Army, according to anannouncement made by the company on 31 October 2014. TheELSAT-2100 terminal was launched by the company in 2012 and isdesigned as a low-profile Satellite Communications On-The-Move(SOTM) capability for vehicular communications.

Offering up to 110 degrees of elevation, the ELSAT-2100 pro-vides robust satellite tracking and relocking using global position-ing system, gyroscopic and signal strength indication to ensurethat the terminal stays locked with its satellite and relocks with theminimum amount of fuss in the event of a link loss. In terms of per-formance, the ELSAT-2100 offers uplink speeds of ten megabitsper second and downlink speeds of up to 50mbps. The ELSAT-2100 is also outfitted with a planar array which allows the antennato perform beam steering to help ensure that the terminal remainsconnected with the satellite.According to a statement provided toAMRby Elbit Systems, Ka-

and Ku-band (26.5-40GHz and twelve to 18GHz) versions of theELSAT-2100 have already been delivered to the Canadian Army,with X-band (eight to ten gigahertz) ELSAT-2100 variants expectedto be delivered during the first three months of 2015. The firm isexpected to deliver around 24 X-band systems to this end.

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Elbit Systems of Israel is supplying its ELSAT-2100 satellite communicationson-the-move terminals to the Canadian Army, which are being deliveredin X-, Ka- and Ku-band configurations © Elbit Systems

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Employingmicrowaves to detecttargets has increased in popu-larity during the United States-led combat operations inAfghanistan and Iraq. Ground

surveillance radars have two distinct appli-cations in war zones: firstly, they can beemployed to protect potential targets such

as airbases or forward operating basesagainst attack by monitoring the locale.Secondly, they can be deployed in the fieldto provide an additional means of targetdetection for troops to observe movingvehicles or people, or even for short-rangeair defence to detect low-flying aircraft orUnmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs).

CharacteristicsFor the un-initiated, a Pulse Doppler radartransmits a pulse of RF energy, which isperhaps a millisecond in duration at thespeed of light (161,840 nautical miles persecond/299,727.7 kilometres-per-second).This pulse hits an object and is reflectedback to the antenna. The time taken for thepulse to return to the antenna is measuredby the radar signal processor providing therange to the target from the antenna. TheDoppler Shift is the subtle frequencychange which occurs in a pulse when it hitsthe object and is reflected. This is a similareffect to the change in pitch of an emer-gency vehicle’s siren as it drives past thelistener. By calculating this change in fre-quency, it is possible to determine thespeed of a target by measuring the changesin frequency as the object moves throughthe radar’s field-of-view.


MICROWAVEABLE

RADA Electronics of Israel provide a range of ground surveillance radars including the RPS-42 member of the firm’s Multi-missionHemisphere Radar (MHR) which were recently used by the Israeli Defence Force in the Gaza Strip © RADA

Today’s soldier has several means at theirdisposal to detect targets in their locale. At themost basic level, they have their own eyesightand hearing. These two sensors can beaugmented with optronics and acoustic sensors.Another tool that they can apply is radar.

by Thomas Withington

W A R F A R EELECTRONIC

Ground Surveillance Radar:AMR 11/21/14 11:35 AM Page 2

Several radars discussed below useActive Electronically Scanned Array(AESA) antennae. An AESA antenna hous-es a multitude of Transmit/Receive (T/Rmodules) on its surface. Each of these T/Rmodules generates its own RF pulse andmeasures the characteristics of thereturned RF pulse, displaying this to theoperator. The benefit of an AESA antennais that as it uses several T/R modules, aselection of these T/R modules can betasked to perform different duties simulta-neously. For example, some can watch theground, while others monitor the air.Moreover, AESA antennae benefit from so-called ‘graceful degradation’ in that thefailure of one T/R module will not causethe entire radar to become unserviceable,as other working T/R modules can stillperform their tasks.Along with Pulse Doppler architecture,

some ground surveillance radars employFMCW or Frequency ModulatedContinuous Wave (FMCW) technology.Whereas Pulse Doppler radars transmit apulse of RF energy, FMCW radars transmita constant stream of RF. However, theycontinually vary the frequency of the trans-

mitted RF energy. Every time the frequen-cy of the RF energy is changed, the exacttime and frequency at which the RF energywas transmitted is recorded. Thus whenthis RF energy is reflected back by the tar-get the time delay between this particular‘bit’ of RF energy and its reception is meas-ured and the range determined. Anotherimportant attraction of FMCW architectureis that it produces less transmitted power,improving efficiency, as notes Nick Booth,a spokesperson for UK radar specialistsBlighter Surveillance Systems (see below):“FMCW is also very efficient allowing con-siderably less transmitter power to berequired. It is like a whisper compared tothe shout from traditional rotating radar’shigh power pulsed transmitters,” makingit comparatively difficult to detect.Other radars examined in this article

use a Passive Electronically Scanned Arrayor ‘PESA’. Whereas an AESA employs T/Rmodules generating their own RF energy(see above), a PESA uses RF energy gener-ated from a single source although this RFenergy is then transmitted from each indi-vidual antenna module mounted on theantenna array. By altering the phase of the

RF energy transmitted from each antennamodule it is possible to ‘steer’ the RF trans-mission using constructive/destructivetransmission techniques by which RFtransmissions at certain frequencies willalter the direction of neighbouring RFtransmissions at other frequencies thuspushing them in a certain direction. Thismeans that it is possible to look in a certaindirection without necessarily needing tomove the antenna. The major attraction ofPESA antennae is that they are consideredless complex and thus less expensive toconstruct compared to their AESA counter-parts. Mr. Booth adds that these benefitstranslate into cost savings for the operator,delivering “the key advantages of mainte-nance free operation and low cost of own-ership to customers.”

Israeli IngenuityIt is common knowledge that several Israelicompanies excel in the design of defenceelectronics. A desire to maintain defencedesign, research, development and produc-tion, plus the country’s security situation,has propelled the realisation of robust andadvanced materiel equipping not only theIsraeli Defence Forces (the umbrella com-mand for the country’s army, air force andnavy), but several other nations around theworld. RADA Electronics Industries manu-factures the RPS-42 which provides tacticalsurveillance to an altitude of between 30feet up to 30000ft (nine to 9144 metres). The

l DECEMBER 2014/JANUARY 2015 l 11

Blighter Surveillance Systems’ ground surveillance radars have sold well around the world. Thefirms’ customers include the Republic of Korea which has purchased Blighter’s wares to helpsafeguard the country’s border with the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea © Blighter

Kelvin Hughes’ famous SharpEye family of radarsincludes the SxV ground surveillance radar. Thecompany announced in mid-October 2014 that ithad secured an unnamed British customer for tenof these radars © Kelvin Hughes



radar has a solid state architecture (i.e. isnot dependent on vacuum tubes), employ-ing Pulse Doppler RF (Radio Frequency)signals transmitted from an AESA anten-na. The S-band (2.3-2.5/2.7-3.7GHz) RPS-42 uses four AESA antennae each of whichprovides 90 degrees of azimuth scanning.By grouping four such antennae togetherit is possible to perform 360 degree sur-veillance. The RPS-42 forms part ofRADA’s Multi-mission HemisphericRadar (MHR) family which weredeployed by the IDF into the Gaza Strip onIsrael’s Mediterranean coast duringOperation Protective Edge mounted on 8July 2014 to detect hostile rocket launchesby the Hamas Palestinian insurgent organ-isation. According to Dubi Sella, chiefbusiness development officer at the com-pany, “during the conflict, the radars werelinked to the (Israeli) central early-warn-ing system, and assisted in the detection ofmortar shells, short-range rockets, andUAVs.” The firm is currently supplying itsMHR family radars to an unnamed Asia-Pacific customer with deliveries concludingin October 2014.RADA’s offerings are reinforced by

those of Israel Aerospace Industries’ EltaSystems division. The firms’ EL/M-2105family of X-band (8.5-10.68GHz) radar usea rotating antenna to detect targets acrossa 360 azimuth. The EL/M-2105 can detecta walking person at five kilometres (threemiles), with such ranges increasing toeight kilometres (five miles) for theEL/M-2105ER and 15km (nine miles) forthe EL/M-2105LR. All three radars cantrack up to 200 targets simultaneously.Foxtrack, meanwhile, is a portable groundsurveillance radar produced by ElbitSystems. This X-band FMCW radar candetect pedestrians at six kilometres (fourmiles) range, and large vehicles at up to24km (15 miles). Up to 50 targets can betracked at any one time, and 1000 targetsdisplayed with the entire Foxtrack ensem-ble being vehicle-mounted.

UK UtilityBased in England, Blighter SurveillanceSystems has carved a niche as a leadingsupplier of ground surveillance radars. Inthe Asia-Pacific their products are in serv-ice helping to defend the Republic ofKorea’s (RoK) northern border with theDemocratic People’s Republic of Korea.Blighter’s stable includes the Revolution360, the B400 series (which equips theRoK), the B303 and the B202 Mk.2. TheRevolution 360, as its name suggests, pro-vides 360 degree surveillance and can bedeployed either in a vehicle-mounted or afixed configuration. This Ku-band (13.4-14/15.7-17.7GHz) radar uses PESA andFMCW architecture and can track up to700 targets per scan which it can detect atranges of up to 17 nautical miles (32 kilo-metres), for a large moving vessel, with acrawling person being detected at 3.2 kilo-metres (two miles). Some detection oflow-flying targets is possible as the radar

offers 20 degrees of elevation. Bligher’sB400 series are also Ku-band FMCW,PESA radars. They can monitor up to 700targets, but can see a crawling person atsix kilometres (3.7 miles). The principaldifferences between the B400 family mem-bers is found in azimuth: the B402 scansacross 180 degrees, the B422 across 270degrees and the B442 across 360 degrees.The architecture for the B303 is similar tothe B400 and Revolution 360, although ithas a detection range of 1.5km (one mile)for a crawling person and up to eight kilo-metres (five miles) for a moving vehicleproviding a 180 degree azimuth. Like itssiblings, it is able to monitor up to 700 tar-gets. Finally, Blighter’s B202 Mk.2 has asimilar detection range to the B303 for acrawling person, and for a large movingvehicle, with an azimuth of up to 90degrees. Blighter has supplied its radarsto customers in the United Kingdom, theUnited States, Thailand, Saudi Arabia andEgypt, to name just a few nations.According to Mr. Booth, “The systemsgained credibility in the security marketthrough their deployment in 2008 by theBritish Army as part of an urgent opera-tional requirement.”


Blighter hassupplied its radars to

several nationsaround the world

Airbus Defence and Space’s Spexer groundsurveillance radar family includes the Spexer-500 and the Spexer-1000. Both of these radarsuse an Active Electronically Scanned Arrayantenna © Airbus Defence and Space



Much like Israel, the UK is something ofa centre of excellence for ground surveil-lance radar design and production.Navtech’s Advanced Guard radar familyoffers eight distinct products which candetect a pedestrian at between 200-760metres (853-2493 feet) across 360 degrees ofazimuth. The radars use FMCW and oper-ate at 76-77GHz (W-band). Similarly, KelvinHughes’ ground surveillance radar prod-ucts include the X-band SharpEye SxVmobile surveillance radar. This X-bandradar can detect a pedestrian at five kilome-tres or a small vehicle at 15km (nine miles).Using a rotating antenna this Pulse Dopplerradar has a high resistance to jamming. Thecompany recently announced, on 14October 2014, that it had commenced thedelivery of ten of these radars for an undis-closed UK customer, possibly the Britishspecial forces community, although this hasnot been confirmed either by the manufac-turer or by the British Ministry of Defence.

European ExcellenceBoth the pan-European defence electronicscompany Airbus Defence and Space, andFrench defence electronics specialistsThales are involved in the design andman-

ufacture of ground surveillance radars.Airbus Defence and Space’s products arefocused on the Spexer Security Radar fam-ily. Of most interest to this article are thefirms’ X-band AESA Spexer-500 andSpexer-1000 products. Users of the Spexerradar family include the Heer (GermanArmy) which has mounted it onboard aKrauss Maffei Wegmann Dingo-2 four-wheel drive armoured vehicle, of which ithas received 75 examples. The Spexer-500can detect a pedestrian at five kilometres,and a truck at nine kilometres (5.6 miles).The radar also has the wherewithal todetect flying targets, seeing UAVs at 1.3nm(2.5km) range and a low-flying helicopterat 4.8nm (nine kilometres). The Spexer-1000 expands these ranges, with the detec-tion of a pedestrian possible at eight kilo-metres (five miles) range, a truck at 17km(10.6 mile), a UAV at two nautical miles(four kilometres) and a low-flying helicop-ter at 8.6nm (16km).

Terma’s SCANTER-1002 ground sur-veillance radar operates at the higher endof the radar spectrum, notably in the Ku-band. Providing 360 degrees of surveil-lance, the radar can detect a person at3.7km (two miles), and a large vehicle at

twelve kilometres (7.4 miles). The SCANT-ER-1002 transmits a pulse compressionwaveform. In layperson’s terms this pro-vides very accurate range resolution andalso increases the signal-to-noise ratio ofthe RF pulses transmitted which assists theradar in discriminating targets from noise,typically ‘clutter’, and reflected RF signalsfrom unwanted targets such as wave crestson the sea surface.

Thales’ ground surveillance radar offer-ings include its Squire product. Providing360 degree azimuth scanning and aninstrumented range of up to 48km (29miles), the radar transmits in the band andhas a very low output power of one watt,making its detection difficult. The Squirecan detect a person at a range of 13km(eight miles) and a helicopter at ranges of19km (ten nautical miles). The Squire canpresent up to 1000 tracks to its operatorand also includes an integrated infraredoptronics system, plus a mini UnmannedAerial Vehicle detection mode. Accordingto Gerrald Korenromp, marketing andsales manager for ground surveillanceradar activities, the Squire “can be used inboth a stand-alone and vehicle-mountedconfiguration.” In terms of operators, Mr.


Thales’ flagship ground surveillance radar product is thefirms’ Squire. The radar can be used in a vehicle-mountedor a standalone configuration alongside an integraloptronics system. The Squire has been used extensively inIraq and in Afghanistan © Thales




Korenromp continues that the radar isused by some customers in the Asia-Pacificregion, although the company does notdisclose their identity. He continued that“the Dutch have used the Squire inAfghanistan, as have Canada and theDanish armed forces. The radar has alsobeen used in Iraq.” The Squire uses FMCWarchitecture with Doppler filtering todetermine target speed.

American AdaptabilityUS suppliers of ground surveillance radarinclude Telephonics, SRC and FLIRSystems. Telephonics’ manufactures theARSS (Advanced Radar SurveillanceSystem). This X-band Pulse Doppler radaris in service with the US armed forces whohave used it to protect Forward OperatingBases in Afghanistan and Iraq. A peakpower output of five watts help to reducethe radar’s chances of detection and inter-ception by electronic warfare systems.Capable of detecting a pedestrian at twelvekilometres and a large vehicle at 30km (19miles), the radar, like the Spexer family dis-cussed above, can also detect aircraft suchas a hovering helicopter at a range of eightnautical miles (15km). An automatic track-while-scan function is sufficient to monitorup to 300 targets, with 360 degrees ofazimuth being covered. Customers pur-chasing the ARSS have the option ofinstalling a weapons location function ontothe radar to assist the detection of artilleryfire. SRC’s SR Hawk is a Ku-band radarwhich can track up to 350 targets simulta-neously across a 360 degree azimuth. Theradar can detect air targets as it has an ele-vation of up to 22 degrees. Using PulseDoppler RF transmissions, the SR Hawkcan detect a pedestrian at twelve kilome-tres, with a vehicle being detected at 30kmand a small aircraft such as an ultralight atseven nautical miles (13km). Like many ofthe ground surveillance radars discussed inthis article, the SR Hawk can accommodatean optronics system to provide additionalinformation to the operator regarding thetarget that they are seeing. Paul Venesky, aprogramme manager at the company saysthat it has supplied its SR Hawk familyradars to “Taiwan Taoyuan Airport forperimeter surveillance and avian radars for

bird strike avoidance.” A robust design isalso standard, with Mr. Venesky notingthat the radar “has been designed to oper-ate in a wide range of environments includ-ing extreme hot and cold, wind, rain, salt,humidity, ice and snow.”Although well known for their optron-

ics, FLIR Systems offer a range of groundsurveillance radars in their Ranger productline. The Ranger R1 is a Ka-band radarwhich can detect targets such as a personcrawling at ranges of between five and 700metres (16-2296ft). Like the Ranger R1, theRanger R2 is also a Ka-band radar,although it has detection ranges of betweenfive and 1400 metres (16-4593ft) for people

and vehicles. Ranges increase still furtherwith the Ranger R20SS which can detect apedestrian at up to ten kilometres (sixmiles), while the company’s Ranger R3D issomewhat unique in integrating bothFMCW and Pulse Doppler architecture.This enables the operator to use the idealtype of RF transmission depending on theiroperating environment. Other ground sur-veillance radars in the company’s stableinclude the Ranger R5 designed to operate

in unforgiving desert environments and thedual mode FMCW/Pulse Doppler RangerR5D perimeter surveillance radar.

Future TrendsIn terms of the expected design trends forground surveillance radar, Mr. Korenrompargues that one of the trends which will beincreasingly witnessed is the utilisation ofAESA technology. As this article has illus-trated, some ground surveillance radars arealready using AESA, such as RADA’s RPS-42 and Airbus Defence and Space’s Spexerfamily. In addition, the range of tasks whichsuch radars will be expected to do couldexpand further to include tasks such asweapons location for artillery fire. Armiesalready have dedicated weapons locatingradars such as the Raytheon AN/TPQ-36/37 Firefinder family which are usedacross the world. There may be some scopeto fold in some, if not all, of the weaponslocating functions into tomorrow’s groundsurveillance radars. Telephonics’ ARSS (seeabove) is blazing a trend in this regard. Theadvent of AESA technology, which increas-es the number of tasks which a single radarcan perform simultaneously, could offerpotential in this regard. Allied to the abilityto detect hostile fire, the proliferation ofsmall UAVs around theworld for battlefieldreconnaissance could also shape futuredesign criteriawith the growing importancefor ground surveillance radars to be able todetect and track such targets.

SRC’s Hawk ground surveillance radar can be used to not only detect ground targets but alsoaircraft and incoming artillery fire. The radar typifies the trend towards multifunction systems whichcan monitor the locale for a variety of threats © SRC

Although well knownfor their optronics,

FLIR Systems offer arange of ground

surveillance radars



I N S U R G E N C YCOUNTER

Having a counter insurgencycapability has grown inimportance especially duringthe recent conflicts inAfghanistan and Libya, and,

currently in Iraq. The result is that, in thelatter conflict, US-led Coalition forces haveused fast jet combat aircraft in the COINrole with the United Kingdom and France deploying their fourth-generationEurofighter Typhoon-F/GR4 and DassaultRafale-F3B/C/M Multi-Role CombatAircraft (MRCA) to search for and destroytargets on the ground. The United StatesAir force (USAF) has even resorted to usingits fifth-generation MRCA, the LockheedMartin F-22A Raptor for operations againstIslamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) forcesin these two countries. However, these advanced MRCAs have

only been used where there is practically

no air threat and limited ground threats.They are also extremely high cost assets todeploy for striking relatively low-value tar-gets. According to the US Secretary of theAir Force Comptroller Office in 2013, the F-22A’s Cost-Per-Flying-Hour (CPFH) was$68362, compared with $17716 for theFairchild Republic/Lockheed Martin A-

10C Thunderbolt II; arguably the mosteffective Close Air Support (CAS) aircraftin the US Air Force’s inventory.Designed by Fairchild Republic during

the Cold War to destroy Warsaw Pact tanks,the A-10C, nicknamed ‘The Warthog’, madeits combat debut in the Gulf War in 1991,and having been subsequently deployed to

COIN IN THE SLOTOne of the lessons learnt during recent conflicts is theimportance of armed reconnaissance aircraft and the rediscoveryof the Counter-Insurgency (COIN) role developed with greatsuccess by the United States during its involvement in the Vietnam War, but largely disregarded since.

by David Oliver


COIN Aircraft:AMR 11/21/14 11:44 AM Page 2

the Balkans, Afghanistan, Iraq, Libya andnow Syria, is now under threat of earlyretirement. The US Department of Defencereasoning is that USAF cannot sustain theelderly subsonic A-10C fleet while acquir-ing an ever-more expensive LockheedMartin F-35A Lightning II MRCA; thechoice is between a ‘low and slow’ CASplatform and a ‘fast and high’ solution. Thisis an option thatmost air forces do not have,although the USAF realised this in 2010when it issued a Light Air Support (LAS)aircraft requirement for the Afghan AirForce (AAF) to be fielded by 2013.

Afghan AcquisitionsThe programme called for a fixed-wingsingle-engine turboprop platform, with anumber of critical requirements that thewinning aircraft had to fulfil including a

rough-field capability without ground sup-port, dual controls, ejection seats, specificair-to-ground weapons and systems, and adefensive-aids suite.The two contenders for the LAS pro-

gramme offered adaptations of basic turbo-prop trainer aircraft, the Brazilian EmbraerA-29 Super Tucano and the US BeechcraftAT-6B Texan II, while a third was a modi-fied agricultural crop sprayer, the AirTractor AC-802U. None were designed asarmed reconnaissance/COIN platforms,although an outsider, Boeing’s reworkingof the original North American/RockwellInternational OV-10 Bronco, dubbed the

OV-10X, was. The OV-10’s service lifebegan during the Vietnam War and 50years later it has proved to be a hard act tofollow and continues to serve with severalSouth American and Asian air forcesincluding Colombia and Venezuela, andthe Philippines. However, the OV-10X wasrejected for the LAS programme largely onsize, cost and delivery concerns.On 1 January 2012 the USAF announced

it had selected the Embraer A-29 SuperTucano for the LAS programme andawarded a contract for 20 aircraft and asso-ciated support valued at $355 million.Almost immediately, Hawker Beechcraft,

Paramount Group’s AHRLAC, the first light aircraft designed from the groundup to fulfil the dual COIN/reconnaissance role since the OV-10, made itsmaiden flight in South Africa in August 2013 © Paramount Group




the then manufacturer of the competingAT-6B, claimed unfair contracting practicesand after a series of protests and counter-claims, a revised request for proposals wasissued in May 2012. Finally, on 27 February2013 Embraer and its partner SierraNevadaCorporation (SNC) was awarded a $427.5million contract to supply 20 Embraer A-29Super Tucano LAS aircraft to the AAF. Thecontract covered the production of the air-craft in Jacksonville, Florida, as well as theprovision of ground-based training equip-ment, pilot and maintenance training andlogistical support.The first production A-29 was delivered

to the USAF’s Moody Air Force Base(AFB), Georgia on 26 September 2014 priorto the training of 30 Afghan pilots and 90maintainers as part of a requirement fromthe North Atlantic Treaty Organisation-ledInternational Security Assistance Force(ISAF) to conduct training outsideAfghanistan. The need for the A-29 comesas the current Afghan COIN aircraft, theMil Mi-35 attack helicopter, reaches theend of its service life in January 2016.USAF Major General John McMullen,

9th Air and Space Expeditionary Task

Force commander, spoke aboutAfghanistan’s need for the aircraft. “Clearlythe biggest gap in the Afghan Air Force isthe ability to deliver fire from the air to theenemy on the ground. The missing piecethat is vital to the Afghan National Security

Force success is an air-to-ground platformthat can drop precision weapons, that hasthe speed and the range to reach out to allof Afghanistan, and that platform is the A-29. It is the perfect aircraft for the terrain inAfghanistan, it’s the perfect aircraft for theconflict in Afghanistan, and it’s the perfectaircraft for the Afghanistan Air Force.”

Embraer’s EffortsThe first production Embraer A-29 SuperTucano was delivered to the Força AéreaBrasileira (Brazilian Air Force) in December2003 and since then more than 200 have

been produced. It is powered by a singlePratt and Whitney PT6A-63-3 turboprop.The light attack aircraft’s armamentincludes one FNHerstal 12.27mmmachine-gun in each wing and the provision of avariety of ordnance including two NexterNC621 20mm cannon pods, Mk.81/82unguided bombs and Mectron MAA-1Piranha Air-to-Air Missiles (AAM). A FLIRSystems AN/AAQ-22 Star SAFIRE multi-sensor laser designator provides the air-craft’s optronics capability.The Embraer A-29 light attack aircraft

has been selected by more than a dozenair forces worldwide that includes theTentara Nasional Indonesia-AngkatanUdara (Indonesian Air Force), which pre-viously operated the OV-10F Bronco,which has ordered a total of 16 A-29sdelivered between 2012 and 2014. ThePhilippines is considering the acquisitionof six turboprop COIN aircraft to replaceits aging OV-10s and the A-29 is one of theleading contenders with its Department ofNational Defence looking for a $114 mil-lion ‘government-to-government’ pro-curement deal with Brazil to acquirethem. Thailand, another former OV-10


The first production Embraer A-29 turboprop COIN aircraft that won the USAFLight Air Support aircraft requirement for the Afghanistan National Army Air Corpswas delivered to Moody Air Force Base in September 2014 © USAF

The biggest gap inthe Afghan Air Force is

the ability to deliverfire from the air to

the ground



operator, is also one of Embraer’s maintargets in the Asia-Pacific region.Of the other COIN contenders, the AT-6

Texan II, developed from the successful T-6basic trainer, which in turn was based onthe Pilatus PC-9, has been less successful inattracting sales in the Asia-Pacific regionalthough it remains a contender for thePhilippines and Thailand requirements (seeabove). Beechcraft flew the first productionAT-6B light attack aircraft on 19 August2013. Powered by a Pratt and WhitneyPT6A-68-D turboprop, it can carry laser-guided bombs, rockets, air-to-ground mis-siles and a 25 mm cannon developed fromGeneral Dynamic’ GAU-12 weapon on itssix under-wing hardpoints. For reconnais-sance it is equipped with the L3 WescamMX15Di optronics system.The third unsuccessful USAF contender

was the Air Tractor AT-802U single engineturboprop aircraft designed for reconnais-sance, precision strike, and rugged dirtstrip utility missions. Developed from theAT-802 tandem two-seat crop-sprayer andfire-fighting aircraft, the AT-802U com-bines an 8000lb (3629kg) payload and theability to perform missions of up to ten


Beechcraft’s AT-6 Texan II turboprop developed from the company’s successful T-6basic trainer, which lost out to the A-29 in the USAF LAS competition, has yet tobreak into sales in the Asia-Pacific region © David Oliver

The Embraer A-29 night vision goggle-compatible cockpit features two main mission anddisplay computers, a 24-degree field-of-view head-up display, and the Martin-Baker Mk 10 LCXzero-zero-ejection seat © David Oliver




hours duration. The AT-802 is combat-proven in counter-drug operations in theUnited States Southern Command area ofresponsibility by the US Department ofState for spraying coca fields in LatinAmerica. Twenty-four AT-802U lightattack aircraft have been delivered to theUnited Arab Emirates Air Force, six ofwhich have recently been donated to theRoyal Jordanian Air Force.

Powered by yet another variant of thePratt and Whitney PT6A turboprop, theAT-802U has four hard points under eachwing plus three more under the fuselagecapable of carrying a large arsenal ofweapons including dual 12.7 mm GAU-19/A three-barrel guns, seven-tube rocketlaunchers, bombs, Lockheed MartinAGM-114 Hellfire II air-to-surface mis-siles, Lockheed Martin DAGR (DirectAttack Guided Rocket) laser-guided rock-ets and the Raytheon Mini-Talon globalpositioning system-guided rocket. TheAT-802U has been equipped with theWulfsberg Flexcomm tactical modularmulti-band airborne radio which enablesthe aircrew to maintain communicationswith practically any tactical radio used byground units. For reconnaissance mis-

sions, options by the manufacturer for theaircraft include a retractable L3 WescamMX-15Di optronics system and a CompactMulti-channel Data Link (CMDL) capableof providing full-motion video downlinkand satellite communications.

South AfricaSince 2013, two completely new lightattack aircraft have taken to the air, neitherof which is based on existing trainer oragricultural aircraft designs. South Africa’sParamount Group’s self-funded AdvancedHigh Performance Reconnaissance LightAircraft (AHRLAC) is the result of a three-year development project with its partnercompany Aerosud. The largest privately-owned group of defence companies inAfrica, Paramount Group develops anddesigns solutions to tackle defence, inter-nal security and peacekeeping issues. Thecompany’s success has its roots in South

Africa’s apartheid legacy that saw thedevelopment of an indigenous defenceindustry intended to outflank internationalsanctions imposed on the country.Paramount Group is also involved in theaerospace, maritime and communicationsmarkets and in 2014 it acquired a majoritystake in Aerosud, South Africa’s largestindependent aerospace company thatmanufactures components for EurofighterTyphoon MRCA, Airbus A400M strategicturboprop freighter and Boeing andAirbuscommercial aircraft.

Launched in September 2011,Paramount claims that the AHRLAC is thefirst light aircraft designed from theground up to fulfil the dual COIN/armedreconnaissance role since the OV-10. Thecompany adds that the aircraft offers ahighly flexible form of ‘clip-on-clip-off’payload enabling it to be transformedquickly between operational roles. It canstay in the air for seven-to-ten hours, mak-ing it the ideal solution for patrolling largeland areas, borders and oceans.

The AHRLAC flew for the first timefrom Wonderboom Airport north ofPretoria on 7 August 2014. ParamountGroup Executive Chairman IvorIchikowitz told AMR that “Aerospace isvital for South Africa’s economy. This proj-ect is an excellent reflection of the capabili-ties of the country’s engineering fraternity.The incredible progress made by localengineers has put them at the forefront ofglobal aerospace innovation and their jointexpertise has turned them into pathfinders,who are proudly setting new milestones,through continuous innovation.”

The high-wing, twin-boom tandemtwo-seat design, fitted with Martin-BakerMk.17 ejection seats, is powered by theubiquitous PT6A turboprop driving athree-blade pusher propeller. The aircrafthas a top speed of 272 knots (504 kilome-tres-per-hour), a maximum range oninternal fuel of 1165 nautical miles (2159kilometres) and an endurance of overseven hours.

Its armament features an internal 20mmcannon and its 1760lb (800kg) payload car-ried on six under-wing hard pointsincludes bombs, rockets, laser guidedmunitions and anti-tank and AAMs

The fear factor of an insurgent actually seeing anattacking aircraft is exemplified by the fearsomefirepower of USAF’s Lockheed Martin/FairchildRepublic A-10C Thunderbolt II which is beingthreatened with early retirement © USAF

Paramount Group’sAHRLAC is the result

of a three-yeardevelopment with

Aerosud



Production of the South African AHRLACis based in the Centurion Aerospace Village(CAV) the highly successful industry-clus-tering initiative that has grown next to theWaterkloof Air Force Base in Pretoria. Firstcustomer deliveries are scheduled for 2015with a competitive base price of $10million.

While the turboprop light attack aircraftare in the ‘low and slow’ category, one

COIN/armed reconnaissance newcomer isaimed at the heavier faster niche that hasbeen the A-10C’s preserve to date. The jet-powered Scorpion was unveiled byTextron in September 2013 and performedits maiden flight three months later afteronly two years from initial design.Powered by two Honeywell TFE731geared turbofans, the tandem two-seat air-

craft fitted with Martin Baker Mk.16ejection seats is designed to have a cruisingspeed of 448 knots (830km/h) and a maxi-mum range of 2397nm (4440 km). TheScorpion made its surprise Europeandebut at the Royal International Air Tattoo(RIAT) in the United Kingdom in July 2014.

The large straight-wing aircraft has amaximum take-off weight of 21250lb(9660kg) and an impressive payload of9300lb (4228kg) of which 3000lb (1364kg) isa reconfigurable internal weapons bay forthe carriage of precision guided weapons.The aircraft also has six under-wing hardpoints for rockets, bombs and AAMs.

In the reconnaissance role, the Scorpionwill be fitted with a retractable L3 WescamMX-15 sensor turret while other larger spe-cialised sensors for foliage-penetrationradars and wide-area surveillance systemscan also be accommodated. Textron islooking for potential customers in theMiddle East and Asia-Pacific and is confi-dent of a launch customer by early 2015.

With the worldwide threat of insurgen-cies and hybrid warfare, there is a growingmarket for affordable and capable fixed-wing reconnaissance and strike aircraft,and there are plenty for choose from.

The Textron Scorpion attack aircraft can be armed with a variety of precision-guidedmunitions, has been designed and flown within two years to fill a gap between theturboprop and turbofan multi-role combat aircraft © David Oliver

Developed from the Air Tractor AT-802, a rugged agricultural spraying aircraftused by the US Department of State for counter-drug operations in SouthAmerica, the two-crew AT-802U is heavily armed © David Oliver




Military analysts at IHSJane’s note the increaseddefence spending of Asia-Pacific countries whichhas risen from 13.5 per-

cent in 2012, to $24.5 billion in 2014, withthat figure projected to rise to $40 billion by2016. In Indonesia military spendingincreased by 82 percent from 2002 to 2012.Singapore, according to the StockholmInternational Peace Research Institute(SIPRI), has become the fifth largest armsimporter in the world allocating over 20percent of its national budget to defence.Thailand’s defence expenditure is beingdriven by modernisation initiatives in

addition to border disputes and securitythreats. The country aims to increasedefence expenditure as a percentage of itsgross domestic product from 1.5 percent in2011 to 1.8 percent in 2016. A large amountof this increased spending throughout theAsia-Pacific will go towards enhancingMBT fleets.

IndiaThe IndianArmy plans to procure a total of1657 Uralvagonzavod T-90 MBTs by 2020,which will include 1000 tanks producedindigenously under a full technologytransfer agreement with Russia, with allparts made in India. A total of 59 armoured

regiments are to be equipped with around1600 tanks. The Defence AcquisitionCouncil (DAC) which oversees procure-ment in India has cleared manufacture of235 T-90 tanks at the Heavy VehiclesFactory (HVF) located at Avadi in south-east India. For those T-90s already in oper-ation with the Indian Army, the force willupgrade more than 600 of these MBTswith new optronics, navigation systemsand fire control for a total of $250 million.The Indian Ministry of Defence (MoD)formally approved the army’s three-year-old proposal for the T-90 upgrade inFebruary 2014. In keeping with the coun-try’s overriding desire to move towards

T A N K SBATTLE

TANKS FOR EVERYTHING


India’s Defence Research and Development Organisation has produced the Arjun Main BattleTank in the Arjun Mk.I and Arjun Mk.II configurations, the latter of which offers improvementswith regards to firepower, mobility and protection © Ajai Shukla

Almost every country in the Asia-Pacific has embarked on military modernisation programmes which include overhauling theirMain Battle Tank (MBT) fleets. This article will examine MBTprocurement and upgrade programmes ongoing around the region.

by John Ross

MBT:AMR 11/21/14 11:47 AM Page 2

domestic defence provision self sufficiency,an Indian MoD source said that the tenderfor the upgrade will be sent only todomestic defence companies.

In addition to the T-90s, the IndianArmy’s fleet of some 1900 UralvagonzavodT-72M MBTs is being upgraded with newoptronics and navigation equipment, thelatter of which will outfit those T-72Ms con-figured to provide command and control.Upgraded T-72M tanks are entering serviceand the upgrade has afforded a life exten-sion that will allow them to remain opera-tional beyond 2025. As far as India’s domes-tic Defence Research and DevelopmentOrganisation’s (DRDO) Arjun Mk.I MBTsare concerned, all 124 tanks have been deliv-ered to the Indian Army. The force’s 43rdand 75th Armoured Regiments are fullyoperational with 45 tanks each. Trials of theArjun Mk.I’s sibling, the Arjun Mk.II beganin 2012. Series production is expected tobegin in 2016. It offers improved protection,firepower andmobility over its predecessor,and it should eventually replace the IndianArmy’s ageing Cold War-era T-55 and T-72M tanks in service with the Indian Army.

Compared to the Arjun Mk.I, the hulland turret of the Arjun Mk.II has beenredesigned. It has improved protection andlocally-developed explosive reactivearmourmodules have been added. Armour

modules counter APFSDS (Armour-Piercing, Fin-Stabilised, Discarding Sabot)and HEAT (High Explosive Anti-Tank)rounds, as well as Rocket PropelledGrenades. Ammunition is stored in the tur-ret bustle which is equipped with blowoutpanels. The Arjun Mk.II is also fitted withadvanced laser warning and countermea-sures systems which confuse enemy sen-sors. Furthermore, this new MBT is armedwith a fully-stabilised 120mm rifled gunwhich is loaded manually. A rifled gun ofsuch calibre is only used on the British BAESystems Challenger-2 MBT. This gun ismore accurate at long range compared tosmoothbore guns. India claims that duringtrials this new Indian tank outgunned boththe T-72M and T-90 (see above). The ArjunMk.II is also compatible with IsraelAerospace Industries’ LAHAT (Laser-Homing Anti-Tank) surface-to-surfacemissiles. These missiles are launched inthe same manner as ordinary projectiles,and the tank can accommodate a total of39 rounds, including the LAHATmissiles.

The Arjun Mk.II is fitted with advancedoptronics and has improved communica-tion and navigation systems. Secondaryarmament consists of a coaxial 7.62mmmachine gun and a roof-mounted remote-controlled weapon station, armed with a12.7mm heavy machine gun.

PakistanPakistan’s twomain tanks are the Al-Zarrarand Al-Khalid MBTs, both of which aremanufactured by the Government-ownedHeavy Industries Taxila (HIT) organisation.Although The Al-Khalid initially enteredservice in 2001, around 300 are in servicebut this is expected to rise to 600 with animproved version which will include amore powerful diesel engine, more ammu-nition storage and a better Fire ControlSystem (FCS) together with new optronics(see Alex Calvo’s ‘Deterrence and Doctrine’article in this issue). The Al-Khalid is alicense-built version of the KharkivMorozov T-54 MBT. An Al-Khalid Mk.II isin development which will feature a newturret, modular armour and a new powerpack. Recently HIT signed a memorandumof understanding with China’s Norinco forongoing technology transfer, help withexports and profit sharing. HIT sees possi-ble markets existing in Bangladesh, SriLanka and possibly the Middle East.

Bangladesh and IndonesiaBangladesh has ordered 44 Norinco MBT-2000 tanks and three recovery vehicleswith deliveries having commenced in2014. Indonesia, meanwhile, has commit-ted to buying 93 Rheinmetall Leopard2A4 MBTs and ten engineering and sup-port vehicles. At least 61 of the Leopard2A4 MBTs which Indonesia has pur-chased will receive elements of theRheinmetall ‘Revolution’ modularupgrade package. These upgraded MBTshave been re-designated as the LeopardRI, to denote ‘Republic of Indonesia’. In2012 the German government gave

Although something of a veteran today, theT-55 Main Battle Tank, a mainstay of the SovietRed Army during the Cold War, remains inservice with People’s Army of Vietnam GroundForces and the Indian Army © US DoD


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The Arjun Mk.IIoffers improved

protection, firepowerandmobility over its

predecessor

MBT:AMR 11/21/14 11:47 AM Page 3

Rheinmetall the green light in 2012 toexport 104 Leopard 2A6 tanks, 50 Marder1A2 infantry fighting vehicles and tenother platforms, including armouredrecovery vehicles, mobile bridges and mil-itary engineering vehicles to Indonesia.According to Indonesian officials, the ini-tial agreement for 130 tanks was valued at$280 million, while Rheinmentall’s pressrelease placed the figure at $293.7 million.The deal includes training, logistical sup-port and an initial supply of practice andservice ammunition. The deliveries are dueto be concluded by 2016.

Malaysia and SingaporeMalaysia purchased 48 Polish BumarLabedy PT91 Twardy MBTs in the early2000s. These MBTs are in turn developedfrom the T-72M (see above). There appearto be no plans to replace these in the

foreseeable future as Malaysia has otherdefence priorities. Like Indonesia (seeabove) Singapore purchased 66 ex-Heer(German Army) Leopard-2A4 MBTs plus30 spare tanks, together with tenBergepanzer-3 Buffel armoured recoveryvehicles in 2007-2008. Most of the tankswere recently upgraded to the Leopard-2SG standard with advanced modulararmour protection from IBD DeisenrothEngineering of Germany and Singapore’sST Kinetics. They are fitted with IBD’sEvolution suite that boasts fourth-genera-tion Advanced Modular Armour

Protection (AMAP), which employs steelalloy, aluminium-titanium alloy, nano-metric steel, ceramic inserts and nano-ceramics. Steel slat armour is installed onthe hull and turret rear and flanks whilethe hull bottom is reinforced against mines.The Evolution suite increases the tank’sweight from 55 tonnes to 60 tonnes.

ThailandThailand’s government signed a $240 mil-lion contract for the purchase of 49Malyshev Factory T-84 Oplot MBTs fromUkraine in March 2011, the T-84 being cho-sen ahead of the Republic of Korea’s (RoK)Hyundai K1A1. Thai-Ukraine cooperationis at an all-time high following the earlierpurchase of Kharkiv Morozov BTR-3E1eight-wheel drive armoured personnel car-riers. Thailand could possibly acquire up to200 T-84s to allow retirement of its elderlyCadillac/General Motors M41A3 lighttanks. It is anticipated that Thailand willeventually purchase up to 200 tanks withthe first 50 being delivered in 2015.


The Republic of Korea Army’s Hyundai K1 and KI1A1 MBTs form the lynchpin of the service’sarmoured fleet, with around 1500 serving to this end. The company is currently developing the K2Black Panther MBT © US DoD

Malaysia purchased48 Polish Bumar

Labedy PT91Twardy MBTs in the

early 2000s

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MBT:AMR 11/21/14 11:47 AM Page 4

VietnamAmongst all ASEAN (Association of SouthEast Asian Nations) armies, Vietnam hasthe largest MBT fleet and has been a longtime user of Soviet-era T-54/55 series andNorinco Type 59 MBTs, with several unitsactually being Vietnam War veterans.Sources say that 600 to 850 T-54/55 tanksremain in Vietnamese service, with around310 modernised using Israeli technology totake them to T-54/55M3 standards whichinvolved the replacement of the originalSoviet 100mm gun with a 105mm M68/L7gun, along with the installation of explosivereactive armour, smoke grenade launchers,a new engine, a 60mm mortar and upgrad-ed sensors. Therewere previous reports thatVietnamplanned to purchase 150 T-72mainbattle tanks from Poland, but the order didnot materialise and the budget was insteadused to purchase naval assets as the threatto its offshore interests from China are con-sidered more strategically pressing.

ChinaChina is a major producer of innovativetanks, the newest of which is the NorincoZTZ-99. The ZTZ-99 (Type 99), 500 ofwhich are in service with the Peoples

Liberation Army (PLA), features significantadvances in technology and protection. It isequipped with Explosive Reactive Armour(ERA), a laser warning system and a125mm ZPT-98 main gun. The newest vari-ant is the ZTZ-99A2 with improved ERA, amodified rear hull and turret, a newpanoramic commander’s sight, a millime-tre-wave radar, an upgraded FCS and adigital Battle Management System (BMS).

Another project is the Type 99KMwhich is equipped with a modular ActiveProtection System (APS), an active laserdefence system and a larger-calibre gunable to fire next-generation kinetic ammu-nition. Norinco is developing and market-ing the third-generation MBT-3000. This isan upgrade of the MBT-2000 (see above)and it could deploy with the PLA by theend of 2014. The MBT-3000 has a 125mmgun capable of firing missiles, and is pow-ered by a turbo-diesel engine.

Republic of KoreaThe mainstay of the RoK’s MBT fleet isaround 1500 Hyundai K1 and K1A1 vehi-cles. General Dynamics has assistedHyundai to upgrade the KIAI with theaddition of a Battle Management System

(BMS), global positioning system-basednavigation, an identification friend or foesystem and new optronics for the driver.The Republic of Korea Army (RoKA) hasbeen testing this modernised K1A1.

Hyundai is also developing the 55-tonneK2 Black Panther for the RoKA. The serviceintends to order 397 K2s. It will feature a120mmmain gun coupled to an autoloader,a missile approach warning system, BMSand an indigenously-designed soft-killAPS. It also fires the innovative high-trajec-tory, fire-and-forget KSTAM (KoreanSmart Top-Attack Munition) anti-tankround. The K2’s introduction was delayeduntil March 2014 because of mechanicalproblems with the locally developedDoosan DST engine and S&T Dynamicsautomatic transmission. As a result the first100 production vehicles will use MTU-890engines and RENK transmissions bothimported from Germany.

The K2 Product Improvement pro-gramme (PIP) expected to commence in thefuture will have add features such as non-explosive reactive armour, an upgradedsuspension and a hard-kill APS. An elec-trothermal-chemical gun may also replacethe existing 120mm armament. Designers


The Australian Army is equipped with General Dynamics M1A1 Abrams MainBattle Tanks. The country purchased 59 of the vehicles in 2006 to replace itslegacy Leopard AS1 MBTs © Australian Department of Defence

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MBT:AMR 11/21/14 11:47 AM Page 5


are attempting to integrate an unmannedground vehicle into the K2’s architecture togive the MBT a remote scouting capability.The RoK intends to offer the K2 for exportbut this may prove difficult given the num-ber of cheaper refurbished tanks available.

JapanJapan is planning to downsize its fleet ofMBTs, which consists mainly of MitsubishiType 90s to 400 examples. It is intended toreplace the bulk of these, which are consid-ered too heavy and unsuitable for Japan’shighly urbanised environment with thenew Mitsubishi Type 10 MBTs. The high-tech Type 10 is lighter than its predecessorand builds on lessons learned from count-er insurgency and asymmetric warfare inIraq. It has a remote-controlled machinegun atop the turret, while the modulararmour package can be adjusted to suitthreat levels. In the turret is a 120mm

smoothbore cannon that fires a new APFS-DS round with greater penetration. Itsengine is connected to an innovative con-tinuously variable transmission that allowsthe vehicle to drive equally fast either for-wards or backwards. Furthermore, a BMSconnects tanks to each other and to higherechelons of command. Both the Japaneseand the RoKMBTs discussed above featurehydropneumatic suspension, as the abilityto kneel is extremely useful in rugged ter-rain since it gives the gun more elevationand depression. It is expected that 68 Type10s will be in service with the JapanGround Self Defence Force by 2015.

TaiwanTaiwan has a need to replace its sizeablefleet of M41 and M48 MBTs and is negoti-ating with the US to purchase refurbishedGeneral Dynamics M1A1 Abrams MBTswhich are becoming available as the US

army downsizes its fleet. Sources withinTaiwan’s Ministry of National Defencerecently said that Taiwan needs up to 200new MBTs. Although no order has yetbeen made it is expected that Taipei willgive governmental approval for the acqui-sition in the near future.

SummaryMany commentators forecasted the deathof the MBT following the end of the ColdWar and the experience of counter insur-gency and asymmetric warfare in theMiddle East and Central Asia since theturn of the century. However, throughoutthe Asia-Pacific region this is far from thecase as the expansion of tank fleets contin-ues apace fuelled by the availability ofmateriel asWestern nations downsize theirlegacy Cold War tank fleets, along withcontinuing geopolitical rivalries in southAsia and Chinese expansion.

The Japan Ground Self Defence Force is a major user of the Mitsubishi Type-90main battle tank. It is currently downsizing its Type-90 fleet to around 400examples and inducting the Mitsubishi Type-10 MBT © Max Smith

T A N K SBATTLE

MBT:AMR 11/21/14 11:48 AM Page 6

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The need to engage close-in sur-face and airborne threats in lit-toral environments and asym-metric conflicts makes the navalgun’s ability to provide a gradu-

ation of force, from the classic shot acrossthe bows in warning to decisive lethal fire,an essential tool in contemporary warfare.The retirement in the 1990s of the 406mmgun with the United States Navy ‘Iowa’class battleships that carried it has led toanything larger than 76mm calibre beingcategorised as a heavy naval gun, with this

sector dominated by BAE Systems andItaly’s Oto Melara with competition, inships of Russian design at least, fromRussian manufacturers such as JSCArsenal Machinery Plant in St. Petersburgand the Burevestnik Central ResearchInstitute in Nizhny Novgorod westernRussia with several Chinese designs basedclosely on some of these Russian weapons.Oto Melara’s regional manager for mar-keting and sales in the Far East andOceania regions, Gabriele Colombo, toldAMR that, in his experience, navies and

shipyards tend to consider guns up to andincluding 40mm in calibre to be small,between 40mm and 100mm to be mediumcalibre, and everything above that to beheavy calibre weapons. BAE Systems’Mark Wilson, vice-president, export andsales for south Asia, concurs but shifts thedefinition of medium weapons to encom-pass 30mm to 76mm guns.

Shifting DefinitionsIn practice, widely deployedwesternmedi-um calibre guns include BAE Systems’


C O M B A TNAVAL

68 GUNSOnce nearly eclipsed by the guided missile, thenaval gun is enjoying something of a renaissancethanks to advanced fire control, networkedsensors, smart fuses and precision guidancesystems making these weapons increasinglyflexible and able to engage a wide target set.

by Peter Donaldson

Naval Combat:AMR 11/21/14 11:57 AM Page 2

Bofors 57 Mk.III (known in the US as the57mmMk.110), Oto Melara’s 76mm, 62 cal-ibre Super Rapid, and the French 100mmautomatic, for which Nexter still makesammunition, the 35mm RheinmetallMilleniumGun. Russia’s Burevestnik offersthe 57mm A220M, the 76mm AK-176M1and the 100mm A190 in two variants,which are used on Russian and IndianNavy ships. China’s People’s LiberationArmy Navy (PLAN) uses various 76mmand 100mmweapons derived from French,Russian and indigenous designs.

Among the ‘heavy’ guns in servicetoday is the British 114.3mm Mk.VIII, a 55calibre automatic weapon whose actualbore diameter is 113mm. This weapon wasoriginally designed by the former UnitedKingdom Royal Armament Research andDevelopment Establishment—which even-tually became the Defence Science andTechnology Laboratory—and furtherdeveloped by Royal Ordnance, now part ofBAE Systems. The company also offers itsMk.45Mod. 4, a 127mmgun,which is oper-ational with both 54 and 62 calibre barrels,and the 155mm Advanced Gun System(AGS) developed for the US Navy’s‘Zumwalt’ class destroyers. Oto Melara’srival is the 127mm, 64 calibre gun at theheart of its VULCANO naval gun system.Larger Russian combatants are commonlyarmed with the 130mm AK-130, often intwin mountings, while China is developingthe H/PJ38 single-barrel 130mm weaponthat is reportedly replacing smaller calibreguns in the PLAN fleet.

Medium Calibres“The Asia-Pacific segment of the marketseems to be mainly conditioned by theevolution of the (security) situation in theChina Seas (both south-eastern and east-ern),” Mr. Colombo told AMR. “At pres-ent, many projects for new ships are goingto be launched or have been alreadylaunched,” he said, citing the examples ofVietnam, Thailand, the Philippines,Indonesia, Singapore and Malaysia. Hesaid that the corvettes, frigates and off-shore patrol vessels will be equipped withmedium calibre 76mm and 57mmweapons as their primary guns and smallcalibre 12.7mm and 30mm guns as sec-ondary armament, with coast guards andpolice forces obliged to use the smallercalibres. “Only Japan and the Republic ofKorea seem interested in large calibre(127mm) guns, which they have tradition-ally used and for which the availability oflong-range guided ammunition couldbecome a real interest.”

C O M B A TNAVAL


The Russian Navy’s ‘Udaloy’ classdestroyer RFS Admiral Chabanenko firesher twin AK-130-MR-184 130mm guns at adistant target during a gunnery exercise aspart of an exercise. The AK-130 series isRussia’s heaviest naval gun and Chinaproduces an equivalent © US Navy

Oto Melara’s STRALES system brings guidance technology to 76mm, 62 calibre naval guns, the maincomponents being the gun, the DART guided ammunition with its microwave programmablemultifunction fuse and an accompanying RF guidance system © Oto Melara


“The naval market in (the Asia-Pacific)continues to develop in response to ongo-ing geopolitical events,” Mr. Wilsonagreed. “BAE Systems expects to see con-tinued growth in regional naval forces interms of both quantities and capabilities.Naval guns will be part of this develop-ment, especially as guided projectilesbecomemore widely available.” New shipprogrammes are the company’s primaryfocus, although he expressed optimismabout the upgrade market also. “We havefound that replacing one gun system withanother on a deployed ship is a relativelyinfrequent step,” he told AMR. “If andwhen such an action takes place, it is usu-ally because the navy in question has aneed to improve the capability of the gunmount, not to simply replace old gunswith new ones. Naval guns do not reallywear out as might be expected with otherequipment items, such as armoured vehi-cles or tactical trucks.”

Upgrade PotentialBAE Systems regards the potential forupgrades to be strong, but with reserva-tions. “We recognise that competingdemands for budgets sometimes makes itquite difficult for international navies tojustify upgrades for gun systems whenfaced with competing (and more expen-sive) demands for upgrades to combat sys-tems, missile systems, hull, mechanical andelectrical systems.”

Mr. Colombo noted a significantshrinking in demand for new naval guns,particularly in the medium and large cali-bre segments over the last five years. Hecites a substantial reduction in the budgetsavailable for new big ship programmes,and even where there is the money fornew ships there is a tendency to re-useexisting guns, which might be more than30 years old yet still very capable. This re-use, he pointed out, generates business forrepairs, overhauls and upgrades.However, he told AMR of a shift awayfrom this tendency in the Asia-Pacific mar-ket during this period. “With a significantnumber of new projects for which newguns are required, mainly when small cal-ibres are requested, the new gun repre-sents more value for money.”

While missile evolution over the last 20to 30 years has diminished the role of gunsin air defence, except in the close-in arena,the continuing development of guidedprojectiles and smart fuses holds realpromise increasing their utility. Mr.Colombo points to fuses that have intro-duced an air burst capability in small (30-35mm) ammunition and Radio Frequency(RF) proximity fuses in medium calibreprojectiles. He emphasised that RF, GlobalPositioning System (GPS), infrared andsemi-active lasers have changed both thecapabilities of naval guns and the rolesthey can take on. All of these systems have

gained significant advantages from the bigstep forward in Micro Electro-MechanicalSystems (MEMS) technologies (the minia-turisation of electronics and mechanicalsystems), he commented to AMR.

Flexibility“The drift towards missiles was mainlydetermined by the manoeuvrability of themissiles—considered the only possiblemeans to defend against manoeuvringthreats,” Mr. Colombo added. “Today,with guided ammunition and the smartfuses, the gun is able to play some of theroles of missiles with the multi-role flexi-bility of a gun in a cost-effective way. Weexpect, therefore, a return to guns, espe-cially in asymmetric warfare where a pro-gressive reaction (from warning shot tothe kill) is manageable.”

Mr. Wilson believes that the shiftfrom guns to missiles and back is a


Developing guided ammunition for naval guns may be easier than adapting 155mm systemsfor shipboard use. This is Oto Melara’s 127/64 LW gun, which can fire the VULCANO familyof Ballistic Extended Range (BER) and Guided Long Range (GLR) rounds © Oto Melara

Replacing one gunsystem with another

on a deployed shipis a relatively

infrequent step

C O M B A TNAVAL


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C O M B A TNAVAL

manifestation of the eternal strugglebetween weapon systems and counter-measures, which he fully expects to con-tinue. “New intelligence and surveillancecapabilities, and weapons technologieswill improve the lethality and utility ofnaval guns. In turn, navies will seek tocounter this improved lethality and utilityby developing technologies to keep navalguns out of range, and to disperse, hide,and harden possible targets.”With the Advanced Gun System aboard

the US Navy’s ‘Zumwalt’ class using155mm ordnance and a similar weaponunder consideration for later batches of theRoyal Navy’s ‘Type 26’ class GlobalCombat Ships, bigger guns are in vogueonce more, although the inevitable com-plexities have slowed progress, as Mr.Colombo explained.

The 127mm Mk.45 Mod.4 naval gun has a 62 calibre barrel, strengthened gun and mount subsystems,enhanced fire control system, a reduced signature and a low-maintenance gun shield. BAE Systemssupports more than 250 US Navy applications of this weapon and ten allied fleets © BAE Systems

The ‘Oliver Hazard Perry’ class frigate USS Ingraham fires its Oto Melara 75-76 mm/62 calibre gunduring a live-fire exercise. This family of weapons is the leading western medium calibre gun andremains a popular choice for smaller combatants © US Navy



Capability with Complexity“One possible approach was to use a landsystem howitzer and try to find a navalapplication for it. In such a case, unless youuse the gun only as a howitzer, you riskless than great performance in direct firemode when used as a ‘gun’. Furthermore,if you want to re-use components, youhave to face the problem of the salt envi-ronment; last, but certainly not least, theammunition used in land applications hasmodular charges and its management onboard is not easy.” An implication thatflows from this, he added, is that itbecomes easier to develop a 155mm navalgun starting with a 127mm naval systemthan with a 155mm land howitzer, but thatstill leaves the problem of ammunition.“You need to invest in one-piece or two-piece ammunition for the 155mm.”

BAE Systems’ business developmentdirector for weapon systems, Chris King,takes a similar view. “A 155mm naval guncoupled with modern guided projectilesprovides a superb capability; however, ithas associated financial, space, and weightcosts that are prohibitive for manynavies,” he told AMR. “There are a limitednumber of navies in the world that havesufficient ships of the right size to justifythe investments needed to support a155mm gun system in their fleet, especial-ly when their existing ship and shore-

based infrastructure has been developedaround different sized naval guns.”

Guided projectiles for naval guns havebeen a long time coming, lagging behindthose for land-based artillery for example.Mr. King pointed out that, as with manyweapons technologies, initial promiseproves very difficult to execute in the“incredibly harsh” environment in whichmilitary operations are conducted. “Initialfailures or less than predicted operationalperformances does not mean the technolo-gy is a failure and will never work.”

Mr. King went on to point out thatnaval gun technology development issomewhat slow because the need forinstalled systems is relatively limited. “It issimply not possible to build, test and re-design naval guns as one might with com-puters and smart phones. The result is a

Guided projectiles fornaval guns have

been a long timecoming, compared to

land-based artillery

A shell is captured in flight as the Royal Navy ‘Duke’class frigate HMS Northumberland conducts a gunneryexercise. The faceted gun shield has a lower radarcross section than the earlier curved design. The future‘Type 26’ class Royal Navy ships will feature the largerBAE Systems 127mm weapon © UK MoD

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much smaller number of more expensiveprogrammes that do not always lead to theexpected level of success. However, as therelevant technologies develop over timethey will be incorporated into naval guns,and as the financial and programmatic sit-uation permits they will be incorporatedinto production gun mounts.”

Algorithm PotentialGuided projectiles require highly-minia-turised technology at affordable cost, Mr.Colombo pointed out. “Guidance has acost and reduces the warhead of the pro-jectile, therefore it is necessary to find theproper trade off between the payload andthe cost,” he noted. “Furthermore, the

accelerations generated by guns areextremely high, with the consequentialneed to use equipment that can resist verystrong forces. The technology has requiredtime to arrive at the proper level of cost-performance.” Today, he argued, MEMStechnology (see above) and ruggedisedequipment enable industry to achieve therequired performance at the right cost, inpart thanks to high volume civil applica-tions of technologies originally developedfor the military, citing the use of GPSreceivers in mobile phones. Of the twostrands of projectile technology, precisionguidance and smart fuses, the former offersmore potential for improvement, Mr.Wilson said, while Mr. Colombo addedthat providing the fuse with the target’sposition makes it more effective. “Thisinformation, via uplink connection, isalready available for guided ammunition.”

There is further room for improvementin guided munitions through fire controlalgorithms. “Improvements will be need-ed for target-weapon pairing, determin-ing the optimal number of munitionsrequired to achieve a desired target effect,and computing the arrangement of aimpoints and arrival times that will yield thehighest target effects while using thefewest munitions,” Mr. King said. Mr.Colombo adds that new fire distributionalgorithms might be used to optimisemultiple fires from many ships with net-worked sensors and effectors.

Ancient but RelevantIn the nearly seven centuries since the gun’sfirst recorded use at sea, when three can-nons and a hand gun were fired from theEnglish ship Christopher against Frenchopposition in the Battle of Arnemuiden offthe coast of the Netherlands in 1338. Thegun gun was dominant until the rise of theguided missile. Looking towards the futureeven the rise of the laser weapon seemsunlikely to eclipse it.

The ‘Zumwalt’ class destroyers of the US Navyare equipped with BAE Systems’ 155mmAdvanced Gun System (AGS). It is designed fora maximum sustained firing rate of ten rounds-per-minute to deliver precision, high-volumefires at ranges greater than 60 nautical miles(111 kilometres) © BAE Systems

The Long-Range Land Attack Projectile (LRLAP) isa Global Positioning System/Inertial MeasurementUnit (GPS/IMU) a guided and rocket-assistedmunition capable of delivering a unitary high-explosive warhead at extreme range thus greatlyincreasing the range of traditional naval gunsystems © BAE Systems


Amphibious Operations Apr-May 14:AMR 3/31/14 4:25 PM Page 1

United States-led forcesdeployed to Afghanistan andIraq soon became au fait withthe remote-controlled road-side bomb threat, following

the commencement of combat operationsin these two countries in 2001 and 2003respectively. The threat that such weaponspresent speaks for itself. According to thewebsite icasualties.org, between 2008 and2014, a total of 1239 casualties have beencaused by insurgent bombs inAfghanistan; this has represented over 40percent of casualties to all causes.

Of particular concern to land forces arethe remote-controlled bombs which can beplaced by the roadside and detonated

when a convoy of vehicles drives past. Theuse of remote control, either by radio, cell-phone or infrared, allows the insurgents toposition themselves some distance fromthe target area, to then observe the targetedconvoy and to detonate the device.Effectively this makes such bombs insur-gent ‘stand-off’ weapons. This can be donein such a fashion as to destroy the leadvehicle in a convoy, a favourite technique ifit is moving down a narrow ravine with lit-tle room for escape. This enables the now-static convoy to be ambushed.Alternatively, a single vehicle such as apetrol tanker, or lightly defended vehiclecan be selected with the aim of causing asmany casualties as possible.

Modus OperandiAs noted above, three mechanisms ofremote control can be used to active a road-side bomb, principally radio, cellphone orinfrared communications. Of interest tothis article will be the systems which can beused to protect a convoy of vehicles againstradio-controlled bombs. Radio detonationuses an RF (Radio Frequency) receiverwhich is in turn connected to an electricalfiring circuit. This then triggers a switchwhich activates the bomb’s initiator caus-ing its detonation. Coding can also beemployed so that the RF receiver ‘recognis-es’ the incoming RF signal to prevent thebomb’s accidental detonation by other RFsources. A number of RF devices can be


P R O T E C T I O NCONVOY

The British Army deployed the Talisman suite to Afghanistanto help protect its forces against roadside bombs and otherthreats. It uses optronics, armoured vehicles and unmannedground vehicles to help neutralise this threat © UK MoD

Like the Panzerfaust rocket-propelled grenade of World War Two and the AK-47 Kalashnikov assault rifle used in numerous insurgencies around the world,the remote-controlled roadside bomb remains asignature weapon of the twenty-first century.

by Thomas Withington

THE GRIM REAPER’STEXT MESSAGE

Convoy Protection:AMR 11/21/14 12:01 PM Page 2

used to trigger such bombs including caralarm remote controls, pagers and civilianUltra High Frequency (300 megahertz tothree gigahertz) radios. Cellphones canalso be used to trigger a bomb, with thecellphone connected to an electrical firingcircuit outfitting the device. A phone callis made to the device which is routed viaa base station transceiver (the cellphonetowers adorning the rooftops of buildingsin urban areas and microwave towers inthe countryside) to the cellphone equip-ping the device which then causes thebomb’s detonation.

Counter RFThe key to defeating an RF-activated road-side bomb is the utilisation of RF energy todisrupt the incoming RF signal. The ration-ale behind this is to prevent the hostile RFenergy from reaching the device which it isintended to detonate. For military convoys,vehicle-borne jammers can effectively pro-vide a ‘bubble’ of jamming energy aroundthe convoy which prevents hostile RF sig-nals from reaching within a certain safedistance around the vehicles. However, theart of jamming is a sophisticated one.Simply transmitting large amounts of RFenergy to jam any incoming signals risksalso jamming one’s own communications.Military vehicles use vehicular tacticalradios which operate in the UHF band,albeit often in a different part of the UHFspectrum from civilian cellphone traffic, sosimply blasting out electronic noise to jamall UHF signals risks jamming one’s ownradios. Instead, jamming has to be ‘smart’so as to prevent hostile RF signals detonat-ing devices, while preserving one’s ownuse of the electromagnetic spectrum.

The North Atlantic TreatyOrganisation’s (NATO) combat opera-tions under the auspices of theInternational Security Assistance Force(ISAF) may be winding down inAfghanistan, with British troops leavingthe troubled country at the end of October2013, but investment is still ongoing intojamming technology to protect militaryconvoys in preparation for the conflicts ofthe future. For many years, the US Armyhas employed SRC’s CREW Duke protec-tive system. Designed with a lightweight

construction, the CREW Duke has beencycled through several versions since itsdeployment last decade. It has beendesigned with low power consumption,ease of use and a compact size to ensurethat it is relatively easy to integrate intomilitary vehicles regardless of their sizeand engine horsepower. The CREW Dukereplaced Exelis’ Warlock Green jammerwhich had been in use with US forces in

Iraq since 2003. Exelis now offers theCREW Vehicle Receiver/Jammer (CVRJ)which detects incoming hostile RF signalsand then jams each of these accordingly.According to Exelis’ official literature, theCRVJ has been deployed in Afghanistanand Iraq and is relatively energy efficientfor the vehicle accommodating it, using 30amps of power.

Smart JammingOn 14 October 2014, the United Statesapproved the low-rate initial productionof Northrop Grumman’s new fixed, dis-mounted and mounted jammer which ispart of the Joint Counter Radio-Controlled Improvised Explosive DeviceElectronic Warfare (JCREW) programme.Low-rate initial production of the systemwill commence in 2015. Beyond NorthropGrumman’s efforts, several firms are con-tinuing to provide military convoy jam-mers. They include the JAMX Mk.4 whichis installed on an AM General Hummerfour-wheel drive vehicle, itself a civil-ianised version of AM General’s M998High-Mobility Multipurpose WheeledVehicle or ‘Humvee’. SESP of France,which manufactures the JAMX Mk.4, saysthat the product can provide up to 1585watts of output power across the 20 mega-hertz to three gigahertz frequency range,encompassing not only UHF signals, butalso Very High Frequency (30-300MHz)and the upper end of the High Frequency(3-30MHz) parts of the radio spectrum.The operator can decide exactly which



A US Army AM General High Mobility Multi-Purpose Wheeled Vehicle outfittedwith an electric device in a dome on the rear of the vehicle to neutralise thethreat presented by remote-controlled roadside bombs © US Army

The key to defeatingan RF-activated

roadside bomb is the utilisation of

RF energy


parts of the spectrum they wish tojam on account of the threat thatthey are facing; alternatively all fre-quencies can be jammed continu-ously. The device uses an omni-directional antenna allowing a widearea around the vehicle and convoyto be cleansed of RF threats.France is also home to Thales

which provides the TRC 6274 wide-band jammer. With an output of upto 50 watts, this can perform wide-band jamming to cover as much ofthe frequency spectrum as possible,typically across the HF to UHFranges. Jamming can be achievedusing selective responses. Theseinclude spot jamming where a spe-cific frequency, or set of frequen-cies, are jammed and responsivejamming, where a jamming is initi-ated in response to a specific RFthreat. So-called ‘smart’ barragejamming can also be employed bywhich a wide spread of frequenciesare jammed to cover a wider rangeof threats, but this jamming beingperformed in such a fashion so asnot to disrupt friendly communica-tions. DRFM (Digital RadioFrequency Memory) repeater jam-ming can be undertaken by whichhostile RF energy detected by thesystem is manipulated and then retrans-mitted back to the sender—a well-found-ed technique employed in radar jammingto spoof the radar regarding the informa-tion it derives from the pulse that theradar transmits. The TRC 6274 is joinedby Thales’ Eclipse which also performsreactive and proactive jamming, across awide set of frequency bands using a highpower transmitter.Other European convoy protection sys-

tem providers include Airbus Defenceand Space which has developed theVehicle Protection Jammer. This detectshostile RF signals, classifies these signalsand then initiates jamming using the orig-inal signal’s frequency band, a processwhich is measured in milliseconds.Airbus Defence and Space’s products arejoined by those of the United Kingdom’sEnterprise Control Systems’ whose Griffinvehicle-mounted jammer covers upper

end HF up to UHF transmissions.Additional UK-based remote-controlledbomb jamming system providers includeHomeland Security Strategies which offerthe VIP-300F jamming module which canoutfit several vehicles in a convoy so as toprovide overlapping protection. One par-ticularly interesting product developed bythe company is the VIP-300WOTS whichperforms barrage jamming effects using arandom multiband sweep allowing thesimultaneous disruption of several nar-row-band communications.

Output PowerMuch as the United States and its counter-parts have experienced the wrath of theremote-controlled bomb in the theatreswhere they have operated, the IsraeliArmy is no stranger to such dangers, par-ticularly given the threats which it experi-ences from Palestinian insurgent groups

on a daily basis. The country ishome to Phantom Technologieswhich provides jamming productsto protect military convoys. Thesedevices can develop 1400 watts ofoutput power and cover betweenthree and six gigahertz worth ofspectrum according to customerrequirements. Other Israeli prod-ucts include Elbit’s EJAB (ElectronicJamming Anti-Bomb) which hasbeen field-proven and is believed tobe in service with the Israeli Army.As well as jamming cellphone andradio communications, the EJABcan perform similar treatment forsatellite communications.Away from Israel, GEW

Technologies of South Africa manu-factures the GMJ10000 multichanneljammer which can disrupt severalfrequencies simultaneously. This is aparticularly useful function if a sec-ondary frequency is employed totrigger a remote-controlled bomb, inthe event of the primary RF triggerbeing jammed. Like several of thedevices surveyed in this article, itcovers the upper HF to UHF spec-trum, affording 300watts of jammingpower. Similarly, Tangreat of Chinahas developed theWF-D12 JAMhighpower wideband roof-mounted con-

voy protection jammer. This covers a simi-lar frequency range to the GMJ10000 dis-cussed above, although with the ability forthis to be extended to six gigahertz so as toincorporate jamming against S-band (two-to-four gigahertz) and C-band (four-to-eight gigahertz) satellite communications.Meanwhile, Ukraine’s Scientific

Research Institute for All-RoundAutomation based in the country’s capitalKiev has developed the GARANT remote-controlled bomb jammer. This is designedto provide barrage jamming and forms anRF protective zone around the vehicle. Theentire system comprises twelve jammingantennae each of which covers a specificfrequency band. The company states thatGARANT can equip a diverse array ofvehicles including main battle tanks andarmoured personnel carriers, although itcan be retrofitted to other vehicles ifdesired by the customer.


Israel Aerospace Industries unveiled its Counter-ImprovisedExplosive Device and Mine Suite (CIMS) at the October 2014Association of the United States Army Exhibition inWashington DC. CIMS uses radar, optronics and magneticdetection to discover roadside bombs © IAI



Spending PrioritiesAs this article has illustrated, althoughinvestment continues to flow into jam-ming equipment for convoy protection, aswitnessed by recent developments in theUnited States discussed above, questionsmust be asked as to whether such levels ofspending on this technology will continuein the future. By 2015, the majority ofNATO-led forces will have leftAfghanistan. Mercifully, for the armiesinvolved, this will bring a correspondingreduction in casualties caused by remote-controlled bombs. However, with defencebudgets still under pressure around theworld, particularly in the west, there is thechance that convoy protection equipmentis one area where spending reductionscould occur as countries seek to rein intheir defence budgets to curb government

spending. With no existential threat, plan-ners in defence ministries globally maytake the opportunity to cut back convoyprotection expenditure to make savings.Furthermore, there may be an increasingaversion to deploying ground troops intowar zones in the wake of the casualtiessustained in Iraq and Afghanistan. As thisarticle was being written, the UnitedStates had embarked upon OperationINHERENT RESOLVE which, in concertwith a number of coalition partners, has

mounted an air campaign to assist theIraqi Army and Kurdish Peshmergainsurgents in rolling back the territorialadvances made by the Islamic State of Iraqand Syria Islamist movement in Iraq. Sofar, the US and its coalition partners havedemurred from deploying ground troops,save instructors for the Iraqi and Kurdishforces, to support the air campaign. Areluctance to deploy ground forces in thisand future campaigns could mean a simi-lar reluctance to invest in RF jammingequipment with a view that such technol-ogy will not be necessary. However, theremote controlled bomb is sadly here tostay; a lack of investment in jammingtechnology today could have dire conse-quences on the battlefields of tomorrowwhen a reluctance to deploy groundtroops no longer becomes an option.


It must be askedwhether such levels of

spending on thistechnology will

continue in the future

Remote-controlled roadside bombs have exacted a heavy toll on US-led combat forces in recent conflicts in Afghanistan and Iraq. As this photoillustrates, such weapons also pose a serious threat to civilians. © NATO



The use of simulation technolo-gies in particular is growing,accounting for an increasinglylarge portion of training solu-tions for personnel, allowing

training to be standardised across pro-grammes and ensuring that every user canprepare for a wide range of operating con-ditions that would otherwise be difficultand expensive to replicate.

SeaspriteFixed and rotary-wing aircraft requirementscurrently dominate the most high-profiletraining and simulation programmes in theAsia-Pacific, with a number of recent devel-opments in high-value projects.

As the New Zealand Defence Force(NZDF) gears up to take delivery of its firstKaman SH-2G(I) Super Seasprite naval sup-port helicopters by the end of 2014, the New

Zealand Ministry of Defence (MoD) isworking to ensure that its synthetic trainingdevices are up to scratch to enable the seam-less fleet transition to the new model fromits existing SH-2G Seasprite fleet. The NewZealand MoD signed a contract to acquirethe SH-2G(I) in April 2013, with all ten air-craft expected to be delivered by mid-2015.

Simulation specialists CAE of Canadaannounced on 20 October 2014 that it had

PERSONNELTRAINERThe military training andsimulation industry is developingnew and innovative ways toallow armed forces to train as theyfight, and many armed forces in the Asia-Pacific region areincreasingly exploiting advanced technology to improve their trainingmethods across the air, land and sea domains.

by Claire Apthorp

Kaman is supplying ten SH-2G(I) Super Seasprite naval supporthelicopters, spare parts, a full mission flight simulator, and relatedlogistics support to the New Zealand Ministry of Defence under a$120 million contract signed in April 2013 © Kaman Aerospace


AND S IMULAT IONTRAINING

Training and Simulation:AMR 11/21/14 12:03 PM Page 2

been contracted to upgrade an existingSH-2G Full Mission Flight Simulator(FMFS) and SH-2G Part Task Trainer(PTT) that are being acquired as part ofthe package. CAE will commence majorupdates and obsolescence management tothe existing SH-2G(I) FMFS and PTT. Thework will include updates to the hostcomputer, sensor systems, tactical envi-ronment and the instructor operator sta-

tion and the addition of the latest genera-tion CAEMedallion-6000 image generatorand the common database (CDB). TheCDB is an open database architecture thatenhances the ability to correlate and rap-idly update databases to support trainingand mission rehearsal requirements.Under a separate contract announced

at the same time, following delivery ofthe SH-2G(I) synthetic training devices toRoyal New Zealand Air Force (RNZAF)Base Auckland in 2015, CAE will providethrough-life support, on-site trainingsupport and maintenance servicesthrough 2030.

Fixed-wingAmong multiple other projects in theregion, including its work on the CAEBrunei Multi-Purpose Training Centre inBrunei-Darrussalam, and the BeechcraftKing Air 350 turboprop transport trainingprogramme for the Royal Australian AirForce, CAE is involved in the programme todeliver a comprehensive pilot training sys-tem to the RNZAF as part of a programmeled by Beechcraft. This firm was awardedtwo contracts, announced in January 2014,to supply a training system based on theBeechcraft T-6C Texan II turboprop trainer,

along with spare parts, training, logisticsand maintenance support. Eleven aircraftwill be supplied under the contract, alongwith two CAE operational flight trainingsimulators, computer-based trainingcourseware and customised RNZAF pilottraining syllabi, all of whichwill be integrat-ed to create a comprehensive leading edgelearning management system.CAE is developing two T-6C opera-

tional flight trainer simulators, computer-based classroom training systems, andcourseware customised for RNZAF pilottraining. The simulators will include ahigh-fidelity replica of the T-6C cockpitwith a fully-enclosed 270 degree by 70degree field-of-view display system drivenby the CAE Medallion-6000 image genera-tor. It will also feature the CAE-developedCDB, both of which are being utilised inthe SH-2G(I) simulators (see above),enabling the RNZAF to cost-effectively re-use synthetic environment databases.The T-6C aircraft and simulators will

replace the Pacific Aerospace CT-4EAirtrainer in the primary phase of theRNZAF Wings Course and FlightInstructor Course (FIC) training role, andthe King Air B200 turboprop transport inthe advanced phase of the Wings Course.

CAE and the government of Brunei-Darussalam established a joint venture company to developand operate the CAE Brunei Multi-Purpose Training Centre in the country in 2012. The inaugurationof training at the facility was conducted in September 2014 © CAE


AND SIMULAT IONTRAINING


The new systems will be based at RNZAFBase Ohakea in New Zealand’s NorthIsland, where they will support primarythrough to advanced aircrew trainingbefore they move on to operationalsquadrons or the FIC.

Beechcraft will deliver the four T-6C air-craft in November 2014, whereupon theRNZAF will begin validation flying inpreparation for integrating the aircraft intopilot training by mid-2015. All eleven T-6Caircraft will be delivered by mid-2015.

AustraliaThe Australian Defence Force’s (ADF’s)ongoing fixed-wing training requirementsform one of the longest-running pro-grammes in the Asia-Pacific region. As out-lined in the Australian Department ofDefence’s (DoD’s) 2012 capability plan,Project AIR 5428 “will introduce a newbasicand a new advanced flying training systemto increase the efficiency and effectivenessof the ADF’s (Australian Defence Force’s)fixed-wing Pilot Training System (PTS)”.

With a gestation period of almost adecade, delays to the programme haverequired the ADF to extend the life of thecurrent PTS at the ADF’s Basic FlyingTraining School (BFTS) in Tamworth, insouth eastern Australia, with BAE Systems

awarded a six-year contract with six one-year extension options in May 2011 forInterim Basic Flying Training services util-ising the CT-4B trainer aircraft.

Graduates from BFTS move onto theADF’s principal basic training aircraft, thePilatus PC-9A turboprop trainer at theNo.2 Flying Training School at RAAF BasePearce in Western Australia, where pilotsare trained to ‘wings’ stage. Already withmore than 25 years of operation completed

for the ADF, the PC-9A was originallyintended to retire from service in 2016; dueto programme delays its life has had to beextended until AIR 5428 reaches InitialOperational Capability (IOC) which isexpected to occur in 2017.

Mat Sibree, AIR 5428 capture managerfor BAE Systems, told AMR that thelongevity of the incumbent and legacy sys-tems is likely to have created a trainingburden for the operation unit due to thegap in aircraft systems for pilots trainingon a PC-9A aircraft then moving on to theBoeing C-17A Globemaster-III strategicfreighter or Boeing F/A-18E/F SuperHornet multi-role combat aircraft BAESystems leads one of two consortiumteams that have been down-selected forAIR 5428. The other is led by LockheedMartin (with Pilatus and Beechcraft whichis also known as ‘Team 21’).

BAE Systems Australia has teamedwithBeechcraft and CAE, with a bid based onthe T-6C military training aircraft, deliv-ered as part of a flexible learning environ-ment with CAE Level Six synthetic FlightTraining Devices (FTDs). BAE SystemsAustralia will draw on it experience in run-ning the RAAF’s BAE Systems HawkMk.127 Lead-In Fighter (LIF) in-servicesupport contract. Now in the contract’sthird iteration, the company maintains andsupports 33 Hawk Mk.127 aircraft as lead-in fast jet trainers, with logistics support


The King Air 350 training programme in Australia for the RAAF is the first company-owned/company-operating training centre to be providing military training to the ADF. The centreincludes the CAE 5000 Series Beechcraft King Air 350 turboprop transport full-flight simulator © CAE

CAE Australia has upgraded the Australian Army’s Sikorsky S-70A Black Hawk medium-liftutility helicopter full flight and mission simulator with electronic warfare capabilities andthe latest CAE Medallion 6000 image generator © CAE



and three enhanced operational flighttrainers manufactured by CAE also in use.“The reason BAE Systems chose

Becchcraft and the T-6 is because we want-ed to offer a single-type system,” Mr.Sibree said. “Currently the ADF rely ontwo aircraft, the CT-4 and the PC-9, and webelieve you could replace that with one air-craft, and the best platform that offers themost compelling kit for both basic flying,but to also continue the learning curve tra-jectory, is the T-6C.”BAE Systems Australia believes that fur-

ther efficiencies could be made under AIR5428 by exploring the potential to unlockcapacity in the underutilised HawkMk.127LIF fleet, suggesting that the reintroductionof fast-jet training to the Royal AustralianAir Force (RAAF) undergraduate systemwould not only deliver advanced compe-tencies, but also have a positive influenceon culture and student motivation.“From an AIR 5428 point of view the

Hawk Mk.127 is outside of scope, but as

the turnkey service provider for that plat-form we believe we could offer some goodefficiencies if the aircraft was injected backin to the pilot training stream rather thansitting outside it,” Mr. Sibree said.BAE Systems will also draw on its expe-

rience of providing turnkey fixed-wingand rotary-wing pilot training for theRoyal Brunei Air Force and the PapuaNewGuinea Defence Force from its FlightTraining Academy in Tamworth, and itssupport of the Republic of Singapore AirForce’s Air Grading Course since 2000.

As the leader of Team 21, LockheedMartin’s AIR 5428 has teamed with PilatusAircraft and Beechcraft to offer a compre-hensive PTS for Project AIR 5428 based onthe Pilatus PC-21 turboprop trainer. Theteam will apply experience gained fromthe delivery of flying training to theRepublic of Singapore Air Force (BasicWings Course) at RAAF Base Pearce,which it is currently in its eighth year of a20-year performance-based contract.

HATSFollowing on from recent rotary-wingtraining upgrades for its existing fleet,including a major upgrade to theAustralian Army’s Sikorsky S-70A BlackHawk medium-lift utility helicopter FFMS(Full Flight Mission Simulator) by CAE,Australia is working to upgrade its train-


BAE Systems is drawingon its experience of

providing turnkeyfixed- and rotary-wing

pilot training

Team 21, which includes Lockheed Martin Australia, Pilatus and Hawker Pacific, is offering a PilatusPC-21 turboprop trainer-based solution for the ADF’s future Pilot Training System, Project Air 5428,which draws on the team’s successful provision of flight training facilities to Singapore © Pilatus




ing and simulation capabilities as it pre-pares to bring a number of new helicopterplatforms into service.Boeing was announced as the preferred

partner for the ADF’s $700 million (poten-tially worth up to $1 billion) Project Air9000 Phase 7 to provide a new HelicopterAircrew Training System (HATS) inOctober 2014; however, contract negotia-tions continue.The joint HATS, to be based at HMAS

Albatross in Nowra, south-easternAustralia, will meet the requirements of theAustralian Army and the Royal AustralianNavy (RAN) to overcome the broadeninggap in training systems required for theadvanced operational helicopters to beoperated by the future ADF, including 22Airbus Helicopters EC-665ARH Tigerattack helicopters, 47 NH Industries MRH-90 Taipan medium-lift helicopters, 24Sikorsky MH-60R Seahawk maritime sup-port helicopters, and seven Boeing CH-47FChinook heavy-lift helicopters. This willallow the retirement of Bell Helicopter OH-58A Kiowa reconnaissance and attack heli-copters operated by the Australian Armyand 13 Airbus Helicopters AS-350BASquirrel helicopters operated by the RAN.Boeing, which has teamed with Thales

for its solution, beat competition from the

other-two down-selected tenders fromAustralian Aerospace and RaytheonAustralia. Boeing’s solution will includepurpose-designed syllabi based on 15Airbus Helicopter EC-135 twin-engine‘glass cockpit’ training helicopters, threefull-motion Thales EC-135 FlightSimulators, and the addition of a flight deckto the RAN’s new sea-going training vessel.According to the Australian DoD, the IOCfor HATS is late 2018 but the systems willbegin to receive students before then.

Tiger UpgradeIn September 2014, Thales Australia alsocompleted delivery of a significantupgrade to the Australian EC-665ARHsimulator as part of a team including primecontractor Airbus Group. The improve-ments to the FFMS’ Visual Display System(VDS) mean the Australian EC-665ARHsimulator now has the highest levels of ‘outof the window’ realism of any Tiger FFMSin the world.

The FFMS consists of two domes, onefor the Pilot and one for the Battle Captain.The project consisted of removing theBarco Sim 6 Liquid Crystal Display (LCD)projectors, including the associated controlsystems, for each dome, and replacing theprojectors with the Barco F35 projector,along with a new projector control system.Each dome uses nine projectors, covering afield-of-view 240 degrees horizontal by 85degrees vertical. In addition, the SGI-basedImage Generator for each dome was alsoreplaced with a computer-based solution,using the latest graphics cards.“The new visual system provides a sig-

nificantly improved performance. As wellas rendering imagery at a higher resolution,it is much brighter, the colours are clearer,and the overall focus is much improved,”Phil Swadling, technical and engineeringmanager, avionics, training and simulationat Thales’ Australian subsidiary, told AMR.“The upgrade ensures the FFMS continuesto be available to train ARH aircrew overthe coming years.” The need to update thetechnology in the Australian Tiger FFMS isreflective of a trend across the simulationmarket, largely due to the fast pace of tech-nology development.“Projector technology is moving rapidly,

with a number of technology changes occur-ring in a relatively short period of time, sowhile the LCD projectors fitted on the origi-nal delivery were state of the art at the time,in the intervening period at least two newgenerations of technology have come ontothe market,” Mr. Swadling explained. “Inthe main, the advancements in projectortechnology have been driven by thedemands of the entertainment industry.”“One consequence of this is that projec-

tors are becoming unsupportable morequickly than in the past, creating a morefrequent need for upgrades. At the sametime, the newer projector technologies aregenerally providing improved imagequality, so customers will be interested

The need to updatethe Australian

Tiger FFMS reflectstrends across the

simulation market

The SGI-based Image Generator used for theAustralian Army’s Airbus Helicopters EC-665ARH attack aircraft was state-of-the-art atthe time of delivery but has since beensuperseded by a number of generations ofcomputer-based hardware evolutions © Thales



in the improved training capabilitiesthat could be achieved particularly bymilitary customers.”

Flexible SolutionsEarlier in 2014, Dutch company VStep com-pleted delivery of two Class A NAUTISFullMission Bridge (FMB) simulators to theIndonesian Navy. The simulators wereordered for the Kobangdikal marine train-ing facility in Surabaya in East Java.The Indonesian Navy added new

‘Sigma’ class corvettes to its active fleet in2012 as part of a wider modernisation pro-gramme to allow the navy to more effec-tively combat maritime crime and piracy.The NAUTIS FMS simulators allow realis-tic training of the ‘Sigma’ class bridge per-sonnel, with each simulator offering a 270degree field-of-view projected on a cylin-drical screen. The simulator bridges matchthe actual corvette bridge, allowing effi-cient and true-to-life bridge operations andnavigation training. The Indonesian Navyalso ordered five custom-built ports to

equip the simulator’s software, and cus-tomised navigation screens.Originally VStep worked with the

‘Sigma’ class vessel, Damen NavalShipbuilding of the Netherlands, to buildan exact bridge replica of the vessel toenable the Indonesian Navy to train in anidentical system. However, the cost ofintegration drove the team to instead tomake a ‘look-alike’ bridge with touch-screens and displays designed to replicatethe ‘Sigma’ class bridge.“You see also in helicopter training these

days that it ismore about procedures so youdon’t always need the complete cockpit in asimulator, depending on the exact trainingneeds,” Pjotr van Schothorst, chief executiveofficer of VStep, told AMR. “So (for a bridgesimulator) some of the controls such as thephysical engine controls and radar systemwere sourced from the original supplier, butsome of the other less high-priority panelswere replicas that looked like the real thingbut were touch-screen controls rather thanphysical controls.”

“That way we were able to deliver thewhole bridge for a fraction of the cost, andthat’s quite a cost-effective way to deliverthis type of training capability. Many navycustomers, like the Indonesian Navy origi-nally plan on an exact match for their sim-ulator requirements but then opt for amore flexible solution that allows them totrain for more than one type of vessel,which gives them the option to turn off cer-tain devices or more easily change compo-nents to look and feel like another type ofvessel,” Mr. van Schothorst continues.The company is also working with the

maritime wing of the Australian Army on asoon-to-be announced programme to installa VStep simulator classroom at itsTownsville base in eastern Australia. Themaritime simulators are to be used for land-ing craft operations and navigation training.With the use of simulation technology

gaining traction in the training of militarypersonnel across the region, more armedforces are benefiting from solutions that arecost-effective, flexible, and able to deliveron a range of requirements simultaneously.Consequently, personnel can benefit frommore dynamic and real-life training acrossa wider range of platforms.


The maritime simulator classroom delivered by VSTEP for the Royal Australian Navy includestwelve NAUTIS Desktop Trainers and two NAUTIS Instructor Stations. The simulators use theNAUTIS Naval Task Force software module © V-Step



The October 2014 centenaryanniversary of the arrival of thefirst British Indian troops on theEuropean Western Front duringthe First World War is a good

moment to examine the current militarymodernisation plans of one of the successorstates of British India: Pakistan. This is acountry where the armed forces are widelyseen by both experts and the population asthe backbone of a still-ongoing process ofnation-building. At the international level,Pakistan remains a state which is strategi-cally essential to both Beijing andWashington DC. The existence ofPakistan’s nuclear deterrent has providedsome breathing space to confront Indiawithout the need for a conventional parityin terms of materiel and personnel, allow-

ing Islamabad to focus on military mod-ernisation and internal security. Hernuclear force also widens the scope to wageor at least tolerate sub-conventional andlimited conventional warfare against India,including the use of proxy actors such asarmed militants in the disputed region ofKashmir without fear of escalation.In addition to infiltration in Kashmir,

incidents blamed on proxy Pakistan actorsin recent years include the 26 November2008 seaborne attack against Mumbai andthe 23 May 2014 strike against the IndianConsulate in Herat, western Afghanistan.Domestically, the Pakistan military hasmanaged to develop a strong esprit decorps, seeing itself as more advanced andmodern than the country’s surroundingsociety and its politicians. It has also

become a meritocratic avenue for socialadvancement. While fears of Islamist infil-tration into Pakistan’s armed forces persist,most officers are considered to be Pakistaninationalists; loyal to Pakistan as nation-state rather than the Ummah, Islam’s uni-versal community of believers.Pakistan has to contend with three

strategic imperatives: bringing together adiverse population in terms of language,ethnicity and economic interests, con-fronting India, and preventing the emer-gence of a unified, hostile Afghanistan.Reza Fazli, a Kabul-based researcher at theUnited Nations Non-GovernmentalOrganisation Liaison Office, active inresearch and peace-building, who followsregional dynamics, believes that Pakistanis “an expansionist state bent on destroy-


DETERRENCEAND DOCTRINEPakistan’s nuclear umbrella has given the country breathingspace to modernise her military, with a sea-based deterrent onthe cards. Islamabad is pursuing a policy of self-reliance andexport promotion in the defence sector, based on an emergingstrategic relationship with Beijing.

by Alex Calvo

M I L I T A R YREGIONAL

As submarines proliferate in the IndianOcean, navies are making an effort todevelop their anti-submarine capabilities.This Hafei Z-9EC naval support helicopter isone of six in the Pakistan Navy’s 222 ASWSquadron © Pakistani Navy Official Website

Pakistan Defence:AMR 11/21/14 12:07 PM Page 2

ing, occupying or at least weakeningAfghanistan”, while pointing out that “it isthe Pakistani military that sets the tone ofPakistani foreign policy, particularly withregards to Afghanistan (and India)”.Islamabad’s motivations to try to weakenAfghanistan include avoiding encir-clement and the emergence of a unifiedPashtunistan, an area of land encompass-ing parts of Afghanistan and Pakistaninhabited by the Pashtun ethnic group. Inaddition to these concerns, a fourth preoc-cupation of Pakistan is maritime securitywhile the country remains one of thelargest contributors to United Nationspeacekeeping operations.In defence industrial terms, Islamabad

can be expected to continue her drive forself-reliance partly prompted by pastUnited States sanctions against her nuclearweapons programme, diversification, anda push for exports, with China as thePakistan government’s preferred partner.Saudi Arabia is one of Pakistan’s most sig-nificant clients, with some observers con-cerned that Islamabad may enable Riyadhto acquire a nuclear deterrent through theexport of know-how to this end.

Conventional Land ForcesTraditionally the senior service, Pakistan’sArmy has a strength of more than 600,000(1,400,000 adding reserves and paramilitaryforces), it fields more than 2500 Main Battle

Tanks (MBTs) and 4000 armoured person-nel carriers and other armoured vehicles,and its artillery is believed to comprisemore than 3000 towed guns and almost 500self-propelled pieces, as well as differenttypes of anti-tank guided missiles, includ-ing the AQ Khan Research LaboratoriesBakhtar-Shikan, and 92 multiple launchrocket systems. TheMBT inventory includemore than 300 (600 planned) HeavyIndustries Taxila Al-Khalid MBTs which isclosely based upon the Russian/SovietKharkiv Morozov T-54, plus 320 KharkivMorozov T-80 MBTs, 320 Heavy IndustriesTaxila Al-Zarrar T-59s along with NorincoType 85-II and Type 69-II MBTs, as well as345-450 General Dynamics Land SystemsM48A5 and 50 Kharkiv Morozov T-54/55MBTs. The armoured vehicle inventoryincludes 2000 domestic-developedamphibious Heavy Industries Taxila Talhaand Saad armoured personnel carriers, 300BAE Systems M2 Bradley infantry fightingvehicles, and more than 1600 FoodMachinery Corporation/BAE SystemsM113 armoured personnel carriers.

Auxiliary ForcesA significant portion of Pakistan hasnever been fully brought under the con-trol of the central government, includingthe FATA (Federally-Administered TribalAreas), located in the north west of thecountry. Rather than civilian police andconventional army units, a number ofmilitia and constabulary-type forces con-stitute Islamabad’s most visible face inthose regions, leaving the army free toface India. To this end, the Frontier Corpsare recruited from the Pashtun populationnear the Afghan border. Created by theBritish, it is separate from the army andsometimes works with irregular villageforces. The Frontier Corps are joined bythe Laskhars, a part-time tribal militiamade up of civilians available to take upweapons. Lightly armed, they on theother hand know the physical and humanterrain in the areas where they operate.Paramilitary police forces in the FATAinclude the Levies, armed with weaponsprovided by the authorities (the Laskharsuse their own) and more formal trainingcompared to the Lashkars.



The gates of Heavy Industries Taxila the manufacturer of, among other products, the Al-Khalid mainbattle tank. Its motto ‘strength through self reliance’ is a reminder of Islamabad’s efforts to developa domestic defence industry © Heavy Industries Taxila


NavyA junior service in comparison to thearmy, it is nevertheless tasked with keyroles such as coastal protection and thedefence of Sea Lines Of Communication(SLOCs). It operates eleven frigates anddestroyers (including six ‘Amazon’ classfrigates and one ‘Leander’ class frigate in atraining role), three ‘Eridan’ class MineCountermeasures (MCM) vessels, four‘Jalalat’ class fast attack craft, and eight aux-iliary ships, plus oilers and Offshore PatrolVessels (OPVs). The subsurface fleetincludes five French-made ‘Khalid’ classconventional hunter-killer (SSKs) boatspurchased in the 1990s and two ‘Hashmat’class SSKs which were bought in the 1970s,plus three midget submarines.

Pakistan’s naval aviation comprisesfour Lockheed Martin P-3C OrionMaritime Patrol Aircraft (MPA), eightFokker F27-200 MPA, and three DassaultBreguet Atlantique ATL-I MPA. The navalsupport helicopter fleet includes sixAgustaWestland Sea KingMk.45 rotorcraftand twelve Hafei Z-9EC aircraft, among

others. Weapons used by the PakistanNavy include China Aerospace Scienceand Industry Corporation (CASIC) C-602anti-ship cruise missiles, purchased fromChina and with an estimated speed of 529knots (980 kilometres-per-hour) and rangeof 151 nautical miles (280 kilometres). Inaddition, the Pakistan Air Force operates aspecialised anti-ship squadron equippedwith Dassault Mirage V strike aircraft. Thepersonnel strength of the navy includesmore than 22000 active and 5000 reserveofficers and sailors.

Traditionally, the port of Karachi hasbeen the home of the Pakistani Navy. Acrowded harbour, in a city sometimesdescribed as ‘feral’, it experienced an attackon the Mehran Naval Air Base there in2011, when Pakistani Taliban cadres

destroyed two Lockheed Martin P-3COrion patrol aircraft. John P. Sullivan, asenior research fellow at the Centre forAdvanced Studies on Terrorism (CAST),explains that “a feral city has lost the abili-ty to moderate gangs, crime and violence.The rule of law is replaced by impunity forcriminal conflict and a lack of state solven-cy (legitimacy plus capacity). The absenceof the state is reinforced by the primacy ofthe illicit economy”. Mr. Sullivan adds that“Karachi fits this model”. Gradually, theNavy is diversifying into other bases, suchas PNS Siddique in Turbat, in the south-west, near the strategic deepwater port ofGwadar and border with Iran, designed tohost some naval air assets. Another base isPasni, where the P-3Cs are located. In April2014 Pakistan shifted the bulk of her oper-ational fleet (submarines included) fromKarachi to Jinnah Naval Base, also locatedin the south-west of the country.

Pakistan’s navy is planning to expandand modernise. Current procurement ini-tiatives include four more ‘Zulfiqar’ classfrigates. The first three were built in China

In defence industrialterms, Islamabad can

be expected tocontinue her drive for

self-reliance

The PNS Zulfiquar frigate was inducted intoPakistan Navy service in 2009. This Chinese-builtship gives her name to a class of four frigates, oneof which, built in Pakistan, is currently undergoingtrials © Pakistan Navy Official Website




and the fourth in Pakistan. The ‘Zulfiquar’class displaces 3000 tons and carries CASICC-802A long-range anti-ship and ChinaAcademy of Defence Technology FM-90surface-to-air missiles, depth charges, tor-pedoes, a 76mm gun and a close-in-weapons system, while embarking a HafeiZ-9EC naval support helicopter. Also fourmodern corvettes are to be built at theKarachi Shipyard and Engineering Works,at an unspecified date, and Pakistan hasrequested the purchase of six ‘OliverHazard Perry’ class frigates from the US,however US Congressional hostilitywhich may prevent the deal. Candidatecorvettes to meet Pakistan’s requirementsinclude DCNS’ ‘Gowind’ class,ThyssenKruppMarineSystems ‘MEKO A-100/D’ class or Istanbul Naval Shipyard’s‘Ada’ class. Naval procurement plans alsocover additional oilers, MCMs and OPVs.In order to replace her ‘Daphne’ class

SSKs, decommissioned in 2006, there arereports that the Pakistani Navy is negotiat-ing the purchase of DCNS ‘Marlin’ orHowaldtswerke-Deutsche Werft GmbH‘Type-214’ class submarines. Other reportspoint out that China may have offered tosell six ‘Yuan’ class SSKs. Sino-Pakistanicooperation in naval construction is notonly further proof of the strong bilateralrelationship and move away from US pro-curement by Pakistan, but is also gearedtowards exports to third countries andshows that Islamabad, like Beijing, isenhancing its maritime power.

Air ForcePakistan’s air force operates some 800 air-craft from seven air bases, and its personnelnumbers 65000 (with around 3000 pilots).Its front line strength remains focused onthe General Dynamics/Lockheed Martin F-16A/B/C/D Block-10/15/50/52 multi-rolecombat aircraft, with Islamabad buying afurther 13 from Jordan in 2014, bringing hertotal to 76. In September 2014 the last of 41F-16A/Bs to be modernised by Turkish

Aerospace Industries (TAI) were deliveredback to the air force following both structur-al and avionics upgrades (see ‘Pakistanreceives upgraded F-16s from Turkey’ newsstory in this issue). However theChenghu/Päkistan Aeronautical ComplexJF-17 Thunder MRCA, co-produced withChina, is currently the air force’s first prior-ity and is one of the best examples ofPakistan’s gradual shift towards Beijing. InDecember 2013 production of 50 JF-17Block-II MRCA began, with improvedavionics andweapons load, as well as an in-flight refuelling capability. Plans call for thepurchase up to 250 planes, replacing theChengdu F-7 and Dassault Mirage-III/VMRCA. Beijing and Islamabad are workingon a two-seater variant of the JF-17 for useas a trainer or for night strike missionsexpected to be designated as the JF-17Block-III. Furthermore, there has beenmuch


Commodore Peter Leavy of the Royal AustralianNavy onboard the PNS Saif ‘Zulfiquar’ classfrigate. Pakistan regularly takes part inbilateral and multinational drills. This picturewas taken in September 2014, during ExerciseKAKADU 2014, in the ship’s machinery controlroom © Royal Australian Navy

Despite growing links with China, the Pakistani Air Force retains strong links with its Americancounterpart. The picture shows Pakistan and American aircrew preparing for a training flight in aUSAF Lockheed Martin F-16D Block-52 multi-role combat aircraft © USAF




speculation about the possible purchase ofChengdhu J-10 MRCA, considered to beroughly equivalent to the US F-16C/DBlock-50/52 MRCA.Pakistan’s main aircraft manufacturing

and maintenance centre is the state-ownedPakistan Aeronautical Complex (PAC) inKamra (Punjab). Considered to be theworld’s third largest assembly plant, it wasoriginally built to service Chinese-made air-craft. Domestic Unmanned Aerial Vehicles(UAV)manufacturers include the privately-owned Karachi-based Integrated Dynamics(ID) and government-owned PAC, the latterproducing the Uqaab UAV. Whileobservers point out that current UAVs havenot been weaponised, some have pointedout that theUqaabmay beweaponisedwithChinese assistance in the future.

Nuclear ForcesGiven Pakistan’s smaller population andeconomy, compared to India’s, her nucleararsenal (estimated at 100-120 warheads)remains a cornerstone of her defence pos-ture. The programme owes much toChinese assistance and is widely consid-ered to have resulted in proliferation assis-tance to third parties, through the same net-works set up to procure key materials, and

benefiting Libya, Iran, and the DemocraticPeople’s Republic of Korea (DPRK). Itenjoys popular and military support andseems to have made it easier for Pakistan toengage in asymmetrical war against Indiainvolving proxies (see above). In addition,Islamabad has never ruled out a first strikein any future nuclear confrontation.Pakistan nuclear delivery systems

include the F-16A/B (see above) carryingnuclear gravity bombs. Other delivery sys-tems include the 173 nautical mile (320 kilo-metre) range National Defence Complex(NDC)Ghaznavi and 486nm (900km) rangeShaheen short-range tactical ballistic mis-siles, with two more in development: theNDC Abdali and Nasr, the latter with anestimated range of 32nm (60km), plus theintermediate-range Khan ResearchLaboratories Ghauri-2 and 1349nm(2500km) range Shaheen-2. The Ghauri-2 isbased on the DPRK’s Nodong intermedi-ate-range ballistic missile which is believedto be road-mobile and liquid-fuelled, with a

single stage and a range of some 1079nm(2000km). The Shaheen-2 is solid-fuelledwith a similar range. To this we must addtwo cruise missiles in development, the air-launched Air Weapons Complex Ra’adwith a 189nm (350km) range and theground-launched NDC Babur, the latter ofwhich has a range of some 348nm (644km).It is rumoured that a naval version of thelatter is also under development.Meanwhile, Pakistan is working on theTaimur intercontinental ballistic missilewith a range of 3777nm (7000km).Some observers consider Pakistan to

have the fastest-growing nuclear arsenalin the world, which the country is mod-ernising. This may be connected to doctri-nal developments giving nuclear weaponsa wider role. Islamabadmay be working todevelop a sea-based deterrent, giving her asecond-strike capability. Mandeep Singh,associate editor at specialised defencewebsite Orbat believes that this would“change the strategic balance completely”and “significantly enhance the chances ofnuclear war”. Mr. Singh says that“Pakistan now has extremely competentsecurity in place for its nuclear weapons”,although the possibility of the weapons(falling under the unauthorised possessionof violent Islamist organisations) can’t beruled out given recent experience”. Hedeems it credible that Saudi Arabia, “in anextremely difficult strategic position”,may purchase nuclear technology or hard-ware from Pakistan.

ConclusionsPakistan is modernising key weapons sys-tems, often in partnership with China, andgearing them also towards exports. Interms of nuclear weapons the two big ques-tions are whether Islamabad may deploy asea-based deterrent, thus completing itstriad, and whether Saudi Arabia mayobtain a nuclear deterrent with technologi-cal support from Pakistan. In the conven-tional arena, the continued developmentand possible export of the JF-17 MRCA, co-produced with China, merits careful atten-tion, as does the progress in domestic-madeUAVs. The renewal of Pakistan’s subma-rine fleet could also significantly contributeto the country’s military strength.

Pakistan’s nucleararsenal remains a

cornerstone of herdefence posture

US defence secretary Chuck Hagel meets Pakistani prime minister Nawaz Sharif on 9 December2013. While an essential Cold War ally for the US, Pakistan has in the past been hit by US sanctionsdesigned to slow her nuclear weapons programme © US DoD



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ASIA PACIFIC PROCUREMENT UPDATEby Pierre Delrieu

PAKISTAN RECEIVESUPGRADED F-16 FROM TURKEY�� The Pakistani Air Force(PAF) has received delivery ofthe last four, upgraded,Lockheed Martin/GeneralDynamics F-16A/B Block-10/15 Fighting Falcon Multi-Role Combat Aircraft (MRCA)it ordered from TurkishAerospace Industries (TAI),according to a statementissued by the Turkishcompany on 2 September 2014,following a ceremony held atTAI’s facilities in Ankara,Turkey, that same day.In completing this final

delivery, TAI concluded anavionics and structural mod-ernisation programme, knownas ‘Peace Drive II’, a mid-lifeupgrade (MLU) project for 41of Pakistan’s F-16A/Bs thatwas signed between TAI andPakistan Ministry of Defence

in June 2009 and launched inOctober 2010. This projectinvolved the replacement ofmore than 1300 parts, witheach aircraft taking around sixmonths to update. The UnitedStates government, throughanother contract with the PAF,supplied the parts, materialsand technical data required forthe project. In addition to theupgraded aircraft, PAF per-

sonnel also received trainingon the modernised aircraft andparticipated in the upgradework performed at TAI.Speaking at the ceremony

in Ankara, TAI’s chairmanYalcın Kaya assured that “theupgraded F-16s will unques-tionably and proudly increasethe Pakistan Air Force’s relia-bility and functionality”. Forthe PAF’s deputy chief of staff

Air Marshal Sohail Aman, thisdeal will be the first of numer-ous future collaborationsbetween Pakistan and Turkey.Speaking during the ceremo-ny, he explained “the future ofthe three countries (Turkey,Pakistan and the US) is togeth-er since their common objec-tive is to generate global peaceand make the world safer”. TAI began domestically

manufacturing F-16A/BMRCA under licence from theUS for the Turkish Air Forcein 1984. Nowadays, theTurkish company manufac-tures parts for Boeing and hasbecome one of the world’smain aerospace companiesinvolved in the manufactureand modernisation of theMRCA. TAI has also upgrad-ed scores of F-16A/B/C/DMRCAs for other customers,most recently for the RoyalJordanian Air Force.

INDIA RECEIVES LASTOF 12 GRIFFON 8000TD HOVERCRAFT �� The United Kingdom-based Griffon Hoverwork haddelivered the last of twelvemilitarised GRSE 8000TDmedium-lift hovercraft toIndia’s Coast Guard (ICG) on5 September 2014, fivemonths ahead of schedule.This final delivery concludesa $51.1 million procurementcontract for twelve hovercraftsigned in 2011. Capable of speeds exceed-

ing 50 knots (93 kilometres-per-hour), the 69 feet (21metre) long high-speed hover-craft displaces 31 tonnes, cancarry up to ten tonnes of pay-load, depending on the con-figuration, and up to 80troops. It can also beequipped to carry wheeled ortracked vehicles. The 8000TDis powered by two water-cooled diesel engines, com-

bined with radiatorcoolers which operatewhen the hovercraftis travelling over land and cannot usecooling water.Ideal for shallow

water operation,India’s militarisedversion of the hover-craft, designated asthe 8000TD/M willassist the country’scoast guard in itsefforts to enhance sur-veillance, interdiction, andsearch and rescue operationsalong its most vulnerable andcomplex coastlines and off-shore islands. Armed with amachine gun, India’s 8000TDsare capable of operating inareas inaccessible to conven-tional vessels. The craft will beespecially useful in anti-smug-gling and anti-infiltrationpatrols in the Gulf of Kutchnear the Arabian Sea along the

western coast of India, in thestate of Gujarat, renowned forits shallow waters andextreme daily tides. In military operations,

these craft are designed foramphibious assault, logisticssupport and fast attack. Asthey do not set off minesbecause they produce virtual-ly no acoustic, magnetic orpressure signatures, hover-craft are also used for Mine

Counter Measure(MCM) operations. The ICG received

six 8000TD/Ms in2001, two of whichwere manufactured atGriffon’s boatyard inSouthampton, UK,and four by theKolkata-based GardenReach Shipbuildersand Engineers (GRSE).This new deliverybrings to 18 the totalnumber of medium-

lift 8000TD/M hovercraft cur-rently in service with the ICG.Other operators of Griffon

Hoverwork’s 8000TD includethe Republic of Korea CoastGuard, whose fleet includesthree units of this model andthe Saudi Arabian BorderGuard, which operates five8000TDs, each equipped withbow ramps and storage spacefor a small four-wheel driveutility vehicle.


News Dec 14-Jan 15:AMR 11/21/14 12:09 PM Page 2

MALAYSIA WELLUNDERWAY TO RECEIVEITS FIRST A400M BY 2015�� The Royal Malaysian AirForce’s first of four AirbusA400M Atlas strategicturboprop freighters hasentered the latter stages ofproduction at the company’sFinal Assembly Line (FAL) inSeville, southern Spain.Following assembly, it willundergo ground testing aheadof a planned delivery date of2015. This news wasannounced by Airbus on 23September 2014.With this order, placed in

2005, the RMAF has becomethe first export customer forthe A400M. Once in service,the four-aircraft fleet will beintegrated with the RMAF’sageing Lockheed Martin C-130H Hercules turbopropfreighter fleet, which theRMAF has plans to upgradein the near future. The RMAFA400M programme has costthe country $2.4 billion, $272million of which was financed

by an offset deal made withthe domestic companyComposites TechnologyResearch Malaysia Sdn Bhd.The country’s new aircraft

will be delivered to the RoyalMalaysian Air Force (RMAF)in the first quarter of 2015 fol-lowing the completion ofground and flight tests. Twomore aircraft will be deliv-ered to the RMAF later thatyear, with the final aircraftschedule for delivery in2016. Training has alreadybegun for the first group ofMalaysian pilots at theAirbus InternationalTraining Centre in Seville,along with maintenance engi-neers and technicians.Airbus’s sales director in

Malaysia for the A400M,Andy Cheng, told AMR that,although the country’s A400Mwas not configured with spe-cific or unique items, theRMAF had specifically askedthat the aircraft be equippedwith a full Air-to-AirRefuelling (AAR) capability.

Mr. Cheng explained that theRMAF had “selected certainoptional items so that all fourof its aircraft can perform thefull range of logistical, tacticaland AAR missions. Theseoptions comprise a compre-hensive avionics suite includ-ing precision navigation sys-

tems, satellite communica-tions, a defensive aids suite,paradrop delivery equipmentand a third crew member sta-tion in the cockpit to assistwith tactical operations.”Mr. Cheng added that

“Malaysia was offered anindustrial package propor-tional to its orders in a similarway to the European industri-al partners … and Composite

Technology ResearchMalaysia was designated asthe company to receive thepackage of composite struc-tural components for design,engineering, testing and certi-fication and manufacturing.”This partnership comes as agreat opportunity for theMalaysian company, whichis Airbus’ sole supplier forthose components. AsAirbus continues withinternational exports of theA400M, CTRM will remainan active industrial partnerin the initiative.The A400M programme hashelped CTRM develop into

a world-class composite com-ponent manufacturer and thecompany has since taken on“additional work packagesfrom Airbus commercial air-craft and other aircraft origi-nal equipment manufacturers,as well as producing large-size engine nacelles. Its orderbacklog is currently equiva-lent to five years of produc-tion,” Mr. Cheng explained.

INDONESIA’S TNI-ALINTRODUCES NEWLEOPARD CARRIER LST�� The Indonesian Navy(Tentera Nasional Indonesia-Angkatan Laut/TNI-AL) com-missioned its latest indige-nously produced TankLanding Ship (LST) dubbedthe ‘Leopard Carrier’, onaccount of its ability to accom-modate the Indonesian Army’snew Rheinmetall Leopard-2A4Main Battle Tanks, on 27September 2014. The LST wasdelivered despite initial uncer-tainties over whether its ship-builder PT Daya Radar Utama(PT DRU) would be able tomeet its October 2014 commis-sioning deadline.The vessel, one of three

LSTs ordered by theIndonesian government in2012, was originally scheduledfor launch on 28 August 2014,but the deadline had to bepushed back due to delays by

state-owned manufacturer PTPindad on delivering the ship’sonboard cranes which are usedto launch and recover the ves-sel’s rigid hull inflatable boats.Following that first delay, fur-ther uncertainties arose after a28 June 2014 shipyard visit byIndonesia’s defence ministerPurnomo Yusgiantoro revealedthat the LST was still in earlystages of construction.However the LST, named

KRI Teluk Bintuni, was finallyofficially inducted into theTNI-AL’s Military Sea LiftCommand during a ceremonypresided over by Mr.Yusgiantoro which took placein Bandar Lampung, the capi-tal and economic hub ofLampung province, in south-ern Sumatra. Mr. Yusgiantorodescribed Indonesia’s latestLST as an example of thecountry’s devotion to itshome-grown defence industryand revealed that a class of at

least four additional vesselswas expected to join theTNI-AL by 2024.KRI Teluk Bintuni, which is

scheduled to serve with theTNI-AL from 2015, wasdesigned to transport the TNI-AL’s recently deliveredLeopard-2A4 MBTs purchasedfrom Germany in 2012.According to its manufacturerthe vessel can carry up to tenLeopard-2A4s, along with twomedium-lift utility helicopterson its flight deck. The LST alsoincorporates a roll-on/roll-offdesign, allowing rapid deploy-ment of the MBTs ashore. It isequipped with twin dieselengines and can generate a topspeed of 16 knots (30 kilome-tres-per-hour). The LSTs canalso be used for logistics sup-port and troop transportation.Two additional ships withsimilar configurations arereportedly already under con-struction at state-owned ship-

builder PT Dok Kodja Bahari.The purchase is part of the

Indonesia’s plan to moderniseits ageing military equipmentand develop and revitalise itssealift capabilities as the coun-try faces a rise in regional ten-sions. Media reports in July2013 indicated that Jakarta waslooking to create a tenthIndonesian Marine Corps(KORMAR) battalion as partof its naval forces expansionand restructuring programme.KORMAR received deliveriesof a second batch ofKurganmashzvod BMP-3Famphibious infantry fightingvehicles in late January 2014,which brings its total numberof mechanised infantry combatvehicle in service with KOR-MAR to 54. Jakarta is alsorumoured to be working on adraft procurement contract toacquire Kharkiv MorozovBTR-4 eight-wheel drivearmoured personnel carriers.

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IM15_ExhibitorAd_whale_213x286_AMR.pdf 1 13/8/2014 9:11:39 AM

JAPAN’S HELICOPTERCARRIER IZUMOBEGINS SEA TRIALS�� Japan’s new helicoptercarrier the Izumo, the firstof two 30000 ton ‘Izumo’-classvessels scheduled to enterservice with the JapaneseMaritime Self-Defence Force(JMSDF) by 2018, began inten-sive sea trials in lateSeptember 2014, according tothe JMSDF.

The ship was unveiled inlate August 2014 at the port ofYokohama, south of Tokyo,and will be the biggest war-ship to enter Japan’s fleetsince the ‘Yamato’ class battle-ships which the ImperialJapanese Navy operated dur-ing the Second World War.Configured with a large flightdeck and hangars designed tohold up to 14 helicopters, theIzumo and her yet-unnamedsister ship were not designedwith either catapults, traps ora ‘ski jump’ deck, all neces-sary configurations for theship to act as an aircraft carri-

er. The JMSDF has highlight-ed the vessels’ capacity toquickly respond and assist inemergency situations or natu-ral disasters. The Izumo willnonetheless reportedly beequipped with a bow-mount-ed sonar for anti-submarine

operate fixed-wing aircraft,although two Raytheon RIM-116 Rolling Airframe Missilelaunchers which will providedefence against anti-ship mis-siles outfit the vessel. Theflight deck of the Izumo hasfive helicopter landing spots,and can reportedly transport50 trucks, supplies andover 400 troops in additionto its crew.

The two ships will serve asreplacement for the JMSDF’stwo ‘Shirane’ class destroyers,the Shirane and Kurama,which were commissioned in1980 and 1981 respectively.Once commissioned, the‘Izumo’ class will greatly

enhance the currentanti-submarine, anti-ship, and amphibiousassault capabilities ofthe JMSDF, as its cur-rent ‘Shirane’ classhelicopter carriers,planned for decom-missioning soon afterthe Izumo enters serv-ice, currently accom-

modate ten helicopters.The construction of Izumo

began at an Ishikawajima-Harima Heavy Industries ship-yard in Yokohama in 2011, at acost of about $1.5 billion. Hercommissioning is currentlyscheduled for March 2015. Thesecond ship of the class, cur-rently referred to as DDH 184,will follow in 2017.

The Chinese media has

already described the Izumoas an ‘aircraft-carrier in dis-guise’, expressing concern thatJapan would use the ‘Izumo’class vessels for expeditionaryoperations. However, despitethe concerns of Japan’s neigh-bours the JMSDF insist that thevessel will be used mainly forhumanitarian assistance anddisaster relief and border sur-veillance missions.

The Japanese fleet also cur-rently comprises two 20000-ton ‘Hyūga’ class helicopterdestroyers, the Hyūga and Ise,commissioned respectively in2009 and 2011. Each of thesevessels is configured to carryup to 18 helicopters and typi-cally operates three SikorskySH-60K one AgustaWestlandMCH-101 naval supporthelicopter. The ‘Hyūga’class destroyers are alsoequipped with the RaytheonRIM-162 Evolved Sea Sparrowsurface-to-air missileand Lockheed MartinRUM-139 VL-ASROC(Anti-Submarine Rocket).



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ROK SIGNS $7 BILLIONDEAL FOR 40 LOCKHEEDMARTIN F-35AS�� The Republic of Korea(RoK) has finalised a $7 bil-lion deal with the UnitedStates government to acquire40 Lockheed Martin F-35ALightning-II Multi-RoleCombat Aircraft (MRCA). TheDefence AcquisitionProgramme ExecutiveCommittee, headed by theRoK’s minister of nationaldefence Han Min-gu, signedthe letter of offer and accept-ance sanctioning the deal during a meeting held in the capital Seoul on 24 September 2014.

Deliveries to the RoK ofthe F-35A will start in 2018,with a final delivery estimat-ed for 2024, according to astatement issued followingthe meeting by the US pro-gramme executive officer forthe F-35 Lightning II Joint

Programme Office, LieutenantGeneral Chris Bogdan.Training for the initial cadreof RoK Air Force (RoKAF) F-35A pilots will also be includ-ed in the deal, and will mostlikely take place at Luke AirForce Base, Arizona, andbegin around the time of thefirst RoKAF F-35A deliveries.

With this deal, the RoKbecomes the third ForeignMilitary Sales country to pro-cure F-35 variant MRCAthrough the Foreign MilitarySales programme, joiningIsrael and Japan who selectedthe aircraft in 2010 and 2011respectively. The programmealso currently includes partici-pation from three US militaryservices and eight internation-al partner countries.

The F-35A should fulfil theRepublic of Korea Air Force’s(RoKAF’s) FX-III requirement,under which the RoK initiallyplanned to buy 60 aircraft to

update its fleet of 1970s-eraMcDonnell Douglas F-4EPhantom-II MRCA. TheRoKAF eventually reduced thenumber of units to be pro-cured to 40 aircraft as the $10.8billion original estimate pricefor 60 F-35As prove to be toohigh. Lockheed Martin’s F-35Ahad reportedly been shortlist-ed for the FX-III programmeas early as September 2013,when the Seoul decidedagainst Boeing’s F-15SE SilentEagle MRCA, judging that theaircraft lacked ‘fifth-genera-tion’ stealth characteristics.Eurofighter had also offeredthe Typhoon MRCA but thiswas reportedly rejected due to cost.

“The F-35 was the sole air-craft in the RoK FX-III compe-tition that offered true, all-aspect stealth,” explainedOrlando Carvalho, LockheedMartin executive vice presi-dent in a press release. “It is

designed from the ground upto meet a demanding stealthrequirement that the US mili-tary services determine is vitalto combat effectiveness in thefuture. This decision strength-ens and extends (LockheedMartin’s) long-standing securi-ty partnership while enhanc-ing regional stability across thegreater Asia-Pacific theatre.”

The Defence Acquisition ProgrammeAdministration (DAPA), thebranch of the RoK in chargeof administering defence pro-curement and also defenceindustrial projects, is oversee-ing plans to build an indige-nous KFX MRCA. The KFXplan forecasts that the RoKAFwill produce at least 120 air-craft with twin engines andhigh-end avionics systems by2025 to replace the RoK AirForce’s aging F-4Es andNorthrop Grumman F-5E MRCA.




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AUSTRALIA SIGNS F90RIFLE LRIP CONTRACTWITH THALES�� Thales Australia secured acontract from the AustralianDepartment of Defence (DoD)in late September 2014 to enterLow-Rate Initial Production(LRIP) for the company’s F905.56mm assault rifle,developed to serve as areplacement for Steyr AUGF88 Austeyr series assaultrifles currently in service withthe Australian Army.Thales’ F90 had been

awarded Provisional DesignAcceptance in April 2014 bythe Australian Department ofDefence as the result of a seriesof extensive tests which sawover a million rounds fired.The decision was made officialthis September 2014, althoughno details on either the con-tract’s value or a deliveryschedule were given by Thales.

Also referred to as EF88,the F90 assault rifle is an evo-lution of the F88 assault riflewhich had already beenadopted by the Australian andNew Zealand armed forces inthe late 1980s. “This is a majormilestone in the F90 story,”said Kevin Wall, vice presi-dent of armaments at ThalesAustralia in a press release

published following theannouncement. He added that,“backed by over a century ofmilitary weapons experience,Thales’s Lithgow facility (onthe east coast of Australia) willnow begin manufacturing F90

rifles as part of a de-riskingexercise designed to smooththe transition in productionfrom the existing in-serviceweapon to the F90.” A licensed copy of the

Austrian Steyr AUG bullpup5.56mm assault rifle, the origi-nal F88 rifle was produced inAustralia at the LithgowAustralian Defence Industriesfacilities, a factory which isnow operated by Thaleswhich will be developing theF90 rifle both as a weapon forthe Australian Army and forexport. First displayed to thepublic in mid-2012, Thalesbegan initial production ofthe F90 in 2013.The rifle was presented as a

more reliable and comfortablealternative to the originalSteyr AUG rifle and is alsodistinctly lighter, the standardF90 50-centimetre (20-inch)barrel weighing 0.5 kilograms

(1.1 pounds) lighter than thestandard F88 rifle. Much likethe original Steyr AUG rifle,the F90 is gas operated, butthe trigger guard wasredesigned to allow theattachment of a specially-designed 40mm under-barrelgrenade launcher, a light-weight add-on weapon thatcan be attached directly to thebottom rail of the host rifleand easily removed.Although the Australian

DoD has yet to provide infor-mation on the specifics of itsorder, the weapon is availablein five variants: the originalF90 version, a grenade launch-er variant known as theF90(G), the F90M ‘Marksman’variant designed with a longerbarrel, the F90M(G) Marksmanwhich includes a grenadelauncher, and a carbine variantknown as the F90CQB (CloseQuarters Battle).

AUSTRALIA TO SOONCOMMISSION FIRST‘CANBERRA’ CLASS�� According to local pressreports in early November2014, the Royal AustralianNavy (RAN) will commissionthe first of its ‘Canberra’ classamphibious support ships on28 November 2014. The RANis acquiring two such vesselsin the class, HMAS Canberra,which will commission in lateNovember 2014, and HMASAdelaide, expected to be com-missioned in 2016, followingher launch on 4 July 2012.HMAS Canberra waslaunched on 17 February 2011.Construction of the ships wasperformed by Spain’sNavantia shipyard at thefirms’ facilities in Ferrol, onthe Atlantic Coast, with fittingout being performed at BAESystems’ facilities inWilliamstown, Melbourne onAustralia’s south coast.The ‘Canberra’ class is

based upon the design for theSPS Juan Carlos-I amphibioussupport ship which Navantia

built for the Armada Española(Spanish Navy). The two RANships each displace 27500tonnes and are the largest ves-sels ever operated by the serv-ice. In terms of capacity the‘Canberra’ class can accommo-date up to 110 vehicles distrib-uted across heavy and light

vehicle decks. Regarding per-sonnel, up to 1600 can beaccommodated in an overloadconfiguration, although thestandard personnel accommo-dation is for 1046. The ship’scomplement is 358 personnel,the majority of which are sup-plied by the RAN, although

personnel from the RoyalAustralian Air Force and theAustralian Army will beonboard to assist joint opera-tions. Currently, the ship’s aircomponent includes a stan-dard complement of eightmedium-lift utility helicopters,although this can be extended

to 18 such rotorcraft whenmaximising the hangar space. One interesting feature of

the ‘Canberra’ class is thatthey are also outfitted with aski jump canted to 13 degreeswhich will allow the opera-tion of Short Take-Off/Vertical Landing

(STOVL) aircraft. The RoyalAustralian Air Force is expect-ed to receive 130 LockheedMartin F-35A Lightning-IImulti-role combat aircraftover the coming years. The F-35A is the conventionaltake-off and landing memberof the F-35A/B/C family.However, the addition of theski jump would enable the‘Canberra’ class to accommo-date the F-35B version of theaircraft which has a STOVLconfiguration should theAustralian Governmentdecide to purchase this atsome point in the future.In May 2014, Australian

prime minister Tony Abbottinstructed those draftingAustralia’s 2015 DefenceWhite Paper to examine thefeasibility of deploying the F-35B onboard the ‘Canberra’class. The RAN has not oper-ated an aircraft carrier sinceHMAS Melbourne a ‘Majestic’class aircraft carrier formerlyof the eponymous RoyalNavy class was decommis-sioned on 30 May 1982.


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AUSTRALIAN INTERNATIONAL AIRSHOWAND AEROSPACE & DEFENCE EXPOSITION

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