Rescue From Pirates the Real Story 2009

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frican rmed orcesfrican rmed orces

Journal

Covering the African Military Renaissance May 2009

R 20-00

Piracy Report

Australian White Paper

How We Operate: US Army


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www.saabgroup.comwww.saabgroup.com

TOGETHER

WE STAND

Saab has a dual commitment to South Arica. At the same time as providing a

wide range o cutting-edge military and security technologies to the nation, we

invest extensively in the opportunities and growth o local industry.

We combine our local South Arican expertise with proven international

capabilities to develop the prosperity o the nation along with its protection.

We employ over 2,000 sta locally, working across the deence and civil security

spectrum, and along with our BBBEE partners we are dedicated to creating a

uture ull o prospect.

Take the Gripen ghter or example. Since signing the contract in 1999 the

partnership has gone rom strength to strength. As well as delivering the rst aircrafas planned in 2008 we have also delivered on our promise o industrial co-operation,

boosting South Aricas assets in technology and business opportunities.

Saab and South Arica stand as one. Together were saer. Together were stronger.

PRACTICE

KEY FEATURE

DUAL BENEFITS

INDUSTRIAL CO-OPERATION

TECHNOLOGY TRANSFER

PROSPERITY AND GROWTH


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African Armed Forces Journal - May 2009 3African Armed Forces - May 2009 3

Editor: S J McIntosh

Published by the owners:Military Publications (Pty) Ltd105 Kingsgate130 Louis Botha Avenue2198 Yeoville, RSA

Postal Address:P O Box 87561Houghton2041 RSATel: (011) 487-3396

Fax: (011) 487-3397e-Mail: [email protected]: www.aafjournal.co.za

Printed by:Business Print CentreSilverton, Pretoria

Subscriptions:

Local: R 160.00Airmail:United Kingdom, Europe; USA &

Australia: US$: 120,00

The copyright in all materials printedin this journal is expressly reserved.However, consideration will be givento any requests for the use by othersof news reports, articles and photo-graphs, on the condition that thesource of the item is clearly stated.

Submitting copy:Contributions are welcome. Articlesshould be typed, double spaced, on

one side of paper only. The publisherswill exercise all care but do not acceptresponsibility for photographs andmanuscripts.

African Armed Forces JournalEstablished 1975

Contents

Cover Picture:

ISSN 0379-6477

Editorial ............................................................................................5

SITREP .............................................................................................5

The Real Story: USA Report on Piracy ...........................................9

The New Agusta Helicopter ........................................................... 13

Australian LCS for US NAVY ........................................................ 14

Denel Reports Progress ................................................................15

ScanEagle in Anti-Piracy Role ...................................................... 17

New Floating Submarine Dock ..................................................... 18

Brazilian Maritime Aircraft ............................................................ 19

Australian Defence White Paper ...................................................20

New Parliamentary Defence Committee .......................................23

Has the Military Kept Within Boundaries? ...................................24

United Kingdoms Naval Base Changes .......................................26

How we Operate .........................................................................27

Letters .............................................................................................34

Books..............................................................................................35

Comment ........................................................................................38

The new floating jetty for the British Royal Navy. See report Page 18.

(Photo: MoD, United Kingdom)


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4 African Armed Forces Journal - May 2009

Editorial

Mission:

The AAFJ is committed to provid-ing its readership a quality servicein order to stimulate and improvethe defence debate in Africa.

Vision:To provide African military profes-sionals a public platform to discussissues of mutual interest.

Objectives:

Champion the role of profes-sional militaries within the contextof the African Union in securing thepeace and security required forhuman and economic develop-ment.

Advocate appropriate civil-mili-tary relations, especially non-par-tisan parliamentary oversight.

Advance confidence and trustamong African armed forces andmilitary professionals.

Encourage the establishmentof Reserve Officers' Associationsand reserve components withinarmed forces.

Enhance and improve thereadership's level of professionalmilitary education.

Promote and market the indig-enous defence industry.

To what extent the international eco-nomic downturn will result in changesto the defence budgets is uncertain;they may remain the same but it isunlikely that there will be increases,and to meet the annual inflationarytrends with existing budgets will bedifficult.

Two recently released White Papers,when compared, show some similarchanges.

Both address the scaling down ex-isting support structures and concen-trate on the deployable soldier. TheFrench White Paper was some yearsin the making, while the AustralianWhite Paper was produced in ninemonthsa record time which couldwell be noted by a number of coun-

tries.

The French White Paper is directedat a large defence force, and that ofAustralia at a much smaller force; butwhen compared, the structures em-ployed are almost the same and inboth instances based on present ex-perience and strategic forecasts forthe future.

In recent years, conflict in the Bal-kans, Iraq and now Afghanistan are

providing lessons that have beenlearned that are resulting in forcestructure changes and equipmentneeds. The use in forward operationsof the Chinook being a good exam-ple.

Both firmly state the table of newequipment that is need and when itwill be acquired and for a small armydefence force, Australia being verymuch in line with that of South Africa,the list is impressive and includes for

the Navy 12 submarines and 8 Frig-ates. For the Air Force, 100 F-35Lightnings and 5 KC 30A transports.For the Army, 1,100 Wheeled Com-bat Vehicles and 7 Chinooks.

The Australian report justifies the newacquisitions with the introduction of

reforms and the overhaul of the ex-isting defence force that will, over theperiod, result in an estimated savingof R120-billion.

However, it is made very clear thatchanges as laid down in the WhitePaper are dependent on the defenceforce ensuring that the savings areachieved.

The Paper expresses concern in re-spect of the global economic crisis

resulting in unrest in the less stableeconomies in the Australian area ofstrategic interest.

And the ADF has to be prepared toplay its part in meeting with such con-tingencies if they should arise, as hasbeen illustrated by the actions takenin support of the unrest in islandstates in recent years and which con-tinue.

The planned South African WhitePaper is long overdue and as the plat-form on which the present Vision2020 is to be implemented, and whenit eventually arrives, it will provide aninteresting comparison with itsFrench and Australian equivalents.

The EditorThe EditorThe EditorThe EditorThe Editor


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African Armed Forces Journal - May 2009 5

A Summary of International Defence Reports

PPPPPANTHER DELIVERIESANTHER DELIVERIESANTHER DELIVERIESANTHER DELIVERIESANTHER DELIVERIES

The first batch of protected vehicles hasbeen delivered to United Kingdomtroops on operations, complete with thelatest battle-ready upgrades. Weighingover 7 tonnes, the Panther Commandand Liaison Vehicle (PCLV) is fitted withthe latest high-tech developments, in-cluding a remote-controlled weaponsystem that allows the user to operatea machine gun with a camera and joy-stick from inside its turret. It can oper-

ate in all weather conditions, day andnight using thermal imaging equipmentthat sees in the dark and the vehiclesare protected against a range of threatsincluding small arms, blast and anti-personnel mines.

IRAQI ARMY SELECTS HELICOP-IRAQI ARMY SELECTS HELICOP-IRAQI ARMY SELECTS HELICOP-IRAQI ARMY SELECTS HELICOP-IRAQI ARMY SELECTS HELICOP-TE RTE RTE RTE RTE R

The Iraqi Ministry of Defence has se-lected the Bell Model 407 as the basis

for a new Iraqi Air Force armed scouthelicopter. Initial aircraft deliveries to theU.S. Army are expected to begin laterthis year. The 24 Model 407 helicop-ters will be militarized by the U.S. Armyto meet Iraqi Air Force requirements.

In February, the U.S. Army purchasedthree Model 407s from Bell that arecurrently being used as prototype air-craft for the development and testing ofmilitary-unique modifications. Once theArmy has finished qualification with the

initial prototype aircraft, modifications,it will then be applied to these 24 pro-duction aircraft before they are deliveredto the Iraqi Air Force.

SHIP FUEL-SASHIP FUEL-SASHIP FUEL-SASHIP FUEL-SASHIP FUEL-SAVINGVINGVINGVINGVING

The U.S. Navy began installing sternflaps this month on amphibious shipsin an effort to make ships more fuel ef-ficient and save up to $450,000 in fuelcosts per ship annually. A stern flap,

located on the aft end of a ship, makes

the ship more hydrodynamic, reducingdrag and the energy required to propelthem through the water. Previous instal-lations on other Navy ships generated

annual fuel savings of $365,000 to$450,000 per ship.

USS Kearsarge(LHD 3) is scheduledto receive the first LHD stern flap in-stallation this summer. The ship is in amajor maintenance overhaul at NorfolkNaval Shipyard. Other energy-savingFRR&DP initiatives include underwaterhull anti-fouling coatings, solid-statelighting and replacing obsolete boilercontrol system components on LHDsand general-purpose assault ships(LHAs) with new components that al-

low automated adjustment of boiler in-puts for maximum efficiency.

DCNS-SINGAPORE JOINT VEN-DCNS-SINGAPORE JOINT VEN-DCNS-SINGAPORE JOINT VEN-DCNS-SINGAPORE JOINT VEN-DCNS-SINGAPORE JOINT VEN-TURETURETURETURETURE

DCNS and Singapore TechnologiesMarine Ltd signed a Memorandum ofUnderstanding (MOU) today with theobjective of setting up a joint venture to

provide through life support for the Re-

public of Singapore Navys Formidable-class frigates. DCNS and ST Marinehave been working in conjunction forthe past nine years in the building of

the six Formidable-class frigates for theRepublic of Singapore Navy (RSN).

THERMAL SIGHTTHERMAL SIGHTTHERMAL SIGHTTHERMAL SIGHTTHERMAL SIGHT

Thales Australia will supply 350 third-party thermal weapon sights for theAustralian Defence Force. The com-pany has integrated the sights onto theF88 Austeyr rifle

ITITITITITALALALALALY ORDERS CHINOOKSY ORDERS CHINOOKSY ORDERS CHINOOKSY ORDERS CHINOOKSY ORDERS CHINOOKS

Boeing Company and AgustaWestlandhave signed a contract for the manu-facture and support of 16 ICH-47FChinook helicopters for the Italian Army.The contract makes Boeing the primesubcontractor to AgustaWestland forthe new aircraft. Boeing will build theICH-47F fuselage and AgustaWestlandwill be responsible for design and sys-tems integration, aircraft final assem-

bly and delivery to the Italian Army.


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AgustaWestland is expected to begindeliveries in 2013.

FIRST TRINIDAD-TPBAGO PFIRST TRINIDAD-TPBAGO PFIRST TRINIDAD-TPBAGO PFIRST TRINIDAD-TPBAGO PFIRST TRINIDAD-TPBAGO PAAAAATROLTROLTROLTROLTROLCRAFTCRAFTCRAFTCRAFTCRAFT

Austral of Australia has successfullylaunched the first of six 30-metre alu-minium fast patrol craft being built bythe Trinidad Ocean Guard as its West-ern Australian shipyard. Each vesselhas a maximum speed of 40 knots, a

range of 1,000 nautical miles and willbe armed with general purpose ma-chine-guns and a 20mm cannon. Oncedelivered the craft will support the Trini-dad and Tobago Coast Guard in provid-ing sustained surveillance in the coun-trys internal waters, the archipelagicterritorial sea and its exclusive zone(EEZ).first trinidad-tobago patrol craft

MARITIME AIRCRAFTMARITIME AIRCRAFTMARITIME AIRCRAFTMARITIME AIRCRAFTMARITIME AIRCRAFT

Australia has taken the first steps in a$A5 billion project to acquire a mannedMaritime Patrol and Response Aircraftby signing a Memorandum of Under-standing (MoU) with the United StatesNavy (USN) to co-operatively developupgrades to the P-8A Poseidon aircraftand support systems. The manned air-craft, to be acquired under ProjectAIR7000 Phase 2, in conjunction withthe Multi-mission Unmanned AerialSystem, to be acquired under ProjectAIR 7000 Phase 1. The P8A is a reli-

able aircraft based on the commer-cially-proven Boeing B737, and modi-fied to incorporate the latest maritimesurveillance and attack capabilities.

The 2009 Defence White Paper detailedthe Governments plans to acquire eightnew maritime patrol aircraft to replacethe capability currently provided by theAP-3C Orion aircraft, when that aircraftis retired in 2018 after 30 years of RAAFservice.

These new aircraft will provide a highly

advanced surface search radar and

optical, infra-red and electronic surveil-

lance systems. With these systems,

along with a high transit speed and the

ability to conduct air-to-air refuelling,these aircraft will provide a superior

capability for rapid area search andidentification tasks. They will also pro-

vide a highly advanced anti-submarine

warfare capability, including the ability

to engage submarines using air-launched torpedoes.

FRENCH ORDER ADDITIONALFRENCH ORDER ADDITIONALFRENCH ORDER ADDITIONALFRENCH ORDER ADDITIONALFRENCH ORDER ADDITIONALHELICOPTERSHELICOPTERSHELICOPTERSHELICOPTERSHELICOPTERS

The French Defence Ministry has or-dered five additional EC725 helicoptersfrom Eurocopter as part of the govern-ments economic recovery plan. The fivehelicopters will join the 14 EC725s thatare currently in operation with theFrench Armed Forces. Since Decem-ber 2006, the EC725 has been used tosupport Frances NATO operations inAfghanistan, performing emergencymedical services, search and rescuemissions and escort duties, and pro-

viding humanitarian aid.

FINNISH AIR DEFENCEFINNISH AIR DEFENCEFINNISH AIR DEFENCEFINNISH AIR DEFENCEFINNISH AIR DEFENCE

The Finnish Ministry of Defence has

announced that the medium-range airdefence missile system will be the

Norwegian-American Kongsberg-

Raytheon. Medium-range radars will be

supplied and long-range radars modern-

ised by the French Thales-RaytheonSystems Company. These projects will

be realised together with Finnish indus-

trial partners.

KILLER BEEKILLER BEEKILLER BEEKILLER BEEKILLER BEE

Raytheon Companys KillerBee

unmanned aircraft system demon-strated it can be recovered from a net

on a moving platform, simulating an at-

sea recovery. The KillerBee UAS fea-

tures a blended-wing aircraft body de-

sign. It also has systems for land or

sea launch, recovery and ground con-trol. The design of KillerBee enables

growth for future payloads and addi-

tional mission capabilities.

The first of six 30-metre, 40 knot, patrol boats for Trinidad and Tobago.


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During the land-based test, KillerBeewas recovered in a net mounted on arapidly moving truck, demonstratingthat the guidance system enables air-craft recovery from platforms moving atspeeds similar to a naval vessel.

C-130J PC-130J PC-130J PC-130J PC-130J PARACHUTE CERARACHUTE CERARACHUTE CERARACHUTE CERARACHUTE CERTIFIEDTIFIEDTIFIEDTIFIEDTIFIED

US paratroops loaded into the C-130J

took part in the first J-model personneldrop out of Ramstein AB to certify thenew aircraft for real-world troop drops.The jumpers exited from the ramp ofthe C-130J.

MCMV SHIPSMCMV SHIPSMCMV SHIPSMCMV SHIPSMCMV SHIPS

Kockums has signed a licensing agree-ment with the Japanese shipyard Uni-

versal Shipbuilding Corporation (USC).The licensing agreement gives USC theright to use Kockums GRP-sandwichtechnology in the production of hullstructures for mine countermeasurevessels (MCMVs. The new MCMVs arebuilt to a Japanese design, based onthe earlier vessels, but will now usecomposites instead of wood for thehulls. USC has now also signed the firstproduction contract.

RIFLE ARIFLE ARIFLE ARIFLE ARIFLE ATTTTTTTTTTACHMENTACHMENTACHMENTACHMENTACHMENT

Metal Storm Incorporated has launchedits latest lightweight weapon system,the GLH1851 Multi-shot AccessoryUnder-barrel Launcher (MAUL). TheMAUL(tm) is an ultra-light shotgun at-tachment that fits under the barrel ofan individual combat weapon, includ-ing the M-4 and M-16 rifles. It providesa range of less lethal, lethal and doorbreaching capabilities as an integrated,lightweight accessory to the users

main combat weapon.

This revolutionary product incorporatesMetal Storms unique electronic ballis-

tics technology in a 12 gauge weapon

that weighs only 1.8 pounds (0.82kg).

TRIMARAN NATRIMARAN NATRIMARAN NATRIMARAN NATRIMARAN NAVY SHIPVY SHIPVY SHIPVY SHIPVY SHIP

The U.S. Navy has awarded a contract

for the construction of Coronado(LCS

4), the second Littoral Combat Ship

(LCS) to feature an innovative, high-

speed trimaran hull. The 419-foot sur-

face combatant ship is equipped withopen architecture-based combat sys-

tems and computing environment.

The Littoral Combat Ship is a key ele-

ment of the Navys plan to address

asymmetric threats of the 21st century.

Intended to operate in coastal areas,

the ship will be fast, highly manoeuvra-

ble and geared to supporting mine de-

tection/elimination, anti-submarine war-

fare and anti-surface warfare, particu-

larly against small surface craft. TheNavys first trimaran LCS, Independ-

ence(LCS 2), is in the final stages of

construction and testing in preparation

for its upcoming sea trials.

CZECH CN-235SCZECH CN-235SCZECH CN-235SCZECH CN-235SCZECH CN-235S

The Ministry of Defence of the Czech

Republic has signed an agreement for

four C-295 military transport aircraft from

Airbus Military. The agreement extendsto logistical support. These aircraft will

replace the former fleet of Antonov An-

26 aircraft.

The first aircraft will be delivered at the

end of 2009 and the last before the end

of 2010. With these four aircraft, the

order book for C-295 aircraft totals 72

units. This model is owned by nations

such as Poland, Finland, Portugal, Bra-

zil, Chile, Jordan and Spain, among

others.

SUPER C-130J DELIVEREDSUPER C-130J DELIVEREDSUPER C-130J DELIVEREDSUPER C-130J DELIVEREDSUPER C-130J DELIVERED

Lockheed Martin has delivered the 13th

of 16 C-130J Super Hercules to the US

Air Force. The C-130Js from the 41st

Airlift Squadron Black Cats are en-

gaged in high-tempo operations in mul-

tiple combat theatres. The C-130J has

been selected by 11 countries with 173

delivered of the 263 ordered to date. The

multi-mission aircraft that has been

delivered in varied configurations to

meet a wide-range of operationalneeds. Worldwide, the C-130J fleet has

accumulated over 500,000 flight hours.

COMBACOMBACOMBACOMBACOMBAT TRAININGT TRAININGT TRAININGT TRAININGT TRAINING

Saab has delivered the new upgraded,battalion sized CTC (Combat TrainingCentre) Level V to the Royal Nether-lands Army (RNLA). The upgradedMCTC was delivered to the RNLA and

tested in a joint exercise with the Ger-man Army where 800 soldiers and ve-hicles were logged in to the EXCON.The logistics included 3,300 individu-ally serial numbered units of equipment.By facilitating the issue and receipt ofequipment from several stations anddifferent locations simultaneously, thesystem reduced the time taken forequipment management to a minimallevel.

MINE COUNTER-MEASURES CON-MINE COUNTER-MEASURES CON-MINE COUNTER-MEASURES CON-MINE COUNTER-MEASURES CON-MINE COUNTER-MEASURES CON-TRACTTRACTTRACTTRACTTRACT

Singapore has awarded Thales the LifeExtension Programme (LEP) with its 4Bedok class mine-countermeasure ves-sels. Thales will provide an advanced,integrated mine counter-measure(MCM) Combat System, including theMine Information System, a HullMounted Sonar, a Towed SyntheticAperture Sonar (SAS) and ExpendableMine Disposal Systems. Thales willalso be in charge of making any struc-


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tural alterations to the vessels in rela-tion to the integration of new systems

and equipment.

HERCULES VEHICLESHERCULES VEHICLESHERCULES VEHICLESHERCULES VEHICLESHERCULES VEHICLES

BAE Systems has been awarded a

contract to produce 39 M88A2 Hercules

recovery vehicles and spare parts for

the U.S. Army. To-date, 231 Herculesvehicles have been fielded against a

total US Army requirement of 607. Atotal of 69 has been fielded to the U.S.

Marine Corps, which has pure fleeted

to the M88A2 configuration, plus an

additional 114 vehicles to four alliednations: Egypt, Kuwait, Thailand and

Australia.

GPS DEVELOPMENTGPS DEVELOPMENTGPS DEVELOPMENTGPS DEVELOPMENTGPS DEVELOPMENT

The Lockheed Martin team developing

the U.S. Air Forces next-generationGlobal Positioning System (GPS)

spacecraft, known as GPS III, has suc-

cessfully completed the Preliminary

Design Review (PDR) phase, a major

program milestone that allows the teamto begin the Critical Design Review

(CDR) stage. GPS III will improve posi-

tion, navigation and timing services and

provide advanced anti-jam capabilities

yielding superior system security, ac-

curacy and reliability. The team is work-

ing under a $3 Billion Development andProduction contract awarded in May

2008 to produce up to 12 GPS IIIA sat-

ellites, with first launch projected for

2014.

The next generation GPS IIIA satellites

will deliver significant improvements

over current GPS space vehicles, in-cluding a new international civil signal

(L1C) and increased M-Code anti-jam

power with full earth coverage for mili-

tary users.

The quality of the PDR demonstratesthe maturity of our design, our readi-ness to enter the next developmentphase, and the entire teams dedica-tion to keeping the GPS constellationstrong, said Dave Podlesney, LockheedMartins GPS III program director. Welook forward to an efficient and thoroughCDR phase, and delivering on our com-mitment to achieve mission successfor our customer and GPS users world-wide.

JORDANS M113 UPGRADEJORDANS M113 UPGRADEJORDANS M113 UPGRADEJORDANS M113 UPGRADEJORDANS M113 UPGRADE

BAE Systems received a contract to

upgrade 300 M113A1 Armored Person-

nel Carriers for the Jordan Armed

Forces. The contract covers the pro-

duction of kits for 300 vehicles to bringthem from M113A1 to M113A2Mk1 con-

figuration. The kits upgrade the vehicles

engine and transmission, strengthen itscooling systems, improve its suspen-

sion and increase its electrical output.

MOROCCO GULFSTREAMMOROCCO GULFSTREAMMOROCCO GULFSTREAMMOROCCO GULFSTREAMMOROCCO GULFSTREAM

The government of Morocco wishes tobuy a Gulfstream G-550 aircraft, onespare BR700-710C4-11 GmbH Engine,aircraft. The Royal Moroccan Air Forcewill use this new aircraft to provide safe,secure, and dedicated air transport forits Head of State.

PPPPPAAAAAYLOAD TUBESYLOAD TUBESYLOAD TUBESYLOAD TUBESYLOAD TUBES

Program Executive Office Submarines

Virginia-class Program Office markeda substantial milestone May 15 with the

delivery of the first Virginia payload tube

(VPT). Built by General Dynamics Elec-

tric Boat the VPT arrived at GDEBs

Virginia-class shipbuilding partner

Northrop Grumman Shipbuildings New-port News (NGSB-NN) facility for inclu-

sion in Pre-Commissioning Unit North

Dakotas (SSN 784) bow. As part of ateaming arrangement, NGSB-NN builds

all Virginia-class bows while GDEB

constructs all of the VPTs.

As the lead submarine being built un-

der the third, or Block III contract, NorthDakota will be the first Virginia-class

submarine equipped with VPTs. Unlike

the first 10 Virginia-class submarines

that housed 12 Tomahawk cruise mis-siles in individual Vertical Launch Sys-

tem (VLS) tubes, all Virginia-class sub-marines beginning with North Dakota

will utilize two, 87.5-inch diameter, 35-

plus ton tubes to house and launch the

same number of missiles.

In addition to acquisition and life cyclesavings, the VPTs provide the subma-

rine force with greater payload flexibil-

ity. The VPTs provide commonality withthe SSGN tubes, so payloads devel-

oped for one can go into the other. This

affords the submarine force incredible

flexibility and versatility to the far fu-ture.

cluding a new international civil signal(L1C) and increased M-Code anti-jam

power with full earth coverage for mili-

tary users.

The quality of the PDR demonstratesthe maturity of our design, our readi-

ness to enter the next development

phase, and the entire teams dedica-tion to keeping the GPS constellation

strong, said Dave Podlesney, LockheedMartins GPS III program director. Welook forward to an efficient and thorough

CDR phase, and delivering on our com-

mitment to achieve mission successfor our customer and GPS users world-

wide.


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First though, let me orient you to familiarize you with theterrain.

In Africa from Djibouti at the southern end of the Red Seaeastward through the Gulf of Aden to round Cape Guardafuiat the easternmost tip of Africa (also known as The Hornof Africa) is about a 600 nm transit before you stand outinto the Indian Ocean . That transit is comparable in dis-tance to that from the mouth of the Mississippi at New Or-leans to the tip of Florida at Key West except that 600nm over there is infested with Somalia pirates.

Ships turning southward at the Horn of Africa transit theSLOC (Sea Lane of Commerce) along the east coast ofSomalia because of the prevailing southerly currents there.

Its about 1,500 nm on to Mombassa, which is just south ofthe equator in Kenya . Comparably, thats about the transitdistance from Portland Maine down the east coast of theUS to Miami, Florida. In other words, the ocean area beingpatrolled by our naval forces off the coast of Somalia iscomparable to that in the Gulf of Mexico from the Missis-sippi River east to Miami then up the eastern seaboard toMaine.

Second, let me globally orient you from our Naval Operat-ing Base in Norfolk, VA, east across the Atlantic to NorthAfrica, thence across the Med to Suez in Egypt, thencesouthward down the Red Sea to Djibouti at the Gulf of Aden,thence eastward to round Cape Guardafui at the eastern-most tip of Africa, and thence southerly some 300 milesdown the east cost of Somali out into the high seas of theIndian Ocean to the position of MV ALABAMA is a little morethan 7,000 nm, and plus-nine time-zones ahead of EST.

Hold that thought, in that, a C-17 transport averaging a littlebetter than 400 kts (SOG) takes the best part of 18 hoursto make that trip. In the evening darkness late Thursdaynight, a team of Navy SEALs from NSWC (Naval SurfaceWarfare Center) Norfolk parachuted from such a C-17 intothe black waters (no refraction of light) of the Indian Oceanclose-aboard to our 40,000 ton amphibious assault ship,USS BOXER (LHD 4), the flagship of our ESG (Expedi-

tionary Strike Group) in the AOR (Area Of Responsibility,the Gulf of Aden). They not only parachuted in with all oftheir equipment, they had their own inflatable boats, RHIBs(Rigid Hull, Inflatable Boats) with them for over-water trans-port. They went into BOXERs landing dock, debarked, andstaged for the rescue Thursday night.

And, let me comment on time-late: In that the SEALs quickresponse departing ready-alert in less than 4 hoursfrom Norfolk supposedly surprised POTUSs staff,whereas President Obama was miffed not to get hiscops there before the Navy. He reportedly questionedhis staff, Will my FBI people get there before the Navydoes? It took the FBI almost 12 hours to put together a

team and get them packed-upfor an at sea rescue. TheFBI was trying to tell him that they are not practiced to dothisNavy SEALs are. But, BHO wanted the FBI there tohelp, that is, carry out the Attorney Generals (his) ordersto negotiate the release of Captain Phillips peacefullybecause apparently he doesnt trust GWs military to carryout his political guidance.

The flight of the FBIs passenger jet took a little lessthan 14 hours at 500-some knots to get to Djibouti .BOXERS helos picked them up and transported themout to the ship. The Navy SEALs were already there,

staged, and ready to act by the time POTUSs FBI ar-rived on board latter that evening. Notably, the first re-quest by the OSC (On Scene Commander) that earlyFriday morning to take them out and save CaptainPhillips was denied, to wit: No, wait until my FBI peo-ple get there.

Third, please consider a candid assessment of abilitythat finds that the FBI snipers had never practicedshooting from a rolling, pitching, yawing, surging,swaying, heaving platform and, target such as aship and a lifeboat on the high seas. Navies have beendoing since Admiral Nelson who had trained Marines to

shoot muskets from the ships rigging ironically, he waskilled at sea in HMS VICTORY at the Battle of Trafalgar bya French Marine rifleman that shot him from the rigging ofthe French ship that they were grappling alongside.

Notably, when I was first training at USNA in 1955, the Navywas doing it with a SATU, Small Arms Training Unit, basedat our Little Creek amphib base. Now, Navy SEALs, in par-ticular SEAL Team SIX (The DevGru) based at NSWC(Naval Surface Warfare Center) at Little Creek do that train-ing now, and hone their skills professionallydaily. Shoot-ing small arms from a ship is more of an accomplished ArtForm than it is a practiced skill. When you are in the bub-ble and in tune with the harmonic motion you find, through

Firstly, it is wrong to headline this as a story.It is a report.

Secondly, it is printed as received, in its en-tirety.

Thirdly, it is obviously directed at the Ameri-can public.

Fourthly, the writer knows his subject per-haps an unusual attribute.

Fifthly, it provides for many conclusions tobe drawn.

Real Story of the Rescue from Pirates

of Captain of the Alabama


10/40


practice, that you are able to put three .308 slugs insidethe head of a quarter at 100 meters, in day or nightor,behind a camouflaged net or a thin enclosure, such as asuperstructure bulkhead. Yes, we have the monocularscopes that can see heatand, draw a bead on it. SEALsare absolutely expert at it with the movie clips to prove it.

Okay, now try to imagine patrolling among the boats fishing

everyday out on the Grand Banks off our New Englandcoast, and then responding to a distress call from downaround the waters between Florida and the Bahamas. Threepoints for you to consider here: (1) Time-Distance-Speedrelationships for ships on the high seas, for instance, at a25-knot SOA (Speed Of Advance) it takes 24 hours to makegood 600 nmBAINBRIDGE did. (2) Fishermen work onthe high seas, and (3) The best place to hide as a fisher-man pirate is among other fishermen.

Early Wednesday morning, 4/8/2009, MV ALABAMA is atsea in the IO about 300 miles off the (east) coast of Soma-lia en route to Mombassa Kenya. Pirates in small boat start

harassing her, and threatening her with weapons. MV ALA-BAMAs captain sent out the distress call by radio, and or-dered his Engineer to shut down the engines as well as theship-service electrical generators in our lingo, Go darkand cold. He informed his crew by radio what was hap-pening, and ordered them to go to an out-of-the-way com-partment and lock themselves in it from the inside. Hewould stay in the pilot house to negotiate with the pirates.

The pirates boarded, captured the Captain, and orderedhim to start the engines. He said he would order his Engi-neer to do so, and he called down to Engine Control on theinternal communication system, but got no answer. The leadpirate ordered two of his four men to go down and find himand get the engines started.

Inside a ship without any lights is like the definition of dark.The advantage goes to the people who work and live there.They jumped the two pirates in a dark passageway. Bothpirates lost their weapons, but one managed to scrambleand get away. The other they tied up, put tape over hismouth and a knife at his throat.

Other members of the crew opened the drain cocks on thepirates boat and cast it adrift. It foundered and sunk. Thescrambling pirate made it back to the pilot house and toldof his demise. The pirates took the Captain at gun point,

and told him to launch one of his rescue boats (not a lifeboat, per se). As he was lowering the boat for them, thecrew appeared with the other pirate to negotiate a trade.The crew let their hostage go too soon, and the pirateskept the captain. But, he purposefully had lowered the boatso it would jam.

With the rescue boat jammed, the pirates jumped over to alifeboat and released it as the captain jumped in the water.They fired at him, made him stop, and grabbed him out ofthe water. Now, as night falls in the vastness of the IndianOcean, we have the classic Mexican standoff, to wit: Alife-boat that is just that, a life-boat adrift without any means

of propulsion except oars and paddles; and, a huge (by

comparison) Motor Vessel Container Ship adrift with a crewthat is not going to leave their captain behind. The piratesare enclosed under its shelter-covering, holding the cap-tain as their hostage. The crew is hunkered down in theirship waiting for the posse to arrive.

After receiving MV ALABAMAs distress call, USS BAIN-BRIDGE (DDG 96) was dispatched by the ESG commander

to respond to ALABAMAs distress call. At best sustainablespeed, she arrived on scene the day after that is, in thedark of that early Thursday morning. As BAINBRIDGE qui-etly and slowly, at darkened-ship without any lights to giveher away, arrived on scene, please consider a recordedinterview with the Chief Engineer of MV ALABAMA describ-ing BAINBRIDGEs arrival. He said it was something else...to see the Navy slide in there like a greyhound! Hethen said as she slipped in closer he could see the Starsand Stripes flying from her masthead. He got choked upsaying it was the ....proudest moment of my life.

Phew! Let that sink in.

Earlier in the day, one of the U.S. Navys Maritime PatrolAircraft, a fixed wing P3C, flew over to recon the scene.They dropped a buoy with a radio to the pirates so that theNavys interpreter could talk with the pirates. When BAIN-BRIDGE arrived, the pirates thought the radio to be abeaconing device, and threw it overboard. They wanted asatellite telephone so that they could call home for help.Remember now, they are fishermen, not Rocket Scien-tists, in that, they dont know that we can intercept the phonetransmission also.

MV ALABAMA provided them with a satellite phone. Theycalled home back to somebody in Eyl Somalia (so thatwe now know where you live) to come out and get them.The somebody in Eyl said they would be out right awaywith other hostages, like 54 of them from other countries,and that they would be coming out in two of their piratedships. The somebody in Eyl just chalked up four moreexpendables as overhead for the cost of operation.

Anyway, ESG will continue to watch Eyl for any ships stand-ing out.

The Navy SEAL team, SEAL TEAM SIX, from NSWCbriefed the OSC (Commander Castellano, CO BAIN-BRIDGE) on how they could rescue the captain from the

life boat with swimmersCombat Swimmers, per se. Thatplan was denied by POTUS because it put the captain indangerand, involved killing the pirates.

The FBI negotiators arrived on scene, and talked the pi-rates into sending their wounded man over for treatmentSaturday morning. Later that afternoon, the SEALs sentover their RHIB with food and water to recon the life boatbut the pirates shot at it. They could have taken them outthen (from being fired upon) but were denied again beingtold that the captain was not in imminent danger. The FBInegotiators calmed the situation by informing the pirates ofthreatening weather as they could see storm clouds clos-

ing from the horizon, and offered to tow the life boat. The


11/40


pirates agreed, and BAINBRIDGE took them under tow intheir wake at 30 metersexactly 30 meters, which is ex-actly the distance the SEALs practice their shooting skills.

With the lifeboat under tow, riding comfortably bow-downon BAINBRIDGEs wake-wave (rooster tail), had a 17-second period of harmonic motion, and at the end of everyhalf-period (8.5 seconds) was steady on. The light-en-hanced (infra-red heat) monocular scopes on the SEALs.308 caliber Mark 11 Mod 0 H&K suppressor-fitted sniperrifles easily imaged their target very clearly. Pirates in a lifeboat at 30-meters could be compared to fish in a barrel. Allthat was necessary was to take out the plexiglass windowso that it would not deflect the trajectory of the high velocity.308 round. So, a sniper (one of four) with a wad-cutterround (a flaxen sabot) would take out the window a splitsecond before the kill-shot no change in sight-picture,

just the window blowing out, clean.

Now, heres the part BHOs whiz kids knew as well as theNavy hierarchy, including CO BAINBRIDGE and CO SEALTEAM SIX. Its the law in Article 19 of Appendix L in the

Convention of the High Seas that the Commanding Of-ficer of a US Ship on the high seas is obligated to respondto distress signals from any flagged ship (US or otherwise),and protect the life and property thereof when deemed tobe in IMMINENT DANGER. So, in the final analysis, it wouldbe Captain Castellano call as to Imminent Danger, andthat he alone was obligated (duty bound) to act accord-ingly.

Got the picture?

After medically attending to the wounded pirate, and feed-ing him, come first light (from the east) on Easter Sundaymorning and the pirates saw they were being towed furtherout to sea (instead of westward toward land), the woundedpirate demanded to be returned to the lifeboat. There wouldBE NO more negotiations and, the four Navy SEAL snip-ers in the bubble went Unlock.. The pirate holding Cap-tain Philips raised the gun to his head, and IMMINENTDANGER was so observed and noted in the Log as COBAINBRIDGE gave the classic order: WEAPONS RE-LEASED! I can hear the echo in my earpiece now, On mycount (from 8.5 seconds), 3, 2, 1, ! POP, BANG! Out wentthe window, followed by three simultaneous shots. Thescoreboard flashed: GAME OVER, GAME OVER NAVY3, PIRATES 0!

I hope you found the above informative as best I know itand, please excuse me in that after more than 50 years theNavy is still in me. I submit that AMERICA is going to makea comeback, and more than likely itll be on the back of our

cherished youth serving with honour in Our military. So, letsLook Up, Get Up and, Never Give Up!

God Bless Our Troops, and

God Save America !

international conference and exhibition onmaritime security and defence hamburg


12/40


13/40


AgustaWestland have, unveiled a full-

scale mock-up of the TUHP 149.

The TUHP 149 features a wide, con-

stant cross section and unobstructed

cabin with large sliding doors. The

cabin can be easily reconfigured to

meet different operational require-

ments with the capability to transport

up to 18 equipped troops. The tech-

nology, open architecture digital

avionics and integrated mission and

weapon systems allow the aircraft to

undertake a wide range of missions.

The high performance twin enginehelicopter is designed for operations

in all environments day and night.

The aircraft can be configured to carry

a wide range of weapons, including

rocket launchers, air-to-surface and

machine-guns as well as external aux-

iliary tanks in a variety of combinations.

Pintle mounted machine-guns can also

be fitted on fixed frame windows or in

the doors. Structural provisions for the

installation of an external cargo hook,

heavy duty rescue hoist and a wide

range of other mission equipment are

provided.

The aircraft, due to its modular design

for rapid role re-configuration, is per-

fectly suited to perform an impressive

range of duties including troop trans-

port, battlefield and logistic operations,

fire support, SAR and combat SAR,

special forces operations, reconnais-

sance, surveillance, CASEVAC, com-

mand control and communication, ex-

ternal load lifting as well as VIP mili-

tary transport.

The TUHP 149 has been designed for

support and maintenance require-

ments to minimize the operating costs

and the through life ownership costs.

The New Agusta Helicopter

An impression of the TUHP 149

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14/40


The US Navy has awarded a construction contract for theAustal-designed Littoral Combat (LCS) project. The basisof Austals seaframe design is the 127-metre trimaranBenchijigua Empress recently delivered as a passengervehicle ferry to a leading Spanish ferry operator. The ben-efits of this hull in commercial service are better sea-keep-ing, passenger comfort and efficiency. For naval operators,these features and a beam (width) of 31.6 metres combineto provide a ship with superior speed (in excess of 40 knots)/74 km/h), flexibility, shallow draft, payload and significantaviation capabilities over conventional designs. Of note isthat the ship carries two large helicopters which can beoperated in adverse sea conditions because of the ex-tremely stable trimaran hull.

Austal have recently acquired a number of contracts forthe construction and supply of ships for Naval and CoastGuard duties from the Middle East and West Indies gov-ernments.

While the ships will be built in the United States, there hasbeen a substantial benefit flow back to Australia where muchof the ships final design has been conducted. Austal hasassembled a dedicated team of over fifty naval architects,engineers and other designers for the design phase, creat-ing internal career opportunities and local employment inthe process.

Principal Dimensions:Length overall 127.1 MBeam overall 3.14 MHull draft (max.) 4.5 M

Payload and Capacities:

Complement:Core crew 40Mission Crew 36

Berthing 76Max. mission load 210 tonnes

Performance:

Speed 40 knots

Launch and recovery 3,500 nmOperational limitation Survival in Sea State 8

Mission/Logistics Deck:

Deck area >2000 m2

Launch and recovery Twin boom extending craneLoading Side ramp

Internal elevator to hangar

Flight Deck and Hangar:

Flight deck dimensions 2xSH-60 or 1xCH-53

Hangar Aircraft stowage & maintenance

for 2xSH-60

Australian-designed Ship for U.S. Navy

Speeds of up to 40 knots : Sea state 8

The Littoral Combat (LCS) ship. (Photo: Austal)


15/40


In a discussion forum with the mediaat the Denel Groups offices, TalibSadik, Group CEO of Denel, outlinedthe organisations position, and gavean update on the turnaround progressmade to date. The group is now enter-ing into the next phase of its restruc-turing process, based on five key driv-ers that will direct the State-owneddefence and aerospace to growth andself-sustainability.

Its implementation has seen the con-clusion of three strategic equity part-nerships with leading European de-fence and industrial players, such asCarl Zeiss, Rheinmetall Defence andSaab; and the development of a cor-porate governance and financial man-agement framework, laying the foun-dation for good business. In evalu-ating the strategy against our objec-tive of becoming self-sustainable, itbecame necessary to take into ac-

count the turnaround progress to-dateand the changing local and interna-tional circumstancesand adapt ac-cordingly, explained Mr Sadik. Assuch, it was imperative to revise thestrategic pillars and realign them so asto ensure continued momentum to-wards a sustainable and respectedDenel.

As an employer of over 7,000, gener-ally in the higher salary bracket, Denelis a big contributor in the form of taxes,coupled with the hundreds, if not thou-

sands, of suppliers and subcontrac-tors, many of whom are dependent onthe company for their survival in a pe-riod of increasing difficulties.

Fortunately there are indications thatin the present climate, the veil of se-crecy that was part and parcel of thelocal defence industry, maybe packedaway.

The new policy announced by the in-coming government requiring action

could be a positive factor in assisting

and complementing the Groups stra-tegic plans.

While acknowledging the Group stillfaced challenges, most notably thecontinued posting of losses by DenelSaab Aerostructures and securing fur-

ther recapitalisation, Sadik maintainedit was important to acknowledge themilestones that had already beenachieved. These included the im-proved relationship with the South Af-rican Department of Defence.

In terms of our equity partnerships,Turbomeca Africa has continued togrow its profits year-on-year. Carl ZeissOptronics sales per person has in-creased from R0.8 to R1.6-millionsince restructuring, and are expecting

Rheinmetall Denel Munitions to post

its first profits in the new financial year,explained Mr Salik. He added that CarlZeiss Optronics has shown a 100%increase in revenue over a two-yearperiod, while Rheinmetall Denel Mu-nitions order cover is in the region of70%.

The media asked a number of ques-tions in relation to the situation regard-ing the eight airlifter A400s on order;but Denels reaction was that untilsome state of clarifty is provided by themanufacturers and some other coun-tries which had placed major orderscontract it was difficult to respond.

During the past year Denel have cel-ebrated the successful testing of theA-Darter missile by Denel Dynamics,

and Denel Aviation, becoming Africas

A Consolidated Approach

Should Assist in Reaching new Markets

The figures indicate that the new management will be able to place the organi-sation on a firmer footing but that it will continue to need maximum effort, fromboth management and other departments of state. In the past the question canbe asked of the other state departments: have they combined and used theirinfluence to support Denel and the South African defence industry in its effortsto market its products, specifically in Africa?

According to them, South Africa is a leader in Africa and if marshalled togetherin line with the policy followed by the major countries, such as in Europe, inbacking their large defence industries, more doors will be open to Denel and theindustry in general.

The partnership agreements Denel has entered into resulted in perceptions thatthese could lead to the loss to South Africa of the capability that was built upover many years, and that the SA National Defence Force would as a result,loose its ability and would become subject to outside pressures.

Comments such as the Crown Jewels having been sold were prevalent; how-ever, with the statement made by Denels Group CEO, Talib Sadik that in eachpartnership venture the golden share principle was part of the deal, the jewelsappear to be secure. The fact that golden shares are part of the partnerships

drastically changes most of the perceptions and these must now disappear.

It is a pity that this provision in the partnerships was not better known; whichmight have given added support to the deals.

Denel Reports Progress:

New Management Expresses Confidence

Partnerships Include a Golden Share


16/40


first accredited Lockheed Martin service centre. Mechemhas also successfully completed de-mining projects inEritrea, the DRC and Sudan.

The A-Darter joint project with Brazil regarding the devel-opment of the missile was proceeding satisfactorily; but itwas still in the development stages and no problems wereexpected.

In respect of Denels missile production as the potentiallocal market was very limited and considering the exper-tise that existed in this field, Denel were at present in nego-tiations to establish partnerships. This decision was basedon the experience gained with other partnerships which hadprovided access to international markets.

Sadik outlined how Denel has succeeded in improving itsfinancial performance over the past five yearssignificantlyminimising the loss incurred by the business from approxi-mately R1 561-million in the 2004/05 financial year, to R347-million in 2008. The Groups gross profit has grown from anegative of 6% in 2006/07 to a positive 16% in 2008/09.

Revenue per employee across the Group has more thandoubled from R353 242 in 2006 to R745 460 in 2009. ofeven more strategic significance, however, is the fact thatDenels order book is also significantly strongerR16 048m(including confirmed contracts) at the end of 2009, as com-pared to R3 749m in 2006.

The eleven organisations of the Partnershipsand Denels Shareholding:

Carl Zeiss Optronics (Pty) Ltd ..........................30%

Denel Aviation ................................................100%

Denel Dynamics .............................................100%

Denel Integrated SystemsSolutions (DISS).............................................100%

Denel Land Systems ......................................100%

Denel Munitions................................................49%

Denel Saab Aerostructures (Pty) Ltd ................80%

Mechem (Pty) Limited ....................................100%

OTB a division of Denel (Pty) Ltd ...................100%

P M P .............................................................100%

Turbomeca Africa (Pty) Ltd ...............................49%

The Denel Structure


17/40


A ScanEagle Unmanned Aircraft Sys-tem (UAS) proved to be a significantand valuable tool in the rescue of USfreighter captain Richard Phillips afterhe had been taken hostage by Somalipirates. Four raiders boarded the17,000-ton Maersk Alabama freighteron April 8, making it the first US-flagged vessel to fall prey to a pirateattack off the African coast in nearly200 years. The subsequent fatal shoot-ing of three pirates by US Navy SEALsduring the rescue of Captain Phillipshas been well reported.

The highly successful conclusion to thehostage situation was aided greatly bydata provided by the ScanEagle drone

throughout the unfolding drama. The40lb (18kg) ScanEagle boasts aninertially stabilised camera turret withthe capability of tracking both fixed andmoving targets for extended periods.Its 16,000 ft ceiling and extremelylengthy endurance of more than 20hours, day or night, enables a constantsupply of real-time intelligence to itsoperators.

In the Maersk Alabama case, the UASprovided electro-optical and infraredfeeds (both still and video) from its

sensors, supplying the Navy with criti-cal data and improving its situationalawareness during the standoff.

ScanEagle's Anti-piracy Role

The ScanEagle ready for launching.

ScanEagle is runway-independent, uti-lising a pneumatic catapult launcherand a mast-mounted recovery system,making it ideal for shipboard opera-tions with minimal disruption. The suc-cess of this deployment comes notlong after the USS Mahan capturednine pirates in the sea-lanes off So-malia with the assistance ofScanEagle-supplied video-feeds.

The Boeing Company plans to developand demonstrate an unmanned flyingtest bed for advanced air system tech-nologies. The programme, called

Phantom Ray, will use the prototypevehicle that Boeing originally devel-oped for the Defense Advanced Re-search Projects Agency (DARPA)/U.S.Air Force/U.S. Navy Joint-UnmannedCombat Air System (J-UCAS) pro-gramme.

The Phantom Ray demonstrator isscheduled to make its first flight inDecember 2010. The aircraft will con-duct ten flights over a period of ap-proximately six months, supporting

missions that may include intelligence,

surveillance and reconnaissance; sup-pression of enemy air defenses; elec-tronic attack; hunter/killer; and autono-mous aerial refueling. The Boeing

Phantom Works organization is em-ploying rapid-prototyping techniquesthat facilitate the speed and agilityneeded to meet the 2010 flight sched-ule.

The system will pick up where theUCAS programme left off in 2006 byfurther demonstrating the unmannedsystems development capabilities in afighter-sized, state-of-the-art aero-space system. The programme beganwith the X-45A, which successfully flew

64 times from 2002 to 2005. Those

flights included a demonstration exer-cise with two X-45A aircraft thatmarked the first unmanned, autono-mous multi-vehicle flight under the

control of a single pilot. Boeing alsodesigned a larger UCAS aircraft, theX-45C, which will serve as the basisfor the Phantom Ray demonstrator.

This will incorporate the latest tech-nologies into the X-45C airframe de-sign, and with the gradual expansionof the vehicles flight envelope, poten-tial users will have access to a fullrange of unique capabilities that onlythis type of autonomous platform canprovide.

The report above and that following, provides an indication of the attention now being

directed at the possible future use of unmanned aerial platforms and their increased

deployments to secure maritime areas presently covered by large manned maritime air-

craft.


18/40


A new floating jetty which will be a so-phisticated home for the Royal Navys

next generation of nuclear-poweredsubmarines, arrived at HM Naval Base

The jetty can accommodate any of theRoyal Navys nuclear-powered, con-ventionally-armed submarines but the

jetty has been designed specifically forthe new Astute Class.

First of class, Astute, has already beenlaunched and is scheduled to arrive atits base port on the Clyde later thisyear. The submarine is one of aplanned seven

The jetty will be in place and fully op-erational in time for the arrival of thesecond of class, Ambush. The jetty willfloat up and down with the tide to pro-vide significant operational benefitsand is secured to the loch bottom byfour giant piles, each one as big asNelsons Column.

The operation to move Valiant intoplace was complex. Built and floatedfrom Inchgreen dry dock in Greenock,

the jetty was towed the 12 miles(19km) to Faslane by five tugs and

took around six hours to complete thejourney.

At 200 metres long, 28 metres wide,over 10 metres deep and 44,000tonnes, the jetty is as long as the Na-vys current aircraft carriers and morethan twice the tonnage, which meantthat negotiation of the Rhu Narrowsinto the Gareloch required careful co-ordination and temporary closure ofthe port to provide a safe route for thetow.

The Astute Class is a new generationbuild of submarine which will providethe Royal Navy and the United King-dom with a very powerful and potentworldwide capability.

At its peak, the construction site for the jetty had over 300 locally employedpeople working at Inchgreen andFaslane.

New Floating Dock Enters Service

Submarine Support Facility

MediaMakers

CONTACT US FOR:

VideoAnimationMultimedia

PhotographyComputer Graphics

Tel: (012) 428 0970Fax: (012) 428 0975

THE WITWATERSRAND RIFLES

** To All ex-Members **

YOUR REGIMENT IS NOW OVER 100 YEARS OLD,WHICH IS SOMETHING TO BE VERY PROUD OF

We want to keep in touch with you by means of our

Newsletter or E-mail ...

We therefore require your contact details

Let us renew old comradeships - a wonderful thing

Contact: NIC KORFF Cell: 082 445 2576

E-mail. [email protected]

OR: TERRY OHALLORAN (011) 867 1558


19/40


The maiden flight of the first BrazilianP-3 aircraft has been completed.

The aircraft is fitted with the FITS (FullyIntegrated Tactical System) missionsystem developed by Airbus Military inSpain, which is at the heart of a so-

phisticated arms system which rangesfrom maritime patrol to the most com-prehensive anti-submarine warfareconfiguration. The FITS system, de-

Brazils Maritime Aircraft Production on Track

Equipped for Multi-role Usage

The first of nine Brazilian P-3 Aircraft

signed as a flexible and modular sys-tem, can be fitted in any kind of plat-form, including proprietary Airbus Mili-tary platforms such as the C-212, CN-235 and C-295, as well as more com-plex platforms such as the P-3 Orion

and Airbus A319.The nine (9) P-3 aircraft will be usedprimarily in marine patrol missions in-cluding control of the Brazilian EEZ

(exclusive economic zone), borderprotection, drug law enforcement in theAmazon region and search and res-cue missions along an area stretchingover 6 million km2 entrusted by theOACI to the Brazilian government (vir-

tually the entire South Atlantic).

Kongsberg Mesotech Ltd has releasea White Paper outlining the most re-

cent technological advances in sonartechnologies and how these can pro-tect military and civilian ports and vis-iting ships from attack by enemydivers. The white paper is entitledNew Advances in Sonar Diver Detec-tion Systems: The Hidden Threat Fac-ing Military and Civilian Ports.

This White Paper outlines the hiddenthreat presented by underwater diverincursion, as evidenced by groupssuch as the Tamil Sea Tigers having

been able to mount successful under-

water attacks in ports. It also reviewsthe latest technological improvements

in underwater acoustical diver detec-tion systems in these key areas: hard-ware, tracking software and data fu-sion/systems integration.

The increased use of divers by groupssuch as the Tamil Tigers to attack fromthe water demonstrates a belief thatunderwater access presents an easierway to enter ports and attack shipsanchored at dockside, according to themanager of underwater security forKongsberg Mesotech, a leading glo-

bal provider of sonar technologies that

has provided sonar to the U.S. CoastGuard through its Underwater Port

Security Project.

Drug smuggling and the rise of terror-ist threats over the last ten years haveincreased the need to monitor the un-derwater lanes of our ports using so-nar and other technologies. Fortu-nately, recent sophisticated innova-tions are helping to address this prob-lem. This White Paper explains howthese advances can help improve portsecurity.

New Advances in Sonar Diver Detection Systems:

The Hidden Threat Facing Military and Civilian Ports


20/40


The Australian Prime Minister and theMinister for Defence have released acomprehensive Defence White Paperever produced by an Australian Gov-ernment, produced in just fourteenmonths.

The new White Paper affirms the RuddLabor Governments commitment tothe defence of Australia, the securityand stability of the regional securityenvironment, and a rules-based glo-bal security order.

The primary outcome of the WhitePaper is to build a future force requiredfor the defence of Australia and thesecurity of the immediate region. Inmeeting this aim, the existing force willbe fixed to bring it up to its intended

strength after years of under invest-ment and over commitment by theformer Liberal Government.

This White Paper confirms the central-ity of the alliance relationship with theUnited States, and reaffirms Austral-ias commitment to the United Nationssystem.

To achieve this, the Government hasdirected the most complex and farreaching reforms of Defence business

ever undertaken, with the redirection

of significant internal Defence finan-cial resources to the development ofnew capability.

Fundamental reform to Defence per-sonnel management arrangements will

also take place through the creationof an integrated workforce that has theright balance of military, civilian andcontract personnel.

Defence will standardise and consoli-date shared services and developsmarter methods of undertaking sup-port functions such as facilities man-agement, major equipment mainte-nance, logistics, procurement andbusiness information systems.

Over the next four years the Govern-

ment will fund a $53 million programto significantly enhance focused exter-nal engagement initiatives betweenDSTO and its national and interna-tional partners. This will generate moresignificant benefits for the AustralianDefence Force and its allies.

The new initiatives will be modelled onprevious successful engagementssuch as the Defence Future Capabil-ity Technology Centre, strategic alli-ances with industry and universities,

as well as international bilateral project

arrangements. The programs will bothstrengthen Australias science andtechnology self-reliance in these keyareas, and provide deeper access tooverseas expertise and capabilities.

At the same time, the Defence Scienceand Technology Organisation will beincreasing its efforts in areas such as:

Integrated Intelligence, Surveil-lance and Reconnaissance. Theability to collect, share, interpretand act upon information in a timelymanner requires Australia to beable to design, adapt and integratediverse Intelligence, Surveillanceand Reconnaissance sensors andsystems to suit our purposes andstrategic and physical environ-ments;

Electronic warfare. The ability toprotect our platforms and systemsfrom physical and electronic attack,and to maximise the advantage ofour own sensors and weapons isparamount;

Underwater warfare. Australia re-quires a strong national ability to de-velop innovative technologies thatwill maximise the safety and per-formance of our enhanced under-water warfare capabilities, in par-

ticular our new submarine fleet.

The White Paper discusses the stra-tegic environment to 2030 and thecapability, force structure,workforce, equipment and supportsystems that will be required to re-spond to Australias future securityneeds.

The White Paper also outlines re-forms to our funding model. Thenew parameters see:

3 per cent real growth until 2017-18;

2.2 per cent real growth fromthen on until 2030;

2.5 per cent fixed indexationfrom 2009-10 to 2030;

reinvestment of savings into pri-ority Defence capabilities; and

any shortfalls against the White

Paper funding plan offset by De-fence.

Australian Defence White Paper

Reveals Future Defence Policy

Acquisitions and Strengthening Structures

Prepared in a 14-month Period

There will be cost cutting. But sav-ings will also be delivered indirectlythrough significant changes to theway we do business. Changes thatwill affect, in about five years time,Defences processes, systems,technologies and approaches towork will be different from the waythey do today.

An Overview of the White Paper


21/40


A potent and flexible air combat ca-pability is a cornerstone of Australiasdefence posture. Control of the air overour territory and maritime approachesis critical to all other operations in thedefence of Australia, said the Minis-ter for Defence, the Hon JoelFitzgibbon MP.

The White Paper will ensure Air Forcemaintains its regional air superioritythrough the acquisition of around 100F-35 Lightning II Joint Strike Fighters,along with the Super Hornets as a part

of the bridging air combat capability.Through the combination of highlyskilled people, multirole combat fight-ers and assets such as Airborne EarlyWarning and Control (AEW&C) air-craft, advanced weapons, air-to-airrefuelling aircraft and command, con-trol and surveillance capabilities, theAir Force will continue to offer the Gov-ernment air superiority, maritime strike,long-range strategic strike, offensiveair support and close air support ca-pability options.

Australias future Air Force will includea balance of conventional and unin-habited aerial platforms that will en-hance the future anti-submarine war-fare capability of Air Force and signifi-cantly enhance Australias maritimeintelligence, surveillance and recon-naissance coverage. The White Paperalso strengthens and rebalances theAir Forces strategic (inter-theatre) andoperational (intra-theatre) air-lift capa-bility through the acquisition of newaircraft.

The 2009 Defence White Paper out-lines the following key capability pri-orities for the Air Force:

Around 100 fifth-generation F-35Lightning II Joint Strike Fighter air-craft and associated weapons sys-tems;

Half of Australias F/A-18F Block IISuper Hornet fleet will be configuredon the production line to enablethem to be converted to the EA-18G

Growler electronic attack variant

should later strategic circumstancesdictate;

Delivery of five KC-30A Multi-RoleTanker Transport for air-to-air refu-elling, that will increase the rangeand endurance of combat and sur-veillance aircraft;

Six new Wedgetail Airborne EarlyWarning & Control (AEW&C) air-craft to provide surveillance, com-mand and control functions to othernetworked Australian DefenceForce platforms;

Eight new Maritime Patrol Aircraft,which will provide advancedantisubmarine and anti-surface war-fare capabilities as well as sophisti-cated maritime search capabilities;

Approximately seven new high-al-titude, long-endurance UninhabitedAerial Vehicles (UAVs), to compli-ment the new Maritime Patrol Air-craft and replace the current AP-3COrion fleet with a more comprehen-sive and advanced maritime surveil-

lance capability;

Enhanced air transport capabilityoptions through the acquisition of afurther two additional C-130JHercules to bring the total fleetnumber to 14 aircraft;

Up to 10 new tactical battlefieldairlifters with a significantly greaterrange, speed, payload and protec-tion measures that the retiring Cari-bou;

New and upgraded systems to col-lect and fuse air surveillance infor-mation from multiple sources, in or-der to create a Recognised Air Pic-ture of the Australian DefenceForces primary operational environ-ment;

Improved military air traffic control,navigation and communicationssystems that will permit closer align-ment of the national systems forboth military and civilian air traffic

management.

The 2009 Defence White Paper willdeliver an Army for the 21st centuryequipped with the world class technol-ogy that it needs and deserves. It willprovide significant funding to increasethe combat power and survivability ofthe Army as well as enhancing its abil-ity to operate as a modern networked,mobile and highly adaptable force.

This funding will be used to improveand enhance a number of elements ofthe Australian Army, including:

A new Combat Vehicle Systemwhich will provide around 1100 vehi-cles with greatly improved firepower,protection and mobility. The Systemwill be equipped with the Armys inte-grated battle management systemsfrom inception;

Around 7000 support vehicles tocompletely replace the variousfleets of wheeled transport and lo-gistic support vehicles and trucks;

Greatly improved communicationsand command and control systemsfor land forces;

improved mobility through the ac-quisition of seven new CH47F(Chinook) medium lift helicopters;

enhanced firepower through newartillery, both self-propelled andtowed, as well as replacement mor-tars and a new direct fire anti-ar-mour weapon; and

continued investment in increasingthe effectiveness and protection of-

fered to individual soldiers in dis-mounted close combat.

Over the next 20 years, the Army forcestructure will include land combat andcombat support forces (infantry, ar-moured, artillery, combat engineers,and aviation) that are able to operateas combined-arms teams. They will besupported by enabling combat supportelements (intelligence, signals andconstruction engineers) and combatservice support systems (logistics and

health).

Air Defence: a major increase

in the Maritime Role

Battlefield Lift

ArmyIncreased Air Mobility

10 Battle Groups

Fulltime-Partime Mix


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Land forces must be capable of con-ducting joint land combat in a complexoperational environment and be ableto defeat incursions onto the Austral-ian mainland, territories and offshoreinstallations, said the Minister for De-fence, the Hon Joel Fitzgibbon MP.

Our conventional land forces will con-tinue to be based on three combat bri-gades (of around 4000 troops) consist-ing of multiple battalion-sized units.The growth of the two additional infan-try battalions established under theEnhanced Land Force initiative willcontinue.

The Army will be able to combine itscombat and combat support units togenerate 10 battalion-sizedbattlegroups tailored for a wide range

of operations.

The generation of operationally-readyland forces will be enhanced by theformation of Forces Command, lo-cated in Sydney, which will be respon-sible for all individual and group train-ing. Forces Command will also takecharge of the deployable logistics or-ganisations supporting this process,along with a helicopter brigade com-prising three battalion-sized units ofreconnaissance, lift, and utility helicop-

ters.

Our Special Forces must be capableof undertaking strategic surveillanceand reconnaissance, offensive action,strategic strike missions, high-endcounter-terrorism and counter-Weap-ons of Mass Destruction operations,hostage recovery, special protectionduties in high-threat environments, andother specialised roles, some of whichare classified in their entirety.

The Government is determined to fur-ther enhance the reforms currentlybeing undertaken by Army under theAdaptive Army initiative. The Govern-ment has directed Defence to developa detailed implementation plan by theend of 2009, ensuring that the Armysinternal balance and mix of full-timeand parttime land force elements canmeet these objectives. This plan willbe developed within the strategic guid-ance and funding parameters con-tained in the 2009 White Paper.

Over the next 20 years, the Navy forcestructure will include new major de-stroyers and frigates, submarines,amphibious ships, offshore combatantvessels, naval combat helicopters andother advanced enabling capabilities.

This force will operate closely with aircombat and maritime surveillance andresponse aircraft to establish sea con-trol, and project force across our vastmaritime environment, Mr Fitzgibbonsaid.

Key capability decisions relevant to thisenhanced maritime force include:

A fleet of 12 new Submarines to re-place the current six Collins Class;

Enhancements to the weaponssystems of the three new Air War-fare Destroyers, with considerationof acquiring a fourth vessel in thefuture;

A fleet of eight new larger frigates,with an emphasis on Anti-Subma-rine Warfare (ASW) to replace thecurrent ANZAC Class frigates;

Continuation of acquisition of twonew Landing Helicopter Dock(LHD) ships that will invigorate theAustralian Defence Forces am-phibious capability;

A new Strategic Sealift ship basedon a proven design to strengthenthe Navys amphibious and trans-port capability; A fleet of at least 24new naval combat helicopters,equipped with dipping sonars to de-tect submarines at greater ranges;

Six new MRH-90 helicopters thatwill replace the general utility serv-ice previously provided by the SeaKing fleet;

20 new Offshore Combatant Ves-sels equipped with modular missionsystems that will incorporate the ca-pabilities presently provided by theseparate patrol boat, hydrographicand mine hunter fleets;

Six new ocean-going heavy land-

ing craft with greater range andspeed than the aging Balikpapanclass Landing Craft Heavy.

The Government will also provide ad-ditional funding for 700 positions withinNavys workforce structure. This initia-tive will address the significantworkforce challenges presently beingexperienced by Navy and will meetfuture requirements associated withthe significant capability upgradesforeshadowed by the 2009 Defence

White Paper.Combined with a range of recruitmentand retention initiatives and strategies,this new approach will provide the ba-sis for a larger and more sustainablesubmarine force.

The New Generation Navy project,which seeks to address theseworkforce pressures, is the basis forimprovement in the retention of Navypersonnel through improved leader-ship, more effective organisational

structures, streamlined training proce-dures and better sharing of the work-load across Navy.

These changes will enable Navy in thelonger term to reliably and consistentlymeet its operational commitments anddeliver a world-class maritime capa-bility for the nations security.

Navy

New Ships

12 Submarines

2 LHDs

8 Big Frigates

More Personnel


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The changes that are expected within

the Departments of state which thenew South African government is to

implement could have some effect on

the S.A. National Defence Force and,especially, the defence industry. A

problem which has been in existence

for many, many years is the lack of,

and poor, communications. A possible

leftover from the fetish that existed in

the past, when it was generally and too

easily invoked as a readily available

blanket of personal convenience that

First Freccia

Delivered to Italian

Army

The first of the 54 Freccia 8x8 ar-

moured vehicles ordered by the Ital-

ian Army from Iveco Fiat Oto Melara,

has been delivered and will be taken

into service by the 82nd Infantry Regi-

ment, which is part of the Pinerolo Bri-

gade.

The taking into service of the Freccia

(Arrowe) marks the start of the Italian

Armys Forze NEC digital programme.

The second order for 109 Freccias is

expected, and the total requirement for

the Army is listed as 249.

The vehicle will be in a number of vari-

ations, including command post, anti-

tank, mortar carrier, and recovery.

New Parliamentary Defence

Portfolio Committee

could shroud many happenings or lack

of action.

Over the last year, it was noticeable

that the Parliamentary Defence Port-

folio Committee increased executing

its role of oversight and taking action

to have its authority acknowledged.

With the new Parliament, there will be

some changes as far as the commit-

tees membership is concerned, but in

line with stated future government

policy, there is little doubt that the Com-

mittee will continue developing its func-tions of oversight and investigation. It

is understood that the previous Com-

mittee prepared a report, on the SouthAfrican defence industry which, at this

stage, has not been released for pub-

lic information.

Those appearing before the Commit-tee will be well advised to be well pre-

pared.

Ever Wondered What Happened to

Those Guys you did Your Military Training With?

That sergeant who used to work you over?

There are thousands of Cape Town Highlanders in South Africa thatwe would like to include in ourTourricirculation. Our intention is tostart a new ex-members section at the back of our publication.

You can help by sending us the names and the addresses of ALL the guys

you can remember. Dont worry about duplications as our computer

will do the sorting.

Please jot down the names and transmit to:

The Editor Fax: (012) 787-1242The Tourri e-Mail: [email protected] Box 30148000 CAPE TOWN

Is your

en nmentsecure?


24/40


Has there been a change in the pri-mary functions of an army in what isnow generally referred to as a defenceforce? Over the years the technicalknowledge and required ability hasexceeded any possible forecasts andwill continue to do so.

In 1939, some 70 years back, the re-quired ability was that infantryman hadto use a .303 rifle with few parts. Now?The signaller used flags, heliographsand sometimes laid telephone lines.

The required levels of both knowledgeand abilities has been tremendous; buthave these needs been kept in line withthe required levels or been convenientto support the creation of other ele-ments that are now considered essen-tial to the structure.

Is the result a bureaucracy of interna-tional proportions with an ever increas-

ing support and back-up system in theback rooms far behind the front line.

What was a cartage contractor hasbecome logistic support. Is there a dif-ference?

This is a phenomenon which appearsto have entrenched itself, not only inthe uniformed services but also in thecivilian support personnel, and in thehired commercial organisations and inthe defence industry.

The industry has a large travelling sec-tion which moves from one of the ever-increasing number of defence exhibi-tions with the same products on dis-play.

The upward swing is also noticeablein the number of uninformed membersin the Defence Ministry that support thedecreasing number of deployable frontline soldiers.

When did this bureaucracy start, andhas it found a fertile field in the military

nurtured a lack of individual responsi-bility. Once again, nothing new Gen-eral Redvers Bullers shilly-shallying ascommanders of the British Forces in1899 in Natal that cost thousands ofcasualties being a good example nodoubt, but passing the buck is here tostay.

This is nothing new; and a good ex-ample of this trend was in the 1940swhen Winston Churchill was bothamazed and annoyed when he foundthe ratio to soldiers and support staffthat existed in Cairo.

A contrary example is the recent ac-

tion taken by the United States Navy

An indication of what has been implemented provides ayardstick

The changing strategic situation and threat perceptions has, in re-cent years, led to a number of modifications in defence planning andwith the recent downsizing of the economy and budget restraints,further changes can be expected.

Many have already been implemented and are providing cost reduc-tions:

Force levels have been reduced and in most instances, Reserveforces have been abolished. One exception is the United States,where the Reserve standards are on a par with those of the Fulltimeforces and has enabled the defence establishment to meet its obli-gations;

Reduced budgets are steering the way towards the standardisationof equipment;

Pilot training is being undertaken by commercial schools;

Equipment is being maintained by commercial companies;

Internal structures are being scaled down.

Productivity, never a military accomplishment, is being addressed andis becoming a requirement, as is shown by recent directives.

Has the Military Kept Within the Boundaries

of Scientific Advancement

or Developed Bureaucratic Support Functions

Impeded Command a Reality

"The strength of an army, like the quantity of motion in mechanics, is estimated

by the mass multiplied by the velocity." Napoleon. Armies today have be-come mass minus velocity.

"A survey of military history reveals that mobility has yielded to stagnation,

whenever the means of defence has acquired a material prepondernce over

the means of offence."The Remaking of Modern Armies, Captain BH LiddelHart, 1927.


25/40


captain against the Somalian pirates.Before the positive action taken by theUSN captain there were opinions andcomments of what not to do but heexercised his authority. His action willpossibly result in more applications ofthe law Article 19 of appendix L in theconvention of the High Seas.

Perhaps he was fortunate and was outof touch with the system.

Are there too many factors now enter-ing the military, or are there other rea-sons? The reluctance of the Dutchcommander in Bosnia to take actionto stop a massacre. When this is com-pared with the very rapid action by theRussian Paratroop Brigade com-mander whose brigade moved quickly,to the embarrassment of the NATOcommanders.

Despite the assumed opinion that theRussian command structure did notallow fast independent action.

These events did take place. How andshould they be taken into considera-

tion when and if the procedures pres-ently in place internationally with themilitary organisations.

Has experience gained in recent yearsof the conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistanresulted in the introduction of reforms.

There are possible indications that the

economic downturn has directed atten-tion to the fact that defence budgetswill also be affected, and economieswill have to be made.

The use of commercial supportorganistions if their employment of Iraqis any indication, is very much on theupward swing.

Reports show that maintenance ofequipment is more cost-effective andmore efficient obviously even when thecommercial profit margins are in-cluded. No doubt as the downturn con-tinues, this would allow for even lowerprofit margins.

Recently released White Papers areshowing that defence ministries will

have to make changes. A leaner ma-chine will have to produce with moreproductivity, smaller back-up elements.

The altered circumstances and condi-tions that are now part of many mili-tary deployments have not eased thetask, responsibility and authority fac-ing the military commander on the

ground.

Stretched chains of command, Rulesof Engagement that depend on com-mand structures, levels that are at-tuned to political, assumptions, stric-tures on the use of weapons systems.

Add to the problems that existed foryears and wither away authority andincrease the difficulties of the man onthe ground.

An added factor is the introduction ofNGOs and their accommodating intothe operational structure

The Alenia Aermacchis M-346 MASTER first three aircraft formation flight. Alenia Aermacchi is proceeding with the last

M-346 series production at the rate of 18-24 aircraft annually, which can be increased in case of specific needs.

The company will be able to address effectively the market demand for trainers aimed at pilots of 4th and 5th generation

combat aircraft. Presently the M-346 MASTER has been chosen for a total of more than 60 aircraft and there are going

to be other commercial opportunities through the participation to important international bids.


26/40


The Australian Minister for Defence

has announced first approval for a

number of landing craft to complement

the two new Canberra class Landing

Helicopter Dock (LHD) amphibious as-

sault ships currently under construc-tion for the Royal Australian Navy.

These landing craft - to be acquired

under Phase 3 Joint Project 2048 - will

enable the Canberra class LHD ships

to conduct operations over the shore,

where there are no fixed port facilities.

The Minister said the landing craft will

be able to lift heavy equipment which

may be embarked on the ships, includ-

ing the new M1A1 Abrams tank in serv-

ice with the Australian Army and trans-

port it to shore.

During the next stage of the project,Defence will seek offers from Navantiafor the construction and delivery of theLCM-1E landing craft. This landingcraft is designed for inter-operabilitywith the Canberra class LHD and is in

service with the Spanish Navy.

A final decision on the LCM-1E will bemade by Government in 2010, onceDefence has developed more accuratecost information and can consider of-fers to be sought from Navantia. Op-tions to build the LCM-1E in Australiawill also be considered.

Once delivered, the LHDs and land-ing craft will form part of the AustralianDefence Forces (ADF) broader am-phibious deployment and sustainment

system.

Under the Maritime Change Pro-gramme (MCP) a series of changeshas been announced which see theUKs three naval bases continue toplay a vital role in ensuring the RoyalNavy has the right build and supportinfrastructure across the country.

The programme was undertaken inresponse

Rescue From Pirates the Real Story 2009

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