Asian Military Review - Sept 2014

VOLUME 22/ISSUE 5 SEPTEMBER 2014 US$15

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SEPTEMBER 2014VOLUME 22 / ISSUE 5

ContentsContents

Front Cover Photo:Small infantry units have founda need for versatile shoulder-fired weapons that can engagea range of threats and providetarget marking and illumination.Saab’s Carl Gustav has success-fully filled this requirement dueto its continuous improvementover the years © Saab

Universal SoldierUK-based defence journalistPeter Donaldson discusses a varietyof infantry soldier modernisationprogrammes ongoing and scheduledin the Asia-Pacific region.

26

Rocket ManTroops have a range of anti-armour weapons that they can bringto the fight to defeat protected mobile and static threat, Washington-DCdefence journalist Stephen W. Miller observes.

18

Fueling the FiresDavid Oliver, a UK-basedaviation journalist, examinesthe offerings of Boeing andAirbus regarding tanker-transportaircraft, and procurementprogrammes to this endaround the globe.

43

52

On The Air In The AirAirborne radios are essentialfor aircraft to stay in touch with oneanother and with those on theground. AMR editor ThomasWithington profiles some of the latestdevelopments in this domain

58

The Magic BulletAMR editor Thomas Withingtoncontemplates the threat presentedby the Democratic Republic ofKorea’s ballistic missiles, andefforts ongoing in the Asia-Pacificto address this.

10

The Wizard and His CatUK-based defence journalistAndrew Drweiga takes a detailedlook at the Royal Navy’s two latestmaritime support helicopters,and the capabilities that they couldoffer navies in the Asia-Pacific.

34

Rescue MeUS-based defence journalistand former US Navy captainMarty Kauchak investigatesthe efforts to procure CombatSearch and Rescue aircraftaround the Asia-Pacific.

AMR editorThomasWithington’s‘Pulse’ col-umn providesall the latestnews andanalysisacross thedefence RF(RadioFrequency)spectrum.

05PULSE

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Editorial

As the bottle of Scotch Whisky smashedagainst her hull on 4 July 2014 at RosythDockyard in eastern Scotland, the Royal Navy was heralding a new era in

global power projection. For the ship in question being launched in the customaryfashion was HMS Queen Elizabeth, the first of two new eponymous class aircraft carriers which the Royal Navy is to receive.

Expected to commission in 2017, the new ship represents a step change from thethree ‘Invincible’ class light aircraft carriers they will replace. However, the ‘QueenElizabeth’ class ships will bring altogether more punch. Displacing 65000 tonnesthese vessels are a notably larger than the 22000 tonnes displaced by the ‘Invincible’class ships. The new vessels will embark up to 40 aircraft, including the UK’s newLockheed Martin F-35B Lightning-II multi-role combat aircraft, along with a widerange of maritime support and British Army helicopters. The ‘Invincible’ class waslimited to 22 aircraft, chiefly BAE Systems Harrier GR7/9 or Sea Harrier FA.2 groundattack and fighter aircraft, and accompanying helicopters.

The ‘Invincible’ aircraft carriers, the last of which, HMS Illustrious, retired ten daysafter HMS Queen Elizabeth was launched, were of their time. Designed during theearly 1970s their role was always to assist NATO in performing anti-submarine warfare in the North Atlantic during any confrontation with the Soviet Union and theWarsaw Pact. Yet they proved themselves highly capable of contributing to UK expeditionary operations when required, the deployment of HMS Invincible, alongwith the ‘Centaur’ class aircraft carrier HMS Hermes, during the Falklands War beinga case in point when these two ships represented effectively the only airbases that theUK had near the theatre of operations in the South Atlantic Ocean.

The future of HMS Queen Elizabeth’s sister ship, HMS Prince of Wales, remains indoubt. She is under construction, but the 2010 Strategic Defence and Security Reviewperformed by the UK government to evaluate the country’s strategic priorities committed the Royal Navy to operating only one carrier. Penalty clauses in the government’s contract with BAE Systems, the prime contractor for the ‘QueenElizabeth’ class, meant that the cancellation of construction would cost more thanprocuring the ship. HMS Prince of Wales may now be mothballed or offered for saleonce built. Whether the ‘Queen Elizabeth’ class includes one or two carriers, it is certain to revolutionise the Royal Navy and to enhance its power projection capabilities both in the Asia-Pacific and around the world.

TThhoommaass WWiitthhiinnggttoonn,, EEddiittoorr

Editorial

04 l ASIAN MILITARY REVIEW l

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FIT FOR A QUEEN

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PULSEbbyy Thomas Withington

RadarIsrael Aerospace Industries’ Elta Systems division showcased itsnew EL/M-2138M Green Rock tactical Counter Rocket, Artilleryand Mortar (CRAM) radar at the 2014 Eurosatory defence exhibi-tion held in Paris in mid-June. The EL/M-2138M is a mobile radarwhich can be installed onboard a four-wheel drive vehicle. Theradar can move together with a manoeuvring force to provide a“defence bubble” over the force, according to the company. Theradar provides accurate RAM launch location so as to target thehostile launcher immediately.The radar incorporates Active Electronically Scanned Array

(AESA) technology and incorporates an S-band (2.6-3.0 GHz)radar for trajectory measurement, the detection of targets with alow radar cross section and for tracking accuracy. In terms of per-formance, the EL/M-2138M can detect Unmanned Aerial Vehiclesand gliders, along with conventional artillery threats, at ranges inexcess of ten kilometres (six miles). The radar comes in several con-figurations outfitted with one array covering 90 degrees, twoarrays covering 180 degrees and four arrays covering 360 degreesin azimuth. The radar’s elevation coverage is 90 degrees.According to Igo Licht, director of marketing and sales for EltaSystems, the firm was awarded the contract to develop the radarin 2012.“It is currently in the process of being delivered to theIsraeli Defence Force (IDF),” Mr. Licht told Pulse. “We will finishdeliveries by the end of 2014, and we expect to have a follow-oncontract from the IDF for the delivery of more radars in 2015.”Elta Systems also took advantage of the Eurosatory exhibition

to launch the company’s new EL/M-2222S NAV-GUARD radar.Designed to be installed onboard a vessel, EL/M-2222S has beendeveloped to enhance the protection of warships. The radar isintended to provide warning of incoming Anti-Ship Missiles(AShM) and also anti-tank guided missiles which are increasing-ly being employed by insurgents to attack naval vessels from theshore. The Israeli Navy is no stranger to missile attack. On 14 July2005 the INS Hanit, one of its ‘Sa’ar-5’ class corvettes, was dam-aged by a China Haiying Electro-Mechanical TechnologyAcademy C-802 AShM fired by Hezbollah insurgents while theship was patrolling near the coast of Lebanon causing the loss offour crewmembers. The radar detects an incoming missile, auto-matically alerts the crew to this end and then commences the dis-persal of chaff and flare countermeasures. The EL/M-2222S usesAESA antennae with four antennae providing 360 degrees of cov-erage. Each antenna has 16 transmit/receive modules, can beoperated by a laptop computer and connected to a ship’s CombatManagement System. The S-band EL/M-2222S has a range ofcirca four nautical miles (seven kilometres) and can be used inconjunction with Rheinmetall’s Multi Ammunition SoftkillSystem (MASS) naval self-defence equipment which can launchinfrared and ultra-violet flares plus chaff decoys. Elta Systems hasused elements of the architecture from the firm’s EL/M-2248 MF-STAR air and surface surveillance radar in the form of one of theantenna tiles which is used to comprise the EL/M-2222S antenna.

Czech radar specialists Retia will deliver its second two-dimen-sional (range and azimuth) ReVISOR ground-based air surveil-lance radar to the Czech armed forces by November 2014. Thecompany has already delivered a single radar to the 25th GroundBased Air Defence Regiment of the Czech Armed Forces, whichwas handed over in April 2014. The ReVISOR is a short-range X-band (8.5-10.68 GHz) radar which has an instrumented range of 13nautical miles (25 kilometres), and a 16400 feet (5000 metres) ceil-ing. Employing an AESA antenna, the radar has an integralIdentification Friend or Foe (IFF) secondary radar and canexchange its data using the ASTERIX (All Purpose StructuredEurocontrol Surveillance Information Exchange) and AWCIES(Air Command and Control System Wide Common InformationExchange Standard) radar data protocols. One of the key features,according to Retia experts with whom the author conversed at theEurosatory exhibition, is the radar’s accuracy which is particularlyeffective against targets with a low radar cross section such asUAVs. To this end, targets can be detected with an accuracy of upto 50 metres (164 feet) in range and up to 0.25 degrees in azimuth.Meanwhile, on 17 June 2014, the United States Army awarded

a contract to Lockheed Martin worth $35.7 million to procurenew AN/TPS-59A ground-based air surveillance radars. The

Israel Aerospace Industries’ Etla Systems division took advantage of the2014 Eurosatory exhibition to launch its new EL/M-2138M Green Rockcounter rocket, artillery and mortar radar © IAI Elta Systems


Pulse Sep 14-4pg:AMR 8/26/14 4:19 PM Page 1

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contract announcement did not specify how many radarsLockheed Martin will deliver to the force, although it did statethat the work is expected to be completed by July 2017. TheAN/TPS-59A uses AESA architecture and transmits in the L-band (1.215-1.400GHz). The radar scans at between six andtwelve revolutions-per-minute providing a 360 degree azimuthand covers a range of between four and 400 nautical miles (ten to740km). It has a ceiling of 164nm (305km) with an elevation of upto 60 degrees. In terms of protection against electronic and kinet-ic attack, the radar employs random transmit frequency selec-tion. AN/TPS-59 user countries, in addition to the United States,include Egypt, Bahrain and Taiwan. In US service, the radar isalso used by the United States Marine Corps.Staying in the United States, Raytheon is moving forward on

the FlexDAR (Flexible Distributed Array Radar) for the Office ofNaval Research (ONR). The FlexDAR concept aims not to devel-op a new radar product in itself, but instead to develop a test-bedfor technologies and concepts which can be integrated into tomor-row’s naval air and surface surveillance radars. In February 2014,the firm was awarded a base contract worth $8.5 million to designthe FlexDAR antenna front end. At the core of this work is thedevelopment of a digital antenna which can transmit and receiveRadio Frequency (RF) energy for radar, communications and elec-tronic warfare. The rationale behind this is to move closer to themaritime radar ‘holy grail’ of reducing the number of antennae ona vessel’s topside thus reducing its overall visual signature andradar cross section. Additionally, enhanced radar capability usingbi-static (i.e. separate transmit and receive antennae) and net-work-linked sensors will be demonstrated under the programme.According to Jeff Holley, Advanced Technology programmemanager at Raytheon, once the critical components and sub-assemblies of the front end are demonstrated, a pair of multi-func-tion antennae will then be constructed and delivered to the NavalResearch Laboratory in Chesapeake Bay on the Eastern Seaboardof the United States for testing. Mr. Holley states that the antennaintegration will occur in the 2016 timeframe.Staying with Raytheon, the company announced in June 2014

that it would be partnering with Polish defence electronics spe-cialists Bumar Elektronika to develop a new Identification Friendor Foe (IFF) interrogator to equip the Raytheon AN/MPQ-53 andAN/MPQ-65 radars furnishing the company’s MIM-104 Patriotfamily of medium-range, surface-to-air missile systems. Thesetwo radars perform target acquisition, detection, tracking andillumination for the MIM-104. Using a phased array antenna, thisC-band (5.25-5.925GHz) radar reportedly has a range of up to92nm (170km). In terms of radar designation,the AN/MPQ-53 equips Raytheon’s MIM-104A/B/C/D Patriot variants, with theAN/MPQ-65 outfitting the MIM-104F. TheAN/MPQ-65 has an additional travelling wavetube to increase its target search, detection andtracking capabilities vis-à-vis the AN/MPQ-53.

Presently, both these radars are equipped with an AN/TPX-48(V)7 IFF interrogator. According to Doug Stevenson, senior pro-gramme manager and director-Poland, integrated air and missiledefence at Raytheon the IFF interrogator, which is being jointlydeveloped by the US company and its Polish counterpart, will beoffered as a retrofit for existing AN/MPQ-53/65 users, and fornew MIM-104 customers. He adds that “the design and develop-ment process is expected to take three-to-four years and it is ourintention to begin offering (the new IFF) to our existing and futurecustomers as soon as it is available.”In addition, Mr. Stevenson remarked that the company had

recently tested a newGalliumNitride (GaN) AESA antenna for theAN/MPQ-53/65. Compared to legacy GalliumArsenide AESA antennae, Gallium Nitrideoffers even higher performances as antennaeusing Transmit/Receive modules constructedfrom this material can operate at comparative-ly higher power levels. Mr. Stevenson saysthat, regarding the new GaN antenna, “We

During the 2014 Eurosatory exhibition, Czech radar manufacturer Retiaannounced that it will deliver its second ReVISOR ground-basedair surveillance radar to the Czech armed forces by the end of 2014© Thomas Withington

Raytheon andBumar will jointlydevelop a new IFF

for the PatriotSAM radar

PULSE


have successfully tested a prototype and wewant to introduce this into the US Army’sPatriot Modernisation Roadmap.” This initia-tive seeks to ensure that the MIM-104 Patriotsystems the US Army uses can meet tomor-row’s threats, although the roadmap is yet tobecome a formal programme. As well as offer-ing a GaN AESA antenna for the AN/MPQ-53/65, Raytheon is proposing to reconfigure the radar’s antennaarchitecture to equip it with four flat panel GaN AESA arrays asopposed to the single array that it has at the moment so as to pro-vide full 360 degree coverage.

After a rather long wait (21 years in fact), the EurofighterTyphoon Multi-Role Combat Aircraft (MRCA) may finally receivean AESA radar in the form of the Captor-E. During theFarnborough Air Show in the United Kingdom during mid-July2014, the UK Ministry of Defence announced a $123.2 millionthree-year E-Scan Extended Assessment Phase contract award toBAE Systems to perform a risk reduction for the Captor-E radarprior to its installation on Tranche-3 Typhoons. The Tranche-3 pro-duction run includes the manufacture of 112 Tranche-3A aircraftwhich will equip the air forces of Germany, Spain, Italy and theUnited Kingdom with 124 Tranche-3B jets equipping the samenations. The first Tranche-3 aircraft underwent test flights by BAE

Systems in 2013. Production of the Tranche-3 aircraft is currentlyongoing at production lines across these four nations and is sched-uled to conclude in 2017. Among the design features of theTranche-3 variant of the aircraft is the ability to house the Captor-E radar.

The Captor-E radar is in turn based upon the current Captor-M radar used by the Typhoon. The Captor-M radar owes its lin-eage to the Ferranti (now BAE Systems and Selex) Blue Vixen X-band radar which was developed for the British Aerospace/BAESystems Sea Harrier FA.2 fighter aircraft which equipped theRoyal Navy’s Fleet Air Arm. The Captor-M is a pulse Dopplerradar with a mechanically scanned array. It has been developedby the Euroradar consortium involving Selex ES, Airbus Defenceand Space, and Indra. Open sources say that the Captor-E designis based extensively upon the Captor-M. What this may mean inpractice is that the radar’s back end is probably largelyunchanged save for the addition of new software and processingalgorithms to handle the increased capabilities of the AESAantenna in terms of multitasking.

The decision of the UK government to award a risk reductioncontract to BAE Systems for the Captor-E radar means that a fullcontract to develop the radar could be awarded by the end of2014. Once this is achieved the way would then be open for theEurofighter consortium member countries (Germany, Italy, Spainand the UK) along with current customers such as Saudi Arabiaand Oman to procure the Captor-E radar for their Tranche-3 air-craft. Ultimately, the radar could be available to equip the

Tranche-3 jets by 2016. Very little informa-tion exists in the public domain regardingthe projected performance of the Captor-E.Selex has publicly announced via its websitethat the air-to-air range of the radar will beincreased vis-à-vis the Captor-M and that theradar’s reaction time for detecting air-to-airtargets will also be improved. It has addedthat simultaneous air-to-air and air-to-

ground modes will also be available for the Captor-E. The workwhich BAE Systems will perform as per its risk reduction contractwill include flight tests of a prototype radar, ground testing andtesting of the radar using BAE Systems Electronic Warfare facili-ties at Wharton, in northwest England. In 2009 Selex, one of thepartner nations Euroradar consortium, was awarded a $32millioncontract to mature AESA technology for the requirements of theRoyal Air Force.

Tactical RadioIsrael-based defence communications specialist Commtact hopesto conclude deliveries of its new UVR airborne radio to anunnamed Asian customer by the end of 2014, according toSharon Shlomo, vice president of marketing at the company. Thecompany launched the UVR earlier this year. It is an airborneVery High Frequency/Ultra High Frequency (VHF – 30 to 300

Lockheed Martin was awarded a contract worth $35.7 million inJune 2014 for the supply of new AN/TPS-59A ground-based airsurveillance radars to the United States Army. This radar is also usedby Egypt, Bahrain and Taiwan © Wikimedia Commons


Commtact willconclude deliveries

of its new UVRradio to an unnamed

Asian customer bylate 2014



PULSE

Megahertz/MHz, UHF – 300MHz to three gigahertz) multiband,multimode radio which can handle voice and data traffic in bothanalogue and digital formats (see the ‘On The Air, In The Air’article in this issue for more information regarding Commtact’sairborne radio products).“We have clients using this radio on both manned and

unmanned aircraft,” Mr. Shlomo continues. The radio has a mod-ular architecture meaning that customers can tailor its capabilitiesto the tasks that the aircraft is to perform. In terms of performance,Commtact’s official literature notes that the UVR radio has a rangeof circa 135nm (250km). In terms of data, it can transmit up to 250kilobits-per-second. Using under one watt of power, the radioweighs around 65 grams (2.2 ounces). Regarding interfaces theUVR works with the RS-422, RS-232 and RS-485 standards.Moreover, it is certified to MIL-STD-810F (Military Standard 810F)and MIL-STD-461E regarding environmental conditions and elec-tromagnetic compatibility.In addition to the news regarding the UVR radio, Commtact

has announced that deliveries have commenced to an unnamedcustomer of the company’s MDLS (Micro Data Link System),with Mr. Shlomo stating that this radio is “now in service withthis customer”. Designed to equip small UAVs and unmannedground vehicles, the MDLS weighs a mere 100 grams (3.5ounces), and consumes circa ten watts of power. The environ-mental conditions tolerated by the MDLS are similar to those ofthe UVR, while AES-256 encryption provides communicationssecurity. In terms of range, the MDLS can perform transmissionsacross 2.7nm (five kilometres), 5.3nm (ten kilometres) and 19nm

(35km). These ranges make the MDLS ideal for equipping miniand micro UAVs which traditionally operate over short ranges.Moreover, the company says that the MDLS can be used to equiploitering munitions. The MDLS performs its transmissions in theS- and C-bands (2-4GHz/4-8GHz).

SATCOMOn 17 June 2014, European defence electronics specialists AirbusDefence and Space (formerly Cassidian) announced that it hadperformed the first end-to-end link between the Athena-Fidus

satellite and the French armed forces Comcept SatelliteCommunications (SATCOM) network. The Franco-Italian satellite was launched on 6 February 2014andwill allow two-way Ka-band (27-40GHz) wide-band (ten megabits-per-second) fixed and mobile

SATCOM for the next 17 years. Comcept is expected toenter service with the French armed forces by the end of

2014. Initially, the overall Comcept infrastructure will include 20High Data Rate (HDR) ground stations which will be operated bythe DIRISI (Direction Interarmées des Réseaux d’Infrastructure etdes Systèmes d’Information/French Ministry of Defence Inter-Force Infrastructure, Networks and Information SystemsDepartment), a joint unit tasked with the provision of SATCOM

across the French navy, army and air force, according to EricSoulères, head of operations and engineering within the commu-nications, intelligence and security division of Airbus Defenceand Space. The HDR ground stations are fixed, although mobileSATCOM terminals will also be delivered to the French armedforces as part of the Comcept programme. Mr. Soulères says thatthe quantity of mobile terminals to be delivered remains confi-dential, as are the dates as to when these will commence and con-clude deliveries.

Raytheon is planning a series of enhancements for the AN/MPQ-53/65radar which equips the MIM-104 Patriot surface-to-air missile systemfamily, including new flat panel antennae for the radar to provide 360degrees of coverage © Raytheon

The Eurofighter Typhoon multi-role combat aircraft moved one step closerto receiving its Captor-E Active Electronically Scanned Array radar withannouncements regarding the radar’s development made at the 2014Farnborough Air Show © Airbus Defence and Space


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As this article will explain, nations in the Asia-Pacific havetwo different acquisition strategies for procuring fixed- androtary-wing aircraft for Combat Search-and-Rescue(CSAR). Several nations are investing in their CSAR assetsboth with dedicated platforms and through configuringexisting platforms to perform this mission.

bbyy Marty Kauchak

RESCUE ME

A N D R E S C U ESS EEAARR CCHH

CSAR:AMR 8/26/14 4:15 PM Page 2

Under one philosophy, nationsbuy aircraft specifically con-figured and equipped forCSAR. Amore popular optionfinds other nations using

multi-purpose aircraft that can be quicklyscaled and configured, for taking a crewinto harm’s way to rescue and recover anindividual or small unit. While this lattergroup of aircraft can complete a CSARmis-sion, they may also be assigned other taskssuch as personnel recovery, humanitarian,cargo transport, and Search-and-Rescue(SAR) operations.

An interesting mix of aircraft capable ofcompleting CSAR missions is entering theair orders of battle across the Asia-Pacificand with nations deploying to the region.Some aircraft already in service invento-ries or on the order books are specificallyCSAR-built and equipped; AirbusHelicopters’ EC-725 medium-lift machinebeing one example which will be dis-cussed in more detail below.

AustraliaAustralia is representative of the nationsthat do not have a dedicated CSAR fleet,but which rather use multiple aircraft formulti-mission assignments. A spokesper-son in the nation’s Department of DefenceMedia Operations office told AMR in anemail: “There is no dedicated unit or plat-forms for CSAR in the Australian DefenceForce (ADF). The most appropriate airplatform to conduct these operations isdependent on the circumstances andrequirements of the task.”

As a result the ADF currently operates anumber of fixed- and rotary-wing platformssuitable for SAR and CSAR operations.These include the Lockheed Martin P-3COrion maritime patrol aircraft andLockheed Martin C-130J Hercules freighteraircraft operated by the Royal AustralianAir Force, and the Australian Army’sSikorsky S-70A Black Hawk medium-lifthelicopter, Australian Aerospace (NHIndustries) MRH-90 Taipan medium-liftmachine and the Boeing CH-47D Chinookheavy lift helicopter, all of which are operat-ed by the Australian Army Aviation Corps.

Airbus Helicopters reports significantactivity in the Asia-Pacific CSAR market,


The Boeing CH-47D/F Chinook also has a prominent presence inthe Asia-Pacific region. This helicopter’s record of use throughoutthe region include disaster and relief operations © Boeing

A N D R E S C U ESSEE AARR CC HH


and is satisfying the demand of someregional customers for a dedicated CSARplatform with its EC-725 aircraft. A corpo-rate spokesperson remarked in an email toAMR that this rotary aircraft “has reacheda mature configuration satisfying most, ifnot all of the market requirements”.In addition to the twelve EC-725 units

acquired by the Royal Malaysian Air Force,three EC-225s were delivered to theRepublic of China Air Force for SAR inNovember 2011 and entered service in July2012. The spokesperson further revealedthe company’s order books include fourEC-725 CSARhelicopters for the Royal ThaiAir Force and six EC-725 CSAR aircraft forthe Tentara Nasional Indonesia AngkatanUdara (Indonesian Air Force), to be deliv-ered by local firm PT Dirgantara Indonesia.The partnering agreement between

Airbus Helicopters and PT DirgantaraIndonesia will further strengthenIndonesia’s indigenous aerospace industry.The six EC-275s will be shipped toIndonesian Aerospace’s facility inBandung,West Java, Indonesia, where theywill be reassembled and customised beforedelivery to the Indonesian Air Force. The

Airbus Helicopters spokesperson added,“This process will occur from the end of2014 until 2016, with the deliveries firstgoing to PT Dirgantara Indonesia for com-pletion and customisation (which will takea few months, depending on the works),before being delivered to the air force.”Airbus Helicopters’ EC-725 is one of

several aircraft presented in this articlewhose CSAR capabilities and airframematured through real-world missions. Inthe case of the EC-725, French Forces suc-cessfully operated this rotorcraft in thechallenging Afghanistan theatre of opera-tions. The EC725 also provides one insightof how industry is meeting the operationalrigors which contemporary end users’demand from CSAR rotorcraft. The air-craft’s unrefuelled range is 700 nauticalmiles (1296 kilometres), and the platformhas both air-to-air refueling and hover-in-flight refueling capabilities.Elsewhere in the market, Bob Carrese,

director of international military businessdevelopment for Bell Helicopter, told AMRthat the Bell 412EP and Bell 412EPI medi-um-lift utility helicopters offer reliable per-formance in some of the most extreme

climates on the planet and are the corner-stone of mission critical helicopter opera-tions throughout the world – especially inAsia-Pacific with user countries includingIndonesia, the Philippines, the Republic ofKorea, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Australia andJapan. Mr. Carrese notes that these twomodels support a variety of missions,including military utility and generaltransport, police air support, border patrol,law enforcement, SAR, and coast guardoperations. “In all, there are 118 Bell 412helicopters being used in the region forthese various missions,” he disclosed.

Other ActorsBell has two new platforms operating withthe US Marine Corps in the Asia-Pacificregion: the UH-1Y medium-lift helicopterand the Bell-BoeingMV-22 Osprey tiltrotor.The Marine Corps is responsible for

providing its own CSAR capability anddoes not have a dedicated platform for thatmission. Rather, the service utilises its avi-ation and amphibious assault assets toaccomplish a broad range of missions,much like its Asia-Pacific counterparts. Mr.Carrese emphasises that both the UH-1Y


Airbus Helicopters has delivered twelve EC-725medium-lift helicopters to the Royal Malaysian AirForce and three EC-225 aircraft to the Taiwan Air Forcefor Search and Rescue missions © Airbus Helicopters






and the V-22 could be utilised in an on-callbasis to complete the CSAR mission.“Doctrinally, the Marine Corps deploys theaircraft in a task-organized ‘package’known as Tactical Recovery of Aircraft andPersonnel. The mission package is sized tothe specific threats of each mission, includ-ing recovering downed aircraft. A recentexample of such a mission carried out by aV-22 was the rescue of a (United States) AirForce pilot whose aircraft went down inLibya (during combat operations there in

2011),” Mr. Carrese added. In addition tosupporting Operation Unified Protector inLibya, the V-22 airframe has evolved dur-ing its deployment supporting US missionsin Afghanistan.

The Boeing CH-47D/F Chinookheavylift helicopter also has a prominentpresence in the Asia-Pacific theatre of oper-ations. At the time of writing (June 2014)more than 100 CH-47C/Fs and V-22s wereserving in the Asia-Pacific region. Whilethe two models are used in wide-ranging

humanitarian and rescue missions aroundthe world, the CH-47D/F and V-22 haveplayed prominent roles in supportingrelief efforts following major disasters inthe region.

The CH-47D/F’s record of use through-out the Asia-Pacific for disaster and reliefoperations includes the 2004/5 IndianOcean tsunami rescue and recovery opera-tions, the response to the Japanese tsunamiin 2011, and earthquake and flood relief inPakistan during the last decade. “The MV-22’s role in the recent disaster relief effortin the Philippines (following TyphoonYolanda in 2013) is a prime example of thevalue of the aircraft in this CSAR role,” JimArmington, Boeing Defence, Space andSecurity’s vice president for East Asia andPacific Business Development, told AMR.Mr. Armington further recalled that withthe widespread destruction of the islandnation’s infrastructure, the Osprey provid-ed a vital connection from the relief effort

to storm survivors. Mr. Armington addedthat the “V-22 Ospreys, self-deployed fromOkinawa airbase in Japan, were among thefirst to connect survivors with basic food,water and medical supplies, covering vastinland distances quickly and then movingfrom village to village to deliver life-savingsupplies and evacuating those most inneed of medical treatment.”

Mr. Armington emphasised that neitherthe CH-47D/F nor the V-22 requires modi-fications to perform the CSAR mission orother specific mission sets, in essence mak-ing them ready for duty for assignment onshort- or no notice. “They are in the fieldperforming these missions today, and wehave several documented rescues at alti-tudes above 16000 feet (4877 metres), atwind speeds above 70 knots (130 kilome-tres-per-hour) and at distances in excess of500nm (926km),” Mr. Armington added.

The Marine Corps isresponsible for

providing its own CSARand does not have a

dedicated platform forthat mission

Bell Helicopter’s 412EP and Bell 412EPIoffer reliable performance in some ofthe most extreme climates on the planetand are the cornerstone of missioncritical helicopter operations throughoutthe world © Bell Helicopter


Israel is poised to become the first inter-national V-22 operator of what the USDepartment of Defence is calling the V-22Ivariant. As of 11 July 2014, the DefenceSecurity Cooperation Agency was unableto provide an estimated delivery date ofthe first V22I to the Israeli customer. Mr.Armington confirmed that other unspeci-fied nations in the Asia-Pacific andMiddleEast regions are considering V-22s fortheir defence forces. These prospectivecustomers “view the Osprey as a criticalpart of their future force structure. Asinternational interest in the Osprey contin-ues to grow Bell-Boeing is poised to sup-port the US government in all potentialforeign military sales of the V-22 Osprey,”Mr. Armington concludes.

The US Air Force’s venerable HH-60GPave Hawk fleet of combat search-and-rescue helicopters, of which an unspecifiednumber of airframes are assigned to Asia-

Pacific regional units, have the well-earnedprospect of retirement on its horizon.

As part of the 2014 National DefenceAuthorisation Act, the US Congress gavethe US Air Force’s new Combat RescueHelicopter (CRH) programme $334million.The service will use that funding to kick-start the initiative as part of the broaderDepartment of Defence CRH contractawarded on 26 June 2014 to an industryteam of Sikorsky and Lockheed Martin.

The CRH program covers 112 new heli-copters to replace the service’s aging HH-60G machines and could be worth as muchas $7 billion. The Sikorsky/Lockheed-Martin team was the only competitor toactually bid on the programme. Sikorskywill provide the helicopter with Lockheed-Martin’s Owego, NewYorkworkforce han-dling the new helicopter’s modernizedmis-sion systems and other special equipment.

The winning bid was a ‘heavily modi-fied’ UH-70 Black Hawk medium-lift util-ity helicopter design, with enhanced


The US Air Force’s venerable fleet of HH-60G Pave Hawk combat search-and-rescue helicopters,includes the unit depicted here from the 33rd Rescue Squadron, Kadena airbase Japan © USAF

The US Marine Corps deploys the Bell-Boeingin a task-organised package known as TacticalRecovery of Aircraft and Personnel. Themission package is sized to the specific threatsof each mission, including recovering downedaircraft © Boeing

A N D R E S C U ESSEE AARR CC HH



avionics and mission systems. In additionto avionic upgrades, the CRH design isbased on Sikorsky’s HH-60 family, whichmeans it has similar structural upgradesintegral to these helicopters such as com-posite rotor blades.

Enabling The MissionAn AgustaWestland spokesperson notedthat while there are very few dedicatedCSAR aircraft in the Asia-Pacific, manySAR and utility helicopters could be usedfor CSAR duties if required. For its part,AgustaWestland’s AW-139M, AW-159,AW-149, NH Industries (in whichAgustaWestland is a partner) NH-90TTHand the AW-101 medium-lift machines areamong those which can be configured forCSAR or other rigorous, demanding mis-sions. Indeed, the spokesperson noted thecompany is in the process of delivering thefirst AW-101s to the Aeronautica Militaire(Italian Air Force), which have personnelrecovery as one of their primary missions.“The aircraft is ideal for this type of mis-sion due to its range, endurance, speed,large cabin space, low noise signature andits ability to carry a large range of equip-ment in addition to special forces troops,”the spokesperson noted. The spokesper-son added that the firm had ”recently”delivered PZL-Swidnik W-3 Sokol heli-copters, which are used for SAR duties, tothe Philippine Air Force. AgustaWestlandacquired PZL-Swidnik’s factory in 2010.

The spokesperson also noted that

AgustaWestland, as an original equipmentmanufacturer, can outfit these platformsfor CSAR with a wide range of missionequipment, including rescue hoists, abseil-ing equipment, forward-looking infrared,radar, electronic countermeasures, adefensive aid suite, missile approachwarning system, stretchers, medical treat-ment equipment, optronics, night visiongoggle compatible cockpits, and windowand ramp-mounted guns.

FLIR Systems of the United States is onerepresentative supplier of CSAR and relat-ed aircraft mission subsystems. The

company has a huge customer base acrossthe Asia-Pacific. Indeed, Haley Ellison, thepublic relations manager for the Americasat FLIR Systems told AMR that the com-pany “has hundreds of systems deployedthroughout almost every country in Asiain CSAR aircraft applications – (but)unfortunately we cannot go into detail onthe exact end users.” Ms. Ellison addedthat with hundreds of systems deployed,platforms such as the EC-725, Bell 412,AW-139 and Sikorsky S-70 represent asmall portion of CSAR aircraft whichutilise FLIR’s Star SAFIRE III, Star SAFIREHD and Star SAFIRE 380-HD optronics.

FLIR is addressing the changingrequirements in this equipment sector. High

definition, along with the ability for dataanalysis and advanced scene processing fea-tures integrated into the system, are increas-ingly being demanded and responded to byFLIR Systems with its 380-HD, MERLINMoving Target Indicator (MTI), MERLINMission Systems and other products. “Endusers and governments are no longer satis-fied with yesterday’s technology (namely) astandard electro-optical/infrared surveil-lance system,” Ms. Ellison emphasised. TheMERLIN MTI and Star SAFFIRE (SS) 380-HDc represent FLIR’s newest offering to theCSAR aircraft community.

While there are very few dedicated CSAR aircraft in the Asia-Pacific, some operatorsare noteworthy in the use of such aircraft including the PZL-Swidnik W-3 Sokolhelicopters recently delivered to the Philippine Air Force © AgustaWestland

FLIR Systems has hundreds of systems deployed throughout almost every country in the Asia-Pacificto support the CSAR applications. The MERLIN MTI and Star SAFFIRE (SS) 380-HDc represent FLIRSystems newest offering to the CSAR aircraft community © FLIR




Now, imagine that these mon-sters are closing on you withthunderous engines, firingmachine guns and cannonwithout stopping, bullets

whining overhead as this unstoppablesteel machine crushes everything before it.It takes an extremely well-trained and dis-ciplined soldier to hold their ground. Yet,even they would be hard pressed to do sowithout some effective to counter this

onslaught. Anti-armour weapons providethat capability for the infantry.

The term ‘tank country’ suggests open,rolling countryside. However, as demon-strated time-and-time again on the battle-field, armoured vehicles can be decisive inareas where vehicles are limited by terrain,urban growth, close vegetation or otherfactors. The fact that they are not expectedallows even small numbers to have anoverwhelming impact. Thus, militaryplanners in the Asia-Pacific have given apriority to the selection and fielding ofanti-armour weapons.

Anti-armour systems have two classifi-cations: individual man-portable andcrew-served. The former, calledMANPATs (Man-Portable Anti-Tank),need to be carried by a single soldier so alight weight and compactness are primaryconcerns. The trade-off is that MANPATshave a shorter range and may be lesslethal due to their limited warhead size.MANPATs are available as re-loadableweapons and one-shot disposableweapons which the soldier carries in addi-tion to his individual weapon and equip-ment. The soldier can face a range of dif-ferent targets based on the combat situa-tion, not just tanks and armoured vehi-cles. Thus, there are considerable benefitsin a weapon than can be effective againstdifferent targets.

Crew-served weapons are heavier buthave much longer range and accuracy.These are now generally guided to the tar-get offering 90 percent hit probability atover 2000 metres (6561 feet). They canrequire several soldiers for transport and


The demoralising shock effect experienced byan caused by the speed and apparentinvulnerability of armoured vehicles rapidlyassaulting a position is easily overwhelming forthe soldier facing it. Anyone that has stoodbefore a main battle tank even on static displayrecognises its awesome size and power.

bbyy Stephen W. Miller

ROCKET MAN

W E A P O N S S Y S T E MAANNTTII--AARRMMOOUURR

The NAMMO M72 LAAW has the advantagesof lightweight and compactness making it anideal man-portable anti-armour weapon. Itsportability and new ‘specialty’ warheads havegiven it a new lease of life providing explosivefirepower for small and special force units © US Army

Anti-Armour:AMR 8/26/14 4:24 PM Page 2

even then carrying the launcher, fire con-trol system and ordnance is challengingfor fully-dismounted units. Therefore,these systems are mounted on some typeof vehicle, either a light tactical truck or aspart of an armoured vehicle weapon suite.

MANPATsThe United States Army’s M72 LAAW(Light Anti Armour Weapon) now pro-duced and improved by NAMMO ofNorway weighs 2.5 kilogram (5.5lb), iscompact and has less than 50 percent hitprobability beyond 200m (656ft). Aimingaids like the low-cost laser aiming deviceco-developed between NAMMO andCrimson Trace of the United States can sig-nificantly increase this accuracy. The M72remains in service with Australia, NewZealand, the Philippines, Indonesia,Thailand, Taiwan, the Republic of Korea(RoK) and the US. The latest versionsinclude improved penetration, confinedspace firing capability and high explosivewarheads. Combined, these factors make itideal for adding explosive direct firepowerfor small units and it is especially favouredby special forces.John F. Hill, vice president, growth,

strategy and technology at NAMMO’s USsubsidiary stated that they feel “Themarketis broader than anti-armour and will con-tinue to move away from armour defeat asa primary requirement. The market willfocus on lightweight, multi-purpose, firefrom enclosure weapons. Cost will be a fac-tor, but it is not the defining requirement.”One of the most successful anti-armour

weapons fielded is the Carl Gustav fromSweden which is a 84mm breech-loadedreusable recoilless weapon. It is currentlyfielded by over 44 armies including theUS, Japan, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore,India, Pakistan, Australia, New Zealandand others in the Asia-Pacific region.Produced by Saab the system has beencontinuously improved with new technol-ogy. For example, introduction of a metaland carbon fibre construction reduced theweight with the latest M3 version (the USdesignation) weighing 8.5kg (18.7lbs). The84mm calibre has also lent itself to a widerange of munitions optimised for varioustargets and tasks. These range from



A soldier is seen here aboutto fire a shoulder-launchedSaab Carl Gustav anti-tankguided missile © Saab


improved HEAT (High Explosive Anti-Tank) tandem warhead with 500 millime-tres (20 inches) of penetration, HighExplosive (HE), a bunker-buster HEDP(High Explosive Dual Purpose), smokeand illumination. Its versatility, a 500-1300m (1640-4265m) range and accuracymake it a favourite of small combat units.

RussiaAny discussion of man-portable anti-armour weapons would be amiss withoutcovering the Soviet-designed RPG (RocketPropelled Grenade) produced by theRussian company Bazalt with versionsalso manufactured in China. The RPG 7 isin services in over 40 countries, 16 of thesein the Asia-Pacific. The latest version is theRPG-7V which has different warheadrounds available. It has a maximum rangeof 920m (3018ft) but the effective range

against a point target is closer to 200m(656ft) where its hit probability is 50 per-cent. With a seven kilogram (15lb) nominaltotal weight it requires a dedicated gunnerwho can also carry up to four grenades.The simple operation, reliability, andmoderate price make the RPG-7 attractive.Users have found newways to employ theRPG outside its original intent, includingagainst helicopters, for indirect fire, anti-personnel and employed in mass.

The MATADOR (Man-portable Anti-

Tank, Anti-Door) was developed in a col-laboration between Singapore’s DefenceScience and Technology Agency (DSTA),Israel’s Rafael Advanced Defence Systemsand Dynamit Nobel Defence (DND). A90mm man-portable, 8.9kg (19lb) dispos-able weapon, it is effective against botharmoured vehicles and buildings. It uses acounter-mass of shredded plastic project-ed out of the rear when it is fired. Thisreduces recoil and back blast so it can befired in a confined space. The warhead’sdelay mode creates a 450mm (18in) hole ina masonry wall. This is useful in built-upareas to clear a room or to provide anentry point for soldiers. First fielded in2000 in addition to Singapore, Israel, theUnited Kingdom, Germany and Vietnamhave fielded the MATADOR.

Another successful man-portablerecoilless system from Saab is the AT-4


Japan’s Ground SelfDefense Force has a

mix of anti-armourweapons both

domestically-sourcedand imported

Continuous improvement and versatility of the Saab CarlGustav recoilless weapon since its first introduction in 1948 haskept the system relevant. With its range of munitions includingHEAT, high explosive, smoke and illumination it is used both asan anti-armour and general support weapon © US Army



which is a 6.7kg (14.8lb), 84mm single-useweapon in a throw-away launcher. TheAT-4 warhead is specifically designed foruse against light and medium armourwith optimising of the behind-armoureffects inside the vehicle, building orbunker. The rationale is that attempting topenetrate the frontal armour of an MBT isbeyond current technology given the sizeand weight limitations of a man-portableweapon. Subsequent improvement havebeen made including, most importantly,fielding of the ‘CS’ (Confined Space) ver-sion that uses a saltwater counter mass inthe launcher rear to dissipate the backblast allowing firing in a building orenclosed space. The AT-4 is used by sev-eral nations including the US, UK andIndonesia. Since the weapon is simple andstraightforward to operate and is a self-contained munition it can be supplied to

infantry in large numbers. Its portabilityand effectiveness against an array of tar-gets offer an ideal supplement to infantrysquad weapons as a small unit anti-armour system.

It is clear that a growing importance isbeing given to weapons compatible withthe vastly different environmental, fieldneeds and challenges faced by forces fight-ing in built-up areas. A spokesperson forthe US Marine Corp’s programme manag-er for individual anti-armour weaponsconfirmed this by indicating that all futureorders for the AT-4 would be exclusivelyfor the CS version (see above). In addition,industry is devoting its own funds toimprove this capability. As an example,Gary Ostendorf, NAMMO business devel-opment and special projects manager,reflected their soon-to-be completed workon a true Fire From Enclosure (FFE)weapon with the lowest possible launchpressure over the shortest duration, mini-mal back-blast signature and noise level.

Crew-ServedThe US Army Raytheon BGM-71 TOW(Tube-launched, Optically-tracked, Wireguided) is widely in use in various ver-sions worldwide. First introduced in 1968it automatically guides the missile to thetarget by sending signals to it either via

trailing wires or, in the latest model, viaradio signal. All the gunner needs to do isto continuously track the target in hissight. The latest BGM-71D TOW-2 ver-sions have an increased range of 4750m(15583ft), an improved tandem warhead,and thermal day and night sights. Theweapon is in service with several countriesincluding Japan, the RoK, Taiwan,Thailand, Singapore and the US, and isfound on a wide-range of infantry, vehicleand helicopter platforms.

Japan’s Ground Self Defense Force hasa mix of anti-armour weapons bothdomestically-sourced and imported. Ofparticular interest are their dual missionsystems intended for engaging botharmoured vehicles and landing craft. TheKawasaki Heavy Industries (KHI) Type 79Jyu-MAT is similar to the BGM-71 (seeabove) but uses either shaped charge war-heads against tanks, or a delayed actionfuse optimised for fragmentation insidelanding craft approaching the shoreline.Uniquely for wire guided systems, it canbe operated remotely up to 50m (164ft)from the launcher. Another local design isthe KHI Type 87 Chū-MAT a laser-guidedanti-armour missile. The laser designatorcan be positioned up to 200m from thelauncher. The operator ‘paints’ the targetby tracking it with the laser and the missile

Design of the Saab AT-4 was influenced by theconscious recognition of the limitations in anindividual anti-tank weapon capable of defeatinga main battle tank’s frontal armour. The weaponthus uses behind armour effects for theengagement of lighter armoured vehicles or MBTsfrom the side and rear © US Army





seeker homes in on the reflected signal.The Type 87 has a range of 2000m.

The trend today is toward ‘fire-and-forget’ anti-armour missiles. With theseweapons the operator does the targetacquisition and initial tracking with finaltracking and terminal ‘lock-on’ performedby a seeker in the missile. The key advan-tage over a Command-guided Line-of-Sight (CLOS) fire control system is that thegunner does not need to stay on the targetthroughout the flight time of the missile,which can be as long as 20 seconds duringwhich time the target can move out ofsight or fire on the gunner’s position.

The K-ATGM is a new developmentfrom the RoK. It is considered a third-gen-eration ‘fire-and- forget’ tandem-warheadATGM. It is offered in two versions, a‘portable’ one for dismounted use and aheavier model for use on vehicles. The lat-ter is used on the new Doosan K-21Armoured Infantry Fighting Vehiclewhich entered production in 2009. Thetandem-warhead is designed to defeat thelatest spaced armour.

Israel’s Rafael Advanced DefenceSystems has had success in offering its Spike

ATGM to some forces in the Asia-Pacific.The Basic Spike is a fire-and-forget missilewith lock-on before launch and automaticself-guidance using a tandem-charge war-head. It has several variants including a‘Fire, Observe andUpdate’mode,where themissile allows the operator to launch andthen observe the target area, selecting and‘locking on’ to a target after the missile haslaunched. It is unique as the operator‘views’ through the imager in the missile’snose. In flight it is linked with a fibre-opticline to the control unit. The system is offeredin short,medium, long and extended rangeseffective from 800- 8000m (2624-26246ft). ANLOS (Non-Line-of-Sight) version reaches25000m (82201ft). The weight and size ofthe long, extended and NLOS variants aresuitable only for vehicles. Spike was field-ed by Singapore in 1999 and in 2013 theRoK announced its deployment of the

NLOS variant. Thailand is currently evalu-ating both themedium range Spike and theUS Raytheon/Lockheed Martin FGM-148Javelin ATGM. India is another opportuni-ty. Initially only Rafael responded to therequirement, but a US Department ofDefence representative confirmed that theFGM-148 was now being offered to Indiathrough the US Foreign Military Sales pro-gramme. The contract is anticipated to beworth $1.5 billion.

The FGM-148 is another fire-and-forgetmissile with lock-on-before-launch and anautomatic self-guidance tandem-warhead.Fielded to US forces in 1996, it has sincebeen adopted in the Asia-Pacific byIndonesia and Taiwan. Its ‘soft launch’approach ejects the missile from thelauncher before the main motor ignites,permitting it to be fired from a bunker orinside a building. The completed unit andmissile weight of 22.3kg (49.2lb) requires aminimum operational crew of two whilethe missile’s size limits a soldier to carry-ing two missiles easily. The FGM-148’s‘top attack’ engagement technique putsthe missile up to 150m (500ft) above thetarget, better assuring that the seeker willlock before descending on the target. Thisalso enhances the lethality by impactingon the thinner vehicle roof armour.

India’s Defence Research andDevelopment Organisation (DRDO) hasbeen developing the NAG third-genera-tion fire-and-forget missile in a $50.4 mil-lion programme. At 42kg (93lb), the NAM-ICA (Nag Missile Carrier) version is alock-on before launch system intended forvehicle mounting. The gunner acquires thetarget using a thermal sight and thenlocks-on the nose-mounted infrared seek-er. With a range of up to five kilometres(three miles) the challenge for ATGMswith extended ranges such as the NAGand Spike is obtaining an unobstructedline-of-sight at these distances. A solution,at least for vehicle systems, is to elevate thesight, and possibly the missile, well abovethe vehicle. It is understood that such anapproach using a telescoping mast is beingconsidered for an improved version of theNAMICA. Initial Indian Army fielding of450 Nag missiles and 13 NAMICA carriersis projected for 2015.

Japan has developed and fielded its own Command Line-of-Sight guidedmissiles similar to the US Raytheon BGM-71 TOW. The Type-79 has eithershaped-charge warheads for use against tanks, or a delayed action fusefor use against approaching landing craft © Wikimedia Commons

The RoK’s K-ATGMis offered in

dismounted andvehicle-mounted

configurations






China has its own indigenous ATGMdesigns with its principle focus being theChina North Industries Corporation HJ-8.Experts suggest that reverse engineeringin the late 1970s of several Western ATGMdesigns contributed to the HJ-8 thatentered production in 1984. The system isoptically-tracked, wire-guided and hasexperienced improvements and the devel-opment of new variants. The original3000m (9842ft) range has been extended to6000m (1828ft), a new tandem warheadand even an anti-ship version have beenintroduced. Outside China, other HJ-8users include Pakistan where it is manu-factured as the Baktar-Shikan and export-ed to Bangladesh, Malaysia and Sri Lanka.

Benefits and DrawbacksThe widespread introduction of infantryanti-armour weapons offers a counter toarmoured vehicle dominance, However,anti-armour weapons, particularly crew-served and long-range, remain essentially

defensive systems. Additionally, althoughthe delivery medium and guidance tech-niques they use differ, all rely on theshaped charge HEAT warhead. This isespecially true for individual soldier sys-tems which cannot easily increase the war-head size without compromising theirportability. A protection breakthroughthat reliably defeats this warhead couldhave serious impact on the effectiveness ofanti-armour defences. Already enhancedpassive protection, stand-off and supple-mental armour, spall liners and the suc-cessful demonstration of active protectionthat disrupts the shaped charge are beingintroduced on armoured vehicles.

The exclusive reliance on guided mis-siles as the primary crew served anti-armour systems has the advantage of

offering engagement at extended rangesof 2000-4000m (6561-13123ft). The draw-back is that the flight velocity of these mis-siles is typically around 300 metres-per-second (984 feet-per-second). This canmean the gunner must track the target fora long time (15 seconds or more at maxi-mum range) after firing, as the missileflies to the target. During this time thegunner is vulnerable to counter-fire or thetarget could be obscured by vegetation,terrain or smoke, including smokelaunched by the target vehicle. The intro-duction of terminal seekers is a way tosolve this. However, these are more sus-ceptible to electronic countermeasures,signature masking, and decoys, all ofwhich are commonly employed alreadyby combat aircraft.

Rafael Advanced Defence System’s Spike could be termed a ‘family of missiles’ as it is offered inversions for dismounted, vehicle and helicopter use. It uses the missile’s thermal seeker for thegunner’s sight picture. This allows the gunner to launch and seek targets and ‘lock-on’ while themissile is in flight © Royal Netherlands Army


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With Singapore, Japan and Australia as notable exceptions, soldiermodernisation programmes in the form of fully-integrated systems arein the conceptual or early acquisition stages in the region, with mostcountries looking to leadership in the technology from NATO nations.

bbyy Peter Donaldson

UNIVERSAL SOLDIER

MODERNISATIONSSOOLLDDIIEERR

However, Selex ES notesincreasing interest anddemand from a number ofcountries, above all India.Special forces in the region

sometimes act as what Selex terms ‘ice-breakers and stakeholders’ in the processof testing and reviewing this newapproach to the battlefield in extremeoperational conditions. Ultimately, theaim is to spread the soldier systems toinfantry in general according to the cus-tomer’s operational requirements andlevel of ambition, says the company.

While most programmes progress inphases that emphasise different parts of thewhole ensemble, such as command andcontrol, plus lethality and survivability, forexample, Selex emphasises the importanceof a coordinated approach. “To create effi-cient and powerful soldier systems, all thesecomponents have to move in a synchro-nised manner,” says the company. Alsovital are “a flexible architectural design ableto cope with the customer’s operationalrequirements and level of ambition,involvement of local industry, integrationof Government Furnished Equipment(GFE), command and control capabilitiesafforded by battlefield communicationsand information systems, and advances inweapon aiming and fire control.”

Australia’s Land 125 Phase 3Australia’s soldier modernisation effort,Land 125, has completed the first two offour phases and is now going through thethird, which addresses dismounted com-mand and control (Phase 3A), survivability(Phase 3B) and lethality (Phase 3C). Phase3A is expected to achieve full operationalcapability during 2014 (see below), Phase3B is “progressing for government consid-eration” according to the Australian

Private Jackson Bartlett from the fifth Battalion,Royal Australian Regiment, takes aim on histarget, during testing of the Steyr SL40 GLA onthe EF88 Austeyr at Kangaroo Flats firing rangenear Darwin © Australian Department of Defence

Soldier Modernisation:AMR 8/26/14 4:29 PM Page 2



Army’s July 2014 modernisation update,while Phase 3C should be complete by2020. This last phase is focused on anupgrade of the Austeyr F-88 bullpupassault rifle to EF-88 specification overseenby Thales, which is now in the process ofselecting suppliers for a range of acces-sories that must fit the weapon’s STANAG4694 rail system.Even with Steyr Mannlicher’s SL40

under-barrel grenade launcher beingselected in late January 2014, an extensivelist of equipment remains, most of whichcomes under the category of sights andaiming devices. The list includes anenhanced day sight and a backup sightthat can, preferably, be fitted at the sametime as the day sight. There is also a needfor a laser aiming and illumination deviceto be used with the day sights and an in-line image intensified sight. Naturally, thisimage intensified sight is on the list andmust be suitable for fitting concurrentlywith the enhanced day sight, as must therequired in-line thermal imaging sight.There is no need to use the thermal andimage intensified sights together. A fore-grip is also on the list, as is a bipod thatwould displace the foregrip or grenadelauncher as necessary.

The Australian Defence MaterielOrganisation (DMO), which overseesdefence procurement in the country, is nowputting these lethality enhancementsthrough a risk mitigation process and look-ing to achieve second pass clearance in Juneof 2015, a step on the road to initial and finalmateriel releases in 2016 and 2020 respec-tively. A contract for Phase 3A, the dis-mounted Battle Group and belowCommand, Control and Communications(BGC3) system went to Elbit Systems inMarch 2010 and an initial operationalcapability was declared in April2012. According to theAustralian Army’s moderni-sation update, full opera-tional capability is expectedin 2014 with the delivery ofthe final equipment as part ofLand 200 Tranche 1, a portman-teau effort that has subsumed ele-ments of other projects including Land125’s battle management system along withthe Mercedes Unimog and G-Wagon pro-tected mobility vehicles. As Australia’s sol-dier system is largely based on the ElbitDominator concept and technologies, thedismounted battle management elementof BGC3 is most likely to be a version of

This soldier from the 1st Battalion, the RoyalAustralian Regiment (1 RAR) is equipped withthe developmental test bed equipment fromwhich Soldier Enhancement Version Onecapabilities were developed © AustralianDefence Materiel Organisation

This is the new Steyr SL40 grenade launcher attachment (GLA) on the EF88 Austeyr assault riflebeing trialled by soldiers from the Fifth Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment in Darwin © AustralianDepartment of Defence


TORC2H, which the company describes asan all-in-one command and control system.TORC2H has combat networking capabili-ties and provides soldiers with a simplifiedinterface, improved situational awarenessand data communications. Designed foruse by all dismounted and mounted sol-diers and platforms, it is highly effective atintegrating sensors and weapons into com-mand and control, says Elbit.The protective, load-carrying Soldier

Combat Ensemble (SCE) is the focus ofPhase 3B and consists of a tiered bodyarmour system, pouches and packs, apelvic protection system, helmets, glassesand goggles, and enhanced hearing pro-tection, many of which have already beenfielded to support combat operations.

Phase 4Land 125 Phase 4 refers to a next-genera-tion soldier system that has yet to be fullydefined and which has been affected bybudget cuts that have pushed its first passapproval back a year to 2015, with com-pletion anticipated in 2023 when the newequipment is due to enter service.Overarching goals include enablingAustralian soldiers to take on peer andirregular threats in any terrain and devel-oping capabilities focused on other areasincluding peace support and enforcement,stability and humanitarian operations.Inevitably, a reduction in overall weight isa central goal approached through the useof lightweight common modular compo-nents and power sources that will inte-grate with existing equipment. Lastly,Phase 4 is intended to enhance further thesurvivability, surveillance and targetacquisition, precision engagement, fireeffect, lethality, situational awareness anddecision making capacities of individualsoldiers and small combat teams.

F-INSASKnown as the Futuristic Infantry SoldierAs a System (F-INSAS), India’s soldiermodernisation programme could eventu-ally become one of the biggest in theworld, but is reported to be bogged downin the definition process for its moredemanding command and control andreconnaissance phases, according to crit-

ics. They argue that the programme hasbeen hamstrung by the government’sinsistence on using the domestic DefenceResearch and Development Organisation(DRDO) to design its components alongwith the Defence Public Sector Units andthe state Ordnance Factory Bureau (OFB)to build them, processes which requireextensive technology transfer.As with most such programmes, the F-

INSAS is divided into phases. Phase 1covers weapons, body armour, clothingand other individual equipment andentered the procurement phase in 2012following the sign off on its acceptance ofneed. Reconnaissance is the focus of Phase2 and the schedule calls for procurementto start in 2015, with the command andcontrol-centred Phase 3 following in 2020,by which time the Indian Army plans to

have 465 infantry and paramilitary battal-ions ready for it. All of these milestonesare assumed likely to slip significantlybecause of what an unnamed seniorIndian Army officer interviewed byDefence and Security of India magazinecalled “a lack of focus and clarity withinthe higher echelons of the army on systemrequirements”, a problem exacerbated bydefence cuts and the weakness of theRupee against the US dollar.The assault rifle requirement is currently

the subject of a competition involvingBeretta, Colt and Israel Weapon Industries(IWI), all of which are currently havingtheir candidate weapons evaluated by theIndian Army (see the News Round-Up inthe July 2014 edition of AMR). November2013 brought the announcement of formalcooperation between Israel and DRDO to


Japanese soldiers equipped with elements of the ACIES infantry soldier system.The standing soldier has the helmet camera and both wear the combat suit.The thermal sight for the Howa Type 89 rifle is not shown © USMC



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develop a variety of F-INSAS compo-nents, including the command and con-trol system based on a rugged, encryptedportable computer.

Japan’s ACIESWith Hitachi as prime contractor, Japan’sAdvanced Combat InformationEquipment System (ACIES) went throughevaluation between 2005 and 2008 withdelivery of the first ACIES equipment setstaking place in 2012. The system includes ahelmet-mounted display from Shimadzuaccompanied by a 70-gram (0.15-pound)NEC uncooled infrared two megapixelcamera said to enable recognition of ahuman face at 200 metres (656 feet), animage-intensified night observationdevice, also from NEC, a wearable com-mand and control computer that fits into achest pocket, an integrated health monitor-ing system that includes a heart rate moni-tor and an accelerometer system, soldierradios and protective clothing. In additionto the helmet, the clothing includes a com-bat suit, a ballistic jacket and a storage vestwith pockets for armour plates. With theaid of deployable repeaters, the soldierradios form mobile ad hoc networks thatinclude the platoon/squad vehicle with amonitor for the commander. The HowaType 89 assault rifle mounts a thermalweapon sight, complemented by a hand-held target location system. US companyBrentronics’ 10.8V SMP battery powersthese connected devices.

RoK’s Future WarriorDue to begin the acquisition process in2016, the Republic of Korea’s (RoK)Future Warrior effort is now in the con-cept phase and scheduled for first fieldingwith the army in 2020. Research anddevelopment efforts are led by theAgency for Defence Development (ADD)with Samsung Thales as prime contractor.Focusing on the challenges of sensorfusion, virtual simulation and energy sup-plies, ADD is looking for leverage frominternational cooperation. One area in which the RoK’s pro-

gramme stands out is in the fielding of theDaewoo K11, which is a combined assaultrifle and 20mm grenade launcher very

close in concept to the cancelled US ArmyObjective Infantry Combat Weapon(OICW). The K11 resembles a convention-al assault rifle with a bullpup-configuredgrenade launcher grafted on top and tothe rear so that the 20mm muzzle is just

above and behind the bipod and the5.56mm barrel is in the conventional posi-tion. The magazine holding 20 or 30rounds of 5.56x45mm ammunition isahead of the pistol grip, while the onecontaining up to six 20x30mm grenaderounds is behind it. The assault rifle is gasoperated, but the soldier must cycle thegrenade launcher’s action by hand. The dimensions of the grenade round

are for the cartridge only and the projec-tile itself is longer than the case. Thegrenade features an airburst fuse that isprogrammed to function at the most effec-tive distance from the target by the firecontrol system, which includes an opticalsight fed with aiming corrections generat-ed by the integral ballistic computer andthe fuse setter. A small number, reportedly seven out

of 20, K11s which deployed toAfghanistan suffered problems with barrellocation, the striker mechanism and fireselector, and condensation in the fire con-trol optics, severe enough for productionto be halted while they were corrected. InNovember 2013, the Korean DefenceAcquisition Programme Administrationannounced that the problems have beendealt with and that it was about to begindeliveries of the modified weapon, whichhas been through “extensive and realistic”field tests that involved firing more than

One area in which theRoK’s programme

stands out is in thefielding of the Daewoo

K11, which is acombined assault rifleand grenade launcher

The Republic of Korea is set to fieldaround 4000 Daewoo K11s during2014, having taken a lead in thefielding of combination weapons.The K11 combines an assault riflewith an integral 20mm grenadelauncher © S&T Motiv

United States Marines practise a multilateralassault with Thai and Republic of Koreamarines during Exercise Cobra Gold 2012 inHat Yao, Thailand. Thailand’s own SFT 21soldier modernisation effort is in the conceptphase © USMC


10000 rounds to confirm its safety anddurability. Around 4000 K11s are due tobe fielded by the end of 2014.

SAKTIAs of February 2014, Malaysia’s SoldierAdvanced Kombat Technology Integrated(SAKTI) programme remained unfunded,but reportedly could be bought into theNetwork Centric Operations Phase 1B inthe upcoming five-year plan. Malaysiandefence firm Sapura has made a proposalwith technical support from the Scienceand Technology Research Institute for

Defence (STRIDE), which is also develop-ing a new fractal pattern camouflage forthe programme. On the firepower front,production of the Colt M4A1 assault rifleis due to begin in 2014.

PhilippinesIn the Philippines, military procurementis governed by Republic Act 10349, whichwent into effect in December 2012 as effec-tively a revised Armed Forces of thePhilippines Modernisation Act, extendingthe legislation for 15 years with a budgetof $1.15 billion for the first five years,

and the Future Soldier programmecomes under it.

The headline equipment items for thearmy is a total of 152 M113A2 armouredpersonnel carriers in various configura-tions, but small arms also figure signifi-cantly with a purchase of 63,000 new

A Malaysian soldier’s arm patch shows hisnational flag at the Wat Chalheamlap TempleSchool in Chonburi, Thailand, during the CobraGold 2012 exercise. Malaysia’s SAKTIprogramme could be funded under thecountry’s next five-year plan © USMC


A Republic of Korea marineprovides security during asimulated assault at theKahuku Training Area inHawaii in July 2014, duringRIMPAC 2014. RIMPAC is a USPacific Fleet-hosted biennialmultinational maritime securityexercise © USMC




Remington M4 carbines confirmed inMarch 2014. Plans call for M4s issued torifle platoons to be fitted with infraredlaser aiming devices, and soldiers toreceive image-intensified monoculardevices that work with the lasers, plushandheld radios. The assault rifle pro-curement closely followed an order for400 US-built Airtronic RPG-7 rocketlaunchers to replace obsolete M18 andM67 recoilless rifles. On the survivabilityfront, an order for a reported 44080 forceprotection equipment sets is in the offing,each comprising a ballistic vest, plateinserts and a soft ballistic panel andweighing between six and seven kilo-grams (13–15 lb).

Ratnik-2Deliveries of Ratnik-2, Russia’s ’secondgeneration‘ integrated soldier system, aredue to begin by late 2014, according toDmitry Semizorov, chief executive officerof TsNIITochMash, the Central ResearchInstitute of Precision Engineering. With atotal weight under 24kg (53lb) , the systemcomprises more than 40 elements includ-ing the assault rifle and sighting compo-nents command and control, navigationand targeting equipment, along with pro-tective clothing including a one-kilogram(two pound) ballistic helmet. The pro-gramme has been delayed awaiting cor-rection of defects in Kalashnikov’s newAK-12 assault rifle.

ACMSWith three battalions equipped with theAdvanced Combat Man System (ACMS),Singapore’s small army has travelled fur-thest down the soldier modernisation roadsince the award of the ACMS programmeto ST Electronics in June 2009. While thecomplete ACMS includes protective cloth-ing and load carriage, the latest iteration isknown as ACMS Lite and is focused onconnectivity and situational awareness forsoldiers and tactical commanders.Weighing less than two kilograms (four

pounds), it consists of a palm-sized smartdevice with command and control soft-ware, a wireless mobile ad hoc networkmodule that links it with the voice and dataradio, navigation systems and a centralpower system that includes software tooptimise power consumption to squeezethe most out of a standard military battery.

ACMS Lite’s key features include blueforce tracking, red force marking, distressalerts such as calls for a medic and noting of

the response, and marking of danger areas.The communication subsystem includes avoice and data radio, while the navigationelement includes a global positioning sys-tem and a dead reckoning module. With itslong standing connection to the Israeli mil-itary and consistent, practical approach todeveloping its own technological capabili-ties where appropriate and buying them inwhere it makes sense, Singapore could use-fully serve as a model of how to take suchprogrammes forward, one that India wouldbe well served to study.

Singapore’s minister for defence Dr Ng EngHen with National Service soldiers from 702Guards after Exercise Golden Sand, whichrequired the unit to conduct a battalion coastal‘hook’ to test integration and readiness withother elements of the country’s armed forces ©Singapore Mindef

Soldiers from the Singapore Army and the Royal Brunei Land Forces during Singapore Assault Rifle21 handling training as part of Exercise Maju Bersama. This exercise included a combined planningand field exercise, urban training and live-firing © Singapore Ministry of Defence


AMR Marketing Promotion

FromSeptember 11 to 13 the Baku ExpoCenter will be hosting the 1st Azerbai-jan International Defense Industry Exhi-

bition (ADEX 2014). This is the first demon-stration of modern weapons and equipmentin the country and in the Caucasus region.More than 170 companies from 33 countriesannounced their participation in the exhibi-tion. Among its prominent exhibitors will beRosoboronexport, part of the Rostec StateCorporation and the sole Russian state spe-cial exporter of the final military and dual-useproducts, technologies and services.Nowadays, Rosoboronexport is a

steadily growing company. It has beenshowing high growth rates of export deliv-eries which increase by $500-700 millionevery year. $13.2 billion worth of weaponsand military equipment were supplied toforeign partners last year alone. Thus, theCompany’s annual exports have quadru-pled in less than fifteen years of its activity.Based on the results in the first six monthsof 2014, Rosoboronexport’s deliveriesexceeded $5 billion and the order bookamounted to about $40 billion, even in defi-ance of international sanctions. Air Forceequipment and weapons traditionally holdthe lead among the concluded contracts(36.7%), followed by air defense systems(25.7%), land weapons (21.2%) and navalsystems (11.8%).Rosoboronexport values its reputation

as a reliable, competent and trustworthypartner in the sphere of military-technicalcooperation with foreign countries.Expanding the prospects for cooperation,the Company offers different options ofintegrated after-sale service systemstogether with weapon and military equip-ment deliveries.“This is especially relevant for countries

having a large number of Russian weaponsin service” said Esen Topoev who headsRosoboronexport’s delegation at ADEX2014. In addition to the routine issues relat-ed to promoting Russian weapons, we’ll

also discuss various aspects of after-saleservice with our foreign partners at theshow in Baku.The vast majority of the eight dozen

countries receiving Russian weapons andmilitary equipment have accumulated signif-icant arsenals of airplanes and helicopters,armored and various automotive vehicles,air defense systems, submarines, shipsand boats over the years of mutually bene-ficial cooperation. But no matter how per-fect and effective were these weapons,they require constant maintenance, repair,life extension and modernization while inservice. All this will help not only maintainmilitary equipment in working condition, butalso improve its performance characteris-tics and bring it to the level of future war-fare requirements.

Rosoboronexport assumes that supportservice of equipment throughout its life cycleshould be carried out by its operatorstogether with the original suppliers (manu-facturers) of the equipment. In this case, bysupport service is meant the whole range ofservices including the supply of originalspare parts, equipment repair and modern-ization, training, the establishment of servicecenters, etc. Unfortunately, there have beencases when, in the pursuit of cheapness,some operators of Russian military productsresorted to outside organizations from thirdcountries. This entailed low-quality repair,counterfeit parts, components and assem-blies, and unproven upgrade solutions. As aresult, equipment failure and even destruc-tion, loss of life occurred. Rosoboronexportrepeatedly informed its customers that insuch situations it would not be responsiblefor such accidents and would not guaranteethe compliance of equipment with its originalperformance specifications.

Meeting the needs of the partner states

intending to develop their own production,the Company proposes to establish servicecenters at customer premises for qualifiedmaintenance, repair and modernization ofpreviously supplied military equipment.Similar facilities have been set up and arein operation, proving their effectiveness indifferent countries on many continents.Developing and improving this area of its

activities, Rosoboronexport is ready to dis-cuss proposals for establishing domesticenterprises to manufacture military equip-ment under a license with its partners. Oneof the latest examples of successful collab-oration is a project to produce the RPG-32Luchnik grenade launcher (official name inArabic is Nashshab) in Jordan. The plant isprimarily focused on meeting the needs ofthe Royal Jordanian Armed Forces. Infuture, as the parties agree, the grenadelaunchers may be promoted on third-coun-try markets. The feasibility of setting up aknockdown assembly line for KAMAZtrucks in Cuba, where the volume of pro-duction will be 500 vehicles per year isunder consideration. Similar projects arebeing discussed with other countries.At the current stage of its activities,

Rosoboronexport is engaged with develop-ing a life-cycle support system for weaponssupplied to customer, which focuses on anumbrella approach to issues related to thesupply, maintenance, repair, modernizationand even disposal of export military equip-ment. In case of joint development and pro-duction of military products, the life-cyclesupport contract covers the entire scope ofactivities associated with their design, con-struction, financing and maintenance. Itcontributes to the expansion of long-term,fruitful and trusting relationship between thecountries, significantly reduces costs forboth parties.

ROSOBORONEXPORT: NOT ONLY TO SELL, BUT ALSOTO SUPPORT DELIVERED MILITARY EQUIPMENT

ROE AMR 33:AMR 8/27/14 3:04 PM Page 1

The number of navies nowacquiring aircraft carriers andamphibious-capable littoral ves-sels is beginning to increase withJapan and the Republic of Korea

(RoK) being the most recent in the Asia-Pacific region to begin increasing theircapabilities in these areas. Moreover, theattractiveness of submarines for powerprojection has been growing.Few nations are committing to sub-

marines with the potential and complexityof those ordered in April 2014 by theUnited States Navy (USN) who inked acontract with General Dynamics andHuntington Ingalls for ten ‘Virginia’ classNuclear-Powered Attack Submarines(SSNs) to be delivered over the nextdecade. However, the submarine threat tonations with a long maritime tradition aswell as those now facing increased tensionin areas such as the East and South ChinaSeas is a palpable one.With the United Kingdom set to operate

at least one new aircraft carrier in the‘Queen Elizabeth’ class (potentially twodepending on the outcome of the country’sStrategic Defence and Security Review in2015), the requirement for an efficient andever present anti-submarine and anti-sur-face warfare capability is one of highimportance in UK strategic naval thinking.

The Underwater ThreatThe pressure on the Royal Navy (RN) tomeet this challenge has already beenaddressed with the upgrade of itsAgustaWestland AW-101 Merlin HM1helicopters to the HM2 standard, result-ing in a much improved anti-submarinewarfare helicopter. The Initial OperatingCapability (IoC) for this refreshed assetwas declared on 30 June 2014, four


The Royal Navy’s new AgustaWestland AW-101 Merlin HM2 andAW159 Wildcat maritime support helicopters are likely to prove a potentcombination. As this article will show, the importance of naval forces,having waned after the end of the Cold War, is beginning to intensify.

bbyy Andrew Drweiga

THE WIZARD AND HIS CAT

H E L I C O P T E RNN AA VV AA LL

Embarked on the Royal Navy ‘Invincible’ class aircraftcarrier HMS Illustrious, the AgustaWestland AW-101 HM2maritime support helicopter took part in the SeniorService’s Exercise Deep Blue in June 2014, simulating anti-submarine warfare, maritime patrol and casualtyevacuation capabilities © UK MoD

Naval Helicopter:AMR 8/26/14 4:34 PM Page 2

months ahead of schedule, following atesting work-up in the North Atlantic dur-ing the Royal Navy’s Deep Blue exerciseheld in June 2014.

Talking about the success of the exer-cise Commander Ben Franklin, the com-manding officer of the RN’s MerlinHelicopter Force said that nine naval AW-101 HM2s had joined the Task Force forthe ten-day sea exercise with the ultimateaim of creating a ‘Ripple 3’ effect from theaircraft carrier, HMS Illustrious. A Ripple3 effect demands that two aircraft fly at alltimes while a third aircraft prepares torelieve the helicopter that has been on sta-tion the longest. Over 200 Squadron per-sonnel joined the ship during the exercise.

Cmdr. Franklin has a long history withthe AW-101 helicopter. He flew the initialAW-101 HM1 when they came into serv-ice in 1998, served as the executive officerof 814 Naval Air Squadron (NAS), the firstto operate the AW-101, in the front lineand then commanded 829 NAS. He has

also served as a helicopter warfareinstructor. Four submarines from theRoyal Navy, and the French and Dutchnavies had been tasked to act as aggres-sors and during the final five days of theexercise the AW-101 force was flying theRipple 3 tactic on a 24-hour basis. Duringthe deployment the nine AW-101s loggedaround 480 flying hours, averagingaround 50 hours per aircraft.

Cmdr. Franklin said that “(t)his was thebiggest exercise this century (conductedby the Royal Navy) and a fantastic stepforward towards the introduction of thenew carrier later this decade. We can huntsubmarines in two different ways: byusing the active dipping sonar to put

sound into the water and listening forreturns; or just passively use sonar buoysto listen for submarines. Once they’vebeen located, we can hunt them.” Headded that the pressure on the AW-101force during the exercise helped the crewto further understand the aircraft and itssystems. “While we have always done(anti-submarine warfare) we are lookingto get back into it in a big way,” he said.

Captain Ed Tritschler, Merlin TeamLeader at the UK’s Defence Equipmentand Support (DES) organisation and anex-commander of HMS Illustrious, saidthat the success of the AW-101’s achieve-ment during the exercise represented adecade of work from design to implemen-tation. He stated that the AW-101 HM2was one of the most advanced helicoptersof its type in the world: “Although theHM2 looks similar to predecessor (AW-101 HM1), it contains 14 kilometres (ninemiles) of looming, a glass cockpit compat-ible with night vision goggles, and an



The Royal Navy’s new AgustaWestland AW-101 Merlin HM2 and AW159 Wildcat maritime support helicopters are likely to prove a potentcombination. As this article will show, the importance of naval forces,having waned after the end of the Cold War, is beginning to intensify.

by Andrew Drweiga

The Royal Navy ‘Trafalgar’ class nuclear-powered attack submarine HMS Torbay is seen herewith the one of the Royal Navy’s new AgustaWestland AW-101 HM2 maritime support helicoptersflying close by. One of the duties of this helicopter is anti-submarine warfare © UK MoD

The submarine threatto nations around

the world with navieslarge and small is a

palpable one


architecture mission system which com-piles sonar buoy, radar and active dippingsonar data. It can operate during the dayand night and in all weathers.” The bene-fit of the HM2’s open architecture allowsthe interchange of sensors and varioushardware within the aircraft to allow rolechange at fairly short notice. Capt.Tritschler added that the Crow’s NestProject, which will add an Airborne EarlyWarning (AEW) capability to these heli-copters and which will be a fundamentalpart of the AW-101’s mission profile, wasmaking good progress through its assess-ment phase. Thus the AW-101 helicopterswill eventually provide two major capa-bilities: Anti-Submarine Warfare (ASW)and AEW.

Protecting the CarrierThe air wing expected to operate from theUK’s new ‘Queen Elizabeth’ class aircraftcarriers should comprise twelve LockheedMartin F-35B Lightning-II Multi-RoleCombat Aircraft and 14 AW-101 HM2s. Itis expected that nine AW-101s would beavailable for ASW while the remainingfive conducted the surveillance role. At

times of conflict the number of AW-101scould be increased.First flight trails are expected soon for

both of the competing Crow’s Nest con-tenders. The first is being conducted withthe Lockheed Martin Vigilance system inearly August 2014, and then after with theThales’ Cerberus which is already beingused on RN AgustaWestland AsaC(Airborne Surveillance and Control) Mk.7Sea King maritime support helicopters. Ex-UK secretary of state for defence PhilipHammond said via a UK Ministry ofDefence (MoD) statement on 3 February2014 that Crow’s Nest would provide thenew ‘Queen Elizabeth’ class ships “withvital surveillance and intelligence” addingthat it will protect the carrier group as soon



The other half of the RN’s maritime

support helicopter fleet is the

AgustaWestlandAW-159 Wildcat

AgustaWestland’s AW-159 Wildcat maritime support helicopter whichis used by the Royal Navy was on display at the 2014 FarnboroughAir Show. Along with equipping the Royal Navy, this helicopter willalso furnish the British Army Air Corps © Andrew Drweiga


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as the system becomes operational around2020. The current ASW mission is fulfilledwith the ASaC Mk.7 Sea Kings althoughthe helicopter’s out-of-service date whichhas been set at 2016 is rapidly approaching,leaving the RN with a potential two-yeargap in capability. Additional missions thatwill be expected of the onboard AW-101swill include their potential conversion tocasualty evacuation aircraft, anti-piracymissions beefed-up with an FN HerstalM3M machine gun and carrier onboarddelivery for logistics supply.

Industry TeamingThe main contractor for the HM2 upgradehas been Lockheed Martin UK togetherwith other industry partners including

Qinetiq, Selex, Thales, CAE and a handfulof small and medium enterprise partners.In 1991 Lockheed Martin UK andAgustaWestland won the contract to sup-ply the Ministry of Defence with 44 AW-101 ASW/ASuW (Anti- Surface Warfare)helicopters. In 2006, the UK MoD signedan agreement with Lockheed Martin UKto sustain the capability of the AW-101fleet, with AgustaWestland being award-ed a 25-year Integrated OperationalSupport (IOS) contract. Under the MerlinCapability Sustainment Programme(MCSP), 30 AW-101 HM1s were initiallyselected for conversion into HM2s by2015. This would allow a total of 25 AW-101 HM2s to be operational with the fleetat any one time.

The lead unit to upgrade to the AW-101HM2 first was 824 NAS, followed by 829NAS, 814 NAS and finally 820 NAS. Whilethe upgrades were occurring other AW-101 HM1 aircraft were still operating withthe surface fleet, but were under pressuredue to the number of AW-101s taken outof service to complete the upgrade. “Wehad our challenges during that time,”remarked Cmdr. Franklin.During the 2014 Farnborough airshow

Capt. Tritschler said that the MoD hasbeen re-evaluating a further eight optionalAW-101 conversions over the original 30helicopters and some, if not all, may beupgraded due to the pressure on the AW-101 HM2 fleet once the ‘Queen Elizabeth’class enters Full Operating Capability

Nine of the Royal Navy’s AgustaWestland AW-101 HM2maritime support helicopters were tested on 24-hours,seven-days-a-week anti-submarine warfare operations inthe Atlantic Ocean after successfully entering service withthe Royal Navy four months early in June 2014 © UK MoD



(FoC). With a minimum of 14 operatingfrom one carrier, requirements from othersmaller ships as well as aircraft needed tosupport training and other missions, aboost of a further eight aircraft would gosome way to easing the pressure thatcould build quickly.

The CatThe other half of the RN’s maritime sup-port helicopter fleet is the AgustaWestlandAW-159 Wildcat, the newest iteration ofthe company’s Lynx family of helicopters.It provides the fleet with a reconnaissancerole, as well as anti-surface attack. TheAW-159 Wildcat is the most modern itera-tion of the Lynx helicopter and is cominginto service with the Royal Navy and the

British Army Air Corps (AAC) in two dif-ferent versions; 34 for the RN and 28 forthe AAC. It is predominantly a naval plat-form designed to work from the back ofsmall frigates and destroyers.The first squadron to operate the AW-

159 will be 825 NAS from September 2014,delivering initial training and comprisingthe first four aircraft to go onboard RN ves-sels. According to the schedule, the nextsquadron to convert will be 815 NAS mid-way through 2015 with the final old LynxMk.8 maritime support helicopter out-of-service date set for the end of March 2017.The AW-159 programme is running behindthat of the AW-101, with the IoC expectedin 2015, although the AAC versions shouldreach their IoC by the end of 2014.The AW-159 has a semi-rigid rotor head

with composite rotor blades. It is poweredby two LHTEC CTS800-4N engines, eachproviding up to 1361 shaft horsepower.The glass cockpit provides four large dis-plays together with an integrated avionicssuite and mission system. The breakingnews to come out of the 2014 FarnboroughAir Show was the long-awaited contract

between the MoD and AgustaWestlandthat will lead to the integration of theMBDA and Thales Future Anti-SurfaceGuided Weapon (FASGW) missile ontothe AW-159. The $154 million contractencompasses the integration of both typesof missile destined for the AW-159, theFASGW Heavy (FASGW(H)) weighing100 kilograms (220 pounds) and theFASGW Light (FASGW(L)).A design review has been set for 2016

with the MoD confident that the FoC forthese missiles will be achieved by 2020.Once the design reviews have been com-pleted, the actual flight testing of the mis-siles from the AW-159 has been scheduledfor a twelve-month period from 2017-18.The missiles are a joint development

between Britain and France with theFASGW(H) giving a stand-off anti-shipcapability, guided by an infrared imagingseeker. Known as the Sea Venom in theUK, it will replace the ageing MBDA SeaSkua anti-ship missile. In France, knownalternatively as the ANL, it will be used bythe Marine Nationale’s (French Navy) NH-90 NATO Frigate Helicopter (NFH). TheThales FASGW(L) is a lighter missile foruse against small, potentially faster targetssuch as light inshore attack boats. The mis-sile development had been stalled, appar-ently by a lack of a high-level requirementand therefore funding from France,although in March 2014 both countriesfinally signed a $500 million agreement tocomplete the development of FASGW(H).In 2013, the AW-159 also found its first

foreign customer in the Republic of Korea(RoK) Navy with a $560 million order foreight helicopters together with supportingaircrew and maintainer training, initialspares and support. Deliveries will beginin 2015 and should be completed by 2016.The RoKNavy currently operates 24 SuperLynx Mk.99 helicopters with wheeledundercarriage rather than skids. The latestAW-159 helicopters, labelled MaritimeOperational Helicopters (MOH) are likelyto be earmarked to serve on board theforce’s new Future Frigate Experimental(FFX) ‘Incheon’ class frigates.These AW-159s will be armed with

Israeli Rafael Advanced Defence SystemsSpike NLOS (Non-Line of Sight) missiles;the first helicopter to operate the missile ina maritime environment although it isalready in service with the RoK Army. Thiswill give them a stand-off capability. Theywill also have a Thales Flash dipping sonarand anti-submarine torpedoes. The RoK’sAW-159s are taking on themantel of a ‘jack-of-all-trades’ in that its mission profile maywell encompass everything from anti-sub-marine warfare, anti-surface warfare, mar-itime surveillance as well as search and res-cue missions. Deliveries are expected tobegin in 2015 and be completed by the endof the following year. There is also interestin the AW-159 from the Armed Forces ofthe Philippines (AFP), which could use thehelicopters on its BRP Gregorio del Pillarand BRP Ramon Alcaraz frigates.

The AW-159 foundits first foreign

customer in 2013with the RoK Navy

ordering eighthelicopters




22460E patrol ship

PROJECT 22460E PATROL SHIP:A “RUBY” IN THE RUSSIAN NAVY’S CROWNTheorganizers, guests and

spectators of the 22ndOlympicWinter Games could enjoy not only

the beautiful performances of their sportsidols. A beautiful ship, which differedsharply from passenger vessels, pleasureboats and yachts in its strict gracefulforms and deck superstructures, couldalso be seen in the roadstead of the portof Sochi from the coastal boulevards andembankment of the Olympic Park. This isa Project 22460 Rubin (Ruby) classborder patrol ship, which successfullyensured security of the Olympic Games inSochi jointly with another ship of the sameproject operated by the RFRussianBorder Guard Service.

Today the naval forces play a leading

role in the life of almost every coastalcountry and are one of themost combat-ready, universal and enduring services ofthe armed forces, capable of handling awide range of missions not only on highseas, but also in the coastal areas of thelikely land theaters of operations. Theirparticipation in providing reliable securityat milestone social and political events,whether it’s Olympic Games, visits ormeetings of the heads of state, is just oneaspect of their activities.

Maritime powers developmodernnaval doctrines and concepts with regardto countering regional conflicts andtransnational threats, WPD proliferation,preventing destabilization of separateregions and countries. In peacetime,

almost every maritime nation faces theneed to ensure reliable protection of itsborders in the territorial sea, protect itsmarine bio and energy resources in theexclusive economic zones, counterinternational terrorism, smuggling, drugtrafficking, piracy, illegal migration, aswell as carry out rescue operations.

However, not all countries are capableof building combatant ships and boats fortheir navies. In addition, the navy of eachcoastal country has its own specifics.Some navies need aircraft carriers, largesurface ships and large submarines,while others do with modern fast well-armed boats. That is why the navalhardware procurement is a real way tostrengthen the national navies.

ROE AMR 40-42:AMR 8/26/14 4:37 PM Page 2

JSCRosoboronexport is the soleRussian state-owned intermediary agencyresponsible for export of the full range ofdefense and dual-use end products,technologies and services. Among thebestmodels ofmilitary hardware, theCompany presents advanced productsfrom theRussian shipbuilding industry ontheworld armsmarket, which can designand build combatant ships and auxiliaryvessels of all classes, aswell asmanufacture all kinds of naval weaponsand equipment. Aircraft carrier INSVikramaditya, handed over to the IndianNavy in the fall of 2013, is a vivid example.Russian developers are traditionally

strong in the systematic approach to thedesign of naval equipment. With a highlevel of its science, design andshipbuilding technologies, strongproduction capabilities, highly skilledpersonnel and vast experience of foreigntrade activities, Russia holds a leadingposition in exports of naval equipmentand weapons in the world.These qualities of the Russian defense

industry have long been appreciated by

Rosoboronexport’s foreign customers.Offering its partners a wide range of

surface ships, submarines and boats,Rosoboronexport implements an activemarketing policy based on the analysis ofthe interests and needs of our potentialpartners. Moreover, in most cases we canspeak not only on the supply of navalequipment, but also on its joint design andconstruction both at customer’s andRussian shipyards. Of great importance isnot only the after-sales service system,but also a trend towards supporting thewhole life-cycle of military equipment builtin the interests of foreign customers,which has been evident in recent years.This approach has helpedRosoboronexport significantly expand itssales geography. For Rosoboronexport,there are no big or small contracts TheCompany treats each partner delicatelyand respectfully.Among the recent offers from

Rosoboronexport is the Project 22460Epatrol ship, designed around theexisting Project 22460 Rubin class borderguard ship.

The 630-ton Project 22460E ships aredesigned to guard the state border in the12-mile border zone, territorial waters,continental shelf, and protect bio andenergy resources. They can successfullyconduct rescue operations,environmental monitoring, participate indisaster relief operations. Along withprotection of the state border, the ships ofthis class are tasked to fight terrorism andmaritime piracy, ensure the security ofmilestone social and political events heldin the coastal area.Themost advanced FORAN 3D

shipbuilding CAD/CAM system has beenactively used in developing the Rubinclass ship. This provided a rational andconvenient layout of machinery andsystems inside the hull, highmaintainability of the ship, andmostimportantly - the shortest possible designtime and high construction rates. Owingto the architecture incorporating stealthtechnology, the patrol ship is virtuallyinvisible to potential enemy radars.With its dimensions (length - 62.5 m,

beam - 11m, draft - 2.7 m) and German

22460E patrol shipat the shipyard




MTU diesel engines, the Rubin class shipis capable of moving at high speed: about30 knots in calmwater and 25 knots atSea State 4 to 6 without losingmaneuverability. Its cruising range is3,500miles, endurance exceeds 30 days.

A high level of control automation is animportant advantage of the Project22460E ships. They are equipped with amodern integrated control system thatcomplies with automation Class A1. Thisrequires a high degree of training fromeach crewmember and reduces the sizeof crew to 24 people. In particular, thebridge watch consisting of fourcrewmembers ensures full control of theship systems andmechanisms.

The ship is armed with one 30mm six-barrel AK-306 CIWS and two 12.7mmKordmachine guns. Such armament issufficient to perform the tasks assigned toRubin class ships.

One of the Rubin’s main features is ahelipad located in the aft and intended fora Ka-226 light helicopter or a helicopterUAV. Here, there is also amultifunctionalhangar/shelter to accommodateenvironment monitoring and protectionequipment or high-speed rigid inflatableboats designed, for example, for fastdelivery of a boarding team to an intrudingvessel. A search helicopter, UAV and fastboats significantly extend the functionalityof these relatively small ships. It isnoteworthy that the designers have beenable to place the hangar and a 5-tonaviation fuel storage room on a ship with adisplacement of less than 700 tons.Moreover, the Rubin class ship has asignificant upgrade potential.

In designing the ship, provision wasmade for its use in different regions of theworld. Therefore, Rubin can navigateboth in equatorial waters and in the

continuous one-year ice up to 20 cm thick.The developers have paid great attentionto maneuverability of the ship and itscapability to perform tasks in skerryareas, reduced visibility conditions andshallow waters.

Given the service specifics of theProject 22460E ships, the designers andbuilders have taken care of comfortableliving conditions for the crew. There is asauna on board and all crewmembers areaccommodated in comfortable suitesequipped with modern ergonomicfurniture, air conditioning, individualbathrooms with showers.

Owing to all that, the Rubin can beconsidered a new generation ship, whichhas proved itself excellently during thetoughest trials and several years ofservice at sea. As expected, Russia willbuild approximately 20 ships of thisseries by 2020.

22460E patrol ship


Adapting a jet commercial air-craft as a tanker – in the caseof the KC-76A the baselineaircraft is a Boeing 767-2Cairliner – dates back to the

iconic Boeing 707, although when Boeingsigned up its first customer for the type inMarch 1955, it was the USAF that orderedan initial fleet of 29 KC-135A Stratotankeraircraft. A total of 732 were built, the lastleaving the Renton, Seattle production linein 1966. Since then the type has been sub-ject to numerous upgrades, including newmore powerful and fuel-efficient enginesin the form of the General Electric/SNEC-MA F108-CF-100 powerplant. Anothermilitary derivative of a commercial air-craft, the three-engine civilian McDonnellDouglas/Boeing DC-10-30CF, known as

the KC-10A Extender, first entered USAFservice in March 1981. While its primarymission was aerial refuelling, incorporat-ing an in-flight refuelling boom with hoseand drogue coupling, the KC-10A com-bined the tasks of tanker and cargo aircraftby refuelling fighters while carrying thefighters’ support personnel and equip-ment during overseas deployments. Theaircraft is capable of transporting up to 75people and some 170000 pounds (76560kilograms) of cargo a distance of 3825 nau-tical miles (7040 kilometres). In its fourwing tanks and two underfloor fuselagetanks, the KC-10A carries almost twice asmuch fuel as the KC-135 Stratotankerwhich has a maximum transfer fuel load of200000 lbs (37,648 kgs).The United Kingdom also resorted to

modifying commercial aircraft into militarytankers for the Royal Air Force (RAF) butthey were ex-airline airframes rather thannew-build aircraft. The first was the last all-British long-range commercial airliner, theBritish Aircraft Corporation/Vickers VC-10. A total of 14 C.Mk.1 passenger variantsentered RAF service in 1966, 13 of whichwere converted to a dual role as transportsand tankers in 1992. These aircraft joined agrowing fleet of 23 ex-civil VC-10 andSuper VC-10 aircraft that were convertedto their tanker role between 1981 and 1995,although only four of the latter had thedual tanker-transport capability designat-ed K.Mk.4 in RAF service. The RAF VC10fleet served with distinction until its with-drawal from service in September 2013.Following the Falkland Islands cam-

With an estimated cost of $35 billion, according to figures fromthe United States Department of Defence, the United States AirForce (USAF) KC-X contract will replace scores of BoeingKC-135R tankers with 179 Boeing KC-46A Pegasus refuelingaircraft. It is the world’s largest tanker programme.

bbyy David Oliver

FUELING THE FIRES

Boeing is building 179 KC-46A Pegasus multi-roletanker-transport aircraft for the United States AirForce to replace its veteran KC-135 Stratotanker andKC-10A Extender tanker fleets. The KC-46A is basedon the company’s 767-2C airliner © Boeing


T A N K E RAAIIRRLLIIFFTT

MRTT:AMR 8/26/14 4:40 PM Page 1

paign in 1982, the RAF decided to aug-ment its tanker-transport fleet, selectinganother long-range passenger aircraft forthe role, namely the three-engineLockheed Martin L1011-500 TriStar. Theinitial purchase of six ex-British Airwaysaircraft was followed by three ex-PanAmerican Airlines aircraft in 1984.Converted by Marshall Aerospace inCambridge, eastern England, the two-point tanker-transport K.1 variant had100000lb (45350kg) of transferable fuelavailable plus seating for up to 100 pas-sengers. The L1011-500 together with theKC-10A Extender tanker-transportsbecame the role models for the currentcrop of long-range Multi-Role Tanker-Transport (MRTT) aircraft.

KC-XIn 2001 the USAF began its long and con-voluted KC-X programme to replace some400 KC-135R Stratotankers and 58 KC-10AExtenders. The first proposal was to lease100 tanker derivatives of the Boeing 767-200ER (ER - Extended Range) airliners for

ten years with an option to eventually pur-chase these planes. This project was aban-doned in 2004 following US CongressionalBudget Office criticism of the programmeas being fiscally irresponsible, and a planto procure 179 new aircraft was launchedwith a draft Request For Proposals (RFP)released by the USAF on 25 September2006. Boeing offered the KC-767 whileEADS (now Airbus Group) teamed withNorthrop Grumman and proposed atanker variant of a hybrid version of theAirbus A-330 airliner equipped with thesame wings as the A340-200/300 jet, withthe latter bid being selected as the winneron 29 February 2008. Almost immediately,Boeing submitted a formal protest allegingflaws in the acquisition process and sixmonths later the US Department ofDefence (DoD) cancelled the competition.

A new revised KC-X competition waslaunched a year later with the same twobidders for the 179 aircraft contract,although Northrop Grumman had with-drawn from the contest, leaving EADS tocontest it unilaterally. After submission

deadlines were extended by nearly a year,the DoD announced that Boeing’s con-tender had been selected as the winner ofthe $34 billion KC-X contract, with the air-craft now designated as the KC-46A.

The KC-46A is a wide body aircraftwith a digital flight deck featuring cock-pit electronic displays that are also usedon the Boeing 787 Dreamliner airliner. Itwill accommodate a crew of three, twopilots and a boom operator, along withup to 114 passengers, 18 cargo pallets, or24 stretchers.

New defensive systems and cockpitarmour protection to enhance crew surviv-ability include a Northrop GrummanLarge Aircraft Infrared Countermeasures(LAIRCM) system, a Raytheon AN/ALR-69 digital radar warning receiver and dig-ital anti-jam Global Positioning System.The KC-46A will be capable of refuellingall fixed-wing receiver aircraft includingsimultaneous multi-point refuelling, withan advanced design fly-by-wire boombased on the proven Cobham KC-10Aboom, plus centreline and wing-mounted



The Royal Air Force’s first wide-body Multi-Role Tanker-Transport, the Lockheed MartinL1011 Tristar is seen here refuelling Eurofighter Tyhoon F.GR4 and Panavia Tornado GR4/Amulti-role combat aircraft on the last operational flight on 25 March 2014 © David Oliver



hose and drogue systems. The KC-46Awill have a total of 207672lb (94200kg) oftransferable fuel available.

The programme’s Critical DesignReview (CDR) milestone took place inSeptember 2013, which determined thatthe design of the KC-46A was mature andready to proceed to the manufacturingphase. Although the USAF programmeoffice claimed in April 2014 that develop-ment of the KC-46A was more than fiftypercent complete, the production scheduleis tight with flight of the first prototype,which will be the 1065th 767 airframe pro-duced, planned before the end of 2014.Delivery of the first aircraft to the USAFwill take place in 2016, with 18 combat-ready tankers delivered by 2017 and thelast of the 179 airframes on order by 2027.

Already the programme has encoun-tered problems, chiefly with its electricalwiring systems and delays in production ofthe refuelling boom due to design changesand subsequent late parts deliveries,according to a report in the Air ForceTimes official publication of the USAF.There is also a risk that software-relatedissues may have an impact on the pro-

gramme and that the dual Federal AviationAdministration (the US body tasked withcertifying commercial aircraft) certificationprocess, which is intended to yield anamended type certification for the 767-2Cto cover the KC-46A, and a supplementaltype certification for the militarized tanker

configuration, may take longer than antici-pated according to unconfirmed reports. InMarch 2014, USAF estimated that the costof development would rise to $1 billionover budget, but any additional cost overthe capped $4.4 billion Engineering andManufacturing Development (EMD) pro-gramme must be covered by Boeing.

The basic KC-767A is already in servicewith the Italian and Japanese air forces,each of which operates four tanker-trans-port aircraft, although their introductioninto service was delayed by a number ofdevelopment issues including buffet prob-lems with the wing pods of the Italian KC-767A. Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI)converted a commercial Boeing 767 into anMRTT for the Fuerza Aérea Colombiana(Columbian Air Force) and is convertingtwo B767-300ER aircraft for the ForçaAérea Brasileira (Brazilian Air Force)under its KC-X2 programme to replacefour Boeing KC-137 Stratotankers.

AirbusThe Boeing KC-767 was offered for theUK’s Future Strategic Tanker Aircraft(FSTA) requirement to replace the RAFVC-10 and L-1011 fleets but the Airbus A330Multi-Role Tanker-Transport (MRTT) air-craft was instead selected in January 2004.

Through a Private Finance Initiative(PFI) contract worth some $20 billion, the


Four Boeing KC-767J tanker transports are operated bythe Japanese Air Self Defence Force with a boom only fit.Japan is also joined by the Italian Air Force which operatesthe KC-767A variant of the tanker-transport © Boeing

AirTanker is providing the Royal Air Force with 14 AirbusA330-MRTT aircraft, locally designated as the K.2/3Voyager under a 27-year Private Finance Initiative contractfrom the United Kingdom Ministry of Defence © AirTanker



AirTanker consortium comprising EADS,Rolls-Royce, Thales and Babcock, is pro-viding a comprehensive service for theRAF with a total of 14 A330-MRTT aircraft,powered by two Rolls-Royce Trent 772Bengines to ensure the full operational avail-ability of the fleet over a 27-year period.AirTanker is providing the K.2 Voyager

(as the aircraft will be known in RAF serv-ice) variant of the A330-200 airliner, whichare two-point tankers equippedwith FlightRefuelling Limited Mk. 32B-900E pods,plus the three-point K.3 tankers fitted withan upgraded Fuselage Refuelling Unit(FRU). Under the PFI contract, AirTankeris to deliver to the RAF a core fleet of fourK.2 aircraft and five K.3 aircraft, with theremaining aircraft accessible on requestand available for lease to other militaryusers or commercial operators. Very fewinternal changes were required to theA330-200 to modify it for the Air-to-AirRefuelling (AAR) role. No additional fueltanks are required, and as K.2/3 shares the

same wing as Airbus’s four-engined A340,there is a pre-strengthened location avail-able for mounting theMk. 32B-900E under-wing pods where two of the aircraft’sengines would have been if the wing hadbeen fitted to an A340 airliner. The AARsystems are controlled from a FuelOperator Console positioned in the cockpitwhich can display refuelling on a two-dimensional and three-dimensional screento perform day and night refuelling. Itsdefensive aids sub-system includes theNorthrop Grumman LAIRCM which alsoadorns the KC-46A (see above).The full passenger and cargo capability

can be used while K.2/3 is configured forAAR operations. On a typical RAF

deployment across the Atlantic, a singleaircraft would be able to refuel PanaviaTornado GR4/A and EurofighterTyphoon F.GR4 Multi-Role CombatAircraft (MRCA) and still carry up to 291passengers plus eight NATO-standardfreight pallets. The A330-MRTT design canalso be used on towline mission, wherebyit can be on station for five hours at about500nm (930km) from its base, with thecapability to provide 132000-lb (60000kg)of transferable fuel for receivers.Built by Airbus in Toulouse, southwest

France, the AirTanker A330s were con-verted to their MRTT configuration atAirbus Military’s facility at Getafe outsidethe Spanish capital Madrid, before beingequipped for the tanker role by CobhamAviation Services in the UK.Since entering service in April 2012, four

K.2 and five K.3 Voyagers have been deliv-ered to the AirTanker Hub at RAF BrizeNorton airbase in southern England, flownby crews of 10 and 101 Squadrons, each of

A Royal Australian Air Force KC-30A being refuelled by a French C-135FRStratotanker that may be replaced in the future by the A330-MRTT. Paris hasreportedly shown interest in acquiring around twelve of the type© Airbus

Since entering servicein April 2012, four

K.2 and five K.3Voyagers have beendelivered to the RAF





which has a complement of 15 crewswhichare supplemented by seven RAF Reservistcrews. The Voyager has taken over theoperational role of support of the air bridgebetween the UK and Afghanistan and isnow supporting RAF Typhoon F.GR4MRCAs on Quick Reaction Alert (QRA)cover for the UK and the Falkland Islands.

As the A330 MRTT has both civil sup-plemental type certification from theEuropean Aviation Safety Agency (EASA),

which acted as the certification authorityfor the aircraft, and military certificationby the Spanish Instituto Nacional deTecnologia Aerospacial (INTA/NationalInstitute for Aerospace Technology), oneaspect of AirTanker’s contract is the facili-ty to lease the aircraft for civil operationsor to other military operators when notimmediately required for RAF use andwith UK Ministry of Defence authorisa-tion. The first commercial customer for theAirTanker consortium is reported to be thetravel company Thomas Cookwhich plansto operate the A330-MRTTs on UK routesfrom Glasgow, Manchester and London tothe United States and Mexico.

The second military A330-MRTT cus-tomer was Australia which selected theaircraft for its AIR 5402 requirement inDecember 2004. Five General Electric CF6-80E1A3-powered aircraft were purchased

for the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF).They were converted to the tanker role byQantas Defence in partnership withAustralian Aerospace, ADI and GKNAerospace but the first aircraft was notdelivered to the RAAF until June 2011after delays in the development of the fly-by-wire boom.

Equipped with the Airbus AerialRefueling Boom System (ARBS), Cobham905E underwing pods, FRU, and theUniversal Aerial Refueling ReceptacleSystem Installation (UARRSI) for self in-flight refuelling, the RAAF aircraft, desig-nated as the KC-30A in RAAF service, hasa similar specification to the AirTankerA330-MRTT but is equipped with theNorthrop Grumman ALN/AAQ-24DIRCM [(Directional Infrared Counter-Measure) system instead of the LAIRCM(Large Aircraft Infrared Counter-Measure)system. They can carry up to 380 passen-gers in a single class configuration andalso easily be converted to accommodateup to 130 stretchers for MedicalEvacuation (MEDEVAC) missions. TheKC-30As are operated by 33 Squadronbased at RAAF Amberley airbase

One of six Royal Saudi Air Force (RSAF) A330-MRTT aircraft, two of which refuelledRSAF McDonnell Douglas/Boeing F-15S Strike Eagle multi-role combat aircraft acrossthe Atlantic to a United States Air Force Red Flag exercise in March 2014 © Airbus

Six A330-MRTTshave been sold toSaudi Arabia and

three to the UnitedArab Emirates


The Cobham centreline Fuselage RefuellingUnit (FRU) fitted in a recess in the Royal AirForce’s K.2/3 Voyager tanker-transportaircraft’s rear fuselage for use when the tankeris refuelling large aircraft © David Oliver





southwest of Brisbane and were releasedfor service in February 2013.Six A330-MRTTs have been sold to

Saudi Arabia and three to the United ArabEmirates. Earlier this year the Royal SaudiAir Force (RSAF) deployment of eightMcDonnell Douglas/Boeing F-15S StrikeEagle MRCA to Nellis Air Force Base(AFB) in the United States for the Red Flag2014 exercise were supported by two of itsA330-MRTTs by the RSAF’s first combat-ready tranche of ARBS-qualified crewswho successfully offloaded around a mil-lion pounds (188,240 kgs) of fuel throughthe fly-by-wire boom during the mission.This year Singapore ordered six for the

Republic of Singapore Air Force (RSAF)with Qatar ordering two for the QatarEmiri Air Force to bring the total sold to34, while India is in the final stages of con-tractual negotiations for six aircraft andFrance has a declared requirement fortwelve A330 MRTTs.

Other PlayersIsraeli Aerospace Industries revealed inAugust 2014 that it had completed success-

ful test-flights of a Boeing 767-300ER air-craft equipped with a fly-by-wire boomrefueling system. The firm says that thisboom can outfit a number of aircraft typesincluding Boeing 707 series transports, andLockheed Martin C-130 series and IlyushinIl-78 turboprop and turbofan medium andstrategic freighters. The company’s Bedekdivision specialises in converting airliners

into MRTT platforms and has twelve cus-tomers for its aircraft to this end, includingthe Israeli Air Force.Although selling in small numbers,

strategic tanker-transport aircraft are aniche market but with a five-year lead overBoeing’s rival KC-46A, Airbus is confidentthat there will be several new customersfor its A330 MRTT, particularly in the Asia-Pacific region, as well as Europe. Both theNorth Atlantic Treaty Organisation(NATO) and the European DefenceAgency (EDA), which overseas aspects ofdefence procurement in the EuropeanUnion, have recognised that recent opera-tions demonstrated a significant EuropeanAAR shortfall and are considering buyingor leasing a multinational MRTT capabilityby 2020. However, AirTanker’s projectedover capacity may provide a solution to theNATO/EDA problem while the defencecommunity, as well as the US DoD, waitsto see if the KC-46A Pegasus, named afterthe mythical ‘Winged Stallion’, can keep toits tight schedule and capped costs tobecome a viable competitor in the interna-tional MRTT market.

An Israel Aerospace Industries' (IAI) Boeing 767-300ER aircraft is seen hereperforming flight tests for the company's fly-by-wire refueling boom. Severalcountries around the world operate tankers converted from airliners by IAI © IAI

The boom operator crewman at his FuelOperator console in the Japan Air Self-DefenceForce Boeing KC-67J tanker, the first of whichwas delivered in February 2008. The type isoperated by 404 Hikotai (Squadron) at Komakiairbase near Nagoya in Honshu, the mainisland of Japan © US Air Force



In the latest example of its attention-seeking behaviour theDemocratic Republic of Korea (DPRK) performed two short-rangeballistic missile test launches on 9 July 2014. Such actionsconcentrate the minds of decision-makers in the Asia-Pacificregarding Ballistic Missile Defence (BMD).

bbyy Thomas Withington

THE MAGIC BULLET

D E F E N C EMMIISSSSIILLEE

Lockheed Martin’s Theatre High AltitudeArea Defence surface-to-air missile system isentering service with the United States Army.Japan is currently considering its acquisitionto improve its ballistic missile defencecapabilities © Lockheed MartinT

he actions of the regime ofDRPK dictator Kim Jong Unmay alternate between MontyPython-esque eccentricity andoutright barbarism, but the

young progeny of the late ‘supremeleader’ Kim Jong Il learnt from his fatherhow to capture the attention of the inter-national community. Weapons of MassDestruction (WMDs), and the wherewith-al to deploy them in the form of ballisticmissiles have a habit of concentrating theminds of politicians not only in the Asia-Pacific but in the wider world. Mr. Kimhas taken after his father in realising thatWMDs and the missiles to deliver themrepresent ideal mechanisms to remain inthe public spotlight. Without such despot-friendly toys, the DPRK would havelargely become a somewhat forgotten totalitarian regime producing little butoccasional leaked news reports of priva-tion and cruelty from dissidents fleeingthe country.

The latest DPRK missile test took theform, according to the Republic of Korea’s(RoK) Yonhap news agency, of the launchof two short-range ballistic missiles,believed to be Hwasong-5 weapons whichhave a range of circa 269 nautical miles (500kilometres). The missiles were thought tohave been launched from an airbase inHwanghae just north of the DemilitarisedZone ceasefire line which separates theDRPK from the RoK. The base possiblybelongs to the DPRK’s Strategic RocketForces, the part of the DPRK’s People’sArmy which controls the country’s ballisticmissile forces. On this occasion, the missilessplashed harmlessly into the sea. However,the pulses of the DPRK’s neighboursalways race a little higher when the HermitKingdom pulls one of its stunts, with a tan-gible fear that next time the missile launchmay not be a test and may instead be carry-ing conventional explosives, or somethingmuch worse, towards any one of the coun-try’s neighbours in the region.


BMD:AMR 8/26/14 4:45 PM Page 2

GMDSSuch concerns are the driving forcesbehind investments into BMD technologyongoing around the world. As long as themissile tests continue so do the efforts indeveloping BMD platforms made by theUnited States and others in the region. On22 June 2014 the United States MissileDefence Agency (MDA), a US Departmentof Defence organisation tasked with devel-oped BMD technology, announced that ithad performed a successful test of theGround-based Midcourse Defence (GMD)system. Designed to protect theContinental United States against ballisticmissile attack, the GMD architecture usesSurface-to-Air Missiles (SAMs) and radarto detect and then engage incoming ballis-tic missiles when they are in their so-called‘midcourse phase’, i.e. following theirlaunch when they are at an altitude ofaround 647nm (1200km). The ‘kill’ is per-formed by the Exoatmospheric KillVehicle (EKV) developed by Raytheonwhich is carried aloft by the OrbitalSciences Ground-Based Interceptor (GBI).Once in space, the EKV separates from theinterceptor and smashes into the ballisticmissile causing its destruction by bruteforce alone.

The prime contractor for the GMD pro-gramme is Boeing, although Raytheon(also responsible for the system’sAN/FPS-123 PAVE PAWS and AN/TPY-2 missile detection and early warningradars) and Northrop Grumman whichproduces the Battle Management Systemfor commanding and controlling theGMD are also involved. By 2017, it is esti-mated that the programme will have cost$40 billion, according to a March 2013 USGovernment Accountability Office report.The GMD test which occurred on 22 June

2014 saw a GBI launch from Vandenburgairbase in California and the successfuldestruction of a ballistic missile target,launched from the US Ronald ReaganBMD Test Site on Kwajalein Atoll in theMarshall Islands, the collision takingplace over the Pacific Ocean. Along withthe Vandenburg site, a GMD launch siteexists at Fort Greely in Alaska, with plans

announced in 2013 to eventually situate athird launch site on the Eastern Seaboardof the United States. The June 2014 testmarked the 65th successful missile inter-ception test during 81 attempts sinceGMD testing commenced in 2001; an 80percent success rate.

SBIRSWork is ongoing regarding other aspectsof the US BMD architecture. For example,on 25 June 2014 Lockheed Martin wasawarded a contract worth $1.8 billion toproduce the fifth and sixth GeosychronousEarth Orbit (GEO) satellites (numbers 5and 6) which comprise the Space-BasedInfra-Red System (SBIRS). The contract forthe production of the GEO-1 and GEO-2spacecraft was awarded by the UnitedStates Air Force (USAF) in 2012, withGEO-1 launched on 7May 2011, and GEO-2 following shortly after. Both satellitescommenced operations in 2013. The GE0-3and GEO-4 spacecraft are undergoingassembly and test in preparation for theirlaunch. The SBIRS constellation employsinfrared imaging to detect the heat signa-ture of a ballistic missile’s engine afterlaunch and thus provide early warning.While Lockheed Martin is the prime con-



Construction begins on the European Phased Adaptive ApproachRaytheon RIM-161C SM-3 Block-IB surface-to-air missile facilityat Deveselu airbase in southern Romania © US Navy

As long as the missile tests continue

so do the BMD efforts made countries

around the world


tractor for the SBIRS initiative, supplyingthe satellites and their ground infrastruc-ture to the USAF, Northrop Grumman isthe SBIRS payload integrator.

JapanWhile US BMD efforts are ongoing in theUnited States, the threat posed by theDPRK is causing Japan to think seriouslyabout acquiring BMD capabilities. Thecountry’s defence ministry is currentlyexamining its options regarding BMD sys-

tems showing a distinct interest in theLockheed Martin Theatre High-AltitudeArea Defence (THAAD) SAM system. Inservice with the USArmy, the THAAD likethe GMD (see above) relies on kineticpower to hit and destroy theatre ballisticmissiles. The missile itself has a range of108nm (200km) and is capable of reachingan 81nm (150km) altitude. Target detectionand fire control is provided by theRaytheon AN/TPY-2 X-band (8.5-10.68gigahertz) radar, with the missile detecting

its quarry using infrared guidance to seethe missile’s heat signature. So far, exportsales of THAAD have followed to theUnited Arab Emirates and Oman. In addi-tion, according to the Army RecognitionJournal, the RoK expressed an interest inacquiring the THAAD in October 2013 inan effort to strengthen its defences againstmissile attack by the DPRK. Along with itsinterest in a potential THAAD acquisition,the Japanese government has eyed the pos-sibility of procuring a land-based variant ofthe Raytheon RIM-161 Standard Missile-3(SM-3) SAM (see below).Presently, the RIM-161 SM-3 is a ship-

based missile which equips both the USNavy and the Japanese Maritime SelfDefence Force (JMSDF). Several variants ofthe weapon have been produced whichhave added progressively more capability.Currently, the JMSDF deploys the RIM-161B SM-3 Block IA missile which uses acolour seeker to detect a missile’s heat sig-nature and a Solid Divert Attitude Control

System (SDACS) to improve the SAM’smanoeuvring. These missiles are deployedonboard the JMSDF’s ‘Kongo’ class GuidedMissile Destroyers.These ships and missiles form an essen-

tial part of Japan’s two-tier BMD architec-ture. Should a ballistic missile be launchedat Japan the ‘Kongo’ class destroyerswould attempt to intercept the weaponusing its RIM-161B SM-3 Block-IA missileswhile the ballistic missile is in space.Should this fail the Japan Air Self DefenceForce (JASDF) would bring its RaytheonMIM-104F PAC-3 (Patriot AdvancedCapability-3) SAMs to bear to intercept it.The MIM-104F employs Lockheed MartinPAC-3 missiles which have a range ofaround eleven nautical miles (20 kilome-tres) and a ceiling of 79,000ft (24,200m).Unlike the THAAD and GMD SAMswhich use kinetic energy to kill hostilemissiles, the PAC-3 contains a blast frag-


Should a ballisticmissile be launched at

Japan the ‘Kongo’class destroyers wouldattempt to intercept it

The Japanese Maritime Self Defence Force’s‘Kongo’ class destroyers are equipped withRaytheon RIM-161B SM-3 Block-IA surface-to-airmissiles which provide them with a means tointercept hostile ballistic missiles © US Navy



mentation warhead activated by a proxim-ity fuse. If procured by Japan, the THAADwould provide a platform which couldperform an engagement between thesetwo stages. Although, as the discussionabove notes, the JMSDF operates the RIM-161B SM-3 Block IA, the Japanese govern-ment is interested in procuring land-basedSAM missiles which could include theRIM-161C SM-3 Block-IB or the as-yet-undesignated SM-3 Block-IIA SAMs. TheRIM-161C SM-3 Block-IB has a two-colourinfrared seeker to improve missile detec-tion, a Throttleable Divert AltitudeControl System for missile manoeuvringand an advanced signal processor. TheSM-3 Block-IIA includes improvements tothe missile’s seeker to enhance its ability todistinguish between the ballistic missile itis targeting and any decoys which thismissile may release, along with animproved kinetic warhead design.Poland will host around 24 SM-3 Block-

IIA SAMs from 2018 as part of the NorthAtlantic Treaty Organisation’s EuropeanPhased Adaptive Approach (EPAA) BMDinitiative which aims to provide ballisticmissile protection to NATO’s Europeanmember nations. A second EPAA facility is

being established in Romania to host RIM-161C SM-3 Block-IB SAMs from 2015. Thedeployment of these missiles to Romaniaand Poland is part of the so-called ‘AegisAshore’ dimension of the EPAA pro-gramme. This initiative takes the LockheedMartin Aegis Combat Management System(CMS), which equips the JMSDF ‘Kongo’class destroyers, along with the US Navy’s‘Ticonderoga’ and ‘Arleigh Burke’ classdestroyers, (plus ships belonging to theNorwegian, Spanish and Republic of Koreanavies) and its accompanying LockheedMartin AN/SPY-1B/D S-band (2.5-3.5/2.7-3.7 gigahertz) air surveillance radars andconfigures them to be used on land.

AegisThe Aegis CMS is already providing an at-sea BMD presence in the form of the per-manent deployment of US Navy shipsequipped with the combat managementsystem in the Mediterranean. The forcecommenced patrols to this end in February2014 with the USS Donald Cook, an‘Arleigh Burke’ class destroyer equippedwith the AN/APY-1D radar and RIM-161BSM-3 Block-IA SAMs to provide protectionagainst ballistic missiles launched towards


Lockheed Martin’s Aegis combat management system can be usedto perform ballistic missile defence and is in service on the ‘ArleighBurke’ class destroyers of the US Navy, and the ‘Sejong the Great’class destroyers of the Republic of Korea Navy © US Navy

Israel is forging ahead with its Boeing/IsraelAerospace Industries Arrow-3 ballistic missiledefence weapon which performed a recentflight test during which the missile hit asimulated target on 3 January 2014 © USMissile Defence Agency




Europe as part of the EPAA initiative.Eventually, the USNavy plans to have fourAegis CMS-equipped ships in theMediterranean at any one time, with twoships on patrol, and two stationed at theArmada Española (Spanish Navy) base atRota, on the Spanish Atlantic coast prepar-ing for their deployment.

RoKWhile like Japan, the RoK is consideringthe procurement of the THAAD, the coun-try has explored the possibility of acquir-ing the Boeing/Israel AerospaceIndustries Arrow-3 SAM. Israel has devel-oped the Arrow-3 with significant finan-cial assistance from the United States sincethe programme commenced in 2008.Designed for exoatmospheric interception(i.e. interception in space), the Arrow-3performed a recent test launch on 3January 2014 from the Israeli Air Force’s

Paimachim airbase on the country’sMediterranean coast. This most recent testsaw the interceptor engage a simulatedenemy missile, and followed an earlierflight test which had been performed on25 February 2013 which saw the Arrow-3reach an altitude of 54nm (100km).

Open source reports state that Israelmay be constructing a facility for theArrow-3 located at the Israeli Air Forcebase in Tal Shahar in the centre of thecountry. Completion of this facility isexpected in late 2014, with the deploymentof four Arrow-3 launchers each of which isexpected to be equipped with six missiles.

Similarly, Taiwan has enhanced its mis-sile detection efforts with the deploymentof a Raytheon AN/FPS-115 PAVE PAWSradar (see above). This Ultra HighFrequency (420-450 megahertz) radar islocated in northern Taiwan.With a range of2506nm (4827km) it is designed to provideballistic missile detection over the entireKorean Peninsula and the South China Sea,along with much of China’s territory.

There is little sign that investment intoballistic missile defence technology by theUnited States and its allies in the Asia-Pacific will show any sign of slowingdown soon. As long as the threat of ballis-tic missile attack remains, the need for adefence against such a threat will contin-ue. Realistically, only one thing can slowthe proliferation of BMD technology inthe region, and that is the full and verifi-able cessation of the DPRK’s ballistic mis-sile and WMD programmes.

Israel has developedthe Arrow-3 SAM with

significant financialassistance from the

United States

Raytheon’s AN/FPS-115 Pave PawsUltra High Frequency radar isdesigned for the over-the-horizondetection of ballistic missiles. Theradar is used by the United Statesand has recently equipped Taiwan© Wikimedia Commons




Airborne radios to equip allkinds of military aircraft areavailable from manufacturersin Europe, North Americaand Israel. European suppli-

ers in this regard include German telecom-munications specialists Rohde and Schwarzand their French counterpart Thales.At the heart of Rohde and Schwarz’s

offerings is the company’s M3AR family ofVery High Frequency (VHF/30-300 mega-hertz/MHz) and Ultra High Frequency(UHF/300MHz to three gigahertz/GHz)airborne transceivers. Offering 20 Watts(W) of transmit power in AM (AmplitudeModulation, where the amplitude of theradio carrier wave varies in proportion tothe waveform being transmitted) and 30Wof transmit power in FM (FrequencyModulation, where the frequency of theradio carrier wave, rather than its ampli-tude is varied according to the waveformbeing transmitted), the radio can use anumber of waveforms including the NorthAtlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO)HAVE QUICK I/II and SATURN frequen-cy-hopping waveforms offering secureUHF communications. The radios alsoaccommodate the company’s SECOS fre-quency-hoppingwaveformwhich has inte-grated encryption. SECOS offers a data rateof up to 16 kilobits-per-second (kbps) andcan host up to 128 participants sharinginformation on a network to this end.These radios are relatively easy to integrateon an aircraft as they are compatible with

the United States Department of DefenceMil-Std-1553 (Military Standard-1553)protocols regarding integration with anaircraft and its subsystems, and theRS-485 Telecommunications IndustryAssociation/Electronic Industry Allianceprotocol for electrical standards. Threetransceivers comprise Rohde and Schwarz’sM3AR airborne radio familywhich includesthe MR6000R, MR6000L and the MR6000A,

the latter of which equips theHeeresfliegertruppe (German ArmyAviation) Airbus Helicopters EC-725UHTTiger attack helicopter.Thales’ airborne radio offerings include

the company’s NextW@ve TR-6000Software Defined Radio family which,according to a written statement suppliedto AMR by the company, “equips morethan 20 different types of platforms,


Saying that an airborne radio isjust used for talking is like sayingthat a food blender is onlya whisk. The capabilitiesoffered by the radioswhich equip fixed- androtary-wing militaryaircraft are increasingall the time, as thisarticle will illustrate.

bbyy Thomas Withington

ON THE AIR, IN THE AIR

R A D I O SAAIIRRBBOORRNNEE

Thales’ TMA-6000 is a new product developed by the company as a tactical datalink. The producthas already been tested on maritime patrol aircraft and on the pan-European nEUROn unmannedcombat aerial vehicle technology demonstrator © Thales

Airborne Radio:AMR 8/26/14 4:49 PM Page 2

including multi-role combat aircraft, heli-copters, freighters, tankers and UnmannedAerial Vehicles (UAVs).” Entering produc-tion earlier this decade, NextW@ve sup-ports several different waveforms inencrypted and frequency-hopping config-urations such as Thales’ proprietary PR4Gwaveform and the HAVE QUICK-I/II andSATURN waveforms discussed above. Inaddition, NextW@ve can support nationalsecure waveforms along with handlingLink-16 traffic. Link-16 is a NATO UHFtactical datalink which handles track infor-mation, voice and data communications,the latter at speeds of up to 26.8kbps.NextW@ve is more than capable ofhandling this as it offers data rates of upto 250kbps.Beyond the NextW@ve airborne radio

family, Thales is in the pre-productionstage for its TMA-6000 wideband airbornedatalink terminal, according to its state-ment. This terminal operates in the Ku-band (12-18GHz) and offers 137 megabits-per-second (mbps) of bandwidth. Thefirm says that the TMA-6000 has alreadyperformed successful flights aboard thepan-European nEUROn unmanned com-bat aerial vehicle technology demonstra-tor and onboard a Lockheed Martin P-3COrion maritime patrol aircraft of an undis-closed country. Thales is keen to empha-sise that the TMA-6000 is interoperablewith the United States’ RemotelyOperated Video Enhanced Receiver(ROVER) real-time video imagery com-munications architecture which involvesUAVs, inhabited military aircraft andground terminals.

Israeli SuppliersAway from Europe, Israeli suppliers ofmilitary airborne radios include RafaelAdvanced Defence Systems, Elbit Systemsand Commtact. Elbit Systems’ airborneradios include its VRC-920 HF/VHF radiowhich includes both encryption and fre-quency hopping to preserve communica-tions security. With up to 100 preset chan-nels, the transceiver offers several poweroutputs of between 0.25W and 20W withdata rates attainable of up to 32kbps.Other products in the Elbit Systems stableinclude the SDR-7200AR which offers

communications across VHF and UHF,along with L-band (one to two gigahertz)and S-band (two-to-four gigahertz) forSatellite Communications (SATCOM).Moreover, the SCR-7200AR is SCA-2.2.2(Software Communications Architecture-2.2.2) compliant. The SCA standards havebeen drafted by the US Department ofDefence (DoD) to cover hardware andsoftware interoperability with software

defined radios, forming a key part of theerstwhile US Joint Tactical Radio System(JTRS) next-generation voice and datacommunications system which was exten-sively restructured from 2011. Althoughthe programme no longer survives in itsJTRS form, the procurements of newradios now being the purview of the indi-vidual armed services in the United Statesmilitary, SCA standards remain a key part



Thales’ NextW@ve military airborne radio family includes several products such as the TRA-6030Nmultipurpose airborne terminal, and the TRA-6030 and TRA-6040 airborne V/UHF radios © Thales


of ensuring interoperability in the radiosystems that will be procured as part ofthese efforts.SCA compliance is also a core element

of Rafael’s Broadband Mobile Ad HocNetwork or ‘BNET’ SDR family whichincludes an airborne component in theform of the Global Link voice and datacommunications system which operates inthe V/UHF range and provides L-bandcommunications. Finally, in terms ofIsraeli suppliers, Commtact provides aUHF/VHF radio (see this month’s Pulsecolumn for Commtact’s latest news) whichprovides both an analogue and digitaldata link. To digress for one moment,while this may be known to some readers,the difference between analogue and digi-tal communications is that the latter trans-mits a sound or signal in its original form,whereas digital communications samplethe sound or signal at rate of several thou-sand samples per second and turn thatsample into zeros and ones for transmis-sion to another digital device which con-verts these numbers back into an audiblewave for the listener. Commtact’s UVRV/UHF radio offers both analogue anddigital communications for both data andvoice communications furnishing inhabit-ed aircraft as well as UAVs in both a clearand secure context.

United StatesAlthough as noted above the US JTRS pro-gramme was extensively restructured in2011, many elements of the programmesurvive including the Airborne, Maritimeand Fixed (AMF) component of the under-taking, for which Lockheed Martin is theprime contractor. In the airborne domain,Northrop Grumman and Raytheon arejointly developing the AN/ZRC-2 SmallAirborne Radio as subcontractors as part ofthe AMF initiative. This radio providesUHF, SATCOM, Link-16, Mobile UserObjective System (MUOS, LockheedMartin’s next generation of narrowbandtactical SATCOM for the US military),Wideband Networking Waveform (WNW,for mounted and dismounted troops), theSoldier Radio Waveform (SRW, for dis-mounted troops) and Link-16 (see above).This radio will equip several US Army air-borne platforms including the Boeing AH-64D/E Apache Longbow/Guardian attack

helicopters and Boeing CH-47D/FChinook heavylift helicopters to name buttwo. A number of United States Air Forceplatforms will also receive the AN/ZRC-2,such as Lockheed Martin C-130J Herculesfreighters plus the Boeing KC-135R andMcDonnell Douglas/Boeing KC-10AExtender tankers.While Raytheon is involved in the

AN/ZRC-2 initiative alongside NorthropGrumman, it offers other products such asthe AN/ARC-231 Skyfire V/UHF radiowhich is used extensively by the UnitedStates Army. This SDR provides voice anddata AM and FM communications alongwith SATCOM. Waveforms which can beaccommodated by the AN/ARC-231include HAVE QUICK-I/II and SINC-GARS (Single Channel Ground andAirborne Radio System). The SINCGARSwaveform is in widespread use around theworld, and with US forces. It offers fixedfrequency and frequency-hopping modes.Other airborne radios in the Raytheon sta-ble include the AN/ARC-232 Starblazerfamily which offer single-band VHF andUHF radios carrying anti-jam waveformssuch as SATURN. The radio was devel-oped by the company as a replacement forthe legacy AN/ARC-164 UHF radio han-dling HAVE QUICK-I/II communicationsproduced by Raytheon used by manyUSAF aircraft including the Boeing B-52G/H Stratofortress strategic bomber.Already a major name in the provision

of tactical radios, it is little surprise thatHarris provide airborne transceivers suchas the RF-7850A-MR Falcon-III MultibandMulti-Channel Airborne Mission Radio.This system has two channels and providesfive watts of output power per channel.Handling AM/FM analogue voice commu-nications, the radio is capable of FrequencyShift Keying (FSK: an FMmode which per-forms digital transmissions via smallchanges in the frequency of the transmis-sion’s carrier wave) and Amplitude ShiftKeying (ASK: digital transmissions are per-


Commtact’s UVRV/UHF radio

offers analogue anddigital communications

for data and voicecommunications


The Single Channel Ground and Airborne Radio System (SINCGARS)remains in extensive use by the US armed forces and other militariesaround the world. Exelis’ ARC-201 radio family supports theSINCGARS waveform © Exelis




formed using changes in the amplitude ofthe carrier wave) Mixed Exciter LinearPrediction speech coding standardvoice transmissions, FSK/ASKContinuous Variable Slope Deltavoice coding modulation andASK data transmissions. Forwideband communications,the RF-7850A-MR employs thecompany’s Adaptive NetworkingWideband Waveform (ANW2),with narrowband networkingfacilitated through the TDMANetworking Waveform (Time DivisionMultiple Access) which enables a singleradio channel to be shared among a num-ber of users via the allocation of time slots.Data rates for the radio vary at between64kbps up to 1.6mbps with several incarna-tions of the company’s Quicklook frequen-cy-hopping waveforms and Citadel embed-ded encryption furnishing the radio.Rockwell Collins joins Raytheon in offer-

ing a number of military airborne radios. Inthe V/UHF domains its product lineincludes the AN/ARC-210 Generation-5series and the Talon family of airborneradios for international customers. In theHF domain, it provides the AN/ARC-190,AN/ARC-220 and the AN/ARC-243.According to Doug Schoen, director, gov-ernment systems business development inthe Asia-Pacific for the company, theseradios equip “multi-role combat aircraft,bombers, tankers, freighters, reconnais-sance, transport aircraft and UAVs aroundthe world.” In terms of communicationsecurity, Mr. Schoen adds that the firm has“the capability to provide the global cus-tomer with any level of classification frombasic AES (Advanced Encryption Standard– a US National Institute of Standards andTechnology encryption specification) upthrough Top Secret on a routine basis,including unique country-specific cryptog-raphy, and we have a number of non-COMSEC (Communications Security)radios compatible with external, customer-supplied encryption systems.” RockwellCollins’ military airborne radios can sup-port a number of waveforms includingSINCGARS, MUOS, SRW, WNW, ESSOR(see below) and Link-16 along with theBowman waveforms used by the British

armed forces, the APCO-25 digital radiostandards used for federal, state and localpublic safety authorities in North Americaand the Terrestrial Trunked Radio (TETRA)waveforms used by civilian emergencyservices around the world. In terms of datatransfer rates, the firm’s military airborneradios handle data at rates of between 16kbps up to 45mbps.Like the other US military airborne

radio surveyed in this article Exelis pro-vides a range of products which includesthe ARC-201 VHF family comprising theARC-201D(V), the current production ver-sion, in addition to the ARC-201B/E forexport and the ARC-341 which accommo-dates the Bowman waveform (see above).Jim Kroeger, chief engineer for nightvision and communications systems at thecompany, says that “ARC-201 radios areinstalled in all of the US Army’s rotarywing fleet.” He adds that “development ofthese radios began in the early 1980s andwas based upon a common module

approach with ground-based SINCGARS(see above) radios. Unique modules wereadded to the common modules to adaptthem to the requirements of airborneapplications. Over the next 20 years, theradios went through a number of pre-planned product improvements mirroringthe enhancements being incorporated intothe ground SINCGARS radios.” Providinga data rate of 16kbps, these radios areequipped with US National SecurityAgency Type-1 level encryption.Concerning the waveforms supported bythis family of radios, Mr. Kroeger says that“these radios are dedicated channels forair-to-ground communication, and as suchare required to only run the SINCGARSwaveform. SINCGARS actually supports anumber of different waveform variantsranging from a basic VHF-FM analoguethrough to a number of frequency hop-ping modes.” The ARC-201 family in USservice will eventually be replaced by theAN/ZPY-2 radio (see above).

Rockwell Collins’ AN/ARC-210 airborne radios can support a wide number of waveforms and levelsof encryption and security. Along with supporting several waveforms used by the US armed forces,it supports the British armed forces’ Bowman waveform © Wikimedia Commons



Cobham’s military airborne radio offer-ings are ideally suited to the Special Forcesuser who can employ the firms’ Flexcommspecial missions and tactical radio com-munications system. Flexcomm is a suiteof products which includes the RT-5000VHF/UHF transceiver. This covers anAM/FM analogue frequency range of 50-870MHz allowing it to connect withmobile radio, military communications,air traffic control, FM broadcast and mar-itime radio to name but a few. Other prod-ucts in the Flexcomm line include the CD-5000 display unit for the RT-5000 trans-ceiver, along with the P-2000 digital/ana-logue tactical FM radio which has beendesigned for aircraft with limited space inmind. One of the handy design features ofthe P-2000 is that, like the RT-5000 it cancommunicate with civilian emergencyservice communications networks whichis ideal when military and civilian author-ities are working together during disasterrelief operations, for example. With this inmind, both of these radios support theAPCO-25 waveform (see above).

Tomorrow’s CommunicationsRegarding future trends for airborneradio design, Mr. Schoen believes that thecapabilities of such systems will onlyincrease in the future. “Today’s newestgeneration SDR radios are basically ‘fly-ing computers’ with different front ends.The internal processing power is growingexponentially to handle the increasingdemands for voice, data and video simul-taneously.” Thales foresees a number ofimportant evolutions for military airborneradios in the future. According to thestatement provided to AMR by the com-pany, these include the waveforms whichaccord to the European Secure SoftwareDefined Radio (ESSOR) and CoalitionWideband Networking Waveform(COALWNW) standards. The EuropeanDefence Agency, which supervisesEuropean Union defence cooperation, isdeveloping the ESSOR as a commonarchitecture for European militarySoftware Defined Radios which includesthe realisation of a high-capacity HF, VHFand UHF data waveform for handlingbandwidth heavy battlefield communica-

tions traffic between the ESSOR partnernations of Finland, France, Italy, Portugal,Spain and Sweden. The COALWNW pro-gramme includes Australia, Finland,France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Sweden,the United Kingdom and the UnitedStates which aims to develop a similar

wideband networking waveform for useby these nations. The employment of thewaveforms developed as part of theESSOR and COALWNW initiatives willgreatly accelerate and enlarge air-to-ground/ground-to-air communications inthe same way that they will enhance tacti-cal communications on the ground.Beyond these waveform innovations,Thales adds that research and develop-ment efforts will accelerate the speed ofair-to-air communications between inhab-ited aircraft and UAVs. This will becomeincreasingly important in the future asmulti-role combat aircraft act as ‘shep-herds’ for ‘flocks’ of UAVs performingstrike or reconnaissance missions.

Research anddevelopment efforts

will acceleratethe speed of air-to-air

communicationsbetween inhabitedaircraft and UAVs


Cobham’s RT-5000 VHF/UHF transceiver can support a diverse range of communications linkingmilitary and civilian users, deepening the level of cooperation when military and civilian authoritiesare working together © Cobham


Oct. 20-25, 2015 / Seoul Airport

www.seouladex.com



ASIA PACIFIC PROCUREMENT UPDATEbbyy Pierre Delrieu

A N D D E V E L O P M E N T SRREEGGIIOONNAALL NNEEWWSS

ss oo uu tt hh aa ss ii aa

PAKISTAN PLACES BID TO UPGRADEBANGLADESHI MBTS�� Pakistan's state-ownedtank and armoured vehiclemanufacturing unit, HeavyIndustries Taxila (HIT), hasoffered to assist Bangladesh inthe modernisation of its armyageing T-59/69 Main BattleTanks (MBTs). The Bangladeshi Army,

which currently operatessome 250 Type-69/II and 100Type-59 MBTs, is looking toupgrade its fleet by 2019 and,if it decides to accept HIT’soffer, its upgraded MBTswould be fitted with aconfiguration similar to thePakistani company’s Al-Zarrar MBT, currently inservice with Pakistan’s army.

According to HIT, thisupgrade would include newengines, a new transmissionsystem, improved suspension,a semi-automatic loader andan updated computerised firecontrol system with imagestabilised sights, a 125mmsmooth-bore gun capable offiring armour-piercing fin-stabilized discarding-sabot,high explosive anti-tank fin-stabilised and high explosivefragmentation fin-stabilisedammunition, as well asimproved protection againsthigh-explosive anti-tankwarhead rounds and an anti-mine cover placed below the vehicle. In addition to Pakistan,

Azerbaijan, Ukraine andChina also submitted their

proposals with upgradeoptions for the BangladeshArmy’s tank fleet. Ukraine’sproposal was promptlyturned down, as it failed tomeet the specifics ofBangladesh’s tender, butAzerbaijan, China andPakistan are still competingfor the upgrade tender. The MBT upgrading

would, according to theBangladeshi tender, beundertaken by localcompanies with the foreignpartner providing kits andtechnical guidance to properlycomplete the enhancements.In addition to the Norinco-

built T-59 and T-69 MBTs, aswell as 44 T-62 light tanks, alsobuilt by the Chinese company,the Bangladesh Army’s tank

inventory consists of aregiment of MBT-2000 tanks,also known as Al-Khalid tanks,the variant of a modern MBTjointly developed by Pakistanand China in the 1990s. TheBangladeshi tanks wereordered in 2011 and deliveredin 2013 by Norinco, in a $162million deal consisting of 44MBT-2000s and 3 armouredrecovery vehicles.According to the

Bangladesh Ministry ofDefence, the country’s armyplans to create additionalarmoured vehicles regimentsin the coming years, with an ultimate goal toattach at least one regiment toeach of its infantry divisions,as per the country’s Vision2030 blueprint.

AUSTRALIA DONATESSECOND PATROL VESSELTO SRI LANKA �� The Sri Lankan Navy(SLN) has received deliveryof a second ‘Bay’ classOffshore Patrol Vessel (OPV)on 3 June 2014, donated bythe Australian Customs andBorder Protection Service(ACBPS) during a ceremony in Queensland,northern Australia.The ACV Hervey Bay, a

38-metre (124-feet) vessel,rechristened SLNS Omaya.It will join its sister ship theSLNS Oshadi in Colombo,Sri Lanka, where it willserve as an OPV. The dona-tion follows a pledge madeby Australia in November2013 to assist Sri Lanka in itscontinuing struggle againstpeople smuggling. The ‘Bay’ class OPVs were

manufactured by AustalShips, an Australian compa-ny specialising in the designand construction of alumini-um vessels, in Henderson,western Australia. Prior to

its transfer, the SLNS Omayahad served for 15 years withthe ACBPS, accumulatingsome 3722 sea days and272905 nautical miles(505000 kilometres) duringpatrols. It will be travellingthe 4800-nautical mile (8900-kilometre) journey fromCairns in northern Australiato Colombo accompanied bya detachment of officersfrom the ACBPS MarineUnit, on board to assist thecrew with the familiarisationprocess. According to techni-cal specifications publishedby the manufacturer AustralShips, the vessel has a maxi-mum range of 1000 nauticalmiles (1852 kilometres) and atop speed of 20 knots (36 kilometres-per-hour).

INDIA’S NAVALEXPANSION �� India has commissionedindigenously build warshipsINS Kolkata & Kamrota,conceived and designed byIndian Navy’s Directorate ofNaval Design.INS Kolkata class guided

missile destroyers is built byMazagon Dock Limited. Theship measures 164 meters inlength and 18 meters inwidth with a full load dis-placement of 7400 tonnes. Ithas a Combined Gas andGas (COGAG) propulsionsystem, consisting of fourpowerful reversible gas tur-bines and can attain speedsin excess of 30 knots. Theship has vertically launchedLong Range Surface to AirMissiles (LRSAM) coupledwith the MF-STAR multi-function active phased arrayradar, fitted for the first timeon an Indian Naval ship. Itis equipped with BrahMosSurface to Surface Missilesalong with 76 mm SuperRapid Gun Mount (SRGM)

and AK 630 CIWS, bothmanufactured indigenously.INS Kamorta is the first

indigenously built stealthAnti-Submarine WarfareCorvette build by GardenReach Shipbuilders &Engineers under Project 28,with an indigenous compo-nent of about 90%.INS Kamrota measures

110 meters in length, 14meters in breadth and dis-placing 3500 tons, the shipcan achieve speed of 25Knots. The ship is fittedwith Anti-submarineRockets and Torpedoes,Medium and Close-inWeapon Systems andindigenous surveillanceradar Revathi. It is alsocapable of carrying an inte-gral ASW helicopter. Kamorta also boasts of

other “firsts” such as a fold-able Hangar Door and aRail-less Helo TraversingSystem, which will give heli-copter operations from thecorvette a significant edgeover other warships.

News Sep 14:AMR 8/27/14 11:34 AM Page 2


RUSSIA TO TRAINMONGOLIAN PILOTS�� Russian Helicopterswill be training pilots fromMongolyn Alt Corporation(MAK) at Ulan-UdeAviation Plant's AviationTraining Centre, under anagreement on training offlight and engineeringpersonnel. The Mongoliancompany operates twoMi-8/17 series helicopters –a Mi-171 and a Mi-8AMT –both produced at theUlan-Ude plant anddelivered to the customerin 2008 and 2011,respectively.MAK staff will undergo

mandatory further profes-sional training including 54hours of theoretical classesand nine hours of practicalcourses on the TrainingCentre's Mi-171 simulator.Ulan-Ude Aviation

Plant’s Training Centre spe-cialises in further profes-sional education andretraining of flight and engi-neering personnel for Mi-171 and Mi-8AMT helicop-ters. The Centre provides acomplete range of coursesincluding theoretical, simu-lator and flight-training

work, including on helicop-ters owned by the customer.The Centre began offering

its full complement of serv-ices for flight and engineer-ing staff training followingthe commissioning and cer-tification of its Mi-171 flightsimulator in September2013. It helps flight crew tomaster piloting and naviga-tion skills in various flightmodes and all weather con-ditions, as well as actions tobe taken in the event of piloterror, technical failure andother emergency situations.The simulator closely recre-ates real flight conditions.Previously Chinese oper-

ators of Russian-built heli-copters had undergonetraining using the Mi-171simulator at the Ulan-UdeTraining Centre.

KOREAN BATTLESIMULATION CENTERSUPPORT CONTRACT�� Cubic Applications, Inc.,was awarded a firm fixedprice contract to operate theKorea Battle SimulationCenter (KBSC) in providingbattle simulation trainingsupport to the United StatesForces Korea, the EighthU.S. Army and other U.S.units and partner nations.Work will be performed inthe Republic of Korea withan estimated completiondate of March 31, 2019.The KBSC provides the-

ater-level, manual and com-puter-assisted training exer-cises in the Republic ofKorea, Japan, and otherlocations around the world.The training includes battlesimulation training, live vir-tual gaming capabilities,planning and coordination,and facilitation of the fourServices, Joint andCombined exercises, particu-larly in conjunction with thePacific Theater region.The contract award fur-

ther strengthens Cubic's roleas a key global provider oftraining and staffing servicesfor the U.S. Department of

Defense. The KBSC contractincludes a six month baseyear and four one-yearoption years, and is estimat-ed value of $57 million withall options exercised. Cubic'sOperations Support andEducation Group (OSEG),based in Hampton, Va., willlead Cubic in execution ofits new KBSC contract start-ing late September 2014,providing a seamless conti-nuity of service."Cubic is proud to contin-

ue more than two decades ofdedicated service to theKorea Battle SimulationCenter. We are looking for-ward to bringing new inno-vations to the KBSC duringthis new contract cycle,”said Rich Bristow, seniorvice president and generalmanager, Cubic OSEG.The winning Cubic team

includes BAE Systems, BoozAllen Hamilton, Cyber-Tech,Inc., and Sonalysts. Cubicprogram manager, JohnKling will continue to leadthe KBSC team. Kling hasmore than 17 years of KBSCexperience in program man-agement, planning and exe-cuting large-scale and com-bined simulation exercises.

CHINESE ANDMALAYSIAN FIRMSAGREE ON SAM MoU�� China Aerospace LongMarch International TradeCo., Ltd has signed aMemorandum ofUnderstanding (MOU) withMalaysian company AnekaBekal Sdn Bhd to providethe Malaysian Armed Forceswith Chinese-made LY-80medium-range self-pro-pelled Surface-to-Air Missilesystems (SAM), in additionto transfers of technology,according to reportsfrom state news agenciesin both countries.The MOU was signed

during Malaysian primeminister Najib Razak's six-

day official visit to Chinawhich ended on 1 June 2014,a visit initially programmedto allow talks with top offi-cials about Kuala Lumpur’scriticized handling of thedisappeared MalaysiaAirlines flight MH-370.The LY-80 is the export

version of the Chinese-madeHQ-16 SAM system, initiallyintroduced in the Chinesearmed forces in September2011. The HQ-16 is based ona joint development of theRussian Buk-M1 and Buk-M2 self-propelled, medium-range SAM systems,designed for use withmobile ground forces.The HQ-16A variant of

the HY-16 launcher missile

system is equipped with sixmissiles, designed to bemounted on to a eight-wheeldrive truck containing acommand and control sta-tion behind the cab, and sixfiring missile containers intwo rows of three placedbehind the stations. TheChinese-made missile iscapable of intercepting anaircraft at a maximum alti-tude of 59055 feet (18,000metres), with a maximuminterception range for of131233ft (40000m), and ofhitting cruise missiles flyingat 39370ft (12000m). In orderto improve the SAM’s abili-ty to intercept low-altitudetargets, LY-80 can beequipped with a special

radar used to detect low-observable targets.Malaysia’s demand for

missile systems, includingSAMs, has been articulatedfor some time, and theMalaysian Army has beenseeking to strengthen itsmobile air defence missilecapabilities to this end, butconcrete procurementactivities suffered variousdelays due to financialdifficulties. China andRussia are currently themain competitors in theMalaysian arms market, andearly reports suggest Russiaplans to offer Malaysia theBuk-1 mobile SAM system,with hopes of completingnegotiations by 2015.

A N D D E V E L O P M E N T S


RREEGGIIOONNAALL NNEEWWSS

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PHILIPPINES TO RECEIVEPO HANG-CLASS VESSEL�� Philippines’ Departmentof National Defence secre-tary Voltaire Gazminannounced on 2 June 2014that the country’s navy willbe taking delivery of 16 ‘rub-ber boats’ and UtilityLanding Craft (LCU): whichhave been donated by theRepublic of Korea (RoK). On5 June 2014, the PhilippineDepartment of ForeignAffairs, in turn, issued astatement, adding the PNwould also receive a decom-missioned ‘Po Hang’ classguided missile corvette fromthe RoK by the end of 2014.In addition, Seoul has

pledged to donate comput-ers to the Philippines Navy(PN), Mr. Gazmin toldreporters, adding that thedonated LCU represent asignificant boost to the PN'scapabilities to transporthumanitarian materiel. TheRoK-built ‘Po Hang’ classvessels were commissionedinto the Republic ofKorea Navy (RoKN)between 1986 and 1993.

THAILAND TO RECEIVEFIRST UH-72AS��Officials from AirbusHelicopters’ production facil-ity in Columbus, Mississippi,announced on 14 May 2014that the first of six of thecompany’s UH-72A Lakotalight utility helicopter, des-tined to equip the Royal ThaiArmy (RTA) had left the pro-duction line. The aircraft is tobe delivered to the US Armyin December 2014 and willthen be transferred to theRTA, according to a compa-ny spokesman.

The delivery is part of anestimated $77 million dealannounced on 28 March2014, and represents the firstinternational sale of the air-craft, a variant of the firms’EC-145 civil helicopter. Theinitial contract included sixUH-72A aircraft plus parts,training and logistical sup-

port. The remaining five Thaiaircraft will be built in 2015.Thailand had placed a

request for the six UH-72Asthrough the US ForeignMilitary Sales (FMS) processin 2013, as part of an ongoingrecapitalising of its rotarywing fleet. After acquiringthree Mil Mi-17V-5 medium-lift utility helicopters fromRussia, the RTA signed, inOctober 2012, a contract withAgustaWestland for two ofits AW-139 medium-lift utili-ty helicopters which weredelivered in February 2014.

INDONESIA RECEIVESFIRST LEOPARD TANKS�� The Indonesian Army(Tentara NasionalIndonesia AngkatanDarat/TNI-AD) hasreceived delivery of a firstbatch of armoured vehicles,including some of theKrauss-Maffei WegmannLeopard 2A4 Main BattleTanks (MBTs) it purchasedfrom Germany in 2012. Thepurchase is part of theIndonesia’s plan to mod-ernize its ageing militaryequipment and weaponry,as the country struggles tomeet its Minimum EssentialForce (MEF) requirement asregional tensions rise.This first delivery con-

sists in a total of 52 combatvehicles: 26 Leopard-2A6MBTs and 26 medium-sizedMarder 1A2 InfantryFighting Vehicles, shippedfrom Unterlüss in northernGermany, after a brief cere-mony held late June 2014.Indonesia is committed

to buying a total of 103vehicles from Germany,ten of which are engineer-ing and support vehicles.The initial agreement topurchase the vehicles wasvalued at about $280 mil-lion, according toIndonesian officials,although a press releasedissued by Rheinmetallplaced the value of the dealat $293.7 million.




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BRUNEI NAVY RECEIVESFOURTH DARUSSALAM-CLASS OPV�� The Royal Brunei Navy(RBN) received delivery of itsfourth ‘Darussalam’-classOffshore Patrol Vessel (OPV),the KDB Daruttaqwa, duringa ceremony held at theLürssen Shipyard inLemwerder, northernGermany, on 9 May. PeterLürssen, managing directorof the German shipbuildingcompany Fr Lürssen Werft(FLW), and Datin PadukaHjh Suriyah Hj Umar,Brunei’s Ministry of Defence(MoD) permanent secretaryof administration andfinance, inked the signing ofthe ship’s delivery andacceptance certificate.The RBN received its first

two ‘Darussalam’ class OPVs,

the KDB Darussalam and the KDB Darulehsan, inJanuary 2011, and the KDBDarulaman in December 2011.The KDB Daruttaqwa is

equipped with long-rangesurveillance and radar sys-tems, and is expected toassume patrolling duties ofthe Brunei's coastal areas andoffshore resources, patrollingBrunei's waters and protect-ing its economic resources,such as offshore oil rigs. The80-metre (262-feet) long‘Darussalam’ class vessels,displace 1625 tons and have atop speed of 22 knots (40 kilo-metres-per-hour).

BURMA TO BECOMEFIRST FOREIGN JF-17 BUYER�� According to local news,the government of Burma islooking to purchaseChengdu AerospaceCorporation (CAC)/PakistanAeronautical Complex(PAC) jointly produced JF-17Thunder Multi-Role CombatAircraft (MRCAs). The Rangoon-based

Burma Times reported on 15June 2014 that the

acquirement programme,would include Burma’slicensed-production of theaircraft following technologytransfer from CAC and PAC.Burma has yet to confirm thereport, but has alreadyshown interest in arequirement forsupplementary MRCAs,especially amidst thecontinuing conflict with theinsurgent KachinIndependence Army (KIA)in northern Burma.

The JF-17 acquirementwould assist Burma in itseffort to maintain paritywith neighbouringBangladesh, which isprojected to soon expand itsair force through anexpected procurement ofRussian or Chinese-madeaircraft. Also known as the FC-1 Xiaolong inChina, the JF-17 aircraft iscurrently exclusivelyoperated by the PakistaniAir Force (PAF).



AUSTRALIA CHINACLOSER DEFENCE TIES�� Australia has hailed theforging of closer defencerelations with China follow-ing the meeting of AustralianDefence Minister DavidJohnston with General FanChanglong, Vice Chairmanof the People’s Republic ofChina Central MilitaryCommission.

During talks with GeneralFan and other senior Chinesemilitary officials in Canberra,Senator Johnston stronglyendorsed an agreement toconduct joint military exercis-es involving China, Australiaand the United States.

“Exercise Kowari, inAustralia, is a firm demon-stration of all three coun-tries’ intent to work togethertowards enhancing mutualtrust and regional stability,”the Australian DefenceMinister said.

Exercise Kowari – a landexercise – will be held inOctober in northern Australiaand marks the first trilateralmilitary exercise involvingAustralian, Chinese andUnited States personnel.

“The exercise will providethose taking part with anunderstanding of the basicprinciples, procedures, tech-niques and equipment thatbest support survival in aharsh environment,” SenatorJohnston said.

General Fan’s visit pro-

vided an opportunity fordetailed discussions regard-ing the bilateral defence rela-tionship, as well as strategicmatters of mutual interestand concern. It was agreedthat maintaining peace andstability in the Asia-Pacificand advancing defence rela-tions based on mutualrespect between China andAustralia were a shared pri-ority. Both sides also high-lighted cooperation betweenChina and Australia in thearea of humanitarian assis-tance and disaster relief andin the continuing search formissing Malaysian Airlinesflight MH370. They notedthat the demonstrated capac-ity for PLA and AustralianDefence Force (ADF)personnel to work closelytogether had reinforced thevalue of continued practicaldefence engagementbetween our two nations.

AUSTRALIA-SINGAPORESTRENGTHEN DEFENCECOOPERATION�� Australian AssistantMinister for Defence StuartRobert & Singapore’sChief Executive of DefenceScience and TechnologyAgency, Mr Tan Peng Yamdiscussed closer defencescience and technologycooperation between thetwo countries.

Increased cooperation isin line with the Australianand SingaporeanGovernments’ desire toenhance the relationship,including through deeperdefence science and technol-ogy collaboration.

Mr Tan is leading aSingaporean delegationattending a workshopon Systems Engineeringand Integration organisedby the Defence Scienceand TechnologyOrganisation in Adelaide.

Both the countries dis-

cussed opportunities tofurther strengthen defencescience collaborationbetween them.

“There are real benefitsfor both our countries insharing knowledge, espe-cially in systems engineer-ing and integration—an areain which Singapore isconsidered a world leader,”Mr Robert said.

“Australia can learn fromSingapore’s adoption ofinnovative technologies andhow they readily partnerwith industry and universi-ties to get enhanced capabil-ities into the hands of theirwarfighters as quickly aspossible,” Mr Robert said.

P-8A ADVANCEDAIRCRAFT CONTRACT�� United States Navyhas executed an AdvancedAcquisition Contractfor Australia’s P-8APoseidon aircraft.

This key defence procure-

ment would allow thewithdrawal of theageing AP-3C Orionfleet, and enableBoeing US to place leadtime orders in support ofAustralia’s first fourP-8A aircraft.

P-8A is used for searchand rescue, anti-submarineand maritime strike missionsusing torpedoes and har-poon missiles.

Australian industrystands to benefit by as muchas $1 billion through con-

struction of facilities forthese aircraft and work tomeet maintenance and othersupport needs.

Delivery of the firstaircraft is set for 2017with all eight to be deliveredby 2018.




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ADELAIDE CLASSFRIGATE MAINTAINENCECONTRACT�� Australia awardedAdelaide Class guided mis-sile frigate’s (FFG) GroupMaintenance Contract toThales Australia. Contractwill be for an initial periodof four and half years withthe potential for contractextensions to an anticipatedvalue of $130 million. Thiswas the second of thegrouped-asset, long-term,performance-based contractsfor the repair and mainte-nance of the Navy’s majorsurface ships.

Planned work on thefrigates will be undertakenat Navy’s Garden Islandfacility in Sydney. As perthe Australian govt, designof the contract will provideboth industry and Navywith greater certainty andstability in the repair andmaintenance of the guidedmissile frigates.


AUSTRALIAN INTERNATIONAL AIRSHOW AND AEROSPACE & DEFENCE EXPOSITION

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C O M B A T · H U M A N I T A R I A N · L O G I S T I C S · R E S C U E · S P E C I A L O P S · R E F U E L I N G


Documents

Asian Military Review - Sept 2014