Asian Military Review - October 2008

VOLUME 16/ISSUE 10

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Contents OCTOBER 2008 VOLUME 16 / ISSUE 10

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John Mulberry Both recent operations and the dictates of modern manoeuvre and counter-insurgency warfare are starting to revolutionise the way in which armed forces thinking about logistics. Events such as the US military’s three week dash to Baghdad and a succession of peacekeeping and peace enforcement operations where insurgency attacks on supply routes are common place have served to illustrate the vulnerability of logistics units.

Front Cover Photo: The Super Davora fast patrol craft is based on a proven and wellunderstood design, which has been greatly enhanced by strides in technology, such as remote weapons stations, and electro-optics.

While obviously not a “war ship” in the conventional sense, this class of vessel fulfils a vital role in the spectrum of capabilities that small developing nations should expect from their navies and especially those in Asia.

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Sailing in the shallows Special Operations and Fast Attack Craft

John Mulberry In the current operations ongoing globally one of the areas that has not featured heavily is littoral and naval special operations.

However, as combat operations ongoing in the likes of Afghanistan, Kashmir, and Sri Lanka there is no doubt that one section of the military continues to upgrade its equipment and to train hard for the fight..

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Armoured Beast, Armoured tail.

Protected Logistics

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Adam Baddeley Night Vision Goggles (NVG) in either monocular or binocular format ubiquitous on the battlefield, having become, the primary enabler of the 24-hour battle. Demand has turned NVGs from a ‘leader item’ with limited availability issued to each combat soldier and increasingly to nominally rear echelon troops on operations undertaking a range of roles including driving patrolling, short and long range surveillance and observations as well as even basic, maintenance work.

Pakistan: what price loose nukes?

UAV Operations.

Playing with the Toy?

William F. Owen The rapid proliferation of UAV systems in the last twenty years has lead to UAVs being used for many diverse employments, but how UAVs are actually used to achieve their military capability seems little discussed and poorly understood. At the heart of all UAVs technology is the more effective and efficient ability to place a senor where it gains you the most benefit. This may be a function of things other than the technical mere capabilities of the UAV.

Seeing in the Dark Night Vision Goggle Technology

34 Andy Oppenhiemer Following the assassination on 27 December 2007 of the former Prime Minister and opposition leader of Pakistan, Benazir Bhutto, the international concerns re-emerged about the country's nuclear weapons security. It has long been predicted that the country's political and domestic instability would put its nuclear weapons at risk. Pakistan’s uneasy status as a US ally in the so-called ‘war on terror’, together with escalating internal pressure and the long-standing dispute over Kashmir, makes the country a veritable powder keg in terms of continuing volatility.

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Monitoring in the face of a mounting threat Protecting maritime systems, coastal and border lines, fighting against piracy and smuggling as well as environmental disaster is becoming increasingly important for civil and military institutions. The Opale system of Rheinmetall Defence and Diamond Aircraft represents a new generation in aerial sensor platform technology. The long endurance system is able to fly either piloted or unmanned and is connected with a real time data link to a Ground Control Station. Opale offers the key factors of modern surveillance systems like high reliability, mission flexibility and operational efficiency for precise information and reliable decisions whenever and wherever you are.

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Editorial

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his will is my final Editorial for the Asian Military Review. After two and a half years, it has come time to move on. I hope the publication is now better place to serve its readers than it was when I took over.

What have I learnt? What do I know now that I did not before I became Editor?

The truth is that I now have a better understanding of what military capability in Asia actually means.

The simple hard truth is that most Asian militaries barely qualify for the minimum standards they are suppose to maintain. The problem isn’t money. The problem is people and understanding. In truth there are few Asian nations with a critical need to be serious about their own defence. Asia is mostly stable. The challenges are far more biased towards security than they are combat, but this may not always be the case and the warning signs many hope for, may simply not occur. A close study of Georgia may be instructive.

It is debateable as to what best serves national defence. The debate should focus on the threat. Asian geography has a massive impact and it’s relevance and understanding to Asian defence seems to be poorly understood. Countries seem to make procurement choices with simply no regard to their terrain and expectations of what they want their Army, Air Force or Navy to do.

Hype also has a role a to play, whether it is mood of the moment or the enduring reality of combat and security operations. All and any argument will be used to support what governments and militaries want to buy, instead of what they need to buy. Capability is a balancing act of “want to do” versus “can do.” In most of Asia, the “want to do” is the wrong answer to the wrong question. It may well be that many Asian military responses are simply out of touch with the reality of international opinion, and general strategic trends. However anyone who stands up and says that you should very closely question and even be sceptical of what the UN and others identify, as “strategic trends,” should be listened to. There are no easy answers and the desire to play an active role in the international arena by contributing to UN peacekeeping forces should be a distant dream to the vast majority of Asian militaries. Yes various countries can cherry pick discrete groupings to contribute token forces, but this does not address the problem. The sustainability and actual usefulness of such small groupings is very much in doubt.

Getting good at what you do is not a mystery. The only mystery is that most senior Asian Military officers I have met know that their militaries are ill prepared for the challenges that may lie ahead. The question is, why do they not want to do more about?

USA (West/South West)/Brazil Diane Obright, Blackrock Media Inc. Tel: +1 (858) 759 3557 Email: blackrockmedia@cox.net

William F. Owen, Editor

Editor: William F. Owen E-mail: William@mediatransasia.com Publishing Office: Chairman: J.S. Uberoi Media Transasia Ltd, Room No. 1205-1206, Hollywood Centre 233, Hollywood Road, Central, Hong Kong.

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NAVAL TECHNOLOGY

Sailing in the shallows Special Operations and Fast Attack Craft In the current operations ongoing globally one of the areas that has not featured heavily is littoral and naval special operations. However, as combat operations ongoing in the likes of Afghanistan, Kashmir, and Sri Lanka there is no doubt that one section of the military continues to upgrade its equipment and to train hard for the fight.

by John Mulberry

The Israeli built Super Davora

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aval & marine special forces operations are an area that has been somewhat neglected in the current fascination with irregular warfare and counter-insurgency (COIN) operations. However, as naval warfare specialists like to point out the huge majority of the world’s population lives within striking distance of the coast and littoral combat is likely to be a feature in

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the majority of future conflicts.

As a result the small, highly trained maritime and riverine special operations forces continue to be a potent weapon both in conventional warfare and for COIN operations. Such forces can be

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applied to a range of situations from maritime interdiction, through counter-narcotics operations and anti-piracy deployments to spearheading the deployment of amphibious forces in a conventional operation.

As with other special operations forces the key to maritime special operations is speed and stealth. As such, the stock equipment for such waterborne forces includes highly mobile vessels including both smaller fast attack craft and boats such as Rigid Inflatable Boats/Rigid Hull Inflatable Boats (RIB/RHIB). For the slightly more exotic there are also various hovercraft and midget-submarine options.

However, it is fast attack craft and small boats that are the mainstay of the covert operations undertaken by maritime and riverine special operations forces. In order for such forces to complete there missions, often behind enemy lines and far from support, these vessels need to have speed, stealth and the ability to carry everything needed by the special operations teams they convey.

UK excellence One of the leading manufacturers of such vessels is UK-based VT Halmatic, now part of the BAe Systems and VT Group joint venture, BVT Surface Fleet. This entity is now

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the design authority on RIBs that extend from 6m - 12m. The company offers both the outboard engined Arctic and inboard diesel Pacific, which are based on a seakind deep V hulls for the most demanding military, commercial and rescue roles. The RIBs offer top speeds in excess of 50 knots and the heavy-duty hulls are built from polyester fibreglass or from composites incorporating carbon fibre and Kevlar.

According to the company, reliability in operation and ease of maintenance and repair are key attributes of all BVT RIBS. The company also manufactures air droppable ribs for Special Forces operations worldwide. BVT offers specialist training and support packages. VT Halmatic has been hugely successful with a range of RIB models already in service with government authorities worldwide including the UK, Europe, the USA, the Middle East and Asia.

Recently, VT Halmatic, had also been developing a new fast attack craft for the Royal Navy’s Special Boat Service (SBS).

The new vessel is believed to have been acquired under ‘Project Belle’ with the first sea trials beginning in early 2007.The new vessels have a low-signature design and are designed for ultra-fast long-range insertion.

Analysts say that the boats are potentially capable of speed up to 70mph.

The new vessel is expected to supplement or replace the SBS’ current Very Slim Vessels (VSVs), which were also designed by VT Halmatic. The SBS has been using the VSV since 1999. The vessels are designed to pierce waves rather than ride over them to increase both range and speed. The SBS VSVs can be fitted with twin .50 calibre machine guns and are 16m long and just over 3m wide The US Navy’s MarkV is probably the first vessel of it’s kind, purpose built to carry a SEAL Platoon.

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As a result the small, highly trained maritime and riverine special operations forces continue to be a potent weapon both in conventional warfare and for COIN operations.. and powered by two 750hp engines.

Pedigree workhorse For US Naval Special Warfare Command the current work horse of their fleet for long-range patrol and insertion is the Mark V Special Operations Craft, which was originally introduced in 1996 after a rapid acquisition. Halter Marine built the Mark V and naval special operations took delivery of 20 in total.

The 82 ft long Mark V can carry sixteen fully equipped US SEALs (SEa, Air, and Land) up to 800 km from their base of

ASIAN MILITARY REVIEW

The Stiletto special operations craft.

operations. Two MTU 12-cylinder TE94 Diesel engines coupled with the two K50S water jets power the high-speed vessel. The Mark V is also capale of carrying up to four Zodiac International F470 Combat Rubber Raiding Craft (CRRC) to take SEAL teams in to targets.

The original Mark V design has, however, had some problems since its introduction with occasions when either the windshield or the entire pilothouse assembly has collapsed on wave impact injuring the occupants. As a result the US Navy has been in the process of having the vessel redesigned.

Early this year is unveiled the ne Mark V.1 (Mako), which is intended to reduced the number of injuries. The new Mako has a composite carbon-fiber

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hull built from layers of carbon fibre, with a foam core and an outer layer of Kevlar for additional strength. Estimates suggest that as well as bing lighter than current Mark V's the hull will also be 50% stronger.

In recent years US naval special operations forces have also been experimenting with another relatively large vessel, the 88ft long M80 Stiletto. The Stiletto has an Mshaped hull that provides a stable and fast for conducting special operations. The vessel is propelled by four Caterpillar C32 1652hp engines that give it top seep in excess of 90 kph and a range of 900 km.

In 2006 the US Navy conducted Experiment Howler to test the standard operating procedures and tactics, techniques and procedures that would be associated with oeprating such a vessel in the mine clearance role. One operative involved with the experiment told Asian Military Review that the experiment involved a number of firsts for US naval special opeartions including using the platform as a command and control platform for multiple unmanned air vehicels and unmmanned underwater vessels. Stilletto has also participated in several Trident Warrior exercises.

At the other end of the spectrum US naval special oeprations are reliant on the

In order for such forces to complete there missions, often behind enemy lines and far from support, these vessels need to have speed, stealth and the ability to carry everything needed by the special operations teams they convey

Zodiac CRRCs mentioned above. The small inflatable boats are used for over-the-horizon transportation and insertion on to beaches, piers, offshore facilities and larger vessels. The boats can be rapidly infalted either manually by a foot-pump or by using either a compressor or CO2 tank.

The CRRC comprises eight individual airtight chambers. The main hull is formed of five intercommunicating chambers separated by internal baffles and valves. Two additional chambers, located below the gunwale on either side provide cushioning for the boat's occupants and additional

buoyancy. While the final chamber is an inflatable keel tube which runs the length of the craft and gives it stability. The small boats are usually powered by an outboard 55hp engine with a pumpjet propulsor.

Within Asia most navies employ some type of special oeprations or fast attack craft.

China’s People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) makes significant use of such craft for its naval special forces operations, which are centred on the capabilities of the 1st Marine Corps. The PLAN is believed to have a number of stealthy, high-speed insertion craft that entered service in the 1990s.

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China’s plans In adidtion to these vessels, the PLAN special forces also has access to the Type 724 air cushion landing craft developed by Shanghai-based 708 Institute. The Type 724 is a small air-cushioned vessel capable of speeds up to 40 knots. The two to three man crew can be supplemented with up to ten passenger. The boat operates primarily from the PLAN’s Yuting and Yukan class Landing Ship Tanks.

China’s regoinal ally, North Korea is also believed to make extensive use of special ooperations and fast attack craft. The country’s 137th Naval Squadron is reported to use a semisubmersible craft design for marine insertion. Analysts suggest that the vessels are particularly difficult to detect on radar due to their low profile and are capable of speeds up to 83kph when surfaced.

Other nations in the region hava also taken the time to develop their own naval special forces capabilites. The Republic of Singapore has several naval special operations units that contribute to the maritime security of the city state, which is also a The RIB launch and recovery ramp is clearly visible on the back of this Mark V.

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The PLAN is believed to have a number of stealthy, high-speed insertion craft that entered service in the 1990s.. major commercial hub for the region.

Singapore’s merchant fleet is though to number more than 1,000 vessels and sitting in East Coast Park one can see many ships waiting to dock in Singapore’s hectic port.

As a result, Singapore has taken a keen interest in building up its naval special operations capabilities, especially in the surveillance and interdiction roles. The country has a Coastal Command, two Naval Diving Units, the Singapore Commando Battalion, the Army’s 21st Division amphibious brigade and the Police Coastguard.

These units make use of a variety of vessels. Among these are assault craft built by Singapore SBEC, RHIBs, and Diving Support Craft built by Boston Whaler subsidiary, Brunswick. The latter company offers a range of rugged, low-maintenance, durable boats that it says keep on running through conditions where ordinary craft would be unfit for service. Brunswick offers

ASIAN MILITARY REVIEW

both lightweight, shallow-draft models with for inshore or riverine work and deepV, high-freeboard hulls that can handle offshore conditions. Singapore is also believed to have a number of stealthy high-speed interceptor craft of unknown origin.

Similarly to Singapore, both South Korea and Japan have large maritime fleets and important coastal areas to protect. As a result, both countries have also built up naval special forces units. Japan’s Maritime Self-Defence Force has two special forces units, the Special Boarding Unit (which utilises small fast RIBs) and the Maritime Interception Team.

No country an island Indonesia, the Philippines and Sri Lanka as island nations have also built up considerable naval special forces expertise. The Indonesian Navy’s special forces are the Kesatuan Gurita commandos. According to analysts the unit is mainly a combat diver unit dedicated to preventing attacks on naval installations and other offshore facilities. The unit is recruited from the country’s marine corps and was originally established in the 1980s. Currently, the unit’s strength is thought to be over 250 personnel and based at the country’s main

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port and capital Jakarta.

Elsewhere in Asia, India has also built up its own naval special forces capabilities in recent years. These capabilities are based around the country’s Marine Commando Force (MCF), which was created by the Indian Navy in 1987 under its former name Indian Marine Special Force. Currently the MCF is thought to number some 2,000 personnel.

Alongside the usual package of small interceptor boats and RIBs the IN and the MCF have also sought to equip themselves with a more potent fast attack capability.

The Extra Fast Attack Craft (XFAC) has been built by Goa Shipyard Ltd (GSL) in collaboration with Israel Aircraft Industries (IAI), Ramta division and is based on the latter’s Super Dvora Mk II design.

The first two XFAC were ordered from IAI in 1996 and were commissioned in 1998 Special Forces need effective forms of over water mobility to halt ships underway.

and 1999. A further five are believed to have been built in Goa. The Super Davora design is an 83ft vessel driven by two 4570hp diesel engines coupled with two Arneson ASD-16 articulating surface drives that give it excellent shallow water capability, including beaching. The vessel has a maximum speed of 45 knots and an operational range of 700 miles.

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The vessel has a complement of 10 and can also carry additional passengers. For protection it is equipped 6ne Oerlikon 20mm gun and two 12.7mm machine guns.

The Super Davora II design has also been sold to the Sri Lankan Navy by IAI.

Building on success In 2004 the first Super Dvora Mk III fast patrol/interdiction craft entered operational service with the Israeli Navy. This latest vessel builds on the exceptional capability of the Mk II and was the product of a two-year joint development effort between the Israeli Navy and IAI Ramta.

According to IAI the Super Davora Mk III provides a ‘quantum leap in operational capability by integrating a broad range of performance capabilities in a single platform.’ Among those capabilities are the ability to intercept sea targets at highspeeds approaching 50 knots; longer range for extended missions with the inherent capability for ‘At-Sea Replenishment’ to extend missions and craft endurance beyond a typical four-day endurance; high manoeuvrability in both the littoral regions and blue water; stable sea-keeping in a variety of sea states and very harsh weather; the ability to carry very advanced stabilised precision naval weapon systems and sensors for use in day/night and all weather conditions; and low operating and life-cycle costs over the projected opera-

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The ability to be lifted by helicopter is an often over looked requirement.

tional life of the craft.

Although naval special forces operations have not been in the news of late it is clear that major naval powers and smaller regional players have continued to develop naval special operations capabilities and have not been distracted with the current emphasis on land warfare. Particularly in Asia with its many coastal and island nations there has been an ongoing effort to retain and upgrade such capabilities.

For naval Special Forces one of the key capabilities will continue to be the ability to move around the maritime environment that is their staple. As a result, there has been a continued emphasis on maintaining and developing better waterborne craft that have the stealth and speed that such forces desire.

The range of vessels available is striking, as are the vast differences in their capabilities. There is a large difference between what can be offered by a 8m RIB and an 80ft fast attack craft. However, the

According to analysts the unit is mainly a combat diver unit dedicated to preventing attacks on naval installations and other offshore facilities.

ASIAN MILITARY REVIEW

entire range of systems is needed if naval Special Forces are to continue in their missions of littoral first entry, naval interdiction and COIN operations.

The question for most Asian navies is whether they will be able o afford all these capabilities or, as in other areas, will have to trade off capability or ‘double-up’ the mission sets that one platform must undertake. In this some of the experimentation being undertaken by the US Navy and others may well inform future decisions. The idea of a single multi-role ‘mothership’ or command vessel capable of dispatching both manned and unmanned assets may well be a future way forward for cash strapped Asian navies.

However, in the meantime there are a number of options to draw on and unlike some other areas of military technology there is, outside some of the stealth and propulsion technologies, a greater willingness for countries to share in the capabilities of such vessels. Whether choosing indigenously developed or foreign technology Asia navies have a range of option to choose from that make such Special Forces available. The greater concern for the future is not the technology, but the training that once equipped make such forces such a formidable weapon in both lowA MR intensity and high-intensity conflict.

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Protected Logi Both recent operations and the dictates of modern manoeuvre and counter-insurgency warfare are starting to revolutionise the way in which armed forces thinking about logistics.

Events such as the US military’s three week dash to Baghdad and a succession of peacekeeping and peace enforcement operations where insurgency attacks on supply routes are common place have served to illustrate the vulnerability of logistics units.

by John Mulberry

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stics The Oshkosh HEMTT flat surfaced outline, allows for easier armour intergrattion.

ntil recent years, little thought was put in to the procurement of logistics vehicles. Ever since the mechanisation of warfare took place in the early part of the 20th century logistics units have had to make do with the came kind of vehicles that their civilian counter-parts use. For the main this has meant soft-skinned trucks and trailers that have had the minimum amount of upgrade to allow them to operate in the rough terrain of the open battlefield.

Only when such vehicles were asked to transverse particularly rough or difficult terrain were more militarised solutions used, such as the Viking BvS 10 All Terrain Armoured Vehicle (as much a patrol vehicle as a logistics vehicle). However, the dictates of modern warfare and the current aversion to casualties is forcing military planners to look much more carefully at the procurement of logistics vehicles and is leading to the advent of a new battlefield work horse, the armoured logistics vehicle.

Whether up-armoured and re-engineered cousins of civilian haulers or more specialised purpose built military logistics vehicles such systems are currently in-vogue and a number of nations are both developing and procuring them. For Asia-Pacific nations bent on supporting UN or US coalition peace support operations such vehicles may become a necessity for others they are the logical progression as countries take full advantage of the concept of manoeuvre warfare. After all the type of lightning strike attack demonstrated by the US in Iraq can only be achieved if the vulnerable logistics chain supporting it can be protected.

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Canadian dilemma One country with a long history of supporting peacekeeping missions and currently facing the challenge of looking forward to better armoured logistics vehicles is Canada, which is a good example for many Asian nations. The mainstay of the Canadian Army’s logistics chain is the ageing Percheron 6 x 6 Heavy Logistic Vehicle Wheeled (HLVW).

After all the type of lightning strike attack demonstrated by the US in Iraq can only be achieved if the vulnerable logistics chain supporting it can be protected..

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The 10,000 kg vehicle is a derivative of the Steyr 1491.310/040/6 x 6 M truck and was first delivered to the country almost two decades ago. Since then it has seen service in a number of theatres including Former Yugoslavia and more recently Afghanistan. During operations in the former theatre in the 1990s the threat of small arms fire and landmines led Ottawa to develop an armour protection system utilising steel, ceramic and ballistic glass.

However, the system adopted is extremely heavy and could only be designed to defeat certain threats without seriously degrading the payload capacity and functionality of the HLVW. The same system has also been used in Afghanistan, but there were concerns that the weight and the use in rough country of a fleet mainly designed for paved roads is too much of a challenge for the aging HLVW fleet.

As a result, last year the Department of National Defence announced that it had awarded a C$87 million contract for an Armoured Heavy Support Vehicle System (AHVS) to DaimlerChrysler. The AHVS is actually a variant of the company’s Actros 4100 series fitted with an armoured cab developed by South Africa’s Land Mobility Technologies. According to LMT the 2,000 kg cab protects against small arms fire, blast and splinters. For protection against buried improvised explosive devices the cab has a flat bottom which is a sandwich of armour and shockabsorbing material and to reduce the shock from a blast the seats are mounted on the wall instead of the floor.

The Canadian contract covered 82 trucks, with an option for 26 additional vehicles, in four major variants that completed delivery early this year. These included 25 cargo vehicles, five recovery variant vehicles, 12 tank transporter tractor variant vehicles; and 40 palletised loading systems with container handling unit vehicles that include 10 petroleum, oils and lubricants variants, and 5 water variants.

With the AHSV now in theatre the DND has turned its attention to a C$1.2 billion Medium Support Vehicle System project to acquire some 2,300 vehicles. Among the vehicles expected to be procured are 1,500 fivetonne Medium-Size Logistics Trucks with up to 300 load-handling system trailers.

According to the DND these vehicles should be ‘capable of being armed and armoured and for that purpose the contract also includes the purchase of 150 armour protection kits.

Importantly the AHVS contract was

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The vehicles can be up armoured with add-on armouring kits for kinetic energy protection levels 1 and 2, mine threat 1 and 2a, 2b according to STANAG 4569. shaped as an offset contract delivery with DaimlerChrysler committing the same dollar value in economic activity in Canada. Such offset arrangements are usually important to Asian customers.

Leading protection DaimlerChrysler is not the only German manufacturer to be offering an armoured logistics solution to those that need it. Off the back of a ÂŁ1 billion order from the UK Ministry of Defence the company has further developed the HX-series of vehicles that comprise a light 4 x 4 variant with a 6 tonne capacity, a medi-

A detailed view of cab protection (PHOTO: Mercedes-Benz)

um 6 x 6 vehicles (9 tonne) and a heavy 8 x 8 variant (15 tonne), as well as a 6 x 6 tanker. The 6 x 6 cargo truck and tanker are based on MAN’s SX44 high mobility chassis derived from the KAT 1 trucks the company supplied

to the Bundeswehr some 30 years ago.

For the armoured cabs the manufacturer teamed with the well-known armoured vehicle developer Krauss-Maffei Wegmann to design the Integrated Armour Cab (IAC) that

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The Mercedes 8x8 with armoured cab. (PHOTO: Mercedes-Benz)

is fitted during the manufacturing phase to the 8 x 8 SX 45 MULTI 2 Extreme Mobility Truck System. The IAC delivers Level 3 ballistic and Level 3b mine blast protection. In addition, at the customers request the IAC can also be fit-

ted with a remote control weapon station.

Among the country’s to take vehicles equipped with the IAC are Austria, Denmark, Germany and Norway.

The company also offers a Modular

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Armoured Cabin (MAC) developed for its HX and SX series vehicles by Austrian company Ressenig. The MAC weighs approximately 1,300kg and unlike the IAC can be fitted separately in less than 12 hours to provide protection against Level 2 ballistic threats and Level 1 mines threats. This option allows users to opt to use the vehicle with a soft-skin cabin during peacetime (saving weight) and ‘up-armour’ the vehicle for more dangerous missions.

For those wanting another option the Czech Republic’s Tatra has also developed a new family of high-mobility heavy-duty tactical trucks, the T815-7. The family comes in 4x4, 6x6, 8x8 and 10x10 configurations and are C130 Hercules transportable. The options for the trucks include add-on armour and NATO Single Fuel F34 operability.

According to Tatra the vehicles offer extremely high off-road mobility due to the no-twist/no-bend Tatra chassis. The family also has a high degree of commonality, modularity, and versatility across all versions and are designed around performance and utility

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parameters defined by the needs of operations.

The vehicles can be up armoured with add-on armouring kits for kinetic energy protection levels 1 and 2, mine threat 1 and 2a, 2b according to STANAG 4569.

In neutral Switzerland Mowag, a subsidiary of General Dynamics, produces the DUrable and Robust (DURO) tactical truck family. Among the latest additions to the family are the DURO III 6 x 6 truck with a payload capacity of 6,300 kg payload and the armoured DURO IIIP which can carry a more modest 3,000 kg. Different superstructures are used to configure the DURO IIIP for a variety of missions including logistics, ambulance, troop transport and command and control.

The P stands for protected and the vastly decreased payload capacity is to accommodate the 3000kg of armour that gives the vehicle a vastly improved ballistic and mine protection against light machine gun fire, artillery shell splinters, and anti-personnel mines. The DURO IIIP is in the 12 tonne weight class it has a Cummins ISB 5.9L Turbo Common Rail 250hp engine coupled to an Allison S2000 transmission.

Subcontinent muscle As well as operating out of the Czech Republic Tatra also has a joint venture (JV) in India that gives it access to the Asian market. Tatra A protected ISO container for personnel protection (PHOTO: Mercedes-Benz)

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Vectra Motors Limited (TVML), formerly known as Tatra Trucks India Limited, is a joint venture between Tatra and the Vectra Group, a UK based company. The JV’s manufacturing plant is located in Hosur, Tamil Nadu, around 35km from Bangalore. Last year, Tatra also signed a memorandum of understanding with the Vietnamese Ministry of Defence to examine the assembly and production of its vehicles for the Vietnamese market.

As always there are a number of major manufacturers in the US capable of providing the kind of systems that Asian nations need..

ASIAN MILITARY REVIEW

Cross country mobility is no longer good enough.

Also eyeing the potentially lucrative Indian market is the similarly named Tata Motors, which is well positioned in the domestic commercial vehicle market. Last year the company announced that it has developed a number of armoured vehicles for both the commercial and military markets. Some of its latest vehicles were showcased at this year’s Defence Expo 2008 in New Delhi.

Tata has been supplying logistics vehicles to the Indian army for around half a century. But only recently has it started to get in to the armoured logistics market. Previously its stock in trade was un-armoured 4x4 logistics vehicles. But at the exhibition this year the company exhibited its latest 8x8 platform. The Tata 8x8 is

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The original HEMTT entered production in the 1980s but the company has worked constantly upgrade its capability. a versatile platform, capable of being configured to a host of military applications including , bridge laying, tank transporters, recovery vehicles, mobile specialist workshops, hook loader applications and load carriers.

The company says that it can offer a wide range of specifications to suit individual applications. The Tata 8x8 is powered by a powerful 380-420 HP Engine and a versatile 9-16 speed gear box, with heavy-duty transfer cases driving the hub reduction tandem axles to address requirement of high speeds and severe gradients. The compensating bogey suspension, capable of operating under severe terrain conditions with full air takes on a heavy-duty frame. The vehicle is fitted with a tiltable military cabin with good all around visibility, and importantly is compatible to up-armouring.

Deploying Downunder In Australia Thales Australia is leveraging its Bushmaster design to develop an armoured logistics vehicle. The new vehicle was revealed at this year’s Eurosatory defence exhibition in Paris. The newest member of the family is the Copperhead armoured logistics support vehicle (ALSV), which the company has developed with an eye both to the domestic market and for international export.

The new vehicle is based on the common chassis of the Bushmaster vehicle and has similar levels of armour protection including a fully protected powerpack and front cabin. To give it its logistics capability the infantry compartment has been replaced with a flatbed that the company says can take loads of up to 3.5 tonnes in the current configuration. However, with an upgraded suspension the company believes the vehicle will be capable of hauling loads up to 5 tonnes.

Like the other members of the Bushmaster family, the Copperhead is transportable in a C-130 Hercules transport aircraft. The vehicle has a road sped of 100km/h, but is fully capable of handling rough terrain. The reported operating range for its 292 litre gas tank is 800 kilometres.

The company has built the prototype Copperhead ALSVs with its own funds and believes there is potentially a large market for this type of armoured logistics vehicle. The

truck’s air portability and its relatively large payload capacity are certainly a draw.

However, it is the ALSV's armoured cabin, giving extensive crew protection, which is likely to be the biggest selling point.

Australia has already bought some 700 Bushmaster vehicles for its forces and may well like the commonality that the

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The IVECO DURO. Armour can have a substantial impact on payload.

(PHOTO: IVECO)

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Copperhead suggests. Further abroad, both the UK and the US are looking at the need for armoured logistics vehicles to protect forces in Afghanistan and Iraq.

All American As always there are a number of major manufacturers in the US capable of providing the kind of systems that Asian nations need.

Indeed as the US upgrades and up-armours its own logistics vehicles to meet the dangers of Afghanistan and Iraq there is the opportunity to feed off the US orders through Foreign Military Sales of the same vehicles or mothballed legacy trucks.

Oshkosh is one of the major US logistics vehicle manufacturers and has developed the Family of Heavy Tactical Vehicles (FHTV).

This family comprises, the M1075 Palletized Load System (PLS) truck and M1076 PLS trailer; the 11-ton 8 x 8 Heavy Expanded Mobility Tactical Truck (HEMTT) series (which includes M977 cargo truck, the M978 2,500gallon fuel tanker, the M983 tractor, M984A1 wrecker and M985 cargo truck with materielhandling crane), the Heavy Equipment Transporter System (HETS), and the M1977 Common Bridge Transporter.

The original HEMTT entered production in the 1980s but the company has worked constantly upgrade its capability. Last year, the US Army’s Tank-Automotive and Armaments Command awarded an

$878 million contract to Oshkosh for 1,857 new HEMTT A3 and PLS vehicles and 2,599 new PLS trailers. The contract also covered the remanufacture of 1,130 HEMTTs. Earlier this year Oshkosh awarded Ceradyne an initial order for its B-Kit prototype armour kit for a lightweight HEMTT A3 crew cab armour applique programme. The HEMTT A2 cabin allows the in-theatre application of armour, such as Ceradyne’s.

The Ceradyne armour was developed in response to the army’s Long Term Armor Strategy requirements. The Ceradyne armour uses alternate lightweight armour materials and is expected to be used on a variety of US tactical and logistics vehicles.

The other major player in the US market is Stewart and Stevenson. For the armour solutions on many of its military vehicles the US truck manufacturer turned to Armor Holdings, now a part of BAE Systems. Armor Holdings is now within BAE’s Mobility & Protection Systems division. The division offers a range of armour solutions for the US Family of Medium Tactical Vehicles (Low Signature Armored Cab/LSAC), Medium Tactical Vehicle Replacement and the M939 five ton truck.

According to BAE Systems, the LSAC adds

A US M915 with armoured cab compoents (PHOTO: PLASAN)

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ballistic and mine blast protection in a purposebuilt cab that can be interchanged with a standard FMTV cab in eight hours. The LSAC cab can provide crew protection from assault rifle rounds, land mines and artillery fragments, yet still retain C-130 transportability. In addition, Mobility & Protection Systems is the only US manufacturer of the MEXAS armour system for the US Army’s M1117 Armored Security Vehicle (ASV). The appliqué armour system provides 12.7mm protection when integrated with the vehicle’s hull. The ASV MEXAS armour is a ceramic-composite system for minimum weight and maximum stopping power.

Stopping power It is clear that the proliferation of small arms and expertise in the developments and deployment of IEDs is changing the challenges faced by army logistics chains across the globe.

Until recently most armies were happy to deploy in to theatre with ruggedised versions of commercial vehicles. However, the type of insurgency and peacekeeping operations that are currently the norm call for better protected vehicles as the supply chains become a target of choice for insurgents.

The challenge for Asian nations will be channel funding to this area when they also need to look at modernising the ‘teeth’ of their armies. It could easily be concluded that spending extra money on armoured trucks is not an area of most concern. However, is countries in the region are to deploy meaningful forces in to conflict zones such as Iraq or Darfur they will need to think carefully about providing protection to AMR vulnerable logistics chains.

SURFACE_RADAR_273X317,5_DN_uk

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NIGHT VISION T E C H N O L O G Y

Seeing in the

Dark Night Goggle Tech Night Vision Goggles (NVG) in either monocular or binocular format ubiquitous on the battlefield, having become, the primary enabler of the 24hour battle. Demand has turned NVGs from a ‘leader item’ with limited availability issued to each combat soldier and increasingly to nominally rear echelon troops on operations undertaking a range of roles including driving patrolling, short and long range surveillance and observations as well as even basic, maintenance work.

by Adam Baddeley

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NIGHT VISION T E C H N O L O G Y

n NVG terms, lightweight, compact and affordable Image Intensification –II or I2 - remains King, taking ambient light and converting it to a usable image to the user. Thermal imaging is not without its adherents, but it is in combination with I2 rather than as a stand-alone goggle that strides are being made. Multispectral image fusion on the ground is now deployed mainstream US forces, with systems seeing combat use. Technology is improving, with episodic bursts of improvement interrupting a generally steady upwards performance curve that has seen reductions in power consumption, reducing weight and size, increasing resolution and reliability and moves towards turning the green look of I2 into a colour representation.

Current I2 technology is classified as Generation III, a US term defined by the US Army’s Night Vision and Electronic Sensors Directorate (NVESD), which defines the technology used to tubes ability to sustain performance over 10000 hours life.

The major difference between Generation 2 and 3 is the protective film between the photo cathode and the micro channel plate.

Photons are converted to electrons, then intensified using the micro channel plate, creating the ‘green scene’ characteristic of I2.

As a by-product, positive ions are created which stream back toward the photo cathode, damaging it. Every time you turn on it loses some of its sensitivity. Gen 3 is distinguished from its predecessor by the introduction of a protective film that allows the photons to pass but ensure that positive ions can’t get back through.

Generation 3 technology is now 20-25 years old. Improvements have been made over time to resolution of the image rendered, which began at 36 line pairs per millimetre to today’s 64-72 with the signal to noise ratio rising from an initial 14:1 to as much as twice this figure or 25-28:1 today.

Several years ago, Generation 4 was mooted. This was essentially a film less Gen 3 design. While protecting against positive ions the protective film caused halo or bloom when the user observed sources of bright light – such as a powerful street light obscuring anyone in the halo; allowing canny targets to potential hide in plain sight.

What the US Army and other militaries now want is a photo cathode, which isn’t damaged by positive ions, eliminating the need for a film and consequently, no significant

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The area between air and ground systems is still distinct but closing all the time (PHOTO: US Navy)

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Halo. This, was assessed, but in production it was found that it could not be produced reliably in the quantities required. As an interim measure, gating has been introduced to cope with Halo and bloom, detecting extremes of light and switching the photocathode on and off at ultra high speeds.

Irrespective of the improvements to technology, the next capability step change is being achieved by merging I2 with TI, on the same goggle. This ensures synergies between the two technologies. Thermal, for example gives the user longer-range detection of a

warm body, although the ability to identify that individual as friend of foe would take place at closer range using I2. Neither technology is inherently better, just inherently different and inherently complementary.

Initially this is being undertaken optically with the US with the ENVG programme. The systems is in limited production with the Materiel release and First Unit Equipped completed in early 2008 and the systems is designated AN/PSQ-20 with ITT is the sole provider of the system. The systems is optically ingrates the users seeing an image that has been treated by both types of technology.

The next step is the Digitasl ENVG (Digital), now in its component and prototype development mode. This takes replaces the analogue output from the current optical image and convert that into a digital signal. The challenge thus far has been to create a display the same resolution as the analogue system. The US standard resolution is 64 line pairs per millimetre (LP/mm), sometime reaching 72 while current display technology supports 30-40 line pairs. The gap between the two is expected to be narrowed in roughly five years, with the technology expected to be generated by consumer industry for use in mobile phones. The Digital ENVG is being developed by a team of ITT, DRS, Intevac and Kopin withBAE systems supplying its MicrIR microbolometer sensor technology.

The US has assiduously and determinedly maintained its lead in night vision technology. Exports are governed. That is where what is known as the Figure of Merit comes in. This is the sum of

The major difference between Generation 2 and 3 is the protective film between the photo cathode and the micro channel plate.. multiplying the I2 tube’s the Signal to Noise Ratio by its resolution. Each export decision is undertaken on a case by case basis although to NATO countries this currently sits at 1600; typically around be 25(SNR)x64(LP/mm). For other allied countries, this may drop to 1250. In many cases however, the 1600 will relate to aviation goggles and 1250 for NVG issued ground personnel. The limit has to be distinguished from user requirements.

One or two eyes Militaries are rapidly moving to binocular to monocular configurations in goggles.

ITT PVS-7 design produced a binocular representation from a single II, but when the goggle was removed a period night blindness occurred. The move to a single eyepiece design is driven by current operations which emphasises house to house CQB. The US found their soldiers preferred having one eye unaided, providing some acuity in night conditions, but the goggle is removed, total night blindness is avoided, ensuring much improved SA. Another physiological factor was that a minority of binocular users became dizzy or sick using a binocular configuration.

Night vision systems were focussed on delivering in capability Europe with wellestablished environmental factors that I2 could easily cope with temperate conditions, but which are being challenged by desert and mountainous conditions.

In I2 terms, the best night scene during a full moon, creating a bright night sky without significant cloud cover. In Afghanistan, extremely high levels of cloud cover means that according to some estimates only function is little of half days. Other environmental factors aid performance; high levels of flora aid the intensification of light, although clearly dense jungle canopies will impair performance.

Constant design considerations for NVG are weight and ergonomics to reduce physITL’s Mini N/SEAS (PHOTO: Adam Baddeley)

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Bharat Electronics BEN 0502 NVGs (PHOTO: Adam Baddeley)

The move to a single eyepiece design is driven by current operations which emphasises house to house CQB..

ical stress to the soldier’s neck and head during extended operations.

The market Demand for DVG remains very strong, particularly for countries undertaking operations in Iraq or Afghanistan. One of the largest programmes in Asia is Australia’s

Land 53 for main monocular goggles and a number of weapon sights. This supplements and partly replaces NVG acquired under Project Ninox in 1995-7. Australia acquired 25,000 sets of goggles under the programme using ITT-sourced tubes and used in goggle built locally by BAE Systems Australia.

The AN/PVS-14 is the standard helmet mounted NVG in US service, commercially known as the ITT F6015 Monocular device developed with the NVESD and now being delivered in a the seventh so-called Omni contract. Acknowledged as the numerical market leader the systems has an effective range of 150m and one AA battery sustains the sub400g systems. The latest version uses a single AA battery and can operate for over 40 hours and the system is the standard systems in use with Land Warrior deployed to Iraq.

The PVS-14 Widely exported to The UK, Canada, Norway. The UK system known as the Head Mounted Night Vision System differs slightly from the US in terms of bat-

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tery but more sufficiently because the systems can attaches to the head, rather than the helmet.

The earlier ITT PVS-7D offers a 40 degree field of view and weighs 680g and is powered by two AAs or a single BA5567 military battery.

Israeli firm New Noga Light produces a number of ground and airborne goggle applications. On the ground the NL 93G operated as a hand held binocular or hands free NVG with a flip-up head strap or flip-up helmet mount and is offered with either Gen 2 or Gen 3 tubes. Qualified to the environmental requirements of MIL-STD-810 with a 40 degree field of view, it weighs 550g. The earlier NL 91 uses either Slip-on or screw-in 3X or 5X magnifier lens. The company’s ML 61 was developed for Israel’s special forces with a focus on urban warfare’s rapidly changing light levels with single A2/3 battery providing 50 hours of operation with range of up to 450m.

OIP Sensor System’s Loris is a monocular device, providing a field of view of up to 60 degrees and extension accessory which features that include an automated cut out when light levels become too high. The company’s Lunos systems provides improved performance and allows the users to swap out objective lenses easily in the field, differentiating it from others in the market. The bases system weighs 550g without battery but for example with a 6x les this rise to 2.1Kg Russia’s Alpha produce binocular I2 solution, such as the two AA battery powered 2032 for rotary wing aviation in either Gen 2+ or 3 configuration able to detect trucks at up to 800m and power liens at 700m under normal night light conditions. The system has a number of feature related to its airborne role notably a quick release disconnect system for use prior to bail-

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Thermal, for example gives the user longer-range detection of a warm body, although the ability to identify that individual as friend of foe would take place at closer range using I2. ing out. The company’s Alpha-1032 night vision goggles are more suited to dismounted use, weighing 825g with combined goggle and head mount. The systems also offers 2.5X or 4X magnifying optical attachments and in case of total darkness the built-in IR LED can be used for local IR lighting at ranges of up to 10m.

Photonis DEP was formed by the merger of France’s PHOTONIS and Dutch form Delft Electronic Products provide a high end source of I2 tubes and are one of a highly limited number of companies offering auto-gating technology outside of US ITAR regulations. The latest XR5 Image intensifiers

ASIAN MILITARY REVIEW

uses an integrated, proprietary Auto-Gating unit or IRIS technology. Photonis-DEP technology has been acquired to support Soldier Modernisation technology demonstration efforts both the UK and France.

Canada’s Newcon Optik NVS14 is described as battle tested and with moderate weigh, with the addition of a 4x lens taking the system weight up to just 680g.

Aselsan produce a number of NVGs for the Turkish armed forces. These include the M972/973 solutions and the subsequent M982/983 and 983A solution under licence from Litton, now L-3. All are dual eyepiece, single tube designs, the later models weighing as little as 380g.

Indra Sistemsas supplies the Spanish armed forces with the GVN-401 NVG. Pakistan operates the license produced version of the US AN/PVS-5A design produced by the Institute of Optronics. China’s Type 1985 I2 system, produced by Norinco is a basic systems used domestically and exported to a number of undisclosed countries. Polish firm PCO produce a numSagem’s new NVGs seen at Eurosatory (PHOTO: Adam Baddeley)

NIGHT VISION T E C H N O L O G Y

The system has a number of feature related to its airborne role notably a quick release disconnect system for use prior to bailing out.

Vectronix Tarsius 16 Miniature NVGs (PHOTO: Adam Baddeley)

ber of NVG for the Polish armed forces. The PNS-1 uses Gen 2+ tubes and has a back-up IR source.

The former Northrop Grumman, now L-3 single-AA powered M983 Monocular is designed to be submersible down to around 20m with the addition of protective ancillaries and can be fitted to either eye and weighs 350g. The company’s AN/PVS-7C can operate under water down to 1m for up to half and hour and can be used with range of mounting options.

Sagem’s Clara is noteworthy for its 50 degree field of view and operates either a Gen III or 18mmm SuperGen solution and weighs 445g. Thales’ Lucie goggle offers a range of operations form Gen II up to Gen III and provides a 450g package powered by a single AA battery. Lucie is in serve with French forces. Thales have also developed the ultra compact Monie I2 system which has a base 51 degree FOV. The company’s UGO goggles provide a very cost effective solution for many armed forces and weigh 750g with head mount. At Eurosatory Thales launched the new MINIE D offer a reduction to weight relative to current product to 20 percent improvement in optical performance and has already been tested by over 50 users.

The LUNOS or Lightweight Universal Night Observation System is a binocular design based around a common body allowing the users to adapt the systems to specific requirements and has been adopt both form military and homeland security roles world wide Ortek, an Elbit company produce the ORT-3155 night vision monocular which weighs 280g with battery and IR illuminator and power efficiencies mean a single AA bat-

tery powers the systems for over 70 hours.

The ORT-51560 binocular is designed for drivesIndia’s Bharat Electronics produce BEBF 9402 NVG which can be converted to long range surveillance with 4x lens and is in current use.

TCI Ltd produce the Night Diver designed for use by divers on the surface using a full face mask , is capable of retaining its water proofing to depths of 50m and uses an 18mm Gen 2+ tube with a operating life of the battery supporting 40 hour duration Simrad Optronics GN Night vision goggles at 390g including batteries weighs 390g and claims to be the smallest and most compact solution yet fielded and can focus down to 20cm for close in tasks.

Vectronix’s BIG25 goggles offer automatic brightness control and other stranded features in a 810g package including head harness. A training feature allows a small amount of light to enter through the lens cap allowing the operators to train in daylight. At Eurosatory Vectronix launched the Tarsius 16 Miniature Might Vision Monocular, claimed to be the lightest of its kind and uses the XR5 autogated technology sourced from Photonis. The systems weighs 245 grams and measures 110 x 40 x 65 mm, has a 3x magnification option with smart mount design to fit on any helmet and its battery pack supports up to 55 hours off operation.

The AN/PVS-21 developed by Sensor Technology Systems which is in service with the US Air Force, Navy and Special Operations Command with other NATO users including Canada, Germany, and the UK. The company also produces a flip down lens allowing the user to quickly refocus down to undertake tasks such as

reading and radio operations. STS’s Model 2740 Monocular is a military specified binocular for police and other uses, and is designed to allow the user to see both the direct view and I2 enhanced view simultaneously.

UK firm Pyser SGI produce both TI and I2 NVG. The company’s PNP-MT Thermal Imaging monocular is offered in eight head/helmet worn models, including different focal lengths at 25mm it can detect a human sized target at 475m without using electronic zoom. The systems, weighs us to 305g without batteries. In I2 terms the company’s latest PNG-M twin eyepiece solution is fully waterproof, weighs 425g and supports an number of tubes as well as auto gating technology and can run for 40hours using a single AA battery. El-Op’ Helmet Mounted Un-cooled thermal imaging Viewer (HMUV) provides a head mounted, hand free solution that can be operated from either either using a 320x340 mirco-bolometric un-cooled detectors and weighs less than 1Kg with its roles ranging from combat to search and rescue. US firm NVEC produce the HelmetIR, using a 160X120 array with an A MR operating time of over three hours.

Night Vision Goggles have traditionally been associated with military aviation. Things have change (PHOTO: US Navy)

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UAV Operations.

Playing with the Toy? The rapid proliferation of UAV systems in the last twenty years has lead to UAVs being used for many diverse employments, but how UAVs are actually used to achieve their military capability seems little discussed and poorly understood. At the heart of all UAVs technology is the more effective and efficient ability to place a senor where it gains you the most benefit.

This may be a function of things other than the technical mere capabilities of the UAV.

by William F. Owen

Some UAVs require complex launch systems.

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actical Applications are seen as the area where UAVs have increasing applicability, but this may be open to question.

Commanders have long wanted to see the “other side of the hill”. Tactical UAVs have given them the very tool they have long desired. Examples of such systems are those likely to be operated below the Brigade or Formation level. Does the average infantry company actually need a UAV? The knee-jerk answer it that it does.

Given the option, why would you do otherwise? The case against lies not with the idea that the UAV might not deliver on it’s promise. The case against lies with the human issues of cost and complexity. A UAV is not something someone is going to go and sign out from stores. All the current indications are that UAVs need specialised and dedicated operators, who are familiar with their equipment capabilities and can use them to best effect. While this is not questioned when UAVs are utilised at the higher level, it seems hard for some to accept that the UAV requires a greater degree of specialisation than most antitank weapons.

Therefore it seems likely that UAVs below the formation level will have to reside in UAV Platoons that are part of, or attached to Battle Groups and Battalions. Each of those platoons should probably be configured to attach sections to Companies or Combat teams.

But what level of capability would his be?

The system would probably have to be

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operable by 6-8 men, and have a range of greater than 10-20 kilometres. The reasoning for this is that a platoon of some 30 men could generate about 4 6-8 man teams. 20 kilometres is about the range that would ensure the Battle Group could see the objectives it might be expected to achieve as part of some current operation, and also covers most the indirect fire weapons you might reasonable expect to be part of the battle group. This figure is approximate and largely irrelevant as a lot of systems have this capability.

Another qualification might be that if a section comprises one ground station and 2-3 airframes, then all this should be able to fit in the type of vehicle that a section of men may use. This may mean scaling back the number of men to 4-5, as an APC/MRAP built to transport 8 men, may be somewhat cramped with 8 men, the ground station and the airframes.

This militates against the normal wisdom that says you have to decide what sensor you want to use to achieve what mission. It could be argued that some missions may well require the type of UAV support, such as Armed Predator-B, that it is simply not

Very light UAVs with fixed, or day only payloads, may not have much of future in the real world post Iraq and Afghanistan.

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possible to have as organic to the a battle group. Common sense would seem to indicate equipping battalions with a system that conforms to the organisation regimes that may be in place and gaining the most capability that is possible.

The Schiebel CAMCOPTER S-100 is worthy of note in this regard. A helicopter UAV, it is 3.09m long and has a rotor diameter of 3.4m. It can carry a 22kg payload, for 6 hours and out to a radius of 150km. It’s vertical take off and landing mean that it has not ramps or catapults and merely requires a vehicle for transport. Two airframes, ground station and 5 men, including a driver, may well be a possible payload for one vehicle. At the other end of the scale would be something like a Aeronautics Orbiter, which can carry a 1.5kg day/night capable payload for 2 hours out to 10km.

Being electrically powered it is incredibly simple, and light. To put this in perspective, it would be possible for 3 airframes,

3 men, and the ground station to fit in large family car. Other systems with a similar capability are the Elbit Skylark II, and the Rafael’s Skylite-B. All are from Israel. This would further indicate that UAVs below that level of capability might exist solely in response to urgent operational requirements and for novelty value. Very light

The ability to move and support Ground stations has to be considered.

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Elbit’s Sky Lark 1. (PHOTO: William F. Owen)

UAVs with fixed, or day only payloads, may not have much of future in the real world post Iraq and Afghanistan.

Strangely their primary let down is a lack of high wind performance. This is where vertical take off UAV with a 100knot plus performance do have an edge.

The other “edge” is their ability to launch

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from and recover to rooftops or clearings in forests. These two areas have some critical performance issues when looking at modern infantry combat. As Asian Military Review has previously opined, there are some problems when it comes to operating UAVs in built up areas with tall buildings.

This shows that there are significant problems associated with operating UAVs close to combat zone. There may be more merit in having bigger, heavier UAVs to take the place, of the smaller ones.

Formation UAVs This is where the UAVs have come to rest with most armies. This is primarily because artillery support if normally allocated to brigades, and brigades are the lowest level where you find dedicated intelligence cells and electronic warfare assets in war. All this makes the formation the logical choice and where systems such as the UK’s “Watch keeper” are located.

The higher level of command would

Obviously, VTOL UAVs are never going to match the range and endurance of fixed wing types. seem to merit a far more capable UAV, but how much capability is actually required.

Working back from the systems a Formation will have, there is clearly a need to match the range of 155mm guns, which requires at least 40km. If longer-range systems, such as Guided Multiple Launch Rocket (GMLRS) are being used, then at least a 100km would seem wise. UAVs will be required to stay on station for considerable periods of time, so an endurance of greater than10 hours plus is probably useful. This may seem excessive, but the use of multiple airframes to cycle back and forth substantially increases the chance of damage, that may be incurred during launch or recovery. However, if the launch and recovery are VTOL then the chances of damage are substantially less.

Obviously, VTOL UAVs are never going to match the range and endurance of fixed wing types. Fixed wing launch and recovery can either be done using a conventional take off and landing or via a catapult launch with a parachute recovery.

Conventional take off and landing is the least risky, but requires a prepared operating surface, such as a straight section of road, large car park or runway. The need not be reliant of such things means that a catapult launch systems may be required.

This can mean a specialised vehicle or portable launch ramp. The parachute recovery also means additional man power has to be allocated to operations. At the formation level, it may not be too much of a burden to have more manpower allocated to the UAV Squadron or Battery, but these facts are worthy of serious consideration.

The easy answer would appear to be that formations should have access to as capable a UAV system as they can afford. If the UAV has long range and endurance, then

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Sensors are not merely electro-optical payloads optimised for transmitting real time video. where it is based is less critical than if it does not. The effort goes towards ensuring that the Formation commander has access to a UAV or two, continuously. The physical location of the UAV operator is also not as critical as assumed. Regardless of where he is, the Formation commander just needs access to the sensor output and have some capacity to direct it to his area of interest.

The Elbit Hermes 450 has a payload capacity of 150kg, with a 20-hour endurance, a maximum speed of 95 knots and 18,000ft ceiling. Logically this means it can be based somewhere with the appropriate facilities and “fly to work” as and when required. The

BAE systems HERTI, based on a manned high performance ultra-light has a better allround flight performance, but it limited to paved surface operation only, where as Hermes can use a catapult and parachute system for launch and recovery. Both of these systems, including the ground station, are transportable by a large truck. Arguably the actual aircraft performance is not a problem.

Sensors As said at the outset, the job of a UAV is to

SkyLite B seen on it’s launch ramp. (PHOTO: RAFAEL)

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UAV images vary immensely in quality

get a senor in useful proximity to a target.

As we have also discussed the need to define the sensor does not necessarily define which or what type of UAV is required. Sensors are not merely electrooptical payloads optimised for transmitting

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Why does a Formation want another set of details and capabilities to work with, if they can give the problem to someone else? real time video. SIGINT, EW and SAR payloads may also be required. Formations are normally the lowest level at which EW and SIGINT is grouped, to the requirement to provide UAV support to troops is clearly required. However, this creates a division of attention for the UAV. In reality the ability to carry changeable or multiple sensors can create competing missions. The simple

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way around this is to have two dedicated UAV operations at the Formation level.

One supports the SIGINT/EW groups and the other the more general ISTAR activity for which UAVs are commonly employed.

If you also add the requirement for wide area communications relay, for tactical intranets, then there is another competing mission. This might indicate that instead of UAVs being grouped that the formation level, as a supporting arm, they might need to be grouped with the arms they support.

This would mean signals units would have dedicate UAV support, and Artillery or ISTAR groups would also have dedicated support. There are obvious cost implications but there is also the opportunity of

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being able to optimise the number of airframes and airframe performance types to the mission. A SIGNINT EW mission profile might be very different from an electrooptical ISTAR mission. Each mission type might also entail greatly differing degrees of risk, and airframe attrition, so if one UAV unit had to handle competing mission types, certain missions may accumulate loses that would negatively impact the capability to conduct other mission types.

Big Birds At the above formation level, there are the giants such as Predator B, Global Hawk or Heron TP. While all have vastly differing capabilities, they require a manned aircraft

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level of infrastructure and are tied to fixed bases. The reality of this, is that the units they support do not have to worry about the administration or logistic for such a system. They can reap real benefits without the cost of ownership. This is not a simplistic allegation or fact. It does point towards the merit of having larger UAVs that work at longer ranges and for longer times. Why does a Formation want another set of details and capabilities to work with, if they can give the problem to someone else?

The exception may be the larger vertical BAE Systems HERTI prototype. (PHOTO: BAE Systems)

takeoff UAVs such as Northrop Grumman’s Fire Scout MQ-8B, and Bell’s Eagle Eye. These approximately 3,000lbs weight aircraft are probably too complex to be supported by a formation, but their capabilities in some respects make them ideal. In addition, they can operate from ships or any other terrain that would allow a helicopter to land and take off. They also have fewer weather limitations than some fixed wing types of a similar capability.

What does this all mean?

The traditional view that a UAV requirement was about sensors and not airframes, probably needs to be challenged, because

OCTOBER 2008

the realities of the airframes capability is directly responsible for getting the sensor to a time and place in space where it is needed. What is more, different sensors require different flight profiles and the airframe will have to be matched to the sensor, and vice versa.

UAVs are not a one size fits all solution and there is a very finite number of differing systems most armies can afford to operate. The cost implications are also often substantial and the result poor decisions may be felt far more quickly than some realise. Testing, trials and operational analysis should avoid all this, but history AMR seems to prove otherwise.

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Pakistan: what price loose nukes?

Following the assassination on 27 December 2007 of the former Prime Minister and opposition leader of Pakistan, Benazir Bhutto, the international concerns re-emerged about the country's nuclear weapons security. It has long been predicted that the country's political and domestic instability would put its nuclear weapons at risk. Pakistan’s uneasy status as a US ally in the so-called ‘war on terror’, together with escalating internal pressure and the long-standing dispute over Kashmir, makes the country a veritable powder keg in terms of continuing volatility.

by Andy Oppenheimer

Ghauri seen at IDEAS, Karachi in 2006

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he country’s past record of disseminating nuclear information and technology, together with enhanced power of the Taleban and the continued training and recruitment of Al-Qaeda in Pakistan, makes the country arguably the world’s number one nuclear proliferation concern. The 'loose nukes' issue has long prevailed - that an Islamic extremist group could take over power, and hence, control of Pakistan's nuclear arsenal, severely threatening regional security. And that this could lead to Al-Qaeda acquiring a nuclear warhead or nuclear materials as a result.

The alliance with the US forged by the former and now discredited President, Pervez Musharraf, has done much to enhance the country's vulnerability.

Islamabad has been receiving military assistance from the US to the tune of a billion dollars a year. At the same time, the behaviour of Islamabad towards US influence and pressure has been inconsistent to say the least. The central government has failed to pursue the leadership of the Taliban, turning a blind eye to its unrestricted running of its Afghan operations from the capital of Balochistan province, Quetta. And more recently Pakistani paramilitary Frontier Corps troops have been implicated with providing both tacit and direct support to Taliban militants, who are launching crossborder attacks against Afghan military and US-led coalition forces. Pressure has been increasing on Pakistan in recent months to crack down on Taliban militants based in the west of the country who cross the porous border to fight against Nato troops in Afghanistan. But Islamabad has at times reduced its own military presence in the terrorist-infested border region.

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Zardari will appoint the chief of Pakistan's armed forces, which have been the guarantors of the nuclear-armed nation's security and stability. unpopular that when it finally steps in there is a huge collective sigh of relief across the country. Zardari has gone out of his way recently to reassure Washington of Pakistan’s continued support in countermilitant operations, but will find it hard to deal with those elements within the Pakistani security establishment, most notably, the military intelligence services, who are supporting Taliban factions.

The military’s attitude to the US border operation came to a head in September, when a US raid into Pakistan's South Waziristan border region, alleged hiding place of Osama bin Laden and al Qaeda No. 2 Ayman al-Zawahri, killed 15 civilians, thereby provoking Pakistan's military chief, Gen. Ashfaq Parvez Kayani to state his country's sovereignty would be defended "at all cost”. Kayani insisted the raid was not covered by any agreement between Pakistan and US-led forces in Afghanistan

and risked stoking up militancy in a region that Washington regards as an intolerably safe haven for al Qaeda and Taliban militants. The objective and results of the mission remain unclear, but, the raid indicates that, despite the political fallout in Pakistan Washington is heightening aggression against militant targets beyond Afghanistan's frontier.

The terrorist threat Pakistan military and security forces are engaged in almost daily military operations against domestic as well as border terrorists, increasingly to safeguard its own precarious regime as much as cooperating with the US activity in Afghanistan and the border areas. A wave of terrorist bombings pitched Islamabad into a renewed military operation in the largely poorly governed western frontier. Al-Qaeda has also restored its headquarters and training camps in the border area. Much of Pakistani territory is still partly or wholly controlled by insurgents, who are bent on committing hostile acts in the West. Camps have been maintained to train foreign terrorists, most notably the suicide bombers who blew up bombs on the London transit network on 7 July, 2005, and others on trial for plotting similar acts.

New president, new instability The inauguration of Bhutto’s widower, Asif Ali Zardari as the new president, makes him the most powerful civilian to take the office in the volatile state for more than 30 years.

Instability may worsen, with division over how to contain a growing Islamic militant insurgency as well as deal with a crumbling economy. Zardari will appoint the chief of Pakistan's armed forces, which have been the guarantors of the nuclear-armed nation's security and stability. Some regard a confrontation as likely; the army has historically allowed politicians to become so

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A Space Imaging shot of the Kushad heavy water reactor

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Musharraf is alleged to have ordered an emergency redeployment of nuclear arsenals to at least six secret sites following US insistence that the country's nuclear arsenal be safeguarded following the Bhutto assassination..

India, and the wider world, fear the leakage of nuclear materials and capability to Taliban activists based in the northwest frontier with Afghanistan. Infiltration of the military by Taliban elements and consequent interference with its stewardship of the nuclear arsenal will enhance the danger of unauthorised use of nuclear weapons.

Vulnerable safeguards Musharraf is alleged to have ordered an emergency redeployment of nuclear arsenals to at least six secret sites following US insistence that the country's nuclear arsenal be safeguarded following the Bhutto assassination. Musharraf agreed to policy changes and security upgrades, as well as dismissing intelligence officials suspected of ties to the Taliban. It was also agreed to move some nuclear weapons to more secure locations while a US offer to help design a system of controls, barriers, locks and sensors was accepted – but not the introduction of permissive action links (PALs) – the integrated electronic special access codes required to arm and detonate the weapons. Instead, Pakistan chose to physically separate the bomb components and isolate the fissile cores and triggers from the weapons and store them at several military bases, some of which are in insurgency-prone areas. In theory, the weapons are well dispersed and under tight security with the warheads stored separately from the delivery systems. But in reality, distributing assembled systems in this way may make the weapons more vulnerable to seizure by terrorists or renegade national forces. The Bush administration has also supplied security equipment to enhance nuclear security, including intrusion detectors, ID systems, fencing and surveillance systems, and equipment for tracking nuclear material if it left secure

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areas. This $100-million highly classified programme has, however, taken longer than planned.

Pakistan has, nevertheless, tried to reduce international fears by claiming that all of its civilian nuclear sites are under IAEA supervision. Since 2000, the nation's key nuclear institutions have been under the unified control of the National Command Authority, a joint military-civilian structure that includes military, political and scientific officials, with Pakistan's President having the final say. Nuclear production, research, and deployment efforts and facilities are, however, maintained by a joint military command - the Strategic Plans Division.

How proliferation works Distribution of Pakistan’s nuclear secrets around the world via the transcontinental

The A5 Fantan was traditionally the feared method of nuclear delivery prior to the TBM developments

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Ghauri seen during tests

‘Wal-Mart’ network of front-company suppliers run by the Pakistani renegade scientist A Q Khan, and evidence that Al Qaeda recruited Pakistani scientists, has affected relations between Pakistan and the international community and has made it difficult for Islamabad to enter into nuclear sharing agreements with other countries.

The Khan revelations proved how the true identity of end users for purchased components and equipment could be disguised, with the materials themselves being dual-use and therefore difficult to track and apprehend. Considerable US pressure was also put on Pakistan to close down the network once evidence emerged that it had not only procured materials for Pakistan’s own weapons effort, but had also substantially assisted several other ‘states of concern’ – Iran, Libya and North Korea - through provision of gas centrifuge equipment and technology for enriching uranium and bomb designs for fission weapons. Only when the US provided undeniable proof of the network in 2003 did Musharraf finally shut it down. While Khan remains under house arrest in Islamabad, there is growing pressure in the country to free him.

Details of the extent of the network continue to emerge. Electronic blueprints for advanced nuclear weapons were found two years ago on computers belonging to one of

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the Khan linkmen, Swiss engineer Urs Tinner. Khan was known to have sold uranium enrichment secrets as well as basic bomb designs, but the so-called blueprints discovered on Tinner's computer showed a far more sophisticated design. Not only were the designs in electronic form, meaning they could be easily shared, but the information was also reportedly coded so that its parts could be speedily transferred for use in an automated manufacturing process.

Proliferation is nearly always a two-way process. Khan was the main procurer of help for Pakistan’s nuclear development before he started helping other countries.

Pakistan also in turn received help from China to develop nuclear weapons, in the form of full design details for a 25 kT device and, in the mid-1990s, a tritium facility (which would enable fusion weapon development) and gas centrifuge equipment for uranium enrichment.

Nuclear insecurity in Pakistan is not only focused on proliferation of expertise and materials, but also on problems of sustainable control of materials stewardship; its nuclear facility workers may seek to earn money from bomb components or fissile material trading. And it is widely believed that Khan could not have exported Pakistan’s nuclear secrets without the knowledge of members of the military and Shaheen 2 seen on its TEL.

And it is widely believed that Khan could not have exported Pakistan’s nuclear secrets without the knowledge of members of the military and the Inter-Services Intelligence agency (ISI), especially as Pakistani military aircraft were used to ship materials. the Inter-Services Intelligence agency (ISI), especially as Pakistani military aircraft were used to ship materials.

A joint report by EU intelligence agencies in 2007 claimed that subsequent, smaller proliferation networks have emerged and could be operating across borders. Many foreign scientists and companies involved in the network have escaped prosecution.

All these developments add to the fears that Al-Qaeda will gain the means to make a crude nuclear device, despite Islamabad’s assurances that its nuclear arsenal is not in danger of falling into terrorist hands.

The Pakistani arsenal Many observers, however, believe that the US has focused too greatly on Iran and North Korea as major nuclear threats, rather overlooking an established but unstable nuclear weapons state with armed funda-

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mentalist Islamic groups and enough material to build at least 30 nuclear weapons.

The establishment of a robust nuclear deterrent has for decades been regarded by Pakistan - the world's only Muslim nuclear weapons state - as vital for its national survival and a source of great national pride. It has never signed the Nuclear NonProliferation Treaty (NPT) of 1968, and in the past has not ruled out a nuclear strike against India if its territorial integrity were to be threatened. The nuclear programme was built up through intense rivalry with India and entirely through illicit procurement of materials diverted from peacefullyoriented nuclear energy research. This provided a veritable role model for countries seeking to become nuclear weapons states.

The country is estimated to hold 35 to 95 nuclear bombs or warheads, with some recent estimates putting the arsenal as high as 150. Some 20 facilities include uranium mines; gas-centrifuge plants (set up by A Q Khan) to produce highly enriched uranium (HEU); light and heavy water research reactors; and plutonium reprocessing facilities.

Pakistan is in the process of expanding its nuclear complex through a new plutonium production reactor and a new chemical separation facility. It is believed on the basis of US intelligence reports to be constructing a heavy water reactor at the Khushab nuclear site in Pakistani Punjab, which could produce over 200 kg of weaponsgrade plutonium for 40 to 50 nuclear

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India, and the wider world, fear the leakage of nuclear materials and capability to Taliban activists based in the northwest frontier with Afghanistan. Infiltration of the military by Taliban elements and consequent interference with its stewardship of the nuclear arsenal will enhance the danger of unauthorised use of nuclear weapons. weapons a year as well as a new generation of lighter and more powerful nuclear weapons. Satellite surveillance has revealed a round, metal structure that appears to be a reactor vessel housed within a building under construction, and which appears much larger than the currently operating reactor on the site.

Assuming Pakistan’s plutonium weapons designs are up to date, it will need just 4-5 kg of plutonium per weapon, and would therefore be able to produce 40 to 50 nuclear weapons a year – a substantial increase on its current arsenal. Missile deployment of these weapons requires advanced warhead designs. And further production of plutonium weapons will depend on the Khushab plant’s ability to operate at full power for only 220 days per year - around two-thirds of the time.

Pakistan will also need about 100 to 150 tonnes of heavy water, far more than the estimated 13 tonnes a year the Khushab heavy water production plant will be able to produce, so will need to supplement this supply from other upgraded facilities.

The Bush administration has tried to dissuade Islamabad from using Khushab for making fissile material for bombs, as such plutonium-producing reactors have little other purpose. Pakistan is unlikely to respond, as the reactor will boost the country’s nuclear capability considerably, providing it with the option of deploying from land, sea or air and the ability to secure second-strike capability against India, which has an estimated 30 to 35 plutonium warheads. Up until the Khushab development the Pakistan arsenal has consisted chiefly on

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around 50 bulkier, less sophisticated uranium-based warheads, with less than half a dozen more powerful and missile-deployable plutonium-based weapons.

Pakistan's first nuclear tests were made in May 1998, when six warheads were tested. It is reported that the yields from these tests were 12 kT, 30 to 35 kT and four lowyield (below 1 kT) tests. From these tests Pakistan can be estimated to have developed operational warheads of 20 to 25 kT and 150 kT in the shape of low weight compact designs. Pakistan’s nuclear posture is primarily aimed at deterring a conventional Indian attack, although Islamabad has not

yet formally issued its nuclear doctrine.

The Pakistani missile inventory is also expanding, with two ballistic missile tests in quick succession in February and March 2007 at the same time as Pakistan and India continued discussions on nuclear confidence-building measures. The main intermediate-range ballistic missile, the Hatf VI/Shaheen II, has a range of 2,000 km and was previously tested in April 2006. Several weeks later, in March 2007, Islamabad successfully carried out a test of the HatfII/Abdali short-range missile, able to reach targets up to 200 km away. The 2007 tests came only two months after Islamabad tested three other nuclear capable ballistic missiles in quick succession - of the 1,300-km Hatf V/Ghauri I and the 700-km-range Hatf IV/Shaheen I missile. In December 2007 Pakistan tested the 290-km-range Hatf III/Ghaznavi missile, which can strike cities in northern and western India. It is also believed to be developing a 3,500-kmrange ballistic missile, the Ghauri III, but so far no tests of this system are known to have been conducted. The Babur cruise missile adds a further dimension to Pakistan’s capability.

Relations with India

Shaheen 1 seen ready for launch

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While there appears some reduction in the temperature of the Kashmir dispute, the danger of a nuclear miscalculation remains. Any growing nuclear insecurity will worsen regional instability, particularly regarding India. Pakistan has reacted adversely to the impending nuclear technology transfer deal being finalised between the US and India, which, subject to approval by both countries' legislatures, will enable the US to supply India with nuclear technology, with the only condition being that 14 out of Pakistan’s 22 reactors are opened up for inspection by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) – but not its military nuclear production facilities. This escape clause, Pakistan fears, will enable India to expand its weapons production capability to as many as 50 weapons per year, compared to the current ten, from the fissile material produced by the eight unsafeguarded reactors – as it will be able to re-direct domestic fissile material to the weapons programme while using foreign supplies for its burgeoning energy needs.

This may negate Pakistan’s efforts to catch up, via the Khushab reactor, with India’s A MR nuclear pre-eminence.

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AUSTRALIA Labour reopens Land 121 In august the new Australian Labor government announced that it would be reopening the A$1.6 billion Project Overlander (Land 121) competition for a fleet of 2,400 logistics vehicles.

The defence minister Joel Fitzgibbon said that the previous Howard government had rushed the deal through last year a in a bid to gain political points before the general election that it lost to Labor and that the offer made by BAE Systems did not meet Australian Defence Force needs.

The cancellation of the BAE System's contract sparked a major political row with the Liberal Party accusing Fitzgibbon of further attempts to politicise defence acquisition. The Shadow defence minister, Nick Minchin, said that the attempts are 'simply no longer believable’ and that in awarding the contract the then Defence Minster Brendan Nelson had followed the full Kinnaird process.

The country’s Defence Material Organisation is now seeking to re-bid the competition.

Tiger capability achieved This week the Australian government announced that the Australian Army had deployed three Tiger Armed Reconnaissance Helicopters, to the Northern Territory. The aircraft are being based at Robertson Barracks in Darwin.

Speaking at the new purpose built facilities, the Minister for Defence Science and Personnel, Warren Snowdon, said that ultimately the Australian Defence Force (ADF) plans to station 17 of its 22 Tiger helicopters in Darwin as part of the 1st Aviation Regiment. The aircraft will form two flying squadrons' the 161st and 162nd Reconnaissance Squadrons. The squadrons will be colocated with the army's 1st Brigade.

The new facilities for the Tiger hel-

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icopter at Robertson Barracks were built at a cost of $70 million, and were designed and delivered through locally based contractors. The facilities provide a home base for the army's Armed Reconnaissance Helicopter Regiment and the specialist maintenance and logistic support team from the Tiger prime contractor, Australian Aerospace.

The ADF has been careful to try and counter any problems that operating the Tiger in the hot and humid condition in the Northern Territories might entail. When the aircraft was selected, rather than the US Apache, concerns were raised about the suitability of an aircraft built originally for operation in the temperate climate of Northern Europe. However, Australian Aerospace and the Department of Defence have worked to address those concerns.

AWD selects sonar supplier Australia’s Air Warfare Destroyer (AWD) Alliance achieved an important milestone in the AWD project in august with the selection of Ultra Electronics as the preferred supplier of the sonar system aboard the ships.

The Chief of the Capability Development Group at Australia’s Defence Material Organisation, Vice Admiral Matt Tripovich, told officials that the selection of Ultra Electronics will ensure the AWDs are equipped with a sonar system that provides excellent anti-submarine and torpedo defence capability.

As part of the deal Ultra Electronics has committed to undertake more than 50 per cent of its AWD sonar systems work in Australia.

The alliance is also expected to shortly begin issuing Requests for Tender to selected companies for work on the ships’ hull blocks, as well as work on other elements of the ships’ combat systems.

CHINA Smerch technology According to Russian reports Rosoboronexport, the country’s state defence export agency, is preparing to transfer the technology for the production of elements of the Smerch multiple launch rocket system (MLRS) to Beijing.

Russia’s Kommersant newspaper said that the plans are discussed in a letter from general director of the Perm Powder Mill Alexander Melentyev to Governor of Perm Territory Oleg Chirkunov dated June 23, 2008.

According Kommersant the mill concluded an agreement to manufacture and deliver equipment for the production of SND-100 rocket fuel to the Splav enterprise in Tula. Splav in turn would resell the equipment and technology to China under a 2004 contract to transfer the production capability of the Smerch system.

However, the deal causes concern for the enterprises because of the potential loss of technology to Chinese competitors. The Smerch MLRS has a 90 km range, was developed by Splav, and manufactured by OAO Motovilikhinskie Plants.

China orders Tigr According to international reports Beijing has signed a contract with Russia to buy 100 Tigr 4 x 4 lightweight multipurpose military vehicles. The deal is believed ot have been signed in early 2008 but details have only just become available.

An initial 10 vehicles are to be supplied by Arzamas Machinery Plant with the other 90 vehicles being delivered in kit form for Assembly in China. Russian officials are not believed to be worried about technology transfer, which has become a major sticking point in arms deals between the two countries, in this instance.

The Tigr is believed to have been developed from a vehicle that won a 1998 competition in the United Arab Emirates for a light mobility vehicle. The vehicle is now offered in some six variants with weight ranges from 6.3 tons to 7.6 tons. China is believed to have opted for the heaviest class.

Assembly of the Chinese Tigrs, which can carry up nine passengers and also has heavy machine gun and automatic grenade launcher mountings, is expected to begin next year.

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INDONESIA New amphibious armoured vehicles Indonesia has purchased 20 Russian BMP3F infantry fighting vehicles (IFVs) from Moscow as part of the latter's arms purchase credits extended to Jakarta. The purchase is reported to have been confirmed by Russia's ambassador to Indonesia, Alexander Ivanov.

The official said that representatives of the Russian arms exporter Rosoboronexport and the Indonesian Defense Ministry had signed a $40 million contract in late August for the delivery of a consignment of BMP-3F IFVs. Delivery of the IFVs is expected to be made in 2010.

The new vehicles will replace some of the country's existing PT-76 vehicles that are currently in service with the Indonesian armed forces. The PT-76 is a Soviet-era light amphibious tank which was originally introduced in the early 1950s. The tank has a 76.2 mm D-56T series rifled tank gun.

The BMP-3F is a variant of the BMP-3 IFV intended for the use of marine forces. The vehicle can navigate afloat

MALAYSIA New radar network Malaysia is in the process of installing a new surveillance and warning system along the east coast of Sabah to give greater coverage of the waters off the coast. The new system will consist of nine radar stations set up at a variety of installations along the coast.

The first station is to be located at Tawau with further stations coming on line incrementally. The type of radar was not mentioned but it is believed to be of US origin. Officials told local reporters that the radars would be able to track the movements of boats and ships out to a distance of 70km off shore.

These radar will provide more effective coverage and give the Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency and Malaysian armed forces a much clearer picture of the environment off the coast f Sabah. There are increasing concerns

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and climb ashore in conditions up to Sea State three. The vehicle can operate afloat for up to seven hours and can conduct accurate fire in up to Sea State Two. The vehicle is capable of engaging targets at a range of up to 5,000-6,000 meters with its anti-tank guided missile system, the 9K116-3 Basnya. The IFV also has a 100mm calibre main gun.

Northrop F-5s, as well as the A-4s. In 2007 the US resumed talks with Jakarta on weapons sales with Washington proposing a deferred installment payment scheme that would allow Indonesia to buy six Block 50/52 F-16C/Ds to be delivered from 2010, and upgrade six of its airworthy F-16A/Bs to the enhanced standard.

Delivery of Russian helicopters Delivery of Russian jets As Asian Military Review went to press Indonesia was set to take delivery of a new batch of six Sukhoi Su-27/30 fighters after officials finalised the funding plans for the aircraft. Reports suggest that these aircraft may be separate to those ordered by Jakarta in 2007 as part of a $355 million deal with Moscow.

The delivery of the aircraft will bolster the Indonesian Air Force’s capabilities and will likely allow the country to retire its aging fleet of McDonnell Douglas A-4 Skyhawks next year.

However, the country is not relying solely on Russian supplies to modernise its armed forces. The country also continues to operate US Lockheed Martin F-16A/Bs and

over a variety of illegal activities taking place off the coast of Malaysia.

The installation of the radar network is the latest step by Malaysia in upgrading its surveillance infrastructure.

Earlier in the year ThalesRaytheonSystems announced that it had been awarded a contract by the Malaysian Ministry of Defence to upgrade the Malaysian Air Defence Ground Environment system, including the delivery of new long-range air defence radars developed by ThalesRaytheonSystems in France.

Further out Malaysia is also believed to be interested in deploying unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) to patrol its more remote coastal and inland areas. The country is developing its own indigenous UAV capability, but is likely to need assistance in developing the right payloads including coastal surveillance radars.

ASIAN MILITARY REVIEW

In August Indonesia took delivery of six Mil Mi-17 V helicopters ordered by the country from Russia in 2003. The aircraft were delivered tothe Indonesian Navy`s airbase in Surabaya, East Java..

The Indonesian Defense Ministry`s director general for defence facilities theRussian Ambassador and a number of Indonesian National Defense Forces officials were present at the air base for the arrival. The aircraft are to be used by the Army`s Aviation Center and were purchased at a cost of around $21.6 million.

The helicopters will be used not only for military purposes but also for non-military assignments such as disaster relief.

JAPAN Arms export restrictions According to local reports has toughened its arms export rules under revised legislation that expands the range of products subject to export control. Trade ministry officials said that the move would contribute to enhanced international security.

Some 32 items including nickel alloy, gravity meters, marine cameras and radar devices have been added to the country's trade control list.

Under the revised Foreign Exchange and Foreign Trade Law Japan has also tightened restrictions on exports to a number of countries including Afghanistan, Iraq, North Korea and Somalia.

In addition, companies and individuals will be required to seek approval from the trade ministry if they plan to export any of the new items or other high technology products that are already on the list. However, exports to 26 countries mainly in the West but including the likes of Australia, Germany, Sweden and the USA will continue to be exempt.

REGIONAL NEWS A N D

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

INDIA Mine-countermeasures system The Indian Navy has become the ninth customer for the Australian Minesweeping System (AMS), developed by Australia's Defence Science and Technology Organisation (DSTO) and now marketed by Thales Australia.

The sale is significant because it is the largest single overseas order for the system since it was first offered for export in 1992 and hints at a burgeoning defence relationship between Australia and India.

However, further details of the sale and the number of systems being procured by the IN was not forthcoming.

The AMS incorporates the DSTO-developed compact self-powered sweep called Dyad that emulates the magnetic signatures of target vessels, causing sea mines to detonate safely out of range of minesweeping or other vessels. After initial success with the system it was picked up commercially by Australian Defence industries and further developed before the company was bought by Thales.

SSN to join IN fleet in 2009 The Indian Navy (IN) is on track to have its capabilities bolstered next year with the delivery from Russia of an Akula class nuclear powered attack submarine (SSN) according to local reports. The addition of an SSN to the fleet will vastly increase the IN's submarine capabilities.

Speaking to an audience in New Delhi IN chief Admiral Sureesh Mehta said that the submarine would be operational, but that it would mainly be used for training naval operators in how to handle a nuclear powered submarine. The IN is conducting the training in preparation for the launch of an indigenously developed class of SSNs, the first of which is being built under strict security at Mazagaon docks in Mumbai.

The indigenous boat is a Defence Research and Development Organisation project, dubbed the Advanced Technology Vehicle.

The ATV project was initiated in 1976 but only gained impetus this decade. The vessel is said to be well on its way to undertaking its first sea in two years from now.

However, the project continues to suffer serious setbacks. The acquisition of an Akula class submarine will give Indian scientists access to some of the technologies

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that it has found difficult to replicate.

The IN's eventual aim is to develop a nuclear second strike capability. Adm Mehta told his audience that, 'with nuclear proliferation posing a greater threat along with weapons of mass destruction, our unilateral policy of no-first-use necessitates that India possesses a credible and survivable nuclear deterrent including [a] submarine-launched [capability].'

Delivery of its first 3-D Rohini radar Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL), an Indian Defence Public Sector Undertaking, handed over the first of the 3-dimensional Rohini radars in August to the Indian Air Force (IAF).

The Multifunction Medium Range Surveillance Radar has been developed by the Defence Research and Development Organisation's (DRDO) Electronics and Radar Development Establishment, Bangalore and was engineered and produced by BEL. According to officials, it is capable of handling multiple targets simultaneously and also precisely calculates the height that the projectiles are flying.

The radar is mounted on a Tetra truck built by the public sector Bharat Earth Movers Limited and supported by an auxiliary mobile power unit. The mobility platform enables the Rohini to be easily deployed to the battlefield.

The radar will give the IAF better air surveillance capability, particularly at low altitudes. It will operate in a range of up to 170 km and an altitude of 15 km, the radar can track multiple targets. The radar employs an array of electronic

ASIAN MILITARY REVIEW

counter counter measure features including frequency agility and jammer analysis. A secondary Identification Friend or Foe surveillance radar is integrated with the primary radar. BEL expects to build around 20 Rohini radars every year.

T-90 technology transfer According to reports Moscow has agreed to transfer some of the technology for the T-90 main battle tank (MBT) to India further boosting Russo-Indian defence collaboration. For several years Indian officials in Moscow have attempted to negotiate the deal to better support the T-90 MBTs purchased from Russia.

India’s state-owned Ordnance Factories Board, which administers India's 39 ordnance factories, originally concluded the technology transfer agreement with Russia in 2001. However, Moscow refused to transfer key barrel specifications and other technology issues to India leaving the country unable to fully support the 310 T-90s originally acquired by New Delhi.

The new agreement will not only support these tanks but also speed production of a further 1,000 T90S MBTs being built under licence at the Avadi Heavy Vehicles Factory.

Those vehicles are expected to become available by 2020.

Reports suggest that the Indian Army has plans for 21 regiments of T-90S MBTs each equipped with around 45 tanks.

REGIONAL NEWS A N D

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

PHILIPPINES New ATC radar The Defence Electronics business of EADS Defence & Security (DS) has delivered an advanced secondary radar system for air traffic control ATC to the Philippine Air Transportation Office (ATO). The Monopulse Secondary Surveillance Radar (MSSR) 2000 I is the first building block of a comprehensive modern ATC network for the country.

In delivering the radar to Manila Defence Electronics has established the first part of an ATC system employing the latest Mode-S standard for the region.

EADS DS in Germany is currently bringing the second of two Mode-S ATC networks into operation. The radar will be maintained locally by Integrated Energy Systems & Resources Inc (IESRI), Manila/Philippines, which has taken over responsibility for the system with technical support from EADS DS. The MSSR 2000 I secondary radar provides detailed information about the current air situation based on interrogations that are in part transmitted in coded form, and automatic replies from the aircraft.

SINGAPORE Last Formidable frigate delivered DCNS has delivered the sixth and final Formidable class frigate, RSS Supreme (73), to the Republic of Singapore Navy (RSN) for final trials and work-up.

With the announcement DCNS and its local partner Singapore Technologies Marine said that they had completed the New Frigate Programme for RSN, which sees the services capabilities expanded by the new frigates based on the French La Fayette design.

French naval manufacturer, DCNS, was awarded a contract to build the six Formidable class frigates in 2000. One of the main considerations of Singapore's Defence and Science Technology Agency (DSTA) was DCNS agreement to transfer the technology to ST Marine, allowing Singapore to build up its own naval capabilities.

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This enables the MSSR 2000 I to accurately identify and track aircraft in the airspace.

In military terms, the MSSR 2000 I can be used for automatic identification of friendly forces. It is the only civil/military qualified Mode-S enhanced surveillance secondary radar that also offers military Mode-5 capabilities. This dual use capability offers significant commonality savings. More than 140 Mode S-capable systems have been sold worldwide.

Fast-track transport aircraft buy Manila has said it will fast-track the acquisition of new C-130 Hercules transport aircraft following the crash of an ageing Philippine Air Force C-130 in August. The aircraft was one of the two remaining operational PAF transport aircraft.

The crashed C-130 was on its way to Iloilo City to pick up 100 members of the Presidential Security Group who were returning to Manila when the aircraft crashed after take off at Davao airport.

Officials immediately launched an investigation in to the crash and grounded the PAF’s C-130 for inspection at Mactan Air

The first frigate, RSS Formidable, was built at the DCNS shipyard in Lorient, France. But the five following frigates were built in Singapore by ST Marine under DCNS supervision. The French company commenced operations in Singapore in 2002 and today has a team of 40 staff based in Singapore to transfer technology and know how to ST Marine.

RSS Supreme and its sister ship RSS Stalwart (72) are expected to be commissioned in to RSN service in the first quarter of 2009. The first four Formidable class Frigates are already in operation and participating in advanced combat exercises with a number of Singapore's partners.

The Formidable class is a 3,200 tonne, 114 -metre long, frigate that has greatly enhanced the RSN's combat potential. The multi-role vessels have anti-air, anti-surface and anti-submarine warfare capabilities.

ASIAN MILITARY REVIEW

Base in Lapu-Lapu City effectively wiping out the PAf’s air transport capability.

However, the Department of National Defense said that in view of the crash it would accelerate talks with the Washington on the acquisition of new C130s. ‘They (DND) are making contact with our partners in the US under the Mutual Defense Treaty to acquire air assets and the US would understand this. I’m sure both sides are making moves already,’ Executive Secretary Eduardo Ermita told the local Philippine Star newspaper.

However, new transport aircraft will be an expensive purchase for the cash strapped Philippine armed forces and there are hopes that Washington will extend Foreign Military Financing to help cover the cost. According to the US State Department some $100 million in US military assistance is being extended to the Philippines under various programmes.

In Manila there are moves by legislators to find the money necessary to buy up to five new aircraft. Legislators told the Philippine Star that they would be willing to allocate one billion Philippine Pesos to the PAF to purchase the aircraft.

TAIWAN Harpoon sale signed According to international reports the US Department of Defense is set to deliver 60 tactical Harpoon air launched missiles to Taiwan under an $89.7 million Foreign Military Sales (FMS) contract signed in late August. The missiles are destined for the country’s 12 P-3C Orion maritime patrol aircraft released to Taiwan last year.

The Harpoon sale is considered a positive development by Taipei after the Bush administration froze US arms deals with Taiwan in the run up to the Olympic Games in Beijing in August. There were worries in the country that Washington would continue to hold up sales until after the presidential elections in November.

The Harpoon system will increase the capabilities of the Taiwanese armed forces. The air launched anti-ship missile will give the country further capabilities to protect the vulnerable Taiwan Straits between the island nation and mainland China.

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