Asian Military Review - September/October 2009

VOLUME 17/ISSUE 6

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SOUTH KOREA

DEFENCE

MAGAZINE

BATTLE MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS

AIRBORNE EARLY WARNING NAVAL EW

CIRCULATED

NORTH KOREAN WMD LIGHT ARMOURED VEHICLES

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Contents SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2009 VOLUME 17 / ISSUE 6

24 SOUTH KOREAN

ARMED FORCES: WATCHING ACROSS THE DMZ

Gordon Arthur No country would wish to border a pariah state intent on developing nuclear weapons, yet this is the unenviable position that South Korea finds itself in. Its North Korean neighbour has more than 1.1 million active-duty soldiers and 4.7 million reservists. perpetually poised near the Demilitarised Zone. In recent years, the nation’s defence sector has matured, propelled by deliberate governmental policies of stimulating the domestic economy and promoting military self reliance, often in partnership with overseas industrial partners while still maintaining its strong links with the US

Front Cover Photo: As the original MRAPs

are too heavy and cumbersome to use for off road operations in Afghanistan the DoD is acquiring the lighter 4x4 MRAP-All Terrain Vehicle (M-ATV). The US Army selected Oshkosh’s M-ATV design following the evaluation of six competing proposals and on 1 July 2009 awarded the company an initial $1.05 billion contract for 2,244 M-ATVs and a month later placed a $1.06 billion delivery order for another 1,700 vehicles © Oshkosh

Light vehicles

AEW Aircraft: Securing the skies with the best airborne eyes

bulk up

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Ian Kemp The casualties suffered by NATO and other forces operating in the Former Yugoslavia and Somalia during the 1990s demonstrated the need to replace unarmoured light utility vehicles with multipurpose armoured vehicles able to protect occupants against small arms fire, shell splinters and land mines. Operations in Afghanistan and Iraq have added the imperative to also provide protection against improvised explosive devices, responsible for the majority of Coaltion deaths

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Cluttering and Uncluttering the Naval Battlespace

Tom Withington A glance at a warship will indicate the immense importance of electronics to a modern navy. Today’s surface combatants bristle with an array of radar, satellite dishes and aerials which provide the vessel’s eyes, ears and vocal chords, enabling it to see what is in its locale, to communicate that information outwards and to receive similar news.

Consequently, an ability to frustrate, spoof or damage that capability via Electronic Warfare is being keenly pursued by navies around the world

John Mulberry As air forces in the region modernise, they are looking to acquire or update a number of key capabilities. At the top of the shopping list is, of course, modern fighter fleets, but also coming close to the top are modern Airborne Early Warning systems. Flying at high altitude, their ability to distinguish between friend and foe allow hostile aircraft to be detected from hundreds of miles away, allowing the operating nation to direct fighters to target locations with the confidence inherent in having a complete view of the battlespace

Managing the Battle

North Korea & denuclearisation: Looking to the future

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Adam Baddeley The function of a Battle Management System is self evident; managing the battle.

The basic objectives of any BMS is to ensure the real time flow of information between users and display that information in an intuitive way that is easy to interrogate and is scalable from the brigade and battalion down to both the individual vehicle and dismounted soldier.

Straightforward goals maybe, but in practice anything but simple to achieve

Andy Oppenheimer Following the underground nuclear blast conducted by North Korea on 25th May, a senior US defence official said: "The concern is not just that they have a nuclear weapon; it's what they're going to do with the technology and where it's going to go." What remains to be seen is if its North Korean strategy will be all that different from that of the Bush administration. The giant leap Washington faces is whether to offer the North Koreans robust security guarantees with fewer conditions than the past administration, including normalisation of relations and economic aid

SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2009

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Editorial

Index of Advertisers AGUSTA WESTLAND DIMDEX 2010 DSM DYNEEMA EADS ELISRA EUROSATORY 2010 GLOBAL SECURITY INDIA HONEYWELL IDEAS 2010 INDESEC LIMA 2009 MILITARY FLIGHT TRAINING NEXTER RENAULT RHEINMETALL SINGAPORE AIRSHOW 2010 SMI TEXTRON

4th Cover 43 02 14-15 13 45 39 17 47 33 41 35 07 11 2nd Cover 3rd Cover 23 09

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One need only look to Thailand’s aircraft carrier the Chakri Naruebet or Indonesian Sukhois, initially acquired without air to air missiles to see these issues made manifest. Of course, no country is immune to discovering that it is pursuing advanced programmes that lack utility for the mission it finds itself in, witnessed by the cancellation by the US, of first the Comanche scout helicopter and then Future Combat Systems in the face of the demands of current operations.

US experience in Afghanistan and Iraq illustrate that once again it is the dismounted soldier that is the key to success. Increasing their lethality, survivability and mobility via a variety of means has had an immediate decisive impact, witnessed by the deployment of Land Warrior. Despite being halted after initial testing, a battalion equipped with this system was deployed to Iraq.

There, soldiers who used Land Warrior in combat say that by using the system, “It took all the guess-work out, so with absolute certainty, we knew where we were going at all times.”

Germany/Austria/Switzerland/UK Sam Baird, Whitehill Media Tel: (44-1883) 715 697 Mobile: (44-7770) 237 646 E-Mail: sam@whitehillmedia.com

Scandinavia/Benelux/South Africa Karen Norris, T K Associates Tel: (44) 1435 884 027 E-Mail: tony.kingham@worldsecurity-index.com

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here is considerable prestige associated with defence procurement.

Big ticket items such as aircraft carriers and fast jets grab the public imagination and offer the promise of a decisive capability. However, all too often these platforms have been acquired at the expense of other programmes which are actually more relevant to the conflicts that militaries find themselves in. Furthermore, once these complex systems are acquired, the necessary funding and expertise to maintain readiness often falls away, degrading the intended capability.

In Iraq, Land Warrior fulfilled its promise and gained momentum again. The Army reversed its decision. Now a full brigade is being readied for deployment and its successor, the Ground Soldier Ensemble is in full swing and over the next few years, the US Army will deploy this next generation system throughout its combat forces. No military makes such an investment without carefully considering its merits.

Australia and Singapore have come to a similar realisation. They have led the way in the region by emphasising the importance of soldier modernisation, with Australia’s recent White Paper recently explicitly stating this, as Australia began its latest iteration of Project 125. Singapore meanwhile, has announced its plans to begin a comprehensive deployment of its Advanced Combat Man System from next year.

Compare this with the value of an advanced jet aircraft flying idly and impotently above the jungle, mountains or cave complexes or an aircraft carrier laid up for repairs, the advantages of reorienting defence procurement toward the soldier makes much more sense.

Adam Baddeley, Editor

Editor: Adam Baddeley E-mail: adam@baddeley.net

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L A N D S Y S T E M S

Light vehicles

bulk up The casualties suffered by NATO and other forces operating in the Former Yugoslavia and Somalia during the 1990s demonstrated the need to replace unarmoured light utility vehicles (LUVs) with multipurpose armoured vehicles able to protect four to eight occupants against small arms fire, shell splinters and land mines. Operations in Afghanistan and Iraq in recent years have added the imperative to provide protection against improvised explosive devices (IEDs). The threat of IEDs, responsible for the majority of deaths amongst Coalition forces in both Afghanistan and Iraq, is arguably the most significant factor influencing the development of light armoured vehicles which are intended to be used not as fighting platforms but as protected mobility platforms.

by Ian Kemp

The occupants of IVECO’s LMV are seated within a crew citadel which is designed to provide a high degree of protection of mine blasts Š IVECO

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ASIAN MILITARY REVIEW

L A N D S Y S T E M S

he German Army was among the first to recognise the importance of enhanced force protection.

Krauss Maffei Wegmann (KMW) developed the 4x4 Dingo 1 in the 1990s to meet a German Army requirement for an ‘All Protected Transport Vehicle’ (Allschutz-Transport-Fahrzeug) for personnel who would otherwise be riding in LUVs. A high level of protection against the threats then being encountered in Former Yugoslavia was the primary design criteria; a slanted blast deflector floor protecting passengers against mines. KMW built 147 Dingo 1s, based on the Mercedes-Benz U1550L UNIMOG chassis, for the army between 2000 and 2003 and many of these were subsequently deployed with the NATO-led Kosovo Force and the International Security Assistance Force in Afghanistan. Concurrent with Dingo 1 production KMW developed the more capable Dingo 2 based on the longer Mercedes-Benz UNIMOG U-5000 series chassis, which enables the 3.25 m wheelbase version to carry a 3.5 tonne payload, including up to eight personnel, while the 3.85 m variant carries a four tonne payload. With a range of 1,000 km the Dingo 2 can achieve speeds of more than 90 kmph on roads, it can also be carried by the army’s CH-53 heavy lift helicopter. The Belgian Army was the Dingo 2’s launch customer in December 2004 with a €170 million order for 220 vehicles in three variants - command, ambulance, and radar command and control - with an option, since exercised, for another 132 vehicles.

The German Army has ordered a total of 255 out of an expected requirement for 450 vehicles with an additional 82 vehicles planned to carry the new BUR battlefield

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Krauss Maffei Wegmann and Rheinmetall are developing the 5 to 9 ton Armoured Multi Purpose Vehicle (AMPV) family which is intended to meet the Germany Army’s GFF 1 and GFF 2 class armoured vehicle requirements; a mockup of the AMPV 1 was displayed at Eurosatory 2008 © Kemp

KMW and Rheinmetall have teamed to develop a five to nine ton Armoured Multi Purpose Vehicle radar. Austria has bought 35 Dingo 2s, the Czech Army four vehicles for use in Afghanistan and prime contractor Thales is to supply 48 Dingo 2s for the Luxembourg Army’s Protected Recce Vehicle requirement. Luxembourg’s vehicles will be equipped with the Kongsberg Protector remote weapon station (RWS), a laser detection system and smoke grenade launchers for protection and an all weather observation suite mounted on a telescopic mast.

Krauss Maffei Wegmann and Rheinmetall are developing the 5 to 9 ton Armoured Multi Purpose Vehicle (AMPV) family which is intended to meet the Germany Army’s GFF 1 and GFF 2 class armoured vehicle requirements © KMW

SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2009

Additional Dingo 2s could be ordered for the Geschützte Führungs- und Funktionsfahrzeuge (GFF) 3 portion of the German Army’s comprehensive GFF or ‘protected command and role-specific vehicle’ programme. The Army intends to field several thousand vehicles in four categories: the lightweight, 5.3 ton GFF 1; the 7.5 ton GFF 2; the 12.5 ton GFF 3; and, the heavyweight 25 ton GFF 4. Multiple designs, including both wheeled and tracked vehicles, will be fielded in some categories.

For the GFF 2 requirement General Dynamics European Land Systems received contracts last year for its MOWAG subsidiary to supply 198 Eagle IV vehicles with an option for another 474 vehicles. The Danish Army was the launch customer for the Eagle IV when it ordered

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L A N D S Y S T E M S

85 vehicles in December 2005 for use as armoured patrol vehicles. Based on the Duro II 4 x 4 chassis the 7,600 kg Eagle IV is able to carry up to five people who are protected against 7.62 mm AP ammunition and a 6Kg TNT mine blast. A 245 hp Cummins turbocharged diesel engine enables the Eagle IV to achieve a top road speed of 110 km/h and negotiate gradients of up to 60 percent. All German vehicles will be equipped with KMW’s FLW 100/200 RWS. The first German Eagle IVs were deployed to Afghanistan in July.

KMW and Rheinmetall have teamed to develop a five to nine ton Armoured Multi Purpose Vehicle (AMPV) which will ‘fully comply with user requirements’ for the GFF 1 and GFF 2 class. A mock-up was displayed at Eurosatory 2008 and a prototype is scheduled to be completed before the end of 2009. The smaller AMPV 1 is intended primarily as a liaison vehicle while the larger AMPV 2 offers a higher level of protection and a heavier payload. Both models will include a patrol vehicle with an unprotected floor in the rear cargo section and an equipment carrier with a ‘safety cell’ extending to the vehicle’s rear.

At Eurosatory KMW presented the first Future Fennek Technology (GP-FT) demon-

Germany’s IDB Deisenroth Engineering developed an innovative modular armour system using appliqué armour panels which are placed between the vehicle’s inner and outer skins strator, since rebranded as the F2, based on the 4 x 4 Fennek Leichter Gepanzerter Spähwagen (Light Armoured Reconnaissance Vehicle) which the company developed to meet the requirements of the Dutch and German armies for a stealthy reconnaissance platform. The €500 million Fennek project covers 612 vehicles in several variants for the two armies. KMW intends to develop two basic models of the F2, optimised for three to six crew members and specific operational roles. Survivability is enhanced by the redundancy of vital components, such as independent drive trains for the front and rear axles; the vehicle can be driven with one or both 150 kW diesel engines and achieve a road speed of more than 100 km/h. The F2 is designed to carry enough stores to be self sufficient for missions of up to five days.

Panhard has delivered more than 300 PVPs (Petit Véhicule Protégé), seen during the 14 July Bastille Day parade, to the French Army and will increase production to 300 vehicles annually © Panhard

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ASIAN MILITARY REVIEW

IVECO Defence Vehicles Division completed the first prototypes of its private venture 4 x 4 Light Multirole Vehicle (LMV) in 2001 and the type has since become the most successful European vehicle in its class with orders from nine European armies. In response to the lessons of the Balkans IVECO developed a crew citadel concept which incorporates a multi-layered undercarriage structure to provide protection against mine blasts which can be boosted to protect against anti-tank mines by fitting a blast shield. Germany’s IDB Deisenroth Engineering developed an innovative modular armour system using appliqué armour panels which are placed between the vehicle’s inner and outer skins.

Users can deploy the LMV as a soft skinned vehicle or with one of three levels of protection ranging from a light kit which provides STANAG 4569 Level 1 (5.56mm and 7.62mm ball ammunition) protection to a heavy kit which increases protection to Level 4 (14.5mm AP ammunition). IDB’s Active Defence System can be fitted to the LMV to defeat attacks from rocket-propelled grenades and IVECO is working to enhance protection against IEDs. IVECO offers a standard 3.2 m wheelbase version that carries a 2.3 tonne payload and a 3.5 m/2.5 tonne variant which can be fitted with the standard four-door cab with an extended rear stowage pod or a short twodoor cab which allows various modules to be fitted to the rear.

The Italian Army has ordered 1,286 vehicles, under the designation Lince, and has a requirement for up to 2,500 vehicles including command, reconnaissance and liaison vehicles, patrol vehicles, weapon carriers, ambulances and special forces variants. Italian Linces are deployed in Afghanistan and were joined there in May 2009 by the Panther, the designation for LMVs built by BAE Systems Land Systems for the British Army’s Future Command and Liaison Vehicle (FCLV) programme.

This covers 401 Panthers in 15 role-specific variants for use as: liaison vehicles for armoured reconnaissance and armoured infantry units; command vehicles for infantry anti-tank and mortar platoons, and engineer troops; and, as a radio rebroadcast vehicle. The Selex Galileo Enforcer RWS, mounting a 7.62mm machine gun, is fitted to 326 Group 2 vehicles while the remaining Group 1 vehicles

L A N D S Y S T E M S

are fitted for but not with Enforcer. The LMV has also been bought by Austria (150), Belgium (440), Croatia (10), Czech Republic (19), Norway (60), Spain (120) and most recently the Slovak Army which ordered 10 vehicles in July 2009.

A number of firms provide the underlying materials technology to provide the necessary uparmouring balanced by the need for low weight and cost efficiency. TenCate for example provide military vehicle armour and ballistic fabric based protection for a range of platforms used by military, security and law-enforcement personnel, according to NATO standard STANAG 4569. The firm’s Ceratego ceramic and fibre based ballistic solutions is optimised against armour piercing ammunition from both assault rifles and heavy machine guns while TenCate’s Armourtex BM is half the weight of conventional steel armour but is designed to defeat explosive formed projectiles (EFP) generated by IEDs.

Nexter Systems unveiled its 2 tonne 4x4 Aravis multipurpose protected vehicle demonstrator at Eurosatory 2008 Panhard General Defense (formed after the 2005 acquisition of Panhard by Auverland) has an established portfolio of 4x4 light armoured vehicles which includes the Vèhicule Blindè Legèr (VBL) developed in the early 1980s to provide the French Army with a vehicle weighing less than 3,500 kg for use in the reconnaissance role and to carry the MILAN anti-tank guided missile. More than 1,500 VBLs are in French service and the vehicle has been exported to at least 14 countries. The Mk 2 version of the VBL includes many improvements most notably a more powerful 125 hp Steyr and a ZF four-speed auto-

matic gearbox and larger tyres which boost cross country performance. Earlier this year Panhard began delivering 20 Mk 2s to the Kuwaiti special forces. To extend the VBL’s versatility, Panhard developed the 11.5 tonne long wheelbase VBR which can carry a 2.5 tonne payload including four personnel; powered by a Tognum AG/MTU Friedrichshafen GmbH Series 106 diesel engine coupled to a fully automatic transmission the VBR has a maximum road speed of about 110 km/h and a range of 1,000 km.

In 2004 Auverland’s AVL A4 design was select for the French Army’s 4x4 Petit Véhicule Protégé (PVP) requirement for a lightweight multipurpose armoured vehicle; the original requirement for 933 PVPs to be procured through 2012 has expanded to about 1,500 vehicles through 2015. The 5 tonne PVP is powered by a 146 hp diesel engine which generates a maximum speed of about 120 kmph and an operating range

www.nexter-group.fr

Better Stronger Nexter

CAESAR ® : HIT HARDER, HARDER TO HIT

L A N D S Y S T E M S

of 800 km. Deliveries of the first batch of 314 PVPs began in early 2008 and Panhard is contracted to supply 746 vehicles. The company now offers the PVP/HD (Heavy Duty) and the PVP/XL to provide a family of vehicles ranging from 5 to 12 tonnes; the PVP offers 4.5m3 of interior volume, the PVP/HD 6.5m3 and the PV/XL from 8 to 11m3 depending upon configuration.

Renault Trucks Defense produces the Sherpa 3A light armoured vehicle to compliment its 4x4 and 6x6 VAB medium armoured vehicle range. The Sherpa 3A is based on the company’s Sherpa 3 tactical truck and with basic level protection is able to carry a 2.9 tonne payload including four personnel. The Sherpa 3A Grand Volume has a four tonne payload (basic protection) including up to ten personnel while the more heavily armoured Sherpa 3A High Intensity has a payload of 1.5 tonnes and can be configured to carry four or five personnel. The NATO Maintenance and Supply Agency has chosen the Sherpa 3A to meet its Blast and Bullet Proof Protected Vehicle Rough Terrain tender issued in 2008; this order for four vehicles follows earlier orders for the Sherpa 3.

Nexter Systems unveiled its 2 tonne 4x4 Aravis multipurpose protected vehicle demonstrator at Eurosatory 2008. Based on a Unimog U5000 powered by 218 hp Mercedes Benz 4 cylinder diesel OM 924 engine the Aravis can achieve a top speed of 100 km/h, a range of 750 km and carry a driver, commander and up to six troops with their equipment. Aravis features appliqué armour, a V-shaped anti-mine plate and a spall liner within the crew citadel. Nexter claims that its new Safepro armour technology provides the Aravis with a level of protection which surpasses ‘that of all existing 4x4 vehicles’. It describes this as ‘4-4-4’: STANAG 4569 Level 4 ballistic protection able to defeat 14.5 mm threats; Level 4 mine protection able to defeats 10Kg mines; and, all-round Level 4 protection against 155mm artillery splinters. The vehicle can withstand an IED blast, equivalent to 50 kg of TNT, at five metres. Aravis has entered production following an €20 million order from the French Ministry of Defence earlier this year for the delivery of 15 vehicles, equipped with the Protector RWS, which will equip combat engineer units tasked with route clearance.

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Panhard is under contract to supply 746 PVPs (Petit Véhicule Protégé) to the French Army although this number could eventually double © Panhard

The AM General uparmoured High Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicle (HMMWV) is the lightest armoured vehicle in US military service but their vulnerability to IEDs led the US Department of Defense (DoD) to acquire Mine Resistant A US Army collage showing the three competing Joint Light Tactical Vehicle designs: Lockheed Martin (top); BAE Systems and Navistar Defense (bottom left); and, General Tactical Vehicles (bottom right). Each team will produce 10 technology demonstrators © US DoD

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Ambush Protected (MRAP) vehicles from several manufacturers to replace the HMMWV in Iraq. As the original MRAPs are too heavy and cumbersome to use for off road operations in Afghanistan the DoD is acquiring the lighter 4x4 MRAP-All Terrain Vehicle (M-ATV). TACOM LCMC selected Oshkosh’s M-ATV design following the evaluation of six competing proposals and on 1 July 2009 awarded the company an initial $1.05 billion contract for 2,244 M-ATVs and a month later placed a $1.06 billion delivery order for another 1,700 vehicles. There is speculation the eventual requirement could approach 10,000 vehicles. By the end of July Oshkosh had built 46 M-ATVs and plans to ramp up production to 1,000 vehicles per month by December. The 15 ton M-ATV is based on the chassis of the Medium Tactical Vehicle Replacement truck, incorporating the TAK4 independent suspension system, that

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Oshkosh builds for the US Marine Corps and carries a 1.8 ton payload including five personnel. An upgraded Caterpillar C7 engine enables the M-ATV to achieve a top speed of 105kmph on roads and the vehicle has a range of 515km. Bolt-on armour allows damaged panels to be easily replaced and will allow new armour technology to be used in future. The first MATVs are scheduled to be fielded in Afghanistan in October.

The US Army and USMC launched the Joint Light Tactical Vehicle (JLTV) project, approved by the Joint Requirements Oversight Council in November 2006, to partially replace their armoured AM General High Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicle (HMMWV) fleets with a purpose built light armoured vehicle; the Army alone has a stated requirement for 140,709 JLTVs at an estimated unit cost of $418,000. DoD officials stress that the JLTV will not be a one-for-one replacement of the HMMWV, several thousand of which are being produced each year and which are expected to remain in service for decades to come. The JLTV Family of Vehicles (FoV) will consist of three baseline variants categorised by payload: ● Payload Category A will be a General Purpose Mobility (JLTV-A-GP) vehicle able to carry a 3,500 lb payload including four personnel. ● Payload Category B vehicles will carry a NATO Maintenance and Supply Agency selected the Renault Trucks Defense Sherpa 3A for its Blast and Bullet Proof Protected Vehicle Rough Terrain tender © Renault

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The Australian government as stated it will decide in 2010 whether to participate in the System Development Demonstration phase of the JLTV project 4,000-4,500 lb payload and will be fielded in several ‘sub-configurations’: a sixseat Infantry Carrier, Fire Team (JLTVB-IC); a six-seat Reconnaissance vehicle (JLTV-B-REC); a four-seat Command & Control On The Move vehicle (JLTV-BC2OTM); a Heavy Guns Carrier (JLTVB-HGC) which carries five; a four-seat Close Combat Weapons Carrier (JLTVB-CCWC); a two-seat Utility vehicle (JLTV-B—UTL); and, an Ambulance (JLTV-B-AMB) which seats three and carries two patients on litters. ● The Payload Category C vehicle will carry a 5,100 lb payload and be produced in two sub-configurations: a twoseat Shelter Carrier/Utility/Prime Mover (JLTV-C-UTL) and an Ambulance (JLTV-C-AMB) with seats for three and four litters.

Most of these variants will be customised to meet the specific requirements of either the US Army or the USMC. A trailer will be fielded in each category which is to ‘have similar payload and mobility as prime movers’.

On 29 October 2008 the army’s TACOM Life Cycle Management Command (LCMC) announced the

ASIAN MILITARY REVIEW

three teams that were selected for contracts, totalling $166 million, for the Technology Development (TD) phase: BAE Systems and Navistar Defense; General Tactical Vehicles (GTV), a joint venture between General Dynamics Land Systems and AM General; and, a Lockheed Martinled team, which includes BAE Systems Mobility & Protection Systems, Alcoa Defense and JWF – Defense Systems.

Australia is contributing 10 percent, about A$25 million, of the total amount the US DoD has budgeted for TD costs to participate in this phase of the project and is paying for nine of the 30 demonstrator vehicles. The Australian Army is interested in assessing whether the Category A JLTVA-GP, the Category B JLTV-B-C2OTM and JLTV-B-IC, and the Category C JLTV-CUTL will meet the requirement for about 1,300 light Protected Mobility Vehicles which forms Phase 4 of Project Overlander (Land 121) to replace the Army’s wheeled tactical vehicle fleet. The Australian government as stated it will decide in 2010 whether to participate in the System Development Demonstration (SDD) phase of the JLTV project. In July the JLTV Program Office hosted a meeting with representatives ‘from more than a dozen’ NATO and non-NATO allies, including Canada, Israel and the UK, to discuss participation in future phases of the project.

During the first 15 months of the 27month TD phase each team must deliver 10 vehicles (three Category A, five Category B and two Category C) including three in right-hand drive configuration for Australian evaluation, trailers, blast hulls and ballistic panels which will then be subjected to 12 months of government testing.

From 2011 two contractors will complete the design and development during the SDD phase before competing for JLTV production contracts. The Marine Corps has raised concerns that the JLTV, with an estimated weight of 20,000 lb, will be too heavy for its concept of expeditionary operations. Another factor which could significantly impact the final shape of the project is the review of the US Army’s vehicle modernisation plans following the cancellation of the Future Combat Systems Manned Ground Vehicles and the acquisition of AMR both MRAPs and M-ATVs.

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AIRBORNE S U R V E I L L A N C E

AEW Aircraft: Securing the skies

with the best

airborne eyes

As air forces in the region modernise, they are looking to acquire or update a number of key capabilities. At the top of the shopping list are, of course, modern fighter fleets, but as countries in the region look to develop more sophisticated air forces, also coming close to the top of the list are modern Airborne Early Warning (AEW) systems.

by John Mulberry The E-2C is being used both for maritime surveillance and AEW task in the region Š US DoD

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AIRBORNE S U R V E I L L A N C E

n AEW system is an airborne radar system designed for surveillance. Their advanced radar systems enable them to detect aircraft far beyond the capabilities of regular radar systems and with a field of view that would not be possible from a land-based solution. Flying at high altitude, their ability to distinguish between friend and foe allow hostile aircraft to be detected from hundreds of miles away, allowing the operating nation to direct fighters to target locations with the confidence inherent in having a complete view of the battlespace.

A number of countries in the region have existing AEW capabilities although many of the systems are now dated. Air forces in Asia are now looking to replace this capability or even to upgrade it to more advanced Airborne Early Warning and Control (AEW&C) systems that can more effectively direct air operations.

The development of the AEW system can be tract back to 1944 when the US Navy requested an airborne radar system in order to be able to detect low flying enemy formations at a range in excess of 100 miles. The first AEW aircraft to enter service was the TBM-3W, fitted with the AN/APS-20 radar system. The Soviet Union followed this with the production of the Tu-126 in the 1950s.

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occurring in 2001 (the Block 30/35 Modification Program). Enhancements included electronic support measures (ESM) for passive detection, Joint Tactical Information Distribution Systems (JTIDS) for secure, anti-jam communication; increased memory capabilities, and GPS capability.

Regionally a number of countries have looked at the E-3 Sentry capability. For Japan, Boeing developed the E-3 package and fitted it aboard its 767 airframe, dubbing it the E-767. The Japan Air Self Defence Force (JASDF) took delivery of the aircraft in the 1990s and began operational service in 2000.

The E-767 AEW system is largely the same as that of the late E-3 models, fitted with Northrop Grumman’s AN/APY-2 radar system, a three-dimensional radar that measures azimuth, range, and elevation simultaneously. The radar has significantly superior capabilities over water compared to the AN/APY-1 system used on earlier E-3 models. The AN/APY-2 capabilities include the ability to determine the velocity of a tracked target, the ability to separate maritime and airborne targets from ground and sea clutter returns, a 360-degree view, with a range of more than 200 miles.

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Today the most prevalent AEW systems in service are the US developed E-3 Sentry and E-2 Hawkeye aircraft. The Sentry, built

by Boeing is widely considered an international benchmark for AEW systems. It is not however, strictly an AEW aircraft, as it has capabilities and functionality far beyond surveillance.

The first E-3 aircraft entered service in the US Navy in 1977, with a total of 68 aircraft built for the US, the UK, France, Saudi Arabia and NATO air defence forces. The aircraft is based on the Boeing 707 commercial airframe, with the largest and final upgrade

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A new version of the E-2, the E-2D Advanced Hawkeye is currently under development, with the first two versions, Delta one and Delta two, undergoing flight testing In 2006, Boeing was committed to delivering a $108 million Radar Systems Improvement Program (RSIP) to Japan’s fleet of E-767 aircraft, increasing the radar’s sensitivity, allowing it to detect and track smaller targets, and enhancing computer and software systems.

The E-2 Hawkeye, built by Northrop Grumman, entered service in 1973 for the US Navy as a replacement for the original E-1 Tracer system. It was the first carrier-based aircraft designed solely for the purpose of all-weather AEW and command and control

Japan's AEW capability is based on its E-767 aircraft © US DoD

functions. Since its conception it has been through several upgrade and enhancement programmes with the most recent being the Hawkeye 2000. This latest aircraft features the APS-145 radar, carries a new mission computer, combat information centre (CIC) workstation, and the US Navy’s new cooperative engagement capability (CEC) data-link

system. It is fitted with solid-state glass displays, upgraded weather-detection systems, GPS-approach capability, and is undergoing testing for in-flight refuelling modifications.

A new version of the E-2, the E-2D Advanced Hawkeye is currently under development, with the first two versions, Delta one and Delta two, undergoing flight

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The first [Wedgetail] aircraft will enter service with the RAAF’s new Number 2 Squadron (based at Williamstown Air Base) by the end of 2010

Australia's project Wedgetail will give the RAAF a much advanced capability © Australian DoD

testing. This version features a new avionics suite, including the new APY-9 Active Electronically Scanned Array radar. The E2D is expected to undergo Initial Operational Test and Evaluation in 2011. Northrop Grumman has been keen to look at the Asian market for the E-2D. There are already a number of current Hawkeye customers

including Japan, Singapore and Taiwan.

Australian initiative The Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) has ordered six 737-700 AEW&C aircraft from Boeing as part of Project Wedgetail. The aircraft was designed especially for the Wedgetail Project and developed by Boeing

and Northrop Grumman teamed locally with BAE Systems Australia and Qantas Defence Services.

The aircraft is fitted with the Northrop Grumman Electronic Systems Multi-role Electronically Scanned Array (MESA) radar, which is fitted on a dorsal fin on top of the fuselage that is designed for minimal effect on the aircraft’s aerodynamics. To counterbalance the radar, ventral fins, and nose, wingtip and tail countermeasures have been fitted.

According to the companies, the radar’s capabilities include simultaneous air and sea

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search with a track capability of 3,000 targets; fighter control and area search. Dedicated tracking modules enable the operator to track allied and hostile high performance aircraft while continuously scanning the area of operations. The integrated friend-or-foe system (IFF) has an operational range of over 300 nautical miles, and is combined with the primary radar. It uses the same aperture as the primary radar, which avoids target correlation problems.

Based on the airframe of the Boeing 737 commercial airframe, the Wedgetail aircraft have a maximum operating altitude of 41,000ft. The aircraft feature state-of-the-art flight deck, avionics and navigation equipment, and an extensive communications suite including three HF, eight VHF/UHF communication systems, as well as Link 4A and Link 11 systems. It is equipped with two CFM International CFM56-7B24 engines (rated at 118kN each), has a range of 3,800nm, with a fixed probe providing additional dual in-flight refuelling capability.

Project Wedgetail has been inundated with problems since 1997, when Boeing won the contract to supply four AEW&C aircraft to the RAAF, with the option of a further three aircraft more. Delivery of the aircraft was originally due to begin in 2006, but delays due to integration problems with the radar and sensor computer systems, meant delivery was pushed back to 2008. In June 2008, it was announced that problems with the integration of the radar and Electronic

The Advanced Hawkeye is one aircraft that is of interest to a number of the countries in the region © Northrop Grumman

Support Measure (ESM) systems had caused further delays, again pushing back the delivery date. Boeing now expects to deliver the first two aircraft, capable of peacekeeping and training roles during 2009, with full capability expected in 2010, when the aircraft will be upgraded to full mission-capable status, and the remaining aircraft will also be delivered to a fully mission-capable standard. Should these dates remain firm, it is expected that the first aircraft will enter service with the RAAF’s new Number 2 Squadron (based at Williamstown Air Base) by the end of 2010.

Phalcon success In 2007 the Singaporean Ministry of Defence of Singapore announced that its existing fleet of E2-Cs would be replaced by four

The G550 Phalcon AEW aircraft has been selected by Singapore © Gulf Stream

Gulfstream G-550 AEW aircraft as part of the modernisation of the Republic of Singapore Air Force (RSAF).

The RSAF procured its four Northrop Grumman E-2 Hawkeye aircraft from the US in the mid-1980s for airborne surveillance and early warning. In 2001, in a project with the Defence Science and Technology Agency (DSTA), the RSAF upgraded the mission control system and computer and software systems of the fleet, introducing state-of-theart equipment adapted for military use, and designing and enhancing the interfaces between the various E-2C subsystems.

As the development of the existing aircraft continued, the RSAF announced the procurement of four G550 jets fitted with the IAI/ELTA EL/M-2075 Phalcon AESA radar as a replacement programme, although Northrop Grumman continues to hold out hope that Singapore may also choose to procure the E-2D. Developed originally by IAI and Elta Electronic Industries for the Israel Defence Force, the Phalcon EL/M-2075 is one of the most advanced AEW&C systems in operation. The Phalcon system features a unique integration of four sensors: Radar, integrated IFF, ESM and electronic intelligence (ESM/ELINT) and CSM/COMINT. The dis-

In 2007 the Singaporean Ministry of Defence of Singapore announced that its existing fleet of E2-Cs would be replaced by four Gulfstream G-550 AEW aircraft 16

ASIAN MILITARY REVIEW

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Thai buy

tinguishing feature of the Phalcon is the AESA radar technology employed, rather than a mechanically rotating rotodome used by most in-service systems. Mounted either on the aircraft fuselage or inside a stationary dome on top of the aircraft, the radar provides 360 degree coverage. The electronically steered beam radar gives substantial advantage over a mechanical rotodome, as it supports the tracking of high manoeuvring targets, including low altitude objects within a long range. The first of the four G-550s was officially delivered to the RSAF in February 2009, with the remaining aircraft expected to be ready for deployment in 2010.

Singapore is not the only country in the region to have chosen the Israeli option. In 2004, India signed a $1.1 billion deal with IAI to procure three Phalcon AEW&C radar systems. Its manufacturers state that the Phalcon system can be fitted on a number of platforms, including both Western and former Soviet aircraft.

India chose to order three Ilyushin Il-76 A-50 heavy air-lifters as the platform for the system.

Originally due for delivery in 2007, the delivery was delayed until late 2008, as the Russian supplier failed to upgrade the three aircraft in time, a project that includes strengthening the airframe and upgrading to more powerful engines. After further delays, India received the first of its Phalcon AEW&C systems in May 2009, with the next expected in 2010.

In 2007 the Royal Thai Air Force announced that it had signed a contract to procure a Saab Erieye AEW system as part of phase one but that also included the Gripen multirole fighter

Elsewhere in the region, smaller air forces are also looking to develop an AEW capability.

In 2007 the Royal Thai Air Force announced that it had signed a contract to procure a Saab Erieye AEW system, a deal which also included the Gripen multirole fighter. The Erieye AEW system was developed by Saab and is based on an AESA phased array radar.

The Erieye system can be used on a number of platforms, with Thailand opting for the system to be equipped on the Saab 340 twinengine turboprop aircraft.

Delivery of the Thai system is expected in

2011, but Thailand was not the first to sign on for Erieye. In October 2005, Islamabad signed a $1.1 billion deal to procure Erieye aboard a Saab 2000 turboprop. However, there have been difficulties with the deal.

The Erieye is an active, phased-array, pulse-Doppler sensor with capabilities that include 360 degree coverage, an instrumented range of 450 km, detection range of 350 km against fighter-sized targets in dense hostile electronic warfare environment (heavy radar clutter and low target altitudes) in a 150 degree broadside sector from both sides of the aircraft; IFF and sea surveillance mode.

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Thailand will receive one Saab Erieye AEW aircraft © Saab

A major component of the Erieye system is the Erieye Ground Interface Segment (EGIS), to which the radar can feed an onboard operator architecture or downlink data via an associated datalink subsystem.

Thailand was due to order a second Saab Erieye AEW System as part of phase two of the Gripen fighter aircraft order, with delivery expected towards the second half of the next decade. However, a change in government has meant that Thailand has reordered its priorities saying that it would not pursue the option on the contract which also included a further six Gripens.

Currently, the Republic of Korea Air Force operates no AEW aircraft relying on in country US Air Force capabilities.

However, the draw down of US forces on the peninsula has forced Seoul to re-evaluate its defence posture and look to procure a number of capabilities. In the 1990s the country launched its E-X AEW programme and in the mid-1990s shortlisted several candidates including the Boeing E-767, a 767-based Phalcon system and the Saab Erieye aboard a Saab 2000 truboprop.

However, the procurement has continued to drag on as the RoKAF put its funds in to other procurements. In 2004 Seoul, announced that it would look to procure four AEW aircraft by 2011, but despite taking a fresh look at candidates did not move towards a contract. The RoKAF is believed to have favoured the Phalcon solution, but heavy lobbying by Washington put off a firm decision. A version of Boeing’s 737

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AEW&C aircraft is currently being offered to Seoul, but no decision has yet been taken.

A growing regional power The development of a modern AEW system has been a major focus of the extensive military modernisation of the People’s Liberation Army Air Force since the 1990s.

Gaining air superiority over the Taiwan Strait would for example, rely on a significant AEW capability.

Originally, work concentrated on a project to procure a number of specially designed A-501 AEW aircraft, a variant of the Russian Beriev A-50 Shmel aircraft based on the Ilyushin 11-76 transport aircraft fitted with the Phalcon radar. However, Beijing was forced to abandon the project in 2000 after the US exerted pressure on Israel to halt the export of advanced Phalcon technology to China. Since then, the PLAAF has invested heavily in developing its own indigenous AEW systems.

The KJ-2000 development programme began soon after this initial failure. Four KJ-2000 aircraft are believed to have been completed so far, comprising of a domesti-

In 2004 Seoul, announced that it would look to procure four AEW aircraft by 2011, but despite taking a fresh look at candidates did not move towards a contract ASIAN MILITARY REVIEW

cally designed electronics and AESA fitted on a modified Ilyushin IL-76 airframe. The AESA was designed by the Institute of Electronic Technology at Nanjing, based on the earlier Chinese designed Type H/LJG-346 shipborne active phased array radar system.

Production of further KJ-2000s has been delayed following difficulties acquiring more IL-76 airframes from Russia, with Russian state defence exporter Rosoboronexport significantly increasing prices. To surmount this issue, China has installed the entire system on the Shaanxi Y-8 medium range transport aircraft, based on the Soviet Antonov An-12, resulting in the KJ-200.

A further indigenous programme was revealed in 2005, consisting of the Shaanxi Yun-8F400 airframe with conventional rotodome mounted above the fuselage; however, the specifics of the programme are unknown.

These and other ongoing projects in Asia point to the fact that regional air forces all believe in the need to invest further in complex systems, such as AEW aircraft. A number of significant opportunities remain in the region. IAI and its partners are continuing to push Phalcon in the region, and Saab’s success in Thailand has opened up the market for Erieye. The US is also a significant factor for those countries that are its allies and able to afford the high-price of the most advanced AEW&C capabilities. In turn, this is pushing China and others in the region to invest domestically to keep pace A MR with developments elsewhere.

NAVAL S E N S O R S

Cluttering and

Uncluttering the naval battlespace A glance at any contemporary warship will indicate the immense importance of electronics to a modern navy. Today’s surface combatants bristle with an array of radar, satellite dishes and aerials which provide the eyes, ears and vocal chords of a vessel, enabling it to see what is in its locale, to communicate that information outwards and to receive similar news, across the wide featureless expanse of the ocean. Whether it is performing routine navigation, or locating enemy combatants, radar plays the indispensable role in vastly extending the range at which a ship can operate from its adversaries.

by Tom Withington

Not only are today’s EW systems able to deal with hostile radar signals, but they can also be used to detect laser threats to a vessel. One example of such technology is EADS’ COLDS system which detects laser designation and range-finding systems © EADS

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n the days of the cannon ball and the sail, the reach of a ships’ punch was restricted by the visual range that a telescope could offer. Today’s marine radar can see miles from a ship and thousands of feet above it. Because of the importance that radar plays in a navy’s combat prowess, any ability to frustrate, spoof or damage the capability of radio direction finding technology has been keenly pursued by navies around the world since radar was first used on ships during the Second World War. The means to detect radar transmissions can be found in naval electronic support measures (ESMs). These transmissions can then be disrupted or confused using Electronic Counter Measures (ECMs). As we shall see in this article, navies are able to furnish themselves with both stand alone ESM and systems which are integrated into their Combat Management Systems (CMS) and their ECM suites. ESM is also vital for another role, in addition to detecting a warships’ radar. They can also be used to detect the guidance radar of an Anti-Shipping Missile (AShM) as it searches for and homes in on its target. The ability to alert the crew to an incoming radar-guided AShM and for the ship to then take evasive action against the missile, can make the difference between life and death for the vessel and its crew.

Today’s navies operate in dense electromagnetic environments. Ships rely on communications to stay in touch with each other and also with their shore bases and national command authorities. Moreover, surface combatants and submarines alike do not just use voice communications, but radio, satellite and data link communication channels to provide a means across which they can exchange targeting coordinates, imagery intelligence and orders. Just as disrupting radar could have a decisive effect on a naval engagement, the disruption of a fleet’s means of communication could have major consequences. Because of this, several companies have developed Communications Intelligence, or COMINT, products which enable ships to eavesdrop on enemy communications. Not only does this give the navy a means to discover which enemy communications channels and systems need to be disrupted, but it also allows them to glean vitally important intelligence regarding the enemy’s intentions and tactics.

ELINT and COMINT are two vital components in the practice of Electronic Warfare (EW) which the US defines as, “Any military action involving the use of electromagnetic and

I

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directed energy to control the electromagnetic spectrum or to attack the enemy.” The definition goes on to note that, “the three major subdivisions within electronic warfare are electronic attack, electronic protection and Naval vessels are dependent of their electronic eyes and ears. electronic warfare sup- Destroying, degrading or spooking that capability can pay massive dividends for opponents © DoD port.” Naval EW is big business for the global defence community. designers and countermeasures experts have Today, a navy would scarcely consider putting been locked in a seemingly endless contest to sea without robust EW capabilities and a with each trying to outdo the capabilities of the range of products are on offer to satisfy their other. The use of low-power radar is designed requirements, with manufacturers located in to make detection difficult, although the ESthe United States, Israel and Europe offering a 5080 works to neutralise this advantage.

Along with its low-power radar intercepmultitude of products across the EW domain, particularly in the realm of radar detection and tion capability, another interesting feature of disruption which this article will concern itself the ES-5080 is its flexibility, namely that it can also be utilised by land and air platforms as with.

Given the size of its navy and its domestic well as ships. Moreover, its Windows-based defence industrial base, it is no surprise that the systems architecture makes the product easy to United States is home to three companies learn and to use, and the ES-5080 can also be which all offer a diverse range of EW products. integrated into a CMS if so desired by the cusLeading the pack is ITT Corporation. The com- tomer.

As well as producing a product optimised pany builds a host of ESM products which can provide information on radar signals both to listen for low-power radar, ITT has also from ship-based systems and also radar-guid- designed a system which can perform longed missiles. One of ITT’s leading naval ESM range radar signal detection. The company’s products is their ES-3701 system. The company CS-5060 ESM/ELINT product can detect sighas won ES-3701 orders from Greece and nals across the 0.5-18 Gigahertz (GHz) range Denmark. The two countries have purchased and customers can increase the detection range the system to equip their ‘Elli’ class frigates as of the system to 40 GHz if so desired. The 0.5part of their Mid Life Modernisation pro- 18GHz frequency range typically includes Lgramme, in the case of the Hellenic Navy and band systems (1-2GHz) such as surveillance their ‘Absalon’-class command and support radar; the S-band (2-4 GHz) which comprises ships, in the case of the Royal Danish Navy. marine and long-range weather radar; C-band Crucially, the ES-3701 cannot jam the radar (4-8GHz) used by weather radar and satellite threat but it can provide the crew with detailed transponders; X-band (8-12GHz) utilised for data on the characteristics of the radar which is missile guidance, marine, and ground surveilpainting their ship allowing them to then take lance radar, and Ku-band for high-resolution radar. The systems’ extension to 40GHz covers the appropriate action.

Other ESM products in the ITT portfolio K-band (18-24GHz) for weather and Ka-band include the ES-5080. One of the key attributes (20-40GHz) for short range radar. Upon detecof the ES-5080 is its ability to intercept low- tion of a radar signal, the systems’ SP-103 claspower radar. Since radar first entered the naval sification system gets to work to decode the realm during World War Two, both radar characteristics of the signal by measuring its frequency, pulse, level of amplitude and bearing.

Several companies have This function is performed to give the crew developed Communications an idea of the type of radar, or indeed the Intelligence, or COMINT, design of radar that is painting the ship. This information will allow the crew to make an products which enable informed decision as to whether or not the ships to eavesdrop on radar is friendly and, if not, the type of counterenemy communications measures or tactical action that they must initi-

ASIAN MILITARY REVIEW

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and friendly radar transmissions, particularly when a vessel is operating in a multinational task group.

The AN/SLQ-501 also has a separate master library which contains details of known radar Coming to a US Navy warship near you. Sikorsky’s MH-60R Seahawk signal characteristics naval helicopters are outfitted with a Lockheed Martin AN/ALQ-210 ESM. for the crew to discern The addition of this equipment to the aircraft will augment the organic friendly and enemy ESM systems on board the Service’s vessels © US DoD radar signals when in combat.

The AN/SLQ-501 has similar detecate to reduce their signature, or render the radar unable to see them. The SP-103 compares tion capabilities, covering radar signals in the the radar signal to an internal library of radar L-, C-, S- and X-bands. The CANEWS acronym characteristics that the CS-5060 comes was applied to the AN/SLQ-501 product as it equipped with to enable it to produce an analy- was used on the ‘Halifax’-class frigates operated by the Canadian Forces Maritime sis of the type of system which is at work.

US ESM producers are not only building Command.

Joining Lockheed Martin as one of the ESM equipment which can be positioned on ships. Lockheed Martin has developed the United States’ leading ESM providers is AN/ALQ-210 ESM which will outfit the US Raytheon. The company is responsible for the Navy’s Sikorsky MH-60R Seahawk helicopter. AN/SLQ-32(V) series of electronic intelligence This is arguably the most advanced naval heli- products. The AN/SLQ-32(V) can be linked to copter that the US Navy will have in service in a vessel’s CMS and also to its active counterthe short term, and it will acquire 243 examples measures system. The product has sold well, of the aircraft. The AN/ALQ-210 ESM that the with over 450 examples being purchased. The helicopter will carry will be an important addi- system can also deal with missile guidance tion to the ships’ organic ESM measures and de radar as well as ship-based radar systems.

The AN/SLQ-32(V) was developed in the facto extends their range by virtue of helicopter’s over-the-horizon capabilities. The early 1970s, reportedly as a reaction to the sinkAN/ALQ-210 contains a programmable emit- ing of the Eilat destroyer belonging to the ter library to catalogue radar signals that the Israeli Sea Corps during the 1967 Six Day War. system receives, which can then be used to The ship was sunk by an MKB Raduga Design automatically activate countermeasures.

Providing passive early warning of radar sigLockheed Martin is not only building naval nals Raytheon has designed its AN/SLQ-32(V) EW systems for helicopters, the company has product to operate with an active ECM system. also developed an impressive product line of Sales of the AN/SLQ-32(V) have been good, with almost 500 examples being purchased © systems for surface ships and submarines. For Raytheon example, Lockheed Martins’ AN/SLQ-501 CANEWS, shorthand for ‘Canadian Electronic Warfare System’, provides a ship with realtime radar detection and analysis. Not only is the AN/SLQ-501 able to detect ship-based radar, but it can also detect systems used on radar-guided missiles. Like ITT’s ES-5080 system, the AN/SLQ-501 can be integrated into a ship’s CMS if required by the customer. The AN/SLQ-501 CANEWS contains two library options which allows the user to build an archive of radar signals that the ship may have encountered during a specific exercise or operation. In this way, it is possible for the ship to store a collection of signals belonging to radar systems used by friendly vessels. This is particularly important when de-conflicting hostile

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The Raytheon AN/SLQ32(V) can be linked to a vessel’s CMS and also to its active countermeasures system. The product has sold well, with over 450 examples being purchased Bureau P-15 Termit (NATO reporting name ‘SS-N-2 Styx’) radar-guided missile. Since the advent of the system in the late 1970s and early 1980s it has been through several incarnations notably the AN/SLQ-32(V)1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 versions which have included the baseline system; a version which performs improved early warning, identification and direction-finding of anti-ship missile radar systems; a system with an electronic jamming capability for use against anti-ship missile radar; a version optimised for aircraft carriers , and finally a design used by the ‘Oliver Hazard Perry’ class frigates of the US Navy.

Away from the United States, several Israeli manufacturers offer ESM products to help defend ships against hostile radar transmissions. For example, Rafael Advanced Defense Systems produces the C-Pearl family of ESM products to identify and classify hostile radar threats. C-Pearl can be operated by a single individual and can be connected to the ships’ CMS. The product was selected for the Israeli Sea Corps and also for the Royal Australian Navy’s (RAN) ‘Adelaide’-class frigates to furnish these ships during their upgrade programme.

The programme to install C-Pearl as part of a series of modernisations for the latter vessels has generated some controversy in Australia.

The C-Pearl was to be rolled out across the four vessels in the Adelaide class along with the Thales Sea Defender torpedo detection system.

However, it was reported in 2008 that the project had run into problems regarding the user acceptance of the C-Pearl equipment. The RAN is also in the market for new EW systems to outfit its ‘Hobart’-class air warfare destroyers which the fleet will induct into service by 2017.

In March this year, a tender was issued for an EW system to equip the three ships in the class.

Four companies have offered EW products for the ships to this end including ITT Corporation, Elisra Systems (part of Elbit Systems Ltd.), Thales Australia and also Indra Sistemas AS of Spain. It is known that the RAN is favouring the procurement of an existing off-

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the-shelf product rather than developing an EW system afresh.

Also offering naval EW products is Israel’s Elta Group which is part of Israel Aerospace Industries. The company’s EL/L-8382N ESTAS ESM system is intended for navies which are performing both littoral and blue water missions, and is designed to equip naval surface combatants of all sizes. The detection features of the product optimise it to distinguish radar signals from incoming missiles and other warships.

Away from Israel and North America, several European companies are offering naval EW solutions. BAE Systems, for example, has designed its PRISM-II (Passive Radar Identification SysteM) ESM equipment for small vessels. The first ships in the RAN to receive the product were the Service’s ‘Fremantle’-class patrol vessels, all of which were outfitted with the system by 1994. Other installations occurred on the RAN’s ‘Huon’class mine hunting vessels.

Development of PRISM began back in 1989 and a variant of the product, PRISM-II, was installed on the Huon ships from the mid-1990s and connected to the vessels’ Alenia Marconi NAUTIS-II CMS and also their Wallop Defence Systems’ SuperBarricade countermeasures dis-

Four companies have offered EW products for [Australia’s Hobart Class air warfare destroyers] including ITT Corporation, Elisra Systems, Thales Australia and also Indra Sistemas AS of Spain

penser. The system was declared fully operational on the Huon ships in 2003. Along with outfitting the minehunders, a variant of the product, known as PRISM-III, has been rolled out across the services’ ‘Armidale’-class patrol boats which replaced the Fremantle craft with installation commencing in 2005. The PRISM-II product has been designed not only to give the crew an immediate warning of a hostile threat upon detection, but also to classify the radar signal and provide information on the threats’ location. Like the ITT and Lockheed systems surveyed above, PRISM detects radar signals across the 2-18GHz wavebands.

BAE Systems is currently involved in contesting a US Navy EW requirement which was issued earlier this year. The company has teamed with General Dynamics Advanced Information Systems on the US Navy’s Surface Electronic Warfare Making high use of Commercial Off-The-Shelf technology, Elisra has I m p r o v e ment developed the Aqua Marine ELINT which uses significant modularity in Programme Block-II its construction to ensure that the system can be tailor-made to a large extent to the demands of the user © Elisra requirement. This is to replace the AN/SLQ32(V), with the Sea Lightning product which is designed to provide accurate and timely information regarding hostile radar transmissions, and to improve the fleets’ ability to defeat radarguided cruise missile attack. BAE Systems has leveraged significant technology from the company’s Barracuda EW system in its development of Sea Lightning.

BAE Systems is joined on the continent

by Thales of France which is a major provider of naval EW equipment. Amongst

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ASIAN MILITARY REVIEW

the systems which the company produces is the ARBR-17 ESM which detects radar signals and issues a threat warning to the crew. It can also perform the analysis and identification of the radar. The ARBR-17 includes an omnidirectional mast-mounted antenna which detects the signal and it’s frequency. Eight directional antennae which are located below the omnidirectional antenna perform the analysis of the radar signals’ bearing and also perform further analysis of the frequency.

Also covering the 2-18GHz frequency spread is Thales’ Porpoise ESM product.

Porpoise is derived from the company’s Cutlass ESM equipment which was designed as a lightweight system which can be combined with the company’s Cygnus and Scorpion ECM products. Cutlass works across the 0.6-18GHz spectrum which enables it to detect radar systems operating in the lower section of the L-band. Porpoise, which is developed from the Cutlass system, has been designed for use onboard submarines. The product carries a pre-programmed threat library which has space for up to 2,000 individual records, and also provides 360-degree coverage. Care has been taken to ensure that Porpoise can withstand the rigours of submarine operations and a titanium construction allows the product to have good resilience against high subsurface water pressures. Moreover, Porpoise can be used with both non-hull penetrating masts and hull penetrating designs.

Away from the world of submarines, Thales’ Sabre product is principally designed for large and medium sized warships. The product cannot only detect and classify radar threats, but it is also able to initiate an ECM response if necessary. Sabre was selected both by the French Navy and the Royal Dutch Navy, in particular the ‘De Zeven Provincien’class frigates of the latter, and also the ‘Flyvefisken’-class multirole surface combatants of the Royal Danish Navy. Sabre covers the 0.5-18GHz range and is joined by Salamandre, another Thales product, which can perform radar jamming, as well as radar detection, location and classification. The ‘Barzan/Vita’-class fast attack craft of the Royal Qatari Navy use the Salamandre system.

Equipping the Royal Netherlands Navy ‘SIGMA’-class corvettes is Thales’ Scorpion ECM system. On the SIGMA ships, Scorpion is connected to a Thales VIGILE 100 ESM. Scorpion was designed as a versatile system to not only outfit small vessels but which can

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also be used on large combatants. One version of the Scorpion product, Scorpion-2, is designed to derive radar data from ESM systems such as VIGILE or the Thales Sealion system which can detect the radar of incoming cruise missiles as well as surface ships, and then initiate jamming.

Other ESM and ECM providers on the European continent include Indra Sistemas of Spain which builds the BLQ-355 ELINT system. The BLQ-355 is designed to be operated in a ‘pop-up’ mode enabling a vessel to momentarily activate the system to listen to the airwaves for radar threats and to record any signals that it finds. This avoids the vessel having to keep the system continually activated, thus reducing the chances of an aggressor activating an electronic countercountermeasure against any signal jamming. To complete the BLQ-355, Indra has added a 3,000 mode emitter library and also an operator library for the archiving of an additional 256 radar signals, much in common with the AN/SLQ-501 product discussed above. Indra has also made signifi-

The EA-6B Prowler is due to be replaced by the Growler next year but until then it continues to provide an umbrella of protection for strike aircraft, ground troops and ships by jamming enemy radar, electronic data links and communications © US DoD

cant use of COTS products in its BLQ-355 product to reduce costs.

Elettronica SpA of Italy has, meanwhile, produced the SEAL family of ESM systems, which contain a library of radar signal characteristics to alert the ship to a possible threat. By using directional and omnidirectional antennae, it is then possible to derive the frequency and location of the radar signal. This information can then be passed on to both passive and

Armoured Combat Mobility Survivability & Protection 12th & 13th October 2009, Crowne Plaza City Hotel, London

Discuss the latest developments in armour and counter IED solutions, the role of AFV's in Afghanistan and Iraq and the lessons learned based on practical case studies.

PLUS A POST-CONFERENCE INTERACTIVE WORKSHOP

Counter IED & Survivability 14th October 2009, Crowne Plaza City Hotel, London

In association with:

Visit our website to see the full speaker line up

www.smi-online.co.uk/armouredmobility28.asp To register call +44 (0) 20 7827 6066 or email dharvey@smi-online.co.uk

active countermeasures to initiate the spoofing and jamming process. Keeping advances in radar technology in mind, Elettronica has designed the SEAL family to perform the detection of low probability of intercept radar, and also to operate in a dense electromagnetic environment where the spectrum may be thick with radar and radio transmissions, and to pick out hostile radar signals against this background of clutter.

The danger that radar can pose to shipping is well documented. MBDA’s AM/MM-38/39/-40 Exocet series of anti-shipping missiles claimed two Royal Navy ships and damaged a third, along with destroying the Atlantic Conveyor merchant vessel during the 1982 Falklands War. In the Middle East, the missile was responsible for the damage of the USS Stark, an ‘Oliver Hazard Perry’ class frigate, in 1987. Exocet uses inertial and active radar for guidance. The menace posed by radar-guided anti-ship missiles will ensure that for the foreseeable future ESM and ECM designers will be working to outpace the latest innovations of A MR the radar engineers.

The event will be chaired by: • Brigadier Simon Caraffi, Director, HQ Directorate Royal Armoured Corps Keynote addresses will be presented by: • General Ashaq Kiyani, Chief of Army Staff, Pakistan Army GHQ* • Lieutenant Colonel Andrew Stuart MBE, Commander Equipment Capability Op HERRICK & Commanding Officer 4 Close Support Battalion, REME, UK • Warrant Officer Darren Restarick RM, LAS IPT ATV SME, Light Armoured Systems IPT Ministry of Defence, UK • Brigadier General Salvatore Farina, Deputy Director Battlespace Capability, Policy & Plans, Ministry of Defence, Italy • Colonel Jean- François Prévost, Director Land Requirements, Canadian DND • Colonel Robert Schumitz, Project Manager, Stryker Brigade Combat Team, US Army • Colonel David Teeples, Commander, U.S. Army Armour Centre Command, Fort Knox, US Army • Colonel Mark Goldsack, Assistant Director Capability, HQ Infantry - Land Warfare Centre, UK • Lieutenant Colonel Jerome Lemaire, Land Combat Capabilities Architect, DGA France • Lieutenant Colonel Antonio Fragua, Project Officer, Spanish Joint Staff • Lieutenant Colonel Martin Lainder, Head of G7, Swedish Army HQ • Major Kim Kristensen, Chief of R&D Branch, Danish Army Combat Centre * Subject to Final Confirmation

VEHICLE DISPLAY & SPONSORED DRINKS RECEPTION October 12th, PM, Honourable Artillery Company, in the City of London Sponsored by

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South Korean

Armed Forces:

Watching Across The DMZ No country would wish to border a pariah state intent on developing nuclear weapons, yet this is the unenviable position that South Korea finds itself in. Its North Korean neighbour has the world’s third largest army of more than 1.1 million active-duty soldiers and 4.7 million reservists. This massive Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) force is perpetually poised near the Demilitarised Zone (DMZ), ready for a sudden attack across the border.

by Gordon Arthur

Until the introduction of the K2, the ROKA’s premier MBT is the K1A1 as pictured here, armed with a 120mm main gun. (Gordon Arthur)

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hile the Cold War in Europe ended two decades ago, there has been no thaw on the Korean Peninsular, home to the world’s most heavily fortified border. North Korea launched a suspected Taepodong-2 ballistic missile on April 5th.

Reacting to subsequent UN Security Council condemnation, the DPRK abandoned six-party negotiations, promised to restart its Yongbyon nuclear reactor, and repudiated the 1953 Armistice Agreement.

Relations between the two Koreas had soured markedly by the end of April, exacerbating strained relations after President Lee Myung-bak took office in February 2008. If any country ever needed to invest heavily in its armed forces, South Korea is a prime candidate!

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Armed forces modernisation Since its formation in 1948, the ROK Armed Forces have swelled to an estimated 655,000 active and 3,040,000 reserve personnel. The security-threat environment takes priority when it comes to funding the Ministry of National Defense (MND). The primary goal is securing national survival by protecting against an incursion from the numerically superior North. The FY2009 defence budget provided a 7.4 percent increase in spending over 2008’s expenditure of $28.5 billion, equating to 2.76 percent of GDP. It was also in alignment with the $491 billion allotted to Defence Reform 2020, a 15-year programme that began in 2005 with the aim of thoroughly modernising the ROK Armed Forces and making them technologically self-sufficient.

By 2011, the defence budget should rise to 2.89 percent of GDP. The $156 billion Mid-Term Defense Plan (2007-11) is the first stage of Defense Reform 2020, with an increased emphasis on research and development. South Korea wants a high-quality force equipped with advanced technology and good morale. By 2020 the military will have been reduced to 500,000 troops, the army losing a third of its manpower down to 371,000. Reserves will also be cut in half from 3 to 1.5 million.

However, defence reforms will be pared back because of the current financial crisis, meaning scheduled reforms may not be completed before 2020. A revised plan, addressing this issue was submitted to President Lee on June 26th for signing off.

Korea designed and will build the first two Makassar-class LPDs for the Indonesian Navy, with a remaining pair slated for construction in Indonesia Maturing defence industry

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Philippines. On 4 December 2008, 15 retired T41D basic trainer aircraft were delivered to the Philippine Air Force. Turkey adopted the basic design of Samsung Techwin’s K9 Thunder 155mm self-propelled howitzer, cementing another strategic relationship. Known as T-155 Firtina and modified to meet Turkish requirements, Turkey is license-producing up to 350 systems. Otokar is manufacturing Turkey’s new Altay Main Battle Tank (MBT) under an August 2008 contract. Beating bids from traditional tank-building countries, Rotem (part of the Hyundai Motor Group) scored a coup after being declared the key technology partner. In June 2007, Turkey also announced a $450 million deal for KT-1 basic trainers from KAI. South Korea is a leading shipbuilder, and when domestic companies started producing foreign naval designs, they developed further skill sets that eventually has enabled them to build advanced warships. Korea designed and will build the first two Makassar-class LPDs for the Indonesian Navy, with a remaining pair slated for construction in Indonesia.

The Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA) announced that ROK defence exports exceeded $1 billion in 2008.

This statistic illustrates how the nation’s defence sector has matured, propelled by deliberate governmental policies of stimulating the domestic economy and promoting military self-reliance. DAPA, formed in 2006 as an independent agency to oversee military procurement and sales, has brought greater efficiency to that process. Defense Minister Lee Sang-hee declared on January 8th, that defence industries needed to focus on research and development to become an economic “engine of growth.” Defence exports in 2009 are expected to grow by 20 percent to $1.2 billion.

Army capitalises on technology Another way of improving efficiency is The ROK Army (ROKA) is the sixth largest in privatisation, with the government recently the world, comprising 522,000 soldiers and a declaring it was selling its 30 percent stake in pool of approximately three million reservists.

Korean Aerospace Industries (KAI). This It boasts 2,500 tanks, 2,500 armoured vehicles asset sale will give foreign companies a strate- and 7,000 artillery pieces. South Korean males gic foothold. Similarly, the government is are required to complete approximately two considering selling its 19.1 percent stake in years of military service. A streamlining of the the country’s largest naval shipbuilder, Army is occurring with the reorganisation of Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering three army groups into two operational com(DSME). South Korea wants both indigenous mands. The Army serves a vital function in development and cost effectiveness, so one guarding the DMZ, plus the country’s mounsolution is demanding high technology-trans- tainous terrain ensures infantrymen will fer levels and offsets from foreign companies. always be an important asset.

As South Korea becomes more self-reliant The army possesses around 1,500 K1 or militarily, there is less This is Doosan Infracore’s Black Fox 6x6 APC, which is contending for concern with maintaina ROKA requirement for wheeled armoured vehicles. (Gordon Arthur) ing interoperability with the US, South Korea’s traditional defence supplier. This will see enhanced competition and diversification of suppliers, with European competitors becoming more significant.

South Korea has been nurturing new export markets and fostering military relationships with countries like the

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vehicle designs.

South Korea has taken delivery of its first of 48 second-hand Patriot PAC-2 missile systems from An army UH-1H conducting a medevac mission. The new KUH will Germany, these are enable replacement of elderly helicopters. (Gordon Arthur) deemed essential for Rather than buying off-the-shelf systems, K1A1 MBTs. Although the K1A1 is far more defence against its northern neighbour. advanced than anything North Korea fields, However, the Patriot network will not be oper- the MND opted to indigenously develop attack the ROKA has been developing the state-of- ational until 2010 after acceptance tests have helicopters in conjunction with foreign manufacturers. The Korea Attack Helicopter (KAH) the-art K2 since 1995. A Rotem K2 prototype taken place.

Helicopters are another important element will replace Cobra AH-1S and Hughes 500MD employing an autoloader, laser defensive suite and reactive armour was publicly unveiled in in forthcoming programmes. The new Korean helicopters, and it will share components with March 2007. The Doosan Infracore K21 Utility Helicopter (KUH) is being designed the KUH. A contract is eagerly awaited by forInfantry Fighting Vehicle (IFV), armed with a first as part of the Korean Helicopter Program eign helicopter manufacturers, but one chal40mm cannon and lighter than similar designs (KHP). The KUH requirement with a $1.3 bil- lenging aspect of the project is the army wants because of its fibreglass chassis, is supplement- lion budget is for 245 helicopters that carry a craft deployable between 2013 and 2018. ing the K200 Armoured Personnel Carrier eleven troops, with Eurocopter providing tech- Therefore, it is possible 36 AH-64D Apache hel(APC). Approximately 1,000 are to be built up nical assistance, autopilot and transmission to icopters could be acquired as a gap-filler.

Samsung Techwin supplies artillery sysuntil 2015. New armoured vehicles like the KAI. Some speculate the 8-tonne design is K2 and K21 demonstrate how South Korea has based on the AS565 Panther. A KUH prototype tems, and recently won a $1 billion order for K9 successfully utilised designs from well-estab- should fly this year, with deliveries occurring howitzers plus K10 Ammunition Resupply lished international manufacturers, initiated in the latter half of 2012. Eurocopter and KAI Vehicles. Although officials did not reveal the local assembly and infrastructure, and then have also set up a 50/50 subsidiary to market number ordered, it is estimated to be several hundred systems on top of the 200-300 already built on its experience by developing its own an export version. in service. Deliveries are underway, due for The T-50 Golden Eagle advanced trainer symbolises how far the South Korean defence industry has completion by 2012. progressed. (Gordon Arthur/Andrei Chang)

The ROKAF wants 420 fighters by 2018. As a first phase of the all-important F-X programme, the F-15K Slam Eagle was procured

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Air Force set to soar The ROK Air Force (ROKAF) is a modern force of 400 combat aircraft, predominantly of American origin. In any encounter, these would face 1,600+ North Korean aircraft of obsolete Chinese and Russian design. Its inventory includes 180 KF-16C/D, 60 F-15K Slam Eagle, 135 F-5E/F and 130 F-4D/E fighters. The ROKAF maintains high readiness levels, and under the 2020 reforms, its manpower will remain unchanged at 65,000.

South Korea produces the impressive T-50 Golden Eagle advanced trainer. Developed jointly by KAI and Lockheed Martin, the first supersonic T-50 was delivered to the ROKAF in December 2005 for evaluations. The ROKAF will eventually receive more than 80 T-50/TA50 aircraft, but already KAI is developing new KTX-2 versions such as the FA-50 light combat aircraft to replace the elderly F-5 fleet.

The ROKAF wants 420 fighters by 2018. As a first phase of the all-important F-X pro-

The ROKAF maintains high readiness levels, and under the 2020 reforms, its manpower will remain unchanged at 65,000 gramme, the F-15K Slam Eagle was procured.

The ROKAF received its fortieth F-15K in October 2008, this fighter having won out against the Rafale, Typhoon and Su-35 thanks to budgetary and industrial policy reasons. The second phase was agreed in early 2008, with an intent to acquire a further 21 F-15K fighters powered by Pratt & Whitney F100-PW-229EEP engines from 2010-12. A third phase in the KFX Future Fighter programme will kick in with a requirement for 40-60 advanced multirole strike aircraft by 2014 to replace F-4s and F-5s.

Since the F-22 Raptor is not for sale, the KFX programme will eventually deliver an indigenous twin-engine stealth fighter, with the

South Korea produces its own UAVs, this being the RQ-101 Intruder 1 mounted on a truck-based launcher. (Gordon Arthur)

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advanced single-seat design. The KFX fighter is being developed by KAI, but details remain sketchy at this stage.

DAPA issued a requirement for 177 airlaunched cruise missiles for its F-15Ks, but when only one bidder responded (Taurus Systems KEPD-350), the tender was relaunched. It is hoped Lockheed Martin’s AGM158 Joint Air-to-Surface Standoff Missile (JASSM) and MBDA’s Storm Shadow will bid next time around. There is media speculation these 400km-range missiles could target North Korean nuclear facilities. In May, the Korea Medium-Range Surface-to-Air Missile (KMSAM) was successfully tested, to eventually replace the Hawk SAM. The E-X Airborne Early Warning (AEW) programme will enable detection of hostile aircraft. KAI is also developing the KO-1, a Forward Airborne Controller craft based on the KT-1 basic trainer. The first observation aircraft rolled out in December 2006.

DAPA has selected the national airline, Korean Air, to develop a new Medium-

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Altitude Long-Endurance (MALE) UAV with 24-hour endurance. The company is expected to work with a foreign partner for entry into service in 2016.

Navy charts course for blue-water capability Korea is credited as the first user of shipboard guns when its vessels defeated 500 Japanese boats in 1380. The ROK Navy (ROKN) has advanced well beyond this auspicious beginning, its primary task now being to counter aggression from North Korea’s littoral naval force. Personnel total 68,000 (including 27,000 in the ROK Marine Corps) while the fleet numbers around 170 major ships. Defense Reform 2020 is to cut 4,000 personnel. Backed by an extensive shipbuilding industry, the ROKN has embarked on an ambitious modernisation plan to become a blue-water navy by 2020, with the need to rapidly protect vital Sea Lanes of Communication (SLOC) to safeguard exports and imports.

In 2001, the ROK president announced a plan to establish a Strategic Mobile Fleet in addition to the East Sea, West Sea and South Sea fleet commands. This reorganisation will strengthen control over surrounding waters and produce one of Asia’s leading naval forces. To cement this transition from coastal force into blue-water

navy, a number of new vessels are being built for the mobile flotilla. These include the ROKS Dokdo a 14,000-ton amphibious landing ship able to carry seven helicopters and 700 troops was commissioned in July 2007, making it ideal for combat or humanitarianassistance missions, Aegis-equipped guidedmissile destroyers - the first of three Sejong the Great-class destroyers was commissioned in 2009 and finally the Chungmugong Yi Sunshin-class destroyers, six 4,500-ton destroyers already in service. A new $850 million naval base is also

In 2001, the ROK president announced a plan to establish a Strategic Mobile Fleet in addition to the East Sea, West Sea and South Sea fleet commands being built for the Strategic Mobile Fleet on Jeju’s southern coast by 2014. Defense Reform 2020 will also upgrade ROKN submarine and naval aviation commands, with aircraft numbers doubling to around 100.

Korean Destroyer Experimental (KDX) is a three-phase programme aimed at modernising surface combatants. The final phase is being achieved with the aforementioned 7,600-ton Sejong the Great class (KDX-III) that sees South Korea become a member of the exclusive Aegis club. DSME launched the second KDX-III in late 2008. The ROKN also has options for three further vessels as part of the navy’s stated six-vessel requirement. South Korea is concerned about the DPRK’s unpredictable missile programme, so these vessels offer effective missile-defence capabilities.

Other projects underway are the Frigate Experimental (FFX), Landing Platform Experimental (LPX), Patrol Killer Experimental (PKX) and Korean Submarine (KSS). The 2,300-ton FFX to eventually replace Ulsan-class frigates

The ROKS Dokdo (LPH 6111) is the lead ship in a new class of Landing Platform Helicopter (LPH) vessels. (Gordon Arthur/Andrei Chang)

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and Pohang-class corvettes will have shipbuilders salivating and competing fiercely.

The modular and stealthy design will likely come from an international source, with up to 24 frigates being built by 2020. Hyundai Heavy Industries (HHI) will build the lead ship for commissioning in 2011. The FFX is being equipped with Phalanx CIWS, Rolling Airframe Missiles and an embarked Lynx anti-submarine warfare helicopter.

Hanjin Heavy Industries is designing the LPX, with this Next Amphibious Ship Project providing four 4,500-ton amphibious craft from 2014-17. The same shipbuilder is also building the much smaller PKX to give a fleet of next-generation fast attack patrol craft armed with 76mm guns and KSSM anti-ship missiles. The Geomdoksuri-A PKX will be a 400-ton craft with anti-ship missiles, while the Geomdoksuri-B is a 200-ton patrol craft. There is speculation 18 A and 24 B versions will be built for introduction by 2015.

The Korean Submarine (KSS) programme will greatly expand the underwater fleet.

The ROKN currently has nine Type 209 submarines, and is planning to acquire up to nine KX-II Type 214 vessels. The Germandesigned Type 214 Son Wonyil class employs Air Independent Propulsion (AIP) for up to two weeks of continuous underwater operation. HHI is responsible for the first three license-built 1,800-ton Type 214 submarines, the first launched on 9 June 2006 and the second diesel-electric vessel handed over on 2 December 2008. Late in 2008, DSME was awarded a contract to build the fourth Son Wonyil-class submarine. Even while production of the Type 214 is ramping up, Samsung Techwin is poised win a contract to supply radar and combat management systems for the next-generation KSS-III submarine. Work on the indigenously

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Alliance with the USA

The spectre of invasion hangs over South Korea, with this Military Policeman standing on the frontline at the Joint Security Area (JSA).

(Gordon Arthur)

designed KS-III began in 2007, with the first of up to nine 3,000-ton submarines scheduled to appear in 2017.

The ROKN flies eight P-3B Orion Maritime Patrol Aircraft (MPA), which are undergoing a $496 million Update III refurbishment programme to P-3CK configuration. System integration problems meant delivery of the first Orion was delayed until December 2008. The first two are being upgraded in the USA while KAI will upgrade the remainder. The ROKN wants new mine countermeasure helicopters by 2012, with the AgustaWestland EH-101, NH-90 and MH-60 Seahawk considered contenders.

Recently, the U.S. Senate passed legislation to upgrade Seoul to the status of ‘mostfavoured nation’. Although largely symbolic, this appellation does give South Korea easier access to American military hardware

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The USA is South Korea’s most important strategic partner in accordance with the 1953 Mutual Defense Treaty. Combined Forces Command (CFC) has overseen South Korean defence for the past three decades since it stood up in 1978 as successor to the United Nations Command. It is currently commanded by General Walter Sharp who, in wartime, would command both South Korean and American forces. An important milestone occurs on 17 April 2012 when this joint U.S.ROK headquarters is disbanded and operational control is transferred fully to South Korea. American forces stationed on the Peninsular will remain at the current level of 28,500, although this new supporting role will give the USA more flexibility to redistribute forces when responding to global events.

Associated with, but not dependent on the command transition, U.S. forces are gradually realigning south of the Han River. They are congregating on two major hubs, one in the Pyeongtaek area and the other further south near Daegu/Pusan.

Recently, the U.S. Senate passed legislation to upgrade Seoul to the status of ‘mostfavoured nation’. Although largely symbolic, this appellation does give South Korea easier access to American military hardware. “We have a strong alliance that both countries are committed to. I think it’s not just an alliance for the ROK and USA, it provides stability for the region too,” commented Colonel Jon Sachrison of the USMC, Deputy Chief of Combined Policy at CFC, in an interview with the author.

Future prospects Although South Korea’s biggest concern is the DPRK juggernaut across the DMZ, it is also involved in international missions. South Korea has a 1,400-strong contingent deployed with UNIFIL in Lebanon, and it dispatched a KDX-II destroyer to the coast of east Africa with the multinational counter-piracy effort.

Owing to its geopolitical position adjacent to the world’s most unpredictable and dangerous country, South Korea has been forced to, and succeeded in, creating one of the world’s most capable armed forces. As long as North Korea holds to its confrontational path, South Korean eyes will remain steadfastly fixed MR across the DMZ. A

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Managing the

Modern Battle The function of a Battle Management System (BMS) is self evident; managing the battle. A straightforward goal maybe, but in practice anything but simple to achieve. The basic objectives of any BMS are to ensure the real time flow of information between users and display that information in an intuitive way that is easy to interrogate and within a system that is scalable from the brigade and battalion to both the individual vehicle and dismounted soldier.

by Adam Baddeley

The Tsayad or Hunter programme is also known as the Digital Army Programme. The latest version of the BMS software has recently been tested for deployment on the Syrian border Š Elbit Systems

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he information being disseminated and displayed by a BMS relates to the immediate and short term operational situation of the user. The information in question varies and is dependent on the degree of functionality but a common core of functionality can be found throughout all systems; shared automated reporting and graphical orders dissemination and situational awareness generating a Common Operational Picture with cartography tools, modelling and embedded simulation, rapid collaborative planning, endto-end ISTAR (Intelligence, Surveillance, Target acquisition and Reconnaissance), networked indirect and direct fires from land, air and sea platforms and logistic support services. After the battle, the same system will also provide a ready source for post mission debriefings and analysis.

Contributors of that information can be diverse; joint, coalition and well as civil participants such as aid organizations, depending on the type of mission the force is undertaking.

BMS must also integrate with individual platform sensors and other on board sources of information such as interfaces with fire control systems, laser range finders, navigation systems and driver display unit, cameras, binoculars and counter measures such as the laser warning receiver.

Kongsberg’s ComBatt is an internationalised version of the BMS developed by the company for Norway’s NORTaC-C2IS project. Fielded from 2002, the system continues to be evolved based on user experience from operations in Afghanistan. The ComBatt capability is based around four key capabilities: C2IS including Situation Awareness using NATO Mil-std 2525B/APP6A “Common Warfighting Symbology”; the planning suite to manage the operational planning process before and during a mission or operation; Intelligence and Order of Battle which has been updated to address the needs of asymmetric conflicts and Military Operations Other Than War including Red Force inputs as well as two key groups of functionality associated around the ComBatt Advanced Fire Support System (AFSS) related to Tube Artillery, Mortar and Rocket Artillery.

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BMS must also integrate with individual platform sensors and other on board sources of information Kongsberg, it is fair to say is better known for its Protector family of Remote Weapon Stations than its BMS. Work by the company to fuse BMS with the RWS has produced the Blue Force Protector, which illustrates the synergies to be gained by integrating BMS with weapon systems. By accessing BMS information via a number of common radio interfaces such as the SINCGARS and PR4G and protocols such as NFFI (NATO Friendly Force Information), VMF (Variable Message Format), MIP (Multi-lateral Interoperability Programme) and Link 16, the RWS is able to monitor the location of friendly forces and alert the operator when it is about to engage friendly units, reducing the incidence of fratricide. Using the RWS control interface the operators would be able to access additional BMS functionality allowing it to use sensors such as laser range finder and night vision equipment to act as an Forward Observer, providing sensor data and target information to Artillery, Mortar or Air Forces, Red Force reports and dissemination of ISTAR products including Full Motion Video (FMV).

Information has to be presented to the user in order to be exploited. Barco’s display range is a world leader and equips several BMS users © AJB

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Also from Norway is Teleplans’ DINA or Distributed Information & Tracking Assistant system, designed for both PDA and vehicle workstations, allowing connectivity over military networks as well as commercial ones, such as GSM or GPRS/UMTS, useful where commercial networks are functioning such as in peacekeeping operations and can use satcom links over Inmarsat, Iridium, Thuraya or VSAT. DINA has been fielded with the Spanish MoD. Maintaining the Nordic theme is Terma’s scalable system, known as TCORE and designed to handle real time data and transmit and manage information including for applications such as a BMS. One of its successes being an upgrade to Denmark’s digitized low level air defense networks while the same software was deployed in the Navy’s new Standard Flex 300 series multi-role ships.

Elbit Systems’ Torch C2 system is one of the centerpieces of the Israel Defence Forces’s Digital Army Programme (DAP), launched in 2004 and also known by its Hebrew name of Tzayad or Hunter. The latest iteration of the software, know as Torch 400, designed for the highest intensity combat was reported to have been tested as part of major joint exercise in June, designed to test the fielding of the IDF’s first fully digitized division with this software optimized for defeating a Syrian threat.

Earlier versions of Torch, optimised for less advanced military opponents such as on the borders with Lebanon and Gaza, with the IDF having been equipped with the Torch 200 and 100 respectively, with the latter seeing service in Operation Cast Lead in 20089, described as the first network centric operation by the IDF. General Dynamics core BMS software is CDNS, which has been adopted by a number of users arguably most notably by Canada’s IRIS programme as its Athene BMS and as part of the UK’s Bowman suite of systems.

General Dynamics UK have incrementally improved Bowman’s situational awareness and BMS software throughout its life and will continue to do so as it evolves further. The latest version of the software is designated BCIP 5.4.

Qualification testing for this version will

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begin in November with the plan to integrate the software on to existing Bowman hardware, ready for deployment from 2011.

This version of BCIP will replace two main versions of the software initially deployed; BCIP 4F which has been deployed in 2005 as part of the first Bowman fielding to Southern Iraq with 3 Mechanised brigade and more recently the interim BCIP 5.2.1 which has served since 2008 which provide enhance data capability making better use of the ITT VRC340 UHF high capacity data radio and providing integrated data services over the HF radio suite provided by Harris. The new BCIP 5.4 builds on this capability and bring in new ruggedised hardware with new user data terminal tapping Blazepoint’s Ndura tablet and L-3’s new personal user data terminal, not to mention improved functionality over the transport layer, enabling video teleconferencing. The UK has also pursued with Bowman BCIP, interoperability with NATO allies and the US in particular. For alliance wide communication via BCIP, General Dynamics has worked with Systematic’s SitaWare messaging solution, which is MIP Block 2 compliant. In the future BCIP will move to MIP Block 3 solution (JC3IEDM).

The Netherlands Marine Corps also uses Bowman BCIP and, using the Bowman experience as a template, General Dynamics are the prime in sup-

Northrop Grumman is the prime for Formation Battle Command Brigade and Below, tailored specifically for the US Army’s needs plying a BMS and tactical communication requirement for Libya, noteworthy for that fact that the systems now being provided are completely ITAR free, down to the component level.

At the dismounted soldier level, General Dynamics have also demonstrated a gateway between BCIP and the UK’s interim dismounted SA systems before the Future Integrated Soldier Technology (FIST) programme enters service, using a service access point proxy over which data such as friendly force locations, free text messages, targets and other core information can be exchanged. The company has also undertaken work on integrating FIST using similar arrangements.

Northrop Grumman is the prime for Formation Battle Command Brigade and Below (FBCB2), tailored specifically for the US Army’s needs. It has however, created an off the shelf BFT capability based on its ubiquitous C2PC software and using the up and running Iridium network with partner EMS Satcom, who have supplied Iridium terminals for the purpose. The software is designed to be interoperable with US and

The UK’s Bowman BCIP software is based on the General Dynamics C4 System CDNS software widely used across the world © GD UK

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key Coalition BFT systems via an appropriate gateway. The system at its most basic version is designed to be rapidly fitted to a vehicle, allowing for example a small force deploying as part of a contingent on peacekeeping or other operation to have an immediately available situational awareness capability that can share and receive information from smaller coalition partners.

Tracking software can be developed indigenously. In Brazil for example local company IMBEL is producing a BMS for the local forces with aspirations for export. In the Czech Republic, Delinfo’s Dophin suite has been adopted by the Army of the Czech Republic with one its applications, the Battle Management Vehicle Information Systems (BMVIS) responsible for BMS functionality.

Next door, a Slovak firm, CSBC provides the BMS software, know as C2I and installed on Panasonic Toughbooks, that is hosted on BAE System’s Mokys area communication system. In Turkey, STM is developing the BMS for the Turkish Land Forces Command.

Known as the Tank Command Control and Information System (TCCIS), it is designed to be modular to better fit the needs of legacy and future vehicle designs.

No BMS can afford to be a stand alone system either on the battlefield or in terms of an overall package. Thales’ Tactical –BMS (T-BMS) now known as Comm@nder Battle and acquired by France, Malaysia, Belgium and Luxembourg, is one a part of the overall Comm@nder Integrated C4ISR solutions. The system features automated messages and warnings for such battlefield hazards as CBRN attacks and minefields and is compliant with various interoperability standards. Connectivity over lowbandwidth connections is also a feature of the system. Beyond inter-vehicle links, the system integrates vehicle features such as navigation systems, Combat ID and integrates acquisition with communications and BMS. Outside the vehicle, Comm@nder Contact has been optimised for the dismounted solder, again using standards such as ADat-P3 and VMF as well as APP6A symbology.

France’s platform BMS is supplied under the aegis of variants of SIT (Système d'Information Terminal), and come from different manufacturers but which must all be interoperable under the aegis of the French Army’s Army SIC Terre joint operations info-structure. One of the latest con-

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FBCB2/BFT is pervasive throughout the US armed forces. Prime Contractor Northrop Grumman is readying a new system called Kodiak, based on its C2PC software and using Iridium satcom as a bearer network © Northrop Grumman

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tracts was an April 2009 award for 8000 Système SITV1 suites from Nexter, which will be installed on the new Véhicules Blindés de Combat d'Infanterie (VBCI) infantry fighting vehicles now entering service. SITV1 is already in service on the Leclerc MBT and smaller tactical vehicles down to the AMX-10RC and Véhicule Blindé Léger. Commercially this software is offered as FINDERS, which is in service with the Army of the UAE on board its Leclerc tanks and features such elements as MIP 3/JC3IEDM interoperability The more numerous SIT variant is the SIT Elementaire (SITEL), produced by Sagem and based on the latter’s proprietary TACTIS BMS. Sagem is also providing the BMS for the FELIN dismounted soldier which has to be backwards compatible with the entire SIT network.

Tactis has also found favour in Asia, where it equips the 48 PT-91 main battle tanks Malaysia has purchased from Poland's PHZ Bumar. It is noteworthy however, that the latest export version of the

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Rheinmetall has also racked up success with its C2 solutions with Spain where it is known as Lince and with VINACCS in Switzerland PT-91 is offered with an indigenous BMS design produced by Teldat. At NATO Combined Endeavour exercise in 2008, Teldat were involved in a BFT interoperability exercise using the firm’s Jasmine C3IS Software which worked over both a Thales F@stNet VHF radio and Inmarsat satellite to a fixed workstation or over wireless LAN to a PDA. Sweden's Defence Materiel Administration (FMV) has selected Saab Systems as the main contractor for the proposed battlefield-management system (Stridsledningssystem Bataljon, SLB) for the Swedish armed forces. Saab’s latest offering in the BMS world, also known simply as ‘BMS’ is based on SLB including the latter’s Tactical Tracking Vehicle Tracking functionality, which has been fielded since 2003 on an open architecture using the SAFIR or Systems Architecture for Real Time and Information System. This allows functionali-

With the SIT System, the French armed forces have a family of BMS produced by Nexter and Sagem, which reach all the way down to Felin © AJB

ty to be tailored to user requirements while retaining core compatibility with potential allies through MIP 2 and 3. An earlier Saab C2 system, BCSS is currently fielded throughout the Australian armed forces.

Rheinmetall has had notable success in Greece with its INIOCHOS BMS initially selected for as part of the 2004 award for Leopard 2A6 HEL MBTs and since adopted for use on common vehicle and light tactical vehicles indicating that it will be adopted throughout the Greek Army’s mechanised and armored forces.

Rheinmetall also provided the TCCS BMS initially adopted for use with Sweden’s

The acquisition of Leopard II MBTs has been a catalyst for new BMS for Spain, Greece and Sweden © KMW

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Leopard 2s. Rheinmetall has also racked up success with its C2 solutions with Spain where it is known as Lince and with VINACCS in Switzerland.

In Spain, Rheinmetall worked with local firm Amper Programmas to produce Lince, while the company developed a separate BMS solution known as Simacet for the Spanish army for higher level command with it being subsequently selected for Switzerland’s FIS-Heer C2/BMS requirement. The two software packages were for a time known a Tauro and Zodiaco for export but have since 2007 been known as neON, reflecting a desire to produce a single scalable system.

Systematic is well known in the market for delivering both out of the box interoperability software packages and elements that can be integrated within other firms’ BMS. The company’s BMS offering is known as SitaWare BMS. This includes an ESRI GIS and enables terrain analysis, unit information, status and holdings and integrates sensor inputs and provides tactical drawing to commanders. In terms of interoperability, SitaWare has become synonymous with interoperable military messaging with the IRIS suite of products which are in service with over twenty countries using SitaWare supported standards such as ADatP-3, USMTF and OS-OTG and XML. Cobham’s offering is based around its core BattleHawk Command & Control (BHC2) software which is scaled up or down according to user needs. At the lowest level is that equipping the firm’s Integrated Dismounted Soldier System but can be scaled up to the strategic level and can also be used as the core of a naval comAMR bat management system.

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North Korea and denuclearisation: Looking to the future Following the underground nuclear blast conducted by North Korea on 25th May, a senior US defence official said: "The concern is not just that they have a nuclear weapon; it's what they're going to do with the technology and where it's going to go."

by Andy Oppenheimer

The North Korean cargo vessel, So San, being stopped and boarded during maritime interception operations (MIO), conducted by two Spanish Navy ships in the Gulf of Aden in December 2002.

The interdiction led to the US-led Proliferation Security Initiative to counter WMD trading on the high seas. Š US DoD

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n early June, the UN Security Council (UNSC) passed a resolution calling on all 192 UN member states to inspect vessels on the high seas. It firms up an earlier arms export embargo under UNSCR 1718, which bars North Korea from exporting weapons - as it will authorise searches on ships carrying all arms-related trade, as well as to all related training or assistance. Further UN countermeasures to counter the regime's nuclear and ballistic missile ambitions are in train – further blacklisting of North Korea companies and individuals for supporting and proliferating Pyongyang's nuclear and missile programmes, many of which have been previously implicated in proliferation of weapons and WMD-related dual-use items. The new resolution significantly and explicitly provides for the use of financial means in stopping the flow of WMD-related trade.

On June 16th, US President Barack Obama warned, predictably, that a nuclear-armed North Korea was a “grave threat”. Following a summit with the South Korean president in Washington, Obama also vowed to defend South Korea with the US nuclear umbrella, if only to reduce Seoul's motivation to pursue a nuclear capability of its own. This was interpreted by North Korea’s Rodong Sinmun

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The RC-135 reconnaissance aircraft perform intelligence collection, analysis and dissemination capabilities. These aircraft are tasked with monitoring interceptions as occurred in March 2003 when four North Korean fighter jets intercepted a U.S. Air Force RC-135S Cobra Ball operating in international airspace over the Sea of Japan © US DoD

newspaper as an attempt to attack the North with atomic bombs.

The new US administration has stated it is prepared to negotiate with ‘rogue states’ – therefore, it is possible that, beyond the stern rhetoric, Washington will send a high-level special envoy to Pyongyang in an attempt to resolve the crisis. What remains to be seen is if its North Korean strategy will be all that different from that of the Bush administration. The giant leap Washington faces is to offer the North Koreans robust security guarantees with fewer conditions than the past administration, including normalisation of relations and economic aid. This will in turn coul enable Beijing to maximise its leverage and press Pyongyang to accept such an offer.

Map of North Korea’s suspected nuclear sites © Copyright Nuclear Threat Initiative

Regional reaction The threat to Japan and South Korea increased following several short-range missile launches, which rapidly followed the May nuclear test.

The latest in the Taepodong series, the Taepodong 2 has a projected range of up to 6,500 km (4,000 miles). In anticipation of the testing, the US deployed anti-missile defenses a ground-based mobile missile system and a radar system - around Hawaii. This provided as a dry run for America’s long-heralded national missile defence systems, although the Taepodong 2 is not able to hit Hawaii's main islands, which are 7,200 km (4,500 miles) from the Korean peninsula.

Immediate threat to South Korea The current belligerence has produced a far more radical reaction from South Korea than Pyongyang’s first nuclear test, in October 2006.

The previous, Roh administration had continued its policy of engagement with the North as part of its ‘sunshine policy’, without interruption - with President Roh having even said that North Korea's development of nuclear weapons was for defensive, not offensive, purposes. In contrast, President Lee said in June that the North Koreans must understand that their past behaviour will not stand.

After a long period of dalliance, South Korea finally became a full member of the USinitiated Proliferation Security Initiative (PSI) soon after the May test. PSI, which allows the interception of ships at sea suspected of carrying CBRN weapons or CBRN-related materials, was actually set up after a North Korean merchant ship, the So San, was intercepted in December 2002 by Spanish maritime patrols in

On June 16th, US President Barack Obama warned, predictably, that a nucleararmed North Korea was a “grave threat” SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2009

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the Mediterranean following alerts by their US colleagues that the vessel was carrying ballistic missiles. Several early PSI maritime exercises in Asia were designed to pressurise Pyongyang to curtail its WMD-related activities.

An important loophole in PSI is that such interdiction must have the assent from the country under which the vessel is flagged. This provision could provide incentives for North Korea to do more shipping under its own flag.

The major flags of convenience - Panama and Liberia – are likely to come under strong pressure to comply. This obligation in turn makes a future confrontation possible.

Indeed, Pyongyang called South Korea's entry into PSI, “a declaration of undisguised confrontation and a declaration of a war," saying that the United States and its allies had launched a smear campaign against Pyongyang at the UN Security Council - and had drastically raised the danger of invading the North. The temperature rose again with North Korea’s predictably belligerent reaction to US monitoring of a North Korean vessel, the Kang Nam, after it left a North Korean port on 17 June. As it had been previously involved in weapons shipments, the ship is the first example of 'a subject of interest' since the June sanctions. The US has stated it will board the Kang Nam even without North Korean permission if hard evidence shows it is carrying missiles or other cargo in violation of UN resolutions.

The Kang Nam appeared headed to Myanmar – which is under a US and EU arms embargo - via Singapore. In late June, Singapore warned Pyongyang that it would take action against the Kang Nam. As a US ally with the world's busiest shipping port and main ship refuelling hub, Singapore is in a constant high state of readiness should a North Korean vessel

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Chinese aid may postpone the economic damage that is inevitable after a nuclear test, and which may still be endured by its failing economy head to a port with a cargo of weapons.

China still the decider When the May test took place, many schools in northeast China were evacuated because the epicentre of the earthquake it caused, registering 4.5 on the Richter scale, was a mere 180 km away. Chinese officials reportedly were informed of the test less than 30 minutes before the underground explosion. The second test has aroused greater Chinese anger than the first one in 2006, as Pyongyang has blatantly disregarded China's demands to denuclearise. The June 12th UNSC resolution is by far the strongest indication to date of China’s disapproval of North Korea’s nuclear and missile tests.

As in previous negotiations, the success of the UN sanctions depends on how aggressively Beijing implements them. However, so long as China continues as its chief benefactor and safety net, in terms of aid at least, the leadership of the starvation-racked country may survive into succession of its leader and continue to threaten its neighbours. China’s fear of destabilising its impoverished neighbour may still prevent openly exerted punishment on North Korea, and in addition,

Scud missile parts and equipment found in the cargo hold aboard the North Korean vessel, So San, discovered after being boarded by Spanish Special Forces in December 2002. The boarding team later found 15 disassembled Scud missiles concealed by bags of cement, bound for Yemen, and the interdiction led to the US-led Proliferation Security Initiative © Spanish MoD

China is still to join the PSI. Beijing will go all out to prevent a military conflict on the Korean Peninsula because of the great fear of a flood of North Korean refugees into China. Therefore the imperative is to restore the Six-Party Talks as their pragmatic mediator - while continuing to send aid to North Korea. The last round of the talks resulted in deadlock when the US demanded that nuclear inspectors be allowed to remove from the country, samples from North Korean facilities for further analysis.

Apart from Pyongyang resisting all calls for renewed talks, Beijing believes the nuclear cri-

The US readied its ballistic missile defence resources in advance of North Korea’s 4 July missile tests.

In June 2008 two modified Standard Missile 2 (SM-2) Block IV interceptors were launched from the guided-missile cruiser USS Lake Erie (CG 70) which intercepted a short-range missile target 100 miles west of Kauai, Hawaii on the Pacific Missile Range Facility © US DoD

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sis depends more on Washington’s dealings with Pyongyang. Despite China’s immediate harsh verbal response to the nuclear test, it later moderated its stance, calling on "all parties concerned to respond in a cool-headed and appropriate manner and persist in seeking a peaceful solution through consultation and dialogue."

Chinese aid may postpone the economic damage that is inevitable after a nuclear test, and which may still be endured by its failing economy. So an international waiting game –

as followed the first test in 2006 – is likely before North Korea effects yet another climbdown, or collapses completely. China has to manage a delicate balancing act – it cannot allow the UN sanctions to cripple Pyongyang so badly as to provoke further provocative military acts or the collapse of Kim Jong Il's regime. Therefore, Beijing will likely support further modest, but not severe, UN sanctions.

Other powers have, however, responded to North Korea’s acts of proliferation. In 2007, Israeli jets bombed a Syrian industrial facility on the Euphrates River that US intelligence officials subsequently described as a nascent nuclear reactor being built by a North Korean state-owned company, Nomchongang Trading Co., which has featured in many sanctions cases. With offices in Syria, the company is regarded as a North Korean ‘brand name’ in developing nuclear technologies, and has also been implicated in sales of nuclear-related equipment to Myanmar. Other companies implicated in WMD-related transactions, in particular ballistic missiles, are the Korea Mining Development Trading Corp., Korea

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State of the arsenal The explosive yield of the May test, conducted at at Phunggye-ri, in north eastern North Korea, was first believed by Russian seismic trackers to have been 20 tons of TNT-equivalent (that is, 20 kilotons – exceeding the yield of the bomb dropped on Hiroshima in 1945).

However, later estimates are much more conservative. In early June, the conversions from the seismic measurements amounted to around 4 kilotons, but a yield of 2.5 kilotons is closer to reality - based on the seismic magnitude of 4.52 measured by the International Data Centre. Even though this is lower than first estimated, the nuclear device still demonstrated four times the explosive power of the October 2006 test. Such a bomb, exploded in a city, would cause death and destruction several orders of magnitude greater than anything deployed in peacetime.

According to intelligence sources, the North is believed to have made an unspecified num-

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ber of nuclear warheads for its Rodongs, which have a range of 1,300 km (810 miles), and is reputed to be the North’s selected nuclear system. In a report on North Korea’s WMD, the Brussels-based International Crisis Group [ICG] said the North has possibly deployed more than 600 short-range variants of Scud missiles that can strike South Korea, and as many as 320 medium-range Rodong missiles that can strike Japan. Of considerable concern is indication in the ICG reports that weaponisation of warheads for medium-range missiles could possibly be further advanced than generally believed.

What price denuclearisation?

The ineffective dismantlement of North Korea’s ramshackle, but evidently productive, plutonium facility at Yongbyon was shortlived, following the impasse that ensued after the 2007 aid-for-denuclearisation deal. Only days after the May test, it reopened the plant to restart the production of arms-grade plutonium. It will take the North Koreans up to a year before they will be able to obtain plutonium from about 8,000 spent fuel rods at the Yongbyon reactor.

North Korea is enhancing its nuclear deterrent as a bargaining chip in future negotiations over denuclearisation. Opinion is divided between observers who believe that a normalised relationship with Washington without the threat of regime change could lead to Pyongyang abandoning its costly nuclear programme. Others believe that joining the nuclear club will enable North Korea to be recognised by the

There is some evidence of a growing public feeling in China that any political and financial support to North Korea should be conditional on co-full co-operation on denuclearization international community as a nuclear weapons state. Or that the test was intended to solidify the transitional Kim regime.

There is some evidence of a growing public feeling in China that any political and financial support to North Korea should be conditional on co-full co-operation on denuclearisation.

Concerns about Chinese security and an environmental threat to China's north eastern provinces stem from the belief that an accident from a nuclear test would result in heavy radioactive contamination. However, many others are suspicious of Washington's longterm strategic intentions in the region – that once the North Korean nuclear crisis is resolved, Washington will turn its attention to containing China.

As for the wider region, rumblings of a nuclear arms race have resurfaced. After the test, which coincided with the death of President Roh, Some South Korean politicians and the media (conservative and liberal alike) began actively insisting that Seoul should, like Japan, pursue a plutonium reprocessing capability to reduce the burden of the country's spent fuel, and develop a uranium enrichment capability to reduce its dependence on foreign

The Ronald Reagan Carrier Strike Group looks across the Demilitarized Zone into North Korea from the Dora Observatory, the northernmost observatory in South Korea, during a tour in Panmunjom, South Korea, July 2008 © US DoD

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enrichment services. This is in contrast to Soeul’s reaction to the 2006 nuclear test, when few in government proposed that Seoul should acquire nuclear arms in response, and at variance with domestic polls showing most South Koreans prefer a peaceful resolution to the crisis. The present public mood is to look to the Six-Party Talks as a diplomatic means of solving it, rather than any military response.

The same South Korean politicians are also demanding that the current U.S.-South Korean agreement on the civilian use of nuclear energy, which prevents Seoul from reprocessing and will expire in 2014, should be renewed to allow South Korea the same rights as Japan, which already has such facilities, along with many tons of available plutonium and substantial expertise – enough for a sizeable nuclear arsenal. These stocks and advanced adaptable capability are widely viewed as providing Japan with a ‘virtual’ nuclear deterrent – one that can be switched on at will. But it is indeed the will that is lacking rather than the capability, due mainly to Japan’s history as the world’s only nuclear weapons victim, and its ‘special relationship’ with the US. This is opposite to the situation of many would-be nuclear nations, who want to have the Bomb but struggle to develop it.

North Korea’s other WMD: chemical weapons According to the ICG June report, North Korea is also thought to have up to 5,000 tonnes of chemical weapons (CW). This is said to consist of 2,500-5,000 tonnes of mustard gas, phosgene, blood agents, sarin, tabun and persistent nerve agents, which could – if the delivery systems work - be deliverable by long-range artillery, missiles, aircraft or naval vessels. The main threat is an attack causing massive civilian casualties in South Korea, whose Defence Ministry’s estimates of the North’s CW tally with the ICG’s report.

According to the ICG, the North’s leadership “is likely to rely on asymmetric capabilities for its national security objectives. This strategy poses a significant danger because it risks deliberate, accidental or unauthorised WMD attack or incident.” Diplomacy, rather than military action is the “least bad option" according to the ICG President Gareth Evans.

Whatever the future action on the crisis will entail, there is unanimous fear that the country's military capabilities and capacity to cause real damage to the global non-proliferation AMR effort remains and may continue to grow.

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AUSTRALIA

RAN to upgrade Anzac frigates In August, Australia's Minister for Defence John Faulkner announced a comprehensive upgrade of the Royal Australian Navy's Anzac frigate fleet as part of the anti-ship missile defence (ASMD) programme set out in a recently released Defence White Paper.

The programme will include a comprehensive upgrade of the Anzac frigates, and will also include the addition of innovative phased array radar technology designed and built by Australian company, CEA Technologies. Pending the outcome of sea trials on the first ship, HMAS Perth, in July 2011, the Anzac-class frigates will be upgraded at a cost of A$158 million. This first ship installation is expected to begin in 2010.

If successful, this first lightweight application of such technology will deliver, “an enhanced search and track and target illumination capability in the maritime environment”, and will ensure the fleet are able to operate effectively for the remainder of their operational lives.

Faulkner said that, the ASMD program will ensure the Royal Australian Navy's Anzac frigates have a far greater level of self-defence against modern anti-ship missiles. It will also improve the ability of the frigates to provide close-in protection to an amphibious maritime task group and support the Navy's future air warfare destroyer capability.”

Future Submarine RfT Australia's new defence minister John Faulkner announced in August that the Department of Defence has issued a requests for tender (RfT) to complete a Domestic Design Study for the Future Submarine Project, Sea 1000.

“The procurement of Australia’s future submarine will be Australia’s largest ever single defence project and will form a critical part of the nation’s future defence force,” Faulkner stated.

Investigations by the Future Submarine Project Office, charged with developing Sea 1000, to date have covered a number of diverse areas aimed at developing an understanding of the capability of the international submarine industry. The RfT adds to those preliminary investigations by

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HMAS Perth is the last of ten Anzac class frigates to be built for the Royal Australian and Royal New Zealand Navies but will be the first to receive the ASMD upgrade © US DoD

examining Australia’s design capabilities, and forms part of a programme of studies being undertaken to support the planning of Australia’s future submarines as outlined in the recent Defence White Paper.

“We are undertaking a number of studies to identify and explore all the options to ensure we have the appropriate design capability to support our submarines throughout their life. The information we collect through this process will help to develop strategic options for the Government’s consideration,” added Greg Combet, minister for defence personnel, materiel and science.”

RAAF AP-3C Orion fleet enhancement The Defence Materiel Organisation, BAE Systems Australia and Australian Aerospace signed a contract in late July to provide a range of enhancements to the AP3C Orion aircraft fleet and associated ground support systems for the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF).

Greg Combet, Minister for Defence Personnel, Materiel and Science, said the $31.1 million contract will provide a range of enhancements on the AP-3C Orion fleet, including, “improved Electro-Optic/Infra-red systems, Tactical Common Data Links, and upgrades to ground-based support systems.”

The upgraded system, which will build on earlier interim designs installed to support operations in the Middle East Area of Operations, will enter service in 2011, and will remain operational until the AP-3C is withdrawn from service.

The eighteen strong AP-3C Orion fleet are based at RAAF Base Edinburgh. The fleet plays a vital role in Australian national security, providing long-range national and international maritime surveillance, anti-sub and anti-ship warfare, naval fleet

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support and search and survivor supply.

The Orion fleet first entered service with the RAAF in 1962, with the current AP-3C Orions introduced in 2002. They are fitted with a variety of sensors, including digital multi-mode radar, electronic support measures, electro-optics detectors, magnetic anomaly detectors, identification friend or foe systems, and acoustic detectors. The P3 Accord enhancements will greatly increase the capabilities of the Orion fleet, making them amongst the most advanced surveillance aircraft currently in service.

Australia's first Super Hornet takes first flight The first of the Royal Australian Air Force’s (RAAF’s) new F/A-18F Super Hornets took its first flight from Lambert International Airport in St. Louis, US, following the unveiling of the aircraft on July 8th at Boeing Integrated Defense Systems’ facility.

The first of 24 F/A-18Fs will arrive at RAAF base Amberley in March next year.

The remaining Super Hornets, each equipped with the Raytheon-built APG-79 Active Electronically Scanned Array (AESA) radar, will be progressively delivered to the RAAF throughout the remainder of 2010 and 2011.

The Block II Super Hornet will bring a 'new generation of air power' to the RAAF. The multi-role aircraft is able to perform virtually every mission in the tactical spectrum, including air superiority, day/night strike with precision-guided weapons, fighter escort, close air support, suppression of enemy air defences, maritime strike, reconnaissance, forward air control and tanker missions.

The Australian government announced in March 2007 that it would acquire 24 of the F/A-18F aircraft, making Australia the first international Super Hornet customer.

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Australia's LHD ships pass review The delivery of Australia's two new Landing Helicopter Dock (LHD) ships came a step closer in July following the successful completion of the 'whole of ship preliminary design review' phase by BAE Systems.

BAE Systems is contracted to deliver Australia's two largest ever warships, HMAS Canberra and HMAS Adelaide, the 27 000 tonne Canberra Class LHD ships, by 2015, as part of the Australian Defence Amphibious Ships project. The A$2 billion

INDIA

FLIR Systems to provide Star SAFIRE III to IAF

project will provide the Royal Australian Navy with a world class capability to deploy land forces for combat operations, amphibious disaster relief, humanitarian aid, peacekeeping and military operations.

The whole of ship preliminary review examines major subsystems of the LHD ships including communications, navigation, combat systems, support system and platform system.

BAE Systems is managing the overall project in close cooperation with subcon-

tractors Navantia, Saab and L-3 Communications. Navantia will build up to the flight deck of the ships in Spain with BAE Systems constructing the superstructures and consolidating the ships in Australia.

When complete, each ship will have the ability to transport up to 1000 personnel, 150 armoured vehicles, and will have six helicopter landing spots with provision for a mix of troop lift and armed reconnaissance helicopters.

ment at full load of 27,500 tonnes.

Powered by two diesel engines of 10,000 kW, the ship will be able to reach a maximum speed of 20 knots.

The company has a strong position within India. In 2007 it delivered the IN Sagar Nidhi, an oceanographic vessel for the National Institute of Ocean Technology of Madras. It has also been cooperating with the shipyard at Cochin for the design of the engine, technology transfer and the provision of complementary services for the construction of the Indigenous Aircraft Carrier, currently under construction.

acquire five Russian Kamov Ka-31 helicopters for around $20 million. The decision was made in early August by the Cabinet Committee of Security.

The IN wants the airborne early warning helicopters, which can track up to 40 air and ground targets, to improve its ability to detect airborne and surface-based maritime threats. India bought an original nine Ka31s between 2003-05. The existing fleet are deployed on its Viraat aircraft carrier and two other warships.

FLIR Systems announced in August that it had received a $7.2 million US Government Foreign Military Sale (FMS) order for the Indian Air Force (IAF). The order includes FLIR System's Star SAFIRE III infrared multi-sensor surveillance systems, training and related services.

The units delivered under the award will be installed on the IAF's C-130J Fixed Wing Surveillance Platforms in support of Indian Ministry of Defence airborne missions.

Delays to Indian submarine This FMS order represents the first programme fixed-wing sale of FLIR's multi-sensor sys- IN to buy more Ka-31s India’s defence minister A. K Antony told tems to the Indian Ministry of Defence. Reports suggest that the Indian authorities parliament on 20 July that technical probWork on the order will be performed at have cleared an Indian Navy proposal to lems are delaying India's Scorpene submaFLIR's facility in Wilsonville, The integration of the recently ordered FLIR Systems’ Star SAFIRE rine programme. India signed a Oregon and deliveries are expected III infrared turret mounted multi-sensor surveillance systems will $3.9 billion contract with France to be completed by 2011. give Indian C-130Js a similar special operations capability to US for the submarines in 2005.

The C-130Js ordered by the IAF Hercules shown here © AJB Antony said that, ‘on account of are also being delivered under the some teething problems, absorpFMS system. The procurement of tion of technology and delays in the aircraft marks a major step foraugmentation of industrial infraward in relations between New structure and procurement of Delhi and Washington.

Mazagon Docks Limited (MDL) purchased materials (MPM), slippage in the delivery schedule is IN orders second tanker expected. Delays in the scheduled Italian shipyard Fincantieri delivery of submarines is likely to announced in August that the have an impact on the envisaged Indian Navy (IN) had exercised an submarine force levels.’ option to procure a second fleet Construction of the first three tanker which was included in the submarines began in December contract signed in 2008.

2006, December 2007 and August The second tanker will be 2008 respectively. The first submadelivered in the last half of 2011 rine is scheduled for delivery in and is a sister ship to the first fleet December 2012, with one per year tanker currently under constructhrough 2017. tion and due for delivery in 2010.

However, the delays mean that The tanker will be 175 metres the Indian Navy may face delays in long, 25 m broad, with a height of receiving the boats.

19 metres and have a displace-

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ASIAN MILITARY REVIEW

REGIONAL NEWS A N D

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

AFGHANISTAN Alenia North America, a part of the Finmeccanica Group, announced in August that it had conducted the first flight of one of the 18 G.222 transport aircraft it is refurbishing and modernising for the Afghan National Army Air Corps (ANAAC).

The first flight was conducted in Italy after the G.222 had completed refurbishment at Alenia Aeronautica's facilities. The aircraft was then expected to fly to Alenia Aeronautica’s Test Center at Caselle, near Turin. The G.222's modernised communication systems will be tested and validated at the adjacent electronic test range facilities.

The first flight of the refurbished G.222 brings the delivery of the aircraft to the US Air Force a step closer.

The USAF is the agency handling the refurbishment and delivery of the aircraft on behalf of the ANAAC. Nine aircraft are currently in various stages of re-manufacture at Capodichino, where the final assembly for the original G.222 aircraft also took place.

Delivery is scheduled to begin in September 2009 with this first aircraft and then continue through 2011.

Training of US Air Advisers will begin following delivery and the aircraft will then be transferred by the Combined Air Power Transition Force in Kabul for incorporation into the ANAAC.

SRI LANKA

Sri Lanka overhauls military structure Sri Lanka has reconfigured its military and security structure with the appointment of its first ever Chief of Defence Staff and the creation of the post of national security advisor to the president.

Announced by President Mahinda Rajapake's office, the four new appointments came into effect on 15 July, following the successful defeat of the Tamil Tiger rebels in May, ending nearly four decades

PAKISTAN

Pakistan gets new frigate In late July the Pakistan Navy (PN) took delivery of the first of four state-of-the-art F22P (Sword class) frigates on order from China. The vessels were purchased at a cost of $700 million.

The contract for the four ships was signed between China and Pakistan in 2005. The F-22Ps are being equipped with Z-9C anti-submarine helicopters, surface-to-surface and surface-to-air missiles and other defence systems.

China will complete delivery of the ships by 2013. The handover of PNS Zulfiqar was attended by high-ranking Pakistani and Chinese officials. The PN has been keen to bolster its forces in recent years as part of the continued regional rivalry with India.

of fighting with the separatists.

Army head General Sarath Fonseka, has been named as the new Chief of Defence Staff following a distinguished career in the Sri Lankan Army. As Chief of Defence Staff he will control all the Sri Lankan armed forces, and take over the responsibility for overall military strategy and planning.

Gen Fonseka has served as head of the army since December 2005, and is widely credited as the architect of the defeat of the Tamil Tiger regime, which saw the elimination of the entire Tamil Tiger leadership.

Senior field commander Major General

Jagath Jayasuriya will take the vacated post of Army chief.

Former Navy chief Admiral Wasantha Karannogoda has been named as the national security advisor to the president, and will be replaced as navy chief by his former deputy, Vice Admiral Tissara Samarasinghe.

The four men receiving the promotions have been credited for their part in the defeat of the Tamil Tiger rebels. Commenting on the promotions a senior military official told local media that, “This is part of revamping the command structure to meet the needs of a post-conflict situation.”

THAILAND

Thailand to buy more Black Hawks

Thailand’s proposed acquisition of the three UH-60L Blackhawks will provide a major boost to its rotary wing capabilities © US DoD

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The US Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) notified Congress in August of a possible foreign military sale to Thailand of three Black Hawk helicopters and associated equipment for an estimated cost of $150 million.

The DSCA said that Bangkok has had requested a possible sale of three UH-60L Black Hawk helicopters with six T-700-GE-701D engines with C controls, AN/APX 100 (V) Identification Friend or Foe Mark XII Transponder Set or suitable substitute/commercial equivalent, warranty, internal hoist kits, spare and repair parts, tools and support equipment, publications

ASIAN MILITARY REVIEW

and technical data, personnel training and training equipment.

The agency said that the proposed sale would, “contribute to the foreign policy and national security of the United States by helping to improve the security of a major non-NATO ally.” Thailand needs the helicopters to fulfil its strategic commitments for search and rescue and self-defence within the region without being dependent upon assistance from other countries.

The proposed sale will upgrade its air mobility capability and provide for the defence of vital installations and close air support for ground forces. The aircraft will be added to the country's existing inventory of UH-60s.

REGIONAL NEWS A N D

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

SOUTH KOREA Samsung Thales, South Korea leading combat systems developer and a joint venture between Samsung Electronics and Thales, opened a maintenance and test centre for the WSA (Weapon System Automation)-423 advanced naval gun fire control system in August.

The new centre was opened at the Republic of Korea Navy's (RoKN’s) Logistics Command in Jinhae, South Gyeongsang Province. The centre is an expression of the South Korean military’s plans to outsource its logistics support, transport and maintenance needs in the future as it attempts to streamline its structure.

Samsung Thales has invested about $410,000 to build the facility. Around ten Samsung Thales employees will work at the centre to manage and support maintenance work.

The WSA-423 is a fire control and action information system for ships.

Composed of a fire control system, search radar, tracking radar and electro-optical device, it enables naval ships to engage in anti-air/anti-surface/anti-submarine warfare with increased accuracy. The RoKN introduced the system in 1988 and has installed it on four frigates, 16 patrol ships and a minelayer.

Seoul purchases more AIM-9X missiles The US Defense Security Cooperation Agency notified Congress in August of a possible foreign military sale to Seoul of 55 All-Up-Round AIM-9X Sidewinder missiles, associated equipment, and logistical support for an estimated cost of $41 million.

The Republic of Korea requested a possible sale of 55 All-Up-Round AIM-9X Sidewinder missiles, 12 AIM-9X Sidewinder Captive Air Training Missiles (CATMs), 2 AIM-9X CATM Missile Guidance Units, missile containers, missile modifications, test and support equipment, spare and repair parts, personnel training and training equipment.

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The MH-60S Knighthawk helicopter and associated payload will provide South Korea with an advanced multi-role naval helicopter that only entered US service in 2002 © DoD

KUH prototype rolls out The prototype of the first Korean Utility Helicopter (KUH) was recently in a ceremony attended by the President of the Republic of Korea, Lee Myung-bak, marking a 'technological advancement within the field of military helicopters'.

The prototype, developed jointly by Korean Aerospace Industries (KAI) and Eurocopter, is the first of 245 KUHs being built as part of the Korean Helicopter Programme launched in 2006. The prototype has been delivered on time following successful completion of preliminary design reviews, critical design reviews and dynamic flight testing.

The KUH is due to undertake its maiden flight in early 2010, following which the production of the 245 aircraft will commence for deployment with the Republic of Korean Army. Delivery of the fleet is due by 2012, where they will replace the existing utility helicopters in the South Korean Army fleet.

Seoul opts for US helicopters The Republic of Korea (ROK) has requested a possible foreign military sale for eight MH-60S multi-mission helicopters from the US at an estimated cost of $1 billion to 'assist in developing and maintaining a strong and ready self-defence capability and military balance in the East Asia region.'

The eight MH-60S will come equipped with 16 T700-GE-401C Turbo shaft engines

ASIAN MILITARY REVIEW

and associated Airborne Mine Countermeasure (AMCM) Sensors, eight AN/AQS-20A Towed Sonar Mine Countermeasure Systems, eight AN/AES-1 Airborne Laser Mine Detection Systems, eight AN/ASQ-235 Airborne Mine Neutralization Systems, eight AN/ALQ-220 Organic Airborne and Surface Influence Sweep Systems, eight AN/AWS-2 Rapid Airborne Mine Clearance Systems.

The aircraft, built by Sikorsky, are designed for naval search and rescue, special warfare support, and airborne mine countermeasure missions. The type entered service with the US Navy in 2002.

The proposed foreign military sale was announced to US Congress by the Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DCSA) on 17 July. According to the DCSA, if successful, the ROK will be better placed to enable the Republic of Korea Navy's ability to provide mine warfare detection and mine neutralisation operations to maintain critical sea-lines of communication and coastal access around the Korean peninsula.

South Korea's Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA) announced in August that the country would develop twelve of its own F-16/KF16 fighter flight simulators by 2014 to aid pilots in keeping keep up with fighter upgrades and conduct sustainable training amid high oil prices.

To undertake the work DAPA has awarded Korea Aerospace Industries a $106 million contract, to develop up-todate flight simulators and unit training devices for the fighters as well as upgrade existing simulation systems. The current F16 flight simulators used by the Republic of Korea Air Force were developed in the US

by Raytheon.

The new systems will help pilots practice tactical flight, emergency landing, and normal landing and take-off. Once they enter service the new simulators are expected to not only help resolve the shortage of flight training for pilots, resulting from high oil prices, but also improve pilots' aircraft operational capabilities.

Towards a safer world.

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