Asian Military Review - November 2009 by Asian Military Review

VOLUME 17/ISSUE 7

ASIA PACIFIC’S

NOVEMBER 2009 US$15

LARGEST

CIRCULATED

DEFENCE

MAGAZINE

ANTI-TANK MISSILES THAILAND’S DEFENCE MODERNISATION

ASIA-PACIFIC DEFENCE MARKET

WEARABLE COMMUNICATIONS

TACTICAL AIRLIFT

NAVAL LAND ATTACK www.asianmilitaryreview.com

A TRUSTED PARTNER IN DEFENCE AND SECURITY A LIMITED NUMBER OF ONE-TO-ONE CONSULTATIONS WITH MEMBERS OF OUR TEAM ARE AVAILABLE. BOOK AN APPOINTMENT BY EMAIL:

dubaiairshow@ukti.gsi.gov.uk OR VIA OUR WEBSITE

ARE YOU LOOKING FOR INNOVATION, TRAINING AND SUPPORT? The UK can supply innovative equipment with turn-key solutions. With the added advantage of training and long-term logistical support overseas.

ARE YOU SEARCHING FOR A LONG-TERM TRUSTED SUPPLIER?

ARE YOU KEEN TO DEVELOP JOINT VENTURES AND PARTNERSHIPS?

The UK has signiﬁcant capabilities in both the defence and security sectors. Along with a strong commitment to building relationships with industry and overseas governments.

UK companies are keen to enhance their strong defence relationships with the Middle East by offering joint ventures and long-term partnership arrangements. © Crown Copyright/MOD

VISIT STAND W130A WWW.DSO.UKTRADEINVEST.GOV.UK/DUBAIAIRSHOW

Contents NOVEMBER 2009 VOLUME 17 / ISSUE 7

27 A Competitive

Asian Defence Market Gordon Arthur Defence industries in the Asia-Pacific region are growing strongly in terms of sophistication and value. Combined defence expenditure by the 13 highest Asia-Pacific spenders increased more than 12 percent to $195.3 billion in 2008 and there is little indication of serious abatement in Asian spending. Despite the price premium countries such as India and Japan are insatiably pursuing self-sufficiency. Others like Singapore have found niches with core competencies and competitive advantages while Australia is integrating with the international supply chain as a preferred contractor or by signing joint development contracts. There is a lot at stake for the Asian defence industry, as their decision-making can mean they end up as either a winner or loser in the challenging environment that exists today

Front Cover Photo: Rafael developed the Spike family, including the Spike-LR shown here, to meet the demanding Israel Defence Force requirement for an ATGW family to replace its US-supplied Dragon and TOW missiles. In January 2007 Rafael and General Dynamics Santa Barbara Systems announced that they had received a $424.5 million contract to supply the Spanish Army and Spanish Marine Corps with 260 launchers and 2,600 Spike LR missiles © Rafael

Fires from the Sea

Taking the Strain

Tom Withington Land attack has been a core mission for navies since the earliest days of armed combat at sea. Until the advent of missile technology, engaging land targets had been confined mainly to the immediate coastal plain. Navies across the world today recognise that their surface combatants and submarines must engage land targets even deep inland. At the same time, work is ongoing to ensure that the cost of these weapons reduces while their striking power and precision remains potent

Killing tanks is no longer enough

16 Ian Kemp Although the destruction of tanks will remain the standard by which anti-tank guided weapons are measured, new warheads have been designed to transform anti-tank guided weapons into ‘assault’ or ‘multi-mission’ weapons, used as ‘bunker busters’ and against personnel and are in much greater demand. Increased emphasis on precision targeting is equally important in the contemporary operating environment, where ‘collateral’ damage alienates the civilian population and often boosts support for insurgents

John Mulberry As the region's air forces continue their modernisation and countries begin to look beyond their borders in terms of their security needs, there has been momentum behind procuring new transport aircraft. The tasks are varied, allowing forces to be deployed in a wide range of roles, including combat delivery, air-to-air refuelling, special operations, disaster relief and humanitarian missions and encompassing intra as well as out of region deployments and landing on small unpaved airfields in all weather and light conditions

Delays hit Thailand’s Armed Force modernisation plans

Gordon Arthur The global recession has hit Thailand hard, though not as severely as the debilitating 1997 Asian crisis. In May 2009, the Thai military suffered a 10 percent budget slash hitting future projects with delays although subsequent additional funding has still enabled the military to embark on a $298 million spending spree through to FY2012, mostly to replace obsolete equipment

NOVEMBER 2009

Wrapping the Soldier in Voice and Data

32 Adam Baddeley Wearable communications allow for individual soldiers to wear communications devices that are small, compact and lightweight and whose functionality can also be distributed around the person. A distributed system would for example separate the power supply, RF front end and antenna from each other and place them at different locations, allowing them to be optimised for technical performance or load carriage and enable for example multiple devices to share a single power supply

Index of Advertisers AIRBORNE SYSTEMS

DIMDEX

DSA

DSM DYNEEMA

EADS

22-23

EUROSATORY

GRIPEN

4th Cover

GLOBAL SECURITY INDIA

IDEAS

RAFAEL

SINGAPORE AIRSHOW

3rd Cover

UKTI

2nd Cover

Advertising Offices Australia Charlton D'Silva, Mass Media Publicitas Tel: (61 2) 9252 3476 E-Mail: cdsilva@publicitas.com

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

Israel/Turkey Liat Heiblum, Oreet - International Media Tel: (97 2) 3 570 6527 E-Mail: liat@oreet-marcom.com Russia Alla Butova, NOVO-Media Ltd, Tel/Fax : (7 3832) 180 885 Mobile : (7 960) 783 6653 Email :alla@mediatransasia.com, allbbo@online.sinor.ru

South Korea Young Seoh Chinn, Jes Media Inc. Tel: (82-2) 481 3411/13 E-Mail: jesmedia@unitel.co.kr USA (East/South East)/Canada Margie Brown, Margie Brown & Associates. Tel : (+1 540) 341 7581 Email :margiespub@rcn.com USA (West/South West)/Brazil Diane Obright, Blackrock Media Inc. Tel: +1 (858) 759 3557 Email: blackrockmedia@cox.net

This wide ranging notion comprises the ability to research and design, manufacture, upgrade and repair defence equipment without necessitating foreign co-operation. This contrasts with the dependence that buying off the shelf from other states creates.

The recent DSEi exhibition in London show illustrated that things have come a long way for some companies in the region. At the show, Singapore Technologies Kinetics (STK) announced further details of the development of its Bronco vehicle for the UK’s Warthog requirement after an international competition that saw it defeat the ‘national’ incumbent, BAE Systems. STK also announced another smaller but UK contract for munitions. This wasn’t the first such award, showing that the UK has confidence in STK and returns to them as a supplier of choice.

India Xavier Collaco, Media Transasia India Limited Tel: (91) 124 4759500 E-Mail: xavier@mtil.biz

Singapore/Malaysia Dr. Rosalind Lui, TSEA International Tel: (65) 6458 7885 Mobile : (65) 9886 3762 E-Mail: drrosalind@tsea.com

he defence of a nation comprises many aspects of capability. There are issues of precedence of course, but in any list of priorities, certainly ranking very highly is the ability to supply one’s armed forces with their defence equipment needs.

This has been extremely difficult to achieve and in most cases its pursuit has become a barrier to military effectiveness. Those countries whose industries have sought to specialise in key areas of technology rather than a broad swathes have done better both in terms of generating export revenue and delivering military capability.

France/Spain Stephane de Remusat, REM International Tel: (33) 5 3427 0130 E-Mail: sremusat@aol.com

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

Editorial

Equally important is what Singapore has bought from the UK. The country’s ACMS future soldier programme recently selected radios from Selex, sourced and developed in the UK. Both countries, satisfied they have the right product have then acquired them, without fear or favour and are able to field them quickly. Contrast this with other initiatives. Japan, one of the most technologically advanced nations on earth has failed to provide indigenously developed and built equipment cheaply and neither has succeeded with locally produced but unnecessarily modified US designs. The history of Indian procurement too is largely one of delay and poor performance in programmes such as the Arjun main battle tank or the Tejas light combat aircraft. There is no easy answer to issues related to the defence procurement and the local economy. The free market is not a universal panacea, neither is absolute autarky. Ambitious ideas tend to fail, but concentrating on niche areas, working with international partners and tempering knee jerk protectionism with financial reality seem to pay dividends and in the current economic downturn would appear to offer a more assured path to success.

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

Publishing Office: Chairman: J.S. Uberoi Media Transasia Ltd, Room No. 1205-1206, Hollywood Centre 233, Hollywood Road, Central, Hong Kong. Tel: (852) 2815 9111, Fax: (852) 2815 1933

Operations Office: President: Egasith Chotpakditrakul International Marketing Manager: Vishal Mehta Assistant Art Director: Subrata Jana Production Manager: Kanda Thanakornwongskul Group Circulation Supervisor: Porames Chinwongs Media Transasia Thailand Ltd. 75/8, 14th Floor, Ocean Tower II, Soi Sukhumvit 19, Sukhumvit Road, Klongtoeynue, Wattana, Bangkok 10110, Thailand. Tel: 66 (0)-2204 2370, Fax: 66 (0)-2204 2390 -1

NOVEMBER 2009

Audit Bureau of Circulations

Subscription Information ASIAN MILITARY REVIEW can be obtained by subscription. Subscription rate for one year (8 issues) is U.S.$ 100.00 Readers should contact the following address: Subscription Department, Media Transasia Ltd. Room No. 1205-1206, Hollywood Centre 233, Holywood Road, Central, Hong Kong. Tel: (852) 2815 9111, Fax: (852) 2851 1933

NAVAL LAND A

Fires from the

Sea

Land attack has been a core mission for navies since the earliest days of armed combat at sea. Through the ages, coastal bombardment has been a favoured way of engaging an enemy to soften up defences prior to an amphibious landing, as was the case during the immediate moments of Operation Overlord, the Allied landings in France in June 1944, or the use of naval gunfire by the US Navy’s ‘Iowa’-class battleships against Iraqi positions on the Kuwaiti coast during Operation Desert Storm of 1991. by Tom Withington

MBDA is currently developing the SCALP Navale land attack missile. The programme will leverage technology from the company’s Storm Shadow and SCALP cruise missiles to provide the French Navy with a land attack missile © MBDA

ASIAN MILITARY REVIEW

NAVAL LAND A

owever, until the advent of missile technology in the closing years of the Second World War, naval attack of land targets had been confined mainly to the immediate coastal plain. This was because naval bombardment was limited to the range of a ships’ guns, and how close to the shore the ship could position itself to inflict the bombardment while remaining out of danger from retaliatory fire. Moreover, if naval gunfire against coastal targets was to be effective, observers would have to view the target and advise the gun crews on aim corrections to ensure that the shells would score a hit. In addition, there was no guarantee that a shell would destroy a target, particularly a hardened installation with its first hit, so several rounds would sometimes be required to this end. This would contribute to increasing the cost of a strike in terms of shells expended. It would also require observers to sometimes be placed in considerable danger relatively near to the target to perform the battle damage assessment and advise the crews on course corrections. The advent of the shiplaunched missile helped to change this. Missiles can carry enough explosive power to destroy the target in a single attack. Moreover, they tie up fewer crew than the Mark 7 16 inch (406mm) naval guns on the ‘Iowa’-class battleships which would require up to 110 sailors to operate the weapon. Observers may still be required to visually identify the target and advise the ship of battle damage after a strike however another attractive aspect of naval land attack missiles is that they have a longer range than guns. The US and Royal Navy’s Raytheon BGM109E Block IV Tomahawk Land Attack Missile has a range of up to 1,349 nautical miles (2,500km) which has enabled these

missiles to attack land targets far inland, as was the case when the US Navy used Tomahawks to attack an alleged chemical weapons factory in Sudan in 1998. Missiles, of course, do have their drawbacks, and arguably the most acute of these is cost. A Tomahawk cruise missile has a quoted unit price of around $1 million. The expense of using such weapons to strike tar-

The naval land attack missile has found its niche, and several companies around the world are offering products of varying reach and price range gets which may cost much less in monetary value, but much more in strategic value led former US President George W. Bush to question the logic of using a two million dollar missile to hit a ten dollar empty tent. Despite the advent of the naval land attack missile, the naval gun has not disappeared. Several companies around the world are building such weapons which have a vital role of engaging small craft and providing on-call artillery support

during amphibious and littoral operations. That said, the naval land attack missile has found its niche, and several companies around the world are offering products of varying reach and price range. There is also an interesting trend towards so-called ‘multi-mission’ missiles which can perform both land- and anti-ship attack. This makes perfect sense from a logistical stand point. Why house several different types of missiles onboard a vessel for anti-aircraft, anti-ship and land attack missions when one weapon can absorb the

identify their enemy as a Voenno-morskoj flot SSSR (Soviet Navy) ‘Kirov’-class battle cruiser for example. Today, the enemy may travel on an inflatable craft or in a pick-up truck. To return to President Bush’s adage of missile cost-effectiveness, Thales’ product seeks to provide a low-cost weapon which can be used against a panoply of targets. The weapon weighs in at 12kg (26lb) and can be used by air and land platforms as well as ships, while a laser fuze allows the weapon to be used against targets such as soft-skinned vehicles. New missile introductions followed at this year’s Paris Air Show with MBDA unveiling the Marte Mk.2 and Marte ER (Extended Range) weapons. The Marte ER is of interest to this article in that it provides a helicopter with an anti-ship and anti-land target capability

With lower procurement costs being a key driving motivation for the next generation of precision strike missiles, Thales is seeking to fulfil this requirement with its Lightweight Multirole Missile designed to offer an inexpensive, precise land attack solution © Thales

with a range of around 64 nautical miles (120km). This will give naval helicopters the ability to hit not only sea but also land targets, increasing the capabilities of these already flexible aircraft once again. One important consequence of this enhancement to the Marte family is that helicopters will be able to engage both vessel and shore targets in the anti-piracy fight. This is a partic-

latter two of these missions? Thales UK Air Systems Division has devised the Lightweight Multirole Missile (LMM) which it showcased at last year’s Farnborough Air Show. The company acknowledges that today’s military environment is notably more complex than the Cold War years when navies could arguably readily

NOVEMBER 2009

NAVAL LAND A

ularly important capability as, due to their speed and range, naval helicopters are often the first on the scene during anti-piracy operations. MBDA is also working on a British initiative via the Anglo-French, Team Complex Weapons initiative. The Royal Navy has a requirement for a new missile to succeed its MBDA Sea Skua anti-shipping missiles. The UK branch of MBDA is performing the assessment phase for a new helicopterlaunched version of the missile which can engage land targets, as well as attacking small surface combatants such as corvettes and fast attack craft, and be launched from the services’ AgustaWestland AW-159 Wildcat helicopters. The weapon is expected to enter service circa 2015. A datalink will allow the missile to share its imagery with the helicopter so that the weapon’s flight profile can be altered to ensure the most efficient point of impact or to cancel the mission if necessary. While MBDA is providing a land attack weapon which can be launched by a helicopter, the German Navy is looking at a land attack weapon which could be fired from its submarines. During World War Two, German scientists did investigate

The IDAS missile performed a test flight in 2006 with the first firing from a submerged submarine, the German Navy’s U33 in May 2008

For many years, MBDA’s MM-40 Exocet missile has been a leading anti-ship missile. MBDA’s latest Block III incarnation of the weapon adds a land and coastal target attack capability to the missile © MBDA

ways in which V1 and V2 rockets could be launched from U-boats although the end of the war stopped these plans becoming a reality. The IDAS (Interactive Defence and Attack System for Submarine) system seeks to develop a weapon which can outfit the service’s Type-212A submarines. The ARGE IDAS consortium involves ThyssenKrupp Marine Systems’ HDW Division and Diehl BGT Defence and is developing a weapon which can be used for

both offensive missions such as anti-ship and land attack, and to also provide a selfdefence system for the submarine against aircraft such as anti-submarine helicopters. However, compared to other land-attack missiles, the weapons’ range is relatively short, in the order of 11nm (20km) although it is outfitted with 20kg (44lb) warhead and an infra-red seeker. The weapon is designed to be fired from a four-round launcher which can be housed in a 533mm (20in) torpedo tube. The IDAS missile performed a test flight in 2006 with the first firing from a submerged submarine, the German Navy’s U33 in May 2008. ARGIE IDAS is now seeking an extension of 18 months to the missile’s risk reduction phase prior to development and production which is expected to begin in 2016. As well as equipping the German Navy export sales may follow to

MBDA took advantage of the 2009 Paris Air Show to unveil its latest version of the successful Marte missile. The Marte ER will provide naval helicopters a land attack capability along with an anti-shipping role © EADS

ASIAN MILITARY REVIEW

NAVAL LAND A

Norway, Israel, Pakistan and South Africa. In terms of other European land attack missile programmes, Norway is forging ahead with its own anti-ship and land attack weapon in the guise of the Kongsberg Defence and Aerospace Naval Strike Missile (NSM). This weapon will initially outfit the Royal Norwegian Navy’s ‘Skjold’-class patrol craft, and also the services’ ‘Fridtjof Nansen’-class guided missile frigates. The NSM is a stealthy ship-launched missile with a range of around 100nm (185km), weighing 500kg (1,102lb). Guidance for the weapon is provided by a Global Positioning System/Inertial Navigation System (GPS/INS) and the missile also carries an IR seeker and a 125kg (275lb) high-explosive fragmentation warhead. Norway is not the only Scandinavian country which is looking at land attack missiles for surface vessels. Saab Bofors Dynamics is developing the ECOM (European Common Missile) as an advanced weapon which can hit both semi-hardened and soft targets. Like the NSM, the weapon uses an IR seeker which is combined with a semi-active laser guidance system. ECOM has a range of up to 41 nm (150km), but weighs a mere 25kg (55lb). This will provide the user with both a robust coastal strike capability but without a weight and space penalty for the vessel that carries the missile. Saab’s RBS-15 missile is evolving a robust land attack capability. In March 2008, a Mk.3 version of the missile performed a test flight at the Vidsel test range in northern Sweden and used its GPS system to prove that it can hit land-based targets. The RBS-15 Mk.3 has a range of 107nm (200km) and proved during this latest test that it can traverse both terrain and sea, before climbing and engaging the land target from a high angle of attack. Away from Europe, Israel is working to develop Delilah, a ship-launched cruise missile that could offer surface combatants a weapon that can loiter over a given area and await targets of opportunity to appear. The weapon was originally designed as a Suppression of Enemy Air Defence decoy. However it has metamorphosed into a loitering cruise missile with a two-way data link which allows in-flight retargeting. The weapon has attracted interest from navies which see it as a potent land attack weapon to arm not only their surface combatants, but also their naval helicopters. Delilah was used

The US Navy’s Raytheon AGM-154 Joint Stand-Off Weapon or ‘JSOW’ allows that service’s aircraft to hit coastal targets from a stand-off range of between 12-70 nautical miles (22-120 km) © US Navy

during the Second Lebanon War of 2006 to hit supply trucks being used by Hezbollah. It is possible that Israel may decide to fit the missile to the Israeli Sea Corps’ next generation of surface vessel which will replace the ‘Sa’ar-5’-class corvettes, with a vertical launch version of the weapon being mooted. While not having the loitering capability of Delilah, the joint Indo-Russian PJ-10 BrahMos (named after the Brahmaputra River in India and the Moskva River in Russia) cruise missile will confer a robust land attack capability on the Indian Navy. This supersonic cruise missile has been designed for surface-to-surface, air-to-surface and naval land attack and can carry a 300kg armour-piercing warhead and has a 155nm (290km) range. The first launch of the naval version of the weapon at a land-based target occurred in March 2008 when the INS Rajput destroyer launched a missile at a land target in the Andaman and Nicobar islands in the Indian Ocean. The missile design uses technology developed for the NPO Mashinostroyeniya P-800 Oniks antiship missile, and India is eventually expected to procure 1,000 PJ-10 weapons across the Army, Navy and Air Force. Although Russia provided significant

The US Navy is still the world’s most prolific user of land attack missiles, having launched hundreds of Tomahawk cruise missiles against targets in Iraq, Sudan, Afghanistan and the Balkans ASIAN MILITARY REVIEW

assistance on the BrahMos programme it is also forging ahead with its own indigenous land attack cruise missile. The Novator Design Bureau 3M54E Klub has a range of up to 161nm (300km) and carries a 992lb (450kg) warhead. The weapon uses INS guidance and can be launched from the torpedo tubes of a submarine, although in order to secure a precise strike it is imperative that the missile is fed with highly accurate targeting coordinates prior to launch. The US Navy is still the world’s most prolific user of land attack missiles, having launched hundreds of Tomahawk cruise missiles against targets in Iraq, Sudan, Afghanistan and the Balkans. Entering service in 1983, the BGM-109 Tomahawk has been a real missile success story and has also given the Navy the wherewithal to have a decisive strategic effect on an overall campaign via the destruction of high value command and control targets at stand-off ranges. Initially, the family included the TLAM-C version with a conventional unitary warhead and the TLAM-D which contained a warhead equipped with bomblets. Of the entire crop of land attack missiles surveyed in this article, Tomahawk has by far the longest reach. Guidance for the weapon is provided by a combination of Digital Scene Mapping and Terrain Contour Matching with a reported accuracy of around ten metres. Since its introduction into service, the weapon has been through several incarnations, the most recent of which was the Block IV Tactical Tomahawk upgrade which added a two-way datalink to the weapon which allowed it to be retargeted in flight and for the missile’s controller to receive health and status updates from the weapon.

NAVAL LAND A

The Block IV weapon was introduced into service in 2003 and one major improvement for this weapon has been its ability to accommodate up to 15 programmed aim points. Should one target suddenly be declared off limits during the missiles’ flight, or a secondary target suddenly prove more urgent, the weapon’s controllers can simply order the missile to attack this alternative target instead. The success of Tomahawk as a hardhitting naval strike weapon has not been lost on navies around the world, and the Royal Navy was the first foreign customer to acquire the Block IV version of the missile earlier this century. Spain is now widely expected to become the second international operator of Tomahawk and is looking to purchase 20 examples of the Block IV weapon according to a recent announcement from the US Defense Security Cooperation Agency. The deal could be worth up to $156 million to Raytheon for the missiles and also for the control systems, spare parts, training and logistical support. The missiles will be deployed in vertical launch canisters on board the Spanish Navy’s ‘Álvaro de Bazán/F-100’-class frigates. Introduced in 1979, Boeing’s AGM-84 Harpoon provided an anti-shipping missile which could be launched from aircraft, submarines and ships. Thirty years later, the Harpoon remains in US Navy service and, as well as having a lethal capability against shipping, the missile was scheduled to receive an upgrade which would give it the wherewithal to hit land targets (Boeing’s AGM-84K Stand-Off Land Attack Missile already has this capability). The Block-III upgrade was a modernisation initiative for the Block-IC missiles operated by the service and was to enable them to receive GPS information for mid-course guidance and also a datalink to allow target information updates while in flight. The rationale was to give the missile target discrimination characteristics when operating in littoral or land attack modes. This is a vital capability given that such areas are filled with ‘clutter’ which can confuse a missiles’s guidance and seeker system and lead to the wrong target being engaged. However, the introduction of a datalink would effectively preclude US Navy submarines from deploying the missile given that such vessels need to operate in a ‘fire-and-forget’ mode in order

Lockheed Martin and Rolls Royce are both collaborating in the Revolutionary Approach to Time Critical Long Range Strike a.k.a RATTLRS programme to develop the technologies for tomorrow’s generation of hypersonic cruise missile © Lockheed Martin

to conceal their position through tell-tale electronic emissions. Looking towards the future, the US military is trying to bring down the cost of precision via the Advanced Weapons System (AWS). The initiative aims to develop a missile weighing under 100kg, which will perform a rocket launch and be propelled in flight by a turbofan engine. The AWS will use GPS guidance. The goal is to develop a missile which will have a loitering capability and cost around $250,000 per round. MBDA’s American division is looking to satisfy the AWS requirement as is L-3 Communications which have each won contracts worth around $6 million. MBDA’s solution is expected to utilise expertise developed for the company’s Fireshadow and Active Diamond Back loitering munitions concepts. Other future US Navy land attack concepts include the Revolutionary Approach to Time Critical Long Range Strike or RATTLRS technology demonstration initiative to develop concepts for a vertical tube launched cruise missile capable of travelling at high altitudes to frustrate interception attempts. Rolls Royce is working to develop the RAT-

Looking towards the future, the US military is trying to bring down the cost of precision via the Advanced Weapons System NOVEMBER 2009

TLRS non-afterburning turbine and Lockheed Martin is acting as the weapon’s system integrator. Also involved in the programme is the Office of Naval Research, NASA and the US Air Force. The programme is intended to demonstrate technologies from which a hypersonic cruise missile could later be developed. Lockheed Martin is also involved in the Cruise Missile XR initiative that aims to develop a weapon capable of carrying a 900kg (1,984lb) warhead and has been mooted as one possible replacement for the Tomahawk missile. Away from the United States, MBDA is also involved in the French Naval Cruise Missile programme to equip the French Navy’s ‘Barracuda’-class nuclear powered attack submarines. The initiative is known as SCALP-Navale and utilises the technology that has been developed for the Storm Shadow/SCALP air-launched cruise missiles operated by the Royal Air Force and French Air Force. With its 539nm (1,000km) range, the weapon will also use Terrain Contour Mapping, IR homing and GPS midcourse guidance. Navies and missile manufacturers across the world have recognised that it is imperative for their surface combatants and submarines to engage targets on land, be they positioned in the littoral environment or deep inland. At the same time, work is ongoing to ensure that the cost of these weapons reduces while their striking power and preciA MR sion remains potent.

TACTICAL A

Taking the

Strain

As the region's air forces continue their modernisation and countries begin to look beyond their borders in terms of their security needs, there has been momentum building behind procuring new transport aircraft. At the top end, very few of the countries in the region have the need for a truly strategic airlifter, but there is a market for these aircraft as well as tactical transport aircraft. by John Mulberry

ASIAN MILITARY REVIEW

Australia is the first country in the region to have taken delivery of the US C-17 transport aircraft ÂŠ DoD

TACTICAL A

owever, for one country in particular there is a need for strategic airlift while others in the region also see the use of such aircraft to perform out of region operations. As the Australian Defence Force (ADF) is fond of pointing out, any major movement of personnel even within the country can be a strategic move because of the vast distances between the major population centres in the country. As a result, the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) has acquired the

Boeing C-17 Globemaster III as its new heavy multi-role transport and strategic airlift aircraft as part of its Air 8000 phase 3 project. Canberra, after considering alternatives, ordered its C-17 fleet directly from the US Air Force (USAF) production run at a cost of A$1 billion. Originally developed for the USAF in the late 1980s–early 1990s, the C-17 is a highwing, four-engine, T-tailed aircraft offering advanced capabilities and functionality, pri-

marily the ability to deliver heavy loads of up to 160,000lbs long distances of up to 2,400 nautical miles (which can be extended by the aircraft's the ability to refuel in-flight), and land on small unpaved airfields in all weather and light conditions. Prior to acquiring the C-17, the RAAF relied on its C-130 Hercules fleet for tactical

airlift, and the acquisition of the C-17, with its cargo capacity three times that of the C-130 Hercules, significantly enhances the ADF's national and international military operation capabilities, with the ability to rapidly deploy troops, combat vehicles, heavy equipment and helicopters anywhere in the world. Importantly, as well as the ability to transport Black Hawk, Seahawk or Chinook helicopters, the C-17 is also large enough to carry the army’s M1 Abrams main battle tanks. Several other countries in the region are believed to be considering acquiring the aircraft, with its popularity due to its proven service with the USAF, having delivered cargo in every worldwide US operation since the 1990s. In September 2006, the Commander of the Pacific Air Forces announced that Japan was considering acquiring the C-17 for the Japan Air Self-Defence Force (JASDF), and South Korea is believed to also be considering the aircraft after plans to purchase a large transport aircraft were announced by the South Korean Defence Acquisition

Programme Committee in September 2008. The main alternative to the C-17 is the turbo-prop Antonov An-70 heavy lift aircraft. Work on the An-70, to replace the ageing An-12, began shortly before the collapse of the Soviet Union and continued in the 1990s through joint financing by the Ukrainian and Russian governments. The An-70, unveiled at the 1997 Moscow Air Show, is the first large aircraft to use Russian-designed propfans, consisting of Stupino counter-rotating propellers, which, together with the Progress D-27 turboprops,

offer very high speed performance and low fuel consumption. Specialised landing gear also allows the aircraft to operate from short, unpaved airfields.

Global workhorse Slightly down the scale, but the real workhorse of transport fleets worldwide is the Lockheed Martin C-130 Hercules, with the most recent iteration being the C-130J Super Hercules. Lockheed Martin has held a strong position in the Asian-Pacific tactical airlift market for decades, with the C-130 and its variants deployed as the main tactical air-

Several other countries in the region are believed to be considering acquiring the [C-17], with its popularity due to its proven service with the USAF craft of a large proportion of armed forces in the region, including Australia, the Republic of China (Taiwan), Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, New Zealand, the Philippeans, Singapore, South Korea, Sri Lanka and Thailand. First produced by Lockheed Martin (then Lockheed), in the 1950s following the Korean War, the Hercules is the longest continually produced military aircraft in history. The C130 is a four-engine turboprop aircraft capable of take-off and landing on difficult, unpaved landing strips. Originally designed as a troop and cargo transport and medical evacuation aircraft, it was also developed in other various guises as a gunship, search and rescue, maritime patrol and aerial refuelling vehicle, as well as for civilian transport and fire-fighting use. The improved C-130J is now the only Hercules model in production, with the first C-130J completed in 1995. Lockheed Martin claims the C-130J Super Hercules as the world’s most advanced tactical airlifter, designed and developed for mission flexibility, allowing it to be deployed in a wide range of roles, both tactical and strategic, including combat delivery, air-to-air refuA Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) Air Load Team member marshals in a RAAF C-17 Globemaster carrying an Australian Army water purification and civil engineering team © Australian DoD

NOVEMBER 2009

TACTICAL A

elling, special operations, disaster relief and humanitarian missions. The C-130J is very similar in appearance to older variants of the C-130, but offers a significant leap in performance abilities. Enhanced features include state-of-the-art, computer-controlled digital flight deck; reduced crew requirement from five to three, removing the requirement for both Flight Engineer and Navigator; and Dowty Aerospace advanced technology six-bladed composite propeller coupled to a Rolls Royce AE 2100 D3 turboprop engine. Its enhanced range, speed and altitude abilities have been further complemented by an optional remote control cargo handling system configuration, which offers even greater range, higher maximum speed and shorter take-off distance due to the system enabling rapid role changes, extending the time available to complete operations. The C-130J is increasingly being considered the preferred tactical airlift solution especially because of the difficulties encountered by Airbus Military in getting its A400M transporter off the ground. As part of its large transport aircraft programme, South Korea’s Defence Acquisition Programme Administration (DAPA) is expected to enter contract with Lockheed Martin shortly to procure four stretched variants of the C-130J Hercules with longer fuselage to boost the capabilities of the Republic of Korea’s (ROK) transport aircraft, currently consisting of a fleet of older C-130 variants. Also jumping on the Hercules bandwagon

Both the Alenia C-27J and the EADS CASA C-295M are believed to be in the running to replace the RAAF’s ageing fleet of DHC-4 Caribou is the Indian air Force (IAF), which will take delivery of delivery of six modified C-130J Super Hercules in 2011. the aircraft are being procured from the US government in a Foreign Military Sale, as an interim measure until an aircraft is chosen to fulfil the IAF’s Very Heavy Lift Transport Aircraft requirement; so far the C-17 has been short listed but no order has as yet been placed.

Airbus woes The success of the C-130J has been in marked contrast to the problems of the A400M. The aircraft was originally also in the running for a number of countries in the region, but setbacks have made it difficult for Airbus Military to get traction in the region. From promising beginnings, the only known customer in the Asia Pacific region is the Royal Malaysian Air Force, who ordered four in 2005 to replace its fleet of ageing C-130s. The A400M was originally developed in response to the requirement of multiple European nations for a new generation military airlifter in the late 1990s, due to the widespread use of ageing C-130 variants. The aircraft was designed to double the payload of

Royal Australian Air Force and Royal New Zealand Air Force personnel help to push a RNZAF 3 Squadron, UH-1H Bell Iroquois helicopter out of a RAAF 37 Squadron, C-130J Hercules at the Samoan International Airport © Australian DoD

ASIAN MILITARY REVIEW

the airlifters; it was expected to replace and perform strategic operations, tactical missions, and in-flight refuelling operations, all with an eye turned toward offering greater interoperability in multi-national humanitarian and peacekeeping missions. The aircraft design features typical Airbus technology, including fly-by-wire Flight Control System with sidestick controllers, flight envelope protection system, as well as high performance turboprop engines for civil incorporation, high flotation landing gear for short, unpaved airfield take off and landing, and advanced aerodynamics. The A400M programme has experienced serious technical difficulties from the outset, with its test flight, originally due in the early months of 2008, delayed until mid-2009, when testing commenced using a modified C-130 testbed. Overshadowing the technical delays are speculation that the aircraft is currently unable to achieve critical performance requirements due to being overweight with a maximum payload three tons short of the required 32 tons needed to transport modern armoured fighting vehicles. With EADS now expecting the maiden flight to take place before the end of 2009 and delivery to commence in 2013-14, four years behind schedule,

TACTICAL A

The C-130J is the latest iteration of the hugely popular C-130 Hercules © Lockheed Martin

many of the original armed forces invested in the A400M are now believed to be considering their options elsewhere within the market, particularly as the project has since been overtaken by Boeing and Lockheed Martin with their C-17s and C-130Js respectively, which now offer an attractive mix of capability for those that can afford it.

New entrant

(JCA) competition. The initial project eventually saw the dissolution of LMATTS when Lockheed Martin also tendered the C130J for JCA. However, after reforming as Global Military Aircraft Systems (GMAS) with L-3 Communications and Boeing also onboard, the C-27J was selected as the aircraft for the JCA bid. On the back of the successful marketing to

the US armed forces, the market for the C-27J has split wide open, with military forces around the world considering the aircraft to update ageing fleets, in favour of both the C130J and the EADS CASA C-295. In the region, both the Alenia C-27J and the EADS CASA C-295M are believed to be in the running to replace the RAAF’s ageing fleet of DHC-4 Caribou. The DHC-4 Caribou is a short take-off and landing versatile tactical light transport aircraft used for logistics and support operations, mainly by the Australian Army. Originally due for service withdrawal in 2002/03, the DHC-4 Caribou fleet were upgraded in 2001 to extend the light transport and tactical airlift capability of the ADF until a replacement could be found. Although the upgrade was intended to extend the life of the fleet until 2010, the decision was taken earlier this year to ground the aircraft completely by the end of 2009, as the fleet has become obsolete faster than expected due to fatigue and asbestos issues. With a leased fleet of Beechcraft King Air 300s and the C-130s picking up the slack until a new tactical battlefield airliner enters service in 2013, the ADF is considering a number of options, with this year’s Defence White Paper highlighting the need for a replacement to be found for the Caribous that offers significantly greater range, speed, payload and protection measures than that of the retiring fleet. The ADF is expected to source a Militaryoff-the-Shelf (MOTS) aircraft from an original equipment manufacturer or through a US FMS, with the emphasis on rationalising its transport fleet, while maintaining a mix

The C-27J Spartan is an option for countries in the region seeking a smaller aircraft © Finmeccanica

Another option for those with the requirement for a smaller aircraft is also available form the US. In 1995, Lockheed Martin entered discussions with Alenia regarding a programme to jointly improve the Alenia G.222 as an alternative to the C-130J. The G.222, a medium-sized short take-off and landing military transport aircraft originally developed as a NATO transport aircraft, was to be improved by incorporating a number of C-130J features, including the C-130J’s glass cockpit and Rolls-Royce AE 2100 engine and propeller design. The joint venture was named Lockheed Martin Alenia Tactical Transport Systems (LMATTS), and the aircraft named the Alenia C-27J Spartan. The project was largely sparked by the US Army and USAF Joint Cargo Aircraft

NOVEMBER 2009

TACTICAL A

of heavy, medium and light airlifters. Also important is combat capability and interoperability with the existing logistic infrastructure that supports the current mix of C17s, C-130Js and older C-130s, which puts the A400M at a disadvantage, although EADS continues to offer it as a possible replacement. Of the two most prominent contenders, the Alenia C-27J and the EADS CASA C-295, the C-27J may offer the best fit, having similar cockpit instrumentation, and using the same engines and propellers as the C-130J. The EADS CASA C-295 is a further development of the earlier CASA CN-235 twin-engine turboprop. Developed jointly by the Spanish constituent of EADS and the Indonesian Aerospace Company (then IPTN, now Dirgantara) under the name Aircraft Technology Industries (AirTech) in the 1980s, the CASA CN-235 SLTO aircraft was designed as a multi-mission tactical aircraft for the Indonesian military and regional airliner. The aircraft is now widely used in a maritime patrol capacity by various countries around the world, and along with the C-130, plays a primary role in Indonesia’s military transport. In the late 1990s, EADS began development of the newest member of the CASA family, the CN-295, which, while retaining many similar characteristics of the CN-235, offers double the payload of the CN-235 by stretching the cabin by 3 metres. The twinturboprop aircraft is yet to see any orders from within the Asia-Pacific region, despite its being marketed as a lower cost alternative to the C-130.

Currently under development in China by the Shaanxi Aircraft Industry group is the Y-9 multi-purpose medium size tactical transport aircraft, based on the Shaanxi Y-8, which it is eventually expected to replace Indigenous works The Chinese preference towards Soviet aircraft seen throughout much of its inventory continues with its transport aircraft, with the bulk of their fleet based on Soviet designs. The most commonly used design base is the Ukrainian Antonov; the medium range transport aircraft Shaanxi Y-8 is based on the An12, and the Xian Y-7 is an improved version of the An-24 turboprop. Currently under development in China by the Shaanxi Aircraft Industry group is the Y-9 multi-purpose medium size tactical transport aircraft, based on the Shaanxi Y-8, which it is eventually expected to replace. Originally designed to exceed the C-130J, the general performance of the aircraft is believed to be at least comparable to the C-130J. Ukraine development has played a part in the development of the Y-9, with Antonov providing assistance to the Chinese on the project. China is also currently taking delivery of its most capable military transport aircraft and first dedicated heavy-lift transport aircraft, the Ilyushin II-76MD, designed by the

An Indian Air Force Il-76 participates in exercises in the US © US Air Force

ASIAN MILITARY REVIEW

Ilyushin Design Bureau and built by Chkalov Aircraft Production Association in Tashkent, Uzbekistan. Based on the original II-76 strategic airlifter, the II-27MD is an improved military transport version, offering significant enhancement to the People's Liberation Army Air Force’s airlift capability. China is now expected to build on the II-76MD design for its own indigenous development programmes, having established a flying testbed from the aircraft. The Soviet II-76 is also used by the Indian Air Force (IAF) in a heavy lift capacity. The IAF is in the process of a major overhaul of their aircraft, including new acquisitions and upgrades. Their fleet of AN-32 transports are being upgraded to extend their service life, with a comprehensive engine and avionics upgrade being undertaken to enhance operational capabilities, after which they will be replaced by a new multi-role transport aircraft to be developed jointly by India and Russia. Elsewhere in the region, the only significant domestic programme of note is in Japan. The Japan Air Self Defence Force (JASDF) began development on its own indigenous transport aircraft in 2001, the Kawasaki C-X, after failing to find a suitable off-the-shelf aircraft in the C130J, the C-17 or the A400M. The JASDF were specifically looking for a replacement for its ageing Kawasaki C-1 and C-130H fleet. The development programme was undertaken by Kawasaki Heavy Industry, and is being designed to meet the requirements of the Ministry of Defence, which include a payload requirement of between 26 and 30 metric tons, the ability to land on short runways, with a A MR range of up to 10,000km.

Getting There is only Half the Mission... Landing Safely is Ours

MC-6 Steerable Parachute System

Raider/Intruder Ram-Air Parachute System

MCADS Maritime Craft Aerial Delivery Systems

JPADS Precision Cargo Delivery Systems T-11 Non-Steerable Parachute System

Designed to safely carry today’s warfighter into tomorrow’s battle Airborne Systems offers the largest selection of parachutes and related equipment anywhere. For 90 years, Airborne Systems has been providing quality products and renowned engineering services—delivering superior product performance to military and global aerospace markets. We are very proud that our parachute designs were selected for the U.S. Army’s new T-11, MC-6 and JPADS systems. No other company can match our history and legacy of innovation, design expertise and production capabilities. To learn more, visit us at www.airborne-sys.com © 2009 Airborne Systems

ANTI-ARMOUR W

Killing tanks

is no longer enough

Although the destruction of tanks will remain the standard by which anti-tank guided weapons are measured, multipurpose warheads which can be used as ‘bunker busters’ and against personnel are in much greater demand. by Ian Kemp 16

ASIAN MILITARY REVIEW

A Raytheon Tube-launched, Opticallytracked, Wire-guided (TOW) missile is launched from an M1134 Anti-Tank Guided Missile Stryker vehicle of the 4th Stryker Brigade Combat Team during pre-deployment training at the Joint Readiness Training Center at Fort Polk, Louisiana © US Army

ANTI-ARMOUR W

housands of missiles, originally designed to destroy Main Battle Tanks, have been used by American, British and other Coalition forces during combat operations in Afghanistan and Iraq over the past several years. Virtually all these missiles were targeted against insurgents in buildings and other improvised strong points. New warheads have been designed to transform anti-tank guided weapons (ATGWs) into ‘assault’ or ‘multi-mission’ weapons. The emphasis on precision targeting is equally important in the contemporary operating environment, where ‘collateral’ damage alienates the civilian population and often boosts support for insurgents. Raytheon’s BGM-71 Tube-launched, Optically-tracked, Wire-guided (TOW) has become the most prolific long range ATGW in service with more than 650,000 produced for the US Army, the US Marine Corps (USMC) and 43 export customers since its first appearance on the battlefields of Vietnam in 1972. The US Army has purchased 163,992 TOW missiles to date including 8,400 missiles in Fiscal Year 2009 (FY09); a further 1,200 missiles were produced for the USMC in FY09 and 2,017 for Foreign Military Sales (FMS) customers (Egypt and Spain). FMS customers the previous year included Canada (1,766), Egypt (2,028), Korea (214), Kuwait (1,960) and Pakistan (3,198). In FY10 the US Army plans to buy 1,165 missiles using ‘base funding’ and a further 1,294 missiles using Overseas Contingency Operations (OCO) funding. In US service TOW missiles are now primarily launched from ground platforms: light forces are equipped with the Improved Target Acquisition System (ITAS) and the M220A2 launcher mounted on the High Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicle; all variants of the Bradley Fighting Vehicle System used by the Army’s Heavy Brigade Combat Teams are equipped with a twin TOW launcher; and, the new medium Stryker brigade combat teams (SBCTs) are

equipped with the General Dynamics Land Systems M1134 Stryker Anti-Tank Guided Missile vehicle. Six SBCTs have already been formed, a seventh is now being equipped

and in September 2009 the Army announced that two additional brigades would be raised. Integral to each SBCT is an antiarmour company organised into three antiarmour platoons each with three Stryker ATGM vehicles equipped with an elevating twin TOW missile launcher. When it became apparent that technical problems associated with the externally-mounted 105mm gun and autoloader on the M1128 Mobile Gun System would delay the vehicle’s entry into service, the Army funded the development of the BGM-71H TOW Bunker Buster warhead to provide the SBCTs with an interim capability during their initial deployments to Iraq to engage targets in urban areas and punch holes through walls. Under the management of the Army’s Program Executive Office – Tactical Missiles the project was conducted as an accelerated 12 month joint government/contractor effort to develop a warhead that could be fitted on modified TOW 2A missiles thus maintaining

the weapon’s 3,750 m range and other flight characteristics. The first production contract, awarded in June 2005, covered 50 missiles for qualification testing, 50 for further field testing and 500 operational missiles. In common with other TOW missiles the high explosive (HE) filled titanium chisel-point BGM-71H warhead is produced by Aerojet of Sacramento, California. The project leveraged work that was done in developing a blast-fragmentation warhead for the army’s helicopter-launched Lockheed Martin Hellfire long range ATGW. The TOW BB missile can be supplied in the new TOW 2B Aero configuration which extends the missile’s range from 3,750 m to 4,500 m and the TOW 2B Aero Gen 2 configuration which replaces the TOW’s command-wire guidance system with a radio frequency system and also extends the range to 4,500 m. The ability of existing TOW launchers to fire both the TOW BB and TOW Aero missiles was demonstrating during the development programme in early 2004 when both missiles were successfully launched from the first Canadian Army LAV-TOW Under Armour vehicle at Redstone Arsenal, Alabama. The 1,200 TOW BB missiles bought in FY09 were the only variants acquired by the USMC that year. The USMC’s latest TOW platform is the M1167A1 ECV (Expandable Capacity Vehicle) variant of the AM General HMMWV.

The M1134 is equipped with a twin-TOW missile launcher © US Army

Virtually all these missiles were targeted against insurgents in buildings and other improvised strong points NOVEMBER 2009

ANTI-ARMOUR W

Lockheed Martin’s Hellfire II missile is the primary long-range armament of the Australian Army’s new Tiger Armed Reconnaissance Helicopters. France has also selected the Hellfire II to arm its Tigers © Australian DoD

Raytheon received a $21.27 million dollar contract from the US Army in late September 2009 to continue upgrading the ITAS launcher to the latest configuration with the Far Target Locator which entered production in FY06; this adds a GPS-based position and attitude determination subsystem which enables the system to generate a 10 digit coordinate of a target location. ITAS is integrated into the M1134 Stryker launcher and is also fielded by the USMC, Canada and Portugal. US Army and USMC infantry and combat engineers units are equipped with the Javelin Anti-Armour Weapon System-Medium produced by the Raytheon/Lockheed Martin Javelin Joint Venture; the Javelin is the first should-launched fire-and-forget missile to enter US service. Whereas the TOW is used at the battalion level, the manportable Javelin is used at the company and platoon level; the Command Launch Unit and a missile in its launch container weigh less than 23 kg. The top-attack missile is fitted with a tandem warhead with two shaped charges: a precursor to initiate explosive reactive armour (ERA) and a main warhead to penetrate base armour. The Javelin has achieved a first round hit in 95 percent of engagements. The

after action report of the US Army’s 3rd Infantry Division (Mechanized) following the initial phase of Operation Iraqi Freedom in 2003 stated: “The Javelin missile was an invaluable weapon in defeating enemy armored forces and reinforced positions to include bunkers, building, and revetments. There is no other weapon that can support dismounted infantry in fighting against these

The Javelin has achieved a first round hit in 95 percent of engagements types of engagements. The command launch unit (CLU) provided day and night capability with the Javelin missile as well as provided vehicles without [the Long Range Advanced Scout Surveillance System] and dismounted infantrymen with a means of thermal observation out to four kilometers.” Production of the improved Javelin Block 1 missile and CLU began in September 2006. The performance improvements in the Block I CLUs are increased target identification range, increased surveillance time with new

US Army aviation technicians load a Lockheed Martin Hellfire II mission onto the mounting bracket of an AH-64D Apache helicopter prior to a mission in Iraq © US Army

battery and software management and external RS-170 interface for video output. The performance improvements in the Block I missiles are increased probability of hit/kill at 2,500 metres, improved warhead lethality and reduced time of flight. The combination of light weight, range, and lethality as well as the surveillance capability provided by the CLU make Javelin a popular weapon with light forces. US special forces, Australia’s Special Air Service Regiment and the UK’s Royal Marines have successfully employed Javelin in both Afghanistan and Iraq. The Javelin has been exported to 10 countries - Australia, the Czech Republic, Jordan, Ireland, Lithuania, New Zealand, Norway, Oman, Taiwan and the UK - with other customers negotiating possible purchases. The US Army plans to integrate the Javelin with the Kongsberg Protector Remote Weapon Station fitted on the Stryker Infantry Combat Vehicle. In October the Javelin Joint Venture received a $214 million contract from the US Army using FY09 funds for 1,585 missiles. In FY10 the service plans to spend almost $290 million on 1,334 missiles, 36 CLUs and 486 Block I CLU retrofit kits. The Lockheed Martin long-range Hellfire missile was developed as the prin-

Armed with four Lockheed Martin’s Hellfire II missiles on its outboard pylons a US Air Force MQ-9 Reaper unmanned air vehicle taxis down a runway prior to a mission in Afghanistan. Weapons release is controlled by operators at bases in the USA © USAF

ASIAN MILITARY REVIEW

ANTI-ARMOUR W

The Hellfire II AGM-114N MAC missile is fitted with a 3.63 kg thermobaric metal augmented charge warhead which creates a sustained pressure wave

A ‘leatherneck’ of the 1st Marine Division launches a Raytheon/Lockheed Martin Javelin Anti-Armor Weapon System-Medium missile against a Taliban-held compound during combat operations in Afghanistan © USMC

ciple ATGW for the US Army’s Boeing AH64 Apache attack helicopter and is now in service with 17 forces almost exclusively in the helicopter-launched configuration. Several thousand have been fired in combat including almost daily use in Afghanistan. Hellfire is the primary armament for the MQ-1 Predator and MQ-9 Reaper unmanned air vehicles. The basic Hellfire AGM-114A, which entered production in 1982, featured a single shaped-charge warhead and was joined in 1990 by the Interim Hellfire AGM-114F which featured a dual warhead optimised to defeat the ERA widely fitted on Soviet tanks. To expand the weapon’s target envelope the Hellfire I anti-ship missile entered production in 1987. This is equipped with a blast fragmentation (BF) warhead with a delay fuze so that it detonates inside ships and also buildings and bunkers. The improved Hellfire II AGM-114K HEAT missile entered production in 1993 and was followed by the Hellfire II AGM-114M BF. The Hellfire II can be fired in lock-on before launch or lock-on after launch modes and reaches its maximum range of 8 km in 37 seconds. The third Hellfire II variant to enter service, in parallel with the fielding of the AH-64D Longbow Apache, was the millimetre-wave radar-guided Longbow Hellfire AGM-114L which combines fire-and-forget and adverse weather capabilities. Following the US invasion of Afghanistan in 2001 the USMC issued an urgent requirement for a Hellfire II warhead which could be launched from its AH-1W SuperCobra attack helicopters to attack multi-room structures, bunkers and caves. The resulting Hellfire II AGM114N MAC missile is fitted with a 3.63 kg thermobaric metal augmented charge (MAC)

warhead which creates a sustained pressure wave. The AGMN-114N MAC uses the same guidance and control section, and propulsion section as the AGM-114K and the AGM-114M missiles and incorporates the same electronic safe, arm/fire device as the AGM -114M. In FY09 the US Army bought 2,945 Hellfires; the US Air Force, 1,384; the USMC and the US Navy, 1,376; and, 526 were purchased by FMS customers. In FY10 the US Army plans to buy 240 missiles using Base funding and 2,133 Hellfires with OCO funding. As this issue was being printed, press reports were predicting that France would purchase about 300 Javelin and 50 to 60 CLU to meet an urgent operational requirement for Afghanistan. The Javelin is competition with the Rafael Advanced Defence Systems Spike to replace the French Army’s wireguided MILAN medium-range ATGW. The army eventually hopes to acquire up to 500 launchers and 3,000 missiles. European missile manufacturer MBDA has produced more than 10,000 firing posts and 360,000 MILAN missiles for 43 customers since 1974. Following the collapse of the British, French and German medium range TRIGAT project to develop a replacement system MBDA has developed a new generation MILAN. This work is being supervised by France’s Délégation Générale pour l'Armement under the terms of an agreement between the French and German governments. Over the past three years

NOVEMBER 2009

MBDA has conducted successful launches of the MILAN ER (Extended Response) missile using the new ADT (ADvanced Technologies) firing post. The new generation MILAN retains the weapon’s proven wire-guidance system but extends the range from 1,950 m to 3,000 m. Ruag (now Saab Bofors Dynamics Switzerland) had developed a new dual purpose 115 mm warhead for the MILAN ER that is able to pierce more than 1.1 m of armour protected by ERA or to punch through 2.5 m of concrete. The ADT’s integral thermal imager enables targets to be tracked and engaged in almost all weather conditions while a video input/output system enables the launcher to be remotely operated. The fully digital ADT incorporates built-in test facilities, improved maintenance and a training system. The ADT is designed to be backwards compatible so that existing MILAN users can exhaust their stocks of MILAN 2 and 3 missiles. The South African Army became the first customer for the new system when it signed an €18 million contract at the beginning of 2007 for MILAN 3 missiles, ADT firing posts and simulators. In South African service the MILAN ER/ADT will complement the Denel

ANTI-ARMOUR W

Aerospace Systems Ingwe which was locally developed to meet the requirement for a long-range missile that can be launched from helicopters and ground platforms. Two warheads are currently available: a tandem HEAT warhead that is capable of penetrating 1,000 mm of steel protected by ERA and a Blast Enhanced warhead to defeat bunkers and similar targets. The missile weighs 28.5 kg and has a maximum range in excess of 5,000 m when launched from a helicopter. A tripod launcher, developed by Denel Optronics, was introduced in 2003; it weighs 16 kg and can be fitted with a 14 kg remote control unit. One of the five variants of the Hoefyster infantry fighting vehicle, based on the Patria Vehicles 8 x 8 Armoured Modular Vehicle, will be an ATGW vehicle with four ready-to-launch Ingwe missiles. Rafael developed the Spike family to meet the demanding Israel Defence Force (IDF) requirement for an ATGW family to replace its US-supplied Dragon and TOW missiles. The IDF routinely uses helicopter-launched missiles as the weapon of choice to attack insurgents in urban areas. The family consists of the 2,500 m Spike MR (Medium Range), the 4,000 m Spike LR (Long Range) and the 8,000 m Spike ER (Extended Range). The fire-and-forget Spike MR and Spike LR weapons share the same launcher and missile while the Spike LR and Spike ER can be supplied with a two-way fibre-optic datalink enabling them to used in ‘fire, observe and

Rafael developed the Spike family to meet the demanding Israel Defence Force requirement for an ATGW family to replace its US-supplied Dragon and TOW missiles update’ or lock-on after launch modes. To compliment the original shaped tandem charge warhead designed to defeats tanks with ERA Rafael has also developed a Penetration, Blast and Fragmentation (PBF) warhead for the SPIKE-ER ‘to fulfil the needs of its customers for an effective minimal collateral damage weapon system for urban and anti-terror warfare, low intensity conflicts and high value targets’. Spike has achieved significant export success with sales to the Czech Republic, Italy, Finland, The Netherlands, Poland, Romania, Singapore, Spain and unspecified customers in South America and elsewhere. In January 2007 Rafael and General Dynamics Santa Barbara Systems announced that they had received a $424.5 million contract to supply the Spanish Army and Spanish Marine Corps with 260 launchers and 2,600 Spike LR missiles and in December 2007 the Spike ER was selected to equip the Army’s new Tiger attack helicopters. In June, Italy’s parliament approved the purchase of 92 Spike launchers and 990 mis-

MBDA’s new generation MILAN-ER (Extended Response) missile launched from the new ADT (ADvanced Technologies) firing post retains the combat proven wire-guidance system of the earlier generation MILAN while extending the range from 1,950 m to 3,000 m © MBDA

ASIAN MILITARY REVIEW

siles to begin replacing the MILAN and TOW systems now in service. The Spike is already in operational service with Italy’s special forces. Before the end of 2009 the Italian Army is scheduled to receive its first 8 x 8 Freccia antitank variant which mounts a twin Spike launcher on the OtoMelara HITFIST turret. The Spike will also be mounted on the Dardo tracked infantry fighting vehicle and used with the tripod launcher. Most systems for European customers are built by EuroSpike GmbH, a joint venture formed by Diehl BGT Defence and Rheinmetall Defence Electronics, both of Germany, and Rafael. In September 2009 Rafael unveiled the mini-Spike, the smallest addition to the missile family intended for deployment at company and platoon level. It is intended that the operator will carry the 4 kg CLU and two missiles, each weighing 4 kg, for a total weight of 12 kg. The mini-Spike missile has a maximum range of 1,200 m and can be programmed for a low, medium or high angle of attack. The missile can also be mounted on other Spike family tripod launchers while the CLU can be used in stand alone mode for AMR surveillance.

REGIONAL M

Delays hit Thailandâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Armed Forces Modernisation Plans Thailand has attracted a lot of international news coverage in the past year, but generally for the wrong reasons. Political turmoil and mass protests finally saw Abhisit Vejjajiva installed as prime minister on 17th December 2008. In March, he then withstood massive street protests demanding his removal. The following month, the East Asian Summit in Pattaya degenerated into a debacle when protestors stormed the venue and international leaders had to be rescued by helicopter. Another embarrassment was the treatment of Rohingya refugees from Myanmar. The Thai military was roundly criticised for detaining these ethnic-minority refugees on an Andaman Sea island, before allegedly casting them adrift with limited supplies. Amidst such domestic turmoil, the Royal Thai Armed Forces (RTARF) have been attempting to modernise, with some limited success. by Gordon Arthur

An LVTP7 of the RTMC comes ashore during the Cobra Gold exercise earlier this year ÂŠ Gordon Arthur

NOVEMBER 2009

REGIONAL M

ith a population of 64 million, Thailand is slightly larger than Spain in land area. Deposited in the heart of Southeast Asia, Thailand shares a northern border with Myanmar, eastern borders with Laos and Cambodia, and Malaysia lies to the south. With the Andaman Sea to the west and the Gulf of Thailand in the east, Thailand also shares maritime borders with India, Indonesia and Vietnam. Thailand is unique in that it is the only Southeast Asian nation never to have been colonised by European powers. King Bhumibol Adulyadej, the world’s longest-serving monarch, has reigned for 63 years and provides a much-needed sense of stability in the Kingdom. He is also the nominal Head of the Armed Forces. The RTARF’s role is to preserve the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Thailand, as well as ensuring public order, something it has been preoccupied with in recent times. The Royal Thai Army (RTA) is the largest military branch with approximately

This elderly M41 tank participated in the military coup in Bangkok in September 2006 © Gordon Arthur

190,000 soldiers. The Royal Thai Navy (RTN) possesses 74,000 personnel, while the Royal Thai Air Force (RTAF) totals around 43,000.

Challenges to modernisation The global recession has hit Thailand hard, though not as severely as the debilitating 1997 Asian crisis. In May 2009, the RTARF suffered a 10 percent budget slash for the coming financial year, from approximately $5.1 billion down to $4.5 billion. Budget cuts will primarily hit future projects with delays. However, to pay for acquisitions already scheduled, the Ministry of Defence (MOD) asked the govern-

ment for an extra $90.5 million, of which $18.2 million would go to this year’s programmes. This request was duly approved, and the extra funding enables the military to embark on a $298 million spending spree through to FY2012, mostly to replace obsolete equipment. The Thai-Cambodian border is a constant source of friction due to rival territorial claims, and tensions escalated following UNESCO recognition of the ancient Preah Vihear temple in July 2008. Shots were fired on 3 October 2008, and again on 14 October, resulting in half a dozen deaths. After a ninemonth standoff, a further exchange of

REGIONAL M

This ex-U.S. M35 2.5-ton truck is indicative of the geriatric state of much equipment in the RTARF © Gordon Arthur

gunfire occurred on 2 April 2009 with another five or so soldiers killed. The ThaiCambodian border is not fully demarcated, partly because of mines littering the area, but in May the two countries began surveying parts of their border. Unfortunately, talks have not resolved the rancour thus far. Despite a sharp decline over the past year, the Golden Triangle remains an important centre of opium production. The UN Office on Drugs and Crime estimates five percent of global opium production stems from the Golden Triangle, with Thailand serving as an

important trafficking route. The rugged Myanmar border, adjacent to drug-exporting fiefdoms like that of the United Wa State Party, is particularly troublesome. The RTA formed the Phra Nuang Task Force to patrol this border where ethnic refugees and illegal crossings are commonplace. Drugs have led to endemic

The global recession has hit Thailand hard, though not as severely as the debilitating 1997 Asian crisis

corruption and manipulation of the law in the region, reaching the point where former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra declared, “The drugs problem is a threat to national security.” Thailand is also saddled with a bloody Islamic insurgency in the ethnic-Malay provinces on the narrow Kra Isthmus. The bloody separatist conflict in the three southern provinces of Narathiwat, Pattani and Yala constitutes the kingdom’s greatest threat. A recent count listed 155 military personnel killed, plus 1,600 insurgents dead and 1,500 captured. However, 2,729 civilians have also died thus far in this secessionist conflict that surged after January 2004. Thailand has tended to use military force to quash southern violence, but a heavy-handed response and wide-ranging emergency powers have exacerbated the problem rather than resolved it. One problem for the government is identifying who to negotiate with, since separatist leaders remain shadowy. Despite a more conciliatory approach by the junta following the 2006 coup, violence continued to surge with beheadings, car bombs and Improvised

REGIONAL M

Explosive Devices (IED). Muslim militants have been using larger and more sophisticated car bombs, with an average of one IED per month. This escalation invoked more aggressive government policies, and it was at this point there was a slew of military spending to more adequately equip troops. The military has historically employed passive techniques, with many soldiers rarely venturing outside their barracks. If they do, they often ride motorbikes with pillion passengers carrying M16s. However, Bangkok has begun refocusing its counterinsurgency approach, including increased surveillance and the holding of contested zones. The RTARF is set to adopt a more aggressive and mobile brand of security that penetrates all areas with a more visible presence. Presently the RTA’s four regional armies rotate troops to the south in turn, but a new infantry division headquartered in Pattani is being established over a six-year period to serve exclusively in the south. The government is also pursuing economic plans and non-military programmes aimed at calming the region, although the process is somewhat of a hostage to Thailand’s political turmoil.

Royal Thai Army The RTA is divided into four Army Regions – the First Army covers western, central and Bangkok regions; the Second Army looks after the northeast quadrant; the Third Army is responsible for the north/northwest; and the Fourth Army takes care of the south. In total the army has seven infantry divisions, one armoured division, one cavalry division, two Special Forces divisions, one field artillery division and one air-defence division. The mainstay of the army’s armoured fleet are older-generation M48A5 and M60A3 Main Battle Tanks, backed by elderly vehicles like M41 tanks, M113 Armoured Personnel Carriers (APC) and Chinese Type 85 APCs. Thailand badly needs to modernise its armoured-vehicle fleet, especially in light of the armed struggle in the south. As a remedy, 96 BTR-3E1 8x8 APCs from the Ukraine are being produced after a contract was signed in mid-2008. The APCs will now employ American engines after Germany refused to sell Deutz engines because of Thailand’s political instability. The time needed to integrate the engines will delay the project by six months for delivery in late 2009 at the earliest. The RTA ultimately wants a total of 288 BTR-3E1s. Another important deal was signed in mid-

A Super Lynx 300 helicopter, seen here taking off at Sattahip, is one of the newer rotary-winged assets of the RTN © Gordon Arthur

2008 for approximately 87 South African REVA III 4x4 mine-resistant vehicles, each costing $310,000. REVA vehicles are now deployed in southern Thailand, offering troops much better protection. Additionally, the Thai Cabinet has approved the purchase of 1,474 replacement 2.5-ton Isuzu trucks. The Army is beginning to replace old rifles with a first $34.5 million batch of 15,037 Israelimade TAR-21 Tavor assault rifles and 531 Negev light machine guns. This is the first stage in a programme to procure up to 100,000 rifles to replace the M16A1. The first Russian weapon ever to enter Thai service was the IglaS shoulder-launched MANPADS anti-aircraft missile, with 36 received in 2008. At one stage all UH-1H helicopters were to be replaced by 33 UH-60 Black Hawks, but the 1997 Asian crisis disrupted that plan and the figure was reduced to only seven UH-60Ls. The RTA still has a requirement for nine utility helicopters, and this has been partially fulfilled by a $150 million agreement for three UH-60L Black Hawks notified to the US Congress in August. The requirement for nine aircraft has been split into smaller lots to reduce budgetary pressure. The MOD’s first ever aircraft order from Russia is a $57 million procurement of six medium-lift Mi-17V5 helicopters. Able to carry 30 troops, these are vital for operations in the south where jungles are thick and roads are few. Originally only three aircraft were required, but the RTA doubled the order, diverting money from refurbishing UH-1H helicopters.

The RTA still has a requirement for nine utility helicopters, and this has been partially fulfilled by a $150 million agreement for three UH-60L Black Hawks ASIAN MILITARY REVIEW

The RTA is also seeking a new training helicopter to replace its 30 elderly TH-300 fleet. The Eurocopter EC-120 is considered a leading contender, and a first batch of twelve could be on the cards. The army has received one Embraer ERJ-135 aircraft for VIP transport, while the RTN also ordered one with a medevac capacity. The army subsequently ordered a second medevac ERJ-135 in January. The Thai military opted for a novel aerialsurveillance solution when in May it bought an Aria International airship for use in the south. The $9.7 million manned blimp will be fitted with a surveillance system and advanced communications. Aria is also fitting military-grade cameras on RTA helicopters for interdiction of illegal immigrants, drug traffickers and terrorists.

Royal Thai Air Force The RTAF has four Air Divisions, each responsible for a geographic area. The air force was fortunate in that it inherited American-built infrastructure from the Vietnam War era after U.S. forces departed in 1976. In equipment terms, the RTAF’s most newsworthy event is the order of twelve JAS-39 Gripen multirole fighters in February 2008. This is proceeding in two batches for budgetary reasons. Thai pilots departed for training in Sweden in the summer, with the first fighter expected to arrive in January 2011. 701 Fighter Squadron will operate the Gripens at the coastal airfield of Surat Thani to allow coverage of the Sea of Andaman and the Gulf of Thailand. A new temperaturecontrolled hangar is being constructed to counter hot and humid conditions there. Final agreement on the purchase of the second batch of six Gripens was originally scheduled for early 2010. However, this $447 million transaction will be delayed to 2011 or 2012 after budget cuts came into effect. In May, Defence Minister Prawit Wongsuwan referred to this deferral - “As and when the economy improves and the country is in a position to

REGIONAL M

earmark the budget for security-related procurement, the fighter jets will be bought and deployed.” Certainly, a fleet of just six Gripens would be woefully inadequate, causing Air Chief Marshal Ithiporn Suphawong to state: “This affects the potential of the armed forces because they need weaponry. If we must defend the nation with weapons that cannot match [our enemies’] or are outdated, nobody will have respect for us.” The midlife upgrade of up to 60 F-16A/B fighters will probably be delayed a year too, although the Gripen deferral makes their modernisation to extend their service life till 2025 even more urgent. As a stopgap measure, the RTAF announced it was delaying withdrawal of F-5E/F fighters until the middle of next decade, instead of in 2011. Additionally, 15 F-5T Tigers were recently upgraded by Elbit in Israel. The other major project to greatly enhance Thailand’s military capability is a Saab S100B Argus Airborne Early Warning & Command (AEW&C) aircraft with Erieye Side-Looking Airborne Radar (SLAR). The AEW&C is expected in 2012, a full year after the first Gripen, as well as an accompanying Saab 340 for training purposes. The Erieye gives a 360° detection range of 350km against enemy fighters. This is an impressive capability, making Thailand the second Southeast Asian country to field an AEW&C capability. Phase 2 would have seen Thailand order a second AEW&C but, as part of reordered priorities, the new government decided against it. Staying with Saab, Thailand ordered the Swedish company’s StriC for its air-defence command-andcontrol system to contribute to Thailand’s effort to form a network-centric force. In terms of helicopters, the RTAF will take delivery of three Sikorsky S-92 Superhawks in 2010 for royal-family use. In addition, four H92 helicopters are likely to replace UH-1Hs in

The other major project to greatly enhance Thailand’s military capability is a Saab S100B Argus Airborne Early Warning & Command aircraft the Combat Search and Rescue (CSAR) role, although this $149 million procurement has been delayed at least a year.

Royal Thai Navy Thailand has a 3,219km coastline hosting isolated beaches and islets that offer havens for smugglers and gunrunners. Cambodia is an epicentre of illicit arms trading, and many transhipments funnel through Thailand. The RTN operates numerous patrol craft to counter such criminal activity, plus river patrol boats to secure inland waterway (for example, there are 75+ boats on the Mekong River). The First Naval Area Command (NAC) covers the Eastern Gulf of Thailand; the Second NAC is responsible for the Western Gulf of Thailand; and the Andaman Sea is patrolled by the Third NAC. Naval vessels are supported by two air wings. The RTN possesses a number of amphibious vessels able to insert Marine Corps (RTMC) personnel in trouble spots. The RTMC, headquartered at Sattahip Naval Base, has six infantry battalions and a strength of 20,000. The RTMC is heavily involved in countering the southern insurgency, and is set to receive twelve BTR-3E1 vehicles. Keen to develop its amphibious capability and to update craft dating from WWII, the RTN commissioned ST Marine in Singapore in midNovember 2008 to build a $131.7 million

Endurance-class Landing Platform Dock (LPD). Although two are required, funding for only one 141m LPD has been released thus far. This type of multipurpose vessel will be useful for disaster relief. At the same time, Thailand ordered two LCMs and two 13m LCVPs from ST Marine, plus another two 23m LCUs from an undisclosed manufacturer. The LPD should be delivered in 2012. Thailand’s largest naval vessel is the 11,400tonne HTMS Chakri Naruebet, Southeast Asia’s only aircraft carrier. Purchased from Spain when Thailand’s economy was booming in the 1990s, it carries six helicopters and six AV-8S Matador jump-jets. In actual fact the carrier should be viewed as somewhat of a white elephant - it spends most of its time in port as it is expensive to operate, and crewmen need to be drawn from other vessels. Midlife updates to two Chinese-manufactured Naresuan-class frigates (based on the Jianghu-class Type IV) are being delayed for now. The upgrade of four Chao Phraya-class frigates (Jianghu class) is unaffected though, where Chinese C-802A anti-ship missiles will replace older C-801 missiles. The frigates’ radar and electronic warfare systems will also be upgraded, and there is interest in Chinese LY60 Surface-to-Air Missiles (SAM). Nearly half the RTN’s 130 vessels are USbuilt, though many smaller coastal patrol vessels are constructed locally as Thailand develops a sustainable shipbuilding industry. In September, the government rubber-stamped the $48 million construction of one T.994 patrol vessel by the RTN Dockyard, while two more (T.995, T.996) will be produced by Marsun Shipbuilding. These ships improve upon the earlier T.991-993 design, being a bit larger and with rearranged weapon configurations that

Thai soldiers practise room-clearing techniques during the annual Cobra Gold series of exercises © Gordon Arthur

NOVEMBER 2009

REGIONAL M

include a DS-30MR cannon and OtoMelara 12.7mm Naval Turret. The RTN also recently inducted four new vessels similar to the Swedish CB90 into its Naval Special Warfare Unit. The first of their kind in Thailand, they can attain speeds of 42 knots. An important domestic project is a partnership between Bangkok Dock and the British BVT Surface Fleet. On 30 June, a $85 million contract was signed for the design of a 90m Ocean Patrol Vessel (OPV) suitable for protecting Thai waters, as Thailand looks to secure its coastal waters. These OPVs will also form the nucleus of a coast guard under RTN command. Based on an existing BVT design, the first craft will be built at the RTN’s Mahidol Dockyard, with construction commencing in the final quarter of 2009. Thailand increasingly finds itself surrounded by submarines from the likes of Malaysia, Singapore and Vietnam, and this has prompted renewed Thai interest in submarines. Such an acquisition The Australianbuilt Man Klang, is an LCU that is more modern than many amphibious craft in the RTN © Gordon Arthur

HTMS Taksin, seen here in Hong Kong’s Victoria Harbour, is a Naresuan-class frigate based on a Chinese design © Gordon Arthur

plan has lain dormant since 1996 when the idea of acquiring two to three diesel-electric submarines was scuttled. Surrounded by submarines, an anti-submarine warfare (ASW) capability becomes increasingly significant the RTN already operates six S-70B-7 Seahawk helicopters, and on 22 September the government approved an upgrade of their ASW capability. The first phase of this two-year Foreign Military Sales (FMS) package will see three naval helicopters equipped with L3 Communications’ AN/ASN-15 Navigational Computer Sets and Dipping Sonar buoys. The US also approved the sale of six MH-60S helicopters, so the RTN will take delivery of the first two in 2010 for the SAR role.

Thailand’s place in the future Thailand has been raising its profile in international security missions, with around 800 UN peacekeepers flying to

ASIAN MILITARY REVIEW

Darfur in mid-2009. The kingdom maintains close military links with the USA, and it engages in two major bilateral exercises each year - Cobra Gold and CARAT. Thailand has proven to be a willing supporter of the US Global War on Terror, and probably as a result of sending troops to Iraq, it was granted “major non-NATO ally” status in 2003. This engenders greater monetary. support in equipment and training. However, there is no likelihood of U.S. troops getting involved with counterinsur-

The RTN commissioned ST Marine in Singapore in mid-November 2008 to build a $131.7 million Enduranceclass Landing Platform Dock gency support on the ground as they do in the Philippines. A novel plan has been mooted to build a canal across the Kra Isthmus as an alternative to the Malacca Strait chokepoint. China has already offered to help fund and construct such a $20-30 billion canal, which would substantially reduce shipping times. A Thai canal would certainly enhance Thailand’s role as a logistical hub, but at this point it remains a mere notion. In the meantime, Thailand has enough to do in establishing stability withAMR in its own borders.

DEFENCE I N D U S T R Y

A Competitive Asian Defence Market

A local subsidiary of Cubic Defence helps manage Australiaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Joint Combined Training Capability (JCTC) facilities like the UOTF ÂŠ Gordon Arthur

North America and Europe form the centre of gravity for defence production, but military industries in the Asia-Pacific region are growing strongly in terms of sophistication and value. Combined defence expenditure by the 13 highest Asia-Pacific spenders increased more than 12 percent to $195.3 billion in 2008. This amounted to 13 percent of the global total, with powerhouses China and India accounting for 44 percent of regional expenditure. Analysts expect defence spending to surpass $219 billion in 2010, which would constitute a 26 percent increase since 2007. by Gordon Arthur

NOVEMBER 2009

DEFENCE I N D U S T R Y

acking any overarching security organisation such as Europe’s NATO, Asia is fissured by animosity between countries like North Korea and its neighbours. Asian countries regularly jockey for position as a pervasive sense of suspicion fuels Asian military spending. The current recession has undoubtedly hit global defence budgets, but there is little indication of serious abatement in Asian spending. This article highlights some trends in the Asian defence industry, and examines pertinent factors for AsiaPacific manufacturers as they fight for survival in the international arena. No study of the Asian defence industry would be complete without mention of the underlying ethos of autarky. Many nations harbour techno-nationalist goals of self-sufficiency, often out of national pride. Though numerous countries lack the technological sophistication necessary to produce highlevel weapon systems, this in no way impairs their ambition of self-reliance. There are a number of solutions to this weakness in industrial capacity, one being for governments to invest heavily in local industries at the lower end of armament production. Licensed production and transfer of technology are the next steps on this path to autarky. While such a route does not guarantee selfsufficiency, it does mean countries are not as reliant on the whims of foreign suppliers, something Pakistan and Indonesia found to their cost when the US imposed arms sanctions in the past. However, considering the level of research and development and technological know-how required, autarky can be expensive. Thus, other nations opt to align themselves with multinational manufacturers as part of a global supply chain.

A noticeable change in Australia’s well-established defence industry has been the sale of local firms to foreign entities Bushmaster to the UK and Netherlands. A significant proportion of Australia’s aerospace capability has also fallen under international sway, with Tiger and MRH-90 helicopters assembled in Brisbane by Australian Aerospace, an EADS subsidiary. General Dynamics Land Systems is also active in Australia - for example, it produces LAV-25 armoured vehicle turrets for international consumption. Australia’s largest defence company, Tenix Defence, is now owned by BAE Systems after an A$775 million acquisition in June 2008. Such multinational giants will be fully involved in upcoming projects like the Royal Australian Navy’s (RAN) Air Warfare Destroyer (AWD), Future Submarine and Canberra-class amphibious vessels. It was recently revealed the UK firm, Ultra Electronics, had invested in Australia for the first time with the acquisition of Avalon Systems, an electronic-warfare specialist. This move gives Ultra a foothold in tendering for the AWD programme, as well as illustrating how foreign companies are seeking strategic footholds in the region.

Southeast Asia Southeast Asian countries do not possess Australia’s industrial capacity, yet they strongly desire well-developed armament industries. Indonesia relies heavily on stateowned companies like PT Pindad, though these suffered major retrenchment after the 1997 economic crisis. Malaysia kick-started its self-sufficiency drive with licensed production - for example, DRB-HICOM licensebuilds Handalan trucks. Malaysia later advanced to the production of ACV-300

HMNZS Te Kaha. Australia and New Zealand’s ten Anzac-class frigates were based on a German design but they were built in Australia © Gordon Arthur

Australia Australia is one example that has followed the latter path. Australia possesses a very capable military, with its defence budget equalling the combined spending of Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore and Thailand. A noticeable change in Australia’s well-established defence industry has been the sale of local firms to foreign entities. ADI, manufacturer of the locally developed Bushmaster vehicle, is now owned by the defence giant Thales. This association brought immediate advantages, with Thales marketing and selling the Australian

Australia’s consolidation with global corporations is not confined to military hardware. Calytrix works in partnership with Cubic Defence Australia, a subsidiary of the leading American instrumentation training company, to operate facilities such as the Urban Operations Training Facility (UOTF) as part of Australia’s programme networking Australian and American training simulators. However, the global recession is impacting many countries in the region. For instance, Austal - a commercial-military shipbuilder - recorded an 82% slump in profits for FY2008-09. Most long-term defence projects will continue regardless of temporary economic realities, and so the USA has selected Austal to design and build its first 103m Joint High-Speed Vessel, with options for up to nine more in a deal worth $1.6 billion.

ASIAN MILITARY REVIEW

DEFENCE I N D U S T R Y

Adnan Infantry Fighting Vehicles (IFV) under license from FNSS in Turkey. The country has encountered challenges in the area of shipbuilding, with major setbacks in plans for 27 Kedah-class patrol vessels. Technical and management difficulties culminated in only six ships being built. This drawn-out saga is indicative of the problems Asian countries can encounter in their pursuit of autarky since it is easy for nations to bite off more than they can chew by attempting overly ambitious programmes. Singapore, investing heavily in its military and technological infrastructure, stands out as a beacon of success in Southeast Asia. ST Engineering is the island’s most prominent defence company, finishing 2008 with a record S$10.6 billion on its order book. It is worth examining this Asian company to understand some of the factors underpinning its success. ST Marine, a subsidiary that earned a S$74.5 million profit last year, started life as a commercial shipbuilder before beginning to maintain defence vessels. Subsequently, as it matured, ST Marine has built naval vessels for Brunei, India, Kuwait, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam, including the Republic of Singapore Navy’s (RSN) own Formidable-class stealth frigates. When asked the secret to his company’s success, Gill Parmesh Singh, ST Marine’s Chief Operations Officer, revealed, “I think in military projects it’s always about a product that must fit the needs of a customer.” One way for ST Marine to overcome the current financially challenging environment is comple-

ST Marine has built naval vessels for Brunei, India, Kuwait, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam, including the Republic of Singapore Navy’s own Formidableclass stealth frigates mentary diversification through building both commercial and military vessels, though it is a challenge balancing two entirely different sets of requirements. The shipbuilder has also entered its first PublicPrivate Partnership with the RSN with its Submarine Support and Rescue Vessel Swift Rescue. By outsourcing this specialist service to ST Marine, the RSN frees up monetary and manpower resources for its core naval activities. ST Kinetics is a sister company, with sales of S$1.274 billion in 2008. This Singaporean business has achieved significant success with domestic equipment sales and exports to 30 countries. It sells 40mm automatic grenade launchers, and, according to the company, “ST Kinetics is today the world’s leading provider of 40mm grenade solutions.” It has also designed, built and sold vehicles like the Bionix IFV, Primus 155mm Self-Propelled Howitzer and Pegasus 155mm Lightweight Howitzer. ST Kinetics’ greatest international success has been the $215 million sale of 115 Warthogs (a modified Bronco All-Terrain Tracked Carrier) to the British

After a protracted development period, the CM-32 Cloud Leopard 8x8 vehicle has still not been accepted by the Republic of China Army © Gordon Arthur

NOVEMBER 2009

Army for Afghanistan deployments. The export of an Asian weapon system to the defence manufacturing powerhouse of Europe epitomises the success of this Singaporean enterprise. In an exclusive interview with Asian Military Review, Patrick Choy, Chief Marketing Officer at ST Kinetics, relayed how the company grew in tandem with the Singapore Armed Forces, beginning with maintenance-based capabilities, becoming a licensed producer, and culminating in it selling licenses! When quizzed on his company’s achievements, Patrick Choy highlighted four factors. “One, we’re not a big corporation so we want to provide capabilities in niche areas. Secondly, because we’re not that big, we want to work with customers and engage them as partners. We’ll then customise engineering solutions through lots of dialogue. Three, as a smaller company we can make decisions faster and more flexibly. We’re nimble.” Mr. Choy also explained the final point: “We know our strengths and limitations. Our strength is we try to be different, but our limitation is we can’t do everything…We can’t do things needing a lot of research or resources so we focus on what we do best.” The company’s success continues, and today 52 percent of its revenue is derived outside Asia.

The big players Defence industries in India and China, the world’s two largest countries, have taken quite divergent approaches. With more than 1,000 state-owned enterprises (SOE) and 3 million workers (including 300,000 engineers and technicians), the Chinese defence industry is a behemoth fed from almost unlimited government coffers. China produces a full range of products like Type 093 nuclearpowered submarines and J-10 fighters, yet its military industry faces serious shortcomings. Historically reliant on Russian equipment, China has produced few breakthrough technologies of its own. Instead, it spends time denying accusations of illegally copying Russian designs, with the J-11 fighter the most prominent example. Reforms are taking place in the Chinese armaments industry, although China is handicapped by Western embargoes imposed after the 1989 Tiananmen Square massacre. However, China seeks ways round sanctions via dualuse technologies. This is clearly evident in

DEFENCE I N D U S T R Y

the aerospace sector, where China produces Z-8, Z-9 and Z-11 military helicopters based on French commercial designs. Global corporations, even American ones like Boeing, are drawn to the Chinese market like moths to a flame, and doubtlessly some technologies will filter through to the Chinese military. India has not reached the same level of independence as China, perhaps due in part to a very different political system. As the world’s largest democracy, India cannot pour in resources like the Chinese government does, and its dealings require openness. India is a prime example of a country desiring self-sufficiency, even though it still imports 70 percent of its equipment. India’s defence establishments employ 1.4 million workers, including 40,000 in the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO). As part of a political rapprochement since 9/11, observers can expect American companies to make inroads into the Indian market. An example is the sale of six C-130J Hercules aircraft in a January 2008 deal. Two American companies are also vying for a lucrative 126-fighter contract as part of the Medium Multirole Combat Aircraft (MMRCA) requirement. Despite DRDO’s best efforts, India’s

Despite DRDO’s best efforts, India’s domestic programmes are regularly beset by delays and cost overruns domestic programmes are regularly beset by delays and cost overruns. One example is the Tejas Light Combat Aircraft, this project suffering from years of delay and spiralling costs. The Indian Air Force rejected the Tejas and is awaiting an improved Mk.2 version. Another example is the Arjun Main Battle Tank (MBT) that suffered a similar fate; the DRDO recently employed Israel Military Industries to sort out problems with the indigenous Arjun programme that commenced life 36 years ago! Overreach is one obvious short-

ASIAN MILITARY REVIEW

coming of India’s approach, so it remains dependent on overseas joint developments (for example, licensed production of T-90S MBTs and Su-30MKI fighters). One solution India employed to boost domestic industry has been legislation like Defence Procurement Procedure-2006 (DPP-2006) and DPP-2008, which require foreign bidders to invest up to 30 percent of a contract value in local industries. This is not a simple solution, as it can conceivably lead to acquisition delays and increased costs, as well as the possibility of local industries not fully absorbing new technologies. South Korea has developed a capable defence industry able to produce tanks like this K1A1 MBT, although it relies on many foreign subsystems © Gordon Arthur

DEFENCE I N D U S T R Y

East Asia Taiwan is seeking greater self-reliance out of political expediency. Dependent on the US, Taiwan finds it difficult to import weapons due to political pressure imposed by China on potential supplying countries. Defence production in invested primarily in three SOEs that include the Aerospace Industrial Development Corporation (AIDC), which succeeded in designing and building the Indigenous Defense Fighter (IDF) at a time when the USA was withholding the F-16. However, such programmes as the IDF reveal the inherent challenges facing many Asian countries. Production is generally limited to national armed forces with little or no prospect of further production or export sales. It is thus difficult to retain expert personnel once a programme is concluded. Another factor impeding export potential is the lack of a track record; when it comes to technologically sophisticated military equipment, countries would prefer a combatproven American F-16 than the relatively unknown Taiwanese IDF. Taiwan highlights another interesting phenomenon in the case of its domestically designed CM-32 Cloud Leopard 8x8 vehicle. After a protracted development, the ROC Army has still not accepted this vehicle, allegedly due to armoured steel deficiencies. After pouring in resources and time, many national programmes in Asia prove unsatisfactory or downright deficient. South Korea has enjoyed considerable success as an arms manufacturer. The Republic of Korea (ROK) possesses a wide industrial base, with most of the defence sector concentrated in large conglomerates like Hyundai, Samsung and Kia. The ROK Armed Forces now procure 80 percent of their weapons domestically, including systems like the K1A1 MBT, T-50 advanced trainer aircraft and KDX-III Aegis-equipped destroyer. South Korea is now targeting foreign sales for a number of its products, plus it is helping Otokar develop its new Altay MBT in Turkey. However, despite its maturity, even the South Korean industry relies heavily on foreign input in the areas of design, integration and subsystems. An example is the T-50 produced by Korean Aerospace Industries (KAI) in

In the future even Japan will find it has to work with foreign producers in order to get a better yield for its Yen conjunction with Lockheed Martin. KAI aspires to export sales of 600-800 T-50 aircraft in the next 20 years. This is a lofty aspiration, as many Asian defence programmes begin with strong hopes of exports but end up as white elephants. One country disinterested in military export sales is Japan, for the nation’s 1947 constitution prohibits them. Kokusanka is the Japanese ideal of autonomous selfreliance in defence products, something it can aspire to as the world’s second-largest economy. However, Japan pays a high price for this policy, and will find Kokusanka even more burdensome in coming years. Massive programmes like the layered Ballistic Missile Defence (BMD) system required to thwart North Korean missiles chew up large amounts of money, making participation in a joint programme with the USA the only feasible option. Japan has always pursued domestic production via large conglomerates like Mitsubishi and Komatsu, and the Japanese Self-Defense Force (JSDF) only buys foreign equipment when it cannot produce it economically itself. Even then, licensed production is preferred. The Apache AH-64D Longbow helicopter was license-built until prohibitive costs stalled the programme after only a dozen were built. In another instance, the F-2 fighter eventually cost $100 million apiece, when an F-16 would have cost just $35 million! Even vehicles like the Type 90 MBT are produced at rates of fewer than half a dozen per year. Japan’s deliberate Kokusanka policy has resulted in extremely high costs and low production rates. Japan is better able to afford this than other Asian countries, but in the future even Japan will find it has to work with foreign producers in order to get a better yield for its Yen.

Trends Marketing is an important issue for AsiaPacific companies. Patrick Choy of ST Kinetics admitted, “Today especially, you cannot expect to market on your own. Our philosophy is we always try to search for local partners that have mutual benefits.” Companies need to come up with products

NOVEMBER 2009

that meet requirements, and service must also be excellent with a readiness to respond immediately to problems. An additional factor is maintaining relationships with the customer throughout the life cycle of a system, for there is money to be made in ongoing servicing and upgrades. Indeed, because of an altered threat level after the Cold War and due to stretched defence budgets, many nations retrofit or upgrade existing equipment rather than buying new, and this is an important source of income that manufacturers ignore at their peril. When countries buy new equipment, they often do so in multiyear contracts that offer no economy of scale, which requires creative handling by arms producers. An obvious trend around the world as the global recession hits home will be reductions in defence budgets. This drying up of traditional “honey pots” means giant defence corporations are eying diminutive markets they would never have bothered with before. The “big boys” are set to eat up and dominate markets, although this will not happen overnight. This reality means Asian producers will need to find a suitable niche or risk being overpowered by international conglomerates. A consultant with Deloitte LLP in the USA, Tom Captain, predicted the U.S. defence bidding arena will soon see contractors “duelling to the death” because of shrinking U.S. procurement budgets and much stiffer competition. The Asia-Pacific market will mostly remain secondary or tertiary in terms of the international defence market, with companies building mainly for domestic consumption. Despite the premium incurred in price, many countries such as India and Japan are insatiably pursuing policies of self-sufficiency. Meanwhile, others like Singapore have found niches with core competencies and competitive advantages. Other states such as Australia ensure they integrate with the international supply chain as preferred contractors or by signing joint development contracts. There is a lot at stake for the Asian defence industry, as their decision-making can mean they end up as either a winner or loser in the challenging environment that exists today. Perhaps China is the country to watch most carefully as its juggernaut defence industry gains momentum. It can be expected to enthusiastically pursue international arms sales, and an explosion on the global stage is AMR set to occur at some point in the future.

WEARABLE C O M M U N I C A T I O N S

Wrapping the Soldier in

Voice andData Wearable communications allow for individual soldiers to wear communications devices that are small, compact and lightweight and whose functionality can also be distributed around the person. A distributed system would for example separate the power supply, RF front end and antenna from each other and place them at different locations, allowing them to be optimised for technical performance or load carriage and enable for example multiple devices to share a single power supply. by Adam Baddeley

Headsets like Racal Acousticsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Frontier family allow radios to be positioned to optimise ergonomic or RF performance and controlled remotely via the headsets control panel ÂŠ AJB

ASIAN MILITARY REVIEW

WEARABLE C O M M U N I C A T I O N S

ne of the drivers for wearable communications is the need to support soldier modernisation programmes like Land Warrior in the US, Land 125 in Australia and ACMS in Singapore. In this context, worn solutions are often the bearer for information to other devices such as computers, display devices and body worn weapon sensors and geolocation devices. Full and widespread deployment of such systems however, is still some way off and today the dominant use for wearable communications is for low level voice communications. Personal communication devices have been adopted with alacrity as the tactical benefits that arise from having every member of a squad within a network have become obvious. These radios provide both voice and data communications although the former have priority and have been supplemented with basic situational awareness functionality, typically automated but with additional data applications being fielded. The US Joint Tactical Radio System’s (JTRS) Handheld, Manpack, Small Form Fit (HMS) programme, led by General Dynamics C4 Systems will produce a range of wearable communications, some are conventional stand alone designs while others are embedded and rely on other programmes and equipment for aspects such as control interfaces and power for example. The first and only standalone ‘wearable’ radio currently planned under JTRS HMS will be the AN/PRC-154 Rifleman Radio which passed its Limited User Test (LUT) in the Spring and which operates the ITT/DARPA developed Soldier Radio Waveform (SRW). The radio is due to achieve its Milestone C procurement decision in November, leading to final testing and an initial production run with an eventual requirement for several hundred thousand radios. The first ‘embedded’ radio for individual soldiers will be the SFF-B which will equip squad and team leaders equipped with the Ground Soldier Ensemble (GSE) system, the successor to Land Warrior. This radio’s LUT is planned for 2010 with a production decision potentially being made in 2011. The SFF B will be Type 1 encrytped and will operate from 302.5GHz, offering the SRW as well as

Harris RF Communications has scored a number of successes with its RF7800S Secure Personal Radio (SPR) outside the US SINCGARS, UHF Satcom and potential EPLRS too. Harris RF Communications has scored a number of successes with its RF-7800S Secure Personal Radio (SPR) outside the US. The SPR offers voice and data communications, a built-in GPS receiver, and incorporates easy-to-use position tracking using the SPR’s own Utility Software as well as messaging services via Harris’ TacChat application. The SPR uses Harris proprietary Advanced Network Wideband Waveform (ANW2) to support 256Kps

throughput with a range of 2-3km with three simultaneous speakers and unlimited listeners. Harris has also began work in July on the Leader variant of the SPR which is due to completed in 2010. This is an additional compact module which can be screwed into a basic SPR adding a computing hub for more complex applications with the facility to add a basic display type to the radio such as a helmet or wrist mounted display. Brunei, along with Norway was one of two announced launch customers for the SPR, the latter deploying the system to Afghanistan. Sweden too has opted for the SPR with the first 900 such radios being delivered in July, with further radios being used to equip Sweden’s contribution to the Nordic Battlegroup, intended for international peacekeeping. In addition to it publicised sales, the SPR has been adopted by a number of NATO member and coalition allies such as Romania and the Czech Republic, often supporting their special forces operating in Afghanistan, and typically funded under the aegis of FMS. ITT’s SpearNet Team Member radio provides wideband connectivity in a form factor that the company describes as the world’s “smallest wideband networking radio” and weighs 700g with battery and integrated CA code GPS. With a maximum of 6Mbps transmission data burst and a proven sustained link of 1.5Mbps, the system supports streaming high quality video. The system comes with a Radio Access Unit to control functionality and allow connectivity to a number of different devices. Reflecting the company’s growing experience in counter-IED technology - ITT provides the CREW 2.1 IED jammer to US armed forces - it claims improved performance for the SpearNet over single channel radios in a jammed environment. Spain has acquired the SpearNet to support trials with the EADS-led 'Combatiente Futuro' (COMFUT) soldier modernisation programme as well as for other users in the country. The basic radio has a range of 1.5km with a power output of 700mW, operating between 1.2-1.4GHz. Aselsan’s launch customer for its new personal radio design has been the Turkish Armed Forces © AJB

NOVEMBER 2009

WEARABLE C O M M U N I C A T I O N S

Cobham Defence Communications Eagle Close Combat Radio has recently established itself in the market with a number of international sales outside Europe presenting itself as a low cost ad hoc networking solution offering simultaneous voice and data and protected using AES 128 encryption. Eagle is already deployed in the region with the Royal New Zealand Navy on boarding parties ensuring that each member is in constant communication as well as linking back to more powerful radios to connect to the ‘mothership’. The radio is full duplex and uses a Dynamic Net Controller to seamlessly and automatically establish RF connections to the desired recipient. The radio has two PTTs on the radio as standard for remote operation by the soldier with a second link for use with a vehicle intercom system such as the company’s widely used ROVIS/VIC-3 and new VIS-X solution. Wearable communications are typically associated with small, short range personal radios such as the ubiquitous Selex Persinal Role Radio (PRR). In the region, Australia and Singapore are among those have both acquired Selex Communications radios for their requirement, Australia acquired number of the PRR for initial stages of the Land 125 Project Wundurra while Singapore have opted for the more recent Soldier System Radio Plus (SSR+). The latter radio which operates 350 to 400MHz and can achieve ranges of 2km in rural areas and can operate on two nets simultaneously. Kongsberg are building a complete, interoperable broadband technical communication system under its fully-IP TacLan concept. The soldier worn element to this is the 225 to 400 MHz UHF band SR600, providing team/squad communications from 10mW to 1W. The radio won a key contract in neutral Switzerland being selected as part of an EADS-Sagem team selected to supply the country’s IMESS soldier modernisation programme. The SR600 provides for up to five virtual voice nets in one RF-network Multi hop voice and data communication network. Elbit’s PNR500 has won a number of contracts around the world, weighing 370g and operates over 15 channels at full-duplex capability. A new version, the PNR-1000 has been developed which adds an ad hoc networking capability and will be formally launched at the turn of the year. A range of new entrants have also arrived

Over the years, as the battlefield task of the infantryman or marine has become more complex, so too has the functionality of their headsets on the personal radio market. The Turkish Armed Forces requirement are being met through their 380-400MHz PRC-5712 ‘Squad Radio’, beating out competition from Selex and Elbit with deliveries of the first batch of 2000 radios beginning in June last year. Radmor’s R35010 Personal Role radio operates in a 2405-2480 band providing power output at 100mw and communication over 16 channels. It’s not just radios that create a wearable capability. Headsets continue to provide what they have always done, namely a more effective means of communicating using voice. Over the years, as the battlefield task of the infantryman or marine has become more complex, so too has the functionality of their headsets, enabling the user to use their headsets. Today for example headsets allow the user to remotely control their radios via an integrated chest worn device. Silynx Communications has been firmly focused on meeting the headset requirements of special forces. Its C4OPS modular headset represents the firm’s latest generation solution and is in widespread usage in that community. It has been described by the company as a mini soldier system. Control for the system is provided via the Dual Wireless PTT, which is software Land Warrior is exploring using L3’s SIR as a worn link between dismounted soldiers and UAVs © AJB

ASIAN MILITARY REVIEW

defined with inbuilt GPS. Radios are controlled via a side connector and when used in conjunction with the Thales AN/PRC-148 and Northrop Grumman C2PC battle management system, C4OPS automatically transmits its GPS location to the system, eliminating the need for a separate blue force tracking device. Nacre’s QuietPro and more recent QuietPro Plus are used widely by US forces, becoming a standard of the Land Warrior and now the Ground Soldier Ensemble (GSE). The digital QuietPro+ is a fully digital system allowing multiple radios to be integrated.

WEARABLE C O M M U N I C A T I O N S

Racal Acoustics have recently launched a family of radios dubbed Frontier, with the Frontier 1000 designed specifically for the Selex PRR and with the Frontier 1400 being optimised for the Harris SPR, each allowing for different degrees of control of the radio with other family members moving from a single radio input to a dual solution. Later versions for the family will include an inbuilt gunfire detection system. Selex Communications have developed the ITE headset family as a seamless integration with existing and new PRRs via highly power efficient Digital Signal Processing, allowing no appreciable drain in battery life. A second veriant, designed to operate with non-Selex radios has a tri-input system enabling up to two radios and an intercom system to be connected simultaneously. Headsets are also undergoing changes to provide not just hearing protection and hearing enhancement for situational awareness but are now also being used as a host for the communications devices themselves. An example of this is Thales’ Autonomy Tactical Wireless Intercom system, seen at DSEi but formally launched at AUSA. An over ear headset with built in boom mike, Autonomy also integrates an 802.11b based wireless communications device operating at the 2.4Ghz range with AES encryption for secure voice and data with a peak rate of 250Kbps over 16 autoscanning channels. Characterised as a ‘PRR in a headset’, the device has a range of 400m in clear and drawing power from two AAA batteries, can operate for 12 hours at continuous operation and weighs just 160g. Applications for Autonomy would include providing vehicle crews with a rapid solution for dismounting for reconnaissance in person or similar role. Control of communications devices are not just down to headsets and PTTs. With the advent of soldier modernisation programmes, single devices controlling a range of functionality ranging from helmet mounted display, worn computing, ISR assets and voice and data communications all need to be managed, ideally from a single device. Within Land Warrior programme, General Dynamics have fused a number of separate control boxes into single device known as Fusion between the first version of the system being sent to Iraq and the latest version Antennas positioned on the back provide better reception, requiring it to be remotely controlled © AJB

Fischer Connectors AluLite connectors are claimed to be over 50 percent lighter that conventional metal connectors and can be sealed to IP68 levels which was deployed to Afghanistan in July. Rockwell Collin’s Tactical Control Module (TCM) was developed as a centralized control for a range of devices and roles, not least is the company’s bid to supply the US Army’s requirement for the Ground Soldier Ensemble requirement. The TCM was originally designed to control the company’s Tactical Video Downlink Receiver but can be extended to other communications and other electronics devices. An often overlooked aspect of worn communications are connectors. While wireless communications replaced the field telephone system with wires criss-crossing the battlefield, individual wireless links such as Bluetooth are not being adopted, as these links can be jammed and can create an ‘electronic Christmas tree effect’ on the individual, lighting them up to the enemy. Instead, soldier programmes have opted for cabling to send voice and data around the individual soldier. Cabling can be protected and sealed and is relative straightforward to secure. The weakest link in any cabling ensemble is the connectors and here a range of companies are battling to gain ascendancy. Requirements are complex and subtle; at the point of connection they must be secure from the environment and while they should stay connected even if a cable snags or catches, in some scenarios soldiers may prefer the connection to be pulled apart

ASIAN MILITARY REVIEW

after a certain level of force is achieved. There is also a general push towards push pull features, allowing for quick, one-handed disconnect. As these systems will be taken off and on by soldiers, perhaps several times a day when in operation the connectors must be able to perform repeatedly. Furthermore, deployed in large numbers on each soldier, any small reduction in individual connector weight can have a significant cumulative effect. In the US, Glenair’s connectors have been mandated as standard on the Army’s GSE programme. Fischer Connectors AluLite

WEARABLE C O M M U N I C A T I O N S

US Marine Corps and US Air Force personnel are already using Harris’ RF7800T ISR Video receiver, formally announced in July connectors are claimed to be over 50 percent lighter that conventional metal connectors and can be sealed to IP68 levels. In addition to local communications between soldiers, more capable systems are being fielded, allowing soldiers to access to real time ISR data while on the move. L-3 launched its Soldier ISR Receiver (SIR) at AUSA. Weighing 450g and consisting of a modem and one antenna sitting on the soldier’s shoulder it is designed to provide a dismounted platoon section with access to video downlink feeds from UAVs and surveillance aircraft. With no power supply of its own, the SIR is designed to work with soldier systems such as Land Warrior with

Like other soldier modernisation programmes, Italy’s Soldato Futuro uses a single control device to control worn communications and other equipment © AJB

which the Army has explored its integration on the system for potential deployment. Designed to provide a wearable solution for the L-3 ROVER kit today, which is only available at the halt. The SIR will be able to

receive Common Data Link and supports MPEG2/4, H.264 and MJPEG with a maximum throughput of 10.71Mbps. There is no ‘new’ technology in SIR which has taken largely off the shelf components from existing system. The innovation lies in its systemisation and reduction in size weight and power. US Marine Corps and US Air Force personnel are already using Harris’ RF7800T ISR Video receiver, formally announced in July. Using the same packaging as the better known AN/PRC-152 although instead of offering 30-512MHz coverage it covers the L, S and C-band covering portions of the spectrum from 1700 to 5800MHz, allowing users to access a number of ROVER analogue and digital feeds. The 1.27Kg RF7800T is typically worn on the soldier’s back, connected to a display which the user can easily access. A number of options are provided for displays including the company’s own Monocle VGA display with the system also supporting SVGA 640x480 and A MR NTSC Video output.

REGIONAL NEWS A N D

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

Asia Pacific Procurement Update AUSTRALIA ADF HF communications upgrade nears completion The Australia Defence Force (ADF) has introduced into service the Modernised High Frequency Communication System (MHFCS) as the final phase of its HF communication system upgrade. The upgraded communication system is 'the most advanced high frequency system in the world', according to its provider Boeing Australia and the success of the project is an indication of the company's commitment to developing advanced technology solutions globally. When complete, the ADF will have a state-of-the-art communication network with advanced automation levels, range and clarity, traffic volume and speed; for securely transmitting voice and data services, including e-mail, facsimiles and web browsing in remote locations where traditional telephone services are limited or non-existent. Delivered in two phases, the initial system was delivered in 2004, which included replacing three ageing ADF HF communication systems with a single integrated system, consisting of four HF radio stations and two purpose built control centres. The final phase enhanced the system's automation, performance and capabilities, including the delivery of two generic mobile upgrade systems; one land and sea component, and one air plat-

forms component. Still to be completed is the upgrade of the backup control centre for interoperability with the main control centre.

RAAF receives first Joint Standoff Weapon C The Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) has taken delivery of its first Joint Standoff Weapon (JSOW) C from Raytheon for its new F/A-18F Hornet fighters, and has expanded the order with the company to include the JSOW C-1. Currently in production with Raytheon, the JSOW C-1 maintains the land attack capability of JSOW C, adding a moving maritime target capability by incorporating a data link, allowing the JSOW to receive target updates as it approaches. The JSOW C will be fitted to the RAAF's new fleet of F/A-18F Hornet multi-role fighter aircraft, which are due to be delivered in 2010, as a replacement for the ageing F-111 fleet, following delays with Lockheed Martin F-35 Joint Strike fighter which was originally planned to replace the F-111s. The JSOW is a family of precision air-toground strike weapons that have a range of up to 70 nautical miles, outside that of standard anti-aircraft defences. The JSOW uses an integrated GPS-inertial navigation system and terminal uncooled infrared seeker that guides the weapon to its target.

Australia receives final FFG Upgrade Project frigate Australia's FFG Upgrade Project has entered its final phase with the Defence Materiel Organisation (DMO) taking delivery of the fourth and final frigate, HMAS Newcastle, three months ahead of schedule. The FFG Upgrade has been an enormous and complex undertaking for Australia with a series of difficulties. However, the last vessel has now been accepted ahead of schedule. The FFG upgrade project, headed by Thales, has seen the Royal Australian Navy's four Adelaide Class Guided Missile Frigates; HMAS Sydney, HMAS Darwin, HMAS Melbourne and HMAS Newcastle undergo complete upgrades in order to reinforce Australia's regional maritime presence and to extend the ships’ lifespan until 2021, when they will be replaced by the new Hobart Class air defence destroyers. Upgrades to the vessels, which are used for air defence, anti-submarine warfare, surveillance, interdiction and reconnaissance, included improved anti-ship missile defence, improved on-board training systems and electronic support systems, and enhanced tactical data link capability, underwater warfare system, ship service diesel generators, and other systems.

Australia has ordered a mix of Raytheon’s latest JSOW variants giving the RAAF enhanced precision strike capabilities © Raytheon

ASIAN MILITARY REVIEW

3UPPORTED "Y

(OSTED "Y

/RGANISED BY

1ATAR !RMED &ORCES

1ATAR %MIR .AVAL &ORCES

! 1ATAR &OUNDATION *OINT 6ENTURE

REGIONAL NEWS A N D

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

INDIA India looks to overhaul Su-30s India is expected to begin discussions on the modernisation of its Russian built Su30MKI aircraft according to Russian media. The Indian Air Force (IAF) currently has some 105 Su-30MKIs that are some of the most advanced aircraft available to it. The IAF originally ordered 50 Su-30MKI aircraft from Russia in 1996 and it these aircraft that are in line for an overhaul. A further 40 aircraft were purchased from Russia in 2007 and India's Hindustani Aeronautics (HAL) was also contracted to build 140 aircraft in India between 2003 and 2017 under license. The overhaul of the Su-30MKI is expected to be part of a larger discussion on defence cooperation between India and Russia.

Indian Army trains with US Stryker brigade The Indian Army took part in a two-week combat training exercise with the US Army and seventeen of the US Army's Stryker combat vehicles in October The two week exercise was the largest foreign deployment of US Strykers outside Iraq and Afghanistan, and was the most important training exercise carried out between the two nations' armies to date. Starting on 12th October, around 200 troops from the US 2nd Squadron, 14th Cavalry Regiment based in Hawaii joined an Indian army unit of similar size for Stryker combat manoeuvres and training with its integrated computer network system. The exercise ended with a live-fire demonstration of the Stryker, and also included training on the combating of improvised explosive devices.

IAF stations upgraded MiG-29s near Pakistan border The Indian Air Force (IAF) has taken the decision to deploy the first batch of its 62 upgraded MiG-29 aircraft close to the Pakistan border, at Adampur air base in the border state of Punjab. A defence official said the first six Russian-built aircraft are expected to be delivered during 2010 following upgrades in Russia that will see the fleet upgraded from aerial interceptor and air dominance aircraft to multi-role fighters. Enhancements to the fleet will include

the Zhuk-ME Radar, the advanced variant of the N010 Zhuk radar, providing mapping, terrain following, improved signal processing and a detection range of up to 120 km. The MiG-29s advanced capabilities will also include beyondvisual-range combat, new-generation airto-air and air-to-ground missiles and smart aerial bombs. Under the contract between the IAF and Russian Aircraft Corporation MiG, the first six aircraft will be upgraded by the original manufacturer in Russia, with the remaining aircraft upgraded at the IAF's 11 Base Repair Depot in Nashik under a transfer of technology agreement.

IAF considers UCAV future Reports suggest that the Indian Air Force (IAF) is looking at options to induct an armed unmanned air vehicle (UAV) capability in to the service in the 2011 time frame. New Delhi is only one of a number of countries in the region hoping to further such capabilities in the near future. Reports suggested that the IAF will look to procure 'lethal killer drones within two years'. A number of different options are available to the service in terms of the type of unmanned combat air vehicle (UCAV) that could be procured. The IAF believes the capability would enhance its capability to both fly against hardened air defences as well as give it an additional precision strike capability in more benign environments. A senior IAF officer told reporters that one system being evaluated was IAI's Harpy 2 (Harop) UCAV, which was first purchased by the Turkish armed forces in 2005. The Harop is not a true UCAV and has more in common with loitering munitions technology. The system itself is the delivery mechanism for its 23Kg warhead rather than being a carriage platform for bombs and missiles. However, the system would be freely available to India unlike some of the modern UCAVs, such as General Atomics Reaper platform, and could be delivered in the 2011 timeframe. The Harop would be the first IAF UAV capable of offensive strikes. The service already operates both the Searcher and Heron UAVs for surveillance and reconnaissance operations.

ASIAN MILITARY REVIEW

INS stealth destroyer launched The second of India's Project 15-A stealth destroyers, INS Kochi, was launched in midSeptember. The ship is the second of three 6,500 ton destroyers being built under the project by Mazagon Docks Ltd as a followon to the existing Delhi class destroyers; INS Delhi, INS Mysore, and INS Mumbai. The new stealth destroyers are expected to add a new dimension in naval warfare for the Indian Navy (IN). Featuring advanced stealth features, making it less vulnerable to enemy radar and increasing land-attack capabilities, the destroyers will also be equipped with state-of-the-art weapons systems, including the supersonic BrahMos surface-to-surface missile; as well as advanced action information systems and total atmospheric control systems. The ship's close-range defence capability will be improved by four AK-630 rapid-fire guns and a medium-range gun, as well as indigenously developed twin-tube torpedo launchers and anti-submarine rocket launchers, the NPOL developed Humsa-NG hullmounted sonar and two multi-role helicopters.

India commissions two WJFACS INS Cora Divh and INS Cheriyam, two Water Jet Propelled Fast Attack Craft (WJFACs) of the Indian Navy (IN) were commissioned in mid-September. The ships are part of a new series of ten WJFACs designed and built by Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers (GRSE), which are being inducted as a replacement for the older Seaward Defence Boats. The WJFACs were conceived, designed and built indigenously at GRSE in Kolkata. In the aftermath of the Mumbai terror attacks in November 2008, the IN was assigned the overall responsibility of maritime security including coastal and offshore defence. A large number of initiatives were launched to this end, including augmenting the existing number and technology of the service's patrol craft. The safe operability of the new WJFACs in shallow waters and at high speeds and their daynight surveillance capability, coupled with enhanced fire power is expected to give a tremendous boost to combating asymmetric threats emanating from the sea and further enhance coastal security.

REGIONAL NEWS A N D

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

CHINA Defence Minister lists PLA achievements According to senior officials China's military capability has taken a 'quantum leap' thanks to the People's Liberation Army's (PLA's) modernisation drive and advances in defence technology that rivals developments in Western countries. The comments to local news outlets were made by the country's defence minister Liang Guanglie in advance of the National Day military parade. 'Our capabilities in waging defensive combat under modern conditions have taken a quantum leap,' Liang told journalists. Liang listed a number of achievements in military technology and hardware by the PLA including military satellites, advanced aircraft, main battle tanks, artillery and missiles. 'It could be said that China has basically all the kinds of equipment possessed by Western countries, much of which reaches or approaches advanced world standards,' he added. 'This is a very remarkable achievement, which not only reflects the level of modernisation of our army, but also tremendous changes in national science and technology strength,' Liang concluded. This year Beijing's military spending is believed to have risen some 15.3 percent to $69 billion, according to a budget submitted to the country's Parliament in March. This

SOUTH KOREA RoK orders fire control radars for indigenous fighter aircraft Israeli defence manufacturer IAI has been awarded two contracts worth $280 million to provide the Republic of Korea (RoK) the EL/M 2032 Multimode Fire Control Radar systems for the country's FA/TA-50 training jet, and an advanced air defence radar system. IAI subsidiary, ELTA Systems, will develop and supply the systems, which are expected to enter service by 2012. The EL/M-2032, chosen for its 'advanced system compared to other customers', will be fitted to the RoK's FA/TA-50 training jet, developed to replace RoK's ageing fleet. According to IAI, the EL/M-2032 greatly enhances the air-to-air, air-to-sea, and

'Our capabilities in waging defensive combat under modern conditions have taken a quantum leap,' according to Liang Guanglie, Chinaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s defence minister ÂŠ DoD

is the latest in a string of double-digit increases by China.

Russia Starts Ka-28 ASW Deliveries to China Kumertau Aviation Production Enterprise, JSC, part of the industrial holding managed by Russian Helicopters, has produced the first shipment of the anti-submarine Ka-28 for the People's Liberation Army Navy. The first three of nine Ka-28s ordered by Beijing are currently undergoing final testing. The Ka-28 is the export variant of the Ka27 ASW helicopter. It is fitted with high-

air-to-ground capabilities of the aircraft. In air-to-air modes, the EL/M-2032 enables long-range target detection and tracking for weapon delivery, or automatic target acquisition in close combat engagements. In air-to-sea mode, the radar provides long range target detection, tracking, and target classification capabilities. In air-to-ground strike missions, high-resolution mapping, surface target detection and tracking, as well as A/G ranging are provided.

Seoul orders naval combat systems Naval electronic specialist Atlas Elektronik has been awarded its largest ever single order, as part of a deal to supply the Republic of Korea Navy (RoKN) with six material packages for the construction of its

ASIAN MILITARY REVIEW

altitude TV3-117VMAR turboshaft engines with increased nominal and cruise performance. In the search role it is equipped with radio sonobuoys, and in the search and attack role ' with anti-submarine bombs and torpedoes, including the high-speed homing APR-2E Orlan. The PLAN already has eight Ka-28s acquired in 1998. The aircraft are based on two Sovremenny class destroyers purchased from Russia and the PLAN's Luhai class destroyers. One of the roles of the helicopters is to assist in targeting the on-board supersonic anti-ship SS-N-22 Sunburn missiles.

Class 214 submarines. The submarines, being provided under a contract with Howaldtswerke Deutsche Werft (HDW), part of ThyssenKrupp Marine Systems, are to be fitted with Atlas Elektronik's ISUS 90-61 combat systems as part of the second phase of the RoKN's submarine programme. The ISUS 90 combat system is an advanced, fully integrated sensor, command & control and weapon engagement system. The system is equipped with sonar facilities for panoramic detection, analysis and classification of surface vessels, submarines and torpedoes. Its acoustic sensors are integrated with optical and electronic sensors to provide comprehensive command and control in the submarine system, as well as control of long range, wire guided torpedoes and missiles.

REGIONAL NEWS A N D

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

THAILAND

Materiel Administration (FMV) in 2008. The complete aircraft and command and control Gripen International and the system includes the six Thai government have begun fighters, associated equipdiscussions on the former setment and service, one Saab ting up an aviation mainte340 aircraft equipped with nance centre on the site of Erieye Airborne Early Bangkok's old international Warning system, a Saab 340 airport Don Muang. for transport and training, The development of the as well as an integrated site would go towards command and control sysGripen's offset commitments tem with data links. for the sale of Gripen aircraft The Gripen was selected and Erieye airborne early to replace the RTAF's ageing warning aircraft to Bangkok. The first of Thailand’s Gripens took to the air at Linkoping in mid September © Saab fleet of F-5 B/E aircraft to The talks are believed to be being driven by Bangkok, which wants to expected by a second batch of aircraft, but carry out air defence and protect the nationhas put that on hold. al interests of Thailand. The multidevelop the Don Muang site. role/swing-role capability, new generation The Gripen facility would have repair, flight control systems, communication sysmaintenance and general aviation services ….. while first RTAF Gripen tems, avionics and weapons systems of the and would be a boon to the area. Gripen is takes maiden flight participating in the talks, but is more inter- The first of six Gripen fighters ordered by Gripen, as well as its ability to perform joint ested in developing the Gripen related com- the Royal Thai Air Force (RTAF) undertook operations and provide tactical data linking puter software development that is formal- its successful maiden flight in Linkoping, with ground, maritime and air forces, proved it a suitable replacement for the F-5 ly a part of its offset requirements. Sweden in mid September. The setting up of the maintenance centre The multi-role fighter is the first of a B/E fleet. Delivery of the aircraft to Thailand is due would more than cover the offset obligation batch of six Gripen C/Ds ordered in a govof $600 million for the first six JAS 39 ernment to government deal between in 2011, following training, which the RTAF Gripens and one Erieye. Bangkok was Thailand and the Swedish Defence is due to start next year.

Gripen talks about offset obligations....

SINGAPORE

JAPAN

Singapore sets up cyber security agency

Tokyo, Washington continue base relocation negotiations

Singapore has continued its march towards having a modernised third generation armed forces when it stood up a new cyber security authority on 1 October. The new authority will have responsibility for safeguarding the nation’s information technology. The Singapore 'Infocomm' Technology Security Authority (SITSA) will be a division within the Internal Security Department of the city-state's Ministry of Home Affairs according to officials. A statement said that SITSA's mission is to, 'secure Singapore's IT environment, especially vis-à-vis external threats to national security such as cyberterrorism and cyberespionage'. It will also be responsible for operational IT security development and implementation at the national level. SITSA will begin by hardening 'critical infocomm infrastructure' against cyber attacks, and achieving a higher level of national preparedness. However, regulatory agencies will continue to be responsible for IT securityrelated implementation for individual industry sectors in coordination with SITSA.

US and Japanese officials met in October and stated their intention to speed up negotiations over the relocation of a key US Marine Corps (USMC) base ahead of a November visit by President Barack Obama to Tokyo. Visiting Japan US Assistant Secretary of State Kurt Campbell, the US State Department's top Asia policy official, said he would like to see a breakthrough before Obama arrives in Japan in early November. The negotiations centre on the fate of the USMC's Futenma Air Station on the southern Japanese island of Okinawa.

ASIAN MILITARY REVIEW

Negotiations about the base have dragged on for years with residents at both its current location and a planned new spot nearby saying that the air base is very loud and US facilities lead to increased crime. 'We hope to have real progress over the course of the next several weeks,' Campbell told jouranlists after meeting with Japanese Parliamentary Secretary of Defense Akihisa Nagashima. Japan has long been a crucial military ally for the US and hosts about 50,000 American troops, two-thirds of them on Okinawa. However the new Japanese government has repeatedly said it wants to redefine the alliance on more even terms.

GRIPEN THE INDEPENDENT CHOICE

AS A MILITARY non-aligned nation,

requirement for partnerships based on

Sweden understands better than anyone

common ground, mutual understanding

the necessity of an independent and

and long-term commitment.

autonomous air force. The Gripen ﬁghter,

Full customer insight into all levels of

created by Saab, is the deﬁning example

aircraft technology as well as unrivalled

of Sweden’s long history of military

technological and knowledge transfer,

independence.

allow Gripen’s customer nations to enjoy

In an uncertain world you need partners

full control and autonomy over their air

you can trust, that understand your

force and their future as a nation.

situation and deﬁnitely delivers what you

The independent choice for an inde-

and your nation needs. Gripen’s unique,

pendent future.

independent origins give us the insight that others fail to gain, the absolute

NAME FUNCTION DOMAIN

GRIPEN MULTI-ROLE FIGHTER AIR OPERATIONS

For more on the Gripen success story, go to www.gripen.com

www.saabgroup.com

GRIP 037 A i

MR 1 09 Fi

l i dd 1

09 01 16 09 59 22