Asian military review 2013v21n8

VOLUME 21/ISSUE 8

AS I A PA C I F I C ’ S

DEC 2013/JAN 2014 US$15

LARGEST

COMBAT ENGINEER VEHICLES FRIGATES & DESTROYERS AIRBORNE RECONNAISANCE

CIRCUL ATED

DEFENCE

MAGAZINE

CYBER DEFENCE PRECISON GUIDED WEAPONS CBRN PROTECTION BRUNEI

www.asianmilitaryreview.com

Contents DECEMBER 2013/JANUARY 2014 VOLUME 21 / ISSUE 8

20

Protecting the Abode of Peace Hong Kong-based defence photojournalist Gordon Arthur examines the defence posture of the armed forces of Brunei-Darussalam, detailing ongoing procurement programmes, and recent defence acquisitions

Front Cover Photo: The United States armed forces launched Operation Damayan on 14th November 2013 to provide humanitarian relief to thousands of Filipinos affected by Typhoon Yolanda which has, so far, killed an estimated 3,982 in the central Philippines Š US DoD

Bridge Over Troubled Waters

06

Washington DC-based defence journalist Stephen W. Miller delves into the world of Combat Engineer Vehicles and gives an update of the latest happenings in this domain around the Asia-Pacific

34

40 50 Shades of Grey United Kingdom-based naval affairs journalist Edward Hooton takes a detailed look at the latest developments regarding frigates and destroyer programmes around the Asia-Pacific region

14

AMR editor Thomas Withington discusses the increasing reliance placed on electronic communications in the AsiaPacific region, the danger to the region from cyber warfare, and the measures being undertaken to combat these threats

28

Andy Oppenheimer, a United Kingdom-based Weapons of Mass Destruction expert, investigates the efforts being taken around the Asia-Pacific region to protect armed forces against Chemical Weapons attack

We Want Information!

David Oliver, a defence aviation journalist based in the United Kingdom, examines the efforts ongoing in the Asia-Pacific region to overhaul and modernise local intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance aircraft fleets.

l

DECEMBER 2013/JANUARY 2014

United Kingdom-based defence journalist Peter Donaldson takes a look at some of the latest developments in the world of air-to-ground precision-guided munitions programmes and acquisitions in the Asia-Pacific

The Sum of All Fears

46 If the Machines Stop?

Surgical Air Power’s Scalpel

l

03

Index of Advertisers

AFRICA AIRSHOW AMR DSI

BALT EXPO

45

DIMDEX

49

DSA MALAYSIA

YOLANDA’S DEADLY EMBRACE

COVER 2

EUROSATORY

53

IDEAS

57

INDO DEFENCE

RENAULT TRUCKS

SINGAPORE AIRSHOW

SOFEX

Editorial

4

27

URALVAGONZAVOD

55

COVER 4

s this editorial was being written in lateNovember 2013 the Philippines was beginning the long process of reconstruction after Typhoon Yolanda swept through the archipelago bringing untold death and destruction in its wake.

COVER 3

A

39 9

Advertising Offices Australia Peter Stevens, Publisher’s Internationalé Tel: (61) 8 9389 6601 Email: peter.stevens@pubintl.com.au Benelux Cornelius W. Bontje Tel: (41) 79 635 2621 Email: cbontje@ymail.com France/Spain Stephane de Remusat, REM International Tel: (33) 5 3427 0130 E-Mail: rem-media@sfr.fr 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 Liat Heiblum, Oreet - International Media Tel: (97 2) 3 570 6527 E-Mail: liat@oreet-marcom.com East-Central Europe/Greece/Turkey Zena Coupé Tel: +44 1923 852537, zena@expomedia.biz Nordic Countries/South Africa Emanuela Castagnetti-Gillberg Tel: (46) 31 799 9028 E-Mail: emanuela.armada@gmail.com Pakistan Kamran Saeed, Solutions Inc., Tel/Fax: (92 21) 3439 5105 Mobile: (92) 300 823 8200 E-Mail: kamran.saeed@solutions-inc.info Russia Alla Butova, NOVO-Media Ltd, Tel/Fax: (7 3832) 180 885 Mobile : (7 960) 783 6653 Email :alla@mediatransasia.com 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, Blessall Media LLC. Tel : (+1 540) 341 7581 Email: margiespub@rcn.com USA (West/South West)/Brazil Diane Obright, Blessall Media LLC. Tel : (+1 540) 341 7581 Email: blackrockmediainc@icloud.com All Other Countries Vishal Mehta, Media Transasia India Limited Tel: (91) 124 4759625, Fax: (91) 124 4759550 E-Mail: vishal@mediatransasia.com Jakhongir Djalmetov, Media Transasia India Limited Tel: (91) 124 4759539, Fax: (91) 124 4759550 E-Mail: joha@mtil.biz Tarun Malviya, Media Transasia India Limited Tel: (91) 124 4759609, Fax: (91) 124 4759550 E-Mail: tarunmalviya@mtil.biz

Harrowing television pictures were beamed into homes across the world of survivors desperate for food, housing and medical assistance many of whom had lost literally everything. That disasters batter this part of the Asia-Pacific region is not new yet Typhoon Yolanda, which struck on 3rd November 2013 was especially destructive killing over 5,200 people at the time of writing, although sadly this death toll may increase still in the future.

As our cover for this month’s issue illustrates the United States of America was one of the first nations on the scene delivering humanitarian assistance. Giant Boeing C-17A/ER Globemaster-III strategic freighter aircraft disgorged their cargo while the United States Navy’s USS George Washington ‘Nimitz’ class aircraft carrier-led battle group was deployed along with 13,000 military personnel to provide help.

Other militaries both from within and without the region are also doing their bit: The Republic of Singapore Air Force flew in supplies while the Royal Navy has deployed its HMS Illustrious ‘Invincible’ class aircraft carrier and other vessels to play their part. Military assets from the Royal Malaysian Air Force and from the Japanese Self Defense Forces have been involved along with Lockheed Martin C-130B/H Hercules turboprop freighters from the Indonesian Air Force, China’s People’s Liberation Army Navy Peace Ark medical vessel, aircraft from the Royal Brunei Air Force, Bell CH-146 Griffon helicopters from the Royal Canadian Air, and personnel and assets from both the Royal Australian Navy and the Royal Australian Air Force.

The humanitarian response from militaries inside and outside the region has once again turned the spotlight towards a mission which air forces, armies and navies can no longer ignore and for which they must increasingly train and equip; namely that of providing humanitarian assistance. Several procurements underway in the Asia-Pacific region, perhaps most noticeably the purchase of amphibious support ships such as the Royal Australian Navy’s forthcoming ‘Canberra’ class vessels, and the Royal Malaysian Navy’s Multi-Purpose Support Ship requirement will represent important strides in equipping local navies with the platforms they need to support humanitarian missions.

Sadly, we will see weather phenomena like Typhoon Yolanda again in the region in the future. The hope is that the lessons-learned from this tragedy are fused with new platforms entering service around the Asia-Pacific region to ensure that, when the next time comes, local militaries are even better prepared to perform a timely response to stem the death and destruction.

Thomas Withington, Editor

Editor: Thomas Withington Tel: (33) 562 271 697, E-mail: t_withington@hotmail.com

Publishing Office:

Chairman: J.S. Uberoi Media Transasia Ltd, 1205, Hollywood Centre 233, Hollywood Road, Sheung Wan, Hong Kong. Tel: (852) 2815 9111, Fax: (852) 2815 1933

Audit Bureau o f Circula tions

Operations Office:

President: Egasith Chotpakditrakul Sr. Manager International Marketing: Vishal Mehta Manager International Marketing: Yusuf Azim Manager Marketing: Jakhongir Djalmetov Deputy Manager Marketing: Tarun Malviya Sales & Marketing Coordinator: Atul Bali Creative Director: Bipin Kumar Deputy Art Director: Sachin Jain Production Manager: Kanda Thanakornwongskul Group Circulation Manager: 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

l

DECEMBER 2013/JANUARY 2014

l

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. 1205, Hollywood Centre 233, Hollywood Road, Sheung Wan, Hong Kong.

Tel: (852) 2815 9111, Fax: (852) 2851 1933

05

COMBAT

ENGINEER VEHICLE

BRIDGE OVER TROUBLED WATERS

Combat engineers and sappers have been used since Roman times. Their capabilities have assured the mobility and protection of the combat arms elements in defence or attack. Armies without adequate engineer resources often had their freedom of manoeuvre hampered.

by Stephen W. Miller

In the past, the Republic of Singapore Army has also made use of the United States Chrysler/General Dynamics Land States M60 Armoured Vehicle Launched Bridge: Itself based on the Chrysler/General Dynamics M60 Patton Main Battle Tank Š US Army

06

l

ASIAN MILITARY REVIEW

l

COMBAT

ENGINEER VEHICLE

he importance of the combat engineer is a lesson that has been repeatedly relearned by commanders when field operations commence. They offer solutions not only to challenges from the enemy but those presented by nature itself. An axiom of warfare is that the side that can gain and retain the initiative will prevail. If this is so then it is the combat engineer that holds the key to assuring a force’s initiative faced by the challenges of terrain, weather, and the enemy.

As history has unfolded mechanisation of military forces has increased the importance of combat engineers to support their manoeuvre but at the same time it created a dilemma in capabilities and equipment.

Civil construction equipment was ill-suited to this role. Combat engineers need the same mobility as the forces they support.

In addition, their capacity must match the demands of the force’s vehicles and equipment. The weight, speed and manoeuvrability of main battle tanks, armoured infantry vehicles and self-propelled artillery require engineer systems that accommodate their size and perform tasks

The ST-Kinetics Trailblazer mine clearance vehicle is based on the company’s Bionix Armoured Personnel Carrier. It employs a rotating “flail” that beats a path detonating mines before it © Wikimedia Commons

T

l

DECEMBER 2013/JANUARY 2014

quickly. It thus became clear that engineer equipment also needed protection if it was to operate with armoured formations.

These demands led to the introduction of vehicles specifically configured for combat engineer assault missions as early as World War Two. Since then, combat engineer missions have remained generally consistent. They involve enhancing defensive works, including establishing obstacle and entrenchments, and maintaining force manoeuvre. The latter includes overcoming obstacles, crossing wet (rivers) and dry gaps, clearing minefields and physical obstructions. This role presents the greatest challenges and has received the most attention. The nature of these tasks led to the evolution of three classes of engineer vehicles: bridge-layers, excavating systems, and mine/obstacle clearance.

Although often overlooked in building a ground force structure, the availability of vehicles with these capabilities can be crit-

l

07

COMBAT

ENGINEER VEHICLE

BAE Systems FV180 Combat Engineer Tractor is now a little long in the tooth, although it is still used by the Republic of Singapore Army. These vehicles are supplemented by the force’s ST Kinetics’ Bionix Armoured Vehicle Launched Bridge and Bionix Trailblazer © Wikimedia Commons

ical to its ability to execute manoeuvre.

Geography alone can be a driving factor in the need for combat engineer assets.

This is certainly true in many parts of Asia. Rivers and waterways, difficult terrain, vegetation, channelised roadways and even close urban layouts act to limit manoeuvre even without an opponent.

Any force operating in these regions would find mobile engineer capabilities essential. Only by assuring that its ground units can make use of manoeuvre can a nation hope to respond to threats while maintaining a limited force size. It is, therefore, not surprising a number of armies in the region have introduced combat engineer vehicles in their formations.

If anything it may be that investment in combat engineer assets could justify higher attention than it often receives. This is particularly true when one considers that they are also invaluable in responding to natural disasters. As was clearly demonstrated recently in the Philippines aid

08

response to Typhoon Hayian, a major challenge in the relief operation was rapidly restoring access to destroyed areas; exactly the tasks that assault engineer equipment is designed for.

Singapore Army

Combat engineer assault vehicles fielded in the region range from older foreign imported systems to recent, state-of-the art indigenous designs. Among the most interesting of the latter are the engineer variants of the tracked Bionix armoured fighting vehicle fielded by the Republic of Singapore Army. It was designed in conjunction with and manufactured

by ST Kinetics (formerly Singapore Technology Automotive).

Using the Bionix, versions have been provided for countermine/mine clearance and gap crossing. The Bionix Trailblazer is a dedicated mine clearance system. It uses a rotating ‘flail’ extended forward of the vehicle to detonate mines

l

ASIAN MILITARY REVIEW

l

in its path. It can clear a 100-metre (328feet) path in seven-and-a-half minutes automatically deploying lane markers as it proceeds. The Bionix Armoured Vehicle Launched Bridge (AVLB) carries and deploys a MLC30 bridge of 22m (72ft) in under seven minutes. They are augmented by the older BAE Systems FV180 Combat Engineer Tractor (CET) which has earth moving capability. With the CET reaching over 40 years in age and logistically unique in their Army, it will be interesting to see if ST Kinetics develops its own Bionix-based CET. Singapore previously employed the United States’ Chrysler (now General Dynamics Land Systems) M60 Patton Main Battle Tank (MBT). As a result it has the M60 AVLB (Armoured Vehicle Launched Bridge) variant of this tank and the Chrysler/General Dynamics Land Systems M728 Combat Engineer Vehicle.

The M728 has a unique 165-millimetre (six-inch) demolition gun, an ‘A-frame’ lifting boom and a front blade. The M60 AVLB launches a MLC60 scissors bridge of 18m (60ft). The Army’s fielding of the Krauss-Maffei Wegmann Leopard 2 MBT

COMBAT

ENGINEER VEHICLE (called L2SG) makes the MLC60 capacity marginal at best. Here again one might anticipate some action by the army to address this capability.

Indonesia

As part of the package of Leopard 2 MBTs being supplied to the Indonesian Army from Heer (German Army) stocks, three Armoured Engineer Vehicles (AEVs) and three Leguan AVLB tanks (Brückenlegepanzer) will be included.

The AEV has dozer blade, an earthmoving arm and dual capstan winches. This fielding will provide the essential complementary combat engineer capability for the MBTs. The first Leopard 2 was delivered in September 2013.

Japan

The Japan Ground Self Defence Force (JGSDF) has now largely transitioned to vehicles of its own development and manufacture. The Defence Systems Division of Komatsu has stepped up with new designs especially in wheeled combat vehicles.

These are providing new levels of mobility for the JGSDF. The Type 96 eight-wheel drive Armoured Personnel Carrier (APC) and Type 87 six-wheel drive armoured reconnaissance and patrol vehicles are notable additions. Both have interesting potential in addressing combat engineer roles. However, currently the main assault engineer vehicles are both based on the Japanese Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Type-90 MBT. This includes both Type 91 AVLBs and Type 92 mine clearance vehicles. The AVLB use a sliding launch providing a 20m (66ft) MLC 70 bridge. The Type92 mine clearance vehicle first fielded in 1992 mounts an overhead missile pod that contains two rocket-deployed line charges.

These are launched and pull a line of 26 explosives which fall into the minefield assisted by a parachute. When detonated the charges clear a path. It is often typical practice to have a mine plough or bladeequipped vehicle, generally an armoured vehicle, pass through such a cleared lane to assure that all mines have been neutralized.

It is not apparent that the JGSDF have introduced these; however, a number of such systems compatible with both MBTs and

10

tracked and wheeled APCs like the Type 79 and Type 96 are available off-the-shelf.

Taiwan

Traditionally the Republic of China Army (ROCA) has relied upon foreign-made equipment with the United States being the primary supplier. Over the past few

l

ASIAN MILITARY REVIEW

l

years there has been a stress on military ‘self-reliance’ which has led to a growing indigenous military production. The Timoney Technology Limited/Ordnance Readiness Development Centre CM-32 eight-wheel drive armoured vehicles introduced in 2007 is a good example. As related to engineer vehicles, however, the

COMBAT

ENGINEER VEHICLE

The Japanese Ground Self Defence Force’s Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Type 91 Armoured Vehicle Launched Bridge is typical of Main Battle Tank-based mobile assault bridging systems. It deploys a span across wet or dry gaps in minutes © US DoD

ROCA still relies upon commercial equipment. Apparently with its primary focus on defence the need for an assault engineer capability has not been viewed as a priority. This is interesting as the M60A1, their primary MBT, has a full range of such variants including ‘kits’ that can be fitted to provide earth moving and mine

l

clearance with minimum adaption.

Republic of Korea

The Republic of Korea Army is also transitioning to locally-designed and manufactured combat vehicles. The General Dynamics/Hyundai Rotem K1/K1A1 MBTs and Doosan DST K21 Infantry DECEMBER 2013/JANUARY 2014

l

Fighting Vehicle are the primary heavy armoured force. They are supported by the K1 AVLB. This Armoured VehicleLaunched Bridge variant carries an MLC 66 scissor-type bridge system mounted on the K1 chassis. It was developed during 1988 to 1992 by Hyundai Rotem with engineering support and

11

COMBAT

ENGINEER VEHICLE

the initial bridge sections coming from then Vickers Defence Systems (now BAE Systems). The K1 armoured bridgelayer has the same cross country mobility and protection as the K1 MBT including individual Nuclear Biological and Chemical protection for the two-man crew (driver and commander/bridge operator) and automatic fire suppression. The bridge has a length of 22m spanning a gap of up to 20.5m (67ft).

It is deployed in three-to-five minutes and recovered in ten minutes from either end. The 66-ton capacity should allow the bridge to accommodate the new Hyundai K2 Black Panther MBT now in development.

The K1 had been demonstrated with a dozer blade, mine rollers and mine ploughs. It is also understood that studies

have been conducted on a combat engineer version based on the K1 Armoured Recovery Vehicle (ARV). This ARV was developed with support from MaK System in Germany and includes a dozer blade. Since MaK System designed the German Army’s Leopard-based Pioneer vehicle it could be anticipated that the Korean version may reflect many of the same capabilities.

Australia

The motto of the Royal Australian Engineers (RAE) is Ubique (Everywhere). It could be said that this reflects the scope of demands often placed on all combat engineers. To a large degree the RAE, like many nation’s engineers, reply on commercial construction equipment. However, specialisation of these designs has offered some

The Chrysler/General Dynamics Land States M60 Armoured Vehicle Launched Bridge was complemented by the same company’s M728 Combat Engineer Vehicle which deployed an ‘A-frame’ lift and a 165-millimetre (six-inch) demolition gun © US DoD

12

l

ASIAN MILITARY REVIEW

l

unique capabilities. The Thales High Mobility Engineer Vehicle (HMEV) is a good example. It addresses the need to have an excavating capability that can keep pace with mobile columns. The HMEV has a backhoe and front loader like a commercial unit, but also a road speed of 100 kilometres-per-hour (60 miles-per-hour) and an armoured protection kit allowing it to selfdeploy with combat forces. Julian Elliot, spokesman for Thales, indicated that the HMEV was so successfully employed with the RAE in Afghanistan that some were purchased and employed by the US Army.

Future Trends

Battle experience has repeatedly demonstrated the critical role of combat assault engineers in assuring the effectiveness of mobile forces. As a result every

COMBAT

ENGINEER VEHICLE

armoured vehicle family yet fielded has introduced at some point various engineer models. Their importance seems to gain most attention by militaries that have recently faced the difficulties caused by natural and man made obstacles in maintaining offensive manoeuvre.

Tactically these assets need to be forward with the lead elements to be effective. It is important to remember that the effectiveness of obstacles is not measured in casualties created but rather in time gained and length-of-delay inflicted on the advancing force.

With the trend toward local vehicle design and production there are beginning to appear selected specialty combat engineer variants in these lines. It does still appear to be limited and largely focused on MBT-based platforms.

However, the recognition of their particular benefits has seen a growing introduction of wheeled armoured combat and support vehicles. The ST Kinetics’ Terrex, Japanese Komatsu Type 96, the Republic of Korea’s CM-32 and Australia’s General Dynamics Land Systems’ Light Armoured Vehicle illustrate this movement. As a

l

result of some industry equipment initiatives the fielding of these systems offers the possibility to enhance combat assault engineer capabilities by mounting ‘addon’ engineering ‘kits’. This approach reduces the need for and costs of developing entirely new vehicles.

Although the ‘add-on’ approach has been evident for many years the demands of operations in Iraq and Afghanistan definitely increased attention to these solutions with a new focus on solutions suitable for wheeled vehicles. Pearson Engineering Ltd of the United Kingdom is a leader in such systems. According to Ian Kelly, the firm’s marketing manager, their products “include mine ploughs, dozer blade kits, mine rollers and bridge launch and retrieval systems suitable for MBTs, tracked

With the trend toward local vehicle design and production there are beginning to appear selected specialty combat engineer variants DECEMBER 2013/JANUARY 2014

l

‘Add-on’ engineer attachments have been perfected to allow use on wheeled combat vehicles like the General Dynamics Stryker armoured fighting vehicles. Shown here are surface mine plough and mine rollers available from the United Kingdom’s Pearson Engineering Ltd © Pearson Engineering Ltd

APCs and medium wheeled combat vehicles. The systems fit directly or via a common interface system, and can be quickly attached and released offering increased responsiveness.” Proven on the United States Army General Dynamics Stryker armoured fighting vehicles, and other platforms, they are adaptable to similar vehicles and offer a cost-effective solution to adding mobile engineer assault capabilities.

The priority given to vehicles that offer direct combat capability is understandable. Nevertheless, the contribution of combat engineers in assuring that these vehicles reach the objective requires greater attention in force structures.

Combining engineer support vehicles and ‘add-on’ kits in modernisation programs not only assures this but offers a substantial civil support capability.

13

CYBER

D E F E N C E

IF THE MACHINES STOP? During a recent visit to the Republic of Korea capital Seoul, the author could not help but be impressed by the level of electronic connectivity. Yet the internet communications on which Asia-Pacific economies rely are increasingly at risk, prompting national responses to safeguard them.

by Thomas Withington

igh-speed internet access on the city’s metro system seems taken for granted by the commuters of Seoul.

Their counterparts in London, Paris and Berlin can only dream of being able to reply to their emails in real time before they enter the office, or enjoy a streaming movie during the trudge back home, having to be content instead with seemingly Jurassic throwaway free newspapers and e-readers pre-

H 14

loaded with the latest novels.

According to internetworldstats.com, a website which tracks global internet usage, the Republic of Korea (RoK) is the most ‘wired’ country in the Asia-Pacific region, with 40.3 million internet users (82.5 percent of its total population) as of June 2012; the most recent figures presented on its website. Other countries in the region have similarly impressive levels of usage: Japan has 79.5 percent (101.2 million) of its population using the internet,

l

ASIAN MILITARY REVIEW

l

with Taiwan having 75.4 percent (17.5 million) and Singapore having 75 percent (four million). All of these nations, plus several others around the region, have dynamic economies and it is impossible to separate the levels of internet connectivity they enjoy with their continuing economic strength.

The symbiosis between the economies of these states and their electronic communications could also be their Achilles Heel. A large-scale cyber attack on the

CYBER

D E F E N C E cyber attacks. On 28th October 2013, the Times of Israel reported that several of the country’s security and defence industries had been targeted by a ‘Trojan Horse’; a computer programme appearing harmful but which can cause significant damage and unauthorised access to a computer once activated. The newspaper alleged that the attack originated from China and was an attempt to perform industrial espionage against Israeli defence and security companies. That said, China has also been the target of such attacks and in late August 2013 the country revealed that it had suffered its largest ever DDoS attack

computer systems controlling hospitals or railway signalling, for example, are tampered with.

The Asia-Pacific region is no stranger to such threats. Speaking at the International Institute for Strategic Studies’ Shangri-La Dialogue in June 2013, United States Secretary of State for Defence Chuck Hagel noted that his country had “expressed our concerns about the growing threat of cyber intrusions, some of which appear to be tied to the Chinese government and military.” The finger of blame has been pointed at China on a number of occasions in the past vis-à-vis

Several of the world’s leading defence companies are deepening their involvement in the cyber security domain.

Raytheon is one of several firms now offering such services as part of its portfolio © Raytheon

critical infrastructure, the assets essential for a states’ social and economic wellbeing— such as its health service, transportation networks, banking and financial services, and its law enforcement organisations and armed forces — could have potentially catastrophic consequences.

Even a well-aimed, yet small-scale, socalled ‘Distributed Denial of Service’ (DDoS) attack on any element of this critical infrastructure, such as against a country’s central bank, could have disastrous effects.

Denial of Service

Thus cyber warfare is an attractive weapon for individuals and states alike.

DDoS attacks are comparatively cheap to execute, only requiring the necessary software and hardware and expert hackers who can perform the task. Yet the financial cost of wrecking part of a country’s banking system, even momentarily, can be huge. Lives can even be put at risk if

Elbit Systems is another major defence company which is increasingly active in the provision of cyber security solutions. Among the products offered by the company in this regard include a cyber security trainer © Elbit

l

DECEMBER 2013/JANUARY 2014

l

15

CYBER

D E F E N C E

against a number of computer servers hosting websites carrying the ‘.cn’ top level domain suffix for China.

One month earlier in mid-July 2013 North Korea was believed to have been behind a cyber attack against a number of websites in the RoK, notably that of the presidential office and a number of media and official organisations. The attack was timed to coincide with the anniversary of the commencement of the Korean War on 25th June 1950. The RoK has not sat idly

by while the country has suffered these cyber attacks. Since the commencement of 2013, the size of its National Cyber Security Response Centre (NCSC), established in December 2009, has doubled to 1,000 individuals.

Chinese efforts

The United States has woken up to the threat presented by Chinese hacking activities. A statement by James A. Lewis, director and senior fellow, technology and

The lights shine brightly on a Seoul October evening. The Republic of Korea is the most ‘wired’ country in the Asia-Pacific region. A major attack against the country’s computer networks could have a devastating effect on the national economy © Thomas Withington

public policy programme at the Centre for Strategic and International Studies in Washington DC presented to the United States House Foreign Affairs Committee on 23rd July 2013 a testimony which spoke of “China’s cyber actions”, as being a “threat to stability in Asia.” Mr. Lewis added that “Australia, India, Japan, the Philippines, the Republic of Korea, Russia, Vietnam and perhaps others have been the victims of Chinese cyber espionage.” He also singled out North Korea for criticism, saying that the country “has been developing cyber capabilities for many years and uses them not only for espionage but also for clumsy attempts to sway opinion” in the Republic of Korea.

While both China and North Korea are

16

l

ASIAN MILITARY REVIEW

l

CYBER

D E F E N C E

Several efforts focus on regulation. This is always a delicate balancing attack, akin to security on a public transport network where one needs to ensure the flow of passengers and the smooth running of the system, while at the same time ensuring security. The importance of electronic communications to economic development means that similar considerations

arguably the ‘usual suspects’ as far as cyber attacks are concerned, other countries around the Asia-Pacific region are hosting significant numbers of hackers. A report released by Akamai Technologies, an American internet content delivery network, argued that Indonesia had overtaken China as the world’s top source of internet attacks. The report stated that 38 percent of hacking-related internet traffic monitored on servers by the company originated from the Archipelago during the second quarter of 2013. China fell from second place, with the United States, accounting for almost seven percent of the hacking-related traffic, in third place.

What measures are being taken to address cyber security in the Asia-Pacific?

The United States is taking cyber security threats very seriously. In 2009, it activated the United States Cyber Command located at Fort Meade, Maryland and subordinate to the US Strategic Command © US DoD

have to be taken into account.

Korea’s Response

The RoK, perhaps because of its susceptibility to North Korea cyber attacks and the extent of its reliance on electronic communications, has taken an active role in devising mechanisms to protect itself. The RoK’s presidential office, also known as the ‘Blue House’, has taken the lead in formulating the national response to cyber attacks, which is in turn performed by the country’s National Intelligence Service; the

What measures are being taken to address cyber security in the Asia-Pacific?

Several efforts focus on regulation

l

DECEMBER 2013/JANUARY 2014

l

17

CYBER

D E F E N C E

organisation responsible for domestic and international intelligence gathering. At the policy level the RoK’s National Cyber Security Management Regulation stipulates the responsibilities of the country’s cyber security stakeholders. The NCSC, discussed above, is tasked with preventing and detecting cyber attacks as well as executing a response. Meanwhile, the Ministry of Science and Technology is moving forward on initiatives designed to foster cyber threat information sharing between public and private RoK organisations. This information-sharing system is expected to be operational by late-2014.”

Despite the efforts taken by the RoK, cyber security expert Neil Robinson, research leader at the RAND Europe think tank based in Brussels, Belgium, believes that there is still more work to be done: “despite the levels of technological advancement in the country, the RoK is still catching up regarding their policy framework to ensure robust and workable national cyber security.” This is not the case elsewhere in the region, he says, citing Japan which has made a head start and has moved through several iterations

of its national cyber security strategy.

However, it can be misleading comparing like with like. Mr. Robinson argues that both the RoK and Japan have different cyber security considerations.

“The Republic of Korea’s cyber security strategy is very much about geopolitical security, principally against cyber attacks perpetrated by North Korea. In Japan, on the other hand, the considerations regarding cyber security tend to focus on economic security.”

The Rok’s response is indicative of the holistic approach that countries must take regarding cyber security, embracing all of the relevant parts of government, society and the economy to establish a workable approach to safeguarding the nation’s computer networks. Nevertheless, the RoK is a highly developed and wealthy state, ranking twelfth in the United Nations’ (UN) annual Human Development Index for 2012. One must not forget that the Asia-Pacific region is also home to countries like Bangladesh which are considered by the report to be low in terms of human development, yet which are likely to be just as dependent on

cyber security as wealthier nations. The challenge here will be in ensuring that poor countries, which are less well-placed to recover from a large or precise smallscale DDoS are as well protected as their rich counterparts.

Blocking Access

Two interesting strands are emerging in terms of cyber security thinking in the Asia-Pacific region. In November 2011 Russia and China, both permanent members of the UN Security Council, jointly submitted a letter to the organisation’s General Assembly calling for an International Code of Conduct for Information Security. At the crux of their proposal was a recommendation that governments should be responsible for protecting their national computer networks and that other countries should respect the cyber sovereignty of individual states.

The proposal affirmed that states had “rights and responsibilities to protect, in accordance with relevant laws and regulations, their information space and critical information infrastructure from threats, disturbance and attack and sabotage.”

Although a seemingly benign proposal, the bilateral proposal was accused of being a mechanism to restrict internet penetration into nation states as the “proposal could classify information communication technologies, including sites such as Twitter and Facebook, as weapons if their use violated individual state laws”, according to a paper examining the proposal written by Timothy Farnsworth of the USbased Arms Control Association. Mr. Farnsworth highlights the concern that such a proposal could be used as a tool for blocking or restricting the flow of information into a country which may jar with the opinions or policies of the government.

The London Conference

A quiet day in the Demilitarised Zone which separates North Korea from the Republic of Korea.

The ‘Hermit Kingdom’ is increasingly avoiding this physical frontier to perform attacks on the south in cyberspace © Thomas Withington

18

l

ASIAN MILITARY REVIEW

l

This Russo-Chinese proposal triggered a riposte which commenced in earlyNovember 2011 which took the form of the London Conference on Cyberspace.

Initiated by the British Foreign Secretary William Hague the London Conference has since been followed by similar events held in Budapest, Hungary during 2012

CYBER

D E F E N C E

A technician looks through a stack of hard drive disk platters. Ensuring that such critical military computer systems are safe from harm is a critical function of cyber security experts © US DoD

and most recently in Seoul during October 2013. The central tenet of these efforts has been to develop a guiding set of principles by which a “safe and resilient cyberspace (can) be shaped by the interests of civil society, industry and governments across the globe,” according to Mr. Hague’s 2nd November 2011 statement given at the London Conference. Mr. Hague added that; “we must not allow improved security to come at the expense of fundamental human rights.”

The central message of the London Conference and the subsequent events in Budapest and Seoul is, according to Mr. Robinson, to show that “an international treaty is not needed in cyberspace, and instead a self-regulatory approach can be followed by nations, such as that being undertaken by the RoK.” Ultimately this process argues that “cyberspace should be free and should foster international

l

growth. It argues that there should be no treaty but norms of behaviour instead.”

The Machine Stops

There is much work still to be done regarding the establishment and implementation of the norms of behaviour which Mr. Robinson discusses above. In many ways the internet is still in its infancy, having only been in existence since the late-1960s. Nor do such norms remain static as they can change and adapt according to the societies that they serve.

Yet standing still in the face of the serious cyber threats around the Asia-Pacific

The internet may not be at a similar level to EM Forster’s famed ‘Machine’, but populations across the Asia-Pacific region are increasingly dependent on electronic communications

DECEMBER 2013/JANUARY 2014

l

region is not an option. The British novelist EM Forster penned a dystopian tale entitled ‘The Machine Stops’ published over a century ago in 1909. The story tells of human society being forced underground with all of its needs being provided by the ‘Machine’. As time goes by the ‘Mending Apparatus’ which is responsible for repairing the Machine becomes increasingly defective causing the Machine to gradually degrade until its eventual collapse. By this point humans have become so dependent on the Machine for all their needs that civilisation too collapses.

While the internet may not be at a similar level to Forster’s Machine, it is clear that populations across the Asia-Pacific region and the wider world are increasingly dependent on electronic communications for many aspects of their daily lives. The threat of cyber attack is clear and present, yet initiatives such as the RoK’s cyber security measures and the London Conference constitute important steps in ensuring that the internet remains both secure and functioning.

19

REGIONAL

M I L I T A R Y

PROTECTING THE ABODE OF PEACE

It may have a small size, but the armed forces of Brunei-Darussalam are comprehensive, and the country is investing in enhancing the capabilities of its army, navy and air force, both to ensure security and to assist in humanitarian tasks.

by Gordon Arthur

20

l

ASIAN MILITARY REVIEW

l

RE GIONA L

M I L I T A R Y he Nation of Brunei, the Abode of Peace, as the country is officially known, is located on the northwest coast of Borneo. This Southeast Asian nation is small, only 5,765 square kilometres (2,226 square miles) in area, and it hosts a population of just 412,000. The Malaysian state of Sarawak not only surrounds Brunei, but also divides it in two. Brunei’s eastern segment of Temburong is home to only three percent of the country’s population, with the majority residing in the larger western portion. Malay is the official language, with Malays comprising 67% of the population.

Brunei Darussalam, as the country is also known, is an Islamic absolute monarchy ruled by Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah.

This British protectorate did not obtain independence from the United Kingdom until 1984, although it has maintained good relations with its former colonial master. Despite its size, the Abode of Peace is immensely wealthy thanks to oil resources that bring in 90 percent of government revenue. It is the fourth-largest oil producer in Southeast Asia, as well as the world’s ninth-largest liquefied natural gas producer. Oil and gas facilities are predominantly found in the south near the coastal town of Seria. Most of Brunei’s interior is covered in primary jungle, with

T

A curious Bruneian soldier examines an AM General M998 HMMWV belonging to the United States Marine Corps at Berakas Garrison during an annual Cooperation Afloat Readiness And Training exercise © Gordon Arthur

A recent acquisition by Brunei’s Ministry of Defence was a batch of HICOM Handalan II three-tonne general service four-wheel drive trucks from Malaysia © Gordon Arthur

l

DECEMBER 2013/JANUARY 2014

l

21

REGIONAL

M I L I T A R Y

Brunei is renowned for its jungles. Here, an army soldier demonstrates how to set an animal trap in the undergrowth © Gordon Arthur

the Sungai Belait River providing the main means of transport in the interior.

The RBAF

The Royal Brunei Armed Forces (RBAF) were established in 1961 when Brunei was still a British protectorate. Only Bruneians of ethnic-Malay extraction are allowed to serve in this all-volunteer force. The RBAF, headed by Major General Aminuddin Ihsan, has four services: Royal Brunei Land Forces (RBLF - 3,900 soldiers), Royal Brunei Navy (750 sailors), Royal Brunei

Air Force (1,100 airmen) and the Training Institute. The Ministry of Defence (MINDEF) lists four roles for the RBAF namely to deter outside forces from directly or indirectly undermining Brunei sovereignty, to prevent subversives operating in the nation; to undertake military operations to counter aggression, terrorism and insurgency; to assist the police and official authorities in maintaining public order; and to uphold good community relations as representatives of the government.

Brunei is fortunate in not facing any

This is the 80 metre (262 feet) long first-of-class KDB Darussalam offshore patrol vessel built by Lürssen Werft for the Royal Brunei Navy © Gordon Arthur

22

l

ASIAN MILITARY REVIEW

l

regional security threats, although latent challenges such as transnational crime, piracy, people smuggling and arms trafficking do exist. Global terrorism is acknowledged as a threat, but Brunei’s neighbours offer easier pickings. Brunei maintains a claim on Louisa Reef in the South China Sea’s Spratly Islands, with the islands also contested by China, Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan and Vietnam. In 2003, Bruneian naval vessels had a brief standoff with the Royal Malaysia Navy over exploration drilling rights in contested waters.

Southeast Asia is regularly affected by natural disasters, with the 26th December 2004 Indian Ocean Earthquake and Tsunami revealing how indiscriminately disasters can strike, and how militaries must be ready to respond cooperatively.

Disaster management, whether from natural calamity or terrorist attack, is a threat upon which MINDEF planners are concentrating.

Royal Brunei Land Force

The RBLF is the country’s largest service,

RE GIONA L

M I L I T A R Y

one mainly intended for counterinsurgency and gendarmerie roles. This brigade-sized formation has three battalions (1st, 2nd and 3rd) and a Support Battalion, with its headquarters located at Berakas Garrison in north Brunei. The 1st Battalion is also based at Berakas, the 2nd Battalion at Tutong on the coast, the 3rd Battalion moved to Lumut, also on the coast, in 2007, and the Support Battalion is at Penanjong.

The latter comprises the Armoured Reconnaissance Squadron equipped with 16 Alvis (now BAE Systems) FV101 Scorpion light tanks, the Combat Engineer Squadron and the Company Headquarters Support Battalion. Tactical transport is performed using Land Rover Defenders and HICOM Handalan four-wheel drive trucks imported from Malaysia. Brunei’s only other armoured vehicle is the French-built Giat (now Nexter) four-wheel drive VAB (Véhicule de l'Avant Blindé/Armoured Vanguard Vehicle) Armoured Personnel Carrier (APC).

There is a greater requirement for troops to deploy at short notice and to perform a wide spectrum of roles. The three existing infantry battalions have a modest capacity to do this, but the goal is to support up to a company at a distance. For this, more versatile soldiers will need enhanced weaponry, modern vehicles, communications and advanced optronic equipment.

To cope with a wider spectrum of missions, the army needs an upgraded APC,

l

and the country has floated the idea of also introducing a family variant that offers more firepower to replace the Scorpion tanks. In 2011, Brunei expressed interest in acquiring 15 PT Pindad Anoa six-wheel drive APCs from Indonesia but this appears not to have proceeded.

Needing to improve its firepower, the RBLF is thought to require 105 millimetre (four-inch) light guns. Contenders include the BAE Systems L118 Light Gun and Nexter’s LG1 Mk 2 towed howitzer.

The RBLF aims to transform one infantry battalion into a mechanised battalion, to add a fourth infantry battalion and artillery, form a second engineer squadron (plus set up a quick-response engineer team), create a reconnaissance platoon that could gather information ahead of an overseas deployment, and transfer an Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) capability to the engineer squadron. Another short-term goal is for two fully equipped Regimental Aid Posts (RAP) to be available for disaster-relief operations.

The Royal Brunei Navy must not only protect offshore oil platforms, but also ensure that maritime routes for petrochemical exports are not disrupted

DECEMBER 2013/JANUARY 2014

l

Sikorsky was to deliver its first S-70i Black Hawk medium-lift utility helicopters, similar to this US Army UH-60M example, to Brunei in November 2013 © Gordon Arthur

Royal Brunei Navy

Brunei’s 161-km (87-nautical mile/nm) coastline is bound by the South China Sea. The country’s primary oil and gas producer is Brunei Shell Petroleum, with production averaging 141,000 barrels per day.

The Royal Brunei Navy (RBN) must not only protect offshore oil platforms, but also ensure that maritime routes for petrochemical exports are not disrupted. The latter is beyond the RBN’s abilities as a small coastal defence entity, but nevertheless, the RBN must also defend the country’s Exclusive Economic Zone, which stretches to a distance of 200nm (370km) from its coastline against foreign aggressors while detering seaborne attacks, conducting maritime surveillance and performing search-and-rescue missions. The RBN is headquartered at Muara Naval Base, and despite undergoing an upgrade completed in November 2013, the base remains small and cannot accommodate large visiting vessels.

The RBN has four components: Fleet, Administration, Training and Logistics.

The navy has sought to establish a layered series of surveillance and response capabilities. For the outermost layer three Offshore Patrol Vessels (OPV) capable of operating to the limit of the EEZ were needed.

23

REGIONAL

M I L I T A R Y

Correspondingly, three ‘Darussalam’ class OPVs built by Germany’s Lürssen Werft were commissioned in 2011. Ordered in 2007, these 80-metre (262-feet) long OPVs feature a Bofors (now BAE Systems) 57mm (two inch) gun and four MBDA Exocet MM40 surface-to-surface missiles. Their introduction allowed three ‘Waspada’ class guided-missile patrol craft to be paid off. A fourth 1,625-ton OPV is expected to join the fleet in 2014. The ‘Darussalam’ class has a stern flight deck and a ramp for launching and recovering Rigid-Hulled Inflatable Boats (RHIB).

For the next maritime defensive layer, the RBN needed a fleet of fast patrol boats to protect offshore installations and

24

Brunei’s means of projecting power are modest, but it hosts many exercises. Here, the USS Tortuga ‘Whidbey Island’ class US Navy amphibious support ship arrives in Muara for a Cooperation Afloat Readiness And Training exercise © Gordon Arthur

conduct interceptions. To meet this requirement, four 265-ton ‘Ijhtihad’ class fast patrol boats began entering service in 2010. Also built by Lürssen Werft, these 41m (136ft) craft are lightly armed with a Rheinmetall MLG 27mm (one inch) gun. They have a day and night surveillance capability and can transport boarding parties.

After establishing these two layers, the RBN will acquire new vessels for shallow

l

ASIAN MILITARY REVIEW

l

water and riverine transportation. A 25m (82ft) fast interceptor boat built by Marinteknik Shipyard in Singapore was commissioned in 2011, and two more are expected. Various auxiliary vessels like two ‘Serasa’ class landing craft and 15 Rigid Raiders for riverine operations round off the fleet. Incidentally, responsibility for riverine operations is being handed to the army. Brunei also wants a surface surveillance radar to monitor its maritime approaches and, much further down the track, an underwater warfare and mine countermeasures capability.

Brunei ordered three 1,940-ton ‘F2000’ class OPVs from BAE Systems but, after their completion between 2003 and 2005,

RE GIONA L

M I L I T A R Y

the Royal Brunei Technical Services refused to accept them. It claimed they failed to meet required specifications, though this may have been partially due to the navy not having the manpower to operate them. After an acrimonious dispute with BAE Systems, the OPVs have languished in Barrow-in-Furness, northern England, but they are now destined for Indonesia.

Royal Brunei Air Force

Considering Brunei’s diminutive size, the Royal Brunei Air Force (RBAF) is unsurprisingly small. It offers aerial surveillance of maritime territory and land borders, tactical mobility and aerial resupply

l

through its mainly helicopter-based fleet.

The RBAF is based at Rimba Air Base collocated at Brunei International Airport.

There are four wings: Operations, Logistics, Training and Administration.

The Operations Wing contains four flying squadrons: 1 Squadron has nine Bell 212 Jet Ranger helicopters and a single Bell 214ST medium-lift utility helicopter; 2 Squadron has six German-manufactured Bölkow Bo 105CB helicopters; 4 Squadron flies four Sikorsky S-70A-5 Black Hawk medium-lift utility helicopters; and 5 Squadron has a solitary Indonesian-built IPTN CN-235M turboprop transport aircraft. The air force is currently unable to resupply land forces deployed regionally, so strategic airlift is gained via an agreement with Royal Brunei Airlines to use its airliners as and when required. Brunei thus has an extant need for a larger transport aircraft. The 2011 White Paper outlined the requirement for fixed-wing maritime patrol aircraft too, and potential contenders include the ATR 42, Airbus Military CN-235-300 and C-295, Hawker Beechcraft 1900D and Bombardier Dash 8.

The new aircraft equipped with all-weather day and night surveillance sensors would patrol the EEZ and be reconfigurable to carry troops.

With the Bell 212 and Bo 105 fleets reaching the end of their lives, Brunei ordered twelve Sikorsky S-70i Black Hawk helicopters in 2011. The first were scheduled to reach the sultanate in November 2013 ready for a cameo appearance at BRIDEX 2013 (Brunei-Darussalam International Defence Exhibition and Conference 2013). The S-70i craft will be used for air mobility, tactical airlift, regional deployments, surveillance and special operations. Brunei will add an optronics suite to improve surveillance.

The need to replace the existing fleet was underscored by the crash of a Bell 212 in July 2012 that killed twelve passengers in Brunei’s worst ever aviation accident.

Under an option, Brunei could order ten more S-70i helicopters in the future.

Brunei is studying how Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV) could enhance maritime and land surveillance. The Air Regiment possesses 33 Squadron

equipped with BAE Systems Rapier shortrange Surface-to-Air Missiles (SAM), and 38 Squadron with MBDA Mistral shortrange SAMs that are overdue for upgrading. In addition to land- and sea-based SAMs, the country needs a mobile air defence radar since only civilian radars monitor national airspace at present.

The Training Wing incorporates 3 Squadron equipped with two Bell 206B helicopters and four Pilatus PC-7 Mk 2 turboprop utility aircraft. Brunei had investigated the purchase of BAE Hawk jet trainer/light combat aircraft, but this plan was deferred. However, the latest July 2011 White Paper (see below) said that air interdiction fighters were in its 10-15-year plan.

l

25

DECEMBER 2013/JANUARY 2014

Future directions

This updated Defence White Paper, entitled ‘Defending the Nation’s Sovereignty: Expanding Roles In Wider Horizons’ indicated that Brunei was ready to boost its defence capability and contribute more to international peace operations with a more active regional outlook.

In the future security agenda, operations will frequently be multi-agency and/or multinational, with communication networks vital for efficient operation. Brunei is thus developing its Command and Control (C2) architecture in two phases. The first step involved the Joint Operations Centre (JOC) established in 2008 to become the RBAF’s single coordinating centre. Beating 13 competitors in 2010, Northrop Grumman UK was contracted to supply its International-Joint Operational Command and Control System (I-JOCCS) system for the JOC that is designed to be interoperable with Brunei’s ASEAN (Association of South East Asian Nations) neighbours. The second phase involves the provision of a deployable JOC. New tactical radios like the RF-5800H high frequency manpack, RF5800V very high frequency handheld and RF-7800S personal role radio were acquired from Harris Corporation in a $25 million deal in 2008.

RBAF personnel are being seen as a source of manpower to supplement other national resources. An example of this was flooding in February 2008,

REGIONAL

M I L I T A R Y

A curious Bruneian soldier examines an AM General M998 HMMWV belonging to the United States Marine Corps at Berakas Garrison during an annual Cooperation Afloat Readiness And Training exercise Š Gordon Arthur

where RBAF personnel cooperated with the National Disaster Management Centre. A new Joint Planning Committee (JPC) was authorised in the 2011 White Paper, and it seems to be in the process of formation. With a need for versatile personnel, the RBAF is focusing on developing higher levels of professionalism. The Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah Institute of Defence and Strategic Studies was established to promote continuous professional development, and scholarships are being awarded nationally and internationally to this end.

Brunei maintains strong military relations. Regular exercises are conducted with Australia, Malaysia, New Zealand, Singapore, Thailand, the United Kingdom and the United States, although training is

26

generally bilateral rather than multilateral. Funded by Brunei, the UK maintains a permanent garrison in Seria via a rotating battalion of approximately 1,000 Gurkhas.

The UK also has a supporting Army Air Corps helicopter flight and the Jungle Warfare Training School there. This garrison is stationed under renewable fiveyear defence agreements between the two countries. Singapore also has a permanent military camp for jungle training. Every year, the RBAF trains with the US Navy and US Marine Corps in Cooperation Afloat Readiness And Training (CARAT) exercises. In June 2013, Brunei hosted a large Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR) exercise under the auspices of the ASEAN Defence Ministers Meeting Plus (ADMM+).

l

ASIAN MILITARY REVIEW

l

Brunei is keen to develop its local defence industry, a goal the biennial BRIDEX exhibition.

The Defence Industrial Development Plan aims to produce an efficient and sustainable defence capability in the long term through a three-pronged approach: commercialisation, corporatisation and privatisation; import substitution and the Economic Enhancement Programme. The government is encouraging local businesses to participate in the defence sector, the smallest in ASEAN, although maintenance, repair and overhaul are the main modes engaged in thus far.

Brunei may be a bantamweight on the global defence scene. Nevertheless the sultanate is increasingly looking to be relevant and useful beyond its own shores.

The RBAF has an important role in this new outlook, and new equipment could eventually see the RBAF punching above its weight in the region.

INTELLIGENCE

SURVEILLANCE & RECONNAISSANCE

WE WANT INFORMATION!

The recent conflicts in Iraq, Libya and Afghanistan have seen the growing reliance on airborne intelligence gathering and the proliferation of number of specialised platforms that have been acquired to fulfill Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR) missions.

by David Oliver

uring this year’s Royal Aeronautical Society’s Sydney Camm lecture held in London on 10th June, the outgoing United Kingdom Chief of Air Staff, Sir Stephen Dalton said that, “Combat Intelligence, Surveillance, Targeting and Reconnaissance (ISTAR) exploits the strength of a networked system of combat and ISTAR assets rather than merely using the capabilities of individual platforms alone. Today, the concept is delivering, but the potential for so much more is manifest as early operational examples utilizing Royal Air Force (RAF) Raytheon Sentinel-R1 battlefield surveillance, Boeing AEW-1 Sentry Airborne Warning and Control, Eurofighter Typhoon F/GR4 and Panavia Tornado GR4/A combat aircraft and General Atomics MQ-9 Reaper Unmanned Aerial

D

28

Special Mission variants of the Hawker Beechcraft King Air-350 turboprop are the intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance platforms of choice for many air forces. These include both the Royal Air Force and the United States Air Force © David Oliver

Vehicles in Afghanistan and Libya have shown. The battle for information (and) the battle for legitimacy, is now vital ground.”

At the high end of the capability, coalition forces use fast jet assets in the NonTraditional Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (NTISR) role using Rafael Advanced Defence Systems Litening III and Lockheed Martin AN/AAQ-33 Sniper targeting pods. In this role in Afghanistan, the high resolution motionfree images gathered by the RAF Tornado’s Goodrich Reconnaissance Airborne Pod for Tornado (RAPTOR)

l

ASIAN MILITARY REVIEW

l

have proved to be an invaluable asset in the RAF’s Counter-Improvised Explosive Devices (C-IED) operations. Using the L-3 Communications’ Remotely Operated Video Enhanced Receiver (ROVER) system, Joint Tactical Attack Controllers (JTAC) on the ground can see the imagery from the Tornado’s Litening III pod on a laptop. United States Air Force (USAF) Boeing F-15E Strike Eagle and Lockheed Martin F-16C/D combat aircraft regularly use their AN/AAQ-33 Sniper pods to scan tracks for signs of Improvised Explosive Device (IED) emplacements or to support Troops In Contact (TIC).

However, the most common ISR platforms are special mission variants of civil aircraft, in particular business jets and turboprops. Of the former, the RAF’s Sentinel R1 and USAF’s E-11A are both based on the Bombardier Global Express, while the

INTELLIGENCE SURVEILLANCE & RECONNAISSANCE At the lower end of the size scale is the Diamond DA42 Twin Star propeller aircraft that is used in a number of ISR derivatives that rivals the ubiquitous King Air (see above). Aurora Flight Sciences is offering its Centaur Optionally Piloted Aircraft (OPA) to customers as a capable and costeffective ISR gathering and research platform. The Centaur OPA operates in either a manned or unmanned configuration with up to 24 hours of endurance and a reduced logistics requirements compared to other similar platforms.

The Centaur is based on the incredibly versatile DA42 Multi-Purpose Platform (MPP), a four-seat twin diesel-engine aircraft of composite construction. Capable of flying from Europe to North America nonstop carrying a 880-lb (400-kilogram) payload, the DA-42 Twin Star has been adopted by more than a dozen air forces as an ISR aircraft while unmanned and optionally-manned variants have been developed to take full advantage of its 24-hour endurance. The DA42 Optional Piloted Aircraft, Long Endurance (OPALE)devel-

USAF C-37A and the Israeli Eitam Conformal Airborne Early Warning and Shavit Special Electronic Missions aircraft are both modified Gulfstream G550 aircraft.

Turboprop solutions

Variants of the Hawker Beechcraft King Air, a small turboprop commuter airliner, are the ISR platform of choice for many air forces. These include the RAF’s Shadow R1 and the USAF’s MC-12W Liberty battlefield surveillance platforms, both of which are based on Hawker Beechcraft’s King Air 350 Extended Range aircraft. This same airframe is also a candidate for the United States Army’s Enhanced Medium Altitude Reconnaissance and Surveillance System (EMARSS) air-to-ground reconnaissance programme. The EMARSS concept of operations includes a comprehensive payload of optronic sensors which can be carried in a belly pod or a turret plus a state-ofthe-art defensive aid suite and Signals Intelligence (SIGINT) and Communications Intelligence (COMINT) packages: A variant of the EMARSS called the Reconfigurable Airborne MultiIntelligence ISR System (RAMIS), designed to simultaneously collect COMINT, SIGINT and Imagery Intelligence (IMINT), is being offered by Boeing Electronics and Mission Systems for export to allies.

l

DECEMBER 2013/JANUARY 2014

The long-endurance Diamond DA42 Twin Star propeller aircraft is used in a number of intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance derivatives. An optionally-piloted variant, known as the Centaur, is also available © David Oliver

l

29

INTELLIGENCE

SURVEILLANCE & RECONNAISSANCE

The intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance-capable Saab JAS39C/D Gripen combat aircraft is one segment of the Royal Thai Air Force’s fully integrated defence system, which also includes Saab 340 S-100B Erieye-radar equipped turboprop platforms © David Oliver

Lockheed Martin’s Arrowhead Modernised Target Acquisition Designation Sight/Pilot Night Vision Sensor (MTADS-PNVS) equips the Boeing AH-64D/E Apache attack helicopters, and is a potent helicopter-borne intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance sensor © David Oliver

oped in conjunction with Rheinmetall Defence Electronics GmbH of Germany features a nose-mounted gyro-stabilised Russian UOMZ SON 112 optronic system, microwave Line-of-Sight (LoS) broadband communications link, satellite command and control data link and a variety of taskspecific sensors. To date, it has been used in several NATO exercises.

The type was first used by UK armed forces in Iraq when DO Systems Ltd of the United Kingdom acquired three aircraft which were leased to the RAF when they accumulated some 2,000 hours of fullmotion television surveillance captured using a FLIR Systems STAR Safire III HD optronics payload. This year 3SDL received a contract from the UK Ministry of Defence for the provision of ISTAR

training to the British Army Training Unit Kenya (BATUK) in east Africa. Under the contract, the company will supply three DA42 MPPs that will normally fly a single six-hour ISTAR mission every day or night during BATUK scenarios.

Rotary assets

Another element in the ISR/ISTAR equation are the rotary-wing assets. While Light Observation Helicopters (LOH)

The Indian Army’s Hindustan Aeronautics Limited Lancer light armed observation helicopter has no sensors, but at the same time, it remains one of the most important intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance platforms in the possession of the Indian armed forces © Hindustan Aeronautics Limited

30

l

ASIAN MILITARY REVIEW

l

have been used extensively over the years, it is only recently that utility helicopters have been fitted with capable ISR payloads. The UK Joint Helicopter Command (Afghanistan) developed ISTAR capabilities for all its deployed helicopters which included AgustaWestland Sea King HC4/HU5/ASaC7, Merlin HM1/2, Lynx AH7/AH9A and AH Mk.1 Apache utility and attack helicopters. The upgraded Lynx AH9A was deployed to Afghanistan in 2011 with new equipment, including the L3 Wescam MX-15 multi-sensor optronics turret. The United States Marine Corps Bell UH-1Y Venom attack helicopters and

INTELLIGENCE SURVEILLANCE & RECONNAISSANCE

Canadian Bell CH-146 Griffon medium-lift utility helicopters have also been fitted with similar sensor packages for operations in Afghanistan. In addition to British AH Mk.1 and US Boeing AH-64D Apache gunships, combat helicopters including the AgustaWestland A-129 Mangusta A/C/D, Eurocopter EC-665 Tiger HAP, and Bell AH-1W SuperCobra have been utilised there with advanced mission systems in the ISTAR role.

Airborne ISR systems have provided a critical edge in the conduct of military or security operations. Although related programmes must contend with the reality of defence spending cuts in the West, there is also significant activity in airborne ISR in other parts of the world, and in the AsiaPacific region in particular.

While air forces in the region are embarking on comprehensive re-equipment programme, these are focused mainly on 4.5- and fifth-generation combat aircraft and force multipliers such as tankers.

Airborne ISR is a capability that hitherto has been almost ignored. Only three per cent of the Indian, Indonesian and Chinese air fleets can be classified as special mission aircraft. Japan has five per cent.

Although these nations have the large

l

fleets of combat aircraft that are capable of undertaking NTISR missions if they have reconnaissance pods available, and some Maritime Patrol Aircraft (MPA) can conduct limited overland surveillance, dedicated ISR platforms are in short supply.

India

With thousands of kilometres of borders to protect, much of which is in dispute, India has only two Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) 1125 Astra and three Embraer 145I aircraft, both developed from regional jet airliners, although the latter type’s primary role is Airborne Early Warning and Control (AEW&C) for such missions. The Indian armed forces also have more than 100 obsolete Hindustan Aeronautics Limited Cheetah

Thailand has acquired a fully integrated air defence system comprising Saab JAS39C/D Gripen combat aircraft and Saab 340 S-100B aircraft carrying the Erieye radar DECEMBER 2013/JANUARY 2014

l

and Lancer LOH helicopters in their inventory few of which are equipped with sensors.

The Indian Navy is taking delivery of eight Boeing P-8I Neptune Multimission Maritime Aircraft (MMA) that will have an ISR role in addition to their anti-submarine warfare and anti-surface warfare roles.

This aircraft’s Raytheon AN/APY-10 multifunction radar can be employed for overland surveillance, ground mapping, targeting and battle damage assessment.

Pakistan

India’s historic adversary, Pakistan is under even more pressure to guard its territory against external threats. Apart from a few ageing Dassault Mirage IIIRP photoreconnaissance aircraft, it has two dedicated ISR-equipped Hawker Beechcraft Super King Airs and four Saab 2000 airborne early warning aircraft equipped with the Saab Erieye radar and, like its neighbour, large numbers of different types of LOH helicopters. Furthermore, the Pakistan Navy’s small fleet of ageing Lockheed Martin P-3C Orion maritime patrol aircraft have been extensively used in overland counter-insurgency operations. With a volatile Kashmir border, fre-

31

INTELLIGENCE

SURVEILLANCE & RECONNAISSANCE

quent natural disasters and its ambivalent relationship with Afghanistan, it is somewhat surprising that airborne ISR does not have a higher priority.

Afghanistan

Recognising the impact that ISR/ISTAR platforms have had on the war in Afghanistan, the Afghan National Army (ANA) Special Operations Forces (SOF) are acquiring 18 Pilatus PC-12NG light utility turboprop aircraft modified by the Sierra Nevada Corporation for the special operations role. It is expected that they will be configured in a similar fashion to the USAF’s Special Operations Command’s (AFSOC) fleet of 36 PC-12 aircraft, designated U-28A operated by AFSOC’s 319th and 34th Special Operations Squadrons that provide on-call/surge capability for Improved Tactical Airborne ISR. The payload of the Afghan PC-12NGs is expected to include the Sierra Nevada Wide-Area Airborne Surveillance (WAAS) system designed to provide real-time IMINT over city-sized areas for extended periods.

China

China has a number of airborne early warning aircraft based mainly on the Russian Ilyushin Il-76KJ-2000 strategic

freighter and indigenous Shaanxi Y-8KJ200 airframes while a diverse fleet of converted commercial airliners, including Russian Tupolev Tu-154s, have been fitted with satellite communications antennae and sundry equipment fairings, indicating that they may be capable of undertaking ISR roles. The People’s Liberation Army Air Force also has several tactical reconnaissance regiments operating the Shenyang J-8FR Finback.

Southeast Asia

Taiwan and Malaysia rely on small numbers of Northrop Grumman RF-5E TigerEye aircraft for tactical reconnaissance, but they lack any real-time capability, although the latter country also operates four King Air 200s in the ISR role. The McDonnell Douglas/Boeing RF-4 Phantom is another example of a dying breed of photo-reconnaissance variants of fighter aircraft, again with no real-time capability, although it continues to serve with the Japanese Air Self-Defence Force and the Republic of Korea Air Force with no immediate replacement in sight. Neither service has a dedicated ISR type although the Republic of Korea is reported to have ordered two Dassault Falcon 2000S twin-jet business aircraft modified for the role.

The United Kingdom’s Joint Helicopter Command operates the L-3 Wescam MX-15 optronics sensor-equipped AgustaWestland Lynx AH9 helicopter as an intelligence, surveillance, target acquisition and reconnaissance platform in Afghanistan © AgustaWestland

32

l

ASIAN MILITARY REVIEW

l

Singapore, with its small landmass, has no requirement for ISR aircraft. It does, however operate four Gulfstream G550 jets modified with the IAI Elta Systems AEW&C system. Its air force also has a fleet of AH-64D Apache combat helicopters which possess an organic ISTAR capability.

In contrast, Thailand has acquired a fully integrated air defence system comprising Saab JAS-39C/D Gripen combat aircraft and Saab 340 S-100B aircraft carrying the Erieye radar. Flygvapnet (Royal Swedish Air Force) JAS-39C/D Gripens made the type’s operational debut over Libya in 2011 when it conducted successful day and night Combat ISTAR missions with its optronics-equipped Saab Modular Reconnaissance Pod System.

Meanwhile the British Vinten Vicon-70 Series-72C modular reconnaissance pod was adopted for the Thai Gripens.

Thailand is also the first Asian Pacific country to operate the Diamond DA 42MPP ISR aircraft (see above).

Australasia

With Australia’s commitment to defend itself against armed attack and to contribute to the stability and security of the AsiaPacific region and beyond, airborne ISR is an important role for its armed forces. The Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) potent fleet of Boeing F/A-18E/F Super Hornets is equipped with Raytheon’s AN/ASQ-228

INTELLIGENCE SURVEILLANCE & RECONNAISSANCE

Advance Targeting Forward Looking Infrared (ATFLIR) surveillance and targeting pods for the NTISR role. The RAAF’s 737-based Boeing E-7A Wedgetail airborne early warning platform, which will have an ISR capability, is expected to achieve Full Operating Capability (FOC) by the beginning of 2014.

However, it is the Lockheed Martin AP-3C Orion MPA aircraft that has had a mid-life upgrade with a new L-3 communications mission system which includes an IAI Elta EL/M-2022(V)3 maritime surveillance radar and General Dynamics Canada Acoustic Processor system, to extend its capabilities to conduct ISR missions which they have subsequently undertaken over Iraq and Afghanistan.

RAAF AP-3C Orions operated out of Minhad Air Base in the United Arab Emirates from 2008 to 2012 conducting overland intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance tasks to support coalition troops throughout Afghanistan. The type is to be replaced by the Boeing P-8A

l

Poseidon MMA in 2018. This aircraft will have a similar ISR capability to the Indian P-8I Neptune.

The Australian Army’s 22-strong fleet of EC-665 Tiger AAH (Armed Reconnaissance Helicopter) gunships still have not achieved initial operating capability. In 2012, it was anticipated that they might have deployed to Afghanistan.

Over the longer term with its high-tech sensors and a laser designator, this aircraft will be more than capable of contributing to the battlefield ISTAR picture while providing essential air support for soldiers on the ground during missions.

Neighbouring New Zealand has a fleet

Only three per cent of the Indian, Indonesian and Chinese air fleets can be classified as special mission aircraft

DECEMBER 2013/JANUARY 2014

l

The Australian Army’s Eurocopter EC-665 Tiger Armed Reconnaissance Helicopter is expected to achieve initial operating capability early next year. Once in service, its organic sensors will add important intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance gathering capabilities to the force © Eurocopter

of six P-3K Orions that also had their communication, navigation surveillance and data management systems upgraded to P3K2 standard by L-3 Communications Integrated Systems in 2005, giving them an overland surveillance capability. A new fleet of AgustaWestland A109 Light Utility Helicopters was acquired in 2011 initially as crew trainers, although some of them will perform utility tasks and possess an ISR role to support anti-terrorist operations.

With the US Department of Defence shifting its focus towards potential flashpoints in the Asia-Pacific region, the rapid gathering of accurate intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance by fixed and rotary-wing assets should be a priority for many of its nations.

33

DESTROYERS

A N D

F R I G A T E S

50 SHADES OF GREY

The major surface combatants in Asian navies are destroyers and frigates and while some navies prefer corvettes, which typically displace between 500 and 2,000 tons, any seeking to influence operations beyond coastal regions need the larger ships

by Edward Hooton

he destroyer evolved at the beginning of the last century and by the Cold War it was both a platform to defend high-value naval and merchant ship groups as well as a means of delivering torpedoes against enemy forces, although the development of the Surface-to-Surface Missile (SSM) rendered the torpedo obsolete in the Anti-Surface Warfare (ASuW) role.

Today, most destroyers deploy SSMs for their ASuW role. The frigate, meanwhile, evolved from the First World War sloop as an Anti Submarine Warfare (ASW) vessel but has since developed into a multirole escort, usually focused upon ASW, but with missiles for an ASuW role and Surface-to-Air Missiles (SAMs) for a more limited air defence.

Some Asian vessels still use these classical definitions, but sometimes the term destroyer can be strained. For example,

T

34

Australia’s Adelaide class frigates have been substantially upgraded with a Lockheed Martin Mk 41 missile handling/launching system, new Saab Australia combat system and improved sensors © BAE Systems

Japan’s ‘Hyuga’ ships are classified as ‘helicopter destroyers’ but in reality are actually ASW helicopter carriers. For comparison purposes the capabilities of Asian navies will be assessed in four regions: the Indian Ocean, the South China Sea, East Asia and Australasia.

Indian Ocean

The Indian Ocean region is obviously dominated by the Indian Navy which operates three ‘Delhi’ (Project 15) and eight Russian-built ‘Rajput’ (Kashin II) class multi-role ships with aging area defence systems, augmented by the Israel Aerospace Industries/Rafael Advanced

l

ASIAN MILITARY REVIEW

l

Defence Systems Barak SAM systems in some of the ‘Delhi’ class ships. The Barak SAM system in its local (Barak 1) and area defence (Barak 8) versions will be the backbone of the three ‘Kolkata’ (Project 15A) class destroyers under construction and it is reported that India wants seven Kolkatas and another four improved ‘Bengaluru’ (Project 15B) class destroyers.

The frigate force of the Indian Navy includes about a dozen hulls, the majority (‘Godavari’, ‘Brahmaputra’ and ‘Nilgiri’ classes) are based upon the British ‘Leander’ class design, with the exception of the ‘Nilgiri’ class, which have no ASuW capability. These latter vessels are useful but are being replaced by the more capable domestically-produced ‘Shivalik’ (Project 17) and the Russian-built ‘Talwar’ (Project 1135.6) classes and they seem very capable multi-role ships. Seven and nine examples respectively have been

DESTROYERS A N D

ordered, with New Delhi reportedly interested in another eight ‘Talwar’ class and seven ‘Shivalik’ (Project 17A) class ships.

Where India regards its surface combatants as supporting power projection, including shielding aircraft carrier groups, as well as protecting its sea lanes, its neighbours are seeking more long-range coast protection. Neighbouring Pakistan has, or is receiving, eleven frigates including six ‘Tariq’ class ships which were primarily ASW vessels with some ASuW capability that have received piecemeal upgrades.

They will be paid off during this decade and be replaced by four Chinese ‘Sword’ (F-22P) class ships based upon that country’s ‘Jiangwai’ (Type 053) class, the last (PNS Aslat) being delivered in April 2014.

Pakistan wishes to add up to six ‘Oliver Hazard Perry’ (FFG 7) class ships which are also multi-role vessels, although the one currently operated by the Pakistan Navy, PNS Alamgir, lacks any air defence capability because the obsolete missile launcher was removed. These may well require an upgrade similar to the Royal Australian Navy’s ‘Adelaide’ class frigates to be considered true escort ships.

Ominously for India, in December 2012 the ‘Sword’ class frigate PNS Zulfiquar tested a land-attack missile, although it is unclear whether or not it was a modified China Haiying Electromechanical Technology Academy C-802 anti-ship weapon or a dedicated cruise-missile design.

Bangladesh operates two Korean and Chinese-built frigates, the latter lacking an air defence capability, and three old Royal Navy ships which are used for training. It has reportedly ordered several ‘Jiangwei I’ (Type 053H2) class multi-role frigates from China and is planning to buy more modified ‘Ulsan’ class frigates to augment the BNS Bangabandhu. It has also acquired the ‘Hamilton’ class cutter USCG Dallas from the United States and will upgrade it with C-802 SSM and China National Precision Machinery Import and Export Corporation FM-90 SAMs. Neighbouring Burma is a recent convert to larger surface combatants acquiring two second-hand ‘Jianghu II’ (Type 053H1) frigates from China and reportedly upgrading them with China Aviation Industry Corporation

l

F R I G A T E S

The Malaysian Leiku class frigates were to have been followed by a Batch 2 class but Kuala Lumpur has now opted, like many navies, for corvettes © BAE Systems

C-803 SSMs and plans to build up to two ‘Jiangwei’ class frigates.

South China Sea

Of the ‘South China Sea’ states, Thailand operates six Chinese-built frigates (‘Naresuan’ and ‘Chao Phraya’ classes), two former United States Navy ‘Knox’ class frigates, and an old British vessel, the HTMS Makut Rajakumarn, as a training ship. The ‘Knox’ class are ASW vessels with some ASuW capability while the Chinese vessels are more ‘multi-role’. The former ships will be replaced from 2015 by up to three Chinese ‘Jiangkai’ (Type 054) class frigates selected in favour of a number of Western proposals including Lockheed Martin’s Littoral Combat Ship (LCS) and second-hand German ‘Bremen’

Bangladesh operates two Korean and Chinese-built frigates, the latter lacking an air defence capability, and three old Royal Navy ships which are used for training DECEMBER 2013/JANUARY 2014

l

(F 122) class frigates. The existing Chinese ‘Naresuan’ vessels are being upgraded, improving their air defence capability through an order for Raytheon’s RIM-162 Evolved Sea Sparrow Missiles and a data link to airborne early warning aircraft while the ‘Cha Paraya’ class is having its ASuW capabilities enhanced. Bangkok is reportedly interested in acquiring a couple of ‘Oliver Hazard Perry’ class frigates but has selected Korea’s Daewoo to build a new 3,000-4,000-tonne frigate and possibly a second.

Malaysia is moving away from frigates towards corvettes. It operates two Britishbuilt ‘Lekiu’ class (Yarrow F2000) multirole frigates, although the 57-millimetre (two-inch) gun is more an air defence weapon than an ASuW capability but plans to acquire two Batch-2 ships were dashed by the financial crisis and French ‘Gowind’ class corvettes will instead be the next surface combatants to arrive on strength. Indonesia appeared to be sailing a similar course but in January 2013 announced its intention to acquire three British frigates, possibly multi-role ‘Type 22 Batch 3’ class ships. The fleet currently operates six ageing former Dutch ‘Ahmad Yani’ class frigates based upon the ‘Leander’ class design which lack any sig-

35

DESTROYERS

A N D

F R I G A T E S

nificant air defence capability.

By contrast Singapore has acquired six modern French ‘Formidable’ class multirole frigates based upon the ‘La Fayette’ class frigate design with a formidable air defence system based upon MBDA’s Aster-15/30 SAM. Vietnam, which previously operated five Russian-built ‘Petya (Project 159)’ class light frigates which are purely ASW platforms, has now ordered four Russian-built ‘Dinh Tien Hoang’ (Gepard 3.9) class multi-role frigates and will build four, domestically helping to secure national interests in the disputed Spratley Islands. The nearby Philippines operates an ancient World War Two vintage ‘Cannon’ class frigate which is little more than a patrol boat. However, it has acquired two ‘Hamilton’ class cutters, and is considering equipping them with antiship missiles. Furthermore, it announced in April 2013 that it will purchase two new frigates.

East Asia

By contrast East Asia navies usually seek a destroyer-frigate mix. China seems determined to create a navy capable of securing her sea lanes. To this end, Beijing is seeking ever more capable destroyers and the three latest ‘Luyang III’ (Type 052D) class vessels completed during mid-2013 are seeking to emulate the US Aegis Combat Management System (CMS) air defence architecture. Of the 26 destroyers in service with the People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) almost half are ‘Ludas’ (Type 051) class many of which lack an air defence capability and/or an ASW role. However, these ships are being phased out in favour of ‘Luyang I/II’ (Type 052B/C) class of destroyers of which three additional vessels, to equip the current strength of six, are under construction. Other destroyer assets include the PLAN’s ‘Luzhou’ (Type 051C), ‘Luhai (Type 051B) and ‘Luhu’ (Type 052A) classes, of which only the latter two types, as well as six Russian-built ‘Sovremenny’ (Project 956) class ships have a good ASW capability. Vertical launch systems and longer-range missiles are a notable feature of the later vessels.

The frigate force has some 50 ships but

36

An artist's impression of Australia's ‘Hobart’ class destroyers of which the first is scheduled to join the fleet in 2015 © BAE Systems

half are ‘Jianghu’ (Type 053) class vessels which lack any air defence capability and whose hull-mounted search/attack sonar limits their ASW role. The 14 ‘JiangweiI/II’ (Type 053H2G/H3) class have a local area air defence capability but their ASW role is as limited as the ‘Jianghu’ (Type 053) class frigates and for the same reason.

The new ‘Jiangkai-I’ (Type 054) class

China’s rival Taiwan would like Aegis combat management system-equipped destroyers but currently operates four US-built ‘Kidd’ (DD 995) class multirole ships l

ASIAN MILITARY REVIEW

l

frigates, of which another seven are reported under construction, incorporate ‘stealth’ technology in their design and may have an improved ASW capability.

China’s rival Taiwan would like Aegis CMS-equipped destroyers but currently operates four US-built ‘Kidd’ (DD 995) class ships which are extremely capable multirole platforms, their AAW capability enhanced through their Raytheon RIM-66 Standard Missile-2 Medium Range (SM-2 MR) SAMs. All of Taiwan’s 22 frigates have good ASW sonar suites with the Taiwanese Navy’s ‘Cheng Kung’ class frigates, based on the US ‘Oliver Hazard Perry’ class design, and the American-built ‘Chi Yang’ class frigates, based on the US ‘Knox’ class having a noticeably good air defence capability, although the steam turbine propulsion system of the latter is increasingly hard

DESTROYERS A N D

Seoul is also determined to protect its sea lanes to support its export-based economy and at the heart of this strategy are the dozen destroyers all of which are excellent multi-role vessels. These include the ‘Gwanggaeto the Great’, ‘Chungmugong Yi Sun-sin’ and ‘Sejong the Great’ classes. The latter class is an Aegis CMS-equipped ship, with potential Ballistic Missile Defence (BMD) capabilities. It is also the only surface combatant in Asia with a known missile landattack capability. There are plans for another six improved ‘Chungmugong Yi Sun-sin’ class destroyers equipped with the Aegis CMS. The Republic of Korea currently operates nine ‘Ulsan’ class ASuW/ASW frigates, often acting as flotilla leaders for fast attack craft and referred to as ‘inshore frigates’. These will be replaced by the ‘Incheon’ class frigates of which seven have been ordered with up to 18 more planned, the first-of-class being commissioned in January 2013. Although more capable than the ‘Ulsan’ class it appears that the ‘Incheon’ class will have a similar role to the ‘Ulsan’ class. The first the six ‘Incheon’ class Batch 1 ships displace

F R I G A T E S

3,200 tons while up to nine of the Batch 2 ships will be slightly larger, will have Rolls Royce MT-30 gas turbines and their ASW capability will be enhanced by towed array sonars.

The need for ‘blue water’ escorts has meant that Japan prefers destroyers to frigates to protect its sea lanes and it has 41 of the former but only six of the latter (officially ‘Abukuma’ class destroyer escorts) which lack any air defence capabilities. The six ‘Atago’ and ‘Kongō’ class destroyers are all Aegis CMS-equipped ships with a BMD capability and they will receive the Raytheon RIM-161 SM-3 SAM dedicated BMD interceptor missiles, but all Japanese destroyers have excellent ASW capabilities. Tokyo maintains a modern fleet through a steady stream of orders; ‘Akizuki’ class destroyers, for example, have been ordered to replace the ‘Hatsuyuki’ class destroyers although currently only four ‘Azizuuki’ class ships have been ordered while there are eleven ‘Hatsuyuki’ vesels in the class.

Australasia

Australia and New Zealand, jointly procured the modified ‘ANZAC’ (MEKO-

An artist's impression of the Royal Navy's next generation Type 26 frigate. This is the British version of the Global Combat Ship and Australia has an agreement for design work which might make the GCS the keel of Canberra's next generation of frigates © BAE Systems

to support. This is why Taipei is reportedly interested in acquiring four ‘Oliver Hazard Perry’ class frigates by 2015. The Frenchbuilt ‘Kang Ding’ class frigates, based on the ‘La Fayette’ class frigate design, lack a similar air defence capability, but have a much stealthier shape.

North Korea focuses upon littoral defence primarily using midget submarines and fast attack craft but its navy does operate three frigates. These include the 1,640-ton ‘Soho’ class which is unique in being a catamaran design but like the Chinese-built ‘Nanjin’ class frigates operated by the Korean People’s Navy it lacks any air defence capability and its ASW role is thought to be limited. None of these vessels apparently spends much time at sea in contrast to the neighbouring Republic of Korea Navy.

l

DECEMBER 2013/JANUARY 2014

l

37

DESTROYERS

A N D

F R I G A T E S

200) class of frigates from Germany, augmented in the Royal Australian Navy (RAN) by four ‘Oliver Hazard Perry’ and ‘Adelaide’ class frigates. All of these ships are extremely capable multi-role vessels and have been, or are being substantially upgraded.

Australia’s six ‘ANZAC’ class frigates will receive domestically-produced CEA Technologies CEAFAR and CEAMOUNT phased array radars while their ASuW and air defence capabilities have been improved through new weapons and electronics. New Zealand’s two ‘ANZAC’ class

Australia’s ‘Anzac’ class frigates have also been upgraded with new Saab Australia combat system and CEA CEAMOUNT and CEA FAR illuminators © Saab Australia

ships have received improved propulsion.

The navy has plans to upgrade their combat capability and in March 2013 requests for tenders were issued for a missile decoy system, improved electronic support measures and the addition of a torpedo detection capability to the sonar system. The RAN’s ‘Adelaide’ class frigates were upgraded under the Project Sea 1390 initiative with an improved sonar suite and new ASuW and and AAW weapons as well as a new CMS. The RAN is now focusing upon Project Sea 4000 to acquire three Aegis CMS-

Singapore’s ‘Formidable’ class frigates are based upon the French Lafayette class © DCNS

equipped multi-role destroyers. The RAN’s ‘Hobart’ class destroyers are based upon Spain’s ‘Alvaro de Bazán’ (F100) class frigate design and the ships will carry the RIM-174 Standard Extended Range Active Missile (also known as the ‘SM-6’) area defence SAM which has some BMD capabilities. The first-of-class will be delivered in December 2014 and there is an option on a fourth ship, although this seems unlikely to be taken up.

Australia and New Zealand need to defend their long sea lanes and while New Zealand has no plans to replace its ships,

Australia and New Zealand need to defend their long sea lanes and while New Zealand has no plans to replace its ships, Canberra has a requirement for eight frigates

Canberra has a requirement for eight frigates to replace the RAN’s ‘ANZAC’ and ‘Adelaide’ class frigates. In January 2013 an agreement was signed with the United Kingdom for closer defence cooperation including the prospect of collaboration on Australia's future frigate requirements based upon the BAE Systems’ forthcoming ‘Type 26’ class Global Combat Ship. London hopes this collaboration will lead to mutual design work for the ship which could be regarded as a template for other Asian navies.

38

l

ASIAN MILITARY REVIEW

l

PRECISION

GUIDED MUNITIONS

s the first Foreign Military Sale (FMS) customer of the ATK/United States Navy AGM-88E Advanced AntiRadiation Guided Missile (AARGM), the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) is to receive captive air training rounds for use with its Boeing E/A-18G Growler electronic warfare aircraft. Australia’s request for up to twelve of these electronic attack aircraft and twelve F/A-18E/F Super Hornets emerged in February 2013. The $102.4 million Full Rate Production 2 (FRP-2) contract, revealed on 25th September 2013, also covers live weapons and cap-

A 40

tive rounds for the US Navy and the Aeronautica Militaire (Italian Air Force).

Bill Kasting, vice president and general manager of ATK's Defense Electronic Systems division, said: “The award of FRP 2 is a significant milestone not only for the quantity of missiles to be produced and delivered but also because it marks the beginning of AARGM deliveries to international customers through the Department of Defence’s Foreign Military Sales process.”

A major upgrade of the Raytheon AGM-88 Highspeed Anti-Radiation Missile (HARM), AARGM is a supersonic missile designed primarily for Destruction of Enemy Air Defence (DEAD) missions.

l

ASIAN MILITARY REVIEW

l

As well as land-based radars and missile launchers, it is designed to engage ship air defences and time-sensitive non-radar targets. The AARGM system also displays the electronic order of battle to enhance the pilot’s situational awareness with regard to surface-to-air threats. AARGM is deployed in several theatres with the US Navy and US Marine Corps aboard their FA-18C/D Hornets, having been declared operational in July 2012.

JDAM wings

The RAAF operates a range of Precision Guided Munitions from its F/A18C/D/E/F aircraft, including the

PRECISION GUIDED MUNITIONS

SURGICAL AIR POWER’S SCALPEL:

PRECISION GUIDED MUNITIONS IN THE ASIA-PACIFIC Precision strike is a capability that most Asia-Pacific nations are evolving, with free-fall and glide bombs, anti-radar and long-range stand-off missiles in demand as the region pursues a mixed strategy of imports, co-development with eastern and western partners and indigenous development projects.

by Peter Donaldson

The Royal Australian Air Force is the first Foreign Military Sales customer for the ATK AGM-88E Advanced Anti-Radiation Guided Missile. Here, a US Navy Boeing F/A-18E Super Hornet conducts a captive carry test © US Navy

Lockheed Martin AGM-158 Joint Air-toSurface Stand-off Missile (JASSM) and Boeing GBU-31/32/38/54 Joint Direct Attack Munition (JDAM) variants, and is involved in the development of these weapons. In March 2013, for example, Boeing announced its selection Ferra Engineering Pty Ltd in Brisbane to build the wing kit for the extended-range JDAMER, which is based on the ‘Kerkanya’ glide

l

technology initially developed by Australia’s Defence Science and Technology Organisation (DSTO). The RAAF became Boeing’s first JDAM-ER customer in 2011, with initial deliveries due for 2015: “The wing kit will almost triple the weapon’s current range (of circa 15 nautical miles/28 kilometres), making the JDAM-ER a very cost effective weapon,” said Dr Michael Kelly, Australia’s Minister for Defence Materiel in an official Australian Government Department of Defence press release of March 2013.

Chinese PGMs

The People’s Republic of China imports DECEMBER 2013/JANUARY 2014

l

air-launched PGMs, mainly of Russian origin, and increasingly exports its own designs. The US Department of Defence’s (DoD) annual report to the US Congress credits the People’s Liberation Army Air Force with a small number of tactical airto-surface missiles and PGMs including anti-radiation missiles, satellite- and laserguided bombs. The independent think tank Air Power Australia, however, claims that China's air forces operate a diverse mix of indigenous and imported Russian guided bombs.

For example the LT-2, which Pakistan is reported to have acquired in large numbers, is a guidance kit for 1,100lb (500 kilogram)

41

PRECISION

GUIDED MUNITIONS

The extended-range Boeing JDAMs under the wings of this Royal Australian Air Force F/A18C Hornet are equipped with deployable wing kits to be manufactured by Ferra Engineering using Austalian-developed Kerkanya glide technology © Australian DoD

class bomb bodies marketed by the China National Aero-Technology Import and Export Corporation (CATIC). CATIC claims day and night strike capability against stationary or low-speed point targets on land and at sea, including hardened ones.

CATIC describes the slimmer LT-3 ‘Thunder’ as a proportional laser-guided low-drag bomb, but the appearance of the JDAM-like strap-on guidance kit and information from other sources suggest that it also includes Global Positioning System (GPS) or other satellite guidance in addition to its laser seeker. It weighs 1,254lb (570kg). CATIC makes the JDAM comparison explicit in its description of the LS-6 glide bomb, which features a deploying wing kit and combined GPS/inertial guidance package. Claimed range is not less than 37nm (60km) when launched from 36,000 feet (10,972 metres) at 486 knots (900 kilometres-anhour). The kit is designed to fit 550lb (250kg) and 1,100lb bombs.

Indian PGM progress

India has mostly acquired its air-launched

42

PGMs from Russia and Israel. Indigenous development is carried out by several research institutes under the auspices of the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO). While behind China in its ability to produce such weapons, recent news points to significant progress. For example, on 20th February 2013, the Indian media reported that the Indian Air Force (IAF) had ordered 50 Sudarshan laser-guided bombs from the DRDO's Aeronautical Development Establishment (ADE), which has been working on this 1,000lb (455kg) class weapon since 2006, successfully demonstrating it in 2010. Video footage of test drops from an IAF SEPECAT Jaguar-M/S and a Hindustan Aeronautics Limited Tejas Mk.1 Light Combat Aircraft is available on the internet. ADE quotes a range of around five nautical miles (nine kilo-

India has mostly acquired its air-launched precision-guided munitions from Russia and Israel. Indigenous development is carried out by several research institutes under the auspices of the DRDO l

ASIAN MILITARY REVIEW

l

metres). Indications that Sudarshan is nearing service entry include a tender notice that ADE issued on 10th September 2013 inviting bids from industry for ground support equipment, with a submission deadline of 9th October 2013. On 9th April 2013, however, the Indian Ministry of Defence (MoD) issued another request for information on laser-guided bombs for the Indian Navy’s MiG-29K combat aircraft, namely for airborne target designation pods and portable laser designators.

The DRDO is also working on a 'nextgeneration' glide bomb with a 27-nm (50km) range, ADE director PS Krishnan told the Indian Express newspaper in February 2013. Other reports refer to successful tests of such weapons, with the now-retired director general of the DRDO VK Saraswat indicating that development is well advanced. “By the end of next year, we want to complete all the development trials of the glide bomb before offering it to the IAF,” he told the same publication on 2nd June 2013. Unmanned Aerial Vehicle-launched PGMs are also on the agenda and, on 27th August 2013, Avish Chander, the DRDO's current director general and scientific adviser to India's defence minister, said that DRDO would test fire some “in a couple of months”.

Israeli air-launched PGMs in the Indian inventory include 100 Rafael Advanced

PRECISION GUIDED MUNITIONS

A Royal Australian Air Force Boeing F/A-18C Hornet over the Woomera test range in south Australia with a Lockheed Martin AGM-158 Joint Air-to-Surface Stand-off Missile, a weapon with a 997lb (453kg) warhead designed to attack heavily defended targets © Australian DoD

Mitsubishi F-2A/B combat aircraft. US DoD figures indicate that Japan has acquired 456 kits since 2005, while SIPRI reports that the country received 300 JDAMs between 2006 and 2011. Japanese documents point to the addition of the capability for 20 F-2A/B fighters in 2012 and eleven in 2013.

Indonesia

A Pakistan Air Force JF-17 Thunder combat aircraft displayed at the 2010 Farnborough Air Show with an LS-6 Global Positioning System/Inertial Navigation System-guided extended-range glide bomb and a China Haiying Electromechanical Technology Academy C802A anti-ship missile © Wikipedia

Defence Systems Spice and 250 Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) Griffin guided bombs ordered in 2008 and 2009 respectively, with all the former delivered in 2009 and 125 of the latter delivered in 2012, according to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI). Spice kits for 1,000lb and 2,000lb (909kg) bombs feature dual mode Charge-Coupled Device Television and imaging infrared seekers and use stored target imagery and scene matching software in addition to coordinates and topographical information to provide immunity from any jamming of communications and GPS signals.

Offering a five-metre (16-feet) Circular

l

Error Probable (CEP) and six-nautical mile (twelve-kilometre) range, Griffin kits convert many unguided bombs including Mk.82, Mk.83 and Mk.84 designs into laser-guided bombs that will work, says IAI, with all available laser designators.

Capable of defeating hardened targets and moving vehicles even in high winds, Griffins feature trajectory shaping for enhanced penetration.

JDAMs for Japan's F2s

Keen to upgrade its precision strike capabilities, Japan continues to acquire JDAM kits and to integrate them onto the Japan Air Self-Defence Force's (JASDF) DECEMBER 2013/JANUARY 2014

l

Indonesia has requested Raytheon AGM-65 Maverick missiles to arm its growing Lockheed Martin F-16A/B Block-15 fleet. In a request announced on 21st August 2012, the Indonesian Government asked for 18 AGM-65K2 fully functional missiles, 36 TGM-65K2 captive carry rounds and three TGM-65D training missiles plus spare parts, documentation and support in a deal potentially worth around $25 million. The AGM-65K is a TV-guided missile with a CCD seeker able to operate in dimmer light than earlier TV-guided Mavericks, and carries a 300lb (136kg) warhead. According to the US Defence Security Cooperation Agency, the Indonesian Air Force needs the Mavericks to train F-16 pilots in basic air-toground weapons employment. The Indonesian Air Force operates ten F-16A/B Block-15 aircraft and is receiving another 24 F-16C/D Block-32+ platforms second hand from the United States.

The sale of eight Boeing AH-64E Apache attack helicopters and Longbow International AN/APG-78 Longbow fire control radars was announced on 26th August 2013. The Apaches “will help Indonesia to respond to a range of contingencies, including counter-piracy operations and maritime awareness”, according to an unnamed senior defence official quoted by the American Forces Press Service on the same day as the sale announcement. The delivery and training time line is yet to determined.

Indonesia’s initial request was made on 19th September 2012 and encompassed

43

PRECISION

GUIDED MUNITIONS

configuration in 2010, receiving them the following year, adding to a PGM inventory that also includes JDAMs ordered in 2009 and delivered in 2011.

Philippines

The Associated Press (AP) reported on 12th March 2013 that the Philippines Air Force had dropped JDAMs from North American Rockwell OV-10 Bronco turboprop counter-insurgency aircraft in a strike on Abu Sayaf Islamist insurgents.

AP said that unnamed senior Philippine security officials confirmed the use of the weapons against the Al Qaeda linked group in a jungle camp on Jolo Island in the southwest of the archipelago. SIPRI reports that 22 JDAMs were ordered and delivered in 2011.

United States Air Force personnel load a Raytheon AGM-65 Maverick air-to-ground missile onto a Lockheed Martin F-16C/D combat aircraft; an aircraft and weapon combination that the Indonesian Air Force has ordered for basic precision-guided munition employment training © US DoD

140 Lockheed Martin AGM-114R3 Hellfire missiles and a laundry list of other equipment, including four AN/APG-78 fire control radars and four Lockheed Martin AN/APR-48A radio frequency interferometers that enable the helicopter to passively target hostile emitters. The AGM114R series is the latest semi-active laser homing multi-purpose Hellfire II air-tosurface missile.

appears to have convinced RMAF chief General Tan Sri Dato’ Sri Rodzali bin Daud of the need for more GPS- and laser-guided munitions: “We need to enhance our capabilities and enlarge our stockpiles,” he told reporters at the Langkawi International Maritime and Aerospace Exhibition held in Malaysia between 26th and 30th March 2013. According to SIPRI, Malaysia ordered 60 Paveways in GBU-10 and GBU-12 (both Paveway-II weapons)

South Korea’s fighter competition looks open once more following a 24th September 2013 parliamentary vote that rejected Boeing’s bid to supply 60 F-15SE (Silent Eagle) aircraft, making the Lockheed Martin F-35A Lightning-II Joint Strike Fighter the apparent front runner, having previously rejected both it and the Eurofighter Typhoon on cost grounds.

That same day Reuters quoted South Korean defence ministry spokesman Kim

A Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning-II Joint Strike Fighter releases a Raytheon GBU-12 Paveway II laser-guided bomb. The F-35 is the front runner in the reopened fighter competition in South Korea which is an existing Paveway operator © Lockheed Martin

Malaysia

The Royal Malaysian Air Force (RMAF) is reported to have used PGMs thought to be Raytheon GBU-12 Paveway-II laser-guided bombs (the exact variant has not been confirmed) in March 2013 during the brief conflict in Lahad Datu in the province of Sabah on the north-eastern tip of Borneo following an incursion by insurgents from the Philippines. Dropped from RMAF F/A-18D Hornets, the weapons are said to have helped defeat an approximately 235strong group calling themselves the Royal Security Forces of the Sultanate of Sulu and North Borneo. The Paveway's performance

44

South Korea

l

ASIAN MILITARY REVIEW

l

Precision Guided Munitions

Min-seok as saying: “Our air force thinks that we need combat capabilities in response to the latest trend of aerospace technology development centred around the fifth generation fighter jets and to provocations from North Korea.” The new tender round is expected to take about a year and might be for 40 or 50 aircraft rather than 60.

Taiwan Refused PGMs by the US, Taiwan has a number of indigenous development programmes, with local media reporting progress on the “Wan Chien” (‘10,000 swords’) effort to enable the Taiwanese Air Force to strike mainland Chinese ports and air bases with missile-delivered cluster munitions to forestall any threatened invasion. On 2nd October 2013, the Taipei Times reported that mass production of Wan Chien missiles will begin three years ahead of schedule in 2015, citing a statement from Kuomintang (Taiwan’s ruling political party) legislator Lin Yu-Fang who

A Longbow International AN/APG-78 Longbow fire control radar-equipped Boeing AH-64E Apache attack helicopter armed with Lockheed Martin AGM-114 Hellfire air-to-ground missiles are a new addition to Taiwan’s military. The first six aircraft from a total order of 30 arrived on 4th November 2013 © Boeing

said that integration and testing on the AIDC (Aerospace Industrial Development Corporation) F-CK-1 Ching-kuo combat aircraft had been completed in March 2013. Mr Lin is reported to have said that 40 aircraft have been equipped so far, with plans calling for 127 to be upgraded with the capability by 2017.

On 4th November 2013 the Taiwanese Army took delivery of the first six of 30 Boeing AH-64E Apaches equipped with AN/APG-78 radars. Like the Bell AH-1W Super Cobras already in the inventory, these aircraft will include AGM-114 Hellfire missiles in their weapons loads and SIPRI reports that Taiwan ordered 1,000 in 2012, taking delivery of 50 that year. These deliveries possibly included the AGM-114L millimetre wave radar-guided variant.

Whether the proliferation of airlaunched PGMs is a stabilising influence or the opposite depends heavily on politics and diplomacy, but the weapons represent a capability that no nation in the region wants to be without.

CBRN

PROTECTION

THE SUM OF ALL FEARS: CBRN PROTECTION IN THE ASIA-PACIFIC The first chemical weapons attack this century, in the midst of a civil war in Syria, and the continuing political repercussions over Syria’s chemical weapons arsenal re-stated the significance of nonconventional weapons use and the need for an enhanced response worldwide.

by Andy Oppenheimer

n 21st August 2013, more than 1,400 Syrian civilians, many of them children, died in a multiple chemical attack on areas surrounding the Syrian capital, Damascus. A United

O 46

Nations (UN) report published on 16th September 2013 confirmed they were killed by weapons-grade sarin nerve agent following an investigation by an Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) inspection

l

ASIAN MILITARY REVIEW

l

team sent in five days before the attacks to try to collect evidence from at least five sites where previous chemical attacks were alleged to have taken place in March and April 2013, including an attack on Aleppo, where 26 died. The inspectors returned on

CBRN

PROTECTION years to gain access to Iraqi President Saddam Hussein’s CW sites and destroy his stocks and munitions – a highly dangerous process - following the 1991 Gulf War. As the Syrian civil war has intensified the regime’s CWs may have been dispersed, complicating accounting and, of utmost importance, verification. Every weapon has to be barcoded in a full inventory — which the Syrians were said to have provided by the 22nd September 2013 deadline as part of the UN agreement discussed above — including CWfilled munitions, vats of sarin and VX nerve agents, much of which cannot be moved, and precursor chemicals.

Munitions and containers are likely to be unstable, prone to leaking and would have to be incinerated with high explosive in situ. Meanwhile, dismantling bombs and missiles with chemical warheads require blast-containment vessels.

Soldiers from the 71st Chemical Company, 8th Military Police Brigade of the United States Army conduct a joint training session on specialist equipment with the 39th Singapore Combat Engineers in Singapore in December 2012 © US Army)

against Syria) to disarm an entire class of Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear (CBRN) weapons in a rogue state.

As part of the agreement, inspectors from the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW), will be tasked with decommissioning an estimated 1,000 tonnes of CWs, munitions and precursors while the civil war continues to rage, and future CW use in the region also cannot be ruled out if any have found their way into the hands of Islamist militants both inside and outside the country.

The challenges of decommissioning

It took the United Nations Special Commission weapons inspectors several

24th September 2013 to investigate several other sites where Chemical Weapons (CW) were alleged to have been used.

Despite some commentators ‘relegating’ them to a sideshow within the overall picture of a relentless civil war, the August attacks led to an unprecedented series of diplomatic events resulting in a provisional agreement known as the Framework for Elimination of Syrian Chemical Weapons, 14th September 2013,, brokered by Russia and the United States (but arguably propelled by the threat of US military action

Protection - inside and outside Syria

UN troops on the ground in support of the inspections will need logistical support and protection, and the highest quality Personal Protection Equipment (PPE). The UN Inspectors operating in Syria have been wearing the Avon FM12 full-face respirator, initially developed for North Atlantic Tready Organisation operations and widely adopted in many countries by military and law enforcement organisations, including the British and Singapore Police Forces.

The FM12 is well suited for first-responder demands due to its ease of use and high protection levels against CBRN agents and Toxic Industrial Materials (TIMS) and carries European Union ‘CE’ (Equipment), and NIOSH (US National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health) CBRN certification. John Penton, Avon’s director of sales for Europe, Middle East and Africa, said “We have very good links with the OPCW, which have an extensive range of Avon equipment including our FM12, C50 respirator, FM53 multi-role Respiratory Protective Equipment (RPE) system and ST53 mask. Avon has trained the OPCW in the correct use and maintenance of its equipment.”

Syrian civilians had, and still have, hardly any protection, and there was no

A CBRN specialist with HQ Battalion, 3rd Marine Division, III Marine Expeditionary Force of the United States Marine Corps instructs officers of the Japan Ground Self-Defence Force in how to use an AN/PDR-77 RADIAC portable radiation detector during a training exercise in June 2013 © US Marine Corps

l

DECEMBER 2013/JANUARY 2014

l

47

CBRN

PROTECTION

The Alluviam HazMaster G3 database provides response guidance on unknown chemical agents, radiological isotopes and complex bomb and homemade explosives threats, and is in service with the Singapore Police Force’s Bomb and Explosives Division © Alluviam

PPE in evidence among first-responders during the Damascus suburbs attacks; video footage of rebels making their own masks was widely circulated in midSeptember. Therefore, many became victims due to cross-contamination.

Protective clothing as well as masks is needed, as nerve and mustard agents are absorbed by the skin. If future attacks occur, Syrian civilians and responders would need mass stocks of masks, suits, and detection and sampling kits. On 16th September 2013 US President Barack Obama signed an order waiving armscontrol restrictions on the export of PPE and training provision to Syria which covers the OPCW. The order also permits equipment and training to be provided to nongovernmental organisations working with Syrian civilians, and to US-approved rebel groups to shield themselves against any further CW attacks.

Syria’s neighbours preparing for CW

The attacks on Damascus and fears of future attacks by any of the players in the

48

Civil War have prompted preparedness measures in surrounding and other countries. CBRN protection kits are offered to Israel’s population by the Home Front Command national civil defence organisation, but only an estimated third of Israelis are said to possess a basic CBRN protection kit. Before and after the 21st August Damascus attacks demand for masks intensified, with hundreds of civilians seen queuing outside distribution depots.

As the only NATO ally neighbouring Syria, Turkey has minimal CBRN defences — with old stocks of chemical gas detectors and masks earmarked for use only for military units operating in combat zones.

In 2012, after Syrian President Bashir al-Assad threatened to use CW if Syria was attacked by foreign powers, the Turkish Army dispatched CBRN defence units to the 800km (500 miles) Turkish-Syrian border. CBRN protective clothing for all four Turkish military services are being provided

by CAN, an indigenous enterprise group, following a $60 million contract signed in 2008 to make and deliver 162,000 sets of CBRN PPE. In February 2013 the first batch of 2,000 sets was delivered, with final supplies due in 2017, so temporary supplies will be needed to cover this time lag. As with all defence procurement, the time lapse before deliveries arrive may not guarantee supplies to meet the current situation, and training time must also be factored in.

International Nuclear Event Scale which measures radiation accidents. Teams working on the leaking tank have to deal with large puddles of radioactive water, which is emitting 100 millisieverts per hour of radiation – equivalent to the limit for accumulated exposure over five years for nuclear workers. Teams are also removing the soil around the reactor contaminated with the leaked water.

On 14th August 2013, Britain and Japan formally signed an agreement to begin

Fukushima: go to Level 3

On the day sarin fell on Syrian citizens (21st August 2013), the Japanese government issued its highest-level radiation warning since the Fukushima disaster of March 2011, following leaks from a tank of 300 tonnes of radioactive water.

Massive amounts of water are needed constantly to cool the unstable reactors, following three meltdowns after the earthquake and tsunami during that same month. The Japanese Nuclear Regulation Authority (NRA) has categorised the situation as a Level Three Serious Incident on the UN seven-point

l

ASIAN MILITARY REVIEW

l

The Argon Electronics suite of simulators has been sold for training in chemical detection at the Indian Army’s Faculty of Nuclear, Biological and Chemical Protection. Argon is working closely with the Faculty to train CBRN operatives in the chemical detection systems already in place © Argon Electronics

CBRN

PROTECTION

The Avon FM12 mask is used by United Nations inspectors in Syria, by the United States and other militaries, and by first responder services worldwide © Avon

collaboration between the UK’s Defence Science and Technology Laboratory and the Japanese Ministry of Defence’s Technical Research and Development Institute (TRDI), to develop PPE for Japan.

The two organisations will assess protective suits with a view to developing the latest impermeable materials, which will be for both civilian and military use.

North Korea – business as usual

While the world’s attention was on Syria, in early September 2013 North Korea was reported to have restarted the Yongbyon reactor at their main plutonium-producing facility. Satellite imagery analysed by 38 North, a project run by the US-Korea Institute at Johns Hopkins University in the United States, showed white coloration and volume consistent with steam being vented, indicating the reactor’s generator was about to go online. In August 2013 six new construction activities were also observed by aerial surveillance at the the Dongchang-ri missile test site on the eastern coast of North Korea. The South Korean Defence Ministry declared that “North Korea’s nuclear programme has

50

grown into a real threat in 2013, and it is able to make a nuclear device at any time.“ South Korea regularly conducts CBRN response drills in preparation for a possible CBRN attack from its belligerent and unpredictable northern neighbour. On 16th May 2013, 350 US Army troops stationed in South Korea conducted a combined military drill with an unspecified number of South Korean troops to demonstrate chemical and biological reconnaissance, surveillance and decontamination. This was part of continuing US support to South Korea following North Korea’s nuclear test in mid-February 2013.

CBRN in expanding markets

In many other countries, military forces, first responders, policy makers and the

Emerging economies such as India and China are increasing their CBRN spending on military and civilian protective equipment, and contingency planning for international events l

ASIAN MILITARY REVIEW

l

public at large have little practice in preparing for a CBRN attack as it is not high on the list of probability, and requires highly specialist training and equipment. However, market studies show that emerging economies such as India and China are increasing their CBRN spending on military and civilian protective equipment, as well as surveillance systems and contingency planning for international events.

The global CBRN defence market is estimated to be worth $9 billion in 2013, according to The CBRN Defense Market 2013-2023, published by Strategic Defence Intelligence on 16th July 2013, which includes CBRN protection, detection, decontamination, disposal, and simulation equipment. A marginal increase is expected due to threats from terrorism and hostile neighbouring countries in the Asia-Pacific and Middle Eastern regions, with the global market predicted to reach $13.7 billion by 2023. CBRN protection equipment is expected to account for most contracts, followed by detection and decontamination systems.

More than 60 power reactors are currently under construction in 13 countries, including Taiwan, China, South Korea, Bangladesh, and India - all of which will have to invest in CBRN incident protection to help prevent a repeat of the Fukushima

CBRN

PROTECTION HazMasterG3, a database of 165,000 materials and trade names used for CBRN, explosives ordnance disposal (EOD), and law enforcement.

HazMasterG3 provides response guidance on unknown chemical agents, radiological isotopes and complex bomb/Home-Made Explosives (HME) threats to answer questions - such as which CWAs (Chemical Warfare Agents) were most likely used in Syria and how much HME could be made from a specific set of precursors. It provides interoperable support on eight platforms, including smartphones hand-held devices and laptop/desktop computers, and is in service with the Singapore Police Force’s Bomb and Explosives Division, as well as with the US Army and NATO.

disaster. However, budget cuts (in Japan as well as the US and UK) mean prioritising the supply of products already on the market or about to be launched. These cuts are also causing the modification and refit of existing CBRN equipment and technologies to maintain CBRN defence capabilities.

New products

In September 2013 Argon Electronics UK Ltd won its first major contract with India for its suite of chemical detector simulators, namely its CAMSIM, ChemPro100SIM and GID-3-SIM products. The equipment, which trains operatives on using detection systems already in service with the Indian Army, along with Argon’s training support, has been requested by the army’s main CBRN training establishment, the Faculty of Nuclear, Biological and Chemical Protection at the College of Military Engineering, in Pune, Maharashtra. Argon sales manager for India, Patrick Hickmott, said: “this represents the Indian Army’s on-going commitment to delivering world class CBRN training through its Centres of Excellence.”

Instant identification of CBRN materials is vital while on mission. In September 2013 the US company Alluviam released Version 17 of its

United Nations and Organisation for the Prevention of Chemical Weapons inspectors arrive back in The Hague in the Netherlands following their first mission to Syria to acquire evidence about the chemical attack on suburbs of Damascus on 21st August 2013. Their report, published on 16th September 2013, confirmed sarin had been used © OPCW/Henry Arvidsson

to train personnel on how to reduce residual hazards, as well as on risk assessment procedures, detection, protection, and decontamination methods to reduce the risk for personnel operating in CBRN environments.

On 24th June 2013 the Japan Ground Self-Defense Force (JGSDF) conducted training on CBRN equipment alongside CBRN specialists with the US 3rd Marine Division, III Marine Expeditionary Force, at Camp Courtney, Okinawa. As part of the Japan Observer Exchange Program, Marines and JGSDF members learn operating procedures and the capabilities and functions of their partner-nation’s CBRN detection equipment. The CBRN officer in charge of Headquarters Battalion, 3rd Marine Division, Marine Chief Warrant Officer 4 Christopher J. Joy, said: “We have warrant officers who are in direct command of CBRN Marines, so now if something were to happen they know who to coordinate with.”

The August Syrian chemical attacks moved CBRN to the centre stage in one of the world’s most unstable regions, with resurgent fears that terrorists will acquire and use these weapons. In the future choices to equip and prepare first responders, specialist units and the public at large will have to be measured against cuts in defence spending with hard decisions to be made if countries are to be ready for the worst.

Training for CBRN protection

Much of training for CBRN, as with other operations, is about testing operatives’ reactions and intuition and how they use the equipment in very challenging circumstances. Hotzone Solutions, a Frenchbased international training and consulting company founded by former military and civilian Nuclear Biological and Chemical defence officers and weapons inspectors, which trained the UN inspectors sent to Syria in August, offers courses

The United Nations Special Commission (UNSCOM) Chemical Destruction Group dismantled chemical munitions in Iraq in the early 1990s. Here a chemical warhead is being packed prior to transportation for complete disposal © Dr. Pavel Castulik

l

DECEMBER 2013/JANUARY 2014

l

51

Regional news a n d

d e v e l o p m e n t s

s o u t h

a s i a

ASIA PACIFIC PROCUREMENT UPDATE

by Pierre Delrieu

BETTER LATE THAN NEVER nnn The Indian Navy commissioned its Russian aircraft carrier, the Admiral Gorshkov, now renamed INS Vikramaditya on 16th November 2013, more than five years after its initial scheduled delivery originally planned for 2008.

The INS Vikramaditya, a

44,570-tonne modified ‘Kiev’ class aircraft carrier, cost the Indian government $2.33 billion. Along with the refitting of the carrier and the purchase of its accompanying aircraft, the deal includes facilities and procedures for the training of pilots and technical staff as well as the delivery of simulators and spare parts.

The ship was sold to the Indian Navy on 20th January 2004. Upon successfully completing her sea and aviation trials in 2013, the ship was formally commissioned on 16th November 2013 at a ceremony held at Severodvinsk in Russia.

The ceremony was attended by Russia’s deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Rogozin and India’s Defence Minister AK Antony.

The INS Vikramaditya will carry 34 aircraft, including 21 supersonic Mikoyan MiG-29K fighters and 13 Kamov KA-32 Anti-Submarine Warfare (ASW) helicopters, as well as Ka–31T Airborne Early Warning rotorcraft, all of which have also been purchased from Russia. The aircraft carrier, which will be the largest-ever warship to be operated by India and the most expensive single military platform it has ever purchased. The carrier is expected to reach India by early January 2014, according to the Indian Navy, and will start patrolling the Indian Ocean by early 2014.

Korean capital between 29th October and 3rd November 2013 say that it is possible to deliver this AEW solution within three-to-five years of a customers’ order. At present, the DRDO is producing three platforms for India, with deliveries expected to commence in 2014.

Over the longer term, the DRDO says that it will develop six new AEW platforms for the Indian Air Force (IAF), although this solution will not be based upon the ERJ-145 and will instead be mounted upon an aircraft with a longer range and use a dome-shaped antenna, rather than the long box mounted on top of the ERJ145’s fuselage. It is confident that deliveries could be made from circa 2020. Development of the aircraft is expected to take seven years once the programme is formally launched.

One candidate platform being mooted for the radar is the joint Indo-Russian Multirole Transport Aircraft currently being developed by the two countries.

EYE IN THE SKY nnn India’s Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) is pressing ahead with an indigenous Airborne Early Warning (AEW) platform which uses a phased array radar mounted atop of an Embraer ERJ-145 aircraft.

The S-band (2.3-2.5/2.7-3.7 gigahertz) radar has a range in the region of 162 nautical miles (300 kilometres), although its integral IFF (Identification Friend or Foe) interrogator/transponder is sufficient to detect targets at 216nm (400km) range.

Representatives from the DRDO speaking to the Asian Military Review at the Seoul Aerospace and Defence Exhibition held in the South

52

l

AsiAn MilitAry review

l

SPIKE IN SALES nnn Rafael’s Advanced Defense Systems’ Spike is back on the Indian Army’s acquisition agenda.

The potential purchase of the Spike had already been discussed, and then put on hold, in April 2013 as a single vendor procurement from the Israeli company. Now, the Indian Army seems to be in a hurry to get advanced ATGMs and has shown a renewed interest in the weapon.

The Indian Ministry of Defence (MoD) issued a Request for Proposals (RfPs) in 2010 for advanced ATGMs to Rafael Advanced Defence Systems, MBDA, Raytheon, General Dynamics and Rosoboronoexport. Only Rafael responded to the tender; the other companies shying away from India’s technology transfer requirements.

The Indian Army now proposes to sign a $1billion deal with the Israeli company for Spike ATGM with the deal potentially including 321 missile launchers, 8,356 missiles and 15 training simulators and associated accessories, along with the transfer of technology.

The Indian military currently uses 9M113 KonkursM and MBDA Milan ATGMs, which are limited in terms of range to under two kilometres (one mile), while the Spike’s maximum range reaches 25 kilometres (13 miles). According to the Indian MoD, the decision to purchase the Spike is unlikely to affect a United States proposal to jointly produce the Raytheon/ Lockheed Martin FGM-148 Javelin ATGM with India, as the country’s army needs more than 20,000 advanced ATGMs.

Regional news a n d

d e v e l o p m e n t s

south

east

asia 2013. This year's exercise involved a total of 300 personnel from the 1st Battalion, Singapore Infantry Regiment (SIR) of the Republic of Singapore Army and the 10th Battalion, Royal Malay Regiment of the Malaysian Army. The eight-day exercise included professional exchanges and culminated in a combined battalion field exercise.

First conducted in 1989, Exercise Semangat Bersatu is intended to deepen and widen defence relations between Singapore and Malaysia.

SINGAPORE MALAYSIA CONCLUDE BILATERAL MILITARY EXERCISES nnn Singapore Armed Forces Chief of Army Major-General Ravinder Singh and Malaysian Armed Forces Chief of Army General Datuk Raja Mohamed Affandi Bin Raja Mohamed Noor co-officiated at the closing ceremony of Exercise Semangat Bersatu on 21st November 2013.

This year's exercise, the 19th in the series of bilateral exercises between the two armies, was conducted in Singapore from 14th to 21st November

THE LEOPARD CHANGES ITS SPOTS nnn German defence company Rheinmetall revealed on 13th November 2013 that it would be supplying the Indonesian Army with tracked armoured vehicles, including 102 modernised Leopard 2 Main Battle Tanks, 42 upgraded Marder 1A3 Infantry Fighting Vehicles (IFV) and eleven armoured recovery vehicles, plus mobile bridge-layers and armoured engineer vehicles (see Stephen W. Miller’s article ‘Bridge Over Troubled Waters’ in this month’s issue). With this deal, the Southeast Asian country becomes the 18th nation to operate the Leopard 2.

Rheinmetall, based in Düsseldorf, western Germany, announced that the deal signed with Indonesia also includes training equipment, logistical support and ammunition for a total roughly $289.6 million with deliveries expected to commence in 2014 and to conclude in 2016.

The contract was signed in December 2012 with the Indonesian Ministry of Defence, but political opposition in Berlin over Indonesia’s human rights record and legal formalities delayed the delivery. Moreover administrative procedures, such as a vote of approval by the German Federal Security Council, needed to be passed.

The Leopard 2 features digital

54

fire control systems with laser rangefinders, a fully stabilised main gun and a coaxial gun as well as thermal imaging advanced night vision and sighting equipment. According to reports, Indonesia will be acquiring the Leopard 2A4 variants, suggesting that the tanks will be second-hand as recent and more expensive sales by Rheinmetall to Qatar and Saudi Arabia have involved the newer 2A7 variant.

The new vehicles will represent an important upgrade in both firepower and defensive protection for Indonesia. The Indonesia military currently fields about 100 BAE Systems FV101 Scorpion 90 and 300 aged French Nexter AMX-13 light tanks which comprise the army’s high-calibre firepower. The AMX-13 tanks are a 1950s-era design and have the unique characteristic of being extremely light, weighing in at just 14.5 tonnes, which eases waterborne carriage and assists operations in soft terrain. The deal sparked controversy in Germany and in the Netherlands given Indonesia’s human rights record.

The Netherlands had initially been considered as a possible source for the MBTs in 2012.

However, the Dutch government took the decision to reject the purchase of the tanks from Koninklijke Landmacht (Royal Netherlands Army) stocks.

l

FPDA DEFENCE CHIEF’S CONFERENCE nnn The Defence Chiefs of the Five Power Defence Arrangement (FPDA – Australia, Malaysia, New Zealand, Singapore and Malaysia) member countries convened in Singapore from 6th to 8tth November 2013 for the 15th FPDA Defence Chiefs’ Conference (FDCC).

At the conference, the Defence Chiefs reaffirmed their commitment to the FPDA, and recognised the important role that the FPDA plays in enhancing regional security and stability. They also collectively discussed and issued the FPDA Exercise guides for the development of future FPDA exercises and activities to

AsiAn MilitAry review

l

strengthen interoperability and military cooperation between the armed forces of the five member nations in conducting conventional and non-conventional operations.

The exercise, based on a multi-threat scenario, was intended to strengthen interoperability and military cooperation between the FPDA member nations. As part of the exercise, the Republic of Singapore Air Force and the Royal Malaysian Air Force deployed fighter aircraft to each others’ air bases, notably to Kuantan Air Base and Changi Air Base in Malaysia and Singapore respectively.

This was the first Fighter Cross Deployment by the two air forces since 1998.

Regional news a n d

d e v e l o p m e n t s

e

s

a

t

a

THE APACHES ARRIVE nnn On 4th November 2013, Taiwan's Ministry of National Defense (MND) announced it had finally took delivery of the first six of 30 Boeing AH-64E Apache attack helicopters purchased from the United States in 2008.

As it modernises its military, the east Asian state will receive a second batch of six aircraft expected to arrive in

THE 200-MILE STARE nnn The Republic of Korea will commence the induction of its new LIG Nex-1 Long Range Air Defence Surveillance Radar (LRADSR) into air force service from 2015, according to company sources speaking to the Asian Military Review at the Seoul Aerospace and Defence Exhibition held in the South Korean capital between 29th October and 3rd November 2013.

The LRADSR is an L-band (1.215-1.4 gigahertz) system which has a range of circa 200

56

s

i

a

December 2013, while the remaining units are scheduled for delivery by the end of 2014, as part of a $6.5 billion arms deal announced in 2008.

The delivery of Taiwan’s new attack helicopter fleet was originally set for October 2013 but had been delayed because of the United States government budgetary shutdown. The six AH-64Es, the latest version of one of the most powerful nautical miles (370 kilometres) and a ceiling of 100,000 feet (30,480 metres). This threedimensional radar uses an Active Electronically Scanned Array antenna. The LRADSR is being procured to eventually replace the Lockheed Martin AN/FPS-117 L-band air surveillance radars which the Republic of Korea Air Force (ROKAF) currently uses. In terms of performance, the LRADSR has similar capabilities to the AN/FPS-117.

Over the longer term, the ROKAF plans to induct

l

helicopter gunships were shipped to the southern Taiwanese port of Kaohsiung.

The deal for the Taiwanese Army to purchase these helicopters was initially announced in 2008, when the US Department of Defence notified the American Congress of the potential sale to Taiwan, which involved the delivery of 30 aircraft along with upgrade packages destined for Taipei’s four Northrop Grumman E-2C Hawkeye airborne early warning aircraft as well as urgentlyneeded spares for the island's General Dynamics/Lockheed Martin F16A/B Block-20 Fighting Falcon and Northrop Grumman F-5E/F combat aircraft. In addition to the purchase of the aircraft, Taiwan sent more than 60 pilots and maintenance personnel to the US to receive training on the advanced helicopters. Apart from the US Army, which took delivery of its first AH-64Es at the end of 2011, Taiwan is the first country to get this Apache variant. The Taiwanese Army already has an active fleet of 62 Bell AH-1W Cobra attack helicopters.

The deal was strongly criticised by China, and Beijing protested angrily at the time of the 2008 announcement, although the deal did not include the initially-discussed

66 new-build Lockheed Martin F-16C/D Block-50/52 Fighting Falcon combat aircraft, which would have been of far greater deterrent value in the event of a conflict between China and Taiwan: Beijing still considers Taiwan as part of the Chinese territory awaiting reunification, by force if necessary. This attitude prompted Taipei to develop its defence capacities and seek more weaponry, mainly from the US. Tensions between Taiwan and China have noticeably eased since the more Chinafriendly Ma Ying-jeou was elected Taiwan’s president in 2008 and then re-elected in January 2012. But Mr. Ma has repeatedly and publicly stated that Taiwan’s intentions to defend its independence and to continue to acquire arms to that end. Upon delivery in early November 2013, four of the six Apaches were flown to the Aviation and Special Forces Command in Tainan's Guiren Township for initial flight testing, while the other two were flown to Gueiren in southern Taiwan for a demonstration of their capabilities in front of officials and members of the press. The aircraft are expected to be integrated into the Taiwanese Air Force and become operational by April 2014 at bases on the north of the island.

LIGNex-1’s Medium Range Air Defence Surveillance Radar (MRADSR) into service which will have a shorter range of around 76nm (140km), and a

40,000ft (12,192m) ceiling. The MRADSR is an S-band (2.32.5/2.7-3.7ghz) radar. There is no word on when this radar may enter service or on how many of the MRADSR and LRADSR the ROKAF may procure. As well as manufacturing the radar, LIG Nex-1 built the Identification Friend or Foe (IFF) interrogators for both systems. These new radars will join the Israel Aerospace Industries Elta Systems two EL/M-2080 Green Pine ballistic missile defence radars operated by the ROKAF.

AsiAn MilitAry review

l

UI * OU FS OBU J POBM

%FG FODF &YIJ CJ U J PO BOE 4FNJ OBS

'HFHPEHU .DUDFKL ([SR &HQWUH XXX J EF B T QB L J T U B O HPW

QL

0รณD J B M

1 VCM J T IF S

PG

4 IPX %B J M Z

Regional news a n d

d e v e l o p m e n t s

a u s t r a l a s i a FRIGATE SUPPORT CONTRACT nnn Chief Executive Officer of Australia’s Defence Materiel Organisation (DMO), Warren King has announced that a contract has been signed with Thales Australia for in-service support on four Royal

NEW SHIPS FOR NEW ZEALAND? nnn The New Zealand Defence Force announced in late October 2013 that it is looking for a single littoral support ship to replace two of its vessels: the aging mine countermeasures and diving support vessel HMNZS Manawanui and the recently decommissioned hydrographic survey vessel, the HMNZS Resolution.

The HMNZS Manawanui is the third ship with this name to serve in the Royal New Zealand Navy and was commissioned on 5th April 1988 to support diving and mine countermeasure operations. With an overall length of 43 metres (141 feet) and displacing 911 tonnes with a maximum speed of eleven knots (20 kilometres-perhour/Kmh). The HMNZS Manawanui carries some 24 officers, and is used to train divers from the Royal New Zealand Navy for deep diving with mixed gases, underwater

58

Australian Navy (RAN) ships.

Mr King said the $46 million contract provides support to the ‘Adelaide’ class Guided Missile Frigate’s (FFG) combat systems and offers job security to the 48 staff within Thales that have been engaged under the interim contract.

“This contract will ensure the FFG class combat system, which is among the most capable in the world, is effectively sustained until the RAN transitions to the new (‘Hobart’ class) Air Warfare Destroyers,” Mr King said.

“The Commonwealth looks

forward to working with Thales in maintaining the war fighting capabilities of the FFG fleet.”

Mr. King added that the contract also covers on-board systems and associated support facilities, and will be delivered from the company’s facilities in Sydney and Perth.

C-17A CARGO COMPARTMENT TRAINER

demolition and unexploded ordnance disposal. The vessel was recently used as an operations base for a Remotely Operated Vehicle (ROV) to take photos of the MV Princess Ashika’s wreck: The inter-island ferry, which operated in the South Pacific kingdom of Tonga, had sunk on 5th August 2009 and 74 of its passengers including 4 crewmembers were lost at sea.

The HMNZS Resolution, a 2,282-ton and 68-m (223-ft) long vessel, was originally commissioned into the United States Navy in 1989 as the USNS Tenacious, a ‘Stalwart’ class auxiliary general ocean surveillance ship. These ships patrolled the world’s oceans during the Cold War, searching for Soviet Navy submarines using their passive Surveillance Towed Array Sensor System (SURTASS).

Equipped with underwater listening devices and electronic equipment these ships transmitted acoustic data via satellite to

shore for analysis.

The USNS Tenacious was sold to New Zealand on 6th February 1997, and was renamed HMNZS Resolution.

With a 18,678 nautical mile (34,593 kilometre) range and a top speed of eleven knots, she replaced the HMNZS Tui and HMNZS Monowai as New Zealand’s primary survey and acoustic research vessel and undertook numerous marine survey tasks, including for the Land Information New Zealand agency which is responsible for the nation’s land titles and its topographic and hydrographic information. The HMNZS Resolution was finally decommissioned from Royal New Zealand Navy service in April 2012 and docked at Devonport Naval Base, near Auckland.

Rather than acquire two new vessels, the New Zealand Ministry of Defence has decided to replace its two aging vessels by a single vessel and to “consolidate the individual capabilities within a single Littoral Operations Support Capability (LOSC)”, adding that “the replacement capability will maintain the capability sets delivered by both HMNZS Manawanui and the HMNZS Resolution.”

Although the model of the vessel has not yet been announced, the new LOSC is expected to be able to remain at sea for 200 days a year and to reach a top speed of up to 18 knots (33 kmh). With a target contract delivery set for mid2017, the new RNZN vessel is expected to enter naval service by mid-2018.

l

AsiAn MilitAry review

l

nnn Australia’s Defence Materiel Organisation (DMO) has announced the successful delivery and commissioning of a Cargo Compartment Trainer (CCT) for the Royal Australian Air Force’s (RAAF) Boeing C-17A Globemaster strategic freighter aircraft at the RAAF’s base at Amberley, Queensland.

The DMO’s Chief Executive Officer, Mr Warren King congratulated the DMO team which had undertaken the procurement and said the CCT is a working facsimile of a RAAF C-17A Globemaster’s

interior. “The CCT, which has been delivered ahead of schedule and under budget, consists of a cargo bay, with a functioning loading ramp,” Mr King said.

The CCT can accommodate payloads ranging from 18 pallets of cargo to helicopters and a General Dynamics Land Systems M1A1 Abrams Main Battle Tank. “Importantly it can also be used in training scenarios for specialised roles such as aero medical evacuation and humanitarian relief.”

6,1*$3

RE ± )(% OPEN FOR

: 2 6+ ,5 $ 5( 2

ASIA’S BIGGEST FOR AVIATION’S FINEST

The world of aviation will once again take centre stage at Asia’s largest aerospace and defence event, where we will be welcoming the heads of the commercial aviation community, international government delegations, key political and military leaders, among many others! Attend Singapore Airshow 2014 to forge partnerships and do business in this thriving Asia Pacific region!

GISTRATION NOW!

SINGAPORE AIRSHOW 2014 HIGHLIGHTS 2014 Feature Country: U.S.A. Aviation Training Zone Singapore Airshow Aviation Leadership Summit 2014 Asia Pacific Security Conference 2014 A*STAR Aerospace Technology Leadership Forum 2014 Singapore Aerospace Technology and Engineering Conference (SATEC 2014)

REGISTER NOW FOR SINGAPORE AIRSHOW 2014! www.singaporeairshow.com/registration

Business Forums

SCAN TO BE OUR GUEST

Singapore Airshow

Linkedin group

Singapore Airshow

@SGAirshow

Organised by:

Feature Country:

Official Media Partner:

Supporting Publications:

Held in:

Whatever the mission, wherever, whenever

The world over, ve

the best protec mat and Panhard offer Ac , se fen De s ck Tru hicles from Renault

www.acmat.fr

www.renault-trucks-defense.com

. ted land force mobility

www.panhard.fr