EDR issue 25

Issue N째 25 January / February 2016

2015 no more (Editorial) Gliding bombs UK flight training Remote-control weapon stations Combat helicopters against terrorism

CAN oNe AirCrAft do the work of three?

the A400M – MULti-tASkiNG where it’S Needed MoSt. You asked for an aircraft that could deliver heavy cargoes over considerable distances. You asked for one to land payloads wherever they are needed (and we do mean wherever). You asked for another that could refuel air-to-air. In the A400M we give you all three. It is the only plane to combine these critical capabilities and offers proof that one size can quite literally fit all.

Find out more at airbusds.com/A400M

Contents

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2015 no more - Joseph Roukoz

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EDR Talks with Airbus CEO - EDR Staff

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UK Military Flying Training System David Oliver

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Gliding Havoc - Eric H. Biass

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The Latest in Remote-control Light Weapon Mounts - Paolo Valpolini

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UK Strategic Defence and Security Review 2015 - David Oliver

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Warhead Technology Tunes into Reduced Collateral Damage - Paolo Valpolini

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Combat Helicopters as an Effective Counter-terroristic Asset - John Rize

Publisher: Editor-in-Chief: Editor UK:

Joseph Roukoz Eric H. Biass David Oliver

European Defence Review issue no. 25

European Defence Review (EDR) is published

by European Defence Publishing SAS www.edrmagazine.eu

EDR - January / February 2016

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Editorial

2015 no more 2015 was a very overwhelming year for the world.

Joseph Roukoz

It began and ended with the horrendous terrorist attacks of Paris (January and November), survived other terrorist attacks in Africa (Nigeria, Kenya, etc.), Pakistan, Turkey; looked at a Saudi led coalition attack against Yemen, and has seen negotiations close up between Iran and the West while Syria continued to be the theater of a deadly war between armed groups, among which ISIS and Al Nosra, and the regime, supported by Russia, who intervened in the war and started its own campaign of massive bombing.

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hese events happened a little bit too close in time, and we still lack distance to objectively evaluate the year, but we can say, without diminishing the gravity of the situation, that we are retrospectively living interesting times. The Nation-State as an entity, which was doomed to disappear according to every possible analysis during the past 20 years has never been stronger. Sure, it has to face multiple transnational actors, but we can say that the international fight against ISIS has fossilized the state on 2 levels : First, the international solidarity in the fight against ISIS has put he protection of the State at the center of attention (border control, international cooperation and military intervention). Second, it has solidified a National feeling among the people, going from normal (feeling patriotic, supporting and defending shared values, being proud to be “Paris” or “French”, etc.) to extreme (the success of Nationalist parties in elections, the increasing extremist identity discourse in certain countries, the treatment of migrants and “foreigners”, the unclear debates on double nationalities, etc). Whether it is permanent or temporary, the State has never been more central in discussions.

Going into 2016, I have a particularly vivid thought to all our soldiers that are mobilized on all fronts to defend this very idea of State and Value, freedom and democracy, whether they are in the Middle East or in Africa. We all know that it is impossible to impose a system in countries that did not incorporate it in their political history. This is the lesson Iraq taught the US administration back in 2003. But isn’t it specifically the strength of democracy, and true freedom, to accept differences and help our allies establish centralized nations with functioning institutions in the full respect of a universal law?

I also have a thought to all our civilian victims that have been assassinated savagely by barbarian criminals in the name of a religion whose essence they failed to understand.

I remember vividly ending my 2015 article last year stuck to the television following the Charlie Hebdo terrorist attacks in Paris with a note of optimism, looking at the universal solidarity, based on values that transcended religion and boundaries, and wishing to “establish a constructive and result-oriented strategy to stop the process of dividing our European nation”, because we fight the same enemies, and solutions can only be collective. And I find myself exactly a year later, after having witnessed one of the most difficult years in recent times, wishing the same thing.

It is not really possible to be optimistic looking at the political discourse that in the current situation can only predict a new 2015.

Declarations and decisions communicated in Europe so far are short-sighted, only respond to immediate emotion and can even change radically from a week to another depending on political agendas.

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EDR - January / February 2016

Editorial The refugee crisis (because “crisis” is the word everybody is failing to use) is getting bigger, not because of the increasing number of refugees, but just because we failed to address problems as they are for fear of public opinion, and we have amassed people in camps without any foreseeable strategy. This has contributed to develop delinquency, abandonment, and has set up conditions for radicalization on our own soil. Our politically correct humanism has kept us from investigating well enough on the history or background of the people we welcomed, notably in France and Germany, who recently suffered the consequences of its openness.

Make no mistake, we believe it is a moral duty to help people in distress, but there is a major difference between opening our borders to every unknown possibility and investigate the causes and consequences we are facing. By opening our borders without any longstanding strategy, we neglected the help we could provide to war-torn countries on the longer term to help refugees whose majority wishes to return to their land.

More than 2 years ago, I have underlined the importance of Russia in the Syrian crisis and the need to open-up to Moscow in the fight against terror before things turn bad. Today, we find ourselves forced to negotiate with a powerful Putin, whose intervention in Syria has helped the current government remain in place, and has reshaped the region’s balance of power.

We have also warned of the endless dispute between Saudi Arabia and Iran that makes the situation more explosive in the Middle East, and could potentially affect us on a longer term. Now that we have established that our grand Saudi ally has questionable relations among armed groups fighting in the Middle East, what would our relation with them be? Now that we are opening up to Iran, what will the consequences be on the current conflicts and on our relations with our traditional allies in the region who happen to be the enemies of Teheran?

As usual, our politicians chose to not see the micro signals right until the unfortunate terrorist attack shook Paris to the core last November and dozens of people died on the hand of barbarian terrorists claiming their allegiance to ISIS. Only these dramatic events pushed France to reconsider its strategy in Syria, especially towards Russia.

The usual European hesitation and lack of coherence simply can’t prevail during times of crisis, war and terrorism.

Jeopardizing our security with inconsistent political measures has caused the distress of our citizens and led to the inevitable success of conservative and far-right parties, especially in France with the Front National who ended up loosing regional elections, but had global scores that broke all records.

Every country implied in the conflict should collaborate to find a solution to this conflict that is destroying the links between people in the region, and is weighing on France and Europe. All of Saudi Arabia, Iran, but also Israel, Turkey, Syria and Lebanon, should agree on basic rules to avoid multiplying micro conflicts in the region on which we all know A Word from the Publisher This is a new year for the European Defence Review these countries have a lot of influence. on two accounts. It marks a fresh start with a new If sectarian strife bursts in the region, it would be an interna- editorial team headed by the well known Eric Herbert Biass as Editor in Chief and David Oliver tional disaster with unknown consequences. as UK editor with the support of some of the new It is up to you, European leaders to continue uniting around colleagues, such as Paolo Valpolini and Roy Braycommon values to defend, and act upon this with competence brook to name but a few. and knowledge. Unlike 2015, that happened to be a year full of This new organisation is the policy of EDR that aims present in depth analysis of world geopolitics at all events, 2016 should be the year where Europe is accountable for to times with comprehensive coverage of defence and its citizens, hopefully before it is too late. We have 12 months to security in the air, on the ground and at sea for our readers. evaluate this.

EDR - January / February 2016

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EDR Talks with Airbus CEO

EDR had the privilege to have a brief, but very dense, one-on-one chat with Airbus Military’s new boss, Fernando Alonso.

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“

’ve been in this new position since the first of March after 30 years [spent] in the commercial side of the Airbus business, but I have to say that after eight months, I don’t regret the move even after the big blow caused by the A400M accident”.

Asked about his main objectives for the near future, Alonso explained that regarding the Atlas he had three main milestones.

The first, he explained, was the necessity to restore customer confidence, meet the chiefs of staff of the customer nations and put the At-

EDR - January / February 2016

las back on track. The “lack of trust” following the accident was sharp and while all deliveries ceased for two months work had to continue and were planes rolled out onto the apron until airworthiness was restored.

In the meantime, the engineers managed to reproduce the symptoms that had caused the engines’ fadec to malfunction and correct this enabling the aircraft to be flown to the Bourget Salon.

“We had to restore trust by being totally transparent and share the problems [with the

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customers], apply full transparency and created suitable atmosphere of confidence” insisted Alonso.

The second step, “is to guarantee our ability to produce the plane at a proper rate, which is 17 aircraft this year, which is close to our target, and work towards a rate of 21 to 23 aircraft per year—and at the same time respect all quality gates which is a tremendous progress”.

The third goal, continued Alonso, regards the mission capabilities. While the business of in-flight refuelling of Caracals look rather com-

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promised, “the planes at the end of the year will have more capabilities. The other mission certifications have to be tackled and resolved one after the other”.

This includes paratrooper delivery (currently not simultaneous), gravity dropping, pallet extraction and eventually parachute extraction of a full load of A5 pallets. The self-protection also constitutes a stumbling stone, although these are not inherent to the A400M per se.

Other Areas of Airbus Military programmes were also briefly covered by Alonso – including export prospects for the Typhoon. ,

EDR - January / February 2016

The world meeting of naval technologies for the future

th 25 EDITION

OCTOBER

17th 21st 2016

PARIS LE BOURGET

WWW.EURONAVAL.FR Jocelyn de Virel Sales manager + 33 (0)1 56 59 15 05 jdevirel@euronaval.fr

Julie Boozer Sales assistant + 33 (0)1 56 59 15 06 jboozer@euronaval.fr

Sabrina Jonas Sales contact for Maritime Safety & Security, Motorisation and Propulsion + 33 (0)1 56 59 15 10 - sjonas@euronaval.fr

BAE Systems Hawk T.2 AJT aircraft of No IV(R) Squadron based at RAF Valley began training student fast jet pilots in April 2012.

(Crown Copyright)

UK Military Flying Training System

David Oliver

Fourteen years ago, the UK Ministry of Defence (MoD) began to formulate a programme, known as the UK Military Flying Training System (UK MFTS), designed to provide integrated tri-service training capability that was to be cost effective, coherent and flexible to cater for the future flying training needs of the UK armed forces.

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n November 2006, the Ascent team of VT Group plc, now Babcock International, and Lockheed Martin announced their status as Preferred Bidder to provide military flying training to the Royal Navy (RN), Royal Air Force (RAF) and Army Air Corps (AAC) for the next 25 years.

In June 2008 it secured the Public Private Partnership (PPP) contract that began a combination of infrastructure build-up, aircraft acquisition and modification, and managed competition, aimed at fulfilling a contract that was estimated to be worth more ÂŁ8 billion (â‚Ź10.7 billion) when it was signed.

The UK MFTS mission is to deliver, incrementally, a flying training system for UK military aircrew from ab initio to Operational Conversion Unit (OCU) entry through six streams, Elementary Flying Training (EFT); Basic Trainer (BT); Multi Engine Pilot Training (MEPT);

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Rotary Wing (RT); Rear Crew Training (RC), and Advanced Jet Training (AJT).

Over the last decade the ambitious UKMFTS programme has been subject to changing government policies and serious delays to the original implementation schedule.

Ironically, the AJT programme at RAF Valley was the first element of the programme to go on stream when Ascent was contracted in June 2008 to supply the support package for the 28 BAE Systems Hawk T.2 aircraft that were ordered by a government-directed contract in 2006.

The Hawk T.2 has a glass NVG-compatible cockpit and an updated head-up display (HUD) to use symbols and data used in more current combat aircraft. Other changes include HandsOn-Throttle-And-Stick (HOTAS) controls which are fully representative of front line combat aircraft types, and twin Open Architecture mission computers hosting simulations of a wide range EDR - January / February 2016

A Hawk T.2 AJT parked in front of the Ascent Training Complex at RAF Valley. (David Oliver)

of sensor and weapon systems as well as a full featured IN/GPS navigation system with moving map display. A recent software update, known as Operational Capability 2 provides additional functionality to the T.2 adding simulated radar and sensor capabilities. It allows pilots to train using a virtual Defensive Aid Suite (DAS) and expand the range of simulated weapons to include medium air-to-air missiles and synthetic threats from surface-to-air missiles.

The AJT infrastructure includes a new self contained facility to house the GBTE that comprises two Full Mission Simulators (FMS), six Flight Training Devices (FTD), ten Desk Top Trainers (DTT) and Mission brief/debrief facilities. The FTD is a part task trainer, produced by Lockheed Martin, which houses two re-hosted mission computers from the T.2 aircraft. This system allows the student pilots to practice all of their checks and procedures as well as rehearsing missions in a realistic synthetic environment that covers the majority of UK airspace and airfields.

The two CAE front cockpit FMS utilize a ‘dome’ visual display with fully immersive projection, together with ‘g’ cueing systems to provide realistic training for each student pilot against a multitude of other synthetically generated aircraft. The FMS provide the majority of the training in the student operational scenarios EDR - January / February 2016

using MoD terrain database, including simulation of synthetic radar with RADALT and TCAS, surface-to air-missile threats, and air-to-air missile and decoy systems. While most of the air-to-air combat training is carried out in the aircraft, much of the air-to-ground syllabus is taught and missions rehearsed in the FMS. The one-year AJT course comprises 120 flying hours plus 120 simulator hours including approximately 50 FTD hours. All the student pilots are treated as OCU officers and the ethos behind AJT is to avoid acquiring knowledge or developing skills not required. As part of their advanced training, the students are given secret weapons briefings by the military.

The system makes the Hawk T.2 effectively a flying simulator, allowing the instructor to introduce basic and advanced air-to-air, air-toground, and electronic warfare scenarios both pre-planned and in real time while airborne.

Potential ground threats can be inserted by the instructor via the data-linked system that can be shared by all the aircraft taking part in the sortie and they can be configured as either Red Air or Blue Air aircraft. On-board telemetry and video-recording systems are used as valuable after-action review (AAR) tools.

Air-to-air training is typically carried out in a one thousand feet ‘bubble’ using a whole range of

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MFTS Basic Flying Training at RAF Valley will be carried out by Beechcraft T-6C Texan IIs. (David Oliver)

simulated weapons ranging from beyond visual range (BVR) missiles to an internal cannon. The only training capabilities lacking from the current AJT syllabus are NVG quick-reaction alerts and helicopter interception. One of the students’ final flying sorties of the course includes a FOX 1 air-to-air semi-active radar-guided missile threat plus being retasked to engage a ground target with a Paveway II laser-guided bomb.

All training is provided with ground instruction by Ascent Qualified Instructors (QI) and RAF Qualified Flying Instructors (QFI) in the air and the 28 Hawk T.2 aircraft assigned to No IV(R) Squadron that are maintained in a new hangar on the Ascent complex began to train the first full course for students on 1 April 2012.

The next component of UK MFTS to be delivered was the Rear Crew Training contract to train Royal Navy helicopter observers. The first students to enter the training course at RAF

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Barkston Heath began training in June 2011.

After Initial Flying Training and Elementary Navigation Training on 703 Naval Air Squadron Grob 115E aircraft successful students are posted to RNAS Culdrose, Cornwall to begin a 15-week Basic Flight Training course on the Royal Navy’s new Avenger T.1 aircraft. Four Hawker Beechcraft King Air 350ER aircraft were modified for the observer-training role by Cobham Aviation Services with 360º Telephonics RDR1700A radar and glass cockpit. Designated Avenger T.1, the onboard training system managed by CAE Tactical Mission Training (TMT) software system that includes embedded Blue Ridge synthetic radar on which weather patterns and land or sea contacts can be injected, and well as simulated ESM, datelinks and Doppler.

In October 2014 Ascent Flight Training finally announced the selection of Affinity as the preferred bidder in the Aircraft Service ProvidEDR - January / February 2016

er (ASP) competition for the Fixed Wing programme (FWP) within UKMFTS. This is a key milestone along the route to a major investment decision.

The FWP is intended to replace the elementary, multi-engine and basic flying training that is currently delivered on aging platforms with a new fully integrated solution that provides stateof-the-art training aircraft, ground based training devices and courseware all derived from the holistic training design developed by Ascent.

The FWP is intending to deliver Elementary Flying Training at RAF Barkston Heath and RAF Cranwell on the 23 Grob 120TPs, Multi-Engine Training at RAF Cranwell on five Embraer Phenom 100s, and Basic Flying Training at RAF Valley on 10 Beechcraft T-6C Texan IIs. The FWP includes the provision of the instruction, infrastructure and full life support through to the contract end date for UK MFTS in May 2033.

Equipped with the Martin Baker Mk 15B ejection seat and powered by the Rolls-Royce RM250-B17F turbine, the G 120TP is the only

side-by-side military training aircraft with a glass cockpit, an optional HOTAS, and certified with full aerobatic certification. The type will replace more than 100 Babcock-contracted Grob 115s.

To date there are no military training variants of the Phenom 100 light business jet, but they will replace the eight SERCO-contracted MEFT King Air B200 aircraft. SERCO’s contract has already been extended, but with Airbus training RAF A330 MRTT Voyager and A400M Atlas aircrews, its long-term future may be in doubt. The MEFT could be utilized to train the dwindling number of RAF navigators required, although this role could be taken over by the Avenger T.1s at RNAS Culdrose. The Beechcraft T-6C Texan IIs will begin to replace 40 Tucano T.1s based at RAF Linton-on-Ouse from 2018.

The last element of the UKMFTS programme is the Rotary Wing element.

Currently rotary-wing training for all three UK armed services has been carried out since October 1996, when the MoD awarded a 15-year contract with FBS, a company formed between

The Grob 120TP has been selected for the RAF Elementary Flight Training element of MFTS. (Grob)

EDR - January / February 2016

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Embraer’s light business jet, the Phenom 100 will provide multi-engine training the RAF from 2018. (Embraer)

Flight Refuelling Aviation, Bristow Helicopters Ltd and SERCO that included the provision of the 35 Squirrel and Griffin helicopters for the Defence Helicopter Flying School (DHFS) at RAF Shawbury.

The Squirrel HT.1, a Eurocopter AS 350BB, used by the DHFS for Single Engine Basic Rotary Wing (SEBRW) training with No 660 Squadron and Single Engine Advanced Rotary Wing (SEARW) training with No 705 Naval Air Squadron (NAS). The Griffin HT.1, a military training variant of the Bell 412EP, is used as an advanced flying-training helicopter at the

DHFS, and until 2015 following the retirement of the RAF Sea King SAR fleet, the Search and Rescue Training Unit (SARTU) at RAF Valley.

There are eleven aircraft in service are also used for rear crewman training, an important and integral part of multi-crew operations.

FB Heliservices also operates a Level D Bell 412 full motion simulator for the DHFS, which is also available for use by other civil and military customers when not contracted to the School.

Capable of being flown single pilot, the aircraft can be fitted with a rescue winch, flotation gear and a cargo hook.

Airbus Helicopters are bidding for the Rotary-Wing element of MFTS with the EC135. (Airbus Helicopters)

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EDR - January / February 2016

The Rotary Wing element of UK MFTS is even more confused. While the DHFS intake remains healthy, with more than 100 students currently at RAF Shawbury, future requirement for the AAC helicopter aircrew may be reduced, RAF and RN may remain the same.

While a new rotary-wing MFTS solution has been delayed by at least five years the Mod announced in March 2012 that it awarded FB Heliservices a £193 million four-year contract plus two possible one year extensions to continue to provide helicopter flying training at RAF Shawbury, RAF Valley and AAC Middle Wallop, together with support services, using the existing Squirrel HT.1 and Griffon HT.1 fleets.

Ascent Flight Training’s response was that it understood that the UK MFTS programme has been carefully considered by the government’s Investment Appraisal Committee which, in light of pressures on public spending, concluded that capital investment into the rotary wing element of the programme could be safely deferred for some years.

In April 2015 Ascent eventually achieved approval for the Rotary Wing business case and proceeded to the assessment phase. Ascent re-

leased the Request For Proposal (RfP) to Industry and is currently engaged with bidders and working towards a preferred solution next year.

Ascent received three responses from industry regarding the RfP issued for the role of Aircraft Service Provider (ASP) within the Rotary Wing element of the UK Military Flying Training System. The bidders are Airbus Helicopter s with the EC135 and EC145, Cobham with an AgustaWestland type, possibly the AW109, and Elbit with Bell helicopters, probably the Bell 407. The contract award is expected in early 2016 and commencement of delivery of training to ab-initio students in 2018.

Although this is one more piece in the UK MFTS jigsaw, the programme is a long way off its original target. Conceived more than a decade ago, UK military flying training budgets and requirements were changed with government’s 2010 and 2015 Strategic Defence and Security Review (SDSR) that initially slashed the number of RAF squadrons prior the UK’s withdrawal from operations in Afghanistan, followed by an increase in RAF squadrons following the threat from ISIL and other terrorist , organisations.

Squirrel HT.1 helicopters of the Defence Helicopter Flying School at RAF Shawbury. (David Oliver)

EDR - January / February 2016

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A Twazun Dynamics-Denel Al Tariq carried by a South African Air Force Hawk shortly before its release over the Bredasdorp test range near Cape Town. (Eric H. Biass)

Gliding Havoc

Eric Biass

Strictly speaking a glide bomb is exactly what those two words imply: a bomb that has the faculty of gliding with a view of extending its range from its launcher aircraft in order to avoid the latter from flying into harm’s way. This at least was the original intention. A noteworthy point is that the glide bomb is typical of the weapons used against Isis in Al-Raqqah.

The term “glide bomb” has been around for quite a while, but also often misused to describe radio commanded devices developed during the Second World War like the Henschel HS293, which is powered and de facto makes it a remote-command missile (at least in modern parlance, because the original Latin word missile more simply refers to any object, typically a stone, thrown with the intention of scoring a hit – and there is no reference to neither propulsion or guidance in this particular instance).

Unlike many unpowered and rather sophisticated weapons erroneously referred to as “glide bombs”, the genuine glide bomb really is what is described in the opening paragraph. It also is intended to be a cheap weapon, ideally a stock bomb to which wings are bolted to enable it to fly rather than drop vertically. However, as rang-

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es increased as a direct consequence of higher launch heights, speeds and aerofoil sophistication, the need for a measure of autonomous guidance rapidly made itself felt, way before the notion of collateral damage crossed the path of the current way of planning wars. Guidance first became a necessity when ranges precluded any sort of ballistic trajectory predictability over such stretched distances. Indeed, some of the current glide bombs are able to reach targets at ranges of about 100 kilometres.

Layout As said above, the principle of the glide bomb is to use a standard iron bomb on which one bolts a number of gliding elements, but as some of the photos herewith show, there are basically two ways of doing this, particularly when it comes to EDR - January / February 2016

The 2,000-pound Mk 84-based Raytheon Paveway III (here a specimen representative of those used by the French Air Force in its missions against Daesh in the Raqqa region) adopts a fixed head – as opposed to the gimballed ones carrying a circular steering aerofoil – offering proportional guidance to the cruciform canard fins mounted directly behind it. (Eric H. Biass)

the moving surfaces required to steer the bomb so that it remains on the required trajectory.

Control surfaces can be mounted in the nose section to operate a la canard, or in a more conventional manner in the tail unit. The latter solution is generally retained for the larger and heavier types but requires, as some of the pictures herewith reveal, the use of strakes running along the bomb body to connect the nose sensor unit to the rear moving surfaces. Oddly enough, the former is the configuration used by what is probably the veteran of the modern-age glide bomb, the laser-spot-homing Paveway originally developed

by Texas Instruments and used by the US Air Force as of the late 1960s in Vietnam. Known to the forces as the GBU-1 (GBU for guided bomb unit), the Paveway (later and retroactively dubbed Paveway 1) looked pretty crude as it was based on the somewhat fattish and aerodynamic-ignorant 750-pound M117. But the intention

at the time was to improve the accuracy of the bomb. The Paveway, manufacture and development of which was then taken over by Raytheon and Lockheed Martin (partly), was followed by innumerable types and variations, notably based on the Mk 84 and Mk 82 bombs of respectively 2,000 and 500 pounds.

The Europeans came up with their bomb kit called the PGM, for precision guided munition. The very early designs were revealed by GEC Marconi, which became Alenia Marconi to eventually merge into what is today known as MBDA. In 500-pound bomb guise, the BGM has a tidy outline as the front and rear kits are of sufficiently large diameter to cleanly merge into the bomb case. The 2,000 pounder on the other hand clearly shows its original bomb outline core. However, only the smaller type was built and sold to the United Arab Emirates air force (it was the only non-American weapon of

The name behind this kit designed by MBDA is self-explanatory.

The Diamond Back kit here seen with its wings deployed can be affixed to virtually any guided bomb for the sole benefit of dramatically extending their gliding properties. (MBDA)

EDR - January / February 2016

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The Raptor, retroactively dubbed Raptor 1 when a Raptor 2 came into planning, was an early example of a gliding bomb. It initially was radio-control but then had a television contrast seeker. According to South African Air Force pilots met by the author, it was sensitive to sun glare and had limited use when the sun was low above the horizon. The Raptor 2 never seems to have gone beyond drawing board stage. (Eric H. Biass)

its kind at the time) as the Hakim to equip its Mirage 2000-9s.

Later, when higher accuracy technology became available, longer range weapons became available, but this time by adopting wing kits strapped roughly above the centre of gravity of the bomb to provide the additional lift that even the larger pop-out cruciform tail units of the later Paveways could not offer. The ultimate solution came with foldable wing kits enabling the wings to flip open into their flight configuration once the bomb has cleared a safe distance of the aircraft. The example that springs to mind here is the MBDA Diamond Back design, which can be strapped onto existing Paveway type bombs readily equipped with a guidance kit on the nose and rear-mounted cruciform control surfaces,

A Diamond Back-equipped Boeing SDB small diameter bomb is here seen a split second before striking its target. The Diamond Back is also used in conjunction with the Jdam, which then becomes the Jdam-ER. (Boeing)

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t h e Diamond B a c k m e r e l y providing the extra lift to stretch their range by a factor of 20.

However, well before the advent of the strapped diamond kit, those who seemed to have pioneered the modern-era glide-bomb technique are probably Denel’s Kentron division with the Raptor, the development of which began in the 1970s and entered service with the South African Air Force Mirage F1s during its war against Angola. Unlike the Diamond Back, the Raptor flied with its folding wings unit bolted in belly mount fashion and the small propeller in the tail unit was used to power the bombs electronics to make it totally independent of the launch aircraft in terms of power requirements. The Diamond-back kitted bombs roll over after wing deployment.

A Raptor II was devised to incorporate a couple of side-by-side rockets mounted beneath the wing unit, but was probably never fully developed. Denel instead developed the Umbani and unveiled it at the Africa and Aerospace Defence exhibition in 2004. It had its maiden launch from a Hawk in 2011 and is based on a Mk82 bomb. It is announced with a range of some 40 kilometres. In spite of artwork showing it being launched by a South African Air Force Gripen, this is not likely to happen in a near future due to the high investments the certification for use from a supersonic aircraft would involve. This may change, however with the certification of the Al Tariq developed with Tawazun Dynamics.

It must be noted, nevertheless that the South African Air Force has acquired Paveway IVs for use from its Gripens.

The underslung wing kit mount configuration was also adopted by Rafael to further extend the range of its existing Spice series of glide bombs.

EDR - January / February 2016

When extreme ranges are not required the Boeing GPS-guided Jdam kit is probably a good proposition at roughly $20,000 a throw, which is roughly a fifth of its laser-guided counterparts. It typically has a maximum high launch range of 30 kilometres and a typical accuracy of about 10 metres. When target coordinates are transferred to the kit, the bomb is ready for release. (Eric H. Biass)

Some devices are even simpler when no nose sensor is required as when a simple GPS and or inertial measuring unit are used. Here only a tail unit with moving fins suffice as exemplified by the Boeing Jdam originally developed by McDonnell Douglas and used in Kosovo in the very late 1990s. It has since been exported to 26 countries. Good ideas are often adopted by others, especially when they are simple and this appears to be the case with the Turkish HGK developed by Tubitak Sage. This kit actually reproduces the same Jdam blade side strakes used as aerodynamic stabilisers. According to the manufacturer, this Mk-82 bomb rider provides a circular error probable of 10 metres with inertial The Al Tariq in full limelight on the Twazun stand at the entrance hall of the Dubai Air Show in November 2015. (Eric H. Biass)

EDR - January / February 2016

navigation only, but only six with GPS activated.

Range is said to be around 30 kilometres when released from a high altitude. The Jdam, for its part, straps onto the 2,000-pound Mk84 and the 1,000-pound Mk3.

Propulsion For a variety of reasons, it was felt necessary to fit a number of such glide bombs with a rocket booster. More than to extend the range of those weapons, which as we have seen can reach 100 kilometres when launched from high altitudes, boosters enable those glide bombs to be launched either by lighter jet-powered aircraft (even aircraft originally intended as trainers) or from lower altitudes and enable the bomb to take a steep climb before taking, for example a near-vertical dive attack profile to minimise collateral damage. This however commands a very high degree of precision, not only on the part of the seeker, but also the aerodynamic controls to promptly react to the very last correction inputs from the seeker. Metric precisions are now achieved by weapons like the Sagem AASM in this steep dive attack mode.

The Denel Umbani was initially offered with a booster option, however Denel was not able to

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Rafael has developed the Spice 1000 kit which bolts on a Mk83. Equipped with flip-out belly-mounted wings, it offers a range of up to 60 kilometres. Equipped with a dual CCD and imaging infrared guidance for terminal acquisition (it otherwise relies on inertial and GPS) it uses scene-matching to recognise its target.

Rafael gives it a circular error probable of three metres. (Eric H. Biass)

confirm whether this has been proceeded with.

It would seem unlikely given the precedence taken by the Al Tariq developed with Tawazun.

Mention was made of the MBDA PGM and its use by the United Arab Emirates air force Mirage 2000-9 and the probable reason behind its adoption. There is nothing like denying a nation the use of a weapon to encourage that nation to develop its own version and improve it. The Emirian State, together with its Tawazun Dynamics and South Africa’s Denel came up with the AL Tariq in two versions – one that is more conventional like a Paveway, and another sporting dorsal flip wings for increase range (see title picture). As a matter of fact, the Al Tariq is pretty much an industrialised version of the Umbani.

The simpler of the two was demonstrated with astonishing accuracy during a meeting in South Africa in April 2015, launched from a South African Air Force Hawk aircraft.

Seekers Self-guidance (as opposed to active remote piloting through a joystick) can be achieved through a variety of methods. A most popular one is laser, in which the weapon’s nose sensor will look for a laser spot (typically in the near-infrared spectrum) on the ground and dive for it. Both lasers and laser seekers have made tremendous progress in recent years, especially to beat bad weather (but only up to a certain point), but the laser guidance technique has the drawback of requiring a permanent “illumination” of the target by a target designation pod carried by the

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launch aircraft or another one (which can be a drone, by the way), or by a laser illuminator operated by a soldier on the ground.

Television, or contrast seekers, is another method, and probably was one of the first to be used. The pilot or co-pilot stirs the camera onto the target point, which after lock-on the missile follows through contrast recognition (and later pixel following). This method however has its limitations particularly in bad, low-contrast weather conditions of course, but also in bright sunshine conditions when the reflected glare from the surface – typically a lake or a river – can blind the camera, with dramatic consequences if the target is a bridge for example.

Yet another solution combines charge-coupled device day cameras with imaging infra-

Based on the Mk 84 bomb, the Denel Umbani was unveiled in 2004 and has served as a basis for the development of the Al Tariq. (Eric H. Biass) EDR - January / February 2016

Two of the three AASM variants are seen here, the laser-seeking type in the foreground, and the inertial-GPS only behind it (the weapon behind it is a Paveway II).

The third AASM variant is the imaging infrared sensor variation which resembles the laser type with its nose window. (Eric H. Biass)

red sensors, a higher performance seeking device that allows the bomb to dive onto a target, image of which is stored in its memory. This type of seeker, teamed with an inertial and satellite navigation receiver is used by the Rafael Spice 1000.

Inertial guidance provided by inertial measurement units is very often employed in many weapon systems, due to their relative low cost, but are seldom sufficient to provide pin-point accuracy. This is where GPS, when this brilliant satellite navigation system was brought to life in 1995, comes to the rescue. Once the problems of signal pick-up delay were resolved, global positioning system became a sine qua non in a num-

ber of military fields, including modest weapons like guided bombs.

Satellite navigation systems (there also is the Glonass and the Europeans will soon have their own under the name of Galileo) are also used in laser-based guidance systems to take over guidance duty from the laser system should the link be disrupted. In this case the system is called a dual-mode laser seeker, as used in the Paveway IV for example.

It thus comes to no surprise to see that, as exemplified by the French AASM, a number of guided bomb kits currently are offered with the three options to meet the challenges of the , moment.

China also has its version of a GPS-only flip-out wing glide bomb in the form of the 1,000 pounder LS-6 from Catic. Maximum range is not given by the manufacturer, but it is said to have a circle error probable of 13 metres.

EDR - January / February 2016

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Kongsberg is the world leader in remote-control remote stations. A Protector Nordig is here seen installed on top the turret of a Norwegian Army CV90 infantry fighting vehicle. (Kongsberg)

The Latest in Remote-control Light Weapon Mounts Manning a pintle-mounted machine gun in a sniper-infested area has never been a healthy job. When in the early-mid 1990s losses started to increase in Sarajevo due to accurate firing from well hidden sharpshooters and snipers, the need for remotely controlled weapon stations (RCWS) allowing to observe, aim and fire without exposing the shooter became increasingly important.

Paolo Valpolini, inputs from Eric H. Biass

S

ince the Yugoslav war era, the number of companies that developed remote-control stations has steadily augmented, especially with the surge in armoured patrol vehicles production during the Iraq and Afghanistan wars, which opened a fresh demand.

Agains all odds, the leader in this field is not American, but a European company known as Kongsberg. Its Protector has become the most widely used remote-control station of its kind, particularly after the Norwegian company won the bid related to the US Army Strykers and later the even more lucrative Crows (Common Remotely Operated Weapon Station) framework contract. Put together those contracts account for over 14,000 pieces. The United States aside, 16 other nations use the Protector in various configurations. Recent successes include a follow-on order from Australian Supacat Pty; as the company puts it, this is “the first time Protector RWS will be integrated on an open vehicle�, meaning

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the vehicles acquired under the JP2097 Ph 1B (Redfin) programme. These are derivatives of Supacat’s HMT Extenda in the 6x6 configuration aimed at Australian Army Special Forces units and that Supacat is currently delivering.

From light to heavy, the Protector has recently been selected to equip the British Army Ajax( known as the Scout SV until last September). The Protector will be the main effector of the Protected Mobility Reconnaissance Support (PMRS) which will be produced in four sub-variants, the Ares armoured personnel carrier and formation reconnaissance overwatch, the Athena command and control vehicle, and the Argus engineer reconnaissance vehicle. Recovery and repair vehicles will be based on the PMRS chassis and named respectively Atlas and Apollo. The Protector will also be used on the turreted variant of the vehicle, the Ajax itself, which will be produced in reconnaissance and strike, joint fire control and ground based surveillance EDR - January / February 2016

RCWS are more and more used in the turret-on-turret configuration; here a US Army M1A1 Abrams is fitted with a Kongsberg Crows following an SEP V2 upgrade.

(Kongsberg)

variants; here the remotely controlled system will also serve as back-up sight in place of the turret main sight should this fail. The Protector is also installed in a turret-on-turret configuration on numerous American Abrams tanks as part of an upgrade and as a standard mount on the latest versions of the Norwegian CV90 infantry fighting vehicle.

By now, the Kongsberg’s Protectors are network-enabled, which gives them the ability to be integrated into the platform’s communications infrastructure. Operationally, this communication gives access to high accuracy functions like slew to cue, full hunter/killer capability via a commander’s independent sight or independent weapon station, cross-platform target engagements, simultaneous target engagements, full communication with a platform’s battle management system and so forth. To ensure that its Protector will maintain that capability Konsberg actively participates in the Military Vetronics Association (MILVA), an association of government agencies and industries promoting vetronics in the military environment. The association has coordinated the development of STANAG 4754 – Nato Generic Vehicle Architecture (NGVA) under the direction and approval of Nato Land Group 2. STANAG 4754 aims at standardizing the interfaces and protocols for the design and integration of multiple sub-systems within a military vehicle.

EDR - January / February 2016

The Protector Medium Weight RWS product line encompasses well-known variants such as M151 Protector and the M153 Protector Crows which are the core of Kongsberg’s medium weight systems, all compatible with up to 12.7 mm machine guns or 40 mm automatic grenade launchers. New variants such as the Protector Nordic and Protector Dual RWS have been added to the product line during the past two years.

The Protector Dual includes the capability of adding a co-axial machine gun in addition to the main weapon and includes a dual user capability. The Nordic is currently considered the highest standard available, Kongsberg having developed a variant that offered as a replacement for the M151 currently installed on the Strykers (although the company will not expand on this topic). For vehicles unable to withstand the weight of the Protector Medium Kongsberg developed the Protector Lite and Super Lite, both capable to host a 7.62 mm machine gun and respectively weighing 74 and 30 kg sans gun and ammo against the 172 kg of the Crows or the 189 kg of the Protector Dual adopted by Canada.

France In France Renault Trucks Defence is working on a new family of remotely controlled weapon stations (RCWS), leveraging the experience acquired in the recent past with its WASP, the 7.62 mm RCWS installed on the French Army

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The RTD Wasp here mounted on a VBL. The company will use experience garnered by Panhard to develop the new system for the French Army Scorpion programme.

(RTD)

PVPs, as well as in the design of the HORNET, a 12.7 mm RCWS which remained at prototype status. The family will include three members, two of them being dedicated to the Griffon 6x6 multi-role armoured vehicle the T1, which will be able to carry a 12.7 mm machine gun or a 40 mm automatic grenade launcher, and the T2, which will be armed with a 7.62 mm machine gun.

These also be will be adopted on other French Army platforms, the T2 being aimed also at the Leclerc upgrading programme, where the T2 will be installed in a turret-on-turret configuration.

The third RCWS being developed is aimed at the Jaguar 6x6 armoured reconnaissance vehicle, and will be armed with a 7.62 mm machine gun.

According to information available the RCWSs will be fully stabilised and their optronic suite will have an independent elevation to allow surveillance without aiming the weapon in a threatening stance in asymmetric operations. No weight of the systems has yet been unveiled, and prototypes being awaited around mid-2017.

Belgium and Germany Nothing much in terms of new items have emerged from both countries. FN Herstal is proposing its deFNder turrets, namely the deFNder Light that can be fitted with the Minimi machine gun both in its 5.56 and 7.62 mm calibre

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forms, and the FN MAG in 7.62 mm. With the latter weapon and 250 rounds above-deck components of this station weighs less than 85 kg to which about 20 kg of below-deck equipment have to be added. The key feature is the +80° elevation, a useful feature for urban canyons engagements, while the –60° helps handling lower position targets as encountered in mountainous areas. The deFNder Medium, which can host up to 12.7 mm machine guns and 40 mm AGLs, maintains the high elevation and depression angles (+73°/-42°, depending on weapon type) and weighs 120 kg, excluding weapon and ammunition. Both can be fitted with different optronic

The deFNder Medium, here armed with a 12.7 mm machine gun, features a very wide elevation arc that allows to deal with targets in urban and mountainous envioronments. (FNH) EDR - January / February 2016

The merging between KMW and Nexter will allow the latter to propose its vehicles with the FLW200, combat proven with Bundeswehr. (KMW)

suites, with CCD day camera and either cooled or uncooled thermal camera, laser rangefinder, two-axis gyroscopic stabilisation and add-on ballistic protection up to Level 1 for the Light and Level 2 for the Medium. No comments from the company about customers.

Krauss-Maffei Wegmann has three stations in its portfolio, the FLW 100, the FLW 200 and the FLW 200Plus. The first two can host respectively up to a 7.62 mm or a 12.7 mm machine gun, the 200 also accepting a 40 mm AGL, with bare weights respectively of 75 and 135 kg. Although very similar to the FLW 200, the 200Plus is in fact a medium platform as it can cradle a 20 mm cannon. While not much new has happened in recent times on the technical or commercial front, a major event affecting the company is its merger with Nexter of France. KMW will thus bring to the new (but yet to be named) group’s portfolio a light remote-control station technology that will enable it to propose in-house solutions without having to turn to subcontractors.

As for Dynamit Nobel Defence, the other German player in the field, its portfolio includes the Fewas 80 and Fewas 120, respectively for 7.62 and 12.7 mm machine guns. The latter is however also able to be fitted with the company’s rocket launchers for use either against arEDR - January / February 2016

moured vehicles or infrastructures, depending on the warheads.

Italy Oto Melara has centred all its efforts on the Hitrole Light after the comparatively limited success scored with the Hitrole installed on Puma 6x6s (land version) and on more numerous light vessels (naval version). The first contract for the Hitrole Light emanated from the Italian MoD and involved 81 units to be installed on the Iveco DV LMV 4x4, known as the Lince in Italy. The first such equipped vehicles were deployed to Afghanistan in 2012 with the Hitroles using a self-supporting frame affixed to an added overhead bar.

Oto Melara obtained an extension contract for a further 20 Hitrole Lights, followed again by a further batch of 80 - all installed this time on Lince 1A vehicles featuring a new roof capable to withstand the turret’s weight. The company is currently working on slight modification in order to increase its robustness, modification dictated by lessons learned from Afghanistan. Including weapon, but exluding ammunition, the Hitrole Light weighs of some 170 kg.

Oto Melara has also received an order for 40 Hitrole Lights as part of the route clearance patrol package for the army engineers, each pack-

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A Dynamit Nobel Defence FeWas 120 installed on top a VBL; the German company also developed a version that adds rocket launchers to the machine gun (DND)

age consisting of five MMVs (Medium Multirole Vehicle - an 18-tonnes 4x4 developed by Iveco DV with Krauss Maffei) known as Orso to the Italian Army. A further contract for 12-plus-eight came for the mortar carrier version of the Freccia 8x8 and the the company is currently proposing the Hitrole Light for the Command Post version of that 8x8, as well as for the upgraded version of the Lince, the Lince 2. The La Spezia-based company also has designed a version for non-Nato weapons, therefore with right-side loading.

Turkey Aselsan of Turkey has developed numerous remote control platforms for naval and land applications. The Sarp is primarily designed for land vehicles and can be fitted with 7.62mm or 12.7mm machine guns, or with 40mm automatic grenade launcher. The Sarp-NSV’s architecture allows to cradle a left-

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fed machine gun of Russian origin, while a Sarp-Dual can be fitted with two different guns firing coaxially.

Sans weapon and ammunition the standard Sarp tips the scales at 215 kg, of which 50 are under armour.

In August 2015 Aselsan signed a contract with Kazakhstan Aselsan Engineering (49% owned by the Turkish company) to locally produce the station for the Kazak Army vehicles. A heavier system, the Stamp has been mostly sold for naval applications but is suitable for land warfare. Its latest iteration is the Stamp-G, where G stands for Gatling, as it can cope with a General Dynamics 12.7 mm GAU-19A Gatling machine gun.

Aselsan includes in its portfolio a version of its Sarp designed to host East-European machine guns such as the Soviet-era NSV. (Aselsan)

For the time being Oto Melara’s Hitrole Light has not obtained an export contract; it is combat proven with the Italian Army in Afghanistan.

(EDR/P. Valpolini)

The other Turkish champion in the lightmedium RCWS field is Otokar, whose catalogue includes the Basok 7.62 mm, and the Keskin and Ucok, the latter two accommodating machine guns of up to 12.7mm, or 40 mm AGLs. Israel Rafael offers two stations, the Samson Junior and the Samson Mini, the former accepting machine guns of up to 7.62 mm calibre, while the latter can host a 14.5 mm machine gun or a 40 mm automatic grenade launcher. To accept left- and right-

hand fed machine guns the magazine is located under the weapon, which makes both sides free to accommodate the sensor package and a further package. Optronics are located on the left in a stabilised gimbal, the latest version of the Mini, known as Samson Mini MLS (Missile Launcher System) having an improved suite to cope with the performances of the Spike Long Range antitank missile. These include a laser rangefinder, an advanced fire control system, and a moving target tracking system. The Dual Remote Weapon Station, as it is also referred to, also features electrical remote cocking, round counting and pre-defined fire-inhibit zone, and can be operated both by the gunner and the commander. The missile pods are stacked on the right of the turret and have an elevation arc of –5°/+45° against the –20°/+50° of the automatic weapon. Overall, the Samson Mini MLS weighs some 440 kg and can be fitted with up to eight smoke grenade launchers and a magazine hosting a greater number of rounds (the standard is 150 12.7 mm rounds) if the vehicle can withstand the weight. At the lower end of the spectrum Rafael proposes its Samson Junior, which depending on the weapons calibre has a combat weight between 75 and 100 kg. Fully stabilised, it can house 600 5.56 mm rounds or 400 7.62 mm rounds.

Still in Israel Elbit Systems proposes three types, one light and one medium, plus a dual platform bearing a an automatic grenade

Rafael has integrated its Spike anti-tank missile into its Samson Mini, making it one of the most powerful such systems in the medium category. (Rafael)

EDR - January / February 2016

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Israel Military Industries Wave 300 has been specifically designed for those customers who still use weapons of Soviet origin, which are fed from the right. (IMI)

launcher and a 7.62 mm machine gun as secondary weapon.

The other Israeli actor in the light platform field is Israel Military Industries, which is close to privatisation. Its portfolio includes the Wave 200, 300 and 400, with the 200 and 300 having the ammunition feed on opposite sides to allow them to be armed with Western-type weapons in the case of the 200 or Eastern-types weapons for the 300.

East Yugoimport had the M09 able to accommodate an NSV 12.7x108 mm machine gun. The Serbian company has however developed a new system, the M15, which maintains the same weapon at its core fit but incoporates much improved electronics and optronics. The first major change is the elevation range, which is increased from –4°/+35° to –7°/+60°, a welcome improvement when operating in urban areas. Traverse and elevation are electrically driven at respective angular rates of 50º/s and 37º/s, though a manual backup is available. The day sight channel is fitted with a CCD TV Camera with a x26 optical magnification zoom (the M09 had a x4 zoom) that provides a horizontal field of view between 47° and 1.7°, but a x12 digital zoom is available. A high-resolution wide-angle CCD camera allows observation, but is fitted with a x10 magnification. As for night vision a long-wave uncooled infrared camera with a 4.6°x3.7° field of view is fitted in the sensors box. The M15 laser rangefinder has a 6 km range, three times that of the M09.

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The new sensor suite enables it to be used as a commanders’ panoramic sight when used in a turret-on-turret configuration, allowing hunter-killer mode. As the machine gun used is right-fed, the ammunition box housing 180 rounds is located on the right side of the cradle, the optronic pod being on the left. Man-machine interface is provided by a tablet PC with a display of at least 7 inches, with Integrated WLAN 802.11a/b/g and Bluetooth communications.

The fire control software provides automatic reticule generation and overlay, ballistic calculation for up to four different weapon systems, laser range selection, manual range input, sighting procedure recording, mean point of impact correction, lead angle calculation, and can receive meteo data input from available sensors.

According to Yugoimport the M15 fitted with the NSV machine gun has a maximum firing range of 1.5 km against aerial targets and two km against ground targets. Overall weight, without

Yugoimport has considerably improved its formed M09, developing the new M15 which among other changing has a much wider elevation arc.

(Yugoimport) EDR - January / February 2016

ammunition, is of 312 kg. The M15 is 1,656 mm long, 1,020 mm wide and 771 mm high.

One of Ukraine’s latest developments is the Sarmat, developed by State Kyev Design Bureau Luch. A 420 kg unit armed with a 12.7 mm machine gun and two RK-3 antitank missiles, it has a 2.5 km range and a tandem hollow charge war-

P

A Talon From America

aradigm SRP has recently developed a remote weapon station that somewhat differs from all the others depicted in this article in that it adds a genuine marksman facility. In spite of its recent introduction, the Talon, as it is known, has already scored a sale in the Middle East and is due for delivery during the first quarter of 2016.

EDR - January / February 2016

head ensuring over 550 mm penetration behind explosive reactive armour.

Eurosatory 2016 will certainly see the unveiling of some new light and medium RCWS and will allow us to understand how much this market is still vital, following the end of operations , in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Thanks to a rather phenomenal stabilization that irons out its carrier platform motion – whether an aircraft or ground vehicle – down to one minute of angle, the device enables a sharpshooter to take an extremely accurate aim on the run. Known as the Talon, this rock-stable station can remain on target in spite of vehicle movements. The platform accommodates most rifles and scopes up to a 300 Win Mag, but requires a weapon fitted with a bottom-mounted Picatiny rail in the six o’clock position.

The other advantage offered by the Talon is that it is de facto isolated from the shooter’s body-induced movements. The hand-held control unit uses a high definition display fed by the systems two cameras – one with a wide angle lens for general search and the other fitted with a scope for actual target identification an elimination (in fact, both switchable views can be had on screen, a la Windows). The scope camera is mounted directly behind the original optic, either by using the unit’s Picatiny mount, or directly onto the scope.

The hand-controller comes with two joysticks to readily suit left- and right-handers alike and controls can be tuned to match the shooters requirements in terms of motion (linear, exponential and even drift mode by virtue of which it enables the Talon to drift to track target).

The Talon has a slew rate of 60°/sec, carries two 2 x 720p HD cameras (switchable scope and wide angle), an eye-safe, undetectable 1550nm laser rangefinder, weighs 30kg sans weapon, is 37cm long, 30cm wide and 75.5 tall (plus 20cm adjustable extension).

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UK Strategic Defence and Security Review 2015 David Oliver

Recently RAF Typhoons have been regularly deployed to shadow Russian ‘Bears’ close to UK airspace. (Crown Copyright)

The UK government’s Strategic Defence and Security Review (SDSR) 2015 is an attempt to address the new world order, and the shortcomings of the 2010 SDSR. That was published by the then coalition government prior to the drawdown of UK armed forces operating with ISAF in Afghanistan. Since then, there has been the growing threat of ISIL throughout the Middle East and ISIL-inspired terrorism in Europe and beyond.

A

t the same time Russia is mid-way through a programme of major investment to modernise and upgrade its military, including its nuclear forces. It has also threatened to base nuclear forces in Kaliningrad and Crimea. Its military activity close to UK airspace and territorial waters, is designed to test the UK’s responses. Russia’s behaviour will continue to be hard to predict, and, though highly unlikely, the UK cannot rule out the possibility that it may feel tempted to act aggressively against NATO Allies.

SDSR 2015 committed the UK to meet the NATO target of spending 2% of its GDP on defence and the UN target of spending 0.7% of its GNI on development, while also increasing investment in security and intelligence agencies, counter-terrorism and cyber security. More than

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1,900 additional security and intelligence staff will be recruited and trained across the agencies.

However, the review has left a large number of open-ended funding decisions regarding major programmes including the F-35 procurement and the nuclear-armed submarine fleet replacement.

The UK’s commitment to collective defence and security through NATO and its collective response to the challenges posed by Russia remains strong. With NATO Allies the UK has made the Very High Readiness Joint Task Force, a reality and our contributions to the NATO Air Policing Mission in the Baltics will remain important to deter threats. Defence links with all NATO and EU partners will be strengthened and the UK is working closely on the new NATO Very High Readiness Joint Task Force. The Joint EDR - January / February 2016

The New Royal Navy Queen Elizabeth-Class carrier will be equipped with RAF F-35B Lighting II aircraft.

(Royal Navy)

Expeditionary Force is a UK-led collaboration involving Norway, the Netherlands, Denmark, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania.

The UK will continue to defend the Falkland Islands which face an unjustified claim of ownership from Argentina. Although the risk of a military attack is judged to be low, the UK will retain a deterrence posture, with sufficient military forces in the region, including Royal Navy warships, Army units and RAF Typhoon aircraft.

It will invest up to £300 million over the next 10 years to enhance operational communications, renew the existing air defence system and upgrade infrastructure.

The UK will spend £178 billion over the next decade on equipment and equipment support for the Armed Forces. This will include the development of a new Joint Force 2025 of around 50,000 troops which will increase its Armed Forces’ ability to work with the rest of government and internationally. It swill comprise a maritime task group centred on a Queen Elizabeth-Class aircraft carrier with F-35 Lightning combat aircraft, land division with three brigades including a new Strike Force, an air group of combat, transport and surveillance aircraft and a Special Forces task group.

The two new Royal Navy Queen Elizabeth-Class aircraft carriers will enter service from 2018, to form the core of a maritime task group, with one available at all times. Three new EDR - January / February 2016

logistic ships to support the fleet, in addition to the four tankers, will enter service from 2016.

Eight new Type 26 Global Combat Ships, will start to replace our current Type 23 frigates in their anti-submarine role, although there will be no more Type 45 destroyers built and no upgrades for the six in service. Two additional River-class Offshore Patrol Vessels will be built.

Royal Marines of 3 Commando Brigade trained and equipped to provide specialist amphibious and Arctic warfare capabilities will enhance a Queen Elizabeth-Class aircraft carrier to support its amphibious capability.

There will also be a small increase in manpower for both the Royal Navy and Royal Air Force while there will be no further reduction in the British Army’s strength after the severe cuts of SDSR 2010. The Army will have a war-fighting division optimised for high intensity combat operations drawn on two armoured infantry brigades, and two Strike Brigades to be able to deploy rapidly over long distances using the new Ajax armoured vehicles and new mechanised infantry vehicles. Formerly known as the Scout SV, the Ajax is a family of armoured fighting vehicles (AFV) developed by General Dynamics UK based on the ASCOD AFV originally designed by Steyr-Daimler-Puch Spezialfahrzeug and Santa Bárbara Sistemas in the early 1990s.

The life of the Army’s Challenger 2 Main Battle Tanks will be extended and the Army Air

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Two new Army Strike Brigades will be rapidly deployed overseas using the Ajax family of armoured fighting vehicles. (David Oliver)

Corps Apache attack helicopter fleet will be upgraded but it is not clear if these with be new or rebuilt aircraft, or how many of them will remain in service. The Reserves will continue to grow to 35,000 with increased investment in training and equipment, but again it is unclear as to when this number will be achieved.

The Royal Air Force will be the big winner of the 2015 SDSR. As part of Joint Force 2025, it will have an additional F-35 Lightning squadron and two additional Typhoon squadrons. Further investment in Typhoon’s capabilities, including ground attack and a new Active Electronically Scanned Array radar will ensure its continued operation until at least 2040. The SDSR also confirmed that the UK will maintain its plan to buy a total 138 F-35B Lightning aircraft over the life of the programme, although only 42 aircraft are currently being funded.

Fourteen of the RAF’s C-130J Hercules tactical transport aircraft will be retained until UK Reserves are set to grow to 35,000 with increased investment in training and equipment. (Crown Copyright)

2030 for Special Forces support while one of the A330-200 Voyager Multi-Role Tanker Transport (MRTT) aircraft will be reconfigured for VIP missions as an ‘Air Force One’ type transport for the Royal Family and senior government officials.

The RAF’s Sentinel R.1 ISR aircraft will be extended in service into the next decade with the Shadow R.1 fleet extended from five to eight to serve until at least 2030, and the E-3D Sentry and RC-135W Rivet Joint until 2035. Nine new Boeing P-8 Poseidon Maritime Patrol Aircraft (MPA) will increase the protection of the UK nuclear deterrent and new aircraft carriers.

These aircraft will be based in Scotland and will also have an overland surveillance capability.

The cancellation of the Nimrod MRA.4 MPA in SDSR 2010 left a serious capability gap in the UK’s maritime defence, but it was obvious that the P-8 would be the preferred choice for its replacement with RAF crews training with US Navy Poseidon aircraft for the past five years.

More than 20 new Protector armed remotely piloted aircraft systems will be acquired, more than doubling the number of RAF MQ-9 Reaper aircraft that they will replace. However, it is not clear as to which type of systems these will be.

The UK is also working closely with the US and France on nuclear matters, including nuclear policy and recently renewed the 1958 Mutual Defence Agreement and the 1963 Polaris Sales Agreement which will allow the UK to reduce costs by procuring Trident missiles from the US while maintaining full operational independence.

The 2015 SDSR also committed to replacing the Vanguard Class of nuclear-armed submarines with a new class of four submarines, currently known as Successor. This will be a 20-year acquisition programme which is estimated to cost a total of £31 billion, with the first submarine entering service in the early 2030s.

However, this is another decision that will have to be ratified by any future government.

The UK will place more emphasis operating alongside its allies, including in the

Additional Beechcraft Shadow R.1 ISR aircraft will be delivered to the RAF. (Crown Copyright)

UK-France Combined Joint Expeditionary Force, the UK-led Joint Expeditionary Force, and NATO’s Very High Readiness Joint Task Force that the UK will lead in 2017. The UK Combined Joint Expeditionary Force, which will be operational in 2016, will provide a force of up to 10,000 personnel available to plan for and respond to crises, including beyond Europe.

The UK will also be expanding its equipment collaboration, including through the development of a joint future Unmanned Combat Air System (UCAS) programme and Maritime Mine Counter Measure demonstrator, procurement and development of missiles, and maximising common supply chain efficiencies.

The publication of the SDSR 2015 has been welcomed by MBDA for the recognition it gives to

Complex Weapons, and products such as Storm Shadow and Brimstone, “The NSS and SDSR 2015 has delivered a clear strategic direction that provides MBDA with assurance that both the Complex Weapons sector and our role in it remain crucial contributors to the Armed Forces, the defence of the UK and our relationship with key partner nations such as France,” said Dave Armstrong, MBDA’s Managing Director UK and Executive Group Technical Director.

However, while SDSR 2015 has been broadly welcomed by the British Armed Forces and its defence industries, its commitments are subject to the UK’s continuing economic growth, and more seriously, its continued membership of the European Union on which the UK government will hold a referendum on by the end of 2017. ,

T he Boeing P-8 Poseidon MPA will fill the UK’s aerial maritime defence capability gap. (David Oliver)

EDR - January / February 2016

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TDW’s wide range of shaped charges can be found in its mother (MBDA) group’s weapons as well as weapon of other ogins. (MBDA)

Paolo Valpolini

Warhead Technology Tunes into Reduced Collateral Damage In any new weapon system programme one of the key items is the warhead, which in itself defines the lethality level. This nowadays invariably involves another factor, namely “limited collateral damage”, which means inflicting little or no casualties amongst directly unconcerned people. Maintaining a necessary effect against an enemy that spreads amongst civilians is the daunting conundrum imposed on modern weapon manufacturers. Europe has two major “warhead houses”. One is part of MBDA and the other of Saab.

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ontrary to a widespread belief their activities are not limited to the production of missiles. In fact one will often find that a system from one group is equipped with a warhead developed by the other, while both provide warheads to third party companies.

This article examines the two European warhead technology leaders and at the new technologies that could well deeply modify the approach to combat in the near-mid future.

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TDW Founded in 1960 as Bölkow, TDW is the main German warhead company. It changed names and owners numerous times before becoming part of MBDA in 2005, and now 100% owned by MBDA Germany. Located Schrobenhausen, 30 km north-west of Munich, TDW is well hidden in the Hagenauer forest and away from populated areas (as are most companies dealing with explosives). TDW is the Centre of Competence EDR - January / February 2016

All TDW warheads produced in Schrobenhausen are based on insensitive explosive, the company being involved in the production of air-to-ground, air-to-air and surface-to-air missiles. (MBDA)

for warhead systems within the MBDA Group, has a workforce of around 135 and generates a yearly turnover of some â‚Ź40 million, sales being shared equally between the Group and external customers.

All warheads currently produced at the Schrobenhausen plant, which has been the subject of extensive renovation during a recent past, are based on insensitive explosive – mostly castable plastic bonded high explosive (PBX).

All TNT-related machinery has been removed and replaced with state-of-the art digitally controlled machines working in highly secured facilities.

An explosive warhead is made of three major elements: the warhead itself, the safety and arming unit and the fusing system. TDW deals with all three, although in terms of fuses it only produces the shock-hardened system used by penetrating warheads. TDW is currently working on numerous programmes, mostly involving air-to-ground, air-to-air and surface-to-air missiles. These include the Taurus KEPD350, the EDR - January / February 2016

Alarm, the Meteor, the Asraam, the Sidewinder, the RBS15 Mk3, the NSM, the Camm, the ESSM, the Ram Block II, the Mizrak, the Brimstone 2 and the Pars3 LR to name but a few. In addition to various air-to-ground antitank missiles, the company is also working on the warhead of the Enforcer infantry mini-missile under development at MBDA as well as underwater systems, such as the British Sting Ray and Spearfish torpedoes.

The company specialty is the optimisation of warhead terminal effects for every type of targets. At least four research and development programmes may lead in the medium term to a quantum jump in terms of performance. Two of those are waiting development contract and are mentioned here as a matter of interest but will be revisited when they are fully developed. The first is the switchable mode warhead, where a shaped charge generates an explosively formed projectile that can come either as a single slug to ensure high penetration, or as smaller projectiles generating a shotgun-effect. The second is

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at the same time, whilst anti-armour effect (either against medium armoured tanks equipped with ERA) is obtained in the typical sequenced mode in which the precursor charge detonates the ERA while the penetration charge deals with the main passive armour (delayed main charge detonation being used when looking for maximum destruction in hardened inThe radius technology has been demonstrated on an Mk82 bomb; top right the maximum effect, and bottom right the frastructures, whereby minimum effect, obtained at the same distance. (TDW) the precursor charge known as “aimable warhead�, and will the effect opens the way to the main charge. In order to to be focussed in one direction. manage all these modes a programmable fuse The most mature programme is the mul- system is located at the back of the penetration ti-effects warhead, which has been chosen for warhead. To minimise collateral damages no the 100 km range British Spear Capability 3 heavy metal such as tungsten is used for fragair-to-surface missile. Awaiting a go-ahead ments; although it did not give any details on contract from the Ministry of Defence, the war- the material used, the company confirmed that head is made of a huge precursor shaped charge metal is used, but on the lower end of the denwith a pre-fragmented body, followed by a main sity scale. The current warhead is optimised for shaped charge ensuring penetration. Playing air-to-ground use, thus the trajectory on impact on detonation timing, TDW managed to make influences fragment distribution and generates the warhead work in different modes: airburst a toroidal shape. Should the same concept be mode is obtained by detonating both charges used for a system flying horizontally, like an The TDW Radius technology allows one to trim the lethal effect down to 10% of the maximum lethal range. (TDW)

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EDR - January / February 2016

infantry missile, the precursor shaped charge should be adapted to the new role.

The second technology that TDW is developing is the Radius in which the effectiveness of a warhead is tuned to the desired damage. Lessons learned proved that often pilots could carry out a mission because their aircraft was not equipped with the right weapons, which were too powerful the situation. The Rardius technology allows the effectiveness of precision weaponry to be trimmed in several steps from 100% down to 10%. This is done by controlling the time of deflagration and detonation, and thereby vary fragment initial velocity. This, coupled to the weapon’s speed, which a cone to be generated with a that becomes smaller as the fragments velocity decreases. The German company was the first to demonstrate this feature in August 2013 using an Mk82 bomb, and since it has thoroughly developed the concept, a number of precision guided ammunition manufacturers having shown considerable interest in the Radius technology. According to TDW it can be used to tweak the lethal area of weapons ranging from big air launched systems down to 155 mm artillery shells.

With over 2,000,000 warheads delivered since its creation in the early 1960s, TDW has adapted to the new situation in which military services need a variety of different weapons in lesser numbers. It is increasingly injecting hightech solutions to improve warhead flexibility and effectiveness as commanded by current operations feedback.

Saab Bofors Dynamics Switzerland In 2007 Ruag Warheads was acquired by the Saab Group giving birth to Saab Bofors Dynamics Switzerland (SBDS). The main reason behind the move was the development of the NLAW (Next generation Light Anti-tank Weapon). The Thun-based company underwent a complete reorganisation in 2012, leading to the current pattern of four divisions dedicated to mortar ammunition, less than lethal systems, warheads, with the fourth in charge of services and life-cycle support and demilitarisation. The EDR - January / February 2016

The Multi-Effects warhead, chosen for the British Spear Capability 3 airto-surface missile, generates different terminal effects depending on the selected detonation timing. (TDW)

warhead division is far from working only for Saab and currently deals with rocket and missile warheads of calibres under 190 mm.

The company developed a series of technologies that it adapts for a set of targets, as per customer requirements. This implies a very early stage of involvement with the customer, using commercial and company-developed virtual simulation tools to creating virtual prototypes which, according to a company official, bring them close to the final result. While admitting that their virtual computation takes longer than competing companies, the company management says that the reduced number of real prototypes needed more than compensates that initial delay. “A customer asked us three solutions for a multifunction high explosive-fragmentation warhead, and we were able to deliver prototypes for testing in less than a month,” a member of the company R&D told the author.

Full control over knowledge increases, money and time investment is also carried out to optimise the development process. As for production, the plant is located some eight kilometres away from the company’s headquarters and retains the huge Cold War era capacity although current manpower is only a quarter of what it had been intended for.

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Saab Bofors Dynamics Switzerland has delivered hollow charges that can penetrate armour thickness that are over 10 times the diameter of the charge itself. (SBDS)

Saab Bofors Dynamics Switzerland optimised and industrialised processes that ten years ago enabled it to obtain results that were beyond theoretical limits in shaped charges penetration. What allowed this achievement was the addition of the conservation of mass principle to the conservation of momentum and conservation of energy. Understanding the analytical equation of mass transfer in the charge jet, using nearly 100% of the liner mass and putting it where it is mostly needed was what allowed the 9 CD (Charge Diameter) limit to be broken. While ten years ago this was still at development stage, it is now an industrial reality and in 2014 SBDS delivered the first two batches of a new warhead with an over 10 CD penetration. It is no secret that the type was adopted for the MBDA Milan ER anti-tank missile (it uses the technology based on isostatic pressing coupled to a variable thickness molybdenum liner and to a ring-initiated explosion). That warhead also contains another key feature, the non-detonating precursor system that SBDS claims being effective at all angles, while competing systems have angle limitations. Why a non-detonating precursor?

On a short missile such as the Milan-ER the time between the precursor and the main charge

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activation is relatively short, so if the precursor charge detonates, the reactive armour tile debris of the front passive armour plate fly away at reduced speed – some hundred meters per second – the jet of the main charge meets them on its way, wasting energy. The Milan ER precursor drills a hole in that plate and in the explosive behind it without detonation, opening the path to the molten jet of the main charge that will thus maintain most of its energy.

Saab Bofors Dynamics Switzerland is also involved in the Milan’s successor in the French Army, the MMP (Missile Moyenne Portée) in which the main shaped charge is located behind the rocket motor. The precursor charge therefore detonates the ERA, the stand-off being sufficient to let the debris dissipate before the main jet hits the actual tank armour. The requirement is for the MMP warhead to penetrate an undisclosed thickness of rolled-homogeneous armour behind a Kontakt-5 ERA tile with cover plates at two different angles.

A further precursor, known as Terminator, is currently under development for MBDA’s Multi Role Combat Missile (MRCM). It contains two elements, the first one based on a fast jet aimed at detonating ERA while the second one is capable EDR - January / February 2016

The Terminator warhead allows to defeat both armour and concrete targets, and is being used in MBDA’s Multi Role Combat Missile. (SBDS)

to penetrate a double reinforced concrete wall.

This is the typical US Marine Corps’ 8-inch target, which involves breaking the iron bars to allow a soldier to go through while generating a considerable backspray; to optimise that warhead SBDS is working on the pattern to be generated, backspray being a key issue when the missile is used against personnel hiding behind a cover.

Another technology that has now reached maturity is the MEP (Modular Explosive Penetrator). A slow-flying steel penetrator, with a conical forward shape and an undisclosed surface treatment, the MEP induces a vibration mode in the concrete that transforms it into sand. The round

contains a limited amount of explosive, around 10% of the whole weight. The fuse is in the back to allow it survive the impact and detonating the round inside the building. The advantage offered by this solution is that when the round hits the outer side of the wall only dust and debris with no penetration capacity fly off over a few metres’ distance, meaning that the munition can be fire close to friendly troops – a perfect urban warfare tool. Shortening the fuse delay allows the round to be exploded when it is in the wall, generating a huge breach. In recent years SBDS has evolved the concept and is now at MEP Mk3, which features different angles and some more undisclosed differences, the penetrator being used in some warheads under design.

Another technology developed in the past by Ruag Defence is the Mapam (Mortar Anti-Personnel Anti Material) round. The Saab has since been developing three new technologies to further increase fragmentation effectiveness. All named after Scandinavian mythological figures, some of them are still awaiting patent: ● the Thor features multi-material and multi-geometry characteristics to increase the designer degrees of freedom in adapting the warhead to the targets. Fragments come in the form of balls and cubes: tungsten or molybdenum balls are MAPAM mortar ammunition manufactured by SBDS ensure a higher lethality, reducing the number of rounds fired to neutralise the target. (Saab Dynamics)

EDR - January / February 2016

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A MAPAM round; SBDS is developing the Thor technology which includes fragments in various materiel and with different geometric shapes, to further optimise the MAPAM concept. (Saab Dynamics)

used for example for high penetration, while steel cubes add lethality against soft targets. The advantage compared to steel fragmented casing is that fragments can be designed to have the same initial velocity, thus their distribution pattern is known and effects can be predicted. When low collateral damages are an issue carbon fibre replaces metallic elements, considerably reducing the lethal radius due to the lighter mass and much higher velocity decrease. Thor could be used in mortar shells, in missiles and even in small-calibre warheads. ● the Odin adds backspray to the Thor; this technology is still awaiting patent, thus not many details were unveiled. What is clear is that the company managed to obtain three different spray angles for the fragments, playing with material treatment and geometries, generating a very uniform fragment density and a significant backspray that compensates fusing errors when an airburst-type effect is required. ● the Skoll, generates fragments with adaptable energy and adaptable spray angle, resulting from work on wave shape and material, and based on very small-diameter tungsten balls.

One customer already adopted this new concept and stopped the production of a weapon at Block 1 level shifting immediately to the Skoll-based Block 2, which is now qualified and in series production. “It is the first time that a customer selected a concept and asked for the price only later,” the company said.

Turning to high explosive, Saab Bofors Dynamics Switzerland proposes its Starblast concept for shoulder launched systems. It uses a semi-solid explosive substance with an effect that is more than twice that of an equivalent

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TNT charge; a distribution-controlled charge is located in the centre of the shell, and while it detonates it spreads the chemical substance that reacts with oxygen and ignites without secondary initiation.

Something much more reliable and controllable than standard fuel-air explosives, according to company scientists, the Starblast is however not considered suitable for missiles, thus the Thun company developed the Ammunal++, mimicking the name of a high explosive used in WWI against the German trenches. This technology, a derivative of the Starblast, enables a 1.5 kg charge added to 800 grams of Ammunal++ to boost its power by a factor of 3.2. That means that a 2.3 kg charge can replace a 4.5 kg device, something pretty interesting when weight is an issue.

What will happen to the weight/effectiveness ratio when the Swedish-Swiss company comes up with its latest designs could be interesting.

The company showed screen views of the Hammerclaw that included a MEP Mk.3, with different front angles and materials, together with an evolved shaped charge and a Thor fragmentation element aimed at penetrating second-generation ERA without detonation and to perforate an 8-inch double-reinforced concrete wall.

Further drawings showed a Terminator precursor, an MEP Mk.3 penetrator, a shaped charge, an Ammunal++ blast element and a Thor-Odin shell, all in a 152 mm diameter, though a 127 mm configuration is possible particularly for helicopter-launched missiles.

A new production line is being added, for extrusions, with a view to solving the 190 mm diameter limit and paving the way to torpedo , warhead production.

EDR - January / February 2016

Combat Helicopters as an Effective Counter-terroristic Asset

John Rize

The Mil Mi-24 “Hind” was historically the Soviet Union’s answer to the US AH-1G Cobra. Made famous during the war in Afghanistan, the Mi-24 (or Mi-35) was a much heavier machine based on the Mi-8’s airframe. Forward gun turret and wing stub mounted rocket pods are a typical arrangement of all attack helicopters. In a true remake of the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan in 1979, a Polish Air Force Mi-24 assigned to ISAF is seen overflying Kabul during an armed patrol. (ISAF)

The role of combat helicopters on the modern battlefield is expanding due to the increasing Islamic State of Iraq and Levant (ISIL)`s activity and the anti-terrorism coalition`s backlash.

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everal countries from the Persian Gulf, the Near East and the Central Asia regions are paying a lot of attention to the issue, acquiring the modern Russian, US, and European helicopters to provide close air support to their own forces and effective destruction of the ISIL`s facilities. At the same time, several countries are relying on obsolete Cold war-era platforms in fighting with Islamic State and other terroristic groups. One of such state is Pakistan, which continues to be a perspective customer for Russian combat helicopters.

There are several countries from the aforementioned regions now fighting against ISIL. They include Syria, Jordan, Iraq, Bahrein, United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and Pakistan as the Near Eastern and Asian partners of the European members of the coalition. Helicopters play an important role in counter-terroristic actions (CTA). The air campaign of the Russian VKS (Vozdushno-Kosmicheskie Sily) against ISIL in Syria being supported by several Mi-24Ps (Hind), proves their combat value.

From the aforementioned countries, Saudi Arabia has the strongest rotor-wing aircraft fleet. It comprises 15 helicopters, including 12

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AH-64D Apache Longbow and three AH-64E Apache Guardian. The UAE has 30 AH-64Ds in its fleet.

The Syrian armed forces have 24 Mi-25s (export modification of Soviet Mi-24 Hind).

Iraq has recently upgraded its rotor-wing aircraft fleet, having received 16 Mi-35Ms and 11 Mi-28NE “Night Hunter” (Havoc-B) helicopters.

According to the signed agreement, Russia is to supply to Iraq 24 Mi-35Ms and 19 Mi-28NEs in total before mid 2016.

Turkey has one of the strongest rotorcraft fleet in the region. It includes 18 AH-1Ps (Cobra), 12 AH-1S (Cobra), 6 AH-1W (Cobra), 4 TAH1P (Cobra). The Turkish Aerospace Industries company (TAI) has started to supply the newest T-129 ATAK helicopters to the national armed forces and as of August 2015, nine T-129s had been delivered. Turkey`s armed forces intend to get 59 ATAKs in total, covering the requirement for modern combat helicopters.

Pakistan has 38 AH-1F/S Cobras and one Mi-24 (in store). Jordan`s rotor-wing aircraft fleet includes 25 AH-1Fs. Bahrain`s Air Force has 16 AH-1Es, 12 AH1F, 6 TAH-1-Ps. EDR - January / February 2016

Seen through the lens of a night vision system, a Boeing AH-64 Apache helicopter from the US Army 1st Battalion (Attack), 10th Combat Aviation Brigade, Task Force Tigershark, departs Forward Operating Base Fenty, Afghanistan, to conduct a security and reconnaissance mission in support of ISAF operations. (US Army)

Now two countries are heavily relying on army aviation in fighting against terrorism, namely, Iraq and Pakistan. Baghdad has decided to buy modern helicopters, including well-protected Mi-28NEs. At the same time, the Islamabad`s rotor-wing aircraft fleet is suffering from several troubles. The obsolete Cobras supplied to Pakistan in 1984-1986 cannot fully withstand the pressure of fighting against ISIL. Their level of protection fails to meet the modern standards. The AH-1F/S payload is limited to 1500 kg, and only four or eight AGM-114 Hellfire guided missiles can be installed.

Pakistan is also suffering from the lack of spare parts for Cobras. This technical problem reduces the effectiveness of the Pakistan`s combat helicopter fleet backbone. AH-1F/Ss are becoming obsolete, and an upgrade of the Cobras seems to be unpractical. Therefore, now Islamabad has an urgent need for new combat rotor-wing aircraft acquisition.

In April 2015 the U.S. State Department took the final decision to approve the sales of 15 AH1Z Vipers to Pakistan. Previously Washington had declined the appropriate request for the helicopters several times for the reasons of human rights infringement by Islamabad. The AH-1Z payload (2620 kg) is at the level of Mi-35V and Mi-28NE. Nevertheless, the Viper`s ballistic and missile protection is weaker in comparison with the “Night Hunter�. At the same time, the AH-1Z`s price tag is significantly higher than the Mi-28NE`s one.

Pakistan is also conducting negotiations with China to acquire rotor-wing aircraft. In particuEDR - January / February 2016

lar, Islamabad took the delivery of three Z-10 combat helicopters from Chinese company CAIC (Changhe Aircraft Industries Corporation).

Nevertheless, the combat effectiveness of these rotorcraft is being doubted by some Western analysts. They have never been tested in combat environment. Z-10 carries smaller payload (approximately 1500 kg) in comparison with Mi35M, Mi-28NE, or AH-1Z. It is equipped with two WZ-9 engines, which come short of power in comparison with Russian Klimov VK-2500-2 and US General Electric T700-GE-401C. Being underpowered, Z-10 cannot fly with full payload.

Meanwhile, modern well-protected helicopters are strongly sought-after. According to the investigation conducted by US Department of Defence-led Joint Aircraft Survivability Program Office (JASPO) and Institute for Defence Analyses (IDA), man-portable air defence systems (MANPADS) and rocket-propelled RPG grenades pose the most significant threat to rotor-wing aircraft on the modern battlefield. JASPO and IDA have come to the conclusion, that in the course of Enduring Freedom and Iraqi Freedom (in Afghanistan and Iraq, respectively) operations (OEF/ OIF) between October 2001 and September 2009 combat losses (including aircraft shootdown by enemy fire) accounted for 19 percent of all loses.

Meanwhile, different mishaps accounted for the remaining 81 percent. 73 percent of fatalities occurred in combat theater. In total, 496 accidents took place within the prescribed period, and 375 rotor-wing aircraft were lost.

In comparison with the Vietnam War, the losses/flight time ratio reduced by seven times

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A Royal Jordanian Air Force AH-1F Cobra helicopter flies above the desert. A modernized variant of the baseline Cobra of the U.S. Army once earmarked for export, the “Fox-Trot� Cobra first saw service first with the Israeli Air Force before being turned over to the Royal Jordanian Air Force in 2015, in a 16 machine deal augmented with spares paid for by the U.S. taxpayers. (U.S. Navy)

and consisted 2,71 lost helicopters for 100000 flight hours (reduction by seven times). Nevertheless, this figure excels the limit set by the US Congress and Pentagon (0,5 lost rotor-wing aircraft for 100000 flight hours).

The US armed forces have lost in combat 70 helicopters within the prescribed period. Different mishaps during combat during accounted for 157 rotor-wing aircraft. 148 more helicopters were lost in non-combat environment.

The losses of AH-64A/AH-64D Apache Longbow helicopters in the aforementioned conflicts are important for the estimation of modern helicopters` combat effectiveness on the battlefield.

Between October, 2001 and September, 2009 11 AH-64s in Iraq and Afghanistan were lost due to the enemy fire: two in 2003, two in 2004, one in 2005, three in 2006, three in 2007. Different mishaps in combat environment accounted for 31 more Apaches: two in 2002, six in 2003, five in 2004, seven in 2005, four in 2006, six in 2007, and one in 2009. The US armed forc-

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es lost 26 rotor-wing aircraft in non-hostile environment within the prescribed period: seven in 2002, three in 2003, three in 2004, seven in 2005, two in 2006, three in 2007, and one in 2009. In total, the US armed forces lost 68 AH64A/AH-64D between October, 2001 and September, 2009, including 11 in combat environment (16 percent).

The ageing AH-1 Cobra/Super Cobra helicopters also suffered some combat losses during Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom, namely, five rotor-wing aircraft.

One AH-1 was lost in 2003, two in 2004, one in 2006, one in 2008. Non-hostile mishaps accounted for 5 Cobras: one in 2002, two in 2003, one in 2004, one in 2009. In total, the US armed forces lost 15 AH-1s between October, 2001 and September, 2009, including five in combat environment (33 percent).

Modern researches point out the reduction of all types of rotor-wing aircraft losses in Iraq and Afghanistan in comparison with the Vietnam War. This trend was defined by the installation of new equipment and avionics, additional armour of cockpit, protected and shockproof fuel systems. In particular, UH-60 Blackhawk utility helicopter can fly for at least 30 minutes, having been hit by a single 7,62mm armour-piercing incendiary bullet. AH-64A/AH-64D Apache`s armour protection is significantly heavier.

Small arms and light weapons (SALW) have been the most significant threat to the helicopters both in Vietnam and in Iraq/Afghanistan.

SALW accounted for 94 percent of combat losses during the Vietnam War and for 31 percent during the OIF/OEF. SALW is supposed to be the most significant threat to rotor-wing aircraft in the years to come. The danger, emanating from MANPADS and rocket-propelled grenades has increased. Modern combat helicopters are heavily protected from bullets, meanwhile being relatively vulnerable to MANPADS missiles.

Within the prescribed period the Iraqi and Afghanistan militants did not use radar-guided missile systems or anti-aircraft (AA) guns. The most powerful AA means, exploited by them, were MANPADS. Nevertheless, the sphere of the EDR - January / February 2016

An Agusta Westland Apache AH.1 belonging to the British Army Air Corps 3rd Regiment based at Wattisham Airfield. In British hands, these rotorcraft have been engaged with great success both in day and night combat operations in Afghanistan and Iraq. (H. Cariou / Latinaero)

ISIL`s influence is spreading, and the terroristic group can get surface-to-air missile systems (SAM) in the near future, and the threat emanating from this kind of weapons may increase.

Moreover, the video records produced by ISIL point out that the terrorists have weapons captured from the Iraqi government forces. Therefore, ISIL may obtain SAM systems. In this case Super Cobras/Vipers and Mi-35Ms will remain short of Mi-28NEs and AH-64D/Es. The US experts recommend equipping combat helicopters with electronic warfare systems, IR jammers and other countermeasures, flares, anti-blast seats for crew, threat detection systems, missile-warning equipment, and flyby-wire systems. The upgrade of helicopters` crashworthiness level is also suggested. Therefore, Mi-28NEs being already equipped with the aforementioned hardware would have superiority over Mi-35Ms in fighting against ISIL in the regions of the Near East and Asia.

Mi-35M is the latest upgrade of the Hind, while Mi-28NE is a helicopter designed from the scratch with a glance to the Afghan war (19791989) combat experience. The conditions of this conflict are similar to those of war against the ISIL terroristic group.

Mi-28NE`s gun weapon has several advantages over the Mi-35M`s one. Night Hunter is equipped with NPPU-28 gun mount with 30mm 2A42 gun (widely used in the Russian armed forces BMP-2 infantry fighting vehicle is also equipped with 2A42 gun). Its ammuniEDR - January / February 2016

tion load includes 300 rounds. 2A42 uses four types of ammunition, namely armour-piercing (AP) 3UBR6 and 3UBR8, high-explosive (HE) fragmentation incendiary 3UOF8, fragmentation incendiary 3UOR6. 3UBR6 and 3UBR8 shells can effectively hit armoured vehicles at the 1000 m and 1500 m, relatively. Foreign operators of 2A42 gun also have an option to use armour piercing fin stabilized discarding sabot (APFSDS) shells produced by Swiss, Belgian, Bulgarian, Czech, and Slovak companies. 2A42 gun can hit personnel targets at the 2000-4000 m (depending on the type of shell).

In comparison with Night Hunter, the Mi35M`s gun weapon is less powerful. The helicopter is equipped with NPPU-23 gun mount with 23mm GSh-23L gun. Its ammunition load includes 450 rounds. GSh-23L uses several types of ammunition, namely, HE tracer OFZ23-AM-GSh, HE incendiary tracer OFZT-23AM-GSh, AP incendiary tracer BZT-23-AM-GSh and BZT-23-GSH, HE incendiary FZ-23-GSh and FZ-23-GSh-N, AP explosive BR-23-AMGSh, multiple-element ME-23-GSh. In the terms of armour penetration and behind-armour-effect, 23x115mm rounds of GSh23L are inferior to 30x165mm rounds of 2A42.

GSh-23L can hit hard targets at 1000-1500 m, and soft targets – at 2000 m. Only Russian and Chinese batch-produced aircraft are equipped with GSh-23/GH-23L. Therefore, the range of foreign ammunition types for the gun is restricted, and the aforementioned Russian rounds are

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A USMC Bell AH-1W Super Cobra pictured landing on the flight deck of the USS Kearsarge (LHD-3) in support of exercise Bold Alligator 14, off the eastern coast of the United States. (U.S. Marine Corps / Sgt. A. L. Ortiz)

delivered with helicopters and planes to foreign customers. GSh-23L has only one advantage over 2A42, namely, the ability to fire multiple-element round ME-23-GSh. It has a high degree of effectiveness against personnel targets and uncovered aircraft. Therefore, Mi-28N`s gun weapon is more effective in fighting against terroristic groups than the Mi-35M`s one.

The Night Hunter`s payload (2400 kg) significantly exceeds the Hind-M`s (2100 kg). In addition to that, Mi-28NE can use more types of weapons.

Mi-35M`s range of armament subsystems includes UPK-23 gun pods with two GSh-23L guns (250 rounds per pod), B8V20-A 20-tube unguided rocket launchers for 80mm S-8 family of rockets, B13L1 5-tube unguided rocket launchers for 122mm S-13 family of rockets, up to 16 AT-6 Spiral or AT-9 Spiral-2 anti-tank guided missiles (ATGM) in two pods. Mi-28NE can also use the aforementioned systems. While Mi-35M is equipped with AT-6 ATGMs as the standard

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anti-tank weapon, Mi-28NE uses AT-9. Night Hunter also can fire air-to-air 9M39 Igla-V missiles included in the Strelets system.

Mi-28NE`s level of protection is significantly better than the Mi-35M`s. In comparison with the Mi-24V, the Mi-35M`s armour has not been essentially upgraded. During the Afghan war DShK, M2/M2HB machineguns, and ZGU-1, ZPU-1/ZPU-2/ZPU-4, ZU-23-2 AA guns posed the main threat to the Soviet Mi-24Vs. The aforementioned weapon can effectively hit not only the previous Hind modification, but also Mi-35Ms. During the development of Mi-28NE, its designers paid significant attention to the helicopter`s ballistic protection. Two VK-2500-2 engines are separated and shielded by the airframe components. The blades of both main and auxiliary rotors are made of durable composites. The fueling, hydraulic, and pneumatic mains are duplicated. Moreover, the less important Mi-28NE`s subsystems cover the more important ones. The helicopter`s pore spaces are filled with foamed material. The crew received armoured cabin and anti-blast seats with parachute rescue system. Mi-28NE is equipped with inflatable air bags to prevent collision of the crew with landing gear in case of emergency escape. Special attention was payed to fire protection, namely, fuel tanks and inflammable sections. Mi-28NE is supposed to get energy-attenuating landing gear. The helicopter`s canopy and cabin are protected from 12,7mm AP and 20mm/23mm HE-I rounds. The rotor blades can withstand several hits of 30mm HE rounds. Therefore the Mi-28NE`s probability of being hit by heavy machinegun and small-caliber guns has been reduced. Therefore, ZU-23-2 (supposed to be the most widespread AA gun of ISIL) should spend significantly more time and rounds to shoot down Night Hunter.

Mi-28NE is also equipped with modern onboard defence system, which includes laser/radar warning system (there is an option of missile warning installation). To increase the chance of MANPADS missiles avoiding, President-S electronic jamming station can be optionally fitted.

EDR - January / February 2016

Mi-28NE equipped with modern onboard defence system

The Mi-28NE`s endurance toward MANPADS missiles has significantly increased in comparison with Mi-35M. Modern insurgent and terroristic group are shoring up their anti-air defence systems. Previously they had Soviet SA-7 Grails and US FIM-92A Stingers. At the time, ISIL is supposed to have 250-400 MANPADS (including FIM-92, FN-6, SA-7, SA-18, SA-24) and huge numbers of ZU-23-2 AA gun, DShK and M2HB machineguns. SA-24 MANPADS, captured by ISIL terrorists from the Syrian government armed forces pose the most significant threat to combat helicopters. The Chinese FN-6 MANPADS, acquired by Qatar for the Free Syrian Army and subsequently handed over to ISIL, should not be underestimated. At least, one Iraqi Mi-35M equipped with Ukrainian KT-01-AVE Adros electronic jamming station was shot down

by FN-6 in October, 2014. ISIL also has several 23mm ZSU-23-4 Shilka self-propelled AA guns and 57mm AZP-57 towing AA guns.

Therefore, the Islamic State is rapidly beefing up its air defence. The terrorist group is supposed to follow such a trend in the near future.

As a result, the heavy-protected combat helicopEDR - January / February 2016

ters are required by anti-ISIL government forces to carry on air strikes.

Pakistan is moving toward the acquisition of the Russian combat helicopters. During Dubai Airshow 2015 exhibition the Rostec Corporation`s director general Sergei Chemezov told, that Pakistan would start to receive the ordered Mi-35Ms in 2016. Islamabad gives a high rating to the Russian combat rotor-wing aircraft, as the Pakistan Aeronautical Complex (PAC) state company`s head, Air Marshal Javaid Ahmed told the European Defence Review during the Dubai airshow. “The quality of Russian defence production is outstanding,” Ahmed said.

He pointed out, that Pakistan was working with Russian industry in several areas. “I hope, we will see breakthrough on several issues in the following next months,” he pointed out.

“Pakistan has recently acquired Russian Mi35M combat helicopters. I suppose this deal is a king of progress /in Russian-Pakistan relations/”, Ahmed added.

The PAC`s head highly appreciated Russian rotor-wing aircraft. “Previously, we acquired Mi-171 utility helicopters from Russia. They re-

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Mi-35M`s range of armament subsystems includes UPK-23 gun pods with two GSh-23L guns (250 rounds per pod), B8V20-A 20-tube unguided rocket launchers for 80mm S-8 family of rockets, B13L1 5-tube unguided rocket launchers for 122mm S-13 family of rockets, up to 16 AT-6 Spiral or AT-9 Spiral-2 anti-tank guided missiles (ATGM) in two pods.

vealed to be reliable aircraft in our sandy climate conditions. We are reviewing some options to work closely with several Russian companies,” Ahmed said.

He added, that Pakistan`s armed forces were demanding modern helicopters in relatively large quantities. “We are extensively using our rotor-wing aircraft in operations against terrorists. To this end, we need every piece of Russian defence production,” the PAC`s head underscored.

Pakistan is ready to promote the military-technical cooperation with Russia, confirmed Pakistan Air Force`s (PAF) commander, Air Chief Marshal Sohail Aman during Dubai Airshow 2015. “The PAF are open for coopera-

tion, we are eager to establish good relationship with different countries,” Aman said. “We are estimating the probability to fulfill several projects, including those with Russia,” he added.

“Why not? We should beef up relations with different countries, giving a helping hand and complementing each other. Aircraft engines constitute only one aspect of defence production. We should develop cooperation,” Ahmed said. Therefore, the Pakistan military authorities are demonstrating their willingness to acquire and use Russian rotor-wing aircraft.

Taking into account the aforementioned data, several conclusions can be made. The modern battlefield requires for combat helicopters equipped with heavy ballistic protection and integrated EW suits. To hit armour and personnel targets effectively, these rotor-wing aircraft should have guns, ATGMs, and unguided rockets. The required payload is supposed to be more, than 2000-2300 kg. The modern combat helicopters should be equipped with two spacedapart engines, each having at least 2000 h.p.

Taking into account the financial constraints, as well as abovementioned requirements, Pakistan has only two options to be chosen from: Russian Mi-28NE Night Hunter or US AH-1Z Viper. Both helicopters are at the same level in the terms of combat characteristics. Nevertheless, Mi-28NE has three key advantages over AH-1Z, namely, improved reliability in mountain and desert regions, less expensive life cycle cost, simplified requirements for crew training.

In keeping with the aforementioned approach, the cost-effectiveness criterion seems to be the pivotal one, as different mishaps, not enemy fire account for most of combat helicopter losses on the modern battlefield. The exploitation of AH1Zs during OEF/OIF revealed that dust, sand and hot climate limited the operations of these helicopters. At the same time, Russian-made counterparts, namely, Mi-28NEs and Mi-35Ms presented themselves well in several countries of the Near East and Central Asia regions. On that premise, Russian combat helicopters seems to be the best option for the Pakistan`s armed forces in terms of fighting against terrorism. ,

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