EDR 27 may 2016 by EDR Magazine

Issue NÂ° 27 May / June 2016

MMP - the fifth generation Franceâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s desert outpost European helicopters Night vision systems Baltic mine hunters

FORMATION - CONSEIL - ASSISTANCE

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LE LABEL DES FORCES ARMÉES FRANÇAISES

Contents

MMP: The First of the 5th Generation Paolo Valpolini

France’s Desert Outpost – Djibouti David Oliver

Armour Goes Active Against Projectiles and IEDs - Paolo Valpolini

European Helicopters in Transit Andrew Drwiega

Seeing in the Dark - François Prins

Baltic Mine Hunters -David Oliver

Modern Air Tankers - Jean-Michel Guhl

Publisher: Editor-in-Chief:

Joseph Roukoz David Oliver

27 European Defence Review issue no. 27

European Defence Review (EDR) is published by European Defence Publishing SAS www.edrmagazine.eu

EDR - May / June 2016

MMP: The First of the 5th Generation

Paolo Valpolini

The day/night target acquisition display shows clearly the mortar pit located within short distance from local farmerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s houses. The forward observer squeezes the rangefinder trigger activating the sequence that will end up sending a signal with the target grids to the command post.

he beauty of digital systems is that in a binocular-size object they are able to fit a GPS, a digital compass, and a Bluetooth connection capable to pass data over to the VHF radio. Positive identification is provided by sending an image back to the CP, while the observer maintains his eyes on the target in order to be able to stop the firing sequence at any time, should the situation change. A few minutes later the tube and its crew are annihilated by something that fells from the sky while nobody is visible. The effector used was a 5th generation infantry missile, born in France and known as MMP, for Missile Moyenne PortĂŠe, that is medium range missile. Its capability of reaching a target while knowing its grids is what makes the difference with 4th and 3rd generation systems currently on the market, which adds of

course to the capabilities of those systems. The MMP launcher received the target grids from the observer, the launcher being fully digital and net-centric, thus linkable via radio to a net. Once the grids have been received the operator launches the missile in the general direction of the target, the inertial navigation system bringing the missile over the target; here the operator acquires the target as soon as this enters in the missile field of view and refines the aiming bringing the crosshair over it. Developed by MBDA, the European missile company which spreads in France, the United Kingdom, Italy, Germany and Spain, the MMP history starts with an assessment by the French ArmĂŠe de Terre of missile systems existing in 2005, the most used being the Javeling Long Range, a 3rd generation system developed and EDR - May / June 2016

A firing team readies the MMP post before firing. The missile can be fired with different trajectories, one allowing it to hit from the top, usually adopted against MBTs, the other hitting the target horizontally, used mostly against infrastructures. (MBDA)

manufactured by Raytheon of the US, and the 4th generation Spike, by Israeli Rafael. Four years later the Direction Générale de l’Armement asks MBDA to study the possibility of manufacturing a French version of existing missiles. The company, which has been developing and upgrading the Milan and HOT 2nd generation missiles for years is willing to maintain its expertise in this domain and thus in late 2009 proposes to the French MoD the development of a brand new system, the first of the 5th generation, which is named Missile Moyenne Portée. Following the feasibility study, in 2011 the MMP is selected by France and the DGA files a risk reduction contract to MBDA, the green light to the program being given in late 2013 when the Délégation Générale pour l’Armement signs the development and production contract. The military missions of the early 21st Century require more flexibility than those of the Cold War era; in the past infantry missiles were designed to be used exclusively in an antitank role, thus penetration was the main parameter together with range, the latter having a considerable importance only in open spaces such as the desert. Slowly the capability of firing from enclosed spaces became more important, operations in built-up areas becoming increasingly common. Urban warfare meant that also the warhead had to adapt, becoming multi-role: beside EDR - May / June 2016

drilling holes into vehicles’ armour, even behind explosive reactive armour, it had to be capable to open a gap into concrete, brick and adobe walls. Accuracy also was a top priority, especially when used in asymmetric warfare operations, where collateral damages are unacceptable. To ensure maximum terminal effects both against armour and other types of target the MMP has a diameter of 140 mm, the main charge being located at the back, behind the rocket motor, while the precursor charge is at the front, beside the electronic processing unit which is in fact the hart of the system; the precursor charge is of course used to initiate reactive armour, opening the way to the main shaped charge warhead when the MMP is used against heavy armoured vehicles, the fuse ensuring a delay measured in microseconds. When used against infrastructures the first charge detonates when hitting the obstacle, the delay of the second charge being increased in order to allow itself to reach the obstacle surface, to maximise penetration and blast effects. Ahead of those two elements we find only the two-channel optronic sensor, which features a colour TV sensor for day shooting and a thermal sensor for operating at night or in difficult visibility conditions. The latter is uncooled, which considerably reduces the time to launch compared to cooled systems: in the MMP this is less than 10 seconds compared to the over 30 seconds of the US Javelin. The uncooled sensor gives also another considerable advantage, as it allows to interrupt

An infantry sections debusses from an armoured vehicle carrying the MMP; the firing post weighs around 11 kg while the missile weighs 15 kg. (MBDA)

The French Army will buy 400 infantry firing posts and over 2,000 missiles; the launcher is fully digitised and thus fully networked. (MBDA)

the firing sequence and resume it later without any problem, something not possible with cooled sensors. The sensor package is provided by Sagem, part of the Safran group, the company being also responsible for the inertial navigation system used when the target is not visible but its grids are known. The INS includes three MEMS (Micro Electro-Mechanical Systems) accelerometers as well as three vibrating gyroscopes, which ensure fully autonomous piloting and navigation. The rocket motor is located around the centre of gravity, which allows minimal CG variation along the missile path; combusted gas exit via two side nozzles, behind which we find the four carbon fibre fins, which deploy backwards. The MMP, which is 1,300 mm long and weighs before launch 15 kg, reaches a maximum speed of 240 m/s under the rocket motor thrust which lasts around seven seconds. The average speed is 160 m/s, the time of flight at the maximum range of 4 km being around 30 seconds; the lower speed at the target helps the operator when refining the aiming. As said the main charge is located behind the rocket motor. MBDA owns TDW, one of the main European military warheads producer, however the MMP warhead was developed and will be manufactured by Saab Bofors Dynamics Switzerland, which is also involved in the Milan ER warhead. In fact the two warhead companies were independent entities in the past and have thus maintained some of their historical customers, TDW providing for

example warheads to Saab Dynamics. Not many details have been unveiled by MBDA about the warhead, however we can guess that SBDS might have transferred its variable thickness molybdenum liner technology used in the Milan ER also on the MMP. A penetration of over 1,000 mm against rolled homogeneous armour protected by ERA has been announced. In the rear segment of the missile, behind the main warhead, we find the arm and safety system, the fibre optic spool, which links the missile with the launcher during the whole flight, and the booster. The latter allows to launch the missile over one meter distance from the launcher at around 15 m/s before igniting the rocket motor, which allows to use the MMP from enclosed areas, a key feature in urban warfare. Coming to the launcher, it weighs only 11 kg battery and tripod included, the optronic box being fitted on the left and the missile on the right. Starting from the top we find the laser rangefinder, with the daylight colour TV channel below it, and at the bottom the cooled thermal camera which is a derivative of Sagemâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s sensors used in the JIM-MR target acquisition binoculars, cooling time being of around 30 seconds. According to MBDA targets can be identified well over 2,500 metres day and night, detection being obviously higher than the weapon range, thanks to the high resolution of the sensors suite. The operator controls the launch via two handles. The one on the left allows to control observation modes, while that on the right is used to acquire the target using the mobile reticle, to launch the missile and eventually to refine the aiming while in flight. Once the target has been acquired, in lock-on-before-launch (LOBL) mode, the operator confirms it clicking on its joystick, which sends the information to the launcher. He can also choose the trajectory, the high trajectory being mainly used in antitank role to hit the tank turret from the top, while the flat trajectory is the one mostly used against infrastructures. In his screen he sees a number of indicators. In the lower left corner there are four icons in a vertical pattern: on the top we find that indicating the firing mode, LOAL or LOBL, then comes EDR - May / June 2016

that indicating the type of target, followed by the one showing the type of trajectory, high or low, and finally the bars indicating the battery status. In the top right corner we find three icons in a horizontal pattern: from the left the one indicating the GPS status, then the one showing the channel selected, TV or IR, and finally that showing the image quality. On top of the image, in the centre, a horizontal bar with two triangles allows the operator to quickly bring to bear the missile over the target, if this has been acquired by an external source, even if this is out of the field of view. By opening the safety cap over the launch button the operator activates the missile seeker. The sequence is thus started; the automatic image correlation system is activated, which compares the pixels of the launcher and those of the missile seeker channels, avoids any intervention by the operator reducing engagement time, stress and error risks. Less than 10 seconds are needed to complete this operation, which is shown to the operator by a series of green bars in the middle of the image; those disappear when the sequence is finished, the image in the launcher becoming that of the missile seekers. If the mission is aborted the operator puts back the cover, missile seekers being switched off (as said this is possible thanks to the uncooled IR sensor on the missile). In early 2014 at the DGA test centre in Bourges two tests were run, one to verify the effectiveness of the lethality chain at the missile top speed, the second to check the effectiveness

The cutaway of the Missile Moyenne PortĂŠe. The IMU allows to launch the missile in lock-after-launch mode, against targets which are not in direct vision from the launcher. (MBDA) EDR - May / June 2016

While the launcher thermal sensor is cooled, the one in the missile head is uncooled which allows much shorter reaction time and the possibility to abort the mission and reusing the same missile. (MBDA/I. Chapuis)

of the MMP warhead against a target fitted with the last generation reactive armour. In April 2014 the company tested the missile launch from enclosed areas. The first MMP firing took place at Bourges on 2 February 2015; it was a lock-on-after-launch (LOAL) test using the thermal channel, the target being at about 4,000 metres distance. A second test, in the LOBL mode with TV channel at mid-range distance was also performed, which allowed to test all aspects. A third confirmation firing allowed to complete the evaluation phase. The first qualification launch was carried out in early 2016, always at Bourges. It was the first of a series of tests aiming at verifying the missile behaviour at the envelope borders, and which took in count short, medium and long distance firings, TV and thermal channels, LOBL and LOAL modes, stationary and mobile targets, even in extreme thermal conditions (obtained artificially by overheating or overcooling the system according to NATO standards). All insensitive munition tests have been completed, assessment being underway, which will soon lead to the signature of the official IM signature. MBDA aims at completing qualification tests, the later one in very complex scenarios, within mid-2016, qualification being expected for late 2016. The MMP behaviour during this phase makes MBDA management well confident that the initial delivery date, mid-2017, will be reached.

The image seen by the operator, here captured from a technical training simulator. A series of icons allow the operator to monitor all selected modes. (P. Valpolini)

The French Armée de Terre will be the MMP launch customer. The new MBDA missile will equip infantry regiments and will also be part of the Scorpion programme, as it will be fitted to the CT40 turret that will equip the Jaguar 6x6. The overall need of the French Army should be for 400 firing posts, 2,850 missiles, 146 technical simulators (SET) and 238 tactical simulators (STC). Phase 1 of the MMP programme covers the acquisition of all firing posts, 1,500 missiles, 80 SETs and 113 STCs. Talking of simulators, the SET (Simulateur d’Entraînement Technique) is made of dummy launcher and missile, linked by cable to a computer. The SET can operate in stand-alone mode or networked, up to six firing posts being able to operate together. The instructor can define the scenario; currently seven scenarios are available, among which desert, mountain, urban and rural. The trainee sees exactly the same image he would see in the real launcher, and can perform exercises of increasing difficulty, the instructor being also able to vary weather and visibility conditions. The mission is recorder to allow after-action-review and to evaluate trainees performances. The SET qualification is very advanced, and the start of series production is scheduled for late May 2016. Each regiment equipped with the MMP should receive two SETs, first deliveries being expected together with the deliver-

ies of the missile system. The second simulator is the tactical one, known as STC (Simulateur Tactique de Combat) . This is based on the real launcher, which is loaded with a dummy missile, interactive laser technology being used in this system. The plan is to distribute six STCs per regiment, however the major number of such systems will be made available to the two tactical training centres, the CENTZUB (Centre d’Entraînement aux actions en Zone Urbaine) in Sissone, specialised in urban training, and the CENTAC (Centre d’Entraînement Au Combat) combat training centre in Mailly. The Armée de Terre expects to receive the first systems in 2017, including simulators. The MMP will not only be limited to the infantry version, but will also be fitted to the turret of the Jaguar, the 6x6 vehicle developed within the Scorpion programme that will replace the AMX-10RC, the Sagaie and the VAB-HOT currently in service. The Scorpion Phase 1 should include 110 Jaguars, which means 220 extra launchers, while Phase 2 should add further 138 Jaguars to the French Army inventory. While the Jaguar launcher exploits existing optronics and computers, it is nonetheless a market for missiles. MBDA is already proposing its new medium-range missile on the export market, both in infantry and mounted versions. One solution is its integration into the Multi Purpose Combat Vehicle shown at Eurosatory 2014; the remotely operated turret can be fitted either with SAMs, such as the Mistral, or with ground missiles, such as the MMP; it is armed in the middle with a 12.7 mm machine gun, has an unlimited training arc and an elevation arc of –10°/+55°. MBDA has already obtained a first export success with an undisclosed customer for its MPCV fitted with air defence missiles. MBDA is stressing the capability of easily integrate the MMP into digitalised platforms, where the system can exploit the vehicle navigation system as well as optronics. UAV applications might also be proposed soon. MBDA business plan forecasts a market for some 9,000 missiles, probably in a 10-year timeframe. , EDR - May / June 2016

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An Escadron de Chasse EC 3/11 ‘Corse’ Mirage 2000D based at Base Aerienne 188 refueling from a USMC KC-130.(CJTF-HOA)

David Oliver

France’s Desert Outpost – Djibouti

A small country with a large strategic importance, Djibouti lies at the heart of the troubled hot spots in the Horn of Africa at the crossroads of the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden. Bordered by Eritrea, Ethiopia and Somalia, and just across the Gulf of Aden from Yemen, now a war zone. Of prime importance in the world of international geopolitics, the Republic of Djibouti is a country that hosts a growing number of overseas armed forces.

he largest foreign base is Camp Lemonnier, a sprawling 600-acre base, built out of a one-time outpost of the French Foreign Legion, which is the United States the headquarters of Combined Joint Task ForceHorn of Africa (CJTF-HOA), the US Africa Command organisation that protects US and coalition interests in the region. The Camp supports approximately 4,000 US, joint and allied forces military and civilian personnel and US Department of Defense (DoD) contractors. The Pentagon now pays $68 million annually to lease Camp Lemonnier from the Republic of Djibouti, a former French colony with barely a million inhabitants. On the opposite side of Djibouti-Ambouli International Airport’s single runway is France’s Base Aérienne 188 that was established in 1948 in what was then French Somaliland. On independence in 1977, France retained its foothold in Djibouti with a defence agreement. French Forces stationed in Djibouti (FFDj) under the command of Armée de l’Air General Philippe

Montocchio, constitute the most important French contingent in Africa with approximately 1,900 military personnel, of which 1,400 are permanent, plus regular detachments of aircrew and troops undertaking hot weather training. The 1977 agreement covered the defence of Djibouti’s airspace, its own air force has no combat aircraft, and the responsibility of some 4000 French civilians living and working in the country. The air defence role is carried out since November 2008 by the Armée de l’Air Escadron de Chasse EC 3/11 ‘Corse’ equipped with three Mirage 2000D ground attack aircraft and four Mirage 2000-5F multi-role combat aircraft. The unit regularly exercises with visiting US Air Force, Navy and Marine Corps combat aircraft including F-15 Eagles, FA-18E/F Super Hornets and AV-8 Harrier IIs. The French Army’s permanent Aviation Detachment is the Détachement de l’Aviation Légère de l’Armée de Terre (DETALAT) based in Djibouti that fulfills a crucial mission for the projection of the French forces in the Horn of EDR - May / June 2016

An EC 3/11 ‘Corse’ Mirage 2000-5 at Djibouti’s Base Aerienne 188 with a USMC AV-8B in the background. (USMC)

Africa and its helicopters have accumulated more than 90,000 flight hours since 1977. It is currently equipped with four SA 330B Puma helicopters and two SA 342M Gazelle/HOT helicopters and is commanded by Lieutenant-Colonel Moreau de Bellaing with a staff of 61 aircrew and maintainers. The FFDj has a permanent training unit with the Centre d’Entraînement au Combat et d’Aguerrissement de Djibouti (CECAD) which focuses on combat training in desert environments. The specific characteristics of the environment include extreme temperatures, harsh winds, rough rocky or sandy terrain, with few urban constraints such as power lines and conflicting air traffic. The training takes place in the Grand Bara Desert in southern Djibouti and at Lake Assal located in a closed depression at the northern end of the Great Rift Valley, one of the hottest places on earth. CECAD holds six or seven exercises each year to increase the operational capability of the French armed forces, including the knowledge of the environment, including living and surviving in semi-desert, to fight against rebel forces in semi desert conditions, plus commando training. Djibouti is the ideal location for tactical helicopter training in a desert environment. The nights are very dark in Djibouti, ideal conditions EDR - May / June 2016

NVG operations. The DETALAT regularly supports the 5eme Regiment Interarmes d’Outre Mer (5e RIAOM) which is a French marine regiment stationed in Djibouti, and carries out joint exercises with the Armée de l’Air Mirage 2000s. The Pumas can be armed with 20 mm cannon to support Special Forces who regularly train in Djibouti. The DETALAT Pumas also carry out medevac and SAR missions while the Gazelle’s roles include reconnaissance, attack, command support, and support fire with a sniper on-board. Alongside the Pumas they carry out tactical transport and logistical support. The DETALAT helicopters fly an average of 200 hours per year. ALAT pilots on short-term detachments in Djibouti benefited fort acclimation training theatre fly an average of six hours over a period of 10 to 15 days. Lieutenant-Colonel Moreau de Bellaing told EDR that, “Djibouti presents an environment, which is especially privileged to train for the missions for which Army Aviation and our armed forces in general must be prepared. Whether it is precision airdrop, tactical flight, flying with night vision goggles, fast-roping exercises, ship- or dust-landing, prevailing conditions allow us to constantly improve our techniques with more security than on the mainland

One of DETALAT’s two SA 342M Gazelle helicopters based at Base Aerienne 188. (David Oliver)

and while optimizing all available permanent or temporary means.” While 1st and 2nd Line maintenance is carried out at Base Aerienne 188 in Losberger aircraft hangars with humidity control, deep maintenance of the Pumas is contracted out to the Portuguese aerospace company OGMA. Another permanent French aviation unit based in Djibouti is the Armée de l’Air’ ETOM 00.088 ‘Larzac’ equipped with a single C-160R Transall tactical transport aircraft and a pair of AS 330B Puma helicopters. The Pumas have a similar role to those of DETALAT but carry out a greater number of exercises including dive-rescue and medevac missions in co-operation with the US forces, and the USAF 303rd Expeditionary Rescue Squadron in particular. In addition normal operations of the permanent aviation units, Djibouti C-has been used for hot weather trials rotary-wing aircraft. In 2014 the French ALAT completed a series of operational trials of the Tiger Hélicoptère d’Attaque et Destruction (HAD) combat helicopter in Djibouti, with a focus on desert operations. The aircrews logged over 100 flight hours, and the certification of the deployment procedures for a Tiger HAD module with two helicopters was achieved. In addition, the aircraft conducted live fire tests with guns, rockets and missiles. The goals of the deployment were to fly the Tiger HAD version in high temperature conditions and for aircrews to master the aircraft,

write the specific operating procedures and operate under challenging conditions, clearing the way to an initial operational capability (IOC). The campaign was conducted in three phases: a first phase devoted to technical testing of the aircraft, a second phase focused on the Tiger weapon system, and a third phase of exercises performed in a tactical scenario, notably in support of the French Army’s locally-based unit, 5e RIAOM. In July 2015, the French Naval Aviation Practical Experimentation Center (centre d’expérimentations pratiques de l’aéronautique navale - CEPA) led the certification trials of the United States Marine Corps (USMC) Bell Boeing MV-22 Osprey tilt rotor aircraft on the French Mistral-class Landing Helicopter Dock (LHD) Dixmude off the coast of Djibouti. The trials were designed to enhance interoperability between the French and US navies. Dixmude hosted a USMC MV-22 Osprey belonging to the 15th Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU) deployed on the Wasp-class LHD USS Essex. The MV-22 is a tilt rotor aircraft is designed to take-off and land vertically like a helicopter but also fly like an airplane. The French naval trial were conducted under the control of the CEPA team dispatched from mainland France which took place both on board the LHD and the MV22. The presentations of the aircraft followed one another, followed by temperature measurements on the deck. The final test was used to EDR - May / June 2016

A MEDEVAC configured SA 330B Puma helicopters, one of four assigned to DETALAT in Djbouti. (David Oliver)

disembark personnel and refuel the MV-22 with rotating rotors, before shutting down its engines for the first time on a French LHD. Frequent visitors to the base are Aeronavale Atlantique 2 MPRAs and Rafale Ms and Super Etendards from the carrier Charles de Gaulle. The Pumas and the Transall provide transport and MEDEVAC flights for the Djibouti armed forces as well as training and support for visiting French troops. Medical support has been provided to foreign armed forces on a regular basis thanks to the military health services and the French Role 3 Military Hospital in Djibouti City facilities that is planned to move to the air base later this year. More recently Base Aerience 188 has been a stepping-stone for French forces involved in operations in Mali and the Central African Republic. The helicopters have been used to support French operations at the intersecting borders of Libya, Chad and Niger, for deterring weapons and drug smuggling, and jihadists regularly crossing between nations. In August 2015, two French ALAT Puma helicopters and associated passengers and cargo were flown from Camp Lemonnier to N’Djamena in Chad aboard a USAF C-17 Globemaster. This was the first time France has received support from US Forces in Djibouti for any mission outside of East Africa. Located some 10 km southwest of Djibouti City is Chabelley Airfleld, a satellite of Base EDR - May / June 2016

Aerienne 188. Although it is operated and used by the French military, in September 2013, it began serving as a temporary base for USAF MQ-9 Reaper unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV). The move came after the Djiboutian government expressed concern over a number of recent drone mishaps and accidents at Camp Lemonnier, that serves as a hub for counterterrorism operations in Yemen and Somalia. The Djiboutian authorities consequently asked US. officials to relocate the drones to remote Chabelley Airfield where they were deployed until the end of 2015. In September 2014 the Italian Task Force Air (TFA) assigned to the EU NAVFOR, equipped with an unarmed MQ-1B Predator UAV, performed its first flight. Since then, the UAV has patrolled the Internationally Recommended Transit Corridor (IRTC) in the Gulf of Aden, the Bab el Mandeb Strait and the north coast of Somalia. After 28 missions, and with a total of more than 300 flying hours, the Italian UAV completed its last mission in February 2015. During The Armée de l’Air’ ETOM 00.088 ‘Larzac’ operates a single C-160R Transall tactical transport aircraft in Djibouti. (David Oliver)

ETOM 00.088 ‘Larzac’ is also equipped with two SA 300B Puma helicopters to support French, US and Djibouti troops training in Djibouti.

more than 220 hours on-station, it was remotely piloted by “Line of Sight” (LOS), by 28th Squadron personnel deployed to Chabelly and also piloted “Beyond Line of Sight” (BLOS) by Italian Air Force personnel deployed in Amendola Air Force Base in Italy. Base Aerienne 188 is also the base for Maritime Patrol and Reconnaissance Aircraft (MPRA) assigned to the EU Naval Force’s Operation Atalanta since December 2008. Operation Atalanta’s mission is to deter, prevent and repress acts of piracy and armed robbery off the Somali coast, an area of some 1,600,000 square nautical miles. And to protect vessels of the World Food Programme (WFP) delivering aid to displaced persons in Somalia and the protection of African Union Mission on Somalia (AMISOM) shipping. MPRAs from France, Germany, Luxenbourg, New Zealand and Spain have participated in the operation, while Spain has flown flying more than 3,000 missions with both the Lockheed P-3M and CN-235 VIGMA (VIGilancia MArítima) aircraft since 2008. Aeronavale Altantique II MPRAS are regular visitors to Djibouti and more recently a Falcon 50M joined Operation Atalanta off the coast of Somalia. The French Air Detachment is tasked with patrolling the coast of Somalia to provide an accurate, up to date picture of the region and assist with counter-piracy patrols. The Falcon 50M is one of six aircraft assigned to 24 Flotille at Base d’aéronautique navale (BAN) Lann Bihoue in Lorient South Brittany. The Commanding Officer of the French Detachment said; “The Falcon 50 is perfect for this

type of operation, in that it is quick to react to a situation and has a highly-trained crew to analyze the information that it collects to support the EU’s counter-piracy mission.” Although France and the United States remain the dominant power nations with bases in Djibouti, the desert nation is also the location for Japan’s first overseas base since WWII with a detachment of Japan Self Defence Force (JMSDF) P-3C Orions deployed to Combined Task Force (CTF) 151, but China is now building its first overseas logistics base for what it claims, “will help China’s navy and army further participate in UN peacekeeping operations, carry out escort missions in the waters near Somalia and the Gulf of Aden, and provide humanitarian as, sistance.”

The observer crew aboard an Djibouti-base Aeronavale Falcon 50M flying an Operation Atalanta mission over Somalia. (D.Geffroy/FFDj) EDR - May / June 2016

TACTICAL & RECONNAISSANCE VEHICLES SPECIAL FORCES VEHICLES SUPPORT & LIAISON VEHICLES

Whatever the mission, wherever, whenever

An Escadron de Chasse EC 3/11 ‘Corse’ Mirage 2000D based at Base Aerienne 188 refueling from a USMC KC-130.(CJTF-HOA) Aselsan of Turkey is developing the Akkor, which main sensor is the radar, in the picture, which antenna covers 100° in azimuth and 75° in elevation. (P. Valpolini)

Armour Goes Active Against Projectiles and IEDs

Paolo Valpolini

The fight between the blade and the shield goes back thousands of years, and things have not changed in modern times when talking about vehicles, with armour trying to protect people inside while effectors try to penetrate it.

oth passive and reactive armour come into effect when the threat gets in contact with the outside skin of the vehicle, passive armour trying to dissipate the energy through its layers, while reactive armour is aimed at defocusing the effects of shaped charges. The increase in weapons lethality led to the development of new types of composite armour, which replaced steel-based rolled homogeneous armour improving effectiveness versus weight, however the competition continued, leading to further weight increase, which impacts on mobility. Not only, dimensions also increased, which also has a negative impact on mobility: taking as an example bar armour, the “chicken cages” mounted on vehicles to statistically defeat RPGs, these increase vehicle’s width of around 0.8 metres, which might well mean that while the original vehicle could go through certain villages in some areas of the world, when fitted with the cage its transit in the same place becomes impossible. And urban scenarios are becoming increasingly common.

Another threat which has become more and more common is that of mines and improvised explosive devices (IEDs). Even admitting that the vehicle hull is capable of withstanding the blast, the vehicle will nevertheless be projected in the air with a considerable acceleration, will fly in an uncontrolled way, and will then come back to earth suffering a brutal impact, the deceleration being usually higher than the initial acceleration, becoming often the true cause of casualties. Here passive armour can only deal with hull rupture and penetration and cannot do anything against the other causes of casualties, reactive armour not being a solution for this kind of threat. On huge platforms, that is naval vessels, close-in weapon systems have been adopted long time ago to defend the ship against the missile threat. As the platform concept has migrated also on armoured vehicles years ago, why not trying to develop a system aimed at stopping the incoming threat, the projectile, before it comes into contact with the outer skin of the EDR - May / June 2016

Israeli tank units have extensively used the Trophy HV installed on their Merkava Mk4 during the last confrontations, the system having neutralised threats of various kinds. (Rafael)

vehicle itself? This was the starting point of active protection systems, at least of those designed to cope with shaped charge warheads and, partly, against kinetic energy projectiles. Does this mean that it is possible to transform a canvas covered truck into an armoured vehicle? Definitely not! In most cases, even after having been defeated the projectile, of any type, will still transfer a certain amount of energy on the vehicle, thus a certain degree of armour protection will be needed to ensure crew survivability. In general terms an active protection system is made of a suite of sensors, an electronic box and effectors, in the form of grenade launchers or explosive charges that create a barrier in front of the incoming projectile, neutralising its warhead possibly without initiating it, and in some cases even breaking KE penetrators thus reducing their energy prior to impact. One major issue that is refraining many armies from adopting active protection systems, especially those based on grenades launched towards the incoming projectile, is collateral damages. It is however true that an RPG detonating against a vehicle, beside the damages and casualties caused to the vehicle and its crew, would generate a considerable amount of energy outside the vehicle, with blast and fragments causing anyway collateral damages. As for those using explosive elements generating a blade of energy close to the vehicle, typically used on light armoured vehicles, risks of collaterals are even smaller. As for the threat generated by mines and underbelly IEDs, active systems aim at avoiding the vehicle “take off” or EDR - May / June 2016

at least reducing as much as possible the acceleration and the height reached, thus diminishing considerably the consequences when the vehicle comes back on earth. Effectors generating a downward thrust are thus added to vehicles, to compensate the upwards thrust generated by the explosion; this is feasible as a certain delay occurs between the moment of the explosion itself and the moment when the vehicle starts to take off, the delay being sufficient for a well designed system to trigger the effectors. That said, let’s have a look at the current market situation. A system that is definitely in service and has seen action since its adoption is the Trophy, developed and manufactured by Rafael of Israel. Since 2009 the Trophy has been fitted to the Merkava IV tank, and more than 10 incoming missiles have been intercepted, the first one on 1 March 2011. The sensor used by the Trophy is the IAI/ELTA ELM-2133 WindGuard pulse doppler AESA radar, which is capable to detect the threat and provide accurate 3D direction as well as time-to-impact, those data being vital to allow the system to react properly; not only, it allows commanders to have a much better situational awareness, even when the active system is not triggered. According to Rafael all kind of systems were used against Israeli Merkava IV during operation “Protective Edge” in summer 2014, including tandem warhead rockets (RPG29s), Kornet missiles, as well as North Korean Phoenix missiles, while tanks operated in urban areas which included from one-storey houses to 10-storey buildings. All round coverage was

ADS of Germany was one of the first companies to develop an active system. Here one of the latest configurations, installed on an Iveco DV LMV. (P. Valpolini)

provided by the four flat antennas fitted to the turret, those being linked to the computing unit which in turn is linked to the two rotary launchers, installed on the right and left sides of the tank turret; these are aimed towards the incoming threat by the Trophy fire control system and when appropriate launch a MEFP (Multiple Explosive Formed Penetrator) which neutralises it. The system ensures simultaneous threat engagements and according to Rafael the chance of a dismounted soldier being injured by Trophy or an incoming threat is estimated at less than 1%. In February 2016 the Israeli MoD completed the Trophy integration into the Namer heavy infantry fighting vehicle, which is derived from the Merkava IV itself. Due to the vehicles dimensions the Trophy-HV is being installed, which weighs over 800 kg and was the first version to be fully developed. The author could witness the remains of numerous RPGs at Rafael proving ground, company tests having involved over 1,300 launches against prototypes. The Trophy-HV has been tested on numerous other vehicles, including the US Striker 8x8 AIFV, the US Army looking for such a system. In the US Rafael is partnered with DRS Technologies. For lighter vehicles such as the Stryker Rafael developed the Trophy-MV, which has

a weight of around 500 kg but maintains the same configuration of the HV version. The Trophy-MV awaits a launch customer for full development. The same applies to Trophy-LV, which is however based on a total different principle, MEFP rounds being replaced by energetic blades modules fitted on a structure that runs along the roof, giving some stand-off distance between the energetic blade directed downwards and the vehicle outer skin. Effective against RPGs, the LV has a much shorter reaction time, thus can deal with rockets launched at really short distance. Four very compact radars are located at the four corners of the structure, providing surveillance and threat assessment, however optronic systems seem to be also installed, probably the â&#x20AC;&#x153;triggersâ&#x20AC;? for the energetic blades. According to Rafael a Trophy-LV system aimed at protecting an HMMWV-class vehicle should weigh around 200 kg. In the last few years the Trophy-LV has been seen at many exhibitions on different light armoured vehicles, the last one being probably the Oshkosh M-ATV. Looking at the future Rafael is improving the current system, although no details are known. With two new vehicles in the pipeline, the 8x8 Eitan and the tracked ICV Carmel, it is clear that both will include some form of active protection. EDR - May / June 2016

According to some sources the new system might be the result of a cooperation between main contractor Rafael, Israel Aerospace Industries providing the radar while Israel Military Industries should be involved in the effector. The first NATO army that might deploy an active protection system should well be the Turkish one; in 2008 Aselsan started the development of what is known as AKKOR, the acronym for Aktif Koruma Sistemi which in Turkish means active defence system. Unveiled at IDEF 2015, the system is based on a millimetric radar with a rectangular antenna showing three sections, the bigger one on the right containing receiving elements, the smaller top-left one containing transmitter elements, and the bottom-left one containing electronic cards. Each antenna covers 100째 azimuth and 75째 in elevation, four antennas ensuring 360째 coverage with some overlap. The radar antenna shown in 2015 was considered at TRL 6-7, a technological demonstrator having been produced in 2010, Aselsan being still trying to further reduce its size, especially its depth. The four antennas provide signals to a central computer which position of an incoming projectile, activating the best located of the two two-tube launchers which launches one of its ammunition at the desired time. The launching technique is similar to that of a launcher, O-rings sealing the

ammunition in the launcher to fully exploit the thrust, while a Venturi in the back reduces recoil. The very front of the ammunition contains a miniature radar jointly developed by Aselsan and Tubitak Sage; according to Aselsan technicians this solution was preferred to the usual RF proximity fuse as it better solves clutter problems. The radar measures the angle and speed of the target, and detonates the charge at the optimal distance. The miniature radar and the ammunition were considered at TRL 4 in May 2015. Its warhead proved to be able to defeat that of an M72 LAW. Aselsan declares a reaction time of 1/15 second for its system, which allows to defeat rockets and missiles fired at a minimum distance of 50 metres. The Akkor programme was initiated in order to fit the system to the new Altay MBT currently under development by Otokar and a pool of Turkish industries including Aselsan; each tank will be fitted with four antennas and two launchers. In late November 2015 the Turkish Undersecretariat for Defence Industries (SSM) awarded Aselsan a 54 million Euro contract for the development and qualification of the system. According to Aselsan the full system will be available for testing in late 2016, engineer qualification tests being carried out in 2017 and customer tests in 2018, prior its induction into service together with the new MBT. The Czech Republic a team of military, academic and industrial actors has developed the EFA (Explosively Formed Axe), here the Mk II version integrated on a Pandur 8x8 IFV. A new Mk III version is currently under development. (VVU Brno)

The EFA Mk III will provide emispherical coverage and will thus protect the vehicle also from threats coming from the top. (VVU Brno)

As many other companies also Aselsan started developing a system aimed at light armoured vehicles. The Akkor Light uses a wholly different technology to enable shorter engagement time, thus reduced launch distances. It uses miniature radar sensors, electro-optical sensors being considered too vulnerable to dust problems. In 2015 the conceptual design of the radar was ready, the system being considered at TRL 3. One of the first European companies to develop an active system, named ADS (Active Defence System) was IBD Deisenroth of Germany. Since IBD has partnered with Rheinmetall, a number of companies having originated among which ADS - Gesellschaft fĂźr aktive Schutzsysteme mbH, based in Lohmar, neat Bonn, Rheinmetall AG owning a 74% share, with the remainder is held by IBD Deisenroth GmbH. The ADS is based on prewarners, that detect the incoming projectile at 10-35 metres range, electro-optical sensors confirming the threat and establishing the optimal intercept solution at 2 metres fro impact, energetic countermeasures fired downward neutralising the threat at one meter distance, reaction time being of a few milliseconds. System electronics and a laser initiation unit complete the ADS suite. The ADS modules have been arranged in different configurations to allow protecting from light armoured vehicles up to main battle tanks, as well as logistic vehiclesâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; cabins. According to the company at least one customer has adopted the system, no further details having been provided.

At least two more companies are active in the APS field in Germany. One seems to be KMW, which is currently being merged with French Nexter, however the company does not comment on that product. Diehl BGT Defence is also involved in active protection, with its AwiSS, the German acronym for Abstandswirksames Schutzsystem, that is active stand-off protection system, which is known internationally as AVePS (Active Vehicle Protection System). A demonstrator was tested in 2006, the AWiSS being made radars and infrared sensors, a system computer and a trainable four-tube turret that launches effector cartridges with blast warhead. Diehl BGT Defence considers a stand off distance of 10 metres the minimum for safety when engaging tandem warheads, due to the high pre-triggering probability. Further test campaigns were conducted in 2011, and the company is ready to produce the system. A two-launchers system for heavy armoured vehicles weighs less than 500 kg, while the weight of a one-launcher system is under 350 kg. Poland is developing a still unnamed system, the work being split between military academics and industry. Threat warning is provided by a UV camera detecting the plume of the launch, a short range radar providing gating at 40, 30 and 20 meters; this activates effectors that come in two forms, a twin-barrel trainable launcher firing purposely-developed fragmentation grenade and energetic boxes containing linear cumulative charges.The former are used to engage missiles and rocked propelled grenades fired from long distance while the latter provide a shield against short-range RPGs. According to availanle information the system has been integrated and tested, an 80% effectiveness being declared. For an APC wheeled vehicle the system includes four radar antennas, two grenade launchers and 10 energetic boxes, no weight figures being available. It is unclear which is the system roadmap. In the Czech Republic an industrial team including the Military Research Institute, the Brno State enterprise, Explosia Pardubice, EDR - May / June 2016

The elements of the active system uncer development in Poland shown on the model of a Rosomak IFV. UV and radar sensors are used, with grenades and explosive boxes as effectors. (P. Valpolini)

ČVUT Praha the Czech University in Prague (ČVUT), WAVE Systems, Georadis, VKV Horák and others developed the EFA active protection system. The EFA is a hard-kill system that consists of surveillance radars, close-in sensors, and fixed effectors, all mounted along the upper edge of a vehicle hull. The radar scans at short range, some tens of meters, detecting and tracks all incoming objects. The data are passed to a central control unit that classifies them; if one is a threat, the close-in microwave sensors are activated in the endangered area ; as soon as the threat enters the close-in barrier zone the EFA countermeasure is initiated and the incoming threat is destroyed. The interception point between 1 and 1.5 m from the vehicle enables to react quickly to threats fired from places in close proximity in urban areas. The EFA blast is confined within five meters from vehicle, thus collateral damages are limited. In 2007 the Czech MoD started the project aiming at a light variant to be used on light and medium armoured vehicles with Level 2 ballistic protection. Known as EFA Mk II, it is effecEDR - May / June 2016

tive against RPGs’ and missiles’ shaped charge warheads, and has been installed at the rear of a Pandur II infantry fighting vehicle. Currently the team is developing a new advanced system, known as EFA Mk III. Based on the work done previously, it ensures the protection of the whole vehicle, has a lower weight as well as a lesser impact on the vehicle’s width. Radar coverage is hemispheric on 360° and ensures protection against simultaneous threats coming from different directions, the system creating a sort of bubble around the vehicle. No further details were available at this time. Underbelly threats To reduce the effects of under-belly and under-wheel explosions, either from mines or IEDs, TenCate developed a system known as Active Blast Defeat System, ABDS in short, which is now known as Sentinel X. The system consists of sensors, a central processor linked to a controller located in the drivers cabin, and in a certain number of “countermeasures”, usually four, which are fitted externally on the vehicle, on the

two sides, front and rear. For a vehicle in the range of the 7-27 tons the system weighs slightly over 300 kg. Each countermeasure is 0.50 meters tall, 0.35 meters wide and 0.12 metres thick and when activated it projects upward a mass that allows to make the vehicle “very heavy” for a short period of time. The key elements are the sensors, as these must discriminate between usual accelerations, those generated by a vehicle travelling at speed cross-country, and accelerations generated by an explosion. A double iteration confirms the need to trigger the countermeasures, the processor being able to understand for example if only some of them should be fired to ensure maximum acceleration reduction. By maintaining the vehicle on the ground or close to it the Sentinel X allows to reduce injuries incurred during the initial blast, the end-rotation and flip of the vehicle, the flight and the

At IDEF 2015 FNSS signed an agreement with TenCate for integratine the Sentinel X system into its vehicles for testing. The system considerably reduces damages and injuries generated by IED and mines explosion. (P. Valpolini)

Across the Pond

he US Army is still looking for an APS, and has recently signed a contract for the continuation of Lockheed Martin’s work on the Modular Active Protection System, and more precisely on the open-architecture controller and software, was signed in December 2015. On the other hand some companies have already developed active protection systems. To reduce as much as possible reaction time Raytheon adopted a peculiar architecture for its Quick Kill Active Protection System countermeasure, while overall the system maintains the typical active system configuration, with four AESA radar antennas used to detect and track incoming threats providing 360° hemispherical coverage. These feed the treat data into the fire control computer which identifies the threat and, if appropriate, selects the optimal countermeasure to be fired and calculates the optimum defeat solution. The selected countermeasure is then soft-launched, and here comes the main difference of Raytheon’s solution: the grenade is fitted with four Pitch-Over-Motors which are activated in sequence to put the coun- The Quick Kill effector is quite peculiar, termeasure in the best position to defeat the incoming projectile. Two motors are fired to direct the as it uses pitch-over motors to reach the countermeasure towards the desired attack quadrant, then the third motor is fired to rotate the coun- optimum position and angle to defeat the incoming projectile. (Raytheon) termeasure along the threat attack plane, the fourth and final one being fired to stop the rotation at the optimum attack angle, the fragment warhead being thus detonated downward in order to defeat the threat while minimising collateral damages. This pop-up and pitch-over concept allows not only to engage projectiles fired at short range, i.e. in urban terrain, but also to defeat at much longer range incoming threats launched from distance in open terrain. Moreover it also allows to engage threats coming from above, such as RPGs launched from the top of a building or antitank missiles designed to overfly the target. According to Raytheon the Quick Kill is capable to deal with multiple threat scenarios, either when the opponent concentrates its aim on one area of the vehicle as well as when it fires on different areas. The Quick Kill was successfully demonstrated on a Stryker 8x8 armoured vehicle, defeating seven different types of threats including rocket propelled grenades and recoilless rifle projectiles. Tests have shown that the Raytheon solution is capable to engage projectiles fired at 20 metres range, as specified by the Office of the Secretary of Defense Live Fire Test and Evaluation test matrix, but also those fired at much shorter range. Tests included also firing against the vehicle on the move, threats fired from different obliquities, including top attack, near-simultaneous shots from short range aimed at the same vehicle spot, weapon types with unitary and tandem warheads being considered for tests. The standard Quick Kill configuration includes the four AESA radar assemblies, the radar/tracker/fire control processor, and two four-countermeasures assemblies, overall weight being 276 kg. Artis developed the Iron Curtain, an APS aimed at light armoured vehicles based on a C-band radar which detects the threat, distributed optical sensors located along the vehicle that profile and track the incoming projectile to 1 cm accuracy, and finally an energetic countermeasure that is fired downward and neutralises the threat.

EDR - May / June 2016

slam down. Not only, it also reduces secondary injuries generated by unsecured equipment inside the crew survival cell. A table was provided by TenCate with the results of the many tests carried out with a number of potential customers. Tencate has signed numerous agreements with vehicles OEMs, among them FNSS which has shown the Sentinel X on board one of its wheeled vehicles at IDEF 2015. By combining the Vehicle Global Acceleration Mitigation (VGAM), developed by UK Advanced Blast & Ballistic Systems Ltd (ABBS) and the Zero Shock System developed by Drehtainer of Germany the two companies managed to reduce both the damages caused by floor deformation effects and those cause by the lift of the vehicle following the explosion. When an IED or a mine detonates under the vehicle the inner floor, which is decoupled from the real floor by some

200 mm, floats as it is immediately released by pin pullers that decouple it from the cables that kept it in place. This allows to considerably reduce the upward acceleration, well under admitted limits. In the meantime the explosion effect starts to lift the vehicle from the ground; it is at that time that the VGAM, based on new, fast-acting, rocket motors, comes into play, generating a downward push that avoids the vehicle from lifting, or considerably reduces the height to which it is lifted, thus minimising the acceleration generated by the vehicle returning to the ground. All this tales place in less than 30 milliseconds. The systems are known to be in use in Switzerland, Germany having also tested them, although no contract seems to have yet been signed. At Eurosatory 2016 the two companies will probably be able to better illustrate their cooperation, which , started two years ago.

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equipment

Poland’s contract for 50 Airbus Helicopters H225M Caracals to replace its Russian helicopter fleets is being contested by Sikorsky and Finmeccanica. (Airbus Helicopters)

European Helicopters in Transit

Andrew Drwiega

The slowdown in defence spending has meant that any new helicopter business is eagerly fought over, as has been the case in Poland. The NH90 programme has also been bolstered by extra orders and successful testing, while a change of training environment has sought to re-teach old skills.

ith European orders to replace existing military helicopter fleets in something of a slump due to economic stagnation in the West, deals such as that initially won last year by Airbus Helicopters to supply the Polish Army with 50 H225M Caracal helicopters for utility missions was one of the outstanding contracts of 2015. However, as seems to be the norm these days, those who lose any competition often begin legal action against bid originator. Such is now the case in Poland, where Polish-based manufacturer PZL Świdnik (bought by AgustaWestland and now part of Finmeccanica Helicopters) has taken the Polish Ministry of Defence to court. Świdnik is asserting that the Ministry went

against its own rules regarding the tender process. The Ministry’s defence stands on the decision that both of the losing bidders did not meet the requirements of the tender, either by not being able to supply the helicopters by the requested delivery dates or by not proposing a weaponised version of the helicopter. Sikorsky through its subsidiary PZL Mielec was the second bidder alongside Świdnik. Airbus Helicopters was informed that its bid had been successful in April 2015. The Caracal had been competing against the Sikorsky/Mielec S-70i Black Hawk/S-70B Seahawk and the AgustaWestland/Mielec AW149M to replace the existing Polish fleets of Mil Mi-8/17 ‘Hip’ utility and Mi-14 ‘Haze’ ASW helicopters. Both of the EDR - May / June 2016

The ALAT crews reported that the assistance of the onboard computers was highly valued, in that they knew at any point the fuel consumption of the each helicopter based on its altitude, speed and weight. Due to the harsh conditions of operating in the desert, each NH90 is equipped with additional items including sand filters on the air intake and APU, protective film on the windshield, special paint on the leading edges of the blades to prevent rapid wearing due to the sand-blasting effect. The Polish Navy Mil Mi-14 ‘Haze’ ASW helicopters are to be replaced by the H225M Caracal. (Russian Helicopters)

other bid competitors valued the potential win: Sikorsky to help boost sales for its subsidiary and AgustaWestland to increase business for its new militarised AW149. Rivals and partners As is the nature of business, turn in another director and rivals for one contract do well in concert regarding another. On 7 January 2016 the French DGA (Direction Generale de l’Armement) placed an order with Airbus Helicopters for an additional six tactical troop transport (TTH) NH90 helicopters from NH Industries (NHI), raising to 74 the number of TTH variants on order for French Army Aviation (ALAT). These additional NH90s will be delivered between 2017-2019. NHI of course is a collaboration between Airbus Helicopters (62.5%), AgustaWestland (32%) and Fokker Aerostructures (5.5%). The ALAT has deployed two NH90 Caiman helicopters to the African state of Mali since November 2014. They had been confirmed with Initial Operational Capability (IOC) before the deployment although Full Operational Capability (FOC) is not scheduled to be announced until later this year. The Caimans were able to self-deploy from France to Gao, in northern Mali, in 32 hours undertaking a journey of over 5000 km. The length of the trip meant that each aircraft needed to carry three 450 kg duel tanks inside the cabin in order to provide up to five hours of flight time. EDR - May / June 2016

Self-protection Tests End for Norwegian NH90NFH Testing by NHI on the self-protection suite for the Royal Norwegian Air Force (RNoAF) NH90s, which began in September 2015, was completed at the end of February this year. This now paves the way for the delivery of six additional NH90 Naval Frigate Helicopters (NFH) that will be configured for anti-submarine warfare. The RNoAF received its sixth of 14 NH90 earlier this year, with two final helicopters to be delivered and configured for coast guard duties by the end of the contract. Testing was conducted by Finmeccanica Helicopter’s flight test team backed by representatives from organisations including the French DGA at three test sites at Cazaux, Bruz and Ile du Levant. They were conducted through the portrayal of realistic threats in a variety of scenarios.

French Army AS330 Pumas and the helicopter that will replace it, the new NH90 Caiman, have been deployed to Mali. (ALAT)

The NH90’s self-defence suite comprises a Radar Warner Receiver (AN/ALQ-211(v)5 from Harris) for long range threat detection, a Laser Warning System (AN/AVR-2A(v)1 from Goodrich), a Missile Warning System (AN/ AAR-54) from Northrop Grumman) and also a Counter Measures Dispensing System (AN/ALE 47 (H) from BAE). The anti-submarine Norwegian NH90 NFHs will be delivered with a sonic suite built around a Thales FLASH dipping Sonar, a multimode ENR radar, an Electro Optic suite with laser rangefinder and an ALQ 211 ESM suite. Where there is no budget to buy new, countries are looking to upgrade their helicopters to extend the lifetime of their assets. This is the case in Spain, where the Spanish Ministry of

Defence’s Directorate General of Armament and Material (DGAM) has recently taken delivery of the second of what will eventually be seven modernised Agusta Bell AB212 utility helicopters from SENER engineering. The AB212s have been in service with the Spanish Navy since 1974 and the upgrade investment should extend their operational life by 15 years to around 2030. To undertake the work, SENER entered into a Temporary Joint Venture with INAER Spain, part of the Babcock International Group. While SENER has designed and planned the integration of new mission systems such as radar, night vision lighting and defensive aide packages, INAER is carrying out the installation work at its facility in Albacete. The modifications had two

German Air Force veteran Sikorsky CH53G helicopters are regular participants in the European Defence Agency’s ‘Blade’ exercises. (David Oliver)

objectives: to allow operations within military and civil controlled airspaces in accordance with all requirements of the latest regulations, and secondly to provide the helicopters with sufficient self protection to allow them to participate in multinational missions which will deploy into low-level threat environments The improvements include electrical rewiring, digital cockpit avionics, the installation of state-of-the-art mission systems such as EFIS, EO/IR radar, a naval Automatic Identification System (AIS), GPS navigation system, Terrain Avoidance Warning System (TAWS), Tactical Mission Computer (TMC), cargo crane, modifications to the auxiliary fuel tanks, a missile approach warning system (MAWS), armoured and anti-crash seats for the crew, and a defensive weapon systems. From hot to cold One of the acknowledged challenges that face all European military forces when operating together in expeditionary type operations, apart from any language differences, is knowledge of each other’s tactics, techniques and procedures (TTPs). This is an issue that the European Defence Agency has been addressing for over six years with its annual Hot Blade exercises. These have been staged in late summer and been designed to provide forces from participating European Union (EU) member states with a framework to develop and share best practices through a series of exercises in a typical operating environment. According to Andrew Gray, the EDA’s Helicopter Programme Manager, this gives them the confidence and experience to be more effective and efficient when they deploy together operationally.

Due to recent campaigns for EU members in Iraq and Afghanistan, past Helicopter Exercise Programmes (HEP) have tended to focus on ‘hot and high’ operations have been staged in Italy (2015) and Portugal (2012-14). Dust landing called ‘brown outs’ have been high on the training list, together with the insertion and extraction of ground forces. However, there has been a recognition that other skills may have degraded during the last decade and a half. Under the Gray’s leadership, this year’s exercise was brought forward from its late summer slot to run from 7-18 March and was located in the Ivalo airbase in Finland. Called Cold Blade 2016, Gray explained the concept behind the move: “to work in the Arctic is much different to working in a desert…and as the world becomes more complex and the security threats become more diverse we need to be able to operate in many different environmental conditions.” There were fewer participants than attend the regular Hot Blade exercises with only the host nation Finland and Germany actually sending aircraft with seven NH90 Tactical Troop Helicopters (TTH) and one MD500 from Finland, and two CH-53GAs from Germany. These were supported by some 180 military personnel. A survival course programme running concurrently also attracted participants from Italy. Additionally Sweden sent observers. The exercise began with individual crew training and qualifying pilots and loadmasters in white-out landing conditions together with improving navigation skills often while flying over a white, featureless terrain. Night vision goggles (NVG) were used and, as is the norm with the EDA’s ‘Blade’ exercises, the complexi-

Finnish Army NH90 TTHs took part in the EDA Exercise Cold Blade 2016 which included operating in white-out landing conditions. (Joonus Mattila/Finnish Armed Forces)

EDR - May / June 2016

The self-defence suite for the Norwegian Air Force NH90 NFH that will be configured for ant-submarine warfare, has been tested in France. (Airbus Helicopters).

ty of missions increased over time. In the final week, the NH90s and CH-53s were conducting nighttime formation flying. Lt Col Frank Witteman of the German Air Force said that some of the participants were already trained on the EDA’s Helicopter Tactics Course, but that knowledge contributed to the Cold Blade exercise. Major Kimmo Nordberg from the Finnish Helicopter Battalion added that deep-snow ‘white out’ landings were particularly challenging. At the end of the exercise a total of 290 hours had been flown during 156 missions. The next exercise in the EDA’s HEPs will be Black Blade 2016, planned in Belgium between 14 November and 2 December 2016, which will focus on Spe, cial Operations Forces (SOF) missions.

An earlier PVS-2, seen here mounted on an M16, shows how bulky the older low-light gathering devices were. (US DoD)

Seeing in the Dark

Franรงois Prins

Vitally important for the soldier on the battlefield is the ability to see the opposition, especially in the dark. I looks at some of the devices currently in use.

hese days night-vision scopes, goggles and other devices are regarded as standard equipment for mounted and dismounted soldiers. One can trace military night vision equipment back to the inter-war years when AEG in Germany and RCA in the United States experimented with infra-red and ultra-violet spectrums. It was Germany that introduced infra-red night vision equipment into the army in 1943. This system used an infra-red searchlight with its beam tracked by an operator wearing suitable infra-red goggles. In the United States early units were bulky, but by the end of World War Two they had become more portable and the M1 and M3 infra-red night-sighting devices and had been introduced. Like the German system they used a large infra-red light source to illuminate targets which were displayed on a screen via an image intensifier photocathode tube using an electron acceleration device. Development moved away from a dedicated infra-red light source to illu-

EDR - May / June 2016

minate a target and shifted to the use of passive devices relying on ambient light. These early units required moonlight to function correctly and were introduced into the field during the Vietnam War. Several countries now manufacture and sell image-intensifying, light-gathering, night-vision-type devices for use in vehicles, as scopes for use on sniper rifles, as binoculars, monoculars and stand-alone tripod-mounted units. The applications are many and most armed forces now have some sort of night-vision equipment as standard. In France, Photonis, based in Merignac, is one of the leaders in electro-optic detection. They design and manufacture enabling technologies for night vision and a wide range of industrial, scientific and medical applications. Their primary focus is the development of detection technologies where the sensitivity of light, ions, electrons, and x-rays are critical. Photonis manufacture low-light imaging optics for use in

An image captured through a night-vision scope of a soldier with gun raised, taken in total darkness. (US DoD)

night vision rifles, goggles, and scopes and units are deployed around the globe. Apart from the usual night-vision devices, Photonis also manufacture scientific sensors and detectors, electro-optics, mass spectrometer detectors, streak tubes, scientific cameras, neutron and gamma detection devices. Their low-level imaging sensors are used for surveillance and unmanned monitoring both in daylight and in starlight conditions. Photonis have pioneered low-light level imaging sensors for use with digital cameras and their Nocturn Low-Light CMOS camera is widely used by the military and law enforcement in several countries. The CMOS sensors support Command and Control (C4I) operations, urban and suburban surveillance at night, and advanced applications such as vehicle protection/surveillance and fusion of digital images such as visible (at night) and infra-red (IR). For the Defence sector, Photonis produce a wide variety of night-vision devices and their products are in use by NATO countries and deployed worldwide. Units are fitted to armoured vehicles with low-light level imaging equipment

coupled to low-light cameras and offering 360 degree vision; in the recent years night vision equipment from Photonis has been successfully installed in UAVs. In the US ITT Exelis developed the AN/PSQ20 Enhanced Night Vision Goggle (ENVG) monocular passive light device for the military. It fuses image-intensifying and thermal-imaging technologies enabling vision conditions in poor

This image is typical of what is seen though a night-vision scope in total darkness. (US DoD) EDR - May / June 2016

The ITT Exelis PSQ-20 01 enhanced night-vision monocular fuses image-intensifying and thermal-imaging technologies. (ITT Exelis)

light. This was the first time that light-intensifier and infra-red technology were combined. Prior to this the two technologies could only be used separately. The AN/PSQ-20 allows both methods to be used together or separately and can be helmet-mounted or hand-held. Selected as a supporting device for the US Future Force Warrior programme, it will replace the AN/ PVS-7 and AN/PVS-14 systems; although more expensive and heavier that those devices, improvements are being made to reduce weight and bulk. However, it is not until 2019 that the US Army plan to introduce a family of Weapon Sights-Individual (FWS-I) to the inventory. This is an optic that can be mounted on the various weapons in use now or planned for the future. It works with the ENVG-III by transmitting data from the scope to the goggles, so the soldier can aim the weapon without needing to raise it to their eye. Both systems were brought together under the Rapid Target Acquisition (RTA) capability that combined two separate programmes with separate devices together to make them interoperable. The goggles are connected through fibre optic wires to a processor on the back of the helmet that wirelessly communicates with the weapEDR - May / June 2016

on-mounted FWS-I; because of the systems’ short range and low power, jamming the wireless connection is not a concern. Connecting with the ENVG-III also expands field of vision from a scope’s 18-26 degrees to the goggle’s 40 degrees. By seeing what the scope sees through the goggles, soldiers can point their weapons out of defilade positions, such as over walls and around corners and fire accurately without exposing their head or torso to enemy fire. By July 2015, the Army had purchased 9,000 ENVG-I and 16,000 ENVG-II units from BAE Systems and DRS Technologies. Next year, the ENVG-III is expected to be introduced into service and a total of 41,000 devices are on order. ENVG-III allows soldiers to choose between night vision, thermal, hybrid, and a hybrid where thermal images show up with an outline, but extends the thermal capacity out to the entire 40-degree field of view rather than just a circle in the middle. Russia too has been working on night-vision devices since the end of World War Two and over the past sixty years have progressed to equal anything fielded by NATO members. Several older designs remain in mainstream use and though heavier than western models are effective and proven. For example, the 1PN58

Helmet-mounted thermal imagers have designs that are similar with each other, this is a typical current type. (Vectronix)

night-vision scope weighs 2kg and is designed to fit on rifles or grenade launchers; it is attached onto a matching side rail on the weapon. The scope gathers light into a refractor which can be protected with an aperture cover. The centre of the cover has a circular aperture with dark glass allowing the scope to be used in light conditions that would otherwise saturate the light intensifier. The scope comes with seven different, detachable elevation scales, one for each of the supported weapons. Clip-on devices have become small and portable enough to be carried easily in a soldier’s pack, Vectronix in Switzerland have pioneered the Miniature Thermal Acquisition Clip-On System TACS-M, and one of the most recent is the NiteSpotMR. This is a medium range clip-on night sight that aids night-vision capability to a wide variety of rifles up to calibre 0.50. The device attaches to the front of a day sight objective

and can be removed quickly when not required. NiteSpotMR does not affect the optical alignment of the day sight, eliminating the need for re-adjustment/boresighting when changing between daytime and night-time operations. Elbit Systems in Israel claim that their XACT-NV32 is the smallest monocular night vision system around today. Weighing just 180 grams, the XACT-NV32 has been specially engineered to use the same head and helmet mounts as before, thereby saving on already purchased spares and facilitating logistics. The XACTNV32’s design enables the user’s unaided eye to converge to the device’s optical LOS without losing depth perception and with much less eye fatigue. A newly designed flip-up mechanism helps the warfighter decide when and where to use it, based on the operational scenario. A new auto shut-off mechanism, activated by a change in the wearer’s head angle, extends the device’s service life. Quite a change comes from Defence Vision Systems, which has developed a Panoramic Sniper using a Vectronix PLRF monocular to acquire target. This can be used in day or night conditions. (Vectronix)

The Russian-built 1PN58, seen here mounted on a RPK-74N2, is widely used; the scope gathers light into a refractor and is equal to many western systems. (US DoD)

Viewing System providing real moving images over 360 degrees of view. This is achieved by means of eight independent cameras mounted in a common housing. The output from the cameras is stitched at sub pixel level, image corrected and displayed, at 20 frames per second, on single monitor. The displayed image may be a single pillar box display covering the whole 360 degree panorama. Alternatively this may be displayed as two separate pillar box images; one placed above the other, with the upper displaying the front 180 degrees and the lower the rear 180 degrees. The system provides the ability to view movement over the full panorama plus the user is able to zoom in on a particular area of interest. The zoomed image may then be viewed in high resolution for more detailed examination. Currently being trialled the system shows great promise.

Night-vision capability has moved on from the first generation devices but still uses a microchannel plate for amplification. Photons from a dimly lit source entered the objective lens and strike a photocathode plate. The photocathode releases electrons which are accelerated to the higher-voltage microchannel plate. Each electron causes multiple electrons to be released from the microchannel plate. The electrons are drawn to the higher-voltage phosphor screen and the electrons striking the phosphor screen cause the phosphor to produce photons of light viewable through the eyepiece lenses. However, the latest types of devices (Gen IV) now differ in the light gathering method. First, an automatic gated (ATG) power-supply system regulates the photocathode voltage, allowing the NVD to instantaneously adapt to changing light conditions. The second is a re-

Typical night scene as seen though a monocular scope with infrared illumination via laser. (Elbit Systems)

EDR - May / June 2016

The US has been experimenting with 360 degree goggles for use by pilots; the data from four vision units are gathered together to give an accurate image. (US DoD)

moved or greatly thinned ion barrier, which decreases the number of electrons that are usually rejected by the Standard Gen III MCP, hence resulting in less image noise and the ability to operate with a luminous sensitivity at 2,850K of only 700, compared with operating with a luminous sensitivity of at least 1,800 for Gen III image intensifiers. Although manufacturers classify the above as Generation IV, the US military lists them as Generation III Autogated tubes (GEN-III OMNI-VII). However, as autogating power supplies can now be added to any previous generation of night vision, autogating capability does not automatically class the devices as a GEN-III OMNI-VII. Autogating was designed to improve the BSP feature to be faster and to keep the best resolution and contrast at all times. It is particularly suitable for Aviator’s Night Vision goggles, operations in urban areas or for special operations. ATG operates constantly, electronically reducing the “duty cycle” of the photocathode voltage by rapidly switching the voltage on and off. This maintains the optimum performance of the I² tube, safeguarding the tube from additional

damage and protecting the user from temporary blindness. The benefits of ATG can easily be seen not only during day-night-day transitions, but also under dynamic lighting conditions when rapidly changing from low light to high light conditions, such as sudden illumination of dark room. A typical advantage of ATG is best felt when using a weapon sight which experiences a flame burst during shooting. ATG would reduce the temporary blindness that a standard BSP tube would introduce, allowing them to continuously maintain “eyes on target”. Also, ATG provides added safety for pilots when flying at low altitudes, and especially during take-off and landing. Pilots operating with night vision goggles are constantly subjected to dynamic light conditions when artificial light sources interfere with their navigation by producing large halos that obstruct their field of view. The range of devices now available are greater than ever and the race to make smaller and more efficient units is on; the prize being valuable contracts in the defence and law enforce, ment agencies. EDR - May / June 2016

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The Estonian Navy Mine Countermeasures Vessel (MCMV) Admiral Cowan, a former Royal Navy Sandown-class minesweeper, took part in Exercise Open Spirit 2015.

Baltic Mine Hunters

David Oliver

Over the course of two world wars, close to 170,000 mines and UXO were laid in the Baltic Sea and an unknown number remain at the bottom of the sea. Navies from countries bordering the Baltic Sea, together with other nations, attempt to clear the seabed of mines from this time.

particularly large number of mines were laid out around the Estonian coast, especially the Gulf of Finland which is the site of Exercise Open Spirit, a multinational joint Explosive Remnants of War (ERW) clearance operation which reconvenes in the Baltics every year, with host and command duties rotating between Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania. Last year 18 ships and seven diver teams from 15 countries, a total of over 800 naval personnel, met in Estonia to scan its waters for explosives. The Estonian Navy took part with mine countermeasures vessels (MCMV) Admiral Cowan and Sakala, and the diving vessel Tasuja. Standing NATO Mines Counter Measures Group 1 (SNMCMG 1) and the Baltic Naval Squadron (BALTRON), also took part in the exercise. The two-week search yielded a total of 210 explosive devices, 64 of which were deactivated. Most of the ordnance was found in the area around the islands of Naissaar and Aegna. Com-

mander of the Estonian Navy, Captain Sten Sepper said the exercise also yielded detailed data of the seabed, which raises the navy's awareness level. Open Spirit 2015 marked 20 years of international cooperation in mine clearance since the first mine countermeasure operation was conducted in cooperation with Sweden in 1995. The Estonian Navy will send one MCMV, a team of MCM divers and two staff officers, altogether about 50 personnel to the Open Spirit naval exercise to be held in Lithuania waters in May 2016. Up to 20 MCMVs and support vessels and some ten diver teams from 15 countries, and a total of 800 naval personnel will take part in the exercise. This will be closely followed by the largest maritime exercise in the Baltic Sea, BALTOPS 2016 which will be used to demonstrate the interoperability of NATO allies, including Nordic partner states Finland and Sweden. EDR - May / June 2016

Lithuania MCNV LNS Skalvis departing from Tallinn naval base during Exercise Open Spirit 2015 with the Polish Navy’s mine hunter ORP Mewa in the background waiting for departure. (HQ MARCOM).

In all up to 50 ships and submarines, up to 60 aircraft and 5,600 naval personnel from 20 countries will take part in BALTOPS 2016. Given regional tensions, the exercises will be monitored even more closely by Russia this year. NATO intends to use BALTOPS to assure countries in the Baltic region when the joint force comprised troops from over 20 NATO and partner nation states and included 49 surface ships, submarines, assault craft, 62 fixed and rotary wing aircraft, with some 5,000 supporting personnel afloat and ashore. The Estonian Navy will send one MCMV, a diver teams, two staff officers, together with some 70 personnel. The UK is sending up to 6,000 British troops and five Royal Navy MCMVs to the Baltic as part of an operation to buildup NATO’s military presence against Russia. NATO says the increase in military on the Russian border is a more “muscular approach” against Russian President Vladimir Putin. UK Defence Secretary Michael Fallon said: “2016 will see a particular focus on the Baltic region with Royal Navy ships sent there as part of the Maritime Group, the Mine Counter Measure Group and the BALTOPS exercise.” The UK will also deploy three Mine Sweepers – around 130 Navy personnel in total – to SNMCMG 1 for four months covering the Baltic Sea. EDR - May / June 2016

The most active nation involved in the security of the Baltic Sea is Sweden. Apart from mines, torpedoes, bombs, high-explosive shells, anti-tank grenades and mortars from conflicts during the world wars, chemical weapons dumped by Germany and the Soviet Union can also be found at the bottom of the Baltic Sea, and although it is not the navy’s job to deal with them, only report their location to the Swedish Coast Guard, it must be prepared for the eventuality that divers or submersibles will come into contact with such weapons, and then decontaminate them as necessary. Sweden is a partner of the Baltic Ordnance Safety Board (BOSB) which is a multinational mine countermeasure and Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) co-operation, established in 2007. Other partners are Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Latvia, Lithuania and Poland. The BOSB’s aims are to promote international exchange of information concerning the disposal of historical ordnance; to focus multinational MCM operations and exercises, including BALTOPS and Open Spirit against prioritized areas. One of the four elements of the Swedish Finnish Naval Task Group which is planned to reach full operational capability (FOC) in 2023, is a mine With between 2,000 and 4,000 ships constantly underway in the Baltic Sea at any one time, it is the responsibility of the Royal Swedish Navy’s mine-clearing squadron of the 3rd Naval Warfare Flotilla to ensure that the maritime traffic operates in safety. Based at Karlskrona, the squadron operates five Koster-class Mine-Countermeasures Vessels (MCMV). In January 2005 Atlas Elektronik was awarded a contract for the upgrade of five Landsort-class MCMV vessels to Koster-class with the Atlas Electronik Integrated MCM Systems (IMCMS-S), which were commissioned into operational service in 2010. The system combines mine hunting, mine sweeping, mine disposal, surveillance and communication with other naval forces. The upgrade programme carried out be Kockums at Karlskrona comprised an MCM Tactical Command and Control system, a HMS-12M

The Swedish Navy Koster-class MCMV HMS Ven in a rough Baltic Sea. (Swedish Navy)

broadband hull-mounted sonar and the SeaFox Mk II ROV expendable mine identification and disposal system (MIDS). The IMCMS-S also integrates sensors and effectors like the self-propelled variable depth sonar, underwater positioning system, navigation radar and sensors, conventional MIDS systems, and the air defence system. The MLU also included a new air defence systems involving a modified Saab 9LV Naval Combat Management System (CMS). The upgraded vessels also have Link 16 capability and are expected to remain in service until 2030. For minesweeping, the Koster-class is equipped with a mechanical sweep for moored mines, a light magnetic sweep and two acoustic sweep systems. A mine hunting sonar fitted in the bow of the Remotely Operated Vehicle (ROV) is used to determine the location and classification of the mine. The ships also carry two Saab Sea Eagle or Double Eagle Mk III remotely operated mine disposal vehicles for the identification and destruction of mines. The second of the ROVs is used for disposal of the mine and carries a charge that it can place in close proximity to the mine. The ROV returns to the ship before the charge is detonated. The ROVs are connected to the ship by a 600m tether. The Koster-class is also equipped to control up to four Kockums SelfPropelled Acoustic Magnetic Sweep (SAM) 3s, a remote controlled catamaran minesweeper.

The SAM 3 can simulate a variety of sizes of ships without risking the lives of the crew or valuable ships. The ships are powered by four Saab Scania DSI 14 diesel engines developing 1,600hp driving two independent vertical Voith-Schneider propellers. The engines are cross-coupled so that each propeller is run by two diesel engines through clutch and cone belt transmission gears. Additional equipment includes Saabâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Double Eagle Mk II and Mk III Propelled Variable Depth Sonar (PVDS). During a mission, the Double Eagle PVDS is launched from a ship and

The Saab Double Eagle Mk II Propelled Variable Depth Sonar (PVDS) is standard equipment on Koster-class MCMVs. (David Oliver) EDR - May / June 2016

MCMV HMS Ulvön at the Swedish Navy’s 3rd Naval Warfare Flotilla base at Karlskrona. (David Oliver)

the operator merges it with a track defined from the ship’s tactical system. The track consists of waypoints that the vehicle navigates between one at a time until it reaches the end. The operator can change the track of the vehicle at any time by sending new waypoints, or they can manually control it and pilot the vehicle to investigate an object of interest. The use of the track also means that the PVDS can operate under different layers in changing water salinity and temperature. This enables it to perform multiple types of MCM mission, even in adverse conditions and strong currents. In October 2015 Swedish MCMVs mapped of the seabed off the west coast of Sweden. Fredric Leufstadius, second-in-command on HMS Koster explained the operation. "Many people probably imagine that it's not very difficult to find things under the surface, but in fact the seabed looks similar to the land surface. There are hills and valleys, rocks and stones, vegetation and many other features that make it difficult to find mines or even a submarine." The waters around the Gothenburg archipelago hold another challenge, too. "The salt content of the water is quite a lot higher than on the east coast. Ships' sonar can't easily present a clear picture of the bottom due to the salt and temperature. Sonar is the techEDR - May / June 2016

nology we use to search the seabed. A mine is fairly easy to drop without being detected, and does not require advanced equipment. If a port such as Gothenburg were to be closed, it would put a lot of pressure on society since about 90 percent of Swedish imports and exports are by sea.” The important of the Swedish Navy’s MCMV fleet was reflected In Sweden’s Defence Policy 2016 to 2020 that confirmed there is provision for additional procurements and/or upgrades and enhancements in the period from 2021 of , its minesweeping vessels.

The Double Eagle Mk III PVDS is powered by four brushless motor thrusters that emit low electric, magnetic and hydroacoustic noise (David Oliver)

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A legacy Boeing C-135FR Stratotanker of the French Air Force about to refuel a Mirage 2000 N fighter-bomber using its « flying boom » fitted with a basket connector. The French Stratotankers have been around for half a century yet, providing sterling service. They will be replaced one for one by twelve Airbus A330 MRTTs around the turn of this decade. (H. Cariou)

Modern Air Tankers

Jean-Michel Guhl

Ongoing air war operations around the world today all rely heavily on the use of air tankers. Mostly with such aircraft as the old and stalwart Boeing KC-135 Stratotanker — the daddy of them all — or the new Airbus KC-30/A330 MRTT which can be described from the outside for the non-connoisseur as a scaled up digital Stratotanker.

hat Boeing invented, in 1948 under the pressing demand of General Carl Spaatz (then the U.S. Air Force’s first chief of staff), much of the principles and techniques of modern high altitude air refuelling is a self evidence. Without Boeing there would have been no proficient air tankers — KB-29, KB-50, KC-97 and KC-135 — nor the long-range bombers the USAF Strategic Air Command relied exclusively on during the Cold War, namely the nuclear bomb carriers B-50 Superfortress, B-47 Stratojet and above all the immortal B-52 Stratofortress. An eight-engine mastodon due to soldier on with the USAF during much of this century, alongside the B-1 Lancer and B-2 Spirit, all three providing the U.S. air power with a global reach capacity no other can really challenge today. Historically the first use of aerial refuelling in combat took place in the early 1950s during the

EDR - May / June 2016

Korean War after Communist forces had overrun many of the UN jet bases in South Korea. It involved USAF Republic F-84E Thunderjet fighter-bombers flying missions from distant Japanese airfields, and refuelling en route from converted B-29 Superfortresses (designated KB-29Ms) using the then very new “probe-anddrogue” in-flight refuelling system. A first use of the global reach concept, operation “High Tide”, saw the first aerial refuelled strike missions. It began in May 1952 when twelve F-84E Thunderjets flew non-stop from Japan to bomb targets in North Korea topping off en route over the sea. In the same year, under the code name “Fox Peter”, large scale aerial refuelled operations started flying USAF F-84Gs non-stop across the Pacific, this to show the Soviets the U.S. determination to rollback any Communist attempt to conquer Western Europe by surprise. It is interesting to

point out that the F-84Es only had refuellable wingtip tanks that had to be filled separately with the versatile probe-and-drogue method, whereas the F-84Gs used the newly designed rigid boom system and wingroot receptacle to stoke up all tanks in a single aerial contact. For over a decade on, thanks to Boeing’s engineers, this strategic capacity was to remain a U.S. privilege. It thus influenced greatly the USAF and USN second generation jet fighter planes which all were designed from the inception with an air refuelling device : probe or receptacle. The two main refueling systems extant are probe-and-drogue, which is simpler to adapt to existing aircraft, and the all flying boom, which offers much faster fuel transfers, but requires a dedicated operator station. It is to be remembered that some of the earliest experiments in aerial refueling took place in the 1920s. Similar trial demonstrations of mid-air refueling techniques took place in Great-Britain and in France, at about the same time, but these early experiments were not yet regarded as a practical proposition, and were generally dismissed in general headquarters as nothing else but stunts.

Air refuelling : providing global reach to all If it took another two slow decades for other air arms to turn to air refuelling — with NATO air forces leading the path, first in France and in Great-Britain — nowadays aerial refuelling has become a reliable and apt method to extend the combat range of all aircraft, from fighter to cargo planes, including UCAVs. Military aircraft in production today anywhere, all come with a refuelling probe or receptacle, sometimes with both. In 2016, over thirty air arms on all five continents around the world do master the technique of air refuelling. Making them highly combat capable and able to hang around in any battle zone. Flying tankers today are of various categories. From the pure flying refueled, used only to pump kerosene down to another aircraft in the air, to the now most common multirole transport and tanker aircraft which can be both used as an airlifter to carry anything from passengers to heavy loads and transfer inflight kerosene or jet fuel in the same sortie. Ironically, if the first air refuellers were all converted strategic bombers (Boeing B-29 and B-50 in the USA or Myasishchev

A Royal Australian Air Force KC-30A (aka Airbus A330 MRTT) is seen over the Mojave desert of California in 2015 transfering kerosene with its ARBS to a USAF F-35A fighter during an extended compatibility test session at Edwards AFB. (ADF)

EDR - May / June 2016

A U.S. Marine Corps AV-8B Harrier II demonstrating how a probe-fitted fighter can receive fuel in the air from a hosed drogue (or basket) trailed in the air behind the wing of a RAAF KC-30A. (USAF)

3MD in the USSR) or cargo aircraft (Boeing C-97 or Ilyushin Il-76) ; it is just the contrary today were new generation tankers are all derived from commercial aircraft, i.e. Boeing 767 or Airbus A330, with a single exception : the new Embraer KC-390, still a prototype at this stage. If Boeing invented back in the early 1950s the famous “flying boom”, it was followed closely by Douglas who made possible the very flexible “buddy-buddy” refuelling concept using a pod system that could be grafted to any shipborne fighter aircraft in order to pump fuel to a buddy fighter — a technique demonstrated for the first time in 1935 by the British aviation pioneer Alan Cobham. This last system, only very slightly improved, is still very much in use today providing sterling service, in priority to those navies fielding aircraft-carriers as they provide added autonomy and loiter time to bombed up fighters. Along with the U.S. Navy, the British Royal Navy and the French Aéronavale were the most common early users of this refuelling method still very in vogue sixty years later. The “buddy-buddy” air refuelling Let’s get a little more into this latest field often left aside as a “minor” activity, as in general the EDR - May / June 2016

name of the game with buddy refuelling is more to provide a useful gas complement than a full tanking. Compromises and innovations were necessary to accommodate the operation of jets from aircraft-carriers. One of the enabling practices, due to the early kerosene-sitient engines, was inflight refuelling. One relevant approach was the development of a buddy store, containing a reeled hose and basket (or drogue), that could be affixed with minimal modification to any carrier-based airplane with an external stores capability. If buddy refuelling at sea allows fighter aircraft to top off after a carrier launch or to loiter before a “trap”, thus providing added flight safety, it can prove instrumental for a small air arm devoid of any dedicated strategic tankers. There were originally two main buddy stores used operationally. One developed by Douglas, which used the model number D-704 (D for Douglas), both for the AD-1 (A-1) Skyraider and A2D (A-4) Skyhawk. And the other by North American, which was only used on the FJ-4B Fury. The Navy subsequently procured a virtually identical, lower-cost store manufactured by Sargent Fletcher, which also produced external tanks for the U.S. DoD. This company subsequently de-

signed an improved store, the A/A42R-1 (largely referred as the “301” in the U.S. Navy). there were at least five different versions of the later store, which is still in use. The first three were specific to the KA-6 Intruder, S-3B Viking, and F/A-18E/F Super Hornet; the differences were internal. The next two variants incorporated a redesign of the ram air turbine propeller hub on the nose of the store to provide more ouput. It is only too ludicrous to point out that the U.S. company Sargent Fletcher was purchased by the British company Cobham in 1994, today the world’s number one refuelling pod manufacturer. Historically, the Aeronavale and the Royal Navy were the only other navies with that of the U.S. to master the « buddy-buddy » refuelling system, this being used on the Étendard IV M fighter and Étendard IV P reconnaissance aircraft aboard the aircraft-carrier Clemenceau and Foch as early as the 1960s to top off over the seas other Étendards or French F-8E Crusaders. Just like it was in the Fleet Air Arm with such aircraft

Using its built-in nose receptacle, a USAF A-10 is pictured over the Iraqi desert hooked to the “flying boom” of an Ohio ANG KC-135R. This method allows for faster and heavier kerosene transfers, if compared to the “probe and drogue” technique. (USAF)

as the Scimitar, Sea Vixen and Buccaneer naval fighters fitted with a FRL pod, either wing or belly-mounted (HDU) and used until the Royal Navy did away with the flat deck carriers at the turn of the 1980s. After some five decades, the Douglas refuelling nacelle is still in common use today on the Super Étendard “Nounou” and Rafale M kitted as “Super Nounou” (which translates as Super Nanny) onboard the Charles-deGaulle. But the U.S. forces were not the only one to use companion air tanking. Starting in the the 1970s, a very similar “buddy-buddy” pod system with hose and drogue was also used in the USSR — the Zvezda-designed Sakhalin UPAZ1 (Унифицированный подвесной агрегат заправки). Being common on the Il-78 four-engined tanker as well as on fighter-bombers like the Su-24 or MiG-29, it is still today the main Russian air refuelling equipment. Conceived as a “universal” pod, and using a small jet turbine to activate its internal system, the UPAZ-1 is used

The Ilyushin Il-78MKIs of the Indian Air Force are unique as they can use either the Russian-designed UPAZ-1M refuelling pods to connect with Russian-built fighters or Israeli-made nacelles to top off with Western-made fighters, as illustrated here with a pair of Mirage 2000 Hs. A keen expert eye will notice the rear-end of an UPAZ-1M pod protruding under the port side of the Il-78M fuselage. (IAF)

on large aircraft such as the Ilyushin Il-78 “Midas” which has three, or as a single ventral store on fighter-bombers like the Su-24 or the new MiG-29M, this time for buddy refuelling. Further east, in the late 1980, more or less assisted by the British company Flight Refuelling, through the CRIAA’s engineers, China developped its own refuelling pod — the RDC-1, based on the FRL Mk.32 series — today widely used on PLAF HY-6 and Il-78M tankers. Israel Aircraft Industry is another current provider of refuelling nacelles based on existing U.S. models. The main advantage of refuelling nacelles is that they can be installed on most existing tac-

tical airlifter, a case in point being the almost everywhere to be seen Lockheed C-130 Hercules and its dedicated podded tanker variants, the legacy KC-130H and the more recent Lockheed Martin KC-130J. Many countries atound the world use commonly the famous “Herk” in air tanker form, the latest customer of the specialised “Juliet” being the French Air Force which has ordered four to support its Caracal helicopters employed for special ops after the Airbus A400M revealed itself unable to fulfill this task. Spurred by this setback, Airbus DS announced it would look into an alternative solution to cure this problem, in the meantime offering a tanker

The newest of all tankers in 2016 is the Boeing KC-46 Pegasus selected by the USAF to replace over the years the 200 or so remaining KC-135R Stratotankers in current service with Uncle Sam’s forces. A hyped variant of the existing KC-767, the KC-46 is built around a standard commercial Boeing 767-2 airframe. Refuelling equipment include a pair of drogue trailing wing pods as well as a digital remotely operated boom like on the A330 MRTT. (Boeing) EDR - May / June 2016

The former Boeing 767-200/300 commercial aircraft are today also offered on the market as suitable air refuelling and cargo platforms. This IAI-Bedek KC-767 of the Colombian Air Force is seen transiting through London-Heathrow airport en route to Bogota. The Brazilian Air Force is to receive two to three similar tankers during the next decade. (Wikipedia)

variant of its best-selling C295 with a fuselage hose-drum unit (HDU) adapted for the refuelling of probe-equipped helicopters. The new generation air tankers If the Boeing KC-135 Stratotanker was a forerunner in the world of jet tanker aircraft some sixty years ago, much water has flown under the bridges of time and today this role is about to pass onto new generation “all digital” tankers like the Airbus Multi-Role Tanker Transport (MRTT) family and that of the more recent KC-46 Pegasus. If the MRTT concept has been around for more than a decade, starting with the A310 then with the A330, the KC-46 only performed its maiden flight on 25 September 2015 in Seattle. Earmarked to replace over the next decade the remaining USAF legacy KC-135 Stratotankers and KC-10 Extenders, the KC-46 Pegasus is a military derivative of the Boeing 767 wide-body airliner which commercial production run was coming to an end when the USAF selected the KC-46 project against the A330 MRTT, an aircraft backed by an EADS/Northrop Grumman joint venture briefly where it was designed KC330 and later KC-45 to suit the U.S. market. Along with the Embraer KC-390 prototype airlifter set to double as a tanker, the Boeing KC-46 and the Airbus A330 MRTT/KC-30, are the West’s only modern and truly strategic dedicated air tankers. They add to the existing fleets of Ilyushin Il-78M tankers and smaller fleets of A310 MRTT and converted KC-757/767 world-

wide, as well as to the remaining Xian HY-6 (converted « Badger » bombers) still used by the Chinese military. If the Boeing KC-46 and Embraer KC-390 are still prototypes under test and a longway from becoming operational, the A330 MRTT on the contrary has already proved it worth in combat. With some thirty aircraft already delivered to initial customers so far and with an almost equivalent backlog, the A330 MRTT is becoming the new standard air tanker on the world market today. The battle-proven A330 MRTT has been ordered by seven nations, most of the time in a tough and often biased competition against Boeing’s KC-46 Pegasus : Australia (5+2), the United Kingdom (14), the United Arab Emirates (3), Saudi Arabia (3+3), Singapore (4), South Korea (4) and France (12). Purchased initially by Australia, who was in 2005 the launch customer of the A330 MRTT under the KC-30A designation, its air force was soon so satisfied with its new tanker’s capability and reliability— said to be 96% — that it decided it would have two more, converted from ex-Qantas A330-200 airliners ! Already selected by the UK and France, the A330 MRTT is on the way to be acquired as well (under a European EAC collective procedure) by the Netherlands, Norway and Poland. But Germany, Belgium and Spain also now stand in line with a coming procurement of some two to three aircraft each. Something which means that in less than a decade, the European NATO nations will be able to supEDR - May / June 2016

Peeping inside the boomer station of an RAAF KC-30A. HD digital cameras installed in the rear of the aircraft provide the boomer with a very good view of the remotely-controlled refuelling operation. Quantity and transfer rate of kerosene are displayed on the lower TV screen and recorded as well, allowing for ‘replay’ sessions if needed for control. (ADF)

port any war operations on their own with a fleet of some thirty A330 MRTT, all able to refuel as well U.S. and Canadian aircraft involved. If more orders from Qatar (2) and India (6) are pending, the latest large order for the “MRTT” has come from France with a firm order from the French Defence Procurement Agency (DGA) for one plus eight A330 MRTT, in a multi-year contract for a total of twelve A330 MRTTs, designated “Phénix” in a way of denoting the rebirth of France’s famous Forces Aériennes Stratégiques alog with the nuclear-capable Rafale B. The remaining three are scheduled to be confirmed in 2018, permitting deliveries of the complete batch of aircraft before 2025. The first A330 MRTT “Phénix” is earmarked to be delivered to France in 2018, followed by the second in 2019, and the remainder at a rate of one or two per year. In French service the A330 MRTT will be powered by Rolls-Royce Trent 700 engines, similar to those used on the RAF’s Voyager KC.2/3s, and equipped with a standard combination of the Airbus Refuelling Boom System (ARBS), Universal Aerial Refueling EDR - May / June 2016

Receptacle Slipway Installation (UARRSI) for self in-flight refuelling and underwing Cobham 905E hose-and-drogue refuelling pods. It will also be possible to configure them in a variety of layouts carrying up to 271 passengers as well as medevac arrangements, including the existing French Morphée intensive care module (from the C-135FRs), carrying up to ten patients in the forward fuselage as well as 88 passengers seated in the back. Now somewhat slow in production, due to the awaited introduction of the new standard “green” A330neo aircraft expected to come off the Toulouse production line around the end of this year, the Airbus DS Madrid-Getafe plant will deliver only two A330 MRTT this year — one already gone which was the thirteenth Voyager for the RAAF, with the second and final for the UK to be handed around next summer. Thus the RAF will have a fully operational and fully manned A330 MRTT fleet of fourteen aircraft by the end of the year. Directly evolved from the A330neo production airframe, with the same choice of alterna-

A true document making history. In late 2015, the three main tanker models of the U.S. Air force are pictured together cruising in the wild blue yonder for the same time: from left to right, a Boeing KC-135R Stratotanker, a Boeing KC-46A Pegasus and, leading, a Boeing (McDonnell Douglas) KC-10A Extender. (USAF)

tive engines, the first A330 MRTT with the new improved standard (earmarked for Singapore) will certainly take a while longer before delivery. This is mainly due to qualification and certification of the various aspects of the new standard, not taking into account the necessary evolution of the industrial process linked to the new aircraft itself. A sequel of the “neo” MRTT’s slightly different configuration, which should include the distinctive “Panda bear” cockpit windscreen featured with the A350. The RSAF whence should only get its first A330 MRTT by the end of 2018 at the best.

Be that as it may not much has been revealed by Airbus DS regarding the detailed improvements scheduled to appear on the “neo” MRTT, expected to feature other enhancements such as contoured winglets, a longer wingspan and new engine pylons. With some 1,300 A330s already produced for the commercial market, let us think that second-hand A330200s could certainly add to the current MRTT fleet during the years to come. Whether using second-hand or new airframes, one thing is certain, the A330 MRTT is today the world’s , preferred air tanker.

EDR - May / June 2016

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