Volume 26/issue 7
NOVEMber 2018 US$15
A s i a P a c i f i c ’ s L a r g e s t C i r c u la t e d D e f e n c e M a g a Z i n e
NAVAL DIRECTORY AIRBORNE C4ISAR IFVs and APCs INDONESIAN ARMED FORCES TRUCK MOUNTED ARTILLERY DESTROYERS AND FRIGATES MARITIME PATROL AIRCRAFT
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Contents
NOVEMBER 2018 VOLUME 26 / ISSUE 7
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The Republic of Singapore Navy Formidable-class frigate RSS Supreme and the Victory-class corvette RSS Valiant transit the South China Sea (viewed from the rear of the aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt). (US Navy)
China’s naval expansion has sparked a new urgency in the number of frigate and destroyer programmes being launched, as Tim Fish discovers.
FRIGATE AND DESTROYER PROGRAMMES IN ASIA-PACIFIC
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THE RISE OF TRUCK MOUNTED GUNS
ASIA PACIFIC NAVAL DIRECTORY
Truck mounted guns are far from the ‘poor man’s artillery.’ Stephen W Miller talks through the advantages of such systems.
Dr Lee Willett presents an analysis of naval strengths and trends within Asia-Pacific.
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OCEANIC SURVEILLANCE David Oliver casts an eye over the region’s acquisition of maritime patrol aircraft.
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REFRESHING THE EW SPECTRUM David Oliver visits MASS to see how military specialists are improving their electronic warfare skills and techniques.
Infantry Fighting Vehicle or Armoured Personnel Carrier? Stephen W Miller analyses the differences - and similaries.
Justin Bronk explains the growing need for national Command, Control, Communications, Intelligence, Survellance and Reconnaissance assets.
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BLURRING THE LINES
PERSISTENT C4ISR AMBITION
INDONESIA DEFENCE UPDATE The modernisation of Indonesia’s armed forces is under way. Editor Andrew Drwiega reports.
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ANALYSTS COLUMN Columnist Ben Ho analyses Taiwan’s cruise missile defence strategy against China.
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Index of Advertisers
AIRBUS ALMAZ ANTEY ASELSAN COPENHAGEN SENSOR TECH DB CONTROL D&S THAILAND EXCALIBUR ARMY HARRIS IDEAS IMDEX INDO DEFENCE LAAD LEONARDO MADEX MAN ENERGY SOLUTIONS NORTHROP GRUMMAN NEXTER ROSOBORONEXPORT ROSVERTOL SEOUL AIRSHOW UAC UTC WEIBEL
27 COVER 2 23 37 33 55 29 25 53, COVER 3 49 51 57 9, 31 45 19 COVER 4 41 21 11 47 15 5 35
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Editorial POLITICAL UNDERSTANDING OF PROCUREMENT IMPLICATIONS A week is a long time in politics.” This phrase, attributed to Harold Wilson in the lead up to the United Kingdom’s general election in 1964, after which he became Prime Minister for the first time, nicely summarises the speed at which political viewpoints and priorities can change. Contrast this with the view recently stated by an Air Force Chief that in-service dates for new aircraft expected in 2021 were, in his world, ‘just around the corner.’ There is nothing new in the chasm of immediacy between politicians and the military regarding military equipment procurement. The perspective of politicians is often primarily focused on getting re-elected in the next election and who are extremely sensitive to ‘costs now’ against through life affordability. Military leaders who have come to expect, certainly in aircraft delivery terms, a wait of around 20-25 years before seeing a new equipment purchase move from drawing board to the full operational capability are more attuned to through life costs, as they work with this budget line on a daily basis. This is the reason that seemingly perfectly good, if not old, capabilities may have to be decommissioned or taken out of the forward force because, very simply, they have become too expensive to maintain. The wait for new capabilities often seems interminable, with many frustrations and difficult decisions required during the journey. These are usually due to the rapid development of technology which continually impacts upon the original capability set and mission requirement. The military platform, to a large extent, is less important than the system of systems it will utilise. And this is the reason behind the need for common systems architecture which will allow upgrades over time, and equally allow systems that are devised during the acquisition timeline to be added to the platform, unlike proprietary systems which may result in the need to be replaced completely after relatively few years service. Politicians, especially those who are tasked with funding acquisition, should ensure that they take extra time to engage with the military - and industry - to more fully understand the implications of their decisions. Industry too needs to play its part - open, honest and accurate information is better than a hard sell in the long run. Andrew Drwiega, Editor
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FRIGATE AND DESTROYER PROGRAMMES IN ASIA-PACIFIC Warship designs and missions are wide and varied across the region, although the inclusion of offensive capabilities are just as important as defensive ones. by Tim Fish
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here are numerous frigate and destroyer construction programmes in the Asia-Pacific region but the types of ships and the shipbuilding effort involved varies greatly. This depends on where the country is located within the region and the extent of its naval ambition. It is a very nuanced picture and the region cannot be viewed as one. The North East region of the AsiaPacific has most active frigate and destroyer programmes due to the growth of China and the threat of North Korea, which has in turn led to the development of large numbers of powerful ships by South Korea and Japan. In South East Asia there are no destroyer programmes, but some limited frigate programmes as the focus is on maritime security and constabulary tasks and the shipbuilding industry is limited to the construction of simple warships.
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However, there is recognition that China’s claims in the South China Sea could present national security problems and want to enhance anti-submarine warfare (ASW) capabilities. Further south in Oceania, Australia and New Zealand seek to engage internationally and in support of allies so there are efforts underway to expand Australia’s shipbuilding capabilities. In the subcontinent both India and Pakistan are trying to develop naval strength but these pale in comparison to the efforts in the NE region. Dr. Collin Koh Swee Lean, from the Institute of Defence and Strategic Studies at the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies (RSIS) in Singapore told AMR that from 2014-2017 China commissioned more than 44 warships of all types, a great number of which were frigates and destroyers. He said that China wants to develop a
| Asian Military Review |
blue water naval capability “to safeguard their overseas interests” and this requires modern frigates and destroyers. But the People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) also wants to develop a carrier strike group capability, which will require powerful escorts to support its first carrier, Liaoning. The focus for China’s frigates is on an ASW capability. The PLAN has achieved the numbers of Type 054A/Jiankai II-class frigates it wants and according to Collin are moving to an improved design -the Type 054B/Jiankai III – which are used for general purpose roles with a standard anti-surface capability as well as ASW. Over 30 Type 054A/Jiankai II frigates are in-service and the last entered service in January. At 140m-long and displacing 3,400t they are designed for blue water operations and this class has spearheaded the PLAN’s international deployments over the past decade. The next Type 054B variant cited by Collin displace 5,000
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The Kunming guided missile destroyer docked at the port of Changxing Island.
tonnes and are a further development with improved ASW capabilities, allelectric propulsion, a Vertical Launch System (VLS) that can hold surface-to-air missiles (SAM), ASW missiles and the YJ-85 long range land attack/anti-ship missiles (ASMs). The larger size of the ship means it can be fitted with more VLS cells. Two ships are under production at China Shipbuilding Industry Corporation with first delivery expected this year. But Collins said that PLAN destroyers are “more interesting” as there is a move towards equipping them with VLS and away from external canister launchers. “They are also moving towards a multipurpose VLS, which is in line with what US and other allied navies are doing.” This means VLS not just for the launch of anti-air missiles in self-defence but also allow the PLAN to launch strike missile giving it not just a fleet AAW strategy but to give flotillas the ability to operate further to sea with their own AAW cover. In July Dalian Shipbuilding launched two new Type 055A destroyers together showing the capabilities of China’s industry. These were the third and fourth of the class as the first pair were delivered
important trend that we are seeing” he said equipping the 055A with land attack cruise missiles. The Type 052D/Luyang III or Kunming-class is a development of the earlier Type 052C/Luyang II class and are also built at Jiangnan Changxingdao and Dalian Shipyard. With a stealthier design, improved sensor fit and multipurpose VLS these ships are the backbone of the PLAN with the latest land attack, air defence and anti-submarine capabilities. The first ship entered service in 2014 and up to 14 have been built so far out of 18 expected. It has been reported that the fourteenth vessel, the most recent to be launched, has been modified and is slightly longer by 4m more than its 157m-long predecessors to host a larger helicopter. It can be expected that future ships of this class will follow this example. These ships have been referred to as the Chinese Aegis and comparable to the US Navy’s JMSDF
Two additional improved Atago-class destroyers are being built to increase Japan's ballistic missile defence capability.
in June 2017 and April 2018 by Jiangnan Changxingdao shipyard. Sea trials are expected shortly. The US classifies these ships as cruisers considering they displace 12000t and are a huge step up in capability from the existing 7,500 tonnes Type 052D destroyers that have recently entered service. At about 180m-long it means the Type 055A can host 64 VLS cells at the forward end with 48 at the aft of the ship, a total of 112. With a powerful anti-ship, anti-air and anti-submarine capability, these ships are designed to work in carrier strike groups and have an advanced combat management system to match. Up to eight are expected. Collin said that the PLAN initially was considered this capability for the Type 52D/Luyang III-class destroyer but is now being put on Type 055A to become more than just a carrier escort but a long-range strike platform. “This is an
The Fuyuzuki, an Akizuki class anti-submarine warfare destroyer of the Japanese Maritime Self Defence Force.
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ROK Navy Incheon-class frigate fires a “Haesung” (Sea Star) anti-ship missile
Arleigh Burke-class destroyers. However, the Type 052Ds only have 32 VLS cells compared to the 96 on the Arleigh Burkes and 122 on the Ticonderoga-class cruisers but it appears the Type 055A has closed the gap instead. “South Korea is moving in the same direction,” Collin said, with the Republic of Korea Navy (RoKN) building air warfare destroyers not just equipped for self-defence but also long-range offensive strike. This fits in with Seoul’s massive punishment and retaliation strategy – or KNPR – conceived during tensions on the Korean peninsula before the recent rapproachment. The frigates are similar to the PLA as they are more than just a general escort with ASW. The RoKN received its first Daeguclass/FFX-II frigate in February with up to eight expected. The first pair are built by Daewoo Shipbuilding and Marine Engineering (DSME) with the second pair by Hyundai Heavy Industries (HHI). The class is a development of the six Incheon-class/FFX-I frigates, which themselves only entered service in 2013. The FFX-IIs are longer at 122m and displace 3,650t with a 16-cell VLS for ASW, AAW, and land attack missiles, full electric propulsion, towed array sonar
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and a larger helicopter hangar. The RoKN already has three Sejong the Great-class/KDX-III destroyers that entered service from 2008-12 and a second batch of three has been confirmed. The 11,000 tonnes ships can accommodate a 128-cell VLS and are fitted with the Aegis combat management system (CMS). The second batch will be fitted with an improved version of Aegis that will allow a Ballistic Missile Defence (BMD) capability with the SM-3 interceptor. The first ship will be built by HHI and enter service in 2023, with two more to follow in 2025 and 2027. For Japan, the BMD role was first assigned to the Japan Maritime Self Defence Force’s (JMSDF’s) four Kongouclass destroyers built in the 1990s and equipped with Aegis. This force was bolstered by the construction of two Atago-class destroyers in 2007-08 but now a further two additional improved Atagoclass ships are being built by JMU in Yokohama to increase the BMD capability and better counter the missile threats from North Korea. Known as the 27DD subclass, the new ships are larger displacing 8,200 tonnes (400 tons heavier than the Atagos) to allow for a larger weapons complement
| Asian Military Review |
and sensors. The first 170m-long ship called Maya was launched in July and along with a second vessel the pair are expected to enter service in 2020-21. The ships, possibly to be called the Maya-class, will also have the SM-3 ballistic missile interceptors and will be fitted with the Cooperative Engagement Capability. Development of a new class of frigates is also underway currently known as 30FFM. Construction is due to start in 2019 with entry into service in 2022. Taiwan has a plan to build 8,000t destroyers and 3,000 tons guided missile frigates as part of a 25-year $15 billion naval construction programme to reduce reliance on the US. This will also require the development of new VLS, radar, SAM and combat management system. In South Asia the Indian Navy has high ambitions on the same scale as countries in the NE region with the intention to develop a fleet air defence capability, with its own Aegis-type system. It has made steps forward with the construction of the Kolkata-class destroyers and developing a long-range strike capability with its Brahmos missile. In addition, India is building its own aircraft carriers. India has the P-15B Visakhapatnam-class destroyer programme and the new P-17A frigate programme is facing delays. Up to seven new P-17A frigates are under construction, three at Mazagon Docks and four at Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers. These ships displace 6,670 tonnes and are 149m-long. The armament will include Barak or Long Range Surface to Air Missiles along with an eight cell Brahmos launcher. The platform will also have an enhanced sensor fit, EW, stealthier superstructure and reduced crew. Deliveries are expected from 2022. The P-15B Visakhapatnam-class displace 7,400t and are a further development of the P-15A Kolkata-class destroyers and will have more advanced stealth characteristics. Four ships are being built at Mazagon Docks and will be delivered from 2021. The armament will include Nirbhay and Brahmos land attack cruise missiles and Barak SAMs that will be fired from a universal vertical launcher module. The ships will also get a 127mm main gun and enhanced combat management system. “It is the big boys’ league in Asia, that is how they conceptualise their programmes,” Collin said. Pakistan has four Type 054A frigates on order with China Shipbuilding and
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Trading Company. The 4,000t frigates will replace the existing Tariq-class exUK Royal Navy Type 21 frigates and offer the Pakistan Navy a vertical launch system for the first time. The ships are due to be delivered by 2021. This follows the delivery of four F-22P Zulfiquar-class frigates from China from 2008-13 built to the Type 053H3 design. Meanwhile Bangladesh is price-checking for two second-hand Chinese Type 053H3 ships to boost its ageing surface fleet under its Forces 2030 plan. It has already bought three vessels of this type. The Bangladesh Navy also plans to eventually build its own frigates at Chittagong Docks with assistance from China. Outside of the big boys’ league in South East Asia there are no destroyers, the biggest warships are frigates but they general purpose and are not optimised for any specific role. “Some of them may be classified as corvettes or light frigates and usually don’t go beyond the bracket of 4000t displacement,” Collin said. “Small sized frigates with relatively modest surface strike capabilities, a general purpose type ASW capabilities and usually
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they are quite weak on AAW,” he added. SE Asia countries priorities are different and don’t seek high end warfighting capabilities like BMD, carrier strike or fleet operations, the attention is on maritime territorial defence. On a daily basis they use these assets for law enforcement. HHI has started construction of two frigates for the Philippine Navy based on its HDF-3000 Incheon-class frigates under a $337 million contract. Displacing 2,600t the first frigate will be delivered in 2020 with the second a year later. The ships will host a variety of western sensors and weapon systems. Under its Horizon 2 acquisition programme there are plans for a further two frigates with a total of six expected by 2028, but it is unlikely these will be ordered. Indonesia has received the second of its two Martadinata-class frigates under its PKR programme and will enter service by the end of the year. Built to Dutch shipbuilder Damen’s SIGMA 10514 design by PT Pal under a technology transfer deal the 2,365 tonnes ships are to be used for anti-air and anti-submarine
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warfare. Further ships could be ordered under a second PKR batch. In Thailand a competition for two frigates was won by South Korea’s DSME which is providing its 3,650 tones DW3000 design under a contract for $410 million. It is Thailand’s largest military programme for some time. The ships will have Harpoon anti-ship missile and ESSM surface-to-air missiles launched from an 8-cell Mk41 VLS with the Saab 9LV CMS. The first ship was launched in January with delivery completed in August. The second ship has yet to be ordered but could be built in Thailand. Vietnam is receiving a second batch of two Gepard 3.9 frigates from Russia’s Zelenodolsk shipyard. The first ship was launched in 2016 and is set to undergo sea trials. The Vietnamese Navy received its first batch of two in 2011 and a third pair of ships could be ordered. In Oceania, Australia is building three Hobart-class Air Warfare Destroyers, with the second, Brisbane being delivered and the third, Sydney completing fit out at ASC Shipbuilding in South Australia. In June the government announced that it had selected the Type 26 Global Combat Ship design from BAE Systems for its $26 billion SEA 5000 Future Frigate programme for nine ships to replace the Royal Australian Navy’s ANZAC-class frigates. The design was selected for its quiet acoustic signature for ASW operations but will also have the option to host a BMD capability through the Aegis CMS and VLS. The ships will be called the Hunter-class and are to be delivered from 2027. However, one issue with Australia’s programmes was highlighted by Malcolm Davis at the Australian Strategic Policy Institute. He told AMR that these new ships will “arrive too late” and that the shipbuilding is “too slow” considering the ships and submarines programme starting now will not deliver until the 2030s. Davis believes that the government has been “coasting on autopilot after the 2016 White Paper”, and considering the pace of Chinese shipbuilding and the future strategic environment, he calls for an “accelerated timetable” to get “more sooner”. There is a significant increase in the capability of the new frigates and destroyers in the Asia-Pacific region across the board, however, unless the rate of shipbuilding production in China slows the numbers of ships for the PLAN could swamp all others in the years to come to forge ahead as a regional and world power leaving the rest in their wake. AMR
L A N D Nexter
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CAESAR was developed by Nexter with two primary objectives; firstly, that its weight would not be more than 18,000kg so it could be carried in the C-130 aircraft; secondly, that it should be able to stop, fire and move off again in under 100 seconds.
THE RISE OF TRUCK MOUNTED GUNS Truck mounted artillery may initially seem a ‘poor man’s option’, but its simplicity, mobility and lower cost are making it an increasingly attractive option for armies. by Stephen W. Miller
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he choice between towed artillery and self-propelled artillery is important given observations made during the conflict in the Ukraine. Here the vulnerability of artillery batteries firing multiple missions from the same location was highlighted. The ability for an opponent to detect, locate, engage, and destroy or at least seriously degrade a battery’s support capability was repeatedly demonstrated. Towed guns have the advantage of being lighter making them easier to transport especially by aircraft and sling-loaded under helicopters. They are also generally more simple to maintain. The main limitation is that they must be towed by a prime mover, typically a
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tactical truck, and take time to set-up for firing and to break-down to relocate. The self-propelled gun, on the other hand, having its own automotive platform can move at will and can even receive a fire mission while moving, quickly stop, fire, then move again often in just a few minutes. These guns are also self-contained with automated controls, navigation, on-board ammunition stocks, and often automatic loading offering a high rate of fire. Self-propelled guns are generally heavier than towed guns and also tracked. Both characteristics complicate their air transportability and limit their use where bridges and roads may not be able to take their weight. So the dilemma highlighted in the
| Asian Military Review |
Ukraine, but widely understood for some time, is how to have fire support that can be sufficiently mobile to displace quickly (thus preventing becoming a target to counter-battery fires) even along less developed rural infrastructure, yet be responsive to fire missions. For some armies, there is also the need to be airlifted by transport aircraft to deployments worldwide. An intriguing answer has been to marry-up the chassis of a tactical truck with the firepower of a howitzer. The gun is usually mounted on the rear truck-bed often with stabilisers that are deployed to take the recoil of firing. Using the truck’s ability to move offers the benefit of being able to have a much lower total system weight particularly if
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armour protection is either limited to the driver/crew cab area or even eliminated altogether. In this case, the design needs to be able to fire then relocate quickly to beat counter-battery fires. Benjamin Gautier, programme manager for Nexter’s CAESAR, one of the most successful ‘truck artillery’ types stated: “The entire objective of the design was to assure that the system be able to stop, load, lay, fire rounds and move again in under 100 seconds. Beyond this time period it had been widely demonstrated that a modern opponent could detect, locate and deliver fires on a firing gun.” The trade-off of lower (or no) ballistic protection is a conscious decision which mirrors the fact that towed guns also lack such protection but do not have the ability to displace at such speed. Indeed the combination of the truck and gun closely reflects the equipment of the towed artillery battery which requires prime mover trucks to tow the guns. This new combination works well for supporting motorised infantry; however, it can have handicaps for light infantry which would be deployed using helicopters. In this case the total weight of the truck/ gun combination together, at least for medium 155mm calibre guns, can exceed the lift capacity of many helicopters. This is not an absolute however, as developers have demonstrated light tactical trucks mounting specially configured howitzers, usually of 105mm calibre. These systems can be externally sling lifted by heavy lift helicopters such as Boeing’s CH-47D/F Chinooks and Sikorsky’s CH-53E/Ks. These benefits have seen the truck mounted self-propelled artillery system gain increasing interest from militaries worldwide. In addition, the basic engineering required to accomplish this outfitting can be relatively straight forward. As a result, a number of countries have developed their own local versions of truck/gun combinations. This provides a ready and often cost effective answer to enhancing the mobility of an army’s artillery while expending less money.
Components of Truck Artillery These include an existing truck body, the cannon and gun mount, a stabilisation system, and a fire control system which often includes integrated land navigation and position determination. A number of designs also add automatic or assisted ammunition loading to both reduce the crew size necessary and to allow for a greater rate of fire allowing it to complete
BAE
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The BAE Bofors ARCHER is considered to be one of the most capable self-propelled artillery systems fielded. It was designed from inception to operate independently offering the firepower of a full battery of guns in a single weapon system.
the fire mission and depart quickly. Nexter’s CAESAR development sought to provide an artillery piece that was self-propelled yet transportable in the Lockheed Martin C130 Hercules aircraft for worldwide deployment. Following extensive trials it was adopted by the French Army to replace not only towed 155mm guns but also tracked selfpropelled guns. For the French Army it utilises the Renault Sherpa 5 6x6 truck chassis, although other versions have used the Mercedes-Benz UNIMOG (6x6) chassis. Although it has an armoured cab the total weight is below 18,000kg. This is consistent with the company’s stated requirement to ‘identify the need for selfpropelled artillery that could be deployed with expeditionary forces by airlift.’ The cannon are the 155mm 52 calibre upgraded version of the TRF1 towed artillery system. A large spade at the rear is hydraulically lowered in setting up that lifts the four rear wheels off the ground providing a stable firing platform. It has integrated navigation and heading reference with either a SAFRAN or Thales system linked to the fire controls that permits the gun to be laid and fired. Gautier confirmed that “its inertial/GPS positioning, digital fire controls and assisted loading allow the system to have six rounds on the way and be ready to move in under 100 seconds.” CAESAR is the most widely fielded truck artillery system with Saudi Arabia, Lebanon, Indonesia, and Thailand, as well the France, having the system. It has been combat proven in Mali, Afghanistan, and Mosul. An 8x8 version is being
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introduced by Denmark. The CAESAR may have, even encouraged, a number of other truck artillery developments. The Thai Army, which purchased six CAESARs, is completing its own development using an Indian made Tatra 6x8 truck and Elbit Systems 155mm ATMOS gun system in a technology transfer. The intent is to manufacture 18 truck/gun combinations to equip one Thai Army battalion at the Artillery and Mortar Production Division of the Royal Thai Army’s (RTA’s) Weapon Production Centre. The project, announced in April 2018, is expected to be delivered within 28 months. The Republic of Korea has enhanced the combat capability of its existing artillery while making maximum use of existing assets and reducing the funds needed. The EVO-105 being produced by Hanwha Techwin takes the 105mm cannon and mount from its already fielded M101A1 towed howitzer and integrates that onto the bed of a Kia KM500 (6x6) 5-tonne truck chassis. This significantly increases the mobility of the howitzer, its ability to emplace and displace, and improves the survivability of the gun and crew. It can receive a fire mission while moving, stop, fire and move on all within sixty seconds. By using its traditional 105mm gun the Thai Army is able to employ the full range and stocks of existing ammunition. In addition, the soldiers are familiar and already trained with the system. Operating performance is further enhanced by including a vehicle position and reference system that is linked to the digital fire controls.
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L A N D
AM General
W A R F A R E
Hawkeye mounts the 105mm M20 cannon with a special recoil system on the HMMWV light tactical truck.
A spokesperson for the Ministry of National Defence indicated that the EVO-105 had begun to enter service in 2017 with and objective of fielding 800 systems. NORINCO, the armament developer and manufacturer for the Peoples Republic of China (PRC), has capitalised on the benefits of truck mounted artillery and potential export opportunities. The company offers both 122mm Russian based cannon and 155mm NATO ammunition compatible calibre cannon. The SH1 uses the 155mm/L52 howitzer on a Wanshan WS5252 6x6 truck chassis modified with a protected cab. The system lowers a large rear spade for firing. It carries 25 rounds on board and has been acquired by both Pakistan and Myanmar. Recently a version of the gun has also been observed with the PLA 72nd Artillery Brigade, Eastern Theatre Command. Similar in appearance, the 122mm SH2 uses the cannon from the Chinese PL96 towed howitzer (a copy of the Soviet D-30). Here again easier airtransport was a likely influence on the development. BAE Systems Bofors Archer FH77BW L52 is intended to operate independently as a ‘shoot and scoot’ fire support system. A gun vehicle, an accompanying ammunition resupply vehicle and support vehicle allow a degree of self-sufficiency and tactical flexibility. A modified commercial Volvo A30D 6x6 articulated truck chassis is provided with a fully automated 155mm L52 howitzer fitted with a 21 round magazine. The crew can move, stop and fire within 30 seconds and be off again in another 30 without leaving the protected cab. This is achieved with on-board navigation, heading reference, and fully digital fire controls that permit
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MRSI (multiple round simultaneous impacts) engagement. Up to six rounds can fired in succession so as to all land at the target together. Currently Archer is only fielded by the Swedish Army. In an evolution of the CAESAR, Nexter recently introduced an improved 8x8 version. CAESAR 2 uses a 155 mm/L52 howitzer mounted on a Tatra T815-7 8x8 truck chassis offering improved protection, including against mines and IEDs. Its fully automated loading and firing system allows a crew of 2-3 to delivery six rounds within two minutes. The larger vehicle holds up to 30 rounds and offers better cross-country mobility. In 2017, Denmark selected it to replace its M109 tracked self propelled guns. The relative ease with which a truck mounted howitzer can be developed is attractive for nations wishing to create a national capability to modernise their forces. This is demonstrated by the Jordanian Company KADDB’s (King Abdullah II Design and Development Bureau) presentation of its RUM-II at SOFEX Exhibition & Conference in 2018. It combines a 6x6 DAF truck chassis with a M126 155mm L23 howitzer. It uses a rear spade system and two side outriggers for firing stability. RUM-II is primarily intended to increase the mobility of the gun and it is manually serviced by a crew of six who are seated in the cab and on two benches. The Indian Army is similarly pursuing an effort to introduce truck mounted artillery. The Mounted Gun System (MGS) programme intends to purchase off-theshelf 155mm 52 calibre guns. Initially 200 will be purchased followed by indigenous manufacture of another 614 systems. Anticipated candidates could
| Asian Military Review |
include CAESAR, ATMOS, and the Indian Tata Power SED gun system. A Request for Proposal (RfP) was released earlier in 2018. Nexter Systems is understood to have signed a ‘consortium agreement’ with India’s Larsen & Toubro (L&T) and Ashok Leyland Defence for the project. Elbit Systems is partnered with Bharat Forge in its offer. The Tata entry reportedly was developed in collaboration with Denel, the South African defence equipment manufacturer, and was first shown in 2012. In April, the Indian Ordnance Factory Board revealed a new variant of its new Dhanush towed howitzer that could meet the nation’s road-mobile mounted gun requirement. The Indian defence acquisition council approved a budget of $2.5 billion for 814 truck-mounted artillery systems in November 2014. Providing artillery compatible with the delivery of airborne infantry offers unique challenges of aerial delivery and helicopter transport. As a result they mostly employ towed guns (the US Army uses the M119 105mm and M777 155mm howitzers) with the drawback of slow displacement. The Mandus Group, in collaboration with AM General, is offering a solution that mounts the 105mm howitzer on to the M1152A1w/ B2 HMMWV. Using an innovative out-of-battery firing method, a rapidly deployed stabiliser and a digital position and fire control , the Hawkeye howitzer can move yet be ready to fire in seconds. Nguyen Trinh, the product manager at AM General explained that “Hawkeye’s unique recoil system allows the cannon to be fired from the light HMMWV vehicle. It is light enough to be slung under a CH-47 helicopter. The system is quickly ready for action following receipt of the request for fires. Using the mobility of the HMMWV allows the system to stay with the supported light infantry and to move to avoid counter battery fires. The gun is manually serviced by the crew and can fire the complete family of 105mm ammunition.” The US Army has been evaluating Hawkeye with demonstration firing occurring earlier this year.
A New Trend Truck mounted artillery provides a high level of tactical mobility which in 8x8 vehicles is near to that of tracked artillery systems. With the increased range of at least 155mm cannon it is possible to provide fires without need of the greater off-road capability of the tracks. AMR
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ASIA PACIFIC NAVAL DIRECTORY High to low: Asia-Pacific naval developments in 2018 show range of requirements and capabilities by Dr Lee Willett
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| Asian Military Review |
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n 30 September 2018, the US Navy (USN) Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Decatur conducted a freedom of navigation operation (FONOP) through waters close to the Spratly Islands in the South China Sea. Sovereignty of the islands is disputed between Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines, Republic of China, Vietnam, and China. China, which calls the Spratlys the Nansha Islands, protested strongly against the FONOP deployment. In a statement on 2 October, the Ministry for Foreign Affairs stated: “China has indisputable sovereignty over the South China Sea islands and their adjacent waters”, adding that the USN actions, conducted “under the pretext of ‘navigation and overflight freedom’, violated basic norms governing international relations, threatened China's sovereignty and security, and disturbed regional peace and stability.” Reiterating Beijing’s strong dissatisfaction with the ship’s sailing, the statement further stated that China “will take all necessary measures to safeguard its national sovereignty and security”. The US FONOP followed hard on the heels of a similar transit conducted by the United Kingdom’s (UK) Royal Navy (RN) landing platform dock amphibious assault ship HMS Albion in waters around the Paracel Islands in August 2018. According to reports, both FONOPS saw People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) surface ships shadowing the transits. Territorial disputes remain one of the highest security risks in the Asia-Pacific region, and the sequence of FONOPS events underlines the way in which naval operations are continuing to feature at the highest end of the strategic debate in the region.
Stability and security
The Royal Australian Navy’s second air warfare destroyer Brisbane arrives at Fleet Base East, Sydney for the first time in September 2018. The ship is scheduled for commissioning in October 2018. The RAN’s destroyer capability will be a central component of Australia’s new task group construct, at which the RAN’s two LHDs (HMAS Adelaide is pictured here) will be at the heart.
Naval forces also played a central role in another major international crisis in the Asia-Pacific region that threatened both regional and wider international stability and security. The Democratic People's Republic of Korea’s (North Korea) apparent pursuit of a nuclear weapons programme and its repeated testing of different types of ballistic missiles saw the international community – led by the United States – come together under the United Nations (UN) to impose sanctions on Pyongyang. In naval terms, three USN aircraft carrier battlegroups (CVBGs) were operating in the vicinity of the Korean peninsula region at the height of the international tension over the issue in late 2017. As the sanctions were put in place, naval forces were also used to enforce those sanctions. Speaking at the UK Conservative Party annual conference on 30 September 2018, UK defence secretary Gavin Williamson said that RN presence in the region enabled the UK to become, in early 2018, the first country to enforce the UN sanctions. Maintaining maritime security and open access to sea lines of communications (SLOCs) at distance remains a key issue for many of the Asia-Pacific region’s naval players. This is demonstrated in the enduring presence of national naval task groups, alongside the international tasks groups, conducting counter-piracy operations in the Indian Ocean and Gulf region. In terms of broader maritime security, the Royal Australian Navy (RAN) is maintaining a surface ship in the Northern Arabian Sea and Gulf region under Australia’s Operation ‘Manitou’ commitment. According to Australia’s defence department, ‘Manitou’ is designed to support international efforts to promote maritime security, stability, and prosperity in the region, with the enhancement of such security being strategically important to Australia’s economic and trade interests. As of October 2018,
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r e g i o n a l D i r e c t o r y
An artist’s impression of the BAE SYSTEMS’ designed SEA 5000 Global Combat Ship Australia. The RAN’s future frigate programme will deliver nine ships under the Hunter class.
in what is the 66th rotation since the policy was put in place in 1990, the ship on station is the MEKO 200 ANZAC-class frigate HMAS Warramunga. In terms of piracy in the Horn of Africa region, even though the risk appears to be reduced in the short term (with, according to official figures, only one attack having taken place to date in 2018), a number of Asia-Pacific navies are continuing to work together with, for example, the European Union Naval Force (EU NAVFOR) Operation ‘Atalanta’ deployment. In September 2018, the Indian Navy’s Talwar-class frigate INS Teg conducted interoperability training with EU NAVFOR flagship ESPS Castilla, the Armada Espanola Galicia-class landing platform dock (LPD) amphibious vessel; at the end of August, Castilla had also conducted a Passage Exercise (PAS-SEX) with the Japan Maritime Self-Defence Force Murasame-class destroyer JS Akebono.
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Another development in the international counter-piracy campaign in 2018 was the release of the fifth version of the ‘Best Management Practice’ (BMP) document, an internationally produced publication that provides guidance to shipping companies and ship masters on how to secure their vessel and deter piracy attacks in high-risk areas. The BMP series has, until now, been focused particularly on the piracy chal-lenge in the Horn of Africa region. However, BMP5 has sought to broaden its influence by addressing global piracy developments and encouraging the shipping community around the world to engage with regional maritime reporting and security centres as their ships transit through certain regions. EU NAVFOR is also continuing to engage with the PLAN with regards to the effective conduct of counter-piracy operations in the Horn of Africa region, for example partici-pating in meeting in September 2018 in Djibouti. According to EU NAVFOR, this latest meeting was “focused around medical emergencies and evacuations” as part of opportunities “to exchange information and maintain mutual understanding and knowledge with one of our partners in the fight against piracy”. Despite the risk of confrontation over disputed territories and access in areas such as the South China Sea, China appears keen to seek co-operation with other actors in areas where – and on issues where – China has interests. The PLAN working with EU NAVFOR on counter-piracy operations is one example. Closer to home, 2018 has also seen China and the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) prepare to conduct in October the first China-ASEAN maritime exercise. In August, a pre-exercise table-top planning session was hosted in Singapore by the Republic of Singapore Navy (RSN) at Changi Naval Base. According to reports, the session was used to develop plans for the exercise, supporting the exercise’s focus on search-and-rescue (SAR) and medical evacuation operations. In a statement, Singapore’s defence ministry said that the SAR plans, for example, could be used to assist civilian or merchant ships in distress in international waters with the application US Navy
Commonwealth of Australia/ Royal Australian Navy
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New Zealand is to procure four P-8A Poseidon maritime patrol aircraft (MPAs) to replace its in-service P-3K2 Orion MPAs. Pictured here are two US Navy P-8As, operating over the East China Sea in September 2018.
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In March 2018, the Pacific Islands Forum Fisheries Agency (FFA) hosted a multinational operation, ‘Rai Balang’, designed to deal with Illegal, Unreported, and Unregulated (IUU) fishing in the region.
positive developments in other areas: for example, the JanuaryJune period saw no incidents of crew abduction in the abduction ‘hot spot’ of the Sulu-Celebes sea region. The report also noted the occasions in which navies such as the RSN and the Philippines Navy (PN) were involved in dealing with attacks. Indeed, a particular development of note in terms of building maritime security in the Asia-Pacific region has been the establishment of effective bilateral and multilateral operating constructs between a number of regional countries, to address piracy and armed robbery at sea in particular by enabling the effective tackling of criminal movements and networks flowing moving across borders. At the lower end of the maritime security spectrum also, regional countries have continued to confront issues such as US Navy
of the 2014 Code for Unplanned Encounters at Sea (CUES) code of conduct. In the statement, Singapore’s defence ministry added that the table-top session was the first phase in a process that “paves the way for greater co-operation and mutual trust between the participating naval forces”. At a political level, ASEAN and China will seek to engage with each other as both are major actors in the Southeast Asian region. Within ASEAN itself, individual member states will have different relations, and different approaches to such relations, with China. However, at sea – at least, in theory – navies often find themselves with common ground for cooperation, regardless of the politics of the region. At a tactical and operation level, this exercise is an example of how different naval forces do seek to work together at sea to secure safe shipping for the benefit of the international community.
Lower end At the lower end of the operational spectrum, piracy and armed robbery at sea continues to present a security challenge for countries and for international stakeholders across the region. According to the Regional Cooperation Agreement on Combating Piracy and Armed Robbery against Ships in Asia Information Sharing Centre (Re-CAAP ISC), 64 incidents of piracy and armed robbery against ships occurred in the region between January and September 2018. These incidents comprised 50 attacks and 14 attempted attacks. In the period up to June 2018, 40 incidents had occurred (numbering 29 actual and 11 attempted attacks), and this represented a 15 percent decline compared to the same half-year period in 2017. However, the fact that attacks are continuing – and are continuing to be successful – underlines the enduring risk to seafarers and to the interests of regional countries and extra-regional stake-holders. ReCAAP ISC noted particular concern relating to the increase in incidents onboard ships underway in the Malacca and Singapore straits and at anchorages in ports in Vietnam. Yet, ReCAAP ISC reported
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The US Navy’s Arleigh Burke-class destroyer USS Decatur, pictured here sailing in the Pacific Ocean in 2016, conducted a freedom of navigation operation (FONOP) close to the Spratly Islands in the South China Sea in September 2018.
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Personnel from the Royal Australian Navy ANZAC-class frigate HMAS Warramunga conduct a boarding operation during the ship’s current deployment on Operation ‘Manitou’. Warramunga’s rotation is the 66th RAN deployment in support of ‘Manitou’ since Australia stood up the operation in 1990.
Illegal, Unreported, and Unregulated (IUU) fishing. The South Pacific is a particular region of concern here. The fact that fish such as tuna are found widely across this region means that fishing for such high-value resources can be a major source of income for regional states but also can make such waters a primary target for IUU fishing. To deal with this issue, 17 local countries came together under the Pacific Islands Forum Fisheries Agency (FFA), an organisation established to help countries sustainably manage fishery resources that fall within these countries’ 200nm exclusive economic zones (EEZs). Military capacity plays a key role in delivering the surveillance and presence capability required at sea to ensure the effective management and security of these waters. In March 2018, the FFA hosted Operation ‘Rai Balang’, with the threeweek operation focused on dealing with IUU fishing within the EEZs of FFA member countries. FFA member states and what are known as the organisation’s ‘Quad’ partners – Australia, France, New Zealand, and the United States – participated in ‘Rai Balang’. From amongst the FFA participants, nine countries deployed existing patrol boats donated originally to them under Australia’s Pacific Patrol Boat (PPB) programme. According to the FFA, the operation saw 177 vessels interrogated closely at sea, with 59 boardings conducted at sea and in port. As a result, seven unauthorised Fish Aggregating Devices (FADs) – permanent, semi-permanent, or temporary devices placed at sea and designed to lure fish – were destroyed in Palau, with a vessel engaged in enabling FAD fishing also apprehended. Four vessels were apprehended at sea in the Federated States of Micronesia. Notably, ‘Rai Balang’ saw the first full operational deployment
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of an aircraft under the Australia-funded Pacific Maritime Security Program, said the FFA. The aircraft – a specially-fitted Cessna, operating out of Palau – tested its operating procedures and communications capabilities. Other aircraft deployed for the exercise included US and New Zealand P-3 Orion maritime patrol aircraft (MPAs). The Australian-led PPB programme is currently in the process of delivering up to 21 new, larger (at 39.5m), and more capable vessels to replace the original platforms. The vessels are being built by Austal in Henderson, Western Australia. The first new vessel entered the water in May 2018 and, according to reports, is scheduled for delivery (to Papua New Guinea) by late October 2018. Construction of the first three vessels is reported to be underway, with the PPBs scheduled to be delivered at approximately three-month intervals until 2023. The role of naval forces in crisis response has been demonstrated recently in the international response to the earthquake and resultant tsunami that struck Indonesia in late September 2018. In response to previous natural disasters in the region – such as the Sumatra-Andaman earthquake in 2004 that triggered what became known as the ‘Boxing Day tsunamis, or the earthquake that hit the Kaikoura region of New Zealand’s South Island in 2016 – naval forces have played a central role in co-ordinating initial relief efforts, due largely to the disruption of access, communications, and infrastructure ashore. In response to the Indonesian tsunami, the Indian Navy quickly announced that it would divert three ships – the training ship INS Tir, the Sukanya-class patrol vessel INS Sujata, and the Magar-class landing ship INS Shardul, which are on deployment
| Asian Military Review |
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Commonwealth of Australia/ Royal Australian Navy
N A V A L
The Solomon Islands Police Vessel Lata, delivered under Australia’s Pacific Patrol Boat (PPB) pro-gramme, pictured at sea in 2008. Australia is in the process of replacing all of the original PPB vessels with a new fleet.
to Singapore – to Palu in Indonesia. This demonstrates the ability to quickly re-deploy and re-task a ship at sea.
Capabilities Meeting the range of security challenges in the region is reflected in the range of platforms that Asia-Pacific navies are investing in currently, especially in terms of major surface platforms and submarines. While the Indian Navy has been keen to support lower-end maritime security operations across the Asia-Pacific region, its desire to maintain sufficient higher-end naval presence on its two coasts and its concern about the PLAN’s growing presence – both surface and sub-surface – in the region is demonstrated in some of the platform developments that have occurred in the last 12 months. For example, Kavaratti, the fourth Project 28 Kamortaclass anti-submarine warfare (ASW) corvette built by Garden Reach Shipbuilding and Engineering (GRSE), was launched in July 2018. Third-in-class INS Kiltan was commissioned in late 2017. At 3,300 tonnes, the ships are quite large for a corvette; this will enable them to embark more capable weapons systems, sensors, and other equipments. Alongside the ship’s ASW capabilities, which include space for a medium helicopter, a 16cell vertical launching system (VLS) can fire Barak surface-to-air missiles (SAMs). The Indian Navy’s ASW capability will also be boosted by the arrival of a new class of 1,500-tonne diesel-electric submarines
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(SSKs), the Project 75 Kalvari (Scorpene)-class boats. The navy plans to build up to six of these SSKs, and lead boat INS Kalvari was commissioned in December 2017. According to reports, the class will be the navy’s most technologically advanced SSK: the Indian defence ministry, such reports noted, has highlighted the boat’s hullform, hydroplanes, and fin as key to reducing underwater resistance. The boats are reported to have a range of 6,500nm and, according to the defence ministry, carry “a cluster of advanced weapons and sensors integrated into the Submarine Tactical Integrated Combat System (SUBTICS)”. ASW remains very much at the forefront of strategic thinking in South Korea, following the loss in 2010 of the Republic of Korea Navy (RoKN) Po Hang-class corvette Cheonan. The RoKN’s Type 214 KSS-2 programme is continuing to deliver new SSKs into service, with boat seven Hong Beom-Do commissioned in January 2018. Another notable addition to the RoKN fleet in 2018 was the third Cheonwangbong-class landing ship tank amphibious vessel. According to Yonhap news agency, the 7,000-tonne ship can embark three high-speed landing craft, two armoured vehicles, eight amphibious vehicles, and two helicopters. It also has staff space for an amphibious operations command centre. Another navy looking to boost its ASW capability is the Royal Australian Navy (RAN). For the RAN, 2018 also has seen some significant developments across its fleet. First, the RAN’s third and final 7,000-tonne Hobart-class air warfare destroyer
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The JMSDF’s Murasame-class destroyer JS Akebono, is pictured here in the port of Djibouti in May 2018. The ship has conducted counter-piracy PASSEX work with the European Union Naval Force (EU NAVFOR).
(AWD), Sydney, was launched in May; second ship Brisbane also is scheduled to be handed over to the navy before the end of the year. Together the three AWDs – now referred to by the RAN as guided-missile destroyers (DDGs) – will form a major component of the RAN’s future task group, centred around its two Canberra-class landing helicopter dock (LHD) vessels. According to reports, the AWDs’ capability and firepower includes the Aegis combat system, combining the Lockheed Martin AN/SPY1D(V) phased array radar and the Raytheon Standard Missile (SM)-2 area air-defence missile, the US Cooperative Engagement Capability (CEC), and the Sikorsky MH-60R naval helicopter (providing surveillance capability and wider support to other warfare areas). According to the RAN, “These capabilities ensure that the Hobart-class DDGs have the layered defensive and offensive capability required to counter conventional and asymmetric threats.” Second, the UK’s Type 26 ASW-focused Global Combat Ship was selected in June 2018 as the baseline design to meet the RAN’s Sea 5000 future frigate capability, with nine ships to be built to make up what is to be known as the Hunter class. The Type 26 has been designed specifically as an ASW platform, with a focus on robust signature reduction techniques and punchy offensive ASW capability. For the UK, the Type 26’s arrival with the RN in the middle of the next decade will come at a time of increased ASW activity in Europe: for the RAN, the ASW capabilities embodied in the Type 26 design are fundamental to the Hunter-class ships’ ability to support the RAN’s future task group – especially given the level of sub-surface activity in the Asia-Pacific region. To increase its ability to provide maritime security in and around Australia’s own waters as well as across the region more widely, the RAN is also in the process of delivering a new generation of offshore patrol vessel (OPV), under the Sea 1180 programme. Steel was cut on the first of the 12 new vessels on 3 October 2018. Replacing the hard-working 13 Armidale-class
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OPVs, the new ships will provide improved capability for conducting constabulary patrol presence. At the higher end of the operational spectrum, the JMSDF continues to invest in all the major warfare disciplines, with its fleet noted in particular for its air-defence, ASW, and anti-surface warfare (ASuW) capabilities. In March 2018, the JMSDF commissioned its ninth Souryuclass SSK, JS Seiryu. The 4,100-tonne boats are seen by some analysts as amongst the most capable SSKs in the world. Boat 10, Shoryu, was launched in November 2017 and is scheduled to be commissioned in March 2019. On the surface, the JMSDF commissioned the first of a new two-ship destroyer class – the Asahi 25DD class, also known as the Improved Akizuki-class destroyer. JS Asahi entered service in March 2018. Four months later, the JMSDF welcomed the first ship in another new destroyer class – JS Maya, lead ship of the 8,000-tonne improved Atago-class vessels. According to reports, the improved Atago class will bring the Aegis Baseline 9/ballistic missile defence (BMD) 5.1 variant, along with CEC. The Raytheon SM-3 missile will provide air defence output, with SM-6 providing the BMD capability. In Singapore, the RSN commissioned its second and third Independence-class Littoral Mission Vessels (LMVs) in November 2017. The two ships, RSS Sovereignty and RSS Unity, joined RSS Independence, which was commissioned in May 2017. In a statement released at the time of the commissioning, Singapore’s defence ministry said that the Independence-class LMVs will “safeguard Singapore’s waters, protect its sea lines of communication, and contribute to regional peace and security”. Minister for Defence Dr Ng Eng Hen told the commissioning ceremony that the LMVs provide a “quantum jump” in capability for the RSN. Ships six and seven, Fortitude and Dauntless, were launched in March and August 2018 respectively. According to reports, ships four and five – Justice and Indomitable – are scheduled for commissioning before the end of 2018. Eight ships
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The Indian Navy’s lead Kamortaclass corvette, INS Kamorta (left), pictured working with the US Na-vy in 2017 on Exercise ‘Malabar’ in the Indian Ocean. Fourth-in-class Kavaratti was launched in July 2018.
are planned in the class, with the final five due to be operational by 2020. One of the particularly unique features in the LMV design is the bridge structure, which provides a 360-degree view around the ship: this, according to the defence ministry, brings “improved sense-making systems to enhance situational awareness and accelerate decision-making”. The ships also have a significant sensor system fit. The flexibility such capabilities bring will bolster the RSN’s patrol capacity in meeting the maritime security challenges in its regional waters. The RSN also will be adding capability below the surface, in the form of four new, 2,200-tonne, air-independent propulsion (AIP)-capable Type 218SG SSKs. In a fact sheet published in June 2018, the defence ministry stated that the boats “are part of the RSN’s long-term capability development and submarine force renewal programme”. The submarines are “tailored to meet the RSN’s unique operating conditions, and will enhance the RSN’s capability to better protect Singapore’s waters and safeguard access to the sea lines of communication”, the statement added. As well as improved capabilities, the boats bring design innovation and advanced maintenance and engineering concepts to optimise training, operation, and maintenance costs. The statement noted that build work on the first two boats is progressing, and that steel was cut on the last two boats in January 2018. Delivery is projected to commence in 2021. Another regional navy taking another step forward in 2018 in its submarine capability is the Indonesian Navy (Tentara Nasional Indonesia-Angkatan Laut (TNI-AL)). The TNI-AL took delivery of Ardadedali, its second South Korean-built,
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1,400-tonne Type 209/1400 SSK, in April 2018. Lead boat KRI Nagapasa was commissioned into service in August 2017. A third boat is expected by the early 2020s. A submarine capability is strategically significant for Indonesia, as the country sits astride several key choke points – including the Malacca, Lombok, and Sunda straits – that provide access between the Pacific and Indian oceans. With a complex geostrategic position, including different islands spread across the Southeast Asian region, with territorial disputes with several other regional actors, and with a range of maritime security challenges prevalent across and around its waters, Indonesia also needs the TNI-AL to provide a robust surface presence. This presence has been reinforced in recent years with the arrival of the first two of a planned four Sigma 10514 PKR guided-missile corvettes. Lead ship KRI Raden Eddy Martinadata was commissioned in April 2017, and second-in-class corvette KRI I Gusti Ngurah Rai was commissioned in January 2018. The 2,360-tonne corvettes bring a range of capabilities, perhaps the most prominent of which is the MBDA VL-MICA SAM system. One navy looking to introduce a step-up in surface ship capability is the Philippine Navy, with its programme to acquire two HDF-3000 frigates. According to reports, steel was cut on the first ship in May 2018, with steel-cutting on the second ship scheduled to have taken place in September 2018. Deliveries are expected in 2020-21. The 2,600-tonne ships are in build at Hyundai Heavy Industries in South Korea. The frigates are understood to be based on the design on the RoKN’s Incheon/FFX-I frigate. Alongside a capable weapons and sensor suite, the frigates will
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also feature a reduced radar cross-section platform design. The Royal New Zealand Navy (RNZN), with the need to provide maritime security across the South Pacific region as a whole and down into the Southern Ocean to Antarctica, must monitor one of the largest maritime areas of responsibility in the world. Its frigate and offshore patrol vessels (OPVs) are limited in number, with two MEKO 200 ANZAC-class frigates and two Otago-class OPVs in the fleet. The RNZN is still considering the purchase of a third OPV. However, supporting the ability to conduct patrol presence in and around its waters, the Lake-class inshore patrol vessel (IPV) HMNZS Rotoiti has been reactivated this year, a New Zealand Defence Force (NZDF) spokesperson told AMR. Another significant addition for New Zealand in terms of maritime patrol capacity is the decision, announced in July 2018, to replace its P-3K2 Orion MPAs with the Boeing P-8A Poseidon MPA. When the purchase was announced, defence minister Ron Mark stated that the P-8A purchase would ensure the NZDF “can continue to deliver the country’s maritime surveillance, resource protection, humanitarian and disaster response [needs] around New Zealand and across the South Pacific”. The procurement decision, he added, also “strengthens the coalition government’s `Pacific reset’ by providing a maritime patrol capability with the significant range and endurance needed to assist our partners in the region.” Four P-8As are planned to be acquired, and are expected to begin entering service in 2023. Australia, the United Kingdom, and the United States – all close strategic partners for New Zealand – are all procuring the P-8.
D I R E C T O R Y
Into the immediate future, the RNZN also is anticipating the commissioning of its new maritime sustainment capability vessel, Aotearoa, in 2020. The spokesperson told AMR that Aotearoa “will possess the ability to refuel and sustain New Zealand and partner forces both at and from the sea (and) will offer options for the sustainment of ground forces and for the support of humanitarian and disaster relief (HADR) missions, primarily within the South Pacific.” The ship also will be ice-strengthened, enabling it to operate in Antarctica in summer months once an icebreaker has cleared a channel through the ice. Of course, China’s own naval developments continue apace, with surface ships in particular being produced at a rapid rate. Perhaps most notable in 2018, however, was the fact that China’s second aircraft carrier – and its first indigenously built one – was reported to have completed initial sea trials in May 2018. According to a report in The National Interest in August 2018, Shandong sailed for a second set of sea trials earlier that month. In addition, the 2018 US Office of the Secretary of Defense annual report to Congress on Chinese military capabilities noted that 2018 may also see China “begin construction on its first catapult-capable carrier … which will enable additional fighter aircraft, fixed-wing early-warning aircraft, and more rapid flight operations.” China’s emerging carrier capability will also need to be supported by robust strike group platforms. The National Interest reported that the lead ship of the PLAN’s new Type 055 destroyer – understood to be perhaps the primary air-defence platform for the carriers – commenced its own sea trials in in August 2018.
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Vice Admiral Tim Barrett, then-chief of the Royal Australian Navy, describes the capabilities of the RAN’s new Hunterclass frigate to crew members from the RAN’s second-in-class Hobart destroyer Brisbane in June 2018. The Hunter-class frigates will bring an anti-submarine warfare focus within a wider capability fit that includes air defence.
NAVAL DIRECTORY CASE STUDY: ROYAL AUSTRALIAN NAVY’S TYPE 26 GCS The Hunter-class Type 26 GCS-A brings capability spread for Australia by Dr Lee Willett
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n June 2018, the Commonwealth of Australia announced that the United Kingdom’s BAE Systems-built, antisubmarine warfare (ASW) focused Type 26 Global Combat Ship (GCS) had been downselected as the baseline design to provide the Royal Australian Navy’s (RAN’s) Sea 5000
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Future Frigate capability. Australia is purchasing nine Global Combat Ship-Australia (GCS-A) vessels to replace the RAN’s eight in-service MEKO 200 ANZAC-class frigates. The ships will be called the Hunter class. The lead ship is scheduled for delivery to the navy in the mid-
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2020s, prior to entering operational service in the late 2020s. In UK Royal Navy (RN) service, the Type 26 has been procured primarily as an ASW platform, with the RN receiving eight Type 26s (called the City class) to replace its eight ASWroled Type 23 frigates. The return to state-based competition in the underwater domain across the European and North Atlantic theatre underlines the importance of ASW for the RN. For the RAN, the increase in sub-surface activity across the Indo-Pacific region over the last decade also underlines the importance of introducing improved ASW capability. “The proliferation of submarines in the Indo-Pacific region and the increasingly complex strategic situation create a new priority for ASW capabilities,” retired RAN rear admiral James Goldrick told AMR. Noting that over 50 percent of the world’s submarines will be operating in the Indo-Pacific region by 2030, the RAN itself has stated that “the primary purpose of the Future Frigate is to detect, track and, if required, destroy enemy submarines.” While the GCS-As will be able to deploy and operate independently, their ASW capability will have particular relevance in terms of supporting task group operations, either national or international. As regards national task group operations, the GCS-A platforms will be a central element of the layered defence surrounding the RAN’s Canberra-class landing helicopter dock (LHD) amphibious ships – layered defence that will include anti-air warfare capability provided by the three Hobart-class guided-missile destroyers (DDGs). In terms of contributing to coalition task forces, the GCS-As’ “ability to defend themselves and act as wide area ASW assets with
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their towed array sonar systems will make them very valuable contributors”, said Goldrick. The UK has argued strongly and publicly that the Type 26 brings a step up in ASW capability, not only in offensive output but also in terms of platform signature reduction and management. Indeed, such ASW capability was highlighted clearly by the Australian government as being a determining factor in Type 26’s selection. In a statement released when the decision was announced, the government said the programme is “one of Australia’s most significant investments in military capability”, with the GCS-A set to provide Australia with “one of the most advanced anti-submarine warships in the world – a maritime combat capability that will underpin [Australian] security for decades to come.” In the ASW context, the Hunter-class GCS-As will receive the same two primary sonar systems that will be fitted to the UK’s Type 26 platforms, namely the Ultra Electronics Sonar 2150 hull-mounted sonar in the ship’s bow and the Thales Sonar 2087 active/passive variable-depth towed array sonar as its ‘tail’. The Sikorsky MH-60R helicopter will provide the embarked, airbased ASW capability for the GCS-A. This is different from the UK Type 26’s organic air component, which will be delivered by the Leonardo AgustaWestland Merlin HM2 helicopter.
Broad capability However, the RAN also will require the Hunter-class ships to make a robust contribution to other warfare areas, notably air defence. In fact, according to some analyses, the class will
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D i r e c t o r y
The Hunter-class frigates will be a core element of the layered defence surrounding the RAN’s Canberra-class landing helicopter dock (LHD) amphibious ships. Second-in-class LHD HMAS Adelaide is pictured here.
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| Asian Military Review |
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provide a broad set of general-purpose capabilities surrounding a specific ASW focus: “Think of the concept of the Hunter class as being general-purpose frigates with a deep specialisation in ASW,” said Goldrick. As a result of this broad focus, the wider equipment fit for the Hunter class will differ from that of the City class in some significant ways. Here, the additions of particular interest for the GCS-A are the Aegis combat system with a Saab 9LV combat management system tactical interface; ship self-defence and local area air-defence capability delivered
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by Raytheon’s Evolved SeaSparrow Missile (ESSM) and Standard Missile (SM2) respectively, with both installed in the ship’s Lockheed Martin Mk 41 vertical launching system (VLS); and air warfare capability enabled by the CEAFAR 2 phased array radar. In the UK’s case, combat management is provided by BAE Systems’ CMS-1 system. Local area air-defence capability is provided by the MBDA GWS35 Sea Ceptor guided missile in a standalone VLS system. The missiles to be installed in the RN’s own Mk41 fit onboard the Type 26 are yet to be confirmed. Air/search
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The organic air-based antisubmarine warfare capability onboard the Hunter-class frigates will be provided by the MH-60R helicopter. Here, an MH-60R is pictured operating onboard the frigate HMAS Anzac.
radar capability will be provided by BAE Systems’ Type 997 ARTISAN system. For the RAN, Goldrick noted that the GCS-As “necessarily will … have a general purpose role and, given the potential threat environment, will be expected to make a key contribution to the air defence of the task force”. Here, the fits of Aegis and CEAFAR – both continually evolving systems – mean that the GCS-As “should be quite formidable in their own right,” said Goldrick. However, he added, “they are also likely to be netted into the (Raytheon) Co-operative Engagement Capability (CEC) system that is being built into Australian Defence Force units.” According to Australia’s defence department, CEC “combines radar and fire control data into a common picture, allowing one ship to engage an adversary based on (another) ship’s data”. CEC is already being integrated into the Hobart-class DDGs and, in April 2018, the capability was successfully tested off the coast of South Australia by HMAS Hobart and sister ship Brisbane (Brisbane has been delivered to the RAN, and is preparing to be commissioned). Australia is planning to fit CEC to other platforms, including the E-7A Wedgetail airborne early warning aircraft. According to the RAN, the system fit for the Hunter-class GCSAs delivers a “highly capable” anti-submarine and air warfare
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platform. The fit will enable the ships to bring “the highest levels of lethality and deterrence our major surface combatants need in periods of global uncertainty,” the navy stated. Goldrick noted that the Hunter-class vessels “have been (designed) with a clear view to multiple uses”. Here, he pointed to the ships’ substantial internal volume, which can accommodate a range of manned and unmanned vehicles. The ships’ overall size also gives them “greater survivability, greater endurance, and a substantial margin for the fit of different/ additional equipment,” he added. The ships’ Mk41 VLS system, for example, “will allow them to carry missiles to contribute to the air(defence) and potentially theatre ballistic missile defence of the (task) force”, Goldrick continued. The RAN has stated also that the frigates will support “the full spectrum of operations in the joint maritime environment”, including humanitarian assistance and disaster relief (HADR) taskings. Indeed, HADR operations have been a regular requirement in the Indo-Pacific region in recent years. For example, in November 2016 the RAN’s FFG 7 Adelaideclass frigate HMAS Darwin joined an international task force to support HADR efforts following an earthquake that struck the Kaikoura region of New Zealand’s South Island. AMR
| Asian Military Review |
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Students use the Thurbon EW Data Management System (EWDMS) software tool for the processing platform, sensor and weapon system data.
REFRESHING THE EW SPECTRUM
AMR was invited to see how an electronic warfare training course
is helping Asian military specialists to improve their knowledge and capabilities by David Oliver
E
arlier this year seven Singaporean and Thai Air Force military personnel with various levels of electronic warfare experience and background, attended a training course to supplement and update their knowledge run by MASS in Lincoln, in the United Kingdom.
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MASS provides specialist electronic warfare operational support (EWOS), cyber security, secure ICT networks, digital forensics and more to military forces. It has considerable experience of training foreign and domestic armed forces in all aspects of air, land and maritime EW providing a mix of operational and
| Asian Military Review |
technical instruction, founded on UK military and scientific experience. The delegate personnel from the air forces of Singapore and Thailand comprised military personnel of various ranks, as well as government employed scientists and engineers. Reflecting this mix, the course instructors also had ex-military, scientific
r e g i o n a l USAF
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C S T Local situa onel awareness
Students are taught the processes, procedures and techniques involved in the production of platform protection countermeasures.
and engineering backgrounds. Although EW focused, the customers had identified a gap in their current EW knowledge-base due to personnel movements/postings, others promoted out of the EW trade and previously poor quality training providers. Following a period of requirements capture and needs analysis, MASS provided three intensive 25-day courses with training matched to meet customer requirements and budgets. The course comprised seven 50-minute lessons per day. Blended classroom/ theory-based lessons were underpinned by simulation and spread over a five-year period subject to budgetary/personnel constraints. The training content scaled from introduction to advanced missile guidance techniques and included practical elements of electronic intelligence (ELINT) pulse analysis, with a deeper understanding of the role of the weapons systems analyst (WSA), a person with the necessary skills in analysing air-to-air and surface-to-air weapon systems. The course was divided into two distinct modules, the first of which provided the students with an appreciation of the processes, procedures and techniques involved in the production of platform protection countermeasures. These included radar operation, missile design and performance, electro-optical/infrared (EO/IR) systems, and countermeasure techniques using the MASS developed software tool, CounterWorX. Platform performance also addressed radio frequency (RF) active jamming, RF passive techniques, EW equipment
and platform susceptibility with the use of modelling and simulation software. Students gained an understanding of what constitutes the Threat Vulnerability Assessment And Countermeasures Development (TVACD) process to the EW domain. Basically identifying the threat, its implications, its weaknesses and what can and should be done to mitigate the threat. The second module focused on EW Operational Support (EWOS) and provided an insight into EW centre operations and functionality using the specialist software tools PulsePro and the Thurbon EW Data Management System (EWDMS) for the processing and storage of complex platform, sensor and weapon system data in a single source. This facilitates an enhanced capability to conduct Electronic Order of Battle (EOB) analysis, EW planning and automated intercepts analysis. Thurbon provides essential operational support and enhanced situational awareness, through a common approach across different environments. The EWOS module also included the study of the functions of an EWOS organisation, EW databases, mission data and post mission analysis. Upon returning home, the training allowed those who attend the course to immediately integrate into operations. Feedback has indicated that further personnel will be selected for the MASS training courses. All of the courses run by MASS are adaptable, and can be tailored to specific customer requirements. Courses can either be delivered at the MASS state-ofthe-art UK training facility in Lincoln, or at a customer’s chosen location. AMR
| november 2018 |
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Three Japan Maritime SelfDefence Forces (JMSDF) Kawasaki P-1s in flight over Mount Fuji, Japan.
PERSISTENT C4ISR AMBITION There are now ISR assets available to suit the budget of every nation that needs one, but the actionable intelligence gained will not be comparable. by Justin Bronk
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n the Asia-Pacific region, the physical distances involved in any potential military operations, as well as the shifting and multifaceted geopolitical situation faced by each of the individual states means that the requirements that feed Command, Control, Communications, Computers, Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (C4ISR) acquisition are challenging and very different to those faced by European states. However the region does encompass some of the best funded and most technologically advanced military forces, most notably those of China, Japan and South Korea; but also multiple smaller actors with far lesser resources to draw on but nevertheless pressing defence needs which have led to innovative combinations of equipment and practices from East and West.
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The need to generate persistent intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) over the often huge distances of the Asia Pacific, within constrained budgets has led to the region becoming the fastest growing market for unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). China successfully identified an opportunity to become a global leader in armed UAV exports created by the refusal of the United States (US) to export armed variants of its iconic General Atomics MQ-1 and MQ-9 Predator/Reaper series of UAVs to any allies outside the UK and France. As a result, the Chengdu Aircraft Design Institute’s Pterodactyl or Wing Loong series and the China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation (CASC)’s CH-4 and CH-5 lines have been enthusiastically funded, developed and promoted and the world in conjunction with the People’s Liberation Army Air
| Asian Military Review |
Force (PLAAF). These platforms offer similar endurance and range to their American and Israeli counterparts, although there are indications that the complex gimbal stabilisation required to allow onboard sensors to avoid motion blur at high magnifications is not as advanced on currently operational Chinese platforms. This may be one reason for the lower average operational altitudes seemingly favoured by Middle Eastern Wing Loong operators compared to the 15,000ft hard deck common for US operated Reapers – since with lower useful magnification levels, Chinese UAVs need to be physically closer to their targets for a given level of granularity required. Nonetheless, the armaments and overall airframe package which Wing Loong and CH-4B in particular represent have been highly successful in export terms and, crucially, are offered for global
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optical detection system payload developed for the Royal Australian Navy (RAN) to enable the diminutive UAV to undertake Broad Area Maritime Surveillance (BAMS) tasks, which are normally the preserve of much larger Maritime Patrol Aircraft (MPA) or the giant Northrop Grumman MQ-4C Triton.
High Flyers
KJ-500 at Zhuhai Jinwan Airport prior to Airshow China 2016.
David Oliver
Both the USN and the Royal Australian Air The Chinese AVIC (AVIC) Force (RAAF) are to Wing Loong II unmanned aerial vehicle. operate the MQ-4C in the Asia Pacific, with the former having declared Initial Operational Capability (IOC) in 2018 and the latter’s first order of six with an option for a further airframe being confirmed in June of the same year. The MQ-4C is a derivative of the US Air Force’s (USAF) High-Altitude Long Endurance (HALE) RQ-4 Global Hawk which alongside the venerable Lockheed is designed to stay airborne at over 300 Martin U-2S Dragon Lady have been the knots with long endurance of around 30 bench-mark for world class ISR for over a hours and a standard operating altitude decade. Like the Global Hawk, the Triton of 55,000ft. This allows the Triton to survey millions of square nautical miles of ocean during a single sortie using its Active Electronically Scanned Array (AESA) radar with standard and inverse SAR capabilities. However, compared to the Global Hawk, Triton has been designed with a strengthened fuselage and EO/IR sensor ball to enable it to descend to much lower altitudes in all weathers and obtain footage of potential objects of interest in addition to the automatic target classification and tracking available simply using the radar at higher altitudes. The system is designed to work alongside the USN’s new Boeing P-8 Poseidon MPA (which Australia has also A RSAF G550-AEW purchased) and with the BAMS sensors with Israeli carried by the P-8 itself along with its Eitam radar. anti-ship and anti-submarine warfare capabilities, the combination will ensure that the USN Australian Defence Force (ADF) will possess by far the most capable maritime C4ISR capabilities in the region for the foreseeable future. However, this level of capability does Wiki
sale with few political strings attached. The PLAAF itself is a user of the Wing Loong series, but with the exception of Indonesia which purchased four Wing Loongs in 2017, China’s success on the global UAV export market has not extended to the Asia Pacific. This somewhat surprising lack of penetration of cheap demonstrably useful Chinese UAVs is likely the result of a combined effect of Chinese reluctance to offer capabilities which the PLAAF uses heavily around its immediate borders to nations with which it has ongoing territorial disputes, and in competition with the traditional reliance on either American or Russian exports for military aircraft. At the smaller unarmed end of the spectrum, Boeing’s ubiquitous Scan Eagle UAV has been enthusiastically adopted by multiple militaries including Japan, Australia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore and Indonesia. The type’s low operating costs and the lack of requirement for large runways or flight decks due to its hook and line recovery and catapult launch configuration already make the Scan Eagle versatile. However, the greatest driver for its Asia-Pacific success is its wide variety of proven sensor payload options; from a standard Electro-Optical/Infrared (EO/ IR) sensor ball, to the world’s smallest operational Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) system (NanoSAR), and the latest Visual Detection and Ranging (ViDAR)
Alert5
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A Taiwan Air Force E2K early warning aircraft at the Hsin-Chu Air Force Base in 2015.
not come cheaply, with MQ-4C Triton costing around $120 million per airframe to acquire and begin operating, and the P-8 Poseidon closer to $200 million. Despite this, and perhaps due to the fact it is the latest USN standard, several other countries in the Asia-Pacific have bought into the P-8 programme including New Zealand, India (although its exportvariant P-8i has mission systems more akin to the legacy P-3 Orion) and South Korea. Taiwan and Thai-land are instead taking the cheaper option of continuing to upgrade their P-3 Orions to remain relevant in the ASW role. Japan, by contrast has inducted its own indigenously designed Kawasaki P-1 MPA to steadily replace its large fleet of over 100 licence manufactured P-3s. Like the Orion, the P-1 is optimised more specifically for the medium and lowaltitude anti-submarine warfare and maritime search and rescue roles than the higher altitude BAMS ISR focus of the P-8 Poseidon/MQ-4C Triton combination. China itself has several potential RQ-4 class HALE UAV development programmes but with a greater focus on aerial surveillance and early warning. The Shenyang Air-craft Corporation’s occasionally glimpsed Divine Eagle is a
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large jet powered, twin boom layout UAV apparently designed to carry multiple AESA radar arrays. The idea behind the Divine Eagle appears to be to produce a system which can loiter for long periods at very high altitudes and incorporate the combined radar pictures from mul-tiple widely spaced UAVs in order to better detect American stealth aircraft compared to legacy ground based or traditional Airborne Warning and Control System (AWACS) platforms. At the same time, China is also developing multiple AWACS designs including the KJ-2000 which resembles the Russian A-50 Mainstay and is also based on the same four turbofan engine Il-76 airframe as the Russian jet, but with three phased array radars in a fixed dish rather that the NATO standard Boeing E-3 Sentry and Northrop Grumman E-2 Hawkeye systems which have visually similar mechanical arrays in rotating dishes. Disagreements with Russia over pricing and delivery schedules for the Il-76 airframe have also led the PLAAF to mount the same radar on a domesti-cally produced Shaanxi Y-8 turboprop airlifter fuselage to create the more numerous KJ-500. This domestic airlifter conversion has also been undertaken with a fixed
| Asian Military Review |
horizontally mounted straight AESA radar to create the KJ-200. Taken together with the Divine Eagle project, these three different AWACS types strongly support the theory that China is hedging its bets on air C2 and airborne ISR capabilities by exploring multiple simultaneous development routes whilst it works out what shape the PLAAF of the next 20 years will take. The AWACS position for those reliant on Western equipment has also seen innovation in recent years. The RAAF is very pleased with its new E-7 Wedgetail fleet of six Boeing 737NGderived horizontal straight AESA pattern AWACS, and is also in negotiations to purchase five L3-modified SIGINT and ELINT gathering surveillance aircraft developed on the basis of the Gulfstream G550. Singapore has purchased the Israeli Eitam AWACS based on the same G550 with novel conformally mounted radar arrays, but as with most Israeli supplied ISR platforms, details about its performance remain extremely hard to come by. These new land-based AWACS and SIGINT/ELINT aircraft joint the regular USAF E-3G Sentry AWACS and extensive RC-135 family of multipurpose and specialised spy aircraft, as well as
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coupled with new radar and ability to enhance the situational awareness and coordination of friendly combat aircraft and aegis-equipped surface combatants makes it one of the most potentially significant C2ISR upgrades to reach the region in several decades. It is central to the Naval Integrated Fire-Control, Counter-Air (NIFC-CA) architecture being pursued by the US Navy, alongside regional allies, in particular the Japanese Maritime Self Defence Forces (JMSDF), as a counter to increasingly capable Chinese military capabilities.
Rotary UAS On the rotary side of the C4ISR equation, the USN is pressing ahead with the deployment of the Northrop Grumman MQ-8 Fire Scout family of unmanned surveillance and situational awareness UAVs derived from commercial Schweizer 300-series helicopters for the smaller MQ8A and MQ-8B and the Bell 407 series for the larger MQ-8C. The MQ-8B and MQ8C can mount the Telephonics AN/ZPY4(V)1 radar which gives them a broad area surface mapping and tracking capacity
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previously the preserve of fixed wing ISR assets, but deployable from the small rotary flight decks of the guided missile destroyer and even littoral combat ship (LCS) class of surface combatants. MQ-8Bs equipped with the AN/ZPY-4(V)1 deployed to Singapore with a USN LCS in 2016 and have been active in the region ever since. However, the endurance and ceiling of such platforms – while significantly greater than manned helicopters – cannot rival that of fixed wing equivalents due to the fundamentally different limitations of rotary wing flight and weight-payload capacity. The importance of state-of-the-art situational awareness and command and control capabilities only increases with geographical distance and geopolitical complexity. Since both are in huge supply in the Asia Pacific region it is not surprising to see that so much procurement and development funding and effort is being poured into UAVs, fixed wing aircraft and even rotary C4ISR platforms – it is a trend which is only likely to intensify as more smaller nations find that such capabilities are within their reach or too important to ignore. AMR
sea Photo credits: © Vincent LARUE/ECPAD/Défense ©JP.PONS/ Marine Nationale/Défense
Japan’s long-established force of four Boeing E-767 AWACS which incorporate the same American AN/APY-2 radar as the E-3 on a 767 fuselage. For the USN and the JMSDF which have relied for several decades on the E-2C Hawkeye, an upgrade is coming into service in the shape of the externally very similar E-2D which has had its mission system completely redesigned for future network-centric war fighting and to take maximum advantage of its new AESA/ mech-scan hybrid APY-9 radar. Taiwan has had its own E-2T Hawkeye fleet upgraded since 2013 to E-2K standard but it is not clear how many elements of the highly sensitive E-2D design were incorporated given Chinese sensitivities around supplying high end military equipment to Taiwan. The E-2 family, due to its need to be capable of aircraft carrier operations for the USN and consequent weight and drag penalties is not capable of staying on station for as long as comparable landbased AWACS types. However, the E-2D has air-to-air refuelling capacity to extend time on station and its mission system
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OCEANIC SURVEILLANCE The changing strategic maritime picture in Asia-Pacific has triggered the renewal of numerous maritime patrol fleets with more aircraft on the way. by David Oliver 42
| Asian Military Review |
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Navy to replace its Russian Il-38 Mays that were also developed from another four turboprop commercial airliner, the Il-18. Serving with No. 312 ‘Albatross’ Squadron based at Arakkonam, four additional Neptunes have been ordered while the Indian Navy operates two squadrons of HAL (Dornier) 228-201 coastal maritime surveillance aircraft. In February 2014, the Australian Government announced the acquisition of 12 Boeing P-8A Poseidon MMAs under Project AIR 7000 and approved an option for a further three aircraft subject to the outcomes of future Defence White Paper reviews. Based at RAAF Base Edinburgh, the P-8A aircraft are replacing the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) surviving 15 AP-3C Orions, with the first aircraft delivered in December 2016 and all eleven will have arrived by March 2020 with Initial Operational Capability (IOC) being declared in March 2018, five months ahead of schedule. Under Australia’s Plan Jericho, the P-8As will share maritime patrol and surveillance with a fleet of unmanned MQ-4C Triton aircraft. In July 2018 the New Zealand government confirmed an order for four P-8A Poseidon MMAs to replace the Royal New Zealand Air Force (RNZAF) Boeing
David Oliver
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The Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) has ordered 12 P-8A Poseidon MultiMission Aircraft (MMA) to replace its AP-3C Orions.
W
ith tensions running high in the South China Sea, a number of Asia-Pacific nations are re-equipping their maritime patrol aircraft (MPA) fleets with new capable platforms. The most successful MPA of the modern era has been the Lockheed P-3 Orion which was developed from a
commercial airliner, the four-turboprop Electra and the current MPA of choice for those that can afford it is Boeing P-8A Poseidon Multi-Mission Aircraft (MMA) which was developed from another commercial airliner, the Boeing 737. India was the lead export customer for the P-8A with an initial order for eight P-8I Neptunes to be used by the Indian
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The Indian Navy was the lead customer for the Boeing P-8A Poseidon and is taking delivery of 12 aircraft known in the service as P-8I Neptunes.
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The JMSDF P-3 Orions are being replaced by the Kawasaki P-1 MPA which first entered service in 2013.
P-3K2 Orion MPAs operated by No. 5 Squadron which will transition from Whenuapai Air Base to Ohakea 2023. The $2.35 billion contract for the aircraft that will be delivered in 2023 includes a support and training package. New Zealand defence minister, Ron Mark said that, “the purchase ensures the Defence Force can continue to deliver the country’s maritime surveillance, resource protection, humanitarian and disaster response around New Zealand and across the South Pacific. This decision strengthens the coalition Government’s Pacific Reset by providing a maritime patrol capability with the significant range and endurance needed to assist our partners in the region.” As with its regional neighbour Australia, the RNZAF is also considering options for complementary maritime surveillance assets during the country’s Defence Capability Plan review to be completed by the end of 2018 which
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may include smaller costal patrol aircraft, unmanned aerial systems (UAS) and satellites. The Republic of Korea (ROK) Navy has an extant fleet of sixteen upgraded Orions, designated P-3CK, the last of which was delivered in 2017. In May 2013 it was announced that the Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA) was commencing a $889 millionprocurement programme to acquire up to 20 new MPAs to replace the Orions to strengthen its surveillance capabilities against North Korea activities near the western sea. Having considered the Saab global 6000 Swordfish, the Airbus C-295 and ex-USN Lockheed S-3 Viking anti-submarine/maritime surveillance aircraft, in September 2018 the US Department of State cleared the potential foreign military sale (FMS) of six Boeing P-8A Poseidon maritime patrol aircraft to South Korea plus mission systems, support and training valued at $2.1 billion.
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The Republic of China Air Force (ROCAF) is another regional Orion operator with 12 P-3C aircraft in service. The first modernised aircraft were delivered in August 2013 to replace surviving Grumman S-2Es and S-2Fs that were updated to the S-2T Turbo Tracker configuration following a contract award in 1986. The last two S-2Ts remain in service until December 2018 being replaced by the last of the ROCAF’s upgraded P-3C Orions. The Japan Maritime Self-Defence Force (JMSDF) has the largest P-3 Orion fleet which is also the newest following Japan’s decision in 1979 to build the Orion under licence with the first Kawasaki Heavy Industries assembled P-3 being delivered in March 1982. Kawasaki's assembly line switched to the P-3C-III production standard in 1988 and by February 1995 more than 100 P-3s had been delivered to the JMSDF. In November 2001 Kawasaki was
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selected to develop an indigenous design to meet the Japan Defence Agency (JDA) P-X requirement to replace the P-3 Orion. The first four-jet Kawasaki P-1 prototype flew in in September 2007 and after a protracted development programme, the first five were delivered to the JMSDF in 2013. The JMSDF plans to procure another 23 P-1 aircraft by 2019 and 65 are planned to acquired by the end of 2027. The Kawasaki P-1 has been the subject of an extensive marketing campaign, one of the first for a Japanese military aircraft, with demonstrations in the UK, Germany and New Zealand but as yet has not attracted any export sales for the aircraft. The Pakistan Navy has a diverse fleet of MPAs that includes two Breguet Atlantics and five Fokker F-27s that are approaching obsolescence, seven P-3C Orions with its latest acquisitions being three second-hand ATR 42-212As, the last of which was delivered in February 2016. Other countries with a future MPA requirement include Singapore, Malaysia and Thailand who have 1small ageing 2019 MADEX (213x143).pdf 9/7/18 3:57
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The Airbus C-295MPA has been ordered by the air forces of Indonesia and Vietnam and is on the short list for the Philippines.
fleets of MPAs while the Philippines has issued a firm requirement for two new aircraft and Indonesian Air Force (Tentara Nasional Indonesia Angkatan Udara - TNI AU) has taken delivery of a single Airbus C-295 MPA. The Bangladesh Navy ordered two Dornier 228NG aircraft from RUAG in Switzerland in October 2017 to double its fleet of coastal patrol Do 228s that PM
entered service in 2011. In May 2018 the first two of three Indonesian-built PT-Dirgantara NC-212i MPAs were delivered to the Vietnam People’s Air Force Gia Lam Air Base in Hanoi to join three C-212-400MP aircraft operated by the Vietnam Marine Police operated. It has also been reported that Vietnam has ordered two C-295 MPAs. AMR
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The Next Generation Armoured Fighting Vehicle (NGAFV) is entering production for the Singapore Armed Forces. This indigenous development by ST Kinetic will provide them a state-of-the art IFV equivalent to the most advanced being offered.
BLURRING THE LINES Infantry fighting vehicles and armoured personnel carriers are moving closer in terms of what traditionally kept them apart. by Stephen W. Miller
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rmies are placing greater emphasis on mechanisation. Not only are they receiving more armoured vehicles but the types of vehicles are increasingly reflecting the broader worldwide trends. Several of the largest combat vehicle acquisition programmes are occurring in this region. Foremost in these are infantry combat vehicles which are being delivered from both outside and within the region. Australia, the Republic of Korea, Singapore, Japan, Malaysia, Indonesia, Taiwan, and the Peoples Republic of China each have major infantry vehicle projects underway. This piece will examine some of these.
APC or IFV Armoured combat vehicles provide mobility and protection. For the infantry this takes the form of wither the Infantry Fighting Vehicle (IFV) or Armoured
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Personnel Carrier (APC). These two are generally differentiated primarily by the armament that they carry. The APC are meant to simply carry infantry - preferably a section or squad of 8-12 soldiers - under protection from one point to another on the battlefield until they need to dismount. APCs are not intended to directly engage opposing forces as a primary mission and as such traditionally have been equipped with, at best, a heavy machine gun. In the past this usually took the form of a manned open weapon station with the gunner sometimes protected by a gun shield or armoured cupola. Including a manned turret would take up interior space and reduce the troop load. The IFV, on the other hand, is designed to destroy enemy targets including other armoured vehicles, as well as some versions of main battle tanks. It, thus, has a larger auto-cannon and sophisticated
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fire control system that allow accurate engagements at long ranges and even on the move. A reduced number of infantry were planned as they and the IFV were intended to work closely together. An infantry section of six was not unusual. The IFV, to better allow it to accompany main battle tanks, were given higher ballistic protection. The introduction of the remote operated weapon (RWS) station or unmanned turret has allowed larger armaments to be fitted without impacting on the interior space available. They also are ideal for upgrading existing vehicles as demonstrated in the US Army’s Stryker ICV up-gunning using the Medium Calibre Remote Weapons Station with the Orbital ATK Bushmaster 30mm autocannon. As a result, physically the APC and IFV can be very similar. In addition, advances in wheeled combat vehicle suspensions and drives have provided
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Korea’s K21 Next Generation IFV has a level of sophistication equivalent to the latest MBTs. It includes the ability to not only carry the infantry but to effectively engage both ground and air threats expected to be encountered on the battlefield. It was initially fielded in 2009.
them with significantly enhanced offroad capabilities and the ability to accept greater loads. This has opened the way for the wheeled vehicle to extend itself towards being a fighting vehicle.
Programmes – Singapore Singapore, through a collaboration between the MINDEF (Ministry of Defence) and Singapore Technologies Engineering, is well on the way to fielding the ST Kinetics Next Generation Armoured Fighting Vehicle (NGAFV). A MINDEF spokesperson confirmed that “the initial production contract which was issued in March 2017 will deliver the first vehicles in 2019. This follows prototype testing that began in 2016.” NGAFV uses an unmanned turret mounting a 30mm auto-cannon and 7.72mm coaxial machine gun. As a result it can carry eight infantry plus the crew of three (commander, gunner and driver) all located in the chassis. The vehicle optimises use of remote cameras and thermal sights which are networked for maximum situational awareness by all occupants. A modular armour suite is used that allows protection to be
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upgraded. The new AFV is an addition to the local designed and produced Bionix tracked vehicle which is fielded in three versions – a 25mm or 30mm two man turreted with seven infantry, and a 40mm AGL with a .50 cal machine gun, a one man turret with nine infantry. It is noteworthy that the NGAFV chassis is being offered to the US Army by SAIC for its Mobile Protected Firepower (MPF) system equipped with the CMI Defence Cockerill 3105 turret.
Republic of Korea (ROK) The ROK defence industry has definitely come of age. Its latest armoured fighting vehicles are the technological match to any in the world. Even the K200/KIFV, an improved local version of the US M113 APC, has been offered with increased firepower though collaboration between Doosan, the Korean manufacturer, and CMI Defence with the Cockerill Protected Weapon Station (CPWS), a remote station capable of mounting up to a 30mm auto-cannon. Still be most impressive effort is the development and fielding of the K21 Next Generation IFV. It reflects the ROK Army’s vision of what a modern IFV
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should consider through parallels with the sophistication found in Main Battle Tanks (MBTs). The 40mm auto-cannon is provided with fire controls, including a panoramic commander’s hunter-killer sight. It can not only engage ground targets but also helicopters and Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS). Its multipurpose munition can perform in several proximity, air burst, armour-piercing and fragmentation modes. Even with its two man turret it can carry up to nine infantry. The vehicle is being upgraded through the fitting of an antitank guided missile system that appears to provide for top-attack of targets. The Army is also fielding an 8x8 wheeled APC, the K808. It will replace the K200s and provide protected high mobility for its 11 embarked infantry. Currently it will mount a .50 cal machine gun but other weapons are possible. The Army will receive 600 K808s and K806s with delivery scheduled between 2018 and 2020.
Japan Japan’s Ground Self Defence Force (JGSDF) has Komatsu developing a new 8x8 armoured vehicle for internal security,
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Norinco, PRC’s primary combat vehicle developer, appears to be increasingly reflecting Western influences in it designs. Its VN17 IFV has a two man turret and hull configuration that offers 30mm protection for the crew and seven dismounts.
peacekeeping, and infantry transport. It will protect against mine/IED blasts and will feature improved ballistic protection including add-on armour. It is designed to employ mission modules that can be switched onto the base chassis. These would allow the vehicle to accept infantry transport, command, ambulance, resupply and other roles. It is expected to be armed with a .50 cal machine gun, 40mm automatic grenade launcher or possibly a remote weapon station that is being developed. It has a crew of three plus eight dismounts. Its power is supplied by a Komatsu 500hp mid-engine and adjustable hydropneumatic suspension that demonstrates exceptional manoeuvrability and agility. Currently in prototype it is expected to enter production in late 2019. The JGSDF also field the Type 89 IFV which is a traditional design with two man turret and a license produced Oerlikon/Rheinmetall KDE 35mm autocannon. It carries seven infantry.
Indonesia Indonesia’s government owned PT Pindad has been successfully pursing local
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development of armoured vehicles for its military. Among these is the APS-3Anoa, a wheeled 6x6 APC that entered service in 2009. Pindad draws upon proven off-theshelf major subsystems combining them into a design that can be assembled locally. The Anoa uses a French Renault MIDR 062045 series turbocharged 320hp diesel engine with a German Behr cooling pack mated to a German ZF Friedrichshafen S6HP502 series automatic transmission. The driver and commander sit forward with two large ballistic glass windshields, with the power plant behind them. The rear compartment is typical of an APC carrying ten passengers with side vision blocks and a large rear door. Typically the vehicle mounts a 14.4mm machine gun in a cupola behind the driver. A fire support version called the Badak with a Cockerill 90mm gun has also been fielded. Presently APS-3 is only used by Indonesia although there has been reported interest from other Pacific Rim and Middle Eastern countries. Indonesia is also taking advantage of surpluses of first class fighting vehicles resulting from NATO country fleet modernisation and reductions. The
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Tentara Nasional Indonesia-Angkatan Darat (TNI-AD/Indonesian Army) acquired through an arrangement with Rheinmetall modernised Marder IFVs. A Rheinmetall statement read that the “delivery of Marder 1A3’s provide a new mounted fight capability for the TNI. They complement the Leopard MBTs that it also acquired in parallel.”
Malaysia DefTech, a Malaysian defence company in a collaboration with Turkey’s FNSS drawing from its PARS 8x8, has developed the AV8 Gempita which entered production in 2014. The basic model derives a family of mission roles. Versions include the IFV 30 with a two man LCT30 turret from Denel Land Systems of South Africa and IFV 25 using a one man FNSS Sharpshooter 25mm Bushmaster turret. An anti-tank guided missile version includes four ZT3 Ingwe missiles on the LCT30. There is also an APC with a .50 cal RWS, a 120mm mortar carrier and various non-combatant vehicles. The APC has a crew of two forward and eleven soldiers in the rear compartment. AV8 uses a Deutz 550hp
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Rheinmetall’s 8 X 8 Boxer which was selected for Australia’s new Combat Reconnaissance Vehicle (CRV) (shown) has also been configured with minimal changes as an infantry carrier that mounts an unmanned 30 mm turret giving it capabilities closely equivalent to an IFV.
diesel engine and has an independent suspension. It is all wheel drive and steering. The Malaysian requirement is for 257 systems.
Republic of China (ROC)/Taiwan Production and variant development continues on the CM32 Clouded Leopard (Yanpao) by the Ordnance Readiness Development Centre in Nantou. The 8x8 is designed to provide a family of highly mobile armoured vehicles. It is an entirely local design with technical support provided by the Irish firm Timoney Technology. The APC version can carry eight soldiers at road speeds of up to 120km/h (75mph). The use of a wheeled platform reflects the tactical employment which anticipates the need to rapidly respond to incursions and to shift forces appropriately. Versions with the selected Orbital ATK 30mm auto-cannon in a two man turret and one mounting a 120mm mortar were displayed at the 2017 Taipei Aerospace & Defence Technology Exhibition (TADTE). Initial production began in 2007 with a requirement of 600 vehicles.
Peoples Republic of China (PRC) Norinco, the PRC’s principle ground defence developer and manufacturer, has for years largely duplicated other combat vehicle designs, particularly those from the Soviet Union/Russia. Its Type 86 and Type 97 IFVs are essentially the Russian BMP-1 and BMP-3 respectively. The later has the 100mm low velocity cannon and
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30mm auto-cannon. However, Norinco’s engineers have begun to present their own designs. The VN17 IFV first shown in 2017 draws more from western designs with incorporation of 30mm frontal protection, a low profile two man turret with a 30mm auto-cannon and two HJ-12 anti-tank guided missiles. The powerpak and running gear are those used in the VT-05 tank but mounted forward. The rear troop compartment holds seven dismounts. It is being offered for export while the PRC Army use the ZBD-08. The ZBD-08 is actually derived from another Norinco design, the ZBD-04, but without the ‘swimming’ capability. It uses the same BMP type turret and armament though the sights and fire controls are reportedly improved. In the APC role the PRC has introduced the ZBD09, a domestically designed 8x8 wheeled armoured vehicle. It is less armoured than the IFVs with 12.7mm ballistic protection. It does have a two man turret with a 30mm auto cannon, coaxial machine gun and Hong Jian-73C anti-tank guided missiles. Introduced on 2009, it is the basis for a number of variants including one with a UW4 30mm remote weapons station, the ZTL-09 with a 105mm rifled cannon, the PLZ-09 mounting a 122mm howitzer, the PLL-09 with a 120mm mortar and various command and support models. The vehicle is also exported as the VN-1.
Australia The Royal Australian Army’s Land 400
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programme intends to replace both its ASLAV reconnaissance vehicles (Phase 2) and M113AS4 APC (Phase 3) fleets. Phase 2 saw the selection of the Boxer 8x8 by Rheinmetall. The Phase 3 Request for Information (RfI) for an IFV for the mounted close combat role closed in February 2016 and a Request for Tender (RfT) released in August this year. Brigadier Gus McGlone, director general of CASG’s Combined Arms Fighting System, in a public statement at that time reflected on the “need to acquire IFVs that are most capable in meeting Australia’s future strategic needs”. With the reconnaissance vehicle selected there is speculation on how that system offering may influence the IFV, at least regarding aspects like armament, fire controls, and other system capabilities. Although the RfI reflected a tracked preference there remains question whether a wheeled chassis, including an IFV version of the Boxer which has now been demonstrated, might be a possibility. Currently know or anticipated Phase 3 candidates are the BAE Hagglunds CV-90, the General Dynamics Ascot, Singapore ST- Kinetics NGFV, Korea’s KT-21 NIFV, Rheinmetall Lynx KF-41 (which was confirmed at EuroSatory2018), Israel’s Namer with 30mm RWS and the Boxer IFV.
Spoilt for Choice For most Asia-Pacific armies, the IFVs accompany MBTs and APCs, particularly wheeled ones, and are tools to rapidly respond to battlefield tactical developments. As is beginning to be demonstrated in Australia’s Force 400 IFV programme, potential candidates this may be becoming less clear. Both armament and protection possibilities that can be offered for combat vehicles in the 30 tonne and below weight-range can offer comparable combat capabilities. Thus; it is feasible, at least, for these armies to select either the IFV or APC as a matter of employment and design requirements choice than technically driven. In addition, the presentation of wheeled platforms that can perform both the traditional APC role but now also as an IFV opens new capability possibilities for armies. The employment flexibility of a wheeled IFV could be especially attractive for users in the Asia-Pacific region with their reduced maintenance requirements and ability to rapidly move long distances on roads. How far these armies move in this direction will become clearer over the next few years. AMR
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Indonesian Navy submarine KRI Nagapasa during the annual armed force anniversary in Merak, Banten, 2017.
INDONESIA DEFENCE UPDATE The Indonesian Government is actively looking to build up its defence industry and capabilities, particularly with international manufacturers and financiers. by Andrew Drwiega
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he Indonesian Government has a long-standing ambition to modernise and expand all of its defence forces. Much of its focus is on maritime, with over 17,000 islands in its archipelago and aware of China’s ocean territorial grab in the South China Sea. Relations with Australia, its southern neighbour are, at times, strained although there are enduring attempts to bring their relationship closer together. The Jakarta government, headed by Joko ‘Jokowi’ Widodo who took the presidency in October 2014, has continued to strive to build Indonesia’s defence industry, allowing it partnerships such as already exist between Airbus and PT Dirgantara (PTDI) in Bandung. But these kind of partnerships and agreements over arms development, technology transfer and acquisition are being sought across
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all defence domains. In fact Airbus’ main world rival, Boeing, may be about to get its own foothold at PTDI if the government follows up on its interest to purchase up to 10 Boeing CH-47F Chinooks. On 29 August, Boeing and PTDI signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to explore collaborative areas of opportunity to include manufacturing technology, certification, as well as support and maintenance of vertical lift products. With eight AH-64E Apache’s having been delivered to the Indonesian Army (TNI-AD) earlier in the year, together with a full suite of sensors and missiles, the government’s relationship with Boeing looks set to flourish. “We see this memorandum as an important step in support of Indonesia’s vision for current and future economic development as well as the growth of the country’s aerospace sector,” said Boeing
| Asian Military Review |
Southeast Asia president Skip Boyce said after the signing. Being the world’s most populous Muslin state at nearly 270 million people, it is not surprising that the Ministry of Defence (MoD) announced on 2 October this year the ratification of a defence co-operation agreement (DCA) with Saudi Arabia, as well as another with the Netherlands. Indonesia has close ties the latter, having won its independence from the Netherlands in December 1949. According to the MoD, the DCAs will provide a base to pursue the development of military trade and industrial collaboration, as well as engaging in research and development projects. The government is also trying to secure its own industry internally. On 3 May, state-owned defence companies and a national finance institution which will allow them to source additional
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Lockheed Martin F-16 Fighting Falcon fighter aircraft from Air Squadron 16 based, Roesmin Air Base, landing at Sultan Iskandar Muda Airport, Banda Aceh, Indonesia during Operation Cross Elang-17 in July 2017.
shopping list, as are two Airbus A400M transports together with 11 Russian Sukhoi Su-35s for an estimated $1.14 billion. The aircraft are slated to arrive from 2019 onwards. The TNI-AU has now received all of its 24 upgraded 24 F-16C/D Block 25 aircraft and associated equipment, parts, training and logistical support. The upgrade was intended to Will Boeing CH-47F Chinooks follow the AH-64Es into the inventory extend interoperability of the Indonesian Army (TNI-AD). and allow the aircraft to operate better at longer ranges. When financial support. The agreement was the Foreign Military Sales (FMS) deal was reportedly signed between PT Askrindo initially requested the estimated cost was (Persero) and the National Association of $750 million. Private Defense Industries (Pinhantanas) The agreement also included 28 F100(The Diplomat, 10 May 2018). Financial PW-200/220E engines and upgrade/ support would come by way of “bank addition to the following major systems guarantees, credit, and insurance.” and components: LAU-129A/A launchers, The Indonesian Air Force (TNI-AU) ALR-69 Radar Warning Receivers (RWR), The TNI-AU chief of staff, Air Marshal ARC-164/186 radios, Expanded Enhanced Yuyu Sutisna, stated recently requires more Fire Control (EEFC), or Modular Mission Com-puters, ALQ-213 Electronic Warfare fighters and transport aircraft to give it a Management Systems (including counterstrength of eight fighter and six transport measures), Situational Awareness Data squadrons by 2024. Both of its fleet types are a mixture of aircraft; from BAE Hawks, Link, as well as AN/AAQ-33 SNIPER or Lockheed Martin F-16s and Sukhoi Su- AN/AAQ-28 LITENING Targeting Systems. 30 fighters; to older Lockheed Martin C-130B/Hs, CASA C-295s and CN212s. The Indonesian Navy (TNI-AL) Newer Lockheed C-130Js are on the The TNI-AL has a modernisation plan
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| Asian Military Review |
and its expanding its number of vessels in several areas in-cluding offshore patrol vessels and submarines. In July the seventh Viper class PC-40 patrol ves-sel, KRI Albakora was commissioned into the Navy. This was followed in September, by reports that a further two keels had been laid down in the 40 metre PC-40 class programme. National shipyards building the vessels include PT Palindo Marine in Batam and PT Caputra Mitra Sejati (PT CMS) in Banten, East Java. The PC-40 is of fibreglass construction, has a speed of 29 knots (54km/h) and is armed with Russian-made 25mm and a 12.7mm machine guns. At least two more PC-40s are expected to be or-dered for the TNI-AL. The TNI-AL is also reportedly looking for another type of submarine to compliment those recently bought from Germany and South Korea, although the retirement was downgraded from 12 boats to eight in December 2017. The two Type 209 Cakra class dieselelectric attack submarine built in 1981 and exported by Howaldtswerke-Deutsche Werft of Germany - KRI Cakra and KRI Nanggala - were refitted in South Korea and came into service in 2006 and 2012, while the two newer Nagapasa class - KRI Nagapasa and KRI Ardadedali were commissioned in 2017 and 2018 respectively, with a third still under construction. However, the two Type 209s are now in line for decommissioning and potential replacement variants linked to the new acquisition include the Scorpene 1000 from French Naval Group, Turkey’s Reis (Type 214)-class SSK which uses an air-independent propulsion (AIP) system, as well as Kilo class submarines from Russia.
The Indonesian Army (TNI-AD) The TNI-AD continue to look at a range of potential acquisitions including the Russian-made 2S25M Sprut-SDM1 air-droppable self-propelled anti-tank gun (SPATG). The 20 ton tank has a 125mm 2A75 smoothbore gun and a 7.62mm PKT coaxial machine gun. Currently only Russian forces use the vehicle. One of the enduring problems with Indonesian military procurement is that it continues to be a mixture of capabilities with limited complementary growth strategies evolving, all of which appears to be divided between a range of international suppliers. AMR
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TAIWAN’S CRUISE MISSILE DETERRENT STRATEGY
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ino-Taiwanese relations have been chilly ever since Tsai Ing-wen became president of the Republic of China (RoC) in May 2016, which resurfaced the million-dollar question of “How best to defend Taiwan during a cross-Strait crisis or conflict?” Most analysts would agree on Taiwan’s need to adopt an asymmetric strategy to counter the overwhelming might of the People’s Liberation Army (PLA). Aircraft, submarines, and missile boats are the most-touted capabilities that would reduce the odds of challenging the PLA Navy in war. In this regard, the RoC Air Force (RoCAF) is armed with the Boeing’s Harpoon antiship cruise missile (ASCM), while the navy has Hsiung Feng (HF) II/III ASCM-armed Fast Attack Craft (FAC). Taipei has also initiated the so-called “Indigenous Defence Submarine” programme to bolster its sub-surface warfare prowess. What is much less discussed when analysing Taiwan’s military strategy against China is the mobile coastal defence cruise missile (CDCM) system. Information on its ground-based ASCM platforms is scant. The 2018 edition of the authoritative Military Balance published by the International Institute of Strategic Studies (IISS) makes no mention of this capability. To be sure, a road-mobile HF-3 launcher was unveiled during a defence trade show in Taipei in 2013, but little has been made known about Taiwanese land-based anti-ship capabilities since. This gap in the literature does little justice to the CDCM platform, as it is of immense utility in Taiwan’s defence planning. The platform’s mobility means that it could significantly complicate China’s operational calculus, as these weapons compress the available sea space where the PLA Navy can operate. The noted strategic affairs commentator Robert Kaplan once said: “Never provide your adversary with only a few problems to solve… because if you do, he’ll solve them.” It is worth noting that Taiwan’s latest quadrennial defence review stresses the importance of “multi-domain deterrence”. A terrestrial ship-attack capability would go some way towards achieving this as the Chinese would face threats emanating from all three operating domains. Should the Taiwanese deploy CDCM platforms in large numbers, the Chinese would be challenged to find them without significant intelligence and surveillance assets. Adopting ‘shoot-and-scoot’ tactics, a road-mobile
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CDCM launcher could fire its weapons and move away quickly to prevent retribution. It is worth noting that during the 2006 Lebanon War, the Israeli Defence Force (IDF) found it extremely difficult to locate the mobile missile launchers of Hezbollah. In the same vein, the 1991 ‘Great Scud Hunt’ in Iraq and 1999 Kosovo war show that finding and targeting such platforms is not easy. The CDCM launchers could also be camouflaged or hidden in plain sight in innocuous shipping containers. Indeed, the Taiwanese would do well to learn about the Russian Club-K container missile system and adapt their ASCMs to be deployable in a similar configuration. Such capabilities being placed in many locations across the length of Taiwan could significantly dilute the combat effectiveness of the PLA’s air and missile power. To be sure, a FAC, with its speed and agility, is also a highly mobile asset, but it needs to be out at sea before war begins to preclude being targeted by the widely expected surprise Chinese missile barrage that would hit the few major Taiwanese naval bases in existence. Ditto the RoCAF and its air bases. Moreover, even if the airplanes or naval craft were to be at a distance from their home bases at the start of hostilities, they would have to return to replenish. By then, their home bases might already have been incapacitated. In addition, ships, even small stealthy ones like the RoC Navy’s Tuo Chiang-class corvette, have a much larger visual, electronic, and radar signature compared to the ASCM-toting land vehicles. Taiwan’s current accent is on the indigenous submarine programme, but the jury is still out on whether the island has the requisite capacity and resources for this endeavour. The submarine is widely considered the gold standard of maritime asymmetric warfare platforms, but perhaps it is time for Taiwan’s defence authorities to reconsider this notion. Going forward – if it has not already done so – Taipei would do well to place greater emphasis on mobile coastal defence cruise missile platforms as part of the anti-access/area-denial (A2D2) strategy against Beijing. In war, these weapons could exude effects out of proportion to their size and cost. During peacetime, they can contribute to deterrence and, concomitantly, strategic stability in the Taiwan Strait.
Note: Ben Ho is an associate research fellow with the military studies programme at Singapore’s S. Rajaratnam School of InternationalStudies. E-mail: iswbho@ntu.edu.sg
| ASIAN MILITARY REVIEW |
China News Agency
by Ben Ho