Asian Military Review - December 2019

Volume 27/issue 8

december 2019 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

RIVERINE PATROL VESSELS MILITARY CARGO AIRCRAFT BATTLEFIELD COMMUNICATIONS NIGHT VISION FOR LAND AND MARITIME SOUTH KOREA’S ARMED FORCES www.asianmilitaryreview.com

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Contents december 2019 VOLUME 27 / ISSUE 8

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Saab has upgraded its CB90 through an adjusted placement of the engine and stabilisation improvements. The Swedish defense material administration (FMV) has received 18 of the new CB90 HSM boats.

(Fredrik Hyllengren at FMV)

BROWN WATER SPECIALISTS

Tim Fish asks whether the skills and capability to conduct riverine patrolling get forgotten after every conflict.

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LOGISTICS LIFTERS

KNOWLEDGE IS A FINE THING

The range of military transport aircraft available to Asian military operators keeps growing, as David Oliver explains.

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NEGATING THE NIGHT

Michael Gething provides a comprehensive review of night system technology, particularly as it applies to land and maritime use.

Steven M Miller examines squad and platoon battlefield communications, and debates how much information (voice and data) a soldier in the field really needs.

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HIGH READINESS REMAINS

JR Ng takes a look at South Korea’s armed forces, and finds that population change will affect manpower and herald greater use of unmanned systems.

| december 2019 |

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ANALYSTS COLUMN

Ben Ho suggests that using shore based air power for maritime attack is a skill that needs to be urgently reviewed.

03

Editorial

Index of Advertisers

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SINGAPOERE AIRSHOW

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POWER PROJECTION IN 2020 W

hat is the outlook for Chinese power projection in 2020? A certainty is that China will continue to grow and modernise its armed forces, with a particular focus on the Chinese Navy. As this issue went to press, China was commissioning its second aircraft carrier, the Shandong Type 001A. This is the first carrier to be constructed in China as the first operational carrier, the Liaoning, was purchased from the Ukraine in 1998. Both carriers incorporate a ski-jump take-off design. Reports about its air wing vary, with the Shandong likely to carry between 36-44 Shenyang J-15 fighters as well as a number of helicopters. This compares to around 24 J-15s on the Liaoning. A third carrier is under construction and may have a catapult launch capability allowing a greater range of aircraft to operate from its deck.

No doubt that the increasing number of Chinese Navy aircraft carriers will further expand China’s presence in the South and East China Seas, further strengthening its island campaign while continuing to build an ever more credible challenge to the US Navy. This maritime air capability, together with China’s deployment of anti-ship cruise missiles, such as the YJ-12B has been a worrying development not only for those nations who freely use the shipping lanes in the sea areas already mentioned, but signal the potential for the Navy to range beyond its backyard.

China’s first internationally recognised military base was established in August 2017 in Djibouti in the Horn of Africa. The Chinese People’s Liberation Army Support Base is operated by the Chinese People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN). This will allow the Chinese Navy to roam across the Indian Ocean supported by this supply base in eastern Africa.

According to the annual Department of Defense (DoD) report to Congress, Military and Security Developments Involving the People’s Republic of China 2019, published in May 2019, “China will seek to establish additional military bases in countries with which it has a longstanding friendly relationship and similar strategic interests, such as Pakistan, and in which there is a precedent for hosting foreign militaries.”

The report states that further expansion could occur in the Middle East, Southeast Asia and the western Pacific..

The strategic reasons behind the Chinese government’s Belt and Road Initiative, started in 2013 initially to boost infrastructure development and investment in 152 countries and international organisations, are now being backed by military presence and muscle. With China joining Russia in joint maritime and air exercises, as reported in past issues of Asian Military Review, its ambition to rival the United States as a global power, backed by military might, is coming ever closer.

Roman Durksen, Media Transasia Limited Tel: +66 2204 2370, Mobile +66 83 6037989 E-Mail: roman@mediatransasia.com

Andrew Drwiega, Editor-in-Chief

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sea power

BROWN WATER SPECIALISTS Riverine and inshore patrolling in boats designed with

shallow draughts, high speed and that are well armed can fulfil missions from anti-criminal activity to counter-insurgency.

by Tim Fish

R

iverine forces declined in Asia-Pacific following the end of the European colonial empires until the United States Navy (USN) arrived in Vietnam in the 1960s. Its Mobile Riverine Force was equipped predominantly with the MkI & MkII Patrol Boat, Riverine (PBR) – immortalised in the Hollywood film Apocalypse Now – and the larger Patrol Boat Fast (PBF) also known as Swift Boats for coastal operations and some riverine tasks.

Riverine forces helped maintain contact with local populations and interdict enemy forces by providing access to remote areas through the myriad of rivers and channels.

With the end of the Vietnam war the navy’s riverine force was placed in reserve with some boats retained by, or sold to, Lao, Cambodia, Vietnam and the Philippines as well as other countries such as Brazil, Malta, Panama, Switzerland and Iraq. PCFs still in operation in Thailand, Vietnam and the Philippines are used by Coast Guard and other waterborne forces for local maritime security operations.

It was following the 2003 Iraq War that the USN re-established a new riverine

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USN

In CARAT Indonesia 2015 USN sailors with Coastal Riverine Squadron (CRS) 3 and Indonesian Kopaska naval special forces members practice patrol formations.

force called RIVRON 1 which deployed in 2007 – the first time it had fielded an active riverine unit since 1975. Placed under the Navy Expeditionary Combat Command (NECC) with 220 sailors and using 12 Small Unit Riverine Craft (SURC) from the US Marine Corp, RIVRON 1 was successful during Operation Iraqi Freedom operating on the River Euphrates and reservoirs of northern Iraq near the Syrian border to counter insurgent activity there.

The SURC are 12 metre-long vessels that can reach a top speed of 40 knots using two HJ292 Hamilton waterjets powered by twin Yanmar 6LY2A-STP 440hp six-cylinder diesel engines. They are designed to transport a 13-man infantry squad and can be fitted with two 7.62mm machine guns on the bow and a .50 calibre gun at stern. These are similar to the PBRs used during Vietnam and the main tasks included the stopping and searching boats on the rivers, searching for hidden weapons stores and engaging in ‘hearts and minds’ operations.

Philippine SURCs In 2013 the Philippines Marine Corp (PMC) received six SURC vessels from the USN to help the force conduct

| Asian Military Review |

counter-terrorism operations in riverine and littoral environment in the Mindanao region. At the time it was fighting against the guerrilla Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) group. A statement by then chief of the Philippine Navy Vice Admiral Jose Luis Alano said that the SURCs would also be used to provide a platform for command and control, reconnaissance, logistic/resupply, medical evacuation, counter-drug operations, humanitarian assistance, peacekeeping and noncombatant evacuation operations. This illustrates the changing operational requirements for riverine craft.

Specialist riverine patrol craft operated by military forces are rare in the Asia-Pacific region. The main inventories use those craft grandfathered in from the US Vietnam-era or purchased or donated from them. Whilst governments in the region are more aware of the value of the exclusive economic zones (EEZs) of their maritime territory there is less concern about the riverine environment.

Existing patrol craft are small civilian vessels such as small boats or rubber inflatable craft operated by police and coastal forces. The Myanmar Police Force uses a fleet of 11 Yan Naing- and

sea

USN

power

A Royal Thai Navy Riverine Patrol Regiment and USN sailors assigned to Riverine Squadron (RIVRON) 1 participate in riverine operation exercises aboard a special operations craft-riverine (SOC-R) during Cooperation Afloat Readiness and Training (CARAT)

Iraqi Freedom at the end of 2011, the NECC’s RIVRON units were merged into the new Coastal Riverine Force (CRF). Requirements have changed and a specific riverine capability is not something that needs to be sustained as a permanent naval asset. A spokesperson for the NECC told AMR that the riverine mission capability “is no longer a mission of the CRF” and added that “the CRF mission now supports maritime security exclusively. The CRF mission is to defend designated high value assets against a determined enemy and, when ordered, conduct offensive combat operations to

USN

PCE-class river patrol boats built by the Naval Dockyard in Yangon that have been in-service since about 2013. But navies are more focussed on the offshore or blue water environment and funding is devoted to larger ships as a result.

The Royal Thai Navy (RTN) has a riverine patrol regiment that operates in the upper Mekong and Chao Phraya rivers to combat illegal activities in the area. The regiment owns boats that are small GRP-hull vessels with a basic sensor and a crew-served twin .50cal embedded in the bow.

Despite or perhaps because of their lack of resources, Thailand and Myanmar announced in January 2018 that the countries would cooperate on border security along the Moei River on Thailand’s north-west border. This is an effort to limit labour and drug trafficking but soldiers are restricted to using four wooden long-tail boats.

To bolster skills and experience the USN’s Expeditionary Combat Command (NECC) RIVRON units trained with the Thai riverine patrol regiment for the first time during Cooperation Afloat Readiness and Training (CARAT) in 2010 using RIVRON’s SURC and SOC-R craft. CARAT exercises are an annual, bilateral exercise series with the USN, US Marine Corps (USMC) and the armed forces of nine partner nations including: Bangladesh, Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Timor-Leste.

But following the end of Operation

dominate the littorals and reinforce the blue water operations.”

However, the CRFs have introduced the new 85ft Mark VI Patrol Boat built

by SafeBoats International for the coastal role and 12 were delivered from 2016-18.

Worth about $8.6 million per platform with another $6 million on each of the boat’s equipment these have replaced the 53ft River Command Boats (RCBs) that were based on the Swedish Combat Boat 90 (CB90) craft.

The capabilities of the new Mark VI Patrol Boat are suited to littoral operations and their presence in the Asia-Pacific is from the CRF base in Guam. The boats are fitted with waterjets and twin MTU 16V 2000 M94 diesel engines providing a top speed of 40kts and a range of 500 miles (800km). The boats have space for 10 crew and accommodation for 20 personnel which is more than the 4-8 crew and space for 15 personnel on the RCBs. They are fitted with two stabilised remote-operated optically guided Mk50 Mod 0 .50 cal gun systems, two stabilised remote-operated Mk38 Mod 2 25mm gun systems with optical guidance and two crew-served .50 cal machine guns. There is also space for mountings that can fit the Mk19 40mm grenade launcher, miniguns, 7.62mm and 5.56mm machine guns.

The NECC spokesperson said the craft has “demonstrated the capability of sustaining a firefight for 45 minutes”, which is a considerable step up in firepower from earlier boats like PBR, PBF or SURC. The CRF is organised into two groups

During CARAT 2015 in Thailand, sailors assigned to Coastal Riverine Squadron 4 and members of the Royal Thai Navy Riverine Patrol Regiment conduct training aboard a Special Operations Craft/Riverine (SOC/R).

| DECEMber 2019 |

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sea power

SOF Riverine Capability Meanwhile a dedicated US riverine capability is solely the preserve of US Special Operations Forces (SOF), which use the Special Operations Craft – Riverine (SOC-R). Manufactured by United States Marine (USMI). The SOC-R is designed to be air transportable and air dropped for insertion and extraction of Navy SEAL teams well inland and up rivers. It has high speed and shallow draft able to beach on mud and riverbanks in water only 2ft deep. These have replaced the 31ft PBRs and are significantly more capable fitted with a full communications suite, sensors including radar, electrooptical systems, and radios with longlife batteries for long duration missions.

Armaments include 7.62mm and .50 cal machine guns, 40mm grenade launchers and miniguns. US SOF operate globally and are likely to deploy to the Asia-Pacific region should a crisis arise.

The special forces relationship is a valuable one. During CARAT 2015 in Indonesia, the Coastal Riverine Squadron trained with the Indonesian Kopaska

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A wooden long tail boat of the kind that are being used by border forces for patrolling on the Moei River between Thailand and Myanmar.

naval special force, which operate small fast boats such as the Avon Sea Rider RHIB and X38 Combat Boat that are capable for riverine operations. The X38 is a 12.4m-long catamaran built by PT Lundin that can achieve a top speed of 40kts and at the IndoDefence exhibition in 2016 the company launched a new X18 Tank Boat prototype fitted with the CMI 3105 105mm light gun.

The X18 is 40 tonne craft designed to be used for littoral operations as riverine craft but also to provide support to amphibious landings and offer an overmatch in firepower in operations on waterways and in very shallow water.

It can also be used as a troop transport with space for 20 personnel. A launch customer was expected in the Middle East and it is unclear if the Indonesian Navy or Kopaska have any interest.

Meanwhile one other country with specialist riverine craft is Malaysia where the CB90 is still in-service with the Royal Malaysian Navy (RMN). It bought 17 platforms that include five standard CB90 and 12 CB90HEX variants that were delivered by Swedish shipbuilder Dockstavarvet from 1996-2001. Now owned by Saab, the company said that about 250 boats have been exported worldwide since the 1990s for a variety of coastal and riverine operations. The

| Asian Military Review |

Fredrik Hyllengren, FMV

with seven squadrons and 31 Coastal Riverine Companies. One group is in San Diego (CRG-1) on the west coast where Squadrons 1, 3 and 11 are home ported and one in Virginia Beach (CRG-2) where squadrons 2, 4, 8 and 10 are home ported on the east coast. The group each provide a Coastal Riverine Squadron for two forward deployed expeditionary security detachments based in Guam and Bahrain.

The CRFs also has an inventory of 100-160 25ft boats from SafeBoats International and 34ft boats from SeaArk Marine. The next CRF acquisition priority is to replace the 34ft SeaArks with a new 40ft patrol boat in 2020.

Metal Shark Boats is providing its PB-X vessel following a $90.27 million contract awarded by NAVSEA in October 2017 that includes spares, trailers and support.

An initial 11 craft will be delivered by 2020 with up to 50 expected that will be delivered over the next 15 years. With a draft of 3ft the boat can access shallower waters in the littoral with space for a crew of 5-9 personnel. It can be fitted with .50 cal machine guns and long-range acoustic devices (LRAD) but also has space for Mk18 Mod 1 and Mod 2 mine countermeasures underwater vehicles. It can be expected these will be deployed to the Asia-Pacific region with the forward deployed CRF Squadrons at Guam in due course.

Kallerna

sea power

Malaysian marine police also use the IC16 boat, which has a different placement of the wheelhouse compared to the CB90.

Similar geography Jorgen Olsson, senior sales executive at Saab Kockums told AMR that the operational requirements in the AsiaPacific region are similar to those in Sweden: “If we look at several countries in the region: Korea, Indonesia, Thailand, Malaysia; they are archipelagos similar to the Sweden with the same geography, shallow, narrow waters, a green or grey/ brown water environment where the performance of the boat requires a very shallow draught with high performance and speed.”

Malaysia has issues with illegal fishing and drug trafficking therefore a low-profile boats with high speed and good manoeuvrability that can transport cargo and troops is needed, especially for intercepting, catching criminals and taking them into custody. The CB90s have

CB90 HSM aims to meet changing threat scenarios, which in Asia includes piracy as well as terror activities.

| DECEMber 2019 |

been primarily used in East Malaysia on the island of Borneo for patrol and surveillance in the provinces of Sarawak and Sabah.

The RMN is now looking to acquire more riverine and coastal craft and has a new project to buy up to 18 Fast Interceptor Craft (FIC) as part of its 15to-5 transformation plan. A tender has yet to be released by requirements have been released to local shipbuilders for consultation.

Malaysian shipbuilders might have first preference for the FIC however as the police have taken delivery of 10 M16 fast strike craft from local builders Geliga Slipway and the Malaysian Coast Guard taken two Penggalang interceptors from Destini Shipbuilding and 10 Onuk MRTP16 interceptors from BYO Marine.

“There is ongoing FIC programme in Malaysia that we have under evaluation.

It is one identified opportunity and as we have an installed base in-country it is of interest to us,” Olsson said.

In October 2019, Saab launched a new updated variant of the CB90 called the CB90HSM and has delivered the first of 18 boats to the Royal Swedish Navy (RSwN).

Olsson said that there was a requirement for new capabilities for more cargo, ballistic protection and larger weapons including a Remote Weapon Station and the ability to achieve a top speed of 45kts with two new 900hp Scania Diesel V8 engines and S32 waterjets.

Displacing 24.5t and measuring 16.3m, CB90 HSM has a draught of just a third of a metre and uses the same hull design as the earlier CB90 variant. “From the outside the HSM still looks the same but we have really got higher manoeuvrability and speed and the possibility to carry a heavier load,” Olsson said. CB90 HSM is fitted with the Trackfire system that provides weapon stabilisation and increase surveillance and targeting with electro-optical and infra-red cameras.

Military riverine operations have been downgraded and forces are focussed on the wider littoral and coastal areas with the platforms being used for patrolling also changing as a result, getting larger, faster and with more sensors, firepower and cargo capacity. Only a few countries in the Asia-Pacific region can afford dedicated patrol craft for their military forces that can cater for all these missions and until governments recognise the importance of riverine security it is unlikely that major investment in new craft will follow. AMR

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AIR power

LOGISTICS LIFTERS There is an impressive range of dedicated transport aircraft now carrying military air cargo around the region.

by David Oliver

A RAAF airman talks to the C-27J Spartan aircraft crew as they prepare to depart High Range training area near Townsville, Queensland, during Exercise Talisman Sabre 2019.

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| Asian Military Review |

AIR

RAAF

power

| december 2019 |

I

n the list of air forces’ priorities, transport/cargo aircraft tend to come low after combat and training aircraft requirements. One of the reasons for this is that transport/ cargo aircraft have a longer service life than other types in air force inventories, and that they can be upgraded relatively easily and cheaply.

Twin turboprop tactical transport aircraft have proved popular around the world and in Europe in particular where the market has been dominated by the Airbus C-295M and the Leonardo C-27J Spartan.

Developed from the CASA CN-235 which is in service with the French Air Force, the high wing C-295M is powered by two 2,645shp (1.972kW) Pratt & Whitney Canada PW127G turboprop engines driving six-bladed composite propellers. It can carry 71 troops or a maximum payload of 20,392 lb (9.250 kg) of cargo loaded via the rear ramp/door.

Sold to 31 countries, small numbers of the C-295M are in service with the air forces of the Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam.

Although the type has been selected by the Indian Air Force to replace its fleet of ageing An-32 and HS748 transports, the contract has yet to be signed.

The Leonardo C-27J Spartan was a development of the FIAT G222 that first flew in July 1970. The redesigned C-27 flew twenty-nine years later powered by two 4,367shp (3,458kW) Rolls-Royce AE 2100D2 turboprops also driving six-blade composite propellers. Equipped with a hydraulically operated rear-loading ramp and upward opening door, the C-27J can accommodate up to 68 fully equipped troops or carry a maximum of 25,353lb (11,500kg) of cargo.

The only C-27J customer in the Asia Pacific region is Australia. The RAAF, ordered ten Spartans with deliveries beginning in late 2014. Operated by No 35 Squadron, the first aircraft reached initial operating capability (IOC) in December 2016. The final aircraft was received by the RAAF on 18 April 2018.

The world’s most popular tactical military transport aircraft is the four turboprop Lockheed C-130 Hercules that first flew in August 1954 with more than 2,000 delivered by 1998. Development of a new generation version, the C-130J began in 1991 powered by four 4,590shp (3,424kW) Rolls-Royce AE 2100D3 turboprop engines driving sixblade composite propellers. Standard complement for the C-130J is 92 fully

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AIR power

PK-REN

An Indonesian CASA C295.

equipped troops although the stretched C-130J-30 variant can carry up to 128 troops. The maximum payload of the C-130J and C-130J-30 is 41,800lb (18,965kg) and 48,00 lb (21,772kg) respectively. The hydraulic operated rear loading door and ramp can be opened in flight for airdrop operations of paratroops or cargo at up to 250kts.

In March 1995 Lockheed Corporation merged with Martin Marietta to become Lockheed Martin and the UK Royal Air Force (RAF) was the first export customer for the C-130J with the first delivery taking place in November 1999. Australia was another early customer ordering 12 C-130J-30s followed by South Korea and India. Recently, the Bangladesh Air Force received one aircraft in August 2019 and New Zealand has selected the aircraft to replace its fleet of five C-130Hs. The Lockheed Martin C-130J has a rival STOL tactical military transport in the recently designated Embraer C-390 Millennium. In 2009, the Brazilian Air Force (FAB) contracted Embraer to design, develop and manufacture the aircraft as a replacement for its ageing C-130 fleet.

The C-390 Millennium received its Civil Certification from the Brazilian National Aviation Agency (ANAC) in 2018 and is now in full production.

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Powered by two 31,330lb (139.4kN) thrust IAE V2500-E5 turbofan engines, the C-390 has a fly-by-wire control system, and its NVG-compatible cockpit is equipped with fully interactive and CNS/ATM compliant Rockwell Collins Pro Line Fusion Suite. It is equipped with an advanced tactical radar, featuring Spotlight Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR), with weather, air-to-air, navigation, air-toground and high resolution modes. The C-390’s self-protection system combines a broad range of radar warning, laser warning and missile approach warning, chaff and flare and Directional Infrared Counter Measures (DIRCM) to enhance the aircraft’s security in hostile scenarios.

Up to 80 troops or 66 fully equipped paratroopers, or loads of up to 42,000lb (19,000kg) can be air dropped via the rear loading ramp. The designation KC390 will be maintained for the customers that have opted for the aerial refuelling capability.

The Brazilian Air Force (FAB) received its first aircraft on 4 September 2019.

Portugal has signed a contract to acquire five aircraft with deliveries scheduled for 2023 and the Czech Republic has an option for two C-390s. International marketing of the Millennium is being handled by a joint venture company between Embraer

| Asian Military Review |

and Boeing. To date no Asian customers have been identified.

Moving up the scale of airlifters is the Airbus A400M which has had a protracted development since its first flight in December 2011. Powered by four 11,000shp (8,200kW) Europrop International TP400-D6 turboprop engines driving eight-blade propellers, the A400M has a fly-by-wire control system and has a NVG-compatible glass cockpit designed by Thales and is fitted with an Integrated Modular Avionics (IMA) suite. The cockpit high-definition imagery of the outside environment is via an Enhanced Vision System (EVS) pre-fitted with a dual Head-Up Display (HUD), giving pilots additional efficiency during high workload procedures and low visibility conditions.

The A400M can accommodate up to 116 fully equipped paratroopers and airdrop up to 55,100lb (25,000kg) of containers or pallets through gravity and parachute extraction. The computed air release point (CARP) linked to the automated release system, automatically computes the release point for optimum delivery accuracy, including corrections for wind effects.

The main reason for the delays in the development programme have been

Marketing

P r o m o t i o n

Barak MX’s ‘Lego concept’ allows unmatched flexibility for naval air defense carries an additional booster for a range of 150 kilometers.

All of Barak’s interceptors come with vertical launch capabilities, and support 360 degree coverage.

Barak MX can handle the entire air defence process, from building up the sky picture, identifying threats, comparing interception solutions, and selecting one. Alternatively, it can stop at any stage of the process and allow pre-existing components to handle the remainder of the process, in line with client requirements.

Barak’s BMC is available in naval or landbased configuration.

The ability to fuse sensors and interceptors in one system lies at the heart of the system’s attractiveness to clients, and as the Indian Navy demonstrated last year, this capability can take on a multiple-ship scenario, making it one of the most advanced available solutions in the world.

Barak MX is designed to intercept a range of aerial threats, from fighter jets, UAVs, helicopters, cruise missiles, and surface-tosurface ballistic missiles.

Clients are free to add new types of interceptors in the future – perhaps against threats that do not currently exist.

According to a statement by IAI released last year, the system’s modular nature “allows customers to start with basic configuration and scale up gradually and quickly according to operational and budget needs.”

The modular nature of the system means that once acquired, Barak MX will stay relevant to developing arena threats for decades to come.

A

t the heart of Israel Aerospace Industries’ Barak MX integrated air and missile defense is a ‘Lego’ plug and play concept, which allows clients unmatched flexibility for building their capabilities.

With threats changing rapidly and strategic environments on the move, the ability to adapt in time is key. As a result, Barak MX is based on the ability to fuse together a range of interceptors and a variety of sensors, and to link them together to any Battle Management Centers (BMC).

Barak MX is made up of three central components: The BMC’s command and control (the mission ‘brain’), sensors, and interceptors. The same formula is applicable to both land and sea configurations, giving Barak MX a central advantage for end users in terms of maintenance, acquisition, and technical support.

The system is fully ripe for operational activity following dozens of successful trials in the past four years. The trials include the historic July 2019 test firing by the Indian Navy of the Barak MRSAM interceptor missile, which was activated on one ship by a Combat Management System (CMS) on another ship, displaying fleet-wide command and control capabilities.

IAI’s Elta subsidiary offers software-based phased array radars for Barak MX, although clients can also fuse their own existing radars with the system, depending on their specific needs.

Similarly, clients can choose from a range of interceptors, including the Barak MRAD surface to air missile with a range of 35 kilometers, Barak LRAD, which has a range of 70 kilometers, and Barak ER, which

AIR

David Oliver

power

An Indian Air Force C-130J.

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with communications system open architecture (COSA). For self protection it is equipped with the Northrop Grumman laser-based large aircraft infrared countermeasures (LAIRCM) system.

With accommodation for up to 200 fully armed troops, the C-17A can transport 100,000lb (45,360kg) of freight more than 4,500nm (8,334km) while flying at altitudes above 35,000ft. The aircraft’s design enables high-angle, steep approaches at relatively slow speeds, allowing it to operate into small, austere Brazil’s C-130 competitor, the Embraer C-390 Millennium is being marketed by an Embraer/Boeing joint venture.

| Asian Military Review |

airfields and onto runways as short as 3,500ft (1,066m) long.

While the bulk of the 275 production aircraft were delivered to USAF, the UK was the first and only European export customer for the C-17A with the first of seven delivered in May 2001.

Australia was the third customer for the C-17A that acquired eight aircraft operated by No.36 Squadron at RAAF Amberley, the first of which was delivered in November 2006.

In June 2009, the Indian Air Force (IAF) Embraer

due to engine and gearbox problems with the largest turboprop powerplant ever produced in the West. As recently as November 2019 the German armed forces have decided not to accept two Airbus A400Ms for delivery due to recurrent technical problems that routine inspections of the propeller assembly of Luftwaffe’s 31 A400Ms already flying discovered that not all the 24 nuts per propeller had the intended torque load.

The Luftwaffe added that inspections were also required of the engine mounts, combustion chambers, and engine flaps, as well as to check for cracks.

A total of 100 A400Ms had been delivered by the end of 2019 out of 174 ordered by Belgium, France, Germany, Luxembourg, Spain and Turkey with Malaysia the only non-European customer to date taking four aircraft.

The A400M was seen as a competitor to the four jet Boeing C-17A Globemaster III which is now out of production. Flown for the first time in September 1991, powered by four 40.400lb (179.9kN) thrust Pratt & Whitney F117-PW-100 turbofans, the C-17A was the first military transport with all-digital FBW control system. The glass cockpit has full-time all-function headup displays (HUD), four multi-function active matrix liquid crystal displays and integrated radio management system

AIR

Airbus

power

Malaysian Air Force A400M.

selected the C-17A for its Very Heavy Lift Transport Aircraft requirement. and In January 2010, requested 10 C-17As through the United State’s Foreign Military Sales (FMS) programme.

Following the completion of trials with a USAF C-17A, the IAF and Boeing agreed terms for $4.1 billion order of 10 aircraft in February 2011with an option for six more with deliveries beginning in June 2013.

However, when India exercised its option for six additional aircraft, the C-17A was no longer in production.

In 2015 the New Zealand Defence Force had considered the purchase of two C-17As for the Royal New Zealand Air Force at an estimated cost of $600 million to replace its ageing C-130s, but eventually decided to buy five C-130Js. There is no new tactical or heavy airlifter design on the horizon in the West and existing fleets are liable to be upgraded rather than replaced in the forseeable future. AMR

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USMC

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The digital tablet offers significant capabilities and benefits. The US Marines MCH adapts a commercial tablet to provide preformatted reports, maps, and graphics facilitating battlefield communication.

KNOWLEDGE IS A FINE THING Giving every soldier the ability to send and receive voice

and data communications can be done, but will it add to or

T

decrease capability in combat?

he ability to send and receive information and direction is critical to conducting effective battlefield operations.

This is particularly so at the squad, platoon and company levels. These also must deal with broken terrain and vegetation that can obstruct observation and signals. During rapidly changing situations, leaders are extremely reliant on information received from their soldiers positioned forward in developing a picture of the situation before them. Unit leaders also need to issue directions to respond by manoeuvre and direct and supporting fires to win their particular battle.

Communications at the small unit level is critical yet has also been in the past the most neglected. Given the increasingly distributed nature of combat on

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by Stephen W. Miller

today’s battlefields, communications at company level and below is now receiving increased attention. This move is perhaps aided by the proliferation of individual cell phones. Individual soldiers are comfortable with personal communications devices and have an expectation for being kept aware and even actively contribute to the dialogue within the unit.

Intra-Squad Communications Small unit battlefield communication must address often conflicting demands of each unit level. Within the squad distances are relatively short, typically inside 500 to 800 metres, with communication

| Asian Military Review |

primarily focused on immediate events and direction. Operation of the radio needs to be almost intuitive, while not distracting from the soldier’s attention to his surroundings or ability to react to contact. Being able transmit while handling and firing a weapon is required too. So individual squad radios should be simple and straight forward to use.

A single channel can be considered adequate while achieving a lower weight and maximising battery life. The Selex (now Leonardo) PRR (Personal Role Radio) fielded by the British military in 2002 is an early example. With a 500m range it is compact and less than 1.5kg (3.3lbs). It features a wireless ‘push to talk’ fob that can be weapon or grip mounted and are specifically designed for platoon and section front line use. A later enhanced model, EZPRR, extends the

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surroundings has been a concern. Military leaders have suggested this can be addressed through training. In addition, efforts are moving forward to field helmet mounted ‘heads-up’ displays that could present this information without looking down.

Squad and Platoon Leader Comms

A radio for use by the individual soldier, particularly a front line rifleman, must address stringent requirements including simple operation, light weight and rugged design. Thales’ AN/PRC-154 Rifleman’s radio was developed to fill these needs.

share that information so as to provide an overall picture of the disposition of others. This permits unit leaders to know where their team members are without needing to interrogate them.

It can, however, potentially create a problem in that it requires viewing a graphic display thereby distracting the soldier. Having a frontline soldier becoming too focused on an electronic device rather than his Leonardo

range to 800m and includes encryption, data transmission, and re-broadcast.

Although individual soldier radios are receiving emphasis as a combat multiplier, it is not definitively established that this is always the case. US Army Dismounted Battle Lab and Marine Corps Warfighting Lab field experiments between 1998 and 2002 offered inconclusive results.

An often overlooked factor of the intra-squad radio is that to be effective it needs to be provided to every squad member. So price should be a primary driving factor yet often overly complex requirements and contract order quantities that are below the scales essential to achieving economical manufacturing have at times predicated against this. The Motorola SRX-2000 Combat Intra-squad radio which was fielded by the US Marines in 2012, took another approach to achieving affordability. Paul Mueller, vice president at Motorola Solutions shared that “the SRX-2000 is based on our APX line that provides powerful performance in a COTS solution that an affordable alternative to purpose-built radios.” With personal intra-squad radios enhancing combat capabilities is more a factor of their widespread use than it is the number of features that a radio has.

Another capability that is having an impact on battlefield communications at all levels is GPS. It is now embedded in electronics offering every person a view of their own location. When incorporated with broader systems like Blue Force Tracking, it is able to

This level of communications requires reliable exchange both within the unit and up to the next level which means connecting on at least two separate channels. This can be met by either providing two separate radios or through a single radio with dual channel capability.

In the former the leader may carry a PRR or General Dynamics Mission Systems AN/PRC154A single channel Rifleman’s Radio for contact with the team and a separate more powerful radio to talk with other leaders within the platoon.

Leonardo offers a special PTT that allows a single control for both radios. The alternative is a dual channel capability in a single radio. In this category, the L3Harris AN/PRC-150, which is being introduced by the Australian army, offers both VHF and HF signal at one, five or 10 watts output. Another is the Thales AN/PRC-148 Multiband Inter/Intra Team Radio (MBITR) which weights only .867kg (1.91lbs) and up to 5W power.

Beyond eliminating the need to carry

The SWAVE Handheld secure soldier radios by Leonardo are intended for section and platoon leader as a wearable single channel system with GPS positioning. It has a wireless PPT and lightweight headset maximizing it flexibility for the user. It will nest to a vehicular cradle allowing use inside a tactical vehicle.

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Collins Aerospace AN/PRC-162 is designed as a “software defined” multi-channel radio meaning it can be adapted to address potential future upgrades through software upgrades rather than hardware changes. Their radio has been fielded as a manpack (shown) and vehicle mounted system for the US Army.

an additional load, these multi-channel radios also allow leaders to directly call for and control supporting fires.

To accomplish these tasks these ‘Leader’ radios need greater range on the order of at least several kilometres and increased levels of security as they can be expected to receive information projecting future mission needs.

“The dual band radio”, explained a representative of Thales Group, “allows for communications on the UHF (ultra-high frequency) and VHF (veryhigh frequency) bands. They allow transmitting on one band while receiving on the other.” UHF is primarily line-ofsight making it more useful in ground to ground communication at shorter ranges so it is typically best for connecting intra-platoon and squad. VHF, on the other hand, has greater range and is less influenced by obstructions. As a result it is preferred for platoon and higher as well as for requesting and controlling supporting fires. Low weight is still a consideration for the squad and platoon leader as he must carry all his combat equipment and the radio.

Thales’ SYNAPS-H handheld V/ UHF radio is intended for platoon and squad leader use in both dismounted and mounted operations where it can be docked to a vehicle station which boosts its power to 50W. This later ability to provide communication when on foot but to be able to transition to use when in a vehicle is an important consideration especially for mechanised and motorised

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infantry. The transition from vehicle to being outside needs to be seamless both in maintaining voice and data contact with the teams, higher command, and the vehicle.

Here the necessity for assuring sound situational awareness is critical toward capitalising on the mutual support that makes the infantry and combat vehicle team so effective. Patrick Curlier, sales manager at Safran Defence explained in a paper how its FE´LIN, French infantry integrated combat system, provides dismounted communication using the Thales PR4G V54 or coming new generation RIF radio which gives access to the broader tactical picture. In addition, individual infantry radios are able to be recharged by the vehicle addressing a continuous concern of man-portable radios – staying powered.

Leonardo’s Platform PRR similarly ties its personal role radios into the vehicle communications thereby assuring the information exchange between the leaders, crew and the infantry section.

An additional tool that is being now introduced to the platoon and squad leader is the digital tablet which is widely used in the public and private sector. The US Marines are fielding MCH (Marine Air-Ground Task Force Common Handheld), a commercially based tablet that contains interactive tactical mapping with GPS providing a common networked tactical picture. Further it contains ‘chat’ functions and pre-formatted messaging that can be used to exchange orders, reports, and plot positions.

Safran is

| Asian Military Review |

offering a similar SIT COMDE tactical tablet for section leaders.

A promising concept being introduced to tactical communications is ‘networking’ such as provided in the goTenna Pro-X. It uses a 79g (2.8oz) radio transmitter/receiver that links via USB or Bluetooth connection to a user’s iOS or Android smart phone. These mesh with other devices providing a local network which exchanges near real time position data and allows texting. Jim Schueren, vice president Institutional Business Development & Sales at goTenna shared that “groups of devices can be programmed on separate frequencies permitting them to operate without interference. The nominal range for each device is around 6.5km; however, their ability to link to one another allows them to ‘hop’, thus considerably expanding their coverage facilitating passing data to higher command levels.”

Company Command and Support Increasingly the company is becoming the focal point for combat operations. It is in many ways complementing and even supplanting the battalion as the principle ground manoeuvre element in some tactical scenarios.

As such company command becomes the focal point for control of the rifle platoons, the organic support of the weapons platoon consisting of crew served mortars, machine guns, and anti-tank/direct fire system, as well as external artillery and air support. These do not differ appreciably if the unit is mounted or dismounted.

Directing and coordinating these assets demands longer range, greater frequency access, and higher transmission security.

Manpack radios such as the Collins Aerospace AN/PRC-162 a multi-channel, software defined radio with modernised ROK

Collins

warfare

The Republic of Korea is fielding the SDR a new family of tactical radios. It will provide handheld, man pack, and vehicle mounted (shown) UHF and VHF communications for platoon and company level operations.

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Assuring the individual soldiers ability to communicate while accomplishing all the other tasks that must be performed is one of the challenges facing the design of “soldier systems” like the Leonardo’s Future Soldier developed for the Italian Army. Simply being able to talk on the radio while operating a weapon is of critical importance.

point, in some applications be preferable to voice. However, currently inputting information can be less convenient, particularly in a fast moving situation such as when in contact. In addition, presentation of digital messaging remains principally graphic and must be read which for the infantryman can be distracting, although an entirely acceptable option for vehicle and weapon system crews. Another aspect of digital is its ability to send and receive graphics and photos. This can enhance the clarity of mission briefings and facilitate the passing of details in situation reports both up-the-chain of command and down to individual soldiers. The pursuit of including live video feed, although possibility reassuring to high command viewers, offers little benefit to the execution of an operation.

Where to from here?

Voice v Data One of the key developments in communications is the introduction of data transmission made available through digitalisation. Although often viewed as a supplement to voice communications at the small unit level, it holds the potential to significantly alter how information is exchanged and the efficiency of data flow. A programme official at L3Harris explained, “Like texting on your personal cell phone, digital messaging can send more information, more reliably, and securely even in degraded environments.”

This format can, from a performance stand

Providing individual communications to the combat soldier on a wide scale is relatively new. Doing so has been equally influenced by renewed recognition of the potential advantages and enhanced combat capabilities it offers.

Digitalisation and electronics miniaturisation have contributed to addressing the need for such radios to be compact and low weight. But the question remains of how far information can or should be distributed. Too much communication can equally be a concern as having too little. The challenge is in ascertaining where that line is and applying it on the battlefield. AMR goTenna

cryptosystem and advanced waveforms fill these roles. A Collins representative indicated that “Our TruNet uses the US Department of Defense (DoD) new MUOS (Mobile User Objective System); it offers true air-ground interoperability.” It operates in both narrow and wide bands providing high speed mobile ad hoc networking, point-to-point data, voice, and next-generation SATCOM across two independent channels and includes internal GPS. The operating weight is 6.03kg (13.3lbs) which typically is carried by a dedicated RTO (radio operator), however, the PRC-162 can also be vehicle mounted.

The army of the Republic of Korea is fielding a new tactical radio ‘family’ in its TMMR (Tactical Multi-band Multirole Radio) which is intended to fill requirements for handheld, man-portable and vehicle. These utilise Very and Ultra-High Frequencies for company and platoon level communication in mounted and dismounted applications.

The digital tablet’s capabilities are also be capitalised on at company level. These are particularly efficient in control of fire support. The USMC Target Hand-off System 2.0 is an adaption of a commercial tablet that simplifies support requests by using pre-formatted messages. It is also interoperable with the AN/PRC-117 radio and Common Laser RangefinderIntegrated Capability System. It offers faster and more responsive observer to weapons fire support through digital messaging.

Networking is being viewed as a valuable approach to overcome some of the challenges being faced on a battlefield where disbursed operations and jamming can be experienced. goTenna’s Pro-X uses small transmitter/receivers to mesh individuals and not only share position and texting but to relay signal increasing communication range.

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Harris Corporation

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C

onducting military operations at night without any form of night vision system today is virtually unthinkable. Not so very long ago, Night Vision (NV) capability, be it Image Intensification (I2) or Thermal Imaging (TI), for maritime, ground or airborne applications, came as individual items of kit with the soldier, sailor or airman providing the interface with the weapon system, via the Mk1 Human Brain. In today’s digital battle space, whether on a naval vessel, an airborne platform, a main battle tank (MBT) or armoured fighting vehicle (AFV) or just a four-man infantry unit on the ground, it seems everything comes with Night Vision.

Spurred on by the various regional conflicts of the last 30 years, NV capability is reaching new heights, or more accurately, distances and resolutions.

The two main technology threads that power NV systems – I2 (the amplification of whatever light is available) or TI (the detection of radiant heat from infrared [IR] sources) – are bracketed within the category of EO/IR (electro-optic/ infrared) sensors, which also includes laser products.

Technology re-cap

NEGATING THE NIGHT

The variety of night vision systems for maritime and land forces is wider than ever.

by Michael J. Gething

A screen image of the OMNI VIII standard of the green phosphor I2 tube, familiar to many users, which is giving way to a white phosphor tube in some applications.

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I2, now principally used for night-vision goggles (NVGs), involves the collection and conversion of ambient light photons from the visual and near infrared (V/ NIR) part of the spectrum from 0.4 to ~0.9 microns, into electrons that are then multiplied by a cascading process before being reconverted back into visible light, within a small (usually 18mm-diameter) tube. As with all technology, I2 has evolved and today’s tubes are Gen3, with a thin barrier film on the microchannel plate (MCP) within the tube.

The down side of I2, as experienced by forces operating in open country or mountainous terrain (such as in Iraq and Afghanistan), is the lack of sufficient (usually urban) ambient light. Thus NVGs, powered by I2, were rendered almost ineffective on moonless nights or when occluded skies blanked out starlight.

TI is based on a photon detector made of an exotic material such as indium antimonide (InSb) or mercury cadmium telluride (MCT, CMT or HgCdTe) for the sensing detector’s focal plane array (FPA), and required cryogenic cooling to deliver the sensitivity required for imaging, as well as optics and processing elements.

l and warfare

Such systems usually concentrate on either the mid-wave infrared (MWIR) spectrum of 3-5 microns or the long-wave infrared (LWIR) spectrum of 8-12/14 microns.

Cooled detectors require an appropriate mechanism, which adds to its size and weight. However, the last decade has seen the rapid evolution of uncooled detectors for smaller TI-powered NV systems, notably hand-held fire-control systems (FCS), thermal weapon sights and head-mounted cameras.

As with I2, there is a drawback to TI. While it can produce an image in total darkness, the distance TI can ‘see’ depends on the atmospheric conditions across different parts of the spectrum: MWIR is generally considered applicable for hot and humid climates; while LWIR is more suitable to cooler, drier climates.

Thus performance can depend on the climate in the combat zone and, of course, the ‘fog of war’.

The other element, when considering TI, is the resolution of the image, defined by the number of pixel elements in the detector’s FPA; and the number of pixels therein depends on their size (or pixel-pitch). Some 17 years ago, the most common FPA format was 320x240, with a pixel pitch of 25 or 30 microns, depending on the detector material. Thus, the more pixels there are in an FPA, the better the image resolution and, depending on the optics, the longer the range. A reduction in pixel-pitch results in a higher pixel counts. So, in 2002, a 640x480 FPA with a 20 micron pixel pitch was considered High Definition (HD); today it is considered as Standard Definition (SD). Production detectors with pixel pitches of 17, 15 or 12 microns are now commonplace, with 10 and seven microns emerging.

At the DSEI exhibition in September 2019, Leonardo displayed the SLXSuperhawk – an MWIR detector with a cooled FPA and pixel-pitch of just eight microns, providing a 1,280x1,024 pixels.

It is claimed that the SLX-SuperHawk is able to capture better than HD-quality images in total darkness by detecting temperature differences as small as 1/50th of a degree.

As a means of penetrating the dust, haze and smoke encountered on the battlefield, detectors tuned to the shortwave infrared (SWIR) spectrum (~0.9 to 3 microns) as well as the visible-to-nearinfrared (V/NIR) spectrum (0.4 to ~0.9 microns) as used by daylight cameras, have been evolved. These use reflected

‘light’ and are better able to penetrate atmospheric detritus, with the added advantage that bright light or flashes will not degrade performance.

In October 2019, Israel’s SCD (Semi Conductor Devices) announced orders worth in excess of $15 million for its InGaAs (indium gallium arsenide) SWIR-based solutions, including its in-production Cardinal 1280 detector (with a 10 micron pixel-pitch). The company notes its SWIR technology includes low-light level capability for night vision, based on its advanced low-noise ROIC (Read-Out Integrated Circuit). Over the past two years, SDC reports an increased demand for EO/IR systems based on the SWIR spectrum. An example of a V/NIR spectrum detector is in the Nocturn camera range from Photonis USA, using the company’s Lynx CMOS (Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor) solid-state imaging sensor with 1,280x1,024 resolution.

Driven by the need for improved NV capability and the spread of digital communications, allowing imagery to be transmitted electronically, the technology and application of both types of detecting systems has evolved. Over the past decade, the problem of bringing both image sources together in one picture, with the goal of a consolidated image that overcomes the drawbacks of the individual systems, has been addressed.

The combination of I2 visible imagery and thermal imagery into one complementary TV-like picture - known as image fusion or, more accurately, image blending – merges two different views of the world, to provide a tactically significant picture. The visible image is most like what we are used to seeing with our eyes and provides higher resolution than current uncooled thermal imagers.

This makes the overall picture ‘readily understandable’. The thermal imager, however, is sensitive to differences in the temperature of objects in view, thus people (and other mammals) tend to stand out strongly in the picture due to their body warmth. This provides for very fast detection of individuals (and active objects such as military vehicles) that is not available in visible imagery.

However, the problem is that an I2 image is not electronic while TI, by the nature of its creation, is fully digital, allowing imagery to be displayed on any of a number of digital displays and transmitted into a network via wireless data links if required. The initial response

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was to overlay a thermal image onto the I2 image, while developing an alternative fully-digital detector in place of the I2 source. One emerging technology is that of the EBAPS (Electron Bombarded Active Pixel Sensor), pioneered by US manufacturer, Intevac. This takes the photons from the scene, focuses them onto a photocathode and the resulting photoelectrons are then accelerated across a vacuum gap and proximity-focused on the back-illuminated CMOS anode to produce digital image intensified (DI2) imagery with very little background noise.

As with all technological solutions to problems, the technology employed boils down to ‘horses-for-courses’: the application most suitable to the mission.

So, having outlined the basic technology available for night vision systems, let us consider some examples of how it has been applied.

Naval applications Maritime use of EO/IR night vision is widespread, covering commandand-control (including navigation) and weapon fire-control systems (FCS) for surface combatants; long-range and closein surveillance for all sizes of warship, down to RIB-sized vessels; plus on-board monitoring of the immediate vicinity of the ship itself.

For surface combatants, a typical EO/IR fire-control director is the MSP500/600 series from Germany’s Rheinmetall Defence Electronics. It uses a Saphir LWIR 640x480 thermal imager, alongside a daylight camera and laser rangefinder. This has been adopted by the German Navy and exported to customers including Malaysia.

For longer-range surveillance, IRST (infrared search-and-track) systems are available. The VAMPIR family from Safran’s Sagem, operating in the MWIR spectrum, has been widely procured beyond France, with export customers including Australia and South Korea.

Italy’s Leonardo (formerly Selex ES) offers its Silent Acquisition and Surveillance System (SASS) IRST, with both MWIR and LWIR channels, serving with the Italian and Turkish navies.

Typical of an on-board monitoring system is the Gatekeeper panoramic surveillance and alerting system from Thales Nederland, housed with other sensors in the I-Mast 400 integrated mast.

It comprises three or four non-rotating sensor heads located around the vessel,

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each with three pairs of uncooled LWIR 320x240 FPA and HD TV cameras, offering 360deg coverage against asymmetric threats such as swimmers. It is in service on Holland-class OPVs of the Belgian and Netherlands navies.

For sub-surface vessels, pure optical periscope systems are being progressively replaced by optronic masts. L3 KEO (formerly Kollmorgen) has a TI variant of its Model 76 periscope using an MWIR 640x480 thermal imager, which has been widely exported; while the UK end of Thales produces the CM10 series of optronic masts, with an MWIR thermal imager (or image intensifier option) for the Astute-class of SSNs for the Royal Navy and the Soryu-class SSK boats for Japan.

Land applications

Author

Virtually every operational task conducted by ground forces now has

an NV element: NVGs, hand-held targeting devices, night-vision binoculars (NVB), weapon FCS on MBTs and AFVs, reconnaissance and surveillance, and night driving/navigation.

I2-powered NVGs proliferate worldwide with US-developed goggles being predominate. The most numerous legacy products are probably the AN/ PVS-7 and AN/PVS-14 NVGs, or derivatives thereof, produced by L3 Warrior Systems and L3 Harris (the night vision business of which [originally ITT] was acquired by Elbit Systems of America in September 2019, following the merger of L3 Communications and the Harris Corporation). Speaking to Asian Military Review earlier this year, an L3Harris spokesman said that “our legacy PVS14 is still a big seller”, noting that the company had recently received “a large foreign order” for this product.

In the United States, I2 tubes are

The Dragon-C640 (Compact) thermal sight uses an uncooled LWIR 640x512 FPA, allowing a longer detection range.

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manufactured by L3 Warrior Systems and Harris, although exportability of these tubes is restricted by Figure of Merit (FOM) regulations, as well as ITAR restrictions. There are other non-US manufacturers, mainly in Europe, where the Franco-Dutch company Photonis has emerged as a principle developer and producer of a whole range of II tubes, adopted by many users, especially where ITAR-free products are required. By way of example, Germany has selected the company’s 4G high-FOM I2 tubes for the 1,700 Theon Sensors NYX NVBs being procured from Greece to improve night driving manoeuvrability.

Virtually all I2-powered night vision adjuncts to MBT/AFV gunfire FCS have now been replaced with TI technology. Initially this was by retrofit to systems mounted ‘under armour’ but new generation FCS units use TI only.

However, in recent years, ‘above armour’ systems have emerged, not only for main armament FCS applications but also for external weapon stations and the Reconnaissance, Surveillance and Target Acquisition (RSTA) role on lighter AFVs and recce vehicles.

Typical of current generation FCS systems on offer for MBT/AFV is the Commander’s Open Architecture Panoramic Sight (COAPS) day/night target acquisition and independent surveillance system from Elbit Systems of Israel. This is a dual-axis sight with additional fire-control functions for stationary and mobile platforms. The 360° panoramic sight is synchronised with the gunner’s main sight and provides a hunter-killer capability. Sensors within COAPS include a continuous-zoom thermal imager (both MWIR and LWIR are both offered with a 640x512 FPA resolution, with a 1024x768 option for MWIR and 1280x1024 option for LWIR), a daylight colour CCD TV camera, and an eye-safe laser rangefinder.

Moving to the hand-held target acquisition sector, SAFRAN’s Sagem JIM (Jumelle Infrarouge Multifonction) range is typical. The long range JIM LR model features a cooled MWIR detector with a 320x240 FPA, while the JIM UC uses an uncooled LWIR detector with a 640x480 FPA. The former weighs some 2.8kg while the latter (somewhat smaller as a result of its uncooled detector) is 0.5kg lighter.

Slightly smaller are the thermal weapon sights (TWS), use of which is becoming more the rule than the exception. The US AN/PAS-13 TWS

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The US Army begun introducing the head-mounted ENVG-Binocular and the FWS-I thermal sight (shown mounted on the M249 SAW) into service in November 2019.

family, produced in several versions by several contractors (including BAE Systems, Leonardo DRS and Raytheon) has become ubiquitous around the world.

In Europe, Safran’s Sagem market the Sword range of thermal sights derived from the French Army FELIN project while the UK’s, Excelitas Qioptiq offers its Dragon thermal sight range. Both ranges use uncooled LWIR detectors.

As developments evolve, the US Army has been working on a new Family of Weapon Sights - Individual (FWS-I) for the M4 carbine and M249 squad automatic weapon. It produces IR imagery in all weather conditions, under all lighting conditions and has the ability to see through fog, dust and smoke. US Army data indicates recognition of a man-

sized target at night to have a 70 percent probability at 960 metres, and through smoke or other obscurants a 90 percent probability at 300m.

Additionally, FWS-I can wirelessly transmits the weapon sight crosshair and thermal imagery to the new Enhanced Night Vision Goggle-Binocular (ENVG-B), providing a Rapid Target Acquisition (RTA) capability. ENVG-B comprises a dual I2 tube binocular system for improved situational awareness and depth perception, using higher resolution, white phosphor tubes (replacing the traditional green phosphor) providing better contrast; plus a fused thermal imager for better target recognition in degraded visual environments (such as dust, smoke, zero illumination

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and subterranean).

The wireless interconnectivity with FWS-I, allows soldiers to accurately engage without shouldering the weapon and significantly reducing exposure to enemy fire.

Roll-out of the ENVG-B and FWS-I was announced on 1 November 2019, indicating that the 2nd Armoured Brigade Combat Team (ABCT) of the US Army’s 1st Infantry Division, had become the first unit equipped, fielding the equipment in September. The FWS-I is being produced

by BAE Systems and Leonardo DRS; while the ENVG-B is produced by L3 Warrior Sensor Systems (part of L3Harris).

(Note; Airborne applications will be covered in the February 2020 issue). AMR

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Regional

RoKA

M i l i t a r i e s

Warrior Platform is an ongoing project within the Republic of Korea (ROK) Army to modernise individual equipment of all soldiers.

HIGH READINESS REMAINS A falling population may result in fewer troops but the Republic of Korea armed forces will counterbalance with Tiger 4.0.

A

lthough it maintains one of the most formidable military forces in East Asia, the Republic of Korea (RoK), or South Korea, continues to confront multiple domestic and international challenges in a volatile regional security environment. In recent months, doubts over the United States commitment to the vital and longstanding US-RoK military alliance have surfaced as a consequence of the withdrawal of US forces in Syria as well as the earlier cancellation or downscaling of several major joint exercises.

Complex uncertainties also surround the status and desired outcomes of dualtrack negotiations between the US and the RoK with the belligerent Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK), or North Korea, amid the backdrop of regional power plays involving China, Russia, and the US, added to increasing

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by JR Ng tensions with Japan. While the armed forces primarily focus on the north, the potential also exists for a clash between South Korea and Japan despite Washington’s efforts to draw the two closer together.

In this tense and fluid condition, the RoK armed forces – which celebrated its 71st Armed Forces Day in October – must remain at high readiness to react at short notice to potential contingencies ranging from limited but violent provocations by the DPRK, to naval and air blockades, and limited strike operations against North Korea in concert with US forces.

The other end of the spectrum would lead to a general war requiring the execution of detailed war plans that have developed over decades which could potentially lead to a decapitation attack of the DPRK leadership to avert a devastating missile attack, or even a RoKUS offensive northward to disarm and

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occupy much or the entire DPRK without provoking China.

The armed forces have dramatically modernised and evolved since the 1990s with improved lethality and reach by first acquiring long-range precision strike and command, control, communications, computers and intelligence (C4I) capabilities from the United States, all the while actively developing a world-class domestic defence industrial base that not just addresses domestic requirements, but increasingly serves a broader global market.

Despite making significant strides in indigenous defence technology and industrial development, the country faces declining overall population numbers that are steadily eroding the available manpower pool for the armed forces. This has already resulted in force structure reductions in the large RoK Army (RoKA) deployed along the Demilitarised Zone

Regional

RoKA

M i l i t a r i e s

The Republic of Korea Army has stood up a dedicated unit called Dronebot Warrior to exploit unmanned technologies.

eligible male conscripts in their 20s from about 350,000 in 2018 to less than 250,000 after 2022.

The MND also revealed that the number of troops belonging to the RoKA was to be reduced to about 365,000 (from 464,000 at the time), while those of the RoKN, marine corps (RoKMC), and the RoKAF would be maintained.

In accordance with such demographic fluctuations, the RoKA is reportedly reducing the number of corps from eight to two by 2022, and divisions from 38 to 33 by 2025 as well as integrating commands.

To offset the expected reduction in manpower, the RoKA in 2018 launched its Army Tiger 4.0 System concept

ADD

(DMZ). In response, Seoul outlined plans in 2018 to increase investment in civilian-military dual use technologies to grow its Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) capabilities. The government’s 4IR plan has boosted related research and development (R&D) funding from $114 million in 2017 to around $170 million by 2020.

Other plans to multiply its fighting strength include the introduction of unmanned systems from 2024, with the army considering unmanned ground vehicles (UGVs) and micro-class unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), while the RoK Navy (RoKN) seeks unmanned surface and underwater (USV and UUV) platforms, while the RoK Air Force (RoKAF) is exploring unmanned reconnaissance and strike-capable UAVs.

wherein each combatant receives a ‘Warrior Platform’ comprising 33 types of personal equipment, including new communications systems, field uniforms, multi-hit ballistic vests and helmets, and sights. With each soldier effectively transformed into a sensor node, the army envisions that Tiger 4.0 will eventually take the form of a hyperconnected and artificial intelligence (AI)-driven ground combat network.

The RoKA reportedly plans to expand the Tiger 4.0 System to four battalions by 2021, four brigades by 2025, and all units by 2030. It is estimated that the effort will cost around $1 billion.

The service has also operationalised a specialised unit that will operate and develop new concepts of operation for UAVs and UGVs. The new unit – which is known locally as Dronebot Jeontudan (Warrior) – was first announced in December 2017. It has been charged with creating the necessary command and human resource infrastructure, including a new military occupational specialty, to recruit suitable candidates from within the army or from the private sector.

It will initially operate several types of mini- to tactical-class surveillance and strike-capable UAVs, with one example being the indigenously developed Striker Drone quadcopter manufactured by NES&TEC, which has a maximum takeoff weight (MTOW) of 9kg (19lb) and can carry a 5kg (5.5lb) payload such as an electro-optical camera as well as a pair of small 500g (1.6lb) bombs.

Besides developing and validating new concepts of operation for unmanned and robotic systems, the Dronebot Warrior unit will also be tasked with integrating these systems into wider

Army modernisation In its 2018 Defence White Paper published in January 2019, the Ministry of National Defense (MND) stated that it had already set in motion plans under the government’s ‘Defense Reform 2.0’ to progressively reduce the number of overall standing troops to 500,000 from 599,000 by 2022 in address future challenges. Another driving factor is available manpower resources in respects to South Korea’s low birth rate, which according to Korean Statistical Information Service (KOSIS) is likely to lead to a decrease in the number of

The Korea Tactical Surface-to-Surface Missile is designed to enable preemptive strikes on artillery systems threatening South Korea.

| DECEMBER 2019 |

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Regional

USAF

M i l i t a r i e s

The Republic of Korea Air Force could eventually acquire up to 60 Lockheed Martin F-35 Joint Strike Fighters.

RoKA operations as well as providing support to other units during combat operations.

The RoKA is also growing a preemptive strike ability to allow it to swiftly destroy North Korea’s frontline artillery systems. Centring on a three-tier missile strike concept for the early stage of a potential armed conflict, the service will field weapons such as the Korea Tactical Surface-to-Surface Missile-I (KTSSM-I) – also known as ‘artillery killer’ – developed by the Agency for Defense Development (ADD) and defence prime Hanwha Defense. The MND said four KTSSM-I missiles can be launched almost simultaneously from a static launching platform.

“KTSSM-I will strike the enemy’s tunnels [that shelter] the 170mm selfpropelled howitzers and 240mm multiplerocket launch systems,” the RoKA was quoted as saying by Yonhap news agency, noting also that most of these artillery systems have been deployed along the DMZ and border island coasts.

The news outlet also reported on a new missile known as the KTSSM-II, which would be used to neutralise larger and fixed facilities housing the KN-09 (KN-SS-X-09) 300mm rocket launchers and ‘Scud’-type (Hwasong-5/-6/-9) ballistic missiles.

Finally, the indigenous Hyeonmu ballistic missiles will be used to destroy the DPRK’s nuclear weapons as well as other weapons of mass destruction. The Hyeonmu-2A is understood to possess a strike range of up to 300km, the Hyeonmu-2B of up to 500km, while the latest Hyeonmu-2C can reportedly strike targets at ranges of up to 800km.

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Air force rising Years of sustained procurement for the RoKAF has resulted in an advanced air force with full-spectrum capabilities, one that possess the ability to field the latest capabilities in air defence, strike, intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR), and air mobility.

RoKAF modernisation has likewise been primarily driven by the DPRK threat despite recent attempts by the Moon administration to engage its leadership. Ongoing and projected force modernisation initiatives that have been amply funded since 2014 look set to continue this positive trajectory.

The procurement priorities over recent years have been fifth-generation fighters such as the Lockheed Martin F-35A Lightning II Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) and the indigenously developed Korean Fighter Experimental (KF-X), ballistic missile defence (BMD) systems such as the Patriot PAC-3, airborne early warning and control (AEW&C) platforms, tanker aircraft, and a new integrated C4I system.

Forty F-35As had been contracted under phase three of the FX programme (F-XIII) to replace the RoKAF’s F-5E/F and KF-5E/F Tiger IIs and F-4D/E Phantoms. Eight of the new aircraft have been delivered as of November, with all 40 expected to be delivered and deployed by 2021. Seoul is also set to set to exercise its option for a further 20 aircraft under the RoKAF’s F-XII requirement South Korea has partnered with Indonesia for the development of the KF-X programme, with the Indonesian-specific aircraft designated the IF-X. The goal of the effort is to produce an affordable fifth-

| Asian Military Review |

generation fighter to replace the RoKAF’s KF-16s from the 2020s. Approximately 120 aircraft are expected to be acquired, although budgetary limitations may result in a reduced buy, with deliveries commencing in 2026.

Meanwhile, the service’s KF-16 fleet is also undergoing a major mid-life upgrade programme. Lockheed Martin has been contracted under a Foreign Military Sales (FMS) contract worth $1.2 billion in November 2016 to carry out these upgrades at its Fort Worth factory, with contract completion anticipated by November 2025.

The KF-16 upgrade is based on the advanced F-16V configuration, which includes Northrop Grumman’s AN/ APG-83 Scalable Agile Beam Radar (SABR) and a new high-performance modular mission computer to replace the aircraft’s three original computers.

Other enhancements include the secondgeneration Joint Helmet-Mounted Cueing System (JHMCSS II) along with upgrades to the electronic warfare suite and expanded weapons release capabilities.

At least ten aircraft have reportedly been flown to the United States for upgrading work, although the service has not disclosed further information.

South Korea has also sought a persistent ISR capability by ordering four Northrop Grumman RQ-4B Block 30 (I) Global Hawk high-altitude longendurance UAVs equipped with the Enhanced Integrated Sensor Suite (EISS). The EISS includes electro-optical/ infrared (EO/IR) and synthetic aperture radar (SAR)/ground moving target indicator (GMTI) sensors, a signals intelligence (SIGINT) package, and an imagery intelligence exploitation system.

Deliveries had earlier been expected to commence by 2017 and completed

by June 2019. However, South Korea’s DAPA announced in April 2018 that the United States was deferring delivery to enable additional anti-hacking and cybersecurity measures to be incorporated into the UAVs. Separately, the country is pursuing the indigenous Korean Unmanned System (KUS-FS) medium-altitude long-endurance UAV, with a prototype Korean Air’s Aerospace Division for the ADD. The KUS-FS is of the same class as the General Atomics MQ-9 Reaper and features four underwing hardpoints, a chin-mounted EO/IR sensor turret, and satellite communications. Each KUS-FS system will comprise between three to

Regional

RoKN

M i l i t a r i e s

The KDX-III class is the Republic of Korea Navy’s primary surface combatant and is equipped with the Aegis combat system.

Navy modernisation Until the mid-1980s the RoKN did not possess a true blue-water capability and was essentially a coastal defence force comprising corvettes and light frigates.

However, the the service operates one of the region’s most advanced fleets, including Aegis guided-missile destroyers, air-independent propulsion (AIP)-equipped submarines, and modern amphibious assault ships.

The RoKN’s transformation can be traced to the early 2000s, when concerns emerged over the ability of the United States to maintain its position as the region’s most powerful force amid a rising China. Uncertainty over this possible power shift and concerns that Washington might reduce – or eventually withdraw completely – from the Korean peninsula and leave China as the region’s leading power led South Korean defence planners to begin prioritising the navy’s expansion in subsequent military budgets.

Blue-water capabilities emerged with the 135m long Kwanggaeto Daewang (KDX-I) class of guidedmissile destroyers, the first of which was launched by DSME in June 1995 and commissioned in July 1998. The KDX-I was originally envisioned to be the RoKN’s principal air warfare destroyer.

However, the programme was beset with multiple delays, and by the time the lead

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ship was commissioned in 1998 plans for a larger destroyer, known as the KDX-II, had already been approved. Only three KDX-I destroyers were eventually fielded.

Six KDX-II guided missile destroyers were acquired between 2003 and 2008, although an improved platform equipped with the Aegis command-andcontrol system including the AN/SPY-1D multifunction search radar – the Sejong Daewang (KDX-III) – entered the fleet in December 2008. This meant that South Korea has become only the fifth country to operate the Aegis combat system after Japan, Norway, Spain, and the

DSME

five UAVs, a ground control system, and associated ground-support equipment.

United States.

To fulfil requirements of an indigenous submarine-development capability, Seoul acquired three Type 209 diesel-electric submarines (SSKs) under the first phase of the Korean Attack Submarine (KSS-I) programme from German shipbuilder Howaldtswerke-Deutsche Werft (HDW), with the first of class built by HDW in Kiel and the remaining two assembled

by Daewoo Shipbuilding and Marine Engineering (DSME) at its Okpo facility.

The RoKN acquired six more locally built Type 209 SSKs, which became known as the Chang Bogo-class.

In June 2006, Hyundai Heavy Industries (HHI) launched the service’s first AIP-equipped submarine – based on the HDW Type 214 SSK design – under the KSS-II programme. Eight of these were eventually built from 2006 to 2017.

The experience from this effort went on to inform the development of the nextgeneration KSS-III class, which will be the country’s largest and most heavily armed underwater combatants to date. A key feature of the new boats will be their six vertical launching system (VLS) tubes that can launch land-attack cruise missiles, providing the navy with a stealthy standoff land attack capability.

The first KSS-III SSK, Dosan Ahn Chang-ho, was launched by HHI in September 2018 and has already commenced sea trials with an expected handover to the RoKN in late 2020. Two further boats under construction, with a total of nine to be commissioned by 2029. AMR

The KSS-III submarine is the Republic of Korea Navy’s next-generation underwater combatant and is equipped with a six-shot vertical launch system for land attack.

| Asian Military Review |

Analyst

C o l u m n

may never know the true extent to which the USAF is involved in the maritime-interdiction portfolio. What is known, however, is that it has not been practising maritime strike frequently since the end of the Cold War. This should be addressed. The neglect of dedicated training to this mission during World War Two contributed to the limitations of land-based air against shipping during that conflict. This situation could well replicate itself during a conflict involving America and China. Given its long-range bomber capabilities, the USAF should therefore seek entrench itself more firmly in the ASuW business. The introduction of a stand-off shallow-water mine capability to its B-52 complement that was shown during Exercise Valiant Shield 2018 is a step in the right direction. Ditto

Asian Military Review 2020 House HP 213x145mm.pdf

the integration of the LRASM with the USAF’s B-1B bombers.

What should follow naturally from these are perhaps new iterations of the Resultant Fury exercise that was held in 2004 and demonstrated the capability of USAF bombers to attack moving targets at sea with laser-guided bombs. Future drills would do well to incorporate the LRASM and more challenging conditions so as to simulate a major-war contingency.

Such are the options provided by a longrange bomber force that the noted defence analyst Robert Haddick has argued rather heretically for the US Navy to possess such a capability to better counter China’s burgeoning A2/AD edifice. In the same vein, other commentators, echoing former US deputy defence secretary Robert Work, have called for the B-1B being transferred

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to the Navy as a ‘Sea Control Bomber’ that focuses on maritime strike rather than being retired in the 2030s.

All in all, with the increasing SinoAmerican competition in the western Pacific and the concomitant quest to re-establish maritime dominance, US military planners must dare to think differently. In this respect, the 2018 National Defence Strategy is right on the mark when it argued for “change in the way we organise and employ forces”, as well as “developing operational concepts to sharpen our competitive advantages and enhance our lethality”. In this regard, marrying land-based airpower with ASuW capabilities and integrating it to the counter-A2/AD game plan would be a step in the right direction. AMR

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THE VALUE OF SHORE BASED AIR POWER FOR MARITIME STRIKE

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ast month marked the 75th anniversary of a relatively obscure, yet pivotal, engagement of the Pacific War – the Battle of Ormoc Bay. It was a series of air-sea clashes between Imperial Japan and the Allies in November 1944 as part of the larger Battle for Leyte.Japanese attempts to send reinforcement troop convoys to the Philippine islands were interdicted by the Allies, with land-based air power playing a vital role. From the beginning, United States Army Air Force B-25 Mitchell medium bombers inflicted heavy damage on a large Japanese troop convoy. The encounter came a year after the climactic Battle of Bismarck Sea where Allied shore-based airplanes had decimated a Japanese troop convoy.

These engagements are but two of the manifold instances of shore-based aircraft successfully attacking ships at sea during World War Two. The German Luftwaffe FW 200 Condor during the initial stages of the Battle of the North Atlantic posed such a threat to Allied convoys that British premier Winston Churchill termed it the ‘scourge of the Atlantic’. Back to the Pacific theatre of operations, Imperial Japanese Navy medium bombers flying from Indochinese bases decimated British Force Z with the sinking of HMS Prince of Wales and HMS Repulse, marking the first

30

occasion where capital ships were sunk by aircraft alone while underway at sea.

Land-based airpower proved its worth in the anti-surface warfare (ASuW) role during World War Two, and Pentagon thinkers today would do well to bear this in mind and let it complement US naval power to counter China’s burgeoning anti-access/area-denial (A2/AD) edifice in the western Pacific.

Terrestrial airpower could help in efforts to nullify the surface warship-component of the adversary’s A2/AD system. After all, land-based aircraft possess a number of advantages over their sea-based counterparts, especially in terms of range and payload. To illustrate, the mainstay American naval strike fighter, the Boeing F/A-18E/F Super Hornet, can deploy with only a few anti-ship missiles out to several hundred kilometres. In stark contrast, the intercontinental-ranged USAF’s Rockwell B-1B Lancer can carry up to 24 of the newly inducted Lockheed Martin AGM-158C Long Range Anti-Ship Missiles (LRASMs). With the Lancer set to remain in service into the early 2030s, the US will retain a potent long-range ASuW capability for over a decade with the B-1B/LRASM combination. Indeed, given the increasing significance of the maritime domain, US military planners should also think long and hard the

| Asian Military Review |

By Ben Ho

possibility of arming the upcoming Northrop Grumman B-21 Raider strategic bomber with anti-ship weapons like the LRASM. Another shortfall that sea-based air has is that American carrier strike groups (CSGs) may not be located near a crisis spot and may take up to a few days’ steaming to reach their destination.

With mid-air refuelling, USAF long-range bombers based even in the continental US can provide ‘presence’, albeit temporary, in most parts of the world within half a day.

To be certain, critics can argue that heavy bombers like the B-1B by themselves are highly vulnerable to enemy fighters, but the long striking reach of their weapons, such as the LRASM, would enable them to stay farther out within any A2/AD envelope.

Moreover, the socio-economic wellbeing of America’s key strategic rival, China, is highly dependent on keeping its sea lines of communications open. Indeed, the vast expanses of the Pacific Ocean and the limited number of sovereign bases in that theatre – for instance, Guam is over 2,000km away from the East and South China Seas – would mean that there will be a premium placed on the extended striking reach of Air Force ‘heavies’.

As much of the Joint Concept for Access and Manoeuvre in the Global Commons (JAM-GC) is classified, one To be continued on page 29

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