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VIPER SHIELD™

Innovative electronic warfare for tomorrow’s F-16

Increase mission success in an increasingly dangerous threat environment. The L3Harris Viper Shield digital electronic warfare (EW) suite is custom designed to maximize the survivability and mission success of advanced F-16 aircraft.

Developed in partnership with Lockheed Martin and the U.S. Air Force, the new AN/ ALQ-254(V)1 Viper Shield provides U.S. and global coalition partners with cutting-edge countermeasures against sophisticated, ever-changing threats. This advanced EW system provides a virtual electronic shield around the aircraft, enabling warfighters to complete missions safely in increasingly complex battlespace scenarios. L3Harris continues a 60-plus-year legacy of developing advanced electronic warfare technology to ensure superiority across the spectrum.

Learn more at L3Harris.com/vipershield.

Christopher F Foss

The latest 155 mm XM1113 Extended Range Projectile with Rocket Assist (top) and with new XM654 charge below

German DM702 SMArt 155mm projectile cutaway to show interior (top) with one of the two sub-munitions and effect on conventional steel armour

Germany which in the longer term will be equipped with the Dark Eagle hypersonic missile which will provide a step change in the US Army artillery capability.

Artillery rockets These have traditionally being area effect weapons as they are unguided but there is also a trend to give these a more precision effect.

The US Lockheed Martin M270 Multiple Launch Rocket System (MLRS) fired a 227mm M26 unguided rocket out to a maximum range of 31.6km (nearly 20 miles) with the warhead containing 644 M77 Dual-Purpose Improved Conventional Munitions (DPICM). This was followed by the extended range version which had more propellant but only 518 DPICM with range increased to 45.5km (over 28 miles).

Production of both of these has been completed and were followed in production by the Guided MLRS with a range of over 70km (43 miles) and which was originally developed to meet requirements of not only the US but also France, Germany and UK for use with their upgraded tracked M270 tracked launchers. These rockets are also fired from the High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS) based on a Family of Medium Tactical Vehicles (FMTV) 6x6 crosscountry truck with a protected forward control cab. HIMARS has one pod of six rockets compared with the tracked M270 launcher which has two pods each of six 227mm rockets.

To engaged targets at longer range the US Army fielded the Army Tactical Missile System (ATACMS) with the tracked M270 MLRS capable of carrying two pods. The original one had a warhead containing 954 M74 DPICM and a maximum range of over 165km (102 miles). This was followed by versions with range increased to 300km (186 miles), improved accuracy and a blast fragmentation warhead.

In the longer term the ATACMS will be replaced by the Precision Strike Missile (PSM) with a range of nearly 500km (310 miles).

China, Israel, India, Turkey and Russia and other have already fielded a wide range of ARS with the Russian BM-21 122mm (40-round) system being the most widely deployed and reverse engineered by many countries, especially in the Middle East.

The BM-21 fired a 122mm unguided rocket out to a range of 20km (12.4 miles) but this was followed by rockets with ranges of up to 30km (18.6 miles) and 40km (24.8 miles) and more recently guided 122mm rockets have been developed to provide a precision effect.

Russia has also fielded the 220mm (16-round) Urgan which initially fired unguided rockets out to a range of 35km (21.7 miles), but again new rockets have been developed with an increase in range.

The largest Russian rocket launcher is the 300mm (12-round) Smerch which has been built in large numbers for the home and export markets with early versions firing unguided rockets having a maximum range of 70km (43.5 miles) with the latest ones having an extended range.

In addition to firing rockets fitted with warheads carrying sub-munitions, other warheads types have been developed for the 300mm rockets including fragmentation grenades, top attack submunitions, anti-tank mines, fuel-air explosive and even an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) which could be launched to acquire the target or to carry out poststrike damage assessment.

For NATO countries, the deep strike mission is normally carried out by the air force but this in changing with the introduction of longer range missiles.

Finding the target While the user is demanding more range and greater accuracy the Achilles heel will always be target acquisition. Targets can still be located using forward observers equipped with a suite of day/night observation devices, laser rangefinders, land navigation and communications systems.

But targets at longer ranges have to acquired by other means such as electronic warfare and signals locating systems, ALR, sound ranging systems, fixed and rotary wing assets and increasingly UAVs..

The latter also need to be equipped with a variety of sensors to enable targets not only to be rapidly located but this information passed down the chain of command to the artillery battery to rapidly carry out the fire missions.

Many users are now operating their artillery systems on ‘shoot and scoot’ missions in which they will only remain in one position for perhaps four minutes while the carry out a fire mission. This makes them very difficult to be engaged by counter-battery fire. AMR

A new electronic warfare (EW) NEWS subvariants. This type is towing what appears to be a folded, tall SIGINT collection antenna.

JAPAN NETWORKS NEWS

Japan’s Ground Self-Defence Force is overhauling its electronic warfare posture, both in force weight and capabilities.

by Dr. Thomas Withington

Reflecting ever-present tensions in East Asia, Japan’s Ministry of Defence (MoD) announced in November that it plans to deploy an Electronic Warfare (EW) unit to Yonaguni Island. Yonaguni is one of Japan’s most southerly islands and lies off the east coast of Taiwan. Local news reports stated that the EW unit would be drawn from the Japan Ground Self Defence Force (JGSDF).

The JGSDF is in the midst of an overarching modernisation of its EW capabilities and posture. This is arguably driven by two threats: this first is continuing tensions with the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK). The Japanese government also appears perturbed of late by bellicose rhetoric from the People’s Republic of China (PRC) towards Taiwan.

The unit which will deploy to Yonaguni maybe drawn from the JGSDF’s 1st Electronic Warfare Battalion (1 EW Bn). According to the International Institute of Strategic Studies’ 2021 Military Balance this is deployed with the JGSDF’s combat support element. The battalion contains three EW companies and is headquartered at JGSDF Camp HigashiChitose, near Hokkaido Island’s south coast. Although not mentioned in open sources, it is entirely possible that one of these three EW companies may deploy to Yonaguni. Strategic move Strategically and operationally deploying the EW unit to Yonaguni Island makes sense. The former is a mere 60 nautical miles (111 kilometres) due west of Taiwan. Yonaguni forms part of the Okinawa Archipelago stretching northeast towards the main Japanese Islands.

It is apparent that relations between the PRC and Taiwan are at a nadir. October 2021 saw the PRC’s government criticise Taiwan’s President Tsai Ingwen’s speech on the Republic of China’s National Day. President Tsai promised to continue bolstering Taiwan’s defences. She said this was driven by the PRC’s threats to seek Taiwan’s incorporation into mainland China by force if necessary.