Asian Military Review - February 2022

Volume 30/issue 1

february 2022 US$15

A s i a P a c i f i c ’ s L a r g e s t C i r c u la t e d D e f e n c e M a g a Z i n e

naval remote weapons

reconnaissance pods

male / hale uavs counter - uas

world defence show Gulf defence special report

www.asianmilitaryreview.com

Contents february 2022 VOLUME 30 / ISSUE 1

Volume 30/iSSue 1

february 2022 uS$15

AsiA PAcific’s LArgest circuLAted defence MAgAZine

naval remote weapons

reconnaissance pods

male / hale uavs counter - uas

06

world defence show Gulf defence special report

www.asianmilitaryreview.com AMR 01 COVER Jan-Feb 22.indd 1

2/2/2565 BE 11:29 AM

Elbit’s Naval Surface Gun operates a 30mm cannon that fires both HE and ABM ammunitions.

It is designed for protection against selected missile and aircraft threats, UAVs, conventional surface and asymmetric surface threats.

BIGGER, FURTHER, BETTER The value of owning medium and high altitude UAVs is now apparent to an increasing number of countries, says JR Ng.

1O

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TAKING OUT ‘THE TOYS’ REMOTE FIRE CONTROL

Maritime report weapons systems are increasing in calibre and range. Tim Fish reports.

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LOOKING FURTHER, LOOKING WIDER Reconnaissance pods are improving to give greater levels of clarity, whether focused or over a wide area. Andrew Drwiega discovers what is now being offered.

Countering unmanned aerial systems, no longer hobbiest’s ‘toys’, now takes investment and well developed systems, says JR Ng.

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WORLD DEFENCE SHOW GULF DEFENCE SPECIAL REPORT Ahead of the World Defence Show in Saudi Arabia, we examine the Gulf’s defence industry with a focus on maritime and air forces. By Andrew Drwiega, Tim Fish and David Oliver.

february 2022 Asian Military Review 03

Editorial

Index of Advertisers

Aeronautics

9

Collins Aerospace Cover 2 D&S Thailand Cover 4

ASSESSING RISK; BUILDING ASSURANCE

Eurosatory Cover 3

nother new year has been met by a flurry of North Korean ballistic missile launches.

While writing this column, more and more launches were being monitored as Kim Jong-un continues his belligerence and defiance against United Nations Resolution 1695 (2006) which demanded that the country “suspend all ballistic missile related activity and reinstate its moratorium on missile launches.”

Observers of the North Korean ballistic missile development programme argue that this concentrated activity exemplifies continued missile testing rather than an escalation in Kim’s desire to get back to the top of the regional agenda by reminding the United States, South Korea and Japan that he is still dangerous and unpredictable (which has ever been the case).

The first missile was launched on Wednesday 5 January which North Korea claimed was a hypersonic missile. According to the Japanese military who monitored the launch, it flew for between 500km-700km before coming down in the Sea of Japan. Whether this missile, thought to be based on a Hwasong-8 really does have hypersonic capabilities has yet to be proven. The technology would have had to have come from either China or Russia and whether either of those countries would have found it acceptable for North Korea to be given this high technology is questionable.

The second occurred on Tuesday 11 January, again supposedly a hypersonic missile, and a further two short range ballistic missiles were reported by North Korean media as having been fired from a train on Friday 14 January. More followed on Monday 17 January but the final missile test as this column went to print was the biggest yet.

On 31 January the North Korean Government confirmed that a Hwasong-12 intermediate range ballistic missile (IRBM) had been launched and flew over 430 nautical miles (800km) landing in waters off Japan. Experts state that the Hwasong-12 can reach out to over 2,000nm (4,000km).

Stronger together The slow but sure international reaction to China’s military build-up and expansionist foreign policy is growing, and in particular Japan moved to strengthen its defence agreements with both the United States and Australia early in the new year.

On Thursday 6 January, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison virtually concluded a Reciprocal Access Agreement (RAA), which allows the militaries of both countries to work together in defence and humanitarian operations. This comes as work to complete the updating of the 2007 Japan-Australia Joint Declaration on Security Cooperation continues. This outlines cooperation over counter-terrorism, maritime security, peacekeeping operations, and disaster relief.

In late December 2021 a Special Measures Agreement (SMA) was being inked that saw Japan increasing its financial commitment to fund US forces stationed in Japan. Over the next five years it will allocate around $1.8 billion per annum which is part of a cost sharing agreement.

The deal will cover the inclusion of training equipment for US forces but will also “contribute to enhanced capabilities of the Self-Defense Forces of Japan for greater Alliance deterrence and readiness.”

This echoes the ‘flavour of the month’ phrase ‘allies and partners’ currently being used by all rules based democratic nations that refers to strength is in unity, which directly opposes China’s foreign policy tactic of isolating individual nations and using economic coercion to make them subservient to China’s wishes.

Andrew Drwiega, Editor-in-Chief

Leonardo

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MBDA

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Yugoimport

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The Guizhou WZ-7 'Xianglong' is the Chinese air force's most capable unmanned reconnaissance asset, and is being used for strategic surveillance of potential territorial hotspots.

BIGGER, FURTHER, BETTER

Where China is growing its unmanned aerial vehicle fleet, nations across Asia Pacific are finding budgets too for these more strategic assets.

by JR Ng

M

ilitary forces are rapidly adopting larger and more capable unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) as they modernise their force structures to better deal with ever more capable adversaries. .

While many of these forces have been long time operators of tactical-class and smaller types of UAVs, it was only in recent years that interest in medium- and high-altitude long endurance (MALE and HALE)-class has grown because of the increased complexity and costs in acquiring and operating larger UAVs. Despite their lack of survivability in contested airspace, the demonstrated ability of MALE-class and better UAVs for both intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) and air-to-surface strikes as demonstrated in the Middle East and Pakistan over the past 20 years has nevertheless captured the attention of several regional countries, especially those with extensive land borders or maritime territory to

secure. What makes the platforms attractive is their ability to travel long distances and loiter for extended periods while carrying multiple types of sensor and mission equipment.

China has clearly emerged as both the leading regional developer and adopter of MALE and HALE UAVs, having produced a large variety and quantity of platforms not just for the People’s Liberation Army (PLA), but also supplying these and associated technologies to military forces in Central and Southeast Asia as well as the Middle East, which are unable to acquire higher-end UAV capabilities from the United States and Europe due to export restrictions such as the Missile Technology Control Regime (MTCR).

At least 14 countries across the world have ordered or taken delivery of a range of armed MALE UAV platforms within the past decade, with the list expected to grow as Beijing’s economic and military influence continues to expand.

China’s impressive indigenous UAV

06 Asian Military Review february 2022

industry is being led by subsidiaries of stateowned defence primes such as the Aviation Industry Corporation of China (AVIC) and China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation (CASC), which have developed successful MALE-class platforms such as the in-service ‘Caihong’ (Rainbow, CH) 4 and 5 and ‘Yilong/Wing Loong’ (Pterodactyl) I and II UAVs and HALE-class ISR platforms such as the Wuzhen-7 ‘Xianglong’ (WZ-7 Soaring Dragon).

The Wing Loong I and II UAVs are presently the mainstay MALE-class armed reconnaissance platforms for the PLA Air Force (PLAAF), and are officially designated the Gongji-I and Gongji-II (GJ-1 and GJ2). The GJ-1 was first unveiled to the public at Airshow China 2014 and was seen armed with two China North Industries Corporation (Norinco) Hongjian-10 (HJ-10) anti-armour missiles alongside a range of other munitions.

The Wing Loong II bears a strong resemblance to the US-made General Atomics Aeronautical Systems (GA-ASI) MQ-9 Reaper, with its low-wing monoplane airframe design with a prominent V-tail and ventral fin. Like its sister platform, the Wing Loong II has also been acquired for PLAAF service and designated the GJ-2.

China appears to be testing a new MALEclass reconnaissance UAV for long-range maritime ISR operations. In August 2021 the Japanese Ministry of Defense's (MoD's) Joint Staff Office (JSO) announced that the Japan Air Self-Defense Force (JASDF) had intercepted a new air vehicle that approached Japanese airspace, flying over the East China Sea in the direction of the Ryukyu Island chain.

The JASDF has also visually identified the new UAV as the TB001 with a photograph released by the MoD on 25 August clearly showing the type's distinctive twin-boom airframe design and port side forwardmounted turboprop propellers, marking the

Taiwan's Teng Yun (Cloud Rider) was developed by the National Chung-Shan Institute of Science and Technology.

first instance in which the type had been intercepted near Japan. Another image and flight tracking details released on 26 August showed another TB001 flying a different track.

The TB001 is developed by the privately owned Sichuan Tengden Technology Company (Tengden) – albeit believed to be linked to AVIC’s 611 Research Institute – and is also known locally as the ‘Twin-tailed Scorpion', with first flight achieved in March 2019. It is also not known if the intercepted TB001 has already entered service with the PLA or is still undergoing operational trials, although it is clear that the air vehicles were not on a civilian mission judging from the deliberate flights near Japanese airspace.

According to company specifications, the TB001 has maximum take-off weight (MTOW) of 6,173 pounds (2,800 kilogrammes), as well as an overall wingspan of 65 feet (20m). The twin-turboprop engines enable the air vehicle to operate at altitudes of up to 26,200 feet (8,000m), with a maximum range of 3,240 nautical miles (6,000 kilometres and endurance of 35 hours when carrying a 2,200lb (1,000kg) payload.

Tengden has also developed a threeengined variant called the TB001A with an increased MTOW of 7,000lb (3,200kg), featuring a third engine has been integrated to the rear of the main fuselage pod providing additional thrust that enables the air vehicle to reduce its take-off distance to 1,640ft (500m) at full load and climb at a faster rate of 10 metres per second (m/s).

Previous Chinese military UAVs encountered by the JASDF at such extended distances from the mainland have largely comprised BZK-005 reconnaissance UAVs manufactured by the Beijing-based Beihang UAS Technology and widely adopted by the PLA's air, ground, and naval services. The BZK-005 is also a twin-boom aircraft and known locally as the ‘Changying’ (Long Eagle)

A new type of long-range UAV called the TB001 has been sighted by the Japan Air Self-Defense Force for the first time in August 2021.

and has an MTOW of 2,750lb (1,250kg) and payload capacity of 330lb (150kg).

The PLAAF has been operating the HALEclass WZ-7 Soaring Dragon for over five years and has been seen deployed to airbases including Dingxin, Lingshui, Malan, Wuwei, Shigatse, Suixi, and Yishuntun.

Produced by AVIC subsidiary Guizhou Aviation Aircraft Corporation, the WZ-7 was first shown to the public as a concept model at Airshow China 2006, but the actual in-service platform was recently unveiled in September 2021. The type is believed to be the PLAAF's primary high-altitude unmanned platform for reconnaissance operations near strategically important locations.

The 45ft (14m) long WZ-7 has a 75ft (23m) wingspan and is believed to have an operational ceiling of 59,000ft (18,000m) and cruise speeds of around 404 nm/h (750km/h). It is also understood to possess a range of 3780nm (7,000km) while carrying a maximum mission payload of up to 1,433lb (650kg).

Taiwan

Japan MoD

NCSIS

AIR POWER

Across the strait, Taiwan’s Republic of China Air Force (RoCAF) has been trialling a new type of indigenously developed MALE-class ISR UAV called ‘Teng Yun’ (Cloud Rider), which is being developed by the state-owned National Chung-Shan Institute of Science and Technology (NCSIST).

According to official specifications, the Teng Yun UAV is constructed from an allcomposite airframe that measures 26ft (8m) long with a wingspan of 59ft (18m). First unveiled at the 2015 edition of the TADTE defence exhibition in Taipei, the type offers a claimed operating radius of over 540nm (1,000km) with a flight endurance of 24 hours and ceiling of 25,000ft (7,620m).

NCSIST subsequently highlighted a larger and more capable ‘second generation’ Teng

Yun prototype at the same event four years later. The institute has yet to disclose detailed specifications of this new model, although it is believed that the latest design is powered by a Honeywell Aerospace TPE331 turboprop engine that offers a higher output than the original Teng Yun’s piston engine, enabling NCSIST engineers to increase the air vehicle’s size and payload carrying ability.

Local media reported that three Teng Yun UAVs – air vehicles MU1611, MU1612, and a second-generation model – entered RoCAF operational testing in October 2020 and have been deployed to Zhihang Air Base since January 2021. It was earlier reported that at least 10 Teng Yun platforms will be manufactured from 2024 at a cost of approximately $127 million, which will be operated by a newly formed squadron.

However, an early model Teng Yun UAV was destroyed in a crash after taking off from Zhihang Air Base for a routine flight training mission in February 2021. NCSIST stated that the air vehicle reported “abnormalities in the control system” and initiated an emergency landing in Taitung Forest Park. News footage revealed that the destroyed UAV had been air vehicle serial number MU1611.

Taiwan has also expressed interest in USmade armed reconnaissance UAVs, with the US State Department approving the sale of four ‘weapons ready’ General Atomics (GAASI) MQ-9B SeaGuardian in November 2020.

The US Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) announced that the proposed sale of the four SeaGuardian UAVs and associated equipment is expected to be worth as estimated $600 million and will performed via the Foreign Military Sales (FMS) mechanism.

“This proposed sale will improve the recipient’s capability to meet current and future threats by providing timely intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR), target acquisition, and counter-land, counter-sea,

february 2022 Asian Military Review 07

JR Ng

KAL-ASD

AIR POWER

The CASC CH-4 armed reconnaissance UAV has been acquired by the Indonesian air force.

and anti-submarine strike capabilities for its security and defence,” the DSCA stated. “The capability is a deterrent to regional threats and will strengthen the recipient’s self-defense.”

Besides the four UAVs, Taiwan also requested two static and two mobile ground control stations (GCSs), Leonardo SAGE 750 electronic surveillance measures (ESM) systems, Raytheon SeaVue X-Band maritime radars, and L3Harris Wescam MX-20 electro-optic/infrared (EO/IR) sensors. The US government will also provide contractor engineering, technical, and logistics support services, as well as other related elements of logistical and programme support.

South Korea and Japan

South Korea appears close to fielding an indigenously developed multirole MALE UAV after over a decade of development by Korean Air Aerospace Division (KAL-ASD) on behalf of the Korean Agency for Defense Development (ADD).

Known as the KUS-FS, the type is being developed for the Republic of Korea Air Force (RoKAF) at a programme cost of approximately $404 million and features a length and wingspan of 42ft (13m) and 82ft (25m), respectively. The air vehicle is understood to be powered by a 1,200hp turboprop engine that enables it to reach a service ceiling of 42,600ft (13,000m) and conduct operations in excess of 24 hours.

KAL-ASD is responsible for the KUS-FS platform development and production, while Hanwha Corporation is developing its EO/ IR system. LIG Nex1 is developing a new synthetic aperture radar (SAR) and is also partnering with KAL-ASD on the air vehicle’s avionics systems.

First flight was achieved in 2012, with development understood to be completed

by the end of 2018 and initial examples having entered extensive operational test and evaluation (OT&E) with the RoKAF since 2019. An armed variant of the KUS-FS is also expected with the prototype KUS-FS equipped with four underwing hardpoints and has already conducted mock weapons carriage and release tests during its extensive flight trials.

In March 2021, the South Korean Ministry of National Defense (MND) stated its desire to acquire an indigenously developed MALE UAV for the Republic of Korea Army (RoKA) Ground Operations Command (GOC).

MND officials said in early March 2021 that it is seeking around 10 MALE-class UAVs and associated ground support equipment, representing up to three complete systems, to boost the RoKA’s long-range airborne surveillance capabilities.

Further work is required to modify the baseline KUS-FS fuselage and mission systems to reduce its take-off and landing distance and extend its sensor detection range. It is expected that additional research and development (R&D) work will occur from 2022 to 2025 with production of the RoKA-variant commencing from 2026.

The RoKAF also operates four HALEclass Northrop Grumman RQ-4 Block 30 Global Hawks along with two ground control systems (GCS) and two spare engines under a $657 million FMS contract. All four air vehicles were delivered by September 2020 and are operated by the newly set up 39th Reconnaissance Squadron at Jungwon Air Base.

Meanwhile, Northrop Grumman announced in April 2021 that the first of three RQ-4 Global Hawk Block 30 UAVs worth an estimated $1.2 billion being built for the Japan Air Self-Defense Force (JASDF) had conducted its maiden flight from its Palmdale, California facility.

08 Asian Military Review february 2022

The Republic of Korea Air Force and Army is set to field the KUS-FS developed by Korean Air.

Contract work is expected to be completed by 1 September 2022. Once delivered, the UAVs will be operated from Misawa Air Base in northern Japan. Tokyo had requested that each aircraft be fitted with Raytheon Intelligence and Space’s Enhanced Integrated Sensor Suite (EISS), which comprises an EO/IR sensor, synthetic aperture radar (SAR), and groundmoving-target indicator elements designed to scan large geographic areas and produce highresolution reconnaissance imagery.

Southeast Asia

Although the adoption of MALE-class and larger UAVs has been slower across Southeast Asian countries compared with their East Asian counterparts, there is nevertheless an observable uptake in the fielding of such capabilities, with the armed forces of countries such as Indonesia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam developing or acquiring MALE-class UAVs. For example, the Indonesian Air Force (TNI-AU) gained its first MALE UAV capabilities in late 2019 following the delivery of six satellite communications (satcom)equipped CASC CH-4B armed reconnaissance air vehicles. These were publicly displayed in TNI-AU colours for the first time in October 2019 during a parade commemorating the 74th anniversary of the Indonesian Armed Forces.

The CH-4Bs have been assigned to the TNI-AU's primary UAV unit – Skuadron Udara 51 (Aviation Squadron 51) – which is based at Supadio Air Base in Pontianak, near West Kalimantan. For years it quietly operated Israeli-made Aerostar tactical UAVs for surveillance missions before the arrival of the Chinese-made platforms.

Like China and Taiwan, Indonesia has launched an indigenous MALE UAV

JR Ng

AIR POWER

The Republic of Singapore Air Force is using the Israeli-made Heron-1 UAV for airborne sensing, tactical surveillance and targeting.

development programme with state-owned aerospace company PT Dirgantara Indonesia (PTDI). It revealed its armed reconnaissance Elang Hitam (Black Eagle) UAV prototype to the public at its Bandung headquarters on 30 December 2020.

According to PTDI’s specifications, the Black Eagle UAV has a wingspan of 52.5ft (16m), a length of 28ft (8.65m), and a 8.5ft (2.6m)-high fuselage. PTDI also states that the Black Eagle has a MTOW of 2,866lb (1,300kg) and can carry up to 926lb (420kg) of fuel. It will be equipped with a 4-stroke engine that produces up to 150hp, which the company hopes will enable it to attain an operational ceiling of 23,600ft (7,200m).

The fully loaded air vehicle – carrying up to 660lb (300kg) of mission equipment and/ or weapons – will have a 135nm (250km)

command radius and will be capable of taking off from a 2,300ft (700m) long runway and staying aloft for up to 30 hours when operating at cruise speeds.

The Black Eagle is being developed by a local consortium led by PTDI and comprising the MoD and TNI-AU, the Agency for the Assessment and Application of Technology (BPPT), the National Institute of Aeronautics and Space (LAPAN), and other state-owned firms, including defence electronics developer PT Len. The consortium also plans to install wingmounted hardpoints to accommodate various external payloads, including weapons, by 2023. Local media has reported that a possible candidate for weapon integration could be PTDI's 70mm folding-fin aerial rocket (FFAR) system, which comprises four conventional

unguided rockets each equipped with a single solid-propellant motor and fitted with four flip-out tailfins to improve ballistic stability.

Besides Indonesia, other Southeast Asian operators or MALE-class UAVs include Singapore and the Philippines.

The Republic of Singapore Air Force (RSAF) took delivery of an undisclosed number of Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) Heron 1 UAVs. The service introduced the type in May 2012 and declared it fully operations in March 2017. These are operated by 119 and 128 Squadron and is considered the service’s primary unmanned airborne intelligence, surveillance, target acquisition, and reconnaissance (ISTAR) platform.

In October 2019, the existence of an upgraded RSAF Heron 1 UAV featuring a bulged belly pod housing an unknown payload – likely a SAR system – was inadvertently leaked by a local news agency covering an overseas exercise in the United States.

The Philippine Air Force (PAF) has also opted for an Israeli-made platform with the Elbit Systems Hermes 900. The type is the first MALE-class UAV platform to be acquired by the Philippines, featuring a MTOW of approximately 2,650lb (1,200kg) and a 50ft (15m) wingspan. Nine of these air vehicles were acquired under a $153 million package announced in October 2019, and are believed to have been delivered by the end of 2020.

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REMOTE FIRE CONTROL Remote weapons are increasing in calibre as the ability to link them with a greater range of sensors and systems increases.

by Tim Fish

Elbit’s Naval Remote Controlled Weapon System can host 7.62mm, 12.7mm or 40mm weapons and is designed for fast patrol boats, frigates and destroyers.

10 Asian Military Review february 2022

Kongsberg

land wa r fa r e

The Kongsberg Protector RWS is seen here fitted to the Swiss Army’s Motor Boat Company 10 new Patrol Boat 16 craft that are based on the Watercat 1250 model from Finnish company Marine Alutech.

Any naval force needs to have the ability to enforce the protection of its own EEZ, strategic sites and conduct force protection and interdiction missions. These vessels need to be able to respond to threats such as fast attack craft, new unmanned surface vessels (USVs) and other surface ships as well as

Kongsberg

N

aval remote weapon stations (RWS) are becoming increasingly popular among navies as they seek to install them on both large and small warships to improve their firepower.

This is important for the Indo-Pacific region where the rise of China over the past decades as a major power has caused tensions with its neighbours in the surrounding seas, including the East China Sea and South China Sea. Tensions such as in 2021 when over 200 Chinese ‘supposed’ vessels anchored at Whitsun Reef in the Philippines Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) over which China disputes ownership. There are thousands of other such marked and unmarked Chinese vessels operating across the wider region in support of China’s territorial ambitions.

This type of potential confrontation increases the risk of an accident that could escalate into a conflict. With such increasing levels of asymmetric and grey zone face-offs, there is a growing need for more adaptable weapon systems that can be quickly fitted to many types of patrol vessels and warships.

airborne threats including helicopters and unmanned aerial systems (UAS).

RWS can offer significant capability improvements over existing manned weapon stations. Operating remotely means they can be used more effectively when used in conjunction with supplemental situational awareness and targeting information.

They can also reduce a ship’s manpower requirement and improve crew safety. The difference between RWS and crew-served weapons is that the RWS can be operated by a single person from a controlling station.

This is instead of having 2-3 crew on deck for observing/commanding, firing and re-loading exposed to the harsh seagoing environment.

Removing those additional crew members from gunnery duties allows them to be assigned other tasks or the ship can reduce its overall headcount. This makes overall ship operations more efficient and with fewer crew the vessel becomes cheaper to operate. This is important for small ships with fewer crew or for small naval forces operating on a limited budget.

Arne Gjennestad, vice president Marketing & Sales for Land Systems at Kongsberg Defence & Aerospace, a Norwegian defence company, told AMR: “It is about saving manpower and of course the personnel using these systems in a centralised area or protected area free from the environment instead of standing outside on the deck in the sea spray on three different sides of the ship.”

He said that that a single operator could also control more than one RWS from a multi-function console therefore multiplying efficiencies and reducing operating budgets even further. “One operator can simultaneously control several stations, but those several stations can also be arbitrated and if necessary controlled by separate operators if you have

The RWS operator's position on the Swiss Patrol Boat 16.

february 2022 Asian Military Review 11

Leonardo

land wa r fa r e

The Leonardo Lionfish RWS Inner Loading model. Lionfish can fire at a rate of 485-635rpm using a FN M2HB-QCB 12.7mm machine gun to a range of 1,500m. Lionfish has a Logic Control and Move Unit that connects the controller unit, ship’s CMS and supporting systems to the RWS.

the necessary control systems available.”

The RWS controller can also be situated anywhere in the ship behind a protected position to avoid being exposed to the extremely cold, wet and windy marine environment and any counter-fire. This could be in the operations room alongside other ship’s sensor and weapons system’s operators or in the bridge where the controller can communicate directly with the ship’s commander.

“You can get benefits from having a multirole weapon station being able to feed sensor data or sensor information directly into the command centre, bridge or direct to the Commanding Officer. Otherwise, you have three guys standing with 12.7mm manned guns arming the ship and they have to use vocal communications into the bridge to the officer in charge,” Gjennestad explained. “But with a multi-role console we can also see the sensor data from the long-range camera and laser range finder so it gives the person in the command centre a richer level of situational awareness.”

In this way RWS on naval vessels offer similar capability advantages as their vehiclemounted land RWS equivalents. In fact, large numbers of naval RWS have been developed from earlier land RWS and enhanced for naval operations to improve reliability and accuracy in a marine environment.

Olivier Lequeux, Medium Calibre marketing director at Nexter, a French defence company, explained: “Today, we observe a growing demand for light and fast patrol vessels to carry out mixed operations (military, police, fight against piracy and illegal fishing).

At the same time, we are witnessing the gradual renewal of the fleets of large vessels, which are increasingly computerised and have smaller

crews. Moreover, the targets are also changing and multiplying: from now on, navies must face drones and new generation missiles.”

“Thus, for both small and large ships, navies around the world are opting to upgrade their weapons systems and to operate them remotely. The increase in calibre is reflected in the gradual abandonment of manual mounts equipped with 7.62mm weapons and from 12.7mm to 40mm, including 20mm.”

Weapons fitted to RWS have traditionally fired light calibres such as 5.56mm or 7.62mm, so the move to increase towards more medium calibres from 12.7mm (.50 cal) up to 40mm is significant in terms of the relative power of both small and large warships to become more effective at engaging targets and using RWS for additional roles.

Mikael Hansson, Combat Systems senior director sales at Saab, a Swedish defence company told AMR: “The capabilities of modern RWS maybe has the biggest advantage for small vessels where a RWS could be the only weapon system onboard and where the environment is more hostile/difficult than on a large vessel. A modern RWS on a small vessel will enable effective warfare on-the-move and also offer air target capabilities, of course depending on weapon choice.”

Larger calibres

Hansson said that more customers are investigating larger calibres: “This is due to requirement to deliver more effect on the target and at longer ranges. This means that the RWS market is closing the gap with turrets/ unmanned turrets. RWS manufacturers today look for larger calibre effector systems that deliver effect at a relatively low recoil impact.”

Unlike smaller ships, larger naval vessels or major combatants will also operate larger main gun systems or are equipped with missiles and the associated sensor payloads to support in addition to RWS. “Large vessels can use the RWS in situations when larger weapons are over-kill or when specific small targets needs to be engaged,” Hansson said. A RWS can hit targets to within 50 metres of a ship, which larger main guns and long-range medium-calibre weapons are unable to engage. “A RWS can also be integrated with the larger vessels’ Fire Control System to be utilised for navigation, search and rescue or as a redundant fire control director for the vessel’s larger armament. A large vessel is of course also better adapted to larger calibre RWS due to structural robustness and ammunition capacity,” Hansson added.

A spokesperson from Israeli company Elbit Systems told AMR that RWS with small calibres of up to 12.7mm “are usually installed onboard small to medium vessels, between

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45 tons to 300 tons such as fast patrol boats, missile ships and small corvettes.”

Small and medium naval platforms are usually used for coastal control and force protection providing a larger perimeter protection against multiple small and fast manoeuvring targets that could be attacking in a swarm in the air or on the surface.

The spokesperson added: “Naval RWS with higher calibres of 20-30 mm are installed on larger naval platforms of 300-4,000 tons as primary or secondary weapon system (depending on the main missions and purpose of the vessel).”

These larger ships will employ RWS for force protection, particularly in the littorals and when entering and leaving ports, surface warfare, short-range air defence and as an a close-in-weapon system (CIWS).

Because RWS can be fitted to almost any warship for primary or secondary roles, these systems need to have an increasing array of capabilities. Enhanced ranges and more lethality to engage and destroy targets at range, as well as hit a wider variety of targets such as unmanned aerial systems (UAS), loitering munitions and even missiles are all desirable.

Saab’s Hansson said that to be efficient at detecting, recognising, identifying and engaging UAS “the RWS system will have to be part of a system.” He explained: “That means that a surveillance sensor is needed, that there is a secure and real time communication available, that video techniques can be used for identification and that effector technology is further enhanced. This could be one of the most interesting tasks for future RWS Systems.”

Larger calibre munitions up to 40mm will offer extended range and a bigger kinetic effect, but to engage aerial targets naval RWS will have to fire air-burst ammunition of about 30mm in calibre and be integrated with an air search radar.

Gjennestad noted that larger calibres bring additional benefits. “With a 40mm or 30x113mm calibre you get another type of ammunition compared to a 12.7mm – you get more high explosive in the water. We are seeing an interest in that,” he said. “There are also requests for something in between 12.7mm and 30mm, such as 20mm and the short 30mm,” he added.

Naval RWS could even be integrated with anti-tank guided munitions for enhanced long-range lethality. Therefore the main trend is towards up-gunning the weapons fitted to naval RWS to offer a more powerful and effective capability than hitherto has been the case.

A spokesperson from FN Herstal, a Belgian defence company also told AMR that a major trend is to install RWS on USVs. “This drone

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february 2022 Asian Military Review 13

Nexter’s Narwhal can engage surface targets up to 2 km away and is undergoing a modernization to add new functions. The RapidFire (designed in partnership with Thales) is designed to meet new naval requirements including close defense protection, but also surface-to-surface and surface-to-air threats such as drones and missiles, up to 4 km away.

can patrol in internal and territorial waters.

Integrated with a CMS, this allows end-users to cover large areas like archipelagos. Harbour protection and anti-piracy missions are also of interest. And during expeditionary mission, launched from corvettes, the USV can address attacks from small surface combatants,” the spokesperson explained.

When fitted to USVs the RWS can be used to attack approaching threats or to protect critical infrastructure at sea such as oil rigs, or perform the CIWS defence role for larger ships. RWS fitted to USVs will require more enhanced artificial intelligence (AI) and image processing to be able to function effectively as a manned craft.

The Republic of Singapore Navy (RSN) is in the early stages of introducing new maritime security (Marsec) USVs into service that will eventually be equipped with a 12.7mm MG and laser dazzler installed on a RWS from ST Engineering.

The Philippines Navy (PN) has initiated a programme to develop its own RWS for the M2 .50cal machine gun under Project BUHAWI (Building a Universal Mount for Heavy-Barrel Automated Weapon Integration).

A Philippines DND announcement stated that the project it designed to improve the selfreliance of the Philippines armed forces for its equipment needs. The PN uses manned 12.7mm guns on its craft and the miniTyphoon RWS from Israeli defence company Rafael.

Meanwhile the latest entrant into the naval RWS market is the Lionfish family of systems from Italian defence company Leonardo, that was launched in 2020. It has been designed specifically to counter fast boats, fast inshore attack craft, helicopters and UAS. Lionfish is available with a 12.7mmx99mm calibre in three models: an Ultralight weight variant of

The Sea deFNder from FN Herstal seen here fitted with the FN M2HB-QCB 12.7mm machine gun can also be fitted with the FN M3R rapid fire machine gun that has a firing rate of over 1,000rpm.

400lb (180kg), a below-deck Inner Reloading variant of 480lb (218kg) and a 660lb (300kg) Top variant with a larger 400 round magazine and improved electro-optical director and a cover for additional weather protection and improved stealth characteristics. The Inner Reloading model secured a launch customer in 2021.

A new 20mmx128mm calibre variant of Lionfish is under development and the company plans to complete its qualification and validation phase in 2022. It is similar to the Top model 12.7mm variant with the same EO director and cooled IR sensor, but weighing 992lb (450kg) with a magazine of 250 rounds, a rate of fire of 1,000 rounds per minute and a range of one nautical mile (2km) using an Oerlikon 20mm KAE gun. Lionfish joins Leonardo’s Marlin family of RWS that fires larger calibre weapons in the 30-40mm range.

In 2020, the French DGA procurement authority contracted Nexter to upgrade the 20B 20mm Narwhal naval RWS on all French Navy warships. This highlights the level of importance that naval RWS have as part of a ship’s defensive capability. The company has been installing the new ‘V1’ upgrade that includes a wider variety of shot selections and improved man-machine interface. Deliveries of the modernised Narwhals across the fleet are due to be completed later in 2022. A new V2 variant is expected to follow and a completely new system is due to begin development shortly in partnership with Naval Group.

Kongsberg’s Protector RS4 Naval RWS is based on its land-based Protector RWS family that the company states are the most fielded in the world with 20,000 units sold and in use.

Gjennestad said that in late-2021 the company secured sales of the RS4 Naval to two different countries.

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Saab

FN Herstal

Nexter

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Saab's Trackfire RWS can be fitted with a variety of weapon types including 12.7mm and 7.62mm, as well as automatic grenade launchers and a chain gun.

In 2020, FN Herstal’s 12.7mm Sea deFNder naval RWS using the M2HB-QCB gun was selected by French shipbuilder Naval Group as the weapon system for the 12 new Mine Countermeasure Vessels (MCMV) it is building for the Royal Netherlands Navy and Belgian Navy. Six vessels will be delivered to each navy from 2024. This shows that a wide range of vessels are being fitted with these modern gun systems to increase firepower that in the past would not otherwise have been equipped with.

In 2018 the Royal Swedish Navy ordered the Trackfire RWS for its new Combat Boat 90 (Strb90 HSM) amphibious vessels. Trackfire has been fitted with 7.62mm, 12.7mm and 40mm guns as well as a variety of non-lethal effectors. Sweden wants to up-gun its fast watercraft to provide additional firepower for its defensive forces across its Baltic coastline and waterways.

Nexter’s Lequeux said that the overall RWS offer on the naval market is being modernised: “These systems must be capable of firing in difficult sea conditions; they must have a target tracking mode; their maintenance must be as low as possible to avoid exposing the crew; they may or may not be integrated into the ship's CMS.” Hansson told AMR: “The RWS market is expanding as it is delivering precise calibre weapons effects with better protection for the operators and improved hit performance compared to manually operated mounts.”

He concluded: “The improved performance is available due to development of lower cost / higher performance sensors (electro-optical, gyro, encoders etc) and also software functions that were earlier only available for much more complex systems. These trends will continue in the future as technology develops.”

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february 2022 Asian Military Review 15

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TAKING OUT ‘THE TOYS’ The Asia Pacific industry has ‘changed up gears’ in providing solutions to counter UAS threats.

by JR Ng

T

e proliferation of affordable and readily available small unmanned aircraft systems (UAS), commonly called drones, has presented significant challenges for military and homeland security organisations in the Asia Pacific region to overcome in recent years.

Such low and slow-flying devices prove difficult to detect by conventional air surveillance systems as well as traditional countermeasures.

There is growing concern among regional governments that weaponised hobby drones costing just few hundred dollars off-the-shelf but modified with explosives could enable lone wolf terrorists and groups, and even rival states, to attack high-value targets such as airports and military facilities and even disrupt key commercial and military operations.

Examples are already available: Iranianbacked Shiite militias in Iraq used small UASs to conduct strikes against the Iraqi prime minister’s residence and the US Embassy in Baghdad in 2021, while a suspected UAS

attack on an Israel-linked product tanker near the Omani coast in the Arabian Sea killed two of the crew. Subsequent attacks on Baghdad airport and military facilities were also mounted in early January 2022 and a combined missile/UAS attack was reported in mid-January near Abu Dhabi airport in the United Arab Emirates.

Cognisant of the growing UAS threat in both land and maritime domains, regional companies are developing new solutions to meet the growing demand from military and homeland security organisations for effective countermeasures.

Australia: DroneShield and EOS Defence

Australia’s DroneShield is looking to ride on its multiple successes in 2021 to push its latest DroneSentry-X 360 degree automated detect and soft-kill defeat system, which is designed for real-time, on-the-move operations aboard land and maritime platforms.

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DroneSentry-X takes the form of a ruggedised and IP67-rated (sand, dust and water resistant) 56.6lb (25.7kg) pod with a compact footprint of just 634x634x232mm, which can be mounted on the topside of the platform with the included digital control panel and display installed within the vehicle for operator access. It can also be deployed at a fixed site as a temporary static solution with in-situ or remote operation.

DroneShield did not disclose performance specifications of the DroneSentry-X, although it indicated that an earlier version of the system could detect and disrupt UAS operating on consumer and commercial ISM frequencies at ranges of at least two kilometres and 300 metres, respectively.

The company, which has also expanded into areas such as signals intelligence (SIGINT) and electronic warfare (EW) earlier launched its first fully Artificial Intelligence Machine Learning (AI/ML)-based software to its customers in February 2021 as part of its quarterly software update programme.

The new software, called DroneOptID and RfAI, is designed to offer near real-time detection and identification of signals of interest along with other potential EW threats.

According to DroneShield, the software employs proprietary algorithms that can learn from previously encountered threat signatures and is capable of determining whether an unknown UAS is a threat (including an assessment of its observed payload), with the net effect of reducing false positives as well as

The EOS Defence Titanis is an all-in-one detection plus soft- and hard-kill C-UAS system designed to defeat several classes of threats out to distances of 4,000m.

Meanwhile, the Canberra-based EOS Defence has adopted a different approach to C-UAS operations with its scalable Titanis system which integrates detection, commandand-control (C2), and layered defeat capabilities including soft- and hard-kill and directed-energy effectors, to acquire, track, and engage individual or swarming Group 1, 2 and 3-class UAS threats at effective ranges out to 4,000m.

According to EOS Defence, Titanis is based on a suite of networked EOS R-series remote weapon stations (RWS) and can defeat a single UAS within eight seconds of detection, even if the aircraft is not being controlled by radio frequency (RF) signals that render it vulnerable to jamming.

Titanis initially locates and tracks one or more UAS using a software-defined, 4D, active electronically scanned-array (AESA) pulse Doppler radar with a range of about 10,000 m, as well as passive radio frequency (RF) detection and day- and thermal imagery

augmented by advanced video analytics and a laser rangefinder at ranges out to 4,700 m before engaging an RF jammer to engage aircraft deemed hostile.

“If unsuccessful, Titanis will switch to hardkill mode and an EOS-manufactured 35 kW laser will engage targets out to 4,000m, with high rates of target engagement capable of defeating a swarm attack,” the company stated.

“The laser will eventually be upgraded to 55kW.” At shorter ranges, Titanis can bring into play other networked ballistic effectors such as the 30mm Mk44S Bushmaster cannon mounted on the R800 RWS firing programmable airburst munitions out to 3,000m, as well as the 30mm M230LF chain gun and the 7.62mm Dillon Aero mini-gun mounted on the R400 RWS. Titanis was launched in June 2021 at the Land Forces Pacific exhibition in Brisbane, with the company noting at that time that development work comprised validating tracking algorithms and sensor fusion capabilities.

US Navy

speeding up the threat detection, classification, and disruption cycle.

In July 2021, DroneShield deployed a DroneSentry-X with the RfAI software update on the US Navy’s (USN’s) stealthy M80 Stiletto technology testbed for a sixweek exercise and extended demonstration.

It “successfully [completed] a wide range of performance and evaluation metrics” that assessed overall detection capability, detection and defeat ranges, on-the-move operation in various sea states, and effectiveness against UAS swarms involving a range of robotic and unmanned threats.

“C-UAS [development] is a long-term game,” DroneShield CEO Oleg Vornik told AMR. “We are the original pioneer in this space, having started seven years ago before C-UAS was ‘cool’.”

“Similarly, we started applying AI and ML in the C-UAS sector before they too became a major trend,” noted Vornik, adding that the company believes that success within this space requires substantial and continued capability investments and engineering over time.

“We are the original creator of the DroneGun concept back when it was not obvious that a jammer could come in a gun or pistol [formfactor] and we do field-programmable gate array (FPGA) design that makes our UAS detection and defeat software highly tailored and efficient,” he explained. “We created our patented antennas and we invest substantial resource in marketing to end customers and building integrator relationships in about 100 countries globally.”

For example, DroneShield revealed a new and improved version of its DroneCannon fixed-site C-UAS system – the DroneCannon MKII – in March 2021, which it claims to be substantially lighter and smaller than the earlier model. It is understood that the weight savings was achieved through the improvement of its antenna design, which reduced its footprint without impacting original performance.

“2021 has been a challenging year, but we used it well to lay a lot of groundwork in terms of product refinement and initial customer deployments. Despite the challenges, we tripled our cash receipts over [the previous year],” said Vornik.

“Looking into 2022, we believe we are on the precipice of several major acquisition programmes, and excited about the next phase of growth,” he added, noting that while the company is continuing to increase its business with Australian and US military and government customers, the Asia Pacific region has also provided favourable outcomes with existing deployments and relationships in countries such as Cambodia, Malaysia, Indonesia, Japan, and Thailand.

EOS Defence

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DroneShield demonstrated the maritime capabilities of its DroneSentry-X system aboard the US Navy's Stiletto M80 testbed.

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JR Ng

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China's LW-30 C-UAS system uses a high-energy laser to disable lowflying drones. Seen here is a closeup of its laser effector unit.

EOS Defence has also revealed that it is developing a directed-energy capable variant of its T2000 modular medium-calibre turret aimed at addressing the growing threat of top attack loitering munitions and weaponised UAS to armoured combat platforms. Called the T2000-DE, the new turret features a comparable 35 kW-class directed-energy effector integrated to its roof that can traverse a full 360° in the azimuth and more than 0° to 90° in elevation, can ‘blind’ the EO/IR sensors on UAS and loitering weapon systems with a view of the battlefield at ranges out to 10km, and physically degrade or destroy those threats with the laser at ranges “beyond 2000m”.

China’s C-UAS

The Chinese People’s Liberation Army Ground Force (PLAGF) has on several occasions demonstrated its interest in fielding a variety of portable C-UAS systems.

Footage from state-owned outlet China

Central Television (CCTV) showed air defence components attached to the PLAGF’s 73rd and 80th group armies operating undisclosed types of handheld RF jammers to counter commercially available UAS during separate manoeuvres in northwestern China.

Personnel from the 73rd Group Army were seen deploying at least two rifle-like RF jammers with a EW module affixed to the 12 o’clock rail alongside a sight, as well as net launchers alongside the jammers. In contrast, the 80th Group Army utilised riflelike disrupters featuring what appear to be RF detection and jamming arrays on the 3, 9, and 12 o’clock rail positions. PLAGF personnel interviewed by CCTV noted that the handheld systems enabled them to defeat hostile UAS within their line-of-sight through broadband jamming by triggering their automatic return home or landing protocols before they flew close enough to damage ground assets or wound dismounted troops with simulated explosives.

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State-owned defence companies have also taken the opportunity at recent Airshow China exhibitions in Zhuhai to unveil a range of indigenously developed C-UAS systems. In September 2021, the 28th Research Institute of China Electronics Technology Group (CETC) revealed its new Sky Dome Integrated C-UAS suite aimed at military force protection applications.

According to chief engineer Sun Yishen, the Sky Dome adopts a flexible and multi-layered architecture that enables the customer to integrate a wide variety of radar detectors, soft- and hard-kill effectors, as well as optoelectronic and command-andcontrol systems. The company claims that the networked system can also support emerging directed-energy effectors, which can complement other soft-kill techniques such as RF jamming to engage UAS swarms.

A potential candidate for integration is the road-mobile LW-30 laser system being

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Singapore's ST Engineering earlier showcased a remote weapon stationbased C-UAS concept that can deploy lethal and non-lethal 40 mm grenades to disable potential threats.

developed by the China Aerospace Science and Industry Corporation (CASIC), which is designed to engage precision-guided munitions and low-flying aircraft including UAS. The system is based on a six-wheeled tactical truck that features a roof-mounted remote turret armed with a 30 kW-class directed-energy effector.

A typical LW-30 unit is understood to comprise a radar-equipped command and control (C2) vehicle for battlefield control and communications, a logistical support vehicle, as well as one or more effector vehicles.

Singapore: ST Engineering C-UAS RWS and TRD Orion

Singapore’s ST Engineering earlier highlighted a C-UAS concept understood to be an inhouse project to demonstrate its ability to integrate soft- and hard-kill effectors into a version of its Adder RWS. The RWS, which was not named, combines a compact radar and

an electro-optical/infrared (EO/IR) suite with a pair of grenade launchers, with the example it displayed understood to be equipped with the Rippel Effect MGL6 low-velocity multishot grenade launcher (MGL) featuring a sixround drum magazine.

The MGLs are stowed under replaceable shrouds that pivot forward to enable access for loading or servicing the MGLs. Alternatively, the RWS can be equipped with the highvelocity XRGL40 six-shot grenade launcher or 5.56mm and 7.62mm machine guns. The effective range for high velocity 40 mm grenades was quoted as 1,400m while low velocity grenades offer a stated effectiveness out to 300m.

Target acquisition and tracking is assisted by an undisclosed type of radar sensor that is optimised for tracking low-flying aerial targets and provides targeting cues that augment visual data provided by the RWS’ EO/IR suite for improved depth perception and targeting

accuracy.

Soft- and hard-kill effects can be achieved using ST Engineering’s range of 40mm grenades, which includes a programmable C-UAS round – measuring an overall length of 125mm and weighing around 243g – that has been specifically designed to defeat small, commercially available multirotor UAS. The C-UAS grenade carries a payload of metal strips or streamers, which is delivered into the flight path of the UAS and disable its propellers via entanglement, forcing it to crash.

A typical package comprises the 40mm C-UAS grenade and a programming unit, which presets the fuze electronically to detonate the grenade close to the target. The programming unit can also be used with hard-kill 40 mm grenades such as its low- and high-velocity air bursting munition system.

Launched at a muzzle velocity of 100m/s, the grenade has a stated maximum range of 600m, although the typical engagement

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TRD Singapore has developed the Orion family of C-UAS systems. Seen here are its handheld Orion H+ and Orion H jammers.

range is around 200-300m given the potential challenges of targeting small UAS at longer distances. It is also designed to compatible with a wide range of grenade launchers on the market, including the STK 40GL, HK69A1, M203, M79, AG36, MK13, M32A1, and Rippel Effect MGLs. AMR understands that the RWS operator would usually launch a burst of three to four grenades with guidance from the radar to detonate at precise intervals to saturate a wider area with streamers for increased hit probability.

Finally, the privately owned TRD Singapore has developed the handheld Orion H+ lightweight C-UAS device, an IP65-rated

ruggedised system that weighs less than 7kg including its battery. The Orion H+ is an improvement of the company’s first handheld jammer, the three-band Orion H. The company claims that the Orion H+ is the first of its type in the world to be capable of disrupting up to six RF bands – 433MHz, 915MHz, 2.4GHz, 5.8GHz – as well as other specified global navigation satellite system (GNSS) frequencies – such as Beidou, GLONASS, and GPS – at ranges of up to 1,000m depending on the type of UAS being intercepted.

An organic LED (OLED) digital display provides the user with real-time data on system performance, battery runtime, and

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temperature. An integrated north finder and GPS – which the company claims to be another first – enhances user situational awareness, while also enabling the system to record the exact co-ordinates of locations where it had been activated. It can also perform selfdiagnostics with an integral build-in test (BIT) capability.

According to TRD, the Orion H system has been delivered to customers from over 10 countries in the Asia Pacific, Europe, and the Middle East. In particular, it sold 18 systems to the Philippine Army following the results of a competitive tender released in June 2019.

The Republic of Singapore Air Force (RSAF) has also emerged as an operator of the system, with at least one example showcased in an official video engaging a simulated UAS threat to one of its airbases.

Collins

AIR POWER

Fighters such as the F-16 and F-15 have been equipped with Collins DB110 dualband pod for many years

LOOKING FURTHER, LOOKING Improvements to reconnaissance pods for fighters and other aircraft are yielding yet more intelligence information that can be quickly analysed and acted upon.

by Andrew Drwiega

W

ithout the ability to conduct their own intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR), nation states today run the risk of being tactically, if not strategically, exploited by others who are prepared to act aggressively and, increasingly, outside the rules based order. China’s illegal moves into the South China Sea, through its island building tactics, caught those who opposed it largely unaware and unprepared.

As the financial entry point for launching and operating satellites begins to come down, more states are going to have access to satellite ISR and imagery from space. For a fee they can

even have a third party country supply them with some of the imagery they might need although this is unlikely to include everything they require on a 24/7 basis.

The alternative is for states to own their own dedicated ISR capabilities that can be attached to military aircraft. However, the quality of the imagery produced, the range at which it can be acquired, the ability for that imagery to be transmitted back to a ground station and then analysed in a quick and effective manner are all considerations that must be made.

The range of these type of ISR pods includes Rafael’s RecceLite XR multi-spectral system, Thales Aeros (Airborne Recce Observation System) which is used on the

Dassault Rafale, as well as the Talios which combines targeting with reconnaissance, and the new MS-110 from Collins, the successor to its popular DB-110.

In Asia-Pacific, the challenge when it comes to conducting reconnaissance and intelligence gathering is “the tyranny of distance”, said Dean Baxevanis, director, Business Development at Collins Aerospace. Baxevanis works with the International Airborne Programmes business, specifically explaining to potential customers the benefits of the next generation airborne reconnaissance system, the MS-110. This is a multispectral imaging pod that follows on from the company’s very successful DB-110, the dual-band pod. However, the quality of the imagery produced by the MS-110 is sharper and more detailed.

Whereas the Collins’ DB-110 dual-band airborne reconnaissance sensor provides a mix of black and white and electro-optical / infra-red (EO/IR) imaging for both day and night operations, the latest MS-110 is the next generation on delivering multispectral images.

Collins defines this as “sensor data collected simultaneously from three or more spectral regions or bands. The same scene is imaged in all the spectral bands, with each spectral image assigned a display colour and overlaid to form a multi-spectral composite image.”

Baxevanis explains further: “Mutli-spectral imagery allows you to see contrasts between materials, such as through items that have been camouflaged. You can see colour contrast between target sets quickly, whereas with dualband grey-scale it would take longer to identify and analyse.”

The data collected by the MS-110, like the DB-110, is transmitted to ground

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Collins SAAB

AIR POWER

The new Collins MS-110 multi-spectral imaging pod.

We have long range reach so that in peacetime operations you can operate from international airspace but still collect intelligence from areas of interest beyond what shorter range systems can do. The range is further than 80 nautical miles but I cannot give a specific number beyond that,” he offered.

While there is an increase in data with more detail being produced, analysis can be significantly aided at the ground station using SCI-Toolkit (SCI stands for Simplifying Complex Information). As Braxevanis states: “You aren’t over loading the operator with more intelligence, but capturing it and presenting it in a way through advanced processing at the ground station that helps the operator and battle commanders make faster decisions and with higher integrity in real time.”

Another complimentary system being introduced by Collins is the TacSAR pod, which integrates the DB-110 with Leonardo’s Advanced Electronically Scanned Array (AESA). This combination provides a range of useful features including: high resolution SAR

Collins

stations when the aircraft is in line-on-sight.

If operating remotely, the imagery is stored on the aircraft using a high speed solid-state recorder. Transmission then begins once the aircraft re-enters line-of-sight. Permanent or temporary ground stations can be used if the intelligence gathered is required by forces operating on the ground. A naval vessel has not been used as the ground station to date, but it is possible.

Traditionally the DB-110 has been operated by fast jets such as the Boeing’s F-16 Fighting Falcon, F-15 Eagle and the F-/A18 Hornet, as well as other platforms such as Saab’s Gripen. However it can also be mounted on transport and patrol aircraft such as the Lockheed Martin C-130 and other maritime patrol aircraft and certain classes of unmanned aerial vehicles such as the General Atomics MQ-9. “Maritime patrol aircraft offer a longer dwell time in the operational area of interest compared to a fast jet,” said Baxevanis. “Customers in the Asia-Pacific are very interested in the maritime mission set.

A Thales Defence Talios targeting reconnaissance pod under a Dassault Rafale.

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spot viewing as well as wide view mapping, as well as Ground Moving Target indicator. Said Baxevanis, “This AESA radar version of the pod allows another layer to the MS/DB-110 adding further nuances to the intelligence picture.”

Both the MS/DB-110s are end-to-end systems. They use power from the aircraft and can be integrated with other onboard systems such as SIGINT and ELINT, as well as synthetic aperture radar. “We not only sell the pod which contains the camera and the data link, but also the ground stations, mission planning equipment as well as maintenance and test equipment for the ground,” stated Baxevanis. “There are concepts for different levels of maintenance - we try to do as much in-country as possible and each country has its own operational concepts. Is it the first time they have flown reconnaissance pods or are they using them to replace something older which they already had. Each customer is difference.”

Keeping watch

The counter-insurgency wars that characterised most of the first two decades of the 21st Century and been replaced by the return of peer-to-peer strategic positioning. This is characterised by China and Russia looking to push out their respective boundaries (Taiwan, South and East China Seas and beyond for China; the Crimea and most recently the Ukraine in terms of Russia). The United States, NATO and their ‘allies and partners’ (now the phrase constantly used for countries supporting either or both entities), are looking to prevent aggressive actions being used to achieve this.

While individual nations may not have the defence budget, ISR is something that most nations can conduct with the assets at their disposal. “We are seeing a resurgence of reconnaissance pods worldwide,” commented Baxevanis. “The MS-110 been marketed for a couple of years now and the first direct commercial sale (DCS) customer is reaching the point of maturity for delivery now.”

Although the sale of the MS-110 is subject to International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR) controls in the US, Collins works with the US government on a case-by-case basic, to allow either a DCS or Foreign Military Sale (FMS).

“We have a solution called indefinite delivery/indefinite quantity (IDIQ) contract which sets pricing so that when a country asks for the product, the pricing has been previously set. It is a great mechanism for cutting the timeline on acquisition. We already have our first IDIQ award and second MS-110 customer currently underway. We can now see building demand,” confirmed Braxevanis.

middle east

An artists impression of the World Defence Show site.

Elements of the Saudi Army during an exercise.

WORLD DEFENCE SHOW GULF DEFENCE SPECIAL REPORT An Armada International / Asian Military Review Special Preview ahead of the World Defence Show, 6-9 March 2022, in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, including a review of the development and growth of the Gulf defence industry and examinations of the aviation and maritime defence sectors.

By Andrew Drwiega

T

he World Defense Show is the latest in a growing number of defence and aerospace events in the Gulf region, joining the longstanding events of IDEX and Dubai Airshow in the United Arab Emirates, as well as the smaller Bahrain Airshow.

In 2020, global defence spending reached $1.83 trillion, according to a report by Fenella McGerty of the International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS) in London. Of this,

the Middle East and North Africa took an 8.9 percent share. With the economies of the member nations of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) largely depending on oil revenue, with the dip in the price of oil due to the global recession brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic, collective defence spending dropped. As the IISS report revealed, “its share of global defence spending fell to 8.9 percent, from a peak of 10.5 percent in 2017.

This is despite the region allocating by far the

greatest proportion of economic output to defence, at 5.2 percent of GDP compared to the global average of 2.08 percent.”

In 2021, Saudi Arabia’s defence budget was estimated at $67.6 billion; United Arab Emirates $22.7 billion; Oman $8.6 billion; Kuwait $6.8 billion; Qatar $6 billion; Bahrain $1.4 billion (source: World Population Review).

But several of the GCC nations still have deep pockets when being able to afford some of the latest defence technologies, which also

february 2022 Asian Military Review 23

The UAE’s EDGE defence group exhibiting at last year’s Dubai Airshow.

allows them to buy in quantity. The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates lead the group by some margin followed by smaller but still significant defence budgets (in terms of their national gross domestic product) residing in the economies of the Sultanate of Oman, and the States of Bahrain and Kuwait.

The ideological battle between Shia and Sunni continues to destabilise the region, nowhere more so than in civil war in Yemen where the Hadi and Southern Transitional Council factions backed by a Saudi Arabian led coalition including the United Arab Emirates oppose the Iran backed Houthi movement.

Missile and unmanned aerial vehicle attacks have struck economic targets inside Saudi Arabia, but also a recent attack saw two foreign workers killed outside the airport at Abu Dhabi.

This spills over into regional maritime tension, particularly in the Persian Gulf, the Straits of Hormuz, around the Horn of Africa and the Red Sea. Maritime attacks have included the suicide bombing of the USS Cole by terrorists in a small boat on 12 October, 2000, which killed 17 US navy personnel, oil tankers damaged off the UAE port of Fujairah, Gulf of Oman in May 2019 and most recently mine and explosive boat attacks against commercial shipping off Jeddah late in 2020.

Accordingly naval power has been growing in importance.

Indigenous industry

The regional governments, for so long straight importers of military equipment, are now establishing their own defence industries.

Government policies are starting to add in elements of a percentage of annual acquisitions having to be bought from indigenous manufacturers. This has triggered a rapid growth of joint-ventures as international arms companies seek to insure their market share within each country.

Saudi Arabian Military Industries (SAMI) was launched in May 2017 with the strategic objective of establishing indigenous defence capacity that would allow 50 percent of government defence spending to remain within the country. To do this, six defence sectors have been selected for particular growth: aeronautics, weapons & missiles, defence electronics, land systems, emerging technologies, and building affiliated companies such as Aircraft Accessories and Components Company (AACC).

At the IDEX defence show in Abu Dhabi, UAE, during February 2021, several collaboration agreements were signed including one with Lockheed Martin to develop technology capabilities in addition to the production, maintenance, and repair of rotary and fixed-wing aircraft On 4 December 2021, SAMI and Airbus agreed a joint venture for the provision of military aviation services and maintenance, repair, and overhaul (MRO). According to SAMI chief executive Walid Abukhaled the deal was set to “capitalise on Airbus’ extensive experience and leading-edge capabilities to pave the way for the rapid growth of the military aviation services sector.” He noted that this would include technology transfer and would help to strengthen the local supply chain, building towards self-sufficiency in the years ahead.

At the same event there was also the first ever military industries agreement between Saudi and Emirati companies in the Kingdom, through a teaming agreement between EDGE (see below) and one of its cluster companies, NIMR (for the production of armoured vehicles).

In the UAE, the EDGE organisation was founded at the end of 2019 with the aim of modernising and expanding the UAE defence industry and helping to lead the development of new technology. It comprises five technology

24 Asian Military Review february 2022

NIMR

EDGE

middle east

A facility full of NIMR vehicles during the company's 20th Anniversay celebrations in December 2020 as an indigenous UAE wheeled military vehicle manufacturer.

clusters: Platforms & Systems, Missiles & Weapons, Cyber Defence, Electronic Warfare & Intelligence, and Mission Support.

The companies within the Platforms & Systems cluster can produce naval vessels, armoured and unarmoured vehicles and unmanned systems. The Missiles & Weapons cluster is focused on small arms and ammunition through to varieties of guided missile. The other clusters address a range of security issues, from cyber through to electronic warfare and its detection and suppression. The whole group has over 12,000 employees in 25 companies, with a revenue of over $5 billion. Some of the companies within the clusters have actually been in business for some time. In December 2020, military vehicle manufacturer NIMR celebrated its 20th Anniversary as a defence sector company.

At last year's Dubai Airshow in November, EDGE announced the it and a number of its cluster companies in aviation and aerospace had “signed 16 joint developments with several major industry players including Boeing, Embraer, Raytheon Emirates, CATIC, Lockheed Martin, L3Harris, IAI, GIFAS, STRATA, SANAD, LEIDOS and Ansys.”

World Defence Show

The World Defence Show was founded by Saudi Arabia’s General Authority for Military Industries (GAMI). It offers a 800,000 square metre purpose built area for exhibitors and conferences, as well as a integral runway for live aircraft displays.

There promises to be an International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS) Riyadh Defence Forum on 5 March, together with a number of programmes designed to connect both exhibitors and visitors with each other and members of the Saudi government. There will be a number of other areas including a StartUp feature, interoperability demonstration, and interactive command and control centre.

A flying display is also intended.

Al Jubail is the first of five Avante 2200 corvettes built by Navantia for the RNSF. Seen here conducting sea trials in September 2021 in the Bay of Cadiz the vessel is 104m-long and is fitted with CATIZ Combat System, the HERMESYS Integrated Communications System, the DORNA Firing Direction, the Integrated Platform Control System and the MINERVA Integrated Bridge.

GULF NAVAL RECAPITALISATION Gulf states have been investing defence budgets in to recapitalise naval power as well as indigenous shipyards.

by Tim Fish

D

isputes in the Gulf and wider Middle East over recent years has been the main driver for a rise in defence expenditure and efforts to enhance the capability of military forces.

Rivalry between Islamic Republic of Iran and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is one of the main causes of friction in the region but there is also quarrelling between the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries – called the intraGCC rift – that has further inflamed tensions.

GCC countries comprise Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Kuwait, the Sultanate of Oman, the Kingdom of Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates. These states occupy one of the most important strategic waterways in the world that can control access to the Persian Gulf and global oil supplies, therefore it is of interest to the major powers.

Saudi Arabia and Qatar have been struggling for dominance since the Arab Spring in 2011 when the governments in Riyadh and Doha took opposing sides and have also supported different groups in Libya, Egypt, Syria, Bahrain and in the ongoing

Yemen Civil War. Although these neighbours have never come to direct blows, they are each striving to use their influence to promote their own interests above the other.

According to Tom Waldwyn, a research analyst for defence and military analysis at the International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS), naval modernisation efforts in the GCC countries have gone towards recapitalising surface combatant fleets with new multirole frigates and corvettes.

“Several countries have also begun expanding the size and capabilities of maritime law enforcement forces likely due to greater instability at-sea resulting from the Yemen Civil War,” he told AMR, but added that Gulf state maritime modernisation “does not cover as great an extent of capabilities as procurement efforts in other domains.”

This is because any existential threat to the controlling regimes in these countries can only come from a land invasion to depose them and consequently investment has focussed on land and air procurement as a priority. Despite this preference naval procurement has seen significant funding.

Naval expansion

The Qatari Emiri Navy (QEN) has expanded considerably over the past decade as part of the wider modernisation of Qatar’s defence forces where billions have been spent on new fighter aircraft. Italian shipbuilder Fincantieri has been the main beneficiary on the naval side – the company signed a contract in June 2016 worth an estimated $3.9-5.6 billion (€3.5-5 billion) to provide the QEN with new ships to drastically enhance its naval capabilities.

“Qatar’s $5.65bn contract with Fincantieri for corvettes, offshore patrol vessels (OPVs) and an amphibious assault ship (a separate contract with Leonardo will provide helicopters) will provide the most significant naval upgrade on an existing fleet in the region and will present numerous challenges including training, infrastructure and operations,” Waldwyn said.

In 2018 Qatar ordered 28 NHI NH90 helicopters, 12 of which are NATO Frigate Helicopter (NFH) naval variants. Leonardo announced on 3 January 2022 that the first NFH variants will be delivered ‘soon after qualification in the coming months’ following the delivery of the Qatar Emiri Air Force’s first

february 2022 Asian Military Review 25

Navantia

sea power

Navantia

sea power

Navantia launches the RNSF’s final Avante 2200 corvette, Unayzah, in December 2021. The fourth ship, Jazan, was launched just a few months earlier in July 2021 highlighting the rapid rate of construction of the ships, which will all be delivered in 2024. The Al Sarawat project is one of the key procurement programmes for the RNSF.

a new based in Al Daayen in July 2019 and has received a new fleet of 48m-long patrol ships from Turkish shipbuilder Ares Shipyard.

In terms of spending Saudi Arabia is providing the largest sums to the Royal Saudi Navy Forces (RNSF) and it is one of the biggest defence spenders globally. It has a series of projects under its Saudi Naval Expansion Programme II (SNEP II) that is worth in excess of $20 billion.

“Saudi Arabia has approximately $10bn worth of ongoing naval and coast guard

Fincantieri

TTH variant on 11 December. Deliveries will be completed in 2025.

In October 2021, Fincantieri delivered the first of four new Al Zubarah-class (formerly Doha-class) air defence corvettes to the QEN. The second ship, Damsah, was launched in February 2021, along with keel laying for the fourth vessel, Sumaysimah. Ship 3, Al Khor, was launched in October 2021 and deliveries are expected in 2022-2023.

At the same event, Fincantieri also launched the first of the two new OPVs for the QEN. Named Musherib, the OPV is due to be delivered at the end of January 2022 as AMR went to press. The second OPV, Sheraouh, was launched in June 2021 and is also due for delivery in mid-2022. Qatar wants these new vessels in-service by the start of the 2022 Football World Cup tournament.

Construction of the new landing platform dock (LPD) amphibious ship started at Fincantieri’s Palmero facility and will be launched at the end of 2022 before a handover at Muggiano in 2024.

Until recently the QEN consisted of a handful of Barzan-class fast attack craft. The QEN has also received 17 patrol craft from Ares Shipbuilding in Turkey and it received the Al Doha training ship from Anadolu Shipyard, also a Turkish yard in August 2021.

A second training ship, Al Shamal, due in 2022. Integrating all these new platforms, sensors and weapons is going to be difficult for a country of 2.3 million people. Qatar has also expanded its General Directorate of Coastal and Border Security (GDCBS) which opened

procurement with the most valuable programme being the $6bn Multi Mission Surface Combatant (MMSC) programme, with Lockheed Martin, to acquire four frigates based on the Freedom-class Littoral Combat Ship (LCS) design,” Waldwyn said. “These will likely replace the four 1980s-era Madina-class frigates.”

The MMSC contract was signed in October 2016 under a Foreign Military Sales (FMS) agreement with the US. Lockheed Martin’s Marinette Marine shipyard started construction of the first frigate, named Saud, in October 2019 and began work on the second ship in January 2021.

VinardiMeanwhile in December 2021, Spanish shipbuilder Navantia launched Unayzah, the fifth and final Avante 2200 corvette for the RNSF under the Al-Sarawat programme. A contract $2 billion for the quintet was signed between the Saudi Arabian Military Industries (SAMI) organisation in July 2018. Unayzah will be delivered in February 2024. The fourth ship, Jazan, was launched in July 2021.

“Saudi Arabia’s deal with Navantia for Avante 2200 frigates includes the establishment of a joint venture to work on a combat management system and sales of it in the region but does not include shipbuilding work or offsets,” Waldwyn explained. The SAMINavantia joint venture undertook project management and development work.

The new CMS is named HAZEM that was developed with technology transfer from Navantia and is part of Riyadh’s ‘Saudi Vision 2030’ effort to spend at least 50 percent of its defence budget in-country.

The launch of the Al Khor (F103) corvette for the QEN at Fincantieri’s Muggiano facility. The ship is fitted with the Marlin naval remote weapon station, RIM-116 RAM, Kronos 3D radar, Thesan mine avoidance sonar and Athena Combat Management System. It has an endurance of 21 days and there is also space to operate RHIBs.

26 Asian Military Review february 2022

Fincantieri

sea power

The delivery of Al Zubarah (F101), the QEN’s first corvette from Fincantieri. At 107m-long and displacing 3,250t the ships are fitted with the Aster 30 Block 1NT air defence missile, MM40 Exocet Block 3 anti-ship missile, Oto Melara 76mm gun and has space for a NH90 NFH helicopter.

Earlier plans to build the fourth and fifth frigates in Saudi Arabia under the SAMINavantia Joint Venture (JV) appear to have come to nothing as there is no naval shipbuilding industry in the country and it was likely too costly to set up a new shipyard.

However final integration of a combat management system and delivery of Jazan and Unayzah will be completed by the JV in Saudi Arabia.

Waldwyn said that despite the lack of a shipbuilding sector that a Saudi Coast Guard contract signed in 2018 with French shipbuilder CMN Group for 39 HSI32 interceptor patrol vessels does include the assembly “of 20 of them in Saudi Arabia by Zamil Offshore Services” at its Dammam yard.

This could indicate the first steps in developing some initial form of local industrial capability.

The third GCC country experiencing a naval build-up is the UAE, which is acquiring new surface combatants and an amphibious vessel that Waldwyn said being used to “reinforce operations in Yemen as well as Emirati bases in Africa” as a close ally of Saudi Arabia.

It is also the only country that is developing its own naval industrial base through Abu Dhabi Shipbuilding (ADSB). The company built six Baynunah-class corvettes for the UAE Navy delivered in the early 2010s although it still had to acquire the major systems, sub-systems and weaponry from overseas.

In May 2021, ADSB announced that it

has signed a $952 million (AED3.5 billion) contract with the UAE to build four Falaj 3-class OPVs for the UAE Navy. The Falaj 3 design is based on the Fearless-class patrol ship design from Singaporean shipbuilder ST Engineering. In November 2021 ST Engineering won a sub-contract from ADSB to supply design, platform equipment and technical assistance on the programme.

Earlier in February 2021 another UAE shipbuilder, Al Fattan Group, completed delivery of the Al Saadiyat (L72) logistics ship that was commissioned into the UAE Navy. Although based on a landing craft it will provide the UAE Navy with the ability to conduct expeditionary operations and support the UAE’s overseas ambitions.

Meanwhile in December 2021, French shipbuilder Naval Group launched, Bani Yas, the first of a pair of new Gowind 2500 corvettes for the UAE Navy. The second ship is due to be launched in 2022 and the pair will be commissioned within six months of each other. The contract for the pair was signed in 2019.

Elsewhere in the GCC there has been little naval development in recent years. The Royal Navy of Oman completed its fleet recapitalisation effort with the procurement of three Khareef-class corvettes from BAE Systems and four Al Ofouq-class patrol ships from ST Engineering in the early 2010s and in its 2021 budget it has reduced defence

expenditure. Waldwyn said that Bahrain and Kuwait have small navies that have seen “limited recent modernisation” because “other services have been prioritised.” Bahrain hosts the US Fifth Fleet at Manama, which gives the island state a certain amount of maritime security it would not otherwise possess. That said, the Bahrain Naval Force commissioned Al Zubara, a former UK Royal Navy Riverclass patrol ship into service in February 2021 along with two 35m-long Fast Patrol Vessels from US shipbuilder Swiftships and five ex-US Navy MkV patrol boats.

Looking ahead the GCC countries are likely to continue to source the majority of their naval platforms and systems from the US and Europe and these companies will secure the lion’s share of the lucrative contracts.

Waldwyn said there have been some modest sales to the GCC from outside its traditional American and European supplier network but “these were based on political relationships rather than winning in open competition.

“Gulf states may diversify their suppliers but will continue to import complex naval vessels into the near future.”

He added that the efforts to grow the local defence industry, “most noticeably in Saudi Arabia and the UAE, through offset agreements and joint ventures will likely mean some growth in shipbuilding, or subsystem manufacture, capability by the end of the decade.”

february 2022 Asian Military Review 27

BAE Systems

middle east

Royal Saudi Air Force Eurofighter Typhoons are operated by Wing 2 at King Fahad Air Base at Taif.

CHASING THE MIDDLE EAST TOP GUNS In the last decade, the Middle East has become the happy hunting ground for Fourth Plus-generation fighter aircraft manufacturers.

By David Oliver

I

t began in 2007 when Saudi Arabia signed a $5.9 billion (£4.4 billion) contract with BAE Systems for 72 Eurofighter Typhoons. They are operated by the Royal Saudi Air Force (RSAF) Wing 2 at King Fahad Air Base at Taif.

RSAF has also taken delivery of 84 Boeing F-15 Saudi Advanced (SA) Strike Eagles as part of a $29 billion United States Foreign Military Sale (FMS) agreement signed in 2010.

However, President Biden’s administration has already expressed its intention to only sell ‘defensive’ weapons systems to Saudi Arabia during his term in office.

In March 2018, a Memorandum of Intent (MoI) for the additional 48 Typhoons was signed during Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman's visit to the United Kingdom but the sale has yet to be officially confirmed.

The 2021 Saudi defence budget decreased by 10 percent compared to 2020, with military expenditures down to $46 billion according to the kingdom’s fiscal statement.

In December 2012 by a $3.3 billion (£2.5 billion) contact for 12 Typhoons, nine of which were single-seat Tranche 3 aircraft, and

28 Asian Military Review february 2022

The RSAF now flies its in-country built BAE Systems Hawk 165 Advanced Jet Trainers.

RAF

middle east

Eurofighter Typhoons equip the Royal Air Force of Oman’s re-formed No 8 Squadron based at it new Adam Air Base.

eight Hawk Mk166 Advanced Jet Trainers (AJTs), the last of which was delivered in April 2019. Operated by the re-formed No 8 Squadron, the Typhoons are based at Adam Air Base, a new military airfield was built 100 miles (160 km) southwest of Muscat.

Twenty-eight Eurofighter Typhoons, comprising six twin-seater and 22 single-seat aircraft, are being acquired by Kuwait under a 2016 contract valued at US$8.7 billion.

This also includes the training of pilots and ground personnel by the Italian Air Force and Leonardo, as well as logistics and an initial operational support package for three years. Italy's Leonardo delivered the first two Eurofighters in December 2021 and delivery of all the Typhoons will be completed by the end of 2023. They will eventually be joined by Boeing F/A-18E/F Super Hornets the sale of which was submitted to the US Congress for approval in September 2016. A $10.1 billion contract for 22 Boeing Super Hornets with an option for an additional 10 aircraft to replace the Kuwait Air Force’s fleet of 27 F/A-18C Hornets was signed in November 2016.

The Qatar Emiri Air Force (QEAAF) is set to quadruple the size of its combat aircraft inventory having signed a $6.92 billion

contract covering the supply of 24 Dassault Rafales in May 2015. Twelve more were added to the original order in December 2017 and Qatar retains an option to buy up to 36 more.

The Rafale EQ/DQ aircraft belong to the IQEAAF’s 1st Fighter Wing based at Tamim.

In September 2016, the sale of 72 Boeing F-15s, was submitted to the US Congress for approval and a contract for 36 F-15QAs, based on the Saudi F-15SA, plus an option for 36 additional aircraft, valued at $21.1 billion, was signed in November 2016. The FA-15QA Ababil multirole fighters are based at Al-Udeid Air Base.

Exactly a year later the QEAF ordered 24 Eurofighter Typhoons from BAE Systems as part of a $8 billion (£6 billion) contract which included nine Hawk AJTs and a support and training package. This included reforming the RAF’s No 12 Squadron in 2018, is first joint squadron since World War Two. Qatari pilots and ground crew have been learning how to fly and maintain the Typhoon at RAF Coningsby in the UK since June 2020, with RAF personnel providing training both in the air and on the ground as they prepared to accept the first Typhoons which will be delivered in 2022.

In 2011 the QEAF had evaluated the Lockheed Martin F-35A Lightning II but decided that it was a quantum leap for an air force operating small numbers of obsolete Alpha Jet light attack aircraft and fourthgeneration Mirage 2000-5s.

In 2015, Egypt became the Dassault Rafale's first international customer when it ordered 24 Rafales, as part of a larger worth $5.9 billion In January 2016, Egypt received six aircraft are two-seat Rafale DMs that were diverted from delivery to the French Air Force.

In May 2021, France agreed to sell Egypt an additional 30 Rafales in a $4.8 billion deal to be funded through a loan repayable over a minimum of 10 years. They are operated by the EAF’s 203 Tactical Fighter Wing based at Gebel el Basur Air Force Base near Cairo.

In July 2018 the Israeli Air Force hosted a military delegation from the United Arab Emirates (UAE) to review operations of its F-35 Lightning II fighter aircraft. Israel is the only country in the Middle East that has the F-35A in its inventory, and the only nation at the time to deploy the fighter in combat missions. Although not having formal diplomatic ties, Israel and the UAE are cooperating in security matters as way to

february 2022 Asian Military Review 29

EAF

middle east

30 Asian Military Review february 2022

Egypt became the Dassault Rafale's first international customer when it ordered 24 Rafales in 2015, and another 30 in 2021.

IAF

counteract the growing influence of Iran in the region. The unprecedented visit came as the UAE sort to purchase its own fleet of the F-35.

In the final days of the Trump administration, the US approved a defence package for the UAE worth an estimated US$23 billion for a fleet of 50 F-35s, as well as MQ-9 Reaper UAVs and assorted munitions.

On 3 December 2021 it was announced that the UAE had signed a $18 billion contract for 80 Rafale F4s and 12 Airbus H225M Caracal helicopters from France.

"This deal is not considered as an alternative for the forthcoming F-35 deal, it is rather a complementary deal as we develop our air force capabilities," said Major General Ibrahim Nasser Al Alawi, commander of the UAE Air Force and Air Defence, in a statement meant to reassure his US ally that the Rafale jets would just replace the UAEAF's Mirage 2000 fleet. However, a UAE official stated that the UAE had informed the US that it will suspend discussions to acquire the F-35.

Technical and security requirements, sovereign operational restrictions imposed by the Biden administration and the cost/benefit analysis had led to the reassessment. It is also likely that the F-35As the US may sell the UAE will almost certainly be more limited than Israeli Air Force F-35I Adirs.

Israel is the first country on the Middle East to operate the Lockheed Martin Lightning II, F-35I Adir.

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february 2022 Asian Military Review 31

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