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Contents MARCH/APRIL 2015 VOLUME 23 / ISSUE 2

Malaysian Modernises Malaysia is on the cusp of performing a number of important modernisation efforts across its armed forces, as Dzirhan Mahadzir finds out.

Front Cover Photo: As of early February, India was reportedly close to signing the long-awaited deal to acquire 126 Dassault Rafale Multi-Role Combat Aircraft (MRCA) from the French manufacturer. This, and other MRCAs, are examined in David Oliver’s ‘The Generation Game’ article. (French Air Force)

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The Hurt Locker The Generation Game David Oliver examines the several fifth-generation multi-role combat aircraft programmes in and around the Asia-Pacific region.

Coast Guards Coastal surveillance radars, using several technological approaches, are helping to protect ports, coastlines and harbours around the world, explains Thomas Withington.

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Up-gunning the God of War Investment is flowing into the procurement of artillery in the AsiaPacific with both towed and selfpropelled systems on the shopping list, Stephen Miller finds out.

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The appeal of non-lethal weapons is deepening throughout the Asia-Pacific, Andrew White explains, offering a means to diffuse potentially deadly encounters and enhance security.

PULSE

Peter Donaldson examines several emerging technologies which are assisting dismounted troops in gathering reconnaissance.

MARCH/APRIL 2015

The use of computer technology for infantry training is increasing, both in the Asia-Pacific region and the wider world, Claire Apthorp discovers.

06 Thomas Withington’s regular column providing all of the latest news and analysis regarding events in the defence radio frequency domain.

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Editorial

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OBAMACARE

ndo-United States defence relations deepened further in late-January following the visit of President Barack Obama to New Delhi to meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi, which included a ring-side seat for the US head of state to enjoy the spectacle of India’s annual Republic Day celebrations. The impressive military parade held in New Delhi as part of the festivities made a fitting backdrop to the discussions of the two men regarding their strategic cooperation.

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This could include the co-production of materiel by the United States and India, and provisions for the transfer of US technology, under the Defence Trade and Technology Initiative (DTTI). The DTTI was launched by the two countries in 2012, and was intended to deepen bilateral defence cooperation. The agreement will now be expanded to cover the co-production of the AeroVironment RQ-11 Raven Unmanned Aerial Vehicle, roll-on/roll-off reconnaissance systems for the Indian Air Force’s twelve Lockheed Martin C-130J turboprop freighters, individual soldier chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear protection equipment, and hybrid electric power sources.

Away from defence industrial matters, the visit had important consequences for enhancing strategic cooperation. For example, bilateral military exercises are expected to grow in frequency over the coming years. Intelligence-sharing on maritime security issues could also expand. India and the United States have a strong desire to maintain stability in the Indian Ocean, an issue which directly affects the economies of both. Moreover, instability and continuing political violence in Pakistan is also a grave concern.

Since the beginning of the century, defence links between India and the United States have grown. The 2009 purchase by India of Boeing P-8I Poseidon maritime patrol aircraft and the purchase of C-17 Globemaster-III turbofan airlifters from the same firm are two of the ‘big ticket’ defence procurements made in recent years. Mr. Obama’s January visit indicates that joint defence production may now be on the cards, beyond additional purchases of materiel, plus the expansion of strategic ties. Is India emerging as Uncle Sam’s new best friend in South Asia?

Thomas Withington, Editor

Editor: Thomas Withington Tel: (33) 562 271 697, E-mail: t_withington@hotmail.com

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PULSE

by Thomas Withington The AN/TPS-80 Ground/Air Task Oriented Radar for the United States Marine Corps, plus Qatar’s satellite communications initiative and the ongoing roll-out of the Joint Tactical Radio System in the United States are among the developments discussed in this edition’s Pulse.

Radar

Northrop Grumman, which is building the AN/TPS-80 Ground/Air Task Oriented Radar (G/ATOR) air surveillance system for the United States Marine Corps (USMC), has given Pulse an update on its planned deliveries for the service. In lateOctober 2014 the firm was awarded a Low-Rate Initial Production (LRIP) contract worth $207.7 million which covers the delivery of four radars to the USMC, according to Mark Smith, director of business development at Northrop Grumman.

“These initial LRIP systems will be delivered to the Marine Corps during 2016 and 2017,” Mr. Smith adds.

The S-band (2.3-2.5/2.7-3.7 Gigahertz) AN/TPS-80 uses an Active Electronically-Scanned Array (AESA) and can perform a wide range of tasks from air surveillance to air traffic control. The radar can be mounted on a trailer or on the back of an AM General HMMWV (High Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicle), and will be progressively upgraded through four incremental

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Northrop Grumman has delivered its first AN/APG-83 Scalable Agile Beam Radar to Lockheed Martin as part of an initiative to upgrade General Dynamics/Lockheed Martin F-16A/B multi-role combat aircraft operated by the Taiwanese Air Force © Northrop Grumman

improvements once it enters service. These improvements will add additional functionality such as the ability to perform short-range air defence and baseline IFF (Interrogation Friend or Foe) functions (Increment 1); counter battery and artillery location via a software upgrade (Increment 2); IFF enhancements, improved countermeasures resistance, and health and usage monitoring (Increment 3); and air traffic control functions (Increment 4).

The USMC is expected to receive 17 Increment 1 AN/TPS-80s, 38 Increment 2/3 systems, and 14 Increment 4 radars. These radars will replace four different systems which the USMC currently has in service, namely the AN/TPS-63 L-band (1.215-1.4GHz) low-level tactical air defence radar, the AN/TPS-73 S-band and L-band

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primary and secondary air traffic control radar, AN/MPQ-62 continuous wave target acquisition radar for the Raytheon MIM-23 Hawk ground-based air defence system, the AN/TPQ-46 counterbattery radar and the AN/UPS-3 short-range air defence radar.

Staying with Northrop Grumman, the company announced on 12 December 2014 that it had delivered its first AN/APG-83 Scalable Agile Beam Radar (SABR) AESA system to Lockheed Martin. The firm delivered an Engineering, Manufacturing and Development (EMD) radar which it said in an official press release accompanying the announcement is identical to the AN/APG-83 production radar configuration. The APG-83 radar was selected to fulfil the United States’ Air Force (USAF) Radar Modernisation Upgrade component of the Combat Avionics Programmed Extension Suite (CAMPS) initiative led by Lockheed Martin to extend the life of the General Dynamics/Lockheed Martin F-16C/D Block-50/52 Fighting Falcon Multirole Combat Aircraft flown by the USAF, and also the F16A/B MRCA variant operated by the Taiwanese Air Force.

Northrop Grumman has used many of the design features of the company’s AN/APG-77 and AN/APG-81 AESA radars which already outfit the USAF’s Lockheed Martin F-22A RaptorII air superiority fighter and F-35A/B/C Lightning-II MRCA. This has reduced development costs and will reduce the number of separate spare parts that the USAF needs to maintain in its inventory for the maintenance, repair and overall of these radars.

An added attraction is that aircrew transitioning between the AN/APG-83, AN/APG-77 and AN/APG-81 will find a high level of commonality between the modus operandi of these radars. Initial deliveries of the SABR are planned for 2016, although Northrop Grumman is not yet under contract to provide the radar to the USAF.

In terms of performance, the SABR is thought to be an X-band system, although this has not been confirmed by the company, operating in the frequency range of 8.5 to 10.68 gigahertz. The range of the radar, which has also not been revealed, will almost certainly allow the detection of targets in the air across hundreds of nautical miles.

In the naval domain, Thales announced on 19 December 2014 that it would be equipping the Koninklijke Marine (Royal Netherlands Navy) HNLMS Rotterdam eponymous class amphibious support ship with a new NS100 naval surveillance radar. The radar is expected to be installed on the vessel by the end of 2017. The NS100 is a three-dimensional radar which can perform air and surface surveillance. It transmits in the S-band and uses an AESA. The radar’s instrumented range is the region of 108nm (200km), and it offers up to 70 degrees of elevation coverage. The radar is also equipped with an integrated Identification Friend or Foe (IFF) interrogator compatible with the Mode-5/S North Atlantic Treaty Organisation and International Civil Aviation Organisation transponder protocols.

The NS100 will replace the Thales DA08 naval surveillance radar currently installed on the ship. The DA08 radar is also an S-band system and has a similar range, although it is now three decades old and uses a conventional as opposed to an AESA antenna. The new radar will bring improvements in terms of maintenance and performance in comparison to the legacy DA08.

In mid-December 2014, Terma announced that it had been selected to equip the Royal Navy’s new ‘River’ class offshore patrol vessels with its SCANTER 4103 naval surveillance radar.

The Senior Service will acquire a total of eight vessels, four of which have been commissioned, with a fifth, HMS Forth, under

The Royal Navy’s ‘River’ class offshore patrol vessel HMS Clyde is seen here on patrol in the South Atlantic. The latter three ships in the ‘River’ class are to receive the Terma SCANTER 4103 naval surveillance radar © Terma

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L3 Linkabit’s RMPM-1000 satellite communications modem was recently put through its paces in a series of trials involving fixed, mobile and ship-borne satellite communications used by the Canadian armed forces © L3 Linkabit

construction and two additional vessels, HMS Medway and HMS Trent currently on order. These latter three ships are expected to be delivered in the 2017/18 timeframe. Terma has declined to reveal how many radars it will be delivering to equip the ‘River’ class vessels, although it has been reported that these radars will be delivered to equip the final three vessels discussed above which are currently under construction. Deliveries are expected to commence in 2016. The SCANTER 4103 forms part of Terma’s SCANTER 4100 family. This X-band two-dimensional air and surface surveillance radar provides coverage up to a range of 90nm (167km).

The radar can track 500 surface targets and up to 100 supersonic and subsonic air targets. Frequency and time diversity help to protect the radar against electronic countermeasures.

SATCOM

Qatar is expected to commence the deployment of its new military Satellite Communications (SATCOM) system during 2015.

Thales was selected by the country to supply the ground component of this system in October 2014. Services to this end are provided using Qatar’s Es’hail-1 satellite, which was launched on 29 August 2013. Military SATCOM services will expand further in 2016 when Qatar will gain a second Ka-band (26.5-40GHzUplink/18-20GHz–Downlink) military communications satellite called Es’hail-2. According to Georges Touloupas, vice president of mobile SATCOM networks at Thales, the firm is providing “a complete system with the ground hub, the network operations centre, along with fixed and deployable terminals, mobile and fixed stations and naval stations.” These will be provided by Thales and third parties. They will be interoperable with the Qatari armed forces Very High Frequency and Ultra High Frequency (VHF – 30 to 300 megahetrz/UHF – 300 megahertz to three gigahertz) tactical communications, and civilian cellular telephone networks. The deployment of the SATCOM system is expected to commence in 2015, and “will be rolled out over the next few years”, Mr. Touloupas adds. Thales’ Modem-21 SATCOM product is at the heart of the company’s provision for Qatar.

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According to Mr. Touloupas, this system has “robust anti-jamming capabilities, and very high performances”.

US defence electronics specialists L3 Linkabit announced on 18 December 2014 that it had demonstrated the ability of its RMPM1000 modem to create a fully meshed network using ground SATCOM terminals, plus vehicle and ship-mounted terminals as part of a test for the Canadian Communications Research Centre and the Royal Canadian Navy. The test used X-band (7.9-8.4GHzUplink/7.25-7.75GHz–Downlink) and Ka-band fixed, mobile and ship-borne terminals transmitting across the US Department of Defence Wideband Global SATCOM-3 (WGS-3) satellite.

These terminals were used to carry L3 Linkabit’s Network Centric Waveform (NCW). According to a statement provided to Pulse by the company the NCW can be transmitted across Cband (5.925-6.425GHz-Uplink/3.7-4.2GHz–Downlink), X-band and Ka-band links. The statement adds that the NCW “is a broadband waveform” which can carry “any type of internet protocol traffic such as voice, data or imagery”. The NCW is used by L3 Linkabit’s RMPM-1000 modem which has two independent uplink and four independent downlink channels with a current data throughput rate of four megabits-per-second (mbps), with the scope to extend this throughput to 13mbps. The statement adds that this will give “an aggregate of 26mbps on the uplink and an aggregate of 52mbps on the downlink”.

Tactical Radio

US tactical radio specialists Harris announced on 19 December 2014 its award of an order worth $18 million for the supply of the company’s RF-7800V Very High Frequency handheld radio, to be integrated with the company’s RF-7800I vehicle intercom system from the government of the Philippines. These new radios will equip the country’s army. The size of the order in terms of the number of radios and intercoms to be delivered to the Philippines has not been revealed. Deliveries are expected to commence in 2015, although it has not been stated when they will conclude. The radios and the vehicle intercoms will equip the

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Philippines Army’s BAE Systems’ M113A1/A2 armoured personnel carriers, of which the force operates circa 262. The radio itself contains a built-in Global Positioning System receiver and the ability to handle tactical internet data.

Communications security is provided by the radio’s integral Citadel-II encryption and Advanced Encryption Standard protocols. Up to 192 kilobits-persecond of data can be handled by the radio, with up to 64 users being housed on a single network using Harris’ Time Division Multiple Access waveform, with the company’s Quicklook ECCM (Electronic Counter-Counter Measure) waveform further enhancing security.

The United States is to move forward with the next stage of its Rifleman radio acquisition. The Rifleman programme forms part of the US armed forces’ Joint Tactical Radio System (JTRS) initiative which is outfitting the US Navy, air force, army and Marine Corps with new handheld, manpack, vehicular, airborne, fixed and maritime radios. The Rifleman initiative constitutes part of the JTRS HMS (Handheld, Manpack and Small Form Fit) procurement. To date, both Thales and General Dynamics have been providing the AN/PRC-154 UHF handheld radio since June 2011 under a Low Rate Initial Production (LRIP) contract awarded by the US Army for the supply of 6250 radios. A second LRIP contract was awarded by the US Army in September 2012 covering the delivery of a further 13000 AN/PRC-154 radios. The AN/PRC-154 replaces the Thales AN/PRC-148 MBITR Multiband Inter/Intra Team Radio which has been declared Software Communications Architecture 2.2 compliant by the Joint Tactical Networking Centre (JTNC) based in San Diego, California. The JTNC manages the software architecture and the waveforms to be used by the radios procured as part of the JTRS initiative.

The AN/PRC-154 also replaces the Harris AN/PRC-152 Multiband Handheld Radio which operates in the VHF range. The AN/PRC-154 carries the Soldier Radio Waveform (SRW) to allow communications for dismounted troops and small units at the squad and platoon levels.

The radio carries 50 preset channels and can host up to three talk groups per preset channel. On 6 January 2015, the US Army issued a solicitation for an indefinite delivery, indefinite quantity contract, the award of which is expected to occur by the end of 2015, with production commencing in 2017. Ultimately, the army expects to field over 193,200 Rifleman radios, including the circa 21300 which it has already purchased from Thales and General Dynamics are both providing the AN/PRC-154 handheld radio to the US Army. The force now plans to procure over 193,200 Rifleman radios which will supplement these transceivers © Thales

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PULSE QUICK-I/II air-to-ground/ground-to-air and ground-to-ground waveforms, plus the Wideband Networking Waveform (WNW) and the WIN-T (Warfighter Information Network-Tactical) mobile Satellite Communications waveform. WIN-T utilises the US DoD Mobile User Objective System satellite constellation.

Whereas the SRW is used by individual troops at the squad and platoon levels, the WNW is designed to provide communications between aircraft and vehicles, and between command posts and company and battalion levels.

Electronic Warfare

The Philippines Army will receive the Harris RF-7800V Very High Frequency handheld radio integrated with the company’s RF-7800I vehicle intercom system. These will equip the Philippines Army’s BAE Systems M113A1/A2 armoured personnel carriers © Raytheon

Thales and General Dynamics. The force is not expected to award a contract to a single vendor for the remainder of the Rifleman radios beyond those ordered from the two companies. Instead, it will evaluate radios from several vendors in tests so as to take advantage of emerging technologies in the fields of processing power, battery life and size, weight and power consumption as and when these become available.

In other JTRS news, General Dynamics and Rockwell Collins announced in mid-January that they had delivered over 1200 AN/PRC-155 manpack radios to the US Army. The AN/PRC-155 forms the manpack component of the JTRS HMS programme. The contract for these radios was awarded in January 2014 calling for the production of 1500 AN/PRC-155s. The full delivery of all of these systems is expected to conclude by March. An initial batch of radios was ordered in July 2011 for 100 systems, with a second contract for 3725 AN/PRC-155s in November 2012, followed by the January 2014 order for 1500 examples.

The radio itself is a two-channel system which can carry an array of waveforms including the SRW, plus the legacy Single Channel Ground and Airborne Radio System and the HAVE

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The United States Navy is examining the possibility of extending its Surface Electronic Warfare Improvement Programme, which is enhancing the ship-borne Raytheon AN/SLQ-32 family of electronic warfare suites, into the airborne domain. The Advanced Offboard Electronic Warfare (AOEW) initiative could see the service’s Sikorsky MH-60R/S Seahawk maritime support helicopters installed with a variant of the AN/SLQ-32 to extend ship-borne electronic warfare capabilities over the horizon.

To this end, the US Navy announced that it expects to award a contract for Block-1 of the AOEW by the end of 2015. The US Naval Sea Systems Command, based in Washington DC, closed a competition in November 2014 for the preliminary design and low-rate initial production phase of the AOEW initiative. The primary raison d’etre of the AOEW programme is to help protect surface ships against anti-ship missiles such as the Russian SS-N-2 and NPO Mashinotroyeniya P-800 Oniks. The AOEW is intended to detect the radar emissions from the seekers used by these missiles and to jam them accordingly. The logic of positioning the AOEW architecture onboard a maritime support helicopter is to afford a degree of stand-off range for the ship to allow the jamming of the missile when it is some way from its intended target.

Staying with naval EW, Exelis has revealed that the Marinen (Royal Swedish Navy) will begin taking deliveries of the company’s ES-3701 naval Electronic Support Measure (ESM) within the next two years, according to a written statement provided to Pulse.

The ESM will be delivered to the force to outfit its ‘Gotland’ and ‘Södermanland’ classes of conventional hunter-killer submarines.

The ES-3701 detects signals in the two to 18 gigahertz waveband covering the majority of naval surveillance radars, providing 360 degrees of azimuth detection. Exelis company literature states that the ES-3701 offers a one hundred percent probability of intercepting radar signals even in environments where up to one million pulses per second are being detected. The equipment’s threat library can accommodate up to 10000 records and up to 500 signals can be tracked simultaneously. Customers have the option of increasing the detection range for the ES-3701 to 0.540GHz. This extension allows the ES-3701 to detect radar emissions from millimetre-wave anti-ship missiles. According to Exelis’ statement, it expected to conclude supplies of the ES-3701 to the Royal Swedish Navy in circa 2022, with between four and eight systems being delivered.

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REGIONAL

M I L I T A R I E S

MALAYSIA MODERNISES

The development of the Malaysian armed forces has been mixed over the past two years. A combination of fiscal issues for the Malaysian government and shifting priorities in response to domestic events have contributed to the country’s armed forces being unable to advance a number of their key development plans.

by Dzirhan Mahadzir

hese development plans include the army’s helicopter requirements, the Royal Malaysian Air Force’s (RMAF) Multi-Role Combat Aircraft (MRCA) programme and the Royal Malaysian Navy’s (RMN) Multi-Purpose Support Ship requirement. However two key programmes, namely the army’s Deftech AV-8 Gempita Infantry Fighting Vehicle (IFV) and the RMN’s Littoral Combat Ship programme are currently progressing as planned.

While part of the problem delaying the development of the Malaysian armed forces stemmed from the financial issues facing the Malaysian government, namely the lack of funds and the depreciating

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ringgit, the Malaysian armed forces have also been affected by shifting government priorities in regards to defence stemming from Malaysia’s security situation over the past two years.

In 2013, following the aftermath of an incursion by Sulu insurgents into the East Malaysian state of Sabah and the subsequent military operation against them, the Malaysian government formed the Eastern Sabah Security Command (ESSCOM). ESSCOM is responsible for security in the designated Eastern Sabah Security Zone (ESSZONE) and stated that it was prioritising the acquisition of Maritime Patrol Aircraft and Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) for surveillance of the waters off eastern Sabah,

The Royal Malaysian Air Force flies the MiG-29 Multi-Role Combat Aircraft. It is scheduled to be phased out by December 2015.

The Malaysian government has yet to decide upon a replacement for this aircraft © Dzirhan Mahadzir

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and attack helicopters to combat further incursions should they occur. However, none of these requirements have materialised into formal programmes due to the lack of finance.

In March 2014, following the loss of Malaysian Airlines flight MH370, an incident which remains unresolved, the government reprioritised the Malaysian armed forces requirement for the acquisition of ground-based air surveillance radars to provide adequate coverage of Malaysian airspace. Nevertheless, formal procurement programmes in this regard have not materialised. In addition, during 2014, a spate of kidnappings for ransom on the eastern Sabah coastline has triggered

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REGIONAL

M I L I T A R I E S

further priorities relating to securing the area with the accompanying purchase of Malaysian-manufactured Rigid-Hull Inflatable Boats (RHIBs) for use in operations there. A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed in October 2014 between T-Com of the United States and Malaysia’s Bintang Kencana to provide T-Com’s aerostat surveillance systems for use by the Malaysian government.

From the MoU it appears the programme

The Deftech AV-8 Gempita Infantry Fighting Vehicle prototype. Twelve production vehicles designed to this specification were delivered in December 2014. A total of 257 vehicles in twelve variants have been ordered © Dzirhan Mahadzir

will see the provision of surveillance services to the to the Malaysian government by local company Bintang Kencana in regard to the aerostats, rather than the Malaysian government buying and operating them outright. A similar arrangement was already in place and ongoing for UAV surveillance with Malaysian company UST providing such service through the use of its Aludra and Insitu Scan Eagle UAVs.

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At same time, in regard to security of the waters off eastern Sabah, in May 2014, defence minister Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein announced the intention to have sea bases in the area to allow security forces to rapidly interdict intruders arriving by sea. This has formalised into two programmes; one covers the use of ships acting as mobile sea bases, the other being the use of modified ex-oil rigs which would be towed and placed in the area. The mobile sea base operation commenced in July 2014 with the RMN operating the auxiliary ship MT Bunga Mas 5 (on lease from Malaysian International Shipping Corporation/MISC) as a mobile sea base. The MT Bunga Mas 5 and her

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M I L I T A R I E S sister ship MT Bunga Mas 6 are both converted container ships which were modified to perform anti-piracy escort missions.

Although the RMN hopes to have the use of both ships on lease as mobile sea bases, MISC was only willing to release the MT Bunga Mas Lima (acquired by the RMN in 2009) with the MT Bunga Mas 6 being retained by MISC as a training ship for its Maritime Academy. Nevertheless, the RMN is in negotiations with MISC regarding the lease of two other ships from the firm for use as sea bases. RMN Chief Admiral Tan Sri Abdul Aziz Jaafar told the author that negotiations were ongoing to this end with the issue being the proportion of the costs to be borne by both parties in regard to the use of the two ships. The other programme, using modified ex-oil rigs as sea bases, will commence from April 2015 when the first of an expected three-to-four platforms will be deployed.

It is likely that no new major procurements will be undertaken in 2015 as this is the last year of the Tenth Plan covering the

2011-2015 timeframe. These five-year plans detail the Malaysian government’s spending intentions in all areas and as a general rule most of the key procurements are made in the first three years of the plan’s duration. Currently, the Malaysian armed forces have submitted their funding requests for the Eleventh Plan which will run between 2016-2020. These submissions will be reviewed by the government’s Economic Planning Unit tasked with formulating the plan and unveiling it in June 2015. It remains to be seen how many of the armed forces requests will be granted, particularly with the ringgit’s further depreciation (at the time of writing in early 2015) and a decline in the price of a oil which forms a significant part of the Malaysian government’s revenues.

The Malaysian armed forces have submitted their funding requests for the eleventh Malaysian Plan

Malaysian Army

The initial twelve AV-8 Gempita IFVs manufactured by Malaysia’s Deftech were handed over to the Malaysian Army on 6 December 2014. All twelve vehicles were delivered with a BAE Systems Sharpshooter turret carrying a 25mm cannon and assigned to the 19th Battalion, the Royal Malay Regiment. A total of 257 vehicles in twelve variants have been ordered and Deftech targets a delivery of 67 vehicles in 2015 and, assuming this production rate holds, all 257 vehicles will be delivered by the end of 2017. The Malaysian Army has yet to give any indication as to whether additional vehicles will be procured though given the investment made in manufacturing the AV-8, it is likely that a follow-on order could materialise once deliveries are completed. Of the 257 vehicles ordered, 48 will be delivered as IFVs, 68 will be supplied as the AFV-30 variant equipped with a Denel LCT-30 turret carrying a 30mm gun, 54 Anti-Tank Guided Weapon (ATGW) variants will also have the LCT-30 turret and a 30mm gun plus a Malaysian Army soldiers firing mortars during operations against Sulu insurgents in Sabah in 2013, the aftermath of which has resulted in the establishment of a security zone in the area to prevent further similar incursions and attacks © Malaysian Ministry of Defence

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bank of two Denel Dynamics Ingwe antitank missiles, while the remaining nine variants consist of specialised versions such as surveillance, mortar carrier, command, communications, engineering, and repair and recovery vehicles. Firing trials in South Africa are expected to be carried out in the first quarter of 2015 with the AFV-30 and ATGW types. Once successfully completed, deliveries of these variants should begin.

On 18 December 2014, deputy defence minister Datuk Abdul Rahim Bakri stated to parliament that the Malaysian Army had requested, under the Eleventh Plan six attack helicopters required for security operations in the ESSZONE. He also stated to parliament that as an interim measure the Malaysian Cabinet, on 3 December 2014, had approved the purchase of ten Hybrid M134D-H Gatling guns and

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A Malaysian Army AgustaWestland AW-109 light utility helicopter during a demonstration display at the DSA 2014 exhibition. The army’s AW-109s will soon be armed with Hybrid M134D-H Gatling guns to improve their capabilities © Dzirhan Mahadzir

mounts for the Army Air Corps AgustaWestland AW-109 light utility helicopter fleet. It was not specified whether the number of guns purchased constituted a one-for-one acquisition to equip the army’s ten-strong AW-109 fleet.

The army has yet to publicly reveal its request under the Eleventh Plan but it is expected that these will include programmes held over from the Tenth Plan, such as the acquisition of Multiple Rocket Launchers (MRLs) to form a third regiment supplementing the two Avibras Astros II MRLs regiments, plus self-propelled artillery and additional 120mm mortars to add to the ones in service.

Other requests are expected to include

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new four-wheel drive tactical and utility vehicles, the establishment of an additional division of troops to add to the division stationed in East Malaysia, and a squadron of utility helicopters.

Royal Malaysian Navy

Admiral Tan Sri Abdul Aziz Jaafar announced on 7 January in his new year address to the RMN that the service had requested funding under the Eleventh Plan of 2016-2020 for 36 programmes estimated to cost a total of $2.8 billion including the provision of eight missile corvettes, six maritime support helicopters, small craft for operations in East Malaysia and the replacement of obsolete missile and

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The Malaysian Army operates the Avibras Astros II Multiple Rocket Launcher; currently the army has two regiments of 18 launchers each, but existing plans call for a third regiment to be established in the near future © Dzirhan Mahadzir

torpedo systems on existing RMN ships.

How much of this will be granted remains to be seen given the current financial situation of Malaysia.

The Multi-Purpose Support Ship was not requested by the RMN under the Eleventh Plan but instead has been put forward under the tri-service requests of the Malaysian armed forces. In the meantime the steel cutting for the RMN’s first LCS from an expected fleet of six has begun.

The LCS is based on the DCNS ‘Gowind’ class corvette design and built by Malaysia’s Boustead Heavy Industries Corporation. The first ship is expected to enter service in 2019. Details of the ship’s full capabilities have not been officially released but it is known that its systems include the DCNS’ SETIS combat management system, a Thales SMART-S Mk.2 three-dimensional naval surveillance radar, Rheinmetall’s TMEO Mk.2 target-

tracking and fire control system, a Thales Captas hull-mounted sonar and a yet-to-be announced anti-submarine warfare suite with towed sonar array. Weapons include a BAE Systems 57mm Mk.3 naval gun housed in a stealth cupola and a J and S Triple Tube Torpedo Launcher System though the torpedo to be used is unknown.

The LCS’s anti-ship and Surface-to-Air Missiles (SAMs) have yet to be named at the time of writing. The likelihood is that the SAM will be MBDA’s MICA but it appears that for the anti-ship missile, the MBDA MM-38/40 Exocet, which was initially thought to be the system chosen, may have been dropped in favour of the Kongsberg Naval Strike Missile.

The Malaysian Army uses the Urovesa VAMTAC tactical vehicle, which is also used by the Dominican Republic, Morocco, Romania, Saudi Arabia and Venezuela. The force is seeking additional four-wheel drive vehicles although it will not necessarily procure additional VAMTACs © Dzirhan Mahadzir

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The Royal Malaysian Navy has utilised ex-commercial ships to assist in its fight against maritime piracy and to enhance security.

It is also exploring the possibility of using decommissioned oil platforms to this end © Royal Malaysian Navy

Royal Malaysian Air Force

Chief of the RMAF General Dato’ Sri Roslan Saad told the author that the RMAF has placed the request for the MRCA under the Eleventh Plan though affordability remains the issue. The MRCA requirement to replace the MiG-29s has been stagnating for the last two years despite the RMAF having openly stated that the MiG29s are to be retired by the end of 2015. Yet that statement has provided no impetus to the Malaysian government to make a formal decision on the acquisition of the MRCA. Four aircraft are in contention, namely the Saab JAS-39C/D Gripen, the Eurofighter Typhoon, the Dassault Rafale F-3B/C/M and the Boeing F/A-18E/F Super Hornet, though the future of the latter, the production of which is expected to cease by the end of 2017, may rule it out of consideration if Malaysia further delays the MRCA acquisition. Other programmes likely to be requested under the Eleventh Plan include ground-based air surveillance radars and an Airborne Early Warning platform, with contenders expected to include the Northrop Grumman E-2D Hawkeye and the Saab Erieye.

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The RMAF is scheduled to take delivery of its first Airbus A400M Atlas turboprop airlifter in the first quarter of 2015 with an additional two delivered by the end of the year, and the final airframe being delivered in 2016. Recent statements

by Airbus in January state that due to delays, a new delivery schedule would be released for the aircraft. This is likely to affect the Malaysian schedule, though any delay would, barring any sudden crisis, not affect the RMAF operationally given that its Lockheed Martin C-130H/MP and Airbus CN-235 turboprop airlifter fleets are adequate to handle current operational requirements. The A400Ms will be stationed at RMAF Subang air force base and will form a new squadron, No.22 Squadron, for its operation. The nucleus of its A400M flight crew and support personnel is already undergoing training in

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Seville, Spain at the Airbus Defence and Space International Training Centre.

Upgrades of the RMAF’s C-130H/MP and Sikorksy S-61 medium-lift utility helicopter fleets are expected to be formalised at the 2015 Langkawi International Maritime and Aerospace Exhibition this March following the award of MoUs to Malaysia’s Airod company during the Defence Services Asia exhibition in April 2014. The Letter of Intent (LoI) for the C-130H/MP upgrade covers the modernisation of the avionics and communications of the RMAF’s entire fleet of 14 aircraft, while the LoI for the S61 upgrade covers improvements to the entire fleet of 26 helicopters, which is expected to outfit the aircraft with new avionics and cockpit displays.

Given Malaysia’s financial situation, it remains to be seen how many of the armed forces’ requirements will be approved under the Eleventh Plan. Nevertheless, the government may decide to approve in principle some of the requests with the caveat that it will only proceed during the plan’s duration when the country’s financial situation is viable enough to support it.

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THE GENERATION GAME

Since the end of World War Two, the United States has led the field in Multi-Role Combat Aircraft (MRCA) innovation, closely followed by Europe. Yet in recent years, development has stalled with the last major inhabited MRCA programmes arguably coming to an end.

by David Oliver

n the United States production of Lockheed Martin’s F-22A Raptor-II, arguably the world’s most capable MRCA, was terminated with only 197 built in 2011. The production lines of Boeing’s F-15 Eagle family and F/A-18E/F Super Hornet MRCA are facing closure by the end of the decade leaving only the Lockheed Martin F-35A/B/C Lightning-II with any long-term future.

The picture in Europe is equally bleak with the Eurofighter Typhoon and Dassault Rafale F-3B/C/M fighting over the few remaining sales opportunities, mainly in the Middle East and possibly

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Malaysia, in order to keep their production lines open for another few years.

Beyond these two aircraft, there is definitely no likelihood of another manned MRCA project on the horizon. Russia is the only European nation still developing a fifth-generation MRCA, the Sukhoi T-50 PAK-FA, but with its economy now in free fall, its future is less than certain.

China

The mantle of fifth, or even sixth, generation MRCA development has unquestionably moved east, with no less than five Asian countries involved in indigenous

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future MRCA projects, and the clear leader of the field is China. With a $132 billion 2014 defence budget, an increase of 12.2 percent over the previous year, China is forging ahead with the development of a range of advanced MRCA for the People’s Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF). These include the Chengdu Aircraft Corporation (CAC) J-20, a fifthgeneration MRCA that first flew in 2011.

This large twin-engine, twin-fin, canard/delta-wing aircraft, has internal weapons bays capable of housing air-toair missiles or air-to-ground weapons plus an additional single-missile bay in

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A I R C R A F T option for the J-20, while an uprated version of the Guizhou WS-13 turbofan, that will power the CAC FC-1 MRCA being produced by the Pakistan Aeronautical Complex (PAC) as the JF-17 Thunder, is under development for the J-31. However, development is slow and it will be a considerable time before either of the engines can be put into production.

In the meantime, following a testing programme that started in late 2008, the PLAAF is taking delivery of larger numbers of the upgraded CAC J-10B Vigorous Dragon MRCAs with an uprated Saturn AL-31FN turbofan engine employing thrust vectoring and a passive phasedarray radar. The growth of China’s armed forces and its claims to disputed islands administered by Tokyo, prompted Japan in January 2015 to increase its defence budget to $42 billion, up two percent from the

The Shenyang J-31 MRCA is being developed for the PLAAF, and possibly the People’s Liberation Army Navy, as well as attracting foreign customers. The aircraft has similar characteristics to the F-35A/B/C Lightning-II MRCA © Piotr Butowski

each engine intake trunk. To date, six prototypes, powered by Russian Saturn AL31F afterburning turbofans have been flown while production of the J-20 may commence in 2017.

Only a year after the J-20 was revealed, a smaller twin-engine, twin-fin fifth-generation stealth fighter took to the air for the first time. Although the F-35-sized Shenyang J-31 made its public debut at the 2014 Zhuhai Airshow in China, very few details have been officially released about its development programme. The aircraft has two weapons bays and six underwing hardpoints and the prototypes

are powered by two Russian Klimov RD33 turbofan engines. An August 2013 report in China’s People’s Daily stated, “Experts predict that the J-31 will make rapid inroads in the international market in the future, and will undoubtedly steal the limelight from the American F-35.”

It is not yet clear whether the J-20 and J-31 are competitors or complementary but the Achilles’ Heel of both may prove to be problems that China faces in the development of domestically-produced engines to power them. A new turbofan engine WS-15, designed by the Shenyang Engine Test and Research Institute, is an

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China’s large twin-engine Chengdu J-20 is its most advanced aircraft programme to develop a stealthy long-range MRCA with both an air superiority and deep penetration role © Chinese internet

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Japan’s ATD-X is being developed by TRDI and MHI as a technology demonstrator for a projected sixth-generation MRCA © TRDI

previous year. Included in the budget were funds for a US Foreign Military Sales (FMS) advanced acquisition contract for a total of six F-35A Lightning-II aircraft for the Japan Air Self Defence Force (JASDF) F-X requirement to replace its McDonnell Douglas F4EJ Kai Phantom fleet. Japan is looking to fund a total of 28 F-35As by 2018.

Japan

Looking further into the future, Japan’s Advanced Technology Demonstrator-X (ATD-X) Shinshin, developed by the Japanese Ministry of Defence’s Technical Research and Development Institute (TRDI), was rolled out at the Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Ltd (MHI) plant at Komaki Minami on 12 July 2014. It will be used to test stealth technologies and capabilities for the planned future twin-engine fifth-generation MRCA to replace the

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JASDF fleet of Mitsubishi F-2A/B aircraft in 2030 designated as the F-3.

Although it has been reported that the first flight of the ATD-X, scheduled for later this year, has been delayed by software issues with twin Ishikawajima XF5-1 afterburning turbofans, an MHI official told AMR that the company is not in a position to disclose development progress.

TRDI launched the ATD-X programme in 2009 following the US Congressional ban on exports of the F-22A as a research project to increase Japan’s technical ability to design and build a fifth-generation MRCA and to decide by 2018 whether it will be an indigenous aircraft or a joint venture with other nations.

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Republic of Korea

Like Japan, the Republic of Korea (RoK) has opted to acquire the F-35A, 40 of which are to be delivered between 2018 and 2021 for the Republic of Korea Air Force (RoKAF) F-X Phase III programme to replace its Northrop Grumman F-5E/F fleet. Part of the deal includes technology transfer and technical assistance for the development of the KF-X, an indigenous twin-engine MRCA planned as a replacement for the RoKAF General Dynamics/Lockheed Martin F-16C/D MRCAs from 2025.

The RoK government has approved an initial $49.5 million in 2015 for the delayed project and it was widely accepted that Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI) would take the lead in the KF-X programme bearing in mind its close relationship with Lockheed Martin during the design and

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The RoK government’s cancellation of BAE Systems’ contract to upgrade the RoKAF fleet of F-16C/Ds in November 2014, may add further impetus to the development of its indigenous KF-X programme © Lockheed Martin

development of its F/A-18E/F as a cost effective and proven solution to the RoKAF requirement. However, it may be not indigenous enough to satisfy the RoK defence ministry’s Agency for Defence Development (ADD) which owns the programme. Nevertheless, following the cancellation of the $1.5 billion FMS contract for the upgrade of 134 RoKAF F-16C/D aircraft by BAE Systems in November 2014 due to increasing costs, pressure on the speedy development of the KF-X has added importance.

India

development of its T-50 Advanced Jet Trainer (AJT).

In October 2014, the RoK government signed an Engineering, Manufacturing and Development (EMD) agreement for a joint future MRCA based on the KF-X with Indonesia, focused on the production of 250 aircraft at an estimated cost of between $8-10 billion of which Indonesia would take a 20 percent share as part of its IF-X MRCA programme. This could result in the procurement of 200 aircraft for the RoKAF and 50 for the Indonesian Air Force. Although this agreement seemed to favour the KAI/Lockheed Martin proposal, Korean Airlines announced at the end of 2014 that it was teaming with Boeing for the KF-X programme. Boeing, whose F-15SE Silent Eagle MRCA lost out to the F-35A for the RoKAF F-X Phase III programme, is proposing an advanced

Another country beset with delays to its indigenous MRCA programme is India which is developing a new aircraft with Russia based on the Sukhoi T-50 PAK-FA. While Indian and Russian officials claimed earlier this year to have agreed on the preliminary design for the Sukhoi/Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) Fifth Generation Fighter Aircraft (FGFA), now officially termed as the Prospective Multi-Role Fighter (PMF) by

The Russian Sukhoi T-50 PAK-FA is the basis for the Indian Air Force’s fifth-generation Prospective Multi-Role Fighter programme although requirements are changing, costs rising and development is moving slowing © Sukhoi

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India, serious challenges remain to be overcome by both sides.

The initiative has already suffered significant delays and cost overruns as requirements have shifted and technical problems affect the $10.5 billion PMF programme. The primary objections to the aircraft’s preliminary design features that the Indian Air Force (IAF) has highlighted include the inadequacy of its Saturn AL41F1A turbofans, its stealth features, weapons carriage system and the operational capability of the Byelka Active Electronically Scanned Array radar. The IAF has already reduced its original requirement for 220 aircraft to between 130 and 145 with entry into service by the early 2020s. The consequence of this change is that HAL’s work share has been reduced to 13 per cent from around 25 percent originally negotiated in 2013.

Russian officials have reportedly told the IAF that the AL-41F1 engines are only used in the prototypes for the initial flight test programme and that a replacement powerplant is under development for the production aircraft, thought to be a new turbofan from Salyut, but this has yet to be confirmed. Similarly, the AESA radar’s proficiency and stealth features are being improved as the flight test programme continues.

Russia also maintains that the IAF continues to change its requirements and, until recently, was still pressing for 45-50 twoseat variants of the aircraft. Since Russia

Another country beset with delays to its indigenous MRCA programme is India

demanded an additional $1 billion in development funding and extended delivery deadlines, the IAF has indicated that it would drop this requirement.

Other issues that have to be addressed by both sides include the downturn of the Russian economy that may well impact on the T-50 development programme and the evolution of its new power plant. Flighttesting was delayed following the damage suffered to the fifth T-50 prototype when fire broke out in the starboard engine as it landed at Zhukovsky air base outside Moscow on 10 June 2014. The cause has not been revealed by the Russians despite requests from the IAF. The IAF’s other problem is the protracted procurement of 126 Dassault Rafale MRCAs from France estimated to be worth $15 billion. The contract, which at the time of writing in February 2014 was reportedly

France and India are reportedly in the final negotiations for the sale and licensed production of 126 Dassault Rafale MRCA to replace the Indian Air Force’s fleets of Soviet-era MiG-21 and MiG-27 MRCA © Dassault

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The IAF plans to operate a fleet of 272 Sukhoi Su-30MKI MRCAs. These will be required for the force by 2020. Most of the aircraft will be assembled by HAL © IAF

in its final stages of negotiation, calls for the first 18 aircraft to be produced by Dassault while HAL would establish an assembly line for delivery of the balance. The Rafale was selected for the IAF’s Medium MRCA programme to replace its diminishing fleets of MiG-21Bis/Bison/M/MF and MiG27ML MRCAs. France is desperate to conclude the first export sale of the Rafale which is subject to several costly upgrade programmes to increase its combat capability. French Rafales have been deployed to support combat operations in Afghanistan, Libya, Mali and Iraq and Armée de l’Air (French Air Force). Rafale F-3Cs took part in Exercise Garuda at the IAF’s Jodhpur air force base in June 2014.

Facing delays with both the Russian and French MRCA programmes and a shortfall in the IAF’s combat aircraft fleets, HAL has claimed that additional Sukhoi Su-30MKI MRCA could address this shortfall. HAL won an initial $3 billion tender to licence-

build 140 Su-30MKIs in India that was signed with Russia in December 2000 and the IAF has a requirement to operate a total of 272 of the type by 2020. However, the IAF’s current Su-30MKI fleet has suffered from low serviceability rates despite a $18.3 million Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul (MRO) programme being undertaken by HAL which was designed to increase the type’s operational life to 25 years and 6000 flying hours.

HAL’s ability to manufacturer and maintain complex advanced aircraft has been called into question recently following protracted deliveries of the BAE Systems Hawk-132 AJT lead-in jet trainer and the development of the indigenous Tejas Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) which does not bode well for the PMF and Rafale programmes.

Pakistan

Meanwhile, India’s close neighbour and rival, Pakistan is in no position to develop

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an indigenous fifth-generation MRCA. It has been bolstering its diverse fleets of ageing fleet of combat aircraft of which the F-16A/B is the most potent. During 2014, the Pakistan Air Force (PAF) took delivery of eleven F-16As and two twoseat F-16Bs from the Royal Jordanian Air Force (RJAF). In addition, Turkish Aerospace Industries (TAI) delivered the last of 41 upgraded F-16A/B Block-15s under a Mid-Life Upgrade (MLU) contract signed in June 2009 carried out as part of the PAF Peace Drive II programme.

Its close alliance with China continues to support Pakistan’s drive to acquire modern MRCAs with joint development by the Pakistan Aeronautical Complex (PAC) and China’s CAC. These include the JF-17, the PAF’s variant of the FC-1, the FC-20, an upgraded version of the J-10B (see above). If this relationship continues, Pakistan may become the first export customer for China’s latest fifth-generation MRCA, the Shenyang J-31.

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UP-GUNNING THE GOD OF WAR

An unknown artillerist once claimed that “artillery provides class to what would otherwise be a vulgar brawl”. Whether or not this is true, it is certain that artillery can be a crucial factor in determining success or failure in battle.

by Stephen Miller

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Truck-mounted artillery has been well received by armies in the Asia-Pacific. Nexter’s CAESAR 155mm howitzer was one of the first and was selected and fielded by the Thai Army. They are viewed as a cost-effective alternate to tracked self-propelled guns © Nexter

t is documented that in World War Two and the Korean War the percentage of casualties caused by artillery and indirect fires ranged from between 60 to 70 percent. As compelling as these figures are they do not fully reflect artillery’s importance. It extends the ability of the ground commander to reach out and directly impact on his opponent.

For centuries, artillery has had the capability to decisively shape the battle. With new capabilities provided by advances in technology, today’s artillery cannot only engage targets at greater ranges, 40 kilometres (25 miles) for guns and over 100km (54 miles) for rockets and missiles, but can do so with the precision of a few metres.

These abilities open vast new possibilities that are just being recognised for their applications in combat.

The modernisation of ground forces capabilities has received progressively more attention in the Asia-Pacific in recent years. As these armies modernise their capabilities, upgrading their artillery armaments is one of their priorities. For a number of countries these changes are driven by perceived growing threats to their security. This has caused them to alter their defence doctrines prompting a revision of their operational plans and force structure, thus triggering new equipment requirements. For artillery, some of these capabilities can be gained through improvements to existing in-service weapons or the procurement of improved ammunition.

Others require the acquisition or development of new artillery systems. An ancillary objective for some countries is to further develop indigenous defence industrial capabilities. Each of these avenues is being pursued by armies in the Asia-Pacific region. It is, therefore, worth taking a look at those programmes which are introducing some significant new capabilities.

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Japan

The latest Japanese Defence Policy issued in 2013 reflects a new focus on rapidlydeploying ground forces to repel invasions and retake territory including building an air and amphibious expeditionary capability. This is a direct response to disputes with China over the sovereignty of

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The FH70 towed howitzer is the only Japanese Ground Self Defence Force artillery system that is air transportable by fixed and rotary-wing aircraft. As such it is their only artillery system suitable for use with the new rapid deployment concept being developed © JGSDF

the Senkaku/Diaoyu Islands in the East China Sea. A force restructuring is underway that will reduce the number of heavy combat units while developing more flexible manoeuvre formations. Presently the Japan Ground Self-Defence Force (JGSDF) primarily relies on the towed FH70 155 mm Howitzer (manufactured under licence by Japan Steel Works), the Type 99 Self-Propelled (SP) Howitzer (a local design and production by Mitsubishi and Japan Steel Works using the FH70 155 gun), the Lockheed Martin M270 Multiple Launch Rocket System and M110 203mm SP Howitzers.

Japan’s reorganisation dictates a reduction in the artillery by over 200 guns. It is reasonable to expect this may particularly apply to the older manually-loaded M110.

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In many armies the MLRS has replaced M110s in the general support role, although with the exception of the FH70, the JGSDF’s artillery pieces are not easily deployed. One option that could be considered would be the addition of the Lockheed Martin HIMARS; a truckmounted ‘MLRS’. HIMARS uses the same munitions as the M270 which is already being manufactured in Japan by IHI Aerospace. However, the availability of funds and the budget will determine what can be done and how quickly.

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Republic of Korea

Faced with the massive threat from the artillery of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea which maintains guns within range of Seoul, the RoK Army has given much attention to its own artillery and to building a domestic defence industrial base to this end. The latter has been so successful that the RoK’s defence industry is beginning to export its wares. Among them are its artillery systems. Samsung Techwin (now Samsung Thales) is manufacturing the K9 Thunder 155mm SP howitzer. The K9 operates in conjunction with its companion K10 automatic Ammunition Re-supply Vehicle built on the same chassis. Using this latter vehicle maximises the effectiveness of the K9’s MRSI (Multiple Rounds Simultaneous

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F I R E P O W E R Impact) capability. With MRSI it fires three shells in under 15 seconds each in a different trajectory so that all of the shells impact their target at the same time. The 155mm gun has a range of up to 40 kilometres (25 miles). K9 and K10 production is ongoing to fill RoK requirements for over 1100 units. It has also been exported to Poland, licence-built in Turkey (as the T-155 Firtina), is being offered to India and was short-listed for the Australian Land 17 Artillery Replacement Programme.

Truck-mounted artillery is in widespread use with armies in the Asia-Pacific.

Samsungâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s effort in the form of the EV0105 takes the gun of the Rock Island Arsenal M101A1 105mm howitzer and mounts it on the Kia Motors KM500 sixwheel drive truck chassis. It uses the same fire control system as the K9 and can fire within 60 seconds of halting. The go-ahead for development was given in October 2013 with initial deliveries to the RoK Army scheduled for 2017. The RoK

The majority of the Republic of Korea Army artillery is now of domestic design and manufacture.

The K9 155mm self-propelled howitzer has even been exported with versions being introduced in Turkey (as the T-155 Firtina) and Poland Š RoK MoD

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The ASTROS multiple launch rocket system from Avibrás has been fielded by both the Malaysian and Indonesian armies. Its rockets include 127mm, 180mm and 300mm rounds making it adaptable for many missions © Avibras

requirement is understood to be for 800 units. A company-funded project by Doosan DST and Samsung Thales is developing a truck-mounted version is employing the guns from the Kia Heavy Industries KH-179, an older towed 155mm howitzer.

The RoK has the M270 but in October 2014 announced it had placed a contract with Chun Moo for the locally-developed K-MRLS vehicle. The K-MLRS is a truck equipped with an armoured cab that can fit two pods, one for 130mm and another for 230 mm rockets. This platform has a maximum range of 80km (50 miles) for the 130mm rocket and 160km (99 miles) for the 230mm rocket. The initial order is for 58 units.

Malaysia

The Malaysian Army’s artillery has relied primarily on towed guns. These include

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the M101 105mm and Oto Melara Mod.56 Lightweight 105mm howitzer, twelve FH70s and 22 Denel G5s towed howitzers.

Its most recent acquisition is the ASTROSII MLRS from Avibras in Brazil (please see Dzirhan Mahadzir’s article ‘Malaysia Modernises’ in this issue). An initial order for 36 systems was followed in 2012 by an additional 18. The ASTROS II (Artillery Saturation Rocket System) is mounted on a six-wheel drive truck. It can employ rockets ranging from 127mm to 300mm which fit in pods with ranges to 16km (ten miles).

Indonesia

The Indonesian Army has followed its neighbour to the north and also purchased the ASTROS II with an order for 36 systems. This is part of a broader artillery modernisation which includes acquisitions of the Nexter CAESAR 155mm

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truck-mounted howitzer from France and the KH-179 155mm towed howitzer from the RoK. The CAESAR was developed to replace towed guns and to provide mobile indirect firepower air transportable in a Lockheed Martin C-130 series turboprop freighter at a lower price than tracked SP howitzers. The CAESAR has been mounted on both the Renault Sherpa and Mercedes Unimog six-wheel drive truck chassis. The 155mm gun delivers a round at a range of 34km (21 miles) with standard munitions and 44km (27 miles) with extended-range rounds. It has an integrated Sagem inertial navigation/global positioning system, the Nexter/Airbus Defence and Space FAST-Hit computerised, automated fire control system and semi-automatic loading. These allow the CAESAR to fire its first rounds within one minute and to relocate in 20 seconds.

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Thailand

The first export customer for CAESAR was the Royal Thai Army (RTA), with six examples delivered in 2010. Clearly the benefits of the truck-mounted howitzer have been recognised by the RTA as they have launched a programme to develop an indigenous version. The Thai Weapon Production Centre (WPC) is using a Volvo six-wheel drive truck as a platform for a new 155mm self-propelled howitzer. It is understood that they have selected the Elbit Systems Soltam Autonomous TruckMounted System 155mm howitzer with the first of the initial six to be completed this year.

Thailand is also fielding an MLRS. It is seeking the US HIMARS through a Foreign Military Sales but is also continuing development of an indigenous Multiple Rocket Launcher. This appears to be a continuation of a project originally conducted jointly with the People’s Republic of China. The Defence Technology Institute (DTI), the

Thai Ministry of Defence’s (MoD’s) primary research and development arm, announced in December 2014 that it will develop and manufacture the DTI-2, an indigenous 122mm MLRS. Part of this effort will focus on gradually extending its range to 40km. Delivery is expected to begin to the RTA by the end 2015.

Singapore

The Singapore Army is also acquiring the HIMARS (M142 High Mobility Artillery Rocket System). The order includes 18 HIMARS launchers, nine FMTV reloader/transporter trucks and XM31 unitary high-explosive general MLRS pods.

Interestingly, it has been reported that they are not receiving M-26 unguided MLRS

Artillery is a critical element and must be mobile, adaptable and capable

rockets. The final unit of 18 ordered was delivered in 2011 to the 23rd Battalion, Singapore Artillery. This fielding made it actually the first artillery unit to be fully equipped with Global Positioning System (GPS) guided HIMARS. The army continues to use its ST Kinetics PEGASUS 155mm towed howitzer and Singapore Self-Propelled Howitzer 1 (SSPH 1) Primus. The latter was the result of the Singapore Army realising that its SP Howitzer needed to weigh less than 30 tons and be no wider than three metres (ten feet) to travel on local roads. Its digital fire control system, integrated positioning, on-board ammunition magazine and automated loading and gun-laying allows it to fire a burst of three rounds in 20 seconds and a sustained maximum rate-of-fire of six rounds-per-minute. ST Kinetics continues to improve both systems. PEGASUS’ use of advanced metals makes it at 5400kg (11800lb) one of the lightest 155mm how-

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Australia’s LAND 17 Artillery Modernisation Programme was to select and field both new towed and self-propelled guns. Instead the Australian Army procured towed M777 155mm Ultra-Lightweight Howitzers from the United States © USMC

itzers around. ST Kinetics has offered it to a number of export customers including Australia and India.

Australia

The Australian Army Land 17 artillery replacement programme was planned in two phases. The objective was to replace both the M198 155mm howitzers and BAE Systems L119 and M2A2 105mm guns.

The initiative was approved and launched in 2006. Phase 1A considered towed howitzers and included the BAE Systems M777 and the PEGASUS (see above).

Phase 2C evaluated self-propelled 155mm systems and was closely watched as it included a range of candidates from truckmounted systems like the BAE Bofors Archer and CAESAR (see above) to Krauss Maffei Wegmann and Rheinmetall’s PzH2000, the RoK’s K9 (see above), and the United States’ modernised BAE Systems M109A6 Paladin-PIM self-propelled systems. Phase 1B was for acquiring a fully digital and networked fire control/management system.

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At the same time as the competition was underway, Australian forces operating in Afghanistan, recognising their immediate need for better indirect fire capabilities, requested M777 systems from the US under Foreign Military Sales (FMS) in July 2008. By using the FMS process they were able to receive guns directly from the US military which was expedited to address Australia’s urgent combat needs. Sources in the Royal Australian Artillery indicate that the immediate availability of the M777 offered by the US Government, and the proven record of the gun were major considerations in its selection. That the M777 was adopted by the US Marines and Canadian Army, who the Australian Army views as having similar operational requirements and with which they worked closely in Afghanistan, may have also been a key factor.

The M777 ultra-lightweight 155mm howitzer is manufactured by BAE Systems.

It was developed in a joint programme with the United Kingdom and the US, and was designed to replace the M198 155mm

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howitzer. A major consideration was to reduce the weight to allow it to be moved by heavy-lift helicopters. Yet the gun had to fire all existing 155mm ammunition including the Excalibur guided projectile with a range of 40km (25 miles). The gun proved able to do all this with a gross weight of only 4410kg (9700 lbs).

By incorporating soldier friendly design elements and using integrated fire control it is possible for the M777 to be serviced with a crew of only five if necessary. It was successfully employed in Afghanistan and is also fielded by the Canadian Army as well as the US Army and US Marine Corps. Kelly Golden, director of external communications at BAE Systems, stated that the company “views the adoption of the M777 by Canada and Australia as evidence of the systems ability to fill the needs of many armies for an effective, long-range indirect fire system that is fully deployable in a combat proven system. That M777 is the only 155mm howitzer weighing below 10000kg (4218lb) which further addresses the needs of many users in the region.”

Following a comprehensive evaluation.

The Land 17 Phase 2C initiative short-listed the PzH2000 and K9 SP howitzer.

However, in May 2012 the defence budget was reduced, cancelling a number of projects including the self-propelled artillery programme. The Australian Army instead increased its buy of M777s by 18 to fill the gap for the regular forces.

How the needs of the reserve forces will be met is still to be determined.

The Future

The ability to conduct combined-arms combat operations is recognised as the mark of an effective and professional army. Artillery is a critical element in combine arms and must be mobile, adaptable and capable of supporting ground combat formations. The trend to more flexible, but smaller, forces will likely increase reliance on artillery. The emphasis on improving accuracy and performance, increasing range and providing more deployable guns assure that further modernisations will be forthcoming in the region.

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COAST GUARDS

The undulating waters of coastlines and oceans, plus the sheer multitude of vessels of all sizes moving across the surface, provide ideal hiding places for illegal activities. Coastal surveillance radars help to spot abnormal behaviour on the high seas before it becomes a threat on the shore.

by Thomas Withington

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Airbus Defence and Space’s coastal surveillance radar offerings include the SPEXER-2000. This X-band radar is available in two versions with differing azimuths, and has sold particularly well in the Middle East © Airbus Defence and Space

he safety and security of ports and coastlines in the Asia-Pacific is of paramount concern to any nation in the region with a sea shore. While international airports around the globe now resemble postmodern fortresses as regards to their security provisions, to an extent harbours and ports remain the weak link in a nation’s security infrastructure.

The sheer volume of cargo which flows through ports around the world on a daily basis in the form of container traffic is hard to check in detail. Insurgents seeking to approach their targets from the sea, much as members of the Lashkar-e-Taiba organisation did when they hit targets in Mumbai in late-November 2008, can hide amongst larger vessels and even within the swell of the ocean. The Times of India reported this January that the country’s Coast Guard had warned that small vessels, principally those less than 20 metres (66 feet) in length, were posing a security challenge along the coasts of the states of West Bengal and Odisha in eastern India given the fact that around 9000 fishing boats ply their trade off the north-eastern coast of India with the identity of each boat having to be physically checked by Coast Guard officials.

Such physical checks are a necessity because such small-sized vessels are not mandated to carry the International Maritime Organisation’s (IMO) Automatic Identification System (AIS), compulsory for all civilian ships displacing over 300 tonnes.

The AIS is a transponder-based system which emits a Very High Frequency (VHF/30-300 megahertz) or satellite communications ‘squawk’ providing details of the vessel’s identity, course, position and speed. Outfitting every vessel around the world which goes to sea, regardless of size, is a seemingly impossible task, not least as the expense of installing an AIS transponder on a small vessel could consume a large part of the livelihood of a fishing boat captain.

Nevertheless, help is at hand from coastal radar. Crucially, radar can be used to detect the bizarre or unusual behaviour of ships and boats some distance from the coastline. Radar can work during the day and night, and is capable of seeing some considerable distance, particularly if

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mounted on a tower or a cliff top.

Although radar has a line-of-sight range (with the exception of some radars which are able to use the moist air directly above the sea to carry their radar pulses beyond the horizon), detection range can be increased the higher the radar is placed above sea level.

Identification

Coastal radars are often equipped with an AIS antenna capable of receiving VHF transmissions from civilian vessels mandated to carry AIS transponders. That said well-trained coastal radar operators can detect the tell-tale signs of a vessel which may have more nefarious work in mind, such as delivering guerrillas or smuggling people or narcotics, rather than simply netting a good catch of fish and seafood.

Spotting such threats before they reach the shore is a matter of detecting the unusual.

Coastal radar operators who regularly concentrate on the same patch of waters learn to observe patterns of normal vessel behaviour such as the voyage of a cruise ship, the movement of a ferry or the slow navigation of a fishing boat. A fast boat carrying narcotics, pirates shadowing a cargo ship, or insurgents trying to reach a coastline can stick out like a needle in a haystack amongst the traffic.

The sea brings its own challenges as far as radar is concerned. Its surface is in constant motion while storms can whip up high waves masking the presence of a small vessel. These high waves manifest themselves as ‘clutter’, radar echoes which appear on the operator’s screen. The rougher the ocean, the more clutter can appear, and it is within this clutter that a small vessel can hide; hence the imperative for a coastal radar to discriminate clutter and spot small targets such as boats or jet skis. As a means of comparison, a Rigid Hull Inflatable Boat (RHIB) can have a radar cross section as small as one square metre (over ten square feet).

Favourite Band

Traditionally, coastal surveillance radars have used the S and X-band sections of the electromagnetic spectrum, 2.3-2.5/2.7-3.7 gigahertz (Ghz) and 8.5-10.68 Ghz

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respectively. As with many aspects of radar engineering, there is no perfect band for coastal radars. S-band has good performance in adverse weather, although Xband offers more detailed target resolution, but at the cost of bad weather penetration, enabling the radar operator to better determine the target’s identity.

Essentially, coast guard and law enforcement authorities have to decide whether resistance to ‘rain fade’ (degradation in radar performance caused by bad weather) or target discrimination is a more pressing priority: one way to address this potentially vexing choice is to opt for a variety of X and S-band radars around the coastline.

X-band has been the frequency of choice for Airbus Defence and Space’s SPEXER2000 coastal surveillance radar which provides a detection range of almost ten nautical miles (18 kilometres). This radar is available in two versions, providing 120 and 240 degrees of azimuth coverage respectively.

To date, the firm has provided around 40 of these radars to customers in the Middle East, according to written statement provided by the company to AMR. Similarly Xband is used by Thales’ Coast Watcher-100 solid state, pulse Doppler (see below) coastal surveillance radar. This radar has an instrumented range (see below) of 100nm (185km) for surface targets, with low altitude air targets being detected at 50nm (93km). According to André Kellenberger, business development manager for the Coast Watcher-100, if the radar is positioned at an altitude of 3281 feet (1000 metres) above sea level, it can detect a small target such as a ‘go-fast’ boat at 60nm (111km).

One interesting design feature of the Coast Watcher-100 is its integral AIS (see above) receiver. Like other radar surveyed in this article, it is designed to detect surface targets, including small targets, and low-altitude air targets such as helicopters, fixedwing aircraft and Unmanned Aerial Vehicles. Although the radar is deployed for coastal security throughout Southeast Asia, Thales keeps such customer details confidential. Like many other radars in this article, such as Exelis’ LCR-2020 (see below), the radar can share its picture with coastal surveillance officials located remotely at a control centre, for example,

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Thales’ Coast Watcher-100 coastal surveillance radar can be used to perform both coastal surveillance and the detection of low-altitude air targets, including helicopters, fixed-wing aircraft and Unmanned Aerial Vehicles © Thales

across internet protocol or Ethernet connections using the ASTERIX (All Purpose Structured Eurocontrol Surveillance Information Exchange) protocol.

Kelvin Hughes’ SBS (Shore Based System) radar family all use X-band and Sband transmissions. These radars use the company’s SharpEye solid-state transceiver. A solid-state transceiver dispenses with the use of vacuum tubes to generate its radar signal According to Mark Bown, group marketing manager at the company, the SharpEye transceiver allows the detection of targets with “small radar cross sections of circa half a square metre (2.6 square feet) to be detected even in the presence of heavy sea and rain clutter.”

SharpEye also performs an interesting pulse transmission technique: “It transmits three pulses as part of each transmission; a short, medium and long pulse. This enables us to detect short, medium and

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long-range targets simultaneously.” Mr. Bown adds that the company’s SBS series radars are in service across the Asia-Pacific region providing coastal and port security in Australia, Christmas Island and in the islands throughout the Indonesian archipelago and Malaysia.

While several coastal surveillance radars operate in the S and X-bands, there are some important exceptions. For example, Exelis’ LCR-2020 is a C-band (5.255.925GHz) radar. Kevin Davis, the firm’s director of business development for radar and reconnaissance, says that the product uses the C-band as it “gives good detectability and ground and sea clutter discrimination. We also don’t suffer too much with rain fade.” Another attraction is that a C-band radar will not cause interference with S or X-band military air surveillance or civilian Air Traffic Management (ATM) radars which might be positioned near the coastline to watch the skies or to provide ATM to a local airport.

The LCR-2020, 17 of which are in service providing coastal surveillance in the Republic of Korea (where they are locally designated as the GPS-100), is a

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Exelis’ LCR-2020 radar is in service in the Republic of Korea. It uses dual-beam technology which means that it can detect air and surface targets and, unlike many port and coastal security radars, operates in the C-band © Exelis

two-dimensional (range and azimuth) radar with an instrumented range of 54nm (100km); a radar’s instrumented range is the maximum range at which the radar’s full performance is required by the operator. For example, a radar may detect targets at some distance, but be unable to classify what these targets are. The instrumented range refers to the distance at which the radar can perform all of its classification and clutter discrimination capabilities. The LCR-2020 has an interesting design feature in that it is a dual-beam radar with a high and low beam, the former of which allows the detection and tracking of aircraft at a range of 81nm (150km), and the latter which detects targets on the sea surface even in high clutter conditions.

Architecture

Different architectures are also used for coastal radars, chiefly Frequency Modulated Continuous Wave (FMCW) and Pulse Doppler approaches. Pulse Doppler radars follow a relatively simple principle.

These radars measure the time difference between the transmission of a radar pulse travelling at the speed of light (161,987 knots-per-second/300,000km-per-second) and the reflection of that pulse as an echo from the target. Target range is thus determined by measuring the time that it takes for the pulse to return to the radar as an echo. As their name implies, these radars also use the Doppler Effect, a change in

frequency which a pulse experiences after being reflected as an echo. The measurement of the ‘Doppler Shift’ from the original transmitted frequency compared to the frequency of the returned echo makes the calculation of a target’s speed relative to the position of the radar possible.

A host of pulse Doppler radars are on the market, including Indra’s iCSR 20. This X-band radar is “a long-range and highresolution” coastal radar, according to a written statement supplied to AMR by the company. The statement adds that it

“features pulse compression techniques improved with Doppler processing”.

Pulse compression is a process by which a radar transmits several thousand of pulses per second. These hit the target and return as thousands of echoes giving the operator a high degree of target discrimination in the same fashion that a picture made up of several thousand pixels is more detailed than one made up of several hundred.

Ranges offered by the iCSR 20 are in the region of 15nm (28km) for a small target and 56nm (30km) for larger vessels.

The Doppler Effect is also used by FMCW radars to determine the speed of moving targets. However, as stationary targets produce no Doppler Shift, an FMCW radar increases and decreases its transmission frequency during a specific timeframe without changing the amplitude of the signal it transmits. The attraction of FMCW radars is that they have good clutter discrimination, and less technical complexity and power consumption than pulse Doppler radars. This reduces procurement and operating costs.

Kelvin Hughes’ SBS S-band and X-band coastal surveillance radar family have the firm’s SharpEye solid state transceiver at their core. They can be tower-mounted to increase their range and are used throughout the Asia-Pacific region © Kelvin Hughes

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Blighter Surveillance Systems’ B400 series radars are exceptions to the X and Sband rule. The B400 family also uses FMCW techniques. Mark Radford, the company’s chief executive officer, says that one of the attractions of using the FMCW approach is power consumption. “Blighter uses efficient FMCW radar processing technology.

Whereas pulse radars generally emit many kilowatts of radar energy, ours emits only four watts in its highest power version.”

The B400 family uses Ku-band (13.414/15.7-17.7GHz) transmissions. Such comparatively high frequency transmissions produce excellent radar resolution, although at the cost of range. Nevertheless, this provides the radar with an impressive performance regarding the detection of “smugglers, pirates, illegal migrants and insurgents using jet skis, kayaks and RHIBs at ranges of up to nine nautical miles (16km) away,” says Mr. Radford. The B400 series is built around a modular architecture which uses individual antennae to provide azimuths of “90, 180, 270 or 360 degrees and elevation beams of either five, ten or 20 degrees,” Mr. Radford adds. The firm’s radars are in service across the Asia-Pacific, although the majority of the sites where they are in use remain classified.

Performance

How might coastal radar technology develop in the future? Indra believes that passive radar could prove increasingly useful in safeguarding coastlines. Put simply, passive radars do not emit. Instead, they ‘listen’ for disturbances in the artificial electromagnetic radiation which surrounds us constantly such as mobile phone transmissions, and television and radio signals to name just three sources. This technology is already showing promise as far as air surveillance is concerned, with Indra unveiling in February 2013 its APIS (Array Passive Inverse Synthetic Aperture Radar Adaptive Processing) passive radar which it has developed with a number of international partners. Indra’s written statement says that “this type of radar offers different advantages, such as its undetectability (it does not emit signals), low cost and the possibility to use the radar practically anywhere.” Costs are kept down as passive

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Blighter Surveillance System’s B400 radar family uses a modular approach to give the customer a number of configurations which offer a range of azimuths and elevations. These radars are particularly suitable for short-range surveillance © Blighter

radars do not emit any signals meaning that there is no need for the complex electronic engineering inherent in a radar, while its lack of emissions make it particularly attractive for coast guards who may want to discreetly watch an area of coastline without announcing their presence in the form of detectable radar transmissions.

A second technology under examination is High Frequency (HF/three to 30 megahertz) radar. Since the advent of radar before and during the Second World War, radar technology has utilised increasingly higher wavebands which have offered progressively better target resolution. HF radio transmissions have important properties.

They are able to use the ionosphere, an area of the atmosphere between 40nm (70km) and 540nm (1000km) above the earth’s surface which acts as a natural satellite dish upon which HF radio waves can ‘bounce’ to travel over the horizon. Indra states that “HF technology provides extended coverage. It is one of the solutions for long range surveillance.” Yet the firm’s statement adds that, “Intensive research is needed in the development of HF radars (for) improved performance, reduced costs, lower power requirements and portability,” before this technology can be practically used for coastal radar applications.

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While HF technology and passive radar offer clear attractions as far as future coastal radar developments are concerned, new operating modes also promise improvements in performance. Mr. Davis says that Exelis is seeing “a growing desire for affordable three-dimensional (3D) radar in port and coastal security applications.” While two-dimensional radar provides information on target range and azimuth, 3D radar also provides information on target altitude. This allows radars to detect flying objects, particularly those hugging the sea surface, possibly in an attempt to evade radar detection, along with marine craft. Narcotics traffickers, for example, have been known to fly low altitude flight profiles in the Caribbean in a bid to escape radar detection.

Enhancements in computer processing power promise improvements in radar performance. Moore’s Law, the observation by Gordon E. Moore, a co-founder of the Intel semiconductor chip company, that the number of transistors which can be accommodated on a single chip doubles every two years, has clear implications for the radar domain. The more transistors a chip can accommodate, the higher its performance becomes. This increases computer processing power. Mr. Kellenberger continues that “this constant increase of computer processing power will enable the development of more sophisticated algorithms which will enhance radar performances in terms of target classification and abnormal behaviour analysis.”

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SEEING IS BELIEVING

There is an expanding panoply of products aimed at assisting dismounted reconnaissance. This helps to make troops more effective and better able to contribute to the wider picture. A variety of technologies all promise to make the dismounted soldier a force multiplier as never before.

by Peter Donaldson

Small UAVs provide organic over-the-hill reconnaissance capabilities for dismounted infantry and special forces.

Contropâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s STAMP family of payloads both mirror and enable the trend to further miniaturisation in this class of unmanned air vehicle Š Controp

o make the most of these technologies, however, they have to be properly integrated. Johan Tofte, systems engineer at Saab responsible for development of the 9Land Soldier dismounted Command and Control (C2) system, argues that integration is the biggest challenge. He told

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AMR that this should not only pull disparate sensors together, but enable vehicle-mounted systems to support dismounted troops much more effectively, with consequences for squad weapon and sensor combinations. Before we discuss this in more detail, it is worth looking at some recent advances.

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Hand-Held Targeting

The Moskito TI hand-held observation and targeting device was launched jointly by Safran companies Vectronix and Sagem in 2014. In a package with a claimed weight of under three kilograms (six pounds), it combines direct view day optics, thermal imaging and a low light television cameras plus

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(NATO) connectivity requirements.

Other new devices of this ilk include BAE Systems’ Handheld Azimuth Measuring, Marking, Electro-optic Imaging and Ranging (HAMMER), and Northrop Grumman’s Hand-Held Precision Targeting Device (HHPTD), both of which passed significant milestones during 2014.

The HAMMER passed the United States Army’s critical design review for its Joint Effects Targeting System (JETS) Target Location Designation System (TLDS) programme in February 2014 and is due to be fielded in 2016, when it will provide an enhanced precision targeting capability and connectivity for half the weight of the devices in service today. Weighing a shade over two kilograms (five pounds), Northrop Grumman’s HHPTD completed developmental testing at White Sands Missile Range in the United States in the second half of 2014.

Both the HAMMER and HHPTD add celestial compass technology that improves on the azimuth measurement accuracy of magnetic compasses by measuring the sun’s angle and combining that with GPS position, time and a digital inclinometer.

The system in the HHPTD, for example, uses technology developed by Trex Enterprises, which claims an azimuth and

lasers (a rangefinder and a pointer). It can also include either a commercial Global Positioning System receiver or a military equivalent, a digital magnetic compass and multiple interfaces including a Universal Serial Bus, an RS-232 serial interface, Bluetooth and Ethernet that enable it to meet North Atlantic Treaty Organisation

Meprolight’s Mepro Meslas riflescope fire control system enables trained snipers to engage multiple targets accurately at different ranges in quick succession thanks to its single-pulse laser rangefinder, integrated ballistic tables and intuitive display © Meprolight

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elevation accuracy of 2 miliradians (mrad) or ten metres (33 feet) at a range of five kilometres (three miles), meeting target location error requirements.

Rifle Targeting

Rifle sights that incorporate laser rangefinders and perform ballistic calculations are entering the dismounted targeting arena.

Fitting any sniper rifle with a Picatinny rail, Israeli company Meprolight’s Mepro

Meslas Fire Control Riflescope is one such system. Once the 1.54 micron eye-safe laser has measured the range, the ballistic computer calculates the required elevation and injects a red dot into the sniper scope as an aiming marker. The shooter must still allow for wind and control the trigger properly.

Meprolight marketing and sales manager Zvika Lisichkin told AMR that, with the Mepro Meslas, snipers can upload up to ten custom ballistic tables for different rounds

RADA’s Multi-mission Hemispheric Radar family is available in tripodand vehicle-mounted configurations to support troops in dismounted operations, whether mobile or static, as force protection sensors to safeguard remote patrol bases for example © RADA

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based on specific operational needs, and benefit from very rapid range measurement. “Unlike competing systems that use statistical calculation with multiple pulses, Meprolight’s technology is based on a single-pulse laser rangefinder that provides an instant and exact range to the target with minimal exposure to the enemy, allowing the shooter to engage several targets at different ranges in a matter of seconds.”

Compared with conventional scopes and other range-measuring systems, Mr. Lisichkin said, the Meslas significantly reduces the time needed to fire the first shot, maximises accuracy and, as a result, lethality while conserving ammunition. Mr. Lisichkin pointed out that although fire control systems are intended to give snipers the ability to engage distant targets more quickly and accurately, human skill and judgement are still vital. “Instant decisions in tactical situations shall always be made by the qualified sniper,” he emphasised.

While snipers are naturally the early adopters of this kind of technology, Mr. Lisichkin is confident that it will spread to other infantry firearms, along with already growing communications capabilities. “A significant percentage of our ‘high-end’ systems are able to communicate target data into C2 systems, allowing command centres to have the global location of their forces as well as to observe in real time what the infantry forces see through our devices.” The range of devices available from Meprolight increased significantly with its October 2014 acquisition of the assets and operations of NVG manufacturer New Noga Light.

US company TrackingPoint’s Precision Guided Firearm system goes further in that it can automatically track targets and take control of the trigger, once authorised by the user, to dramatically improve the probability of a first-round hit, even at very long ranges on moving targets. On 6 January, the company launched the new 338TP, its first purpose-built rifle incorporating its fire control technology. The heart of the system is a scope containing a high-resolution camera, a Laser Range Finder (LRF), a laser muzzle reference system, ballistic software, image tracking and stabilisation software, target tagging button and a guided trigger.

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Controp’s DANIS camera system is in service on UGVs like this G-Nius Guardium, supporting ground troops in missions such as border and perimeter security; an area in which the company expects significant growth © Controp

The shooter still has to input a windage correction, aim at the target, press the tag button in front of the trigger to start the tracking process, and squeeze the trigger while continuing to hold the aim on the target, which is now marked with a red dot.

Hardwired to the ballistic computer and image tracking system, the trigger is released when the reticle lines up with the red dot at the aim point, however briefly.

While this is certainly promising technology, Mr. Lisichkin cautions that it is not yet fully mature and it has a long way to go before snipers can rely on such systems entirely. “For example, in life-or-death situations, constant dynamic targets and unexpected situations demand that qualified snipers instantly respond according to need. A second’s delay in pulling the trigger can result in disaster. Therefore the trigger cannot depend on the software’s discretion, but only on the sniper’s steady hand.”

Radar for dismounts

A blurring of the lines between mounted and dismounted reconnaissance systems is evident in modern sensor technologies. For example, the RPS-40, RPS-42 and RPS-44 Multi-mission Hemispheric Radars (MHR) from Israel’s RADA Electronics Industries,

which are compact and light enough to be deployed by dismounted soldiers, the company’s chief business development officer, Dubi Sella, told AMR. He adds that either soft backpacks or rigid cases can be used to transport them. MHR sets are also offered for vehicle-mounted applications, in which configuration, he confirmed, they can support dismounted operations if connectivity is available, showing detections on hand-held displays, for example. The

Hand-held radars can penetrate solid structures and detect signs of life

main information channel is Ethernet, said Mr. Sella, enabling MHR sets to be connected to any equipment using wired or wireless links. As the radars are modular and software-defined, it is straightforward to add capabilities. For example, the RHS44 can take on hostile fire indication duties, perhaps to protect an infantry patrol base, through the installation of the RPS-40 software application. “All missions can reside in the same MHR, and be switched or interleaved,” Mr. Sella adds.

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Urban Radar

Camero’s Xaver through-the-wall radar systems represent a type of sensor technology that will be increasingly vital, particularly in urban conflicts. Not only can these hand-held radars penetrate solid structures, anyone who has watched television, used a mobile phone or a wireless device indoors knows that radio frequency signals can do this; they can also detect signs of life. “Xaver systems use Ultra Wide Band Radar to detect a living presence,” marketing director Josh Levontin told AMR. “Essentially we are sending out these repetitive radio wave pulses and collecting the reflections to detect even the slightest movement such as breathing motion by sampling the returns.” Although usually depicted being held in contact with a wall to emphasise their ability to see through, it is not strictly necessary to get this close, as Mr. Levontin explains. “The system is fully functional at a distance from the wall in stand-off mode within its full detection range of 20m (65ft). The only trade-off is that the systems have a total range of 20m, so as we distance the system from the wall, our imaging capability from the wall inward will be limited.” Combat experience with the systems is building among

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Camero’s Xaver 100 is a hand-held, through-the-wall radar. Like the larger Xaver radars, it can be used at a stand-off distance from the wall and can penetrate floors and ceilings and distinguish living beings from inanimate objects © Camero

elite military and law enforcement units, which have deployed them in more than 30 countries, according to Mr. Levontin, exciting interest from a broader customer base in the process.“They have been successfully used in combat in urban operations with military NATO customers as well as with law enforcement customers against insurgent and criminal activities. Our systems are mainly used by SWAT (Special Weapons And Tactics) teams and special forces, since they are generally the early adopters for such new technologies, but we are now seeing an interest for wider deployment with other customers.” Near term developments at Camero are focused on areas such as reliability and user friendliness, Mr. Levontin said, along with expanded control options. “We plan on further developing wireless command and control for remote operation capabilities and integration with other C2 systems.”

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Small UAVs

The hand-launched Small Unmanned Air Vehicle (SUAV) market is advancing rapidly because airborne sensors under the direct control of dismounted troops give them the information they need for rapid confident decision-making, says Johnny Carni, marketing and sales vice-president at Israeli optronics house Controp.

“SUAVs are getting smaller and smaller and we have launched the 300 gram (0.6lb) MICRO-STAMP optronics payload in response,” he told AMR. “It is the most advanced gyro-stabilised miniature payload in the world and is now being supplied to the first customer.”

MICRO-STAMP contains a dual-fieldof-view uncooled infrared (IR) camera and a day camera with a continuous zoom lens.

The design emphasis is on high quality optics and gyro stabilisation to provide the quality of picture required for accuracy,

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Mr. Carni emphasised. “The response to the MICRO-STAMP has been overwhelming,” he continues. “The reason: we have brought picture quality that was not previously available at that low weight.”

Mr. Carni added that STAMP family payloads meet several needs that he says are unique to hand-launched UAVs. These include the ability to look up and across as well as down at the ground, along with very precise and accurate navigation, and the facility to operate the system without visual contact with the vehicle. This provides the soldier with observation ranges extending over several kilometres. The company’s tripod-mounted systems are serving in the force protection arena and homeland security applications including border, harbour, coastline and infrastructure protection.

Meanwhile, the VIEW family of optronic payloads is in service onboard Unmanned Ground Vehicles (UGVs) in support of dismounted operations, particularly perimeter and border security. “We see a lot of growth potential here,” says Mr. Carni. “If the quality is high and the prices

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More sophisticated than the smaller Xaver 100 radar, the Xaver 800 provides more information on its display.

Mathematical image reconstruction algorithms are used to cope with cluttered environments and produce a high quality image © Camero

are low the demand will continue to grow to provide unmanned operational options and keep the troops safe.” Technical developments in the pipeline for Controp’s smallest payloads are concentrated on picture enhancement, further improvements to stabilisation, line-of-sight navigation and multi-sensor options, along with continuous infrared zoom lenses.

Combined Capabilities

Generating maximum value from this disparate array of sensors and devices by getting them to work together is a challenge for C2 developers who must link them to supporting mounted systems and higherlevel networks. Many armed forces, including those in the Asia-Pacific, still procure such technologies piecemeal and are then faced with the task of integrating them.

“One shouldn’t separate the mounted from the dismounted in terms of capabilities because one should enhance the other,” Saab’s Johan Tofte told AMR. “There is a need to address both subsystem integration, as such, and the integration between mounted and dismounted systems and to link the entire sensor-shooter chain.”

Looking at the fundamentals, Mr. Tofte pointed out that a soldier equipped with just a paper map, a radio, the naked eye, perhaps aided by a simple pair of binoculars, could still generate and communicate target coordinates effectively. “But having good sensors will empower you to pinpoint exact locations,” he remarked, “and furthermore these devices also support both day and night capabilities.” However, once the target is acquired, the question of what to do with the information then arises. “You need to disseminate,” he adds. “You need to classify this target, to send it to someone, so you need computers and communications. You also need some kind of actor at the other end. You may have the capacity to engage it if you have your own weapons, but if you don’t you need additional firepower.

To me, that is what it is all about—to get the information to someone who can do something about that target.”

Overlaps

As extra sensors find their way into weapon sights along with other useful functions such as range finding and geolocation, there begins to emerge a degree of overlap in capability between weapon sights and stand-alone targeting devices.

Mr. Tofte provides a slightly different, but related perspective. “You might see a targeting device as a distributed sight, meaning that, in this case, the weapons are not in the same place as the sensor, so you bring localisation data to assist heavy weapons.”

That highlights the importance of integration with vehicles and support weapons and has implications for the soldier’s bur-

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den, both physical and cognitive. “Then I think you can alleviate the (burden on) dismounted individual by properly using vehicles or other means. In essence what best supports the dismounted soldier might very well be mounted systems that they can access or insert data into.” He suggests that as this relationship evolves, it could drive some changes in group organisation. With full integration among dismounted soldiers and supporting vehicles, the composition of the squad in terms of the mix of weapons (particularly the heavier weapons) and sensors that are carried could alter. “There is no single person who carries everything. So you may have one or two machine guns and others with antitank weapons and, maybe, one person as the appointed sensor operator.”

Making every soldier a sensor has long been a goal of military planners, but now the technology has made it possible. This raises the question of how best to combine them and link them into systems of systems, to which there will never be one right answer.

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he main players in the region are discovering additional benefits beyond current roles for the use of non-lethal systems. Non-lethal technology is defined as a weapon used to incapacitate personnel and materiel, rather than to kill or destroy and according to MicroMarketMonitor. Nonlethal weapons should be called upon as an interim option between “verbal warnings or psychological operations” and the use of lethal force. Considering the importance of the maritime domain to Asia-Pacific

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The Asia-Pacific’s non-lethal weapons market is witnessing huge market growth with the sector valued at $169.2 million in 2013 but expected to rise to $224.1 million by 2018. The utility of this technology has traditionally ranged from crowd control and vehicle interdiction operations to counter-piracy missions.

by Andrew White

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Non-lethal weapons are particularly useful for riot control, where deaths or serious injury which can often further inflame the situation, can be avoided by their use. Mongolian soldiers are shown here training for riot control © Australian Department of Defence

identified for the future utilisation of nonlethal weapons and munitions. “China has the highest market value of non-lethal weapons among the other countries (in the Asia-Pacific). Political dissent and separatist movements, and preventing escalation in high-risk situations are the major drivers which are impacting the growth of the market,” a spokesperson for MicroMarketMonitor informed AMR. Nevertheless, the United States continues to spread its influence across the region as part of its pivot towards the Asia-Pacific area with US military force elements advocating the utility of non-lethal technology as an alternative to maintaining order during “low-intensity conflicts” or “civil unrest”. In support of this effort, the Department of Defence (DoD) Joint NonLethal Weapons Programme is placing much emphasis on the Asia-Pacific in line with moves to reduce the Size, Weight, Power and Cost (SWAPC) of systems as

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they bid to further evolve the next-generation of non-lethal technology.

More specifically, the DoD is considering directed energy and non-directed energy systems; laser-induced plasma effect human compliant systems, non-pyrotechnic stun devices, long-range acoustic devices and warning systems. The US Marine Corps (USMC), the Department of Defence’s so-called “executive agent” for non-lethal weapons and devices in the Asia-Pacific, has run a series of leadership seminars, designed to demonstrate nonlethal tactics, techniques and procedures across the region, with a main effort designed to promote awareness of such capabilities and increase interoperability between the various states utilising them.

Regional Efforts

Capabilities included Oleoresin Capsicum, or “pepper spray”; the X26 Taser; 40mm sponge and “stingball” grenades; as well as non-lethal shotgun rounds. Indeed, one USMC observer explained to AMR: “Just because it’s non lethal doesn’t mean it’s pain-free. I think whoever said friends are made through hardship hit the nail right on the head.”

One non-lethal weapon which could be employed for anti-piracy tasks is the Long Range Acoustic Device (LRAD). Developed by the LRAD Corporation, it uses acoustic signals to cause discomfort, and has been employed for crowd control © US Navy

nations, the counter-piracy market has remained a strong driver for such technology. However, legislation in recent years has allowed private military security companies to use lethal force on board vessels as part of wider anti-piracy campaigns, thus appearing to slow the development and utility of non-lethal technology, making it almost irrelevant in this particular sector.

More recent efforts have seen the same technology worked into escalation of force procedures to show best practice so there now appears to be a development path

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Soldiers from the US Army’s 10th Mountain Division show the immediate effects of being stunned by a Taser’s electric shock, much to the general amusement of their colleagues. Such non-lethal weapons are intended to incapacitate, without causing long-term harm © US DoD

Referring to a specific non-lethal weapons exercise in Mongolia, featuring crowd control scenarios, he continued: “The training could prove valuable for the Mongolian armed forces, a major contributor to peacekeeping operations around the world, The Mongolians have deployed in support of United Nations peacekeeping missions in South Sudan, Sierra Leon and the Balkans, and continue to augment the coalition in Afghanistan.

In many instances during these missions, non-lethal weapons can be valuable additions to ground commanders.

“There are times when lethal force is not the best option. For example, the effective use of non-lethal weapons can prove extremely valuable during rescue missions, situations in which civilians are used to mask a military attack, as well as riots and cases of civil disturbance during Humanitarian Assistance-Disaster Relief (HADR) operations. Being able to use them

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effectively greatly increases the options a commander has while operating in the full spectrum of conflict.” Other countries participating in the training to date, in the Asia-Pacific have included Australia, New Zealand, Thailand, Indonesia, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Malaysia. USMC sources informed AMR how they expect this number to grow exponentially in the near-term.

Today’s inventory of non-lethal technology comprises a wide variety of weapons and munitions ranging from electrical devices, directed-energy, blunt impact, disperse and anti-vehicle systems.

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non-lethal) to Asia-Pacific countries in 2014, the China Poly Group Corporation unveiled the WB-1 millimetre-wave beamprojecting non-lethal anti-riot system.

Designed to heat water molecules below the surface of the skin, the millimetrewave beams result in unbearable shortterm pain for the target, forcing him or her to flee the beam immediately. According to Chinese reports, the technology can be used at ranges between 80 metres (262 feet) and one kilometre (0.6 miles).

Such a system follows on from Raytheon’s Active Denial System and Silent Guardian technology which was deployed to Afghanistan as part of Operation Enduring Freedom in 2010. However, this US system is understood to boast a maximum range of 5.5km (3.4 miles) yet media reports claim that it can take up to 16 hours to warm up before being operationally ready. The US variant, however, was pulled out of Afghanistan following concerns over the perception of the weapon by the local population.

But such a device could prove critical to de-escalating Chinese involvement in the

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East China and South China Seas where it routinely runs into situations with not only US armed forces but with Japanese maritime units staking claim to the Senkaku/Diayou Islands. According to US Navy sources, Chinese airborne platforms frequently “lock-on” to neighbours’ military assets, meaning the threat of an immediate trigger to escalation of violence and loss of life. Industry sources in the AsiaPacific, which preferred not to be named, have suggested to AMR that China is already working on a maritime variant of the WB-1 (see above) system in order to bolster its ‘non-lethal’ confrontation capabilities in the area.

Singapore’s Offerings

Yet such technological input is not being replicated across the region with other leading companies such as Singapore Technologies Kinetics (STK), for example, still concentrating on 40mm grenades as their main non-lethal effort.

Ideal for enabling the control and dispersal of “protestors and rioters”, these munitions are fired from under-slung or standalone grenade launchers and have been designed as a “pain compliance tool

for momentary incapacitation employed in crowd control situations”, a company spokesperson informed AMR. The STK family of non-lethal 40mm rounds include the impulse or ‘multi-pellet’ round; sound and flash round up to 170 decibels for temporary disruption of hearing and sight; and an aerial marker to identify individuals.

Unlike their high-explosive relations, none of these non-lethal variants comprise an arming distance although they still retain a low muzzle velocity between 65 and 100 metres-per-second (213 and 328 feet-persecond). The grenades also boast maximum ranges of 30m, 15m, 400m and 300m (98ft, 49ft, 1312ft and 984ft) respectively.

The company has also developed a low velocity CS (2-chlorobenzalmalononitrile) Tear Gas Cartridge which is effective out to a range of 250m (820ft) in order to perform “non-permanent disabling effects”. All STK munitions can be fired from in-service grenade launchers including the Chartered Institute of Singapore CIS40GL, Heckler and Koch HK69A1, M203 and Heckler and Koch AG36. Another major application for non-lethal technology in the Asia-Pacific is harbour protection, with one major effort currently being undertaken by undisclosed

US troops learn non-lethal restraint training techniques which are designed to incapacitate, but not to injure, the subject. The US armed forces have learnt the importance of such techniques during deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan where they have often been called upon to perform crowd control © US DoD

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governments in the region as well as the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) on a global basis.

Harbour Protection

According to the NATO’s Centre for Maritime Research and Experimentation (CMRE), non-lethal technology has been integrated with diver detection systems for holistic harbour protection. Networked into a wider inventory of command and control technology for target identification, NATO’s solution comprises the Cortland Vessel Arrest Launcher, designed to entangle propellers; Hydroacoustics Diver Interdiction System which comprises a low frequency, underwater air gun; Lasersec Sealase 10W 535nm laser to “dazzle” combatants; LRAD 500X Long Range Acoustic Device to warn off surface targets up to 450m (1476ft) away; Lubell Labs LL-1424HP underwater acoustic transducer designed to verbally warn divers; Peak Beam Systems’ ocular disruption system which dazzles target with a 7.5 million candlepower searchlight; and finally Photonic Security Systems’ SMU-100 handheld ocular disruptor used for the same purpose.

Dubbed the ‘Talon’ effort by NATO, it comprises an experimentation of nonlethal response in port protection, with a mission brief encompassing the search for “advanced concepts and technologies in non-lethal response for reducing the risk to military forces of attack by small boats or underwater intruders in ports and harbours”. Australia is now a partner nation in the Talon programme, and with coalition partners spread across Asia-Pacific, it appears likely that this technology will proliferate across the area of operation as more and more emphasis is placed on protecting critical national infrastructure such as ports and harbours.

“One challenge that NATO and AsiaPacific allies face is the vulnerability of its military forces and critical infrastructure to insurgent attack from the waterside in ports and harbours. An open waterside exposes ships and port facilities to attack by small boats or underwater intruders. In this environment, outside of a combat or war zone, requirements include warning,

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Raytheon’s Active Denial System (ADS) is a nonlethal weapon which employs microwave radiation. The ADS transmits microwaves which heat up the surface of the skin to an uncomfortable level, although the transmissions do not penetrate further to avoid causing lasting damage © US DoD

Taser International is one of the most famous names in non-lethal weapons technology. The company provides products to both civilian and military users. The company’s M26 model, which can be equipped with a laser sight and digital video camera, is shown in this photograph © US DoD

proof of hostile intent and responding with a force that matches the threat.” a NATO spokesperson told AMR. Researchers at CMRE are tackling port protection from a variety of angles. First, high-readiness technologies have been analysed for their suitability in delivering unambiguous warnings, determining proof of hostile intent and incapacitating intruders. Technologies include hailing devices, dazzlers, entanglement systems, underwater air guns and more. Many find application elsewhere in counter piracy and energy security (for example, oil platforms, pipelines and liquefied petroleum gas tankers).

China’s Challenge

Another major factor which will have a positive impact on the proliferation of non-lethal technology into Asia-Pacific will be an increase in foreign military sales into the region from the US. As an example, Vietnam was cleared in October to receive “maritime security-related defence articles” by the US Department of State, with a particular emphasis being placed on non-lethal equipment to assist offshore security operations. Restrictions date back to the end of the Vietnam War in the 1970s

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although Vietnam has been cleared to receive non-lethal weapons since 2007.

However, this latest decision will no doubt improve relations and potentially generate additional non-lethal sales in the future, industry sources explained.

According to the DoD, the ease of restrictions follows requirements to increase Vietnam’s situation awareness and security capabilities in the South China Sea, where ongoing disputes with China regarding the “Nine-Dash Line” continue.

Considering the wider market, there are still plenty of potential developments in the pipeline for non-lethal technology, all of which will be desirable to Asia-Pacific states. The DoD is examining improved vessel immobilisation systems capable of stopping fast attack craft from evading interdiction without endangering personnel on board with lethal munitions.

Future requirements call for technology capable of stopping all vessel types within 30m in various sea states, at ranges of 100m (328ft) or more and within just

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five seconds of engagement. The US Office of Naval Research (ONR) is also considering systems which can stop larger vessels, measuring over 100 tons in water displacement at ranges up to one nautical mile (two kilometres) as well as the engagement of multiple vessels. Such a system could use Directed Energy (DE) high-power microwave technology or non-directed energy options onboard a host platform such as an inflatable boat.

Non-DE solutions could include high-viscosity polymer materials to damage vessel engines and propellers.

“Each of these non-DE small vessel stopping technologies offer the potential for a low cost, effective, safe, and nearterm operational capability that other technologies cannot provide at this time", an ONR solicitation stated. There appears to be plenty of future development in the offing for the next-generation of nonlethal technology and much will depend upon budgets and ongoing legislation issues regarding its utility in the maritime environment, in particular. But as tensions continue to escalate in the Asia Pacific, the use of non-lethal weapons will provide an interesting interim solution in the wider escalation of force.

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The use of simulation technologies by land forces throughout the Asia-Pacific varies.

Some nations have been utilising this technology for training for some time. Other nations have been slower to take it up, either because of budgeting constraints, or cultural attitudes gravitating toward live training environments.

by Claire Apthorp

Cubic’s MILES Individual Weapon System is the latest-generation tactical engagement simulation tool and requires only seconds to align a weapon, with visible laser in any light, day or night, without an automated alignment device © Cubic image

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he traditional infantry training method is the live-fire environment, in which trainees use live weapons, ammunitions and vehicles. While live training remains a vital component of preparing infantry soldiers for operational realities, it is typically expensive, resource-heavy, and logistically complex; all of which limits where and how frequently it can be performed. As technology advances, live training is increasingly being augmented with virtual and constructive elements to enhance the ‘reality’

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AND SIMULATION of the training in order to deliver greater training effect and overcome the limitations of solely live fire training.

While live, virtual and constructed training methods have tended to be largely discrete from one another. Solutions are emerging that blend all three into a single training capability. “The move toward blending live training with virtual and constructive capabilities for ground combat training is the biggest trend we are seeing right now,” says Brandy Castle, director of business development at Cubic

Corporation. “Adding more simulation to the live training environment is the most efficient and cost-effective way to get that next level of fidelity and realism.”

Cubic’s focus on how to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of training is responsive to the worldwide crunch on training dollars that is forcing militaries to be smarter about how they train. This means getting more soldiers trained to a higher standard for less money. “Our customers are heavily reliant on live training, and as virtual and constructive training methods tend to be lower cost, budgets are driving the requirement to make live training more of a blended or synthetic training environment,” Ms. Castle said.

An example of Cubic’s recent work in this area is the release of its Augmented Reality Glasses Observation Network (ARGON), an augmented reality approach that increases the realism and fidelity of battlefield effects for indirect and direct fire, and live force-on-force engagements for more effective training. A soldier wearing the glasses is seeing reality overlaid with virtual images to provide the virtual effects of his own or enemy’s ‘real’ actions when

As technology advances, live training is increasingly being augmented with virtual elements

training. This helps to replicate operational environments without burdening logistics resources, and expands the number and type of scenarios soldiers can use to train in.

The system enhances the application of the company’s Multiple Integrated Laser Engagement System (MILES), which is used by several countries in the Asia-Pacific including Australia, Singapore, the Republic of Korea and Thailand.

“The basic premise of MILES is that you are training with your real weapon using blanks and laser triggers, but it is limited to use with direct fire weapons; you can’t use it to shoot a target you can’t see with an indirect fire weapon,” Ms. Castle notes.

“But the augmented reality glasses now allow you to conduct training with indirect

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fire weapons such as mortars, because the glasses inject the virtual reality showing the result of the firing. Now the soldier sees the real background but also a virtual explosion showing where the projectile would have landed; that’s a major jump ahead.’

Catching up

The Singapore Army was an early adopter of simulation training, having deployed its first two dimensional Artillery Fire Control and Training System (AFCTS) in the early 1980s. Other nations with otherwise world-class capabilities have been somewhat slower on the uptake of simulation-based training, and are now working to change that as they gain a clear understanding of its advantages.

Australia’s army modernisation plans include significant scope to increase its use of simulation training. Ultimately, the Australian Army’s goal is to conduct 25 percent of all unit training through simulation. According to the Australian Army’s modernisation update released in April 2014, achieving this goal will require improvement in a number of areas. These areas include the ability to design live, virtual and constructive training; the acquisition of virtual simulation with platforms acquired through the Defence Capability Plan, functions of Army and Joint Individual Training Establishments, the establishment of brigade simulation centres with the ability to link to other simulation hubs; and ongoing development of training areas in brigade locations to enable local training rather than movement to interstate training areas for this purpose The Australian Defence Force (ADF) plans will require strong support from industry, and a number of companies are positioning themselves to meet emerging requirements. In late 2012 Rheinmetall announced that its Australian subsidiary would acquire the defence holdings of local simulation company Sydac. The move was part of Rheinmetall’s growth into new key market areas, with expanding opportunities emerging from the ADF. Programmes of interest to the company include the Australian Army’s plans outlined in the government’s 2013 Defence White Paper to improve the

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The Cubic MILES Individual Weapon System features small, lightweight components for individual soldiers, and provides greater realism and accuracy than previously fielded MILES examples. It is user-friendly, requires less time to align weapons, and holds alignment throughout the training exercise © Cubic image

army’s structure to maximise force readiness by improving the effectiveness of the 36-month Force Generation Cycle.

Under this cycle, combat brigades, specialist capabilities and part-time forces consistently train together, with conventional deployable combat forces moving through three twelve-month phases in a 36-month cycle. The cycle concludes with the ‘ready’ phase when force elements will be held at high readiness and be deployed if necessary; the twelve months prior to this is the readying phase is when these force elements undergo an intense period of training and certification to ensure that they are ready to deploy. Hand-in-hand with the army’s move toward becoming a digital, networked force with improved vehicles, is Plan Beersheba, an initiative to improve the army’s facilities and training areas to enable them to become a hub of instrumented live, virtual and constructive combined arms training.

Drawing on COTS

As training and simulation technologies advance they are becoming increasingly affordable. “Many nations are following the lead of countries such as the United Kingdom, which is currently focused on moving more land force training into the synthetic domain,” says Jon Farrington, consultant engineer, Chemring Technology Solutions. “This move is motivated by the increasing affordability of simulation technologies, as well as the environmental impact of live training, and the relative ease of simulation training.”

Reduced costs are associated with the increased exploitation of Commercial OffThe-Shelf (COTS) technologies, and the skills and understanding being injected into the defence simulation sector as a result of cross-over from the commercial gaming domain in the areas of both graphics and hardware. “Military simulators

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Reduced costs are a direct result of the increased exploitation of COTS technology

have typically been very expensive and bespoke, whereas now things like (Bohemia Interactive’s) Virtual Battlespace 2 computer-based simulation system and other competing technologies are making things much more affordable and achievable for medium-sized companies, not just large multi-nationals,” Mr. Farrington adds. “This is also being helped by a worldwide push toward maintaining open standards so that different systems can ‘talk’ to each other without requiring expensive integration work.”

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Virtual Battlespace 2 (VBS2) is used as the standard technology for land simulators by militaries worldwide, including AsiaPacific countries such as Australia and New Zealand. VBS2 is an interactive, high-fidelity desktop battlefield simulator that offers both virtual and constructive interfaces for highly realistic military training and experimentation. The system allows for the fast and cost-effective creation of force-specific equipment and high-fidelity terrain that includes real-world conditions. Australia and New Zealand both elected to upgrade their VBS2 enterprise licences in 2012. Prior to this, the ADF used VBS1 to train soldiers deploying to Iraq and has been central to the evolution of the product, including funding the development of a range of amphibious simulation capabilities.

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New technology applications

In addition to providing reinforcement training on military tactics and procedures, VBS2 can be configured to work with other systems for experimentation and analysis work, an area proving an increasingly good match for the capabilities of simulation technologies. Chemring Technology Solutions is looking to tap into requirements in this field with its new Dismounted Close Combat (DCC) simulator which has been designed to deliver the ability to evaluate future soldier technology concepts.

The simulator enables users to rapidly test new technologies without the draining logistic and manpower resources of live testing requirements. It draws on gamesbased technology to create rich, realistic and configurable test and evaluation environments providing more accurate evaluation results as it can be configured for multiple

scenarios, allowing real-time changes to be made, including target and weapon updates. Test results can be used to rapidly gauge the likely impact on military capability and determine if a further investment is justified. The company plans to take the system to the Asia-Pacific region within the next twelve months, where it believes there will be good demand.

“There are a number of future soldier programmes underway in the region, where countries are investing in new technologies, new capabilities and new methods of working,” stated Arun Arumugam, business development manager Asia and Pacific, Chemring Technology Solutions.

“Technology like the DCC could be very useful in those programmes, to help make decisions on what kind of soldier systems they want to acquire, and how effective it could be.”

War Games

The use of open standards in simulation technologies has gone hand-in-hand with the adoption of COTS-based solutions, and has been driven by the push toward interoperability between different levels of the same force, different forces of the same nation, and the forces of different nations.

In September 2014, the armed forces of five countries; Singapore, the UK, Malaysia, Australia and New Zealand (collectively known as ‘SUMAN’) took part in the annual ‘SUMAN Warrior’ training exercise in New Zealand, using MASA Group’s flagship SWORD constructive simulation software for the first time.

An estimated 180 military personnel from the five nations took part in the brigade-level exercise, using a combination of SWORD and Systematic’s SitaWare command and control technology. The

The DCC simulator delivers customers the ability to evaluate future technology concepts without the need to develop time-consuming prototypes, and should thus also help to greatly reduce development costs © Roke/Chemring image

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exercise included 100 virtual units as well as insurgents embedded within a 200 square kilometres (77 square mile) field demonstrating the advanced artificialintelligence capabilities offered by SWORD, and providing users with an increasingly realistic and streamlined ‘train as you fight’ environment.

The New Zealand Defence Force began using SWORD in March 2014. The system is an aggregated constructed simulation solution for multi-level training of corps, brigade or battalion commanders. The simulation runs on map interfaces providing war game style training for operational tactics. The user trains in his regular operational environment using his operational command and control and battle management systems, passing commands to his subordinates. Operators enter the commands into SWORD which then uses artificial intelligence to fulfil the mission and represent the results.

“The artificial intelligence element drastically reduces tasking when training command staff by cutting the operators needed to run the system by 70 percent,” says

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The MASA SWORD is a powerful simulation engine capable of simulating thousands of units on a single laptop, with a representation of all aspects of the battlefield, including objects, phenomena such as natural disasters, as well as human factors © MASA image

Juan-Pablo Torres, president and chief executive officer of the MASA Group.

“That was a key point for the New Zealand acquisition, as was the systems’ ease of use.

In fact previous systems were very cumbersome and actually too sophisticated and complex for what they needed to achieve, but they were able to deploy SWORD in one month.” SWORD is available off-theshelf for customers to deploy, or can be customised to define force-specific weapon systems, sensor systems and units.

“The solution we have developed is traditionally the type of system developed for an armed force by a local system integrator in a long and expensive development project,” states Enrico Raue, new market and

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sales manager at MASA Group. “What we do with SWORD is provide an off-the-shelf solution that can be used as it is or adapted to suit specific needs, and customers can continually benefit from two technical releases every year.” MASA sees the AsiaPacific as an active market, and one that is particularly responsive to the company’s goal of providing easy-to-deploy off-theshelf solutions. “In Western Europe and North America acquisition cycles are very long and those armed forces tend to be less willing to change to the new type of systems that are needed,” Mr. Torres said. “The Asia-Pacific region however is much more dynamic in adapting to these changes.”

The use of simulation technology for infantry training in the Asia-Pacific is only going to continue rising as these trends take hold, allowing more soldiers to train as they fight and sustain force readiness levels via more efficient and cost-effective methods.

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by Pierre Delrieu

PAKISTAN TO ACQUIRE A FLEET OF Mi-35s FROM RUSSIA

Pakistan is to acquire a batch of Mil Mi-35 Hind-E attack helicopters from Russia in an effort to strengthen its counter-insurgency efforts.

Alexey Dedov, Russia’s ambassador to Pakistan, announced the news on the state-owned broadcaster Radio Pakistan on 12 November 2014, saying that Moscow had “politically approved” the deal.

Mr. Dedov did not specify the number of helicopters included in the deal, and added that political and commercial details still need to be finalised and that negotiations are still underway, but analysts believe the purchase could include up to 20 platforms. A few days following the announcement, on 20 November 2014, Russia’s defence minister Sergei Shoygu made a day-long visit to Pakistan during which he met with the Pakistani Prime

INDIA TO ACQUIRE SIX ACTAS SYSTEMS FROM GERMANY

India’s Ministry of Defence (MoD) and the German manufacturer Atlas Elektronik have signed a $51 million deal for six low-frequency Active Towed Array Sonar (ACTAS) systems to be fitted to Indian Navy (IN) warships.

The six ACTAS systems will reportedly equip the IN’s three ‘Talwar’ class frigates and its three ‘Delhi’ class destroyers and installed in empty compartments built into the rear of all six warships. They will provide the vessels with submarine-detection capabilities. The initial delivery to the IN of the first ACTAS system is

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Minister Nawaz Sharif at his official residence in the capital Islamabad and discussed the Mi-35 deal, among other issues related to security and defence cooperation between Pakistan and Russia, in addition to the recent security situation in the region.

“There is no doubt that Pakistan is extremely keen to acquire Mi-35s for political and tactical reasons,” Brian Cloughley, Australia’s former Ambassador to Pakistan, told AMR, explaining that “tactically, the Mi-35 is an ideal machine for Pakistan, given its versatility and comparative

simplicity of operation.” He added that the advantage for Pakistan of acquiring these helicopters from Russia, rather than from the United States, was that “maintenance and operating costs are much less than those of US-supplied rotorcraft, and there is no Moscow Congress that might impose restrictions on provision of spares for political reasons.”

But as the deal remains to be finalised Mr. Cloughley believes “the only sticking point is commercial, and there is no doubt that negotiations will depend on what sort of cost can be agreed in regard to the overall number of aircraft, a training package, long-term sustainability and, possibly, assembly or even manufacture in Pakistan.” He added that “Russia would like to lock Pakistan into a long-term agreement, and it is probable that Mr. Sharif’s government would welcome that, if only to show that it is independent of

Washington and able to engage in defence matters with a long-standing Indian ally.”

Pakistan’s army, the armed forces’ main helicopter operator, already fields over 90 Mil Mi-17 medium-lift utility helicopters and reportedly nominated the Mi-35 because of its satisfaction with the Russian helicopters. The country first received its Mi-17s in 1994 and, most recently, obtained a batch of four reconditioned helicopters donated by the United States in 2009.

Pakistani officials have grown increasingly confident over plans for future procurements of Russian military hardware in recent years. The Pakistan Air Force’s Pakistan Aeronautical Complex JF-17 Thunder multi-role combat aircraft, for example, which is co-produced with China’s Chengdu Aviation Corporation, is powered by the Russian Klimov’s RD-93 engines (see David Oliver’s ‘The Generation Game’ article in this issue).

planned for 2016.

The ACTAS operates in a low-frequency range and allows a surveillance of the sea with ranges of over 32 nautical miles (60 kilometres), depending on the sound propagation conditions of the water. The ACTAS’ performance gives warships an operational range advantage superior to that of weapons systems employed by submarines. ACTAS systems can also locate and track surface vessels, allowing a ship to conduct reconnaissance missions to locate submarines and ships in the same sonar search area.

Following a series of failed attempts led by the state-run Defence Research and Development Organisation to indigenously develop an Active

Towed Array Sonar (ATAS) system, India’s MoD issued a tender for the sonar systems requirement back in 2008. After field trials conducted in 2010, India eventually chose the ACTAS sonars over models proposed by the Thales and L3 Communications.

The contract was finalised on 12 November 2014 after a series of delays due to recurring complaints of wrongdoing in the selection process.

The deal includes a transfer of technology from Atlas Elektronik to India’s stateowned Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL) in Bangalore, which will build ten additional systems for other IN warships, many of which are currently under construction. These additional systems will be

supplemented by some 20 sonar systems, which will equip other IN platforms, including the aircraft carrier INS Vikrant, scheduled for commissioning in 2018.

Contacted by AMR to comment on the deal, Khalil Rahman, managing director of Atlas Elektronik India, explained that “the towed array sonar is a vital tool in AntiSubmarine Warfare (ASW)”, explaining that “the range of detection with a towed array sonar fitted to a typical ASW frigate would be more than four times that of a hull-mounted sonar alone. It is necessary for the detection of submarines and torpedoes and by acquiring these sonars the Indian Navy is filling a need to improve the security of Indian waters.”

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INDONESIA TO ACQUIRE ELEVEN AS565 MBE PANTHERS

The Indonesian Navy (TNI-AL) is expecting delivery of eleven Airbus Helicopters AS-565MBe Panther maritime support helicopters for Anti-Submarine Warfare (ASW), the aircraft’s manufacturer confirmed on 5 November 2014.

The deal was negotiated through PT Dirgantara Indonesia (PTDI), the country’s aerospace company which designs, develops and manufactures civilian and military aircraft. It marks the very first sale of an AS-565 variant optimised for ASW, and a significant step in the country’s effort to modernise its helicopter fleet.

Deliveries of the helicopters are expected to be completed by the end of 2017.

A military version of the civilian AS-365 Dauphin medium-lift multipurpose helicopter, the AS565 is used for a wide range of military roles, including attack, ASW, search and rescue, and medical evacuation.

All eleven aircraft are planned for manufacture in France and will be delivered to PTDI under a strategic industrial agreement. In an inter-

MALAYSIAN FIRM CAD WINS RMN COMBAT SYSTEM CONTRACT

The Malaysian firm Contraves Advanced Devices (CAD), located in Malacca, in the southern region of the Malay Peninsula, has won a contract to supply a variant of the SETIS Combat Management System (CMS) developed by French shipbuilder DCNS, for integration onto the Royal Malaysian Navy’s (RMN’s) Littoral Combat Ship (LCS).

The contract, announced on 12 November 2014, was valued at $78 million and secured

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view with AMR, Fabrice Rochereau, vice president of sales and customer relations for the Asia-Pacific branch of Airbus Helicopters explained that the company “has been selected to provide the most suitable helicopter to meet the Navy’s requirements, in this instance with the AS-565MBe Panther, upon which PTDI will install the required mission equipment before delivery to the navy.”

“All helicopters are naval versions which will be delivered by Airbus Helicopters equipped with maritime radios,” Mr. Rochereau told

AMR, “while PTDI will install the ASW equipment (sonar and torpedo launching system) locally in Bandung.”

Selected mission equipment will reportedly include the L-3 Ocean Systems Helicopter Long-Range Active Sonar (HELRAS) active dipping sonars, and launch systems for lightweight torpedoes.

The deal “represents a winwin proposal for all stakeholders”, argued Mr. Rochereau, “including significant benefits to the Indonesian industry.

This partnership between Airbus Helicopters and PTDI has been working very well

for many years now, which has seen PTDI becoming a major supplier of the EC-225 and EC-725 mediumlift utility helicopter fuselage and tail booms for Airbus Helicopters.”

“The end product will be a highly capable ASW platform,” concluded Mr. Rochereau, and will “enable a high-end ASW capability to be deployed on corvettes and smaller frigates where previously, conducting competent ASW against the growing submarine challenge relied principally on helicopters weighing ten tonnes or more flying from larger ships.”

through a Letter of Award (LoA) sent by the affiliated company Boustead Naval Shipyard (BNS), which is currently building the vessels under a $2.7 billion deal signed in late 2011.

The RMN is reportedly planning an operational entry date of 2019 for the first LCS, and its current planning schedule calls for sea trials of the first ship to be performed throughout 2018. Construction of the first of the six LCS class ships started at the Boustead Heavy Industry Corporation (BHIC) shipyard facilities in Lumut, a coastal town in the

state of Perak, Malaysia, with a delivery date scheduled for 2017-18, while the five remaining ships are to be delivered at six-month intervals thereafter.

The manufacturing of the 3000tonne LCS is led by BHIC, in partnership with DCNS, with the latter firms ‘Gowind’ class corvette being used as the basis for RMN’s vessels.

The Malaysian new class vessels will be fitted with DCNS’ SETIS CMS, along with Thales’ SMART-S Mk.2 naval surveillance radar, Rheinmetall’s TMEO Mk.2 radar and optronic fire control system, and Thales Captas’

low-frequency variable depth sonar. Weapons-wise, the vessel will carry a BAE Systems 57mm Mk.3 medium-calibre dual-purpose gun in a stealth cupola, as well as two MSIDefence Systems Seahawk single 30mm guns, and two J and S Triple Tube Torpedo Launcher systems. At the time of writing (late-January), no announcement has been made as to what torpedoes will be used (for more information on the Malaysian armed forces’ modernisation plans, see Dzirhan Mahadzir’s ‘Malaysia Modernises’ article in this issue).

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Primarily used by the United States’ Marine Corps and designed by Bell and Boeing in a joint venture, the V-22 is a tilt-rotor, multi-mission transport aircraft, designed to lift 24 combat troops, 20000 pounds (9090 kilograms) of internal cargo or up to 15000lb (6818kg) of external cargo.

The Japanese Ministry of Defence also wished to acquire a high-altitude reconnaissance aircraft and eventually selected the RQ-4, also currently in use by the US Air Force, and the E-2D Hawkeye aircraft as a command and control asset. Japan has been

investing in the development of its surveillance assets in the Asia-Pacific region, especially as neighbouring China has become increasing assertive with the two nations locked in a ‘Cold War’ over the Senkaku/Diaoyu islands; claimed by both countries as part of their territory.

Andrew Brookes, chief executive at The Air League, a not-for-profit aviation society based in the United Kingdom, explained to AMR that “Japan has understood it has to do more on the international security stage” as the country decides to develop “long range strike and reconnais-

sance and intelligence as a first step on the way to developing a global reach as befits a nation which will, whether it wants to or not, have to get involved outside its borders.”

Mr. Brookes added that “for around fifteen years, Japan has been slowly developing its capabilities. They have to go slowly; they’ve got a persistent national pacifist streak and a strict constitution. They can’t rush these matters. But as the Americans cannot commit as they used to and as China develops a more belligerent policy causing concern among their neighbours, Japan has to do something, they can no longer sit back.” Mr. Brookes added that “the rest of the world is going to expect Japan to be the sheriff, in that part of the world, and once you’ve got the intelligence, once you’ve got the pictures, once you’ve got the transcripts then, slowly, you can bring public opinion and the international opinion on your side.”

to which eight K9s were produced in the RoK and the remaining batch of more than 300 units manufactured locally. In Turkey, they are designated as the T-155 Firtina.

Under a similar agreement Samsung Techwin will reportedly produce an initial batch of 24 Polish units in the RoK, with an estimated delivery set for 2018. Following delivery of the first units, HSW will take over manufacturing for an additional 96 units. The K9 was initially developed in 1998 as a replacement for RoK’s K55 self-propelled howitzer, a variant of the BAE Systems M109.

Fitted with an automatic fire control system and powered by an MTU MT 881 Ka500 diesel engine, the gun has a maximum rate-of-fire of six rounds-per-minute and is capable of multiple-round simultaneous-impact firing,

with a firing range of 40 kilometres (25 miles).

The latest K9 deal with Poland comes after a merger and acquisition agreement led in November 2014, when the Samsung Group agreed to sell a 32.4 percent stake in Techwin to the Hanwha Corporation, the Seoul-based defence business arm of Hanwha Group, one of the

largest business conglomerate in the RoK, for $765 million.

Subsequently, the Hanwha Group gained managing rights over defence electronics specialists Samsung Thales, which is jointly owned by Thales and Samsung (see Stephen Miller’s article ‘Up-gunning the God of War’ in this issue for more analysis of artillery programmes in the Asia-Pacific).

JAPAN ANNOUNCES GLOBAL HAWK, OSPREY AND HAWKEYE PURCHASES

Japan has officially announced its decision to procure the Bell-Boeing V-22 Osprey tilt-rotor, as well as the Northrop Grumman RQ-4 Global Hawk Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) for its high-altitude reconnaissance requirement and Northrop Grumman E-2D Advanced Hawkeye Airborne Early Warning aircraft. All three requirements were made official upon publication of the country’s fiscal year 2015 budget request.

Although widely expected since the release in April 2014 of the country’s National Defence Programme Guidelines, in which the Japanese government laid out a requirement for 17 such aircraft, the choice of the V-22 may have political ramifications for Japanese prime minister Shinzo Abe’s government.

REPUBLIC OF KOREA TO EXPORT K-9 HOWITZERS TO POLAND

Officials from the Defence Acquisition Programme Administration (DAPA), an executive branch of the Republic of Korea (RoK) government and the RoK defence company Samsung Techwin announced on 16 December 2014 that the Republic of Korea had agreed to export 120 selfpropelled howitzers developed by the company to Poland.

The contract, signed by Samsung Techwin and Poland’s state-owned defence manufacturer HSW, is valued at roughly $320 million and represents the second international export of the K9 Thunder 155mm self-propelled howitzer which was originally developed for the RoK armed forces and also sold to Turkey in 2001, under a $1 billion licence agreement, according

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AUSTRALIA TO RECEIVE ADDITIONAL BOEING C-17S

The United States Defence Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) announced on 12 November 2014 it was approving a requested sale of four Boeing C-17A Globemaster III turbofan freighters to Australia. The sale, valued at $1.6 billion, includes three spares engines, Northrop Grumman’s AN/AAQ-24V Large Aircraft Infrared Countermeasure (LAIRCM) and AN/AAR-54 Missile Warning Sensor with one set equipping each aircraft, as well as additional communications and navigation equipment.

No timeline for the delivery of the aircraft was given as for now, but is expected to take place soon, as the production line for the C-17A is set to shut down in the mid-

NEW ZEALAND RECEIVES FIRST BATCH OF BEECHCRAFT T-6C TEXANS

The Royal New Zealand Air Force (RNZAF) confirmed on 20 November 2014 that it had received four of its eleven Beechcraft T-6C Texan-II turboprop trainers, with three more aircraft being en route to the country at the time of writing in January.

The remaining four based on the Pilatus PC-9 turboprop trainer are scheduled to arrive in New Zealand by mid-2015 and fulfil a contract signed in January 2014. The eleven aircraft were ordered to replace twelve leased Pacific Aerospace CT-4E trainers operated by the RNZAF. Along with the aircraft, Beechcraft is providing a complete Pilot Training Capability, and the first Wings Course for aircrew is scheduled to begin in January 2016.

Contacted by AMR, Russ

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dle of 2015. A number of unassigned ‘white-tail’ aircraft have already been built and are awaiting a buyer. The closure of the line was initially announced in 2013, but Boeing built twelve additional aircraft expecting that customers would be found.

“Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) has been a C-17A Globemaster III customer since 2006, operating six aircraft as part of its RAAF Base Amberley fleet,” a Boeing spokesperson told AMR, adding that the aircraft “played a vital role in the aftermath of the 2011 Cyclone Yasi in north Queensland, the earthquake in Christchurch during the same year, and support of the repatriation effort for the remains of passengers after the shoot-down of Malaysian Airlines flight MH17 in Ukraine in 2014.”

The spokesperson added that

“more recently, elements of the fleet have seen service in Northern Iraq as part of the humanitarian assistance and re-supply missions there.”

By placing an order for four additional C-17As, Australia has secured a large proportion of the last aircraft to roll off the production line. To date, Boeing has reportedly delivered 258 C-17As: 221 to the United States, eight to the United Kingdom, six to the United Arab Emirates, six to Australia, five to India, four to both Canada and Qatar, three to the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation and one to Kuwait. Before closing the manufacturing line, Boeing has

five more contracted aircraft to be delivered to India and an additional aircraft for Kuwait.

“C-17s are unmatched in their ability to transport troops or heavy cargo, to support airdrop and aeromedical evacuations, and to deliver humanitarian aid virtually anywhere,” explained the Boeing spokesperson, adding that “Boeing’s presence in Australia represents the company’s largest footprint outside the United States, with a heritage stretching back more than 85 years. The company is part of the aerospace and defence fabric of Australia, offering longterm partnerships based on trust and performance.”

Bartlett, president of the Beechcraft Defence Company explained that the firm has “worked closely with the New Zealand Ministry of Defence to build and deliver eleven T-6C Texan II aircraft that are tailored to the requirements of the RNZAF”.

Mr. Bartlett added that these tailored requirements include “a terrain awareness warning system, a real-time flight following system, an aerial display smoke generator, cockpit voice data recorder and cockpit camera mounts”.

With this delivery, explains Mr Bartlett, “the Beechcraft

T-6C is now the sole pilot training aircraft for the RNZAF and replaces the requirement to use two distinct training aircraft to fully train RNZAF pilots.

Previously, the RNZAF employed the CT-4E for ab initio pilot training and then progressed to the Beechcraft B-200 King Air for instrument flight rules and advanced training. The T-6C combines these missions with a leap in capability, safety and affordability. Ultimately, the T-6C brings a 21st-century training capability to the RNZAF that allows a straightforward path

from the training environment to follow-on mission aircraft such as the RNZAF’s helicopters and fixed-wing aircraft.”

New Zealand’s pilot training capability programme “consists of an acquisition component as well as a logistics support element”, Mr. Bartlett said, adding that New Zealand’s acquisition component “includes the purchase of eleven T-6Cs as well as two operational flight trainers (simulators), pilot training courseware and desktop training aides. The logistics support agreement represents a one-ofa-kind, 30-year sustainment package where Beechcraft provides the complete maintenance of the aircraft and flight simulators while also managing all T-6C flight line operations. This arrangement substantially reduces financial risk to the New Zealand government while also ensuring a predictable flying hour programme to support future RNZAF pilot training classes.”

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