Armada International- Dec 2012-Jan 2013

armada The trusted source for defence technology information since 1976

Issue 6/2012

international

December/January

Innovation … Delivered.

The ATK Mk 44S 30/40mm ABM Bushmaster® Automatic Cannon

With nearly 20,000 systems delivered worldwide, ATK’s family of medium caliber chain guns is the industry standard for accuracy, reliability and flexibility to support air, ground and naval platforms. ATK delivers complete product lifecycle support through integrated logistics support and training. This is ATK.

ArmamentSystems.BDev@atk.com

www.atk.com armada

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Contents 6/2012

INTERNATIONAL

www.armada.ch | www.armadainternational.com

14

DRONES

GROUND-STINGING DRONES I ERIC H. BIASS

When drones – at the beginning essentially designed for intelligence missions – came of age and started to become reasonably reliable, it was obvious that someone was sooner of later going to think about arming them.

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TURRETS ON A LEASH

ARTILLERY ON WHEELS

REMEMBER TO TAKE YOUR TABLETS!

I PAOLO VALPOLINI

I PAOLO VALPOLINI

I TOM WITHINGTON

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44

LIES, SUSPICIONS AND NEW PERSPECTIVES

DEFENCE TECHNOLOGY NEWS UPDATE

MEDIUM CALIBER TURRETS

DRONE UPDATE

I ERIC H. BIASS

WHEELED HOWITZERS

DIGEST

TABLETS

COMPENDIUM SUPPLEMENT

URBAN WARFARE & AIR OPS EQUIPMENT I PAOLO VALPOLINI, INPUTS FROM ERIC H. BIASS

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Index

armada THE TRUSTED SOURCE FOR DEFENCE TECHNOLOGY INFORMATION SINCE 1976

Issue 6/2012

INTERNATIONAL

December/January

I INDEX TO ADVERTISERS ADVENTURE LIGHTS ATK AUSA BERETTA CASSIDIAN CERADYNE COLT DATRON DEFENSE AND SECURITY THAILAND ELBIT SYSTEMS EXELIS

33 C2 C3 29 20-21 31 11 3 31 3 C4

FISCHER FNSS GDC4S GSA IDEF IMDEX INVISIO L3 COMMUNICATIONS LAAD LEUPOLD LIMA ODU

35 27 21 47 43 41 15 C3 29 25 39 45

OTO MELARA PHOTONIS RUAG AMMOTEC SCHUTT SOFRADIR TEXTRON THALES TRIJICON ULTRALIFE VECTRONIX

13 5 35 27 9 C4 9 13 C2 7

Entries highlighted with blue numbers are found Urban Warfare and Air Ops Equipment 2012-13 Compendium

I INDEX TO MANUFACTURERS Companies mentioned in this issue. Where there are multiple references to a company in an article,only the first occurence and subsequent photographs are listed below AeroVironment 22, 20, 22 Agusta Westland 5, 36 Air Tractor 34 Airbus Military 4, 27, 32 Alenia 22,40 AleniaAermacchi 32 Allison 28 Amrel 34 Apple’s 33 Arianespace 46 ATK 4, 6, 20, 30 AXA Matrix 4 BAE Systems 5, 11, 02, 32 BCB International 18,19 Bell 5, 38, 26, 35 Boeing 4, 22, 26, 30 Carl Gustaf 16 Carl Zeiss Optronics 17 Cassidian 4, 42, 45 Cessna 31, 32, 34 Cobham 4 Cockerill 7, 8, 9 Dassault Aviation 22, 23, 40 Denel Dynamics 18 Diehl Defence 16, 19 Douglas 30 DRS Technologies 36, 37 Dynamit Nobel 16, 17 EADS 22, 40, 42 Elbit Systems 7, 8, 17, 30 Embraer 33 Eurocopter 36 Fieseler 16 FN Herstal 34 FNSS 12,13 GE Aviation 22, 28 General Aviation 5, 15, 16, 23 General Dynamics 4, 36, 19, 20 Gentex Corp 5 Getac 33, 34 Glacier Computer 35, 36

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HAI 40 Harris 4, 36, 46 Hawker Beechcraft 33, 34 Henschel 16 Honeywell 4, 16 IATech 20, 22 Invisio 44 Israel Aerospace 16, 18, 21, 22 Itronix 36 ITT Exelis 5 Jieddo 2, 3 Kamov 35 Kentron 18 KMW 7, 8 Kongsberg 6, 12 Kosovo 18 L-3 Communications 33, 35 Leading Systems 15 Linux 33, 34 Lockheed Martin 9, 10, 27, 30 Logic Instrument 37 Mack Defense 25 Macro USA 2, 3, 4, 6 Mandus Group 25 Marine Hydraulics 5 MBDA 8, 19, 20, 22 Miro Technologies 4 MK2 6 Mobile Demand 34, 35 Navair 32 Netline 13,14 Nexter 8, 9, 10, 12 NHIndustries 36 Norinco 30 Northrop Grumman 4, 34 Novatic 12, 13 ODF Optronics 10 Optimess 10 Oto Melara 3, 10, 11, 19 Otokar 13 Panasonic 33, 34

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Panhard 7, 8, 9 Piaggio Aero Industries 35 Pilatus 34 Piranha 10 Pratt & Whitney 16 PT Dirgantara 4 QinetiQ 2, 6, 7, 22 Rafael 7, 16, 18, 23 Raytheon 5, 17, 19, 28 Recon Robotics 1, 2, 6, 7 Renault Truck Defense 25 Rheinmetall 7, 10, 11, 12 Rockwell Collins 36 Rolls-Royce 22, 28 Rotax 16 RRI Global SAGIL 10 Ruag 22, 40 Saab 16, 22, 35 Sagem 48 Samsung Techwin 25 Selex Galileo 35, 42 Shipunov 11 Sierra Nevada 31, 33 Sikorsky 26, 27, 35 Soframe/Unimog 25 SRM 14 Teligy 5 Textron 5, 19, 20, 22 Thales 5, 22, 40 Thielert 16 Thomas Russell Co 4 Trimble 34 UAS Vision 38 Utri 42 Veragon 25 Water-Gen 24 XCOR 4 Xplore Technologies 35 Yugoimport 26, 28

Both the Old and New Continents are reaching a significant milestone in the history of drone development, here the Neuron (Dassault picture) which will outline the future picture in which large attack drones are likely to operate.

See “Drones Built To Kill” on page 14.

Volume 36, Issue No. 6, December 2012/January 2013 armada INTERNATIONAL is published bi-monthly by Media Transasia Ltd. Copyright 2012 by Media Transasia Ltd. Publishing Office: Media Transasia Ltd, Room No. 1205-1206, Hollywood Centre 233, Hollywood Road, Central, Hong Kong.

Tel: (852) 2815 9111, Fax: (852) 2815 1933 Editor-in-Chief: Eric H. Biass Regular Contributors: Roy Braybrook, Paolo Valpolini, Thomas Withington Chairman: J.S. Uberoi President: Xavier Collaco Sr. Manager International Marketing: Vishal Mehta Manager International Marketing: Yusuf Azim Deputy Manager Marketing: Tarun Malviya Sales & Marketing Coordinator: Atul Bali Designer: Arijit Das Choudhury Production Manager: Kanda Thanakornwongskul Group Circulation Manager: Porames Chinwongs Chief Financial Officer: Gaurav Kumar Advertising Sales Offices  AUSTRIA, BENELUX, SWITZERLAND Cornelius W. Bontje Ph: +41 55 216 17 81, cornelius.bontje@armada.ch  FRANCE Promotion et Motivation, Odile Orbec Ph: +33 1 41 43 83 00, o.orbec@pema-group.com  GERMANY Sam Baird Ph: +44 1883 715 697, sam@ whitehillmedia.com  ITALY, NORDIC COUNTRIES Emanuela Castagnetti-Gillberg Ph: +46 31 799 9028, egillberg@glocalnet.net  SPAIN Vía Exclusivas, Macarena Fdez. de Grado Ph: +34 91 448 76 22, macarena@viaexclusivas.com  UNITED KINGDOM Zena Coupé Ph: +44 1923 852537, zena@expomedia.biz  RUSSIA Alla Butova, NOVO-Media Ltd, Ph: (7 3832) 180 885 Mobile : (7 960) 783 6653 Email :alla@mediatransasia.com  EASTERN USA – EAST OF THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER Margie Brown, Ph: (540) 341 7581, margiespub@rcn.com  WESTERN USA – WEST OF THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER Diane Obright, Ph: (858) 759 3557, blackrockmedia@cox.net  ALL OTHER COUNTRIES Vishal Mehta, Tel: (91) 124 4759625, Mobile: (91) 99 999 85425, (44) 11 5885 4423, E-Mail: vishal@mediatransasia.com Annual subscription rates: Europe: CHF 186. + 36. (postage) Overseas: USD 186. + 36. (postage) ABC Controlled circulation: 22,739, certified by ABC/WEMF, valid from autumn 2011.

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Business

AIRBUS MILITARY and PT Dirgantara Indonesia have signed an agreement to jointly launch an upgraded version of the Airbus Military C212400 as a further step in their long term cooperation agreement. The aircraft, renamed as NC212, will be offered to both civil and military customers and will be a highly competitive offer in the market segment of light aircraft, being equipped with new digital avionics and autopilot systems. It will also have a new civil interior for up to 28 passengers compared to the current 25, increasing its cost efficiency significantly.

The NC212 will be EASA and FAA FAR 25 certified.

XCOR AEROSPACE announced that it has issued the initial phase of a two-phase contract to ATK’s Aerospace Structures Division for the detailed design and manufacture of the Lynx Mark I suborbital reusable launch vehicle (RLV) wings and control surfaces.

This announcement represents a critical milestone in the march toward assembly, test and entry into commercial service of the Lynx.

COBHAM has received a new contract from the US Air Force’s Air Combat Command for the Deployable Oxygen Generation System- Medium

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(DOGS-M) systems, adding to its growing line of medical oxygen products.

This initial contract is valued at $3 million with a total program value estimated at $20M to efficiently serve the requirements for customers world-wide. The DOGS-M system has been fully validated and is compatible with recharging the MOST (Mobile Oxygen Storage Tank) storage systems and interfacing with the PODS (Patient Oxygen Delivery System) hospital oxygen distribution system.

Cobham looks forward to the introduction of the DOGS-M line to additional military medical service groups as it expands its military medical product offerings.

CASSIDIAN Cyber Security and AXA MATRIX Risk Consultants have signed a cooperation agreement to sensitise the managers of large enterprises to cyber risks and to implement risk identification and prevention programmes.

Cassidian Cyber Security and AXA MATRIX Risk Consultants will offer their customer’s cyber risk prevention programmes to reduce the potentially damaging consequences of security attacks.

This cooperation agreement primarily targets the most critical areas of activity such as the generation of electric power, the automotive industry, the aviation and aircraft manufacturing industries, and the luxury goods industry.

GENERAL DYNAMICS C4 Systemsled team received a contract from the U.S. Marine Corps to build up to four Engineering Development Models and nine Limited Deployment Units of the Processing and Display/Sensor Data Subsystem (PDS/SDS) for Increment 1, Phase 2 of the Common Aviation Command and Control System (CAC2S).

When built and fully operational, the General Dynamics system will deliver a real-time picture of events taking place at sea, in the air and on land during a mission, enabling faster, more informed decision making for Marine Corps commanders and their staffs. The contract has a total potential value of $61.4 million if all options are exercised.

BOEING [] has acquired Miro Tech-

nologies, a privately held software company specializing in enterprise asset and supply chain management; maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) services; and Performance-Based Logistics (PBL) management for government and commercial customers worldwide.

Miro will become part of the Global Services & Support (GS&S) business within Boeing Defense, Space & Security.

Miro expands a suite of GS&S products that link and fuse data from existing systems for improved mission readiness and reduced sustainment costs.

HARRIS Corporation, an international communications and information technology company, has received a $5.1 million order to supply Falcon III® multiband, multi-mission handheld radios to a NATO nation. The radios will be used to provide line-of-sight and beyond-lineof-sight tactical communications to the country’s armed forces personnel.

THALES signed a definitive agreement to acquire the Helmet Mounted Display (HMD) and motion tracking businesses from Gentex Corporation. Called “Visionix, http://rf.harris.com/media/152_ Enlarged_26-12069.jpg” the combined group designs, develops and delivers HMD, inertial tracking and sensor fusion

technology for defense and aerospace applications, along with others that require precision motion tracking, to customers worldwide. Visionix operates from locations in Aurora, Illinois and Billerica, Massachusetts.

Swedish Maritime Administration is the authority responsible for Maritime and Aeronautical Search and Rescue Services in Sweden and will operate the AW139 helicopters from 5 bases across the country.

BAE SYSTEMS today has entered into a agreement with American Maritime Holdings, Inc. to acquire Marine Hydraulics International, Inc. (“MHI”), a privately held company that operates a shipyard, pier and waterfront facilities in Norfolk, Virginia. The proposed acquisition would complement BAE Systems’ support to its customers with enhanced readiness and sustainment maritime services.

ITT EXELIS officially opened its fullservice mine defense production facility in Panama City, Florida.

“To meet customer needs more efficiently, we required a more flexible, consolidated space,” said Rich Sorelle, acting president of the Exelis Electronic Systems division. “With this new building, we will be better positioned to provide mine defense capabilities to the U.S. Navy and a growing number of allies.”

AGUSTAWESTLAND has signed a contract with the Swedish Maritime Administration for seven AW139 intermediate twin helicopters. The aircraft will be equipped for Search and Rescue (SAR) operations with the first helicopter scheduled to be delivered in the spring of 2013 and the final one in 2014. The

I BIG DEALS IN SHORT Company

Amount

Event

From Where

ATK

$ 100 Million

To manufacture composite wing stringers for A400 military transport aircraft

Airbus

BAE SYSTEMS

£ 38 Million

To regenerate the Royal Marines fleet of BvS10 Viking all terrain vehicle

UK Ministry of Defence

Cobham

£ 105 Million

Aerial Maritime Surveillance contract extension

Australian Custom and Border Protection Service

General Dynamics

$ 459 Million

Nuclear submarine support work.

US Navy

Boeing

$ 178 Million

B61 Tail Kit assembly

US Air Force

ITT Exelis

$ 217 Million

To provide generation 3 aviation night vision system

US Army

NORTHROP GRUMMAN

$ 39.7 Million

To design and develop payload transporter system

US Air Force

Raytheon

$ 349 Million

TOW Missiles

US Army

ATK

$ 52 Million

Testing and production for FMU 143 bomb fuze

US Air Force and US Navy

BAE Systems

$ 12 Million

To provide Common Digital Transponder (CXP) hardware upgrade

US and Allied Forces

Raytheon

$ 8.7 Million

Development of protected SATCOM Systems

US Air Force

BAE Systems

$ 97 Million

To reset Bradley Fighting Vehicles

US Army

Harris Corporation

$ 50 Million

Modernization of enterprise terminals program

US Army

Boeing

$ 2 Billion

To assure the availability of C-17 aircraft

US Department of Defence

EADS North America

$ 181.8 Million

To deliver 34 additional UH-72A Lakota helicopters

US Army

BAE SYSTEMS

$ 60 Million

To maintain space radar and telescope systems

US Air Force

Harris Corporation

$ 10 Million

Falcon III Multiband Manpack Radios

US Air Force

General Dynamics

$ 61.7 Million

To develop Common Missile Compartment

US Navy

Lockheed Martin

$ 30 Million

To integrate new avionics and software on C-130T aircrafts

US Naval Air Systems

Raytheon

$ 11.5 Million

To enhance the Weather Data Analysis (WDA) system

US Air Force

Lockheed Martin

$ 114 Million

Upgrade combat vehicle simulators

US Army

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MEDIUM CALIBER TURRETS

Turrets on a Leash

The Kongsberg remotely controlled turret reflects the company philosophy that considers mandatory to protect a medium calibre gun from all threats, including weather and sand.

(Kongsberg)

While small calibre remotely controlled weapon stations (RCWS) have become a must to ensure self-defence firepower to most armoured vehicles (from protected trucks to main battle tanks), medium calibres and their longer range are required by patrols to enable them to engage the enemy before his weapon systems.

Paolo Valpolini

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rawing on experience garnered with the Samson 30 Mk1, Rafael of Israel developed the Samson 30 Mk2 where the ATK Mk44 30 mm gun is sheltered by an armoured case providing Level 1 protection, which can be increased to

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Level 4 with add-on armour kits. The turret maintains a very low silhouette making it a difficult target. With an elevation arc of –20°/+60°, the Mk44 has a dual-feed system, with each of the two ammunition magazines containing 100 rounds. The crew protection can reload

and carry out maintenance from inside (a hatch isolates the turret from the vehicle).

A 7.62 mm machine gun or a 40 mm automatic grenade launcher are mounted to the right of the main gun. Commander and gunner each have their own dualaxis gyro-stabilised sighting system.

The gunner’s is boresighted to the gun while the commander’s is a retractable panoramic sight, providing a hunter-killer capability. To improve crew situational awareness a hatch in the turret roof allows the commander to have a direct view of the outside world. The Samson 30 Mk2 can be equipped with two Rafael Spike LR antitank missiles launchers, while the main weapon can be replaced with other 30 to 40 mm calibre guns of Western or Eastern origin. Rafael proposes its new turret in four different configurations, and depending on the type of equipment installed and on protection level the Mark2 weight varies between 1400 and 2400 kg.

Another Israeli company, Elbit Systems, is also active in the medium calibre turret field with its UT25 and UT30. In September 2012 Elbit Systems received an initial production order for the supply of UT30 BR 30mm Unmanned Turrets to the Brazilian Army. Valued at $15 million those turrets will be installed onboard Iveco 6x6 “Guarani” APCs as part of a contract valued at approximately

$260 million announced in January 2011.

The number of turrets involved was not announced, but a first batch should be delivered within two years.

KMW of German unveiled a derivative of its FLW200 RCWS known as FLW200+.

The new system can host not only light weapons, but also a 20 mm cannon, namely the Rheinmetall Rh202 DM6A1.

The FW200+ weighs approximately 400 kg including the gun and one hundred 20x139 mm rounds, the Rh202 having a dual feed capability. Stabilised on two axis, it has an elevation arc of –10°/+50° and defined fire/no fire zones can be established by the crew. The optronic suite is hosted in a box on the right side of the mount and includes a CCD colour zoom camera, a laser rangefinder and a thermal imager; considering the longer ranges involved the TI system adopted is of the cooled type. Leveraging the family concept KMW maintained numerous components in common with the FLW100/200 RCWS, such as the control system and the display, as well as mechanical interfaces. The FLW200+

A key feature of the Samson 30 Mk2 produced by Rafael of Israel is that the commander can improve its situational awareness thanks to a hatch that allows him to have a direct view. (Rafael)

is designed to accept a further weapon system on the top; this can come in the form of either a missile launcher or a light machine gun, though self-defence grenade launchers can also be fitted.

In Belgium Cockerill Maintenance & Ingénierie (CMI) proved its flexibility in the medium calibre field with the remotely controlled weapon station – a derivative of the CPWS (Cockerill Protected Weapon Station) 20-25-30 – integrated on board the Panhard Crab 4x4 unveiled at Eurosatory 2012. The CPWS protects the gun both from the ballistic threat and from the weather, but allows the crew to reload the gun from under armour. The gun is fully stabilised and has an elevation arc of –10°/+45°, a dual mode day/night stabilised sighting system with laser range finder, while a panoramic sight able to reach a +60°elevation can be easily integrated thanks to the CAN Bus armada

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MEDIUM CALIBER TURRETS

architecture. The ammunition rack can store up to 150 rounds of two types if the gun features a dual-feed system. The CPWS can be equipped with a hatch to allow the commander to have a direct view of the surroundings, a clear requirement from the French Army that was incorporated into the Crab turret. With the standard Level 1 protection the CPWS has a weight of 750-800 kg depending on the weapon, which may considerably increase should the customer chose a Level 4 protection level.

Cockerill is also offering a range of modular medium calibre two-man turrets that can host guns from 25 to 40 mm, with some growth potential up to 50 mm. Fully stabilised, with hunter-killer capability if a commander’s panoramic sight is installed, they exploit the company common electronic architecture.

Standard elevation arc is –20°/+60° although with ATK guns a maximum elevation of +75° can be reached. While standard protection is at Level 1, this can be increased up to Level 5 with add-on

Elbit Systems of Israel produces the UT25 and UT30 uninhabited turrets; the latter one has recently scored a major success in Brazil. (Elbit Systems)

armour kits. A turret with a CTAI cased telescoped 40 mm gun was exhibited in 2010 on the Panhard Sphynx mock-up, the Sphynx being aimed at the French Army EBRC programme.

Two more turrets are eyeing the EBRC programme. Nexter introduced a new turret armed with the CTAI 40 mm gun at Eurosatory 2012. The French Army wants a two-man turret, but Nexter developed a fully modular system around a digital core, that allows it to be easily transformed into a remotely controlled system. A 360° day/ night vision system provides maximum situational awareness to the crew, while episcopes ensure a direct view capability.

An FN Arrows RCWS is mounted on top to provide self-protection fire. The main gun has an elevation arc of –15°/+60° while a 62-rounds carousel magazine allows to instantly select the required ammunition. On both sides of the turret a launcher for the MBDA MMP is installed.

The missile container will be armoured at The most recent development by KMW in terms of turrets is the FL200+, a beefed up version of the FL200 that can host a 20 mm cannon. (KMW)

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A derivative of the Cockerill Protected Weapon Station (CPWS) produced by Cockerill Maintenance & Ingénierie of Belgium has been installed on the Panhard Crab prototype here seen at the 2012 Eurosatory exhibition. (Armada/ Paolo Valpolini)

Level 3, the basic protection for the turret being Level 2, which can be increased using add-on armour. In the current configuration the turret weighs 4.2 tonnes, but its structure can accept a maximum weight of seven tonnes. Being fully digital the Nexter 40 CTA turret will be capable of accepting auxiliary systems in a plugand-play mode. Currently, only the twomen version with full optional conversion has been build. As for the ARX20 remote controlled weapon station unveiled two years ago this is also a fully modular system, the top model including a secondary 7.62 mm weapon, a sophisticated optronic and

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Cockerill also offers a two-seat turret family armed with guns ranging from 25 to 40 mm. Here features is a CTAI 40 mm and installed on the Panhard Sphynx prototype. (Armada/Paolo Valpolini)

an auto-tracking capacity. A number of options are currently being considered for this turret and new versions might soon be available.

At Eurosatory 2012 Panhard exhibited its Sphynx with a Lockheed Martin UK turret. The latter company leverages experience garnered with the Warrior CSP and the Scout SV programmes and proposes itself as a system integrator capable to provide a “turret on demand” rather than a turret producer with a defined turret portfolio. The Sphynx turret prototype structure has been designed by the company, and in spite of being a much smaller turret than the Scout SV’s it adopts many its features. The experience acquired with the integration of the CTI 40 mm gun, which has no breech protruding in the turret compartment and is therefore a highly unbalanced gun, has

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been exploited, a mechanical balancing system being adopted while electrical power is used only for minor adjustments.

Ammunition handling is also a derivative of the Scout SV’s, the main gun having 70 rounds while the co-axial MG has 800.

The man-machine interface as well as the fire control system also owe a lot to the British programme. But what allows to maintain such a degree of commonalities while ensuring an easy integration of GFE or customer-chosen components is the electronic architecture developed by Lockheed Martin, the company having worked hard on the UK DEF STAN 23-09 that defined the new Generic

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MEDIUM CALIBER TURRETS

Following the development of a 20 mm remotely controlled turret Nexter unveiled, in 2012, its 40 mm offer for the French Army EBRC programme armed with the CTAI 40 mm gun.

(Armada/Paolo Valpolini)

Vehicle Architecture to be adopted for future British vehicles. The Sphynx twoseat turret has a weight of around 3.5 tonnes unprotected, Level 4 protection increasing this to approximately 4.5 tonnes including the dual external guided missile launchers. Lockheed Martin is ready to carry on a similar operation for other vehicle programmes and provide tailored solutions and integrated services.

Rheinmetall’s Lance modular turret structure was chosen as the base of the

Lockheed Martin turret adopted for British SV programme. The turret chassis is not identical to that of the Lance and this allowed Rheinmetall to acquire further experience in customisation. As for the Lance turret per se, and following the delivery of the first two installed on Piranha IIIs acquired by the Spanish Tercio de Armada, two other units should be delivered by the end of this year. A Lance turret was integrated on a Piranha 5 taking part in the Canadian Close Combat Vehicle testing phase. The

Lance evolution draws on the Puma German IFV programme, some weapon functionalities as well as the Air Burst Munition (ABM) qualification taking place under that umbrella. Rheinmetall integrated and optimised the Lance on the Boxer 8x8 vehicle, that version having also been test-fired. During the turret development phase Rheinmetall's turret competence centre in Gersthofen built a test rig for troubleshooting purposes; this has now evolved in a simulation system that can be offered together with actual turrets to any potential customer. The Lance turret vetronics open architecture allows to integrate two different optronic systems, one dedicated to the commander, situational awareness systems, sniper locating systems, IFF etc. Its protection can be raised up to Level 4, while its 30 mm Rheinmetall gun can be fitted with the aforementioned ABM capability.

Rheinmetall is intensifying its contacts with 8x8 chassis producers as well as with those countries that are looking at an 8x8 AIFV solution.

Drawing on the Hitfist family of medium calibre turrets experience, Oto Melara developed a remotely controlled version known as the Hitfist OWS to suit lighter vehicles, down to 10 tonnes, a feature that is attracting considerable interest from amphibious vehicle producers. The second prototype, shown at Eurosatory 2012, was very close to the production configuration. The turret is optimised to accommodate ATK 25 and 30 mm cannons and the evolution of such weapons that gives them an air-burst capability adds to the growth potential of the Oto Melara turret. The turret hosts a fully digital gyro-stabilized ATK MK44 30 mm cannon, a 7.62 mm coaxial machine gun, and a twin missile launcher Lockheed Martin UK has become a turret integrator following the experience acquired with the Warrior CSP and the Scout SV programmes. The turret is here seen mounted on the Panhard Sphynx at Eurosatory 2012.

(Armada/Paolo Valpolini)

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The Lance turret developed by Rheinmetall is proposed in inhabited and uninhabited versions and has been integrated on various wheeled chassis.

(Rheinmetall)

for missiles such as Spike, Kornet or Ingwe. Elevation range is between –10° and +75°. The gunner sight is gyrostabilized in elevation and includes a Gen II thermal camera, a daylight colour TV camera, a laser range finder and a backup fibre optic sight for manual aiming.

The commander’s position can also be equipped with a stabilized panoramic day/night sight or a panoramic thermal imager. The company philosophy is to provide minimal protection to the cannon, mostly against environmental factors, Level 3 crew protection being ensured by the standard roof interface (solutions have been considered for increasing cannon protection to Level 3, 4 or even further). An optional hatch can be added to provide the commander with directview capability. The second prototype of the Hitfist OWS is being installed on a Freccia infantry fighting vehicle that will be sent to Russia for testing – this solution allows to increase the number of dismounts inside the vehicle.

the M242 Bushmaster 25 mm cannon, or TRT-B25. Complete with two 130-round bins, it weighs only 850 kg, including the 7.62 mm co-axial machine gun with its 1,000 ready rounds, four 76 mm smoke grenade launchers and the optronics.

Fully stabilised, the TRT-B25 can fired on the move and has a –10°/+65° elevation range. At Africa Aerospace and Defence 2012 BAE Systems unveiled the second member of its TRT family, the TRT-30 armed with the Russian Shipunov 2A42 30 mm automatic cannon. The turret is also armed with an Eastern Europe 7.62

mm co-axial machine gun and can be equipped with antitank missiles of the same origin. Remotely controlled by a single operator it can be home to other guns of between 25 and 35 mm. The new turret incorporates various lessons learned and therefore the TRT-B25 will be in future a subset of the TRT-R30, Commonality between the various turret models being estimated at 95 per cent for the electronics and 70 per cent for the structure. A wider cradle was installed and the structure was modified to accommodate more weight and functionalities. The number of ready rounds was increased, the TRT-R30MK carrying up to 400 30 mm rounds and 1,000 machine-gun rounds, resulting in a combat weight of 1,435 kg. The TRT was qualified under engineering trials and is ready for user evaluation and production.

The use of the two different cannons gives BAE Systems the flexibility of Nato and non Nato weapons and hence a bigger market to aim at.

BAE Systems’ Global Combat SystemsWeapons Lemur remote control weapon system was shown in 2009 in its new version capable to host not only small calibre weapons, but also 25 and 30 mm guns. Initially offered with ATK M242

BAE Systems South African Branch introduced at Eurosatory 2010 the Tactical Remote Turret (TRT) armed with Starting from its Hitfist series of medium calibre turrets OTO Melara has developed a remotely controlled version, while a customised version for recce vehicles (as featured here) has been produced for Italy. (Armada/Paolo Valpolini)

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MEDIUM CALIBER TURRETS

BAE Systems Global Combat SystemsWeapons Lemur is now offered with the M242 25 mm Bushmaster chain gun and the M230LF 30 mm cannon, both produced by ATK. (BAE Systems)

25 mm Bushmaster chain gun, the ATK M230LF 30 mm cannon has since been integrated. Both configurations offer an elevation of –20° to +55°. Combatproven with lighter weapons, the Lemur is still looking for a contract in its medium

calibre configuration.

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Turret, or Weapon Station?

Following the presentation of a prototype in 2009 Kongsberg of Norway continued the development of its medium calibre remotely controlled turret. Kongsberg underlines the fact that its medium calibre system is not a weapon station but a turret, as it considers it vital to protect the gun

FNSS unveiled its Claw turret at IDEF 2011. Armed with a 25 mm Rheinmetall KBA 25 mm cannon it can also host a 30 mm weapon. Also seen here is a view of the man-machineinterface of the Claws mounted in an infantry combat vehicle. (FNSS)

Unveiled in 2012, the 30 mm version of the BAE Systems TRT, known as TRT-R30 is an improved version of the TRT-B25 armed with the Russian Shipunov 2A42 30 mm. BAE Systems

not only from the ballistic threat but also from sand and weather conditions, ballistic protection being ranging from Level 1 to Level 5 (see our title picture).

The latest design incorporates new features; the cannon is the new stretched version of ATK’s 30 mm Mk44 fitted for air burst munitions that should be qualified in late 2012. It features a linkless ammunition feed that reduces reloading time and improves reliability; no jamming occurred while firing over 50,000 rounds.

The linkless system is slightly more expensive than the traditional one, but is well compensated by the savings on links.

The cannon maintains the original dualfeed feature with first round selection.

The turret allows reloading under armour and can host other weapons in the 20-50 mm calibre range, its optronic suite being tailored to the weapon installed in terms of identification range. The company expect a first contract in late 2012.

In 2011 FNSS unveiled a new remotely controlled turret known as Claw. Armed with a Rheinmetall KBA 25 mm dualfeed cannon it features a coaxial 7.62 mm machine gun installed on the right of the main weapon, while two series of four 76 mm smoke grenade launchers are mounted at the back. Stabilised on two axis, its fire control system includes an auto-tracker while the sighting system features an independent stabilised sight with thermal camera, day camera and laser rangefinder. Sitting low – height is limited to 590 mm – the Claw carries 160 ready rounds for the main gun and 200 for the coax, its weight being of 1,500 kg in the standard configuration, that is with

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The Mizrak-30 medium calibre remotely controlled turret developed by Otokar and unveiled in 2011 is in the final stage of development. (Otokar)

Level 2 protection. FNSS kept a growth potential for its new product, since the Claw can cradle a 30 mm cannon, receive an antitank missile launcher on the left side and an independent commander’s

sight on its roof, while protection can be increased at Level 3.

An Otokar Mizrak-30 medium calibre remotely controlled turret functional

mock-up was unveiled at IDEF 2011 on an Arma 8x8. Final prototypes were then built, tests started in early 2012 while software optimization is still underway.

The Mizrak-30 is a high-tier turret with independent stabilized commander’s and gunner’s sights with auto-tracking. Both sights include a cooled thermal camera, a CCD day camera and a laser rangefinder.

Mizrak prototypes are armed with a –10°/+60° elevation, electromechanical feed 30mm cannon, each feed channel having 104 ready rounds. The turret modular designs allows to integrate other types of cannon from 25 to 40 mm caliber, as well as anti-tank missiles, laser warning receiver, soft/hard kill systems, C3I etc. Standard protection is at Level 2 but modular armour kits can increase it up to Level 5. A coaxial 7.62 mm machine gun with 500 ready rounds completes the weaponry. The Mizrak combat ready weight is 2.7 tons. Final field tests are to be finished by early 2013, the turret being ready for serial production in mid-2013. Otokar is carrying out some design activities for a few variants having different main armaments and for a manned turret concept.

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DRONES

Groundstinging Drones

When drones – at the beginning essentially designed for intelligence missions – came of age and started to become reasonably reliable, it was obvious that someone was sooner or later going to think about arming them. Unsurprisingly aeroplanes during the First World War followed a similar application path as they were first used to spy over enemy lines for artillery spotting missions and it is only a little later that it occurred to someone that the aircraft’s observer could also toss a few bombs overboard. On board guns came even later.

Eric H. Biass

T

here essentially are two groups of modern ground attack drones. The first includes observation drones which, being large enough, could be modified to carry missiles, launch them and return home. The second group of drones are built with a one-way ticket to the target. In a certain way, with the latter category, we have gone full circle since the Fieseler Fi 103 – better known as the V1 – which was created to terrorise the populations of London and Antwerp during latter part of WWII.

The V1, however, was not built to hit a particular target. It simply couldn’t have since it had no real guidance device worthy of this denomination to provide it with the necessary accuracy. Its circular error probable was pretty much the size of a large town. The autopilot was based on a crude compressed-air powered gyroscope that enabled the aircraft to vaguely remain on the course set by its catapult launch rail in spite of winds, while a ram-air odometer determined the moment at

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which the engine had to be chopped and the aircraft put on a steep dive course.

For more accurate attack, its was quite clear that some form of manned guidance was necessary. This came in the form of yet another German WWII device in the form of the Henschel Hs 293 (also designated He 293) that used a very simplified radio command operated through a joystick. However, this was a rather shorter range affair, having a reach of just over ten kilometres. Even if its radio command link were longer, it is the operator’s eye sight that would have posed a problem in any case (the weapon was designed to attack ships from an aircraft).

It must be remembered that the invention of the transistor was still far away and that radios were based on cumbersome energy-hungry tube valves.

After the war, many ground-controlled devices were tried out, but none really proved satisfactory. Electronics still had a long way to go before they were

sufficiently reliable to find their way into a small remote-control aircraft that could be flown beyond its operator’s line of sight, which also presupposed a return from the aircraft to enable its pilot to at least know its position, let alone see the overflown terrain.

At this point in the article, the reader may quite rightly wonder what difference there might be between a drone and a cruise missile. Well, basically none, except that the cruise missile is never asked to fly

latter’s case ties with Israel seem to be unavoidable.

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Bombing Option

To anyone acquainted with modern warfare, the mention of a drone attack is immediately associated with the name Predator. The Predator was originally designed by General Atomics as a medium altitude, long endurance (male) intelligence-gathering aircraft, which extensively draws on an earlier design known as the Gnat. While the latter is also a General Atomics product, its roots are ironically found in another company called Leading Systems owned by an Israeli engineer before he sold it out to General Atomics.

Because the armed Predators are primarily operated by the CIA, their operations tend to be hidden under a heavy cloak of secrecy. However the fact that the CIA already tested the waters of armed drones with the Gnat is now becoming more a strong belief than a faint suspicion. Although there is still no tangible proof behind this, there is now every reason to believe that the Predator was designed with the weapon carrying option right from the outset, because adding twice 50 kilos worth of Hellfire missile under the wings can hardly be accepted as a simple afterthought. Anyhow, the Predator had its maiden flight in 1994 and was ready to be put through its initial paces over Kosovo in 1995. Since, a wealth of electro-optical and electromagnetic sensors has been developed to provide very high resolution images.

The US Navy’s Northrop Grumman X-47B should start demonstrating its carrier take-off and landing capabilities in 2013 (Northrop Grumman)

back home. It is also required to move a lot faster, in a very hostile environment and at very low altitude to avoid detection by air-defence radars. It also cannot, by its very stealthy nature, return pictures of what it sees on its way (at least not before the last seconds before impact). In other words all the opposite of an attack drone, which is essentially allowed to fly in fully controlled air space, at a high altitude to

remain out of light weapons’ reach, and send back images of the ground to clearly identify the target before attacking it. So basically, yes, the cruise missile and the drone have much in common except for their respective operating environments.

The leading nations in the drone design discipline are unquestionably Israel and the United States, although even in the

The event that really sparked off the use of the Predator-Hellfire tandem was the attack on New York’s Twin Towers and the subsequent “war against terrorism”.

The above-mentioned tandem is almost perfect: the Predator flies high and is therefore hardly heard from the ground, while the Hellfire’s ability to hit vehiclesized targets at supersonic speeds barely gives their targets any time to realise what is happening to them: the missile travels its maximum range of eight kilometres in just over 17 seconds.

Pushing the art one step further was the MQ-1C Gray Eagle (which was initially known as the Warrior or Sky Warrior). This is slightly larger, but has four hardpoints instead of two, and had armada

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DRONES its first flight in 2004, which is ten years later that the Predator. Its Rotax engine is replaced by a 165 hp Thielert heavy fuel engine to lift off the 1,630 kilos against the Predator’s 1,020. Endurance also took a major leap, from 24 hours to 30.

In spite of a strong family resemblance and a different tail treatment, the Reaper (maiden flight in 2001) is a considerably different affair, being powered by a Honeywell TPE331-10 turboprop engine uncorking some 900 horsepower. The maximum take-off weight is resolutely above the four-tonne mark at 4,760 kilos (although a modified landing gear has allowed pushing this limit to 5.3 tonnes, which shows that the airframe had formidable growth potential reserves).

While it can fly at 50,000ft, its operational altitude remains at 25,000ft, but with higher speeds and weight, endurance The two-tonne, cat-launched Fieseler-built Fi 103, a.k.a. V-1, had a very primitive guidance system based on a compressed air driven gyro and a ram-air odometer that cut off the engine when it fathomed that the target area had been reached (Armada/Eric H. Biass)

takes a punishment by being limited to 14 hours. The Reaper can carry up to 14 Hellfires, or four Hellfires and two 500lb Paveway II laser-guided bombs.

Almost doubling the Reaper’s maximum take-off weight at over 8.2 tonnes, comes the Avenger (which, to confuse everybody, is known as the Predator C in the General Atomics nomenclature). But we here reach the realm of pure attack drones with which it is observation that that becomes the option (see further below).

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Israel

When it comes to Intelligence and military operations, it is very difficult to know exactly what happens in Israel. What is sureis that Israel has intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance drones that are openly declared as potential weapon carriers.

As early as 2007 – at the Paris Air Show of that year to be precise, where the photos herewith were taken by the author – Israel Aerospace Industries made no fuss about

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Taxi-ing for take-off in Afghanistan, this Reaper is carrying two pairs of Hellfires and two Paveways. (General Atomics)

openly displaying the weapon-carrying capability of its Heron TP – also known as the Eitan (Steadfast, or Strong in English).

Described as a male, the Heron TP nevertheless has the ability to fly at 54,000 feet, therefore away from commercial aircraft air lanes.

Although it has the same general configuration as the Heron, the TP is quite a different bird, being powered by a 900 hp Pratt & Whitney PT6A and much heavier at 4,650 kg maximum take-off weight. In fact one could say that the heron TP is to the Heron what the Reaper is to the Predator.

The Henschel He 293, which carried a 500kg bomb, actually was an anti-ship weapon, but marked a first step into remote controlled weapons by being radio-guided to the target. This meant, however, that its pilot needed to keep it within sight (Armada/Eric H. Biass)

The Raytheon Cobra was not specifically designed as a bomber drone, but it is more simply used as a launch test-bed for the same manufacturer’s STM (small tactical munition), now also known as the Pyros. The weapon’s semi-active laser and GPS guidance modes were validated in a test conducted in August 2012. (Raytheon)

The Eitan is said to have made its first flight in prototype form as early as 2004, but there is a lot of speculation as to the actual configuration of the aircraft at the time. It was displayed at the 2007 Paris Air Show boasting a weapons load of two quadruple packs of Lahat missiles – each pack presented right under the underwing-and-boom hardpoints of the aircraft.

the adhesives in the wings” according to the Jerusalem Post. The type was allowed to resume operations later.

Again, like anything that regards operations in Israel, nothing can be affirmed, but the Eitan is alleged to have taken part in air-to-ground strikes in 2009 against arms convoy in Sudan and heading for Gaza. Earlier this year (2012) an Eitan crashed in an orange grove during tests.

Eight months later, the causes of the crash had been identified – a “ malfunction in

The Eitan is currently offered to a number of Nato countries with some of them eyeing the weapons-carrying capability of the aircraft, although armed drones are still very much a taboo subject in certain parts of the world, and particularly in Europe, with some considering it immoral to be able to kill whilst comfortably sitting in an air-conditioned ground control station thousand of miles away. These same people would obviously need to be shown footage of terrorists quietly wrecking havoc whilst comfortably launching mortar rounds from the protective

The Heron TP, also known as the Eitan, is here seen at the 2007 Paris Air Show displaying the range of systems and weapons it can carry, notably two packs of four Lahat missiles. (Armada/Eric H. Biass)

“

The Obama administration has authorised 239 covert drone attack missions in three years, which is five times more than the G. W. Bush administration.

”

environment afforded by a schoolyard in Afghanistan. According to Reuters, the Obama administration has authorised 239 covert drone attack missions in three years, which is five times more than the G. W. Bush administration.

It was not long before Elbit announced its own male, in the form of the 1,180-kilo Hermes 900. In terms of gross weight it belongs to the one-tonners, therefore to the league of the Heron and Predator. It was shown in full mock-up form at the 2007 Paris Air Show and took to the air in December 2009. During a potential deal with a Nato customer against the Heron, it was alleged that the Hermes 900 had the capacity to carry weapons under two inner hardpoints, although certain sources told the author that the aircraft never has demonstrated a weapons carrying capacity, in spite of its four underwing hardpoints. The Hermes 900’s payload capacity is limited to 350 kg.

It has been ordered for ISR duty by Israel, Chile, Colombia and Mexico.

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DRONES Apart from being fully compatible with its forebears’ ground control station, the Hermes 900 has a payload capacity of 350 kilos and four underwing hardpoints. It has an endurance of 36 hours. (Armada/ Eric H. Biass)

would have been ideal weapons for many light drones, exactly as they have been used on light general aviation aeroplanes and at least envisaged on hang gliders.

However, as we all know, rockets are not exactly very accurate weapons and are thus essentially used for wide-area “clean-up” operations rather than pin-point attacks.

A miss on a target would automatically trigger counter-fire and the probable destruction of the launcher drone as a rocket rarely is discreet when fired.

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South Africa

One of the latest newcomers on this particular scene is the Seeker 400 developed by Denel Dynamics, which was displayed in mock-up form at the 2011 Africa Aerospace and Defence show in Cape Town with a pair of Mokopa air-toground weapons under its wings. While it was announced at the time that the aircraft was to have its maiden flight during the first quarter of 2012, this had not yet happened at time of writing though a press Here seen under the wing of a Seeker 400, the Mokopa was originally developed as an anti-armour missile for the Rooivalk attack helicopter. A semi-active laserguided weapon, it has a range of 10km and carries a tandem warhead with a rolled homogeneous armour penetrating capability of 1350mm, but may also be fitted with a fragmentation warhead (Denel Dynamics)

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release announced that the event was to take place “shortly”.

Interestingly, the company humbly describes the Seeker 400 as surveillance aircraft with an “armed reconnaissance” capability. Tipping the scales at 49.8 kilos and with a calibre of 178 mm, the semiactive laser-guided Mokopa is little else than the South African equivalent of the Hellfire missile originally designed by Kentron, now Denel Dynamics, for use by the Rooivalk ground and armour attack helicopter.

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Whirly Drones

Still within the category of the “optional attacking capability drones” are the rotary wing variety, particularly with the advent of guided rockets, which, de facto, are missiles – as some tend to forget. Due to their lighter weight, Hydra-type rockets

The advent of the so-called guided rocket will probably change the way the lighter drones can be armed.

The First US Army Armed Drone

A word about the MQ-5 Hunter is worthy of a few lines in this context since it is regarded as the first US Army armed drone. To many an American, this is regarded as a TRW product before this company’s drone business was taken over by Northrop Grumman.

In fact, that too originally has an Israeli origin as it was developed by Israel Aerospace Industries as the Impact. While the production Hunter had its maiden flight in 1994, it had a rather convoluted early life as 56 were produced and delivered by 1995, but after several incidents they were all retired in January 1996. However, come Kosovo and they were pulled out of the mothballs. In 2003, Northrop Grumman bought the programme, increased the centre wing span by 1.5 metres and fitted a repackaged version of its small Bat anti-armour weapon now simplified and known as the Viper Strike. The Army bought 18 of these, redesignated MQ-5B.

This view of the APKW II clearly shows the unusual position of the laser sensors on the leading edge of the flip-out fins of the weapon, giving it a circular error probable of about one metre. The advantage of this configuration is that the sensors are protected at all times from dust and debris before launch. The insert shows how the guidance module fits between the warhead and the Hydra motor. (BAE Systems)

Emirates. The firing included tests against a moving target from a range of four kilometres. The Talon is given as having a useful range of between 1,200 and 6,000 metres against light armour.

With the Hydra 70-based Talon, Raytheon and Emirates Advanced Research Technology are aiming at offering a missile able to cope with light armour for a sixth of the price of a Hellfire-class weapon.

(Raytheon)

The other Hydra rocket conversion comes from Raytheon, in cooperation with Emirates Advanced Weapons and is known as the Talon. Like the variety described above, the Talon endeavours to keep costs as low as possible and use as much of the existing rocket system, including the simple nature of its launchers. The weapon was put through its paces with a series of firing tests from an Emirati Apache in the United Arab Emirates in October 2011 and is now qualified for use from the Apache both in the United States and the United Arab

Next on the list of potential Hydrabased candidates for use from drones is the ATK Gatr. However, the programme was apparently put on the back burner a few months ago.

Mention was made earlier of the Viper Strike, a weapon that was taken over from Northrop Grumman by MBDA’s United States operations. The weapon has been in operation for a while now and features dual laser and GPS guidance. It is a simplified version of the earlier Brilliant Anti-Tank weapon from which it retains

The leading guided rocket today is the 70mm Hydra-based APKWS, an impossible acronym for “advanced precision kill weapon system”. To cut a very long story short, the APKWS got cancelled in early 2005, resurrected later that year as the APKWS II, eventually won by BAE Systems in 2006 to see the programme transferred from the US Army to the US Navy in 2008. The weapons system finally seen operational was used by the US Marine Corps in Afghanistan in 2012.

In September this year (2012), and under an urgent operational requirement, the US Navy awarded a contract to BAE Systems to integrate the APKWS to the Northrop Grumman Fire Scout MQ-8B helicopter drone.

Artist rendering of a Northrop Grumman Fire Scout carrying two triple APKWS launchers integrated by BAE Systems.

Northrop Grumman had already looked into actually firing unguided 70mm unguided rockets from this platform as early as 2005. (BAE Systems)

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DRONES A significant feature of the 20kg Viper Strike is its ability to strike vertically with a circular error probable of one metre, which is seen as a major advantage to limit collateral damage, a very sensitive subject, particularly in urban warfare scenarios. (MBDA)

its vertical strike characteristic but sees its combination of sophisticated acousticcum-infrared sensors (hence the unusual wingtip probes on the cruciform surfaces of the Bat) replaced by GPS-aided laser guidance. It was first launched in anger from a Hunter drone (see box) in 2007 in Afghanistan and said to have been successfully used against men installing a roadside bomb.

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One-way Ticket Drones

One-way ticket drones, if one excludes the V1 example mentioned at the beginning of this article, are not exactly new, and several abandoned examples exist. They used to be called “loitering� munitions and are primarily designed as anti-radar weapons. The production of types of weapons never reaches impressive figures nowadays because word of their use in a

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DEFENDING WORLD SECURITY

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battlefield spreads at the speed of light.

The simple use of one will immediately cause an enemy to shut down all his radars at once over a large area, which is exactly the result that is required to obtain air supremacy and allow one’s own aircraft – and even better drones – to fly in almost total impunity over an occupied territory.

“Anti-radar weapons must

rank very high on military nuisance factor charts

”

Pictured here at Eurosatory 2000 in an attitude illustrative of the last seconds of its life, the IAI Harpy has a range of about 500km and carries a 32kg high-explosive warhead. (Armada/Eric H. Biass)

Those weapons, it must be remembered have the ability to dive onto a radar system that has long shut down its transmitter, but the position of which was recorded and memorised by the drone – or by another drone or EW aircraft – and passed along.

Anti-radar weapons must rank very high on military nuisance factor charts because radars have to be shut down well before the latter can cue electro-optical airdefence sensors to lock onto them.

One of the oldest loitering anti-

radiation (as they are also called) drones to have reached operational status is the Israeli Harpy. The type also enjoyed considerable export success having been exported to India, South Korea, and Turkey, but also to China which was not to the taste of certain nations.

There had been rumours of a Harpy 2 in the early 2000s, but this did not materialise, although with hindsight one realises that this actually is what became known as the Harop. The Harop was unveiled by IAI at Aero India in 2009, but it is really its presentation at the Paris Air Show that year that gave it a significant worldwide impact.

Calling it Harpy 2 would have actually been wrong, since the Harop is a dramatically different bird, being much larger, visually different with double the range (1,000km) and a six-hour endurance.

The Harop is canister-launched, carries a chin-mounted electro-optical turret and gives the anti-radiation denomination its full significance over anti-radar by being able to lock onto radio emissions such as

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DRONES mid-2000s with the prime objective of maintaining a national development capability, with BAE Systems acting a prime contractor and Rolls-Royce, GE Aviation, QuinetiQ as partners. The first flight of the Taranis, initially slated for 2011, has been postponed several times and is now expected to take place in 2013.

The IAI Harop, here seen in full-size mock-up form at the 2009 Paris Air show, is believed to amply exceed a pure anti-radar role by being able, in conjunction with its chin-mounted electro-optical payload, to blow a deal to mobile emitting targets, command posts and mobile missile launchers, including those of the ballistic variety. (Armada/Eric H. Biass)

those produced by important command post vehicles.

Downscale one finds the Switchblade.

While the existence of this little tubelaunched drone had been an open secret for quite a while, it still is, quite incomprehensibly, a very hush-hush programme, although no blame can be put on its designer, Aerovironment. In spite of the fact that the author attended a convention on drones in Paris in 2007 during which an Aerovironment official mentioned the testing of the Switchblade, the author’s visit to that manufacturers stand at the recent Eurosatory event yielded poor results in terms of obtainable data and illustrations.

Basically, the drone comes folded in a small tube (about 12cm in diameter and 35 to 40cm in length) and when ejected in the rough direction of the target area (typically a sniper or a mortar operator), it immediately deploys its aerodynamic surfaces and start its electric motor. The Switchblade could be described as a longrange, guided, anti-hidden target grenade.

When the drone reaches a sufficient height, its operator can spot the target on the control screen and command the drone to take its lethal dive.

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Outright Bombers

Unsurprisingly, when it comes to large aircraft, the United States leads. The

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two rivals here are Northrop Grumman and Boeing. However, a couple of programmes are underway in Europe, although their aim, for the time being, is to yield technology demonstrators, and will thereby be used to explore paths to be followed (or avoided), not only in the development of full-blown attack aircraft, but also in their eventual operational use.

Unlike the Neuron, the Taranis is a pure British venture launched by the British Ministry of Defence in the

Like the Taranis, the Neuron is powered by a Rolls-Royce Turbomeca Adour turbojet engine, but is an international programme because it involves Dassault Aviation as prime contractor, Saab, Alenia, Eads, Casa, Eab, Thales and even Ruag of Switzerland being partners with each the responsibility of a specific part of the aeroplane. At time of writing, the Neuron was already performing taxiing and rolling tests and maiden flight was imminent. The Neuron is equipped with two weapon bays that are primarily intended to be home to laser-guided bombs (one in each bay.

All going well once it got its wheels unstuck from the Istres test base grounds, the Neuron will face a two-year long flight test programme, first in France to expand the flight envelope (but also to undergo DGA-required static tests), then in Sweden and finally in Italy. Tests will include the launch of 500kg GBUs rounds, but Dassault declined to specify where and at which particular point in the test programme.

The Aerovironment Switchblade is a short range, beyond-line-of-sight weapon. Its warhead probably has the power of a hand grenade that is set off by proximity and impact fuses and thus contains collateral damage within a very limited radius. (Aerovironment)

The British Taranis is now expected to take to the air in 2013. (BAE Systems) Length: 11.35m Wingspan: 9.00m Take-off weight: 8,000kg Engine: one R-R Turbomeca Adour

Like other similar programmes, the Neuron was built to explore many avenues of development in terms of new materials, shapes (notably engine intake ducts and exhaust plume dispersion) and of course potential missions, but the programme will also have served the purpose of monitoring how seven countries could be put to working together on an advance design.

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United States

Unsurprisingly, the United States have a considerable lead in this field, but have had ups and downs and even outright programme halts. This partly explains why, in spite of maiden flights of first prototypes from arch-rivals Northrop The X-47B will push the art of robotic flight to the extreme by eventually proving its ability to operate from a carrier aircraft.

(Northrop Grumman) Length: 11.63m Wingspan: 18.92m Empty weight: 6,350kg Take-off weight: 20,000kg Engine: one P&W F100-220U turbojet engine

Grumman (X-47A) and Boeing (X-45A) as early as 2001 and 2002, the aircraft that eventually emerged as the winner of the carrier-based remotely controlled attack aircraft joust, the Northrop Grumman X-47B, only took to the air in February 2011. We shall have to cut a long story short here, but suffice to know that the programme started as the –J-Ucas, in which ‘J’ stands for Joint, meaning that it was to serve the purposes of both the Air Force and the Navy. The Air Force eventually pulled out, the programme collapsed and when the Navy revived its own project in 2007, Northrop Grumman’s X-47B was selected.

The programme progressed apace since, the aircraft having had its maiden flight in February 2011 from Edwards air force base, followed by a second demonstrator on 22 November that same year, from the same base. Serious things are to start in 2013 with carrier launches and recoveries, reason why both aircraft were submitted to heavy electromagnetic interference tests at Pax River Navy Air Station during 2012.

Catapult launches and arrested landings were also performed there. Interestingly, and unlike the Neuron, the X-47B will not be armed. As besets naval aircraft, the wing is foldable to halve span from 18.92 to 9.41 metres.

In spite of a longer wingspan, the Neuron appears to be slightly lighter than the Taranis. (Armada/Eric H. Biass) Length: 9.5m Wingspan: 12.5m Empty weight: 4,900kg Take-off weight: 7,000kg Engine: one R-R Turbomeca Adour

Since the X-47B is also expected to demonstrate air-refuelling capability in 2014, a specific software developed

by Northrop Grumman has been successfully tested using a variable stability Learjet as surrogate aircraft and a KC-135. These tests were completed in January 2012.

Uclass News!

At time of going to press, the US Navy announced that it planned to issue a request for proposals before the end of 2012 regarding its Uclass programme, which is intended to lead to the deployment of an operational carrier-based drone by 2020. About half a dozen units, according to the Navy’s statement, “would be ready to train with a carrier air wing”, which ironically adds that “the unit would not necessarily deploy with the ship”.

The Navy also stated that most of the technologies developed by Northrop Grumman for the F-47B that became the property of the service will be made available to the other contenders, who will undoubtedly be Lockheed Martin (Sea Ghost), General Atomics (probably an Avenger-based aircraft), Boeing (likely to draw on its X-45C Phantom Ray design) and of course Northrop Grumman with a larger derivative of the X-45B.

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WHEELED HOWITZERS

Artillery on Wheels

Lowering systems weight to improve their strategic mobility, improving their mobility capacity on roads, reducing acquisition and operating costs, all those factors have led to the development of an increasing number of wheeled selfpropelled howitzer systems.

Paolo Valpolini

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N

ow fully in service with the French Army and in Thailand, Saudi Arabia and an undisclosed Latin American country, the Nexter Caesar remains a benchmark in the trucked mounted artillery systems. Having attended for the second time Caesar firings it became clear to the author that its intrinsic accuracy allows long range precision strikes, even with conventional ammunition.

The French Army Caesars have been deployed since summer 2009 in Afghanistan and then replaced the tracked AUF1 SP howitzers in the Lebanon in January 2011. They are mounted on a Renault Truck Defense Sherpa 5 6x6 truck chassis equipped with an unprotected cabin; however the French Army ordered 32 add-on armour kits that are being used in theatre, the Armée de Terre having a total of 72 Caesars. The largest order came from the Saudi Arabian National Guard that already received 100 Caesars manufactured in France while the last 32 systems are being assembled locally. These, and the six units delivered to Thailand, however, are based on a Soframe/Unimog 6x6 chassis. Saudi Arabia has also ordered six simulators. Latest success on the Caesar scoreboard came in November 2012 when Nexter bagged another contract, with Indonesia acquiring 37 units to equip two operational battalions and a training unit.

Nexter signed with the DGA a maintenance contract for France, requiring an availability of over 80 per cent, and the French Army is looking with interest at the acquisition of a couple of simulators. The potential second batch of 64 systems now depends on the new French government planning, but a contract could be filed in 2015 at the best. If acquired, these systems could be of the Caesar Mk2 type, equipped with a cabin protected against ballistic, mine and roadside bombs. Nexter is also looking into modular solutions to meet new potential customer needs.

The company’s Bacara (BAlistic Computer ARtillery Autonomous) fire Nexter’s Caesar truck-mounted howitzer might undergo further evolutions.

Heavier versions with semi-auto loaders or larger number of on-board rounds could be developed should a customer materialise. (Armada/Eric H. Biass)

The Mandus Group together with Mack Defense, the US arm of Volvo group defense, developed the Hawkeye 105, using a purposely developed artillery system on a Sherpa 3 chassis (Mack Defense)

control system is now available and 60 units have been sold to Saudi Arabia.

Nexter is also considering off C-130 transportability boundary solutions that would allow increase of the Caesar’s flexibility by giving it a new loader or enabling it to carry a higher number of rounds and charges. A new chassis might also be considered, the company considering the break-even number is around the 50 system mark to make integration costs worthwhile.

A light truck-mounted self-propelled howitzer based on the Sherpa chassis and on the Hawkeye 105 mm weapon system is proposed by Mack Defense, Renault V.I.’s American subsidiary. The lightweight and compact gun was purposely developed by the Mandus Group to provide indirect fire support to light infantry or special forces units. It is designed with simplicity in mind, featuring only 200 parts compared to the 2,000 parts of the M119. To reduce its cost the company adopted the 27 calibre barrel of the US M012, although other 105 mm barrels can be installed. In this configuration it has a range of 11.5 km with conventional ammunition and 15 km with RAP rounds. The Hawkeye is equipped with a digital fire control system that electronically controls elevation and azimuth. In order to mitigate recoil forces a hybrid soft recoil technology was adopted, whereby a hydraulic system moves the suspended mass forward before firing, allowing to obtain a recoil force on the trunnion of only 3,600 kg compared

to over 13,000 kg yielded by conventional systems of similar calibre. This allows the Hawkeye 105 installation on a light chassis and contributes to reducing the system’s wear and tear in both its artillery and automotive components, and hence life-cycle costs. The Sherpa/Hawkeye has a 360° firing capability and, by using the digital camera as a sight, interfaced with the FCS, one can also perform direct fire.

Twenty-four rounds are housed in drawers installed in a module located behind the cabin. With an overall weight of less than nine tonnes, the Hawkeye represents a paradigm shift in self-propelled artillery, as two such howitzers can be carried in a C130J. The Hawkeye carried out successfully indirect and direct fire tests in August 2012 under the supervision of Benét Laboratories (a Department of the Army research, development and engineering facility). Those trials highlighted good performances and confirmed the Hawkeye’s 360° indirect fire capability with the Mack Sherpa chassis and suspensions even without spades, which considerably reduces laying times. Mandus and Mack are continuing the development of the Hawkeye/Sherpa combination.

Development testing is scheduled to be completed in summer 2013.

Another 105 mm truck-mounted howitzer was unveiled in fall 2011 in Korea. Developed by Samsung Techwin, it is based on the M101 howitzer mounted on a five-tonne truck and has a crew of only three artillerymen, although armada

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WHEELED HOWITZERS command post/ammunition transporter with similar features it will take less than 10 minutes. The development of the Centauro 155/39 is being carried out at a slow pace with company funding, first firings being scheduled for late 2013. Due to the experience acquired on the chassis stability with previous developments, and to the adoption of an active recoil damping system together with a pepperbox type muzzle brake, company engineers hope to avoid the need for spades during firing, although they await trials before confirming this feature.

The Hawkeye 105 has a weight of nine tonnes, which means that two of them can be transported by a single C-130 Hercules. (Armada/Paolo Valpolini)

loading remains manual. The crew is hosted in an armoured cabin located behind the driving cabin. A rearwardopening door allows direct access to the gun, which fires on rear arcs, probably around ±50°. The rear platform’s midsection can be moved sideways to provide more room for the gun crew, which is protected by side walls against ballistic threats. The new system is equipped with an automatic fire control system.

In a totally different category, OTO Melara is proposing a 155 mm system, which was first seen at the 2011 Italian National Day parade. Based on the chassis of the Freccia AIFV or that of the Centauro 2 armoured car, it would enable Italian Army medium brigades to reduce their logistic burden thanks to chassis commonalities. The starting point of the OTO Melara programme was the development of an ultralight 155/39 mm gun based on the latest material breakthroughs and that of an automatic primer loader, both programmes having been financed by the Secretariat General of Defence and by OTO Melara in equal parts. This led to the design of a turreted solution to ensure full crew protection and at the same time keeping weight under control. The choice of a 39 calibre results from the availability of the Vulcano family of rounds that include unguided extended range as well as guided long range rounds, with respective ranges of over 60 km and 100 km when fired from a 52 calibre barrel. According to company sources using a 39 calibre barrel the range

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should be reduced by about 10 per cent for unguided ammo while the decrease should be marginal for the guided variety, thus exceeding the range of 52 calibre systems using conventional ammunition.

Reducing weight and volume meant that a fully automated solution had to be devised.

OTO Melara leveraged experience in the naval field to develop a system that loads ammo from the turret and firing charges from the chassis, reducing the crew to two members (plus driver).

Round and charge selection will be automatic, allowing an eight-round per minute maximum firing rate as well as a four-round simultaneous impact firing pattern. Reload is carried out from outside, either manually or automatically; when using a munition-carrier truck equipped with a conveyor or a Centauro

The Rheinmetall Wheeled Gun (RWG) developed together with Industrial Automotive Development of South Africa is currently being disassembled and overhauled after the tough trials carried out during the Indian programme selection phase.

The RWG-52 exploits part of the PzH 2000 artillery elements mounted on a wholly redesigned G-6 chassis. Once the artillery and the chassis are brought back to condition Rheinmetall will have the prototype ready for further testing, two undisclosed potential customers being the target of the company marketing efforts, as well as for being presented at some defence exhibition.

Very active in the wheeled SP field is Yugoimport. In the late ‘80s Yugoslavia Oto Melara developed a 155/39 mm self-propelled wheeled howitzer based on the Centauro chassis. Using the company Vulcano range of ammunition its range will be greater than that of 52 calibre systems. (Oto Melara)

The first public appearance of the new Oto Melara SP howitzer took place at Eurosatory 2012; first firing trials are expected in 2013. (Armada/Paolo Valpolini)

developed a truck-mounted artillery system equipped with a 152/45 mm howitzer known as M84 Nora A (Nora stands for Novo Oruzje Artiljerije, or new artillery weapon). In early 2002 Serbia developed a similar system but aimed at the international market, hence the 155/52 mm ordnance. Known as the Nora B52-155/52 mm, the first prototype version it was equipped with a simple pneumatic rammer, had an unarmoured front cabin and used a FAP 2832 8x8 truck platform. Around 2003 or 2004 a second system was developed based on Russian KamAZ 63501 8x8 chassis, and production started in 2005. The main differences were the protection of the gun crew and the adoption of a full-automatic loading system and of a semi-automatic breechblock, the system carrying on board 36 complete rounds, including 12 ready to fire and 24 kept in a magazine located behind the front cabin. A reload vehicle carrying three modules of 24 complete rounds each was part of the battery. Electrohydraulic systems ensured gun laying as well as spade extraction and retraction, transition time from marching order into firing position and vice-versa being under 60 seconds. The crew was reduced from five plus one to four plus one, the commander and gunner travelling in the back turret, while the front cabin could eventually be equipped with some level of protection.

This version obtained at least two export contracts, one from Burma and the other from Kenya, for 30 systems each. armada

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WHEELED HOWITZERS

The Nora 155mm M03 B52 / KI produced by Yugoimport of Serbia is the third generation of the original M84 Nora A developed in Yugoslavia in the late ‘80s. (Yugoimport)

The third generation system, known as the Nora 155mm M03 B52 / KI, has front and rear cabins armoured at Level 2. It is equipped with an optional 25 kW auxiliary power unit, allowing the gun to be operated even when the truck engine is shut down, and can be equipped with a remotely controlled turret for self defence. Reliability was increased thanks to the redesign of elements of the breech, breechblock and automatic loading system, while state-of-the-art fire control system and automated navigation system was installed. A TV camera allows to verify loading operations in the rear, while in its most evolved configuration it is equipped with an inertial navigation system. To increase accuracy, a muzzle velocity radar system capable of measuring a speed between 30 and 1500 m/s with a mean error of less than +/-0,5 % has also been installed, the gun reaching a 41.2 km range with ERFB-BB rounds, with a 56 km range expected with RA/BB ammunition currently in development.

Hydraulic spades have been equipped with shock absorbers and crew reduced to only four members. The Serbian Army is carrying out final trials, acquisition awaiting budget availability. In late 2011 Yugoimport obtained a further order for 18 Nara howitzers.

In recent years Yugoimport increased its offer of wheeled artillery systems. One of those is the Soko SP RR 122, for Self Propelled Rapid Response, which is a

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scaled-down version of the Nora concept based on the FAP 2228 6x6 truck chassis, with a front cabin and a rear turret at Level 1 protection, but armed with a D30J 122 gun. The front cabin hosts the driver and commander while the gun turret accommodates the gunner on the right and the loader on the left. The five-tonne payload growth potential might be used in part to increase protection. An electrohydraulic resting system and a semiautomatic loading system with pneumatic rammer reduce the crew workload. The gun accepts all D30 ammunition providing a range of 17.3 km with HE rounds and 21 km with HE/BBs, the laser-guided Kitolov-2M round being also usable for engaging moving targets. Unveiled in 2011, the Soko is a cheaper alternative to the Nora, keeping most of its features such as hydraulically operated spades and a fire control system that can be easily interfaced with a battle management system. Yugoimport also developed a 105 mm version, known as M09, intended to fire all ammunition developed for the US M101 howitzer, with a maximum range of 15 km with HE ER rounds and 18 km with HE ER-BBs. To this end the new 33 calibre barrel and new breech developed The 12 t M09 in 105 mm developed by Yugoimport uses a new 33 calibre barrel than can fire all ammunition developed for the US M101 howitzer.

(Yugoimport)

Based on the D-30 122 mm artillery system mounted on a 6x6 truck chassis, the Soko SP RR. Yugoimport unveiled it in 2010. (Yugoimport)

for the improved version of the company’s M56A1 towed howitzer were adopted.

Ammunition loading is manual, as well as trails folding. Compared to the 17-tonne combat weight of the Soko, the M09 is much lighter at only 12 tonnes. The gun mount is not turreted though and features only a shield protection on the 180° frontal arc. On the move, all five crew members are hosted in the forward cabin which features a Level 1 protection.

In the Czech Republic, Excalibur Army is proposing an upgrade package for the Dana 152 mm system. A prototype was produced and a partial qualification of the system is expected for 2014. The upgrade, known as Dana-M1 CZ, concerns both the artillery component and the chassis. A new fire control system will ensure maximum autonomy thanks to its navigation system. A new commander’s ballistic computer and a smart terminal will also

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WHEELED HOWITZERS Excalibur Army proposed an upgrade for the Czech Dana SP howitzer; the Dana-M1 would see a number of improvements both in the artillery and in the automotive fields. (Excalibur Army)

navigation unit, has been already exported to some undisclosed countries.

According to Norinco sources, new potential customers are lining up for that system. The junior system of the house, the SH5 105 mm with its ten-tonne combat weight, is ready for production but has not yet found a launch customer.

The larger calibre system is the SH1 155 mm, equipped with a 52 calibre ordnance mounted on a WS5252 6Ă—6 crosscountry truck. According to available information an undisclosed number of SH1s has been provided to Myanmar as part of an arms-for-copper deal between the two countries. No other export customers have yet been announced.

imporve mission preparation. Mobility will be considerably enhanced thanks to the upgrade of the T3-930 engine that will be equipped with new turbochargers and intercooler that bring a higher output, for which a 430 Sachs gearbox is installed, together with new 14R20 tyres and a central tire inflation system. The driver will appreciate the new ZF steering system while his situational awareness will be increased by the adoption of a wide front armoured glass windscreen

Norinco of China has developed different truck-mounted systems in 155, 122 and 105 mm calibre. Here pictured an SH-1 155/52 mm system, which has been sold in numbers to Myanmar.

(Armada/Paolo Valpolini)

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and side glasses. Cabin ergonomics will be improved while the whole system will be equipped with an independent heating and air conditioning system.

Overall there are more than 600 Dana M-77 around the world, in the Czech Republic, Libya, Poland, Slovakia and Georgia. However most of them are in a parlous state and Excalibur Army is envisaging outright replacements rather than upgrades, as the latter solution might not be cost effective.

China’s Norinco offers three systems of different calibres. The SH2 122 mm has long been in production and is based on the D30 howitzer mounted on a 6x6 cross country chassis. The SH2, provided with an independent location/

As for Israel, in mid-October 2012 Elbit Systems announced a new success for its Atmos. Although the Far Eastern customer remains undisclosed, the contract value is said to be worth $30.

The number of systems was not given while deliveries should be completed within three years. Illustrations provided

by Elbit shows a 6x6 chassis with a cabin layout that allows a better coupling of the gun in transport mode, reducing overall height. Barrel length was not given but might be shorter than 52 together with a chassis that could be lighter could point to an air transportability requirement.

The Indian dilemma

Many companies have being targeting Indian artillery programmes in the recent past, following New Dehli decision to reshuffle all its artillery systems. However, bribe allegations seem to jeopardise the bid for 180 wheeled self-propelled howitzer. India requires 155 mm systems with a barrel length of 45 to 52 calibres. In a fourth acquisition attempt an RfI was issued on 23 August with a 20 September deadline. How many companies will have filed their information this time pt is to be seen as some of them have been debarred after having been charged of corruption attempts. This might hamper the acquisition process as only a few systems can be proposed for the RfI.

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Tablets

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Remember To Take Your Tablets!

The Canadian media mogul and style commentator Tyler Brûlé in his weekly column for the Financial Times, recently remarked on the impracticality of taking one’s iPad on holiday. The danger of dropping Apple’s flagship product in the swimming pool, or covering its monolith-like black screen in suntan lotion were just two of the risks highlighted by Mr. Brûlé.

Tom Withington

C

ertainly, the tablet computer has stealthily invaded many aspects of everyday life. Airport terminals are increasingly devoid of the rustle of broadsheet newspapers as business people and holiday makers alike catch up on current affairs. Seemingly unsolvable parlour debates rage over individual preferences for flicking through magazines, or instead having printed content electronically delivered directly to your tablet computer. Futurologists predict that the end is nigh for printed paper altogether. Yet, away from the civilian world, tablets are making their presence felt on the battlefield.

in their local department stores, a growing choice of militarised products can be purchased for the soldier.

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Panasonic

Any visitor to a defence exhibition over the last decade will have found it almost impossible to be oblivious to the profusion of the Panasonic Toughbook laptops driving everything from battle management applications to gunshot detection systems.

Unsurprisingly Osaka’s finest have expanded the Toughbook catalogue to include rugged tablets, under its Toughpad banner.

Rugged designs that can withstand the rigours of vehicle vibration, shock, impact, moisture and liquid while displaying data on a screen regardless of the strength of the sunlight or the darkness of the night, are being embraced by troops as a welcome enhancement of their situational awareness.

While the number of tablets on offer to military customers may still be considerably smaller than the range available to civilians

Panasonic’s machines use the Android 4.0 version of this Linux-based operating system, have embedded 4G Long Term Evolution (LTE) high-speed wireless communications, and a dedicated security core keeping everything safe. The proof of the Toughpad’s strong construction is illustrated by its MilStd-810 certification covering its resistance to environmental extremes: shock, rain, salt corrosion, sand and dust exposure, and vibration to name just a few.

Tablet computers are not only consumer items, they are also increasingly being used by the military for a wide range of applications for everything from battle management to imagery viewing.

The product line includes two tablets, the Toughpad A1 and Toughpad B1.

Specifications for the Toughpad B1 are not currently available, with Panasonic tantalisingly promising that all will be

revealed in the autumn of 2012. While the Toughpad family uses the Android operating system (OS), Panasonic do provide a tablet for users who would prefer a Windows-based system. The Toughbook-H2 tablet PC is outfitted with the Windows-7 Professional package and is equipped with 10-inch sunlight-viewable screen. An optional 4G LTE link can be added by the customer if so desired. The Toughbook-H2 tablet shares the same Mil-Std 810 certification with the Toughpad family, while its magnesium alloy polycarbonate chassis may give the tablet an appearance that is a far cry from its waif-like consumer equivalents, but give a strength that will not compromise the mission.

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Getac

While Osaka hosts Panasonic, Taiwan is home to Getac, which claims to be the third largest computing group on the island. The company has three distinct rugged tablets on the market. The E100 meets Mil-Std-810 requirements and has an 8.4-inch touch screen. Naval users will no doubt appreciate the E100’s salt fog anti-corrosion resistance.

An optional GPS can outfit the E100, as can a two-megapixel camera all enclosed in a package weighing 1.4kg. Getac’s E110 features a larger 10.1-inch high definition screen and weighs in at 1.6kg. Customers can choose an optional three megapixel camera. armada

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Tablets products- the Rocky DR8-M and Rocky DK8-M.

Panasonic have carved a niche with their Toughbook line of rugged latops. The company has turned its expertise to the development of similarly rugged tablets such as the Toughbook-H2. (Panasonic)

In terms of new products, Getac’s Z710 is, according to the company the world’s “first fully rugged tablet with a glove-enabled capacitive touch screen.” The benefits of being able to use a touch screen without having to remove one’s gloves, especially when deployed on the snowy peaks of the Hindu Kush mountains are hard to overstate. The Z710 uses the Android 2.3 OS, and it packs a five megapixel autofocus camera, plus an e-compass and g-force sensor. Its all-up weight is 0.8kg, making it one of the lightest systems on the market, while retaining six hours’ battery life.

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That these computers have taken their name from Sylvester Stallone’s famous ItalianAmerican boxer is no accident as both share Mr. Balboa’s strength and resilience. The Rocky DR8-M comes equipped with an 8.4inch anti-reflective screen and is compatible with both Windows-7 and Linux applications.

As well as being certified to Mil-Std-810, this computer is compliant with Mil-Std461E standards regarding electromagnetic compatibility. The Rocky DR8-M’s sister product, the DK8-M shares many of the formers’ characteristics, except the latter has a larger 12.1-inch screen. Both the DR8-M and DK-8M can use Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN), Wide Area Network (WAN), Global Positioning System (GPS)

Getac’s E100 rugged tablet is particularly well-suited for naval users as its design is highly resistant to salt corrosion. It also comes equipped with a two megapixel camera. (Getact)

Amrel

Firms such as Getec and Panasonic are without doubt a household name in the world of consumer and professional electronics, yet they are by no means the only company involved in the production of rugged tablets.

Amrel of El Monte, California offers two Panasonic’s rugged tablet product line has evolved with the development of the Toughpad. This includes two machines; the Toughpad A1 and Toughpad B1, more details of the latter are due to be released this autumn. (Panasonic)

and Personal Area Network (PAN) Bluetooth communications which are built into these machines as customer-specified options.

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Trimble

Like Amrel, Trimble is based in California.

The firm offers the Yuma Mil-Std 810 certified rugged tablet. The sunlight-visible seveninch screen computer weighs just over two kilograms when equipped with its standard batteries, although this increases slightly to over 1.4kg when higher capacity batteries are installed. Like many of the tablet computers surveyed in this article, the Yuma employs the Windows 7 Professional. For external communications Bluetooth 2.0, GPS and Wi-Fi is carried onboard. Trimble provides a number of accessories for the Yuma including office and vehicle docking stations, a rugged keyboard and a vehicle charger.

Mobile Demand

While California is synonymous with the world of computing and software, Iowa is arguably less well known for such industries.

Yet the state is home to Mobile Demand, a firm specialising in rugged computing.

The latest product to grace the company’s catalogue is the xTablet T7200. The xTablet T7200's seven-inch touch screen is outfitted with the company’s xView Pro technology which contains automatic light sensing enabling it to adjust the screen backlight levels according to ambient light conditions. Along with 4G LTE, the xTablet T7200 includes a 3G Gobi embedded mobile broadband modem allowing connection to the internet anywhere that a wireless carrier provides data coverage.

Standard capacity Lithium-Ion batteries provide 10 hours’ operation, and a five megapixel camera is built into the computer.

With its’ seven-inch display, Mobile Demand’s xTablet T7000 uses the Windows OS and is built to Mil-Std 810 standards, as is the xTablet T7200 discussed above. Although the xTablet T7000 has an undoubtedly tough appearance, it weighs a shade over one kilogram. It can even be transformed into something close to a conventional laptop as the firm offers an integral QWERTY keyboard as an option along with an integral GPS. Two batteries can be used with the xTablet T7000 including a standard capacity Lithium Polymer type providing up to five hours’ power, or a high capacity Lithium-Ion type giving eight hours' operation. Hot-swappable battery packs ensure that performance is not degraded while the batteries are being changed.

“Write on it, drop it, spray it with beer,” says Mobile Demand in its official literature promoting the xTablet T8700 underlining

Trimble’s Yuma rugged tablet has a screen which is easily viewed in direct sunlight and weighs a shade over two kilograms. A range of accessories are available to acompany it including a vehicle docking station and rugged keyboard. (Trimble)

the tablet’s resilience. The xTablet T8700 features a slightly larger screen compared to the two Mobile Demand products discussed above, with a display size of 8.4 inches. This makes the tablet slightly heavier at just over two kilograms. Nevertheless, Mil-Std 810 requirements have been met with this design, which can run the Windows-7 Professional, Windows Vista Business and Windows XP Tablet PC Edition operating systems.

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Glacier Computer

Headquartered in New Milford Connecticut,

Mobile Demand’s xTablet T7000 is equipped with a Windows-based operating system and has an inbuilt QWERTY keyboard, all in a package which weighs just over one kilogram. (Mobile Demand)

Glacier Computer’s rugged tablets come in a range of sizes offering 7 to 10 inch screens.

The T507K has Gobi 3000 3G and Bluetooth 2.0 communications in a design weighing 1.7kgs which can withstand a six-foot drop onto concrete. The T507K has a handy 64key QWERTY keyboard, plus a barcode scanner and integral camera. Eight hours running time is achievable with the dual hotswappable batteries. The T508 has a slightly larger eight-inch screen and weighs 1.8kg.

A similar communications fit to the T607K equips this product, which comes with a vehicle cradle and an optional GPS. Users requiring a slim-line rugged tablet can purchase the T510F, which has a 10.4inch display plus front and back cameras, Bluetooth and optional 3G and 4G mobile communications. The compact design of the T510F gives it a weight of just 1.3kg despite its screen size, while its hot-swappable battery provides six hours endurance. Meanwhile, a 23-key keypad equips the 10-inch screen of the T510K which offers nine hours endurance.

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Xplore Technologies

1X105C5M – Xplore Technologies 1X105C5M rugged tablet does not emit RF, making it

Mobile Demand’s latest rugged tablet design is the xTablet 7200 which has a seven-inch ‘smart’ touchscreen using the firm’s xView technology which can adjust screen brightness to take the prevailing ambient light conditions into account.

(Mobile Demand)

extremely difficult to track. Moreover, the design is sealed which prevents stray sparks escaping the computer; a particularly valuable design feature in combustible atmospheres.

(Xplore Technologies) Xplore Technologies provides the 1X105C5M rugged tablet which the company tells Armada is “ideal for battle conditions.”

One noticeable design feature is the high degree of radio-frequency shielding which is standard on this computer. “These tablets do not emit RF, and therefore cannot be tracked,”

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Tablets

Glacier Computers rugged tablets have a number of useful additional features on their wares including an inbuilt QWERTY keyboard, an integral camera and batteries which provide eight hours’ running time.

(Glacier Computer)

the company adds. The construction also prevents the computer emitting any sparks – a vital safety consideration particularly in an environment where flammable vapours may cause a real risk of explosion. To date, the 1X105C5M has found itself onboard nuclear submarines along with fast raiding craft used by the Royal Australian Navy – two of the most demanding marine environments.

Once in service, Xplore Technologies says that repairs and upgrades of the 1X105C5M can be conducted in the field.

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Itronix

As this article will show, a number of ‘famous names’ in the world of defence communications have branched out into providing rugged tablets. This is not surprising as such computers offer an excellent fit for the state-of-the-art tactical radios which equip armies worldwide and not only carry voice communications, but are increasingly called upon to handle data from written messages to large image files. An accompanying ruggedised tablet is an ideal way of viewing such material.

General Dynamics is one defence communications specialist which has diversified into ruggedised tablets. The firm’s Itronix divisions’ portfolio includes the GD3014 semi-rugged tablet. This computer is equipped with a 10.4-inch sunlightreadable screen, although it weighs around one kilogram. Although the company’s official literature describes this product as being ‘semi-rugged’ it is highly resistant to dust and adverse weather, and is strong enough to handle being dropped from a truck or to survive a bumpy journey. A Windows-7 Professional operating system is built into the GD3014, as is a two-megapixel camera.

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Xplore Technologies 1X105C5M rugged tablet does not emit RF, making it extremely difficult to track. Moreover, the design is sealed which prevents stray sparks escaping the computer; a particularly valuable design feature in combustible atmospheres. (Xplore Technologies)

Alongside the GD3014, Itronix provides the Mil-Std-810 certified Duo-Touch II fully-rugged tablet. Weighing just under two kilograms, the Duo-Touch II can be outfitted with optional 128 gigabit solid state hard disk drives and the 8.4-inch display is certified to Mil-Std-3009 regarding visibility in direct sunlight. The tablet comes factory-fitted with the Windows-XP Tablet PC Edition 2009 and Windows Vista operating systems. Integral wireless communications are included, although customers can opt for a number of extras including an integral GPS, Bluetooth and up to three RF modems.

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Harris

Harris is similarly heavily involved in the world of tactical communications. The company says that it released its seven-inch ruggedised tablet to extend the tactical

networks already offered by the company’s military communications products. The RF-3590 uses the Android OS and comes equipped with wireless, Bluetooth and cellular communications. Unsurprisingly, it can also connect to the company’s tactical radios. Connectivity is at the heart of the design, with the company telling Armada that none of its competitors can offer “in a single package, the sheer number of interface capabilities” provided by the RF-3590 offers.

Dedicated applications for information sharing are in the pipeline from Harris, with this software currently in the demonstration phase.

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DRS Technologies

Like Harris and General Dynamics Itronix, DRS Technologies is a name synonymous with defence materiel, and the company is

forging ahead with its Armor product line of rugged computers. “Small in size and weight but big on ruggedness,” is how DRS characterises the Armor X7. Mil-Std 810 strength is standard, while the seven-inch display is readable in direct sunlight. Over nine hours’ operation is provided by the tablet’s two hot-swappable lithium-polymer batteries and a two gigabyte memory equip the machine, as does an integral GPS. Users requiring a machine equipped with the Android OS can choose the Armor X7ad Compact Rugged Tablet. The ARMOR X7ad shares many similar specifications

DRS Technologies is a household name in defence technology. The company has entered the world of the rugged tablet with its Armor series. These can be purchased equipped with both the Android and Windows operating system. (DRS)

to the Armor X7 (see above), although it weighs under 0.6kg. Other built-in features include a gyroscope, g-force sensor and light sensor plus a five megapixel camera. A similar lightweight design is offered by the 0.7kg Armor X7et which uses the Windows 7 Professional and Windows 7 Ultimate operating systems, and has a built-in light and g-sensors.

Instrument. Rugged tablet computers are available as part of the company’s Fieldbook and Tetra product lines. The Fieldbook A1 has a seven-inch screen and is fully sealed against dust and water. Interestingly, this tablet can be powered by a fuel cell providing 20 hours' operation, while the integral batteries of the computer offer up to 10 hours of working in a salt fog corrosion-proof body weighing under 1.3kg. Customers looking for a rugged tablet using the Android operating system can find a solution in the Fieldbook D1 which includes a five megapixel digital camera.

Compatible to Mil-Std 810 and Mil-Std461E, the Tetralight XXS 8.4 has an 8.4-inch screen and has been designed from the outset as a fully rugged tablet computer. Up to eight hours battery endurance is achievable with this product, and it can be supplied with an optional night vision filter. Finally, the Tetralight XXS 12.1 provides a large 12.1inch screen and compatibility with the same military standards as the Tetralight XXS 8.4, although with the option to add temperature insulation to enable the computer to operate at temperatures of -30ºC. The upward trend vis-à-vis the proliferation of rugged tablets throughout armies, navies and air forces around the world is set to continue. The memory size offered by these machines and their user-friendly operating systems make them a valuable addition for a host of tasks from viewing battle management information, watching video imagery, managing communications

Offering a seven-inch screen, and a design which is fully sealed against dust and moisture, Logic Instrument’s Fieldbook A1 can sustain up to 20 hours operation when powered by a fuel cell, and ten hours operation with its own batteries. (Logic Instrument)

and even for military telemedicine, to name just four applications. For the recruits commencing their military careers today, and over the coming years, a tablet computer will be second nature to them as something that they will no doubt have already used in civilian life. Soon, many soldiers may be asking how they managed to go without taking their tablets for so long.

DRS Technologies says that its Armor X10gx is “our most rugged tablet to date”, and is compliant with all military standards regarding shock, vibration and environmental extremes. The company adds that this computer is “virtually impervious to dust, sand, pollen and mould.” Readers are forgiven for thinking that enhanced ruggedness means extra weight, but this tablet weighs around 2.2kgs thanks to its magnesium alloy construction.

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Several rugged tablet producers are offering products with the Android operating system. Logic Instrument is one such firm which provides the Fieldbook D1 to this end. (Logic Instrument)

Logic Instrument

Readers may be forgiven for thinking that US-based firms dominate the rugged tablet market, yet European suppliers include Logic armada

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Drone UpDate

LIeS, SUSpICIonS anD neW perSpeCtIVeS

New perspectives will open up with the Northrop Grumman X-47B

Bluff is the sinews of war, but too much use of the internet can swing back at you like a boomerang. Keeping certain operations too covert just increases suspicions that become so loud that their existence become inevitably obvious. the drone world is heading for those new horizons that were considered a dream of the mentally challenged only two decades ago. three main topics for this issue’s Drone Update.

Eric H. Biass (Inputs from Paolo Valpolini) Flying a conventionally configured drone today is no big deal, really. Radio-controlled aircraft were all the rage in the mid1960s and with the advent of the microprocessor the hobby became a real business, allowing hobbyists to fly four-engine scale replicas of aircraft like the B-17 that are, in the end, as large as a Piper Cub. Radio controls now come with GPS, autopilots and flight profile memories and programmes (one of the major difficulties encountered by crews, is that they are often far away from where their aeroplane operates and thus lack the environmental contact of the scene of operations).

Tackling technologies like four-engine swing-wing takes a little more experience though, as well as some good command of technologies developed to fly the full-scale and fully crewed type. The Bell/Boeing Osprey required years of brain scratching before it could be made into something useful. So when various internet sites started mentioning the existence of a Koker1’s maiden flight and even displaying a picture of the apparatus, it didn’t take long before certain people (UAS Vision in this instance) did a “Google image search” to find out that the Iranian photo had been doctored and that the photo was in fact that of the 2008-vintage QTW drone developed

by Chiba University, (which you can find here: http://mec2.tm.chiba-u.jp/~nonami/ english/research/uav/gal.html). There is every reason to believe that if an Iranian news agency needs to bluff to that extent about a nation’s technological capabilities, it will be a while before Iran manages to reverse-engineer the Lockheed Martin RQ170 Sentinel that crashed in the northeast region of that country.

The photograph of the Koker-1 leaked by an Iranian press agency (left) and that spread like wildfire on the internet, filling pages and pages of internet news sites over the past few days, is in fact a hoax, a crudely doctored photo (to remove the experimental windmills) of the 2008-vintage QTW quadruple tilt-rotor drone developed by Chiba University in Japan. (UAS Vision)

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Drone UpDate

Manoeuvring the X-47B on deck involves a director who uses traditional hand signals to indicate how, when and where the aircraft should move, as he would if a pilot were on board, and a deck operator standing right behind him uses a remote control unit to duplicate the director’s instructions as digital commands to the aircraft.

Obviously Secret Turning to the second main subject of this column, it was recently revealed, but obviously not officially confirmed that Israel was secretly working on a stealthy drone. Why did the news not take the world by storm?

Holmes would have replied something like “Elementary”. The US has been working for ages now on stealthy attack drones like the X-47B (Northrop Grumman) and the X-45C (Boeing), and even the Europeans have begun investigating that path with the multinational (but Dassault-led) Neuron programme and the BAE Systems Taranis. It is thus hardly surprising that a nation that has pioneered the development and use of drones, and now producing aircraft as large as the Elbit Hermes 900 (1,100 kg TOW, 15m wingspan) or the Israel Aerospace Industries Eitan (4,600kg TOW, 26m wingspan) should be developing a low radar and low heat signature drone to treat targets of interest around some of its borders. It must be remembered that at a time when IAI stood for Israel Aircraft Industries, this firm developed a fighter bomber called the Lavi.

Two prototypes of this ten-tonne take-off weight aircraft were built (maiden flight in December 1986) before the programme got killed, not for technical reasons, but rather more because of sordid political pressures.

So yes, Israel knows how to build large, sophisticated jet-powered aeroplanes, and is second to none when it comes to keeping

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their crew on the ground. As far as this new drone is concerned, the question is now when will IAI lift off the veil. Israel also has excellent and proven weapons to arm the newcomer, particularly the Lahat.

Hi Sailor!

Our third main topic: As mentioned in the article “Ground Stinging Drones” in this issue, the Northrop Grumman X-47B was being readied to start exploring a new world for a fixed-wing drone – that of an aircraft carrier deck. News that the actual transfer of the aircraft came too late for inclusion in the above-mentioned article but just made it on time to step on board the present article before going to the printshop. The event took place on 26th November, when the carefully wrapped aircraft was hoisted by a crane onto the deck of the USS Harry S. Truman, as seen in our title picture. The first task for the crews, both deck and aircraft technicians will now be to work out all deckhandling procedures and test the aircraft against the thick cloud of electromagnetic emissions an aircraft carrier is permanently engulfed in, and which could be as many sources of datalink disruptions between the aircraft and its ship control station. On a deck, (to see the footage of the event visit https://www.armada.ch/videos X-47B) the X-47B suddenly looks incredibly larger than expected, but after all it has a wingspan of 19 metres, the F/A-18, nearly half less at 12 metres. Before crane-landing on the Harry S. Truman though, the X-47B went through a whole series of ground tests involving a hand-held device called “Control Display Unit”, which is basically a radio-command

Two days after the first catapult launch of the F-47B, it was the turn of the Neuron to steal the limelight with its first flight early morning on 1st December at Dassault’s Istres aerodrome. The demonstrator aircraft developed by Alenia Aermacchi, Eads-Casa, HAI, Ruag and Thales under the leadership of Dassault will undergo a series of tests in France until some date in 2014 and will then be transferred to Vidsel in Sweden and later to the Perdadesfogu test range in the south of the Italian island of Sardinia. (Alenia)

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Drone Update Having been kept quiet since its introduction at the 2011 Paris Air Show the now “dieselised” Tanan is attracting interest from civilian and military (especially naval) operators. (Armada/Eric H. Biass)

set developed by Northrop Grumman.

This will actually enable the deck crew to manoeuvre the aircraft on the carrier’s deck with functions such as engine control, roll forward, brake, nose wheel steering to drive the aircraft to its catapult position, and of course to drive it out of the landing zone. As Northrop Grumman explains: “a deck operator will work in tandem with the flight deck director – aka a “yellow shirt” – to move the X-47B via the CDU to a designated flight deck location”. See picture herewith.

The Spyball-B takes off at two-kilos (no payload data is available) and has a diameter of around 350 mm. It can reach 10 knots, batteries ensuring a 30-minute endurance (maximum range is 5 km). Two electronically stabilised sensor packages, (one daylight-low light and one thermal, are available). Test flights will start in late 2012 or early 2013. (Armada/Paolo Valpolini)

Minutes before going to press, it was announced that the other X-47B had started its first land-based catapult tests at Patuxent River (see our title picture, courtesy the US Navy as well as this footage here https://www.armada.ch/videos NAVAIR).

“Carrier-based unmanned aircraft will change the concept of operations for the carrier-controlled airspace” said Rear Admiral Mat Winter.

playstation-like operator handheld console capable of coping with three drones, and a ground data terminal, the gateway to the C4I network being the software-defined Future Soldier Radio. Both drones feature automatic take off and landing, ducted fan electrical propulsion, autonomous or semi-autonomous flight modes (both have obstacle avoidance sensors in their shroud), video-tracking and data exploitation.

They have a 2,100-metre ceiling while operational altitude is between 20 and 100 metre above ground.

Rumours There have also been rumours on the internet of the unveiling of a new helidrone developed by Cassidian. While the name of the machine is relatively new – Tanan – the helicraft itself is not since the editor, who photographed it at the Paris Air Show back in 2011, was even told at the time that it had performed its maiden flight a week earlier.

What has changed, though, according to an Eads spokesman, is that the helicopter is now fitted with a purpose-built heavyfuel engine in view of its potential naval operations market, whether naval or civilian. Still according to Cassidian, a lot of the original Cyb-Aero components have been modified and improved.

Asio-B test-flights have already started.

The data link range doubles compared to the Spyball B while endurance remains the same. The daylight-low light sensor package includes a camera with a x10

Italian Jobs Following the acquisition of Utri, a start-up specialised in micro- and mini-drones, Selex Galileo boosted the development of such systems and, with the Italian Army “Forza NEC” battlefield digitisation programme in its cross-hairs, a new company known as Muas S.p.A. has been created. The Army requirements led to some deep changes in the Utri’s VTOL designs, the MicroUAS Spyball and the miniUAS Asio. The new versions, known as Spyball-B (the smallest) and Asio-B, were recently unveiled. All Muas systems share a common system architecture, with a STANAG 4586 compatible core UAV Control System, a

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Selex Galileo_Asio-B_Armada-PV.JPG The Asio-B’s maximum take-off weight has been increased to 7.8 kg with a 1.8 kg payload (twice that of the original Asio). It has a diameter of around 500 mm and a maximum speed of 12 knots.

(Armada/Paolo Valpolini)

optical zoom and a laser rangefinder, the thermal package featuring a fixed field of view camera. Sensors are mounted under the craft, the perching solution of the original Asio having been discarded.

The Italian Army will deploy the Spyball-B in infantry units at platoon level while the Asio-B will be deployed by cavalry regiments.

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DIGEST

Invisio V60: lighter smaller and more capable

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ess than a month after its unveiling at the Future Soldiers Exhibition and Conference in Prague in mid-October and display at AUSA in Washington D.C. a week later, the Invisio V60 communication system logged a first order worth €2.2 million from an undisclosed leading military radio manufacturer that will provide the end package to a Nato country. Compared to the previous X50 the new control unit is much lighter, 145 versus 250 grams, and smaller as it can be seen in the author’s picture. Moreover it allows to link up to three communications sources, one more than its predecessor. In fact the V60 is a quad-com system as port Com1 allows to link a dual radio by using push-to-talk (PTT) buttons, namely PTT1 and PTT2 to handle communications on the two networks. A

total of four such buttons are available, two primary ones (PTT1 and PTT2) on the sides and two secondary ones (PTT3 and PTT4) on the front face. The three communications ports, two on the bottom and one on the top of the case, accept any type of input such as radios, intercom systems, mobile phones, computers, metal detectors, as well as remote PTTs. The V60 automatically and instantaneously detects the connected system, setting audio and system parameters. All ports are capable of data communication. No battery is needed, as the V60 takes its power from the connected radio or from a central power supply. The system starts automatically when the first connected system is turned on and shuts down when the last system is switched off. The V60 can operate with all microphones open at all times, and features split-ear receiver allowing different groups to be assigned to the left or right ear.

Another important improvement, the V60 is submersible to 20 meters compared to the two meters of the X50, which means it can be carried without problems by Special Forces units using oxygen rebreathers. The V60 can work in conjunction with Invisio in-ear protecting headsets and bone microphones, but the system is headset and microphone agnostic and can thus be used in conjunction with any other type of equipment. According to the Danish company the price of the V60 is comparable with that of its predecessor, which in times of shrinking budgets is certainly a good marketing point. Invisio expects an additional contract worth 1.5 million Euro by late 2012 from the same customer. (Paolo Valpolini)

3rd GPS IIF Satellite

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ess than third of the 12 Global Positioning System (GPS) IIF satellites Boeing is building for the US. Air Force was launched on 4th October from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station.

GPS is a global utility providing highly accurate position, navigation and timing services to billions of people around the world. The GPS IIF satellites are sustaining and modernizing the network with a number of enhancements, including improved atomic clock technology, a more jam-resistant military signal and a protected and more powerful civilian signal. The satellites also feature a 12-year design life for long-term service and reduced operating costs.

“As the GPS IIFs become operational, they are ensuring that the Air Force can meet the current and future needs of both military and civilian users,” said Col. Bernie Gruber, director of the US Air Force Space and Missile Systems Center’s Global Positioning Systems Directorate.

MegaFlex™ Solar Array Structure NASA’s Space Technology Program recently selected ATK’s MegaFlex™ solar array under a game changing technology competition for development of the promising lightweight and compact solar array structure.

ATK received a $6.4 million contract for the MegaFlex™ development.

MegaFlex™, under development by ATK’s Space Components Division in Goleta, Calif., is designed specifically to meet the anticipated power demands of 350kW and higher, with very low mass and small stowed volume for future space exploration missions using solar electric propulsion.

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Portable DXT3p TETRA switch unveiled

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t the PMR Expo in Cologne, Cassidian unveiled the DXT3p TETRA switch, the newest addition to the DXT3 series. DXT3p – “p” stands for portable - offers complete TETRA voice and data services in very compact form. Due to the high capacity and full functionality, the DXT3p switch is an attractive choice for setting up temporary networks or for applications where the network itself needs to be mobile.

The new switch is the size of a suitcase: 48 cm wide, 34 cm deep and around 30 cm in height. The DXT3p only weighs 20-30 kg so one person can carry it if necessary. The DXT3p benefits from the powerful feature set of the DXT3 family and provide those in an IP-connected infrastructure. As the heart of the TETRA radio network all other network elements connect to the switch. The DXT3p is an all-in-one package with high capacity, great functionality and extreme resilience. The lower power consumption (around 150W) makes it an eco-friendly option, too.

New Secure Radio for Nett Warrior Soldiers

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S Army has selected General Dynamics CS4 systems to deliver a new secure radio for Nett Warrior soldiers. The new Nett Warrior radio is part of the Handheld Manpack Small Form Fit family of radios. Weighing less than two pounds, the secure radio communicates using the Soldier Radio Waveform (SRW) and meets a critical communications need by giving Nett Warrior team members access to the government’s classified networks at either the Secret or Sensitive but Unclassified level. The Nett Warrior Radio joins the HMS family of tactical radios, which includes the AN/ PRC-154 Rifleman and AN/PRC-155 Manpack radios. The radios enable soldiers on the battlefield to have highly mobile voice, video and data communications capabilities using US government waveforms that include SRW, Wideband Networking Waveform and Mobile User Objective System

DIGEST Tactical Cellular Manpack

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backpack version of award-winning KnightHawk™ mobile tactical cellular network solution that provides

war fighters with high-bandwidth connectivity and enables the use of smart apps at the tactical edge of the battlefield is being introduced by Harris Corporation. The KnightLite system is built upon industry leading Universal Mobile Telecommunications System technology, which leverages mature cellular technology and helps ensure cost effective deployment. In addition to voice, high-speed data, video, and SMS messaging, the KnightLite system supports High-Speed Packet Access, which allows for dynamic allocation of data resources to mobile devices and

efficiently utilizes bandwidth to allow more devices to access the network simultaneously. It is compatible with commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) smartphones and tablets.

KnightLite can operate autonomously or as a scalable network for increased coverage. The combination of inexpensive COTS smartphones and tablets along with simultaneous high-bandwidth access for multiple users helps keep war fighters safe and on-task, minimizes loss of life, and enhances mission effectiveness and success.

Galileo IOV satellites

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he last two Galileo IOV (In-Orbit Validation) satellites was successfully launched on Friday 12th October by Arianespace, using a Soyuz rocket at the Guiana Space Center in French Guiana. These two satellites, assembled, integrated and tested at Thales Alenia Space’s plant in Rome, will join the first pair of IOV satellites, launched in October 2011.

The full fleet of four Galileo IOV satellites was designed and built

by Astrium, the industrial prime contractor for the space segment, under contract to the European Space Agency (ESA) for the InOrbit Validation phase. The IOV satellites will demonstrate the capabilities of the Galileo system prior to the deployment of the full constellation, which will eventually include 30 satellites.

The launch of the last two IOV satellites is a major milestone for the Galileo programme and the European space industry, as well as reflecting Thales Alenia Space’s key role on Galileo.

In addition to taking charge of the assembly, integration and testing (AIT) of the four IOV satellites, Thales Alenia Space provides key equipment for the navigation payload and platform. Additional testing is planned.

Titus robot delivery

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itus TM, the newest and smallest member of its Andros TM line of unmanned ground vehicles (UGVs) is set for start of its delivery in December by Remotec Inc. Titus weighs 135 pounds and measures 27 inches long, 16 inches wide and just 23 inches high. It retains the proven four-articulator design that has given Andros vehicles the best performance for more than 20 years. The system also features a unique operator control unit featuring a

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New radar electronic solution - Vigile DPX

surveillance

New naval Radar Electronic Support Measures (R-ESM) solution for multi-purpose ships that need continued capability in the littoral has been launched by Thales. Ships sailing close to shore can experience difficulties with radars, due to reflections from the landmass and interference from the greater density of radar traffic. VIGILE DPX, the latest member of Thales’s VIGILE family of products, addresses this problem through a Wideband Digital Receiver (1) that directly samples the full bandwidth of the radar RF spectrum instantaneously.

The ability to receive and process time-coincident signals is critical to providing effective situational awareness and threat warning in the modern, complex RF environment.

hybrid touch-screen and game system-style physical controls.

“Titus represents the next-generation Andros,” said Mike Knopp, director, Northrop Grumman Remotec. “When we designed Titus, we challenged our engineers to not only retain certain capabilities but also to innovate and add capabilities – to really make the platform robust, highly functional and easy to use. They responded with a small UGV that was mechanically brilliant and re-imagined the entire user experience.”

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DIGEST

BlueNaute™, a newgeneration ship borne inertial navigation system

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lueNaute™ attitude and heading reference system for ship borne applications was introduced at Euro naval 2012. BlueNaute™ is based on a hemispherical resonator gyro (HRG) technology that is patented by Sagem. It is at the heart of a system that is fully suited to commercial shipping needs, and in compliance with the requirements of the International Maritime Organization and the SOLAS (Safety of Life at Sea) treaty. Offering MTBF (mean time between failures) exceeding 100,000 hours, and extended lifetime, BlueNaute™ signals a major improvement in maintainability and total cost of ownership compared with the previous generation of maritime navigation equipment.

MK 54 torpedo contract

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aytheon Company (NYSE: RTN) has been awarded a $45.3 million US Navy contract to provide MK 54 lightweight torpedo hardware, test equipment, spares and related engineering and repair services for US fleet inventory and in support of foreign military sales to the Royal Australian Navy and the Indian Navy. The award represents an exercised option of a current Navy contract for MK 54 torpedo kits.

“As enemy submarines remain a threat to security, stability and access to the world’s oceans, naval forces worldwide require a reliable and effective undersea warfare weapon,” said Kevin Peppe, vice president of Seapower Capability Systems for Raytheon’s Integrated Defense Systems business. “Together with the US Navy, we continue to advance the development of the world’s most effective lightweight torpedo, delivering its proven capabilities to meet the anti-submarine warfare needs of US and allied fleets.”

EUTELSAT 21B satellite

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he EUTELSAT 21B* communications satellite was successfully launched yesterday from the Guiana Space Center in Kourou, French Guiana, by an Ariane 5 rocket. Thales Alenia Space is prime contractor for this programme, on behalf of Eutelsat Communications, one of the world’s leading satellite operators. The satellite’s general service zone includes Europe, North Africa, the Middle East and Central Asia. Through this new satellite, Eutelsat Communications will provide communications services for major operators of professional video networks, data networks for businesses and government services. Carrying 40 transponders, EUTELSAT 21B will replace EUTELSAT 21A, increasing capacity at the 21.5° East orbital position by more than 50 percent. EUTELSAT 21B is the 23rd satellite built by

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NEXT ISSUE FEB/MAR 2013: 1st FEB, ADVT: 16th JAN Grenade Launchers: Increased accuracy and effectiveness are the two drivers that started the development of dedicated fire control systems.

Urban warfare is only one of the scenarios in which 40 mm grenades play a considerable role, their use having also been highlighted in open space engagements in the recent conflicts. This article takes a look at the various developments in this field.

SATCOM: Today’s armies rely on High Frequency (HF), Very High Frequency (VHF) and Ultra High Frequency (UHF) communications to transmit voice and data traffic between units and echelons. Mobile satellite communications offer exponential increases in the quantity of traffic which can be handled on today’s battlefield and the ranges at which such traffic can be sent and received.

Remote Controlled Weapon Stations (RCWS) Z Light Turrets.: Current operations downrange have considerably increased the importance of remotely controlled weapon stations (RCWS), most light vehicles being now equipped with such systems that allow the machine gunner to stay within the protected cell as his mates, without exposing his life to high risks coming both from opponent’s ballistic threat as well as from accidents in which the vehicle capsizes.

Protection for forward operating and temporary bases: The recent operations in Iraq and Afghanistan highlighted the need to provide protection in theatre for the array of forward operating sites, from which the military forces mounts operations, controlling the local area and providing security for resupply, maintenance and rest purposes. The article looks at the recent developments.

Show report-AUSA 2012: A report on the October 2012 edition of USA Annual Meeting and Exposition.

Drone Update: Just 550 identified drone types in 2005, but over 1500 by mid 2011.

This regular column enables the reader to keep abreast with this ever-growing segment of the defence industry.

Compendium: Mine Protected Vehicles: which future ahead?

This new Compendium looks into the latest developments in the Mine Protected Vehicles segment. With increasing demand of protection against IEDs and land mines post the Iraq and the Afghanistan wars, this sector has seen some rapid and interesting developments One of the unanswered questions for most military planners is what will happen after Afghanistan.

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Low-altitude battlespace operations.

High-level electronic warfare solutions.

Threats defeated, missions completed.

Combat-proven, off-the-shelf systems from ITT Exelis are ready now to integrate or upgrade your rotary aircraft self-protection and jamming capabilities. For more than 50 years, Exelis, a demonstrated leader in electronic warfare, has used its expertise and agility to meet the needs of U.S. and allied forces.

Choose the partner with an easily deployed, upgradeable system to support ground and littoral operations. Choose Exelis.

Learn more at www.exelisinc.com/electronicwarfare 50 armada [NYSE: XLS]

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Exelis is a registered trademark and “The Power of Ingenuity” is a trademark, both of Exelis Inc. ITT is a trademark of ITT Manufacturing Enterprises, LLC., and is used under license. Copyright © 2012 Exelis Inc. All rights reserved.