Armada International by Armada International & Asian Military Review

THE TRUSTED SOURCE FOR DEFENCE TECHNOLOGY INFORMATION SINCE 1976

Issue 3/2013

INTERNATIONAL

June/July

$ A S S A U L T

! V I A T I O N

3 N E C M A

4 H A L E S

PEMA2m - Photo F. Robineau - Dassault Aviation

OMNIROLE

Rafale carries out different complex combat assignments simultaneously. This makes it different from so-called “multirole” or “swing-role” aircraft. Higher systems integration, advanced data fusion, and inherent low observability all make Rafale the first true omnirole fighter. Able to fight how you want, when you want, where you want. Rafale. The OMNIROLE fighter

THE TRUSTED SOURCE FOR DEFENCE TECHNOLOGY INFORMATION SINCE 1976

Contents 3/2013 INTERNATIONAL

www.armada.ch | www.armadainternational.com

26 TRANSPORT AIRCRAFT SELF PROTECTION

TRANSPORT AIRCRAFT SELF-PROTECTION I Luca Peruzzi In the weeks that preceded the launch of air operations over Libya, a number of Nato countries, reportedly Germany, Great Britain and Italy, deployed Transall C160s and C130Js in challenging missions inside Libyan territory, landing on strips and airfields near oil camps to extract national and international citizens and workers.

LASER-GUIDED ROCKETS

ATTACK HELICOPTERS

HIGH TIER AIR DEFENCE

LASER-GUIDED ROCKETS, AT LONG LAST!

ATTACK HELICOPTER WEAPONS

MOBILE ABM SYSTEMS TO PROTECT DOWNRANGE FORCES

I Roy Braybrook

I Paolo Valpolini

TRAINING AIRCRAFT

C2 BLOS SATCOM

COMPENDIUM SUPPLEMENT

TRAINERS, AVIATION’S SINE QUA NON

SATCOMS FOR BEYOND-LINE-OFSIGHT COMMAND AND CONTROL

DRONES

I Roy Braybrook

I Thomas Withington

I Eric Biass and Roy Braybrook

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Index I INDEX TO ADVERTISERS AAI TEXTRON

EUROSAM

RAYTHEON

AR MODULAR

EUROSATORY

ROSOBORONEXPORT

ARMADA SUBSCRIPTION

IAI - MBT

SAAB

BRIDEX

IAI MALAT

SCHIEBEL

CERADYNE

IDEAS PAKISTAN

SINGAPORE AIRSHOW

DASSAULT RAFALE

L3 Wescam

SMI

DCI

MBDA

TRIMBLE GNSS

DDC

NEXTER

TRIJICON

DEFENCE & SECURITY THAILAND

NORTHROP GRUMMAN

ULTRALIFE

DSA MALAYSIA

ODU

VIASAT

DSEI

PACIFIC AUSTRALIA

ELBIT

RAFAEL

17-19

Entries highlighted with Red numbers are found in Compendium Drone 2013

Military air transportation is undergoing a quiet, but significant, revolution with non-American and non-Russian manufacturers like Military Airbus and even Embraer now offering serious alternatives to the market, as exemplified by the KC-390 (featured on our cover in mock-up form), which is slated to make its maiden flight next year. Volume 37, Issue No. 3, June 2013/July 2013 INTERNATIONAL

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 Airbus

10 27,29,33,64

Alenia Aermacchi

42,43,48

Embraer

46,31

Piaggio

Emerson Electric

Pilatus

45,46,48

Enaer

Pratt & Whitney

Priora Robotics

Alloy Surfaces

Etienne Lacroix

Almaz Antey

Eurocopter

Antonov

Eurosam

Armtec Defence

General Atomics

Aselsan

General Dynamics

ASN Technology

General Electric

16,18 38 7,4 7,16,20,24 16,50

QinetiQ

Raytheon

GIDS

Roketsan

Grob Aircraft

Rolls Royce

Augusta Westland

17,22,31,8

HAL

Aurora Flight Sciences

Harpia Systems

Austro Engines

Harris CapRock

AVIC

Honeywell

Avibras

IAI

7,11,28,50,4

IMI

BAE Systems Beechcraft

11,46

17,48,50 30

Sagem Saphir

28,9 13,14,21,28 42,50 31

Saab

58,62

27,32,32

Indra

18,24

Rosoboronexport

45,46,10 22,40,4,5,9

8,20,36,3,16

Rheinmetall Waffe Munition

6,13,18,28

58,60

24,37

Rheinmetall

ATK

Astrium

Rafael

28,,64,8,35 32,5 27

Schiebel

8,35

Schweizer

Selex ES

31,29

Bell

7,13,16,17,8

Integrated Dynamics

Sierra Nevada

Boeing

8,18,50,5,8

ITT Exelis

Sikorsky

11,13,8,9

18,21

Snecma

44,48

Boeing-Insitu

Casc Cassidian

32 23,28,43,5,9

Kamov Kanfit

Sukhoi

Kilgore Falres

Symetric Industries

Telespazio

Terma

Chemring Countermeasures

Korea Aerospace Industries

Cirrus Aircraft Industries

Continental Motors

Lancair Legacy

Cyb-Aero

Lockheed Martin

8 42 8,11,23,48,4,9

Textron

Martin Baker

Thales

17,22

Mauser

Thales Alenia Space

Diamond Aircraft

42,44

MBDA

Diehl BGT Defence

24,32

Meggit Defence Systems

Doss Aviation

Elbit Systems

13,30,4,24

MiL Novaer Craft

Elettronica

Nexter

Elisra Electronic Systems

Northrup Grumman

Elta

40,5

Paradigm

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14,21,27,32,9 28 17,18 42 17,18 8,28,30,55,8 58

Texas Instruments Paveway

Denel Land Systems

Dassault

Thielert Aircraft Engines TAI

7 10

27,32,55,4,35 60 44 44,46,28

Univision

Utva Aviation Industry

ViaSat Wallop Defence Systems Yakovlev

60,62 28 42,50

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 Creative Director: Bipin Kumar Deputy Art Director: Sachin Jain Asstt. Art Directors : Mukesh Kumar, Ajay Kumar Visualiser: Sujit Singh 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 UK, EASTERN EUROPE, GREECE, TURKEY 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 USA (EAST/SOUTH EAST), CANADA Margie Brown, Ph: (540) 341 7581, margiespub@rcn.com USA (WEST/SOUTH WEST), BRAZIL 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 Yusuf Azim, Tel: (91) 124 4759595, Mobile: (91) 96 50 881121, E-Mail: yusuf@mtil.biz Annual subscription rates: Europe: CHF 186. + 36. (postage) Overseas: USD 186. + 36. (postage) Controlled circulation: 24,351, certified by ABC Hong Kong, valid from ABC 1st April 2012 to 30th June 2012. Printed by Media Transasia Thailand Ltd. 75/8, 14th Floor, Ocean Tower II, Soi Sukhumvit 19, Sukhumvit Road, Klongtoeynue, Wattana, Bangkok 10110, Thailand. Tel: 66 (0)-2204 2370, Fax: 66 (0)-2204 2390 -1 Subscription Information: Readers should contact the following address: Subscription Department, Media Transasia Ltd. Room No. 1205-1206, Hollywood Centre 233, Holywood Road, Central, Hong Kong. Tel: (852) 2815 9111, Fax: (852) 2851 1933

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Laser-Guided Rockets

Laser-Guided Rockets, at Long Last! The military need for low-cost semi-active laser-homing guided rocket projectiles has been evident for decades. Suddenly, half a dozen manufacturers are vying to satisfy that need.

The very latest news on the laser-guided rocket front comes from ATK with the award of a Defence Acquisition Challenge contract to supply its Gatr for Special Ops Command evaluation. (ATK)

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Roy Braybrook

ecent operations have highlighted the fact that anti-armour guided weapons that were developed to meet the demands of a major European war are an unnecessarily expensive means to attack today’s counterinsurgency targets, typified by small groups of personnel or light vehicles. The high cost of weapons used (or misused) in Afghanistan from 2001 and Iraq from 2003 has caused serious concern, and so has the bad publicity associated with collateral damage and casualties. Weapons with undesirable side-effects have to be carefully restricted in use, consequently leaving many targets unscathed. A lighter missile would reduce cost and collateral effects, and allow a helicopter to carry more guided weapons, achieving more soft target kills per sortie. A further consideration has been the growing use of armed drones. Weighing 45 kg, the Hellfire is sufficiently light to be carried by the US Air Force’s General

Quite apart from being less expensive than a full-flown missile, laser-guided rockets would address the current trend for weapons that minimize collateral damage. Earlier generation weapons needed high explosive power to compensate for a lower degree of accuracy, something that is no longer politically correct. (BAE Systems)

Atomics’ 1157 kg MQ-1 Predator and 4763 kg MQ-9 Reaper, and the US Army’s 1633 kg MQ-1C Grey Eagle. However, an even lighter missile would allow the arming of small drones, operated in much larger numbers. In principle, arming lightweight drones would reduce response times, saving lives and engaging fleeting targets, and put close air support back in the warrior’s own hands. There has thus for many years been a clear need for a missile to fill the wide gap between cheap unguided rocket projectiles such as the $ 2,000 70 mm General Dynamics Hydra-70 and costly antitank guided weapons like the $ 90,000 laser-homing Hellfire. This gap-filler needs only a small warhead, but it must be delivered with metric precision. It also needs sufficient range to minimise the risk of the launch aircraft receiving return fire from the target area. One way to reduce the cost of the new system is to develop a bolt-on guidance and control kit for stockpiled rockets. However, there may also be a substantial market for a brand-new 70 mm LGR (laser-guided rocket), using a more powerful motor to offset the weight penalty of the guidance and control module, in combination with a modern warhead family. The Texas Instruments Paveway LGB (laser-guided bomb) was first used operationally by the US Air Force McDonnell F-4E in Vietnam in April 1972. The BAE Systems APKWS (Advanced Precision Kill Weapon System) LGR, a converted Hydra-70 rocket projectile, was first employed operationally in Afghanistan almost exactly 40 years later, in March 2012, from the US Marine Corps Bell AH-1W and UH-1Y. I NOT ROCKET SCIENCE

Why this advance should have taken four whole decades may partly be explained by the fact that only recently (post-September 2001) have we witnessed a return to colonial-style wars, in which the troublemaker lives next door to innocent civilians. Another factor may have been that the two senior US services each hoped that the other would provide the funding for LGR development. Industry may have felt deterred from private-venturing laser-guided rocket development, due to the high cost of clearing a new weapon for a specific helicopter, when the Pentagon was incapable of deciding which service and which helicopters would use it. The APKWS programme was launched in 1996, when the Department of Army

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Laser-Guided Rockets

approved a Mission Need Statement (MNS), essentially for an affordable weapon for the Boeing AH-64 to use against soft and lightly armoured targets outside cannon range. However, the Operational Requirement Document (ORD) was formally approved only in 2000. In 1999 the serviceâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Aviation and Missile Command (Amcom) had requested industry proposals for an Advanced Technology Demonstration (ATD) programme designated LCPK GR (Low-Cost Precision Kill, Guided Rocket). This was to provide the basis for the Directorate of Combat Development (DCD) APKWS, associated with a unit cost goal of only $ 8,000. Following ATD flight trials, in 2003 the prime contractor for the APKWS-I was announced as General Dynamics, the manufacturer of the Hydra-70, with BAE Systems (selected over Raytheon) as subcontractor for the guidance and control system. However, initial tests gave poor results, with three out of four flight tests failing. The contract was cancelled in January 2005, the Army stating that the APKWS-I was running late and not meeting requirements. In addition, the prices

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BAE Systems is under US Navy contract to integrate the APKWS on the Northrop Grumman MQ-8B Fire Scout. This artistâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s impression shows the drone with APKWS rockets in three-round launchers, giving a limited air strike capability from ships too small to operate manned aircraft. (BAE Systems)

tendered for the first production lots were said to be unacceptably high. In the following 15 months, using its own funds, BAE Systems attacked the problems that plagued the original programme, and successfully carried out three guided flights. The principal challenges appear to have been to package the system in a small space, to develop a system that would survive the extreme temperature range encountered (from subsonic carriage at altitude to over Mach 2.0 after launch), and to design reliable wing-slot seals. I APKWS-II

In September 2005 the US Army reopened the competition, requesting proposals under the designation APKWS-II for a system planned for service in 2008. In April 2006 BAE Systems (teamed with General Dynamics and Northrop Grumman)

was selected as the new prime contractor and was awarded a $ 41.9 million SDD (system development and demonstration) contract. The company had won over teams led by Lockheed Martin and Raytheon Systems. In February 2007 the US Army zerofunded the APKWS in the FY2008 budget request, but in August 2007 the US Marine Corps issued a formal statement of need for the system. In November 2008 the programme was formally transferred to the US Navy, and funding was resumed. The hiatus is estimated to have set the programme back by at least five months, formal flight testing being delayed from August 2006 to January 2007. Despite having dropped the APKWS, in August 2009 the US Army issued a request for information on lightweight (less than 22.7 kg) precision strike weapons under the Ampm (Aviation Multi-Platform Munition) programme to arm the Bell OH-58D. Three types were tested in 2009, but the US Army appears to be waiting to see how the Marine Corps APKWS performs in service. A January 2007 Government Accountability Office report (GAO-07406SP) assessing APKWS II refers to R&D costs of $ 208.4 million, and the production of 71,637 rounds costing $1,296.6 million. The

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Laser-Guided Rockets

resulting total programme cost of $1,505 million gave a unit cost of $21,000, all in FY2007 values. The APKWS is claimed to be one-third the weight and cost of laser-guided weapons generally in use by US forces. A figure of $28,500 has been published for the guidance and control module, and the Hydra-70 reportedly costs between $1,500 and $2,000. In 2010 APKWS development was completed, and the first of two LRIP (lowrate initial production) contracts was awarded by the US Navy to BAE Systems. Service acceptance trials were performed by the Navy’s VX-9 Air Test and Evaluation Squadron at Naval Air Weapons Station China Lake in California, the 35th and final round being fired in January 2012. The 925th and final LRIP round was delivered in September 2012, two months after the award of the first full-rate contract for 1000 units. The initial user of APKWS is the US Marine Corps, with an urgent need for more suitable attack weapons for Afghanistan. I ENDURING FREEDOM

The APKWS was cleared initially on the Bell AH-1W SuperCobra attack helicopter and

then on the UH-1Y Venom utility (Bell has recently qualified it on the 407GT). In March 2012 the first APKWS rounds were sent to Afghanistan, and operational use began later in the month. The APKWS WGU-59/B guidance and control module is retrofitted in the body of the Hydra-70, leaving the nose-mounted fuze and warhead sections unaffected. Four sensors are located on the leading edges of wings that unfold from slots in the body within 0.5 seconds, as the projectile leaves the launch tube. Each of the sensors is a tenelement fibre-optic seeker, giving a 40-degree instantaneous field of regard. The sensors are required to detect a laserdesignated target at 8,000 metres, and in acquisition tests have achieved much greater distances. Control is effected by means of flaperons mounted on the wing trailing edges. This Dasals (Distributed Aperture SemiActive Laser Seeker) arrangement rules out lock-on before launch (Lobl), but it protects the seekers throughout the aircraft sortie, and especially while adjacent rounds are being fired. (The only other known application for the Dasals is the ATK XM395 Precision Guided Mortar Munition).

The APKWS appears to have been conceived around the Hydra-70 with the M151 “ten-pound” high explosive warhead. The guidance and control module adds 47 cm to its 1.472 metre length, and 4.4 kg to its 10.4 kg weight. The guided round is normally fired from a lengthened seven-tube LAU68F/A launcher, developed to accommodate the 1.799 metre Hydra-70 with M257/278 illuminating flare warhead. The M152 and M282 warheads have also been approved for the APKWS, and PMA242 (the Navair project office for Direct and TimeSensitive Weapons) has developed for this application the M149 Mod 0 flechette warhead. The APKWS already has an effective range of 1,100 to 5,000 metres, and it is hoped later to clear it to a minimum firing range (from helicopters) of 500 metres. By 2010 it had already met the system reliability requirement of 86%, this figure being the product of a 95% guidance reliability, 91% warhead reliability and 99% motor reliability. I FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS

In February 2011 the US Navy and Air Force awarded BAE Systems a $ 19.7 million, 27month JCTD (Joint Concept Technology

Over Afghanistan, the starboard door gunner of a US Marine Corps Bell UH-1Y, leaning on his 7.62 mm six-barrel M134 machine gun, looks for targets for the BAE Systems APKWS LGR, four rounds of which protrude from a seven-tube LAU-68F/A launcher. (US Navy)

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In spite of successful trials, the Talon developed in co-operation with the Emirates Advanced Investment Group is still awaiting an order from the United Arab Emirates for whom it is primarily intended. (Raytheon)

Demonstration) contract to develop a FixedWing APKWS with explosively-deployed wings, to allow firings from fast jets, specifically the Republic A-10 and Boeing AV-8B. (APKWS has already been fired from the Beechcraft AT-6 turboprop trainer.) To minimise dispersion of the unguided Hydra-70, it has to be boosted quickly through the helicopter downwash, the rocket motor taking it to over Mach 2.0 in less than two seconds. However, if the APKWS is launched from a fixed-wing platform, it peaks even faster, generating higher drag on the control wings as they deploy from the body. In extreme, the wings will fail to deploy in time for their sensors to acquire the target, and the round will be unguided. Central Command has issued a need statement for the APKWS to be integrated with the Sikorsky MH-60S Knighthawk, which would use the 19-tube LAU-61G/A

launcher in place of the seven-tube LAU68F/A. The MH-60S would primarily use the APKWS in defending surface vessels against fast attack craft. A decision on this application is expected in FY2014. Looking to the future, in September 2012 the US Navy awarded BAE Systems a contract to integrate APKWS on the Northrop Grumman MQ-8B Fire Scout drone. I TALON

Although the APKWS has the backing of the US Navy, and may be adopted by the US Air Force for its fast jets, it is possible that the US Army (requiring greater rocket numbers) will select a different system. It is also conceivable that some market elements (especially in the context of ground-ground firings) may require lock-on before launch, ruling out APKWS. The companies with most experience of

producing seekers for laser-guided bombs are Raytheon and Lockheed Martin, both of which feel that the LGR battle is far from over. Raytheon is developing its Talon under a co-operative agreement with the Abu Dhabibased Emirates Advanced Investment Group. The guidance module with Raytheonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Common Digital Seeker is attached to the front end of a Hydra-70 and control is effected by three fold-out canards. Talon test firings have taken place from hovering and moving AH-64Ds, from a minimum range of 1,200 metres to a maximum of 6,000 metres. If the United Arab Emirates places a launch order for the Talon to arm the AH-64D, the first conversion kits will be manufactured by Raytheon at Tucson, Arizona. Manufacture of the guidance and control section will later be transferred to EAI, but the laser seeker will remain a Raytheon product. I DAGR

Lockheed Martin completed development of its Dagr (Direct Attack Guided Rocket) in

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Laser-Guided Rockets

Given the high hit probability of LGRs, helicopters will need to carry less rounds, hence there is a strong case for new launchers. This design houses four Dagrs, with the much larger Hellfires added externally. (Lockheed Martin)

December 2012, having made over 40 guided flights. These included hits on both fixed and moving targets in both lock-on before and after launch modes at ranges from 1,500 to 6,000 metres, in daylight and total darkness, and in high winds. The company has developed two- and fourtube launchers, and has also groundlaunched the Dagr from a newly developed Hellfire/Dagr pedestal launcher. Lockheed Martin has a contract with the

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US Army Joint Attack Munitions Systems programme office to manufacture Dagr missiles and rail-mounted canisters for unspecified use. This may relate to press reports that Dagr is in limited production under US funding to arm Iraqi Air Force Mi-171s and ATK AC-208Bs, and Iraqi Army Air Corps Mi-17s. System qualification of the Dagr is scheduled for early 2013, to be followed by airworthiness release testing on several rotary-wing platforms. A further development is the Dagr/Hellfire Strike Kit (DHSK), a bolt-on fire control system for air and surface platforms. The latter is evidently a reference to the Joint Light Tactical Vehicle being developed to replace the Humvee. This DHSK may be based on the four-

Hellfire M299 rack that is carried below the port wing of some Hercules, and could be modified to take up to 16 Dagrs. Such an installation is (at least) under consideration for the US Marine Corps KC-130J Harvest Hawk Capability II programme, and the Precision Strike Package for the Afsoc AC130W Stinger and AC-130J. I GATR

The basic design of the Hydra-70 dates from the early post-WW2 period, hence there may well be a market for a completely new design using modern materials. One such missile is the 1.8-metre Gatr (Guided Advanced Tactical Rocket) being developed by Alliant Techsystems (ATK) and Elbit Systems. The Gatr retains the MK66 propellant

Although Lockheed Martin did not win the US Navy-led contest to produce an LGR for Marine Corps helicopters, its Dagr is in limited production under US Army funding, and appears likely to arm some US Marine Corps and Afsoc Hercules. (Lockheed Martin)

grain used in Hydra-70, but has an advanced nozzle, and a new tail and warhead (by ATK), combined with a mature laser seeker by Elbit, as used on its Lizard LGB and Star (Smart Tactical Airborne Rocket). The new warhead is available in two versions: penetrator and enhanced blast/fragmentation. The Gatr can be used in either lock-on before and after launch modes and has a range of 8,000 metres. It has been tested on the Bell OH-58D and Sikorsky/Elbit Armed Black Hawk (ABH), and is seen as a likely candidate for Israelâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s AH-64s and AH-1s. I CIRIT

Another laser-guided 70 mm rocket, but developed from scratch, is the Roketsan Cirit, named after a Turkish wooden sporting javelin traditionally used by cavalry units. Designed to fulfil a Turkish Army requirement associated with the new TAI

Laser-Guided Rockets

Turkeyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s 70-mm Cirit LGR, exhibited on a Roketsan stand in newly developed two- and fourround launchers. Cirit is shown below two Umtas air-ground missiles and alongside an Omtas ground-ground weapon. (Armada/RB)

T129 Atak helicopter (and the AH-1W), the Cirit has a maximum range of 8,000 metres. The Cirit has a launch weight of 15 kg and a length of 1.90 metres. Roketsan has developed two new warheads: one high explosive and the other a multi-purpose device combining armour penetration, antipersonnel and incendiary effects. The company has also developed twin- and fourtube launchers for the new missile. The Cirit can be fired in a Lobl mode, or cruise on inertial guidance (using a lightweight Goodrich IMU) with laser homing only in the terminal phase. It can

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also be fired in an unguided mode with wings locked retracted, to deal with pop-up shortrange targets. In mid-2012 it was reported that 100 Cirits had been delivered to the Turkish military for R&D and qualification firings, and that 2,000 production units would be manufactured for the Turkish Army. The Cirit is also to be tested on the Eurocopter EC635. At IDEX in Abu Dhabi in February 2013, it was announced that the United Arab Emirates had ordered Cirits to the value of approximately $196 million.

Although most LGR developments emphasise light weight and low collateral effects, some heavy guided rockets are being developed. Notably, Russia has developed the laser-guided 122-mm S-13L and 340mm S-25L. In 2009-2010 MBDA tested the 127-mm Laser-Guided Zuni Rocket, developed under a CRDA (Cooperative R&D Agreement) with the Weapons Division of the Naval Air Warfare Center at China Lake, California. This missile has a nose-mounted WGU-58/B guidance and control module, weighs 68 kg and carries an 18 kg warhead for a distance of up to 16 km. It featured in the US Marine Corps aviation weapons roadmap of 2007, but currently appears to be on the backburner.

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Attack Helicopters

Attack Helicopter Weapons All helicopters are weight-sensitive, hence the emphasis in choosing their weapons is invariably on lightness. However, whereas utility helicopters need armament for all-round self-defence, attack helicopters need forward-firing weapons that can destroy hardened objectives from a safe standoff distance, and a flexibly-mounted gun for less demanding targets.

Roy Braybrook

t the bottom end of the weapons scale, machine guns are not normally used by attack helicopters, although the Bell AH1G Cobra began life with an Emerson Electric TAT-102A chin turret housing a General Electric GAU-2B/A six-barrel 7.62 mm Minigun. Likewise, the Mil Mi-24 assault helicopter was initially equipped with the four-barrel 12.7 mm Yakushev-Borsov (Yak-B) 9A624 in a chin turret.

Cannon have almost universally taken over from machine guns as turreted armament, but the German Army Eurocopter Tiger UHTs at present can carry automatic weapons only in the form of fixed gunpods. The Tiger UHTs deployed with KHR36 (Kampfhubschrauberregiment 36) to Afghanistan in December 2012 were cleared to use FN Herstal HMP400 pods, each with a 12.7 mm M3P machine gun and 400 rounds. The pod weighs 138 kg and the gun fires at 1025 rd/min. Modified by Eurocopter to Asgard-F (Afghanistan Stabilisation German Army

The three-barrel 20 mm General Dynamics Armament and Technical Products M197 is shown in turreted form on a Bell AH-1W SuperCobra operating with the US Marine Corps 15th Marine Expeditionary Unit from the Tarawa-class LHA-5 USS Pelilieu. (US Navy)

Rapid Deployment â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Full) standard, these Tigers were also to use 19 round, 70 mm rocket pods and MBDA Hot guided missiles. One attack helicopter that still uses a turreted machine gun is Iranâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Hesa Shahed (Witness) 285, a very light (1450 kg) singleseat aircraft derived from the Bell 206 JetRanger. Designated AH-85A, it has a single-barrel 12.7 mm PKM in a chin turret, and is reportedly in limited service with the Iranian Revolutionary Guards Air Force. I CANNON

However, America discovered in Vietnam, as the Soviet Union found later in Afghanistan, that helicopter-mounted machine guns are

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easily outgunned by heavy automatic weapons on the ground. In air-ground operations a 7.62 mm machine gun is effective only to around 500 metres, and only against soft targets such as troops in the open. A 12.7 mm gun extends firing range to 1000 metres and can deal with a broader target spectrum. Cannon (able to fire explosive ammunition) start at 20 mm, are effective to perhaps 1700 metres, and can destroy lightly armoured vehicles. One example of 20 mm armament for an attack helicopter is the Nexter Systems THL20 turret with the single-barrel 20M621. This is used on Romania’s IAR-330L Puma and has been selected for India’s HAL Light

A chin-mounted turret allows the gun to be raised above fuselage datum. In the case of this French Army Eurocopter Tiger HAP, the 30 mm Nexter Systems 30M781 in the THL30 turret can be moved through 30 degrees above and below the horizontal, and 90 degrees to either side. (Eurocopter)

Combat Helicopter (LCH). Another is the Denel Land Systems GI-2 chin turret introduced by South Africa’s ATE in upgrading the Mil Mi-24s of the Algerian Air Force. The GI-2 is also used on the Denel Rooivalk (Red Kestrel). Such guns typically fire at 700-750 rd/min. If a high firing rate is required (which is

generally not the case in engaging ground targets, but may be preferable in firing at aircraft and fast attack craft), a multiplebarrel cannon may be preferred. One leading example is the General Dynamics Armament and Technical Products M197 three-barrel 20 mm Gatling gun, which can fire at up to 1500 rd/min and is used in turreted form on the Bell AH-1J/W and the new AH-1Z, and the AgustaWestland A129. One factor in the selection of the A129 as the basis for Turkey’s Atak programme was the outstanding accuracy provided by its Oto Melara TM197B turret, mounting an M197. In developing the Mi-24 to meet operational demands in Afghanistan in the

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Attack Helicopters

1980s, Mil first replaced the original fourbarrel 12.7 mm Yak-B with a flexiblymounted twin-barrel 23 mm GSh-23L. Only 25 of these Mi-24VPs were built, but the GSh-23L is used as a wing-mounted pod with 250 rounds (UPK-23-250) on various Russian helicopters.

For the production of Mi-24P, the chin turret was abandoned in favour of a twinbarrel 30-mm GSh-30 cannon, fixed to the starboard fuselage side. However, the GSh-23 chin turret (NPPU-23) returned with the Mi-35M export version, as used by Brazil and Venezuela.

The 625 round-per-minute 30mm Chain Gun is an inseparable visual feature of the Apache attack helicopterâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s silhouette. The cannon has since been adapted for other applications, including a naval remote-control turret. (ATK)

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Apparently disguised as a moose, this Mil Mi-24V of the Hungarian Defence Force illustrates the original chin turret of the series, with a four-barrel 12.7 mm Yak-B 9A624 machine gun. (MesseBerlin)

With the notable exceptions of the AH-1 and A129 series, the majority of attack helicopters have adopted 30 mm cannon. The leader was the Boeing AH-64 Apache series, with an Alliant Techsystems (ATK) M230 Chain Gun in a turret under the front cockpit. Another example is the Eurocopter Tiger ARH/HAD/HAP, with a Nexter Systems 30M781 cannon in a THL30 chin turret. As indicated earlier, the German Army Tiger UHT has no turret, but consideration is being given to a flexibly-mounted 30 mm Rheimetall/Mauser RMK30 (Rueckstossfreie Maschinenkanone 30) recoilless revolver cannon, which fires caseless ammunition at 300 rd/min. In developing replacements for the Soviet Unionâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Mi-24, the well-proven single-barrel dual-feed 30-mm Shipunov 2A42 cannon was taken from the BMP-2 infantry fighting vehicle. Rate of fire is selectable between 200 and 550 rd/min. In the case of the Mi-28N the 2A42 cannon is mounted in an NPPU-28N turret under the front cockpit, but for the Kamov

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Attack Helicopters

This Mil Mi-28N Night Hunter illustrates three types of armament: the dual-feed 30 mm Shipunov 2A42 cannon, 80 mm S-8 rockets in 20-round B8V20-A pods, and Kolomna 9M120 Ataka-V radio-guided anti-armour missiles in eight-tube launch racks. (Klimov)

Ka-50/52 it is trunnion-mounted on the starboard fuselage side, and can be moved through 40.5 degrees in elevation. I ROCKET PROJECTILES

The cannon discussed above provide a costeffective means to deal with a wide range of targets detected up to large angles off-axis. However, aircraft cannon are easily

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outranged by modern air defence systems. For example, the widely used, radar-directed four-barrel 23 mm ZSU-23 self-propelled anti-aircraft gun system, firing at up to 4000 rd/min, has an effective slant range of

2000 metres. Man-portable Sams have a maximum range of 4000-6500 metres. Ground-based automatic weapons can in turn be outranged by air-launched rocket projectiles. The most widely used Western rockets are the Thales/TDA Armements 68 mm SNEB, and the 2.75 inch/70 mm General Dynamics Armament and Technical Products Hydra-70, Forges de Zeebrugge FZ90 and Magellan Aerospace CRV7. The Hydra-70 is a derivative of the FFAR (Folding-Fin Aircraft Rocket) that was developed in the late 1940s as an unguided air-air missile, basically to achieve a quick kill against a Soviet bomber carrying an atomic bomb. It served as a stopgap measure until guided missiles such as the AIM-7

Distinguished from the AH-1W by its four-blade rotor, this Bell AH-1Z Cobra Zulu of Marine Light Attack Helicopter Squadron (HMLA) 367 â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Scarfaceâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; is armed with the GD 20 mm M197 Gatling gun and 19-round Hydra-70 rocket launchers. It also mounts a pair of four-round AGM-114 Hellfire racks and two Raytheon AIM-9 Sidewinder launch rails. (US Marine Corps)

became available. The modern Hydra-70 is produced with nine different warheads, including the M151 (4.5 kg HE), M229 (7.7 kg HE) and M255A1 (flechettes), plus smoke, illuminating flare and practice versions. Over four million Hydra-70s have been manufactured by GDATP since 1994. It is carried in seven- and 19-tube pods. Canada’s CRV7 is claimed to have superior performance, with an effective range of up to 8000 metres. Over 800,000 have been produced for 13 nations. Russia’s 57 mm S-5 rocket is now being superseded by the 80 mm S-8, which weighs 11.1-15.2 kg, and is used on helicopters in 20 round B8V20-A pods. It has a peak velocity of Mach 1.8 and a maximum range of 4500 metres. The S-8KOM has a shaped-charge anti-armour warhead, and the S-8BM is designed to attack personnel in fortifications. The Mi-28 is also seen with two B-13L1 pods, each with five 122 mm S-13s, some of

the most powerful rockets fired from helicopters. The 75 kg S-13T has a tandem warhead, capable of penetrating one metre of reinforced concrete or six metres of soil. The 68 kg S-13OF has a fragmentation warhead, producing 450 diamond-shaped fragments of 25-30 grams. The Mi-28N is capable of carrying two 240 mm S-24B rockets, each weighing 232 kg. It may be noted that Russian attack helicopters use bombs in the 50-500 kg range, and the KMGU-2 submunitions dispenser pod. China produces 57 and 80 mm rockets that are probably copies of the Russian originals, plus the home-grown 90 mm Norinco Type 1 and 130-mm Type 82.

In the case of the Kamov Ka-50, the 30-mm Shipunov cannon is trunnion-mounted on the fuselage side, and can be raised through 3.5 degrees and depressed through 37 degrees. The Ka-50 is shown with 20-round B8V20-A pods for 80 mm S-8 rockets and six-tube UPP-800 launchers for KBP 9M121 Vikhr anti-armour missiles. (US Air Force)

It is to be noted that because of their specific nature laser-guided rocket projectiles, which effectively turn “ordinary” rockets into missiles, will be discussed separately in a forthcoming issue of Armada International. They also are a relatively recent development and are particularly intended to provide new effective punch to lighter utility helicopters that are a considerably cheaper to operate than dedicated attack helicopters. I AIR-TO-AIR

The heaviest air-to-air guided weapons used by helicopters are the 105 kg Vympel R-73 or AA-11 (on the Mi-28 and Ka-50/52) and the

Somewhat heavier and harder hitting than shoulder-launched Sams, the 18.7 kg IR-homing MBDA Mistral 2 is employed in twin-round launchers as the Atam (Air-To-Air Mistral) on the Eurocopter Tiger. (MBDA)

87 kg Raytheon AIM-9 Sidewinder (on the AH-1W/Z). Both provide exceptional range by short-range missile standards, the claimed figure for the basic R-73 (fired from fast jets in head-on engagements) being 30 km. The choice of the AIM-9 by the US Marine Corps for the Cobra series may have been encouraged by the need to minimise the number of different missile types on a ship. There have been suggestions that Brazil’s

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Attack Helicopters

For a comparatively light attack helicopter, the AgustaWestland A129 packs a very effective punch, in this case combining a 20 mm GD M197 Gatling gun with four MBDA Hot and four Lockheed Martin AGM-114 Hellfire anti-armour missiles. (AgustaWestland)

Mi-35Ms may be cleared to use the Mectron MAA-1B Piranha II or Denel/Mectron Darter-A air-air missiles. Weight considerations favour the adaptation of portable Sams for self-defence air-air weapons. The leaders are the 18.7 kg MBDA Air-To-Air Mistral (Atam, used on the Tiger), and the even lighter 10.6 kg Kolomna 9K38 Igla (Needle) or SA-18 (on the Mi-28 and Ka-50/52) and the 10.4 kg Raytheon AIM-92 Stinger (on the AH-64). The Atam is based on the Mistral 2, and has both contact and proximity fuzes. It has a maximum range of 6500 metres, and is carried in twin-round launchers.

to-ground missile was France’s Nord AS.11 (adapted from the ground-launched SS. 11), which had manual command wire guidance and was adopted by the US Army as the AGM-22. It was employed on two UH-1Bs, and was first operationally used by the Army in October 1965. The AGM-22 was later superseded by the (Hughes) BGM-71 Tow, which was also wire-guided but used Saclos. It was first used operationally in May 1972, destroying T54 and PT-76 armoured vehicles. The most widely used wire-guided missiles are the 12.5 kg KBM 9M14M Malyutka-2 (Baby-2) or AT-3, the 22.5 kg

Raytheon BGM-71 Tow and the 24.5 kg Euromissile Hot. Wire guidance is limited to a range of around 4000 metres, but this was acceptable in the 20th century context of a Warsaw Pact armoured thrust across the north German plain. Target sightings at greater ranges were deemed unlikely due to generally poor visibility and the smoke of battle. Radio guidance eliminates this range limitation, but may be vulnerable to jamming. As with wire guidance, line-ofsight to the target has to be maintained throughout missile flight. One early example of a radio-guided antitank missile was the widely-used Kolomna (KBM) 31.4-kg 9M114 Kokum (Cocoon) or AT-6, the missile used in the 9K114 Shturm (Assault) system. The baseline weapon, which entered service in 1976, had a range of 5,000 metres. In the 1990s the 9K114 began to be replaced by the 49.5 kg Kolomna 9K120 Ataka-V (Attack-V) or AT-9. This retains the launch tubes and sighting system of the 9K114, but has the supersonic (Mach 1.6) 9M120 missile, which in baseline form had a range of 5,800 metres. The Mi-28N can carry 16 of these missiles in two eight-tube launch racks. The 9M120 has a tandem warhead for armoured targets, while the 9M120F has a thermobaric warhead for lightly armoured vehicles, buildings, caves and bunkers. The 9A2200 variant has an expanding-rod warhead for use against aircraft.

I AIR-TO-SURFACE MISSILES

Attack helicopters were developed primarily to destroy armoured fighting vehicles, hence the most important armament category is traditionally the anti-tank guided weapon. Germany pioneered wire-guidance in the early 1940s, but in the early postwar period Britain ran some tests and concluded that the concept was too prone to breakages. Britain consequently missed out on a whole generation of anti-tank missiles. Early missiles using manual command guidance gave poor accuracy. It was generally decided instead to adopt Saclos (semiautomatic command to line-of-sight) guidance. In this the operator holds the sight on the target, and the system automatically tracks the missile’s flares and generates corrective signals to bring it back to the lineof-sight. The world’s first helicopter-mounted air-

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Israel Aerospace Industries’ 13 kg Lahat is a laser-homing anti-armour missile that can be tube-launched from an aircraft or fired from the 105/120 mm gun of a tank. A fully-loaded four-round launcher for helicopter use weighs less than 80 kg. The Lahat has a range of over 8,000 metres. (IAI)

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The MBDA Pars-3 LR is shown alongside its four-round launch unit and a Eurocopter Tiger. The Pars3-LR employs imaging-infrared guidance with automatic target recognition, allowing lock-on after launch. (Cassidian)

Laser spot-homing gives precision irrespective of firing range. A coded laser allows the target to be designated by another source, airborne or groundborne. This facilitates engagements from behind cover or beyond the operator’s visual range, and minimises the time of exposure of the launch helicopter. The leading example of laser spot-homing is the 43 kg Lockheed Martin AGM-114 Hellfire, which has a range of 7,000 metres in direct fire mode, and 8,000 metres in indirect firings. It is supersonic, reducing the time of exposure in a self-designating firing. The AH-1Z and AH-64 can each carry 16 Hellfires. The lighter A129 and Tiger can each carry eight. The Hellfire was first used operationally in Operation Just Cause in Panama in 1989. It has traditionally been employed with three types of warhead: the AGM-114K with tandem warhead for armoured targets, the AGM-114M blast-fragmentation warhead for soft targets, and the AGM-114N metal augmented charge for urban structures, bunkers, radar sites, communications installations and bridges. Beginning in 2012, Hellfire has been available with the AGM114R multipurpose warhead that allows its effects to be selected (blast-fragmentation or anti-armour) to suit the target, just prior to

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Attack Helicopters

The Rafael Spike family of missiles includes the Spike-ER, which has a range of 8,000 metres. It employs fibre-optic guidance, and has been selected for helicopter application by Israel, Italy, Romania and Spain. (Rafael)

firing. The AGM-114R also offers a choice of impact angles, from near-horizontal to near-vertical, to suit the target. Other examples of laser-homing antiarmour missiles include the 13 kg Israel Aerospace Industries Lahat and the 49.8 kg Denel Dynamics Mokopa, which have maximum ranges of 8,000 and 10,000 metres respectively. The AGM-114L Longbow Hellfire used by the AH-64D/E Longbow Apache employs active millimetre-wave radar guidance, providing day/night all-weather fire-andforget capability. The Soviets evidently decided that laserspot-homing was too susceptible to decoys, and instead developed laser beam-riding, although in this case miss distance increases with firing range. The leading example is the 45 kg KBP 9K121 Vikhr (Whirlwind) or AT16, which peaks at over Mach 1.75 and has a range of 8,000 metres from a helicopter. Vikhr is carried in the two six-tube UPP-800 launchers on the Ka-50/52. It has a proximity fuze for air-air firings. The next Russian missile in this category will be the KBP Hermes-A, a two-stage weapon that peaks at around Mach 3.0 and has a maximum range of 20,000 metres.

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I IMAGING INFRARED

Laser spot-homing allows a specific target to be hit, but in some circumstances (for example, in urban warfare) designation may not be possible, despite the target’s general location being known. In such situations a precision attack is still possible through a combination of inertial and imaging infrared guidance. In combination with sophisticated target-recognition algorithms, IIR provides fire-and-forget capability, and allows salvo firings against multiple targets. The leader in the IIR guidance category is the 49 kg MBDA Pars-3 LR, which has a high subsonic cruise speed (Mach 0.85) and a maximum range of 7,000 metres. It is carried on Germany’s Tiger UHT in four-round launch units in a ready-to-fire state, the sensor being permanently cooled while the aircraft is in flight. Four fully autonomous missiles can be fired in less than ten seconds. It is normally used in a lock-on before launch (Lobl) mode, but also has a predictive mode for temporarily hidden targets. The Pars-3 LR can be fired in a direct attack profile against (for example) bunkers, but it is normally operated in an elevated (dive attack) mode against armoured vehicles. Its warhead can penetrate 1,000 mm of RHA

(rolled homogeneous armour) protected by ERA (explosive reactive armour). Full-rate production of the Pars-3 LR was launched in late 2012 by Parsys, a joint venture by MBDA Germany and Diehl BGT Defence, under a contract with Germany’s BWB procurement agency that will provide 680 rounds for the German Army. Another relatively new development is the Spike-ER produced by Rafael in Israel. The first major anti-armour missile to use fibreoptic guidance, the Spike-ER has a range of 8,000 metres and allows target lock-on before or after launch. It weighs 33 kg in its transport/launch container, and has an EO/IIR dual-mode sensor, allowing day/night operation. The Spike-ER is believed to be in service on Israeli AH-1s and Romanian IAR-330s, and has been selected for Italian Army AH109s and Spanish Army Tiger Had. It is one of a family of Spike missiles, providing significant commonality with groundlaunched versions. Spike is also produced in Germany by EuroSpike, a joint venture by Diehl BGT Defense and Rheinmetall Defense Electronics. In a departure from normal helicopter practice, the Ka-52 has been pictured carrying the 300 kg Tactical Missiles Kh-25 or AS-10 missile in two forms: the laserhoming Kh-25ML and the anti-radiation Kh-25MP.

Transport Aircraft Self Protection

Transport Aircraft Self-Protection In the weeks that preceded the launch of air operations over Libya, a number of Nato countries, reportedly Germany, Great Britain and Italy, deployed Transall C160s and C130Js in challenging missions inside Libyan territory, landing on strips and airfields near oil camps to extract national and international citizens and workers. The British and Italian C-130Js (the Italians landed on Sabha airport around 640 km south of Tripoli) flew in a fast evolving theatre of operations, characterized by a variety of air defence surveillance radars, electromagnetic and infrared missiles, without threat detection systems.

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The C-Music is a complete self-protection solution, here under a B707 based on an aerodynamic pod incorporating both Elisra Paws missile warner andJ-Music DIRCM. (Elbit Elop)

Since the late Soviet era years the manportable missile threat has evolved through four generations: The Russian SA-7A Strela-2 e SA-7B Strela-2M, the Chinese HN-5A, the Pakistani Anza Mk1 and the American FIM-43 Redeye (the Block II has a gascooled seeker positioning it between 1st and 2nd generation) belong to the 1st generation equipped with an uncooled seekers, characterized by a rotating rectangular field of view (FoV) with a single detector element, which led to their increased inaccuracy as they neared the target, or in tail-chase configurations, not to mention their vulnerability to flares. The FIM-92A Stinger Basic, the Strela2M/A, SA-14 Strela-3, the Chinese HN-5B, QW-1, FN-6, the Pakistani Anza Mk II and the Iranian Misagh-1 are 2nd generation weapons equipped with a cooled detector and a conical scanning search technique, which eliminates the above mentioned inaccuracies. They feature all-aspect capabilities, some resistance to flares and offer relatively higher single-shot kill probability. The 3rd generation, to which the American FIM-92B/C/E Stinger Post/RMP/Block I, the Russian SA-16 Igla-1, SA-18 Igla and SA-24 Igla-S, the Polish Grom-1/2, the Chinese QW-11/18/2, FN-16, the Pakistani Anza Mk III and the Iranian Misagh-2 belong together with the (then) Matra Mistral 1 and 2 systems, are characterized by their cooled, dual-channel IR or combined IR/UV

detector with a rosette scanning a very narrow FOV pattern (also known as quasiimaging) providing all-aspect engagement, high resistance to flares, better unfavourable conditions discrimination capabilities and high single-shot kill probabilities. The 4th generation includes the Japanese Kin-SAM Type 91 and the Chinese QW-4 that are equipped with full-imaging IR seekers that yield very high resistance to flares and decoys. Command to line-ofsight and beam-riding missiles like the Blowpipe, Javelin and Starburst belong to a different league. Until the 1990s, to protect low-speed tactical and strategic transport aircraft generating a large heat signature and radar cross section, a typical EW suite would have included a radar warning receiver (RWR), a passive ultraviolet missile warning system (MWS) and a countermeasures (chaff/flare) dispensing system (CMDS), although some platforms modified to conduct a variety of missions for special forces, combat search and rescue and command and control, psychological and electronic intelligence gathering missions, were however equipped with a more robust EW suite. However, the advent of new-generation weapons sparked off the need for improved suites, ranging from advanced MWS to new flares and flare patterns, in addition to fixed and, later directional, infrared countermeasures now known as Dircm. Flares have been used as countermeasures

Luca Peruzzi

mongst the eagerly awaited weapons on the ground in Libya were the latest and most effective man-portable missiles, namely the SA-18 Igla and SA-24 Igla-S. These became a prime target of recovery operations by American and Nato forces at the end of the conflict, as unknown quantities of these missiles were purloined out of Libya to enlarge the illegal market that feeds terrorist organizations and paramilitary forces. The Libyan crisis was the last one in a series of conflicts (starting with the Balkans wars) in which transport aircraft were required to operate in enclaves surrounded by hostile forces and well within range of radar and infrared guided weapons. The threat remained high not only for the military but also for the civilian fleets.

The Airbus A400M strategic transport aircraft (here seen in a photomontage) is being equipped with a baseline protection suite including Indraâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s ALR400M RWR/ESM, Miras missile multi-colour infrared alerting sensor from Thales and Cassidian, and a Saphir 400 chaff and flare dispensing system from MBDA. (Airbus)

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Transport Aircraft Self Protection

for almost half a century to lure a manportable missile away from its target. They come in a large array of shapes and sizes and with a variety of functions and are designed to present a more attractive IR signature than that of the target. They may also be used to confuse the threat by saturating its processing or discrimination circuitry. A chemical energy source (pyrotechnic or pyrophoric in nature) is used to provide the required IR radiation. The main reactive pyrotechnic cartridge continues to be the legacy magnesium-teflon-viton (MTV)-based decoy. This first saw service during the Vietnam War, but has been continuously enhanced in terms of performance and safety. The introduction of dual-spectral flares however, caused the introduction of missile seekers able to discriminate radiation intensities and, as a consequence, to recognise and reject a standard MTV-based flare event. Propelled flares have been introduced to counter new IR missile seekers responding in a particular manner that enables them to discriminate between the relative proportional movement of the ‘target’ under propelled flight and the standard MTV flare, which basically freefalls when released from the aircraft. In addition

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The AAR-47B(V)2 is the latest evolution of ATK’s missile warner with hostile fire indicator (HFI) capabilities, designed to protect fixed and rotary wing platforms against infrared- guided missiles, laser-aided threats, small arms and rocket propelled grenades. (Luca Peruzzi)

to area (as opposed to point source) and ballistically modified decoys, covert flares are pyrophoric (using metal foils that react and burn when exposed to air). Their advantage is that they are virtually unobservable to the naked eye, enabling aircraft not to reveal their position, as would be the case with MTV flares. Their disadvantage regards the fact they are mainly suitable for pre-emptive flaring, requiring the aircraft to carry additional reactive flares for complete protection. Specialized companies such as Alloy Surfaces, Armtec Defense, Chemring Countermeasures, Etienne Lacroix, IMI, Kilgore Flares, Rheinmetall Waffe Munitions and Wallop Defence Systems have developed a range of kinematic, propelled, spectrally adapted and spatially distributed flares, to be distributed in cocktails and patterns by ‘intelligent’ CMDS provided by companies such as ATK,

BAE Systems, Kanfit, MBDA, Meggit Defense Systems, MES, Saab Electronic Defence Systems, Symetrics Industries, Terma and Thales to counter 2nd and 3rd generation seekers. State of the art passive missile warning systems are those that are able to detect the ultraviolet and infrared radiation emitted by a missile’s exhaust plume. Northrop Grumman and ATK are respectively providing AAR-54 and AAR-47 for fixed-wing platforms in service with US Air Force, Navy, Army and international customers, while outside, MWS prominent providers are Elisra Electronic Systems, Cassidian and Saab Electronic Defense Systems. Elisra provides Passive Missile Approach Warning System (Paws) IR focal-plane-array and the Paws 2 with twocolour IR warning system, while Cassidian offers the AAR-60 Milds and Saab the Maw300 UV-based MWSs. I DIRCMS GAINING POPULARITY

The advent of new imaging infrared missile seekers that are more resistant to flares has accelerated the switch to the more drastic to laser-based Dircm systems, which can counter all known and projected IR-guided missile threats. Dircm system cost,

maintenance and reliability concerns have limited their application in the past, but as laser technologies and miniaturization improve on the one hand and the threat becomes more sophisticated, larger fleets of transport and special platforms are now poised to be equipped with Dircm systems. Built by Northrop Grumman, the AAQ24(V) Laircm (Large Aircraft IR Countermeasures) is a derivate of the company’s earlier-vintage AAQ-24 Nemesis and has amassed until 2011 over one million flying hours with US and allied forces, the majority under deployment and combat conditions, with an operational availability of over 99%. Based on an open system, modular and highly reliable family suite, the Laircm consists of a Northrop Grumman AAR-54 ultra-violet MWS package, a number of point-tracker/jamming turrets with laser transmitter assembly unit, control interface unit and processors to detect, track, jam and counter incoming IR missiles. The number of sensors (up to six) and turrets (up to three) per aircraft is determined by the size and signature of the aircraft. Initially fielded on C-17s, its deployment later expanded to C130s, C5s

Northrop Grumman Laircm suite is progressively migrating from small laser transmitter assembly (SLTA) turret to reduced-size and lighter GLTA (Guardian Laser Tramsitter Assembly) jam head, while AAR-54 ultraviolet warner is being replaced by NexGen two-colour infrared missile warning system. (Northrop Grumman)

and new C130Js, including AC/EC/MC-130J. The Laircm is also being integrated on US Navy’ C40A Clipper transport as well as selected to equip P8A Poseidon ASW/ASuW and US Air Force KC46A tankers, while testing is underway on older Guardian-configured KC135s, but based on a self-contained, easily removable pods that carry all the electronics to manage both AAR-54 MWS and a single laser transmitter assembly turret. The Laircm is also fielded on board the RAF’s C17s, Tristars and soon Airbus A330 Voyageur

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Transport Aircraft Self Protection

Northrop Grumman’s AAQ-24(V) Laircm is based on an open system architecture and the typical suite includes same company’s AAR-54 ultra-violet missile five-sensor warning suite, two point-tracker/jamming turrets, control and processor units weighing just over 90 kg. (Northrop Grumman)

tankers, and it was recently ordered for the new Royal Air Force’s Airbus A400M airlifters. Being marketed under the government-to-government agreements through FMS, the Australian, together with Canadian Departments of Defence have selected or are fielding the system on board C130s, C17s and B737 Wedgetail AEW&C platforms. It also is fitted to Nato E3B Awacs. The Air Force Laircm Phase I system became operational in 2005. Its jam head is called the Small Laser Transmitter Assembly (SLTA). It uses the colourless eye-safe multiband Viper diode-pumped solid-state laser, developed by Fibertek, which operates in all three segments of the IR waveband used by heat-seeking missiles. The Laircm Phase II programme produced a smaller and lighter jam head, called the Guardian Laser Transmitter Assembly (GLTA), which Northrop Grumman began to deliver to the Air Force in late 2008 alongside the NexGen MWS. Selex Galileo, today Selex ES, has built all of the point-tracker jam heads for the Nemesis and Laircm programmes in Britain, as a key supplier to Northrop Grumman. The latter continues to produce both the SLTA and GLTA, based on customer requirements, while US Air Force is progressively replacing the SLTA with GLTA

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on a number of platforms, including the C17s. For the new special forces MC130J programme, the US Air Force provides a configuration with flush-mount turrets, GLTAs and NexGen MWS. In May 2012, the service authorized full-rate production of the new two-colour IR missile MWS to replace the original UV-sensor based AAR54. According to DoD documentation, the NexGen MWS offers increased probability of declaring actual missiles, lower false alarm rate and long-range detection. Moreover, with customized software on request, it can be used to enhance crew situational awareness by providing a 360° unobstructed IR view around the platform. Based on the joint agreement signed in 2007 between Elbit Systems and Elettronica to cooperate and complete the joint development of fibre laser technologybased Music Dircm family of systems aimed at the protection of both rotary and fixedwing civilian and military aircraft, Elettronica is working on a customized dual-turret ELT/572 suite for the Italian General Directorate of Armaments under a three-year €25,4 million contract awarded in December 2010, covering system development, ground and flight tests and certification. The dual-turret suite is to

equip both in-service tactical transports (C130J, C27J) and new AW101 Combat Search & Rescue helicopters, though there is a follow-on requirement for B767A tanker and Government transport aircraft to be satisfied within different system configurations. Already successfully laboratory-tested by Elettronica and the Italian air force mounted on a rotary-wing platform in a single-turret test configuration against both emulated and real IR seeker head representatives, the system has begun ground and flight tests integrated with Cassidian’s Milds (AAR-60) ultraviolet MWS. These systems are already used by the Italian armed forces’ transport aircraft and rotary-wing platforms. The final dual turret/MWS configuration will be put through its paces in the second half of the year with a view to completing system qualification by the end of 2013. Deliveries of the first five dual turret suites are to begin in 2015, with contracts to be awarded for follow-on systems. Based on a fibre-optic laser operating in different infrared bands and providing a high level of jamming to target heat-signature intensity ratio power (J/S), each ELT/572 system – including jamming turret, laser generator and processor units – weighs 45kg. According to Elettronica, the system is ‘readily exportable’, not being affected by export limitations (ITAR regulation), and allows the customer to load proprietary laser jamming code libraries. The system has

Elettronica developed and integrated a dualturret configuration of ELT-572 fibre-laser based Dircm, which is on-track to complete testing and trails within 2013. Based on a joint Elettronica-Elop Music system, the ELT-572 is to equip Italian military fixed and rotary wing assets. (Elettronica)

Based on an the highly dynamic small spherical mirror turret (which differs from the squared Music turret), Elbit Elop’s J-Music features a distributed configuration for large aircraft in single/dual turret version. The J-Music is already contracted for Embraer’s KC-390. (Elbit ELOP)

already attracted the interest of European and Middle East nations and has already been successfully tested by the German Ministry of Defence in July 2012 at WTD52 test facility in Oberjettenberg. Keeping Elettronica good company, Elbit Elops subsidiary is marketing the family of Music compact and lightweight fibre laser-based Dircm systems, which has already scored sales successes in Israel and abroad – notably in India for use on the Ministry of Defence’s AgustaWestland AW101. In addition to the Music solution offered for the protection of helicopters and small to medium fixed-wing turboprop aircraft, Elbit is promoting the J-Music and the C-Music. Based on a later, highly dynamic mirror turret version (instead of the Music’s facetted turret), the J-Music features a distributed configuration for the protection of large aircraft such as heavy airlifters, tankers and fast bizjets and can be had in a single or dual turret configuration and has already been selected for Embraer’s KC-390 tactical airlift program in Brazil. The C-Music for its part, is a complete selfprotection solution, based on aerodynamic pod incorporating both the Elbit Paws infrared missile warning system and the JMusic Dircm for a total weight of 160 kg. Especially designed for civilian and large business jets, the C-Music naturally meets commercial aircraft certification standards and has been selected by the Israeli Government for its airline fleet. According

to Elbit, C-Music performed a series of successful flight tests on board a B707 in January 2012, while more recently according to other sources, it completed operational tests on an unspecified Heyl Ha’Avir platform. Such activities emerged after an SA-7 Strela was fired against an Israeli air force aircraft flying over the Gaza Strip in October 2012, raising strong suspicions of arms shipments from Libya, following Col Muammar Gaddafi’s regime collapse in 2011. Ten years ago, Indra in Spain decided to launch the Manta (Manpads Threat Avoidance) project to complement the selfprotection suite of military transport aircraft with the addition of a Dircm system. Today the Manta is qualified by the Spanish airworthiness authorities (Inta) for use on transport aircraft, after a challenging process proving its technology maturity, readiness and integration with the widely used Cassidian AAR-60 Milds. It proved its mettle during the SG2/NATO group’s Embow trials in Cazaux (France) in September 2011 and other international test campaigns in 2012. Developed with Rosoboronexport in Russia, the multi-spectral multi-band Manta uses a relatively large but powerful chemical laser supplied by Russian industry, enabling the system to feature closed-loop performances, from classification between IR/non-IR guided missiles to the highest jamming success probability, thanks to a common

optical path for tracking and jamming, as well as multi-threat capability and instantaneous assessment of the effectiveness of the countermeasures. Able to defeat 1st, 2nd generation and imaging seekers, the Manta is being offered in internal, pod and sponson mount configurations. As the system was designed for medium and large platforms, Indra is now working on a more compact version for lighter platforms, but maintains the original version for the protection of large-size aircraft like the A400M. The Manta was to be installed on board Spanish A310 VIP and C295 aircraft and later on A400M, but budget reductions have delayed such plans. Capitalizing on the experience garnered with the development and manufacture of high-performance airborne lasers and electro-optic pointing and stabilisation systems, Selex ES presented a new Dircm solution at IDEX 2013. Called Miysis, after the ancient Egyptian lion-headed god of war, the new-generation system is based on the company’s Eclipse lightweight and low-cost IRCM point/tracker and Type 160 IRCM diodepumped fibre laser source-based developments, in a hardware and software format that is readily exportable. Both the Eclipse and the Type 160 were selected by the British MoD in March 2010, to be part of the Common Defensive Aid Suite technology demonstrator programme aimed at defining

Based on a self-contained, easily removable pod, Northrop Grumman’s Guardian Dircm has been developed for civilian and military applications. Such a system has been tested by US Government to protect national airline fleets. (Northrop Grumman)

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Transport Aircraft Self Protection

Developed to protect large fixed-wing platforms, Indra’s Manta (MANpads Threat Avoidance) multi-spectral multi-band Dircm uses a relatively large, but powerful, chemical laser supplied by Rosoboronexport in Russia, although work on a compact version is underway. (Indra)

the architecture for advanced defensive aid system. Available for integration into a defensive aid sub-system, or in a stand-alone configuration with either federated components or as a role-fit pod solution, a Misys Dircm suite comprising two sensor head assemblies, a MWS package with five sensor heads, an electronics unit cockpit display and control unit weighs less than 50 kg. Being suitable for a range of applications, from light aircraft and unmanned air vehicles to large transport aircraft, the Misys suite draws less than 500 watts of electrical power and its open architecture allows its integration with a range of warning systems, including the latest versions of Cassidian’s Milds AAR60 and Saab’s Maw300. According to Selex’s documentation, two sensor head assemblies and a MWS suite are powerful enough to defend a platform such as the A400M. In addition to discussions it is Unveiled at IDEX 2013, the Miysis is based on an Eclipse pointer/tracker and Type 160 IRCM laser developments, in a readily exportable hardware and software format, according to Selex ES. A Miysis demonstrator pod is expected to be test-flown in 2014.

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holding with Northop Grumman on a possible participation in the Misys programme, Selex ES also says that it is in advanced stages of negotiations with a launch customer. Aware of the threat posed by newgeneration manpads right from the beginning of multinational Airbus A400M strategic transport programme, the

consortium’s nations and industries have been working on a complete baseline protection suite. This is to include the Indra ALR400M RWR/ESM, the Miras (Multicolour Infrared Alerting Sensor) missile warner from Thales and Cassidian, the Saphir 400 countermeasures dispensing system (CMDS) suite from MBDA, a Dircm system and a suite manager. Indra’s ALR400M is the most advanced version of the RWR/ESM ALR400 family, based on wide-band digital reception technology, while the Miras provides a unique multicolour infrared detector (Fraunhofer IAF developed the core sensor component) with band subtraction algorithms, offering long range detection, short reaction and low false alarm rate against both man-portable and air-to-air missiles, with a three-sensor unit managed by a dedicated signal processor. An MBDA Saphir 400 rounds up the baseline suite, offering large decoy and fully programmable capacities. France and Germany, through Cassidian, Thales, Sagem and Diehl BGT Defence, have been collaborating on the Flash (Flying Laser selfdefence system Against IR Seeker head missiles of High performances) demonstrator programme, based on an experimental closed-loop Dircm that carried out threat confirmation, identification, jamming and defeat assessment. In September 2011, the two nations requested the European Organisation for Joint Armament Cooperation (OCCAR) to manage the risk-reduction phase of the programme aimed at developing a Dircm for the A400M and, potentially, other aircraft. According to OCCAR documentation released in late 2009, a laser-based closed

Partnership S piri t

In addition to its Idas integrated defence suites, here seen installed in a Saab 2000 AEW&C, the Swedish group is marketing a solution that was specifically developed for commercial applications called Camps, in other words Civil Aircraft Missile Protection System. (Saab)

loop (Dircm-CL) solution was to be ready in 2014 to cope with first- to third-generation manpads, with growth potential to blow a deadly deal to both fourth-generation manpads and larger infrared homing missiles. Although a risk-reduction phase was completed, an agreement between the two nations has yet to be concluded to launch the development, production and integration programme managed by OCCAR. In the meantime, the baseline configuration described above (sans Dircm) for the A400M was agreed upon by the launching countries with the addition of Malaysia. French and German industries’ Today the involved industries Cassidian, Thales, Sagem and Diehl are providing the defensive BGT Defence have been collaborating aids subsystems to be tested on the Flash demonstrator programme, based on an experimental closed-loop and qualified as part of Dircm. Germany and France requested standard operational OCCAR to manage the programme, but capability 1 (SOC 1) before no decision has been taken on actual the end of 2013. Airbus development, production and Military is ‘firmly committed’ integration. (Luca Peruzzi) to delivering the first A400M to the French air force before the Paris air show. While Dircm systems applications are expanding, expendable decoy systems will continue to equip transport and special fixed-wing platform fleets as they are magnitudes cheaper than Dircms and provide extended protection in a multi-threat, evolving environment. The recent crisis in Libya has however highlighted the need to broaden the protection spectrum to include radar guided missiles.

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High Tier Air Defence

Mobile ABM Systems to Protect Downrange Forces While ongoing missions downrange do not include third-dimension threats (with the exception of mortars necessitating protection from C-ram weapons), the risk of air and missile attacks against contingents deployed in certain areas of operation might well sooner or later become a reality. The Scud threat against the coalition deployed in the Saudi desert prior to the first Gulf War is an example. Patriots deployed to Israel managed to intercept some missiles, but were probably more a political and psychological tool than a system capable of neutralising the threat.

Paolo Valpolini

he above-described situation has sparked off a trend aimed at developing existing systems, modifying systems under development, or initiating the development of new systems, with a view to providing a deployable umbrella that might protect against both conventional air threats and, additionally, against short to medium range ballistic missiles. Some of those are in service, others are ending their development phase.

I MEADS

While Meads International, made up of Lockheed Martin of the United States, MBDA Italy and LFK Germany (now part of MBDA), is moving towards the last of the two flight tests that survived the cuts (originally seven of them were planned), the situation regarding American funding looks uncertain following the decision to slash the money planned in FY13. A letter was sent on 29 January 2013 to then US Secretary of Defence Leon E. Panetta by his two German and Italian counterparts Thomas de Maizière and Giampaolo Di Paola. In that document the

two European countries state that “the results of the design & development phase of the Meads programme remains vital for both Germany and Italy as they will serve as a basis for our future Air and Missile Defence System Architecture. As such they are fundamental for the German and Italian contribution to the ‘Nato integrated Air and Missile Defence’.” Remarkably, the two following sentences show the determination of Germany and Italy to get to the end of the design & development phase: “If the US does not fulfil its funding commitment for 2013, Germany and Italy would need to interpret this as a unilateral

The March 2013 Samp-T firing was carried out with the system operating within a Nato chain of command by a Franco-Italian military crew, and led to the destruction of a tactical ballistic missile target. (DGA)

withdrawal.” As in most co-operation agreements, it was the US that introduced clauses on participant withdrawal, the latter incurring in penalties that would cover all contract modification and termination costs, the latter stating that “in a first estimate the current US position results in an economic damage to Germany and Italy of more than 400 Mio US$.” Finally, despite the National Defense Authorisation Act signed off by President Barrack Obama on 2 January excising the Meads funding, the US Congress decided to allocate 380 Mio US$ that allow the three partners to complete the planned design & development activities. Technically speaking the first successful test allowed to verify the Meads capabilities against an MQM-107 air-breathing target mimicking a cruise missile. Carried out at White Sands, the test saw the target coming from North-West while the launcher was oriented South-East, the multifunction fire control X-band, solid-state, active electronically scanned array radar rotating at 30 rpm. According to LM, it was the very first time ever a 360° intercept was carried out (involving a Patriot PAC-3 MSE). The second test, planned for autumn 2013, will see a similar scenario, although this time the target will mimic a medium range ballistic missile. By the end of the design & development programme, which was financed to the tune of $4 billion by governments and industry, both the launcher, effector and multifunction radar will have reached TRL8, each of them being the node of a networked system, while the search radar will be at TRL6. This reflects the decision taken in 2007 when the programme was revised due to technical and financial troubles, reducing test flights and slowing down the work on the search radar. On the data harvesting side some more tests will be needed to fully qualify the system while additional money will also be needed to complete the development of the search radar, which technically could, however, be replaced by other sensors capable to provide similar data. According to Lockheed Martin numerous potential customers are showing interest in the system, in the Middle East, Asia and Europe. The letter sent by Germany and Italy

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High Tier Air Defence

The Meads multifunction fire control radar towed by an Aris special mover can easily be transported inside a C-130 Hercules. (Meads International)

to America shows the commitment of the two nations to reach the end of the R&D phase in order to get as much technology as possible out of their investments, although this does not mean that they will acquire the Meads. Both nations will try to leverage as much as possible their investments, although no clear acquisition plan has yet been announced. It is known that Germany wants an air defence system that also integrates short range assets, while in Italy some argue that the Meads, which was to be used by the Air Force, might prove a redundancy with the Samp/T currently entering into service. However, no decisions have been made regarding the future of the Meads per se or of the technologies and subsystems resulting from the current phase of the programme. Speaking at the annual press conference in Rome in March 2013 MBDA top managers mentioned the need of a short term solution, before the end of this decade, for the AMB problem. “A European design & development programme leveraging the experiences acquired with both the Meads and the Samp/T programmes might well be forecasted,” they said, allowing the European industry to become a player in the ABM segment. I PATRIOT

Air Defence as well as ballistic missile

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The battle management centre of the Meads system. The whole system is quickly deployable and was designed to reduce as much as possible the logistic footprint. (Meads International)

defence is definitely an issue in the Middle East. The United Arab Emirates were the first international customer to acquire an upper-tier and lower-tier system in the form of the Thaads and Patriot, the former dealing with ballistic missiles only, while the latter engages air-breathing targets as well as tactical ballistic missiles. While early UAE Patriots were equipped with the PAC-2 iteration of the missile (only effective against air breathing targets), the later systems call on the Configuration 3+ standard. The radar, while remaining a sector coverage system, has been fully upgraded with the adoption of a digital radar data processor that replaces the earlier

analog generation, making it a softwaredriven system. Moreover this allowed the removal of 19 racks of equipment, leaving room for further improvements by Raytheon — a 360° capability remaining part of the wish list. The Engagement Control Station was also submitted to modernisation, the old Raytheon proprietary computer being replaced by a cots computer allowing the ECS to become an open architecture system. The computer features 16 slots, the single boards of which can be easily replaced for maintenance or upgrade. A modern manmachine interface has also been adopted in the form of a 16-inch colour touch screen.

Following its restructure, the Meads programme includes two flight tests, one successfully carried out against an air breathing target and one that will take place in fall 2013 against a ballistic missile target. (Meads International)

The launcher was also improved, in cooperation with Lockheed Martin, to integrate the PAC-3 “hit-to-kill” missile as well as the PAC-3 MSE (Missile Segment Enhancement). The latter is the effector

During Operation Pillar of Defence the Iron Dome protected Israel against short range rockets. The David’s Sling will fit between it and the Arrow, and will also provide air defence coverage. (Rafael)

chosen for the Meads, and compared to the AC-3 CRI (Cost Reduction Initiative) is more agile and lethal, has a wider engagement envelope and thus an increased defended area. It also features a higher performance solid rocket motor, more responsive control surfaces, a modified lethality enhancer and an upgraded guidance software. So far six PAC-3 MSE tests have been carried out. Overall more than 200 Patriot batteries are in service in 12 different countries. Recent upgrades allowed increasing the system reliability through the adoption of new technologies and part reduction, which in turn allows manpower reduction, one of the critical points of the Raytheon original system. According to the company the US Army is reducing its battery complement from 75-80 people to 40-50, thanks to the increased reliability and the merging of operational and maintenance functions within the same people. As for some Middle Eastern countries that use the Patriot system from fixed sites, the manpower can even be further reduced. The interest for air and missile defence in the Middle East area is highlighted by the

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High Tier Air Defence

A PAC-3 MSE (Missile Segment Enhancement) missile launch. This missile developed by Lockheed Martin is the effector of the Meads system. Six tests of the PAC-3 MSE have been carried out to date, one as part of the Meads programme while the other were launched from Patriot batteries. (Lockheed Martin)

notification to the US Congress in 2012 of Qatar’s and Kuwait’s request to acquire PAC3 missiles, Qatar having also requested to buy the Thaad, additional interceptors for the latter system having been requested by the UAE. Saudi Arabia has shown an increasing interest for both systems, while in Turkey Raytheon and Lockheed Martin are competing for the T-Loramids, a programme that started in 2007 and on which Turkey still hasn’t made a firm decision at the time of writing. In Turkey, the other contenders are Russia’s S-300, China’s HQ-9 and the Franco-Italian Eurosam SAMP/T Aster 30. In mid-2011 Nato made it clear that the

I INTEGRATED AIR AND MISSILE DEFENCE C2 FROM LM ir and missile defence is often a matter that involves more than one system, a layered defence being definitely the best way to increase the kill probability against an incoming threat. To optimise the deployment and use of multiple systems Lockheed Martin developed its DiamondShield, a command and control (C2) system aimed at improving the overall system effectiveness by providing the operators with a wide range of decision-support aids. Following five years of R&D, LM introduced this system that allows one to visualise both threats and assets, putting all the systems into a cohesive picture. Remote visualisation is possible for networked units, thus allowing Shorad to share the same situational awareness. The DiamondShield would allow to deploy faster thanks to its dynamic automated planning tools, and to be more effective, due to its engagement decision aids. Based on an open architecture, it is fully scalable and can thus be used from high tier operation centres down to mobile/deployable air operations centres. Unveiled at AUSA 2012, the DiamondShield was subsequently exhibited at IDEX 2013 as it is being proposed to the UAE (inter alia) that adopted both the Patriot PAC-3 and the Thaads. Negotiations have already started.

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The Samp/T employs an upgraded version of the Arabel radar developed and produced by Thales â&#x20AC;&#x201C; here the radar element of an Italian Army 4th air defence regimentâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s battery. (Armada/Paolo Valpolini)

choice of the Russian or Chinese systems would deprive Ankara from Western allianceâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s intelligence on incoming ballistic missiles. How much the Nato-sponsored deployment of American and Dutch Patriot batteries to protect Turkey from threats coming from Syria will impact that decision still has to be measured. How much the increased delay that followed a ministerial meeting in early January 2013 was related to this is not clear, a further meeting in early April having also ended without a choice. While Turkey never said that it would endorse the Nato warning thus shortlisting the bid to western companies, it is clear that the main competitor for the Patriot remains the SAMP/T with the Aster 30 as its effector. I SAMP/T

The system is now in service with the French Air Force and the Italian Army. Two firings against tactical ballistic missile targets were

High Tier Air Defence

A French Samp/T launcher ready to fire. Each vehicle carries eight Aster 30s, and only the type of truck used differs between French and Italian units. (MBDA)

successfully carried out in October 2010 and November 2011. The first firing was made under DGA responsibility whereas the latter was operated by a French Air Force crew and marked the first operational antiballistic firing of an European missile. The relative approach speed between missiles and the target was in excess of Mach 7. On March 6, 2013 a Franco-Italian military firing took place against an air-launched Raytheon-Rafael Black Sparrow target that simulated a unitary short-range TBM. This launch featured numerous differences, including the first use of Link 16 for linking up with higher echelons.

A Czech S-300 launcher vehicle; this Russian-made system is in service in various configurations in numerous countries, and the latest iterations also provide ABM capabilities. (Armada/Paolo Valpolini)

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Moreover it was conducted in a full-Nato environment (all earlier test were FrancoFrench). In the March 2013 launch longrange detection was provided to firing units and command levels by French DGA sensors. DGA simulation centre MI (Moyens Informatiques) at Bruz, near Rennes, acted as national C2 centre while the Nato BMD Operations Centre at Ramstein was the Nato command element. Two Samp/T batteries were deployed and manned by French and Italian crews. Both Arabel radars acquired the target, the selected firing unit launched the Aster 30 Block 1 missile that scored a direct hit, and thereby demonstrated the SAMP/T ability to counter a ballistic threat within a Nato framework. While the system is fully able to cope with air-breathing threats, the current Block 1 missile is able to defeat 600 km-range tactical ballistic missile. Further improvements in the anti-ballistic missile role are expected with the Aster Block 1 NT (New Technologies) that will feature a new guidance system operating at higher frequencies, a narrower beam capable to see at greater distances and a higher scan rate. This would allow to better anticipate the target movements and thereby increase direct hit/kill probability and, consequently, to deal with ballistic missiles with a range of over 1,000 km. A risk reduction study was carried out between 2008 and 2011, allowing MBDA to establish a quote for the R&D phase at the request of the French DGA. Italy then asked to take part in the Block 1 NT effort, causing a new combined RfI to be launched, for a programme that is

I ISRAEL-RAFAEL peration Pillar of Defense has shown the importance of ABM defence in that country. Israel is developing a three layer ABM defence, the external layer being provided by IAI Arrow, Arrow 3 which should be operational in twoyears time having performed a successful test in late February 2013, the second being Rafael David’s Sling, which should enter service soon, while Iron Dome provides defence against shorter range threats such as SRBMs and rockets. The latter was the starring system in Fall 2013, intercepting most of the threats, and is due to be upgraded with a new missile that will increase its range. Arrow 2 batteries were not used as no long range ballistic threat materialised. The David’s Sling effector is the Stunner missile, developed by Rafael and Raytheon Systems, 16 of which are installed on each launcher. The main sensor is the Elta EL/M-2084 advanced phased-array Multi Mission Radar while Tadiran Electronics Systems provides the C2 Battle Management Centre. David’s Sling will deal with all threats that went through the Arrow umbrella, but when development is completed it will also be capable to deal with air breathing threats, such as cruise missiles and aircraft becoming a full dual-system.

expected to begin in late 2013 should an agreement be reached. How much an Italian decision on Meads will impact the Samp/T development remains to be seen. To reach a full ABM capabilty against medium range ballistic missiles a wholly new missile would be needed. Notionally known as the Block 2, this will use the same Aster 30 launchers but will have a longer booster allowing interception up to 70 km altitude, over three times the current one. It will also feature IR guidance for working in the upper atmosphere layers, while the PIF/PAF direct thrust vector control guidance might be a simplified version of the current one, due to the target behaviour, but will need a much longer endurance to ensure positive interception, at least one minute compared to the current 3-10 seconds. A new high altitude search radar specific to the system should also be developed to provide cueing data. I LOOKING EAST

The two main competitors capable of dealing with air and missile threats are the S-300 and H-9 already mentioned above in the context of the Turkish programme. The Russian Almaz-Antey has developed the S300 air defence system into an air defence/anti ballistic missile system, the S-300V and the subsequent models, S-300 PMU-1/2 being capable of

defeating TBMs. In its various This AĂŠrospatiale Missiles graph, variants the system is in service in which dates back to 1992, shows Russia as well as in numerous that an ER booster for the Aster Eastern European nations, missile had been planned right although not always with ABM from the outset to give it an anticapabilities. Venezuela is amongst ballistic missile capability. the most recent users, having (Armada archives) taken delivery, in 2012, of the Antey 2500 version originally destined for Iran. Algeria seems still to be waiting for its systems, and in that region Libya has also shown interest for the Russian system. Apparently the contract with Syria, signed in 2011, has been put on hold. The S-300 evolution, the S-400, has apparently not yet found takers on the export market, although it has been demonstrated to some countries, including China which already has in service an undefined number of S-300 PMU-2 systems. How much reverse engineering has been done in China to produce national versions of the S-300 is unclear. What China proposes on the international market is the HQ-9 known as FD-2000 for export. With a two-stage missile as effector (like the S-300V), its anti ballistic missile capabilities are optimised when coupled to a Type 305A aesa search radar. No export contracts seem to have been signed to date.

Training Aircraft

Trainers, Aviation’s Sine Qua Non The business of developing and selling fixed-wing military training aircraft lacks continuity, and company survival is enhanced by being part of a large multi-product empire. On the bright side, all sections of the market are currently reporting orders, and the new-generation jet trainers are finally taking off.

Roy Braybrook

he process of flying tuition (prior to weapons training and operational conversion) consists of three distinct phases, here termed primary, basic and advanced. The primary phase is used to establish whether the student pilot has the natural aptitude required to quickly qualify as a military pilot. The washout rate in this first phase is high, hence it is tempting to use the cheapest possible aircraft. On the other hand, many civilian trainers are so undemanding to fly that it takes an unnecessarily long time to identify likely failures. Traditionally, an engine of over 150 kW has been used for military primary trainers, but initial flight screening (IFS) for the US Air Force is currently performed (by Doss Aviation of Pueblo, California) using the Diamond Aircraft DA20-C1 Falcon with a 93-kW Continental engine. A batch of 20

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similar aircraft was delivered to the Ecuadorian Air Force in 2012. The Colombian Air Force has recently had 25 modified Lancair Legacy FG (fixedgear) aircraft assembled from kits by government-owned CIAC (Corporacion de la Industria Aeronautica Colombiana). This version has a 15% increase in wing area and a 157 kW Lycoming engine. It is known as the T-50 Calima (after a pre-Columbian culture). At present the Força Aérea Brasileira (FAB) carries out primary flying training on the Neiva T-25 Universal, which has a 224kW engine. Some 87 (of 178) remain in service at the FAB Academy. A number were donated to Bolivia and Paraguay. Chile purchased ten from Neiva. Brazil’s need to replace the T-25 has motivated Novaer Craft of Sao Jose dos Campos to launch development of the T-Xc Pilgrim trainer, which will be preceded by the K-51 proof-of-concept aircraft. The T-Xc will have a 235-kW Lycoming, and will lead to the civil four-seat U-Xc Stardream derivative.

The Brazilian government has approved a $40 million grant for construction of the facility to manufacture the T-Xc. Turning to Europe, the long-running success of Italy’s Alenia Aermacchi SF-260 series designed by Stelio Frati continues with a recent repeat order for twelve units. First flown in 1964, this legendary trainer has either a 195-kW piston engine or a 260kW Rolls-Royce M250 turboprop (SF260TP). Over 900 have been sold to 27 customers, and a new model with glass cockpit and upgraded aircon was unveiled in early 2013. Tandem-seat primary trainers are exemplified by the Socata TB-30B Epsilon and Chile’s more widely used Enaer T-35 Pillan (Demon). The latter is operated by Spain and seven Latin American countries. The most successful design in this category was the Yakovlev Yak-52, of which 1870 were built in Romania during the Soviet era. Derived from the Yak-52, the Yak-152 incorporates various improvements,

In 2009 the Italian Defence Ministry placed an order for six Alenia Aermacchi M-346 Masters with an option on nine more. In service with the Italian Air Force, the M-346 is known as the T-346A. It is here seen performing in the skies of Dubai. (Armada/Eric H. Biass)

including SKS-94M ejection seats. In production form, it will use a German RED A03 V12 diesel engine. The Russian Air Force reportedly plans to buy an initial batch of at least 50 Yak-152s for delivery from 2015. Subject to that order, Dosaaf (Russian Volunteer Society for Support of the Armed Forces) will purchase 105. The Hongdu L-7 (or CJ-7), which made its public debut at Zhuhai in 2010, is effectively a licence-built Yak-152, but appears to be dead in the water Utva Aviation Industry has delivered 20 Lasta (Swallow) 95Ns to Iraq, and is manufacturing for the Serbian Air Force a batch of 15 Lasta 95s with 223-kW engine, two underwing weapon hardpoints and Garmin G500 avionics. In 2011 the Cirrus Aircraft Industries 150-kW SR20 (designated T-53A) was selected to provide cadet flight training at the US Air Force Academy, Colorado Springs. Some 25 T-53As were purchased. Cassidian Aviation Training Services (Cats)

This four-seat Cirrus SR20, designated T-53A, is operated by the 306th Flying Training Group at the US Air Force Academy Airfield at Colorado Springs. It is powered by a 150-kW Continental IO-360-ES engine. (Cirrus Aircraft Industries).

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Training Aircraft

The Grob Aircraft G120TP has a 340-kW RollsRoyce M250 turboprop and provision for Martin-Baker Mk 17 lightweight ejection seats. This demonstrator is pictured over Al Ain in Abu Dhabi. (Grob Aircraft).

later ordered a total of 16 Cirrus SR20s and seven 230-kW SR22s, to serve alongside its 20 Grob G120As and 35 (service-owned) Epsilons in providing primary/basic flying training for the French Air Force and Navy. All the SR20/22s will be equipped with the Cirrus Airframe Parachute System (Caps). Due to the high price and limited availability of aviation gasoline, there is increasing interest in piston and rotary engines that burn turbine fuel. The leader in this field is Thielert Aircraft Engines with the 99-kW Centurion 1.7 and 114-kW Centurion 2.0s. The Diamond Aircraft subsidiary Austro Engines produces the 125-kW AE300 and 210-kW AE5900. The Snecma subsidiary SMA manufactures the 169-kW SR305-230E. The Avic-owned Continental Motors is launching a diesel line with the 150-185 kW TD300. This is to be followed by the 225-260 kW TD450 around 2015, and later the 112-135 kW TD220.

higher performance level than the primary phase, and is generally carried out in a tandem-seat aircraft with a retractable landing gear and a turboprop engine. Some turboprop basic trainers have been developed by simply re-engining pistonengined primary trainers, one case being the SF-260TP mentioned earlier. A more extensive redesign took place in developing the Grob Aircraft G-120TP, with the 340-

kW Rolls-Royce M250 and optional MartinBaker Mk 17 lightweight ejection seats. Indonesia has recently become the launch customer, ordering 18 G-120TPs. Argentina is to lease up to twelve G-120TPs with an option to buy. In late 2012 the Defense Council of Unasur (the twelve-nation Union of South American Nations) approved a programme to develop and produce a â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Primary-Basic Training Aircraft Projectâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; to be known as Unasur-1. The indications are that Fabrica Argentina de Aviones (FAdeA) will act as project leader, and that Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Paraguay, Peru, Uruguay and Venezuela will take part. No details are available, but Unasur-1 could well eventuate as the IA-73 that FAdeA has been studying for several years, probably with the Rolls-Royce M250 turboprop. Although the M250 is the obvious choice in re-engining a primary trainer, the turboprop that dominates the upper levels of the basic trainer market is the P&WC PT6. This highly successful engine is available at ratings throughout the 520-1470 kW range, and over 41,000 have already been manufactured. Two newcomers powered by the PT6 are the Turkish Aerospace Industries (TAI) Huerkus, named after a local aviation pioneer, and the Utva Kobac (Sparrowhawk), developed from the Lasta 95. The Huerkus, powered by a 1200-kW

I BASIC TURBOPROPS

In the second phase of pilot training, the student learns such basic skills as aerobatics, night flying, formation flying and crosscountry navigation. This requires a much

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This latest version of the Alenia Aermacchi SF-260TP basic trainer has uprated air-conditioning, digital avionics and two 6x8-inch multi-function displays. Display modes include checklists, a digital moving map, and feed from a flir camera. (Alenia Aermacchi).

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Training Aircraft

PT6A-68T, was scheduled to fly in April 2013. It will be followed by the Kobac, with a PT6A-62 flat-rated at 708 kW, around the end of the year. The Kobac will use the same engine as the Korea Aerospace Industries KT-1. The Republic of Korea Air Force has received 85 KT-1 basic trainers, and 20 KA-1s for use in forward air control. Indonesia has ordered a total of 19 KT-1Bs. Peru followed with 20 KT-1Ps (16 to be assembled by the Seman division of FAP), half in close support (KA1P) form. Turkey has ordered 40 KT-1Ts (35 to be assembled by TAI) with an option on 15 more. This option may be dropped if the Huerkus is successful. The general trend in turboprop trainer development has been toward the use of increasingly powerful engines, from the 410-kW PT6A-25A of the pioneering Pilatus PC-7 to the 1193-kW PT6A-68B/C of the PC-21 or Embraer Super Tucano. These improved powerplants have provided higher performance and the potential to reduce the time that the student spends on more expensive advanced jet trainers. Against this trend, Pilatus is continuing to record orders for the PC-7 Mk II with

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Combining a stepped cockpit for improved vision, a derated P&WC PT6A-25C for economy of operation, and six underwing hardpoints for operational flexibility, the Pilatus PC-7 Mk II is selling well. Shown is the first of (at least) 75 for the Indian Air Force. (Pilatus Aircraft).

PT6A-25C engine derated to 522 kW to reduce operating cost. Having sold over 450 PC-7s, in 1993 the PC-7 Mk II (with stepped â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;glassâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; cockpits, ejection seats and six underwing hardpoints) was launched with an order for 60 aircraft for the South African Air Force, which renamed it the Astra. Brunei has four, and in early in 2013 the Botswana Defence Force placed in service five PC-7 Mk IIs. Making its debut at Aero India in February was the first of 75 PC-7 Mk IIs for the Indian Air Force. India is widely expected to take up an option on a further 37, and the eventual total may run to 181. Pilatus followed the baseline PC-7 with the PC-9, with stepped cockpits, ejection seats and a 708-kW PT6A-62. Over 260 have been built for 15 air forces. The PC-9 also served as the basis for the Beechcraft T6A/B Texan II, which has a PT6A-68 derated

to 820 kW, and various improvements. Some 783 are due for delivery by 2017 under the US Navy/Air Force Jpats programme. If exports to Canada (26), Greece (45), Israel (20), Iraq (15) and Morocco (24) are included, over 800 T-6s have already been delivered. The latest order is for an initial batch for Mexico of six T-6C+ aircraft, with Esterline CMC Electronics displays and avionics, and underwing hardpoints. The PC-9 might be regarded as a reaction to the Embraer EMB-312 Tucano, which was the first trainer designed from the outset for a turboprop engine, and was aimed at fulfilling both the basic training and close support roles (the latter justifying the introduction of ejection seats). The Tucano has a 560-kW PT6A-25C, and 664 were built for 17 air forces (these figures including the Shorts Tucano with 820-kW Honeywell TPE331 engine). To offset heavier loads (including Kevlar armour), Embraer took a major step forward with the stretched and strengthened EMB-314 Super Tucano, which first flew in 1999, powered by a 1193kW PT6A-68C. It is widely hailed as a genuine dual-role aircraft for flying training and light attack, having been used by several

Latin American air forces to interdict drug trafficking and in attacks on insurgent camps and illegal airstrips. Brazil ordered 33 single-seat A-29As and 66 two-seat A-29Bs. The Super Tucano has also been adopted by Angola (six), Burkina Faso (three), Chile (twelve), Colombia (25), Dominican Republic (eight), Ecuador (18), Guatemala (six), Indonesia (16), and Mauritania (three). In February 2013 the US Air Force selected the A-29 Super Tucano for its Light Air Support (LAS) programme, and awarded a $ 427.5 million contract to Sierra Nevada and Embraer for an initial batch of 20, which will be supplied to the Afghan Air Force. It is assumed that further Super Tucanos (also constructed at Jacksonville, Florida) will be procured to train pilots from less wealthy countries, and provide them with a light attack capability. Not wishing to compete directly with the PC-9-derived, Washington-backed Beechcraft T-6, Pilatus next designed a completely new turboprop trainer that would outperform all its competitors. The PC-21 with 1193-kW PT6A-68B engine has so far been adopted by Qatar (24), Saudi

Having successfully emerged from the Chapter 11 process, Beechcraft (formerly Hawker Beechcraft) presents its military product range: the T-6C trainer (closest to camera), the AT-6 light attack aircraft, and the multi-role Beechcraft 350ER. (Beechcraft).

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Training Aircraft

To the surprise of many observers, Pilatus followed the highly successful PC-9 with a completely new design, the PC-21, intended to outperform all its competitors. (Pilatus Aircraft).

Arabia (55), Singapore (19), Switzerland (eight) and the United Arab Emirates (25). There is a strong possibility that the PC21 will be selected by the Ascent consortium that operates Britain’s Military Flying Training System (MFTS). The PC-21 is proposed as part of a package by BAE Systems. Ascent Flight Training issued an RFP for aircraft for “elementary, basic and multi-engine” crew training in December 2012, but the MoD is not expected to sign the associated contract until 2015. I TURBOFAN BASICS

Some experts favour ‘all-through jet

training’, which suggests that basic flying training should be performed on an aircraft powered by a fuel-economical, relatively low-cost turbofan from business jet applications. However, this approach has enjoyed little success; perhaps because a propeller is a much more effective thrustmagnification device at low speeds, hence the equivalent turboprop is cheaper. Nonetheless, Alenia Aermacchi is continuing to develop the aircraft that began as the Siai-Marchetti S-211, powered by a 11.12-kN P&WC JT15D-4C turbofan, believing that marketing success will come with improved hardware and the backing of a major corporation. The S-211 was thus developed into the M-311 with glass cockpit and a 14.19-kN JT15D-5C. In 2008 Alenia Aermacchi signed regional marketing agreements on the M311 with Boeing (which designed the

Initially powered by an allied Signal TFE321-2A, the Sino-Pakistani K-8 Karakorum had, due an American embargo on China, to adopt a Progress AI-25TL. (Armada/Eric H. Biass)

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supercritical wing) and Chile’s Enaer. In 2012 it was rebranded as the M-345. What is really needed is for the Italian Air Force (AMI) to adopt the M-345 as a replacement for some MB-339s, as a more modern bridge to the M-346 advanced jet trainer. However, this currently seems unlikely. The government-owned Fabrica Argentina de Aviones (FAdeA) continues to market the IA-63 Pampa. Only 27 of the original IA-63 (with 15.57-kN TFE731-2) were built, but it appears that when the government took back control (from Lockheed Martin) at the end of 2009 the factory was building a batch of ten. One Pampa II with 18.9-kN Honeywell TFE73140-2N flew in June 2012. There are expectations that, when defence funding allows, 40 Pampa IIs with derated -40 engines will be ordered for the Argentine services. The Hindustan Aeronautics HJT-36 Sitara (Morning Star) is intended to be the Indian Air Force’s new Intermediate Jet Trainer from 2015. However, it was underpowered with the 14.13-kN Snecma Larzac 04-H20, so the 17.26-kN NPO Saturn AL-55I has been introduced. Twelve pre-production aircraft were to be followed by 73 full-rate production HJT-36s, but there are concerns over delivery timescales and the 200-hr TBO of the Russian engine. The greatest success in the turbofan basic trainer category was the Aero Vodochody L39 Albatros with 16.9-kN Ivchenko AI25TL engine. Over 2,800 were built for more than 30 air forces in the Soviet era. Large numbers are still in use, including over 250 on the US civil register. The latest derivative is the Aero L-159 with 28.2-kN Honeywell F124 engine.

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Training Aircraft

Visually distinguished from earlier models by its wingtip rails and slightly longer nose, the new BAE Systems Hawk 128 AJT (Advanced Jet Trainer) is shown in Royal Air Force Hawk T2 form. (BAE Systems).

Some 72 single-seat L-159As were produced for the Czech Air Force, but only 24 are operated, and four others have been converted to two-seat L-159T1 standard. Up to 47 surplus L-159s are available for export, but there appear to be no takers, partly because any such sale would require US approval. The sale of 24 L-159BQs to Iraq has evidently fallen through. In contrast, the Hongdu K-8 Karakorum, generally powered by an AI-25TLK or WS11 copy, and developed with the help of the Pakistan Aeronautical Complex, is selling well. Production lines in China, Pakistan and Egypt are believed already to have delivered over 500 K-8s to more than a dozen air forces, the big users being China (around half of the 400 JL-8s planned), Egypt (120), Myanmar (60 ordered) and Pakistan (60). I ADVANCED JETS

Designed with assistance from Lockheed Martin, the Korea Aerospace Industries T-50 bears a strong resemblance to the F-16 and is capable of Mach 1.5. It is undoubtedly a strong contender to replace the US Air Force Northrop T-38 Talon. (Armada/Eric H. Biass).

Designed to allow pilot training at the high angles of attack employed by the latest fighters, the Yak-130 has already been selected by eight air forces. On current plans, over 300 will be delivered to the Russian Air Force by 2020. (Yakovlev).

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The BAE Systems Hawk is one of few recent successes of the British aerospace industry. If sales of the Boeing T-45 Goshawk are included, almost 1000 units have been ordered. The latest export version of the original Hawk series is the Mk 132 for India, which has ordered 123 (mostly to be built by Hindustan Aeronautics), with 20 more in prospect. Based on the Mk 120 produced for South Africa, with 29-kN Rolls-Royce Adour 951, the new-generation Hawk 128 AJT (Advanced Jet Trainer) was launched with a batch of 28 Hawk T2s for UK-MFTS. Saudi Arabia has ordered 22 and Oman intends to buy eight. BAE Systems has teamed with Northrop Grumman in promoting the Hawk in the forthcoming US Air Force T-X programme to replace almost 500 T-38s, competing with the Lockheed Martin/Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI) T-50, the Alenia Aermacchi M-346 Master, and possibly a new Boeing design. Clearly derived from the F-16 and powered by a 78.7-kN General Electric F404, the KAI T-50 offers a maximum speed of Mach 1.5. The Republic of Korea Air Force has so far received 50 T-50s, ten T50Bs for its aerobatic team, and 22 TA-50 lead-in fighter trainers. It has also ordered 20 FA-50 fighter/attack aircraft (of a planned total of 60) for delivery by the end of 2014. Indonesia has ordered 16 TA-50s. Co-operation between Yakovlev and Aermacchi led to two similar but differently equipped products: the Yak-130 and the Alenia Aermacchi M-346 (see box

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Training Aircraft

I M-346 MASTER PROGRESS REPORT Paolo Valpolini The M-346 lead-in fighter trainer is moving at full steam towards certification. June 2013 will see the full certification for the export version, from which the Singapore and Israeli aircraft are derived, while the Italian Air Force version will represent an intermediate configuration, the full one being expected for October. This stepped situation results from the need to certify numerous configurations, with external loads ranging from auxiliary fuel tanks to an air combat manoeuvring instrumentation pod and weapons. This requires ad hoc tuning of the fly-by-wire system for each configuration to guarantee care-free handling. Following intensive trials at Pratica di Mare, the Italian Air Force required minor modifications to the human-machine interface, which are being introduced. In terms of production, considerable improvements were made with the opening of a new automated line. This is based on an innovative automatic riveting system, that allows wing manufacturing to ramp up, to match the final assembly line maximum production rate. The latter can assemble more than two aircraft per month with single-shift working, and four with two shifts. The supply chain has been optimised,

herewith). The Yak-130 is powered by two 24.5-kN Progress AI-222-25 engines, while the M-346 has two 28-kN Honeywell F124s. Following twelve Sokol-built preproduction Yak-130s, in 2011 the Russian Air Force ordered 55 Irkut-built Yak-130s with an option on ten more. Deliveries

The Yakovlev/Aermacchi DNA shows quite clearly on the Chinese Hongdu L-15 Falcon. It is here seen performing at the Dubai air show as early as 2007. (Armada/Eric H. Biass)

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The final assembly line for the Alenia Aermacchi M-346 at Venegono, north of Milan. When this photograph was taken, the last of an initial batch of six for Italy was being completed. The remaining aircraft were being prepared for delivery to Singapore. (Alenia Aermacchi)

adopting the just-in-time concept, while final assembly procedures have been improved, assembly time being reduced faster than scheduled. Currently, the last Italian aircraft is being completed on the Venegono line. All the other aircraft on

began in 2012. Russiaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s National Armaments Programme calls for 240 more Yak-130s by 2020. Export orders have been placed by Algeria (16), Belarus (four), Mongolia (one) and Vietnam (eight). Bangladesh is reportedly negotiating the purchase of 24. The January 2010 order for

the line are for Singapore. Alenia Aermacchi is not releasing any information on the status of the Singapore programme. However, Singaporean sources, confirmed by French sources, announced that the first aircraft was delivered at Cazeaux, France, on November 15th, 2012. As for the Israeli aircraft, the first subassemblies are being prepared at Venegono, to be completed by the fall of 2013, when assembly of the first aircraft will start. Its first flight is scheduled for February/March 2014. In 2013 Alenia Aermacchi plans to produce a total of 13 M-346 Masters. Currently the company has won firm orders for 48 aircraft, consisting of six for Italy, twelve for Singapore and 30 for Israel. Italy is expected to exercise the option for nine further aircraft, although this might be delayed due to financial reasons. According to Finmeccanica sources, the UAE contract might be revived, although interest in the light attack aircraft version has apparently faded. Alenia Aermacchi is optimistic about further orders. For example, strong interest has been expressed in Poland. However, the US Advanced Jet Training programme seems to have been slipped to the right due to budget considerations.

six Yak-130s for Libya is currently cancelled, and the 36 ordered in December 2011 for Syria have been deferred. The Hongdu L-15 Falcon was designed with Yakovlev assistance, and looks like a licence-built Yak-130 with a pointed nose and the M-346 (no-dogtooth) horizontal tail. The L-15 made its public debut at Airshow China 2010, reportedly with 24.5kN Progress DV-2 engines, although AI222K-25Fs are the obvious choice for production aircraft. Aviation Industry Corporation of China (Avic) has recently unveiled the slightly more powerful Liyang Minsham engine for the L-15. In late 2012 Catic announced an order for twelve L-15s for an unspecified customer, believed to be Egypt. A lead-in fighter trainer version of the L-15 with afterburning engines and supersonic capability is projected.

C2 Blos Satcom

Satcoms for Beyond-LineOf-Sight Command and Control Satellite Communications or ‘Satcoms’ is as essential to warfare as bullets and body armour. Armada has recently chronicled the latest developments in tactical satcom for use on the battlefield. This article will discuss the long-distance satellite links connecting deployed headquarters back to national command and control authorities at the strategic level.

Thomas Withington

estled in the bucolic rolling beauty of the English Midlands, just off the M40 motorway on the border between the ancient counties of Northamptonshire and Oxfordshire, sits the village of Croughton. The village itself has for the past eight centuries or so remained unremarkable, save for the comparatively recent presence of the Royal Air Force airfield built there in 1938. Since 1950 this airfield has been home to the United States Air Force on long-term lease from the British government. Following the US Air Force acquisition flying activities at RAF Croughton (all airbases, even those in use by the US Air Force in Britain retain their ‘RAF’ prefix) ceased, the base instead being used by the US Air Force as a pivotal node in its global communications network, in particular hosting a receiver for the Department of Defense’s Giant Talk/Scope Signal-III global

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High Frequency (HF) communications network. Today, the base retains its important role, processing around one-third of all American military communications in Europe with these services being provided by the 422nd Communications Squadron. The provision of strategic satcoms provides a key part of the squadron’s mission today, with the large satellite antennae that the base accommodates visible from the nearby road. I AEHF

Satcoms handled by the facility at RAF Croughton includes traffic utilizing the US Air Force’s Milstar (Military Strategic and Tactical Relay) constellation of five spacecraft which was launched between 1994 and 2003. Although Six Milstar satellites were originally launched, one was rendered unserviceable after the upper stage failed to place the Milstar-3 satellite into the proper orbit. Secure voice and data communications are carried over the satellites at a rate of 75-2,400 bits-persecond (bps) for the two Block-I (Low Data

Rate) satellites launched first, with this increasing to 4.8-kilobits-per-second (kbps) and as fast as 1.5 megabits-per-second for the following three Block-II (Medium Data Rate) spacecraft. Despite the last of the Milstar satellites being launched at the beginning of this century, plans are already well underway to replace these spacecraft. At the heart of these efforts is the Advanced Extremely High Frequency (AEHF) constellation developed for the United States Air Force. AEHF will provide Satcom to the US armed forces, in addition to the armed forces of Canada, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom. Compared to the Milstar

French defence contractor Thales plays an important role in the design and fabrication of military communications satellites and their payloads, including the French Ministry of Defenceâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Syracuse-3.

satellites that they replace, the AEHF spacecraft provide a significant increase in the amount of traffic that they can handle. Northrop Grumman is building the Satcom payload for these satellites which the company says will typically be able to handle over 8.1mbps of traffic, while Lockheed Martin is building the bus and providing the The United States Department of Defense is replacing its Milstar communications satellite constellation with its new Advanced Extremely High Frequency spacecraft. Northrop Grumman has developed the satellite communications payload for these spacecraft. (Northrop Grumman)

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C2 Blos Satcom

Lockheed Martin is the prime contractor for the United States Air Force Advanced Extremely High Frequency satellite communications programme. Two satellites have been launched to date (in 2010 and 2012), with a third launch expected by the end of the year. (Lockheed Martin)

satellite constellation family. The Skynet moniker has been used since the first generation of British military communications satellite. The family includes five constellations each of which has offered progressively more capability, following the launch, and subsequent failure, of the first two Skynet-1 satellites in the late-1960s/early-1970s. The latest Skynet incarnation is Skynet-5, the fourth example of which (Skynet-5D) was sent aloft aboard an Ariane-5 rocket from Kourou Spaceport in French Guiana, Latin America. Skynet-5 was conceived to replace the three Skynet-4 Stage-2 satellites (Skynet-4D, 4E, 4F) which were launched in the late1990s and early part of this century to replace the three earlier Skynet-4A, 4B and 4C vehicles built by British Aerospace Dynamics (now BAE Systems). The Skynet4 Stage-2 birds boasted more power and improved resistance to jamming compared to the spacecraft that they replaced. The entire Skynet-5 constellation has been procured using an innovative Private Finance Initiative (PFI). Essentially this has seen European space specialists Astrium

ground control infrastructure as the AEHF prime contractor. Two AEHF satellites have already been launched, and a third has been delivered to the US Air Force ready for launch this year, possibly by September. Beyond this, work is ongoing on the fourth, fifth and sixth spacecraft which could reach the heavens in the 2016-2019 timeframe. One of the interesting design features of the AEHF spacecraft is that their Satcom payload uses Active Electronically Scanned Antenna technology. This enables the uplink and downlink of traffic, without a need to physically steer an antenna in the direction of a ground-based receiver or transmitter. Moreover, that technology allows the utilization of very narrow beams for Satcoms, which are less susceptible to interference, and therefore harder to jam. Northrop Grumman and Lockheed Martin are not the only two American defence contractors involved in the AEHF initiative. I SKYNET

Science fiction buffs will be familiar with the name Skynet which was used to describe the self-aware defence computer network in director James Cameron’s 1984 epic Terminator and its Terminator-2: Judgment Day sequel. It is also the name of the United Kingdom’s military communications

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US military satellite communications are still provided by the Department of Defense’s Defense Satellite Communications System. These satellites were pivotal in enhancing the global strategic communications of US forces around the world.

C2 Blos Satcom

The United Kingdom’s strategic military satellite communications have experienced a major overhaul via the Skynet-5 programme. This uses an innovative public-private partnership to finance the construction and operation of the spacecraft. (Astrium)

communications. In addition, it hosts eleven Nato-compliant Ultra High Frequency (UHF) channels with each of these providing 25-kilohertz of bandwidth to carry voice and data transmissions. Paradigm Secure Communications lease the bandwidth offered by the satellites to Britain and other Allied customers, although most of the capacity offered by the spacecraft has already been leased for British military communications. Nevertheless the company does have additional space which it will make available. According to the company, this will be made available to Allied customers via the American satellite communications specialists Harris CapRock (see below). Although the Skynet-5 constellation is very much at the start of its life, the thoughts of Paradigm are turning towards what may replace this capability over the next ten-to-twenty years. I SYRACUSE

The ground segment of the United Kingdom’s Skynet-5 constellation is based at a former Royal Air Force base at Oakhanger in the south of England. Ironically, the motto of the RAF unit formerly based at the site was Ultra Tellurem Dico, or ‘I speak beyond the Earth.” (Astrium)

building and launching the Skynet-5 satellites, with Satcom services then being provided by a wholly-owned Astrium subsidiary called Paradigm which is under contract to provide secure Satcom services to the United Kingdom Ministry of Defence (MoD) using bandwidth available via the Skynet-5 constellation and/or through the lease of airtime from other Satcom providers. Additional available bandwidth

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on the satellites can be made available for leasing by the Britain’s Nato partners. The provision of Satcoms via this PFI arrangement represents an interesting approach to service provision and it will be interesting to see if similar approaches are followed by other military Satcoms users as part of other, similar projects in the future. Overall, the Skynet-5 constellation provides two gigahertz of X-band satellite

Much as the United Kingdom has enhanced its strategic Satcoms via the advent of the Skynet-5 family, the French government has taken a similar course of action via its Syracuse Satellite Radio Communications family. The first Syracuse constellation, which comprised three Télécom-I spacecraft, was launched in the early-1980s and reached the end of their operational lives in 1994. This constellation was used to handle traffic from both the French Ministry of Defence and also from the country’s France Télécom state-owned communications provider. Four satellites (Télécom-2A, -2B, -2C, 2D) constituted the Syracuse-2 constellation programme launched in 1987 which replaced Syracuse-1. As before, both the Ministry of Defence and France Télécom shared these spacecraft. The latest family member is Syracuse-3, which commenced operations in 2000. It includes two satellites (Syracuse-3A, -3B) dedicated for defence ministry use. The Syracuse-3 programme also included the modernization of ground infrastructure to handle Satcom traffic along with the provision of Satcom terminals. The Syracuse3 family was to have included a third spacecraft. However, the decision was taken to

C2 Blos Satcom

Astrium developed the SatcomBw programme to provide the German armed forces with deployed voice, data and multimedia satellite communications capabilities. The satellites provide communications over an area stretching from Asia to North America. (Astrium)

place the Satcom payload that would have been carried aboard Syracuse-3C instead on the Franco-Italian Sicral-2 programme developed by Thales Alenia Space and Telespazio. The solitary Sicral-2 bird is expected to head space-wards in circa 2014. Although the launch of Sicral-2 is still one year away, the thoughts of the French Direction Générale des Armaments (DGA) defence procurement agency has already turned towards what could replace the

Syracuse-3 constellation. In September 2012 the DGA awarded two study contracts to European space heavyweights, Astrium and Thales Alenia Space, under the Comsat-NG programme to consider the possible capabilities which will be required for the next generation of military communications satellites, and the hardware and software required therein. The study phase of the Comsat-NG programme is expected to last for one year. Comsat-NG is intended to

France and Italy have joined forces for the development of the Sicral-2 satellite which should be launched imminently. France has recently launched studies to examine how to upgrade and replace its existing military communications satellite capabilities in the future. (Telespazio)

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replace the Syracuse-3, Sicral-2 and ATHENA-FIDUS (Access on Theatres for European allied forces Nations-French Italian Dual Use Satellite) constellations. Like Sicral-2, ATHENA-FIDUS is scheduled for launch this year. It is a Franco-Italian military Satcom programme to provide Extremely High Frequency (EHF) and Kaband wideband satellite communications at speeds of up to three gigabits-per-second. Along with its utilization by the French and Italian armed forces, the Belgian military will use the spacecraft for Satcom traffic. The successor military Satcom constellation procured as a result of the Comsat-NG programme will be expected to host EHF, Xand Ka-band satellite communications. Along with examining the nuts, bolts and capabilities which could be utilized, the studies are tasked with examining the procurement options available to France such as the traditional acquisition of a new satellite constellation, a PFI initiative perhaps similar to the United Kingdom’s

Like Harris CapRock, ViaSat is heavily involved in the provision of satellite communications services to military customers. The company has its own satellites for the provision of this, and can also lease air time from other operators. (ViaSat)

Skynet-5 programme (see above), or a bilateral or multilateral procurement including other nations with similar requirements. At present Italy, France and Britain each maintain their own military Satcom capabilities. However, one future option could include all three countries coming together to develop a successor constellation to replace their respective Sicral, Syracuse and Skynet spacecraft. With defence budgets in Europe looking set for longterm contraction, the pooling of Satcom capabilities and resources in the future may represent a useful mechanism by which nations can ensure their strategic communications while simultaneously reducing their expense. Such an initiative could still be some way in the future, and could follow the next generation of military communications satellites which France will procure to replace Syracuse-3 (see above), towards the end of its life. On 15th February this year, the DGA awarded a contract to Astrium for the development of the Comcept programme (Complément de Capacités en Elongation, Projection et Théâtre in other words Projection and Theatre Capacity Complementation and Extension). Comcept aims to deliver high-speed Ka-band secure internet-protocol communications services from 2014. Astrium is expected to leverage technology that the company developed for the United Arab Emirates’ Yahsat civil and military communications satellite. The last spacecraft in the Yahsat constellation, Y1B, was launched on 23rd April 2012 following Y1A which was launched one year

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C2 Blos Satcom

An increasing trend being observed in the world of strategic military satellite communications is the proliferation of companies offering full end-to-end satellite communications services such as Harris CapRock in the United States. (Harris Caprock)

earlier. Both satellites carry Ka-band 21-54 megahertz secure transponders. The advent of Ka-band communications via Comcept is important as one of the advantages of this segment of the electromagnetic spectrum is that it allows high bandwidth communications. This will complement the UHF and X-band satellite communications currently offered by Syracuse. I VIASAT

While Satcom capabilities such as Milstar and AEHF remain government-owned, a number of private sector companies are offering secure Satcom services for longrange communications. One such firm is ViaSat, based in San Diego, United States. The company offers both K-band (18-27 Gigahertz/GHz) and Ka-band (26.540GHz) satellite communications using its own spacecraft. Currently, the firm can provide Satcom coverage of North America using the ViaSat-1 and Wild Blue spacecraft. This coverage will expand once additional satellites are launched in the coming five-to-

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ten years. The company offers a number of services for the user which can include solely the provision of air time for the carriage of a customer’s traffic, customerprovision of terminals and ground stations, or a full ‘end-to-end’ solution by which ViaSat provides not only the airtime, but the accompanying infrastructure. The latter option can include the provision of either communications equipment furnished by ViaSat, or equipment from a third party chosen by the customer. I HARRIS CAPROCK

Harris CapRock, like ViaSat, also provides a suite of Satcom services for use by the customer. Headquartered in Fairfax, Virginia the firm offers a service called CommandAccess. This is a full end-to-end Satcom service which carries voice, data, video and Voice-Over-Internet-Protocol (voip) traffic to and from national headquarters (HQs) to field HQs, vehiclemounted and soldier-portable terminals. The company effectively provides both strategic- and tactical-level Satcoms using one service. Crucially, the company says that CommandAccess offers military-grade secure, real-time communications on a subscription basis which can be purchased at a flat monthly rate. Customers seeking strategic Satcom can either purchase a full end-to-end service, or

‘cherry pick’ the services and products they require such as the satellite airtime or dedicated terminals. The firm benefits from being part of the Harris communications empire, providing it with ready access to a range of company-furnished Satcom terminals and equipment. CommandAccess has been available since 2009, and since then Harris CapRock has seen an uptake of these services from a number of Nato nations and other countries around the globe. The company is keen to emphasise that it has ground stations positioned around the world which removes the need to have traffic routed through a ground station in the United States to and from its destination, thus reducing complexities and time delays in the handling of the traffic. One new service which the company will be offering during the second quarter of 2013 is the provision of UHF traffic across its Satcom channels. Without satellite augmentation UHF can handle impressive amounts of voice and data traffic but is ostensibly limited to line-of-sight ranges. This had caused problems in elevated environments such as Afghanistan where UHF communications between platoons or companies can be disrupted when hills or mountains get in the way. Satcoms can thus be used to carry these transmissions to ensure that troops using UHF communications can keep in touch with one another by literally bouncing their traffic off a satellite to avoid the rugged peaks. I DEMOCRACY IN SPACE

The wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, and more recently Libya and Mali, have all served to reiterate the importance of strategic satellite communications. When facilities such as RAF Croughton, described in the introduction, first began to handle satellite traffic strategic Satcom was the preserve of a small number of rich nations. Advances in technology, notably the increasing miniaturization of communications electronics, coupled with their corresponding reductions in price, have effectively helped to ‘democratise’ strategic Satcoms placing such communications within the reach of an ever-larger number of nations. Moreover, the proliferation of companies offering end-to-end and bespoke strategic Satcom services means that armies, air forces and navies, wherever they are can now ‘phone home’ without the expense of having to develop and launch satellite constellations and provide their accompanying ground infrastructure.

What’s Up

MSN4 waiting for us on the Seville tarmac. (Eric H. Biass)

Flight of the ‘400 Most defence journalists have had the opportunity to fly in a military transport aircraft, generally to be transferred to an area of operations or a military base. On this occasion though, the Editor, together with a few of his peers, had the privilege to be taken nowhere during this inaugural “public flight of the A400M” – if defence journalists can be called public.

Eric H. Biass

fter a very progressive 20-second roll on the Seville runway – the crew obviously not wanting to upset the notoriously critical lot sitting longitudinally in the vast cargo hold – Grizzly No4 was airborne. The first stunning impression while the aircraft was settling on its “journalists’ promenade” pattern, was the absolute lack of the so characteristic vibration always imparted to the entire airframe by the propellers. In fact it is absolutely impossible to believe that this massive, seemingly cathedral-high, hull is being kept aloft by propellers. As soon as allowed by the crew, yours truly promptly unlatched his four-point harness, soon to be joined by Airbus Military’s boss Domingo Ureña Raso in the middle of the seat-less area of the ship. Now, it must be borne in mind that aircraft number 4 is still used for a variety of tests and is absolutely

devoid of any sort of sound insulation, to allow easy access to electrical and hydraulic lines that need to be monitored. Both standing up, Urenia and I engaged in a conversation on the particular certification features of the aircraft when, much to the amusement of Urenia, I realised that I’d totally forgotten to put on my earplugs and that we were talking marginally louder than usual, but certainly not shouting – which is absolutely impossible to do in any other turboprop military transport – bar none. As a

As explained by test chief Eric Isorce, the relative quietness and lack of vibration is largely owed to a harmonic monitoring system that uses one of the blades of the engine number two as a reference to which all other propellers are tuned in flight. It must be remembered that vibrations are used to break or separate things, so killing vibrations is not only a matter of personal (or personnel) comfort, but also of long-term aircraft health. (Eric H. Biass)

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What’s Up

C296W OFFICIALLY LAUNCHED The latest offshoot of the European military aircraft corporation is the C296W in which the W stands for winglets. Carried out on the factoryowned C-295, the modification has proved that in spite of the added weight (30 kilos for wing reinforcements and 60 kilos for the composite winglets themselves, and their metallic attachments), the treatment, in conjunction with new PW127 powerplant rating increase hot-andhigh performance, as well as lift/drag ratio. As a side boon, fuel consumption is expected to drop by between three and six per cent. The new engine settings alone account for a 1.5 tonne payload increase at 25,000 feet altitudes, which is seen as very important for operators that regularly need to fly over than Andes, like Peru, Colombian and Chile (the latter two already being C295 users). The W is expected to obtain its type certification during the second quarter of 2014 and to become the standard offering as of the end of that year. The configuration is retained for the AEW&C development as well as for the 27mm and 30 mm Gunner gunship derivatives currently being studied. (photo: Armada/Eric H. Biass)

A picture being worth a thousand words, this diagram explains what would have happened had the A400M been available for Mali last January. (Airbus Military)

matter of fact, I wondered if the civilian Saab 2000 and ATR72 I had flown in a few days earlier were much quieter. Time for a chat with the crew “upstairs” and the loadmaster to be explained how he could handle all cargo operations on his own, and it was time to land. Only the short shudder of the airframe resulting from the unspooling engines before they came to a halt reminded us that they were attached to propellers. The short flight, combined with chats with

the crew, not to mention the boss himself, helped convince us that the A400M is not only an unusual aircraft (which we already knew given its totally out-of standard size and weight), but also a formidable workhorse, a beast in fact. A beast which should make a number of European powers-that-be regret dragging their feet in past years when it came to financing a project that would have made things so much simpler for European militaries in Afghanistan and, more recently, in Mali. Hiring Antonovs and buying C-17 flight hours can’t have been cheap. As the diagram herewith show, the A400M, whilst carrying less than the C17, can land on unprepared fields and can thus deliver the equipment directly

where required – in the Malian case, saving in the process the long, time-consuming and dangerous transfers by trail, from the landing airport (Bamako, some 900 km away) to the northern area of operations. I A400M STATUS

The first production aircraft, tail number 7, will have been delivered by the time these lines are printed. The next one is slated for delivery to Turkey later this year, followed by the first British, German, and Malaysian items in 2014. Production will then ramp up to fulfil the 174 aircraft ordered by the seven launch customers and the single export customer to date (Belgium 7, France 50, Germany 53, Luxemburg 1, Spain 27, Turkey 10, Britain 22 and Malaysia 4). While the A400M is certainly not a cheap aircraft, it certainly is cheaper to buy and operate than a C-17 or an An-70, and despite its smaller hauling capability, what appears to speak in its favour is that it can still carry a 20-tonne load over a distance of 6,400 kilometres (without including its in-flight refuelling ability) at close to the same sort of speed and altitude, namely mach .72 and 40,000 feet, but above all, it practically does doorstep deliveries. With the types of missions that have to be carried out

Here seen in his “office”, the loadmaster is as important as the flight crew in military missions since he monitors all weight distribution and operations, including paradrops, from this station.

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operators will eventually want to do with their aircraft after delivery is up to them. I MRTT

nowadays, one can assume that the A400M will be able to secure itself a fair slice of the airlift market in the next two decades, particularly if one bears in mind the second important feather it wears in its cap: it’s also a in-flight refuelling tanker in its own right.

Another major feature, perhaps odd for a military aircraft, is that it is certified to civilian EASA standards. These are more stringent, but offered a measure of unity to Airbus Military. The yardstick applies to, and are accepted by, all nations, and whatever the

Amongst the latest tests with potential clients’ aircraft, MRTT refuelling approach compatibility trials have recently been performed with Indian and Algerian Su-27s. Algeria is rumoured to be needing four to six air-refuellers, in addition to three C-17s. With elections soon due in this country, Airbus Military remains very cautious about any speculation on Algeria’s final intentions. In the meantime, deliveries of the MRTT are continuing normally in spite of the two dramatic boom losses that occurred last year, which were blamed on human error, and a new upgrade of the boom flight control is being certified to counter this problem. The MRTT is now in operation with four air forces, namely Australia, Britain, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. It has been selected by the Indian Air Force and has recently been declared preferred choice by the French air Force, for which Airbus Military is developing a specific version incorporating a large portside cargo loading door.

Digest

NEXT ISSUE AUG/SEPT 2013: 1 SEPTEMBER, ADVERTISING: 16 JULY Mout training centres: With fighting in urban environments becoming more the norm that the exception, training in specialised centres is a sine qua non. Several companies have specialised in their sphistication development. Gunfire location systems: These special sensors have become a necessary ally for the soldier as they enable him to rapidly be cued on the direction of an attack, take appropriate cover and return fire. Rugged laptops: As in the real civilian world, laptops have succeeded to desktops, and like their predecessors have to be built to resist rough treatment. Naval medium-calibre remote guns: As their vehicle-mounted counterparts, they enable their operators to remain under cover, sailors probably being even more exposed to enemy fire on a ship or boat deck.

TDA’S NEW METRIC PRECISION ROCKET nnounced too late for inclusion in our laser guided rocket article in this issue, France, through its TDA rocket and mortar armament specialist, recently presented it latest creation in the field of rockets at Cazaux air force base. Known as the Metric Precision Rocket, it is primarily aimed at providing the Tigre helicopter not only with a high precision strike weapon – metric as the designation implies — but also, and perhaps above all, a means of containing collateral damage within a diameter of about 20 metres. The new weapon, which is still under development, consists of the standard 68mm induction fired rocket fitted with a new warhead and tipped with a guidance and control section. All elements have so far been tested seperately and the first fullscale test is expected to take place next July. The actual performance of the warhead has not been revealed, but the missile has an overal weight of 8.8-kilos, is able to intercept a target moving at a speed of 30 knots at a range of about six kilometres, which aslo makes it perfectly adaptable to a male drone. The project is self-funded by TDA for the time being, but is fully supported by the French DGA procurement agency. Its need was of course highlighted by the French forces in Afghanistan, and an initial operating capability has been set for 2018.

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Landing helicopter docks: Smaller than full-blown aircraft carriers, these helicopter carriers are playing an increasingly important role as they actually are jacks of many trades, able as they are to also turn themselves into hospitals, natural disaster relief units and even auxiliary power plants in devastated regions in addition to their original ground support role. Compendium - Modern soldier programmes: The Compendium is split into two parts, the first one providing an update on current soldier modernisation programmes (of which some are already implemented in service and others on the verge of readiness), while the second covers a selection of systems that might become part of future programmes or "spiralisations" of current programmes.

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