armada Issue 1/2013
February/March
Faster deployment GLF - Armoured Logistics Vehicles off-the-shelf
A Daimler Brand
Armed forces are increasingly confronted with new threats in operation areas. Military transport vehicles in particular require special protection concepts for the safety of their crew. Mercedes-Benz has reacted to this challenge and offers logistics vehicles as a series product: market-available, efficient, economical and offering the high quality advantages of large-scale series production. The GLF models Actros, Zetros and Unimog U 5000 can be delivered within just a few months.
Spare parts are available quickly and for many years. Identical control elements in armoured and non-armoured versions enhance operating safety and minimise training requirements. With armoured logistics vehicles from Mercedes-Benz, logistical transport is safer, procurement is simpler, faster and more cost effective. Mobilising safety and efficiency: www.mercedes-benz.com/military-vehicles
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Contents 1/2013
international
www.armada.ch | www.armadainternational.com
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INDEPENDENT SUSPENSION
Independence Now! I Eric H. Biass The necessity to fit any suspensions at all to vehicles appeared at a time when they were still horse-pulled – and this was not necessarily for comfort reasons. At the time, such carts had beam axles, in other words rigid axles.
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Border and Base Perimeters I Luca Peruzzi
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LIGHT REMOTE-CONTROL TURRETS
Light Remotely Controlled Weapon Stations
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SATCOMS ON THE MOVE
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GRENADE LAUNCHER FCS
Signals From The Heavens
Grenade Launcher Fire Control Systems
I Thomas Withington
I Paolo Valpolini Mine-protected
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SHOW REPORT
AUSA 2012
I Paolo Valpolini
Transports
compendium supplement 2013
Mine-protected Transports
armada INTERNATIONAL: The trusted source for defence technology information since 1976
I Paolo Valpolini
I Paolo Valpolini
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Index
I index to advertisers AFRICAN ARMED FORCES JOURNAL AR MODULAR RF ARMADA SUBSCRIPTION AUSA CASSIDIAN DAIMLER AG DIMDEX DSEI IDEX IMDEX ITT EXELIS
41 55 31 C3 6-7 C2 53 C3 C2 49 3
LEUPOLD MTU NEXTER NORTHROP GRUMMAN ODU-USA OSHKOSH OTOKAR PHOTONIS PRECISION REMOTES RAFAEL ROHDE AND SCHWARZ SAGEM
35 25 5 21 29 C4 11 13 43 C4 19 9
SINGAPORE AIRSHOW STEYR ULTRALIFE URALVAGONZAVOD
51 21 17 27 With its roots in Australia where the large Bushmaster long proved the usefulness if not the necessity of having independent suspension to run fast in the bush, the Thales Hawkei is here to show that it works on mine-protected vehicles too, and that it can also look good.
Entries highlighted with blue numbers are found MineProtected Transports: What Lies Ahead? 2013 Compendium
I index to Manufacturers Companies mentioned in this issue. Where there are multiple references to a company in an article,only the first occurence and subsequent photographs are listed below
Aerea 52 Aimpoint 37 Allison 12 AM General 50,28 Ares 40 Arzamas 27 Ashok Leyland 11,12 ATK 40,50 Augusta Westland 52 BAE Systems 6,10, 41,47 BBN Technologies 7 BAE Systems 5, 11, 2, 32 Bell 52 Bin Jabr Group 28 BMC 22,23 Boeing 52 Browning 39,44 Cassidian 12 Caterpillar 46,47 Cobham 11 Commtact 16 CommuniCase Technology 18 Daimler 13,22 Defence Land Systems India 10 Denel 45 Deutschland 10 Diehl Defence 12 DRS Technologies 7, 04,05,15 EADS 52 Elbit Systems 7,16,40 Finmeccanica 6 Flir Systems 5,6
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FN Herstal 33,35,41,42 Force Protection 4,6 GDLS 52 General Dynamics 4,10, 18,23 H & K 39 Harris 18 Hatehof 23,24 Hyundai-Wea 43 IAI Elta 6,7,12,16 IMI 24,25,34,37 ITT Exelis 18 Iveco 21,22,40 Kamaz 25,26 KMW 13,19,43,44 Kongsberg 39,48 L-3 7,16,17 Lockheed Martin 7,52 Mahindra 10 Man 12 Mercedes-Benz 12,18 Microvision Satellite Systems 16 Mowag 28 Navistar Defense 3,4 Nexter 19,20,26 Nimr Automotive 28 Northrop Grumman 43,47 Oshkosh 4,5,30,48 Oto Melara 42,43 Otokar 1,22 OTT Technologies 10,11,12 Panhard 40 Paramount Group 12,13,24
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Pearson Engineering 46 Pratt & Miller Engineering 47 Pro-Optica 44 Rafael 7,39,40 Raytheon 5,8,45,52 Renault Trucks 20,21,44,26 Reutech 45 Rheinmetall 8,12,37,40 Rockwell Collins 18 SAAB 40,41 Sagem 11,40,41 Selex Elsag 20 Selex Galileo 11,12,40,43 Sikorsky 52 Tawazun Group 28 Telecomsys 15 Telephonics 6 Textron Land Systems 07,08,39 Thales 26,27,6,8 Timoney 24 Ural Automotive Works 25 Vectronix 37 Vektor 45 Viasat 17 Wilcox 37 WZL Systems 20
Volume 37, Issue No. 1, February 2013/March 2013 armada international is published bi-monthly by Media Transasia Ltd. Copyright 2012 by Media Transasia Ltd. Publishing Office: Media Transasia Ltd, Room No. 1205-1206, Hollywood Centre 233, Hollywood Road, Central, Hong Kong. Tel: (852) 2815 9111, Fax: (852) 2815 1933 Editor-in-Chief: Eric H. Biass Regular Contributors: Roy Braybrook, Paolo Valpolini, Thomas Withington Chairman: J.S. Uberoi President: Xavier Collaco Sr. Manager International Marketing: Vishal Mehta Manager International Marketing: Yusuf Azim Deputy Manager Marketing: Tarun Malviya Sales & Marketing Coordinator: Atul Bali Designer: Arijit Das Choudhury Production Manager: Kanda Thanakornwongskul Group Circulation Manager: Porames Chinwongs Chief Financial Officer: Gaurav Kumar Advertising Sales Offices Austria, Benelux, Switzerland Cornelius W. Bontje Ph: +41 55 216 17 81, cornelius.bontje@armada.ch France Promotion et Motivation, Odile Orbec Ph: +33 1 41 43 83 00, o.orbec@pema-group.com Germany Sam Baird Ph: +44 1883 715 697, sam@ whitehillmedia.com Italy, Nordic Countries Emanuela Castagnetti-Gillberg Ph: +46 31 799 9028, egillberg@glocalnet.net Spain Vía Exclusivas, Macarena Fdez. de Grado Ph: +34 91 448 76 22, macarena@viaexclusivas.com United Kingdom Zena Coupé Ph: +44 1923 852537, zena@expomedia.biz Russia Alla Butova, NOVO-Media Ltd, Ph: (7 3832) 180 885 Mobile : (7 960) 783 6653 Email :alla@mediatransasia.com Eastern USA – East of the Mississippi River Margie Brown, Ph: (540) 341 7581, margiespub@rcn.com Western USA – West of the Mississippi River Diane Obright, Ph: (858) 759 3557, blackrockmedia@cox.net All other countries Vishal Mehta, Tel: (91) 124 4759625, Mobile: (91) 99 999 85425, (44) 11 5885 4423, E-Mail: vishal@mediatransasia.com Annual subscription rates: Europe: CHF 186. + 36. (postage) Overseas: USD 186. + 36. (postage) ABC Controlled circulation: 22,739, certified by ABC/WEMF, valid from autumn 2011. 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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BASE PROTECTION
US Base Expeditionary Targeting and Surveillance Systems – Combined (BETSS-C) programme’s force protection system comes with a DRS MSTAR V6 ground surveillance radar. (DRS Technologies)
Border and Base Perimeters: No Trespassing Please! The recent operations in Iraq and Afghanistan highlighted the need to provide protection in theatre for the array of forward operating sites, from which the military forces mounts operations, controlling the local area and providing security for resupply, maintenance and rest purposes.
Luca Peruzzi 04
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ites range from main operating bases such as Camp Bastion or Herat, which includes an airfield, to forward operating bases accommodating a battle groupsize force near main populated centres, down to combat outposts and temporary base locations. Maintaining the security of these bases requires a combination of surveillance, preventive measures and targeted response. Building on overseas mission lessons and technology tailored developments, coming mainly from civilian intruder alert or border surveillance systems, the Armed Forces required industries to develop a number of camp protection systems. The latter are centred on a command and control module which collects and fuses data from a variety of systems, including day/ night cameras, electro-optical and all-weather ground surveillance radars, unattended ground sensors, in addition to air platforms such as aerostats and unmanned air systems to provide a sufficiently accurate plot for indirect or direct fire target solutions, avoiding the risk of collateral damage. I United States Urgent requirements to provide camp protection systems during operations in Iraq led to the development of the Rapid Aerostat Initial Deployment (Raid)/ Persistent Surveillance and Dissemination System of Systems (PSDS2) suite from Raytheon, which was provided to US forces from mid-2005.
The Department of Defense’s subsequent efforts in this domain came under the Base Expeditionary Targeting and Surveillance Systems _ Combined (BETSS-C) programme, which comprises a combination of force protection systems (FPS). The latter includes the Raid in the aerostat, mast and tower configurations, Cerberus tower-based system, the Force Protection Suite (FPS) and the Rapid Deployment Integrated Surveillance System (RDISS). In service in various models is the BETSS-C/Raid transportable quick-
erect tower configuration based on Flir System’s Star Safire III electrooptical/infrared (EO/IR) sensor and a ground surveillance radar (GSR), data link, generator and standard ground station (SGS), provided by SRI Sarnoff and common to all BETSS-C systems, with sensors collection, fusion and displaying capabilities for base defence and target acquisition. Together with the Cerberus truck-mounted surveillance tower equipped with both E/O and GSR, the Raid addresses persistent day and night targeting and surveillance requirements, while the FPS suite integrates pan-tiltzoom cameras, long-range thermal imagers, illuminators, unattended ground acoustic sensors and ground surveillance radars. Incorporating day/night cameras, the RDISS is designed to improve situational awareness for soldiers at joint security stations and combat outposts.
The BETSS-C programme also supervises US Air Force enhanced Tactical Automated Security System (eTASS) while the US Marine Corps has procured similar equipment under a Ground-Based Operational Surveillance System (G-Boss) programme, and a lighter Cerberus solution on trailer or tripods. Under the Joint Force Protection Advanced Security System (JFPASS) technology demonstrator programme, the US Army developed the Combat Outpost Surveillance and Force Protection System (COSFPS), which was assigned to Flir Systems as prime contractor (see box). These force protection systems employ a range of advanced cameras and electro-optics, such as Flir Systems Star Safire family of sensors including SS III, III XR+, High Definition, Thermo Vision 3000 and Ranger T3000/ III, while the ground surveillance radars are supplied by DRS, Flir Systems,
Kraken
(Paolo Valpolini)
This US Army view shows the Combat Outpost Surveillance and Force Protection System (COSFPS), which is also known as the Kraken. Devised by a Flir Systems-led industrial team, it can be deployed in less than 20 minutes by four people. It integrates sensors and weapons and provides all-round 24/7 situational awareness. The pictures of the displays, taken by Armada’s P. Valpolini, show Flir Systems’ skills at integrating all the subsystems into one single command post that can be run by a single operator, although two operational consoles are available, one for monitoring videos and the other for sensors.
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Telephonics and Israeli IAI/Elta. Finmeccanica’s American subsidiary is providing the latest Manportable Surveillance and Targeting Acquisition Radar (MSTAR) version of Thales’s ground surveillance radar, sold worldwide including to Australia, Canada, Columbia and Poland. Internet Protocol-enabled and compatible with all current integrated solutions, the Ku-band radar offers a typical detection range against moving persons and light vehicles of respectively 13+ and 25+ km.
Flir Systems has recently expanded its range of radars and includes this man-portable Ranger R20SS. It has a 90° coverage, and picks personnel at a range of 20km. (Flir)
Flir Systems Ranger family of ground surveillance radars has recently been expanded with the introduction of the new man-portable Ranger R20SS and the longer range dual-mode Ranger R5D, specifically designed for the Middle Eastern environment, according to the same company. Telephonics provides its X-band solid-state Advanced Radar Surveillance System (ARSS) - a 10kg compact and lightweight solution - while the Elta EL/M-2112
MAJOR CONFLICTS WORLDWIDE: SOLDIERS IN ACTION: 530,000 ONE PARTNER FOR SECURITY SO L SECURITY OF DEPLOYED FORCES. Wherever in the world, situations arise in which interventions inevitably have to be made and force has to be applied, all while trying to avoid collateral damage. Thousands of soldiers depend on the quality of their training and the reliability of their equipment. We are proud that partners around the globe have selected us for our outstanding capabilities to protect armed forces in these conflict zones. www.cassidian.com
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lightweight radar has been acquired by US Customs and Border Protection agency and US Army (see box). Unattended ground and acoustic sensors include the L-3 Communications-provided Rembass II Remotely Monitored Battlefield Sensor System (the sensors of which can be monitored at ranges of up to 15 km) and the Raytheon BBN Technologies Boomerang shooter detection system. Moreover the Raid aerostat version based on a 17m air-vehicle platform provided by Lockheed Martin, comes in new configurations with electrooptical suite and surveillance radar, including Wescam turrets and the 29kg Northrop Grumman StarLite small tactical radar providing SAR/ GMTI/Dismounted (person) MTI detection capabilities.
I Israel
All of Israel’s main defence and security industrial group in Israel, including IAI/Elta, Rafael, Elbit, as well as a number of smaller
The Boomerang shooter detection system is the standard unattended acoustic sensor for both bases and force protection. It is also being provided in a single soldier integrated solution. (Raytheon BBN Technologies)
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BASE PROTECTION
air and sea targets, it has a sixkilometre detection range against pedestrians and 40 kilometre range against large vessels. The same MHR family includes an innovative RPS40 hostile fire detection radar system which detects, tracks, classifies and locates direct and elevated threats, such as rockets, artillery, mortars, missiles and rocjet-propelled grenade fired at stationary or mobile forces.
IAI Elta displayed their aerostat-borne radar and electro-optical sensor technology at the 2005 Paris in air show, where this picture was taken. (Armada/Eric H. Biass)
companies have developed, produced and fielded a range of solutions for border surveillance and force protection. A number of these can easily find applications in temporary base and camp defence suites. IAI/Elta provides a new generation of persistent ground surveillance radars incorporating an electronically scanned multi-beam planar array with a dedicated digital receiver per beam. Representing the family’s leading member and produced in four different versions, Elta’s EL/M-2112 ground master modular X-band radar features up to four stationary planar arrays, giving an instantaneous and continuous 360° coverage, with a scalable detection range of 300 metres to 20 km for a moving person and up to 40 km for vehicles. Radar Electronic Industries presented a new family of stationary and mobile radars at AUSA 2012 that is specifically designed for force and border protection. It is currently undergoing field and live fire testing, and production is scheduled to start during the first quarter of 2013. The Multi-Mission Hemispheric (MHR) advanced Pulse Doppler, S-band, solid-state, aesa (active electronically scanned array)
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antenna-equipped radar family includes the border protectionoptimised RHS-44 model. This can incorporate up to four independent and interchangeable 90°-coverage radar panels of reduced dimensions, that can ba installed on mast stations onboard vehicles or at stationary sites. Able to operate against ground,
Companies like IAI Elta, Aerostat/ RT LTA, and Rafael provide surveillance systems based on aerostats equipped with electrooptical and/or radar surveillance systems, including the tacticaloriented Skystar family, that have been sold worldwide. They are also used in Afghanistan by American and Canadian armies, equipped with Controp T-Stamp or Speed-A 3-axes stabilized electro-optical payloads. The latter company also provides Cedar and Spider panoramic automatic intruder systems, the latter being stabilized and equipped with IR, CCD Camera and laser rangefinder/pointer. Both are able to scan and automatically detect targets in wide area searches.
The GO12 is a two-man-pack (30 kg full set) Ku-band GSR with a 360° coverage and a 10 km range against person target. It is in use with French and German armies and has been recently selected by a South America country. (Thales)
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BOR-A 550/560 I-band GSR represents the leading product in the long-range segment, being provided to 20 customers in 18 countries. Thales also provides a newer GO80 system, which offers enhanced performances. (Thales)
ESC Baz has recently sold its Aviv short-to-medium range surveillance system, incorporating a CCD day camera, Layla uncooled thermal camera and zoom-controlled spotlight in motorized Smart pantilt-unit to an Asian customer for site surveillance. For such and border applications, IAI Taman division offers its Plug-in Optronic Payload (POP) on elevated poles and centralized C2 stations.
I Europe
The increased number of deployments abroad has pushed a number of Nato and friendly countries and industries to provide a protection package for their armed forces bases. Based on experience gained with the battle-proven Discus (Deployable Integrated Sensors for CompoUnd Security) deployed to Afghanistan since 2006 with Royal Netherlands Army and later with the Canadian Army, the Spectre (Syst_me de Protection des Elements Terrestres) demonstrator tested by France, and the Mobids (Modular Intrusion Detection System) in service with German Army and deployed to Afghanistan and Kosovo, Thales
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Deutschland has developed Musec2 (Multi-Sensor Command & Control) system. Sold in different multi-sensor application variants in Europe and in the Middle East, the Musec2 provides the core of Thales scalable and modular force and base protection packages.
Based on an open and flexible architecture that allow one to add various types of surveillance sensors and to easily integrate with C4I or Istar systems, the Musec2 is a command and control system whose typical applications include site surveillance, camp protection, local area surveillance and sensor netting. The Musec2 forms the core of the Thales Combined Surveillance and Intrusion Detection System (CSIDS) for fixed-site protection and border surveillance, which was unveiled last February at the Singapore air show. Capable of managing a large number of radars, electro-optical sensors and of processing more than 320 tracks, a dedicated configuration was sold to Germany and to two unspecified Middle East countries for different border applications including a vehicle-mounted configuration. Thales sensor packages range from the GO12 (Ground Observer 12), Squire, BOR-A 5 E/O or new GO80 ground surveillance radars to electrooptical systems (including multisensor cameras on pan-and-tilts mounts), robotic ground systems, RF and acoustic-based weapon location systems, and electronic-intelligence sensors. The GO12 is a two-manpack (30 kg full set) Ku-band ground surveillance radar with 360° coverage
The Thales Margot 5000 houses the latest-generation Catherine XP 8-12Âľm band thermal imager, a daylight colour CCD camera and laser range finder, and uses the Astar (Assisted Surveillance Tracking Analysis and Report) common family software. (Thales)
(ISOPS). Showed for the first time at Eurosatory 2010, it consists of a 20 ft ISO container-based surveillance and command suite, including an integral 20-metre tower with a number of sensor options. The British forces, for example, use the Thales MSTAR SGR, but Elta and Plextek radars, Kylmar cameras and Cobham UGSs have also been integrated.
The Hydra sensor range is meeting the need for detection, localisation, and identification of intrusion by using rugged, remote sensing, surveillance, and versatile wireless sensing networks. (Selex Galileo)
and a demonstrated range of 10 km against a person on foot. It is in use with the French and German armies and has recently been selected by a South American country. The Thales Nederland Squire medium range ground surveillance radar has been integrated in the Discus, and over 300 systems have been sold to various customers worldwide. The BOR-A 550/560 I-band radar represents the leading product in the long-range category, and has found 20 buyers in 18 countries. During IDEX 2011, Thales unveiled the GO80 system, which expands the company’s portfolio above the BOR-A family, providing higher transmitting power, larger antenna and high-end signal processing. The new X-band radar has a 24 km range against a person and around 60 km against a larger vehicle (20 sqm). The range of Thales electrooptical applied products includes the Teoss 350 which is used in Discus configurations and the Margot 5000 sensor packages. The latter is equipped with the Catherine XP
latest-generation 8-12µm band thermal imager, day light colour CCD camera and laser range finder, and uses the Astar (Assisted Surveillance Tracking Analysis and Report) common family software. Thales’ portfolio also includes the Wasp (Wide Area Surveillance Platform) suite, consisting of a trailer-based mobile suite with a mast-mounted surveillance suite based on an elector-optical solution to be coupled to a lightweight GO12 standard ground station. The Wasp uses Ultra Electronic Command and Control Systems (UECCS) and the Situational Awareness Management Systems (SAMS) control suite.
Selex Galileo is promoting its mobile trailer-based Observer 100 and 250 surveillance systems that are respectively equipped with 10- and 25-metre masts and a tailored multisensor package including thermal imagers with continuous optical zoom, colour camera and ground surveillance radar, all managed by Vintage software suite. Selex also offers the Hydra multi-sensor unattended ground system. Sagem, for its part offers the Saps omni-directional stabilized surveillance sight, which provides real-time and 360° continuous situational awareness thanks to innovative operating modes including Pan Scanb and Track & The Janus houses a third generation thermal imager with a full format staring focal plane array, a Superhad colour CCD TV camera with continuous zoom and a laser rangefinder. (Selex Galileo)
Based on an open and reconfigurable architecture, and designed to fuse data from a range of sensors (automatically tracking several hundred individual targets), the UECCS SAMS is at the art of UK Project Cortez camp protection system. In service since 2009 and provided by prime contractor General Dynamics UK, it is known on the open market as the ISO Persistence Surveillance armada
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Deployed by US, Canadian and UK forces, the Halo acoustic sensor has been selected by the Italian army as part of its camp protection package, together with the Metravib Pilar MkIIW small-calibre gunshot detector. (Selex Galileo)
While Scan, and Teos (Territory Electro-Optic Surveillance). A 20km-class turret-mounted longrange system, it features a Matis thermal camera with continuous 18x optic zoom and a CCTV camera equipped with a 60x optic zoom, as well as VGA infrared detectors. A Rheinmetall-led consortium of German and French companies has successfully conducted interoperability test of a military asset protection system under the three-year Camp Protection Systems (FICAPS) project contract awarded by the European Defence Agency (EDA) in 2010. The ultimate aim is to create a system for the protection of military assets and installations in multinational operations. The previous year, Germany’s Federal Agency for Defence Technology and Procurement awarded a
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Rheinmetall, Thales Deutschland and Diehl Defence consortium a contract for a fully networked camp protection prototype under SEO (Schutz von Einrichtungen und Objekten) programme, which was demonstrated from 2010. Cassidian also received a capability demonstrator contract under the same programme, based on its Dome (Defence Of Missioncritical Entities) system. The later is centred on an Operation Cell for Infrastructure Protection (OCIP), with a combination of sensors and effectors. Cassidian developed a new generation Spexer GSR family using active electronically scanned array and innovative digital beam forming technologies. Based on an ‘all-in-one-box’ solution, the Spexer family grow from the man-portable Spexer 500 with a pedestrian
detection range of 5 km to the Spexer 1500 model, which offers higher performances (15 km against a person and 18 km for lightweight vehicles) for larger perimeter protection. The more powerful and border surveillance optimized Spexer 2000 is in production for a Middle East customer, while a military version has been developed for the German Army. Based on the already provided solutions for borders and infrastructures protection, an industrial team lead by Selex Sistemi Integrati received in December 2011 a contract from the Italian Ministry of Defence to develop and provide an undisclosed number of deployable suites for the protection of forward bases abroad. As a spin-off of activities already
conducted for the Italian armed forces digitalization programme Forza NEC (Network Enabled Capability), a Selex Sistemi Integrati-led team of companies is providing a tailored suite that includes a C2 element and a package of ground surveillance radar, electro-optical and acoustic sensors. Once evaluated and certified by the Italian Army, a first full suite is to be shipped to Afghanistan. In addition to a perimeter network of cameras, microphones and infrared intrusion detection sensors, the suite comes in a shelter-contained deployable solution that accommodates trailers with sensors and supporting equipment to shorten setting-up times. It includes a Selex Sistemi Integrati Lyra 10 ground support radar on an 18-metre extending tower, which has a typical man and vehicle detection range of 10 and 24 km respectively, and provides 360° coverage. The Lyra 10, thanks to its 25 kg antenna group weight and reduced
dimensions, can be installed on small vehicles such as quad-bikes to provide protection to forward posts or to fill gaps in border surveillance networks. Selex Galileo also provides the electro-optical package. This includes a Janus long/medium range stabilised multi-sensor system and four Mini Colibr_ day/night compact systems (this ensures a level of commonality with Italian Army vehicle equipment). However, a special version of the Janus mounted on an 18-metre tower features a newgeneration Erica FF (full format) 3-5_m cooled staring focal plane array thermal imager with dual field of views, a Superhad colour CCD TV camera with continuous zoom and a laser rangefinder. The 6.5-kilo Mini Colibr_s are equipped with uncooled 8-12 _m IR cameras, a laser range finder and a Superhad CCD TV colour camera. The acoustic suite includes a Halo (Hostile Artillery Locating System), which is Selex Galileo’s fourth-generation weapon locating
system which is already employed by American, Canadian and British forces. It offers a typical range of 15 km and 6 km against artillery and mortars rounds respectively, while small calibres gunshots detection is provided by a Metravib Pilar MkIIW system. The package is managed by a C2 module with six-operator stations, but typically, it is handled by a threemember team. It is based on an open architecture, plug-and-play sensor, Linux computing and IP protocolbased capability which collects, fuses and correlates data from different sensors, providing the best reaction to the identified threat. The Italian Army has contracted Selex to provide an additional single package for airfield protection, which in addition to a Lyra 10 radar includes an Israeli Aeronautics Skystar 300 aerostat system equipped with Controp Speed-A 3-axis stabilized optronic payload and the same company’s ground-based Spider stabilized panoramic automatic intruder detection and recognition system.
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ITT Exelisâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Gnomad can be used in both a vehicle-mounted and soldier carried configuration. In terms of data transfer, the Gnomad can transmit this at a rate of up to twomegabits per second. (ITT Exelis)
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Signals From The Heavens Today’s armies rely on High Frequency (HF), Very High Frequency (VHF) and Ultra High Frequency (UHF) communications to transmit voice and data traffic between units and echelons. Mobile satellite communications offer exponential increases in the quantity of traffic which can be handled on today’s battlefield and the ranges at which such traffic can be sent and received.
Thomas Withington
H
F communications, which typically use the 3-30 Megahertz (MHz) portion of the electromagnetic spectrum provides beyond line-of-sight communications and are ubiquitous in armed forces across the world. Yet HF has its disadvantages. It uses the ionosphere to bounce transmitted radio signals back to Earth. This provides impressive range, but at the same time, HF can be vulnerable to weather phenomena and solar activity. VHF, which inhabits the 30-300MHz range, can transmit high levels of data and voice traffic and has good resistance to atmospheric and electromagnetic interference, but can only achieve a lineof-sight range, unlike HF, and can thus be blocked by elevated terrain. UHF communications stretch from 300MHz to three Gigahertz (GHz) and, like VHF, provide a line-of-sight range and require small-sized antennae. This latter point reduces a transceivers’ physical footprint, although such communications can be adversely affected by attenuation caused by naturally-occurring water droplets in the atmosphere. These absorb radio waves and thus reduce signal strength. Satellite Communications (satcom) typically use the X-band for uplink in the 7.9-8.4GHz waveband and the 7.257.75GHz waveband for downlink, along with the Ku-band (12-18GHz) and the Ka-band (26.5-40GHz). It is noteworthy that some military satcom terminals
also utilise the comparatively lowerfrequency C-band. The advantages conferred by satcom include its long range derived from bouncing off a spacecraft-based antenna, and the large quantity of communications traffic that it can manage. Increasingly, telecommunications suppliers are placing satcoms into the hands of troops at the tactical level outfitting them with terminals that they can activate in minutes
“Increasingly, telecommunications suppliers are placing satcoms into the hands of troops at the tactical level” and vehicle-mounted systems which they can use while on-the-move. The world of military satellite communications for land forces encompasses everything from large strategic-level fixed and transportable antennas and terminals which can be used to link deployed headquarters to national command authorities, down to the small manportable and vehicle-mounted terminals noted above. In the interests of space and clarity, this article will concentrate on man-portable and on-the-move vehiclemounted satcom systems, with the larger strategic terminals being examined in future Armada articles.
I DRS Defense Solutions
DRS Defense Solutions’ 1.2 and 1.8 metre antenna Multi-band Flyaway Autoacquisition Satellite Terminal (MFAST) can be assembled by a single individual within 15 minutes. Once built, a satellite connection can be secured at the touch of a button. The entire kit is transportable in three airline shipping cases. Larger satcom products are available from DRS in the form of the 2.4 metre vehicle/trailermounted on-the-pause antenna which is available in the C-, X-, Ku and/or Kabands. Those users requiring on-the-move satcom can opt for DRS Technologies’ Ku38V Low Profile cotm (Continuous OnThe-Move) aerial. The Ku-38V is designed to deliver high bandwidth continuous voice, data and video communications in a package with a small size and weight, while a low power consumption helps reduce the physical burden on vehicles carrying this equipment. X-band users can opt for the Ku-38V’s sister unit, the X-38V Low Profile COTM antenna. Joining the Ku-38V is the Ku-Band satellite COTM antenna. Like its sibling it offers high bandwidth voice, data and video communications although it is available in an X-band configuration upon request in the guise of DRS’s X-Band Satellite XOTM antenna.
I Telecomsys
Telecomsys offer two notable satcom terminals in the guise of the Swiftlink DVM-90 and Swiftlink DVM-100. The armada
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SATCOMS ON THE MOVE I L3 Communications
South Africa’s MicroVision Satellite Systems provides military grade soldier satellite communications systems such as the MicroVSAT portable antenna. (Micro Vision Satellite Systems)
former has a 0.9m Ku-band antenna as part of a broadband lightweight and compact flyaway satellite terminal. The DVM-90 is transportable in two flight cases and can be ready for use inside of 20 minutes. Once activated, it offers a data throughput of from 64kbps up to 4.2mbps.
I Israeli Offerings
It will be of little surprise to many readers to realise that Israel is a centre of excellence for mobile military satcom as much as it is for conventional military communications. Commtact produce the Mobile Satellite Terminal (Most) which offers full duplex Ku- and Kaband communications and includes an advanced stabilisation and polarisation mechanism which enables the Most to keep track of the satellite it is using while a vehicle is in motion. Elbit’s catalogue comprises the MSR-3000, MSR-PRO and MSR-R terminals. The MSR-3000 provides tactical man-portable satcom in a package with a total weight of twelve kilograms using the X-, Ku- and Ka-bands. Vehicles, meanwhile, can be kitted out with Elbit’s Ku-band MSR-2000 mobile terminal. The MSR-2000 can be used with Elbit’s MSR-R and MSR-PRO rugged broadband routers and either an Elsat 2000 or Elsat 2100 lowprofile antennas which are 0.52 and 0.9 metres in size respectively. Elbit’s fellow military telecommunications specialist IAI Elta offers full duplex Ku-band satellite communications in the form of the EL/K1891 satcom on-the-move solution, which offers wideband links for land, air and sea
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applications. Elta complements the EL/K1891 with a number of antennas under one metre in size, a compact transceiver and a lightweight, high-efficiency 100watt amplifier. The firm’s man-portable satellite communications include the EL/ K-1895 Manpack Tactical satcom terminal which handles voice, data and compressed video traffic. The user has the choice of positioning the terminal at their location, or remotely controlling it via either a laptop computer or a handheld device. Another useful feature is that the EL/K1895 is pre-programmed to search for available Ku-band communications and direct itself accordingly once in operation.
While the EL/K-1895 offers communications in the Ku-band, L3 Communications’ AN/USC-66 KaSAT equipment operates in the Ka-band providing the United States Army with long-range reach using the Wideband Global Satcom (WGS) constellation. The WGS is a bilateral US and Australian Departments of Defence programme which will provide a considerable increase in the satcom bandwidth available to the militaries of each country. It may also offer similar additional capacity to Canada which has signed on as a WGS partner. The WGS constellation augments the existing American Defense Satellite Communication System-III (DSCS-III) constellation of 14 spacecraft, the final example of which was launched in 2003. The WGS will supersede the DSCS-III birds as they leave service. In terms of capability, the WGS constellation offers 4.875GHz of instantaneous, switch-able bandwidth, supplying ten times the capacity of the legacy DSCS-III system. The first WGS spacecraft,’USA-195’, offers a 2.5 gigabitsper-second wideband communications capacity. This already exceeds the bandwidth available from all of the DSCSIII spacecraft put together. In total, the WGS network will include seven satellites, of which four are already operational. L3 Communications has designed the AN/USC-66 to be quick to deploy and
General Dynamics provides the military with a range of mobile satcom terminals via its Warrior family. These include the Warrior Model 240 trailer-mounted antenna seen here. (US DoD)
tear down. It is transportable in four 40kilo flight cases and it can be used as in a vehicle-mounted role. Mobile platforms can utilise L3 Communications’ Integrated Mobile satcom Terminal On-The-Move IP Data System which provides high bandwidth, Internet Protocol (IP)-based mobile satellite communications, while the firm’s NCW-1200 Network Centric Waveform 1.2 metre Flyaway Terminal is a Ku-band transportable satcom terminal the architecture of which comprises baseband power distribution, support equipment and an antenna pedestal positioner – all of which are housed in their own flight cases. An external power supply and a laptop computer are the only required additions to operate the NCW-1200. The L3 Communications’ TRM-1000, for its part, teams an MPM-10000 IP modem with an antenna to transmit and receive traffic via the WGS constellation (see above) while the firm’s family of wideband satcom antenna terminals covers all of the satellite communications bands in a package which is (JTRS) Software Communication Architecture 2.2 Core Framework standard and WGS/
A US Army soldier configures a Harris AN/PRC-117 software-defined combat net radio to perform satellite communications. A current trend is seeing satellite communications being placed in the hands of individual troops via their personal radios. (US DoD)
XTAR X-band communications satellite compliant.
I Viasat
The American armed forces also make
use of Viasat’s AN/PSC-14 Broadband Global Area Network (BGAN). Tis utilises the International Maritime Satellite broadband international satcom network (more commonly known as
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The Rockwell Collins CCT200 Swe-Dish flyaway antenna is available in X, Kuand Ka-bands according to customer preference, and offers a data rate of 50 megabits-per-second. (Rockwell Collins)
Inmarsat) across hardware that is certified to a US National Security Agency Type-1 encryption standard. Data rates of up to 422kbps are attainable with the AN/PSC14, which can be used in either a manpack or vehicle-mounted configuration.
I ITT Exelis
Likewise, the US Army employ ITT Exelis’s satcom products with the firm’s offerings including the Gnomad family (see our title picture), which has a common Rockwell Collins’s CCT120 Swe-Dish CommuniCase Technology satellite terminal uses a modular approach for specific components, enabling customers to obtain a bespoke system based on their specific needs. (Rockwell Collins)
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base package with an interchangeable antenna according to whether the terminal is being used in a manpack or a vehiclemounted configuration. The company says that one of the key differentiating factors for the Gnomad family compared to other satcom gear on the market is its low size, weight, power and cooling footprint. The Gnomad offers a two megabit-per-second data rate and uses commercially-available Ku-band satellite bandwidth, while the low-profile antenna utilised in the vehicleborne version preserves stealthiness and does not impede other roof-mounted equipment such as remote-controlled weapons stations. Full duplex voice, data and video transmissions are attainable and for secure communications the terminal can be teamed with the National Security Agency’s Taclane KG-175 IP network Type1 communications security and KIV-19 Type-1 link encryption device providing a secure 50Mbps data rate. In addition the user can connect the Gnomad to an AN/ VRC-92 single channel ground and air radio system, AN/VRC-104 and AN/VRC110 tactical vehicular transceivers. Sales of Gnomad have followed to the US Army’s 2nd and 4th Infantry Divisions.
I Harris
Well known in the tactical radio domain, Harris’ satcom wares include the AN/USC65 C/X/Ku/Ka-band terminal used by the US Marine Corps. The AN/USC-65 is being superseded by Harris’s Modular Advanced Quad-Band Antenna (MAQA) terminal which covers the same bandwidth as the AN/USC-65 using a 3.8-metre aerial. It will be able to communicate across the US
WGS and the United Kingdom’s Ministry of Defence Skynet-5 communications satellite constellations, and via standard commercial satellite bandwidth. Harris also has the triband Seeker family of flyaway antennas that are available in both 1.3 and 0.95 metre sizes. Handing about five megabits-per-second of data, the Seeker family has recently been certified for use with the WGS. Purchases have been forthcoming from the United States Special Operations community, and from several European Nato members.
I Rockwell Collins
Likewise, Rockwell Collins has an established pedigree in the tactical radio world and a catalogue with a number of satcom offerings. The MiSAT portable terminals offer X- and Ku-band communications in a package weighing below 18 kilos that can be readied for operation in under five minutes, even for someone without any satellite communications experience. Boasting similar innovation is the CommuniCase Technology (CCT) Swe-Dish. It is built around a modular concept, with specific components that can be combined to provide a customised solution. The modules include the antenna, transceiver, processor, software, power supply, packaging and auxiliary products. Every time a new module is added, the software notes this and adapts itself accordingly. An intuitive graphical interface also reduces training time, and all the modules can be enclosed in one case. Both the MiSAT and the CCT have been acquired by special forces and defence ministries around the world, in addition to the US Navy and US National Guard.
Thales is one of Europe’s leading providers of military portable satcoms. Included in the firms’ product portfolio is the Talisman tactical satellite communications set. (Thales)
Various nations. Multiple challenges. One device. The new ¸SDTR. Thales was selected by the French defence procurement agency to fulfil an urgent operational requirement for its Venus mobile satellite command and control vehicles which provide X-band satcom on the move. (Thales)
I General Dynamics
No mention of American satcom on-the-move providers would be complete without discussing General Dynamics’ Warrior family. The firms’ Warrior SMT (Small Man-portable Terminal) provides both secure and non-secure high-speed data X- and Ka-band traffic at rates of 18mbps when receiving and four megabits-per-second transmitting – and is ready to use inside of 15 minutes. Joining the Warrior SMT is the Warrior Model-96 which handles the same communications bands and data rates, (as does the Warrior Model-120 1.2-metre antenna terminal), which is portable in three lightweight flight cases. General Dynamics’ Warrior Model-180 1.8-metre antenna handles C-band traffic in addition to X- and Ka-band communications. Larger trailermounted dishes in the form of the Model-240 (2.8-metre antenna) and AN/TSC-185 terminal, both of which support satellite communications at-the-halt, are also available from General Dynamics.
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I Thales
European companies provide their fair share of satcom terminals for tactical land applications. Thales’s offerings have focused on its System-21 transmission solution (also previously known as the Modem-21E in its export guise). Modifications to the Modem-21E during its lifetime have included the addition of waveforms improving its resilience to jamming, and efforts to increase its data rates providing the wherewithal to now carry up to 32mbps of traffic. System-21 covers all the software and hardware versions of the former Modem-21E as well as the new functions such as ‘Net-IP’ which manages the Quality of Service of the network according to the military requirement. System-21 uses IP-based architecture and specific treatment which means that, should the terminal loose its connection with the satellite if the antenna is obscured by trees or tall buildings for example, the terminal ‘remembers’ the particulars of the connection and automatically re-establishes it once the satellite is back in view. Turning to aerials, Thales offers vehicle satcom solutions grouped together under the company’s Satmove family. These are ‘vehicle agnostic’ and are available with either a conventional parabolic design, or with a phased array. This latter system is armada
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SATCOMS ON THE MOVE aluminium flight cases. The Talon Lite’s architecture includes an Outdoor Unit (ODU) which remotely connects to the Indoor Unit, used to control the system via a five-metre long fibre optic cable, although the user can extend this to 1000 metres if desired. The ODU includes the antenna, a Global Positioning System receiver, compass and inclinometer to provide automatic satellite capture based on positional information within the ODU’s memory. The IDU comprises a CDM570L-IP satellite modem, and a control and monitoring computer.
Poland’s WZL systems have already been supplied to the country’s armed forces to support its deployment in Afghanistan, most notably the 1.8 metre PPTS-1.8 terminal. (WZL)
particularly useful for ground vehicles which are moving across bumpy and uneven surfaces which may cause a conventional vehicle antenna to loose its lock on the satellite. As the phased array antenna is electronically-steered, it has a far easier time maintaining its view of the satellite. Furthermore, Thales is responsible for the Talisman family of manpack terminals that have proven to
be very attractive to special forces around the world. Most Thales land terminals are available in X-band, Ku-band and Kaband.
I Selex Elsag
Selex Elsag’s Talon Lite is a compact flyaway terminal offering either X-band or Ku-band communications using a onemetre antenna and two 20-30 kg aircraft
Although military satellite communications have traditionally used the X-band, this frequency spread is becoming increasingly saturated. Therefore a migration is occurring with the military increasingly using the higher-frequency Ka-band. (US DoD)
In terms of technological trends for military mobile and on-the-move satcoms, a quiet revolution is ongoing in terms of bandwidth. Military satellite communications currently tend to operate in the X-band segment of the spectrum. While X-band boasts robust
“The migration to Ka-band is just as well, as recent operations have taught that the high demand for satellite communications bandwidth is very much here to stay.” anti-jamming characteristics, the comparative narrowness of the segment available for military communications (500 megahertz) means that it is hugely oversubscribed. This has been underscored by the vociferous appetite that the United States and her allies have had for satellite bandwidth during military operations in Afghanistan, Iraq and more recently Libya. Ku-band is comparatively wider, but is also hugely subscribed, being extensively used by the commercial sector. Ka-band offers some much needed additional bandwidth, providing one gigahertz for military communications and the same quantity for commercial users. Technology has caught up with Ka-band and military satcom terminal designers now able to offer equipment with small antennas at a competitive cost which can use this part of the spectrum. The migration to Ka-band is just as well, as recent operations have taught that the high demand for satellite communications bandwidth is very much here to stay.
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INDEPENDENT SUSPENSION
Independence N
Impressive montage revealing the Oshkosh M-ATV’s Tak-4 suspension
The necessity to fit any suspensions at all to vehicles appeared at a time when they were still horse-pulled – and this was not necessarily for comfort reasons. At the time, such carts had beam axles, in other words rigid axles. With the advent of mechanical propulsion, and in spite of ever increasing speeds, it took almost half a century for automobiles to start – and only start – adopting independently suspended wheels. Why and for what advantages will be explained here.
Eric H. Biass
W
hy suspensions to begin with? When life on earth was rough, men were also rough, even when they invented the wheel. These were first
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made of slices of tree trunks affixed to an axle. Running slowly on a relatively small obstacle like a stone amounts to a small climb, but done at a certain speed, it becomes a shock, and faster
it becomes a jolt. This is still relatively “acceptable” if there is no weight on the axle, but if this weight increases, effectively pressing the wheel down, the stone will then have the effect of a
Now!
Tyre or Tire? The original word is actually “tire”, which was short for “attire”. In the context of wheels, attire did not refer to the way they were dressed or decorated, but rather more to the metal band that encircled or bound their wooden rims to keep all their components together and of course add an element of ruggedness. When the rim itself was eventually made of metal and the “tire” made of rubber, Britain decided to spell the tire with a “y” to avoid confusion between the genres. wedge being forced into the wooden wheel, with perfectly imaginable effects. This is when some crafty brain had the idea of putting a soft mount between the axle and the weight-bearing platform mounted on it, to act as a “shock-retarding” device, meaning that the wheel can now run over that small stone without splitting because the force exerted on the wheel will partly be absorbed by the soft mount. Although still wooden, wheels had by now become the more sophisticated spoke type held tight by a metal band. Early suspensions were usually made up of leaf springs that also acted as axle longitudinal fixtures, ensuring that axles did stay well perpendicular to their carried frame
or subframe (on horse-pulled carts, the whole front sub-frame swivels to turn). With the higher speeds afforded by thermal engines came the more sophisticated wheel – the type that comes with the rubber, air-inflated tyre invented by John Dunlop to give bicycles a softer ride – but when André Michelin adapted the size to fit them to automobiles wheels hitherto shod with solid rubber bands, a disturbing factor came into play: bouncing (or rebound). Indeed, the tyre was nothing else than a doughnut-shaped rubber ball. Initially, this did not have a big impact because speeds were still relatively low and the semi-elliptical leaf suspensions then used, had a self-damping effect (or rather the stacked spring leaves rubbing against each other had). This effectively brings us to the development of the damper and the reason why the development of independent suspension was so delayed. This was perhaps a long introduction, but one that is essential to understand the reasons why the advent of the independent suspension – particularly for off-road vehicles – was not only held back by its more complicated design requiring a much larger number of parts, but also by the necessity of obtaining adequate materials to build long-lasting, reliable dampers (often called shock absorbers, but the term nowadays generally refers to the coil+damper combination).
I The Damper I
As its names implies, the damper’s role is to prevent a tyre from bouncing up an
These two – a Humvee fitted with an Tak-4 suspension (left) and an Eagle 3 fitted with a rigid De Dion beam – perfectly illustrate different philosophies and, therefore, behaviours. The Hummer’s wheels remain vertical whether the suspension is compressed or fully extended in stark comparison with the Eagle’s. (Oshkosh and General Dynamics)
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suspension assembly. In off-road vehicles, a 40cm wheel stroke is good, 50cm better and 60cm everybody’s wish. The torsion bar, usually associated with a trailing arm, is very popular with “hulled” armoured vehicles, as it enables their designers to make the best possible use of the space determined by the vehicle’s track.
One of the early form of damper involved two plates made to rub against a clutch plate (Author archives)
down like a pea on a drum after it has hit a road imperfection. To make things worse, the fact that the wheel carries a heavy axle makes the whole process even more difficult to keep under control. The greater the non-suspended weight (or unsprung mass), the stronger the required damping. Initially, friction dampers were used. These were metal plates made to rub against intermediary plates. The tighter they were pressed, the higher the damping effect was. The more they were put to hard work, the hotter and the less effective they became, thereby initiating a disastrous vicious circle.
I Springs
For a very long time, the most commonly used springing element came in the form of a stack of variable lengths of steel blades called “leaf spring”. This This Mbombe exemplifies the justification of an all-independent suspension to help guarantee full wheel-to-ground contact and therefore best possible traction in adverse situations. (Paramount Group)
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had inherent advantages as its lateral rigidity enabled it to play key role as one of the axle securing elements, and thus offers a cheap solution. As seen above, it also had a measure of self-damping effect. Its downside was its inability to provide a long stroke, whether in compression or extension. The coil spring is a comparatively a very modern affair, only appearing in the middle of the last century, and even much later on heavy vehicles. It offers a very high degree of flexibility and long stroke, but necessitates very specific steel grades and highly controlled production methods. Its downside is that it cannot play any structural role whatsoever in the
Finally, there is air. Amazingly, this medium is one of the last ones to have entered that suspension arena as a springing element. This is mainly due to the fact that it needs to be enclosed in a flexible chamber involving a material that was very difficult to master in terms of durability: rubber. It is now almost all the rage with the truck community (see the Tatra picture in this article. Also, by pumping additional air into the air chamber, one is allowed to control the riding height in relation to the weight carried. In a more sophisticated world (initiated by Citroën in the 1950s with hydraulics) it now enables computers to automatically handle the parameters and even adjust the suspension qualities to the road surface within seconds, in a process known as “active suspension”.
I Why Independence?
First of all, to reduce the weight of the non-suspended or unsprung mass (in vehicle parlance anything suspended
Timoney in Ireland developed some small armoured vehicles in the 1970s, but perhaps became more internationally renowned for its double wishbone independent suspensions that were chosen for the ADI (now Thales Australia) Bushmaster massively adopted by the Australian Army. (Timoney)
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motion combined with that of the axle moving up and down, one begins to see in slow motion the horrible picture of a wheel wobbling and wiggling in space. Transpose the picture to a steering beam axle: the horrible picture clearly becomes a nightmare, with all the motion being generously kicked back into the steering wheel and the arms of the driver (reason why experienced off-road drivers never keep their thumbs under the steering wheel’s spokes to avoid having them wrenched backwards on a kick-back). In an all-terrain scenario, the essential ingredient to efficiency is grip. Not only rotational grip to ensure traction, but also lateral grip to prevent the vehicle from slipping sidewards on a slope or spinning in a bend on greasy wet clay terrain – not to mention the lateral grip absolutely required to keep steering control. The sine qua non here is to ensure that all wheels remain in contact with the ground at all times and with a maximum load on each one of them. To ensure this, there is only one solution: long suspension stroke.
In a telescopic damper (a single-action here), a piston is forced to push through a volume of fluid which has a limited escape route via a valve. (Author’s archive)
is above the top of the suspension system), which by military truck or lorry standards is horrendously high – the rim and type assembly alone (which makes the wheel) weighs more than 150 kilos (a far cry from the light alloy wheels of your modern little coupé). In a 4 x 4 this is done by breaking up the axle into roughly three main parts, the central part containing the differential being fixed to the chassis (and therefore as seen above, becomes a suspended mass) and the two, lighter stub axles (or half-shafts) driving the wheel hubs via universal and constant-speed joints. The above picture being laid out, further advantages become apparent, but first and utmost it is clear that any adverse road or surface action on a wheel will have no direct impact on the opposite side wheel. But there is more: a horizontal shock, as would be imparted by hitting a large stone, would also cause a solid axle to want to steer. If one can imagine this
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Independent suspensions also bring about another advantage: by playing on the geometry of its components (triangles, struts and so forth) not only This CAD printout shows the sturdy double wishbone suspension layout of the front suspension and driveline designed by Renault Trucks Defence for the Nexter VBCI. (Renault)
can one add camber to the wheel, but by working out a proper differential length between the upper and lower triangles in the geometry, this angle can be made to increase as weight crushes down that particular suspension. This means that the suspension, by “cambering out” can be made to compensate the natural propensity of an outside wheel to fold under the vehicle in a bend, particularly the outer front one.
I Damper II
The longer the suspension stroke – its ability to travel up and down – the more damping effort is required. It goes without saying that having read the paragraph above, the friction damper described under “The Damper I” paragraph would not last long. The use of the telescopic damper had been generalised well before WWII and the device has gone through tremendous improvements, particularly in the last decades. A telescopic damper operates pretty much like the hand pump we use to inflate the tyres of our bicycle, only that instead of pumping air out, it pumps oil which instead of being pushed out of the pump is pressed through a valvecontrolled opening, allowing the liquid
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A modern iteration of the De Dion axle and subframe invented in the late 1800s is this layout imagined by Bucher-Guyer to frame the portal axles Based on the D-30 122 mm artillery of its Duro troop transport (the tubular structure is here seen in orange). system mounted on a 6x6 truck chassis, Bucher Guyer was subsequently bought up by Mowag who used the the Soko SP RR. Yugoimport unveiled it design for the Eagle 4. (Author’s archives) in 2010. (Yugoimport)
to flow onto the other side of the piston. With top end attached to the chassis and the bottom to the wheel hub carrier, the damper thus limits the speed at which the wheel is allowed to move up and down. But there is a problem, and all of us who have used bicycles have experience it: after a while, our pump can become so hot it is painful to hold it any longer. Well, the same thing happens to a vehicle damper, but temperatures here can reach dramatic temperatures, with two tragic consequences: a) the liquid boils (the damper thus pumps bubbles or steam and the damping effect vanishes) and b) the seals melt or break up causing an instantaneous failure of the device. Thus when driven hard or fast on high-frequency corrugated desert surface, which is the worst “torture room” one can find to test absorbers, damper temperatures can rise very fast and the worst is that when one damper gives up the ghost, the others will not be able to compensate very long for the shortcoming and will fail as quickly as takes you to snap your fingers. A G-Wagen 4x4 at the Paris-Dakar rally a few years ago was suddenly seen rocking from nose to tail once, twice, thrice and finally roll over its front bumper before the driver even knew what had happened!
I Squaring the Circle
To measure the challenge with our military vehicles, let us put a few, totally incompatible, facts together: we need long suspension stroke, we need this to
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work at fast speeds, and we want this to handle weights well in excess of 200 kg (wheel, hub, suspension, half shaft and brakes if these are not in-board) and prevent the latter from bobbing about. This explains why sports automobile and racing car manufacturers did their utmost the lighten the masses involved, not only by using wire-wheels and later alloy wheels, but also eventually mounting the braking system inboard – a solution adopted by AM General for the Humvee, by the way. The other factors that came to the rescue of overboiling dampers are higher boiling
point hydraulics, improved elastomers and sintered metals.
I The Various Configurations
A most common way of devising an independent suspension is to mount the hub (in other words the wheel carrier) at the pointed ends of two superimposed triangles (referred to as wishbones), the bases of which are attached through an articulation to the vehicle. This geometry is known as double wishbone suspension. This allows for numerous adjustments in camber and castor angles, the latter being very important on the
This cutaway drawing of a Piranha 10x10 shows the combination of trailing arms and torsion bars for the fixed axles and MacPherson struts on the steered axles. (Mowag)
Usually criticised for its rather twitchy behaviour, the swing axle design appears to have been pretty well mastered by Tatra, given the Czech firmâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s highly impressive scoreboard in tough off-road rallies and competitions. This model, as seen in the insert, also incorporates air-cushioned springing. (Armada/Eric H. Biass)
steering axle to improve self-lining up of the front wheels to minimise wandering). There are two ways of emplacing this under a vehicle: either by mounting the entire suspension unit in a separate cradle or subframe, which is in turn bolted onto the vehicleâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s chassis members, or the monocoque structure, by bolting all these elements directly onto the structure. As usual, both solutions have their pros and cons: in case of damage a separate cradle can be dropped as a single unit and quickly replaced, but is heavier (yet still a suspended mass!) and more expensive. With a simpler direct mount configuration on the other hand, if push comes to serious shove, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s the structure (chassis element or monocoque) that might get bent, if not ripped off at the attachment point. A second layout is known as trailing arm suspension. Usually applied to non-steering axles, this configuration is generally associated with a torsion bar suspension and is very popular with armoured vehicles as they take very little space and therefore allow designers to maximise the exploitable inner vehicle width between left and right wheels. Because the torsion bar (which effectively replaces the coil spring in this instance) is fitted transversely across the bottom of the vehicle floor, the only element that needs to be placed between the wheel and the vehicle hull is the damper (although some clever rocket arm configurations can allow these to be fitted horizontally and out of the way). A third configuration, is the De Dion axle, named after its French inventor. Stricto sensu not an independent system, this offers some of the advantages of a fully independent suspension in terms of unsprung weight and constant camber angle on flat rebound, but with limited benefit in terms of reduced interaction between left and right wheels on a bump. Also, the DeDion tube (as the rigid element that links the two wheels is called, is cumbersome and can reduce ground clearance. This layout, however, was adopted by Bucher-Guyer in the first Duro truck. armada
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INDEPENDENT SUSPENSION
By keeping unsprung masses to a bare minimum as this Thales Hawkei does ensures a) a proper contact of the wheels with the ground, b) verticality of the wheel plane, c) a better durability of the dampers when running fast (a live-saving factor under certain circumstances) over long distances on corrugated terrain. A tired suspension will bounce the vehicle off track in no time.
A fourth solution, essentially for steered wheels, is the McPherson strut assembly, named after its American inventor. In this configuration the bottom part of the shock absorber unit (dampercum-coil spring) carries the wheel hub and rests on a lower wishbone while the upper part of the strut is bolted onto the vehicle frame (see the Piranha cutaway view). Finally, there is the swing axle solution. This consists of having the differential (or the tips of the lower wishbones) bolted to the centre of the carrier frame and let the ends (the wheels) swivel up and down. This gives the characteristic hyper positive camber of the inside wheel(s) in a sharp bend and hyper over-cambered attitude under heavy loads.
I Why Such a Sudden Need?
Indeed, one may wonder why independent suspensions came into such demand in recent years, when for decades earlier lorries, trucks and troop
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transports were apparently quite happy to live on live axles. Cicero would have replied “O mora o mores!”, these were different times – when a war was expected to be “conventional”, and take place near a nation’s borders with massive means in terms of vehicle numbers and logistic supply. Nowadays, units are despatched to the four corners of the world and very much into the unknown. Mention was made earlier of the extremely demanding ParisDakar rally. Fun factor removed, one could say that current missions in hostile terrain such as Afghanistan and certain African areas have much in common with the historical rally in terms of torture to vehicles. Not only do they have to travel long distances, but they also have to do this as quickly as possible, and if possible not along “obvious” routes where ill-fated rendezvous are to be expected, which often means avoiding roads and even trails. Running on the rough imposes a lot of stress to the vehicle, its occupants and,
not to be forgotten, electronic equipment (see Oshkosh’s footage here, it really proves the point: http://www.armada. ch/videos. If most of this stress can be damped, including for the soldier whose stress is not only physical, efficiency will take a formidable leap forward. One tends to forget that as sturdy as it looked like, the famous one-tonne Willys Jeep was in fact quite fragile. It was to be cheap and simple enough to be quickly put into mass production. It had to be easy to ferry, easy to use, and had to last… until it lasted.
I As Simple as That
The end word is that if you want to run fast across difficult land you have to be fit and flexible. If you are a vehicle and have to do the same thing, fitness will depend on your engine and transmission, while flexibility, which will guarantee that every one of your leg strokes lets your feet reach the ground with the necessary bite to translate your muscular effort into forward speed, is your suspension. Arguing this is denying the obvious.
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GRENADE LAUNCHER FCS
Grenade Launcher Control Systems
Matter of Flexib
More and more armies are acquiring underbarrel grenade launchers to provide their fire teams with some inherent indirect fire capability. Urban warfare is only one of the scenarios in which 40 mm grenades play a considerable role, their use having also been highlighted in open space engagements in Afghanistan, where too often the enemy is hidden behind obstacles.
Paolo Valpolini
I
ncreased accuracy and effectiveness are the two drivers that prompted the development of dedicated fire control systems, evaluating target distance with the Eyeball Mk.1 being always tricky, the precision of that datum being the first element of fire accuracy.
The products available and under development are based on a computing unit, but follow two different philosophies in the human machine interface that provides the aiming solution to the grenadiers. The first one is to show them on a display a crosshair or a series of arrows indicating how to move the weapon into the right shooting position. The second is based on a scope which elevation changes according to the ballistic solution. Some systems are not limited to grenades but can also be used to improve assault rifle direct fire, providing the correct elevation using high velocity rounds ballistic tables. To improve 40 mm grenade effectiveness against hidden targets
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numerous companies are developing air burst munitions. To be fully effective these must be initiated right above the target, which means that a time fuze must be used and fed with the right time-to-target. A must for new fire control units this is its capacity to interface with programming units and to feed them with time data for ABM firing. With the development of new rounds such as medium velocity or extended range 40 mm grenades, new fire control systems must also be able to withstand the greater impulse generated when shooting those projectiles. Technology progress allowed to reduce size and weight of those systems, which however still weigh around 500 grams â&#x20AC;&#x201C; not featherweight, but if one realises that this is slightly more than the weight of two grenades, the increased accuracy amply allows to significantly reduce the ammo needed to be carried. While some older systems have already disappeared from the market, due to their weight and lack of flexibility, it is quite probable that the coming years will see new players coming into the market,
not only from ammunition companies developing ABM grenades but also from other manufacturers. ÂI Rheinmetall One of the newest entries comes from Germany, where Rheinmetall is developing a new fire control unit for rifles, grenade launchers, machine guns, and shoulder-fired anti-tank or antibunker weapons such as the Carl Gustav or the SMaW. Known as the Multi Ray it includes a ballistic computer that can
auncher Fire ems: All a
bility
This picture shows the range data displayed on the small screen at the back of the FCU; the FN Herstal system can also be used as a laser rangefinder with a range of over 900 metres (FN Herstal)
store over 1,000 ballistic tables. The system can be installed not only on the left or right side of the rifle, but also on top. The sight can be the same as the one already adopted by the service, which considerably helps to reduce training time and increase confidence as well as reducing the logistical footprint. The sequence is typical, and starts activating with the soldier aiming at the target
through the sight and activating the laser rangefinder which provides the target range; the computer provides the appropriate data to the servomotor that moves the MultiRay to the correct elevation. The soldier then aims again through the sight and fires the round. The MultiRay also features a thermometer and barometer providing
air temperature and air pressure data to the computer while an inclinometer measures the shooter/target elevation delta. The MultiRay LRF is a Class B system working at 1.55 Âľm, with a maximum range of 1,500 metres. Other laser emitters are included in the system for aiming purposes, a visible red light laser marker with a dimmable 30 mW output providing a range of 800 metres at night and 80 metres in daytime, and a dimmable 30 mW IR laser working at 850 nm, providing a night range armada
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GRENADE LAUNCHER FCS November 2012 the Israeli Defence Forces received a first batch of 10 systems for evaluation purposes, the system having already been optimised by IMI working alongside IDF representatives. The MPRS has been delivered in small quantities to the Israeli Defense Forces for evaluation; this sight developed by Israeli Military Industries allows to considerably improve firing accuracy of both 40 mm grenades and 5.56 mm rounds. (Armada/PV)
The mock-up of the MultiRay, the FCS developed by Rheinmetall, shown at AUSA 2012. The company planned to unveil the production system at the Shot Show. (Armada/PV)
of 2,000 metres. An IR illuminator is also available: it has an output of less than 150 mW and being electronically focusable its divergence varies between 5 and 100 mrad, its maximum range being 1,000 metres. Finally a 6 W pulsed IR laser working at 905 nm and with a range of 600 metres acts as integrated dismounted soldier identification interrogator. To ensure quick reaction the MultiRay features direct aiming buttons that set the system for shooting at 50/100 metres with low velocity or 100/200 metres for medium velocity 40 mm grenades, while iron sights set for the same distances are available as back-up. A training mode reducing laser output to Class 1 is available for training. Rheinmetall is currently developing air burst 40 mm medium velocity grenades, with an IR programming system that allows them to be used from any rifle, provided the programming system is mounted on the weapon. The MultiRay obviously includes this capability and would therefore be proposed together with the grenades fitted with the Velan IR fuse that provides them the air-burst capability. The system dimensions are130 x 40 x 70 mm, it is equipped with Picatinny rail for left/right side or top applications, and it weighs les than 500 grams, including the teo C123A batteries, an adaptor for using two AA batteries being also available. Seen as mock-up at the 2012 events, the MultiRay
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is currently in evaluation phase and will be officially launched at the ShotShow in mid January 2013 at Las Vegas. 足I IMI Israel Military Industries has its new system, namely the Multi-Purpose Rifle System. Currently in its last phase of development, a prototype system was visible at AUSA 2012, although the final FCS will have reduced dimensions and will weigh around 400 grams. In Israel Military Industries has just completed the development of the Multi-Purpose Rifle System that works not only as an FCS but also as a programming system for its ABM rounds. It can also be used to improve direct firing accuracy. (Armada/PV)
The FCU 850N from FN Herstal mounted on top of an FN SCAR carbine. Over 10 contract have been signed for the Belgian systems but FN does not provide indications on its customers. (FN Herstal)
The FN FCU 850N from FN Herstal; the Belgian company developed two such systems which lasers operate respectively in the 850 nm and 1.55 µm frequencies. (FN Herstal)
One of the main differences of the MPRS compared to many dedicated grenade launcher fire control systems is that it can be used in two modes, one for 40 mm grenades, and the other for 5.56 mm rounds, thus considerably increasing the accuracy of soldiers’ direct fire thanks to the precise distance measurement and the use of ballistic tables by the built-in computer. The soldier has thus a single sight for carrying out both types of firing, the programming system for air-burst grenades allowing to inject the delay time data in the round by an induction system of coils contained in the launcher and in the grenade itself. However thanks to the communication protocol, the MPRS fire control system can also be adopted by other weapons firing different types of AB grenades. I FN Herstal While the above-mentioned companies produce both FCS and ABMs, FN Herstal of Belgium is so far the only grenade launcher manufacturer to have developed such a fire control system. In fact the company proposes two systems that are very similar but use different laser sources, providing different classes of beams. The FCU-850N features a Class 1M rangefinder and IR pointer and a Class 3B visible pointer operating in the 850 nm frequency. The FCU-1.5M, working in the 1.55 µm, has a Class 1 rangefinder. In pointer mode this can be used either at low power with a Class 1 eyesafe level for training, and at Class 3B in combat situations. The two systems share the same cases as well as the same procedures, and both are to be installed on top of the rifle. The soldier acquires the target either with the standard rifle sight or with the red dot sight integral to the FCU, and then presses the FCU trigger; the latter is provided as a remote and can thus be installed by the soldier in his preferred position. The trigger activates the laser rangefinder, the measured target distance being readable on the LED display located at the rear of the FCU. This is also fed to the computer
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GRENADE LAUNCHER FCS
The Scorpio developed by Selex Galileo will soon be deployed by the Italian Army as part of the Soldato Futuro programme. The system has no moving parts but shows the soldier how to orient the rifle thanks to a LED system. (Armada/PV)
that receives the elevation data from the clinometer, and according to the type of round selected provides the ballistic solution according to its tables. FN Herstal FCUs can store up to 50 different types of grenade in their memory. By bringing the moving red dot on the target the soldier takes the correct aiming position; a further refinement is provided by a second sensor that measures the cant angle, the quick or slow flashing of the red dot reticle showing if the weapon has to be canted to the right or to the left. FN
The Scorpio adopted by the Italian Army allows to track slow moving targets, providing the soldier with the lead angle as well as elevation. (Armada/PV)
FCUs were conceived to be compatible with medium velocity grenade and can thus withstand the impulse generated by such ammunition. In perspective the FN systems will be able to communicate with ABM programming devices. FN Herstal does not provide details on its customers, however it states that its FCU system will soon enter service in three countries, over 10 contracts having been signed thus far. 足I Selex Galileo With the acquisition of the first batch of
Soldato Futuro equipment for the Italian Army approved in Fall 2012, the Selex Galileo Scorpio should soon enter service and be deployed downrange. The Scorpio does not rely on a sight but indicates to the soldier on an LED cross display the direction in which he has to move the weapon in elevation and azimuth to obtain the correct aiming position, once the laser rangefinder has filled the target distance into the computer. A yellow disk appears in the middle of the screen when the grenade launcher is aligned, the cross disappearing when maximum firing accuracy is reached. Two orthogonal DC accelerometers ensure the alignment when a static target is engaged, selection being made pressing the [S] button located in the lower left part of the system. Pressing [D] means selecting the dynamic aiming for engaging slow moving targets. Here three orthogonal angle rate gyroscopes are used, the soldier having to track the target for about three seconds to acquire the angular speed before getting the ballistic solution on the screen. Two other buttons located on the same side but in a higher position provide menu navigation [M] and allow to adjust the display intensity [I]. Through the menu, the soldier can choose the appropriate firing table, the RS232 serial port allowing to load the firing tables of new rounds. To what extent this port will allow to interface the system with an ABM programming unit is still not clear though. The Scorpio is fitted to the left side of the rifle via a Picatinny rail.
The Rapid Acquisition Aiming Module, produced by Wilcox of the US and Vectronix of Switzerland, has been adopted by the British Army for the Fist programme. The rear view of the unit reveals the command switch as well as the four-diode range display. The Raam is a typical example of FCS working on the principle of the rotating aiming sight, clearly seen (right) here sitting on its rotating base. (Vectronix)
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I Vectronix-Wilcox Another system linked to a soldier modernisation programme is the Rapid Acquisition Aiming Module (Raam) – result of a co-operation between Wilcox of the US and Vectronix of Switzerland. In September 2009 Vectronix was awarded a British Ministry of Defence contract, the Raam having been selected for the Fist (Future Integrated Soldier Technology) programme involving some 2,090 systems. The Raam has two different lasers, provided by Vectronix, used for aiming and rangefinding, each featuring a low power setting at 1 mW and a high power setting at 50 mW: for low-light aiming and lasing a 635-650 nm laser emitter is available, while for night engagement a 820-860 nm emitter can be used in conjunction with NVGs. A red dot sight is used for daylight aiming. This sight as well as laser emitters are installed over an articulated mount, which is zeroed to the rifle using the visible laser emitter. According to the situation the soldier can aim at the target either with the sight or with one
of the laser pointers. Activating one of the lasers provides the target range to the ballistic computer that instantly calculates the angle of declination or inclination; pressing the engage button makes the articulated mount rotate at the right elevation, and at that point it is sufficient to take aim through the sight or to aim one of the pointer lasers at the target and shoot. Up to 10 ballistic tables can be stored into the computer. Two versions of the Raam are available, the G01 with full power lasers and the G02 with eyesafe only functions. While the ballistic solution is provided for ranges of between 40 and 400 metres, the Raam can be used as a laser rangefinder up to 2,000 metres for the G01 or 1,400 metres for the G02 model, the result of the measuring being shown on a fourdigit display at the back of the system. A remote control is available to be fixed on the grenade launcher barrel which allows one to operate the Raam without moving one’s hands from the firing position. The Raam is powered by two C123A batteries ensuring approximately 500 measurements
and is compatible with M320 and M203 grenade launchers. Beside the British contract, which went through Vectronix, all other marketing activities are led by Wilcox. No information on potential applications to medium velocity and airburst munitions are currently available. I Aimpoint Aimpoint developed a fire control system optimised for weapons of the Carl Gustaf class, but that can also be used by automatic grenade launchers. Leveraging that experience the company started to work on a more compact and short range system known as the BR8, to be used in conjunction with underbarrel grenade launchers. Work on that project is currently on standby, Aimpoint giving priority to the industrialisation and production of the FCS12 following some contracts obtained from the Swedish military. The idea of a lighter system remains however in the pipeline and would include all the capabilities needed to match current developments in ammunition, although no roadmap is available for that programme to date.
40 mm Grenade Launcher Fire Control Systems System Company
Scorpio
MultiRay
MPRS
FCU-1.5M
FCU-850N
RAAM
Selex Galileo
Rheinmetall
IMI
FN Herstal
FN Herstal
Vectronix/ Wilcox
Weight
490 grams
500 grams
720 grams
570 grams
560 grams
550 grams
Length
160 mm
130 mm
153 mm
155 mm
155 mm
128 mm
Width
50 mm
40 mm
96 mm
87 mm
87 mm
58 mm
Height
90 mm
70 mm
116 mm
n.a.
x1
X1
x1
x1
x1
Laser
905 nm
1.55 µm
n.a.
1.55 µm
850 nm
1.55 µm
Laser range
400 m
1,500 m
n.a.
900 m
900 m
50 – 500 m
n.a.
n.a.
n.a.
Optical Moving
Optical Moving
Optical
Red dot
Red dot
Red dot
Magnification
Viewing channel
89 mm
-
2 x CR123A
-
2 x CR123A
2 x CR123A
1 x CR123A
Laser pointer
no
yes
no
yes
yes
yes
IR Laser Pointer
no
yes
no
yes
yes
yes
Batteries
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LIGHT REMOTE-CONTROL TURRETS
The Kongsberg Protector has become the benchmark in the RCWS world. Its Crows version has been installed on thousands of US forces vehicles. (Armada/Paolo Valpolini)
Light Remotely Controlled Weapon Stations 38
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Current operations downrange have considerably increased the importance of remotely controlled weapon stations (RCWS), most light vehicles being now equipped with such systems that allow the machine gun operator to stay within the protected cell, no only against enemy fire, but also in case of accidents causing the vehicle to roll over.
Paolo Valpolini
T
he two most recent contracts won in the United States, one for spares related to the Crows II frame contract and one for production, system support and technical engineering support of the M153 Crows as part of the Crows III contract, further reinforce the dominance of the Kongsberg Protector and its derivatives such as the M153 (the benchmark in the RCWS field). Compared to the M151A2 Protector the Crows weighs 172 kg including armour and excluding weapon and ammunition. Qualified weapons include the Browning M2 in 12.7 mm calibre, the Mk19 40 mm automatic grenade launcher, the M240 7.62 mm and the M249 5.56 mm machine guns. Almost every American tactical vehicle is equipped with such RCWS.
The M151A2 weighs 135 kg as it is not armoured and can also be used with non-American weapons such as the H&K 40 mm GMG, the MG3 7.62 mm machine gun and others. Over 17,000 systems are currently in service in 17 different countries. Selected in June for the Canadian TAPV (Tactical Armoured Patrol Vehicle) programme it was installed on Textron Land Systems’ Commandos. Norway and Sweden recently ordered the Protector with a fourth-generation fire control system and a new sensor suite developed inhouse. Two motors were installed in order to decouple the sights from the weapon, to adopt a non threatening posture in missions other than war. A suite of less-than-lethal effectors was integrated to give birth to the Protector EoF, for Escalation of Force. Kongsberg
also integrated in the Protector Kollmorgen’s ONE 360 system that allows one to view a full 360° picture. The Protector Light II has 80 per cent commonality with its bigger brother but weighs only 74 kg without weapon and ammo. Optimised for small-calibre weapons it can be equipped with antisniper detection systems, and other machine guns are being integrated, as well as antitank missiles. The Protector Light is in service with US Special Forces. The Protector Super Lite aims at lighter platforms, weighs 37 kg without weapon and ammo and is equipped with a game-boy type interface. The Super Lite was integrated on some prototype remote-control robots. Rafael of Israel offers three different models of its Samson family, the Samson Junior, the Mini-Samson and the Samson Dual. They share the same in-hull assembly that provides the gunner with video and commands. The Samson Junior is the lighter of the three with an over-deck weight of 60 to 75 kg, without weapon and ammunition. As for weapons, 5.56 mm or 7.62 mm machine guns and their respective 600 or 400 rounds, can be installed as well as sharpshooter or non-lethal weapons. Rafael obtained an $11 million contract from the Israeli Defence Forces in December 2011 for an undisclosed number of Samson Juniors as well as a $10 million contract from an undisclosed European country.
Among the most recent developments proposed by Rafael of Israel is the Mini Samson armed with the KVTP 12.7 mm machine gun. This version has already been ordered by an undisclosed customer. (Armada/Paolo Valpolini)
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LIGHT REMOTE-CONTROL TURRETS Elbit’s portfolio has three different turrets, one for 7.62 mm machine guns, the other for 12.7 mm and a dual station. Introduced in 2010, the latter can cradle a primary weapon such a 12.7 mm machine gun or a 40 mm grenade launcher, and a secondary weapon of smaller calibre. However a most recent success was obtained by its Brazilian subsidiary Ares, that obtained a $25 million order for its stabilised Remax, capable of handling 12.7 mm or 7.62 mm machine guns as well as 40 mm AGLs. At 200 kg maximum weight it has a day/ night target acquisition suite capable of detecting targets up to 5,000 metres and a vertical firing arc of –10°/-60°. The Remax will be used on board some of the variants of the Iveco Guarani 6x6 armoured vehicle.
Among its latest developments Elbit Systems of Israel proposes the Dual version of its remote weapon stations family. (Elbit)
The Dual is one of the latest members of the Samson family and a stop-gap between light and medium systems, as it can also host ATK’s LW 25 or 30 mm cannon. Its peculiarity is that it can use a primary weapon ranging from a 7.62 mm machine gun to a 30 mm ARK LW cannon. The secondary weapon can be 5.56 mm, 7.62 mm or 12.7 mm machine guns. The over-deck weight of the system without weapons and ammo is 260 kg. In between those two options comes the Mini-Samson, with a 140-160 kg over-deck weight that can host 5.56 mm, 7.62 mm and 12.7 mm machine guns, and their respective 800, 600 and 400 rounds, as well as 40 mm AGLs with up to 96 grenades. At Eurosatory 2012 Rafael unveiled two evolutions of the Mini-Samson. One was equipped with a KVPT 14.5 mm machine gun of Russian origin, developed under a specific requirement and delivered to and deployed by an undisclosed customer. The 56 kg weapon had to be equipped with damper to deal with its strong recoil. The other development based on the Mini-Samson was a less-than-lethal version of the mount
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offered with five different types of effectors. The system is fully modular, and if needed can be reverted back to the lethal option. Overall the less-thanlethal Mini-Samson has an over-deck weight of less than 200 kg. The system is ready for production and is awaiting a launch customer. In its standard version, the Mini-Samson is in service with the Israel Defence Forces’ Namer and Achzarits. Spain acquired 90 such stations for its RG-31 Mk5Es deployed to Afghanistan. Czech Pandur 8x8s that do not feature the Rafael Samson-30 are equipped with the company’s MiniSamson. Manufactured by Rheinmetall Canada under the name Protected Weapon Station, the Mini-Samson has been adopted by the Canadian Army. In Britain Selex Galileo produced it as the Enforcer, and it is installed on Panther 4x4 combat and liaison vehicles, some FV432 Mk3 Bulldogs and some Challenger II MBTs (all deployed to Afghanistan) and the latest vehicle to get the turret was the Ridgeback. Overall thousands of MiniSamson have been sold to more than ten customers worldwide.
The Saab Security and Defence Trackfire remote weapon and sensor system can be home to anything from a light machine gun up to a 25 mm LW cannon, its modularity also allowing the installation of a main weapon in the central cradle and a secondary weapon, up to 7.62 mm calibre, laterally. A typical configuration calls on a main 40 mm AGL or 12.7 MG weapon, flanked by a 7.62 machine gun. Weapons can be installed in a plug & play mode by changing soft mounts. The sensor module is self-contained and is installed under the weapon cradle; it hosts a CCD TV, an IR camera and a laser rangefinder, and can be equipped with a wash/wiper or jet nozzle to clean the front window of mud and dust. The Trackfire features a stabilised independent line of sight which allows to decouple the weapon from the sensors. Following the development of the Wasp, the Panhard-Sagem team unveiled a bigger system at Eurosatory 2012, the Hornet, but in the form of a mock-up. The Wasp is a very light system – less than 60 kg with a 7.62 mm machine gun and 200 rounds – of which 100 have been acquired by the French Army as a UOR in early 2011 for installation on VBLs and PVPs used in Afghanistan. It accepts the AN F1 machine gun in service in the Armée de Terre and the FN Herstal MAG 58 that is replacing the former. The mount can also host 5.56 mm machine guns and for trial purposes was fitted with a Milan missile. The Hornet is optimised for 12.7
mm machine guns or 40 mm AGLs, a sixrounds Galix launcher being offered as option as well as a ballistic protection and a high capacity magazine. In combat order it weighs 150 kg, its elevation arc being –20°/+60°. Sagem optronics include a 12° field-of- view colour daylight camera and a 9° uncooled thermal camera. BAE Systems’ South African arm developed the Self Defence Remotely Operated Weapon (SD-ROW) optimised for 7.62 and 5.56 mm machine guns. Currently integrated are the M240, SS-77, MG3 and PKM in the larger calibre category and the M249 and the Mini SS in the smaller one. Typical optronic suite includes a two field-of-view day camera and a laser rangefinder. Weighing 75 kg with weapon and 200 rounds of ammo, its elevation arc is –20°/+80° standard traverse being ±135°, full 360° rotation being available as option. Three M10 bolts are all is needed to fix the SD-ROW on a vehicle roof. It is ready for production. Saab Security and Defence developed the Trackfire that can host two weapons, the main one up to 25 mm, although light dual solutions can be adopted (Saab)
FN Herstal’s portfolio has remained unchanged, with its three families, namely the deFNder Light, the deFNder
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LIGHT REMOTE-CONTROL TURRETS a naval version of the deFNder Medium for anti-piracy missions. The Arrows has been installed on Belgian Army Dingo 2s and Piranha IIICs. It is also installed on the 110 command post versions of the VBCI under acquisition by the French Army (over 400 Arrows currently are in service, many of which downrange). In addition FN Herstal signed four major contracts with undisclosed countries for the direct delivery or local manufacturing of hundreds of Lights and Mediums. A peculiar system is the Precision Remotes ultra-light system â&#x20AC;&#x201C; around 34 kg â&#x20AC;&#x201C; which can be easily installed or removed in five minutes with no tools as it fits on a standard 2.5-inch Nato ring mount. The self -defence Remotely Operated Weapon, or Row was developed by the South African arm of BAE Systems and can be quickly installed on any vehicle. (BAE Systems)
Medium and the Arrows. The first is aimed at small 5.56 and 7.62 mm calibres, and weighs between 80 and 85 kg depending on the weapon. The deFNder Medium was developed as a light 12.7 mm solution tipping the scales at around
180 kg. The Arrows is also intended for 12.7 mm, although it could handle a MAG, with weight varying between 245 and 285 kg. Optionally a 40 mm automatic grenade launcher can also be installed. FN Herstal is developing
Also available as a fully stabilised turret, it can be armed with 5.56 or 7.62 mm machine guns, with 600 or 400 rounds. It can be equipped with day/ night optics and is controlled via a gameboy type console. Overall consumption is 170 W, which allows it to be installed even on vehicles with low power supply. In case of failure it can be reverted to manual control within seconds. The Oto Melara Hitrole Light RCWS is being deployed in Afghanistan on
The deFNder Medium (left) is offered by FN Herstal for up to 12.7 mm machine guns (here an FN M2). The deFNder Light (right) can accept 5.56 and 7.62 mm machine guns. With weapon and ammunition its weight remains under 100 kg. (FN Herstal)
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The Hitrole Light, produced by Oto Melara and here armed with an M2 12.7 mm MG, is being developed into new versions that can integrate weapons produced in Eastern Europe. (Armada/PV)
the R-400 suitable for 12.7 mm MGs and 40 mm AGLs, to the R-600 that can host two weapons, EOS of Australia is ploughing deep into the RCWS field. For three years now the company has beens working on long-distance wireless remote control. The first long-range wireless turret was unveiled in late 2010, paving the way to applications for remote-control ground vehicles. Interestingly, EOS is now focussing attentions on networking. In summer 2012 EOS partnered with Hyundai-Wea in South Korea and Northrop Grumman in the America to develop, produce and support its products in the two countries. Krauss-Maffei Wegmann of Germany has bagged orders for over 1,650 FLW100s and FLW200s, of which over 850 have already been delivered. In late October 2012 the German Army filed a further order for the two variants (approximately 700 units). The FLW100, which can be armed with 5.56 mm and 7.62 mm machine guns, is used on Mungos and Dingos while the heavier FLW200, which can host 7.62 and 12.7 mm machine guns and 40 mm automatic grenade launchers, is used on MAN protected trucks, Boxer APCs and is proposed for the Leopard PSO upgrade. By late 2012 KMW will qualify its Wegmann Multi Purpose Launcher 40 capable of firing less-than-lethal 40 mm grenades as an integrated system with its FLW, providing those with an escalation of force capacity.
ultra light wins the fight! board Italian Army Linces. Eight vehicles left Italy in October, while 66 out of 81 weapon stations were produced in mid-October and delivered to the Service that will install them on the Linces operated by various units. A further contract for the same systems is aimed at the VTMMs of the Italian Route Clearance Package. Two more Hitrole Lights have been ordered as part of the development contract for the Dardo IFV mortar carrier and command post. Currently the Hitrole Light has been integrated with the Browning 12.7 mm machine gun and the Mk19 automatic grenade launcher, the sensor suite being the Mini Colibrì provided by Selex Galileo. Oto Melara is open to other optronic packages, and in order to increase the exportability of its system is integrating a number of 7.62 mm and 12.7 mm machine guns, including of Eastern Europe origin, and the Singaporean STK 40 mm AGL. The turret is becoming fully symmetrical in order to accommodate left- or right-feed weapons. The standard Hitrole remains part of the company portfolio as it provides loading under armour capability and is better suited for naval purposes.
From protecting some of the nation’s most critical assets to protecting today’s warfighter at forward operating bases, command outposts, and entry control points. Since 2001, Precision Remotes ROWS technology has proven itself over and over again. Fast and easy interchangeability between ground or vehicle-mounted USING NO TOOLS. Next time you need an ultra-light, low power, small cube Remotely Operated Weapon System requirement, contact Precision Remotes.
With its family of turrets ranging from the light R-150 and R-200 suited for 5.56 and 7.62 mm machine guns, through armada
For more information visit www.PrecisionRemotes.com, or call 510.215.6474
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LIGHT REMOTE-CONTROL TURRETS
German Dingos on the move in Aghanistan armed with KMW FLW turrets. Orders for over 1,650 systems including the FLW 100 and FLW 200 have already been chalked up by KMW. (KMW)
Pro-Optica of Romania offers the RCWS-RO, a system that can fire 5.56, 7.62 or 12.7 mm weapons of western or eastern origin. In addition to the day/ night surveillance and targeting sensor suite, a laser rangefinder with 5 or 10 km measuring distance can also be installed to provid range data to the fire control system. Ballistic protection can be had on option. The RCWS-RO is installed on board Renault Trucks Defense Sherpa Light 4x4 scout vehicle exported to a Middle East country, understood to be Egypt. In September 2012 Raytheon unveiled its BattleGuard. The weapon station is added to the existing optronics head: the latter is lifted off, the BattleGuard put in place and the sensor head dropped back into the BattleGuard ring.
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The BattleGuard was developed by Raytheon as a modular unit that is added to existing optronic systems. It can be armed with two different weapons. (Raytheon)
Reutech Rogue Open Cradle can use many types of weapons although it does not protect them from dust and weather, while the Land Rogue is specifically developed for the M2 which is encased and protected. (Reutec)
It was developed to equip Abrams and Bradleys without major modification and to reduce costs as the Commander’s Independent Viewer thus also becomes the weapons station’s main sensor. One or two weapons can be mounted on the sides of the BattleGuard. Numerous machine guns have been integrated as well as the Mk19 automatic grenade launcher. It can also support Raytheon missiles such as the TOW, the Javelin, the Griffin and the Stinger. Non-lethal weapons can be added. Reutech of South Africa produces the Rogue family of RCWS. The Land Rogue is designed for the Browning M2 12.7 mm machine gun, the weapon being totally encased and protected from dust and sand, which increases reliability. A multiple-cradle version can also accept 7.62 mm machine guns such as the Vektor SS-77, the FN MAG or the PKM, as well as Denel 40 mm AGLs. At less than 200 kg, it can
be equipped with an optronic sensor suite chosen by the customer, that may also include a laser rangefinder. Being also aimed at naval applications, these turrets have a -40° depression angle, maximum elevation being +60°. Optical tracking and smoke grenade launchers are part of the possible options. The Land Rogue is in service with South African Special Forces units and 54 systems were ordered by Deftech, via Denel, to be installed on some versions of the Malaysian Army AV8 8x8. The bigger Super Land Rogue is mainly a medium calibre turret, being designed for a 20 mm cannon although it can host also a 12.7 mm machine gun.. The Slovak EVPU introduced a new version of its ZSRD07 light turret, unveiled in 2008. Still based on a U-type gyro-stabilised pan-tilt head and armed with a PKT 7.62 mm machine gun, the ammunition storage has been increased from 200/400 rounds to
250/450 rounds, a sensor showing the number of remaining rounds, while six smoke grenade launchers have been integrated. As for the sensor suite the ZSRD07 is equipped with a Britannia surveillance TV camera with a 48°x36° field of view with 1 x18 optical and x12 digital zooms, an HK75 aiming camera with a 3.7°x2.8° field of view, and an uncooled DRP-893 thermal camera with an 8°x16° field of view and a x2 digital zoom. For 12.7 mm machine guns and the AGS-17 30 mm AGL EVPU developed the ZSRD08. Introduced in 2010 it is heavier than the 07 – 200 kg without weapons. It comes with a RYS surveillance camera with a wider field of view zooming from 56,4°x43,4° to 1,7°x1,3°. Due to the greater engagement range of up to 2,000 metres, the ZSRD08 sensor suite includes a laser 5,000 metre-capable rangefinders. armada
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SHOW REPORT
AUSA 2012 Visited by Paolo Valpolini
Largely dominated by vehicle issues, the October 2012 edition of the US Army Annual Meeting and Exposition took place at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center in D.C. Amid doubts over the future of some of the major programmes, the annual exhibition nevertheless featured some firsts from American and foreign companies.
Route clearance: a Perocc from Pearson front, the gunner, who mans the Protector RCWS installed in the middle Route clearance: a of the roof and, perched at the highPerocc from Pearson est position of the vehicle, the commander who thus has best panoramic view. The crew cell protection level is higher than STANAG Level 3. Numerous tools allow the crew to carry out their mission. A full width roller system is installed, two front rollers clearing the path for the Perocc itself while a rear central element allows the remaining central lane to be cleared. Rollers are blast survivable and each can generate up to 550 kg of downforce, the double of the systems currently in use according to Pearson. In case of blast frangible joints allow to maintain a clean interface and to quickly replace the roller. The articulated interrogation arm is much stronger than current ones and can even be used as a 1,500 kg-lift crane. The arm can rotate through 360° and Picture: Pearson has a reach of 7.5 metres. Its front interface can accept numerous types of he hugest vehicle on show came heavy wheeled loader. Pearson’s aim is accessories, ranging from ripper claw from the other side of the Ocean to provide route clearance units with a or grapple to a ground penetrating raand was unveiled by a company single vehicle capable to detect explo- dar relaying its images to the gunner specialised in mineclearing systems, sives and thereby proof routes while and commander. The Perocc “combat” Pearson Engineering. Known as the providing maximum safety to its three- weight is 30 tonnes, the vehicle being Perocc (for Pearson Engineering Route man crew. The engine being in the back, 12.18 metres long, four metres wide Opening and Clearing Capability), it is a narrow armoured crew cell is mounted and 4.065 metres high, including the derived from a commercial Caterpillar on the chassis hosting the driver at the RCWS.
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Northrop Grumman unveils its GMV 1.1 candidate
Picture: Armada/Paolo Valpolini
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nticipating AUSA opening by half an hour Northrop Grumman unveiled its Medium Assault Vehicle-Light developed in conjunction with Pratt & Miller Engineering, BAE Systems providing its industrial experience in the production cycle. Pratt & Miller was tasked to design the vehicle in December 2011 starting from a clean sheet to answer an RfP issued by the Special Ops Command in April 2012 for its Ground Mobility Vehicle 1.1 programme. The MAV-L is based on a tubular frame and is equipped wit Meritor suspensions providing 18-inch travel at the front and 20 at the back. Powered by a Caterpillar 4.4 litres 220 hp engine, it has a curb weight of less than 3,360 kg. The operational range in a mission involving 30 per cent on secondary roads
and 40 per cent-off road is of over 420 km, the fuel tank containing 140 litres. Dimensions are dictated by one of the requirements, which is to be transportable inside a CH-47 Chinook. The MAV-L is thus 2.02 metres wide and, in â&#x20AC;&#x153;kneelingâ&#x20AC;? position is 1.85 meters high. Transition to 2.085-metres riding height takes about three seconds. Payload capacity exceeds 2,500 kg, the vehicle in the standard configuration being able to carry six operators plus the machine gunner. However, a rail attached under the vehicle and one on the top allow to add four operators per side, thus ensuring a 15-operator load for airfield seizing operations. Three kits are available, an enclosure kit, an armour kit provided by BAE Systems, and an arctic kit ensuring engine functions at very low temperatures. With the enclosure kit the
MAV-L can transport three operators on long range-surveillance missions, the vehicle accepting an RCWS or an ISR suite on the roof (a 400 Ah alternator provides sufficient power for many accessories). According to the Northrop Grumman team the MAV-L mobility level is three times that of the Humvee, and having maximised the use of offthe-shelf components ensure low risk and competitive price. Beyond special forces, the company anticipates a need amongst reconnaissance forces. The US Marine Corps might also be a potential customer due to the requirement of a CH-53 transportable vehicle for its entry forces. Northrop Grumman and its team have built a single prototype and look forward to the SOCOM bid that might be announced in January-February 2013.
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Containerised Crows from Kongsberg
Picture: Armada/Paolo Valpolini
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orward operating base protection is definitely an issue - as can be seen in an article devoted to this subject in this magazine. The conundrim is how to reduce
the manpower needed to protect a base and increase personnel safety. Kongsberg unveiled at AUSA its contribution to FOB protection in the form of the Containerized Weapon Sta-
tion, CWS in short. The system is based on the company Crows weapon station integrated into an ISO-rated Tricon Type 1 container, equipped with a rigid-chain electromechanical lift specifically designed to support the use of an RCWS from an elevated position and take wind and recoil effects into account. The lift raises the base of the Crows to 4.6 metres, allowing it to cover a wide field of fire. The CWS is fully autonomous as it contains a 110 V/15 A multifuel generator, a battery pack and a power management system. The Standoff Extension Kit ensures full remote operation, a 1,000-metre optical fibre cable and a breakaway command allowing the operator to stand at a distance of 1,050 meters. At AUSA, the system also featured a Javelin antitank missile mounted on the right side of the weapon station, the link being provided by a small box installed under the bracket. To launch the Javelin the Protector FCS must be switched to missile mode, thus getting the image provided by the seeker and allowing the shooter to follow the typical engagement sequence. Kongsberg is working on integrating the data coming from a number of Crows into a common operational picture for FOB protection purposes. In the CWS configuration the Javelin ensures the neutralisation of hard targets at long range. Developed to meet the US Integrated Base Defense requirement, the first 20 CWS will be deployed to Afghanistan in the first quarter of 2013. Further orders are expected
S-ATV: the Oshkosh bidder for GMV 1.1
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or its Special Purpose All-Terrain Vehicle, S-ATV in short, Oshkosh adopted the clean sheet approach with the aim of developing a family of very modular and configurable vehicles, able to meet requirements other than those established for the GVM1.1 by the US Special Ops. Especially in terms of dimensions, this means that the S-ATV can be built in a configuration that not only rolls into a CH-47 as required, but that can also be produced in a wider and much more capable version should a customer require greater volumes and payloads. Several variants are therefore considered at Oshkosh, thus numerous subsystems are not specified in detail as they might vary from one configuration to another. The engine is one of those variables, with outputs ranging from 225 and over 300 hp. A multifuel engine accepting JP-8 or Jet-A, it is linked to an automatic transmission and has a 113-litre fuel tank that ensures a range of over 500 km. Top speed is of over 120 km/h. The S-ATV can accommodate from 2 to 7 men, while curb weight varies from 2,700 and 4,500 kg depending on configuration (with/without enclosure, armour etc). The S-ATV has a width of about two meters in CH-47 transportable configuration for a length of about 5 metres – height varying according to transportation requirements. A specialist in suspensions, Oshkosh leveraged its experience to ensure maximum mobility. The alternator can be chosen in the 200-300 Ah range depending on subsystems the customer needs to install, 1,800 W being available at 120 VAC. The vehicle is fitted for a CTIS while a cold weather kit allows to carry out operations down at Picture: Oshkosh –45°C, though standard operating temperatures range from –32°C to +49°C.
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SHOW REPORT
ATK ready to field further XM-25
Picture: ATK
ATK will deliver 36 further XM-25 Individual Semi-Automatic Airburst System (ISAAS) to the US Army that will deploy them to Afghanistan, where the new weapon has been named “The Punisher”. According to the company deliveries will take place in early Spring 2013, the XM-25
thus undergoing a second operational assessment. The Army has already deployed five XM-25 since November 2010: according to Army sources in the one month operational assessment phase the XM-25 was used in nine combat engagements, during which 55 HEAB (High Explosive
AM General GMV 1.1: not much left of the Humvee
Picture: AM General
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Air Burst) rounds were fired in anger, the new weapon having been used in infantry, infantry heavy weapons and cavalry scout platoons. Weapons remained in theatre even after the end of the assessment phase, and might have returned to the US for wear and tear evaluation, however some of the five original weapons should be again downrange. The 36 new systems will feature some minor modifications suggested by soldiers in the field. Lessons learned have shown, for instance, that the stock does not fit with individual protections, while the presence of a battery level indicator in the sight screen was desired. According to ATK the programme is on track and has passed the CDR stage without problems, Milestone C, that is decision for production, being awaited in September-October 2013. While the airburst munition was considered a paradigm change by the soldiers, the development of an Armour Piercing round is well on its way and might even be accelerated.
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lthough it may look somewhat similar in appearance, the GMV 1.1 proposal by AM General does not have much to do with the M1165A1HMMWV derivative GMV 1.0 currently in service with SOCOM units. First of all the vehicle uses the engine developed for the BRV-O, the AM General answer to the JLTV programme. Known as GEP Optimizer 3200 it is a 6-cylinder electronically controlled engine that can be tuned up to 300 hp, with a 6,780 Nm torque and a weight of only 250 kg. The GMV 1.1 being much lighter than the BRV-O, maximum output was set at 270 hp to obtain greater fuel efficiency and use a lighter transmission. The modular roll cage allows for easy replacement of damaged components and fully met the requirements, which asked to sustain a load four times that of the vehicle’s grow weight – in fact, according to AM General, it withstood 150% of that. AM General used purposely developed suspensions that ensure its four to seven passengers a smooth off-road ride even at high speeds. A modular rack system allows to change seating and load configuration.
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Pyros: a superlight air-to-ground weapon from Raytheon
Picture: Raytheon
Tracked Stryker? Why not!
Picture: Armada/Paolo Valpolini
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ake a Striker with Double-V Hull, add a 625 hp powerpack, hydropneumatic suspensions and tracks, and you might well get a candidate for the US Army Armored Multi-Purpose Vehicle (AMPV) programme. This is the approach taken by General Dynamics Land Systems with its Stryker + Tr the weight of which was set around 30 tonnes although the vehicle concept looks at a 38 tonnes limit. According to GDLS the Stryker + Tr maintains a considerable commonality with the wheeled Stryker currently in service, a plus in term of logistics. Further evolutions of the concept are foreseen, and early 2014 might well see a second prototype that should be slightly bigger and heavier and feature wider tracks. The AMPV programme should include five different variants of the selected vehicle, General Purpose (GP), Mortar Carrier Vehicle (MCV), Mission Command (MCmd), Medical Evacuation Vehicle (MEV) and Medical Treatment Vehicle (MTV). A draft Request for Proposal was expected for December 2012.
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aytheon provided more information on its Pyros drone weapon since it performed it first trial in mid-July at Yuma in Arizona. The 6 kg, 558mm-long bomb fitted with a semiactive laser guidance system receives its target grids through the launch system. The bomb is also fitted with a GPS that allows it to be dropped off-axis, and preferred angle of attack can be selected making the system suitable for urban warfare. The Pyros fuse can be set in three different modes: height-of-burst, thus providing an air burst capability, point detonation, and delay, the latter allowing to exploit kinetic energy to penetrate roofs or walls before the fragmentation warhead detonates inside the building (its reduced dimensions limit collateral damages). The SAL guidance also allows to hit moving targets. Carried under the centre pylon of a Raytheon Cobra drone, the system is currently at TRL7, the next step will be its integration on a tactical drone platform as well as on a Reaper, the latter being able to carry up to 12 Pyros.
The Army Aerial Scout competition heats up
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Picture: Armada/Paolo Valpolini
any competitors for the US Army AAS bid were lining up at AUSA. EADS North America AAS-72S+ (left), which had just finished the VFD (Voluntary Flight Demonstration) was on show; integration is ensured by Lockheed Martin, weapon systems being provided by Aerea of Italy. The Boeing AH-6i was also on show together with the mock-up of the most innovative proposal for the bid, the Sikorsky S-97 Raider (right) with its rigid co-axial rotor system and clutched propeller. The Bell proposal based on an upgraded OH58 known as OH-58F Block II featuring a new powerpack and transmission, started its VFD the day AUSA opened its doors. AgustaWestland did not participate in AUSA, its VFD phase having taken place in June 2012 with an AW139 since its AW169 was busy with its very early flight tests. A decision about upgrading existing OH-58Ds or acquiring new helicopters was awaited for December 2012.
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Digest
Sagem Hammers Aasm No.3
Down
The Aasm family of smart guided and propelled bombs that has been used in all conflicts the French Air Force Rafales have been involved in so far has recently been joined by a third member, known as the SBU-54 in the Nato nomenclature. The Aasm is, by the way, now known as the Hammer, and as this recent French Armed Forces photograph testifies has been used during the Malian operation. While the seekers of the earlier two versions used combined inertial navigation and GPS guidance as in the case of the SBU-38, and adding imaging infrared to the subsequent SBU-64, the new SBU-54 replaces the imaging infrared facility with a laser targeting spot seeker, which enables the missile to be used as an on-the-move vehicle interceptor, and quite effectively so judging from qualification test footage released by the French DGA. While it is obtained by bolting a guidance unit and a rocket motor-cumfins respectively on the nose and the tail of an otherwise standard Mk82 250-kg bomb, the Hammer is effectively an airto-ground missile. Armada has already described this missile when it was first introduced into service around 2007, but it might be useful to wind back on the manoeuvrability of the Hammer (then still only known as the Aasm) to fully appreciate the effectiveness of the latest type against highly mobile vehicles.
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In its initial and simplest SBU-38 form, the missile already had the unique ability to home onto a target whether this was ahead or behind the launch aircraft, a relatively high-G manoeuvrability that is attributable to the unique double cruciform canard design of the nosemounted seeker module. The other feature of the missile is its ability to follow a variety of flight profiles, namely climb up from a low launch altitude to then proceed with a low, high, or maximum (absolutely vertical) angle of attack depending on the desired result, knowing that the latter, which requires the highest degree of accuracy is also the one that will result in the lowest possible collateral damage, particularly in the case of an attack in an urban environment.
Again, footage from qualification tests showed the ability of the Hammer to strike with metric accuracy. The only variable here is the range of the weapon which reduces from the ideal highaltitude straight-ahead launch range of 75 kilometres to 15 kilometres in a lower altitude launch against a target located somewhere below the tail of the aircraft. The second iteration, the SBU-64 which incorporates an imaging infrared sensor, adds a degree of smartness as it enables the missile to correct its trajectory in the very last portion of its flight. This feature allows it to hit a target of which a picture is available, but not its absolute coordinates. In this case, the seeker compares what it sees with the stored image and enables the weapon to correct its trajectory by about 100 metres. It is thus able to recognise a building or a tank. This degree of manoeuvrability alone explains why member No.3 will leave little chance of survival to a vehicle even if it stops dead in its tracks at the last moment in the very remote hope of escaping a sad end. In January, this later addition to the Hammer range had just passed its qualification tests, and deliveries to the French Air Force are expected to commence upon completion of the related paperwork. Whilst it has so far only been integrated to the 250-kg Mk84 bomb, the kit can perfectly suit not only larger 500 and 1000kg bombs, but also the 125kg variety, which makes it a very interesting proposition as a Toyota-buster for use by drones. (Eric H. Biass)
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With The Widest Range Of Radio Platforms & Waveform Support, The Sky’s The Limit Cassard goes Smart The French Marine Nationale’s Cassard air defence frigate is set to be upgraded with a new Thales Smart-S air surveillance radar to replace its legacy Thomson-CSF (now Thales) DRBJ-IIB radar, which has become obsolete. The vessel is currently equipped with one Thales DRBV-26C Jupiter radar, two Northrop Grumman DRBN-34 Bridgemaster S-band/X-band navigation and air control radars and the DRBJ-11B system. The latter is an S-band threedimensional electronically-scanned long-range air search radar. It reportedly has a tracking range in the region of 370km (200nm) and performs both mechanical and electronic scanning for bearing and elevation. On board the Cassard class, the DRBJ-11B is housed in a protected radome towards the aft superstructure. In this picture taken by the author, the Cassard (on the right, Dupleix being on the left) is seen having her existing dome-mounted DRBJ-11B radar replaced by the new Thales SMART-S system. The Smart-S Mk.2 S-band radar has a range of 250km (135nm), a 70º elevation and will be a step change vis-à-vis the unit it replaces. It can perform multi-beam surveillance and Doppler processing within each transmitted beam. Air and surface targets can be tracked simultaneously. The radar is robust against electronic countermeasures and can track up to 500 targets simultaneously, with small missiles being detected at a range of 50km (27nm), and large aircraft at a range of 200km (108nm). The Cassard is the last of this eponymous class of air defence frigates to go through the Smart-S installation. Her sister ship, Jean Bart, already has the new radar installed and the Cassard will receive hers once she enters her refit and maintenance period by mid-2014. The radar upgrade is being rolled out across the Cassard class air defence frigates because of the delays experienced in delivering the two Freda (Frégate Defence Aerienne/Air Defence Frigate) variants of the ‘Aquitaine’ class Fremm (Frégate Multi-Mission/Multi-Mission Frigates) to the French Navy. These two ships, which are as yet unnamed, are expected to be commissioned in 2012 and 2022 and will be home-ported at the French Navy base in Toulon, on the country’s Mediterranean coast. The DRBJ-11B also equips the French Navy’s sole aircraft carrier, the Charles de Gaulle. It also is scheduled for replacement when the aircraft carrier performs its next refit, which is expected in circa-2017. As yet, no decision has been reached on which radar will replace the DRBJ-11B onboard the Charles de Gaulle. Several options have been mooted including the installation of a Thales Herakles system – an S-band 3D radar which has an air surveillance range of 250km (135nm), and 80km (43nm) surfacesearch range, covering 0-70º elevation. The Herakles is used onboard the French Navy’s ‘Acquitaine’ frigates (see above). Another option mooted has been to equip the carrier with an integrated mast, possibly based on the design developed by French shipbuilder DCNS for the Freda ships. (Thomas Withington)
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MC-27J Nears First Firing Tests
Within February the MC-27J gunship version of the Spartan should have completed its first run of in-flight firing tests. These will be carried out with manual adjustment only, initially with single shot runs followed by automatic fire - a standard burst being of eight rounds. Tests will include five to six flights and will mark the end of Phase 1 development of the programme, carried out jointly by Alenia Aermacchi and ATK. The American company is responsible for the gun and the mission management system. The gun is a stretched version of the famed GAU-23 30 mm gun, and has an effective range of about 4 km. It is pallet-mounted to allow the aircraft a quick role change. The same applies to the two-console mission management system, Alenia Aermacchi being adamant to maintain the aircraft’s transport capacities totally unaffected. To this end all gunship-related equipment such as sensors will be equipped with quick-connect fasteners and latches, as some of the related sensors might affect the Spartan’s operations from unprepared runways. Turning to sensors, an electro-optical turret and a digital multimode radar are among those proposed. One will be installed in the aircraft’s nose while the second will be belly-mounted. Should a 360° coverage not be required, the radar will be installed in the nose, with the electro-optical turret underbelly. The MC-27J is being proposed both with the JCA avionics, that solution exploiting the FMS sales channel, or in the DCS (Direct Control Sales) full solution, with the whole suite of self-defence and communications items, an improved configuration of that in service with the Italian
Air Force, derived from the one installed on the ATR-P 72 maritime patrol aircraft in development for Italy. The aircraft crew will include five or six members, two pilots, two mission system operators, a gunner and a loadmaster; the latter two roles might be covered by a single person with adequate training. Some minor modification will be carried out in the cockpit: a screen will relay to the pilot the image seen by the console operators, while a weapons release consent will be installed on the pilot’s control wheel (the procedure calls for the operators to ensure the engagement sequence while the pilot remains responsible for safety, and through his WRC will provide firing clearance). Studies are also underway regarding a precision guided munition that might be launched from the ramp. Two solutions are being considered, one with open ramp and one with closed ramp, mimicking what Socom is planning to do with its AC-130s. Some of these being currently equipped with the Gunslinger 10-tube launcher fitted on the ramp, though the “Derringer Door” alternative will allow launch whilst keeping the aircraft pressurised and thereby firing from higher altitudes. However much of the solutions will be developed with the customers, Alenia Aermacchi considering the quick reconfiguration capacity one of its best marketing arguments. (Paolo Valpolini)
TRS-4D Cleared to Sail Cassidian has completed factory acceptance tests for the company’s TRS-4D naval air and surface surveillance radar. The tests were carried out by the company, the Bundesamt für Wehrtechnik und Beschaffung (Federal Office of Defence Technology and Procurement) and shipbuilder Blohm and Voss Naval on behalf of its Marine (German Navy) customer. The German Navy is acquiring the radar to equip its forthcoming ‘F-125 Baden-Württemberg’ class frigates. The four F-125 ships are expected to commission between 2016 and 2018. Germany is acquiring a total of five TRS-4D radars, four of which will furnish the F-125 ships while the fifth is earmarked for research, development and training on land as well as to test upgrades to the radar and the ships’ Combat Management System prior to their installation on the vessel, according to a Cassidian official. It is in fact the land-based system that has completed the afore-mentioned factory acceptance tests. Delivery of the radar to its site at Wilhelmshaven on the German North Sea coast is expected in February. The second system, which will equip the lead F-125 ship in the class, the Baden-Württemberg, will be delivered by August. Site acceptance tests will be performed during the first half of 2015, after which the radar will be cleared for service. All TRS-4D systems will be delivered by 2016. The TRS-4D is an evolution of Cassidian’s TRS-3D. It features a rotating aesa
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(active electronically scanned array aerial, although the F-125 frigates will have four static antennae located on the superstructure to provide 360º surveillance(because, according to the official, of both the overall topside design of the Type-125 and German Navy antenna redundancy requirements). Broadcasting in the low C-band at four-to-six megahertz, the TRS-4D has been developed privately by Cassidian. The radar can scan up to 50º in azimuth when the antenna is stationary, and from 2 to 70º in elevation. The employment of a mechanically 30 to 60rpm rotating aesa allows the sensor to perform multi-function air and surface surveillance operations over 360º. Alternatively, the antenna can be kept stationary with the antenna fixed on a defined segment of space. The radar has an instrumented range of up to 250 kilometres (135 nautical miles) and a minimum coverage of under 100 metres (328 feet). Targets of under 0.01 square metres radar cross section can be detected with the TRS-4D, with around 1,000 targets being tracked simultaneously. The TRS-4D is supplied with a three-channel integrated identification friend or foe antenna, and its electronic counter-counter measure performance is enhanced with very low sidelobes and adaptable transmission power. (Thomas Withington)
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