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VOLUME 21/ISSUE 7 NOVEMBER 2013 US$15

AA SS II AA PP AA CC II FF II CC ’’ SS LL AA RR GG EE SS TT CC II RR CC UU LL AA TT EE DD DD EE FF EE NN CC EE MM AA GG AA ZZ II NN EE

THAILANDARMED FORCESINFANTRY WEAPONSNAVAL C4ITRAINER AIRCRAFT

THAILANDARMED FORCESINFANTRY WEAPONSNAVAL C4ITRAINER AIRCRAFT

DEFENCEGEOSPATIAL

ATTACK HELICOPTERSCONVOY SUPPORT

& PROTECTION

DEFENCEGEOSPATIAL

ATTACK HELICOPTERSCONVOY SUPPORT

& PROTECTION

F/A-18E/F SUPER HORNET

RAYTHEON NORTHROP GRUMMAN GENERAL ELECTRIC BOEING

The world’s newest multirole fighter. All

new avionics, radar, weapon and electronic

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Some evolutionsare revolutions.

NOVEMBER 2013VOLUME 21 / ISSUE 7

ContentsContents

Front Cover Photo: A US Army General DynamicsLand Systems Stryker armouredfighting vehicle equipped withsystems to protect the vehicleagainst remote-controlledbombs. Such devices areexamined in this month’s‘Blocked Calls’ article © US DoD

l november2013 l 03

Infantry Weaponsand Sights

Back to SchoolUnited Kingdom defence journalistDavid Oliver examines the marketfor training aircraft in the Asia-Pacific region, discussing severalof the latest products on offer

Combat Management Systems arethe epicentre of operations for amodern warship and a capabilityin which several navies around theAsia-Pacific are investing,Thomas Withington discovers

BlockedCalls

14 36

22

30

44

Hong Kong-based photojournalistGordon Arthur provides an in-depth analysisof the myriad of defence modernisationprogrammes ongoing in the Thaiarmed forces.

06Thailand: DefenceModernisation

United Kingdom-based defencejournalist Peter Donaldsontakes a detailed look at someof the latest infantryweapons and accompanyingoptronics requirements inthe Asia-Pacific region

Armed andDangerousAsia-Pacific armies and airforces are investing heavily inarmed attack helicoptersto bolster their air-to-groundstriking power asUnited Kingdom-baseddefence journalist DavidOliver finds out

52

Local Knowledge

United Kingdom-baseddefence journalistClaire Apthorp gives adetailed assessment of thespace-based navigationand reconnaissancecapabilities of interest tocountries around theAsia-Pacific

AMR editor ThomasWithington examinessome of the latestinnovations designedto help protectmilitary vehicleconvoys againstattack from remote-controlled bombs

BirdsEye View

04

Editor: Thomas WithingtonE-mail: [email protected]

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l AsiAnmilitAryreview l

Editorial

ew defence acquisitions generate more

interest and speculation than the purchase

of a new Multi-Role Combat Aircraft

(MRCA). Since the end of the Cold War, purchases of such platforms have

decreased in frequency and size while at the same time increasing in terms of cost.

The Republic of Korea is one of a handful of countries shopping around for new

MRCAs with the world’s fast jet manufacturers desperate to secure this Asian nation

as a customer. Given the intensity of the competitive landscape of the 4.5- and fifth-

generation fighter market, with several manufacturers competing for a relatively

small number of orders, it is of little surprise that countries can take their time and

choose carefully the MRCAs which will represent the combat spearhead of their air

forces for at least the next three-to-four decades. As irksome as this must be for the

aircraft manufacturers, they can take their time, change their minds or decide

against buying new fast jets, even after commencing a competitive acquisition.

Playing Devil’s Advocate, who can blame them? State-of-the-art combat aircraft

represent amongst the most expensive defence purchases that a nation can make.

Countries undertake a significant investment when they purchase these platforms.

What is necessarily wrong with a government working to ensure that it gets the best

deal possible for the money that it will spend, not only in terms of the aircraft which

will be delivered, but in terms of investment into the nations’ technology and

engineering research, development and manufacturing base? Both India and Brazil

have taken their time to acquire new MRCAs, with the latter country recently deciding

to postpone its combat aircraft acquisition programme for the foreseeable future.

Now the Republic of Korea has followed a similar path. In late September, Seoul

decided to re-launch its planned acquisition of up to 60 MRCAs under the FX-III

programme. The news was a blow to Boeing which seemed on course to supply F-

15 Silent Eagle aircraft to the country as a replacement for its ageing McDonnell

Douglas F-4E Phantom jets. Crucially, the decision to re-bid the contract now gives

another chance to the world’s MRCA manufacturers to clinch the Korean deal. The

forthcoming Seoul ADEX (Aerospace and Defence Exhibition), to be held in the

Korean capital in late October, will no doubt be abuzz with speculation and rumour

regarding which way the Republic of Korea will leap as regards the new competition.

Nevertheless, anticipating the likely timelines or the results of the competition

seems a fiendishly difficult exercise.

Thomas Withington, Editor

Editorial

FHEARTAND SEOUL

The Impact of Performance

Defense & Security 2013

The Impact of Performance

Shore-to-Sea &Sea-to-Shore

Rocketry Solutions

Artillery Rockets &Ammunition AFV Lethality &

SurvivabilityAerial Systems

Infantry Solutions


E48-tand E47Svilion,aael PIsr

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E-mail: [email protected]: (972)3-548-5222, Fax: (972)3-548-6125TTel: (972)3-548-5222, Fax: (972)3-548-6125

The Impact of Performance.imi-israel.com wwwisit us on the web:

E-mail: [email protected]: (972)3-548-5222, Fax: (972)3-548-6125

E-mail: [email protected]: (662) 6798540/1, Fax: (662) 6798542TTel: (662) 6798540/1, Fax: (662) 6798542

Thailand Officeel: (662) 6798540/1, Fax: (662) 6798542

It may perhaps surprise some that

Thailand is ranked the 20th most

powerful military in the world

according to Global Firepower. Its

position is helped by the 2013

defence budget rising to USD5.7 billion, a

7% year-on-year increase.

InsurgencyA Muslim-inspired insurgency flared in

the three southernmost provinces of

Pattani, Yala and Narathiwat in 2004,

claiming 5,500 lives and wounding nearly

10,000 to date. Most violence has been

low-intensity killings of off-duty security

personnel and local Buddhist leaders.

However, there has been an evolution

in tactics with carefully planned and

m i l i t a r y

regional

l AsiAn MilitAry review l06

THAILAND: DEFENCEMODERNISATIONThailand’s military is kept active

with pressing security issues, the most

prominent being the insurgency in the

south of the Kingdomby Gordon Arthur

The 31st Infantry Regiment, Rapid DeploymentForce, was one of the first units to receiveIMI Tavor TAR-21 assault rifles from Israel© Gordon Arthur

increasingly complex operations. On 13

February 2013, an unprecedentedly large

group of 60 insurgents assaulted a military

base in Narithiwat. However, intelligence

sources had warning of the night attack

and the alerted garrison decimated the

attackers, killing 16. The air force is sup-

porting counterinsurgency operations

with a task force featuring Fairchild Au-23

Peacemaker and Diamond DA42 surveil-

lance aircraft, as well as Lockheed Martin

C-130s for transport.

Successive Thai governments have

seemed powerless to come up with effec-

tive strategies in dealing with the unrest.

Therefore, hopes were high when the gov-

ernment signed an historic agreement on

28 February 2013 to begin a dialogue with

the major Malay-Muslim militant group

Barisan Revolusi Nasional (BRN). In

March, Malaysia mediated the first talks

involving the Thai government as well as

the BRN and associated groups. The BRN

has submitted a list of demands, though a

proposed Ramadan ceasefire collapsed on

31 July 2013 with an instantaneous surge

in attacks. The next round of talks is set

for late October.

Today, some 80,000 personnel, mostly

from the army, are deployed in the south.

Critics claim perennial martial law gives

the military carte blanche to commit human

rights abuses (e.g. security forces can detain

suspects for 30 days without charge).

Cambodian borderCambodia infuriated Thailand by register-

ing the Preah Vihear Temple as a UNESCO

world heritage site in 2008, because

Thailand claims part of the surrounding

territory. Since then, several armed clashes

have punctuated cross-border relations.

The International Court of Justice called for

a demilitarised zone around the temple

and both sides subsequently removed hun-

dreds of troops on 18 July 2013. They were

immediately replaced by armed police, but

there is still no resolution regarding the

core territorial dispute.

Nevertheless, relations with Cambodia

have improved under Yingluck

Shinawatra’s administration. In August

2012, the two countries staged their first

ever bilateral drill focusing on disaster

relief training.

The Burmese border is not much safer.

Burmese refugees from ethnic conflicts

have been living across the Thai border for

over 20 years, with 146,900 currently taking

refuge in nine camps. Thailand’s govern-

ment is pushing for ‘voluntary repatria-

tions’ back to Burma. Drugs, weapon

smuggling, illegal immigration and human

trafficking are rampant along this border,

creating a source of instability for Thailand.

Air forceThe Royal Thai Air Force’s (RTAF) capa-

bility has improved hugely with the

m i l i t a r y

regional

A Saab JAS 39C Gripen fighterperforms a take-off. The airforce now has twelve of thesemodern Saab Gripens in itspossession © Gordon Arthur

07 l noveMber 2013 l

induction, in two tranches, of twelve Saab

Gripen JAS 39C/D fighters, two Saab

S100B Argus Airborne Early Warning

(AEW) aircraft with Erieye radar, and two

Saab 340s. The first Gripen squadron in

Wing 7 became operational in July 2011 at

Surat Thani Airbase. Saab completed

delivery of the three final Gripens on 4

September this year. Thailand is also

receiving Swedish RBS-15F anti-ship mis-

siles. Thailand plans to deploy Gripens on

Malacca Strait Eyes-in-the-Sky patrols

next year, plus it is reportedly interested

in hosting the Saab Gripen Fighter

Weapon School after South Africa failed

to support the initiative.

In 2010, Thailand decided to upgrade its

Lockheed Martin F-16A/B Block 15 fleet

via a Foreign Military Sale (FMS). The

USD700 million Midlife Upgrade (MLU)

will see six-aircraft lots upgraded in three

overlapping batches. The first F-16 entered

the programme in November 2012.

Improvements include installation of a

modular mission computer, Northrop

Grumman APG-68(V)9 radar, Terma

AN/ALQ-213 electronic warfare manage-

ment system, Link 16 datalink and the Joint

Helmet-Mounted Cueing System. The pro-

gramme will elevate these F-16s to Block

50/52 standard, extending their lifespan to

2025. In mid-March 2013, the government

approved funding of the second six-air-

craft batch.

The RTAF is considering replacements

for its ageing Aero L-39 fighters/trainers.

Potential contenders include the Korea

Aerospace Industries T-50 Golden Eagle,

Alenia Aermacchi M-346 and Hongdu L-15.

In August 2012, the government

approved acquisition of an initial batch of

four Eurocopter EC725 helicopters to

replace its Bell UH-1H rotorcraft in the


m i l i t a r y

regional

The Royal Thai Air Force is upgrading 18 of its F-16A/B fighters to Block 50/52 standardthrough a phased midlife upgrade © Gordon Arthur

A series of amphibious AAVP7A1 vehicles ofthe Royal Thai Marine Corps storms ashore inExercise Cobra Gold 2013 © Gordon Arthur

SPYDER-SR/SPYDER-MRshort and medium rangeair defense missile systems

THERE IS NO ESCAPE FROM THE SPYDER’S WEB


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search-and-rescue role. In June 2013, the

RTAF also gained a green light to procure

an Airbus ACJ320 jet for VIP transportation.

The Royal Thai Air Force (RTAF) needs

unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) to

improve border and territorial surveil-

lance. The RTAF outlined a requirement

in 2009 for three types with eight nautical

miles (15 kilometres), 16nm (30km) and

54nm (100km) ranges respectively.

Thailand is aiming for eventual indige-

nous production via Project Tiger Shark

and several prototypes have been devel-

oped already. In the interim, after evaluat-

ing an Aeronautics Defense Systems

Aerostar against a locally assembled G-

Star (based on the Innocon Mini Falcon II),

it is believed the former won a recent

USD20 million contract.

Network-centricity is being greatly

enhanced, with the RTAF Defence System

(RTAD) to be linked to the army and navy

for joint missions. The RTAD will inter-

communicate with Saab aircraft, two

upgraded navy frigates and a carrier. The

programme will finish next year.

Meanwhile, Selex Sistemi Integrati secured

a contract in November 2011 to supply a

Kronos radar to both the RTAF (near the

Cambodian border) and navy (south of

Bangkok) to expand the country’s coastal

and air defence network. The RTAF acti-

vated a Lockheed Martin TPS-77 long-

range air surveillance radar last year.

NavyThe Royal Thai Navy (RTN) would like to

develop into more of a blue-water force

and to increase its presence in the

Andaman Sea. It has previously deployed

vessels on Gulf of Aden counter-piracy

tasks. New ships are regularly joining the

fleet. On 26 August 2013, the navy com-

missioned its first BAE Systems-designed

Offshore Patrol Vessel (OPV). HTMS

Krabi, a variant of the Royal Navy’s

‘River’ class, was built by Bangkok Dock

under a 2009 technology transfer agree-

ment. The 1,969-tonne first-of-class boasts

an Oto Melara 76/62 Super Rapid Gun

and two MSI 30mm (1.1inch) cannons. An

expected follow-on requirement for three

OPVs will benefit domestic shipbuilders.

In April 2012, the RTN received HTMS

Ang Thong, a Landing Platform Dock

(LPD) similar to Singapore’s Endurance

class. Built by ST Marine in Singapore, it is

Thailand’s first ship of this type. In May

2013, three 21 metre (69 feet) M21 patrol

boats built by Marsun Company and

armed with Denel GI-2 20mm (0.78in)

autocannons were commissioned. Three

M36 coastal patrol boats, also built by

Marsun, should enter service next year.

The USA allocated two decommissioned

‘Oliver Hazard Perry’ class frigates to

Thailand earlier this year but the offer has

not been accepted so far.

Importantly, the navy is to purchase

two 3,000-ton frigates from Daewoo

Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering

(DSME), with contract signature for the

first frigate occurring in August 2013. In

the competition, South Korea defeated a

competing Chinese design – this is signif-

icant in light of numerous rumours that

Thailand’s Chinese-built ships have per-

formed poorly. The DSME design is a

derivative of the KDX-1 destroyer, and

the first will be delivered in 2018.

Speaking of Chinese-built vessels,

work continues to upgrade two Type 25T

Naresuan-class frigates. In July, BAE

Systems was awarded a contract for three

Mk 25 Model 0 Quad Pack canisters for

HTMS Chakri Naruebet berthed at SattahipNaval Base, where it spends much of itstime. The ship serves as a helicopter carriernow © Gordon Arthur

m i l i t a r y

regional


Raytheon’s RIM-162 Evolved Sea Sparrow

Missile (ESSM) to equip both frigates. The

original Chinese radar systems encoun-

tered numerous problems and Saab was

given two contracts in June 2011 to fit the

CEROS 200 fire control system, Sea

Giraffe AMB radar, EOS 500 optronic

director, data-link and 9LV Mk4 Combat

Management System (CMS). Work should

conclude in 2015.

Two ‘Chao Phraya’ class frigates are

also receiving a midlife upgrade that

includes Chinese Type 360 radars, a CMS,

100mm (four inch) naval guns, TR47C

tracking radar and C-802A missiles to

replace existing C-801s. Thailand has been

a happy hunting ground for Saab, with the

Swedish company announcing in April

2012 it was upgrading the RTN’s flagship

aircraft carrier HTMS Chakri Naruebet.

The contract includes the 9LV Mk 4 CMS

and Sea Giraffe surveillance radar.

Thailand, on various occasions, has

expressed an interest in submarines. In

2011 it was cuing up two decommissioned

German Type 206A submarines. However,

the government stepped away from these

plans, leaving the navy wallowing in the

wake of Singapore, Malaysia and Vietnam

that all have submarine fleets.

A Canadair CL-215 amphibious air-

craft returned to service this year after

more than a decade of inactivity. In

August 2011, Thailand became the first

international customer of Sikorsky MH-

60S helicopters. Thailand ordered two air-

craft and four more are on the cards. It is

thought the RTN has a future requirement

for 14 new helicopters.

m i l i t a r y

regional

The army is seeking new helicopters to replace older UH-1Hs and to supplement existing craft suchas this UH-60L Black Hawk © Gordon Arthur

ArmyThe Royal Thai Army (RTA) receives

almost half the defence budget, and much

of it has been going Ukraine’s way in

recent years. Ukrspetsexport, the coun-

try’s state-run export agency, has sealed

major deals with the RTA, including large

quantities of BTR-3E1 8x8 Armoured

Personnel Carriers (APC). The first 96-

vehicle contract in 2008 included APC,

Command, 81mm (three inch) Mortar,

120mm (five inch) Mortar, Anti-Tank

Missile (Barrier missiles), Recovery and

Ambulance variants. In 2011, Thailand

ordered 121 more BTR-3E1s, plus a further

21 vehicles in August 2013.

In 2011, the government approved the

purchase of 49 T-84 Oplot Main Battle Tanks

(MBT) with 125mm (five-inch) guns to

equip the 4th, 8th, 9th and 16th Cavalry

Battalions. The first Oplot MBT, replete with

Explosive Reactive Armour (ERA) suite,

was presented to RTA officials in June. All

should be delivered by the end of 2014. The

Oplot will replace elderly M41A3 tanks, and

Thailand may require 100 of them.

The RTA operates an eclectic fleet of

tactical trucks, and the newest type will

come from Ukraine too. In April 2013 it

was reported KrAZ had won a sizeable

contract for 6x6 trucks, with the first

examples expected to arrive this year.

Six Nexter Caesar 155mm (six inch)

self-propelled howitzers are already in

service, although the government is

developing a similar but technologically

simplified truck-mounted system. The

army purchased 54 surplus M198 155mm

towed howitzers from the US Army last

year to replace the M114A1.

The Defence Technology Institute (DTi),

a Ministry of Defence (MoD) agency, is

making use of technologies from the China

National Precision Machinery Import &

Export Corporation (CPMIEC). Specifically,

Thailand is developing Multiple-Launch

Rocket (MRL) systems based on the

Chinese WS-1 302mm (twelve inch) system.

A memorandum of understanding signed

on 7 March 2013 will deliver an MRL

(named DTi-1) plus guided MRL (DTi-1G)

with 180km range over the next three years.

Interestingly, DTi’s budget increased 35%

this year, underscoring the importance of

domestic development to Thailand.

In November 2012, Thailand signed a

contract with Thales UK for the Starstreak

air defence system. Eight of these light-

weight, short-range missile launchers will

be deployed by the RTA.

Russia’s first major military sale to

Thailand comprised three Mi-17V5 helicop-

ters delivered in February 2011 in time to be

employed heavily in the massive floods

that inundated the country. New helicop-

ters are a priority for the RTA, and in 2011

it announced it was urgently seeking 36

new helicopters to replace its UH-1H fleet

following a spate of fatal crashes.

Thailand’s rotary-winged inventory is

extremely fragmented (as discussed below)

and it is unclear which way the army will

go with its helicopter requirement.

In October 2012 the army signed up for

two AgustaWestland AW139 helicopters

for 2014 delivery. In June, the US Congress

was informed of a potential sale of six

Eurocopter UH-72A Lakota helicopters

after a request from Thailand. Previously,

the army signed up for three UH-60M Black

Hawk helicopters via a USD235 million

FMS, plus the procurement of two more

has been approved. The RTA already oper-

ates the UH-60L, and the new craft will

help update the fleet. In mid-2012, Enstrom

completed delivery of 16 480B training hel-

icopters. Contract signing to final delivery

was completed in just 19 months.

CooperationThailand remains a close ally of the USA,

with cooperation occurring through events

such as Exercises Cobra Gold, CARAT and

Cope Tiger. Interestingly, Thailand has

forged good cooperation with China too.

On 30 May 2013, Thailand agreed to explore

defence industry collaboration with India.

In January 2012, the two countries paved

the way for closer cooperation in communi-

cations technology, as well as maritime

intelligence and joint counterterrorism.

Thailand wishes to strengthen its

underdeveloped defence industry, which

presently supplies just 10% of Thai mili-

tary equipment. The MoD is studying a

defence offset policy that may be enacted

next year to support local industries.

However, this is somewhat at odds with

an idea recently floated by the RTAF to

later buy six further Gripen fighters with

funding coming via barter trade.


The Royal Thai AirForce needs unmanned

aerial vehicles toimprove border and

territorial surveillance

HTMS Chao Praya is a Chinese-built frigatebased on the Type 053H2. It is being equippedwith newer C-802A anti-ship missiles ©Gordon Arthur

m i l i t a r y

regional

The Asia-Pacific region, most

notably Afghanistan, is no

stranger to remote-controlled

bombs. Such weapons have

been widely used by insurgents

targeting North Atlantic Treaty

Organisation (NATO) forces, and their

supporters and supply networks, operat-

ing in the country. Remote-controlled

bombs are a favourite weapon of the mod-

ern insurgent. At its basic level, a tele-

phone or radio acts as the trigger for the

bomb and is connected to an electronic fir-

ing circuit, which is in turn connected to

the bomb. When a call or text message is

sent to the telephone, it activates as nor-

mal but at the same time sends an electric

signal to the firing mechanism to detonate

the device. One of the attractions of using

such weapons is that they can be placed

and remain in situ for some time before


The Asia-Pacific region has seen its fair share of remote-controlled

bomb attacks against vehicle convoys. Fortunately, help is at hand in

defeating this menace from the proliferation of mobile jammers

available from defence electronics specialists around the world.

by Thomas Withington

BLOCKED CALLS:CONVOY PROTECTIONAGAINST REMOTE-CONTROLLED BOMBS

a n d p r o t e c t i o n

convoy support

being activated. As they require a call or

message to be sent to the specific number

of the phone or to a radio tuned to a par-

ticular frequency they are difficult to det-

onate by accident. Remote-controlled

bombs are particularly suitable for urban

attacks as a device can be left within the

line-of-sight of a Base Transceiver Station,

more commonly known as a ‘mobile

phone tower’, ubiquitous in built-up areas

in the case of a cellphone-activated

design. The upshot of this is that the

attacker does not to be within the line-of-

sight of the device to activate it. Instead,

they can be many miles away and simply

dial the number at the exact time that

they wish the bomb to be detonated.

Alternatively, they can remain hidden,

but within visual site of the bombs’ loca-

tion and then detonate it at the optimum

point, such as when a convoy is driving

past. This gives the bomb a high degree of

precision, as far as the timing and the

location of the attack is concerned. Such

devices have been used on countless occa-

sions since cellphones began to proliferate

in the 1990s and 2000s including the high

profile attempted assassination of Saudi

Arabian Interior Minister Muhammad bin

Nayef on 27th August 2009 during which

his attacker, Adbullah al-Asiri, was killed

when detonating the explosives he was

carrying with his mobile phone, although

leaving Mr. bin Nayef only lightly injured.

Design considerationsThe remote-controlled bomb poses a par-

ticular danger to vehicle convoys. It can

be hidden near to, or be shallowly-buried,

underneath a road and then detonated

when a convoy passes. It can also be

employed in a number of ways, for exam-

ple to attack the lead vehicle in a convoy

on a narrow road, causing the convoy to

stop, and then allowing it to be ambushed

by other means. Unsurprisingly, signifi-

cant investment has flowed into the devel-

opment of cellphone jamming equipment

for convoy protection since United States-

led forces commenced their deployment

to Afghanistan in 2001 and began to suffer

casualties as military vehicles and con-

voys came under attack.

Several design considerations are

important as regards mobile remote-con-

trolled bomb protection systems. Firstly,

the devices must be able to rapidly sense

and classify a potential hostile signal

before initiating jamming. The jammer

must be quicker off the mark than the hos-

tile signal in activating the device.

Reliability plays an important part here as

the jammer will only have one chance to

detect and disrupt the hostile signal.

Allied to this, jammers must cover a wide

frequency range and have the ability to be

easily upgraded in the future to take

account of emerging threats as and when

they appear. There is an increasing

demand for smart jammers which can

exploit the electromagnetic spectrum in

such a way that hostile signals are detect-

ed and blocked, leaving friendly commu-

nications to function unimpeded. Finally,

countermeasures are increasingly being


The two vehicles at the front of this militaryconvoy are outfitted with a number of subsystemsto help neutralise remote-controlled bombs byjamming radio-frequency signals which can beused to activate the weapons © US DoD


convoy support

required to be easy to operate, to have a

reduced footprint so as not to occupy too

much of a vehicle’s interior, and to con-

sume no more power than is necessary.

Israeli OfferingsAlthough the United States and NATO

has suffered convoy attacks for the entire-

ty of the 13 years during which it has been

deployed to the Afghan theatre, Israel’s

experience of insurgent attacks on its

forces and its civilian population using a

variety of modus operandi stretches back

to the country’s foundation in May 1948.

As conflict accelerates technology it is

axiomatic that Israeli firms have devel-

oped significant competencies in counter

cellphone bomb technology for convoy

protection. SESP is one such company

which offers vehicle-born jamming sys-

tems which can neutralise remote con-

trolled bombs, covering the 20 megahertz

(mhz) to three gigahertz (ghz) section of

the electromagnetic spectrum. This allows

the jammers to protect against cellphone-

activated bombs (most cellphones operate

in the Ultra-High Frequency range of

300mhz-three gigahertz), along with

radios which operate within and outside

this section of the spectrum. SESP take an

innovative approach as they supply an

entire vehicle equipped with jammers:

“We have Toyota Land Cruiser and GMC

Yukon-based turnkey solutions,” says a

company spokesperson: “We also have a

solution integrated on the Mercedes S-

class and BMW sedans.” Rugged four-

wheel drive platforms based on the Land

Cruiser and Yukon are particularly suit-

able for customers in the Asia-Pacific

which may need to use mobile bomb jam-

mers in areas where metalled roads are in

a bad condition, or non-existent. SESP has

a policy of continually improving its

products and the spokesperson adds that

the company is constantly “upgrading the

power of the jammers, their cooling and

their frequency range to improve their

efficiency.”

Additional Israeli-supplied counter-

remote-controlled bomb jammers for

mobile applications include Elbit’s EJAB

(Electronic Jamming Anti-Bomb) which

can be used in a vehicle-mounted configu-

ration to protect against devices activated

by cellphone, radio or satellite communi-

cations. It will not surprise many readers



convoy support

An Australian Army convoy moves through therugged landscape of Afghanistan. The conflictin this Central Asian country has exacted a hightoll in terms of vehicles attacked by remote-controlled bombs © Australian DoD

Significant investmenthas flowed into

the development ofcellphone jamming

equipment forconvoy protection

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to know that EJAB has already proved

itself in the field, presumably with the

Israeli Defence Force.

CassidianMuch as Israel has experienced insurgent

attacks over the last almost-seven

decades of its existence, several European

countries are no strangers to such threats,

both at home, and in the theatres around

the world where their troops are

deployed. Pan-European defence elec-

tronics specialists Cassidian currently

produce “barrage jammers, soldier-wear-

able configurable jammers and sophisti-

cated responsive jammers,” according to

a company source. Whereas barrage jam-

mers emit signals which blank out elec-

tronic communications which could be

used to activate bombs across a set radius

from the jammer, responsive systems are

more selective and can detect a signal and

immediately jam it before the signal can

activate the bomb. The later design has

the asset of allowing legitimate uses of

the electronic spectrum for cellphone and

radio communications but preventing

nefarious signals. This is particularly

handy when the user wants to prevent a

bomb being detonated, but wishes to do

so covertly while leaving the airwaves

otherwise undisturbed. Smart responsive

jamming is used in Cassidian’s Vehicle

Protection Jammer which detects the hos-

tile signal, classifies it and then transmits

jamming signals on the hostile signals’

frequency band. The company says that

its reaction times in this regard are

below one millisecond. One of the attrac-

tions of the Vehicle Protection Jammer is

that it is easy to configure according to

the size and design of the vehicle in

which the operator wishes to have the

jammer installed.

ThalesLike Cassidian, Thales is another of

Europe’s defence electronic specialists



convoy support

This diagram explains howCassidian’s jamming system canprotect a convoy, by emitting RFsignals which can be broadcastto disrupt remote-controlledbombs some distance from thevehicles © Cassidian

and the firm’s Eclipse jammer has been

optimised to provide mobile convoy pro-

tection. Eclipse can perform active and

reactive jamming, or a hybrid of these two

functions, and covers all frequency bands

using high-power transmissions. The con-

figuration of Eclipse includes a pair of

broadband antennas with scalable and

modular hardware and software easing

the integration of the product on a num-

ber of disparate platforms. Meanwhile, a

personal computer-based mission plan-

ning unit is highly intuitive and easy to

upgrade as and when new capabilities

become available.

UK SuppliersThe United Kingdom’s Enterprise Control

Systems’ counter remote-controlled bomb

product line includes the Falcon twin-

channel wideband jammer which covers

frequency ranges used by cellphones.

Falcon is designed to equip military and

civilian vehicles, with the company’s

Griffin vehicle-mounted RF (Radio

Frequency) inhibitor covering a frequency

range of 20mhz to 2.5ghz. Continual

improvement to the Griffin design has

resulted in a package which can perform

precise and effective jamming, but with

relatively little output power, helping to

improve efficiency and economy.

The UK’s Homeland Security

Strategies is also in the business of

remote-controlled bomb jamming equip-

ment via its VIP-300F convoy jamming

system. Designed to protect a group of

vehicles, the VIP-300F is designed around

bomb jamming modules fitted to several

vehicles in a convoy which provide over-

lapping coverage. Other vehicle-mounted

jamming products in the Homeland

Security Strategies portfolio include the

VIP-300S which has a modular design and

can be easily transferred between vehi-

cles. Meanwhile, the VIP-300T can be

installed in a car’s trunk and is capable of

jamming cellphone, low- and high-band

radio, and satellite transmissions; with the

VIP-300WOTS providing multi-band ran-

dom sweep jamming to produce barrage

effects at the same time as disrupting nar-

row-band communications.

ITT ExelisIn terms of North American suppliers, ITT

Exelis has developed the CREW (Counter

Remote-controlled improvised explosive

device Electronic Warfare) family of

remote-controlled bomb countermea-

sures. These were initially developed as

the result of requirements from the United

States Department of Defense for vehicle-

mounted jammers to protect against such

threats, chiefly those encountered during

Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation

Enduring Freedom. The design of the

CREW series owes its ancestry to the

Warlock family produced by the EDO

Corporation (now part of ITT Exelis).

Warlock Green debuted with US forces in

Iraq in 2003 and would work by detecting,

recording and then blocking the transmit

signal to activate a bomb, although the

shortcoming of Warlock Green was

that an insurgent was often able

to activate their device in the

time that it took Warlock

Green to perform its

task. Moreover, Warlock

Green struggled to cope

with insurgents changing

frequencies to activate

weapons. This can be as

simple as a change from a

car alarm remote control

to a garage door remote

control. As such, frequency

agility is now de rigueur for

all mobile remote-controlled

bomb jamming systems.

These issues led to the design

of Warlock Red which would

cover the frequencies missed by

Warlock Green, and which had a

l noveMber 2013 l 19


convoy support

Israeli firm Netline specialise in bomb jammingand Radio-Frequency (RF) jamming equipment.Vehicle-borne RF jamming systems are aparticular speciality of the firm, as are manpackand fixed jammers © US DoD

smaller size, with Warlock Blue being

designed as a wearable system.

GEW TechnologiesWhile North American, European and

Israeli manufacturers provide a myriad of

mobile remote-controlled bomb protec-

tion systems, a word or two should be

said regarding GEW Technologies of

South Africa. The firm’s product line

includes the GMJ10000 which has a

multi-channel design meaning that it can

jam several different frequencies simulta-

neously; a particularly useful feature if

secondary devices activated remotely

using a separate frequency are employed

as a ‘back-up’ option in case the primary

device is jammed. Up to 300 watts is jam-

ming power is available from the

GMJ10000, with frequency coverage

across the 20mhz to 2.5ghz spectrum

spread being possible. Five independent

channels can be used for jamming using

an omni-directional antenna.

The Way ForwardSeveral future evolutions for convoy

remote-controlled bomb protection are

anticipated: Thales says that it sees elec-

tronic convoy protection systems in the

future; “evolving to cope with a wider

range of threats such as direct fire or mini-

Unmanned Aerial Vehicle attack, and to

be able to integrate new features such as

gunshot detection, spectrum sensing, or

even the employment of directed energy

weapons, ultimately to become a land

platform self-protection suite with

enhanced electronic protection and attack

capabilities.” Other design considerations

for convoy protection jamming equip-

ment will include a need to “be easily

upgradeable to cope with continuously-

evolving threats,” according to the com-

pany, alongside the imperative of preserv-

ing friendly communications, and having

reduced size, weight and power to allow

integration on all types of vehicles.”

Over the long term, there are no imme-

diate indications that the use of cellphone-

activated bombs will cease. As soon as

one company develops a jammer, insur-

gents eventually get wise to the disruptive

techniques which are being used, and

adapt their bomb designs accordingly.

Therefore, even when NATO forces

vacate Afghanistan en masse from 2014

there will, regrettably, almost certainly

continue to be attacks using remote-con-

trolled bombs. Therefore, the need for

jamming systems for convoy protection,

both in that Central Asian country, and

beyond, is unlikely to dissipate. As the

spokesperson for SESP states, for the time

being, “however advanced we get, the ter-

rorists will get just as advanced.”


convoy support

The wars in Afghanistan andIraq have witnessed a step-change in terms of vehiclesubsystems with a plethora ofadditions to vehicles to protectthem from attack by remote-controlled devices © US DoD

The need for jammingsystems for convoy

protection, bothin Afghanistan andbeyond is unlikely

to dissipate


The C-17 Globemaster III is the world’s most capable

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HELICOPTERS:ARMED AND DANGEROUS

h e l i c o p t e r s

attack

AgustaWestland’s AW159Lynx Wildcat is enteringBritish Army service andavailable for export ©AgustaWestland

The US military will also train

Indonesian pilots and help in

developing tactics, techniques

and procedures for operating the

Boeing AH-64D Longbow

Apache helicopter in the Southeast Asian

security environment.

This is part of the United States ‘pivot

to Asia’ and potential future operations in

Anti-Access/Area-Denial (A2/AD) envi-

ronments will lead to a need for more

capable armed helicopter fleets

The Indonesian deal follows Boeing’s

award of a multi-billion dollar contract for

the supply of AH-64E Apache attack heli-

copters to the Republic of Korea (ROK)

Army, confirmed by the country's Defense

Acquisition Procurement Administration

(DAPA) earlier this year.

Awarded amid escalating tensions

with North Korea, the estimated $1.6bn

Foreign Military Sales (FMS) contract cov-

ers the delivery of 36 helicopters along

with training and logistical support to

enhance aerial firepower of the South

Korean Army beginning in 2016.

These latest contracts follow Taiwan’s

FMS for 30 AH-64Es awarded in 2011, the



attack

The multi-mission Mil Mi-17 is in service with adozen Asia-Pacific air arms and can pack apunch when armed with gun and rocketpods © David Oliver

During a recent four-nation visit to the Asia-Pacific region thatincluded a stop in Malaysia, Brunei, Indonesia and the Philippines, USDefense Secretary Chuck Hagel announced a deal worth about$500 million to sell eight new Apache AH-64E attack helicoptersand Longbow radars to Indonesia, “Providing Indonesia theseworld-class helicopters is an example of our commitment to helpbuild Indonesia’s military capability,” Hagel said.

by David Oliver

first deliveries of which are underway.

At the same time, Indian Armed Forces

are embarking on the largest rotary mod-

ernization programme in the world worth

some $15 billion. Their requirements for

modernization look to strengthening tri-

service rotary assets through the procure-

ment of more than 1,000 attack, utility,

multi role and lift platforms in addition to

the latest high end component technolo-

gies to ensure India has the optimum

rotary capability at its disposal.

Part of this huge investment package is

a $1.3 billion contract for 22 AH-64D

Longbow Apaches for the Indian Air

Force signed last year. However, there is

an ongoing rift between the Indian Air

force and the Indian Army Aviation

Corps as to which of the services should

operate armed helicopters, and the Indian

Army has asked the Defence Ministry to

acquire an unspecified number AH-64D

helicopters in addition to those on order

for the air force.

The Indian Army is also taking delivery

of a weaponised version of the Hindustan

Aeronautics Limited (HAL) Dhruv multi-

role twin-engine Advanced Light

Helicopter (ALH). The Rudra is fitted with

nose-mounted Forward-Looking Infrared

(FLIR) and armed with a chin-mounted

Nexter THL-20 20 mm (0.78 inch) turreted

auto cannon, MBDA Mistral air-to-air mis-

siles and an FZ 70 mm (three-inch)

unguided rocket system. The first aircraft

was officially handed over in February

2013 and the Army plans to procure 60

Rudra Mk IV helicopter to equip six

squadrons.

India is the country with the greatest

growth potential and offered the greatest

investment opportunities for the global

helicopter industry. With twelve active

helicopter programmes in the Defence

Ministry’s procurement plans the sector

is, perhaps more than any other, one of

the most promising and prolific in the

global defence industry today. In the

meantime the Indian government is mak-

ing no secret of its intentions to bolster its

indigenous defence industry for the

future, but at present global players are

still eyeing significant opportunities in the

region. With its unpredictable nuclear-

armed neighbour, Pakistan on one border,

and China on another, whose 2012

defence budget grew by more than 10 per-

cent from the previous year to $106.39 bil-

lion, almost three time that of India’s mil-

itary spend in the same period.

Although the Mil Mi-28NE Night

Hunter lost out to the AH-64 as a replace-

ment for the Indian Air Force’s Mil Mi-35

fleet, Kamov see an opening for its capable

Ka-52 Alligator all-weather, day-night


India’s indigenous HAL Rudra IV is the armedvariant of the Advanced Light Helicopter (ALH)will equip six IAF squadrons © David Oliver


attack

combat helicopter. It was designed to

destroy armoured and unarmoured

ground targets, low-speed aerial targets

and enemy front-line and tactical reserve

troops, and to undertake reconnaissance

missions and co-ordination of groups of

military helicopters. After defence funding

dried up following implosion of the Soviet

Union, the Alligator is now being deliv-

ered to the Russian Air Force. The Ka-52

has a twin-seat cockpit and can be con-

trolled by either pilot. Its coaxial rotors

provide advanced flight abilities and allow

it to manoeuvre rapidly in tight airspace.

Its two VK-2500 turbine engines enable

the helicopter to fly above 16,400 feet (5,000

metres). It has a static ceiling of 13,123 feet

(4,000 metres), and can take-off and land in

hot and high environments, making it a

strong contender for the Indian Army’s

newly sanctioned Mountain Corps that

could be deployed along the China border.

The Corps would also be equipped with

attack helicopters that would be opera-

tional within the next decade.

The heavily armed and armoured Ka-

52 Alligator is equipped with state-of-the-

art avionics developed mainly by Radio-

Electronic Technologies that also supplies

systems for laser-guided weapons and

video imaging processing for missile

guidance. The helicopter can rapidly iden-

tify and simultaneously engage two tar-

gets at a range of up to five nautical miles

(ten kilometres), guiding the AT-12

Atak/Vikhr or SA-16 Igla-V anti-armour

missiles with high accuracy. The SAU-800

autopilot system allows for manual and

automatic piloting.

The Ka-52 is equipped with the rapid-

fire NPPU-80 unit with 2A42 30mm (1.1

inch) gun is located on the helicopter's star-

board. The large number of weapons

options is supported by six mounting

points for aircraft guns, missiles and rock-

ets and various aerial bombs, as well as

additional fuel tanks. The total weight of

the payload is 2,000 kilogrammes (4,400lb).

Powerful armoured protection and the

unique ejection seat system make the Ka-52

Alligator one of the safest helicopters for

the crew and its rugged construction, hang-

er storage is not required and the helicopter

can be operated and serviced with a mini-

mum of ground crew and equipment.

Although it was unsuccessful, the Ka-

52’s pitch for the Turkish attack helicopter

competition led to the introduction of

NATO requirements and the opportunity

to integrate foreign equipment and

weapons systems. Sagem and Kamov are

working together to combined comple-

mentary areas of technological and indus-

trial expertise to develop an enhanced

version of the Kamov-52 Alligator attack

helicopter, which will address a require-

ment expressed by several countries. This

will include the integration of Sagem

optronic equipment and LINS 100 inertial

navigation systems.

Earlier this year, Kamov general

designer Sergei Mikheyev revealed that

the Kamov Design Bureau had produced

the initial conceptual design for China’s

Changhe (CAIC) Z-10 attack helicopter

which made its public debut at last year’s

Zhuhai air show and is in the early stages

of production and entering service with at

least two Chinese People’s Liberation

Army (PLA) regiments.

Mikheyev stated that in 1995 China

asked Kamov to secretly undertake the


An export version of the Russian Kamov Ka-52Alligator is a possible contender for the IndianArmy’s new Mountain Corps © David Oliver

Kamov co-operated in thedesign of China’s new Z-10Thunder Fire now enteringservice with the PLAAF© Piotr Butowski)


attack

basic design of an attack helicopter, which

was known internally as Project 941 that

was handed over to China as a pro-

gramme ready for development.

The Z-10, known on PLA service as the

Thunder Fire, has had a protracted devel-

opment due mainly to the US ban of the

Pratt & Whitney PT6-67C turboshaft

engines that powered the prototypes.

Now a paired down variant is in produc-

tion using Chinese WZ-9 powerplants.

To make up the shortfall in combat hel-

icopter capability, a tandem two-seat

development of the Z-9 multirole helicop-

ter, itself a Chinese-built version of the

Aerospatiale AS 565 Dauphin, is being

developed. The WZ-19 Black Tornado

attack helicopter is designed to be

equipped with a mast-mounted radar and

be armed with HJ8 anti-tank missiles and

TY-90 air-to-air missiles or unguided

rockets and gun pods.

In addition to these helicopters, Lin

Zuoming, president of Aviation Industry

Corporation of China (AVIC), has

announced that China is developing heli-

copters that can fly at twice the average

speed of current platforms. India, it

seems, needs to stay ahead of the compe-

tition on all fronts.

At the same time territorial disputes

among countries in the Asia-Pacific region

has led to a competitive acquisition of

defense systems. These contemporary dis-

putes involve India and Pakistan, South

Korea and North Korea, Thailand and

Cambodia, and China and Taiwan, and ter-

ritorial disputes with a number of coun-

tries, including Japan, Taiwan and Vietnam

has more broadly increased demand for

armed helicopters in the region.

Pakistan’s army and air force operate

not less than thirty different types of heli-

copters, none of which are state-of-the-art

attack helicopters. Due to the US arms


Territorial disputesamong countries in the

Asia-Pacific area areincreasing the demandfor armed helicoptersthroughout the region


attack

restrictions, it has to rely on two dozen age-

ing Bell AH-1 HueyCobras for the role.

Japan has more than 100 Fuji-built AH-S

HueyCobras as the primary attack helicop-

ter operated by its Ground Self-Defence

Force, and following the first defence

budget increase for eleven years due to ter-

ritorial tensions with China, it may be in

the market for a replacement. Bearing in

mind its close defence ties with the United

States, the AH-64 Apache would be a lead-

ing contender for the role, 12 of which were

produced by Fuji of a requirement for 50 to

60 helicopters. The programme was can-

celled in 2007 due to cost, but this decision

may be reversed in the near future faced

with territorial disputes not only with

China, but also Taiwan.

Vietnam has a few aged Mil Mi-24D

Hinds while Cambodia has agreed to

acquire 12 Chinese-built Z-9 helicopters

for $195 million. In August, Malaysia’s

Defence Minister Hishammuddin

Hussein, said he was not worried about

Chinese ships patrolling the areas it claims

in the South China Sea where Malaysia is

one of six claimants to land features in the

area where competition for oil, gas and

fishing has led to rising tension.

The Royal Malaysian Air Force has no

attack helicopter assets although a

Memorandum of Understanding (MoU)

was signed 2000 with South Africa’s

Denel for co-production in Malaysia of the

AH-2A Rooivalk combat support helicop-

ter if a contract from the air force materi-

alized, but lack of funding killed off

the deal. Since then several candidates

have been put forward for the role includ-

ing the Eurocopter Tiger and

AgustaWestland’s AW129 International.

An outsider could be AgustaWestland’s

AW159 Wildcat that has been adopted

as the British Army’s Battlefield

Reconnaissance Helicopter. Developed

from the Super Lynx, which is service

with the Royal Malaysian Navy, Wildcat

is fitted with an Night Vision Goggle

(NVG) compatible cockpit glass with

Smiths SDS-5000 multi-function display

screens, a new radar, a nose-mounted

Wescam MX-15 Electro Optical/Infrared/

infrared (EO/IR) sensor, tactical database,

digital map display, Thales SCCS secure

tactical Very/Ultra-High Frequency

radios and voice-only Bowman radio

capability, and a Selex HIDAS-15 integrat-

ed defensive aid suite.

The British Army’s Lynx Wildcat AH.

Mk 1’s primary role will be reconnais-

sance, convoy protection and utility. For

the latter role it can accommodate six

troops in crashworthy seats of up to nine

with non-crashworthy seating. The type

secured release to service in April 2012

and a total of 14 have been delivered to

the service by mid-2013. In a light attack

role the Wildcat will have the ability of

carrying weapons on external pylons

mounted on either side of the fuselage. It

can be armed with door-mounted 7.62

mm (0.3in) or 12.7 mm (0.5in) machine

The choice between anattack helicopter, and

an armed multi-missionaircraft is one being

pondered by manyAsia-Pacific nations


The Z-9W is an armed version ofthe licence-built Aerospatiale AS365 Dauphin and is operated byChinese Army Aviation © CATIC


attack

guns, and the Thales Light Multirole

Missile (LMM), a low cost, lightweight,

precision strike, missile, which has been

designed to be fired from helicopters to

provide a rapid reaction to a wide range

of the surface threats from wheeled or

tracked vehicles, towed artillery or static

installations.

The ubiquitous Russian multi-mission

Mil Mi-17 variants are operated by 16

Asia-Pacific air arms including those of

China and India, many of which are

armed with a variety of unguided rocket

packs, 23 mm (0.9in) gun pods and AT-2

and AT-3 anti-armour missiles.

The choice between a dedicated state-of-

the-art attack helicopter, and an armed

multi-mission aircraft is one being pon-

dered by many Asia-Pacific nations as they

face an uncertain future as the superpow-

ers’ focus moves towards the region.

Detecting danger

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Japan’s Ground Self-Defence Force’s mainattack helicopter is the dated Fuji-built AH-1SHueyCobra © JGSDF


attack

The Combat Management System

(CMS) is at the heart of the mod-

ern warship. From small OPVs,

up to large cruisers, amphibious

support ships and aircraft carri-

ers, the CMS provides a central point at

which information from a ship’s sensors;

notably its surveillance, navigation and fire

control radars, sonar and electro-optical

sensors can be bought together. It also

enables off-board data delivered by com-

munications and battle management sys-

tems, and information regarding the status

of a vessels’ armament to provide a war-

ship’s crew with as detailed a picture as

possible regarding the condition of their

ship and its weapons, the tactical situation

in their locale, and the wider operational

situation in which they operate.

Although CMSs first began to be rou-

tinely deployed on warships following the

Second World War as a direct result of the

lessons learned at sea during this conflict,

they have deepened in sophistication and

capability during the intervening decades.

Today’s CMSs are likely to include multi-

function consoles which a crewmember

can easily configure to the task which they

are performing, the widespread employ-

ment of Commercial Off-The-Shelf (COTS)

components to reduce costs where possi-

ble, and open architecture standards

allowing software to be easily upgraded as

and when new subsystems are added to a

vessel, or when new command and control

protocols come on stream. Customers in

the Asia-Pacific region have arguably

never enjoyed so much choice vis-à-vis the

CMS products available for new-build

vessels and for retrofits.

EuropeFrance is home to two companies specialis-

ing in surface and subsurface CMSs, notably

DCNS and Thales. DCNS has steadily

evolved its SENIT (Système d’Exploitation

Navale des Informations Tactiques/Naval

Tactical Information Exploitation System)


The market for warship Combat Management

Systems (CMSs) in the Asia-Pacific is

healthy with demand especially high for CMSs

to outfit existing and new-build Offshore

Patrol Vessels (OPVs), and corvettes.

by Thomas Withington

LOCALKNOWLEDGE

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since its initial deployment onboard

French vessels from the 1960s onwards.

Since then, it has been used extensively by

the Marine Nationale (French Navy), and

other naval forces around the world.

In terms of SENIT’s use by navies in

the Asia-Pacific, the SENIT-9 standard

will be deployed onboard the Russian

Navy’s two new ‘Vladivostok ‘ class

amphibious support vessels which are

extensively based upon the French navy’s

‘Mistral’ class ships. Like DCNS, Thales

has enjoyed similar success in the Asia-

Pacific region with its TACTICOS CMS

brand. One of the key design features of

TACTICOS, as with other CMSs surveyed

in this article, is that it is highly scalable to

the size of ship that it equips. In

September 2013 TACTICOS was selected

to equip the Indonesian Navy’s ‘Sigma-

10514’ class of corvettes. Other TACTI-

COS users around the region include the

Royal Thai Navy which has it installed on

its HMTS Krabi ‘River’ class of OPVs,

while Singapore’s ST Marine Shipyard

will install TACTICOS on the ‘Al Ofouq’

class OPVs which it is constructing for the

Royal Omani Navy.

Lockheed MartinThe American defence contractor has one

of the world’s most famous CMSs in its

portfolio in the form of Aegis which is

used by the United States, Norwegian

and Spanish navies, and in the Asia-

Pacific by the navies of the Republic of

Korea and Japan. Since its development in

the 1970s, like its SENIT counterpart (see

above), Aegis has been cycled through a

number of different versions, known as

‘baselines’ by the company which have

progressively increased the capability of

the CMS as new weapons and capabilities

for Aegis-equipped vessels have become

available. Doug Wilhelm, director of

international Aegis programmes at

Lockheed Martin says that; “The US Navy

is still procuring Aegis today and plans to

for the foreseeable future.”

Beyond the navies of Japan and the

Republic of Korea, Aegis is expected to out-

fit the Royal Australian Navy’s forthcom-

ing ‘Hobart’ class of destroyers destined to

replace the fleet’s current ‘Adelaide’ class

guided missile frigates. These ships will be

outfitted with the AN/SPY-1D variant of

Lockheed Martin’s AN/SPY-1 air and sur-

face search radar family which is routinely

used alongside the Aegis CMS, and the

Mk.41 vertical launching system which will

deploy the Raytheon RIM-66 Standard

Missile-2MR semi-active radar homing

Surface-to-Air Missiles (SAM). The first

ship of the class, HMAS Hobart, is expected

to enter service in 2016.

Other CMS products available from

Lockheed Martin include COMBATSS-21.

Mr. Wilhelm says that this is a; “scaled ver-

sion of Aegis that is installed on Lockheed

Martin’s Littoral Combat Ship (LCS).It is

an integrated combat system that allows

easy integration of customer-specified sen-

sors and effectors. COMBATSS-21 can be

installed on just about any kind of hull.”

First fielded in 2008, COMBATSS-21 is

installed onboard the USS Freedom LCS


Thales’ TACTICOS Combat Management System(CMS) is installed onboard the IndonesianNavy’s ‘Sigma-10514’ class corvettes. It is alsoused onboard Royal Thai Navy vessels and isbeing installed on new ships for the RoyalOmani Navy © Thales

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Selex’s ATHENA Combat Management System(CMS) was showcased at the Euronavalexhibition in Paris in 2012. In October that year,the firm celebrated the selection of this CMS toequip the Lithuanian Navy © Selex

and; “Lockheed Martin is under contract

for a total of twelve LCS platforms,” says

Mr. Wilhelm. He adds that: “With future

LCS procurements, delivery of COMBAT-

SS-21 is likely to go on for many years.”

Variants of the COMBATSS-21 include the

Lockheed Martin Agile Combat System

(LMACS) which; “is a version of COM-

BATSS-21 that can be sold via direct com-

mercial sale to international customers.”

Finally, he says that Lockheed Martin

Canada’s CMS-330; “is the combat system

that the company is installing for the Royal

Canadian Navy’s ‘Halifax’ class frigate

modernization program. It can be installed

on a variety of platforms, and has a variety

of international applications.”

MBDAMBDA, known around the world for its

missile and electronic warfare products, is

expanding its footprint in the naval CMS

market. In particular, the firm is concen-

trating on CMSs for small vessels, via its

CWSP (Compact Warfare Systems

Package) family, fusing the company’s

weapons, notably its Mistral infrared guid-

ed Surface-to-Air Missile (SAM) and its

Marte Mk.2 Anti-Shipping Missile (AShM)

with third-party sensor equipment. The

products are being aimed at customers

with small ships which are interested in

using such vessels for littoral operations

and for the protection of critical infrastruc-

ture such as oil platforms. Although the

firm offers its CMS with Mistral and Marte

Mk.2 weapons, it says that it can integrate

third-party weapons if desired by the cus-

tomer. MBDA is looking forward to deliv-

ering its first CMS to an undisclosed cus-

tomer over the next twelve months.

Three products are offered within the

CWSP portfolio: The CWSP-PB is opti-

mised for patrol boats, and includes a

Marte Mk.2 launcher sufficient to carry

four rounds, and two SIMBAD-RC launch-

ers each of which carries two Mistral mis-


One of the world’s most prolific naval CombatManagement System (CMS) is DCNS’s SENITfamily. As well as being used widely by theFrench Navy, it will adorn new amphibioussupport vessels being procured by Russia. ©Marine Nationale

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siles, with the option of having an integrat-

ed gun. This in turn is integrated with two

optronic packages, surveillance radar and

has two compact operator consoles. The

CWSP-AS is optimised for anti-surface

warfare and has a single four-round Marte

Mk.2 launcher, one operator console and

the same number of radars and optronics

as the CWSP-PB (see above). Finally, the

CWSP-AD is designed for air defence and

has a pair of two-round SIMBAD-RC

launchers, surveillance radar, two optronic

systems and a single operator console.

Both the CWSP-AS and CWSP-AD have

the option of including an integrated gun.

SaabDespite the company being historically

associated with the production of combat

aircraft and aerospace subsystems,

Sweden’s Saab has nevertheless carved out

a naval subsystems business most notably

providing its Sea Giraffe naval air and sur-

face surveillance radar and its 9LV CMS.

Dan Enstedt, president and chief executive

officer of Saab Asia-Pacific, says that “the

latest generation of Saab 9LV solutions is

built on operationally proven modules and

fielded in the major combatants of navies,

such as the Royal Australian Navy (RAN),

the Royal Swedish Navy, and many oth-

ers.” In terms of Asia-Pacific customers, the

9LV is furnishing the ‘ANZAC’ class air

defence frigates of the Royal Australian

Navy (RAN) and the Royal New Zealand

Navy. Mr. Enstedt adds that this; “integra-

tion and upgrade of an advanced fire con-

trol suite has resulted in a class of frigate

now capable of neutralizing supersonic

anti-ship missile threats through manage-

ment of multiple channels of fire.” He adds

that the company; “has identified Asia-

Pacific as a focus market area where Saab

will significantly enhance its presence in

order to participate in opportunities across

the region.”

TermaTerma’s C-FLEX CMS has sold well

around the Asia-Pacific and the Middle

East, in addition to equipping several

Royal Danish Navy surface ships. The firm

says that C-FLEX has been designed from

the outset be highly scalable according to

the size of the vessel it will equip. Terma

offers a range of stand-up configurations

from single console, single sensor and

weapons packages up to large-scale OPVs

with five or six consoles and more

advanced sensors and weapons. Like other

companies surveyed in this article, the

company is focusing on furnishing the the

OPV and corvette market with their CMS.

Ultra ElectronicsAs well as selecting Thales’ TACTICOS

CMS for its ‘Sigma-10514’ class corvettes

(see above) the Indonesian Navy is equip-

ping its ‘Fatahillah’ class fast attack craft

with Ultra Electronics’ CMS, making the

selection in July 2013. The CMS will be

installed as part of the mid-life update for

this ships, the installation of which should

be complete by 2015. Discussions are

expected to commence by the end of 2013

regarding the upgrade of the second vessel

in the class with Ultra’s CMS. Beyond the

Indonesian contract Ultra Electronics is

hopeful that it can secure additional con-

tracts for CMSs from naval customers in

the region in the future and states that it;

“has seen an increase in the demand for

CMS systems in the APAC (Asia-Pacific)

region over the last two years,” in a written

statement it released to the Asian Military

Review. Specifically, the company has seen


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Factors driving theCMS market in the Asia

Pacific include newnaval shipbuilding

initiatives, upgrades ofexisting vessels and

strategic maritime issues

MBDA’s Compact WarfareSystems Package (CWSP) is ascalable combat managementsystems designed for small, andmedium-sized vessels whichcan integrate surface-to-airand anti-ship missiles © MBDA

the demand for its CMS from customers

operating small vessels up to frigate-sized

ships. The company does not expect this

trend to change over the next few years,

and forecasts demand from; “further

increases in the build of maritime plat-

forms as well as from the modernization

and overhaul of existing vessels.”

The company believes that strategic real-

ities will also play their part in enlarging

the market: “The likely drivers of this mar-

ket include the potential for regional con-

flicts over maritime borders and access to

critical shipping sea lanes and fishing

grounds. Certain APAC countries have

been rapidly expanding their maritime

capability which leads others to follow or

work on bilateral and multilateral initia-

tives that stimulates modernisation and

expansion.” Although Ultra adds that:

“Likely constraints are mostly driven by

economics and speed at which large fleets

of ships can be modernized or replaced as

well as the overall political pressures to

remain at a status quo in capabilities.”

As the above discussion indicates, sever-

al major factors are driving forward the

CMS market in the Asia-Pacific. They

include current and future naval shipbuild-

ing initiatives in the region, upgrades of

existing vessels and strategic maritime

issues, of which the region has no shortage.

In addition, according to Mr Enstedt:

“Defensive and force projection technolo-

gies are always advancing, the naval

domain is no different. The Asia-Pacific

region hosts a large share of global ship-

ping lanes and key resource areas. The

nature of geography, archipelagic states

and resource rich areas are probably key

drivers for national investments in security

infrastructure and naval assets.” Mr

Wilhelm agrees with this assessment of the

market’s health saying that; “Lockheed

Martin projects a healthy demand in the

Asia-Pacific for CMSs for all sizes of combat

systems,” yet he emphasizes that; “it’s like-

ly that more corvettes and OPVs will be

built compared to other type of ships.”

Ultimately, he says that, “barring a serious

economic downturn, we see strong growth

in the naval CMS market in the Asia-Pacific

region.” One of the most significant techno-

logical developments witnessed in recent

years in the CMS world is the migration of

the functionality found in the CMSs equip-

ping large vessels down to smaller ships.

There is no reason why this trend will not

continue in the future.


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Ultra Electronics provide naval CombatManagement System products and in July 2013,the company was celebrating its selection toprovide the Indonesia Navy with a CMS to outfitits ‘Fatahillah’ class frigates © Ultra Electronics

The United States Navy’s Aegis Combat Management System remains arguably the mostfamous of its kind in service today. It is used in the Asia-Pacific region by the navies of Japanand the Republic of Korea © US Navy

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Superior maritime intelligence, clearly.The ScanEagle unmanned aircraft system provides persistent maritime intelligence, delivering high-quality

imagery day or night. ScanEagle operates autonomously at low or mid altitudes for extended periods,

dramatically enhancing situational awareness. The result is a multi-mission force multiplier for large and

small vessels alike, delivering the intelligence critical for decision-making superiority.

www.insitu.com/maritime-intelligence

AustraliaThe Australian military has several pro-

grammes under way. For example, pro-

duction of the F88SA2 Austeyr rifle – a

Steyr AUG built by Thales Australia sub-

sidiary Lithgow Arms – is nearing com-

pletion. The F88SA2 mounts an Advanced

Combat Optical Gunsight (ACOG) with a

Ruggedized Miniature Reflex (RMR) sight

on top, both from Trijicon. ACOG is a

family of fixed power scopes with illumi-

nated reticles, some of which include

alternative aiming marks to compensate

for bullet drop. An Insight Technology

AN/PEQ-2 combines covert infrared illu-

mination and aiming lasers.

An enhanced EF88, around 500 g lighter

than the older weapon, is undergoing

design review and testing. Risk mitigation

is aimed at achieving second pass approval

during 2014, enabling initial materiel

release in 2016 and final release in 2020.

The first Australian soldiers to test fire

the EF88 did so on 26 October 2012 in

Lithgow, New South Wales. They were

members of the 1st Battalion, the Royal

Australian Regiment. Lance Corporal


w e a p o n s

infantry

INFANTRY WEAPONSAND SIGHTS Asia’s infantry weapon requirements are numerous, large and

diverse and it would be foolish to attempt a full summary here, so

this article addresses some of the most influential.

by Peter Donaldson

Lachlan Robinson was impressed with the

lighter weapon’s better balance, also com-

menting: “It’s definitely more versatile

now – it’s not just one rifle any more but

can be one, two or three.”

The new rail system that enables quick

attachment and removal of accessories

including the new Grenade Launcher

Attachment (GLA), which found favour

with Private Kirk Foster: “You don’t need

an armourer or any special tools to

remove the GLA anymore,” he said.

Direct fire support project Land 40

Phase 2 has delivered all 437 Saab Carl

Gustaf M3 recoilless rifles, and AN/PAS-

13 thermal weapon sights from BAE

Systems. The weapon equips the Army’s

infantry and special forces along and

Royal Australian Air Force airfield

defence units. The project was also to

procure a 40 mm (1.6 inch) lightweight

automatic grenade launcher, but the

Australian Department of Defence (DoD)

cancelled contract negotiations.

Consequently, it has been a ‘project of

concern’ since December 2012 pending a

revised procurement strategy.

IndiaIndia is one of the largest weapons markets

in the world and the Indian Ministry of

Defence has major procurement pro-

grammes under way and has issued

numerous Requests For Information (RFI)

in recent years, many focused on the

Future Infantry Soldier System (FINSAS)

2020 effort. These include around 66,000

multi-calibre assault rifles to replace the

troubled INSAS, thermal sights for assault

rifles and machine guns, anti-materiel

rifles, 9 mm (0.4 in) pistols for special forces

and paratroops, an underwater assault

rifle, a round-the-corner shooting system


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The new EF88 was pitted against the F88-SA2to see how the newly designed weapon wouldstack-up in terms of shooting, performance andergonomics © Australian DoD

The next generation of assault rifle was putthrough its paces by a soldier from the 1stBattalion, The Royal Australian Regiment ©Australian DoD

and accessories for the special forces’ IWI

Tavor assault rifles.

While the original assault rifle RFI

enquired about weapons able to inter-

changeably fire the 5.56 x 45 mm, 7.62 x 39

mm, 7.62 x 51 mm, 6.8 x 43 mm SPC and

the 6.5 x 39 mm Grendel rounds, the

requirement settled on the first two.

The competition is between Beretta’s

ARX-160, CZ’s model 805 BREN, IWI’s

ACE, SIG Sauer’s SG551 and the Colt

Combat Rifle. Reports emerged from India

in August 2013 that high altitude cold

weather trials of 5.56 x 45 mm versions

were about to begin in the Leh region of

Kashmir, to be followed by hot desert tri-

als at Pokhran in Rajasthan in 2014.

The thermal weapon sight RFI calls for

an uncooled device capable of quick

attachment to and detachment from a rail

for alternative hand held or tripod-

mounted use.

The anti-materiel rifle RFI specified cal-

ibres of 12.7 mm and larger, limits of 15 kg

in weight and 1.5 m in length and an effec-

tive range of at least 1,500 m. This follows a

procurement of 20/14.5 mm Denel NTW-

20 AMRs cut short by one of India’s myri-

ad defence procurement scandals, the

Central Bureau of Investigation inquiry

into which has reportedly been closed.

With Tavor assault rifles and sniper-

configured Galils in service with Indian

Army and Air Force commandos and

Navy marine commandos and the Uzi

selected for special forces, the Israeli man-

ufacturer is offering a variant of its ACE.

Galil-derived ACE assault rifles are

offered in a range of calibres including

5.56 x 45 mm, 7.62 x 39 mm and 7.62 x 51

mm, with several barrel lengths.

They are also offered with a range of

sighting options from Israeli tactical

optics supplier Meprolight. These include

the 30 mm diameter Mepro 21 red dot

reflex sight. Its illumination system con-

sists of a fibre optic collector for daylight

shooting and a tritium light source for

night work. A second option is the Mepro

MOR “all-in-one” reflex sight with visible

and IR laser pointers.

Meprolight has a new member of its

uncooled thermal weapon sight family in

the form of the NOA XT4. Designed to

clip on to a Picatinny rail in line with a

four-power magnifier, it converts the rifle-

scope into a magnified night sight in sec-

onds without changing eye relief or

weapon zero. The NOA XT4 can also

operate as a hand held thermal viewer

with electronic zoom.

The Mepro 4X is a new fixed-magnifi-

cation, 320 g daylight telescopic sight with

five brightness settings for the reticle

powered by a single battery.

“These sights enable maximum flexi-

bility for use in daylight or at night, in

either the clip-on or hand-held format”,

says Golan Kalimi, Meprolight’s Vice

President Marketing. “The sight was

developed as a result of our close cooper-

ation with our customers and our under-

standing of demands from the field.”

Carl Zeiss Optronics – now Cassidian

Optronics – gained a foothold in March

2010 when it signed a licensing agreement

with Optic Electronic (India) that was

expected to result in the production of up

to 400,000 RSA-S red dot reflex sights.

KoreaWhile western countries seem to have

given up on the idea of combining the

assault rifle and an automatic grenade

launcher into one two-barrel weapon, the

Republic of Korea has not. The S&T

Daewoo K-11 Dual-barrel Air-burst

Weapon (DAW) fires 5.56 x 45 mm ammu-

nition and 20 x 30 mm grenades. In June


A platoon of Singapore soldiers stand atattention as they await inspection by U.S. ArmyMaj. Gen. Patrick Wilson, deputy commandinggeneral, Army National Guard, United StatesArmy Pacific, in Singapore during OperationTiger Balm 2009 © US DoD

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2013, the Yonhap news agency reported

that the Army would issue the K-11 to

frontline troops. This seems to validate

the redesign that followed reports of

defects, including one that led to a barrel

explosion in an October 2011 test. The

original issue to troops came in May 2010.

“We conducted additional testing and

fixed the defects of the K-11,” according to

a DAPA official quoted by Yonhap. “We

will provide 2,500 rifles to frontline army

troops and special forces.”

MalaysiaMalaysian soldiers are issued with a

diverse range of weapons as a result of an

eclectic procurement policy. Assault rifles

include the Colt M4 Carbine and the Steyr

AUG, both built locally by SME Ordnance.

Recent parades have indicated that elite

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US Marines and Malaysian army Rangersconduct military operations in urban terraintraining during Cooperation Afloat Readinessand Training Malaysia 2011 © US DoD

units use M4s sometimes equipped with

ACOGs, regular infantry use the AUG

while the Territorials have M-16s. Infantry

sections have paraded with a mix of

AUGs, 5.56 mm M249 Minimi Squad

Automatic Weapons, Milkor six shot 40

mm grenade launchers and RPG-7s.

Footage of elite Grup Gerak Khas

(GGK) commandos in training shows

shotguns, Glock pistols, HK MP-5 sub

machineguns and Accuracy International

AW sniper rifles.

Commenting on the operation against

Filipino Muslim guerrillas in the eastern

province of Sabah in February 2013 an

observer remarked that the M16s issued

to the Police General Operations Force

had iron sights and lacked accessory rails.

New ZealandNew Zealand soldiers use Steyr’s AUG as

the Individual Weapon (IW), some of

which the Army plans to upgrade under

the In-Service Weapon Replacement and

Upgrade Project (ISWRUP). New sights

and target acquisition systems are also to

be procured under ISWRUP, which has

suffered significant delays. The The New

Zealand Defence Force’s most recent

acquisitions have been the Designated

Marksman Weapon (DMW), additional

shotguns and the replacement Light

Support Weapon (LSW).

Troops began training with their 7.62

mm Lewis Machine & Tool AR-10s in

October 2011. The new DMW features a

Leupold 4.5 to15x zoom sight to engage

targets out to 800 m. For close-quarter

emergencies it also has a set of Dueck

Defense rapid transition ‘iron’ sights.

Mounted at 45° to the main optic, they

enable the shooter to switch rapidly from

the optic by canting the rifle.

“It has met and surpassed expecta-

tions”, said a training officer. “We are not

expecting to get snipers from the system,

but the capability that this puts into the

section commander’s hands, particularly

for our deployed troops, has been very,

very impressive.”

January 2012 saw the second procure-

ment of Benelli’s M3 12-bore shotgun,

which followed a small batch bought in

2007/8 for operations in East Timor,

enabling the NZDF to field it with tactical

elements in all three services. Capable of

semi-automatic and pump action opera-

tion, the M3 provides lethal and non-

lethal effects, the latter from aerial distrac-

tion “flash bangs”, beanbag and rubber

ball rounds.

Another recent introduction is Heckler

& Koch’s crew served 40 mm Grenade

Machine Gun (GMG) with the

Rheinmetall Defence/Vinghøg Vingmate

Fire Control System. This includes a day


Meprolight’s MESLAS is a specialised scopedesigned for sniper rifles. The sight has a singlepulse laser rangefinder, which is invisible tonight vision systems. It is one of several of thecompany’s advanced weapons optronicssystems © Meprolight

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Singapore is carvingits own path in infantry

weapons. ST Kinetics’SAR21 bullpup assault

rifle is an example,featuring 1.5x or 3x

optical sight and built-inlaser aiming module

infantry

TV camera and either an image intensifier

or a thermal imager, a ballistic computer

and an interface for programmable air-

burst munitions. Thus equipped, the

GMG can engage point targets and pro-

vide better area suppression.

February 2013 saw soldiers conducting

initial training with the new LSW. FN’s

7.62 x 51 mm Minimi is replacing its 5.56 x

45 mm stable mate to provide longer

range and greater stopping power. For

sighting over long and short ranges, the

Army has selected a 4x ACOG with a mini

red dot close quarter sight.

ISWRUP procurements yet to be com-

pleted include the IW upgrade, the sniper

rifle replacement, additional anti-materiel

rifles, a target acquisition system upgrade

for the MAG-58 machine gun, a pistol

replacement and a Carl Gustaf upgrade.

SingaporeSingapore is carving its own path in the

development of infantry weapons, as

in other key sectors. ST Kinetics’ SAR21

bullpup assault rifle is an example,

featuring an integral 1.5x or 3x optical

sight designed to eliminate the need to

zero the weapon, and a built-in laser aim-

ing module.

Senior Minister of State for Defence

Chan Chun Sing emphasised its signifi-

cance in his 27 March 2013 address to the

Young Defence Scientists Programme

Congress. “When we had the M16 rifle, it

took a soldier, a unit, at least half a day to

zero the weapon”, he said. “Then in order

for us to train an average soldier to be a

marksman, [it would] take at least two,

three days of training”, he continued. “In

the past, after three, four days of training,

out of a hundred soldiers, we would be

lucky to get 15 of them to be marksman-

trained. Today, with the SAR21, with half

a day of training or less, we get 50 to 60

per cent marksmen.”

Realising that the integral sight limits

users options for alternative sights and

accessories, ST Kinetics developed vari-

ants with Picatinny rails in the three, six,

w e a p o n s

infantry

nine and twelve o’clock positions. The

current Advanced Combat Man System

(ACMS) soldier modernisation package

features a SAR21 with an Elbit Systems

ITL Multi-purpose Aiming Reflex Sight

(MARS) on the top rail.

With tens of thousands in service all

over the world, according to Elbit, MARS

is a family of reflex sights offering sever-

al reticle patterns and a laser aiming

device – visible red and/or IR.

Automatic brightness control adapts to

ambient lighting without user input, no

colour artefacts enter the field of view

and no light – other than the laser – is

projected forward to alert the opposition.

Singaporean STELOP Pte Ltd, ST

Engineering’s electronics subsidiary, has

developed a range of uncooled thermal

sights for assault rifles, sniper rifles, gener-

al purpose machine guns and anti-armour

weapons. These include clip-on designs

that can be installed with day sights with-

out affecting the weapon’s zero.

The Singapore Ministry of Defence

awarded STELOP a contract to supply

lightweight thermal sights for the army in

March 2007, with delivery thought to

have been completed in 2009.

Qioptiq, which has offices in Singapore,

makes a wide range of infantry weapon

sights, the latest of which is its Saker Fused

Weapon Sight (FWS), which combines an

image intensifier and an uncooled thermal

imager in a single device.

Future procurements are likely to be

characterised by ever fiercer internation-

al competition as infantry weapons and

sights become increasingly commodi-

tised, forcing industry to seek the kind

of edge represented by fused systems

such as the Qioptiq FWS and market

leading US systems from the likes of ITT.

Greater technical ambition by regional

industry will also figure more strongly,

with the S&T Daewoo K-11 being a

prime example.

India is one of thelargest weapons

markets in the world.It has issued numerous

RFIs focusedon future infantry

soldier systems


w e a p o n s

infantry

In May 2012, Qioptiq introduced its newSAKER Fused Weapon Sight which combinesimage intensification with an uncooledthermal imaging sensor in a single weaponssight © Peter Donaldson

This is to cope with this demand

for a more capable, cost effective

flight training capability that

will also optimize time in train-

ing and still produce highly

motivated, capable and agile jet fighter

pilots. This requirement is being addressed

by the aerospace industry with several new

and innovative training solutions.

The first is the universal adoption of

the glass cockpit in trainer aircraft from

the very beginning of the pilot training

cycle. These include the Grob G120TP,

Korea Aerospace Industries KA-1, Pilatus

PC-7 Mk II, and the Turkish Aerospace

Industries Hurkus, all basic turboprop

trainers. The G120TP is being delivered to

Indonesia, the KA-1 to South Korea and

Indonesia, and the PC-7 Mk II to India,

Malaysia and Brunei. With the Hurkus,

that made its maiden flight on 29 August

2013, TAI are hoping to break into the

Asia Pacific market.

In addition to Night-Vision Goggles

(NVG)-compatible glass cockpits and

Hands-On Throttle and Stick (HOTAS)

controls, these basic training aircraft are

equipped with Martin-Baker ejection

seats, designed to ease progression up the

training cycle through advanced to opera-

tional, thus improving the efficiency and

flexibility of the flying training system.”

In most cases, a new generation train-

ing aircraft will be only one part of the

total training package that will include

various computer-aided devices that can

range from virtual briefing rooms to Full

Mission Simulators (FMS).” This is illus-

trated by Brunei’s contract to acquire a


a i r c r a f t

tra iner

While the United States and many European

nations are shrinking their combat aircraft

fleets, numerous Asia Pacific countries are

expanding theirs and the importance of trainer

aircraft in the region is highlighted by their

acquisition of fifth generation fighter aircraft.

by David Oliver

BACKTO SCHOOL

Indian Air Force PilatusPC-7 Mk II trainers, atype also procured by theair forces of Brunei andMalaysia © Pilatus

BACKTO SCHOOL

fleet of Pilatus PC-7 Mk II basic trainers

that included the provision for CAE to

build a PC-7 Mk II simulator for the

Brunei Multi-Purpose Training Centre to

be delivered in 2014 which will be used to

train the Royal Brunei Armed Forces.”

The next step up in the evolution of the

training aircraft is the development of

embedded simulation and emulation sys-

tems making them into ‘flying simulators’

to make them ideal Lead-In Flying Trainers

(LIFT)to fourth and fifth generation fighter

aircraft. This coincided with a new training

concept, that of outsourcing fighter pilot

training to an industry-led, military-backed

training system. The UK Ministry of

Defence (MoD) was one of the first to take

this route when it awarded a UK Military

Flying Training System (MFTS) contract to

Ascent, a joint venture between Lockheed

Martin and Babcock International, in 2008.

The first segment of MFTS was the

establishment of the Advanced Jet

Training (AJT) system at RAF Valley with

a fleet of 28 BAE Systems Hawk T.2 air-

craft that were ordered by a government-

directed contract in 2006 and delivered to

RAF Valley where they are operated by

No IV (Reserve) Squadron. The aircraft

are maintained in a new hangar on the

Ascent complex Babcock engineers are

able to undertake everything up to, and

including major overhauls.

The T.2 has a glass NVG-compatible

cockpit and an updated Head-Up Display

(HUD) avionics using symbology and

data to simulate aircraft such as the

Eurofighter Typhoon or Lockheed Martin

F-35 Lightning II. It also features HOTAS

controls which are fully representative of

current and future front line combat air-

craft types, and twin open architecture

mission computers hosting simulations of

a wide range of sensor and weapon sys-

tems as well as a full featured INS/GPS

(Inertial Navigation System/Global

Positioning System) with moving map

display. Updated software provides addi-

tional functionality by adding simulated

radar and sensor capabilities that allows

pilots to train using a virtual Defensive

Aid Suite (DAS) and expand the range of

simulated weapons to include medium

air-to-air missiles, precision-guided

weapons, and a gun, and synthetic threats

from surface-to-air missiles. The Hawk

T.2 has no hardpoints for real weapons.

The AJT infrastructure includes a new

facility to house Full Mission Simulators

(FMS), Flight Training Devices (FTD),

Desk Top Trainers (DTT) and virtual mis-

sion brief/debrief facilities. The FTD is a

part task trainee produced by Lockheed

Martin, which houses two re-hosted mis-

sion computers from the T.2 aircraft that

allows student pilots to practice all of their

checks and procedures on touch screens as

well as rehearsing missions in a realistic


a i r c r a f t

tra iner

The KAI KT-1 basic turboprop trainerserves with Republic of Korea Air Forceand the Indonesian Air Force © USAF

synthetic environment. Two CAE front-

cockpit FMSs utilize a ‘dome’ visual dis-

play with fully immersive projection,

together with ‘g’ cueing systems to pro-

vide realistic training for each student

pilot against a multitude of other syntheti-

cally generated aircraft, including several

Russian types. These FMS provide the

majority of the training in the student

operational scenarios, and while most of

the air-to-air combat training is carried out

in the aircraft, much of the air-to-ground

syllabus is taught and missions rehearsed

in the FMS.

All ground instruction is carried out by

Ascent Qualified Instructors and RAF

Qualified Flying Instructors in the air.

The one-year AJT course comprises 120

flying hours plus 120 simulator hours

including approximately 50 FTD hours.

All the student pilots are treated as

Operational Conversion Unit officers and

the ethos behind AJT is to avoid acquiring

knowledge or developing skills not

required. As part of their advanced train-

ing, the students are given secret weapons

briefings by the military.

The system makes the Hawk T.2 effec-

tively a flying simulator, allowing the

instructor to introduce basic and advanced

air-to-air, air-to-ground, and electronic

warfare scenarios both pre-planned and in

real time while airborne. Potential ground

threats can be inserted by the instructor

via the data-linked system that can be

shared by all the aircraft taking part in the

sortie and they can be configured as either

Red Air or Blue Air aircraft. On-board

telemetry and video-recording systems are

used as valuable After-Action Review

(AAR) tools. Air-to-air training is typically

carried out in a one thousand feet ‘bubble’

using a whole range of simulated weapons

ranging from Beyond Visual Range (BVR)

missiles to an internal cannon.

The initial six course members gradu-

ated from UKMFTS, who included two

Royal Navy students, now look forward

to converting to fly the Typhoon, Panavia

Tornado GR4/A, or the US Navy Boeing

FA-18C/D/E/F Hornet. A number of

Indian Air Force instructor pilots have

been trained on the Hawk T.2 system at

RAF Valley prior to the introduction of

the BAE Systems Hawk Mk 132 AJT, 123


The Virtual Briefing/Debriefing display at Ascent’s AJT Electronic Classroom © David Oliver

Next step in theevolution of training

aircraft is develop-ment of embedded

simulation & emulationsystems making them

into ‘flying simulators’

The Hawk T.2 Full MissionSimulator is part of Ascent’s UKAdvanced Jet Trainer packageat RAF Valley © David Oliver

a i r c r a f t

tra iner

of which have been ordered for the Indian

Air Force and Navy.

Another Asia Pacific Hawk operator is

Australia that awarded BAE Systems a

contract in July 2013 to upgrade the Royal

Australian Air Force (RAAF) fleet of 33

Hawk Mk.127 LIFT aircraft to T.2 stan-

dards. The upgrade package also includes

three FMS with CAE Medallion-6000

image generator and Boeing's Constant

Resolution Visual System. These will also

feature the CAE-developed Common

Database (CDB), an open database archi-

tecture that enhances the ability to corre-

late and rapidly update databases to sup-

port training and mission rehearsal

requirements. The upgrade programme

will ensure the Hawks remain effective in

training pilots for Boeing FA-18 Super

Hornet and F-35 aircraft as they are intro-

duced into RAAF service.

The first Asia Pacific country to

embrace outsourcing for fighter pilot

training was Singapore when the

Singapore Defence Science and

Technology Agency awarded Lockheed

Martin a 20-year contract in November

2006 to support its Basic Wings Course.

Lockheed Martin is providing aircraft,

maintenance, simulators and instruction

to the Republic of Singapore Air Force’s

No 130 Squadron at RAAF Base Pearce in

Western Australia. The aircraft selected

for the Basic Wings Course was the

Pilatus PC-21 advanced turboprop train-

er, 19 of which are being delivered to

replace the RSAF’s S-211 jet trainers. Like

the Hawk AJT, the PC-21 has avionics

capable of emulating front line combat

aircraft and with a suite of synthetic class-

room training aids, that includes two

Cassidian-built two Operational Flight

Simulators, Level D FTDs, it provides

simulated jet performance through a

power management system that emulates

the thrust-to-drag of a jet aircraft.

For Singapore’s Fighter Wings Course,

the country ordered 12 Alenia M-346

Master LIFT aircraft in September 2010

through a consortium formed by ST

Aerospace and Boeing. The 20-year con-

tract includes FMSs with CAE Medallion-

6000 image generator and Boeing's

Constant Resolution Visual System. The


The Pilatus PC-21’s glass cockpit equipped withavionics capable of emulating fourth generationcombat aircraft © Pilatus

Australian Hawks arebeing upgraded to RAF T.2standard to be a flyingsimulator © RAAF

a i r c r a f t

tra iner

M-346s, which are fitted with embedded

emulation and simulation systems

(ETTS), will replace A/TA-4SU

Skyhawks operated by RSAF’s No 150

Squadron based at Cazaux Air Base in

France, where the RSAF conducts its

Fighter Wings Course. However, follow-

ing the loss of two prototype M-346s, they

have been grounded.

Lockheed Martin has also announced a

teaming agreement with Pilatus Aircraft,

supported by Hawker Pacific, to compete

for pilot training for the Australian

Defence Force based on the RSAF Pilot

Training Basic Wings Course. The consor-

tium, known as Team 21, will compete for

the AIR 5428 pilot training system pro-

gramme against a BAE Systems, CAE and

Beechcraft consortium that is offering the

T-6C Texan II. Boeing, Thales and

Raytheon are also expected to announce

partners for their respective bids soon.

The tender will close in February 2014,

with selection expected by the end of June

2015 and Initial Operating Capability

(IOC) targeted for 2015-17.

Lockheed Martin has developed a new

Integrated Aircrew Training System

(IATS) for operators of the KAI T-50

supersonic advanced jet trainer based on

the UK AJT system. The T-50 is in service

with the Republic of Korea Air Force and

is being delivered to the Indonesian and

Philippines air forces. The IATS is being

offered to the Polish Air Force and the US

Air Force for its T-X requirement.

While the region’s superpowers, India

and China, are unlikely to consider

outsourcing in the short term although

both countries are facing serious pilot

training challenges.

India is facing a serious crisis with its

indigenous training aircraft. Firstly its

Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL)

HPT-32 Deepak basic trainer was ground-

ed in 2009 after a series of fatal accident

and the entire flying training system had

to be modified based on the training

needs with the ageing HAL Kiran Mk.I

basic jet trainer aircraft. The syllabus also

had to be pruned down, especially in ab-

initio training phase.

Secondly, HAL’s new HJT-36 Sitara

intermediate jet trainer to replace the

Kiran, is having serious flight and safety

problems that has delayed its Initial

Operating Capability which is now sched-

uled for the end of December 2013, but

there are doubts that this can be achieved.

Lastly, the Indian defence ministry and the

Indian Air Force (IAF) are in a battle over

which aircraft will replace the HPT-32.

The head of the IAF, Air Chief Marshal

N A K Browne has recently asked,

Defence Minister A K Antony, Browne to

scrap the project to build 106 HAL HTT-

40 basic turboprop trainer aircraft in

favour of ordering more Pilatus PC-7 Mk

II aircraft, the first which was delivered to

the IAF in February this year. The defence

minister refused his request and ordered

that the protracted development of the

HTT-40 should continue with, as yet, no

in service date.

China is also struggling with its

increasing demand for fourth and fifth

generation combat aircraft pilots for its

rapidly expanding air force. Rigid selec-

tion and training regimes greatly limit the

prospective pilot pool, and the result has

been a shortage of qualified pilots for the

rapidly expanding air force.

In the meantime, the cost of training

pilots is increasing as training cycles are

extended while new indigenous training

aircraft, such as the HAIC L-15 advanced

jet trainer are only beginning to be deliv-

ered to the PLAAF (People’s Liberation

Army Air Force). The deputy head of the

air force training command, General Xie

Hong has been quoted as saying that as

air force training has become more diver-

sified and complex, all the signs indicate

that there needs to be far reaching plans to

revamp the pilot training programme,

and that the PLAAF is making a lot of

effort to develop and use flight simulators

to shorten training and save costs.”

However, neither China nor India

appear to be following the path of using

embedded emulation and simulation sys-

tems in their training aircraft.


Lockheed Martin hasdeveloped a UK AJT-basedIntegrated Aircrew TrainingSystem (IATS) for KAI T-50operators © David Oliver

a i r c r a f t

tra iner

The development of computer

simulation software and visual aids

has been making a tangible progress

from year to year, augmenting capabilities

and role of simulators used for operational

and combat training of military units. Virtual

training, being actively introduced, does not

only allow saving military systems' service

life and fuel and ammunition cost, but also

enhances quality and efficiency of military

personnel training for all types of modern

armed conflicts, such as local anti-terrorist

operations or wide-scale conflicts. It must

be added that high-level unit cooperation

and rapid reaction to quick changes of

tactical situation are most important factors

contributing to combat success.

This is why the evolution of educational

and training facilities has reached by now

the stage of versatile integrated simulators

providing joint training of specialists in

various military services and branches.

Russia is pioneering in this technology

among others.

These days the Rosoboronexport arms

sales state company offers its foreign

partners a new-generation tactical

simulator - Сombat-E based onCommon

SyntheticBattlefield Environment (CSBE).

It is developed by the world-famous

Transascompany which has a 20-year ex-

perience in the development of training

systems for all military services.

The Combat-E is one of the most ad-

vanced tactical simulators providing huge

functionality and most perfect imitation of

real-life algorithms of tactical missions.

The system can be employed for unit train-

ing in various security agencies and mili-

tary branches with due account of their

service specifics and assigned missions.

One of the system’s key features is its

ability to visualize large-area landscapes

composed of 3D topographic layers,

automatically rendered from the reference

2D map, which comprise various types of

terrain, woodlands, roads, settlements,

rivers, etc. This technology allows the

system to visualize any real-world terrain

taking into account its properties,

as well as generate 3D layers based on

existing digital maps.

Tactical situation is plotted on the map

(and, at the same time, on the 3D layer)

by means of standard conventionalThe typical delivery set for the reinforced mechanized infantry company

INNOVATIVE COMBAT TRAINING SYSTEM

symbols that can be replaced/

supplemented on customer request.

One of major hard-to-solve problems for

modern battlefield simulation systems

is the generalization of tactical situation at

different scales and data representation

formats while preserving spatial

parameters and logical ties. For such

cases Russian specialists have

developed an effective solution - the

"smart symbols" technology. It allows

users to quickly plot and edit various

variants of tactical situation, control time

and space parameters, automatically

transfer any scenario to a virtual

battlefield, and even change the initial

tactical concept during a training session

in the tactical simulator. Such flexibility of

the Combat-E system opens huge

opportunities for commanders and staffs

to perfect their tactical thinking and hone

their interoperability.

The Combat-E system helps to greatly

enhance efficiency of commanders' train-

ing in interactionorganizationand perform-

ing tactical tasks, selecting and equipping

combat positions, strongholds, defensive

lines and so on. The simulator allows prac-

ticing tactical training tasks and fire mis-

sions for teams within a unit according to

standards set by directive documents. And

finally, the Combat-E system can form the

basis for tactical exercises conducted at

the brigade-battalion-company level.

Unit shakedown objectives can be

reached only during joint training in organ-

izing and performing combat missions

against realistically simulated opponents.

The technology implemented in the simu-

lator allows modeling tactical actions of

computer generated forces, movements

and combat qualities of separate targets

on the battlefield. Maximum approximation

to reality is reached by:

l using all the parameters for enemy ac-

tions simulation that are necessary to take

efficient decisions (calculation of visibility

range with due account of the terraineleva-

tion model, vegetation types and general

smoke content over the battlefield, reveal-

ing signs etc);

l selecting enemy's training level in

accordance with given standards;

l adjusting algorithms of command and

signal exchange, target designation,

distribution and guidance;

l adopting realistic models of vehicle

movement and various weapons' ballistic

trajectories;

l allowing optional introduction of crew

simulators made by other manufacturers,

in compliance with the HLA international-

standard;

l employing a real-time computed tasks

library, including direct, ballistic and radar

range, road/off-road path planning, search

area definition, etc.

Thus, the simulator modeling system

can generate complex dedicated environ-

ment for real-world battlefield in corre-

spondence with combat capabilities and

technical characteristics of specific

weapon/military equipment items.

At present the Combat-E simulator

is inducted into the Russian Army,

allowing the developers to continue its

upgrading based on the operational

experience gained.

According to specialists, the simulator

offered by Rosoboronexport, if actively

employed in the armed forces, can signifi-

cantly raise efficiency of tactical training,

enhance unit preparedness for tactical ex-

ercises, and improve commanders' qualifi-

cation and methodological skills.

AMR Marketing Promotion

However, this leads to a

dilemma for many armed

forces in the region. The

Global Positioning System

(GPS) continues to be owned

and operated by the US military and

although it is used by many militaries and

civilians alike, the nagging concern is that

if it were to suit essential US interests then

GPS could be either downgraded or

switched off in certain regions. This

would be a major problem for armed

forces hoping to deploy sophisticated net-

works and weaponry.

The challengeThose countries allied to the US in the

region may well be willing to risk the

gamble, but for countries such as China

who may grow to challenge the US mili-

tarily it is not a gamble worth taking. Just

as the then Soviet Union looked to set up

a rival to GPS in the 1980s China is now

seeking to develop its own global posi-

tioning service that will serve both the

military and potentially in the future the

civilian infrastructure.

Even for US allies there are concerns

about the availability of GPS. Other

countries in the region, such as North

Korea, are known to have developed the

capability to jam GPS within a limited

area which could cause major difficulties.

The choice for these countries is either to

move away from the use of GPS or to

look at countermeasures for this jam-

ming technology.

In a similar vein the monopoly on

geospatial information is held predomi-

nately by Western countries that have

had the money and the wherewithal to

fund the development of satellites capa-

ble of providing the necessary informa-

tion at the right level of fidelity.

However, unlike GPS which remains the

providence of the US military after an ini-

tial defence kickstart there has been a

growth in the number of commercial

companies willing and able to offer

geospatial information services at a price.


t e c h n o l o g y

Mapp ing

As countries across Asia look to enhance

their defence capabilities they are beginning

to acquire modern, sophisticated command

and control systems to coordinate their

armed forces. One area often neglected in

looking at the story of this evolution is how

the countries in the region are also seeking

to acquire the necessary technology and

service that underpin these systems. In order

to optimise such systems it is also necessary

to have the right inputs including global

positioning data and geospatial information.

by Claire Apthorp

It’s not just amap! © Itronix

BIRD’S EYE VIEW:ASIA-PACIFICGPS/GISTECHNOLOGY


t e c h n o l o g y

Mapp ing

The choice for Asian armed forces is

between acquiring these services and

building their own capabilities. The latter

is a long and difficult road that is proba-

bly beyond all but a few and that likely

includes a viable indigenous space pro-

gramme. For those that can’t afford large

space programmes another possibility

would be to go the micro satellite route. In

both the global positioning and geospatial

arenas countries in Asia-Pacific face a

number of key decisions as they look to

develop their capabilities. Many of those

decision points are on the horizon and for

some of the more technologically sophisti-

cated economies in the region pro-

grammes have already been launched to

fill some of the gaps and vulnerabilities

that have been identified.

GPS in demandThe demand for GPS technology from

well-established markets remains strong.

In October Elbit Systems EW and SIGINT

– Elisra announced that it would deliver

its GPS immunity system, iSNS, to an

unnamed customer in the Asia-Pacific

region as part of a military surveillance

aircraft project.

iSNS is an effective GPS Electronic

Counter-Countermeasure (ECCM) sys-

tem that supports reliable, non-stop GPS

operation. It provides full jamming

immunity for multiple satellite channels

over extensive geographical areas and

handles multiple interfering signals

and/or jammers operating on concur-

rent frequencies. It uses multi-steering

principles and enables immediate avail-

ability and uninterrupted communica-

tions, working with all types of GPS,

offering extensive protection from jam-

ming, even without prior knowledge of

GPS satellite locations.

Perhaps the country with the biggest

motivation to overcome the threat of GPS

jamming technology is South Korea,

which – along with the US - has been the


GIS solutions that are part of soldier systemsmust have simple user interfaces © Sagem

t e c h n o l o g y

Mapp ing

subject of increasingly successful North

Korean GPS jamming attacks since 2010.

In April 2013 the South Korean govern-

ment released details at the European

Navigation Conference of its plan to roll

out an enhance Loran (eLoran) system

as a complementary navigation and tim-

ing system.

With the current schedule planning to

have the system tested during 2016-7 and

installed by 2018, the land based long

range radio navigation system will work

as a complement to GPS, providing a back

up and alternative to GPS and other

space-based satellite navigation systems.

A report by Jiwon Seo, assistant professor

in the School of Integrated Technology at

Yonsei University in Korea and working

closely with the Ministry of Oceans and

Fisheries of Korea for the Korean eLoran

programme; and Mincheol Kim, deputy

director of the Maritime Safety Facilities

Division in the Ministry of Oceans and

Fisheries, Korea, and in charge of the

Korean eLoran programme, said: ‘The

South Korean government has recently

completed design development and con-

struction documents for the Korean

eLoran system in February 2013.

‘The purpose of the Korean eLoran sys-

tem is to provide better than 20 metres (65

feet) accuracy over the country. Eventually

the South Korean government hopes to

expand eLoran coverage to the entire

Northeast Asia in close collaboration with

Russia and China.’

The report said that following the dis-

continuation of Japan’s low frequency

Loran-C systems — scheduled for

December 2014 - and prior to new stations

becoming operational in Ussuriysk,

Russia, there will be a shortfall in the

number of transmitters required to pro-

vide Loran-C service in the region.

Changing the two Loran-C stations in

South Korea (in Pohang and Kwangju) to

the enhanced eLoran system will reduce

the country’s reliance on the international

control chain it currently relies on from

Japan and Russia. Additional eLoran sta-


At sea, GIS solutions must meet civilian andmilitary standards for precise navigationinformation © DRS

t e c h n o l o g y

Mapp ing

tions will also be built in the country,

some of which will be co-located with the

National Differential GPS reference sta-

tions that provide South Korea’s GPS

service. The eLoran system will be pro-

cured through an International

Competitive Bidding process.

Australia’s government is also in the

process of providing a GPS navigation

warfare protection capability to the

Australian Defence Force (ADF) with its

ADF Navigation Warfare (NAVWAR)

Capability Joint Project 5408. Phase one of

the project a definition study was deliv-

ered in 2002 to determine the scope of the

enhancements and replacements required

for current GPS systems.

Under Phase 2B (approved) and Phase

3 of the project, the ADF plans to incre-

mentally implement updates to the GPS

equipment on legacy ADF platforms by

providing either protection or redundan-

cy capabilities undertaken in response to

GPS denial activities. The Australian

Department of Defence aims for the pro-

vision of such systems to enable selected

ADF capabilities and key platforms to

conduct operations in a navigation war-

fare environment.

Indigenous developmentFrom 2020 Asia-Pacific nations will have

the option of a locally developed alterna-

tive to GPS, with China well into the

development of its Beidou navigation

satellite system. The Chinese government

approved the Beidou programme in 2004

and a trial version of the system was acti-

vated in 2011 to provide positioning and

navigation within the Asia-Pacific region.

The Chinese government plans that by

2020 the system will be providing global

coverage for commercial and military

applications.

Beidou is composed of three parts: the

space section, the ground section and the

user section. The space section contains

five geostationary orbit satellites and 30

non-geostationary orbit satellites. The

ground section consists of main control

stations, injection stations, the monitoring

stations; while the user section includes

terminators of Beidou system.

Beidou will give China independence

from US-controlled GPS capabilities,

bringing its military and national security

a level of autonomy that very few nations

worldwide can boast. It is also likely to

appeal to regional nations that would pre-

fer non-US GPS capabilities – both for

political and budgetary reasons. Regional

reports suggest that in additional to

China, Thailand, Laos, Brunei and

Pakistan already use or plan to adopt the

system.

Geospatial requirementsGeospatial intelligence (GEOINT) inte-

grates imagery and geospatial data with

other intelligence to create products criti-

cal to national intelligence, national securi-

ty, and defence, with GEOINT combining

previously the separated domains of map

production, GIS, and imagery analysis.

Being able to derive intelligence from

the exploitation and analysis of imagery

and geospatial information is a critical

capability for combat effectiveness

through enhanced situational awareness

and decision making; and to inform navi-

gation systems, command support sys-

tems, surveillance systems, weapons plat-

forms, mission planning systems, war

games, simulators and facilities/range

management systems.

The creation of the capability basics

largely relies on collaboration between

nations and the use of regional mapping

agencies, such as Australia’s Defence

Imagery and Geospatial Organisation

(DIGO), which is contributing to the

Multinational Geospatial Co-Production

programme (MGCP). This programme

currently involves 32 nations and is aimed

at producing geospatial data at 1:50 000 or

1:100 000 scale of the entire world. MGCP


Geospatial intelligenceintegrates imagery

and geospatial datawith other intelligence

to create productscritical to national

intelligence, nationalsecurity, and defence

t e c h n o l o g y

Mapp ing

member nations will contribute data to a

central data warehouse and will, in time,

have unlimited access to all of the data in

the programme – to reduce duplication of

effort while increasing availability of

geospatial data.

Australia considers the sharing of

geospatial information and technology as

a cornerstone of effective net-centric oper-

ations, and plans to adopt an enterprise

approach to realise its geospatial strategy.

Speaking in the US at an annual gath-

ering of high profile international defence

GIS specialists, Simon Hill, Australia

manager for defence, Esri, said that an

enterprise-wide approach to geospatial

information was essential to the ADF

meeting the expectations outlined in the

strategy.

Hill said: ‘The strategy contains a range

of geospatial objectives that focus on the

coordination of information collection

and analysis capabilities across the vari-

ous parts of Defence, including the

Services. Key to meeting these objectives

is the transformation of the nation’s

Army, Navy and Air Force into one

geospatially enabled, networked force -

what we refer to as an Enterprise GIS

approach.’

This approach would link data from

multiple systems and platforms and pres-

ent that data as a ‘single source of truth’.

It would enable Australian forces to better

cope with the wide variety of information

available, and to share geospatial intelli-

gence more easily with other nations in

Coalition environments.

As well as using geospatial informa-

tion systems for land surveillance China

also sees them as an integral part of its

regional maritime domain dominance.

Speaking at a Maritime Surveillance con-

ference earlier in the year Irene Chan, a

China watcher at the S. Rajaratnam

School of International Studies in

Singapore, says Beijing’s policy in the

South China Sea is very conflicted

because up to 17 ‘civil’ agencies are

involved in maritime surveillance. These

include a number of agencies dedicated

to using geospatial information systems

including controlling some satellites.

Chan went on to explain that ‘Beijing is

looking to develop complete maritime

domain awareness and the country’s

capabilities have outstripped its East

Asian neighbours’.

Indonesia, with its complex topogra-

phy of over 7,000 islands, is also one of the

countries looking to improve its geospa-

tial information capabilities. The

Indonesian armed forces are working

closely with the country’s Geospatial

Information Agency (Badan Informasi

Geospatial) agency to improve its capabil-

ities. During an August 2013 visit to the

agency Col Dedy Hadria, Director of

Topography for the Indonesia army told

local media that the agency will be pro-

viding the army with capacity building

workshops to improve the Directorate’s

capability to respond in the key areas of

disaster risk reduction, conflict resolution

and border protection.

Additionally, in its recently released

2014 budget request the Japanese Ministry

of Defence announced that it would look

for additional funds to expand the ‘cur-

rent fundamental data development work

for geospatial intelligence with an empha-

sis on regions where there is increased

probability of terrorist attacks, especially

in North Africa’. In order to achieve this it

said it would look at research and devel-

opment paths to enable ‘sophisticated and

efficient development and utilisation of

geospatial intelligence at the Defense

Intelligence Headquarters’.

With GEOINT also providing important

information for humanitarian response,

environmental studies, ocean management

and border management operations,

developing these capabilities has signifi-

cant applications beyond defence. As a

result an increasing number of nations are

channelling investment into this area, both

nationally and collaboratively, to develop

this important resource.

GEOINT alsoprovides important

information forhumanitarian response,environmental studies,

ocean management andborder management

operations


t e c h n o l o g y

Mapp ing

Militaries increasingly expect GIS to have3D functionality built into their software© BAE Systems

a n d d e v e l o p m e n t s

MINESWEEPERSCONTRACT nnnIn mid-October of 2013, theIndian Defence Ministryannounced it was awarding a$1.2 billion contract to SouthKorea's Kangnam Corporationfor the procurement of eightMine-Countermeasure Vessels(MCMVs), signing the coun-try’s first big-ticket defenceprogram with South Korea.

The deal, which willundoubtedly participate inboosting and strengthening theties between the two countries,was cleared ahead of IndianDefence Minister A.K. Antony’splanned visit to Seoul by theend of 2013.

The Indian Navy has report-edly wanted new minesweepersfor over 13 years, but delays inprocurement due to bureaucrat-ic red tape have been holdingback the order. The IndianMCMV program, which aims toreplace the 12 existing Sovietmade ‘Pondicherry/Karwar’class ocean minesweepers thathave been in service for the last25 to 30 years, was approved bythe Indian Ministry of Defence(MoD) in May 2004.

An order for eight MCMVswas then placed with GoaShipyard Limited (GSL), one ofIndia's leading shipyards.

Faced with technical chal-lenges, GSL placed a Request for

Proposals (RfP) for constructionand technology assistance frombuilders Intermarine in Italy,Kangnam Corp. in South Korea,DCNS of France and IZAR, inSpain. Meeting the technicalrequirements, Kangnam andIntermarine were shortlisted andthe South Korean manufacturerended up signing the contractfor the deal with the IndianMoD in 2011.

The finalization of the con-tract, however, took slightlylonger than anticipated. TheCentral Vigilance Commission(CVC), India’s anti-fraudagency, had to put the deal onhold to look into concerns overthe transparency of the pro-curement, raised by the Italianshipbuilding companyIntermarine. Although the CVCcleared the purchase in 2012,the case led the Indian MoD todelay the announcement of theaward until 2013.

The first two MCMVs will beconstructed at Pusan, in SouthKorea and are expected fordelivery by 2016, while theremaining six will be built by2018 by GSL, under aTechnology Transfer agreement.

The purchase of new coun-termine ships is part of a long-term plan to acquire vessels forlittoral warfare, including largelanding platform decks, fastattack craft and advanced off-

shore patrol vessels.According to sources in the

MoD, the Indian Navy willsoon be passing additionalorders to South Korea for coun-termine ships, since the servicehas a requirement for morethan 24 minesweepers.

Along with Russia, Israel,the United States and FranceSouth Korea has become a big-ticket supplier of weapons toIndia, its first in the region, andis aggressively tapping India’s$100 billion weapons market.

Defence ties between Indiaand South Korea began in2005, when the two countriessigned a memorandumof understanding on defencelogistics and supplies.

In 2007, both countries’defence ministers met to drawup a defence cooperation plan,which was followed in 2010 bythe signing of a declaration ofstrategic partnership.

By cultivating extensive eco-nomic and strategic relationsand reaching out to friendlynations in the Asian region,including South Korea andJapan, it would seem India ispursuing its Look East policy,which it initiated in the early1990s as an effort to bolster itsstanding as an important region-al power and a counterweight tothe strategic influence of thePeople’s Republic of China.

PRITHVI – II MISSILELAUNCHnnn An Indian missile unit ofthe Strategic Forces Command(SFC) successfully launched theindigenously developed sur-face-to-surface nuclear capablePrithvi-II missile with a strikerange of 189 nautical miles (350kilometres) from the test rangeat Chandipur, off the OdishaCoast in early October. Thelaunch was flawless and themissile splashed down at itspre-designated target. The

launch clearly establishes thewell honed drills and skills ofSFC units in undertaking inde-pendent unit launches.

As per the statement issued

by Commanding Officer of themissile unit ‘Such successfultraining launches clearly indi-cate our operational readinessto meet any eventuality andalso establishes the reliabilityand credibility of this deterrentcomponent of India’s Strategicarsenal to meet future securitychallenges’.

The DRDO producedindigenous missile was ran-domly selected from the stockheld with SFC units for thisregular training exercise.


ASIA PACIFIC PROCUREMENT UPDATE

Regional news

s o u t h a s i a

DHRUV HELICOPTERSACHIEVES FLYINGHOURS MILESTONE nnn India’s first indigenoushelicopter, the Advanced LightHelicopter (ALH –Dhruv)designed, developed, producedand maintained by HindustanAeronautics Ltd. (HAL) to meetthe requirement of military andcivil operators, achieved a newmilestone of flying 100,000hours. The land mark has beenachieved using a helicopter, IA3104 from the 301 ArmyAviation Sqn. “It is a proudmoment for us that Dhruv hasproved its mettle over the years.India is the sixth nation in theworld to have the capability todevelop helicopters of this class.The Dhruv has been exported toEcuador, Mauritius, Nepal andMaldives”, said Dr. R.K. Tyagi,HAL Chairman.

“100,000 hours flown by themachine is an awesome feat toachieve. It is a dream machinefor any pilot”, said LieutenantColonel Kapil Agarwalwho completed the landmarkflying hours.

ALH is being operated byIndian Air Force, Indian Army,Indian Navy, Coast Guard,Border Security Force and stategovernments since 2002.Currently, more than 132Dhruv helicopters are servingthe Indian Defence Forces.HAL has also built 12 civilvariant Dhruv helicopters andthey are being used by itscustomers. The Ecuador AirForce (FAE) operates sixDhruv helicopters which,among other tasks, are usedfor transporting the country’sPresident.

by Pierre Delrieu



EXERCISE SUMANWARRIOR nnn The Singapore ArmedForces (SAF) participated in theFive Power DefenceArrangements (FPDA) landexercise, codenamed SumanWarrior, from 13 to 25 October2013 in Townsville, Australia.This year’s exercise was hostedby the Australian Defence Forceand involved about 35 SAF per-sonnel and over 150 personnelfrom the other four FPDA coun-tries — Australia, Malaysia,New Zealand and UK.

This year’s exercise, the23rd in the series, was a com-mand post exercise involvingthe FPDA armies in aHumanitarian Assistance andDisaster Relief operation.

Exercise Suman Warrioraims to enhance interoperabili-ty among the FPDA armies andalso provides an opportunityfor the participants to exchangeprofessional expertise.

THE PHILIPPINES SOONTO ACQUIRE 12 FA-50Snnn South Korea should soonbegin exporting its KoreaAerospace Industries (KAI) FA-50 light combat aircraft to thePhilippines, as the leaders ofboth countries agreed to bolstercooperation in the defenceindustry on 17th October 2013.

The FA-50 is a variant of theKAI T-50 Golden Eagle, a SouthKorean supersonic advancedtrainers and multirole lightfighter jointly developed byKAI and Lockheed Martin.

South Korean president ParkGeun-hye and her Philippinecounterpart Benigno Aquino IIImet in Seoul and signed amemorandum of understand-ing calling for a greater cooper-ation in the defence industry aspart of efforts to further solidi-fy economic ties between thetwo countries.

If Manila has officiallyselected the FA-50 for thePhilippine’s jet acquisition pro-gram, a final contract hasyet to be signed.

Armed with air-to-air, air-to-

surface missiles, machine gunsand precision-guided bombs,the KAI FA-50 has also been fit-ted with Israel AerospaceIndustries’ Elta System’sEL/M-2032 pulse Dopplerradar which has a circa 54 nau-tical mile (100 kilometre) range,making it highly suitable forclose-air support missions.

With a budget of about $450million, Manila plans to acquire12 FA-50s to face China’s threatsregarding disputed territories inthe South China Sea and fromthe fighter aircraft fleet it hasbeen missing since the retire-ment of its F-5s in 2005.

Following the official visitand signature of the memoran-dum, Japanese newspaperYomiuri Shimbun reportedthat China had pressuredSouth Korea not to sale theplanes. Although the Republicof Korea’s government official-ly denied the rumour, thepaper reports that governmentofficials confirmed this.Indonesia was KAI’s first cus-tomer for the FA-50 variantwith a 2011 order for 16 T-50iplanes. The Indonesian airforce received the first four T-50i aircraft last month.

Regional news

s o u t h e a s t a s i a

SINGAPORE’S FIRSTMULTI-MISSION RANGECOMPLEXnnn Singapore Minister forDefence Dr Ng Eng Hen officiat-ed at a ceremony to launch theMulti-Mission Range Complex(MMRC) at Pasir Laba.

Speaking at the ceremony,

Dr Ng highlighted theenhanced training effectivenessand efficiency the MMRCbrings to the Singapore ArmedForces (SAF). He said, “thisnewly developed MMRC,together with our existing out-door ranges and the MuraiUrban Live-Firing Facility, now

offer SAF soldiers an impres-sive and comprehensive suite oftraining ranges that will honethe competency of SAF soldiersin a variety of combat missions.In addition to enhancing theeffectiveness of training, theMMRC will improve the SAF’sefficiency and significantly

decrease the time required formarksmanship training.”

The MMRC, jointly devel-oped by the SAF and theDefence Science andTechnology Agency (DSTA), isa three-storey indoor firingrange containing seven firingranges comprising two 50metre (164 feet) ranges, two 100metre (328 feet) ranges, twomulti-tiered ranges and anurban operations range. TheMMRC is designed to be an all-weather range with lightingcontrols to simulate day ornight conditions. Leveraging onadvanced video targetry sys-tems, the MMRC providestough and realistic scenariobased training in both urbanand conventional terrains tohone soldiers’ basic andadvanced shooting skills.

SOUTH KOREA, ASIA’SMILITARY SUPPLIERnnn South Korea is furtherdeepening ties with some of itsAsian neighbours through aseries of new military contracts,as India and the Philippines

sign acquisition deals with thefastest growing militarysupplier in the region.

With a total militaryexpenditure of almost $31bn in2011, South Korea is the thirdlargest defence spender in

Asia, and the 12th largest inthe world. But seeking tobalance the growth of itsown industry and develop itsown defence industry,the country is turning to itsAsian neighbours.

SOUTH KOREANNAVY RECEIVES NEWTHALES SONARS nnn AgustaWestland andThales are under contract tosupply COMPACT FLASHSONICS dipping sonars for theRepublic of Korea Navy’s newAgustaWestland AW159Maritime OperationsHelicopters.

The COMPACT FLASHsonar is the newest member ofThales’s FLASH range of dip-ping sonars. This low-frequen-cy, long-range sonar system islighter and designed for small-er helicopters. It features anoptimised, lightweight archi-tecture as well as a fully elec-tric reeling machine. TheCOMPACT FLASH deliversoutstanding performance. TheSONICS version also includesa complete sonobuoy process-ing system, with a Very HighFrequency receiver, picking upsonobuoy data and processingit in real time on board thehelicopter.

Thales has an extensiveinstalled fleet of FLASH SON-ICS systems in service with thenaval forces of France, theUnited Kingdom, Norway, theUnited States, Sweden,Australia and the United ArabEmirates. This latest contractfurther underlines the compa-ny’s position regarding thesupply of airborne anti-subma-rine warfare systems.

JAPAN’S NEW F-35ASWILL BE PARTIALLYHOMEBUILTnnn Japan has inked contractswith three domestic manufac-turing companies which willtake part in the LockheedMartin's F-35A Lightning IIfighters program for the JapanAir Self-Defence Force and sup-ply different parts for twoF35As it ordered this year and36 more to come. The program,initiated in 2011, aims at ulti-mately replacing Japan’s agingMcDonnell Douglas/Mitsubishi F-4EJ-variant “Kai”Phantom fleet with a total of 42Lockheed Martin F-35As.

The Lockheed Martin F-35ALightning II is a conventionaltakeoff and landing variant ofthe single seat, single-engine,fifth generation multirole F-35fighters. These aircrafts weredesigned and built to performground attack, reconnaissanceand air defence missions withstealth capability as well count-er the most advanced airborneand ground-based threats,which happens to be exactlythe air defence environmentthat Japan faces.

Four aircraft had alreadybeen ordered in fiscal year

2012, and will be deliveredfrom Lockheed Martin’s FortWorth site in Texas. The addi-tional two aircrafts wereordered in 2013, however, willbe the first ones built withJapanese parts, with an expect-ed delivery by March 2018. Theremaining 36 aircraft will alsobe assembled in Japan, with afinal delivery date scheduledby 2021.

The $892 million deal wassigned with Mitsubishi HeavyIndustries, IHI Corp. andMitsubishi Electric after theUnited States government con-sented that 24 engine and radarcomponents would be pro-duced in Japan.

According to the JapaneseDefence Ministry, the amountwill be divided between thethree companies.

MHI will get $650 millionfor the manufacture of parts ofthe rear fuselage, wings andundercarriage. LockheedMartin is also working withMHI to build a local finalassembly and checkout line(FACO) near Nagoya, Japan’sthird largest and fourth mostpopulated city, to insure theaircrafts’ final assembly work.

IHI Corp. will be awarded

$185 million for manufacturing17 engine fans and turbine part.

As for ME, the multinationalelectronics and electrical equip-ments manufacturing companybased in Tokyo will receive$57 million for seven radarsystem components, includingsignal receivers.

Local manufacturing shouldaccount for about 10% of eachJapanese F-35A’s total valueand allow Japan to develop andprotect its domestic industryand acquire the latest technolo-gy. However, it will greatlyaffect the overall unitary pricefor each Japanese made F-35As.

Due to the limited produc-tion volume, as the Japanesefirms will be exclusively manu-facturing F-35A parts for theJASDF, each aircraft willreportedly cost Japan 50% morethan would have a finishedF-35A unit bought off-the-shelffrom the US. The price for thetwo aircraft ordered in FY 2013will be about $154 million each,according to the JapaneseDefence Ministry’s budget, upalmost 50 percent from the$105 million for the US-mademodels ordered in the previousfiscal year.

To explain the country’sfinal choice to have its F-35Asassembled locally, regardless ofthe increased price, analystshave speculated that considera-tions relating to the develop-ment of Japan’s own militaryindustrial base were drivingthe policy decisions.

The JASDF currently hasthree fighter jet models in itsfleet: its F-4EJ “Kai” and RF-4EJreconnaissance Phantom IIs,McDonnell Douglas/BoeingF15J/F-15DJ Eagles andMitsubishi F-2s, a larger, longerrange variant of the F-16C.


Regional news

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AUSTRALIA’S LONGAWAITED MU90TORPEDOES IN SERVICEnnn Australia commissionedits EuroTorp MU90/IMPACTlightweight anti-submarine tor-pedo after successful testingwas conducted in August bythe Royal Australian Navy's(RAN's) ‘Anzac’ class frigateHMAS Stuart in the EastAustralia Exercise Area.

The 46 MU-90s were deliv-ered to Australian over the pasttwo years and are now fullyoperational.

The August testing was thefinal step towards replacingRAN’s obsolescent 1970s-era Mk46 lightweight torpedoesonboard its eight ‘Anzac’ classand four ‘Adelaide’ class frigatesbut it comes more than ten yearsafter the MU90 order was placedunder the Joint Project 2070, alsoknow as Project Djimindi.

In 1997, The RAN begansearching for a torpedo toreplace its Mark 46 torpedoesand choose EuroTorp’s MU90two years later. But the $639million plan, which was sup-posed to be a low risk "off-the-shelf" acquisition, experienced

major technical problems andran years late.

The years of delay wereattributed to inadequate plan-ning and management onbehalf of the AustralianMinistry of Defence. A 2011Australian National AuditOffice (ANAO) report statedthat, at the time of purchase,government officials knew solittle about the torpedo thatthey “believed the MU90 to bean off-the-shelf acquisition andalready in service withthe other navies. This wasnot the case”.

The MU90 torpedoes wereinitially intended to also equipthe Royal Australian AirForce’s (RAAF) LockheedMartin AP-3C maritime patrolaircraft, as well as the RAN’smaritime support helicopters.

However, in 2008, Australiacancelled the Kama SH-2Super Seasprite program and,because of cost and technicalissues, the AP-3C and SikorksySH-60 Seahawk integrationwas removed fromthe project's scope in 2009.

The 24 MH-60R naval com-bat helicopters on order for the

RAN will be equipped withRaytheon's Mk54 All-UpRound torpedo while theRAAF intends to use the Mk54on its planned purchase of theBoeing P-8A Poseidon maritimepatrol aircraft.

Instead, the RAN intends toequip the 24 MH-60R navalcombat helicopters it recentlyordered with Mk.54 torpedoes.

The MU90/IMPACTAdvanced LightweightTorpedo (LWTs), is the leaderof the 3rd generation of LWTs.Designed and built with themost advanced technology,the weapon is of fire-and-for-get type conceived to copewith any-task any-environ-ment capability requirementsand designed to counter anytype of nuclear or convention-al submarine and can operatein shallow waters, includingcongested areas with an over-all weight of 304 kilograms(668lbs).

Meanwhile, the Mark 48heavyweight torpedo aboardAustralia's ‘Collins’ class sub-marines weighs 1.5 tons, theMU90 has a range of between7.7 miles and 15.5 milesdepending on speed, whichcan be more than 50 knots (93kilometres-per-hour) and hasbeen designed to be deployedby any type of platform suchas vessels, submarines, fixedand rotary wing aircraft, mis-siles and continental shelfmines. EuroTorp is a consor-tium formed in July 1993 byFrench and Italian defencecompanies specifically todesign and build lightweighttorpedoes (LWT).

Regional news

a u s t r a l a s i a

AUSTRALIAN NAVYMARITIME PLATFORMSEXTENSION OPTIONS nnn Melbourne-based BMTDesign & Technology (BMT), asubsidiary of BMT Group Ltd,has completed a study for theCommonwealth of Australia, toexamine a range of options forthe Life of Type Extension

(LOTE) of a wide range ofDefence Maritime Platforms.This included the entire surfacefleet of the Royal AustralianNavy (RAN), throughto the LCM (Landing CraftMechanised) and LARC(Lighter AmphibiousResupply Cargo) vehiclesof Army Marine.

Undertaking the study intwo stages over the course of 12months, BMT developed a risk-based approach to assess theviability of LOTE for 11 classesof ship. BMT did not limit itsstudy solely to material andcondition surveys and incorpo-rated the fundamental Inputs toCapability (FIC). This allowed

the full cost of operating thefleet within the various LOTEscenarios to be identified.

As well as identifying thecosting options, the study pro-vided an understanding of anyimpact on achieving availabilitytargets while satisfying safety,environmental and technicalrisk imperatives.

AUSTAL DISPLAYSBORDER PROTECTIONSOLUTIONS ATPACIFIC 2013 EVENT nnn Austal showcased its bor-der protection and multi-mis-sion platforms at Pacific 2013Maritime Exposition atSydney, Australia. Austal haswon 3 consecutive contracts forpatrol boats, including theArmidale Class patrol boats forthe Royal Australian Navy; theBay Class and their successorthe Cape Class for theAustralian Customs andBorder Protection Service.

Austal was alsojoined at Pacific 2013 byGeneral Dynamics AdvancedInformation Systems.

Davyd Thomas, Austal’s

Vice President Defence said thatPacific 2013 is the best showcaseof defence maritime industrycapability that the region has tooffer, “Austal and our strategicpartner, General DynamicsAdvanced Information Systems,is there to help customers learnmore about border protectionsolutions and multi-missioncapable platforms, including theCape Class Patrol Boat, Multi-role Combatant, LittoralCombat Ship and Joint HighSpeed Vessel”.

SINGAPORE AIRSHOW 2014 HIGHLIGHTS

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