AMR April/May 2014

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VOLUME 22/ISSUE 2 APRIL/MAY 2014 US$15

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ContentsContents

Front Cover Photo:The cockpit of Saab’s JAS-39C/DGripen Multirole Combat Aircraft(MRCA), a jet which is in RoyalThai Air Force service. Thisaircraft, along with several otherMRCAs, and their prospects inthe Asia-Pacific region areexamined in this month’s‘Jack-of-All-Trades’ article byDavid Oliver © Saab

l APRIL/MAY 2014 l 03

Jack-of-All-TradesThe Asia-Pacific region is one ofthe hottest markets for theacquisition of new multirolecombat aircraft, and for theupgrade of existing jets. DavidOliver, an aviation journalist basedin the United Kingdom, examinessome recent developments.

12

Suited and BootedDefence journalist Claire Apthorp,based in the United Kingdom,takes stock of recent developmentsin the field of armour protectionfor soldiers, examining severalongoing programmes in theAsia-Pacific region.

28

Preparing for TomorrowDigesting the lessons learned from the 2013 incursion by theRoyal Sulu Sultanate Army insurgent movement in Sabah,northern Borneo, Hong Kong-based defence photojournalistGordon Arthur investigates the modernisation plans of theMalaysian Armed Forces.

18

Protection MoneyProtected tactical vehicles arenow de rigueur for armed forcesaround the Asia-Pacific.Washington DC-based defencejournalist Stephen W. Millerexplains the factors behindtheir development, andthe current status of severalrelevant programmes.

42

50

PulseA new feature forthe Asian MilitaryReview, our Pulsecolumn will provideall the latest newsand analysis acrossthe defence RF(Radio Frequency)spectrum witheditor ThomasWithington lookingat happeningsacross the tacticalradio, radar, elec-tronic warfare andsatellite communi-cations domains.

06

Why so Amphibious?From ship-to-shore, the humblelanding craft has made its mark inhistory as a vital platform fornavies around the world, particularlyin the Asia-Pacific. United Kingdom-based naval affairs journalistEdward Hooton examines theamphibious support vessel market inthis region and the wider world.

34

Something in the AirUK-based weapons of mass destruc-tion expert Andy Oppenheimerdetails some of the importantadvances being made in the Asia-Pacific region, and elsewhere, regard-ing personal Chemical, Biological,Nuclear and Radiological protection.

58

Talk TalkAMR editor Thomas Withingtontakes a look at recent happeningsin the Personal Role Radio domain,profiling some of the latest innova-tions in hardware and softwarerealised by European, Israeliand North American defencetelecommunications suppliers.

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Editorial

atience is the art of hoping” quipped theeighteenth century French essayist Luc deClapiers, the Marquis de Vauvenargues.The Marquis’ sage observation is no doubt

sorely felt by Dassault Aviation, France’s purveyor of theRafale-A/B/M Multirole Combat Aircraft (MRCA).

Reports in a number of media sources emerged in early February 2014 to say thatnegotiations to procure the aircraft, which had been selected as the preferred solutionfor India’s Medium Multirole Combat Aircraft (MMRCA) requirement on 31 January2012, had stalled. The decision of the Indian government in January 2012 was not acommitment to procure the aircraft but to open negotiations with Dassault as the pre-ferred supplier with a view to eventually signing a contract for the procurement of upto 126 Rafales to equip India’s air force.

The news is no doubt a bitter blow to Dassault. The aircraft, which is in frontline serv-ice with the Armée de l’Air (French Air Force) and Aeronavale (French Naval Aviation),has seen combat supporting North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO)-led operationsin Afghanistan, and NATO’s combined air and sea campaign in 2011 mounted to pro-tect Libyan civilians against the forces of its then leader Colonel Muammar Gaddafi asthat country slid into civil war.

Yet success on the battlefield has not opened any cheque books beyond the Frenchprocurement. The Rafale came close to selection for a Brazilian Air Force requirementbut was pipped at the post by the Saab JAS-39 Gripen-NG MRCA. It also came closeto selection in Switzerland (losing again to the Gripen), and has been short-listed inother competitions in Singapore and the Republic of Korea. The Rafale may yet winselection by the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait and/or Qatar, but the size of the Indianrequirement for its MMRCA programme represented a major coup for Dassault.

Of course it is premature to say that Dassault is out of the running for the Indian pro-curement. While negotiations have stalled they may well recommence and be concludedin the coming months with palpable relief in Dassault’s headquarters in St. Cloud, outsideParis. That said, when your editor was speaking to industry sources who declined to benamed, at the Singapore Air Show in February 2014, the consensus appeared to be thatNew Delhi would either restart negotiations after the forthcoming Indian General Electioncommencing in April once a new government is formed, or reopen the MMRCA competi-tion once again to solicit bids from across industry.

There is endless speculation as to why the Rafale has not been selected for these pre-vious requirements, and it is not the role of this magazine to articulate such conjec-ture. However, the MRCA market is a buyers market. Several manufacturers are chas-ing a finite number of orders and customers realise that they can take their time tonegotiate the best deals in terms of price, specification and domestic industrial pack-ages. Dassault are no doubt keeping to the Marquis de Vauvenargues’ maxim whilepatiently sitting in the waiting room.

Thomas Withington, Editor

EditorialSITTING IN THEWAITING ROOM

04 l ASIAN MILITARY REVIEW l

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RadarUnited Kingdom-based radar specialists Kelvin Hughes will sup-ply eleven of its SharpEye maritime surveillance radars toAzerbaijan to protect British Petroleum’s (BP) offshore hydrocar-bon facilities in the Caspian Sea, Central Asia.The radars will complement the Marine Asset Protection and

Surveillance System (MAPSS) being provided to BP by VisSim ofNorway. The MAPSS is based upon the company’s Vessel TrafficManagement System which is designed to present a Recognised

Maritime Picture of sea traffic in a specific area. The delivery andinstallation of the radars is expected to be completed by the endof 2014, according to a Kelvin Hughes press release of 27 January2014. Although not confirmed by either Kelvin Hughes or VisSimthe SharpEye radars and the MAPSS could be used to protect gasproduction platforms located in the Shah Deniz gas field in thesouthern Capsian Sea, and oil platforms in the Azeri-Chirag-Guneshli oil field to the west of the Shah Deniz field where BP hassignificant interests.All of the radars to be supplied by Kelvin Hughes will be the

firms’ X-band variant of its SharpEye. This radar has a peak out-put power of 200Watts, and an average output power of 26Watts.At a range of 20 nautical miles (37 kilometres) the radar has a PulseRepetition Frequency of 2,300 Hertz (Hz), which reduces to1,180Hz at 48nm (89km). Up to 64 filters provide clutter discrimi-nation and the radar has optional frequency diversity.Kelvin Hughes will supply ten SBS-800-1 sensor systems

which will use the SharpEye X-band transceiver for installationonboard the production platforms which have a 3.7-metre(twelve-foot) long antenna, while a single SBS-800-2 system,which has a larger 5.5m (18-feet) antenna will be supplied toequip a shore installation.There are some remarkable design characteristics regarding the

SBS-800 series radars. For example, these radars use a solid state,coherent upmast design with the radar’s transmitter/receiverhoused in the same unit as the antenna. Crucially this means thatan externally-routed waveguide can be dispensed with whichwould usually be required to transfer the Radio Frequency (RF)energy from the radar’s transmitter/receiver at the bottom of themast to the antenna at the top which can lead to a loss in outgoingRF signal strength. Moreover, Kelvin Hughes’ upmast design dis-penses with a need for cooling fans, helping to save on mainte-nance and power consumption. The larger antenna of the SBS-800-2 system compared to the SBS-800-1 design can provide a sharperhorizontal beamwidth providing the user with the ability to sepa-rate two targets detected at a short distance.Away from the Caspian Sea, a contract worth $32 million has

been awarded to Exelis of the United States for the indefinitedelivery, indefinite quantity supply of the company’s AN/APY-11 airborne multi mode radars to furnish Lockheed Martin HC-130J Search and Rescue (SAR)/Maritime Patrol Aircraft (MPA)equipping the United States Coast Guard (USCG).The AN/APY-11 is based upon Israel Aerospace Industries

(IAI) Elta Systems division’s EL/M-2022 radar. Exelis received itsfirst contract to supply the USCGwith this radar in October 2012.The EL/M-2022 has a surveillance range of up to 200nm (370km),and can track up to 1,000 targets simultaneously. This radar also

l ASIAN MILITARY REVIEW l06

Raytheon’s Advanced Combat Radar, better known by its RACR acronym,was on display at the Singapore Air Show. The company is supplying thisradar to equip the Republic of Korea’s Lockheed Martin KF-16C/D Block-50/52 Multirole Combat Aircraft © Thomas Withington

Pulse is the Asian Military Review’s new column dedicated tocovering news and developments in the radio, radar, electronicwarfare and satellite communications domains.

PULSEbbyy Thomas Withington

has an in-built Identification Friend or Foe (IFF) interrogator and isoperational on a variety of MPAs including Lockheed Martin P-3Orion aircraft and Airbus Military C-295 turboprops, plus UnmannedAerial Vehicles such as the IAI Heron.According to Pete Vuolo, senior programme manager for Exelis

Electronic Systems, deliveries of these new radars will commence inJanuary 2015 and will conclude in July of that year. Mr. Vuolo adds that,despite being based upon the Israeli EL/M-2022 radar, the AN/APY-11contains a number of features spe-cific to the USCG. “The adaptationincludes a belly-mounted antennawith 360 degrees of coverage andan interface to connect the radarwith the HC-130J’s system con-trols and crew displays.” Along with its involvement

regarding the EL/M-2022 air-borne maritime search radar (seeabove), IAI Elta Systems tookadvantage of the Singapore AirShow in mid-February 2014 to launch a new combined surface searchradar capable of spotting targets at sea and on land. Designed to bemounted in the belly of a business jet and shown in model form at theexhibition onboard a Gulfstream platform, the EL/I-3150 is an X-band(8.5-10.68 gigahertz) Active Electronically Scanned Array (AESA)radar. Few details have been made publicly available by the companyregarding the EL/I-3150, although IAI Elta is confident that it willcommence deliveries of the radar within the next five years. The radar is offered as part of IAI Elta’s MARS2 (Multi-Mission

Airborne Reconnaissance and Surveillance System) package which isdesigned to equip a business jet with a Synthetic ApertureRadar/Ground Moving Target Indicator (SAR/GMTI) in the form of the

Northrop Grumman is moving ahead with its Scalable Agile Beam Radar (SABR)which is to equip the Lockheed Martin F-16C/D Block-50/52 Multirole CombatAircraft operated by the Republic of China Air Force © Northrop Grumman

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EL/I-3150, together with Electronic Intelligence (ELINT) andCommunications Intelligence (COMINT) packages and an optron-ics payload. This will enable the jet to perform over-water and over-ground intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance gathering.Northrop Grumman was also present at the Singapore Air

Show. Prior to the event, it had announced in an official pressrelease published on 4 February 2014 that its Scalable Agile BeamRadar, also known as ‘SABR’, had completed several programmemilestones. The firm was selected by Lockheed Martin to providethe SABR for a planned Radar Modernisation Upgrade (RMU) ofLockheed Martin F-16C/D Block-50/52 Fighting Falcon MultiroleCombat Aircraft (MRCA) flown by the United States Air Force(USAF). The RMP is a component part of the overall USAFCombat Avionics Programmed Extension Suite (CAPES) F-16modernisation programme. The SABR is also earmarked to furnishthe 117 F-16A/B Fighting Falcon Multi-Role Combat Aircraft(MRCA) operated by the Republic of China Air Force in Taiwan.The Northrop Grumman press release announced that the

SABR had completed a Systems Requirement Review, aHardware Preliminary Design Review and a Hardware CriticalDesign Review, a process which took just five months accordingto the press release.The key design factor of the SABR is its use of AESA architec-

ture, using a multitude of individual Transmit/Receive (T/R)modules mounted on the radar antenna which can perform dif-

ferent functions. This allows the radar to perform several taskssimultaneously. For example, some T/R modules can watch theskies above while others watch the ground below, rather thanhaving to physically tilt the antenna upwards or downwards, asis the case with conventional mechanically-steered arrays.In terms of performance, the SABR is an X-band system in the

frequency range of 8.5 to 10.68 gigahertz. The range of the radar,which has also not been revealed, will almost certainly allow thedetections of targets in the air across hundreds of nautical miles.During a Northrop Grumman press conference held on 12February 2014 at the Singapore Air Show Jeff Leavitt, vice presi-dent of the company’s combat avionics systems division,announced that he expects deliveries of the first productionSABR radars to commence to Taiwan in 2016. As of late February2014 the future of the CAPES programme seems to be in flux fol-lowing a report in Defense News on 27 January 2014 that theUSAF has not included a request for funding for the CAPES pro-gramme in its budgetary request for Fiscal Year 2015. That saidMr. Leavitt refused to speculate on the long-term future of theCAPES programme when asked by AMR how this may affect theSABR’s roll-out in the USAF F-16C/D fleet. He said that heexpects Northrop Grumman to commence delivery of SABREngineering Manufacturing Development (EMD) units toLockheed Martin before the end of 2014. These EMD units will beused for final test and integration activities regarding the SABR’sinstallation on the F-16C/D. Fresh from their success in supply-ing the SABR to Taiwan, the company is also keenly looking for-ward to the Republic of Singapore Air Force’s planned upgradeof its circa 60 F-16C/D Block-50/52 MRCAs, which includes arequirement for the procurement of up to 70 AESA radars forthese aircraft. However, it remains unknown as to whetherSingapore will solicit bids for the new radar.

PULSE

Israel’s Commtact showcased its IDLS Mk.2 (Integrated Datalink SystemMk.2) at the 2014 Singapore Air Show held this February. The companyalso displayed its new AMLS (Advanced Mini Link System) which boastsmuch of the functionality of the IDLS Mk.2 © Thomas Withington

Exelis is equipping several of the United States Coast Guard’s HC-130JSearch-and-Rescue/Maritime Patrol Aircraft with new AN/APY-11airborne multimode radars which are based on Israel AerospaceIndustries’ Elta Systems’ EL/M-2022 radar © US DoD

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While Northrop Grumman is offering its SABR radar to F-16operators around the world keen to upgrade their fleets, Raytheonhas scored success with its Raytheon Advanced Combat Radar(RACR); also an X-band AESA. The company is supplying thisradar to the Republic of Korea Air Force (RoKAF) to equip itsLockheed Martin KF-16C/D Block-50/52 aircraft with deliveriescommencing in 2016, according to the company. Ken Murphy ofRaytheon said that the firm expects to begin testing the RACRradar in 2014 at BAE Systems’ integration laboratory in FortWorth, Texas. BAE Systems is the prime contractor for the RoKAFupgrade with Raytheon acting as a subcontractor on the pro-gramme for the supply of the radar. The testing of the RACR at theintegration laboratory will ensure that the radar can work with theaircraft’s avionics and weapons. Mr. Murphy says that this will bethe first time that the RACR has been linked to the KF-16C/D’sarchitecture, adding that by mid-2016 the first RACR-equippedKF-16C/D aircraft will commence flight testing at the Fort Worthfacility. Raytheon has demurred from providing specifics regard-ing the RACR’s range, except to say that it is two-to-three timesthat of legacy F-16 radars, depending on the radar variant.

Electronic WarfareAlong with announcing the news regarding its contract to supplyAN/APY-11 airborne maritime surveillance radars to the UnitedStates Coast Guard (see above), Exelis has told AMR that it ispartnering with the pan-European Airbus Defence and Space(formerly Cassidian) company to offer the PIDS+ MissileWarning System (MWS) to satisfy a United States Air NationalGuard (USANG) requirement for new MWSs to equip the force’sLockheed Martin F-16A/B Fighting Falcon multirole combat air-craft. Exelis’ PIDS equipment currently equips these aircraft butthe company, in conjunction with its Airbus Defence and Spacepartner, is looking forward to equipping the USANG aircraftwith its PIDS+ product, should it win selection for this require-ment. PIDS+ essentially teams Exelis’ PIDS product with AirbusDefence and Space’s AAR-60 MWS. Designed to be pylon-mounted on the F-16, the PIDS+ already equips F-16AM/BMsoperated by the Luftforsvaret (Royal Norwegian Air Force). TheUS Department of Defence is expected to have an acquisitionstrategy in place for the procurement of a new MWS for theUSANG’s F-16A/Bs by the end of 2014.

CommunicationsSeveral companies offering airborne communications wereshowcasing their wares at the Singapore Air Show includingCommtact of Israel which took the opportunity of the exhibitionto launch its AMLS air-to-ground/ground-to-air datalink. TheAMLS (Advanced Mini Link System) takes the features whichthe company offers in their IDLS Mk.2 (Integrated DatalinkSystem Mk.2) including line-of-sight S-band (two to four giga-hertz), C-band (four-to-eight gigahertz) and Ku-band (twelve-to-18 gigahertz/GHz) communications in a package weighing 300

grams (0.7 pounds), as opposed to the two-kilogram (4.4lb)weight of the IDLS Mk.2. Despite the AMLS having less outputpower than the IDLS Mk.2 (one watt as opposed to 15 Watts), itis still able to offer a range of circa 54nm (100km). Commtact toldAMR that it is currently testing a new ground-to-ground wave-form for the AMLS to enable this datalink to be used in ground-based applications such as for the transmission of information to-and-from Unmanned Ground Vehicles. It hopes to offer this newwaveform in the third quarter of 2014.Rockwell Collins’ launched its new RT-8400 Next Generation

Talon airborne radio at the Singapore Air Show. Building uponthe company’s highly successful AN/ARC-210 Talon airborneradio, which has sold in its thousands around the world, the RT-8400 is “platform agnostic” according to Jay Little, senior direc-tor of marketing and strategy for Rockwell Collins in the Asia-Pacific. The software-defined RT-8400 supports all the legacywaveforms carried by the AN/ARC-210 and covers the 30-512megahertz High Frequency, Very High Frequency and UltraHigh Frequency bandwidths. The radio itself weighs five-and-a-half kilograms (twelve pounds), has up to 23 Watts of output

Boeing and Lockheed Martin are the prime contractors for bilateralUnited States and Australian Department of Defence’s Wideband GlobalSatellite Communications (WGS) project. Work will continue during 2014on the last four of ten satellites which will comprise the WGSconstellation © USAF

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SATCOMBoeing has provided AMRwith an update regarding the progressit expects to make vis-à-vis the United States’ Department ofDefence (DoD) and Australian Departmentof Defence Wideband Global SatelliteCommunications (WGS) initiative. The WGSprogramme is being led by the UnitedLaunch Alliance; a consortium which is ledby Boeing and Lockheed Martin as primecontractors. The WGS includes a constella-tion of ten satellites and accompanyingground infrastructure intended to provide asignificant increase in bandwidth for mili-tary Satellite Communications (SATCOM),compared to the current US DoD DefenceSatellite Communications System-III (DSCS-III) SATCOM con-stellation of 14 spacecraft.The WGS satellites (four have already been launched) will

eventually replace the DSCS-II spacecraft as they leave servicetowards the end of the decade, and will supply 4.875 gigahertz ofinstantaneous satellite bandwidth; up to ten times the bandwidthoffered by the DSCS-II satellites. According to Mark Spiwak,Boeing WGS programme director; “WGS satellites Seven, Eight,Nine and Ten are currently in production at the Boeing SatelliteDevelopment Centre in El Segundo, California.” He adds that;

“unit, subsystem and systems level integra-tion and tests will be taking place across allfour of these spacecraft in 2014.” During2013, Boeing launched the fifth and sixthWGS satellites (WGS-5 and WGS-6), takingto the heavens on 24 May 2013 and 7August 2013 respectively. The first WGScraft (WGS-1) was launched on 10 October2007, to be followed by WGS-2 on 4 April2009, WGS-3 on 6 December 2009 andWGS-4 on 20 January 2012. According toMr. Spiwak: “The first six WGS satellites

are delivering quick and reliable access to global satellite com-munications in support of the United States military and alliedpartner’s combat and humanitarian efforts.”

Rockwell Collins’launched its new

RT8400 airborne radioat the Singapore AirShow, building uponthe company’s highlysuccessful AN/ARC-

210 system

The fifty year-old McDonnellDouglas/Boeing F-4 Phantomepitomized the MultiroleCombat Aircraft (MRCA), andis a hard act to follow. Some 200

F-4s remain in service with Asia-Pacificair forces, the largest fleets are operatedby Japan and the Republic of Korea (RoK),plus a similar number of NorthropGrumman F-5s of similar vintage, all ofwhich need to be replaced by the end ofthe decade.There is no shortage of advanced

MRCAs on offer from suppliers in theUnited States, Europe, Russia and Chinaand there is lot at stake for all of the man-

ufacturers in this crowded market. Theleading US contenders include the latestmultirole variant of Boeing’s F-15 Eagle(the F-15 Silent Eagle/F-15SE), which wasoriginally designed as an air superiorityfighter more than thirty years ago, itsyounger stable mate, the F/A-18E/FSuper Hornet and Lockheed Martin’s F-35A/B/C Lightning II which has yet toenter service. Europe is offering the SaabJAS-39C/D/E Gripen, the Dassault Rafaleand Eurofighter Typhoon while Russia ispeddling Sukhoi’s Su-30 and the firm’sfifth-generation T-50 PAK-FA.China’s rapid expansion and moderni-

sation of its armed forces is supported by

the development of a raft of new indige-nous MRCAs such as Chengdu’s twin leg-endary creatures the FC-1 Fierce Dragonand the J-10 Vigorous Dragon. Both ofthese types are in service with thePeople’s Liberation Army Air Force andthe FC-1 is co-produced by the PakistanAeronautical Complex (PAC) for thePakistan Air Force (PAF). In PAF service,the FC-1 will also be used in the anti-shiprole equipped with the Chinese Tri-RiverAerospace Industrial Corporation CM-400AKG ‘Wrecker’ anti-ship missile. It isalso planned that PAC will be involved inthe production of 36 J-10B Super-10, anadvanced export version with the more


A I R C R A F T SCC OOMM BB AA TT

JACK-OF-ALL-TRADES – THE MULTIROLE COMBAT AIRCRAFTMultirole is thebuzzword of armedforces around theworld. It encompassesboth personnel andequipment, andespecially the moderncombat aircraft. Notall modern combataircraft were originallydesigned as multiroleplatforms and the verynature of the task,requiring integratedair-to-air and air-to-surface weapons,is often a compromise.

bbyy David Oliver

powerful NPO Saturn AL31FN M1 engineand passive phased array radar of the J-10A for the PAF but doubts have beenraised about the country’s ability to fundthe $1.4 billion deal.

IndiaIndia is focused on replacing its fleets ofDassault Mirage 2000H/TH andSEPECAT Jaguar M/S MRCAs with 126Dassault Rafale-B/C/M aircraft (seeRahul Bedi’s ‘New Orders’ and BiancaSiccardi’s Regional Air Forces Directory inthe February/March 2014 edition ofAMR) in a $15 billion deal that seemsunlikely to be finalized any time soon. In

an effort to speed up the process, theFrench Direction Générale de l’Armement(General Armaments Directorate) pro-curement agency agreed on a series ofupgrades for the Rafale in December 2013to be rolled out across the Armée de l’Air(French Air Force) and Aeronavale(French Naval Aviation), the only twooperators of the type. The goal of theseupgrades is to enable the integration ofMBDA’s Meteor Beyond Visual Range(BVR) air-to-air missile which willincrease the Rafale’s strike range to over54 nautical miles (100 kilometres) andnotably enhance the aircraft’s other com-bat capabilities.Other modifications to be included in

this so-called ‘F-3R’ upgrade programmefor the French Rafales includes the supplyby Thales of a new laser designation tar-geting pod known as the PDL-NG whichallows all-weather air–to–ground strikes,day and night, and will also upgrade thedata link of the aircraft’s Thales RBE2Active Electronically-Scanned Array(AESA) radar and its Mode-5 protocolIdentification Friend-or–Foe (IFF) com-bined interrogator/transponder. Mode-5 isthe cryptographically secure version of theInternational Civil Aviation Organisation’sMode-S air traffic management protocolwhich enables the aircraft to transmit itslocation via use of the Global Positioning

System satellite constellation in addition toother flight information.Another part of the Rafale upgrade will

be Sagem’s provision of a laser-guidedversion of the air-to-ground AASM(Armement Air-Sol Modulaire/Air-to-Ground Modular Weapon) Hammer pow-ered smart bomb kit that offers enhancedaccuracy on soft moving targets such aspick-up trucks and armored vehicles com-pared to unguided munitions. DassaultAviation claims that the Rafale’s multirolecapability, which was demonstrated dur-ing North Atlantic Treaty Organisation(NATO) air operations over Libya in 2011,will be expanded to perform a large spec-trum of operations to include air superior-ity and air defence, land and sea engage-ment, close air support of troops andreconnaissance gathering. During aspeech to Paris’ École Polytechnique(Technical School) in November 2013France’s Minister of Defence and Veterans



India is focused onreplacing its fleets of

Dassault Mirage2000H/TH and

SEPECAT Jaguar M/SMRCAs with 126

Dassault Rafale-B/C/Ms

The Eurofighter consortium is enhancingthe Typhoon’s air-to ground capabilitiesby integrating new stand-off weaponssuch as Storm Shadow. In the future, theaircraft could also receive the Captor-EActive Electronically Scanned Array radar© AleniaAeronautica

Pakistan is also negotiating to purchase up to 58 advanced Chengdu J-10 Vigorous Dragonmultirole combat aircraft. To date, Pakistan is the only export customer for the MRCA which isserving with China’s People’s Liberation Army (PLA) Air Force and PLA Navy © CATIC

Affairs, Jean Yves- Le Drian argued thatthese upgrades will improve Rafale’sattractiveness in the export market,including to potential customers such asIndia and Malaysia.In the meantime, Hindustan Aeronautics

Limited (HAL) is manufacturing Sukhoi Su-30MKI MRCAs under a license agreementfrom that Russian company and the firm isco-developing with Sukhoi a new FifthGeneration Fighter Aircraft (FGFA) for theIndian Air Force based on the Sukhoi T-50

PA-50 under an agreement due to be con-cluded by the end of 2014. However, thisprogramme is already facing a number ofchallenges. The Indian Air Force has allegedthat the Russians are reluctant to share criti-cal design information. Meanwhile techni-cal and cost issues are delaying the negotia-tions of a $11 billion research and develop-ment contract to be shared between the twocountries. Subsequently, the air force hasscaled down its original requirement for 250FGFAs to 144.

In addition, there are serious doubtsabout HAL’s capability to produce such anadvanced aircraft following the Indian AirForce’s recent criticism of the company’sinability to deliver several indigenous pro-grammes on time, and problems experi-enced building BAE Systems Hawk 132trainers under licence. For Russia’s part, although five proto-

type T-50 have flown, including one withthe new Tikhomirov NIIP N050 AESAradar, much of its composite constructionhas yet to move into production and thetype is unlikely to meet its scheduled in-service date of 2015 with the RussianAir Force.The Eurofighter consortium has emulat-

ed Dassault by announcing a range ofupgrades and capability improvements toenhance the Typhoon’s air-to-groundcapability. Italy’s Alenia Aermacchi, one ofthe consortium partners, has confirmedthat flight tests to integrate the MBDA

Storm Shadow air-to-ground cruise missileon to the Typhoon have taken place. Thetrials began in November 2013 at theAlenia Aermacchi Flight Test Centre atDecimomannu airbase in Sardinia, Italy,with the support of BAE Systems andAirbus Defence and Space (both con-stituent Eurofighter consortium members).According to the chief executive officer

of Eurofighter GmbH, Alberto Gutierrez,this is one of a number of enhancementsthat are coming on stream and there aremany more to come. Storm Shadow,already used by RAF Panavia GR4/4ATornado ground-attack aircraft inAfghanistan and Libya, is a conventionallyarmed, stealthy, long-range stand-off pre-cision weapon designed to neutralize highvalue targets. Powered by a turbojet, with


A brace of Malaysian Sukhoi Su-30MKM multirole combataircraft formate with US Navy Boeing F/A-18 jets overthe USS George Washington ‘Nimitz’ class aircraft carrierduring an exercise in the South China Sea © US Navy


The Eurofighterconsortium has

emulated Dassault byannouncing a range of

upgrades and capabilityimprovements to

enhance the Typhoon’sair-to-ground capability

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a range in excess of 135nm (250km), theStorm Shadow missile weighs approxi-mately 2,860 pounds (1,300 kilograms) andis just over five metres (16 feet) long. In January 2014, flight trials of the

Taurus KEPD 350 stand-off cruise missile,a joint venture development by MBDAand Saab of Sweden aboard the Typhoonalso began. The 189nm (350km) classweapon is a similar size and weight toStorm Shadow. It is designed for useagainst hardened and buried targets usinga Multi-Effect Penetrator HighlySophisticated and Target Optimized(MEPHISTO) warhead. Alenia Aermacchihas confirmed that the first in a majorseries of flight tests to integrate the MBDAStorm Shadow missile onto EurofighterTyphoon has now taken place. Both theselarge weapon systems will be available asupgrade options to operators from 2015when the Eurofighter Typhoon Phase 2Enhancements becomes operational.These enhancements, however, may

come too late to influence future sales of theTyphoon, especially in the Asia-Pacificregion. The Typhoon has already beendropped from South Korea’s FX-III pro-gramme which calls for the procurement of60 advanced stealth jet fighters, leavingonly Malaysia which has a requirement forat least 18 aircraft to replace its MiG-29NMRCAs from 2015 (see Bianca Siccardi’sRegional Air Forces Directory in the

February/March 2014 edition of AMR).Another competitor for the Malaysian com-petition is the Saab JAS-39C/D/E Gripenwhich has already penetrated the regionalmarket with a contract from Thailand, andthe latest variant, the JAS 39E has sold toSwitzerland and Brazil. One of Gripen’sselling points is the remarkable array ofweapons that it can carry including thoseproduced by American, European, Israeliand South African suppliers.One of the shortcomings that the Gripen

shares with the Typhoon is its current lackof an AESA radar, something that most of

the latest US multirole combat aircraft areequipped with. All three of the Europeanaircraft manufacturers mentioned in thisarticle have announced plans to fit AESAradars in their products with Saab movingahead with the installation of the SelexES05 Raven to its Gripen E. Dassault,meanwhile is equipping the Rafale withthe RBE2 radar (see above). Although anAESA capability is considered vital for theTyphoon to win future export orders, theprogramme is not yet fully funded despiteEurofighter’s plans to begin flight testingthe Euroradar Captor-E AESA radar beforethe end of 2014.The Republic of Korea’s (RoK) FX-III

acquisition has proved to be a movablefeast after Eurofighter’s unsuccessfulTyphoon bid and the apparent selection inmid-2013 of Boeing’s F-15SE Silent Eaglewhich was the only competitor to meet theprogramme’s $7.2 billion budget. But inSeptember 2013, the RoK’s DefenseAcquisition Programme Administrationoverturned the decision to acquire the F-15SE, which was a stealthy development ofthe South Korean Air Force’s F-15K SlamEagle which is fitted with conformal fueltanks, and announced its intention to buy40 Lockheed Martin F-35A Lightning IIs fordelivery from 2018. A major criticism of theF-15SE was that it lacked the advancedradar-evading stealth capabilities of othermodern jet fighters like the F-35A.

China’s Chengdu FC-1 Fierce Dragon is also produced in Pakistan as the JF-17 Thunder. It isthought that the Pakistan Air Force currently has around 110 of these aircraft on order, with theaircraft being produced locally by the Pakistan Aeronautical Complex © CATIC

Dassault’s Rafale has been selected by the Indian Air Force and contract negotiations are ongoing. Currently, the aircraft is only operated by the French Air Force and by French NavalAviation © Dassault

The RoK’s military procurement needs,especially where the air force is concerned,have overwhelmingly been met by US sup-pliers in the past, which is a reflection of thetwo countries’ close military alliance. TheRoK will also reconsider the required oper-ational capabilities and security situationsto buy another 20 MRCAs with a goal ofdeployment starting 2023, apparently giv-ing the two other competitors, namelyBoeing and Eurofighter, another opportu-nity to secure a contract.

JapanThe F-15SE also lost out to the F-35A forJapan’s F-X competition in 2011 when theJapanese Air Self-Defence Force issued arequirement for up to 42 F-35As with aFinal Assembly and Checkout (FACO)facility to be built by Japan’s MitsubishiHeavy Industries. The other competitorsfor the F-X programme were theEurofighter Typhoon and the Boeing F/A-18E/F Super Hornet. Although Japan ini-tially favoured the acquisition of theLockheed Martin F-22 Raptor, the US gov-ernment demurred from the export of theadvanced multirole fighter.

AustraliaAustralia is the third nation in the Asia-Pacific region to order the F-35A, the first ofwhich will be delivered in 2014. It is plan-ning to buy up to 100 F-35As (see BiancaSiccardi’s Regional Air Forces Directory inthe February/March 2014 edition of AMR)at a cost of $16 billion to replace its BoeingF/A-18A/B Hornets by the end of 2020.Australia is also the only country to operatea land-based variant of the Boeing F/A-

18E/F Super Hornet, 36 of which are onorder, with the last of twelve of the EA-18Gelectronic warfare variant of the aircraft tobe delivered by 2016. In the event of seriousF-35A production delays and cost over-runs, it is possible that additional F/A-18E/Fs will be purchased and the numberof F-35As reduced. The only other potentialF-35A customers in the region areIndonesia and Singapore although neitherhave any outstanding requirements for afifth-generation multirole combat aircraft.Singapore does, however, plan to

upgrade its fleet of 60 Lockheed Martin F-16C/D Fighting Falcon MRCAs, and theUS Department of Defence notified the USCongress as of 14 January 2014 that it hasapproved a Foreign Military Sale (FMS) ofF-16 upgrades, including advanced radars,new Global Positioning Systems, improvedIFF equipment and new advancedweapons. Lockheed Martin and BAESystems are vying for the $2.43 billion con-tract to perform the upgrade.

TaiwanLockheed Martin has already won a $5.3billion contract to upgrade Taiwan’s 145 F-16A/Bs with Northrop Grumman’s ScaledAgile Beam Radar (SABR – please see thisissue’s Pulse column) which is based onthe F-35A’s AN/APG-81 AESA radar.Taiwan is also spending $587 million on aMid-Life Upgrade (MLU) programme forits fleet of 71 Aerospace IndustrialDevelopment Corporation (AIDC) F-CK-1MRCAs. Carried out by the state-ownedAIDC, the MLU includes improvements tothe aircraft’s flight control, avionics andradar along with integrating the WanChien stand-off air-to-surface missile thatcarries multiple warheads. A further upgrade contract, worth more

than $1 billion was won by BAE Systems in2013 to upgrade the RoK’s 130 F-16C/Daircraft with new avionics including theRaytheon Advanced Combat Radar(RACR – please see this issue’s Pulse col-umn) AESA radar. For those nations withtight defence budgets where the acquisi-tion of new aircraft is not an option,upgrades may provide an alternative tobuying and maintaining state-of-the-artmultirole combat aircraft in their fleet.

Lockheed Martin’s F-35A/B/C Lightning IIfamily of multirole combat aircraft is expectedhave a major influence in the Asia-Pacificmarket during the next decade. Australia is onenation in the region which is acquiring the F-35A variant of the jet © Lockheed Martin

Russia’s Sukhoi T-50 PAK-FA is being developedwith India for its Fifth Generation FighterAircraft (FGFA) programme. India’s HindustanAeronautics Limited is collaborating with itsRussian counterparts to this end © Sukhoi



l ASIAN MILITARY REVIEW l

Malaysia’s proposed 2014core defence budget hasincreased by six percentto $5.1 billion. However,just $868 million of this

will go towards new equipment, despitecurrent security threats. For example,China’s state news agency, Xinhua, report-ed in January 2014 that a three-shipPeople’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN)task force had patrolled James Shoal, 43nautical miles (80 kilometres) fromSarawak, one of two Malaysian states onBorneo. Xinhua reported sailors aboard theamphibious warfare ship and two destroy-ers that comprised the task force “swore anoath of determination to safeguard thecountry’s sovereignty and maritime inter-ests”. China regards James Shoal in the

South China Sea as its southernmost terri-tory, a claim vigorously contested byMalaysia. In March 2013, Malaysia protest-ed the incursion of four Chinese ships inthe same location.

The PLAN is becoming more active inthe South China Sea, with the Liaoning air-craft carrier conducting its first drills therein December 2013. China is intent on tight-ening its grip within its “historic nine-dashline”, an expansive line drawn on mapsmarking its territory in the South ChinaSea. China went a step further on 1 January2014 when legislation fromChina’s HainanIsland came into effect to restrict fishing inthese hotly contested waters. In light of theEast China Sea Air Defence IdentificationZone (ADIZ) that was established on 23November 2013, this unilateral Chinese

move is not a surprise. It is yet anotherexample of China using domestic legisla-tion to advance jurisdictional claims.

China’s growing maritime aggressionhas neighbours like Malaysia, whichclaims part of the Spratly Island archipela-go in the South China Sea and has gar-risons on five reefs, greatly concerned.Malaysia does not publicise Chinese incur-sions to avoid jeopardising economic tieswith Beijing, although it is stepping upmaritime patrols despite being hamperedby a small naval fleet and the need tomain-tain a picquet off Sabah (on the northBorneo coast) against insurgent incursions.

Malaysia’s physical geography, divided between a peninsular and theisland of Borneo, creates a unique set of defence challenges forthe Malaysian Armed Forces (MAF) that is armed with a disparaterange of weapons. Yet recent events have reminded the countryof the need to modernise its equipment.

bbyy Gordon Arthur

PREPARING FORTOMORROW: MALAYSIA’SARMED FORCES

18

M I L I T A R YRREEGGIIOONNAALL

The MAF confronted approximately 235Muslim separatists from the Philippines inSabah between February and March 2013.These Filipino gunmen from the RoyalSulu Sultanate Army insurgent movement,were supposedly reclaiming ancestrallands, occupied Tanduo village in Sabah.After a three-week standoff, the MAF final-ly launched Operation Sovereignty, whichincluded aircraft, ships, naval specialforces, army soldiers, Armoured PersonnelCarriers (APC) and helicopters, to root outthe invaders. Admiral Tan Sri Abdul AzizJaafar, Malaysia’s chief of navy, told AMR:“What we’re doing now is making surethose who want to come in will not be ableto.” Protection is now the function of thenewly formed Eastern Sabah SecurityCommand (ESSCOM). The above twoevents highlight the need for the MAF tomodernise its equipment.

NavyThe Royal Malaysian Navy’s (RMN)biggest acquisition programme revolvesaround six Second-Generation PatrolVessel-Littoral Combat Ships (SGPV-LCS)to be built by Boustead Naval Shipyard(BNS) located in Lumut, Perak. Based onits ‘Gowind’ class design, DCNS ship-builders of France is providing technicalassistance to Boustead for the project. TheSGPV-LCS follows on from the ‘Kedah’class Offshore Patrol Vessels (OPVs) usedby the RMN, but the design is bigger andbetter armed. The corvette’s armament isexpected to include the MBDA Mica sur-face-to-air missile (SAM), Exocet MM40Block 3 anti-ship missile, two torpedolaunchers, BAE Systems Bofors Mk3 57millimetre (two-inch) guns and two 30mmMSI Defence cannons. The ships will fea-ture Thales Smart-S Mk2 radar and CAP-TAS-2 towed-array sonar. Constructionshould start this year, and delivery of thefirst example is slated for 2018.

These vessels are desperately needed asthe navy is suffering under a high opera-tional tempo that is apparently affectingmorale. A limited number of hulls make itdifficult to meet all obligations. One suchtask is Operation Fajar, the anti-piracyescort mission in the Gulf of Aden in theArabian Sea for Malaysian-flaggedcargo ships. Ongoing since 2008, the

government recently renewedthis commitment until at leastJune 2014. Because of a lack

of suitable vessels, the

RMN acquired two converted containerships (MT Bunga Mas 5 and MT BungaMas 6 in 2008 and 2011 respectively) tosupport Operation Fajar.

In other construction news, Selangor-based NGV Tech has built two 76-metre(249-feet)-long ‘Samudera’ class trainingvessels for the RMN. The local shipbuildercollaborated with Daewoo Shipbuildingand Marine Engineering (DSME) of theRepublic of Korea (RoK) in their technicaldevelopment. The second vessel waslaunched in February 2013 as part of the$96.1 million contract signed in 2011, and itshould commission by the middle of 2014.The navy chief has called for the procure-ment of two more armed ships based onthis type to help overcome a platform short-fall, but no movement has occurred to date.

The earlier ‘Kedah’ class NextGeneration Patrol Vessel (NGPV) pro-gramme delivered six vessels based on theBlohm and Voss ‘Meko-A100’ class OPVdesign. From the third NGPV onwardsthe ships were constructed locally, but thelightly-armed fleet could be upgradedwith anti-ship missiles in the future. Thereis also speculation that the RMN has apreference for Kongsberg Naval StrikeMissiles (NSM).

Two ‘Kasturi’ class frigates are under-going a Service Life ExtensionProgramme (SLEP) to enable 15 moreyears of service. KD Kasturi rejoined thefleet in January 2014, and her sister is nowundergoing a SLEP at the hands of BNS;she should begin sea trials by late 2014.


KD Kelantan, a ‘Kedah’ class offshore patrolvessel built indigenously by Boustead NavalShipyard for the Royal Malaysian Navy, wascommissioned in 2010 © Gordon Arthur)


The SLEP overhauls the engines, replacesthe heating, ventilation and air-condition-ing (HVAC) system, and an AtlasElektronik DSQS-24C hull-mounted sonaris fitted. The frigates now have eightExocet MM40 Block 2 missile launchers,two EuroTorp AS244 torpedo launchers, aBofors 57mm Mk1 gun and two MSIDefence 30mm cannons. Thales’ TACTI-COS is the ships’ new combat manage-ment system.

In further refurbishment work, four‘Laksamana’ class corvettes will be refittedand re-designated as Fast Attack Craft(Gun). Their outdated missile systemshave been retired, their torpedo launchersremoved, and they will rely on 76mm(three-inch) and 40mm guns as their arma-ment. Malaysia obtained two DCNS‘Scorpene’ class submarines in 2009,though their upkeep continues to drainmoney from the RMN budget. These 1,550-tonne submarines based at Sepanggar inEast Malaysia are equipped with ExocetSM39 Block 2 missiles and WhiteheadBlack Shark torpedoes.

Since 2008 Malaysia has had a requirement for a large-displacementMultipurpose Support Ship (MPSS) forpeacekeeping and humanitarian-assistance

duties. This need became more acute in2009 when the navy’s solitary amphibious-warfare ship (KD Sri Inderapura) wasengulfed by fire. France has offered anamphibious support ship based on a down-sized variant of DCNS’s ‘Mistral’ classdesign while the RoK is offering a smallerversion of the ‘Dokdo’ class amphibioussupport vessel. The USA has also proffered


This is one of the two modern DCNS‘Scorpene’ class submarines that the RoyalMalaysian Navy operates in regionalwaters © Gordon Arthur

Pennant number ‘F30’ is one of two ‘Lekiu’class frigates operated by the Royal MalaysianNavy. KD Lekiu is seen here arriving at ChangiNaval Base in Singapore © Gordon Arthur


Ocean surveillance iscritical to the

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the USS Denver ‘Austin’ class amphibioussupport ship as a hot transfer once shedecommissions in 2014. The MPSS projecthas been deferred indefinitely but it may bereinstated in the Eleventh Malaysia Plan(11MP) governmental spending pro-gramme in the 2016-20 timeframe.

The Sabah confrontation demonstratedthe RMN’s need to boost its asymmetriccapabilities. Consequently, it is deployinglocally built fast interceptor craft to EastMalaysia. The RMN has three regionalnaval commands, but a fourth will beadded at the planned Bintulu naval basein Sarawak, according to the RMN chief.“It will be a major effort there and we arecurrently in discussion with both the fed-eral and state government there as to thesize and development of the base and itsfacilities,” said ADM Tan Sri Abdul AzizJaafar. Bintulu will be the closest facility tothe James Shoal.

The RMN operates six AgustaWestlandSuper Lynx 300 and six Airbus HelicoptersAS555 Fennec maritime support rotor-craft. However, the navy further requiresat least six maritime support helicopters,most likely to be procured under the11MP. Christophe Nurit, Sikorsky’s vicepresident in Asia, told AMR, “Malaysiahas a stated requirement for anti-submarine warfare helicopters. We’resupporting the US Navy to offer the MH-60R Seahawk.”

Maritime surveillance is critical to thecountry’s security, so the RMN wantsorganic Maritime Patrol Aircraft (MPA).Up to four are required, though four

Beechcraft B200T MPAs of the RMAF arepresently performing long-range patrols.Eight US-funded coastal surveillanceradar stations have been incrementallyestablished on the Sabah coast as part of acounterterrorism initiative. Able to trackboats up to 38nm (70km) offshore, thisradar network could expand still furtherin the future.

Air forceThe most important programme for theRoyal Malaysian Air Force (RMAF) isreplacing its 14-strong MiG-29N fleet with18 Multirole Combat Aircraft (MRCA).Four suppliers attended last year’s LIMA(Langkawi International Maritime andAerospace Exhibition) show in force:Boeing’s F/A-18E/F Super Hornet,Eurofighter’s Typhoon, Dassault’s Rafale-B/C/M and Saab’s JAS-39C/D Gripenwere all on show. The programme waspicking up momentum, but has since skid-ded off the runway because of insufficientfunds. It is unclear when the MRCA will bedusted off, but a capability gap is loomingonce the MiG-29Ns retire in 2015.

In May 2013 the RMAF chief, GeneralRodzali Daud, said his force might have tolease second-hand JAS-39C/D fightersfrom Sweden if money was unavailable to replace the MiG-29Ns outright.Meanwhile, Mark Kane, managing directorof combat air at BAE Systems, noted theEurofighter Typhoon solution would offerMalaysia comprehensive industrial partici-pation: “We can offer Malaysian industryaccess to more than 400 aerospace and

defence companies and suppliers. Thecombined skills of Malaysian industry andthe Typhoon supply chain are ideally suit-ed to long-term growth.”

The RMAF’s most potent aircraftremains 18 Su-30MKM MRCAs.Additionally, Boeing received a $17.3 mil-lion Foreign Military Sale (FMS) award in2011 to upgrade eight F/A-18D Hornets.Due for completion in April 2015, the pro-gramme includes the addition of a colourmoving-map display, new IdentificationFriend or Foe (IFF) equipment and a JointHelmet-Mounted Cueing System (JHMCS).

Nineteen Pilatus PC-7 Mk.II trainerswere bought to replace existing PC-7 basictrainers. However, more are needed, so the2014 budget allocates funds for approxi-mately twelve additional PC-7s. Malaysia,the only Asian customer to date, orderedfour Airbus Military A400M Atlas turbo-prop freighters in 2005, and they are final-ly due for delivery in 2015-16. They will bebased at Subang near Kuala Lumpur,where facilities are being upgraded toaccommodate them. Upgrades to the 15-strong Lockheed Martin C-130H Herculesturboprop freighter fleet are required too,primarily focusing on cockpit and naviga-tional improvements.

Replacement of the Sikorsky S-61A4Nuri medium-lift utility helicopter fleethas been a long-running saga, reignited byanother crash in December 2013. TheEurocopter EC725 Cougar medium-liftrotorcraft was selected to take over airmobility and search-and-rescue roles fromthe S-61A4, and the last of twelve examples

The pride and joy of the Royal Malaysian AirForce is the Sukhoi Su-30MKM multirole combataircraft, of which 18 examples were obtainedfrom Russia © Gordon Arthur



are due for delivery in early 2014. Initialoperational capability should be gained bythe middle of 2014. However, twelveEC725s will be insufficient for the tasksthey will perform, and so the long-suffer-ing S-61A4 may be upgraded. A SLEP for15 helicopters has been allocated, probablytaking the airframes to zero hours life andinstalling glass cockpits.

To rectify a weak air defence umbrella,the MAF needs a comprehensive radar and medium/long-range SAM network.Raytheon, in combination with Kongsbergof Norway, told the author it was workingclosely with Malaysia to offer a ground-based air defence solution in the form of itsFire Distribution Centre (FDC) Commandand Control (C2) architecture that can inte-grate many SAM types: “We can tailor ouroffering to their needs and requirements,”explained Patrick Marcoux, senior manag-er of Raytheon’s integrated air and missiledefence division.In February 2013, ThalesRaytheonSystems

announced full acceptance by the RMAFof an enhanced national C2 system.

The Malaysian Air Defence GroundEnvironment Sector Operations Centre-III(MADGE) incorporates Sentry C2 soft-ware and Ground Master-400 radars. Upto eight Airborne Early Warning (AEW)aircraft would further improve situational

awareness, but for now even significantlyless than this figure remains out of reachdue to budgetary constraints. Contenderswaiting in the wings include NorthropGrumman’s E-2D Hawkeye turbopropAEW platform and Saab’s Erieye radar,which can be mounted on a turboprop orturbofan airframe.

ArmyThe Malaysian Army’s mobility will beenhanced when new Deftech AV8 eight-wheel-drive armoured vehicles startarriving to bolster some 267 FNSS ACV-300 Adnan APCs. Further announcementsare expected at the Defence Services Asia(DSA) exhibition to be held in Malaysia inApril 2014, but it is known that a six-month long vehicle trial of the AV8 con-cluded in 2013. The AV8, derived from theTurkish FNSS Pars platform, won a $2.4billion order for 257 vehicles in twelvevariants. These vehicles are desperatelyneeded to replace over 450 geriatricRheinmetall Condor four-wheel-driveand 184 Belgian-made SIBMAS six-wheel-drive vehicles, and Malaysian-basedDeftech is partnering with companiessuch as BAE Systems, FNSS, Thales andDenel. One definite area of deploymentfor the new vehicles will be in EasternSabah to deter further Sulu incursions.

The 11th Royal Armoured Regiment isequipped with 48 Bumar-Labedy PT-91MPendekar Main Battle Tanks (MBT), but

Pictured in flight, this is one of the first Airbus HelicoptersEC725 Cougar medium-lift rotorcraft to enter service inthe Royal Malaysian Air Force © Gordon Arthur

Replacement of theSikorsky S-61A4

Nuri medium-lift utilityhelicopter fleet

has been a long-running saga, reignited

by another crash inDecember 2013




the artillery still desires 155mm Self-Propelled Howitzers (SPH) further downthe line. A mixed fleet of tracked andwheeled SPHs may be the best combina-tion. Malaysia now has in service 36Brazilian-made AVIBRAS ASTROS IImultiple rocket launchers.

The Army Air Corps fields elevenAgustaWestland A109LOH helicopters inthe light observation role, although onecrashed on 30 January 2014. This corpsstill lacks tactical transport and attack hel-icopter squadrons, however. Many see theAirbus Helicopters EC665 Tiger attackrotorcraft as a frontrunner for the latterrequirement, and 2013’s Sulu incursiondemonstrated how useful such attack hel-icopters would be.

Significantly, Malaysia is planning tocreate a marine corps. Details are bare onwhat it will look like, but the MAF is con-sulting with the US Marine Corps on thenext steps. The amphibious force will bedrawn from all three services, and one ofits prime tasks will be defending Sabah.The bulk of the force will come from thearmy’s 10th Parachute Brigade, whichalready has two battalions that maintain asecondary amphibious role. It is not clearwhether the force will fall under navy orarmy command.

Other concernsMalaysia is trying to boost indigenousdefence production and, in 2011, it intro-duced an updated offset policy. China has

made inroads into the Thai and Indonesiandefence markets, and it is trying to do thesame in Malaysia. Malaysian DefenceMinister Hishammuddin Tun Hussein vis-ited Beijing in October 2013, and he prom-ised closer defence industrial collaborationas part of a growing strategic partnership.The two sides will also conduct joint mili-tary exercises.

Malaysia emphasises regional coopera-tion and encourages bilateral defence coop-eration within the Association of SoutheastAsian Nations (ASEAN) framework. TheFive Power Defence Arrangements (FPDA)with the United Kingdom, Australia, NewZealand and Singapore remains an impor-tant alliance for the country too.

The FNSS ACV-300 Adnan is the primarytracked Armoured Personnel Carrier in thearmy’s inventory, but the AV8 should beginjoining it soon © Gordon Arthur

A soldier of the 9th Royal MalayRegiment, a battalion that has anamphibious role, wades ashoreduring an exercise with the UnitedStates © Gordon Arthur


Malaysia’s emergence as a defenceindustrial power is demonstratedby the expertise of local firm FNSSwhich has developed a niche in thesupply of Self-Propelled Mortars(SPM), notably the company’s productsare currently in service with theTurkish armed forces, and theircounterparts elsewhere in the MiddleEast and South East Asia. FNSS alsohas expertise in integrating 120mmmortars onto chassis, from conventionalsystems to semi-automatic weaponswith automated fire control. One of thefirm’s flagship products is its ACV19Self Propelled Mortar which uses atracked chassis. This mortar requires acrew of only three-to-four personnel foroperation. It also has a high degree ofcommonality with the ACV15 andM113A4 tracked vehicles, reducing themaintenance and logistics burden forarmies operating these vehiclesalongside the ACV19.

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Theentire second half of the twenti-eth century and the beginning of thiscentury have beenmarked by a no-

ticeable population and industry move-ment towards coastal areas in many coun-tries. This trend is typical of most states onall continents.To date, about 60 percent of the world’s

population lives within 60 km of the shore-line. According to UNESCO’s projections,by 2025 this figure could rise to 75 percent.Suffice it to say that even today 16 of 23megacities in the world are located in thecoastal zone.The concentration of diverse economic,

military and political interests in the coastalregion and adjacent waterareas dictates the need to establishthe sustainable and integrated coastalzone development systems.

This concept is gradually becoming notonly one of the key decisionmaking crite-ria, but also the growth strategy for any na-tion. For example, in 1993 only 57 coastalcountries used the integrated coastal zonemanagement principles, whereas tenyears later this figure exceeded 120.As a result, maritime activities have in-

creased significantly in the coastal zone. Inparticular, traditional coasting and fish-eries were supplemented by shelf mineralexploration andmining.Unfortunately, along with the positive

growth dynamics, we still have to deal withillegal maritime activities, including smug-gling, drug trafficking, illegal harvesting of

bio-resources and illegalmigration. Piracy poses aserious threat to merchantshipping in some areas.Some acts of maritime ter-rorism persist.

To fight crime, almost all coastal coun-tries set up their Coast Guard forces andspend significant resources to equip them.Dozens of ships and helicopters, hundredsof motor boats are forced to patrol the ex-clusive economic zone and territorial wa-ters. However, the experience of manycountries suggests that there is an effec-tive and economic way to ensure thesafety of navigation and control of mar-itime activities. It consists in establishingcoastal surveillance systems.In this context, Rosoboronexport, Rus-

sia’s major exporter of the entire range ofthe final defense and dual-use productsand services, informs that Russian devel-opers are developing flexible and scalablesurveillance systems relying on cutting-edge information technology, which arecomparable to their best foreign counter-parts in performance and are superior tothem inmany aspects.To date, more than 200 Russian-made

coastal surveillance systems have beeninstalled in 100 ports of 50 countries. Theirinnovative system solutionsmeet interna-tional standards and have incorporated theintegration and commonality concepts. Inpractice, this means that the informationabout a maritime situation is integrated in asingle database and can be used in aspecified manner by the Coast Guard,naval forces, other relevant ministries,agencies and government bodies.Moreover, if necessary, the information

RUSSIAN COASTALSURVEILLANCE SYSTEMS

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may even be exported to neighboringcountries. The system receives informa-tion in real time from automatic or attendedshore communications and observationposts, equipped with the Atlantika-KKh,Neva-M or Bussol-S dual-band radars,Proton-B and Baltika TV long-range elec-tro-optical cameras, and T214 automaticidentification system’s receivers. At borderguard posts, these aids can be integratedinto complexes like the Rapsodiya andRubezh-PTN. A network of fixed posts isdeployed on the coast and not only moni-tors the waters, but also providesmulti-user communications c remote sub-scribers in E&M frequency, TDM andTCP/IP channels. Themonitoring effortscan be enhanced in operationally criticalsectors by the Gambrinus or Neva-MPmo-bile posts mounted on Ural and KAMAZall-terrain vehicles.As regards offshore oil platforms and

other vital facilities, the Gradient-typeradar/optical millimeter-wave systems areused there. They are supplemented by theKomor and Komor-1 magnetoacoustic

systems offering unique functionality anddesigned to proactively detect enemycombat swimmers. Such a system en-sures reliable physical protection againstunderwater saboteurs and preventsmulti-million dollar losses stemming fromdamage to oil drilling equipment andpotential environmental disasters.It is necessary to draw attention to the

fact that the information produceddirectly by the surveillance system is con-tinuously updated using the data comingfrom the vessel traffic management sys-tems, port administrations, Coast Guardships and shore stations, weather andother external systems, including globalsystems and Internet. Network data ex-change and processing protocols are im-plemented in the Ontomap intelligent geo-information software system andNavy-Traffic and Navi-Monitor vessel traf-fic management software.The benefit of the integrated surveil-

lance system architecture approach is thatthe customer state doesn’t need to estab-lish separate surveillance systems foreachministry and agency, which will finallycost several timesmore and will function-ally duplicate each other.Rosoboronexport is offering potential

buyers the latest equipment and technolo-gies as well as technical assistance in es-tablishing such surveillance systems, in-cluding the use of equipment produced inthe customer’s country. Equipmentdelivery and deployment can be carriedout in a phasedmanner.Existing successful implementations of

such large-scale projects can be exempli-fied by navigation safety andmaritime bor-der protection systems built by Russia inthe Gulf of Finland in the Baltic Sea and inthe Gulf of Peter the Great – the biggestbay in the Sea of Japan, on the coasts ofwhich the cities of Vladivostok, Nakhodka,Bolshoi Kamen, Fokino and Vostochny,Russia’s largest port on the Pacific Ocean,are located. The coastal surveillance sys-tems have proved highly effective in thereal world by providing comprehensiveand total security of the 2014WinterOlympics on the east coast of the BlackSea and directly the coastline in Sochi.

Komor-1

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Bussol-S

P R O T E C T I O NSSOOLLDDIIEERR


Afghan-bound Australian troops firing weaponswhile wearing the newly-issued Tiered Body ArmourSystem (TBAS) © Australian Department of Defense

SUITED AND BOOTED:SOLDIER SURVIVABILITYAND PERSONAL PROTECTION



The 2012 survey pointed to theincreasing need for protectionequipment as a consequence ofthe conflicts in Iraq, Afghanistan,Syria and Libya, and with Iran’s

clandestine nuclear weapons programmefurther heightening tensions between theIslamic Republic and the international com-munity, it has encouraged countries toincrease spending to ensure that theirtroops are properly protected in the field.Major areas of concern for the United

States and her allies engaged in the abovetheatres over the past decade have been therelentless battle against the use of home-made insurgent bombs, along with thethreat from small arms, mortars and rocketlaunchers. This has forced armies to seeknew, improved technology to counter thethreat to their troops on the ground. Now,as North Atlantic Treaty Organisation(NATO)-led coalition forces begin theirwithdrawal from Afghanistan, bodyarmour and protective headgear must becapable of addressing the threat from theunknown. The past decade has seen a focuson threats of a relatively low level of sophis-tication from insurgents, but the demandfor high-grade technology must be sus-tained to ensure that soldiers are equippedto face more advanced and capable enemiesand their weapons in the future.

Improved survivabilityOverwhelmingly the requirements of thepersonal protection market revolve aroundincreased survivability without adding tothe weight of the already overburdenedsoldier. As armies continue to roll-outinfantry soldier modernisation pro-grammes, the emphasis on increasing theconnection of the soldier to the Commandand Control (C2) network through theirequipment means that they will soon be

carrying more weight in batteries than everbefore. As a result, the requirement for therest of their equipment—including bodyarmour and protective headgear—to belightweight is an increasing priority. The Asia-Pacific is a significant market.

The requirements of armed forces in thisregion are typified by India’s Future-Infantry Soldier as a System (F-INSAS)programme, which includes plans to equipsoldiers with advanced weaponry, com-munications and instant access to C2 net-works on the battlefield, all the whilereducing the weight carried by the soldierby at least 50 percent.Under the original plans, F-INSAS,

being led by India’s Defence Research andDevelopment Organisation (DRDO), aimsto equip the first battalions of soldiers withupgraded weapon systems—includinghelmet and jacket—for trials by 2015, withthe remainder of the infantry incremental-ly equipped by 2020. The planned helmet is understood to be

equipped with thermal sensors, video cam-eras, and chemical and biological agentsensors, with a visor fitted with an integralhead-up display monitor equivalent to two30 centimetre (twelve-inch) computermonitors. It was reported in late 2011 thatglobal tenders for light-weight (10.5 kilo-grams/23.1lbs) ballistic helmets with inter-nal communications were due to be issuedby the Indian Ministry of Defence follow-ing a favourable response from a numberof vendors from earlier issued requests forinformation. The tender was retracted inlate 2011 and re-issued in 2013, along withthe tender for bullet-proof jackets. The army’s bulletproof jacket require-

ments are based on a waterproof andbreathable solution that will protecttroops from chemical agents, while alsobeing fitted with sensors to monitor sol-

An industry survey published in 2012 by ASDReports estimated thatthe value of the global body armour and personal protection marketwould increase from its then current value of $1.5 billion to a peak of$2.4 billion by 2022. This article will detail the key issues driving thedemand for improved soft and hard body armour and protectiveheadwear for soldiers.

bbyy Claire Apthorp

dier health parameters and enable quickmedical relief. It will include hard armourplate protection in the front, rear, sides,upper arms, groin and throat against anAK-47 Kalashnikov assault rifle firing7.62mm x 39mm mild steel core ammuni-tion from ten metres (32 feet).India’s indigenous market has a num-

ber of manufacturers producing potentialsolutions for the army’s programmes:Approved NATO supplier MKU ofKanpur, India, confirmed in February 2014

that it had responded to the 2013 tenderfor bullet-proof jackets and helmets. In2013 the company, which has strong linksto German industry, used the 2013Defexpo defence exhibition held inBangalore, southwest India to display itsbody armour solutions, including itsInstavest single action quick release ballis-tic over-vest, its CVC-C2 Communicationshelmet designed for head protection andunhindered communication in noisy envi-ronments, and its Boltfree helmet—anoth-

er MKU patented product that uses NoHole-No Bolt technology and offers uni-form 360 degree head protection to sol-diers. The company has developed its NoHole-No Bolt design to overcome thethreat posed by lethal secondary fragmen-tation of bolts mounted on the outer shellof a helmet; instead the helmet has beendesigned as a composite shell that requiresno metal parts, negating the secondaryfragmentation threat. Additionally theBoltfree helmet increases protectionagainst ballistic threats and uses a shockabsorbent modular pad suspension sys-tem to withstand multiple compressionswithout failure. India’s largest provider of defence

armour and protective systems, TATAAdvanced Materials (TAML), is alsounderstood to be interested in the helmetand body armour components of the pro-gramme. TAML’s lightweight Bullet ProofJacket was developed in close cooperationwith the Indian Army, and has beendesigned to protect against AK-47 and SelfLoading Rifle 7.62mm ammunition plusDragunov 7.62mm sniper rifle bullets. TAML also produces bullet proof hel-

mets that protect against nine millimetreFull Metal Jacket rounds and nine millime-tre ammunition used by India’s STEN andHeckler and Koch MP-5 submachine guns.The weight of the helmets range areapproximately just over one kilogram (twopounds), depending on additional compo-nents that can include a visor and/or com-munications gear, and they have beendesigned for simple incorporation withnight vision devices and binoculars.The company has already supplied over

160,000 lightweight Bullet Resistant Jacketsand 50,000 bullet resistant helmets to theIndian armed forces under previous con-tracts, and it will likely be looking toexpand upon this existing relationship viathe F-INSAS programme.


A key advantage provided by the new TieredBody Armour System (TBAS) for the AustralianArmy is the versatility of being able to insertdifferent types of ballistic plates into thesystem. This enables it to be worn at a lighterweight that current systems © AustralianDepartment of Defense


Tiered solutionThe Australian Army’s Land 125 pro-gramme aims to deliver successive enhance-ments to the Soldier Combat System (thecombination of individual combatants, theirunits and the interfaces with the internaland external battle environment) andenhance the capabilities of the dismountedclose combat force. Phase 3B of the pro-gramme addresses solider survivability.This phase covers the acquisition of the

Solider Combat Ensemble (SCE), whichwill provide a range of body armour com-ponents to protect individual combatantsfrom physical threats and the environment.It will see a number of components pro-cured including a Tiered Body ArmourSystem (TBAS), Pelvic Protection System,helmets, protective eyewear and hearingprotection. The SCE will absorb a numberof systems already introduced into service,and dispose of obsolete and legacy indi-vidual SCE systems already in service. The TBAS entered service with the

Australian Army in 2011, being first rolledout to members of Mentoring Task Force(MTF) 3 and the Special Operations TaskGroup. The system was jointly developedby the Australian DMO (Defence MaterielOrganisation), and the army and industrypartner Australian Defence Apparel of

Victoria, which also produces the system.It includes two tiers of protection withboth safeguarding against small arms fireand fragmentation. TBAS Tier 2 is issuedto all combatants operating outside thewire in hostile territory, while TBAS Tier 3is issued to all support combatants. Bothhave a quick release mechanism so thatthe armour can be rapidly removed in anemergency, and can be integrated with awide range of ammunition and equip-ment pouches.According to the DMO, the TBAS has

been designed to be a lighter, better fit-ting, more comfortable body armour solu-tion, allowing more mobility for soldiersthan previous systems such as theModular Combat Body Armour System(MCBAS) designed for Australian soldiersconducting static protection tasks. TheMCBAS was effective but heavy giventhat it was optimised for conditions inIraq where troops were not regularlyrequired to patrol on foot.

The new issue of Tiered Body Armour System(TBAS) that Australian troops will carry isdesigned to integrate with other combatequipment and provide enhanced freedom ofmovement © Australian Department of Defense


The TBAS, however, allows troops toinsert different types of ballistic plates inthe vest depending on their mission, andbetter integrates with combat equipmentproviding much greater freedom of move-ment, especially around the shoulderarea. This allows soldiers to get into betterfiring positions and manoeuvre morefreely on the battlefield. The programme is also seeking an

improved solution to the protective head-wear in use with Australian Army sol-diers – currently supplied by Israeli com-pany Rabintex, in the form of theEnhanced Combat Helmet (ECH). Theprocess to upgrade this helmet withimprovements is ongoing, with the mostrecent upgrades in 2011 and 2012. Theseupgrades improved the helmet’s internalpadding, suspension system and added ashroud to integrate night fighting equip-ment onto the helmet via an improvedmounting system.

A busy marketElsewhere in the region, Singapore hasnow completed the roll-out of theIntegrated Body Armour (iBA) system to

its entire armed forces. The iBA allowsprotection plates to be fitted into the sol-dier’s Load Bearing Vest (LBV) as andwhen necessary, rather than the previousmethod of wearing a bullet-proof vestunderneath the LBV, which added weightand greatly restricted soldiers’ move-ments. With three levels of protection and

a near infra-red coating to negate detec-tion by night vision goggles, the iBA fea-tures pouches for essential items such asammunition, navigational equipment andutilities, and has reduced the weight ofprotective equipment for the soldier fromover ten kilograms (20 lbs) to over six kilo-grams (twelve pounds).The New Zealand Army has also

improved the protection of its soldiers withnew soldier survivability equipment,including an advanced combat helmet and

an Improved Body Armour (IBA) solution.The IBA is the BAE Systems ReleasableBody Armour Vest which providesenhanced ballistic and fragmentation pro-tection for personnel, with two main (frontand rear), five smaller side and groin platesand soft armour throughout providing ballistic protection. It also has groin, throat,neck, upper arm and side protection, aMOLLE (Modular Lightweight LoadCarrying Equipment) exterior for attachingpouches and has a quick release system toenable the user or another person to dis-card the vest quickly if the wearer isinjured or submerged in water.

International interestAs well as stimulating local industry, thestrong demand for soldier protectionequipment from the militaries of the Asia-Pacific is capturing the attention of Westerncompanies eager to supply to customers inthe region. In 2012 Denmark’s TenCateAdvanced Armour and TenCate ProtectiveFabrics USA joined forces to open TenCateProtective Systems in India, with an eye tobecoming the main materials supplier forthe country’s defence modernisation pro-grammes (see above). The same year,TenCate Advanced Armour opened a salesoffice in Singapore as part of its worldwidegrowth strategy, offering local content tocountry specific programmes. Cyril Veillat, business manager for per-

sonal protection, TenCate AdvancedArmour Europe, Middle East and Africaand Asia-Pacific told AMR that the compa-ny is working on a number of new devel-opments with Asian countries, includingSingapore, Thailand and the Philippines.Mr. Veillet says that the biggest issue ismatching the protective technology avail-able to the threats faced by these militariesin the field. “For the Asian market we try tooffer new products because the ones wehave in Europe are not always relevant forthe types of threats seen there,” he added.“In Europe, armed forces want to protectagainst the highest threat possible, which is(NATO) Level Four, and often what yousee in Asia is companies trying to pushLevel Four compliant solutions that aren’tactually compliant to Level Three threats.”(For more information regarding NATO


The Tiered BodyArmour System

entered service withthe Australian Army

in 2011

Warrant Officer Class 2 (WO2) Jeramie Faint of the 3rd Combat Engineer Regiment, BombardierChris Heagney of 4th Regiment and Private Alex Oscini display different configerations of theTiered Body Armour System (TBAS) © Australian Department of Defense


ballistic protection levels see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/STANAG_4569). “In Asia the customers are much more

practical in wanting to protect their troopsagainst what they are actually encounter-ing, and we have a lot of requests for AK-47 MSC (Mild Steel Core) and SS109 BulletProof Plate protection which enables us todesign plates which are lighter. There’s nopoint supplying equipment that can pro-tect against one armour-piercing round butnot three AK-47 shots, which is the realissue.” Mr. Veillat adds that the companyis taking advantage of this by designingequipment that is very lightweight, andhas sold a very light armour plate insert(weighing less than one kilogram) to anunnamed customer in the region. It is alsodeveloping a new Level Four shield thatweighs just 17kg (37lb) for which it is see-ing interest from Japan and Singaporewhere this level of threat is present.A spokesperson from US company

Ceradyne of Lexington, Kentucky toldAMR that it also seeing interest from cus-tomers in the Asia-Pacific for its products.“We see demand growing from smallerelite units (military and law enforcement)

in the Asia-Pacific region for the types ofballistic protection solutions we produce,”the spokesperson said. ”We design andproduce solutions which offer high levelsof ballistic protection at relatively lowweights as compared to traditional metal-lic armour materials such as steel; for thesoldier, mobility and reduced fatigue areessential in combat so offering soldiers thelightest weight solutions that can defeatprojectiles at velocities likely to be experi-enced in combat is a main priority for ourcustomers and our business.”Looking ahead, Ceradyne says it will

continue to focus on the weight issue as amajor area of concern for the personal pro-tection market in the coming decade. “Thetrend that we observe is continuing toreduce weight for equal levels of ballisticprotection and reduce or maintain currentweights with increased levels of protection.These challenges, as they relate to bodyarmour and helmets, could be accom-plished in the future by using new rawmaterials with improved weight-to-strength properties—as compared towhat’s available today—coupled with newprocessing technology developments.”

An Australian solider wears the newly issued Tiered Body Armour System (TBAS) ahead of deployingto Afghanistan as part of Mentoring Task Force Three (MTF-3) © Australian Department of Defense

l APRIL/MAY 2014 l


From 1937 (the outbreak of theSino-Japanese War) to 1950 (theoutbreak of the Korean War)amphibious operations changedthe Pacific Rim’s political geog-

raphy and history destroying the JapaneseEmpire and paving the way for the emer-gence of several new states in the region,following the end of European colonialism.Meanwhile, the nature of amphibiousoperations has changed significantly sincethe end of the Second World War and thishas had a marked effect on the role ofamphibious forces in the Asia-Pacific.Traditional approaches to amphibious

assault saw land forces reach their objec-tive from the sea in dedicated attack trans-port vessels embarking the landing craftthat would carry them to the shore. Theseattack ships were augmented with docklanding ships (LSD) equipped with aflooded well deck for loading the landingcraft with troops and vehicles. These larger

O P E R A T I O N SAAMMPPHHIIBBIIOOUUSS

34

The long coasts of Asia’s mainland, togetherwith the numerous archipelagos throughoutthe Pacific Rim are ideal for amphibiouswarfare, the projection of land forces from thesea onto the shore, as history has shown.

bbyy Edward Hooton

WHY SOAMPHIBIOUS?LITTORALASSAULT IN THEASIA-PACIFIC

LHD and LPD type ships have flooded welldecks housing landing craft or hovercraft.Internal ramps allow personnel, vehicles andsupplies to be moved easily down to the welldeck to facilitate loading © DCNS

ships deployed landing craft for infantry(LCI/Landing Craft-Infantry) and vehicles(LCT/Landing Craft-Tank) which thencarried the assault force to the beaches sup-ported by fire from surface combatants.Once the beachhead was established andsecure shallow-draft landing ships fortanks, medium loads, infantry or simplyutility vessels (collectively referred to asLanding Ship-Tank/LST, Landing ShipMechanised/LCM, Landing ShipInfantry/LSI and Landing ShipUtility/LSU) would beach themselves,open bow doors and drop ramps for rapiddisembarking of men and equipment tothus expand the beachhead.Western naval powers, the chief propo-

nents of amphibious warfare during theSecond World War, began to amend theiramphibious doctrine with the develop-ment of nuclear weapons which made thetraditional accompanying large assembliesof ships witnessed during this conflictextremely vulnerable. Because of the threatfrom nuclear attack amphibious doctrinesaround the world began to emphasisegreater dispersal and the delivery of theassault force from, or over, the horizon.This doctrinal requirement became evenmore important with the development ofAnti-Ship Missiles (AShMs) in the yearsfollowing the end of the Second WorldWar. The proliferation of these weaponslaunched from aircraft, ships, submarinesand even coast defence batteries made andcontinue to make the approach to the shorefor the assault force hazardous. The prob-lem becomes yet greater with the tradition-al threat of increasingly technologicallysophisticated mines. As a consequence ofthe development of AShMs and thenuclear threat, amphibious warfare nowhas to be conducted by smaller, moresophisticated and versatile task groups.Landing craft continue to be an impor-

tant means of deploying assault forces butat comparatively longer distances thanthose seen during the Second World War.Today, the United States Marine Corpsopts for deploying from some 25 nauticalmiles (46 kilometres) beyond the shore.Rotary wing aircraft have proved another,and extremely effective, means of deliver-ing men and supplies, the first occasion in

which they were used as such was duringthe French, British and Israeli involvementin the Suez Crisis of 1956. More recentlyhelicopters proved their worth duringCoalition amphibious operations on the AlFaw Peninsula in the Persian Gulf duringUS-led combat operations in Iraq in 2003.In both instances helicopters were impor-tant in neutralising the ground-to-air threat

from coastal defences before follow-onforces arrived in LSDs and LSTs. Since the1960s a third means of transporting troopshas emerged exploiting hovercraft technol-ogy. The Landing Craft, Air Cushion(LCAC), to use the US Navy term, cantransport loads up to 75 tonnes, includingmain battle tanks, across soft sand, marshand swamp at speeds of up to 40 knots (74

kilometres-per-hour) with a range at thatspeed of some 200 nautical miles (370 kilo-metres). They are increasingly associatedwith LSD-type ships but they are noisy andvulnerable to artillery, mortar and evenanti-armour weapons.

Air Cushion ExpansionOnly six Asian navies – China, Japan,North Korea, the Republic of Korea (RoK),Sri Lanka and Thailand – operate LCACsand in both Sri Lanka and Thailand theseare actually general-purpose utility craftrather than amphibious warfare assets andas such they lack any offloading capability.Japan operates six US LCACS while Chinahas about ten Jingsah II vehicles, which cancarry 15 tonnes. That said, the country isacquiring four Russian ‘Pomornik’ classvessels capable of carrying 130 tonnes.China’s attempts at domestic productionwith its Yuyi LCAC design appears to havebeen unsuccessful with only one built todate. North Korea is Asia’s largest LCACuser with 136 ‘Kongbang’ class vehiclesranging in length from 18 to 21 metres (59-69 feet) but these are mostly raider unitscarrying 40-50 special operations troops.By contrast its southern neighbour has twoLSF-II LCACs similar in design to the US



Landing craft continueto be an important

means of deployingassault forces butat comparatively

longer distances thanthose seen during the

Second World War

This picture of the interior of a ‘Mistral’ class Landing Helicopter Dock shows how a modernamphibious warfare vessel can store vehicles and equipment on spacious cargo decks which areeasy to access from the shore © DCNS

LCAC and three Russian-built ’Tsaplyas’class hovercraft which can carry up to 130 troops.While Asian navies benefited greatly

from the US Navy’s Second World Waramphibious warfare construction pro-gramme given the large numbers of sur-plus US vessels which were available tothem after the conflict, these vessels arebeing now replaced by newer platformswhich reflect current doctrines. Thechanges are also reinforced by the realisa-tion that amphibious warfare vessels areextremely valuable in supporting humani-tarian relief operations. The trend in thePacific Rim is away from the attack trans-port, LSD and LST vessels into a multiroleplatform with excellent command and con-trol facilities which is capable of acting as amini-base. The first stage is to give the LSDa helicopter deck for several aircraftenabling it to become a de facto dock land-ing platform (LPD). Examples of suchdesigns include India’s INS Jalashwa

amphibious support ship and theIndonesian Navy’s ‘Makassar’ class of LPD.Such ships are designed to carry a fully-

equipped mechanised battalion (800-1,000men) and deliver it to the shore in smalllanding craft by using LCACs or via heli-copter from a stern flight deck. They canfeature large side doors and rampsbetween the decks so that personnel andmaterial may be swiftly loaded and thenmoved around the vessel for decantinginto the platforms which will carry them tothe shore. They also possess extensive andsophisticated command and control aswell as medical facilities.

Second-Hand PlatformsWhile some navies, such as Australia,India and Taiwan, have acquired second-hand LSDs from the US Navy, Asianyards are now meeting the growingdemand. China has completed four‘Yuzhao’ class LSDs, Singapore has pro-duced five ‘Endurance’ class ships includ-

ing one for the Royal Thai Navy, RoKyards have produced five ‘Makassar’ classships, although one is designated a ‘mul-tipurpose hospital ship’ while Japan hasbuilt three ‘Oosumi’ class LSDs. India’sexperience with the former US Navy INSJalashwa (formerly the USS Trenton‘Austin’ class amphibious support ship)has encouraged plans for a class of fournew vessels, of which two will be built inforeign yards.The importance of air power to support

over-the-horizon amphibious operationshas led Western navies to expand the LPDconcept by providing a flight deck extend-ing along the whole length of the ship giv-ing it the appearance of an aircraft carrieralthough such ships are often officiallydesignated as Landing HelicopterAssault/LHA or Landing HelicopterDock/LHD vessels. It is interesting tonote that the Royal Navy’s HMS Oceandeployed AgustaWestland AH.1 Apacheattack helicopters when supporting NATOcombat operations over and around Libyain 2011 while Spain’s LHD SPS JuanCarlos-I can deploy Short-TakeOff/Vertical Landing (STOVL) fixed-wingaircraft. The Spanish design is the basis ofthe Royal Australian Navy’s new‘Canberra’ class LHDs which have beenbuilt in Spain and are being fitted out inAustralia to join the fleet from 2014.Navantia, which is building the ‘Canberra’class ships, beat France’s ‘Mistral’ classdesign produced by DCNS to win theAustralian order but the French yard iscurrently building two ‘Mistral’ class ves-sels for the Russian Navy of which the first,RFS Vladivostok, is scheduled to join thePacific Fleet in 2014. At present the RoKNavy (RoKN) is the only Asian navy whichdeploys an amphibious assault ships, theDokdo, but it was reported in the RoKpress in 2013 that that a second vessel willbe ordered in the near future and possiblya third at a later stage to support theRoKN’s three-fleet concept.

New ZealandWhile the overall LHA, LHD and LPDconcepts remain the keel of Asianamphibious forces, one interesting excep-tion if is the Royal New Zealand Navy’s


The US Navy has a long tradition ofamphibious warfare and the fleet’s USSBonhomme Richard ‘Wasp’ class amphibioussupport vessel has attributes which manymajor Asian navies wish to emulate as shecan carry helicopters and even multirolecombat aircraft © Ingalls


HMNZS Canterbury whose design isbased upon a civilian roll-on, roll-offcargo ship. She provides a limited tacticalsealift capability with 250 troops and canoperate two helicopters and four landingcraft. This could yet be the solution forsmaller Asia-Pacific navies rather thanpurchasing a larger ship. Malaysia, forexample, has a requirement for two orthree Multi-Purpose Support Ships (MPSS– see Gordon Arthur’s ‘Preparing forTomorrow’ article in this issue) and origi-nally sought a vessel capable of carrying ahalf-battalion battle group of around 800troops. The programme has been muchdelayed but may be implementedtowards the end of this decade.Taiwan’s 15-year military procurement

plan envisages the order of an LHD/LPDvessel while the Philippines also has along-term requirement which is movingtowards fruition. Since 2009 it has soughta strategic sealift capability and looked atvarious options including the Indonesian‘Makassar’ class design, and in August2013 it was announced in the localPhilippines press that Indonesia’s PT PALshipbuilders had won a contract for twostrategic sealift vessels, although Manilawould like four by 2020.

New Landing CraftThe work-horse of Asia’s amphibiousforces remains the LST and the LSM ofwhich there are more than 145 hulls in theregion’s navies. Second-hand vessels arewidely encountered including the Russian‘Polonochny’ class LSMs of which Indiahas five and Vietnam has three whileSecond World War vintage US Navy LSTsare still to found in the RoK (two),Philippines (four), Taiwan (eleven) and

Vietnam (three) while the Indonesia Navyacquired a dozen ‘Frosch-I’ class LSTsfrom the former East Germany. Newervessels have been provided from foreignyards such as Thailand’s two ‘Normed’class LSTs designed by the FrenchChantier du Nord (Northern Shipbuilders)

yard, but building these vessels is wellwithin the capability of Asian yards andthis is the growing trend. The majority ofChina’s 81 LSTs are ‘Yutings/Yukans’class augmented by ‘Yuliang’, ‘Yuhai’ and‘Yunshu’ class LSMs. India has built five5,655-tonne ‘Magar’ class LSTs, eight Mk2/3 LSMs while the Philippines has builttwo ‘Balcolod City’ class LSMs. NorthKorea has built ten ‘Hantae’ class LSMswhile the RoK had constructed three‘Alligator’ class vessels. Under the RoKN’sLST-2 programme, the contract for whichwas signed on 26 December 2013, theHanjin yard in Pusan will build four shipsto replace these former US Navy wartimevessels from 2014.It is interesting to note that some LSTs

are equipped with small helicopter landingdecks such as China’s ‘Yuting’, India’s‘Magar’ and Indonesia’s ‘Tacomas’ classvessels to accommodate one or two air-craft. At best this provides a limited over-the-horizon assault capability because onlyone aircraft at a time can be operated, butthese navies have the capacity to overcomethe problem by using other ships whichcan embark aircraft. One reason for the popularity of the

LST/LSM is that it provides a long rangetransport capability essential for nationslargely composed of islands but strategical-ly vital also in states with a limited road net-work. Just as, historically, the transport oflarge cargoes was more efficiently per-formed by sea so this often continues toapply in the present day. It is also the reasonwhy landing craft remain widely used.Landing craft, which can be easily producedin small yards, are open-decked, shallow-draught vessels with diesel engines whosepayloads are offloaded through a bowramp. They continue to be valuable for useboth autonomously and with largeramphibious warfare platforms to carry menand material from ship to shore. For thisreason the contracts to improve Australia’samphibious capability include one for a

One reason for the popularity of the

LST/LSM is that itprovides a long range

transport capabilityessential for nations

largely composed of islands

Navies unable to afford Landing HelicopterDock-type ships are looking at Landing PlatformDock vessels which are almost as versatile.Some of the latest US Navy LPDs include the‘San Antonio’ class © Northrop Grumman



dozen medium landing craft with water jetpropulsion which will be embarked fromthe ‘Canberra’ class LHDs.

Forthcoming ProgrammesThe future of amphibious warfare will bedriven, for the foreseeable future, by theWestern naval powers. The US Navy hasinvested substantially in improving itsamphibious warfare capability with newships including the ‘America’ class ofamphibious assault ships which will beable to embark the latest STOVL combataircraft. They will also embark Bell-BoeingCV-22 Osprey family tilt-rotor transportaircraft which have a larger payload thanconventional helicopters and comparative-ly higher speeds. These aircraft distin-guished themselves at the end of 2013 inhumanitarian operations after TyphoonYolanda devastated the Philippines.The US Navy also intends to replace the

LCAC with the Ship-to-Shore-Connector(SSC) of which the first (of an eventual 73)is scheduled to enter service in 2018.Powered by Rolls-Royce Marine MT7 gas

turbines the SSC is designed to requirecomparatively low maintenance while itsperformance will be slightly greater thanthe LCAC, and it will be able to carry alarger payload of some 74 tonnes.European navies are considering a slightlydifferent approach based upon very highspeed landing craft.France’s Constructions Industrielles de

la Méditerranée (CNIM/MediterraneanIndustrial Construiction) has delivered itsEngin de Débarquement Amphibie Rapide(Rapid Amphibious DisembarkationCraft/EDA-R), to the French Navy for usewith its ‘Mistral’ class LHDs. The EDA-Rsare said to have a cost similar to that of aconventional landing craft but with far

higher performance, the 80-tonne payloadbeing carried on a platform between thehulls but with ramps positioned at eitherend of the vessel for offloading the pay-load. The diesel-powered craft can travel at18 knots (33km/h) with a full load andthey have a range of 1,000 nautical miles(1,850 kilometres).The British are looking at a combined

LCAC/catamaran concept to meet theirFast Landing Craft requirement. The Britishresearch organisation Qinetiq has pro-duced the Partial Air Cushion SupportedCatamaran (PASCAT) technology demon-strator in association with the UnitedKingdom’s Griffon Hoverwork. This dieseland water-jet powered craft has a designedpayload of 55 tonnes and has demonstratedunloaded speeds of 30 knots (56km/h).If these concepts prove successful they

will certainly filter into the inventories ofAsia’s navies over the next decade. It is alsolikely that the region’s amphibious forceswill be expanded both in quantity and inquality to match those of Western navieswithin a lifetime.


The evolution ofamphibious

warfare will be driven,for the foreseeable

future, by the Westernnaval powers

Asian navies are seeking major amphibiouswarfare ships like the USS Iwo Jima becausethey are immensely versatile. Not only canthey be used for strategic sealift andamphibious warfare but also they can play amajor role in disaster relief © US Navy



In the past when discussing militaryvehicles one spoke of “tactical vehi-cles” and “armoured vehicles”.“Tactical” vehicles were for support.These included light vehicles for util-

ity, liaison andmiscellaneous duties; medi-um-weight trucks for transport, mainte-nance plus artillery prime movers andheavy trucks. “Armoured” vehiclesrequired protection for their combat rolesor their proximity to the “front”. However,recently this distinction has changed. In

many armies major efforts and money arebeing spent on providing significant levelsof protection to tactical trucks. It is also adriving requirement in new procurementslike the United States’ Joint Light TacticalVehicle (JLTV).What is behind this new emphasis on

protection? What are the ramifications forvehicle design, capabilities and cost? Whatoperational aspects remain to be under-stood? All these questions are worthy offurther examination.

HistoryThe term “tactical wheeled vehicles” hasbeen largely a distinction made to reflecttrucks specifically adapted to military con-ditions and uses. These may be commer-cial trucks equipped with features like tac-tical lights, special camouflage paint, off-road tires and Central Tire InflationSystems (CTIS) to aid the traverse of softground. Other armies have trucks specifi-cally designed from the wheels up for mil-itary use. They pretty much fill the same

42

Casualties suffered by the combatants involved in the Afghanand Iraqi theatres have focused the attention of vehicledesigners on the provision of protection to a wide range oftactical vehicles. It appears that this is a trend they areapproaching in very different ways.

bbyy Stephen W. Miller

PROTECTION MONEY: TACTICALPROTECTED MOBILITY

The RG32M, developed by OMC in South Africa,incorporated lessons learned from the employmentin combat of the Casspir and RG31 mine protectedvehicles to be one of the first light tactical vehiclesto defeat the roadside bomb © BAE Systems

M O B I L I T YPPRROOTTEECCTTEEDD

roles as their commercial counterparts car-rying supplies, fuel and people, and per-forming a variety of everyday tasks. A lim-ited number of tactical vehicles also fill“combat support” roles like reconnais-sance and security but were not generallyseen as “combat” systems. Initially manyof these were identical to the “support”versions; however, some armies recog-nised the limitations of “trucks” in theseroles and developed purpose built recon-naissance and security vehicles, with pro-tection being a key addition.Adding protection to tactical trucks as

needed based on local threats has oftenbeen done by military units in the field.The armoured “gun trucks” fabricated byUS Army and Marine units and used dur-ing the Vietnam War for convoy duty arean instructive example. These were limitedefforts and not adopted across fleets.Overall, though, even in other counter-insurgency operations which occurred inAlgeria and South Africa during the years



Komatsu’s KU50W Light Armoured Vehicle was designed specificallyto provide protection to embarked personnel performing internalsecurity missions and has been utilised by the Japan Ground SelfDefence Force for humanitarian operations © JGSDF

The US AM General High Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicle was originally fielded as a familyof light tactical vehicles with exceptional mobility. A limited number designed for reconnaissanceand security were provided with limited ballistic protection © AM General

of the Cold War the distinction betweentactical trucks and purpose-built armouredvehicles, like the French Panhard AML (AutoMitrailleuse Légère/Light Gun AmouredCar) wheeled light armoured reconnaissancevehicle and the South African BAE SystemsCasspir remained clear.Several development programmes dur-

ing the 1980s saw attention being given toincluding protection from the outset in thedesign of some tactical wheeled vehicles.Initially this was restricted to moderateballistic and fragment protection on spe-cific mission vehicles. The US M1114Armoured High Mobility MultipurposeWheeled Vehicles (HMMWV) from AMGeneral, better known as the ‘Humvee’,introduced in 1985 had integrated ballisticprotection in its reconnaissance and secu-rity configurations while retaining the

basic vehicle configuration. Still, themajority of the HMMWV fleet remainedunarmoured. The French Panhard VBL(Véhicule Blindé Léger/Light ArmouredVehicle) went a step further by utilising awelded steel armour crew unit placed onto its automotive chassis. The VBL wassmall, mobile and designed specificallyfor combat missions. Thus it was opti-

mised for its primary role and not envi-sioned for general or utility use. The Japanese Self Defense Forces took

a similar view. Komatsu Defence devel-oped its KU50W LAV (Light ArmouredVehicle) which was fielded from 2002. It issimilar to the VBL but with four sidedoors as opposed to two on the VBL. Itscompact size and tight turning circle areideal for narrow roads and urban areas. Itcan perform internal response, base secu-rity and defence roles and has providedprotected transportation for JapaneseGround Self Defence Force contingents inhumanitarian operations. Nevertheless,without integral blast protection its futuresuitability for operations outside Japan isopen to question.

New ThreatsLessons from United Nations (UN) mili-tary interventions and, in particular, TheBattle of Mogadishu in Somalia 1993 whichsaw United States-led UN forces battling


IVECO’s approach vis-à-vis its Light Multirole Vehicle offers a base configuration with inherent blastdefence features and the ability to include armour modules with levels of protection sufficient forarmour-piercing small arms. The basic appearance of the vehicles in the family is the same © Iveco

Several developmentprogrammes during

the 1980s sawattention being given

to including protectionfrom the outset in thedesign of some tactical

wheeled vehicles



heavily armed militias demonstrated thevalue of light vehicles with enhanced pro-tection. However, it was the escalatingattacks in 2004 by insurgents against USand Coalition vehicles in Iraq that starklyhighlighted the vulnerability of tacticalvehicles to homemade bombs whichexceeded ballistic protection and targetedthe unprotected belly of these platforms.

Despite local efforts to enhance vehiclearmour, casualties increased. On top ofthis, insurgents were also attacking unar-moured logistics vehicles.Responding to the threat the US mili-

tary developed and rapidly-fieldedArmour Survivability Kits (ASKs).Though effective against projectiles theywere less effective at defeating bombs. A

larger problem, especially regarding theHMMWV, was their increased 350-1,000kg (770-2,200lb) weight. This reducedthe vehicle’s payload and overloaded theirengines and suspension while reducingreliability. Only introduction of the pur-pose-built Mine Resistant AmbushProtected (MRAP) vehicles in 2007 in theIraqi theatre effectively countered thethreat, reduced casualties and allowedfreedom of operation to be regained.The North Atlantic Treaty Organisation

(NATO) involvement in Afghanistan andthe subsequent 2006 ramp up of opera-tions against the Taliban saw the largenumber of countries present in theAlliance-led International SecurityAssistance Force (ISAF) threatened byinsurgent bombs. By now the lessons ofIraq (see above) and the implication formilitary forces engaged in peacekeeping,stabilisation and other combat and poten-tial combat operations was being appreci-

The M-ATV from Oshkosh has provided United States military units in Afghanistan with a successfuloff-road-capable protected vehicle that has been credited with significantly reducing casualtiesfrom insurgent bombs © Oshkosh Defence

Nexter, creating new references in defence

TITUS® is the last armoured vehicle designed by Nexter in order to meet all the constraints of the modern hybrid warfare. Continuing the famous long lineage, including Leclerc MBT, VBCI and Aravis® , all combat proven in many theaters, Nexter combined the best of its experience and technology to offer to the tactical commander a full range of possibilities with the multi role armoured vehicle of the XXIst century.

From APC to combat utility variants, from Peace Keeping Operation to Counter Insurgency, TITUS® brings the technology and the Nexter touch into the heart of the action. www.nexter-group.fr

ated worldwide. Sensitivity toward casu-alties and the impact on public supportwithin several ISAF members was alsorecognized as a growing concern. Thiswas especially true for militaries inEurope, Japan, the United States andSouth America.Undoubtedly the greatest challenge was

addressing the roadside bomb and mine,particularly in lighter vehicles. The MRAPhad done so but were heavy at 13,000-18,000kg (28,600-39,600lb) in terms of com-bat weight. This was far beyond the eight ornine tonne all-up weight sought in lightvehicles. With its history of dealing withmines resulting from its experience in thesouthern African ‘Bush Wars’ of the 1970sand 1980s, it is not surprising that SouthAfrica was one of the first countries to intro-duce a fully-protected light tactical vehicle.The OMC Land Systems South AfricaRG32M and its sister the RG32M LTV (LightTactical Vehicle) were derived from the ear-lier unarmoured Scout light tactical vehicle.The RG32Ms have an armoured “crew

citadel” coupled with a shallow V-shapedhull allowing it to survive a six-kilogram(13lb) blast under its hull or wheel despiteits low 9.5 tonne combat weight whichincludes a payload of up to 2,200kg(4,400lb). The design effectiveness is illus-trated by an incident in Afghanistan wherea Swedish RG32M hit a large mine with anexplosive power in excess of the design andwas flipped over, yet the crew walked awaywithout major injury. The RG32M wasadopted in 2005 by Sweden and subse-quently fielded by five other countries.Johan Steyn, managing director of OMCLand Systems South Africa, stated thattoday “over 480 RG32M vehicles are in serv-ice with several armed forces”.IVECO Defence of Italy developed its

Light Multirole Vehicle (LMV) with theconcept of a baseline vehicle inherentlyadaptable to meet user protectiondemands. The goal was to offer a vehicleweighing under eight tonnes that could bearmoured to the customer’s requirement.The LMV accomplishes this also with a“citadel’ structure much like the RG32Mdiscussed above. Around the LMV’scitadel frame armour modules are installed


Australia has adopted the Thales Hawkei four wheel drive light tactical vehicle for its Project Land121 initiative following a competition involving several international candidates © Thales Australia

The Komodo four wheel drive vehicle by Pindad in Indonesia is another example of a locally-designedand produced protected Light Tactical Vehicle. By using the Renault Sherpa LTV chassis and enginePindad was able to reduce development risk and simplify logistical support © thaiarmedforces.com


at the factory level to achieve mine andsome levels of ballistic protection. TheLMV offers up to NATO StandardisationAgreement 4569 Level 3 ballistic protectionagainst 7.62mm armour-piercing ammuni-tion at a range of 30m (98ft) and Level 2Amine and grenade protection safeguardingagainst a six-kilogram explosion under anywheel. Other LMV design features includeautomotive commonality allowing theinterchange of service and spares acrossthe LMV product line. The vehicle can alsocarry a 2,600kg (5,732lb) payload in itsunarmoured configuration and up to1,500kg (3,306lb) payload with a protectedcrew cab. The LMV’s adaptability isdemonstrated by the many variants avail-able from IVECO Defence including a newextended-length cab version with a 3.5m(eleven feet) wheel base (compared to3.2m/ten ten feet) in the standard LMV). Itis perhaps not surprising that LMV hasbeen selected by ten countries with over4,000 vehicles fielded to date.The United States has pursued a compe-

tition for a small and light mine-protectedvehicle suitable for conditions inAfghanistan. Oshkosh Truck of Wisconsin,United States won the sole award in June2009 and subsequently began delivery of itsMRAP-All Terrain Vehicle (M-ATV). Its14,700kg (32,340lb) gross weight includes a1,800kg (3,967lb) payload. The M-ATV’smobility has proved attractive for forceswishing to use the vehicle in the patrol role.Nevertheless the M-ATV’s tight interiorand limited stowage space are issues asregards its employment as a general utilityvehicle. Over 9,500 MATVs were deliveredto the US Army and ordered by the United Arab Emirates. General Dynamics

European Land Systems (GDELS), mean-while, offers what might be called a dual-design approach in the form of its Durowhich is a purpose-built armoured logisticand support vehicle with a configurationoptimised for these roles. It also offers theEagle light tactical vehicle configured forprotected patrol. They appear completelydifferent but are designed to share auto-motive components to reduce the logisticsburden of each vehicle.

Future directionsThe US tactical vehicle programme receiv-ing the most attention as been the JLTVdevelopment. The original 2006 joint serv-ice approved requirement viewed the JLTVas a successor to the HMMWV family dis-cussed above. Since then the JLTV pro-gramme has been repeatedly restructuredwith the greatest impact on the programmebeing the combat experiences of the Iraqtheatre as regards insurgent bombs. Thesealtered the design drivers and shifted thefocus from a broadly capable tactical vehi-cle to one with MRAP levels of protection.These high protection levels appropriatefor combat versions are, however, nega-tively effecting the achievement of a lowervehicle weight and are driving up the over-all price of the platform. The military say

they can meet a base unit price goal of$250,000 but some defence acquisitionexperts including the United StatesCongressional Research Office are scepticalif this is achievable and suggest that a pricetag of $400,000 is more likely. Consideringthe investment and current tight budgetsin the United States it is difficult for the USArmy to revisit the requirements withoutthreatening the survival of the programme.Recently Kevin Fahey, head of the US

Army Programme Executive Office forCombat Support and Combat ServiceSupport, stated that “our problems havehad nothing to do with the programme,and everything to do with the budget”.AM General, Lockheed-Martin andOshkosh Defence all have candidates intesting to fulfil the JLTV requirement. Aproduction award is expected in late 2015for the construction of 50,000 JLTVs for theArmy and 5,500 for the Marine Corps withthe first units equipped by 2018. However,the Marines have price and weight con-cerns with a spokesperson for the Corpssaying that “(t)he focus right now is onwhat is good enough… and on how that’sgoing to impact across ground combat tac-tical vehicle strategy.”

AustraliaThe Australian Army, as part of ProjectLand 121 ground vehicle replacement pro-gramme, is pursuing the fielding of itsown Protected Mobility Vehicle Lightknown as the PMV-L. This four-wheel-drive vehicle will have off-road mobilityand protection against mines and projec-tiles while its seven tonne weight allowshelicopter lift. In December 2011 a teamled by Thales Australia was awarded a$34.4 million contract to provide itsHawkei vehicle as the local Manufacturedand Supported in Australia (MSA) option.Hawkei has integral Vee-hull blast andsmall arms protection. Its 6,613lb (3,000kg)payload is considerable for a vehicle of itsclass and allows additional armour to be


Germany has also beenaddressing the need

for protected supportvehicles with

KraussMaffei Wegmannintroducing the versatile

Dingo-2 in 2004

Kraus Maffei Wegman’s Dingo uses theMercedes Benz UNIMOG chassis to perform abroad range of missions ranging from patrol tocargo and vehicle recovery. Its 12.5 tonneweight was viewed by the six armies which usethis vehicle as an acceptable tradeoff © KMW


fitted to its hull. With a 2016 productiondelivery and a potential order quantity forup to 1,300 vehicles Hawkei may offer aninteresting option for countries in theAsia-Pacific region.

GermanyGermany has also been addressing the needfor protected support vehicles. Krauss-Maffei Wegmann (KMW) introduced theversatile Dingo-2 in 2004 with versionsranging from an enclosed patrol/reconnais-sance model, to a repair and recovery andeven a “pick-up” configuration. It uses theproven Mercedes Benz UNIMOG(Universal Motor Gerät/Universal MotorDevice) commercial chassis. Weighing 12.5tonnes, the Dingo-2 might better be classi-fied as a medium vehicle. Its adoption by sixcountries and delivery of 800 vehiclesshows it fills a perceived need and KMWviews the vehicle as having export potential.

IndonesiaIn 2012 Indonesia unveiled its four-wheel-drive light protected vehicle, the Komodo,designed and produced by the local com-pany Pindad. It is similar to the RenaultSherpa light truck which their army alsouses. The company is intending to sourceup to 80 percent of the vehicles’ compo-nents locally, although the Komodo’sengines are supplied by Renault. Komodois offering specialised versions for military,internal security and disaster responsewith over 92 reportedly ordered for theIndonesian Army, although some uncon-firmed reports speak of the Royal Thai

Army also showing an interest in the vehi-cle. This initiative parallels those of a num-ber of other countries which have seen theindigenous production of light protectedtactical vehicles as an ideal avenue toachieving some economic return on theirdefence spending.

ColombiaAs the Columbian military has had greatersuccess against the domestic insurgencybeing led by the Fuerzas AmandasRevolucionaries de Colombia (FARC/Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia),a Marxist guerrilla movement, over thepast five years, the FARC has reverted tousing ambush against Colombian armyand law enforcement personnel usinghomemade bombs. The older BrazilianENGESA Urutu Armoured PersonnelCarriers and tactical trucks used by theEjército Nacional de Colombia (ColombianArmy) have showed their vulnerability insuch attacks. Purchases of Textron M1117Armoured Security Vehicles from theUnited States initially in 2009 provided apartial answer to these attacks. The deliveryof two Hunter TR-12 four-wheel-drive pro-tected vehicles from Armour InternationalSA, a local company, in December 2012 andJuly 2013 finally provided the army with awell-protected light vehicle. The vehicle,weighing a shade over nine tonnes, hasfully enclosed mono-hull positioned on anindependent suspension which accommo-dates the crew plus ten soldiers.

Striking the balanceStudying light vehicles over the past 15years, the clear focus has been on protect-ing more vehicles and increasing protec-tion levels therein. Two dominateapproaches have been used: One recog-nises profound differences between the

demands for reconnaissance and patrol“combat” and “logistics and support”vehicles. Here very different designs opti-mised for each role are accepted as in thePanhard VBL, the LSSA RG32 and KMWDingo (see above). The other approachseeks a single common base design thatcan fill all roles. This is the objective of theUS JLTV programme. GDELS takes themiddle road with the Duro and Eagledesigns providing different platforms butmaximizing commonality.Which approach is better is hard to

assess. Vehicle developers must strike abalance in often contradictory operational

and performance desires. Greater trans-portability, particularly by helicopter, lim-its weight yet higher protection increasesweight. Logistics vehicles need payloadvolume for more cargo. Patrol and recon-naissance troops prefer vehicles to be dis-crete. Opposing demands can sometimesbe rationalised by new materials but oftenat increased cost. Without hard decisionson what capabilities are absolutely essen-tial, the greater the number of “mandato-ry” requirements will be, thus the moreexpensive the vehicle becomes. In addition,it is critical that the military user has asound concept of employment for theirvehicle as without this balance a platformcan result that is neither mission capablenor affordable.


Germany has also beenaddressing the need for

protected supportvehicles with

KraussMaffei Wegmannintroducing the versatile

Dingo-2 in 2004

The Colombian Army’s introduction of thelocally-designed Hunter TR-12 from ArmourInternational SA illustrates both the desire forindigenous vehicles and Colombia’s capabilityto provide them © Armor International SA

General Dynamics European Land Systemsoffers two very different protected vehicleconfigurations with the Eagle designed for‘combat’ and the Duro for logistics and support.Both systems are offered in four-wheel and six-wheel drive configurations © GDELS



PRRs are typically small, light-weight tactical radios usedby individual soldiers at thesquad level. Typically, theyenable primarily voice, but

increasingly data, communications withthe squad leader who in turn liaises withhigher echelons of command at the pla-toon level and beyond. Broadly speaking,PRRs are capable of communicatingacross ranges of up to 500 metres (1,640feet) or even longer at perhaps up to one

kilometre (0.6 miles) range. They tend toutilize the Ultra High Frequency (UHF)segment of the electromagnetic spectrum(300 megahertz to three gigahertz) pro-viding a line-of-sight range, unlike HighFrequency (HF) communications, butwith the means to penetrate walls andbuildings to ensure communications dur-ing urban combat. Moreover, PRRs aresmall in physical size, typically weighingunder two kilograms (four pounds) andwill include some basic encryption and

waveforms to enable the transmission ofposition information for Blue ForceTracking (BFT). Increasingly PRRs alsohave the means to transmit imagery gath-ered by soldiers using their personaloptronics to higher levels of command.The British armed forces have used the

H4855 Personal Role Radio, produced bySelex ES, since 2002. With a range of 500m,the UHFH4855 has 20 hours of battery lifeand 256 channels. The company currentlyhas its Frontline Soldier Radio (FSR) inproduction, and is also offering itsenhanced PRR, known as the EZPRR andthe Soldier System Radio Plus (SSR Plus).Selex ES commenced EZPRR sales in 2007,with sales of the SRR Plus commencingone year later. According to PaddyCrowley, sales manager defence commu-nications systems at Selex ES, the firm’sFSR uses a modular architecture whichallows the radio to be easily enhancedduring its service life to improve its capa-bilities. Mr. Crowley says that this couldinclude ensuring the radio’s compatibility

50

Selex ES’s H4855 Personal Role Radio has been inservice with the British armed forces for well over adecade. An enhanced version of this radio, called theEZPRR, is now available to customers © Selex

COMMUNICATIONTTAACCTTIICCAALL

TALK TALKImproving the quality and quantity of voice anddata communications at the squad level is anongoing endeavour for the world’s defencecommunications firms. Such developments areparticularly important for the Personal RoleRadios (PRRs) used by individual soldiers.

bbyy Thomas Withington

with third- and fourth-generation cellulartelephone networks and also wi-fi wire-less internet communications.In terms of capabilities the SRR Plus

“addresses the need for communicationsover greater ranges than that offered bytraditional PRRs,” says Mr. Crowley. Inparticular this radio has a ‘dual net’ capa-bility which enables, for example, “a sec-tion commander to exercise command andcontrol on one radio net, while maintainingcommunications with their platoon com-mander on the second net,” he adds. Interms of performance, the SSR Plus has arange in excess of two kilometres (overthree miles). An integral GlobalPositioning System geolocation reportingdevice is embedded. The radio itself has aduration in excess of 24 hours and canoperate on up to 256 distinct networks,each of which can support up to 32 full-time members and an unlimited number oflisteners. The SSR Plus can handle data andvoice traffic simultaneously and includesAES-256 standard encryption, all in a pack-age weighing under 300 grams (137lbs)without the radio’s battery.Selex ES’ FSR also operates in the fre-

quency range of 350-450Mhz and usesboth the Soldier Broadband Waveform(SBW – 350-450Mhz) and the SoldierNetworking Waveform (SNW – 350-400Mhz) allowing dual net capability giv-ing a commander the means to monitorboth the squad and platoon nets. TheEZPRR, meanwhile, has an operatingrange of up to 800m (2,624ft) in open ter-rain, and the ability to penetrate throughthree floors of a building thanks to its 100megawatts of transmit power. The wire-less push-to-talk function, with which theEZPRR is equipped, has a range of up totwo metres (six feet). One useful capabili-ty of the EZPRR is that it comes equippedwith a dual Push-To-Talk (PTT) functionallowing a commander to communicatewith their squad and also further up thechain of command to third party net-works using the Single Channel Groundand Airborne Radio System (SINCGARS)waveform utilized by combat net radiosalong with the Terrestrial Trunked Radio(TETRA) networks used by civilian emer-gency service first responders.

Widening the netFrench tactical radio specialists Thalesbegan developing their StarMille soldierradio in 2008. According to PhilippeLardilleux, strategy and marketing directorfor Thales's Radio CommunicationProducts, important evolutions for thisproduct include the development of theradio in its own right to act as a nodebetween the squad, the platoon command-er and higher echelons of command. “The

demand now is to connect the squad tothe platoon and then to the companylevel. Information captured at the squadlevel has to flow upwards and thisinformation could include voice, data,imagery and positional traffic,” saysMr. Lardilleux. In this regard, thecompany developed a waveformfor the StarMille to facilitate thisconnection from platoon level tocompany level via the combatnet radios which a deployedforce is using in theatre. “Forthis radio we can addsquad waveforms, platoonwaveforms or a wide-band waveform to con-nect to higher echelonsof command.” ForMANET (Mobile Ad



Launched in 2008, Thales’StarMille personal roleradio has benefited fromthe development of a newwaveform by the companyto enable its connectionfrom platoon up tocompany level © Thales

Thales has evolved its StarMille PRR radio

to act as a nodebetween the squad and

higher levels ofcommand

Hoc Networking) the radio’s communica-tions can hop across three dispersedStarMille transceivers to reach other com-mand echelons.In the United States Thales has also

scored a major coup as a European com-pany as it was selected, alongside GeneralDynamics, to fulfil part of the erstwhileUS Joint Tactical Radio System (JTRS) pro-gramme, which was extensively restruc-tured in 2012. This restructuring placed

the acquisition of the myriad of tacticalairborne, land and maritime radios thatthe JTRS was tasked with procuringthrough a single Department of Defence(DoD) organisation, namely the JTRS JointProgramme Executive Office, under theresponsibility of the respective US armedservices. Thales (along with GeneralDynamics) has provided its AN/PRC-154Rifleman radio as part of the Low-RateInitial Production (LRIP) phase of theHMS (Handheld, Manpack, Small formfactor) component of the old JTRS pro-gramme. The Full Rate Production (FRP)aspect of the HMS programme is expectedto commence in the near future.The DoD is currently evaluating bids

from a number of firms, including Thales,to satisfy this requirement which could seethe procurement of up to 120,000 newradios. Thales is currently developing anew covert secure team radio calledCougar Team which has a small form fac-tor with a transceiver the size of a cigarettepacket. This UHF radio will offer voice andpositional reporting and will be able topenetrate up to eight floors in a buildingmaking it ideal for covert secure urbanwarfare given the radio’s size and power.According to Mr. Lardilleux, the radio willbe available this year with deliveries com-mencing in March 2014 for an undisclosedcustomer in the United Kingdom.

PRRs in AsiaThe Czech Republic’s DICOM producesthe UHF PR-20 PRR product which,according to Libor Mikl, DICOM’s head ofsales, equips the armies of “the CzechRepublic, Bangladesh, Indonesia and anundisclosed country formally in the SovietUnion.” The company began deliveringthe PR-20 in the 2009 and continues pro-duction today. Although not in the focus ofthis article, it is worth noting that DICOM’sPR-20 family includes the vehicular PR-20V with which the PR-20 can link. One ofthe key discriminating factors of the PR-20PRR is that, according Mr. Mikl, it is effec-tively “two radios in one, which means theradio consists of two receivers and twotransmitters.” This significantly deepensthe radio’s functionality. According to offi-cial literature from the company, this

allows the radio to perform voice and datacommunications using Mobile Ad HocNetworking (MANET) with “channel shar-ing based on a combination of time and fre-quency hopping”, which enables the radioto orientate its output and reception insuch a way as to ensure both voice anddata communications simultaneously. Israel’s Elbit Systems is one of the lead-

ing suppliers of tactical radios with itswares equipping several countries aroundthe Asia-Pacific region, most notablyAustralia, Thailand and New Zealand toname but three. The company’s flagshipPRR product is its PNR-1000 family. In anofficial statement supplied to AMR byElbit Systems, it claims that this radio isthe “smallest of its kind with InternetProtocol (IP) communications enablingvoice and data communications.”Equipped with 225 programmable chan-nels, the radio covers the 225-512 mega-hertz frequency range and can relay voice


Thales, alongside General Dynamics, hassupplied the AN/PRC-154 Rifleman radio to theUnited States armed forces as part of theerstwhile United States Department of DefenceJoint Tactical Radio System programme © Thales

The Cougar Team is a new Thales Ultra HighFrequency radio which is designed for covertoperations. It has a small size and is able toprovide communications even in buildings ofup to eight floors in size © Thales



communications to facilitate MANET andcan perform simultaneous voice, data andvideo communications, giving a goodidea of the radio’s bandwidth. The radiohas three power output settings: 0.5, oneand two watts, and can achieve datatransmission rates of up to 320 kilobits-per-second, but this may increase in thefuture to one megabit-per-second.

American effortsExelis of the United States has a PRR prod-uct line which includes its RO TacticalRadio. According to Dario Valli, businessdevelopment manager at the company, theRO Tactical Radio can be ‘dual-hatted’ inthat it can be employed as “both a person-al role radio, as well as by larger commandheadquarters to communicate with subor-dinate units operating at extended dis-tances.” The product’s appeal to the USarmed forces is underlined by the fact thatit is used by the US Army, Marine Corpsand the country’s Special Operations

Forces (SOF) communities, along with theUS Navy and US Air Force. “We begandeliveries in 2010,” says Mr. Valli, “andhave fielded over 8,000 radios to date.” TheRO Tactical Radio has a key discriminatingfactor compared to some of the other PRRssurveyed in this article in that it usesSatellite Communications (SATCOM)which gives it a beyond line-of-sight range.“Our technical approach, and the satellitearchitecture we leverage, enables us to pro-vide a very low-size weight and powerhand-held radio and an on-the-move com-mand and control capability that enables

Israel’s Elbit Systems is one of the leadingsuppliers of tacticalradios with its waresequipping several

countries around theAsia-Pacific region

Elbit Systems’ PNR-1000 is the company’sflagship personal role radio. The firm claimsthat it is the smallest product of its kind offeringInternet Protocol-based voice and datacommunications © Elbit

communications up to 805 kilometres (500miles).” It is little surprise that this radiohas attracted much interest in the SOFcommunity, particularly given the longrange communications it offers. Intra-squad communications are also

facilitated by Exelis’s Soldier Radio-Rifleman (SR-R) which carries the SoliderRadio Waveform (SRW). The SRW is oneof the waveforms developed as part of theerstwhile JTRS programme and isdesigned to facilitate intra-squad commu-nications. The radio handles UHF trafficacross the same frequency spread with1.2Mhz of channel bandwidth. Capable ofachieving over eight hours of operation ona single battery charge, the SR-R has twowatts of output power in both UHF and L-band. All up, the SR-R weighs a shadeunder one kilogram, and is SoftwareCommunications Architecture (SCA) 2.2.2compliant. SCA is a series of open architec-ture standards which stipulate hardwareand software requirements for radio engi-neers providing Software Defined Radios(SDRs), and the accompanying productsand accessories intended to operate withthem. Finally, in terms of squad radios, amention should be made of Exelis’ UHFSpearNet that can handle data, voice andpositional information via GPS over arange of circa eight kilometres (five miles).Its data transfer rate is in the region of 100-1,500 kilobits-per-second. Such functionscan be performed very securely given thatthe radio includes Advanced EncryptionStandard (AES) 256 safeguards.Exelis is joined by Harris, which took

the opportunity of the InternationalDefence and Security Exhibition, betterknown as DSEi, held in London inSeptember 2013 to introduce new PRRs inthe form of the RF-7850S SPR. According toHironori Sasaki, product line manager forthe firm’s FalconFighter and SPR products,the RF-7850S architecture means that theindividual soldier “can now talk whilesimultaneously sending or receiving intel-ligence reports or command and controlinformation.” The radio comes equippedwith narrowband and wideband soldierwaveforms, the latter allowing troops toalso report their position to a wider net-work aiding BFT. This level of connectivity

offers two important benefits in that it willconnect soldiers to wider battlefield net-works: “Through the network, command-ers will be able to receive in-depth sensorinformation from every soldier, and everysoldier will have access to the battlefieldtactical internet.” Mr. Sasaki claims that theradio is “the only tactical soldier radio pro-viding the flexibility of both wideband andnarrowband communications; widebandfor advanced networking and narrowbandfor traditional combat net radio users.”

Future visionsHow might PRR technology develop in thefuture? Mr. Mikl believes that future PRRswill be “more integrated into standardVHF/UHF radios, where the PRR will bepart of an overall radio family with limitedparameters compared to ‘full’ VHF/UHFradios.” Much as it has done in the civiliancellphone world, radio functionality isgreatly increasing thanks to trends inminiaturization and advances in batterypower which have greatly increased aradio’s power, and hence the tasks it canperform. A civilian analogy of this is thefact that the ‘brick’ style mobile phonesbeloved of 1980s ‘yuppies’ look antiquatedin terms of both the tasks that they can per-form and their battery lives. Increasingfunctionality is also a trend which Exelisforesees: “There are several PRRs avail-able,” says Mr. Valli, “and the end usershave a need for the variety of capabilitiesthat each provides. As technologyadvances, we will see more multi-modePRRs; small handheld radios deliveringvariety of capabilities.” For Mr. Valentin,other important developments concernphysical size and waveforms: “Moving for-ward with miniaturization will continue.Future improvements will also focus onthe waveform with the ability to adapt to

the environment in which the radio is oper-ating being key, to adapt to prevailing safe-ty and security requirements in terms ofencryption and robustness against elec-tronic countermeasures and to supportMANET across increasingly wider net-works. Much of this will focus on the soft-ware equipping the radio.” One of the keyconsiderations for Selex ES’s PaddyCrowley is ensuring that tomorrow’s PRRscan connect with as many sources as possi-ble: “The soldier radio of the future willhave a role in its own right, but equally itmust be able to be integrated with a wholehost of other systems, including but notlimited to command and control, intelli-gence, surveillance and reconnaissance,infantry soldier and targeting systems.Furthermore, they must be capable of inte-grating with land, maritime and air plat-form communications.”


Harris’ RF-7850S radio was launched by thecompany at the International Defence andSecurity Exhibition in London in 2013. The radiocarries both narrowband and wideband soldierwaveforms © Harris


The soldier radio of thefuture will have a rolein its own right, butequally it must be

able to be integratedwith a whole host of

other systems


Modern submarines are rightfullyconsidered themost effectivenaval armaments. They are

covert, well-armed and have greatendurance. It is extremely difficult to detectand destroy them, especially as theyinherently have a number of advantagesover surface ships, primarily in detectionrange, which enables them to deliver adecisive preemptive strike.However, antisubmarine warfare

(ASW) capabilities and sustainability ofsurface ships grow significantly whenship- or shore-based ASWhelicopters areused and when they are equipped withmodern ASWweapons, primarily present-daymissiles and torpedoes. In combatconditions, once a submarine is detected,it must be assuredly and immediatelydestroyed because a contactestablishedmay be lost at anymomentand then the surface ship will quickly turnfrom a predator into a victim.Russianmanufacturers have long been

leading the world in ASWweapondevelopment. Their interests in theinternational market are represented byRosoboronexport, a state intermediaryagency. TheCompany offers a variety ofmissiles and torpedoes, both separatelyand as part of surface combatants ofdifferent classes (Project 11356, 22356andGepard 3.9 frigates, Project 20382,1124M corvettes, etc.) delivered for export.TheClub-Nmissile system, capable of

engaging all types of submarineswith its91RTE2 two-stagemissile across the entireenvelope of their diving depths (up to 800m), at range of 5 to 40 km, still remains oneof themost formidable and largely uniqueASWweapons. It consists of atransport/launch container, a solid rocketbooster, a guided passive second stage anda separablewarhead,which is theAPR-3MEantisubmarine underwatermissile.The Club-N prelaunch procedure takes

amere 10 seconds. After launch, themissile flies autonomously along a ballistic

trajectory to deliver an underwater missileand release it in a given area, whosecoordinates are entered into the onboardcontrol system from the target designationdata before launch. In the expected targetarea, the underwater missile is separatedand descends by parachute into water.Once themissile is under water, it turns onits homing system, detects and locks-onthe target and its solid motor is fired. Themissile closes in the target within minimumtime and destroys it.According to leading experts, the

Club-N is the best ASWsystem in its classoffered on the international market. Itsmain operators are nowRussia and India,where it has proved to operate excellentlyduring various exercises and tests. AsimilarClub-S system is deployed onsubmarines (Project 636, Amur-1650) andis one of the key factors giving Russiansubmarines an edge over their rivals.ThePaket-E/NKsmall-sized torpedo

ASWsystem is an effective ship’s last-ditch

COUNTERING THE HIDDEN THREATWHAT ARE THE MEANS OF COMBATTING THE NEWEST SUBMARINES?

Club-N missile system

weaponagainst submarines and attackingtorpedoes. It can be used independently oras part of a ship’s ASWbarrier.The Paket-E/NK includes the Paket-E

control system, launchers, dedicatedPaket-AE sonar, and weaponmoduleswith 324mm small thermal torpedoes andanti-torpedoes.ThePaket-E/NKprovides the following

functions in automatic or automatedmodes:� generates firing data for thermaltorpedoes from the ship’s sonar data;

� detects, classifies and determines themotion parameters of torpedoesattacking the ship, generates firing datafor anti-torpedoes;� provides control of launchers;� provides prelaunch preparation ofweaponmodules and firing data entry;� fires anti-torpedoes or smallthermal torpedoesPaket-E/NK’s effective ASW zone

is up to 10 km and torpedo defense zoneis 100 to 800m. Being one of the newest

ASWweapons in the internationalmarket, the system can improve, inparticular, torpedo defense capabilitiesof ships 3 - 3.5 times.TheUGST versatile deep-water

homing torpedo is another effective ASWweapon offered by Rosoboronexport. Inaddition to submarines, it can also engagesurface ships and stationary targets atranges up to 50 km and a depth of up to500m, both in autonomous and remotecontrol modes. The torpedo is fired from

RPK-8E ASW rocket system

Paket-E/NK small termal torpedoand anti-torpedo


533mm torpedo tubes. Moreover, severalvariants have been developed for bothRussian standard and NATO torpedotubes. The compatibility between thetorpedo’s onboard systems and thecarrier’s foreign-made systems isachieved through project-specific systemsoftware customization.As the UGTS torpedo has amodular

design, it can bemodified to meetrequirements stemming from employmentspecifics. This applies to all torpedocomponents – from reprogramming thebaselinemodel electronics toreplacing the engine and/or tankcompartment. Several warheads havebeen developed for the UGTS, differing inexplosive composition and weight.The torpedo is equipped with a low-

noise propulsion unit, which is directlyconnected to the engine without a

reduction gear unit and accelerates it to50 knots in speedmode 1 and 35 knots inspeedmode 2. Its hydrodynamic schemefeatures twin control surfaces, which areextended beyond the caliber of thetorpedo once it leaves the torpedo tube.UGST’s electronics module,

comprising homing, remote control andother systems, operates on the principle ofa single reprogrammable computekernel that combines the information partsof the on-board systems into a singleinformation space using integrated controlsystem technology.Another Russian-made torpedo is the

TE-2 versatile torpedo, which can also beadapted to NATO standard torpedo tubes.The TE-2 is designed to destroy enemysubmarines and stationary targets from onboard surface ships (in autonomousmode) and from submarines (in remotecontrol and autonomousmodes) at arange of up to 25 km and at depths of up to

450m. The torpedo can be used in oceanconditions with seawater salinity of 30-35% and a temperature of 0 to 25 °C.The TE-2 torpedo versions vary

depending on the type of data entry on thecarrier’s torpedo tube (mechanical type –TE-2-1, electrical – TE-2-2).This torpedo is distinguished by a

powerful power plant, an automated built-in testing system, a long life and lowoperating costs. Its homing system iscapable of operating in a difficultcountermeasures environment.TheRPK-8EASW rocket system,

designed to protect surface ships against

submarines, engage torpedoes attackingthe ship and destroy underwatersaboteurs, also has great potential in theglobal armsmarket.TheRPK-8E includes, inter alia, the 12-

barrelledRBU-6000 rocket launcher,212mm90RASW rockets with gravitationalhoming underwater projectiles, upgradedMG-94MEsonar countermeasuresprojectiles to protect the ship fromactive/passive homing torpedoes.TheMG-94ME projectile is equipped

with a separable drifting sonarcountermeasuresmodule, which eitherjams the required frequency bands oroperates in simulation emissionmode.Firing range of ASW rockets andMG-94ME projectiles is 600 to 4300mAll the above systems have been

developed around weaponmodels that arein service with the Russian Navy andmanyother navies and have proven themselvesduring numerous tests and exercises.Certainly, counteringmodern submarinesrequires a package approach, howeverreally deadly and reliable weapons areneeded to deliver a decisive strike. It is forthis reason that Russian antisubmarinetorpedoes andmissiles are in strongdemand on the international market.

TE-2 versatiletorpedo

UGST versatile deep-water homing torpedo

Beyond North Korea, Pakistanand India as nuclear powersface a risk of non-state nuclearand radiological attack. Forexample, Pakistan endures

frequent suicide bombings perpetrated byIslamist insurgent groups and India facesserious threats from Pakistan-basedIslamist paramilitary organisations such asLashkar-e-Taiba (‘The Army of theRighteous’) which was responsible for the2008 multiple bomb and gun attacks inMumbai. As the Indian economy grows,causing the construction of more large-scale industrial complexes and facilities,there are fears of HazMat (HazardousMaterials) attacks if insurgents begin to tar-get vital infrastructure such as railway sta-tions and airports, as well as the chemicaland biotechnology industries.

JapanHowever, the most serious CBRN event ofrecent times was not caused by war or ter-rorism, but by a natural disaster, namelythe 11 March 2011 earthquake and tsuna-mi which occurred east of the Tohokuregion of Japan’s Honshu island whichtriggered the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear

S Y S T E M SCC BB RR NN

The prime Chemical,Biological, Radiological andNuclear (CBRN) threats inthe Asia-Pacific regionemanate from North Korea –and not just from its nuclearweapons and ballistic missiles,but also from its chemicalweapons arsenal, believed torival that of Syria.

bbyy Andy Oppenheimer

SOMETHING IN THE AIR:CBRN PROTECTIONIN THE ASIA-PACIFIC


By harnessing the proven principle of bone marrow partial shielding, the StemRad 360 Gamma candramatically reduce the likelihood of radiation sickness without compromising mobility to allowsurvival after exposure to high-dose gamma radiation © StemRad



power plant meltdowns and explosions onthe east coast of Fukushima Prefecture,Honshu. Several governments around theAsia-Pacific region are therefore veeringtowards acquiring multi-functional CBRNprotection products that can addressdiverse threats such as deliberate attacksand accidents. Accidents producing largedoses of radioactive contaminants, such asthe Fukushima incident discussed abovehave brought radiation protection to thefore. Radiation risk also arises from theftsor accidental handling of radioactivematerial in many countries where civilianradioactive materials are dumped andunsecured. On 2 December 2013, inTepojaco near Mexico City, thieveshijacked a truck transporting Cobalt-60pellets from obsolete medical radiothera-py equipment to a nuclear waste disposalsite. The Colbat-60 was recovered twodays later, its shield partially removed; thethieves were detained and hospitalised,two with suspected radiation injury.Firefighters dealing with the melt-

downs of three of the six reactors at theFukushima Daiichi nuclear power stationundertook critical disaster mitigatingactivities without fully protecting them-selves from lethal gamma radiation.Clean-up efforts have been haphazard andradioactive water has leaked into thePacific Ocean. In an attempt to restoresafety, in late November 2013 power plantworkers successfully removed the firstnuclear fuel rods from a cooling pool at thepower station suspended above ground,in a highly hazardous four-day operationwhere the workers risked unleashing veryhigh levels of radiation.

Enhancing ProtectionExposure to gamma-emitting sources mayresult in Acute Radiation Syndrome (ARS)- the destruction of the individual’s bonemarrow. This produces anaemia, infec-tions, internal bleeding and often death.Alpha radiation emitted from nuclearexplosions and accidents may producelong-term health effects such as cancers,most notably leukaemia, and is difficult todetect and also difficult to prove causation– as cancer is such a common group of ill-nesses worldwide. Therefore emergency

services personnel, nuclear power stationworkers and populations affected by anuclear incident need specific protectionas the clinical symptoms of exposure areoften delayed with non-specific and spo-radic symptoms, making it difficult tomeasure the individual dose received.Testing for radiation exposure is crucial toensure people are treated in incidentswhere much of the general public will befrightened about being exposed.

United StatesCurrently, Geiger counters which meas-ure ionizing radiation and electronicdose meters are only useful for identi-fying who has been contaminatedwith radioactive material following anuclear disaster, rather than the pre-cise dose that the individual hasreceived. To assess that individual’stotal absorbed dose, a high through-put testing system for radiationexposure has emerged from sixprogrammes funded by BARDA(Biological Advanced Research andDevelopment Authority), part of theUnited States Department of Health and

Human Services, for the development of ahigh throughput testing system for radia-tion exposure, and the European Union’sMultiBiodose Project, with a target ofdeveloping biodosimetry testing of 2,000samples per system per day using tech-nologies currently utilised in existing com-mercial clinical laboratories. Biodosimetryis a method of measuring the amount ofionizing radiation dose received by anindividual using biological materials, andis useful in cases of accidental exposureand where no physical dosimetry is avail-able, or if the reading from a physicaldosimeter is in dispute.

The Demron class-2 suit by Radiation ShieldTechnologies (RST) of Florida, United States, isdesigned to resist gamma and beta radiationand has been worn for the dangerous clean-upoperation following the 2011 Fukushimanuclear disaster in Japan © Radiation ShieldTechnologies

Exposure to gamma-emitting sources may

result in Acute RadiationSyndrome which

causes the destruction of the individual’s

bone marrow

The REDI-Dx (Radiation ExposureDosage Index Diagnostic) blood test kitfrom US-based DxTerity Diagnostics ofCalifornia is the first commercial geneexpression-based test for radiation bio-dosimetry. REDI-DX is performed with asimple finger-stick blood test, allowingpatient sample collection earlier in the fieldwhile reducing the need for skilled nursesor physicians to perform blood tests. It uses

a unique sample collection method thatallow blood samples to be stored and trans-ported at ambient temperature, reducingthe logistical costs and burdens of having toensure the blood samples remain refrigerat-ed. It can provide radioactive dose esti-mates within hours at the laboratory - withthe ability to support tens of thousands ofsuch tests each week allowing REDI-Dx tosupport a mass-scale response.

Reducing RiskProducts are emerging for enhancedPersonal Protection Equipment (PPE), suchas the StemRad 360 Gamma produced byStemRad of Israel which selectively pro-tects the minimal amount of bone marrowrequired to allow for recovery after theindividual has received a dangerous doseof radiation. By preserving a volume of aperson’s bone marrow in excess of what isneeded for survival, the 360 Gamma is ableto shift the median lethal radiation dose toabove 1,000 rad. Normally, doses of radia-tion above 1,000 rad are fatal. The shieldinghas been shown to block high-energygamma radiation while remaining at amanageable weight for the wearer.For suited protection during the

Fukushima clean-ups, the Demron-WCBRN Class 2 full body suit fromRadiation Shield Technologies (RST) ofFlorida, United States, was the chosen PPEsupplier, having received multiple certifi-cations for full protection from gammaradiation and significant reduction of heatstress by allowing passive cooling for thewearer. Made from a ground-breakingnano-metal material known as ‘Demron’fabric, some 200 of the suits were donatedby RST for power plant workers and res-cue teams in the Fukushima operationafter Demron’s inventor, Ronald DeMeo,saw on television that Japanese plantworkers had inadequate PPE. The Demronsuit, which weighs only under five kilo-grams (ten pounds), is claimed to blockgamma radiation by 50% and beta radia-tion by 70%. That is enough of a reductionto allow people to work in some contami-nated areas.

Aiding EscapeWhile the 11 September 2001 attacksagainst New York and Washington DC arenot classed as CBRN incidents, it is esti-mated that at least 3,000 people, includingmany emergency service workers, will diein the coming years from respiratory ill-nesses contracted during the evacuation ofareas contaminated by toxic chemicals andsmoke. Had escape respirators been readi-ly available in New York’s World TradeCentre complex after the attacks, many ofthese workers could have been saved. The


The S-CAP Hood is designed to protect againstsmoke and gas from fires. Its wide lens providesan increased field of vision and the lowbreathing resistance is intended to reduceclaustrophobia © MSA Agency

The Compact Escape Hood for short-durationescape into a contaminated area is anindividual protection device that providesrespiratory and ocular protection in the eventof a chemical or biological attack © ScientificProtection Scotland Ltd

The Safe Escape CBRN Respirator from UScompany MSA enables escape from an incidentin a civilian setting such as a high-profilebuilding or for non-specialist law enforcementofficers and emergency workers © MSA Agency

The TransAire5 and TransAire10 EscapeRespirators are self-contained devices designedto help personnel escape dangerous anddeadly atmospheres, including those with highconcentrations of toxic gases or vapours oroxygen deficiency © MSA Agency


US Government now requires escape res-pirators for all personnel in major govern-ment buildings and on diplomatic mis-sions overseas. For first responders inSingapore and other Asia-Pacific coun-tries, the US-based MSA Agency make theself-contained TransAire 5 and TransAire10 Escape Respirators, which protectemergency workers from high concentra-tions of toxic gases. They feature a singleswitching operation for a swift exit and are lightweight.However, as current escape respirators

are too bulky for civilian use, the leadcounter-terrorism technology agency in theUS, the Technical Support Working Group(TSWG), part of the Office of theCoordinator for Counterterrorism at theUS State Department, which procures andcontracts counter-terrorism technology toall US government departments and agen-cies dealing with countermeasures andCBRN countermeasures, selected a Britishcompany, Scientific Protection Scotland, to

develop a Compact Escape Hood and anUltra-Low Profile Escape Hood to be atleast half the weight of conventional gasmasks or smoke hoods to fit inside a coatpocket or handbag to be available immedi-ately in an emergency. With input fromusers in US government agencies andmeeting EN (European Union Standard)CBRN requirements, the pocket-sizedCompact Escape Hood is for short-dura-tion use for escape into a contaminated

area. For civilian use, the MSA Agency alsoproduces the Safe Escape CBRNRespirator, and the one-size-fits-all S-CAPHood to protect against smoke and gasfrom fires, especially carbon monoxide.The high-performance filter offers thor-ough protection, while the wide lens pro-vides a good field of vision.

Republic of KoreaFor US Army troops stationed in theRepublic of Korea (RoK), the new M50 JointService General Purpose Mask (JSGPM) isthe result of over 15 years of research work

The US Army M50 mask, manufactured by Avon, is designed to be more compact, lighter, morecomfortable and more effective than the older M40 mask. It gives over 24 hours of protectionagainst chemical or biological agents and radioactive particulates © USMC

US forces conduct exercises with their Republic of Korea counterparts in April 2009. Among the morecomplex missions was an operation to secure a suspected chemical weapons lab © US Army



by the US Army Edgewood ChemicalBiological Center (ECBC). JSGPM projectmanager Bill Fritch said: “The new maskprovides the Warfighter with improve-ments in nearly every single category overthe older generations of masks: comfort,visibility, hydration, you name it.”Compared to previous models, the JSGPMis said to offer a more ergonomic designthat increases optical clarity, comfort, andease of use and maintenance in high stressand austere environments, along with easeof use while working with weapons andmilitary equipment. The RoK has agreed topay $867 million in 2014 towards the cost ofthe 28,500 US troops in the country afterWashington’s decision in January 2014 todeploy more soldiers and tanks there aspart of a military rebalance to Asia.Many respirators are now adapted for

both military and civil agency use. TheAvon HMK150 mask-to-helmet interfaceis designed for CBRN protection and con-verts to be compatible with conventionalprotective police helmets for use in non-CBRN environments, by a simple

exchange of the harness for the helmetconnecting straps, without the wearerneeding to remove the helmet. Avon’sEurope, Middle East and Africa salesdirector John Penton explained the con-cept of the new mask, which will be avail-able to overseas markets after approvalstages in the first three months of 2014:“Avon’s HMK150 will be CE-approved(approved by the European Commission)for Germany and available for sale inother countries including in the Asia-Pacific region. Avon’s combination ST-53breathing apparatus system is also gain-

ing in popularity with specialist militaryunits and law enforcement teams in Asiaand Australasia.”As well as masks, PPE suits have to be

tailored for an all-hazard response. Ansellof Sweden’s Trellchem Hands-Free VisorLight System is designed for HazMatresponders in emergency situations in dan-gerous environments with little or no day-light or other light source. It encapsulates abuilt-in hands-free Light Emitting Diode(LED) lighting solution which can outfit thefirm’s Trellchem gastight suits giving thewearer a panoramic view with no blindingreflections. Typical situations include visi-bility limited by smoke generated by chem-icals to the dark, non-lit space of an indus-trial building where normal lighting isunavailable. The system is based on a LEDpanel mounted along the top inside of thevisor, providing a wide beam and connect-ed to a standard nine volt battery giving theuser at least one hour’s duration. Ansellspecialty markets president and generalmanager Thomas Draskovics said that, “byadding an integrated lighting solution into


As well as masks, PPE suits have to be

tailored for an all-hazard response. Ansellof Sweden’s TrellchemHands-Free Visor LightSystem is designed forHazMat responders inemergency situations

US forces in the Republic of Korea (RoK) don mission-oriented protective equipment during Chemical,Biological, Radiological and Nuclear training onCamp Casey, RoK in October 2013 © US Army


our suits we are convinced that we willhelp create a safer environment for respon-ders working in these sometimes life-threatening operations.”

Sensing SarinPrompt detection of Chemical WarfareAgents (CWAs) has moved to the foresince the nerve agent mass attacks on civil-ians on the outskirts of the Syrian capitalDamascus in August 2013. New methodsare geared towards emergency workers,soldiers and specialists sent into conflictareas where chemical weapons are athreat, who need early detection of CWAsat trace level concentrations. This is partic-ularly essential because lower-quality‘kitchen’ Sarin nerve agent or other CWAsmay be used, especially by insurgents, andas such may not be present in such highconcentrations as chemical warfare agentsor may be present in concentrations thathave become more diluted by the time thatreadings are taken.

New technologies based on enzymesand lasers show promise for near real-time detection, and for detecting smallamounts of a CWA - which enable theearly use of countermeasures and evacua-tion to prevent or allay loss of life andinjury. Enzyme-based detection devicescontinuously monitor for and detectCWAs. These systems are sensitive to lev-els of contamination below those affectingthe human body and therefore claim lowfalse-alarm rates and can also detect trace-level contamination in cases of long-termexposure. The enzyme used, acetyl-cholinesterase (AChE) which is targetedin the bodies of animals by the Sarin nerveagent, does not attract other non-toxicchemicals to bind to it, and can withstandextreme temperatures and humidity -making it a specific sensing element fordefence and security applications.Using enzyme polymer technology,

FLIR Systems of the United States’ FidoC3 detector is currently fielded by severalgovernment agencies as an early warningsystem for nerve agent attack. It soundsan alarm when nerve agents are detectedat trace or higher levels in the air - whensensing element activity decreases due tothe presence of non-persistent (i.e. rela-tively easy to decontaminate) ‘G’ and per-sistent (hard to decontaminate) ‘V’ nerveagents. During normal operation, thesensing polymer changes colour periodi-cally and the absence of colour changeindicates the presence of chemical agentsdown to trace levels.The Fido C3’s main applications are to

protect emergency service workers duringan incident response, occupants of highprofile buildings and event venues, mili-tary installations, or for ongoing monitor-ing on public transport systems. Dr Markus Erbeldinger of FLIR Systems,said: “Trace levels of life threateningnerve agents were impossible to detectuntil the Fido C3 became available fromFLIR Systems. Our man-portable instru-ment is the most sensitive continuous airmonitor available for sensing of otherwiseundetected nerve agents at trace-levelbefore they cause harm or loss of life. Itprovides early detection warnings, whichallows for early deployment of counter-

measures and evacuation. This is anurgent requirement for customers in Asia-Pacific and around the world dealing withforce protection, military operations, firstresponse, infrastructure and event securi-ty applications.”Companies will no doubt compete to

produce more rapid and lightweight detec-tion systems and technologies for CWAs inthe air and water originating from acts ofterror or offensive military action. Butmuch depends on events and how muchfunding is available once the heat of mediaattention surrounding the Syrian Sarinbombardments of 2013 has faded, and oncethat country’s chemical weapons havebeen put beyond use later in 2014.

The Trellchem Hands-Free Visor Light System isa short-throw illumination system based on aLED panel mounted along the top inside of thevisor for hands-free operation designed to offerimproved visibility and a safer workingenvironment. The wide beam of the LED panelcreates a panoramic view in poorly illuminatedenvironments © Trellchem

The FLIR Systems Fido C3 continuous airmonitor for Chemical Warfare Agent detectionhas integrated audio and visual alarms whichgreatly aid on-scene decision-making foremergency service workers © FLIR Systems



A N D D E V E L O P M E N T S

INDIA TO ACQUIRE 15ADDITIONAL HERONUAVS FROM ISRAEL�� The Indian CabinetCommittee on Security hasreportedly approved a $300million budget to acquire 15new Israel AerospaceIndustries (IAI) HeronMedium-Altitude LongEndurance (MALE) UnmannedAerial Vehicles (UAVs) andassociated equipment, as wellas communications systemsupgrade for the Indian AirForce and navy’s existing fleet.

The decision was made inearly January 2014 accordingto reports published in TheTimes of India, and wouldbring the total fleet of India’sHerons from 25 to 40 aircraft.These UAVs are used for intel-ligence and reconnaissancegathering, especially along theborder with Pakistan andalong the Line of ActualControl (LAC); the 4,057-kilo-metre (2,521-mile) borderbetween India and China. Inaddition to the Heron, India’s

air force and navy also operateabout 100 IAI Searchers II tac-tical UAVs. These are mostlydeployed along India's west-ern, northern and eastern bor-ders for surveillance.

India had almost concludeda $220 million deal to purchasesome 50 Herons from IAI in2004, but the deal was post-poned due to the change ingovernment in New Delhi fol-lowing a general election.

Before the postponed 2004deal, India already had about

twelve Heron-1 UAVs in serv-ice which played a crucial partin search and rescue opera-tions conducted in the after-math of the Indian Oceantsunami in December 2004. IAISearcher and Heron UAVswere used to locate trappedsurvivors and missing bodiesnear the Andaman andNicobar islands in the Bay ofBengal, relaying live images inflight and allowing the fastand efficient rescue of victimsand survivors.

According to IAI’s onlinedescription, the Heron has anendurance of over 24 hours anda ceiling of around 32,000 feet(approximately 10,000 metres).With a maximum range ofabout 1,620 nautical miles(3,000km), the Heron UAV cancarry a maximum payload of550 pounds (250 kilograms).Moreover the Heron isdesigned to carry multiple pay-loads at a time includingSynthetic Aperture Radar,optronics, laser designators,electronic intelligence systemsand communications relays.

Although not disclosing thespecifications for the Heron’spayloads, the Indian Ministryof Defence specifies on its web-site that the country’s SearcherIIs are equipped with a day andnight optronics, while India’sHerons are similar to thoseoperated by the Israeli AirForce for maritime patrol whichare equipped with an IAI EltaSystems EL/M-2022A maritimesurveillance radar and a stabi-lized Tamam optronics turret.

INDIAN NAVYENGAGES IN EXERCISETROPEX 2014�� The Indian Navy’s majorannual exercise ‘TROPEX’(Theatre Level OperationalReadiness Exercise) concludedon 28 Feb 14. The exercise

involved large scale navalmanoeuvres in all three dimen-sions viz. surface, air andunderwater, across the Bay ofBengal, Arabian Sea and theIndian Ocean.

Admiral DK Joshi, Chief ofthe Naval Staff and Vice Admiral

Anil Chopra, Flag OfficerCommanding-in-chief, EasternNaval Command, embarked thecombined Fleets at sea off theEast coast on 13 TH February .

The exercise was conductedagainst the backdrop of twocompletely networked fleets,widely dispersed across theIndian Ocean Region, operatingin a dense maritime environ-ment. Missile, Torpedo and Gunfiring was undertaken. Thisyear’s exercise witnessed themaiden participation of therecently acquired P8I maritimereconnaissance aircraft, as alsothe Hawk fighter trainer aircraft.Besides Unmanned AerialVehicles and Airborne EarlyWarning helicopter of the IndianNavy, Air to Air Refuellers,Jaguars and SU-30 aircraft ofIndian Air Force will also be

deployed during the exercise.The month long exercise was

aimed to assess the operationalreadiness of naval units, validatethe Navy’s war fighting doctrineand integrate newly includedcapabilities in its 'Concept ofOperations'. Around 60 ships andsubmarines, and 75 aircraft tookpart in this exercise,along with-participation of units from IndianAir Force and Indian CoastGuard. Theexercise also saw the'maiden' participation by thenewly acquired P 8I Long RangeMaritime Patrol aircraft and thenuclear submarine, Chakra.

The exercise also providedthe Indian Navy with an oppor-tunity to validate its networkcentric warfare capabilities, witheffective utilisation of the recent-ly launched Indian Navy’sSatellite, GSAT 7.


ASIA PACIFIC PROCUREMENT UPDATE

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bbyy Pierre Delrieu



PHILIPPINES SEEK USNAVY SHIPS TOCOUNTER CHINESETHREAT�� The Philippinesannounced on 15 January 2014that it was seeking to acquiretwo additional ships from theUnited States to boost its mar-itime protection amid threatsfrom China.

Speaking on the FilipinoANC television channel on thatsame day, armed forces chief ofstaff General Emmanuel Bautistasaid that the new acquisitionswould be facilitated by freshmilitary assistance announcedby US Secretary of State JohnKerry when he visited thePhilippines in December 2013.

In order to reinforce thesecurity and defence of the ter-ritory, the Philippines wishes toacquire six frigates to guard itslong coastline effectively. TheFilipino Ministry of Defence iscurrently soliciting bids for twonew US Navy frigates andhopes to acquire them in a cou-ple of years, said Gen. Bautista,adding that “maritime domainawareness” and protection are akey concerns for his leadership.

The funds to boost maritime

defence are to come from the$40 million of military assistancepledged by Mr. Kerry duringhis visit. In the past two years,the Philippines has acquiredtwo refurbished Americanfrigates the BRP Gregorio delPilar and BRP Ramon Alcaraz,which are leading patrols in theSouth China Sea. A long-timeUS military ally, the Philippineshave been locked in an increas-ingly tense confrontation withChina concerning disputedreefs and islands in an areaManila calls the WestPhilippine Sea and China con-siders as the South China Sea.

Back in 2012, the PhilippineNavy’s BRP Gregorio del Pilareponymous class frigate con-fronted Chinese ships on

Scarborough Shoal, referred toas Huangyan Island by thePeople's Republic of China, asmall outcrop located betweenthe Macclesfield Bank and thePhilippines’ Luzon Island, in theSouth China Sea. China eventu-ally gained control of the areaafter Manila conceded, but thegovernment of the Philippinessought United Nations arbitra-tion in October 2013 to settle thedispute, a move that was reject-ed by China.

Lately, Manila has increas-ingly looked to the US for helpand, as part of Washington’sstrategic “pivot” towards Asia,negotiations are ongoing toagree on an increased rotationalpresence of US Army troops inthe Philippines. The BRP

Gregorio del Pilar and the‘Gregorio del Pilar’ class frigateBRP Ramon Alcaraz, acquiredin 2012 by the Philippine Navyhave both been deployed toprotect the country’s waters, asChina claims nearly all of theSouth China Sea, includingwaters near the coast of itsneighbouring countries.

In November 2013 Chinaextended is East China Sea AirDefence Identification Zone(ECSADIZ) further across theEast China Sea where it isengaged in a dispute withJapan, with claims of sover-eignty over the JapaneseSenkaku Islands, known as theDiaoyu Islands by China.During his visit to Manila, Mr.Kerry warned China againstimposing a similar restrictionover the South China Sea, anddeclared the US government’srefusal to recognise the exten-sion of the ECSADIZ.

In early January 2014, Chinaannounced it had passed a newfisheries law that required for-eign vessels to ask for permitsto fish in much of the SouthChina Sea, another move thathas triggered angry protestsfrom the government in Manila.


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INDONESIA BUYSTHALES FORCESHIELDAIR DEFENCE SYSTEM�� French defence electronicscontractor Thales has been cho-sen by the Indonesian Ministryof Defence to enhance the coun-try’s Short-Range Air Defences(SHORAD). On 15 January 2014Indonesia signed the $163 mil-lion contract with Thales’British subsidiary (Thales UK)for the acquisition ofForceShield, it’s integratedAdvanced Air Defence system,which will provide a tailoredlevel of air defence for troops onmanoeuvre. However, for secu-rity reasons, Thales refused todisclose the number of systemIndonesia will be acquiring.

The system sold to Indonesiaincludes the supply ofStarstreak short-range surface-

to-air missiles and RapidRanger mobile missile launch-ers, the Control Master 200 airsurveillance and fire controlradar, as well as associatedcommunications, training andsupport equipment.

In a 15 January 2014 pressrelease announcing the deal,David Beatty, vice president foradvanced weapon systems atThales UK said that althoughthere were no provisions foradditional deliveries in the con-tract, “once we show we candeliver our solution and thecustomer likes it, we hope todevelop good relations for fol-low-on orders from theIndonesian authorities.” Theprocurement deal also includesan agreement with Indonesianstate-owned company PT LENIndustri defence electronics con-

tractor to partner on the integra-tion of some of the systems inthe contract.

Thales will also be providingIndonesia with its air defenceweapon engagement controlsystem named CONTROLViewa product which, according to Thales, “has been renewedrecently to benefit from the latest software technologies and from 30 years of expertise in air defence, in particular

Human Machine Interfaces have been totally redesigned in cooperation with armedforces (users).”

Thales hopes to begin deliv-ering deliver “the man-portableelements of the weapon (in2014) but that equipment withlonger lead times like theControl Master 200 radar (may)take longer and it (could) takeseveral years to deliver thecomplete integrated system.

ROK SET ON FINALIZINGF-35 JET FIGHTER DEAL THIS YEAR�� The Republic of Korea’s(RoK) military procurementagency has announced it isdetermined to finalise thepurchase of 40 fifth-generationLockheed Martin F-35ALightning-II Multirole CombatAircraft (MRCAs) from theAmerican aerospace giant bythe end of 2014.

On 27 January 2014, Seoul’sDefence Acquisition ProgramAdministration’s aircraftdepartment director JungKwang-Sun, told local reportersduring a weekly media briefing

that the RoK would “push tosign the contract in the thirdquarter (of 2014) after testingand further negotiations.” TheRoK Air Force (RoKAF) hasbeen looking to modernise itsageing fleet of Boeing/McDonnell Douglas F4E andNorthrop Grumman F5EMRCAs in light of thecontinuing territorial andnuclear threat emanating fromneighbouring North Korea (seeDavid Oliver’s ‘Jack-of-AllTrades’ article in this issue).

Although Mr. Jung did notrefer to the F-35s by name anddeclined to give details on thecost of the 40 aircraft, Lockheed

Martin’s aircraft are the onlyMRCAs on offer that meet therequirement for a stealthaircraft laid down in December2013 by the RoK joint chiefs ofstaff. Seoul had initiallyconsidered acquiring 60 BoeingF-15SE Silent Eagle MRCAs, butthe military blocked theprospective $7.7 billionacquisition, a decision that wasannounced by the country'sarms procurement agency inSeptember 2013. The Boeingaircraft was, however, the onlyone to be priced at below SouthKorea’s allotted budget and theonly bid eligible to win thecountry's largest-ever defenceimport deal.

The procurement budget wasadjusted in November 2013 toallow the new deal withLockheed Martin and the F-35sshould be delivered from 2018onwards. When the deal wasconfirmed, South Korea'smilitary chiefs told the country’sYonhap News Agency that anadditional 20 fighters would beacquired in the future to meetthe country’s needs.

CHINA BEGINSCONSTRUCTION OFSECOND AIRCRAFTCARRIER�� Hong Kong and Chinesemedia reports from 18 January2014 revealed that China hasbegun constructing its secondaircraft carrier to be commis-sioned into the People’sLiberation Army Navy (PLAN)within six years and plans tobuild two more by 2020 in a sig-nificant effort to strengthen its-maritime power.

Wang Min, CommunistParty chief for Dalian’s LiaoningProvince, in NortheasternChina, told the Ta Kung Paonewspaper, a Hong Kong-basedpublication sympathetic toBeijing that China’s new ship isunder construction in the north-eastern port of Dalian. Mr.Wang added that the ship willtake six years to construct and,unlike its first carrier, the

Liaoning, it will be entirelyhome-built.

According to the Ta KungPao newspaper, PLAN SeniorCaptain Li Jie reported thatChina’s second carrier would bea medium-sized vessel displac-ing 53,000 tons. Its constructioncosts, along with details on itsspecifications were not madepublic. The Liaoning, China’sfirst aircraft carrier, was com-pleted in September 2012, andwas presented as the first offour such ships.

Originally named Riga, this‘Kuznetsov’ class aircraft carri-er was launched on 4 December1988 by the Soviet Navy beforebeing renamed the Varyag in1990 and abandoned after theSoviet Union collapsed. TheVaryag’s stripped hulk waspurchased in 1998 for $20 mil-lion by a Hong Kong developerand headed forMacau, on thewestern side of the Pearl River

Delta across from Hong Kong,where it was to be re-rolled as a casino.

But the ship was towed toDalian Shipyard and later refur-bished as an aircraft carrier.After being completely rebuiltand undergoing sea and flighttrials with its first Shenyang J-15Multirole Combat Aircraft(MRCAs), the ship was commis-sioned into the PLAN as theLiaoning on 25 September 2012.It conducted its maiden missionin the South China Sea inJanuary 2014.

China’s growing aircraft-car-rier fleet and its increasing bluewater maritime posture hassparked criticism and concernfrom neighbouring countriesincludingJapan. Giving thekeynote speech at the annualDavos policy forum in earlyJanuary 2014, Japanese PrimeMinister Shinzo Abe accusedChina of overhauling its mili-

tary structure in order tostrengthen its offensive capabili-ties so as to secure air and navalsuperiority in the South Chinaand East China seas. Beijing andTokyo, are still locked in a terri-torial row over the Japanese-controlled Senkaku Islands inthe East China Sea which Chinaalso claims, referring to them asthe Diaoyu Islands, along withother sovereignty disputes thatChina has outstanding with thePhilippines (see ‘Philippinesseek US Navy ships to counter Chinese threat’ newsstory) and Vietnam.

While four PLAN aircraftcarriers similar in design to theLiaoning they would not repre-sent a substantial threat to theUnited States’ naval supremacyin the region, although theywould allow China to projectpower against countries beyond of the range of its land-based aircraft.

A N D D E V E L O P M E N T SRREEGGIIOONNAALL NNEEWWSS

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TAIWAN UNVEILS ITSFIRST INDIGENOUSJSOW

�� During a 16 January 2013ceremony held at the Tainan air-base in southwest Taiwan toinaugurate the island’s recentlyupgraded Aerospace IndustrialDevelopment Corporation(AIDC) F-CK-1 Ching-kuo, theRepublic of China Air Force(RoCAF) Multirole CombatAircraft the country’s its firstJoint Stand-Off Weapon (JSOW)was unveiled.

Called the Wan Chien (Ten Thousand Swords) theweapon was developed by themilitary run ChungshanInstitute of Science andTechnology (CSIST) and hasbeen compared to the UnitedStates’ Raytheon AGM154JSOW and the pan-EuropeanMBDA Storm Shadow air-to-ground cruise missiles.



BAE SYSTEMSCONCLUDE UPGRADEON AUSTRALIA’S F/A-18CLASSIC HORNET FLEET�� BAE Systems has conclud-ed its decade-long maintenanceand modification support ofAustralia’s F/A-18 ClassicHornet fleet ahead of plan.

Together with its engineer-ing partner L-3 MAS Canada,

the company has completed theHornet Maintenance andModifications Support Contract.

The contract delivered deep-er maintenance and significantstructural refurbishments,ensuring the Classic Hornetsremain an important element ofthe Royal Australian Air Force’s(RAAF’s) air combat capabilityuntil the Joint Strike Fighter

(JSF) comes into service. BAE Systems Australia

Director Aerospace Steve Drurysaid the company was proud ofthe enhanced capability it hadproduced while delivering theCommonwealth real savings.

“This has been a major pro-gram of work for our companythat started in June 2003. In thattime, our skilled workforce

maintained 65 of the RAAF’s 71Classic Hornets and completedover one million hours of main-tenance,” Mr Drury said.

“We also contributed significant savings to theDefence Strategic ReformProgram. Working closely withthe RAAF. ”

“By establishing a culture ofcontinuous improvement with-in our business, we achievedfaster throughput, safer produc-tion and reduced waste – with-out compromising on quality.”

Mr Drury said delivery ofthis highly successful contractensured BAE Systems was wellpositioned to pursue long termsustainment work on the JointStrike Fighter at Williamtown,when the aircraft comes intoservice in 2018.

“ With our established capa-bilities, we are ready to providein-country support of theRAAF’s next-generation JSF,”he said.


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NEW ZEALAND INVESTSIN T-6C FOR PILOTTRAINING�� The American manufac-turer Beechcraft Corporation, ina press releases dated 27January 2014, announced that itwill be providing the RoyalNew Zealand Air Force(RNZAF) with eleven HawkerBeechcraft T-6C Texan II turbo-prop trainers within the nexttwo years. New Zealand’s $127million purchase “includesground simulators, classroomand computer-based trainingpackages to complement practi-cal flying experience,” saidNew Zealand’s DefenceMinister Jonathan Coleman inthe country’s Ministry ofDefence press release.

With deliveries expected asearly as 2015, the aircraft,assembled in Kansas, UnitedStates, are to enter service with the Pilot Training Schooland the Central Flying School atthe RNZAF Ohakea airbase,North of Wellington in early

2016. CAE Simulation ofCanada will install simulatorsand other ground-based train-ing devices included in the dealat Ohakea.

The press release added thatRNZAF’s T-6Cs would be usedto train up to 15 graduate pilotsand twelve qualifying flyinginstructors per year over thenext 30 years. The T-6Cs will beequipped with Martin Bakerejection seats, digital avionics, ahead-up display as well as six

underwing hard points; two ofwhich can carry fuel tanks.

The RNZAF currently uses13 Pacific AerospaceCorporation CT-4E Airtrainerpiston-engine airframes whichhave been in service since 1998for pilot training, along withfour leased turboprop HawkerBeechcraft B200 King Air turbo-prop transports. The RNZAFB200s have digital avionics butlack a head-up display, and nei-ther the B200s nor the CT-4E

Airtrainers have ejection seats orhard points.

New Zealand will also pur-sue an upgrade for its LockheedMartin C-130H Hercules turbo-prop freighters and LockheedMartin P-3K2 Orion maritimepatrol aircraft, said Coleman,adding that all fiveAgustaWestland A109 light util-ity helicopters and seven of theeight NH90 medium-lift utilityhelicopters ordered havearrived in country.

LAND FORCES MEANS BUSINESSwww.landforces.com.au

Brisbane, Australia

22-25 September 2014

LAND FORCES MEANS BUSINESSwww.landforces.com.au

Brisbane, Australia

22-25 September 2014

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