Asian Military Review - June/July 2018

Volume 26/issue 4

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A s i a P a c i f i c ’ s L a r g e s t C i r c u la t e d D e f e n c e M a g a Z i n e

SOUTH KOREA’S ARMED FORCES SPECIAL REPORT: BALLISTIC MISSILE DEFENCE OFFSHORE PATROL VESSELS

DSA REPORT DISMOUNTED ISTAR DIRECT FIRE WEAPONS AMPHIBIOUS ASSAULT CRAFT

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EXCELLENCE AT YOUR SIDE

Contents

JUNE/JULY 2018 VOLUME 26 / ISSUE 4

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Korean Army K-21 armored vehicles from the 20th Mechanized Infantry Division cross the Namhan River in Yeoju, Gyeonggi Province, during an exercise in 2016. (Republic of Korea Armed Forces)

North Korea’s stated missile capability poses a threat, no matter what happens at the proposed US-North Korean summit.

Jon Lake and Dr Joetey Attariwala report,.

A TWO PART REPORT ON ANTI-MISSILE DEFENCE SYSTEMS

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DEFENCE SERVICES ASIA 2018 SNAPSHOT

BIG PUNCH WEAPONS FOR TROOPS IN CONTACT

Andrew Drwiega reviews some of the important deals agreed during the show.

Stephen Miller writes that the importance of squad-portable support weapons retains its relevance on today’s battlefields.

24 TO THE BEACH AND BEYOND - AMPHIBIOUS ASSAULT Landing troops in the littoral demands more speed and greater volume than ever. Stephen Miller reviews progress made.

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JR Ng finds no slackening of effort to maintain the equipment and skills of South Korea’s armed forces.

Peter Donaldson looks at a variety of new ISTAR aids for dismounted troops.

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NO PEACE DIVIDEND YET

LIGHT AND PRACTICAL ISTAR ON THE GO

THE NAVAL WORKHORSE

ANALYSTS COLUMN

Tim Fish examines the rise in popularity of Offshore Patrol Vessels.

The Chinese Navy is showing all the signs of growing into a ‘blue water’ navy, says Veerle Nouwens.

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Index of Advertisers

ADEX

25

EURONAVAL

27

EUROSATORY

35

HARRIS

COVER 4

IDEAS

COVER 3

IDEX

33

INDO DEFENCE

31

ISDEF

19, 23

LIMA

37

MBDA

COVER 2

NEXTER

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ROSOBORONEXPORT UTC SIS

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Editorial STOP RADICALISATION BEFORE IT STARTS

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hose who attended the Defence Service Asia (DSA) exposition in Malaysia during February may have been slightly surprised to hear three regional defence ministers addressing the threat of extremist insurgency. But recent terrorist attacks in Indonesia have proved that the threat is very real with the potential for growth.

The ministers were addressing the theme of Regional Security Crescendos and Its Implication on Stability during DSA in Kuala Lumpur. Malaysian Defence Minister Hishammuddin Hussein said that South East Asia had been an “ oasis of peace and stability’, but that was now being endangered by a “growing threat of extremist terrorism.”

“ASEAN condemns the rise in violence and of Daesh,” he declared, adding that there was “already evidence of unification of southern Philippines (insurgent groups) with Daesh.” He further warned international delegates: “Given that SE Asia is in Daesh’ crosshairs - from returning fighters, local groups or lone wolves - they will seek to exploit the vulnerable hotspots in our region.”

Echoing the concern that European governments have already shown over radicalised ‘nationals’ attempting to return to their home countries after the defeat of Daesh in Iraq and Syria, Hishammuddin said that the insurgent concept of victory was long term on ongoing. ‘They aim to undermine states’ resolve to protect their citizens and territories…and draw the military into an urban environment (such as the five month long siege of Marawi in the Philippines).

Vulnerable groups such as the Rohingya who have been forced into refugee camps are open to exploitation and subversion by radical militants including those from Daesh.

Hishammuddin warned that insurgent groups would look to unify and strengthen across state boundaries and said that a unified approach by countries including Malaysia, Indonesia, Singapore and Brunei had to ensure that this did not happen. He added that it was “unrealistic’ that individual nations could face this challenge alone.

ASEAN leaders previously voiced this concern regarding the return of insurgents from foreign wars back into the region at the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Foreign Ministers’ Meeting retreat in Singapore, during early February (held at the same time as the Singapore Airshow).

At that meeting, there was a collective agreement to improve cooperation between ASEAN nations to share intelligence and improve cooperation, as well as with other nations outside the region. The challenge is to make this happen over traditional suspicions and distrust that have been endemic in SE Asia. The attacks in Indonesia show that there is no time to lose.

Andrew Drwiega, Editor

Tel: +66 2204 2370, Mobile +66 9 8252 6243 E-Mail: roman@mediatransasia.com

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Kongsberg Defence & Aerospace announced a $148 million (€124 million) order to supply the Royal Malaysian Navy with its Naval Strike Missiles (NSM).

DEFENCE SERVICES ASIA 2018 SNAPSHOT DSA has become one of South East Asia’s leading defence shows which this year celebrated its 30th anniversary, having started in 1988. Here are some of the highlights.

by Andrew Drwiega

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nder a UK government backed financing initiative, BAE Systems is offering to provide the Malaysian government with a “payment holiday” if it were to select the Eurofighter Typhoon as its next generation fighter, John Brosnan, managing director of BAE Systems (International) told Asian Military Review at the start of the DSA, held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia (16-19 April).

As part of the European consortium that builds the Typhoon (alongside Airbus Defence & Space and Leonardo), BAE would share in the deal which could be worth over $2 billion.

In addition to promoting other types

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of military equipment such as the 155mm M777, the ‘future of artillery’ as the company states, BAE also continued its partnership with CyberSecurity Malaysia (CSM) by signing a memorandum of understanding (MoU) that expands a knowledge, experience and capability sharing partnership for a further two years. According to Alan Garwood, group business development director at BAE Systems, there were only 25 people working on cyber security in 2013 when the venture was started. “This is now a world recognised cyber centre with over 400 people employed in Kuala Lumpur.

Cyber is also one of the fastest growing business areas in BAE,” Garwood stated.

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The major news from Kongsberg Defence & Aerospace during DSA was the announcement of a $148 million (€124 million) order to supply the Royal Malaysian Navy with Naval Strike Missiles (NSM) for their six new Littoral Combat Ships.The ships will be build at the Boustead Naval Shipyard in Malaysia and will feature the NSM in a deck mounted configuration and integrated to the SETIS combat management system provided by Naval Group.

“This contract provides the Royal Malaysian Navy with an important surface-to-surface-missile capability”, said Eirik Lie, president of Kongsberg Defence & Aerospace AS. Other naval

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Air Force with 18 aircraft and the Jordanian Air Force who have received a total of six aircraft.

During the show, Poland’s WB Group concluded an offset agreement for the Transfer of Technology (TOT) with the Malaysian Ministry of Defence (MINDEF). Among the products on display was the FlyEye unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV).

Nexter’s 105LG1 Already operated by the Polish artillery system will go into service Armed Forces during their with the Malaysian engagement in Afghanistan, over armed forces by the 100 have been delivered to date. end of the decade.

The FlyEye can be readied for flight in around 10 minutes and is hand launched. It has an endurance of around three hours and can travel at speeds between 27-92 knots (50-70km/h) at an altitude up to 4000m.

Honeywell had a number of products on show, including its Aspire 200 satellite communications system which can be used by civil and military helicopters such as Sikorsky’s UH-60 Black Hawk to maintain satellite communications without being maritime patrol requirements said impacted by the action of the rotor business development representative blades.

Tom Menker. The endurance of the Communications specialist Dartron aircraft can be between eight to 10 hours, launched its ruggedised hand-held depending on the load carried, which can tactical HH3100 series multi-band radio be up to 8,000lbs (3,628kgs). Its cruise at the show. John Biljan, vice president speed is 192kts (356km/h) with a range sales and marketing told AMR that of 400 nautical miles. this new model had “a higher level of The ‘Longsword’ configuration encryption and resistance to jamming”. indicates a military light attack He added that the HH3100 was backward and Intelligence, Surveillance and compatible with any Datron VHF radio Reconnaisance (ISR) version modified and the ergonomic design made it easier

by L3 Technlogies. This means that the for soldiers to carry and operate. An aircraft can be equipped with L3’s Wescam advantage in wet climates is that the radio MX-15 EO/IR sensor and ForceX Widow is sealed and waterproof having passed a mission management system. Widow one metre immersion test for 30 minutes. combines video feeds from multiple As the DSA exposition drew to a close, sources, moving maps and intuitive Malaysia’s MINDEF announced an order tools to the pilot through onboard visual for 18 Nexter 105LG1 artillery systems displays. It is both modular and scalable. through its Malaysian facilitator ADS. As the Air Tractor was originally The delivery cycle of six guns will begin designed as an agricultural aircraft with a hopper between the engine and the pilot, in November 2019 through to February 2020. The 105LG1 is designed for light, once this is removed it creates space for rapid reaction forces, has a range of 17km the additional ISR and mission systems or and can reach the battlefield either towed an extra fuel reserve. or by helicopter or even parachuted from Menker confirmed that the company a fixed-wing transport. has recently conducted weapons tests The gun is operated within the SE using the AT-802 which resulted in the safe Asia region by Singapore, Thailand and separation of missiles from the platform Indonesia, as well as by Belgium, Canada as well as live fire gun tests. These will and Colombia in addition to the French continue in late 2018. Customers for the Army. AMR AT-802 include the United Arab Emirates Author

customers for the NSM include Norway, Poland and Germany.

Leonardo’s main focus at DSA was towards maritime requirements, in particular its ATR72-MP maritime patrol aircraft and its latest AW159 Wildcat helicopter. The ATR72-MP can be equipped with the Airborne Tactical Observation and Surveillance (ATOS) mission system which draws intelligence from C4I mission suite which can incorporate multi-datalink integrating Link 16, Link 11, Satcom Ku/Ka, VORTEX, VMF and radar classifier, as well as Electronic Support Measures – ELectronic INTelligence (ESM ELINT).

Members of the UK’s 847 Royal Naval Air Squadron demonstrated two British Army Leonardo AW159 Lynx helicopters to pilots and crewmen of the Royal Malaysian Air Force prior to the opening of DSA 2018. The Royal Malaysian Navy acquired six Leonardo Super Lynx 300 helicopters between 2003-4 to operate in the anti-submarine warfare (ASW) and anti-surface warfare (ASuW) roles. It has plans to acquire up to six new helicopters in the 11th Malaysian Plan (up to 2020) and Leonardo is keen to offer the AW159 as the logical successor.

The current AW159 operates with the Leonardo Seaspray 7000E series Active Electronically-Scanned Array (AESA) radar, a dipping sonar system, electro-optical sensor and an electronic warfare systems.

In 2013 the Republic of Korea Navy (RoKN) selected the AW159 to deliver its ASW and ASuW requirements, purchasing eight helicopters. The Philippine Navy has also ordered two AW159s that will be in service by early 2019.

Wessie van de Westhuizen, senior executive of business development at Denel said that the Umkhonto (meaning spear in Zulu) surface-to-air interceptor missile had created interest during the show. It is a short to medium range vertically launched missile that can be based on land or onboard ships as a containerised system. Aside from the South African Navy where they are based on Valor class frigates, foreign customers include Finland where they are part of the armament of the Hamina class missile boats.

Air Tractor’s AT-802L ‘Longsword’ is a very suitable aircraft for SE Asia’s

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ANTI-MISSILE DEFENCE ANALYSIS: PART 1 With US President Trump due to begin talks with North Korea’s President Kim Jong-un over denuclearisation, Asian Military Review presents two perspectives on anti-tactical and anti-ballistic missile systems.

by Jon Lake

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efending the civilian population, national infrastructure, and specific fixed and mobile military targets (including deployed forces) against air and missile attack is becoming an increasingly complex, expensive and difficult task, and one that requires new and innovative solutions. Nowhere is this more apparent than in Asia. In the Far East the Republic of Korea and Japan are urgently building state of the art defences against the North Korean ballistic missile threat to augment the existing defensive systems that they have deployed to counter more conventional air threats.

Meanwhile, in the Middle East, the UAE is leading Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) efforts to build anti-missile defences in the Gulf region, while Saudi Arabia has experienced missile attacks from neighbouring Yemen’s Houthi insurgents.

In all regions, the air and missile threat is a broad one, encompassing land-, seaand air-launched threats, manned and unmanned, simple and sophisticated, and following every possible variation in flightpath and trajectory.

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Conventional air defences have long been layered, with SHORAD (short range air defence) provided by point defence surface-to-air missiles and anti-aircraft artillery (AAA), and with manned fighters and longer ranged missiles taking care of threats further out from the target. But the development of higher speed bombers and attack aircraft, with sophicticated electronic warfare capabilities, often equipped with stand off weapons (including cruise missiles) and sometimes incorporating Low Observable (LO) technology has made it necessary to detect and engage targets at ever longer range, sometimes far beyond friendly borders.

Intercepting hostile aircraft and missiles far enough out to prevent the launch of long range stand-off weapons can require the use of airborne early warning aircraft to provide early enough detection, and may sometimes prevent air forces from reactively scrambling fighters, instead forcing them to maintain standing patrols.

The task of air defence commanders has been further complicated by the

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emergence of new types of threat. In recent times, non-state actors, including terrorist groups, have demonstrated a willingness to use hijacked aircraft (from light aircraft to jet airliners), as well as small drones and captured missile systems, to attack a wide variety of targets.

If the bomber threat is difficult to defend against, then the missile presents an even greater problem for air defence commanders.

Ballistic missiles are notoriously hard to intercept. Even if the launch is detected, a ballistic missile’s trajectory will rapidly take it into the upper reaches of the atmosphere (or even out of it altogether).

Such a missile is quickly out of range of conventional air defences, and into the realms of exo-atmospheric intercept systems that are unaffordable for many nations, before plunging down onto its target in a very fast terminal phase during which it is again difficult to hit. And that is without multiple reentry vehicles, decoys, and other systems designed to further complicate the job of the defender.

There has been a proliferation of ballistic missiles and missile technology

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The launch in June 2017 of a new North Korean 'precision-guided' ballistic missile was reported in the the country's state-owned Rodong Sinmun daily.

since the end of the Cold War, with a number of former Soviet client states gaining arsenals of redundant ballistic missiles – primarily Korolyev R-17/R-300 (SS-1B ‘Scud-B’) tactical ballistic missiles.

Used in anger in Afghanistan, Yemen, Chechenya, Libya, and Syria and by Egypt, Iraq, Iran, the ‘Scud’ has formed the basis of a series of longer-range and more effective derivatives produced by North Korea, Iran and Pakistan.

North Korea acquired a small number of Scud-B missiles, support equipment and technology in about 1980, probably from Egypt, and immediately set about producing an indigenous copy, based on reverse engineering. By 1986 this had resulted in the 300 kilometre (186 mile) range Hwasong-5, while the 1,500km (930 mile) range No Dong 1 followed in 1994, the 5,000km (3,100 mile) Taepodong 1 in 1998 and the 10,000km (6,200 mile) Taepodong 2 in 2006.

North Korean missile developments have blurred the line between traditionally short to intermediate range non-nuclear tactical and longer-ranged often nuclear tipped strategic ballistic missiles, and have provided a major stimulus to the development of integrated air and missile defence systems in the wider region.

North Korean Scud derivatives have also been widely exported, some-times to nations that have further developed and improved them.

Pakistan’s Hatf-5 (also known as the Ghauri I) missile is understood to

use technology from the North Korean No Dong 1 and Rodong 1 (Hwasong-7) missiles, apparently traded for Pakistani help with uranium enrichment. The missile is understood to be in service with the Pakistan Army’s Strategic Forces Command, and apparently gives Pakistan an ability to strike most of India.

Iran has similarly developed its own derivatives of the North Korean-supplied No Dong, producing the Shahab-1 in 1987, the Shahab-2 in 1997, and the 1,290km (800 mile) Shahab-3 in 1997-98. The newer Ghadr, revealed in 2007, has a 1,950km (1,210 mile) range and is claimed to have been designed to carry a nuclear payload, when available.

The solid-fuelled Sajjil-2 and the liquid-fuelled Qiam have the same distinctively shaped nosecone and may also have been designed for the delivery of a nuclear warhead, while the Emad has a newly designed reentry vehicle with a more advanced precision guidance and control system.

Though it has been denied by Iran, there has been widespread speculation that the ballistic missiles fired by Houthi forces in Yemen against targets in Saudi Arabia and the UAE were supplied by the Iranians.

Integrated Air Defence The best solution to the ballistic missile threat, whether it comes from a peer adversary or a non-state group, is an integrated air and missile defence system.

Such a system will ideally integrate air defence systems across different domains, including ground-based and sea-based systems, and will incorporate dedicated sensors and weapons. In the future these

will no doubt include directed energy weapons, as well as new missile systems and advanced sensors.

The end of the Cold War has led to a renewed effort to develop defensive antiballistic missile (ABM) systems. During the Cold War, the ABM Treaty limited the development and deployment of such systems, but with a dramatically reduced threat of all-out nuclear war with Russia or China the US withdrew from the treaty in 2002, citing the need to protect itself from nuclear blackmail by a rogue state. Other states have followed the US lead, commissioning new missile defence systems, and it has been calculated that the value of the air and missile defence market will exceed $35 billion by 2025.

Geographic considerations and very high costs mean that missile defences are probably best tackled at a supranational level. It was the prospect of a ballistic missile threat from the Middle East, in particular, that prompted the deployment of a new US-backed ballistic missile defence (BMD) system by NATO in Europe. This was soon being cited by Russia as evidence that it was a besieged nation, surrounded by hostile powers, all determined to threaten the viability of its own nuclear deterrent and thereby to undermine Russian security. The territorial ballistic missile defence (BMD) capability developed by NATO in the wake of the Lisbon Summit in November 2010 never represented a threat to Russia, however, as the then-NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg explained at the time.

Geography and physics made it impossible for the NATO system to shoot down Russian intercontinental US DOD

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The US Army THAAD (Terminal High Altitude Area Defense) anti-ballistic missile defense system has been forward deployed in Korea to counter the North Korean missile threat.

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The S-300 family of surface to air missiles (known as the SA-10 ‘Grumble’, SA-12 ‘Giant’ and SA-20 ‘Gargoyle’ to NATO) is recognised as being one of the most potent anti-aircraft missile systems in service. This version made up part of the North Korean military display in February 2018.

missiles using the interceptors available for NATO BMD. They were too few in number, and were located too far south or too close to Russia to be able to do so.

They were designed to tackle threats from outside the Euro-Atlantic area. There were some efforts to assuage Russian fears, with joint exercises and attempts to establish a degree of interoperability, but in April 2014, in response to the Ukraine crisis, NATO suspended all cooperation with Russia, including missile defence. Russia had already unilaterally paused discussions on missile defence in October 2013, after a steady deterioration in relations. In 2012, President Dmitry Medvedev had said that Russia would retaliate militarily if it was unable to reach an agreement with the United States and NATO on the missile defense system, while Nikolai Makarov, Russia’s thenChief of General Staff had threatened to use “destructive force pre-emptively” if the situation worsened.

Despite Russian opposition, NATO has pressed ahead with its ‘purely defensive’ ABM system. This is based on an AEGIS Ashore system, consisting of a collection of sophisticated phased-array radars, fire control directors, computers and missiles which are based in Romania and will soon be deployed in Poland and Turkey. Other NATO assets will be integrated with the system.

In Asia, most new missile defence systems have been national projects, or are the product of joint procurement programmes with the USA.

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In the wake of a series of North Korean intermediate-range ballistic missile tests, beginning in June 2016, South Korea decided to deploy the US Army THAAD (Terminal High Altitude Area Defense) system in response, augmenting the Patriot point defence missile systems and Aegis-equipped destroyers already operated by South Korean forces. The THAAD batteries were deployed to Osan AB on 6 March 2017, on the same day that North Korea test-launched four more missiles, one of which landed in the Sea of Japan, with the other three landing in Japan's economic zone.

Japan’s reaction to the new North Korean missile tests was to purchase two Aegis Ashore systems, using SM-3 Block IIA missiles against ballistic missile targets, and SM-6 missiles against cruise missile targets. These systems augmented PAC-3 Patriot missile batteries operated by the Japan Air Self Defense Force (JASDF) and Japan Ground Self Defense Force (JGSDF), and a range of other missile systems.

China’s ABM defences rely heavily on versions of the Russian S-300 including the PMU, PMU1 and PMU2 and the navalised S-300FM Rif, which equips the PLAN’s two Type 51C Luzhou airdefence destroyers.

These Russian SAMs are augmented

by Chinese-built HQ-9 missiles, and by the derived HQ-19 (an HQ-9 derivative similar in some respects to THAAD), the naval HQ-26, and the HQ-29, which features a modified final stage motor. A

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number of other indigenous anti-satellite and anti-missile weapons have been successfully tested.

India operates a squadron of Russiansupplied S-300V systems as an ‘antitactical ballistic missile screen’, and has looked at the Israeli Arrow system, and at the Almaz design bureau's S-300 PMU1/-2 and S-400 and at the Antey design bureau's Antey 2500/S-300VM. India is also developing its own upper layer ABM capability using the Prithvi Air Defence (PAD) missile for high-altitude interception, and the Advanced Air Defence (AAD) Missile for lower altitude interception.

Phase 1 of India’s Ballistic Missile Defence Programme was completed in May 2012, when it was declared that the system could be deployed to protect two Indian cities (New Delhi and Mumbai).

In order to counter the threat posed by cruise missiles India has made great efforts to deploy AEW and AWACS capabilities, and has developed and deployed the Barak-8 long-range anti-air and anti-missile naval defence system in association with Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI). A land-based variant is still being developed by IAI and India’s Defence Research & Development Organisation (DRDO).

In the Middle East, the threat posed

by Iranian ballistic missiles has led to a sudden growth in missile defence requirements across the region. Perhaps unsurprisingly, Israel has led the way, and now deploys a threetier missile defence system. This used the Arrow missile system (developed from 1986 and declared fully operational in October 2000) against short- to long-range missiles, and using the David’s Sling system to intercept medium- to long-range rockets and cruise missiles (fired from distances of 40-300 km), and the Iron Dome system to intercept and destroy short-range rockets and artillery shells fired from 4-70km (2.5-44 mile) range.

A number of Gulf states are establishing their own air and missile defence capabilities, led by the UAE, which has become the “the first GCC partner to possess an upper tier ballistic missile defense capability, and the first non-US unit in the world to possess the premiere mediumrange ballistic missile killer on the planet – the THAAD (Terminal High Altitude Air Defense) weapon sys-tem,” according to US Army Brigadier General Donald C. Fryc, commander of the 32nd Army Air and Missile Defense Command. AMR

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s e a US Navy

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The guided-missile destroyer USS Fitzgerald (DDG 62) launches a Standard Missile-3 (SM-3) as apart of a joint ballistic missile defense exercise, 25 October, 2012.

PART 2: BALLISTIC MISSILE DEFENCE IN ASIA PACIFIC The topic of ballistic missile defence, regardless of geographic region, is rife with complexities, and two major areas stand out - the geopolitical aspect and the technological aspect.

by Dr. Joetey Attariwala

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rom a geopolitical perspective, one can clearly understand that if a shooting conflict arises, it can often be traced to a failure in diplomacy.

Politicians often use military capability as a lever in diplomacy, and that usually turns into a competition of move and counter-move between opponents, with each party spending enormous amounts of resources in the process.

It is no secret that aligned nations in the Asia-Pacific region are expending considerable investment in research and development and weapon systems acquisition to counter the growing ballistic missile threat posed by state actors like Russia and China, the later of which is developing the DF-21 and

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DF-26 missiles which offer improved range, accuracy, lethality, and reliability over legacy Chinese systems.

Speaking to the threat posed by China’s missile forces was US Navy Admiral Philip Davidson, the expected nominee for Commander US Pacific Command, who responded to Advance Policy Questions by saying: “The threat to US forces and bases is substantial and growing. The People's Liberation Army Rocket Forces have a growing inventory of medium- and intermediate-range ballistic missiles than can threaten US bases in the region, including those in South Korea, Japan, and Guam, as well as naval forces operating inside the Second Island Chain.

Many are purpose-built for specific targets, such as aircraft carriers or air bases, and

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PLA Rocket Forces maintain a high degree of combat readiness. Moreover, China is constantly evolving its missile technology, increasing their range, survivability, accuracy, and lethality.”

Of particular concern in the AsiaPacific are the destabilizing actions of North Korea through its numerous launches of ballistic missiles in recent months. These actions have focused allied nations in the region to accelerate deployment of ballistic missile defences.

Naturally, the United States leads the way in this capability and is a key partner with Japan and South Korea.

Speaking to US force posture in the PACOM area of responsibility which could improve deterrence against North Korea, Admiral Davidson wrote: “I believe we

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have the capability today to deter North Korean aggression, but given where we think the North Korean capability might be in terms of their missiles in the next five years, I think we must continue to explore, improve, and resource our entire missile defense capabilities… I support planned improvements to the BMD of the Homeland architecture via the new Homeland Defense Radar for Hawaii, additional purchase of Ground Based Interceptors, and a detailed study that ascertains the efficacy of positioning interceptors in Hawaii.

Lastly, I support continued improvements in the capability and capacity of ballistic/ cruise missile defense interceptors that will further enhance homeland defense capabilities and protect key regional nodes from North Korea's aggressive action against the United States.”

Technological challenges to ballistic missile defence To understand ballistic missile defence, one must first understand the key phases of flight that these missiles take. Upon launch, a ballistic missile begins its boost/ ascent phase which lasts approximately three to five minutes, this is followed by a mid-course phase to apogee, and finally a re-entry/ terminal descent phase.

One may think that the boost/ascent phase is the easiest to intercept, however there are various reasons why this phase is particularly challenging. First, a launch must be detected within seconds to formulate a response. Second, the course of the ballistic missile must be determined to ascertain if it is a legitimate threat, and this is best known upon approaching apogee. Third, an interceptor must be close enough to react, however the ramifications of launching a weapon into a sovereign country to intercept a ballistic missile in the boost phase, even if that country is a foe, is fraught with potentially perilous consequences. It is for these reasons that ballistic missile defence is primarily focused at the midcourse and terminal phases of flight.

It should be noted that the United States has explored intercepting ballistic missiles in the ascent phase, notably with the Boeing YAL-1 Airborne Laser Testbed weapons system, which was a modified Boeing 747-400F fitted with a chemical oxygen iodine laser. After years of testing, the YAL-1 system continued to face a number of operational and technical challenges, let alone being extremely expensive, which resulted in its funding being cut in 2010.

USMC

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An MIM-104 Patriot missile system stands ready during Patriot Advanced Capability-3 (PAC-3) deployment training at Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni, Japan.

The idea of a persistent airborne laser which can intercept ballistic missiles in the boost phase has not been put to rest however, as the United States is examining ways to mount newer types of lasers on unmanned aerial vehicles; but fielding of such a system, if viable at all, is still years away.

Speaking to Asian Military Review for this feature was Dr. Bill Wieninger, a Professor of Security Studies at the Daniel K. Inouye Asia-Pacific Center for Security Studies in Hawaii, and a former lecturer at the Defense Nuclear Weapons School in Albuquerque, New Mexico. “After spending an awful amount of money, we’ve gotten somewhat effective at shooting down shorter range missiles, but we cannot have confidence in shooting down long range intercontinental ballistic missiles. The big distinguisher seems to be how fast the missile is going - ICBMs go at approximately seven kilometers a second, so that’s an amazingly difficult technical challenge which I’m not sure we’ll ever be able to master,” said Dr. Wieninger. “A further challenge are decoys which are relatively easy to field and dramatically complicate the targeting challenge. From a technological perspective we may be able to intercept some, perhaps 70percent, but from a geopolitical perspective, let alone a humanitarian perspective, even

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just one nuclear tipped missile getting through would clearly be devastating.

Moreover, misplaced confidence in BMD may lead to unacceptably dangerous crises.”

The United States Department of Defense (DoD) FY19 budget highlights the importance of missile defence programs and calls for investments that will “focus on layered missile defenses and disruptive capabilities for both theater missile threats and North Korean ballistic missile threats.” Those investments for FY 2019 include: 43 AEGIS Ballistic Missile Defense (SM-3) $1.7 billion; Ground Based Midcourse Defense - $2.1 billion; 82 THAAD Ballistic Missile Defense - $1.1 billion; 240 Patriot Advanced Capability (PAC-3) Missile Segment Enhancements - $1.1 billion.

The budget also supports US Forces Korea to improve missile defence capability on the Korean peninsula.

Layered Approach There are a number of effectors which are brought to bear against the ballistic missile threat. The first part of the kill chain is missile launch detection and tracking. One of the key systems focused on this is the Space-Based Infrared System (SBIRS) which uses infrared surveillance to provide early missile warning for

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Battle Management network. When the AN/TPY-2 radar is deployed in terminal mode, the radar’s job is to detect, acquire, track and discriminate ballistic missiles in the terminal (descent) phase of flight.

The AN/TPY-2 radar links to Lockheed Martin’s Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) system.

THAAD missiles are able to engage a wide class of short and medium-range ballistic missiles in both the endo-and exoatmosphere using hit-to-kill technology.

THAAD is in operation on the US territory of Guam; and a single THAAD battery has recently been deployed to South Korea. A THAAD Battery consists of six truck-mounted launchers, 48 interceptors (eight per launcher), one AN/TPY-2, and one Tactical Fire Control/ Communications component.

Patriot Upgrade A Standard Missile-3 (SM-3) Block 1B interceptor missile is launched from the guided-missile cruiser USS Lake Erie (CG 70) during a Missile Defense Agency and U.S. Navy test in the mid-Pacific.

the US military. The system includes a combination of satellites and hosted payloads in Geosynchronous Earth Orbit (GEO) and Highly Elliptical Orbit (HEO), and ground hardware and software. The recent US DoD FY19 budget funds the Air Force’s Next-Generation Strategic Missile Warning system as part of a transition to the future Overhead Persistent Infrared (OPIR) satellite architecture. This NextGeneration system will increase strategic survivability and will incorporate a technology refresh of the sensor to assure missile warning capabilities equal to or greater than today’s SBIRS. In addition to SBIRS, the United States operates a number of other radar systems in the Asia-Pacific region. One of these systems is the Sea-based X-band radar (SBX-1), which is part of the Missile Defense Agency’s Ground Based Midcourse Defense (GMD) system which links to Ground-Based Interceptor (GBI) missiles based at Fort Greely, Alaska, and at Vandenberg AFB in California.

Another key component of ballistic missile defence in the Asia-Pacific is the Aegis Ballistic Missile Defense (BMD) system. Aegis BMD builds upon the existing Aegis Weapon System and is designed to detect and track ballistic missiles of various ranges in all phases of flight with the ability to destroy short

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through intermediate-range ballistic missiles in the midcourse and terminal phases for flight with the Standard Missile-3 (SM-3) and Standard Missile-6 (SM-6) missiles. Ships in the US Navy and Japanese Maritime Self-Defense Force are configured with Aegis BMD, and are on routine patrol throughout the Asia-Pacific. In late 2017, Japan decided to acquire two Aegis Ashore BMD systems.

Upgrades are being made to the Aegis BMD weapon system and FY19 begins a 5-year multiyear procurement contract for the SM-3 Block IB missile, with 37 being procured in the first year. The budget also supports procurement of six SM-3 Block IIA missiles; integrates SM-3 Block IIA into the BMD Weapon Systems; and continues development of the Aegis BMD 5.1 and Aegis BMD 6 Weapon Systems.

Another radar system, the Army/ Navy Transportable Radar Surveillance-2 (AN/TPY-2) is an X-band missile defence radar built by Raytheon Integrated Defense Systems. The AN/TPY-2 radar can be deployed in two different modes.

In forward-based mode, the radar is positioned near hostile territory, and acquires ballistic missiles in the boost phase of flight. It then tracks and discriminates the threat, and passes critical information required by decision makers to the Command and Control

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The Patriot, a high to medium altitude long range air defence missile system has a number of variants and types of missiles which offer blast fragmentation warheads, or kinetic hit-to-kill capacity. Patriot Systems are fielded in the Asia-Pacific by the United States, Japan, Taiwan, and South Korea.

The Patriot Advanced Capability 2 (PAC-2) launches MIM-104C missiles, some of which have been modified to Guidance Enhanced Missiles (GEM) which are built by Raytheon Integrated Defense Systems.

William G. Patterson, senior director IAMD programs, Raytheon Integrated Defense Systems said: “We are now looking at helping some of our partners in upgrading and re-certifying the Patriot Guidance Enhanced Missiles that are nearing the end of their service life. The GEM missile has a blast-fragmentation warhead and has proved incredibly effective in combat. Since Jan of 2015, Patriot has intercepted more than 100 tactical ballistic missiles in combat operation, and more than 90 of those engagements were with the GEM.” Patterson added, “What we’ve learned from recent combat operations is that not all threats require hit-to-kill interception.

In some cases, the blast-frag warhead is actually more effective at engaging threats.

So we are proposing to recertify GEM, upgrade it, and keep it in the inventory of certain customers. Doing this will only cost a fraction of the cost of purchasing new Patriot hit-to-kill missiles, and give them the capability they need.”

Lockheed Martin Missiles and Fire

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Missile Defense Agency

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The second of two Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) interceptors is launched during a successful intercept test, which was conducted in October 2015.

Control builds the PAC-3 Missile Segment upgrade to the Patriot air defense system.

The PAC-3 Missile Segment upgrade consists of the PAC-3 Missile (MIM-104F), PAC-3 Missile canisters (in four packs), a fire solution computer and an Enhanced Launcher Electronics System.

The ‘Hit-To-Kill’ PAC-3 Missile is a high velocity interceptor that defeats

incoming targets by direct, body-to-body impact. PAC-3 Missiles, when deployed in a Patriot battery, significantly increase the Patriot system’s firepower since 16 PAC-3s load-out on a Patriot launcher, compared with four Patriot PAC-2 missiles.

According to the US DoD, joint efforts between the US Army and the Missile Defense Agency have been successful in

integrating PAC-3 capabilities into the Ballistic Missile Defense System (BMDS).

Lockheed Martin has further enhanced PAC-3 capability with the PAC3 Missile Segment Enhancement (MSE), an evolution of the PAC-3 Missile. The PAC-3 MSE incorporates a larger, dual pulse solid rocket motor; larger fins; and upgraded actuators and thermal batteries to accommodate increased performance.

Speaking to Asian Military Review Howard Bromberg, vice president for Strategy and Business Development, Integrated Air and Missile Defense for Lockheed Martin Corporation, said: “THAAD is part of our hit-to-kill family of missiles which are able to engage both inside the atmosphere and outside the atmosphere. The Aegis Ashore system and the Aegis BMD ships use the Standard 3 missile, and they only engage outside the atmosphere. Then you have the PAC-3 missile that engages inside the atmosphere down below where THAAD engages. We’re in full production with PAC-3 MSE; it’s fielded with the US military and we’re starting to field it to international customers. AMR

The Caesar® artillery system in Mali

Photo credits: ©ECPAD/France/A.Roine

The artillery system of the 21st century

CREATING NEW REFERENCES IN DEFENSE I WWW.NEXTER-GROUP.COM

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Saab Bofors

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Carl Gustav is a reloadable shoulder fired recoilless weapon that was first fielded in 1948. Both the weapon and its ammunition have been repeatedly improved so that it continues in service with 45 countries.

BIG PUNCH WEAPONS FOR TROOPS IN CONTACT The use of direct fire weapons gives the infantry the punch that they often need to maintain momentum without waiting for additional support.

by Stephen W. Miller

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irect fire weapons can have a decisive impact in supporting dismounted infantry by providing the means to carry-on against opposition where they would otherwise be stopped. The contribution of these weapons in close support of the infantryman on the battlefield was first applied in 1626 by Gustavus Adolphus by using light regimental leather bound cannon on line with his infantry.

Infantry support weapons utilise explosive projectiles for effect rather than the kinetic energy of bullets and are employed against fortifications, emplaced crew served weapons, buildings, troop groups as well as armoured and tactical vehicles. New technologies have significantly enhanced accuracy, increased range, magnified lethality and decreased the weight of the weapon.

Infantry direct fire support weapons

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share a common characteristic – they all require direct acquisition of the target for engagement. This differentiates them from indirect fire infantry weapons like mortars that have a high trajectory and, thus, can be fired from and hit targets in defilade. However, advances in warhead fusing are now providing programmable warheads for some weapons that can be optimised for the target and desired effect.

These options include proximity and delay settings that can detonate behind or over an obstruction.

Weapons used by the infantry for direct support include the soldier grenade launcher, the shoulder fired individual weapon, the shoulder fired crew served weapon, and the medium anti-tank guided missile. Many of these have been fielded with a specific use and purpose in mind but have been specifically adapted or simply used by soldiers in the field in other roles. In Iraq, for example, Javelin

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anti-tank guided missiles were used against snipers in building. Though this may not have been what the weapon was designed or intended to be used of, for the soldier it filled his need and did the job.

Grenade Launchers The M79 40mm grenade launcher was introduced by United States (US) forces in 1961 and used extensively in Vietnam.

It could place an explosive projectile on a target out to 350 metres. It was highly appreciated and its application to other tasks quickly followed as other ammunitions were developed. These new rounds included smoke for target marking, illumination and anti-personnel rounds. It required a dedicated gunner and was later replaced by the M203 which placed the 40mm launcher under the M16 rifle. The M203 does sacrifice range as it is accurate to only 150m but allowed the gunner to also continue as a rifleman.

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In 2008 the US Army found a replacement selecting the Heckler & Koch M320 which is based on the AG36. The Army began fielding the M320 in 2009 with the US Marines Corps (USMC) also choosing it in 2019. It loads from the side and accepts newer rounds that are longer including non-lethal projectiles. Provided with a laser range-finder equipped sight and a folding forward grip the M320 can also be used independent of the rifle.

Advanced ammunitions include a door breaching round developed by Chemring.

A company spokesperson indicated that “the round is ideally suited for urban combat in that it allows the soldier to breach either an inward or outward opening door from a distance 15-60m yet minimises the fragmentation both inside and outside.”

Shoulder Fired Disposable Weapons

Reddit

One of the challenges for the squad and platoon is having the explosive power needed to defeat bunkers and armoured vehicles. One answer is in the ‘disposable’ weapon which is issued as an item of ammunition when required. This concept was first introduced by the German Army in World War II in its Panzerfaust. The US Nammo LAW (Light Anti-Armour Weapon) first fielded in 1963 and continues to be popular. Tim Clawitter, director Business Development of NammoTalley, indicated that “the LAW has undergone a number of improvements and new capabilities including a M72E8 version able to be fired from a confined space.”

The M72 uses a 66mm high-explosive anti-tank (HEAT) warhead rocket inside

a fibreglass launch tube that is collapsed for carry and then expended for firing. At 2.5kg (5.5lb) and 630mm collapsed length it is easily carried. The latest model is the M-72E10 with an improved fragmentation warhead and launcher design. The M72 approach has been duplicated by the Russians in their RPG-18 Mukha, the later RPG-22, and RPG-26. Generally all of these weapons are used inside 200m.

Developed by FFV of Sweden, the AT4 is now offered by SAAB Bofors Dynamics and draws from the successful and widely fielded Carl Gustav recoilless weapon. It shares the 84mm calibre and projectiles.

Adopted by the US forces in the mid 1980s as the Lightweight Multipurpose Weapon M136 it remains in use in by 29 countries.

The ‘CS’ version can be fired from inside a room or other enclosed space. It weights 6.7kg (14.77lbs) and is about one metre long.

The weapon is accurate to 300m against a point target and can be used to 500m as an area weapon. The relatively high (285 metre per second) velocity improves hit probability both at maximum range and against moving targets. By drawing from the wide range of ammunitions available for the Carl Gustav, the company declares that “versions of the AT-4 have been developed that are optimised for a range of roles and targets. These include high explosive dual purpose that has a delayed detonation, an anti-structure with tandemwarheads round that penetrates a structure then explodes inside, an extended 800m range version, and a high explosive round with selective fusing for point or proximity/air burst detonation.” These provide a unit the ability to be issued with

The Heckler and Koch M320 40mm grenade launcher is easier to load and to fire as these operations are offset from the rifle. It can also be employed separately. Here a Norwegian soldier fires the M320 from a fighting position.

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weapons that are optimised for a specific mission and the targets that they are likely to encounter.

Panzerfaust 3 (Pzf 3) developed by Dynamit Nobel Defence uses a disposable round to which a reusable firing device with sight is attached. Although the rocket is 60mm its warhead is 110mm. The original shaped charge version has been superseded by the Pzf 3T, Pzf 3IT and Bunkerfaust (BKF) which utilise a more effective tandem warhead. According to the company, “these have two charges with the first intended to make an initial penetration. Then less than one millisecond later, the main charge of the tandem warhead ignites penetrating the main armour.” Both versions are designed for engaging modern armoured vehicles.

The tandem warhead significantly increases the effectiveness against addon armour. The BKF is optimised for destroying walls and bunkers. The company also offers Dynarange a fire control with laser rangefinder that extends the effective range to 600m including moving targets. At 15.25kg (34lbs) and a total length of 950mm it is a load to carry.

It does, however, have excellent target effect and, by using a firing counter-mass both minimises the weapon’s jerk that can affect accuracy and can be used in a confined space. The manufactured in Germany and Japan other users include Austria, Belgium, Italy, Netherlands, Peru, South Korea, and Switzerland. It has also been provided to the Peshmerga.

Crew Served Weapons By assigning a crew of several soldiers to a weapon it is possible to practically employ a system with a greater weight and, therefore, often longer range and combat effectiveness. These soldiers are also likely to be more proficient in action since using the weapon is their primary role. Typically these teams are part of a separate weapons platoon/section but may be then assigned to work with or support a rifle platoon or even squad.

One of the longest serving weapons in this category is the Carl Gustav M3 which was developed and produced by Saab Bofors Dynamics. It was first fielded in 1948 by the Swedish Army. It is a recoilless weapon which is breach loaded and uses a rifled barrel of 84mm calibre.

As a reloadable system it has a variety of ammunition types which give the system the capability to take on a wide range of tasks and targets in supporting the combat unit. Ammunitions available include

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Providing increased range, accuracy and target effect but still having single use disposable weapon was the objective of the AT-4 designers. Following a competitive evaluation it was adopted by the US military as the M136 Lightweight Multipurpose Weapon. It subsequently has been improved with both confined space firing capability and introduction of new ammunition types.

High Explosive Dual Purpose (HEDP), High Explosive Anti-Tank (HEAT), High Explosive (HE) that can have a dual fuse allowing point or air-burst detonation, illumination, smoke, and a high explosive anti-tank - rocket assisted rounds. Its original 3x optical sight has been largely replaced by a Swedish Aimpoint sight.

Its velocity allows the Carl Gustav’s rounds to engage stationary targets beyond 1000m and even moving targets accurately to 600m. The ammunition versatility and performance give the small unit a ‘hip pocket artillery’ capability that is immediately responsive to the combat situation.

The design of the Carl Gustav has been continuously improved with special attention to reducing its weight.

Originally 14.2kg (31.24lb) as the M2, this was decreased to 8.5kg (18.7lb) in the M3, and most recently 7kg (15.4lb) in the M4 model. This has been accomplished by adopting new lighter weight materials and has been accomplished without compromising performance or durability.

The M4 is also even shorter at less than 1000mm (versus 1065mm of the M2).

Improvements have also been made to the ammunition with the development of multi-option fusing, tandem warheads, confined space firing, and other capabilities. Being reusable it is also a prime platform for adding more advance

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sights and fire controls. Saab also pointed out that the “M4 has been designed to be fully compatible with intelligent sighting systems and prepared to accept future programmable ammunitions”. Overall, Carl Gustav is one of the most widely fielded weapons with over 45 users worldwide including the United States.

The Russian RPG-7 and Chinese NORINCO Type 69 (a copy of the RPG7) were first seen in 1961 and continue in use worldwide. At 6.8kg (15lb) and with an overall length of 950mm it is relatively easy to carry and is simple to operate.

The rocket projectile is inserted into the forward end of the sight/launcher. It is effective against a stationary point target to 200m but has also been used as an area weapon to up to 950m. Against a moving target its high probability is less than 50 percent at 200m. Warheads offered include fragmentation (FRAG), HE and HEAT including a tandem charge version.

The Russian Army uses the latest version the RPG-7V2 which is carried by a member of each rifle squad.

Guided Systems The trend in both individual nondedicated and crew served weapons at the small unit level has largely been toward aimed, unguided systems. This makes them simple, less costly, and often multipurpose. It also limits their effective range

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to around 1000m at best against point targets and less for moving targets. To fill these requirements guided systems are considered preferable. This is particularly the case where the primary mission is engaging and defeating main battle tanks and armoured combat vehicles. The FGM148 Javelin fills this requirement for the United States and 20 other militaries.

Although rather heavy at 22.3kg (49.2lbs) its components, the Command Launch Unit (CLU) and missile are broken down for carrying so it is man-portable. Its thermal sight allows the gunner to acquire a target and ‘lock-on before launch’ so that once he fires the missile itself it is ‘fire and forget’ using its own on-board seeker. The tandem warhead is designed to defeat advanced armour plus it has a top-attack approach. Based on its employment in Iraq and Afghanistan engaging other non-armoured targets the warhead was improved in the FGM-148F to enhance its fragmentation. With a range of 4700m, Javelin has the farthest reach of any direct fire weapon in the infantry company.

Israel’s Rafael Advanced Defence Systems Spike – SR guided missile is specifically designed for the infantry platoon. It consists of a CLU and the missile with a lock-on before launch mode that allows fire and forget engagement out to 1500m. Spike is shoulder fired and uses a unique sighting technique whereby the gunner views the target through a link to the missile’s thermal seeker.

The missile is available with tandem anti-armour, a fragmentation and antistructural warheads. At 9.6kg (21.12lb) it is well within the carrying capacity of a single soldier. Spike SR introduced in 2012 received its first export order in 2016 with Singapore where it became operational in mid-2017.

Another take on providing long range precision engagement for the infantryman is the next generation Light Anti-tank Weapon (NLAW), a joint development by Saab Bofors and the United Kingdom’s Thales. It uses Predicted Line of Sight (PLOS) guidance whereby the gunner initiates the missile seeker and tracks the target for a short time then launches this missile when a lock-on is achieved. The missile then computes its attack which can be Overflying Top Attack (OTA) for armoured vehicles or Direct Attack (DA) for structures and bunkers. The latest version has a range of over 800m which it reaches in less than four seconds. Once launched the missile requires no gunner action meaning he can displace or initiate

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a new engagement. The oversized 150mm warhead combine with the OTA seeks to increase the effectiveness against main battle tanks. With a total weight of 12.5kg (27.5lb) and 1.02m length it is intended to be carried and used as a dispose after use weapon. NLAW was first fielded in 2009 and is now in service in the United Kingdom, Sweden, Finland, Saudi Arabia, Indonesia, and Switzerland.

Future Challenges

To provide precision accuracy against point moving targets at extended ranges guided missile systems have become preferred. The Javelin provides this capability in a weapon that can be carried by an infantry team. It is also a “fire and forget” system that alleviates the need for the gunner to continuously track the target to impact.

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The capability to readily engage and destroy threats that cannot be addressed by small arms allows the combat unit to maintain its momentum. Direct fire supporting weapons are particularly valuable in urban combat and can provide the only immediate and local counter to tank and armoured vehicles. Being able to respond with an appropriate weapon increases the infantry’s ability to adapt to changing situations while reducing the risk of taking casualties. The challenge for these weapons remains achieving the balance between performance and a weapon weight that can be carried by the soldier. AMR

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Under its Land 53 Phase 1BR procurement, the Australian DoD has awarded L-3 Communications contracts for a variety of night vision, rangefinding and laser aiming devices to improve dismounted troops' ability to find and target threats at night and in bad weather.

LIGHT AND PRACTICAL ISTAR ON THE GO Variety is not only the spice of life, but representative of new ISTAR aids that are available for dispounted troops.

by Peter Donaldson

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ll equipment that dismounted troops have to carry must more than justify the burden of weight and bulk that it imposes, particularly on reconnaissance troops and special forces who are all too often overloaded with everything they need to live for the duration of a mission in the field along with weapons and ammunition.

In addition to desirable performance improvements, new kit that industry offers for dismounted ISTAR applications needs to justify itself with benefits such as the ability to do several jobs well, and this applies to more than just electro-optical devices, more of which later.

For convenience, it helps if day and night capable electro-optical/infrared (EO/IR) devices can be used with one hand or mounted on a weapon without making it unwieldy, so larger devices that require both hands must offer something extra. It is also important that they are frugal in their power consumption to minimise the number of batteries that have to be carried.

Biocular Day/Night observation One of the latest offerings is the TiCam

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1000B from Thermoteknix, which the company exhibited at the Defence Services Asia (DSA) event in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, from 16 to 19 April.

Described as a biocular (one objective lens and two eyepieces) security, surveillance and observation sensor for day and night use, the TiCam 1000B packages a Laser Range Finder (LRF), a laser target marker, a Digital Magnetic Compass (DMC), a GPS receiver and digital recording capability along with the uncooled thermal imaging sensor. The company claims eight hours of operation on a set of eight lithium ion AA batteries, although it can also be plugged into external power sources. It can also be connected to battlefield command information systems to enable real-time data exchange, the company emphasises.

Thermoteknix says that the device is suitable for forward observation squads, search and rescue, infantry, border security and special units with varying levels of training. The company quotes a weight of less than 2kg and measurements of 96mm long, 88mm deep and 164mm wide.

The infra-red sensor is a 640x480 element amorphous silicon array with 17 micron pitch, which is the distance

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between the centres of the individual detector elements. It operates in the long-wave (8-14 microns) region of the infrared spectrum and can be supplied with different lenses of either 60mm, 75mm or 100mm focal length and with manual focus from 10m to infinity and continuous zoom up to 4x. The lens can optionally be fitted with a removable ‘kill flash’ anti-reflection grid to reduce the risk of sunlight reflections revealing the observers position when using the TiCam 1000B in daylight. Viewed through the eyepieces, the display is a dual OLED device measuring 800 pixels by 600 (800x600) and refreshing at 60Hz. The eye-safe laser range finder operates at 1,550 nanometres in wavelength and offers maximum measurement ranges of 3km against a standard NATO target or up to 5km depending on target and atmospheric conditions, according to the company, while the laser target marker can be specified as a 650nm visible light device or an 850nm device that can be seen by night vision devices.

For longer duration observation tasks, it can be mounted on a 2.65kg carbon fibre heavy duty tripod with an integral goniometer. With a folded length of

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Australia's Multi-Spectral Needs In Australia, the Department of Defence (DoD) is in dialogue with industry through the likes of the Integrated Soldier Systems industry forum. At a meeting of this forum in November, the Armament Systems Program Office laid out the top level requirements for the second tranche of night fighting equipment to be procured under Land 53 Phase 1BR. Budgeting around $165 million (AUD $220m), they want the new equipment to enhance or supplement the night vision binoculars and laser aiming devices bought under the first tranche, gaining leverage from emerging technology to provide multi-spectral capability to dismounted combatants, emphasising that the technology use must be mature and capable of being supported in Australia from 2020.

Industry was invited to register their interest by March this year, with a deadline for tenders by October, leading to evaluation and negotiation scheduled to take place between December of next year and May of 2020, when the effort is set to transition into acquisition and service introduction.

One company likely to take a keen interest is L-3 Communications, whose Warrior Systems and Oceania divisions is working to deliver a range of first tranche devices ordered under Land 53 Phase 1BR in an award announced in November of 2016, under which deliveries were scheduled between May of last year and May 2021. These include binocular night vision goggles that feature image intensifier tubes with white phosphor screens instead of green ones, a compact multifunction aiming laser with integrated white light capability, and the next generation of lightweight, miniature laser range finders, according to the company.

In late December, L3 announced that it had won a contract worth around $150 million from an undisclosed international customer for a number of next-generation devices including its binocular NVG, holographic weapon sights, light weapon thermal sights and advanced target pointer/illuminator aiming lasers to improve dismounted troops' ability to locate and target operational threats at night and in bad weather.

Commenting at the time, L3’s president and chief operating officer Christopher E. Kubasik said that the company “...continues to invest in promising new soldier technologies, such as fusion and augmented reality”.

Singapore Eyes Armed Multicopter Soldiers given ISTAR related tasks frequently seek a high vantage point for their observations, and increasingly that can be provided by small UAVs. However, Singapore’s ST Kinetic has taken this a step further by integrating armaments.

With the unveiling of the company's armed Stinger UAV concept at the Singapore Airshow, in 2017 the region's industry is showing that it is as capable as any other of generating innovative concepts for supporting ground troops in need of a very responsive armed ISTAR asset under their own control that can act as a significant force multiplier.

Technically an octocopter, the Stinger features four pairs of counter-rotating

electrically driven rotors at the ends of four arms that form a cross, under the centre of which is the vehicle's fuselage pod. Visually and in terms of weight, this is dominated by the 5.56mm Ultimax 100 light machine gun from the same company on a gimbal mount, chosen for its low recoil forces and its ability to accommodate a 100-round drum magazine. Still under development, the complete system is intended to be transported in a support vehicle or carried by a team of three.

While no details of the Stinger's key performance parameters such as endurance, speed and range, or of its reconnaissance and targeting sensor package, the company reportedly intends to make the vehicle compatible with its SHielded ADvanced Eyewear System (SHADES) augmented reality display.

Thailand's Hybrid VTOL UAVs Thailand has also shown innovative small UAV designs, including some that combine vertical take-off and landing capability with the greater speed, range and endurance of fixed wing UAVs from the Top Engineering Corporation. These are capabilities that make such vehicles potentially more practical for small dismounted teams to operate as they can launch from and recover to small spaces automatically and without the need to carry, set up, operate and dismantle any specialised launch and recovery equipment.

Top Engineering Group

63.5cm and a minimum deployed height of 38cm, the tripod can be extended to a maximum height of 1.9m with a 24 degree leg angle.

The goniometer is used when very accurate and precise angular measurements of target positions have to be taken, such as azimuth registration. It is made from non-magnetic materials, primarily brass and steel, and features a pointer that locks precisely in the selected position and comes with angle measurement discs with laser etched markings calibrated to 6,000 mils per revolution on one side and 6,400 mils per revolution on the other.

The Falcon V is also designed to be operated by small teams, who can assemble it in the field bringing clear potential to support dismounted organic ISTAR operations. Ground control station equipment can be tailored to suit the type of operation envisaged, says the developer.

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The eRider optionally manned vehicle is designed to support special forces and other dismounted reconnaissance teams by providing transport, networked ISTAR sensors and autonomous capabilities including unmanned overwatch, rendezvous on request and follower modes.

In ISR operations, the company says it will cover 4.5 km² at once with an illustrative sensor suite of either a 30 MP digital stills camera with 1080p video capability or a dedicated 1080p HD video camera.

Pigeon's small dimensions – a wingspan of 1.8m, a length of 65cm and 16cm in width – and its VTOL capability allow it to operate from very small areas, the company quoting jungle clearings no bigger than 5x5m or the deck of a small ship.

Autonomous Transport

The UAVs in question are the Falcon V and the smaller Pigeon, both of which feature four vertically mounted propellers for VTOL operation and a single pusher propeller for cruising like a conventional aeroplane. The Falcon V has an 18kg Maximum Take-Off Weight (MTOW) including 5kg of payload and optional wing spans of either 3m or 4.5m, the latter increasing its maximum operating altitude from 3,000m to 5,000m.

ISR is at the top of the list of applications for this UAV, and the company offers a sensor suite that includes a highresolution day/night capable DST OTUS L205 stabilised camera turret with a 200x IR zoom lens, plus downward looking camera to assist with landings and a forward looking situational awareness camera. However, its modular payload bays can accommodate a variety of other sensor types.

The company claims more than six hours of endurance or a range of more than 300km with a cruise speed of between 100-120 knots (185-222km/h), although the communications range with a 900MHz two-way data link that handles command and control (C2), te-lemetry and sensor video signals is quoted as 50km. The VTOL capability can extend endurance though a perchand-stare mode in which it can capture full motion video for up to six hours before it needs to recharge its batteries.

The Falcon V variant with the greatest endurance is powered by a petrol engine,

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although electric alternatives are offered, one powered by lithium ion batteries and another by a fuel cell.

To complete the system, of course, requires a ground control station that includes a 15-in laptop for mission planning, C2 and UAV data communication, a high-brightness monitor for the video, a video receiver and a data transceiver, a remote control transmitter, a joystick for camera control antennas and an antenna tracking unit. It also requires spare batteries, a battery charger and other items of hardware.

This can make UAVs impractical for field use by small units with other tasks, so reducing the overall footprint of these systems is critical. However, the company says its system is modular and adaptable to individual customer requirements, while several leading military communications companies offer means of controlling UAVs and receiving their sensor information through standard military radios.

Miniature Alternative The Falcon V’s smaller sibling might be of more interest to small tactical reconnaissance units. Top Engineering quotes an MTOW of 5kg with 60 minutes of endurance and a C2 range of 20km.

Powered by a lithium ion battery pack, Pigeon has a claimed top speed is 43 kts (80km/h), with 27kts (50km/h) cruise and a minimum speed in wing-borne flight of 22kts (40km/h).

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Ground robots are now firmly established in key military operations including bomb disposal and broader counter-IED and counter-mining, while light tactical vehicles are a staple of special operations and reconnaissance missions. Therefore combining these ideas is an almost inevitable development, and it is one that the French military is pursuing through a science and technology project named Furious, for which defence procurement agency the Direction Générale de l'Armement (DGA) has chosen Safran to lay the groundwork for the integration of robotics into the armed forces under the auspices of the wider Scorpion modernisation programme.

Safran employs around 2,500 people in Asia in the aerospace, defence and security sectors, including 500 employees at five manufacturing, engineering and maintenance sites in Singapore, and describes itself as a long-standing partner of the Singaporean armed forces.

This five year effort under project Furious will see Safran, chosen as prime contractor for its core expertise in navigation, electro-optics and safety critical electronics, work with research organisations, small and medium enterprises and start-up businesses over five years to develop three robotic ground vehicles of different sizes and mission profiles. Plans call for them to be tested by an infantry platoon in missions such as reconnaissance (including inside buildings) and load carriage.

The biggest of these will be the eRider, a vehicle that Safran developed in cooperation with Valeo, a specialist in sensors such as miniature radars and lidars for autonomous cars, and French automotive giant PSA. Unveiled in 2016, eRider is a hybrid diesel-electric all-terrain vehicle capable of carrying four soldiers and their equipment at speeds of up to 70km/h and over a

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In this frontal view of the TiCam 100B, the largest aperture, with its removal reflectionsuppressing “kill flash” grid, belongs to the uncooled thermal imager, with the smaller laser transmitting and receiving windows between it and the large connector, plus topmounted controls.

maximum range of 300km. While it can be driven manually, it can also be controlled remotely or operate autonomously according to an uploaded mission plan and with the aid of navigation and collision avoidance sensors. It is also equipped with another suite of sensors to enable it to act as a reconnaissance, situational awareness and targeting asset in addition to its transport capabilities, although

eRider's primary ISTAR assets are the soldiers it carries.

Robot Assisted Recce Safran has created a vignette to illustrate the vehicles capabilities, in which Special Operations Force (SOF) soldiers are briefed on a desert mission to reconnoitre a village at night in an oasis to watch for signs of terrorist presence or activity ahead of a planned delivery of humanitarian aid. The oasis is about 50km away, so the eRider is driven manually and under diesel power for the first 45km, then switching to electric mode to reduce the vehi-cle's thermal and acoustic signatures, navigating with the aid of night vision systems to avoid the use of lights.

After getting out of the vehicle, the soldiers make their own way to their individual observation points, leaving the eRider to move autonomously to a programmed location to wait for them while providing overwatch with its thermal, electro-optical and acoustic sensors. The acoustic sensors include a gunfire location system that can cue the electro-optical sensors and send the threat location data

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and imagery to the team's devices. Linked to their radios, their smartphone-like devices can be used to command the vehicle to move itself to a better position from which to monitor the threat to they can avoid it, or to come to the team bringing more weapons such as shoulder launched rockets, for example, to engage it. For this, a team member might use a homing request to summon the vehicle and then have it follow that individual.

With the mission complete they return to the vehicle, making their immediate egress under electrical power before engaging the diesel engine for the rest of the journey, making their reports to base en route using the eRider's secure comms system.

The combination of new multipurpose handheld electro-optical devices, hybrid UAVs and smart, optionally manned ground vehicles linked by reliable and secure communications is potentially game changing, and means that the ISTAR capabilities that dismounted troops can exploit need no longer be limited to what they can carry, indeed some of the technology will carry them. AMR

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The Zubr air cushion landing craft is the largest in service and can carry three MBTs. Two craft were built by the Feodosiya Shipbuilding Company in Ukraine for the PRC and delivered in 2013 and 2014. An additional two were to be built in China.

However, in August 2017 a fifth craft was reportedly seen in construction.

TO THE BEACH AND BEYOND AMPHIBIOUS ASSAULT The development of ship-to-shore landing vessels means more volume arriving per trip at higher speed.

by Stephen W. Miller

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he amphibious operation is considered by many military analysts and historians as the most difficult naval expeditionary operation. Its objective is to transition forces and their supporting vehicles and logistics from the sea to the land. As early efforts to move troops and supplies from ships to the beach using existing boats proved inadequate, it increasingly became clear that specially designed craft would be essential.

By the mid-1930s landing craft designs were being introduced by forces of the Japanese, the Soviets, the British and the US Marine Corps (USMC). These solutions were very similar and even drawing from each other. Each used a relatively flat bottom with the engine and most weight aft. This lowered draft forward facilitating beaching the craft. A powerful engine allowed the craft to back off the beach. Most used a propeller drive located in a ‘tunnel’ to protect it from damage in shallow water. The Royal Navy (RN), however, did field prototypes of a simple water jet propulsion design

by Samuel Wright. A feature that was also widely adopted was the bow ramp.

Seen on the Japanese 14 metre Daihatsuclass landing craft used from 1937 to 1945,

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the benefits were quickly recognised by other military observers. The USMC encouraged Andrews Higgins to include such a ramp on his landing craft design that they were acquiring. His Landing Craft Vehicle & Personnel (LCVP) became the most widely used craft of its type with over 23,300 produced and fielded.

General Dwight D. Eisenhower, Supreme Allied Commander in World War II, stated that the LCVP “won the war”.

It also contributed to establishing the amphibious landing as a viable operation.

Landing operations from the sea have traditionally been defined by two distinct phases, the assault followed by the build-up of forces ashore. The assault is intended to make an initial lodgement on land and to secure a beachhead. For militaries with an established Marine force this assault is often conducted using armoured amphibious vehicles. These are specifically designed to swim from ships to the beach and then either disembark infantry to secure the beach area or to proceed inland as combat vehicles. The BAE Systems AAV7 tracked amphibious assault vehicle, IVECO SuperAV wheeled armoured amphibious vehicle and Russian wheeled BTR 80 have filled this role. Just as the LCVP landing craft, these assault

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vehicles are primarily infantry carriers.

Bringing armoured vehicles, particularly tanks, and artillery ashore is accomplished by bigger landing craft (LC): the LCMMedium, LCU-Utility and, since the 1980s Air Cushion Craft. These are intended to transit to the beach, drop their ramp, offload and then return to their mother ship to repeat the task. Their objective is to build-up forces as quickly as possible to support the push inland.

These were then followed by larger Landing Ships (LS) that would beach and off-load their content of various combat, logistics and support vehicles directly onto the beach. The LS are capable of open ocean sailing but have a hull and bow configuration that permits them to approach the water’s edge. They have large bow doors or a ramp for vehicles to disembark. Once off-loaded they back off the beach and return to sea. The flatbottomed World War II LST (Landing Ship Tank) is the most renowned of this type. The term Landing Ship encompasses vessels as large as the 8,500 ton displacement Newport Class to the Polish 843 ton Polnocny-class ships. The Newports have a distinctive over-thebow ramp as well as a stern gate that allows the launch of AAVs. It remains in

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service with nine navies including those of Malaysia, Australia and the Republic of China. The Polnocny, which is classified as a ‘medium’ landing ship, is also widely deployed with eight navies including those of Russia, Vietnam and India.

Each of these assets directly supports the viability of the amphibious landing in their own specialised way. However, a strong case can be made that it is the landing craft’s capability that is the key to the success of an extended amphibious operation. It also is the most suited for a range of other tasks such as disaster and humanitarian relief. Their low draft, open vehicle/cargo area and forward ramp make them ideal for littoral areas as well as on inland waterways and rivers.

It is, therefore, useful to explore them, their capabilities and contribution to expeditionary operations.

Landing Craft The basic configuration used in the LCVP and Daihatsu-class continues to be reflected even today in most landing craft that have been developed. Most have a central payload area with a forward ramp,

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The LCVP was based on boats designed to operate in the bayous of US Gulf area. This plywood constructed craft became the most widely fielded landing craft and served in every theatre in World War II.

a relatively flat bottom, and traditional propulsion system. They have grown in size drawing on the Landing Craft Tank (LCT) also used in World War II with the

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ability to carry not just troops but trucks and armoured vehicles as well. The LCM8 (Landing Craft Medium) is typical of this traditional design and is used by the US Navy and Army, as well as by forces in Australia, Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam, Thailand and India. With a capacity of 54,360kg and a top speed of 12 knots (17km/h) they are also widely employed off-shore and on large river ways.

The US is pursuing a replacement for the LCM. In 2017 the US Army awarded a contract to Vigor Shipyards in Portland Oregon valued at $980 million for the Manoeuvre Support Vessel (Light) (MSV (L). This 30m vessel will be faster at 18 knots (33 km/h) and have a greater payload including the heavier M1A2 Abrams main battle tank (MBT). A Vigor statement noted: “Our MSV (L) design was developed in partnership with BMT following a detailed study of the Army’s unique needs and the available design options. The tri-bow monohull is an innovative yet deceptively simple design that provides superior manoeuvrability and stability in high sea states, through the littorals and within inland waterways.”

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Navantia’s LCM-1E uses water jet propulsion and a full deck design that facilitates loading and off-loading, as well as providing faster ship-to-shore turn-around time. One LCM-1E can complete the same tasks that would require two or more LCM-8s and do so more quickly.

The contract calls for one prototype vessel, four vessels in low rate production and up to 32 additional vessels by 2027. The first MSV(L) is scheduled for delivery in 2019.

The Spanish firm Navantia has also developed and sold its own LCM design.

The LCM-1E uses water jet propulsion and has a capacity to carry a Main Battle Tank (MBT) or six trucks or 170 troops.

With a 22kts (41km/h) maximum speed it is one of the fastest landing craft.

Loading can be achieved through either the forward and stern ramp, which also assists craft to transfer loads from one craft to another. An analysis provided by Navantia demonstrated that the LMC1E could move more loads to the beach faster than traditional LCM designs.

Even transiting 20nm per trip from ship to beach the 1E could complete twice as many round trips in less time as the LCM-8. It has been acquired by Spain, Italy, Australia, and Turkey.

The latter two navies are fielding them in conjunction with their Landing Helicopter Dock (LCD) ships that are based on Spain’s Juan Carlos I multi-purpose amphibious assault ship. This ship, as well as many of the latest amphibious ships, has a ‘well deck’, a feature that has significantly expanded the ability to deploy landing craft more widely and in far distant operations. The well deck can be flooded and accessed by landing craft through an aft door or ramp which means they can be reloaded and sent back to the beach at a quicker cycle rate.

Moving larger loads and particularly multiple vehicles falls to the Landing Craft Utility (LCU) and similar larger craft. The US LCUs include the 1466, 1610 and 1627 classes some of which have

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been in service for 40 years. They share a configuration with the coxswain’s station on the starboard (right) side allowing a full aft to bow load area and straight passage between. They have a capacity of between 127,000 -183,000kg meaning they can carry up to two MBTs. The US Army, however, utilises the Runnymede class large landing craft or LCU 2000 class which has a large aft super-structure. It is classified as an open ocean vessel with up to 10,000km range and 18 days endurance. It also can carry up to 226,800kg which is equivalent to five M1 MBTs or 24 ISO containers.

In April 2018 the US navy awarded a contract to Swiftships for the design and construction of its new LCU1700. A Naval Sea Systems Command (NAVSEA) spokesperson indicated that “the new LCU 1700 class will be approximately 42m (139ft) long with a beam of 9.4m (31ft) and a displacement of approximately 480 tons with a full load. It will have a range of 1200nm at 8kts (14.8km/h) and a crew of 13. They will be capable of transporting two M1A1 tanks or 350 combat troops, or 170 tons.” The 1700 will replace the LCU 1610 with the first vessel is to be delivered in 2020. Under the contract up to 31 craft can be built through 2027.

The Indian Navy has also introduced a new class of LCU, the Mk IV LCU class which succeed the current Mk III LCUs. Designed and built by Garden Reach Ship Builders (GRSE) under a $340 million contract awarded in 2011, the first of eight vessels were commissioned in the Spring of 2017. Constructed for sea movement they can transport vehicles including MBTs or up to 260 troops up to a distance of 1500nm at 15kts (27.8km/h). The Mk IV is well armed including two 30mm

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CRN-91 guns with Bharat Electronics EON-51 electro-optic directors, two heavy machine guns, four medium machine guns, plus an Russian Igla air-defence missile system. The vessels support the security presence in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands in the Bay of Bengal, and Lak-shadweep Islands in the Arabian Sea. The Russian Navy with its major waterways and seas, particularly the Baltic and Black Seas, continues to operate a sizeable landing fleet. These include the Dyugon-class landing craft which can carry up to 154 tons of cargo, three MBTs or five BTR personnel carriers and up to 50-100 marines. Its top speed of 35kts (65km/h) is made possible by its air cavity hull design powered by two 9000hp M507A-2D diesel engines and high efficiency water jets. The Serna class is a smaller landing craft that also uses the air cavity system. They carry one MBT or two BTR wheeled fighting vehicles. Twenty craft are operational in the Caspian Sea flotillas.

The Peoples Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) has also sought to field its own landing craft with higher speeds. Its Type 074A Landing Ship uses a catamaran hull that offers a top speed of 18kts (33km/h).

It has a 200,000kg capacity that can include up to three MBTs plus 70 equipped troops.

Its 1000nm range and 15 day endurance make it well suited to coastal and offshore operations. It complements the earlier Type 74 with a traditional hull that can carry 100,000kg.

The French Navy has also determined to focus on high speed transit in this case with a unique catamaran hull landing craft, the L-CAT by CNIM. It can reach up to 30kts (55.6km/h) when empty and 18kts (33.4 km/h) when loaded to maximum payload of 72,575kg. With forward and aft ramps is can quickly load and disembark up to 40 troops and vehicles including an MBT. CNIM indicated that it is planning a larger L-CAT based version with greater endurance that can carry two MBTs. The current L-CAT is in service with the French and Egyptian Navies.

Air Cushion Landing Craft Landing assets with higher speeds means that amphibious ships can remain further off-shore without increasing the transit time to the beach. The application of air cushion craft designs to the landing craft role as in the Textron LCAC (Landing Craft Air Cushion) allows 40kts+ (74km/h) fully loaded. The first LCACs were fielded in 1986 with 91 produced.

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Russia’s Dyugon Class LCU is well suited to the transport of troops and armoured vehicles in the Baltic, Caspian, and Black Seas. Its air cavity hull design allows speeds of up to 35 knots. Here BTR wheeled armoured vehicles are transported.

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They were followed by the Gus class and Tsaplya class in the 1990s all of which appear to no longer be in Russian service (although the Republic of Korea acquired three Tsaplya craft in 2003). Its current Zubr class is the world’s largest, with a full load displacement of 555 tons and a top speed of 63kts (116.7km/h). It can carry three MBTs (up to 150 tons), or ten combat vehicles plus 140 troops. Zubr is also well armed with Strela-3 man-portable air defence missiles, two 30mm AK-630 close in weapon systems, and two multiple rocket launchers for shore bombardment.

Craft are in service with the Russian and Hellenic Navies and the PLAN.

Future Trends With amphibious ships ideally remaining 32km off-shore, the push today is toward landing craft designs with greater speed and higher payloads. The objective is to reduce the round trip time and to place more assets on the beach in less time. That industry innovators have demonstrated this is possible suggests that landing craft will remain a primary means of ship-toshore movement. AMR

EURONAVAL - Conception : Karbone studio

They can carry 60 tons normally and up to 75 tons in an ‘over-load’ condition.

The latter provides the ability to transport the latest M1 MBT. The latest Service Life Extension Programme (SLEP) incorporates four Vericor Power Systems ETF-40B gas turbines; two for lift and two for propulsion. LCACs typically are transported to a landing area and

operate from the well deck of amphibious ships. Currently, both the US Navy and Japanese Maritime Self Defence Force use the LCAC which the later began acquiring in the late 1990s.

Presently the US Navy’s Ship-toShore Connector (SSC) programme is pursuing the replacement for the LCAC. In July 2012, the Navy awarded a $213m contact to Textron Marine & Defense for development of the SSC. Scott Allen, vice president Marine Systems at Textron advised AMR that the SSC or LCAC 100 would “particularly incorporate a number of reliability and operating improvements. New technology would offer computer assisted, fly-by-wire, stick & rudder controls to reduce pilot workload. Overall, systems have been simplified with attention to reducing maintenance and increasing reliability.”

The first craft will be delivered for Navy testing in the summer of 2018.

The Soviet Navy began using air cushion landing craft in the mid-1970s with the Aist Class. These have an 80,000kg capacity (up to four light tanks or two MBTs) and speed of 70kts (130km/h).

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Tel : +33 (0)1 56 59 15 15 • sales@euronaval.fr | JUNE/JULY 2018 |

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K2 MBT: Hyundai Rotem’s K2 main battle tank will be at the forefront of any armoured assault.

NO PEACE DIVIDEND YET Although growing interaction with North Korea seems to offer long awaited detante, it is still too early for the South Korean government to slow any of its military modernisation programmes.

by JR Ng

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or nearly 70 years since its respective services were formed, the armed forces of the Republic of Korea (RoK), better known as South Korea, has stood sentinel against the threat posed by the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK), or North Korea, which invaded its southern neighbour in June 1950 with the covert support of Russia (then the Soviet Union) and China.

Open warfare ended on 27 July 1953, when an armistice was signed. However, the two Koreas remain technically at war, engaged in a frozen conflict.

According to the South Korean Ministry of National Defence's (MND’s) latest Defence White Paper released in 2014, the present Korean People’s Army (KPA) is believed to be maintaining an inventory of approximately 4,300 tanks and 2,500 wheeled and tracked armoured vehicles of varying types and tonnages, although many of these are possibly unserviceable or operating at reduced capacities.

The MND also noted that the KPA maintains 70 percent of its forces south of the Pyongyang-Wonsan line, a posture that enables it to conduct a surprise attack

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at short notice. While the capabilities and readiness of the KPA’s land combat platforms may be debatable, vehicles attacking southwards would be preceded by deep fires from 8,500 artillery pieces and 5,100 multiple rocket launchers (MRLs), the majority of which are forward deployed in fortified underground emplacements.

Army Modernisation The Republic of Korea Army (RoKA) is South Korea's largest military service and has primary responsibility for defending the country from the north. Established in 1945 by US forces occupying the southern half of the Korean Peninsula, the RoKA was initially configured as nine lightly armed infantry regiments with a total manpower of around 50,000 troops close to the outbreak of the Korean War. The contemporary RoKA has adopted a force structure and utilises equipment comparable to the US Army – a reflection of the heavy infusions of US training and equipment, combined with large-scale joint planning and training exercises for combat operations.

The decades of transformation and

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modernisation, combined with South Korea’s alliance with the United States, has largely negated the vast numerical and artillery advantages of the otherwise qualitatively inferior KPA. Moreover, the 1990-91 Gulf War provided South Korea with valuable insights on how emerging technologies have enabled fast paced, informationbased combined arms battlefield doctrines. With a robust economy visà-vis the growing belligerence of North Ko-rea over the past decade, the country has embarked on a wide-ranging modernisation programme that has seen the RoK armed forces benefit from the acquisition of new weapons, aircraft and systems that have significantly improved battlefield mobility and lethality, as well as operational command, control, communications, computers and intelligence (C4I).

According to the MHD’s White Paper: ”The ground forces will acquire manoeuvre and strike capabilities to conduct offensive manoeuvre warfare. As the operational area of responsibility of each unit expands, manoeuvre, fire, protection, and precisionstrike capabilities will be improved, and

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The RoKA’s mechanised infantry forces will also be boosted with the new Hyundai Rotem 6x6 K806 and 8x8 K808 wheeled armoured vehicles (WAVs).

an automated combat system will be acquired. The present RoKA is understood to field 41 divisions and 15 separate brigades organised into 11 corps, and is equipped with around 2,400 main battle tanks (MBTs), 2,600 armoured personnel carriers (AFVs) and infantry fighting vehicles and 5,180 pieces of field artillery.

At the forefront of its forces is the latest Hyundai Rotem K2 MBT, which entered production in 2008 following 13 years of development under the XK2 development programme. The 56 ton K2 is armed with a 120mm L55 smoothbore gun that has been fitted with a dynamic muzzle reference system, thermal sleeve, and fume extractor. The weapon offers a significant increase in effective combat range when compared with the shorter 120mm L44 gun installed in the earlier K1/K1A1 MBTs in service since the late 1980s, while an advanced fire-control system with automatic target detection and tracking system enables the K2's crew to identify enemy vehicles at longer distances and engage them accurately.

Recent developments are improving overall RoKA operational effectiveness in the near term. These include converting infantry formations into mechanised forces with significantly enhanced mobility and firepower. To achieve this goal, its mechanised infantry forces will also be boosted with the new Hyundai Rotem 6x6 K806 and 8x8 K808 wheeled armoured vehicles (WAVs). Up to 100 K806 and 500 K808 WAVs are expected to be fielded.

Both the 16 ton K806 and 20 ton K808 will be operated by a two-person crew with accommodation for up to nine fully

equipped troops, and share many of the same performance characteristics given that major mechanical components such as the engine – a 420hp Hyundai Motor Company diesel engine that provides a maximum road speed of 100km/h – and transmission are employed in both vehicles. The K806 is aimed at operating in the rear echelon for defending military facilities, transporting passengers and protecting logistics convoys, while the K808 will conduct high-intensity combat operations in front-line areas alongside K1A1 and K2 MBTs.

Republic of Korea Navy (RoKN) Similarly, the Republic of Korea Navy (RoKN) is rapidly acquiring a range of high-end naval capabilities aimed at improving its ability to conduct amphibious, anti-submarine, precision strike, and ballistic missile defence (BMD) operations through the fielding of several classes of new surface combatants and submarines – with the goal of securing its growing economic and political interests in the region as well as countering the asymmetric threats posed by the KPN in the extensive littoral areas of the peninsula closer to home.

With its ability to manoeuvre along the Yellow Sea to the west and the Sea of Japan to the East, the RoKN must be prepared to execute multiple complex missions before, during, and after the outbreak of general hostilities with North Korea, such as delivering precision strikes on key targets deep in North Korea using submarine and surface war-ship-launched land-attack cruise missiles, and countering the KPN’s

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East and West Fleets, which operate naval assets including nearly 300 fast attack craft with some of these missile-carrying platforms, around 50 midget and dieselelectric submarines, and even a ballistic missile submarine.

Although most of its combatants are struggling with obsolescence issues and rarely venture beyond coastal waters, the RoKS Cheonan incident demonstrated the willingness of the North Korean regime to employ deadly force will little to no warning. As a result, the RoKN is expected to contain or destroy its counterpart’s attack submarine force and its sole Gorae-class ballistic missile submarine; defend itself against fast craft attacks while blockading the entire North Korean coast; as well as have the potential to perform amphibious operations on both coasts to insert large RoK Marine Corps, RoKA and US Army forces into North Korea above the 38th parallel.

In the past decade, the RoKN has steadily increased its surface combat capability with new Incheon-class (FFX) frigates, with plans to operate up to 20 of these vessels in three progressively improved batches by 2028. The service will also benefit from 18 new PKX-A missile boats, as well as 16 PKX-B Batch 1 and 18 PKX-B Batch 2 patrol boats, which are replacing its Chamsuri and Gumdoksuri-class patrol vessels.

The service’s largest and most capable surface combat capabilities currently reside in its three KDX-3 guided-missile destroyers, which are equipped with the Aegis Combat System comprising Lockheed Martin's SPY-1 multifunction radar and paired with the MK 41 vertical launching system. The first KDX-3 destroyer, RoKS Sejong Daewang, was built and tested by Hyundai Heavy Industries (HHI) in Ulsan and commissioned in Busan in November 2008. The second and third KDX-3 platforms, RoKS Yulgok YiI and RoKS Seoae Ryu Seong-ryong, were commissioned in August 2010 and 2012 respectively.

The Aegis combat system can detect and track any flying objects within 1,000km, can simultaneously track up to 900 targets within 500km, and can intercept any target within 170km. KDX3 weapon systems include SM-2 fleet air defence missiles, SSM-700K Haeseong (Sea Star) long-range anti-ship cruise missiles, Hongsangeo (Red Shark) long-range anti-submarine torpedoes, and Chungsangeo (Blue Shark) light torpedoes. RIM-116 Rolling Airframe

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The Republic of Korea Air Force (RoKAF) is one of the countries in Asia Pacific to join the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter programme joining Australia and Japan through the acquisition of 40 F-35As.

Missile (RAM) short-range anti-air missiles and Phalanx close-in weapon systems (CIWS) defend the ships against incoming missile threats. Each vessel is manned by 300 crew members and carries two anti-submarine helicopters.

Although South Korea intended to acquire only three KDX-3 destroyers, continued provocations by North Korea and mounting regional uncertainties prompted the country to procure three more KDX-3 platforms to create an integrated network of two or more Ae-gis-equipped destroyers in the Yellow Sea and Sea of Japan. In late 2013 an order for a second batch of three KDX-3s was confirmed by the navy and approved by the government with the ships expected to enter service around 2023 to 2027.

The RoKN established a new submarine command in 2015 to improve coordination of its growing submarine capability, which comprise the indigenously constructed Chang Bogoclass diesel-electric attack submarines based on the German Type 209/1200 design and the more recent KSS-2 attack submarines based on the Type 214 design.

There will eventually be nine KSS-2s in service, to be followed from 2020 by up to nine 3,000-tonne KSS-3 submarines.

Current plans also call for a modernised midget submarine force to replace its ageing Dolgorae (Dolphin)-class midget submarines with HHI’s larger and more capable KSS-500A platform.

The introduction of the helicoptercapable landing ship dock RoKS Dokdo in July 2007 provided a significant boost to the RoKN’s amphibious capabilities.

With a troop carrying capacity of 700 marines, 10 helicopters, two high-speed air-cushioned landing craft, and 10 MBTs), Dokdo is capable of undertaking a wide

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spectrum of missions, including disaster response, international peacekeeping, and special operations forces (SOF) support.

Up to three of these vessels could be in service by the 2020s to operate alongside new landing ship tank (LST) platforms.

Republic of Korea Air Force The Republic of Korea Air Force (RoKAF), known locally as Han-Guk Kong Goon, is a well-trained and powerful organisation that is recognised to be one of the best equipped and trained air forces in the Asia Pacific, if not the world. RoKAF modernisation is focused on developing world-class, independent operational capabilities, including long-range precision strike and advanced intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) in addition to enabling rapid response to threats originating from within the Korean peninsula and beyond.

The RoKAF presently operates approximately 800 aircraft, including around 450 tactical platforms and a national air defence system with an extensive network of radars and surfaceto-air missile (SAM) sites, comprising army-operated Raytheon Patriot Advanced Capability-2 (PAC-2) missiles brought up to the Guidance Enhanced Missile-TBM (GEM-T) standard for improved BMD performance, with new PAC-3s systems expected to be deployed in 2018.

The backbone of the RoKAF’s combat power currently resides in around 170 Lockheed Martin F-16C/D Block 50/52 Fighting Falcon multirole fighters and 60 Boeing F-15K Slam Eagle strike fighters, although it still operates a number of ageing McDonnell Douglas F-4E Phantom II and Northrop Grumman F-5E Tiger II fighters. Lockheed Mar-

| Asian Military Review |

tin was awarded a $1.2 billion contract in November 2016 to upgrade 134 F-16 fighters – known as KF-16 in RoKAF service – by 15 November 2025, following the cancellation of a similar deal with BAE Systems in November 2014 after a dispute over costs.

The RoKAF is also rapidly gaining new capabilities with the acquisition of the Lockheed Martin F-35A Lightning II Joint Strike Fighter (JSF), the first of which was rolled out at the company’s Fort Worth manufacturing facility in March 2018. South Korea had committed to a buy of 40 JSFs in March 2014 in a deal worth $6.8 billion (KRW 7.3 trillion) under Phase III of its F-X next-generation fighter programme, which will also see Lockheed Martin transfer core technologies – including advanced materials, avionics, flight control techniques, and systems integration – under a defence offset programme attached to the deal to support development of its indigenous Korean Fighter Experimental (KFX) aircraft.

The process of replacing the service’s ageing F-5E Tiger II fighters with 60 Korean Aerospace Industries (KAI) FA-50 Golden Eagle light attack aircraft is in progress, with additional orders expected to increase the number to over 100 platforms.

Strike capabilities have likewise received a significant boost in recent years, with the introduction of the stealthy and long-range MBDA Taurus KEPD 350K airlaunched stand-off cruise missiles, with a company-stated range of over 500km, onboard the F-15K Slam Eagles. An initial batch of the missiles were acquired in November 2013, with an additional batch announced in March 2018.

The 1,400kg missile is specifically designed for use against hardened and buried targets and is armed with a 1,000kg Multi-Effect Penetrator Highly Sophisticated and Target Optimised (MEPHISTO) penetrator warhead. The weapon is guided using a combination of inertial navigation systems (INS) aided

by GPS, a radar mapping altimeter and an imaging infrared (IIR) seeker.

“If armed with the Taurus missile, the (aircraft) can hit North Korea’s capital city of Pyongyang while flying over Daejeon, 164km south of Seoul,” military officials told local media, and also noted that the F-15Ks could launch a Taurus munition over the Sea of Japan to destroy hardened and deeply buried targets such as aircraft on the ground, bridges, bunkers, caves, runways, shelters, surface-to-air-missile sites, as well as ships in port. AMR

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The Vietnamese Coast Guard is being boosted by the arrival of new OPVs that will enhance its surveillance and patrol capabilities in its EEZ.

THE NAVAL WORKHORSE Offshore Patrol Vessels are gaining popularity as a cheaper but increasingly more capable option to more sizeable and expensive ‘grey navy’ warships.

by Tim Fish

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he Asia-Pacific region has traditionally been the domain of the corvette as naval requirements were focussed on warfighting ships with a need for a large number of weapons and sensors.

But this has started to change with more Offshore Patrol Vessels (OPVs) entering the market.

This is a reflection of the emerging security environment, restricted budgets and recognition of the value of OPVs as a less expensive multipurpose vessel to carry out non-warfighting maritime tasks such as counter-piracy, patrolling, counter drug trafficking, preventing illegal fishing, search and rescue and more.

Piet van Rooij, design and proposal manager at Dutch shipbuilder Damen Naval Shipbuilding told Asian Military Review (AMR) that most of the navies and coastguards in the Asia-Pacific region “had doubts about OPVs and prefer to have corvettes and frigates, but budgets push in the direction of OPVs”. He said the OPV had been budget-driven vessel but it is becoming more mature with better weapons systems to provide greater military capability while retaining

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cheaper operating costs.

“Taking care of borders and operational areas can be easier done with an OPV than a very costly frigate or corvette.”

He added that regional navies are more focused on OPVs “now or in the near future” because of the tensions in the area.

Countries in the region tend to have both coastguards and navies, with the former more inclined towards OPVs while the navies retain the corvettesize ships. But the set size of an OPV is vague, with the displacement ranging from 1,400 tons to 4,000 tons depending on the requirements. China is pushing the boundaries of coastguard vessel size by incorporating vessels displacing up to 10,000 tons, triggering a regional reaction to counter this move with bigger ships too.

Damen is delivering its 9014 OPV design to the Vietnam Coastguard in partnership with the domestic shipbuilder the Song Thu Group, which is completing the manufacturing in Danang. The project is initially for two DN 2000 class vessels as part of a coastguard modernisation programme approved in 2014. The first ship was launched six months early in

| Asian Military Review |

November 2015. Vietnam’s focus is on securing its economic exclusive zone (EEZ) in the South China Sea and protecting its fishing industry, where China has been encroaching in recent years near the Spratly and Paracel Islands.

“OPV 2400 is the most popular 90 metre vessel,” van Rooij said, “particularly in the Far East as it has a little more size capability than the OPV1800 80m-long version.” This allows for improved helicopters operations, the use of dedicated mission modules, as well as extra space for crew and better sea keeping in rougher conditions.

That is not to say that the company’s 1800 design has not been successful.

The Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA) is due to receive three 1,800 ton OPVs from a Malaysian Joint Venture company that comprises TH Heavy Engineering (THHE) and Destini Shipbuilding. The ships are being built at THHE’s Pulah Indiah yard to Damen’s OPV1800 design under a contract valued at $160 million that will see the three vessels delivered by mid-2020. These will be the largest ships operated by the MMEA and their ability to mount fast interceptor boats, RHIBs and a 7.5 ton helicopter will increase Malaysia’s ability to patrol its coastal zones more effectively. The ship’s armament includes a 30mm SMASH cannon from Turkish manufacturer Aselsan and a 12.7mm machine gun.

Indonesia has followed suit. Fresh from the success of its SIGMA corvette/ frigate programme (also a Damen design), the coastguard agency, the Maritime Security Board (Badan Keamanan Laut Republik Indonesia – BAKAMLA) will receive a new 110m-long OPVs built by PT Malindo Marine to its own design that displaces 2,400 tons and will be named KN Tanjung Datu. Plans are to build a second OPV and more 80m-long patrol ships to enhance BAKAMLA’S capabilities that are sorely lacking in numbers of vessels considering the country’s archipelago geography.

In Thailand the navy is procuring Krabi-class vessels that are built to BAE Systems’ 90m OPV design that is being delivered to the UK Royal Navy (RN) as well to that of Brazil. Clive Marchant, international business development manager for the Asia-Pacific region told AMR that the export of the design also included “technology transfer” with some amendments: “they wanted to change the electrical system to their local

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HTMS Krabi, the first of Thailand’s new 90m-long OPVs has helped establish a nascent shipbuilding capability in that country.

standard and they wanted to fit a larger 76mm gun in place of the 30mm gun in the original specification.”

The ships are built for the Royal Thai Navy at the state-owned Bangkok Dock in Sattahip. Thales has been contracted to provide the combat management system but a lot of equipment has been sourced in Thailand or across Asia. The first ship was delivered in 2013 and performed so well that they ordered another. “In the first three years of service that ship had only one month of down time for maintenance. So what they really noted was the reliability you get with a new build ship, compared to many of their vessels in the past that were second hand and pretty old”.

The second OPV has further changes to the design and started construction in 2016. “The Navy moved their Command and Information Centre (CIC) down one deck to give a larger area to operate the ship from and added anti-ship missiles and with a bigger gun it is pretty capable and is more than an OPV now,” Marchant said. It is due to be launched later this year and there is requirement for a further four OPVs. In the Philippines, another country that has a dire need for more maritime patrol capability to control its EEZ, the coastguard has selected the aluminiumhulled OPV270 ship design from France’s OCEA shipyard alongside four fast patrol boats. The vessel will be delivered in 2019 and it is the first time the company has been contracted for an OPV of this size having earlier exported smaller variants to Indonesia and Senegal. Financing from the French government was key to the company securing the contract. There are

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BAE Systems

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requirements for a further 18 OPVs. German shipbuilder Lürssen has won the $2.7 billion competition to provide 12 OPVs for the Royal Australian Navy’s (RAN) Project Sea 1180. The company’s OPV80 design beat competition from Damen and rival German firm Fassmer.

Construction is due to begin later this year at ASC Shipbuilding in Adelaide, which will build the first two vessels. The remaining 10 will be constructed in the Western Australian marine complex at Henderson using the facilities of domestic shipbuilders Austal and Civmec. How the work will be split between the yards is unclear but the selection of ASC is to ensure that skills are retained in South Australia until the start of the RAN’s Sea 5000 Future Frigate programme. The government expects each ship to take three years to complete with the first due to be commissioned in 2021 and the others following on an annual drumbeat of one per year. In neighbouring New Zealand, there are plans to procure a third Protectorclass OPV, probably from BAE Systems, under the 2015-2020 Strategic Plan but no announcement has been made.

The RAN variants will have a 40mm gun, three RHIBs, a stern flight deck, space for modular mission packages and the 9LV combat management system from Saab. Dirk Malgowski, managing director of Lürssen Defence told AMR: “Procurement programmes often aim to more affordable platforms with versatile usage, modular mission equipment arranged on a suitable mission deck.”

Lürssen’s OPV80 has also been selected

by Brunei for its Darussalam-class OPVs. After the attacks in Mumbai, India has

| Asian Military Review |

devoted considerable effort to improving the patrol capability in the Indian Coast Guard, which had until then been a secondary consideration compared to the Navy. The Coast Guard is due to receive seven OPVs from domestic shipbuilder Larsen & Toubro after the company was awarded a contract from the Indian Ministry of Defence (MoD) in March 2015.

The first ship was launched in October last year and is undergoing trials, while the second was launched in January 2018.

In 2017 Goa Shipyard Ltd (GSL) completed the delivery of six OPVs for the Indian Coast Guard under a $274 million contract awarded in May 2012.

The ships, known as the Samarth-class, are 105m long and displace some 25003000 tons. The company has secured another contract to build an extra five vessels with amendments.

The Indian Navy is getting five OPVS under its P-21 programme with Pipavav Shipyard/RDEL, which has launched the first two at its yard in Gujarat. Unlike the coastguard OPVs, it has considerable armament including a 76mm Super Rapid Gun from Italian company Leonardo and two 30mm AK-630 air defence guns from Russia.

GSL also delivered a new OPVs to the Sri Lanka Navy (SLN) in July 2017 fitted with a 30mm gun and two 12.7mm guns.

The firm has also delivered the fifth of six OPVs to the Sri Lanka Coast Guard (SLCG). Operations by the SLN and SLCG were critical in the war against the Tamil Sea Tigers by defeating the insurgent’s mother ships at sea that hosted the Tigers fast small boat attack capability.

In neighbouring Bangladesh, Italian shipbuilder Fincantieri has delivered four second-hand OPVs to the Coast Guard completing the project in October 2017.

The ships were ex-Italian Navy Minervaclass corvettes that were converted by the company under a contract signed in July 2015.

At the same time as developing its maritime constabulary forces with new OPVs, nations in the Asia-Pacific region are also attempting to establish a nascent shipbuilding capability to construct more complex warships with Western assistance in design and production. It is a first step but will require long-term planning and financing to ensure that this success is built upon and does not wither away. But as long as the maritime security challenges are heightened in the region, the focus on developing naval forces and building OPVs is set to continue. AMR

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CHINA FLEXES MARITIME MUSCLE TO WARN TAIWAN AND REGIONAL RIVALS China News Agency

by Veerle Nouwens

China’s aircraft carrier with a flotilla of Chinese naval ships demonstrating a show of force.

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he South China Sea has witnessed growing Chinese naval presence, but the People’s Liberal Army Navy (PLAN) parade on 12 April was of another magnitude. Chinese ambitions to become a leading ‘blue water’ navy and maritime power were on full display, with President Xi Jinping, as chairman of the Central Military Commission, donning camouflage military fatigues.

The parade was the largest ever held by the PLAN since its creation in 1949. It included the Liaoning aircraft carrier, type 052D destroyers, type 052C destroyers, type 071 amphibious transport dock and type 093 nuclear-powered submarines (two of which carry

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nuclear-capable intercontinental ballistic missiles). In total, 48 vessels, 76 aircraft and over 10,000 service personnel were reported to be involved. According to articles published on the English language version of the Chinese Central Military Committee website, the PLAN “displayed its latest equipment and best strength with unprecedented transparency”, thereby sending “subtle messages to the outside world”.

In his remarks, President Xi noted the need to accelerate the development of new types of combat forces and build a modern maritime combat system, and that “the task of building a powerful navy has never been as urgent as it is today”. It was no

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Chinese President Xi Jinping reviews the Chinese People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN).

coincidence that the naval parade coincided with live fire drills in the Taiwan Strait. In doing so, Beijing offered two messages.

The primary message is to Taiwan (Republic of China), whose relationship with the United States under President Trump has strengthened. Beijing sent a clear reminder to Taipei that it will not tolerate any moves toward independence. Since the phone call between President Trump and Taiwan’s President Tsai Ing-wen in 2016, the relationship between Taiwan and the United States has continued to strengthen through decisions in 2017 by the US to sell $1.42 billion in arms to Taiwan, the signing in 2018 of the Taiwan Travel Act into US law thereby allowing bilateral visits of serving US and Taiwanese officials ‘at all levels’, the decision by the US Department of State to allow American manufacturers to sell sensitive technology to Taiwan to help further Taiwan’s indigenous submarine programme, as well as rumours that US Marines will stand guard at the new premises of the American representative office in Taipei. These moves have angered Beijing, which has increased pressure on Taiwan’s pro-independence government since it came to power in May 2016. Indeed, Taiwan now counts only 19 diplomatic allies, with the loss of diplomatic recognition from Sao Tome and Principe, Panama and the Dominican Republic since 2016.

Beijing’s displeasure over the current Taiwanese government’s refusal to formally recognise the so-called ‘1992 consensus’ on the One China Policy, has also been increasingly noticeable in official statements by President Xi Jinping. As President Xi noted at the National People’s Congress in March this year, “All manoeuvres and tricks to split the motherland are sure to fail […]. Not one inch of the territory of the great motherland can be carved off from China”.

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China’s live-fire naval exercises in the Taiwan Strait, held alongside its Naval Parade in the South China Sea, served as a direct warning to Taiwan and follows a steady increase in military exercises around the island.

However, the naval parade also served as a nod to the wider Indo-Pacific region that the growing power of the Chinese navy is a reality they’ll have to accept. The cornerstone of China’s public diplomacy effort as a rising benevolent power has been to promote the ideal of ‘mutual benefit’, ‘common destiny’ and ‘win-win cooperation’.

While the Belt and Road Initiative has sought to promote this image of China, Beijing is clearly showing that its path to becoming a super power on the world stage includes the development of a modern military, with a focus on becoming a maritime power. By 2035, China aims to have accomplished military modernisation and by 2050 seeks to have a top-tier military that is capable of winning wars. There has been some discussion on what kind of super power China would like to be – including the responsibilities that come along with the title? Time will tell how China’s military forces will be used, but pace at which it continues to address its capability gaps are an indication that President Xi is living up to his statement at the 13th National People’s Congress that Beijing is “resolved to fight the bloody battle against our enemies…with a strong determination to take our place in the world”. In the short-to-medium term, this will mean that China’s priorities will focus on furthering its military modernisation programme to be able to protect its core interests. Those include Taiwan, but they also include positioning China as the regional hegemon in Asia by displacing the United States and dissuading other regional actors from challenging Beijing’s dominance.

The question, however, is whether by showing that Beijing is not just an economic power but a military power, it will create the very obstacles to its own rise that it is currently seeking to overcome. This will depend on two things: whether other countries are up to the task of challenging the notion of Chinese dominance in the region, and how fast China can overcome its own limitations in military capabilities. If it’s accomplishments to-date as shown in the Naval Parade are any indication, Beijing will continue to strive to meet its 2035 and 2050 goals.

China News Agency

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Note: Veerle Nouwens is a research analyst, Asia Studies at the Royal United Services Institute for Defence and Security Studies, Whitehall, London. Email-VeerleN@rusi.org.

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