Asian Military Review - Nov 2015

Volume 23/issue 7

november 2015 US$15

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

Anti-Submarine Warfare Attack Helicopters Mobile SATCOM

TRAINER AIRCRAFT THAILAND’S ARMED FORCES SOLDIER MODERNISATION

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Contents

november 2015 VOLUME 23 / ISSUE 7

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THAILAND MODERNISES

Thailand’s armed forces are involved in a number of important modernisation initiatives as the country faces a turbulent strategic landscape, Alex Calvo reports.

Front Cover Photo:

The Thai armed forces are modernising and adapting to a changing world, with new equipment and capabilities on the horizon. This will enable the country to continue playing its important part in the AsiaPacific’s security calculus © US DoD

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Tools You Can Trust

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Bladerunners

In this new edition to AMR, Andrew White provides a Debrief on infantry modernisation programmes across the Asia-Pacific.

Andrew Drwiega takes an in-depth look at several attack helicopter programmes around the Asia-Pacific, profiling current programmes, and future requirements.

Littoral Thinking

Significant submarine proliferation in the Asia-Pacific and further afield, is prompting many navies in the region to invest in sonar systems for large and small vessels alike, Gerrard Cowan discovers.

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44 Back to Basics

Demand for basic trainer aircraft, with the fidelity required to prepare pilots for multi-role combat aircraft is growing in the Asia-Pacific, David Oliver explains.

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Signals From The Cosmos

Thomas Withington’s regular column providing all of the latest news and analysis regarding events in the defence radio frequency domain.

Asia-Pacific customers can choose from an enviable range of mobile satellite communications systems and services, Thomas Withington investigates.

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Index of Advertisers ADAS PHILIPPINES 2016

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ADEX AZERBAIJAN 2016

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AERONAUTICS

25

DSA MALAYSIA 2016

EUROSATORY 2016

COVER 3

FIDAE CHILE 2016 IAI

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53

5

IDEAS PAKISTAN 2016

IMI

37

INDO DEFENCE 2016

13

RAFAEL

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RAYTHEON

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COVER 4

SINGAPORE AIRSHOW 2016

COVER 2

TRIJICON VECTRONIX

Editorial

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Giving Peace a Chance

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hen one thinks of leading contributors to United Nations (UN) peacekeeping efforts around the world, the People’s Republic of China (PRC) does not immediately spring to mind.

This maybe about to change: In late September, the PRC’s President Xi Jinping told the UN General Assembly that his country would make 8000 soldiers from the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) available to support peacekeeping. Mr. Xi also promised up to $100 million of military assistance to the African Union (AU) to support the AU’s establishment of a socalled ‘standby force’ to rapidly react to crises on the continent.

Beyond the AU and UN pledges, Mr. Xi promised actions to back up words, vowing “favourable consideration” in his UN speech to UN requests for engineering, transport and medical assistance for future peacekeeping operations, although cautioning that any initiatives would need “exit strategies” to be “timely formulated and executed.” To your editor this sounded like the PRC was stopping short of offering “boots on the ground” which may require blue-helmeted peacekeepers to use lethal force to stop violations of UN resolutions intrinsic to the mission. Secondly, Mr. Xi seems to be making clear that the PRC refrain from supporting potentially open-ended peacekeeping missions, or those which could become quagmires. While this might go short of the ‘kinetic’ assistance offered by regular UN peacekeeping contributors such as India, Pakistan and Bangladesh, it is a notable departure from the PRC’s arguably more inward-looking posture. This has been witnessed since the UN’s formation with the PRC regularly deploring the ‘interference in the internal affairs of a country’ by one, or several, members of the international community in civil wars, or to bring mass murder to a stop; no matter how odious the situation.

However, Mr. Xi’s statement is an adroit political manoeuvre. The PRC has been in the ‘sin bin’ of international politics since the start of the century, as the country has flexed its muscles regarding its ongoing maritime and territorial claims in the South and East China Seas. At the same time, the PRC has increased its presence in Africa, with Chinese companies pouring investment into the continent to tap its abundant natural resources which the PRC’s economic expansion is dependent upon. One could cynically say that Mr. Xi’s announcement is an effort to show the PRC as a responsible international actor, diverting attention from its disputes in the Asia-Pacific.

As the PRC expands its presence in the peacekeeping arena, it may find itself appreciated as an ‘honest broker’ in some conflicts. The PRC has no colonial legacy in the continent unlike France or the United Kingdom, Mr. Xi and his colleagues may yet find that giving peace a chance pays handsome political dividends.

Thomas Withington, Editor

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DEFENSE & SECURITY 2015 Stand H 38-40

by Thomas Withington

Saab will deliver new Giraffe-AMB groundbased air surveillance radars to the British Army, taking the total number of systems ordered by the force to ten. These radars will be used by the Royal Artillery’s 16th Regiment © Saab

Saab is moving ahead with its supply of new Giraffe-AMB groundbased air surveillance radars to the British Army, while Thales will supply 1100 AN/VRC-121 vehicular radios its US counterparts.

In the electronic warfare domain, Harris is providing its AN/SLD-4 ESMs to the US Navy.

Radar Saab took the opportunity of the Defence Security Exhibition International (DSEI) event held in London between the 15 to 18 September to share more details regarding the British Army’s acquisition of Saab Giraffe-AMB Mod.C ground-based air surveillance radars.

The company announced in late August that it had won a contract from the United Kingdom Ministry of Defence (MoD) worth $74.6 million to provide several of the radars to the British Army. This followed an earlier contract in 2008 to provide the same radar to the UK MoD under the Land Environment Air Picture Provision (LEAPP) air defence programme. According to British Army sources speaking to Pulse at the exhibition, the new radars ordered as a result of the August contract will be operated by the British Army’s 16th Regiment of the Royal Artillery which is responsible for Short-Range Air Defence (SHORAD); a mission that it executes using the BAE Systems/MBDA Rapier

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Field Standard-C SHORAD Surface-to-Air Missile (SAM) system, with the Giraffe-AMB Mod.C providing the recognised air picture to support the SAM. British Army sources continued that the new Saab radar will also support the Future Local Area Air Defence System (FLAADS) which will replace the Rapier SAM. MBDA is supplying FLAADS to the British Army following the award of a development and manufacturing phase contract by the UK MoD to the company this January worth $348 million. FLAADS will begin to replace the Rapier system from 2020 as the latter begins its retirement, although there is no word from the UK MoD regarding exactly how many FLAADS batteries it will acquire.

Currently, the Royal Artillery has five Rapier SAM batteries.

Saab’s Giraffe-AMB is a three-dimensional (altitude, bearing and velocity) radar which operates in the C-band (5.25-5.925 gigahertz/GHz). With an instrumented range of 64.7 nautical miles/nm (120 kilometres/km), the radar employs digital beam

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forming, and transmits 14 stacked pencil beams to provide 70 degrees of elevation coverage. UK MoD sources told Pulse that a total of four radars have been ordered as a result of the August contract with deliveries of all of these radars expected to be completed by the end of 2018. The six radars ordered by the UK MoD in 2008 will then be upgraded to the same Mod.C configuration as the four radars ordered this August.

The six radars ordered in 2008 are operated by 49 Battery of the Royal Artillery, itself part of the 16th Regiment (see above) subordinate to the Joint Ground-Based Air Defence (JT GBAD) headquarters. JT GBAD merges the Rapier batteries operated by the Royal Air Force Regiment and those operated by the Royal Artillery.

The Hungarian Ministry of Defence (MoD) has provided Pulse with additional details regarding the recent July activation of a new North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) funded ground-based air surveillance radar. The new radar, which is a Selex RAT-31DL system, commenced construction at Medina airbase in the south of the country in October 2012. The facility cost $3.5 million to build, with NATO providing 94 percent of the funding to this end. The alliance will also provide funding assistance for the duration of the radar’s operational life, which is expected to be circa 18 years, according to media reports.

This RAT-31DL is the third such radar deployed by the Magyar Légierö (ML/Hungarian Air Force), with two other systems at Bankut airbase in the north and Bekescsaba in the south-east.

According to a written statement provided to Pulse by the Hungarian MoD, the activation of the RAT-31DL will allow the ML to continue phasing-out its Cold War-era, Soviet-supplied P-37 (NATO reporting name ‘Bar Lock’) S-band (2.3-2.5/2.7-3.7GHz) ground-based air surveillance radars which have an instrumented range of 250nm (463km), along with its PRV-17 (NATO re-

The Hungarian Air Force’s new Selex RAT-31DL ground-based air surveillance radars will be used to enhance the country’s Recognised Air Picture (RAP), and the wider RAP of NATO as part of the latter’s NATINAMDS command and control system © Selex

porting name ‘Odd Group’) height finding S-band radar with a 325nm (601.9km) range.

The L-band (1.215-1.4GHz) RAT-31DL radar has an instrumented range of around 216nm (400km), with a maximum altitude exceeding 100,000 feet (60960 metres). This new radar, the statement continues, will assist the generation of the Recognised Air Picture (RAP) for the ML’s NATO Multi-AEGIS (Airborne Early Warning/Ground Environment Integration Segment) Site Emulator (MASE) hardware and software air operations Command and Control (C2) system. The MASE architecture used by the ML is expected to be replaced by the Alliance’s ThalesRaytheonSystems’ Air Command and Control System (ACCS) hardware and software architecture which is being rolled out across most of NATO’s European membership (sans Germany and the United Kingdom) over the next five years.

In addition to supporting Hungary’s MASE and ACCS C2 systems, the radar will feed into NATO’s Integrated Air and Missile Defence capability (NATINAMDS) which federates radars and air C2 systems across the Alliance’s European membership so as to provide a detailed RAP of European airspace regarding air incursions and ballistic missile launches. NATINAMDS is headquartered at NATO’s Allied Air Command headquarters at Rammstein airbase, western Germany.

Tactical Radio

Thales will deliver up to 1100 AN/VRC-121 VIPER vehicular radios to the US Army with deliveries expected to commence in early 2016. These radios act as an adaptor for the General Dynamics/Thales AN/PRC-154 family of handheld V/UHF radios © Thales

In early September, the United States Army awarded General Dynamics a contract worth $20 million for a two-channel, vehicle-mounted version of the force’s AN/PRC-154/A(V)1/ B(V)1 UHF (225-450 megahertz) and L-band (1.2-1.3/1.7-1.8GHz) Rifleman Radio.

The AN/PRC-154 is currently being procured via the Low Rate Initial Production (LRIP) phase of the US armed forces’ Joint Tactical Radio System (JTRS) which is replacing a raft of tactical land, airborne and maritime radios used across the US

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(HF/1.6-30 megahertz/MHz), Very High Frequency (30-88MHz) and VHF/Ultra High Frequency (UHF/118-400MHz), the latter being used for ground-to-air/air-to-ground communications.

Although the nomenclature of these radios has not been disclosed by the company, it adds that all of these radios will be offered in manpack, vehicular and fixed configurations. In terms of waveforms, the radios will support voice and data networking with communications security and Electronic Counter-Countermeasure (ECCM) protection. The firm adds that; “(t)he user can configure the radios to generate a waveform most suitable to his requirement through various combinations of embedded modulation formats, vocoders, data rates, ECCM and encryption algorithms as well as network access mechanisms.”

Electronic Warfare Horizon Technologies unveiled the latest version of its FlyingFish airborne SATCOM SIGINT system at this years’ DSEI exhibition. The improvements included in the product can be retrofitted onto legacy FlyingFish payloads © HorizonTechnologies

military. As a result of this contract, General Dynamics has subcontracted Thales to provide a total of 1100 AN/VRC-121 VIPER (Vehicle Integrated Power Enhanced Rifleman) radios which will begin deployment in early 2016, according to a Thales press release announcing the news.

These latter radios will be delivered to the US Army 82nd and 101st Airborne Divisions. In terms of architecture, the AN/VRC-121 design effectively acts as an adaptor to provide a two-channel radio. The transceiver accommodates an AN/PRC-154/A handheld radio which in turn carries the Soldier Radio Waveform. The SRW is the waveform developed for the JTRS programme for use at the lowest tactical level. The AN/PRC-154/A fits into the AN/VRC-121 transceiver which provides 20 Watts of amplification. This increases the transmit power of the AN/PRC-154, which is normally in the region of five watts, allowing longer-range communications. Moreover, the vehicle-mounted AN/VRC-121 effectively enables the AN/PRC-154 to be both a handheld and a vehicular radio using the same transceiver.

To ease installation, the AN/VRC-121 can be housed in any vehicle with either a Single Channel Ground and Airborne Radio System (SINCGARS) vehicle adapter amplifier, or SINGCARS base tray. The AN/VRC-121 can act as a conduit carrying the SRW between dismounted troops using the SRW on their AN/ PRC-154 family radios, vehicles, and higher echelons of command. It answers the US Army’s requirement for a vehiclemounted radio carrying the SRW. Thales was originally awarded the Indefinite Quantity/Indefinite Supply contract for the AN/ VRC-121 in late-April 2014.

Away from the United States, South African military communications specialists Reutech have told Pulse that the company will deliver a new selection of tactical radios to all branches of the South African armed forces (army, air force and navy) from 2016. The company declined to disclose the number of radios that it will deliver, but did mention that these will replace existing Reutech transceivers which have been in service with the South African armed forces for the past 25 years.

The company added that it will supply High Frequency

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On 23 September, Harris announced that it had been awarded a contract of an undisclosed value by General Dynamics to supply its AN/SLD-4 Electronic Support Measure (ESM) to equip two new ‘Independence’ class Littoral Combat Ships which General Dynamics is constructing for the US Navy. The AN/SLD-4 will outfit the USS Omaha and the USS Manchester, which commenced construction in February and June respectively. Deliveries of the two AN/SLD-4 systems will be completed by the end of 2016, a Harris press release announcing the news confirmed.

Meanwhile, towards the end of August, L-3 Linkabit was awarded a contract from the UK MoD to supply its AN/PRD13(V)3 man-portable Electronic Support Measure (ESM). The AN/ PRD-13(V)2 member of the AN/PRD-13 family can search up to nine Radio Frequency (RF) bands, plus a “frequency pass” list of up to 400 signals, according to the company’s official literature.

When a signal of interest is detected, the AN/PRD-13 measures its frequency, bandwidth, the time it was first detected, the duration of activity, the direction-finding bearing and the strength of the signal. Customers have the option of recording and playing back signals which the system has intercepted. In terms of frequency coverage, the AN/PRD-13 covers the two megahertz to two gigahertz segments of the electromagnetic spectrum, thus encompassing HF, VHF and UHF communications.

Raytheon is moving forward with the Cerberus electronic attack system destined to equip the company’s ADM-160J

Raytheon is moving ahead with the Cerberus enhancement earmarked for its ADM-160J miniature air-launched decoy. The Cerberus initiative is designed to offer the user a number of payloads which can be used according to the mission being undertaken © Raytheon

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Miniature Air Launched Decoy-Jammer (MALDJ). On 9 September, the US Naval Research Laboratory announced that it had performed captive flight tests of the Cerberus modular electronic warfare payload designed to equip the AGM-160J. The testing occurred during the US NORTHERN EDGE joint military training exercise held in Alaska this June. The Cerberus architecture includes four separate EW payloads which can equip the AGM-160J according to the mission in hand. The AGM-160J is currently in full-rate production for the USAF, with deliverAQYR Technologies is delivering its AN/ ies commencing in 2012.

PRS-11 portable SATCOM equipment It is essentially an air(pictured here) to the US Air Force, together with its AN/PRS-12 man-portable launched drone that has SATCOM system, with deliveries to this a 500nm (926km) range effect commencing in November © AQYR and weighs 136 kilograms (300lb).

The AGM-160J is a development of the USAF’s ADM-160A/B MALD. This latter system mimics the electro magntic signature of the aircraft from which it was launched, so as to confuse radar operators as to which target on their screens is in fact the real aircraft: The more ADM-160A/Bs launched, the larger the number of false returns presented to the radar and the greater the ensuing confusion. Both the Alpha and Bravo ADM-160 variants are similar, but the Bravo employs a more powerful engine, and a redesigned airframe, meanwhile, the AGM-160J adds the ability to jam hostile radars. The AGM-160J is cleared for use onboard the Lockheed Martin F-16C/D Fighting Falcon multi-role combat aircraft, which can carry four, and the Boeing B-52H Stratofortress strategic bomber which can accommodate 16.

The AGM-160A/B uses Global Positioning System (GPS) based navigation, following a flight profile once launched which can comprise up to 256 waypoints. Inside the AGM-160A/B is Northrop Grumman’s Signature Augmentation System (SAS) which is thought to actively transmit RF emissions which copy those produced when the carrying aircraft reflects RF in specific radar bands. The AGM-160J may well continue to include the SAS, possibly affording the crew a choice between using either spoofing or jamming tactics, or it may dispense with the SAS altogether to provide solely a jamming function intended to blind enemy radars with noise.

Raytheon told Pulse that work began to develop the Cerberus payload in 2009, with a contract awarded to this end in September 2011. The statement continues that current work regarding Cerberus is focused on a “technical demonstration to show and then evaluate the military utility of a modular, quick change payload architecture for the AGM-160J.” Regarding any future

production contract, Raytheon’s statement continues, “the US government has decided that this concept is valuable and offers a boost to the warrior’s capabilities. It is now in the hands of the combatant commanders to establish a requirement and request service funding to put this concept into production.” The company adds that an additional programme to develop a datalink for the Cerberus payload is underway.

In the United Kingdom, Horizon Technologies launched the latest incarnation of its FlyingFish airborne Signals Intelligence (SIGINT) payload at this year’s DSEI event. Designed to monitor satellite telephone traffic, this latest version of the FlyingFish payload replaces the legacy FlyingFish system introduced by the company in 2013. Both products can be accommodated on an inhabited aircraft, or onboard an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle.

Horizon Technologies is coy about revealing its customers, although the firm announced that an undisclosed NATO member had purchased the product. It added that the FlyingFish system remains in service with several NATO and non-NATO air forces around the world. There are differences between the new FlyingFish launched at DSEI, and the legacy product, according to Horizon Technologies’ John Beckner, the company’s director: “(the new) FlyingFish is a fully-sealed product, and qualified to a much higher level of operating environment (compared to its predecessor). This allows much more flexibility in deployment. In addition, it has a built-in processor, and only needs a display, not a separate laptop, for operation.” Legacy FlyingFish payloads can be upgraded to the new configuration, Mr. Beckner adds.

Regarding satellite communications traffic, both the new, and legacy, versions of the FlyingFish can cover INMARSAT’s (International Maritime Satellite) iSat SATCOM (Satellite Communications) and those SATCOM systems used by the Thuraya satellite constellation.

SATCOM The United States Air Force has awarded a contract worth $100 million to AQYR Technologies for the supply of AN/PRS-12 Global Broadcast Service (GBS) man-portable SATCOM systems.

The indefinite quantity/indefinite supply contract covers the supply of AN/PRS-12 equipment alongside the company’s AN/ PRS-11 portable SATCOM receivers.

Both the AN/PRS-12 and AN/PRS-11 handle Ka-band (26.5-40GHz-uplink/18-20GHz–downlink) SATCOM providing data and imagery communications across the UHF Follow-On (UFO) and Wideband Global SATCOM (WGS) constellations operated by the US Navy and the US and Australian departments of defence respectively. Both these constellations carry the GBS protocol which allows one-way wideband and high throughput communications to fixed and mobile US forces. The GBS protocol can provide high data rate SATCOM to several users at once, and also to small low-cost receive-only SATCOM terminals. Typically, data rates of circa 45 megabits-per-second can be sustained using the GBS. According to a written statement supplied to Pulse by AQYR, construction of these new SATCOM systems will commence in November 2015. Initial deliveries to the USAF will then follow in February/March 2016, with up to ten units per month being constructed, and production continuing for circa 15 months after the first deliveries in 2016. AMR

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Regional M i l i t a r i e s

Royal Thai Marines are seen here undergoing training with their US Marine Corps counterparts during Exercise COBRA GOLD in 2012. This initiative was co-hosted by the US and Thailand as the largest annual multinational exercise in the Pacific Š US DoD

Thailand

Modernises Thailand faces a complex transition back to democracy and a continued insurgency in its Muslim-majority southern regions, while Burma and Vietnam’s strategic distractions give Bangkok breathing space to modernise the country's conventional forces.

by Alex Calvo

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Regional M i l i t a r i e s

A soldier from the Royal Thai Navy Riverine Patrol Regiment provides covering fire during the 2015 Cooperation Afloat Readiness and Training exercise in Thailand.

Along with other nations in the Asia-Pacific, riverine warfare is a key capability for Thailand © US DoD

T

raditionally a key US regional partner in Southeast Asia, Thailand has managed to avoid the brunt of increased tensions originating from the People’s Republic of China’s (PRC) growing military power and continuing maritime and territorial claims in the South and East China Seas. Yet the continuing ethno-religious insurgency in Thailand’s southern regions, which commenced in the early 1960s, means that Bangkok must retain powerful Counter-Insurgency (COIN) capabilities, while at the same time modernising its conventional military forces. The PRC’s enlarging strategic presence in the Asia-Pacific region, as discussed above, could yet result in closer defence links with Beijing and even a possible conventional hunter-killer submarine (SSK) purchase from the PRC in the future. This may give Thailand’s armed forces extra leverage to preserve bilateral military cooperation with the United States, despite pressure from Washington DC for the country to return to democracy following the military coup d’état and the establishment of the National Council of Peace and Order on 22 May 2014 to govern the country by

General Prayut Chan-o-cha, commander of the Royal Thai Army (RTA), following six months of political crisis. Daren Knight, managing director of Knight Associates, a security consultancy based in Dublin, believes Thailand will retain a “good relationship with Western armed forces that continue to provide advice and training” and that internal security requirements regarding COIN will not “dent Bangkok’s overall military modernisation”.

Thailand has territorial disputes with Malaysia and Cambodia. The dispute over the Bukit Jeli area where the Golok River (which demarcates part of the border between Malaysia and Thailand) flows into the Gulf of Thailand is the subject of ongoing negotiations between the two countries. Meanwhile, Thailand has a territorial dispute with Cambodia involving land in the locale of the Preah Vihear Temple, in the Dângrêk Mountains on Thailand’s southern border with Cambodia which similarly remains unresolved. Traditionally, Thailand has faced four strategic imperatives: keeping the country’s central regions (including Bangkok) stable, preserving control of outlying buffer regions including the

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northern mountains; the north-eastern Khorat Plateau and the upper half of the Malay Peninsula; strategically balancing Burma and Cambodia; and engaging foreign powers economically and technologically while preventing them from undermining Thai political power. Thailand will invest $6.3 billion in defence in 2016 according to media reports which equates to 1.5 percent of the country’s Gross Domestic Product.

This is a seven percent increase compared to the country’s 2015 defence budget. The budget has been growing since the 2006 coup d’état which resulted in the ousting of Prime Minister Thaksin Shinwatra following a year-long political crisis. The country’s defence spending levels gives it the third largest in the Association of South East Asian Nations.

Navy Second to the RTA in seniority, and receiving a quarter of total defence spending is the Royal Thai Navy (RTN).

It comprises 74000 personnel including 2000 in its naval aviation branch and 11000 Marines. Sailors are a mixture of volunteers and two-year conscripts (fewer than a third of total strength) in

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Regional M i l i t a r i e s

The Saab JAS-39C/D Gripen MRCA has provided the RTAF with a 4.5-generation warplane. The aircraft’s presence in Thailand is important for its manufacturer showcasing the jet’s capabilities to other potential customers in the Asia-Pacific © Thomas Withington

non-technical roles, with some women serving in administrative slots. Some local media reports state that a lack of training and poor maintenance cast a shadow over its capabilities, despite the force’s regular participation in bilateral and multilateral exercises. The navy’s flagship is the HTMS Chakri Naruebet aircraft carrier. She is accompanied by seven ‘Knox’, ‘Type-025T’ and ‘Type053HT’ class frigates, plus two ‘DW3000F’ class frigates currently under construction scheduled for delivery from 2018. Other major surface combatants include seven ‘Ratanakosin’, ‘Tapi’ and ‘Khamronsin’ class corvettes.

Bangkok’s current strategic posture does not require a very large fleet, just the necessary numbers to have a regular presence in the Andaman Sea, the Gulf of Thailand and the South China Sea to defend maritime interests and enforce sovereignty claims. Thus, as opposed to countries like Vietnam and the Philippines, engaged in a maritime and territorial conflict with the PRC, and eager to thus upgrade their navies, no such urgency is apparent regarding the RTN. That said, some procurement programmes are in place, such as a new class of Offshore Patrol Vessel (OPV). The Royal Thai Navy has acquired one ‘River’ class OPV (HTMS Krabi), built domestically by the state-owned shipyard Bangkok Dock (with significant assistance from BAE Systems), and is currently negotiating a second purchase (with unconfirmed plans for up to six), as well as the possible

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export of further units at an undisclosed point in the future. This OPV is an enlarged version of the Royal Navy’s ‘River’ class vessels equipped with an OTO Melara 76mm main armament and helicopter deck.

Thailand’s Marsun shipyard constructed the RTN’s three ‘M21’ class patrol boats, with an order for a further four placed in July 2015. With a crew of nine, its armament consists of one bowmounted Denel GI-2 20mm gun and a stern-facing 12.7mm machine gun with

a co-axial 81mm grenade launcher, while embarking one rigid hull inflatable boat.

These boats are devoted to Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) patrol with the RTN’s Coast Guard Squadron.

In 2013 the RTN selected Daewoo Shipbuilding and Marine Engineering to build the first ‘DW-3000F’ class frigate (see above) and later ordered a second example. Saab is providing the ships’ PLV Mk.4 Combat Management System and Sea Giraffe-4A naval surveillance radar.

The ‘DW-3000F’ design is based on the ‘Gwanggaeto’ class destroyer in service with the Republic of Korea Navy, and the first ship is expected to be delivered in 2018. Weapons include an eight-cell Lockheed Martin Mk.41 vertical launch system equipped to launch Raytheon’s RIM-162 Evolved Sea Sparrow surface-toair missile, an OTO Melara 76/62 Super Rapid gun and two MSI Defense Seahawk 30mm cannons.

The HTMS Chakri Naruebet rarely sails, according to local media reports, because of maintenance and manning problems.

Built by Navantia and commissioned in 1997, as the country’s financial crisis struck, she was meant to carry nine McDonnell Douglas/Boeing AV-8S Harrier MultiRole Combat Aircraft (MRCA) and 14 helicopters, with a complement of 605 personnel. The AV-8S is now out of service, and the ship’s Sikorsky S-76 Seahawk maritime support helicopters based onshore, although the ship took part in relief operations following the 2004

Personnel from the Royal Thai Navy Riverine Squadron perform a force protection exercise onboard a fishing vessel during the 2011 annual bilateral Cooperation Afloat Readiness and Training initiative © US DoD

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See us at DEFENSE & SECURITY 2015 Israel Pavilion, Stand K-37

Regional M i l i t a r i e s

Meetings between Thailand and the PRC in June 2014 have reinforced the defence cooperation of both countries, although the fate of the proposed purchase of three submarines is still unclear, along with whether Thailand will continue with the purchase under pressure from the US © Thai Ministry of Foreign

Royal Thai Air Force’s Saab JAS-39C/D Gripen MRCAs and Saab S-100B Erieye Airborne Early Warning (AEW) aircraft.

This datalink was successfully tested on 21 September 2015.

Thailand may provide a way for the PRC’s merchant fleet, already the former’s top trading partner, to bypass the Malacca Strait between the Malay Peninsula and Indonesia’s island of Sumatra via the construction of a canal through the Kra Isthmus, the narrowest part of the peninsula between Thailand and Burma.

It is thus not surprising to see Beijing interested in closer links, including the potential sale of three ‘Yuan-S26T’ class SSKs from the PRC for some $1 billion mooted in media reports this June. That said, pressure from Washington DC may result in the country also considering German or RoK SSK designs.

Air force Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami and floods in Thailand in 2010 and 2011.

The RTN also operates three Lockheed Martin P-3T Orion maritime patrol aircraft equipped with Boeing AGM-84 Harpoon family anti-ship missiles.

The largest operational ship in the RTN is HTMS Angthong, an amphibious assault ship built by Singapore Technologies Marine as the fifth in the company’s ‘Endurance’ class. Displacing 7600 tonnes, she has a well deck and a flight deck capable of supporting up to two medium-lift utility helicopters. A versatile platform, she can perform both naval and Humanitarian Assistance/ Disaster Relief roles. She was deployed this year as a medical and processing centre for refugees adrift. The RTN’s amphibious fleet is reinforced by two ‘Normed PS-700’ class tank landing ships, and nine ‘Marsun M55’, ‘Thongkaeo’ and ‘Mannok’ class utility landing craft. Thailand has no coast guard as such, and these functions are shared by the RTN’s Coast Guard Squadron, through which ships and aircraft rotate, and the Marine Police under the Interior Ministry. The Royal Thai Marine Corps comprises two divisions and includes an amphibious assault battalion. The Mekong River Operating Unit is in charge of riverine operations.

Submarines have long been seen by the RTN as a necessary asset, although in 2011 the cabinet rejected the purchase of two second-hand ‘Type 206A’ class

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SSKs from Germany. Regional submarine proliferation means that strengthening anti-submarine warfare capabilities is a priority for the RTN. Another priority is integrating the communication systems of warships and aircraft, leading to a contract with Saab in 2011 to upgrade the CMS and fire-control systems on the country’s two Chinese-built ‘Type-25T’ class frigates. This contract includes the supply of datalinks for the ships, enabling communication between them and the

The Royal Thai Air Force (RTAF) is tasked with both COIN and conventional missions. The RTAF’s ‘eyes in the sky’ are two S-100B Erieye AEW aircraft with a maximum radar detection range of some 243 nautical miles/nm (450 kilometres/ km) from 20000 feet/ft (6096 metres/m), and an effective range against MRCA targets of some 162-178nm (300-330km).

The RTAF’s MRCA inventory comprises Northrop Grumman F-5E/F Tiger-II, General Dynamics/Lockheed Martin F-16A/B Fighting Falcon and JAS-39C/D jets. Thailand is a very important market

Lt. Gen. Francis J. Wiercinski (bottom right), the commander of the US Army in the Pacific, and Lt. Gen. Surasak Karnjanarat, deputy chief of staff, Royal Thai Army (bottom left) after a meeting in Fort Shafter, Hawaii, in 2012 © US DoD

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Regional M i l i t a r i e s

Personnel from the RTAF commemorate the delivery of the second Saab S-100B Erieye AEW aircraft to the Royal Thai Air Force in October 2012. These aircraft complement the RTAF’s JAS-39C/D MRCA in helping to secure Thailand’s airspace © RTAF

for Saab which hopes to use Thailand’s purchase to illustrate the suitability of its JAS-39 MRCA family to other countries in the Asia-Pacific region. The government has approved the Mid-Life Update (MLU) of its F-16A/B MRCA under a programme worth $353 million. To date, six have completed the procedure performed by Thai Aviation Industries and Lockheed Martin with a further six aircraft currently undergoing the MLU. The project is aimed at increasing the aircraft’s life span by two decades and should be completed by 2017.

With regard to Unmanned Aerial Vehicles, the RTAF operates an undisclosed number and is converting squadrons 402 and 404 into UAV squadrons, replacing its three Israel Aerospace Industries Arava turboprop freighters. The lack of details surrounding the activation of these squadrons may be partly due to use in sensitive ongoing COIN operations in southern Thailand. The RTAF has tried to promote domestic research and development in the UAV domain. For example, Kasama Helicopters co-developed with the RTAF a 34 kilogram (74.8 pounds) Vertical Take-Off and Landing (VTOL) UAV with an endurance of three hours. In October 2015 the firm signed a partnership and technology exchange agreement with

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Lockheed Martin. Kasama Taworn, Kasama Helicopter’s chief executive officer, said that the US firm was “able to provide things we want such as flight control software or ground control station to develop the VTOL UAV to meet military standards.”

Army The main mission for the Royal Thai Army (RTA) is internal security, although its training and equipment is also geared towards conventional defence. The RTA remains the senior service in terms of size and influence, consuming half of the national defence budget.

Recent years have seen the replacement of the RTA's obsolete US-made Cadillac M-41 light tanks with a $200 million order for 49 Kharkiv Morozov Machine Building Design Bureau T-84M Oplot Main Battle Tanks (MBT) from Ukraine, plus two recovery vehicles, which could be followed by further purchases of up to 200 at some undisclosed point in the future. The T-84M is equipped with a 125mm gun and explosive reactive armour. Ukraine has come to dominate Thai imports of land combat vehicles, with deals including 117 Kharkiv BTR3E1 eight-wheel drive armoured vehicles.

These have been ordered in three batches in 2008, August 2011 and August 2013

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respectively, resulting in the purchase of 238 examples..

In September 2015 the RTA expanded its 2012 purchase of the Thales Starstreak very short range air defence system which can engage low-level MRCA, UAVs and attack helicopters. Anti-aircraft systems also include towed and self-propelled guns, among the latter 24 US-made BAE Systems/United Defence M-163 VADS (Vulcan Air Defence System) with a 20mm rotary gun. In October 2015 the RTA announced their upgrade, with a laser rangefinder and remote operation, all-weather engagement and automatic target tracking.

Conclusions Thailand’s military face two key challenges: preserving their status while guiding a return to democracy, and battling the continuing ethno-religious insurgency in the south. At the same time it needs to replace or modernise much of the armed forces’ equipment and improve training and maintenance. In this regard both enhancing the capability for the domestic research, development and production of materiel, while also procuring equipment on the domestic market internationally, will remain crucially important. AMR

SOLDIER M O D E R N I S A T I O N

The US continues to ‘pivot’ towards the Asia-Pacific to support allies in the region as tensions continue to ramp up vis-a-vis territorial and maritime disputes with the PRC © US DoD

Tools You Can Trust The Asia-Pacific’s defence market continues to witness rapid change and growth as nations seek to maximise their force-multiplying capabilities against a backdrop of fiscal constraints. These factors are having an impact on the procurement of materiel to support infantry troops.

by Andrew White

T

he United States’ ‘pivot’ of its foreign policy towards the Asia-Pacific, as announced by President Barack Obama in November 2011, has certainly brought more international attention to the region which is embroiled in maritime and territorial disputes primarily involving the People’s Republic of China (PRC) and its claims to this effect in the South and East China Seas.

Tensions in these areas remains high, with military aircraft from the PRC and the US frequently flying provocatively close to one another. On 22 September, media reports emerged of a US Air Force Boeing RC-135V/W Rivet Joint Electronic Intelligence-gathering aircraft being intercepted by two People’s Liberation Army Air Force Xian JH-7A/B multi-role combat aircraft during a flight over the northern part of the East China Sea.

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Speaking at the Defence and Security Exhibition International (DSEI) in London on 15 September, Chinese and Japanese naval staff discussed the movement of free trade and territorial disputes across the region with particular attention paid to the ‘Senkaku/Diaoyu’ archipelago in the East China Sea, claimed by the PRC, but controlled by Japan.

Tension increased yet further in July when the Diet (Japanese parliament)

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Infantry troops in Brunei-Darussalam routinely enjoy cross-training with NATO armed forces, including special forces units, assisting them in MOUT and close quarter combat. The British Army is particularly active to this end in the country © US DoD

passed legislation allowing the Japan Ground (JGSDF), Maritime (JMSDF) and Air (JASDF) Self Defence Forces to operate abroad for the first time since the end of the Second World War. An ability to conduct “Collective Self Defence”, as described by Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, is extremely likely to significantly uplift investment in defence procurement programmes across all domains in Japan.

Meanwhile, engagements between the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) and the Republic of Korea (RoK) continue with the latest events seeing two soldiers injured by land mine explosions close to the Demilitarised Zone (DMZ) separating the two countries, in early August. This was compounded towards the end of the same month by an exchange of artillery and heavy machine gun fire between both countries across the DMZ. Despite escalating tensions, the AsiaPacific is witnessing an increase in stateon-state military cooperation, both in the industrial arena as well as in the realm of military exercises. For example, the PRC and Pakistan recently completed a joint Special Operations Forces (SOF) exercise in September, known as ‘Warrior-3’ held in Attock, northern Pakistan. This was designed to share Counter-Insurgency (COIN) expertise.

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In addition, the PRC’s People’s Liberation Army (PLA) also recently completed a joint exercise held in the Malacca Strait in mid-September with the Malaysian military specifically focused on Humanitarian Aid/Disaster Relief (HADR) operations, as well as maritime and littoral missions. Further afield, Australia and India have agreed to conduct future exercises focused on Maritime COIN in the littoral environment with collaboration between SOF at the top of the agenda.

vegetation impeding line-of-sight radio transmissions. Thus infantry and SOF personnel are forced to go ‘back to basics’ in terms of soldiering. Hence the reason why so many North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) SOF use the jungles of the Asia-Pacific to train soldiers at the most basic levels. For example, the British Army has a team located in BruneiDarussalam for jungle warfare training.

Jungle training writ large includes patrolling, close quarter battle, surveillance and reconnaissance and military assistance scenarios. Once these Tactics, Techniques and Procedures (TTPs) have been mastered, they can then be transferred to all subsequent training and operations, be it mobility, COIN, maritime and airborne missions.

Emphasis on environmental extremes has greatly affected India where recent defence budget cuts have forced that country’s Ministry of Defence (MoD) to significantly reduce the size of its newlyformed Mountain Strike Corps which operates across the Himalayan range spread over the country’s northern border with Tibet and the PRC. The Indian MoD also announced in February that it was planning to improve defence capabilities across this border as well as that with Pakistan in the disputed region of Jammu and Kashmr.

Environmental Conditions In light of the threats discussed above, the role of infantry forces has once more risen to prominence in the Asia-Pacific.

Consequently, they must be equipped for a wide variety of environments ranging from jungle, maritime and littoral areas through to high altitude and winter warfare operations and Military Operations in Urban Terrain (MOUT).

By its very nature, jungle warfare is the optimal ‘leveller’ for infantry forces, with minimal reliance on Command and Control (C2) technology as well as tactical ground platforms including protected vehicles. Global Positioning System (GPS)-based navigation rarely works and conventional radio communications are difficult due to jungle canopy and

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Japan has already developed a concept of operation for its Manoeuvre Combat Vehicle which is set to go into production with Mitsubishi Heavy Industries for service in the JGSDF to support operations in Japan’s locale © Japanese MoD

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FN Herstal’s Minimi Light Machine Gun, now available in 5.56mm and 7.62 mm configurations, is being offered to multiple customers in the Asia-Pacific as an infantry fire support system down to squad or section levels © Canadian Defence

Indian and Pakistan armed forces routinely engage each other across the latter border, although most fatalities in this region are caused by cold weather. Again, with TTPs based on those acquired in the jungle, specialist equipment is required for infantrymen and SOF to successfully survive and fight in this environment.

In September, the head of the Pakistan Army, General Raheel Sharif pronounced increased tensions with India regarding the ongoing dispute over the sovereignty of Jammu and Kashmir before expressing that his units were prepared for cold and hot weather operations. Yet even the most basic requirements for cold weather clothing, suitable camouflaged materiel and robust C2 technology and weaponry appears to be lacking in elements of the Indian and Pakistani armed forces.

The maritime and littoral environment of the Asia-Pacific also places huge emphasis on suitable equipment for infantry and marine units operating in the area.

This requires infantry forces to rapidly rerole to and from land operations to littoral and maritime operations making significant use of amphibious vehicles for seaborne insertions and extractions.

Finally, the Asia-Pacific features some of the most populated areas of the world and MOUT brings with it many requirements for precision targeting equipment and weaponry in order to minimise Collateral Damage (CD) to the area’s densely populated cities. In today’s information age, the public appetite for needless casualties and fatalities is reducing

and defence ministries continue to see technological advancements in order to minimise CD while, at the same time, requiring capabilities forceful enough to overcome enemy combatants.

Generally, therefore, the operational conditions in the Asia-Pacific require a broad set of capabilities for infantry units.

However, a report published in August by the Lok Sabha (the lower house of the Indian Parliament) Standing Committee on Defence criticised the country’s very large MoD for significant failings in furnishing of the armed forces with soldier equipment such as body armour and assault rifles.

Small Arms Infantry and SOF in the Asia-Pacific rely heavily upon small arms and supporting weapons for tactical engagements. Technological developments in this area remain few and far between although that has not stopped the main players in the region investing in this domain.

Discussions are ongoing regarding optimal ammunition calibres for infantry working in the region’s varying areas of operations (see above), although when studying existing and future requirements, it appears that 5.56mm x 45mm and 7.62mm x 39mm options remain widely favoured by most countries. With mission requirements calling for precision targeting and sufficient stopping power to defeat enemy combatants in COIN operations, a capability to match the 7.62mm ammunition of the affordable

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and ubiquitous Soviet/Russian Izhmash AK-47 assault rifles is a critical requirement for Asia-Pacific militaries.

One NATO-affiliated source described to AMR how smaller bullets, like 5.56mm rounds, could travel faster but with less weight and so generally lacked the stopping power required for some operations: “7.62mm bullets are heavy and so fly slower. Their ballistic coefficient is not quite as bad as 5.56mm, meaning their Kinetic Energy is generally maintained out to much longer ranges,” the source described. “(7.62 mm ammunition) cuts through the air more smoothly and therefore holds its line better. This means that there is less need for aiming off and it vastly increases the training effectiveness and increases the probability of hit. It is simply more accurate,” he added.

It appears unlikely that Asia-Pacific nations will seriously consider alternative 6.5mm and 6.8mm rounds, which are currently being studied by several NATO forces, as serious contenders to replace existing 5.56mm and 7.62mm ammunition, given the profusion of weapons across the region using these latter calibres. Yet, in general, nations are benefiting from multi-role weapons providing a choice for infantry and SOF now able to select the appropriate ammunition for different tasks. “As always, selection of ammunition must be dictated by the type of enemy being encountered. Small arms effects against hard armour targets require armour penetrating rounds but then forces must be aware that this ammunition is capable of passing through softer targets with significant risk for collateral damage on the other side,” the source continued.

One of the major small arms programmes in the Asia-Pacific which includes substantial small arms requirements is India’s Future Infantry Soldier As a System (F-INSAS) effort. This soldier modernisation programme has a holistic end goal which, according to the Indian Army, aims to turn the infantryman into a “fully-networked all-terrain, all-weather, weapons platform with enhanced lethality, survivability, sustainability, mobility and situational awareness for the digitised battlefield of the future.”

As part of the programme, the Indian Army is in the midst of evaluating a new assault rifle as well as the selection of a replacement carbine rifle. A total of 200 prototype Excalibur rifles have been delivered to the army by its manufacturer the Ordnance Factory Board (OFB). The 5.56mm x 45mm rifles began an evalua-

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The Australian Defence Force is set to receive more than a thousand Hawkei protected patrol vehicles to replace several legacy and unarmoured systems. This vehicle forms part of a wider modernisation of the Australian Army’s SOF capabilities © Thales

tion trial period earlier this year. However, industry sources have suggested that indigenous technology capabilities lack the expertise to successfully design and manufacture a next-generation weapon for future Indian armed forces personnel. The Excalibur is an improved version of India’s state-owned Defence Research and Development Organisation’s (DRDO) Indian Small Arms System (INSAS) weapon, alternatively known as the Modified INSAS Rifle (MIR) which is currently in use with the Indian Army. The weapon is capable of firing in semi-automatic and automatic modes, compared to the legacy INSAS which only had a single shot and three-round burst capability.

Indian MoD sources informed AMR how the Excalibur experienced a total of two stoppages over an evaluation programme which involved a total of 2400 shots. Nonetheless, the army’s requirement for the evaluation had stipulated no more than a single stoppage in 2400 rounds. Should the rifle receive the green light and be accepted into service by the Indian Army, it is anticipated that more than 600,000 could be procured in a contract worth approximately $500 million.

The news regarding the Excalibur follows June’s cancellation of an initial tender for 66000 future assault rifles (worth

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approximately $1 billion) which was blamed on the four candidate systems failing to meet the stringent requirements of the Indian Army. The competitors interested in this cancelled programme included Beretta, Israel Weapon Industries (IWI), Sig Sauer and Ceska Zbrojovka.

The original specifications of this tender had been to supply the armed forces with 7.62mm and 5.56mm calibre weapons for COIN and conventional operations respectively. These multi-role rifles were expected to replace the legacy INSAS rifles (see above), with a requirement to include interchangeable parts (allowing the weapons’ conversion from 5.56mm to 7.62mm and vice versa) including the bolt carrier assembly, barrels and trigger mechanism housings with the weapons weighing no more than 3.6 kilograms/kg (7.9 pounds/lb) each. There was also a requirement for the integration of an under-slung grenade launcher. Indian Army sources explained to AMR how the tender had been introduced following reliability issues faced by the INSAS rifle, especially when used in the extreme winter environments of Jammu and Kashmir.

The Excalibur rifle, designed in collaboration with the DRDO, is gas-operated and features semi-automatic and automatic firing modes as well as a foldable

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buttstock for airborne operations, close protection duties and close quarter combat. A Picatinny rail adaptor allows future growth of the rifle to include a variety of gunsight optics, optronics, tactical torches and laser designators. The Excalibur also boasts a shorter barrel than the legacy INSAS weapon, reduced as it is by four millimetres/mm (0.1 inches/in). The rifle most recently conducted water and mud tests in September and should the Excalibur receive the go-ahead from the Indian MoD to equip the army, it could begin series production as early as 2016.

Meanwhile, a decision is still being made regarding a 2010 Indian Army requirement for nearly 45000 carbine assault rifles, optimised for close quarter combat missions. Shortlisted solutions include Colt Defence’s 5.56mm Colt Combat Rifle, Beretta’s 5.56mm ARX 160 and IWI’s Galil ACE carbine. Once again, with a strong emphasis surrounding the importance of extreme environmental conditions for any selected weapon, the MoD initially ran trials in 2013 and 2014 across a variety of test locations including the Rajasthan desert, Jammu and Kashmir and across the plains of Punjab, all areas in northern India. It is understood

by AMR that a re-run of an evaluation programme will be conducted at a later date. No further details have yet been disclosed by the Indian MoD. Beretta’s ARX 160, which was a candidate in the Indian competition, was initially designed as a .22-calibre training rifle which has since been upgraded to fire 5.56mm x 45mm ammunition with 7.62mm x 39mm and 6.8mm Remington SPC (Special Purpose Cartridge) variants also available. According to Beretta, additional 5.45mm x 39mm and 7.62mm x 51mm versions of the rifle could be manufactured for the Indian Army, subject to requirements, with the latter version fulfilling the capability of a sharpshooter rifle. The base variant of the ARX 160 includes ambidextrous controls with a two-position safety catch, magazine release catch and cocking handle. The rifle includes a folding buttstock, again for close quarter combat and stowage during airborne operations.

IWI’s Galil ACE assault rifle, meanwhile, is available in three barrel lengths and comprises a magazine capable of housing up to 35 rounds of ammunition.

The gas-operated mechanism weapon is available in a variety of ammunition calibres including 5.56mm x 45mm (ACE 21, 22 and 23), 7.62mm x 51mm (ACE 52 and

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53), as well as 7.62mm x 39mm (ACE 31 and 32). The rifle comprises automatic and semi-automatic firing modes and a sniperbased trigger mechanism for improved accuracy. It features a telescopic buttstock and can be controlled ambidextrously.

Meanwhile, the Indian Army is expected to unveil a Request for Proposals (RfP) for 4500 Light Machine Guns (LMGs) with a technology transfer agreement the preferred option for the MoD allowing manufacturing in India. Industry sources suggested the army would consider FN Herstal’s popular 5.56mm x 45mm Minimi LMG which is currently in operation with many NATO conventional and SOF units.

This particular LMG is also in use with the US Army where it is designated as the M249 Squad Automatic Weapon (SAW). It is available in standard and paratrooper configurations with the latter comprising a telescopic or retractable buttstock.

A Picatinny rail adaptor allows for the integration optronics and optical gun sights although it maintains a standard emergency battle sight for utility in close quarter combat and jungle conditions.

Australia Away from India, the Australian Army has already confirmed its allegiance to 5.56mm ammunition and the force will next year receive the first of 30000 Thales EF88 assault rifles, with a contract signed this year as part of a $75 million undertaking to replace in-service 5.56mm x 45mm Steyr Mannlicher F88 Austeyr rifles. The legacy weapons have been in service with the army for more than 30 years.

The EF88 procurement forms part of the Australian Army’s Land 125 Soldier Combat System Project. Thales’s upgraded F90 bullpup configuration assault rifle forms the basis of the EF88. Sources informed AMR that the first ADF unit to receive the new weapons will be the Royal Australian Regiment’s 1st Battalion, with deliveries having commenced in September.

Two variants will be supplied to the ADF including a 3.3kg (7.2lb) carbine with 407mm (15.8 inch) barrel, as well as a 3.4kg (7.4lb) F90M variant complete with 508mm (19.8in) barrel. These variants are currently in low rate initial production with deliveries commencing in 2016, and

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expected to continue until 2021, according to the company. Improvements include significant weight savings of some 20 percent with a grenade launcher fitted, in comparison to the legacy F88SA2 rifles which could be integrated with the M203 grenade launcher. Elsewhere, Thales claims to have made significant improvements to weapon handling and reliability issues. According to the Australian Army Headquarters staff, trial results “… confirmed our soldiers consider this weapon to be remarkably modular, balanced and accurate during combat and longer range shooting.” The upgraded EF88 includes an extended Picatinny rail adaptor on the top, side and bottom of the weapon with the introduction of a floating and fluted barrel for increased accuracy and heat dissipation respectively. An improved buttstock has introduced increased strength when fired from the shoulder while the weapon itself has the ability to integrate electronic systems which the soldier may be carrying which are in turn connected to a soldier-worn centralised control and power management

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Thales’ Bushmaster APC has been delivered to Indonesia and Japan with the Royal Thai Army also having expressed interest in the vehicle which has proved popular with NATO special forces © Thales

system capable of running powered sensors and ancillaries including tactical torches, optical gunsights, optronics and laser designators. These can be controlled with the rifles’ Thales/Kord Defence SmartGrip Rifle Input Control which can also control the weapon. Finally, the EF88 is capable of housing an integrated underslung grenade launcher such as the Steyr Mannlicher SL40, designed to fire Low Velocity (LV) 40mm grenades.

Thales is looking to optimise the lethality of the EF88 with the development of additional calibres as well as a fire support capability which could see the weapon morphed into an LMG. The company has also begun to consider the most effective C2 systems which might be applicable to the weapon for improved target acquisition in day and night conditions.

New Zealand Across the Tasman Sea the New Zealand Army has recently decided to replace its family of AUG A1 assault rifles with the US-manufactured Lewis Machine and Tool (LMT) 5.56mm x 45mm CQB16 assault rifle under its Individual Weapon Replacement Programme. Please see Pierre Delrieu’s Asia-Pacific Procurement Update article in this issue for more information regarding this acquisition.

The company has already supplied the British Army with the 7.62mm x 51mm L129A1 Sharpshooter rifle as part of an Urgent Operational Requirement to support the force’s anti Taliban and Al Qaeda operations in Afghanistan. This UOR arose in 2010, following a need to engage Taliban combatants at extended range out

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to 800 metres/m (800 feet/ft).

The CQB16 was selected by the New Zealand MoD in August following an RfP in 2014 in which eight small arms manufacturers responded to the tender. The total requirement comprises 8800 weapon systems. The weapon demonstrated an ability and pre-requisite for the New Zealand Army to successfully “detect, identify and engage” enemy targets at ranges out to 500m (1640ft) in daylight as well as to provide sufficient capability for fighting at short ranges and for MOUT. Other interested parties bidding for the contract included Beretta, Ceska Zbrojovka, Colt Canada, FN Herstal, Heckler and Koch, Sig Sauer and Steyr Mannlicher. Deliveries are scheduled to begin in 2016.

Russia Russia, meanwhile, continues to boast considerable influence over the AsiaPacific with regards to small arms with former Soviet Bloc and other interested former allied countries looking for less expensive, but highly effective, weapons. Developing various opportunities under the overarching Ratnik future soldier project, the Russian MoD is seeking approximately 70000 assault rifles and is understood to have selected four of the latest firearms to this end. These include the AK-12 (5.45mm x 39mm) and AK-10304 (7.62mm x 39mm) rifles, both of which have interchangeable barrels, receivers and mechanical parts allowing them to switch between ammunition calibres, and the Degtyarev Plant’s A-545 and A-762.

The AK-12 development is the natural successor to the AK-74 assault rifle (which

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replaced the AK-47 in Red Army service in 1974) and comprises a gas-operated system with reduced recoil action which features ambidextrous controls and an integrated KBP Instrument Design Bureau GP-34 underslung grenade launcher. The assault rifle boasts semi-automatic, threeround burst and automatic firing modes as well as an adjustable buttstock and Picatinny-style rail adaptor. The A-545 and A-762 assault rifles are again respectively in 5.45mm x 39mm and 7.62mm x 39mm calibres. The weapons are upgraded variants of the AEK-971 and AEK-973 rifles, each of which is also chambered in 5.45mm x 39mm and 7.62mm x 39mm calibres.

Also in Russia, the KBP Instrument Design Bureau has exhibited a 5.66mm x 39mm APS Underwater Rifle, specifically designed for naval special operations. The rifle is capable of being shot above and below surface, allowing SOF to transition between both environments without changing weapon. Under the surface, the APS Underwater Rifle has a maximum effective range of just 25m (82ft) at depths as low as 30m (98ft). For above surface engagement, the weapon fires exactly the same ammunition but with a capability to engage accurately out to a maximum effective range of 500m (1640ft). The bullpup design weighs 4.6kg (10.1lb) and comprises a 418mm (16.3in) long barrel and can be integrated with an underslung 40mm grenade launcher, a source associated with the KBP Instrument Design Bureau informed AMR.

Turkey Elsewhere, Turkey is transitioning towards a new family of modular assault rifles although unlike Russia, the country has elected to continue fielding NATOinteroperable 5.56mm x 45mm and 7.62 mm x 39mm calibres. The Turkish Armed Forces selected the Makina ve Kimya Endüstrisi Kurumu (MKEK/Mechanical and Chemical Industry Corporation) MPT-76 rifle with Turkey’s governmental Defence Industries Undersecretariat and MKEK signing a $30 million deal in July for approximately 35000 rifles. The systems will be fielded with army, navy and law enforcement units, with the latter concentrating on COIN operations.

The gas-operated MPT-76, which will replace the in-service Heckler and Koch G3 assault rifles which are chambered with 7.62mm ammunition, will also be manufactured in 304mm (twelve inch), 406mm (16in) and 508mm (20in) barrel configurations providing utility for a variety of oper-

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ations ranging from close quarter combat to sharpshooting, and conventional battlefield utility. Additional variants including left-handed systems are understood to be in development in both calibres.

Singapore Back in the Asia-Pacific, Singapore’s STK has just finished development of its Bullpup Multi-role Combat Rifle (BMCR) and Conventional Multi-role Combat Rifle (CMCR) designs which are set to be introduced into the Singaporean armed forces over the next few years. It is envisaged that these weapons will replace the in-service SAR 21 5.56mm x 45mm assault rifle, which includes an integrated laser aiming device and 1.5 magnification optical gunsight, the latter of which is integrated into the rifle’s carrying handle. Sources suggested to AMR that the integrated nature of the SAR 21 and optics prevented any future growth of the weapon with the Singaporean Army requiring an assault rifle with the ability to add or subtract particular mission systems as and when required.

STK’s BMCR incorporates a 368.3mm (14.5in) barrel, optimised for close quarter combat and short range engagements with the weapon firing NATO standard SS109 5.56mm x 45mm ammunition as well as STK’s very own Extended Range ammunition. The Extended Range ammunition, according to STK, provides “superior penetration” effects when compared to 5.56mm M193 and M855 ball ammunition, and can be fired from barrels with rifling comprising one turn in 177.8mm (seven inches) or one turn in 304.8mm.

The BMCR is fitted with a Picatinny rail adaptor on the top, side and bottom of the weapon’s forward hand grip. It allows for ambidextrous operation and will soon be made available to an undisclosed launch customer, an STK source explained to AMR. Plans for the CMCR, also chambered for the same ammunition as the BMCR (see above), were first unveiled at the Singapore Air Show in 2014 with the weapon comprising an adjustable and foldable buttstock and a more conventional configuration with the magazine housing located ahead of the pistol grip.

Similar to the BMCR, the CMCR is ambidextrous and has a Picatinny rail for the addition of sensors and ancillaries.

The STK source described to AMR how both weapons had been designed to give infantry soldiers “maximum lethality” in urban operations, while being optimised for “compactness and minimum weight in a highly configurable multi-role pack-

Indonesia is another country in the Asia-Pacific keen to cross train with international armed forces as well as upgrading capabilities with western-made protected patrol vehicles such as the Thales Bushmaster © US DoD

age.” The weapons have been tested in maritime, littoral and riverine environments, with the Singaporean Army routinely engaged in such areas due to the nature of its locale.

Ministry of National Defence (MND) is planning to export both weapon systems, sources suggested to AMR, although it has not revealed potential customers.

Taiwan

Mobility requirements remain one of the key priority areas for infantry units operating across the Asia-Pacific with emphasis on the transition from land to littoral environments weighing heavily in ongoing research, development and procurement programmes. While many armed forces around the world continue to witness a trend towards more deployable ground vehicles capable of being internally transported inside helicopters, many countries in the region are still affected by the threat of insurgent bombs.

Pakistan for example continues to suffer by countless bomb attacks with the Tehrik-e-Taliban Islamist insurgent organisation targeting government offices in the country’s Federally Administered Tribal Areas in the northeast of the country over the past year. Other incidents have seen Tehrik-e-Taliban insurgents targeting critical national infrastructure in Jammu and Kashmir (see above) including petrol depots and broadcasting stations. Such incidents therefore maintain the requirement for larger Mine Resistant Ambush Protected (MRAP) vehicles, similar to those used

by NATO and coalition forces operating in Afghanistan over the past decade.

Finally, in Taiwan, the Armament Bureau’s 205th Arsenal displayed its latest small arms offerings to the international market at the TADTE (Taipei Aerospace and Defence Technology Exhibition) event in August. Products included the 5.56mm XT105 Multi-Utilisation Special Rifle, available in 300mm (11.8in), 360mm (14.1in) and 450mm (17.7in) barrel lengths, again suitable for mounted operations, close protection and close quarter combat, conventional engagements and sharpshooting.

According to an Armament Bureau’s spokesperson, the next-generation assault rifle has been designed for modern urban warfare and COIN operations with an ambidextrous design and a collapsible buttstock. The firearm boasts a threeround burst capability as well as semiautomatic and automatic firing selections.

In addition, the 250th Arsenal unveiled the 3.5kg (7.8lb) and 9mm XT104 submachine gun which has a cyclical firing rate of up to 700 rounds-per-minute with the organisation highlighting the weapon’s low recoil. The XT104, which measures 530mm (20.8in) in length, can be fitted with a 30-round magazine. Taiwan’s

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Mobility

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In 2014, the US Department of Defence approved the sale of 160 MRAP vehicles to Pakistan in a contract worth nearly $200 million. These vehicles included 110 Navistar MaxxPro Dash DXMs, 30 MaxxPro Base DXMs, ten MaxxPro Dash DXM ambulances and ten MaxxPro recovery vehicles. Similarly, on 11 September, Navistar Defence was contracted by the US Army Contracting Command to supply the Afghan National Security Forces with approximately 2300 MRAPs as part of a $369 million deal. This latest deal means Navistar will have supplied a total of 9000 MRAP vehicles to Afghanistan to date.

In June, the Indian MoD released a Request for Information (RfI) regarding the development of its Future Ready Combat Vehicle which is expected to replace its Uralvagonzavod T-72 MBTs in 2025. Designs are expected to encompass a generic vehicle platform which can be rolled appropriately to form a family of systems with additional options to the standard MBT configuration understood to include fire support, engineering, troop transport, medical, reconnaissance, air defence and artillery vehicles, available in both tracked and wheeled variants.

Companies responding to the RfI include Tata Motors which has developed the Kestral Infantry Fighting Vehicle (IFV) in collaboration with the DRDO’s Vehicles Research and Development Organisation (VRDO). The partnership is scheduled to deliver three prototype vehicles to the Indian Army for an evaluation programme. Prototype vehicles were delivered in August, and are currently involved in the evaluation programme.

Developed in collaboration with United Kingdom vehicle manufacturer Supacat, the Kestrel IFV boasts a gross vehicle weight between 22.5 and 26 tonnes according to the vehicle’s payload, and is powered by a 600 horsepower/hp (447 Kilowatts/kW) diesel engine. It is capable of carrying ten dismounted personnel with a requirement for two crew to operate the platform. The Kestrel is fitted with protection against nuclear, biological and chemical threats, and ballistic protection from ammunition types up to undisclosed levels. With an ability to travel at a maximum speed of 100 kilometres-per-hour/km/h (68.9 miles-per -hour/mph) the Kestrel has an amphibious capability to swim up to 5.3 nautical miles /nm (ten kilometres/km). Exhibited at the 2014 Defexpo defence exhibition in New Delhi, an initial variant of Kestrel was fitted with a remote weapon station

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The Australian Defence Force’s 2 Commando special operations unit conducts counter-insurgency in the littoral environment; a particular threat which is becoming increasingly prevalent in the Asia-Pacific © Australian Defence

featuring a 40mm automatic grenade launcher and 12.7mm heavy machine gun.

In the PRC, the PLA recently exhibited a number of hitherto unseen mobility platforms at a parade on 3 September to mark the 70th anniversary of the end of the Second World War in the Pacific, with systems ranging from IFVs and Armoured Personnel Carriers (APCs) through to light combat vehicles.

The ZBD-04A IFV is manufactured

by Norinco as an upgraded variant of the ZBD-04 vehicle, first unveiled to the international community in 2009. AMR was informed by industry sources that the upgraded model has been designed more for land operations with increased armour protection in comparison to the original variant which was optimised for amphibious operations.

In addition, the ZBD-04A boasts enhanced protection against homemade bombs and land mines with an upgraded 590hp (439.9kW) engine enabling speeds of up to 70km/h (43.5mph). However, an increased gross vehicle weight, taking the mass to 24 tonnes, means that it is unable to perform well in amphibious operations unlike its predecessor. Nevertheless, industry sources described to AMR how the ZBD-04A would be able to perform limited waterborne operations at speeds up to 5.9 knots (eleven kilometres-per-hour), making it acceptable for riverine operation as opposed to littoral and maritime missions. The vehicle, which requires a three-man crew, is armed with the same 100mm and 30mm guns as well a 7.62mm machine gun.

At the same parade, the PLA showcased its ZTL-09 APC, again manufactured by

| Asian Military Review |

Norinco. Featuring a 105mm cannon, it is designated as a wheeled assault gun intended to provide a fire support capability to PLA units on the ground. Finally, the Light Combat Vehicle (LCV) was also paraded. Manufactured by Dong Feng Motors, the LCV comprises a tactical wheeled vehicle available in four-wheel and six-wheel drive configurations. The latter variant has a gross vehicle weight of eight tonnes and maximum speed of 130km/h (80.7mph).

Elsewhere, in February, the Australian Defence Force (ADF) published a Request for Tender encompassing 225 Combat Reconnaissance Vehicles (CRVs). A preferred bidder is expected to be selected in March 2015 for the $17.7 million programme. Deliveries of the first vehicles are not expected until 2021 with the final vehicles being delivered in 2024. Companies looking to fulfil the CRV requirement include Rheinmetall, BAE Systems and Patria, General Dynamics and Elbit Systems which has teamed up with STK (see above).

Rheinmetall is understood to be putting forward its Boxer eight-wheel drive multi-role APC, complete with 30mm cannon. Please see Pierre Delrieu’s AsiaPacific Procurement Update article in this issue for more information regarding this acquisition. The German company has also teamed up with Supacat’s Australian subsidiary which in 2014, won a $92 million contract to supply the Australian Special Operations Command with 89 Special Operations Vehicles-Command (SOV-C).

Supacat will be involved in the integration of accompanying systems onto this platform such as communications, optronics and battle management systems.

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The Boxer IFV was designed in collaboration with Krauss-Maffei Wegmann (KMW) as part of the ARTEC consortium and according to a company spokesperson, is designed for maximum flexibility to account for “changing requirements” on the battlefield. “It ensures maximum flexibility and an optimised capability for further upgrades for changing requirements. Also the protection of the turret is adaptable for a wide range of missions and to face different threats,” the company informed AMR. The Boxer’s turret can be operated by a two-man team or be operated remotely.

Patria and BAE Systems is offering the AMV35 version of the Patria Armoured Modular Vehicle equipped with BAE Systems’ E35 turret. The AMV is available in an eight-wheel drive configuration with design modularity providing several vehicle variants such as APC, IFV, C2, ambulance, reconnaissance, anti-tank guided missile; repair and recovery; and fire support vehicles. It is available in a ‘high roof model’ configuration for the C2, ambulance, and repair and recovery variants,

and as a ‘heavy weapon platform’ allowing it to carry weapons such as the 120mm Patria/BAE Systems AMOS (Advanced Mortar System) and 105mm/120mm Mobile Gun System cannon. The AMV provides ballistic protection up to 30mm in calibre as well as undisclosed levels of protection against homemade bombs, explosively formed projectiles and blasts of up to ten kilograms (22lbs). Whichever vehicle is selected by the Australian Army, it will replace 250 General Dynamics Australian Light Armoured Vehicles (ASLAV) from 2021 onwards.

In June, the Australian Army received the final deliveries of the Mercedes Benz G-Wagon four-wheel drive vehicles which have replaced the force’s fleet of Land Rovers. Units have been delivered with additional Haulmark trailers under the Land 121 Phase 4 programme, which will furnish the force with “current-generation, high-capability field vehicles, modules and trailers,” according to the Australian Army, with variants of the new vehicle available in eight separate configurations.

Finally, Thales is awaiting final gov-

ernment consideration regarding the future status of another Land 121 Phase 4 initiative which aims to provide a fleet of approximately 1300 vehicles to replace in-service unarmoured platforms. In 2012, Thales agreed to supply the Australian Army with six prototype Hawkei vehicles with a single prototype trailer for a testing and evaluation programme. Prototypes were delivered to the force in 2012 and 2013 with the programme including systems integration, reliability and survivability trials. A total of 200,000km (124,301 miles) were travelled by the Hawkei during the trial process which included ballistic and mine protection scenarios to evaluate the vehicle’s protective measures. This particular element of Phase 4 of the programme comprises a $1.5 billion effort to provide Protected Mobility Vehicles-Light (PMV-L) for command, liaison, utility and reconnaissance roles, a spokesperson for the Australian DoD explained to AMR. “The PMV-L is to provide an optimum balance of the requirements for survivability, mobility, payload, communications, usability and

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Jungle terrain, as witnessed here in Brunei, provides significant challenges for infantry and special forces with regards to insertion and extraction. It is widely acknowledged as being one of the hardest environments in which to fight © US DoD

sustainability,” they explained. Should Thales’ Hawkei be selected for the requirement the initial materiel release is understood to be scheduled between 2016 and 2019 with an initial operational capability achieved by 2020 at the latest.

The Hawkei is a seven-tonne fourwheel drive protected mobility vehicle capable of carrying up to three tonnes in payload, according to Thales. The platform is helicopter transportable (as an underslung load below a Boeing CH47F Chinook heavy-lift rotorcraft) and is available in a variety of mission-specific configurations including troop carrier, C2, electronic warfare, liaison, surveillance and reconnaissance. Weapon options included a manned or unmanned weapon station capable of being fitted with a 12.7mm heavy machine gun, 40mm automatic grenade launcher plus 5.56mm and 7.62mm light and medium machine guns.

Capable of carrying up to six personnel, the vehicle is available in two- and fourdoor configurations and measures 2.4m (7.8ft) in width and 5.8m (19ft) in length.

According to Thales, the crew protection cell provides a high level of built-in blast protection plus scalable ballistic protection which is readily adaptable to meet future requirements. An air-conditioned cabin has proven popular with armed forces trialling the vehicle which has a top speed of 115km/h (71mph) and maxi-

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mum range of 600km (372.9 miles). “(The) Hawkei has been designed from the outset with built-in features that deliver an integrated high-performing Vehicle Electronic Architecture. Purpose designed areas can accommodate radios, computers and other electronic equipment as well as current and future integrated C2 systems,” the company added.

Elsewhere in the Asia-Pacific, Thales recently delivered Bushmaster Protected Mobility Vehicles to Japan and Indonesia. It is understood that Japan ordered a total of four of the four-wheel drive vehicles. These deals for the Bushmaster, which has proven popular with Australian and NATO SOF operating in Afghanistan and Iraq, were the first orders for the system in the Asia-Pacific. Indonesia procured the platform for use by its Komando Pasukan Khusus (KOPASSUS) SOF while Japan selected it for use with the JGSDF with a view to utilising them for HADR missions.

The Bushmaster is described as a “highly mobile, ballistics, mine and blast resistant PMV.” capable of carrying up to ten soldiers and equipment in a fully air-conditioned cabin. The vehicles are available in patrol, C2, ambulance, assault pioneer, direct fire support and mortar variants with upgrade kits available for increasing protection levels relevant to particular threat environments. During operations in Iraq and Afghanistan SOF

| Asian Military Review |

were inserted into built-up areas in Bushmasters to shelter them from enemy snipers and homemade bombs. Troops then dismounted to conduct assault operations before mounting again and extracting from the area of operations back to their forward operating bases.

Also recently unveiled to the international market is STK’s Terrex 2 APC which is being put forward for the CRV competition (see above) with support from Elbit Systems. This IFV is armed with a 30mm dual-feed cannon and 7.62mm machine gun, controlled by a remote weapon station. The hull provides protection against land mines and homemade bombs in accordance with NATO’s Standardisation Agreement-4569 relating to vehicle protection. With a gross vehicle weight of 30 tonnes (compared to 24 tonnes of the Terrex 1), the Terrex 2 can conduct amphibious operations using its two propellers.

Speaking to AMR, a source close to STK described how the platform had proven a capability to operate in Sea State Three (with waves of up to 1.25m/four feet in height) while demonstrating a top speed of seven knots (12.9km/h). The platform requires a two-man crew for operation and is capable of carrying up to twelve dismounted troops with their equipment.

In line with Singaporean Army modernisation requirements, Renault has been commissioned to manufacture a six-wheel drive protected patrol vehicle, expected to be optimised for operations across the country’s island chain which includes the Bukom, Sudong, Senang and Semakau islands. The force unveiled an RfP for the Peacekeeper Protected Response Vehicle (PRV) in July with the French vehicle specialist selected to offer a variant of its Higuard MRAP vehicle.

The PRV will replace the force’s Cadillac Gage Commando V200 APCs (in service since the 1970s) and will be used by the 2nd People’s Defence Force Command, which has responsibility for the islands with COIN operations in mind.

The Higuard MRAP is a six-wheel drive vehicle providing undisclosed protection against land mines and homemade bombs and, according to Renault, is specifically suited to “tactical missions such as troop transport in asymmetric combat areas,” the company adds. The vehicle is capable of carrying up to twelve dismounted soldiers and has a gross vehicle weight of 20 tonnes allowing it to carry a four-tonne payload to a maximum range of 850km (528 miles) at speeds up to 90km/h (90mph). It is air transportable in an Air-

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bus A400M strategic turboprop freighter and a remote weapon station provides the capability to carry 7.62mm or 12.7mm machine guns, or a 40mm automatic grenade launcher, complete with accompanying optronics and a laser rangefinder.

However, the requirement for rapidlydeployable and highly-mobile infantry and SOF all-terrain vehicles remains. In terms of these lesser-protected vehicles, STK has developed the next-generation Spider Light Strike Vehicle Mk.II for the Singaporean Army with delivery of an undisclosed number of vehicles due to be completed by the end of the year, according to sources close to the company. These sources added that the vehicles would be fielded by the Singapore Guards Regiment, a rapid reaction infantry unit which specialises in airborne insertions, primarily from helicopters, MOUT and amphibious warfare.

The Spider LSV Mk.II is 4.9m (16ft) in length and is 2.1m (6.8ft) wide with army sources suggesting to AMR that the platform could be underslung as a load beneath a medium-lift utility helicopter for rapid deployment. The vehicle is also internally -transportable inside a Lockheed Martin C-130J Hercules turboprop freighter.

With an unladen weight of just under two tonnes, the vehicle is capable of carrying a little over one tonne in payload and up to six personnel. It can be fitted with a variety of weapons including Rafael Advanced Defence Systems’ Spike surfaceto-surface missile; a 40mm auto-matic grenade launcher; .50-cal heavy machine gun; or 7.62mm medium machine gun. The platform is expected to be used in “highlevel infantry/low-level command operations” by the Singapore Guards Regiment chiefly for reconnaissance. Elsewhere, sources close to STK revealed that the firm was in discussion with another undisclosed customer which has an existing requirement for approximately 50 SOF vehicles, again with rapid deployment and reconnaissance roles in mind.

Such a capability is becoming more popular in the Asia-Pacific with the protection of remote islands requiring a rapid reaction capability designed to insert troops quickly who are ready for combat immediately. Previously, air transportable vehicles would have taken minutes, if not hours, to unload and prepare for combat.

Referring to future developments in this particular class of vehicle, the same sources informed AMR that the company was considering the development of electric and hybrid engines to reduce

The Navistar MaxxPro Mine Resistant Ambush Protected Vehicle has been delivered to Afghanistan and Pakistan for counter-insurgency operations, illustrating the contemporary demand for such tactical vehicles © Navistar Defence

vehicle noise and satisfy requirements for “stealthy shoot-and-scoot” operations. Additionally, the source said that the firm was looking into extending the payload capacity by up to 50 percent although a company source suggested a longer wheelbase variant would result in less mobility. Previously, the Singapore Guards Regiment operated the Spider LSV Mk.I fitted with 106mm recoilless weapons in addition to the Protected Light Utility Vehicle which is based on a Ford Everest four-wheel drive sports utility vehicle chasses.

Finally, Japan’s Technical Research and Development Institute (TRDI) is developing a new wheeled armoured fighting vehicle designed to “engage and destroy enemy armour and provide direct fire support to infantry units.” The Manoeuvre Combat Vehicle (MCV) has been designed to carry a 105mm armament, providing a “high on-road mobility and air transportable” vehicle allowing the enhancement of the mobility of the JGSDF, according to the TRDI. A prototype of the eight-wheel drive vehicle was unveiled late in 2013 with reports that Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI) will manufacture the platform. Industry sources suggested an initial tranche of between 36 and 99 units would be delivered to the JGSDF in 2016. Sources associated with the deal suggested to AMR that the vehicles would equip rapid reaction units for COIN operations across the outlying islands of Japan for SOF and intelligence-gathering missions.

Armour Critical to any infantry operation is protection and the Asia-Pacific is seeing mul-

| november 2015 |

tiple efforts in this area to give the warrior peace of mind when operating from an IFV or an APC. The Australian Army’s Project Land 125, which procures new infantry equipment for the force’s soldiers, comprises the Phase 3B Soldier Combat Ensemble (SCE) which began being fielded in the latter part of 2015. According to the Australian Army, the SCE is designed to provide soldiers with protection from both enemy combatants as well as differing environmental threats. It includes both layered and modular body armour, modular load-carriage systems, eye and hearing protection, and combat helmets.

This effort is understood to be costing the force approximately $21.2 million.

A subsequent Phase 4 will consider equipping soldiers operating in the dismounted close combat role. This effort has been estimated to be costing the ADF some $354 million. A spokesperson for the army informed AMR that Phase 3C would reach an IOC by 2018 at the latest should the phase receive approval in 2016. Additionally, Phase 4 approval is expected to be granted between 2017 and 2019 with IOC achieved anytime between 2020 and 2022.

India’s F-INSAS programme is also considering wider armour technology as well as clothing and C2 provision. This year, a total of eight battalions were upgraded with F-INSAS technology with multi-role weapons and C2 equipment as well as clothing and armour protection. Further deliveries are expected to be rolled out between now and 2027. The army is particularly keen to field these

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Despite expanding legislation to allow for external security operations by its Self Defence Force, Japan is seeking to apply a dual capability for defence assets including utility in humanitarian aid/disaster relief operations © US DoD

systems for COIN operations in Jammu and Kashmir (see above).

The Indian company MKU is understood to have bid for part of the contract comprising the delivery of ballistic protection including combat helmets and body armour. Army requirements call for a capability to protect against 7.62mm x 39mm ammunition at a range of ten metres (32ft). MKU products include the JMU-IIA Quick-Action Vest, designed for SOF and COIN operations. This includes a front-opening system capable of housing front, rear and side plate inserts with options for a detachable collar, groin and upper arm protection attachments. It provides soft armour protection against small arms and handguns, fragmentation effects from grenades and other projectiles, as well as knives and spikes.

Munitions Alongside armour protection, another significant trend being observed in the AsiaPacific is nations reinforcing the capabilities of their armoured and unprotected patrol vehicles with weapons capable of providing devastating yet precise effects at stand-off ranges.

On 27 August, Australia agreed a $33 million contract to procure 200 General Dynamics Mk.47 Lightweight Automatic Grenade Launchers. Deliveries are scheduled to begin late in 2016 and run

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through until the middle of 2017. “(Local arms suppliers) NIOA will deliver the Mk.47 40mm Automatic Grenade Launcher, fitted with (Raytheon’s AN/ PVG-1 lightweight video sight which) provides a new level of capability for light weapon sighting systems with integrated colour video and thermal imaging,” NIOA’s managing director, Robert Nioa explained. The Mk.47s will replace the legacy General Dynamics Mk.19 Mod.3 automatic grenade launchers currently in service with the Australian Army.

Elsewhere, Rafael has revealed development of the Spike SSM based on a concept of operation undertaken by the RoK Army. The SPARC system comprises a trailer-mounted launcher designed to fire the Non-Line-of-Sight (NLOS) Extended Range (ER) Spike missile. The weapon system was unveiled to the international market for the first time at the Defence and Security Exhibition International (DSEI) in London this year, with company executives explaining to AMR how the solution has been in the pipeline for more than a year.

The RoK Army utilised a vehiclemounted launcher for the Spike NLOS missile, capable of mounting six missiles onboard a four-wheel drive Ford 550 truck. The Command Launch Unit (CLU) has now been integrated into the cab of the vehicle meaning operators do

| Asian Military Review |

not need to dismount to fire. Rafael has also designed a remote-launch capability allowing the operator to fire from outside the vehicle although he must remain within “metres” of the platform and maintain awareness of the backblast of the weapon. The SPARC module now comprises a trailer-mounted launcher capable of being towed behind wheeled vehicles, with a Spike launcher comprising four-missile cells mounted on a rotating system for 360-degree coverage with a maximum range of circa 25km (15 miles).

Meanwhile, Taiwan’s Ministry of National Defence (MND) Armament Bureau’s 202nd Arsenal also unveiled its latest offerings in the area of advanced mobile mortar systems at the TADTE event this year (see above). Available in 81mm and 120mm ammunition configurations, the vehicle and ground-mounted mortar systems are integrated with Control Launch Units. The 81mm mortar has a maximum effective range of approximately 5.6km (3.4 miles) while the larger 120mm system is capable of engaging targets out to 7.2km.

At TADTE, the 120mm system was displayed onboard the Ordnance Readiness Development Centre CM-32 Cloud Leopard IFV, which is currently in development for the Taiwanese armed forces.

According to an MND spokesperson, the weapon system has passed an initial evaluation and test programme and will be deployed with the armed forces for further use on exercises.

C2 Finally, the Asia-Pacific is witnessing several major efforts in the C2 domain which are set to radically improve the combat capabilities of Australia, India and New Zealand.

In February, the Indian MoD launched two major programmes to improve the network-centric capabilities of the Indian Army with Tata Power Strategic Engineering Division and Bharat Electronics (BEL) shortlisted to develop and provide a Battle Management System (BMS). The effort is expected to provide a wireless network capable of linking dismounted and mounted soldier’s digital End User Devices (EUDs) such as smartphones or tablets to ground commanders and command posts as well as providing access to multiple sensors at tactical and operational levels including access to full motion video feeds from unmanned aerial vehicles, surveillance/reconnaissance masts,

SOLDIER M O D E R N I S A T I O N

joint fires capabilities, and blue and red force tracking technology. The programme is expected to be developed over the next five to seven years.

BEL and Tata are currently developing a total of four BMS prototypes which will then be deployed by the Indian Army for a four-month evaluation in mountainous, jungle, desert and plain environments as part of an initial $67 million effort being subsidised by the MoD and the industry parties. Following evaluation and a down-selection process, the MoD is planning to procure some 500 BMSs within three years.

In Australia, the Department of Defence recently signed a $471 million contract with Boeing to provide an enhanced telecommunications network.

The contract, part of Project Land 2072 Phase 2B initiative, which is procuring C2 systems for the Australian Army, aims to equip tactical, operational and strategic command posts, according to an official statement made in September.

The work is expected to achieve an IOC in 2017.

Finally, the New Zealand Army continues to press ahead with its Network Enabled Army (NEA) concept which is examining the way the force communicates, and how it should be communicating in the future. According to a spokesperson, the goal of the programme is to “… enhance the New Zealand Army’s ability to support deployed land forces by improving its battlefield C2 system, communications and intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance sensor systems,” with an emphasis on conventional units, SOF, multi-national interoperability and multiagency operations on land, in the air and at sea. It will also consider C2 elements including electronic warfare as well as chat rooms for mission planning, decision support software and communications links to ships and aircraft. “The technology is becoming more readily available, and will enable the rapid control and decisionmaking tools necessary for the preservation of life and mission success to be deployed early in any directed operation in areas of responsibility, whether in coalition or independent operations … Upgrading

our NEA capability will support future deployments in the South Pacific and in higher-intensity environments. It’s an important part of the army’s future, ensuring there is no divergence of (our) capabilities from those of our coalition partners, and that we are able to respond appropriately to New Zealand’s security needs. Increased interoperability with our coalition partners ensures that the NZDF is an asset in coalition operations,” the New Zealand Army spokesperson confirmed.

Conclusion The pace of change in the defence and security sectors in the Asia-Pacific is developing fast with the operational tempo continuing to increase as states manoeuvre to best exploit national interests across a vast array of environments. In order to keep up with such a rapidly-evolving environment, defence departments will be required to continuously assess the requirements and capability gaps of infantry, marine and SOF troops who will retain their capabilities as first responders to any military actions in this particular area of operations. AMR

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ViaSat is enhancing the coverage provided by its satellites. It will soon augment the coverage offered by its ViaSat-1 satellite (pictured here) with the ViaSat-2 spacecraft which is expected to be launched, and to commence operations, by the end of 2016 Š SSL

Signals from the Cosmos Geographical considerations and the sheer size of the Asia-Pacific makes the intercontinental ranges provided by military Satellite Communications (SATCOM) very attractive to armed forces both within, and without, this region with third party suppliers stepping up to provide services to this end.

by Thomas Withington

A

ccording to the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation, which works at the international level to help alleviate world hunger, the Asia-Pacific comprises 22 percent of the world’s total land mass. The long distances that this area includes make the need to have corresponding communications capable of traveling across such ranges paramount for armed forces around the region.

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Beyond-Line-of-Sight (BLOS) communications have typically relied on High Frequency (HF) radio which uses the three to 30 megahertz/MHz segment of the electromagnetic spectrum. Put simply HF radio waves can use the ionosphere; an area of the atmosphere which exists at between 32.3 nautical miles/nm (60 kilometres/km) and 539nm (1000km) altitude as a trampoline to bounce communications across intercontinental distances.

| Asian Military Review |

Yet, HF radio has its limitations. Typically, these include its narrow bandwidth which can limit the quantity of data and imagery that it can handle; this is a significant consideration when an army, navy or air force may need to move still or video imagery across long distances. Such traffic can absorb significant bandwidth due to the large amount of kilobits and megabits that this can comprise. Secondly, HF communications can fall prey to sunspot activi-

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Harris CapRock is one of several firms which offer military SATCOM services to customers around the world. The firm demonstrated the capabilities of its products during the humanitarian response to Typhoon Haiyan/Yolanda in 2013 © Harris CapRock

ty on the surface of our local star, which can produce noticeable magnetic activity which in turn perturbs the ionosphere and, hence, HF communications. Other factors potentially interfering with HF communications include the Earth's seasons, with meteorological behaviour also having an effect on the ionosphere. Therefore, while HF communications may be great for long distances, limitations in terms of bandwidth and susceptibility to meteorological activity can have a significant effect on its performance.

As readers will have noted, the ionosphere acts as a giant natural ‘satellite dish’ from which HF communications can bounce around the world, yet with the attendant deficits that HF communications can bring. Little surprise then that for military customers in the Asia-Pacific, satellites themselves are proving to be increasingly popular to address some of the deficits inherent in HF. Broadly speaking, militaries in the Asia-Pacific can build, launch and operate military satellites, and develop or procure SATCOM equipment to furnish their bases, vehicles, aircraft, ships and individual soldiers. Alternatively, they can procure military SATCOM services from a third party provider: India is one country which has chosen to develop a military SATCOM capability domestically, in the form of its GSAT-7/INSAT-4F spacecraft developed by the Indian Space Research Organisation and launched on 29 August 2013.

Hybrid options are also available, by which a country may use a third party’s satellite, but with its own domesticallydeveloped and produced SATCOM terminals. Alternatively, a nation may launch and own a military communications satellite, but procure SATCOM terminals

from a third party. In fact, the range of options available for customers both in the Asia-Pacific, and beyond, mean that there are a number of possibilities to equip a nation’s armed forces with SATCOM at costs to suit all defence budgets.

Typically, military SATCOM operates across the Ultra High Frequency (UHF) segment of the radio spectrum, which encompasses communications from 300MHz to three gigahertz, principally utilising L-band communications which fall between one to two gigahertz. SATCOM using the C-band (5.925-6.425GHz -uplink/3.7-4.2GHz–downlink) section of the electromagnetic spectrum is also possible, in addition to X-band (7.9-8.4 GHz-uplink/7.25-7.75GHz–downlink).

X-band SATCOM is primarily employed by the military which means that it is becoming an increasingly crowded part of the electromagnetic spectrum due in no small part to the demand for SATCOM by armed forces around the world.

However, SATCOM can use the Kuand Ka-band parts of the radio spectrum (14GHz-uplink/10.9-12.75GHz–downlink and 26.5-40GHz-uplink/18-20GHz– downlink respectively), thus affording new avenues of use.

All of these bandwidths have their costs and benefits. For example, L-band communications can use comparatively small SATCOM terminals which affords benefits to space-constrained platforms such as ships, aircraft or vehicles lacking the ‘real estate’ to house large SATCOM terminals. Moreover, L-band is good at penetrating dense vegetation which may make it attractive to militaries that frequently have to operate in jungles (particularly apt in the Asia-Pacific) where tree canopies can inhibit other forms of

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conventional radio or SATCOM communications. That said, L-band communications offer comparatively lower data rates compared to Ku- and Ka-band communications. While both Ku- and Ka-band offer good bandwidths for high data rate communications, compared with C- and L-band in particular, they can be susceptible to the phenomena of ‘rain fade’ by which naturally occurring moisture in the atmosphere absorbs a proportion of a SATCOM transmissions’ energy, hence potentially impeding the performance of the communications. C-band, meanwhile, suffers less from rain fade, although it too can require a large antenna size (sometimes up to three metres/ten feet in diameter). X-band, as noted above, does use a smaller antenna, and enjoys higher data rates than the L- and C-bands. Although as it has been the ‘SATCOM of choice’ for military users, the X-band part of the radio spectrum is becoming increasingly crowded with SATCOM users. Hence, there is no perfect band for military SATCOM, with armed forces often having to choose a suite of bandwidths according to their military SATCOM requirements.

Allied Nations Key to SATCOM is ensuring robust satellite coverage around the world, particularly in the Asia-Pacific region

Airbus provides SATCOM to the UK’s armed forces through a private finance initiative which manages the country’s Skynet-5 constellation. One of these satellites was recently repositioned to improve coverage over the Asia-Pacific © Thomas Withington

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The joint US and Australian Wideband Global SATCOM constellation will soon be augmented with an additional three satellites, which will take the total constellation size to ten, following the launch of the seventh spacecraft on 24 July © Boeing

this satellite were now available for use in the areas discussed above. As well as providing X-band and UHF SATCOM for the UK’s armed forces, the Skynet-5 constellation makes surplus satellite communications ‘bandwidth’ available to the UK’s allies, principally Australia, Canada, New Zealand and the United States.

WGS

where militaries may be called upon to provide Humanitarian Aid/Disaster Relief (HADR) assistance in the wake of natural disasters there. This was the case during Typhoon Haiyan/Yolanda which devastated the Philippines in early November 2013, causing the deaths of 6300 people in this country alone. Robust communications are also important during potential combat missions which the international community may be called upon to support in the Asia-Pacific; the ongoing presence of United States armed forces in Afghanistan to assist counter-insurgency efforts there being a notable example.

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This need to ensure good SATCOM coverage throughout the region prompted Airbus’ defence and space division, which operates the United Kingdom’s Skynet-5 constellation of military communications satellites to extend the coverage it offers to encompass the Indian and Western Pacific oceans. Skynet-5D, which is one of the members of the four-satellite constellation, was moved in March 2015 to enlarge its footprint over this area. Airbus sources told the author during the Association of the United States Army exhibition held in Washington DC this October that the relocation of this satellite was now complete, and that the X-band and UHF communications services offered by

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Alongside the SATCOM services that the United States has access to via the Skynet-5 constellation (see above), the country is performing a wholesale overhaul of its military SATCOM which will enhance the communications of the country’s armed forces in the Asia-Pacific region, while also offering new SATCOM services to allied nations there.

Arguably the flagship programme in this initiative is the Wideband Global SATCOM (WGS) project. Managed by the US Air Force, Boeing is supplying the spacecraft for the WGS, with the US Department of Defence (DoD), alongside its Australian counterpart sponsoring the development of this capability. To this end, the Australian DoD is leading the country’s Joint Project 2008 undertaking which will see up to 200 land SATCOM terminals being rolled out across the Australian Army, Royal Australian Navy and the Royal Australian Air Force, with deliveries being performed between 2016 and 2017.

Specifically, Phase 5B1 of the Joint Project 2008 initiative will see the procurement of L3 Communications’ Hawkeye and Panther SATCOM terminals which in turn connect to the firm’s MPM SATCOM modems. To date, six WGS satellites have been sent into the cosmos, with the sixth spacecraft, WGS-6, taking to the heavens on 7 August 2013 from the Cape Canaveral space centre in Florida. There will be

Elbit Systems provides a number of SATCOM terminals. These include the firm’s ELSAT-2100 SATCOM on-the-move products, which were recently supplied to the Canadian armed forces following a contract award in October 2014 © Elbit Systems

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SATCOM forms a vital component of the military communications available to armed forces around the globe. Israel Aerospace Industries joins Elbit Systems as a major provider of soldier SATCOM terminals to militaries worldwide © IAI

a further expansion of the WGS network with Boeing being awarded a contract on 23 August 2010 worth $182 million, to construct a seventh WGS satellite, with its launch following on 24 July this year.

A total of ten satellites are planned to form the entire WGS constellation with launches expected to be completed in 2019. The WGS-7 cost $566 million, and an eighth spacecraft (WGS-8) is expected to be launched in 2016, again from Cape Canaveral, with WGS-9 following in 2017, and the final bird, WGS-10 being launched in 2019.

Much as it has done regarding the first six WGS spacecraft, for which the US and Australia work together regarding the provision of funding, the US DoD has once again involved international partners for the construction of WGS-8, principally Canada, Denmark, Luxembourg, the Netherlands and New Zealand.

According to open media reports, the unit cost of each WGS satellite is in the region of $360 million, although the unit cost of individual spacecraft differs. Based on a constellation of ten satellites, the cost of the spacecraft alone will be circa $3.9 billion.

Commercial Providers The sheer costs of establishing a global military SATCOM network, as illustrated by the costs involved in the WGS initiative discussed above, can make provision of military SATCOM services by third parties particularly attractive to nations which might have a keen requirement for

such services, but lack the defence budget to develop and implement such a capability. Several companies provide military SATCOM services ranging from the provision of a complete military SATCOM network, including ground stations, SATCOM terminals and all accompanying infrastructure to enable is armed forces to use such a capability, to the provision of individual SATCOM components.

One such firm is Harris CapRock which is based in Houston, Texas. The company has direct experience of the difference that SATCOM can make in the region, notably in the provision of HADR: “(following Typhoon Haiyan/Yolanda–see above) Harris CapRock employees volunteered preparing two VSAT (Very Small Aperture Terminal, typically with an antenna of below three metres/ten feet in diameter) … One VSAT system, powered by diesel generators was positioned on the roof of the Tacloban City Hall (on the island of Leyte) and a second VSAT was supplied to the Hukbong Katihan ng Pilipinas/Philippine Army Signal Battalion of the 8th Infantry Division at its headquarters in Catbalogan (on the island of Samar) to coordinate the relief effort,” says Simon Hoey representing the company’s government systems division. Mr. Hoey adds that these communications were able to use the firm’s SATCOM gateway in Singapore to provide “vital communications until local services were restored.”

The United States is also home to ViaSat, based in California. This firm, which has a major presence in commercial SAT-

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COM, can provide Ku- and Ka-band SATCOM both using its own satellites, and using bandwidth leased from third parties. To this end, ViaSat leases UHF bandwidth across other satellites, while providing Ku- and Ka-band communications with its own spacecraft. As with other commercial military SATCOM firms, the company can furnish a military with accompanying terminals.

Regarding its own fleet of satellites, the company operates ViaSat-1 which was launched in 2011. It is now looking forward to the launch of ViaSat-2 in 2016 which will extend the company’s coverage over Latin America, the North Atlantic and the Caribbean. This satellite is expected to begin providing services by the end of 2016, according to Jerry Goodwin, vice president of secure network systems at ViaSat. Mr. Goodwin adds that the firm’s second satellite will offer up to 280 megabits-per-second data rates for SATCOM. The launch of ViaSat-2, plus the communications offered

by ViaSat-1, will enable the firm to offer a global Ka-band SATCOM network by 2021, Mr. Goodwin adds.

The appetite in the Asia-Pacific for military SATCOM is expected to increase still further in the five-to-ten year timeframe.

Militaries across the region are investing into their Command and Control (C2) capabilities. These systems distribute information around the battlefield regarding the location of friendly and hostile forces, video and still imagery to enhance the situational awareness of deployed forces, and written and voice information.

Such investment has been illustrated recently by the Indian Army which is investing in C2 capabilities; witness the selection of local companies Bharat Electronics Limited and Rolta India this February to develop a $8 billion Battle Management System (BMS) for the force, with a prototype BMS expected to be developed for initial use by the Indian Army by 2018, according to local media reports. The BMS will provide C2 to the lowest echelons of the force at the Forward Edge of the Battle Area through to Battalion/Regimental levels. This system will be dependent on radio communications and SATCOM to move data, voice, imagery and cartographic information around the battlefield.

Investments into C2 technology, not to mention the need to have long distance communications up and running in the wake of natural calamities, will keep military SATCOM in high demand in the Asia-Pacific region. AMR

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helicopter M O D E R N I S A T I O N

The Boeing AH-64E Guardian attack helicopter represents the latest version of the AH-64D Apache Longbow aircraft.

Beyond the US Army, sales of this helicopter have followed to India, Indonesia and the Republic of Korea © US Army

Bladerunners While Australia has paid the price as an early technology adopter with its Airbus Helicopters' EC-665ARH Tiger attack rotorcraft, Indonesia is spurning risk as it buys the latest mature version of the McDonnell Douglas/Boeing AH-64D/E Apache/Guardian gunship.

by Andrew Drwiega

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wo Australian Army EC-665ARH (Armed Reconnaissance Helicopter) Tiger aircraft took part in the inaugural Exercise NORTHERN SHIELD in Western Australia this September. Centred around the town of Exmouth, the exercise had been conceived to test the ability of the Australian Defence Force (which consists of the country’s army, the Royal Australian Navy and the Royal Australian Air Force) to deploy a large joint force across long distances into an austere environment.

The EC-665ARH is Australian Army Aviation’s (AAA) most modern and lethal helicopter to be fielded in recent years. While it is now deploying on a growing list of exercises which

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are finally providing the army with payback and some measure of satisfaction from the selection of the EC-665ARH, many in the Australian Army confirm that the path to this point vis-à-vis the procurement of the EC-665ARH has been tortuous, frustrating and expensive.

Australia

All 22 of the EC-665ARHs have now been accepted by the AAA with most due to be operated by the 1st Aviation Regiment, based at Robertson Barracks in Darwin, northern Australia. The EC665ARH is a modified version of the Airbus Helicopters EC-665HAP (Hélicoptère d’Appui Protection/Support and Escort Helicopter) operated by the

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Aviation Légère de l’Armée de Terre (French Army Aviation). However, the EC-665 ARH is outfitted with upgraded Turbomeca/Rolls Royce MTR390 turboshafts.

Although the EC-665ARH represents a leap ahead for the AAA’s aerial attack capability, with the Final Material Release (FMR) being signed on 19 March 2014, this was accompanied by serious army caveats (see below). At the time of writing (late September) the EC-665ARH was still awaiting its Full Operational Capability (FOC) approval from the army which has now been rescheduled for early 2016. The original FOC date was June 2009.

According to the latest Australian National Audit Office (ANAO) 2013/14

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report, issued in December 2014, the caveats to the FMR relate to the following areas: “rate of effort generation, suitability of the ground crew training device, electronic warfare self-protection performance and high cost of ownership.” The ANAO report rests responsibility for this unquestionably protracted acquisition at the feet of the manufacturer, specifically “the less than expected maturity level of Airbus Helicopter’s Tiger programme at the time of acquisition (December 2004).”

The major knock-on effect, the report continues, has been “poor performance in the Tiger Sustainment System.” The report put an estimated value of the EC-665ARH fleet sustainment for 2015/16 at a costly $83 million.

More recently the AAA has been working with local subsidiary Australian Aerospace and parent company, Airbus Helicopters, with more purpose to achieve a key goal of improving the sustainment performance programme for the EC-665ARH. The army has, at times, felt that the development of a logistical support chain for the aircraft has been slow. The announcement of the Initial Operating Capability (IOC) for the first EC-665ARH squadron, the 161 Reconnaissance Squadron, was years late and the announcement of the second attack/reconnaissance squadron, the 162 Reconnaissance Squadron to reach IOC was expected to be declared in Darwin by the end of August, although this too has been delayed to an undisclosed date.

The ANAO’s Audit Work Programme, signed off in December 2014, recommended an audit of the EC-665ARH project to examine key issues leading to the eventual FOC of the fleet and to examine its sustainment performance.

While the EC-665ARH has not yet deployed operationally, it is now capable of firing Lockheed Martin AGM-114 Hellfire family Air-to-Ground Missiles (AGMs) and trials were conducted in August 2014 with the BAE Systems Advanced Precision Kill Weapon System laser guidance kit for use with the helicopters’ ARH’s Forges de Zeebrugge 70mm unguided air-to-ground rockets.

Apaches for Indonesia

The Tentara Nasional Indonesia-Angkatan Darat (TNI-AD/Indonesian Army) is doing what some in the Australian Army would have liked to have done over a decade ago; buy the latest AH64E Guardian gunship from Boeing.

Airbus Helicopter’s EC-665 Tiger was selected by the Australian Army; so far its only customer in the Asia-Pacific.

However, the force’s experience with the aircraft to date has been, at times, fraught © Airbus Helicopters

That acquisition is now in motion. On 26 January 2015 Boeing was awarded a $295 million Foreign Military Sales (FMS) contract to supply Indonesia with eight AH-64E attack helicopters, the latest version of the mature, but still popular, AH-64D Apache Longbow design. The manufacture is being carried out at Boeing’s Mesa, Arizona, plant and is expected to be completed by the end of February 2018. Lockheed Martin will also supply nine Modernised Target-Acquisition Designation-Sight/ Pilot Night Vision Sensor (M-TADS/ PNVS) optronics systems as well as AGM-114 Hellfire-II AGMs, including the latest version, the AGM-114R.

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The agreement to sell the most advanced version of the US Army’s prolific attack helicopter was confirmed back in August 2013 when then-US secretary of state for defence Charles ‘Chuck’ Hagel announced the deal during a visit to Indonesia; part of a thinly veiled team-building exercise with nations that have territorial issues with the People’s Republic of China.

Indonesia is a member of the Association of South East Asian Nations and the United States is keen to work up a coalition approach to tackle the PRC’s territorial ambitions in the East and South China Seas. The deal stipulated that the US Army would train TNI-AD

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helicopter M O D E R N I S A T I O N

Pakistan is testing the CAIC WZ-10 attack helicopter developed by the People’s Republic of China.

It is the first international customer for this aircraft. The WZ-10s have been tested at the Pakistan Army’s Qasim Army Aviation base near Rawalpindi © Defence Pakistan

crew in tactics, techniques and procedures. The AH-64Es will represent a real step change in capability for the Indonesian Army which has previously relied on eight Mil Mi-35P gunships which it had begun acquiring in 2003.

In August 2014, the outgoing Indonesian president Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono hinted that the new AH64Es could be forward-deployed to areas such as Kepulauan Natuna, which lies 107 nautical miles/nm (200 kilometres/km) away from the Spratly archipelago in the South China Sea, parts, or all, of which are claimed by Brunei-Darussalam, the PRC, Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan and Vietnam. However, such a forward deployment on the TNI-AD’s part might well trigger a rebuke, if not more, from the PRC.

in the late 1990s, the WZ-10 is manufactured by CAIC, the specialist rotorcraft division of the Aviation Industry Corporation of China (AVIC). Its maiden flight occurred during 2013 (the exact date is disputed, and is thought to have taken place in either March or December). The aircraft is powered by two Wozhou WZ-9 turboshafts which, although manufactured in the PRC, is understood to be based on a Pratt and Whitney PT6C-67C turboshaft.

The WZ-19 is a modified version of the older Z-9W and was first flown in May 2010. Interesting design fea-

The Soviet/Russian Mil Mi-24/35 family of attack helicopters has proved popular around the Asia-Pacific region, with India and Indonesia both being operators of these aircraft. However, these helicopters are being progressively replaced © US DoD

Chinese Potency

Two new PRC attack helicopters made a very public appearance at the recent military parade in Beijing to mark the 70th anniversary of the end of the Second World War in the Pacific. The Changhe Aircraft Industries Corporation (CAIC) WZ-10 Fierce Thunderbolt and the lighter Harbin WZ-19 Black Whirlwind reconnaissance/attack helicopter are considered home-grown although both have design elements that originated in the international manufacturing community.

Originally designed through a secret deal with Russia’s Kamov design bureau

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tures include a shrouded tail rotor (not unlike the Fenestron tail rotor used by Airbus Helicopters) and engine exhausts that point upwards to presumably reduce the helicopter’s infra-red signature. The ranges of the WZ-10 and WZ-19 are thought to be around 431nm (800km) and 377.9nm (700km) respectively. Both are fitted with wing stubs for weapons hard points. The larger WZ-10 has a 23mm chin gun while the lighter WZ-19 would potentially rely more on wing stub weapons pods. The more mature WZ-10 is in the process of being fielded with the People’s Liberation Army, there is no known date for the newer WZ-19 to arrive in the front line with the force.

In September media reports emerged that Lin Zuoming, AVIC’s executive director, had stated that the PRC is developing its own next generation attack helicopter, allegedly with a low Radar Cross Section (RCS). He went on to declare that it would “reshape the combat patterns” of the PLA. Whether this is a similar development to the WZ-19 (i.e. an upgrade of an older model) or a genuinely new and as yet unnamed type is not clear. Nevertheless, it has been reported that deliveries of this aircraft could begin around 2020 which, if true, means that it is unlikely to be so far removed from the performances of current designs. “It is a trend that the ground force will become increasingly dependent on helicopters because they have a better strike capability and mobility than armoured vehicles, and transport supplies to

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helicopter M O D E R N I S A T I O N

Bell’s AH-1Z Viper attack helicopter is the latest incarnation of the company’s highly successful UH-1 Cobra family of gunships. 19 of the ‘Zulus’ are currently on order for Pakistan, with Australia being mooted as a potential future customer for the aircraft © Bell Helicopter

frontier troops,” Mr. Lin said. The company’s chief helicopter designer, Wu Ximing, added that the design would provide the aircraft with “supreme manoeuvrability in complicated environments, outstanding standing survivability and a joint operations ability.”

Pakistan

It should be remembered that Pakistan allowed Chinese representatives to view the tail of the US Army helicopter, thought to be a modified version of the US Army’s 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment MH60M Black Hawk special operations helicopter, that crashed during Operation NEPTUNE SPEAR, the US Navy SEAL (Sea, Air and Land) commando mission to kill Al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden in Abbottabad, northern Pakistan, on 2 May 2011. Public photographs of that helicopter are scarce at best, with many in the aviation industry observing that the tail rotor had been modified as had the rear section of the fuselage, which many observers thought to be improvements to reduce the aircraft’s Radar Cross Section (RCS).

Manufacturing its own attack helicopters is important to the PRC, not least because they can be exported at a lower cost than their Western rivals, thus helping to strengthen the country’s arms industry. They may however

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pose a threat to the export ambitions of Russian Helicopters offering the Mil Mi-35M and Kamov Ka-52 Alligator gunships.

The reported release of a picture by the PLA showing a WZ-10 helicopter carrying out deck trials with a People’s Liberation Army Navy ‘Yuting-III’ class landing ship may indicate that these are being considered as support aircraft for littoral operations. Such a doctrine is also actively being tested by the US Army with its new Apache AH-64Es with deployments onboard US Navy ships in the Middle East in 2014.

An early foreign customer that has already been identified is the Pakistan Army. Three WZ-10s were delivered earlier this year and were based at Dhamial army airbase in northern Pakistan for trials. Their numbers are expected to be bolstered by the end of October with the arrival of a further two WZ-10s. There is an unconfirmed report that these are part of a larger contract for up to 17 aircraft. Their eventual weapons load may comprise a 23mm cannon, China North Industries Group Corporation Electro-Opticals Science and Technology HJ-10 AGMs, 57mm air-to-ground rockets and CAIC TY-90 air-to-air missiles. The supply of attack helicopters to Pakistan over the last year has been something of an enigma, with reports of Bell Helicopter,

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Russian Helicopters and China’s AVIC stumbling over each other in a rush to proffer their own aircraft.

On 25 August an announcement was made by the US Department of Defence (DoD) that Bell had been awarded a $581 million modification contract “for the manufacture and delivery of 16 UH-1Y (and) 19 AH-1Z” light utility and attack helicopters. The FMS contract is being managed through the US Navy’s Naval Air Systems Command, and the work will be divided between Bell’s facilities at Fort Worth and Amarillo, Texas with a completion date set for August 2018.

However, with both China and Russia appearing to be intent on supplying Pakistan’s armed forces with attack helicopters, the picture is somewhat confused. The Russian government has also approved the sale of four Mi35M attack helicopters to Pakistan following the lifting of a self-imposed defence equipment embargo which was reportedly in place since following the withdrawal of Soviet Union forces from Afghanistan in February 1989. Russian Helicopters has been pushing the latest version of the Mi-35M attack helicopter which has already been exported to Azerbaijan, Brazil, Iraq and Venezuela.

But the arrival of three disparate types of attack helicopter would surely play havoc with the Pakistani Army’s logistics chain and through-life maintenance costs. This seems to indicate a higher political purpose to this acquisition with not all of the contenders going on to deliver full fleets. The news announced at the end of September that Boeing is to supply AH-64Es to Pakistan’s great rival, India, will not have gone unnoticed by Pakistan’s military and may tilt the balance towards the acquisition of at least one fleet of non-US manufactured attack helicopters.

The Chinese look set to continue the modernisation of all of their national helicopter forces and that will mean increasing the number of newer versions such as the WZ-10 and WZ-19 (see above). The international market will also be a target for Chinese industry, as it will be for US manufacturer Bell Helicopters with its modernised AH1Z Viper and Boeing with its AH-64E Guardian. Cheaper alternatives may however appeal to nations without such deep pockets such as Boeing’s AH-6I and MD Helicopters MD-530F attack/reconnaissance helicopters. AMR

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Thales’ CAPTAS-1 system is a towed array sonar designed for smaller vessels, such as corvettes. It has been supplied to the navies of France, Malaysia, Morocco, Norway, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates © Thales

Littoral Thinking The world’s oceans have seen a marked increase in submarine numbers since the end of the Cold War. New boats are quieter, and the areas in which they operate have increasingly shifted from blue water to littoral regions .

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his shift has had a corresponding impact on the demand for AntiSubmarine Warfare (ASW) capabilities for surface ships, of which sonar forms a key component.

Over 100 submarines are expected to be operating in the Asia-Pacific, over the next decade, according to Peter Roberts, senior research fellow for sea power and maritime studies at the Royal United Services Institute (RUSI), a think tank

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based in London. Mr. Roberts told the Asian Military Review that several states around the region are investing in “ASW capabilities at scale in order to meet the changing threat numbers.”

Threat Assessment The threat is changing on several levels.

For a start, the capability of conventional hunter-killer submarines has greatly improved, said Cam McDonald, vice presi-

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dent of international business development at L-3 Ocean Systems. “They are quieter, they can stay submerged for much longer, and they have better sensors that can detect targets at much greater ranges,” he told AMR. “They also have much more capable weapons such as wake homing torpedoes or anti-ship missiles that can engage targets at much greater ranges.”

These submarine threats are changing naval postures with an increasingly

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wide range of vessels expected to carry or tow sonars, from destroyers to corvettes and Offshore Patrol Vessels (OPVs), Mr. McDonald says. There has been a move away from Hull-Mounted Sonar (HMS) because of poorer acoustic performance compared to Variable Depth Sonar (VDS), and there is an increasing 'off-boarding' trend, he said, where sensors are placed on small, untethered surface vessels, requiring small, high-capability sonars.

Thales has also observed an increasing demand for sonar capabilities on smaller vessels, because of the focus on littoral waters. “Nations are expanding their fleets of patrol vessels and corvettes to defend their sovereign interests in territorial waters and Exclusive Economic Zones,” a spokesperson said. “Such a trend is driving demand for smaller vessels to detect and deter underwater threats.”

Beyond the increasing number of ships expected to be equipped with a sonar in the future, there has been a shift in the areas where submarines typically operate, from the blue waters of the ocean to the brown waters of the littorals. When coupled with the increasing threat, this limits the ability of ‘passive’ sonar systems and boosts the demand for ‘active’ systems, particularly low frequency active systems (which typically operate in the one to seven kilohertz/KHz band). This is because “the littorals have much more background noise, wave slap, tropical rain, snapping shrimps and vessel traffic, plus you are more likely to have obstacles in the way like islands and underwater structures,” Mr. McDonald explained.

This background noise, and the quietening acoustic signatures of submarines, makes their passive detection more difficult. As such, the focus of ASW sonar will mainly be on active systems, the spokesperson from Thales told AMR. The company has observed that VDS technology is becoming the trend in ASW; when combined with an HMS, this forms a ‘sonar suite’.

While VDS is an increasing trend for sonar design, the company spokesperson said that key recent technological developments include reliable access to low frequency sonar transmissions, which allow longer detection ranges due to less propagation losses in the water column.

The Thales spokesperson also pointed to major improvements in signal processing; this has enabled the compan to expand its Adaptive Beam Forming (ABF) processing from submarine sonars to surface ship sonars. Thales

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Thales’ CAPTAS-2 towed array sonar is intended for use on medium-sized vessels. The company’s CAPTAS family of sonars, which also includes the CAPTAS-1 and CAPTAS-4, has been sold to several countries © Thales

Atlas Elektronik’s Active Towed Array Sonar System has recently been sold to the Indian Navy, with deliveries beginning in 2016. The low-frequency system allows observation of the sub-sea environment at ranges of more than 32nm © Atlas Elektronik

said that ABF allows an increased detection range and bearing resolution, and boosts the sonar’s resistance to noises in the ocean.

European Suppliers Regarding products, Thales’ divides its sonar suites into three broad groups, depending on the size of the ship. Its major products for smaller vessels are the CAPTAS-1 (Combined Active and Passive Towed Array Sonar) VDS and the BlueWatcher HMS. For medium-size vessels, it offers the CAPTAS-2 VDS and the Kingklip HMS, and for larger vessels, the CAPTAS-4 VDS and the UMS 4110 HMS. The company has signed deals for its CAPTAS VDS family with several countries, including France and Italy, where the CAPTAS-4 is used onboard the Marine Nationale (French Navy) and Marina

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Militare (Italian Navy) FREMM (Frégate Européenne Multi-Mission / Fregata Europea Multi-Missione) European multi-role frigates. The same nations are also buyers of the UMS 4110 HMS, as is Morocco which operates the system on its FREMM frigates. The Kingklip system counts Indonesia (‘Sigma’ class frigates), South Africa (‘Valour’ class frigates), Morocco (‘Sigma’ class corvettes) and the United Arab Emirates (‘Abu Dhabi’ class corvettes) among its customers.

Thales is joined as a European sonar supplier by Atlas Elektronik which recently enjoyed success with its Active Towed Array Sonar System (ACTAS), signing a $45 million deal in December 2014 to produce six of the systems for the Indian Navy, with deliveries beginning in 2016.

ACTAS operates in the low-frequency range, according to the company, and

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Atlas Elektronik has sold more than 100 of its ASO 713/723 hull-mounted sonar systems over the last 30 years. The company says the systems are optimised for operation in littoral and blue waters © Atlas Elektronik

“permits observation of the sea space at ranges in excess of 32 nautical miles/nm (60 kilometres/km)." The company said the system “can also locate and track surface vessels, which permits reconnaissance of both submarines and ships in the same sonar search area.” Atlas Elektronik also offers ASO 713/723 hull-mounted sonar, which operate on the medium-frequency (five to 15KHz) band. The company says the systems are optimised for use in littoral and blue waters. It has sold more than 100 examples in the last 30 years.

Hull-mounted sonar is also available from Kongsberg which divides its naval sonar product range into two major areas. The first is ASW for littoral waters, in which the company has both hull-mounted and towed systems for surface vessels, including the SS 2030 HMS and the ST 2400, a compact active VDS. The company says that both systems can be installed onboard smaller naval ships, and are “suitable for operation in confined areas where high speed and manoeuvrability are vital”.

In addition to submarine detection, the second major area where sonar is vital is within the Mine Countermeasures (MCM) domain, where Kongsberg’s sonar portfolio covers mine and obstacle detection combined with a navigation capability.

The major product for surface ships in this area is the SA9520 HMS, which has the same capabilities as its submarine-based counterpart, the SA9510S, but with an option for an antenna “to be installed on a hoist-able hull unit with a controllable tilt

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and train unit,” enabling the sonar “to look in any direction and creating full coverage and awareness of the surrounding water.”

The company pointed to a growing demand for military sonar that can be fitted on smaller vessels. It signed a deal in July to provide sonar for the Marinen (Swedish Navy) ‘Tapper’ class Fast Patrol Boats which will be delivered by the mid-point of 2016. The sonar is designed for use in shallow water and will be used for ASW, mine and obstacle detection and navigation, the company said.

Europe’s other major sonar provider is Ultra Electronics, which produces the Integrated Sonar System (ISS), which fuses information from multiple sensors, active and passive, to paint a single sonar picture.

According to the company, the ISS can be installed as separate systems, or multiple elements can be used as part of an ASW suite. The ISS consists of the following: one or more active and passive variable-depth towed array sonar, a hull-mounted sonar, sonobuoy processing; torpedo detection and accompanying torpedo countermeasures; bathythermograph and mine obstacle avoidance sonar. The company calls the use of varied sources to achieve wide area coverage ‘pervasive sound’. The spokesperson added that this concept “changes hunting for a submarine from fishing with a line and rod to using a net: in this case, an acoustic net.”

The Royal Australian Navy has selected a multi-sensor variant of the ISS for its forthcoming ‘Hobart’ class destroyers.

Ultra Electronics adds that a variant of the ISS’s hull-mounted sonar has been selected by the UK Ministry of Defence for The Royal Australian Navy has selected a variant of Ultra Electronics’ Integrated Sonar Suite for use on its ‘Hobart’ class Air Warfare Destroyer programme, with these ships equipping the force in the near future © Ultra Electronics

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the Sonar 2050TR programme to equip the Royal Navy’s ongoing ‘Duke’ class frigate upgrade and its forthcoming replacement, the Global Combat Ship.

US Players Alongside Ultra Electronics, Atlas Elektronik, Kongsberg and Thales, other players in the surface combatant sonar market include L-3 Ocean Systems. The firm’s major products comprise its Low Frequency Active Towed Sonar (LFATS), which is designed for larger platforms, and its new Orion VDS, which is designed for very small vessels. The Orion VDS is specifically aimed at combating the threat posed by midget submarines, Mr. McDonald said. The company has recently sold its LFATS systems to Brazil, Chile, Singapore, Indonesia and Thailand, while it is pursuing new opportunities in the US, the Republic of Korea, Canada, India and Japan, although it has not disclosed which vessels the Orion VDS and LFATS equip.

Elsewhere in the United States, Lockheed Martin is a major provider of sonar technology, through its AN/SQQ-89 Undersea Warfare system. The latest variant of the system, the AN/SQQ-89A(V)15, has an open architecture to accommodate future system enhancements, the company says. Lockheed Martin says that a variant of the latest version has been integrated with the company’s Aegis Combat Management System being installed on new ‘Arleigh Burke’ class destroyers, six of which are currently under construction. There is also a back-fit programme to retrofit existing ‘Arleigh Burke’ class ships and ‘Ticonderoga’ class cruisers, according to the company.

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L-3 Ocean Systems manufacturers the Low Frequency Active Towed Sonar which is intended for use on larger platforms. This is in addition to new company products such as its Orion VDS © L-3 Ocean Systems

China and Russia While this article has focused on Western technology, Mr. Roberts pointed to developments in sonar technology in other areas. He said that the People’s Republic of China is “producing some respectable kit, but the lead in submarine technology, noise-quietening and sensor development is Russia.” He said that while there has been a continuing focus on sonar, “those who are serious about ASW are investing more into bathymetric sensors and libraries. Such tools allow a commander to understand the (ocean) as a series of differentiated areas (split by walls of salinity, temperature and physical features), rather than conceiving it as a single pool of water.”

Design Trends Beyond the products surveyed above, the requirements of navies are shifting under financial pressures, said Thomas Hostvedt Dahle, product sales manager for naval sonars at Kongsberg's maritime division: "A trend among the military customers is that they are becoming more open to Military Off-the-Shelf (MOTS) so-

lutions,” he told AMR. “Budget cuts are forcing navies to life-extend their ships and equipment needs to be upgraded.

This moves the market further towards MOTS as the procurement and installation time is shorter during upgrade projects.”

It should also be noted that while the focus here has been on technology for surface ships, airborne systems are an essential element in undersea detection.

There have also been developments to this end in the unmanned sector, and there is likely to be an increased focus on interoperability between all sonar platforms in coming years.

Mr. Dahle expects bi-static and multistatic sonar to “probably get more attention in the future, specifically for shallow water operations. In littoral waters ASW operation will increasingly be carried out from smaller vessels (low-value platforms), where the strength of the ASW force will be the quantity of the vessels operating like a squadron.”

Mr. Dahle also highlighted the potential of “autonomous operation” which he said was “already highly relevant for

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MCM operations and it is likely that we will see more autonomous or remotecontrolled ASW operations in the future."

Mr. Dahle expects systems with higher bandwidth and improved resolution as technology and computer capacity continues to develop. Operator consoles will continue to improve, he said, and threedimensional display techniques will become more common for all types of sonar.

Alongside autonomous operation, other trends are likely to remain strong in sonar design such as “size and weight reductions," the Ultra Electronics spokesperson notes, plus “improvements in interaction between hull-mounted and towed sonar are likely to improve as well as the incorporation of deployed sonar systems to further increase the integrated element of ASW for surface vessels. Unmanned vessels both on the surface and in the air will quite likely play an increasing role in providing additional capability.”

Despite the technological developments anticipated above, the market for sonar systems on surface ships should stay broadly stable. Ultra Electronics’ spokesperson argues that it “has generally been flat owing to the focus on land warfare in the last decade, but the proliferation of submarines, particularly in (the Asia-Pacific) and on the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation’s northwest flank is likely to increase the market demand for ASW technology.”

Other companies, such as Thales, expect a small increase in the market size in the short term. One factor the company highlighted was “the trend to equip new ships such as (OPVs) with ASW means it will also bolster the market.” Moreover, alongside growing demand in the US, Mr. Dahle said he expects “the market for shallow water capabilities to grow in the coming decade as littoral operations get more focus in many countries.” This could increase in tandem with the demand for unmanned and small ship acoustic systems with Mr. McDonald predicting “funding constraints for countries of interest that are dependent on oil and gas revenues to fund their defence priorities.”

He adds that L-3 Ocean Systems “sees the more affordable unmanned surface vehicle off-boarding solutions and the smaller ship acoustic market expanding. We believe this trend will continue in the years ahead.” Mr. McDonald added that there would be “ongoing pressure to produce increasingly-innovative solutions that do more, while ensuring we keep the prices low … In the sonar world, if you are not innovating, you aren’t growing.” AMR

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The CT-4E basic trainer was built in New Zealand and used by the RNZAF until it was replaced by the Beechcraft T-6C Texan-II in 2014. This aircraft (CT-4E) was also exported to Australia and Thailand © RNZAF

Back to Basics The current generation of People’s Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF) pilots flying state-of-the-art Chengdu J-10 and Shenyang J-11 multi-role combat aircraft nearly all took their first flight in the Chinese-designed Nanchang CJ-6 basic trainer.

by David Oliver

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ne of the most prolific post-war training aircraft, with more than 2000 built since 1958, the CJ-6 is a tandem two-seater powered by a 285 horsepower/hp (213 kilowatt/kW) Huosai 6A; a Chinese-built Russian Vedeneyev AI-14RF radial piston engine. The export version, the FT-7, is operated by the Bangladesh, Cambodian, the Democratic Republic of Korea and Sri Lankan air forces. The type remains in service with the PLAAF Aviation University of the Air Force in Changchun, in the northeast of the PRC (People’s Republic of China) and will again be the first PLAAF aircraft to be flown by the 1000 student pilots who are expected to join the PLAAF by the end of 2015.

A trainer of similar longevity is the Cessna T-41 Mescalero, a military version of the popular Cessna 172 piston engine light aircraft which first en-

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tered service with the United States Air Force (USAF) in 1965. The T-41D, the export version supplied under the US Military Aid Programme following its introduction into USAF service from 1964, was powered by a 210hp (157kW) Continental IO-360 piston engine, and was adopted by the air forces of Indonesia, Laos, Pakistan, the Philippines, Republic of Korea and Thailand. The type remains in service as a primary trainer with the Hukbóng Himpapawid ng Pilipinas (Philippine Air Force) 101 Primary Training Squadron, the ‘Wildcats’, at Fernando airbase on the island of Luzon. These aircraft join the 15 surplus Republic of Korea Air Force (RoKAF) T-41Bs in acquired in 2013. Finally, the Royal Thai Air Force (RTAF) has an extant fleet of eight T-41Ds at its Flying Training School at Don Muang airbase, north of Bangkok.

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Indigenous Designs Away from Thailand, Pakistan operates a large fleet of MFI-17 Mushshak pistonengine basic trainers; a licence-built improved version of the Saab Safari manufactured in Kamra, in the north of the country, by the Pakistan Aeronautical Complex (PAC). The side-by-side, two-seat trainer with a fixed tricycle undercarriage is powered by a 200hp (149kW) Textron Lycoming IO-360-AIB6 engine and more than 200 have been built since 1981. The largest fleet is operated by the Pakistan Army Aviation School at Rahwali airbase, eastern Pakistan, while the Pakistan Air Force has some 75 MH-17B Super Mushshaks with a more powerful 260hp (194kW) IO-540V4A5 piston engine. This aircraft first flew in 1995, and is based at the PAF’s College of Flying Training at Risalpur airbase in the west of the country. Ten MFI-17 Mushhaks were also exported to Bangladesh.

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Another indigenous design that was a product of the Asia-Pacific region was the Pacific Aerospace Corporation CT-4 Airtrainer piston engine trainer. Originally developed by the New Zealand company AESL, the CT-4 basic trainer was a similar configuration to the MFI-17 (see above). Powered by a 210hp (157kW) Continental IO-360-H piston engine, the CT4A first flew in 1973 and was sold to the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF), Royal New Zealand Air Force (RNZAF) and the RTAF. An upgraded version, the CT-4E powered by a 300hp (224kW) Lycoming AEIO-5450-L1B5 engine, replaced the earlier version in RTAF and RNZAF service.

It was also used by the RNZAF formation aerobatics team, the Red Checkers.

US Offerings When the first turboprop basic trainers came to the market in the early 1970s, they were selected by several Asia-Pacific countries. An early example was the Beechcraft T-34C Turbo Mentor; a development of the piston-engine T-34A powered by a 715hp (533kW) Pratt and Whitney Canada PT6A-25 turboprop that first flew in 1973. It was operated until recently by the Tentara Nasional IndonesiaAngkatan Udara (TNI-AU/Indonesian Air Force) and remains in service with the Republic of China Air Force (RoCAF) which uses the T-43C Turbo Mentor as its basic trainer at Gangshan airbase in Tainan, The CT-4E basic trainer was built in Newof southern Taiwan.

A distance cousin Zealand and by the RNZAF until it was the T-34A is used the Beechcraft G36 Bonanza, replaced by the Beechcraft T-6C Texan-II in a four-seat aircraft powered by a 300hp 2014. This aircraft (CT-4E) was also exported (224kW)toTeledyne Continental IO-550-B Australia and Thailand © RNZAF piston engine, twelve of which have been ordered as basic trainers for the Tentara Nasional Indonesia-Angkatan Laut (Indonesian Navy) at Lanudal Juanda airbase, at Surabaya, East Java.

Underlining the appeal of the T-34A design elsewhere in the Asia-Pacific, the aircraft was built under licence by Fuji as the T-3 for the Japan Air Self Defence Force (JASDF) before developing the T-5 primary trainer based on the Fuji KM2, a four/five seat communications aircraft derivative of the T-34. Powered by a 350hp (261kW) Rolls-Royce M250-B17D turboprop engine, more than 50 T-5s have been delivered to the Japan Maritime Self Defence Force’s (JMSDF) 201 Squadron of the Ozuki Air Training Group in the southwest of Honshu Island.

Another Fuji trainer that can trace its lineage back to the T-34 is the T-7, an upgraded version powered by a 450hp (336kW) Rolls-Royce 250-B17F turboprop

A Philippine Air Force Cessna T-41 basic trainer. This aircraft has also been adopted by the air forces of Indonesia, Laos, Pakistan, the Republic of Korea, and Thailand, and remains in service despite its age © PAF

engine, 46 of which were delivered to the JASDF between 2002 and 2008. The Fuji T-7 was selected in preference to the Swiss Pilatus PC-7 Mk.II Turbo Trainer in 1998.

Powered by a 700hp (522kW) Pratt and Whitney Canada PT6A-25C turboprop engine, Malaysia was an early customer for a total of 40 PC-7 Mk.IIs for the Tentera Udara DiRaja Malaysia (TUDM/Royal Malaysian Air Force) although an earlier version had been delivered to Burma in 1979. The Angkatan Tentera Udara Diraja Brunei (Royal Brunei Air Force) 3 Squadron is also equipped with the PC-7 Mk.II The aircraft’s role is to perform basic flying training, multi-engine lead-in flying training, and ground school and to assist pilot selection. The largest customer for the PC-7 Mk.II in the Asia-Pacific is India.

In February 2015, an option for 38 PC-7 Mk.II for the Indian Air Force (IAF) was taken up in addition to 75 already ordered, while indigenous Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) HTT-40 basic turboprop trainer is still under development and yet to make its first flight.

Swiss Precision The substantially-redesigned PC-7 with a raised rear cockpit, new canopy, shorter-span wings and powered by a 950hp (895kW) PT6-62 turboprop, the Pilatus PC-9 equips the RAAF Air Force Training Group’s 32 Squadron. Hawker de Havilland in Australia built fifty-nine of PC-9As, while other Asia-Pacific air arms operating the type include Burma and Thailand.

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However, the latest in Pilatus’s successful line of basic trainers is the PC-21. Featuring a swept back wing leading edge and fin, and powered by a 1600hp (1193kW) turboprop driving a five-blade graphite/ titanium propeller, the PC-21 has a fast jet feel at a turboprop price. The lead customer for the PC-21 was the Republic of Singapore Air Force (RSAF) via a 2008 contract with Lockheed Martin to provide basic pilot training at Pearce airbase, Western Australia using 19 aircraft.

Impressed with Singapore's PC-21 performance and costs, the Australian Department of Defence announced in September 2015 that it had selected the Team 21 Lockheed Martin-led consortium that includes Pilatus and Hawker Pacific, to deliver 49 PC-21s. The contract will cover flight screening to basic and advanced flying training for the RAAF replacing its legacy PC-9As, as well as lead-in training for the Australian Army Aviation’s Airbus Helicopters EC-665ARH Tiger gunship and NH Industries MRH-90 medium-lift utility helicopter pilots. More details regarding the EC-665ARH in Australian Army service can be found in Andrew Drwiega’s ‘Bladerunners’ article in this issue.

Australia’s close neighbour, New Zealand, became the lead Asia-Pacific nation to order the Beechcraft T-6C Texan-II basic trainer to replace the RNZAF’s CT-4Es (see above), the last of which was retired in December 2014 after 16 years of service.

The T-6C is a variant of the Pilatus

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The rugged and robust Chinese-built Nanchang CJ-7 has been built in larger numbers than any other post-Second World War-piston engine basic trainer and remains in service with the PLAAF; in addition, the aircraft has won civilian customers around the world © David Oliver

PC-9 powered by a 1708hp (1274kW) Pratt and Whitney Canada PT6A-68 engine modified by Beechcraft to compete for the USAF/US Navy Joint Primary Aircraft Training System (JPATS) contract for 747 aircraft which it won in 1995.

The RNZAF’s eleven T-6Cs were delivered to Ohakea airbase on the west coast of the North Island by mid-2015.

At the initial handover, Air Vice-Marshal Mike Yardley, chief of the air force, said: “The T-6C Texans are specialist military aircraft built for the purpose of training military pilots how to fly. The T-6C will allow us to train our pilots more efficiently as they’ll use the same aircraft for their Wings course, compared to the two types of aircraft currently used. We’ll begin the first trainee pilot Wings course on the T-6C at the start of 2016 and these trainees will graduate at the end of that year.”

The only indigenous basic turboprop trainer competing with Pilatus and its diverse variants in the Asia-Pacific region is the Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI) KT-1 Woong-Bee which was developed in conjunction with Dirgantara of Indonesia. Closely resembling the PC-7 Mk.II (see above), and powered by a 950hp (708kW) Pratt and Whitney Canada PT6A-62 turboprop, 105 KT-1s are being delivered to the RoKAF while only twelve KT-1Bs were ordered by the TNI-ND to equip its 202 Training Squadron.

German Engineering For many countries, replacing ageing fleets of piston-engine primary and basic

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training aircraft with analogue cockpits is becoming more urgent as they acquire ever-more advanced MRCA. Confident that it will be able to provide a lowcost, but highly efficient, platform for the future is the German company Grob Aircraft AG. Developed from its G 120A pistonengine elementary trainer, the G 120TP is powered by a 456hp (340 kW) RollsRoyce 250-B17F turboprop driving a five-blade propeller and equipped with Martin-Baker Mk.15B ejection seats and Hands On Throttle and Stick (HOTAS) dual controls. The glass cockpit has three Elbit EFIS (Electronic Flight Instrument System) screens with training displays that include a virtual radar, a virtual

radar warning receiver, the tactical situation and stores management and debrief notes. Grob claim that the G 120TP is a highly effective and low cost way to train flight students in the use of today’s MRCAs, helicopters and multi-engine aircraft mission avionics without the use of more expensive training platforms.

Budget constraints are forcing air forces to rethink how they train pilots, according to Grob Aircraft AG chief executive officer Andre Hiebeler: “one hour on a jet buys 30 hours on a turboprop like ours.” With the G 120TP’s basic price of around $3.5 million, Grob is confident it will attract more sales in the Asia-Pacific region against faster, but higher-priced, competitors such as the T-6C, KT-1 and PC-21.

Grob has already attracted orders for the G 120TP from two Asia-Pacific air arms and is in negotiations with several more. The first was Indonesia which is taking delivery of 24 G 120TP basic trainers at Adisutjipto airbase in Java with the 102 Training Squadron that will use the new trainer to replace the TNI-AD’s diverse fleet of FFA AS-202 Bravo and SIAI-Marchetti/Alenia Aermacchi SF-260W piston engine trainers, and the last of its T-34C Turbo Mentors that retired in August 2015.

The second customer in the region is Burma which ordered 20 G 120TP turboprop trainers in October 2014 to replace the air force’s Nanchang CJ-6 aircraft. During a formal commissioning ceremony of the type at the Burmese Air Force Flying Training School at Shante airbase in Meikhtilla, in central Burma, Senior General Min Aung Hlaing, commander-inchief of Burma’s Defence Services, noted that the delivery of the new Grob G 120TP basic trainer aircraft, which commenced

The innovative Grob G 120TP turboprop basic trainer has broken into the Asia-Pacific market with exports to Indonesia and, as shown here, Burma, with deliveries of the aircraft commencing this July © Grob Aircraft AG

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Following the protracted development of the indigenous HAL HTT-440 basic turboprop trainer, the Indian Air Force has ordered a total of 113 Pilatus PC-7 Mk.II Turbo Trainers. It remains unclear when the HTT-440 will enter service © Pilatus

in July, “has not only strengthened the air prowess of the air force but also the national defence capability of the armed forces.”

As part of a comprehensive training package, Grob will be delivering

G 120TP-SIM Flight Training Devices (FTD) to the Burmese Air Force. Grob has selected Frasca International of the United States to provide flight simulation technology and expertise under a Long

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Term Supply Agreement. The company’s newly-established Aircraft Simulation Department is responsible for the simulator cockpit with avionics, controls and furnishings, and the aircraft data package. Frasca is providing the base assembly, control loading and the Instructor/Operator Station (IOS), plus associated simulation software models, visual image generators and the visual database.

The first six orders placed under the LTSA are currently in development and production, which will result in G 120TP FTDs being delivered to the Burmese Air Force, with an additional FTD for use by Grob’s own in-house training system.

Grob is targeting the RoCAF’s requirement of between 25 and 30 aircraft to replace its T-34C fleet, while Sri Lanka and Vietnam are also countries of interest. Market research company Frost and Sullivan has stated that rising demand for cost-efficient training solutions will drive air force training and simulation in the Asia-Pacific region while small, highly-capable fleets are the order of the day, and Grob could be in a strong position to satisfy these demands. AMR

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Regional News and

Developments

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Asia-Pacific Procurement Update

by Pierre Delrieu

Pakistan to receive Bell AH-1Z Bell Helicopter has been awarded a $581 million contract by the United States’ Department of Defence (DoD) which includes the manufacture and delivery of AH-1Z Viper attack helicopters to Pakistan.

Awarded on 25 August, the contract was announced by the US DoD the following day.

In addition to the 15 AH-1Z Vipers, the deal includes the sale of 16 UH-1Y Venom light utility helicopters, also referred to as the ‘Yankee’, and 21 aux-

iliary fuel kits to equip the AH1Zs for the US Marine Corps (USMC) and for the Pakistani government.

This announcement is the first official confirmation that a deal has actually been signed since Pakistan placed a request to purchase an initial 15 AH-1Z helicopters this April. Although it does not specify how many of the 15 AH-1Zs that have been ordered will initially be delivered, the US DoD’s notification states that ten percent of the overall contract value, roughly $58 million, will cover the sale to the govern-

ment of Pakistan. This sum would suggest that Pakistan will only initially be acquiring two helicopters at this stage, and that contracts including the remaining 13 units, along with spares, support and training, will follow at a later, as yet undisclosed, time.

Pakistan will receive delivery of these first aircraft by the end of August 2018, according to the DoD. This contract notification is the latest development in the country’s ongoing efforts to bolster its rotary-wing attack capabilities. As well as procuring 15 AH-1Zs to strengthen and eventually replace its existing fleet of 32 legacy Bell AH-1F Cobra platforms, Pakistan has been evaluating the Chinese Changhe Aircraft Industries Corporation (CAIC) WZ-10 attack helicopters. For more information on these purchases by Pakistan, and other attack helicopter purchases in the Asia-Pacific, please see Andrew Drwiega’s ‘Bladerunners’ article in this issue.

Issued on 6 April, the

Rafael and Astra launch C2 joint venture India’s Astra Microwave Products and the Israeli defence technology company Rafael Advanced Defence Systems have announced their intention to launch a Joint Venture (JV) for Command and Control (C2) equipment manufacturing and supply in India.

Astra Microwave, which designs, develops and manufactures subsystems for radio frequency and microwave systems used in defence, space, meteorology

and communications, revealed the decision through a stock market filing with the Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE) on 24 August. Rafael manufactures advanced defence systems for both the Israeli armed forces, and for foreign customers.

The company, based in Haifa, northern Israel, offers a variety of products ranging from underwater systems to ground, naval and air platforms and subsystems. The joint venture will see the two companies produce tactical radios, along with electronic warfare and signals intelligence equipment.

The new JV, with ownership being split at 51 and 49 percent between Astra and Rafael respectively, will operate from the Indian technology industry hub of Hyderabad, where Astra is based.

However, Astra announced it would be seeking to adjust the ownership split to an even venture, subject to regulatory approvals.

The JV will launch with an initial investment of $20 million for the first two years and is expected to start business development activities in the first half of 2016.

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| Asian Military Review |

original US Defence Security Co-operation Agency (DSCA) notification of Pakistan’s request included 1000 Lockheed Martin AGM-114 Hellfire-II family air-to-ground missiles to assist with the country’s counter-insurgency operations with a precision-strike, enhancedsurvivability aircraft that can operate at high altitudes. The aircraft with its accompanying equipment will prove essential for such operations which are conducted in all-weather, dayand-night environments, in the North Waziristan Agency (NWA), the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATAs) and other isolated, mountainous and restive regions in northwestern Pakistan.

Furthermore, on 19 August, Pakistan announced it had signed a formal agreement with Russia for the procurement of four Mil Mi-35M attack helicopters, but no further details about the deal were provided, such as the exact specification of the helicopters which Pakistan will receive or the timeline for delivery.

This February, Rafael announced the formation of a JV company with the Kalyani Group, a privately held industrial group in India specialising in four primary sectors: engineering, steel, automotive components, renewable energy and infrastructure and specialty chemicals. The Rafael-Astra JV company, which will also be located in India, will work to develop and produce high-end technologies including a wide range of capabilities and systems such as missile technology, remote weapons stations and advanced armour.

Regional News and

Developments

south east asia Indonesia to acquire Sukhoi Su-35 to replace aging F-5E/F fleet Indonesia’s defence minister Ryamizard Ryacudu announced on 3 September that the Sukhoi Su-35S Multi-Role Combat Aircraft (MRCA) had been selected by the Indonesian Ministry of Defence (MoD) to replace the Tentara Nasional IndonesiaAngkatan Udara (TNI-AU/ Indonesian Air Force) ageing fleet of Northrop Grumman F-5E/F Tiger-II MRCA. Speaking to the country’s state-run news agency Antara, Mr. Ryacudu said that the MoD had given its agreement

Airbus delivers four H-225M helicopters to RTAF The four Airbus Helicopters’ H-725M Super Cougar medium-lift utility helicopters ordered by Thailand in 2012 have been accepted into Royal Thai Air Force service, Airbus Helicopters announced on 25 August. Two additional H-225Ms were ordered 2014, with deliveries of these aircraft to the RTAF scheduled for 2016.

The helicopters have been designed to support combat search-and-rescue

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for the purchase of a squadron of Su-35Ss as replacements for the TNI-AU’s F-5E/Fs. He added that the procurement of the new MRCA will take place “gradually” over the upcoming years and will depend on the availability of funds. As part of the order, Jakarta will be requiring the transfer of technology (the type of which has yet to be disclosed) and is still to be approved by the Russian government.

Indonesia purchased 16 F-5E/Fs from the United States in 1982, and the aircraft went through an upgrade in Belgium in 1995. These ageing aircraft were expected

and troop transport missions.

The 203 Helicopter Squadron, based at Lop Buri airbase in central Thailand, operates the helicopters, which took their maiden flights in September.

Now that these helicopters are operational, the RTAF will begin the retirement of its 18 Bell UH-1H ‘Huey’ light utility helicopters which have been in service since 1968. The H-225M was selected in 2012 against the Sikorsky S-92, the Russian Mil Mi-17 and AgustaWestland’s AW-139 medium-lift utility helicopters.

to be withdrawn from service by the end of the decade. Indonesia has long been looking to replace its fleet of fighters and, in January 2014, Mr. Ryacudu’s predecessor stated that the country was looking at several different MRCA including the Su-35S, Boeing’s F-15SE Silent Eagle, Lockheed Martin’s F-16C/D/E Viper, Saab’s JAS39C/D/E Gripen and Eurofighter’s Typhoon.

Indonesia’s fixed-wing combat aircraft fleet currently includes eight Embraer EMB-314 Super Tucanos, six F-5E/Fs, eight F-16As, 14 BAE Systems Hawk 209s, and 16 units of an earlier

model of the Sukhoi MRCA: the Su-27SK/SKM, plus eleven Su-30MKK/MK2. In the future, the TNI-AU will also operate some 80 Korea Aerospace Industries T-50I Golden Eagle light MRCAs, with Indonesia being the primary export customer.

This latest Su-35S procurement represents the first export order for the Su-35, although the People’s Republic of China is reportedly interested in buying 24 examples. The Russian Air Force is currently the only one to operate the aircraft, with 36 Su-35Ss in its inventory.

Commenting in the company’s official statement on the delivery of the RTAF’s new H-225Ms, Fabrice Rochereau, vice president of sales and customer relations in the Asia-Pacific for Airbus Helicopters, said: “With Thailand’s investment in the modernisation of its aircraft inventory, the H-225Ms will become a formidable asset in the Royal Thai Air Force’s helicopter fleet.” Derek Sharples, the managing director of Airbus Helicopters’ Southeast Asia office also commented on the deal, saying he wel-

comed “the Royal Thai Air Force as a new Airbus Helicopters operator.

They can count on our full resources to support the successful deployment of the aircraft, and proximity services from our Thailandbased customer centre.’

In October 2014, the Royal Thai Navy and Airbus Helicopters signed for five EC-145T2 light utility helicopters to serve on transport duties and liaison missions, with these aircraft earmarked to be delivered in 2016. This makes Thailand the first international customer for the militarised version of the EC145T2, which was described by the company as “the newest and most powerful model in Airbus Helicopters’ proven EC-145 light twin-engine helicopter family.”

Thailand is not, however, Airbus Helicopters’ first customer for the H-225M in the Asia-Pacific region.

Indonesia is awaiting the delivery of six aircraft and Malaysia is already operating search and rescue missions with a fleet of twelve H-225Ms. Brazil, France, Kazakhstan and Mexico also operate the helicopter.

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DEFENCE

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Airbus withdraws from Japanese tanker programme Airbus Defence and Space will not be offering its A330-200 Multi-Role Tanker Transport (MRTT) aircraft for a Japanese Air Self-Defence Force (JASDF) requirement calling for four tanker aircraft, the company told the Reuters international news agency on 8 September. Japan had issued a public notification in June, announcing it was looking at acquiring four additional tankers to supplement the JASDF’s existing fleet of KC-767 tankers.

In an effort to explain its decision to withdraw its candidacy, the European manufacturer said it did not see the point of investing the money necessary to generate a bid, claiming that the programme was biased in favour of its rival Boeing. “Airbus Defence and Space regrets that the way in which this RfP (Request for Proposal) has been formulated has forced it to conclude that it would be an inappropriate use of shareholders’ funds and company resources to bid on this contract and accordingly the

company will not be competing,” an Airbus spokesperson told Reuters.

Airbus did not directly name Boeing in its statement, but stated that the competition needed to consider its A330-300 MRTT’s “increased combat effectiveness” in any comparison “with a smaller and less efficient aircraft”; a clear reference to Boeing’s KC-46A Pegasus, a 767-200ER airliner-derived tanker currently being developed for the US Air Force.

The statement went on to explain, “the format of the

current solicitation has forced the company to conclude that it does not have a realistic prospect of winning this competition with the Airbus A330-200 MRTT, which remains by far the world’s best-selling modern tankertransport aircraft.” The company stated that it also regretted Japan’s decision to allow “a competing bid to be sourced via a US Foreign Military Sale without a mechanism to make a fair price comparison” which “makes it extremely difficult for any other company to compete.”

The A330-200 MRTT, which is derived from the Airbus A330-200 airliner, already has an important international customer base.

According to Airbus, 35 aircraft have been ordered and 24 delivered so far. In comparison, the KC-46A has yet to obtain an international customer. On 30 June, Airbus won a competition against the KC-46A Pegasus for a similar bid to sell four tankers to the Republic of Korea.

Japan launches second ‘Izumo’-class ship On 27 August Japan launched its second and final ‘Izumo’ class helicopter destroyer, JDS Kaga. The destroyer, due to be commissioned in March 2017, was completed and launched from the Japan Marine United’s Yokohama Isogo shipyard on Honshu Island.

The vessel was named after the old feudal Kaga province and is the second vessel in Japan’s fleet to take that name; the first one was a Second World War aircraft carrier of the Imperial Japanese Navy, which took part in the 7 December 1941 attacks on the US naval base at Pearl Harbour, Hawaii, and was

lost at the Battle of Midway, arguably the crucial and decisive naval battle of the Pacific Theatre during the Second World War, which took place in June 1942.

The JDS Kaga bears an unsurprisingly strong resemblance to the JDS Izumo, the country’s other ‘Izumo’ class helicopter destroyer, which was launched in August 2013 and commissioned in March 2015. Japan’s Maritime SelfDefence Force (JMSDF) will operate the JDS Kaga, alongside the JDS Izumo.

Both JMSDF vessels displace 19500 tonnes (24000 tonnes at full load) and, like the JDS Izumo, the JDS Kaga will be used for anti-submarine warfare and logistics, defending herself

with two Raytheon Phalanx Mk.15 Block-1B 20mm CloseIn Weapons Systems, and two Raytheon SeaRAM systems which teams the Phalanx Mk.15 Block-1B with the Raytheon RIM-116 surfaceto-air missile. The ships can each host up to 28 maritime support helicopters. For other operations, 400 troops and 50 3.5-ton trucks can be embarked. The flight deck has five helicopter spots, allowing simultaneous landing and take-off.

Although Article Nine of Japan’s constitution forbids the country from acquiring weapons deemed offensive in nature, a definition which includes aircraft carriers, both the ‘Izumo’ class ships bear a strong resemblance to such

vessels. That said, neither are equipped with the arresting wires, ski-jumps or catapults that would be essential to operate fixed-wing aircraft.

Nevertheless the growing tension over the Senkaku/ Diaoyu Islands located in the East China Sea, which Japan administers but which are claimed by the People’s Republic of China (PRC), has led analysts to debate whether the helicopter destroyers have been designed to serve as makeshift carriers, capable of accommodating fixed-wing aircraft at some point in the future, should tensions with the PRC degenerate into outright conflict.

However, Japanese officials have repeatedly denied such speculation.

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| Asian Military Review |

Regional News and

Developments

a u s t r a l a s i a

Rheinmetall offers Boxer for Australian CRV requirement Rheinmetall’s Australian subsidiary has answered Australia’s Project Land 400 Phase 2 requirement for 225 Combat Reconnaissance Vehicles (CRVs) with its Boxer eight-wheel drive armoured vehicle. On 3 September, the deadline for the tender applications, Rheinmetall issued a statement disclosing that it would be placing an offer for the Australian requirement, proposing the latest version of the Boxer which is equipped with the in-service Lance 30mm two-man turret and

LMT rifle selected for NZDF’s Steyr replacement The New Zealand Army has selected the US small arms manufacturer Lewis Machine and Tool (LMT) and its AR-15-derived 5.56x45mm CQB16 platform as its preferred offer for the force’s Individual Weapon Replacement programme.

New Zealand is looking to replace the Steyr Mannlicher AUG A1 assault rifle currently in service across the

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a fifth-generation Northrop Grumman command and control system.

Although it refrained from providing any additional details concerning its proposed manufacturing arrangements, Rheinmetall stated it had selected Supacat Australia as the first Australian company to support its bid. Supacat Australia, through its UK parent, had won an $105 million contract in 2014 to supply 89 Special Operations Vehicles-Commando (SOV-C) to Australia’s special forces, following the successful completion of the Prototype Development and Evaluation phase in which Supacat built

and delivered the prototype SOV-C. Between 2020 and 2025, Australia’s Project Land 400 will see about 1100 of the army’s ageing fleets of General Dynamics ASLAV (Australian Light Armoured Vehicles) to be replaced in phase 1, with phase 2 covering the replacement of the country’s BAE Systems M113AS4 armoured personnel carriers with new CRVs. Phase 3 encompasses the replacement of infantry fighting vehicles backed by manoeuvre support vehicles, the vehicle/s to fulfil this requirement have yet to be decided. The overall cost of the Project Land 400 undertaking will exceed $7 billion.

Three other Phase 2 contenders have disclosed their participation: BAE Systems’ Australian subsidiary is teaming up with Patria and offering the latter company’s Armoured Modular Vehicle, an eight-wheel drive armoured personnel carrier equipped with a BAE Systems turret.

Elbit Systems, in association with Singapore Technologies Kinetics, is offering the

Terrex-2 eight-wheel drive infantry fighting vehicle.

General Dynamics, another participant in the competition, has not yet published details regarding its offer. Australia will announce the selection of two contenders in March 2016, and will then proceed towards a final selection through a risk-mitigation exercise.

Commenting on its offer on the company’s website, Andrew Fletcher, managing director of Rheinmetall’s Australia operation argued that “delivering the best possible protection to the Australian armed forces, in line with the demanding protection specifications, is a non-negotiable objective for our team.

Rheinmetall’s combat proven Boxer … delivers the highest levels of protection required under Project Land 400 and is a formidable platform.”

For more information regarding Australian Army infantry modernisation efforts, please see Andrew White’s ‘Tools You Can Trust’ extended article in this issue.

New Zealand Defence Force following concerns about this weapon’s performance, notably in Afghanistan. The AUG A1, which has been in service with the NZDF since 1987, has been greatly criticised for being outdated and unreliable, with soldiers regularly complaining that the rifle was prone to stoppages and lacked an effective range.

Reacting to the complaints, the New Zealand Ministry of Defence (MoD) led a study in 2011 and found that the rifles

were not powerful enough to “accurately identify adversaries” and were “ineffective at ranges greater than 200 metres/m (650 feet/ft).”

Commencing in May 2014, the MoD’s tender was for 8800 ‘off-the-shelf’ replacement rifles and associated accessories. One of the key requirement for the tender was that the new weapon should be able to detect, identify, and engage adversaries at both close quarters and at distances of up to 500m (1600ft) in daylight.

The request for proposals was closed on 12 November 2014 and, following an evaluation, eight companies were selected for trials that were undertaken between 2 March and 1 June 2015. The evalua-

tion included rifles produced

by LMT, Ceska Zbrojovka, Beretta, Colt Canada, FN Herstal, Steyr Mannlicher, SIG Sauer, and Heckler and Koch.

Following the trials, LMT was selected by the MoD as the preferred offer. After a Due Diligence activity by the MoD, negotiation of a contract package, and New Zealand Government approval, LMT was awarded a contract to provide the weapons. The MoD’s notification stated that the new rifle would be introduced into service by 2017 at the latest. For more information regarding the New Zealand Army’s infantry modernisation efforts, please see Andrew White’s ‘Tools You Can Trust’ extended article in this issue.

| Asian Military Review |

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