Armada International - April-May 2015

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Issue 2/2015

April/May 2015

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Contents 2/2015 INTERNATIONAL www.armada.ch

06 CLOSE QUARTERS COMBAT CLOSE QUARTERS FIGHTING, a.k.a. SURPRISE BEHIND THE WALL I Paolo Valpolini

The increasing urbanisation will certainly affect most of the future deployments of military forces, and most close quarter battle situations will thus take place in built-up areas. Systems aimed at increasing the knowledge of the soldier about the situation around him, at allowing him to take action, and at operating with the least strain, are being improved or developed.

Let’s look at some of them.

14

24

32

MEDIUM RANGE AIR DEFENCE ANTI-AIRCRAFT, AND MORE… I Paolo Valpolini

BORDER SURVEILLANCE HULLO, HULLO? I Peter Donaldson

COUNTER TERROR FIGHTING TERROR I Paolo Valpolini

40

51

TRANSPORT AIRCRAFT TRANSPORT AIRCRAFT IN TIMES OF CHANGE I Roy Braybrook

SHOW REPORT IDEX 2015 I Eric H. Biass and Paolo Valpolini

COMPENDIUM SUPPLEMENT ARTILLERY COMPREHENSIVE SURVEY

INTERNATIONAL

2/2015

03

Index

I INDEX TO ADVERTISERS AR MODULAR ARMADA DIGITAL ATK BERETTA DSA DSEI ELBIT SYSTEMS EXELIS FNSS GENERAL ATOMICS IAI IDEF IMDEX

KONGSBERG MBDA NEXTER RAFAEL ROSOBORONEXPORT SAAB SINGAPORE AIRSHOW URALVAGONZAVOD VECTRONIX

31 39 C2 09 C3 C3 C4 05 29 C2 9 37 49

17 27 21 C4 23 19 45 13 35 Volume 39, Issue No. 2, April/May 2015

Entries highlighted with Red numbers are found in Artillery Comprehensive Survey Compendium 2015

I INDEX TO MANUFACTURERS Companies mentioned in this issue. Where there are multiple references to a company in an article, only the first occurence and subsequent photographs are listed below: AgustaWestland

50

Flir Systems

Aimpoint

11

FMV

Airbus Defence & Space 08, 14, 18, 36 Alenia Aermacchi

46, 47

05, 06, 26, 30 27

GE Aviation

40, 44

General Dynamics

05, 19, 37, 41, 42

Rada Electronic Industries Ltd. Rafale Raytheon

22

General Electric

50

Retia

Allison Transmission

25

HAL

46

Rheinmetall

Antonov Airlines

40, 41, 42, 46

Honeywell

53

Roketsan

ArmorSource

12

Huta Stalowa Wola

47

Rolls-Royce

Aselsan

25

IAI Elta

Ashok Leyland ATK

32 22, 24, 48, 49, 50, 51

Aviastar

41, 42

Avigilon

34

BAE Systems

05, 12, 14, 19, 20, 23

BCB International

38

Behavioral Recognition Systems Bell Boeing

34 48, 50

Benelli

11

Boeing

30, 41, 44, 46

Camero Systems

08, 09, 36

16, 19, 20

10, 11, 17, 19 14, 15, 19, 20, 20, 21, 23

Renault Trucks Defense

Alliant Techsystems

26, 28

32, 35, 36 22 24, 27, 36, 48 52, 53 43

Rosoboronexport

14, 42

Icx Technologies

26

Ruag

Ilyushin

48

Russian Helicopter

46, 47, 48

IMI

51

Russia’s Military Transport Aviation

International Aero Engines

44

Saab Dynamics

ITS7 Pty Ltd.

34

Jenoptik

9

40

07, 09, 16, 21

Sagem

06, 07, 09

Samsung

37

Kawasaki

44

Savox

Kazan Helicopter

48

Selex ES

10, 22, 32, 33, 37, 43

Klimov

48

Sikorsky

48, 50

KMW

37

Singapore Technologies Kinetics 38, 42

Kongsberg

15, 20, 47

12

Sirpa Gendarmerie

33, 34

Catic

43

L-3 Communications

33, 36

SK Group

07, 36

Chemring

24

L-3 Warrior Systems

11, 13

SRC

15, 16

Controp

28

Larsen & Toubro

32, 41

ST Electronics

11

Data Link

19

Lockheed Martin

15, 18, 31, 50, 51

ST Engineering

46

Denel

24, 26, 40, 43, 46

MBDA

15, 18

STK Engineering

46

20

Millog

10, 12

Syracuse Research Corp

09

Diehl Defence DRDO

19, 39

MTC Industries Research Carmiel

49

Tawazun

53

38

MTU

38

Telmex

33

Dyneema

12

Nammo

Thales

08, 13, 15, 33

e-Geos

32

Nexter

Dynamit Nobel Defence

Elbit Systems

4, 10, 11, 31, 32, 33,

NH Industries

24 21, 22, 23, 24, 32, 37 48, 50

ThalesRaytheonSystems

14, 20

United Aircraft Corporation

41, 46

Embraer

44

Northrop Grumman 05, 06, 11, 12, 13

Vectronix

Emirates Defence Technology

32

Oshkosh

Volga-Dnepr Airlines

41

Esko International

36

Oto Melara

Volvo

27

Europrop International

42

Patria

Eurosam

15

Pegasus

46

FaceDouble Incorporated

34

Photonis

9

04

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53 20, 21, 27, 32, 36, 43 46, 47

WB Electronics Yugoimport

05, 07, 08, 09

53 26, 54

INTERNATIONAL

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Tel: (852) 2815 9111, Fax: (852) 2815 1933 Editor-in-Chief: Eric H. Biass Regular Contributors: Roy Braybrook, Paolo Valpolini, Luca Peruzzi, Peter Donaldson, Doug Richardson Chairman: J.S. Uberoi President: Xavier Collaco Sr. Manager International Marketing: Vishal Mehta Manager Marketing: Jakhongir Djalmetov Sales & Marketing Coordinator: Atul Bali Asstt. Art Director : Ajay Kumar Production Manager: Kanda Thanakornwongskul Group Circulation Manager: Porames Chinwongs Chief Financial Officer: Gaurav Kumar Advertising Sales Offices AUSTRIA, BENELUX, SWITZERLAND Cornelius W. Bontje Ph: +41 55 216 17 81, cornelius.bontje@armada.ch FRANCE Promotion et Motivation, Odile Orbec Ph: +33 1 41 43 83 00, o.orbec@pema-group.com GERMANY Sam Baird Ph: +44 1883 715 697, sam@whitehillmedia.com ITALY, NORDIC COUNTRIES Emanuela Castagnetti-Gillberg Ph: +46 31 799 9028, egillberg@glocalnet.net PAKISTAN

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Close Quarters Combat

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Close Quarters Fighting, a.k.a. Surprise Behind the Wall The increasing urbanisation will certainly affect most of the future deployments of military forces, and most close quarter battle situations will thus take place in builtup areas. Systems aimed at increasing the knowledge of the soldier about the situation around him, at allowing him to take action, and at operating with the least strain, are being improved or developed. Let’s look at some of them.

Paolo Valpolini

I Many of the latest AT4 models have been designed by Saab Dynamics for use in confined spaces. (Saab Dynamics)

n urban warfare looking through walls is definitely something the soldier would like to do, in order to have an early assessment on possible threats he might encounter when storming a building.

Camero of Israel is a key player in throughthe-wall radar systems; founded in 2004, the company based at the southern outskirt of Netanya became part of the SK Group in December 2011, which considerably increased its marketing footprint. In the last few years the need for such devices increased

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07

Close Quarters Combat

The handheld lightweight Xaver 100 seethrough-the-wall radar developed by Camero of Israel allows to verify the presence of a human being in a room and measure its distance from the wall.

To the trained operator the rough signals seen on the screen close-up view can provide more information than the standard mode used by most users. (Armada/P. Valpolini)

in the military world and Camero systems, known under the name Xaver, are currently in use or on order by over 30 countries. Three types of systems, with increasing performances (and weight) are available, two of them being aimed also at the tactical military world, the Xaver 100 and the Xaver 400. All Xavers are based on radar technology: they work in the 2-10 GHz band, the ultra wide band antenna allowing for an 8GHz bandwidth. A key element is a signal processor that differentiates static and dynamic objects, which means that even the slightest vital life sign is picked by the sensor.

One thing is to see those systems at shows, a different one is to visit the company premises and “play” with them in the Camero test room, where different types of obstacles are available, concrete blocks, clay bat, reinforced concrete, dry, brick and stone walls, as well as glass, the Xaver systems’ limitation being solid metal. The more the material is homogeneous, the better the Xavers work, air cavities being the major problem for this type of sensor. At 660 grams with four CR123A lithium batteries providing 3.5 hours operation the Xaver 100 has one transmitter and one receiving antennas and provides a one dimension view, detecting presence of life and indicating the distance of the closest target. Detection range is the same as in the bigger members of the family, 4, 8 or 20 metres; in most pictures the Xaver is shown propped against the wall but in fact this is not needed, a stand-off distance allowing anyway to see-through, the range being of course reduced by the stand-off distance. The important thing is that the Xaver must be kept as still as possible to avoid induced errors. The antenna provides a field of view of 120° both in azimuth and elevation. The Xaver 100 is really a training free item; all you have to do is to orient it and switch it on, a scale showing the target and the distance from the sensor appearing on the screen. This is the intuitive human machine interface, the whole system being user friendly, and even for a first-timer switching it on and finding the target distance is a matter of seconds. However a second

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Beretta GLX160 A1 40x46mm LV

Benelli M4 12 gauge

Beretta PX4 Storm SD .45 ACP

Close Quarters Combat

Camero systems can be used propped against the wall, but also work at a stand-off distance, with a range penalty. The rough data in top view and the standard 2D mode (below) allow the Xaver 400 operator to fully exploit the performances of the Camero through-thewall radar. (Armada/P. Valpolini)

working mode allows to see the rough signals obtained, which to an experienced operator can provide more information than the “soldier proven” mode.

A 3.2 kg system, the Xaver 400 provides a two-dimensional image, with primary and rechargeable batteries providing a total of seven hours operation. The system provides the target position on a X-Y plan showing the field of view and the maximum range, the latter being selected with the button on the left of the system, the one on the right allowing mode selection among tracker, expert and high penetration. Both the Xaver 100 and 400 can optionally be fitted with a built-in wireless module that allows to remotely monitor and control more than one system from a PDA or a PC. Launched in early 2014, this option has already been delivered to some customers, maximum distance in wireless mode being 25 metres.

Linking together multiple Xaver 100 should allow to obtain 2D/3D situational awareness; Camero has considered the option but is awaiting the request from a launch customer

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to fully develop it. For the time being the company R&D department is continuously improving algorithms and signal processing, software changing being integrated in existing systems with upgrade packages. For the Xaver 400 Camero is proposing a two-day course to customers, which includes some class but mostly field work, to teach the tips that allow to fully exploit the system to users, courses being usually organised on a trainthe-trainer basis. The Xaver 100 is considered too much a self-explaining system to require a training course.

SRC Inc. (formerly Syracuse Research Corp.) has developed a much bigger radar based on a different principle, which allows to detect and locate people behind concrete walls, doors and other barriers, at a considerable stand-off distance. The company started working on this system to address a US Armt Technology Objective programme; originally known as Somisr II and then renamed O-Pen, this radar uses an ultra wideband linear array with six active and two dummy elements, providing eight beams, each covering a 7.1° sector, for a total digitally beam-formed field of view of 60°.

The antenna dimension is around two metres length and over half a metre high, and carried on an Humvee, the peculiarity of the system being that it can operate in a stationary mode as well as in motion. In the stationary mode, the vehicle with the radar remains still and the radar is most sensitive in detecting moving or stationary (hiding, sleeping, sitting, etc.) people or moving objects in the building such as fans, animals, machinery,

etc. In this mode, the radar will detect even slight motion such as breathing or subtle limb motion and alert the operator. This is accomplished by the moving target detection signal processor, which is capable of integrating over long dwell times, thus detecting stationary breathing targets. With the vehicle on the move the O-Pen operates in a Synthetic Aperture Radar mode as it drives past or around a building or scene of interest. In this mode the radar generates a map of the scene and shows walls, appliances, doorways, furniture, etc; over the map obtained in such way the system superimposes detected moving targets. In this mode, the radar is however not capable to detect subtle motion, but only detects people walking or moving objects. It has been tested at significant stand-off distances, but no detailed figures have been provided. The development on this system has ended at TRL-6; however the technology is there and SRC is ready to bring the O-Pen to full development should a customer arise.

Looking at effectors, Saab Dynamics is widening its offer in terms of confined space systems, its AT4 disposable launcher being about to add two more types of “CS” models to the existing ones. In September 2014 the company demonstrated at Karlskoga its AT4 CS HE and AT4 CS ER. Both weapons have a weight of around 9 kg and are 980 mm long, the requirement of being less than one metre long coming from the troops that required this specifically for urban theatres. The high explosive round can be fitted with an advanced sight that allows to communicate

The O-Pen through the wall radar developed by SRC reveals the internal layout of a building even with a vehicle on the move. (SRC Inc)

Better ergonomics and improved protection against corrosion are among the improvements made by Benelli to its M4 Battle Brown shotgun, unveiled at IDEX 2015. (Armada/P. Valpolini)

with the round itself, setting the time fuse in order to explode the round over the target, in airburst mode with an incapacitation area of over 400 m2. Impact and impact delayed modes are also available. The maximum range is of 1,000 metres, a red dot sight being provided as standard. The AT4 CS ER features an anti-armour warhead optimised for armour penetration and adds range to the current confined space antitank ammunition, the new CS round being capable to hit an armoured vehicle at 600 metres distance. Here too an advanced sight can be used to improve accuracy. New confined space rounds are also under development for the Carl Gustaf 84 mm weapon system, which M4 version was unveiled in late 2014.

Another weapon that is often used in close quarters combat is the shotgun. In the semiautomatic shotgun world the Benelli M4 built a reputation since the early 2000, being in use in the United States as the M1014 Joint Service Combat Shotgun with the Marines, Special Forces and Special Operation Forces, in Germany, with the Army and Special Forces, in Italy, and other European and Middle East nations, not to mention the numerous special police units that adopted it, the number of M4s in military use being estimated at about 40,000, a huge quantity considering the type of weapon. In 2010 Benelli received a contract from the British Army for a few thousand weapons to be urgently deployed to Afghanistan. This contract led to an evolution of the shotgun, which has now been adopted on the latest iteration of the M4 unveiled at IDEX 2015, and which is known as M4 Battle Brown, due to its finish. The new version features a threeposition extendable stock, while the original weapon had only two positions. The M4 Battle Brown can be fitted with a 14-inch or an 18.5-inch barrel, both equipped with a multichoke system. The 14-inch barrel can also be fitted with a door-breacher. From its inception the M4 was developed as a military

weapon, thus toughness and resistance were among key parameters; until now the typical finish was thick phosphate, hard anodised and black coatings, and chrome plated bolt and bore. To further improve resistance to external agents the Battle Brown adopts the Cherakote ceramic coating in the H30118 Field Drab finish, hence the name. The weapon characteristics do not vary, weight remaining at 3,700 grams for the 14-inch and 3,780 grams for the 18.5-inch version, respective lengths with the telescopic stock being 774/895 mm and 889/1,010 mm. The M4 Battle Brown maintains the single Picatinny for adding a sight, Benelli being ready to provide multiple-rail solutions at customers’ requirement.

Even at short range aiming remains a key element. In mid-June 2014 Aimpoint introduced its new Micro-T2 red dot sight, which albeit maintaining most of the

More robust and better optical qualities are the major improvements incorporated by Aimpoint into the Micro T-2 2MOA red dot sight unveiled at Eurosatory in 2014. (Aimpoint)

Micro-T1 specs is in fact a wholly new sight, at least under the optical profile. The T2 has a wholly new front lens that incorporates a state of the art reflective coating; according to Aimpoint this radically improves the shape and clarity of the 2MOA red dot. Besides increasing optical performances, the new design aimed also at increased robustness: this was obtained thanks to a new housing that allows the addition of front and rear protective flip-covers and anti-reflective devices. Adjustment turrets have been fitted with a physical protection while inside electronics have also been further ruggedized. The Micro-T2 maintains the eight daylight settings and four NVG settings, setting being obtained via a rotary switch, and is powered by a single CR2032 lithium battery that ensures over 50,000 hours (five years) operating time in daylight use (ten times more in night use). Though it comes with a zero magnification sight (ideal for close ranges), it can nevertheless be fitted with the company’s x3 add-on lens. In terms of weight and dimensions the new sight is marginally bigger and heavier than the Micro-T1, which by the way remains in the Aimpoint catalogue. Length is increased from 62 to 68 mm, while the sight weight goes from 84 to 96 grams. The T2 can be fitted to most weapons using the same mounts of the T1. Aimpoint started distributing its new sight in late 2014.

Protection is also a key element in close quarter battles. If weight is an issue for any soldier in any type of environment, in urban terrain or when the threat is close its importance is even higher. When working at close range with the enemy agility is often a lifesaver, as speed and even more acceleration increase aiming difficulties for the opponent.

Turning the head right and left to maintain awareness of what is happening around and to identify possible threats is common in those situations, thus any weight added over the head is something that considerably

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Close Quarters Combat

Reducing weight is always good, but in urban scenarios it is even more important due to the rapid movements often required from soldiers. The new ArmorSource LJD Aire helmet goes in that direction. (ArmorSource)

increases the strain on the neck, with heavy impacts on overall fatigue. In January 2015 ArmorSource, an Ohio-based company specialised in protection, unveiled its new LJD Aire helmet. According to the manufacturer the new helmet maintains all the characteristics of the AS-505 Lightweight Advanced Combat Helmet, which ArmorSource is starting to provide to the US Army in 2015 in terms of protected surface, protection against fragments and 9 mm being equal or higher, the weight of the complete finished LJD Aire helmet in L Size universal ACH in regular cut together with standard retention and suspension systems installed being 850 grams; this compares with the 1.38 kg of the LACH, thus 38% less, and with the 1,500 grams of the Advanced Combat Helmet currently in use, a reduction of over 40%, considering of course the same size. The LJD Aire is made of polyethylene and other undisclosed materials in composite matrix, ArmorSource using a specific pressing process. The new helmet will be proposed in different configurations, with standard or boltless side-rails, standard or boltless retention, the customer being able to choose add-on items such as shrouds and brackets. The LJD Aire will be available in the third quarter of 2015.

Another new helmet has been unveiled at IDEX 2015 by Savox of Finland, which headed a consortium of national companies acting as design responsible and prime contractor; in fact calling it a helmet is an understatement, as the Thor is in fact a headgear system that takes into account not only ballistic protection but also all the other

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subsystems that can be helmet-mounted, always taking ergonomics into to reduce fatigue as much as possible. The development of the Thor started six years ago from a clean sheet and took all lessons learned in the Afghan theatre of operations into consideration. The development, aimed at the Soldier 2020 national programme, was thus conducted with constant support from the Finnish Defence Forces. The boltless shell is produced by FY-Composites with the latest Dyneema material technology, and weighs around 600 grams; it ensures protection against fragments with a V50 of 580 m/s according to STANAG 2920 with a backface deformation of less than 25 mm, and is capable to stop a 9 mm 124 grains FMJ bullet at 430 m/s. If the situation requires a different shell, this can be replaced in less than one minute by simply acting on six screws.

integrated ear stereo speakers, while a noise cancelling boom microphone or a conductive skull microphone is offered, depending on customer choice. The Thor architecture is able to support simultaneous multi-radio connectivity and control. Ear protection has been an issue thoroughly studied, in the light of lessons learned from downrange. In-ear solutions proved problematic due to sand and hygienic considerations; however, out-ear solutions also had their drawbacks as in hot climates soldiers preferred to keep ears ventilated when no heavy background noise or potential noise surges were present. Savox developed a three-position mounting system for easy ventilation without removing the helmet or losing communications system that allows keeping ear-cups away and squeezing them in quickly when the need arises. Night vision goggles for their part are provided by

Savox of Finland recently unveiled its Thor helmet, an integrated system providing protection, communications and night viewing at a reduced weight compared to non-integrated solutions. (Savox)

Integration has been Savox mantra: as many helmets are considered as supports for subsystems, the Thor has been developed as an integrated system, the central power supply unit, at the back of the helmet, and Flexpower distribution system provide power to all sensors and communication devices attached to the helmet, reducing weight and allowing to optimise the centre of gravity. The Thor features a built-in capability for simultaneous audio and data transfer, exploiting the electric-power rail based on the Picatinny developed and approved by Nato in the pre-standard form. The helmet has

Millog of Finland and ensure a 60째 field of view; the mounting mechanism allows bringing the single tubes alongside the upper part of the helmet, thus increasing stability and reducing fatigue. The helmet also integrates perfectly with the NBC respirator adopted by the Finnish forces. According to Savox, considering all the components of the helmet system the weight reduction is of over one kilogram compared to non-integrated solutions. Savox has already received a first order from the Finnish Defence Forces, deliveries being expected in late 2015, while mass production should start by year end.

Medium Range Air Defence

Anti-aircraft, and More…

The focus on asymmetric warfare leads people to believe that some military branches are becoming obsolete. Air defence is one of them as most current enemies do not possess any flying asset (for the time being . . .).

Thus, for many, medium range air defence has become a “nice to have”. Increasingly however, the trend is to endow such assets with a dual role: air defence combined with medium range ballistic missile defence.

Paolo Valpolini

S

ome recent conflicts actually demonstrate the risk of spill-over, such as in Syria, which generates high risks for neighbouring countries. Spain deployed Patriot assets to Turkey to replace Dutch units (a PAC2 versus PAC3 swap) joining four batteries, two German and two American, deployed since 2013 to face air and ballistic missile

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threats. Italy might add a SAMP-T battery.

All this shows how the Turkish programme in this area remains a priority. The US Army also deploys its Patriots in Jordan, Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates, rotating them within the 11 Conus-based Patriot battalions, with the remaining four being deployed in Korea, Japan, and Germany. This alone exemplifies the importance of medium-range air defence and thereby justifies those nations’ plans to modernise their installations.

I PATRIOT

Born during the Cold War when a nearly straight border was dividing Europe from north to south, the Patriot system was developed with a 90° coverage, its essential task being to find and neutralise air targets moving from east to west. Notwithstanding, a system developed in the 1970s would at any rate need a serious upgrade. A major step was made in July 2014 when Raytheon was awarded the full rate production for the radar digital processor kit. According to the

Kongsberg and Raytheron developed the Nasams, which will increase its flexibility when it is equipped with the AMRAAM-ER, for extended range, the first launch of which is expected before year end. (Raytheon)

comes from the capacity of supporting the PAC-3 MSE missile once batteries are fitted with the new kit. Born for intercepting ballistic missiles, the PAC-3 is a hit-to-kill ammunition produced by Lockheed Martin, and the effector of the Meads discussed later.

In mid-July last year Raytheon announced the successful demonstration of an active electronically scanned array antenna using gallium nitride technologies, already in use in other radars like the Thaad’s. The shift from passive to actively scanned arrays allows to obtain graceful degradation and to double the range and increase reliability by a factor of three.

In December 2014 an FMS contract worth 2.4 billion US dollars was awarded to Raytheon to provide Qatar with the latest versions of the Patriot fire units, making that Middle East country the thirteenth customer of the system. A few weeks earlier

South Korea developed its KADM (Korean Air and Missile Defence) system which includes not only the Patriot but also Israeli EL/M-2080 Green Pine radars and Aegis cruisers armed with SM-3 missiles. Korean Patriots were originally equipped with PAC2 missiles, which were then upgraded to use PAC-2 GEM-T. To further enhance the system anti-missile capability South Korea in November 2014 requested the sale of 136 PAC-3 missiles from the United States, to the tune of around $1,400 million.

I EUROSAM

The original Eurosam agreement expired on 2 October 2014—25 years after its signature.

The MBDA-Thales team however remains well alive and kicking as evidenced by its renewal for another 10 years, and more to come since the FSAF-based family of ground-to-air systems is in full development, with a huge growth potential ahead of it.

A major limitation of the Patriot is its lack of 360° azimuth coverage; Raytheon is developing a new radar though to overcome the problem. (Raytheon)

company, this will considerably improve target detection and identification, and enhance surveillance capabilities. One of the key points of this move is the 40% increase in the radar reliability foreseen by the company in terms of Mean Time Between Failure.

Logistic costs will be reduced, thanks to the dramatic decrease in the number of batteryreplaceable units that will fall from 759 to 56, the lesser spares reducing the logistic burden and maintenance costs. Finally, another major capability improvement

Raytheon announced another contract, emanating from the US Air Force on behalf of Qatar, for an Air and Missile Defence Operations Centre capable to integrate US air defence systems including Patriot, the Early Warning Radar, and the Thaad, as well as European air defence systems and radars and Qatar’s Air Operation Centre. Also in December, Spain announced that it will acquire a further Patriot battery; however this will not be a newly produced system, as it will come from German surplus equipment.

The other strong point on which Eurosam officials insist is the capacity of providing a nation with a family of land and naval systems using the same missile, which allows considerable savings. In the landbased systems sector Eurosam has delivered all the systems to France and Italy, respectively 10 batteries plus one and five plus one, including the lead-in unit. Another battery has incidentally been delivered to an undisclosed customer, although numerous hints indicate that this is Singapore Air Force given that the

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Medium Range Air Defence

The French Air Force SAMP-T battery exhibited by Eurosam at MSPO 2014; the system is being offered to Poland for its medium range air defence programme. (Armada/P. Valpolini)

Navy of that country already operates FSAFbased naval systems.

January 2015 will mark the full operational capability for French Air Force batteries, Italy having declared its own within the 4th Air Defence Regiment in July 2013. A deployment of such assets might occur soon, as Nato needs to replace Netherlands Patriot batteries, equipped with the PAC-3 missile, currently operating in Turkey. Spain will take over from them, but being Spanish Patriot batteries equipped with the PAC-2 missile that does not provide ABM protection, Italian batteries would bridge the gap.

Regarding Turkey and its air-defence renewal programme things were still unclear at time of writing, its defence minister Ismet Yilmaz reconfirming in February its desire to acquire a Chinese system to the tune of $3.4 billion. Given its origin, the system is not Nato compatible and if really purchased will

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not be integrated in the Nato chain. It is understood, however, that discussions with America and Europe are still underway.

The Polish Wisła programme is in its early stages, while Warsaw announced in summer 2014 that it would opt for a readily operational system—in other words already in service in at least one country and fully Nato-interoperable. At MSPO 2014 MBDA signed two letters of intent, with Mesko and PIT-Radwar respectively, for expanding cooperation on Aster 30 Block 1 missile equipment and to offer Mesko a participation in the new Aster Block 1NT missile, and for technology transfer to PIT-Radwar on both Aster 30 Block1 and Aster 30 Block1 NT missile uplink receiver equipment. Two further letters of intent were signed in December 2014 with WZU (Wojskowe Zakłady Uzbrojenia); the first one will give WZU Grudziadz the responsibility for the

production of Aster 30 Block 1 and Aster 30 Block 1 NT Missile Launchers with the establishment of a Missile Launcher Final Assembly Line in Poland; the second letter assigns WZU the role of primary point of contact for the Polish Ministry of Defence for logistics, training and services related to the “Wisla” system. WZU will also be responsible for the assembly, integration and maintenance of all the support vehicles of the “Wisla” system. Among these recent agreements the most significant one sees the transfer to the Polish Air Force Institute of Technology of simulation rigs designed to work in anechoic chamber where the whole front section of the missile is installed. This allows simulating missile flights as well as to use various types of targets, which models can be digitally developed, allowing to verify the behaviour of real hardware and software.

In a nutshell, the Polish customer will be given the means to measure and fully understand the performance of the missile against the targets he will define by himself.

The Iron Dome proved to be a key defensive asset in Israel in late 2012. It is mostly aimed at defending Israel against rockets and missiles, and can hardly be considered a classic air defence system. (Rafael)

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Poland has a clear need to upgrade its defence systems, in the light of the increasing tensions in Europe; a possible urgent operational requirement might emerge, which would be dealt with by gov-to-gov agreements.

The main technical development that awaits the FSAF in the coming years, which will improve performances of both land and naval systems, is the B1 NT, the new version of the current Block 1 missile for engaging 1,500km range ballistic missiles.

The current SAMP-T missile has proven its value in numerous antiballistic missile tests, the latest one in May 2013. In earlier tests it also proved its ability to engage Mach 2-3 supersonic sea-skimming cruise missiles (a Coyote target launched by the French Navy). It is however limited to self-defence in terms of ABM capabilities.

The NT version, the development of which has been agreed by France and Italy, will feature a Ka-band seeker as this can intercept targets travelling at the much higher speeds of longer range ballistic missiles. The rest of the missile, including propulsion, should not change, while of course the software package will be adapted to the new mission. Should Turkey become part of the team, its defence industry would obviously be fully part of the development of the new missile (but as we have seen above, nothing was so sure at time of writing). Eurosam scheduling sees the B1 NT operational within seven years. The development of the new missile would have an impact not only on the SAMP-T but also on naval applications, allowing ABM naval platforms to be deployed at stand-off distance from national coasts. Nato has definitely an interest in such assets, a major naval exercise on that subject being planned for October 2015 in the North Sea. Currently the United Kingdom has no sea- or land-based ABM requirement, but the 2015 Strategic Defence and Security Review might well bring up the topic, most probably with naval connotations.

www.kongsberg.com

Medium Range Air Defence

A German Air Force Meads Launcher; a decision on the future medium range system for Germany is expected in mid-2015. (Meads) I MEADS

As the design and development phase was coming to a close, Meads achieved a number of milestones in 2014. In March its Mode 5 IFF subsystem received full certification for operation by the United States Department of Defense International AIMS, including the Mode 5 (L2) capability. This IFF system is used in both the 360° active electronically steered array surveillance radar as well as in the X-band, solid-state, phased array 360° multifunction fire control radar (MFCR), providing maximum protection for allied pilots in combat environments. A little later at Pratica di Mare in July, the Meads demonstrated its networking capability.

Using plug-and-fight mode it demonstrated its ability to rapidly attach and control an external Italian deployable air defence radar which tracked air objects and supplied a common integrated air picture of the area.

Track data were transmitted via Link 16, the system engaged a simulated cruise missile and other threats simultaneously allowing operators to target threats at greater distances despite being masked by terrain. Thanks to its distributed network architecture, the system automatically selected the best launcher for target engagement and demonstrated control of engagement operations from each battle manager. Interoperability with German and

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Italian air defence assets was also demonstrated through exchange of standardised Nato messages. In August, at the same location and at MBDA Germany’s air defence centre in Freinhausen, the MFCR demonstrated its jamming signal tracking and cancelling, searching, cueing and inground clutter tracking capabilities, as well as target classification performance.

With $4 billion spent on this phase, each country aims at recouping their investment by using their experience at least within a system that might differ from the original Meads, but that is based on technologies developed within the programme framework.

Of the three partners, United States, Germany and Italy, Germany seems the one ahead, as it has to replace the current Patriot system,adoptedintheColdWareraandthatno longer meets the Luftwaffe’s needs. MBDA Germany is fully involved in the Taktisches Luftverteidigungssystem (TLVS) programme, the two potential candidates being an entirely new version of the Patriot, fitted with a 360° radar, and the Meads-derived programme.

With defence being very much a political issue in the current German situation, all major programmes have beenthe subject of arevision for budgetary reasons in spring 2014—and accusations of fund mismanagement came to darken the picture. That said, a decision on

the TLVS is expected in the first half of 2015, the government having indicated quite clearly its will to use the Meads technology in order to reap profits from the investment made by Germany in that programme. The four key requirements of the TLVS are a 360° airspace surveillance capability, modularity for mission adaptability, increased mobility and strategic deployability with national air assets (read Airbus A400M Atlas). Modularity means that the TLVS must feature an open architecture (to external sensors), as demonstrated in summer 2014. According to some documents MBDA Germany made four different Meads-based proposals. How much political, economical and technical elements will influence the German decision remains to be seen. As for Italy, no comments were available on this subject.

According to Lockheed Martin, should Germany go for the Meads-based solution, Poland might review its stance on the Wisla.

The Meads is being proposed for the Shortrange air defence “Narew” programme. As the Meads architecture demonstrated its Natointeroperability and given the fact that it can work both with short and medium range effectors, Lockheed Martin considers that this might lead Warsaw to rethink its June 2014 decision. Should the Meads be selected, Poland would become a full team partner.

I BARAK 8

Developed jointly by Israel Aerospace Industries and India’s Defence Research & Development Organisation, the Barak 8 is a point aerial defence and long range surfaceto-air defence system that uses the same missile for naval and land applications. The missile itself, developed with the contribution of Rafael of Israel, is about 4.5 metres long and has a diameter of 230 mm, with a wingspan of 680 mm. A 21 kg warhead, equipped with a proximity fuse, is carried in the nose of the 280 kg missile, which itself reaches a maximum speed of 900 metres per second (over Mach 2.6).

Propulsion is by a dual pulse rocket motor, the second pulse motor being activated in the terminal phase when the radar homing seeker also switches on to reach the target with maximum accuracy. Vertically launched for 360° coverage, the Barak 8 is fitted with a two-way data link (target update to the missile and missile information to the battery). The 70km-range missile features a networked datalink system, allowing it to exploit any sensor, command and control and launcher to carry out the mission. Part of the system is the Elta S-band EL/M-2248

advanced phased multi-function surveillance and threat alert radar (MF-STAR). In naval configuration four arrays are installed on the four sides of the main mast although smaller ships will carry one rotating version to cover 360°, which is also the case of the land-based version LB-MF-STAR. Available data indicate a range of over 250 km against high flying targets. One land battery includes one radar and one command post, the latter linked to up to six launchers of eight Barak 8 each. Command posts can be linked together to widen the air defence mesh, and enable peer-to-peer as well as hierarchical network.

The Indian DRDO is involved in the development of both the missile and the system, as well as in the production of some undisclosed elements. An agreement between IAI and India was signed in 2006 for the development of the naval version, a second MoA being signed one year later for the Medium Range-SAM (MR-SAM), which will be operated by the Indian Air Force and aims at replacing the SA-3 GOA. In November 2014 IAI carried out a successful test of its Barak 8 system which marked the validation of all the components of the naval and land weapon systems.

The November 2014 launch validated all the components of the Barak 8, a co-development by IAI and the DRDO in which Rafael of Israel contribute with missile development. (IAI)

Medium Range Air Defence

A pictorial of the AMRAAM-ER, the new missile currently under development by Raytheon and aimed at giving the Nasams a much longer range. (Raytheon)

System manufacturing started ahead of the validation test, IAI having adopted some risk mitigation measures. Indeed one Israel Navy Sa’ar 5 Eilat Class corvette as well as the first-ofclass Indian Navy Kolkata destroyer have already been fitted with the Barak 8 system, which is also being installed on the Vikramaditya aircraft carrier. These units are equipped with the MF-STAR radar as well as with the command and control system. The missile being in the very final stage of development, full deployment of a production-standard system is expected in less than a year. Fewer details are available on other customers as well as on the land-based version.

Although not confirmed by IAI, Azerbaijan is said to be amongst its customers.

In 2015 IAI plans to carry out further Barak 8 tests in different and more demanding scenarios. Additionally the

company is working full steam on the extended range Barak 8-ER development.

Fitted with an add-on booster, its stretch ranges to over 150 km. This will of course call for changes in the launcher. IAI is envisaging a six- to eight-cell launcher, a version that will be soon be ready enabling batteries to operate both Barak 8 and Barak 8-ER launchers to increasing flexibility and effectiveness.

I NASAMS

It is always difficult to categorise systems, especially when they straddle two categories.

This is the case for the National Advanced Surface to Air Missile System (Nasams) produced by Kongsberg Defence & Aeropsace of Norway and Raytheon of the United States.

It is defined as medium-range but might well fall in the short-medium category. However, based on Raytheon’s AIM-120, it became fully

The three components of the MSAM, from the left the fire control centre, the X-band radar and the launcher which houses eight KM-SAM missiles. (Armada/P. Valpolini)

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operational within the Norwegian Air Force in 1998, and is today operational in Spain, the Netherlands, Finland, and the United States where it provides air defence in the US National Capitol Region of Washington DC. A sixth undisclosed country also deploys the Nasams, while number seven, Oman, ordered it in late 2013, but disclosed the deal in January 2014. A fire unit consists of one Fire Distribution Centre (or command and control), one or two ThalesRaytheonSystems MPQ 64F1 Sentinel radars, and three launchers, which can be either canister or high mobility, respectively with six or four AIM120 missiles. The command and control units are linked together through a battalion net data link to provide all operators with the same integrated air picture. The available configuration allows to fire a maximum of 72 missiles, six per each of the twelve launchers in a battalion, against the same number of targets. The open and modular architecture allows the Nasams to integrate other missiles like the AIM-9X and the Evolved Sea Sparrow.

In December 2014 Norway and Finland respectively launched one and two missiles, the first from a mobile launcher, the latter two from a canister launcher, during exercise Thor’s Hammer at the Vidsel test Range in Sweden. The exercise, which also included air launches by a Swiss F-18 and a Turkish F-16, marked the completion of developmental testing for the AIM-120C7 version. Even if this model had been in production for nearly ten years, a full cycle of requalification on all platforms had to be carried out as its processor card was upgraded and a more advanced

programming language was adopted, a sign of the system continuous upgrade.

At IDEX 2015 Raytheon announced the development of the AMRAAM-ER for extended range, which will take the Nasams range from over 17 km to nearly 40 km—spot on the medium range definition. Basically it adds an aft-mounted Evolved Sea Sparrow rocket motor, but the new missile is faster and more agile than the AMRAAM. Only minor software modifications are required together with minor hardware adjustment to the launchers. Raytheon looks forward to a first AMRAAM-ER launch by the end of 2015.

I THE REST OF THE WORLD

South Korean LIG Nex1 has started promoting its MSAM on the export market.

The system is in service with the national customer and is based on the KM-SAM (Cheongung) missile. A former Hawk user, South Korea say that new missile is better suited against electronic warfare attacks and more accurate. The logistic imprint is much lower, the MSAM having a single multifunction X-band radar with a phased array antenna that can work either in static or rotation mode, covering respectively 90°

or 360° in azimuth for an elevation coverage of –3°/+80°. The radar ensures over 100 km detection range, the missile having a range of around 40 km and being capable to hit a target at a height of 20 km. It is cold-launched from a transporter-launcher vehicle carrying eight missiles. These are 4.61 metres long, with a 275 mm diameter, and feature an inertial mid-course navigation system with updates coming through a one way data link.

Final homing is via active microwave seeker.

The MSAM has ripple fire capability (the radar being able to simultaneously cue several). A battery includes a shelterised fire control centre fitted with the MSAM Digital Information Link, the TADIL-B (Tactical Digital Information Link), and the ATD-1 (Air Traffic Management Technology Demonstration–1), and finally up to eight launchers, for a total of 64 missiles.

Russia, for its part, is very actively promoting its systems worldwide. An agreement on the S-300PS was signed with Kazakhstan, Moscow’s intention being to create a common air defence system that would also include Belarus, Armenia and possibly Kyrgystan and Tajikistan. Russia is ready to provide those nations with medium

A pictorial of the Giraffe 8A, the S-Band 3D radar that promises a 470 km detection range against fighters. (Saab)

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Medium Range Air Defence

Selex ES is scoring new successes with its RAT31 models (here a RAT31DL), Austria being its latest customer nation. (Selex ES)

range air defence systems free of charge with a view to creating a buffer zone towards central Asia.

Other nations are looking at the S-300 with interest, Syria to begin with to protect itself against a possible American attack with S-300PMU2s. In Iran the dispute over the undelivered S-300s following UN sanctions against Tehran now appears to reach a settlement stage.

I RADARS

As seen above, air defence also involves radars. Saab has recently added new members to its Giraffe family of radars, the Giraffe 4A being a multi-mission radar that amongst other roles can fulfil those of air surveillance

To answer a defunct Czech and Slovak common requirement for a mobile 3D radar, Retia developed the ReUnion radar system. (Retia)

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and ground-based air defence. A 3D S-band aesa radar covering over 70° in elevation, it can rotate at 30 or 60 revolutions per minute.

Its air surveillance range is 280 km against fighters, 150 km against smaller aircraft and 100 km against drones. In optimised search mode without rotation it can cover a sector of between 40° and 120°. The Giraffe 4A can follow over 1,000 tracks in the air surveillance mode, and can be operated either locally or remotely, standard layout being shelter mounted on a 6x6 truck. In ground-based air defence mode the 4A can also provide identification. The Giraffe 8A has even longer ranges, respectively 470, 400 and 200 km against the target mentioned. Also operating in S-band, its aerial provides an elevation

coverage of over 65° with a rotation of 24 rpm, while in static mode it can search a sector of 40° to 100°, the 8A being also able to follow over 1,000 tracks. This radar can also be used for BDM purposes, detecting, tracking and reporting short/medium range ballistic missiles. Usually shelter mounted, it is transportable on an 8x8 truck.

Austria contracted Selex ES in early 2014 for a new RAT31DL/M to provide long range surveillance. It will work alongside the older RAT31S medium range radars. The new radar will be operational in 2016 and comes in a deployable configuration housed in two containers with a 15-metre self-raising tower.

In the fall of 2014 the Czech Republic launched a tender for a mobile 3D radar system; Slovakia has a similar requirement, which led Czech and Slovak companies to form an industrial consortium headed by Retia to develop a new system known as the Reunion. The Czech’s eventual decision to bid on its own should however mark the end of the joint procurement. In Poland Bumar Electronics is working on a long-range warning radar RDL-45 prototype with a maximum operating range of 470 km, aimed at replacing the N-12 (RST-12) used by the Air Force. This development is related to the new medium- and short-range air defence systems that Poland aims to acquire in the coming years.

At the Polish MSPO 2014 exhibition LitakTak of Lithuania unveiled its new Amber-1800 mobile long range surveillance 2D radar. Characterised by its huge antenna with its 24 circular modules arranged in two rows rotating at three or six revolutions per minute, the Amber-1800 operates in the 140180 MHz range on 200 working frequencies, its maximum range being 360 km. This range is obtained on targets flying at 10,000 metres, but drops to 80 km with targets at 1,000 metres and 32km with targets at 100 metres.

The radar uses PSK modulation pulses, time of pulse being adjustable. Transmitter pulse power is 8 kW and accuracy 0.4° in azimuth.

The Amber-1800 can handle up to 1,000 plots per scan and track 150 targets per scan, be installed in eight minutes with a start-up time of three. The system includes a trailer to carry the antenna and the generator, a second shelter module with two consoles is carried on the truck. Currently at advanced prototype stage, the Amber-1800 is proposed for upgrading existing mediumlong range air defence systems of different origins, and can be equipped with Nato or Soviet-standard IFFs.

Border Surveillance

This section of border fence between the United States and Mexico with the Mexican town of Tijuana on the left is very close to buildings that would be effective cover from most sensors.

(US CBP photo by Josh Denmark)

Hullo, Hullo?

Border surveillance authorities are increasingly turning to integrated multi-sensor systems, which have come on in leaps and bounds under the goad of almost a decade and a half of counter-insurgency and anti-terrorist warfare. No single sensor technology is effective at all times of day, in all weathers or on all types of terrain, but multiple sensors enable each to compensate for the weaknesses of others.

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Peter Donaldson

E

ffective solutions must combine static and mobile elements, the first to maximise round-the-clock coverage of large areas, the second to provide the means to intervene rapidly and to concentrate resources on areas of high threat activity.

Furthermore, the situational awareness picture, alerts and the whereabouts of forces capable of responding in time must be presented to operators in a form that they can use to make rapid, confident decisions. All this requires expertise and experience in systems integration and command and control as much as with individual sensor

technologies, attracting many of the largest defence contractors from the United States and Western Europe and emerging contenders from elsewhere.

I ASELSAN DELIVERS IN URUGUAY

A leader among the emerging contenders is Aselsan of Turkey, which has recently delivered a mobile border surveillance capability to Uruguay, which faces issues around trafficking in people, drugs and weapons. The formal delivery of the Uruguay Border Monitoring System (UBOMS), which Aselsan announced on 6 January, promises to help deal with them.

Uruguay is the second smallest South American country after Suriname, but shares land borders with two of the continent’s largest and most powerful: the frontier with Brazil is 1,068 km long, that with Argentina runs for 580 km, while the 660 km coastline faces Argentina across the estuary of the River Plate (Río de la Plata meaning river of silver) to the south, curving east and north towards the South Atlantic. The Uruguay River forms the border with Argentina, while another river, the Río Cuareim (Rio Quaraí in Portuguese) forms the one with Brazil.

Within its riverine boundaries, most of the terrain consists of rolling plains, low hills, rivers, lakes and coastal marshes.

Under a contract with the Uruguayan Army General Command signed in 2013, Aselsan integrated multiple sensors along with monitoring and control system hardware and software into Land Rover Defenders provided by the customer. Mounted on a telescoping mast are an Acar radar, a thermal imager, a visible light TV camera and a laser rangefinder. Imagery and information from the system can also be monitored from a remote security management centre.

I MOBILE RADAR, CAMERA COMBINATION

With a rectangular flat plate antenna on a mechanical scanning head, the Ku-band Acar has a maximum range of 60 km, depending on the target. For example, it will detect people on foot from up to 12 km away, with a probable minimum range of 100 metres, medium-to-large 4x4 vehicles at up to 20 km, helicopters at 25 km, and larger trucks at 35 km. Sector scans between 10° and 360° can be selected, and elevation coverage is +/- 24°.

For this kind of application, Aselsan offers electro-optical sensors such as the Asir thermal imager and the Gungor ruggedised TV camera. The Asir is a 15 kg long-wave (812 micron) thermal imager based on a cooled 288 x 4 element scanned focal plane array mercury cadmium telluride detector. The Gungor TV camera is a high-resolution colour sensor whose 0.25 in, 752 x 582 element chip has some low light capabilities, generating video output down to 0.7 lux, says the company. It can also produce still images in even darker conditions, an infrared cut-off filter enabling it to operate down to 0.02 lux with a shutter speed of one third of a second.

The 18 x optical zoom lens is supplemented by a 12 x electronic zoom capability.

The sensors feed the Asur Mobile border security system, which provides detection, location and tracking of multiple targets, along with aids to classification and recognition, displaying them on a digital Land Rovers equipped with radar, electro-optical sensors and command and control equipment from Aselsan are key elements of the Uruguay Border Monitoring System, final deliveries of which took place in January. (Aselsan)

Border Surveillance

map through a geospatial information system (see Armada’s recent Compendium on this important subject).

I DIVERSIFIED SENSOR SPECIALIST

Also challenging the giants are sensor specialists who have evolved into multi-sensor systems integrators. Prominent among them is Flir Systems, which built its reputation in high-end airborne thermal imaging cameras and has diversified into multi-sensor electrooptical systems based on its growing range of cooled and uncooled camera cores. These range from hand held surveillance and targeting devices through infantry weapon sights to vehicle driver aids and EO/IR and laser observation and targeting systems for ground vehicles, naval craft, drones, helicopters and fixed-wing aircraft in addition to camera systems designed for fixed sites such as border observation towers.

Towers can also be mobile. Flir’s HRC-X ultra long-range thermal camera, for example, is fitted to vehicle mounted surveillance towers operated by US Customs and Border Patrol (CBP) as part of a US $101.9 million Mobile Surveillance Capability contract won by the company’s ICx Technologies division in May of 2011.

Because they use infrared light radiated by everything warmer than absolute zero, thermal cameras produce crisp images from the tiniest difference in temperature within the scene, whatever the amount of visible light available, and cannot be blinded by the sun. Thermal contrast even reveals people

trying to conceal themselves in shadows or among foliage, making it very difficult to hide from a thermal camera.

Cameras with cooled detectors boast the longest detection ranges, with some capable of detecting people at 18 to 20 km. However, in mountainous or forested country, for example, this performance is not always relevant because long lines of sight are rarely available from facilities in such terrain. Here, uncooled cameras provide more than adequate performance at a significantly lower cost, Flir points out.

Finding targets with low thermal contrast in high dynamic range scenes—where there are bright lights and dark shadows for example—is a hard problem that Flir has put much effort into tackling. The company’s Digital Detail Enhancement (DDE) algorithm has been developed to do this and, says the company, delivers a high-contrast image even in extremely dynamic thermal scenes, cameras with DDE even outperforming systems with longer lenses.

Heavy rain, snow and fog can degrade the performance of a thermal imager however, because of a tendency to reduce thermal contrast in a scene and the ability of infrared radiation to pass through the atmosphere.

Here, multi-sensor systems incorporating a radar are valuable because the radar waves will penetrate obscurants to detect targets that other sensors miss. In slew-to-cue mode, cameras can be used to classify or identify a radar target, atmospheric conditions permitting. The company has also developed

With Digital Detail Enhancement (DDE) logic applied to the same image, faint targets can be picked out despite the very high dynamic range—extreme contrast—within it. (Flir)

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Ranger R family of radars with maximum ranges between 700 m and 70 km and with integral networking capabilities.

I ADVANCED ISRAELI RADAR

Israeli firms have applied some of the world’s most advanced radar technologies to border protection roles. Rada Electronic Industries, for example, offers a range of ground-based, software-defined Active Electronically Scanned Array (aesa) radars for a variety of fixed and mobile roles. In September, the company announced the combat début of its S-band Multi-mission Hemispheric Radar (MHR) facing the Gaza strip in Operation Protective Edge during July and August last year. Providing hemispheric coverage, as the name suggests, the pulse-Doppler sensor detected incoming mortar rounds, shortrange rockets and drones, with multiple units linked to Israel’s national early warning system. The ability to handle different types of target comes from sophisticated beam forming and signal processing.

The moniker MHR refers to a family of radars, of which the member optimised for border protection—“three dimensional border intrusion management” in Rada’s words—is the RHS-44. This radar achieves its hemispherical coverage by combining four identical and interchangeable arrays, each of which covers 90° in azimuth and 80° in elevation.

Weighing 95 kg including four 21 kg arrays, each of which measures 504 mm in diameter by 206 mm in depth, it is designed to be sufficiently compact and mobile for tactical operations, while the absence of moving parts bodes well for reliability—it is cooled by convection, for example.

Rada emphasises its capabilities against surface targets including pedestrians, vehicles and boats as well as such airborne targets as helicopters, drones, light and ultralight aircraft. It will detect pedestrians and up to 6 km, says the company, vehicles and medium-sized vessels at up to 20 km, large vessels at 40 km and “aerial vehicles” at up to 25 km. The company lists hostile fire detection and tactical air surveillance as optional extra capabilities.

In aircraft detection mode it will pick up targets at altitudes down to 30 ft, says the company, which has also released figures for minimum range (100 m) and accuracy in angle (less than 5°), range (1 m) and speed (0.5 m/sec).

Network connectivity comes courtesy of gigabit Ethernet interfaces with claimed

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Border Surveillance

Although its combat début involved detecting and tracking incoming rockets over Israel’s border with Gaza, the Rada MHR can also cope with small, slow targets such as boats and pedestrians.

(Rada Electronic Industries)

options. Pan and tilt motion with gyrostabilisation are further options, and all come with fully featured command and control systems.

It is the autonomous panoramic and display mode that is the primary intruder detection facility, of which the automatic alerts are an essential component because, as Controp points out, citing experience from exercises, no human operator can efficiently detect targets throughout such long missions without them. Once something has been detected, an operator can switch to remote observation mode, taking control of one or more cameras, to track and identify the target.

The family of land-based EO/IR systems include the Danis, Meos-U, Meos 250/450/720, Spider, Spider-LR and Speed-A, the latter designed specifically for aerostats, listed here in order of increasing range.

I ADVANCED ROBOT CAMERA

data rates of 10, 100 or 1,000 Mbps, enabling integration with “any” C4I system and other sensors, although it can also operated in stand-alone mode. It can be installed on a vehicle mast or at a stationary site on a tripod, for example.

On 8 December 2014, Rada announced that MHR family radars had been chosen in a competitive process by “a leading ministry of defence for its national alert system”.

Deliveries under the contract are scheduled for completion this year.

All feature high performance visible light and thermal imaging cameras with optical zoom lenses—as opposed to a small number of discrete settings—usually with eye-safe laser rangefinders and pointers/target markers as

Operational on unmanned ground vehicles, the Danis, for example, is designed for ranges of up to 1,000 metres and pairs an uncooled thermal imager with a CCD camera either side of a central power and computing module mounted on a pan/tilt gimbal. The thermal camera operates in the long 8 to 12 micron bandwidth atmospheric transmission window in the infrared spectrum and features a microbolometer core based on a 384 x 288 element focal plane array with a pixel pitch of 25 microns. The optical zoom lens can vary

I BUILDING ON AIRBORNE EXPERTISE

Electro-optical systems complement radars because the higher resolutions of which they are capable help to identify targets detected by radar and, whether they are co-located or in different sites, one sensor can cue the other.

Using leverage from its well known airborne camera packages tailored for aircraft, helicopters, drones and aerostats, Controp has developed a range of ground-based multispectral imaging sensor systems for fixed and mobile applications in the border protection and perimeter security arenas.

Operational around the clock in harsh environments, all feature dual-axis stabilisation provide automatic alerts and are optimised for different but overlapping ranges.

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Designed for ranges up to 1 km, Controp’s Danis combines an uncooled thermal imager and a CCD camera on a pan-tilt head, seen here on a G-nius Guardium. (Controp)

This Customs and Border Patrol Detroit Operations fixed camera tower is sited on the shore of Lake Michigan bordering the United States and Canada.

(US CBP photo by Donna Burton)

the field of view from its 36° wide setting down to its narrowest 9° setting, naturally increasing magnification as the field of view reduces. Infrared channel lenses with either a fixed field of view or two selectable settings are available as options.

Although it is a small, uncooled camera, the thermal imager in the Danis system features a useful set of controls to optimise the image quality, including automatic gain control, non-uniformity correction and polarity switching. Non-uniformities arise from differences in the sensitivity to infrared light of individual elements in the detector array. The technique puts them right by adjusting the gain of individual elements, some using a black body calibration target, sometimes using moving parts of the picture to filter out fixed pattern noise and sometimes with other statistical techniques.

Polarity switching allows the operator to choose between “white hot” and “black hot”

settings to help distinguish thermal targets.

The camera also has manual gain control, which equates to brightness, along with zoom and focus.

The Meos-U is described as a modular medium range system, but offers choices between medium and long lenses in both the thermal and day TV cameras. Again an uncooled microbolometer, the camera core in Meos-U is larger than that in the Danis,

being a 640 x 480 focal plane array, but operating in the same long wave band.

The camera choice offered is between Cat225 and Cat-300 devices; both feature zoom lenses, the former is a medium-range sensor, the latter optimised for longer ranges. In terms of range performance, the Cat-225 lens, for example, enables detection of human-sized targets at up to about 5 km and car-sized vehicles at a maximum of around 10 km.

Border Surveillance

I US PROGRAMMES STRUGGLING

Often installed on mobile towers, the Flir Systems HRC-X ultra long-range cooled thermal camera features advanced image processing software such as Digital Detail Enhancement. (FLIR Systems)

Despite, or perhaps because of, an embarrassment of technological riches, authorities are struggling to find the best combination of fixed, mobile and airborne assets to protect their borders. Nowhere is this more obvious than in the United States, which is putting huge resources into securing its south western border with Mexico.

Some of the largest American contractors have had a tough time providing US Customs and Border Patrol with integrated border surveillance and protection systems, the Boeing-led SBInet axed at the beginning of 2011 being the most prominent example.

Subsequently, the Arizona Border Surveillance Technology plan was developed, which included separate competitions for an integrated fixed tower system, a remote video surveillance upgrade, a mobile surveillance capability, a mobile video surveillance system, an agentportable surveillance system, thermal imaging devices and unattended ground sensors and imaging sensors together. All of these are now under contract.

Trailer mounted mobile towers such as this one near Nogales in Arizona can be rapidly redeployed in response to intelligence or increases in activity in specific areas. (US CBP photo by Josh Denmark)

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

Expansion of the CBP’s drone programme is under threat from the DHS’s Office of the Inspector General because its performance has been poorly measured, shifting focus to ground-based solutions. (US Air Force)

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The fixed tower work went to Elbit against competition from US giants Lockheed Martin and Raytheon. The Israeli company’s American division won the $145 million contract in March 2014 to install its Peregrine system along a portion of the south-west border near Nogales in Arizona. If exercised, options for installations at other places along the Arizona-Mexico border along with support services would provide work under the contract for almost nine years, said Elbit.

Peregrine is a field proven integrated border security solution, says Elbit, that assesses “items of interest” quickly and accurately, and provides an intuitive common operating picture.

Key features of Elbit’s border security systems include management of ISR resources and optimised sensor tasking, video streaming and image data exploitation, monitoring of abnormal activities, early warning and threat assessment, and online all-source information gathering. The systems also build a common track picture using advanced data correlation algorithms, says the company, and enable effective sensor-responder dialogue.

Unsurprisingly, Raytheon protested the award and, in a decision published on 9 July 2014, the Government Accountability Office upheld the protest. The Department of Homeland Security assessment of rival infrared image enhancement techniques was at the heart of the issue. Where this leaves the programme is not clear.

I DRONE COST-EFFECTIVENESS CHALLENGED

On 24 December, the Department of Homeland Security’s Office of the Inspector General (OIG) published a report on 24 December that challenged the cost effectiveness of Customs and Border Patrol’s eightyear drone effort. The nub of the criticism was that service could not prove the programme to be effective because it had not developed performance measures, although its Office of Air and Marine (OAM) said in its mission needs statement that it expected the drone systems to reduce border surveillance costs by 25 to 50 percent per mile: “...because OAM does not track this metric, it cannot demonstrate that the unmanned aircraft have reduced the cost of border surveillance”.

Unsurprisingly, the Inspector General said in its executive summary that plans to expand the programme ought to be reconsidered. “CBP could put the $443 million it plans to spend to expand the program to better use by investing in alternatives, such as manned aircraft and ground surveillance assets.”

The report will make painful reading for the drone industry, which may fear that a poorly managed and oversold programme could unfairly reflect on the technology itself. Fairly or not, this will focus attention onto ground-based solutions.

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Counter Terror

Fighting terror Terrorism has become even more dangerous. The call for violence from organisations like the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant that persuade single indoctrinated individuals to commit attacks, as exemplified by the attack against “Charlie Hebdo” in Paris last January.

This does not mean that terrorist actions on the part of more structured cells have disappeared. These aim at more protected and valuable targets.

Paolo Valpolini

M

ajor events that gather huge crowds into a single location are typical targets for terrorist action. Sports events like the Soccer World Championship or the Olympic games are among those and, ironically, one such event will be inaugurated while this article is despatched to the world—Expo 2015 in Milano, Italy under the theme “Feeding the Planet, Energy for Life”. The event will see the participation of 145 countries, three international organisations among which is the United Nations, and 13 non-governmental organisations. Some 20 million visitors are expected between 1 May and 31 October 2015.

Intelligence is clearly a key activity in counter terrorism. Intelligence is a multifaceted activity that ranges from human intelligence to satellite observation, the aim being that of anticipating terrorist moves.

Surveillance is key to security, especially in critical infrastructures such as airports, stations, ports, while control on immigration accesses is another important element.

Should all this fail to provide warnings about impending attacks, reaction when attacked is the responsibility not only of specialised units but also of an integrated and coherent system, that can include security and emergency services at national level, depending on the level and type of attack.

Using Expo 2015 as an introduction case study, Selex ES was selected to design the Safe City & Main Operation Centre that will provide operators with a real time, 24-hour top-level view of the situation to assist them in planning interventions. Its architecture is

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capable of processing a variety of different information, and will use an innovative 3D map display of the exhibition site contributed by e-Geos, a company specialised in products and applications for Earth observation formed for 80% by Telespazio and for 20% by the Italian Space Agency (again refer to our recent Georeference Information Compendium for a better grasp on the subject). This advanced graphic user interface will provide a realistic virtual view of the environment to be monitored, for a better understanding of situations and improved operational efficiency. Selex ES is also producing on-site security subsystems for Milan Expo 2015: video surveillance, perimeter anti-intrusion, fire sensors, public announcement systems and biometric systems for access control to protected areas.

The smart video surveillance system includes a hardware server with Network Video

An artist’s impression of the main operation centre that has been developed by Selex ES for the Expo 2015 event that will be inaugurated in Milan, Italy, on 1 May 2015. (Selex ES)

Assault vehicles are part of special teams inventory, here exemplified by a Chevrolet equipped with a Height Adjustable Rescue Assault System. (Sirpa Gendarmerie)

Recorder features, and a capacity of five Terabyte, a Sensors Signatures Signal and Information management software platform, video analysis software for fixed cameras and pan-tilt-zoom dome cameras, all in high definition and with open network video interface forum capacity. The basic security kit is provided to exhibitors in four different sizes, depending on the exhibition area to be covered, and integrates the aforementioned functions. Communications are provided by a Selex-ES Tetra network. Advanced services can be added, such as access control using Bioclock biometric reader as well as gate control installation, 3DS2MAP and 3D safety and security maps provided by e-geos, and dedicated pavilion security management.

The system will also be able to provide live images from pavilions for advertising and

marketing purposes, as well as real Earth satellite observation to support exhibitors in showing food-related issues, such as cultivated areas, something relevant to the Expo 2015 subject.

Some surveillance systems have been installed to counter ordinary crime; however they can easily be adapted to increase security against terrorism. An example is the “Ciudad Segura� system developed by Thales in cooperation with Telmex, the main telecom operator in Latin America, to increase security in Mexico City. It includes over 8,000 traffic control surveillance cameras capable L-3 Communications CyTerra Range-R shows an assault team if a room is inhabited and at which distance from the wall a human being might be standing. (US Army)

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Counter Terror

to identify car number plates, 7,000 more cameras with emergency buttons, a main C4I centre with 250 working positions of various types, and five C2 centres with 35 to 60 working positions.

Such kind of surveillance systems allows to control potential targets and to acquire evidences in case of an attack. However, video analysis software is aiming at understand people’s behaviour in order to anticipate possible events. An example is the contract worth nearly 80,000 US dollars awarded by the US Navy to ObjectVideo, a Virginiabased company, for developing a system that mines multiple data sources for relational information between people and places, detects anomalies and provides the tools to track the behaviours of anomalous entities.

Studying the pattern of life (POL) has become a must in asymmetric warfare scenarios; this involves studying how people interact with the world around them on a daily basis, recording places they visit, people they interact with, actions they perform.

Analysing all those data is an effective source of intelligence, which can be effective in many scenarios, from defence to homeland

security, from the real world to the cyber one.

Analysing differences is however very time consuming; thus automatic systems are being developed to detect anomalous behaviours, providing the analysts with a semi-finished product that has to be processed by the human being for validation and assessment.

ObjectVideo, in cooperation with the Department of Computer Science at Stony Brook University, will study patterns of life on four data domains, surveillance video, satellite imagery, text streams and nontraditional data sources such as weather feeds. Image and video analytics libraries will be used to identify events from surveillance videos and detect change in satellite imagery.

All the aforementioned data will be combined into a unified graph representation anomaly detection algorithm showing large dynamically changing graphs helping analyst track anomalies.

ObjectVideo patents have been acquired in December 2014 by Avigilon, a Canadian leading global provider of end-to-end security solutions which portfolio includes video surveillance and access control systems, as well as video analytics products.

The latter capability has been further enhanced with the acquisition in January 2015 of a number of patents from Behavioral Recognition Systems, FaceDouble Incorporated, ITS7 Pty Ltd., and VideoMining Corporation. Among those we find video analytics capabilities, including emotional and attentional response measurement, in-store object tracking and behavioural analysis, object tracking and anomaly detection, video segmentation and metadata generation, user interfaces, and image classification and retrieval over wireless networks.

Many POL analysis tools are being developed. Behavioural analysis has been widely used in forensics, the FBI Behavioral Science Unit having been created in 1974.

What is now needed is to use such analysis to establish models that might allow to prevent crimes, thus also terrorist attacks, linking them to surveillance systems.

A key element in analysis is the availability of automatic systems able to research and collate information, leaving analytical teams the task of analysing information. Numerous such systems are being developed. Among

A team from the French GIGN, the unit that was deployed during the events in Paris in January 2015.

(Sirpa Gendarmerie)

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According to Renault Trucks Defense the January 2015 events in Paris have led to an increased interest for fully armoured vehicles from assault teams like the Sherpa Light APC 4x4 Assault. (RTD)

the latest ones we can mention Raytheon’s Data Clarity Platform, designed to respond to the high Optempo of today battlefield, the latter definition including of course not only that of military operations but also counter terrorism scenarios. Raytheon’s Intelligence, Information and Services system carries out a single federated search coupled with user defined background analytics that allows to quickly capture key information across massive and multiple data sources simultaneously and securely with minimal impact or demands on the existing IT infrastructure. Data Clarity Platform carries out temporal analysis, looking at peaks in activities or values, link analysis, geospatial analysis, social networks analysis, etc., providing the findings with built-in collaboration and reporting tools.

While intelligence is the overarching element in counter terrorism, intervention teams are the effectors called to take action when a plot is identified, in order to prevent its action, or when a terrorist accident is underway. They can be called to operate either in the national territory, such as in Paris last January, or downrange: in November 2011 the Italian Carabinieri GIS

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Counter Terror

The need to stop fast attack boats has led BCB of the UK to develop the Buccaneer, a lightweight system that can deploy a 100 metres entangling line. (BCB)

(Gruppo d’Intervento Speciale) took action to free 31 hostages taken by a Taliban commando in the premises of Esko International, a logistic contractor, in Heart, Western Afghanistan. The not much advertised operation went smoothly killing the seven terrorists. According to our information the GIS action was helped by the fact that the Esko building was provided with a safe room, where the hostages managed to escape, splitting away from the terrorists.

The Paris events of January 2015 shaped in some way special units acquisition. At

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IDEX 2015 Armada learned that Renault Trucks Defense saw a surge in orders for its Sherpa Light APC 4x4 Assault, equipped with the assault ladder purposely designed to support a special team during counterterrorist, hostage rescue or police missions.

A rear ladder allows ten officers to access the vehicle roof platform fitted with handrail.

From that level a hydraulic ramp opens an easy access to elevated targets, such as buildings and commercial planes, the Renault vehicle providing access even to the two biggest airliners currently in use, the

B747 and the Airbus A380. According to information the assault ladder vehicle was ordered by national as well as export customers. (Details on customers and configuration remained undisclosed).

According to RTD armoured vehicles are becoming more and more popular among specialised police units, considering the escalation of the threat.

One thing that a team called to storm a building would love to know is what it would be confronted with once the breach is open. Seethrough-the-wall systems are now available, from lightweight to more cumbersome, dimensions and weight adding information.

Small tactical systems such as L-3 Communications CyTerra Range-R, which weighs less than 550 grams with its AA batteries, allow to check the presence of human life behind a wall. Based on radar technology, it indicates the distance of the subject from the wall, maximum range is 15 metres, and if the person is moving or still. The Range-R can “see” through walls, floors and ceilings constructed of reinforced concrete, cement block, wood, brick, adobe, glass and other common non-metallic construction material. The system is known to be in use with the FBI and the US Marshals Service, a similar system known as EMMDAR (ElectroMagnetic Motion Detection And Ranging) and type classified as AN/PPS-26 being in service with the US Army. According to information this steps through two hundred frequencies, spaced two megahertz apart from 3101 MHz to 3499 MHz, one at a time, which increases reliability and accuracy. A similar system is provided by Camero of Israel, part of the SK Group; its Xaver 100 is part of the same segment of products, and is discussed in the Urban Warfare article in this same issue. However, the company has a high-end system, the Xaver 800, which is too big and heavy for military tactical use but can provide police and anti terrorism teams with more information. With a 20-metre detection range, this radar based system operates in the 3-10 GHz band and has three modes of operation, 3D, 2D plain view and “1.5D”, that is range with time history. Besides perceiving the presence of life in a room, the Xaver 800 can establish the number of people and their location, can track the movements, provide data such as the height and orientation of the

Counter Terror

The Barracuda allows shore patrols to deploy a line that will stop a fast attack boat in a matter of metres. (BCB)

target, as well as a room general layout, showing its dimensions and principal infrastructure elements. The Xaver 800 is also capable of zooming onto an element, resolution being better than 30 mm, and is capable of recording all the data for postmission analysis, the same being also usable for training purposes. At 14.5 kg including the rechargeable battery, that ensures two hours of continuous operation, its transport dimensions are 470 x 470 mm, while in operation these become 840 x 840 mm.

As far as piracy at sea is concerned, systems aimed at stopping boats launched at speed against targets are being developed. Effectors range from lethal to non-lethal, the variety of

possible threats being met by an equally wide number and type of systems. The fact that in many cases security on board commercial ships is provided by contractors limits the type of weaponry that can be used. In military action limitations come more from rules of engagement and public perception. At least one Navy has tested antitank rocket launchers against sea targets, as wooden fishing boats proved to be difficult to stop even with 12.7 mm rounds. At the other end of the spectrum are non-lethal systems designed to stop a boat launched at speed without damaging it. A specialist in this field is Cardiff-based BCB International which some years ago developed the Sea Stinger, a 195 kg pneumatic

Heavy fishing boats proved to be resistant to machine gun fire, thus the German Navy and DND tested the use of rocket launchers against such threats. (DND)

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system with a 1,200 mm long barrel with a 175 mm calibre, that launches a munition at a range of 200 metres. A sea anchor deploys at the end of the flight, the floating line capturing the cavitation plate or the antiventilation plate of inboard or outboard motors: under the pull the sea anchor inflates creating drag and dramatically reducing speed. Tests have shown that an 8.5-metre rigid hull inflatable powered by a twin 250 hp engine and travelling at 40 knots was slowed down to four knots in roughly 80% of the line length. The line does not foul the propeller or damage the vessel in any way. Leveraging the concept developed for the Sea Stinger BCB developed a lighter system, the Buccaneer Light Weight Interceptor introduced to the market in 2013. Much lighter at 33 kg, this 125mm calibre version has a range of 100 metres. It is available in single barrel configuration, where the high speed pursuit boat travels alongside the target vessel and fires the munition across its bow, as well as in “V� battle configuration, the munition being fired in front of the target vessel in a bow-tobow approach by the two barrels. Both the Sea Stinger and Buccaneer can be equipped with a remote control. A 7.9-kilo hand-held system, known as the Barracuda, was introduced in 2014; it retains the same 125 mm calibre but its barrel is 500 mm long instead of 1,200 mm.

The operating charge pressure is 11 bars, compared to the 40 of the two bigger systems and its range 40 metres. The Buccaneer (single barrel) is operational at least with one customer (a Government Agency in Japan), while the Barracuda is known to be in operational use by a maritime law enforcement agency in America.

If soft-kill systems cannot be used to counter small boats, hard-kill comes into play.

Numerous small and medium calibre weapon stations are being developed for countering such threats. However, the German Navy wanted to verify the effectiveness of rocket launchers especially against fishing boats with heavy wooden structures, which seem to be quite resistant to 12.7 mm rounds (meaning that a heavy machine gun would often be unable to sink it before it gets close enough to the target ship). Dynamit Nobel Defence thus carried out tests against different types of boats, using its RGW 90 AS (for antistructure), the two-stage warhead of which penetrates the hull before detonating. This 400-metre range weapon is proposed for remotely operated platforms fitted with a day/night sighting system, a laser rangefinder and an auto tracker.

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Transport Aircraft

Transport Aircraft in Times of Change The military transport construction business is about to witness a hiatus in airlifters of over 250-tonnes gross weight. Lower down the scale, the market dominance of turboprops is being challenged by new twin-turbofans, using high-bypass engines developed for commercial applications.

Roy Braybrook

T

he principal programme at the top end of the scale is the US Air Force’s modernisation and rationalisation of its fleet of 381-tonne Lockheed Martin C-5 Galaxies. By FY2017 some 52 (mainly C-5Bs built in the late 1980s) will have been reworked to C-5M Super Galaxy

standard with GE Aviation F138-GE-100 (CF6-80C2) turbofans, modernised avionics and various airframe improvements. The 73 older C-5As will by then have been retired with Congressional permission. The C-5 was never exported, although in the friendlier climate of 1974 Iran offered the US money to restart production.

The C-5M attained initial operational capability in February 2014, when 16 of an

eventual 18 had been delivered to the US Air Force’s 9th Airlift Squadron (‘Proud Pelicans’) of the 436th Airlift Wing at Dover AFB in Delaware. Unrefueled, the C-5M can fly a 50-tonne payload over the 9,000 km from Dover to Incirlik AB in Turkey.

Today Russia’s Military Transport Aviation (VTA) operates only a few 392tonne Antonov An-124 Ruslans. These include five civil-registered An-124-100s

Dramatising the healthy status of the Airbus A400M programme, five Atlas line up at Toulouse, France. The first delivery outside the seven-nation partnership, to Malaysia, has taken place in March 2015. (Airbus Defence & Space)

Symbolising the value of defence assets in humanitarian operations, this US Air Force Boeing C-17 at Dakar, Senegal is taking military personnel to Monrovia, Liberia as part of Operation United Assistance, to help contain the Ebola virus outbreak in West Africa. (US Air Force)

based at Moscow-Chkalovsky, and five with the Bryansk-based 224th Flight Unit, which operates charters under the name TTF Air. The VTA plans to have 20 Ruslans upgraded to An-124-100M standard by Aviastar in Ulyanovsk by 2020, after which it had hoped to buy 15 new-build An-124-200s.

In November 2014 Aviastar announced the completion of the first batch of six upgrades, with improved avionics, flight deck instruments and aircraft systems. Some structural modifications extend fatigue life.

Commercial An-124s are now operated only by Volga-Dnepr Airlines (ten), Antonov Airlines (seven) and the Abu Dhabi-based Maximus Airlines (one). Up to six aircraft from the two larger civil operators are chartered by Nato, Finland and Sweden under the Salis (Strategic Airlift Interim Solution) programme, pending availability of the Airbus A400M. It now appears unlikely that production of the 402-tonne Antonov An-124-200 will start in the foreseeable future. Under a 2013 agreement, 74% of this work was to be performed by Aviastar, where the final An124-100s were built (for Volga-Dnepr and Polet Airlines). The remaining 26% was to have been done by Antonov.

The United Aircraft Corporation (UAC) would need an order for at least 60 aircraft to justify reopening the An-124 line at Aviastar. Volga-Dnepr has in the past shown interest in ordering 20. However, following the de-escalation in Afghanistan, there are doubts over the need for new-build large commercial freighters, as growing numbers of wide-body airliners provide vast underfloor capacity.

The 265-tonne Boeing C-17A Globemaster III production line will halt in 2015 with completion of the 279th aircraft (which includes some test airframes). The 223rd and last for the US Air Force was delivered in September 2013, but additional C-17s have been ordered by Australia (six, with two more planned), Canada (four), India (ten, with options on six more), Kuwait (two), Qatar (four), the United Arab Emirates (six), the UK (eight), and the twelve-nation Strategic Airlift Capability consortium (three). An undisclosed customer has ordered two. Eight are currently unordered.

In comparison, the 190-tonne Ilyushin Il76 is a narrow-body, accommodating only a single row of light vehicles. It first flew in 1971, and a total of 920 airframes were built by Tapo in Tashkent (Uzbekistan) for military

and civil customers, including around 50 Il-78 tankers and 25 Beriev A-50 AEW&C aircraft.

Of the Il-76MD military transport version, Russia still has over 100, India 16, China 15 and Algeria three.

A number of Il-76s have been re-engined

by Aviastar, replacing the 117.7-kN Soloviev D-30KP-2 with the 142.2-kN Perm/Soloviev PS-90A-76. This produced the Il-76MD-90 for the Russian Air Force and the Il-76TD90VD for Volga-Dnepr Airlines. The first flew on September 22, 2012.

In October 2012 the Russian Defence Ministry placed a $ 4.4 billion order under Project 476 for 39 new-build Il-76MD-90As, combining the new engines with a structurally improved wing, a stronger landing gear and modernised avionics and flight deck.

Following a structural test airframe, the Il-76MD-90A prototype (RF-78650, c/n 0102) flew on September 22, 2012. The next aircraft (RF-78651, c/n 0103, named “Ulyanovsk�) flew on October 3, 2014 and was handed over to Beriev on November 24, 2014 to become the first of the new A-series.

The Russian Federation Air Force (RFAF) plans to acquire around 100 additional airframes to provide 31 new Il-78M-90A tankers and unpublished numbers of A-100

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Named ‘Ulyanovsk’ after the city where it was manufactured, RF-78561 (with the national identifier painted over) is the first of a 39 Ilyushin Il-76MD-90As new-built by Aviastar-SP for the Russian Defence Ministry. (Aviastar-SP)

AEW&C, A-90 electronic warfare and A60M airborne laser weapon variants.

As an interim measure the service is having twelve existing Il-78Ms brought to 210-tonne Il-78(M)2 standard with stronger wings, modernised avionics and deletion of the aft cargo door and troop provisions.

Some 40 existing Il-76MD transports will be brought to -76MD-M standard with the same wing and avionics changes, and likewise without new engines.

Aside from RFAF orders for new-build Il76s, that nation’s Ministry of Emergency Situations (Emercom) plans to order six, and the Federal Security Service (FSB) and Ministry of Internal Affairs (MVD) have both expressed interest.

The Il-76MF variant, which combines the PS-90A-76 engines with a 6.6-metre fuselage stretch, first flew in 1995, but failed to win substantial orders. Only two are in use, operated by Jordanian International Air Cargo on behalf of the Royal Jordanian Air Force.

In the 1990s China purchased 14 newbuild Il-76MDs from Tapo, and later acquired via Rosoboronexport at least ten pre-used aircraft from various sources. In 2005 China signed a preliminary agreement to purchase 34 Il-76MDs and four Il-78MK tankers, but Tapo was unable to produce them and the deal fell through. It may be noted that India chose the C-17 over the Il-76MD-90A, but China did not have that option.

The Il-76MD is currently China’s only strategic airlifter, as demonstrated by its use to evacuate its citizens from Libya during the conflict of 2011. Between 2009 and 2011 NPO Saturn delivered 55 D-30KP-2 engines to China, and twelve more in 2012. In late

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2012 China ordered 184 more of these engines in a $ 1.5 billion deal.

China has installed D-30s on the three prototypes of the 220-tonne Xian Y-20 Kunpeng, a wide-body Il-76 derivative that first flew on January 26, 2013. Production Y-20s are to be powered by WS-20 Taihang engines.

Beyond 2018, the RFAF plans to replace the PS-90A-76 engine of the Il-76MD-90A with the 153-kN Aviadvigatel/Perm PD-14M developed for the Irkut MC-21-400 airliner.

The resulting Il-76MD-14 will be able to carry a 60-tonne load over a range of 4,780 km.

I QUAD-PROPS

The latest quad-prop is the 132-tonne Airbus Defence & Space A400M Atlas. Powered by 8,200-kW Europrop International TP400s turning eight-blade propellers, the A400M can carry a 20-tonne load for 6,400 km. First delivery (MSN7 for the French Air Force) took place formally on September 30, 2013. A total of nine (six for France and one each for

Germany, Turkey and Britain) had been handed over by the end of 2014. Orders stand at 174 A400Ms for eight nations, which include four for the only export customer to date, Malaysia.

Despite cutbacks, the seven European launch nations (Belgium, France, Germany, Luxemburg, Spain, Turkey and the UK) still provide a substantial customer base.

However, Germany and Spain each intend to try to sell 13 of their A400Ms, muddying the waters for new-build exports.

The sole direct competitor for the A400M is the 145-tonne Antonov An-70, which is powered by 10,350-kW Progress D-27 engines turning 14-blade contra-rotating propfans. It has 22% more power and is claimed to have a shorter take-off and faster cruise than the A400M. Taking off at reduced weight from an unpaved strip of only 600-800 metres, the An-70 can carry a 20-tonne load for 3,000 km.

Russia, which earlier planned to have 60 An-70s built under licence by Kapo,

Although technologically advanced, the Antonov An-70 has been a casualty of the breakup of the Soviet Union. State trials were successfully completed, but to launch series production the Ukraine needs a wealthy partner such as China. (Antonov)

The Shaanxi Y-8 is a reverse-engineered An-12, and the Y-8C version is pressurised. Pictured is one of two Y-8Cs operated by the JWTZ, the People’s Defence Force of Tanzania. (Catic)

withdrew from the programme in 2013, before jigs and tools were transferred to Kazan. Antonov has successfully completed state acceptance trials, but the Ukraine cannot afford to launch series production.

Two pre-series An-70s have been funded by the Ukrainian defence ministry.

The An-70 is a potential alternative to China’s smaller, all-new wide-body Shaanxi Y-30, which is aimed at a gross weight of 80 tonnes and a maximum payload of 30 tonnes.

Although the Y-30 model at Zhuhai was a quad-prop (presumably representing 3,782kW WJ-16 engines), a twin-turbofan version is being studied. China is also considering a Y-19 project, between the 220tonne Y-20 and 80-tonne Y-30, and hence in the same class as the 145-tonne An-70.

Shaanxi was responsible for the 61-tonne Y-8, a reverse-engineered An-12. Over 170 Y-8s have been built for civil and military use, the latter including maritime patrol, AEW&C and electronic warfare variants. In 2013 the Venezuelan Air Force received eight Y-8F-200W transports, featuring a 2.2metre fuselage stretch.

The 77-tonne Shaanxi Y-9 is a Y-8 derivative with 20% more powerful WJ-6C engines and six-blade propellers, designed to match the Lockheed Martin C-130J. The Y-9 entered service with the Plaaf in 2012, and was shown in production form (serial 10057) at Zhuhai in 2014.

The C-130 Hercules family is operated by 70 nations. The first-generation C130A/B/E/H entered service in 1957 and 2,154 were built. The second-generation 70tonne C-130J with Rolls-Royce AE2100D engines and six-blade propellers followed in 1999. At the end of 2014 firm orders for the

C-130J series stood at 363 units, of which 328 had been delivered, including 24 in the course of the year.

The next C-130J multi-year contract reportedly calls for 29 C-130Js for the US Air Force, 43 special operations HC/MC/AC130Js, and seven US Marine Corps KC-130Js.

Delivered in late 2014, this second C-130J for the Tunisian Air Force bears the military serial Z-2122 and the civil registration TS-MTL. (Lockheed Martin/John Rossino)

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Transport Aircraft

The first prototype of the Kawasaki C-2 has a civil paint-scheme, presaging the commercial YCX development. The C-2 is the largest and most capable of the new military twinturbofan tactical transports. (Kawasaki HI)

It is due to be signed in early 2015, and will ensure production until at least 2022.

Lockheed Martin is meanwhile designing the commercial LM-100J, which is to fly in 2017.

I TWIN TURBOFAN

Japan’s 141-tonne (A400M-size) Kawasaki C2, powered by GE Aviation CF6-80C2K1Fs, is by far the largest of the new military twinturbofan transports. It will carry a 30-tonne payload over a distance of 5,600 km. The first prototype (serial 08-1201) flew in January 2010, followed by the second (18-1202) in

January 2011. The C-2 is now in low-rate initial production, with six on order and a total of ten planned by FY2018. Service entry with Jasdf was planned for 2015, but in January 2014 the rear cargo door failed in a pressurisation test, delaying deliveries to 2016.

It is envisioned that up to 60 C-2s will eventually be purchased by the Jasdf. Under Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, Japan is relaxing its attitude to defence equipment exports. In 2013 Kawasaki asked the Japan Bank for International Cooperation to finance exports of the YCX commercial freighter version.

Designed to serve as both a transport and a tanker, Brazil’s Embraer KC-390 was rolled out in prototype form (registration PT-ZNF) on October 21, 2014 and had its maiden flight on February 3, 2015. (Embraer)

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Also in a class of its own is Brazil’s 81tonne (Hercules-size) Embraer KC-390 transport/tanker, powered by International Aero Engines (IAE) V2500-E5s. The development programme, including two prototypes, was launched with an injection of funds by the Brazilian Air Force (FAB) in 2009. Embraer and FAB jointly own the KC390 intellectual property rights.

In May 2014 an order for 28 production aircraft was placed by FAB, which will later have the prototypes brought to production standard. The first prototype had its maiden flight on February 3, 2015. Deliveries are scheduled for late 2016.

Argentina, the Czech Republic and Portugal will participate in production, and buy KC-390s. Chile and Colombia have also signed letters of intent, taking the planned initial export market to 32 units. Boeing will market the KC-390 in the US, UK and some Middle East countries (presumably including Israel).

(Whereas the KC-390 is seen primarily as a transport aircraft that will be given a

Transport Aircraft

This Alenia Aermacchi C-27J Spartan of the Italian Air Force is shown over Dubai’s iconic Palm Jumeirah man-made island.

This demonstration has not so far resulted in a sale to the United Arab Emirates.

(Alenia Aermacchi)

tanker capability, the Boeing KC-46A Pegasus and Airbus A330 MRTT are primarily tankers, and will be discussed separately in our next issue).

The 65-tonne Multirole Transport Aircraft (MTA) is a joint project by Russia’s UAC and India’s Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL). The MTA might be regarded as a half-size complement for the Il-76, having the same fuselage cross section and two of its engines, initially PS-90A-76s, and later PD-14Ms. The MTA is designed to carry a 20-tonne load for 2,000 km. It is scheduled to fly in 2017, with deliveries in 2019. Production plans are based on 100 for Russia, 45 for India and 60 for export.

Antonov, which pioneered twin-jet transports with the 36.5-tonne An-72/74, is now developing the 45-tonne An-178. This is due to fly shortly in commercial form.

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The Mil Mi-26 is still the largest helicopter in service. It is scheduled to remain in production for the Russian Air Force—as illustrated—until at least 2025. (Russian Helicopters)

I TWIN TURBOPROP This Spanish Air Force Airbus C295M (serial 35-42) is shown employing Lapes (low altitude parachute extraction system), delivering a load precisely with a cushioned pallet, without landing. (Airbus Defence & Space)

The twin-turboprop market sector is primarily a battle between the 31.8-tonne Alenia Aermacchi C-27J Spartan and the less expensive 23.2-tonne Airbus Defence & Space C295.

Defending its monopoly of US military airborne logistics, US Air Force took over the Army-led Joint Cargo Aircraft programme, cut back C-27J orders from 78 to 21, declared the aircraft too expensive to operate, and retired them to DavisMonthan AFB. Seven have since been transferred to US Army Special Operations Command (Usasoc). The remaining 14 are being modified to HC-27A standard for the US Coast Guard.

Including recent sales to Peru and Slovakia, by the end of 2014 a total of 80 C27Js had been ordered by 12 nations, including an undisclosed country in subSaharan Africa (believed to be Chad).

The Airbus C295 is a derivative of the highly successful 16.5-tonne CN235. So far 145 C295s have been ordered by 19 nations.

The C295W is a further development with winglets, and appears to be the front-runner

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Transport Aircraft

Photographed at its unveiling in May 2014, America’s next major helicopter project is the Sikorsky CH-53K King Stallion, which will have more powerful engines, improved rotors and a wider cabin, relative to the current CH-53E. (Sikorsky)

in an Indian Air Force contest for 56 aircraft to replace the Avro 748.

Benefiting from Russia’s break with the Ukraine (ruling out its 21-tonne An-140 rival), Ilyushin is developing the 20-tonne Il112V under a 2013 Russian defence ministry contract. The aim is to carry a six-tonne payload over 1,000 km. First flight is expected in 2015, followed by deliveries of 62 from Vaso in Voronezh, beginning in 2017.

I ROTARY WING

The top of the helicopters range is the 56tonne Rostvertol-built Mil Mi-26, which first flew in 1977. Over 300 have been built, and it remains in service with eleven military operators. Production for the RFAF will continue until 2025.

The latest version is the Mi-26T2, with (Ukrainian) 7,500-kW Ivchenko-Progress

D-136-2 engines, a glass cockpit, modern avionics and a crew of three. Russian Helicopters have stated that the configuration of the new joint RussianChinese heavy-lift transport helicopter will be determined by February 2015, and will not be based on the Mi-26T.

These Bell Boeing MV-22B were hot refuelling at Marine Corps Air Station Miramar, California. The Osprey in the foreground, serial 167905, is assigned to Marine Medium Tiltrotor Squadron VMM-161, tail-code YR. (US Marine Corps)

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Over 12,000 examples of the Mil Mi8/17/171 family have been built for more than 60 nations, and production continues at around 200 units per year.

In 2014 the Ulan-Ude Aviation Plant (Uuap) completed deliveries of 52 Mi-171Es to China, and Kazan Helicopters completed for

Transport Aircraft

The AgustaWestland AW101 is exemplified by these British Royal Air Force Merlin HC3s, based at Benson in Oxfordshire. The aircraft in the foreground, serial ZJ123/G, bears the heraldic tiger emblem of No 78 Squadron

the Afghan National Army deliveries of 63 Mi17V-5s, the export version of the Mi-8AMTV5-1, which is being produced for the Russian Defence Ministry. Marketing now emphasises the 13-tonne, Uuap-built Mi-171A2, with 1,800-kW Klimov VK-2500-03 engines and new rotors, including an X-type tail rotor.

The heaviest serving US helicopter is the 33.3-tonne Sikorsky CH-53E Super Stallion, used by the Marine Corps. From 2018 this will be replaced by the 39.9-tonne CH-53K King Stallion, powered by three General Electric GE38s. The first of four prototypes was unveiled in May 2014 and is due to fly

The NHIndustries NH90 is in service with 14 nations. This example, Royal New Zealand Air Force serial NZ3301, is one of eight flown by No 3 Squadron, based at Ohakea on the North Island. (New Zealand Defence Force)

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in May 2015. Initial operational capability is planned for 2019, and the Marine Corps plans to acquire 196 by 2028.

The Marine Corps also operates the 26tonne tilt-rotor Bell Boeing MV-22V Osprey, with 360 planned. A further 50 CV-22Bs are to be manufactured for Afsoc (US Air Force Special Operations Command), and the US Navy may acquire 48 V-22s. Israel has declined the offer of six Ospreys, but Japan is expected to buy up to 17 by FY2018.

The US Army favours the Boeing CH-47 Chinook, of which the latest version is the 22.7-tonne CH-47F. Army plans call for 464 CH-47Fs, and for 61 existing CH-47Ds to be rebuilt as MH-47Gs for Socom (Special Operations Command). The CH-47F has also been ordered by Australia, Canada, Italy, the Netherlands, Turkey, the United Arab Emirates and Britain.

European products are somewhat lighter, led by the 14.6-tonne three-engined AgustaWestland AW101, of which 207 are on order for 14 countries, and the 10.6tonne NHIndustries NH90, of which over 500 have been ordered for 14 countries.

Show Report

IDEX 2015 Visited by Eric H. Biass AND Paolo Valpolini

I A NOTICEABLE CHANGE

A significant trend perceived by both Armada’s editors and a number of companies involved in that particular field of activity was the number of nations hitherto importers of military vehicles that have actually turned themselves into military vehicle manufacturers and exporters. Some will argue

that some of these vehicles may not be as efficient as the top western breeds, but these same people have to remember what was said 30 years ago of Japanese cars... And this is without factoring in that learning curves are ridden higher and much quicker today.

So yes, a number of traditional vehicle manufacturers will

soon have good company, and it is only a matter of time before the lighter types win the favours of the taxpayers of some western nations, because it must be admitted once and for all that certain western programmes are running at ridiculously high costs.

Confirming this trend was news leaked by the Russian

press that Algeria was to produce some 200 T-90s under licence to complement the 185 units delivered in 2010.

Amongst IDEX novelties are the Khalifa-1 howitzer, the Ruag Cobra mortar, and Savox Thos helmet seen here, but amply described in relevant articles and Compendium in this issue.

shoulder-mounted wing will be a single-piece item bolted across the top of the fuselage.

The fuselage itself is sleeker and tapers out past the wing trailing edge to receive a V-tail.

This is where the aircraft’s different mission is clearly

revealed. It is smaller, has no rear ramp and is thus not intended to carry vehicles. As a Bell spokesman said, the Calour will be twice as fast as the Osprey and have twice its range. In terms of calendar landmarks, the aircraft is only intended to be operational in the early 1930s, so a number of things will inevitably change between its first flight planned for 2017 and then. This maiden flight, by the way, will be the culmination of a “joint multirole effort demonstrator development” programme and only one demonstrator is hitherto planned. (photo: ell)

I RINGING A BELL

While a static AH-1 simulator attracted most attention on the Bell stand with a view to extolling the virtues of the type compared with its teetering rotor forebears, a large model of what could appear as a “sports” version of the Osprey revealed upon close examination that apart from the fact that it is intended to largely offer the same modus operandi, it technically was going to do it differently. The very first characteristic of this V-280 Valour lies in its tilting rotors.

Indeed only the rotors are allowed to tilt upwards (and

even slightly more over the 90° mark), while the wing-tipmounted engines nicely remain in their horizontal position, which should naturally iron out a number of engine fluid and variable loading issues. Another technical difference is that the

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Show Report

I DECEPTION CORNER

become easy to understand.

The Rheinmetall diagrams herewith show that a modern anti-ship missile seeker will now easily make heads and tails out of what it is seeing in terms of returns.

Indeed the radar returns of chaff scintillation are quite unlike those of a ship, especially when it is pitching and rolling—a ship displaying a 5Hz fluctuation compared to 20Hz for chaff. Some better cheating method is thus needed. This comes in the

Catching the visitor’s eye from a distance was a large flimsy cube lofting over Rheinmetall’s large display area. Upon closer examination, this appeared to be a naval decoy called Offboard Corner Reflector designed to operate in conjunction with the Mass multispectral decoy launcher.

With the explanations given by the creator of the system, the reasons why chaff launchers are not good enough to fool a modern incoming missile

shape of the afore-mentioned fabric cube which is launched folded in a canister together with the Mass cartridges, but automatically inflated when it reaches its apogee to act as a reflector that will not only offer the required slower and “lumpy return”, but also offer this at the required time and speed as it slowly descends

under a parachute, giving an effective operational time of one minute. The decoy’s characteristics have been demonstrated, but the actual device will be put through its paces in a real-life challenge in the summer of 2016. So far, only two canisters per Mass launcher suffice. (photos Rheinmetall)

I IN SEARCH OF NEW MASTERS

Thales used the venue to publicise the virtues of its new Searchmaster. Not too surprisingly, this aesa radar neatly draws on the technology developed for the RBE2 radar that equips the Rafale fighter aircraft.

A main difference, however, is that being belly-mounted under an aircraft designed to perform maritime patrol missions, it has a full 360° sweep capability. It can do this at variable speeds, but can reach a relatively high speed of 60 revolutions per minute if required, since it can also be used for ground surveillance purposes. Physically, the radar is about one metre wide and weighs 77 kilos, which Thales claims is about 25 kilos less compared with other existing types. Some 18 units have been ordered by the French navy and a first unit is expected to fly in an

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ATL2 before the end of this year (2016). The Searchmaster is said to have a range of 200 km (but against what was not specified), and is able to handle some 1,000 targets simultaneously. The radar is designed to operate in conjunction with the Amascos

twin-screen console which now offers very ergonomically located thumb-touch-screen function switches as can be seen in the accompanying photographs. It is now being marketed for export.

Eric H. Biass

I AEROSONDE VERSION 4.7G

The Textron Aerosonde has been given a new lease of life now that it is equipped with a new, purpose-built engine developed by Lycoming (to keep things in-house, of course). It goes without saying that this new EL-005 single-piston affair runs on heavy fuel (Jet A, and a variety of JP grades), but still yields fourhorsepower and guarantees a time between overhauls (TBO in airmen parlance) of 500 hours. Thus endowed, the Aerosonde has an endurance of 14 hours. It still takes off from a catapult and although it typically would be recovered by flying it into a net, it can belly land on a runway or reasonably flat surface if its underside is prepared with protective self-adhesive hard rubber stripes (similar

I HAFEET AFOOT

For some unclear reason, the Hafeet project was cleared for announcement relatively late into the show—on the fourth day of the exhibition, actually.

The Hafeet is a joint MbdaNimr project which makes best use of two separate existing platforms that come into a perfect match in terms of size, namely the new six-wheeled and stretched version of the Nimr and Mbda’s MPCV shelter-mounted containerised

to those used to protect door cars from parking spot dings), the chin-mounted Cloud Cap ball being retractable of course. This stabilised package includes a camera with wide angle and rifle scope view, as well as a medium-wave infrared camera. The Aerosonde is also used as a singint mission platform, courtesy of a payload pallet that is belly mounted as close as possible to the aircraft’s centre of gravity (the sigint suite being supplied by the American government). The new engine was introduced in late 2013 and retrofitted to about 100 aircraft. It is flown for Socom and the Navy in a special package arrangement whereby missions are actually performed by Textron personnel.

In all some 400 Aerosondes have been

built to date, but the type’s field of applications is now exceeding the boundaries of military operations with one system sold in the Middle East to the oil and gas industry for installation surveillance. In this particular instance, company operators were trained by Textron and have started operating the system themselves in mid-2014.

Being reasonably small and able to operate from a relatively limited footprint, while offering a good endurance and an datalink range of 80 miles out at sea, the Aerosonde would also lend itself to maritime anti-piracy missions particularly if fitted with some form of auto-detection software to detect trouble spots emerging from the sea clutter. (photo Textron)

Mistral air-defence missile launcher. Company officials won’t comment beyond the fact that there is a recognised need for such a type of mobile shortrange anti-aircraft capability in the United Arab Emirates.

However, integration and feasibility studies have been completed, which would also include the missile company to develop and produce the combat equipment mounted in the cabin. (photo MBDA)

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Show Report

I WHAT THE HEL?

Another eye-catching item at Rheinmetall’s was an unusually shaped turret sitting atop a Boxer, which proved to be a high-energy laser gun, similar to the one tested and demonstrated at Ochsenboden two years ago (see Armada International 62013) and seen here. No ground-shattering technical developments have taken place since that memorable event except that some sizeable progress has been made in the optimisation of various areas. This is true of the tracking software, management, modularity considerations, logistics and perhaps more importantly beam superimposition finetuning, to the extent that Rheinmetall now says that they are “20kW-ready”. In other words, Rheinmetall says that there is little reason why each of the optical set of the high-energy laser Hel should not be able to handle an output power of 20kW, which would this time splash some 40kW of energy on the target.

Part of the optimisation mentioned above also entails understanding and mastering all the parameters involved in the potential use of such a weapon. Rheinmetall now says that it has a sufficiently large database to spell out the rules and boundaries of application as well as to define the required open architecture for a man-machine interface involving even laptops.

NEXT ISSUE JUNE-JULY 2015: 2 JUNE, ADVERTISING: 16 MAY Tanker Aircraft: With missions that increasingly require aircraft – whether transport types, fighters, or helicopters – to fly long distances, the need for air refuelling is being felt more sharply than ever, even to the American forces who need to strongly overhaul their fleet. A notable trend is the willingness of certain nations to move away from larger nation dependence.

Aesa radars: Electronically scanned radar aerials have been around for a while now, but they still are revolutionising the way they can be designed and used, not

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An eye-opening event has been the one that occurred during Angela Merkel’s public address last year when a drone dropped out of the blue and smashed to smithereens on the ground just in front of her.

Thankfully, it only carried a camera. The question on every security guard’s lips now is “how can we counter this sort of threat”, particularly in an urban environment, and worse, an overcrowded one?

only in terms of overall performance (including stealthiness) but also in terms size and weight that allow them to be installed in aircraft as small as light drones.

Underwater Robot Technology: With the renewed potential threat of sabotage missions and mining operations (a high risk in the Gulf of Aden and in the Persian Gulf), the need for countermeasures might suddenly erupt. The latest technologies have to be on hand.

Latest Helicopters and Future Revolutionary Projects: Rotordynes put aside, historically speaking helicopters are in fact as half as old as aeroplanes. Scope for spectacular developments is thus mathematically still much higher with

First the detection issue has to be sorted out. But then comes the question of the effector, one that will not cause secondary effects or damage beyond the range of the target. This pretty much excludes any form of barrelled weapon (the sole firing report of which could spark a disastrous crowd panic), but opens the door to scalablepower systems able to sing in tune with the importance of the object to be processed.

One aspect that plays in favour of a superimposed beam system (including in an air defence application) is the fact that the beams have to be brought together to focus on a given range to be effective. This means that beyond that point the beams separate and go their own ways, losing power as they progress.

(Photo Armada/Eric H. Biass)

helicopters than with fixed-wing aircraft, and researchers are in fact still finding ways of allowing a chopper to fly like a plane.

IDEX Show report: An account of the new wares being offered by traditional manufacturers, but also now from emerging countries particularly in the Middle East who are able to offer quite competitive and staggering solutions on the market.

Drone Compendium: Almost a legend now, Armada’s yearly Drone Compendium provides a comprehensive view of the evolution of the drone situation around the world. As usual, it comes complete with its inimitable four-page fold-out table.

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