Armada International: Issue 3 June/July 2012

THE TRUSTED SOURCE FOR DEFENCE TECHNOLOGY INFORMATION SINCE 1976

Issue 3/2012

INTERNATIONAL

June/July

THE TRUSTED SOURCE FOR DEFENCE TECHNOLOGY INFORMATION SINCE 1976

Contents 3/2012 INTERNATIONAL

06 MODERN SOLDIER

WHERE DO MODERN SOLDIER PROGRAMMES NOW STAND? I Paolo Valpolini It has now been a couple of years since Armada International published its Modern Soldier Programmes Compendium – a comprehensive survey covering all the then-called Future Soldier Programmes. Future has become today for a number of these programmes and Armada though useful to see how some of them fared since 2010

20

28

38

AEW&C AIRCRAFT

UTILITY HELICOPTER ARMAMENT

SITUATIONAL AWARENESS

TODAY’S “MUST-HAVE” ASSETS

SWISS KNIVES FOR JACKOF-ALL-TRADES WHIRLYBIRDS

A LIFESAVER FORVEHICLE CREWS

I Roy Braybrook

I Roy Braybrook

I PaoloValpolini

50

60

RADIO ACCESSORIES

FIGHTER AIRCRAFT MARKET

ACCESSORISE TACTICALLY

FIGHTER MARKET IN FRENZY

I Tom Withington

I Roy Braybrook

COMPENDIUM SUPPLEMENT DRONES 2012-13 I Eric H. Biass & Roy Braybrook

INTERNATIONAL

3/2012

01

Index I INDEX TO ADVERTISERS AFRICA AEROSPACE

69

ILA BERLIN

35

ROCKWELL COLLINS

57

AR MODULAR

67

INDO DEFENCE

C3

RUAG HOLDING

43

ARGON

15

INVISIO

53

SAAB

13

ARMADA SUBSCRIPTION

22

ITT EXELIS NIGHT VISION

37

SCHIEBEL

C2

CERADYNE

13

ITT EXELIS SPEARNET

35

SELEX ELSAG

63

CODAN

59

IVECO

39

SELEX GALILEO

11

L3 WESCAM

25

SMi GROUP

63

DAIMLER

3

DATRON

55

LEUPOLD

17

STAUBI

49

DCI

33

MBDA

C2

TEXTRON AAI

C4

DDC

25

NEXTER

47

9

ELBIT SYSTEMS

THALES

41

NORTHROP GRUMMAN 23, 15, 16, 17

TRIJICON

15

EURONAVAL

C3

NOVATEL

45

ULTRALIFE

51

EUROSAM

27

ODU

71

VECTRONIX

31

FISCHER

65

RAFAEL

C4

VIASAT

FLIR

9

RECON ROBOTICS

19

IAI MALAT

5

REVISION

11

5

Entries highlighted with blue numbers are found Drones 2012-13 Compendium

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 3M

58

FN Herstal

Accusonic Voice Systems

59

Force Protection

42

Norinco

62

Galileo Avonica

26

6,12,14,20,26 Northrop Grumman 3,04,6

Garwood Industries

31

Oerlikon

ADA

2,6,24,26

AeroVironment Airbus Military

23,24,67,69,72

GE Aviation

Alliant Techsystems

28

General Atomics

Antonov

22

General Dynamics

31

General Electric

ATE South Africa

32,34,67,68 31,3

ATK Augusta Westland

04,26,30,36

Aurelis

54 03,04,0 06,08,24,32,33

BAE Systems

4,28,33

Bell helicopter Beretta

12,50,51

Beriev Boeing

22 03,04, 0 4,06,21,24,2 26,31

29,30,31,32

22,31,62 1,2,3,4,10,28 30,32,42,52,58 21,28,30

Nexter

Pilatus

PZL Swidnik QinetiQ

26 16,2

Gulfstream

26

Quietpro

58,59

RAC MiG

14,30,62,63

Hamilton Sundstrand

22

Harris

18,58 14,31,65

Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd Honeywell IAI

8 6,7,8,10,11,22,26,36

IHAG Holding

4

Radmor

Raytheon Elcan

Roketsan

Imtradex Indra Systems

36

Saab

54

Sagem

Chengdu Aircraft Industry

61

Invisio

China Electronics Technology Group

22

ITOCHU Croporation

7,8,30,64,65

Dassault Denel land Systems

31

Dillon Aero

30,31,32 12,14,24,70

DRDO

04,12,13,71

KAI

61,62

34 26 22,2

Rolls Royce Russian Helicopter

35,36 36 ,62 24,25,3 7,8,10 12,35,36

Schiebel Selex Elsag

10

Selex Galileo

12, 40, 42, 30,31,34

Kaman K-Max

6, 7,34,69

Shaanxi Aircraft Company

22

Kamov

26,30,31

Shenyang Aircraft Corporation

66

Kanematsu

4

06,28,30,34,3 35

Sikorsky

Kazan

28

Silynx

61,

ST Engineering

7,8,36

Klimov

EID

52,53

Kongsberg

8,10,11, 12, 34,44,70

4

ITT Exelis

EADS /Cassidian

Elbit Systems

53,54

10,12 7,12,14,42,44,48

Rheinmetall

32

22

52 6,14,23,2 24,27,28,3 30,34 04,6

Raytheon

44

44

32

61

Carl Zeiss

04,52

4 22,65,67

Guizhou Aircraft Industry

Bristol Aerospace

Copenhagen Sensor Technology

4 58

Pratt & Whitney

Ilyushin

Cobham

32

Peltor

3,6

Boeing Insitu

28,31

18,48 35,71 10,12,3

L3 Wescam

06,14,21,2 24,67 04,0

Elno

50,56,57

Lockheed Martin

Embraer

24,25,68

Marinette Marine Croporation

68

Symetrics Industries

59

TAI

64 30,36 04,3

Textron

08,10,16,17,18,26,32,36,40

MBDA

Eurocopter

29

Micro Power Electronics

53

Tikhomirov NIIP Institute

Eurofighter

64,65

Motorola

58

ULTRACELL

Thales

Eurojet

64

Nanjing 14th Institute

22

Vectronix

Fincantieri Company

68

Narce

58

Volvo

02

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3/2012

4 14,30,66

Sukhoi

33

Emirates Advanced Investment

36,61,67

56,57,58

22 54 14,16 61

The French Félin is the world’s first comprehensive modern soldier suite to have entered service, almost turning fiction into reality. These soldiers have been captured by the Editor’s camera while they were training in an urban warfare training centre near Sissone.

Volume 36, Issue No. 3, June/July 2012 INTERNATIONAL

is published bi-monthly by Media Transasia Ltd. Copyright 2012 by Media Transasia Ltd. Publishing Office: Media Transasia Ltd, Room No. 1205-1206, Hollywood Centre 233, Hollywood Road, Central, Hong Kong.

Tel: (852) 2815 9111, Fax: (852) 2815 1933 Editor-in-Chief: Eric H. Biass Regular Contributors: Roy Braybrook, Paolo Valpolini, Thomas Withington Chairman: J.S. Uberoi President: Xavier Collaco Sr. Manager International Marketing: Vishal Mehta Deputy Manager Marketing: Tarun Malviya Sales & Marketing Coordinator: Atul Bali Senior Visualiser: Sachin Jain 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 SPAIN Vía Exclusivas, Macarena Fdez. de Grado Ph: +34 91 448 76 22, macarena@viaexclusivas.com UNITED KINGDOM Zena Coupé Ph: +44 1923 852537, zena@expomedia.biz RUSSIA Alla Butova, NOVO-Media Ltd, Ph: (7 3832) 180 885 Mobile : (7 960) 783 6653 Email :alla@mediatransasia.com EASTERN USA – EAST OF THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER Margie Brown, Ph: (540) 341 7581, margiespub@rcn.com WESTERN USA – WEST OF THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER Diane Obright, Ph: (858) 759 3557, blackrockmedia@cox.net ALL OTHER COUNTRIES Vishal Mehta, Tel: (91) 124 4759625, Mobile: (91) 99 999 85425, (44) 11 5885 4423, E-Mail: vishal@mediatransasia.com Annual subscription rates: Europe: CHF 186. + 36. (postage) Overseas: USD 186. + 36. (postage) Controlled circulation: 22,739, certified by ABC ABC/WEMF, valid from autumn 2011.

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Tel: 66 (0)-2204 2370, Fax: 66 (0)-2204 2390 -1 Subscription Information: Readers should contact the following address: Subscription Department, Media Transasia Ltd. Room No. 1205-1206, Hollywood Centre 233, Holywood Road, Central, Hong Kong.

Tel: (852) 2815 9111, Fax: (852) 2851 1933

Business

Actuator Control Unit (ACU) for the Boeing KC-46A tanker. The contract is for the design, development, test, and production of the ACU for the Boom Actuation Control System (ACS) of the KC-46A tanker.

AGUSTAWESTLAND and Kanematsu Corporation have pleased to announce that they have been awarded a contract by the Japan National Police Agency (JNPA) to supply two GrandNew law enforcement light twin helicopters as part of an ongoing programme to modernise the Police helicopter fleet. The order represents the first sale of GrandNew helicopters to the Japan National Police Agency and is part of their plan to modernise its fleet with a modern high performance helicopter.

BOEING and the U.S. Air Force completed the first manned flight of the QF-16 Full Scale Aerial Target (FSAT) on May 4 at Cecil Field in Jacksonville. The QF-16 took off at 3:05 p.m. Eastern time and climbed to an altitude of 41,000 feet during its 66minute flight.

RAYTHEON BBN TECHNOLOGIES has been awarded $1.9 million by the U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory under the Force Protection program. BBN is a wholly owned subsidiary of Raytheon Company.

OERLIKON has signed an agreement with to sell its 13.97 % minority stake in the Swiss aircraft manufacturer Pilatus Flugzeugwerke AG, to IHAG Holding, Zürich and J.F. Burkart (Southfield Aircraft Ltd.). The parties agreed not to disclose the purchase price. The transaction will have a positive one time effect on Oerlikon’s 2012 financial result.

JAPAN Ministry of Defense recently ordered 19 AbleSentry® systems from Lockheed Martin and its trading partner ITOCHU Corporation to provide detection and early warning of a possible chemical, biological, or radiological attack.

BOEING has begun an extensive maintenance training program for Turkey's Peace Eagle Airborne Early

BAE SYSTEMS has been awarded a contract to develop and manufacture the

Warning and Control (AEW&C) program at a Boeing facility near Seattle. Classroom training for 10 Turkish Air Force personnel and two Turkish Airlines employees is being conducted by instructors from Boeing Defence Australia and Boeing Training and Flight Services.

The training covers all aspects of the 737 AEW&C aircraft, including mechanical avionics, mission systems and electronic warfare subsystems.

NORTHROP GRUMMAN completed its 2,000th microwave power module, an integral component in radars, jammers and other military electronics. These assemblies are critical components in electronic warfare and countermeasure systems such as the AN/ALQ-135 for U.S. and international F-15 aircraft.

I BIG DEALS IN SHORT COMPANY

AMOUNT

ST Engineering Boeing BAE Systems

EVENT

$100 million

Rail electronics solutions & satcom systems contract

$55.3 million

Upgrade of B-1 Lancer navigation system

A$ 86.6 million

Interim Basic Flying Training services to ADF

FROM WHERE Singapore U.S. Air Force Australia

Raytheon

$33 million

Mission readiness support services contract to US Pacific Command

U.S. PACOM

BAE Systems

$ 11 million

U.S. Special Operations Command contract to procure SkeetIR® thermal monocular

U.S. SOCOM

Boeing

$12.5 million

Cobham

£13 million

Raytheon

$106 million

BAE Systems

$ 60 million

BAE Systems

$75 million

Lockheed Martin BAE Systems

Contract for additional Laser Joint Direct Attack Munition (Laser JDAM) sensors To supply Ground-Penetrating Radar (GPR) and support solutions Contract for the production of Aegis-related equipment Contract for training to defeat IED Contract to produce and deliver hard armor inserts

$79.4 million

Contract for development of new GMLRS variant

£224 million

Contract to upgrade electronic warfare capabilities on Saudi fighter jets

U.S. Navy U.S. DOD JIEDDO U.S. DLA U.S. DOD Royal Saudi Air Force

Northrop Grumman

$ 52.8 million

Textron Systems

$71.4 million

Contract to supply Afghanistan with 65 additional mobile strike force vehicles

U.S. Army

ITT EXELIS

$ 238 million

Contract for production of AN/ALQ-214 on-board jammer system on F/A-18 aircraft

U.S. Navy

04

INTERNATIONAL

3/2012

Contract to upgrade Electronic Attack pods

US NAVAIR NATO Customers

U.S. Air Force

Modern Soldier

Where Do Modern Soldier Programmes Now Stand?

It has now been a couple of years since Armada International published its Modern Soldier Programmes Compendium – a comprehensive survey covering all the then-called Future Soldier Programmes. Future has become today for a number of these programmes and Armada though useful to see how some of them fared since 2010.

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Rheinmetall should soon receive a first order for enough IdZ2 systems to equip a battlegroup.

(Rheinmetall)

Slovakia, Slovenia, South Africa, South Korea, Sri Lanka, Switzerland, Sweden, Thailand, Turkey, United Kingdom, and the United States are the nations that are in a way or another involved in such programmes.

Some of these programmes still only exist on paper while others are in various stages of development. However, the only soldier modernisation programme that can be considered in full production is the French Félin, although a number of other nations are on the verge of freezing their configurations before shifting to mass production.

Not all programmes pursue similar objectives. Some, such as the French one, involve the full spectrum of soldier equipment, from firepower through protection to C4I, while others concentrate only on specific areas. It is thus very difficult to draw comparisons between those various programmes.

I FRANCE

The French Felin (see our cover) is definitely the only integrated system currently in service. It also is battle-proven, the first Felin-equipped regiment having been deployed to Afghanistan in late 2011. The 1st Infantry Regiment part of Joint Tactical Group “Picardie” deployed at Tora was the first unit to be fully equipped with the

The French Army is taking delivery of the sixth Félin regimental package. Here member of the fifth unit to be equipped with the system, the 8th RPIMa, was caught by the author’s camera during an exercise in Great Britain. (Armada/PV)

Paolo Valpolini

S

OLDIER Modernisation Programmes are underway in numerous countries, some with more than a single programme running or being planned. Australia, Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, China, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, India, Israel, Italy, Japan, Jordan, Malaysia, the Netherlands, Norway, New Zealand, Pakistan, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russia, Serbia, Singapore, Spain,

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3/2012

07

Modern Soldier

A view of the Felin company commander’s ruggedized tablet-PC used as C4I terminal; one month into the Félin familiarisation process, the 8th RPIMa officers and soldiers were fully satisfied with the system.

(Armada/PV)

system developed and produced by Sagem, although not much has hitherto been revealed about lessons learned. The only comments were made last January by the French Minister of Defence Gérard Longuet at the Defense Commission, where he praised the system’s advanced features that allowed the French soldiers to overcome a most difficult situation.

In February 2012 the 1st Company of the 8th Marine Parachute Infantry Regiment deployed to Otterburn for a combined exercise with the British Army 5 Scots Regiment. The 8th RPIMa was the fifth French Army unit to receive the system, and it was the first time that the system was used

The Sagem Jim LR (long range) multifunction binocular is the target acquisition device available to Félin-equipped infantry sections. (Armada/PV)

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Modern Soldier

in such a binational exercise. In October 2010 Sagem received an initial conditional tranche of over €25 million for the development of the RIF-NG (Réseau d’Information du Fantassin – Nouvelle Génération), the radio aimed at replacing the current Felin radio, because it operates on the 800 MHz band which is now being allocated to civilian applications. Not much is known about the development of this radio despite the fact that it is intended for initial delivers in 2013.

In late 2011 a team made of Sagem, the Institut de Recherche Biomedical des Armées and the Hidalgo in Britain won the bid for a Biosensor Information Demonstrator issued by the European Defense Agency. With the team made up of Sagem (Félin prime contractor), and Hidalgo (producer of the

The first Soldato Futuro batch will be equipped with Elcan SpecterDR x1-x4 optical sights and L-3 Insight Mini Thermal Monoculars. (Armada/PV)

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Equivital LifeMonitor miniaturised human monitoring system) the EDA requires a system that checks out heart rate, blood pressure, oxygen saturation, body temperature, metabolic rate, cognitive status, posture, etc. Terminals dedicated to the hierarchical and the medical chains are also part of the system.

I ITALY

March 2012 saw what will possibly the last step before the production of a first batch of 558 Soldato Futuro sets that will equip the first Italian Army digitised regiment.

Testing, carried out mostly at the Infantry School at Cesano near Rome, also involved the so-called “precursors”, that is the eight sets modified to the latest development standard. This includes the new SWave Handheld Software Defined Radio that replaces the original Individual Pocket Radio, both being designed and developed

by Selex-Elsag, the leading company of the Soldato Futuro programme.

The new radio operates in the 30-512

MHz band (instead of 800-900 MHz) and supports five types of waveform in VHF and UHF bands that allow ground-to-ground as well as ground-to-air communications.

With a 5W maximum output, 100mW, 1.25W and 2.5W output levels being also available, the radio has a two-kilometre range with the wideband waveform, stretching out to five on the narrowband one. The new radio also lends itself to generating a mobile wireless network with a 2MB/s data rate when using the SBW UHF EPM EASY II waveform. The SWave HH’s further advantage is that it is inherently able to handle data, while the IPR required an extra node to do so. Slightly heavier than its predecessor, it weighs 800 grams without batteries, but considering the boon offered by the node facility, weight is actually saved.

Power supply is now provided by a single 70 Wh Li-Ion battery weighing around 0.5 kg that ensures over eight hours of operating time. A newly adopted hot swap system allows batteries to be changed without having to switch off. The eight precursors

Modern Soldier

computers were also using the latest software delivery.

Turning to the weapon per se, while the Beretta ARX 160 rifle is currently being acquired in batches to equip the whole Esercito independently from the Soldato Futuro programme under which it was developed, the Selex Galileo Individual Combat Weapon System (ICWS) and Night Mobility System (Nimos) will be replaced in the first batch by off-the-shelf items while further improvements are made in terms of performance amd weight. The interim solution consists of the Elcan Specter DR 14x coupled for night firing to the L-3 Insight Mini Thermal Monocular. As for the Nimos interim replacement, the choice lies between two image intensification goggles, the AN/PVS-21, which features high

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The trials conducted last March at the Italian Army Infantry School were used to validate the latest configuration before starting production. (Armada/PV)

compactness, and the new ITT Exelis TMNVG (Tactical Mobility – Night Vision Goggle). The latter has a primary monocular that allows not only to project information and colour imagery coming from the C4I system in front of the soldier’s eye (something also available on the AN/PVS21), but to also capture a 960 x 680 pixel image and forward it to the C4I system.

According to some sources the latter should be the preferred choice.

As for the future, Selex Galileo is looking into an image fusion solution for the next

batch of Soldato Futuro kits. Selex Galileo Grenade Launcher Fire Control Sight (GLFCS) and Linx target acquisition systems successfully passed acceptance tests and are part of the kits. Once the 558 kits known as “Forza NEC” (as they will be a key element of the Italian Army digitisation programme) are distributed to the first regiment, operational experimentation will commence, probably followed by deployment downrange. This will then give the green light to the production of the 1,205 kits that will equip two more regiments and thereby complete the digitisation of the first Forza NEC Brigade.

I GERMANY

The German IdZ2 programme, developed by Rheinmetall as the prime contractor of a

A decision on the Soldato Futuro’s NVG is expected soon, but apparently the ITT Exelis TM-NVG is on top of the list. (Armada/PV)

group of German companies, is awaiting a parliamentary go-ahead to the order of the first batch of systems. The company is convinced that the authorisation will be granted as politicians look forward to deploy the system as soon as possible to Afghanistan in order to improve the Bundeswehr soldiers’ effectiveness and enhance their protection.

The contract will be split in three batches of 30 systems (“system” refers to all the equipment needed by an infantry section of 10 soldiers).

Each batch will also include spares, training, documentation and education.

Delivery of the first batch of 30 systems is scheduled for late 2012 and a six-month training period is envisaged before the deployment downrange around mid-2013.

The option for a second batch of 30 systems would see delivery in mid-2013, while the last option for the same amount of equipment should be delivered by late 2013.

No decision has yet been made on whether to equip the whole German Army combat

Modern Soldier

units with the IdZ2 system (which, by the way, may soon receive a new name) or not, although the number of 438 systems is still the known requirement. What will certainly not be met, however is the previously announced date of 2015 for the delivery of all the systems.

From a technical standpoint not much has changed, configuration having been frozen following the 2011 evaluation field tests, while some subcontractors may change in the production phase.

Rheinmetall is now offering the expertise garnered with the IdZ2 on the international arena, the Benelux request for proposals being the first of a series of potential markets.

Developed by Vectronix/Wilcox the Rapid Acquisition Aiming Module is now in service with British Army grenadiers within infantry sections. (Armada/PV)

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I THE NETHERLANDS AND BENELUX

With the issue in December 2011 of its request for proposals for the Smart Vest the Dutch Verbeterd Operationeel Soldaat Systeem (Voss) programme has reached a significant milestone following the green light given by the Dutch Parliament to the Voss investment in October 2008. The subsequent definition, pre-study and study phases have now been completed and the three separate projects that come under the Voss umbrella are at different stages of progress.

The most advanced is the E-Lighter, the Fokker Aerostructures (formerly Stork) portable diesel generator that allow to extend missions over the 24 hour-limit offering a more efficient solution than traditional batteries. The final development contract was awarded in September 2011 with an option for series production, and the Dutch MoD expects to receive a number of prototypes at

TRL6 in 2012, paving the way to a final product by 2014.

The above mentioned Smart Vest includes a C4I module, which includes radio and GPS offering, inter alia, blue force tracking, displays, vehicle installation, etc, the energy supply subsystem with batteries and connectors, and the load carriage and protection subsystem, with hard and soft ballistic protection, backpack, water supply and so on. Born as a single-nation programme, the 2011 study phase saw Belgium and Luxembourg signing a cooperation agreement in April that year.

Their respective Best (Belgian Soldier Transformation) and Compass (Co-operative Modernisation Programme of the Army for a Soldier System) programmes thus joined the Voss on as for the Smart vest component, the Netherlands this acting as the single contracting nation for that purchase.

The final development contract regarding the E-Lighter diesel portable generator, which also includes options for production, should lead to a definitve configuration by 2014. (Dutch Ministry of Defence)

Numerous companies involved in their national programmes are now taking part in that bid for which proposals were expected by early March 2012, for a contract in late 2012-early 2013. A pre-series evaluation run will eventually lead to serial production.

I BRITAIN

Following the signature of the Increment 1A Surveillance and Target Acquisition segment in September 2009 the Future Integrated Soldier Technology (Fist) programme has not evolved beyond the initial increment. Increment 1B’s intent was to provide commanders with

Modern Soldier

The Fist Thermal Sight (FTS) is an improved version of QioptiQ Vipir-2 and is part of the Fist package that started to be distributed to British Army units in February 2011.

(Armada/PV)

the situation of all network members, but the Ministry of Defence decided against proceeding although it has evolved into a series of urgent operational requirements, while Increment 2, aimed at improving C4I and enhancing connectivity, is under discussion, Increment 3 networking of all capabilities having apparently disappeared from the Army wish-list.

This being said, Increment 1A seems to be in good health: the items introduced at DSEI 2009 by Thales UK, the prime contractor for this tranche, underwent a development phase that included users trials during which feedback was implemented wherever possible.

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System acceptance was achieved in September 2010 with initial deliveries commencing shortly after.

The package included the FTS (Fist Thermal Sight), an improved version of Qioptiq Vipir-2, provided to the team commander and gunner and fitted with Shield CQB red dot sight and an IR laser aimer, the Elcan Specter OS4X day sight issued to all four members in the fire team, the grenadier being equipped with an Istec Underslung Grenade Launcher sight and a Vectronix/Wilcox Rapid Acquisition Aiming Module, while the team commander is receives a Vectronix Moskito target locator In late 2011 the Netherlands issued a Request for Proposals regarding the Smart Vest of its Voss programme, which now also involves Belgium and Luxembourg. (Dutch Ministry of Defence)

system, an Olympus ruggedised camera and a Uniscope hand-held optical periscope closely derived from the company’s LH2000M. The programme included also the upgrade of the existing Common Weapon Sights and Maxikite 2, to be provided respectively to the grenadier and to the marksman once equipped with the CQB sight. In that way half of the fire team is equipped with thermal systems and the other with image intensifiers. The initial order was for 95 Company packs; however in December 2010, following the initial deliveries, an order for further 51 Company packs was awarded to Thales UK by the British Ministry of Defence, bringing the grand total to 146 Company packs.

The British Army announced the Fist Increment 1A in-service date in early February 2011, that date marking the deployment of a sufficient number of kits and the training of the units. Currently Thales UK delivered around one third of the overall kits, with final deliveries being planned for 2015. Parts of the Fist suite have already been deployed to Afghanistan, however the British Army plans to field the whole suite in theatre later this year.

According to Thales UK the later kits might differ from the earlier ones under certain aspects, a spiralling process being part of the programme. In the meantime the company is receiving enquiries from overseas customers and is in discussion with some of them, but declines to expand.

Those countries are closely following the British experience with the intention of leveraging lessons learned. Thales is looking beyond the current Fist suite and envisages a C4I component based on the company’s experience acquired through other C4I programmes such as the Normans in Norway.

I NORWAY

Since late 2009 the Norwegian Modular Arctic Network Soldier programme, or Normans, made considerable steps towards its fielding point. In tests carried out by Thales Norway together with the

The Normans Commander Personal Digital Assistant was finally developed

by Thales itself, as no cots systems met the requirements. (Thales)

Modern Soldier

Harris radio. The Version 2 was thoroughly tested by a Norwegian Army sub-unit during the 2011 Bold Quest exercise, that took place last September at Camp Atterbury Joint Manoeuvre Training Center in Indiana, involving ground and air units from 13 different countries. The exercise, which aimed at improving battefield identification procedures, marked a turning point in the Normans history as the Norwegian ministry of Defence subsequently asked the Norwegian Defence Logistic Organisation to file the contract with Thales Norway for the systems’ acquisition, Teleplan Globe software company being the main partner. According

The Normans Commander, left, and the Normans Light, right; Thales Norway obtained a five-year contract in late 2011. (Thales)

Norwegian Defence Research Establishment (FFI) the Normans proved its capacity to increase the soldiers’ combat effectiveness.

This led in late 2010 to the contract for the Normans Version 2, which maintained most of the capabilities and design features of the Version 1. The system thus maintains the philosophy of having only the squad commander equipped with the C4I software installed onto a PDA. One of the evolutions is linked to the latter piece of equipment, as no cots PDA met the requirements. The company thus

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developed an existing system into the 440gram Thales Normans PDA that is now the core of the Normans Commander. The commander maintains the two radio sets, the Harris RF 7800 SPR radio for the squad net and the Kongsberg Handheld MH300 VHF to maintain its link with the vehicle’s Battle Management System.

The soldier, for his part, is equipped with the Normans Light configuration of the system that includes the 150-gram Thales wrist-mounted lightweight microcontroller with built-in GPS and 3D compass, and the

The Normans Light controller includes a GPS and a compass and has a weight of only 150 grams. (Thales)

to the announcement made on 3 October 2011 Thales Norway will be the prime contractor for five years and discussions are underway regarding production phase. No numbers or deadlines have been announced, but it is clear that the programme will be carried out with a spiral approach. Thus newer batches might include more advanced software, which might be easily uploaded onto existing systems in order to maintain full interoperability, the latter issue being also under discussion between Thales Norway and the customer.

AEW&C Aircraft

There are few visual clues to distinguish these Northrop Grumman E-2D Advanced Hawkeyes from the preceding Hawkeye 2000, but the new radar doubles the detection range. (Northrop Grumman)

AEW&C Aircraft – Today’s “Must-Have” Assets Airborne radar platforms with fighter control facilities are increasingly viewed as essential for surveillance and defence. Their detection and tracking capabilities now include low-flying cruise missiles, reconnaissance drones, surface vessels, and tactical ballistic missiles. Aside from controlling interceptions and strikes, they can be used in search-and-rescue, counter-drug and anti-piracy operations, and to provide emergency air traffic control following natural disasters.

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orbited over the Gulf of Tonkin and Laos.

I SENTRY

The EC-121 was replaced by the Boeing E-3 Sentry Awacs, which entered US Air Force service in 1978. In Operation Desert Storm of 1991, E-3s controlled up to 3000 Coalition sorties per day.

Based on the 707-320B, the 152-tonne US Air Force E-3B/C has four P&W TF33s, a Northrop Grumman APY-2 radar and a 9.1metre diameter rotodome. This turns at six rpm and gives a detection range of over 320 km. The E-3 can cruise at up to 30,000 ft. It has a flight crew of four, and 13 to 19 systems operators.

The US Air Force has 32 E-3B/Cs. The current Block 30/35 E-3B/Cs are being brought to Block 40/45s with computer upgrades. The first will be operational in 2013. Approved modifications include the Northrop Grumman AAQ-24(V) (Laircm) and Boeing/UTL AYR-1 electronic

support measures.

The US Air Force is considering improving E-3 performance against stealthy aircraft through bistatic operation, with a drone second receiver.

The E-3 is also operated by Nato (16 E3As), the Britain (seven E-3Ds), Saudi Arabia (five E-3As) and France (four E-3Fs).

British, French and Saudi E-3s have CFM562s, increasing endurance from eight to eleven hours, and refuelling probes as well as receptacles.

I E-767

Following 707 production termination in 1991, Awacs marketing moved to the 175tonne 767-200ER with two General Electric Providing an excellent view of its 9.1-metre diameter rotodome, this Boeing E-3A Sentry (one of five operated by the Royal Saudi Air Force) is shown undergoing maintenance at Tinker AFB, Oklahoma. (USAF)

Roy Braybrook

T

HE NEED for airborne early warning and control aircraft was highlighted in October 1944 by Japanese ‘kamikaze’ suicide attacks, which sank 34 US Navy ships and damaged 386 more, with over 9700 casualties.

This led to AEW variants (AD3W/4W/5W) of the Douglas Skyraider for the US Navy. The first major land-based AEW aircraft was the Constellation-based Lockheed WV-2/EC-121 Warning Star, with both dorsal and ventral radomes and a crew of up to 31. During the Vietnam War, EC-121s of the Big Eye Task Force

Probably expecting that the US Air Force would follow suit, the Japan Air Self Defense Force purchased four Boeing 767 Awacs, which it operates under the designation E-767. (Boeing)

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AEW&C Aircraft

CF6-80Cs and a high-prf S-band APY-2 radar. The 767 has over 50% more floor area than the E-3, flies higher (up to 40,000 ft), and stays up longer (13 hours at 550 km).

However, the US Air Force E-3 may not be replaced until 2040, and the only buyer of the 767 Awacs has been Japan, which operates four E-767s. The cabin has nine consoles, but the basic design allows for up to 19.

I DISCO-ILYUSHINS

Russia’s Beriev A-50 places the Vega ‘Shmel’ (Bumblebee) radar with its 10.5-metre rotodome on the Ilyushin Il-76MD. The A-50 first flew in 1978 and entered service in 1984, six years after the E-3. The 190-tonne A-50 has a five-man flight deck crew and eleven operators. It has a detection range of 150 km, and can control only ten fighters. About 40 A50s were built by 1992, and around twelve are still in Russian Air Force service.

The Titan-U upgrade programme introduces an advanced mission computer, satellite communications, and the ShmelM radar. This operates in the 0.5 to 18 GHz range, tracks 300 targets (according to Beriev, others say 150) and allows control of 30 interceptors. Detection range is 215 km for cruise missiles and up to 650 km for large aircraft.

In September 2008 state trials began with this upgraded A-50U (export designation A50E). The first entered service in January 2012, and two further upgrades are funded.

Beriev expects to upgrade one A-50 annually, pending A-100 availability (discussed later). The company credits the A-50E with four hours on station at 1000 km, or seven hours with aerial refuelling.

In 1994 China ordered one A-50 (plus three options) with fixed disc-type radome, to be equipped with an Elta Phalcon radar using three static phased arrays.

The A-50 arrived in Israel in 1999, but the deal was cancelled under US pressure in 2000, and the aircraft was recovered by China only in 2002. It flew as the KJ-2000 in November 2003, with a radar developed by the Nanjing-based 14th Institute, duplicating the Phalcon arrangement of three fixed arrays.

Four further KJ-2000s were converted from China United Airlines Il-76MDs. Deliveries began in 2005, for operation by the Plaaf 26th Air Division, in the coastal Zhejiang province below Shanghai.

In 2004, India signed a $ 1.5-billion deal with Russia and Israel to acquire three Il-

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The first E-2D Advanced Hawkeye development aircraft (BuAer No 166501) is shown during trials with Emals (Electro-Magnetic Aircraft Launch System) at Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, New Jersey. (US Navy)

76MDs with PS-90A engines, EL/M-2075 Phalcon radars and fixed disc-type radomes (likewise Elta products). These A-50EIs were delivered to the Agra-based No 50 Sqn of the Indian Air Force (IAF) between 2009 and 2011. The aircraft can reportedly track 60 targets at up to 400 km. In 2011 the IAF won approval for an $ 800 million order for two more Phalcon aircraft.

Following China’s rejection of the A-50E, citing lack of a phased-array antenna, Beriev projected the A-100, with a Tikhomirov NIIP Institute radar. However, reorganisation of the Russian aerospace industry, in which Beriev was taken over by Irkut, led to the project being frozen in 2002.

In 2005 the Russian Air Force developed a new AEW&C requirement, relaunching the A-100, now based on the Vega Premier mission system. The rotodome will turn twice as fast (twelve rpm) as most AEW radars, and the antenna will scan electronically only in elevation.

Under a 2007 contract, Beriev is modifying an A-50 into an A-100 prototype, to fly in early 2013. Production A-100s will be converted at Taganrog from 195-tonne Il76MD-90As manufactured at Ulyanovsk.

The A-100 will have a refuelling probe and a dorsal satcom radome. The first Il-76MD90A is to fly in early 2012, with a lightweight wing and PS-90A-76 engines.

Beriev and Vega are also studying AEW&C versions of 40-tonne transports,

notably the Antonov An-148, the Beriev Be200 amphibian and its Be-300 ground-based derivative.

Antonov transports with rotodomes already exist as the Pakistan Air Force’s ZDK-03 ‘Karakorum Eagle’ version of China’s 65-tonne Shaanxi Y-8F600 (An-12 derivative). Pakistan ordered four from the China Electronics Technology Group in 2008. The first was rolled out at Hanzhong in November 2010, for delivery in November 2011. Mystery surrounds the powerplants, as the agreement on supplying P&WC P150Bs and six-blade GE Aviation/Dowty R-408 propellers was limited to the commercial Y-8F600.

I THE NEW-GEN HAWKEYE D

The first turbine-engined naval AEW&C aircraft was the Grumman E-2A Hawkeye, which entered service in 1964. The improved E-2C followed in 1973. The current Hawkeye 2000 (H2K) with Lockheed Martin APS-145 radar and eightblade Hamilton Sundstrand NP2000 propellers entered service in 2003. The last was delivered in 2009.

The E-2C has been exported to Egypt (six), France (four), Israel (four, now retired), Japan (13), Mexico (three, ex-Israeli), Singapore (four, now retired), and Taiwan (six E-2Ts, now being upgraded to H2Ks). The APS-145 radar has also been applied to eight Lockheed P-3s of the US Department of Homeland Security. Three such aircraft were requested (fruitlessly) by Pakistan in 2007.

The next generation is the 26.8-tonne E2D Advanced Hawkeye (AHE), powered by two Rolls-Royce T56-427As and designed to cruise at around 25,000 ft for seven hours.

Rotodome diameter is unchanged at 7.3

AEW&C Aircraft

The latest project in this category is the Airbus Military C-295 AEW, which will have a new Elta S-band radar linked to a six-metre rotodome. The C-295 has the largest cabin in its class. (Airbus Military)

metres. The E-2D flew on 3 August 2007 and is due to achieve IOC by the end of 2014.

Low-rate initial production has been running at five units per year since FY2011.

The US Navy plans to acquire 70 by 2021, following two development aircraft and three pilot-production AHEs. Northrop Grumman forecasts international sales of at least 25-30 E-2Ds. The United Arab Emirates and the Indian Navy are known to be interested in acquiring a land-based version (the Raytheon APY-10 radars in the Indian Navy’s 24 planned Boeing P-8Is will have some air search capability).

The E-2D’s Lockheed Martin APY-9 UHF radar feeds an antenna array that electronically scans a 90-degree arc. The rotodome turns at four, five or six rpm, but can be stopped to concentrate the search.

The APY-9 has a detection range of 550 km, over twice that of the APS-145. Mission avionics are controlled by three operators, but either pilot can act as a fourth teammember. In-flight refuelling may be developed, as Israel did for the E-2C. I C-295

A disc-type radome guarantees 360-degree cover, hence its choice by Airbus Military in developing the 23.2-tonne C-295 AEW&C. A development aircraft with a fixed sixmetre rotodome first flew on 7th June 2011.

The production C-295 AEW&C will have six operator stations and an endurance of around eight hours, which could be extended by the addition of winglets or in-flight refuelling. In June 2011 Airbus Military signed an agreement with Elta Systems to use the latter’s new 4th-generation S-band AEW radar, with an Aesa aerial in a rotodome.

Since the first flight, a ventral radome for a sar/gmti radar has been added.

I ERIEYE

One alternative to a disc-type radome is a phased-array antenna in a ‘plank’, ideally with additional antennas for forward and aft cover.

This first example was the Saab Microwave Systems Erieye PS-890 radar, which equipped five of six Saab 340Bs ordered by the Swedish Air Force (SwAF).

The E/F-band PS-890 has an eight-metre array and scans through 150 degrees on either side. It can detect large transports at

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The pioneer in the development of linear phased-array antennas for AEW&C applications was Saab Microwave Systems with the Erieye. This example is flown on a Royal Thai Air Force Saab 340B. (Saab)

450 km and fighters at 350 km.

The resulting 13.2-tonne Saab S-100B Argus entered Swedish service in 1997. It was first used purely as a radar platform (FSR 90), downlinking data to the ground. Two were upgraded to S-100Ds with two operator stations and loaned to Greece as Saab 340H training platforms. Fitted with a third console, they are now flown by the SwAF, designated ASC 890. The remaining four SwAF Saab 340Bs were sold in pairs to Thailand (one without Erieye) and the United Arab Emirates.

In 2006 Pakistan ordered four 23.8-tonne Saab 2000s with Erieye and five workstations, but in the financial crisis of 2007 was forced to renegotiate the deal. At least two have been delivered. Saudi Arabia is rumoured to have ordered similar aircraft for $ 670 million, which may be funding for Pakistan’s second pair. The Saab 2000 has an endurance of 9.5 hours, compared to six for the Saab 340.

Brazil uses the Erieye on three 23.4-tonne Embraer EMB-145Hs or R-99As, which have

five workstations. Jet-powered, these aircraft have a 35,000 ft ceiling, compared to the 20,000 ft of the Saab 340 and the 30,000 ft of the Saab 2000. Greece has purchased four similar aircraft, and Mexico two.

Under a $ 415 million contract, Embraer is delivering four EMB-145Is to India for a new S-band AEW&C system jointly developed by that country’s Defence Research and Development Organisation and the Centre for Airborne Systems. Equipped with an 8.24-metre ‘plank’, five operator stations, an in-flight refuelling probe and a dorsal satcom radome, they are to serve from 2014 alongside the A-50EIs. It is anticipated that, if the project succeeds, 15 more EMB-145Is will be ordered. The EMB-145I had its maiden flight in Brazil on 6 December 2011, and is due for delivery by mid-2012.

I 737 AEW&C

Some services require less capability than the E-767, but more endurance and work stations than the E-2C. Boeing thus projected the 77.6 tonne 737 AEW&C, based on the 737-700

The Saab 2000 AEW&C is equipped with the Saab Avitronics HES-21 electronic support measures and self-protection system, combining a range of sensors with countermeasures-dispensers. (Saab)

IGW and the Northrop Grumman Mesa (Multi-role Electronically-Scanned Antenna) L-band radar.

A 10.7-metre ‘plank’ array scans 120 degrees on either side, with end-arrays scanning 60 degrees forward and aft. It can detect targets flying at 10,000 ft at a range of 600 km, and targets at 500 ft at almost 400 Pictured on its maiden flight at Sao Paolo, Brazil, is the first of four EMB-145I AEW&C aircraft being manufactured for the Indian Air Force.

They will serve as platforms for an S-band radar being developed in India. (Embraer).

km. It can track 1000 air and surface targets.

The aircraft has a flight crew of two and ten systems operators. It has an endurance of ten hours, and can operate up to 41,000 ft.

Australia signed the first Project Wedgetail contract in 2000 and later brought the total to six units. Development problems hit deliveries and Boeing finances, but the first aircraft was provisionally accepted in December 2009. At time of writing five have been delivered, and IOC is expected to be announced in the course of 2012.

Turkey signed for four 737 AEW&Cs in June 2002. Delivery of the first Peace Eagle aircraft is scheduled for the fourth quarter of 2012, and the other three will be delivered in 2013. South Korea signed a $ 1.6 billion order for four (with an option on two) in November 2006. The first Peace Eye aircraft was delivered in September 2011, and the other three are scheduled for delivery in 2012. Italy, Saudi Arabia and the United

AEW&C Aircraft

Arab Emirates appear likely buyers.

China is believed to have at least five plank-equipped Y-8W/KJ-200 (serials 30171-5), based on the Y-8F600. A prototype, converted from a Y-8F200, flew in 2001. The first true KJ-200 followed in January 2005, with six-blade propellers and small radomes added to the nose and tailend. As with the ZDK-03 (discussed earlier), it may be that PW150s and R-408 propellers were obtained for commercial Y-8F600s.

Four Boeing 737 AEW&C aircraft are being manufactured for the Turkish Air Force under the Peace Eagle programme. The last is due for delivery before the end of 2013. (Boeing)

I PHALCON

The EL/M-2075 radar used in India’s A-50EI (discussed earlier) is only one form of Elta’s Phalcon series, which first appeared as fuselage-mounted radomes on two Israeli and two South African Boeing 707s. A 707385C (EC-707 ‘Condor’) with a bulbous nose radome and two massive fuselage ‘scabs’ was delivered to the Chilean Air Force in 1995.

More recently, Elta and Gulfstream have used the EL/M-2085 mission system to produce the CAEW (Conformal AEW) version of the 41.3-tonne G550 bizjet. This includes S-band radars in the nose and tail, and L-band units in fuselage scabs. Two were delivered to the Israeli Air Force in 2008, and deliveries of four to Singapore began in early 2009.

The G550 CAEW can operate at up to 41,000 ft, and remain nine hours on station at 185 km. The Israeli ‘Eitam’ version has four systems operators, while the Singaporean has six. Detection range is over 370 km.

I HELICOPTERS Lockheed Martin UK, as prime contractor for the AgustaWestland Merlin, proposes a version equipped with its Vigilance AEW&C ro-ro system, with a Northrop Grumman radar feeding lateral antennae. (Lockheed Martin UK)

Thales UK is advocating replacing the Royal Navy Sea King AsaC7 by switching its Cerebus AEW&C system with retractable radome to surplus ex-Royal Air Force Merlins. (Thales UK)

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Britain’s heavy maritime losses in the 1982 Falklands/Malvinas conflict, notable for its lack of AEW&C assets, led to the installation of a retractable Thorn-EMI Searchwater radar and two operator stations on the Royal Navy’s 9.7-tonne Westland Sea King AEW2 helicopter. A similar installation is used on Sikorsky SH3Hs of the Spanish Navy.

The RN’s current Sea King ASaC7 has a Thales UK Cerebus mission system, with a Thales Sensors Searchwater 2000AEW radar. It is due to be replaced from 2016 by an AEW&C version of the 15.6-tonne AW101 Merlin. The Italian Navy already has AEW&C capability in four AW101 Mk 112s with ventral Galileo Avonica MM/HEW 748 radars.

Thales UK has suggested switching the Cerebus systems from the RN’s Sea Kings to surplus ex-Royal Air Force Merlins.

However, Lockheed Martin UK (Merlin programme manager) is promoting its new Vigilance roll-on/ roll-off system, with a Northrop Grumman radar and two antennas mounted on the fuselage sides.

(Vigilance is also proposed for the Lockheed Martin C-130, with side-looking radomes in outboard underwing pods).

The Russian Navy uses the 12.5-tonne Kamov Ka-31 with a NIIR E801M ‘Oko’ (Eye) radar feeding a six-by-one-metre rectangular ventral antenna, which scans mechanically in azimuth and electronically in elevation. The Ka-31 has only a two-man crew, radar data being downlinked to the ship. It has an endurance of 2.5 hr and can detect fighters at 115 km and ships at 250 km. The Indian Navy has received 15 Ka-31s, and five more are planned.

Nine are being delivered to the Chinese Navy (Plan).

Utility Helicopter Armament

Swiss Knives for Jack-of-All-Trades Whirlybirds In times of defence economies, “multirole” is key.

No military equipment warrants that appellation better than the armed utility helicopter, serving as troop transport, cargolifter, gunship, escort, and combat search-and-rescue platform. All vtol (vertical take-off and landing) aircraft are weight-sensitive, hence the emphasis in choice of weaponry is on lightness. Utility helicopters will become even more potent with the new generation of laser-homing rocket projectiles and the miniature air-surface guided missiles being developed for drone applications.

Roy Braybrook

I

N THE ALGERIAN War of 1954-62 the French Air Force developed a flexible mounting for a 20 mm cannon on its Sikorsky H-34s (S-58s). The French Army installed light machine guns and rocket pods on some Vertol H-21s (‘La Banane’) and on the turbine-engined SudEst Alouette II, some examples of which were armed with Nord SS.10/11 guided missiles.

Helicopter armament advanced further with American operations in Vietnam (1962-75). Initially, US helicopters were used to transport Vietnamese troops and relied for fire support at the LZ (landing zone) on ARVN (Army of the Republic of Vietnam) mortars and artillery and VNAF (Vietnam Air Force) air strikes. This support proved so ineffective that helicopter crewmen began carrying rifles or the 0.45calibre M3 ‘Grease Gun’, and mounting light machine guns to give lateral cover.

The concept of arming utility helicopters advanced further with the arrival of the Bell

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Huey series in late 1962. The UH-1B/C was given forward- firing seven/eight-tube 2.75inch rocket pods and 7.62-mm M37C or M60C machine guns, all mounted on the skids. Some 6700 rounds of ammunition were carried in twelve boxes, and fed electrically to the guns via metal chutes.

In many cases an M60B was simply hung by elastic cord from the top of either doorframe. Gunners then found that the best way to achieve area coverage was to try to hold the aim fixed.

Subsequently, the four M60s were replaced by two flexibly-mounted, forwardfiring six-barrel 7.62-mm General Electric M134 Miniguns, each firing at 2000 rd/min.

The ‘Heavy Hog’ version of UH-1C also had a Ford Aerospace M75 40-mm grenade launcher in a chin turret. The Nord SS.11 anti-armour guided missile was introduced in Vietnam in 1965, and the Hughes/Raytheon BGM-71 Tow in 1972.

I POST ’NAM

In 1976 the US Army selected the ten-tonne Sikorsky UH-60 Black Hawk to replace the 4.4-tonne ‘Huey’. The UH-60A entered

The Nexter Systems 20-mm 20M621 cannon fires at 750 rd/min. It is applied to helicopters in various forms, including the pintle-mounted SH20 and the NC621 pod (shown here on an NH90 of the Royal Air Force of Oman) with 180-250 rounds. (Eurocopter/AP)

service in 1979 and led to various armed models, including the MH-60L with M134 door guns and stub wings that can mount 30-mm Alliant Techsystems M230 Chain Guns. Armed export versions include the AH-60L Arpia III for Colombia.

Just as the Vietnam War spurred the development of armed Hueys, Soviet operations in Afghanistan (1979-89) accelerated weaponisation of the Mil Mi-8 series, producing what are probably the world’s most heavily armed helicopters, the 13-tonne Ulan-Ude Mi-171Sh and the Kazan Mi-17-1V. For example, the Mi-17-1V can carry 80 S8 80-mm or 192 S-5 57-mm rockets, or four twin-barrel 23-mm UPK-23-250 gunpods. It has provisions for a remotely-controlled PKT/PKTM 7.62-mm machine gun in the nose and at the rear, and troops can fire their AKM assault rifles or PK/RPK machine guns

Unveiled at Eurosatory in 2010, the 3.6-tonne Eurocopter EC645 is shown with a range of weapons, including the Lockheed Martin AGM-114A Hellfire, the Denel Ingwe, a 19-tube 70-mm rocket pod by FZ, a GSh-23 cannon pod and an M134 Minigun. (Eurocopter/TJ)

on six swivel mounts in the side windows.

I MACHINE GUNS

Automatic Weapons combine the advantages of relatively low cost, broadaspect coverage and fire persistence.

Lightweight single-barrel guns are exemplified by the 7.62 mm FN Herstal MAG 58M, which has the US Army designation M240D. The same company’s standard heavy machine gun is the 12.7-mm FN M3M/M3P/GAU-21 series.

The pintle-mounted M3M is fitted with a

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Utility Helicopter Armament

The US Air Combat Command operates the Sikorsky HH-60G Pave Hawk for combat search and rescue, armed with 12.7-mm FN Herstal M3Ms for lateral cover.

These were pictured when assigned to the 66th Expeditionary Rescue Squadron in Iraq. (US Air Force)

300 or 600-round ammunition box, and fires at 1025 rd/min. Applications include the US Air Force Sikorsky HH/MH-60G. Recent platform integrations for the M3P include the FN Herstal HMP400 and the RMP pods (the latter with three 70 mm rockets) on the AgustaWestland AW101. The M3P has also been selected for the US Army’s Bell OH-58D. The use of multiple barrels, following the lead of the pioneering Gast and Gatling guns, overcomes the cyclic-rate limitation of a single-chamber weapon. One of the best examples for helicopter applications is the General Dynamics Armament & Technical Products (GDATP) three-barrel 12.7-mm GAU-19/A, which is externallypowered and fires at 1000/2000 rd/min.

Applications include some US Air Force HH/MH-60Gs, Colombian Air Force Bell UH-1s and Mexican Navy MDH MD-902s and Mil Mi-17s.

The Soviets developed two four-barrel guns, both self-powered (ie, gas-operated).

The lighter design is the Shipunov GShG7.62, which fires at 6000 rd/min. It is used in gunpods and in the nose turret of the Kamov Ka-29. The other is 12.7 mm Yakushev-Borsov (Yak-B) or 9A624, which was the original chin turret armament for the Mil Mi-24.

In Vietnam the US Army demanded extremely high cyclic rates for suppressive

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fire. This led to the electrically-powered sixbarrel General Electric 7.62 mm GAU-2B/A Gatling gun or M134, which was capable of 6000 rd/min, but was generally operated at 4000/2000 rd/min. It has been employed in fixed, pintle-mounted and turreted forms on

a wide range of rotary-wing aircraft, but its reliability is problematic.

Arizona-based Dillon Aero has reengineered the M134, and restricted cyclic rate to 3000 rd/min, giving outstanding reliability and reduced recoil loads. The new

Close-up of the 7.62-mm six-barrel Dillon Aero M134D and its operator, alongside a US Air Force Sikorsky HH-60 Pave Hawk of the 56th Rescue Squadron (RQS), based at RAF Lakenheath in England. (Dillon Aero)

gun is known to the US Army as the M134D and to the US Navy as the GAU-17/A. Dillon Aero has now standardised on the M134D-H Titanium Hybrid version, which is 5.0 kg lighter than the M134D (Steel). It uses some titanium components from the M134D-T Titanium for lightness and corrosion-resistance, but retains the steel housing of the original M134D for longer (million-round) life.

The company has now produced over 2200 new-build M134Ds and more than 3250 upgrade kits for old GE-built M134s.

Foreign applications include Jordanian Socom helicopters.

The demand for improved M134s has encouraged another Arizona-based company, Garwood Industries, to enter the market with its M134G. Firing rate is selectable as 3000/3200/4000 rd/min. The M134G employs chrome-lined barrels with phosphate coatings, manufactured by FNH USA. Both Dillon Aero and Garwood quote a barrel life of 200,000 rounds.

I CANNON

In helicopter applications, cannon are generally not required to produce the high

The French Air Force has six EC725 Caracals assigned to combat search and rescue and eight more for special operations. This example is armed with 7.62-mm FN Herstal MAG 58M machine guns, but it can also carry two 19-tube pods for 68-mm rockets or two 20mm Nexter NC621 cannon pods. (Sirpa Air)

firing rates used in fighter aircraft. In any event, the carriage of large numbers of shells is unacceptable from a weight viewpoint.

Nexter Systems produces the 20 mm single-barrel 20M621 in various forms. As the NC621 pod, it has been applied to several Eurocopter products, recently including the EC635. The pintle-mounted SH20, firing at 750 rd/min, is employed in a retractable installation on the Eurocopter EC725. The THL20 turret has been ordered for the HAL Light Combat Helicopter. Nexter’s 30 mm 30M781 cannon is used in the THL30 turret of the Eurocopter Tiger.

In the ‘SuperHind’ Mi-24 upgrade developed for the Algerian Air Force by South Africa’s Advanced Technologies & Engineering (ATE), the four-barrel 12.7-mm gun in the chin turret is replaced by a 20-mm single-barrel Denel Land Systems GI-2.

The heaviest Russian single-barrel cannon in this class is the 30-mm Shipunov 2A42 from the BMP-2 ground vehicle, but this has been applied only to the Mil Mi-28 and Kamov Ka-50 attack helicopters.

Likewise the Alliant Techsystems (ATK) 30mm externally-powered M230 Chain Gun is used only on the Boeing AH-64 series.

Utility Helicopter Armament

In developing the Mi-24 to meet operational demands in Afghanistan, Mil first replaced the 12.7-mm four-barrel turret gun with a twin-barrel 23-mm GSh-23L cannon. This concept was dropped, but the GSh-23L is used in UPK-23-250 pods on various utility helicopters, including the Mi171Sh, Mi-17-1V and PZL-Swidnik W-3PL ‘Gruszec’. In place of the chin turret, the Mi24P has a fixed twin-barrel 30-mm GSh-30K on the starboard fuselage side.

GDATP’s 20 mm three-barrel M197 cannon is a lightweight derivative of the sixbarrel M61A1 Vulcan used in fixed-wing aircraft, and can fire at up to 1500 rd/min. It is used as a turreted gun in attack helicopters, and in the GPU-2/A gunpod, which holds 300 rounds.

I ROCKETS

The majority of unguided rocket projectiles used on Western helicopters are the Thales/TDA Armements 68 mm SNEB, the 2.75-inch/70 mm General Dynamics Hydra70 or the Magellan/Bristol Aerospace CRV7.

Russian helicopters are generally armed with the 57 mm S-5 rocket, but this is being superseded by the 80 mm S-8. Chinese helicopters are seen with 57- and 68-mm rockets, presumably copied from the Russian and French originals, and also with the home-grown 90-mm Norinco Type 1 in seven-tube launchers and the 130 mm Type 82 in four-tube pods.

I ROCKETS TURNED MISSILES

The many unguided rockets held in storage

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The 7.62-mm FN Herstal MAG 58M is shown in LWP (Light Window Pintle) form on a French Air Force Eurocopter EC725. The standard magazine takes 250 rounds, but a 1000-round box is optional. Firing rate is adjustable from 650 to 1000 rd/min. (FN Herstal)

offer a low-cost means to produce guided missiles, when combined with a laser homing kit. In comparison with a laserguided Raytheon AGM-65L/E2 Maverick or Lockheed Martin AGM-114 Hellfire, a Hydra-70 rocket has a small warhead, but this is an advantage when the target is soft

and low collateral effects are required.

The need for a lightweight precision weapon (effectively a cheap complement for Hellfire) was recognised in the US Army study that followed Desert Storm of 1991. In 1996 the Department of the Army approved a Mission Need Statement (MNS) for the Apkws (Advanced Precision Kill Weapon System), specifically for helicopters.

However, it was only in 2000 that the Operational Requirement Document (ORD) was formally approved.

The Apkws was envisioned as a laserguided rocket (LGR) with a unit cost of less than $ 10,000, an accuracy of around one metre, and a standoff range of at least six kilometres. It was to combine the GDATP Hydra-70 rocket motor, warhead and fuze with a small, strapdown solid-state laser seeker, an off-the-shelf inertial measuring unit and a low-cost control system. The Apkws was expected to reduce cost-per-kill significantly, and increase the number of kills that one helicopter could achieve by a factor of up to 20.

The US Army selected BAE Systems as prime contractor for the Apkws in 2006, but zeroed funding in FY2008. In November 2008 the programme was taken over by the US Navy, to provide an accurate lightweight weapon for US Marine Corps helicopters.

Bell offers a kit that relatively easily turns its 407 into a 407AH (Armed Helicopter) without having to tamper to deep into the aircraft’s structure. Rockets starboard and Dillon Minigun port for starters? (Armada/EHB)

Firing of a Russian 57-mm S-5 rocket from a 32-tube UB-32 pod mounted on a Mil Mi-35 of the Afghan National Army Air Corps.

The S-5 weighs around 5.0 kg and has a range of 4000 metres.

The fully loaded UB-32 weighs 264 kg. (US Air Force)

The BAE Systems Apkws employs a Dasals (Distributed Aperture Semi-Active Laser Seeker) arrangement, with four sensors mounted in the leading edges of the canard surfaces. The mid-body guidance and control section allows the use of existing warheads, fuzes and rocket motors, and protects the sensors (on canards folded back in the launch tube) from the blast of preceding rockets.

The Apkws has been cleared for use on the US Marine Corps Bell UH-1Y and AH-1W, and will later be cleared for the service’s AH-1Z and the US Navy MH-60R (and Northrop Grumman MQ8C drone). The first batch of missiles for operational use in Afghanistan has now been delivered. The US Air Force is interested in acquiring Apkws for fixed-wing tactical aircraft.

In August 2009 the US Army issued a request for information on lightweight (less than 22.7 kg) precision strike weapons under the Ampm (Aviation Multi-Platform Munition) programme. This effort is primarily intended to allow the Bell OH-58D to combine long endurance with a large number of kills against thin-skinned vehicles and combatants in the open, when taking off under hot/high conditions in Iraq and Afghanistan. The US Army trialled three types of LGR in 2009, but appears to be waiting to see how the US Marine Corps Apkws performs operationally before placing orders.

One LGR tested by the US Army was the 70 mm Talon jointly developed by Raytheon and the Abu Dhabi-based Emirates Advanced Investments (EAI), presumably on the basis of the Raytheon LGR tested in 2006 under the Apkws programme. The Talon has since been successfully launched at ranges up to 6.0 km, and is claimed to be the only LGR to have achieved an air-launched direct hit from as short a range as 1.2 km.

If the United Arab Emirates place a launch order for the Talon to

Utility Helicopter Armament

arm the AH-64D, the initial conversion kits will be manufactured by Raytheon at Tucson, Arizona. The ability to manufacture the guidance and control section will then be transferred to EAI, but the laser seeker will remain a Raytheon product.

Another Ampm candidate is the Lockheed Martin Dagr (Direct Attack Guided Rocket), which uses seeker and guidance technology from its Hellfire and later air-ground missile projects. The modification kit is intended for both the Hydra-70 and CRV7.

The Dagr has a launch weight of 15.9 kg with a 4.5 kg warhead, and 19 kg with a 7.7 kg warhead. It has a range of 7.0 km at sea level, and up to 12.0 km from 20,000 ft. It can engage targets moving at up to 90 km/hr.

Lockheed Martin has designed two- and four-tube launchers for Dagr.

There have been at least 20 Dagr firings, including airborne launches from the AH64D, OH-58D and AH-6. The Dagr is in limited production under US Air Force contract, reportedly to arm Iraqi Air Force Mil-171s and ATK AC-208Bs, and Iraqi Army Air Corps Mil Mi-17s.

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When collateral damage control and accuracy are an absolute prerequisite, a Raytheon Talon missile (a 70mm rocket fitted with a seeker) for example, fitted into this 19-tube Lau-3/A launcher could often yield the required result (and no more) than its neighbour under the stub wing of an Army Apache, but for about a sixth of the cost. (Armada/EHB)

The third LGR tested by the US Army was the ATK/Elbit Systems Gatr-L (Guided Advanced Technology Rocket – Laser). This combines an improved rocket motor by ATK and guidance and control technology from Elbit’s Star (Smart Tactical Airborne Rocket), which is based on the laser seeker from its Lizard LGB. The Gatr-L has also been tested on the Sikorsky/Elbit Armed Black Hawk (ABH) and is seen as a likely candidate for Israel’s AH-64s and AH-1s. It is proposed as a newbuild weapon (rather than a modification kit) that provides improved kinematic performance, with a range of over eight kilometres.

Several European companies have produced test LGRs, but evidently lack the

funding or motivation to complete development.

One that appears likely to go ahead is the Roketsan Cirit (Javelin), a completely new 70 mm LGR, designed in response to a Turkish Army requirement for a weapon for its Atak helicopter. It weighs 14 kg, and delivers a tri-mode (anti-armour, antipersonnel and incendiary) warhead over a range of eight kilometres. Development of Cirit is almost complete, and series production is expected to start shortly.

It appears that the emphasis in Russian LGRs is currently on heavy rockets, such as the 122-mm S-13L and 340-mm S-25L, which are used only on attack helicopters and fixed-wing aircraft.

I MISSILES

Despite early use of the SS.10/11 and Tow, the idea of arming utility helicopters with guided missiles failed to take off in the West, due to the development of two-seat dedicated attack helicopters.

Maritime operations represent an exception to this rule, a wide range of antiship weapons being employed on what are

Utility Helicopter Armament

This computer-generated image of the eight-tonne AgustaWestland AW149 shows it armed with Hellfire missiles and FZ 70-mm rocket launchers. A development of the commercial AW139, the AW149 first flew in February 2011. (AgustaWestland)

basically naval utility helicopters. For example, the 310-kg MBDA Marte Mk 2/S is being cleared for use on the Italian Navy NHI NH90 and AgustaWestland AW101, and the 385-kg Kongsberg Penguin AGM-119B is used on the US Navy The 5.5-tonne Hindustan Aeronautics Dhruv (Sanskrit for ‘Polaris’) is flown by nine military operators. It is shown here armed with two twelve-tube 70-mm FZ rocket launchers and four MBDA Mistral air-air missiles. (Hindustan Aeronautics).

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Sikorsky SH-60 Seahawk.

The 5.5-tonne Hindustan Aeronautics Dhruv (Sanskrit for ‘Polaris’) is flown by nine military operators. It is shown here armed with two twelve-tube 70-mm FZ rocket launchers and four MBDA Mistral air-air missiles. (Hindustan Aeronautics).

In the Soviet Union, where attack helicopters were developed only later, various guided missiles have been applied to the Mi-8 family. For example, today’s Mi171Sh (the export version of the Mi8AMTSh) can carry eight KBM-designed

(Degtyarev-manufactured) 9M120 Ataka (AT-9) anti-armour guided weapons.

Returning to the US Army’s Ampm programme, aside from the three LGRs, tests were carried out on the Raytheon Griffin and Textron Defense Systems Sharpshooter missiles. Little has been published regarding Sharpshooter, but the laser-homing, 15-kg Griffin offers off-boresight engagements, three fuzing options and GPS-reversion.

Griffin-A is ejected aft from the loading ramp of a US Marine Corps KC-130J Harvest Hawk. Griffin-B was designed to be ejected forwards from a launch tube under a drone. Griffin technology is also used in the 5.9-kg Raytheon STM (Small Tactical Munition) glide weapon.

The trend to arming drones has encouraged the development of several munitions in the 13-kg category, including the IAI Lahat (which has been tested on the Mi-8/17), the Lockheed Martin Scorpion, the MBDA Saber, and the laser beam-riding Thales UK LMM (Lightweight Multi-role Missile), which has been ordered for the Royal Navy’s AgustaWestland AW159 Lynx Wildcat.

Situational Awareness

An SAS module installed on the flank of a vehicle; the Rheinmetall system can be fitted with automatic target recognition. (Rheinmetall)

Situational awareness: a lifesaver for vehicle crews The Ballistic, mine and roadside bomb threat encountered by western forces during the last operations in Iraq and Afghanistan led to the adoption of vehicles and weapon systems that allow all personnel to remain safe within an armoured cell.

While this ensures a better protection, it does on the other hand reduce crew situational awareness, something that has already been experienced by soldiers belonging to mechanised formations.

Paolo Valpolini

T

HE NEED to maintain or improve situational awareness is even more important with the increase in the number of missions carried out in urban environments, where dismounts need to understand the situation before the ramp or the rear doors are opened. Numerous companies thus developed optronic systems that allow vehicle crews to obtain as much

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visual information as possible while still under armour protection. Other sensors can also be added, such as shotgun detection systems that not only warns on board personnel that their vehicle is being targeted, but also informs them on the direction and the distance from which the shot was fired.

Basically, situational awareness systems try to provide crews with what they would see and hear if they kept their heads out of the vehicle, with the boon of a few extras afforded by the use of evolved sensors.

I 360째 OPTRONIC SYSTEMS

All-round vision is the first parameter of a good vehicle viewing system which itself depends on . a network that collects the images, sends them to a processor, which in turn feeds the screens of the various crewmembers. The most widely adopted solution is based on multiple sensors distributed around the vehicle, or around the chassis when the vehicle is a turreted one.

Single 360째 sensors are available and can be easier to install and may be cheaper. The

Situational Awareness

1. Front Sensor 2. Rear Sensor 3. Front Left Side Sensor & IR Illuminator 4. Front Right Side Sensor & IR Illuminator 5. Rear Left Side Sensor & IR Illuminator 6. Rear Right Side Sensor & IR Illuminator 7. Driver Display 8. Commander Display 9. Illuminator Power Supply Unit

The diagram showing a possible arrangement of Selex Galileo Road Marshall sensors, including the 50° field-of-view driver night vision system. (Selex Galileo)

difficulty stems from the fact that quite often vehicle elements obstruct vision, while single-sensor systems lack redundancy.

Selex Galileo developed an integrated vehicle situational awareness suite known as Road Marshall – a name that includes a family of equipments ranging from close-in SA (situational awareness) to long range RSTA (recconnaissanc3e, surveillance and target acquisition). The system’s core is the Multi Functional Display, which far from being only a display, also provides power to all the linked systems and ensures communication.

The standard model has a 10.4-inch display and a resolution of 1024x768 pixels, though a version with an embedded Windows XP PC being also available for A British Army Mastiff equipped with Selex Galileo Road Marshall. The company provided over 1,200 systems to the the British Ministry of Defence. (Selex Galileo)

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running third party applications. Those displays have picture-in-picture capability, which is not part of the smaller 8.4 inch crew station displays. All sensors are linked to that single LRU. For close-in applications Selex Galileo uses its Driver’s Night Vision System modules, the uncooled thermal imager working in the 8-12 µm band providing a 52°x38° field of view. These can be complemented with day/low light cameras with a 90°x75° field of view and a sensitivity of 0.009 to 100.000 Lux. Configurations can vary from the drivers station, with a single TI camera and a single screen to a full 360° coverage, the system being able to handle up to 16 cameras. Each screen being independent, soldiers can call up the image they need from one of the cameras. The company

has provided over 1,200 systems to the British Ministry of Defence. All Mastiff protected mobility vehicles are equipped with a 360° system and feature three screens driver, commander and dismounts.

At DSEI 2011 Selex Galileo introduced its new DNVS-4 digital dual-channel thermal/colour camera, respectively offering 52°x39° and62°x46.5° fields of view. Output comes in digital video format (either Def Stan 00-82 or GigE Vision). A wash-wipe module can be added to the camera, the latter being also available in high performance colour day/night camera only or monochrome lowlight camera only. While the previous analogue system is currently in service in Australasia, Europe and Middle East including Saudi Arabia, where it is mounted on an infantry fighting vehicles, the latest digital version has already bagged an order from an undisclosed European Nato country.

The Selex Galileo Road Marshall has been integrated with acoustic shotgun detection systems, Britain using the Raytheon BBN Boomerang III while others opted for the 01dB Metravib Pilar.

Over recent years Thales UK has provided some 100 analog situational awareness systems to the Britain, but a fully digitised LSA system was introduced in early 2011.

Known as the Ilsa (Integrated Local Situational Awareness) it includes a digital open architecture network as well as optronic sensors and displays, but the system is however able to accept any sensor or display compliant with the Britain’s new Def Stan 00-82 Digital Video Distribution and Def Stan 23-09 Generic Vehicle Architecture

Situational Awareness

One of the latest Selex Galileo products is the DNVS-4 dual channel thermal/colour camera, introduced at DSEI 2011. (Selex Galileo)

(GVA) design standards. A first contract was immediately won from Force Protection Europe, Thales UK being responsible for the whole electronic architecture of the Foxhound (the armoured vehicle commercially known as Ocelot that was selected as part of Britain’s Light Protected Patrol Vehicle requirement).

Some 200 systems were thus ordered in early 2011. The Ilsa ensures minimum latency and is composed of two types of sensors, VEM-2 (W) thermal cameras and colour/mono TV cameras, both being of small dimensions with a weight of less than 2.5 kg. Thermal sensors working in the 8-12 µm band are available with 40°, 50° and 90° horizontal fields of view and are based on a 640x480 detector. TV cameras have a 78° or 96° horizontal field of view and can operate in low light mode down to 0.1 Lux, with resolutions of 480 TVL in colour mode and 600 TVL in monochrome mode, the sensor ensuring man recognition at 100 meters.

Images are sent to a central hub that redistributes them to the various “on demand” displays thus allowing driver,

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commander, gunner and dismounts to see on their screens the images that pertain to their respective roles.

The Ilsa can accept other types of digital and analog sensors like existing sights, remote weapon stations, or acoustic gunshot detection systems, although the company has not yet been asked to integrate the latter systems. The Ilsa has also been selected for the Scout SV programme and is providing the system to General Dynamics UK for the demonstration phase, following which 400 to 600 vehicles may be produced. The suite’s configuration is reminiscent of that adopted on board the Foxhound with sensors installed along the chassis, one of the two screens for the dismounts being located on the rear bulkhead in order to allow the soldiers to have a clear idea of the scenario at their 6 o’clock position. Thales UK is ready

to incorporate new functions in its Ilas, such as automatic target detection.

Rheinmetall Situational Awareness System (SAS) has 360° coverage and in its basic configuration includes two camera modules, each made of three 60° cameras (this a total of 180°) and a Video Processing Unit. The system can be adapted to all kinds of combat vehicles and is extendable to four camera modules (day and infrared sights).

The single images of the camera modules are merged together by the VPU in a virtual 360° panoramic view. The observer can select a full resolution cut from the 360° panorama view by a simple touch on the monitor. Up to four part-window views can be selected similarly; these are displayed on the upper part of the monitor. With the extended version a roll-in function for a weapon station is provided to support countermeasures against attacks. It is also possible to implement automatic target recognition and tracking system; assumed targets are detected and tracked fully automatically within the observed video stream, their data extracted and reported cyclically. The SAS is in production and has

The Thales VEM-2 RHS is thermal sensor of the Ilsa system and is available with different field of view. (Thales)

Situational Awareness

The first order chalked up by Rheinmetall SAS was from the Spanish naval infantry, where the system is mounted on the company’s Lance turret that equips the Piranhas. (Rheinmetall)

been installed on the Lance turret provided

by Rheinmetall to the Spanish Naval Infantry. It is also on trial worldwide, mounted on many different chassis.

Elbit Systems of Israel See-Through Armor (STA) provides seamless 360° coverage of the vehicle surroundings and allows zooming into selected areas of the image. The system can support four to twelve day-and-night high-resolution sensors providing an elevation coverage of –20°/+30°. Day sensors come in the form of Gigabit Ethernet cameras available with different resolutions (640x480, 782x582 or 720x1280). For night vision, thermal imagers based on uncooled bolometric sensors with 384x288 or 640x480 resolutions are available. Day and night image refreshing is typically rated at 25 frames per second with a two-frame delay, though a maximum of 100 fps is attainable with day sensors. Captured images are processed by STA algorithms that allow jointing them in a single 360° view.

The image is then made available onto a maximum of three screens, where the operator can see a front panoramic vision, select a region of interest into which he can zoom in, while keeping, for instance, the upper part of the screen for the rear panoramic view in order to maintain full awareness. The STA can be integrated The MiniSight developed by Carl Zeiss Optronics is a stabilised platform that can house different types of sensors.

(Carl Zeiss Optronics)

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with other sensors such as battle management systems, warning systems and fire control systems.

Carl Zeiss Optronics has just developed the Mini Sight System (MSS), a small stabilised platform that can host an uncooled thermal imager and/or a CCD camera, as well as a laser rangefinder as an option. The MSS is 250 mm high and has a diameter of 180 mm; the optics can be oriented on the 360° in azimuth while elevation is between –30° and +80°. The two-axis stabilisation ensures that the target is maintained in the MSS field of view, maximum angular speed being of 1.8 rad/s while the stabilisation error is less than 300 µrad. The MSS features a motion detection software that allows reducing the crew workload, especially in urban terrain. Two to three MSS are used to cover 360° on an

Application diagram of the Zeiss Mini Sight on a medium armoured vehicle.

(Carl Zeiss Optronics)

infantry fighting vehicle. The system’s dimensions and weight makes it usable by light armoured vehicles of all types.

Copenhagen Sensor Technology (CST) is developing a complete family of Situational Awareness cameras, which will be unveiled at Eurosatory 2012. Known as Citadel, they are specifically designed to be mounted on military platforms from light armoured vehicles and reconnaissance vehicles to

Situational Awareness

The Panoramic version of the CST “Citadel” family of SA cameras includes two cameras providing a single 170° FoV image. (CST)

tanks. Designed with virtually no image lag they can be used for driver’s assistance, providing enhanced forward and rear view, as well as for providing all-round view for the commander and dismounts. Based on the latest generation of CCD colour image sensors, the high-resolution camera system provides clear images in conditions ranging

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from full sunlight to low-light scenes, thanks to the Extended Night Mode operation. Fully ruggedized and featuring a low profile, they can operate between –40°C and +70°C. The Citadel camera system comes in two basic

configurations. The Panoramic consists of two cameras, with the two image streams stitched together as one image stream, with an 170° horizontal field of view, built into a ruggedized metal housing. The Wide Angle configuration uses a single wide-angle field of view camera, with a factory-configurable horizontal field of view ranging from 47° to 112°, depending on the specific model.

Interfacing is carried out via a MIL 38999 type connector, allowing easy linkage to onboard video processors and monitors. While these cameras can be easily integrated in retrofit packages, to address the digital world of newly developed vehicles CST offers the Citadel camera models with a digital Gigabit Ethernet interface, providing high-speed video streams in accordance with either the GigE Vision standard or Def.Stan 00-82. The company is in close dialog with major

The latest success of 01dB Metraviv Pilar acoustic sensor was with the French Army VAB TOP upgraded 4x4 vehicles aimed at the French contingent in Afghanistan. (Armada/EHB)

European vehicle manufacturers and system integrators, and a number of field trials are either underway or planned.

I GUNSHOT LOCATING SYSTEMS

Why most types are based on acoustic sensors, one of the latest developments calls on sensors of entirely different nature, based as it is on an infrared focal-plane technology.

Known as Flash, for Fast as Light Assessment of Snipers and Hostile fire, it is produced by Oceanit, a Hawaii-based engineering company. The infrared sensor – a chip that operates at over 10,000 frames per second – can “see” the gunshot when the bullet leaves the barrel and can report in 1/10 of a second the shot location and the type of weapon used, discriminating between rifle types, rocket propelled grenade launchers, etc. The Flash comes in the form of a camera with a 360° fish-eye lens. According to Oceanit the Flash has a detection range of over one kilometre. with a detection rate greater than 99% and a false alarm rate of less than 0.1 %, thanks to algorithms that allow to discriminate between the flash of a gun and one that bouncing off a polished surface.

The Flash technology is being used to

The hand-held display of the 01dB Metravib Pilar shows the sector from which the threat is coming. (Armada/EHB)

develop a Hostile Fire Detection System (HFDS) for the US Army that can be adopted both on vehicles and helicopters. (Armada tried to obtain additional information from the company. As a result, quite unbelievably, an internal e-mail was mistakenly sent to the author stating that his original e-mail was to be forwarded “ to counter-intelligence”!)

One of the most widely used acoustic detection systems is certainly Raytheon BBN Technologies Boomerang III, of which over 10,000 are deployed downrange. The last contract from the US Army dates back to October 2011, and includes both new systems and spares. It works at speeds of up to 95 km/h and ensures a shot detection of over 95 % against supersonic rounds passing within 30 meters from the microphones mast. Bearing and elevation accuracy are better than 2.5° while range error is of ± 10 %, results being shown in less than 1.5 seconds. BBN does not unveil its customers but at least Britain is known to be one of them, the system having been integrated into situational awareness systems equipping most vehicles deployed to Afghanistan.

Another well-known system is the Pilar Mk-IIw from 01dB Metravib of France, of

Situational Awareness

The Rheinmetall Acoustic Sniper Locating System completed its full development stage and is now ready for production. (Armada/PV)

over 1,000 units have been sold to 20 different countries in various configurations. Two types are available, stand-alone or integrated with an RCWS. The system is capable to detect any round between 5.56 and 20 mm calibre fired in ripple or as single shot, with or without suppressor, as well as RPGs and mortar rounds. Response time is two seconds while accuracy in azimuth is ± 2° with the vehicle stopped and ± 5° with the vehicle on the move, reference being the vehicle’s heading, elevation accuracy being ± 5°.

Range accuracy varies between ±10 % and ± 20%, detection range being of about 1,500 metres. The system is composed of an array of microphones, an interface and data acquisition module, a filter module for aggressive fire detection, a display unit (normally a ruggedized computer) running on ShotGuard software and connecting cables. The MMI includes two modes, aggressive fire in urban terrain and all types of shots in open terrain. In the integrated version the Pilar Mk-IIw can slew the RCWS straight towards the detected threat, or can provide the threat position to a Battle Management System allowing sharing the

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threat information along the chain of command. Such a solution has been adopted, inter alia, by Norway and Singapore. Among its latest contracts 01dB Metravib bagged an order for 80 kits known as Slate for the French Army, to be installed on 4x4 VABs equipped with a Kongsberg M151 Protector RCWS; these are fully integrated and the turret can be slewed either instantaneously or with a delay to allow the vehicle to reach a more favourable tactical position. The systems were delivered in late 2011 and became operational in Afghanistan.

Rheinmetall Defence also developed a vehicle acoustic sensor, the ASLS, for Acoustic Sniper Locating System, made of an eight microphones array and a computing system that provides automatic detection with an angular accuracy of less than 2° when static and 5° when on the move and a range accuracy of ± 10 %, maximum range being 20 % in excess of that of the weapon firing against the vehicle. The system integrated orientation sensor provides vehicle movement compensation, allowing to maintain the shooter’s direction on the display unit relative to the orientation

Thales UK Vehicle Mounted Acoustic Sensor System (Vmass) provides a 360° coverage using three microphones deployed around the vehicle, allowing simultaneous tracking of multiple sources and a bearing accuracy of less than 2° horizontally and 4° vertically. Its range against small arms equates the weapons’ effective range, the Vmass being able to pick-up mortar fire at ranges of over 5 km, a main battle tank at over 10 km and a helicopter at over 7 km.

itself. the system also provides elevation, all data being refreshed every 1.5 second, and covers 360° in azimuth and 180° in elevation. Wireless communication between the sensor, the control and the display unit ensure a smooth installation. Besides being used as a stand-alone solution, the ASLS can be interfaced with Rheinmetall’s SAS as well as with a weapon station to automatically slew it towards the threat. The system is ready for production, demonstrators being available mounted on various vehicles and turrets, which are being used for trials in tenders worldwide.

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Fluid & electrical connections, the Stäubli / Multi-Contact synergy I ncreasingly powerful and compact, onboard electronics call for effective thermal regulation. There must be a transfer of calories between electrical parts and the cold source – which can be far apart.

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Page 3

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Radio Accessories

Caught during his training this French Felin soldier wears an Elno ostheophone which not only keeps his ears clear but also acts as a microphone (Armada/EHB)

Accessorise Tactically Many readers will be aware that a huge choice exists amongst the tactical radios that are available on the market to equip land forces, but just as a wide range of communications systems can equip ground troops, an impressive array of accessories is also available to supplement them.

Tom Withington

A

CCESSORIES ARE provided by companies involved in the production of High Frequency (HF), Very High Frequency (VHF) and Ultra High Frequency (UHF) tactical radio sets, along with firms which do not produce such equipment per se, but which have developed a niche providing high-

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performance items to accompany them. One company in the former category is Barrett Communications of Australia. An example is the firm’s 2MHz (megahertz) to 30MHz 911 Automatic Antenna Tuner which has an unlimited channel capacity and a twelve-volt direct current power requirement.

Along with the antenna tuner, the company provides broadband and singlefrequency base station antennae that covers the 2-30MHz frequency range, namely the

BC91200 125W (Watt), BC91202 500W and BC91203 1000W multi-wire broadband as well as the BC91201 125W single-wire broadband dipole aerials. Other items include the 915 single-wire dipole antenna with a 500 kilohertz (KHz) to 30MHz range and the 918 Log periodic antenna which can receive broadband inputs from 13-30MHz, or 10-30MHz. An automatic tuning dipole operating in the 3-30MHz range is also available from the Barrett together with the

Radio Accessories

2019 Automatic Tuning Mobile Antenna.

The latter has the option to be outfitted with an integral Global Positioning System receiver. The 2019 can operate with the company’s 2000-series HF transceivers, as can Barrett's 2022 13.8V DC regulated 21amp power supply. Each 2022 can power one 2000-series transceiver and one 2000-series accessory. Finally, VHF and UHF users requiring access to an HF network can opt for Barrett’s 2062 HF-VHF/UHF crossgate, allowing such users to obtain a beyond-lineof-sight range across an HF network.

base and base station whip aerial and mounts are available from General Dynamics in the form of the UVU-115 and UVU-130, with the UVU-200 and UVU-300 offering dual- and tri-band base station solutions. Finally, the UVU-100S is a springloaded mobile antenna, with a 30-90MHz spring-loaded vehicle-mounted antenna available in the form of the UVL-150.

I RADMOR

Like General Dynamics, Radmor of Poland

I IP MESH

Military electronics specialists Cobham announced in March their latest innovations regarding Internet Protocol (IP) Mesh Radios. IP Mesh radio nodes allow the handling of video, audio and satellite geolocation traffic over a mobile wireless network which can readjust itself as the IP Mesh Radio node moves without degrading the performance of the network or the bandwidth that it handles. All of this can be performed using equipment which weighs 350 grams and consumes a mere ten watts of power.

I GENERAL DYNAMICS

Antennae are a speciality of General Dynamics, particularly line-of-sight transceiver types that support the company’s URC-200 transceiver. The company produces antennas for manpack, fixed and vehicle-mounted applications. The manpack antenna product line includes the UVU-100 and UVL-100, the latter being configured for a 30-90MHz backpack radio. Mobile

I EID

Like a number of companies mentioned in this article, EID is a firm which specialises in the design and production of tactical radios. The firm also acts as a one-stop-shop which enables customers to purchase accompanying EID accessories like their headsets. (EID)

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is in the business of providing both tactical radios and accessories. The company’s range of accessories include batteries and battery packs, handsets and headsets, cords and adapters as well as chargers. Five types comprise Radmor's battery range notably the NiCd 3571/1 which provides twelve hours of operation, Nickel-Metal Hydrid (NiMH) 1.2V (15 hours), the Lithium-Iron (Li-Iron) 3571/2 (25 hours) and BA-685A batteries (24 hours) plus the Lithium CR2450 battery, which can be used with the company’s R35010 Personal Soldier Radio.

Radmor’s handset range includes the COT 20714R, which has the appearance of a telephone receiver equipped with a Push To Talk (PTT) button, and the 01316/1, 01316/2 and 01316/3 headset and boom microphone combinations. Three vehicle adapters are available from Radmor, namely the 05210/1 for the manpack radio, the 0526/1 for the handheld radio and the 05215/1 for the personal radio. These adapters are supplemented by five separate battery chargers including the 02727/3 Universal Battery Charger.

Likewise, a wide array of radio accessories is available from Portugal’s EID. Customers who have purchased the firm’s tactical radios may also wish to augment these with the MA-250 VHF 30108MHz wideband antenna multicoupler which allows two VHF transmitters to link to a single antenna, reducing the number of aerials required for each radio system. Meanwhile, the SA-525/20 Antenna Tuning Unit can operate in an active tuning mode where the unit generates the RF signal, or a silent mode where pre-loaded tuning parameters are utilised. Furthermore, this product can be used with frequency-hopping systems. A 15W loudspeaker is available in the form of the company’s CC-230 Class D audio amplifier which can accompany either an intercom or radio equipment.

Of course, the range of coverage offered by a tactical radio net often needs to be increased both in terms of traffic handled and geographical footprint. This is where the EID’s ER-525V comes in. Offering both a range extension node, and a gateway between tactical radio nets, the ER-525V includes two 50W PRC-525 transceivers with the whole system handling voice and data communications at up to 64 kilobitsper-second capacity. Three modes of operation are available with the ER-525V including fixed frequency, digital fixed frequency and frequency-hopping options.

I SMART BATTERIES

Effectively any tactical radio is little more than a box of wires and circuit boards without an accompanying power supply.

Micro Power Electronics provides a wide array of batteries specifically intended to power tactical radios. The firm’s rechargeable batteries are available in NiMH, Li-Iron and lithium-Polymer configurations.

Customers requiring disposable batteries can opt for the company’s lithium primary cells which can be used straight off the shelf, even when they have been stored for up to

Germany's Imtradex manufactures a range of tactical radio accessories. These include the Aurelis handheld microphone which can be used alongside a number of different tactical radio systems. (Imtradex)

seven years. These primary batteries are manufactured in various lithium combinations including lithium sulphur dioxide and lithium thionyl chloride.

Meanwhile, Micro Power Electronics’ line of Smart Batteries can communicate their

health to the user via an integral circuit located in the battery pack, which can provide a run-time within one percent accuracy during the entire life span of the battery.

High-power micro fuel cells also provide

Radio Accessories

Invisio's X50 provides hearing protection for users of the company's X5 and X6 bone conduction headsets. The X50 is one of a wide range of products that Inviso provides for tactical radios. These also include push-to-talk equipment that can be submerged in up to 20 metres of water. (Invisio)

electricity and such products are available from UltraCell which manufacturers the XX25 Fuel Cell. This can provide the equivalent power using 65 percent fewer batteries for a typical 72 hour mission compared to the same number of traditional batteries that a platoon of troops would require for a given operation. Neither is the use of the XX25 confined to powering tactical radios: this fuel cell can be used to recharge batteries and even power small remote-control vehicles.

I HEADSETS

Just as a top-of-the-range sound system is little more than a highly sophisticated box of circuitry without state-of-the-art speakers, a tactical radio also depends on high quality headsets for receiving and transmitting voice communications. A wide range of such products exist provided by an array of companies. One such firm is Imtradex of Germany, which provides dedicated headsets to military users. These can be

customised to fit specific tactical radios. The firms’ products include the Aurelis Handheld Microphone, which can be used with digital radio systems. Although the Imtradex produces analogue headsets such as the NB2000 and FireTalk, the company stresses that these products are already adapted for use with digital radios.

I INVISIO

The name Invisio is synonymous with tactical radio accessories, and the firm's wares have been sold around the world equipping special forces and regular troops alike. Invisio provides a range of headsets using bone conduction technology. This offers a unique benefit in providing clear communications, as bone conduction headsets only pick up the sound of one's voice from vibrations moving through the wearer's skull. Because of this, other sounds such as gunfire, the shouts of one's comrades and vehicle engine noise are automatically filtered out. Customers can choose up to ten different headset designs, although one product which may be of special interest to the military user is the Invisio X5 dual headset which, like many of the company's other designs, can be used with a gas mask or helmet.

Soldiers requiring a bone conduction headset which offers hearing protection, can opt for Invisio's X50 product which will work with the company's X5 and X6

Imtradex's range of radio accessories includes the firm's FireTalk analogue headset. The firm stresses that its analogue products also work seemlessly with digital tactical communications systems. (Imtradex)

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Another item in Imtradex's catalogue is the NB2000 tactical radio headset. It is important to stress that the 'extras' which can be procured to accompany today's battlefield communications are in fact imperative to ensuring that communications remain clear. (Imtradex)

headsets. A similarly impressive range of push-to-talk products is included in the company's catalogue. These include the Invisio M20 PTT which will tolerate up to 20 metre submersion in water. Another clever device is the Invisio M80 remote wireless PTT that enables users to operate their radio using a Picatinny rail-mounted switch.

Headsets are also a speciality of Impact Radio Accessories. Customers can choose the PTM-1 and PTM-3 Impact heavy-duty throat microphones which are equipped with a large PTT button. Offering a lightweight, yet rugged design Impact’s PBH-1 behind-the-head single-muff ear piece is equipped with a headband and an

Radio Accessories

Along with producing accessories for infantry troops, Elno provides radio equipment for vehicle crews, in particular helmets for use in heavy armoured vehicles which shield personnel from the interior noise of main battle tanks and infantry fighting vehicles. (Elno)

don a quickly in the event of chemical, biological or radioactive contamination.

I ELNO

Elno is a company with considerable experience in the field of osteophones.

The firm produces a wide range of systems including the most innovative BCH300 ultra-lightweight headset, fitted as a standard configuration with bone conduction technology for both listening and speech transmission, but a modified version with a noise-cancelling boom microphone is available. Conventional headset designs are also a speciality of Elno, which produces the IH295 tactical headset fitted with an earpiece and a noise cancelling microphone. Any of these products can be outfitted with a push-to-talk switch for manual or hands-free transmission.

Elno’s bone conduction headset is a revolutionary product which, by not covering their ears, allows soldiers to perfectly well hear their communications adjustable gooseneck boom microphone.

Impact’s POH-2 headset has an over-thehead lightweight configuration and in-line PTT functionality. Military users are often required to keep their ears open while receiving communications traffic which makes the firm’s NX-PTHS-1 headset particularly attractive. Sound is heard via dual temple transducers which rest on the temples but leave the ears open. The user can then hear communications traffic and the world around them at the same time.

Similarly, the NX-PSM-1 dispenses with a traditional microphone and instead uses a skull-mounted microphone which will pick up vibrations from the users skull when they speak, but at the same time leave their mouth free of obstructions, particularly useful if they have to quickly Silynx is also responsible for the C40PS headset range. These hard-wearing tactical radio accessories are able to equip troops with systems that can withstand immersion down to 20 metres of water.

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Silynx's C4 Grip can adorn a rifle, providing an infantry soldier with a means of controlling their tactical radio without them needing to remove their hands from their weapon. The C4 Grip can also be used to control torches and lasers mounted on the weapon. (Silynx)

as well as whatever is happening around them. The bone conduction headset also detects their voice, freeing them of the need to have a boom microphone. That particular system has been selected for integration into the French Army Felin system seen in our title photograph.

For mechanised infantry, Elno manufactures the VH586 helmet to equip crews of heavy armoured vehicles, and the VH590 headset for light armoured vehicle crews. Both are built in a binaural configuration with ear shells to dampen noise and the company is currently integrating an active noise reduction system.

A talk-through system is also available as an option. These products are compatible with any vehicle intercom system, including the full IP Elips intercom, also from Elno.

Elno is something of a one-stop-shop for

Radio Accessories

tactical radio accessories, as the company produces the LS701 and LS112 loudspeakers, the former of which can be installed in a vehicle and has a robust design, as does the LS112 loudspeaker which can be used by dismounted troops.

I QUIETPRO

There will be times when a soldier needs their ears protected, which is where Narce’s QuietPro+ can help. QuietPro+ combines an ear plug style design to protect the user’s hearing, while also allowing them to hear communications traffic. The product is

offered in both binaural and monaural configurations with the ear piece connecting to a control unit, which in turn links through to an external PTT box available in a wired chest, wired finger or a wireless configuration.

Like Narce, Silynx provides combined hearing protection and enhancement systems via its Micro C40PS 20-metre immersible, software-defined headset which has a built-in GPS for blue force tracking and active noise reduction. Its sibling product, the C40OPS Hybrid Headset Configuration is designed for use in very noisy environments

while, as its name suggests, the C40PS Maritime Headset Configuration can withstand immersion in 20 metres of water and manages sound leakage as its communications are inaudible from a range of 20 inches. An auto whisper mode is included for times when the users must keep their voice down.

Able to fit onto a weapon’s Picatinny rail, Silynx’s C4Grip comes outfitted with switches to control lasers and torches, plus wireless controls for up to two radios. This allows the users to maintain their communications without them ever needing to take their hands off their weapons. Other products in the Silynx stable include the company’s Headband Boom Mic, the C4OPS Skull Cap, the BA5590 Battery Adapter which can power Harris’ AN/PRC-152 Falcon-III multiband and Thales’ AN/PRC-184 MBITR and AN/PRC-148 JEM handheld radios.

Although 3M is arguably better known for its civilian products such as adhesive tape and Post-It Notes, the company does produce a line of audio accessories in the form of its Peltor communications and hearing protection systems. One of the Peltor products is the PTT adaptor which has an ambidextrous design and can equip the AN/PRC-148 MBITR, Harris AN/PRC-150 and AN/PRC152 high frequency and multiband radios, the Motorola AN/PRC-153 Integrated Intra Squad Radio and Motorola XTS series of digital, portable radios. The Peltor PTT adaptors have a robust construction devoid of any protruding parts.

I SPEAKERS

Although 3M is arguably better known for the manufacture of consumer items, the firms' Peltor subsidiary manufactures accessories for tactical radios, including radio and intercom headsets for tank crews. (3M Peltor)

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As the above discussion states, the battlefield can be a noisy place. Not only is it imperative for soldiers to clearly hear orders and information, they must also be able to be clearly heard when speaking through a radio.

While soldiers can hear their radios through their headsets, there may also be times when they want to hear communications traffic via a speaker, perhaps when working in a fixed base, or travelling in a vehicle. For these purposes, General Dynamics produces the PTSH-104 Amplified Audio Speaker which has a ruggedised chassis to protect it in the most challenging of environments. It can operate with almost any 12-28 volt direct current power source, according to the company.

Crystal clear reception is

imperative as misheard communications can result in mistakes being made, which in the worst case can cause death and injury to one’s own forces or to innocent civilians.

Accusonic Voice Systems have kept such considerations at the forefront of their mind with their Tactical Talker product line. The Tactical Talker family offers a range of handsets which have an ergonomic and lightweight design, plus a high degree of customisation all of which offer clear and intelligible speech.

Put simply, QuietPro kills to birds with one stone by providing the users with ear protection that will at the same time enable them to hear communications from their accompanying radio. (USAF)

I USB CABLES

Another similarly clever piece of kit is Symetrics Industries’ U-Roc laptoptactical radio connector. Comprising two cables, one end has a standard USB connector which fits into the laptop. The USB connector-equipped cable then passes through a box with an embedded circuit card containing a digital signal processor. Two cables pass from the other side of the box and connect to the radio. Given the indispensable role that today’s tactical radios have in carrying data as well as voice communications, laptop-to-radio connection equipment is in high demand.

This article has aimed to provide the reader with as full an overview as possible of the wide array of tactical radio accessories which are available today. Available space prevents us from discussing all of the several hundred products available from suppliers across the world. However, the sheer range of accessories on the market underscores not only the level of customisation that one can add to their existing tactical radio systems in

terms of antennae, headsets and batteries, but also the importance of configuring one’s communications so that they can support any mission in the most efficient way possible.

Any products in high demand inevitably breed a wide range of accessories and a glance at the civilian world in terms of cell phone hardware and software available to the consumer confirms this. The tactical radio world is little different.

Fighter Aircraft Market

Fighter Market in Frenzy Important fighter acquisition decisions are shortly due - or have recently been made - in Brazil, Bulgaria, Canada, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Hungary, India, Israel, Japan, Kuwait, Malaysia, the Netherlands, Oman, Qatar, Romania, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Slovakia, South Korea, Switzerland, Turkey, the United Arab Emirates and Venezuela. This ‘tsunami’ of buying may largely be driven by various impending production-line closures. However, it may also indicate that the next few years are viewed around the world as the last rational time to acquire pre-stealth combat aircraft.

Break and dispense flares! The ‘AJ’ tail code and unit badges of these US Navy Boeing F/A-18E/Fs indicates ownership by VFA-31 ‘Tomcatters’ of carrier air wing CVW-8, based at Oceana NAS, Virginia and normally assigned to CVN-71, USS Theodore Roosevelt. (US Air Force)

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Roy Braybrook

F

UTURE AVIATION historians may look back on the middle of this decade as a turning-point in the fighter business, after which some nations (those that could) bought stealth fighters and the rest waited for alternative (probably unmanned) solutions to their air defence, counter-air, ground attack and reconnaissance requirements.

Of those nations buying new-build fighters, many will favour minimising spending until the real value of stealth and the prospects for unmanned combat aircraft become clearer.

Three standard batch of 50 (if approved) is to be completed by the end of 2015, taking the PAF total to 150.

In 2010 Chengdu began testing an FC-1 with the 86.4-kN Guizhou WS-13 engine in place of the standard 84.4-kN Klimov RD93. There is talk of a thrust-vectoring WS13 being developed.

There is serious interest in the JF-17 from Egypt, which is considering licenceproduction. In addition, Algeria, Azerbaijan, Myanmar, Nigeria, Sudan and Zimbabwe are among the list of possible customers. China is still considering whether to buy the JF-17.

A two-seat version is currently under development.

I GRIPEN

I THUNDER

The lower end of the market is currently represented by the Chengdu/Pakistan Aeronautical Complex (PAC) JF-17 Thunder, which has a maximum weight of 12.7 tonnes and a basic price of less than $ 25 million. Designed under the direction of Yang Wei, the JF-17 first flew in 2003 with the domestic designation FC-1.

It may be recalled that the MiG-21 from which the JF-17 was derived had its maiden flight in 1955, and that almost 11,500 were built in the Soviet Union, Czechoslovakia and India. Over 2400 more were built as the Chengdu F-7.

Following four prototypes and eight Pakistan Air Force (PAF) preseries JF-17s, all built by Chengdu, a batch of 42 Block One standard aircraft constructed by PAC were to be completed in April 2012. A Block Two standard batch of 50 is to follow, with improved weapons clearances, modified avionics and air-air refuelling. The Block

The West’s own “affordable”, lightweight fighter with a relatively small radar signature

There is a market for measured sophistication over ruggedness as exemplified by the JF-17 Thunder, which is being eyed by Algeria, Azerbaijan, Myanmar, Nigeria, Sudan and Zimbabwe. Even Egypt is considering licence production. (Armada/EHB)

is the 14-tonne Saab Jas39 Gripen, which will be the first aircraft cleared to use the MBDA Meteor medium-range air-air missile. The current engine is the GE F404-based 80.5kN Volvo Aero RM12, which is being further developed to 92.5 kN. The Swedish Air Force (SwAF) has received 120 Jas39A/Bs and 84 Jas39C/Ds, but is consolidating its fleet as 100 upgraded Jas39C/Ds. South Africa and Thailand have respectively purchased 26 and twelve Gripen C/Ds. Hungary was buying 14 ex-SwAF Gripen C/Ds under a lease-purchase

The Republic of Korea Air Force has placed an order for 20 Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI) FA-50 fighters, based on the company’s two-seat T-50 trainer (pictured), in turn derived from the Lockheed Martin F-16. (Lockheed Martin)

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Fighter Aircraft Market

Photographed from a Boeing F/A-18D of the Swiss Air Force, this Saab Jas39D of the Swedish Air Force gives some impression of how the somewhat larger Gripen NG could look over the Alps, if Swiss procurement goes ahead. (Swiss Air Force)

agreement running from 2006 to 2016, but has recently negotiated an extension to 2026.

The Czech Republic is reportedly considering extending the lease of a similar batch from 2014 to 2019.

In November 2011 Switzerland selected the 16.5-tonne Gripen NG with 98-kN General Electric F414G, Selex Galileo Raven Aesa radar, a modified undercarriage, and a larger wing with additional weapon stations and increased internal fuel. If the Swiss plan to buy 22 in a $ 3.2 billion deal to replace the F5E/F is approved (with first deliveries in 2015 – which sounds more than hypothetical at time of writing - Ed), Sweden will place an initial order for ten, bringing forward from 2018 its plans to field the Jas39E/F domestic form of Gripen NG. Development of the Gripen NG began in 2008 with testing of an F414 engine in a Jas39B. The Gripen NG prototype with all the modifications is due to fly in 2013. A carrier-capable version is projected for marketing in Brazil, Britain and India.

I TEJAS

Marginally lighter than Gripen, India’s 13.3tonne Tejas (Radiance) Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) has a tailless modified-delta configuration and an 81.4-kN GE F404 engine.

Jointly developed by the Aeronautical Development Agency (ADA) and Hindustan Aeronautics (HAL) to replace the MiG-21, the LCA began flying in 2001.

Eight pre-series aircraft are being

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followed by a batch of 40 Tejas Mk Is for the Indian Air Force. The first squadron is to form at Sulur AB by December 2013 and reach full operational capability within twelve months. A further 40 Mk Is are to be ordered, followed by at least 83 Mk IIs with 98-kN GE F414s. The Mk II is due to fly in 2015, and enter service around 2018.

A navalised (ski-jump take-off, arrested recovery) Tejas with improved leading edge devices is being developed to replace the Indian Navy BAe Sea Harrier. The first of six development aircraft is to fly shortly, and a preproduction batch of nine has been approved.

I FA-50

Yet another in the same size category is the 13.5-tonne Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI) FA-50, a combat aircraft derivative of its T-50 supersonic trainer, in turn derived from the F-16. The T-50 family is already well established, with 82 produced for domestic use and 16 ordered for Indonesia.

The FA-50 is (initially at least) powered by a 78.7-kN GE F404. The South Korea Air Force (Rokaf) has recently placed an $ 800

million order for 20 FA-50s to begin replacing its F-5Es. I J-10/F-10 VANGUARD

China’s 19.2-tonne (F-16 class) Chengdu J10 first flew in 1998. Although Laviinspired, its design is credited to Song Wencong. It is currently powered by a 125kN Saturn/Salyut AL-31FN, although China is trying to develop the Liming WS-10A to end dependence on the Russian engine. The J-10 entered service in 2005 with the Plaaf, which has now fielded at least 150.

The J-10B, distinguished by diverterless intakes, flew in 2008. This is presumably the version being built for the PAF, which was granted government approval for a batch of 36 (of an eventual 150) in 2006. However, deliveries for Pakistan have slipped to 201416, mainly because of lack of funding, but possibly also because China wanted every available AL-31FN for its own J-10s. Iran is a potential long-term customer.

I MIG-29

If Russia restricts China’s purchases of AL-

The United Arab Emirates, by adding another 60 units to its currently ordered 80, may well keep the F-16 Block 60 production line humming for another three years. (Armada/EHB)

The latest derivative of the RAC-MiG MiG-29 series is the MiG-35, which uses the uprated engines of the carrier-based MiG-29KS. The company hopes to win a domestic launch-order for 48 MiG-35S. (RAC–MiG)

31FNs, it is partly because J-10 sales will damage those of the MiG29. In recent years RAC-MiG has sold small numbers of MiG-29s to Syria, Myanmar and Yemen, but the most significant contracts were for 45 MiG-29K/Kubs for the Indian Navy. A Russian MoD order for 24 MiG-29KS/Kubs for the Russian Navy was signed in February 2012. The Indian Air Force is having 62 MiG-29s upgraded to MiG-29UPG standard, and others are being upgraded for Syria and the Russian Air Force.

RAC-MiG hopes for a domestic order for 48 examples of the 29.7-tonne MiG-35S derivative, which (like the MiG-29K) has 88.3-kN Klimov RD-33MK engines. The company is currently upgrading some 46.2-tonne, Mach 2.83 Russian Air Force MiG-

Fighter Aircraft Market

This French Air Force Dassault Rafale is shown in long-range strike configuration, armed with two MBDA Scalp-EG cruise missiles and two MBDA Mica air-air missiles. Its ‘7-HR’ side-number indicates that it is from EC1/7 ‘Provence’ at BA-113 Saint Dizier.

(Dassault Aviation/KT)

31s to MiG-31BM standard.

However, the company’s longer-term prospects have been severely damaged by the deletion of reference to a Lightweight Multi-function Tactical Aircraft (LMFS) in Russia’s National Armaments Programme (GPV-2020).

I F-16

Having made its maiden flight in 1974, the then General Dynamics F-16 is still being produced by Lockheed Martin in America and by TAI in Turkey. Orders now exceed 4500 units for 26 nations. Maximum weight has increased from 17.0 tonnes for the F16A/B (Blocks 1-15) to 19.2 tonnes for the F16C/D (Blocks 25-52) and 22 tonnes for the F-16E/F (Block 60). Over 3000 F-16s are currently active.

The F-16 is still being built for Egypt, Morocco, Turkey and Iraq, which has requested 18 more F-16IQ Block 52s (following 18 bought for $ 835 million).

Oman has ordered twelve more Block 50s for $ 600 million. The Fort Worth line may well be kept open beyond 2015 by the United Arab Emirates ordering more Block 60s (following the original 80).

Defence economies are widespread. In a $ 750 million deal Indonesia has requested from US Air Force stocks 24 Block 25s as Excess Defense Articles, to be upgraded to Block 52 standard. The Philippines have requested twelve. In 2009 Romania attempted to buy 24 refurbished Block 25s in a $ 1.4 billion deal, but this appears to have stalled due to funding problems. Turkish Aerospace Industries is upgrading 41 Pakistan Air Force F-16A/B Block 15s.

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Another emerging pattern results from delayed deliveries of the Lockheed Martin F35. For example, Israel is planning to have its F-16s upgraded, and Norway is buying new wings to keep its F-16s in service until 2023.

Under the Long Term Viper programme, the US Air Force plans to spend around $ 2.8 billion to extend the life of the 350 Block 40 and 50/52 from 8000 to 12,000 hours, and introduce an Aesa radar, a new electronic warfare suite, a stealth data link and cockpit improvements.

At the recent Singapore air show Lockheed Martin announced the new F-16V with Aesa radar and improvements to the cockpit and mission computer.

I HORNET-SIZE

The size-standard for mid-weight combat aircraft was set by the 23.5-tonne Boeing F/A-18C/D Hornet. Western Europe

designed two canard-delta aircraft to this size: the 23.5-tonne Eurofighter Typhoon air combat fighter with ground attack capability added and the 24.5-tonne Dassault Rafale “omnirole” aircraft. They are powered respectively by two 89-kN Eurojet EJ200s and two 75-kN Snecma M88-2s, hence the Typhoon has better ‘top-end’ performance.

The first three Typhoon tranches, totalling 559 aircraft (including 15 for Austria and 72 for Saudi Arabia) are now under contract, but will keep the lines open only until 2015. Oman is expected to buy twelve Tranche III aircraft. The final Tranche IIIB of 124 aircraft may depend on winning a follow-on order of 48 by Saudi Arabia.

In January 2012 it was announced that the Rafale (which is nuclear-capable) had been selected to fulfil India’s 126-unit MMRCA (Medium Multi-Role Combat Aircraft) programme. The first 18 will be

Goodbye stealth! On ‘Day Two’ when enemy air defences are down, this is how the US Marine Corps’ Lockheed Martin F-35B Lightning II will look, with GDATP 25 mm GAU-22/A gunpod under the centreline and six underwing pylons. (Lockheed Martin)

Flying past the skyscrapers of Abu Dhabi, this Eurofighter Typhoon F2 (pictured with leading edge flaps and intake lips depressed) is evidently the mount of Sqn Ldr R Joel of Britain’s Royal Air Force No XI Sqn, based at RAF Coningsby in Lincolnshire. (Eurofighter/K.T)

manufactured in France, and the remainder licence-built by Hindustan Aeronautics. This massive order (initially estimated at $10.4 billion) boosts Dassault hopes in Brazil, Kuwait, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates.

Some 180 of the 286 Rafales planned for domestic use (228 for the Air Force and 58 for the Navy) are already under contract. The fourth batch (60 Rafale F3-04Ts) will begin deliveries in 2013 with M88-4E engines, which could (if given larger intakes) be developed to 88 kN, eliminating the performance advantage of the Typhoon.

I LIGHTNING II

The stealthy 31.8-tonne Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II, powered by a single 190-kN Pratt & Whitney F135, began as a nine-nation programme and continues to win orders. Israel, Singapore and Japan came on board in 2011. Japan expects to pay around $ 130 million for each of its 42 F-35As. In early 2012 Turkey ordered the first two F-35s of a planned 100. Over 3100 F35s are planned, including 2443 for the US services.

The US Marine Corps F-35B stovl version is currently to enter service in 2016, and the US Air Force F-35A in 2018.

Concurrency of development and production is causing major problems. The F-35 first flew at end-2006, launching its elevenyear $ 56.4 billion development, at the completion of which (at end-2016) the first 543 will already be under contract. In Lrip-5 (FY2011) negotiations, the Defense Department has been pressing the contractor to accept an unprecedented “concurrency clause” and self-fund any modifications found necessary in flight tests, as if these were design faults.

I SUPER HORNET

The single-engined stealthy F-35A/C reaches even heavier weights than the twin-engined reduced-signature Boeing F/A-18E/F, of which the US Navy plans to acquire 515 (plus 114 EA-18Gs).

Fighter Aircraft Market

The latest of the Sukhoi Su-27/30 series is the “4.5-generation” Su-35S, with thrust-vectoring and new radar and optical sensors. Deliveries of the first 48 Su-35S have now begun to the Russian Air Force. Seen here is the second production aircraft. (Sukhoi)

Boeing has now delivered 467 F/A-18E/Fs and EA-18Gs under the first two multi-year contracts (including 24 F/A-18Fs for Australia) and is working on the third contract for 66 F/A-18E/Fs and 58 EA-18Gs. An order from Brazil, Malaysia or various Persian Gulf states would keep the F/A18E/F line running beyond 2015. In addition, F-35 delays could lead to follow-on orders from the US Navy and Australia.

Boeing has proposed further F/A-18E/F development, including 20% more thrust from its GE F414s.

I STRIKE EAGLE

The 36.5-tonne multirole Boeing F-15E provides an attractive balance between the fighter and strike roles. The US Air Force plans to keep 217 in service until at least 2035, and is accordingly studying a programme to quadruple fatigue life to 32,000 hours. (The life of the F-15C/D air supremacy fighter, of which the service plans to retain around 400 of the current 522, is to be doubled to 18,000 hours).

Powered by two 129.6kN (afterburning) thrust engines, the F-15E has deservedly sold well. Israel bought 25 F-15Is in addition to 72 F-15A/B/C/Ds. Singapore has ordered 24 F-15SGs, and South Korea 61 F-15Ks (with GE F110 engines in place of the standard P&W F100s), and both will probably buy more. Saudi Arabia earlier bought 72 F-15S in addition to 109 F15C/Ds, and has recently in a $ 29.4 billion deal ordered 84 improved F-15SAs and upgrades for its F-15S to –15SA standard.

Boeing plans to fly a new-build “advanced international F-15” trials aircraft around the end of 2012, to test key features

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of the reduced-signature F-15SE Silent Eagle proposed for South Korea’s F-X III contest.

I SU-27/30/34/35

Developments and derivatives of the Su-27 continue to attract orders. In 2011 the Russian Air Force received twelve newbuild multi-role Su-27SM(3)s, two Su30M2 two-seaters and six 45-tonne Su-34 strike aircraft. Under a 2008 contract, 32 Su-34s are being built by Napo in Novosibirsk, and a new contract covers 92 to be delivered by 2020.

In 2009 the service ordered 48 examples of the 38.8-tonne “4.5-generation” Su-35S for delivery in 2012-2015, and a second batch of 48 is expected to follow, with others to provide for eight squadrons by 2020. The Su-35S has thrust-vectoring, an Optical Locator System that can track targets at over 80 km, and a radar that allows 30 aircraft to be tracked and eight engaged simultaneously.

Around 25 Su-30s were built in 2011 for Algeria, Vietnam and Uganda in 2011. At

the end of the year, Indonesia, which currently operates six Su-27SKMs and four Su-30MK2s, signed a $ 470 million contract for six more Su-30MK2s. Venezuela, which has 24 Su-30MKVs, plans to buy at least twelve more (or alternatively Su-35s).

India, which already has 230 Su-30MKIs, recently firmed an order for 42 more with updated cockpit, improved radar, and upgraded armament, including provisions for the Brahmos cruise missile.

Prime Minister Putin has stated that Russia will acquire 600 new combat aircraft over the next ten years. These will presumably be mostly Su-27 derivatives in the short term, and the new-generation Sukhoi PAK-FA in later years.

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China originally bought 76 Su-27SK/UBKs and 100 Su-30MKK/MK2s. Shenyang later licence-built 100 Su-27SKs as J-11As and at least 100 without licence as J-11Bs, with Chinese avionics and weapons.

An incomplete prototype of the Su-33 strike fighter (of which the Russian Navy operates 19) was obtained from the Ulkraine in 2001, providing the basis for the 33-tonne Shenyang J-15 Flying Shark, which first flew in 2009 with Saturn/Salyut AL-31Fs. On 11 January 2011 Chengdu flew the 50tonne (class) J-20 stealthy strike aircraft, which is apparently being developed to threaten US bases and carriers in the Western Pacific, and is unlikely to be offered in the marketplace for a very long time.

Boeing has proposed the reduced radar signature F-15SE Silent Eagle, with conformal tanks redesigned as weapon bays. In this trial the internal weapon carriage concept was tested by launching a Raytheon AIM-120 air-air missile. (Boeing)

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What’s Up? A C295 carrying a dummy piggy-backed AEW dish aerial started flying in summer 2011 to validate the aerodynamic feasibility of the concept. (Airbus Military)

C295 sales hit the 108 unit mark, and introduces a wealth of improvements As it announced that Oman had placed an order for eight C295 in Madrid on 21 May, Airbus Military also provided a useful update on the further developments that are either planned or already in the pipeline for this aircraft.

Eric H. Biass

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man’s Royal Air Force order is for five aeroplanes that are to be configured as tactical transports and three as maritime patrol aircraft, the latter to patrol territorial waters and conduct anti-piracy and anti-smuggling missions. Deliveries are scheduled to start next year.

The C295 scoreboard now shows orders for a total of 108 units, of which 85 are already in operation in 13 countries.

The C295 appears to be eyeing a growing number of different missions. The company already flew a C295 last year with an empty radome to verify the compatibility of the aircraft with a back-mounted AEW&C dish aerial. The configuration has been validated and Airbus is now working out the development of the mission system with Elta and discussing with several potential customers.

The type is also being modified into a gunship for Jordan by ATK, which has prompted Airbus military to approach the American company with a view to developing a modular package for the C.295.

Another field of investigation is to equip the maritime patrol version of the C295 with MBDA Marte anti-ship missiles, and thereby

To further improve its usability in critical conditions, the C295 could ne equipped with a head-up on which an infrared picture from an external sensor could be superimposed

complement the current Mk46 weapon load.

This will take place in three distinct flight test phases, first to check the aerodynamic compatibility between the missile and the aircraft, secondly to perform separation tests, and finaly a full drop and motor firing.

Also being looked into is the installation of wing-tip winglets to reduce induced drag and thereby enable the aircraft to increase its operational ceiling, which will prove a significant advantage particularly for the AEW&C version mentioned above.

On the subject of altitude, Airbus Military has been discussing engine setting changes with Pratt & Whitney since last year with a view to certifying a new climb rate profile to allow the aircraft to reach its ideal operational ceiling much faster with little or no detrimental effects on engine maintenance costs. The aim is to get the new procedure

certified and introduced in the aircraft flight manual during the year. While this will inevitably increase fuel consuption in the climb phase, it is expected to bring savings because the aircraft will be allowed to reach its optimal efficiency ceiling much earlier.

A head-up display is also being offered for the type and should be undergoing testing in the course of next year. Being fully integrated with the aircraft's avionics and mission systems it is also offered with an enhanced vision system (EVS) in the form of an externally mounted infrared camera.

Obiggs is a new acronym one will have to get acustomed to, particularly in the context of aircraft being operated in areas with gunfirehappy populations as indeed it stands for “on board inert gas generating system”. The obejective of the Obiggs is to quickly fill the aircraft's tanks with an intert.

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USS LCS 3 COMPLETES ACCEPTANCE TRIALS S third Littoral Combat Ship, USS Fort Worth (LCS 3), successfully completed its U.S. Navy acceptance trials and will be delivered to the Navy this summer.

Fort Worth is the second surface combatant designed and built by a Lockheed Martin led industry team. The trials, conducted in Lake Michigan from April 30 to May 4, included a four-hour full-power run and both surface and air detect-toengage demonstrations of the ship’s combat management system.

Major systems and features were demonstrated, including aviation support, small boat launch handling and recovery, and ride control.

The Lockheed Martin-led LCS team includes ship builder Marinette Marine Corporation, a Fincantieri company, naval architect Gibbs & Cox, as well as domestic and international teammates.

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MINUTEMAN ICBM WEAPON TEST orthrop Grumman N Corporation recently supported the successful

F-35A COMPLETES FIRST IN-FLIGHT REFUELING WITH EXTERNAL WEAPONS ockheed Martin F-35A Lightning II conventional takeoff and landing aircraft completed the program’s first in-flight refueling mission while configured with external weapons at Edwards Air Force Base, Calif. U.S. Air Force Lt. Col. George Schwartz piloted the test aircraft, known as AF-4, with two external inert AIM-9X weapons and four external stores. Internally, the jet was carrying two Joint Direct Attack Munitions and two Advanced Medium-Range Air-to-Air Missiles. The two-hour mission tested the flying qualities of the aircraft while maneuvering with external weapons. This test paves the way for weapons separation testing later this year.

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reliability testing of the United States Air Force's Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missile weapons system.

The Northrop Grumman led ICBM prime team includes Boeing, Lockheed Martin, ATK and more than 20 other subcontractors.

The ICBM team is responsible for overall sustainment of the weapon system including development, production, deployment and system modifications.

The operational test was designated Glory Trip 203GM. The test launch proceeded as planned with the missile traveling roughly 4,800 miles in 30 minutes. The Minuteman III carried a single Mk21 reentry vehicle specially instrumented to measure operational performance parameters.

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KC-46 TANKER COMPLETES PRELIMINARY DESIGN REVIEW he Boeing KC-46 Tanker program has completed a Preliminary Design Review (PDR) with the U.S. Air Force, a key milestone in the development of the next-generation aerial refueling tanker.

The review, which began March 21 and ended April 27, demonstrated that the preliminary design of the KC-46A Tanker meets system requirements and establishes the basis for proceeding with detailed design. Boeing remains on plan to deliver 18 combat-ready KC-46A Tankers by 2017.

The program's next major milestone is a Critical Design Review (CDR) that will take place in the summer of 2013. The CDR will determine that the design of the KC-46A is mature and ready to proceed to the manufacturing phase.

Boeing will build 179 next-generation aerial refueling tanker aircraft that will begin to replace the Air Force's fleet of 416 KC-135 tankers. Based on the proven Boeing 767 commercial airplane, the KC-46A tanker is a widebody, multi-mission aircraft updated with the latest and most advanced technology to meet the demanding mission requirements of the future, including a digital flight deck featuring Boeing 787 Dreamliner electronic displays and a flight control design philosophy that places aircrews in command to maximize combat maneuverability. The KC-46A also features a modernized KC-10 boom with a fly-by-wire control system, and a refueling envelope and fuel offload rate that is greater than that of the KC-135 it will replace.

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ADDITIONAL ELECTORNIC SYSTEMS FOR EMBRAER KC-390 AIRCRAFT

ircraft manufacturer Embraer and the Brazilian Air Force have selected BAE Systems to provide active side sticks as part of the overall cockpit controls for the KC-390 military transport aircraft. In 2011, BAE Systems was chosen to provide flight control electronics for the aircraft.

The KC-390 is a twin-turbofan powered medium-weight transport jet that can be refueled in flight and used for in-flight or onground refueling of other aircraft. BAE Systems has more than 20 years of experience in developing and produc)ing active pilot controls. The company’s active side sticks have additional features and benefits over existing pilot control technologies, including electrical linking between pilot and co-pilot and changes in the force-feel characteristic depending on the flight modes and condition of the aircraft.

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A400M MAKES FIRST REFUELLING CONTACTS WITH A330 MRTT n Airbus Military A400M new generation airlifter has successfully performed simulated refuelling contacts with an Airbus Military A330 MRTT Multi Role Tanker Transport.

The A400M made some 30 contacts with the hose and drogue of the A330 MRTT´s Fuselage Refuelling Unit (FRU). No fuel was passed in these tests which consisted of “dry contacts”. The A330 MRTT that took part in the tests is one of the aircraft to be delivered to the UK Royal Air Force, where it is known as Voyager, as part of the Future Strategic Transport Aircraft (FSTA) programme.

The FRU is typically used to refuel large aircraft such as the A400M and the tests demonstrated the stability of both aircraft when flying in close formation and when refuelling.

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DEPLOYMENT MILESTONE FOR K-MAX UNMANNED HELICOPTERS unmanned K-MAX helicopters Thavewo delivered more than one million pounds in less than four months in support of the U.S. Marine Corps in Afghanistan and will remain in theater until September on a deployment extension.

The aircraft, a joint effort by Lockheed Martin and Kaman Aerospace, is the first unmanned helicopter to deliver cargo and resupply troops in a combat zone. They have been keeping a steady pace of six missions per day, with record load deliveries ranging from a single 4,200pound sling load to 28,800 pounds lifted in a single day.

During operations in Afghanistan, previously scheduled to end in June, the aircraft has met or exceeded all expectations with less than one maintenance man-hour per flight hour. As a result, the Marine Corps has extended the K-MAX deployment through the end of the fiscal year, September 30.

The unmanned K-MAX has demonstrated its ability to carry and deliver 6,000 pounds of cargo at sea level and more than 4,000 pounds at 10,000 feet altitude.

Digest

LASER TEST FIRED FOR MILITARY APPLICATIONS orthrop Grumman Corporation has test fired the first product in its nextgeneration FIRESTRIKE™ family of high-energy, solidstate lasers that meet goals for size and weight reduction and ruggedization for operational applications.

The tests, conducted in the company's Redondo Beach laboratory, demonstrated that the laser could burn through the skin and critical components of a target drone used to simulate anti-ship cruise missile threats to U.S. Navy ships.

The laser, called Gamma, uses a "slab" architecture similar to previous Northrop Grumman high-power lasers. It operated at 13.3 kilowatts for a number of shots over a total of 1.5 hours with stable performance and a beam quality that exceeded design goals, completing the initial phase of trials.

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PROTECTION OF MARITIME FACILITIES lbit Systems has launched an Integrated Maritime Awareness Concept and Solution (IMACS) suit, developed to answer the unique defense requirements of maritime infrastructure facilities, such as oil and gas rigs. Strategically important, these facilities call for a unique protection concept due to the potential threats posed by pirate and terror attacks.

A modular solution, IMACS enables customization of various available technologies and capabilities according to specific customer requirements. In order to tailor the comprehensive defense suit for each customer, Elbit Systems has established a unique laboratory, where the use of advanced simulation technologies projects a precise virtual presentation of the potential threat scenarios. Based on the relevant customer's operational scenarios, a unique and dedicated "protective circle" strategy is tailored, implemented by an integrated and effective maritime security suit.

The suit includes Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS), Unmanned Surface Vessels (USVs), advanced Intelligence Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR) systems for maritime, aerial and ground missions, maritime patrol aircraft and other advanced systems.

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SHADOW TACTICAL UAS COMMENCES AFGHAN OPERATIONS he Shadow 200 Tactical Unmanned Aerial System has officially commenced operations in Afghanistan, providing an enhanced capability to the International Security Assistance Force.

The Shadow 200 TUAS is designed to conduct Intelligence, Surveillance, Target Acquisition and Reconnaissance (ISTAR) operational support, enhancing the decision cycle of the support force element, through the employment of its sensors.

The Shadow 200 TUAS replaces the ScanEagle which has been in operation since mid 2007.

Since being deployed to Afghanistan mid 2007 the ScanEagle has flown approximately 32,000 hours in Afghanistan and over 6,200 missions in support of the Reconstruction Task Force, Mentoring and Reconstruction Task Force, Mentoring Task Force, Combined Team Uruzgan and the Special Operations Task Group.

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FIRST DUAL-FREQUENCY SONAR FOR US NAVY

INDIA LAUNCHES LONG RANGE BALLISTIC MISSILE

he GPS III program will affordably replace aging GPS satellites while improving capability to meet the evolving needs of military, commercial and civilian users worldwide.

Raytheon Company has completed delivery of the electronics for the AN/SQQ-90 tactical sonar suite, the complex sonar for the first ship of the U.S. Navy's DDG 1000-class multimission destroyer. The AN/SQQ-90 tactical sonar suite, the first dual-frequency hullmounted sonar of the Navy's surface fleet, is a major advancement in undersea warfare capability and will provide broad warfighting coverage to DDG 1000.

Raytheon delivered the sonar electronics completely assembled and integrated into an Electronic Modular Enclosure (EME), an innovation to 21st century shipbuilding designed into the Zumwaltclass destroyer program for affordability. The EME delivers benefits not only in upfront integration and testing before delivery to the shipyard for ship installation, but also minimizes the footprint occupied onboard the ship (size and weight) and maximizes efficiencies in both power and cooling.

ndia set a new milestone in the Integrated Missile Development Programme, with maiden Long Range Ballistic Missile (LRBM) AGNI-V (A-5) successful flight test.

The flawless auto-launch of the missile took off from the launch pad at from south eastern coast of India. The missile, with a range of more than 5000 kms, followed the entire trajectory in copybook style perfection as the three stages of Propulsion dropped and fell at appropriate intervals into the Bay of Bengal. The three propulsion stages, developed completely indigenously by DRDO, performed exactly the way they were intended to. The indigenously developed Composite Rocket Motors performed well, signifying the country’s stride and complete self-reliance in this complex propulsion technology.

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ADVANCED PRECISION KILL WEAPON SYSTEM DEPLOYED TO AFGHANISTAN he Advanced Precision Kill Weapon System (APKWS), the latest weapon in the fight against insurgency forces, was recently approved for its first deployment by Headquarters Marine Corps. The APKWS, the U.S. government’s only program of record for the semi-active laser-guided 2.75-inch rocket, converts the Hydra 70mm unguided rocket into a precision guided munition through the addition of a mid-body guidance unit (WGU-59/B) developed by BAE Systems.

The APKWS is a “plug and play,” “point and shoot” weapon, and is fired like the unguided 2.75-inch rocket. The weapon is easily assembled by removing the warhead, attaching the guidance section to the rocket motor using existing threads, and then remounting the warhead to the guidance section. The weapon is shot with minimal instruction, as if it were an unguided rocket.

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NEW JV FOR LISC CONTRACT newly formed joint venture — IBL JV, LLC (IBL) — will bid on the U.S. Air Force Space Command’s planned Launch and Test Range System Integrated Support Contract, or LISC. The team, comprised of ITT Exelis, BAE Systems and L-3 , brings extensive experience in successful range operations and maintenance (O&M) and logistics. The joint venture teammates serve as the incumbents on the existing Air Force Spacelift Range System (SLRS) contract, delivering a strong combination of performance and value.

LISC will allow the Air Force to combine O&M and sustainment services of its Eastern and Western Ranges under a single contract. The move will effectively merge the Air Force’s SLRS contract, currently primed by Exelis, with the Eastern Range Technical Services and Western Range Operations Communications and Information contracts.

The LISC contract calls for program management, range O&M, sustaining engineering, logistics support and management, range instrumentation systems operations and engineering, hardware and software depot-level maintenance, downrange base operating support, and information assurance.

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JOINT POLAR SATELLITE SYSTEM CGS MILESTONE he Common Ground System (CGS) developed by Raytheon Company for the Joint Polar Satellite System (JPSS) achieved a major milestone with the successful download and delivery of Defense Meteorological Satellite Program (DMSP) data through McMurdo Station, Antarctica, to the Air Force Weather Agency (AFWA) in Omaha, Neb.

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NEXT ISSUE AUG/SEPT 2012: 3 AUG, ADVT: 18 JULY Maritime Patrol Aircraft: The naval forces patrol aircraft has always been a sort of Jack of all trades, including that of finding capsized leisure sailing boats. Its tasks now include a whole variety of side activities, including the detection of pirates, smugglers and sensitive island intruders. The wider type of airframes now available enables them to suit many a pocket.

Baseline Aircraft on Steroids: More than ever, flexibility is the word of the day and many operators or potential operators are eyeing the possibility of equipping standard aircraft – small or large – to enable to perform missions other than the ones they were originally designed for.

This goes from turning light (and even agricultural) and trainer aeroplanes into ground attack/support aircraft and even otherwise pedestrian transports into awesome gunships.

RAF VOYAGER AIRCRAFT MAIDEN FLIGHT he Airbus Military A330 Multi Role Tanker Transport has made its maiden flight in service with the UK Royal Air Force.

Known as the Voyager in RAF service, the aircraft took off from RAF Brize Norton for a training sortie around the United Kingdom to allow the AirTanker crew to familiarise themselves with the aircraft and achieve the first part of the Voyager crew training schedule.

The Voyager aircraft was delivered by Airbus Military to AirTanker, the company formed to operate and support the Voyager for the UK Ministry of Defence under the Future Strategic Transport Aircraft programme, at the end of last year.

The Voyager aircraft represents a new standard in tanker/transport technology and will provide the RAF with the world´s most advanced air-to-air refueling, passenger transport and aeromedical capability. As a modern and efficient aircraft, the Voyager is quieter and more fuel-efficient than any other aircraft currently based at RAF Brize Norton – the RAF´s primary transport/tanker base.

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Latest Electronic Rifle Sights: This new generation of sights can in fact be real fire control systems – particularly when applied to rifles carrying an underslung grenade launcher, but can also provide remote aiming to fire ‘round a corner, or even relay a target to a fellow soldier.

Show Report: SOFEX - A vivid report on the latest wares exhibited at this special operations equipment exhibition in Amman.

Drone Update: Just 550 identified drone types in 2005, but over 1500 by mid 2011. This regular column enables the reader to keep abreast with this ever-growing segment of the defence industry.

Compendium Tactical Radios: The much awaited Tactical Radios title returns with more focus on SDR and Cognitive Radios and Networks as well as coalition interoperability in the communications operational sphere. Ad hoc connectivity on and about the digital battlefield has for years been considered a networking panacea, but much that is obvious to some is never considered. Waveforms do come to the rescue in many applications but obviously hardware is still, even in a slower economic atmosphere, a major consideration. Many innovative ideas are being placed onto the table - some are being embraced, with new radios beginning to offer unmatched capabilities.

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