Download pdf - AMR July August 2014

www.asianmilitaryreview.com

VOLUME 22/ISSUE 4 JULY/AUGUST 2014 US$15

AA SS II AA PP AA CC II FF II CC ’’ SS LL AA RR GG EE SS TT CC II RR CC UU LL AA TT EE DD DD EE FF EE NN CC EE MM AA GG AA ZZ II NN EE

INFANTRY WEAPONSFRIGATES & DESTROYERSAIRBORNE EARLY WARNINGSATCOM

UNMANNED SURFACE VEHICLES

AIR DEFENCEUAV DIRECTORY

UNMANNED SURFACE VEHICLES

AIR DEFENCEUAV DIRECTORY

INFANTRY WEAPONSFRIGATES & DESTROYERSAIRBORNE EARLY WARNINGSATCOM

COVER July-Aug 14:AMR 6/30/14 3:22 PM Page 1

MISSILE DEFENSE2No nation can respond to tomorrow’s threats with yesterday’s technology. In missile defense,

that means being able to destroy warheads that can come one at a time or in mass raids. Whether carried on ballistic or cruise missiles. Launched from nearby or great distances. Only one technology — hit-to-kill — provides that capability. Lockheed Martin is the leader in HTK

technology. Currently deployed by the U.S., THAAD and the combat-proven PAC-3 missile deliver a formidable missile defense shield against weapons of mass destruction and emerging threats.

www.lockheedmartin.com/missiledefense

ad check AMR:AMR 7/2/14 10:40 AM Page 1

JULY/AUGUST 2014VOLUME 22 / ISSUE 4

ContentsContents

Front Cover Photo:The open nose of a LockheedMartin F-16C/D Fighting Falconmulti-role combat aircraftshowing its Raytheon AdvancedCombat Radar with which it isequipping the same aircraft ofthe Republic of Korea Air Force,as this month’s Pulse columnexplains © RACR (Raytheon)

Shipshape AndBristol FashionUK-based naval affairs journalistEdward Hooton takes adetailed look at the myriad ofdevelopments in the frigate anddestroyer procurement and upgrademarkets in the Asia-Pacific.

26

I Can See For Miles And MilesAsian Military Review editor Thomas Withington takes the temperature of theglobal Airborne Early Warning market and finds it to be in good health, withdemand particularly strong in the Asia-Pacific region.

14

Brothers In ArmsThe optical and armamenttechnologies available forinfantry troops are moving at afast pace with numerous newtechnologies equipping thesoldier, as United Kingdom-based defence journalistPeter Donaldson finds out.

50

58

Keeping A Low ProfileSatellite Communications providenew capabilities for military vehicles,enabling them handle large quanti-ties of communications traffic at vastdistances, as Asian Military Revieweditor Thomas Withington explains.

64

Pushing The Boat OutUnited Kingdom-based defencejournalist Claire Apthorpexplores the Unmanned SurfaceVehicles domain and discoverssome interesting developmentsin the Asia-Pacific.

20

We Are The RobotsBianca Siccardi, an aviationjournalist based in Italy, outlinessome of the recent developments inthe world of Unmanned AerialVehicles (UAVs) in the Asian MilitaryReview’s annual UAV Directory.

33

Sanitising The SkiesRetired United States NavyCaptain and Louisiana baseddefence journalist Marty Kauchakdelves into the world ofmedium-range ground-basedair defence to uncoversome interesting programmesin the Asia-Pacific.

Thomas Withington, AMR’s editor, provides a digest of the latest developmentsin the military radar, communications and electronic warfare domains.

06PULSE

l JULY/AUGUST 2014 l 03

Content & Edit July-Aug 14:AMR 6/30/14 5:21 PM Page 3

Editor: Thomas WithingtonTel: (33) 562 271 697, E-mail: [email protected]

Publishing Office:Chairman: J.S. Uberoi

Media Transasia Ltd, 1205 Hollywood Centre,233 Hollywood Road, Sheung Wan, Hong Kong. Tel: (852) 2815 9111, Fax: (852) 2815 1933

Operations Office:President: Egasith Chotpakditrakul

Sr. Manager International Marketing: Vishal MehtaManager Marketing: Jakhongir Djalmetov Assistant Manager: Prateek Singh

Sales & Marketing Coordinator: Atul BaliCreative Director: Bipin Kumar Assistant Art Director: Ajay Kumar

Production Manager: Kanda Thanakornwongskul Group Circulation Manager: Porames ChinwongsMedia Transasia Thailand Ltd. 75/8, 14th Floor, Ocean Tower II, Soi Sukhumvit 19,

Sukhumvit Road, Klongtoeynue, Wattana, Bangkok 10110, Thailand.Tel: 66 (0)-2204 2370, Fax: 66 (0)-2204 2390 -1

Subscription InformationASIAN MILITARY REVIEW can be obtained

by subscription. Subscription rate for one year(8 issues) is U.S.$ 100.00 Readers should

contact the following address:

Subscription Department,Media Transasia Ltd.

1205, Hollywood Centre,233, Hollywood Road, Sheung Wan, Hong Kong.

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

AAuuddiitt BBuurreeaauu ooff CCiirrccuullaattiioonnss

Editorial

Tony Blair, the United Kingdom’s formerprime minister and a key supporter of theUnited States-led 2003 military operation toremove dictator Saddam Hussein and his

regime from its control of Iraq declared in mid-June 2014 that it was “absurd” toblame the actions of the US-led coalition in ousting Mr. Hussein as responsible forcreating the current crisis in Iraq. The latest twist of this country’s unhappy historyhas seen the ISIS (Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant) Islamist insurgent groupmake significant territorial gains in northwestern Iraq and eastern Syria. The advance of ISIS reached crisis point in June 2014 as the movement’s armed militias occupied several major Iraqi cities and appeared to be threatening the capital Baghdad. Despite training and mentoring from the US armed forces, and the provision of advanced defence equipment, the Iraqi armed forces, particularly thearmy, has shown itself to be unable to prevent the rapid advanced of ISIS. Mr. Blair’s comments were greeted with widespread disbelief in the UnitedKingdom. Claire Short, a former minister for international development in Mr. Blair’scabinet condemned his comments as “consistently wrong, wrong, wrong.” Such condemnations may have been a factor prompting Mr. Blair to pen an editorial in theFinancial Times on 22 June 2014 in which he argued that; “the Iraq of 2014 bears, inpart, the imprint of the removal of Saddam Hussein eleven years ago.”It seems to your editor that the decision to disband the Iraqi military and the country’s security apparatus in May 2003 by the Coalition Provisional Authority(CPA), the caretaker government of Iraq following the removal of Mr. Hussein misguided at best, and cavalier at worst. This action created a security vacuum thatCoalition troops were never able to fully fill. Undoubtedly a very significant numberof individuals within the security apparatus had blood on their hands as a result ofyears of Mr. Hussein’s murderous rule, but the CPA’s main priority after the invasion should have been to establish law and order. Arrests and prosecutions ofthose responsible for state-sponsored killing and torture should have occurred oncethe security situation stabilised, much as they did in Germany following the end ofthe Second World War. This security vacuum has brought widespread lawlessness which has allowed sectarian hatred, organised crime and corruption to flourish. Iraqi civilians, whomhave been slain in their thousands since 2003, must now face the prospect of morebloodshed unless the ISIS can be stopped. Mr. Blair said in March 2003, on the eveof the invasion of Iraq, that he was “prepared to be judged by history,” regardingthe rights and wrongs of his decision to support the removal of Saddam Hussein.Ten years after the invasion of Iraq, history appears to be teaching Tony Blair some hard lessons.

TThhoommaass WWiitthhiinnggttoonn,, EEddiittoorr

Editorial

04 l ASIAN MILITARY REVIEW l

Index of AdvertisersAMR DIGITAL 32AVALON 41CASSIDIAN 5EMBRAER 9EURONAVAL 77GENERAL ATOMICS 39GSA SINGAPORE 73IDEAS PAKISTAN 55IDEX 57IMDEX SINGAPORE 63INDO DEFENCE 49L3 MMA 13L3 WECAM 35LAAD BRAZIL 75LAND FORCES AUSTRALIA COVER 3LIMA MALAYSIA 71LOCKHEED MARTIN COVER 2MAN DIESEL 11NARDA 7NORTHROP GRUMMAN 45RAYTHEON COVER 4SAAB 25SEOUL AIRSHOW 69TEXTRON 19THYSSENKRUPP 29TRIJICON 53ZHUHAI AIRSHOW 67

Advertising OfficesAustraliaPeter Stevens, Publisher’s InternationaléTel: (61) 8 9389 6601Email: [email protected] W. BontjeTel: (41) 79 635 2621Email: [email protected]/SpainStephane de Remusat, REM InternationalTel: (33) 5 3427 0130E-Mail: [email protected]/Austria/Switzerland/Italy/UKSam Baird, Whitehill MediaTel: (44-1883) 715 697 Mobile: (44-7770) 237 646E-Mail: [email protected] Heiblum, Oreet - International MediaTel: (97 2) 3 570 6527E-Mail: [email protected] Europe/Greece/TurkeyZena CoupéTel: +44 1923 852537, [email protected] Countries/South AfricaEmanuela Castagnetti-GillbergTel: (46) 31 799 9028E-Mail: [email protected] Saeed, Solutions Inc.,Tel/Fax: (92 21) 3439 5105 Mobile: (92) 300 823 8200E-Mail: [email protected] Butova, NOVO-Media Ltd,Tel/Fax: (7 3832) 180 885 Mobile : (7 960) 783 6653Email :[email protected] KoreaYoung Seoh Chinn, Jes Media Inc.Tel: (82-2) 481 3411/13E-Mail: [email protected] (East/South East)/CanadaMargie Brown, Blessall Media LLC.Tel : (+1 540) 341 7581Email: [email protected] (West/South West)/BrazilDiane Obright, Blessall Media LLC.Tel : (+1 540) 341 7581Email: [email protected] Other CountriesVishal Mehta, Media Transasia India LimitedTel: (91) 124 4759625, Fax: (91) 124 4759550 E-Mail: [email protected] Djalmetov, Media Transasia India LimitedTel: (91) 124 4759539, Fax: (91) 124 4759550 E-Mail: [email protected]

CARRYING HISTORY’SHEAVY BURDEN

Content & Edit July-Aug 14:AMR 6/30/14 5:21 PM Page 4

Airbus Military, Astrium and Cassidian joinforces for the success of your critical missions.www.airbusdefenceandspace.com

One mission, one team, one direction.


l ASIAN MILITARY REVIEW l06

PULSEbbyy Thomas Withington

RadarSaab unveiled a host of new radars during apresentation at the headquarters of the compa-ny’s radar business in Gothenburg, on the westcoast of Sweden on 12 May 2014. The new radarsare using Gallium Nitride (GaN) technology fortheir semiconductors. This material is particularlygood at tolerating high levels of transmit poweramplification and heat which, in performanceterms, equates to longer radar detection ranges andan improved ability to see small targets.

The firm launched several new products in the S-band (2.3-2.5/2.7-3.7 gigahertz/GHz), C-band (5.25-5.925GHz) and X-band (8.5-10.68GHz) frequencies.“We believe that these new products will give usthe most complete radar portfolio in the world,”says Anders Linder, the company’s vice presi-dent and head of its surface radar solutionsbusiness unit. Saab’s new S-band family ofradars includes the Giraffe-4A and Giraffe-8A ground-based air surveillance, and theSea Giraffe-4A naval surveillance systems.The Giraffe-4A is a “true multifunctionradar”, according to Mr. Linder, perform-ing air surveillance, weapons location andsense-and-warn functions. This radar pro-vides three-dimensional air surveillanceusing 15 stacked beams which provide up

to 70 degrees of elevation surveillance. In air search mode, theradar has a range of up to 151 nautical miles (280 kilometres),whereas in weapons location mode it can detect targets at 54nm(100km) range. Up to 1000 tracks can be monitored by the radarin air surveillance mode while, when performing weapons loca-tion, circa 100 targets per minute can be monitored. The Giraffe-8A can perform air surveillance and ground-based air defence. InX-band, the firm has launched the Giraffe-1X which it dubs a typ-ical short-range air defence radar which can be mounted on afour-wheel drive vehicle. It can be used for camp protectionagainst rocket, artillery and mortar fire. With a range of 40nm(70km) the Giraffe-1X can monitor up to circa 100 air targets orcirca 200 surface targets. Using twelve stacked beams, this radarprovides elevation coverage of 70 degrees.

In the naval domain, the new Sea Giraffe-1X is a three-dimen-sional Active Electronically Scanned Array (AESA) radar per-forming surface detection and air surveillance, and is intended forsmall naval combatants given its antenna size of around onesquare metre (ten square feet). With a range of 54nm (100km), theSea Giraffe-1X can monitor circa 100 air targets and 200 surfacetargets. Meanwhile, the new Sea Giraffe-AMB is a three-dimen-sional, C-band radar which can perform medium-range air andsurface surveillance. It has an instrumented range of 97nm(180km) and can monitor around 200 air targets and up to 400 sur-

face targets, offering 70 degrees of elevation. Finally theSea Giraffe-4A 3D radar has a AESA antenna and hasbeen purchased, with deliveries expected to com-mence in the 2016, although Saab declined to namecustomers for the radar. In terms of performance,the Sea Giraffe-4A has a range of 189nm (350km)and 70 degrees elevation coverage. Moreover,both the Giraffe-1X and Sea Giraffe-1X are readyfor delivery in the 2016 timeframe, and the com-pany is currently seeking customers. Likewise,the Giraffe-8A is in industrialisation and couldbe delivered from 2017. In April 2014, the Republic of Korea (RoK)

announced its intention to purchase up to ten airsurveillance radars to provide low-altitude cover-age for the detection of Unmanned AerialVehicles (UAVs), according to local pressreports. The reports added that the countryis expected to spend up to $191 million onthe acquisition. The RoK governmenthopes to finalise the purchase by the end of2014, with a view to the deployment ofthe radars from 2015. Although the gov-ernment is yet to commit to a specificradar type, local media reports specifiedthat RoK officials had visited Israel appar-ently expressing an interest in that coun-try’s RADA Electronics RPS-42 S-band

Saab has made sales of its Sea Giraffe-4A navalsurveillance radar, which is one of a host of newradar products launched by the company in May2014. Deliveries of this radar are expected tocommence in 2016, although the customer hasnot been named © Saab

Alongside the Sea Giraffe-4A, another of the new productslaunched by Saab in May 2014 is the Giraffe-1X mobile airsurveillance radar which can perform the tactical detection of airtargets as well as hostile rocket, artillery and mortar fire © Saab

Pulse:AMR 6/30/14 3:27 PM Page 2

(2.3-2.5/2.7-3.7 gigahertz) surveillance radar as a possible solution tothis requirements. The RPS-42 can detect aerial targets at up to 30000feet (9144 metres) altitude at a range of circa 16nm (30km). Coverageis achieved using four individual plates mounted in such a fashion soas to deliver 90 degrees of azimuth and 80 degrees of elevation cover-age using AESA antennae.

Looking towards Europe, the Aeronautica Militare (Italian AirForce) will declare the Initial Operational Capability for its new CARS(Combined Air Operations Centre, Air Operations Centre, RecognisedAir Picture Production Centre and Sensor Fusion Post) located atPoggio Renatico air base in northeast Italy by the end of 2014, accord-ing to Colonel Arturo Cattel, commander of the Italian Air OperationCentre at the joint Italian Air Force/North Atlantic TreatyOrganisation (NATO) base. Col. Cattel was speaking during an officialvisit by the author to the facility inMay 2014. The CARS is designed forstrategic air operations planning and execution, and for the commandof tactical air operations using ThalesRaytheonSystems’ Air Commandand Control System (ACCS) hardware and software as its core. TheACCS architecture is being rolled out across NATO’s continentalEuropean membership and is replacing a number of diverse legacynational and deployable air command and control systems currentlyused by the alliance’s membership. ACCS federates a nation’s radarpictures to form a single, national Recognised Air Picture (RAP). ForItaly, ACCS will federate radar imagery gathered by multiple civil andmilitary radars including the Italian Air Force’s Selex RAT-31 andLockheed Martin AN/FPS-117 medium-range ground-based air sur-veillance radars and the MPR radar located at the Poggio Renaticobase, which is earmarked to be replaced by a new RAT-31 radar in2015. This RAP can in turn be shared at the NATO level with air com-manders based at 15 ACCS sites currently in installation and test across

ThalesRaytheonSystems’ DARS is in service with NATO. The DARS is housed atPoggio Renatico airbase in north-west Italy © ThalesRaytheonSystems

Narda Safety Test Solutions GmbHSandwiesenstrasse 772793 Pfullingen, GermanyTel. +49 7121 97 32 [email protected]

Rapidly identify, precisely analyze, easily evaluate and intelligently localize interference in the radio spectrum.

• Extremely fast: 12 GHz/s• Super light: < 3 kg• Impressively sensitive: NF7dB• I/Q-Analyzer: Real-time

in-field analysis · 1 µs spectrogram resolution· Persistence display

IDA 2: Dive deep into interference analysis

nPulse:AMR 6/30/14 3:27 PM Page 3


NATO, with at least ten additional ACCS sites planned in thefuture. The Italian Air Force expects to declare the FullOperational Capability for the CARS by December 2015. In addi-tion, the base in Italy hosts the ACCS Deployable Air OperationsCentre, Recognised Air Picture Production Centre and SensorFusion Post (DARS) which can be used to provide the commandand control of tactical air defence operations for NATO out-of-area operations, or for specific events such as a high-level politicalsummit, or a major sporting occasion. The DARS is now opera-tional and has enabled NATO to perform its first deployment ofthis expeditionary capability to Rivolto airbase, also in northwestItaly in March 2014.In the air domain, Raytheon has provided Pulse with new

details regarding its roadmap for the integration of its new X-band Raytheon Advanced Combat Radar or ‘RACR’ (the ‘coverstar’ of this issue) onto the Lockheed Martin F-16C/D Block-50/52 Fighting Falcon Multi-Role Combat Aircraft (MRCA). In2013, the Republic of Korea Air Force (RoKAF) selected the RACRto upgrade its 118 F-16C/D aircraft and to replace the NorthropGrumman AN/APG-68 pulse Dopplar radars which they

currently use. The RACR employs an Active ElectronicallyScanned Array (AESA) and the radar uses architecture developedfor the company’s APG-79 and APG-82 radars equipping theBoeing F/A-18E/F Super Hornet and Boeing F-15E Strike EagleMRCA respectively. According to Jim Hvizd, vice president ofbusiness development for Raytheon’s space and airborne systemsbusiness, the first RACR radars will be delivered to BAE Systems,the prime contractor for the overall RoKAF F-16 upgrade, forflight tests in 2016, with Raytheon expected to complete its con-tract in 2020. In terms of the work that it will undertake as part ofthe contract, “The scope includes AESA radar integration, pro-duction of test assets for the system design and development pro-gramme and production of the radar.”Finally, United States radar specialists SpotterRF announced

on 20 May 2014 that its new Shield Mobile radar is now availablefor government and commercial customers. Designed to enhanceperimeter security, this X-band radar is intended to supplementsecurity cameras to provide detection of people at ranges ofbetween 130-850m (426-2788ft) depending on the radar model,and vehicles at up to 1500m (4921ft), although Logan Harris, thechief executive officer of SpotterRF, says that “the C550 variant isable to track a small helicopter at a range of 0.8nm (1.5km)”. TheShield Mobile series includes three models, the C20, C40 and theC550, each of which scan their area of interest seven times per sec-ond and provide information regarding range, velocity, angle ofelevation and bearing.Czech Republic passive radar specialists ERA have been

awarded a contract by NATO to supply two of its Vera-NG pas-sive radars to the alliance. The Vera-NG uses Passive EmitterTracking (PET) and Passive Coherent Location (PCL). The formertracks an aircraft based upon the Radio Frequency (RF) emissionsfrom its Identification Friend or Foe transponder, communica-tions and datalinks, Distance Measuring Equipment/Tactical AirNavigation System, and its surveillance equipment. The processof PET detects these emissions and determines the location of theaircraft by triangulation. The advantage of passive radar is thatthe radar itself does not have to transmit a pulse to generate anecho from a target. It is this pulse transmission which can betraya radar’s presence to an Electronic Surveillance Measure, or to ananti-radiation missile. The PCL approach tracks disturbances thataerial targets cause to existing RF emissions already in the ethersuch as television and radio traffic, and cellphone transmissions.Once again, a process of triangulation allows the user to deter-mine the position of the flying object. Vera-NG is capable of per-forming the three-dimensional detection of air targets across a 360degree radius. It can then share its target information with otherusers via the ASTERIX (All Purpose Structured EurocontrolSurveillance Information Exchange) and AWCIES (Air Commandand Control System Wide Common Information ExchangesStandards protocols). On 12 May 2014, NATO signed a contractwith ERA to acquire two Vera-NG systems. According to a writ-ten statement from the company, the first will be delivered by

PULSE

NATO has procured two Vera-NG passive radars from Czech defenceelectronics specialists ERA. These radars will equip NATO’s DeployableAir Operations Centre, Recognised Air Picture Production Centre andSensor Fusion Post © ERA


A new era of military transport has begun. Stronger and faster.

The KC-390 represents the beginning of a new era in military transport. It́ s a multi-mission, rugged,

easily-operated aircraft that will establish new standards for speed and capacity in its category,

as well as representing the lowest life-cycle cost in the market. The KC-390 is an innovative project

designed to meet the demanding requirements of the Brazilian Air Force, using Embraer’s experience of

over 40 years. Embraer is committed to offering the best integrated solutions in defense and security to

protect people, territories and assets.


November 2016, with the second delivery occurring before April2017. They will be deployed at the Aeronautica Militaire (ItalianAir Force) air base at Poggio Renatico in northwest Italy wherethey will be used as part of the DARS (see above).

Kazakhstan is due to receive several new air surveillanceradars following an announcement by Thales on 23 May 2014 thatit had signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Kazakhdefence electronics concern SKTB Granit. The two companiesformed a Joint Venture called Granit Thales Electronics in 2012.This joint venture will yield the Kazakh Air Force (KAF) 20 S-band GM-403 transportable variants of the GM-400 radar.Available in the mobile GM-403 and fixed GM-406 versions, theradar has a range of 250nm (470km). All 20 radars are expected tobe delivered by 2025 to the KAF. Details are scant regarding theradars currently used by the KAF to be replaced by the GM-403s,although it is thought that they could supersede the P-18 two-dimensional Very High Frequency (VHF-133-144/216-225 mega-hertz) radars used for air surveillance which have a range of135nm (250km), and a 114829ft (35000m) ceiling with up to 15degrees of elevation.

Tactical RadioUnited States-based defence electronics specialist Exelis wasawarded on 10 April 2014 for a five-year indefinite quantity,indefinite supply contract to furnish the US Army with radioappliqués to run the Soldier Radio Waveform (SRW). The con-tract was awarded by the US Army Contracting Command. TheSRW is one of several waveforms which will equip the new tac-tical radio architecture being rolled out across the US Army, AirForce, Navy and Marine Corps as part of the extensively-restruc-tured Joint Tactical Radio System (JTRS) initiative. The SRW willbe delivered in the form of the company’s SideHat product.SideHat is a hardware enhancement which can outfit existingvehicle, hand-held, airborne and manpack VHF radios carryingthe Single Channel Ground and Airborne Radio System (SINC-GARS) waveform. SideHat enables these radios to carry voice,imagery and data traffic across Ultra High Frequency (UHF)bands of 225-450 megahertz (MHz) and across the L-band. TheSideHat carries the SRW 1.1.1.1 software release. According toTim White, communications director for Exelis’ night vision andcommunications solutions, this allows SINCGARS-equippedradios to use “a secure second channel solution capable of run-ning the Exelis-developed SRW”. The contract will run for fiveyears, with one additional five-year option. However, Mr. Whiteadds that at the time of writing (June 2014) “the specific numbersor quantities (of the SideHats covered by this con-tract) to be delivered are unknown at this time.”

Looking towards Europe, defence electronicsspecialists Sagem of France is delivering new RIF-NG (Réseau d’Information du Fantassin deNouvelle Génération/New Generation InfantryInformation Network) Personal Role Radios to the

Armée de Terre (FrenchArmy). The RIF-NG forms a key part of theFELIN (Fantassin à Équipement et Liaisons Intégrés/IntegratedInfantryman Equipment and Communications) soldier systembeing rolled out across the force, which is also produced by Sagem.The RIF-NG, which is an upgrade of the legacy RIF system origi-nally accompanying the FELIN ensemble, is a UHF radio operatingin the 800MHz frequency band, and the company is delivering upto 15,000 examples as part of the FELIN programme. The improve-ments currently being performed by Sagem will see the radio’srange being increased to circa 1.4km (0.8 miles), as opposed to the0.8km (0.5 miles) range of the previous RIF system, and the ability

of the radio to act as a relay to extend aninfantry’s squad’s communications coverage. Inaddition, the company is installing RIF-NG setsinto French Army Nexter VBCI (Véhicule Blindéde Combat d’Infanterie/Armoured InfantryFighting Vehicles) andVAB (Véhicule de l’AvantBlindé/Armoured Vanguard Vehicle) platforms,

Sagem isdelivering new

RIF-NG PersonalRole Radios to

the French Army

Pakistan’s National Radio and Telecom Corporation is upgrading severalthousand AN/PRC-77 Very High Frequency man-portable tacticalradios. This work is being done for the armies of Pakistan and SaudiArabia © Wikimedia Commons


PULSE




to allow communications between a squad of FELIN-equippedtroops and the vehicle itself. Both the FELIN squad commanderand the vehicles perform communications with higher echelonsof command using their Thales PR4G F@stNet handheld andvehicular VHF radios.Military telecommunications specialists were well represent-

ed at the 2014 Defence and Security Asia (DSA) exhibition in theMalaysian capital Kuala Lumpur during April 2014. NRTC(National Radio and Telecom Corporation) of Pakistan is updat-ing the AN/PRC-77 Very High Frequency man-portable tacticalradio with a new back end which will give the radio another 15years of life, according to representatives of the firm speaking toPulse at the exhibition. Modifications being performed on thisradio by the company include the ability for it to handle between19 and 65 kilobits-per-second of data and provide up to 1840channels at 25 kilohertz-per-channel. Although NTRC providesproprietary encryption for the radio, users can add their ownencryption if so desired. Currently, the firm is delivering upgrad-ed AN/PRC-77s to the Pakistan Army, with over 10000 suppliedto date, from a total order size of 33000 transceivers. It says thatit can upgrade up to 1000 radios per year. In addition to the orderfrom Pakistan, NTRC is supplying up to 7000 upgraded PRC-77sto the Saudi Arabian armed forces, with a contract to this effectrecently signed. Deliveries to the kingdom are expected to becompleted within the next five years. Beyond Pakistan and SaudiArabia, the company adds that it is seeing interest in the upgrad-ed AN/PRC-77 from Indonesia.US-based defence communications specialists Harris have

unveiled several new airborne radios, two of which, the RF-7850A-UA and RF-7850A-MR, are geared towards international markets.The RF-7850A-UA Unmanned Aircraft Radio is designed to

equip Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs), and offers both wide-band and narrowband VHF/UHF communications in the 30-512MHz range. Offering voice and data communications, thewideband characteristics of the RF-7850A-UA enable the radio totransmit video imagery to users on the ground, given that theradio can offer up to 1.2MHz of channel bandwidth. The radioallows UAVs to act as a communications relay for troops on theground. The RF-7850A-UA offers combat-proven Citadel/AESencryption. By contrast, inhabited aircraft for nations outside theUnited States use Harris’ RF-7850A-MR Airborne Multi-channelRadio. This product is believed to be the first airborne radio tooffer two simultaneous channels for voice and data. The dual-channel capability allows air crews to communicate with bothground forces and commanders at the same time. This is a multi-band radio with Citadel encryption, offering access to both VHFand UHF frequencies for narrowband and wideband communi-cations and channel bandwidths of up to 1.2MHz. The radio oper-ates the Harris Adaptive Networking Wideband Waveform.According to Jim Kaszubowski, product line manager for interna-tional airborne radios at the company, “These radios are designedwith the proven technology that we have used in our Falcon IIIfamily of radios for land forces. We have used a common core forthe development of all of these radios.” As a result, Harris is ableto migrate technology from platform to platform inexpensively.“These radios will be upgraded and modernised in lock-step withthe radios which we produce for land forces.”

Electronic WarfareUS defence electronics specialist ATK was awarded a contract inearly May 2014 to equip the Republic of Korea Army’s BellHelicopter AH-1S Cobra attack helicopters with the company’sAAR-47 Missile Approach Warning System and BAE Systems’AN/ALE-47 countermeasures dispenser. According to BillKasting, vice president and general manager of ATK DefenseElectronic Systems, installation of the first of these systems willcommence by October 2014. In terms of the completion of theinstallation, Mr. Kasting continues that the “contract period of per-formance is one year from the contract award on 16 April 2014,and ATK’s scope of workwill include installation, integration, test,certification and logistics support.” The baseline AN/AAR-47 usesinfrared sensing to detect an incoming missile’s exhaust, althoughlater versions incorporate a laser warning sensor (AN/AAR-47(V)2), ultraviolet light detection (AN/AAR-47A(V)2) and theability to detect incoming Rocket Propelled Grenades and tracerfire (AN/AAR-47B(V)2). The AN/ALE-47 can be used alongsidethe AN/AAR-47 family, along with several other products, as wellas a range of radar and laser warning receivers and jammers.Other AN/AAR-47 operators in the Asia-Pacific region includeMalaysia, New Zealand, Singapore and Taiwan.

BAE Systems’ AN/ALE-47 countermeasures dispenser is seen hereadorning a United States Navy Lockheed Martin P-3C Orion maritimepatrol aircraft and will equip the Bell Helicopter AH-1S helicoptergunships of the Republic of Korea Army © US Navy

PULSE



One key factor is driving for-ward the market forAirborne Early Warning(AEW) aircraft. Chiefly,they are being purchased on

the back of new Multi-Role CombatAircraft (MRCA) acquisitions. It is onething having a fleet of shiny new MRCAs,but quite another to have the ability tocommand and direct these aircraft to tar-gets in the air and on the ground. In a nut-

shell, an AEW platform allows the man-agement of the air campaign and thedetection of threats at range. The Asia-Pacific according to Avascent, a consultan-cy based in Washington DC, is potentiallythe biggest market for new AEW aircraftin the next few years accounting for two-thirds of all AEW spending by 2020. Tothis end, the company expects the globalAEW market to grow from $1.2 billionannually in 2014 to $1.9 billion by 2020.

IndiaIn May 2014 local press reports in Indiastated that the country’s air force wouldcomplete its solicitation of bids from ven-dors to satisfy a requirement for newAEWaircraft by July 2014. India’s Centre forAirborne Systems, part of its DefenceResearch and Development Organisation(DRDO), launched the tender for the newaircraft in March 2014. The DRDO is sup-plying the aircraft’s radar which will beplaced in a ten metre (32 feet) diameterradome atop of the aircraft’s fuselage.

Essentially India is seeking six aircraftto accommodate the radar and has invitedseveral companies to tender for the pro-curement including Airbus, Boeing,Bombardier, Dassault, Saab and theUnited Aircraft Corporation of Russia.The winning design could enter servicewith the DRDO’s new radar in the 2020-2025 timeframe to complete the Indian AirForce’s (IAF’s) desired 20-strong AEWfleet intended to provide full surveillanceof the country’s air approaches. Currentlythe IAF uses six Beriev A-50EI planes out-fitted with the Israel Aerospace Industries


Beyond the Airborne Early Warning platforms offered bymanufacturers in the United States, Saab’s Erieye radar has soldwell around the world, equipping a wide range of countries andan array of turboprop and turbofan transports © Saab Group

I CAN SEE FORMILES AND MILESNever before has the customer enjoyed suchan enviable choice as regards AirborneEarly Warning aircraft. Procurements andupgrades of such planes and helicopters areongoing in several areas around the world,including the Asia-Pacific.

bbyy Thomas Withington

E A R L Y W A R N I N GAA II RRBBOORRNNEE

AEW:AMR 6/30/14 3:34 PM Page 2

Elta Systems L-band (1.215-1.4 gigahertz)EL/W-2090 Phalcon AEW radar. Beyondthe tendering process which is expected toconclude in July 2014, the country is in theprocess of installing a second AEW sys-tem onboard three Embraer EMB-145J air-liners which it has purchased. This S-band(2.3-2.5/2.7-3.7 gigahertz) radar will havea range of up to 162 nautical miles (300kilometres) according to according toDRDO officials with whom the authorconversed at the 2013 Korea Aerospaceand Defence Exhibition.

IsraelThe L-band Phalcon radar is not the onlyAEW radar product in the Elta Systemsstable. Other wares include the L-bandand S-band EL/W-2085 radar which pro-vides full 360-degree coverage using L-band antennae positioned on the nose andtail of the aircraft, and S-band antennae oneach side of the fuselage. The AeronauticaMilitaire (Italian Air Force) has orderedtwo EL/W-2085 radars onboard the samenumber of Gulftstream G550 business jet,both of which are expected to be deliveredto Italy by late 2015. Israel also operatesthe G550-EL/W-2085 combination and hasfour aircraft to this end. Business jets such

as the G550 are becoming attractive forAEW operators as they offer high per-formance speed, altitude and range, andhigh levels of crew comfort on long sorties,thus aiding concentration.

Swedish SensibilityBrazil is one user of Saab’s S-band 280nm(450km) Erieye AEW radar. In May 2014 itwas reported that the Força AéreaBrasileira (Brazilian Air Force) hasreceived the first of five of its AEW air-craft, designated locally as Embraer E-99,which have been cycled through anupgrade to improve the radar’s signal pro-cessing via software enhancements. Oncethe aircraft have been upgraded they arereturned to service and re-designated asthe E-99M. The aircraft will soon bepressed into service providing air surveil-lance for the World Cup football finals

which Brazil is hosting from June 2014. Allfive aircraft are expected to complete theupgrade by 2017. Several Erieye radars arein service around the world notably withBrazil, Greece, Mexico, Pakistan, Sweden,Thailand and the United Arab Emirates.The radar uses an Active ElectronicallyScanned Array (AESA) comprising hun-dreds of Transmit/Receive (T/R) moduleswhich enables it to perform a wide arrayof missions simultaneously, given thatthese T/R modules can be individuallytasked to perform specific functions suchas air-to-air and air-to-surface surveil-lance. Erik Winberg, responsible for mar-keting and sales of the Erieye radar atSaab, says that the company has one stan-dard baseline design for the Erieye designwhich is continually improved, “by usingthe concept of spiral development … Thisprocess ensures that each customerobtains the latest technologies and thateach subsystem remains mature.” Oneinteresting dimension to Saab’s designphilosophy, as far as the Erieye is con-cerned, is the use of a comparatively smallairframe rather than the larger airliner andfreighter airframes used by some of thecompany’s competitors. “(The radar isdesigned) to be used with medium size


Israel’s EL/W-2090 Airborne Early Warning radar outfits theGulftstream G550 aircraft operated by the Israeli Air Force.Italy has also procured this aircraft and will take delivery oftwo planes © Thomas Withington

In May 2014 pressreports stated that

India would sooncomplete it solicitation

of bids for new AEWplatforms

E A R L Y W A R N I N GAA IIRRBBOORRNNEE


regional commuter-type airliners,” intend-ed to minimise the customer’s operatingcosts, Mr. Winberg continues. Secondly,Saab’s home country of Sweden and itssparse population has had a further influ-ence on the Erieye’s design philosophy:“Sweden is a small country with a smallpopulation. This means that we have todesign smart solutions with high perform-ance requiring only few people to operateand maintain. We call it ‘small footprint’both with regards to organisational needsas well as operating costs.”Saab has been the dominant European

provider of AEW platforms since thedebut of its Erieye radar. However, Airbusis promoting its airborne early warningproduct based upon the company’s C-295turboprop freighter equipped with an EltaSystems radar housed in a radome abovethe aircraft’s fuselage. Flight tests com-menced in 2011 using a C-295 equippedwith a radome and representative weightsto mimic the radar’s installation.However, over the last year few reportshave emerged regarding this initiative,and it is entirely possible that it may bestationary pending a customer which canbring the funds required to complete theradar’s installation, and testing onboardthe aircraft, prior to its entry into service.

All-American AEWOf course one of the most famous names inAEW is ‘AWACS’, translated as theAirborne Warning and Control System,which gave the United States Air Force(USAF), North Atlantic TreatyOrganisation (NATO), the Royal Air Force(RAF) and the Armeé de l’Air(AdlA/French Air Force) a quantum leapin their abilities to detect hostile aircraftand to command and control air opera-tions during the later stages of the ColdWar. Since then the AN/APY-1/2 series of

radars which these aircraft accommodatehave furnished other air forces not in suchclose proximity to the East-West Cold Warcauldron with its Central European focalpoint, but with their own important securi-ty concerns nonetheless. To this end, SaudiArabia and Japan followed the example oftheir Western allies, with the Royal SaudiAir Force (RSAF) procuring the Boeing KE-

3A, itself based on that company’s 707 air-liner outfitted with Northrop Grumman’sS-band AN/SPY-1 radar.The E-3 series of aircraft which carry

the AN/SPY-1/2 radar family are in serv-ice around the world in several combina-tions. The USAF and RAF both use the E-3C; although confusingly the RAF alsodesignate their aircraft as the E-3D. TheAdlA have followed the RAF’s example,operating the E-3C, but designating theaircraft the E-3F. In addition to its E-3Cplatforms, the USAF also operates someE-3Bs, while the Japan Air Self DefenceForce (JASDF) operates the Boeing E-767which, unsurprisingly, is based on thecompany’s 767 airliner. Both KE-3A andE-3B aircraft have the AN/SPY-1 radar,while the E-3C uses the AN/SPY-2. Bothradars are housed in the same distinctivemushroom-shaped radomes and have arange in the order of 215nm (400km).Moreover, both radars have been upgrad-ed through the joint NATO/USAF RadarSustainability Improvement Programme(RSIP). The RSIP adds commercial off-the-shel computing components to the radar’sback end, alters some of the radar’s soft-ware language and improves its resist-ance to countermeasures, along withquickening its brain through enhance-


The United States Navy is now taking delivery of the Northrop Grumman E-2DAdvanced Hawkeye Airborne Early Warning aircraft which is equipped withthe Lockheed Martin AN/APY-9 radar © Northrop Grumman

Saab has been thedominant European

provider ofAEW platforms since

the debut of itsErieye radar



ments to its signal processing. The RSIP isan important initiative, given that manyE-3 customers expect their aircraft to con-tinue service up to circa 2035. NorthropGrumman is leading the RSIP which willbe completed by the end of 2015 with thefinal improvements being rolled outacross the Saudi KE-3A fleet, with theAdlA, JASDF, NATO, RAF and USAF air-craft having already been augmentedwith the RSIP.Eventually, the AN/SPY-1/2 family

may be replaced by Northrop Grumman’sL-band MESA (Multi-Role ElectronicallyScanned Array) radar which adornsBoeing’s 737-700 AEW platform. Oneattraction of using an L-band radar,according to official company literature, isthat it is said to retain an improved per-formance in rain compared to other simi-lar radars operating in higher bandwidths.The MESA is an altogether different crea-

ture from its predecessor, with the radarpositioned in an elongated fairing abovethe fuselage resembling an avant gardedining table as opposed to a mushroom.For air-to-air work the radar has a pub-lished range of 324nm (600km) and 200nm(370km) for surface surveillance (manyAEW radars can spot targets on the highseas as well as in the air), and the where-withal to track up to 180 targets, while per-forming 24 intercepts.To date, several customers have pur-

chased the MESA/737-700 ensembleincluding the Royal Australian Air Forcewhich has six on order, the Turkish AirForce (four aircraft) and the Republic ofKorea Air Force (ditto); the latter is expect-ed to obtain its last aircraft in 2015.Although it is entering service, potentialmodifications are in the pipeline for theMESA radar. These include ensuring thatits Identification Friend or Foe (IFF) sec-

ondary radar is compatible with the forth-coming NATO and International CivilAviation Administration Mode-5 andMode-S IFF and Air Traffic Managementprotocols. Future modifications to this endcould take the form of radar softwaremodifications, and some changes to theradar’s hardware.Much as the E-3 family has sold well

around the world, the same can be said ofNorthrop Grumman’s E-2C Hawkeyeseries. Although originally designed toprovide AEW for United States Navy air-craft carriers, the Hawkeye has since beenprocured by a number of air forces andnavies for use on land as well as at sea. Atthe heart of the E-2C is Lockheed Martin’sUltra High Frequency (UHF/420-430/890-942 megahertz)) AN/APS-145radar which has a range of 297nm(550km). The E-2C is in service with theEgyptian Air Force, Marine Nationale

Like the Northrop Grumman E-2C Hawkeye series of AirborneEarly Warning aircraft, Boeing’s E-3 family of AirborneWarning and Control System planes have sold well around theworld, with several recently completing a major upgrade oftheir Northrop Grumman AN/APY-1/2 radars © USAF

E A R L Y W A R N I N GAA IIRRBBOORRNNEE



(French Navy), JASDF and the Republic ofChina Air Force (see below).In May 2013, Taiwan took delivery of

its last two upgraded E-2T planes.Taiwan’s Hawkeye fleet is six aircraftstrong. It includes four E-2Ts and a pair ofE-2Ks. The upgrade of the four E-2Ts com-menced in 2008 with the intention of tak-ing the aircraft to the same status as the E-2K. In the bewildering world of AEW air-craft and radar designations, the E-2KHawkeye aircraft have a specificationbroadly analogous to the US Navy’s E-2CHawkeye-2000. The latter service is nowmoving towards the induction of the E-2DAdvanced Hawkeye, the latest configura-tion of the aircraft. The decision to com-mence the Full Rate Production of the air-craft was taken in February 2013, and willeventually yield the US Navy 75 aircraftby 2023 with 20 already constructed. Aninitial operational capability is expected tobe declared for the E-2D in 2015. The keychange for the E-2D is the new LockheedMartin AN/APY-9 UHF radar replacingthe AN/APS-145 used by legacy E-2examples. According to published compa-ny sources, the AN/APY-9 can gaze atalmost twice the area of the AN/APS-145,and has a sharper eye for anti-shipmissilesand other such small targets, helped in nosmall part by the AESA antenna which theAN/APY-9 employs.

Rotary AEWNew procurements are in the offing.Although covered only sparsely in thisarticle (due to space considerations), theAEW domain includes helicopters outfit-ted with radars to perform this mission.

The United Kingdom’s Project Crowsnestwill procure a new AEW solution for theRoyal Navy’s forthcoming two ‘QueenElizabeth’ class aircraft carriers. Thiswill replace the service’s existingAgustaWestland Sea King ASaC(Airborne Surveillance and Control) Mk.7helicopters, twelve of which serve with theFleet Air Arm’s 849 Naval Air Squadron,and all of which use the Thales X-band(8.5-10.68 gigahertz) Searchwater radar.By the end of the decade the Royal Navyhopes to have its new AEW capability inservice in the form of a mission systemwhich can be installed onboard the SeniorService’s AgustaWestland Merlin HM2maritime support helicopters. The UK

Ministry of Defence is expected to take thedecision whether or not to commit to theinvestment necessary to procure theProject Crowsnest mission system in circa2017 and could spend up to $782 millionon the procurement. Coincidentally, theSearchwater radar is used by the threeSikorsky SH-3H helicopters employed bythe Armada Española (Spanish Navy) toprovide AEW coverage for the fleet’s SPSJuan Carlos-I amphibious support ship,while the Marina Militaire (Italian Navy)uses Selex’s HEW-748 radar to equip itsfour AgustaWestland AW-101 maritimesupport helicopters so outfitted to performthis mission. Both navies may well watchthe UK’s actions closely regarding ProjectCrowsnest and may have similar require-ments in the future.Other countries in the market for new

AEW aircraft include Malaysia with localmedia reports noting that the country mayeventually purchase up to four planes.Beyond the Asia-Pacific, the United ArabEmirates is known to have a desire for newAEW aircraft to supplement the Erieye-equipped Saab 340 turboprop transportsthat its air force already operates, althoughthere is no word on when this acquisitioncould take place, or how many aircraft itcould comprise.

A NATO Boeing E-3A AWACS aircraft is seen here resplendent in a liverycelebrating 25 years of NATO’s AWACS operations © Wikimedia Commons

One of the world’s best-selling Airborne Early Warning aircraft is Northrop Grumman’s E-3CHawkeye which is equipped with Lockheed Martin’s AN/APS-145 radar and is in service withEgypt, France, Japan, Taiwan and the United States © US Navy



Textron Systems Weapon & Sensor Systems is a business of Textron Systems.© 2014 Textron Systems Corporation. All rights reserved.

WITH CONFIDENCESTRIKE HARD, STAY SAFE

textronsystems.com/wss

I N G E N U I T Y A C C E L E R A T E D

Our precision weapons, including ourcombat-proven Sensor Fuzed Weapon,together with our ISR systems and advancedprotection systems, enable you to fi ght anddefend with confi dence. No matter how demanding the mission or environment, Textron Systems delivers the intelligence-gathering capabilities and force protection necessary to get the job done – and get home safely.


S O L U T I O NAAIIRR DDEEFFEENNCCEE

As the region’s air defencemissile programmes evolve,new weapons are vying toobtain a foothold in this sec-tor. The medium-range SAM

missile market’s evolution is providingopportunities for regional defence compa-nies. There are more than 200 RaytheonMIM-104 Patriot fire units deployed intwelve nations around the globe includ-ing the Republic of Korea (RoK), Japanand Taiwan. New and enhanced Patriotmissile systems will provide defence ofcritical assets and manoeuvre forcesagainst aircraft, cruise missiles and tacti-cal ballistic missiles for these nations wellinto the next decade. Roopa Bhide, director for communica-

tions and advertising at Raytheon’sIntegrated Defence Systems business, toldthe Asian Military Review that beyondthe aggregate number of fire units report-ed in service, Raytheon does not disclosethe number of units for its individual cus-tomers or in a specific region. Raytheon isthe prime contractor for both domesticand international Patriot Air and MissileDefence Systems and system integratorfor Lockheed Martin’s Patriot AdvancedCapability (PAC)-3 SAMs. The PAC-3missile forms a key part of Raytheon’sMIM-104F Patriot configuration. A 12April 2012 NATO Fact Sheet lists thePAC-3 system’s specifications for counter-ing ballistic missiles and other airbornethreats as possessing a 13 nautical mile (25kilometre) range, a 65617 feet (20000metre) plus ceiling with a speed of 2700knots (5000 kilometres-per-hour).

RoK And TaiwanThe RoK currently has 48 PAC-2 missiles(the PAC-2 is used by the MIM-104C/DPatriot configuration) supplied byGermany, and plans to add additionalPAC-3 missiles. An RoK DefenceAcquisition Programme Administration(DAPA) briefing on 12 March 2014 indicat-ed that the country will also upgrade itsfire control system to make it capable of fir-ing both types of missiles. Dan Garcia, ofLockheed Martin Missiles and FireControl’s international business develop-ment office, said via email that his businessis supporting the DAPA feasibility studyfor the Configuration-3/PAC-3 upgradesto the nation’s existing Patriot equipment.“Lockheed Martin has provided the RoKgovernment with information regardingthe PAC-3’s increased lethality. The PAC-3hit-to-kill capability is critical to defeatingmissiles armed with nuclear, chemical orbiological warheads. Earlier this month, inMarch 2014, the DAPEC (DefenceAcquisition Programme ExecutiveCommittee) decided to formally proceedwith the Patriot Upgrade programme andprocurement of PAC-3 missiles.”As this article was submitted for publi-

cation (in June 2014), The RoK’s request toupgrade its PAC-2 systems to a PAC-3 con-figuration through a US Foreign MilitarySale had not been presented to the US gov-ernment. Lockheed Martin also announcedon 12 August 2013 that it remains on con-tract to deliver an unspecified number ofPAC-3 missiles to Taiwan as part of anaggregate order of 168 missiles and relatedmateriel for that nation and the US.

Japan and the US have maintainedsecurity arrangements based on Article Sixof the Japan-US security treaty that stipu-lates that Japan and the US will take bilat-eral action in the event of armed attack.Scott Stuart, the vice president of integrat-ed air and missile defence multi-nationalprogrammes at Raytheon’s Integrated

SANITIZING THE SKIESEnhanced and new medium-range Surface-to-Air Missiles (SAMs) are entering service inthe orders of battles of nations in the Asia-Pacific and United States forces forwarddeployed across the region. There is also aUS-led effort to integrate the region’s SAMsinto common operating environments.

bbyy Marty Kauchak

Raytheon's MIM-104 Patriot surface-to-air missile system is used widely aroundthe Asia-Pacific region to provideprotection against air-breathing threatsand also, increasingly, for BallisticMissile Defence © Raytheon


GBAD:AMR 6/30/14 3:37 PM Page 2


Defence Systems business, noted in anemail that in support of this alliance, Japanhas maintained Patriot weapon systems toprovide a lower-tier defence shield for itspopulation and critical assets that is con-figured to be interoperable with US forcesin Japan. “The US/Japan alliance utilisesthe strength of the US in addition to main-

taining adequate self-defence forces toprovide the deterrence required to main-tain a region of security. Raytheon’s rela-tionships throughout the Asia-Pacific areaare superb and we continue to work close-ly with the US to provide technical sup-port for the Patriot system,” Mr. Stuartadded. MHI (Mitsubishi Heavy Industries,

New and enhancedPatriot missile

systems will providedefence of critical

assets well into thenext decade



Ltd) is the prime contractor for the Patriotsystem in Japan and manufactures theGuidance Enhanced Missile (GEM), thebeefed-up version of the PAC-2 missile forthe MIM-104D Patriot configuration, andrelated ground equipment for Japan undera license agreement with Raytheon.With respect to PAC-3 missile produc-

tion, Mr. Garcia was asked about newopportunities for industry partners in theAsia-Pacific. He responded that “LockheedMartin is always looking for opportunitiesfor industrial participation. We currentlyhave near-term interest for PAC-3 in theMiddle East, East Asia and Europe.” A sig-nificant Patriot technical upgrade which isincreasing the system’s lethality againstcurrent and projected air threats is theinstallation of Patriot PDB-7 softwarerelease. One major upgrade is the newRadar Digital Processor with a ruggedisedcommercial off-the-shelf processor. Theenhancement increases the reliability of thedigital processing system and related ana-logue components by ten-fold, resulting ina predicted 40 percent increase in overallradar reliability for the system’s accompa-nying Raytheon AN/MPQ-53/65 air sur-veillance and fire control radar whichaccompanies the Patriot system. Moreimportantly, it enables future capabilitiesthrough software upgrades, includingimproved target detection and identifica-tion, multifunction surveillance and thefull support of advanced PAC-3 missileenhancements.For its part, the US Army includes an

unspecified number of Patriot fire units aspart of its broader, forward-deployed, bal-listic missile defence presence in the west-ern Asia-Pacific region. The 94th US ArmyAir and Missile Defence Command(AAMDC) has theatre-wide responsibilityfor one Air Defence Artillery Brigade,three Patriot Battalions, one LockheedMartin THAAD (Terminal High AltitudeArea Defence) battery and currently oneRaytheon AN/TPY-2 radar detachment inJapan with a second radar deploying toJapan based on an announced agreementin late 2013.The AN/TPY-2 is a high resolution,

mobile, rapidly deployable, X-band (8.5-10.68 Gigahertz) radar capable of provid-

ing long-range acquisition, precision track,and discrimination of short-, medium- andintermediate-range ballistic missiles.THAAD is a key element of the US BallisticMissile Defence System designed to pro-tect troops and infrastructure againstshort- andmedium-range ballistic missiles.Elsewhere in this sector, on 13 September2013, the Singapore Ministry of Defenceconfirmed MBDA-Thales’ Eurosam Aster30 Medium-Range SAMP/T (Surface-to-Air Missile Platform/Terrain) had beenselected to replace six batteries’ worth ofRaytheon MIM-23 I-HAWK SAMs.Whereas the current US-made I-Hawk sys-tem has a maximum effective range of22nm (40km), the Aster 30 will provide a

range of 38nm (70km) for jet aircraft. TheAster 30 will complement the island nationmilitary’s Rafael Advanced DefenceSystems Spyder SR (Short-Range) AirDefence System which has a range of eightnautical miles (15km).

Asian Industrial PresenceA new entry in this market is DiehlDefence’s IRIS-T SLM (Surface-LaunchedMedium-range) SAM. The programme’searly linkage to the Asia-Pacific includes anAustralian company on the industry teamand that nation’s Defence Department forprogramme development support. On 14January 2014, Diehl Defence successfullydemonstrated its IRIS-T SLM in the pres-ence of international experts and militaryrepresentatives from 16 nations at theOverberg Test Range in South Africa.The IRIS-T SLM Ground Based Air

Defence System is characterised by itsmodular design and open system architec-ture. In the current testing campaign, theIRIS-T SLM consisted of the new CEAFARradar from CEA Technologies, Australia, aTactical Operation Centre employing boththe BMD-Flex command, control and com-munication system from Denmark’s


Lockheed Martin is supporting theRepublic of Korea’s Defence AcquisitionProgramme Administration’s feasibilitystudy for Patriot Advanced Capability-3upgrades to the nation’s existing Patriotequipment © Lockheed Martin

The Singapore Ministryof Defence has

confirmed the selectionof MBDA-Thales’

Eurosam Aster 30Medium-Range SAMP/Tto replace the Raytheon

MIM-23 I-HAWK



Terma and the Oerlikon Skymaster battlemanagement system from Switzerland’sRheinmetall Air Defence, as well as theIRIS-T SL launching station with DiehlDefence missiles. All elements were inte-grated into the system by Diehl Defence.The IRIS-T SLM demonstration firing

was supported by the German Ministry ofDefence and the Australian Department ofDefence. Close to 90 visitors from aroundthe world witnessed the live firing demon-stration inside the test range control centre,and were informed in detail about theoperational capabilities and the technicaldetails of the ground-based air defence sys-tem during the test campaign. CharlesWeston, the director of Public Relations atDiehl Defence, told AMR through an emailexchange that the next system performancedemonstration will be conducted early2015 on customer request. Dr. Weston wasasked whether additional Asia-Pacificindustrial participation is envisioned forthe programme. He responded that “CEATechnologies’ CEFAR radar is a possiblemulti-function radar solution for the IRIS-TSLM. However, depending on customer

requirements, other partners are feasible aswell,” he responded. The IRIS-T SLM fea-tures 360-degree, omni-directional, multi-target capability, effective against a widetarget spectrum (aircraft and missiles) upto 65617ft (20000m) in altitude. Dr.Westonfurther added that “the range of the IRIS-TSLM ground-based air defence system liesbetween 16nm (30km) and (40km).”As a shortlist of Asian industry partici-

pation in this sector includes MHI on theMIM-104 team and CEA Technologies inthe IRIS program, China’s CPMIEC (ChinaPrecision Machinery Import-ExportCorporation) is making an assertive effortto strengthen its position in the interna-tional arms bazaar. On 26 September 2013NATO member Turkey stunned thedefence community by announcing itsselection of CPMIEC HQ-9 (specificallythe FT-2000 export variant) to help itdevelop its SAM missile and ballistic mis-sile defence programme. Since theSeptember 2013 announcement, Turkeyhas put on hold its formal acquisition ofthe active radar-homing SAM which has arange of up to 108nm (200km), a maxi-

mum altitude of 98425ft (30000m) and aMach-4.2 top speed. Turkey’s Ministry ofDefence and the military attaché’s office atthe nation’s Washington DC embassydeclined to respond to this author’s phonecall and email requesting an update onthis acquisition development.

Tying It TogetherAlliances and partnerships in the Asia-Pacific lag behind their counterparts inEurope and the Middle East in integratingtheir nations’ missile programmes intonetworks and supporting command andcontrol structures. Initiatives in the Asia-Pacific region are bolstering these readi-ness shortfalls. US Army LieutenantColonel Eric Bloom, the director of mediaoperations at the US Pacific Command(PACOM), told AMR through an emailexchange that his command works closelywith its joint and combined partnersthrough real-world crisis response, exer-cises, bi-lateral training opportunities andjoint basing. One bilateral training effortoccurs at the McGregor Range, NewMexico, which is part of the US Army AirDefence Artillery Centre and Fort Bliss,Texas. The training readiness event allowsJapan Ground Self-Defence Force (JGSDF)units and staff to test-fire Patriot, theKato/Mitsubishi Electric Type-3 Chu-


On 13 September 2013, the Singapore Ministry of Defence confirmed that theEurosam Aster 30 medium-range SAMP/T had been selected to replace sixbatteries’ worth of Raytheon MIM-23 I-HAWK Surface-to-air missiles © MBDA

A new entry in the medium-range air defencesector is Diehl Defence’s IRIS-T SLM surface-to-air missile. The programme’s early linkage tothe Asian region includes an Australiancompany on the industry team © Diehl Defence




SAM medium-range air defence systemand other air defence artillery weapons inan unfettered manner that would not bepossible in that nation’s confined airspace.The Type-3 Chu-SAM is replacing theforce’s legacy HAWK batteries, and com-plements the Patriot in the nation’s airdefence network. Lt. Col. Bloom contin-ued, “All of PACOM’s services conductextensive training coordination with ourpartners in the region that build upon ourrelationship and improve interoperability.

These exercises and real world events pro-vide opportunities for relationship-build-ing and fostering trust.” In the area ofIntegrated Air and Missile Defence(IAMD), PACOM is pursuing the estab-lishment of an IAMD Centre of Excellence(COE) similar to what has been estab-lished in US European Command and USCentral Command. Lt. Col. Bloom pointedout the COE creates a venue that allowsfor focused training and coordinationamongst US allies and partners. “This

forum allows for a more detailed discus-sion on the improving technical challengesassociated with partner interoperability aswell establishing a common understand-ing for multi-lateral operations. In the end,the PACOM IAMD COE leverages subjectmatter expertise and senior leader engage-ment to define shared goals and effortsand increase interoperability,” he added.

Beyond enhancements in training andsystems integration, US PAC-3 units willremain an important part of the airdefence component regarding the US‘Pacific Pivot’ foreign policy realignmentof the administration of President BarackObama. Lt. Col. Bloom noted the THAADbattery deployment to Guam in 2013 isone example of the increase in regionalcapability. He continued, “The deploy-ment of a second AN/TPY-2 radar toJapan is another. Continuing improve-ments to our Patriot force also highlightthe importance and emphasis placed onthe air and missile defence mission.Upgrades to our PAC-3 radars, hardwareand software, training devices, and missileenhancements keep our Air Defence unitsmodernised and ready.”

The Japan Ground Self-Defence Force fires the eighth and last Type-3 Chu-SAMsurface-to-air missile concluding a recent annual service practice at theMcGregor Range in New Mexico. The realisation of the Type-3 Chu-SAM hasincluded local firms Kato Works Ltd. and Mitsubishi Electric © US DoD

Alliances and partnerships in the Asia-Pacificlag behind their counterparts elsewhere inintegrating their nations’ missile programmesinto networks and supporting command andcontrol structures, such as this event enhancingUS-United Arab Emirates air defenceintegration © US DoD




Japan’s ‘Izumo’ class ships, whoselead example was launched inAugust 2013, follows the officialdescription of the ‘Hyuga’ class asa ‘helicopter-capable destroyer’,

but most navies would agree with indus-try bible Jane’s Fighting Ships whichdescribe both ship classes as ‘helicopter

carriers’. The destroyer was originallywhat would now be described as a stand-off attack Anti-Surface Warfare (ASuW)platform using torpedoes. It then becamemore of a fleet escort vessel to shield larg-er surface combatants, such as aircraft car-riers, increasingly for the Anti-Air Warfare(AAW) role. The ASuW role became a sec-

ondary one together with Anti-SubmarineWarfare (ASW) and Naval GunfireSupport (NGS) for troops ashore.

Descriptions of modern surface combat-ants are flexible and generic because theyreflect not only a navy’s requirements but acountry’s industrial and economic posture.The modern (post-1980) Asia-Pacificdestroyer tends to be a vessel with a full-load displacement of 3900-10500 tons andbetween 133 and 166 metres (436-544 feet)in length at the water line. It is primarily anAAW platform with a Surface-to-AirMissile (SAM) system capable of providingarea defence at ranges of 30-90 nauticalmiles (56-167 kilometres). For the ASuWrole it now has a surface-to-surface missilesystem augmented by a heavy calibre (76-127mm) gun which is the prime NGSweapon while for ASW role it embarks oneor two helicopters augmented by ship-mounted lightweight torpedo launchers.The sensors will usually be air and surface


The Republic of Singapore Navy’s ‘Formidable’ class frigateshave been designed to reduce their radar, acoustic, visual andinfrared signatures, be means of hull-shaping technologies thatare increasingly being used on warships throughout the Asia-Pacific region © DCNS

A N D D E S T R O Y E R SFFRR II GGAATTEESS

SHIPSHAPE ANDBRISTOL FASHIONThe prime surface combatants in modernnavies are destroyers and frigates but theseterms can be ‘flexible’, as while both shiptypes are distinctive yet complementary, theyare indispensable for today’s maritime forces.

bbyy Edward Hooton

Frigates:AMR 6/30/14 3:42 PM Page 2

surveillance radars augmented by a hull-mounted active sonar.

Ship DefinitionsThe frigate emerged during the 20th cen-tury as a sea lanes escort vessel, primarilyas an ASW platform with secondary AAWand NGS roles. It has since received a sig-nificant ASuW capability through the anti-ship Surface-to-Surface Missile (SSM)making it a mini-destroyer acting as amulti-role escort vessel for both major sur-face combatants and merchantmen.Modern Asia-Pacific frigates have dis-placements of 2000-6300 tons and are 102-143m (334-469ft) long at the waterline and,given their ASW background, can aug-ment hull-mounted sonars with towedarray or variable depth sensors togetherwith helicopters and torpedo launchers.

Towed array sensors are more effectivein ocean-going or ‘blue water’ environ-ments with passive towed arrays operatedby Japan’s ‘Abukuma’ class destroyers andthe Republic of Korea’s (RoK) later‘Incheon’ class frigates, while complex lit-toral or ‘green water’ environments arebest suited for variable depth sonars suchas those selected for India’s ‘Talwar’ class

and Singapore’s ‘Formidable’ classfrigates; indeed the last is the only modernfrigate class with no hull-mounted sensor.Towed array sonars with an active capabil-ity have been selected for India’s ‘Shivalik’class and for Taiwan’s ‘Cheng Kung’ and‘Kang Ding’ frigate classes. Frigates usual-ly have 76mm guns, although Malaysia’s‘Leiku’ class have only a 57mm gun, and alocal-area, 5-7nm (9-13km) SAM system.

Destroyers tend to be ‘blue water’ shipsin navies with major mercantile interestswho need long range protection whilefrigates can be ‘blue water’ platforms butthey are more versatile and can operate in‘green water’ (littoral) or even ‘brownwater’ (coastal) environments. Dieselengines are frequently found in surfacecombatants all over the world becausethey provide considerable power while

having excellent fuel consumption charac-teristics but they are slow to react if a surgeof power is required. Many Asia-Pacificfrigate operators rely upon diesel powerbut some, and most destroyer operators,augment themwith gas turbines which are‘thirsty’ but can provide power surgesalmost instantly, the Combined gas tur-bine/Diesel propulsion (CODOG) systemsteaming the best of both in frigates operat-ed by Australia, Japan, the RoK, Thailandand Vietnam. Australia and Taiwan arealso unusual in having gas turbine-pow-ered frigates while some Chinese destroy-ers and Indian frigates have the oldersteam turbine system which has similarperformance characteristics to CODOGbut is manpower intensive.

Frigate InvestmentsMany Asia-Pacific navies aim at domi-nance only as far as their EconomicExclusion Zones and, therefore, operatesmaller frigates. Bangladesh, Pakistan,Malaysia, the RoK, Singapore, Thailandand Vietnam all operate frigates in 2000-3000 ton range while Democratic Republicof Korea (DPRK) has recently launchedtwo 1300-ton ships. A similar doctrine


Along with the Royal Australian Navy, the Royal New Zealand Navy operates the‘Anzac’ class frigate. These ships are outfitted with Saab’s Sea Giraffe radar whichprovide the vessels with air and surface surveillance © Saab

Destroyers tend to be‘bluewater’ ships in

navies with majormercantile interests

who need long rangeprotection



appears to have shaped the design offrigates in two of the region’s major navies,China and Japan, with some of the former’searliest modern frigate ventures being the‘Jianghu III’ class while Japan producedthe ‘Abukuma’ class. In Japan the destroy-er has become the prime surface combatantwhile in many navies, such as Indonesiaand Malaysia, there is a trend towardssmaller surface combatants such ascorvettes, while Jakarta is acquiring formerRoyal Navy ‘Broadsword’ class frigates.

Bangladesh, Pakistan, the Philippinesand Thailand are all seeking new frigateswith the Thai choice being arguably themost interesting. The two ships orderedfrom Daewoo are reported to be basedupon the RoK Navy’s ‘KwanggaetoDaewang’ class of destroyer, withRaytheon RIM-162 Evolved Sea Sparrow

Missiles (ESSM), with delivery of the firstscheduled for 2018. It is worth noting thatthe United States continues to offer the‘Oliver Hazard Perry’ class multi-roleships although with the phasing out oftheir Raytheon RIM-66 Standard Missile-1SAM they lack an AAW capability.

The Asia-Pacific’s major powers aim forlarger frigates, India with the 6300 ton‘Shivalik’ class, China with 3900 ton‘Jiangkai I/II’ class and the RoK with the3250 ton ‘Incheon’ class. This reflects adesire to extend protection of nationalmaritime lines of communications, a moti-

vation of both Australia and New Zealandwhose ‘Anzac’ class frigates have buckedthe trend by being, at some 3800 tons,smaller than their predecessors. China andthe RoK continue to expand their fleetswith the former adding six ‘Jiangkai II’class frigates to the fleet in 2013 and morethis year, while in November 2013 the RoKlaunched the fifth of its ‘Incheon’ classfrigates with the fourth scheduled fordelivery in October 2014.

In the meantime there are severalfrigate upgrade programmes underway.Thailand is improving the AAW capabili-ty of its Chinese-built ‘Naresuan’ classships and this work should be completednext year. In addition the ‘Cha Paraya’class vessels (based upon the ‘JiangweiI/II’ class ships) are receiving new ASuWmissiles. Australia’s ‘Anzac’ class frigates


Bangladesh, Pakistan,the Philippines and

Thailand are allseeking new frigates

HMAS Perth is the first of the Royal Australian Navy’s ‘Anzac’ classfrigates to receive the Anti-Ship Missile Defence upgrade. Thisinitiative adds new capabilities to the vessels including a newradar and combat management system © Wikimedia Commons



ThyssenKrupp Marine Systems

Ships. Systems. Solutions. Worldwide.

www.thyssenkrupp-marinesystems.com



will receive domestically-producedphased array radars and new communica-tions systems while their ASuW andAAW capabilities have been improvedthrough new weapons and electronics.New Zealand’s two ‘Anzac’ ships havereceived improved propulsion and are toget a missile decoy system, improvedelectronic support measures and a torpe-do detection system. In October 2013 itwas announced that the new MBDA SeaCeptor SAM had been selected as theAAW weapon for these vessels.One of the most interesting upgrades is

that of Pakistan’s ‘Sword’ class frigates, ofwhich the first-of-class PNS Zulfiquarrecently tested a land-attack missile,although it is unclear whether or not it wasa modified China Haiying Electro-Mechanical Technology Academy C-802

anti-shipweapon or a dedicated cruisemis-sile design. The RoK’s new ‘Incheon’ classwill have a similar capability using thedomestically-produced Cheon Ryong SSM.

Destroyer DemandLand-attack is one of two new roles fordestroyers. The RoK’s ‘Sejong Daewang’class will also carry the Cheon Ryong SSMwhile Australia’s ‘Hobart’ class are likelyto carry Raytheon BGM-109 Tomahawkland-attack missiles. The RoK will proba-bly seek a similar capability with its nextgeneration of destroyers from the secondhalf of the next decade. Given the DPRK’snuclear ballistic missile sabre-rattling theywill probably have, like Japan’s ‘Atago’and ‘Kongou’ class ships, a Ballistic MissileDefence (BMD) capability. Japan is work-ing with the United States to produce

advanced versions of the Raytheon RIM-161 StandardMissile-3 (SM-3) SAM. Tokyomay add two more BMD destroyers to itssix-strong fleet while three more destroy-ers with the Lockheed Martin AegisCombat Management System (CMS) havebeen requested for the RoK Navy. The keelfor the second ‘Hobart’ class destroyer,HMAS Brisbane, was laid in February 2014and it seems likely they will also eventual-ly have a BMD capability.The ‘Hobart’ class with their Raytheon

RIM-66 SM-2 medium-range and RIM-162short-range SAMs reflect a growing trendfor major Asia-Pacific navies to seekdestroyers capable of multiple roles. Thetrend is underlined by India’s new‘Kolkata’ class destroyers which featurethe Israeli-designed Israel AerospaceIndustries/Rafael Advanced Defence

This artist’s impression of the Royal Australian Navy’s HMASHobart destroyer depicts it with the Lockheed Martin Aegiscombat management system. The ship is typical of the newgeneration of air defence destroyers appearing in the Asia-Pacific market © BAE Australia



Systems Barak SAMs in their tactical(Barak 1) and area defence (Barak 8) ver-sions, and are likely to receive a towedarray sonar which is absent from China’scontemporary ‘Luzhou’ and ‘Luyang II’classes. Interestingly, like most Indiandestroyers, they will be equipped withheavyweight torpedo systems which aredesigned to extend ASW capability but, inRussian hands, have been used in ASuWexercises. India certainly needs to improveits destroyers’ AAW capability for theexisting Russian-built ‘Rajput’ class andthe ‘Delhi’ class all feature ageing areadefence systems. By contrast China, whose‘Luyang II’ class ships appear to haveradar and command systems on a par withthe Aegis CMS in the ‘Atago’, ‘Hobart’,‘Kongous’ and ‘Sejong Daewang’ classvessels, appear to have a modern SAMsystem in the form of their China PrecisionMachinery Import-Export CorporationHHQ-9 and Almaz-Antey Rif-M ensem-bles, the new generation of destroyers andfrigates all featuring hull-shaping and spe-cial materials to reduce their radar signa-

ture, and similar means to reduce theirinfra-red and acoustic signatures.

The major Asia-Pacific navies arebeginning to replace their aging fleets.India, for example, aims to exchange theBritish ‘Leander’ class based ‘Godavari’,‘Brahmaputra’ and ‘Nilgiri’ classes withthe domestically-produced ‘Shivalik’ andthe Russian-built ‘Talwar’ classes. NewDelhi is interested in more ‘Talwar’ classships and improved ‘Shivalik’ class exam-ples. China’s expansion is likely to see allthe ‘Luda’ class destroyers replaced by’‘Luyang II’ class or later designs while the‘Jianghu’ class frigates are being replacedby ‘Jiangkai II’ class vessels, which willprobably replace the ‘Jiangwei I’ class. The‘Jianghu’ class ships, which form half thefrigate force, lack any AAW capability,while the ‘Jiangwei’ class can performlocal area air defence but their ASW role isas limited as the ‘Jianghu’ class.

The RoK is replacing the ‘Ulsan’ classfrigates with the ‘Incheon’ class with sixdisplacing 3,200 tons followed by up tonine additional ships which will be

slightly larger, have gas turbines and anenhanced ASW capability through theintroduction of towed array sonars. By2026 there are planned to be 24 ‘Incheon’class ships in service. Meanwhile, Japan islikely to expand its destroyer fleet in a pol-icy driven by growing tensions with Chinaover territories on the periphery of eachnation. Currently, Tokyo maintains a forceof some 40 destroyers and for both opera-tional and economic reasons has longmaintained a policy of steadily orderingkey platforms, notably destroyers andsubmarines. It is extremely likely that theJapan Maritime Self-Defence Force is nowplanning replacements for the nine‘Hatsuyuki’ class ships which have onlylocal area air defence missile systems.

Bangladesh, now operating RoK andChinese-built frigates, is reported to haveordered up to four ‘Jiangwei I’ class multi-role frigates from China and is planning tobuy more modified ‘Ulsan’ class shipsfrom the RoK. Neighbouring Burma hasacquired two second-hand ‘Jianghu II’class frigates and is reportedly upgradingthem with new SSMs. It reportedly hasplans to build up to two ‘Jiangwei’ classfrigates but this seems over ambitious.

Pakistan is to buy another four frigates,believed to be either ‘Jiangkai I’ or‘Jiangkai II’ class ships from China, andThailand has ordered up to three newChinese vessels. Vietnam is receiving fourRussian-built ‘Dinh Tien Hoang’ classmulti-role frigates and plans to buildanother four. Across the South China Sea,the Philippines has begun a procurementprogramme for two new frigates withSouth Korea’s Daewoo, Hyundai and STXtogether with Spain’s Navantia throwingtheir hats into the ring. The first ship is notexpected until around the end of thedecade but Manila has rejected the second-hand acquisition option.

The Pacific Rim’s growing prosperitymakes a growing demand for bothdestroyers and frigates certain. It will bemet increasingly from domestic sourcesalthough third country manufacturerswill remain prime suppliers in the fore-seeable future for the provision ofpropulsion, sensor, communications andweapon systems.

The KD Lekiu is one of two modern frigates which are operated by the Royal Malaysian Navy. Planshad been articulated for a second batch of these eponymous-named frigates, although these havenow been scrapped as the navy will purchase corvettes instead © BAE Systems




e-magazine also available on

www.asianmilitaryreview.com www.defencesecurityindia.com

READ IT YOUR WAY

SCAN THE QR CODE TO SEE YOUR DIGITAL MAGAZINE ONLINE

T R U S T E D M E D I A F O R G L O B A L D E F E N C E P R O F E S S I O N A L S

www.armada.ch

Asia Pacific’s Largest CirculatedDefence Magazine

The Trusted Source For DefenceTechnology Information Since 1976

India’s Only Magazine on National Security,Strategic Affairs & Policy Matters

DEFENCE and SECURITYof INDIA

DSI


Prepared by Bianca Siccardi


AMR UAV DIRECTORY 2014

ROBOTSWE ARE THE

Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) repeatedlyprove their worth in combat operations

around the world. This has sent theproduction rates for UAVs to record heights

and the forecasts for unmanned aircraftacquisitions in the global market over the

next ten years confirm this.

The Australian Department of Defence extended the presence of its IAI HeronMedium-Altitude Long-Endurance UAVs in Afghanistan until mid-2014. ThreeUAVs have been used to support the Australian Defence Force’s OperationSLIPPER mission in Afghanistan since 2009 © Royal Australian Air Force

UAV Directory:AMR 6/30/14 3:46 PM Page 1


The inherent advantages of UAVsover inhabited platforms continueto pique the interests of armedforces worldwide and drive the

market for such aircraft. UAVs havedemonstrated their exceeding utility inUnited States- and North Atlantic TreatyOrganisation-led combat operations inAfghanistan and Pakistan, performingreconnaissance and combat roles.Furthermore, in terms of cost-effective-

ness, the employment of UAVs providesremarkable advantages in terms of safe-guarding human life, as well as missioncosts. Undoubtedly, the risks involved inthe deployment of a UAV is far frombeing comparable to flying a multi-rolecombat aircraft, which can be up to tentimes more expensive, as detailed in a2012 study published by Deloitte, aLondon-based consulting company.According to Forecast International, a

market research company based in theUnited States, the predicted value for theglobal UAV market will more than dou-ble in the next ten years, rising from $942million in 2014 to an annual $2.3 billionin 2023. Being the largest defencespender in the world, the United Stateswill maintain a dominant position in themarket, while Europe is likely to be over-

taken by the Asia-Pacific region, which isexpected to hold the second largest shareof the UAV market by the end of the ten-year period.Presumably, Asia-Pacific countries will

continue to sustain considerable invest-ment in UAV technology in the comingyears. Considering the persistence ofunresolved strategic tensions in the areasuch as the insurgencies that some Asia-Pacific countries such as Malaysia and thePhilippines have to face, and the borderdisputes in which several regional nationsare involved, UAVs have proven ideal forresponding to such challenges.According to Forecast International’s

market report, the Asia-Pacific will see aconsiderable jump in UAV-related spend-ing. Countries like China, Indonesia,Japan, the Republic of Korea (RoK) andIndia have strong UAV development pro-grammes in their domestic industry, andfunding for UAV4 technology research inthe continent is expected to reach $7.7 bil-lion over the next ten years.AMR’s UAV Directory has been

researched using a range of resources,notably our correspondents, industryexperts and serving military personnelthroughout the region, as well as opensources.

AUSTRALIA�� FFIIEELLDDEEDDHHeerroonn II, Israel Aerospace Industries: Threeof the four Medium-Altitude Long-Endurance (MALE) UAVs have beenbased at Kandahar airfield as part ofOperation SLIPPER, Australia’s contribu-tion to the war in Afghanistan, sinceJanuary 2010. They have performed anumber of tasks including surveillance,reconnaissance, security and escort, andbattle damage assessment. The HeronUAV deployment in southern Afghanistanhas been extended until July 2014.SSccaann EEaaggllee, Insitu/Boeing: These aircrafthave performed five years of operations inAfghanistan during which time Scan EagleUAVs have amassed about 32,000 flyinghours in more than 6,200 missions sup-porting the Mentoring and ReconstructionTask Force and Special Operation TaskGroup deployed by the Australian armedforces. The Scan Eagle fleet has providedconstant reconnaissance support to groundelements in Afghanistan since 2007.RRQQ--77BB SShhaaddooww 220000, AAI: The acquisitionof RQ-7B Shadow UAVs was approved bythe Australian government in July 2010.Operations with the RQ-7B tactical UAVin Afghanistan commenced in May 2012.Based at Tarin Kowt in Uruzgan province,

U A V D I R E C T O R YRREEGGIIOONNAALL

The Northrop Grumman MQ-4C Triton High-Altitude Long-Endurance UAV completed its firstflight in May 2013. The Australian government announced its intention to acquire the UAV,specifically designed to conduct surveillance missions, in March 2014 © Northrop Grumman


THE NEWEST TECHNOLOGY YOU NEED. IN THE FIELD-PROVEN SYSTEMS YOU TRUST.

THE NEWEST TECHNOLOGY YOU NEED. IN THE FIELD-PROVEN SYSTEMS YOU TRUST.

L-3com.comWESCAM

The products within L-3 WESCAM’s MXTM-Series just got even more powerful, with all-new surveillance and targeting technologies that intensify range, magni�cationand imaging quality.

• Color Low-Light, Wide-Angle Zoom EO Imager (MX-15) – Enhances imaging capability under a wide range of illumination conditions, including dusk and poor weather

• Zoom Spotter (MX-15) – Enables operators to achieve the desired balance of magni�cation and �eld of view between moderately wide and ultra-narrow

• Shortwave IR (SWIR) Imager (MX-15) – Offers outstanding range performance at the limits of atmospheric visibility and improved imaging performance against haze and fog

• Dual-Channel Daylight and EMCCD Low-Light EO Wide-Angle Zoom (MX-25/25D) – Enhances situational awareness under a wide range of illumination conditions

• Laser Spot Tracker (LST) (MX-20D/25D) – Automatically detects a designator spot and slews the system’s line of sight to the laser energy

To learn more, visit www.wescam.com.

Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v1.0. Use of this U.S. DoD image does not imply or constitute DoD endorsement.

MX-15

MX-25, MX-25D

MX-20, MX-20D



the type has been deployed to performreconnaissance. The RQ-7B can carryoptronics, a laser pointer, rangefinder anddesignator and communications relaypayloads. The system replaced the ScanEagle UAV in Afghanistan (see above).SSkkyyllaarrkk II, Elbit Systems: The Skylark-I is amini UAV designed for tactical reconnais-sance. During operations it sends real-time video to a portable ground station.Following the initial order in 2005, theAustralian Army has ordered moreSkylark-I UAVs from Elbit Systems in2008. The multi-million dollar deal wasthe third from the Australian Departmentof Defence for the hand-launched UAV.AAeerroossoonnddee IIIIII, AAI: The Aerosonde-III is aMALE UAV primarily deployed forunarmed reconnaissance. The Aerosondewas originally developed by Insitu andproduced by the Australian-basedAerosonde Ltd., acquired by AAICorporation in 2006. Four units were sentto the Solomon Islands for OperationANODE with the Australian Army in 2003.

�� TTRRIIAALLSS AANNDD DDEEVVEELLOOPPMMEENNTTMMQQ--44CC TTrriittoonn, Northrop Grumman:Australia is to purchase seven maritimesurveillance High-Altitude Long-Endurance (HALE) UAVs under theProject AIR 7000, Phase 1B initiativewhich is the uninhabited element of theRoyal Australian Air Force’s (RAAF) two-phase Lockheed Martin P-3C Orion mar-itime patrol aircraft replacement effort.The Australian government announcedits intention to acquire the MQ-4C UAV inMarch 2014. Operating at altitudes up to54790 feet (16700 metres) over a maxi-mum range of 9950 nautical miles (18427kilometres) and remaining airborne for upto 24 hours, the MQ-4C could provide thecountry with unprecedented maritimesurveillance capabilities. Australia’s MQ-4C is expected to be based at the RAAFEdinburgh airbase, north of Adelaide. PPaattrriioott GGUU--9900, Guardian AerospaceSystems: The GU-90 is a MALE platform.With an endurance of 16 hours carrying apayload of 44 pounds (20 kilograms) theGU-90 is suitable for roles such as recon-naissance; search and rescue; borderpatrol and target designation. The Patriot

UAS has been in development for twoyears and has completed its flight test pro-gramme, although details regarding itsentry into service have not been disclosed.

�� NNOOTTEESS:: Prime minister Tony Abbottmade an announcement in March 2014confirming the government’s commitmentto the acquisition of the MQ-4C UAV (seeabove), subject to the successful comple-tion of the US Navy’s development pro-gramme currently under way. The initialenvelope expansion testing of the MQ-4CTriton has been completed by the US Navyand Northrop Grumman, clearing theUAV to fly at a variety of altitudes, speedsand weights. This maritime patrol aircraftis based on the RQ-4B Block 30 GlobalHawk, which first flew in May 2013 andwill be equipped with the AN/ZPY-3Multi-Function Active Sensor (MFAS)maritime radar, MTS-B optronics payloadand AN/ZLQ-1 electronic support meas-ures suite. The Australian government,which is currently drafting a new DefenceWhite Paper for publication in 2015, hasnot yet announced a probable date forintroduction of the MQ-4B UAV, nor thenumber of airframes to be acquired.

CHINA�� FFIIEELLDDEEDDBBZZKK--000055, Beijing University of Aeronauticsand Astronautics: The BZK-005 has 40hours endurance and is a MALE UAVused by the People’s Liberation ArmyNavy (PLAN) of China. It is believed tohave entered service in 2009.CChheennggdduu PPtteerrooddaaccttyyll II, AVIC: Alsoknown as the Wing Loong, thePterodactyl I MALE UAV is intended foruse as a reconnaissance and strike plat-form and is capable of being equippedwith Poly Technologies Inc (PTI) AR-1short-range air-to-surface missiles. Thefirst public acknowledgement of the pro-gramme was in 2010. The 20 hoursendurance Pterodactyl I UAV, whichclosely resembles General Atomics’ MQ-1Predator MALE UAV, has been approvedfor export by the Chinese government. AASSNN--220055, Xian ASN Technology: TheASN-205 is a fixed-wing UAV, which firstappeared in 2009. Intended as the succes-sor to the Xian Technology ASN-104/5series, the first indigenously-designed pis-ton-engine UAV for army service whichwas deployed in the late 1980s. AASSNN--220066, Xian ASN Technology: The


Elbit Systems’ Skylark II is a mini UAV system foroperation at battalion level. It is designed to flycovert missions at low-to-medium altitudes. ThisUAV currently furnishes Singapore, the Republicof Korea and Australia © Elbit Systems



ASN-206 is employed by the People’sLiberation Army among tactical units forreconnaissance and communications relay.AASSNN--220077, Xian ASN Technology: TheASN-207 is a development of the ASN-206(see above). Offering a longer range, ascompared to the ASN-206, the aircraft is inservice with the PLA. Its first publicappearance was made in 2002.AASSNN--220099, Xian ASN Technology: TheASN-209 is a MALE UAV developed in2011 to perform reconnaissance. It can belaunched from a warship helicopter deckand serve as a communications relaybetween the amphibious force and thesupporting surface ships. The ASN-209MALE UAV has an estimated range of81nm (150km) and an endurance up toeight hours. WWZZ--66, Xian ASN Technology: The WZ-6 isa development of ASN-207 with a distinc-tive mushroom-shaped radome installedatop of its fuselage. It is deployed forreconnaissance missions.JJWWPP0022, Xian ASN Technology: This air-craft is a derivative of the WZ-6 (seeabove) and is presumably used in recon-naissance missions. BBZZKK--000066, Xian ASN Technology: The

BZK-006 is an enlarged development ofthe WZ-6 (see above). It can carry a total offour air-to-ground missiles. However, itscapability of carrying air-to-air missiles iscurrently unknown.DDCCKK--000066, Xian ASN Technology: TheDCK-006 is an unarmed reconnaissanceversion of BZK-006 (see above) with atwelve-hours endurance. It was firstshown to the public in 2009.HHaarrppyy, IAI: The Harpy is an UnmannedCombat Aerial Vehicle (UCAV) sold toChina in 1994 for $55 million. When theUCAVs were returned to Israel in 2004under contract for maintenance, theUnited States demanded the cancellationof the contract. The UAVs were returnedto China in 2005 without being upgraded.XX220000, Yotaisc Science and TechnologyDevelopment: The Yotaisc is a rotary UAV.Its cruising speed is 81 knots (150 kilome-tres-per-hour) and it has five hoursendurance. It was unveiled during the 2012Singapore Air Show. Its derivative, theX200S which is designed for naval employ-ment, is currently under development.

�� TTRRIIAALLSS AANNDD DDEEVVEELLOOPPMMEENNTTWWJJ--660000, CASIC: The WJ-600 is a MALEUAV currently under development forthe PLA (People’s Liberation Army). Itwas unveiled in 2010 and is capable ofconducting ground attack missions andcan be armed with underwing KD2 air-to-ground missiles. According to the manu-facturer the WJ-600 can be equipped withoptronics, a Synthetic Aperture Radar(SAR) and electronic surveillance to pro-vide all-weather reconnaissance. CCHH--33, CASIC: Offering twelve hoursendurance the CH-3 is a 97nm (180km)range MALE UAV. According to the man-ufacturer, it is capable of reconnaissance,ground attack and electronic warfare. Itcan be fitted with Luoyang/CASC FT-5precision-guided bombs or PolyTechnologies Inc (PTI) AR-1 short-rangeAir-to-Surface Missiles (ASMs). It wasunveiled in 2008.CCHH--44, CASC: The CH-4 is a UCAV capa-ble of carrying two AR-1 ASMs and twoFT-5 precision-guided bombs. The CH-4has a 1890nm (3500km) range and can flyfor up to 30 hours depending on payload.

The aircraft could be considered as theChinese military’s response to the USGeneral Atomics MQ-9 Reaper UCAV.SSHH--11, CASIC: The SH-1 is a tactical UAV.No specifications for the aircraft appear toexist, although it is known to have beenunveiled in 2010.NNiigghhtt EEaaggllee, AVIC: The Night Eagle is ahand-launched mini UAV. It shares com-mon design features with the Australian-developed Aerosonde series (see above).SSooaarr DDrraaggoonn, Xianglong: The Soar Dragonis a HALE UAV for reconnaissance andpossibly for anti-shipping missions. It wasfirst displayed as a model in 2006 and issimilar in appearance and mission to theRQ-4B Global Hawk.AASSNN--221133, Xian ASN Technology: TheASN-213 is a micro UAV with an in-flightmorphing design. It weights 11lbs (fivekilograms) and can reach a speed up to 97knots (180km/h). The aircraft was firstseen in 2008.AASSNN--222299AA, Xian ASN Technology: TheASN-229A is a UCAV with 20 hours’endurance and 1080nm (2000km) combatradius.WWhhiirrllwwiinngg SSccoouutt, AVIC: The WhirlwingScout is a compact Vertical Take-Off andLanding (VTOL) ducted fan UAV design.UU88EE, AVIC: The U8E is a lightweightVTOL UAV. An example of the design wasshown at the 2010 the Singapore Airshow.SSLL--220000, CASC: The SL-200 is a UAV origi-nally designed for agricultural use,although it may have a potential for mili-tary use. The aircraft made its publicdebut in 2010.CCHH--880022, Poly Technologies Inc.: The CH-802 is a hand-launched micro UAV simi-lar to the AeroVironment FQM-151Pointer hand-launched mini UAV. Itoffers three hours’ endurance.VV775500, Qingdao Helicopter ManufacturingCo.: The V750 is a rotary-wing UAVwhich completed its first flight in May2011. The V750 has a load capacity of over176lbs (80kg), can fly at a maximum speedof 86 knots (161km/h) with a 81nm(150km) range. The current developmentstatus of this aircraft remains unknown asof June 2014. TTiiaann YYii--33, LOEC: The Tian Yi-3 is a high-speed HALE UAV. The current develop-




ment status of this aircraft remainsunknown as of June 2014.SSooaarrhhaawwkk, Sunward: The Soarhawk isdescribed as similar to the piston-engineADCOM SAT-400 medium-speed targetdrone. The current development status ofthis aircraft remains unknown as of June2014.DDUUFF--22, BUAA: The DUF-2 is a hand-launched mini UAV. The current develop-ment status of this aircraft remainsunknown as of June 2014.AAnnjjiiaann//DDaarrkksswwoorrdd, Shenyang AircraftCo.: The Anjian/Darksword UCAV isthought to be in early development.BBLL--6600, BE: The BL-60 is a rotary UAVwhich retains design similarities to theKaman K-MAX uninhabited helicopter. SSVVUU--220000, Sunward Tech Star-Lite: TheSUV-200 rotary UAV performed its firstflight in 2012. It is designed to have anendurance of over two hours. DDaaooffeenngg//BBllaaddee SSFF--446600, CASIC: TheDaonfeng/Blade SF-460 mini UAV is cur-rently at the prototype stage. The aircrafthas three hours’ endurance and was firstseen in 2010.DDaaooffeenngg 330000, CASIC: The Daofeng 300weighs 68lbs (31kg), uses a civilian Single

Lens Reflex (SLR) camera and has threehours endurance.BBlluuee EEaaggllee--220000WW, Keyuan: The Blue Eagle-200W MALE UAV has twelve hours’endurance, 86 knots (160km/h) speed andcan be equipped with air-to-ground muni-tions on six external hard points.TT--110000, Hubei Taihang Xinghe AircraftManufacturing: The T-100 is an electrical-ly-powered mini UAV. The current devel-opment status of this aircraft remainsunknown as of June 2014.TT--112200, Hubei Taihang Xinghe AircraftManufacturing: The T-120 is a reconnais-sance UAV with speed up to Mach 1.5.The current development status of thisaircraft remains unknown as of June 2014.TTFF--11CC, Shenyang Aerospace: The TF-1Chas a 648nm (1200km) range and up totwelve hours endurance. The currentdevelopment status of this aircraftremains unknown as of June 2014.TTFF--55, Shenyang Aerospace: Mini UAV.The TF-5 has a 29lbs (13kg) weight, and isequipped with an optronics payload. Thecurrent development status of this aircraftremains unknown as of June 2014.TTFF--88, Shenyang Aerospace: The TF-8 is ahand-launched mini UAV. It is thought

to be operational at the platoon levelwith the PLA. The aircraft has a 10lbs(4.7kg) weight.ZZ--88, PLA Research Institute: The Z-8 rotarywing UAV was shown publicly in 2001.The current development status of this air-craft remains unknown as of June 2014.

�� NNOOTTEESS:: The PLA has developed one ofthe largest and most complex UAV acqui-sition programmes in the world. Thedevelopment of Chinese advanced unin-habited systems, including UAVs forstrategic reconnaissance and strike mis-sions could position China as a leader inthe UAV market in the long term.According to the global UAV market fore-cast recently published by ForecastInternational (see above), the Chinesestate-owned defence company AviationIndustry Corporation of China (AVIC)will lead the world in UAV production,manufacturing about $5.6 billion worth ofUAVs through the next decade, up to halfthe global value. Also, considering thefew export restrictions Chinese defencefirms face as compared to top UAV-exporting countries such as the UnitedStates, it could become a key UAV prolif-erator, especially to developing countries.

INDIA�� FFIIEELLDDEEDDHHeerroonn II//IIII, IAI: The Indian governmentapproved in December 2013 a $300 mil-lion budget to buy another 15 Heron-IUAVs and associated equipment from IAIand to upgrade the existing fleet withimproved communication. The move willbring the total fleet of Heron UAVs toover 40 aircraft. These new MALE UAVscould be deployed along India’s borderswith China and Pakistan, allowing theIndian Navy’s existing three squadrons tobe redeployed to patrol the country’s east-ern and western seaboards.SSeeaarrcchheerr II//IIII, IAI: The Searcher-I/IIMALE UAVs are used for reconnaissance.India’s army and navy are understood tohave acquired at least 18 and possibly asmany as 70 of these aircraft.LLaakksshhyyaa, DRDO/ADE & HAL: TheLakshya UAV is designed to performreconnaissance. Up to 100 Lakshya UAVs


The Northrop Grumman MQ-5B Hunter tactical UAV is optimised toprovide dedicated reconnaissance to armed forces. The aircraft canconduct battlefield surveillance using multiple sensors, including itsoptronics and signals intelligence payloads © Northrop Grumman



are now in service with the Indian AirForce (IAF) and Indian Navy.HHaarrppyy, IAI: The Harpy UCAV has been inoperation with the IAF since 2005.HHaarroopp, IAI: The Harop UCAV wasunveiled at the 2009 Aero India Show. Tenof the aircraft were ordered by the IndianAir Force (IAF) in 2009 and deliveriesstarted in 2011.NNiisshhaanntt, DRDO/ADE: The Nishant is aMALE UAV. Development began in 1990and the aircraft successfully completed aseries of trials conducted by the IndianArmy in 2011, with whom it is currentlyin service.

�� TTRRIIAALLSS AANNDD DDEEVVEELLOOPPMMEENNTTRRuussttoomm 11, DRDO/ARDE: The Rustom-1MALE UAV has twelve hours endurance.Its’ first flight took place in November2009 with the prototype crashing. A latersuccessful flight took place in October2010. Additional trials are expected tobegin in September 2014.RRuussttoomm MMAALLEE, DRDO/ADE: TheRustom MALE UAV is in developmentfor Indian Navy, army and the IAF. Itoffers up to 15 hours endurance and 99lbs(45kg) of payload. Two prototypes havebeen developed thus far, one of whichwas displayed in its final configuration atIndia’s DefExpo exhibition in 2014. Thefirst flight is scheduled to take place bythe end of 2014. NNeettrraa SSUUAAVV, ARDE/IdeaforgeTechnology: The Netra is a rotary UAVdesigned for reconnaissance. It has a 656ft(200m) altitude and 30 minutes endurance. KKaappootthhaakkaa, DRDO/ADE: The Kapothakais a mini UAV designed as a test-bed forreconnaissance, and launch and recoveryconcepts.PPaawwaann, DRDO/ADE: The Pawan is a miniUAV comparable in size and capabilitiesto the Elbit Systems Hermes 180 and theElbit Systems Silver Arrow aircraft. Itweighs 264lbs (120kg), with a 81nm(150km) range and five hours’ endurance.Four prototypes planned are under thedevelopment programme, with engines tobe purchased outside India. GGaaggaann, DRDO/ADE: The Gagan is a tacti-cal UAV currently under development. Itis expected to have a 135nm (250km) range.

GGlloobbaall HHaawwkk, Northrop Grumman: TheIndian Navy expressed interest in acquir-ing up to eight MQ-4C Triton UAVs in2011. Northrop Grumman has beencleared by the US government to conductpreliminary discussion with the IndianNavy on the MQ-4C Triton acquisition. RRQQ--1166BB TT--HHaawwkk, Honeywell Aerospace:The RQ-16B T-Hawk UAV was demon-strated at the Counter Terrorism andJungle Warfare College at Kanker inChhattisgarh, central India, in 2010. India’ssecurity forces are likely to procure the RQ-16B T-Hawk UAV. It is currently underconsideration by the Indian military andMinistry of Home Affairs. TTEERRPP--IIII, MKU: The MKU TERP-II is ahand-launched mini UAV, with 90 min-utes’ endurance, an optronics payloadand a five nautical mile (ten kilometre)range. The prototype was showcased atthe 2010 Defexpo exhibition. The currentdevelopment status of this aircraftremains unknown as of June 2014.LLaakksshhyyaa--IIII, DRDO: The Lakshya-II UAV isan advanced version of a target drone usedby the IAF and Indian Army. Successfulflight tests occurred from 2010 until 2012.The UAV is still under development.CChheeeettaakk--bbaasseedd UUAAVV, IAI/HAL:Following the IAF request for a replace-ment of its aging Cheetah and Chetak hel-icopters, discussions have been ongoingbetween Hindustan Aeronautics Limitedand Israel’s IAI to produce an unmannedversion of this light utility helicopter. SSkkyyllaarrkk, Elbit/BEL: India’s BharatElectronics Limited and Elbit Systems ofIsrael presented a locally-developed ver-sion of the Skylark man-portable miniUAV at the Indian DefExpo defence exhi-bition in 2012.

�� NNOOTTEESS:: In order to improve its borderreconnaissance and communications capa-bilities, India could potentially spend over$2 billion to boost its UAV fleet in the nextfive years. The Indian Navy has expresseda need for MALE and HALE UAVs, whilethe army plans to have about 1600 miniUAVs in service by 2017, to enhance itssurveillance of border regions.Furthermore, both branches of the militaryare eager to implement their short-range

capabilities. In spite of India’s strongdomestic effort, the development and theintroduction of indigenous unmannedtechnologies in the country’s armed forcesseems to be held back. For the last decade,the country’s UAV development pro-gramme has been solely concentrated onthe DRDO (Defence Research andDevelopment Organisation) NishantMALE UAV (see above), which had littlesuccess in terms of acceptance by thearmed forces, who are still inclined to relyupon Israeli products. The DRDO RustomHALE project (see above) has seen multi-ple delays due to the procurement of vari-ous components from foreign industrialpartners and its debut flight, althoughscheduled for 2014, is not definite.

INDONESIA�� FFIIEELLDDEEDDSSeeaarrcchheerr--IIII, IAI: The Searcher-II MALEUAV was fielded in 2012, after beingdelayed. It was originally ordered in 2006from Kital.SSSS--55, PT Wesco Aerospace: The SS-5 is amini UAV. One or more systems werereportedly deployed to Aceh in 2005 toassist military operations there.AAeerroossoonnddee, AAI: The Aerosonde is a miniUAV deployed with paramilitary andpolice forces.

�� TTRRIIAALLSS AANNDD DDEEVVEELLOOPPMMEENNTTAALLAAPP, Agency for the Assessment andApplication of Technology (BPPT): TheALAP is a 55lbs (25kg) weight, 27nm(50km) range mini UAV. It is currentlyunder development and is most likely to bemanufactured by PT Dirgantara Indonesiafor the army, navy and paramilitary forces.WWuulluunngg, Agency for the Assessment andApplication of Technology (BPPT): TheWulung is a UAV with four hours’endurance, a 38nm (70km) operationalrange, a maximum speed of 79 knots(146km/h) and a maximum altitude of12000ft (3658m). The Wulung is madefrom composite materials and uses a two-stroke petrol engine. A cooperative devel-opment agreement was signed by BPPT,PT Dirgantara Indonesia and PT LENIndustries in April 2013 for the aircraft’srealisation. The UAV will be used to sup-




AUSTRALIAN INTERNATIONAL AIRSHOW AND AEROSPACE & DEFENCE EXPOSITION

AVALON201524 FEBRUARY - 1 MARCH 2015

GEELONG, AUSTRALIA

AVALON MEANS BUSINESSwww.airshow.com.au

AUSTRALIAN SALES TEAMPenny Haines T: +61 (0) 3 5282 0535 M: +61 (0) 407 824 400 E: [email protected] Macfarlane T: +61 (0) 3 5282 0544 M: +61 (0) 417 011 982 E: [email protected] Wouda T: +61 (0) 3 5282 0538 M: +61 (0) 418 143 290 E: [email protected]



port military and paramilitary forces inthe border regions of Indonesia.SSrriittii, Agency for the Assessment andApplication of Technology (BPPT): TheSriti is a mini UAV designed to belaunched from land or ship and, once air-borne, it has a one-hour endurance. It iscurrently under development.PPeellaattuukk aanndd GGaaggaakk, Agency for theAssessment and Application ofTechnology (BPPT): The Pelatuk andGagak are prototype reconnaissanceUAVs developed by BPPT. The currentdevelopment status of these aircraftremains unknown as of June 2014.

��NNOOTTEESS:: In 2013, the Indonesian researchand technology minister confirmed theintention of the government to build aUAV squadron for surveillance and recon-naissance missions. The project, funded bythe Defence Ministry, has seen the directinvolvement of the National Aeronauticsand Space Agency (LAPAN) and theAgency for Assessment and Application ofTechnology (BPPT). Both Indonesian com-panies have developed different classes ofunmanned aerial vehicles. The develop-ment of national defence technologieswill also contribute to Indonesia’s ulti-mate effort to reduce the country’sdependency on imported military equip-ment. For this purpose, the army andLAPAN signed a Memorandum ofUnderstanding in January 2014 to devel-op UAVs and remote sensing for recon-naissance. According to the agreement,the army will help finance LAPAN’sresearch through a $287,000 investment.

JAPAN�� FFIIEELLDDEEDDFFoorrwwaarrdd FFllyyiinngg OObbsseerrvvaattiioonn SSyysstteemm((FFFFOOSS)), Fuji Heavy Industries: The FFOSis a rotary UAV. Three aircraft haveequipped the Japan Ground Self-DefenceForce (JGSDF) from 2004.RRMMAAXX, Yamaha Motor Company: TheRMAX is a rotary UAV originally devel-oped for agriculture. The aircraft wasdeployed to Iraq with the Japan Air SelfDefence Force (JGSDF) in 2005 to assistcounter-insurgency and peace-keepingmissions there.

SSccaannEEaaggllee, Insitu: The ScanEagle miniUAV was delivered to Mitsubishi HeavyIndustries, one of Japan’s leading defencecompanies, in May 2013 following a con-tract signed to this end in 2012. It will beemployed by the JGSDF for reconnais-sance and humanitarian missions.BB--TTyyppee MMaacchhiinnee IIII, Fuji Imvac: The B-Type Machine-II was deployed to providereconnaissance over the damagedFukushima nuclear power station on theeastern coast of Japan’s Honshu island inApril 2011.TTAAyyoouuttooKK((CC))OOggaattaa MMuujjiinnkkii, Fuji HeavyIndustries: The TAyoutoK(C)OgataMujinki (TACOM) is a mini UAV. TheTechnical Research and DevelopmentInstitute (TRDI) of the Japan DefenceAgency (JDA) started the TACOM pro-gramme in 1995 with prime contractorFuji Heavy Industries (FHI). The JapanAir Self Defence Force (JASDF) and TRDIsuccessfully completed the evaluationflight test in 2001. A prototype launchedfrom a Mitsubishi/Lockheed Martin F-2multi-role combat aircraft was lost at seain 2010 and a second TACOM mini UAVon a test flight with the Japan MaritimeSelf-Defence Force (JMSDF) crashedsouth of Tokyo. The current development

status of this aircraft remains unknown asof June 2014.JJ//AAQQMM--11, Fuji Heavy Industries: TheJ/AQM-1 target drone entered services in1987. It is currently in service with theJGSDF.BBQQMM--3344AAJJ, Fuji Heavy Industries: TheBQM-34AJ navy target drone is a licenseddevelopment of the Northrop GrummanFirebee target drone.

�� TTRRIIAALLSS AANNDD DDEEVVEELLOOPPMMEENNTTMMQQ--88BB FFiirree SSccoouutt,, Northrop Grumman:The MQ-8B Fire Scout is a rotary UAV.Northrop Grumman and the US Navyconducted the first flight of an MQ-8B FireScout equipped with the AN/ZPY-4(V)1multi-mode maritime surveillance radarin June 2014.RRQQ--1166BB TT--HHaawwkk, Honeywell Aerospace:Four RQ-16B micro UAVs were deployedto the Fukushima nuclear plant in April2011 (see above). The UAVs conductedvideo surveillance and took radioactivityreadings.RRQQ--44 BBlloocckk 4400 GGlloobbaall HHaawwkk, NorthropGrumman: The Japanese Ministry ofDefence (MoD) will deploy two RQ-4Block 40 HALE UAVs from Misawa air-base, located in the northern part of the


The Northrop Grumman MQ-8B Fire Scout rotary UAV has the ability to autonomouslytake-off and land on any warship with a flight deck. The Japanese, Thai and Republicof Korean armed forces have all shown interest in the project © Northrop Grumman


island of Honshu. Japan announced plansto buy three HALE UAVs, most likely tobe RQ-4 aircraft, in the 2013 NationalDefence Programme Guidelines.SSccaannEEaaggllee, Insitu: The ScanEagle is a long-endurance mini UAV. Delivered to theJGSDF in May 2013, following a contractsigned in 2012, the JGSDF is currently test-ing and evaluating the ScanEagle systemto prepare for entry into service.MMQQ--44CC TTrriittoonn, Northrop Grumman: Japanoutlined a requirement for HALE UAVs tofill a perceived gap in its ballistic missiledefence system. Northrop Grumman sug-gests the MQ-4C would fill this require-ment. The MQ-4C Triton was expected tobe operational in 2015 with a total of 68 air-craft to be procured. However, due toadditional testing requirements and tech-nical issues, the Initial OperationalCapability (IOC) is now planned for 2017.

��NNOOTTEESS:: The RQ-4B will be deployed bythe United States Air Force to Japan forthe first time in 2014. The two HALEUAVs will be stationed at Misawa airbasefrom May to October 2014, along withabout 40 personnel, and contribute to thecountry’s security by performing mar-itime patrol missions in the region. The

RQ-4B flew over Japan in 2011, when theUAV was used to assist disaster relief fol-lowing the March 2011 earthquake andtsunami which struck the eastern coast ofJapan’s Honshu Island. The RQ-4B willalso play a key role in monitoring thenuclear weapons programmes of theDemocratic People’s Republic of Korea(DPRK) and China’s naval manoeuvres.

DEMOCRATIC PEOPLE’S REBULIC OF KOREA�� FFIIEELLDDEEDDPPcchheellaa, Yakovlev OKB: According tounconfirmed reports, the DPRK acquiredthe Russian Pchela reconnaissance miniUAV in 1995.TTuuppoolleevv DDRR--33//MM--114411, Tupolev: There areunconfirmed reports that the country hasprocured the DR-3/M-141 reconnais-sance UAV.

�� NNOOTTEESS:: In April 2014 three UAVscrashed in the Republic of Korea. The flightpaths of these UAVs, later identified to beChinese Taiyuan Navigation TechnologiesSKY-09 aircraft, indicated they originatedin the DPRK. Equipped with Japanese-made digital cameras, the UAVs capturedimages of significant military installations

and the RoK’s presidential office in Seoul.The DPRK is believed to have about 300reconnaissance UAVs and about tenRussian-made Yakovlev Shmel UAVsequipped to carry air-to-ground ordnance.

REPUBLIC OF KOREA�� FFIIEELLDDEEDDSSkkyyllaarrkk IIII, Elbit Systems: The Skylark-II isan electrically-powered mini UAV.Orders for the first system occurred inDecember 2007, with the first deliveryoccurring in 2008.HHaarrppyy, IAI: The Republic of Korea Army(RoKA) purchased 100 Harpy UCAVs in1997 which were fielded from 1999. RRQQ--110011 NNiigghhtt IInnttrruuddeerr 330000, KAI: The RQ-101 MALE UAV was acquired by the RoKarmy and navy for reconnaissance. It wasentirely developed by Korea AerospaceIndustries in 1990 and entered in servicein 2001.SShhaaddooww 440000, AAI: One Shadow 400MALE UAV has been in service with theRoK Navy for evaluation since 2006.RReemmooEEyyee, Ucon Systems: The Remoeye isa VTOL UAV used by RoKA troops inAfghanistan.

�� TTRRIIAALLSS AANNDD DDEEVVEELLOOPPMMEENNTTKKUUSS--1111 TTUUAAVV, KAI: The KUS-11 is a divi-sion-level aircraft for the RoKA with KAIawarded a development contract to thisend in September 2010, with deliveries tocommence in 2015.NNiigghhtt IInnttrruuddeerr NNII--1111NN, KAI: The NightIntruder N1-11N is a mini UAV.Development began in 2006 with a focuson maritime surveillance.KKUUSS--99, Korean Air, KAI: MALE UAV.The KUS-9 is a tactical UAV optimised foroperations in the RoK’s mountainous ter-rain. Its first flight took place in 2009. Theaircraft is currently under development.KKUUSS--1155, Korean Air: The KUS-15 is a V-tailMALE UAV. It is likely to be operated bythe RoKA as a surveillance and reconnais-sance system at corps level. The aircraft isstill at a non-flying developmental stage.DDeevviill KKiilllleerr, KAI: The Devil Killer is amini UAV weighing 55lbs (25kg), with a126 knots (400km/h) maximum speedand eight hours’ endurance. According toKAI officials, this prototype reconnais-





sance UAV is capable of carrying air-to-ground ordnance. It is expected to bedeployed by 2016.KKUUSS--XX, Korean Air: The KUS-X is a turbo-jet delta-wing HALE UAV. The currentdevelopment status of this aircraftremains unknown as of June 2014.UUrrbbaann SSttaarr, Kyung An Cable Company:The Urban Star VTOL UAV is currentlyunder development.RReemmooEEyyee--000022AA, Ucon Systems: TheRemoEye-002A is a hand-launched miniUAV. It has a five nautical miles (ten kilo-metre) range and an endurance of onehour. Publicly presented in 2009, the cur-rent development status of this aircraftremains unknown as of June 2014.RReemmooEEyyee--000066, Ucon Systems: TheRemoEye-006 bungee-launched miniUAV has a high-wing design. The designis said to have a low radar cross section.The current development status of thisaircraft remains unknown as of June 2014.RReemmooEEyyee--001155, Ucon Systems:Development of the RemoEye-015 tacticalUAV was completed in June 2005. The air-craft has an endurance of over four hoursand a 22nm (40km) range. The currentdevelopment status of this aircraftremains unknown as of June 2014.RReemmoo HH--112200, Ucon Systems: The H-20rotary UAV is under development. It hasa 340CC engine, an endurance of twohours and range of 27nm (50km).MMQQ--88BB FFiirree SSccoouutt, Northrop Grumman:The RoK armed forces have shown inter-est in the MQ-8B rotary UAV. The aircraftis currently being tested by NorthropGrumman and the US Navy.RRQQ--44 BBlloocckk 3300 GGlloobbaall HHaawwkk, NorthropGrumman: Northrop Grumman expectsthe RoK and the United States to sign aletter of acceptance for four RQ-4 Block 30Global Hawk UAVs, following the coun-try’s notification of a willingness to pur-chase the aircraft to the US Congress inDecember 2012. The RoK’s concernsregarding the price of the procurement,and the resulting withdrawal from thepotential agreement, have apparentlybeen overcome. At the time, the deal wasvalued at $1.2 billion. SSmmaarrtt UUAAVV, KARI: The Smart tilt-rotorUAV was unveiled in December 2011.

With a cruise speed of 270 knots(500km/h), the aircraft’s fly-by-wire con-trol system has been developed domesti-cally, while its rotor and drive systemswere built under an international partner-ship. The project was launched in 2002.Mass production is expected after currenttest trials are completed.

�� NNOOTTEESS:: Following the recent detectionof crashed DRPK UAVs near theDemilitarised Zone which demarcates theDPRK and the RoK, the latter has decidedto launch a joint programme with Israel in2014 to develop new UAV technologies.The two countries have long cooperated,launching their joint research and develop-ment programme and bilateral cooperationin the area of industrial technology in 1999,investing around $34 million so far. TheRoK also intends to resume its once-abort-ed programme to develop MALE UAVs tostrengthen its monitoring capabilities ofthe DRPK’s missile and nuclear activities.The state-funded Agency For DefenceDevelopment launched the above-men-tioned indigenous UAV development proj-ect in 2006, completing the first prototypein May 2010. However, the project was sus-pended in early 2011 due to its overlapwith The RoK’s plans for acquiring HALEUAVs. The Republic of Korea Air Force(RoKAF) aims to deploy the UAV by 2018.

MALAYSIA�� FFIIEELLDDEEDDEEaaggllee 115500BB, CTRM: The Eagle-150B is aconversion of CTRM’s Eagle 150 traineraircraft into a platform which could func-tion either as an inhabited aircraft or as aUAV. Three aircraft and related groundcontrol stations entered service in 2002but were withdrawn in February 2006. AAlluuddrraa MMkk11, CTRM: The Aludra Mk.1commenced trials from October 2008 con-cluding in 2010. Operated on a lease con-tract with the Malaysian armed forces toperform reconnaissance missions, it has amaximum payload of 55lbs (25kg) andthree hours’ endurance.AAlluuddrraa MMkk22, CTRM: Mk.2 version leasedby the Malaysian Army from 2008. Theywill continue to operate two aircraft fromSemporna in eastern Malaysia.

YYaabbhhoonn AAlluuddrraa, CTRM/Adcom: TheYabhon Aludra MALE UAV is a co-devel-opment with the United Arab Emiratesfirm Adcom System. It weighs 1100lbs(500kg) with an endurance of 30 hours.Two aircraft are being leased for counter-terrorism surveillance via CTRM.SSccaannEEaaggllee, Insitu Pacific: A contract wassigned in April 2012 for the acquisition ofthe ScanEagle mini UAV. The aircraft areoperated by CTRM’s subsidiaryUnmanned Systems Technology (UST).

�� TTRRIIAALLSS AANNDD DDEEVVEELLOOPPMMEENNTTCCyybbeerr EEyyee, Sapura: The Cyber Eye tacticalUAV is designed for military applicationsas well as agriculture. The aircraft hasbeen demonstrated to the Malaysianarmed forces and sales have followed toThailand, Australia and Europe. CCyybbeerr SShhaarrkk, Sapura: The Cyber SharkVTOL UAV has been demonstrated toMalaysia’s deputy prime minister, Tan SriMuhyiddin Yassin during his visit toSapura Secura Technology in Perth,Australia, in October 2013.CCyybbeerr QQuuaadd, Sapura: The Cyber Quad is amicro UAV available in two sizes. It hasbeen proposed as part of the MalaysianArmy’s soldier modernisation pro-gramme.CCyybbeerr HHaawwkk, Sapura: The Sapura is amini UAV with a six hours endurance.SS--110000, Schiebel: The S-100 rotary UAV hasover six hours endurance in standard con-figuration. The aircraft has a proven capa-bility for military and civilian applicationsand can operate during the day and night.The rotary UAV successfully completed aseries of trials for Malaysian ArmedForces (MAF) and Malaysian MaritimeEnforcement Agency (MMEA) represen-tatives in June 2012.AAlluuddrraa SSRR--0088, CTRM: The Aludra is a tac-tical lightweight micro UAV. The currentdevelopment status of this aircraftremains unknown as of June 2014.IInnttiissaarr 110000, CTRM: The Intisar 100 VTOLUAV can be used for military and com-mercial applications. The current devel-opment status of this aircraft remainsunknown as of June 2014. IInnttiissaarr 330000, CTRM: The Intisar 300 is arotary UAV which has been tested for





emergency services, reconnaissance andship-borne tasks. The aircraft is equippedwith interchangeable payloads. TheIntisar 300 has successfully completedtests in emergency services and vesselreconnaissance roles.

NEW ZEALAND�� FFIIEELLDDEEDDKKaahhuu, SKYCAM UAV NZ: The Kahu miniUAV has a fully composite airframe andan endurance of up to two hours. With a13nm (25km) range, it has been used inAfghanistan. Two systems have beenacquired to date.

�� TTRRIIAALLSS AANNDD DDEEVVEELLOOPPMMEENNTTSSwwaammppFFooxx, SKYCAM UAV NZ: TheSwampFox UAV has a 50-minuteendurance. It is designed to capture high-resolution still imagery for aerial mapping.

PAKISTAN�� FFIIEELLDDEEDDUUqqaabb--IIII, GIDS: The Uqab-II is an indige-nously-produced ground-launched tacti-cal UAV. The first squadron has beenintroduced into Pakistan Navy service inJuly 2013 and is presently being used byPakistan’s Security Forces. The Uqab-II isemployed in support of MaritimeInterdiction Operation in coastal areas.The aircraft has a 44lbs (20kg) payload,54nm (100km) range and an endurance ofmore than six hours.UUqqaabb, GIDS: The Uqab MALE UAV hasbeen operational since 2008 with thePakistan Army and Pakistan Navy. Withsix hours endurance, circa 30 aircraft are inservice with the army and one squadron isin service with the navy. In 2011, a navyUqab UAV crashed into an oil refinery inKarachi when the aircraft hit a bird.BBuurrrraaqq, NESCOM: The Burraq is anindigenously-developed HALE UAV.Development began in 2009 and the firstaircraft was introduced into service withthe army and air force in November 2013.It appears to be armed with two under-wing missiles.SShhaahhppaarr, GIDS: The Shahpar is a tacticalUAV. Revealed for the first time to thepublic in November 2012, the aircraft hasseven hours endurance, a 110lbs (50kg)

payload and 135nm (250km) range. Theaircraft appears to be a Pakistani variantof the Chinese Rainbow CH-3 UCAV. Theaircraft was introduced into service inNovember 2013.FFaallccoo, Selex: Pakistan purchased up to fiveFalco MALE UAVs from Italy, with thefirst aircraft being declared operationalfrom early 2009. Local production of theaircraft commenced in August 2009. Theaircraft has up to 14 hours endurance and108nm (200km) range. BBrraavvoo++//JJaassooss IIII, AWC: The Bravo+/JasosII tactical reconnaissance UAV has beenoperational with the Pakistan Air Forcesince 2004. It supports operations andtraining programmes.CCHH--33, CASC: Up to 20 CH-3 UAVs havebeen reportedly ordered from China andare equipped to carry the FT-5 precision-guided bomb. LLuunnaa, EMT: The Luna reconnaissanceUAV was acquired for the Pakistan Armyin 2006. The Pakistan Navy signed a con-tract in June 2012 to buy the UAV for itsshore surveillance units. To this end, a total of eight aircraft along with two ground control stations have beenpurchased.

�� TTRRIIAALLSS AANNDD DDEEVVEELLOOPPMMEENNTTSS--110000CC, Scheibel: The S-100C is a rotaryUAV which was tested on a PakistanNavy ship in March 2008 during which itperformed a four hour mission. ThePakistan Navy recently expressed interestin the UAV.RRQQ--77 SShhaaddooww220000, AAI: Twelve RQ-7 tac-tical UAVs were purchased from theUnited States to enhance the PakistanArmy’s reconnaissance capabilities for anestimated cost of $150 million. KK11, AWC: The Pakistan Army has trialledThe K1 UAV, although the aircraft’s spec-ifications and development status areunknown.

�� NNOOTTEESS:: Pakistan plans to deploy atleast 20 indigenous UAVs equipped withreconnaissance and strike capabilitiesacross the country’s FederallyAdministered Tribal Areas (FATA) innorthwest Pakistan. The UAVs will bedeployed along the Afghan border by the

end of 2014 before US troops withdrawfrom Afghanistan.

PHILIPPINES�� FFIIEELLDDEEDDHHuunntteerr MMQQ--55, Northrop Grumman: TheUS Army has reportedly supplied MQ-5MALE UAVs to the Philippines Air Forcefrom US Army stocks.

�� TTRRIIAALLSS AANNDD DDEEVVEELLOOPPMMEENNTTBBlluuee HHoorriizzoonn, UVision: Blue Horizon tac-tical UAVs have been reportedly obtainedfor trials and operational testing. The cur-rent development status of this aircraftremains unknown as of June 2014.

�� NNOOTTEESS:: In December 2013, thePhilippines military admitted for the firsttime to the use of unmanned aerial vehiclesin combat, showcasing the Raptor HALEUAV and the Knight Falcon mini UAV as


Elbit Systems’ UAV command and controlground station includes mission commandand control, payload operation andexploitation capabilities. This ground controlstation can be adapted for various types ofunmanned aircraft © Northrop Grumman


part of its force mix. The Raptor was firstpublicly deployed in September 2013, forreconnaissance missions. Because of thepositive effects generated by the deploy-ment of the two UAVs and considering themilitary’s desire to improve the capabilityof its land forces, particularly in jungle andcoastal areas, the army has decided todevelop a third, more technologicallyadvanced UAV. According to the MarineForces Imagery and Targeting SupportSystem Acquisition Project, the country isevaluating the possibility of acquiring UAVtechnologies. The Philippines Departmentof National Defence (DND) invited compa-nies to bid for the project in December 2013,as the equipmentwill be acquired through acompetitive process.

SINGAPORE�� FFIIEELLDDEEDDSSeeaarrcchheerr--II, IAI: The Searcher-I reconnais-

sance MALE UAV has been fielded with119 and 128 Squadrons of the Republic ofSingapore Air Force (RSAF). The RSAFoperates at least ten systems, and the air-craft has been deployed to Afghanistan aspart of Singapore’s deployment theresince 2010.HHeerrmmeess--445500, Elbit Systems: The Hermes-450 MALE UAV supplies real-time recon-naissance data to ground forces. Designedfor long endurance missions, 116 Squadronof the RSAF operates the UAV with twelveplatforms fielded since 2007.HHeerroonn--II, IAI: The Heron-I is a MALE UAVwhich was delivered to the RSAF in 2012as a replacement for the IAI Searcher-IIMALE UAV. Operated by the RSAF’s 119Squadron, the number of Heron-I UAVsoperated has not been specified.SSkkyybbllaaddee--IIII, ST Aerospace: The Skyblade-II is mini UAV designed for tactical recon-naissance and artillery spotting. Delivered

to the RSAF in mid-2005, the aircraft has an11lbs (five kilogram) weight, and a rangeof four nautical miles (eight kilometres). SSkkyybbllaaddee--IIIIII, ST Aerospace: The Skyblade-III mini UAV was fielded by the army in2011, equipping units at battalion andbrigade level.SSkkyyllaarrkk, Elbit Systems: The Skylark is amini UAV designed to perform tacticalreconnaissance. The aircraft has a five nau-tical miles (ten kilometre) range, and wasfielded by the RSAF in 2006.SSccaannEEaaggllee, Insitu Pacific: The ScanEaglemini UAV was successfully trialled by theRepublic of Singapore Navy in March2009. Trials involved the operation of theUAV from a Republic of Singapore Navyfrigate and amphibious support ship.Fielded in 2012 aboard the navy’s ‘Victory’class corvettes, the aircraft has 15 hoursendurance and a 54nm (100km) range.

�� TTRRIIAALLSS AANNDD DDEEVVEELLOOPPMMEENNTTBBlluuee HHoorriizzoonn, Singapore TechnologiesDynamics: The Blue Horizon MALE UAVwas ordered in 1998 and acquired in 1999.A squadron with several Blue HorizonMALE UAVs is thought to be currently inservice with the RSAF.SSkkyybbllaaddee IIVV, ST Aerospace: The SkybladeIV mini UAV has a 54nm (100km) rangeand was unveiled in 2006. The current sta-tus of this aircraft remains unknown as ofJune 2014.FFaannTTaaiill 55000000, ST Aerospace: The FanTail5000 is a VTOL mini UAV. It has 30 min-utes’ endurance, a four nautical miles(eight kilometres) range, and performsground and naval reconnaissance.MMAAVV--11, ST Aerospace: The MAV-1 UAV isa low-observable developmental miniUAV. The prototype was unveiled at the2004 Asian Aerospace show and the firsttest flight was reported in 2005. The cur-rent status of this aircraft remainsunknown as of June 2014.MMQQ--88BB FFiirree SSccoouutt, Northrop Grumman:Northrop Grumman believes that it hasinterest from the Singaporean militaryregarding its MQ-9B Fire Scout rotary UAV.SSkkyybbllaaddee 336600, ST Aerospace: The Skyblade360 is a UAV in development. It has a 20lbs(nine kilogram) weight and three hoursendurance. The aircraft was first flown in





May 2011. The current status of this air-craft remains unknown as of June 2014.

SRI LANKA�� FFIIEELLDDEEDDSSeeaarrcchheerr, IAI: The Searcher-II/III MALEUAV is fielded with the Sri Lankan AirForce’s 111 Air Surveillance Squadronbased at Anuradhapure, in the NorthCentral Province of Sri Lanka. The UAVswere used extensively during the SriLankan government’s long campaignagainst the Liberation Tigers of TamilEelam insurgent movement.

TAIWAN�� FFIIEELLDDEEDDCChhuunngg SShhyyaanngg IIII, CSIST: The ChungShyang II is a tactical UAV performingreconnaissance. The programme was initi-ated in 2002 and unveiled publicly in 2007.The aircraft entered service with the 601and 602 Airborne Brigades of the Republicof China Army in 2011. 32 platforms havebeen ordered. Taiwan is thought to beplanning a UCAV variant of this UAV.The current development status of this air-craft remains unknown as of June 2014.

�� TTRRIIAALLSS AANNDD DDEEVVEELLOOPPMMEENNTTMMyyssttiicc EEyyee, CSIST: The Mystic Eye isTaiwan’s first VTOL UAV. Unveiled in2013, the aircraft is designed for short-range reconnaissance missions and has upto one hours endurance.AAII RRiiddeerr, Gang Yu Corp: The AI Rider isan indigenous micro UAV launched inApril 2011. With a 14 ounce (400 gram)payload and 13 minutes endurance, theaircraft is used by Taiwan’s military andacademic institutions for surveillance.KKeessttrreell IIII, CSIST: The Kestrel II is a miniUAV, itself an improved version of theKestrel I mini UAV with a 65lbs (30kg)payload and eight hours endurance.CCaarrddiinnaall, CSIST: The Cardinal is a miniUAV. It is currently under evaluation bythe country’s armed forces. GGrreeyy--FFaacceedd BBuuzzzzaarrdd, National ChengKung University: The Grey-FacedBuzzard is a hybrid mini UAV.Development lasted three years before itsmaiden flight in 2010. The current devel-opment status of this aircraft remains

unknown as of June 2014.AALL--44, Aeroland UAV Inc.: The AL-4 is amini UAV ordered by an undisclosednon-military customer in Taiwan.SSppoooonnbbiillll, National Cheng KungUniversity: The Spoonbill is a mini UAV.It completed its maiden flight in 2010under manual remote control, flying50nm (92km) across the Taiwan Strait. Thecurrent development status of this aircraftremains unknown as of June 2014.

�� NNOOTTEESS:: In December 2013, an undis-closed source in the Taiwan militarydenied a media report according to whichthe Chungshan Institute of Science andTechnology (CIST) indigenous UAVdevelopment programme known as the‘Long March’ failed to meet combatrequirements and was suspended. Theprogramme, launched in 2009 with abudget of $100 million, aimed to developa HALE unmanned aerial vehicle with acombat range sufficient to conduct sur-veillance operations around Chinese mili-tary airbases. According to CIST, the UAVremains under development and will beable to carry a heavier payload and have ahigher performance than other UAVs cur-rently in service with the army.

THAILAND�� FFIIEELLDDEEDDCCyybbeerrEEyyee, Sapura: The CyberEye is aMALE UAV which has ten hoursendurance. The Royal Thai Air Force(RTAF) acquired three systems in early2010 as part of the military’s effort to kick-start an indigenous UAV programme andto enable military personnel to acquiresignificant knowledge and experience ofUAV operations and technologies.AAeerroossttaarr, Aeronautics Defence Systems:The Aerostar tactical UAV provides highquality real-time reconnaissance. 22Aerostar UAVs are operated by the RTAF.RRQQ--1111 RRaavveenn, AeroVironment: The RQ-11is a hand-Launched mini UAV. TwelveUAVs were acquired by the Royal ThaiArmy in 2010.

�� TTRRIIAALLSS AANNDD DDEEVVEELLOOPPMMEENNTTGG--SSTTAARR, Innocon/G-Force Composites:The G-STAR mini UAV is based on

the MiniFalcon2 mini UAV. One systemis currently operated by the RTAF forevaluation.

�� NNOOTTEESS:: The Royal Thai Air Force isleading a UAV development programmeaimed at improving its border and territo-rial surveillance capabilities. Project ‘TigerShark’, started in 2010 as a joint effortbetween the RTAF Academy and theATAF Research and Development Centre.This effort has already seen the develop-ment of several UAV prototypes.

VIETNAM�� FFIIEELLDDEEDDVVTT--PPaattrrooll, Viettel Corporation: The VT-Patrol is a tactical UAV with a 27nm(50km) range.

�� TTRRIIAALLSS AANNDD DDEEVVEELLOOPPMMEENNTTRR&&DD UUAAVV//IIrrkkuutt--220000 VVaarriiaanntt:Development has commenced of a newtype of UAV based on the IrkutCorporation Irkut 200 mini UAV. A $10million deal was signed between theVietnam Aerospace Association andRussia’s Irkut in June 2012 regarding the supply of the relevant technologies to Vietnam.

�� NNOOTTEESS:: Vietnam tested six indige-nously made UAVs in May 2013, reflect-ing the country’s interest in UAV tech-nologies. After three days of tests, theUAVs developed by the Vietnam SpaceTechnology Institute had completed 37flights. In the same timeframe, theVietnam Academy of Science andTechnology (VAST) announced the com-pletion of four indigenous UAVs, theAV.UAV.MS1 and AV.UAV.S2 miniUAVs and the AV.UAV.S3 andAV.UAV.S4 MALE UAVs. The pro-gramme’s research phase began in 2008.The test flights of the above-mentionedmodels, conducted in May 2013 in theSouth China Sea, proved the effectivenessof their autonomous flight control systemas well as their optronics. Alongside thedomestic effort to develop indigenousunmanned technologies, Vietnam is look-ing to purchase UAVs from abroad in thecoming two-to-three years.




Such a mix of weapons canperhaps include an assaultrifle with an under-slunggrenade launcher, a designat-ed marksman rifle, a squad

light machine gun, a heavier general pur-pose machine gun, a lightweight mortar, ashotgun, a multi-shot repeating grenadelauncher, a lightweight rocket launcherand a compact anti-materiel rifle or simi-lar. That’s ten kinds of weapon, a numberchosen to match typical modernsquad/section sizes. Just one of the prob-lems with this unreal case is that every sol-dier incapacitated in battle would meanthe loss of a unique capability, making thesquad less than resilient. Going to theother extreme of issuing only assault riflesraises the opposite problem, limiting flexi-

bility and firepower and increasingdependency on supporting arms. Theemergence of very capable lightweightoptronic systems further complicates theproblem, but also offers potential solu-tions, particularly when connected to dis-mounted command and control. Betterinformed soldiers who can share informa-tion and cooperate more effectively andshoot more accurately ought to need fewerweapons, but could make good use of avariety of them. They are also likely to bemore economical with ammunition andbetter able to direct fires from supportingassets. Interactions and feedbacks betweenthese factors make this a complex problemthat is never likely to yield a definitivesolution, rather a menu of solutions tai-lored to different missions and environ-

ments. To explore the evolving relation-ship between these technologies, AMRquizzed a selection of optronics andweapons manufacturers, receiving consid-ered responses from Selex ES, Meprolightand Israel Weapon Industries (IWI).

The power of integration“The ability to integrate modern optronicsand sensors with modern soldier radiosand command and control systems pro-vides the soldier with a powerful integrated


W E A P O N SIINNFFAANNTTRRYY

One of the trickiest tasks faced by military planners is achieving the best mix ofcapabilities within the infantry section. The need to broaden the rangeof targets infantrycan engage and therange of conditionsunder which theycan engage themargues for a diversemix of weapons.

bbyy Peter Donaldson

BROTHERS IN ARMS

Selex ES’ LINX handheld targeting systemrepresents a transformative technology forinfantry, providing target acquisition through atarget data record that provides target marker,azimuth, elevation, distance, geo-location anda target snapshot of the scene in IR and TVmodes © Selex ES

Infantry Weapons:AMR 6/30/14 3:53 PM Page 2

suite of capability,” argues Marco Buratti,marketing and sales director of Selex ES’Land and Naval Systems Division.

“A recent example has been Italy’sSoldato Futuro (Future Soldier) pro-gramme in which optronics includingweapon sights, target acquisition systemsand helmet-mounted displays have beenintegrated with command and controlcapabilities including communicationsand information networks, based on soft-ware-defined radios and battlefield man-agement systems. The capabilities afford-ed by these integrated systems is stimulat-ing export markets outside the NorthAtlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) andthis is a key area of growth,” he told AMR.

“The Asian market is seeking to benefitfrom technology leadership in soldier sys-tems in NATO nations. India is investingheavily in land forces with soldier systemsa key element. In the Asia-Pacific regionwe are seeing increased interest anddemand from a number of countries.”

Selex ES develops advanced optronics,

including its own proprietary infrared (IR)detector technology, and in digital com-munications, pulling them into its currentand future soldier systems. Mr. Burattiemphasises that its latest generation ofoptronics deliver extended ranges andhigh image resolutions in smaller, lighterpackages, achieving this through advancesin detector technology, image enhance-ment algorithms and miniaturisation ofthe electronics.

Advancement and refinement“Our own developments in running ourcooled IR detectors at elevated tempera-tures with no loss of detector performanceare opening up opportunities for a newrange of soldier weapon and fire controlsights that delivers very long range detec-tion whilst retaining longer battery life thanwith normal cooled systems,” he toldAMR.

“We are also taking advantage of devel-opments in consumer electronics andincorporating militarised versions of capa-bilities such as USB (Universal Serial Bus)

and 802.11 connectivity, video recordingand image snapshot capture in compactand ruggedised form factors.”

The relationship between infantryweapons and optronics is changing, in par-ticular the balance of capabilities betweenhandheld devices and those directlyattached to weapons, with the further twistthat many devices can be used in eithermode. Weapon-mounted or not, however,their performance is improving rapidly.

“The main technological goal is toachieve clear and accurate vision of the tar-gets and surroundings during day, twi-light and all levels of darkness,” says ZvikaLisichkin, marketing and sales manager forIsraeli sight manufacturer Meprolight. “Inaddition, mobility and fast reaction arehighly important.”

The company’s weapon sights andother optronic systems are currently inservice with law enforcement, military andcivilian operators worldwide, including inLatin America, Europe and the Asia-Pacificas well as Israel, he says.



Meprolight’s MEPRO MESLAS, pictured here on an IWI Galil sniperrifle, is a programmable, multi-function 10x40 scope with asingle-pulse, eye-safe laser rangefinder with a fire control systemthat calculates elevation angle for the shooter © Meprolight


It is much more difficult to wrestle bigimprovements in performance from theweapons with which they are so closelyassociated. “The basic technology ofinfantry weapons hasn’t changed much inthe past 100 years. However, new tech-nologies are implemented in order tomake it more versatile, lightweight, mod-ular, accurate and, most importantly,ergonomic,” says Ronen Hamudot, vice-president, marketing and sales, IWI, whoalso comments that the market for acces-sories of all kinds has grown immenselyto accommodate such benefits.

“The biggest market for IWI in theAsia-Pacific would be India, where weare competing in several bids includingthe multi-calibre assault rifles, LMGreplacement and sniper rifles bids. Allthree bids hold an enormous potential forIWI and we are very optimistic that,eventually our rifles will be selected,” Mr.Hamudot told AMR.First Hit AccuracyThe ability to put the first round on targetis improving rapidly, says Mr. Buratti.“Modern target acquisition systems carried

by an individual soldier allow him/her todetect and geo-locate a target using a com-bination of day and night sights, laserrange finder, magnetic compass and built-in Global Positioning System.”

“In addition the connectivity affordedby modern battlefield communicationsnetworks allows the soldier to be provided

with real-time target data from otherreconnaissance assets on the battlefield.His local weapon sights such as rifleoptronics and grenade launcher fire con-trol then deliver the precise weapon aim-ing guidance to accurately prosecute thedetected and located targets with a highfirst-round hit probability.”


IWI’s newly launched DAN .338 sniper rifle is chambered forthe .338 Lapua Magnum round (8.58x70mm) and picturedhere with Meprolight’s MELAS fire control system. Theweapon is capable of sub-MoA accuracy at ranges up to 1200metres (3937 feet) © Israel Weapon Industries

With a range of 10 kilometres (six miles), the MEPRO 15-02 is a new eye-safe LRF designed forintegration into handheld devices, multi-sensor platforms, and fire control systems, or mounted onRCWS, manually operated weapon stations and machine guns © Meprolight



The speed and accuracy with which asolider can engage a target with an indi-vidual weapon can be increased by theprecise matching of the optronics to therifle, for example, while allowing for thenumerous factors that affect its ballistics.These include ammunition type, barrellength, range, wind speed and direction,Mr. Lisichkin points out. “This can beaccomplished by producing matching ret-icles for weapon types with markings forballistic compensation, and fire controlsystems that can calculate all the factorsand automatically provide the requiredadjustments.”

As a firearms designer, IWI considersfirst-round hit probability a primary con-sideration, but Mr. Hamudot puts a slight-ly different emphasis on the approach tothe problem. “We strive to shorten or eveneliminate any intermediate [structure]between the optics and the weapon’s bar-rel in order to make it more stable.”

“The Israel Defence Force version of theTAR-21 Tavor assault rifle is a good exam-

ple,” he continues. “The optic was integrat-ed into the barrel of the weapon, whichmade it significantly more accurate.”

Rail flexibilityThe flexibility provided by rail systemsand optronics is changing how infantrysquads use their weapons, says Mr.Lisichkin: “You can mount on the sameweapon a reflex sight, a night vision(image intensified) sight and a thermalsight, which gives the commander theoption to give different functions to eachsoldier in his unit for different operations.”

Meprolight emphasises its use of the

lightest materials for the housings of itsweapon sights, which contain “the small-est microbolometers possible” and fusetheir thermal IR images with those ofimage intensifiers.

The company recently introduced theMESLAS multi-function, fire-controlledsniper’s rifle scope. The 10x40 opticsincorporate a single-pulse eye-safe laserrangefinder invisible to night visiondevices, and a fire control computer. Therugged device offers optional measure-ments of temperature and humidity alongwith bore axis angle sensing to feed intoballistic calculations.

A likely application is IWI’s DAN .338,the first of a new family of bolt-actionsniper rifles that the company has recent-ly launched. Chambered for .338 LapuaMagnum (8.58x70mm), the rifle delivers“exceptional” accuracy at ranges up to1200 metres (3937 feet) and incorporatesadvanced ergonomics that “enablethe weapon to fit perfectly with thesniper’s body”.

The accuracy withwhich a solider can

engage a target withtheir weapon can be

increased by theprecise matching of

their optronics




Bursting With PotentialOf all the weapons available to infantry, itis perhaps low velocity burstingmunitionssuch as 40mm grenades that are havingtheir accuracy and consequently theireffectiveness most profoundly trans-formed, as Mr. Buratti explains.

“Target information from other recon-naissance assets including precise geo-location for non-line-of-sight targets isavailable to the infantry soldier via theircommand and control system, and thisallows him to direct his local sighting sys-tems onto the target quickly and accurate-ly. The Scorpio grenade-launcher fire con-trol system from Selex ES utilises primaryoptical/thermal sights to locate a targetwhereupon the target range is determinedfrom the built-in laser range finder. Theballistics computer inside Scorpio thenautonomously calculates the ballisticsangles and provides the soldier with theprecise elevation angle from which todirect the grenade launch.”

The US Army wants a variety of newfire control capabilities for handheldinfantry weapons, including a GrenadierSighting System (GSS) for its M320 andM320A1 grenade launchers, under-barrel40mm weapons that fit the M16 rifle and

M4 carbine respectively and that can beused in stand-alone mode. The servicewants to be able to update the GSS whennew rounds come along, multiple ballisticsolutions and presets, night capability andlong operating endurance. A draft Requestfor Proposals (RfP) is due out this summer,with a final RfP to follow in the autumn.Likely candidates include the FN HerstalFCU-850N/-1.5M, the Multi-Purpose RifleSystem (MPRS) optic from Israel MilitaryIndustries (IMI), Selex ES’ aforementionedScorpio and the Rheinmetall FelVis.

At the same time, the service is continu-ing development of the ATK XM25Counter Defilade Target EngagementSystem (CDTES) and a family of 25mmammunition, which includes a HighExplosive Air Burst (HEAB) round. Thefire control system includes a laser rangefinder and a ballistic computer that pro-vides the shooter with a compensated ret-icle and programmes the HEAB round.While the projectile is smaller than a40mm grenade, the four-shot semi-auto-matic weapon offers a significantly greatereffective range of typical hand-heldgrenade launchers.

According to the US Army, the XM25,which is thought likely to become the M25

A soldier sights through the fire control system of an XM25 air burst grenade launcher. This four-shot, 25mm automatic weapon fires programmed air burst munitions to defeat adversariespositioned behind cover © ATK


The 25mm HEAB round is programmed withthe target range derived from the laserrangefinder in the XM25 air burst grenadelauncher’s fire control system and uses a turncounting technique to time its detonation. It isone of a family of rounds being developed forthe weapon © ATK





within months, is effective against pointtargets at 500m (1640ft) and area targets at700m (2296ft). The M203, by way of com-parison, has a maximum range of about400m (1312ft), is effective against fireteam-sized area targets out to 350m(1148ft) and against point targets such aslight vehicles and crew served weaponsout to about 150m (492ft). The same fig-ures apply to multi-shot grenade-launch-ers such as the Milkor MGL with low-velocity 40x46mm grenades, but withmedium velocity 40x51mm rounds theeffective range of weapon that acceptthem, such as Milkor’s six-shot M32A1,doubles. With 40mm airburst roundsavailable, future international competitionbetween the M25 and multi-shot grenade-launchers promises to be instructive.

Future Fire ControlPEO (Programme Executive Office)Soldier has also set out more generalsmall-arms fire control technology needs

under the headings of enhanced targetacquisition, better ballistic solutions,closed-loop fire control and accurateweapon orientation, all within tight size,weight and power constraints. In additionto better detection, location and acquisi-tion of targets, the US Army wants sys-tems to help with identification, prioritisa-tion and damage assessment. Verifiableand updatable computations, environ-mental sensing at the soldier’s locationand at the target and means of displayingthe firing solution to the soldier withoutcompromising the direct view on the bal-listics menu. Desirable functions in

closed-loop fire control include trackingof the last shot to allow corrections for thenext, along with control and program-ming of ammunition. Elevation and cantsensors are wanted to help calculate theweapon’s orientation relative to the targetto feed into the ballistic solution.These capabilities must be delivered,

according to a 14 May 2012 presentationby PEO Soldier’s Individual Weaponsmanager Lieutenant Colonel ShawnLucas, by technologies centred around amodular concept consisting of an optic, arangefinder, a ballistic computer, a limitedvisibility unit and a suite of sensors inwhich each module can be upgraded orreplaced independently of the others. Adirect view optic that needs no power is acritical requirement. Finally, the systemmust also be net-ready so that soldiers canshare data, enabling advanced targethand-off for example. Such capabilitieswill be characteristic of the next generationof dismounted soldier systems.

With 40x51 mm medium velocity rounds and a fire controlsystem, Milkor’s popular six-shot M32A1 grenade launcherpromises to provide serious competition in the air-burstinginfantry weapons sector for the likes of the XM25 air burstgrenade launcher © US Marine Corps

The US Army wants avariety of new fire

control capabilities forits current and future

handheld infantryweapons



PUSHING THE BOAT OUTThe deployment of Unmanned Surface Vehicles (USVs) by naval forcesis set to take off as military users increasingly realise the potentialof the technology to maximise reconnaissance, remote monitoring,Anti-Submarine Warfare (ASW) and coastal patrol missions.

bbyy Claire Apthorp

S U R F A C E V E H I C L E SUUNNMMAANNNNEEDD

The Unmanned Surface Vehiclesfor Defence and Security - GlobalMarkets and TechnologiesOutlook report, published in2013 by the Market Info Group, a

United States-based market research com-pany, puts the value of the USV marketbetween 2013 and 2020 at $6 billion. Thusthe prospects for USV manufacturers are

increasingly positive as interest in thetechnology grows.

Early AdoptionSingapore became the first country in theAsia-Pacific region to gain USV capabili-ties when it acquired the Protector USVfrom Israel’s Rafael Advanced DefenceSystems in 2005. The Republic of

Singapore Navy (RSN) deploys the tenmetre (31 feet) long vessel in a range ofpeacekeeping and force protection roles,including maritime security and interdic-tion operations.

This USV is an integrated naval combatsystem based on an unmanned,autonomous, remotely-controlled surfacevehicle. Manoeuvrable and stealthy, the


USVs:AMR 6/30/14 3:58 PM Page 2

Rafael’s Protector is an integrated naval combat system, based onan unmanned, autonomous, remotely-controlled surface vehicle.This craft is in service with the Republic of Singapore Navy where itis used for anti-terrorist operations and harbour protection © Rafael


Protector can conduct a wide spectrum ofcritical missions, without exposing person-nel and capital assets to unnecessary risk.

The system is based on a Rigid HullInflatable Boat (RHIB), and is fitted with arange of sensor and navigation systemsand an integrated naval combat system.The search radar and the Toplite optronicpod enable detection, identification andtargeting, while the weapon system isbased on Rafael’s Mini-Typhoon RemoteWeapon Station (RWS), capable of operat-ing various small calibre guns. The systemcan also engage targets with non-lethalmeans by way of water cannons.

Rafael designed the Protector for anti-terror force protection, but the system’splug-and-play architecture enables usersto reconfigure the USV to utilise missionmodules for reconnaissance, naval war-

fare, maritime and port security roles.The company has continued to

upgrade The Protector's capabilities sinceits release. In the 2005-6 time period thecompany made the decision to move fromthe commercial RHIB platform to a spe-cially-designed hull for better compatibil-ity with onboard systems, and to max-imise the rigidity and ruggedisation of thecraft itself.

This was followed in 2010 to a moreadvanced eleven-metre (36ft) long versionof the vessel, which features completeredundancy of all sailing functionsonboard, to ensure that no single failure inthe system can cause the USV to becomestranded at sea.

Dr. Noam B., product line manager forunmanned marine systems at Rafael, toldAsian Military Review that the company is

currently working to improve the system’sautonomy. “Today Protector can basicallyperform the mission autonomously as faras the sailing is concerned, and this issomething that is ongoing and developingas the demand for autonomy increases,”he said. “We are improving all the time theissue of obstacle avoidance, but as far asthe mission module is concerned, that issomething we do not do autonomously.There is a person in the loop at all times.”

Other mission modules are beingadded, with a focus on integrating short-range missiles to provide a very accuratestrike capability adding Electronic Warfare(EW) capabilities and mine warfare. All ofthese things in turn will help drive demandfor USV systems as potential customersrealise the expanded capabilities as thetechnology matures.



“I wouldn’t say the USV market is verybig yet, but we expect it to grow substan-tially within the coming years, with newcustomers and applications,” Dr. Noam Bexplained. “The two main things that aredriving demand are the value of humanlife. We don’t want to put our sailors indanger so we prefer to operate things fromafar; the other is the acknowledgement thatyou can perform all these missions remote-ly just as well or even better thanwhen youhave people on board with this high endsystem that provides a very accurate anddetailed situational awareness picture.”

Indigenous DevelopmentsIndigenous development in USV technolo-gy is on the increase in the Asia-Pacific. Asearly as 2006, China’s Shenyang AerospaceXinguang Group is understood to have ini-tiated development of a nine-metre (30ft)long USV known as ‘XG-2’, although littleis known of the system’s capabilities.

In 2010 Singapore’s ST Electronicsunveiled its new Venus USV at that coun-try’s Aerospace Exhibition. The Venus is anine-metre long USV integrated withguidance navigation control, electronicsand sensors. In 2012 the vehicle was inte-grated with four different payload typesand displayed at the Euronaval exhibitionin Paris to demonstrate its versatility for arange of missions. The payload typesincluded a Thales towed synthetic aper-ture sonar for mine detection and classifi-cation missions; an ECA expandable minedisposal system for mine identificationand neutralisation; an OtoMelara RWS for

force protection and a Thales dippingsonar for Anti-Submarine Warfare (ASW).

Another Singaporean company, Zycraft,is developing a USV with an eye to futuremarket growth. The company’s ‘Vigilant’class USV completed phase one develop-ment in September 2013, during which thevessel notched up over 24 months of in-water testing in Singaporean waters andtravelled a total of 2000 nautical miles (3704Kilometres). It also participated in severalFleet Battle Experiments and demonstratedcontinuous unmanned operations exceed-ing 48 hours as well as travelling 100nm(184km) into the South China Sea.

Long EnduranceThe Vigilant is a 16.5m (54ft) long vesseldesigned for long endurance. Its staminaallows it to operate base-to-base and inde-

pendent of a mother ship. Once launchedfrom its base, the USV transits to the areaof operations and can remain on stationfor a period of 30-40 days, reducing thenecessity for frequent refuelling.

The vessel’s hull is built using anadvanced composite material calledArovex. This carbon nanotube infused car-bon fibre material provides exceptionalhull strength resulting in a lighter hull thatuses less engine power to achieve thedesired speed. As a result, it allows moremeaningful payloads and more fuel to becarried for enhanced range and opera-tional capabilities.

“We firmly believe that long enduranceis vital for USVs, because the last thing youwant is to send a USV out for it to reach itsdestination, and then have to bring it backin order to refuel,” James Soon, the presi-dent of Zycraft, told Asian MilitaryReview. “We have also built a Seakeeperstabilisation into the baseline configurationto ensure that the vessel – which is stillquite small – is not subject to the action ofthe waves.” Although Vigilant has beendemonstrated to an unnamed south-eastAsian navy and the company is in discus-sions with several potential military cus-tomers, no firm contracts for the systemhave been signed as yet.

Part of the reason for this slow uptakeof USV systems in general is that there aremany challenges still to overcome for theirsafe deployment. The lack of guidelinesfor the regulation of USVs on the water is


The Protector unmanned surface vehicle produced by Rafael can conduct a wide rangeof critical missions, without exposing personnel and capital assets to unnecessary risk,thanks to the wide array of sensors which the boat can carry © Rafael

With the Vigilant USV concept navies do not need to build bigger ships simply to carrysmall USVs. Instead they can rely on the size of a bigger USV to have a high enduranceand space to carry required payloads © Zycraft



one such challenge, to ensure they do notbecome a navigational hazard for mer-chant ships in busy shipping lanes.However, Mr. Soon believes that the USVmarket is on the verge of ‘breaking out’,and that the Asia-Pacific, along with theMiddle East, is likely to be a hotspot forthe uptake of the technology.“The RSN has certainly been the lead

operators of USVs in the Asia-Pacific overthe past ten years, and I think what theyhave done, along with news of the growthof USVs around the world, is facilitatinggreat interest among the navies of theregion,” Mr. Soon believes. “I think it maybe no more than five years from now thatwe see one or two more navies havingUSVs as a staple part of their capabilities.Navies in this region are traditionallyhigh-tech, with many wanting to be at theleading edge of the technology curve, andto be a lead organisation in the field ofoperating USVs would say a lot about thesophistication of that navy.”Besides, USVs have a lot to offer mod-

ern naval forces. A system such as Vigilant,which has three tonnes of available pay-load space, enough to carry an efficientradar system, optronics, and an EW sys-tem, is a relatively inexpensive way toovercome the challenge faced by manyforces – that of resources spread too thin.“Ask any navy chief in the region and

their constant refrain is that they neverhave enough vessels to do what they wantto do, and that clearly leaves room for aUSV,” Mr. Soon said. “If you don’t haveenough vessels, but you want to havemore presence and more sensors on theground, the only way to do that is toacquire USVs to fill the gaps that mannedboats leave behind.”

Such a concept of operations would seemanned and unmanned vessels operatingin concert, with the USV becoming a for-ward eye, looking out for possible devel-oping situations, while the manned vesselbecomes the response force.”That way you don’t have an expensive

warship burning up thousands and thou-sands of dollars of fuel running aroundtrying to establish the surveillance pic-ture,” Mr. Soon adds. “Instead, you havethe warship stationed at the optimal loca-tion, send out the USV to engage at theoperational parameters, and only engagethe manned vessel at the developinghotspots. That way you are optimising theuse of your limited resources.”

Driving RequirementsThis potential for unmanned vehicles totake up some of the capability currentlydelivered by expensive manned vessels isa significant driver in investment by USVmanufacturers. In October 2013 a newfamily of systems was launched at thePacific 2013 Defence Conference in Sydneyby Australian marine technology compa-ny Solar Sailor (now Ocius Technology).Developed with Australian manufac-

turer Steber International, the systems,known as BlueBottles, are being devel-oped to ‘live’ at sea using available solar,wind and wave power for ocean monitor-

ing and surveillance. They can endure allsea conditions while providing a stable‘roll-dampened’ platform for above andbelow water surveillance with low-costoptronics and radar. It can also provide acommunications link between aerial andsubmarine assets.In particular, the company has its eye on

emerging ASW requirements from region-al navies, in particular Australia. “ForAustralia ASW is a big issue in our DefenceWhite Papers and capability plans becauseAustralia is an island and 85 percent of ourtrade comes by sea, so if an adversary’ssubmarine got undetected into our sealanes it would be a game-changer duringpotential conflicts,” Robert Dane, chiefexecutive officer of Ocius Technology, toldAsian Military Review. “The ability of aUSV to be out there 24-hours-a-day, seven-days-a-week, operating at low cost andwith low energy requirements, to listenand detect conventional and nuclear sub-marines is something that is of great inter-est to the Royal Australian Navy.”Ocius Technology has teamed up with

an unnamed European defence prime con-tractor that develops acoustic arrays forASW operations. Mr. Dane said the com-pany has been invited to speak with theRoyal Australian Navy about the workthey are doing with BlueBottle, andexpects to make an announcement ondevelopments toward the end of 2014.BlueBottles will be available in three

configurations, a 2.5m (8.2ft) long ‘BlueNemo’ system carrying basic oceanograph-ic sensors plus camera and sonar; a 3.5m(11.4ft) long ‘Blue Buoy’ system carryingbasic sensors plus a 40 Kilogram (88lb)payload and roll-dampened radar-camera;and a 5.9m (19ft) long ‘Blue Stinger’ carry-


The Vigilant unmanned surface vehicle’s long endurance capabilities allow it to operate base-to-base and independent of a mother ship. The craft is produced by Zycraft of Singaporewhich has demonstrated the design’s capabilities to potential customers © Zycraft

Australia, India, Taiwanand the Republic of

Korea are in the midstof expanding their

Mine CounterMeasures capabilities




ing basic sensors plus an 80kg (176lb) pay-load and the ability to tow an array.“Military users have a range of differ-

ent requirements, so we’ve built three sys-tems for different missions: one foroceanography, one as a moveable buoy forharbour and asset protection, and one fortravelling long distances for defence,” Mr.Dane said. “The possibilities are vast, forexample, look at people-smuggling opera-tions off the north coast of Australia …thisarea could be patrolled for a fifth of thecost of one ship as you don’t have anysailors on board and no fuel requirements,so they are very cheap to run.’

Kangnam StyleAside from Australia, India, Taiwan andthe Republic of Korea (RoK) are in themidst of expanding their Mine CounterMeasures (MCM) capabilities. India ispressing ahead with its plan to procureeight MCM Vessels (MCMVs) from GoaShipyard Limited and the RoK’s KangnamCorporation which are scheduled to arrivefrom 2016. Taiwan took delivery of twoformer United States Navy mine huntingvessels in August 2012, and the RoK isworking on requirements for its AirborneMCM (AMCM) programme.While the focus remains on manned

platforms for these programmes, USVman-ufacturers believe there is scope to enhance

capabilities with unmanned technology.“Asia is definitely a growth area for ourcompany; there are quite a lot of MCMpro-grammes underway in the region and wehave had enquiries from potential cus-tomers, particularly for our C-Sweep MCMsystem,” Vince Dobbin, head of businessdevelopment, Autonomous SurfaceVehicles (ASV) told Asian Military Review.C-Sweep is a 10.8m (35.4ft) long rugged

USV designed to offer a high degree ofdirectional stability, substantial towingcapacity for long-endurance mine sweep-ing missions (of up to 200nm/370km) and

a robust electrical generating capacity tosupport modern mine sweeping equip-ment requirements. It features a glass re-enforced plastic hull, twin diesel enginesand is operated by the company’s controlsystem, which provides direct control,semi-autonomous and autonomous modescomplete with real-time video, radar, pay-load feedback, vehicle sensor data chan-nels and proven safety systems.ASV also supplies its unmanned

marine target drones into Asia. The com-pany completed the second phase of amarine target drone programme with theRoK in April 2014, having delivered fournine metre length systems to RoK compa-ny GigaRF for the test and evaluation of amissile system by the Agency of DefenceDevelopment (ADD). Similarly, the com-pany delivered three six metre (20ft) long

target drones to Singapore at the begin-ning of 2013 to a local company for opera-tion on behalf of the RSN.There is no question that Asia’s USV

market is on the cusp of significant growthas militaries in the region more closelyrefine their requirements and manufactur-ers continue to push the boundaries ofwhatis possible with emerging technologydevelopments. With naval forces looking toenhance capabilities without exhaustingbudgets, USVs offer a cost-effective assetfor a range of maritime operations whilekeeping sailors out of harm’s way.

The C-Sweep USV fitted with a Saab Seaeye Submersible. Teaming this uninhabitedunderwater surveillance system with a USV represents one way in which humans can bekept safe from harm as far as the mine countermeasures mission is concerned © ASV

The USS Oriole (MHC-55) was one of two US Navy Osprey’ class coastalmine hunter vessels sold to Taiwan as part of that country’s efforts toexpand its MCM capabilities © US Navy




Thales provide a range of mobile SATCOM products. These includenew products such as Modem-21 and SATMOVE, alongside theVenus mobile SATCOM system procured for the French Army anddepicted in this photograph © Thales

KEEPING A LOW PROFILEFrom football matches to telemedicine, satellites have shrunkenthe globe, providing light-speed communications acrosscontinents. They are now helping military vehicles to stay intouch with the outside world far beyond the horizon.

bbyy Thomas Withington

S A T C O MMMIILLIITTAARRYY


SATCOM:AMR 6/30/14 4:02 PM Page 2

Traditionally, military vehicleshave had three main means ofcommunications to remain con-nected with other soldiers, eche-lons of command and their

counterparts in other armed services.These have included High Frequency(HF) radio communications in the three to30 megahertz (MHz) segment of the elec-tro-magnetic spectrum, and Very/UltraHigh Frequency (V/UHF – 30-300MHz/300MHz-three Gigahertz) radiocommunications. Of these three segmentsof the electro-magnetic spectrum, only HFoffers Beyond-Line-Of-Sight (BLOS) over-the-horizon radio coverage. This is becauseHF transmissions use the ionosphere, aband of the atmosphere existing atbetween 85-660 kilometres (53-373 miles)altitude acting as a trampoline from whichHF signals can jump to reach their destina-tion. However, while the ranges offered byHF communications are impressive, theamount of data, imagery and voice trafficthat they can handle is limited.

Both VHF and UHF communicationscan handle significant quantities of voice,data and imagery traffic, but at theexpense of range as they only have a line-of-sight reach. In a nutshell, HF gives yourange but not bandwidth while V/UHFgives you bandwidth but not range. Suchfundamentals of physics come at a vexingtime for the world’s armies. The realities ofHF and V/UHF communications areunlikely to change any time soon, save fora major change in the laws of physicswhich, for the time being, appears ratherunlikely. Yet armies have a need to handleincreasingly large amounts of informationdue in no small part to the electronic BattleManagement Systems (BMS) they use tocommand and control campaigns, and thelarge quantities of imagery gathered byUnmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) andsoldier optronics.

Satellite Communications (SATCOM)offer one means of addressing this radiocommunications conundrum. SATCOMallows the movement of large quantities ofvoice, data and imagery traffic at globalranges as the signals are transmitted intothe heavens and bounced off a satellite toreach their intended destination. Today’s

soldiers have SATCOM terminals whichthey can carry and set up in the field toprovide them with BLOS communica-tions; they are also increasingly benefitingfrom personal SATCOM terminals, whileheadquarters can use fixed antennae fortheir satellite communications needs. Allvery good, but what about military vehi-cles? They too increasingly need SATCOMto enjoy high bandwidth communications.Nowonder that several companies aroundthe world are furnishing just about any-thing with wheels or tracks with mobileSATCOM terminals for use when the vehi-cle is either stationary or on-the-move.

New WaveformsOne product in widespread use is Thales’Modem-21 SATCOM system whichenables secure on-the-move communica-tions. The company, it was revealed dur-ing a presentation of its products in Parison 11 June 2014 attended by the author,has recently rolled out the third genera-tion of its Modem-21 hardware, alongwith an accompanying third generationof SATCOM waveform to accompanythis product. According to GeorgesTouloupas, vice president for mobile net-works at Thales, this new waveform andversion of Modem-21 offers a step change



Selex-ES launched its TacSatRazor mobile satellitecommunications antenna inearly May 2014. The productboasts a high performance,while maintaining a lowweight and a low powerconsumption © Selex-ES


in capabilities and security. Mr. Touloupassays that the third generation waveformcan equip legacy versions of the Modem-21 equipment, but that this comes at theexpense of some capability. For example,the new Modem-21 waveform has a high-er rate of frequency-hopping transmissionsecurity compared to its predecessors.Enhanced data rates are also provided bythis waveform in the order of 50 megabits-per-second (mbps), compared to the circa30mbps of the legacy waveform.Modem-21 joins other Thales mobile

SATCOM products such as SATMOVE ofwhich an X-band (eight-to-twelveGigahertz/GHz) system using a phasedarray antenna is currently in production,with a Ku-band (twelve-18GHz), “alreadyavailable and ready to enter production inthe near future”, according to PatrickHeuline and Pascal Augier, both productline managers at the company. SATMOVEhas been deployed by French forces dur-ing their Operation SERVAL militaryintervention in the troubled West Africancountry of Mali from January 2013. Asnoted above, SATMOVE makes use of a

phased array antenna. Such technology isbecoming increasingly important in theprovision of mobile SATCOM as it offers ameans by which antennae can be reducedin terms of Size, Weight and Power(SWaP) consumption to enable an all-important low profile design to reducetheir physical conspicuousness and theirdemands on a vehicles’ power supply.Such antennae can also support a range ofSATCOM frequency bands.Thales’ Italian counterpart Selex ES

offers a range of SATCOM apparatus andinfrastructure to military customers.Maurizio Viberti, responsible for defencecommunications systems marketing forthe firm, says that its offerings in themobile domain include “solutions onvehicular platforms designed to cope withthe operational requirements of mobilecommand posts and mobile networknodes. These terminals work in differentradio frequency bands and are capable oftracking their satellites in all terrain condi-tions.” On 7 May 2014, the firm launchedits TacSat Razor Antenna which provideshigh performance SATCOM on-the-move.

Using UHF communications (see belowfor a discussion of the importance of UHFin mobile SATCOM) the TacSat RazorAntenna imposes a weight penalty of onlyone kilogram (two pounds) and uses amaximum of 20 Watts of power.

Multi-BandsIsraeli defence electronics specialists ElbitSystems provides its MSR-2000 family oflow-profile antennae for SATCOM on-the-move. According to the firm’s official liter-ature, this vehicle SATCOM terminal isdesigned for Ku-band communications,although the customer has the option touse Ka-band (27-40GHz) if so desired.With an elevation coverage of betweenzero and 100 degrees, the firm says that theMSR-2000’s satellite auto-tracking capabil-ity allows the terminal to rapidly recapturea satellite signal should it be lost for anyreason. Elbit Systems adds that this prod-uct is suitable for all types of military vehi-cle. The MSR-2000 family includes threespecific products; the ELSAT-2000E,ELSAT-2100 and ELSAT-2300. Each ofthese terminals has different antenna phys-ical dimensions, although all of them offerKu- and extended Ka-band communica-tions, and 10.7-12.7GHz receive and 13.75-14.5GHz transmit frequencies. Back in2012, Elbit Systems announced that it hadwon a contract from an undisclosed LatinAmerican country to equip it with theELSAT-2100 terminal. Elbit Systems is notthe only Israeli company active in themobile SATCOM domain. Commtact’sMobile Satellite Terminal (MOST) providesfull duplex (i.e. simultaneous two-way)communications in the Ku- and Ka-bands.

Shock DoctrineGeneral Dynamics has been involved inthe provision of SATCOM systems to themilitary for many years. According to TimShroyer, engineering fellow for GeneralDynamics C4 Systems, the company pro-vides “mobile terminals operating in the X-, Ku- and Ka-band frequencies. The termi-nals are available in four different antennasizes are used to support military users onland, at sea and inside aircraft.” Mr.Shroyer stresses that the company’s SAT-COM terminals for vehicles are designed


The United States Army is in the process of rolling out the WIN-T which will equip the force withmobile voice and data communications, on-the-move satellite communications is a key componentof WIN-T © US Army




to cope with particularly stressful condi-tions: “Land vehicle dynamics are the mostrigorous so our land SOTM (Satellite On-The-Move) terminals are designed to oper-ate under the worst of shock and vibrationconditions experienced by military vehi-cles.” One method of dealing with suchdemanding conditions has been the use ofadvanced materials, Mr. Shroyer adds:“We have taken the carbon fibre and com-posite materials technology developed forour airborne SOTM terminals and appliedit to our land terminals. That results inmuch lighter terminals that can withstandthe rigorous shock and vibration require-ments of a ground-mobile platform.”Work is moving forward in the United

States to roll out mobile SATCOM via theannouncement in June 2013 that the USArmy’s Communications ElectronicResearch and Engineering DevelopmentCentre had begun developing an open sys-tems standard to allow the installation ofCommercial-Off-The-Shelf DistributedAperture SATCOM systems into existingand future US Army vehicles. The inten-tion is for the antennae procured to facili-tate SATCOM to be designed to surrounda vehicles’ hull (hence the ‘distributed’appellation used for the initiative) ratherthan having a single, large antenna posi-tioned on the vehicle’s roof. This open sys-tems standard will then form part of theDistributed and Embedded SATCOM On-The-Move Terminal Architecture(DEESTA) which provides standards forSATCOM terminal design to support theUS Army’s Warfighter InformationNetwork-Tactical (WIN-T) initiative.WIN-T is being developed to providemobile voice and data communications toUS Army vehicles at BLOS ranges.Alongside the US armed forces SAT-

COM initiatives such as WIN-T which areproviding mobile SATCOM, several com-panies based in the United States offersecure SATCOM leasing services to coun-tries around the world for which thedevelopment of a nationally-owneddefence SATCOM infrastructure wouldnot be cost effective. One such firm isViaSat which also provides satellite com-munications services to the United Statesarmed forces furnishing it with AN/PSC-

14 Broadband Global Area Network(BGAN) terminals. Capable of use eitheras a manpack or as a vehicular SATCOMterminal, the AN/PSC-14 offers data ratesof up to 422kbps using a secure link certi-fied to US National Security Agency Type-1 encryption standards, transmitted acrossthe INMARSAT (International MaritimeSatellite) constellation.Like ViaSat, Harris CapRock, also based

in the United States, offers its customersmobile SATCOM services via itsCommandAccess product. In service since2009, and used by several North AtlanticTreaty Organisation members,CommandAccess essentially provides asmorgasbord of services which can includeeverything from the provision of vehicularor manpack SATCOM terminals up to thefull installation of a complete nationaldefence SATCOM infrastructure for a par-ticular nation. For all intents and purposes

customers can choose what they requireand are charged only for these servicesaccordingly. Recent augmentations of theCommandAccess product include the pro-vision of UHF SATCOM across BLOSranges. Usually, when employed by tacti-cal radios, UHF can carry impressiveamounts of data, voice and imagery traffic,but is hampered by retaining a line-of-sightrange. Harris CapRock’s adoption of UHFfor BLOS SATCOM will give the customera means to move large quantities of trafficover-the-horizon.

Wandering GNOMADsOther products available from US suppli-ers include DRS Technologies’ Ku-38Vlow-profile Continuous On-The-Move(COTM) antenna. It provides high band-width voice, data and imagery communi-cations using the Ku-band and employinga small antenna and terminal to reducethe physical size that it occupies on a vehi-cle. Those customers requiring an X-bandmobile SATCOM terminal can instead optfor the X-38V. Likewise, L3Communications’ TRM-1000 productcombines the company’s MPM-10000internet protocol modem with an antennawhich can utilise the United StatesArmy’s Wideband Global SATCOM

Elbit Systems’ ELSAT-2000E mobile SATCOM system is one of several vehicle SATCOM productsoffered by the Israeli firm. In 2013, a Latin American country purchased Elbit’s ELSAT 2100 mobileSATCOM terminal © Elbit Systems

WIN-T is beingdeveloped to provide

mobile voice and datacommunications

to US Army vehicles atBLOS ranges




Oct. 20-25, 2015 / Seoul Airport

www.seouladex.com



(WGS) constellation which is currently inthe process of replacing the erstwhileDefence Satellite Communication System-III constellation.Joining the TRM-1000 is Exelis’ GNO-

MAD family of SATCOM terminals whichuse a common base architecture equippedwith an interchangeable antenna accord-ing to the application, be it manpack orvehicle-mounted. Operating in the Ku-band, GNOMAD offers data rates of up totwo megabits-per-second across commer-cially-available satellite links. The vehicle-borne version of GNOMADhas a low-pro-file antenna to ensure that it does notexcessively clutter a vehicle’s roof, and allversions of GNOMAD provide secure fullduplex communications at rates of up to50mbps. Another attraction of GNOMADis that it can be connected to a vehicle’s

Exelis AN/VRC-92 or Harris AN/VRC-104 and AN/VRC-110 vehicular radiotransceivers, effectively affording theseradios wideband BLOS communicationsvia the use of GNOMAD.

Movin’ OnOne trend which may be observed in thefuture is the increasing adoption of the Ka-band for mobile SATCOM. As this articlehas illustrated, many mobile SATCOM

system users possess terminals operatingin the X- and Ku-bands. The problemswith the X-band is that military commu-nications are only allocated around500MHz of spectrum, meaning that it ishugely over-subscribed due to the sheerdemand for SATCOM services. Ku-bandoffers a potential solution but this too isbecoming oversubscribed, not only by themilitary but also by commercial cus-tomers who have an addiction to SAT-COM. Given the caterpillar-like appetiteof commercial and military SATCOMusers, there is an increasing imperative toseek new comparatively under-used seg-ments of the radio spectrum, and Ka-band in this regard could provide somemuch-needed space for military SAT-COM users in the coming years be theymobile or otherwise.

Exelis’ GNOMAD product line includes both manpack and vehicularsatellite communications systems. One of the key attractions of theGNOMAD product, as far as vehicle communications are concerned, isthat it can be connected directly to a vehicles’ standard radio © Exelis

Given the caterpillar-like appetite of

SATCOM users, thereis an imperative to

seek new segments ofthe radio spectrum




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

INDIA’S AIR FORCE TORECEIVE DELIVERY OFADDITIONAL 40 PC-7MK 2 AIRCRAFT WITHINTWO YEARS�� Less than two years afterthe signature of a $520 milliondeal between the Indian AirForce (IAF) and theSwiss manufacturer PilatusAircraft Ltd for 75 of the com-pany’s PC-7 Mk 2 turbopropaircraft, Pilatus announced ina press release published 5May 2014 that it was ahead ofschedule and had alreadydelivered 35 units since thefourth quarter of 2012. Themanufacturer expressed itsutmost confidence that the75 aircraft ordered by theIAF will be delivered by theend of 2015.In addition to the aircraft,

the initial deal, which wasfinalised in May 2012, includ-ed an integrated, ground-based training system and acomprehensive logistics sup-port package. In its pressrelease, Pilatus announcedthat, as of February 2014, thefirst PC-7 Mk. 2 Fixed-BaseFull Mission Simulator wasfully operational, installed at

the Dundigal Air ForceAcademy, located nearHyderabad, with a secondsimulator and additionalGround-Based TrainingSystems due to be installed bythe end of 2014.The Pilatus PC-7 turboprop

trainer is based upon thePilatus PC-3 which is a single-engine, tandem-seat turbopropaircraft designed to performbasic training missions. Itsendurance, low maintenanceand reliability have allowedthe Indian Air Force to main-tain a very high availabilityrate on the flight line since the

introduction of this new plat-form. In an earlier interview,IAF Air Vice Marshal VRChaudhuri explained that thePilatus trainer aircraft offersbetter results than previousmodels, especially when com-pared to the Indian-builtHindustan AeronauticsLimited (HAL) HJT-16 KiranJet Trainer, also used by theIAF. “The Kiran would stay inthe air for an hour and 45 min-utes on 1200 pounds (545 kilo-grams) of internal fuel,”explained AVM Chaudhry,“(whereas) the Pilatus carrieslittle less than 900lbs (409kg)

and stays in the air for fourand a half hours; this providestremendous flexibility.”According to the plane’s

manufacturer, the PC-7 Mk. 2has allowed the IAF to increasethe basic training programmein terms of flight hours by 220percent. The IAF has thereforealready decided to press for-ward their plans to enhancethe number of student pilotsby 150 percent and has beenlooking into acquiring moreunits in the very near future,seeing the results of the PC-7Mk. 2 in measuring up to theirrequirements and expectations.

INDIAN ASSAULTRIFLE PROCUREMENTTAKES SHAPE�� The Indian Army hascommenced trials regardingits procurement of a newassault rifle to equip the force.Currently, the Indian Armyuses the INSAS (Indian SmallArms System) which is manu-factured by the OrdnanceFactories Board. The weaponuses 5.56x45mm NorthAtlantic Treaty Organisation(NATO) standard ammuni-tion, has a 600 rounds-per-minute rate-of-fire and aneffective range of 400 metres(1312 feet). The INSAS hasbeen in Indian Army service

since 1990 when it was adopt-ed as the replacement for the1A1 7.62mm self-loading rifle,also produced by theOrdnance Factories Board.The Request for Proposals

for the INSAS replacementwas issued in November 2011for an initial requirement of

65678 new rifles, and a licenceto domestically produce up to100000 additional examples.Initially, India short-listedseveral weapons includingthe Italian Beretta ARX-160,the Czech BREN CZ-805, theIsraeli IWI (Israeli WeaponsIndustries) Galil ACE-1, the

Swiss SIG Sauer SG-551 and avariant of the American ColtM16A1 (the M4 carbine). InFebruary 2014, the shortlistwas narrowed further to theARX-160, the M4 and theGalil ACE-1. These weaponshave now commenced trialsas of June 2014 and are beingput through their paces in avariety of demandingconditions, with the trialsexpected to conclude in July2014. There has of yet been noword on when the IndianArmy will take a decision onwhich weapon will beselected, or the arrangementsfor the weapon’s licensedproduction.


ASIA PACIFIC PROCUREMENT UPDATE

RREEGGIIOONNAALL NNEEWWSS

ss oo uu tt hh aa ss ii aa

bbyy Pierre Delrieu

News July-Aug 14:AMR 6/30/14 4:06 PM Page 2


LOCKHEED MARTINSIGNS $80 MILLIONDEAL TO SUPPLYINDONESIA AND USAPACHE SENSORSYSTEMS�� Lockheed Martinannounced in early May 2014that it had been awarded a$80.6 million contract with theUnited States Army, whichincludes the production ofnine Modernized TargetAcquisition DesignationSight/Pilot Night VisionSensor (M-TADS/PNVS)destined to equip theIndonesian Army’s (TNI)Boeing AH-64 Block-IIIApache attack helicopters.The contract also covers

eight targeting and pilotagesystems and spares for the USArmy, as stated in the pressrelease published by Lockheedon 5 May 2014. According toLieutenant Colonel Steven Van

Riper, product manager forthe US Army Apache sensors,the “production lot directlysupports the AH-64E produc-tion line”. Quoted in the pressrelease, Lt. Col. Van Riperexplains that being able to“bundle (the US Army’s) pro-curement with one of ourForeign Military Sales partners(Indonesia) increases (the USArmy’s) buying power.”With this deal, Indonesia

becomes Lockheed’s13th international customer topurchase the company’s M-TADS/PNVS system. The pro-duction of the systems will beconducted in Orlando andOcala, Florida, and is sched-uled to be complete by July2016.The $500 million deal for

the sale of eight AH-64D heli-copters and AN/APG-78Longbow fire control radars tothe TNI had been confirmed in

August 2013, following a bilat-eral meeting held in Jakarta,between US defence secretaryChuck Hagel and hisIndonesian counterpart,Purrnomo Yusgiantoro. Inaddition to the aircraft, theagreement included pilottraining and maintenance forboth the helicopters and theradars, with a delivery sched-uled in phases spread betweenOctober 2014 and 2017.This deal represents

Indonesia’s largest militarypurchase from the United

States since the countrylifted its embargo onlethal weapons sales toIndonesia in 2005 andmarked a significantturnaround of thedefence cooperationbetween Washingtonand Jakarta. The UnitedStates has expressedinterest in improving

and consolidating the relation-ship with Indonesia and tohelp develop the capabilitiesof the TNI in the light ofChina’s increasing presenceand territorial assertiveness.Part of the TNI’s Apache

fleet will be based in remoteborder areas such as theNatuna Islands archipelago,in the Riau Island Province ofIndonesia, located in theSouth China Sea, off thenorthwest coast of Borneo—considered to be a highlystrategic position.

INDONESIAN NAVYCHOOSES AS565PANTHER HELICOPTERFOR ITS ASWREQUIREMENT�� The TenteraNasionalIndonesia-Angkatan Laut(TNI-AL), Indonesia’s Navy,announced on 28 April 2014that it has decided to acquire16 Airbus Helicopters AS565Panther maritime supportrotorcraft.The Indonesian defence

ministry still needs to officiallyapprove the deal, and is, untilthen, unwilling to disclose atimeline for the delivery of thehelicopters. Speaking aboutthe deal, Vice Admiral UntongSuropati, head of communica-tions for the TNI-AL,explained that the aircraft willembark on vessels such as thecountry’s ‘Diponegoro’ classcorvettes. PT DirgantaraIndonesia (PTDI), one of thecountry’s main aerospacefirms, will be involved in theproduction of the aircraft forthe TNI-AL. PTDI was alsoinvolved in the Indonesian

government’s decision to pur-chase the AS565, made underthe company’s recommenda-tions. In the past, PTDI hasworked with Airbus to manu-facture the CASA/IPTNCN235 tactical turbopropfreighter, jointly developedwith CASA of Spain (nowAirbus) as a regional airlineras well as a military freighter.According to the

Indonesian company, PTDIand Airbus Helicopters willproduce all 16 aircraft inBandung, the capital of WestJava province in Indonesiaand the country’s third largest

city. PTDI may also work incollaboration with AirbusHelicopters to manufacturethe airframes and the air-craft’s dipping sonar. Furtherdetails on the productionarrangements will be officiallyannounced once thecontract has been finalised bythe TNI-AL.The TNI-AL’s new maritime

support helicopter acquisitionis the latest step in Indonesia’songoing programme to devel-op its ‘Minimum EssentialForce’ (MEF), which establish-es the number, scale andnature of operational readinessand force structure that thecountry should, at a minimum,be able to deploy. The MEFalso includes the developmentof a defence industrial basethrough Transfer ofTechnology (ToT), joint pro-duction and joint development.Divided into three chrono-

logical phases (2010-2014,2015-2019 and 2020-2024) theTNI-AL’s procurement proj-ects include, in addition to theASW helicopters, the progres-

sive modernization of twocorvettes for an estimated $100million, the upgrade of twohydrographic and oceano-graphic research ships foranother $100 million), the pur-chase of a new sail trainingship for about $80 million andthe procurement of two CN235maritime patrol aircraft, val-ued at $60 million.The acquirement of

Indonesia’s new helicoptersreflects the proliferation ofsubmarines in the Asia-Pacific, outfitted as they willbe to perform anti-submarinewarfare. Lately, Vietnamreceived delivery from Russiaof the first two of six ‘Kilo’class conventional boats whileSingapore has bought two‘Type 218SG’ class conven-tional submarines fromGermany’s ThyssenKruppMarine Systems, extending itssubmarine fleet from four tosix boats. Meanwhile,China is actively building upits naval capacities toinclude attack and ballisticmissile submarines.

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


RREEGGIIOONNAALL NNEEWWSS

ss oo uu tt hh ee aa ss tt aa ss ii aa



JAPAN TO BUY THALESIMV BUSHMASTERS�� Thales has secured acontract for the sale of fourtroop carrier variants of theBushmaster Infantry MobilityVehicles (IMVs) to Japan’sGround Self-DefenceForce (JGSDF).The company announced

the deal, valued at about$3.4 million, in a statementissued 7 April 2014, andspecified that deliveries wereto be expected before the endof 2014. It includes theprovision of training,maintenance and repairs.This transaction marks the

first acquisition of a Thalesplatform by the JGSDF and,with the conclusion of the saleof three Bushmaster troopvariant IMVs to Indonesia’sSpecial Forces in February2014 for about $2.5 million, is

the second Asia-Pacific orderfor the Australian four-wheeldrive armoured vehicle.Whether or not Japan will beplacing additional orders inthe future is still unsure but,according to Thales Australia’schief executive officer, ChrisJenkins, these new exportsdemonstrate “the ongoing sig-nificance and versatility of theBushmaster vehicle”.The role of the four-newly

acquired Bushmasters withinthe JGSDF has yet to be offi-cially announced by theJapanese Ministry of Defence

(MoD). Japan’s MoD had out-lined the procurement of“protected carrier vehicles” inits supplementary budget forthe 2013/2014 fiscal year,made public in December2013. The project was detailedwithin a section coveringmeasures to facilitate theJGSDF’s capacities to main-tain and operate variousequipment and defence facili-ties in a stable manner, whichalso included the acquisitionof new fire-control radars forthe Japan Air Self DefenceForce’s Boeing/McDonnellDouglas F-15J multi-rolecombat aircraft.Thales Australia’s

Bushmaster, which wasdesigned as a troop trans-porter, was selected to enterservice in the AustralianArmy in 1998 and since thenhas been used in operations in

Iraq and Afghanistan. Anelongated chassis allows thevehicle to carry up to eightpassengers, in addition to thedriver and gunner. TheBushmaster can reach a maxi-mum speed of 100 kilometres-per-hour (50 miles-per-hour),with a range of 800 kilometres(497 miles), and its basicarmour protection canwithstand 7.62 millimetreammunition hits.To this date, the Australian

Army operates more than1000 Bushmasters, andexports include 86 vehiclesacquired by the Dutch Army,24 by the British Army andtwelve units supplied to theJamaican Defence Force inDecember 2013. In addition toJapan and Indonesia, poten-tial Asia-Pacific export ordersfor Bushmasters include theRoyal Thai Army.

TAIWAN TO PURCHASETWO OHP FRIGATESFROM THE US�� Taiwan’s Republic ofChina Navy (RoCN) will beacquiring only two of fourdecommissioned ‘OliverHazard Perry’ class frigates asproposed by the UnitedStates. Yen Ming, Taiwan’sminister of defence, speakingbefore the island’s LegislativeForeign Affairs and NationalDefence Committee,announced the decision on14 April 2014.The decision came a week

after the US House ofRepresentatives authorisedthe sale of USS Taylor,USS Gary, USS Carr and USSElrod to Taiwan under provi-sions laid out in the TaiwanRelations Act (TRA), daysbefore the 35th anniversary ofthat legislation. The TRA wassigned with an overwhelmingbipartisan support within theHouse and the bill openedwith a statement underliningthe importance of the Actemphasising that it “has beeninstrumental in maintaining

peace, security and stability inthe Western Pacific since itsenactment in 1979”.The RoCN has wanted to

acquire frigates from the USfor years, and although thelegislation to authorise thesale of four frigates was onlyintroduced in November2013, Taipei had clarified thatit would only be seeking toacquire two vessels,based on technical and costconsiderations.During his statement Mr.

Yen told the Committee thatthe initial US offer, plannedfor four vessels, was the

“maximum number of war-ships to be made available” toTaipei and was not based “onthe number of such vessels(Taiwan) needs to meet itscurrent defence requirement”.With deliveries planned for

2015, the two decommis-sioned frigates, which will beretrofitted and stripped of allweapon and electronic equip-ment, will cost Taiwan anestimated $185 million, whichrepresents about 1/57th of theisland’s annual defence budg-et. Taiwan will have to investseveral additional millions ofdollars to refit the two frigates

with new electronics andweapons systems, presum-ably Hsiung Feng II and IIIanti-ship missilesdeveloped by the Taiwan-based Chungshan Instituteof Science and Technology(CSIST) to targetsurface vessels.The American-built

frigates, which entered servicewithin the US Navy in themid 1980s, will be introducedwithin the RoCN to replacetwo even older ’Knox’ classfrigates, bought from the USin the early 1990s that remainin service.

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

ee aa ss tt aa ss ii aa





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

aa uu ss tt rr aa ll aa ss ii aa

AUSTRALIA’S AIR FORCETO ACQUIRE 58 ADDITIONAL F-35AS�� The Australian govern-ment has announced its deci-sion to acquire 58 additionalLockheed Martin F-35ALightning-II Multi-RoleCombat Aircraft (MRCA) toequip the Royal Australian AirForce (RAAF), bringing thecountry’s total F-35A order up to 72 aircraft.Australia’s prime minister

Tony Abbott announced thedeal, which was valued at$11.5 billion and is one of thelargest defence-related pur-chases in Australian history,on 23 April 2014. This batch ofaircraft comes in addition tothe 14 units already approvedfor purchase by the Australiangovernment, bringing the totalorder placed with LockheedMartin to 72 aircraft, whichwill represent enough aircraftto entirely replace the coun-try’s aging fleet of BoeingF/A-18A/B Hornet MRCA. Of the 14 aircraft ordered prior

to this new deal, two are dueto be completed by July 2014and will be based at Luke AirForce Base, Arizona, to join theF-35 international training cen-tre located there in early 2015to begin pilot training.The RAAF is scheduled to

receive delivery of its first F-35A aircraft by 2018 and thefirst squadron will be opera-tional by 2021. All 72 aircraftare expected to be fully opera-tional by 2023.Mr. Abbott referred to the

fifth-generation F-35 as “themost advanced fighter in pro-duction anywhere in theworld”. Fifth-generation F-35As are noted for their abilityto provide a networked force-multiplier effect in terms of sit-uational awareness and com-bat effectiveness, with a com-bination of advanced sensors,networking, stealth and datafusion capabilities.The RAAF’s 72 new F-35As,

which will be distributedacross three operationalsquadrons, will replace three

squadrons of F/A-18As andan operational conversionunit. The RAAF’s 24 BoeingF/A-18F Super Hornets,acquired in 2009, will also ulti-mately be replaced with the F-35A. Two of the F-35Asquadrons will be operatedfrom the RAAF William townairbase in New South Wales,and the third one will bebased at the RAAF Tindal airbase in the Northern Territory.Once the first squadrons arefully operational, a fourthoperational squadron will beconsidered, to be based at the

RAAF’s Amberley airbase inQueensland. This could bringthe total of Australian-operat-ed F-35A’s to about 100 onceadditional aircraft are pur-chased to this end.“The government remains

committed to building astrong, capable and sustain-able Australian DefenceForce,” added Mr. Abbott,who explained that about $1.6billion from the deal would beused to build and developinfrastructure and facilities atthe RAAF’s future F-35A basesat Tindal and William town.

NEW ZEALAND’SANZAC CLASS COMBATSYSTEMS UPGRADEAWARDED TOLOCKHEED MARTIN�� New Zealand’s DefenceMinister Jonathan Colemanannounced on 1 May 2014 thatNew Zealand and LockheedMartin Canada have agreedon a four-year, $164 milliondollar deal to update the RoyalNew Zealand Navy’s (RNZN)two ‘Anzac’ class frigates (seeEdward Hooton’s article ‘Ship-Shape And Bristol Fashion’ inthis issue). The deal wassigned on 29 April 2014during an official ceremonyheld in Wellington and marksLockheed Martin’s first exportsale of its CombatManagement System (CMS)initially designed as a modernand affordable solution for theinternational market.According to the agree-

ment, Lockheed Martin will

design, install and integratethe CMS and combat systemtrainer at the RNZN’sDevenport Naval Base inAuckland. The RNZN’s twoAnzac class frigates, theHMNZS TeMana and theHMNZS TeKaha, will also beequipped with new sensor andweapon systems. The upgradeprogramme is expected to be acollaborative venture betweenLockheed Martin’s Canadasubsidiary, Saab and severalCanadian companies andbrings significant work toLockheed Martin’s Canadianfacilities in Kanata, Dartmouthand Montreal. Should the New

Zealand Ministry of Defence(MoD) decide to undertake theinstallation work packageincluded in the contract, thedeal will result in additionalwork for the SEASPAN ship-yard in Victoria, Canada.The CMS is a commercial

variant of a combat manage-ment system developed for theRoyal Canadian Navy anduses an open architecture con-cept that allows users maxi-mum flexibility to incorporateindividual subsystems andcomponents as and when theybecome available.During the signing ceremo-

ny, Des Ashton, NewZealand’s MoD acquisitiondeputy secretary explainedthat the Frigate SystemsUpgrade (FSU) programme“will provide the ships withexcellent systems that willenable them to perform theirexpected tasks through to theend of their (service) life in the

2030s”, and restore thefrigates’ surveillance, combatand self-defence capabilities tomatch the RNZN’s contempo-rary needs. RosemaryChapdelaine, president ofLockheed Martin Canada,explained that “this key exportof Canadian-designed technol-ogy not only reinforcesLockheed Martin’s position asa world leader in naval com-bat systems integration, butfurther demonstrates our abili-ty to successfully leverage pur-chases and investments inhigh-technology defence prod-ucts to create jobs and eco-nomic growth in Canada.”Operated by the RNZN

since the late 1990s as replace-ments for its four ‘Leander’class frigates, the HMNZSTeMana and the HMNZSTeKaha are two of ten existing‘Anzac’ class frigates, the othereight serving in the RoyalAustralian Navy (RAN).


LAND FORCES MEANS BUSINESSwww.landforces.com.au

Brisbane, Australia

22-25 September 2014


Launch an interactive overview of the full AESA family of radars at:Raytheon.com | Keyword: AESA-Tech

Connect with us:

© 2014 Raytheon Company. All rights reserved.“Customer Success Is Our Mission” is a registered trademark of Raytheon Company.

RAYTHEON AESARADAR TECHNOLOGY

Adaptable to any tactical platform, Raytheon’s combat-proven, multimode AESA radar technology gives aircrews the ultimate operational edge, delivering incomparable detection, tracking,

targeting and self-protection capabilities.

THECOMBAT-PROVEN

ADVANTAGE.
