september 2021. Issue 04.
Editorial
ON THE COVER A KC-46A Pegasus from McConnell Air Force Base approaches to receive fuel from a KC-135 Stratotanker 8 April, 2019, over Kansas. The KC-135 is being replaced with the KC-46A. (US Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Skyler Combs)
Volume 45, Issue No.4, SEPTEMBER 2021 Published bi-monthly by Media Transasia Ltd. Copyright 2012 by Media Transasia Ltd. Publishing Office: Media Transasia Ltd., 1603, 16/F, Island PL Tower, 510 Kings Road, Hong Kong Editor-in-Chief: Andrew Drwiega General Manager: Jakhongir Djalmetov International Marketing Manager: Roman Durksen Digital Manager: David Siriphonphutakun Art Director: Rachata Sharma Chairman: J.S. Uberoi President: Egasith Chotpakditrakul Chief Financial Officer: Gaurav Kumar Advertising Sales Offices France/Spain Stephane de Remusat, REM International Tel: (33) 5 3427 0130 E-Mail: sremusat@rem-intl.com Germany Sam Baird, Whitehill Media Tel: (44-1883) 715 697 Mobile: (44-7770) 237 646 E-Mail: sam@whitehillmedia.com UK Zena Coupé Tel: +44 1923 852537, zena@expomedia.biz Nordic Countries/Italy/Switzerland Emanuela Castagnetti-Gillberg Tel: (46) 31 799 9028 E-Mail: emanuela.armada@gmail.com Russia Alla Butova, NOVO-Media Ltd, Tel/Fax: (7 3832) 180 885 Mobile : (7 960) 783 6653 Email :alla@mediatransasia.com USA east coast / Canada Margie Brown, Blessall Media, LLC. Tel : (+1 540) 341 7581 Email: margiespub@rcn.com USA West Coast Pat Walker Tel: +1 415 994 0019 E-Mail: walkercom111@gmail.com INDIA Sanjay Seth Global Exposures Tel: +91 11 466 96566 Mob: +91 9818 697279 Email: sseth.globex@gmail.com TURKEY Zeynep Özlem Baş Mob: +90 532 375 0046 Email: media@oz-ist.com All Other Countries Jakhongir Djalmetov Media Transasia Limited Tel: +66 2204 2370, Mobile: +66 81 6455654 Email: joha@mediatransasia.com Roman Durksen Media Transasia Limited Tel: +66 2204 2370, Mobile +66 83 6037989 E-Mail: roman@mediatransasia.com
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FIRST SIGNS OF NORMALITY
he breakout is nearly here. Media colleagues are calling each other in expectation of meeting up for the first time in over 18 months when attend the UK’s defence exhibition, DSEI, from 14-17 September in London As the COVID-19 pandemic began to spread rapidly in early 2020, the ExCel centre was one of seven locations selected by the UK Government to be turned into critical care facilities, known as NHS Nightingale Hospitals (named after the famed nurse Florence Nightingale who looked after the wounded at a facility in Constantinople during the Crimean War, 1853-56). With the significant assistance of the military, the ExCel Nightingale Hospital was completed in nine days with an initial capacity of 500 beds. As it turned out, the huge extra capacity that was created was ultimately not required as NHS hospitals managed to cope - just. With ExCel now reverting to its role as an exhibition and events centre, will the expectation of experiences gone by be matched by the reality of today’s still uncertain times? The organiser of DSEI, Clarion Events revealed to the media recently that 654 exhibitors had confirmed attendance from 31 countries, 250 of which were new exhibitors. Some of these would be in the 20 National Pavilions that had confirmed. But there are still tight travel restriction across much of the globe, with many countries still deep experiencing a rise of COVID infections. The UK Government has not been lenient in allowing international delegations to receive special consideration for attending the event, although it has just announced a relaxation of some restrictions for the United Nations climate change conference, COP26 in November, including “a reduced quarantine period of five days for vaccinated individuals from red list countries.” As I write this around one month before the opening, the defence industry has remained quiet regarding participation at the show and new products to potentially be launched. The uncertainty is still reflecting a ‘wait and see’ attitude and there may be a rush of international exhibitors and visitors waiting until the last moment before deciding to attend, for fear of short notice travel rule changes which have cost many a tourist good money over the summer. Will exhibitors opt for virtual stand briefings for those who attend? The organisers have even seen to it that wristbands will be available, one colour to indicate if a person only wants to greet people with an elbow touch, while another colour will show that an individual is happy to shake hands. Those who are vaccinated and are confident enough to attend (a very personal choice) will have the very welcome experience of actually mixing and talking with like minded individuals again after months of skyping, zooming and teaming online. It is an experience that I, for one, am looking forward to นonce more. Andrew Drwiega, Editor-in-Chief
INDEX TO ADVERTISERS L3 Wescam 9 Leonardo 5 Roketsan 19 L3 Harris 13 CRFS 15 Rosoboronexport 17 Nexter Cover 2 Bofors 21 Schiebel 25 MilMast 27 Lemo 33 Eurosatory 35 Singapore Airshow 43 ISDEF 45 DSEI 47 DSEI Japan 48 NCT Europe 49 Dubai Airshow 50
armadainternational.com - september 2021
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SEPTEMBER 2021 www.armadainternational.com
06 commander's intent
PEGASUS STRETCHES HER WINGS Lieutenant Colonel Joshua Moores, Commander of the US Air Force’s 344th Air Refueling Squadron, provides Mark Ayton with an insider’s view of the transfer of air-to-air refuelling capability to the new KC-47A Pegasus.
12 air power
LOOKING DOWN FROM ON HIGH The United Kingdom’s Royal Air Force is bringing its ISR capability up to date with the planned arrival of new platforms. Jon Lake reports.
18 air power
23 poland focus
30 land warfare
36 land warfare
40 SPECIAL OPS AND EXPEDITIONARY
46 armada commentary
ROUGH TRANSPORTS STAND READY TO DO VIOLENCE Martin Streetly examines how airframers are turning transport aircraft into ISR gunships.
SIGHTING DYNAMICS Stephen W. Miller looks into factors that are improving weapon sighting for today’s riflemen.
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POLAND’S DIVERSE MILITARY AIR, MARITIME AND LAND REQUIREMENTS Ahead of MSPO, David Oliver and Andrew Drwiega review Polish Armaments Inspectorate requirements and acquisitions.
FORCES DEBRIEF TARGETS OF OPPORTUNITY Andrew White looks at the impact that loitering munitions are having on the battlefield.
armadainternational.com - september 2021
ALL CHANGE AT THE CORPS: FORCE DESIGN 2030 Stephen W. Miller examines the 'sea change' that Force Design 2030 is having on the US Marine Corps.
Despite recent controversy David Oliver reveals the export success behind the Dassault Rafale.
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Commander's Intent
PEGASUS STRETCHES HER WINGS Lieutenant Colonel Joshua Moores, Commander 344th Air Refueling Squadron provides insight into the squadron’s transition to the KC-46A Pegasus, its expanding mission set and full integration in the type’s initial operational test and evaluation. Mark Ayton
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ieutenant Colonel Joshua Moores accepted command of the 344th Air Refueling Squadron (ARS) during a change of commend ceremony at McConnell Air Force Base in Kansas on 27 May, 2020. Lt Col Moores is the second commander of the 344th since it has been equipped with the Boeing KC-46A, assuming command from his wingman and friend, Lt Col Wesley Spurlock who commanded the unit when the first KC-46A arrived at McConnell in January 2019. Lt Col Moores is a command pilot, having logged over 2,500 hours in both airlift (Lockheed C-5 Galaxy) and tanker (Boeing KC-135 and KC-46A) aircraft. During his back-to-back assignments with the 22nd Air Refueling Wing at McConnell, Moores has been involved with the KC-46A transition process at the sprawling tanker base.
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SQUADRON BUILD-UP Before the first KC-46A Pegasus arrived at McConnell, the 344th ARS comprised just a couple dozen airmen. All of them transitioned from the KC-135 with Boeing at its flight test facility at King County Airport in Seattle. Most made repeated trips to Seattle just to stay current in the KC-46A. Today, the 344th ARS has 22 KC-46A aircraft assigned and more than 160 personnel in its ranks, who currently represent half of the entire pool of KC-46A experience in the Air Force. Lt Col Moores said of the squadron’s build-up: “It’s been a period of growth, not only physically as a squadron but in the development of how we fly, employ and figure out the aeroplane. Two and a half years ago nobody here had even flown the KC-46A out of McConnell Air Force Base. Now we’re flying it all around the world.”
Moores believes that the best thing to ever happen to the KC-46A programme occurred when the US Air Force made the decision to put the aeroplane into the hands of the airmen to start its initial operational test and evaluation (IOT&E) programme. Operational testing is designed to determine whether the aircraft meets its 14 key performance parameters and is operationally suitable. The 344th’s commander has no concerns for his airmen being able to employ the aircraft. From a maintenance perspective, all sorts of hurdles presented themselves during the acceptance process of the KC-46A. Team McConnell maintenance squadrons have figured out the required maintenance processes and procedures using their experience gained from years of maintaining the KC-135. Air Mobility Command and the 22nd
US Air Force
Commander's Intent
A KC-46A Pegasus air refuelling boom as seen from the flight deck of a C-5M Super Galaxy assigned to the 60th Air Mobility Command based at Travis Air Force Base, California prior to air refuelling. september 2021 - armadainternational.com
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US Air National Guard
Commander's Intent
KC-46A Pegasus 17-46027 departs Selfridge Air National Guard Base, Michigan, on 30 July, 2021, after receiving cargo from the 127th Logistics Readiness Squadron.
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“When you get a brand-new aeroplane like this, there’s a lot that comes with training. There were challenges which we had to work through to ensure our programmes meet the requirements.” TROUBLED START It’s no secret that the KC-46A has had a troubled start to life. Following development problems encountered by Boeing, the US Air Force was presented with a three-year delay to aircraft deliveries and a conditional aircraft acceptance protocol because of deficiencies with components of the jet’s air refuelling system. As of August 2021, six Category I deficiencies remain: two related to the RVS, stiff boom, leaking fuel manifold, cracked air refuelling drain tubes, and isolated incidents of flight management system instability. The Director,
US Air Force
ARW deliberately sought to build a new culture within its KC-46A squadrons at McConnell by filling the ranks of the 344th ARS with maintainers and aircrew who have different backgrounds. Among its aircrew are pilots who flew a variety of aircraft types that include the Boeing B-52 bomber, the Northrop Grumman E-8 JSTARS battle management and command and control aircraft and the fifth-generation Lockheed Martin F-35 fighter. Explaining the concept, Lt Col Moores said: “The fear of course was that the brand-new tanker shows up at McConnell, home of a legacy KC-135 community, and the new KC-46A community adopts the ways of the legacy KC-135 community flying the same types of missions. We had to create a culture formed by people with different backgrounds and ways of thinking. That allows us to ask the right questions as we work through the task of evaluating this aeroplane.” One example cited by Lt Col Moores involved electronic warfare experts assigned to an air refuelling squadron asking questions and making recommendations about how to apply electronic warfare tactics to some of the squadron’s roles. The scenario involved totally different discussions to those conducted by legacy tanker squadron personnel. When asked what he considered to be the biggest challenges the squadron faced in getting to where it is today, he confirmed that it was “not restrict ourselves in our way of thinking or be content with being a standard legacy tanker. The challenge is to continue looking outside the mission set and ask questions about what else can be accomplished in the future.
Operational Test and Evaluation’s FY2020 Annual Report listed the three primary deficiencies. One, a lack of visual acuity in the camera-driven remote vision system used by the boom operator and caused by the camera and processor failing to make timely adjustments in some environmental conditions. This deficiency has also caused undetected contacts of the boom nozzle with the receiver aircraft. Two, no presentation of high boom radial loads at the air refuelling operator’s station. Three, boom stiffness while refuelling lighter aircraft like the A-10 which has caused the receiver pilot to apply more power to create the force necessary to compress the boom nozzle and maintain the refuelling position. Additional power can cause the aircraft to lunge forward at the point of disconnect with risk of collision and damage. Boeing and the US Air Force are working on a resolution for each deficiency. Fortunately, the deficiencies, significant as they are, manifest as an impingement to the programme and not a showstopper. Away from the problems, as of 11 August, the US Air Force has conditionally accepted 47 KC-46A aircraft which equip five air refuelling squadrons, one dedicated to training and four assigned to frontline units. These are Air Education and Training Command’s 56th Air Refueling Squadron (ARS) based at Altus Air Force Base, Oklahoma; Air Mobility Command’s 344th ARS based at McConnell Air Force Base, Kansas; Air Force Reserve Command’s 77th ARS based at Seymour Johnson Air Force Base, North Carolina and the 924th ARS, an associate
Night-time air refuelling. A KC-46A Pegasus flown by the 344th Air Refueling Squadron receives fuel from a KC-46A flown by the reserve associate 924th Air Refueling Squadron on 23 April, 2020.
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Source information VBS / DDPS Use of U.S. DoD visual information does not imply or constitute DoD endorsement.
US Air Force
Commander's Intent
KC-46A Pegasus 17-46025 conducts air refuelling with a US Air Force F-16C over the Canadian Arctic during North American Aerospace Defense Command’s Arctic air defence exercise, Amalgam Dart 21-2, on 24 March, 2021.
unit to the 344th co-located at McConnell; and New Hampshire Air National Guard’s 133rd ARS based at Pease International Tradeport. Despite the KC-46A force build-up, there is a dichotomy of perspective on the KC-46A between programmatic people and others who observe from outside of the programme and the aircrew who operate the aircraft every day. Reflecting on the time when McConnell had not received its first KC-46A, Lt Col Moores recalled local speculation about whether the aeroplane would ever be delivered. “Morale takes a dip, and people start to question their future career. Today, the only thing holding and this aeroplane back are the deficiencies that are being worked out at a higher level. If tomorrow was the worst day for the KC-46A programme, its operators would be ready to operate the aeroplane with very little risk. Our operators are that good right now.” OPERATIONAL TEST Based at Kirtland Air Force Base in Albuquerque, New Mexico, the Air Force Operational Test and Evaluation Center (AFOTEC) is running the KC-46A IOT&E which officially began on 4 June, 2019. The 344th ARS and its reserve associate 924th ARS are the primary units flying all of the test events within AFOTEC’s KC-46A
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IOT&E test plan. Explaining the status of the IOT&E, Lt Col Moores said: “We’ve completed the majority of the test plan. Now, everything that’s outstanding on the test plan is in a holding pattern until Boeing presents the RVS 2.0 solution to the Air Force. Then we can finish the IOT&E which is likely to be followed by concurrent IOC and FOC [initial and full operating capability] declarations. RVS 2.0 is holding up the IOC and FOC definitions.” During the first year that KC-46A aircraft were assigned to the 22nd ARW, AFOTEC had pilots and boom operators embedded in the McConnell-based squadrons. Once the tail end of the test effort was reached, the AFOTEC personnel returned to Kirtland to reduce costs. All test data captured during the IOT&E missions is sent to AFOTEC for analysis, an essential but hidden aspect of the operational test programme. One equally important aspect is much less hidden: aircraft type clearance for air refuelling with the KC-46A. To date the F/A-18 Hornet, F/A-18 Super Hornet and EA-18G Growler are cleared to use the centreline drogue system, and the B-52, C-5, KC-10, C-17, KC-46A, AC-130U, HC-130, MC130, RC-135, TC-135, E-3G, F-15, F-16, F-22, and F-35 are cleared to use the boom system. The latest type to be certified
was the Boeing B-1B bomber following an IOT&E mission flown with a B-1 assigned to the 37th Bomb Squadron based at Ellsworth Air Force Base, South Dakota on 17 May, 2021. As IOT&E slows down caused by a lack of remaining test points, Lt Col Moores is certain the appetite for using the KC-46A from around the US Air Force will continue to grow. One source causing a bigger appetite is exposure of the aircraft given to combatant commanders. “It’s definitely going to start moving very quickly in the next couple of years,” he said. CURRENT TASKING In addition to its regular tasking roles of air refuelling, aeromedical evacuation, air transport of passengers and cargo, the KC-46A-equipped squadrons at McConnell are participating in an increasing number of exercises in the United States to further evaluate the aircraft. The US Air Force Weapons School based at Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada runs two courses in each fiscal year. Each six-month course culminates with a two-week phase known as Weapons School Integration, dubbed WSINT. This comprises a series of complex, large-force employment missions that serve as the capstone portion of the student’s course. Each combat-coded major design series aircraft, helicopter and
US Air Force
Commander's Intent
An Air Mobility Command aeromedical evacuation technician locates inflight medical equipment prior to a mission flown for the KC-46A’s initial operational test and evaluation on 10 July, 2020.
unmanned air vehicle serving in the US Air Force inventory has a dedicated weapons squadron to train its undergraduates. Based at Fairchild Air Force Base, Washington, the 509th Weapons Squadron serves the KC-135 community and is likely to also serve the KC-46A in the future. A weapons school programme has not been finalised. Missions flown from Nellis have a high operational tempo and are both complex and robust in nature, even for tanker crews. In December 2020, a KC-46A assigned to the 344th ARS deployed one of its new tankers to Nellis to participate in WSINT 20-2. The flight crews were not part of the course but used the complex air operations to evaluate the aircraft and its systems in the robust scenarios staged for each mission. In early May, America’s most robust joint exercise, the biennial Northern Edge once again took place in Alaska filling the vast skies with jet noise. Interoperability between all of America’s armed services is a primary objective of the exercise. This year a KC-46A flown by crews assigned to Air Force Reserve Command’s 931st Air Refueling Wing deployed to Elmendorf Air Force Base to participate in the exercise. The new tanker provided air refuelling for numerous US Air Force and US Navy jets using
the boom and centreline drogue system respectively. During Northern Edge mission, aircrews set records and determined how quickly the aircraft can refuel and re-enter the battle. Many KC-46A systems were evaluated in the operational scenarios staged, including some IOT&E test points. On 9 July, Air Mobility Command officially cleared the KC-46A to limited operations and cleared the aircraft to use its centreline drogue system as per those conducted in Northern Edge. An example of now standard tasking for the new tanker, during the final week of May, the 344th ARS provided one KC-46A to air refuel American fighter aircraft on a transatlantic flight to Europe, while a second aircraft conducted a trans-Pacific airlift mission concurrently air refuelling C-17s from McChord Air Force Base. Elsewhere, some crews deployed to Oscoda-Wurtsmith Airport, Michigan, to participate in Mobility Guardian 2021, Air Mobility Command's large-scale mobility exercise. During exercise missions, aircrews used the Tactical Situational Awareness System (TSAS) flight deck display to show Blue (friendly) and Red (enemy) aircraft and threats located around the battlespace. Information was fed into the TSAS via line-of-sight and beyond-line-
of-sight datalinks in operation on C-5, C-17 and C-130 aircraft. The US Air Force continues to train its combat-coded squadrons to the doctrine of Agile Combat Employment, dubbed ACE, and its KC-46A units are no exception. ACE alongside the Department of Defense Joint All-Domain Command and Control (JADC2) concept, is designed to connect sensors from all military services and is a big part of the 344th and 924th’s training and operations. Explaining, Lt Col Moores said; “Everything the squadrons do when thinking about operating the KC-46A comes with the understanding that it is going to be integrated in the JADC2 environment, and into an agile combat employment framework. There is a lot of learning to be done on what that looks like, especially in different parts of the world, but the two completely represent what we will be doing in the future. Some of our current training without being officially tasked to deploy to and remain at a specific location for months on end, is allowing us to do that. Airmen who have only flown from a handful of airfields are now going on a week-long trip and they’re not going to a single place they’ve ever been before. They understand that’s the way it will be in the future.” september 2021 - armadainternational.com
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UK MoD
air Power
The RC-135W Rivet Joint is a large, all-weather electronic surveillance aircraft based on the C-135 airframe.
LOOKING DOWN FROM ON HIGH The United Kingdom’s Royal Air Force is bringing in new platforms to continue its airborne Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR) capability, a skill developed from rudimentary beginnings at the end of the First World War
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ne could easily write two quite different articles about British airborne Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR) capabilities. One article would paint a very negative picture - describing sweeping cutbacks and the wholesale loss of capabilities – while the other would be more positive, highlighting some high-profile acquisitions and some promising new future technologies. The truth lies somewhere between the two. Reconnaissance was one of the earliest roles for the military aeroplane, and the Royal Air Force (RAF) has been in the recce game since its formation in 1918, initially undertaking simple visual observation of enemy targets, and subsequently providing a primarily photographic reconnaissance product. The Second World War saw an expansion into various types of Signals Intelligence (SIGINT) but the emphasis remained on photography – with tactical or fighter reconnaissance usually carried out at low level by armed aircraft, and with high altitude unarmed aircraft conducting more strategic operations.
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Jon Lake During the Cold War, the Supermarine Spitfires used for tactical reconnaissance gave way to Gloster Meteor FR.Mk9s, Supermarine Swift FR.Mk5s, Hawker Hunter FR.Mk10s, augmented by tactically-configured English Electric Canberras, and later being replaced by recce-pod carrying McDonnell Douglas F4 Phantoms, SEPCAT Jaguars and latterly Panavia Tornados. The high altitude Spitfire PR.Mk19 and de Havilland Mosquito PR.Mk34 gave way to Canberras, Handley Page Valiants and Victors. New Long Range Oblique Photography (LOROP) cameras allowed reconnaissance aircraft to ‘look’ far off track, allowing them to gather imagery of a target without directly over-flying it. This allowed aircraft to ‘look’ far over an enemy border, for example. The post war period also saw radar being used for reconnaissance, and especially for reconnoitring potential routes for the V-bombers, which would then use their own radar to find their way to the target. But the reconnaissance role was not simply about the aircraft platforms, nor even about the long focal length lenses fit-
ted to the cameras they carried, nor the new sensors deployed. A whole infrastructure of processing and photographic interpretation was established and refined, such that after landing, film would be rushed to a waiting Air Transportable Reconnaissance Exploitation Laboratory (ATREL) complex of mobile cabins housing aircrew debriefing facilities, and equipment capable of very rapid wet processing of high-resolution film, with motorised light tables and imagery enhancement equipment to facilitate rapid imagery analysis. Such analysis could even be performed in a hostile NBC environment, producing ‘hot reports’ within 30 minutes of the pilot shutting down his engine(s). By the end of the Cold War, traditional wet film cameras were increasingly being replaced by electro-optical and infra-red sensors, but great emphasis was still placed on gathering very high quality, high resolution imagery, and reconnaissance remained a largely specialised role. Traditional photographic reconnaissance reached its zenith in the late 1990s
air Power
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An RAF Sentinel R1 from 902 Expeditionary Air Wing (902 EAW). The Sentinel fleet provided ISR support ISAF and Coalition ground forces in Afghanistan, and later against Daesh in Iraq/Syria.
and early 2000s. The RAF’s small fleet of Canberra PR.Mk9s received the Goodrich Rapid Deployment Electro-Optical System (RADEOS), which was derived from the Senior Year Electro-Optical Relay System (SYERS) carried by the Lockheed U-2S, from 1997. The system saw operational service in the Middle East and Afghanistan, and proved capable of very high resolution at extreme range. In images of the Houses of Parliament taken from 47,000ft (14,300m) over the Isle of Wight, the time on Big Ben’s clock could be read clearly. The Goodrich Reconnaissance Airborne Pod Tornado (RAPTOR) was a podded system based on the similar DB-110 EO sensor (dual-band 110-inch focal length) and was introduced into RAF service in 2002. This allowed images to be recorded for postflight analysis, displayed in the cockpit or transmitted to a ground station via a data link. A total of eight RAPTOR pods were purchased by the RAF. RAPTOR made its operational debut during Operation Iraqi Freedom in early 2003. RAPTOR was used to provide vital imagery over Iraq and Syria to the coalition partners engaged in Operation Inherent Resolve, and later on Operation Shader. The Canberra PR.Mk9 was retired on 28 July 2006, and the RAPTOR pod followed when the Tornado was withdrawn from service on 1 April 2019. UTC Aerospace Systems (which had acquired Goodrich in 2012) offered a similar pod for the Eurofighter Typhoon, using a multi-spectral MS110 sensor, but this was
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not ordered, and nor was Rafael’s Reccelite XR reconnaissance pod, though this did undergo some trials. The DB110 was flown on a General Atomics MQ-9 Reaper, and some consideration was given to putting RAPTOR on Reaper or Protector UAVs, but this does not seem to be happening. Senior RAF officers said that the capabilities provided by RAPTOR were being directly replaced by existing, in-service ISR capabilities, on a range of platforms – including an unidentified ‘wide body’ aircraft and space-based systems. This does not mean the end of fast jet reconnaissance - the forthcoming Rafael Litening 5 targeting pod could provide the Typhoon with impressive ISR capabilities, while the Lockheed Martin F-35B also
has formidable recce potential thanks to its EOTS system, its powerful Northrop Grumman AN/APG-81 AESA radar, its sensor fusion and the high degree of embedded connectivity. But the ISR emphasis certainly switched away from fast jets, and there was a growing concentration on those capabilities best suited to asymmetric warfare against non state actors like Daesh. This process has continued and intensified – changing the face of UK airborne ISR/ ISTAR. Although the role description of maritime reconnaissance includes the word reconnaissance, maritime patrol aircraft were not traditionally thought of as belonging to the reconnaissance community, since they used their capabilities simply to find their own targets. All that changed during the second Gulf War in 2003, when RAF Hawker Siddeley Nimrods were pressed into use in an overland reconnaissance and surveillance role, supporting land forces, and using their radar, newly fitted Wescam MX-15 electro-optical turrets and comprehensive communications capabilities to identify potential targets and locate and monitor enemy forces. Use of the Nimrod for overland ISR, using the MX-15, reflected the limitations of the Army’s Pilatus Britten Norman Defender, which had relatively poor hot-and-high performance, limited endurance, and which was still heavily tasked in Northern Ireland. Thereafter, the Nimrods were extensively used in the overland ISR role in both Iraq and Afghanistan, and their eventual replacement, the Boeing P-8A Poseidon MRA.Mk1 is today viewed as an ISR aircraft as much as it is a maritime patrol and anti-submarine asset. The loss of Nimrod XV230 after an UK MoD
UK MoD
air Power
Intelligence personnel from RAF Waddington, 1 ISR Wing, supporting operational aircraft during their depoloyment to RAF Akrotiri, Cyprus in April 2021.
air Power
inflight fire on 2 September 2006 led to the type’s early withdrawal, and to the introduction of new ISR aircraft types, offering capabilities more finely tuned to the type of operations being flown in the post-Cold War environment. Raytheon’s Sentinel R.Mk1 was the end result of a long-running programme to field an Airborne Stand-off Radar (ASTOR) with moving target indication and high definition Synthetic Aperture Radar capabilities. Raytheon was eventually contracted to develop a five-aircraft ASTOR system, using Bombardier’s Global Express business jet as the airborne platform and initially basing the mission system on the U-2’s Hughes (now Raytheon) ASARS-2 radar. The Sentinel’s main radar was known as the Sentinel Dual Mode Radar Sensor (DMRS) and is a Raytheon dual-mode synthetic aperture radar/moving target indication (SAR/MTI) radar based on the ASARS-2, and using Active Electronically Scanned Array (AESA) technology. Service trials began in 2007 and an Operational Level Ground Station (OLGS) was deployed to Camp Bastion in Afghanistan in mid-November 2008, with two Sentinel aircraft deploying to Seeb airbase in Oman, from where No. V(AC) Squadron flew the first operational Sentinel R.Mk1 mission on 15 November 2008. INTEL FROM THE SHADOWS Raytheon also provided six Shadow R.Mk1 ISR aircraft, based on the King Air 350 (and plans are underway to expand the fleet to eight aircraft upgraded to R.Mk2 standards). The RAF officially took delivery of the first of four initial Shadow R.Mk1s in 2009, and these initially operated as a flight of No.V (AC) Squadron, before becoming No.14 Squadron in 2011. Though the RAF remains coy about the Shadow’s exact equipment fit and capabilities, its state of the art mission equipment was described as including "an under-fuselage electro-optical sensor turret, a variety of integrated sensors and extensive communications capability, managed from operator consoles in the cabin." The EO sensor is thought to be the same as was fitted to the Nimrod, an L3 Wescam MX-15, an electro-optical/infra red (EO/ IR) turret which also incorporates a laser designator. The aircraft also incorporates a forward-looking EO wide-area surveillance (WAS) sensor (which can be used for counter-improvised explosive device work and providing pattern-of-life intelligence).
The Shadow R.Mk1 is also reported to have a Communications Intelligence capability (COMINT) perhaps based on L3’s Spydr combined IMINT/COMINT system, with L3 Rio signals intelligence software, which can monitor a waveband of 20 MHz - 3 GHz, geo-locating emitters, and displaying them on a ‘Google Earth’ style map. Once an emitter has been located, the MX-15 can be
used to gather IMINT on the emitter’s user. The Shadow is able to monitor and locate the kinds of communications equipment typically used by insurgent groups. The concept of operations for the aircraft entails other UK ISR platforms making the initial detection of potential targets, with the Shadow then being tasked to investigate more closely, using its on-
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board COMINT equipment to detect the target’s emissions, and recording IMINT of the target using the MX-15. CLARITY IN AFGHANISTAN The Shadow’s output was deemed “particularly valuable to ground commanders”, providing their forces with an unprecedented insight into the unique operating environment of Afghanistan. The type’s electro-optical and electronic capabilities were felt to complement those of the Sentinel R.Mk1, allowing analysts to prepare a more comprehensive intelligence product and permitting a more effective and efficient use of combat aircraft, Remotely Piloted Air Systems (RPAS), helicopter-borne forces, and armed reconnaissance vehicles. It was originally planned that both the Sentinel and the Shadow would be withdrawn from service when operations in Afghanistan ended in 2015. Both aircraft had their service lives extended, and both proved invaluable on Operation Shader, providing ISR over Syria and Iraq. The Sentinel, however, was retired in February 2021, whereas the Shadow gained long term funding and its planned service life was extended, first to 2018 and then through to 2035. Another ISR aircraft brought into RAF service as a result of the war in Afghanistan was the MQ-9A Reaper. The RAF’s Reaper operation built on the work of No.1115 Flight, which embedded UK personnel in the US Air Forces’s (USAF) Combined Joint Predator Task Force from January 2004, operating the MQ-1 Predator. This gave the RAF invaluable experience when it began MQ-9A Reaper (Predator B) training in December 2006. No.39 Squadron began operations over Afghanistan in 2007, working out of Creech
An artistic impression of the Boeing E-7A Wedgetail AEW.Mk1s that will be joining the RAF’s ISR fleet.
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Air Force Base, Nevada, with an initial six aircraft. Five additional aircraft were procured in 2012 and No.XIII Sqn re-formed on 26 October 2020. Like Sentinel and Shadow, Reaper had been due for retirement in 2015, but was retained and heavily committed to Operation Shader. The premature retirement of the Nimrod, and the subsequent collapse of the replacement Nimrod MRA.Mk4 also meant that the options of running on the SIGINTroled Nimrod R.Mk1s of No.51 Squadron, or replacing them with a derivative of the MRA.Mk4 became untenable. REBUILDING AIRBORNE ISR The final BAe Nimrod R.Mk1 sortie was flown in June 2011, and the type was replaced by three Boeing RC-135W Rivet Joint aircraft acquired under the Airseeker project. No.51 Squadron took delivery of the RAF’s first Rivet Joint On 12 November 2013, and flew the first operational sortie on 23 May 2014. Two more aircraft were delivered in August 2015 and June 2017. The aircraft are operated as an extension of the USAF Rivet Joint fleet, ensuring they remain at the cutting edge of capability from the point of view of sensor and system upgrades, though some fear that it may lead to some loss of autonomous national capabilities. With a more COMINT-heavy emphasis than the old Nimrod R.Mk1, the Rivet Joint is arguably better suited to current ongoing operations and the type has been deployed extensively for Operation Shader. There has been some criticism that some ELINT capabilities have been lost with the change of aircraft. The RAF ordered nine Poseidon MRA Mk1, and five of these are now in service, operating with No.120 Squadron at RAF
Lossiemouth in Scotland. The first of these was delivered on 13 October 2020. But although the P-8 has formidable ISR capabilities, the fleet is small and heavily tasked, and is unlikely to have much capacity for overland ISR missions. Three Boeing E-7A Wedgetail AEW.Mk1s will join the Poseidons at Lossiemouth, replacing the ageing Boeing E-3D Sentry, which flew its last operational mission on 30 July 2021. The Wedgetail promises to bring expanded ISR capabilities, though the tiny fleet size seems likely to be stretched carrying out its primary Airborne Early Warning and Control (AEW&C) tasking. The final new addition to the RAF’s ISR fleet will be an unmanned platform. The 2015 Strategic Defence and Security Review (SDSR) confirmed that a replacement for the Reaper would be acquired, with more than 20 aircraft due to be delivered after 2018. In April 2016 the MoD announced the selection of the General Atomics MQ-9B as the Protector RG Mk1, to replace the MQ-9A Reaper, for service entry in 2024. Protector represents the next generation of Medium-Altitude, Long Endurance (MALE) remotely-piloted, armed, multi-spectral surveillance aircraft, flying for up to 40 hours. The Protector was based on the Certifiable Predator B, and the US State Department approval covered the procurement of up to 26 airframes, (16 confirmed and ten options) together with a new Ground Control System (GCS). Most of the RAF’s ISR aircraft will come under the control of the new RAF Waddington ISTAR Air Wing. Intelligence personnel from 1 ISR Wing are spilt into two flights: Apollo Flight and Crossbow Flight. Apollo Flight comprises intelligence analysts who conduct analysis of current intelligence, while Crossbow Flight comprises imagery analysts who directly support ISTAR aircraft. The ISTAR Wing officially stood up on 17 May as part of the RAF Future Operating Model, an initiative steered by the Chief of the Air Staff, Air Chief Marshal Sir Mike Wigston, in an effort to create what he has referred to as the next generation Air Force. The ISTAR Air Wing will comprise the flying squadrons, Air Support Wing, Air Engineering Wing, No.1 Intelligence Surveillance and Reconnaissance Wing and the ISTAR Operational Conversion Unit.
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Leonardo Aircraft
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A digital impression of Leonardo’s MC-27J gunship concept.
ROUGH TRANSPORTS STAND READY TO DO VIOLENCE Airbus has joined the sparse ranks of airframers offering ISR gunship versions of their seemingly benign transport aircraft. Martin Streetly
A
irbus Defence and Space’s late June 2021 announcement that it had updated the armed intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) variant of its C295 transport aircraft shone a spotlight on an interesting sub-species of transport-based ‘special mission’ platforms, namely the ISR ‘gunship’. The gunship concept originated during the south-east Asian conflict of the 1960s and 1970s and made use of transport aircraft equipped
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with multiple machine guns and cannon to provide fire-support for troops-in-action. While highly successful in this and other roles, such aircraft were extremely vulnerable to any form of anti-aircraft defence other than small arms, with the United States (US) losing some 25 gunships to ground fire and surface-to-air missiles between January 1965 and December 1972. The game changer for the current generation of armed ISR platforms is their ability to carry air-tosurface missiles which gives them a greatly
enhanced stand-off capability when being used to conduct ‘responsive defence, counterinsurgency and border surveillance and security’ missions. To illustrate the gunship genre, this article will examine the AC-235, Lockheed Martin’s AC-130J Ghostrider, Airbus’s latest C295 concept and Leonardo aircraft’s MC-27J. Lockheed Martin AC-130J The AC-130J makes use of a modified C-130J airframe and is designed for close air
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An US Air Force AC-130J Ghostrider from the 4th Special Operations Squadron at Hurlburt Field, Florida on 30 July, 2021. The AC-130J Ghostrider achieved its initial operating capability in 2017 and is the USAF’s fifth generation gunship.
support, air interdiction and armed reconnaissance. As such, it incorporates digital avionics, dual inertial and Global Positioning System (GPS) navigation systems, a colour weather radar, defensive systems, air refuelling facilities and a Precision Strike Package (PSP). Here, the PSP includes a mission management console (MMC), a communications suite, two electro-optical/ infra-red (EO/IR) sensors, a fire-control (including precision guided munitions) capability and trainable 30mm and 105mm weapons. The MMC fuses sensor, communications, order-of-battle and threat data into a common operating picture. Alongside its 30mm and 105mm cannons, the Ghostrider can be armed with a range of stand-off weapons that comprises the Boeing GBU-39 small diameter bomb, the Dynetics GBU-69 small glide munition and the Lockheed Martin AGM-114 Hellfire and Raytheon AGM-176 Griffin missiles. Representing the US Air Force’s (USAF) fifth generation gunship the AC-130J replaces the service’s AC-130U/W aircraft, completing its developmental testing and evaluation in June 2015 and achieving its initial operating capability (IOC) during 2017. As of spring 2021, the type’s full operating capability was scheduled for US fiscal year (FY) 2025, with the last platform scheduled for delivery during FY 24. At the time of writing, the AC-130J had been issued to the USAF’s 73rd Special Operations Squadron (Hurlburt Field, Florida) which was
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activated on 23 February 2018. The AC-130J is flown by a crew of two pilots, a combat systems officer, a weapon systems operator, a sensor operator and four special mission aviators. ATK AC-235 For its part, the AC-235 has been developed by what was then Orbital ATK (now part of Northrop Grumman) and under contract from Jordan’s King Abdullah II Design and Development Bureau (KADDB) and takes the form of an ISR/light gunship. The pair of ex-Spanish Air Force CN235-100M transports (Spanish/Jordanian serial numbers T19B-03/3210 and T19B-04/3211) were assigned to the Royal Jordanian Air Force’s special operations component. As such, this pair of aircraft have been equipped with what was originally known as the STAR mission suite. This incorporates an MX-15 EO/IR targeting system, a Ku-band (12.5-18GHz) I-Master ground moving target indicator (GMTI)/synthetic aperture radar (SAR), an M230LF link-feed 30mm cannon, a defensive aids suite (incorporating the AN/AAR-47(V) Missile Approach Warner (MAW)), an AN/ALE-47 countermeasures dispenser system and the AN/ALQ-157(V) fixed-source IR jammer, a datalink capability and provision for the AGM-114M/K airto-surface missile and 70mm air-to-surface rockets (in both unguided and guided forms and when fitted with the laser guided BAE Systems Advanced Precision Kill Weapon
System (APKWS). Looking at these various elements in more detail, the STAR system provides day/ night reconnaissance and fire-control capabilities and the ability to acquire, monitor, track and if necessary, attack targets-of-interest. Externally, Jordan’s AC-235’s are characterised by four MAW sensors (giving 360º coverage), a pair of AN/ALQ-157(V) IR jamming ‘lanterns’; multiple AN/ALE-47(V) chaff and decoy flare dispensers; MX-15 and I-Master sensor turrets; port and starboard stub wings (for the carriage of missiles and rockets) and an antenna array that includes a ventral datalink aerial radome. Other AC-235 features include a ‘proven’ mission architecture (incorporating compact microprocessor unit, a dual-colour display and integrated fire-control); night vision goggles compatibility; ballistic protection for the aircraft’s cockpit and passenger/systems operator area; cockpit tactical displays; a communications suite that includes tactical datalinks (air-to-air and air-to-surface full motion video capable) and line-of-sight (LOS) and beyond LOS provision, together with the ability to carry a side-mounted 30mm M230LF cannon, AGM-114 missiles and 70mm air-to-surface rockets. At the time of writing, both of Jordan’s AC-235 aircraft were being reported as being active, although unconfirmed sources suggest that they may have been up for sale since 2018. Elsewhere, Northrop Grumman continues to promote an AC-235 type capability as being an “affordable, enhanced capability” with which to conduct “responsive defence, counterinsurgency and border surveillance and security missions on customerpreferred platforms”. Airbus C295 Presented during the June 2021 Special Operations Forces Innovation Network Seminar (SOFINS) event (Camp de Souge, France), Airbus bills its latest C295 armed ISR iteration as being designed to carry out “special operations missions, support to ground troops and neutralisation of targets detected during surveillance and patrol missions”. As such, the aircraft has been illustrated with a nose-mounted EO/IR sensor turret, a surveillance radar radome, port and starboard weapon stations and four underwing hardpoints. Weapons options are listed as including a pair of 12.7mm machine guns, a 27mm autocannon package (firing to starboard) and up to 16 air-to-ground munitions that include Mk82 bombs equipped
with TEBER-82 laser guidance kits, L-UMTAS laser guided anti-tank missiles, CIRIT 70mm (2.75in) laser guided missiles and 70mm CAT-70 unguided rockets. Other features include optional in-flight refuelling, a ‘latest generation’ Fully Integrated Tactical System (FITS) application, a greater than eight hour endurance and a four hour timeon-station with a four missile war load at 400nm (741nm) from base. Leonardo MC-27J Last but not least, Leonardo’s aircraft division has, over time and not least through the merger with Alenia Aermacchi, developed the MC-27J. As its designation suggests, the type is based on Leonardo’s C-27J tactical transport aircraft and takes the form of a multi-mission capability that is built around a modular roll-on/-off (RoRo) architecture to maximise role flexibility. Missions envisaged for the type include cargo carrying, basic/enhanced command and control and ISR (C2ISR) together with a basic/enhanced gunship capability. In order, the MC-27J cargo configuration mimics that of the standard C-27J, while the basic C2ISR fit - a ventral EO/IR imaging turret/s and a palletised cargo-bay ISR and fire-control (ISR-FC) console - provides persistent area monitoring and mission oversight and co-ordination capabilities. The enhanced ISR-C2 configuration adds battlefield communications/video gateway and enhanced multi-intelligence collection and monitor-
ing facilities to the baseline C2ISR fit, while the basic gunship configuration installs a GAU-23 Bushmaster 30mm cannon. Last but not least, the enhanced gunship package adds a precision guided munition (PGM) launch pallet to the Bushmaster and ISRFC provision. In its full-up state (and as originally briefed), the MC-27J is flown by a crew of five (pilot, co-pilot, two weapon system operators and a GAU-23/PGM gunner) and features a self-defence suite; optional in-flight refuelling; a communications suite which includes a Ku-band (12.5-18GHz) satellite communications capability and a LOS full motion video datalink; GAU-23 and PGM launch pallets; the ISR-FC console pallet; a ‘Spartan View’ sensor fit (made-up of Star SAFIRE 380-HD and MX-15HD EO/ IR imaging turrets); a SAR/inverse SAR/
The armed ISR variant of Airbus’s C295 transport aircraft features four underwing hardpoints for the carriage of weapons.
GMTI surveillance radar; a communications intelligence (COMINT) capability, a radar band electronic support/electronic intelligence (ES/ELINT) system and provision for ‘special payloads’. Looking at the GAU-23 and ISR-FC
Head-on view of the C295 showing under-wing hard points and nosemounted EO/IR sensor turret.
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Royal Jordanian Air Force
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Inside a Royal Jordanian Air Force converted AC235, looking at the the side-mounted 30mm M230LF automatic cannon.
console pallets in more detail, the GAU-23 assembly is mounted to port in the mid-section of the aircraft’s cargo bay and incorporates pallet tie-downs, twin ammunition boxes, a battery box, a gun control pedestal assembly and a trainable gun mount for the Bushmaster cannon. Here, the complete architecture is 463L palletised weapon system compliant, with the side-firing weapon being capable of rates-of-fire of up to 200 rounds/minute using “all types” of 30×173mm ammunition (including the PGU46/B round). Again, this Ro-Ro assembly can be installed and de-mount in under four hours. For its part, the ISR-FC console pallet is based on ATK’s ‘Scathe View’ design and incorporates a pair of 55cm monitors, seating for two operators (a system operator and a gunner/observer in the basic gunship configuration), equipment racking, a mission computer (with an FC system linked to the platform's EO/IR sensors and gun system) and a digital video recorder. Elsewhere, the platform is equipped with cockpit sensor displays and its PGM capability is vested in a pallet-mounted launch system that is located on its rear cargo ramp or fires through dedicated apertures in the airframe. At the time of writing, both Leonardo and Northrop Grumman were continuing to promote an ‘MC-27J’ capability (describing it as being a “collection of sensors, communications and weapons
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that can be installed onto most medium- to heavy lift aircraft”). For its part, Leonardo appears to have subsumed the capability (as options) into what it terms the as the C-27J Spartan Next Generation platform. Armada understands that a prototype MC-27J aircraft (serial number CSX62127) remains “active” While the then Alenia Aermacchi (subsequently absorbed into Leonardo Aircraft) anticipated a global market for up to 50 MC27J type aircraft at the time of its launch, Armada has only been able to identify one production example which takes the form of the Aeronautica Militare’s (AM - Italian Air Force) Praetorian aircraft serial number MM6220. Described as being a specialised variant of the MC-27J, the Praetorian architecture appears to feature palletised mission capabilities (including electro-optical EO/IR imaging, COMINT collection and weapons delivery) and is believed to have been initiated (and funded) by the Italian Ministry of Defence circa 2010/2011. As such, the Praetorian aircraft is given as being capable of undertaking ‘typical’ commando and gunship missions and in addition to Leonardo (acting, it is assumed, as prime), its development programme is understood to have involved the US contractor Orbital ATK/Northrop Grumman (mission and airto-ground support systems) and Leonardo Airborne and Space Systems (communica-
tions and datalink equipment). In programmatic terms, 18 November 2013 saw the then Alenia Aermacchi announce that it and the AM had signed an agreement covering the development, testing, certification, industrialisation and logistical support for the MC-27J Praetorian aircraft. Here, the capability was to support Italy’s Comando Operativo Forze Speciali (COFS - Special Forces Command), with the procurement being divided into two phases. Phase One was to encompass the development and delivery of a Praetorian prototype to the AM (for testing in an operational scenario and assumed to be AM serial number MM6220) during the spring of 2014, with Phase Two covering industrialisation of the configuration and the development of a logistics chain to support it. As of November 2013, it was planned to modify three existing C-27Js to the new standard during 2016, with a further three airframes being subsequently configured to carry the type’s mission suite. At the time of writing, the Italian Ministry of Defence intended to fund a revitalised MC-27J Praetorian programme to the tune of $93 million over the period 2021 to 2026. Three aircraft would be procured with a further $22 million to complete the effort . However, MM6220 was said to have been active and to have been assigned to the AM’s 98º Gruppo as aircraft ’46-83’. It would appear that the idea of fixedwing, ISR gunships still have traction despite limited use outside the USAF. With a scheduled active inventory of 37 AC-130Js by FY 2024, the service has kept faith with the concept despite its obvious stand-in vulnerability to anything other than the most basic of ground-based air defence capabilities. As noted earlier, while the genre’s vulnerabilities remain, they are mitigated to a considerable extent by the development and use of precision guided munitions together with long-range sensors with which to detect and target enemy forces. The experience of fighting the Taliban and Daesh appears to have convinced the Americans that the ISR gunship still has a place in the inventory, is survivable at stand-off ranges and can provide effective intelligence and fire support for conventional/special forces operating against insurgents in rural and urban settings. Such a belief also appears to be shared by at least two European manufactures who continue to promote such aircraft within their product portfolios.
USAF
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The Lockheed Martin F-16 was first western fighter aircraft to be operated by the Polish Air Force since the Warsaw Pact was dissolved in 1991.
POLAND’S DIVERSE MILITARY AIR REQUIREMENTS Poland’s Air Force acquisition programmes that strive to replace Soviet-era airframes with NATO compatible ones have suffered from frequent delays due to funding and indecision about what is actually required. David Oliver
W
hen the former Warsaw Pact country joined NATO in 1999, Poland’s armed forces were mainly equipped with obsolete Soviet-era equipment. This particularly applied to the Polish Air Force but in the next decade efforts were made to equip it with state-of-the-art Western military aircraft. This began with the introduction into service of the Lockheed Martin F-16 fighter in 2006 to replace its fleet of MiG-21s. The culmination of this strategy was the
signing of a $4.6 billion contract to purchase 32 Lockheed Martin Block 4 F-35A Lightning II multi-role combat aircraft in 2019. The Polish Air Force has replaced its Antonov An-26s with 16 Airbus C-295M medium-range transport aircraft which are currently being upgraded with improved engines and modern avionics and communication systems to C295W standard. Its tactical transport fleet is comprised of five ex-USAF Lockheed Martin C-130E Hercules which will be joined by five C-130H aircraft from the same source from 2022.
Polish Air Force pilot training is carried out on 28 indigenous PZL-130 Orlik TC-I turboprop primary trainers that are being upgraded by Airbus subsidiary PZL Warszawa-Okęcie with new engines and improved avionics. Lead-in fighter training will be carried out on the Leonardo M-346 Master, 16 of which are replacing the indigenous TS11 Iskra. Helicopter training is carried out on the PZL-Świdnik SW-4 light helicopter which entered service in 2010. However, Poland has a substantial number of requirements outstanding, not only september 2021 - armadainternational.com
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The Polish Air force fleet of Airbus C-295M medium transport aircraft is being upgraded to C-295W standard.
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its light attack aircraft “provides enormous operational benefits, and has many similarities to the training version M-346 used by the Polish air force”. After its maiden flight in full configuration in July 2020, the M-346FA is moving toward its delivery to the first international customer this year. Adopting an extensive variety of air-to-air and air-ground weapons, a gun pod, reconnaissance, target designation or electronic warfare pods coupled with a Helmet Mounted Display (HMD) system for both pilots, the M-346FA is equipped with Leonardo’s multi-mode Grifo M346 radar. Not only is it a cost-effective multi-role combat aircraft, while fully keeping its training characteristics, according to Leonardo the M-346FA would be a capable Red Air/Aggressor asset. In 2016 Poland withdrew from the NATO multinational Multi-Role Tanker Transport (MRTT) fleet programme and a
ARMY AVIATION LOSE OUT Currently, the big loser on the procurement ladder is Poland’s Army Aviation. The MND is still expected to launch its long-delayed tender for the procurement of 32 modern attack helicopters for the Army Aviation under the Kruk programme which calls for the replacement of a fleet of obsolete, Soviet-era Mi-24D/W combat helicopters which no longer meet the requirements of the modern battlefield. Potential competitors for the programme were expected to include Turkish Aerospace with the T129 ATAK, Leonardo with the AW249, Airbus Helicopters with the Tiger and Boeing with the AH-64 Apache. After being awarded a contract to supply eight S-70i Black Hawk helicopters manufactured by PZL Mielec to the Polish Special Forces in 2018, Sikorsky stated that there is the potential for further sales of the Black Hawk to the Polish Armed Forces. The analytical phase of the Kruk programme was launched in 2014 since when David Oliver
to replace remaining legacy Soviet-era aircraft and helicopters, but for new strategic transport aircraft and aerial tankers, naval helicopters and maritime unmanned aerial systems (MUAS). The Polish Ministry of National Defence (MND) recently launched several programmes for the acquisition of new aircraft although most of them, due to budget restrictions and the COVID-19 pandemic, have been put on the back burner. The Harpia programme was launched in 2018 to replace the Soviet-era MiG-29 and Su-22 fighter aircraft within the next decade. The Polish Air Force had lost an average of one MiG-29 per year and on 14 May 2021 a MiG-29 from Malbork AFB accidentally fired on another aircraft during a training exercise over the Nadarzyce training ground. The pilot was not injured, but the MiG-29 was damaged and needed to be repaired. The military aviation repair company WZL 4 has a contract to repair and overhaul 35 of the MiG-29’s Klimov R-33K turbofan engines by 2023. In 2014 the MND decided to upgrade 12 single-seat Su-22M4s and six two Su22M3Ks after their airframe assessments with the installation of new radios and avionics. Their current role includes operating with Special Forces Joint Terminal Attack Controllers (JTAC) and Air Defence unit training as well as taking part in NATO exercises. Although no Request for Information (RfI) has been issued for the Harpia programme, Lockheed Martin and Saab are expected to bid and Leonardo is pitching its M-346FA as a potential replacement for Poland’s Su-22 fleet. The company claims that
year later the MND launched it own MRTT programme codenamed Karkonosze. This was replaced by the DROP programme for strategic transport aircraft to replace the Polish Air Force’s C-130Es to which five manufacturers responded, Airbus, Boeing, Embraer, Leonardo and Lockheed Martin. In July 2020 the MND announced that due to the redefinition of operational requirements, the analytical and conceptional phase of the DROP programme had been stopped. Although five former USAF C-130H Hercules have been ordered for delivery over the next three years, with F-35As set to enter service in the near future, the Polish Air Force will not have a dedicated tanker aircraft in its inventory.
Polish Air Force 28 PZL-130 Orlik TC-1 primary trainers are being upgraded by Airbus subsidiary PZL Warszawa-Okęcie.
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Under the Harpia programme, the remaining upgraded Sukhoi Su-22UM3Ks will be replaced within the next five years.
equipment. In October 2020 Poland confirmed that only the Mi-24 weapons system would include NATO standard munitions, including Rafael Spike air- to-surface missiles, the Piorun air-to-air missile, new rocket launchers and 12.7mm machine guns. The tender was expected to finally be launched in 2020, however, the COVID-19 pandemic forced the MND to once again postpone the Kruk programme competition. After an assessment is made on the fatigue life of the Mi-24 airframes, the MND will decide if the fleet will be cycled through an affordable upgrade of their avionics and weapons system which could be launched in 2022 but with first deliveries expected no earlier than 2024. This has left the Army
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the Armament Inspectorate has failed to start the formal tender procedure, and in the meantime, there are repeatedly changing priorities and technical requirements for the project. The Polish Army Aviation’s Mi-24D/ Mi-24V fleet currently numbers 28 aircraft comprising 13 Mi-24V/Ws and 14 Mi-24Ds operated by two squadrons assigned to the 56th Air Base at Inowroclaw-Latkowo and a third at the 49th Air Base at Pruszec Gdanski. The Polish defence industry proposed a comprehensive upgrade to including a new integrated avionics system with head-up and multi-function displays, the Rafael Toplite electro-optical/infrared sensor turret and new defensive aide suite (DAS)
Leonardo will offer the M-346FA, seen here in Polish markings, as a cost effective multi-role fighter aircraft to replace the Su-22.
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Aviation with the no answer to the question about when it might receive new combat helicopters which are needed to significantly enhance its operational and combat capabilities and also allow for the development of new tactics for enhanced cooperation with various types of units on the modern battlefield. The Army Aviation’s ageing Mi-2, Mi-8/17s and PZL W-3M Sokol medium helicopters, a total fleet of more than 100 aircraft, are to be replaced under the Perkoz programme. The H225M had been selected in April 2015 to replace the Polish Army’s large fleet of Mil Mi-8s in preference to the Leonardo AW149 or the Sikorsky S-70i Black Hawk. The contract awarded to Airbus was for 50 Caracal helicopters worth $3.5 billion but in October 2016 the Polish government abandoned plans to buy the 50 Caracal helicopters claiming that the proposed contract was not in the country's economic and security interests. The Perkoz programme has been reinstated and bidders could include PZL-Świdnik/Leonardo with the AW169M or AW149, PZL Mielec/Lockheed Martin with the S-70i Black Hawk and Airbus with the H145M. Bell announced that it intended to offer Poland its H-1 family aircraft, the AH-1Z Viper attack helicopter and UH-1Y Venom multi-role medium helicopter, for a number of the country’s procurement programmes, including Perkoz and Kruk. The manufacturer stated that this duo had recently been selected by the Czech Armed Forces, which procured four Viper and eight Venom helicopters. The Polish Armaments Inspectorate planned to select a number of offers to receive a RfI, and be subsequently invited to participate in the Technical Dialogue Procedure (TDP), which should have been finalised by December 2021. However, in March 2021 the TDP for the in Perkoz programme was indefinitely suspended. As a consequence, a need will emerge for the Army Aviation’s existing fleets of W-3, Mi-8, or Mi-2 rotary-wing platforms to extend their service life. The Kondor programme was launched in December 2019 by the Polish Armaments Inspectorate to replace the Polish Navy’s four Kaman SH-2G Super Seasprite shipboard anti-submarine warfare (ASW) helicopters. The programme’s goal is to acquire four to eight multi-role helicopters with a maximum take-off weight of no more than 14,300lb (6,500kg), capable of performing anti-submarine warfare (ASW)
Leonardo The first of four AW101s ordered for the Polish Navy made its maiden flight at the Leonardo UK site at Yeovil in July 2021.
operations and target acquisition with the use of onboard ship radar systems. The new maritime helicopters will be subordinate to the Naval Aviation Brigade of the Polish Navy. Nine manufacturers have signalled their intention to participate in the TDP including four local Polish companies and five foreign manufacturers. Bell is offering its 412 model while Leonardo’s PZL-Świdnik is pitching the AW159 Wildcat. Leonardo with PZL-Świdnik already has successfully competed for a Polish Navy contract for the replacement of six Soviet-era Mil Mi-14L/PS. In April 2019, the company announced it would supply four AW101s and a comprehensive integrated logistics and training package worth $430 million to the Polish MND. PZL-Świdnik is acting as prime contractor while the team assembling the aircraft is at Leonardo in Yeovil, UK. The first production AW101 aircraft for the Polish Navy achieved its first flight at the company’s site in Yeovil on 20 July 2021. The flight demonstrated functional checks of the main airframe systems as well as the control system, and engine-handling checks were taken throughout to monitor the speed range of the aircraft. The flight envelope will now be opened further with testing exploring the bespoke mission equipment fitted to the aircraft. The AW101 will perform a range of missions for the Polish Navy including ASW and Combat Search and Rescue (CSAR), with aircraft deliveries scheduled by the end of 2022. In December 2018 Airbus had announced its decision to withdraw from the Polish MND’s tender to acquire new helicopters to replace the Navy’s Mi-14s. The company said that again the offset
requirements defined by the Polish MND made it impossible for Airbus to submit a competitive offer, but that it continued to be interested in supporting the process of the modernisation of the Polish Armed Forces in the field of helicopter fleet replacement. In another sector of the Polish Armed Forces modernisation campaign, the MND announced in March 2018 that another much delayed programme codenamed Gryf for a medium-range tactical unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) was to involve the delivery of six systems, each with four UAVs and a control station between 2020 and 2022. Another six systems could be procured in the unspecified future. Competitors were expected to include Elbit Systems’ Hermes 900 and General Atomics’ MQ-9 Reaper but in a surprise move, the Polish MND signed a contract with the Turkish company Baykar OEM in May 2021 to purchase four Bayraktar TB-2 combat systems, which include 24 UAVs, for approximately $270 million, with the first system to be delivered in 2022. Poland has become the first buyer of Turkish-made UAVs within NATO. Under the Albatros programme to provide a tactical short-range maritime VTOL UAV for the Polish Navy, the Armament Inspectorate announced six bidders: UMS Skeldar, WB Electronics, PZL-Świdnik with Leonardo, Schiebel, WORKS 11 with Martin UAV, and Siltec. The bids had to be submitted by 29 January 2021 with the delivery of a system within 15 months. Earlier this year it was reported that Poland has managed to avoid the same level of economic damage experienced in other European countries during the pandemic and this may fast track some of the Polish Armed Forces’ delayed aircraft programmes that must be resolved in the near future. september 2021 - armadainternational.com
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Babcock
land Power
An impression of Babcock’s solution to the Polish Navy’s Swordfish multi-mission coastal defence frigate requirements - the Arrowhead 140 design.
POLISH DEFENCE AMBITION V REALITY Polish military procurement has ambition, although this has been slowed by ‘piecemeal’ and tardy decision making over the years. Andrew Drwiega
T
he Polish Government through the Armament Inspectorate put in place an ambitious plan to modernise its military forces with a planned investment of around $135 billion (€115 billion) until 2035. The Government has been eager to sign defence cooperation agreements, recently announcing closer military cooperation with Turkey, Romania, the United States and of course NATO in general. However, its defence procurement plan, though ambitious, has been catalogued by rethinks and delays. It wants to modernise and have a good slice of technology transfer, which it can get in part through industrial partnerships with international primes. The following represents a selection of its recent naval and land programmes. NAVAL FRIGATES The Polish Navy has a current requirement for three Swordfish multi-mission coastal defence frigates as defined by its Miecznik programme. This will be managed through
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the PGZ-Miecznik Consortium which comprises Polska Grupa Zbrojeniowa, PGZ Stocznia Wojenna and Remontowa Shipbuilding. At the beginning of August 2021 the three shortlist contenders to go forward to the concept design study were announced as Navantia, Babcock International and Thyssenkrupp Marine Systems. According to official sources the intention is that the winning design will be built a the PGZ PGZ Stocznia Wojenna shipyard, Gdynia, through a Technology Transfer (ToT) contract. Navantia has offered to design the Swordfish around its F-100, of which 13 have been built and versions are in service with the Spanish, Norwegian and Australian navies. The company points to its ToT history citing experiences involving contracts in Turkey and Saudi Arabia. Babcock’s proposal is based on offering its Arrowhead 140 frigate platform, cited as a white and blue water vessel. It would be guided by Team 31 (the industry grouping
behind the UK’s Type 31 frigate) which comprises Babcock, Thales, Odense Maritime Technology (OMT) and BMT. The solution offered by Thyssenkrupp Marine Systems (TKMS) will be its MEKO A-300 PL, a variant of its MEKO frigate family. The company states that it has supplied frigate warship technologies to 19 navies and that “over 50 percent of our exported warships having been built by our customer shipyards.” The contract winner is scheduled to be announced in 2022 with the first of three ships to be delivered four years after that. All three frigates should be delivered by 2034. Remontowa Shipbuilding in Gdańsk has been buildng Kormoran II (Cormorant Class) minehunters for the Polish Navy which are being operated in the Baltic and North Seas. The vessels displace 830 tons. Three ships are currently in service - ORP Kormoran (601), ORP Albatros (602) and ORP Mewa (603). Poland has long identified a need to
find new submarines as it may only have one Kilo-class submarine, ORP Orzel still in commission, although well over 30 years old. This requirement comes under the title of the Okra programme, and has attracted interest from at least three international companies. The Naval Group (ex-DCNS) offering its Scorpene, potentially armed with cruise missiles; Germany’s TKMS has presented its Type 212 for consideration, potentially one already in service in the German fleet; and lastly Sweden’s Saab would offer a variant of its A26. This would be an expensive commitment for the Polish Armament Expectorate with early costs putting the programme at around $3 billion, although by the time a decision is reached the cost is expected to rise above this figure. Delays in making the decision on going forward with the Orka programme mean that the delivery date is uncertain, but now likely to be in the late 2020s.
The Polish Army will receive new Abrams M1A2 SEPV3 tanks, such as this example belonging to the US 3rd Armoured Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division which is conducting a ‘live’ firing exercise at Fort Hood, Texas.
Defence Minister Mariusz Błaszczak said that the tanks would be stationed “east of the Vistula” to “deter any aggressor” (a thinly veiled reference to Russia - remembering Russia’s pact with Germany during World War Two to jointly invade Poland). In 2019, the Polish Ministry of National Defence’s ‘Technical Modernisation Plan 2020-2035,’ featured a number of army procurement programmes that included: • the Borsuk programme: a new combat vehicle based on a universal modular tracked chassis to replace the Soviet era BWP-1 vehicle. • the Regina programme: the acquisition of 155mm fire division modules to enhance the fire support capability at the tactical MBDA
HEAVY ARMOUR FOR THE ARMY On Wednesday 14 July the Polish Defence Minister announced that in would acquire 250 M1A2 Abrams SEPv3 tanks from General Dynamics Land Systems at a cost of around $6 billlion. The first deliveries are expected to begin in 2022. The latest edition of the Adrams is the SEPv3 (System Enhanced Package), which now incorporates additional electrical power, network upgrades, stronger armour and an ammunition data link that is compatible with advanced ammunition.
DVIDS
Land power
MBDA’S EMADS – Enhanced Modular Air Defence Solutions is a rapidly deployable point and area defence system to protect mobile and static high value assets.
level , through Huta Stalowa Wola (HSW). • the continuation of the Homar programme: the potential acquisition of rocket launchers with a range of between 70-300km. • the Ottokar Brzoza programme: the acquisition of tank destroyers for the anti-tank regiment. • the Gladius programme: unmanned ‘loitering mulitions’. • and the Mustang programme; acquiring high-mobility trucks and passenger vehicles to replace Honkers. AIR DEFENCE Poland is looking to modernise its shortrange air defence (SHORAD) capability through the Narew programme, which will replace its legacy Soviet-era 2K12 KUB and 9K33 OSA missile systems. The initial requirement was for 19 batteries which will protect both mobile forces and important static sites. MBDA has been in the competition since 1919 offering its Enhanced Modular Air Defence Solutions (EMADS) system, currently in service with the British Army as Sky Saber. The offer would be to integrate a CAMM iLauncher with a Polish Jelcz 8x8 truck chassis. The proposal includes ToT with both the missile and launcher being built in Poland. Another offering comes from Raytheon who, back at the MSPO 2019 industry exhibition, announced it would offer a boosterless Skyceptor system. The booster version is entering service in the Polish armed forces as a medium-range air defence system that will work alongside Raytheon’s Patriot missile system. september 2021 - armadainternational.com
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LAND WARFARE
ALL CHANGE AT THE CORPS: FORCE DESIGN 2030 The plan for the future of the US Marine Corps is contentious and will see a restructuring away from its traditional all-arms employment.
A
revision of the National Defense Strategy in 2018 directed the US Marine Corps (USMC) to shift its mission focus to great/near peer competition with special emphasis on the Indo-Pacific. This follows several decades committed to protracted inland conflict in Afghanistan and Iraq. Incoming Commandant General David H. Berger, to implement this redirection, issued planning guidance CPG-I in July 2019 toward adopting a new operational approach and redesign of the force. Titled Force Design 2030 (FD2030), its primary operational objective is toward building “a light, self-reliant, highly mobile naval expeditionary force postured forward in littoral areas within the adversary’s weapons engagement zone.”
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Stephen W. Miller These forces will, per FD2030 March 2020, provide “a landward complement to Navy capabilities for surface warfare (ASuW), anti-submarine warfare (ASW), air and missile defence, and airborne early warning.” A driving assumption is that seizing a hostile land area from the sea is no longer possible due to the proliferation of Anti-Access/Area Denial (A2AD) capabilities. Instead the Design proposes the forward insertion (and follow-on support) of small expeditionary Marine elements that rely on speed, stealth, and surprise utilising pre-emptive action. This new focus requires a redirection in the current organisation and equipment of the Corps with the elimination of some units including main battle tanks, while entirely or majorly restructuring others such as shifting from
cannon artillery to rockets and missiles. Questioning the appropriateness of current large amphibious ships to this scenario, a parallel expeditionary ship of a different design is proposed for the US Navy. These ships, termed Light Amphibious Warships, are to be “smaller, lower signature, and more affordable”. FD2030 is being pursued in four Phases. The first sought to establish an overall visualisation of the future force. Phase 2, begun in September 2019, saw 12 Integrated Planning Teams assess and provide force design recommendations regarding Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU) reconfiguration, Marine Littoral Regiment design, Maritime Prepositioning Force changes, aviation, logistics, anti-ship and anti-air capabilities, infantry battalion organisation,
USMC
LAND WARFARE
A thing of the past - US Marine Corps M1A1 Abrams tanks hit the beach during Exercise Ssang Yong 14 in South Korea, 3 April, 2014. Force Design 2030 will take heavy armour out of the USMC inventory.
manned-unmanned system balance, objective networks, training and education and the reserves. Phase 3 involves war gaming, experimentation, and analysis while Phase 4 will refine, validate, and implement what has been achieved. It is intended to be a process incorporating lessons learned and findings from on-going efforts. RESTRUCTURING Achieving FD2030 means a major restructuring across the Corps including the divestment of ground and air combat and support assets. These include the elimination of all main battle tanks, most cannon artillery, reducing the numbers of amphibious combat vehicles, reductions in the Bell Boeing MV-22 medium, Sikorsky CH-53E heavy, and Bell AH1Z Viper light attack helicopter squadrons, and a review of the fixed wing fleet. The infantry battalion is also undergoing evaluation of its organisation and equipment with three different approaches being trialled. A new formation is also proposed, the Marine Littoral Regiment (MLR). These will be key to providing the expeditionary forward presence to provide sea control and denial in support of the naval task forces. It will consist of three elements: a Littoral Combat Team (LCT), a Littoral Anti-Air Battalion, and a Littoral Logistics Battalion. The core of the LCT will be an infantry battalion with an anti-ship missile battery. The Anti-Air Battalion will include air defence, air surveillance, air control and
aircraft forward rearming and refuelling capabilities. Tactical logistics support will be the task of the Logistics Battalion. The first regiment is scheduled to stand-up in late 2021 in Hawaii as the 3d Marine Littoral Regiment. ARTILLERY Marine artillery will play a major role in the proposed concept for sea-denial through land based anti-ship missiles. Much of its BAE Systems M777 towed tube artillery is being replaced by Lockheed Martin M142 HIMARS multiple launch rockets which fire conventional GMLRS rockets to 70 kilometres (44 miles). It also fires the ATACMS to 300km (186 miles), but it is not in the Corps inventory, as well as the latter’s successor the Precision Strike Missile (PrSM), still in test, to around 500km. The Corps is moving to add ground launched anti-ship missiles and has test launched the Kongsberg/Raytheon Naval Strike Missile (NSM) already deployed on US Navy ships and used by several NATO militaries in coastal defence batteries. Referred to by the Marines as NMESIS this configuration uses a twin-missile launcher on a Joint Light Tactical Vehicle (JLTV) and adaption of the US Navy fire control system. NSM has a range of over 185km (115 miles) with passive, low-altitude attack, and autonomous target recognition with both sea surface and land attack capability. The Marines also have an unfunded requirement for Tactical Tomahawk missiles
(now manufactured by Raytheon). The latest Block V model Tomahawk can strike a moving target at sea at over 1,600km (nearly 1,000 miles). However, this six-metre-long missile would need to be adapted for expeditionary use (the previous Ground Launched Cruise Missile (GLCM) employed a semi-tractor transporter erector launcher). Providing target detection for missiles with these extended ranges will also present challenges for the envisioned isolated expeditionary enclaves particularly in a signal denied environment. EXPEDITIONARY AIR DEFENCE Establishing an adequate anti-air defence should be a priority since air and missile attack, as well as unmanned aerial system (UAS) surveillance and targeting would be a primary response by an opponent to a forward landed presence. Since disbanding its Raytheon Hawk medium range missile batteries in 2002, the only air defence has been the shoulder-launcher short range FIM-92 Stinger. The Marines are now introducing Marine Air Defense Integrated System (MADIS) to offer greater point air defence. Two platoons of eight systems each had last been programmed. MADIS Mk1 mounts a four pod Stinger, 30mm auto-cannon, and Sierra Nevada Modi II electronic warfare suite. Its companion is the Mk 2 with a 30km (18 mile) range, RADA Electronics RPS-42 detection and tracking radar, Modi II, and M134 7.62mm minigun. Both use the JLTV platform. A medium range interceptor capability september 2021 - armadainternational.com
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USMC
LAND WARFARE
Commandant of the Marine Corps Gen. David H. Berger walks out of a CH-53K King Stallion at Marine Corps Air Station New River, North Carolina, March 17, 2021. Berger visited Marine Operational Test and Evaluation Squadron (VMX) 1 to talk with the Marines who are putting the CH-53K through its testing and to see a demonstration of the heavy lift capability the helicopter will provide to Marines and joint forces.
RECONNAISSANCE This ability to engage targets at extended ranges requires the capability to detect, identify, track and target threats. The Corps is increasing its UAS assets to four VMU squadrons to address this. In addition, the FD2030 proposes replacing the current Boeing Insitu RQ-21 Blackjack tactical UAS introduced in 2016 with the extended endurance General Atomics MQ-9A Reaper employed by the US Air Force. Reaper has a 20m wingspan and requires a prepared strip for take-off and landing. Its range, however, is 1,900km (1,180 miles) with 14-hour endurance and up to 4,000 pound (1,700kg) payload. The US Navy’s maritime surveillance MQ-4C Triton with a 32+ hour endurance from Northrop Grumman, could also contribute. In addition, the FD2030 April 2021 Update discussed consideration of the Martin V-Bat vertical self-launch/recovery UAS with 11 hours endurance. The initial FD2030 plan recommended an increase in ground reconnaissance with an additional two companies of Light Ar-
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moured Vehicles (LAV). The light armoured units, formed in 1983, have organic direct and indirect fire, anti-tank, dismounts, command and control, logistics, and maintenance recovery assets all with equal mobility and protection. They provide not only forward ground reconnaissance and counter-reconnaissance but, with its integrated combined arms, an adaptable mobile armoured manoeuvre force. In July 2021, the Corps selected Textron Defense and General Dynamics Land Systems to prepare prototypes of an Amphibious Reconnaissance Vehicle (ARV) as a possible replacement for the 30-year-old LAV. However, the Commandant’s April 2021 FD2030 update stated efforts had “invalidated the requirement to replace LAV-25 with a similar armoured, wheeled or tracked vehicle on one-to-one ratio.” Questioning the suitability of such vehicles for the
LIGHT AMPHIBIOUS WARSHIP (LAW) The US Navy in support of FD2030 proposes a shift from multi-mission amphibious warfare ships designed to support aviation, vertical assault, and wet well deck launch. Instead, it is pursuing a new class, the LAW, that can land smaller numbers of Marines, plus equipment and supplies, directly across a beach using a ramp. Five concept/preliminary design contracts were awarded in June 2021 to Fincantieri, Austral USA, VT Halter Marine, Bollinger, and TAI Engineers. Designs will provide a vessel Sea Transport Solutions
is also in consideration. John Garner, PEO Land Systems, suggested in a September 2020 at the virtual Modern Day Marine expo that there would be a “prototype in the next two years”. The Corps is also fielding it’s AN/TPS G/ATOR air surveillance and counter-fire target acquisition radar which would be a critical element in any expeditionary air defence. Thirteen initial production systems are in use with air control and artillery with full rate production of 30 being delivered through 2022.
reconnaissance role in the Indo-Pacific, the plan then explored possible alternate organisation and equipment toward a “more broadly capable mobile reconnaissance”. This suggests a shift to a strictly reconnaissance role, thus, potentially limiting the battlefield manoeuvre capability offered in the current LAV units. For mobile reconnaissance the FD2030 suggests the utility of lightweight vehicles, unmanned air and surface systems, boats, the Organic Precision Fires – Infantry (OPF-I) system and other capabilities. In fact, the OPF-I was selected in June 2021 in the form of the UVision Hero-120, a vehicle launched precision loitering munition. The Marines also awarded a contract in February 2021 to Metal Shark to develop a Long-Range Unmanned Surface Vessel (LRUSV). According to the Chris Allard, the company CEO, “it would conduct autonomous surveillance, survey, submarine detection, or mine hunting.” It would also supply manned support vessels for a Marine Corps fleet. How this foray into the surface Navy’s domain or its relationship to the Navy broader unmanned surface systems programs is not addressed.
A potential design for the proposed Light Amphibious Warfare vessel with a rear loading/off-loading ramp and potential for a helicopter deck has been offered by Australian company Sea Transport Solutions.
Martin
LAND WARFARE
equipment ashore across a beach demands a stern or bow ramp while dictating a maximum draft of 3.6m (12ft). The LAW would have a limited self-defence capability and Tier 2-plus survivability surviving a hit long enough to evacuate personnel. The aggressive schedule anticipates the first vessel being procured in fiscal year 2023 with 28 to 30 envisioned.
USMC
MARINE AIR Beyond the medium and heavy helicopter reductions and additional of VMUs, and aerial refuelling the roles and structure of Marine aviation are per FD2030 “continuing to be analysed”. In particular, the fixed wing Lockheed Martin F-35B VTOL
and F-35C carrier version mix remains an ongoing study. The shift to dispersed light forces, moving from larger aviation capable amphibious ships and the stated desire to reinvest could present a number of questions regarding the Air Wing’s future. These could include how fixed wing aircraft (Boeing FA-18 and F-35C) requiring a carrier or fixed airfield fit these expeditionary scenarios. Given the historically critical role expeditionary based Marine aviation has played in achieving sea control, especially in the Pacific in World War II, this previously decisive capability would be expected to have an integral role. The associated draft Expeditionary Advanced Base Operations (EABO)
The need to extend the reach of unmanned aerial vehicle surveillance which still allowing operation from ships or small land sites with minimal support has the Marines and Navy considering the Martin V-Bat UAS (shown). These would be introduced in the increase of Marine VMU squadrons.
between 60-122m (200-400ft); approximately 4,000 tons displacement; accommodate 75 Marines and a crew of no more than 40; provide 744 square metres (8,000 square feet) of deck space for equipment; and have an unrefuelled range of 3,500 nautical miles (6,480km) at a transit speed of 14 knots (26km/h). Its ability to move personnel and
The G/ATOR long-range air surveillance and counter-artillery radar from Northrop Grumman will provide a key role in providing early warning and air direction against expected attacks against dispersed Marine forces.
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Although the April 2021 Force Design Update ‘Invalidated the requirement’ for an LAV replacement by a similar vehicle, the Marines issued development contacts to Textron Defense and General Dynamics for prototype Amphibious Reconnaissance Vehicles (ARV). These could provide a modular mobile platform for various sensors, as well as, combat, EW, and support roles. Shown is Textron’s Cottonmouth initial configuration.
references the contribution of Offensive Air Support, yet details on its application, and changes considered to address the FD2030 objectives remain largely unaddressed. Since the closely integrated air-ground team has been a key hallmark of the Corps and something that has set it apart from the other services, this is surprising. LOGISTICS SUPPORT Logistics support is a major challenge for any military force in the Indo-Pacific as evidenced by the experiences of both the Allies and Japanese in World War II. The difficulties encountered by dispersed small and potentially isolated expeditionary ground units can be expected to be compounded. The FD2030 March 2020 highlighted this stating a lack of confidence that “we have identified the additional structure required” and affirming that “logistics must be a priority for Phase III”. However, neither the FD Updates nor the EABO offer insights into how these critical tasks will be practically addressed. The topic is also fourteenth of 15: “Priority Investments - Expeditionary logistics systems to sustain standIn forces in a contested environment”. Considering the expanse of the Indo-Pacific and its extended distances, sustaining scattered sites as envisioned in EABO would be a sizeable undertaking. This would be compounded at an outbreak of hostilities, especially for sites positioned “inside the opponents Weapons Engagement Zones (WEZ)” as promoted by FD2030. To grasp the levels to be dealt with consider
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that the MV-22 flying at 275kts maximum speed would require over three hours to complete, for example, the 380nm resupply turn-around from Manila, Philippines, to the Spratly Islands in the South China Sea. The LAW at its 14knt cruise would require nearly 28 hours to reach the same. The reality is that as the US Joint Warfare Publication 1 states: “Logistics sets the campaign’s operational limits.” Or, most appropriate for a Pacific war, US Navy Adm Raymond Spruance’s observation still holds true, that “a sound logistics plan is the foundation upon which a war operation should be based. If the necessary minimum of logistics support cannot be given to the combatant forces involved, the operation may fail…”.
US Marines or the 3d Marine Division simulate a fire mission from High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems during a HIMARS Rapid Infiltration as a part of Exercise Talisman Sabre 21 in Queensland, Australia, 24 July, 2021.
FD2030 AND WIDER MISSIONS FD2030’s objective is to essentially establish distributed A2AD zones “inside an adversaries weapons engagement zone (WEZ)” requiring a focus on extreme longrange fires and the elimination of many traditional combined arms assets. Some analysts have suggested that the resulting structure could jeopardise the Corps’ ability to execute other designated missions such as small war conflicts and littoral interventions as “a force in readiness”. This is viewed by some with concern since such operations have historically been more prevalent. In addition, its emphasis on light forces and elimination or sizeable down-scaling of armoured formations removes the possibility of offensive ground manoeuvre. A force optimised strictly for small islands would have insufficient mobility, tactical speed, and flexibility to respond and operate to contingencies on larger littoral land masses. These could include providing support, including sea control, to Pacific rim and maritime choke-point countries like the Philippines, Indonesia, and Vietnam. Here ground manoeuvrability will be an essential requisite. FD2030 is stated as a ten-year effort. Yet considering its wide scope and number of new equipment initiatives required to implement the design it could reasonably extend beyond this. It will most certainly still be a work in progress into the term on the next Commandant of the Marine Corps in two years. The question is, considering the finality of some of the actions already taken, how much flexibility will remain for him to potentially adjust the Corps’ direction.
USMC
Textron
LAND WARFARE
LAND AND AIRLAND DEFENCE AND SECURITY EXHIBITION LAND WARFARE
13-17 JUNE 2022 / PARIS THE DEFENCE & SECURITY
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DoD
land warfare
The Advanced Combat Optical Gunsight (ACOG) was introduced by Trijicon and originally designed for the M16 rifle and M4 carbine. They use a fixed magnification telescope with an illuminated reticle.
SIGHTING DYNAMICS Variable magnification and laser range finding are two factors that have greatly improved weapon sighting for modern riflemen. Stephen W. Miller
F
or much of history the primary focus of infantry firearms has been on improvements to the weapon and/or its ammunition. How these weapons are aimed has remained relatively unchanged with militaries relying on ‘iron sights’ well into the 1980s. Optical sights were generally limited to specially trained and tasked snipers or a designated marksmen of rifle squad/ platoons. Still for most soldiers engaging a target was a skill learned through hours of training and practice on the range. RED DOT The shift to intermediate calibres like the 5.56mm and 5.45mm optimised for
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engagements inside 400 meters coincided with the development of projected reticle ‘reflex’ sights (often referred to as Red Dot), reflecting the earliest designer Aimpoint. These non-magnified sights allow almost intuitive aiming with both eyes open. The shooter needs to merely place the dot in the sight onto the target and pull the trigger. They, and the similar holographic sights, allow faster target acquisition and engagement, particularly between 50-300m ranges, with minimal training. The reflex sight has been widely adopted by armies worldwide. The US Army began fielding the Aimpoint Comp M2 as the M68 Close Combat Optic in 2000 and it used by NATO, Russian Federation and China’s People’s
Liberation Army (PLA) infantry. Manufacturers include the EOtech, Vortex, Trijion, Burris, Dagger Defense, Sig Sauer among others. Recently Meprolight introduced its MEPRO 2, a red-dot with a multi-pattern reticle that can be changed by the user based on the tactical situation. FIXED MAGNIFICATION - ACOG The Advanced Combat Optical Gunsight (ACOG) was developed and first offered by Trijicom in 1987. A prismatic telescopic sight with fixed (typically 4x) magnification and projected reticle it offers acquisition using both eyes with improved target identification. The ACOG design is light weight, often below 400 grams, making it well suited
for close quarters engagements to around 400-600 meters. It offers some capabilities of telescopic scope in a simpler and lower cost package. Its larger objective lens also collects ambient light which with tritium illuminated reticle provides improved low light aiming. The benefits of the ACOG configuration have seen similar designs by other manufacturers including the Vortex Optics Spitfire. The design has been introduced into other militaries including the German Bundeswehr and Latvian with their G36 rifle, and by British, Irish, Finnish, and Spanish forces. Similar optics have also been fielded for the PLA’s QBZ-95 and Russian Federation’s AK-74 and AK-12. A drawback of the ACOG is that the sight must be matched to the specific ballistic performance of the weapon it is used on. Thus, for example the M16A1 and M4, although both using the same 5.56mm ammunition, have different barrel lengths and thus different ballistics. As a result, two different TA11 ACOGs versions are required to account for the different trajectories despite their seeming identical appearance. VARIABLE MAGNIFICATION Traditionally magnified sights have been largely limited to specially trained rifleman designated to engage targets at extended ranges. The scopes, particularly variable magnification sights, were costly, required special handling and training. High magnification sights also have smaller field of view (FOV) meaning less area can be viewed through the scope. A lower magnification offers less detail but more surroundings (i.e. FOV) while a greater power shows more details but less surroundings. High magnification could be compared to ‘looking through a straw’. This is illustrated by comparing the 19 feet area seen at 5 power versus 3 feet at 30 power at the same range. It can be difficult to acquire a specific target. An advantage of a variable scope is the ability to select a lower magnification to search for a target and then switch to a more powerful setting to identify and engage. Advances in optics materials and improved manufacturing processes are providing more rugged scopes suited for broader soldier use. The US Army is adopting a variable scope sight for the squad rifleman selecting the Sig Sauer TANGO6T scope. Called the Direct View Optic (DVO) this was already being used by the Army’s Squad Designated Marksman. TANG06T allows magnification
USMC
land warfare
The ACOG offers a simple sight picture which is matched to the weapon ballistics. The highlighted red “ˆ” is placed on the target to aim the weapon. The scene beyond the scope can still be seen.
from 1-6x power adjusted by the shooter. The DVO allows every rifleman to engage at greater ranges. The US Marine Corps have always stressed marksmanship (every Marine a rifleman) giving special attention to the sights used. When the Army adopted the Red-Dot, the Marines went a step further adopting a fixed optic in the ACOG. Now, in conjunction with fielding a new service rifle, the Heckler & Koch M27, they are moving to the Low-Power Variable Optic (LPVO). The system selected is a 1-8x variable-powered sight from Trijion designated the Squad Common Optic (SCO). It uses a milliradian front focal plane reticle that can be used on any rifle with a variety of ammunition. SCO will work on nearly every rifle or carbine and possible ammunition including current and near future. The variable scope facilitates the push by some militaries to enable engagements at ranges greater than 600m and more by the squad rifleman. Yet, it should still provide for engagements inside 300m in close terrain and urban areas. In addition, access to the higher magnification offers the benefits of improving visual reconnaissance and sound target identification. These scopes also lend themselves for use on multiple weapons within the squad or small unit thereby allowing for a common optic. Leupold & Stevens and Aimpoint have come together to offer a sight that combines attributes of the variable magnification
scope and the Red-Dot. Their ECOS-O (Enhanced Combat Optical Sight – Optimised has a Mark 6 3-18x scope and Micro T-1 red-dot aiming system. It offers both eyes shooting to 30m and optically enhanced targeting between 300-1000m. The package can be fitted to a range of combat rifles and used with mated grenade launchers. The sight was ordered by the US Navy Surface Warfare Center Crane with last deliveries in 2018. The introduction and widespread inclusion of Picatinny or tactical rail systems on individual weapons has offered a new level of adaptability by providing mounting points for various accessories. Rails can be sited on the top, bottom or sides of the weapon allowing multiple devices to be mounted, used, and changed. Rails have become a standard feature on most combat arms. COMPACT LASERS One of the most useful aids that can be rail mounted is the laser which can be used for range finding or aiming. With the latter, the laser’s ‘spot’ is adjusted to the bullet impact so that the shooter needs to simply place the spot onto the target and pull the trigger. Laser ranging provides the distance from the weapon to a target, information that is critical to reliably hitting a target, particularly as the range increases. Accurately knowing the range allows a shooter to compensate september 2021 - armadainternational.com
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The Picatinny (tactical rail) greatly enhanced the adaptability of the infantry weapon by permitting various sights and shooting accessories to be mounted on to the weapon. Here a Special Ops soldier weapon includes a reflex sight, scope, rangefinder and flashlight.
for the drop of the bullet caused by gravity and its loss of velocity. Today’s lasers using micro-electronics and digitalisation have become quite small. German optical technology firm Jenopik’s DLEM20 diode laser module, for example, is under 33 grams and is only 50mmx22mmx34mm in size yet has an accuracy of better than .5m for a mansize target at 2000m. These advances have seen wide adoption of lasers on individual weapons. The key benefit of the laser sight is that it always indicates where the weapon’s muzzle is pointing allowing the shooter to get on target faster, an advantage in an unexpected engagement. It is also compatible with night vision goggles allowing the wearer to see the laser. It is not necessary to aim along the weapon as a target can be engaged by simply placing the “dot” on it. A laser dot, however, can be difficult to see at long ranges or in bright conditions, although green lasers are more visible than red lasers. They also generally do not provide for ballistic adjustment for windage and elevation tending to be zeroed for a set range. These
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attributes recommend the laser sight primarily where quick aiming at closer ranges is anticipated. On the other hand, the laser rangefinder is a significant benefit for longer range shooting. Knowing the precise range to target is critical as the target distance increases. Smaller, lighter ranging devices can be mounted on virtually any weapon. The SAFRAN Optics 1 I-CUGR (Integrated Compact Ultralight Gun-Mounted Rangefinder) being fielded by the US Marines, is only 12 ounces (340g) with mount and battery and 152x71x45mm (6x2.8x1.8 inch). It provides not only accurate range of a man-sized target to 1300m and a vehicle to 2,500m, but also a visual or IR laser spot for aiming or target marking. Another is L3 Harris’s STORM (Small Tactical Optical Rifle-Mounted Micro Laser Rangefinder) being used by US Navy Special Operations. In addition to ranging and aiming, its digital magnetic compass allows display of a target geospatial coordinates. L3 Harris also offers a smaller lighter STORM-SLX. The price of laser rangers has reached a level that they
are readily available and in wide use. RIFLE FIREC CONTROL SYSTEMS A Fire Control System (FCS) is an aiming system that takes various data that effects the ability to hit a target and combines it to calculate and present the human operator with a firing solution that assures a hit. These factors can include range to target, ammunition type, wind, temperature, meteorological conditions and can include inputs like barrel wear and other data. The FCS has been a standard feature on tanks, artillery, and even for heavy crew served weapons. It has, despite many development efforts, been too large, heavy, and costly for practical rifleman use. But miniaturisation, digitisation, and computing advances have now combined to allow FCS packages suitable for individual small arms. Steiner’s Intelligent Combat Sight (ICS) integrates a laser rangefinder and ballistic calculator in a compact, 788g (27.8oz) 6x scope that offers first round hits to 800m. This integration of functional elements provides significant benefits for shooter
The Raytheon ELCAN Specter integrates ranging, ballistic computation, environmental correction and aim point adjustment to enhance firing accuracy.
include a thermal night vision capability through the addition of devices like the TigIR thermal clip-on imager from Andres. Vortex Optics and L3Harris have both been selected to provide advanced fire control sights for the US Army Next Generation Squad Weapons. In fact, their solutions outwardly appear similar. The Vortex uses a direct view 1-8x 30 variable power focal plane optic with an Active Reticle Fire Control, one kilometre laser rangefinder, on-board ballistic calculator, atmospheric sensor suite, and overlayed programable active-matrix micro-display. It has been described as a ‘red dot/1-8 Combo’. L3Harris has teamed with Leupold & Stevens for its Squad Fire Control (SFC) sight solution.
It integrates the laser rangefinder, ballistic computation, inclination/cant and environmental sensors with a variable 1-6x optic to both increase accuracy and provide faster target engagement. The direction of individual weapon sights is certainly linked to the availability of technology advances, with optics and electronics now packaged to accommodate most weapons. Recent combat experiences in Iraq and Afghanistan has influenced demands for increased engagement ranges including for the individual rifleman. There is also the challenge of determining how to make practical use of these capabilities given the realities of combat, where closer engagements often inside 200m can be more typical. Sig Sauer
performance simply by combining the control of these in a single package. The ICS also automatically determines the necessary trajectory compensation based on the range input and displacing the aiming point in the optic. The shooter then only needs to place the aim-point on the target and fire. The sequence is simple and fast. Plus, the sight is extremely rugged being waterproof, fog proof and able to take a 750G shock. The company has also developed a sight with a built-in calculator and sensor suite and up to 28x power for extended 1000m+ range sniper engagements, the M7Xi 4 – 28x Intelligent Firing Solution. Raytheon’s ELCAN Specter digital fire control sight integrates the rangefinder and ballistic calculator in a design that can be both adapted to the optical set-up as preferred by the customer and the specific weapon application. Mike Lewis, Rifle Sight Project Lead, explained that the Danish Army “selected our DR 1-4x for their rifles and light machine guns and our DR 1.5-6x for their heavy machine guns”. He added that the current design can accept up to “eight pieces of mission information including temperature, humidity, atmospheric pressure, range, weapon, ammunition, and weapon tilt, and reduces that down to a ballistic solution in a split second.” The adaptability and growth possibilities of Specter are illustrated by “our adding wireless communications and cameras to the sights to allow sharing of both images and information between units and command. Advanced software processing will also enable active target tracking and augmented reality capabilities.” Specter will also
ELCAN
land warfare
The US Army is adopting Sig Sauer's TANGO6T variable scope for its riflemen. september 2021 - armadainternational.com
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US Centrom
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The civilian ship MV Mercer Street was attacked on 29 July by at least three Iranian UAVs, the third of which killed two crewmen the US State Department confirmed.
TARGETS OF OPPORTUNITY The attack on the MV Mercer Street by Iranian ‘one way explosive UAVs’ illustrates how loitering munitions are now being widely considered for battlefield use.
O
Andrew White
n 29 July, the commercial vessel MV Mercer Street was attacked as it transited through international waters in the North Arabian Sea. According to the US State Department, the vessel was attacked by “one-way explosive UAVs”. The attack killed two innocent people onboard the vessel and was conducted by Iran with a “lethal capability (that) it is increasingly employing throughout the region”. The attack illustrates the growing proliferation of one-way explosive UAVs, often referred to as weaponised UAVs or in some cases, loitering munitions or missiles (LMs) which are able to conduct intelligence-gathering before being directed to conduct a precision attack on a selected target.
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LM technology was also employed during the 2020 conflict in Nagorno-Karabakh between Armenia and Azerbaijan with the latter using ‘precision strike assets’ according to a report by the Royal United Services Institute (RUSI), published on 22 October, 2020. “That a country such as Azerbaijan was able to effect precision strikes at operational depth – once thought to be the sole preserve of great powers – by using a range of relatively cheap tools to substitute for its lack of a robust air force is strategically noteworthy,” the RUSI report warned, before confirming LMs employed during the conflict included Israel Aerospace Industries’ (IAI) Harpy and Harop air vehicles. However, it is not just smaller state actors around the world who have identified
the operational effectiveness of LM technology. This type of weapon is being hotly pursued by special operations forces (SOF) and multiple NATO members already have procurement programmes to equip forward deployed units. Examples include the US Special Operations Command (USSOCOM) which is in the process of rolling out its Ground Organic Precision Strike System (GOPSS) programme. Addressing the SOF Industry Conference on 19 May, outgoing Program Manager of USSOCOM’s Program Executive Office SOF Warrior, Colonel Joel Babbitt described the current state of the GOPSS programme, highlighting three technology areas of interest for the command. GOPSS Echelon ‘0’ comprises an effort to equip US SOF operators with a man-packable LM capability. According to Babbitt, a working group will continue to consider options over the course of FY2021. Echelon ‘1’ remains the most mature capability at present, focused on man-packable and crew-served LM capabilities. USSOCOM has already procured an undisclosed number of Switchblade 300 (SB300) and Hero 30SF LMs, manufactured by US company Aerovironment and Israeli company UVision. Product development was initiated in FY20 with a combat evaluation currently ongoing and scheduled to finish by the end of FY22, Babbitt confirmed. Finally, Echelon ‘2’ is focused on providing US SOF with a light, vehicle-mounted and crew-served capability in the future, with Aerovironment Swichblade 600 (SB600) and UVision Hero 120SF LMs having already been procured and due to undertake a combat evaluation over the course of FY21-22. SB600 has also been selected to support USSOCOM’s Maritime Precision Engagement-Munition (MPE-M ) programme which aims to provide a LM capability for Naval Special Warfare’s (NSW’s) inventory of Combatant Craft (Assault, Medium and Heavy) surface vessels. According to Babbitt, MPE-M is designed to give the Combatant Craft an “organic, UAS-like capability to provide kinetic fires payloads against maritime and littoral targets without breaking NSW Combatant Craft signature survivability in medium to high detection threat environments”. Initial concepts will see the 33lbs (15kg) MPE-M fired from a Future Munitions
USMC
land warfare
A US Marine Corps rifleman launches an AeroVironment Switchblade loitering munitiion during a training exercise at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, 7 July, 2021.
Module Launcher on board the Combatant Craft Medium (CCM), providing operators with 75 minutes endurance on station at maximum ranges up to 120km (74 miles). Additional requirements call for a ‘cold launch’ capability as well as reductions in size, weight and power; and finally, capability to switch targets when airborne. Systems integrator FLIR Systems is charged with integrating and evaluating the MPE-M capability between FY2023-24. USSOCOM aims to achieve an Initial Operating Capability for MPE-M by FY2024 with Full Operating Capability (FOC) scheduled to be met two years later. INNOVATIVE TECHNOLOGY Speaking to Armada International, UVision’s chairman, Yair Ramati described how
the ground, maritime and airborne precision guided munition market is “blooming”. “Loitering munitions as an emerging sector in this market received global recognition as an important element on the modern battlefield. This market segment is enjoying worldwide recognition for its innovative technologies, sophistication, and flexibility. “Dominated by the West, recent conflicts have made everyone realise and recognise that precision guided munitions are essential and very important and this is due to increasing levels in accuracy,” Ramati explained before promoting how LMs combine together intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) and precision attack capabilities in a single, more cost effective solution.
“Loitering munitions must be low cost and affordable, operated up to platoon levels,” Ramati added. “Most platoon commanders are not rocket scientists,” and so, must have to be able to operate “state-ofthe-art technology as if it were a smartphone”. “No Israeli Army soldier cannot operate a smartphone within a couple of hours”, he stated adding that long lead-in training programme for LMs must be avoided. Ramati explained that LMs were proliferating beyond SOF towards more conventional forces. “It’s a long process, like the adoption of UAVs which happened one or two decades ago. This is what we are seeing right now, especially with the Nagorno conflict illustrating that LMs will play a key role in the defeat of the enemy”. september 2021 - armadainternational.com
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AeroVironment
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AeroVironment’s new Crysalis ground control system (GCS) will be able to control any of the company’s UAV products.
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the Long-Range Precision Munition (LRPM); MPE-M; and Air Launched Effects (ALE). Additional customer requirements being pursued by UVision internationally include the UK’s Royal Marines, Italy’s SOF Command, and the German Ministry of Defence. Aerovironment continues to upgrade its family of LMs which include the SB300 and SB600. The SB300, currently the US Army’s Lethal Miniature Aerial Missile System
UVision
Describing future improvements to UVision’s family of LMs, Ramati described how “flexibilty remains the name of the game”. “Our family of products, which include the Hero 30; 120; and 400 are being carried by vehicles and sometimes Hero 30 is man-packed by the soldier. Hero 120 also has a dual mission capability allowing it to be integrated on the back of the JLTV,” he continued. The Hero 30, according to UVision literature, can be deployed within minutes and is capable of travelling up to 40km (24 miles) in Line of Sight from an operator. With a top speed of 100kts (185km/h), the Hero 30 has been optimised to conduct anti-personnel missions with a 1lb (0.5kg) warhead and endurance of 30 minutes. The Hero 120 has been designed for anti-tank missions or other strategic objectives, according to UVision literature. Featuring a 10lb (4.5kg) warhead, the Hero 120 can also operate up to 40km (24 miles) LoS with endurance up to 65 minutes. Similar to the Hero 30, the Hero 120 is also canister-launched. “We have a next generation of products on the way but all the family continue to be developed in an innovative way,” he continued. Finally, Ramati confirmed UVision was pursuing all US Department of Defense (DoD) programmes of record which include
(LMAMS), comprises a tube-launched solution which has a maximum operating range of 9.6km (six miles) and is man-portable. The SB300 can be used in an ISR mode before acquiring a target and engaging with an integrated warhead. The solution also includes a wave-off feature which allows the LM to be ditched to avoid collateral damage. The SB300 is also available as a six-strong Multi Pack Launcher which can be integrated onboard a ground vehicle. The latest addition to the AeroVironment family of loitering missiles is the SB600 which has been designed to provide reconnaissance, surveillance and target acquisition, features high-precision optics and has more than 40 minutes endurance. Featuring an anti-armour warhead for engaging ‘larger, hardened targets at greater distances,’ SB600 is man-portable solution which the company states “includes everything required to successfully plan and execute missions and can be set up and operational in less than 10 minutes”. It has high-resolution EO/IR gimbaled sensors and advanced precision flight control, It is tube-launched and can fly, track and engage non-LoS targets and light-armoured vehicles with lethal precision. It also features a “wave-off and recommit capability [which] allows operators to abort the mission at any time and then re-engage either the same or other targets multiple times based on operator command”, according to AeroVironment. Speaking to Armada, a company spokes-
UVision’s Hero-400EC long-range, high-precision loitering munition system can locate, track and strike static and moving targets with high accuracy.
land warfare
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UVision
land warfare
UVision’s Hero-400EC long-range, high-precision loitering munition system can locate, track and strike static and moving targets with high accuracy.
person described how in the future, SB300 and SB600 variants will be capable of being controlled by Aerovironment’s new Crysalis ground control system (GCS). Designed as a universal GCS capable of controlling any AeroVironment UAV, the Crysalis solution combines software, hardware and antennas providing operators with modularity across the range of UAVs. “The new GCS is available in multiple configurations ranging from lightweight and wearable to mobile and command center systems that are modular and scalable,” company officials explained. “Additional operational participants can gain enhanced situational awareness, share information and collaborate on tactical decisions by accessing telemetry and downlink data through remote video terminals, while also allowing them to capture data directly on their devices,” sources added. Seeking to futureproof its solution, Crysalis will soon be able to control LMs as well, stated company officials. “This is part of future AeroVironment roadmap initiatives. However, the underlying software framework in Crysalis
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is already identical to that used in our LM GCS. This architecture handles data streams, users direct command and control transmissions and security between the GCS and aircraft avionics together with other computational tasks being performed on the device. “At this time, the user interface and interoperability experience between these UAV platforms and missions is currently different. In the future and in spirit of our 4th pillar theme of ‘Integrated Systems’ using already shared underlying software architecture, Aerovironment will be working towards integrating LMs and ISR assets to bring a more seamless experience between target identification and prosecution in addition to other new capabilities to be shared between platform classes,” the company official confirmed. Furthermore, Aerovironment is also seeking to support LM operations with Cloud technology. “Informational and operational security especially with meta data (or asset control) transmitted over the air from UAS, where that information is stored, and who has access is vital to successful
missions and the personal security of friendly forces. As such, AeroVironment’s UAV systems adhere to the highest level of informational security requirements for their effective and reliable use on the battlefield. “Cloud-based environment and access to enable a wider aperture of collaboration is both known and within the technical realm of possible, but informational security must be maintained. More so, usage of cloud based environment would need to be in strict alignment to any new protocols that would be adopted, approved and/or required by our valued customers and may require a greater level of system architecture to accommodate.” Conclusion The future of LMs across the modern and future battle space looks assured as both small and large state actors continue to invest in the technology. However, their operational effectiveness will remain in question as counter-drone solutions continue to mature in capability and proliferate across all domains.
ARMADA COMMENTARY
RAFALE SUCCESS HITS HEADWIND OVER INDIA By David Oliver option for 12 Rafales was exercised for $1.3 billion at $108 million each aircraft while adding an additional option for 36 additional aircraft. The first Qatari Rafale was delivered in February 2019. On 31 January 2012, the Indian Air Force (IAF) announced the Rafale as the preferred bidder for 126 aircraft for its Multi-Role Combat Aircraft (MRCA) competition. It was proposed that 18 Rafales would be supplied by Dassault 2015, while the remaining 108 would be manufactured by Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) in India under transfer of technology agreements. On 23 September 2016, India and France signed a $9.2 billion contract for 36 off-theshelf Rafales with an option for 18 more at the same inflation-adjusted price. Delivery of 36 Rafales to the IAF started July 2020. Rafale is also a contender for the procurement of 114 medium multi-role combat
aircraft for the IAF while the Indian Navy is also combining its plan for procuring 57 new carrier-capable fighter aircraft with this same programme. In January 2021, the official agreement with Dassault Aviation was ratified in the Hellenic Parliament for the purchase of six new built, and 12 former French Air and Space Force (FASF) Rafale F3-R aircraft at total cost of $2.8 billion, including armament, training and ground support. In April 2021, it was reported that Greece was considering an option to acquire six additional Rafales. In February 2021, Indonesia's Minister of Defence announced that the purchase of 36 Rafales was part of an ambitious procurement programme. The financing of the acquisition would be similar to the one proposed by France to Egypt, namely a loan guaranteed for 80 percent of the total IAF
I
t is 35 years since the Dassault Rafale first took off from Istres Airbase in France, on 4 July 1986. France was originally a partner in the Future European Fighter Aircraft (FEFA) programme, but withdrew due to disagreements about production and its requirement that the multi-role aircraft should be carrier-capable. After a protracted development of France’s own future fighter, named Rafale, it was ordered by both the French Air Force (FAF), and French Naval Aviation which received its first of 60 single-seat Rafale M carrier-borne fighter aircraft in December 2000. Entering service in 2004 the Rafale M order was subsequently reduced to 42. The FAF’s requirement for 234 aircraft, made up of 95 two-seat B models and 139 single-seat C models, was reduced to 212 and later to only 132. The first FAF Rafale entered service in 2006. It was almost a decade before Egypt became the Rafale's first international customer when it ordered 24 Rafales, comprising six two-seat Rafale DMs and 18 single-seat EMs in February 2015. In May 2021, Egypt ordered 30 additional Rafales worth $4.5 billion. This opened the door to a rising tide of export orders for the Rafale which would see Dassault’s production lines busy until 2030. On 4 May 2015, a $7.4 billion contract for 24 Rafales was finalised with Qatar which included Meteor missiles and the training of 36 Qatari pilots and 100 technicians by the French military. On 7 December 2017, the
Indian Air Force Rafale DH. september 2021 - armadainternational.com
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ARMADA COMMENTARY
amount of the contract. The Croatian Government's decision to buy 12 former FASF French Rafale F3R fighter aircraft, 10 single-seat C model and two two-seat B models, was announced on 28 May 2021, to replace the Croatian Air Force’s MiG-21bis fighters. The total package including weapon systems, logistics and training was offered at $1.1 billion. However, Croatia may be required to submit a deposit of $177 million although the repayment period of an 80 percent of the total contract loan amount of 10 years is to be settled. Sources also say that the official contract could be signed by the end of 2021. One of the reasons for the resurgence of interest in the Rafale is that Dassault had been successful in selling its predecessor, the Mirage 2000, to eight countries including coincidently, Egypt, Qatar, India and Greece. Also, Dassault, with the support of the French government, has been able to offer favourable financing agreements that include long-term loans against the contracts. However, not all the sales have gone
Indian Air Force Rafale DH.
smoothly. In July 2021, a judicial investigation was ordered by France’s national financial prosecutors’ office (PNF) to look into alleged ‘corruption’ and ‘influence peddling’ in the Rafale deal with India. It has been reported that the PNF will, among other elements, examine questions surrounding the actions of former French president Francois Hollande, who was in office when the Rafale deal was inked, and current French president Emmanuel
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Macron, who was at the time Hollande’s economy and finance minister, as well as the then defence minister, now foreign affairs minister, Jean-Yves Le Drian. On earlier occasions, Dassault Aviation and India’s Ministry of Defence had denied allegations of any corruption in the deal. Dassault has denied any wrong-doing but as these cases can sometime go on for several years, no one expects an early answer to the allegations.
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