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ASIA PACIFIC'S LARGEST CIRCULATED DEFENCE MAGAZINE
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www.asianmilitaryreview.com VOLUME 20/ISSUE 1 FEBRUARY/MARCH 2012 US$15 TACTICAL UAVs MILITARY HELICOPTERS COASTAL SECURITY REGIONAL AIR FORCE DIRECTORY URBAN ISTAR SINGAPORE MILITARY PROTECTED MOBILITY TACTICAL UAVs MILITARY HELICOPTERS COASTAL SECURITY REGIONAL AIR FORCE DIRECTORY URBAN ISTAR SINGAPORE MILITARY PROTECTED MOBILITY ASIA PACIFIC’S LARGEST CIRCULATED DEFENCE MAGAZINE ASIA PACIFIC’S LARGEST CIRCULATED DEFENCE MAGAZINE
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Page 1: AMR - FEB/MAR 2012 issue

www.asianmilitaryreview.com

VOLUME 20/ISSUE 1 FEBRUARY/MARCH 2012 US$15

TACTICAL UAVsMILITARY

HELICOPTERSCOASTAL SECURITY

REGIONAL AIRFORCE DIRECTORY

URBAN ISTARSINGAPORE

MILITARYPROTECTED MOBILITY

TACTICAL UAVsMILITARY

HELICOPTERSCOASTAL SECURITY

REGIONAL AIRFORCE DIRECTORY

URBAN ISTARSINGAPORE

MILITARYPROTECTED MOBILITY

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

Page 2: AMR - FEB/MAR 2012 issue

Available to international markets and designed to work seamlessly with existing technology, RACR

is the upgrade of choice for fi ghter fl eets around the world — a low-risk, cost-effective solution

that delivers unparalleled situational awareness.

RACRRAYTHEON ADVANCED COMBAT RADAR

RACR IS READY.MISSION

READY.

www.raytheon.com | Keyword: RACR1

INNOVATION IN ALL DOMAINS

Follow us on:

© 2012 Raytheon Company. All rights reserved. “Customer Success Is Our Mission” is a registered trademark of Raytheon Company.

12SAS203_RACR_AMR_Feb2012.indd 1 1/25/12 2:10 PM

Page 3: AMR - FEB/MAR 2012 issue

Available to international markets and designed to work seamlessly with existing technology, RACR

is the upgrade of choice for fi ghter fl eets around the world — a low-risk, cost-effective solution

that delivers unparalleled situational awareness.

RACRRAYTHEON ADVANCED COMBAT RADAR

RACR IS READY.MISSION

READY.

www.raytheon.com | Keyword: RACR1

INNOVATION IN ALL DOMAINS

Follow us on:

© 2012 Raytheon Company. All rights reserved. “Customer Success Is Our Mission” is a registered trademark of Raytheon Company.

12SAS203_RACR_AMR_Feb2012.indd 1 1/25/12 2:10 PM

Page 4: AMR - FEB/MAR 2012 issue
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FEBRUARY/MARCH 2012VOLUME 20 / ISSUE 1

ContentsContents

01

Tactical UAVsover the Pacific

Protected Mobility:Asia and BeyondAdam BaddeleyProtected mobility vehicles remaina key category of vehicles inmilitaries’ procurement plans,irrespective of whether they areinvolved in either domesticor deployed counter-insurgencyoperations

AMR Air ForceDirectory 2012Adam BaddeleyAirpower remain a key measureof military capability, domestictechnological development andprestige in the Asia-Pacific

PeeringThrough theRubble

Asian MilitaryHelicopterModernisationDavid OliverStrong economic growth,territorial disputes,terrorist threatsand modernisationprogrammes will create asignificant demand formilitary helicopters in theAsia-Pacific region

04 46

14 21

52

Gordon ArthurSingapore has created both a highly proficient military to defend its vulnerable territory

coupled with the ability to project power well beyond its own shores

38

Singapore’sMilitary

Capabilities

l FEBRUARY/MARCH 2012 l

John MulberryThe Tactical Unmanned AerialVehicle market is gatheringpace within the Asia-Pacificregion, with an increasingnumber of operators seekingtheir operational benefits

Coastal ProtectionTom WithingtonCountries throughout theregion are enhancing theirability to track and understandactivity within their littoralwaters, allowing them toprovide emergency help tovessels in distress, detectillegal fishing as well as providecovert surveillance againstterrorists or threats fromnearby states

Adam BaddeleyThe inexorableurbanisation of theworld’s populationmeans militaries have toconduct operations in asmarter way by beingable to locate & identifyenemies and targetsquickly and assuredly60

Front Cover Photo:The Lockheed Martin F-16 familyof aircraft remains a key multi-roleair asset throughout the regionwith the latest models providingfront line service in the air forcesof Pakistan, Singapore and SouthKorea as well as the F-2 inJapan, with upgraded and earliermodels also operating in thesame role in Indonesia, Taiwan,Thailand and potentially in thePhilippines too © DoD

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Editorialhen the US military catches a cold, itsallies sneeze. Cuts to US forces inevitablyhave an impact on those countries whorely on or co-operate with them. This hasto be the overwhelming conclusion of the

new defence review announcement in January.

Equally, this has to be balanced with the announcements in the same review of ashift in strategy from Europe to the Asia-Pacific region with President Obamasaying, "We'll be strengthening our presence in the Asia-Pacific, and budgetreductions will not come at the expense of this critical region." It is assumed bymany that this heralds preparations for a containment strategy against China.

There are certainly fewer bucks for the bangs that sustain US military superiority.Big cuts are certainly on the way with $450 billion announced for implementationover the next decade, buttressed by a further $500 billion under the Budget ControlAct because the Congressional Supercommittee failed to reach a deficit deal lastNovember.

The Army and the Marines will suffer most with Army personnel numbers are likely tobe cut by 80,000 to 490,000 and Marine numbers dropping by at least ten percent.The Navy and the Air Force and the will fare best with all eleven carriers being kept,although other vessels will be cut with JSF numbers pared down by only 120.

Whatever the spin might be, doing more with less rarely succeeds and using termslike “agile” and “flexible” to describe a future force structure won’t hide cuts ofalmost a trillion dollars. The sub-text is that US allies, wherever they may be onglobe will have to do more in protecting their interests themselves with the USacting as active supporter and security guarantor of last resort rather than aconstant presence.

This is logical, laudable and long overdue. It recognises facts on the ground. Manythings however still have to be done before this can become reality. Not least ofthese is that if others are to do more however, they have to have to tools to do so,either by donating now surplus US equipment or being more willing to sell moreadvanced equipment to a wider group of nations.

It was China’s Xinhua news agency however that had the best response to US plans,its editorial stating, apparently without intentional humour, “If the United Statesindiscreetly applies militarism in the region, it will be like a bull in a china shop, andendanger peace instead of enhancing regional stability.”

Adam Baddeley, Editor

Editor: Adam BaddeleyE-mail: [email protected]

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02 l ASIAN MILITARY REVIEW l

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04 l ASIAN MILITARY REVIEW l

Asian MilitaryHelicopterModernisation: FuturePlans & Requirements

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Europe and Russia continue tocompete strongly within thisdomain. The Russian militaryhelicopter market is expected togrow significantly due to recent

government orders. Historically, Russianmanufacturers have been the leading suppli-ers to India, a market expected to have con-siderable growth over the next ten years.Roughly half of all the helicopters procuredin India over the next decade will be military,with the other half being civil and govern-ment types. This military demand is under-pinned by a national armament programmeto replace an ageing Indian helicopter fleet.However, domestic manufactures havestrong ambitions but limited capability tosatisfy domestic demand across product seg-ments, which attracts significant attentionfrom global players to the Indian market. Despite the promising growth forecasts

for India, it is only the second largest helicop-ter market in Asia Pacific, behind China,which is forecast to have a nearly ten percentgrowth rate in the next ten years. The mili-tary market is driven by the need to replacecurrent ageing fleets, as well as to expandnational military power. Major defencespending increases are expected to continueover the next decade, which will pay for hel-icopter procurement and development proj-ects for Chinese helicopter manufacturerswhich are growing in strength and ambition

but lack the capability to cater to higherweight segments, which are expected to be inhigh demand in China in the future.Market share projections by company

over the next decade indicate that Sikorskywill lead the market during the 2011-2020period in both unit production and produc-tion value. Other major players in the marketwill include AgustaWestland, Boeing,Eurocopter, and Russian Helicopters.Both the armies of Thailand and Taiwan

have recently taken delivery of three andfour UH-60M Black Hawks respectivelywhile Sikorsky Aircraft has signed a contract

with the Brunei Ministry of Defence to pro-vide twelve S-70i Black Hawk helicopterswith associated spare parts, training andground support equipment. The contact alsocontains an option for 10 additional aircraft.In addition to acquiring small numbers of

Black Hawks, and three Sikorsky S-92 VVIPtransports for the Air Force, Thailand’s Armyhas suffered a spate of recent fatal accidentsincluding the loss of a UH-1H, S-70A BlackHawk and Bell 212 in one week in July 2011 inwhich 17 people were killed. It has an urgent

H E L I C O P T E R SMM II LL II TT AA RR YY

The Royal Thai Air Force istaking delivery of threeSikorsky S-92 VVIP transportshelicopters © David Oliver

05l FEBRUARY/MARCH 2012 l

While the windingdown of the Afghanand Iraqi conflicts,

combined withcompeting domesticbudget priorities, isputting downward

pressure on US andEuropean defencespending, strongeconomic growth,

territorial disputes,terrorist threats

and modernisationprogrammes will

create a significantdemand for militaryhelicopters in the

Asia-Pacific region,which is expectedto comprise more

than thirty per centof the total militaryrotorcraft market

by 2021. bbyy David Oliver

Sikorsky’s Black Hawk, such as this AustralianArmy Aviation example, continues to sell wellin the region © Australian Defence

Thailand’s Army has suffereda spate of recent fatalaccidents including the lossof a UH-1H, S-70A BlackHawk and Bell 212 in oneweek in July 2011 in which17 people were killed

Page 10: AMR - FEB/MAR 2012 issue

requirement to replace its large and ageingfleet of Bell Hueys and Bell 212s with 30 newutility helicopters, but a decision on whattype to acquire and when has been delayedby a lack of funds. A partial solution is therecent government approval for the purchaseof eight Eurocopter AS 550 Fennec lightattack/utility helicopters for delivery in 2013. By contrast, several countries in the region

have been replacing or supplementing theirhelicopter fleets including Sri Lanka, whichtook delivery of two Bell 412s and ordered 14Mi-171s in 211. At the same time three Mi-35attack helicopters and 10 Mi-17-V5s weredelivered to the Indonesian Army, and PTDirgantara Indonesia has finalised a deal toproduce 20 Bell 412EP utility helicoptersunder licence. South Korea’s military forces operate

more than 500 helicopters and the country isplanning to replace almost half of theRepublic of Korea Army’s fleets by 2020,

preferably with indigenous designs. KoreaAerospace Industries (KAI) is already devel-oping the Korean Utility Helicopter (KUH) inpartnership with Eurocopter; the first of arequirement for 250 is scheduled for deliveryat the end of 2012. Korea’s Defence Acquisition Program

Administration will issue two Requests forProposals (RfP) in early 2012, the first for 36AH-X heavy attack helicopters, and the sec-ond for up to 250 light attack helicopters(LAH). Leading contenders for the AH-Xcompetition to replace the Army’s 50 plus BellAH-1F Cobras, are the Boeing AH-64 Apache,KAI already manufactures AH-64 fuselages,and the Tiger, manufactured by KAI’s partnerin the KUH program, Eurocopter. Outsidersare the AgustaWestland/TAI T129 and theBell AH-1Z Viper.KAI is proposing to bid for the LAH heli-

copter requirement with an indigenousdesign in partnership with Boeing orEurocopter although adapting a foreigndesign, such as the AW169 Wildcat, the Bell412 or the Eurocopter AS565 Panther, maywell be the outcome. As the LAH is set toreplace more than 100 Republic of Korea

l ASIAN MILITARY REVIEW l06

KAI is proposing to bid forthe LAH helicopter require-ment with an indigenousdesign in partnership withBoeing or Eurocopter

MM II LL II TT AA RR YYH E L I C O P T E R S

Many countries in the Asia-Pacific region need toreplace their ageing Bell UH-1H Huey fleets © US Navy

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l ASIAN MILITARY REVIEW l08

Army MHD500MD Defenders which werebuilt under licence by KAI, Boeing may offerits AH-6S, a stretched version of the AH-6iLittle Bird being developed for the US Army’sArmed Aerial Scout (AAS) programme.Indigenous production of military heli-

copters is pre-requisite for any acquisition bytheir armed forces for Asia-Pacific’s super-powers, China and India. However, boththese countries have had to rely on joint ven-tures with foreign manufacturers (OEMs) asa foundation for their own indigenous indus-tries. The most successful of the westernOEMs in this market sector is Eurocopterwhose SA 321 Super Frelon, AS 365NDauphin 2 and AS 350 Ecureuil have beenproduced by China’s AviCopter corporation.Eurocopter is also developing a twin-enginedmedium-lift helicopter in a joint venture withHafei Aviation known in China as the Z-15. Small numbers of Russian Mil Mi-171 hel-

icopters have been assembled by the SichuanLantian Helicopter Company while theAgustaWestland AW109E is partly manufac-tured and assembled by AviCopter. For morethan a decade, China has been developing anindigenous attack helicopter for the People’sLiberation Army Aviation. Pre-productionversions of the Changhe WZ-10 have onlyjust begun their operational evaluation butare not expected to enter service with thePLA for another two years. In the meantime,a tandem-seat armed scout variant of the Z-9Dauphin 2, reportedly designated Z-19, wasfirst flown in August 2010. The Z-9 has been exported to several coun-

tries in Africa and its close ally, Pakistan.There is an urgent requirement to replace thePakistan Army’s ageing fleet of AH-1F/S

Cobra attack helicopters and with relationswith the United States and Europe at an alltime low, Western options are no longerviable. Although the AgustaWestland/TAIT129 is on offer, it is expensive and will not beavailable for export until deliveries reach theTurkish Army in 2013/15. The preferred option is the Changhe WZ-

10, but again domestic Chinese deliverieshave to be fulfilled before any could be avail-able for export. The only realistic choice for

an available and affordable solution mayprove to be Russia’s Mi-28 or Mi-35 combathelicopters. Pakistan is also looking to stan-dardise its transport and utility helicopterfleets that comprise of no less than a dozendifferent types of varying vintages.Again, Pakistan may turn to China for a

replacement of its Mi-8s, Bell 412s and earlyPuma variants, with its Z-15 medium-lift hel-icopter that is about to enter production.Pakistan’s powerful and wealthy neigh-

bour, India is spoilt for choice when it comesto acquiring military equipment. However,like China any new helicopter purchase hasto be closely related to its own indigenousindustry, namely Hindustan AeronauticsLimited (HAL). Although funding is not aproblem, the procurement process can belong and torturous for foreign OEMs. Indiahas at least four competitions running con-

More than 500 variants of theRussian Mi-17 are operatedby the armed forces of theregion © Russian Helicopters

Indonesia has taken delivery ofadditional Mil-Mi-35 attackhelicopters, a type that India, SriLanka and Myanmar © Rostvertol

MM II LL II TT AA RR YYH E L I C O P T E R S

The Indian Air Force hascirculated the RfI for yetanother Air Force contractfor a total of 15 heavy lifthelicopters worthapproximately $700 million

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secutively, for the purchase of 22 attack heli-copters and 12 heavy-lift helicopters for theAir Force, 197 light observation helicopters(LOH) for the Air Force and Army, and theIndian Ministry of Defence’s Reconnaissanceand Surveillance Helicopter (RSH) pro-

gramme potentially worth $4-5 billion forover 600 military helicopters in India inthe next ten years.Contenders down selected for the IAF’s

$1.5 billion Mi-35 replacement programme,the AH-64D Apache Longbow and the

Russian Mi-28N Night Hunter underwentfield evaluation trials in mid-2010 at theJaisalmer desert base and Leh in theHimalayas, it emerged that the a contract for22 AH-64D Apache Longbow Block III heli-copters would be awarded before the end of

One of the few dedicated traininghelicopters in the region is the HC 120 builtin China in partnership with Eurocopter andSingapore Technologies © David Oliver

H E L I C O P T E R SMM II LL II TT AA RR YY

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l ASIAN MILITARY REVIEW l10

2011, but this has yet to be confirmed.The Indian Air Force has circulated the RfI

for yet another Air Force contract for a totalof 15 heavy lift helicopters worth approxi-mately $700 million. The bidders for a $700million Air Force contract for 15 heavy-lifthelicopters included Boeing with its CH-47FChinook and Russian Helicopters Mi-26TS.Mil should have an advantage as the AirForce has operated a fleet early variant Mi-26s since the mid-1980s, although the factthat Boeing has broken into the Indian mar-ket with its C-17 transport aircraft and P-8Amaritime surveillance aircraft, may help theChinook’s prospects. The Sikorsky CH-53K,

which is still on the drawing board, was elim-inated from the competition. India’s LOH competition has been rife

with delays and the Ministry of Defencemoving the goal posts. The contract worth$750 million is for 133 LOHs for the ArmyAviation Corps and 64 for the Air Force. TheMinistry of Defence had scrapped a deal forwhich the Eurocopter AS 550 was selected in2007 after an objection from the only other

bidder, Bell Helicopter. The competition wasthen re-run in 2009 without the losing Bell407, but with the AW119Ke and the RussianKamov Ka-226T running against the AS 550.Hot and High trials were conducted

throughout 2010 during which the AW19Kewas eliminated, but these were announced as“flawed” by the MOD in November 2011,stating that the Ka-226T and AS 550 helicop-ters has not adequately met the high-altitudeoperational requirements during winter fieldtrials held in December 2010. The competi-tion is at the time of writing unresolved andmay be retendered yet again.The Indian MOD’s Reconnaissance and

Surveillance Helicopter (RSH) programme isworth a potential $4-5 billion for over 600 mil-itary helicopters in India in the next ten years.HAL are the leading contenders for the com-

The Korea Aerospace Industries Surion utilityhelicopter is being developed with Eurocopter forthe Republic of Korea Army © KAI

MM II LL II TT AA RR YYH E L I C O P T E R S

The Indian MOD’sReconnaissanceand Surveillance Helicopterprogramme is worth apotential $4-5 billion for over600 military helicopters

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petition with an indigenous design scheduledto fly before the development of the HALRSH helicopter but the obvious one would beEurocopter. However, AgustaWestland andthe Indian company Tata & Sons formed anIndian joint venture company in 2009 toestablish a final assembly line in India for theAW119 single-engined light helicopter andthis may strengthen AgustaWestland’s bidfor the world’s largest military helicopter con-tract based on the AW119.AgustaWestland have made some impor-

tant inroads to the regional market with salesof the AW101 to Japan and India, and itsAW139 has been purchased by Pakistan,Malaysia and Japan. The type is also a candi-date for assembly at an AgustaWestlandjoint venture with Chongqing HelicopterInvestment Co, aimed at the Chinese

paramilitary market. Europe’s largest helicopter OEM,

Eurocopter has delivered EC 225 SAR heli-copters to the Taiwan Air Force and Japan’scoastguard plus the first of 12 EC 725s to theMalaysian Air Force. Despite the entry intoAustralian Army Aviation service ofEurocopter’s Tiger attack helicopter and theNH-90 tactical transport, neither type hasattracted any new customers in the Asia-Pacific region.To cope with the rapid expansion of many

countries’ helicopter fleets, many equippedwith glass cockpits and advanced avionics,few have given much thought as to the prob-lems of training the future aircrews of thesestate-of-the-art aircraft. India, whose forces

have a very high helicopter attrition rate, andSouth Korea have next to no modern traininghelicopters and to date have no requirementfor one. The PLA does have growing num-bers of HC 120 training helicopters, built inChina in partnership with Eurocopter andSingapore Technologies, and the same type isbeing acquired by Indonesia. In contrast, Thailand has recognized its

worsening flight safety record, and is takingdelivery of 16 Enstrom 480B training helicop-ters for its Army. In this specialised marketthere only two or three OEMs companiesproducing dedicated training helicopters andthey may see the Asia-Pacific region as anexpanding market sector for their products inthe very near future.

H E L I C O P T E R SMM II LL II TT AA RR YY

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TheMi-17 seriesmilitary transporthelicopters are justly considered a symbol ofthe Russian helicopter industry.Themilitaryfrom various countries, technical expertsand employees in international missionshave long recognized that these are the bestmachines in its class,which, in fact, areunrivalled in the world.Wide proliferationof theMi-17 is themost strikingevidence of this.Today, these internationallypopular Russian rotary-winged aircraftare in successful operation inmore than70 countries on all continents and indifferent climatic zones.Of 12,000Mi-17s built in Russia,more than 4,500helicopters of various versions havebeen exported.Well, the competitors havenothing else to do but envy.

LatinAmerica, Middle East, Africa andAsia are the regions where the Soviet- andRussian-made helicopters haveproven to be efficient in maritime, desert,mountain and jungle conditions.That is why thenew versions of the Mi-17 offered in theinternational market by the RosoboronexportState Company, Russia’s sole special exporterof the full range of armaments and militaryequipment, have aroused great interest amongpotential purchasing countries: from thePacific states in the East to the United Statesof America in the West.

And it is no mere chance: the Mi-17successfully combines new technologiesimplemented by Russian designers and vastexperience of their predecessors in wars, localconflicts and peacekeeping missions.Hightemperatures and increased humidity in thetropics, dust storms and the ubiquitous desertsand - something that becomes a barrier formany other helicopters – are not a problem forthe Russian rotorcraft.The Mi-17s areruggedized, undemanding and very robusteverywhere.

This is an indispensable machine, whosecharacteristics fully meet the increasedrequirements for this class of helicopters due tothe intense nature of modern combat or aspecial operation, when extremely high mobilityof tie-down forces is desperately needed.TheMi-17s are suitable to rapidly redeploy troops,evacuate the wounded and insert tacticalassault forces.They can be used day and night,operate in difficult weather conditions.One

helicopter can carry up to 36 paratroopers withtheir weapons.Owing to good design, slidingdoors on each side, and a rear electro-hydraulicramp, assault landing takes only 15 seconds,which is very important in combat where everysecond counts.

To evacuate the wounded, the Mi-17sdelivered abroad by Rosoboronexport are

equipped with 12 sets of stretchers and medicalequipment and allowing a medical orderly tofreely come to every wounded person.Toparticipate in search and rescue operations, thehelicopters can be equipped with a weatherradar, a searchlight, night vision devices, asatellite navigation system, cargo winches, legsto land on soft ground, and other specializedequipment.

In addition to personnel transportation, theMi-17 can carry up to 4 tons of cargo inside itscargo compartment and externally. Its hoverceiling is 4000 m, service ceiling 6000 m.Theauxiliary power unit provides engine starting athigh altitudes and stand-alone operation of thehelicopters based outside the major airfield. Incase one engine is damaged in combat, theother automatically attains higher power outputallowing the helicopter to continue safe flighteven with the maximum weight.

By the way, the new Mi-17 versions haveinherited unique survivability from theirpredecessors that took part in almost all theconflicts in the second half of the 20th century.The Soviet helicopters proved to be effective inAfghanistan, where their reliability and low

maintenance were legendary.There arehundreds of stories with happy ending whenhelicopters successfully returned to basesriddled with bullets, with damaged blades, bullet-

KEYPLAYER

Mi-171Sh

Page 17: AMR - FEB/MAR 2012 issue

riddled fuel tanks and broken pipelines.Thedamaged units were replaced, moreover in thefield, and themachine returned to combatoperation.

As regards helicopter protection, it is worthnoting that combat experience has been studiedby Russian experts very closely.As a result, thecabin and vital components of the newMi-17versions offered by Rosoboronexport today areprotected very well.Armor plates and self-sealing fuel tanks with a polyurethane fillerpreventing fuel leak after bullet/fragmentpenetration and, respectively, fire and explosionof the tank, are used.Engine exhaust IRsuppression devices reduce the helicoptersignature in the infrared band.Protection againstIR guided air-to-air and surface-to-air missiles isprovided by flare dispensers and a jammer.

TheMi-17 helicopters have proved to beefficient not only in transporting people andgoods.They can provide effective fire support forassault teams using their sufficiently powerfulweapons.The latter may include the S-8 80mmunguided rockets (up to 80 rockets in pods), twouniversal gun containers with the GSh-23L23mm aircraft cannon (500 rounds incontainers).Furthermore, machine guns can bemounted in the cargo compartment dooropenings.Troopers also can fire through thewindows.And while generally the Russianhelicopters do not differ from their competitors,they are far superior to them in the power of thefull salvo of rockets and gunfire.

TheMi-17s are good not only as amilitarymachine, but also in the civil service.For

example, they are effective in extinguishing fires.To do this, a special bucket can be secured to anexternal sling.With its help, the helicopter takesup to 4 tons of water from open water bodies.Using a long sling (up to 65meters) allows waterdrops directly on the zone of fire.

For effective and rapid pilot training,Rosoboronexport offers the customersadvanced training equipment.Their use can cuttraining costs and training time several times,increase crew proficiency and flight safety, savethe life of equipment.

For countries that already operate the earlierversions of theMi-8/17 series helicopters,Rosoboronexport is ready to offer

comprehensive upgrade programs, which willsignificantly improve themain performancecharacteristics of helicopters.

In summary, we would like to note once againthat the family of theMi-17 helicopters becamelegendary.Vast field experience and time-proven design solutions havemerged with themost advanced Russian technologies used inthe newest versions of thesemachines.That iswhy, on the strength of all characteristics, theMi-17s are unrivalled. In addition, the practice hasshown that these Russian workhorses, as thepilots sometimes call theMi-17s, can effectivelyhandle any task and in any conditions.TheMi-17is a key player in any situation.

AMR Marketing Promotion

� Perform an operational delivery oflight weapons and equipment,ammunition and military units;

� Make assault landing;

� Provide fire support for landingtroops on the battlefield;

� Evacuate wounded from thebattlefield;

� Participate in search and rescue,police operations;

� Effectively extinguish fires.

WHAT CAN THE MI-17HELICOPTERS DO?

Mi-17V5

Mi-17 helicopters can provide effective fire support using their powerful weapon

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India is no exception with its coastalareas set to receive further protectionfollowing an announcement on 28thNovember that the State of Gujarat, inthe west of the country, will receive

seven new radar stations to enhance the secu-rity of the coast.The installation of the new radars in

Gujarat is one part of the wider modernisationof India’s coastal surveillance posture. InSeptember, it was announced that BharatElectronics Limited (BEL) would supply 46radars to theDirector General Lighthouses andLightships. BEL’s India Band radar has a rangeof up to 129 km. The radars will be positionedaround the coast on the Indian mainland withsix of the systems being deployed on theAndaman and Nicobar Islands in the Bay ofBengal. Data collected by these new radar willbe transmitted to Joint Operations Centerslocated at Mumbai on the coast of westernIndia, Visakhapatnam on the eastern coast,Kochi on the southwest coast; and Port Blair inthe Andaman and Nicobar Islands. The intro-duction of the new radar is aimed at closing

gaps in the surveillance of India’s considerablecoastline. The enhancement of coastal securityhas emerged as a major priority for the IndianGovernment following the attacks on Mumbaiin 2008 which claimed the lives of over 160people, including ten of its perpetrators.

SPEXERRadar is a particularly effective way ofenhancing coastal protection. As a surveil-lance measure, it is unaffected by bad weath-er or low visibility, and can cover a hugeswathe of water in a very short time.Numerous coastal surveillance radars areavailable on the market to significantlyenhance territorial security, or the security ofa specific installation, such as a major port.

Cassidian is one company that has intro-duced coastal radar into its product portfoliowith a family of products known as SPEXER.At the Milipol exhibition in Paris this

October, it showcased its new SPEXER-1000product. Although the SPEXER-1000 isdesigned for border protection and securitywork, the firm revealed that it plans to launchits SPEXER-2000 Coastal product by the endof the year. This radar will have a range ofaround 40 kilometres, although Cassidianhopes to later extend this to 80km via techni-cal modifications. One of the attractions of theSPEXER family is that these radars can be eas-ily incorporated into larger coastal securitysystems to be teamedwith electro-optical sen-sors, diver defence systems, and computer-based command and control equipment.

SeakerCassidian’s SPEXER-2000 Coastal product isjoined by other, similar radar like Thales’sSeaker, which has a range of 48km. Seakerhas been designed to detect very small tar-gets during general coastal surveillance, and

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14 l ASIAN MILITARY REVIEW l

CoastalProtection

One of the attractions of theSPEXER family is thatthese radars can be easilyincorporated into largercoastal security systems

One of the key threats to coastalsecurity is the use of small boats bydrug and people traffickers totransport their wares. Such threatscan be fiendishly difficult to detectwhich is why coastal radar must behighly sensitive to their detection© Thomas Withington

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15l FEBRUARY/MARCH 2012 l

Countriesthroughout theregion areenhancing theirability to track andunderstand activitywithin their littoralwaters, allowingthem to provideemergency help tovessels in distress,detect illegalfishing as well asprovide covertsurveillance onterrorists orthreats fromnearby states.

bbyy Thomas Withington

Saab’s Giraffe family of radars hasestablished a solid track record forsurveillance of air and sea threats. Aswell as being used on naval vessels asa surveillance radar, the firm’s GiraffeAMB system can be used for coastalsurveillance © Saab

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to enhance the protection of ports and har-bours. Seaker’s ability to detect such smalltargets makes it particularly attractive for usein the fight against small boats which cancarry illegal immigrants, or to be used tocombat drug smuggling. Thales has incorpo-rated frequency-modulated continuous wavetechnology into this radar enabling it to pro-vide highly accurate distance and positionmeasurements. Moreover, the maximum out-put power of Seaker is around one wattwhich makes it particularly challenging todetect. Along with the detection of sea-basedtargets, even in a high clutter environments,Seaker can detect low-flying air targets usingits X-band transmissions. Its lightweight con-struction enables it to be easily installed at arange of sights, with a local area networkinterface enabling the wireless transmissionof the radar’s data.

Coast WatcherThales's Seaker radar is reinforced with itsCoast Watcher range which includes theCoast Watcher 10, 100 and 200 models. CoastWatcher 10 can perform short- and medium-range surveillance, and is capable of detect-ing very small targets. Using the X-band,Coast Watcher 10 has a rotation speed ofbetween 18-22 revolutions per minute, andan azimuth resolution of 0.75º. The radar iscapable of detecting a target with a Radar

Cross Section (RCS) of one square metre, onemetre Above Sea Level (ASL) at range of18km, with the detection of a ten squaremetre RCS target at two metres ASL at arange of 28km. Coast Watcher 10 uses theASTERIX (All Purpose StructuredEurocontrol Radar Information Exchange)protocol for the transfer of radar data.

Those customers requiring longer-rangetarget detection can opt for the CoastWatcher 100. This radar can work in condi-tions of high sea and rain clutter due to fre-quency agility and Doppler processing. Toimprove the radar’s gaze, it can be installedat altitudes of up to 1,000m and, like theCoast Watcher 10, uses the X-band to providegood surface target detection with up to 300megahertz of bandwidth agility. In terms of

performance, when placed at an altitude of85m, the Coast Watcher 100 can perform sur-face detection for a target with a one squaremetre RCS at one metre ASL at a range of27km; a target with a 100 square metre RCSat an altitude of five metres ASL, at 40km.When the radar is positioned at 1000m ASL,these ranges increase to allow a 20 squaremetre RCS target at one metre ASL to bedetected at 83km, and a 100 square metreRCS target at five metres ASL being detectedat 120km. For air detection, the Coast Watcher

l ASIAN MILITARY REVIEW l16

Israel Aerospace Industries’ EltaSystems is a well-known providerof radar systems. Its productportfolio includes the EL/M-2226which is designed for thedetection of small targets and canbe connected to off-boardelectro-optical sensors © IAI Elta

Thales’s Seaker radar isreinforced with its CoastWatcher range whichincludes the Coast Watcher10, 100 and 200 models

High Frequency Surface Wave Radar (HFSWR)represents one means by which over-the-horizon coastal surveillance can be performed.HFSWR utilises the ionosphere to bouncemicrowaves to ranges in excess of hundreds ofkilometres © BAE Systems

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l ASIAN MILITARY REVIEW l18

100 can spot a target with a three square metreRCS flying at an altitude of 500 feet ASL at arange of 64km. Finally, Thales’s CoastWatcher 200 is designed as an over-the-hori-zon radar using High Frequency (HF) trans-missions with a range in the region of 200km.

Argos-30XLike the Coast Watcher 10 and CoastWatcher 100, X-band frequencies are utilisedin Selex Sistemi Integrati’s Argos-30X coastalsurveillance radar. It comes equipped withthree surveillance modes: Mode 1, which per-forms six antenna Revolutions-Per-Minute(RPM) is used for long-range surveillance to

detect small air and sea targets at ranges ofaround 180km. Mode 2 employs a higherrotation speed of twelve RPM for short- andmedium-range surveillance at ranges ofaround 100km. Finally, Mode-3, which has athree RPM rotation speed provides a range ofaround 240km for over-the-horizon search.An Automatic Frequency Selection (AFS)capability allows the operator to choose theleast-jammed frequencies to provide theradar with a high degree of resistance to elec-tronic countermeasures.

LCR-2020Coastal surveillance radar production is notonly the preserve of European suppliers, ITTExelis provides the LCR-2020 naval andcoastal surveillance radar. This C-band two-dimensional system provides frequency-agili-ty and has a high level of electronic counter-measures discrimination. ITT Exelis is current-ly involved in the upgrade of Sweden’s legacyITT SABER-2020 radar to LCR-2020 standardvia the Reliability and Modification (REMO-870) upgrade that the firm has been tasked toprovide by the Swedish Defence MaterielAdministration. Essentially, the REMO-870programme adds a new antenna and transmit-ter to the SABER-2020, along with new pro-cessing and display technology. In addition to

modernising the SABER-2020 systems used bySweden, ITT is also modernising the PS-870low-altitude air defence radar which areutilised for defence against low-altitude sea-skimming missiles. The PS-870 radar has arange of around 100km performing gap-filler,as well as coastal, surveillance missions.

EL/M-2226The detection of small targets at sea is espe-cially important in the coastal defence role,given the penchant for drug and people smug-glers to use small craft to convey their cargo.Israel Aerospace Industries’ Elta Systems hasoptimised their EL/M-2226 Advanced CoastalSurveillance Radar (ACSR) for the detection ofminiature targets. The EL/M-2226 can trackup to 200 contacts and is fully interoperablewith other sensors such as electro-optical sys-tems. The human-machine interface uses aPC-based approach making it highly intuitiveto use. Operating in the X-band, the EL/M-2226 can detect a patrol craft at a range ofaround 60km, and a rigid hull inflatable boatat a range of up to 20km.

HFSWRIn addition to stand-alone and networkedcoastal radar, High Frequency Surface WaveRadar (HFSWR) offers another means bywhich persistent and comprehensive radarcoverage of a section of water, particularly anExclusive Economic Zone (EEZ), can be per-formed. The attraction of HFSWR is that itprovides an over-the-horizon capability, thuseliminating the line-of-sight visibility chal-

Based in Stoke-on-Trent in central UnitedKingdom, EASAT constructs a number of radarproducts, including antenna which can be usedprotect coastlines. As seen here, the protectivecover of this radar has been removed formaintenance © EASAT

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Tower-mounted security equipment in theFrench Mediterranean port of Marseilles. A hostof sensors including radar and electro-opticalequipment is now employed to safeguard suchinstallations around the world © ThomasWithington

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l ASIAN MILITARY REVIEW l20

lenges suffered by some radar. Broadlyspeaking, a radar antenna mounted on a ten-metre high mast will have a range of around13 km when detecting targets on the sea sur-face. However, a ten-metre high antenna willbe able to detect flying targets at an equiva-lent altitude at a range of 26km.HFSWR use the principle of ionospheric

reflection to detect targets beyond the hori-zon. In essence, the microwave is broadcastupwards to the sky hitting the ionospherewhich exists at between 50-1000km altitude.The microwave bounces off the ionosphereback towards the earth. On hitting the earth,or a target between the microwaves and theearth’s surface such as a boat or a plane, themicrowaves bounce back towards the iono-sphere. Upon hitting the ionosphere, theybounce once more towards the radar anten-na. The microwaves which perform suchfunctions are at high frequencies in the rangeof between 3-30 megahertz.The drawback of using an HFSWR is that

its efficiency is highly dependent on atmos-pheric conditions. The wrong atmosphericconditions can simply cause the microwavesto bounce between the ground and the sky.This means that the frequencies used must becontinually monitored to take into account theprevailing atmospheric conditions to ensurethat the radar performs efficiently. Moreover,as the microwave radar signal typically loosessome of its power at each reflection, the signal

reflected back to the radar becomes veryweak, requiring the use of a low noise ampli-fier to ensure its representation to the radaroperator. This weak reflection signal from thetarget creates another challenge as the signalsreflected back from a moving target will bevery weak compared to the signal reflectedfrom the earth’s surface; the ‘backgroundnoise’. This requires the utilisation of theDoppler effect to detect the frequency shiftfrom a moving target. Thus the backgroundnoise can be filtered out, allowing the depic-tion of moving objects. The other disadvan-tage is that over-the-horizon radar typicallyhave weak target resolution. The result of thisis that they cannot be used for fire control. Inaddition, these radars require a huge antennaarray to operate, meaning that they tend to bepositioned in static coastal installations. Thatsaid, HFSWR does have a significant applica-tion in terms of early warning.

JORNA number of over-the-horizon radar systemsremain in operation, including Australia’sJindalee Operational Radar Network (JORN).JORN has a range of around 3,000km and usesa bi-static approach where the transmitter andreceiver are separate to prevent the transmit-ter from interfering with signal reception.

JORN uses a transmitter and receiver locatedat Longreach and Stonehenge, both in easternAustralia; plus a transmitter and receiverlocated at Leonora and Laverton in WesternAustralia which, between them, monitor theseas to the north of the country.

Next Generation HFSWRHFSWR systems are available from a numberof companies. For example, Raytheon pro-duces what it calls a Next GenerationHFSWR designed for surveillance of mar-itime traffic in an EEZ. Raytheon’s HFSWRproducts have already been installed to mon-itor the Bay of Bengal and the Black Sea and,as of 2012, will be monitoring the easterncoast of Canada. HFSWR products are alsoavailable from BAE Systems. The company’sofficial literature states that its HFSWR offer-ings can detect low-flying targets, as well ashigh-altitude air threats along with surfacevessels of various sizes. Along with enhanc-ing coastal security, the company says that itsradar can be used to provide maritime trafficcontrol, and for the protection of offshoreassets such as oil platforms.Radar clearly has an important role to play

in helping to safeguard key shore, offshore andport installations as a participant in a networkof systems which can be used to bolster coastalsecurity. Radar is particularly effective whenteamed with another sensor such as electro-optical equipment, sonar or diver defence sys-tems as one sensor can seldom on its own pro-vide complete security. In turn these sensorscan be linked back to a control centre to affordcoastal security personnel with as comprehen-sive a view of the coastline as possible.

Two companies involved in the production ofHFSWR are BAE Systems and Raytheon.Between them, they have provided a number ofsuch radar products to customers around theworld © BAE Systems

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A number of over-the-horizonradar systems remainin operation, includingAustralia’s JindaleeOperational Radar Network

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THE AMRREGIONAL

AIR FORCEDIRECTORY

2012

Prepared by Adam Baddeley

21l FEBRUARY/MARCH 2012 l

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AMR’s Regional Air ForceDirectory of the various airforces, naval air arms andarmy aviation assets acrossthe Asia-Pacific Region

returns in our first issue of 2012. Over thepast year, the region has proved itself as theglobal crucible for the design, development,procurement and fielding of combat aircraftoutside of the notable and enduring excep-tion of the United States. As well as main-taining its ongoing focus on multi-role com-bat aircraft with programmes such asIndia’s MMRCA, Malaysia’s new MRCA,Japans F-X and Korea’s FX-III competitions,new developments as seen with the KoreanKF-X, Japan’s ATD-X Shinshin, India’s nas-cent Advanced Medium Combat Aircraftand more established PAK-FA collabora-tion and China’s J-20 curio, are exploringindigenous fifth generation technologieshitherto limited to North America andEurope. This pursuit must also be seen inparallel to other efforts, not just prestigeprojects, focused on providing balancedcapabilities for fixed and rotary wing tacti-cal transport and close air support and spe-cial mission aircraft that truly enhance airsuperiority capabilities.As before, the Directory has been com-

piled from a range of open sources fromaround the world, AMR’s correspondentsand discussions with industry and militarypersonnel throughout the year. AMR wouldlike to thank those who have scratched theirheads and provided answers to our ques-tions. We would therefore like to encouragereaders over the next twelve months whocan add information to either contact us inperson at the year’s shows and exhibitionsor by e-mail.

AFGHANISTANAAffgghhaann NNaattiioonnaall AArrmmyy AAiirr FFoorrccee13+7 Ordered G222/C-27A, 20 ac

planned by 201220 Ordered A-29 Super Tucano,

$350m, delivery mid 2013deal uses same engines asC-208B

6 C 182 Turbos

3+3 Ordered C-208B, advanced trainingand transport role, first acarrived in Oct couldincrease by a further 20 ac

46+35 Ordered Mi-8 MTV-1/Mi-17DV/V5, $370m recentorder for 21 Mi-17 heli-copters, delivery by 2013

9 Mi-35, 377th Rotary WingSqu began operations inAugust 2010

9 UH-1H6 MD530F, advanced train-

ing role with up to 54could be acquired for $186million

NNOOTTEESS:: Last remaining An-26 and five An-32B supported by US NAVAIR Support andCommercial Derivative Aircraft ProgramOffice retired as C-27 delivery completing.Mi-8 and Mi-17 maintenance being support-ed by US, funded through Czech firm LOM.

AUSTRALIARRooyyaall AAuussttrraalliiaann AAiirr FFoorrccee55/16 F/A-18A/B, IOC for

AGM-158 JASSMexpected soon

24 F/A-18F, deliveriescompleted in Oct

14 Ordered F-35A, requirement for afurther 86 ac est. at$17bil. IOC in 2018

33 Hawk 127, Phase 1A ofA$100-300m Air 5438upgrade recently gainedFirst Pass approval

22 l ASIAN MILITARY REVIEW l

An Afghan Air Force (AAF) Mi-17 trans-port in the Kunar Valley. This yearCzech firm LOM have been contractedto provide support and maintenance onthe AAF’s Mi-8 and Mi-17 fleets whichare growing larger with successive USfunded acquisitions © DoD

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The first of the RAAF’s KC-30A aircraft wasaccepted in June with 33 Squadron © AJB

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63 PC-9/9A, one accrashed in May

9 King Air 200/3504+2 Ordered 737 Wedgetail AEW&C,

participated in BersamaLima in November,final acceptance due inMarch 2012

18 AP-3C, due to retire in2018-19

1 AP-3C EW2 737-700BBJ3 Challenger CL 604 VIP9 C-130H, four ac to be

donated to Indonesiain 2012

12 C-130J-305+1 Ordered C-17, sixth ac for RAAF 36

Squ ordered in Nov worth$300m, fifth ac deliveredin Sept

10 Planned Air 8000 Phase 2 DHC-4replacement, C-27J ispreferred versus C-295 in$900m-$1b deal

4+1 Ordered KC-30A, first ac formallyaccepted in June with33 Squ

RRooyyaall AAuussttrraalliiaann NNaavvyy9 S-70B-2 Seahawk, with-

drawal in 2018, no interimupgrade

24 Ordered MH-60R, first export ofRomeo, deliveries in$3.1b deal begin in 2014,complete by 2018

5 MRH90, based at HMASAlbatross with new 808Squadron

13 AS350BA, Lead InHelicopter Training

3 AW109E

AAuussttrraalliiaann AArrmmyy AAvviiaattiioonn CCoorrppss14 OH-586+2 Ordered CH-47D, two used ac to

be delivered in Jan toenter service in 2012,fleet groundedtemporarily in Sept

7 Ordered CH-47F, to be introducedin 2016

22 Ordered Tiger ARH, last Project 87ac delivered to 1stAviation Reg. in Dec

34 S-70A-9 Blackhawk1 AS350BA10+28 Ordered MRH90, programme

added to the Projects ofConcern list, fifteenth helodelivered in Dec

NNOOTTEESS:: RAN is to lease three Bell 429 viaRaytheon for training in a $26m deal begin-ning in 2012. Australia has voiced concernedabout F-35 schedules with the suggestionthat further Super Hornets would beacquired as an alternative. Australia hascommitted to a buy of 14 F-35, rising to 100.The first two aircraft are expected to bedelivered in 2014-15 with all 14 by 2017. FiveSea King 50s are being sold.

BANGLADESHBBaannggllaaddeesshh AAiirr FFoorrccee8 A-5C23+16 Ordered F-7M/BG, 16 F-7BGIs due

to be delivered in 20128 MiG-29SE/UB8 L-39ZA3 An-324 C-130B19 Mi-17/17116 UH-1N/Bell 2124 Bell 206L6 FT-611 T-37B

BBaannggllaaddeesshh AArrmmyy2 Bell 206L44 Cessna 1521 Grand Caravan

BBaannggllaaddeesshh NNaavvyy2 Ordered AW1092 Ordered Do 228NG, delivery

in 2013

NNOOTTEESS:: Bangladesh is planning the pro-curement a further 20-32 fighter aircraftby 2027.

BRUNEIRRooyyaall BBrruunneeii AAiirr FFoorrccee1 CN-235-110M 2 Bell 206B, training role11 Bell 212/214ST, replaced

by S-70i Black Hawk4 BO105CB, replaced by

S-70i Black Hawk4 +12 Ordered S-70A/L/i, 12 ordered in

deal worth $240m 4 PC-7Mk II

NNOOTTEESS:: Order for the S-70i expected to bedelivered from 2014.

CAMBODIARRooyyaall CCaammbbooddiiaann AAiirr FFoorrccee1 AN-243 Mi-83 Mi-171 AS3551 UH-1H5 L-39C 2 Y-12-II, operated by Air

Cambodia3 An-24RV, operated by

Air Cambodia

NNootteess:: Reports of a $195m deal for Z-9 helosfrom China.

CHINAPPeeooppllee’’ss LLiibbeerraattiioonn AArrmmyy AAiirr FFoorrccee120 H-6, inc. 10 H-6U Tankers,

RREEGG IIOONNAALLA I R F O R C E

24 l ASIAN MILITARY REVIEW l

The first of six C-130J aircraftwas delivered to the IndianAir Force in time for AeroIndian 2011 at Bangalore.Another six have beenordered bringing the eventu-al tally to twelve © AJB

Page 29: AMR - FEB/MAR 2012 issue

began upgrades in 2006350 J-770 JH-7, crash at airshow in

Shaanxi in Oct.180 J-8II200 J-10, includes new J-10B140+70 Ordered J-11A/B76 Su 30MKK/MK276 Su-27SK/UBK4 JF-17130 Q-5A8 Ordered IL-785 A-50I, KJ-2000

radar/mission systembased near Taiwan

4 Y-8 AEW, prototypeswith different radarconfigurations

2 73780/4 Y-7/MA6045 Y-83 AN-1210+30 Ordered IL-76MD4 Tu-154 ELINT3 Mi-6

330 Mi-8/17/171/17240 Z-8210 Z-960 Z-1128+130 Ordered HC-12016 S-70130 JJ640 JJ7180 JL-8/K-8

PPeeooppllee''ss LLiibbeerraattiioonn AArrmmyy NNaavvaall AAiirr FFoorrccee16 H-6D6 Y-8 MPA2 Y-8 ELINT30 J-7D/E35 JH-7A48 J-820 J-10, 10AS and J-10SH24 J-1130 Q-516 JJ-623 Su-30MKK2/3350 Ordered JF-15, 3 SA365N12+6 Ordered Ka-28/318 Mi-83 SH-526 Z-8, some Z-8s modified

for AEW role20 Z-9C14 JJ-612 JL-8 (K-8)12 JL-9

NNOOTTEESS:: China increased its defence budgetby 12.7 percent in 2011. New Y-8 based MPAseen, dubbed Y-8X. PLANAF expected tofield J15 (Su33 clone) from 2014 but experi-encing testing problems with the three pro-totypes. CAIC WZ-10 attack helicopter stillstalled in final development with eight helosreported to be at Nanjing. JZ-8F reconnais-sance aircraft deployed with Air Force andNavy. PLAN Y-8GX8 ELINT platform dueto enter service in 2012. Flight tests under-way on the Shaanxi Y-9, the replacement forthe Y-8. Y-20 heavy transport platform stillin development PLANAF trialing Y-7 basedAEW&C ac for carrier operations.

INDIAIInnddiiaann AAiirr FFoorrccee69 MiG-29S/UB/UPG, fatal

crash in HimachalPradesh state in Oct, firstmodernised UPG ac

received in 201157 Mirage-2000H/TH,

ordered 450 MICA AAMin late 2011, $2.4bupgrade of 51 Vajras toMirage 2000-9 standardapproved Jan

137+94 Ordered Su-30MK/MKI, crash tookplace in Dec near Pune,eventual plans for 13squadrons

126 Planned MMRCA, bid opened inNov, press reports of costsdoubling to $20b

153 MiG-21Bison/bis/M, accrashed in Oct inRajasthan state, fourth in2011, all bis variants to beretired by 2017, othersbefore this

151+10 Ordered Jaguar IM/IS/T, fatalcrash in Uttar Pradesh inAugust

14 MiG-23UM, all to beretired by 2017

88 MiG-27UPG3 Ordered EMB-145 AEW, first ac to

be delivered in 2012 dueto enter service in 2014 in$208m 2008 deal

3+2 Planned IL-76TD/A-50EI AEW,est. cost of new orders is$800m with IAI,for 50 Squ

2 Gulfstream III EW1 1125 G100 Recce6 IL-78 MKI ‘MARS’6 Planned MRTT, est. $2b, trials of

A330 MRTT and Il-78 inNov

105 An-32, five upgraded AM-32RE ac arrived fromUkraine in Sept

10 C-17, $4.1b dealconcluded in June,delivery in 2013-14

6+6 Ordered C-130J, first ac deliveredin Feb

28+12 Ordered Do-228-20155 HS 748, some in

ELINT role17 Il-7625+54 Ordered Dhruv65 Ordered LCH, deliveries from

2013-14, in servicearound 2016

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138+113 Ordered Mi-8/17, first Mil-17-V5helos delivered in Nov,conclude in 2014. Part of a$1.35b deal in 2008, possi-bly a further 35 required

3 Mi-26, to be replacedby either 15 CH-47For Mi-26T2

20 Mi-3522 Ordered AH-64D, $1.4b deal,

options could increasenumbers to 44

65 Ordered LCH, expected to beinducted from 2013

11 SA315 Cheetah, to bereplaced by LUH

72 SA316 Cheetak, to bereplaced by LUH

64 Planned LUH, competitionbetween AS 550 Fennecand Kamov Ka-226

35+70 Ordered Hawk 132, latest orderfor 20 for Surya Kiranaerobatics team worth

$72 million161 HJT-1616 Ordered HJT-36 Sitara181 Ordered PC-7 II, replaces grounded

HPT-32 Deepaks in a $976million deal. 75 aircraftfrom Pilatus with 106 builtlocally by HAL

15 Ordered Saras, training role, firstthree ac delivered in 2014,potential order for afurther 75 togetherwith Navy

1+39 Ordered Tejas Mk1, service entryexpected in 2014

100 Planned Tejas LCA, to be fittedwith Derby AAM, IAFplans to acquire 100 TejasMk II which is due tofly in 2014

IInnddiiaann AArrmmyy55 Dhruv ALH25+10 Ordered SA315

80 SA316133 Planned LUH, original decision

on AS 550C3 cancelledin 2007

IInnddiiaann NNaavvaall AAiirr AArrmm16+29 Ordered MiG-29K/KuB, INS

Vikramaditya due to enterservice in late 2012, $1.5billion contract for 29 jetsmade in 2010

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8/3 Sea Harrier FRS51/T4/606 Ordered Tejas LCA8 Tu-142ME, first ac

upgraded to MSD stan-dard delivered in Dec anddue to complete by 2020

12 Ordered P-8I MPA, first flight 28thSept, entering servicefrom 2013, number couldincrease to 24

22/4 Do-228 MPA/Transport,work closely with theCoast Guard

6 Planned Medium Range MaritimeReconnaissance Aircraft,in competition

5 IL-38 MPA12 BN-26 Dhruv ALH15 Ka-2516 Ka-28, upgrade planned9+4 Ordered Ka-31, upgrade planned 36 SA316B/31927 Sea King 423 UH-317 Ordered Hawk 13220 HJT-16

NNOOTTEESS:: IAF combat squadrons number 33,well below government authorised levels. In

addition to PAK-FA of which India plans toacquire around 200 twin-seaters, theAeronautical Development Agency is alsoplanning to develop the Advanced MediumCombat Aircraft for 2025. The US has indi-cated openness to offering the F-35 to India.India reported to have requirement forseven EMB-145/MA-1 SIGINT/ELINT air-craft. Indian Navy issued RFI in May 2010for carrier based AEW&C. First test fire ofBrahMos from a Su-30MKI planned for2012. Weapons package on IN’s MiG-29Kpurchase criticised by comptroller and audi-tor general. Modernisation of Air FieldInfrastructure India project preparing IAFbases for new advanced aircraft.

INDONESIAIInnddoonneessiiaann AAiirr FFoorrccee7/3+24 Ordered F-16A/B, 24 new ac at

Block 52 standard in$750m deal

25 Hawk 20913 Hawk 53/109, to be

RREEGG II OONNAALLA I R F O R C E

The Indian government signed off the upgradeof 51 ‘Vajras’ to the Mirage 2000-9 standardin January © Dassault

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replaced by T-505 Su-27SK/SKM5 Su-30MK/MK250 Planned KF-X6/3 F-5E/F8 Ordered EMB-314 Super Tucano,

deal finalised in May,delivery in 2012

2 OV-103 737 MPA1+2 Ordered CN-235 MPA1 KC-130B1 73715 C-130B/H/H-30/L-10010 C-2129 Ordered CN-295, worth $325m

entering serviceby mid 2014

5 CN-235 110/220M6 F27-400M, to be replaced

by new CN-2955 F-28 1000/30002 PC-611 NAS332J12 Ordered AW1012 Ordered EC72511 EC120B11 KT-1B18 SF-260M/W16 T-34C16 Ordered T-50, $400 million deal

deliveries to be completedby 2013

28 AS/SA-20218 Ordered G120TP, won competition

for new basic trainingaircraft in 2011,

delivery begins in 2012

IInnddoonneessiiaann AArrmmyy1 BN-2A3 C-2122 DHC-51 Turbo Commander11 Bell 205A-118 Ordered Bell 21031 Bell 412, ac crashed

in May

20 NBO-10512+6 Ordered Mi-17-V5, latest six

delivered to No. 21 Squin August

8 Mi-35M2 EC-120B

IInnddoonneessiiaann NNaavvyy3 NC-212-200 MPA13 NC-212-2003 Ordered NCN-235-220 3 Nomad 22 MPA17 Nomad 22/24, transport1 Ordered NB 412SP4 NAS3324 NBO-1053 EC-120B2 Mi-2NNOOTTEESS:: Defence budget from FY2012 up by53 percent. Indonesia is to contribute 20 per-cent of the costs of the KF-X programmewith approx 50 aircraft required from 2018.Indonesia will also receive from US four F-16 Block 25 jets and two Block 15 aircraft forspare parts. Initial agreement to acquire sixSu-30MK2 fighters in place with an est$500m cost. Dirgantara has signed a teamingagreement with Airbus Military for produc-tion of the C-295. Press reports of seekingsurplus AH-64 Apaches from Europeanoperators. Kaman reported to have offered

28 l ASIAN MILITARY REVIEW l

RREEGG IIOONNAALLA I R F O R C E

Damage from the recenttsunami at MatsushimaAir Base saw 12 damagedF-2s being repaired in a$1b deal with six aircraftbeing scrapped © DoD

The RAAF is retiring its fleet of C-130H in favourof the new C-130J-30. Four of the legacy air-craft have been offered to Indonesia © DoD

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the Kaman SH-2G Super Seasprite helicop-ters for an ASW requirement.

JAPANJJaappaann AAiirr SSeellff DDeeffeennccee FFoorrccee63/17 F-2A/B82 F-4EJ/EF-4EJ/RF-4EJ153/45 F-15J/DJ, fleet grounded

for short time in July aftercrash near Okinawa

42 Ordered F-35A, winner of F-X inlate Dec to replace F-4J,four scheduled for deliv-ery in 2016 at $127m each

4 E-767, based atHamamatsu, recentlyreceived RSIP upgrade

1 EC-113 E-2C, Hawkeye 2000s

based at Misawa Air Base10 YS-11P/FC/NT/EA/EB,

transports to be retired2012-14

4 KC-76730 U-125/A26 C-1A/FTB20 Ordered C-216 C-130H/KC-130H, US

surplus to replace YS-11transport

5 Gulfstream IV

19 CH-47J40+40 Ordered UH-60J13 Beechcraft T-400204 T/XT-448 T-7

JJaappaanneessee GGrroouunndd SSeellff DDeeffeennccee FFoorrccee5 King Air 350/LR-27 MU-275 AH-1S10+2 Ordered AH-64DJP57 CH-47J/JA27 OH-1139 OH-6D/J174 UH-1H/J30 UH-60JA

JJaappaann MMaarriittiimmee SSeellff DDeeffeennccee FFoorrccee105 EP-3C/UP-3D/UP-3C, to

be replaced by 65 P-1s10 Ordered P-1 MPA8 US-1/-210 YS-11T-A/M/M-A4 Learjet 367+6 Ordered MCH/CH10110 MH-53E145 SH/UH-60J/K29 King Air 909 OH-6D/J43 T-54+10 Ordered EC135T2i

NNOOTTEESS:: Japan is funding Mitsubishi’s ATD-X Shinshin to the tune of $500m with a firstflight expected by 2016. Mitsubishi XP-1experienced rips and tears during groundtesting. The Air Force is scrapping 12 F-2fighters at Matsushima Air Base damaged inthe Tsunami, six other F-2s will be repaired.

LAOSLLaaoo PPeeooppllee’’ss LLiibbeerraattiioonn AArrmmyy AAiirr FFoorrccee25 MiG-21PFM/U1 An-2610 An-26 Ka-321 An-74K-1007 Mi-89 Mi-174 UH-1H4 Z-9

NNOOTTEESS:: Declining serviceability across theboard.

MALAYSIARRooyyaall MMaallaayyssiiaann AAiirr FFoorrccee10 F/RF-5E/F-5F8 F/A-18D, $17.3m upgrade

announced in November,complete by 2015

18 Planned MRCA, Gripen, Rafale,Super Hornet & Typhoon,due to enter service in2015-16, decision by 2013

14/6 Hawk 208/108 10+2 Ordered MiG-29N/UB18 Su-30MKM4 Ordered A400M14 C-130H/H-30/T6 CN-235-220M1 Falcon 900B1 F28-100010 Cessna 4021 Global Express BD7004 King Air 200 MPA4 Mi-171Sh12 Ordered EC-725, begin deliveries

in 201226 S-61A-42 AS61N-121 SA3168 MB339CM31 PC-7, will be thirty years

old by 201317 PC-7 Mk II1 B7371 A3192 S-70 VIP

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29l FEBRUARY/MARCH 2012 l

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MMaallaayyssiiaa AArrmmyy AAiirr CCoorrppss11 AW109HRRooyyaall MMaallaayyssiiaann NNaavvyy6 AS.555SN6 Super Lynx 3006 Planned ASW Helos, planned to

begin in 2012, postponedto 2013-14

NNOOTTEESS:: Malaysia yet to issue formal RFPfor MRCA. Air chiefs committed to diversefrontline fleet. AEW aircraft planned for2015-16, LM UK to offer new helo-basedVigilance system. SU-30s understood tohave performed poorly in air to ground rolein Exercise Bersama Lima. The US DefenseSecurity Cooperation Agency has notifiedCongress of a potential sale of 20 AIM-9X-2Sidewinder Block II all-up-round missiles,associated equipment and parts to Malaysiain November worth $52m.

MYANMARMMyyaannmmaarr AAiirr FFoorrccee21 A-5C1 F-624 F-7M4 G415+17 Ordered MiG-29B/SE/UB, 20 ac

ordered in $550mdeal in 2009

6 F272 Ordered AN-1486 Cessna 1802 BN2 MPA5 PC-6A/B14 Bell 205

15 Mi-25 Mi-351 Ordered Dhruv11 Mi-17V9 SA316B6 W-3/UT6 FT-712 K-816 PC-710 PC-912+48 Ordered K-8, deal announced

in 2009NNOOTTEESS:: Low levels of serviceability andfunding undermine fleet capabilities. Justover $2b allocated for defence in 2011-12.

NEW ZEALANDRRooyyaall NNeeww ZZeeaallaanndd AAiirr FFoorrccee6 P-3K MPA, first K2

upgraded ac accepted inJune, remaining five accompleted by mid 2013

2 757-2005 C-130H, LEP announced

in Defence Capability Plan5 King Air B200, advanced

training2+7 Ordered NH-90, first two helos

delivered in December,testing begins in Jan

13 UH-1H3+2 Ordered AW109

RRooyyaall NNeeww ZZeeaallaanndd NNaavvyy5 SH-2G(NZ), upgrade

planned under newDefence Capability Plan

NNOOTTEESS:: Issued an RFI in October for mod-ernised pilot training including a new air-craft for advanced flying training. Defencebudget hit by recent earthquakes. AermacchiMB-339CB air trainer/light attack aircraft upfor sale with the A-4Ks now taken off themarket and broken up for spares.

NORTH KOREAKKoorreeaann PPeeooppllee''ss AAiirr FFoorrccee100 F-598 F-6180 F-780 H-530 MiG-2150 MiG-2340 MiG-29/UB30 Su-7/2234 Su-2570 MD500D70 Mi-230 Mi-8/1715 Mi-2430 FT-2135 FT-5

NNOOTTEESS:: Dire levels of serviceability due to avariety of reasons, suggest serviceabilityrates of less than 50 percent for most types.

PAKISTANPPaakkiissttaann AAiirr FFoorrccee143 F-7P/PG54 F/16A/B/C/D, Block 52+

ac operational with 5 Squin March, upgradeof Block 15 ac due to

RREEGG IIOONNAALLA I R F O R C E

Malaysia’s MiG-29s remain infrontline service until replacedby the forthcoming MRCA winnerfor 18 new aircraft © AJB

l ASIAN MILITARY REVIEW l30

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Page 36: AMR - FEB/MAR 2012 issue

complete in 201242+8 Ordered JF-17, two squ.s now

operational, fatal crash inNov, up to 250 ac required

99 Mirage IIIEL/EP/OF/RP/BE/BL/D/DP,

82 Mirage 5EF/F/PA/DPA,fatal crash in Baluchistanin Oct

4 Saab 2000 AEW1+3 Ordered ZDK-03, first ac based on

Y-8/KJ-200 deliveriesconclude in 2014 from$728m 2008 deal

1 Saab 20004 Il-78MK, last aircraft

delivered in Spring16 C-130B/E/L-1003 707 Transport/VIP3 CN-235-220

Transport/VIP1 F273 Embraer Phenom2 Falcon 20/DA-20, ELINT/

ECM role1 King Air 2005 AB2054 IAR3164 Mi-17110 Mi-3525 FT-59 FT-67 FT-738 K-810 SA316/319

18 T-37B/CPPaakkiissttaann AArrmmyy35 AH-1F/S3 Ordered AW1399 Bell 206B24+42 Ordered Bell 41215 UH-1/AB-20593 Mi-8/17/17215 SA31631 SA3303 Ordered AS35020 AS550 Fennec2 Citation Bravo/V2 Turbo Commander 8402 Y-12

PPaakkiissttaann NNaavvyy1 ATL-1 Atlantique8+2 Ordered P-3C Orion, two ac to

replace those lost interrorist attack on base atKarachi in May

6 F27 MPA1 F275 SA319B6 Sea King Mk.454+2 Ordered Z-9EC

NNOOTTEESS:: Remaining A-5s decommissionedin the Spring with the F-7s, Mirage IIIs and5s being next as JF-17 deliveries continue.Reports that Pakistan is interested in acquir-ing 36 J10/FC-20 aircraft from China. Earlymodel F-16s in MLU to get ITT AN/ALQ-211(V)9 EW equipment. DB-100 recon pods

now equipping F-16s.

PHILIPPINESPPhhiilliippppiinneess AAiirr FFoorrccee12 OV-10A/C, crash in

Nov temporarilygrounded fleet

6 Planned Advanced Jet Trainers, toreplace retired F-5s by2017 est. cost of $150-200m

1 F27 MPA2 F27-2001 F28-30001 Turbo Commander1 C-130H, additional two ac

to enter service in Spring2012

12 Nomad 22B/C8 Bell 205A-12 Bell 212/21425 MD-520MG10 S-7640 UH-1H/V, fatal crash

in Oct6 AS-21121 SF260TP/MP/WP2+6 Ordered W3 Swidnik2 S-70A-5 VIP

PPhhiilliippppiinneess AArrmmyy1 UH-60A

PPhhiilliippppiinnee NNaavvyy6 BN-2 MPA2 BO105

NNOOTTEESS:: In December, Foreign AffairsSecretary Albert del Rosario said thePhilippines was seeking to obtain 12 excessUS F-16s. In Sept. the Air Force said overthree-quarters of its aircraft were unfit to fly.In August, the government announced thepurchase of three helicopters for the Navyand a new air force air base. In Jan. 2011 out-lined its five year plan in which the AirForce wants four combat helicopters, foursurface attack and lead-in fighter trainer air-craft, six close air support aircraft and along-range patrol aircraft.

SINGAPORERReeppuubblliicc ooff SSiinnggaappoorree AAiirr FFoorrccee18+6 Ordered F-15SG60 F-16C/D Block 5226/9 F-5S/T5 F50ME2 MPA, one ac

deployed to Djibouti in

32 l ASIAN MILITARY REVIEW l

RREEGG IIOONNAALLA I R F O R C E

After a $588m MLU covering 71 aircraft withthe first examples having been delivered inJune, the F-CK-1A/B will continue in serviceuntil after 2030 © Gordon Arthur

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34 ASIAN MILITARY REVIEW

April in support ofCTF-151’s anti-piracy role

4 F50 UTL3+1 Ordered G550 AEW, EL/W-2085

system, assigned toNo. 111 Squ

4 E-2C5 KC-130B/H4 KC-135R5 C-130H19 AH-64D31 AS332M/53216 CH-47D/SD10 AS.550A2/C222 A-4SUTA-4SU12 Ordered M346, June announcement

of $241m deal for 20 yearin-service support withAlenia Aermacchi and STAerospace

19 PC-215 EC-120

RReeppuubblliicc ooff SSiinnggaappoorree NNaavvyy6 SH-60B

NNOOTTEESS:: Recent acquisitions are bearingfruit, with 123 Squ. stood up in Jan with thenew S-70B Seahawks, which will operatefrom Formidable class frigates.

SOUTH KOREARReeppuubblliicc ooff KKoorreeaa AAiirr FFoorrccee

85 F-4D/E/RF-4C194 F-5E/F52+8 Ordered F-15K, winner of FX-I and

FX-II118/51 K/F-16C/D, upgrade

competition underway toadd AESA

22 Ordered TA-50, $600m deal withdeliveries beginning in2013-14

20 Ordered FA-50, Jan announcementof $600 for two seat lightattack variant and

requirement for 60-150 toreplace F-5s

-- Planned KF-X, seven year $5-15bdevelopment programmeto replace F-4 and possiblyF-5, due to begin in 2013,enter service in 2021

4 Planned Tankers, funds allocatedfor 2013 budget with deci-sion by 2013, first aircraftdeployed in 2017, KC-767vs. A330 MRTT expected

60 F-X III, competition toreplace F-4 to begin in2014, numbers may rise

1+3 Ordered 737 AEW, 1st ac acceptedof Sept 21st, delivery ofaircraft after modificationby KAI in 2012

8 BAe1251 73712 C-130H/H-304 Ordered C-130J-3018 CN-235-100/-2202 AS3326 CH-47D12 BO1058 Ka-32T43 S-70A/V/HH-60P

Ten of KAI's T-50B are operated by the Republic ofKorea Air Force’s Black Eagles aerobatics team

RREEGG IIOONNAALLA I R F O R C E

With three delivered and one more aircraftor order, the RSAF's No. 111 Squadron’s G550AEW fleet gives it AEW&C dominance inthe region © AJB

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15 Hawk 67, fatal crash inDecember, type due to beretired in 2013

106 KT/KO-115 T-38A3 S-92 VIP

RReeppuubblliicc ooff KKoorreeaa AArrmmyy77 AH-1JF/J, decision to

replace with 36 AH-Xhelos expected in 2012

36 Planned AH-X, 36 ac RFP in Jan,decision after May,interim solution to KAHdelays, est. value $800m

39 CH-47D/DLR281 MD500E/MD, replaced

by AH-X/KAH92 UH-1H/N94 UH-60P

RReeppuubblliicc ooff KKoorreeaa NNaavvyy8 P-3C1+7 P-3CK5 F40623 Lynx Mk.99/A/SL1007 SA319B8 UH-1H7+8 Ordered UH-60P/MH-60S8 Planned Shipborne Helo, RFP

expected in 1Q2012, mayrise to 40a c, MH-60R,AW159 and KAI’sKNH/Surion potentially

competing, contract awardby end of 2012.

NNOOTTEESS:: Pursuing competition for F-16AESA radar on 134 KF-16 for fielding from2017 with North Grumman SABR andRaytheon RACR competing. In July, Koreashortlisted the F-15 Silent Eagle, F-35,Eurofighter Typhoon and PAK-AF for theFX-III programme. Deal worth $71 million,for 150 GBU-28 Paveway III laser-guidedbombs signed in November for F-15Ks.About to acquire 177 low-observable, long-range precision-guided standoff missiles forF-15K and F-16K fighters, the LockheedMartin JASSM is competing againstLFK/Saab Taurus missile. Korea has arequirement for 245 Surions.

SRI LANKASSrrii LLaannkkaann AAiirr FFoorrccee9 F-7/GS/BS9 Kfir C2/7/(T)C21 MiG-23UB7 MiG-27D1 King Air 13005 An-322 C-130K C.11 Ce4211 MA601 King Air 200T MPA4 Bell 206A/B9 Y-1214 Bell 212/412EP, 2 412

VIP transferred in Dec.9+4 Ordered Mi-17/171/V-514 Mi-24V/P/N/-35P5+52 Ordered K-81 FT-7

NNOOTTEESS:: The 2012 budget has risen from $1.9billion to $2.1 billion.

TAIWANRReeppuubblliicc ooff CChhiinnaa AAiirr FFoorrccee29 F-5E/F, single-seat F-5F

and two-seat RF-5E air-craft crashed in Sept

117/28 F-16A/B Block 20, $530mupgrade at rate of 24 acper annum

101/25 F-CK-1A/B 70, first sixexamples of $588m MLUcovering an initial 71 acdelivered in June, willremain operational untilafter 2030

47/10 Mirage 2000-5EI/5DI, sus-tainment remains an issue

2 Beech 1900C6 E-2T/K, first ac

transferred to US forupgrade to E-2CHawkeye standard

20 C-130H3 F.50 VIP13+45 Ordered S-70C-1/1A/S-70C-63 EC225 Mk 2 Super Puma,

SAR role ordered in 2010,could increase to 20

51 AT-3A/B, to be replacedby new aircraft along withF-5F from 2016

38 T-34C

RReeppuubblliicc ooff CChhiinnaa AArrmmyy61 AH-1W30 Ordered AH-64D Block III, deal

finalised in May 20108 CH-47SD38 OH-58D84 UH-1B/H60 Pending UH-60M

RReeppuubblliicc ooff CChhiinnaa NNaavvyy21 S-2T ASW 8 MD500MD/ASW16 S-70CM1/CM21+11 Ordered P-3C/T

NNOOTTEESS:: Taipei has been requesting new F-16C/D since 2006. AIDC upgrade to F-CK-1covers improvement to GD-53(AN/APG-67)radar and doubling Sky Sword missiles car-ried. AIDC proposing a variant of the F-CK-1 to replace the AT-3 and F-5 in the role ofadvanced jet trainer. Taiwan has yet to for-malize its requirement for a new advancedjet trainer for 50 ac worth $2.6b. Taiwan saidto be also mulling F-35B rather than 66 newF-16C/D Block 50/52 fighters. Taiwan mov-ing to produce Wan Chien air launchedstand-off anti-runway missile from 2014.

THAILANDRRooyyaall TThhaaii AAiirr FFoorrccee28 F-5A/E/B/F/T, 15 F-5Ts

to be retained while E/Fsphased out

53 F-16A/B, Block 15 OCU,modernizing 18 aircraft toBlock 50/52 standard withAESA and AIM-9X in

35l FEBRUARY/MARCH 2012 l

RREEGG II OONNAALLA I R F O R C E

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36 l ASIAN MILITARY REVIEW l

$700m deal, two accrashed in Feb

6+6 Ordered Gripen C/D, first six acwith 701 Squ. atSurat Thani declaredoperational in July,remainder due in 2013

1+1 Ordered Saab 340 AEW&C, 1st achanded over in 2010, airdefence system inc sixGripen declaredoperational in July 2011

1 Ordered Saab 3402 Arava 2017 BT-67/C-47TP10 C-130H/H-30, six ac being

upgraded by RockwellCollins

6 Ordered CN-2353 HS748-2082 7372 747-8I-BBJ, VIP role

ordered June 2011,delivery in 2014-15

1 A3101 A3194 ATR72-500, VIP transport1 King Air 901 Learjet 35A EW10 DA42, four in recce role1 Merlin IV14 Nomad 22B12 Bell 212ST/412HP/SP/EP14 ÙH-1H3 S-92A Superhawk VIP,

delivered in April19 Alpha Jet, based at

Udon Thani32 L-39ZA/ART

22 PC-9M17 AU-23ARRooyyaall TThhaaii AArrmmyy3 AH-1F2 Bell 206/B-320 Bell 212, fleet temporarily

grounded in July after twocrashes

5+3 Ordered Mi-176+2 Ordered S-70A/UH-60L16 Ordered EN48090 UH-1H/V6 CH-47D10 U-17B40 TH-300C1+1 Ordered ERJ135R1 C-212 VIP2 Beechcraft 1900C2 King Air 2006+10 Ordered F480B, deliveries conclude

by 2012RRooyyaall TThhaaii NNaavvyy1 F27-200ME MPA2 F27-200/400M8 Planned AS500 Fennec2 CL-2151 ERJ135LR2 P-3T3 Nomad 247 Do 228-21210 Bell 212/214ST6/2 S-70-B7/MH-60S, two

helos delivered in August4 S-76B2+2 Ordered Super Lynx 110/300

NNOOTTEESS:: 2012 budget experienced a drop.Donated OV-10 Broncos to the Philippines inJanuary. Requirement for new CSAR helos

well overdue. Thailand lost ten dead in threehelo crashes in July near the Myanmar bor-der. Plans to acquire 36 new helos to replaceArmy’s Bell 212 and UH-1 fleets. Thai Navylinked to Z-9EC ASW variant from China.

VIETNAMVViieettnnaammeessee PPeeooppllee’’ss AAiirr FFoorrccee144 MiG-21L/N/UM38 Su-22J/K12+15 Ordered Su-30MK2V, four of 12

new ac delivered inMay under $1bil dealsigned in 2011

11 Su-27SK/UBK4 Be-1220 An-261+6 Ordered PZL M-283 C-212 1-400 MPA, MSS

6000 system under Policecontrol, first ac deliveredin August

5 Ka-257 Ka-282 Ka-32S8 W-3S/RM50 Mi-8/17Sh/17230 Mi-24A/D26 L-39C

VViieettnnaamm PPeeooppllee’’ss NNaavvyy6 Ordered DH-6, half ac dedicated

MPA

NNOOTTEESS:: Planned 2012 defence budget up by35 percent.

RREEGG IIOONNAALLA I R F O R C E

The first six Gripens were declared operationalwith the Royal Thai Air Force’s 701 Squadronat Surat Thani in July © AJB

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Page 42: AMR - FEB/MAR 2012 issue

The former British colony famous-ly fell to the Japanese in February1942. Defended by 80,000 troops,this impregnable “bastion of theempire” surrendered in less than

a week. Now, however, the Singapore Army,Republic of Singapore Navy (RSN) andRepublic of Singapore Air Force (RSAF)comprise a sophisticated force of 70,000+active-duty personnel backed by 350,000reservists. In terms of per capita expendi-ture, Singapore defence spending is theworld’s fourth highest. Indeed, while some

countries in Southeast Asia could be accusedof piecemeal and uncoordinated militaryprocurement programmes, Singapore hascharted a carefully considered path.

Coastal protectionAny discussion about Singapore invariablybegins by mentioning its strategic location assea lanes converge on the 805km-longMalacca and 105km-long Singapore Straits.Singapore can be viewed as the hinge con-necting the Indian and Pacific Oceans. Morethan 50,000 commercial ships transit this

maritime chokepoint annually, including 3.3million barrels of Middle East oil daily, withChinese-flagged vessels in the vanguard.Singapore is the world’s busiest port, and atany one time 1,000 vessels could be present.

Although the epicentre of piracy attackshas recently migrated to the Horn of Africa,Southeast Asia is a traditional “piratehaven”. Attacks in Southeast Asia peaked at220 in 2000. Singapore has been instrumentalin clamping down on the phenomena, com-bining with Malaysia and Indonesia to con-duct Malacca Strait Sea Patrols (MSSP) since

RREEGGIIOONNAALL M I L I T A R Y

38 l ASIAN MILITARY REVIEW l

Since its birth on 9August 1965, the islandstate of Singapore —precariously perched atthe tip of the MalayPeninsula — has felt acuteconcern about its externaland internal security. Inits infancy the SingaporeArmed Forces (SAF)relied heavily on supportfrom Israel, yet in aremarkable success story,Singapore has created ahighly proficient militaryto defend its vulnerableterritory. Not only that, ithas also developed theability to projectpower well beyondits own shores.

bbyy Gordon Arthur

Singapore’s

MilitaryCapabilities

Page 43: AMR - FEB/MAR 2012 issue

mid-2004, and Eyes in the Sky (EiS) maritimeair patrols since 2005. Thailand joined theMSSP in 2009. By 2008, regional piracy inci-dents had dropped to 70, although Indonesiaremains a weak link. However, in 2010 therewas a 60 percent resurgence of piracy-relatedincidents in Asia, most of which were inSoutheast Asia.

Many fear a tie-up between piracy andinternational terrorism, with latent threatsincluding the hijacking of vessels like anLPG tanker, the sinking of a vessel in thenarrow straits, the hijacking of a cruise ship,

or the detonation of a ship-borne dirtybomb. Singapore’s navy-led MaritimeSecurity Task Force was created in January2009 to act as a coordinating agency for enti-ties such as the RSN, Maritime PortAuthority and Police Coast Guard. Navyvessels regularly crisscross ports and con-duct random escorts. Singapore’s deputyprime minister stated: “As a maritime nation

and the world’s busiest transhipment port,maritime security is a vital component ofSingapore’s national security.”

The heart of the naval combat fleet is 185Squadron’s six Formidable-class frigates, thelast of which was delivered in January 2009by local shipbuilder ST Marine. The frigatesfeature Thales Herakles phased-array multi-function radar connected to MBDA Aster 15and 30 surface-to-air missiles (SAM), as wellas Harpoon missiles, EuroTorp lightweighttorpedoes and an Oto Melara 76mm gun.

188 Squadron operates six Victory-class

M I L I T A R YRREEGGIIOONNAALL

39l FEBRUARY/MARCH 2012 l

The Bionix IFV from ST Kinetics is available in anumber of variants, with the Bionix 40/50pictured here during live-firing © Gordon Arthur

Page 44: AMR - FEB/MAR 2012 issue

missile corvettes, while the RSN also possess-es four 6,000-ton Endurance-class landingplatform dock (LPD) ships built by STMarine. This very practical vessel wasdeployed to Aceh in the wake of the 2004Boxing Day Tsunami. The shipbuilder is cur-rently building a similar LPD for the RoyalThai Navy. The RSN is pioneering the use ofunmanned surface vehicles (USV) too. STElectronics is developing the 9m-long VenusUSV, building upon the success of the RafaelProtector that was first deployed to thePersian Gulf in 2005.

An important role is played by the Navy’sfour 51m-long Challenger-class diesel-elec-tric submarines from 171 Squadron. Theseex-Swedish Navy boats were acquired from1995 onwards to give Singapore its firstunderwater assets. They are now more than40 years old, but the fleet is being mod-ernised by the imminent delivery and com-missioning of two 1,500-ton Archer-classsubmarines. They are second-hand Swedishboats too, but they sport Kockums air-inde-pendent propulsion (AIP) systems. The sub-marine support vessel, Swift Rescue, enteredservice in 2009, and ST Marine operates itunder an outsourcing contract.

Despite friendly relations with the US,

there is not an awful lot of American-sourcedequipment in the RSN. One major exception,however, is the recent arrival of six S-70BSeahawk helicopters. These craft aredesigned for use from the frigates in anti-sur-face and anti-submarine warfare roles. TheRSN does not have an aviation wing so AirForce pilots fly the Seahawks. All six weredelivered to 123 Squadron by October 2010.

Third-generation technologyWith only 705 square kilometres of territory,Singapore is Southeast Asia’s smallest coun-try, giving it minimal strategic depth to workwith. However, smallness brings certainadvantages. The lion city needs to protect onlya small area and so the military can beextremely focused. The cosmopolitan city of5.18 million is highly educated and possessesthe world’s third highest per capita income.This has allowed the government to investheavily in defence (the FY2011 defence budg-et rose 5.4 percent to $9.4 billion, or approxi-mately 5 percent of GDP). A geopolitical senseof vulnerability means 24-month periods ofNational Service (NS) are in place for all 18year old Singaporean males. Servicemenremain reservists until 40 years of age.

The SAF has made tremendous progress

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The naval combat fleet centres upon six FrenchLa Fayette-class frigates, five of which werelicense-built in Singapore © Gordon Arthur

One of Singapore’s four current Challenger-class submarines at its berth at the modernChangi Naval Base © Gordon Arthur

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in creating what it terms a “third-generationfull-spectrummilitary force”. Watchwords ofthis transformation include: “sharpeninghardware” (a leaner force that leverages net-works); “shaping software” (transformingorganisations and processes); and “strength-ening heartware” (transforming mindsets).The Ministry of Defence (MINDEF) seeks tosupply the military with high-end technolo-gy. Personnel are well trained, including reg-ular exercises of tri-service, full-spectrumconflict scenarios. The country’s posture isone of forward defence, and it maintains aformidable military that aims to deter poten-tial aggressors.

Army goes mobileAt the army’s core are three combined-armsdivisions (3rd, 6th and 9th Divisions).Homeland defence is extremely important,with the 2nd People’s Defence Force existingas a defence command whose primaryresponsibility is protecting key infrastruc-ture. Among the army’s elite soldiers are theGuards, a rapid-reaction force specialising inheliborne and amphibious missions.Singapore is leading the way in Asia in

regards to soldier modernisation pro-grammes. The Advanced Combat Man

System (ACMS) project commenced in 1998,with ST Kinetics as lead integrator of the hel-met, weapon, communications, power, com-puter and load-carrying components. Thedomestically produced SAR-21 assault riflegained a mounted camera that shares targetinformation and a capacity to see around cor-ners. A personal radio shares voice and datainformation, while a head-mounted display

allows viewing of images and video. Soldiersalso carry a portable computer integratedwith a battle management system (BMS). It isoperated via a communication keypad, andprovides seven-man infantry sections withreal-time locations and data. Evaluationsdemonstrated the accurate reporting ofenemy/friendly force activity rose from 30percent to 80 percent thanks to ACMS.Another quantum leap forward for

Singaporean infantrymen is the introductionof a new 8x8 armoured vehicle called theTerrex Infantry Carrier Vehicle (ICV).

Manufactured by ST Kinetics and introducedinto service in 2009, the 24-tonne Terrex isrevolutionising infantry operations with itsmobility, firepower, protection and net-worked systems. The 2nd Battalion,Singapore Infantry Regiment became thearmy’s first operational motorised infantrybattalion on 31 May 2011. Equipped withTerrex, BMS and ACMS, infantrymen havenever had better situational awareness. Acontract for 145 vehicles has been awarded sofar, but further batches are certain.The Terrex complements the home-grown

23-tonne Bionix infantry fighting vehicle(IFV), with an estimated 700 already in serv-ice with armoured units. Combat engineersnow have the innovative Trailblazer mine-clearing vehicle based on the Bionix chassistoo. Artillery units, meanwhile, possess thePrimus 155mm self-propelled howitzer andPegasus 155mm lightweight howitzer, bothST Kinetics products. This company’s biggestexport success to date came with the $215million sale of 115 Warthog tracked vehiclesto the British Army for use in Afghanistan.The Army’s muscle resides in 66 Leopard2SG (ex-German Army Leopard 2A4) mainbattle tanks that have received advancedmodular armour protection (AMAP). TheArmy also took delivery of 15 NavistarMaxxPro Dash DXM vehicles from 2009onwards for use in Afghanistan.The Army’s newest hardware is 18 High-

RREEGGIIOONNAALLM I L I T A R Y

The highly capable Boeing F-15SG fighter givesthe RSAF a much greater reach and punch thanwas hitherto possible © Gordon Arthur

The heart of the navalcombat fleet is 185Squadron’s six Formidable-class frigates, the lastof which was delivered inJanuary 2009 by localshipbuilder ST Marine

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Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems(HIMARS), each able to fire six rockets to a70km range. Bravo Battery of the 23rdBattalion, Singapore Artillery became opera-tional on 5 September 2011. HIMARS cannetwork with other land platforms, strikeobserver teams and fighters through its BMS.Defence Minister Ng Eng Hen commented:“The successful induction of the HIMARSreflects well on the ability of the SAF torespond decisively to new challenges andchanging circumstances in its operationalenvironment.”

The wheeled tactical fleet is beingrenewed as well. The Army has been replac-ing its ageing Land Rovers with Thai-builtFord Everest vehicles. This year ST Kineticswon a SG$68 million contract for new-gen-eration Spider Light Strike Vehicles (LSV) tobe delivered in 2013-14. This vehicle typealready is employed by the Guards.

Singapore recently issued a requirement formedium and heavy trucks, with estimatedquantities of 1,524 4x4 and 6x6 types, 9008x8 and 100 wreckers. Deliveries will runfrom 2013-18.

Aerial horizonsSingapore has a distinct lack of strategicdepth due to its small size, but it partiallymakes up for this by its capacity to monitordistant skies and seas. The Southeast Asiannation gained an airborne early warning andcontrol (AEW&C) platform in the form offour Gulfstream G550 aircraft in 111Squadron. These aircraft are fitted with theIsraeli EL/M-2075 Phalcon active electroni-cally scanned array (AESA) radar, and thefirst platform was delivered in 2008.Remarkable for such a small nation isSingapore’s possession of four air-to-air refu-elling KC-135R Stratotankers.

The Air Force began an organisationalrestructuring in January 2007, with the estab-lishment of five commands to better meetmission demands. One of these is theUnmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV)Command, which operates Heron 1,Searcher II and Hermes 450 UAVs in surveil-lance and reconnaissance roles. New train-

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One of the newly delivered Sikorsky S-70BSeahawk helicopters that will be pilotedby the RSAF and stationed aboard a frigate© Gordon Arthur

The Israeli-manufactured SPYDER-SR is boostingair defence. This unit mounted on a MAN truckbelongs to165 Squadron © Gordon Arthur

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ing platforms such as the Pilatus PC-21 andAlenia Aermacchi M-346 (to be deliveredfrom 2012 onwards) will improve pilot train-ing. Of interest is the fact that nearly onethird of the Air Force’s aircraft - includingtraining types - are based outside Singaporebecause of its constrained airspace.Perhaps the biggest news for the RSAF as

it transforms into a third-generation force isthe induction of the highly capable F-15SGStrike Eagle into the Air Combat Command.These jets enable a much greater reach andpunch than existing F-16D Block 52 aircraft.With 24 ordered to date, the F-15SG boastsRaytheon’s APG-63(V)3 AESA radar.Singapore is also a financial partner in the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) programme.The Air Force has to be extremely adapt-

able. Apart from fixed-wing aircraft, it alsooperates all SAF rotary-winged assets such asthe CH-47SD Chinook, S-70B Seahawk, AS332M Super Puma and 20 newly acquiredAH-64D Apache Longbow attack helicopters.ST Aerospace is upgrading the C-130/KC-130 Hercules transport fleet. The Air Defenceand Operations Command is sharpening itscapabilities by refreshing ground-based airdefences with the Israeli-manufacturedPython-5 surface-to-air and Derby short-range (SPYDER-SR) missile system. SPY-DER-SR is replacing the 30-year-old Rapier.

International participationSingapore is part of the Five Power DefenceArrangements (FPDA) along with Malaysia,Australia, New Zealand and the UnitedKingdom. Singapore maintains good rela-tions with the USA, and a memorandum ofunderstanding permits the US to useSingaporean military facilities. The USN’sLogistics GroupWestern Pacific Command isbased in Singapore, and the Navy is finalis-ing negotiations to forward-deploy twoLittoral Combat Ships there too. Singapore’s

strategic importance to the US is set tobecome even greater as China grows strongermilitarily and seeks to break out into theIndian Ocean. The US has already signalledits regional commitment by deciding to posi-tion a Marine Corps Air Ground Task Force(MAGTF) in the Australian city of Darwin.Singapore takes non-conventional securi-

ty threats seriously in an increasingly inter-connected world, and the SAF has been ateam player in international operations. Forexample, in 2007 the SAF deployed its first

troops to Afghanistan as part of reconstruc-tion efforts. Singapore’s contingent currentlyincludes 38 soldiers, including a med-ical/dental team and UAVs.The first maritime security task force was

despatched on counter-piracy operations inthe Gulf of Aden in April 2009. On 31 March2011, Singapore took over command ofCombined Task Force 151 (CTF-151) for thesecond time. The task group presently com-prises an LPD, two Super Pumas and 230sailors. Singapore contributed personnel andaid to New Zealand after the devastatingChristchurch earthquake in February 2011.Owing to limited space within its own bor-

ders, Singapore performs much of its unilat-eral training in places like Australia, Brunei,France, New Zealand, Taiwan and the US.The use of Taiwan for training is particularlyinteresting in the face of Chinese criticism.Exercise Wallaby is a major land/air exercisethat takes place annually at the ShoalwaterBay Training Area in Australia. MINDEFplays an active role in the annual Shangri-laDialogue forum that draws high-level diplo-mats from the Asia-Pacific region.Singapore crumbled swiftly in 1942. With

extremely well-equipped services, the SAFaims to avoid any repeat of that spectaculardefeat, no matter which direction the threatcomes from. As Chief of Defence Force,Lieutenant-General Neo Kian Hong, stated,“Those who mean us harm need to succeedonly once, but we need to succeed in defend-ing Singapore all the time.”

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Elite members of the Singapore Army Guardsaboard a Spider Light Strike Vehicle (LSV) fromST Kinetics © Gordon Arthur

Perhaps the biggest newsfor the RSAF as it transformsinto a third-generationforce is the induction of thehighly capable F-15SGStrike Eagle into the AirCombat Command

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46 l ASIAN MILITARY REVIEW l

While the most widelydeployed platformswithin the region remaindominated by importeddesigns from US and

Israeli manufacturers, there is a growingdomestic development market appearingwithin a number of regional countries.Elsewhere, nations such as Australia contin-ue to rely on leasing agreements while pro-grammes to acquire more long-term solu-tions continue.

Throughout the region, as more militaryforces are exposed to experienced TUAVusers through inter-country military opera-tions, the use of these systems will only con-tinue to rise. TUAVs, with shorter commandand control (C2) cycles, are very much adeployed-solder’s asset. While MALE UAVsbring a much clearer picture of a wider geo-graphical area, TUAVs enable fast deploy-

Tactical

The Next Generation ControlSystem provides a single, commoncontrol station platform for multipletypes of UAV © ST Aerospace

UAVsover the

Pacific

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ment and faster payload manipulation thantheir larger counterparts, providing invalu-able situational awareness at the tactical level.

AustraliaThe Australian Defence Force (ADF) is in theprocess of obtaining a TUAV to fulfill anexisting requirement for the AustralianArmy currently being provided under anumber of service contract arrangements.Under Joint Project 129 (JP 129) a TUAV isbeing sought to support land forces on oper-ations with advanced aerial surveillancecapabilities and selected maritime opera-tions. The initial operating capability isscheduled to begin between 2013 and2015, and the ADF spent a numberof years evaluating theiroptions before selecting theRQ-7B Shadow 200UAV under a

Foreign Military Sale (FMS) with the USgovernment.

The Shadow option was grantedsecond pass approval by theAustralian government in July2010, and the ADF will receive twosystems, each comprising five airvehicles, two ground control sta-tions (GCS), a tactical launch and

recovery element and associated tactical sup-port systems. When the contract – with abudget cap of around A$157 million - wasannounced the first system was scheduledfor delivery toward the end of 2011, with thesecond to follow in 2013.

Already in use with the US Army andMarine Corps, the Shadow system beat outElbit Systems and Thales, which were offer-ing the Hermes 450 in a teaming arrange-ment, the Selex Falco and the IAI I-View; andthe Australian Army is also understood tohave conducted testing and evaluation of theAeroVironment Wasp III for the programme.

The Australian Shadow systems will belaunched from a trailer mounted pneumaticcatapult, and each air vehicle will carry bothOptical and Infra-Red cameras along with aLaser Target Designator. The Shadow 200,manufactured by AAI, is designed for recon-naissance, surveillance, targeting, and assess-

The Tactical Unmanned AerialVehicle (UAV) market is gatheringpace within the Asia-Pacific region,

with an increasing number ofoperators seeking the operationalbenefits of the platforms for both

military and civil missions. With muchlower operating costs than their

larger medium altitude longendurance (MALE) counterparts,

while still bringing significantadvantages to deployed troops,the TUAV is a true intelligence,surveillance and reconnaissance

(ISR) force multiplier asset.

bbyy John Mulberry

The Australian Shadowsystems will be launchedfrom a trailer mountedpneumatic catapult, and eachair vehicle will carry bothOptical and Infra-Redcameras along with a LaserTarget Designator

The Scan Eagle UAV has beensupporting Australian landforces since 2006 © Boeing

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ment, and features advanced avionics tech-nology and manufacturing processes. Theaircraft can see targets up to 125 kms awayfrom the brigade tactical operations centre,and recognize tactical vehicles up to 8,000feet above the ground at more than 3.5kmsslant range, day or night. The GCS transmitsimagery and telemetry data directly to theJoint Surveillance and Target Attack RadarSystem, All Sources Analysis System, andAdvanced Field Artillery Tactical DataSystem in near real time and also providestargeting data for precision weapons.

The Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF)selected the Heron MALE UAV to provideadvanced ISR capabilities to troops duringProject Nankeen; a capability previously pro-vided by the Army’s ScanEagle TUAV incoordination with the RAAF AP-3C Orions.The Scan Eagle, operated by Boeing sub-sidiary Insitu under a leading agreement withthe ADF, has been supporting Australianland forces since 2006. The system operateson a small footprint, with the option of EO, IRor SAR imagers, with additional payloadsavailable with a dual-bay configuration.

Developed in partnership with Boeing,

ScanEagle has high stealth levels at very lowaltitudes enabled by a low acoustic, visual, andinfrared range signature, an advanced muffler,a modular design, low personnel requirementsand 24-hour endurance. Its heavy fuel enginereduces shipboard logistics in maritime envi-ronments and improves aircraft performance;and its inertial stabilized electro-optic orinfrared imagers can automatically followfixed and moving objects for extended periods.

Battle-winning capabilitiesOther nations in the Asia-Pacific are follow-ing Australia’s lead to further enhance theirtactical ISR capabilities, with both acquisitionand development programmes. As part of afunctional reorganisation in the 3rd genera-

tion Singapore Armed Forces (SAF), theSingapore Ministry of Defence (MINDEF)established the UAV Command within theRepublic of Singapore Air Force (RSAF) in2007, following the inauguration of the AirDefence and Operations Command (ADOC)earlier in the year. According to MINDEF,the UAV Command will provide tactical sup-port for operations conducted by the SAF,and will develop capabilities and personnelskills in UAV operations.

The SAF’s experience with UAVs datesback to the 1970s when it acquired its firstRemotely Piloted Vehicles (RPVs). Since thenthe nation’s research and development (R&D)in unmanned technology has continued togrow, along with several procurements ofUAV systems including the Scout 1000 andSearcher UAVs. In the 1990s the Tactical AirSupport Command (TASC) was established toundertake the development and employmentof UAVs for the SAF and to drive the develop-ment of indigenous capabilities; and the UAVCommand has now overtaken the SAF’s drivetoward this goal. As well as being responsiblefor the development of unmanned systems forthe SAF, including expertise and capability

l ASIAN MILITARY REVIEW l48

Other nations in theAsia-Pacific are followingAustralia’s lead to furtherenhance their tacticalISR capabilities, with bothacquisition and developmentprogrammes

The Hermes 450 offers its users anadvanced battlefield surveillancecapability © Elbit Systems

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development, vocational development for itsoperators and ensuring the operationalreadiness and safety of UAV employment,the organisation will be the dedicatedauthority to provide specialist guidance onUAV operations and flight safety considera-tions for the SAF, including the daily man-agement of routine UAV flight operations,and the provision of UAV support for the

execution of peacetime operations.Also in 2007, MINDEF announced that the

Hermes 450 (H-450) would join the SAF’s UAVfleet, bringing improved avionics and commu-nication systems to enhance the SAF's battle-field surveillance capability. According toMINDEF, the H-450 will complement the cur-rent Searcher UAV that is operated by the SAF.

One of the most successful TUAVs in the

world, Elbit System’s Hermes 450 is a versatile,long-endurance UAV. It is equipped with ElbitSystems’ CoMPASS EO/IR/LD gimbaledelectro-optical payload, and can adapt to awide range of payloads including SAR/GMTIradar, ELINT, COMMINT, SATCOM and dualpayload configurations. The system is highlyautonomous and is controlled by the HermesUniversal Ground Control Station (UGCS). ItsInternal Auto Takeoff and Landing (IATOL)system enables auto-landing even in alternatesemi-prepared strips. Also operated by the US,UK and Israeli militaries, the Hermes 450 hasaccumulated more than 170,000 operationalflight hours worldwide.

National designs In 2008 ST Aerospace unveiled the latestdomestically designed TUAV solution at theSingapore Airshow with the newest variantof the Skyblade family UAVs, Skyblade IV.

Australia is acquiring the RQ-7B Shadow 200under an FMS with the US government © AAI

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Jointly developed with the Singapore-basedDSO National Laboratories (DSO), SkybladeIV is designed for rapid mission deployment,supporting both military and civilian applica-tions. Developed for fully autonomous flightoperations its capabilities will bring enhancedmobile reconnaissance capabilities to its oper-ators; and the company also unveiled theNext Generation Control System (NGCS),which provides a single, common control sta-tion platform for multiple types of UAV.Skyblade IV’s easy integration into the NGCSallows for automatic or mechanical interfacewith other military systems.

The Skyblade IV provides the groundmanoeuvre battalion commander with situa-tional awareness of the battlefield, allowinghim to observe heavily protected areas andshorten tactical decision making cycles. It canbe operated from small clearings or com-pounds, and has a range of up to 100 kmfrom the launch and recovery site, flying atoperating altitudes/survivable altitudes upto 15,000 ft for both day and night operations.Its baseline payload is a very low weight,dual axis gyro stabilised surveillance andobservation system, which incorporates highresolution, continuous optical zoom withcolour day channel and automatic videotracker. It can be used for reconnaissance,battlefield surveillance, search and rescue,artillery fire support, target tracking, andmaritime and coastal patrol.

Importantly, the Skyblade IV Air Vehiclecan be manually controlled via the groundcontrol station or pre-programmed to flyautonomous missions. It also has the poten-tial to support multi-UAV operations.

Combined with an automatic catapult-assist-ed launch and automatic precision para-chute recovery, requiring no runway fortake-off or landing, gives this the system avery small logistics platform, requiring min-imal personnel for operation.

PakistanPakistan is also delving into domestic devel-opment of TUAVs. The country has beenbarred from operating advanced TUAV capa-bilities of US origin, but has operated theSelex Falco since 2009 when the PakistanAeronautical Complex (PAC) signed a con-tract with Selex Galileo for the co-productionof the Falco UAV at PAC’s facilities in Kamrafacility in Punjab province, Pakistan. Co-pro-duction of the system began in August 2009,and the Falco entered service with thePakistan Air Force in an optronic and elec-

tronic surveillance and homeland securitycapacity, with a view to carrying laser-guidedmissiles in the future for offensive operations.

The Falco TUAV reached technical matu-rity at the end of 2009 when it completed a sixmonth extensive flight test campaign. Duringthis time, all flights were performed with atleast one payload installed: E/O-IR Electro-Optical and Infrared and the latest genera-tion Active Electronically Scanned ArrayRadar PicoSAR. The endurance has reportedas exceeding twelve hours with a dual pay-load configuration and missions were per-formed at long range, exceeding 230 km withdirect link and no handover, at an altitudeabove 18000 ft. Successful hand-over opera-tions between remote ground control stations(GCS), not interconnected, were also execut-ed allowing the range of the different mis-sions to be extended considerably.

Pakistan Aeronautical Complex (PAC) has signed acontract with Selex Galileo for the co-productionof the Falco UAV © Selex Galileo

Skyblade IV is the newest member of theSkyblade family of UAVs © ST Aerospace

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According to Selex Galileo, Falco is arobust and ready-for-operation asset that isvery close to delivering performances whichare usually expected from a higher class ofUAS. SELEX Galileo intends to integrateELINT and COMINT capabilities in the cur-rent system offering a SIGINT solution moreaffordable than a MALE UAS solution; andthe company is also developing an upgradekit which will allow the Falco to furtherincrease the payload capacity up to 120 Kgand to extend the endurance to 18 hours,with a MTOW of 750 Kg.

The PicoSAR active electronic scannedarray (AESA) radar is specifically designed forUAVs. It brings capabilities including highresolution Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR)and Ground Moving Target Indicator (GMTI).The high resolution SAR, coupled withchange detection, make the radar particularly

useful for counter Improvised ExplosiveDevices (Counter-IED) missions where thesystem can identify, with extreme accuracy,possible disturbance of the ground surface.

Selex Galileo has also validated the SELEXGalileo also validated the latest version of itsHigh Mobility Ground Control Station (HM-GCS) for use with the platform - a self-con-tained GCS that offers a full training simula-tion environment and mission rehearsal capa-bility. Exploiting a new and more powerfuldata-link, the system performed ‘hand–over’missions which combined a number of GCS.This in-flight hand–over, increases the overall

operational capability of the system by over-coming the inherent Line of Sight (LOS) datalink limits of a single ground station.

As well as bringing the Pakistan Air Forcegreater reliability for ISR missions, the Falcoteaming arrangement with Selex Galileo willbring vital technology capabilities into thecountry, which is likely to open doors to fur-ther indigenous development programmes,not just in the UAV field, but the wider aero-space manufacturing market. And withmany nations in the region unable to meetthe relatively higher acquisition and operat-ing costs of more advanced US, Europeanand Israeli manufactured systems, theoption to buy more affordable regionallyproduced systems would provide a signifi-cant advantage to any nation with the capa-bility to establish a manufacturing industryto meet demand.

The Skyblade IV provides theground manoeuvre battalioncommander with situationalawareness of the battlefield

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Protected

Mobility:Asia & BeyondOver 8000 Oshkosh M-ATVs havebeen acquired to meet US needs forprotection and enhanced mobility inAfghanistan and to be sustained in anaustere logistics environment © DoD

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The balance that has to be struckbetween mobility and protectionhas been put into stark reality byoperations in Afghanistan. Highlevels of protection there can

mean limiting vehicles operations to roads oreasily accessible tracks, exactly the placewhere Improvised Explosive Devices (IED)are likely to be placed. However, by reducingarmoured protection to enable greater crosscountry mobility protection, vulnerability toan IED attack is increased but there is con-versely, much less likelihood or susceptibili-ty to such an attack because the chance thesevehicles will encounter these devices whilecrossing such terrain is much reduced.

The UK has put considerable faith in thisapproach with vehicles such as the Supacatfamily, first being deployed by UK specialforces and then to the wider British Army inthe shape of the Jackal. The vehicle has sincefound wider favour with Canadian,Australian and even US customers. One of themost recent to select the Supacat is the Czech

Republic with delivery of the first vehiclesscheduled for 2012 where it will be used inconjunction with Krauss-Maffei WegmannDingo II vehicles and the Iveco LMV as wellas a range of US sourced MRAP vehicles.

Traditional US MRAP (Mine ResistantAmbush Protected) orders continue to moveforward. Oshkosh’s MRAP All-TerrainVehicle (M-ATV) now numbers over 8000fielded in Afghanistan with a smaller numberof the Special Forces Vehicle (SFV) variant alsofielded. The variants include the M-ATV tacti-cal ambulance which shares the same featuresincluding TAK-4 independent suspension.The vehicle is available in two configurationsthat provide ample room to treat two patients

Protected mobility vehicles remain a key category of vehicles inmilitaries’ procurement plans, irrespective of whether they areinvolved in either domestic or deployed counter-insurgency operations.Protected mobility platforms replace traditional Armoured FightingVehicles (AFV) in a number of missions by providing a solution withclose or equivalent armour to much larger and more expensive AFVswhile retaining a relatively high degree of mobility depending on thelevel of development and infrastructure as well as human and physicalgeography in the specific theatre of operations.

bbyy Adam Baddeley

The balance that has to bestruck between mobility andprotection has been put intostark reality by operationsin Afghanistan

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on stretchers or four ambulatory patients andcan cover tougher terrain at higher speedsthan current fleets. The UK is among potentialcustomers for the M-ATV ambulance versionwith 200 vehicles required.

US programmesAs the progenitor of modern protected mobil-ity designs, beginning with the heterogeneousMRAP programme in Iraq to the simplifiedrange of vehicles now in Afghanistan, wherethe US goes next in terms of future force struc-tures and programmes, others follow.In the US, the Joint Light Tactical Vehicle

(JLTV) programme is battling against plat-

forms such as theM-ATV and the recent upar-moured High Mobility MultipurposeWheeled Vehicle (HMMWV) programme fora limited and dwindling pot of Army fundswith the Service due to make likely decisionon its future strategy in 2015. LockheedMartin is one of the JLTV bidders and is claim-ing that its design which recently completedblast assessment with 20 blast and 200 ballisticcomponent tests designed to prove the samelevel of protection but at 40 percent lessweight allowing to be deployed by MRAPs.Lockheed Martin teamed with BAE

Systems Mobility and Protection Systemsand was joined by two other teams for the

technology development phase of the pro-gramme: a BAE Systems teamed withNavistar and a joint venture between GeneralDynamics Land Systems and AM Generalknown as General Tactical Vehicles. The nextstep was to begin the EngineeringManufacture and Demonstration phase tofinalise and select a final design before a pro-curement decision was made.In parallel the Army continues to look to

the HMMWV for part of its protected mobili-ty needs. Specifically to meet HMMWVRecap market, Ceradyne has recently teamedwith Gravikor to combine the former’sarmour with the latter’s new space framedesign to provide a modular armour packagestraight from home base canvas door up to afull frag kit. The Marine Corps has been a keyinfluence to the design, deliberately buildingin features to meet the organisation’s weightrequirements for amphibious operations anddeployability.Neither JLTV, legacy MRAPs nor

HMMWV Recap provide the entire picturewith additional developments funded inde-pendently. To meet a variety of countries’needs Oshkosh launched its Light CombatTactical All-Terrain Vehicle (L-ATV) at AUSAin October. The design is fitted with the wide-ly used TAK-4i suspension, allowing it to oper-ate in rougher terrain and with its own modu-lar armour package that can be increased ordecreed based on mission and role.Traditional MRAP procurement also con-

tinues, albeit at a slower pace. In November,Force Protection Inc won a $185.9 MillionArmy award for 167 Buffalo A2 Vehicles and102 Bar Armor Kits which will be delivered byApril 2014. In October, BAE Systems wasawarded a $9m award for nine InternationalLight Armored Vehicles (ILAV), a 4 x 4MRAPvehicle, six ILAV explosive ordnance disposalvariants and three ILAV interrogator armvariants for an overseas customer, and wasacquired under a FMS contract vehicle.

Regional AcquisitionsAustralia’s Bushmaster Fleet continues togrow with the October announcement fromthe Australian Defence Force that the first 25of an order for 63 Bushmaster ambulancevariants provide blast and ballistic protectionhave been ordered with a unit cost ofA$670,000 and which will equip both the

l ASIAN MILITARY REVIEW l54

Ceradyne has recently teamed with Gravikor tomeet Marine Corps and other requirements forHMMWV enhancements © Ceradyne

A decision of whether to concentrate exclusively on uparmoured HMMWVs and existing MRAP-typevehicles or to progress further with the next generation JLTV designs will be made in 2015 © AJB

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RAAF and Army. Each vehicle is designed totwo stretcher patients, or one stretcher andfour seated patients, at the one time.In May the Government also announced

that it would purchase an additional 101Bushmasters to support current and futureAustralian operations and in August anupgrade to the Bushmaster inAfghanistanwascompleted which featured new seating fromStratos Seating and flooring in the cabin to pro-vide additional protection for commanders,drivers and the troops being transported.In December, Thales Australia’s Hawkei

was selected to meet the A$1.5 billion LAND121 Phase 4 Protected and Unprotected LightVehicles programme’s requirements for upto 1300 protected and unprotected light vehi-cles. The next stage of Phase 4 funds furtherdevelopment and testing of prototypes withfinal approval planned for 2015 and produc-tion from 2016. Australia also announcedthat Rheinmetall MAN Military Vehicles

Australia had been selected for the LAND121 Phase 3B Protected and UnprotectedMedium and Heavy Vehicles to provide upto 2,700 protected and unprotected mediumand heavy vehicles with A$7.5 billion.Other future procurements for Australia

may include JLTV with the US saying thatAustralia would be invited to take part in theprogramme’s EMD phase. Australia alsorecently announced that it was addressing anurgent requirement for mine detection vehi-cles with a $100m deal expected to beendorsed by the end of 2012.New Zealand has recently introduced six

high-mobility engineer excavator (HMEE)vehicles to provide light engineering supportto its LAV fleet.Afghanistan received the first 18 Mobile

Strike Force Vehicles at the end of 2011. Thevehicles based closely on the Textron Marine& Land Systems for their Medium ArmoredSecurity Vehicles (MASV) with 281 vehicles

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being ordered in three variants; armored per-sonnel carrier with gunner's protective kit;armoured personnel carrier with turret; andan armoured ambulance.In Thailand, the Chaiseri Metal & Rubber

Company’s First Win vehicles won an initialorder for 21 of the 4x4 vehicles. The countryacquired 87 REVA III vehicles in 2008 for usein the south of the country. PT Pindad hasrecently been asked to procure a new vehicleof 3000-4000Kg gross vehicles weight basedon the current Anoa vehicle with develop-ment completed in 2014.

India’s manufacturers are developing theirown designs to meet local needs. Late in 2011,Defence and Land Systems India, a joint ven-ture between Mahindra and Mahindra andBAE Systems delivered the first of six MineProtectedVehicle – India, based on the RussianURAL chassis, to the Jharkhand Police. AshokLeyland has recently entered the protectedmarket based around a core offering of threeplatforms; the Armoured Stallion, ArmouredBus and Mine Protected Vehicle (MPV). TheMPV a 4x4 design with a power-to-weightratio of 13.5 kW/T and is designed to exceed

STANAG 4569 Level 4 protection by beingable to withstand 21 kg TNT under its wheels.Tata Motors’ 4 x 4 Mine Protected Vehicleutilises high ground clearance, high power toweight ratio and good fordability to enhanceits cross country capabilities coupled with NIJLevel III protection against small arms and arange of protection solution to counter theeffects of IEDs and mines.

Current developmentsDevelopments around the world emphasisethe fact that protected mobility systems arehere to stay. In Saudi Arabia, Creation UKhas teamed with local firm ERAF Industriesto produce its Zephyr vehicles for the Saudimilitary, beginning with four wheel drivevehicles in late 2011 with a 6x6 variantplanned in 2012.In September, Spain ordered 76, five-pas-

senger squad vehicles, selecting the ItalianLince vehicle worth $33.6m together with 20RG-31s which can carry nine personnel witha further $20.9m order.Germany’s Special Operations Division

(DSO) recently ordered Krauss MaffeiWegmann (KMW) 31 Mungo 2 vehicleswhich combines light weight deployabilityand IED and ballistic protection with deliv-ery beginning in 2012 and concluding in2013. The vehicles can carry a payload of 1.5tonnes. Germany operates 400 Mungo vehi-cles in three variants.KMW’s Dingo 2 family now runs to 15 dif-

ferent variants, the latest being the Dingo HD

57

Up armoured RenaultVABs are the mainstay ofthe French Army’sprotected mobility fleet inAfghanistan © Renault

Germany’s Special OperationsDivision recently ordered 31Mungo 2 vehicles © KMW

Neither JLTV, legacyMRAPs nor HMMWV Recapprovide the entire picturewith additional developmentsfunded independently

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l ASIAN MILITARY REVIEW l58

or Heavy Duty, the major change being anincreased in payload by three tonnes withoverall gross vehicle weight being 14.5tonnes which is the same physical envelopeof the standard Dingo.A contract for the Canadian Forces

Tactical Armoured Patrol Vehicle (TAPV)programme to procure 500 vehicles, with anoption for up to 100 more, is expected to beawarded in early 2012 with delivery com-plete by 2017. The new vehicles will replaceCanada's fleet of BAE Systems/GeneralDynamics Land Systems - Canada RG31 Mk3s, and the Coyote reconnaissance variant ofthe same company’s 8x8 LAV-2. Initial oper-ating capability is planned for 2014 with afull operational capability for 2016.Competitors include Textron Marine &

Land Systems with armour for the vehicle pro-duced by Rheinmetall’s Deisenroth subsidiary.Force Protection are offering its 6x6 Cougar asthe basis for its TAPV solution, known asTimberwolf and is supported by Elbit Systemsand Lockheed Martin. Oshkosh is offering asolution based on its M-ATV with patentedTAK-4 independent suspension working withGeneral Dynamics Land Systems-Canada. Thelatest protected mobility platform developedby BAE Land Systems South Africa systems isthe RG35 Reconnaissance Patrol Utility and

launched in 2009 and produced in 4x4 and 6x6variants, the former variants developed for theTAPV programme.As demand for protected mobility vehi-

cles has increased, indigenous solutionshave evolved, outside of traditional vehiclemanufacturers to meet local demand. Oneexample is SVOS’s VEGA vehicles based onTatra T 815-7 4x4 chassis which uses com-pressed air suspension and a payload of fourtonnes and can provide up to STANAGSTANAG 4569 Level 4.In Turkey, a domestic producer is BMC

who have worked with Israel’s Hatehof toproduce the BMC 350-16 4x4 MRAP with 469ordered by the Turkish armed forces.South Africa has been a major wellspring

of thinking and technology on vehicledesign, optimised to cope with mines andIEDs, dating from experience in counter-insurgency warfare in Southern Africa fromthe 1970s onwards.In addition a number of other companies

have developed new design. One example isthe RSD Mountain Lion family. Anotherrecent success story has been the SouthAfrican Paramount Group Matador and

Marauder mine-protected vehicles. TheMatador can carry up to 14 personnel andcan withstand explosions the equivalent ofup to 21 kg of explosives while the Maraudercan carry ten troops and resists smallerexplosions of up to 14 kg of TNT.While there is natural trend to use

wheeled platforms in the protected mobilityrole not least due to through life costs, light-weight tracked platform take on the role andcan provide key improvements to mobilitywhile retaining high levels of protection.Perhaps the latest example is the delivery ofthe first BAE Systems BvS10 Mk2 all-terrainvehicle to the French Army. Dubbed theVéhicules à Haute Mobilité or VHM, a totalof 53 vehicles have been ordered with deliv-ery to be completed by the end of 2012.Even neutrals with a limited peacekeep-

ing foot print overseas have sought toacquire, enhance and renew their capabili-ties. Switzerland’s Global Mobility TaskForce will benefit from the November orderfor 70 additional Duro Armoured PersonnelCarriers to be delivered by Autumn 2013 andare capable of carrying 11 soldiers underarmour. The unit already operates 220 Duroswhich has a top road speed of 100kmh via a245 hp Cummins turbocharged diesel engine,an Allison 5-speed automatic transmissionand has the same performance as trackedAFV in a number of areas such as the abilityto overcome 60 percent gradients and lateralinclines of up to 30 percent.

In Saudi Arabia, Creation UKhas teamed with local firmERAF Industries to produceits Zephyr vehicles forthe Saudi military

KMW’s Dingo 2 family now runs to 15 differentvariants, the latest being the Dingo HD or HeavyDuty © KMW

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Statistics available toall show the inexorable

urbanisation of theworld’s population.

History also tells usthat combat in such

environments is difficult,slow and bloody; far

removed from thelightning successes

demonstrated bymanoeuvre warfare in

open fields. In order todefeat enemies operatingin an urban environment

and to do so usingeconomy of force and

avoidance of friendly andneutral casualties, there

is only one credibleresponse; to conduct

operations in a smarterway by being able to

locate and identifyenemies and targets

quickly and assuredly. Todo this, Urban Intelligence

Surveillance TargetAcquisition and

Reconnaissance (ISTAR)has been found to be the

best solution. bbyy Adam Baddeley

Troops entering a buildingare typically literally andmetaphorically left in thedark as to what is in thenext room © DoD

RubblePeering through the

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Reducing the complexity and thesize, weight and power andcritically cost, allows ISTARassets to be placed at the lowesttactical echelons providing an

immediacy of response that cannot be provid-ed by a stand-off asset. Furthermore, by hav-ing the sensors organic to these units at pla-toon and company level, information flowsthat would otherwise require high capacitylinks between distant sensors and the unitrequiring the feed are eliminated, a particularbenefit when the laws of physics mitigateagainst doing this in complex urban terrain.

WallsA concrete, brick or wooden wall, or indeedany barrier is no longer an opaque screen forISR. Hand held radar technology enablestroops see through them, providing troopswith a basic view of the situation. The radarworks via the emission and collection of return-ing of radio waves, measuring their amplitudeand time delay from any reflected objects andafter being further enhanced by signal process-ing software, an image can be formed and pre-sented to the user. Not just a scientific curiosity,the systems are now being deployedin combat amongst a wideningcircle of military and govern-ment users.

In January 2011,TiaLinx launched theirCougar10-L and 20-Hdevices, equipped with ultra-wideband (UWB), multi-Gigahertz RF sen-sors for extended standoff surveillance of mov-

ing objects as well as scanning for under-ground objects. TiaLinx’s UWB RF imagingdevelopment was sponsored by US Armyresearch and development funding. The com-pany’s Eagle5-P wrist mounted or hand helddevice operates at a frequency of 5 GHz andweighs just 1.6Kg.

In October, MIT Lincoln Labs in the USoutlined new radar technology which usestwo rows of antenna with eight receivers and13 transmitters. Its ability to see through wallsis certainly not unusual but the Lab’s work isnoteworthy for providing a route for provid-ing a real-time video view of the speed, reso-lution and range of activity within, via a framerate of 10.8 frames per second. The system hasa range of around 20m using S-band radioswaves and is configured as a vehicle mountedsolution. Currently, humans are presented tothe user in a bird’s-eye-view perspective of thesituation via icons. The radar can however,only detect moving targets, even with as littlemovement as that caused by breathing, notinanimate objects such as furniture.

Camero’s Xaver 100, launched in Octoberis the latest in the company’s through-wallmicro-power, Ultra Wide Band pulsed radarimaging products. It is one of the smallest onthe market and weighs just 500g, roughly thesize of two 30 round M16 magazines. In 2010,the company announced the sale of its Xaver400 system to multiple Asian customers andin July this year announced that it hadsecured follow on orders from a South EastAsian customer. The Xaver 400 has also beenacquired by the US military with recent soft-ware releases for the devices including animproved user interface, wider field of viewand increased system performance.

In the US, L-3 Cyterra is providing itsEMMDAR (Electro-Magnetic MotionDetection And Ranging) to meet the Army’sAN/PPS-26 See through The Wall pro-gramme able to operate in a stand off mode

and next to walls and is capable of penetrat-ing over 20cm of wall and operates from 3.1-3.5GHz. The company is also providing itsRANGE-R for the Homeland Security andpolice market using patented stepped fre-quency continuous wave radar technologyand proprietary target detection algorithmsand is described as being able to undertakeimmediate analysis and results in seconds.

The company also provides the AN/PSS-14 which combines ground penetrating radar(GPR) and a highly sensitive metal detectormodule, designed to find mines and IEDsbeneath the ground and which entered pro-duction for the US in 2006. Troops in the fielddiscovered that it could be used to detectindividual behind walls in a very basic way.

Other solutions onthe market include

Cambridge ConsultantsPrism 200, which can

detect personnel at up to20m and operates from 1.6-

2.2GHz with a resolution of 30cm andis delivered to the user via a 2D or 3D

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Reducing the complexity andthe size, weight and powerand critically cost, allowsISTAR assets to be placed atthe lowest tactical echelons

Malaysian manufacturer Sapura SecuredTechnologies has recently launched its CyberQuad micro air vehicle which weighs 1Kg © AJB

Innocon’s MicroFalcon is pursuing the Finland’s€10m STAR Micro UAV programme © Innocon

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colour display and weighs 5.7Kg.Akela’s ASTIR systems, developed in con-

junction with the US National Institute ofJustice has a stand off range of 30m and awide angle of view and is effective againstboth moving and stationary individualswithin a building structure.

SUAVsRather than look through walls, SmallUnmanned Aerial Vehicles (SUAV) simplylook over them, providing an orthorectifiedperspective of events below. Launchedfrom troops on the ground or from the topof a building, users are combining conven-tional winged designs as well as rotarywing solutions.

Elbit Systems’ Skylark 1 has traveled toAfghanistan in the hands of AustralianDutch and Canadian troops and is able tosend clear day and night imagery back to theground control station throughout its 90minute endurance.

Finland is pursuing the €10m FinnishSTAR (Surveillance, Target Acquisition andReconnaissance systems) programme for aMicro UAV with 30 systems required.Innocon is offering the MicroFalcon AT-11mini-UAV for the programme, teamedwith Avartek.

The US Special Operations Commandrelies on Aerovironment’s digital Puma All

Environment (AE) for most of itsSUAV needs since its selection in 2008

and provides high stabilized imagery qualitycolor and infrared video of the surroundingarea. Weighing 5.9kg, the electrically pow-ered UAV has an endurance of two hours.

In Afghanistan, the UK relies on the 3.7KgLockheed Martin Desert Hawk UAV, acquiredthrough a number of Urgent OperationalRequirements for first Iraq and then the cur-rent operations in Afghanistan. The latestMark III version acquired in 2010 has a dura-tion of 90minutes with a range of 15km andable to operate in the hot and high conditionsin Afghanistan in systems each of eight UAVs.

EMT’s Fancopter design was deployed inAfghanistan as part of the Bundeswehr’adesire for concept trails in 2009. Today around20 systems are in constant use in Germany ata number of sites being used to develop inte-grated capabilities in urban warfare. The com-pany’s fixed wing Aladin SUAV design whichhas a 10km range and is electrically powered.The company has over the past four yearsworked with partner Swiss UAV to developthe MUSECO rotary wing solution which cancarry more complex 20kg payloads.

Boeing is working with the MassachusettsInstitute of Technology to develop an iPhoneapp designed to provide intuitive controlinterfaces for Micro UAVs which in tests, hasbeen able to control a platforms some5000km distant.

UGVsWhile small UAVs may rule the urban airenvironment; small, compact and man-portable Unmanned Ground Vehicles(UGV) are also being used to investigatepotential IEDs and provide immediatereconnaissance after being thrown throughwindows, climbing stairs and even travelingdown ditches and tunnels to provide prior

l ASIAN MILITARY REVIEW l62

The view from a UAV or aircraft,with that imagery sent directlyto a patrol on the ground canalert troops to a potential threator deter an ambush from anopen roof © DoD

By adding the SearchStick,essentially a pole, to theRecon Scout XT UGV allowsusers to use its sensors to seeover walls © Recon Robotics

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warning of any threats.Recon Robotics was recently awarded an

order for 315 Recon Scout XT robots com-bined with a SearchStick device and worth$4.8m. The combination allows the UGV tobe used conventionally as a UGV but whenused with the pole it also allows the UGV’ssensors to be used to see over walls.

The iRobot company continues to supplyits PackBot Robot Systems to the US Armywith ongoing contracts, the post recent being a$60million order for up to 300 systems deliv-ered between now and mid 2016. The compa-ny is also supplying its man-transportablerobotic system (MTRS) MK 1 MOD 1 robots,based on the iRobot 510 to the US Navy under

a $230m contract. The company has also devel-oped a throwbot, launched in early 2011 withthe 2.3Kg 110 FirstLook and designed to with-stand a 4.6m drop onto concrete. However, itswork on the Future Combat Systems-heritageSmall Unmanned Ground Vehicle (SUGV)programme however was cancelled in Augustalong with work on the Brigade Combat TeamModernization project.

Marshall Land Systems EyeDrive wasdemonstrated at DSEi as a rugged “throw-bot” which can offers a 360° panoramic viewwith a tilt/zoom camera with integrated illu-mination and laser pointer to enable detailedexamination requirements and is guidedusing a semi-automatic navigation system.

Singapore’s latest UGV is the Rush, ademonstrator, tasked with tactical roles anduses chemical, biological, radiological andexplosive (CBRE) defence, combat supportand casualty evacuation modular missionpayloads. Made public in May, the Army hasnow begun full scale development.

Elbit Systems offering in the UGV rangeprincipally comprises the 3.5Kg one man

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l ASIAN MILITARY REVIEW l64

portable Mini-VIPeR and the larger Maxi-VIPeR which has tasks such as the CBRE mis-sions with its VIPeR robot, already opera-tional in the Israel Defense Forces under theHebrew name of Pazit.

Sniper detectionThe value of sniper detection systems hasbeen proven after several years operationalexperience mounted on vehicles. Largelyacoustic systems, the devices work by pro-viding the user with the direction of theincoming round based in its sound and muz-zle flash and its rough location allowing fir-ing in response to be more effective. Vehiclemounted solutions include Raytheon BBN’sBoomernang and Metravib’s Pilar. Work onoptimising systems for urban detection hasconcentrated on software enhancement toeliminate non-ballistic noise which would beconsiderable in a busy street or market.

IAI Elta’s EL/05320 uses short range infrared detection using an IR sensor to detectmuzzle flash and weighs less than 6Kg.Another IR based detection solution includesRafael’s Spotlight family which has a detec-tion range of over 1km and the with the P ver-sion of the Spotlite being soldier portable. Thecompany’s M variant is able to be placed onvery small vehicles and can also detect largerround such as RPGs. Other vehicle mountedsystems include AAI Textron’s ProjectileDetection and Cueing or PDCue which has arange of 1200m, Ratheon BBN’s Boomerangwith 10,000 shooter detection systemsdeployed to date and the O1dB-Metrvib’sPilar which can also detect mortar rounds andcan detect round at up to 2km.

There has been a recent significant push toensure that the same capability can be fieldedwith dismounted patrols. The Boomerang IIIvehicle mounted solution for example weighs8Kg and requires 25W of power, impracticalfor dismounted operations. Work on reducingsize, weight and power requirements whilestill retaining fidelity has proven to be a sur-mountable task. Systems weighing a few hun-dred grammes have been fielded, mounted on

soldier’s shoulders or on the weapon withinformation as to the location of fire presentedto the soldier aurally and on a wrist displayand potentially also on the screen of a BattleManagement System or situational awarenesssystem. Solutions that have been developedinclude Cobham’s Pinpoint, Ultra Electronics’500g Rifle Mounted Gunfire Locator which hasa stated success rate of 90 percent, O1dB-Metravib’s PilarW which weighs 350 grams, isNVG compatible and lasts for eight hours withtwo AA batteries and the 450g QinetiQ EARS/SWATS solutions selected by the US Army.

Rather than detect the potentially lethalshot after it is fired, more complex systemsdetect the optics used on the sniper’s longrange weapon by scanning an area automtical-ly with lasers including Rheinmetall’s SniperLocating System and the Cilas SLD 400 onmobile platforms and the SLD providinglonger range coverage for static locations.

To meet a recent urgent operational requirementfrom the French Army, Renault installed 80 SLATE(Acoustic Sniper Localization System) whichconsists the PILARw acoustic antenna fordetecting gunshots on board Renault VABsequipped with the Kongsberg Protector remoteweapon station © Renault

Singapore’s latest UGV isthe Rush, a demonstrator,tasked with tacticalroles and uses chemical,biological, radiological andexplosive defence

Elbit Systems’ VIPeR robot isalready operational in the IsraelDefense Forces under the Hebrewname of Pazit © Elbit Systems

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SOUTH ASIAOfficials from IInnddiiaa, Japan and the UnitedStates have met in the US capital for the inau-gural trilateral meeting during in which thethree said a broad range of regional issueswere discussed. The next meeting in theseries will be held in Tokyo later this year.India has announced its intention to becomea full member of the Shanghai CooperationOrganization, joining China, Kazakhstan,Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan andUzbekistan. India, along with Iran, Mongoliaand Pakistan, currently has observer status.The move was welcomed by Russia’sPresident Dmitry Medvedev. India andSingapore have conducted a joint militaryexercise based at Kalaikunda Air ForceStation in India where India flew MiG-21,MiG-27 and Hawk Mk 132 aircraft withSingapore deploying F-16D and RBS-70 mis-sile systems. The Indian Army is reported tohave set up a training plan for Afghan mili-tary personnel initially at the InternationalMilitary Academy in Dehra Dun and theOfficers Training Academy in Chennai andGaya. The plan is in response to a bi-lateralstrategic partnership announced in October.The Indian government has deployed 2000

further personnel in two Border Security Forcebattalions in the Naxalite areas of Chittorgarhand Orissa to combat the Maoist insurgents. The Indian Navy has outlined plans for a

potential acquisition of 3D air surveillanceradars for warships above 3,000 tonnestasked with detecting enemy aircraft, heli-copters and sea-skimming missiles. TheGlobal RFI will be used to compare the per-

formance of international radars againstdomestically developed solutions such as theDRDO’s Revathi maritime radar and its 3DCentral Acquisition Radar used on the AkashSurface to Air missile system, which is capa-ble of tracking 150 targets. India has cancelled plans to purchase 180,

40km range wheeled 155mm/52-calibrehowitzers worth an estimated $1 billion. Thecompetition was between Germany’sRheinmetall and Slovakia’s Konstrukta witha Samsung Techwin solution being eliminat-ed in 2009. South Africa’s Denel andSingapore Technologies were blacklistedfrom the competition in 2008. A Global RFIhas been issued for an initial purchase of65,000 assault rifles and underbarrel grenadelaunchers to replace the INSAS rifle.India is reported to have authorised the

acquisition of a further 20 BAE SystemsHawk trainers in a $680m deal to equip theSurya Kiran Air Force aerobatics team. Thedeal will take total orders to 143 aircraft with55 aircraft delivered to date by HindustanAeronautics. India has also finalised a dealto procurement a further 42 Su-30MKI air-craft from Russia, equipped to carry theBrahMos cruise missile and additionalweapon systems in a $3.6 billion deal.Deliveries will begin in 2014 and conclude in2018, taking a total Su-30MKI numbers inIAF service to 272. Vijaynagar Airfield, onthe border with China in northeasternArunachal Pradesh state has been reactivat-ed following its closure in 2009 for repairs.The base will host the new C-130J SuperHercules and An-32 transport aircraft.India’s DRDO developed RUSTOM-1 UAV

has concluded its fifth successful flight since2010. The 25 minute flight took place nearHosur, flying at a height of 2300 ft and aspeed 100 Knots. Kazan Helicopters hasdelivered the first batch of Mi-17V-5 helicop-ters from an order signed in 2008 for 80 air-craft. The Indian Air Force operates over 200Mi-8/17-type medium rotorcraft.India has conducted a joint training event

in Rajasthan between the Army and AirForce as part of the 10-day Sudarshan Shaktiexercise which tested network concepts formanoeuvre warfare. About 15,000 troopsfrom 21 Corps, including 300 T-90 and T-72tanks were involved.PPaakkiissttaann and CChhiinnaa have conducted a

bilateral counter-insurgency and counter-ter-rorism exercise in Jhelum in Pakistan'sPunjab province, the fourth in a series ofevents initiated in 2004.SSrrii LLaannkkaa’s Parliament has passed its

largest ever defence budget with majority of91, Raising the budget from $1.9 billion to$2.1 billion. Meanwhile, Sarath Fonseka, for-merly the country’s Army chief has beensentenced to three years in prison for com-ments that broke the country’s emergencylaws. Fonseka unsuccessfully challengedPresident Mahinda Rajapaksa in last year’spresidential election.The first batteries of Chinese sourced FM-

90/HQ-70 short-range air defense missiles,similar to the Thales Crotale, have been fieldedwith the BBaannggllaaddeesshh Air Force near Dhaka.

66 ASIAN MILITARY REVIEW

Asia Pacific Procurement UpdateThe latest $3.6 billion deal for 42 Su-30MKI air-craft, which will carry the BrahMos cruise missile,will take total numbers to 272 by 2018 © AJB

Asia Pacific Procurement Update

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SOUTH EAST ASIAWhile visiting IInnddoonneessiiaa for the East AsiaSummit, US National Security Advisor TomDonilon outlined the country’s "all-in" Asiastrategy in which he met with all 25 partici-pating nations in multilateral for a furtherten bilateral meetings with heads of state.Donilon said that the US will continue tosupport a strong security presence in Asiadespite defence cuts. Defense-relatedannouncements during Obama's Asia tripincluded an agreement with Australia toestablish a rotational deployment of Marinesto train with Australian military forces.A joint communiqué by Barrack Obama

and Indonesian President Susilo BambangYudhoyono announced the upgrade andtransfer of 24 Excess Defense Article F-16Block 25 aircraft to the Indonesian Air Force.The offer and acceptance letter are expectedto be ready to be signed in early 2012 withthe delivery beginning by July 2014. At least30 Indonesian pilots will receive F-16 train-ing in the United States with mobile trainingteams from the United States trainingIndonesian aircraft maintainers locally. Fouradditional Block 25 jets and two Block 15 air-craft will be supplied for spare parts.ThalesRaytheonSystems have delivered

a second defense radar station to TentaraNasional Indonesia Angkatan Udara in theeast of the country. South Korean shipyard Daewoo has

signed a $1.1billion deal with Indonesia tobuild three 1400 tonne submarines withdelivery due to be completed in early 2018with the boat potentially being built at PTPAL's facilities in Surabaya.Indonesia has signed into law the

Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treatyon December 6th. One hundred and eighty-two countries have signed the Treaty, ofwhich 156 have also ratified it leaving onlyeight countries of the world yet to sign up.The USS Stethem visited Dili, East

Timor and conducted two days of traininglocal personnel in maintenance and repair.During Exercise Bersama Lima in

MMaallaayyssiiaa, Tranche 2 Typhoon aircraft from6 Sqn RAF flew from Leuchars via Jordan,Oman and Sri Lanka to participate in over70 sorties and 164 flying hours with RoyalAustralian Air Force F/A-18s, RoyalMalaysian Air Force MIG-29s and F/A-18s,

Republic of Singapore Air Force F-15SGand F-16s. Boeing has been awarded a $17.3million Foreign Military Sales program toupgrade the Royal Malaysian Air Force’seight F/A-18D Hornet aircraft with workdue to be completed in April 2015.Malaysia has also requested the potentialsale of 20 Raytheon AIM-9X-2 SidewinderBlock II all-up-round missiles, associatedequipment and parts worth $52m andwould be delivered via the US DefenseSecurity Cooperation Agency. Sapura said at the Langkawi Maritime &

Aerospace Exhibition (LIMA) that it wasclose to concluding a service agreement forthe Malaysian government covering the useof its Cybereye II UAV to monitor EastMalaysia and based in Sabah. At LIMA,Schiebel’s Camcopter was the only UAVtaking part in flight displays. The first of 12EC725 helicopters ordered by the MalaysianAir Force in 2010 has rolled off the produc-tion line in France. The event was beamedlive to a VIP audience at LIMA. Deliverieswill begin next year and conclude in 2014.The new head of the Armed Forces of

the PPhhiilliippppiinneess, Lt. Gen. Jessie Dellosa hasemphasised the need for territorial defence,disaster relief and a renewed counter-cor-ruption campaign amongst his priorities.Following Indonesia’s success with the USon F-16’s Philippine officials have said thatManila is seeking to acquire 12 excess F-16sfor its own Air Force, replacing the F-5s it

retired some years ago. The Philippines AirForce as cleared its OV-10 fleet to fly afterone of the aircraft crashed in Novemberafter suffering engine problems.HTMS Krabi, a BAE Systems designed

90m Offshore Patrol Vessel built at theMahidol Adulyadej Naval Dockyard for theRRooyyaall TThhaaii NNaavvyy was launched inDecember, only 15 months after the keelwas laid. The design is a longer variant ofthe Royal Navy’s River class patrol vessels.The Royal Thai Navy has also awardedAtlas Elektronik a contract for its Seafox Iand C variant mine-neutralisation systems.Cambodia and Thailand have established anagreement to withdraw their militaries fromaround the Preah Vihear temple and respectthe provisional border arrangement estab-lished by the International Court of Justice.BBrruunneeii has signed the contract for 12 S-

70i Black Hawk helicopters, with Sikorskyscheduled to deliver the new helicoptersfrom 2013.The UK and VViieettnnaamm have signed a

Memorandum Of Understanding inLondon part of a growing defence andsecurity relationship that saw the StrategicPartnership Declaration between the twosigned on 8th September 2010. Vietnam isto receive a further two Gepard class anti-submarine warfare frigates to be built byRussia’s Zelenodolsk Gorky Plant, takingthe number of the vessels ordered or inservice with Vietnam to four.

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The first EC725 to roll offthe production line wasfilmed live for VIPs at LIMAin December © Eurocopter

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EAST ASIATTaaiiwwaann has sent the first two of four E-2Taircraft, which have had a fifteen yearservice life back to the US for upgrade tothe Hawkeye 2000 standard which is dueto be completed by the end of 2011. Theupgrade is part of a $6.5 billion arms saleagreed with Taiwan in 2008 which alsocovered Patriot missiles and Apache attackhelicopters. Raytheon has announced acontract valued at $685.7 million to supplyadditional new Patriot air and missiledefence systems to the country.Indonesia and SSoouutthh KKoorreeaa have

signed a Memorandum of Agreement formutual logistics support on overseaspeacekeeping deployments, exercises andrescue operations. Raytheon has confirmed that it is sub-

mitting its Raytheon Advanced CombatRadar system for Korea’s F-16 radarupgrade competition. The company’sactive electronically scanned array tech-nology is fielded with the USAF’s F-15Caircraft with 250,000 operational flightshours accumulated. South Korea’s Agency for Defense

Development has unveiled its new IronHawk II high-altitude medium-range

interceptor. The missile is designed toengage ballistic missiles from the North.The country’s Air Force has admitted thata test fire of a SLAM-ER missile in Junefrom an F-15K failed. A second trial imme-diately afterwards was however success-ful. Plans to acquire a 1000km range sur-face to surface missile that could reach alltargets in North Korea is experiencingopposition from the US administrationbecause of concerns about how Pyongyangmight react.A new tilt rotor UAV developed by the

Ministry of Knowledge Economy andKorea Aerospace Research Institute hasbeen unveiled. Work on the 400Kmph air-craft which began in 2002, is described asthe world's fastest UAV.NNoorrtthh KKoorreeaa meanwhile is expected to

complete work on an experimental light-water nuclear reactor by 2015 allowing pro-duction of low-enriched uranium. Both areconsidered ‘areas of concern’ by the USbecause of their potential for use in the pro-duction of nuclear weapons.The former Varyag aircraft carrier, now

in CChhiinneessee service has competed refittingand shore-based testing following initialseas trial in August. The second set of trialsbegan in November. The People Liberation

Army has formed a new strategic planningdepartment in support of the Army’sGeneral staff to provide guidance for longterms resource allocations and future struc-tures, located in Beijing. The Seychelles isto allow China to establish a naval resup-ply base on its territory following DefenseMinister General Liang Guanglie’s visit tothe country in December. The site will beChina’s first overseas military base.JJaappaann has formally announced that it

has selected the Lockheed Martin F-35 JointStrike Fighter (JSF) to place its F-4 fleet.Japan will acquire 42 of the aircraft with thefirst four being delivered in 2013, each ofthese costing $127million. The JSF beat itstwo other competitors, the Boeing F/A-18E/F Super Hornet and EurofighterTyphoon. Japan’s Coast Guard has orderedan Explorer autonomous underwater vehi-cle from Canada’s International SubmarineEngineering and will be used for marinesearch-and-rescue and survey operations.Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force destroy-er, the JDS Kirisame completed a five dayvisit to the port of Qingdao on China’s east-ern seaboard, the first such visit since bilat-eral navy exchanges were halted afterJapanese coast guard vessels were rammedby Chinese trawlers.

Japan has announced it is toacquire 42 F-35 to replace itsfleet of F-4J aircraft © DoD

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AUSTRALASIAAAuussttrraalliiaa has announced twelve new addi-tions to the list of companies and organisa-tions that are part of Rapid Prototyping,Development and Evaluation Program.The twelve include Elbit Systems,Etherstack, Pilatus and the Frazier NashConsultancy. The programme is a means tobring defence, industry and academic insti-tutions together to address complex prob-lems and has contributed to more than athird of the projects in the country’sDefence Capability Plan.HMAS Kanimbla, the Royal Australian

Navy’s Amphibious Landing Platform hasbeen formally decommissioned in Sydneyleaving a gap in capability until the CanberraClass Landing Helicopter Dock enters serv-ice. The former Royal Navy Largs Bay, nowrenamed the ADFS Choules is due to becommissioned to take on an interim role. Australian firm JEDS has signed an

agreement with Terma A/S to support theDanish company’s C-Raid solution

designed to provide real-time situationalawareness for small boat teams.Australia’s Wedgetail AEW&C aircraft

participated in the Five Power DefenceArrangement Exercise BERSAMA LIMA2011 working with the armed forces ofMalaysia, New Zealand, Singapore and theUnited Kingdom in Maritime Strike andOffensive and Defensive Counter Air oper-ations. In December, Australia sought per-mission to acquire ten C-27J via the USDefense Security Cooperation Agency in a$950 million deal. Australia began fieldingthe Shadow 200 UAV in Afghanistan inDecember after the systems arrived inAustralia in August. The Shadow willreplace 16 ScanEagle UAVs leased fromInsitu Pacific which will complete with-drawal in 2012.Eurocopter has handed over ARH022,

the last of 22 production Project Air 87Tiger Armed Reconnaissance Helicopterreplacing the both the Bell 206B-1 (Kiowa)reconnaissance and UH1-H (Iroquois)gunship helicopters. The fifteenth aircraft

in Australia’s order for 46 MRH90s heli-copters has been delivered to theAustralian Defence Force in December bylocal manufacturer Australian Aerospace.The Australian press has reported that the46 strong NH-90 helicopter programmehas been placed on its official projects ofconcern list. The programme is alreadytwo years behind schedule with the risk offurther delay.Rheinmetall MAN and Thales have both

been awarded contracts on Project Land121 which overall is valued at A$7.6 billion.The German company will supply 2700protected and unprotected tactical vehicleswith Thales provides 1300 of its newHawkei vehicles. Australia has completeddelivery of 437 M3 Carl Gustaf 84mmweapons and thermal sights replacing theearlier and heavier M2 versions over thepast 12 months.The first two NH90 helicopters of a total

of nine ordered for the Royal NNeeww ZZeeaallaannddAir Force in 2006 have arrived in NewZealand ahead of schedule.

The fifteenth MRH90 was delivered to theADF in December © Australian Aerospace

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