Armada Armada 4

THE TRUSTED SOURCE FOR DEFENCE TECHNOLOGY INFORMATION SINCE 1976
Issue 3/2013
INTERNATIONAL
June/July
D a s s a u l t
A v i a t i o n
S n e c m a
T h a l e s
PEMA2m - Photo F. Robineau - Dassault Aviation
OMNIROLE
Rafale carries out different complex combat assignments simultaneously. This makes it different
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DGI_Omnirole_Uk_216-276_2013-05-20.indd 1
21/05/13 12:15
THE TRUSTED SOURCE FOR DEFENCE TECHNOLOGY INFORMATION SINCE 1976
Contents
3/2013
INTERNATIONAL
www.armada.ch | www.armadainternational.com
26
TRANSPORT AIRCRAFT SELF PROTECTION
TRANSPORT AIRCRAFT
SELF-PROTECTION
I Luca Peruzzi
In the weeks that preceded the launch of air
operations over Libya, a number of Nato
countries, reportedly Germany, Great Britain
and Italy, deployed Transall C160s
and C130Js in challenging missions inside
Libyan territory, landing on strips and
airfields near oil camps to extract national
and international citizens and workers.
06
16
34
LASER-GUIDED ROCKETS
ATTACK HELICOPTERS
HIGH TIER AIR DEFENCE
LASER-GUIDED ROCKETS,
AT LONG LAST!
ATTACK HELICOPTER
WEAPONS
MOBILE ABM SYSTEMS TO

PROTECT DOWNRANGE FORCES
I Roy Braybrook
I Roy Braybrook
I Paolo Valpolini
42
54
TRAINING AIRCRAFT
C2 BLOS SATCOM
COMPENDIUM SUPPLEMENT
TRAINERS, AVIATIONS
SINE QUA NON
SATCOMS FOR BEYOND-LINE-OFSIGHT COMMAND AND CONTROL
DRONES
I Roy Braybrook
I Thomas Withington
I Eric Biass and Roy Braybrook
INTERNATIONAL
3/2013
03
Index
I INDEX TO ADVERTISERS
AAI TEXTRON
C2
EUROSAM
45
RAYTHEON
15
AR MODULAR
23
EUROSATORY
53
ROSOBORONEXPORT
25
ARMADA SUBSCRIPTION
49
IAI - MBT
SAAB
27
BRIDEX
59
IAI MALAT
SCHIEBEL
C4
CERADYNE
39
IDEAS PAKISTAN
65
SINGAPORE AIRSHOW
C3
DASSAULT RAFALE
C2
L3 Wescam
25
SMI
61
DCI
33
MBDA
19
TRIMBLE GNSS
15
DDC
31
NEXTER
37
TRIJICON
13
DEFENCE & SECURITY THAILAND
51
NORTHROP GRUMMAN
ULTRALIFE
DSA MALAYSIA
57
ODU
41
VIASAT
DSEI
C3
PACIFIC AUSTRALIA
47
ELBIT
11
RAFAEL
C4
17-19
Entries highlighted with Red numbers are

found in Compendium Drone 2013
Military air transportation is undergoing a quiet,

but significant, revolution with non-American and
non-Russian manufacturers like Military Airbus
and even Embraer now offering serious
alternatives to the market, as exemplified by the
KC-390 (featured on our cover in mock-up form),
which is slated to make its maiden flight next year.
Volume 37,
Issue No. 3, June 2013/July 2013
INTERNATIONAL
I INDEX TO MANUFACTURERS
Companies mentioned in this issue. Where there are multiple references to a company in an article,only the first
occurence and subsequent photographs are listed below
AeroVironment
Airbus
10
27,29,33,64
Alenia Aermacchi
42,43,48
Embraer
46,31
Piaggio
29
Emerson Electric
16
Pilatus
45,46,48
Enaer
42
Pratt & Whitney
30
28
Priora Robotics
11
Alloy Surfaces
28
Etienne Lacroix
Almaz Antey
41
Eurocopter
Antonov
64
Eurosam
Armtec Defence
28
General Atomics
Aselsan
28
General Dynamics
ASN Technology
32
General Electric
16,18
QinetiQ
38
Rafael
7,4
Raytheon
7,16,20,24
16,50
GIDS
31
Roketsan
Grob Aircraft
44
Rolls Royce
Augusta Westland
17,22,31,8
HAL
Aurora Flight Sciences
14
Harpia Systems
Austro Engines
44
Harris CapRock
AVIC
52
Honeywell
Avibras
30
IAI
7,11,28,50,4
IMI
BAE Systems
Beechcraft
11,46
17,48,50
30
Sagem
Saphir
28
Indra
27,32,32
42,50
31
Saab
58,62
28,9
13,14,21,28
Rosoboronexport
45,46,10
22,40,4,5,9
18,24
Rheinmetall Waffe Munition
6,13,18,28
58,60
8,20,36,3,16
Rheinmetall
ATK
Astrium
16
24,37
28,,64,8,35
32,5
27
Schiebel
8,35
Schweizer
Selex ES
31,29
Bell
7,13,16,17,8
Integrated Dynamics
32
Sierra Nevada
Boeing
8,18,50,5,8
ITT Exelis
24
Sikorsky
11,13,8,9
18,21
Snecma
44,48
Boeing-Insitu
Casc
Cassidian
32
23,28,43,5,9
Kamov
Kanfit
28
Sukhoi
Kilgore Falres
28
Symetric Industries
28
46
Telespazio
60
Terma
28
Chemring Countermeasures
28
Korea Aerospace Industries
Cirrus Aircraft Industries
43
L3
Continental Motors
44
Lancair Legacy
Cyb-Aero
35
Lockheed Martin
8
42
8,11,23,48,4,9
Textron
Martin Baker
44
Thales
17,22
Mauser
18
Thales Alenia Space
Diamond Aircraft
42,44
MBDA
Diehl BGT Defence
24,32
Meggit Defence Systems
Doss Aviation
42
Elbit Systems
13,30,4,24
MiL
Novaer Craft
Elettronica
30
Nexter
Elisra Electronic Systems
28
Northrup Grumman
Elta
04
40,5
Paradigm
INTERNATIONAL
3/2013
14,21,27,32,9
28
17,18
42
17,18
8,28,30,55,8
58
Texas Instruments Paveway
Denel Land Systems
Dassault
45
Thielert Aircraft Engines

TAI
7
10
27,32,55,4,35
60
44
44,46,28
Univision
10
Utva Aviation Industry
43
ViaSat
Wallop Defence Systems
Yakovlev
60,62
28
42,50
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Laser-Guided Rockets
Laser-Guided
Rockets,
at Long Last!
The military need for low-cost semi-active
laser-homing guided rocket projectiles has
been evident for decades. Suddenly, half a dozen
manufacturers are vying to satisfy that need.
The very latest news on the

laser-guided rocket front
comes from ATK with the award of
a Defence Acquisition Challenge
contract to supply its Gatr for
Special Ops Command
evaluation. (ATK)
06
INTERNATIONAL
3/2013
Roy Braybrook
ecent operations have highlighted the

fact that anti-armour guided
weapons that were developed to meet
the demands of a major European
war are an unnecessarily expensive means
to attack todays counterinsurgency targets,
typified by small groups of personnel
or light vehicles.
The high cost of weapons used (or
misused) in Afghanistan from 2001 and Iraq
from 2003 has caused serious concern, and
so has the bad publicity associated with
collateral damage and casualties. Weapons
with undesirable side-effects have to be
carefully restricted in use, consequently
leaving many targets unscathed.
A lighter missile would reduce cost and
collateral effects, and allow a helicopter to
carry more guided weapons, achieving more
soft target kills per sortie.
A further consideration has been the
growing use of armed drones. Weighing 45
kg, the Hellfire is sufficiently light to be
carried by the US Air Forces General
Quite apart from being less expensive than a

full-flown missile, laser-guided rockets would
address the current trend for weapons that
minimize collateral damage. Earlier
generation weapons needed high explosive
power to compensate for a lower degree of
accuracy, something that is no longer
politically correct. (BAE Systems)
Atomics 1157 kg MQ-1 Predator and 4763

kg MQ-9 Reaper, and the US Armys 1633 kg
MQ-1C Grey Eagle. However, an even
lighter missile would allow the arming
of small drones, operated in much larger
numbers.
In principle, arming lightweight drones
would reduce response times, saving lives
and engaging fleeting targets, and put close
air support back in the warriors own hands.
There has thus for many years been a clear
need for a missile to fill the wide gap between
cheap unguided rocket projectiles such as the
$ 2,000 70 mm General Dynamics Hydra-70
and costly antitank guided weapons like the $
90,000 laser-homing Hellfire.
This gap-filler needs only a small
warhead, but it must be delivered with metric
precision. It also needs sufficient range to
minimise the risk of the launch aircraft
receiving return fire from the target area.
One way to reduce the cost of the new
system is to develop a bolt-on guidance and
control kit for stockpiled rockets. However,
there may also be a substantial market for
a brand-new 70 mm LGR (laser-guided
rocket), using a more powerful motor to
offset the weight penalty of the guidance and
control module, in combination with a
modern warhead family.
The Texas Instruments Paveway LGB
(laser-guided bomb) was first used
operationally by the US Air Force McDonnell
F-4E in Vietnam in April 1972. The BAE
Systems APKWS (Advanced Precision Kill
Weapon System) LGR, a converted Hydra-70
rocket projectile, was first employed
operationally in Afghanistan almost exactly
40 years later, in March 2012, from the US
Marine Corps Bell AH-1W and UH-1Y.
I NOT ROCKET SCIENCE
Why this advance should have taken four

whole decades may partly be explained by the
fact that only recently (post-September 2001)
have we witnessed a return to colonial-style
wars, in which the troublemaker lives next
door to innocent civilians. Another factor
may have been that the two senior US
services each hoped that the other would
provide the funding for LGR development.
Industry may have felt deterred from
private-venturing laser-guided rocket development, due to the high cost of clearing a new
weapon for a specific helicopter, when the
Pentagon was incapable of deciding which
service and which helicopters would use it.
The APKWS programme was launched
in 1996, when the Department of Army
INTERNATIONAL
3/2013
07
approved a Mission Need Statement (MNS),

essentially for an affordable weapon for the
Boeing AH-64 to use against soft and lightly
armoured targets outside cannon range.
However, the Operational Requirement
Document (ORD) was formally approved
only in 2000.
In 1999 the services Aviation and Missile
Command (Amcom) had requested industry
proposals for an Advanced Technology
Demonstration (ATD) programme designated
LCPK GR (Low-Cost Precision Kill, Guided
Rocket). This was to provide the basis for the
Directorate of Combat Development (DCD)
APKWS, associated with a unit cost goal of
only $ 8,000.
Following ATD flight trials, in 2003 the
prime contractor for the APKWS-I was
announced as General Dynamics, the
manufacturer of the Hydra-70, with BAE
Systems (selected over Raytheon) as
subcontractor for the guidance and control
system.
However, initial tests gave poor results,
with three out of four flight tests failing.
The contract was cancelled in January
2005, the Army stating that the APKWS-I
was running late and not meeting
requirements. In addition, the prices
08
INTERNATIONAL
3/2013
BAE Systems is under US Navy contract to

integrate the APKWS on the Northrop
Grumman MQ-8B Fire Scout. This artists
impression shows the drone with APKWS
rockets in three-round launchers, giving a
limited air strike capability from ships too small
to operate manned aircraft. (BAE Systems)
tendered for the first production lots were

said to be unacceptably high.
In the following 15 months, using its own
funds, BAE Systems attacked the problems
that plagued the original programme, and
successfully carried out three guided flights.
The principal challenges appear to have been
to package the system in a small space, to
develop a system that would survive the
extreme temperature range encountered
(from subsonic carriage at altitude to over
Mach 2.0 after launch), and to design reliable
wing-slot seals.
I APKWS-II
In September 2005 the US Army reopened

the competition, requesting proposals under
the designation APKWS-II for a system
planned for service in 2008.
In April 2006 BAE Systems (teamed with
General Dynamics and Northrop Grumman)
was selected as the new prime contractor and

was awarded a $ 41.9 million SDD (system
development and demonstration) contract.
The company had won over teams led by
Lockheed Martin and Raytheon Systems.
In February 2007 the US Army zerofunded the APKWS in the FY2008 budget
request, but in August 2007 the US Marine
Corps issued a formal statement of need for
the system. In November 2008 the programme
was formally transferred to the US Navy, and
funding was resumed. The hiatus is estimated
to have set the programme back by at least five
months, formal flight testing being delayed
from August 2006 to January 2007.
Despite having dropped the APKWS, in
August 2009 the US Army issued a request
for information on lightweight (less than 22.7
kg) precision strike weapons under the
Ampm (Aviation Multi-Platform Munition)
programme to arm the Bell OH-58D. Three
types were tested in 2009, but the US Army
appears to be waiting to see how the Marine
Corps APKWS performs in service.
A
January
2007
Government
Accountability Office report (GAO-07406SP) assessing APKWS II refers to R&D
costs of $ 208.4 million, and the production of
71,637 rounds costing $1,296.6 million. The
HAROP.
Loiter. Locate. Eliminate
IAIs HAROP: searches like a UAS,

attacks like a missile
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/DXQFKIURPVHDOHGFDQLVWHU

+LJKTXDOLW\GXDO(2,5VHHNHU

0DQLQWKHORRSVHOHFWLYHDWWDFNYLDZD\

GDWDOLQN

7RSRUVODQWHGDWWDFN

$ERUWDWWDFNHYHQGXULQJQDOGLYH

+LJKO\HIIHFWLYHZDUKHDG

SLQSRLQWDFFXUDF\
www.iai.co.il
SEE US AT
PARIS AIR SHOW 2013
Chalet A-206
resulting total programme cost of $1,505

million gave a unit cost of $21,000, all in
FY2007 values.
The APKWS is claimed to be one-third
the weight and cost of laser-guided weapons
generally in use by US forces. A figure of
$28,500 has been published for the guidance
and control module, and the Hydra-70
reportedly costs between $1,500 and $2,000.
In 2010 APKWS development was
completed, and the first of two LRIP (lowrate initial production) contracts was
awarded by the US Navy to BAE Systems.
Service acceptance trials were performed by
the Navys VX-9 Air Test and Evaluation
Squadron at Naval Air Weapons Station
China Lake in California, the 35th and final
round being fired in January 2012.
The 925th and final LRIP round was
delivered in September 2012, two months after
the award of the first full-rate contract for 1000
units. The initial user of APKWS is the US
Marine Corps, with an urgent need for more
suitable attack weapons for Afghanistan.
I ENDURING FREEDOM
The APKWS was cleared initially on the Bell

AH-1W SuperCobra attack helicopter and
then on the UH-1Y Venom utility (Bell has

recently qualified it on the 407GT). In March
2012 the first APKWS rounds were sent to
Afghanistan, and operational use began later
in the month.
The APKWS WGU-59/B guidance and
control module is retrofitted in the body of
the Hydra-70, leaving the nose-mounted fuze
and warhead sections unaffected. Four
sensors are located on the leading edges of
wings that unfold from slots in the body
within 0.5 seconds, as the projectile leaves the
launch tube. Each of the sensors is a tenelement fibre-optic seeker, giving a 40-degree
instantaneous field of regard.
The sensors are required to detect a laserdesignated target at 8,000 metres, and in
acquisition tests have achieved much greater
distances. Control is effected by means of
flaperons mounted on the wing trailing edges.
This Dasals (Distributed Aperture SemiActive Laser Seeker) arrangement rules out
lock-on before launch (Lobl), but it protects
the seekers throughout the aircraft sortie, and
especially while adjacent rounds are being
fired. (The only other known application for
the Dasals is the ATK XM395 Precision
Guided Mortar Munition).
The APKWS appears to have been

conceived around the Hydra-70 with the
M151 ten-pound high explosive warhead.
The guidance and control module adds 47 cm
to its 1.472 metre length, and 4.4 kg to its 10.4
kg weight. The guided round is normally
fired from a lengthened seven-tube LAU68F/A launcher, developed to accommodate
the 1.799 metre Hydra-70 with M257/278
illuminating flare warhead.
The M152 and M282 warheads have also
been approved for the APKWS, and PMA242
(the Navair project office for Direct and TimeSensitive Weapons) has developed for this
application the M149 Mod 0 flechette warhead.
The APKWS already has an effective
range of 1,100 to 5,000 metres, and it is hoped
later to clear it to a minimum firing range
(from helicopters) of 500 metres. By 2010 it
had already met the system reliability
requirement of 86%, this figure being the
product of a 95% guidance reliability, 91%
warhead reliability and 99% motor reliability.
I FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
In February 2011 the US Navy and Air Force

awarded BAE Systems a $ 19.7 million, 27month JCTD (Joint Concept Technology
Over Afghanistan, the starboard door

gunner of a US Marine Corps Bell UH-1Y,
leaning on his 7.62 mm six-barrel M134
machine gun, looks for targets for the
BAE Systems APKWS LGR, four rounds
of which protrude from a seven-tube
LAU-68F/A launcher. (US Navy)
10
INTERNATIONAL
3/2013
In spite of successful trials, the Talon developed in co-operation with the Emirates
Advanced Investment Group is still awaiting an order from the United Arab Emirates for
whom it is primarily intended. (Raytheon)
Demonstration) contract to develop a FixedWing APKWS with explosively-deployed

wings, to allow firings from fast jets,
specifically the Republic A-10 and Boeing
AV-8B. (APKWS has already been fired from
the Beechcraft AT-6 turboprop trainer.)
To minimise dispersion of the unguided
Hydra-70, it has to be boosted quickly
through the helicopter downwash, the rocket
motor taking it to over Mach 2.0 in less than
two seconds. However, if the APKWS is
launched from a fixed-wing platform, it
peaks even faster, generating higher drag on
the control wings as they deploy from the
body. In extreme, the wings will fail to deploy
in time for their sensors to acquire the target,
and the round will be unguided.
Central Command has issued a need
statement for the APKWS to be integrated
with the Sikorsky MH-60S Knighthawk,
which would use the 19-tube LAU-61G/A
launcher in place of the seven-tube LAU68F/A. The MH-60S would primarily use
the APKWS in defending surface vessels
against fast attack craft. A decision on this
application is expected in FY2014.
Looking to the future, in September 2012
the US Navy awarded BAE Systems a contract
to integrate APKWS on the Northrop
Grumman MQ-8B Fire Scout drone.
I TALON
Although the APKWS has the backing of the

US Navy, and may be adopted by the US Air
Force for its fast jets, it is possible that the US
Army (requiring greater rocket numbers)
will select a different system. It is also
conceivable that some market elements
(especially in the context of ground-ground
firings) may require lock-on before launch,
ruling out APKWS.
The companies with most experience of
producing seekers for laser-guided bombs

are Raytheon and Lockheed Martin, both of
which feel that the LGR battle is far from over.
Raytheon is developing its Talon under a
co-operative agreement with the Abu Dhabibased Emirates Advanced Investment Group.
The guidance module with Raytheons
Common Digital Seeker is attached to the
front end of a Hydra-70 and control is
effected by three fold-out canards.
Talon test firings have taken place from
hovering and moving AH-64Ds, from a
minimum range of 1,200 metres to a
maximum of 6,000 metres.
If the United Arab Emirates places a launch
order for the Talon to arm the AH-64D, the
first conversion kits will be manufactured by
Raytheon at Tucson, Arizona. Manufacture
of the guidance and control section will later
be transferred to EAI, but the laser seeker will
remain a Raytheon product.
I DAGR
Lockheed Martin completed development of

its Dagr (Direct Attack Guided Rocket) in
INTERNATIONAL
3/2013
11
Given the high hit probability of LGRs,

helicopters will need to carry less rounds,
hence there is a strong case for new
launchers. This design houses four Dagrs,
with the much larger Hellfires added
externally. (Lockheed Martin)
December 2012, having made over 40

guided flights. These included hits on both
fixed and moving targets in both lock-on
before and after launch modes at ranges
from 1,500 to 6,000 metres, in daylight and
total darkness, and in high winds. The
company has developed two- and fourtube launchers, and has also groundlaunched the Dagr from a newly developed
Hellfire/Dagr pedestal launcher.
Lockheed Martin has a contract with the
12
INTERNATIONAL
3/2013
US Army Joint Attack Munitions Systems

programme office to manufacture Dagr
missiles and rail-mounted canisters for
unspecified use. This may relate to press
reports that Dagr is in limited production
under US funding to arm Iraqi Air Force
Mi-171s and ATK AC-208Bs, and Iraqi
Army Air Corps Mi-17s.
System qualification of the Dagr is
scheduled for early 2013, to be followed by
airworthiness release testing on several
rotary-wing platforms.
A further
development is the Dagr/Hellfire Strike Kit
(DHSK), a bolt-on fire control system for air
and surface platforms. The latter is evidently
a reference to the Joint Light Tactical Vehicle
being developed to replace the Humvee.
This DHSK may be based on the four-
Hellfire M299 rack that is carried below the

port wing of some Hercules, and could be
modified to take up to 16 Dagrs. Such an
installation is (at least) under consideration
for the US Marine Corps KC-130J Harvest
Hawk Capability II programme, and the
Precision Strike Package for the Afsoc AC130W Stinger and AC-130J.
I GATR
The basic design of the Hydra-70 dates from

the early post-WW2 period, hence there may
well be a market for a completely new design
using modern materials. One such missile is
the 1.8-metre Gatr (Guided Advanced
Tactical Rocket) being developed by Alliant
Techsystems (ATK) and Elbit Systems.
The Gatr retains the MK66 propellant
Although Lockheed Martin did not win the US

Navy-led contest to produce an LGR for Marine
Corps helicopters, its Dagr is in limited
production under US Army funding, and
appears likely to arm some US Marine Corps
and Afsoc Hercules. (Lockheed Martin)
grain used in Hydra-70, but has an advanced

nozzle, and a new tail and warhead (by ATK),
combined with a mature laser seeker by Elbit,
as used on its Lizard LGB and Star (Smart
Tactical Airborne Rocket). The new warhead
is available in two versions: penetrator and
enhanced blast/fragmentation.
The Gatr can be used in either lock-on
before and after launch modes and has a
range of 8,000 metres. It has been tested on
the Bell OH-58D and Sikorsky/Elbit Armed
Black Hawk (ABH), and is seen as a likely
candidate for Israels AH-64s and AH-1s.
I CIRIT
Another laser-guided 70 mm rocket, but

developed from scratch, is the Roketsan
Cirit, named after a Turkish wooden sporting
javelin traditionally used by cavalry
units. Designed to fulfil a Turkish Army
requirement associated with the new TAI
Turkeys 70-mm Cirit LGR, exhibited on a Roketsan stand in newly developed two- and fourround launchers. Cirit is shown below two Umtas air-ground missiles and alongside an
Omtas ground-ground weapon. (Armada/RB)
T129 Atak helicopter (and the AH-1W), the

Cirit has a maximum range of 8,000 metres.
The Cirit has a launch weight of 15 kg and
a length of 1.90 metres. Roketsan has
developed two new warheads: one high
explosive and the other a multi-purpose
device combining armour penetration, antipersonnel and incendiary effects. The
company has also developed twin- and fourtube launchers for the new missile.
The Cirit can be fired in a Lobl mode, or
cruise on inertial guidance (using a
lightweight Goodrich IMU) with laser
homing only in the terminal phase. It can
14
INTERNATIONAL
3/2013
also be fired in an unguided mode with wings

locked retracted, to deal with pop-up shortrange targets.
In mid-2012 it was reported that 100
Cirits had been delivered to the Turkish
military for R&D and qualification firings,
and that 2,000 production units would
be manufactured for the Turkish Army.
The Cirit is also to be tested on the
Eurocopter EC635.
At IDEX in Abu Dhabi in February 2013, it
was announced that the United Arab
Emirates had ordered Cirits to the value of
approximately $196 million.
Although most LGR developments

emphasise light weight and low collateral
effects, some heavy guided rockets are being
developed. Notably, Russia has developed
the laser-guided 122-mm S-13L and 340mm S-25L.
In 2009-2010 MBDA tested the 127-mm
Laser-Guided Zuni Rocket, developed
under a CRDA (Cooperative R&D
Agreement) with the Weapons Division of
the Naval Air Warfare Center at China Lake,
California. This missile has a nose-mounted
WGU-58/B guidance and control module,
weighs 68 kg and carries an 18 kg warhead
for a distance of up to 16 km. It featured in
the US Marine Corps aviation weapons
roadmap of 2007, but currently appears to
be on the backburner.
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Attack Helicopters
Attack Helicopter
Weapons
All helicopters are weight-sensitive, hence the emphasis
in choosing their weapons is invariably on lightness.
However, whereas utility helicopters need armament for
all-round self-defence, attack helicopters need
forward-firing weapons that can destroy hardened
objectives from a safe standoff distance, and
a flexibly-mounted gun for less demanding targets.
Roy Braybrook
t the bottom end of the weapons

scale, machine guns are not
normally used by attack
helicopters, although the Bell AH1G Cobra began life with an Emerson
Electric TAT-102A chin turret housing a
General Electric GAU-2B/A six-barrel 7.62
mm Minigun. Likewise, the Mil Mi-24
assault helicopter was initially equipped with
the four-barrel 12.7 mm Yakushev-Borsov
(Yak-B) 9A624 in a chin turret.
Cannon have almost universally taken over

from machine guns as turreted armament, but
the German Army Eurocopter Tiger UHTs at
present can carry automatic weapons only in
the form of fixed gunpods.
The Tiger UHTs deployed with KHR36
(Kampfhubschrauberregiment 36) to
Afghanistan in December 2012 were cleared
to use FN Herstal HMP400 pods, each with a
12.7 mm M3P machine gun and 400 rounds.
The pod weighs 138 kg and the gun fires at
1025 rd/min.
Modified by Eurocopter to Asgard-F
(Afghanistan Stabilisation German Army
The three-barrel 20 mm General Dynamics Armament and Technical Products M197 is shown
in turreted form on a Bell AH-1W SuperCobra operating with the US Marine Corps 15th Marine
Expeditionary Unit from the Tarawa-class LHA-5 USS Pelilieu. (US Navy)
Rapid Deployment Full) standard, these

Tigers were also to use 19 round, 70 mm
rocket pods and MBDA Hot guided missiles.
One attack helicopter that still uses a
turreted machine gun is Irans Hesa Shahed
(Witness) 285, a very light (1450 kg) singleseat aircraft derived from the Bell 206
JetRanger. Designated AH-85A, it has a
single-barrel 12.7 mm PKM in a chin turret,
and is reportedly in limited service with the
Iranian Revolutionary Guards Air Force.
I CANNON
However, America discovered in Vietnam, as

the Soviet Union found later in Afghanistan,
that helicopter-mounted machine guns are
16
INTERNATIONAL
3/2013
easily outgunned by heavy automatic

weapons on the ground.
In air-ground operations a 7.62 mm
machine gun is effective only to around 500
metres, and only against soft targets such as
troops in the open. A 12.7 mm gun extends
firing range to 1000 metres and can deal with
a broader target spectrum. Cannon (able to
fire explosive ammunition) start at 20 mm,
are effective to perhaps 1700 metres, and can
destroy lightly armoured vehicles.
One example of 20 mm armament for an
attack helicopter is the Nexter Systems
THL20 turret with the single-barrel 20M621.
This is used on Romanias IAR-330L Puma
and has been selected for Indias HAL Light
A chin-mounted turret allows the gun to be

raised above fuselage datum. In the case
of this French Army Eurocopter Tiger HAP, the
30 mm Nexter Systems 30M781 in the THL30
turret can be moved through 30 degrees
above and below the horizontal, and 90
degrees to either side. (Eurocopter)
Combat Helicopter (LCH). Another is the

Denel Land Systems GI-2 chin turret
introduced by South Africas ATE in
upgrading the Mil Mi-24s of the Algerian Air
Force. The GI-2 is also used on the Denel
Rooivalk (Red Kestrel). Such guns typically
fire at 700-750 rd/min.
If a high firing rate is required (which is
generally not the case in engaging ground

targets, but may be preferable in firing at
aircraft and fast attack craft), a multiplebarrel cannon may be preferred.
One leading example is the General
Dynamics Armament and Technical
Products M197 three-barrel 20 mm Gatling
gun, which can fire at up to 1500 rd/min and is
used in turreted form on the Bell AH-1J/W
and the new AH-1Z, and the AgustaWestland
A129. One factor in the selection of the A129
as the basis for Turkeys Atak programme was
the outstanding accuracy provided by its Oto
Melara TM197B turret, mounting an M197.
In developing the Mi-24 to meet
operational demands in Afghanistan in the
INTERNATIONAL
3/2013
17
Attack Helicopters
1980s, Mil first replaced the original fourbarrel 12.7 mm Yak-B with a flexiblymounted twin-barrel 23 mm GSh-23L.
Only 25 of these Mi-24VPs were built, but
the GSh-23L is used as a wing-mounted pod
with 250 rounds (UPK-23-250) on various
Russian helicopters.
For the production of Mi-24P, the chin

turret was abandoned in favour of a twinbarrel 30-mm GSh-30 cannon, fixed to the
starboard fuselage side. However, the GSh-23
chin turret (NPPU-23) returned with the
Mi-35M export version, as used by Brazil
and Venezuela.
The 625 round-per-minute 30mm Chain Gun is an inseparable visual feature of the Apache
attack helicopters silhouette. The cannon has since been adapted for other applications,
including a naval remote-control turret. (ATK)
18
INTERNATIONAL
3/2013
Apparently disguised as a moose, this Mil

Mi-24V of the Hungarian Defence Force
illustrates the original chin turret of the series,
with a four-barrel 12.7 mm Yak-B 9A624
machine gun. (MesseBerlin)
With the notable exceptions of the AH-1

and A129 series, the majority of attack
helicopters have adopted 30 mm cannon. The
leader was the Boeing AH-64 Apache series,
with an Alliant Techsystems (ATK) M230
Chain Gun in a turret under the front cockpit.
Another example is the Eurocopter Tiger
ARH/HAD/HAP, with a Nexter Systems
30M781 cannon in a THL30 chin turret. As
indicated earlier, the German Army Tiger
UHT has no turret, but consideration is being
given to a flexibly-mounted 30 mm
Rheimetall/Mauser RMK30 (Rueckstossfreie
Maschinenkanone 30) recoilless revolver
cannon, which fires caseless ammunition
at 300 rd/min.
In developing replacements for the Soviet
Unions Mi-24, the well-proven single-barrel
dual-feed 30-mm Shipunov 2A42 cannon
was taken from the BMP-2 infantry fighting
vehicle. Rate of fire is selectable between 200
and 550 rd/min.
In the case of the Mi-28N the 2A42
cannon is mounted in an NPPU-28N turret
under the front cockpit, but for the Kamov
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Attack Helicopters
This Mil Mi-28N Night Hunter illustrates three

types of armament: the dual-feed 30 mm
Shipunov 2A42 cannon, 80 mm S-8 rockets in
20-round B8V20-A pods, and Kolomna 9M120
Ataka-V radio-guided anti-armour missiles in
eight-tube launch racks. (Klimov)
Ka-50/52 it is trunnion-mounted on the

starboard fuselage side, and can be moved
through 40.5 degrees in elevation.
I ROCKET PROJECTILES
The cannon discussed above provide a costeffective means to deal with a wide range of
targets detected up to large angles off-axis.
However, aircraft cannon are easily
20
INTERNATIONAL
3/2013
outranged by modern air defence systems.

For example, the widely used, radar-directed
four-barrel 23 mm ZSU-23 self-propelled
anti-aircraft gun system, firing at up to
4000 rd/min, has an effective slant range of
2000 metres. Man-portable Sams have a

maximum range of 4000-6500 metres.
Ground-based automatic weapons can in
turn be outranged by air-launched rocket
projectiles. The most widely used Western
rockets are the Thales/TDA Armements
68 mm SNEB, and the 2.75 inch/70 mm
General Dynamics Armament and Technical
Products Hydra-70, Forges de Zeebrugge
FZ90 and Magellan Aerospace CRV7.
The Hydra-70 is a derivative of the FFAR
(Folding-Fin Aircraft Rocket) that was
developed in the late 1940s as an unguided
air-air missile, basically to achieve a quick
kill against a Soviet bomber carrying an
atomic bomb. It served as a stopgap measure
until guided missiles such as the AIM-7
Distinguished from the AH-1W by its four-blade rotor, this Bell AH-1Z Cobra Zulu of Marine
Light Attack Helicopter Squadron (HMLA) 367 Scarface is armed with the GD 20 mm M197
Gatling gun and 19-round Hydra-70 rocket launchers. It also mounts a pair of four-round
AGM-114 Hellfire racks and two Raytheon AIM-9 Sidewinder launch rails. (US Marine Corps)
became available.
The modern Hydra-70 is produced with
nine different warheads, including the M151
(4.5 kg HE), M229 (7.7 kg HE) and M255A1
(flechettes), plus smoke, illuminating flare
and practice versions. Over four million
Hydra-70s have been manufactured by
GDATP since 1994. It is carried in seven- and
19-tube pods.
Canadas CRV7 is claimed to have
superior performance, with an effective
range of up to 8000 metres. Over 800,000
have been produced for 13 nations.
Russias 57 mm S-5 rocket is now being
superseded by the 80 mm S-8, which weighs
11.1-15.2 kg, and is used on helicopters in 20
round B8V20-A pods. It has a peak velocity of
Mach 1.8 and a maximum range of 4500
metres. The S-8KOM has a shaped-charge
anti-armour warhead, and the S-8BM is
designed to attack personnel in fortifications.
The Mi-28 is also seen with two B-13L1
pods, each with five 122 mm S-13s, some of
the most powerful rockets fired from

helicopters. The 75 kg S-13T has a tandem
warhead, capable of penetrating one metre of
reinforced concrete or six metres of soil. The
68 kg S-13OF has a fragmentation warhead,
producing 450 diamond-shaped fragments
of 25-30 grams.
The Mi-28N is capable of carrying two 240
mm S-24B rockets, each weighing 232 kg. It
may be noted that Russian attack helicopters
use bombs in the 50-500 kg range, and the
KMGU-2 submunitions dispenser pod.
China produces 57 and 80 mm rockets
that are probably copies of the Russian
originals, plus the home-grown 90 mm
Norinco Type 1 and 130-mm Type 82.
In the case of the Kamov Ka-50, the 30-mm Shipunov cannon is trunnion-mounted on
the fuselage side, and can be raised through 3.5 degrees and depressed through 37 degrees.
The Ka-50 is shown with 20-round B8V20-A pods for 80 mm S-8 rockets and six-tube
UPP-800 launchers for KBP 9M121 Vikhr anti-armour missiles. (US Air Force)
It is to be noted that because of their

specific nature laser-guided rocket
projectiles, which effectively turn ordinary
rockets into missiles, will be discussed
separately in a forthcoming issue of Armada
International. They also are a relatively recent
development and are particularly intended
to provide new effective punch to lighter
utility helicopters that are a considerably
cheaper to operate than dedicated attack
helicopters.
I AIR-TO-AIR
The heaviest air-to-air guided weapons used

by helicopters are the 105 kg Vympel R-73 or
AA-11 (on the Mi-28 and Ka-50/52) and the
Somewhat heavier and harder hitting than

shoulder-launched Sams, the 18.7 kg
IR-homing MBDA Mistral 2 is employed in
twin-round launchers as the Atam (Air-To-Air
Mistral) on the Eurocopter Tiger. (MBDA)
87 kg Raytheon AIM-9 Sidewinder (on the

AH-1W/Z). Both provide exceptional range
by short-range missile standards, the claimed
figure for the basic R-73 (fired from fast jets in
head-on engagements) being 30 km. The
choice of the AIM-9 by the US Marine Corps
for the Cobra series may have been
encouraged by the need to minimise the
number of different missile types on a ship.
There have been suggestions that Brazils
INTERNATIONAL
3/2013
21
Attack Helicopters
For a comparatively light attack helicopter, the AgustaWestland A129 packs a very effective
punch, in this case combining a 20 mm GD M197 Gatling gun with four MBDA Hot and four
Lockheed Martin AGM-114 Hellfire anti-armour missiles. (AgustaWestland)
Mi-35Ms may be cleared to use the Mectron

MAA-1B Piranha II or Denel/Mectron
Darter-A air-air missiles.
Weight considerations favour the
adaptation of portable Sams for self-defence
air-air weapons. The leaders are the 18.7 kg
MBDA Air-To-Air Mistral (Atam, used on
the Tiger), and the even lighter 10.6 kg
Kolomna 9K38 Igla (Needle) or SA-18 (on
the Mi-28 and Ka-50/52) and the 10.4 kg
Raytheon AIM-92 Stinger (on the AH-64).
The Atam is based on the Mistral 2, and has
both contact and proximity fuzes. It has a
maximum range of 6500 metres, and is
carried in twin-round launchers.
to-ground missile was Frances Nord AS.11

(adapted from the ground-launched SS. 11),
which had manual command wire guidance
and was adopted by the US Army as the
AGM-22. It was employed on two UH-1Bs,
and was first operationally used by the Army
in October 1965. The AGM-22 was later
superseded by the (Hughes) BGM-71 Tow,
which was also wire-guided but used Saclos. It
was first used operationally in May 1972,
destroying T54 and PT-76 armoured vehicles.
The most widely used wire-guided
missiles are the 12.5 kg KBM 9M14M
Malyutka-2 (Baby-2) or AT-3, the 22.5 kg
Raytheon BGM-71 Tow and the 24.5 kg

Euromissile Hot. Wire guidance is limited
to a range of around 4000 metres, but this
was acceptable in the 20th century context
of a Warsaw Pact armoured thrust across
the north German plain. Target sightings
at greater ranges were deemed unlikely
due to generally poor visibility and the
smoke of battle.
Radio guidance eliminates this range
limitation, but may be vulnerable to
jamming. As with wire guidance, line-ofsight to the target has to be maintained
throughout missile flight.
One early example of a radio-guided antitank missile was the widely-used Kolomna
(KBM) 31.4-kg 9M114 Kokum (Cocoon) or
AT-6, the missile used in the 9K114 Shturm
(Assault) system. The baseline weapon,
which entered service in 1976, had a range of
5,000 metres.
In the 1990s the 9K114 began to be
replaced by the 49.5 kg Kolomna 9K120
Ataka-V (Attack-V) or AT-9. This retains the
launch tubes and sighting system of the
9K114, but has the supersonic (Mach 1.6)
9M120 missile, which in baseline form had
a range of 5,800 metres. The Mi-28N can
carry 16 of these missiles in two eight-tube
launch racks.
The 9M120 has a tandem warhead for
armoured targets, while the 9M120F has a
thermobaric warhead for lightly armoured
vehicles, buildings, caves and bunkers. The
9A2200 variant has an expanding-rod
warhead for use against aircraft.
I AIR-TO-SURFACE MISSILES
Attack helicopters were developed primarily

to destroy armoured fighting vehicles, hence
the most important armament category is
traditionally the anti-tank guided weapon.
Germany pioneered wire-guidance in the
early 1940s, but in the early postwar period
Britain ran some tests and concluded that the
concept was too prone to breakages. Britain
consequently missed out on a whole
generation of anti-tank missiles.
Early missiles using manual command
guidance gave poor accuracy. It was generally
decided instead to adopt Saclos (semiautomatic command to line-of-sight)
guidance. In this the operator holds the sight
on the target, and the system automatically
tracks the missiles flares and generates
corrective signals to bring it back to the lineof-sight.
The worlds first helicopter-mounted air-
22
INTERNATIONAL
3/2013
Israel Aerospace Industries 13 kg

Lahat is a laser-homing anti-armour
missile that can be tube-launched from an
aircraft or fired from the 105/120 mm gun of a
tank. A fully-loaded four-round launcher for
helicopter use weighs less than 80 kg. The Lahat has
a range of over 8,000 metres. (IAI)
With The Widest Range

Of Radio Platforms &
Waveform Support,
It Leaves Other Booster
Amps In The Dust.
The MBDA Pars-3 LR is shown alongside its four-round launch

unit and a Eurocopter Tiger. The Pars3-LR employs imaging-infrared
guidance with automatic target recognition, allowing lock-on
after launch. (Cassidian)
Laser spot-homing gives precision irrespective of firing range. A

coded laser allows the target to be designated by another source,
airborne or groundborne. This facilitates engagements from behind
cover or beyond the operators visual range, and minimises the time of
exposure of the launch helicopter.
The leading example of laser spot-homing is the 43 kg Lockheed
Martin AGM-114 Hellfire, which has a range of 7,000 metres in direct
fire mode, and 8,000 metres in indirect firings. It is supersonic,
reducing the time of exposure in a self-designating firing. The AH-1Z
and AH-64 can each carry 16 Hellfires. The lighter A129 and Tiger can
each carry eight.
The Hellfire was first used operationally in Operation Just Cause in
Panama in 1989. It has traditionally been employed with three types of
warhead: the AGM-114K with tandem warhead for armoured targets, the
AGM-114M blast-fragmentation warhead for soft targets, and the
AGM-114N metal augmented charge for urban structures, bunkers,
radar sites, communications installations and bridges.
Beginning in 2012, Hellfire has been available with the AGM114R multipurpose warhead that allows its effects to be selected
(blast-fragmentation or anti-armour) to suit the target, just prior to
The AR-50 is a JITC-certified* booster amplifier

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With protection against antenna mismatch, over-temperature
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Attack Helicopters
The Rafael Spike family of missiles includes the Spike-ER, which has a range of 8,000
metres. It employs fibre-optic guidance, and has been selected for helicopter application
by Israel, Italy, Romania and Spain. (Rafael)
firing. The AGM-114R also offers a choice

of impact angles, from near-horizontal to
near-vertical, to suit the target.
Other examples of laser-homing antiarmour missiles include the 13 kg Israel
Aerospace Industries Lahat and the 49.8 kg
Denel Dynamics Mokopa, which have
maximum ranges of 8,000 and 10,000 metres
respectively.
The AGM-114L Longbow Hellfire used
by the AH-64D/E Longbow Apache employs
active millimetre-wave radar guidance,
providing day/night all-weather fire-andforget capability.
The Soviets evidently decided that laserspot-homing was too susceptible to decoys,
and instead developed laser beam-riding,
although in this case miss distance increases
with firing range. The leading example is the
45 kg KBP 9K121 Vikhr (Whirlwind) or AT16, which peaks at over Mach 1.75 and has a
range of 8,000 metres from a helicopter.
Vikhr is carried in the two six-tube UPP-800
launchers on the Ka-50/52. It has a proximity
fuze for air-air firings.
The next Russian missile in this category
will be the KBP Hermes-A, a two-stage
weapon that peaks at around Mach 3.0 and
has a maximum range of 20,000 metres.
24
INTERNATIONAL
3/2013
I IMAGING INFRARED
Laser spot-homing allows a specific target to

be hit, but in some circumstances (for
example, in urban warfare) designation may
not be possible, despite the targets general
location being known. In such situations a
precision attack is still possible through a
combination of inertial and imaging infrared
guidance. In combination with sophisticated
target-recognition algorithms, IIR provides
fire-and-forget capability, and allows salvo
firings against multiple targets.
The leader in the IIR guidance category is
the 49 kg MBDA Pars-3 LR, which has a high
subsonic cruise speed (Mach 0.85) and a
maximum range of 7,000 metres. It is carried
on Germanys Tiger UHT in four-round
launch units in a ready-to-fire state, the
sensor being permanently cooled while the
aircraft is in flight. Four fully autonomous
missiles can be fired in less than ten seconds.
It is normally used in a lock-on before launch
(Lobl) mode, but also has a predictive mode
for temporarily hidden targets.
The Pars-3 LR can be fired in a direct
attack profile against (for example) bunkers,
but it is normally operated in an elevated (dive
attack) mode against armoured vehicles. Its
warhead can penetrate 1,000 mm of RHA
(rolled homogeneous armour) protected by

ERA (explosive reactive armour).
Full-rate production of the Pars-3 LR was
launched in late 2012 by Parsys, a joint
venture by MBDA Germany and Diehl BGT
Defence, under a contract with Germanys
BWB procurement agency that will provide
680 rounds for the German Army.
Another relatively new development is the
Spike-ER produced by Rafael in Israel. The
first major anti-armour missile to use fibreoptic guidance, the Spike-ER has a range
of 8,000 metres and allows target lock-on
before or after launch. It weighs 33 kg in
its transport/launch container, and has an
EO/IIR dual-mode sensor, allowing
day/night operation.
The Spike-ER is believed to be in service
on Israeli AH-1s and Romanian IAR-330s,
and has been selected for Italian Army AH109s and Spanish Army Tiger Had. It is one
of a family of Spike missiles, providing
significant commonality with groundlaunched versions. Spike is also produced in
Germany by EuroSpike, a joint venture by
Diehl BGT Defense and Rheinmetall
Defense Electronics.
In a departure from normal helicopter
practice, the Ka-52 has been pictured
carrying the 300 kg Tactical Missiles Kh-25
or AS-10 missile in two forms: the laserhoming Kh-25ML and the anti-radiation
Kh-25MP.
Transport Aircraft Self Protection
Transport Aircraft
Self-Protection
In the weeks that preceded the launch of air operations over Libya, a number of
Nato countries, reportedly Germany, Great Britain and Italy, deployed Transall
C160s and C130Js in challenging missions inside Libyan territory, landing on strips
and airfields near oil camps to extract national and international citizens and
workers. The British and Italian C-130Js (the Italians landed on Sabha airport
around 640 km south of Tripoli) flew in a fast evolving theatre of operations,
characterized by a variety of air defence surveillance radars, electromagnetic and
infrared missiles, without threat detection systems.
26
INTERNATIONAL
3/2013
The C-Music is a complete

self-protection solution, here under a
B707 based on an aerodynamic pod
incorporating both Elisra Paws missile
warner andJ-Music DIRCM. (Elbit Elop)
Since the late Soviet era years the manportable missile threat has evolved through
four generations:
The Russian SA-7A Strela-2 e SA-7B
Strela-2M, the Chinese HN-5A, the
Pakistani Anza Mk1 and the American
FIM-43 Redeye (the Block II has a gascooled seeker positioning it between 1st and
2nd generation) belong to the 1st generation
equipped with an uncooled seekers,
characterized by a rotating rectangular field
of view (FoV) with a single detector
element, which led to their increased
inaccuracy as they neared the target, or in
tail-chase configurations, not to mention
their vulnerability to flares.
The FIM-92A Stinger Basic, the Strela2M/A, SA-14 Strela-3, the Chinese HN-5B,
QW-1, FN-6, the Pakistani Anza Mk II and
the Iranian Misagh-1 are 2nd generation
weapons equipped with a cooled detector
and a conical scanning search technique,
which eliminates the above mentioned
inaccuracies. They feature all-aspect
capabilities, some resistance to flares and
offer relatively higher single-shot kill
probability.
The 3rd generation, to which the American
FIM-92B/C/E Stinger Post/RMP/Block I, the
Russian SA-16 Igla-1, SA-18 Igla and SA-24
Igla-S, the Polish Grom-1/2, the Chinese
QW-11/18/2, FN-16, the Pakistani Anza Mk
III and the Iranian Misagh-2 belong together
with the (then) Matra Mistral 1 and 2
systems, are characterized by their cooled,
dual-channel IR or combined IR/UV
detector with a rosette scanning a very

narrow FOV pattern (also known as quasiimaging) providing all-aspect engagement,
high resistance to flares, better unfavourable
conditions discrimination capabilities and
high single-shot kill probabilities.
The 4th generation includes the Japanese
Kin-SAM Type 91 and the Chinese QW-4
that are equipped with full-imaging IR
seekers that yield very high resistance to
flares and decoys. Command to line-ofsight and beam-riding missiles like the
Blowpipe, Javelin and Starburst belong to a
different league.
Until the 1990s, to protect low-speed
tactical and strategic transport aircraft
generating a large heat signature and
radar cross section, a typical EW suite would
have included a radar warning receiver
(RWR), a passive ultraviolet missile warning
system (MWS) and a countermeasures
(chaff/flare) dispensing system (CMDS),
although some platforms modified to
conduct a variety of missions for special
forces, combat search and rescue and
command and control, psychological
and electronic intelligence gathering
missions, were however equipped with a
more robust EW suite. However, the advent of
new-generation weapons sparked off the
need for improved suites, ranging from
advanced MWS to new flares and flare
patterns, in addition to fixed and, later
directional, infrared countermeasures now
known as Dircm.
Flares have been used as countermeasures
Luca Peruzzi
mongst the eagerly awaited

weapons on the ground in Libya
were the latest and most effective
man-portable missiles, namely the
SA-18 Igla and SA-24 Igla-S. These became a
prime target of recovery operations by
American and Nato forces at the end of the
conflict, as unknown quantities of these
missiles were purloined out of Libya to
enlarge the illegal market that feeds terrorist
organizations and paramilitary forces. The
Libyan crisis was the last one in a series of
conflicts (starting with the Balkans wars) in
which transport aircraft were required to
operate in enclaves surrounded by hostile
forces and well within range of radar and
infrared guided weapons. The threat
remained high not only for the military but
also for the civilian fleets.
The Airbus A400M strategic transport aircraft (here seen in a photomontage) is being
equipped with a baseline protection suite including Indras ALR400M RWR/ESM, Miras missile
multi-colour infrared alerting sensor from Thales and Cassidian, and a Saphir 400 chaff and
flare dispensing system from MBDA. (Airbus)
INTERNATIONAL
3/2013
27
for almost half a century to lure a manportable missile away from its target. They
come in a large array of shapes and sizes and
with a variety of functions and are designed to
present a more attractive IR signature than
that of the target. They may also be used to
confuse the threat by saturating its processing
or discrimination circuitry. A chemical
energy source (pyrotechnic or pyrophoric in
nature) is used to provide the required IR
radiation. The main reactive pyrotechnic
cartridge continues to be the legacy
magnesium-teflon-viton
(MTV)-based
decoy. This first saw service during the
Vietnam War, but has been continuously
enhanced in terms of performance and safety.
The introduction of dual-spectral flares
however, caused the introduction of missile
seekers able to discriminate radiation
intensities and, as a consequence, to
recognise and reject a standard MTV-based
flare event. Propelled flares have been
introduced to counter new IR missile seekers
responding in a particular manner that
enables them to discriminate between the
relative proportional movement of the
target under propelled flight and the
standard MTV flare, which basically freefalls
when released from the aircraft. In addition
28
INTERNATIONAL
3/2013
The AAR-47B(V)2 is the latest evolution

of ATKs missile warner with hostile fire
indicator (HFI) capabilities, designed to
protect fixed and rotary wing platforms
against infrared- guided missiles, laser-aided
threats, small arms and rocket propelled
grenades. (Luca Peruzzi)
to area (as opposed to point source) and

ballistically modified decoys, covert flares
are pyrophoric (using metal foils that react
and burn when exposed to air). Their
advantage is that they are virtually
unobservable to the naked eye, enabling
aircraft not to reveal their position, as would
be the case with MTV flares. Their
disadvantage regards the fact they are mainly
suitable for pre-emptive flaring, requiring
the aircraft to carry additional reactive flares
for complete protection. Specialized
companies such as Alloy Surfaces, Armtec
Defense, Chemring Countermeasures,
Etienne Lacroix, IMI, Kilgore Flares,
Rheinmetall Waffe Munitions and Wallop
Defence Systems have developed a range of
kinematic, propelled, spectrally adapted and
spatially distributed flares, to be distributed in
cocktails and patterns by intelligent CMDS
provided by companies such as ATK,
BAE Systems, Kanfit, MBDA, Meggit

Defense Systems, MES, Saab Electronic
Defence Systems, Symetrics Industries,
Terma and Thales to counter 2nd and 3rd
generation seekers.
State of the art passive missile warning
systems are those that are able to detect the
ultraviolet and infrared radiation emitted by a
missiles exhaust plume. Northrop Grumman
and ATK are respectively providing AAR-54
and AAR-47 for fixed-wing platforms in
service with US Air Force, Navy, Army and
international customers, while outside, MWS
prominent providers are Elisra Electronic
Systems, Cassidian and Saab Electronic
Defense Systems. Elisra provides Passive
Missile Approach Warning System (Paws) IR
focal-plane-array and the Paws 2 with twocolour IR warning system, while Cassidian
offers the AAR-60 Milds and Saab the Maw300 UV-based MWSs.
I DIRCMS GAINING POPULARITY
The advent of new imaging infrared missile

seekers that are more resistant to flares has
accelerated the switch to the more drastic to
laser-based Dircm systems, which can
counter all known and projected IR-guided
missile threats. Dircm system cost,
maintenance and reliability concerns have

limited their application in the past, but as
laser technologies and miniaturization
improve on the one hand and the threat
becomes more sophisticated, larger fleets of
transport and special platforms are now
poised to be equipped with Dircm systems.
Built by Northrop Grumman, the AAQ24(V) Laircm (Large Aircraft IR
Countermeasures) is a derivate of the
companys earlier-vintage AAQ-24 Nemesis
and has amassed until 2011 over one million
flying hours with US and allied forces, the
majority under deployment and combat
conditions, with an operational availability
of over 99%. Based on an open system,
modular and highly reliable family suite, the
Laircm consists of a Northrop Grumman
AAR-54 ultra-violet MWS package, a
number of point-tracker/jamming turrets
with laser transmitter assembly unit, control
interface unit and processors to detect, track,
jam and counter incoming IR missiles.
The number of sensors (up to six) and
turrets (up to three) per aircraft is
determined by the size and signature of the
aircraft. Initially fielded on C-17s, its
deployment later expanded to C130s, C5s
Northrop Grumman Laircm suite is

progressively migrating from small laser
transmitter assembly (SLTA) turret to
reduced-size and lighter GLTA
(Guardian Laser Tramsitter Assembly)
jam head, while AAR-54 ultraviolet
warner is being replaced by NexGen
two-colour infrared missile warning
system. (Northrop Grumman)
and new C130Js, including

AC/EC/MC-130J. The Laircm is
also being integrated on US
Navy C40A Clipper transport as
well as selected to equip P8A
Poseidon ASW/ASuW and US Air
Force KC46A tankers, while testing
is underway on older
Guardian-configured
KC135s, but based on a
self-contained, easily
removable pods that
carry all the electronics to
manage both AAR-54 MWS
and a single laser transmitter
assembly turret. The Laircm is also
fielded on board the RAFs C17s,
Tristars and soon Airbus A330 Voyageur
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Northrop Grummans AAQ-24(V) Laircm is based on an open system architecture and the
typical suite includes same companys AAR-54 ultra-violet missile five-sensor warning suite,
two point-tracker/jamming turrets, control and processor units weighing just over 90 kg.
(Northrop Grumman)
tankers, and it was recently ordered for the

new Royal Air Forces Airbus A400M
airlifters. Being marketed under the
government-to-government agreements
through FMS, the Australian, together with
Canadian Departments of Defence have
selected or are fielding the system on board
C130s, C17s and B737 Wedgetail AEW&C
platforms. It also is fitted to Nato E3B Awacs.
The Air Force Laircm Phase I system
became operational in 2005. Its jam head is
called the Small Laser Transmitter Assembly
(SLTA). It uses the colourless eye-safe multiband Viper diode-pumped solid-state laser,
developed by Fibertek, which operates in all
three segments of the IR waveband used by
heat-seeking missiles. The Laircm Phase II
programme produced a smaller and lighter
jam head, called the Guardian Laser
Transmitter Assembly (GLTA), which
Northrop Grumman began to deliver to the
Air Force in late 2008 alongside the NexGen
MWS. Selex Galileo, today Selex ES, has built
all of the point-tracker jam heads for the
Nemesis and Laircm programmes in Britain,
as a key supplier to Northrop Grumman.
The latter continues to produce both the
SLTA and GLTA, based on customer
requirements, while US Air Force is
progressively replacing the SLTA with GLTA
30
INTERNATIONAL
3/2013
on a number of platforms, including the C17s. For the new special forces MC130J
programme, the US Air Force provides a
configuration with flush-mount turrets,
GLTAs and NexGen MWS. In May 2012, the
service authorized full-rate production of
the new two-colour IR missile MWS to
replace the original UV-sensor based AAR54. According to DoD documentation, the
NexGen MWS offers increased probability
of declaring actual missiles, lower false alarm
rate and long-range detection. Moreover,
with customized software on request, it can
be used to enhance crew situational
awareness by providing a 360 unobstructed
IR view around the platform.
Based on the joint agreement signed in
2007 between Elbit Systems and Elettronica
to cooperate and complete the joint
development of fibre laser technologybased Music Dircm family of systems aimed
at the protection of both rotary and fixedwing civilian and military aircraft,
Elettronica is working on a customized
dual-turret ELT/572 suite for the Italian
General Directorate of Armaments under a
three-year 25,4 million contract awarded in
December 2010, covering system
development, ground and flight tests and
certification. The dual-turret suite is to
equip both in-service tactical transports

(C130J, C27J) and new AW101 Combat
Search & Rescue helicopters, though there
is a follow-on requirement for B767A
tanker and Government transport aircraft
to be satisfied within different system
configurations.
Already successfully laboratory-tested by
Elettronica and the Italian air force mounted
on a rotary-wing platform in a single-turret
test configuration against both emulated and
real IR seeker head representatives, the
system has begun ground and flight tests
integrated with Cassidians Milds (AAR-60)
ultraviolet MWS. These systems are already
used by the Italian armed forces transport
aircraft and rotary-wing platforms. The final
dual turret/MWS configuration will be put
through its paces in the second half of the
year with a view to completing system
qualification by the end of 2013. Deliveries of
the first five dual turret suites are to begin in
2015, with contracts to be awarded for
follow-on systems.
Based on a fibre-optic laser operating in
different infrared bands and providing a high
level of jamming to target heat-signature
intensity ratio power (J/S), each ELT/572
system including jamming turret, laser
generator and processor units weighs 45kg.
According to Elettronica, the system is
readily exportable, not being affected by
export limitations (ITAR regulation), and
allows the customer to load proprietary laser
jamming code libraries. The system has
Elettronica developed and integrated a dualturret configuration of ELT-572 fibre-laser

based Dircm, which is on-track to complete
testing and trails within 2013. Based on a joint
Elettronica-Elop Music system, the ELT-572 is
to equip Italian military fixed and rotary wing
assets. (Elettronica)
Based on an the highly dynamic small

spherical mirror turret (which differs from the
squared Music turret), Elbit Elops J-Music
features a distributed configuration for large
aircraft in single/dual turret version. The
J-Music is already contracted for Embraers
KC-390. (Elbit ELOP)
already attracted the interest of European and

Middle East nations and has already been
successfully tested by the German Ministry
of Defence in July 2012 at WTD52 test facility
in Oberjettenberg.
Keeping Elettronica good company,
Elbit Elops subsidiary is marketing the
family of Music compact and lightweight
fibre laser-based Dircm systems, which has
already scored sales successes in Israel and
abroad notably in India for use on the
Ministry of Defences AgustaWestland
AW101. In addition to the Music solution
offered for the protection of helicopters and
small to medium fixed-wing turboprop
aircraft, Elbit is promoting the J-Music and
the C-Music. Based on a later, highly
dynamic mirror turret version (instead of
the Musics facetted turret), the J-Music
features a distributed configuration for the
protection of large aircraft such as heavy
airlifters, tankers and fast bizjets and can be
had in a single or dual turret configuration
and has already been selected for Embraers
KC-390 tactical airlift program in Brazil.
The C-Music for its part, is a complete selfprotection solution, based on aerodynamic
pod incorporating both the Elbit Paws
infrared missile warning system and the JMusic Dircm for a total weight of 160 kg.
Especially designed for civilian and large
business jets, the C-Music naturally meets
commercial aircraft certification standards
and has been selected by the Israeli
Government for its airline fleet. According
to Elbit, C-Music performed a series of

successful flight tests on board a B707 in
January 2012, while more recently
according to other sources, it completed
operational tests on an unspecified Heyl
HaAvir platform. Such activities emerged
after an SA-7 Strela was fired against an
Israeli air force aircraft flying over the Gaza
Strip in October 2012, raising strong
suspicions of arms shipments from Libya,
following Col Muammar Gaddafis regime
collapse in 2011.
Ten years ago, Indra in Spain decided to
launch the Manta (Manpads Threat
Avoidance) project to complement the selfprotection suite of military transport aircraft
with the addition of a Dircm system. Today
the Manta is qualified by the Spanish
airworthiness authorities (Inta) for use on
transport aircraft, after a challenging process
proving its technology maturity, readiness
and integration with the widely used
Cassidian AAR-60 Milds. It proved its mettle
during the SG2/NATO groups Embow trials
in Cazaux (France) in September 2011 and
other international test campaigns in 2012.
Developed with Rosoboronexport in Russia,
the multi-spectral multi-band Manta uses a
relatively large but powerful chemical laser
supplied by Russian industry, enabling the
system to feature closed-loop performances,
from classification between IR/non-IR
guided missiles to the highest jamming
success probability, thanks to a common
optical path for tracking and jamming, as

well as multi-threat capability and
instantaneous assessment of the effectiveness
of the countermeasures. Able to defeat 1st,
2nd generation and imaging seekers, the
Manta is being offered in internal, pod and
sponson mount configurations. As the
system was designed for medium and large
platforms, Indra is now working on a more
compact version for lighter platforms, but
maintains the original version for the
protection of large-size aircraft like the
A400M. The Manta was to be installed on
board Spanish A310 VIP and C295 aircraft
and later on A400M, but budget reductions
have delayed such plans.
Capitalizing on the experience garnered
with the development and manufacture of
high-performance airborne lasers and
electro-optic pointing and stabilisation
systems, Selex ES presented a new Dircm
solution at IDEX 2013.
Called Miysis, after the ancient Egyptian
lion-headed god of war, the new-generation
system is based on the companys Eclipse
lightweight
and
low-cost
IRCM
point/tracker and Type 160 IRCM diodepumped fibre laser source-based
developments, in a hardware and software
format that is readily exportable. Both the
Eclipse and the Type 160 were selected by the
British MoD in March 2010, to be part of the
Common Defensive Aid Suite technology
demonstrator programme aimed at defining
Based on a self-contained, easily removable pod, Northrop Grummans Guardian Dircm has
been developed for civilian and military applications. Such a system has been tested by US
Government to protect national airline fleets. (Northrop Grumman)
INTERNATIONAL
3/2013
31
Developed to protect large fixed-wing platforms, Indras Manta (MANpads Threat Avoidance)
multi-spectral multi-band Dircm uses a relatively large, but powerful, chemical laser supplied
by Rosoboronexport in Russia, although work on a compact version is underway. (Indra)
the architecture for advanced defensive aid

system. Available for integration into a
defensive aid sub-system, or in a stand-alone
configuration with either federated
components or as a role-fit pod solution, a
Misys Dircm suite comprising two sensor
head assemblies, a MWS package with five
sensor heads, an electronics unit cockpit
display and control unit weighs less than 50
kg. Being suitable for a range of applications,
from light aircraft and unmanned air
vehicles to large transport aircraft, the Misys
suite draws less than 500 watts of electrical
power and its open architecture allows its
integration with a range of warning systems,
including the latest versions of Cassidians
Milds AAR60 and Saabs Maw300.
According to Selexs documentation, two
sensor head assemblies and a MWS suite are
powerful enough to defend a platform such as
the A400M. In addition to discussions it is
Unveiled at IDEX 2013, the Miysis is based on
an Eclipse pointer/tracker and Type 160 IRCM
laser developments, in a readily exportable
hardware and software format, according to
Selex ES. A Miysis demonstrator pod is
expected to be test-flown in 2014.
32
INTERNATIONAL
3/2013
holding with Northop Grumman on a

possible participation in the Misys
programme, Selex ES also says that it is in
advanced stages of negotiations with a
launch customer.
Aware of the threat posed by newgeneration manpads right from the
beginning of multinational Airbus A400M
strategic transport programme, the
consortiums nations and industries have

been working on a complete baseline
protection suite. This is to include the Indra
ALR400M RWR/ESM, the Miras (Multicolour Infrared Alerting Sensor) missile
warner from Thales and Cassidian, the
Saphir 400 countermeasures dispensing
system (CMDS) suite from MBDA, a Dircm
system and a suite manager. Indras
ALR400M is the most advanced version of
the RWR/ESM ALR400 family, based on
wide-band digital reception technology,
while the Miras provides a unique
multicolour infrared detector (Fraunhofer
IAF developed the core sensor component)
with band subtraction algorithms, offering
long range detection, short reaction and low
false alarm rate against both man-portable
and air-to-air missiles, with a three-sensor
unit managed by a dedicated signal
processor. An MBDA Saphir 400 rounds up
the baseline suite, offering large decoy and
fully programmable capacities. France and
Germany, through Cassidian, Thales, Sagem
and Diehl BGT Defence, have been
collaborating on the Flash (Flying Laser selfdefence system Against IR Seeker head
missiles
of
High
performances)
demonstrator programme, based on an
experimental closed-loop Dircm that carried
out threat confirmation, identification,
jamming and defeat assessment. In
September 2011, the two nations requested
the European Organisation for Joint
Armament Cooperation (OCCAR) to
manage the risk-reduction phase of the
programme aimed at developing a Dircm for
the A400M and, potentially, other aircraft.
According to OCCAR documentation
released in late 2009, a laser-based closed
Partnership S piri t
In addition to its Idas integrated defence suites, here seen installed in

a Saab 2000 AEW&C, the Swedish group is marketing a solution that
was specifically developed for commercial applications called Camps,
in other words Civil Aircraft Missile Protection System. (Saab)
loop (Dircm-CL) solution was

to be ready in 2014 to cope
with first- to third-generation
manpads, with growth
potential to blow a deadly deal
to both fourth-generation
manpads and larger infrared
homing missiles. Although a
risk-reduction phase was
completed, an agreement
between the two nations has
yet to be concluded to launch
the development, production
and integration programme
managed by OCCAR. In the
meantime, the baseline
configuration
described
above (sans Dircm) for the
A400M was agreed upon by
the launching countries with
the addition of Malaysia.
French and German industries
Today the involved industries
Cassidian, Thales, Sagem and Diehl
are providing the defensive
BGT Defence have been collaborating
aids subsystems to be tested
on the Flash demonstrator programme,
based on an experimental closed-loop
and qualified as part of
Dircm. Germany and France requested
standard
operational
OCCAR to manage the programme, but
capability 1 (SOC 1) before
no decision has been taken on actual
the end of 2013. Airbus
development, production and
Military is firmly committed
integration. (Luca Peruzzi)
to delivering the first A400M
to the French air force before the Paris air show.
While Dircm systems applications are expanding, expendable decoy
systems will continue to equip transport and special fixed-wing
platform fleets as they are magnitudes cheaper than Dircms and provide
extended protection in a multi-threat, evolving environment. The recent
crisis in Libya has however highlighted the need to broaden the
protection spectrum to include radar guided missiles.
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High Tier Air Defence
Mobile ABM
Systems to Protect
Downrange Forces
While ongoing missions downrange do not include third-dimension threats (with the
exception of mortars necessitating protection from C-ram weapons), the risk of air and
missile attacks against contingents deployed in certain areas of operation might
well sooner or later become a reality. The Scud threat against the coalition deployed in
the Saudi desert prior to the first Gulf War is an example. Patriots deployed to
Israel managed to intercept some missiles, but were probably more a political and
psychological tool than a system capable of neutralising the threat.
Paolo Valpolini
he above-described situation has

sparked off a trend aimed at developing
existing systems, modifying systems
under development, or initiating the
development of new systems, with a view to
providing a deployable umbrella that might
protect against both conventional air
threats and, additionally, against short to
medium range ballistic missiles. Some
of those are in service, others are ending
their development phase.
I MEADS
While Meads International, made up of

Lockheed Martin of the United States,
MBDA Italy and LFK Germany (now part of
MBDA), is moving towards the last of the two
flight tests that survived the cuts (originally
seven of them were planned), the situation
regarding American funding looks uncertain
following the decision to slash the money
planned in FY13. A letter was sent on 29
January 2013 to then US Secretary of Defence
Leon E. Panetta by his two German and
Italian counterparts Thomas de Maizire and
Giampaolo Di Paola. In that document the
two European countries state that the results

of the design & development phase of the
Meads programme remains vital for both
Germany and Italy as they will serve as a basis
for our future Air and Missile Defence System
Architecture. As such they are fundamental for
the German and Italian contribution to the
Nato integrated Air and Missile Defence.
Remarkably, the two following sentences
show the determination of Germany and Italy
to get to the end of the design & development
phase: If the US does not fulfil its funding
commitment for 2013, Germany and Italy
would need to interpret this as a unilateral
The March 2013 Samp-T firing was carried

out with the system operating within a Nato
chain of command by a Franco-Italian
military crew, and led to the destruction of a
tactical ballistic missile target. (DGA)
withdrawal. As in most co-operation

agreements, it was the US that introduced
clauses on participant withdrawal, the latter
incurring in penalties that would cover all
contract modification and termination costs,
the latter stating that in a first estimate the
current US position results in an economic
damage to Germany and Italy of more than
400 Mio US$. Finally, despite the National
Defense Authorisation Act signed off by
President Barrack Obama on 2 January
excising the Meads funding, the US Congress
decided to allocate 380 Mio US$ that allow
the three partners to complete the planned
design & development activities.
Technically speaking the first successful
test allowed to verify the Meads capabilities
against an MQM-107 air-breathing target
mimicking a cruise missile. Carried out at
White Sands, the test saw the target coming
from North-West while the launcher was
oriented South-East, the multifunction fire
control X-band, solid-state, active
electronically scanned array radar rotating at
30 rpm. According to LM, it was the very first
time ever a 360 intercept was carried out
(involving a Patriot PAC-3 MSE). The second
test, planned for autumn 2013, will see a
similar scenario, although this time the target
will mimic a medium range ballistic missile.
By the end of the design & development
programme, which was financed to the tune
of $4 billion by governments and industry,
both the launcher, effector and multifunction
radar will have reached TRL8, each of them
being the node of a networked system, while
the search radar will be at TRL6. This reflects
the decision taken in 2007 when the
programme was revised due to technical and
financial troubles, reducing test flights and
slowing down the work on the search radar.
On the data harvesting side some more tests
will be needed to fully qualify the system
while additional money will also be needed to
complete the development of the search
radar, which technically could, however,
be replaced by other sensors capable to
provide similar data.
According to Lockheed Martin numerous
potential customers are showing interest in
the system, in the Middle East, Asia and
Europe. The letter sent by Germany and Italy
INTERNATIONAL
3/2013
35
The Meads multifunction fire control radar

towed by an Aris special mover can easily
be transported inside a C-130 Hercules.
(Meads International)
to America shows the commitment of the

two nations to reach the end of the R&D
phase in order to get as much technology as
possible out of their investments, although
this does not mean that they will acquire the
Meads. Both nations will try to leverage as
much as possible their investments, although
no clear acquisition plan has yet been
announced. It is known that Germany wants
an air defence system that also integrates
short range assets, while in Italy some argue
that the Meads, which was to be used by the
Air Force, might prove a redundancy with the
Samp/T currently entering into service.
However, no decisions have been made
regarding the future of the Meads per se or of
the technologies and subsystems resulting
from the current phase of the programme.
Speaking at the annual press conference
in Rome in March 2013 MBDA top managers
mentioned the need of a short term solution,
before the end of this decade, for the AMB
problem. A European design & development
programme leveraging the experiences
acquired with both the Meads and the Samp/T
programmes might well be forecasted, they
said, allowing the European industry to
become a player in the ABM segment.
I PATRIOT
Air Defence as well as ballistic missile
36
INTERNATIONAL
3/2013
The battle management centre of the Meads system. The whole system is quickly deployable
and was designed to reduce as much as possible the logistic footprint. (Meads International)
defence is definitely an issue in the Middle

East. The United Arab Emirates were the
first international customer to acquire an
upper-tier and lower-tier system in the form
of the Thaads and Patriot, the former
dealing with ballistic missiles only, while the
latter engages air-breathing targets as well
as tactical ballistic missiles. While early UAE
Patriots were equipped with the PAC-2
iteration of the missile (only effective
against air breathing targets), the later
systems call on the Configuration 3+
standard. The radar, while remaining a
sector coverage system, has been fully
upgraded with the adoption of a digital
radar data processor that replaces the earlier
analog generation, making it a softwaredriven system. Moreover this allowed the

removal of 19 racks of equipment, leaving
room for further improvements by
Raytheon a 360 capability remaining
part of the wish list.
The Engagement Control Station was
also submitted to modernisation, the old
Raytheon proprietary computer being
replaced by a cots computer allowing the
ECS to become an open architecture system.
The computer features 16 slots, the single
boards of which can be easily replaced for
maintenance or upgrade. A modern manmachine interface has also been adopted in
the form of a 16-inch colour touch screen.
Following its restructure, the Meads

programme includes two flight
tests, one successfully carried out
against an air breathing target and
one that will take place in fall 2013
against a ballistic missile target.
(Meads International)
The launcher was also improved, in cooperation with Lockheed Martin, to

integrate the PAC-3 hit-to-kill missile as
well as the PAC-3 MSE (Missile Segment
Enhancement). The latter is the effector
During Operation Pillar of Defence the Iron

Dome protected Israel against short range
rockets. The Davids Sling will fit between it
and the Arrow, and will also provide air
defence coverage. (Rafael)
chosen for the Meads, and compared to the

AC-3 CRI (Cost Reduction Initiative) is
more agile and lethal, has a wider
engagement envelope and thus an increased
defended area. It also features a higher
performance solid rocket motor, more
responsive control surfaces, a modified
lethality enhancer and an upgraded
guidance software. So far six PAC-3 MSE
tests have been carried out.
Overall more than 200 Patriot batteries
are in service in 12 different countries.
Recent upgrades allowed increasing the
system reliability through the adoption of
new technologies and part reduction, which
in turn allows manpower reduction, one of
the critical points of the Raytheon original
system. According to the company the US
Army is reducing its battery complement
from 75-80 people to 40-50, thanks to the
increased reliability and the merging of
operational and maintenance functions
within the same people. As for some Middle
Eastern countries that use the Patriot system
from fixed sites, the manpower can even be
further reduced.
The interest for air and missile defence
in the Middle East area is highlighted by the
Detecting danger
is our instinct
Arming you with sky-high

igh
perfoma
ance is our commitment
mmitment
perfomance
Photo credits: SIRPA

SIRP
PA Air/Y.
Air/Y. Debay/Nexter/Getty Images -
01
0
1 41
41 37 96 70
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A PAC-3 MSE (Missile Segment

Enhancement) missile launch. This missile
developed by Lockheed Martin is the
effector of the Meads system. Six tests of the
PAC-3 MSE have been carried out to date,
one as part of the Meads programme while
the other were launched from Patriot
batteries. (Lockheed Martin)
notification to the US Congress in 2012 of

Qatars and Kuwaits request to acquire PAC3 missiles, Qatar having also requested to
buy the Thaad, additional interceptors for
the latter system having been requested by
the UAE. Saudi Arabia has shown an
increasing interest for both systems, while
in Turkey Raytheon and Lockheed Martin
are competing for the T-Loramids, a
programme that started in 2007 and on
which Turkey still hasnt made a firm
decision at the time of writing.
In Turkey, the other contenders are
Russias S-300, Chinas HQ-9 and the
Franco-Italian Eurosam SAMP/T Aster 30.
In mid-2011 Nato made it clear that the
I INTEGRATED AIR AND MISSILE DEFENCE C2 FROM LM

ir and missile defence is often a matter that involves more than one system, a layered defence being definitely the best way to increase the
kill probability against an incoming threat. To optimise the deployment and use of multiple systems Lockheed Martin developed its
DiamondShield, a command and control (C2) system aimed at improving the overall system effectiveness by providing the operators
with a wide range of decision-support aids. Following five years of R&D, LM introduced this system that allows one to visualise both threats and assets,
putting all the systems into a cohesive picture. Remote visualisation is possible for networked units, thus allowing Shorad to share the same situational
awareness. The DiamondShield would allow to deploy faster thanks to its dynamic automated planning tools, and to be more effective, due to its
engagement decision aids. Based on an open architecture, it is fully scalable and can thus be used from high tier operation centres down to
mobile/deployable air operations centres. Unveiled at AUSA 2012, the DiamondShield was subsequently exhibited at IDEX 2013 as it is being
proposed to the UAE (inter alia) that adopted both the Patriot PAC-3 and the Thaads. Negotiations have already started.
38
INTERNATIONAL
3/2013
The Samp/T employs an upgraded version of

the Arabel radar developed and produced by
Thales here the radar element of an Italian
Army 4th air defence regiments battery.
(Armada/Paolo Valpolini)
choice of the Russian or Chinese systems

would deprive Ankara from Western
alliances intelligence on incoming ballistic
missiles. How much the Nato-sponsored
deployment of American and Dutch Patriot
batteries to protect Turkey from threats
coming from Syria will impact that decision
still has to be measured. How much the
increased delay that followed a ministerial
meeting in early January 2013 was related to
this is not clear, a further meeting in early
April having also ended without a choice.
While Turkey never said that it would
endorse the Nato warning thus shortlisting
the bid to western companies, it is clear that
the main competitor for the Patriot remains
the SAMP/T with the Aster 30 as its effector.
I SAMP/T
The system is now in service with the French

Air Force and the Italian Army. Two firings
against tactical ballistic missile targets were
A French Samp/T launcher

ready to fire. Each vehicle
carries eight Aster 30s, and
only the type of truck used
differs between French and
Italian units. (MBDA)
successfully carried out in October 2010 and

November 2011. The first firing was made
under DGA responsibility whereas the latter
was operated by a French Air Force crew and
marked the first operational antiballistic
firing of an European missile. The relative
approach speed between missiles and the
target was in excess of Mach 7. On March 6,
2013 a Franco-Italian military firing
took place against an air-launched
Raytheon-Rafael Black Sparrow target that
simulated a unitary short-range TBM.
This launch featured numerous
differences, including the first use of Link
16 for linking up with higher echelons.
A Czech S-300 launcher vehicle; this

Russian-made system is in service in various
configurations in numerous countries, and
the latest iterations also provide ABM
capabilities. (Armada/Paolo Valpolini)
40
INTERNATIONAL
3/2013
Moreover it was conducted in a full-Nato

environment (all earlier test were FrancoFrench). In the March 2013 launch longrange detection was provided to firing units
and command levels by French DGA
sensors. DGA simulation centre MI (Moyens
Informatiques) at Bruz, near Rennes, acted
as national C2 centre while the Nato BMD
Operations Centre at Ramstein was the Nato
command element. Two Samp/T batteries
were deployed and manned by French and
Italian crews. Both Arabel radars acquired
the target, the selected firing unit launched
the Aster 30 Block 1 missile that scored a
direct hit, and thereby demonstrated the
SAMP/T ability to counter a ballistic threat
within a Nato framework.
While the system is fully able to cope with
air-breathing threats, the current Block 1
missile is able to defeat 600 km-range tactical
ballistic missile. Further improvements in the
anti-ballistic missile role are expected with the
Aster Block 1 NT (New Technologies) that
will feature a new guidance system operating at
higher frequencies, a narrower beam capable
to see at greater distances and a higher scan
rate. This would allow to better anticipate
the target movements and thereby increase
direct hit/kill probability and, consequently,
to deal with ballistic missiles with a range of
over 1,000 km. A risk reduction study was
carried out between 2008 and 2011,
allowing MBDA to establish a quote for the
R&D phase at the request of the French
DGA. Italy then asked to take part in the
Block 1 NT effort, causing a new combined
RfI to be launched, for a programme that is
I ISRAEL-RAFAEL
peration Pillar of Defense has
shown the importance of ABM
defence in that country. Israel is
developing a three layer ABM defence, the
external layer being provided by IAI Arrow,
Arrow 3 which should be operational in twoyears time having performed a successful
test in late February 2013, the second being
Rafael Davids Sling, which should enter
service soon, while Iron Dome provides
defence against shorter range threats such as
SRBMs and rockets. The latter was the
starring system in Fall 2013, intercepting
most of the threats, and is due to be
upgraded with a new missile that will
increase its range. Arrow 2 batteries were not
used as no long range ballistic threat
materialised. The Davids Sling effector is the
Stunner missile, developed by Rafael and
Raytheon Systems, 16 of which are installed
on each launcher. The main sensor is the Elta
EL/M-2084 advanced phased-array Multi
Mission Radar while Tadiran Electronics
Systems provides the C2 Battle Management
Centre. Davids Sling will deal with all threats
that went through the Arrow umbrella, but
when development is completed it will also
be capable to deal with air breathing threats,
such as cruise missiles and aircraft becoming
a full dual-system.
expected to begin in late 2013 should an agreement be reached.

How much an Italian decision on Meads will impact the Samp/T
development remains to be seen. To reach a full ABM capabilty against
medium range ballistic missiles a wholly new missile would be needed.
Notionally known as the Block 2, this will use the same Aster 30
launchers but will have a longer booster allowing interception up to 70
km altitude, over three times the current one. It will also feature IR
guidance for working in the upper atmosphere layers, while the PIF/PAF
direct thrust vector control guidance might be a simplified version of
the current one, due to the target behaviour, but will need a much longer
endurance to ensure positive interception, at least one minute compared
to the current 3-10 seconds. A new high altitude search radar specific to
the system should also be developed to provide cueing data.
I LOOKING EAST
The two main competitors capable of dealing with air and missile threats
are the S-300 and H-9 already mentioned above in the context of the
Turkish programme. The Russian Almaz-Antey has developed the S300 air defence system into an air defence/anti ballistic missile system, the
S-300V and the subsequent models, S-300 PMU-1/2 being capable of
defeating TBMs. In its various

This Arospatiale Missiles graph,
variants the system is in service in
which dates back to 1992, shows
Russia as well as in numerous
that an ER booster for the Aster
Eastern European nations,
missile had been planned right
although not always with ABM
from the outset to give it an anticapabilities. Venezuela is amongst
ballistic missile capability.
the most recent users, having
(Armada archives)
taken delivery, in 2012, of the
Antey 2500 version originally destined for Iran. Algeria seems still to be
waiting for its systems, and in that region Libya has also shown interest
for the Russian system. Apparently the contract with Syria, signed in
2011, has been put on hold. The S-300 evolution, the S-400, has
apparently not yet found takers on the export market, although it has
been demonstrated to some countries, including China which already
has in service an undefined number of S-300 PMU-2 systems.
How much reverse engineering has been done in China to produce
national versions of the S-300 is unclear. What China proposes on the
international market is the HQ-9 known as FD-2000 for export. With
a two-stage missile as effector (like the S-300V), its anti ballistic missile
capabilities are optimised when coupled to a Type 305A aesa search
radar. No export contracts seem to have been signed to date.
Training Aircraft
Trainers, Aviations
Sine Qua Non
The business of developing and selling fixed-wing
military training aircraft
lacks continuity, and
company survival is enhanced
by being part of a large multi-product
empire. On the bright side, all sections of the market
are currently reporting orders, and the
new-generation jet trainers are finally taking off.
Roy Braybrook
he process of flying tuition (prior to

weapons training and operational
conversion) consists of three distinct
phases, here termed primary, basic
and advanced. The primary phase is used
to establish whether the student pilot has the
natural aptitude required to quickly qualify
as a military pilot.
The washout rate in this first phase is
high, hence it is tempting to use the cheapest
possible aircraft. On the other hand, many
civilian trainers are so undemanding to fly
that it takes an unnecessarily long time to
identify likely failures.
Traditionally, an engine of over 150 kW
has been used for military primary trainers,
but initial flight screening (IFS) for the US
Air Force is currently performed (by Doss
Aviation of Pueblo, California) using the
Diamond Aircraft DA20-C1 Falcon with a
93-kW Continental engine. A batch of 20
42
INTERNATIONAL
3/2013
similar aircraft was delivered to the

Ecuadorian Air Force in 2012.
The Colombian Air Force has recently
had 25 modified Lancair Legacy FG (fixedgear) aircraft assembled from kits by
government-owned CIAC (Corporacion de
la Industria Aeronautica Colombiana). This
version has a 15% increase in wing area and a
157 kW Lycoming engine. It is known as the
T-50 Calima (after a pre-Columbian culture).
At present the Fora Area Brasileira
(FAB) carries out primary flying training on
the Neiva T-25 Universal, which has a 224kW engine. Some 87 (of 178) remain in
service at the FAB Academy. A number
were donated to Bolivia and Paraguay. Chile
purchased ten from Neiva.
Brazils need to replace the T-25 has
motivated Novaer Craft of Sao Jose dos
Campos to launch development of the T-Xc
Pilgrim trainer, which will be preceded by the
K-51 proof-of-concept aircraft. The T-Xc
will have a 235-kW Lycoming, and will lead to
the civil four-seat U-Xc Stardream derivative.
The Brazilian government has approved a

$40 million grant for construction of the
facility to manufacture the T-Xc.
Turning to Europe, the long-running
success of Italys Alenia Aermacchi SF-260
series designed by Stelio Frati continues
with a recent repeat order for twelve units.
First flown in 1964, this legendary trainer
has either a 195-kW piston engine or a 260kW Rolls-Royce M250 turboprop (SF260TP). Over 900 have been sold to 27
customers, and a new model with glass
cockpit and upgraded aircon was unveiled
in early 2013.
Tandem-seat primary trainers are
exemplified by the Socata TB-30B Epsilon
and Chiles more widely used Enaer T-35
Pillan (Demon). The latter is operated by
Spain and seven Latin American countries.
The most successful design in this category
was the Yakovlev Yak-52, of which 1870
were built in Romania during the Soviet era.
Derived from the Yak-52, the Yak-152
incorporates various improvements,
In 2009 the Italian Defence Ministry placed an

order for six Alenia Aermacchi M-346 Masters with
an option on nine more. In service with the Italian
Air Force, the M-346 is known as the T-346A. It is
here seen performing in the skies of Dubai.
(Armada/Eric H. Biass)
including SKS-94M ejection seats. In

production form, it will use a German RED
A03 V12 diesel engine. The Russian Air
Force reportedly plans to buy an initial
batch of at least 50 Yak-152s for delivery
from 2015. Subject to that order, Dosaaf
(Russian Volunteer Society for Support of
the Armed Forces) will purchase 105. The
Hongdu L-7 (or CJ-7), which made its
public debut at Zhuhai in 2010, is effectively
a licence-built Yak-152, but appears to be
dead in the water
Utva Aviation Industry has delivered 20
Lasta (Swallow) 95Ns to Iraq, and is
manufacturing for the Serbian Air Force a
batch of 15 Lasta 95s with 223-kW engine,
two underwing weapon hardpoints and
Garmin G500 avionics.
In 2011 the Cirrus Aircraft Industries
150-kW SR20 (designated T-53A) was
selected to provide cadet flight training at
the US Air Force Academy, Colorado
Springs. Some 25 T-53As were purchased.
Cassidian Aviation Training Services (Cats)
This four-seat Cirrus SR20, designated T-53A, is operated by the 306th Flying Training Group
at the US Air Force Academy Airfield at Colorado Springs. It is powered by a 150-kW
Continental IO-360-ES engine. (Cirrus Aircraft Industries).
INTERNATIONAL
3/2013
43
Training Aircraft
The Grob Aircraft G120TP has a 340-kW RollsRoyce M250 turboprop and provision for
Martin-Baker Mk 17 lightweight ejection seats.
This demonstrator is pictured over Al Ain in
Abu Dhabi. (Grob Aircraft).
later ordered a total of 16 Cirrus SR20s and

seven 230-kW SR22s, to serve alongside its
20 Grob G120As and 35 (service-owned)
Epsilons in providing primary/basic flying
training for the French Air Force and Navy.
All the SR20/22s will be equipped with the
Cirrus Airframe Parachute System (Caps).
Due to the high price and limited
availability of aviation gasoline, there is
increasing interest in piston and rotary
engines that burn turbine fuel. The leader
in this field is Thielert Aircraft Engines with
the 99-kW Centurion 1.7 and 114-kW
Centurion 2.0s. The Diamond Aircraft
subsidiary Austro Engines produces the
125-kW AE300 and 210-kW AE5900. The
Snecma subsidiary SMA manufactures the
169-kW SR305-230E. The Avic-owned
Continental Motors is launching a diesel
line with the 150-185 kW TD300. This is to
be followed by the 225-260 kW TD450
around 2015, and later the 112-135 kW
TD220.
higher performance level than the primary

phase, and is generally carried out in a
tandem-seat aircraft with a retractable
landing gear and a turboprop engine.
Some turboprop basic trainers have been
developed by simply re-engining pistonengined primary trainers, one case being the
SF-260TP mentioned earlier. A more
extensive redesign took place in developing
the Grob Aircraft G-120TP, with the 340-
kW Rolls-Royce M250 and optional MartinBaker Mk 17 lightweight ejection seats.

Indonesia has recently become the launch
customer, ordering 18 G-120TPs.
Argentina is to lease up to twelve G-120TPs
with an option to buy.
In late 2012 the Defense Council of
Unasur (the twelve-nation Union of South
American Nations) approved a programme
to develop and produce a Primary-Basic
Training Aircraft Project to be known as
Unasur-1. The indications are that Fabrica
Argentina de Aviones (FAdeA) will act as
project leader, and that Brazil, Chile,
Colombia, Ecuador, Paraguay, Peru,
Uruguay and Venezuela will take part. No
details are available, but Unasur-1 could well
eventuate as the IA-73 that FAdeA has been
studying for several years, probably with the
Rolls-Royce M250 turboprop.
Although the M250 is the obvious choice
in re-engining a primary trainer, the
turboprop that dominates the upper levels
of the basic trainer market is the P&WC
PT6. This highly successful engine is
available at ratings throughout the 520-1470
kW range, and over 41,000 have already
been manufactured.
Two newcomers powered by the PT6 are
the Turkish Aerospace Industries (TAI)
Huerkus, named after a local aviation
pioneer,
and
the
Utva
Kobac
(Sparrowhawk), developed from the Lasta
95. The Huerkus, powered by a 1200-kW
I BASIC TURBOPROPS
In the second phase of pilot training, the

student learns such basic skills as aerobatics,
night flying, formation flying and crosscountry navigation. This requires a much
44
INTERNATIONAL
3/2013
This latest version of the Alenia Aermacchi SF-260TP basic trainer has uprated air-conditioning,
digital avionics and two 6x8-inch multi-function displays. Display modes include checklists, a
digital moving map, and feed from a flir camera. (Alenia Aermacchi).
CHOOSE SAMP/T
THE UNIQUE EUROPEAN EXTENDED
AIR DEFENSE SYSTEM
www.eurosam.com
Training Aircraft
PT6A-68T, was scheduled to fly in April

2013. It will be followed by the Kobac, with a
PT6A-62 flat-rated at 708 kW, around the
end of the year.
The Kobac will use the same engine as
the Korea Aerospace Industries KT-1. The
Republic of Korea Air Force has received 85
KT-1 basic trainers, and 20 KA-1s for use in
forward air control. Indonesia has ordered a
total of 19 KT-1Bs. Peru followed with 20
KT-1Ps (16 to be assembled by the Seman
division of FAP), half in close support (KA1P) form. Turkey has ordered 40 KT-1Ts (35
to be assembled by TAI) with an option on 15
more. This option may be dropped if the
Huerkus is successful.
The general trend in turboprop trainer
development has been toward the use of
increasingly powerful engines, from the
410-kW PT6A-25A of the pioneering
Pilatus PC-7 to the 1193-kW PT6A-68B/C
of the PC-21 or Embraer Super Tucano.
These improved powerplants have
provided higher performance and the
potential to reduce the time that the
student spends on more expensive
advanced jet trainers.
Against this trend, Pilatus is continuing
to record orders for the PC-7 Mk II with
46
INTERNATIONAL
3/2013
Combining a stepped cockpit for improved

vision, a derated P&WC PT6A-25C for
economy of operation, and six underwing
hardpoints for operational flexibility, the
Pilatus PC-7 Mk II is selling well. Shown
is the first of (at least) 75 for the Indian Air
Force. (Pilatus Aircraft).
PT6A-25C engine derated to 522 kW to

reduce operating cost. Having sold over
450 PC-7s, in 1993 the PC-7 Mk II (with
stepped glass cockpits, ejection seats and
six underwing hardpoints) was launched
with an order for 60 aircraft for the South
African Air Force, which renamed it the
Astra. Brunei has four, and in early in 2013
the Botswana Defence Force placed in
service five PC-7 Mk IIs. Making its debut
at Aero India in February was the first of 75
PC-7 Mk IIs for the Indian Air Force. India
is widely expected to take up an option
on a further 37, and the eventual total may
run to 181.
Pilatus followed the baseline PC-7 with
the PC-9, with stepped cockpits, ejection
seats and a 708-kW PT6A-62. Over 260 have
been built for 15 air forces. The PC-9 also
served as the basis for the Beechcraft T6A/B Texan II, which has a PT6A-68 derated
to 820 kW, and various improvements.

Some 783 are due for delivery by 2017 under
the US Navy/Air Force Jpats programme. If
exports to Canada (26), Greece (45), Israel
(20), Iraq (15) and Morocco (24) are
included, over 800 T-6s have already been
delivered. The latest order is for an initial
batch for Mexico of six T-6C+ aircraft, with
Esterline CMC Electronics displays and
avionics, and underwing hardpoints.
The PC-9 might be regarded as a reaction
to the Embraer EMB-312 Tucano, which
was the first trainer designed from the
outset for a turboprop engine, and was
aimed at fulfilling both the basic training
and close support roles (the latter justifying
the introduction of ejection seats). The
Tucano has a 560-kW PT6A-25C, and 664
were built for 17 air forces (these figures
including the Shorts Tucano with 820-kW
Honeywell TPE331 engine).
To offset heavier loads (including Kevlar
armour), Embraer took a major step
forward with the stretched and
strengthened EMB-314 Super Tucano,
which first flew in 1999, powered by a 1193kW PT6A-68C. It is widely hailed as a
genuine dual-role aircraft for flying training
and light attack, having been used by several
Latin American air forces to interdict drug

trafficking and in attacks on insurgent
camps and illegal airstrips.
Brazil ordered 33 single-seat A-29As and
66 two-seat A-29Bs. The Super Tucano has
also been adopted by Angola (six), Burkina
Faso (three), Chile (twelve), Colombia (25),
Dominican Republic (eight), Ecuador (18),
Guatemala (six), Indonesia (16), and
Mauritania (three).
In February 2013 the US Air Force
selected the A-29 Super Tucano for its Light
Air Support (LAS) programme, and
awarded a $ 427.5 million contract to Sierra
Nevada and Embraer for an initial batch of
20, which will be supplied to the Afghan Air
Force. It is assumed that further Super
Tucanos (also constructed at Jacksonville,
Florida) will be procured to train pilots from
less wealthy countries, and provide them
with a light attack capability.
Not wishing to compete directly with the
PC-9-derived,
Washington-backed
Beechcraft T-6, Pilatus next designed a
completely new turboprop trainer that
would outperform all its competitors. The
PC-21 with 1193-kW PT6A-68B engine has
so far been adopted by Qatar (24), Saudi
Having successfully emerged from the Chapter 11 process, Beechcraft (formerly Hawker
Beechcraft) presents its military product range: the T-6C trainer (closest to camera), the AT-6
light attack aircraft, and the multi-role Beechcraft 350ER. (Beechcraft).
THE COMMERCIAL MARITIME AND NAVAL DEFENCE SHOWCASE FOR THE ASIA PACIFIC
INTERNATIONAL MARITIME EXPOSITION

7 - 9 OCTOBER 2013
SYDNEY CONVENTION AND EXHIBITION CENTRE, AUSTRALIA
www.pacific2013.com.au
AUSTRALIAN SALES TEAM

Bob Wouda
T: +61 (0) 3 5282 0538
Penny Haines T: +61 (0) 3 5282 0535
Kay McLaglen T: +61 (0) 3 5282 0500
M: +61 (0) 418 143 290

M: +61 (0) 407 824 400
M: +61( 0) 417 011 982
E: bwouda@amda.com.au
E: phaines@amda.com.au
E: kmclaglen@amda.com.au
Maritime Australia Limited

PO Box 4095,
Geelong VIC 3220, Australia
Telephone: +61 (0)3 5282 0500
Email: expo@amda.com.au
Training Aircraft
To the surprise of many observers, Pilatus

followed the highly successful PC-9 with a
completely new design, the PC-21,
intended to outperform all its competitors.
(Pilatus Aircraft).
Arabia (55), Singapore (19), Switzerland

(eight) and the United Arab Emirates (25).
There is a strong possibility that the PC21 will be selected by the Ascent consortium
that operates Britains Military Flying
Training System (MFTS). The PC-21 is
proposed as part of a package by BAE
Systems. Ascent Flight Training issued an
RFP for aircraft for elementary, basic and
multi-engine crew training in December
2012, but the MoD is not expected to sign
the associated contract until 2015.
I TURBOFAN BASICS
Some experts favour all-through jet
training, which suggests that basic flying

training should be performed on an aircraft
powered by a fuel-economical, relatively
low-cost turbofan from business jet
applications. However, this approach has
enjoyed little success; perhaps because a
propeller is a much more effective thrustmagnification device at low speeds, hence
the equivalent turboprop is cheaper.
Nonetheless, Alenia Aermacchi is
continuing to develop the aircraft that began
as the Siai-Marchetti S-211, powered by a
11.12-kN P&WC JT15D-4C turbofan,
believing that marketing success will come
with improved hardware and the backing of
a major corporation. The S-211 was thus
developed into the M-311 with glass cockpit
and a 14.19-kN JT15D-5C.
In 2008 Alenia Aermacchi signed
regional marketing agreements on the M311 with Boeing (which designed the
Initially powered by an allied Signal

TFE321-2A, the Sino-Pakistani K-8
Karakorum had, due an American
embargo on China, to adopt a Progress
AI-25TL. (Armada/Eric H. Biass)
48
INTERNATIONAL
3/2013
supercritical wing) and Chiles Enaer. In

2012 it was rebranded as the M-345. What is
really needed is for the Italian Air Force
(AMI) to adopt the M-345 as a replacement
for some MB-339s, as a more modern
bridge to the M-346 advanced jet trainer.
However, this currently seems unlikely.
The
government-owned
Fabrica
Argentina de Aviones (FAdeA) continues to
market the IA-63 Pampa. Only 27 of the
original IA-63 (with 15.57-kN TFE731-2)
were built, but it appears that when the
government took back control (from
Lockheed Martin) at the end of 2009 the
factory was building a batch of ten. One
Pampa II with 18.9-kN Honeywell TFE73140-2N flew in June 2012. There are
expectations that, when defence funding
allows, 40 Pampa IIs with derated -40 engines
will be ordered for the Argentine services.
The Hindustan Aeronautics HJT-36
Sitara (Morning Star) is intended to be the
Indian Air Forces new Intermediate Jet
Trainer from 2015. However, it was
underpowered with the 14.13-kN Snecma
Larzac 04-H20, so the 17.26-kN NPO
Saturn AL-55I has been introduced. Twelve
pre-production aircraft were to be followed
by 73 full-rate production HJT-36s, but
there are concerns over delivery timescales
and the 200-hr TBO of the Russian engine.
The greatest success in the turbofan basic
trainer category was the Aero Vodochody L39 Albatros with 16.9-kN Ivchenko AI25TL engine. Over 2,800 were built for
more than 30 air forces in the Soviet era.
Large numbers are still in use, including
over 250 on the US civil register.
The latest derivative is the Aero L-159
with 28.2-kN Honeywell F124 engine.
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Training Aircraft
Visually distinguished from earlier models by its wingtip rails and slightly longer nose, the
new BAE Systems Hawk 128 AJT (Advanced Jet Trainer) is shown in Royal Air Force Hawk
T2 form. (BAE Systems).
Some 72 single-seat L-159As were produced

for the Czech Air Force, but only 24 are
operated, and four others have been
converted to two-seat L-159T1 standard.
Up to 47 surplus L-159s are available for
export, but there appear to be no takers,
partly because any such sale would require
US approval. The sale of 24 L-159BQs to
Iraq has evidently fallen through.
In contrast, the Hongdu K-8 Karakorum,
generally powered by an AI-25TLK or WS11 copy, and developed with the help of
the Pakistan Aeronautical Complex, is
selling well. Production lines in China,
Pakistan and Egypt are believed already
to have delivered over 500 K-8s to more
than a dozen air forces, the big users being
China (around half of the 400 JL-8s
planned), Egypt (120), Myanmar (60
ordered) and Pakistan (60).
I ADVANCED JETS
Designed with assistance from Lockheed Martin, the Korea Aerospace Industries T-50 bears a
strong resemblance to the F-16 and is capable of Mach 1.5. It is undoubtedly a strong
contender to replace the US Air Force Northrop T-38 Talon. (Armada/Eric H. Biass).
Designed to allow pilot training at the high angles of attack employed by the latest fighters, the
Yak-130 has already been selected by eight air forces. On current plans, over 300 will be
delivered to the Russian Air Force by 2020. (Yakovlev).
50
INTERNATIONAL
3/2013
The BAE Systems Hawk is one of few recent

successes of the British aerospace industry. If
sales of the Boeing T-45 Goshawk are
included, almost 1000 units have been
ordered. The latest export version of the
original Hawk series is the Mk 132 for India,
which has ordered 123 (mostly to be built by
Hindustan Aeronautics), with 20 more in
prospect.
Based on the Mk 120 produced for South
Africa, with 29-kN Rolls-Royce Adour 951,
the new-generation Hawk 128 AJT (Advanced
Jet Trainer) was launched with a batch of 28
Hawk T2s for UK-MFTS. Saudi Arabia has
ordered 22 and Oman intends to buy eight.
BAE Systems has teamed with Northrop
Grumman in promoting the Hawk in the
forthcoming US Air Force T-X programme
to replace almost 500 T-38s, competing with
the Lockheed Martin/Korea Aerospace
Industries (KAI) T-50, the Alenia
Aermacchi M-346 Master, and possibly a
new Boeing design.
Clearly derived from the F-16 and
powered by a 78.7-kN General Electric
F404, the KAI T-50 offers a maximum speed
of Mach 1.5. The Republic of Korea Air
Force has so far received 50 T-50s, ten T50Bs for its aerobatic team, and 22 TA-50
lead-in fighter trainers. It has also ordered 20
FA-50 fighter/attack aircraft (of a planned
total of 60) for delivery by the end of 2014.
Indonesia has ordered 16 TA-50s.
Co-operation between Yakovlev and
Aermacchi led to two similar but differently
equipped products: the Yak-130 and the
Alenia Aermacchi M-346 (see box
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Training Aircraft
I M-346 MASTER PROGRESS REPORT

Paolo Valpolini
The M-346 lead-in fighter trainer is
moving at full steam towards certification.
June 2013 will see the full certification for
the export version, from which the
Singapore and Israeli aircraft are derived,
while the Italian Air Force version will
represent an intermediate configuration,
the full one being expected for October.
This stepped situation results from the
need to certify numerous configurations,
with external loads ranging from auxiliary
fuel tanks to an air combat manoeuvring
instrumentation pod and weapons. This
requires ad hoc tuning of the fly-by-wire
system for each configuration to guarantee
care-free handling. Following intensive
trials at Pratica di Mare, the Italian Air
Force required minor modifications to the
human-machine interface, which are
being introduced.
In terms of production, considerable
improvements were made with the
opening of a new automated line. This is
based on an innovative automatic riveting
system, that allows wing manufacturing
to ramp up, to match the final assembly
line maximum production rate. The latter
can assemble more than two aircraft per
month with single-shift working, and four
with two shifts.
The supply chain has been optimised,
herewith). The Yak-130 is powered by two

24.5-kN Progress AI-222-25 engines, while
the M-346 has two 28-kN Honeywell F124s.
Following twelve Sokol-built preproduction Yak-130s, in 2011 the Russian
Air Force ordered 55 Irkut-built Yak-130s
with an option on ten more. Deliveries
The Yakovlev/Aermacchi DNA shows quite

clearly on the Chinese Hongdu L-15 Falcon. It is
here seen performing at the Dubai air show as
early as 2007. (Armada/Eric H. Biass)
52
INTERNATIONAL
2/2012
The final assembly line for the Alenia

Aermacchi M-346 at Venegono, north of
Milan. When this photograph was taken, the
last of an initial batch of six for Italy was
being completed. The remaining aircraft
were being prepared for delivery to
Singapore. (Alenia Aermacchi)
adopting the just-in-time concept, while

final assembly procedures have been
improved, assembly time being reduced
faster than scheduled. Currently, the last
Italian aircraft is being completed on the
Venegono line. All the other aircraft on
began in 2012.
Russias National
Armaments Programme calls for 240 more
Yak-130s by 2020. Export orders have been
placed by Algeria (16), Belarus (four),
Mongolia (one) and Vietnam (eight).
Bangladesh is reportedly negotiating the
purchase of 24. The January 2010 order for
the line are for Singapore.

Alenia Aermacchi is not releasing
any information on the status of the
Singapore
programme.
However,
Singaporean sources, confirmed by
French sources, announced that the first
aircraft was delivered at Cazeaux, France,
on November 15th, 2012.
As for the Israeli aircraft, the first subassemblies are being prepared at
Venegono, to be completed by the fall of
2013, when assembly of the first aircraft
will start. Its first flight is scheduled for
February/March 2014.
In 2013 Alenia Aermacchi plans to
produce a total of 13 M-346 Masters.
Currently the company has won firm
orders for 48 aircraft, consisting of six for
Italy, twelve for Singapore and 30 for
Israel. Italy is expected to exercise the
option for nine further aircraft, although
this might be delayed due to financial
reasons. According to Finmeccanica
sources, the UAE contract might be
revived, although interest in the light
attack aircraft version has apparently
faded. Alenia Aermacchi is optimistic
about further orders. For example,
strong interest has been expressed in
Poland. However, the US Advanced Jet
Training programme seems to have
been slipped to the right due to budget
considerations.
six Yak-130s for Libya is currently

cancelled, and the 36 ordered in December
2011 for Syria have been deferred.
The Hongdu L-15 Falcon was designed
with Yakovlev assistance, and looks like a
licence-built Yak-130 with a pointed nose
and the M-346 (no-dogtooth) horizontal
tail. The L-15 made its public debut at
Airshow China 2010, reportedly with 24.5kN Progress DV-2 engines, although AI222K-25Fs are the obvious choice for
production aircraft. Aviation Industry
Corporation of China (Avic) has recently
unveiled the slightly more powerful Liyang
Minsham engine for the L-15.
In late 2012 Catic announced an order
for twelve L-15s for an unspecified
customer, believed to be Egypt. A lead-in
fighter trainer version of the L-15 with
afterburning engines and supersonic
capability is projected.
C2 Blos Satcom
Satcoms for
Beyond-LineOf-Sight
Command
and Control
Satellite Communications or Satcoms is as essential to
warfare as bullets and body armour. Armada has
recently chronicled the latest developments in tactical
satcom for use on the battlefield. This article will discuss
the long-distance satellite links connecting deployed
headquarters back to national command and control
authorities at the strategic level.
Thomas Withington
estled in the bucolic rolling beauty

of the English Midlands, just off
the M40 motorway on the border
between the ancient counties of
Northamptonshire and Oxfordshire, sits the
village of Croughton. The village itself has
for the past eight centuries or so remained
unremarkable, save for the comparatively
recent presence of the Royal Air Force
airfield built there in 1938.
Since 1950 this airfield has been home to
the United States Air Force on long-term
lease from the British government.
Following the US Air Force acquisition
flying activities at RAF Croughton (all
airbases, even those in use by the US Air
Force in Britain retain their RAF prefix)
ceased, the base instead being used by the US
Air Force as a pivotal node in its global
communications network, in particular
hosting a receiver for the Department of
Defenses Giant Talk/Scope Signal-III global
54
INTERNATIONAL
3/2013
High Frequency (HF) communications

network. Today, the base retains its
important role, processing around one-third
of all American military communications in
Europe with these services being provided
by the 422nd Communications Squadron.
The provision of strategic satcoms provides a
key part of the squadrons mission today,
with the large satellite antennae that the base
accommodates visible from the nearby road.
I AEHF
Satcoms handled by the facility at RAF

Croughton includes traffic utilizing the US
Air Forces Milstar (Military Strategic and
Tactical Relay) constellation of five
spacecraft which was launched between
1994 and 2003. Although Six Milstar
satellites were originally launched, one was
rendered unserviceable after the upper stage
failed to place the Milstar-3 satellite into the
proper orbit. Secure voice and data
communications are carried over the
satellites at a rate of 75-2,400 bits-persecond (bps) for the two Block-I (Low Data
Rate) satellites launched first, with this

increasing to 4.8-kilobits-per-second (kbps)
and as fast as 1.5 megabits-per-second for
the following three Block-II (Medium Data
Rate) spacecraft.
Despite the last of the Milstar satellites
being launched at the beginning of this
century, plans are already well underway to
replace these spacecraft. At the heart of
these efforts is the Advanced Extremely
High Frequency (AEHF) constellation
developed for the United States Air Force.
AEHF will provide Satcom to the US armed
forces, in addition to the armed forces of
Canada, the Netherlands and the United
Kingdom. Compared to the Milstar
French defence contractor Thales plays an

important role in the design and fabrication
of military communications satellites and
their payloads, including the French
Ministry of Defences Syracuse-3.
satellites that they replace, the AEHF

spacecraft provide a significant increase in
the amount of traffic that they can handle.
Northrop Grumman is building the
Satcom payload for these satellites which the
company says will typically be able to handle
over 8.1mbps of traffic, while Lockheed
Martin is building the bus and providing the
The United States Department of Defense is
replacing its Milstar communications satellite
constellation with its new Advanced Extremely
High Frequency spacecraft. Northrop
Grumman has developed the satellite
communications payload for these spacecraft.
(Northrop Grumman)
INTERNATIONAL
3/2013
55
C2 Blos Satcom
Lockheed Martin is the prime contractor for

the United States Air Force Advanced
Extremely High Frequency satellite
communications programme. Two satellites
have been launched to date (in 2010 and
2012), with a third launch expected by the
end of the year. (Lockheed Martin)
satellite constellation family. The Skynet

moniker has been used since the first
generation
of
British
military
communications satellite. The family
includes five constellations each of which
has offered progressively more capability,
following the launch, and subsequent
failure, of the first two Skynet-1 satellites in
the late-1960s/early-1970s. The latest Skynet
incarnation is Skynet-5, the fourth example
of which (Skynet-5D) was sent aloft aboard
an Ariane-5 rocket from Kourou Spaceport
in French Guiana, Latin America.
Skynet-5 was conceived to replace the
three Skynet-4 Stage-2 satellites (Skynet-4D,
4E, 4F) which were launched in the late1990s and early part of this century to
replace the three earlier Skynet-4A, 4B and
4C vehicles built by British Aerospace
Dynamics (now BAE Systems). The Skynet4 Stage-2 birds boasted more power and
improved resistance to jamming compared
to the spacecraft that they replaced.
The entire Skynet-5 constellation has
been procured using an innovative Private
Finance Initiative (PFI). Essentially this has
seen European space specialists Astrium
ground control infrastructure as the AEHF

prime contractor. Two AEHF satellites have
already been launched, and a third has been
delivered to the US Air Force ready for
launch this year, possibly by September.
Beyond this, work is ongoing on the fourth,
fifth and sixth spacecraft which could reach
the heavens in the 2016-2019 timeframe.
One of the interesting design features of the
AEHF spacecraft is that their Satcom
payload uses Active Electronically Scanned
Antenna technology. This enables the
uplink and downlink of traffic, without a
need to physically steer an antenna in the
direction of a ground-based receiver or
transmitter. Moreover, that technology
allows the utilization of very narrow beams
for Satcoms, which are less susceptible to
interference, and therefore harder to jam.
Northrop Grumman and Lockheed Martin
are not the only two American defence
contractors involved in the AEHF initiative.
I SKYNET
Science fiction buffs will be familiar with the

name Skynet which was used to describe the
self-aware defence computer network in
director James Camerons 1984 epic
Terminator and its Terminator-2: Judgment
Day sequel. It is also the name of the United
Kingdoms military communications
56
INTERNATIONAL
3/2013
US military satellite communications are still provided by the Department of Defenses

Defense Satellite Communications System. These satellites were pivotal in enhancing the
global strategic communications of US forces around the world.
C2 Blos Satcom
The United Kingdoms strategic military

satellite communications have experienced a
major overhaul via the Skynet-5 programme.
This uses an innovative public-private
partnership to finance the construction and
operation of the spacecraft. (Astrium)
communications. In addition, it hosts eleven

Nato-compliant Ultra High Frequency
(UHF) channels with each of these
providing 25-kilohertz of bandwidth to
carry voice and data transmissions.
Paradigm Secure Communications lease the
bandwidth offered by the satellites to Britain
and other Allied customers, although most
of the capacity offered by the spacecraft has
already been leased for British military
communications.
Nevertheless
the
company does have additional space which it
will make available. According to the
company, this will be made available to
Allied customers via the American satellite
communications
specialists
Harris
CapRock (see below). Although the Skynet-5
constellation is very much at the start of its
life, the thoughts of Paradigm are turning
towards what may replace this capability
over the next ten-to-twenty years.
I SYRACUSE
The ground segment of the United Kingdoms Skynet-5 constellation is based at a former
Royal Air Force base at Oakhanger in the south of England. Ironically, the motto of the RAF unit
formerly based at the site was Ultra Tellurem Dico, or I speak beyond the Earth. (Astrium)
building and launching the Skynet-5

satellites, with Satcom services then being
provided by a wholly-owned Astrium
subsidiary called Paradigm which is under
contract to provide secure Satcom services to
the United Kingdom Ministry of Defence
(MoD) using bandwidth available via the
Skynet-5 constellation and/or through the
lease of airtime from other Satcom
providers. Additional available bandwidth
58
INTERNATIONAL
3/2013
on the satellites can be made available for

leasing by the Britains Nato partners. The
provision of Satcoms via this PFI
arrangement represents an interesting
approach to service provision and it will be
interesting to see if similar approaches are
followed by other military Satcoms users as
part of other, similar projects in the future.
Overall, the Skynet-5 constellation
provides two gigahertz of X-band satellite
Much as the United Kingdom has enhanced

its strategic Satcoms via the advent of the
Skynet-5 family, the French government has
taken a similar course of action via its
Syracuse Satellite Radio Communications
family. The first Syracuse constellation,
which comprised three Tlcom-I
spacecraft, was launched in the early-1980s
and reached the end of their operational
lives in 1994. This constellation was used to
handle traffic from both the French
Ministry of Defence and also from the
countrys France Tlcom state-owned
communications provider. Four satellites
(Tlcom-2A, -2B, -2C, 2D) constituted the
Syracuse-2 constellation programme
launched in 1987 which replaced Syracuse-1.
As before, both the Ministry of Defence and
France Tlcom shared these spacecraft.
The latest family member is Syracuse-3,
which commenced operations in 2000. It
includes two satellites (Syracuse-3A, -3B)
dedicated for defence ministry use. The
Syracuse-3 programme also included the
modernization of ground infrastructure to
handle Satcom traffic along with the
provision of Satcom terminals. The Syracuse3 family was to have included a third
spacecraft. However, the decision was taken to
C2 Blos Satcom
Astrium developed the SatcomBw

programme to provide the German armed
forces with deployed voice, data and
multimedia satellite communications
capabilities. The satellites provide
communications over an area stretching from
Asia to North America. (Astrium)
place the Satcom payload that would have

been carried aboard Syracuse-3C instead on
the Franco-Italian Sicral-2 programme
developed by Thales Alenia Space and
Telespazio. The solitary Sicral-2 bird is
expected to head space-wards in circa 2014.
Although the launch of Sicral-2 is still
one year away, the thoughts of the French
Direction Gnrale des Armaments (DGA)
defence procurement agency has already
turned towards what could replace the
Syracuse-3 constellation. In September 2012

the DGA awarded two study contracts to
European space heavyweights, Astrium and
Thales Alenia Space, under the Comsat-NG
programme to consider the possible
capabilities which will be required for the
next generation of military communications
satellites, and the hardware and software
required therein. The study phase of the
Comsat-NG programme is expected to last
for one year. Comsat-NG is intended to
France and Italy have joined forces for the development of the Sicral-2 satellite which should
be launched imminently. France has recently launched studies to examine how to upgrade
and replace its existing military communications satellite capabilities in the future. (Telespazio)
60
INTERNATIONAL
3/2013
replace the Syracuse-3, Sicral-2 and

ATHENA-FIDUS (Access on Theatres for
European allied forces Nations-French
Italian Dual Use Satellite) constellations.
Like Sicral-2, ATHENA-FIDUS is scheduled
for launch this year. It is a Franco-Italian
military Satcom programme to provide
Extremely High Frequency (EHF) and Kaband wideband satellite communications at
speeds of up to three gigabits-per-second.
Along with its utilization by the French and
Italian armed forces, the Belgian military
will use the spacecraft for Satcom traffic.
The successor military Satcom constellation
procured as a result of the Comsat-NG
programme will be expected to host EHF, Xand Ka-band satellite communications.
Along with examining the nuts, bolts
and capabilities which could be utilized,
the studies are tasked with examining the
procurement options available to France
such as the traditional acquisition of a new
satellite constellation, a PFI initiative
perhaps similar to the United Kingdoms
Like Harris CapRock, ViaSat is heavily involved in the provision of

satellite communications services to military customers. The
company has its own satellites for the provision of this, and can also
lease air time from other operators. (ViaSat)
Skynet-5 programme (see above), or a bilateral or multilateral

procurement including other nations with similar requirements. At
present Italy, France and Britain each maintain their own military
Satcom capabilities. However, one future option could include all
three countries coming together to develop a successor
constellation to replace their respective Sicral, Syracuse and Skynet
spacecraft. With defence budgets in Europe looking set for longterm contraction, the pooling of Satcom capabilities and resources
in the future may represent a useful mechanism by which nations
can ensure their strategic communications while simultaneously
reducing their expense.
Such an initiative could still be some way in the future, and
could follow the next generation of military communications
satellites which France will procure to replace Syracuse-3 (see
above), towards the end of its life. On 15th February this year, the
DGA awarded a contract to Astrium for the development of the
Comcept programme (Complment de Capacits en Elongation,
Projection et Thtre in other words Projection and Theatre
Capacity Complementation and Extension). Comcept aims to
deliver high-speed Ka-band secure internet-protocol
communications services from 2014. Astrium is expected to
leverage technology that the company developed for the United
Arab Emirates Yahsat civil and military communications satellite.
The last spacecraft in the Yahsat constellation, Y1B, was launched
on 23rd April 2012 following Y1A which was launched one year
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Wassenaar Arrangement
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TRADE, European Commission
Jan-Erik Lvgren, Deputy Director General, Swedish
Inspectorate of Strategic Products (ISP)
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C2 Blos Satcom
An increasing trend being observed in the

world of strategic military satellite
communications is the proliferation of
companies offering full end-to-end satellite
communications services such as Harris
CapRock in the United States. (Harris Caprock)
earlier. Both satellites carry Ka-band 21-54

megahertz secure transponders. The
advent of Ka-band communications via
Comcept is important as one of the
advantages of this segment of the electromagnetic spectrum is that it allows
high bandwidth communications. This
will complement the UHF and X-band
satellite communications currently offered
by Syracuse.
I VIASAT
While Satcom capabilities such as Milstar

and AEHF remain government-owned, a
number of private sector companies are
offering secure Satcom services for longrange communications. One such firm is
ViaSat, based in San Diego, United States.
The company offers both K-band (18-27
Gigahertz/GHz) and Ka-band (26.540GHz) satellite communications using its
own spacecraft. Currently, the firm can
provide Satcom coverage of North America
using the ViaSat-1 and Wild Blue spacecraft.
This coverage will expand once additional
satellites are launched in the coming five-to-
62
INTERNATIONAL
3/2013
ten years. The company offers a number of

services for the user which can include
solely the provision of air time for the
carriage of a customers traffic, customerprovision of terminals and ground stations,
or a full end-to-end solution by which
ViaSat provides not only the airtime, but the
accompanying infrastructure. The latter
option can include the provision of either
communications equipment furnished by
ViaSat, or equipment from a third party
chosen by the customer.
I HARRIS CAPROCK
Harris CapRock, like ViaSat, also provides

a suite of Satcom services for use by the
customer. Headquartered in Fairfax,
Virginia the firm offers a service called
CommandAccess. This is a full end-to-end
Satcom service which carries voice, data,
video and Voice-Over-Internet-Protocol
(voip) traffic to and from national
headquarters (HQs) to field HQs, vehiclemounted and soldier-portable terminals.
The company effectively provides both
strategic- and tactical-level Satcoms using
one service. Crucially, the company says that
CommandAccess offers military-grade
secure, real-time communications on a
subscription basis which can be purchased at
a flat monthly rate.
Customers seeking strategic Satcom can
either purchase a full end-to-end service, or
cherry pick the services and products they

require such as the satellite airtime or
dedicated terminals. The firm benefits from
being part of the Harris communications
empire, providing it with ready access to a
range of company-furnished Satcom
terminals and equipment. CommandAccess
has been available since 2009, and since then
Harris CapRock has seen an uptake of these
services from a number of Nato nations and
other countries around the globe. The
company is keen to emphasise that it has
ground stations positioned around the
world which removes the need to have
traffic routed through a ground station in
the United States to and from its destination,
thus reducing complexities and time delays
in the handling of the traffic.
One new service which the company will
be offering during the second quarter of
2013 is the provision of UHF traffic across
its Satcom channels. Without satellite
augmentation UHF can handle impressive
amounts of voice and data traffic but is
ostensibly limited to line-of-sight ranges.
This had caused problems in elevated
environments such as Afghanistan where
UHF communications between platoons or
companies can be disrupted when hills or
mountains get in the way. Satcoms can
thus be used to carry these transmissions
to ensure that troops using UHF
communications can keep in touch with one
another by literally bouncing their traffic off
a satellite to avoid the rugged peaks.
I DEMOCRACY IN SPACE
The wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, and more

recently Libya and Mali, have all served to
reiterate the importance of strategic satellite
communications. When facilities such as RAF
Croughton, described in the introduction,
first began to handle satellite traffic strategic
Satcom was the preserve of a small number
of rich nations. Advances in technology,
notably the increasing miniaturization of
communications electronics, coupled with
their corresponding reductions in price, have
effectively helped to democratise strategic
Satcoms placing such communications
within the reach of an ever-larger number
of nations. Moreover, the proliferation of
companies offering end-to-end and bespoke
strategic Satcom services means that
armies, air forces and navies, wherever they
are can now phone home without the
expense of having to develop and launch
satellite constellations and provide their
accompanying ground infrastructure.
Whats Up
MSN4 waiting for us

on the Seville tarmac.
(Eric H. Biass)
Flight of the 400

Most defence journalists have had the opportunity to fly in a military
transport aircraft, generally to be transferred to an area of operations or
a military base. On this occasion though, the Editor, together with a few of his
peers, had the privilege to be taken nowhere during this inaugural public
flight of the A400M if defence journalists can be called public.
Eric H. Biass
fter a very progressive 20-second

roll on the Seville runway the
crew obviously not wanting to
upset the notoriously critical lot
sitting longitudinally in the vast cargo hold
Grizzly No4 was airborne. The first
stunning impression while the aircraft was
settling on its journalists promenade
pattern, was the absolute lack of the so
characteristic vibration always imparted to
the entire airframe by the propellers. In fact
it is absolutely impossible to believe that
this massive, seemingly cathedral-high,
hull is being kept aloft by propellers.
As soon as allowed by the crew, yours truly
promptly unlatched his four-point harness,
soon to be joined by Airbus Militarys boss
Domingo Urea Raso in the middle of the
seat-less area of the ship. Now, it must be
borne in mind that aircraft number 4 is still
used for a variety of tests and is absolutely
devoid of any sort of sound insulation, to

allow easy access to electrical and hydraulic
lines that need to be monitored. Both
standing up, Urenia and I engaged in a
conversation on the particular certification
features of the aircraft when, much to the
amusement of Urenia, I realised that Id
totally forgotten to put on my earplugs and
that we were talking marginally louder than
usual, but certainly not shouting which is
absolutely impossible to do in any other
turboprop military transport bar none. As a
As explained by test chief Eric Isorce, the relative

quietness and lack of vibration is largely owed
to a harmonic monitoring system that uses one
of the blades of the engine number two as a
reference to which all other propellers are
tuned in flight. It must be remembered that
vibrations are used to break or separate things,
so killing vibrations is not only a matter of
personal (or personnel) comfort, but also of
long-term aircraft health. (Eric H. Biass)
INTERNATIONAL
3/2013
63
Whats Up
C296W OFFICIALLY LAUNCHED

The latest offshoot of the European military aircraft corporation is the
C296W in which the W stands for winglets. Carried out on the factoryowned C-295, the modification has proved that in spite of the added
weight (30 kilos for wing reinforcements and 60 kilos for the composite
winglets themselves, and their metallic attachments), the treatment,
in conjunction with new PW127 powerplant rating increase hot-andhigh performance, as well as lift/drag ratio. As a side boon, fuel
consumption is expected to drop by between three and six per cent.
The new engine settings alone account for a 1.5 tonne payload increase
at 25,000 feet altitudes, which is seen as very important for operators
that regularly need to fly over than Andes, like Peru, Colombian and
Chile (the latter two already being C295 users). The W is expected to
obtain its type certification during the second quarter of 2014 and to
become the standard offering as of the end of that year. The
configuration is retained for the AEW&C development as well as for the
27mm and 30 mm Gunner gunship derivatives currently being
studied. (photo: Armada/Eric H. Biass)
A picture being worth a thousand words, this

diagram explains what would have
happened had the A400M been available for
Mali last January. (Airbus Military)
matter of fact, I wondered if the civilian Saab

2000 and ATR72 I had flown in a few days
earlier were much quieter.
Time for a chat with the crew upstairs
and the loadmaster to be explained how he
could handle all cargo operations on his
own, and it was time to land. Only the short
shudder of the airframe resulting from the
unspooling engines before they came to a
halt reminded us that they were attached to
propellers.
The short flight, combined with chats with
the crew, not to mention the boss himself,

helped convince us that the A400M is not only
an unusual aircraft (which we already knew
given its totally out-of standard size and
weight), but also a formidable workhorse, a
beast in fact. A beast which should make a
number of European powers-that-be regret
dragging their feet in past years when it came
to financing a project that would have made
things so much simpler for European
militaries in Afghanistan and, more recently,
in Mali. Hiring Antonovs and buying C-17
flight hours cant have been cheap.
As the diagram herewith show,
the A400M, whilst carrying less than the C17, can land on unprepared fields and can
thus deliver the equipment directly
where required in the Malian case, saving

in the process the long, time-consuming
and dangerous transfers by trail, from the
landing airport (Bamako, some 900 km
away) to the northern area of operations.
I A400M STATUS
The first production aircraft, tail number 7,

will have been delivered by the time these
lines are printed. The next one is slated for
delivery to Turkey later this year, followed by
the first British, German, and Malaysian
items in 2014. Production will then ramp up
to fulfil the 174 aircraft ordered by the seven
launch customers and the single export
customer to date (Belgium 7, France 50,
Germany 53, Luxemburg 1, Spain 27, Turkey
10, Britain 22 and Malaysia 4).
While the A400M is certainly not a cheap
aircraft, it certainly is cheaper to buy and
operate than a C-17 or an An-70, and despite
its smaller hauling capability, what appears
to speak in its favour is that it can still carry a
20-tonne load over a distance of 6,400
kilometres (without including its in-flight
refuelling ability) at close to the same sort of
speed and altitude, namely mach .72 and
40,000 feet, but above all, it practically does
doorstep deliveries. With the types of
missions that have to be carried out
Here seen in his office, the loadmaster

is as important as the flight crew in military
missions since he monitors all weight
distribution and operations,
including paradrops, from this station.
64
INTERNATIONAL
3/2013
operators will eventually want to do with

their aircraft after delivery is up to them.
I MRTT
nowadays, one can assume that the A400M

will be able to secure itself a fair slice of the
airlift market in the next two decades,
particularly if one bears in mind the second
important feather it wears in its cap: its also a
in-flight refuelling tanker in its own right.
Another major feature, perhaps odd for a

military aircraft, is that it is certified to
civilian EASA standards. These are more
stringent, but offered a measure of unity to
Airbus Military. The yardstick applies to, and
are accepted by, all nations, and whatever the
Amongst the latest tests with potential clients

aircraft, MRTT refuelling approach
compatibility trials have recently been
performed with Indian and Algerian Su-27s.
Algeria is rumoured to be needing four to six
air-refuellers, in addition to three C-17s.
With elections soon due in this country,
Airbus Military remains very cautious about
any speculation on Algerias final intentions.
In the meantime, deliveries of the MRTT
are continuing normally in spite of the two
dramatic boom losses that occurred last
year, which were blamed on human error,
and a new upgrade of the boom flight
control is being certified to counter this
problem. The MRTT is now in operation
with four air forces, namely Australia,
Britain, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab
Emirates. It has been selected by the Indian
Air Force and has recently been declared
preferred choice by the French air Force, for
which Airbus Military is developing a
specific version incorporating a large portside cargo loading door.
Digest
NEXT ISSUE AUG/SEPT 2013:

1 SEPTEMBER,
ADVERTISING: 16 JULY
Mout training centres: With
fighting in urban environments
becoming more the norm that the
exception, training in specialised
centres is a sine qua non. Several
companies have specialised in
their sphistication development.
Gunfire location systems:
These special sensors have
become a necessary ally for the
soldier as they enable him to
rapidly be cued on the direction of
an attack, take appropriate cover
and return fire.
Rugged laptops: As in the real
civilian world, laptops have
succeeded to desktops, and like
their predecessors have to be built
to resist rough treatment.
Naval medium-calibre remote
guns: As their vehicle-mounted
counterparts, they enable their
operators to remain under cover,
sailors probably being even
more exposed to enemy fire on a
ship or boat deck.
TDAS NEW METRIC PRECISION ROCKET

nnounced too late for inclusion in our laser guided rocket article in this issue, France, through
its TDA rocket and mortar armament specialist, recently presented it latest creation in the field
of rockets at Cazaux air force base. Known as the Metric Precision Rocket, it is primarily aimed at
providing the Tigre helicopter not only with a high precision strike weapon metric as the
designation implies but also, and perhaps above all, a means of containing collateral damage
within a diameter of about 20 metres. The new weapon, which is still under development,
consists of the standard 68mm induction fired rocket fitted with a new warhead and tipped with
a guidance and control section. All elements have so far been tested seperately and the first fullscale test is expected to take place next July. The actual performance of the warhead has not
been revealed, but the missile has an overal weight of 8.8-kilos, is able to intercept a target
moving at a speed of 30 knots at a range of about six kilometres, which aslo makes it perfectly
adaptable to a male drone. The project is self-funded by TDA for the time being, but is fully
supported by the French DGA procurement agency. Its need was of course highlighted by the
French forces in Afghanistan, and an initial operating capability has been set for 2018.
66
INTERNATIONAL
3/2013
Landing helicopter docks:

Smaller than full-blown aircraft
carriers, these helicopter carriers
are playing an increasingly
important role as they actually are
jacks of many trades, able as they
are to also turn themselves into
hospitals, natural disaster relief
units and even auxiliary power
plants in devastated regions in
addition to their original ground
support role.
Compendium - Modern soldier
programmes: The Compendium
is split into two parts, the first one
providing an update on current
soldier modernisation
programmes (of which some are
already implemented in service
and others on the verge of
readiness), while the second
covers a selection of systems that
might become part of future
programmes or "spiralisations" of
current programmes.
Image copyright of Avon Protection
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THE TRUSTED SOURCE FOR DEFENCE TECHNOLOGY INFORMATION SINCE 1976

PEMA2m - Photo F. Robineau - Dassault Aviation

THE TRUSTED SOURCE FOR DEFENCE TECHNOLOGY INFORMATION SINCE 1976

HIGH TIER AIR DEFENCE

MOBILE ABM SYSTEMS TO

SATCOMS FOR BEYOND-LINE-OFSIGHT COMMAND AND CONTROL

I Eric Biass and Roy Braybrook

DEFENCE & SECURITY THAILAND

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The very latest news on the

ecent operations have highlighted the

Quite apart from being less expensive than a

Atomics 1157 kg MQ-1 Predator and 4763

Why this advance should have taken four

approved a Mission Need Statement (MNS),

BAE Systems is under US Navy contract to

tendered for the first production lots were

In September 2005 the US Army reopened

was selected as the new prime contractor and

IAIs HAROP: searches like a UAS,

resulting total programme cost of $1,505

The APKWS was cleared initially on the Bell

then on the UH-1Y Venom utility (Bell has

The APKWS appears to have been

In February 2011 the US Navy and Air Force

Over Afghanistan, the starboard door

Demonstration) contract to develop a FixedWing APKWS with explosively-deployed

Although the APKWS has the backing of the

producing seekers for laser-guided bombs

Lockheed Martin completed development of

Given the high hit probability of LGRs,

December 2012, having made over 40

US Army Joint Attack Munitions Systems

Hellfire M299 rack that is carried below the

The basic design of the Hydra-70 dates from

Although Lockheed Martin did not win the US

grain used in Hydra-70, but has an advanced

Another laser-guided 70 mm rocket, but

T129 Atak helicopter (and the AH-1W), the

also be fired in an unguided mode with wings

Although most LGR developments

UNCOOLED THERMAL SIGHTS

SEE WHAT OTHERS CANT.

What makes Raytheon uncooled thermal sights

2013 Raytheon Company. All rights reserved.

t the bottom end of the weapons

Cannon have almost universally taken over

Rapid Deployment Full) standard, these

However, America discovered in Vietnam, as

:DWW 0XOWLEDQG $PSOLHU