DSEI - Day 4

First "big salvo" launch of Brimstone on operations 


Obviously not exactly a DSEI news, but one of interest. Previously during combat missions in both Libya and Afghanistan, the Brimstone missile has been fired individually, using laser guidance.


However, of course, it also has the capacity to be fired in a large salvo utilising millimetric radar to guide simultaneously each missile to a separate target in a target area. This is what the original Brimstone was designed for, before laser guidance was added due to COIN experience and ROE needs.

Since a large concentration of former regime armoured vehicles had been located by NATO in Libya, Tornado GR4 of the RAF flew a mission from Gioia del Colle and used the salvo firing technique for the very first time in action, with some two-dozen missiles fired.

Full battle damage assessment continues, but seven or eight target vehicles were observed on fire, and the precision nature of the Brimstone's warhead means that additional targets were most likely destroyed or severely damaged. The fact that the vehicle does not appear to be burning does not mean it is not knocked out: this is no Hollywood, and not everything goes up in a big bang of flames. It is highly unlikely, if not impossible, that a target hit by a Brimstone survives.


FRES Scout video from British Forces News

It does not show or say as much as I’d want, but definitely better than nothing. 

The FSTA progress

In the coming weeks, the Royal Air Force will take delivery of its first Airbus Military A330 Multi-Role Tanker/Transport. The final hurdle to delivery was military certification, the award of which has just been announced. The RAF’s aircraft was named Voyager in a ceremony at the Royal International Air Tattoo in July. The 14 aircraft are to replace VC10s and TriStars, and the contract runs for 24 years following first delivery.

Approval for military operations was granted by the Instituto Nacional de Tecnologia Aerospacial (INTA), which is Spain’s military certification authority. The agreed certification standards meet UK military requirements. Award of the military certificate follows EASA civil certification, which was received in July, allowing the RAF to operate its Voyagers on both civil and military registers.

The initial certificates cover the RAF’s aircraft operating in a two-point refuelling configuration, with Cobham’s advanced 905E refuelling pods under the wings. Following delivery, the aircraft will be used for training crews, maintainers and receivers. If all goes well, the first Voyagers could become operational as early as 2013, although the scheduled in-service date is 2014.

While the first two aircraft were converted at the Airbus Military plant at Getafe in Spain, the remaining 12 aircraft on order for the RAF will be converted at Cobham’s facility at Hurn, near Bournemouth, UK. The first ‘green’ A330 arrived from the Airbus production line last month. Cobham expects the initial conversion, in which the aerial refuelling and other military systems are installed, to take 12 months. The process will accelerate with later aircraft to 10 months, and all 14 aircraft are scheduled to be delivered within five years.

Seven of the aircraft are to be kitted for operations with the Cobham 805E fuselage refuelling system as well as the wing pods, with 5 805E kits being acquired. This three-point configuration should be certificated in early 2013. The fleet will keep 9 airplanes at readiness for immediate RAF ops, with the remaining available on request and offered for use by other clients, to reduce costs: initially, it was thought that the airplanes would be used by civilian companies for passenger transportation but now, much more realistically, it is expected that military use, probably by France, will be the solution followed. France has in fact a requirement for 14 tankers, also from Airbus, but the contract award has been delayed by a few years due to lack of funding. Other NATO nations could also buy hours on the FSTA “spare capacity” fleet.

Fire Shadow entry in service

The Royal Artillery will start formal training with the MBDA Fire Shadow weapon system later this year at the Royal School of Artillery, Larkhill. Next year 39 Regiment will add the Fire Shadow to its GMLRS role, and deploy in Afghanistan the Loitering Ammunition for the first time. Succesful tests are continuing in Sweden, and the Command and Control segment has also been already validated. 

A tent-based Fire Shadow command post

Initial versions of the Fire Shadow will be deployed from a single rail towed launcher, already shown in many videos, but in future pods could be integrated onto a cross-country chassis. MBDA has been proposing a 8-cells assembly on a MAN 4x4 HX60 truck, for example, with a TEU-contained Ground Control Station transportable on DROPS/ELPS trucks. 

A Fire Shadow launched during tests in Sweden, from the single-rail launcher.

Fire Shadow will have a range of about 100km with a six hour loiter time on the target area. Total mission length should be of around 10 hours, with a maximum range of 150 Km. Initially, it will be limited to 50 operationally as the system is validated. It is roughly 4 meters long at launch and weights some 200 kg. It is fitted with a conventional blast fragmentation warhead and is considered to have plenty of growth potential with more range, different warheads and different launchers. A possibility exists to make it VLS capable and fire it from Sylver launchers such as those on the Type 45, as mentioned in a RN document about HMS Daring. (scroll down to page 17)

MBDA is proposing the Fire Shadow as a maritime weapon also by “less invasive” and less expensive embarkation of the single-rail launcher, which could be used from a frigate’s flight deck. At launch, due to the rocket backblast, a 10-meters clear area is mandated.

In particular, at sea Fire Shadow is seen as having applications in the amphibious assault support role, launched from ships to provide ‘top cover’ for marines as they land ashore.

UK’s Megitt will provide targets for training of French armed forces

UK-based Meggitt Defence Systems has been awarded a fiveyear contract by the NATO Maintenance and Supply Agency to supply aerial and boat targets to the French Navy. Meggitt will supply the French Navy with its Snipe, Jet Banshee (pictured) and Whirlwind Banshee aerial targets, and Sprite boat targets.

Other deliverables include six catapult launchers, six Merlin ground control stations, two acoustic miss distance indication ground stations and a number of airborne units/ payloads (comprising active radar enhancement, black body infrared enhancement, radar altimeters and countermeasures dispensers).

The Sprite is already in service with the UK Royal Navy and the Banshee is used as part of the Target family used for training air defence units of the british Armed Forces

An image of the Thales Merlin MASC installation has been released

Thanks to Jane’s, from which this image comes. It provides a visual evidence of the news i treated yesterday (DSEI - Day 3 article) The radar would be raised (prior to landing) and lowered along two supporting rails. Once lowered, the Searchwater would have the desired 360° field of view. No additional details on the crew consoles solution has been released, though. 

Lochkeed Martin instead, has announced that its "podded" solution (again, see my report in the DSEI - Day 3 article) would integrate the radar suite software with the existing consoles, a very interesting and advantageous approach. 

A Northrop Grumman attempt to enter the Assisted Carriage System race

Northrop Grumman is exhibiting its remotely controlled robotic transport platform capability, the Carry-all Mechanised Equipment Landrover (CaMEL) unmanned ground vehicle (UGV). The 60in-tall, six-wheel drive, treaded hybrid motorised robot is capable of carrying an impressive load of 800 lb of equipment at a maximum speed of 4mph across any terrain.

With the next phase of FIST planned for 2015, options and proposals emerge

Rockwell Collins is showcasing two new products, including the latest in precision targeting and network communication.

The new Sentinel system is a key part of the company’s integrated soldier solutions that will enable ground soldiers to join the larger network for greater situational awareness force-wide. This is achieved while accommodating the size, weight and power constraints of the foot soldier. In essence, Sentinel is a customisable system that combines tactical capability with portability. Soldierworn and see-through displays can be part of the system, with options for wrist, helmet and eye-shield mountings.

The Sentinel kit, with Helmet Mounted Eyepatch display

A major advance with Sentinel has been the use of latest technology advantages to reduce weight and bulk. With it, soldiers can receive and send messages, maps and other multimedia information on the terrain to the entire network in real time.

But the StrikeHawk Digital video downlink receiver shares the limelight with Sentinel as a new product launched here at DSEi. It provides full-motion analogue or digital video to mobile ground-base tactical users, providing them with timely warnings of threats and of enemy intentions, buying troops valuable time to react to a fast-moving or escalating tactical situation. The StrikeHawk is already used by Royal Artillery Fire Support Teams and RAF Forward Tactical Air Controllers in Afghanistan.

FLAADS – CAMM progresses

MBDA is awaiting the green light from the UK Ministry of Defence to move ahead with full-scale development of the Future Local Area Air Defence System (Maritime) – FLAADS(M) – as a replacement point defence system for the Royal Navy (RN). Based on the Common Anti-air Modular Missile (CAMM), FLAADS(M) will initially equip the RN’s Type 23 frigates and will later migrate onto the RN’s new Type 26 Global Combat Ship.

FLAADS is intended as the UK’s next generation of short-range air defence guided weapon systems, with the intention that variants should replace Seawolf (planned by 2016) and Rapier (2018 – 2020 timeframe), and insert technology into ASRAAM, in the respective maritime, land and air environments. CAMM is the common effector for FLAADS.

FLAADS(Marittime) entered the Assessment Phase in 2008 as one of six programmes taken forward under the banner of Team Complex Weapons. MBDA has been undertaking a range of technology development and de-risking activities to mature system engineering and design, fully exploiting its experience of developing the Sea Viper guided weapons system now entering service on the RN’s new Type 45 destroyers.

According to the company, “significant achievements” have been made in all areas, notably with the development of the FLAADS Command and Control (C2) system (featuring greater than 75 per cent re-use of Sea Viper C2 software) and the development of the FLAADS Platform Data Link, both of which are already undergoing trials in MBDA development facilities. Furthermore, there has been a seamless progression of experienced staff and facilities from the Sea Viper programmed onto the FLAADS(M) programme to ensure that the lessons learned during the Sea Viper development are fully brought to bear.

Leveraging technology from ASRAAM, the CAMM missile has been conceived as a common high-performance anti-air effector. Using an innovative low-cost active radar seeker, it will also form the centrepiece of the related FLAADS (Land) – FLAADS(L) – system intended to replace the British Army’s Rapier missile batteries at the end of the decade.

MBDA says the maturity of the CAMM missile design has been demonstrated in a number of important trials in recent months. The novel Soft Vertical Launch concept has been conclusively proven in a number of trials, culminating in a successful ejection and turnover trial from a truck platform in May this year, providing direct read-across to the FLAADS(L) programme. Significant progress has also been made with the CAMM seeker development, with a series of successful air carry trials having taken place.

MBDA is now gearing up its export campaign for FLAADS/CAMM. It argues that straightforward platform integration, coupled with low cost of ownership, are intrinsic to the system architecture. Furthermore, there is no need for complex above-decks trackers or dedicated radars, as CAMM is radar-agnostic and can be integrated with any Search Radar for getting its initial target bearings, making FLAADS/CAMM an excellent proposition for a wide variety of naval platforms.

It is expected that CAMM will go on the Type 23 frigates around 2016, to replace Sea Wolf and its associated radar trackers and systems. CAMM will expand range from 13 to 20-25 km, and an option exists to give the missile a surface-attack capability as well. It is not clear if this option is being pursued by the MOD: when MBDA proposed it, the Ministry was clear that such capability would have been welcome, but had to come within the budget already agreed. No additional funding will be provided by the MOD, so MBDA would have to self-fund and aim for exports.

After RAF trials in 2005, Goodrich is privately funding a newly designed installation for RAPTOR on Reapers.

The DB-110 was developed in the 1990s and was fielded in the Raptor pod carried by RAF Tornados, first seeing action over Iraq in 2003. The system has been heavily utilised by Tornados during RAF operations over Libya, with outstanding results. Japan acquired DB-110s for use on P-3 maritime patrollers, and the sensor has been specified for several recent F-16 customers, beginning with the Polish air force. A low-level capability was added for this requirement, complementing existing medium and high-level capabilities.

In 2005, Raptor was trialled in a pod under a General Atomics Predator B/MQ-9 Reaper UAV during joint UK-US JUEP studies in the drones sector, and now Goodrich has funded a more refined installation.

The underwing fairing has been constructed by General Atomics, and the system is nearing readiness for a flight demonstration funded by a US government agency. Flight trials are expected to begin early next year.

With the sensor’s ability to work from overhead out to more than 40 nautical miles slant range, the Predator B/ DB-110 combination offers a valuable reconnaissance/surveillance tool.

Oto Melara and Babcock confident on selling the 127/64 mm gun to the Royal Navy

While many of the combat system equipments for the Royal Navy’s (RN’s) next-generation Type 26 frigate will be migrated from existing Type 23s, the likelihood remains that a requirement will emerge for a brand new medium-calibre gun to succeed the RN’s current Mk 8 Mod 1 4.5in (114mm) weapon. A recent Future Maritime Fires study run by Niteworks is informing on the final capability requirement.

In anticipation, Italian armaments group Oto Melara (a subsidiary of Finmeccanica) and UK-based support and engineering services group Babcock International have teamed to bid Oto Melara’s 127mm/64cal Light Weight (127/64 LW) medium-calibre gun system for the Type 26 programme.

Under a memorandum of understanding signed by the two companies last year, Babcock, as prime contractor, would take responsibility for the supply of the 127/64 LW to the Ministry of Defence (MoD). The companies say this arrangement “would provide significant licensed work for Babcock, with opportunities for a broad UK supply chain, in assembly, test, setting to work and ongoing in-service support in the UK”.

Oto Melara and Babcock are championing the fact that the 127/64 LW is already in production for two other European frigate programmes – the Italian Navy’s FREMM and the German Navy’s F 125 – and has been developed to fire new-generation Vulcano longrange precision-guided family of ammunition, which includes a 70-km range IR-seeker “anti-ship” round and a 120 km guided land attack shell, with development plan for a Semi-Active Laser terminal guidance addiction for the future.

The first gun delivered to the FREMM programme was installed on board Italian first-of-class Carlo Bergamini in July this year and will equip all Italian General Purpose FREMMs. Capable of firing up to 35 rounds/ minute, the 127/64 LW gun turret weighs less than 29 tons. Its ammunition handling system, which consists of four revolving drum magazines that hold 56 ready-to-fire rounds of more than four different types, allows flexibility in ammunition selection and a high rate of sustained fire.

Project Marshall

BAE Systems is bidding for the new UK Joint Military Air Traffic Management System, known as Project Marshall, which will provide a fully integrated terminal air traffic management (ATM), surveillance and communications service. It will enable air vehicles to operate safely yet with tactical freedom in any environment and weather conditions. Project Marshall will be rolled out throughout the UK’s areas of responsibility, including permanent overseas airfields and deployed operations worldwide.

BAE Systems acts as overall lead integrator for the bid, and is joined in team by Indra, Altran Praxis and LFV Aviation Consulting. Headquartered in Spain, Indra is Europe’s leading ATM systems integrator and will provide the ATM and control systems. Altran Praxis will oversee technical specification requirements to ensure that the system meets national and international standards. LFV, based at Norrköping in Sweden, will be responsible for providing safe and cost-effective air navigation solutions, and for minimising environmental impact.

BAE Systems and its team are continuing to develop the proposal announced for submission of an outline solution. “Work to date has already identified a number of alternative solutions,” said Steve Timms, MD Defence Information, Training & Services, “all of which can provide a more efficient service at reduced cost, while maintaining operational effectiveness. We will now work to mature the best of these solutions.”

BAE’s body-worn antennas

As part of its wider drive to develop armour, individual power systems and equipment that reduce the burden on the soldier, BAE Systems has developed a series of body-wearable antennas. The antennas are woven into the fibres of the uniform, removing the need for conventional whip antennas that are often cumbersome and conspicuous.

There are other benefits, too, as the antennas are unaffected by the position of the wearer. Whip-type antennas can often be rendered ineffective when the wearer lies down, while the stub antennas of short-range radios can sometimes be masked by the body. The body-wearable antennas provide 360° coverage.

A concept demonstrator has been developed to showcase this technology, with the ability to transmit voice, video data and GPS location using the same antenna. In this concept soldiers can share imagery from helmet-mounted cameras, displayed on wrist-worn touchscreen smartphones.

As well as applications in the defence world, BAE Systems sees this technology as ideal for firefighters, police and workers undertaking hazardous tasks.

The British Swimmers Delivery System

UK-based James Fisher Defence has taken the wraps off its new SDV(X) special operations Swimmer Delivery Vehicle. Built as an advanced demonstrator, the free-flooding or ‘wet’ submersible is designed to enable the clandestine delivery of up to eight fully equipped divers (including pilot and navigator). The company has already completed a number of in-water trials.

James Fisher Defence said the 7.35m SDV(X)’s modular composite hull form has been designed to optimise its hydrodynamic efficiency while surfaced and submerged. Platform subsystems have been selected and designed using proven low-risk COTS components and software. These run on an open architecture system, thereby facilitating rapid technology insertion or capability upgrades.

Endurance is in excess of eight hours, with the divers and crew served by an open circuit breathing lifesupport system. The dry weight of the SDV(X) vehicle is 3,300kg.

The US Navy Seals have a notional requirement for replacing their SDVs, especially after the Advanced SDV (ASDV) programme was cancelled due to its excessive cost. They want a dry mini-submarine, though, allowing soldiers to work better in cold waters and make as much as possible of the transit to target in a more benign environment.

The UK Special Boat Service might be interested as well: in its inventory currently figure some 3 american-build Swimmer Delivery Systems.

Bae’s 40 mm Bofors gun turret for naval use

It nears completition. I don’t think it is of any real interest for the british armed forces, but it is an interesting weapon system.

DSEI - Day 3

FRES Scout at risk?

The key British Army requirement for a new scout armored vehicle contract is in danger of being canceled due to continuing defense financial constraints, according to General Dynamics UK boss Sandy Wilson.

Speaking to reporters at a briefing on the sidelines of the Defence System Equipment International exhibition here, Wilson said that while a delay to the program was the most likely outcome, cancellation remains a possibility.

General Dynamics UK signed a 500 million pound ($791.4 million) deal in July 2010 with the government to design and demonstrate a family of medium weight specialist vehicles based on its ASCOD platform for the Army. The design and development phase is working to prepare 7 prototypes (3 Scout, 1 Recovery, 1 Repair, 1 Protected Mobility and 1 Common Base Platform) for a campaign of tests and for demonstrating the solutions prior to begin of production.

Under the government's original agreement, it was due to make a decision to enter a production phase in 2013 with first deliveries starting in 2016. Earlier, 2015 had been the planned date. A damning NAO report on Armoured Vehicles Procurement, published a few months ago, had contained hints about the FRES SV sliding to the right to 2017, and now it seems that they might well have been right.

Or perhaps even too optimistic.

The specialist vehicle requirement is the British Army's top vehicle program along with a project to update the Warrior infantry fighting vehicle. Lockheed Martin is negotiating with the Ministry of Defence to secure that deal.

Timing and numbers are being discussed, but the Army is trying to alter the spending profile to be able to afford both key programs.

This however seems to indicate that the Warrior upgrade contract won’t be signed during DSEI, as had been widely expected. It also calls in question the famous report on the 10-years equipment plan that is to be released this month. With two weeks left, it is in my opinion hard to imagine a release in the timeframe planned, if the Army is still struggling to find a way to signal the go-ahead for its two main programmes.

CVR(T) MK2: yes, the hull is new.

BAE Systems Global Combat Systems is upgrading a batch of Combat Vehicle Reconnaissance (Tracked) to an enhanced standard, the first of which have recently been flown to Afghanistan and are now deployed. Most of these are in the Scimitar Mk 2 reconnaissance vehicle configuration, for around 30 - 35 vehicles.

The most significant change is the new aluminium hull, built at BAE Systems’ Wolverhampton facility. This offers a higher level of protection, improves maintainability and lowers support costs. It is based on the hull of the Spartan troop carrier and provides greater internal volume than the original Scimitar hull, as well as raising the driver’s position for improved safety. The vehicle also incorporates the previous upgrades under the Life Extension and Environmental Mitigation programmes, which were deployed to Afghanistan several years ago.

Survivability requirements play a significant part of the Mk 2 design, with a new hull based on the Spartan troop carrier providing improved mine blast protection. The new aluminium alloy, which is fabricated at the company's Wolverhampton site, has greater resistance to corrosion while keeping the weight down.

The extra headroom has allowed the fitting of blast attenuating seating ‘in every position in every variant'.

In addition, redesigned and repositioned driver foot controls aim to reduce lower limb mine blast injuries while improved appliqué armour has been added to improve blast and ballistic protection.

According to company literature ‘a new power distribution system, including a new rotary base junction, provides improved power management between chassis and turret and will enable further systems upgrades in the future'.

Additional improvements include a redesigned fuel system and a larger fuel tank, an environmental control system that provides air-conditioning for the complete vehicle, a new power distribution system, new crew seats and upgraded suspension.

The turret is the old standard Scimitar’s armed with the ancient 30mm RARDEN cannon and 7.62mm coaxial machine gun, and remains the big weak spot of the combination due to lack of stabilization and awkwardness of gun loading.

In addition to the Scimitar reconnaissance vehicle, over 20 new hulls have been built for four other members of the CVR(T) family, including the Spartan, the Sultan command post vehicle, the Samson recovery and the Samaritan ambulance. These are mainly minor changes, such as a heavier-duty winch on the Samson variant.

This £30 million upgrade, also referred to as Project Transformer, is being carried out under urgent operational requirements funding and is due to be completed early in 2012 with the delivery of 58 vehicles.

The Scimitar MK2 is already online in Afghanistan, as proudly announced today by the MOD who also released the following pics: 

 

Interesting cruise missiles from Turkey fits the F35’s weapons bays.

Tübitak-SAGE, the defence industries research and development institute of Turkey’s scientific and technological research council, has unveiled the Stand-Off Missile (SOM) on its stand at DSEi (N7-168). Last month, this major weapon programme successfully conducted its first guided flight.

SOM has been in development by Tübitak- SAGE since 2006, and following extensive wind tunnel and systems tests – followed by captive-carry and release trials – made its first guided flight on 9 August. Flying over the Black Sea, the SOM covered more than 100 nautical miles using GPS/ INS guidance. A campaign of about 30 test flights is to be conducted to assess aspects of the missile’s design.

SOM is a 1,300 lb stealthy cruise missile offering a variety of programmable ingress and attack profiles. Midcourse guidance is accomplished by GPS/ INS, with terrain reference updates.

Furthermore, the missile’s imaging infrared seeker can also be used to provide image-based midcourse navigation by taking snapshots of waypoints and comparing them against predicted position to update the navigation system. Infrared and terrain updates allow the missile to navigate without GPS if that capability is denied or degraded.

The IR seeker provides terminal guidance using target auto-tracking, and the weapon can be programmed to attack at various angles to match the required effects.

The warhead weighs 500 lb. SOM has a two-way datalink that allows in-flight retasking, and it is networkenabled. With the exception of the French Microturbo engine, the major elements of SOM are of Turkish design, including the high-resolution imaging infrared seeker.

Tübitak-SAGE has also developed a mission planning system for the SOM. This is common with that required for the HGK, a GPS/INSguided bomb kit for Mk 84 bombs that the institute has also developed and tested for the Turkish air force. Both HGK and SOM are compatible with NATO’s universal armaments interface.

Initial development work on SOM is being undertaken using the F-4E 2020 upgraded Phantom operated by the Turkish Air Force, but around the turn of the year work will begin on integrating the weapon onto the F-16, which is Turkey’s most numerous fighter.

SOM would also likely be included in any indigenous Turkish fighter development, but perhaps the big prize is the F-35 JSF that Turkey will operate. Tübitak-SAGE has sized the SOM to the internal bays of the Joint Strike Fighter, although the four rear fins will have to fold to fit the missile into the bay.

As befits its role as a design institute, Tübitak- SAGE produces only prototypes and development items, and does not have the capacity for mass production.

Turkey has not yet finalised production plans for the SOM, although an announcement is expected next year.

New Viking variants.

BAE Systems Global Combat Systems is showing two new versions of its combat proven BvS 10 Mk II all-terrain tracked all-armoured vehicle at DSEi for the first time. The first is a crew-served weapon platform, fitted with a Selex Enforcer remote weapon station (RWS) armed with a stabilised .50 M2 HB machine gun on the front unit, which is aimed using a flat-panel display from under full armour protection. Also mounted on the front unit is a Boomerang acoustic sniper detection system, coupled to the RWS.

These images show the BsV10 Viking MK2 Crew Served Weapon carrier. The Enforcer RWS on the front car is very evident, as is the installation of the Boomerang acoustical fire source detection device, the rear (manned, shielded) weapon turret and the Mast-Mounted Sensors for battlefield surveillance.

A complete Selex sensor suite is installed. It includes DNVS 4 night driver’s vision system, local situational awareness system and retractable mast-mounted sensor pod. The latter features high-performance day/night sensors and a laser rangefinder for surveillance and target acquisition. The rear unit also has a roof-mounted protected weapon station for increased firepower.

Second BvS 10 Mk II has a rear unit modified to carry a turntable-mounted 81mm mortar and about 140 rounds of ready-use ammunition.

The BsV10 Viking MK2 Mortar Carrier, with its 81 mm mortar in firing mode.

A key feature of these new versions of BvS 10 is that they both retain their full amphibious capability, making them very, very attractive for the 3^rd Commando Brigade, which would need such firepower enhancements greatly. Although not optimal in terms of commonality, the Viking mortar carrier could also be a solution for replacing the FV432 MC in Armoured and Mechanized Infantry Battalions, since (very worrisome detail) the British Army seems to be oblivious to the need to provide a replacement to the protected mobility of mortal sections.

The first customer for the BvS 10 was the UK Royal Marines, which deployed it on combat operations to Afghanistan, followed by the British Army. A total 190 units have been delivered to the UK, including battlefield replacement vehicles.

Foxhound is in production

First Foxhound vehicles will be delivered late this year for training. Around 35 of the 200 vehicles are expected to be used for training purposes. Deliveries of all vehicles are due to be completed by mid-2012 to replace the Snatch Land Rover, which has proved highly vulnerable.

Ocelot was selected following extensive competitive trials carried out last year. Since then the vehicle has been further refined and by September this year more than 50 physical blast trials had been carried out.

Final assembly of the Ocelot is carried out at the Ricardo facility in Shoreham, with the support of other key subcontractors including the Defence Support Group, Formaplex, Sula, Thales and QinetiQ.

Export marketing is already underway and two vehicles – one in the standard configuration and one in the two-door configuration with a flat bed at the rear – were delivered to Australia to take part in the Australian Land 121 Phase 4 requirement.

A trackway for UAVs.

Faun Trackway, the defence division of North Wales-based Faun Zoeller, has introduced a landing mat specifically designed for unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV). It is the latest addition to Faun’s suite of temporary runway solutions. The lightweight aluminium mat will be capable of clearly marking permissible landing areas and will provide a smooth landing, regardless of terrain, for any size or weight of UAV.

Faun’s UAV mat is being developed for rapid deployment by hand and will prevent foreign object damage to help protect valuable UAV assets when in the field. To enable the UAV to rapidly decelerate when landing, the mats can also be fitted with arrestor gear usually found on aircraft carriers.

Alternative ancillary equipment will also be available, including lighting systems, painted markings, generators, heat-protective gloves and electric hammer drills. Faun plans to launch the product in 2012, and the British Army could be interested due to the need of Watchkeeper for runways, even if semi-prepared airstrips and grass surfaces can do. Watchkeeper could also be adapted for catapult launch, but the Army did not express interest nor did formulate a requirement for this aspect.

The Warrior bridgelayer is shown to the public.

Pearson Engineering has completed development of its Bridge Launch Mechanism (BLM), which is being shown for the first time in the Vehicle Park (South Hall) integrated onto a BAE Systems Warrior manoeuvre support vehicle.

The BLM is a special to role attachment that can be fitted to a wide range of chassis, tracked and wheeled, which allows for the launch and recovery of a bridge from under armour in less than two minutes.

At DSEi it is being shown for use with the BAE Systems No 12 bridge, which is currently deployed by the British Army from the Titan bridge layer. The BLM has also been tested on a Leopard 1 tank chassis.

Four versions are being marketed: Heavy, Medium, Light, and one for use on vehicles fitted with a palletised loading system, which, typically, is based on an 8x8 cross-country truck chassis. BLM has three operating positions: transport without the bridge fitted; transport with the bridge fitted; and a deployed position with the bridge laid in position over the front of the chassis.

Hydraulic power is provided to a BLM directly from the vehicle or from an onboard hydraulic system, which can be supplied as part of a Pearson Engineering common interface system (CIS). Installation of the CIS allows the vehicle to be rapidly re-rolled according to mission requirements, such as installation of a dozer blade or mine-clearing devices of the roller or plough type. The CIS makes the vehicle more than just a bridgelayer, and the name (Warrior Maneuver Support Vehicle) is a clear allusion to this, other than a proof that this development is aimed at giving the MOD a cost-effective path for fulfilling the FRES Maneuver Support Vehicle requirement, which has a slot for some 35 bridgelayers and support vehicles, alongside 60 Terriers already on order. 

This ridiculously tiny picture is all i can find so far for a vision of the Warrior Maneuver Support Vehicle. I doubt the Challenger II development was as secretive and less publicized, sincerely. A pity, because as always i'd love to know more.

Other options for fitting the CIS and meeting the requirement are the ASCOD SV Common Base Platform or the Terrier hull. Both are inexorably going to cost more than using Warrior hulls made available by the reduction in Armoured Infantry requirements.

The UK and the F35C progresses.

Rear Admiral Amjad Hussain, the Ministry of Defence’s Director of Precision Attack, earlier this year visited Naval Air Station Patuxent River in Maryland, where he was briefed on the F-35C programme progress and witnessed flight test operations.

Three F-35C test aircraft are now operating from the Patuxent River test facility to support integration testing with the US Navy’s Nimitz class aircraft carriers. CF-1, at Patuxent River since last November, was joined earlier in 2011 by CF-2 and CF-3; the latter is the primary catapult launch and arrestor recovery test aircraft and is also a fully mission systems capable platform.

Jet blast deflector tests were recently completed at Lakehurst, New Jersey.

Carrier suitability testing is scheduled throughout this year, including ongoing catapult testing and the start of arrestment testing in preparation for initial ship trials in 2013. While the Royal Navy’s new Queen Elizabeth class ships are smaller than the Nimitz class, there will still be considerable read across from the US test and integration campaign.

In a separate but associated development, the UK and US governments are close to finalising a JSF ‘swap’ deal that would see the UK exchange one of its three F-35B short takeoff and landing (STOVL) initial operational test and evaluation (IOT&E) aircraft for an F-35C CV variant.

A deal has been agreed in principle by the national armaments directors of both countries. Final approvals are expected by the end of 2011.

The mock-up F35 exposed at DSEI is shown accompanied by a Meteor missile, indication of the MBDA’s firmness in adapting the design to the JSF’s weapon bays constraints and pursue export orders associated with the plane. 


MASC, Crow's Nest... Give the carrier a flying eye: the RN has a requirement for an airborne early warning platform embarkable on ships, mainly the Strike Carrier. This capability will have to replace the Sea King MK7 ASaC, which is working in both Afghanistan and Libya (flying from HMS Ocean) as we speak, but that is planned for retirement by 2016, along with all other Sea King variants. 

The MASC requirement could be filled by 3 to 6 Hawkeyes (in terms of performances, unbeatable, but also very expensive to acquire) or by around 10 Merlin helicopters. However, funding will be so constrained that the RN is clearly anticipating to have no chance of buying new airframes for the role. Perhaps, if the Senior Service is really lucky, the 8 non-upgraded Merlin HM1 will be recovered for the role, but in case this was not economically feasible, the 30 Merlin HM2s will be given yet another role, making them even busier. 


Thales and AgustaWestland presented in 2010 a solution with a palletized Cerberus radar suite that could be installed easily on the Merlin HC3, which is planned to be navalized and given to the navy by 2016/18. 

The original Thales - Westland proposal, rolled out in 2010, showed the Cerberus radar bag mounted on a pallet in the back. This required the Rear Loading Ramp, and thus either a new buy Merlin, an HC3, or a heavier rebuild process on HM1/2 at time of navalization. The Merlin in HM2 configuration has a two-men crew console in the back, but for ASW sensors. It is not clear if this same console could be expanded (mainly software-wise) to work with the Cerberus suite and in the AEW role as well, or if some kind of AEW-specific console will be provided, sized to be embarked through the side sliding door.

However, the 25 Merlin HC4 will be too precious and in demand providing vertical mobility to troops to be used for the AEW role as well, and Thales is showing at DSEI a revised fast-installation option. 


The Cerberus suite already used in the Sea King is, again, retained as core of the system. The Searchwater 2000 radar (the black bag that gives the Sea King MK7 its "Bagger" surname) would now be installed on the Merlin and deployed using elevator rails attached to the aircraft's fuselage, and not using a pallet approach, removing the need for the rear loading ramp, and thus making the solution perfectly compatible, potentially, with ALL Merlin variants. Roughly one-third of the HM2 fleet could be equipped with airborne early-warning sensors at any one time, with all capable of carrying it if and when necessary.
The two-men radar console for the Radar Crew would probably sized and designed in order to enter the Merlin by the side sliding door.

Lockheed Martin, which in 2010 announced a plan to adapt fuselage-mounted AESA radar arrays to the Merlin for fullfilling the same role, is now presenting its plan: essentially, two small pods mounted on the helicopter's pylons, each containing a radar array and IFF, to give the 360° coverage required by the RN.

The pods would feature synthetic aperture radar and ground moving-target indication modes and be suitable for tasks such as fighter control and maritime and battlefield surveillance, tracking targets in the air and on land.

The LM proposal: one radar pod can be seen, attached to the sling points were the pylon for Stingray torpedoes is normally found. Again, no details are currently available about the crew radar workstations.

Also incorporating a gimballed radar and electronic support measures and identification friend-or-foe equipment, each pylon-mounted pod would weigh roughly 280kg (617lb).

Lockheed says the design represents "a role-fit solution which can be mounted on any fixed-wing transport/surveillance aircraft or medium-sized helicopter".

Concerns definitely remain. The Merlin HM2 fleet will routinely be asked to provide 6 or 8 Small Ship Flights for the Type 23 and then 26 frigates, with more potentially earmarked for Type 45. A requirement also exists for providing larger (6-helicopters) flights to big ships such as RFA Argus (it has become a common solution for Somalia anti-piracy deployments) or the Fort class replenishers, and of course on the Aircraft Carrier in future.
If we consider that all ship flights ideally should be triple (one training, one deployed, one recovering after deployment), we can immediately appreciate the full dimensions of the problem, and of the work that the already stretched Merlin family does.

It really is to be hoped that the 8 HM1 airframes (12, actually, considering 4 stored ones) can be recovered for this job.

Puma HC2 silently but steadily progresses:
The project to inject new life into the RAF's fleet of Puma support helicopters is making good progress, according to Eurocopter. Since the maiden flight of the first modified aircraft in June, Eurocopter test pilots have completed nearly 30 hours of manufacturer's test flying. That work is due to be complete by the end of the year when the aircraft will be transferred to Boscombe Down in Wiltshire for military certificate and acceptance testing by QinetiQ.

Under the £300 million Puma Life Extension Programme which was launched in September 2009, 28 (NOTE: 24 is the number that was presented post SDSR, so i highly doubt there's been a return to the 28 figure, which anyway always was, even in times of lesser economic despair, expressed in terms of "up to 28") of the RAF's Pumas are being given a new avionics suite, similar to that fitted to the EC725, new Turbomeca Makila engines and a modified gearbox to cope with the extra power.

The aircraft is being totally re-wired and given a new fuel tank which will further extend the range of the aircraft, potentially making it more attractive for special forces use. The type is understood to be the preferred mount of UK SF personnel.

Airframes selected for the update are delivered to Eurocopter UK at Kidlington in Oxford. There the aircraft are dismantled and components not required, such as the engines, are delivered back to the RAF.
The aircraft is then trucked to Eurocopter Romania's facility in Brasov where the work is being undertaken. Fourteen aircraft are now going through the upgrade process. Four of the 20-some will be completed at Eurocopter's plant at Marignane near Marseille.

As well as the new Pumas, the training simulator at RAF Benson will be modified into a Mk2 cockpit configuration, but early training of instructors will be carried out on a simulator in France.