Volume 27/issue 7 November 2019

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LIGHT GROUND
ATTACK AIRCRAFT
UNMANNED
MARITIME SYSTEMS
ADVANCES IN SMALL ARMS
HF RADIOS
CHINESE FIGHTERS
ANTI-BALLISTIC MISSILE DEFENCE
FOCUS ON INDONESIA
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Contents November 2019
VOLUME 27 / ISSUE 7

06

Leonardo’s M-346 in a configuration of

UNMANNED TRANSFORMATION
half fighter attack and half trainer. In the
attack role it can be equipped with up to
nine hardpoints, carry external loads up to
3,000kg, and feature targeting pods, a tactical How is the Royal Australian Navy looking to incorporate
datalink, and multi-mode fire-control radar. unmanned platforms as it returns to maritime task
(Leonardo) group operations? Dr Lee Willett finds out.

10 18 24

CHEAPER OPTIONS FOR RENEWING THE ASSAULT HF RADIO: STILL VALID

GROUND ATTACK
Alan Warnes takes a look at the options now available
to Air Forces that need a ground attack capability
without paying 4th or 5th Gen attack jet prices.
There is now an increased focus on making
assault rifles more user friendly through
a variety of techniques, as Grant Turnbull
reports.
AFTER 100 YEARS
The appeal of HF Radio endures, even after
nearly a century of service. Thomas Withington
reaffirms its validity to the modern military.

28 34 38 41

RISING DRAGONS: CHINA’S Ballistic Missile THE POLITICS OF DEFENCE ANALYSTS COLUMN
FIGHTER DEVELOPMENT Shields Andrew Drwiega asks how a Ben Ho asks if ‘the Barca Method’
COMES OF AGE Debalina Ghoshal examines surprise choice new Defence could be more useful to defence
the advantages of obtaining strategists than anyone on the
JR Ng takes a fascinating look Minister will impact on the terraces could ever imagine.
a ballistic missile defence modernisation of Indonesia’s
at China’s new front line fighter
capability. armed forces.
development and capability.

| november 2019 | 03
 Editorial
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P
resident Donald Trump is not a person that would be associated with subliminal messaging. In fact,
the frequency and often ferocity of his tweeting and unfettered statements (usually without prior
consultation with his political or defence teams), often result in uncertainties and an inability by
international allies and non-aligned countries to clearly identify a consistent commitment to them
that they can buy-into and support.
In contrast, the speech given during a recent visit to Washington DC by Australian Senator and Minister for
Defence, Linda Reynolds, was perhaps a little too subliminal. Speaking at the Hudson Institute, she spoke
of the bond between Australia and the United States. But she also spoke about the realities of maintaining
a ‘rules based order’ in the Indo-Pacific, something that many strategists currently believe is being eroded.
She spoke of “momentous changes in the region – changes that have delivered unprecedented peace and
prosperity”, but warned that this had not happened by chance and was in large part due to “diplomatic efforts
for several decades.”
Reynolds underlined the need for continued “economic integration and liberalisation facilitated by forums
such as the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum.” She included an “expanding network of free trade
agreements and the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership.”
She further underlined that Australia was helping to champion regional trade arrangements through
cooperation, collaboration and consensus.
Perhaps strongest of all were here comments regarding China. “China’s economic dynamism and our trade
complementarities make Australia and China natural economic partners for securing the prosperity of our
respective nations,” she said, adding that it “also applies to broadening and intensifying our partnership
where it can bring benefits for the region.”
She added that Australia “does not take for granted a regional default inclination towards the advantages of
existing rules-based systems – nor should the United States. As clear as those advantages are to us, we must
constantly prove them to others. Through actions and demonstrable sovereign respect, not just words.”
This is set against a growing international angst about where the Trump Administration has been leading
the United States. According to Eliot Cohen, a Professor of Strategic Studies at Johns Hopkins University’s
School of Advanced International Studies writing in the January/February edition of Foreign Affairs,
President Trump’s foreign policy vision “is distrustful of US allies, scornful of international institutions, and
indifferent, if not downright hostile, to the liberal international order that the United States has sustained for
nearly eight decades.”
Early in Trump’s Administration the US’s commitment to NATO was questioned and was followed by a volte
face over numerous international economic commitments such as the Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement
between Australia, Brunei, Canada, Chile, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Peru, Singapore,
Vietnam and the US. Many believed that the agreement would have in fact benefited the US by reducing the
signatories’ dependence on Chinese trade. And of course there is the destructive tariff war that has continued
to escalate over the last year and a half with neither side looking to back down.
While Reynolds was steadfast in underlying the military bonds that bind the two countries together, she
was almost subliminally speaking out against the Administration’s “America First” policy when she stated:
“the Alliance needs to be not just in the region – it must be of the region, and be seen as for the region. All
countries in the Indo-Pacific have sovereignty at the core of their national interest.”
Andrew Drwiega, Editor-in-Chief

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04 | Asian Military Review |

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 sea
power

Commonwealth of Australia
The UK Defence Science and Technology Laboratory
Maritime Autonomy Surface Testbed vessel operating in
Jervis Bay during the Royal Australian Navy’s (RAN’s)
‘Autonomous Warrior’ exercise in 2018. As a result of
‘Autonomous Warrior’, Australia is ‘fast forwarding’ plans
to introduce unmanned capabilities for MCM operations.

UNMANNED
TRANSFORMATION
'Autonomous Warrior' drives RAN to boost unmanned system roles
in sea control, situational awareness 

by Dr Lee Willett

T
he Royal Australian Navy (RAN)
is underway with a major strategic
and operational transformation.
With a requirement to project
power across the Indo-Pacific
theatre to support national interests
and wider coalition and international
commitments, the RAN is returning
to task group-based operations. Such
operations are centred on its amphibious
and maritime task groups (ATGs and
MTGs). Its two Canberra-class landing
helicopter dock (LHD) amphibious
assault ships and three Hobart-class
guided-missile destroyers (DDGs) are the
centrepieces of such task groups.
The in-service LHDs and DDGs are
to be joined in the RAN’s force structure
in the medium term by nine new Hunter-
class frigates (based on the UK Type 26
Global Combat Ship design), 12 new
Attack-class diesel-electric submarines
(based on the French Shortfin Barracuda
Block 1A design), and 12 new Arafura-
class offshore patrol vessels (OPVs)
(based on the Lürssen PV-80 design). Such
a growth in manned platform numbers is
seeing the RAN also grow in numbers of
people.
Alongside these manned platforms,
the RAN is seeking to add unmanned,
autonomous capability above, on, and
below the surface. Unmanned platforms
can support task group operations
in several ways, such as conducting
anti-submarine or mine warfare tasks.
They can also help carry the burden
of presence across the vast reaches of
Australia’s interests, providing sustained
surveillance in key areas instead of using
a manned, high-end platform whose
capabilities can be better deployed
elsewhere.
In 2018 at the HMAS Creswell testing
and training facility in Jervis Bay, New
South Wales, the RAN and Australia’s
Defence Science and Technology (DST)
organisation hosted Autonomous Warrior
2018. Around 77 unmanned platforms
were involved in a range of trials which
sought to demonstrate the potential role
of unmanned systems in transforming
Australian defence capability. The
RAN believes the success of the event
prompted a subtle shift in how the
Australian Defence Force (ADF) sees the
contribution of unmanned capabilities.
Commander Paul Hornsby, the RAN’s
lead for autonomous warfare systems,
told Navy Outlook 2019 magazine – a
publication that provides for military,
defence, and industrial policy-makers
an overview of RAN future plans,
programmes, and budgetary needs,
and is viewed by independent analysts
as a semi-official RAN output – that
unmanned capabilities have moved on
from being seen as assets that simply
assist operations to being an integral part
of the overall ADF capability set.
Building Unmanned Policy
Across 2019, this strategic focus on
unmanned capability has continued to
build at a policy level within the ADF and

06 | Asian Military Review |


Australia’s wider Department of Defence
(DoD).
Speaking at the RAN-hosted
Sea Power conference in Sydney in
September 2019, Minister for Defence
Senator the Hon Linda Reynolds listed
concepts and capabilities that may prove
to deliver potentially game-changing
technologies: within this list, the minister
said that “Unmanned underwater, air,
and surface vehicles assisted by Artificial
Intelligence are … rapidly emerging areas
of technology that will change traditional
ways of thinking about naval warfare and
sea control.”
Sea control – and denying sea control
to potential adversaries – is returning
as a dominant facet of naval strategy, as
renewed great power competition is
seeing peer navies compete to control the
way in which international order flows at
sea. Unmanned capabilities in the air, on
the surface, and below the surface can
provide sustained presence and especially
surveillance and wider situational
awareness to shape and support sea
control and sea denial strategies.
While the RAN is growing in numbers,
in platform and personnel terms, the
vast geographical range of its strategic
interests will still present a challenge
in terms of generating and sustaining
sea control, as well as the situational
awareness and presence that support this,
in areas of interest as and when required.
In the complex and contested
contemporary strategic and operational
environments, threats will continue to
evolve. However, some core pillars of the
global strategic balance will endure. One
such pillar is the importance of sea lines of
communication (SLOCs). In an interview
in Navy Outlook, RAN Chief of Navy
Vice Admiral Michael Noonan said that,
despite the increasingly dynamic nature
of the Indo-Pacific strategic environment,
“what hasn’t changed is the importance
of our SLOCs and the need to keep our
maritime routes free and open”. Sustained
presence, surveillance, and situational
awareness offered by unmanned systems
are capabilities that can support the free
flow of maritime trade along such SLOCs.
In his own address at the recent Sea
Power conference, VAdm Noonan said
that, as a key component of how it seeks to
work with Indo-Pacific regional partners,
the RAN is “prioritising outcomes
that lead to strengthened maritime
domain awareness and maritime border
protection”.
This theme is reflected in RAN thinking
The RAN's two landing helicopter dock (LHD) amphibious assault ships HMAS Canberra
and HMAS Adelaide, pictured on exercise together in 2019. Mine counter-measures (MCM)
capabilities structured around unmanned systems will be a key layer in defending Australian
naval task groups based around the LHDs.
about the contribution of sub-surface
capabilities here. Talking at the Undersea
Defence Technology (UDT) conference in
Stockholm earlier in 2019, Commodore
Michael Houghton, Director-General
Future Submarines in the DoD, reinforced
the importance of SLOC security as a
strategic priority for Australia, and also
the role of the underwater domain and
unmanned platforms in supporting
improved maritime situational awareness
in the context of delivering sea control.
“Clearly we are very interested in
[SLOCs],” he said, underlining also the
importance of maintaining SLOC security
as a key part of maintaining the rules-
based international order, especially
when set in the context of competition for
influence in the unpredictable maritime
environment.
“It is important to have some control
of the undersea warfare area, and
submarines are one part of that, but not
the only part,” the commodore continued.
“There is then a demand for greater
situational awareness in the undersea
domain, and that involves many different
sensors and effectors, be they fixed,
be they airborne, be they manned or
unmanned, and mobile.”
Cdre Houghton’s final message
pointed to the potential impact of
unmanned systems in providing presence
at sea. While debate at events such as
UDT is often focused on technologies
such as sensors, effectors, platforms, he
said, it is important to consider “the need
for presence”.
Many navies around the world,
| november 2019 |
sea
power
Department of Defence, Commonwealth of Australia
including the RAN, are continuing to
face the challenge of matching increasing
commitments with limited force levels
– even if, as in the RAN’s case, such
force levels are increasing to a degree.
Unmanned surface and underwater
vessels can provide both sustained
presence while also supporting improved
situational awareness.
Headmarks and Plans
To offset the challenges of a future
operating environment highlighted by
uncertainty, complexity, and the impact of
new technology, the RAN has drawn up
its Headmark 2022 concept, against which
it will evolve and develop its structure,
capabilities, and outputs to address the
myriad operational possibilities presented
in this future operating environment. The
RAN intends to maintain its bearing to
deliver on Headmark 2022 via its Plan
Pelorus, which was launched formally in
October 2019.
According to the RAN, Plan Pelorus
provides the Chief of Navy’s senior
advisory committee’s “direction to Navy
for the next four years to achieve our
Headmark" with the plan to be revised
regularly as the navy seeks to deliver on
five core outcomes. One such outcome –
to be delivered by the service’s Head of
Capability – is to ensure RAN capability
“meets current requirements, evolves
with changes in threats and technology,
and achieves the joint integrated effect
necessary, with an aim to continuously
deliver and sustain an agile and lethal
naval capability”.
07
 sea
power

shift towards harnessing such capability

Saab
was demonstrated in its new approach
to mine warfare. “From about mid-next
decade, we will go away from having
manned minehunters which go into
minefields, and we’ll use autonomous
systems to hunt and dispose of mines.”
“That wouldn’t have been possible five
years ago,” said RAdm Quinn, “but will
be absolutely possible in five years’ time
when we field those systems in quantity.”
The RAN’s introduction of unmanned
systems will develop most rapidly in the
remote minehunting area, RAdm Quinn
added. Mine warfare is a key element
of tactics, operations, and strategies for
conducting sea control.
It is in the field of using unmanned
Saab 9LV naval combat system is viewed as “the brain that handles all the interfaces and all
surface and sub-surface vehicles where
interaction with operators” including multiple unmanned systems.
the RAN is demonstrating that the
shift in strategic and operational focus
towards unmanned systems is now being
The RAN’s current Head of Capability, conveyed them to their operating area reflected in programme and capability
Rear Admiral Peter Quinn, told Navy in the first place – avoids some of the developments.
Outlook that his responsibility under inherent limitations of unmanned units, In April 2019, Australia announced
this particular outcome includes an most notably the increases in size and cost the building of two new mine warfare
enduring focus on embedding innovation associated with extended endurance and support ships, under Project SEA1905, to
across RAN technology and capability. high speed and their associated power embark such capabilities. The decision
“Innovation has to be integrated into our requirements,” Goldrick added. to introduce two new ships – the design
DNA,” RAdm Quinn said. “Innovative Having a host platform nearby for which will be evolved from the
ways of bringing on capability more also makes communication more Arafura-class OPVs – rather than extend
quickly; innovative ways of adopting the straightforward in terms of operating the operational life of the four in-service
sort of technologies that are around us unmanned systems. As regards Huon-class minehunter coastal (MHC)
every day – additive manufacturing, 3-D communications and unmanned systems, vessels was shaped in large part by
printing, artificial intelligence, robotics RAdm Quinn said, “I actually think the ‘Autonomous Warrior.’ The exercise “was
and autonomous systems[;] bringing all secret sauce is going to be in the sort of a real watershed to see how quickly these
that in and embedding it into the way we technology you have for communicating robotic and autonomous systems are
develop navy capability.” with those systems, getting the data out of developing,” said Cdr Hornsby, and “it
Deploying unmanned systems from the systems and sharing it, and controlling had a significant influence on the decision
a host platform such as a submarine or them through our combat systems.” For not to proceed with MHC service-life
surface ship – the latter bringing more Autonomous Warrior, for example, Navy extension”. Under Project SEA1905,
volume, flexibility, and support in the Outlook reported that multiple unmanned which will begin delivering capability in
ability to deploy such systems – also systems operating in all domains had the middle of the next decade, the two
enables the more sustained operational been connected to operate together – and ships will host remote and autonomous
use of unmanned systems, thus this included integration with the navy’s systems for mine counter-measures
underpinning their presence capacity Saab 9LV combat management system (MCM) operations. Highlighting the role
further still. Writing in Navy Outlook, (CMS). The Saab 9LV system is providing of mine warfare as both a sea control and
James Goldrick (a retired RAN rear the CMS capability for a number of sea denial tool, the RAN is also underway
admiral) said that: “Both surface ships RAN platforms, including the LHDs, the with Project SEA1778 Phase 1, which is
and submarines will increasingly employ Hunter-class frigates, and the Arafura- designed to deliver MCM capability to
unmanned vehicles in high-threat areas, class OPVs. protect the LHD-based task groups. To
using them to conduct reconnaissance While the proliferation of remote meet this requirement, Navy Outlook
and, if necessary, as weapon systems and autonomous capabilities in the reported, the RAN is acquiring four
for long-range precision delivery.” For unmanned systems world can be a threat, General Dynamics Maritime Systems
surface ships in particular, Goldrick such technology can also be harnessed Bluefin 9 autonomous underwater
continued, a “key opportunity … lies in to create an advantage, RAdm Quinn vehicles (AUVs), three Bluefin 12 AUVs,
their potential to become parent ships argued. “They’re enabling us to do things and a number of Steber International
for a wide range of unmanned vehicles, that we’ve never been able to do before,” fibreglass support vessels configured
whether air, surface, or sub-surface units.” he said. Reflecting the view that the RAN as unmanned surface vessels (USVs).
“The guaranteed proximity of a parent is now changing how it is thinking about Delivery of initial operating capability
platform that can recover, replenish, and the role and contribution of unmanned (IOC) for what is seen as an interim MCM
if necessary repair each vehicle – having systems, RAdm Quinn said the navy’s capability is expected in mid-2020. AMR

08 | Asian Military Review |

 AIR
power
KAI’s FA-50 has found favour with several
air forces in the region, and can be used in
the jet trainer and fighter attack roles.
CHEAPER OPTIONS FOR
GROUND ATTACK
There is now a growing range of ground attack aircraft available now,
the purchase of which will not break a nation’s defence budget.
C
ounter insurgency (COIN)
air operations in Asia have
shaped and been shaped
by many campaigns. The
French in Indochina from
1946-1954 and Malayan Emergency from
1948-1960 were among the earliest to
witness COIN operations in the region.
The United States was heavily involved
in the Vietnam War for 20 years until 1975,
where unguided bombs, rocket propelled
explosives and even napalm were
dropped in huge amount on the North
Vietnamese Army (NVA) and Viet Cong.
Indonesia’s government took on the East
Timor freedom fighters from the mid-70s
until the late 90s, while the Philippines
still wages a war with Islamic militias
in the south of the country. Malaysia
too has carried out its own anti-terrorist
10
by Alan Warnes
operations in Sabah in 2013. Thailand has
also experience terrorism activities in its
southern region.
Cutting attack costs
Air power always plays a significant role
in trying to defeat insurgents and freedom
fighters, known simply as terrorists by
their enemy. This has been particularly
prevalent in conflicts within Iraq,
Afghanistan and latterly Syria against
Daesh. The media plays a major role in the
dissemination of information with rapid
reporting via satellite links, which is why
precision guided munitions, targeting
pods and EO/IR sensors have been relied
upon to avoid collateral damage and the
killing of innocent people. All this can
come at a hefty price and politicians as
well as military commanders understand
| Asian Military Review |
KAI
there are much cheaper options to using
an Lockheed Martin F-16 or Fairchild
Republic A-10. Dropping million-dollar
precision guided munitions (PGMs) by
jets that costs tens of thousands of dollars
an hour to operate, just to get a terrorist
escaping on a motorbike or a cadre of
militia is economically unacceptable
these days.
Today, cheaper $30-$40 million
aircraft with much lower operational
costs yet still armed with high technology
such as laser guided rockets is what
many in the military are aspiring to
operate. The United States Air Force
(USAF) has been searching for a new light,
counter-insurgency, ground attack and
reconnaissance aircraft since 2009 to fulfil
its light attack/armed reconnaissance
(LAAR) programme. This has evolved
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 AIR
power
The Embraer A-29 Super Tucano is now serving with Indonesia and Afghanistan and will soon be delivered to the Philippines.
into the OA-X (Light Attack - Experiment)
although there has still been no decision,
mainly due to political objections.
Why is this so important to Asia?
Because if the USAF was to select an
aircraft, it could open the way for more
orders for the winning manufacturer,
particularly in Asia. The competition
sees the Sierra Nevada Corporation/
Embraer A-29 Super Tucano face off with
the Textron AT-6B Coyote, and the USAF
is looking to acquire 24 of them by 2022
for around $1 billion. The $40 million per
aircraft price tag might water the eyes of
some Asian air force commanders, but
undoubtedly the operational cost would
be lower than most fighters as would the
new generation weapons. The Textron
Scorpion jet was also evaluated, while
Aero Vodochody wanted to participate
with its much upgraded L-159 Advanced
Light Combat Aircraft (ALCA), the F/A-
259 Striker. However, the US authorities
were not interested, preferring a
turboprop instead. The Striker has now
been abandoned and the future of the
Scorpion is also questionable.
According to budget documents, the
“the light attack aircraft will provide a
12
deployable and sustainable multirole
attack capability, capable of performing a
diverse array of attack missions, including
but not limited to close air support, armed
reconnaissance, strike coordination and
reconnaissance, airborne forward air
control, and interdiction.”
Many Asian air forces will be looking
on at the programme, even if it might
be outside their budgets at the moment.
The A-29 Super Tucano has been sold
to the Indonesian Air Force (16) and
Afghanistan (6) and more recently to the
Phillippines Air Force (8) but the AT6B
Coyote, an attack version of the successful
T-6 trainer has never won a defence
contract. While the BAE Hawk has been
an effective light attack aircraft in the past
for Malaysia (2013 Sabah uprising) and
Indonesia (East Timor in 90s), it is now
viewed in the region as a more expensive
older generation jet. With cheaper more
cost effective options available, the BAE’s
Hawk’s role in COIN is subjective.
Local aircraft for local air forces
Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI) has
found a local solution for the Asian air
forces, the fighter attack (FA) or light
| Asian Military Review |
Embraer
attack version of the T-50 which is capable
of speeds of Mach 1.5 and can carry 4.5
tonnes of armaments. The air forces of
South Korea, Philippines and Thailand
all operate such aircraft.
Not too surprisingly the biggest
operator of the FA-50 is the Republic of
Korea Air Force (RoKAF), which operates
60 split across two squadrons – 103
Fighter Squadron of the 8 Fighter Wing
at Wonju and 202 Squadron of 16 Fighter
Wing at Yecheon Air Base. They have
been delivered in two batches: the first
20 in a contract worth $600 million were
delivered during 2013/14 and a second
for 40 worth $1 billion followed between
2013 and 2019. At around $30 million per
aircraft, it amounts to considerably less
investment than a new F-16C/D.
The FA-50 can be armed with
Raytheon AIM-9 Sidewinders for self-
protection as well as air-to-ground
weapons like the AGM-65 Maverick,
GBU-38/B Joint Direct Attack Munitions
(JDAM), CBU-105 Sensor Fused Weapon
(SFW), Mk-82 Low Drag General Purpose
(LDGP) bombs and Cluster Bomb Units
(CBUs). Mounted internally is a three-
barrel 20mm Gatling gun and LAU-3/A
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 AIR
power
With a podded gun underneath, Pakistan Air Force K-8P Karakorams have a secondary light attack role.
19-tube 2.75 inch rocket launcher, used to
fire Folding-Fin Aerial Rockets (FFAR).
The Philippines Air Force signed a
$417.95 million contract with KAI for 12
FA-50PH Golden Eagles on March 28, 2014.
The first example flew on 19 June, 2015
and were delivered between December
2015 and May 2017. They are operated by
the 7th Tactical Fighter Squadron based at
Basa Air Base, Pampanga.
In Thailand, the counter-insurgency
role used to be the domain of the Aero
Vodochody/Elbit L-39ZA(ART) and
Dornier (now Airbus) Alphajet, but
these are likely to be replaced by the KAI
T-50TH Golden Eagle in the forseeable
future. While the T-50THs are to be used
as a lead-in fighter trainer for its fleet
of F-16s and Saab Gripens, subsequent
upgrades are likely to see them flown
in the air to ground role. KAI was
awarded a $52.5 million ‘upgrade and
modification’ contract on 24 May, 2019
by the Royal Thai Air Force (RTAF) to
equip the eventual fleet of 12 T-50THs
(only four have been delivered to date)
with a radar warning receiver (RWR),
countermeasures dispenser systems and
a radar system. The latter is likely to be
the Elta EL/M2032 multimode airborne
fire control radar orientated for air-to-air,
14
air-to-sea and strike missions. The work
should be completed by October 2021.
The fighter attack version of the T-50, is
the FA-50 and the objective of the RTAF
is clearly to make it multirole - more than
just a lead in fighter trainer.
The first flight of a RTAF T-50TH
took place on 10 August, 2017 which led
to the first two aircraft being delivered
in January 2018, with a second pair
following in January 2019, while the rest
will arrive by 2020. They are located with
401 Squadron based at Takhli.
Indonesia has also acquired 16
T-50I Golden Eagles for flying training
purposes but they are believed to have
a weapons capability too. They were
delivered between September 2013 and
25 January, 2014 to Iswahyudi where
they are flown by Skadron Udara 15
of the Indonesian Air Force (TNI-AU).
KAI is also marketing the T-50/FA-50 to
Malaysia.
Super Tucano
While South Korea operates the bigger
Boeing F-15K Slam Eagle and F-16s, and
Thailand has the F-16 and Gripens to
fulfil missions that call for a heavier load,
the same cannot be said of the Philippines.
So the Philippine Air Force (PAF) has also
| Asian Military Review |
Alan Warnes
ordered a second lighter attack aircraft,
the Embraer A-29 Super Tucano which
has proved itself in this role across South
America, the Middle East and Africa.
Boasting a maximum load of 3,306lb
(1,500kg), means the five hard points can
carry general-purpose bombs and guided
air-to-ground weapons as well as air-to-
air missiles. The two-seat AT-29 is fitted
with a FLIR Systems AN/AAQ-22 Star
Safire forward-looking electro optical/
Infra-red turret under the fuselage for
targeting, navigation and target tracking
for night attack and surveillance missions.
Two wing-mounted 12.7mm machine
guns that can fire 1,100 rounds a minute
(rpm) come as standard fit.
Embraer announced a sale for six
A-29B Super Tucanos to the Philippines
on 30 November, 2017, worth around
$100 million (PHP 4.968 billion) stating
that they will be used for “close air
support, light attack, surveillance, air-to-
air interception and counter-insurgency.”
They will be delivered by February 2020
and operated by the 15th Strike Wing
which should be moving to Lumbia
Airport, Cagayan de Oro between 2019
and 2020.
These new Brazilian turboprops
will augment the remaining North
 AIR
power
India has been developing the HAL Tejas light combat aircraft for over 30 years and eventually reached full operational capability in February.
American Rockwell OV-10C/M Bronco
attack aircraft used by the PAF in strike
missions.  The USAF issued a request for
proposals in July 2018 to dismantle, ship
and re-assemble two former NASA OV-
10G+s to the PAF, but it is unclear if they
ever got there. The Bronco was a popular
COIN aircraft in Asia, not just with the
US military in Vietnam but with the RTAF
which operated them from 1972 to 2004 as
well as the PAF.
The TNI-AU operates 15 Super
Tucanos, covering two batches of eight
delivered between 2012 and 2016. One
aircraft was lost in February 2016 with
both crew members being killed. The
Afghan Air Force operates 25 A-29 Super
Tucanos, which were built at Embraer’s
Jacksonville facility in Florida. The
Afghan pilots were trained by Sierra
Nevada Corporation at Moody AFB,
Georgia and the aircraft were delivered to
Afghanistan between 2016-2019 as part of
a foreign military sale (FMS).
One of the most popular new weapons
in the light attack role is the BAE Systems
70mm Advanced Precision Kill Weapon
System (APKWS) laser guided rocket
which has been integrated on the Super
Tucano and OV-10 Bronco. According
to BAE, the APKWS can lock onto both
moving and stationary targets from more
than two miles (3km) away. At Egypt’s
EDEX exhibition last December, a BAE
16
Systems representative told AMR, “the
APKWS is the most cost effective laser-
guided munition in its class and a quarter
the price of a Brimstone missile.” He
was keen to stress that its laser guided
rocket could only be acquired through
FMS, and claims the system had a ‘100
percent success rate in Iraq’ while being
operated from Iraqi Air Force Bell IA-407
helicopters.
Emerging new option
A new emerging threat to the dominance
of the FA-50 and Super Tucano in the
region is Leonardo’s M346FA. The Italian
company, which launched the fighter
attack version of the M346 trainer at Paris
Air Show in June 2017, is positioning the
aircraft as a replacement for 20/30 ton
class fighter-bombers in roles like combat
air patrol (CAP), quick reaction alert
(QRA), close air support (CAS) and COIN.
Emanuele Merlo, senior vice president
Trainers Aircraft at Leonardo told the
author in late October: “The operational
costs of the F-35, Rafale etc are so high
that the M346FA with a varied assortment
of weapons and its reliable multi-mode
radar, would not only be less expensive
to operate but save the fatigue life of the
established fourth generation fighters.”
Leonardo announced in July that it
had won its first M346FA contract, for six
aircraft, from an undisclosed customer.
| Asian Military Review |
Alan Warnes
Looking Around the Region
Not all light attack options are restricted
to the US and South Korea of course. Both
Pakistan and Bangladesh operates the
Hongdu K-8 Karakoram, and while the
primary role is jet training the Chinese jet
can be fitted with a cannon pod under the
fuselage. Bangladesh has also acquired
14 Yakovlev-130 Mitten jet trainers
which have a secondary light attack
role. India has been developing the Tejas
light combat aircraft (LCA) for 30 years
now, with around 15Mk1s of an order
for 40 flying with 45 Squadon at HAL
Bangalore before it relocates to Sulur Air
Base in the near future. The jet reached
Final Operational Clearance on 20
February, 2019. Deliveries of the 40Mk1s,
including seven dual-seaters continue,
while the IAF also requires an additional
73 single-seaters and ten dual seaters in
Mk1A configuration. They will feature an
enhanced indigenous electronic warfare
system and AESA radar.
Taiwan’s Republic of China Air Force
(RoCAF) continues to fly the AIDC AT-3
Tzu-Chung not just for flying training but
also a secondary light strike role – there
are around 45 continuing to serve the
RoCAF with most of them serving the
Fighter Training Group at Kangshan Air
Base. AMR

NEW ACHIEVEMENTS OF THE
YUGOIMPORT-SDPR’S IN HOUSE
RESEARCH & DEVELOPMENT
PROGRAMS
Throughout the 2019 Yugoimport-SDPR presented
its cutting-edge technologies and achievements
in the field of rocket artillery systems and combat
vehicles armament: modular rocket launcher
TAMNAVA, self-propelled artillery weapon system
ALEKSANDAR and remotely-controlled weapon
station 20/3 mm KERBER.
Self-propelled multi-tube
modular rocket launcher
TAMNAVA
The 122/267 mm self-propelled multi-tube
multi-calibre modular rocket launcher is
a weapon designed to neutralize troops,
materiel, command posts, bases, warehouses,
airports, traffic nodes and all light armour
targets. The launcher can be integrated into
a modern network central battlefield via a
command-information system, navigation
system and fire control system. The system
is characterized by short-time transition
from traveling to combat position, and the
capability to leave the firing position in a short
time. The modular concept and the choice of
different types of containers (rockets) enable
best tactical use of the weapon.
The 122 mm rocket launcher configuration
includes a vehicle with 96 missiles arranged
in four containers of 24, with two containers
being on the launcher and two on the truck
platform. The system enables firing a salvo of
48 122 mm G-2000 rockets to a range of 40 km.
In the 267/122 mm configuration, the
launcher has two containers, each with six
267 mm rockets with a range of 70 km,
and two more containers with a
total of forty eight 122 mm rockets.
Containers are loaded by means of
a special re-supply vehicle equipped
with a crane. The re-supply vehicle can
transport two containers, each with six
267 mm rockets or two containers with
twenty four 122 mm rockets each.
ALEXANDER – self-propelled
artillery weapon system 155/52
The development of ALEXANDER was
primarily prompted by a wish to achieve
Marketing
P r o m o t i o n
a significant increase in the rate of fire – 6
rounds per minute and introduce a number
of new technical solutions compared to the
self-propelled gun-howitzer NORA. Both
ALEKSANDAR and NORA can
be mounted on different 8
x 8 chassis of appropriate
characteristics. Certain
reliable solutions mastered
during the development
and production of the
self-propelled gun-
howitzer NORA were
retained in ALEXANDER
design, such as the ballistic system, the
system for platform stabilization during
firing and the fire control system. It features positioning and orientation system, and an
a different automatic loading system, the additional satellite navigation system.
system for reloading the automatic loader and
a higher level of automation. The automatic Remotely controlled weapon
loader is connected to the gun’s cradle and it station 20/3 mm KERBER
consists of two revolver-type magazines. The RCWS 20/3 mm KERBER is armed with
All operations necessary to fire 24 a 20 x 110 mm gun effective at ranges up
projectiles are automated, without the need to 2000 m, and equipped with up-to-date
to leave the vehicle, and with the possibility optoelectronic sensors controlled by a power
to change the firing position. ALEXANDER unit i.e. a motor with zero-backlash gear
is equipped with its own inertial navigation, reducers providing easy control and better
accuracy at all ranges. Being a low-signature
weapon, it is primarily mounted on vehicles,
but it can also be installed on ships, fast patrol
boats, or stationary structures. The three
guns provide massive firepower to
the system (1800 rds/min) against
aerial targets (helicopters, transport
aircraft, slow low-flying aircraft, UAV’s,
cruise missiles, etc.), seaborne targets
(mobile and stationary vessels), and
ground targets (light armoured
vehicles, transporters, command posts,
logistics support bases, etc.
 land
warfare

US DoD
The basic design of the assault rifle has not
changed significantly although there is a
constant effort to improve user ergonomics,
weight and lethality.

RENEWING
THE ASSAULT
Lessons learned from recent conflicts has seen a greater focus on
modularity and ambidextrous customisation of small arms, as well as
reducing weight and the introduction of new ammunition types
to increase lethality.

by Grant Turnbull

18 | Asian Military Review |


T
he assault rifle is the primary
weapon for any soldier, no
matter what their role or
specialisation. First introduced
during World War 2 by Germany
and then slowly adopted by other armed
forces, the assault rifle is now considered
the optimum weapon for frontline
troops. In terms of design, the selective-
fire assault rifle has not changed
radically since its inception, with only
slight enhancements such as the Bullpup
layout (SA-80, FAMAS, TAVOR and
AUG), or optimised internal parts for
greater reliability.
Several armies are now modernising
their small arms inventories, either
through upgrading existing stocks, or
replacing them with new examples. In
Europe, there is modernisation occurring,
although this is limited to upgrading
older types or introducing mature designs
with little risk. The British Army has
embarked on an upgrade programme for
its SA-80, bringing it up to an A3 standard
with contractor Heckler & Koch. France
has also adopted the HK416F, while
CREATING REFERENCES IN DEFENSE
Germany is also expected to select a new
rifle shortly to replace its ageing G36.
One of the most ambitious small
arms programmes anywhere in the
world right now is the US Army’s Next
Generation Squad Weapon (NGSW),
which could see a revolutionary leap in
terms of rifle technology and individual
soldier lethality. One of the most notable
aspects of this programme so far has
been the army’s decision to move to a
new, military-grade 6.8mm intermediate
calibre that has superior aero-ballistic
performance than the 5.56x45mm NATO
standard round currently used on the
M16/M4. For the US Army, the 5.56mm
round lacks the range and ‘stopping
power’ required to defeat modern peer
threats who use advanced body armours.
The NGSW programme will consist of
both a fully ambidextrous rifle (NGSW-R),
and an automatic rifle (NGSW-AR), with
the latter replacing the belt-fed M249
Squad Automatic Weapon (SAW). While
the service has agreed on a calibre for the
bullet, it will be up to industry to decide
how that 6.8mm projectile is packaged
Never Home
The CAESAR® artillery system in Mali
l and
warfare
with cartridge, propellent and primer.
At the end of August, Textron Systems
(partnered with H&K), Sig Sauer and
General Dynamics Ordnance and Tactical
Systems (GD-OTS) were selected to
develop and manufacture prototypes for
the NGSW programme.
All three companies are now expected
to deliver 43 NGSW-ARs and 53 NGSW-
Rs over a 27 month period, along with
845,000 rounds of ammunition for testing.
Two prototype test phases are scheduled
into the programme in May 2020 and
January 2021, lasting three months and
six months respectively.
This year’s AUSA in Washington DC
was the first real opportunity to see all
three competing designs together. Textron
Systems’ solution represents one of the
biggest leaps in small arms technology
with its focus on cased-telescoped
ammunition, over traditional brass cases -
a technology that has not previously been
mature enough to field. The company has
been developing its CT ammunition and
associated weapon systems in various
calibres for over a decade with the help of
Photo credits: ©ECPAD/France/A.Roine
 land
warfare
The US Army’s Next Generation Squad Weapon programme is one of the
most advanced small arms programmes in the world, with Sig Sauer (pictured),
Textron Systems, and GD-OTS offering various 6.8mm solutions.
funding from the US Army.
GD-OTS meanwhile has surprised
many by revealing that its NGSW
offering is a bullpup-configured rifle,
with the magazine and action behind
the trigger rather than the traditional AR
layout. One of the main benefits of this
design is that the barrel can be longer
to improve accuracy, yet the overall
weapon system remains compact. Sig
Sauer’s offering appears to be the most
conservative design offering, with Ron
Cohen, President & CEO, noting that
the “core of our submission is our newly
developed, high-pressure, 6.8mm hybrid
ammunition that is utilised in both
weapons, and is a significant leap forward
in ammunition innovation, design, and
manufacturing.”
If the NGSW programme is successful
and a suitable rifle is selected, the
first unit to receive the rifle could be
as soon as FY2022, according to army
documentation.
China Goes Traditional
The US’s competitor, China, has also
officially revealed that it is bringing a
new rifle into service. This unnamed
weapon - which has long been rumoured
to be in development as a replacement for
the 5.8mm Type 95 (QBZ-95-1) - was first
shown during celebrations for the 70th
anniversary of the People’s Republic of
China on 1 October 2019. Instead of the
bullpup configuration of the current in-
service rifle, the new weapon is a more
traditional AR design with the magazine
ahead of the trigger and action, rather
20
Sig Sauer
than behind. The PLA also appears to be
following trends seen elsewhere around
the world in the small arms market,
particularly when it comes to improving
user ergonomics and increasing overall
modularity.
Initial details appear to suggest that
the new rifle remains a 5.8mm example,
potentially even able to utilise the same
magazines at the Type 95 (or at least the
newer QBZ-95-1 variant). It has been seen
in both a carbine variant and standard
infantry variant, and photos have also
circulated on Chinese forums of a longer
barrel version for potential use as a squad
designated rifle.
Photos from the 70th anniversary
military parade show the rifle with a
single Picatinny Rail along the top with
a new sighting system, likely a magnified
3x example that utilises tritium and
fibre optic for illumination, along with
traditional flip-up iron sights. Other
photos appeared to show a new night
vision sight, likely an uncooled thermal
device to be used during both night and
day operations.
Additional features include a This year, India finally selected the
telescoping butt stock that can be adjusted
to the preference of the individual
soldier; this also likely houses a return
spring which means the butt cannot be
folded. There is also a foregrip that has
two extendable bipod legs for a steadier
position when in the prone position. This
foregrip also features an electronic box
at the top where it meets the handguard,
which is possibly a laser aiming device
that has both visible and IR-based lasers
| Asian Military Review |
or an interface to a helmet-mounted night
vision system, or radio system.
The handguard itself appears to be
one single piece, with attachment
points on the 3 o’clock and
9 o’clock positions for
additional accessories, and
can be easily removed
with a hex tool to access
the gas parts for disassembly
and cleaning. The PLA has
chosen not to go with newer
attachment points such as M-LOK
or KeyMod.
There appears to be some similarities
with the AK design, such as an
ambidextrous magazine release in front
of the trigger guard, as well as a
charging handle just below the cartridge
ejection port, as well as commonalities
with western-style designs such as the
thumb-operated fire selector switch.
The magazines themselves are a new
polymer design that allows a firer to see
when they are running low, with a red
mark becoming visible at five, three and
one rounds remaining. It has not been
verified officially whether the rifle uses
a long-stroke, short-stroke piston, or
direct impingement gas operating system
- although there is a strong likelihood that
it is a short-stroke gas system owing to
the popularity and advantages of this
design.
Another Chinese rival, India, is also
in the process of fielding a new assault
rifle, replacing the Indian Small Arms
System (INSAS) that was first fielded
three decades ago. A replacement for
the locally-developed 5.56x45mm
INSAS has been in the works for several
years, but as with many Indian defence
projects, it has faced several delays. The
country’s experience with the INSAS
and its technical shortcomings has seen
the Indian MoD opt for a rifle design
from a foreign vendor, which will be
manufactured locally.
India Selects Russian AK-203
Russian AK-203 chambered for
7.62x39mm, which will be built locally in
Amethi, in the state of Uttar Pradesh. This
facility was inaugurated in March 2019
by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and
is run by Indo-Russian Rifles Private, a
joint venture between Rosoboronexport,
Kalashnikov Concern (part of Rostec) and
India’s Ordnance Factory Board (OFB).
A manufacturing contract for 670,000
units is expected to be signed following

Kalashnikov
Russia is fielding the new Kalashnikov AK-12/15, while India will locally-manufacture and field
the less advanced AK-203 to replace its technically deficient INSAS rifle.
approval by authorities, possibly at the
end of October, with final production
numbers likely to be around 750,000.
Around 40,000 units are expected to
be built in Russia and exported to India
to meet urgent operational requirements,
with initial work in India to be the
assembly of knock-down kits, which
will then ramp up to component and
sub-assembly manufacturing for greater
transfer of technology and indigenisation.
Local reports suggest that the deal will
value each rifle at $1,000.
The 200-series’ of Russian AKs
(available in 5.45mm, 5.56mm and
7.62mm) retain much of the features
of previous AK designs but have been
updated to improve areas such as
l and
warfare
ergonomics and
a t t a c h i n g
accessories. The
AK-203 now
features a telescoping buttstock (four
positions) so that soldiers can adjust as
needed; this can also be folded to reduce
the rifle’s overall length. The rifle also
features Picatinny rails on the top of
the rifle, and on the bottom of the new
polymer handguard to attach sights,
lasers, lights or other accessories. A tab
has been added to the fire selector lever
for easier operation with the trigger finger,
while the rifle itself retains the AK’s
reliable long-stroke gas piston system.
As well as the AK-203 - which will
be the service rifle for most Indian Army
soldiers - the country’s MoD has also
committed to buy 72,400 SIG716 rifles
from US company Sig Sauer. The order
was announced by Sig Sauer in February
2019, with the company confirming that
the rifles will be manufactured in the US,
rather than in India. The 4.3kg SIG716
features a 16in barrel and short stroke
piston design, and fires the 7.62x51mm
 land
warfare
IWI recently revealed its latest rifle, the
Carmel, which addresses several demands
particularly around modularity for the user
and weight reduction.
NATO round. It is not known when
the Indian Army will receive its first
examples. Making India’s small arms
procurement more complicated is the
reported purchase of nearly 100,000
5.56x45mm carbine rifles from UAE
company Caracal International, known
as the CAR 816. Once again, the status of
this order is unknown.
Vietnam is another country that
22
is refreshing its small arms inventory
and has recently completed a new rifle
manufacturing facility in the country with
the help of Israel Weapon Industries (IWI)
to replace older AK-47s in the Vietnam
People’s Army (VPA) with the Galil ACE
31/32. Ronen Hamudot, VP marketing
and sales at SK Group (which owns
IWI), said this was an example of one of
the company’s “mega projects” in terms
| Asian Military Review |
of technology transfers and indigenous
manufacturing. “They selected the ACE
because they have a lot of 7.62x39mm
ammunition and magazines, and so we
designed and developed it with them,”
he explained. “In Vietnam it is full
production, they manufacture everything
and are totally independent.”
IWI has even subcontracted the
Vietnamese facility to manufacture
 l and
warfare

standards with a full length Picatinny controls such as magazine release, bolt

IWI
rail on the top for accessory attachment,
as well as a telescoping buttstock and
adjustable cheek piece. Weight has also
been addressed with the use of polymer
for several components.
Over the last 12 months, IWI has also
revealed two new rifles that have been
developed, including the 5.56x45mm
Carmel and the AR-15 based ARAD.
The former is a brand new design that
addresses key demands in the rifle market,
including an innovative ambidextrous
charging handle that can be swapped
to either side without disassembling
the rifle, as well as other ambidextrous
catch and thumb-operated fire selector
switch. Modularity is increased with
an adjustable/collapsable buttstock
that offers six positions, as well as an
adjustable cheek rest. The Carmel is 3.3kg,
with weight savings gained by using
polymers and aviation-grade aluminium.
The ARAD meanwhile is based on
the AR-15 design but introduces some
ergonomic improvements, such as being
fully ambidextrous, as well as being
available in several barrel lengths and
calibres - including the increasingly
popular .300 BLK used by special forces
and law enforcement. AMR

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at 70,000 ft Above Sea Level

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parts for Israeli production lines as well,
reducing overall product costs. The long- • 34.5-35.5 GHz, 700W TWT Amplifier dB-3709i
stroke, piston-driven ACE rifle can also be
chambered for 5.56x45mm, 7.62x39mm
and 7.62x51mm calibres. The Philippine
National Police is also another user of the
Galil ACE family in the region, with the
country still receiving batches. The ACE For specs and customization info, call 510-565-2325
design brings the legacy Galil - designed or email info@dBControl.com
and fielded in the 1970s - up to modern
© 2019 dB Control Corp US Air Force photo by Senior Airman Luke Milano
 land
warfare

HF radio can be used in mobile, as well as fixed

and man-pack configurations. In the Asia-Pacific
high frequency communications have been
particularly attractive to special forces troops.

HF RADIO: STILL VALID

AFTER 100 YEARS
Discovered almost one century ago, High Frequency (HF) radio has
never lost its appeal thanks to its ability to move traffic across long
distances, and its resilience to electronic attack.
by Thomas Withington

C
onfusingly, High Frequency
(HF) radio is also known
as shortwave radio. The
same terms cover radio
traffic using a waveband of
three megahertz/MHz to 30MHz. The
shortwave moniker comes from the
length of the radio waves but this can
be deceptive. Three megahertz radio
transmissions have a wavelength of
almost 100 metres/m (328.1 feet/ft),
reducing to almost ten metres (32.8ft)
for 30MHz transmissions. At first
blush such wavelengths seem rather
long. The reason for the name was that
in the heady days of radio in the early
20th century, shortwave did indeed
use transmissions much shorter than
long wave and medium wave. Medium
wave transmissions, in a waveband of
300 kilohertz (kHz) to three megahertz
(MHz), has wavelengths of 999.3m
(3,278.5ft) to 100m, with long wave
communications using transmissions
of 3kHz (99.8 kilometres/62 miles) and
300kHz, although exact definitions of the
upper limit of long wave remain fluid.
The breakthrough in shortwave radio
occurred in June and July 1923. Guglielmo
Marconi, the father of radio, working

24 | Asian Military Review |


with the British radio pioneer Charles
Samuel Franklin, performed a series
of experimental radio transmissions
using a 3MHz frequency. These were
made from Poldhu Wireless Station in
Cornwall, southwest England, to the
yacht Elettra, owned by Marconi, in the
Cape Verde Islands, 2,337.1 nautical miles
(nm)(4,228.3km) away off the coast of
West Africa. Further experiments took
place in September 1924 during which
transmissions on a frequency of 12.4MHz
were performed, this time transmitting
between Poldhu and Marconi’s yacht
moored off Beirut. Two months before,
Marconi had concluded contracts with
the UK General Post Office to provide
shortwave telegraph services between
London and Australia, Canada, India and
South Africa. The appeal of shortwave
communications then continued to spread
largely unabated until the resurgence
of underwater intercontinental
telecommunications cables from the
mid-1950s, and the advent of Satellite
Communications (SATCOM) triggered
by the launch of the US’ Project SCORE
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on 18 December 1958.
Despite advances in the undersea
cable and SATCOM domains, HF
communications are still in use. For
example, radio amateurs use parts
of the HF band to communicate with
their contacts around the world. More
mysteriously, so-called ‘Numbers
Stations’ which transmit audible series
of numbers via automated broadcasts,
regularly employ the HF waveband.
Such transmissions are thought to be
used by governments and intelligence
agencies for coded communications with
intelligence agents around the world.
The military is also an avid user of HF.
Martin Johnson, director of business
development at Barrett Communications
believes that HF has remained attractive
to militaries because “once you own HF
radio equipment, you can deploy it in any
way you want. It does not rely on satellite
links or infrastructure from any third
party.” HF radios can be used in man-
l and
warfare
pack, fixed or vehicular forms making
them highly versatile. HF is also highly
cost-effective compared to SATCOM;
he argues. The latter requires dedicated
terminals and antennas, not to mention
the satellites themselves, or leased satellite
bandwidth if the nation in questions does
not possess its own spacecraft. The only
expense with HF communications is
the radio itself: “HF capability is being
increasingly adopted as an alternative to
Satellite Communications (SATCOM),”
said Nuno Cordeiro, sales engineer at
EID.
Moreover HF can penetrate jungle
and forest tree canopies which can
physically obscure Very/Ultra High
Frequency (V/UHF) communications
(30MHz to three gigahertz). Therefore in
the Asia-Pacific “where forests and jungle
are an obstacle to standard transmissions,
HF remains the only way to keep forces
connected,” notes a written statement
supplied to AMR by Thales. The lack
of required infrastructure for HF has
benefits to users in the Asia-Pacific:
“Light HF infrastructure enables a quick
 land
warfare
deployment to restore communications
in damaged environments, in the case
of natural disasters” the statement
continued. Sadly the Asia-Pacific is no
stranger to calamities. As this article was
being written in mid-October, Typhoon
Hagibis had killed almost 100 people in
the Kanto region of Japan which includes
Tokyo. The ability to rapidly activate
beyond line-of-sight communications
in the wake of such disasters can save
lives and accelerate the clean-up. Faisal
Munir, vice president and general
manager of international sales for tactical
communications at L3Harris adds that
“most countries in the Asia-Pacific have
a large land mass with a few densely
populated cities. Armies find it difficult
to provide communications coverage
with standard commercial or line-of-
sight radios.” Munir continues that HF is
particularly attractive to special forces in
the region. Furthermore, HF is routinely
used to support command and control
nets at the battalion, brigade and division
headquarters levels. L3Harris counts the
armies of the Philippines and Pakistan as
regional forces using the firm’s AN/PRC-
Barrett Communications remains a market leader in the HF radio domain. Its new PRC-4090
transceiver includes several innovations such as an intuitive touch screen.
26
150C and RF-7800H-MP HF man-pack
radios.
The Pros and Cons of HF
Why is HF so attractive? Put simply,
ionospheric reflection. The ionosphere
is an upper layer of the atmosphere
between 60km (37.3 miles) and 1,000km
(621.5 miles) altitude. This is electrically
charged layer cannot be penetrated by
HF transmissions. Instead, they hit the
ionosphere and bounce back to Earth
which allows HF communications to
achieve their intercontinental ranges.
However, HF has trade-offs. The time
of day can have an effect on their over-
the-horizon ranges. During the day, HF
transmissions of twelve megahertz and
above can travel further than those below
and vice versa at night. The ionosphere
itself is split into layers. The D layer, at an
altitude of 60km to 90km (60 miles) only
forms during daytime when sunlight
breaks atoms into free electrons and ions.
Solar flares also make their presence felt.
This phenomenon is caused when the
sun spits out plasma beyond the corona.
These eruptions are accompanied by
| Asian Military Review |
significant amounts of radiation. If the
ejection of the material is in the direction
of earth, particles generated by these
eruptions can penetrate the ionosphere.
This can cause the auroras associated
with the Arctic and Antarctic regions
and, given the disturbance it causes in the
atmosphere, can seriously disrupt HF.
The other disadvantage of HF is that
the weight of communications it can carry
are restricted compared to V/UHF. Up
until quite recently, for example, HF radio
could be restricted to carry data at rates of
up to 9.6 kilobits-per-second (kbps). This
is in distinct contrast to the megabit-per-
second (Mbps) data rates which can be
carried by UHF communications.
Barrett has enjoyed healthy sales of
its HF radios in the Asia-Pacific region,
and Johnson counts the armed forces of
Bangladesh, Fiji and Indonesia amongst
its customers. The company says that
the intuitive nature of its HF transceivers
make them easy to use and repair, while
a competitive price and training options
have made their radios attractive to
those within and without the region. The
company will launch a new range of fixed,
man-pack and vehicular HF transceivers
in April 2020 in the form of its PRC-4090
series, which was showcased during
the Defence and Security Exhibition
International (DSEI) held in London this
September. These radios will handle
Internet Protocol (IP) traffic, have a touch
screen for ease of use and the multiple
languages for operation.
Renaissance
The appeal of HF is reflected in the
continued technological innovation
within the domain. During DSEI Collins
Aerospace exhibited its new URG-IV HF
wideband radio. This has already received
some orders from European and US users,
although company officials declined to
provide additional information on the
identity of these customers. HF radios
have been hampered in the past due to
their bandwidth. Legacy HF radios offered
typical bandwidths of 3kHz. The URG-
IV provides up to 48kHz of bandwidth,
company officials told AMR. This lets the
radio carry IP traffic in real time, perform
file transfers and handle video. This has
been made possible by seemingly small,
but nevertheless significant, innovations.
The US Department of Defence’ Military
Standard-188-110B (MIL-STD-188-110B)
specifies requirements for HF modems.
This provides bandwidths sufficient to
carry up to 9.6kbps of data as this protocol

has allocated 24kHz of bandwidth for HF
transmissions. Likewise, the North
Atlantic Treaty Organisation’s
Standardisation Agreement
4539 (STANAG 4539)
provides up to 200kHz of HF
bandwidth to NATO members.
The result is a step change in
HF’s capacity: “Nowadays HF
communications can deliver
data rates of up to 240kbps,
with 48kHz bandwidth
channels, in good propagation
conditions” says Cordeiro.
As the Thales statement noted: “HF
communications are more secure …
and more resistant to jamming than
other communications.” Firstly, HF
transmission rely on Lowest Usable
Frequency (LUF) and Maximum Usable
Frequency (MUF) confinements. The
former is the HF frequency giving the
ideal signal-to-noise ratio across a given
time period on 90 percent of days each
month. The MUF is the highest frequency
that can be used for ionospheric
transmissions on 50 percent of days per
month. These LUF and MUF are not fixed.
Thus HF transmissions have to adapt
to the prevailing LUF/MUF conditions.
To jam HF communications operators
have to know the frequencies their
adversary plans to use for HF jamming
to be effective. Although available HF
bandwidths have increased as enshrined
by MIL-STD-188-110B and STANAG
4539 HF transmissions can still occupy
a narrow band and because of the vast
distances HF signals travel signals
can be very weak when they arrive at
their destination. This weakness allows
transmissions to be masked by prevailing
electromagnetic noise making it hard for
communications intelligence operatives
to detect the signal of interest. Johnson
said this often results in a very low
signal-to-noise ratio, with the risk that
transmissions can ‘hide’ in the prevailing
electromagnetic noise.
Another motivating factor for the
renaissance in HF is the emerging
vulnerability of SATCOM. Satellite
communications are at risk from kinetic
attack and jamming. Spacecraft face a
physical risk from Surface-to-air Missiles
(SAMs): On 27 March India’s Defence
Research and Development Organisation
(DRDO) performed a test of an Anti-
Satellite (ASAT) weapon, in the form of
a DRDO PRV Mk.II SAM. This was used
to destroy the DRDO’s Microsat-R earth
observation satellite during an ASAT test.
L3Harris’ AN/PRC-150C HF man-pack radio has won several customers in the Asia-
Pacific region, with the armies of the Philippines and Pakistan being notable customers.
Meanwhile, SATCOM can be the target
of electronic attack. The Russian Army’s
Protek R-330ZH Zhitel electronic warfare
system is said to be capable of jamming
the INMARSAT (International Maritime
Satellite) which uses a waveband of
1.525GHz to 1.646GHz, and the Iridium
constellation (1.616GHz to 1.626GHz).
Given that open sources state this jammer
can cover a waveband of 100 megahertz
to two gigahertz, a host of other SATCOM
systems could be vulnerable including
Thuraya (1.525GHz to 1.661GHz). The
R-330ZH is believed to have supported
recent Russian deployments to the
Ukraine and Syrian theatres of operation.
The Thales statement notes that “as
military users became increasingly
concerned about the vulnerability of
satellites to jamming and physical
damage (they have) wondered how wise
it was to depend exclusively on them?”
Innovation
Thales argues that HF communications
have been revolutionised over the past
decades. Alongside the widening of the
bandwidth available for HF military
communications, the advent of ALE
(Automatic Link Establishment) has
greatly eased its use. ALE takes a digital
approach to initiating and managing HF
communications providing a robust link
even during challenging environmental
phenomena. This has made HF more
secure and reliable. The firm is currently
developing what is claims will be the
world’s first cognitive HF radio. For
the uninitiated, cognitive radio refers
to transceivers and communications
networks which sense their environment,
and react accordingly based upon
previously observed situations. For
example, if an HF radio has experienced
particularly heavy jamming on a
| november 2019 |
l and
warfare
particular frequency, but not on another,
the radio may automatically switch to a
similarly unjammed frequency when it
experiences similar jamming in the future
without necessarily alerting the operator.
Similarly, a radio maybe capable of
realising how much HF bandwidth in
its locale is usable, and thus tailoring its
transmissions appropriately. Needless to
say, artificial intelligence and machine
learning lies at the heart of the cognitive
radio approach. Thales has developed
its HF XL concept. According to Thales’
statement this approach sees the radio
ascertaining how much HF bandwidth
maybe available. This may not be
available in a single block but instead
take the form of several discontinuous
small blocks of bandwidth. HF XL will
consolidate these into a single block of
frequency. This, the company argues,
“offers long-term resilience of a high-data-
rate, long-distance HF link under any
propagation conditions and regardless
of variations in the HF spectrum.
Instead of using a single channel with
more bandwidth, Thales has opted for
a transmission over multiple channels
that guarantees a continuous service,
and is less vulnerable to jamming and
interference.” The firm added that North
Atlantic Treaty Organisation NATO) is
currently in the process of standardising
the HF XL protocols. L3Harris anticipates
an ever-growing demand for data on the
battlefield, and HF technology will need
to keep up: “We believe that the need for
more data on the battlefield will continue
to evolve high speed waveforms in the
HF arena,” Munir concludes. HF radio
will soon to celebrate its centenary. It
remains as relevant now as it was in the
pioneering days of Messrs. Franklin and
Marconi with its attributes still showing
potential for expansion. AMR
27
 AIR
power
JR Ng
RISING DRAGONS:
CHINA’S FIGHTER
DEVELOPMENT
COMES OF AGE
China’s military aviation industry today much
advanced from that which relied on exports,
although top-line engine production
still holds it back.
by JR Ng
T
he formation flight of five stealthy
fifth-generation J-20 multirole
combat aircraft over the Chinese
capital of Beijing during the
military parade commemorating
the 70th year of the People Republic of
China’s (PRC’s) founding on 1 October
marks a watershed in indigenous fighter
aircraft development.
It can be hard to believe that China›s
military aerospace industries have
advanced from reverse-engineering
Soviet/Russian third- and fourth-
generation aircraft to being one of only
three nations – the two others being Russia
and the United States – to be capable of
developing and manufacturing aircraft of
this class today.
Like many other contemporary
military industrial powers, China’s goal
for its nascent aerospace industry in
the 1950s was eventual self-reliance and
subsequently global exports. However,
without an aviation history to base this
on, it attempted to lay the foundations by
acquiring foreign aircraft and subsystems,
initially from the Soviet Union and re-
engineering these to address knowledge
28
The J-20 fifth-generation multirole
fighter is the PLAAF’s current principal
air superiority platform.
gaps.
However, these early efforts were
derailed by the isolation imposed by the
Cultural Revolution and the subsequent
freeze in Sino-Soviet relations. As a
consequence of this unfavourable trinity
of political chaos, underfunding and
limited access to new foreign technology,
earlier indigenously produced platforms
and subsystems often suffered from long
lead times in research and development
(R&D) and poor quality control.
Industry consolidation
Since the early 1990s it has been
apparent that China’s political and
military leadership were displeased
with the country’s inability to produce
world-class products. In 1999 China
reorganised its then 440,000-strong pool
of state-employed aerospace engineers
into two large corporate conglomerates,
placing most military and large aircraft
development in the Aviation Industry of
China (AVIC) 1 and tasking AVIC 2 with
development of trainers and helicopters,
with the goal of spurring greater
domestic competition. AVIC, however,
| Asian Military Review |
turned out to be a monolithic bureaucracy
that exercised control over still existing
aircraft and component companies. As a
result, redundancy became particularly
acute.
Sweeping structural and financial
reforms that followed changed the
landscape of China’s military aviation
industry. In 2008 and 2009 AVIC 1 and 2
were consolidated into present-day AVIC,
with around 420,000 employees and 100
commercial and military aviation-related
companies.
Since 2009, the corporation has
brokered partnerships with local
governments across China to improve its
own capabilities as well as to spur private
innovation. It has also imported high-
precision and technologically advanced
machine tools, electronics, and other
components that can also be used in the
production of military aircraft.
Reforms are focused on the
adaptation of dual-use technologies
for military purposes and accelerating
capabilities through indigenous research
and development programmes. Finally,
government-led initiatives will also aim
to enhance its presence in international
markets, particularly in traditionally
Western or Russian-dominated ones, to
supply local industries with greater
access to both dual-use technologies it
requires and create additional funds that
can be channelled towards defence R&D.
A notable aspect of the Chinese
aviation industry is the close collaboration
between the civilian and military aviation
sectors, and the potential for commercial
advances to fuel developments in the
military sector. China’s defence industry
has benefited from integration with
China’s rapidly expanding civilian
economy and science and technology
sector, particularly elements that have
access to foreign technology. Progress
within individual defence sectors appears
to be linked to the entwinement of each –
through China’s civilian economy – into
the global production and research and
development R&D chain.
“China has invested heavily in
new materials to enable lighter
stronger airframes and that allow
higher temperatures needed for high
performance engines,” Colonel Fan Yang,
a researcher at the PLA National Defense
University, told AMR.
“[For example] the initial composite
materials developed for use in the J-10 were
tested by a foreign-sourced laboratory to
ensure sufficient strength and durability,”
AIR
power
 AIR
power
The J-10B seen at Airshow China 2018 with its impressive complement of armaments.
Colonel Fan said, noting that domestic
expertise composite material fabrication
had grown due to concurrent activities
in the commercial sector such as airline
component production work that Airbus
and Boeing had set up in China. An
ability to build large composite material
airframes and skin of satisfactory
strength had contributed greatly improve
China’s ability to produce stealthy fifth-
generation aircraft designs, as well as
modern, efficient civil and military
transports.
Finally, several financial initiatives
launched by the CCP government have
allowed state-owned firms to tap on
resources from other companies, internal
funds, and foreign investment for product
development. Analysts point to the FC-1
Xiaolong /JF-17 Thunder project, which
was jointly developed by AVIC’s Chengdu
Aircraft Industry Corporation (CAC)
subsidiary and the Pakistan Aeronautical
Complex (PAC) and subsidised by
Pakistani funds. The collaboration was
reasonably successful, with the Pakistan
Air Force (PAF) procuring Block I and II
single-seat JF-17 and two-seat JF-17Bs,
while securing exports to Nigeria and
Myanmar. Azerbaijan and Iran have also
expressed strong interest in the type.
Indigenous progress
The Chinese fighter aircraft sector has
made some remarkable advancement
over the past 20 years. For example,
CAC’s J-10 Menglong (Vigorous Dragon)
programme conceived in the 1980s can be
considered the most important domestic
fighter project of the past two decades,
representing a watershed moment for
30
JR Ng
indigenous aerospace industry – even
if Russian and Israeli assistance was
suspected – when it entered People’s
Liberation Air Force (PLAAF) service in
2003.
While deliveries of the J-10A have
proceeded at pace over the intervening
10 years, deliveries of the initial model
ceased around 2013 following the rollout
of the improved J-10B, which has been
provided with a strengthened airframe
featuring a redesigned chin intake aimed
at reducing weight and detectability, as
well as a more powerful Russian-made
Salyut AL-31FN Series 3 engine offering
around 134.4kN of thrust.
In terms of radar and avionics, the
J-10B has also benefited from a passive
electronically scanned array (PESA)
version of the original mechanically
scanned KLJ-3 radar developed by the
Nanjing Research Institute of Electronics
Technology (NRIET), an electro-optical
targeting suite comprising an infrared
search and track (IRST) and laser
rangefinder, as well as a rear-aspect
missile approach warning system
(MAWS).
The latest variant of the J-10 is the
J-10C, which made its maiden flight in
December 2013 and features a new active
electronically scanned array (AESA)
radar of unknown designation, improved
avionics including a new datalink for
the PL-15 beyond visual range anti-air
missile (BVRAAM), and increased use of
composite material in the airframe. The
type entered service in April 2018.
In November 2018, a J-10B testbed
equipped with the indigenously
developed WS-10 engine with a thrust
| Asian Military Review |
vectoring control (TVC) module from
AVIC’s Shenyang-based Liming Aero-
Engine Company was revealed to the
public for the first time during the
biennial Airshow China exhibition.
The WS-10 engine is a derivative of
the model used to power the Shenyang
Aircraft Company’s (SAC’s) J-11B fighter
aircraft, a reverse-engineered copy of
the twin engine Russian Sukhoi Su-27.
The TVC nozzle has reportedly been
developed not just for late model J-10
aircraft, but also as part of the new WS-
15 engine program that is destined for the
J-20.
Ultimately, more than 600 J-10s are
expected to enter service with the PLAAF
to eventually replace earlier models of the
CAC J-7 fighter-bombers, which entered
service in the late 1960s and early 1970s.
Simultaneously, Shenyang Aircraft
Corporation (SAC) has apparently
moved beyond its troubled twin-engine
J-11B air superiority fighter programme,
which is essentially derived from reverse-
engineered technology from imported
and locally assembled Russian Sukhoi
Su-27 airframes to fielding the advanced
J-16 strike fighter. The latest incarnation
features substantial improvements
including a reduced radar cross-section
(RCS), a strengthened airframe and an
improved AESA fire-control radar, as
well as a new flight-control system, glass
cockpit and the Liming WS-10B engine.
A new electronic warfare (EW) variant
of J-16, known as the J-16D, was first
sighted in December 2015. Featuring a
shorter nosecone believed to house an
AESA radar and large wingtip pods with
vertical antennas, as well as the removal
of the IRST and cannon for additional EW
mission equipment and ventral antennas,
the type is expected to enter service by
around 2020.
Fifth-generation fervour
Known as the Weilong (Mighty Dragon),
the twin-engine CAC J-20 was the first
of the Chinese fifth-generation military
aircraft developments to be officially
acknowledged when a prototype
completed a 21-minute maiden flight in
January 2011, a revelation that had been
carefully timed with the visit of then-US
Secretary of Defense Robert Gates.
The baseline J-20 is a single-seat
multirole fighter featuring canards for
increased manoeuvrability and low-
observability features such as twin,
outward-canted, serrated edge landing
gear doors, and an internal weapons bay.
 AIR
power
The J-20 is also equipped with a chin-
mounted electro-optical targeting system
(EOTS) that appears to be comparable to
the one found on the Lockheed Martin
F-35 Joint Strike Fighter.
Low-rate initial production (LRIP)
aircraft are believed to have been fitted
with the domestic WS-10B engine,
although conflicting reports have also
suggested that these LRIP aircraft
feature a heavily modified version of the
Russian 99M2 (AL-31FM2). However, it
is known that serial production J-20s will
be equipped with the domestic WS-15
engine that is believed to offer TVC and
super-cruise performance.
Running concurrent to the
development of the J-20 is the FC/J-31,
or Shen Fei (Falcon Eagle). Although the
existence of ‹another› fifth-generation
aircraft had been rumoured for more than
a decade, it was not until late 2012 that the
first images of what was later to become
known as the FC/J-31 were published.
These images showed the single-
seat FC/J-31 to be considerably smaller
than the J-20, suggesting that it might
make up the ‹low› end of a ‹high-low›
fifth-generation capability mix with its
larger stablemate. The general design
characteristics of the FC/J-31 - low aspect-
ratio wings and tailplanes of trapezoidal
planform; chined fuselage, with forward-
swept engine intakes; outward-canted
twin vertical fins; and internal weapons
carriage - are fairly typical of today›s crop
of fifth-generation fighters, and indicate
at least some degree of stealth.
As with the J-20, the FC/J-31 is a
twin-engined design and is also currently
powered by Russian turbofans (Klimov
RD-93s) with an indigenous Chinese
powerplant expected to be fitted for
production-standard aircraft.
Engine conundrum
The chief weakness of China’s military
aerospace industry remains its aero-
engine sector, particularly its inability to
mass-produce reliable high-performance
turbofan engines to support contemporary
and future aircraft developments. For
example, the maiden flight in 1998 of the
J-10 is thought to have been delayed by
nearly two years, in part due to redesign
work necessary to accommodate the
Russian-made AL-31FN engine, rather
than the intended domestic WS-10 engine.
However, even as the prospect of
continued dependency on Russian
engines remains likely for the near future,
Chinese efforts into advancing indigenous
32
The JF-17 has found export success in Pakistan, Nigeria, and Myanmar.
jet engine technology is increasing. Most
notably is the establishment of the
state-owned Aero Engine Corporation
of China (AECC) to address long-
standing domestic capability shortfalls
in commercial and military aero-engine
development and production.
AECC was was formed by merging
related AVIC subsidiaries, including
AVIC Aero-Engine Controls, AVIC
Aviation Engine (formerly Xian Aero-
Engine Corporation), Sichuan Chengfa
Aero Science and Technology, as well as
unlisted companies such as the Liyang
Aero-Engine Corporation and Liming
Aero-Engine Manufacturing Corporation.
It had a registered capital of $7.6 billion
and a staff strength of approximately
96,000 workers during its inception.
According to official statements,
AECC is responsible for the design,
development, production, and support of
military and commercial aircraft engines
with a core focus on fixed-wing platforms
although it will also support rotary
aircraft engines as a secondary function.
The company launched a dedicated
research institute, the Aero Engine
Academy of China (AEAC), in December
2016. Based in Beijing, the new academy
will lead the company’s R&D efforts and
support nationwide efforts in aero-engine
production.
AVIC said in a statement that the AEAC
will accelerate domestic development of
aero-engines and related technologies.
“This will be achieved through
integrating [indigenous] aero-engine
| Asian Military Review |
JR Ng
R&D capability, enhancing related
manufacturing technologies and
providing AECC with strong technical
support,” the company stated.
Earlier this year, AECC announced
during its supply-chain conference held
in Jiangsu province from 20-21 May that
it had grown its ability to source, build,
and support aircraft powerplants by
outsourcing component manufacturing to
privately owned enterprises. The move is
line with the CCP government’s desire to
expand local private-sector participation
in manufacturing commercial and
military aero-engines
“In the past year the outsourcing of
components continued to grow, quality
control processes were effectively
introduced, performance evaluations
continued to be strengthened, and
communication channels between AECC
and its suppliers were smoother and more
efficient,” the AECC said in a statement
made through the State Administration
for Science, Technology and Industry for
National Defense (SASTIND).
Further plans are underway to deepen
private-sector integration into national
aero-engine supply chains and develop
approaches to enhance production
efficiencies and product quality.
“The [ultimate] goal is to stay on course
on supply management, actively promote
domestic supply-chain production and
integrate military-civilian resources, and
provide our armed forces with quality
products and services,” Colonel Fan
noted. AMR
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4 4-5 February 2020

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 land
warfare
Ballistic Missile
Shields
Obtaining a ballistic missile defence
capability adds another layer to a nation’s
nuclear and/or conventional deterrence.
by Debalina Ghoshal
Lockheed Martin’s Terminal High Altitude
Area Defense (THAAD) weapon system.
O
n 30 August at Kwajalein
Atoll in the Marshall Islands,
Lockheed Martin’s tested
its Terminal High Altitude
Area Defense (THAAD)
system by intercepting a medium-
range ballistic missile (MRBM) target.
It successfully detected and tracked the
incoming missile before firing a missile
to intercept the intruder after developing
a fire control solution. The missile was
launched from a remotely located site.
According to Richard McDaniel, vice
34
Lockheed Martin
president of Upper Tier Integrated Air
and Missile Defense Systems at Lockheed
Martin, “the test paves the way for
delivery of an urgent need capability that
will enhance THAAD’s emplacement
options resulting in greater asset
protection.”
This was the 16th successful intercept
in 16 attempts for the THAAD system
since 2005.
Developing Ballistic Missile Defence
Nation states can enhance their deterrence
| Asian Military Review |
posture by making any aggressor re-
evaluate their own vulnerabilities should
they launch a ballistic missile attack.
Missile defence became an option for
deterrence by denial when almost all non-
proliferation activities failed to counter
existing and emerging ballistic missile
threats. This article will examine some
of the latest systems regarding ballistic
missile detection and defence.
Countries including the United States,
Russia, China and India all either have,
or are looking at obtaining, sophisticated
ballistic missile detection and defence
systems, which can not only counter
threats from ballistic missiles but also
counter cruise missile systems.
The United States has developed
both THAAD and Patriot-3 systems as
components of its Global Protection
against Limited Strikes (GPALS). Back
in 2000, the cost estimates for just these
two programmes was $12 billion. Earlier
this year the United States fielded
THAAD into Israel. It has also deployed
the THAAD system into South Korea in
March 2017. It has also been deployed
to Romania and Guam. The US has also
offered it for purchase to India as an
alternative to Russia’s S-400 system.
In January 2018, Lockheed Martin
secured an additional order of $459
million from the US Missile Defence
Agency (MDA) to develop THAAD
bringing the overall total invested to
$1.28 billion with funding provided in
2017 and 2018.
The estimated range of THAAD
missiles is 125 miles (200 km), up to an
altitude of 93 miles (150km) although
exact figures are still classified. A complete
THAAD battery will have around six
launch vehicles, each with eight missiles,
two mobile tactical operations centres
(TOCs) and the AN/TPY-2 ground-
based radar (GBR). This is a long-range,
very high-altitude active electronically
scanned array (AESA) radar provided by
Raytheon which has a range up to 2,900
miles (4,700km).
The AN/TPY radar operates in the
X-band of the electromagnetic spectrum
enabling it to see targets more clearly.
The radar is capable of detecting ballistic
missiles as they rise, and also can guide
interceptors toward a descending
warhead. 
South Korea not only is fielding the
US THAAD, but is also working on
its indigenous Korean Air and Missile
Defence System (KAMD) in which it
plans to defeat enemy missile systems
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 land
warfare
Missile Defence Agency
Aegis Ashore is the land-based component of the US Ballistic Missile Defense System and will use
the same components that will be used onboard the US Navy Aegis BMD Destroyers.
through a ‘kill chain’. South Korea
already operates the PAC-2 and more
advanced PAC-3 systems as a part of its
lower altitude interception along with its
Medium Range Surface-to-Air (M-SAM)
missiles. The M-SAM costs $800million
while $1billion has already been devoted
to the development of the L-SAM. The
L-SAM reportedly would have the ‘high
divert’ maneuvering system. South
Korea has also expressed interest to buy
ship based SM-3 interceptors. All these
systems would provide South Korea a
multi layered defence capability with
versatile launch pads.
The United States is also developing
the Aegis Ashore defence system for
the naval defence capability. In August
2019, the US Navy awarded Lockheed
Martin a contract valued at $80million
for electronic equipment upgrades to
the Aegis Modernisation Program. The
US is also developing land based variant
called Aegis Ashore and a sale to Japan
has already been approved by the US
Defense Security Cooperation Agency
which cleared the purchase of a pair of
land-based Aegis ballistic missile defense
systems at a cost of around $2.15billion.
The system will be capable of intercepting
both ballistic and cruise missiles and
the deal to Japan included not just the
defence system but sub-systems too.
Australia is also working on missile
defence capability owing to the threat
from North Korea and China. Australia
is seeking to develop an Integrated Air
36
and Missile Defence (IAMD) and multi
domain battle management system that
would require the amalgamation of over
the horizon (OTH) radar technologies,
sensor suites and distributed networks.
Australia’s Jindalee OTH radar supports
ballistic missile defence operations and
its normal operating range is 1000km-
3000kms. At present, BAE Systems is
conducting an upgrade programme of the
Jindalee OTHR that will take ten years to
complete.
All the countries including Australia
that possesses the Aegis defence ships,
would be able to defend against regional
ballistic missile threats and also enable
long range surveillance and tracking of
Intercontinental Ballistic Missiles (ICBMs).
The United States is also developing Kill
Vehicles including Multiple Object Kill
Vehicles to defeat multiple independently
targetable re-entry vehicles and Multiple
Kill Vehicles (MKVs) to defeat multiple
re-entry vehicles (MRVs).
Chinese A-SAT
China has progressed with Anti-Satellite
(A-SAT) tests, with results leading across
to ballistic missile defence. it is however
acquiring the Russian S-400 Triumf
under a $4 billion deal. However the
first shipment was reportedly damaged
en route in the English Channel and had
to be replaced. According to Russia’s
director of the Federal Service for
Military-Technical Cooperation, Dmitry
Shugayev, the delivery of the S-400s to
| Asian Military Review |
China would now be completed by the
end of 2020
The air and missile defence system
is ground based and can shoot down
targets at distance of 600kms away and
at an altitude of up to 27 kilometres. It
reportedly can simultaneously engage
36 targets, and is viewed to be one of
the most sophisticated air and missile
defence systems. China is also working
on counter-space capabilities that include
ground laser weapons to destroy space
based sensors.
China’s A-SAT capabilities could be
used as space-based interceptors though
the task of destroying satellites is far less
complex than ballistic missiles. The China
Precision Machinery Import and Export
Corporation (CPMIEC) has developed
the FD-2000 - the HQ-9 versions of air
and missile defence system that can
intercept aircraft, helicopters, unmanned
aerial vehicles (UAVs) and also cruise
missiles. It has a two level command and
control capability that could also control
and command other air defence systems
turning it into a layered defence system.
The system can allegedly hit targets up
to a range of 200kms and altitudes of
30,000metres. Though its single shot
kill probability is low against ballistic
missiles as compared to aircraft, the fact
that the system possesses the capability,
enhances its deterrence value against the
ballistic missiles of adversaries.
The HQ-9 versions of defence systems
are both ground-based and naval based
(HHQ-9 and HHQ-9A) and are broadly
equivalent to the Russian S-300 air
and missile defence systems. The HQ-
19, an upgraded version of the HQ-9 is
reportedly a Chinese version of the US
THAAD system. Beijing is also working
on sea-based anti-missile system as a
‘deterrence by denial’ option in the South
China Sea. The cost and progress of
development of the system is not yet know.
India too has developed ballistic
missile defence capabilities under the
guidance of the Defence Research and
Development Organisation (DRDO). It
is a two tier missile defence system - the
Prithvi Defence Vehicle for intercepting
targets in exa-atmosphere and Advance
Air Defence System for intercepting
targets at endo-atmosphere. In 2018
during a bilateral summit, India signed a
$5.5 billion contract with Russia for five
S-400 Triumf systems, although the US
has proposed a counter-offer to sell PAC-
3 and THAAD systems as an alternative.
AMR
 LAND AND AIRLAND DEFENCE AND SECURITY EXHIBITION

08-12 JUNE 2020 / PARIS

THE UNMISSABLE
WORLDWIDE
EXHIBITION

1,802
exhibitors +14,7%
from 63 countries
65,9% of international
65 startups at Eurosatory LAB

98,721
Total attendance
(exhibitors, visitors,
press, organisers)

227
Official delegations
from 94 countries
and 4 organisations
(representing 760 delegates)

696
journalists
from 44 countries

75 Conferences
2 102 Business meetings made

2018 key figures

 Regional
M i l i t a r i e s

Law 16). Where foreign equipment is

acquired, the contract also requires the
foreign organisation to work through
local firms, such as PT Dirgantara
Indonesia (PTDI) in the case of military
aviation.
In the latest government budget, the
Ministry of Defense received a 16 percent
increase year-on-year, rising from $7.68
billion to $8.9 billion. Given Indonesia’s
archipelago status, with over 17,000
islands, and its history of involvement
in insurgencies and against separatist
movements such as in Papua and East
Timor.
With China’s South China Sea
expansion butting up to Indonesian
Indonesian President Joko Widodo, right, greeting territory in the shape of the Natuna
his new Defense Minister Prabowo Subianto during Islands, Indonesia has been quick to
the latter's inauguration. open up a military base in Selat Lampa
on Natuna Besar Island. Skirmishes to

THE POLITICS
date have been focused on illegal fishing
in Indonesian waters by Chinese fishing
boats - with several having been sunk by
the Navy.

OF DEFENCE
Will the controversial new Defence Minister
From Brown to Blue Water
At the start of 2018, The Diplomat reported
that “the Indonesian navy, with its Navy
Blueprint 2013, aims to have a 274-ship
use his position to continue armed forces force structure, 12 submarines, and three
independent fleets operating across the
modernisation or further his own political country by 2024.”
ambitions? It has sought to transition from a coast
‘brown water’ force to one with more
by Andrew Drwiega powerful vessels that are better armed

T
he surprising appointment
of Prabowo Subianto as the
new Indonesian Minister of
Defence does not bode well
for Indonesia’s international
reputation or potentially its political
stability. President Joko Widodo (Jokowi)
defeated Prabowo twice in presidential
elections, in 2014 and again earlier this
year. When he refused to accept that
Jokowi had officially been declared the
winner, his supporters caused civil unrest
and violence - something he did little to
prevent.
That Jokowi now has him as the
Minister of Defence says more about the
murky undercurrent of party politics in
Indonesia that it does about his suitability
as the best man for the job. In 1998 he
was banned from the United States due
to alleged human rights violations. The
question remains whether he will use
his new position for political gains,
perhaps undermining Jokowi, rather
than continuing to modernise Indonesia’s
armed forces.
He does have military experience; a
retired Lieutenant General his service
included serving as a commander in the
Kopassus (Komando Pasukan Khusus) -
Indonesia’s Special Forces - and finally
as head of the Army Strategic Reserve
Command (Kostrad) in 1998.
Defence Budget Priorities
Welfare costs, which have been boosted
over the past few years under Jokowi, are
a significant drain on the defence budget.
According to a report in The Diplomat
magazine (31/10/19): “More than half
of the 2020 defence budget has been
allocated for employee expenditure.”
Will Probowo keep the pace of
Indonesia’s modernisation strategy,
entitled Minimum Essential Force (MEF),
which enters a third phase from 2020-
2024. It has been focused on encouraging
indigenous industry to increase its supply
base into defence procurement, through
Defense Industry Law 2012 (also called
and have longer range. One of the areas
of focus for the TNI-AI is the expansion
of the submarine fleet.
On 11 April this year, the state
owned PT PAL (Penataran Angkatan
Laut) shipyard launched the Alugoro,
the first diesel-electric submarine to be
built in Indonesia although the third
in the Nagapasa-class submarine, the
first two being built by DSME in South
Korea. These are in fact upgraded built-
under-license German Type 209/1200
boats. Additional submarines are slated
to be build in Surabaya. The president
of PT PAL, Budiman Saleh revealed that
his company would build nine more
submarines as part of the DSME1400
project.
In addition to new fast attack craft,
the TNI-AL has also invested in hospital
ships. The first, build by PT PAL and
based on a Type 124 Landing Dock design
was handed over to its naval operators in
January. As well as medical facilities, it can
sail at 16 knots, carry and operate three
helicopters, two landing craft, and a range

38 | Asian Military Review |

 Regional
M i l i t a r i e s
of vehicles and additional personnel. The
second vessel, commissioned in July has
an expected delivery date of 2021.
The Marine Corps in Indonesia will
receive fighting vehicles from Russia
following a deal with Rosoboronexport
(part of the Rostec State Corporation) in
April for BMP-3F amphibious vehicles
and BT-3F infantry fighting vehicles (of
an unknown quantity).
According to a statement by
Rosoboronexport, ‘the roof of the BT-3F
accommodates a two-plane stabilised
remote-controlled combat module with
a 12.7mm machine gun…(it is also)
equipped with a tele-thermal imaging
sight with a laser rangefinder.” The
organisation also states that there is good
commonality between the BT-3F and
BMP-3/BMP-3F which helps to reduce
operating expenses and training costs.
Fighter Investment
Perhaps the biggest ongoing aircraft
development programme for the TNI-AU
is the KAI KF-X/IF-X multirole fighter.
The abbreviation stands for Korean
Fighter Xperiment/Indonesia Fighter
Xperiment (KFX/IFX).
The cost of this joint development
programme is being shared between the
South Korean (60 percent) and Indonesian
governments (20 percent), and Korean
Aerospace Industries (KAI) which has
a commitment to the final 20 percent.
However, the Indonesian Ministry of
Defence missed some payments due
around 2017 and although payments did
begin again, the Indonesian’s have been
seeking to renegotiate the deal to snare a
greater share of indigenous production as
well a better standing regarding export
rights.
Indonesia will purchase more BMP-3F infantry
fighting vehicles (pictured) and amphibious
armoured personnel carriers through Russia's
Rosoboronexport trade organisation.
40
Launched on 11 April, the Alugoro is the first diesel-electric
submarine to be built in Indonesia.
According to an announcement by
South Korea’s Defence Acquisition
Programme Administration (DAPA) in
September, the first KF-X prototype is
due to undertake its first test flight by the
end of 2021 following the conclusion of
the critical design phase earlier this year.
The stated delivery date for the rollout
of the first operational KF-X aircraft is
sometime during 2026.
Breaking news from Indonesia’s
Antara news agency as this issue went
to print was the announcement by TNI-
AU Marshal Yuyu Sutisna, Chief of Staff,
that the air force will formally request
Lockheed Martin to supply another ‘two
squadrons of Lockheed Martin’s newest
F-16V Block 72 fighters”. The official
request will be made in early January
2020. Indonesia already has 33 F-16s, 24 of
which were refurbished F-16s up to near
Block 52 standard and that were delivered
once an arms embargo was lifted in 2005.
These were added to nine older F-16A/B
models that had been delivered in the
early 1990s.
The new F-16V Block 72 configuration
includes an advanced Active
Electronically Scanned Array (AESA)
radar,
Only a few months ago on 20
August the US State Defense Security
Cooperation Agency announced the
approval of a Foreign Military Sale (FMS)
of 66 F-16C/D Block 70 aircraft Republic
of China Air Force.
The TNI-AU is hedging its
procurement loyalties however, as it
| Asian Military Review |
PT PAL
still intends to acquire a squadron of
Russian Sukhoi Su-35s, which is likely to
incur problems with the US government
potentially limiting or restricting further
sales of military equipment.
At the start of the year, it was
announced that the Indonesian Ministry
of Defence through PTDI had ordered an
additional eight Airbus H225M multirole
helicopters to add to the TNI-AU’s
existing force of six H225Ms.
These 11-ton medium helicopters are
well regarded by the TNI-AU, and will
again be completed by state-owned PTDI
located at Bandung before being released
to the military.
“We welcome Indonesia’s selection
of our H225M helicopters for their
expanding fleet,” said Airbus Helicopters
executive vice president, Global Business,
Ben Bridge. “With a trusted partner in
PTDI, we stand ready to support the
availability of Indonesia’s fleet.”
A Letter of Intent (LoI) was signed
earlier in the year between the MoD and
the state-owned PT Pindad organisation
for the procurement of up to 22 Pandur
II 8x8 armoured cars. They are originally
manufactured by Excalibur Army, a
company in the Czech Republic. A similar
LoI was also issued in respect of Kaplan
MT Modern Medium Weight Tanks
(MMWT) developed by Turkish company
FNSS Savunma Sistemleri.
The new Defence Minister apparently
inherits a good base from which further
progress can be made. But will this plan
be his plan? AMR

are forward deployed in the western
Pacific littorals to threaten Chinese naval
interests in periods of exigency. For the
uninitiated, the Diversion 1.0 strategy
that was devised during the Cold War’s
apogee saw American SSNs forward
deployed to threaten Soviet nuclear-
powered ballistic-missile submarines
(SSBNs) in their bastions. It was successful
to some extent as Moscow had to divert
its attention to counter the American SSN
challenge. An exact replica of Diversion
1.0 would, however, be unpalatable in
the current Asia-Pacific security order
given that it would undermine strategic
stability by encouraging a ‘use-it-or-lose-
it’ nuclear-weapons mentality on the part
of the Chinese.
A more feasible Diversion 2.0 strategy
could see attack boats being forward
deployed to threaten the conventional
PLA Navy (PLAN). In times of crisis or war,
American (and allied) subs could enforce
a blockade of major Chinese naval bases
that host capital ships, especially aircraft
carriers. Given their ‘Queen of the Waves’
status, the Chinese would do well to
allocate more resources toward protecting
these assets – resources that could be
otherwise be used to threaten American
naval forces. As the best ASW weapon is
another submarine, the PLAN’s diversion
of its subs to counter their American
counterparts could enervate the undersea
threat it poses to the US Navy.
All that being said, the “Messi” of the
US Silent Service that would draw the
most attention in Beijing is invariably
its most-capable platform: the Virginia-
class attack boat. Indeed, upcoming
Virginias equipped with the Virginia
Payload Module (VPM) which increases
their firepower by some 75 percent are
akin to a ‘Messi on steroids.’ After all,
such a platform can hold up to 40 of the
ship-killing Maritime Tomahawks in its
vertical-launch system, making it a primus
inter pares amongst anti-surface warfare
platforms. A number of VPM-armed
Virginias roaming the waters within the
First Island Chain during a China-U.S.
trial of arms would undoubtedly give
the denizens of Zhongnahai (Communist
Party Headquarters) a headache of the
first order. In this light, the advocacy by
various defence analysts that the number
Analyst
C o l u m n
of Virginias built yearly be increased to
three from the current two makes sheer
good sense.
Going forward, much has been
made of how, at the operational level,
the Chinese would be attacking and the
Americans defending, should the two
sides duel in the western Pacific. In such
circumstances, perhaps, it is time for the
US Navy to seriously consider ‘the Barca
model’ in order to reduce the pressure
on its surface forces, and what better
capability to execute this than its potent
attack boats. Indeed, retired US submarine
admiral W. J. Holland Jr. once said that
a cost-imposing strategy stressing the
primacy of submarines is one that seeks
“not just victory in war but deterrence
by making evident the costs to compete
and the prospect of a likely defeat in the
event of war.” A 21st-century version of
the Cold-War diversion strategy is thus
of profound utility also in peacetime,
and US naval chieftains would do well
to bear this in mind as they grapple with
the challenges of todays Great-Power
competition. AMR
 Analyst
C o l u m n
EMPLOYING
‘THE BARCA
METHOD’ USING
SUBMARINES
“O
ffence is the best
form of defence” is
an adage that has
been applied to many
forms of competitive
endeavours, including sports and military
combat. The idea is that one’s offensive
posture could preoccupy the other side
with defensive tasks and hinder their
ability to attack. Being a long-time soccer
fan, I have seen this assertion being borne
out times aplenty in The Beautiful Game.
Take the example of top Spanish side
FC Barcelona, a team that often deploys
three attackers around the halfway line
while defending a corner kick. Given
that the norm is to have one, at most
two, players upfield in this situation, it
is perhaps an inordinately offensive
approach during a defensive situation on
Barcelona’s part. This means, however,
that the opponent needs to have at least
four players directly keeping tabs on
these three Barca players, with another
one or two patrolling beyond the Barca
penalty box as insurance. With players
of the quality of Lionel Messi and Luis
Suarez – two of the world’s top 10 strikers
today – among the Barca strikeforce, it
would be virtual suicide if the other side
did not cover them closely. The upshot
of Barca’s offensive posture is that fewer
players from the other team are available
to exploit corner kicks and other deep
attacks.
Let us transpose FC Barcelona’s
modus operandi while defending corners
(referred to hereafter as the ‘Barca model’)
to the realm of the United States’ military
competition with China in the western
Pacific. Much has been made about how
during a notional Sino-American crisis
or conflict, the People’s Liberation Army
42
By Ben Ho
(PLA) could hold at risk United States
and friendly forces within its burgeoning
anti-access/area-denial (A2/AD) edifice.
The tables could, however, be turned on
the Chinese with the application of the
Barca model.
This cost-imposition strategy
entails the US deploying platforms
that could make the Chinese devote a
disproportionate amount of resources on
defence; concomitantly reducing the A2/
AD threat to friendly forces. This state
of affairs is rather similar to how Messi
dilutes opposing defences by drawing
away defenders, leaving space for his
colleagues to exploit.
The idea behind the Barca model
can explain the underpinnings of the
‘maritime pressure’ strategy promulgated
recently by a paper entitled Tightening the
Chain: Implementing a Strategy of Maritime
Pressure in the Western Pacific by the Center
for Strategic and Budgetary Assessments
(CSBA), where the accent is on land-
based missile systems to complicate the
PLA’s calculus. After all, a single road-
mobile missile launcher adopting ‘shoot-
and-scoot’ tactics could tie up significant
military resources of an opponent. That
said, the CSBA strategy gives relatively
scant mention to another platform ideally
suited for putting into practice the Barca
model – the submarine.
It is a basic premise of military
strategy that one’s strengths should be
pitted against the adversary’s weaknesses.
Indeed, undersea warfare is one of the
few remaining areas where the US still
holds an asymmetric edge over the
Chinese, especially in the acoustic realm
in the short and medium terms. Moreover,
Chinese anti-submarine warfare (ASW)
capabilities are rather limited, despite
| Asian Military Review |
some advances made in this area in
recent years. Hence two American
military thinkers, Mark Montgomery
and Eric Sayers, are right on point when
they argue that, “(a)ttack submarines
remain the key to defeating China should
deterrence fail… they should be the top
investment priority ahead of all other
shipbuilding programs.”
History provides various examples
where the submarine was able to
exert strategic and operational effects
disproportionate to its number(s).
During the 1971 Indo-Pakistani War, the
sinking of the Indian frigate Khukri by
the Pakistani submarine Hangor forced
the Indian Navy to abort an attack on
Karachi. In addition, think of how, during
the Falklands War, Argentina scurried its
surface fleet, including its sole aircraft
carrier, back to port following the sinking
of the battleship General Belgrano’s by a
Royal Navy submarine. The Argentine
navy subsequently played no part in the
conflict. On the other side of the coin, the
presence of the ARA San Luis in the area
of operations forced the British to devote
a dozen surface combatants to anti-
submarine efforts, but the Argentine boat
escaped unscathed even after carrying out
a number of – albeit unsuccessful – attacks
on Royal Navy ships. In more recent
times, such was the furtiveness of the
air-independent propulsion submarine
that the Indian Navy spent three weeks
hunting for the Pakistani Agosta-class
boat Saad before it was discovered.
Going Forward
An application of the Barca model would
see the US submarine force coming up with
a Diversion 2.0 strategy where its nuclear-
powered hunter-killer boats (SSNs)
To be continued on page 41
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