Volume 24/issue 7 november 2016

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A s i a P a c i f i c ’ s L a r g e s t C i r c u la t e d D e f e n c e M a g a Z i n e

INDONESIA’S ARMED FORCES AIRBORNE EARLY WARNING

FAST ATTACK CRAFT BALLISTIC MISSILE DEFENCE
MALE/HALE UAVS PAKISTAN’S PROCUREMENTS
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Contents november 2016
VOLUME 24 / ISSUE 7

28 Claire Apthorp studies the market

for Medium Altitude and High
Altitude Long-Endurance UAVs in
the region.

Front Cover Photo:

A Northrop Grumman RQ-4B
Global Hawk UAV in the colours
of the Japan Air Self-Defence MALE
DOMINANCE
Force. This aircraft is examined
in Claire Apthorp’s Male
Dominance article.

22 38 42

10 Difficult Choices
Choose Your Fast And
Furious In A Complex Rebalancing
Weapons Region
New Small Arms and Light Dr. Alix Valenti examines Fast
Act
Weapons fall under the Attack Craft, detailing their role, Alex Calvo examines the The Indonesian armed forces
gaze of Andrew White. design criteria and the market strategic challenges and are at a doctrinal crossroads,
for such ships. procurement choices faced by Andrew Drwiega reports.
Pakistan.

16 34 05

Watching It Came
The Noisy From Outer
Neighbours Space
Airborne Early Aircraft are in high The demand for Ballistic Missile
demand in the Asia-Pacific region, Defence in the Asia-Pacific is
Alan Warnes explains. growing, Thomas Newdick Catch up on all the latest defence radio frequency news and
finds out. analysis in Thomas Withington’s regular Pulse column.

| november 2016 | 03
 Index of Advertisers

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A
total of 3722.5 nautical miles (6834.1
kilometres) kilometres separate Bordeaux
in south-west France, where the Dassault
Rafale-F3A/B/M fighter is built and New Delhi, where the Indian government
signed a contract to procure 36 of these aircraft on 23 September.
It would take a Rafale-F3A/B/M fighter a total of three hours and 36 minutes to travel this
distance with the aircraft flying at its published maximum high altitude speed of 1032 knots
(1912 kilometres per hour) without air-to-air refuelling; a purely hypothetical exercise. This
flight time is 0.002 percent of the time that it has taken for the Indian government to sign a
contract for an aircraft acquisition, since the Indian Air Force (IAF) articulated its Medium
Multi-Role Combat Aircraft (MMRCA) requirement in 2001. During that time four World
Cup soccer tournaments have been held, the same number of Olympic and Paralympic
Games, and the United States has led two major military interventions in Afghanistan and
Iraq (2001 to 2014, and 2003 to 2011 respectively). No doubt patience has been a virtue
for all of the companies involved in the MMRCA initiative (Boeing, Dassault, Eurofighter
GmbH, Lockheed Martin, MiG and Saab).
As the delay has increased, so the prize has reduced: Initially, the Indian government wanted
126 new fighters to fulfil the MMRCA need; but this has now diminished to 36, worth an
estimated $8.8 billion according to open media reports. Deliveries of the aircraft are expected
to commence in September 2019, and conclude 2022. There is uncertainty whether New
Delhi will order additional jets, or whether the government will announce a new ‘son of
MMRCA’ competition for the balance of 90 aircraft from the original requirement. Dassault
Aviation will almost certainly be disappointed with how many fighters the IAF will acquire,
although in January, media reports stated that the Indian Navy has commenced briefings
with Dassault regarding the Rafale-F3M, the naval variant of the aircraft, for use onboard
its aircraft carriers. Yet, there are no indications when, or if, this could result in a navy
procurement of new fighters, and whether this procurement will see the purchase of the
Rafale-F3M. Furthermore, the IAF cannot refrain from purchasing new fighters forever: Its
fast jet fleet is old, the most recent aircraft being the Sukhoi Su-30MKI fighters it procured
from Russia which entered service in 2002. These will already be almost two decades old
by the time the first of Bordeaux’s finest enters service.
In many ways, India’s MMRCA exercise has been a textbook case of how not to perform
fighter procurement. A combination of delays and reductions in the order size may cause
aircraft manufacturers to question whether New Delhi’s fighter purchases are worth the
time and effort in the future. Nevertheless, with fewer fighter procurements on the horizon,
these companies may have little choice but to grim and bear it, vis-à-vis New Delhi’s future
shopping lists.
Thomas Withington, Editor

Editor: Thomas Withington

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04 | Asian Military Review |

 by Thomas Withington

Lockheed Martin unveils a new ground-based air surveillance radar, while Thales
reveals more details of its new Cybele airborne electronic warfare system being
jointly developed with Elettronica, and ViaSat share details of its most recent US
Navy SATCOM contract.

The USMC has awarded Northrop Grumman Northrop Grumman

a contract to deliver nine AN/TPS-80 GATOR
radars. All of these new radars are expected
to be delivered to the force by the end of 2020.

Radar
Lockheed Martin has told AMR that it hopes to have its new
TPY-X long-range, ground-based air surveillance radar available
for acquisition in 2017. A written statement from the firm
revealed that: “The architecture and component technology
utilised in the TPY-X are firmly established. The primary work
remaining to be completed includes incorporation of some
additional software-defined features and functions, final system
level qualification (and) supporting documentation.” The radar,
the company told AMR, can be used in fixed, transportable or
mobile configurations and will transmit in L-band (1.215-1.4
Gigahertz/GHz). Lockheed Martin explained that L-band was
chosen: “due to the TPY-X mission, long-range air surveillance,
and affordability. L-band not only provides the optimal balance
of detection performance, accuracy, and size, weight and power
reduction, but can perform the mission the most affordably
by doing more with less. The negative effects of clutter and
weather are greatly reduced (with) L-band, providing significant
performance advantages.” The firm quoted an instrumented
range of 250 nautical miles/nm (463 kilometres/km) for the radar,
which will be capable of detecting targets at an altitude of 100,000
feet (30480 metres) for air-breathing targets, “with enhanced
coverage for ballistic targets.” Using an Active Electronically-
Scanned Array (AESA) antenna the radar performs 360 degree
surveillance. Lockheed Martin adds that: “significant portions
of the TPY-X’s development have been self-funded by the firm
over an eight-year period,” although regarding customers, all
the company will say is that it has been: “working with multiple
domestic and international customers who are interested in
adding the TPY-X to their inventories.”

| november 2016 | 05
 While not disclosed by the company, delivered as part of the LRIP phase of the

Thales
it is possible that Lockheed Martin may programme, and the cumulative values of
offer the TPY-X radar to answer an existing the respective contracts awarded to date,
US Army requirement for a new ground- gives the radars a unit cost of circa $45
based air surveillance radar to replace the million.
force’s Raytheon AN/APG-53 and AN- The first six radars are expected to
APG-65 ground-based air surveillance be delivered in 2017 to support testing
and fire control radars which accompany activities. The radars ordered as part
Raytheon’s MIM-104 Patriot family of of the September contract will include
surface-to-air missile systems. The US Gallium Nitride (GaN) in their AESA
Army is reportedly interested in a radar antenna, which will allow the radars to
which can provide full 360 degree coverage, operate at higher power levels, compared
which the two current radars are unable to to the earlier six systems ordered which
perform. Media reports note that the US will use Gallium Arsenide in their AESA
Army is expected to launch a competition antenna.
for the acquisition of the new radar in the The USMC plans to add ever-increasing
2017 timeframe, with the possibility of levels of capability to these radars. The
purchasing circa 91 examples. roadmap for the AN/TPS-80 programme
In early September, Northrop Grum- calls for this technology to be added to the
man was awarded a contract worth $375 radar via a series of ‘blocks.’ For example,
million to deliver nine of its AN/TPS- short range air defence and Identification
80 GATOR (Ground/Air Oriented Task Thales plans to deliver its first Sea Fire radar to the French
Navy for installation onboard the service’s new Intermediate Friend or Foe (IFF) functions will be
Radars) to the US Marine Corps (USMC). commenceSized Frigates from 2020. Testing of the radar is expected to
from 2018.
included on Block 1 of the radars. Weapons
The radars are designed to perform location functions will be added via Block
ground-based air surveillance. This 2, with Block 3 including Mode-5/Mode-S
latest Low Rate Initial Production (LRIP) contract will see all military IFF and civilian air traffic control transponder compatibility,
nine of the S-band (2.3-2.5/2.7-3.7GHz) radars being delivered and air traffic control functions being added to Block 4. According
to the USMC by 2020. This latest LRIP contract follows a series to Northrop Grumman, the Block 1/2 capability will become
of similar contracts which has covered the deliveries of AN/ available on the AN/TPS-80 in the 2018 timeframe. In addition,
TPS-80 radars for the force. For example, in late-October 2014 the company expects a Full Rate Production (FRP) contract to be
the firm was awarded the LRIP contract worth $208 million awarded in circa 2019, with deliveries then to commence in 2021.
which covers the delivery of four radars to the USMC between The FRP could cover the delivery of 30 systems, and will fulfil
2016 and 2017. An earlier LRIP contract awarded in October the USMC’s original aspiration for 45 systems, when the radars
2014, worth $208 million, which covered the delivery of four delivered as part of the LRIP phase are taken into account. The AN/
radars, with two additional radars being ordered as part of TPS-80 is intended to replace a host of radars currently in USMC
an option accompanying this initial LRIP contract worth $113 service including the AN/TPS-63 L-band low-level tactical air
million. Encompassing the latest September contract for $375 defence radar, the AN/TPS-73 S-band and L-band primary and
million, the USMC now has 15 AN/TPS-80 radars on order to be secondary air traffic control radar, the AN/MPQ-62 continuous
wave target acquisition radar for the Raytheon MIM-23
Hawk ground-based air defence system, the AN/TPQ-46
counter-battery radar and the AN/UPS-3 short-range air
US Navy

Thales will perform modifications to its
Herakles naval surveillance radar, seen
here atop the forward superstructure of this
Republic of Singapore Navy ‘Formidable’
class frigate, in preparation for the radar’s
installation onboard the final two French
Navy ‘Aquitaine’ class frigates.
defence radar.
Meanwhile, in the naval domain, Thales has
revealed more details regarding its new Sea Fire
naval surveillance radar. This new radar is planned
for installation onboard the Marine Nationale (French
Navy) new DCNS Frégates de Taille Intermédiaire (FTI/
Intermediate Size Frigates); five of which will be
delivered from circa 2023 to replace the existing five
frigates of the ‘Lafayette’ class. During a presentation
of its naval surveillance radar products on 21
September, Thales disclosed that it will deliver the first
Sea Fire radar to DCNS for installation on the first, as
yet unnamed, ship in the class in 2020, following the
award of the contract for the radar to Thales from
the Direction Générale de l’Armement (DGA/General
Armament Directorate) French procurement agency in
2014. Testing of the radar by the DGA is expected to
commence in 2018, Thales added.
Originally named the Sea Fire-500, following the

06 | Asian Military Review |

 panel design, the overall Herakles architecture

USAF
would be modernised to include new software
algorithms to enhance its performance against
air breathing and ballistic missile targets, which
will be engaged using MBDA Aster-30 ARH
guided surface-to-air missiles. The first of these
two new frigates is expected to enter service in
circa 2022, and will replace the French Navy’s
two ‘Cassard’ class frigates which employ the
Thomson-CSF/Thales DRBV-26C L-band naval
surveillance radar.

The UK has returned one of its RC-
135W ELINT aircraft (a USAF example
of the aircraft being shown here) to
the US for deep maintenance. The RAF
is expected to receive its third, and
final, RC-135W in 2017.
radar’s launch at the October 2014 Euronaval exhibition held in
Paris, Thales now seems to be referring to this radar simply as
the Sea Fire. It is an S-band radar with a modular design and can
thus be scaled up or down to equip vessels displacing from 3500
tonnes to in excess of 7000 tonnes. The only element of the radar
which changes in this regard is its antenna size, with the back
end remaining the same.
The company is using GaN technology in the radar’s AESA
antenna, the radar also has an integrated uplink to provide
guidance for Active Radar Homing (ARH) surface-to-air
missiles. The Sea Fire’s architecture includes four flat-panel
AESA antennae each of which provides 90 degrees of coverage,
and an instrumented range of circa 216nm (400km). Thales’ 21
September briefing on the Sea Fire also revealed that the company
has developed a ground-based air surveillance version known
as the Ground Fire. At present, this remains at the concept stage,
Electronic Warfare
Thales has provided AMR with additional details
regarding its new Cybele airborne electronic
warfare system which the firm jointly launched
with Elettronica in July at the Farnborough
air show, in the United Kingdom. According
to Patrick Demoulin, who is responsible for
Thales’ airborne electronic warfare product line,
Cybele constitutes a suite of systems designed to
protect helicopters and large fixed-wing aircraft
such as freighters against Anti-Aircraft Artillery (AAA), Rocket
Propelled Grenades (RPGs) and Small Arms/Light Weapons
(SALW) fire, along with radar and infrared-guided surface-to-
air and air-to-air missiles. The Cybele ensemble combines several
existing products in Thales’ and Elettronica’s stable to provide
radar warning and geolocation, a laser warning system to alert
the crew to beam-riding missiles, a missile warning system and
a hostile fire indicator to warn them of SALW fire. Mr. Demoulin
says that additional protection is provided by the chaff and flare
launchers and laser and radio frequency jammers which also
comprise the system.
In terms of the products comprising Cybele, Thales provides
the overall electronic warfare management system, along with
its CATS-170 radar warning receiver. This covers the two to 20

Leonardo
although the firm told the author that it could be developed into
an operational system in around five years once customer orders
are forthcoming.
It is expected that Sea Fire will replace the Herakales S-band
naval surveillance radar in the company’s catalogue. This latter
radar is currently in service onboard the DCNS/Fincantieri
‘Aquitaine/Bergamini’ class frigates of the French Navy and
Marina Militaire (Italian Navy), and the ‘Formidable’ class
frigates of the Republic of Singapore Navy. Meanwhile, Thales
gave AMR additional details regarding the future development
roadmap for the Herakles radar. As noted above, the radar is
in service onboard the French Navy’s ‘Aquitaine’ class frigates.
This class currently includes eight vessels primarily configured
to perform anti-submarine warfare. However, the French Navy
is destined to acquire a further two ships, which will complete
the overall ‘Aquitaine’ class, which will be designed to perform
air defence. Thales is modifying the overall Herakles design
to optimise it to perform this mission. This will see the radar
migrating from its existing revolving antenna design to a fixed
flat panel display which will use four flat panels mounted on
the vessel’s superstructure to provide 360 degrees of azimuth The RAF is in the midst of preparing CONOPS for its new BriteCloud RF decoy which is
expected to equip the force’s fast jet fleet, starting with its Tornado GR4 fighters.
coverage. Thales told AMR that, beyond the utilisation of a flat

| november 2016 | 07

ViaSat has been awarded a contract to assist the US Navy in ensuring the provision
of UHF satellite communications. This will include communications using the MUOS
constellation, an artist’s impression of which is shown here.
gigahertz frequency range, providing a direction finding accuracy
of under ten degrees, across 360 degrees of azimuth. Thales also
provides the Vicom chaff and flare launcher (with Elettronica
providing the chaff and flares), plus its ELIX infrared-based
missile warning system which, the company’s literature states,
can detect incoming infrared, laser and radar guided SAMs,
along with RPGs, and AAA/SALW fire, using between four and
six sensors placed around the aircraft. Beyond this, users can
augment this ensemble with a more powerful configuration, which
adds Elettronica’s ELT-572 Directional Infrared Countermeasure,
and ELT-741 electronic support measure. The firm has designed
the ELT-572 to equip helicopters and wide-body aircraft and
employs a laser beam to shine directly into the infrared seeker
of incoming infrared guided air-to-air and surface-to-air missiles.
The United Kingdom Ministry of Defence (MoD) has
disclosed to AMR that one of the Royal Air Force’s (RAF)
Boeing RC-135W Airseeker Electronic Intelligence (ELINT)
gathering aircraft has been returned to the United States for
deep maintenance. A total of three RC-135W aircraft have been
acquired by the RAF from the United States, where the United
States Air Force operates both the RC-135V and RC-135W Rivet
Joint ELINT platforms. Along with their American counterparts,
the RAF aircraft have been supporting Operation SHADER, the
British contribution to Operation INHERENT RESOLVE, the
US-led campaign against the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria
(ISIS) insurgent group, which has occupied significant portions
of the north-west and east of both these countries. Although
unconfirmed by the UK MoD, it is thought that the RAF’s RC-
135Ws have been performing the detection and disruption of
ISIS radio communications. Speculation originally focused on
the RC-135W being returned to the US for modification in light
of operational issues raised during the aircraft’s deployment in
support of Operation SHADER, however, this has been denied
by the UK MoD which stated that the reason for the return of a
08 | Asian Military Review |
single aircraft to the US is: “to enable depth level
US DoD
maintenance,” adding that “operations continue
with the first aircraft.” The statement supplied to
AMR added that the reason for the maintenance
being performed in the US was because: “The
aircraft requires a depth level maintenance task
that could not be completed in the UK.” The RAF’s
third RC-135W is expected to enter service in 2017.
Meanwhile, Leonardo has confirmed to AMR
that the RAF has received BriteCloud Radio
Frequency (RF) decoys ordered by the force in late
September for operational testing so as to develop
Concepts of Operations (CONOPS) for the decoy’s
use which will initially be deployed on the RAF’s
Panavia Tornado-GR4 fighters. Although Leonardo
has demurred from providing a date as to when
BriteCloud could enter frontline service onboard
the Tornado GR4, given that CONOPS for the
decoy are now being developed, it is expected that
it could enter service within the next two years.
Tactical Radio
Australian tactical communications specialists
Codan have unveiled a new High Frequency (HF:
three to 30 megahertz/MHz) tactical radio in the
guise of its Sentry-H transceiver. Launched on 14
September, the radio is designed to be easy to use and robust.
In a written statement, the company told AMR that it expects
the radio to be available for delivery during the first quarter of
2017, and is currently seeking customers. With an output power
of 150 watts, the radio offers channel bandwidths of 500 hertz,
2.4 kilohertz (KHz) and 2.75KHz. Regarding communications
security, the company continued in its statement that the radio
uses frequency-hopping techniques, US National Institute of
Standards and Technology’s AES-256 (Advanced Encryption
Standard-256) and the company’s CES-128 voice encryption
standard. Regarding data, Codan’s official literature states that
the radio can handle rates of between six to 19 kilobits-per-
second depending on the waveforms used. The waveforms
employed by the radio include the US Federal Standard FED-
STD-1045 HF waveform, US Military Standard MIL-STD-188-
141B ALE, SelCall (Selective Calling), and Codan’s proprietary
HF waveforms.
Satellite Communications
ViaSat has provided AMR with more details regarding a US Navy
contract it was awarded in late-August covering engineering,
technical services and hardware/software products to support
the service’s Ultra High Frequency (UHF: 300MHz to three
gigahertz) Satellite Communications (SATCOM) network.
The company told AMR that this contract: “has a five-year
ordering base period up to the contract award amount and an
option for another five-year ordering period to be negotiated
prior to exercise of the option.” The company added that;
“ViaSat will support the US Navy’s surface vessels and ground
stations in order to maintain this critical beyond line of sight
communications capability.” The US Navy currently operates
the UFO (UHF Follow-On) UHF satellite constellation which
is being replaced by the Lockheed Martin MUOS (Mobile User
Objective System) constellation. AMR
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l a n d
W A R F A R E

The ROK’s K2 assault rifle

is being adopted by the
country’s army and navy
special forces units. The
K2 carbine is derived from
the legacy K2 assault rifle
already in service with the
ROK’s armed forces.

CHOOSE
YOUR WEAPONS
As nations continue to avoid conflict with the deterrent effect of their
armed services, it is their Special Operations Forces (SOF) which
remain at short notice to move to launch clandestine and discreet
missions to defeat adversaries beyond the gaze of traditional and social
media.

by Andrew White

I
ntegral to any SOF mission is a
robust concept of operation using
tactics, techniques and procedures;
as well as secure and reliable com-
munications; protective equipment
and lethality provided by Small Arms and
Light Weapons (SALW). In the latter part
of 2016, the Asia-Pacific has become an
integral hub for the international SALW
market with a series of large requirements
and new developments.
For example the Republic of Korea
(ROK) is using the domestic S&T Motiv
5.56mm x 45mm K2 carbine, already in
service with the ROK Army’s (ROKA)
special forces brigades and ROK Navy
(ROKN) SEAL (Sea, Air and Land) teams,
sources explained to AMR. The weapon
features a barrel capable of housing the
firm’s K11 suppressor (to reduce firing
noise and muzzle flash) and an extendable
butt stock, making it particularly suitable
for close quarter combat in urban and
maritime environments as well as
airborne insertion by parachute. This is
because carbines traditionally boast a
comparatively smaller physical size than
assault rifles, making them ideal for such
aforementioned tasks. Also displayed
alongside the K2 at the September Defence
Expo Korea event held in Seoul, was S&T
Motiv’s longer range members of the
K2 family, including the K2C1 5.56mm
x 45mm weapon which comprises an
upgraded variant of the Republic of
Korea Army’s legacy K2 assault rifle, as
distinct from the K2 carbine discussed
above. Company sources explained to
AMR its vision for the K2C1 to provide a
longer range capability for the ROKA and
ROKN SEALs as well as to replace in-
service Colt Defence M-16 assault rifles
currently being used by the ROKA.
S&T Motiv is contracted to supply
a total of circa 60000 K2 assault rifles to
the ROKA, with manufacturing already
underway. Initial deliveries began in June
2016, official sources confirmed although
specific numbers remain undisclosed,
as does when deliveries are likely to
conclude. This gas-operated weapon
is available in 305mm (twelve inch/in)
and 465mm (18.3in) barrel lengths, with
the latter option providing an overall
weapon length of 850mm (33.4in) when
fully extended. The weapon weighs 3.7
kilograms (7.9 pounds/lb) in an unloaded
configuration.
Russia
While S&T Motiv was exhibiting its wares
in Seoul, the Russian Ministry of Defence
(MoD) hosted the annual International
Military Technical Forum or ‘Army 2016’
event in Moscow from 6 September to 11
September, with indigenous companies

10 | Asian Military Review |


S&T Motiv
unveiling a total of nine new SALWs to the
domestic and international markets. All of
these developments which comprise sniper
rifles, assault rifles, Personal Defence
Weapons (PDWs/hybrid submachine
guns and carbines), handguns and
automatic grenade launchers, represent
significant capability enhancements for
Russia’s Special Purpose or Spetsnaz
brigades, as well as countless other SOF
units internationally which rely upon the
same Russian-manufactured weapons.
Russia’s Precision Machine Building
Design Bureau (PMBDB) used the event
to launch the SR-1MP handgun which
fires 9mm x 21mm SP10 armour-piercing
ammunition, also developed by the same
company. Weighing 1.1kg (2.4lb), the
combat handgun includes a 120mm (4.7in)
barrel capable of generating a muzzle
velocity of 410 metres-per-second/
mps (1345.1 feet-per-second/fps). The
weapon relies on a double-action firing
mechanism, where the trigger is also used
to cock the weapon, as well as a safety
catch located on the side of the pistol
grip. It can be fitted with an 18-round
magazine. Although the PMBDB claims
the firearm has a maximum effective
range of 100m (328.1ft), industry sources
explained to AMR how even the most
accurate of users would struggle to hit
a target beyond 50m (164ft) with the SR-
1MP. The firm also added a Rail Adaptor
System (RAS) located below the barrel
which is capable of integrating tactical
torches, laser designators and red dot
sights as well as providing a secure port
for the addition of a suppressor onto the
handgun’s barrel. The latter is a growing
requirement throughout the international
SOF community for suppressed weapon
firing. This is particularly useful for
urban operations where muzzle flashes
and associated noise can degrade intra-
squad communications and compromise
the squad’s discretion.
Meanwhile, Russia’s Kalashnikov
Group used the Army 2016 event to launch
its long-awaited next generation AK-15
assault rifle and Malogabaritny Avtomat
(MA) Compact Assault Rifle. Speaking
to AMR at the Eurosatory exhibition
held in Paris this June, company sources
explained how it was positioning itself to
support SOF globally. The Kalashnikov
Group already provides Spetsnaz units
with a variety of weapons from its small
arms inventory including the AK-74M,
AK-101, AK-102, AK-103, AK-104 and AK-
105 assault rifles; as well as the Vityaz-SN
9mm submachine gun; and twelve-gauge
KS-K semi-automatic shotgun.
Initial plans for the design of the AK-12
(as the AK-15 was originally designated),
featuring 5.45mm × 39mm, 7.62mm ×
39mm and 5.56mm × 45mm ammunition
were initially approved by the Russian
MoD back in December 2014 following
the completion of an operational test and
evaluation programme which focused
| november 2016 |
l a n d
W A R F A R E
on extreme environmental testing. The
rifle was then re-qualified and approved
by the Russian MoD in March 2015. The
AK-15 has been designed in line with
emerging requirements from the Russian
Army’s Ratnik soldier modernisation
concept. However, the AK-15’s future
within Ratnik has yet to be assured with
sources explaining to AMR how the MoD
is currently considering a variety of assault
rifles for future procurement including
the Degtyarev Plant’s A-545 and A-762
weapons. All these rifles remain in an
operational test and evaluation programme
which is scheduled to be completed by
December 2016, sources added.
Speaking at the event, Russian Army
officials announced how the wider armed
forces and SOF were expected to receive
a next-generation assault rifle within
a five to seven year period as part of
the Ratnik-3 roll-out. A total of 100,000
Ratnik-2 ensembles are currently being
delivered to the army, industry sources
confirmed to AMR. Kalashnikov Group
sources explained how the AK-15, which
includes a gas-operated system (where
a proportion of the gas expended by an
exploding cartridge is used to extract
the spent cartridge case, and load a new
cartridge), would replace the Kalashnikov
AK-103 weapon used by Russian SOF.
The assault rifle comprises an all up
Vitaly Kuzmin
Russia’s SR-1MP handgun can
integrate a number of tactical
accessories via its adapter
rail. The weapon carries an
18-round magazine.
11
l a n d
W A R F A R E
weight of 4.1kg (nine pounds) when
fitted with a 30-round magazine. It also
features a retractable butt stock providing
the rifle with a length of 1066mm (41.9in)
when fully extended. The weapon fires
from a 415mm (16.3in) barrel achieving
a muzzle velocity of 715mps (2345.8fps)
out to a maximum effective range of 800m
(2624.7ft), company sources explained.
The AK-15 rifle was displayed at the
Army 2016 event with an ambidextrous
fire selector switch (for fully automatic and
burst fire) and an integrated suppressor,
again indicating its suitability for special
operations, with a RAS to accommodate
the firm’s GP-25 underslung grenade
launcher. A rear RAS located across the
top of the weapon is capable of housing
a magnified optical gun sight with red
dot sight, plus Image Intensified (I2) or
thermal imaging sensors.
Meanwhile, the Kalashnikov Group
also unveiled its MA sub-compact carbine
at Army 2016, designed to replace the
AKS-74U carbine adaptation of the AK-
74 assault rifle as a PDW. The weapon
is manufactured to fire 5.45mm x 39mm
ammunition, the carbine measures
750mm (29.5in) when its foldable stock
is extended, and possessing an all-up
weight of 2.9kg (6.4lb). The MA has
a 750mps (2460.6fps) muzzle velocity,
firing 850 rounds-per-minute. At the
exhibition, the MA PDW was displayed
with an integrated red dot sight located
on a RAS as well as an emergency battle
sight. The weapon is equipped with a
30-round capacity magazine and right-
sided ejection port although company
officials assured AMR it could be fired
ambidextrously if required with a double-
sided fire selection switch allowing
alternation between semi-automatic
(single shot) and automatic firing modes.
Spetsnaz commandos are trained to fire
12
Russia’s special forces make use of
Kalashnikov’s AK-103 assault rifle, which
has a 30-round magazine, and includes a
retractable butt stock. This weapon will be
replaced by the new AK-15 assault rifle.
weapons either left or right handed
should they be injured as well as allowing
them to make the best use of cover to
protect themselves from incoming rounds.
Sniper Weapons
Gearing solutions towards the support
of SOF, the Kalashnikov Group unveiled
a total of three sniper weapons at Army
2016, comprising both bolt-action
and semi-automatic rifles. The firm’s
latest offerings now include the semi-
automatic SVK weapon and bolt action
SV-98M and VSV-338 rifles, Kalashnikov
explained. Defence sources associated
with the NATO (North Atlantic Treaty
Organisation) Special Operations
Headquarters in Mons, southern Belgium,
explained to AMR how Spetsnaz sniper
teams have been heavily utilised as
part of Russia’s support for the regime
of President Bashir al-Assad in Syria’s
ongoing civil war. Such teams, AMR has
been informed, have performed counter-
sniper operations against various anti-
regime rebel groups.
The SV-98M is available in 7.62mm x
54mm calibre and represents an upgraded
variant of the company’s legacy SV-98
bolt action rifle, displayed at the Army
2016 event. The weapon, which measures
1200mm (47.2in) in length and features a
650mm (25.2mm) barrel, comprises a total
weight of 7.8kg (17.2lb). The bolt action
weapon includes a tripod, extendable
butt stock and ten-round magazine
with the capability to fire accurately out
to a range of 1000m (3280ft). Sources
explained to AMR that the Russian MoD
and the Spetsnaz brigades would shortly
begin an operational test and evaluation
programme to consider the future
procurement of the sniper system.
The other bolt action solution, the
VSV-338, can use the .338-calibre Lapua
| Asian Military Review |
Isaac Lees
Magnum cartridge which the Kalashnikov
Group has designed as a heavier calibre
option when compared to the SV-98M.
A .338-calibre round, equivalent to an
8.6mm x 70mm cartridge, provides
special forces sniper teams with an
extended range of up to 1500m (4921.3ft).
NATO SOF sources explained to AMR
how .338-calibre sniper systems remain
the preferred sniper weapon for the
international community, providing the
optimal balance between weight, range
and lethality, particularly for dismounted
operations in the rural and urban
environments. Other popular .338-calibre
options include Israel Weapons
Industries’ (IWI) Dan 338 and Accuracy
International’s Arctic Warfare Magnum
ammunition, currently in service with
undisclosed SOF globally. According to
company officials, the VSV-338 comprises
a total weight of 7.2kg (15.8lb) and has
a 1100mm (43.2in) length with a fully
extended butt stock. The weapon has a
five-round magazine capacity and fires
ammunition at a velocity of 860mps
(2821.5) through a floating barrel (where
the barrel and the stock are designed
not to touch at any point) for increased
accuracy.
During the Army 2016 event, the
Kalashnikov Group also unveiled its SVK
semi-automatic sniper weapon designed to
provide SOF sniper teams with a capability
to rapidly engage multiple targets across
the battlefield. By their very nature, NATO
SOF sources explained, semi-automatic
sniper solutions are not quite as accurate
as their bolt action counterparts but
requirements to fire quickly and at shorter
ranges means there remains a role for
this type of armament. According to the
Kalashnikov Group, the SVK is available
in 7.62mm x 54mm and 7.62mm x 51mm
calibres. With a total weight of just 5.9kg
l a n d
W A R F A R E

(13lbs), the weapon provides even greater

mobility for operators seeking to change
fire and over-watch positions quickly and
discreetly. Featuring a folding butt stock,
the SVK measures just over 1000mm
(39.3in) in length when fully extended
and includes an ambidextrous fire selector
switch and RAS for a variety of sights,
sensors and accessories. At Army 2016,
the SVK was exhibited with an integrated
suppressor and ‘in-line’ suite of magnified
and I2 optical sights with an integrated
bipod for greater stability. It remains
unknown if any sales of this weapon have
yet been achieved.

LMGs
Finally, the Kalashnikov Group has
unveiled a new Light Machine Gun
(LMG), designated the RPK-16 for fire
support operations. On show at the
Army 2016 event, this 5.45mm x 39mm
weapon featured a fabric ammunition
box, suppressor; bipod and magnified
sight. Company sources explained how
the weapon system has been designed to
replace legacy RPK-74 LMGs used by the
Russian Army, among other forces. With
an all up weight of six kilograms (13.2lb),
the weapon measures a little over 1000mm
in length with options for a 370mm (14.5in)
or 550mm (21.6mm) long barrel available.
The RPK-16 has the capacity to fire out
to a maximum effective range of 800m
(2624.7ft), the company claimed. The
RPK-16 also features a foldable butt stock
making it suitable for airborne Spetsnaz
operations. Such a weapon system is
light, but powerful, enough to be carried
by SOF commandos conducting special
reconnaissance or direct action tasks.
Like other Russian weapons discussed in
this article it remains unknown whether
any sales of this weapon have yet been
achieved.
India
Away from Russia, one of Asia-Pacific’s
largest potential small arms contracts,
currently being considered by the Indian
armed forces, continues to be delayed
with the likes of IWI, Colt Defence, Beretta
and CZ still awaiting a decision from the
government for a contract dating back to
2010. The contract relates to the delivery
of 45000 Close Quarter Combat (CQC)
carbines. Industry sources explained to
AMR how, despite years of testing and
evaluation of the various small arms
provided by the companies mentioned
Beretta

Beretta’s ARX-160, pictured here with its

underslung grenade launcher, was one of a
number of weapons down-selected for India’s
CQC programme.

14 | Asian Military Review |

 l a n d
W A R F A R E

above, a contract signature still appears
as distant as ever.
Speaking to AMR, company officials
from IWI were unable to confirm or deny
Indian media reports on 9 August, claiming
company regarding the future direction
of the programme. The CQC component
is designed to equip the Indian Army’s
seven special forces battalions as well as
the navy’s Marine Commandos. As an

IWI
IWI’s ACE product is the only weapon in
the Indian Army’s CQC programme which
was thought to have passed the initiative’s
requirements, although it remains unknown
as to if, and when, deliveries of this weapon
will eventually commence.
it could reconsider investment plans in
India following the delay of the CQC
programme. Trials of the various weapons
provided by the would-be contractors
mentioned above were completed in 2014
with industry sources explaining to AMR
how nothing had happened since. These
trials, conducted in the Rajasthan Desert in
north-east India and the mountain regions
of Jammu and Kashmir in the north of the
country included Beretta’s ARX-160, Colt’s
Combat Rifle, CZ’s 805 Bren and IWI’s ACE.
IWI is currently tied into a agreement
with local company Punj Llyod under the
government’s “Make In India” investment
concept. Launched by the government of
Prime Minister Narendra Modi in 2014,
this initiative aims to encourage local and
international companies to manufacture
their products in India. However, sources
associated with IWI explained how the
government remained unresponsive to the
alternative, the Indian MoD could fall
back on the indigenously manufactured
Ordnance Factory Board’s 5.56mm x
45mm Excalibur assault rifle. IWI’s ACE
is understood to be the only rifle which
passed stringent CQC requirements.
The short-barrelled carbine features a
368.3mm (14.5in) barrel, an ambidextrous
fire selector switch, retractable butt stock
and polymer lower receiver, housing the
weapon’s firing mechanism.
Conclusion
Small arms and light weapons are
rarely manufactured for the defence
and security markets without specific
requirements in mind. The fact that the
likes the Kalashnikov Group remain
so active in developing the growing
inventories of such weapons signals a
healthy future for the sector in the near
and medium term. AMR

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| november 2016 | 15
a i r
P O W E R
WATCHING THE NOISY
NEIGHBOURS
It is always handy to know what your neighbour is up to, particularly
if they are not friendly. So it is no surprise that over the past decade
there has been a proliferation of Airborne Early Warning (AEW)
platforms in the Asia-Pacific.
by ALAN WARNES
A
irborne Early Warning
aircraft are one of the
most affordable ways of
monitoring your neighbour.
Flying over international
waters or in your own airspace, operators
in the rear of the aircraft can point
the aircraft’s radar in the appropriate
direction, then sit back and watch. In the
Asia-Pacific there are two countries that
other actors most want to keep an eye
on; the People’s Republic of China (PRC)
and the Democratic People’s Republic of
Korea (DRPK). The latter continues to
fire ballistic missiles, which could one
day be loaded with nuclear warheads
and this causes real headaches for Japan
and the Republic of Korea (ROK), which
are in easy range.
The PRC has more strategic aspira-
16
tions spreading its maritime and territori-
al claims into the South China Sea, where
there are plenty of oil and gas resources.
Beijing makes no excuses for claiming the
Spratley and Paracel Islands in the South
China Sea where they have set up mili-
tary outposts, to the annoyance of other
countries such as Brunei-Darussalam,
Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines and
Vietnam, which claim parts of these archi-
pelagos as their sovereign territory. Mean-
while, India and Pakistan have never got
on, while the PRC sees the former’s aspi-
rations for a blue water navy as a threat to
its own maritime supremacy.
Such strategic considerations make it
unsurprising that so many countries in
the Asia-Pacific have acquired AEW air-
craft over the past decade or so. Tracks
detected by the radars equipping these
| Asian Military Review |
aircraft can help form a Recognised Air
Picture (RAP) of a particular segment of
sky, which mission commanders in the
rear of the aircraft can monitor. The RAP
can be data-linked to ground stations for
commanders and eventually political
leaders to make snap decisions in the face
of confrontation or conflict. In addition,
AEW aircraft have a useful role to play
in managing air operations, by directing
aircraft to and from their ground and
air targets.
DPRK
When the DPRK fired what Pyongyang
claimed was a submarine-launched bal-
listic missile in late August, the weapon,
the identity of which was not revealed,
traveled about 540 nautical miles/nm
(1000 kilometres/km) and was one of

Alan Warnes
The Republic of Singapore
Air Force’s four G-550s
equipped with the
EL/W-2085 radar have
boosted Singapore’s AEW
capabilities considerably.
The aircraft were
declared fully operational
in April 2012.
The Royal Thai Air Force
operates two Saab 340 Erieyes
which form an important
component of Thailand’s IADS.
their longest launches to date. Japanese
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe called it an
unforgivable act of violence and a grave
threat to Japan’s security. Russian Air
Force (RUAF) fighters intruding Japanese
airspace are also an issue. It was against
this backdrop of dual threats from the
DPRK and RUAF that Japan became the
first nation in the region to acquire an
AEW platform, with the delivery of four
Boeing E-767s between 1998 and 1999.
They are operated by the Airborne Early
Warning Group of the Japan Air Self-De-
fence Force (JASDF) at Hamamatsu air-
base in southern Japan.
The brain of the aircraft’s systems
is the Northrop Grumman AN/APY-2
S-band (2.3-2.5/2.7-3.7 gigahertz/GHz)
air surveillance radar, but to overcome
obsolescence the aircraft have been con-
tinuously upgraded throughout their 16-
year operational history. On 28 October
2014 the US Department of Defence an-
nounced that Boeing had been awarded a
$25.6 million contract to upgrade the air-
craft. The work includes enhancements to
the aircraft’s mission computing, electron-
ic support measures, Identification Friend
or Foe (IFF) interrogator/transponder,
Automatic Identification System (for the
detection of maritime transponders used
by shipping) and data links. The JASDF
also operates 13 Northrop Grumman
E-2C Hawkeye AEW aircraft which are
flown by the Airborne Early Warning and
Surveillance Group, based at Misawa and
Naha airbases in northern Japan and the
Japanese island of Okinawa respectively.
In June 2015, the US State Department
approved the supply of four E-2D Hawk-
Saab
| November 2016 |
a i r
P O W E R
eyes under a $1.7 billion multi-year deal.
The first aircraft was ordered in Novem-
ber 2015 (for $151 million) and another
in July 2016 ($163 million) which will be
operational by March 2018. There are no
details on when the further two aircraft
will be ordered and delivered. In terms of
JASDF doctrine, the E-2Cs provide aerial
coverage of Japan’s 16090nm (29800km)
coastline, while the E-767s are used as
strategic assets.
Across the Sea of Japan, the ROK also
suffers with issues from its northern
DPRK neighbour. The ROKAF (Republic
of Korea Air Force) is one of the region’s
newest entrants to the AEW club, with
four Boeing 737-700IGW Peace Eye AEW
aircraft ordered on 7 November 2006 in
a $1.6 billion contract although technical
issues delayed the first official hand over
until 1 August 2011 and the last in late
October 2012. All four aircraft are flown
by the ROKAF’s Airborne Early Warning
and Control squadron at Gimhae airbase
in the southern ROK. The Northrop Grum-
man Multirole Electronically Scanned Ar-
ray (MESA) L-band (1.215-1.4GHz) radar
is the centre-piece of the aircraft’s tactical
systems. Its coverage is reportedly suffi-
cient to monitor the airspace above most
of the DPRK, this means that it is unlikely
anything can fly in the DPRK without the
ROK knowing about it.
South of China
As you head further south, most coun-
tries focus their attention on the potential
Chinese threat. Watching its armed forces
deploy to the Spratley and Paracel Islands
archipelagos (see above) is a real concern
to many of the PRC’s neighbours in the
South China Sea. Underneath this vast
expanse of water around these two ar-
chipelagos in the South China Sea there
is believed to be some 213 billion barrels
of oil, or the equivalent of 80 percent of
Saudi Arabia’s reserves, according to
Forbes magazine. Malaysia’s military has
repeatedly asked for funding for up to
four AEW aircraft, but the government
has so far rejected its requests. Indonesia
too has a desperate requirement, but for
now nothing, it relies on three obsolete
Boeing 737 Surveiller maritime patrol
aircraft for monitoring the Malacca Strait.
These aircraft are equipped with an age-
ing Motorola AN/APS-135(V) X-band
(8.5-10.68GHz) Side Looking Airborne
Modular Multi Mission Radar, but this ra-
dar has no data link capability to hand off
track and RAP information to other users.
There is unlikely to be any funding for a
17
a i r
P O W E R
An RAAF E-7A taxies off the runway.
The force has six E-7As which
have been very busy participating
in Operation OKRA, Australia’s
contribution to ongoing anti-ISIS efforts.
new AEW system until 2020. The Royal
Thai Air Force flies two Saab 340 Erieye
AEW aircraft, operated by Wing 7 at Su-
rat Thani, not far from Thailand’s border
with Malaysia and these aircraft play a
significant part in Thailand’s Integrated
Air Defence System (IADS).
With the Malacca Strait continuing to
be a hotbed of piracy and while tensions
with Malaysia and Indonesia ebb and
flow on a regular basis Singapore relies
on intelligence to prepare itself for any
eventuality. The Republic of Singapore
Air Force (RSAF) announced the $1 bil-
lion purchase of four Gulfstream G-550
turbofan transports configured with Is-
rael Aerospace Industries’ Elta Systems
division EL/W-2085 Conformal Airborne
Early Warning L-band/S-band radar. De-
liveries took place between 2009 and 2010
and the aircraft were declared fully opera-
tional on 13 April, 2012 at Tengah airbase
where they are flown by the Republic of
Singapore Air Force’s 111 Squadron.
IAI Elta continue to market their
EL/W-2085 equipped G-550 which is
also operational with Israel. The Aeronau-
tica Militaire (Italian Air Force) has two of
these aircraft on order in a $750 million
order, and the first one should be deliv-
ered by the end of the year having almost
completed modification at IAI’s Ben Gu-
18
rion airport facility just outside Tel Aviv.
Avishay Izhakian, IAI Elta’s deputy gen-
eral manager for marketing and business
development told AMR that this aircraft
“is a fourth generation CAEW; the main
difference is the advanced radar technol-
ogy which makes it more powerful; you
get better or same performance with less-
er resources. Weight is a big factor in the
AEW world and the aircraft fulfils several
missions, not just tracking airborne tar-
gets but (targets) on the ground and at
sea. We have developed the aircraft for
the threats of the future not just today.”
Meanwhile, Taiwan’s Republic of
China Air Force (ROCAF) operates six
E-2K Hawkeyes, that are configured to
the E-2C Hawkeye 2000 standard which
outfits the aircraft with a new mission
computer, and an additional satellite
communications aerial. Of the ROCAF’s
six E-2Ks, two are brand new aircraft and
four E-2Ts originally delivered in Septem-
ber 1995 were upgraded to the E-2K stan-
dard in a deal worth $250 million. These
aircraft play a crucial air surveillance
role working in tandem with a network
of ground-based air surveillance radars,
which form the ROCAF’s IADS. The
operators onboard provide a wide area
surveillance of the Taiwan Strait, and the
East and South China Seas.
| Asian Military Review |
Alan Warnes
South Asia
Both Pakistan and India have acquired
AEW aircraft in recent years; mainly to
keep an eye on each other, and in India’s
case, Pakistan’s ally and New Delhi’s oc-
casional rival the PRC. These new aircraft
provide low altitude coverage for both
sides, looking into mountain valleys and
across the horizon over the sea. As one se-
nior Pakistan Air Force (PAF) officer told
AMR “Ground based air defence (GBAD)
radars can’t cover the sea, and not always
the land. Pakistan’s contrasting terrain;
sea, desert, glaciers and high peaks meant
that monitoring these areas was ‘patchy’
until the (AEW) arrived in the late 2000s.”
The Saab 2000 Erieye system, acquired
in 2010 are flown by 3 Squadron and the
Chinese-built ZDK-03 Karakorum Eagle
operated by 4 Squadron. First deliveries
of the latter took place in 2011. The latter
is a Shaanxi Y-8G turboprop freighter de-
veloped by the China Electronics Technol-
ogy Group (CETC) with a revolving radar
on top: “There are differing areas of inter-
est, which led to the different solutions”
the PAF officer continued.
As part of India’s growing AEW capa-
bilities, it was announced on 4 July 2008
that the government had ordered three
Embraer EMB-145I turbofan transports in
a $210 million deal. All three have been
a i r
P O W E R
Saab is now marketing its new
GlobalEye AEW aircraft in south-east
Asia, where it sees a market for the
Bombardier Global-6000 integrated with
an AESA and maritime surveillance radar.
Undoubtedly Pakistan’s ZDK-03 is
one of the most unusual AEW aircraft.
The Pakistan Air Force has developed
the platform with China Electronics
Technology Corporation.
delivered to India’s Centre for Airborne
Systems (CABS), part of the country’s De-
fence Research and Development Organ-
isation (DRDO) in Bangalore south-west
India. The DRDO has developed an AESA
(Active Electronically Scanned Array) ra-
dar operating in S-Band which can track
targets in the air and at sea. However, in
2014 India announced it was looking for
a longer-endurance and higher-altitude
platform compared to the EMB-145I, on
which to integrate this indigenous ra-
dar system. An initial two Airbus A330
turbofan transports, the precise variant
of which has not been announced, were
selected expected to cost between $813
million and $840 million, depending on
sources, with an option for four more.
20
PAF
The Indian Air Force has operated three
Ilyushin/Beriev A-50EhIs for AEW since
2009, equipped with IAI Elta Systems’
EL/W-2090 L-band radar which are locat-
ed at Agra airbase in northern India, and
are operated by 50 Squadron.
Australia
Like the ROK (see above) the Royal Aus-
tralian Air Force (RAAF) opted to acquire
the 737-700IGW to fulfill its AEW needs.
All four E-7A Wedgetails, as they are
designated by the RAAF reached full op-
erational capability in May 2015, and are
flown by 42 Sqn at Williamtown airbase
in New South Wales. They are playing a
big part in Operation OKRA, Australia’s
contribution to the US-led Operation IN-
| Asian Military Review |
Saab
HERENT RESOLVE against the Islamic
State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) insurgent
organisation which has occupied signifi-
cant portions of the north-west and east
of those countries.
New Systems
One of the latest systems on the block
is Saab’s GlobalEye AEW aircraft for
which its manufacturer sees a big market
in the Asia-Pacific region. Launched at
the Singapore airshow in February, this
followed a two aircraft deal worth $1.27
billion announced in November 2015
from the United Arab Emirates. The Glo-
balEye combines the new Saab Erieye-ER
S-band AESA radar and Selex/Leonardo
Seaspray-7500 X-band (8.5-10.68GHz)
maritime surveillance radar onboard
Bombardier’s Global-6000 business jet.
At the airshow, Erik Winberg, Saab’s di-
rector of business, said the GlobalEye has
“a swing-role capability that can work in
the air, land and maritime domain. We
can do any sort of surveillance in those
three domains.”
Ultimately, AEW aircraft provide the
military with the speedy intelligence
needed to react to an adversary. The op-
erational requirements for the RAP are
constantly growing, because of aircraft
and missiles boasting low radar cross sec-
tions. When the DPRK is firing missiles,
do not think that the ROK or Japan does
not see them. That is why many countries
have purchased some of the most tech-
nologically driven, if very expensive, air
platforms yet developed; to defend them-
selves not just against threats in the air,
but on the ground or at sea too. AMR
 FOR SPECIAL OPS.
A SPECIAL EDGE.

COMBAT · HUM A NITA RIA N · LOGISTICS · RE SCUE · SPECIA L OP S · REFUELING

Around the globe, V-22 Ospreys are making a critical difference for Special Operations Forces—executing long-range
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long range, survivability and helicopter flexibility has made it the platform of choice, providing a special edge for SOF operators.
s e a
P O W E R

FAST AND FURIOUS

In a region where traditional and non-traditional threats are constantly
changing littoral security needs, the demand for Fast Attack Craft
(FAC) which provide speed and striking power at a cost most navies
can afford continues unabated.

by Dr. Alix Valenti

22 | Asian Military Review |


Ajai Shukla
India is enhancing its fast attack craft
fleet with the procurement of an improved
version of its ‘Car Nicobar’ class ships.
So far, only the lead ship in the class has
commissioned.
| november 2016 |
s e a
P O W E R
A
MI International, a naval
consultancy based in Bre-
merton, Washington State,
define FACs as displacing
under 700 tons, being
capable of speeds of circa 25 knots (46.3
kilometres-per-hour) and possessing anti-
surface warfare capabilities. However,
such vessels can lack range as their
travelling distances (the time it takes to
reach an incident and return) rarely exceed
86 nautical miles/nm (160 kilometres/km),
and are restricted to operations below Sea
State Three where maximum wave heights
of 1.2 metres/m (3.9 feet) occur.
The reality of the traditional and non-
traditional threats facing Asia-Pacific
countries today, such as the territorial and
maritime disputes including several ac-
tors in the East and South China Seas, and
the ongoing scourge of maritime piracy
in the Strait of Malacca between the Ma-
lay Peninsula and Sumatra, shows that:
“FACs have evolved to better fulfil tradi-
tional coastal defence missions as well as
to join networked naval operations well
beyond the horizon,” says Rick Fisher,
senior fellow at the International Assess-
ment and Strategy Centre, a think tank
based in Alexandria, Virginia. FACs are
now key assets supporting asymmetrical
naval warfare because, while they are not
meant for blue water operations: “A navy
possessing many FACs can swarm enemy
boats on all points of the compass,” says
Matthew Caris, a senior associate at Avas-
cent, a consultancy based in Washington
DC: “and even dart in and out from be-
hind larger ships,” thus adding an ele-
ment of surprise. As such, FACs are con-
stantly evolving to respond to changing
security needs and there is debate within
the naval community around the world,
whether this is influencing their designs
to such an extent that they are increas-
ingly taking on the characteristics of small
corvettes. Traditionally corvettes, which
displace between 500 and 2000 tons, are
the smallest type of warship capable of
supporting blue water naval operations.
India
India’s Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ)
stretches 200nm (370.4km) along its
4058.3nm (7516km) coastline. The Inter-
national Maritime Bureau’s (IMB) Piracy
and Armed Robbery Map shows that a num-
ber of maritime piracy attacks regularly
take place along the coastline of the state
of Gujarat, on India’s west coast, and in
the Bay of Bengal on India’s east coast.
India also has to face the potential threat
23
s e a
P O W E R
The Pakistan Navy is continuing its investment
into fast attack craft with the procurement
of the ‘Azmat’ class, which have been jointly
constructed with the PRC.
of insurgents reaching the country via its
shores. As such, the Indian Navy (IN) al-
ready operates a fleet of eleven Garden
Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers (GRSE)
‘Car Nicobar’ class FACs. These vessels
were commissioned between 2009 and
2011, with their construction accelerated
following the 2008 attacks against targets
in Mumbai, on India's west coast, perpe-
trated by the Lashkar-e-Taiba Islamist insur-
gent movement.
In March 2013, the IN contracted GRSE
for the construction of four improved
variants of the ‘Car Nicobar’ class, as a
result of the force’s Follow-On Water Jet
FAC programme. These improved ‘Car
Nicobar’ class FACs are built with an alu-
minium superstructure that significantly
reduces their radar cross section, as well
as a low draft to ease operations in shal-
low coastal waters. With a length of 48m
(157ft), a displacement of 325 tons and
powered by three MTU 16V 4000 M90 die-
sel engines, these vessels can achieve a top
speed in excess of 35 knots (64.8km/h). In
terms of armaments, the overall ‘Car Nico-
bar’ class carry a Medak CRN-91 30mm
auto-cannon, two 12.7mm heavy machine
guns, and KBM 9K38 Igla infrared guided
Surface-to-Air Missiles (SAMs).
So far, only the lead ship in the im-
proved ‘Car Nicobar’ class, the INS
Tamugli has commissioned (May 2016),
with the INS Tilanchang, INS Tihayi and
24
INS Tarasa all being launched between
June 2015 and June 2016, but yet to com-
mission. The author contacted GRSE for
additional information regarding the es-
timated commission dates for these latter
three vessels, but received no response
before AMR went to print.
Indonesia
Much like its regional neighbour, Indone-
sia is particularly concerned about mari-
time piracy in its coastal waters. The same
map from the IMB shows that a signifi-
cant quantity of pirate attacks take place
in the Strait of Malacca. As such, the Indo-
nesian Navy (Tentara Nasional Indonesia-
Angkatan Laut/TNI-AL) already operates
a fleet of three PT Palindo Marine Indus-
tries’ (PT PAL) ‘Clurit’ class FACs, which
were commissioned between May and
September 2014.
General media reports announced,
on 9 March 2016, that the TNI-AL had
placed an order to acquire a fourth ‘Sam-
pari’ class vessel from PT PAL. Although
not confirmed by the company, AMR
estimates that this new ship could be
launched and commissioned by 2020. The
‘Sampari’ class vessels are 59.8 metres/m
(196.1 feet/ft) long, have a maximum
speed of 28 knots (51 kilometres-per-hour)
and can reach a standard range of 2400nm
(4444.8km) at 20 knots (37km/h). Further
reports, on 18 April 2016, also indicated
| Asian Military Review |
that the TNI-AL had selected
Pakistan Navy
the Chinese-developed AK-
730 Close-In Weapon System
(CIWS) for the first two already
operational vessels; KRI Sam-
pari and KRI Tombak. The AK-
730 turret will supplement the
ships’ China Aviation Industry
Corporation C-705 Active Ra-
dar Homing (ARH), infrared
and television-guided anti-ship
missile and solitary Bofors/
BAE Systems 57mm main gun
for ASuW. As of September, a
new Chinese Combat Manage-
ment System (CMS) was also
being fitted to the KRI Sam-
pari and KRI Tombak, alongside
the AK-730 CIWS. These is no
publicly-available information
regarding the exact designation
of CMS although the AK-730
CIWS and CMS was reportedly
fitted to both ships as of Sep-
tember. Similarly, there have
been no reports as to when the
third vessel in the class, the KRI
Halasan may receive a similar
upgrade, and PT PAL did not respond to
several requests for information to this
end. More information regarding Indone-
sian defence procurement can be found in
Andrew Drwiega's Rebalancing Act article
in this issue.
Pakistan
As with India and Indonesia’s strategic
worries: “Pakistan is concerned about the
Indian Navy’s increasing assets,” says Mr.
Caris: “and by the intrusion of large Indi-
an Navy combatants in Pakistani waters.”
These factors have encouraged Pakistan to
perform a navy modernisation of its own.
The country has embarked upon naval
modernisation at a price the force can af-
ford. To this end, the PN has ordered three
‘Azmat’ class FACs. The first-in-class, the
PNS Azmat, was developed by two PRC
shipbuilders; the China Shipbuilding and
Offshore Company (CSOC) and the Xin-
gang Shipyard, with the first example com-
missioned in April 2012. Following a trans-
fer of technology agreement with the two
companies, Pakistan began construction
of the two remaining ships at the Karachi
Shipyard and Engineering Works (KSEW).
The ‘Azmat’ class are 63m (206.6ft) long,
have a displacement of 560 tons, can reach
a maximum speed of 30 knots (55km/h)
and have a range of 1000nm (1852km).
They are armed with a 25mm autocannon
of an unknown type, a KBP AK-630 CIWS
to protect the ship from incoming AShMs,
and are fitted with two quadruple missile
launchers to fire eight China Haiyang Elec-
tromechanical Technology Academy C-802
family ARH AShMs. The second vessel,
the PNS Dehshat, was commissioned in
June 2014, whereas the third vessel, which
commenced construction in April 2015,
was launched on 17 September 2016, ac-
cording to a KSEW press release from 12
September. More information regarding
Pakistan's defence procurement can be
found in Alex Calvo’s Difficult Choices in a
Complex Region article in this issue.
Republic of Korea
Away from South Asia, the Republic of Ko-
rea’s (ROK) security concerns are primar-
ily fixated on the Democratic People’s Re-
public of Korea’s (DPRK) “growing fleet
of assault hovercraft,” such as their ‘Kong-
bang’ class assault hovercraft, says Mr.
Fisher. In this context, and in addition to
concerns regarding non-traditional threats
in its coastal waters such as piracy and
smuggling, the ROK Navy (ROKN) has
launched a significant FAC programme.
In July 2015, general media reports in-
dicated that the ROKN planned to acquire
an initial batch of 16 ‘Chamsuri-211’ class
FACs. which are being built by Hanjin
and have a displacement of 210 tons and
an overall length of 44m (144.3ft). They
can reach a maximum speed of 40 knots
(74km/h) thanks to Combined Diesel and
Gas Turbine (CODAG) propulsion. Few
details have emerged regarding their ar-
mament, beyond reports that the design is
equipped with a twelve-barrelled multiple
launch rocket system for 130mm rockets,
as well as a 76mm naval gun and two
remote-controlled 12.7mm machine guns;
all of unknown types. The first vessel, the
name of which has not been published,
was reportedly launched on 28 July 2016,
and is slated for commissioning in 2017.
Taiwan
Staying in East Asia, the ongoing expan-
sion and modernisation of the People’s
Liberation Army Navy is a primary con-
cern for Taiwan. The PRC has claimed
Taiwan as its own since 1949, and as re-
cently as 25 June 2016, the PRC suspend-
ed diplomatic contact with Taiwan over
renewed tensions regarding the latter’s
sovereignty. As such: “due to their close
proximity plus the excellent bang-for-ra-
tio (offered by FACs), Taiwan will sustain
its longstanding interest in FACs,” says
Mr. Fisher. To do so, however, the Repub-
lic of China Navy (ROCN) is also attempt-
ing to move away from its dependence on
the US for warships, circa 30 of its surface
combatants have been supplied by Wash-
ington DC, and is working toward the de-
velopment of an indigenous shipbuilding
industry that could fulfil at least some of
its needs.
Local media reports stated that
the ROCN Programme Office, which
oversees procurement for the Navy, an-
nounced in June 2016, a major indig-
enous development programme, worth
$14.7 billion and spanning over 23 years.
This would appear to include the pro-
duction of additional catamaran-hulled
Lung Teh Shipbuilding ‘Tuo Jiang’ class
FACs. Although the ‘Tuo Jiang’ class’ 500
tons displacement, technically classify
this design as a large FAC, the class is
s e a
P O W E R

The Philippines Navy’s BRP Dionisio Ojeda was

originally in service with the ROKN before its
transfer to the former in 2006. The ship was
formally commissioned with the Philippines Navy
the following year.
US Navy

referred to as a corvette by some sources.

This is most likely due to the fact that it
is more heavily armed than most FACs,
possessing a Leonardo/OTO Melara
76mm main gun and a Raytheon Pha-
lanx 20mm CIWS, as well the ability to
deploy Chungshan Institute of Science
and Technology Hsiung Feng-II/III ARH
and IR guided AShMs, and two torpedo
launchers. Local sources revealed in
February 2015 that the ROCN was inter-
rupting the trials of the solitary, epony-
mous ‘Tuo Jiang’ class vessel because
a number of design flaws prevented it
from achieving its full capabilities. As
such, media reports indicated that as
part of the new programme announced
in June 2016 and discussed above,
the ROCN presented a new itera-
tion of the ‘Tuo Jiang’ class, although
The ROKN has developed its ‘Chamsuri’ class no further details have been released
FACs with traditional threats from the DPRK regarding this vessel, how many of these
in mind, and also to address non-traditional new vessels could be built, their specifi-
threats such as piracy and smuggling.
cation, or when deliveries of these ves-
sels may commence and conclude.

26 | Asian Military Review |

US Navy
Vietnam yard and were commissioned by the VPN
Like Taiwan, Vietnam is concerned regard- in September 2015. The fifth and sixth ves-
ing maritime tensions with the PRC. It is sels were launched in April 2016.
one of five countries (including Brunei-
Darussalam, Malaysia, the Philippines Future Developments
and Taiwan) which have been involved Regarding the FAC market in the Asia-
in disputes with the PRC regarding mari- Pacific: “small monohull designs remain
time and territorial claims relating to the popular such as the ROKN’s new ‘Cham-
Paracel and Spratly islands in the South suri-211’ class,” says Mr. Fisher, but the
China Sea. As such, the Vietnam People’s market is also seeing an increase in pro-
Navy (VPN) has been attempting to ex- grammes for: “somewhat larger ship-kill-
pand and modernise in the past few years, er catamaran designs like Taiwan’s ‘Tuo
although many of its ambitions are lim- Jiang’ class, which can operate in swarms
ited by a constrained budget. or as part of large formations,” he con-
In these circumstances, FACs present a tinues. While: “more blue water oriented
significant asset for the VPN to protect its navies focus on building bigger, larger
territorial waters. As such it has acquired combatants, like offshore patrol vessels,”
six ‘Molniya’ class missile armed FACs. says Mr. Caris, FACs will continue to re-
The ‘Molniya’ class are a development of main as key assets for navies having to
the Soviet/Russian ‘Tarantul’ class cor- find compromises between traditional
vette. They displace 510 tons and have an and non-traditional coastal threats in
overall length of 56.9m (186.6ft). They are some cases within constrained budgets.
armed with one Kalashnikov AK-176M Meanwhile, new generation FACs will
76mm gun at the front and two Kalash- continue to develop as “advances in (com-
nikov AK-630M 30mm guns at the rear, mand and control), propulsion, materials,
as well as Tactical Missiles Corporation radar cross section reduction and weapons
Kh-35 Uran-E AShMs. The ‘Molniya’ can are enabling the development of slightly
also be fitted with twelve 9K38 SAMs if in- larger FACs that are able to perform long-
creased protection from enemy attack air- range anti-ship or even land attack mis-
craft, cruise missiles and unmanned aerial sions,” continues Mr. Fisher. He added
vehicles is necessary. The VPN’s first two that “we should expect that energy weap-
vessels were built in Russia at the Vympel ons like naval lasers and electromagnetic
Shipyard, and delivered in 2007 and 2008. rail guns could enable the FAC to evolve
The third and fourth vessels were built in … perhaps even assisting anti-ballistic mis-
Vietnam under licence at the Ba Son Ship- sile missions” in the future. AMR
A I R
P O W E R

The RQ-4B is proving to be increasingly

popular in the Asia-Pacific region with Japan
and the Republic of Korea, expected to
procure the aircraft in the very near future.

MALE DOMINANCE
I
The use of Medium Altitude Long Endurance n the Asia-Pacific region uptake of
the technology has been somewhat
(MALE) and High Altitude Long Endurance slower than in North America and
(HALE) Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) Europe, but the last five years
has seen a number of interesting
is picking up across the globe as militaries developments in the region, with
acquisition programmes underway in a
look to push boundaries on their Intelligence,
number of countries. While the appetite
Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR) for MALE and HALE UAVs is growing
in the Asia-Pacific, few nations have the
capabilities. capability or motivation to develop their
own designs, given that UAVs in these
categories are approaching the top end
by Claire Apthorp
of aircraft manufacturing cost scales.

28 | Asian Military Review |


Northrop Grumman
MALE UAVs typically fly at altitudes of
between 10000 feet/ft (3048 metres/m)
and 30000ft (9144m) with an endurance
of between 24 and 48 hours. HALE UAVs,
meanwhile typically fly at altitudes in
excess of 30000ft and have endurances of
circa 48 hours.
Of those locally-designed platforms
that have made it through the design/de-
velopment programmes into production,
the best known is the People’s Republic of
China’s (PRC) Wing Loong aircraft. Devel-
oped by the Chengdu Aircraft Design and
Research Institute (CADI), a division of
the Aviation Industry Corporation of Chi-
na (AVIC), the MALE UAVs exists in two
main variants. The first, Wing Loong-I (also
known as Pterodactyl 1/Yilong) appeared
at the Zhuhai Air Show, held on the south-
ern coast of the PRC, in 2012, although
its development dates back to around a
decade earlier. The UAS is similar to the
General Atomics MQ-9 Reaper in appear-
ance, and is fitted with one hard point on
each wing, each with the ability to carry a
single weapon, and at nine metres (29.5ft)
in length it has a nine metre wingspan. Ac-
cording to AVIC, the UAV was developed
for reconnaissance and combat missions.
Details of an updated version, the
Wing Loong-II, were released at the Chi-
na Aviation Expo in September 2015. This
larger (eleven metres/36ft in length with
a 14m/45.9ft wingspan) aircraft has the
ability to carry twelve air-to-surface mis-
siles: two missiles on three hard points on
each wing. The aircraft is understood to
have an endurance of 20 hours and maxi-
mum take-off weight of 1909 pounds/lb
(4200 kilograms/kg).
In addition to being acquired by the
PRC’s People’s Liberation Army Air
Force, the UAV has been the subject of
a number of export deals, most recently
in June 2016 when it was reported that
two Wing Loong-I/II systems had been
sold to Kazakhstan. Saudi Arabia and the
United Arab Emirates also acquired the
UAV in 2014 and 2011 respectively.
Israeli Influence
As one of the biggest importers of UAV
technology in the region, the Indian mili-
tary offers a significant market to Western
UAV manufacturers. In September 2015 it
was announced that Israel Aerospace In-
dustries (IAI) was set to benefit from the
country’s growing appetite for unmanned
technology, with the government approv-
ing the purchase of ten Heron-TP UAVs.
The UAVs are to be operated by the Indian
Air Force, in an armed configuration to
enable the UAVs to deploy air-to-surface
missiles for combat operations. With a
maximum altitude of 45000ft (13716m)
and endurance of 36 hours, the 14m long,
26m (85.3ft) wingspan Heron-TP pro-
vides a capability upgrade over the legacy
Heron-1 system (8.5m/27.8ft long with a
16.6m/54.4ft wingspan) also deployed by
the Indian armed forces, which can fly at
30000ft while carrying payloads of up
to 550lb (250kg). The Heron-TP’s main
performance envelope increase lies in its
significantly larger payload capacity. The
smaller Heron-1 can carry up to 550lb of
| november 2016 |
A I R
P O W E R
payload, including optronics; a Television
(TV) and Infrared (IR) combination or a
triple sensor encompassing TV, IR and a la-
ser designator, a Synthetic Aperture Radar
(SAR), Maritime Patrol Radar (MPR); an
Electronic Intelligence (ELINT) capability;
a communication relay package and/or a
customer furnished sensor suite. The Her-
on-TP can carry a typical mission payload
of up to 2200lb (1000kg), including optron-
ics, SAR, MPR and ELINT. This allows
the latter to perform as a multi-mission
platform with simultaneous and flexible
payload operation. The aircraft can also fly
in all weather conditions above commer-
cial air traffic, and makes use of Satellite
Communications (SATCOM) for extended
range operations.
In July 2016 IAI announced that it was
looking to further expand the capabilities
of the Heron family with plans to develop
a sense-and-avoid capability with Hon-
eywell Aerospace. This capability, set to
be demonstrated in 2018, will use Hon-
eywell-developed software, algorithms,
hardware and the fusion of inputs from
various sensors embedded in a single
prototype box or Line-Replaceable Unit
(LRU), combined with IAI’s separation
and collision avoidance manoeuvring
logic and Ground Control Station (GCS)
pilot interface. The system will provide
the UAV with improved situational
awareness with the tracking of other
nearby aircraft, enabling collision avoid-
ance manoeuvring, and will suggest alter-
nate flight manoeuvres, resulting in safer
airspace.
Global Hawk
The HALE platform that has seen the big-
gest successes in the Asia-Pacific region
over the past few years is the Northrop
Grumman RQ-4B Global Hawk. The
company was awarded a Foreign Military
Sales (FMS) contract in December 2014 to
deliver four RQ-4B systems (four aircraft,
two GCS and supporting equipment) to
the Republic of Korea Air Force, with the
systems to provide wide-area intelligence
gathering. Production of the aircraft com-
menced at the start of 2015 and by April
2016 components were being delivered
by Korean defence industry partners, Ko-
rean Jig and Fixture (KJF) and the Firstec
Company, for the first aircraft: “Produc-
tion of the Republic of Korea’s RQ-4Bs is
currently underway at Northrop Grum-
man facilities in the US, and our Korean
partners Firstec and KJF have played a
critical role in the aircraft’s development:
Firstec manufactures wire harnesses,
29
A I R
P O W E R
General Atomics is marketing the
MQ-1B Predator UAV in the Asia-
Pacific region as the Guardian. The
company foresees civilian maritime
domain enforcement, as well as naval
tasks, in the aircraft’s mission set.
while KJF makes build-to-print aerospace
grade precision machine parts for the
Global Hawk,” Mick Jaggers, vice presi-
dent of the Global Hawk programme at
Northrop Grumman’s aerospace division,
told AMR: “The first two Global Hawk
are expected to be delivered in 2018 and
the remaining two aircraft are expected
for delivery in 2019.”
The other major development for the
RQ-4B in the Asia-Pacific is its imminent
acquisition by Japan. Like the Republic
of Korea purchase, Japan is acquiring the
UAV via the US FMS route, with the of-
ficial notice of the request delivered to the
US government by the Defence Security
Cooperation Agency (DSCA) in Novem-
ber 2015. Japan has requested three RQ-
4B Block-30 Global Hawks along with
ground support equipment at an estimat-
ed cost of $1.2 billion. According to the
DSCA notification, Japan has requested
the aircraft in order to enhance its ISR ca-
pabilities to ensure the Japan Air Self De-
fence Force can continue to monitor and
deter regional threats: “We believe that
(the) Global Hawk significantly enhances
Japan’s ISR capabilities while providing
the right combination of performance, ca-
pability, and value that is critical to sup-
porting regional stability,” Mr. Jaggers
said: “The US Pacific Command currently
uses (the) Global Hawk in the Pacific re-
gion given its more than 30 hours of flight
endurance, surveillance capability over
vast areas at high altitudes, and the fact
30
General Atomics
that it is the most affordable ISR system
in the inventory, manned or unmanned …
Global Hawk has operated in the Pacific
region since 2011 out of Andersen Air
Force Base, Guam, and has also temporar-
ily operated out of Misawa airbase, Japan,
in 2014 and 2015. Global Hawk opera-
tions from Misawa airbase demonstrate
how the Global Hawk’s unmanned air-
craft systems can operate safely within Ja-
pan and also easily be used at a joint-use
airfield with military and civilian aircraft.”
The RQ-4B is designed to carry mul-
tiple payloads and collect a wide va-
The concept of operations
for the RAAF’s MQ-4C
UAVs and its P-8A maritime
patrol aircraft (pictured)
underscore the emerging
trend of crewed and
unmanned teaming to
support maritime patrol.
| Asian Military Review |
riety of intelligence data, while flying
for more than 30 hours at up to 60000ft
(18288m). The aircraft, which is also used
by the US Air Force and NASA (National
Aeronautics and Space Administration),
surpassed 200,000 flight hours in July.
Northrop Grumman is continually updat-
ing the RQ-4B to meet emerging require-
ments; earlier in 2016 it flew with the
US Air Force legacy UTC Aerospace SY-
ERS-2 intelligence gathering sensor. The
company also has plans to fly an Optical
Bar Camera (OBC) sensor and an MS-177
multi-spectral sensor later this year.
Maritime Awareness
General Atomics Aeronautical Systems
(GA-ASI) is narrowing in on the maritime
domain as it looks to market the maritime
variant of MQ-1B Predator, being market-
ed locally as the Guardian. Capable of car-
rying Raytheon’s Multi-Spectral Target-
ing System-B (MTS-B) optronics sensor
and SeaVue multi-mode maritime radar,
SATCOM, AIS (Automatic Identification
System for maritime traffic transponders),
ELINT and Traffic Collision Avoidance
System the MQ-1B is designed to per-
form wide area long-endurance ISR mis-
sions. Able to fly at a maximum altitude
of 50000ft (15240m) for up to 27 hours,
GA-ASI considers the UAV a good match
for the types of requirements it is seeing
emerge from the Asia-Pacific region: “The
requirements are certainly there, and the
Pacific lends itself well to UAV operations
in general because of the large distances
involved and the persistence required,”
Terry Kraft, GA-ASI’s regional vice presi-
dent for the Asia-Pacific region, told AMR:
Boeing
A I R
P O W E R
Australia is expected to soon receive the MQ-
4C Triton UAV which will support the maritime
patrol and surveillance mission of the Royal
Australian Air Force’s P-8A Poseidon aircraft.
“While we see a big concern from military
organisations for disaster relief, search
and rescue and humanitarian assistance,
a lot of countries are also very interested
in the civil mission from coast guards and
other government agencies … Exclusive
Economic Zone (EEZ) monitoring is a big
one, billions of dollars a year are being
lost in illegal fishing, and they also care
about controlling their coastlines in terms
of smuggling and illegal immigration. So
in addition to the maritime surveillance
piece you get with our 360 degree radar,
full motion video and other sensors, you
are getting this multi-agency role that we
are seeing more and more demand for.”
GA-ASI also sees scope within the
maritime domain to apply the work it is
currently doing in the area of crewed/
UAV teaming. In November 2015 the
company’s MQ-1C Gray Eagle long-
range, long-dwell UAV took part in a US
Army-led crewed/UAV teaming exercise
demonstration in the Republic of Korea.
The UAV streamed video and metadata
via a line-of-sight data link directly to a
US Army Boeing/McDonnell Douglas
AH-64D Apache attack helicopter from
extended distances. The AH-64D retrans-
mitted the imagery to a remote video
32
Northrop Grumman
Area Maritime Surveillance (BAMS) capa-
“The Defence White Paper also indicated
Australia’s intent to acquire seven (air-
terminal, allowing ground forces to view
the video; field commanders within the
Tactical Operations Centre were able to
receive both live MQ-1C streaming video
and retransmitted video sent by the AH-
64D. Contact reports and target coordi-
nates were also passed to operators in
the aircraft’s GCS, who were then able to
direct the MQ-1C’s sensors to positively
identify and track the targets: “We see
great potential in manned/unmanned
teaming, and think that in the next ten to
20 years you’re going to be looking at an
environment where UAVs will be team-
ing with manned aircraft to extend the
range, extend the combat capability, or
provide very large area cueing for those
aircraft,” Mr. Kraft said: “For (the) MQ-
1C in the maritime role, that would span
up to being able to team with manned
maritime surveillance assets such as the
Boeing P-8A Poseidon or Kawasaki P-1
maritime patrol aircraft. There’s a huge
untapped potential here for our aircraft
to team with manned aircraft which is
where we’re going to be for a long time.”
Triton
The Australian government is looking
to tap into the potential for unmanned
| Asian Military Review |
assets to support the capabilities of its
incoming P-8A, having confirmed in its
2016 Defence White Paper, which outlines
the government’s defence spending and
strategic priorities, that it will acquire
seven Northrop Grumman MQ-4C Tri-
ton aircraft to monitor its maritime ap-
proaches. Based on the RQ-4B platform,
Northrop Grumman has developed the
MQ-4C for the US Navy. It is designed
to provide real-time ISR over vast ocean
and coastal regions, using its 360 degree
sensor suite to provide maritime domain
awareness to naval commanders.
Although Australia has not yet entered
into a contract with the US government
for the MQ-4C, with the US Navy having
placed a firm order for three aircraft in
September 2016, the MQ-4C is positioned
strongly now that it is an in-production
system: “The Australian programme has
been through two of the acquisition mile-
stones … in 2014 where (the aircraft) was
selected to provide (the country’s) Broad
bility, and earlier this year when interme-
diate consideration was achieved,” Greg
Black, Northrop Grumman’s business
director for Australia Triton, told AMR:
craft) with the final acquisition milestone
planned for 2018, with the contracting
process to follow thereafter … We like to
call (the MQ-1C) a perfect match for Aus-
tralia. It is the only HALE UAV with the
range and endurance to meet the BAMS
requirements, and by the country’s geog-
raphy alone, it represents the third largest
EEZ in the world, surrounded by a lot of
water, so a purpose-built system such as
the MQ-1C really provides a capability
for extended persistence, endurance and
range, and that’s why we think it’s a per-
fect fit.”
The White Paper indicated that the
MQ-4C would be introduced into service
in the 2020s, around the same time as its
eight P-8A aircraft will enter service. The
unarmed MQ-4C will complement the
crewed aircraft, providing a persistent
maritime patrol capability and under-
taking other ISR tasks as required: “For
both the US and Australia, the MQ-4C
UAV was built to complement the (P-8A),
and we really look at them as a manned/
unmanned team,” Mr. Black said: “The
persistence that the Triton provides in
terms of endurance and sensor capabili-
ties, helps to optimise the mix of manned
and unmanned so those missions can be
executed most effectively.” AMR
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l a n d
W A R F A R E

Lockheed Martin
IT CAME FROM
OUTER SPACE
Within the Asia-Pacific,
ballistic missiles have been
developed, manufactured and
fielded by the Democratic
People’s Republic of Korea
(DPRK), India, the People’s
Republic of China (PRC),
Pakistan, the Republic of Korea
(ROK) and Taiwan.

by Thomas Newdick

M
eanwhile, Russia also
brings a significant ballis-
tic missile capability to Providing defence against
aircraft and cruise missiles
the wider region while as well as tactical ballistic
additional Asia-Pacific missiles, the MIM-104F
countries, including Vietnam, have not has been delivered to ten
pursued indigenous ballistic missile international customers and
provides the backbone of
programmes, but have purchased these
Japan’s BMD capability.
weapons from other nations. As such,
there is no shortage of drivers for the
development of land-based air defences
that incorporate an Anti-Ballistic Missile
(ABM) capability. This report focuses on
the status of strategic ABM programmes
pursued as part of a multi-layered
Integrated Air Defence System (IADS)
within the four major players in the
region: namely the PRC, India, Japan
and Russia.
Understandably little is known about
the PRC’s strategic IADS, however, it is sile Defence) system has continued and endoatmospheric (within Earth’s atmo-
understood that Beijing began work in at least two successful tests have been sphere) interceptor. Further interceptor
this field in the early 1970s. The country’s made of the upper-level part of this sys- missile tests were recorded in January and
so-called ‘Project 640’ is believed to have tem: In January 2010 it was reported that July 2014. The SC-19 designation has also
tested an ABM system for the defence of an initial ABM test had been conducted appeared in Western accounts of Chinese
the capital, between 1970 and 1985; as part against a target at an altitude of around anti-satellite tests. These include tests in
of this effort, several test launches of Fan- 135 nautical miles/nm (250 kilometres/ 2005, 2006 and in January 2007. In the last
Ji Surface-to-Air Missiles (SAMs) which km). While this used an exoatmospheric of these, a weather satellite was destroyed
used Semi-Active Radar Homing (SARH) (beyond Earth’s atmosphere) interceptor, in a kinetic ‘hit-to-kill’ engagement.
guidance took place between 1975 and rumoured to be designated as the SC-19, As well as the ABM interceptor com-
1985. Since the early 2000s, the PRC’s de- a subsequent low-level test in Septem- ponents, the Chinese IADS will employ
velopment of a tiered BMD (Ballistic Mis- ber 2010 is likely to have employed an China Aerospace Science and Industry

34 | Asian Military Review |


Corporation (CASIC) HQ-9 Active Radar
Homing (ARH) SAMs, complemented
by medium-range systems including the
Shanghai Academy of Spaceflight Tech-
nology (SAST) HQ-16 SARH guided
SAMs and the Russian-made Almaz-An-
tey 9K37 Buk SAM system which employs
SAMs using a similar guidance system.
The HQ-9 is a long-range, high-altitude
SAM system with the ability to engage
tactical ballistic missiles which has also
been fielded on board People’s Liberation
Army Navy warships as the HHQ-9. Oc-
cupying a lower tier is the HQ-16, which
is primarily intended to defend critical
installations; it is likely to include at least
some capability against tactical ballistic
missiles. Such weapons typically have a
range below 162nm (300km)
In 2015 China reached an agreement
with Moscow to acquire the Almaz-
Antey S-400 Triumf long-range SARH/
ARH guided SAM, which is also able to
engage ballistic missiles. Announced by
the Russian state arms export agency Ro-
soboronexport in April 2015, the Chinese
order is worth $3 billion and reportedly
includes four to six battalions, with de-
liveries to begin in 2017. The S-400 is the
successor to the Soviet-era Almaz-Antey
S-300 SAM family, which has a limited
Anti-Theatre Ballistic Missile (ATBM)
capability. The PRC received eight bat-
talions of the basic S-300PMU, four bat-
talions of the improved S-300PMU-1
(including 150 5V55R missiles), four bat-
talions of S-300PMU-1 systems (with 150
48N6 missiles) and eight battalions of the
S-300PMU-2 Favorit system (with an ini-
tial 300 48N6E2 missiles). Another 15 bat-
teries of an unidentified S-300 system are
also understood to be deployed between
Beijing and Shanghai.
India
The PRC’s occasional rival India is mak-
ing concerted efforts to field a layered
IADS that will include systems capable
of defeating a variety of ballistic missiles,
from tactical short-range missiles to In-
tercontinental Ballistic Missiles (ICBMs);
the latter typically having ranges of circa
2969.8nm (5500km). Around 2000 New
Delhi launched work on its Layered De-
fence Initiative (LDI), allocating at least $1
billion to the Defence Research Develop-
ment Organisation (DRDO) to develop
key missile defence technologies. The
scope of the LDI includes work on hy-
personic weapons, which typically have
a speed in excess of Mach Five, with a
project to develop hypersonic technology
demonstrator vehicles. By 2003 the DRDO
was working on methods for tracking
ballistic missiles using Israeli technology
provided in the form of the Israel Aero-
space Industries’ (IAI) Elta Systems di-
vision’s EL/M-2080 Green Pine L-band
(1.215-1.4 gigahertz/GHz) ground-based
air surveillance radar; two examples of
which have been supplied to India.
In February 2014 it was announced
that India and Israel were to cooperate
on further development of a BMD sys-
tem to defend against missiles launched
from Pakistan or from the PRC. Other
hardware being developed under the LDI
includes a mobile detection radar from
Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL) in col-
laboration with Rafael Advanced Defence
Systems of Israel. It is notable that the Is-
raeli contribution to the Indian IADS also
comprises satellite technology, including
the RISAT-2, an X-band (8.5-10.68GHz)
radar surveillance satellite from IAI that
is capable of detecting incoming ballis-
tic missiles. The ‘kill vehicles’ within the
two-tier LDI are the DRDO Prithvi Air
Defence (PAD) interceptors that perform
the exoatmospheric engagement of tar-
gets at 27nm to 43.2nm (50km to 80km)
altitude and the Advanced Air Defence
(AAD) programme that will yield an
endoatmospheric interceptor, targeting
incoming missiles at between eight nauti-
cal miles and 16.2nm (15km to 30km).
The upper-layer PAD utilises technol-
ogy from the DRDO Prithvi-II short-range
ballistic missile, adding a new second-
stage interceptor. Work on this weapon
began in around 1999 and according to
some reports it may use an ARH seeker
provided by a Russian firm. As well as
the aforementioned EL/M-2080 radar, it
has been suggested that the PAD can be
India received at least two examples of the EL/M-2080
radar. The radar is able to autonomously detect and
simultaneously track dozens of tactical ballistic missiles
at long ranges.
| november 2016 |
l a n d
W A R F A R E
used in conjunction with the Raytheon
AN/TPY-2 X-band ground-surveillance
radar. PAD tests were conducted in No-
vember 2006 and March 2009.
The lower-layer AAD is reportedly
an all-new single-stage design from the
DRDO and is deployed from a mobile
launcher. Tests of the missiles began in
December 2007 and culminated in No-
vember 2012 when it successfully en-
gaged a simulated ballistic missile at an
altitude of 16.2nm. The most recent test
took place in May 2016 when an AAD suc-
cessfully destroyed an incoming DRDO
Dhanush ballistic missile at an altitude
of between 10.8nm and 21.6nm (20km
to 40km). Some reports indicate that the
AAD launch vehicle is a Tatra eight-wheel
drive truck.
The exact relationship between the
PAD and the DRDO’s Prithvi Defence
Vehicle (PDV) is unclear. Ground testing
of this latter two-stage, solid-propellant
missile began in 2011 and it is intended to
engage targets at 59.4nm to 81nm (110km
to 150km) altitude, suggesting it is a more
advanced successor to the original PAD
for extending the reach of the exo-atmo-
spheric segment. A successful first flight
of the PDV was achieved in April 2014, in-
tercepting a target launched to an altitude
of 64.8nm (120km) from the Bay of Bengal.
Also under development is the Prithvi Air
Defence-2 (PAD-2) SAM which is report-
edly intended to defeat ballistic missiles
at over 54nm (100km) range and employs
hypersonic rounds. As of 2013 it was re-
ported that work on the PAD-2 had been
suspended the DRDO was instead focus-
ing on the PDV.
While noting the progress made by
specific components of the LDI to date,
New Delhi-based defence analyst Angad
IAI
35
l a n d
W A R F A R E
As part of the Aegis CMS,
US Navy
the Raytheon RIM-161 Stan-
dard Missile-3 family of
SARH/Infrared guided SAMs
provides ship-based defence
against short to Intermedi-
ate-Range Ballistic Missiles
(IRBMs); such weapons have
ranges of 540nm (1000km)
for Short-Range Ballistic Mis-
siles (SRBMs) and 1619.9nm to
2699.8nm (3000km to 5000km)
for IRBMs. In practice, the RIM-
161A SM-3 Block-I allies the
vertically-launched Raytheon
RIM-156A SM-2ER Block-IVA
SARH guided missile with a
Lightweight Exoatmospheric
Projectile (LEAP) kill vehicle.
In December 2007 the Japa-
nese destroyer JNS Kongo con-
ducted a first test launch of an
A RIM-161 SM-3 family RIM-156B SM-2ER Block-IV
SAM is launched from the SAM. The Japan Maritime Self-
Japanese destroyer JNS Kongo Defence Force has two classes
to intercept a target missile
of Aegis CMS-equipped de-
launched from the Pacific
Missile Range Facility in stroyers, the ‘Kongo’ class and
December 2007. ‘Atago’ class. Under the US For-
eign Military Sales programme,
all four ‘Kongo’ class warships
Singh is sceptical that it will reach its am- have been upgraded to include a BMD ca-
bitious goals, at least in the near-term: pability, armed with the RIM-161B SM-3
“The odd development test takes place Block-IA SAM.
every now and then. Indian air defence Japan is playing an active role with the
is complicated and for the moment quite $3 billion RIM-161 SM-3 Block-IIA SAM
heterogeneous. A properly integrated lay- development effort having entered the
ered air defence system with a BMD capa- project as a partner in June 2006. This in-
bility is still some way away; and when cludes development of the nosecone and
talking in terms of national coverage, it two-stage starter motor for the missile. In
may never happen because of the sheer June 2015 a first RIM-161 SM-3 Block-IIA
size of the country.” live-fire test was conducted at Point Mugu,
California and was run by Japan’s Techni-
Japan cal Research and Development Institute
In December 1993 Japan began talks with (TRDI), the Japan Ministry of Defence and
the United States with a view to fielding the US Missile Defence Agency, in coop-
a multi-layered BMD system. This was to eration with the US Navy. Tokyo has also
be based around the Lockheed Martin/ been identified as a potential customer
Raytheon MIM-104F Patriot Advanced of the Lockheed Martin Terminal High
Capability-3 land-based SARH guided Altitude Area Defence (THAAD) SAM
SAM and the naval Lockheed Martin system, which provides defence against
Aegis Combat Management System short- to medium-range ballistic missiles,
(CMS). By 2004, negotiations with the US the latter typically have ranges of between
had led to the Japanese Defence Agency 540nm and 1619.9nm (3000km). Tokyo has
(JDA) requesting a budget for the BMD acquired examples of the AN/TPY-2, op-
programme for that fiscal year. In De- erated locally by the US Army, which is
cember 2004 Tokyo lawmakers approved an important element of the THAAD sys-
the plans and a first MIM-104F unit was tem, primarily to defend against incoming
deployed at Iruma airbase in central Ja- DPRK ballistic missiles.
pan in March 2007. After successful test
launches in 2008 and 2009, further MIM- Russia
104F batteries were deployed at Ashiya Current plans for Russia’s layered IADS
airbase in the south of the country. began to be formulated in the mid-1990s
36 | Asian Military Review |
and were approved by President Vladi-
mir Putin in 2006, leading to the estab-
lishment of a new Aerospace Defence
Command branch of the armed forces in
December 2011. Once fully established,
the IADS will provide defence against
ICBMs, Submarine-Launched Ballistic
Missiles (SLBMs) and spacecraft, and will
utilise missiles launched from ground
bases and warships.
The latest long-range SAM fielded by
Russia is the aforementioned S-400 that of-
fers a BMD capability. However, this sys-
tem is a stepping stone to the future S-500,
also developed by Almaz-Antey, which
will add an exoatmospheric space-defence
capability. The S-500 system is likely to be
fully operational from around 2020 in both
land-based and ship-based applications.
Also under development is the S-350 Vity-
az, which will be a medium-range comple-
ment to the S-400/S-500.
Fully mobile like its predecessors,
the S-500 is intended to be capable of in-
tercepting ICBMs. In mid-2014 reports
began to emerge indicating that deploy-
ment of the S-500, or at least elements of
it, would begin around Moscow in 2015.
Consistent with this, the first images of
the system began to appear in early 2015.
In April 2016, however, Russia’s chief of
air and missile defence stated that the
manufacturer was completing develop-
ment work on the S-500, and it would be
issued to appropriate units ‘soon’. It is
likely that experimental deployment will
commence in 2017.
According to Almaz-Antey, and not
necessarily reflective of Russian Defence
Ministry plans, the future Russian lay-
ered IADS will comprise the S-500, S-400,
S-350 and finally the short-range 42S6
Morfei SAM. While not offering a BMD
capability, the 42S6 will play an important
role in defending both offensive ICBM
sites and defensive S-400 and S-500 sites
against aircraft or weapons that might
have passed through the outer layers of
the IADS.
Based on this potential IADS make-
up, it is unclear what, if any, future role
will be played by Russia’s legacy ABM
systems, most of which were developed
during the Cold War. Of those systems
still in service, the Novator NPO A-30
is an endo-atmospheric interceptor, de-
ployed from 1984 as part of the Moscow
ABM system, which was known as the
A-35 in its original form, and as the A-
35M in upgraded form. The single-stage
A-30 is intended to engage targets below
64.8nm altitude and is silo-launched. It is

Operated at two sites in
Japan, the AN/TPY-2 radar is a
critical element of Japan’s BMD
system, providing the detection,
acquisition, and tracking of
hostile missiles.
possible that the A-30’s original nuclear
warhead was replaced with a high-explo-
sive/fragmentation warhead in the 1990s
and that a more accurate infrared seeker
was added.
After the retirement of the upper-tier
A-50 SAM system in around 2005, the
A-30 is now the only dedicated ABM sys-
tem in the Russian inventory, and forms
the centrepiece of a complex now desig-
CREATING NEW REFERENCES IN DEFENCE I WWW.NEXTER-GROUP.COM
Raytheon
nated as the A-135. Since the mid-1990s
there have been successive reports sug-
gesting that a new missile is in develop-
ment for the A-30 system, or even an en-
tirely new system, but it is also possible
that future ABM efforts will be concen-
trated on the S-500, which would provide
mobility thanks to its use of wheeled
vehicles. Indeed, some reports suggest
that while a new missile interceptor was
The artillery
system of the
21st century
| november 2016 |
l a n d
W A R F A R E
developed for the ABM-4, this never en-
tered service and the completed intercep-
tors were stockpiled. In the meantime, the
A-135 complex continues to defend Mos-
cow against ICBM/SLBM attack.
Almaz-Antey has released details of
a planned future ABM system. In 2002
the manufacturer stated that it would
develop a three-stage hit-to-kill intercep-
tor for defence against IRBMs, and later
against ICBMs. In early 2004 the Russian
Ministry of Defence reported that this
work was continuing, but that it has yet
to yield any confirmed tests. Once again,
it is possible that the Almaz-Antey BMD
project has been subsumed or superseded
by the S-500.
Conclusion
While efforts to develop BMD capabili-
ties date back at least two decades in the
case of India and Japan, and longer in the
case of former strategic adversaries, the
PRC and Russia, the demand for such de-
fences in the Asia-Pacific region has been
brought into focus by the DPRK’s weap-
ons of mass destruction. Most notably her
latest, and fifth underground test of a nu-
clear weapon, on 9 September 2016. AMR
Photo credits: ©ECPAD/France/A.Roine
The Caesar® artillery system in Mali
37
REGIONAL
M I L I T A R I E S

US Navy
Pakistan Navy vessels are seen here
exercising with one of their US Navy
counterparts, in the foreground of this
picture. Is Pakistan’s relationship with the
US being increasingly supplanted by its
relationship with the PRC?

Difficult Choices In
in
A Complex Region
As Pakistan’s nuclear weapons modernisation
advances, the country seeks a stronger Islamabad’s defence planning, making
up for numerical inferiority vis-à-vis
domestic defence industrial base and an India and providing cover for the use of
clandestine, sub-conventional force.
increase in defence exports. The People’s Concerning defence industry
Republic of China (PRC), meanwhile, looms cooperation with the PRC, Filippo Boni,
a researcher at the Institute of Asia and
ever larger as a strategic partner and Pacific Studies, at the United Kingdom’s
University of Nottingham, believes that
materiel supplier.
this cooperation: “is well on track and
has always been the backbone of the
by Alex Calvo Sino-Pakistani entente cordiale.’ Mr. Boni
stresses the: “three key components in

A
review of Pakistan’s
progress in the military field
must concentrate on nuclear
weapons doctrine and
equipment, the country’s
defence industry, naval modernisation
and the country’s widening array of
security and defence partners, while
not forgetting the continued demands
of internal security. Islamabad keeps
playing a difficult, but rewarding,
balancing act between Beijing and
Washington DC, and this is reflected
in current and future procurement and
upgrade programmes.
Defence policy seeks to respond to
the country’s three traditional strategic
imperatives: keeping together a diverse
population, confronting India and
ensuring Afghanistan remains politically
divided. Meanwhile, the country’s nuclear
deterrent remains at the cornerstone of
defence industry cooperation,” involving
the three branches of the Pakistan
armed forces, Beijing’s support “for the
establishment of the Heavy Industries
Taxila (a state-owned Pakistan defence
company), initially as a rebuild factory
for the Norinco T-59 Main Battle Tanks
(MBTs) supplied by the PRC, and which
progressively started manufacturing
the local Al-Khalid MBT,” the “joint
production of the Chengdu/Pakistan
Aeronautical Complex JF-17 fighter,”

38 | Asian Military Review |


and the July 2015 conventional hunter-
killer submarine (SSK) deal with the
PRC, which “represents a big step
forward in defence cooperation and
illustrates the interests of both Pakistan
and the PRC to expand their presence
in the Indian Ocean.” He also notes
that: “Pakistan has now realised that
the development of the China-Pakistan
Economic Corridor (CPEC) is a once in
a lifetime opportunity.” The CPEC is a
transportation initiative which will link
Gwadar in southwest Pakistan to the
PRC region of Xinjiang in the northwest
of the country, with the road and rail links
incumbent in this initiative expected to
be completed by 2030. Despite seeking to
boost domestic production and exports
of materiel, Pakistan has been spending
growing sums on defence imports. In
2015 it stood tenth in the world ranking of
weapons imports, spending $735 million,
according to the Stockholm International
Peace Research Institute.
Conventional Forces
Pakistan’s army remains the country’s
senior service. Comprised of over
600,000 personnel, plus 800,000 reserve
and paramilitary personnel, it prizes
its armoured manoeuvre forces as its
backbone. However, the army is paying
growing attention to the need to protect
these forces from air attack. A clear
example is the induction, in May 2015, of
the China National Precision Machinery
Import and Export Corporation HQ-7B/
FM-90 short-range Surface-to-Air Missile
(SAM) system. The missiles used by the
system employ command to line-of-sight
and optronics guidance.
Pakistan has also made an effort to
produce a MANPADS (Man-Portable
Air Defence System) domestically, the
most advanced being the Kahuta
The Pakistan Air Force’s F-16A/B/C/D fighters
are the mainstay of its fast jet fleet, and
maybe tasked with delivering the tactical
element of the country’s nuclear deterrent.
Research Laboratories’ ANZA Mk. III.
This weapon is an improved variant
of the PRC’s Shenyang Hangtian Xinle
QW-2, which is in turn believed to be
based upon the Raytheon FIM-92 Stinger
MANPADS family. The QW-2 has a range
of 3.2 nautical miles/nm (six kilometres/
km) and is equipped with a dual-band
infrared homing seeker. In January
2015 fears of MANPAD proliferation to
insurgent organisations prompted the
European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA)
to warn aircraft to exercise “extreme
caution” when overflying Pakistan,
following a request by France’s Direction
Générale de l’Aviation Civile (Civil Aviation
Directorate) which has banned French
aircraft from flying below 24000 feet/ft
(7315 metres/m) over Pakistan.
Navy
With a ten percent share of the 2015
defence budget of $6.6 billion, Pakistan’s
navy has more than 22000 active, plus
5000 reserve, personnel. While Pakistan’s
economy is very much dependent on
the sea, with the port city of Karachi
contributing 25 percent of the country’s
gross domestic product, the navy remains
the junior service. With many of its ships
nearing retirement, including five French-
made ‘Khalid’ class and two ‘Hashmat’
class SSKs, the navy is seeking to acquire
new surface and subsurface combatants,
while boosting domestic shipbuilding in
cooperation with Beijing. A third goal is
to develop a sea-based nuclear deterrent,
which may also help the navy raise its
domestic political profile and share of the
defence budget.
Two significant acquisitions, both
involving the state-owned Karachi
Shipyard and Engineering Works (KSEW)
are an additional four ‘Zulfiqar’ class
frigates and six ‘Houbei’ class missile
USAF
| november 2016 |
REGIONAL
M I L I T A R I E S
catamarans. KSEW is expanding its
facilities in Karachi, building a new foundry,
manufacturing areas, and two dry docks of
capable of accommodating ships displacing
26000 and 18000 tonnes. While new ships
are seen as essential in terms of maritime
security, the fight against piracy and as
areas of cooperation with other countries in
the region, it is Pakistan’s plans to acquire
new submarines that have met with the
greatest concern in New Delhi. In March
2015 Islamabad announced plans to procure
eight new Chinese submarines (the navy
would ideally like twelve), and in October
that year confirmed that four would be
purchased from the PRC, and four built
at KSEW. This deal also involves building
a training centre in Karachi, and probably
access to China’s Beidou-II (BDS-2)
satellite navigation network. An additional
advantage for Beijing would be securing
a maintenance capability in the Indian
Ocean for its own naval vessels, given the
similar designs of these submarines with
existing PLAN (People’s Liberation Army
Navy) boats. Concerning the characteristics
of these eight submarines, they are likely
to be based on the ‘Type 39B/Yuan’ class
SSK able and designed to fire Surface-to-
Surface/Anti-Ship cruise missiles (SSM/
AShM) and equipped with 533mm torpedo
tubes, and also capable of deploying mines
and special forces.
A major question is whether Pakistan
is only seeking a sea denial and counter-
blockade capability, or has set its sights
beyond the conventional domain, in order
to achieve a nuclear second strike capability;
that is the capability to deliver a retaliatory
strike after absorbing an initial first strike.
The latter is supported by existing work
on the National Defence Complex Hatf-7/
Babur land-attack terrain-following and
satellite-guided SSM, aimed at making it
capable of being launched from the navy’s
old ‘Khalid’ class SSKs. More information
regarding Pakistan naval procurement
can be found in Dr. Alix Valenti's Fast and
Furious article in this issue.
Air Force
The Pakistani Air Force (PAF) has
seven airbases and some 800 aircraft,
supported by 65000 personnel. Its main
frontline fighters are its 76 General
Dynamics/Lockheed Martin F-16A/B
Block-15 and F-16C/D Block-50/52
aircraft. While these aircraft continue to
be modernised, new airframes are being
purchased. Washington DC announced
the sale of eight F-16C/Ds in October
2015, part of a $700 million package
39
REGIONAL
M I L I T A R I E S
Syed Naqvi
Pakistan’s nuclear weapons
continue to cause concern around
the Asia-Pacific and the wider
world, with its Kahuta Research
Laboratories Ghauri medium-
range ballistic missile forming an
important part of its nuclear force.
also involving training, maintenance
and logistical support, but the ultimate
details, including how much of the price
tag will be covered by the US Foreign
Military Financing fund, is subject to
congressional approval, with some
senators and congress members openly
hostile to the sale, figher procurement
is a clear indicator of the gradual shift
towards the PRC, although Islamabad is
seeking to buy a further ten F-16 family
aircraft, which could perhaps include the
latest F-16V version.
Such controversies may help Turkey
expand its foothold in this market, with
the announcement in May 2016 that
Turkish Aerospace Industries (TAI) was
negotiating the upgrade of 74 Pakistan
Air Force (PAF) F-16A/B/C/D fighters,
including 14 of the aircraft Pakistan has
purchased from Jordan. The cost of the
programme could be $75 million and
negotiations, involving also securing US
permission for the upgrade, could take
two years. Islamabad would prefer work
to take place domestically, but Turkey is
seen as a second-best option, TAI already
having won a similar contract in 2008.
Continued tensions with the
US Congress concerning F-16 sales
and support stand in contrast with
Islamabad’s co-production with Beijing
of the JF-17 fighter, with 60 in service
and plans to purchase up to 250. Pakistan
seeks to maintain in the coming years a
40
combat force of between 350 and 400 products’ “design and concept” being
aircraft, a mixture of F-16A/B/C/D and “100 percent Pakistan-made,” together
JF-17 variants. The maiden test flights of with “a lot of the software and avionics.”
the twin-seat JF-17B are scheduled for late Concerning maritime surveillance UAVs,
2016 or early 2017, and the PAF is choosing he explains that: “We exported some
the refuelling probe configuration already Shadow UAVs to Australia for maritime
publicly displayed in the PRC. research some years ago. They were
In November 2015 the Pakistan used for fish shoal monitoring … This
Aeronautical Complex announced that is a major area but one that nobody has
Russia’s RD-93 would remain the JF-17’s seemed to explore in Pakistan.”
turbofan. In April 2016, Pakistani officials Some experts are worried about
attending the Defence Services Asia (DSA) the potential destabilising impact of
exhibition in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, the greater use of UAVs in South Asia.
said that Islamabad may choose instead According to Scott Cheney-Peters, the
Russia’s Klimov RD-33MK or China’s founder of the Centre for International
Guizhou Aviation Industry Corporation Maritime Security based in Maryland,
(GAIC) WS-13 turbofan to power the JF-17. both “in the Indian Ocean and along the
The Klimov RD-33MK is the latest iteration Indian-Pakistani border … UAVs have the
of the RD-33 turbofan, with higher thrust, potential to be a destabilising factor due
full-authority digital engine controls, and a to the risk of miscalculation. Until rules of
lifespan of 4000 hours. This engine powers engagement regarding UAVs are clearly
the MiG-29M/M2 and MiG-35 fighters. articulated, understood and respected
Not much is known about the Guizhou by both sides there may be a greater
WS-13, but it seems to have already been temptation to both use UAVs and to shoot
test-flown on the JF-17. them down under the potentially faulty
Whatever the ultimate decision on the assumption that the other side will or will
JF-17’s engine, Moscow and Islamabad not regard them and the consequences
seem to be inching closer together on of action against UAVs as they would if
defence, with Russia lifting her arms the aircraft was crewed. Such a chain of
embargo on June 2015, and the two errors could lead to all too real deaths.” 
countries signing a landmark defence
deal comprising the sale of Mil Mi-35E Nuclear Forces
attack helicopters in August 2015. While The country’s nuclear deterrent remains
still discussing the possible purchase of central to its defence posture, with
Sukhoi Su-35 family fighter jets, Russia the armed forces not ready to see it
and Pakistan held their maiden joint downgraded to a minimal deterrence
exercise between September and October position. On the contrary, Pakistan seems
2016, labelled FRIENDSHIP 2016 and keen to gain a naval dimension for its
featuring some 70 Russian troops from the deterrent, while continuing to modernise
Russian Army’s 34th Brigade. While small and expand its stockpile of tactical nuclear
in scale, the Russo-Pakistan rapprochement weapons, in a move which is prompting
is indicative of the complex, shifting web concern among proponents of nuclear
of strategic relations in the Asia-Pacific. disarmament. With an arsenal estimated
Pakistan’s domestic aviation industry at between 100 and 120 nuclear warheads,
features a number of Unmanned Aerial significant PRC technical assistance, strong
Vehicles (UAV) manufacturers, mostly state- popular support and a refusal to declare
owned, but also including the privately- a no first use policy, Pakistan’s defence
owned Islamabad-based SATUMA and doctrine relies heavily on nuclear weapons.
Karachi-based Integrated Dynamics. Islamabad is moving beyond strategic
Raja Sabri Khan, the latter firm’ chief deterrence, working on a wide range of
executive officer, sees exports as “the tactical nuclear weapons, while planning a
only option for private-sector companies,” sea-based second-strike capability.
given Islamabad’s preference for state- One of these tactical systems is the
owned companies when it comes to National Development Complex Hatf-
military procurement: “though the 9/Nasr SSM, with an estimated range of
civilian scientific, agriculture and security 32nm (60km). The Hatf-9/Nasr has a solid
market for UAVs is huge in the context fuel engine and can perform manoeuvres
of Pakistan’s current socio-economic to frustrate SAMs, and is a derivative of
situation.” Mr. Khan explains that the PRC’s Sichuan Aerospace Industry
Integrated Dynamics has: “sold systems Corporation’s Weishi-2 (WS-2) family
or airframes to the USA, Australia, Europe SSM, which was developed with exports
and to the Republic of Korea,” with its in mind. Intended to check advancing
| Asian Military Review |

Indian armoured forces, its detractors
fear that its use could lead to escalation,
while its proponents consider limited
escalation from conventional to tactical
nuclear weapons as enabling de-
escalation, echoing Moscow’s nuclear
doctrine. The Pakistani military see the
Hatf-9/Nasr as an antidote to India’s
‘Cold Start’ doctrine, based on short,
sharp blitzkrieg by independent battle
groups able to quickly mobilise, and
believe that tactical nuclear missiles will
make it much more difficult for New
Delhi to order conventional attacks. On
the other hand, some observers see a
move away from a counter-value strategy
(with cities as targets) to a counter-force
strategy (military targets) as detrimental
to stability, possibly increasing the risk
of nuclear combat. Actually, the Hatf-9/
Nasr’s deployment led Pakistan’s foreign
secretary Aizaz Chaudhury to announce,
in October 2015, a move from “minimum
credible deterrence” to “full spectrum
deterrence,” meaning Islamabad was
no longer formally committed to using
nuclear weapons to only respond in kind
2017
04 - 07 | APRIL
RIOCENTRO
RJ | BRAZIL
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DEFENCE AND
SECURITY EXHIBITION
/LAADExhibition
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or if facing an existential threat.
The nuclear-capable F-16A/B remains
an important pillar of Pakistan’s deterrent,
but Islamabad is also working on strategic
and cruise missiles. The National Defence
Complex has developed the Hatf-7/Babur
(see above), a mobile SSM with a range
of 404.9nm (750km) and a circular error
probable of 20-50 metres (65.6ft to 164ft). It is
already operational and can carry a nuclear
or conventional payload of 990 pounds/lb
to 1100lb (450 kilograms/kg to 500kg).
Pakistan is also working on cruise
missiles, namely on the Air Weapons
Complex air-launched Hatf-8/Ra’ad
with a range of 188.9nm (350km),
successfully tested for a fifth time in
January 2016. With a low radar cross
section and powered by a subsonic
turbofan engine, it can carry both
conventional and nuclear warheads,
the latter having an explosive yield
of between 10 kilotons to 35 kilotons.
Although Islamabad claims it has been
developed domestically, it resembles
South African projects such as the Denel
MUPSOW air-to-surface missile, and
/in/laadexhibition
OFFICIAL PUBLICATION
| november 2016 |
REGIONAL
M I L I T A R I E S
observers note that in the past the two
countries have cooperated in weapons
development. It is not clear yet whether
the Hatf-8/Ra’ad is fully operational,
and whether it can be launched from an
F-16A/B/C/D or only from Dassault
Mirage-III family fighters. Pakistan may
also be working to enable the JF-17 to
become its future launching platform.
Conclusions
Pakistan’s armed forces are responsible
not only for national defence, but are also
a major nation-building tool and play a
significant role in the country’s economy.
While the army remains the senior service,
the navy is seeking to acquire new surface
combatants and, above all, eight SSKs.
This illustrates two important trends:
greater indigenisation, and growing
defence links with Beijing, to the detriment
of Washington DC. In the nuclear arena,
Pakistan is working to develop a wide
range of tactical nuclear weapons, seen as
necessary to counter India’s conventional
superiority, while also eyeing a sea-based
second-strike capability. AMR
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41
REGIONAL
M I L I T A R I E S

UN
The Indonesian armed
forces have increasingly
deepened their involvement
in peacekeeping operations,
moving from a support role,
to an increasingly
kinetic posture.

REBALANCING ACT
In the Indonesian 2015 Defence White Paper outlining government
strategic and spending priorities, which was approved by the
country’s defence minister General (Ret.) Ryamizard Ryacudu on 20
November 2015, the country’s defence strategy was, at first glance,
a continuation of long term objectives.

by Andrew Drwiega

T
hese long-term objectives
pledged: “to maintain and
protect the country’s sovereignty,
territorial integrity and safety
of the nation,”: The national
defence is managed in a total defence
system, which is nonaggressive and
expansive to protect national interests.”
The role of the Indonesian armed forces
has always been to support and maintain
internal security at home (which
naturally includes a huge range of island
territories) rather than to project power
within South-east Asia or within the
wider world. Over the last couple of
years though, this stance has changed
and the Indonesian government has
signaled its intent to greatly improve
its contribution to United Nations (UN)
peacekeeping operations to such an
extent that it intends to be one of the
top ten contributors. It has also, more
subtly, not been oblivious to the People’s
Republic of China’s controversial so-
called Nine Dash Line denoting the
country’s maritime and territorial claims
in the South China Sea.
Peacekeeping
According to Providing for Peacekeep-
ing, an independent research project of
the International Peace Institute, based
in New York, the Elliott School at George

42 | Asian Military Review |


Washington University, in Washington
DC and the Asia-Pacific Centre for the Re-
sponsibility to Protect, at the University
of Queensland, Australia, the Indonesian
government has: “pledged to deploy 4000
peacekeepers and to reach the UN’s top
ten contributor list by 2019.” While Indo-
nesia first contributed to UN peacekeep-
ing activities during the 1950s, its support
became sparse during the presidency of
Suharto, who for 31 years from his as-
sumption of office in March 1967, focused
on his so-called New Order policies
which were aimed at strengthening the
military and controlling Indonesia’s vast
17000 island national territory.
Two significant contributions marked
Indonesia’s UN re-engagement; the first
between 1992 and 1994 when Indonesia
played a significant part in the Cambodian
peace process, contributing 200 peace-
keeping personnel to the United Nations
Transitional Authority in Cambodia (UN-
TAC); then in 2006 when it committed
1000 troops to five UN missions. The Cam-
bodian peace process commenced follow-
ing the end of the Cambodian-Vietnamese
War which raged between April 1977 and
October 1991. With the Indonesian Police
(POLRI/Kepolisian Republik Indonesia) also
being added to its UN deployments from
2007, the country’s reengagement with
UN peacekeeping has been confirmed.
On 28 September 2015 at the UN Leader’s
Peacekeeping Summit, the government
made a further commitment that an infan-
try battalion, a helicopter unit and a police
unit of 100 personnel (including 40 female
officers) would be made available to sup-
port peacekeeping operations. This repre-
sents a firm step away from support roles
(medical and engineering) towards a more
kinetic force deployment.
ASEAN
With economic momentum increasing
within the ten Association of Southeast
Asian Nations (ASEAN), there has not
been a similar increase in defence coop-
eration. As Providing for Peacekeeping
points out: “the peacekeeping force ini-
tiative did not gain much support within
ASEAN, in part because several countries
still held dear the ‘non-interference’ (in a
country’s internal affairs) principle.” The
establishment of an ASEAN Peacekeep-
ing Centres Network (APCN) has also
largely failed to gain traction. This lack of
common unity is one of the factors that
has allowed the PRC to pursue its South
China Sea strategy (see above), which has
been largely based on facing down each
of the countries that contest its island
building programme, principally Brunei-
Darussalam, Malaysia, the Philippines
and Vietnam, in their claimed portion of
the South China Sea.
While Indonesia’s territory in the
form of the Natuna Islands, located be-
tween Singapore and Borneo, lie on the
periphery of the Nine Dash Line, a visit
there by Indonesia’s President Joko Wido-
do (known informally as Jokowi) onboard
the Indonesian Navy (TNI-AL/Tentara
Nasional Indonesia-Angkatan Laut) ‘Kapi-
tan Patumira’ class covette KRI Imam Bon-
jol in June was designed to reaffirm his
government’s position. The PRC is fol-
lowing its tested policy of sending fishing
boats into the vicinity of the Natuna Is-
lands to contest Indonesia’s claim to a 200
nautical mile (370.4 kilometre) Economic
Exclusion Zone around the islands.
Providing for Peacekeeping asserts that
Mr. Widodo has so far adopted President
Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono’s (his prede-
cessor) defence policies: “the modernisa-
tion of its armed forces and acquisitions
of more sophisticated equipment and
weaponry are also contributing factors to
Indonesia’s growing capability to deploy
to complex and non-permissive mission
environments.” While this may have been
founded on the intention of the govern-
ment to deepen the country’s peacekeep-
ing footprint: “Indonesia is still keen to
shape its international image as that of a
positive middle power, and wants to be an
active contributor to peace and security.”
The Indonesian Navy has embarked on trials of
the first vessel in its ‘Martadinata’ class frigates. A
| november 2016 |
REGIONAL
M I L I T A R I E S
Modernisation
The Defence White Paper recognises that
the country is not in an “arms race” but
that its objectives include meeting the cur-
rent government’s: “effort to gain stan-
dard professionalism of defence forces
by referring to vision, mission … and the
Global Maritime Fulcrum (GMF) policy.
To establish GMF policy, the Government
needs to build maritime defence power
supported by satellite technology and
(Unmanned Aerial Vehicles)” Indonesia’s
weakness is her geographical spread as
the White Paper notes: “As a very open
archipelago, Indonesia has a number of
unresolved border issues. In addition,
Indonesia has 92 outermost islets; twelve
which require priority management so
the sovereignty and territorial integrity of
the Republic of Indonesia can be secured
optimally.”
This June the Indonesian government
agreed a rise of 9.2 percent to the 2016
defence budget with an additional $607.5
million, bringing the total to $8.28 billion.
It was indicated that the extra revenue
would be used for procurement and up-
grading military facilities, particularly
maritime locations such as those on the
Natuna Islands (see above). However, by
September this was virtually reversed as
defence cuts became necessary reducing
the budget back down to around $7.6 bil-
lion for the year.
Aware of US concerns over the PRC’s
South China Sea land grab, open media
sources recently reported that five TNI-AL
DSNS
second vessel will follow in the near future.
43
REGIONAL
M I L I T A R I E S
The Indonesian air force has invested
in its fast jet strike capability, with
the addition of five new F-16C/D
aircraft, with its manufacturer urging
the air force to take more of the jets.
officers travelled to Washington DC to dis-
cuss the availability of US Foreign Military
Financing (FMF) to assist with the upgrade
of its Natuna naval base, among others.
Additional media reports stated that Gen.
Ryacudu had announced the intention to
build and further upgrade several bases on
the Natuna Islands. The White Paper illus-
trates some of the areas where investment
will be made. For the TNI-AL it will ‘right
size’ personnel focusing on zero growth in
favour of quality personnel development.
The publication also lists the procurement
of: “warships, aircraft, marine combat ve-
hicles, sea special equipment and support
materials” and the disposal of ineffective
operational equipment.
The requirement for the Indonesian Air
Force (Tentara Nasional Indonesia-Angkatan
Udara /TNI–AU) envisages the blanket
improvement of all of its forces: “fighter,
transport, (dignitary), reconnaissance, he-
licopters, training, and unmanned, and
also radars, medium-range surface-to-air
missile units and short range anti-aircraft
batteries.” In terms of personnel, the White
Paper also focuses on quality over quantity
for the TNI-AU. The army too has a wide-
44
ranging requirement to replace older ki-
netic and non-kinetic systems and is also
looking to further improve the capabilities
and training of its soldiers.
Procurement
The Netherland’s Damen Schelde Naval
Shipbuilding (DSNS) announced that the
first of two ‘Martadinata’ class frigates,
destined for the TNI-AL completed her
sea trials on 7 September. Construction of
the warship began in January 2014 with
delivery of the first ship to the TNI-AL
expected by January 2017. The 105 metre
(344.4 feet), 2365 tonne frigates have been
designed to undertake several missions
including air defence, anti-surface and
anti-submarine warfare, in addition to
general maritime security and humanitar-
ian operations.
The trials began at the PT PAL ship-
yard in Surabaya, northeast Java, then the
ships sailed to the Java Sea for two weeks
of trials. According to a Damen statement,
that included the testing of “the weapons
system (Leonardo/OTO Melara 76mm
main gun, Rheinmetall Millenium close-
in weapons system, MBDA Mica surface-
| Asian Military Review |
Lockheed Martin
to-air missiles and MBDA MM40 Block-II
Exocet anti-shipping missiles), the vessel’s
naval surveillance radar (Thales MW08)
and the commissioning of the sonar
(Thales UMS-4132). Noise measurements
and cavitation observations were also car-
ried out.” The ships are being constructed
through a workshare agreement between
DSNS in the Netherlands and PT PAL
shipyard in Indonesia. The collaborative
method comprises six modules, four of
which are built at PT PAL. The remaining
two are transported from the Netherlands
for final assembly at Surabaya. More de-
tails regarding Indonesian naval procure-
ment can be found in Dr. Alix Valenti’s Fast
and Furious article in this issue.
Regarding the TNI-AU in September
2015, the force received an additional five
Lockheed Martin F-16C/D fighters from
the United States. This is part of an order
signed between the United States and
Indonesia in 2012 to refurbish and trans-
fer 24 existing F-16C/Ds to the air force.
However, Lockheed Martin continues to
press for the TNI-AU to upgrade to the F-
16V, the latest member of the F-16 Fight-
ing Falcon fighter family.
REGIONAL
M I L I T A R I E S
Indonesian investment into the army has
seen the force acquiring Leopard-2R1 main
battle tanks, as pictured here, alongside
Marder-1A3 infantry fighting vehicles.
During late summer, the army (Ten-
tara Nasional Indonesia-Angkatan Darat/
TNI–AD) took delivery of 24 Rheinme-
tall Leopard-2RI main battle tanks. This
was also the part completion of an order
originally signed in December 2012 for
modernised Leopard-2RI MBTs and 42
Marder-1A3 infantry fighting vehicles
(from a total of 103 tracked vehicles) as
well as a further eleven ex-German Army
armoured recovery and engineering vehi-
cles. The remaining 37 Leopard-2RI’s will
be delivered by the end of March 2017.
US FMS
The decision to sell Indonesia eight of
Boeing’s latest attack helicopter, the AH-
64E Guardian, in a contract awarded by
the US government through the Foreign
Military Sales (FMS) process, also ensures
that the Indonesian armed forces receive
a technology boost through the helicop-
ter’s inherent capability. Boeing's contract
was awarded on 26 January 2015 and was
valued at $295 million. The completion
date for the order is the end of February
2018. On 15 September Lockheed Martin
was awarded a $375 million contract to
supply AGM-114 Hellfire-II semi-active
laser homing/millimetric wave radar-
46
guided surface-to-air missiles to a num-
ber of countries including Indonesia. This
was via a further contact modification on
7 December for AGM-114 Hellfire-II mis-
sile hardware/component production.
On 12 February 2016, Elbit Systems of
America in Fort Worth, Texas, was award-
ed a $13 million modification contract for
300 Apache Aviator Integrated Helmets,
with Indonesia among the recipients.
On 10 March, the State Department
approved the FMS of AIM-120C-7 Ad-
vanced Medium-Range Air-to-Air Mis-
siles (AMRAAMs) active radar homing-
guided weapons, equipment, training
and logistics support. This followed a
request from the Indonesian government
for 36 AIM-120C-7 AMRAAMs together
with missile guidance equipment to-
gether with spares and logistical support.
The total value of the contract would be
around $95 million.
However, Europe and the US are not
the only sources of Indonesia’s search for
military procurement. The TNI-AU has
reportedly selected Russia’s Sukhoi Su-35
fighter as the replacement for its ageing
North American/Northrop Grumman
F-5E Tiger-II fighters although the sign-
ing of such a deal is still awaited. The PRC
| Asian Military Review |
Rheinmetall
too is in the export business to Indonesia.
Somewhat ironically the Indonesian Ma-
rine Corps (Korps Marinir/KORMAR)
staged test firing demonstrations of its
new anti-aircraft artillery system during
August; the China North Industries’ Type
90 twin-barrelled 35mm weapon. The
guns, which were delivered during July,
were tested against target drones accord-
ing to the Korps Marinir. The guns are de-
ployed in batteries of four controlled by a
dedicated fire-control radar.
Challenges
While there are many good government
intentions to modernise the Indonesian
armed forces, the path ahead is not an
easy one. Coordinating procurement is a
major challenge with both political and
military leaderships often stovepiped into
areas of self interest. The financial fluctua-
tion of the economy continues to hinder
a decisive commitment to an established
procurement process over time on a wide
and organised scale. Furthermore there is
always the inherent concern among those
who have ruled the country for the last 50
years that the most serious threat to the
status quo is still most likely to come from
within their own country. AMR
 Images courtesy of www.defencephotography.com
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INTERNATIONAL
PAVILIONS
Regional News
and Developments
s o u t h a s i a
Asia-Pacific Procurement Update
Pakistan’s Navy
Launches New Oiler
Pakistan’s state-owned
Karachi Shipyard and Engi-
neering Works (KSEW) on
19 August launched a 17000
tonne oiler for the Pakistan
Navy (PN); the country’s
largest-ever indigenously
built ship. The PN Fleet
Tanker, as the programme
to build the vessel is known,
was launched from the com-
pany’s facilities in Karachi,
in the presence of Pakistan’s
Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif.
It appears that the ship is still
yet to be named.
The vessel is the product
of a collaboration between
the Pakistani Ministry of De-
New Fighters for
Sri Lanka
The Sri Lankan govern-
ment has announced that it
intends to issue a Request For
Information (RFI) in support
of a programme to procure
new fighter aircraft. The an-
nouncement came after Sri
Lanka’s President, Maithri-
pala Sirisena and his cabinet
gave their formal approval
48
by Pierre Delrieu
fence and Turkey’s STM De-
fence, which supplied KSEW
with pre-manufactured mate-
rial for the vessel. According
to specifications provided
by KSEW, the oiler is 158.4
metres/m (520ft/feet) long
and has a maximum width of
22m (72ft). Powered by two
diesel engines driving two
variable pitch propellers, it
can achieve a top speed of
20 knots (37 kilometres per
hour). It features a helicopter
deck for vertical replenish-
ment. The company does not
however give details regard-
ing the ship’s cargo capacity,
although images published
on KSEW’s website show
two replenishment-at-sea
for the solicitation of offers
from foreign aircraft manu-
facturers for the procurement
of a number of new aircraft
and associated weapons
through an inter-government
agreement on 11 August.
Speaking to a national
news outlet during a press
briefing, the government’s
cabinet spokesperson Gayan-
tha Karunathilaka reported
| Asian Military Review |
masts on each side of the
vessel.
The agreement to procure
the ship from STM Defence
was signed by Pakistan’s
Ministry of Defence Produc-
tion (MODP), which overseas
defence procurement, in
January 2013. Steel for the
ship was cut in November
2013, and the vessel’s keel
was laid a few months later,
in March 2014. Once com-
missioned, she will be a key
element of the PN’s auxiliary
support fleet, tasked with
refuelling and replenishing
warships.
Following the launch
of the PN’s new ship, Mr.
Sharif expressed hope that
that the programme would
include the acquisition of
between eight and twelve
new aircraft. Although the
government has yet to make
a decision on the supplier
and type of aircraft, Mr. Ka-
runathilaka was quoted as
saying that the Sri Lankan
Air Force (SLAF) currently
requires new fighters to
boost its ageing inventories,
as well as to maintain mari-
time security and face any
unforeseen threat.
The cabinet spokesperson
revealed that only one of the
SLAF’s seven Israel Aircraft
Industries (IAI) Kfir-C2/C7
fighters, which were acquired
in the 1990s, was still currently
operational. As for the six
remaining MiG-27 fighters ac-
quired in the early 2000’s and
about seven Chengdu Aviation
Industry Corporation (CAIC)
J-7 fighters, none are currently
operational, he added, con-
cluding that “the government
will consider any offers and
select a suitable (aircraft)”.
The announcement of the
Pakistan would develop its
collaboration with Turkey
to build more vessels at the
Karachi shipyard, saying that
the oiler was a symbol of
the ‘time-tested’ friendship
between Pakistan and Turkey.
Mr. Sharif also congratulated
and thanked the MODP, the
Pakistan Navy, STM Defence
and the KSEW for complet-
ing the vessel ahead of time.
Together with the People’s
Republic of China, Turkey
has been playing a signifi-
cant role in the modernisa-
tion of Pakistan’s navy; a role
that has been increasingly
noticeable in recent years, as
the PN seeks to diversify its
sources of supply.
RFI coincided with a two-
day visit to Sri Lanka of the
Pakistan Air Force’s (PAF)
chief of the air staff Air Chief
Marshal Sohail Aman, as
Pakistan continues to pitch
its Pakistan Aeronautical
Complex (PAC)/CAIC JF-17
Thunder fighter to the SLAF.
As AMR reported in
March, Sri Lanka had
dropped a $400 million deal
earlier this year to procure
eight to twelve JF-17 fight-
ers from Pakistan; a decision
that came after Pakistan
failed to offer an acceptable
financial package to support
the aircraft’s acquisition and
after its regional rival India
objected to the agreement.
New Delhi had allegedly
sent Colombo a diplomatic
communication, which
included a negative techni-
cal assessment of the aircraft
and claimed that the SLAF
did not need the fighters. At
the same time, India offered
to sell Sri Lanka its Hindu-
stan Aeronautics Limited
LCA Tejas fighters.
Regional News
and Developments
southeast asia
Philippines receives
first of TEN
Japan-built MRRVs
The Japanese govern-
ment has delivered the first
of ten Japanese-built ‘Parola’
class Offshore Patrol Vessels
(OPVs) the BRP Tubbataha, to
the Philippines’ Coast Guard
(PCG) on 18 August.
BRP Tubbataha was built
by Japan’s Maritime United
Corporation (JMUC) in
the company’s Yokohama
shipyard, and is part of a
$191 million order for ten
platforms signed by the
Philippines’ Department of
Transportation and Com-
munications (DOTC) and the
JMUC in 2015. The comple-
tion of the order and delivery
of the final vessel is sched-
uled for 2018.
With an overall length
of 44 metres/m (144 feet/ft)
and of width of 7.5m (23ft),
according to specifications
Keel laid for
Singapore’s fourth
corvette
Singapore’s Ministry of
Defence confirmed on 31
August that the country’s
shipbuilder ST Marine has
laid the keel for its fourth
‘Independence’ class corvette
for the Republic of Singapore
Navy (RSN).
Part of an eight-vessel
contract signed in January
2013 between Singapore’s
government and ST Marine,
the platform was laid on 26
May at ST Marine’s Jurong
50
provided by the manufacturer,
the MRRVs can accommodate
a crew of 25, including five of-
ficers. Powered by two MTU
12V 4000 M93L diesel engines,
the vessels have a reported
cruising speed of 15 knots (27
kilometres-per-hour) and a
range of 1500 nautical miles
(2778 kilometres).
The PCG’s new vessel,
along with the nine more to
be delivered over the coming
years, are capable of being de-
ployed in a range of missions,
from rescue, and environmen-
tal protection to maritime law
enforcement. The ships will
also serve as rapid response
platforms for humanitar-
ian relief operations, for the
transport of personnel and for
logistical support.
On 14 September, the
Philippines’ head of state
President Rodrigo Duterte ap-
proved the acquisition of two
additional OPVs expected
shipyard. The
RSS Independence
and RSS Sover-
eignty, the first
and second of the
‘Independence’
class vessels, were
launched respec-
tively on July 2015
and April 2016 and
all eight platforms
are on track to
be operational
by 2020. On 25
January 2016 ST Marine an-
nounced it had laid down the
third ‘Independence’ class
corvette, which has yet to
complete sea trials.
Singapore’s new corvettes
were jointly designed by Saab
and ST Marine and were
ordered to replace the RSN’s
aging fleet of eleven ‘Fear-
less’ class corvettes, in service
with the country’s navy since
the mid-1990s. The RSN’s
new vessels are larger in size
than their ‘Fearless’ class pre-
decessors and they are also
considerably faster and with
| Asian Military Review |
to be delivered between
November 2020 and March
2021. These new ships will
considerably improve the
PCG’s capabilities to survey
and protect the country’s
maritime interests: The Phil-
ippines is locked in a mari-
time and territorial dispute
with the People’s Republic of
China (PRC) in the South Chi-
na Sea and has been looking
an extended range.
With a length of 80
metres/m (262 feet/ft), a
beam of twelve metres (39ft),
and a draught of three metres
(nine feet), the 1250-tonne
platforms are powered by
two MTU 20V 4000 M93
diesel engines, allowing
them to attain top speeds of
over 27 knots (50 kilometres-
per-hour), with a standard
range of 3500 nautical miles
(6482 kilometres) at 15 knots
(27km/h). The ‘Independence’
class can accommodate a
crew of 23, including five
officers, and is equipped for a
mission endurance of 14 days.
In terms of weaponry,
the ships are equipped with
one Leonardo/OTO Melara
76/62 Super Rapid main gun,
two Leonardo/OTO Melara
Hitrole 12.7mm remote-
controlled weapon stations
located on each side, and one
Rafael Advanced Defence
Systems 25mm Typhoon sta-
bilised naval gun system. The
ships are also furnished with
to strengthen its naval and
coast guard fleets, but these
are still considerably dwarfed
by Beijing’s military capabili-
ties. The PCG’s vessels will
reportedly be deployed off
the Philippines’ west coast,
where Manila claims jurisdic-
tion of several maritime areas
under the PRC’s control such
as the Scarborough Shoal and
Reed Bank.
a twelve-cell vertical launch-
ing system capable of firing
MBDA’s VL Mica surface-
to-air missiles. The vessel
can also accommodate one
medium-lift utility helicopter
on its flight deck, and has a
launch and recovery system
for two rigid hull inflatable
boats or an unmanned surface
vessel at its stern.
The RSN’s new corvettes
represent a significant mile-
stone in the country’s contin-
ued transformation to keep
its maritime territories safe.
Faster, more versatile, and
equipped with sharper capa-
bilities than their predeces-
sors, according to Singapore’s
Ministry of Defence the new
vessels can be quickly config-
ured to take on a wide rang
of operations, from counter-
piracy to disaster relief and
humanitarian assistance.
They will serve to further
fortify the RSN’s efficiency in
maritime defence and in the
protection of Singapore’s sea
lines of communication.
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Regional News
and Developments
e a s t a s i a
Catapults for
the PLAN’s
new aircraft carrier
The People’s Republic of
China’s (PRC) third aircraft
carrier being planned for the
People’s Liberation Army
Navy (PLAN) will include
significant modifications
Taiwan Orders Addi-
tional UH-60s
Sikorsky has been
awarded a $135.4 million
Foreign Military Sales (FMS)
contract by the Republic of
China Army (ROCA) for the
manufacture of 24 Sikorsky
UH-60M Black Hawk me-
dium-lift utility helicopters.
The procurement, announced
on 1 September by the US
Department of Defence (DoD)
quoted a unit cost of $5.6
million per helicopter, given
the contract value and the
number of helicopters on
order. A fully configured UH-
60M has a unit price usually
of $20 million, which would
suggest this FMS deal is an
initial agreement with follow-
on contracts to follow.
The 24 additional UH-
60Ms will be delivered to
52
compared to the country’s
first indigenous aircraft
carrier, the ‘Type 001A’ class
which is currently under
construction. The second
domestically-designed and
constructed ship is expected
to include catapults and
traps as distinct from the
Taiwan’s Air Cavalry Bri-
gades under the Aviation and
Special Forces Command by
8 October 2018. These aircraft
are part of a wider order to
Sikorsky for a total of 60 UH-
60Ms at a cost of $3.1 billion
placed in 2011. The first four
platforms were delivered in
December 2014, and deliver-
ies are still ongoing in batches
of seven units.
The UH-60Ms are set to
replace Taiwan’s Bell UH-1
Huey family light utility he-
licopters, which have been in
service with the island’s army
since 1969. Previous reports
stated that 15 of the 60 UH-
60Ms on order will be allo-
cated to the country’s Interior
Ministry’s National Airborne
Service and serve in disaster
relief and emergency roles.
In addition to the 60 units to
| Asian Military Review |
ski-jump flight step in the construction of a
deck configura- navy capable of global power
tion used on its projection.”
two previous Another photograph,
aircraft carriers; released on 15 September,
one of which is a shows that the PRC is also
‘Kuznetsov’ class developing and flight testing
vessel formerly a new variant of the Shenyang
of the Russian Aircraft Corporation J-15
Navy. The specu- fighter, which appears
lation on the new to have received modifications
carrier common- to its front undercarriage for
ly referred to as CATOBAR (Catapult-Launch,
Type 002 follows But Assisted Recovery)
the publica- operations.
tion on Chinese Although there is no
online forums official confirmation of the
in late August programme at the moment,
of a photograph nor visible evidence that
of the country’s would indicate that construc-
land-based tion of the vessel has begun at
aircraft carrier the Jiangnan Changxingdao
mock-up. shipyard near Shanghai, re-
Speaking to ports suggest that production
AMR, Rick Fisher, of the aircraft carrier’s initial
senior fellow at the Interna- modules is already in prog-
tional Assessment and Strat- ress. Furthermore, satellite
egy Centre, in Alexandria, imagery captured on 20 June
Virginia, said: “it is expected by Airbus’ defence and space
that the third carrier, perhaps division shows that significant
to be built in Shanghai, will progress was being made on
probably use steam-powered the construction of two land-
catapults.  The third carrier based catapults for testing and
will represent the PRC’s next training.
be fielded by the army, the with a fleet with includes 29
Republic of China Air Force McDonnell Douglas/Boe-
currently operates 16 Sikor- ing AH-64D Apache attack
sky S-70C Black Hawks in helicopters, nine Boeing
the search-and-rescue role. CH-47SD Chinook heavy-
The country’s Aviation and lift helicopters and 61 Bell
Special Forces Command has AH-1W Super Cobra attack
three Air Cavalry Brigades, helicopters.

Australia shortlists
CRV Competitors
The Australian Depart-
ment of Defence (DoD) an-
nounced on 28 July that it had
narrowed down to two the
list of contenders to supply
the Australian Army with 225
New Zealand seeks
to acquire fixed-wing
transport capability
New Zealand’s Minis-
try of Defence (MOD) has
released a Request For In-
formation (RFI), dubbed the
Future Air Mobility Capabil-
ity (FAMC), as the country is
looking for fixed-wing trans-
ports to replace its Boeing
757-200 and Lockheed Martin
C-130H Hercules turbofan
transports and turboprop
freighters within the next five
years. Another RFI, dubbed
the Future Air Surveillance
Capability (FASC) was also
issued to replace the Royal
New Zealand Air Force’s
(RNZAF) Lockheed Martin
P-3K2 Orion maritime patrol
new wheeled Combat Recon-
naissance Vehicles (CRVs).
Kim Gillis, the Austra-
lian deputy secretary of the
DoD’s Capability Acquisi-
tion and Sustainment Group
published a statement saying
that the BAE Systems AMV-
aircraft, which are due to be
retired in the mid-2020s.
The FAMC RFI states that
the country seeks to replace
the RNZAF’s current five C-
130Hs and two 757-200s with
a “no less than … equivalent”
capability. The document
also specifies that the C-130H
replacement should be
delivered by February 2020,
with an Initial Operational
Capability (IOC) for February
2021 and a full operational
capability “no later than
2024.” As for the replacement
of the 757-200, the first new
aircraft will be “required” by
February 2025, with an IOC
scheduled for February 2026.
The potential number of
aircraft options and contend-
| november 2016 |
Regional News
and
35 and Rheinmetall’s Boxer
armoured vehicles were
selected as potential succes-
sors to the General Dynamics’
Australian Light Armoured
Vehicle (ASLAV) eight-wheel
drive vehicles currently in
service. The two platforms
ers for the RNSAF’s FAMC is
limited, especially with the
Boeing C-17A Globemaster-
III turbofan freighter out of
production. This would leave
Airbus’ A400M and C-295;
Lockheed Martin’s C-130J
Hercules, the Kawasaki C-2;
Leonardo/Alenia Aermacchi
C-27J Spartan and the Em-
braer KC-390 turbofan and
turboprop freighters as pos-
sible candidates.
Regarding the FASC RFI,
seeking to replace the six up-
graded P-3K2 Orions currently
in service with the RNZAF,
it states that New Zealand:
“seeks information on plat-
forms and services that could
potentially contribute to solu-
tions for Defence to be able to
Developments
shortlisted for the CRV
requirement are also eight
wheel drive vehicles but offer
better protection and mobility
over the Australian Army’s
current ASLAVs.
The acquisition is part of
the larger Land-400 pro-
gramme designed to replace
Australia’s entire infantry
fighting vehicle fleet. The
Australian requirement for
the second phase of the Land-
400 requirement which covers
the Australian Army’s
Mounted Combat Reconnais-
sance Capability programme
is for 225 vehicles, in seven
variants.
The AMV-35 and Boxer
were selected from a list of
contenders which included
the General Dynamics Light
Assault Vehicle and Singapore
Technologies (ST) and Elbit
Systems’ Sentinel II, based
on ST’s Terrex 3. In the early
stage of the selection, the
French manufacturer Nexter
was also one of the contend-
ers, with an upgraded version
of its VBCI eight wheel drive
vehicle, but withdrew from
the competition following the
Australian decision to limit
their selection to operation-
ally proven systems.
continue to provide the New
Zealand Government with
air surveillance operations
beyond the withdrawal of the
current P-3K2 Orion capability,
planned for the middle of the
next decade.” The document
also stipulates that the FASC
operational concept: “will be
largely a continuation of the
extant P-3K2 Orion based
concept, adapted to exploit
any greater platform and ca-
pability systems performance
of the FASC fleet and support
systems.” Also, it continues:
“The capacity of FASC to de-
liver at least the current rates
of effort, between 2500 to 3200
hours of airborne operations
per year, is expected from the
project.”
53
 Global Industrial & Defence Solutions (GIDS) is Pakistan’s pre-
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