March 17, 2014 Strategy Page
 

India is upgrading 600 of its Russian T-90 tanks with new electronics (navigation systems, thermal sights and fire control computers) and air conditioning at a cost of about $42,000 per tank. The main reason for air conditioning in the tanks is not the crew, but the electronics. Russia was asked to develop and install air conditioning but were unable to create a system that could handle the Indian climate. That failure caused a lot of damage to the Russian and foreign made electronics in the Indian T-90s, thus the need for these changes.

One of the most obvious reasons for this upgrade was the heat related problems. Despite years of effort India was unable to get the thermal imaging systems to operate reliably on its T-90 tanks. Most of the thermal imagers on the T-90s were down at any one time. The problem was eventually found to be heat, and the 40 degree (Celsius/104 Fahrenheit) heat is unavoidable because it's a desert area where Indian T-90s have to be stationed. The Indians paid $2.6 million for each tank (half the price of the U.S. M-1). Some 20 percent of the cost was for the thermal sight, similar to the one that makes the U.S. M-1 tank so effective on the battlefield. Unfortunately, tests of the T-90 revealed that the thermal sight system could not handle the heat of Indian summers once the air conditioning failed. Much of the border between India and Pakistan is desert, and most of India's armored units are stationed there. The problem is that while the T-90 had Russian developed air conditioning (something new in Russian tanks), it cannot handle the 100+ degree heat in tropical India. The Russians were unable to develop a suitable upgrade because there was no room inside the tank to install a more powerful, but larger, cooling system. The American M-1 air conditioning has been able to handle extreme heat, so the Indians knew it could be done and eventually found a supplier who could build a system that worked and fit into the space available.

The T-90 went into low level production in 1993, but was too expensive for the Russian army to buy more than a few of them. India eventually became the biggest user. The T-90 is based on the T-72, but has composite armor (plus reactive armor) and better electronics. The 50 ton tank uses a 125mm smooth bore gun, and can also fire the 9M119M Refleks-M missile (to 4,000 meters) at ground or air (helicopter) targets. The tank carries 43 tank shells or missiles, 22 of them in the autoloader carousel. India agreed to buy 310 T-90s initially and is to have over 1,600 of them by the end of the decade, most of them assembled in India using Russian made parts.

 One big reason India bought the T-90 is the 9M119 (AT-11) anti-tank missile, which weighs 23.6 kg (52 pounds), has a range of 100-4,000 meters and uses semi-automatic laser beam guidance system (the gunner keeps his sight on the target and the missile homes in on that.) Maximum time of flight is about 12 seconds. While the missile has a tandem warhead, making it useful against tanks with reactive armor, it can also be used against helicopters. The missile warhead can penetrate about 700mm of armor. The guidance system is quite accurate, hitting the target 80 percent of the time at maximum range in tests. The guidance system is also easy to use, making less well trained crews more effective. However, India insisted on building the missiles under license. This has created problems, as the Indian manufacturer has not been able to achieve sufficient quality control levels.

India deployed its first T-90 regiment (45 tanks) in May, 2002. The first T-90s were delivered to India in late November 2001. When they work, the T-90s are more than a match for anything the Pakistanis or Chinese have.

MOSCOU, 31 mars - RIA Novosti

L'Inde compte créer prochainement un nouveau corps alpin de choc comptant 90.000 hommes, qui devrait être déployé à la frontière chinoise, a annoncé le 25 mars le commandant de l'armée de terre indienne Bikram Singh. A ces fins, il est selon lui nécessaire de débloquer plus de 3 milliards de dollars supplémentaires dans le budget militaire pour compenser le déficit de munitions, écrit lundi le quotidien Izvestia.

New Delhi redoute l'escalade du conflit frontalier avec la Chine en raison du litige autour d'un territoire de 140.000 km². C'est la raison pour laquelle le nouveau corps alpin représenterait une force conséquente: 32 bataillons d'infanterie appuyés par trois divisions blindées, l'artillerie et la défense antiaérienne. Il devrait recevoir des chars russes T-90S, des obusiers M777 et des hélicoptères Apache américains, ainsi que des systèmes de défense antiaérienne israéliens.

L'argent pour la création de ce corps arrivera à partir du 1er avril, le début de l'année fiscale en Inde. Son armement complet devrait s'achever d'ici 2019. Mais uniquement si le budget alloué est suffisant.

Selon le général Bikram Singh, si le budget n'était pas revu à la hausse, les "troupes atteindront la capacité de mener des opérations militaires en 40 jours", au lieu de 20, tel que prévu par les directives.

Ali Ahamed, de l'Institut des études stratégiques et de défense, a rappelé que Bikram Singh n'était pas le premier général indien à pointer les sérieuses lacunes de l'état opérationnel de l'armée.

"Son prédécesseur Vijay Kumar Singh avait écrit il y a deux ans une lettre à ce sujet au premier ministre. La fuite de cette lettre dans la presse avait provoqué un scandale au sein de l'establishment indien. Le général a été accusé de haute trahison pour avoir rendu publiques ces informations, certains ayant pointé la motivation politique de son acte. Effectivement, immédiatement après sa démission, il avait rejoint l'opposition. Cependant, on peut difficilement reprocher au commandant actuel de l'armée de terre d'être déloyal", a-t-il déclaré.

"Des achats de nouveaux armements sont prévus ces prochaines années: du matériel d'artillerie, des systèmes de défense sol-air, des canons antichars et des hélicoptères d'attaque. Evidemment, ils auront besoin de nouveaux modèles de munitions. C'est la raison pour laquelle les 3 milliards de dollars sont nécessaires dès aujourd'hui, et pas dans les années à venir", a expliqué l'état-major de l'armée de terre.

Toutefois, l'allocation des fonds ne règlera pas le problème à elle seule. Le représentant de la chambre de commerce et d'industrie Arvind Kumar estime qu'il est nécessaire de fixer au niveau gouvernemental une directive exigeant, en cas d'achat d'armements étrangers, la production en Inde des munitions destinées à ces armements.

"Cela réduirait significativement leur prix et permettrait de gérer efficacement les réserves stratégiques et d'organiser des exercices militaires à moindre coût. A l'heure actuelle, l'Inde dispose d'une quarantaine d'entreprises qui pourraient participer à cette tâche. Cependant, une modernisation en profondeur de ces dernières s'imposerait", a déclaré Arvind Kumar.

Etant donné que 70% des armements de l'Inde sont des systèmes soviétiques et russes, il conviendra de régler la question des achats de munitions en collaboration avec Moscou.

The Swave radio is capable of hosting various waveforms interoperable with both existing and future systems. Photo courtesy of Selex ES S.p.A - A Finmeccanica Company

28 March 2014 army-technology.com

Selex has been awarded two contracts worth €60m for the supply of SWave software defined radios (SDR) and tactical mobility night vision goggles (TM-NVG) for the Italian Army's Soldato Futuro programme.

Under the first contract, the company will supply 2,726 radio SDR hand-helds to the Italian Army's light infantry troops. This first batch is part of the lot envisaged for the next five to six years.

The second contract covers delivery of 2,726 TM-NVGs, a third-generation binocular device designed to provide advanced equipment for the nocturnal tactical mobility of the Future Soldier.

The Swave radio is said to be capable of hosting various wave forms interoperable with both existing and future systems, which permits the realisation of effective economies of scale for the customer, with regard to logistical support.

Designed to display all the information and map data provided by the command and control (C2) system on the eye-piece, the TM-NVG is also fitted with an integrated camera that can return the observed scene to the C2 system.

Hardware and software developments are expected to provide additional functions and individual navigation capability to the soldier to further enhance their mobility in low-visibility conditions.

The TM-NVG is also integrated in the NIMOS night mobility system, 558 units of which are currently being supplied by Selex to the Italian Army as part of the Forza NEC programme.

Jointly developed by Selex and the Italian Army, the Soldato Futuro programme seeks complete a modernisation of Italian soldiers' systems and equipment, thereby aligning their operating capacities with current and future scenarios requirements.

27/03/2014 Armée de Terre

Le général d'armée de VILLIERS, chef d'état-major des Armées (CEMA) a choisi, pour sa première visite officielle à l'armée de Terre, de se rendre à Mailly le camp, le 24 mars 2014. En sa qualité de chef des opérations militaires, le CEMA vient à la rencontre des militaires qui seront déployés prochainement au Mali. A l'occasion de cette journée, l'armée de Terre présente au CEMA le processus de préparation opérationnelle des forces terrestres. En s'appuyant sur la déclinaison d'une séquence d'ordres, les présentations et démonstrations vont immerger le CEMA dans les opérations de la bande sahélo-saharienne.

March 26, 2014. David Pugliese - Defence Watch

By Sébastian Lacasse, Battle Captain, D Squadron, and Samantha Bayard, Canadian Army Public Affairs

Gap, Hautes-Alpes, FRA — A new association between the 4e Régiment de Chasseurs (4ème RCh) of the French Army and D Squadron of the 12e Régiment Blindé du Canada (12 RBC) took shape during an exchange of units named Exercise CHEVALIER TRICOLORE from March 10 to 25.

Fifty lucky members of D Squadron (D Sqn) were the very first to be able to take advantage of the exchange. They had the opportunity to go to France to meet their counterparts in the 4ème RCh, stationed in the town of Gap in the Hautes-Alpes region of France. A town of 40,000 inhabitants, Gap is located 750 m above sea level. Its ideal geographical position makes it a crossroads of the major tourist routes in the Alps. The 4ème RCh is a reconnaissance regiment of the 27ème Brigade d’Infanterie de Montagne. It is made up of three armoured squadrons, one reconnaissance and anti-tank squadron, one headquarters and logistics squadron and one reserve squadron.

“The purpose of the exchange is to create a ‘contact area’ to get to know each other and share know-how. The idea is not to plan additional activities, but to choose exercises in the regiment’s training program that would be of mutual interest and to add foreign participation. That makes training more exciting for units but does not require a large additional investment. It’s a win-win proposition,” says Lieutenant-Colonel Nicolas Lallemand de Driésen. LCol Lallemand de Driésen is the French Army’s liaison officer to the Canadian Army. He has been at Army HQ in Ottawa since August 2012 on a three-year posting. He also looks after training for foreign forces in Canada.

The splendour of the alpine vistas left D Sqn members in awe. They received a warm welcome—facilitated by a common language—from their French counterparts at Quartier Général Guillaume, the home of the 4e Régiment de Chasseurs. Strong cohesion quickly grew between the members of D Sqn and those of the 4e Régiment de chasseurs, thanks in part to a sports match that allowed everyone to demonstrate their abilities. Once the introductions were over, training began.

The first thing our French brothers in arms had planned for their Quebecois cousins was a demonstration of their duty weapons (FAMAS and PAMAS) and a firing drill so that we could try them out. D Sqn members took the opportunity to familiarize themselves with the weapons and also to demonstrate their firing skills. That was followed by a variety of presentations on the history of the regiment, stands to display their new weapon, a demonstration of their fire simulator and a practical gunnery workshop using it. D Sqn members also had a chance to operate French armoured vehicles, including their Light Armoured Vehicle (LAV) and the Engin de Reconnaissance Canon de 90 mm (ERC 90), a six-wheeled all-terrain vehicle.

At the end of the first week, D Sqn was able to attend lessons on more specific mountain methods and techniques, which were quickly put into practice during mountain training.

The second week started with a trip to the mountain military post followed by a ski evaluation, but not just any ski evaluation—one on a ski trail in the Alps. Once the initiation was over, there were lessons for refining skiing techniques.
 

The first cross-country skiing outing proved to be a tough physical challenge for D Sqn members. The approximately 10-km course, with a 500-metre difference in altitude, was a real shock for some participants, who were used to flatter terrain. A number of mountain excursions, of varying difficulty, were organized over the following days. The cross-country ski climbs, sometimes steep, sometimes over more hilly terrain, were always a stiff challenge for the members of D Sqn. Exercise CHEVALIER TRICOLORE came to an end on a note of camaraderie between the Canadians and French, who exchanged gifts, ranks and berets as souvenirs of their shared adventures.

The Franco-Canadian military relationship remains strong.

“The Franco-Canadian military relationship has a long history. It used to be facilitated by the fact that our forces were located close to each other in Germany and by the many contacts that were established between the Canadian and French regiments. The structural reorganizations that took place after the Cold War and the intense operational tempo related to operations in Afghanistan led to a gradual reduction in joint activities,” explained LCol Lallemand de Driésen.

“However, in 2010, General Natynczyck and Admiral Guillaud decided to strengthen the military relationship, and in 2013, French Prime Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault and Prime Minister Stephan Harper gave it further impetus when they signed an interdepartmental bilateral agreement, which includes defence matters.”

The D Sqn members returned from France with new and enhanced skills and memories that will last a lifetime. They have already begun making preparations to welcome members of 4ème RCh to Valcartier next winter.

Exercice CHEVALIER TRICOLORE : soldats canadiens dans les Alpes françaises

26/03/2014 J. SEVERIN - Armée de Terre

L’École militaire de Saumur a organisé en son sein le forum SIMOPS consacré aux outils de simulation opérationnelle.

Simulation aux tirs, à l’aviation… de nombreux outils étaient présentés lors de ce forum. Pourquoi ? Parce que la simulation est une étape cruciale dans l’entraînement des militaires, notamment lors de leurs préparations pour les opérations sur les théâtres extérieurs. Il s’agit du premier pas du soldat vers le terrain, il est donc indispensable de rendre ces outils les plus réalistes possible. Le forum a également permis aux concepteurs et aux utilisateurs d’échanger sur les futures améliorations qui seront apportées aux machines.

25/03/2014 J. SEVERIN - Armée de Terre

Du 10 au 22 mars, huit équipages du 1er régiment de chasseurs étaient à Canjuers, pour un exercice de tir à partir de blindés ERC 90 Sagaie. Un premier rendez-vous opérationnel pour les chasseurs de Conti Cavalerie, habituellement sur chars Leclerc, avant la projection d’un escadron en Côte d’Ivoire, en octobre 2014, sur ces blindés légers.

L’objectif fixé par le commandant du 2e escadron était d’évaluer ses hommes après 2 mois de formation sur Sagaie. Pour le BCH Yohann Beal, occupant depuis 9 ans le poste de tireur au sein d’un équipage et déjà projeté sur ce blindé au Tchad, au Sénégal et en Côte d’Ivoire : « L’ERC 90 Sagaie fait plus appel aux fondamentaux du tir et sa prise en main est beaucoup plus manuelle que le Leclerc. Pour moi, la préparation du tir en amont est nécessaire car ce blindé n’est pas équipé de capteurs. Mais s’y adapter n’est pas très difficile pour les équipages Leclerc et nous retirons autant de satisfactions. »

Au total, 100 obus de 90mm et plus 4 000 cartouches de 7,62 et de 12,7 mm ont été tirés par les chasseurs sur le pas de tir des Amandiers et sur le parcours de tirs de Lagne, de jour comme de nuit.

Repousser ses limites en apnée tout en progressant alourdi par l'équipement.

24/03/2014 Armée de Terre

En tous temps en tous lieux nos soldats doivent se préparer intensivement. Au programme du parcours nautique, 8 obstacles répartis sur une centaine de mètres. Dessus-dessous, filet d’apnée, échelle de rail, plan incliné, les obstacles s’enchaînent sans répit au Centre d’Instruction et d’Aguerrissement Nautique à la Réunion. Instantanés de soldats en plein effort aquatique à découvrir dans cet album de photos inédites…

Mar 19, 2014 ASDNews Source : Indra

With this new order, the Armed Forces will have 22 simulators for preparing international missions. The system developed at the Centre of Excellence in LeA3n has proven to be an effective training tool

The Ministry of Defence has awarded Indra a contract to provide seven new Victrix shooting simulators that will be installed at various Army barracks and bases. The systems, which will be delivered throughout the year, will be combined with actual training to help improve soldier preparedness.

The systems have been developed at Indra's Centre of Excellence in León and will join 15 other simulators that Indra delivered to the Army in previous years. These systems have proven to be effective training tools. Indra is one of the leading simulator manufacturers in the world and it has delivered 200 simulators in 23 countries for more than 50 customers.

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19.03.2014 Boris Pavlichtchev - La Voix de la Russie

L’armée russe sera bientôt dotée d'une tenue individuelle de combat sous le nom de Ratnik.

Il s'agit d'une tenue à armements et liaisons intégrés, si bien que chaque combattant se transforme en « soldat du futur » dans toute l’acception du terme, et est capable d’exécuter seul des missions. Cette tenue accroît de façon spectaculaire l’efficacité des unités engagées dans les zones de conflits locaux ou les opérations anti-terroristes.

La tenue de combat Ratnik comporte une quarantaine d’éléments et pèse 20 kilos, mais on peut s’en débarrasser en quelques secondes. Selon Igor Korotchenko, rédacteur en chef de la revue Défense nationale, la nouvelle tenue est parfaitement adaptée aux besoins de l’armée russe :

« Elle n’équipera que les unités composés de soldats de métier qui sont les plus aptes au combat. Les liaisons et communications se font via le système russe de positionnement par satellite GLONASS et les postes émetteurs-récepteurs sont de fabrication russe. Il en va de même des armes, des appareils de vision nocturne et de l’uniforme. »

Cinquante entreprises russes ont pris part à la conception de Ratnik, qui est en fait une combinaison en fibres synthétiques respirantes et qu’on peut porter sans l'enlever pendant deux jours d’affilée. Le tissu protège du feu et des petits éclats, et rend le soldat invisible aux rayons infrarouges captés par les appareils de vision nocturne.

Le gilet pare-balles n’est plus en titane mais en plaques céramiques armées de kevlar, que même un fusil à lunette ne peut pas percer. Sa version pour les marins tient lieu de gilet de sauvetage. Le combattant a également besoin d'un casque, mais le cas échéant, ce dernier, fait en matériaux composites, est équipé d’une caméra vidéo pour enregistrer le déroulement du combat ainsi que d’un petit écran jumelé avec le viseur, ce qui permet de viser dans n’importe quelle position. La décision concernant le type d’arme principale, un fusil d’assaut, n’a pas encore été prise.

C’est lors du prochain conseil d’experts de la Commission militaro-industriel, qui doit se réunir au mois de mai, que sera décidé le sort de Ratnik.  

February 24, 2014 by Shiv Aroor - Livefist

DRDO Statement: Akash, the indigenously designed developed and produced surface to air missile for the Indian Army was once again successfully flight tested today at the Integrated Test Range (ITR), Chandipur. These were part of a series of trials being conducted in various engagement modes from the first of the production model system being produced to equip two regiments of the Indian Army. Both, today’s flight destroying a target in receding ting mode, as well as the one conducted on 21st Feb 2014 (video) destroying an approaching target, fully met mission objectives. A few more trials are planned in different engagement modes.

The multi target, multi directional, all weather air-defence system consisting of surveillance and tracking radars, control centres and ground support systems mounted on high mobility vehicles for the Army version of Akash is designed to enable integration with other air defence command and control networks through secure communication links. Developed by DRDO, the Army version of Akash is being produced by Bharat Dynamics Limited (BDL) as the nodal production agency with the involvement of Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL) and a large number of other industries. The total production value of Akash air defence systems cleared for induction by Indian Army and Indian Air force is more than Rs 23,000 crore.

Denmark has selected the US Ordnance M60E6 as the Royal Danish Army's new light machine gun. Source: Royal Danish Army

10 March 2014 Remigiusz Wilk, Warsaw - IHS Jane's Defence Weekly

The Danish Defence Forces (Forsvaret) have selected the US Ordnance M60E6 machine gun (MG) to replace its ageing LMG m/62 (Rheinmetall MG3) 7.62 mm squad support weapons, it was announced on 7 March.

The M60E6 is the latest generation of the M60, first adopted by the US Army in 1957. The US weapon was selected over the Heckler & Koch HK121 I ('Infanterie'), a squad support variant of the German HK121 general purpose machine gun, following a trial programme.

The delivery of the first M60E6 MGs, to be called LMG m/14 in Danish service, is expected by the end of 2014.

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