DCNS espère toujours que le Canada choisisse sa frégate multi-missions Fremm dans le cadre d’une programme d’achat d’une quinzaine de navires de combats de surface. photo DCNS
 

04/02 Alain Ruello / Chef de service adjoint – LesEchos.fr

Paris et Ottawa ont signé ce mercredi un accord de coopération militaire bilatéral très large. Mais les espoirs des industriels français de l’armement de prendre pied au Canada sont minces.

« Il y a eu beaucoup de coopération en matière d’armement dans le passé et j’espère que cela va continuer ». S’exprimant ce mercredi en présence de Jean-Yves Le Drian à l’occasion de la signature d’un accord instituant un conseil franco-canadien de coopération militaire, Robert Douglas Nicholson, ministre de la Défense du Canada, a - comme il se doit - salué la qualité de la relation entre Paris et Ottawa. Sur le terrain, il est indéniable que les deux armées s’épaulent souvent, comme on l’a vu au Mali. En matière industrielle en revanche, c’est le calme absolu.

Les chiffres, tels qu’ils ressortent du dernier rapport au Parlement sur les exportations, parlent d’eux-mêmes. De 2009 à 2013, les prises de commandes de matériels français ont à peine atteint 45 millions d’euros. Sur la même période, les livraisons ressortent à 105 millions. Autrement dit, le marché canadien de l’armement est quasiment fermé aux industriels tricolores.

Nexter en sait quelque chose. Le champion de l’armement terrestre a dépensé plusieurs millions d’euros dans une campagne commerciale pour placer son blindé d’infanterie VBCI. En pure perte : bien que la rumeur le donnait gagnant à l’issue de l’appel d’offres, Ottawa a brutalement annulé la procédure , provoquant la colère de l’industriel français.

Renault Trucks dans l’attente

DCNS, de son côté, espère toujours rafler la mise avec ses frégates multi-missions Fremm. Et quelle mise ! Le Canada caresse le projet d’acheter une quinzaine de navires de combats de surface, même si l’histoire montre qu’entre les ambitions initiales et la réalité, il y a souvent un océan.

Ottawa vient de prendre une décision qui pourrait signifier la fin de la partie : de manière discrète, le chantier naval Irving de Halifax a été désigné comme maître d’oeuvre industriel pour l’ensemble de ce projet . A priori rien d’anormal, sauf qu’Irving cultive des liens très étroits avec Lockheed Martin... Chez DCNS, on continue d’y croire, mettant en avant le fait que la Fremm est un navire en cours de construction et qui correspond parfaitement aux besoins de la marine canadienne. Sous-entendu, Irving ne prendrait aucun risque à choisir la Fremm. On verra.

Chez Dassault en revanche on a sans doute abandonné tout espoir - si tant est qu’ils aient été très forts - de vendre le Rafale . Malgré le coût exorbitant de l’appareil, il est fort probable que le Canada en restera à son choix initial, à savoir le F-35 de Lockheed Martin.

Dans ce contexte de très forte dépendance du Canada vis-à-vis de l’Oncle Sam, tout n’est peut-être pas perdu puisque Renault Trucks Defense seraient bien placé sur un très gros appel d’offre portant sur 1.500 camions, selon nos informations.

source ANAJ-IHEDN

04/02/2015 Armée de l'air

Le 29 janvier 2015, des représentants des États-Unis, de la France, de l’Italie et du Royaume-Uni se sont rassemblés à Paris à l’occasion de la première réunion du MQ-9 Users Group (groupe d’utilisateurs du drone MQ-9 Reaper).

La mise en place de ce groupe de travail a pour but de promouvoir la coopération, l’optimisation des coûts et l’interopérabilité entre les membres pour une meilleure sécurité.

Les participants ont entamé un processus afin d’échanger les retours d’expérience, de développer des recommandations, de coordonner les initiatives d’entraînement commun et de fournir la situation opérationnelle et logistique intéressant l’ensemble des opérateurs du Reaper.

Quatre sujets placés au cœur des préoccupations du MQ-9 Users Group ont donné lieu à des groupes de travail : la formation, la simulation, l’insertion dans l’espace aérien et le soutien.

La prochaine réunion du groupe est planifiée pour le mois de juin 2015.

02/02/2015 par Antony Angrand – Air & Cosmos

L'AH-129D sera modernisé. L'hélicoptère d'attaque de l'armée italienne aura droit à une cure de jouvence qui devrait permettre à l'appareil d'entrer en service à l'horizon 2020. La modernisation  touchera vraisemblablement l'avionique générale, elle permettra d'avoir une meilleure endurance, une vitesse accrue, les capteurs de l'appareil et surtout une diminution de la charge de travail des navigants.

Suite de l’article

January 31, 2015 by Livefist

India's Agni V ballistic missile -- its longest range nuclear delivery system -- was tested today from a canister launcher in a cold launch configuration at the Wheeler Island test range off the country's east coast. Awaiting details, but these images released officially pretty much suggest that it went well. I'll update this post with technical specifics later in the day, but suffice it to say at this point that the leap such a capability provides to the nuclear command, military planners and missile unit personnel in terms of transportability, logistical flexibility and preparatory stealth is milestone stuff.

The test is being seen as a grateful sayonara to Dr Avinash Chander, chief of the DRDO, and widely regarded as the engine of the Agni programme during a critical phase, and during his own leadership of the Advanced Systems Laboratory (ASL). Today is Dr Chander's last day in office (I had interviewed him when he took over in 2013), following the curtailment of his extended tenure by the government.

OFFICIAL STATEMENT: India’s ICBM Agni 5 was successfully test fired from a canister today 31 Jan 2015 at 0809 hrs. It was a historic moment when for the first time in India, an ICBM about 17m long and weighing  over 50 ton majestically rose from the confines of its canister. At the predetermined moment, having risen to about 20 meters height, it’s first stage motor ignited lifting Agni 5 into the sky. The flight continued on its predetermined path during which the second, all composite light weight motor, followed by the third, innovatively designed conical all composite rocket motor propelled the missile into space taking it to a height of more than 600 km. The missile, after reaching peak of its trajectory turned towards earth to  continue its journey towards the intended target with a speed now increasing due to the attraction of earth’s gravitational pull and its path precisely directed by the advanced on-board computer and inertial navigation system. As the missile entered earth’s atmosphere, the atmospheric air rubbing the skin of the missile during the re-entry phase raised the temperature to beyond 4000 degree Celsius. However, the indigenously designed and developed carbon-carbon composite heat shield continued to burn sacrificially protecting in the process the payload, maintaining the inside temperature below 50 degree Celsius. Finally, commanded by the on-board computer with a support of highly accurate ring laser gyro based inertial navigation system, the most modern micro inertial navigation system (MINS), fully digital control system and advanced compact avionics, the missile hit the designated target point accurately, meeting all mission objectives.

Ajit Doval, National Security Advisor congratulated Dr Avinash Chander and the Mission team for the successful launch, over a tele-conversation. Congratulating team Agni, Air Chief Marshal Anup Raha, PVSM, AVSM, VM, Chairman Chiefs of staff committee and Chief of Air Staff, who had witnessed the entire launch operations from the  control room called it a great achievement. Lt Gen Amit Sharma AVSM, VSM, Cdr in Chief  Strategic Forces Command, also present on the occasion,  called it a fantastic achievement.

Addressing the gathering and project team, a happy and satisfied Dr Avinash Chander, Secretary DDR&D, SA to RM and DG DRDO said, “This is a momentous occasion. It is India’s first ever ICBM launch from a canister and is a  giant leap in country’s  deterrence capability”.  He termed it a copy book launch with entire command network functioning in loop. Dr Avinash Chander congratulated the entire DRDO community for the tremendous efforts put in by them in making the country self reliant in the area of long range missile systems. He thanked them for demonstrating such a great success on the last day of his work in DRDO. Dr Avinash said, “I cherished every moment of my service in DRDO and I thank you all for the relentless support given to me all through. I am leaving with a great satisfaction of equipping the country with such advanced missiles. I wish the entire DRDO community a great future”.

Earlier, announcing the success of the mission, Dr VG Sekaran, Mission Director, Prog. Dir. Agni and DG Missiles and Strategic Systems said “All mission objectives have been achieved, down range ships have confirmed final splashdown, the mission is a great success and it is a momentous occasion”. A jubilant Dr Rajesh Kr Gupta, Project Director Agni5, described the success as “historic achievement; a dream fulfilled”.

The Ships located in midrange and at the target point tracked the Vehicle and witnessed the final event.  All the radars and electro-optical systems along the path monitored all the parameters of the Missile and displayed in real time. The earlier two flights of Agni 5, fully successful were in open configuration and had already proved the missile. Today’s launch from a canister integrated with a mobile sophisticated launcher, was in its deliverable configuration that enables launch of the missile with a very short preparation time as compared to an open launch. It also has advantages of higher reliability, longer shelf life, less maintenance and enhanced mobility.

Dr G Satish Reddy, DS & Director, RCI, Dr Manas K Mandal, DS & DG LS, Dr GS Malik, CCR&D HR, Dr Tessy Thomas, Director ASL, Dr PS Subramaniam DS & PGDCA and Dir ADA, Dr Manmohan Singh Dir VRDE, Shri Manjit Singh, Director TBRL and Dr SK Patel, Director Quality Reliability and Safety were among other senior DRDO scientists present on the occasion.

January 20, 2015: Strategy Page

Germany has agreed to build four offshore patrol vessels (OPVs) for Israel. Exact specifications were not released but apparently the design is based on the Meko 100, a 1,600 ton warship that has been built in many different versions. Israel wants the Germans to build what amounts to a larger version of their successful Saar family of warships for about $146 million each. This includes a large “genocide guilt” discount. Right now the largest Saar ships are the three 1,075 ton Saar 5s.

In 2013 Israel announced another largest model of its four decade old Saar family of small surface warships. This new one, Saar 72, was aimed at the export market. The Saar 72 is an 800 ton ship with a crew of fifty (and accommodations for 20 more commandos or other specialists). It is 72 meters (223 feet) long, stealthy, and designed to accommodate electronics built into the blended, radar evading, superstructure. The Saar 72 carries a helicopter, an automated 76mm gun, eight anti-ship (or land target) missiles, and over a dozen anti-aircraft missiles. Top speed is 55 kilometers an hour. This “corvette” variant can stay out for 21 days at a time (cruising at 32 kilometers an hour). The Saar 72 design can accommodate many different configurations. That would include fewer weapons and longer range for an OPV (offshore patrol vessel) to more accommodations and storage space for commando operations. The four new German ships will apparently be the corvette sized (under 2,000 tons) Saar model that the Israeli navy has long wanted but has not been able to get the money to build.

Since the early 1970s Israel has built 36 Saar type ships. These evolved from the Saar 1, 2, and 3 classes of fast missile boats (all under 250 tons). These boats were variants on older German designs. The Saar 4 was a unique Israeli design for a 450 ton warship armed with eight anti-ship missiles, a Phalanx anti-missile 20mm autocannon and a 76mm gun, plus a rather complete set of electronics for a ship of that size. These could stay out for about ten days at a time, had a top speed of 60 kilometers an hour, a crew of 45, and entered service in 1972. In 1980 the first of ten Saar 4.5 class vessels arrived. These were 490 ton ships that were similar to the Saar 4 but a bit larger and improved in many ways. They were 61.7 meters (203 feet) long. Armament varied but for the eight used by the Israeli navy it was eight anti-ship missiles, 32 anti-aircraft missiles, a Phalanx anti-missile 20mm autocannon, a 25mm autocannon or a 76mm gun, two 20mm autocannon, two 12.7mm machine-guns, a helicopter, and an extensive set of electronics (for a ship of that size).

Despite intense lobbying from the navy and some politicians in 2005 Israel dropped plans for some much larger ships, including a 13,000-ton helicopter assault ship, a 4,000-ton frigate comparable to the American LCS, and a 2,750-ton corvette that would have been equipped with the Aegis combat system. Instead more Dolphin-class submarines and three Saar 5 class corvettes were bought.

The Israeli Navy is the smallest of the combat arms, with a peacetime strength of some 9,000 sailors. The Israeli Air Force has over 32,500 active-duty personnel and 54,000 reservists; the Israeli Army boasts 125,000 active-duty personnel and 600,000 reserves. The navy always loses the battle over defense budgets and has to make do with not very much.

The three Saar 5 class corvettes (also referred to as the Eliat class) were, because of their size, built in the United States. The 1,075-ton vessels are 85.6 meters (281 feet) long and carry an impressive amount of firepower: 64 Barak surface-to-air missiles, eight Harpoon (or Gabriel) anti-ship missiles, two triple 12.75-inch torpedo tubes firing Mk 46 torpedoes, two 25mm Sea Vulcans, a 20mm Phalanx CIWS (for destroying incoming missiles), and a helicopter. Top speed is 61 kilometers per hour and there are only 74 crew members. These vessels entered service in 1993 and 1994. They are still perhaps the best surface combatants in the region. The new German “Saar 6” ships will probably be larger and more power versions of the Saar 5.

Currently the Israelis have 15 Saar type ships in service (three Saar 5, ten Saar 4.5, and two Saar 4). Most of the Saar 4s were retired, sold off, or converted to Saar 4.5.

January 6, 2015: Strategy Page

Iraq is buying another 170 American M-1A1 tanks. In 2008 Iraq had ordered and received (by 2010) 140 M-1A1 tanks, 21 M88A1 armored recovery vehicles and 60 M1070 tank transporters (which can also carry supplies or other vehicles.) Iraq was not be the first Arab country to operate the M1 tank. Egypt, Kuwait and Saudi Arabia already operate over 1,600 of them, and Egypt has built hundreds of them (mainly using components imported from the U.S., but with some locally made parts). Iraq receives the M-1A1 version. All the other Arab users have at least some of the latest model (M1A2 SEP).

The Arab users of the M1 have been very happy with their American tanks. This satisfaction increased when they saw how the M-1 performed in Iraq. While most Arabs deplored U.S. operations in Iraq, Arab tank officers and M-1 crewmen were quietly pleased that their tanks appeared invulnerable, and able to assist the infantry in any kind of fight. Iraqi army officers have spoken to fellow Arab officers who have used the M-1, and were told this was the way to go.

Corruption in the Iraqi Army led to Iraqi M-1 crews being poorly trained and led. So far Iraqi troops have lost (or abandoned) at least 40 M-1s to enemy action or panic. At least one Iraqi Mi1 was destroyed by a Russian ATBM (anti-tank guided missile). The Iraqis promise they will do better with their new batch of M-1s.

January 17, 2015: Strategy Page

An Egyptian engineer (Mostafa Ahmed Awwad) was arrested in November 2014 and charged with espionage. The engineer, who received a security clearance in August so he could work on the new Ford class aircraft carriers, promptly began stealing technical data on the Fords and passing it to Egyptian intelligence for cash. Awwad had married an American in 2007 and had applied to become a citizen. Apparently Awwad wanted to help his home country by providing data on the Fords that would make it easier for an enemy to sink one (by knowing the best place to aim the missiles). Egypt could then sell that information to a nation that could use it (like China, Russia or Iran) and afford to pay well. This would also improve the reputation of the Egyptian intelligence agency. Awwad seemed quite disheartened when he discovered that the “Egyptian agents” he was dealing with, in Arabic, were actually from the FBI, which suspected Awwad’s loyalty and were testing him. Awwad failed the test, not the least because of his enthusiasm for spying on the United States. Awwad now faces 20 years in prison.

The Ford class carriers are built to better survive the large missiles Russia and China build to destroy or disable large warships. The U.S. Navy's first Ford class aircraft carrier, the USS Gerald R Ford (CVN 78), is nearly complete and will be delivered in 2016. The Ford is a unique new carrier design in many ways, not just in its new protective aspects. For example, the Ford will be the first modern American warship built without urinals. There are several reasons for this. The Ford will have a smaller crew (by at least 20 percent) and more of them will be women. Currently about ten percent of American warship crews are women, but the Ford crew will be at least 15 percent female. Since women sleep in all-female dormitories ("berthing areas"), a toilet ("head") will now be attached to each berthing area (instead of being down the hall for all in the area). Moreover, berthing areas will be more spacious (because of the smaller crew) and hold a third to half as many bunks as previous carriers. Finally, drain pipes for urinals more frequently get clogged than those coming from toilets. So eliminating the urinals means less work for the plumbers. Many of the junior sailors, who have to clean the heads, won't miss the urinals, which are more of a chore to keep clean than the toilets.

The Fords will be about the same length (333 meters/1,092 feet) and displacement (100,000 tons) of the previous generation (Nimitz class ships) but will look different. The most noticeable difference will be the island set closer to the stern (rear) of the ship. The USS Ford is expected to cost nearly $14 billion. About 40 percent of that is for designing the first ship of the class, so the actual cost of the first ship (CVN 78) itself will be some $9 billion. Against this the navy expects to reduce the carrier's lifetime operating expenses by several billion dollars because of greatly reduced crew size. Compared to the current Nimitz class carriers (which cost over $5 billion each) the Fords will feel, well, kind of empty. There will be lots more automation, computer networking, and robots. The most recent Nimitz class ships have a lot of this automation already. That also includes new damage control equipment, which the navy does not like to publicize, if only to keep the enemy guessing.

January 8, 2015: Strategy Page

The U.S. Marine Corps has decided to buy only six Harvest Hawk kits instead of nine. Each of these kits can be used to quickly turn one of ten modified KC-130J transports into a gunship. Meanwhile the marines are also upgrading all their Harvest Hawk kits with new or improved software and electronics (mainly for sensors and communications). Such upgrades have been coming regularly since the first Harvest Hawk kit arrived in Afghanistan in 2010. The marines are also upgrading the KC-130Js already modified to use Harvest Hawk. For example in 2012 the first KC-130J got a modified rear door (the Derringer Door) that enables missiles to be fired, and the missile launcher reloaded, without first depressurizing the aircraft and lowering the rear ramp. This solved a major problem because initially you had to lower the rear door to fire missiles and reload the launchers. Since the aircraft usually operated at high altitude (6,400 meters/20,000 feet) the crew had to put on oxygen masks and it took time to depressurize the cargo bay and lower the rear ramp. The new door has ten launch tubes that can be used (for firing or reloading) while the ramp is closed.

The KC-130J is the latest, and largest, marine version of the C-130 transport used for aerial refueling. But the KC-130J can also carry cargo and weapons (bombs and missiles) hung from the wings or fired from inside. This last capability is for the Harvest Hawk version of the KC-130J. This "instant gunship" system enables weapons and sensors to be quickly rolled into a C-130 transport and hooked up. This takes a few hours and turns the C-130 into a gunship (similar in capabilities existing AC-130 gunships). The sensor package consists of day/night vidcams with magnification capability. The weapons currently consist of ten Griffin missile launchers plus four Hellfires and at least four Viper Strike hanging from the wings.

Viper Strike is a 914mm (36 inch) long unpowered glider. The 130mm diameter (with the wings folded) weapon weighs 20 kg (44 pounds). Because the Viper Strike comes straight down, it is better suited for urban warfare. Its warhead weighs only 1.8 kg (four pounds), and less than half of that is explosives. This means less damage to nearby civilians, but still powerful and accurate enough to destroy its target. A laser designator makes the Viper Strike accurate enough to hit an automobile, or a foxhole.

Griffin is a 20.5 kg (45 pounds) glide bomb that has a 5.9 kg (13 pound) warhead. Griffin has a greater range (15 kilometers) than Hellfire because of pop-out wings that allow it to glide after launch. Griffin uses laser, GPS, and inertial guidance. The Hellfire II missile has been around a lot longer, weighs 48.2 kg (106 pounds), carries a 9 kg (20 pound) warhead, and has a range of 8,000 meters.

The big thing with gunships is their sensors, not their weapons. Operating at night the gunships can see what is going on below in great detail. Using onboard weapons gunships can immediately engage targets. But with the appearance of smart bombs (GPS and laser guided), aerial weapons are more available to hit any target that is found. So Harvest Hawk would be able to hit targets that were "time sensitive" (had to be hit before they got away) but could also call on smart bombs or laser guided missiles for targets that weren't going anywhere right away. Most of what Harvest Hawk did in Afghanistan was look for roadside bombs or the guys who plant them. The marines wanted to track the bomb planters back to their base and then take out an entire roadside bomb operation. This worked quite well and Harvest Hawk may be returning to Iraq to use what it learned in Afghanistan.

03/02/2015 Armée de l'air

Mardi 03 février 2015, un hommage national a été rendu aux neuf aviateurs disparus lors du tragique accident survenu, lundi 26 janvier, à Albacete (Espagne).

Une cérémonie militaire solennelle s’est déroulée en présence des familles des victimes, ainsi que des plus hautes autorités civiles et militaires françaises, au premier rang desquelles figurait M. François Hollande, président de la République et chef des armées. Des aviateurs et des militaires de tous horizons s’étaient également rassemblées pour partager ensemble ce moment de recueillement.

Au cours de cette cérémonie vibrante, chacune des victimes a été décorée, à titre posthume, de la Croix de Chevalier de la Légion d’honneur.

Extraits du discours prononcé par M. François Hollande, président de la République:

Le Chef de l’Etat a ensuite rappelé les carrières des victimes, mécaniciens et pilotes, en mettant en avant leur riche expérience opérationnelle et leur sens du devoir. «C’est une perte considérable pour nos armées. (…) Ici, la nation leur rend hommage. (…) L’unité nationale est un bien précieux etles armées y contribuent.» Le Président de la République a également adressé toute sa compassion aux blessés, qui « porteront à vie les traces de ce dramatique accident », et souligné l’héroïsme de ceux qui ont risqué leur vie pour porter secours aux victimes.

In memoriam

- Lieutenant-colonel Mathieu Bigand, 30 ans, pilote

- Commandant Gildas Tison, 35 ans, pilote

- Capitaine Marjorie Kocher, 29 ans, navigateur officier systèmes d’armes

- Capitaine Arnaud Poignant, 26 ans, officier mécanicien

- Adjudant-chef François Combourieu, 37 ans, mécanicien

- Adjudant-chef Thierry Galoux, 41 ans, mécanicien

- Adjudant Gilles Meyer, 27 ans, mécanicien

- Sergent-chef Nicolas Dhez, 25 ans, mécanicien

- Sergent-chef Régis Lefeuvre, 25 ans, mécanicien

January 11, 2015: Strategy Page

Poland has ordered 13,000 120mm APFSDS (Armor Piercing Fin Stabilized Discarding Sabot, for smooth bore guns) tank gun shells from a local manufacturer for delivery by 2017. These are for Poland’s recently acquired forces of 237 second hand German Leopard 2 tanks. Poland bought some German APFSDS shells initially, but since the Cold War ended Poland has been producing APFSDS for the 125mm guns used by its T-72s, which the Leopards are replacing. Polish ammo plants will buy new manufacturing equipment to produce the 120mm APFSDS but will be able to build the shells at lower cost, and comparable quality to other nations and thus be able to grab some export business. Poland still has some locally upgraded T-72s (the PT-91) and continues to manufacturer 125mm APFSDS for these.

APFSDS weigh about 23 kg (50 pounds) and tend to be about  is 900mm (35 inches) long and use 8.1 kg (18 pounds) of slow burning explosives to propel the shell out the 120mm smooth barrel to a top speed of 1,555 meters (5,100 feet) a second. The sabots fall away after the shell leaves the barrel, leaving the 10 kg (22 pound), 25mm diameter (and 800mm long) depleted uranium or tungsten penetrator to continue on to the target (up to 5,000 meters away).

Most modern 120mm tank guns fire a shell that uses a smaller 25mm “penetrator.” The 25mm rod of tungsten (or depleted uranium) is surrounded by a “sabot” that falls away once the shell clears the barrel. This gives the penetrator higher velocity and penetrating power. This is the most expensive type of 120mm shell and already comes in several variants. There is APDS (Armor Piercing Discarding Sabot) and APFSDS (Armor Piercing Fin Stabilized Discarding Sabot, for smooth bore guns). The armor piercing element of discarding sabot rounds is less than half the diameter of the shell and made of very expensive, high density metal. Its smaller size enables it to hit the target at very high speeds, up to 1,900 meters (5,900 feet) a second. This is the most common type of anti-tank shell and is constantly being improved. Thus in the 1970s depleted (nonradioactive) uranium was introduced by the U.S. to replace the slightly lighter tungsten penetrators. The depleted uranium penetrators were more effective.

About twenty armies now have 120 mm and 125mm smoothbore guns which can obtain slightly more penetrating power using depleted uranium instead of tungsten. While composite armor was developed to defeat APDS but it was not always successful. HEAT (High Explosive Anti Tank) rounds have fallen from favor because their success depends on hitting a flat surface on the tank. Modern tanks have few flat surfaces. On the plus side, HEAT shells must be fired at lower speeds, are good at any range, and many are now built with a fragmentation capability to make them useful for anti-personnel work. The AP type shells are less effective at longer ranges. Similar to HEAT, more expensive and still in use, is the HESH (High Explosive Squash Head) shell. This item hits the tank, the explosive warhead squashes, and then explodes. The force of the explosion goes through the armor and causes things to come lose and fly about the inside of the tank (the spall effect). The vehicle may appear unharmed, but the crew and much of its equipment are not. Works at any range but is somewhat defeated by spaced and composite armor.

Then there is the controversy over the health issues associated with depleted uranium, which is a metal that is one of the heaviest known. It is very effective at punching holes through enemy tanks. It is so named because all the harmful radiation has been "depleted" from it as a by-product of manufacturing nuclear fuel.  But because it's still considered a "nuclear" material it is controlled by the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission. In effect, these anti-tank shells are technically "nuclear weapons." U.S. export laws had to be changed to allow the export of depleted uranium ammo.

Early on there were rumors that depleted uranium created dangerous levels of radiation when handled or used. In reality, depleted uranium is no more toxic than tungsten and other heavy metals. It is true that when depleted uranium penetrators go through armor, and come under enormous stress, they do produce brief, but high, bursts of radiation. This seems to be because a chunk of depleted uranium will absorb most of the radiation it produces through normal decay, which it cannot do once shattered. However, it is unlikely that the resulting "pulse" of radiation will cause injury or illness, particularly given the damage produced by the explosive effect and shell fragments inside a vehicle hit. The Poles don’t have any depleted Uranium, so they will be using tungsten.

02/02/2015 Richard de Silva - DefenceIQ

According to a new study, there may be a need for investment in a “more offensive” surface warfare strategy, given the evolving global threat environment and the spectrum of utility for systems such as long-range missiles, directed energy and electromagnetic rail guns.

The research, conducted by Washington D.C.-based Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessments (CSBA), recommended that the U.S. Navy not only invests further in these systems but looks to increase their impact by restructuring the surface fleet and embracing new tactics. It argues that controlling the waters in the coming years will play a particularly vital role in strategic defence, not least because of the increasing opportunity of interoperation between naval, air, land and space assets.

Analysts are looking towards the mid-2020s as a make-or-break deadline, a period in which it is envisaged that there will be a global focus on anti-access/area-denial. A2/AD has already been causing strategic pressures in the Persian Gulf, the East China Sea, and other waters that require multinational port access, shipping routes or military patrols. When done correctly, the tactic can prevent troops from landing by sea or limit the range at which surface vessels can support forces inshore.

In tandem, there is a renewed focus among many nations on the growing threat of ballistic missiles. Spurred further by the conflict in Ukraine, fears that were last at their height during the Cold War have returned, but since this time, anti-missile strategic focus has centred primarily on asymmetric threats, such as counter-rocket, artillery and mortar (C-RAM) systems.

A great deal of interest now lies on the US Aegis Ballistic Missile Defense (BMD) system, comprising a network of warships designed to intercept ballistic missiles post-boost phase and prior to reentry. Latest tests (as of November 2014) conducted by the Missile Defense Agency in the Pacific with recent upgrades have been reported as successful.

It is interesting to note that China has also identified a need to develop its seaborne missile capability and has announced that its own version of Aegis is also to expand with plans to launch eight new warships (Types 052C and 052D) to augment its ten existing destroyers and new aircraft carrier. Construction is to begin this year.

Most recently, the US Navy sees the deployment of two additional Aegis destroyers (F-100) in Spain his year as providing a “significant deterrent”, according to remarks made to Sputnik News Agency. A representative of US Naval Forces Europe stated that the placement of the vessels maximised “their operational flexibility for missions in the Atlantic and Mediterranean” while further enabling rapid response to any crisis.

The F100 Álvaro de Bazán class multi-role frigate is one of the few non-US warships to carry the Aegis Combat System and its associated AN/SPY-1 radar, along with ballistic resistant steel in the hull and anti-vibration power plants. Other nations to carry the honour are Japan, South Korea and Norway.

Captain Manuel Martinez-Ruiz, programme director for the F-100 (as well as overseeing the impending introduction of the F-110 frigates) – believes the vessels are up to the task of dealing with a range of threats in the coming years and have already demonstrated their value as an AEGIS component during recent exercises.

“The Spanish Navy’s F-100 Frigates have shown excellent AAW capabilities since the commissioning of F-101 Alvaro de Bazán in 2001, and having participated in numerous NATO, US and UNO Coalition operations,” Martinez-Ruiz told Defence IQ.

“On the other hand, frigate F-104 Mendez Nuñez had a limited BMS&T (ballistic missile defense surveillance and tracking) role at FTM-12 (Flight Test Maritime-12) while  Alvaro de Bazan conducted some interoperability tests during Maritime Theatre Missile Defence events during Combat Systems Ship's Qualification Trials. Recently, the F-100 C2 capabilities have been improved through Joint Range Extension.”

“While I consider land based asymmetric threats to be something to pay attention to in the future at the tactical level, I believe ballistic missile defence threats – both current and emerging – are something that impacts us on a more strategic and political level, and involves much more complex action among our agencies and nations. What is clear however is that the Spanish Navy’s future ships, such as the F-110 frigates, will be focused more on countering asymmetric threats.”

As technology evolves, the opportunities for surface warship capabilities are ever-increasing as long as the R&D funding can keep up. Of course, with rising complexities, new challenges also rear their heads, particularly when it comes to introducing new systems into an existing family of systems and then testing them within the parameters of a realistic scenario.

“I think the biggest challenge is to be able to characterise anti-aircraft warfare and BMD threats in order to operate them in a coordinated way by improving ‘detect-control-engage’ technology,” Martin-Ruiz explained. “The need to face emerging BMD and AAW threats at force level in this way requires an improved C2 architecture, sensor-to-shooter technology, as well as mission planning capabilities. Also, increasing radar sensitivity with electronic counter-countermeasures (ECCM) capabilities will be the next hurdle for radar technology.”

The field is further complicated by the increasingly urgent need to ensure that multinational systems are integrated alongside standardised methods and tactics, a situation that can only be achieved through continued multilateral naval exercises.

“That will be extremely important in the coming years,” Martinez-Ruiz confirms, “as will the need to increase interoperability among NATO and allied forces. New protocols such as JRE-C and more robust data link capabilities with images and progressive streaming video transmission mechanisms (for example, JPEG2000 based on wavelets) are possibly required to face asymmetric and emerging threats. There are some exciting multinational projects underway now such as NATO’s Smart Defence project and the MTMD forum in which our Navy is interested.”

Martinez-Ruiz will be briefing the delegation at this year’s Integrated Air and Missile Defenceconference (Seville, Spain, 16-18 March). He identified a specific set of focuses with which he hopes those attending will truly engage. These include European initiatives on AIMD, threat assessment and mission planning, characterisation of emerging threats, technology for asymmetric threats, and discussion on mission modules and UAVs.

January 16, 2015:  Strategy Page

South Korea recently sold 120 of its locally designed and made K9 155mm self-propelled howitzers to Poland. South Korea has already sold 350 to Turkey. While superficially similar to the American M-109 the K9 is a heaver (46 tons versus 28 for the M-109), carries more ammo and has twice the range (up to 56 kilometers in part because of a barrel that is a third longer). There is more automation on the K9, so it has a crew of five versus six on the M-109. South Korea thus joins Germany in their effort to build a suitable replacement for the elderly M-109 design.

The United States sought to build a replacement for the M-109 (the 56 ton Crusader) that was very similar to the K9 but was too complex and expensive and the heavier weight was seen as a disadvantage for a country that has to ship its armored vehicles overseas to use them. For South Korea, Turkey and Poland that is not a problem and more heft (and protection for the crew) is an advantage.

One American innovation K9 users will probably adopt is the GPS guided Excalibur shell. This smart shell entered service in 2008 and changed everything. Excalibur has worked very well in combat, and this is radically changing the way artillery operates. Excalibur means 80-90 percent less ammo has to be fired to destroy a target and this results in less wear and tear on SP artillery, less time needed for maintenance, and less time spent replenishing ammo supplies and more time being ready for action.

Because of Excalibur (and other precision munitions) since 2001 operations in Iraq and Afghanistan provided very little work for the M-109. The lighter, towed, M777 has proved more useful, especially when using the Excalibur shell. Currently, the army plans to keep newly upgraded versions of the M-109 around until 2050. The army plans to acquire at least 551 upgraded M-109s by 2027, reflecting the impact of the Excalibur shell, and the number of older M-109s that are still fit for service. The M-109 was a solid design, which is pretty clear from how difficult it's been to come up with a replacement. So, in the end, the army replaced the M-109 with another M-109 upgrade and is still seeking a replacement for that.