SP's Land Forces October-November 2011

SP’s LAND FORCES5/2011

PAGE 4Active protections SystemComposite and hybrid armour systems havebeen adopted for tanks by improving theirprotection against kinetic and shaped-chargethreats.

Lt General (Retd) Naresh Chand

PAGE 7Turning 250The First Battalion of the Indian Army’s Para-chute Regiment celebrated its Raising Day onOctober 17.

Lt General (Retd) P.C. Katoch

PAGE 8Exploiting Technology for Mission AccomplishmentThe BMS will provide the Indian Army anintegration tool supporting every level ofmilitary.


PAGE 11Transform National Security ApparatusThe need to bring intelligence and geospatialinformation under the aegis of one singleagency cannot be underestimated and shouldnot be relegated to a later day. India mustreach a base level to match its status as aregional power.


PAGE 16Jeep on Steroids

With emphasis on crew protection, the USArmy has gone in for a RFP to upgrade theHumvees.

R. Chandrakanth

PLUS

Interview: Rafael 6Reach for Accuracy and Reliability 13Sudarshan Shakti 14First / Tecknow 14Show Report: DSEi 17Interview: ATK 19Interview: Oshkosh Defense 20News in Brief 22

China’s Military Doctrines

The US Annual Report 2011 to Congress specifies that over the past decade,China’s military has benefited from the robust investment in modern hardwareand technology. Many modern systems have reached maturity and others willbecome operational in the next few years.

COVER STORY>>

SP’s A N S P G U I D E P U B L I C A T I O N

R O U N D U P

October-November 2011

IN THIS ISSUE T h e O N L Y j o u r n a l i n A s i a d e d i c a t e d t o L a n d F o r c e s

Volume 8 No 5

SP’s LAND FORCES5/2011

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1

n LT GENERAL (RETD) V.K. KAPOOR

In the november-December 1993issue of Foreign Affairs, an article enti-tled ‘the rise of china’ appeared. thearticle was by nicholas D. Kristoll, theformer New York Times columnist, in

which he said that china’s economy wouldsurpass that of the US to become the world’slargest by the middle of the 21st century. hepredicted that china’s economic growthwould have a certain negative influence onthe world’s economy. he said that if therewere to be a power vacuum in the Pacific andFar eastern regions, china would takeadvantage of it as an opportunity to expandits regional sphere of interest. his observa-

tions have turned out to be prophetic. today,while there is a global fascination for china,the success of china’s national strategyemployed so far and flowing from that its mil-itary strategy, needs to be studied andanalysed so as to establish the veracity ofglobal concerns regarding china’s conductand stance in the future. As a first step,strategic and military thinkers need to studythe evolution and development of china’smilitary thought through the ages whichwould indicate the trend of china’s militarystrategy and give an insight into the mentalconditionings of china’s military leadershipand their soldiery. this article briefly dealswith the evolution of china’s militarythought in the following context:

l the warring states eral maoist military thought l People’s War under modern conditionsl Active defencel Local wars under high-tech conditionsl Local wars under conditions of “infor-

matisation”

The Warring States Erachinese have their own unique perceptions,which may be difficult to appreciate withoutan examination of their ancient militarythought and ancient statecraft. recent chi-nese writings about the future security envi-ronment have referred to “the warring stateera” in chinese history which pertains to theperiod 475-221 bc. During this age, the

TREASURE

Turn to page 19

PHOTOGRAPH: Wikipedia

COVER STORY>>

SP’s LAND FORCES 5/20112

www.spslandforces.net

classics of chinese statecraft was producedand it was also the time when multi-statecompetition to become powerful, featuredschemes and plots, small wars, inter-stateconferences, treaties and anarchy. china’smilitary authors have called the future multi-polar world quite similar to the “warringstates” era and have declared that the futuresecurity environment resembles the warringstates era in many ways. the Director ofresearch at the General Staff Department ofthe PLA has published six volumes of thestudies on ancient statecraft in 1996 thatcontained specific advice of how to compre-hend the current and future security envi-ronment. In this context, china’s concept of“comprehensive national Power” and theinfluence of Sun tzu’s Art of War are alsoimportant driving factors.Comprehensive National Power

(CNP): this is considered an essential aspectof assessing the security environment. It issaid to determine the rank order of powerheld by the various warring states. the cur-rent chinese concept of cnP was invented inthe 1980s but stems from chinese tradi-tional military philosophy. by cnP, it gener-ally means the sum total of the powers orstrengths of a country in economy, militaryaffairs, science and technology, educationand resources and its influence (china Insti-tute of contemporary International rela-tions 2000). In a more abstract manner, itrefers to the combination of all the powerspossessed by a country for the survival anddevelopment of a sovereign state, includingmaterial and ideational ethos and inter-national influence as well (huangShuofeng,1999). Sun tzu identified ‘fivethings’ and ‘seven stratagems’ that governthe outcome of war. Similarly, Wu Zi wroteabout six conditions in which if the othersides’ strength was greater, war should beavoided. Ancient chinese strategists alsoattempted to help their country achievedominance through war avoidance strate-gies. the chinese are of the view that calcu-lating cnP can aid a nation for war as wellas for coordinating a political and diplomaticoffensive during a crisis in peacetime.Sun Tzu’s Art of War was written 2,000

years ago. It throws light on general principlesof how the People’s Liberation Army (PLA)may fight in the future. Another source fre-quently referred by chinese military thinkersis the 36 military strategies or stratagems, thelast of which is “running away as the bestchoice. evade the enemy to preserve thetroops. the Army retreats: no blame. It doesnot violate the normal practice of war.” otherstratagems include deception, ingenuity andstealth—the characteristics which are foundin the Art of War and later in the works ofmao Zedong. these ancient and modern textsconstitute the military heritage that isimprinted on the soldiery before they enterservice and then throughout their profes-sional military education experience. the Artof War begins by proclaiming that “war is amatter of vital importance to the state… It ismandatory that it be studied thoroughly.”PLA demonstrates this idea by the degree ofplanning it undertakes prior to any militaryoperation, or an exercise. Sun tzu’s main con-tribution can be attributed in the field of mil-itary strategy where he argued that “the bestpolicy is to take a state intact” and “to subduethe enemy without fighting is the acme ofskill”. While overt military strength is impor-tant, other aspects of national power areessential to waging war.

Maoist Military Thoughtmao wrote on every aspect of the military;the philosophy of war, strategy, tactics,organisation, logistics, the importance ofman in warfare, the relationship betweenthe army and the society, between the partyand the army, and so forth. Yet mao wasnever attracted to the military profession.his introduction to warfare and armedstruggle came when he concluded that itwas the only way to respond to the repres-

sion of the chinese peasantry. Later, his redArmy was also engaged in several battleswith the Japanese Army. he gained hisknowledge and experience of war and in hisarmed struggle against vastly superior ene-mies both in terms of numbers as well as thequality of weaponry. thus he accumulatedenormous experience to expound a theorywhich fused politics and warfare. most ofmao’s writings, the published ones belong tothe era between the Zunyi conference of1935, when his military ‘line’ became theparty’s ‘line’ and the end of civil war in1949. During that period, he developed sev-eral concepts of war as a social product; waras a form of politics with bloodshed; thenecessity for the weak to engage in a pro-tracted war with a powerful enemy; theestablishment of ‘red’ bases where the entirepopulation could be mobilised for a totalwar; the concentration of a superior force toattack the enemy’s weaknesses; treating theenemy as a supplier of weapons; treating thesoldiers humanely and giving them politicaleducation; party control of the armed forceswhich were geographically scattered; thethree strategic phases of protracted war:strategic defensive to conserve one’sstrength, strategic consolidation to build upstrength and finally the strategic offensive toannihilate the enemy and emerge victorious.he prescribed the style of war for each phase,that is, guerrilla wars for the phase of strate-gic defensive, conventional war of move-ment or mobile warfare during theconsolidation phase and then stand-up war-fare by divisional strength and above duringthe strategic offensive phase. During all thesephases, mao emphasised the importance ofman over machine (weapons) which he waslater to call the ‘spiritual atom bomb’.

the belief in the ultimate victory of thepeople despite an adverse balance of forcesmeant that for china all wars would become

protracted wars in which the people’s powerwould ultimately prevail. Another implica-tion of the belief in the ultimate victory ofthe people was regarding the concept ofdefeat. total destruction did not mean defeatand chairman mao believed that so long asthe marxist-Leninist ideology survived inthe human mind, military forces could bebuilt up from the scratch to continue the struggle. mao’s political goals and strate-gic doctrine was therefore derived from the marxism-Leninism—mao Zedongthought and these in turn determinedchina’s military capability.

People’s Warthe doctrine of People’s War was derived anddeveloped during the Japanese War (1913-45) in china. It is a doctrine for asymmetricwars, a recipe for the weak to resist the strong.It is a doctrine of defensive war to be foughton chinese territory, of fighting one or moreinvaders with total mobilisation of china’spopulation. In the worst case scenario, in anuclear setting, it envisaged the involvementof the following steps: l A pre-emptive nuclear first-strike against

chinese nuclear installations, cities andindustrial centres.

l the enemy invades the chinese territoryin force.

l other adversaries invade china fromother directions.

l the PLA opposes the invasion at the bor-ders, while simultaneously the generalmobilisation of the people is ordered.

l the PLA forces organised in militaryregions manage their own theatres of warto contain the threat.

l When the enemy penetrates deeper, theywould encounter the second echelon,armies organised in the military districts.

l Deeper inland, the People’s militia will beready to fight by harassing the enemy,cutting his supply lines, providing intelli-gence about his movements, layingambushes, and generally fighting a pro-tracted guerrilla war.

l the actions of People’s militia would givethe time for regular forces to be musteredand reorganised in the depth areas forcounter attacks and counter strokes.

l even if the enemy were to occupy certaintowns and cities, the wide expanse ofchina’s countryside would be adequate towage a protracted war.

l the doctrine envisages that the enemywill be finally forced to withdraw fromchinese territory.A similar strategy would be applied in

defensive non-nuclear settings. “People’sWar” doctrine is not for application for proac-tive offensive settings beyond the borders ofchina. In any case two out of the three ele-ments which constituted the land forces dur-ing mao’s time i.e. the Provincial Armies andPeople’s militia were designed and equippedto operate locally in their own areas. only theField Armies could be employed beyond thechinese borders. People’s War also demandsa high degree of political, economic and mil-itary decentralisation. this is achievedthrough political decentralisation, the key towhich is internalisation of communistParty’s basic line.

Some aspects of warfighting can beunderstood through the series of aphorismsof mao—“our strategy is to pit one againstten; our tactics is to pit ten against one. Andnever fight a battle unprepared. And againconcentrate two, three, four or even ten timesthe enemy forces.” other aphorisms deal withthe tactics for guerrilla warfare, the establish-ment of bases in the countryside, concepts ofenvelopment and annihilation and so forth.

People’s War under Modern ConditionsIt took two to three years after the death ofmao for a clear pattern to emerge. In october1979, the then minister of Defence XuXiangqian wrote, “to master the advancedmodern military thinking, we must combinemarxism-Leninism-mao Zedong thoughtswith the practice of modern warfare andrealistically solve problems regarding thetheory and practice of building a People’sArmy and launching a People’s War undermodern conditions.” modernisation of PLAand the adaptation of new ideas to the doc-trine of People’s War were seen as comple-mentary rather than to the detriment ofnational defence. the dramatic cuts to themilitary funds in the 1981 budget compelledthe PLA to submit to the Party’s modernisa-tion priorities. Financial constraint revealedthat the task of modernising a huge army ofnearly 250 combat divisions and 2,800independent regiments in the main and localforces to acceptable levels was impossible.Accordingly, People’s War offered china away out of the above dilemma as its doctrinerelied on the masses to oppose an invadingenemy. People’s War under modern condi-tions was therefore preached as a doctrine ofnecessity rather than a move welcomed bythe military.

Active Defence“Active defence” is sometimes called china’s“military strategy” or “strategic guideline”.even though ‘active defence’ advocates thatchina will strike after the enemy has struck,yet the line between accepting enemy’s firststrike and use of pre-emption to defend

People’s War under modern conditions waspreached as a doctrine of necessity rather thana move welcomed by the military

PLA soldiers in Shenyang

PLA Armour drill

PHOTOGRAPHS: PLA, Wikipedia

china is blurred. mao defined ‘ActiveDefence’ in 1936 as: “Active Defence is alsoknown as offensive defence, or defencethrough decisive engagements. Passivedefence is known as pure defence. Passivedefence is actually a spurious kind of defenceand the only real defence is active defence,defence for the purpose of counter attackingand taking the offensive—militarily speak-ing our warfare, consists of alternate use ofdefensive and the offensive. In our case, itmakes no difference whether the offensive issaid to follow or to precede the defensive,because the crux of the matter is to breakthe encirclement and suppression.”

In 1947, mao compiled ten “principles ofoperations” learnt through two decades of hisown combat experience. these principalsstressed the red Army’s style of fighting andadvocated destruction of enemy through con-centration of forces, situational awarenessand detailed preparation. these are: l Attack the dispersed isolated enemy forces

and attack the concentrated strongenemy forces later.

l take small and medium cities and exten-sive rural areas first, take big cities later.

l Destroying enemy’s effective strengthshould be the main objective; do not makeholding or seizing a city or place as themain objective.

l In every battle, concentrate anabsolutely superior force (two, three,four and sometimes even five or six timesthe enemy’s strength), encircle theenemy forces completely, strive to wipethem out thoroughly and do not let anyescape from the net.

l In special circumstances, use the methodof dealing with the enemy crushingblows, that is, concentrate all the strengthto make a frontal attack on one or both ofhis flanks, with the aim of wiping out onepart and routing another so that ourArmy can swiftly move its troops to smashother enemy forces. Strive to avoid battlesof attrition in which we lose more than wegain or only break.

l Fight no battle unprepared, fight no battleyou are not sure of winning; make everyeffort to be well prepared for each battle,make every effort to ensure victory in thegiven set of conditions.

l Survive to wipe out the enemy when he ison the move. At the same time, pay atten-tion to the tactics of positional attack andcapture enemy fortified points and cities.

l With regard to attacking cities, resolutelyseize all enemy fortified points and citiesthat are weakly defended. At opportunemoments, seize all enemy fortified pointsand cities defended with moderatestrength, provided the circumstances per-mit. As for all strongly defended enemyfortified points and cities, wait until theconditions are ripe and then take them.

l replenish our strength with all the arms

and most of the personnel captured fromthe enemy. our army’s main sources ofmanpower and material are at the front.

l make good use of the intervals betweencampaigns to rest, train and consolidateour troops. our strategy and tactics arebased on People’s War; no armyopposed to the people can use our strat-egy and tactics.

Local War under Modern High-tech Conditionsnew regulations were promulgated in 1999to fight wars under modern high-tech con-ditions. mao’s basic military principles wereupdated to conform to military develop-ments and new technologies of the late 20thcentury. After issue of the new regulations,the national Defence University published abook entitled On Military Campaigns to beused to instruct PLA officers on their newwarfighting doctrine. this book providesdetailed insights as to how PLA intends toconduct operations at the operational levelof war at army group and higher levels inthe future. the book addresses itself to largerprinciples but some tactics can be inferred.

In time of war or national emergency, warzone headquarters will be established basedon the existing military regions to commandforces from all services in their respective

regions. War Zone hQ are “joint” organisa-tions as are military regions but the bound-aries may be redrawn based on the strategicmissions. Within a war zone, there will be adirection of main effort as well as supportingdirections (to achieve secondary missions).the commanders for the main directionalong with the commanders from the servicesparticipating in the operation would be underthe overall war zone commander. War zoneshave anumber of Group Armies or what wecall “corps”.

Local Wars under Conditions of Informatisation china’s Defence White Paper 2008 stressedthe need for modernisation throughoutchina’s armed forces, achievable in partthrough new acquisition programmes, butmore generally and importantly through a process of “informatisation”, a coordi-nated, network-centred enhancement pro-gramme. the network-centred approach isconsidered vital for optimising componentcontributions to both offensive and defen-sive operations, and particularly critical tosuccess in “local wars”. china is developingnew, technologically advanced equipment,using an ambitious and exponential“leapfrog development” programme. Indoing so, it notes the importance of previ-ous modernisation in allowing a significantreduction in the size of its armed forces,with the inference that further force reduc-tion may be possible.

According to the document, the moderni-sation of china’s armed forces is focused onseveral strategic areas. “china is stepping upthe composite development of mechanisationand informationisation,” it says. “china isworking to develop new and high-techweaponry and equipment, training talentedpeople, conducting military training in con-ditions of informationisation and building amodern logistics system.”

US Annual Report 2011 to Congressthe term “informatisation” officially enteredthe PLA’s lexicon in 2002 when the thenchinese communist Party (ccP) GeneralSecretary and central military commission(cmc) chairman Jiang Zemin, in a speechbefore the 16th Party congress, referred tothe concept as necessary for the PLA’s rapidmodernisation and for enabling integratedjoint operations. Jiang’s address recognisedthat moving china’s military on a pathtoward informatisation would require integrating the entire PLA with commoninformation systems, as well as a new organ-isational model for war fighting. the PLAformally institutionalised the concept in2004. PLA analyses of the US and coalitionoperations in Iraq and Afghanistan have re-emphasised the importance of informati-sation and joint operations.

the US Annual report 2011 to con-gress specifies that over the past decade,china’s military has benefited from therobust investment in modern hardware andtechnology. many modern systems havereached maturity and others will becomeoperational in the next few years. conse-quent to the intense acquisition period ofthe past decade, the next ten years from2011 to 2020 are likely to be critical to thePLA as it attempts to integrate many newand complex platforms and adopt modernoperational concepts including joint war-fare and network-centric warfare.

SP’s LAND FORCES5/2011 3

COVER STORY <<

‘Our strategy is to pitone against ten; our tac-tics is to pit ten againstone. And never fight abattle unprepared. Andagain concentrate two,three, four or even tentimes the enemy forces.’

— Mao Zedong

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh addressed the

Combined Commanders Conference of the Indian

Armed Forces in New Delhi on October 11, 2011.

Among the many issues addressed by him, the

aspect of equipping the armed forces to take care

of all threats to the nation was mentioned. He said,

“It is equally the responsibility of the government

to equip our armed forces with all the necessary

means to meet all threats to our nation, including

those which go beyond conventional warfare.” It is

in this context that we wish to point that every year,

during such occasions, the PM or the Defence Min-

ister invariably promises to suitably equip the

armed forces with the requisite weaponry. How-

ever, the sad story is that today the hollowness that

exists in the inventory of weapons and munitions

of the Indian Army is shocking. The Times of India

on October 18, 2011, reported that while “the

Indian Navy and Indian Air Force may be on the

modernisation track, albeit much slower than

desired, but the Army seems to be floundering.

The 1.13-million-strong force needs as much as

`41,000 crore to even meet the shortages in equip-

ment and ammunition.” It is also a fact that the

Army had painted a grim picture in its Eleventh

Five Year Plan (2007-12) review, pointing out the

operational voids that exist in a wide variety of

areas which include artillery, aviation, air defence

and night fighting equipment, anti-tank guided mis-

siles (ATGMs), precision guided munitions (PGMs)

and specialised tank and small arms ammunition.

While this shortage of conventional weapons

and munitions is bad enough, the PM pointed

towards the sophistication of the terrorists and the

emerging threats. He said, “Today terrorist groups

are highly networked, nimble footed and more

lethal. This calls for appropriate responses. Cyber

threats are emerging as a major source of worry.

Cyber and information warfare could qualitatively

change the concept of a battlefield. Nuclear prolif-

eration and nuclear security remain a serious

threat in our neighbourhood.” The unfortunate fact

remains that in these fields too we are worse than

our adversaries. China is far ahead of India in

offensive and defensive aspects of cyber warfare

while Pakistan too can boast of a better cyber war-

fare capability. In the nuclear and missile arenas,

China does not consider India a threat as it is

aware of its strengths and our weaknesses, while

Pakistan congratulates itself on being able to effec-

tively deter India’s conventional capability. So

when will our political leaders stop indulging in ver-

bosity and start taking proactive measures to

improve our infrastructure at the borders and make

the armed forces more capable of facing the cur-

rent and future threats.

ED

IT

OR

IA

L

Lt General (Retd) V.K. Kapoor

Mao statue in Lijang, China

PHOTOGRAPH: Wikipedia

n LT GENERAL (RETD) NARESH CHAND

SAGGer AntI-tAnK mISSILesystem of Soviet origin was usedby the egyptian armed forcesagainst Israeli armoured forcesduring the Yom Kippur War of

october 1973, and caused massive destruc-tion to their tanks. there seemed to be noprotection against Sagger as it could pene-trate any existing armour. Armoured fight-ing vehicles (AFvs) have been destroyed byinfantry with weapons like the m1 bazookaof the US during Second World War but thedestruction was never achieved at such alarge scale as during the Yom Kippur Warwhere about 840 Israeli tanks weredestroyed in 20 days. the anti-tank gun andmissile systems became more and morelethal but there were not many changes inthe AFv material. however, with advance-ments in technology, many new materialsand sensors have emerged to provide betterprotection to AFvs on the battlefield.

Armour protection has substantiallyimproved in the recent years. tanks, earliermade of steel plates, are now protected bymore complex composite armour, a sand-wich of various alloys and ceramics. com-posite and hybrid armour systems have beenadopted for tanks by improving their protec-tion against kinetic and shaped-chargethreats. Passive and active protection hasevolved over a period of time.Non–Explosive Reactive Armour: A

new type of non-explosive reactive armour,known as nxrA has evolved. this uses“energetic” but non-detonating rubber-likematerials. Sandwiched between hard plates,they discharge a rapidly expanding gas toabsorb energy from a warhead. the gaspushes out the external layer of armour sothat it strikes the spike at an angle whichdeflects or reduces the energy of the impact.non-explosive reactive armour typically pro-vide less stopping power, but they have anadvantage in countering “tandem charge”munitions from systems like the US shoul-der-launched Javelin and aircraft-launchedhellfire missiles. once a brick of explosivearmour detonates, that spot becomes more

vulnerable to a second charge carriedtowards the tail end of the same munitionand detonates about 500 microseconds later.In contrast, rubbery non-explosive armouroften remains partially intact. cage armourcan provide additional protection againsttandem charge. to counter russia’s rPG -29, some european Union countries aredeveloping electric armour but it is still in avery early stage of development. Some newmaterials like hard ceramic composites havebeen developed made from rubber and epoxyresins. A ceramic armour called DorchesterLevel 2, used on british challenger 2 tanks,reportedly provides three times more resist-ance to some strikes as the same weight ofsteel. SJh Projects, a small british company,has developed a so-called “stone sponge”material which is fixed to a vehicle’s under-carriage and partially absorbs the blast offan improvised explosive device.

there is continuous competitionbetween developments in AFv protectiontechnology and AFv destruction technology.According to Dynamit nobel Defence, Panz-erfaust 3 shoulder-fired anti-tank guidedmissile strikes its target with a velocity of

more than 720 kmph, its exploding warheadthen shoots out a spike of copper at morethan 7 km a second (25,200 kmph) withenough energy to blast through a metre ofsteel, or any other current AFv.

Active Protection SystemsExplosive-Reactive Armour (ERA): It wasfirst used in the 1980s by the Israelis andcovers parts of an AFv with bricks of plasticexplosives, sandwiched between metalplates. When a warhead struck the outermetal plate, the specially shaped explosivesin between, detonated and forced the sand-wich to rapidly bulge as the plates movedapart. the aim was to shear the armour-piercing shell into bits, which would thenlose their effectiveness for penetrating thearmour. however, this created a side effect asthe shrapnel from the explosive brick wouldinjure or kill infantry soldiers or civilianswho were in proximity. thus the US Forcesdo not employ AFvs like the bradley or theStryker fighting vehicles which have explo-sive reactive armour in civilian areas. Dyna-mit nobel Defence of Germany hasdeveloped a metal-free explosive armour

named cLArA that limits the number ofsuch flying fragments but so far no otherdetails are available. Some russian engineershave claimed that they have developed areactive armour, which requires only a quar-ter of the amount of explosives as comparedto its earlier version and provides the sameamount of protection but it reacts compara-tively faster. however, the underlying dangeris that its faster-reacting, more-sensitiveexplosives might detonate accidentally if hitby a bullet or another vehicle. Trophy Active Protection System

(APS): the APS is the result of a 10-year col-laborative development programme betweenrafael Armament Development Authorityand Israel Aircraft Industries/elta rafael isthe prime contractor for the programme.the trophy system can detect, classify, trackand destroy all types of advanced anti-armour threats, including anti-tank guidedmissiles and rockets at a suitable distanceaway from the targeted AFv platform. In cer-tain situations, it can destroy the anti-tankmunition without detonation thus leavingno residual effect on the platform. the sys-tem comprises of a sensor and a hard killmechanism. the sensor is an elta radar con-nected to four antennas located on all thefour sides of the AFv thus providing allround protection including top attack. thehard kill part consists of two elements devel-oped by rafael which are located on eitherside of the platform. the trophy radar car-ries out a search and on detecting the threatcarries out threat analysis. It will start track-ing the threat only if it is going to hit theAFv. the hard kill countermeasure is thenactivated to neutralise the threat at a safedistance from the platform to cause mini-mum collateral damage. this is an impor-tant requirement and as per the company,the maximum injury it will cause to the dis-mounted infantrymen will be less than oneper cent. Its integration is being carried withthe merkava mk 4's battle-management sys-tem where it can react itself or pass the infor-mation to another AFv which is threatened.APS can also be fitted to a variety of AFvplatforms. efforts are on to reduce the weightto make it suitable for lighter platforms likethe Stryker. Weight is also an importantcharacteristic and so such ‘add on’ systemsdo not impinge on the manoeuvrability ofthe AFvs.

Other Developments in APSAn APS has been under development in theUS named Integrated Army Active Protec-tion System. United Defence Land Platformsand bAe Systems of the UK are developingthe sensor systems, and northrop Grummanis developing the hard kill component. ‘Ironcurtain’ is another active-protection systemwhich has been developed for US Forces byArtis. It uses radar and optical sensors to cal-culate the trajectory of an incoming war-head, and then intercepts it with a projectilefired from a roof-rack. the impact thenbreaks up the warhead before it hits the AFv.

russia’s Kolomna-based engineeringDesign bureau (KbP) together with otherallied enterprises have designed and pro-duced the Arena tank active protection sys-tem which belongs to the latest generationof russian APS, together with Drozd-2 APS.Arena is intended to protect tanks from anti-tank grenades and AtGms, including somevariants of top-attack AtGms.

SP’s LAND FORCES4


>> T ECHNOLOGY

5/2011

Active Protection SystemArmour protection has substantially improved in the recent years. Tanks, earlier made of steel plates, are nowprotected by more complex composite armour, a sandwich of various alloys and ceramics. Composite andhybrid armour systems have been adopted for tanks by improving their protection against kinetic and shaped-charge threats.

Merkava Mark IV

Trophy Active Protection System

PHOTOGRAPH: Wikimedia

PHOTOGRAPH: Rafael

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SP’s: What is the concept of the active protec-tion system? Why has it been invented?Lova Drori (Drori): trophy’s countermeasureis based on direct hit of multiple explosiveformed penetrators (meFP) at the threat’swarhead, causing disintegration of the war-head from the missile and in most caseswithout missile detonation. It was inventedsince the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) con-cluded that there is no other way or technol-ogy to protect a combat vehicle 360 degreeagainst chemical energy (ce) threats.

SP’s: How is target detection and trackingdone in an active protection system?Drori: trophy uses radar technology (fourantennas to cover 360 degrees) to detect andtrack the coming threat. trophy counter-measure will be activated only if the threatis about to hit the protected vehicle and theradar delivers to the crew an exact locationof missile launcher.

SP’s: Is the system automatic when it isswitched on?Drori: Yes.

SP’s: Is the whole vehicle (tank or infantrycombat vehicle) protected or only selectedportions are protected?Drori: the whole vehicle is protected whileenabling the vehicle’s commander to neu-tralise a selected sector.

SP’s: Is it applicable round the clock in allweather conditions? Is the vehicle protected

when the engine is switched off?Drori: Yes, trophy APS is type classified andcombat proven. It works under all weatherconditions as well as when the vehicle’sengine is switched off.

SP’s: What is the danger for the accompany-ing infantry who are outside the tank or ICV?Drori: Since the trophy is activated only ifthe threat is about to hit the vehicle, it hitsdirectly the coming missile’s warheads and

in most cases will not cause threat detona-tion—the danger to accompanying infantryis minimal and in any case—much less thanif the missile will hit the vehicle.

SP’s: What kind of design does this equip-ment have? Is it an “add on” equipment anddetachable?Drori: trophy is not an “add on” system.however, it can be integrated to almost anymedium (16 tonne) or heavy weight vehicle

SP’s: What are the advantages offered by yourTrophy system versus the Arena or the Shtorasystem of Russia?Drori: Shtora is a soft kill system that is capa-ble of defeating relatively small number ofmissiles and cannot defeat anti-tank rockets(Atr/rPG) at all. Arena will not cover 360degrees and has a lot of collateral damage.

SP’s: Does the system take care of flat as wellas inclined trajectory attacks?Drori: trophy will kill all known anti-tankguided missiles (AtGm), anti-tank rockets(Atr) and-tank high explosive anti-tank(heAt) rounds, in all trajectories and with-out any limitations.

SP’s: What role does the range of the attack-ers weapon play in the protection system? Isa short-range of attack by a hand held weaponmore dangerous?Drori: trophy will kill all the above men-tioned threats, including very short-rangeshooting.

I N T ERV I EW>>


‘Trophy is not an add on system’Rafael’s Trophy active protection system is type classified, combat proven and works under all weather conditions. In an interview with SP’s Land Forces, Lova Drori, Executive Vice President, Rafael, threw light onthe Trophy countermeasure technology.


Trophy on Hummer

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RA I S ING DAY <<

www.amgeneral.com

n LT GENERAL (RETD) P.C. KATOCH

FIrSt bAttALIon, the PArA-chUte regiment (Special Forces), inshort the 1 PArA (SF), is the oldestbattalion of the Indian Army. thebattalion celebrated its 250th rais-

ing Day on october 17, 2011, preceded by ahost of activities including a mountaineer-ing expedition, an overseas remembranceexpedition, a documentary film, specialcover and stamp and a multidimensionalrally with sky diving and underwater diving.

Raising, Designations & Honoursthe battalion traces its origin to the madrasArmy of the east India company, havingbeen raised as the eighth battalion, thecoastal Sepoys by captain cooke at trichi-nopoly in october 1761. eight years later,the unit was renamed as eighth carnaticbattalion; and before the century was out, itsdesignation had been changed twice—in1770 to Seventh carnatic battalion and in1784 to Seventh madras battalion. It rose togive a glorious account of itself, passingthrough centuries and emerging throughincessant campaigning as an epitome of val-our, loyalty and military traditions. the des-ignation of the battalion changed more thana dozen times (see box).

change of name did not however changethe identity of the unit as the battalionfought from honour to honour—10 battlehonours and eight theatre honours even ascolours changed over the years (see box).

In the first 60 years, the battalion foughtwith hyder Ali of mysore, tipu Sultan, themarathas and the French in the battles ofcoimbatore, Seringapatanam, Pondicherry,mehidpur and Assenghur that were great vic-tories for the british. Later, it sailed and sawactive service in ceylon in 1795. In 1824, thebattalion participated in the First Anglo-burmese War, winning battle honour Avaand earning the badge of Galley with themotto Khushki-wuh-tarri (by land and sea).thereafter, it operated thrice in burma, alsoserving in Penang, malacca and Singapore.In 1903, the composition of the unit wasaltered to Punjabis, the designation changedto 67th Punjabis and the new century washeralded by marching 1,750 kilometres toFort Lockhart and vigorous campaigns inWorld War I, the battalion fought the siege ofKut-al-Amara and fierce battles against turksat tukse marh, Shumran, tigris, Qisil robat,Kudarrah and nasiriyah. Later, it saw servicein Salonica, batum, tiflis and chanak beforereturning to India in 1920, having earnedbattle honour of Kut-al-Amara and theatrehonour of mesopotamia and winning 65 gal-

Turning 250The First Battalion of the Indian Army’s Parachute Regiment celebrated its Raising Day on October 17

PHOTOGRAPHS: Indian Army

Milestones

1761 – raised as 8th battalion of coast Sepoys (cooke-ki-Paltan)1769 – 8th carnatic battalion.1770 – 7th carnatic battalion.1784 – 7th madras battalion.1796 – 1st battalion of madras native Infantry.1824 – 7th regiment of madras native Infantry.1885 – 7th regiment of madras Infantry.1901 – 7th madras Infantry.1903 – 67th Punjabis.1922 – 1st battalion 2nd Punjab regiment.1946 – 1st battalion Punjab regiment (Para).1952 – 1st battalion the Parachute regiment.1978 – 1st battalion the Parachute regiment (commando)1995 – 1st battalion the Parachute regiment (Special Forces)

Regimental Colour 7th MadrasInfantry replaced by the new regimental colour in green on

November 10, 1903

Regimental Colour 67th Punjabisreplaced by 1st Battalion 2ndPunjab Regimental colour on

March 20, 1939

Kings Colour 67th Punjabisreplaced by 1st Battalion 2nd

Punjab Regiment Kings Colour onMarch 20, 1939

RA I S ING DAY / BMS>>



Exploiting Technology for Mission AccomplishmentThe BMS will provide the Indian Army an integration tool supporting every level of military users ranging fromindividual soldier to Battalion Group/Combat Group Commander in the tactical battle area displaying in nearreal time an appropriate, common and comprehensive tactical picture by integrating inputs from all elementsof the battle group


The InDIAn ArmY AcQUIrInGthe battlefield management system(bmS) inched a bit closer with theDefence Acquisition council (DAc)clearing the bmS proposal as a

‘make’ project. Since future military opera-tions will be combined and joint comprisingof all arms and inter-service elements, therequirement will be of units and subunits ofother arms to operate subordinated or incooperation with each other, accelerateddecision-action cycle and an ability to con-duct operations simultaneously within an allarms group. the bmS will provide the IndianArmy an integration tool supporting everylevel of military users ranging from individ-ual soldier to battalion Group/combatGroup commander in the tactical battle area(tbA) displaying in near real time an appro-priate, common and comprehensive tactical

picture by integrating inputs from all ele-ments of the battle group. It will be possibleto pick up the enemy much before he picksyou up, see the target and fire direct in quicktime using the best weaponry available, asalso monitor the after effects. As such, field-ing of the bmS will be an important facet ofcapability building in the Indian Army.

Project BMSthe concept is to have an ideal system whichshould be able to integrate the means of sur-veillance and engagement through an auto-mated decision support and command andcontrol system. the concept aims to exploittechnology for mission accomplishment inthe tbA by rapid acquisition, processing andtransfer of information, enhance situationalawareness, acquire capability to react toinformation, sharpen ability to synchroniseand direct fire, plus establish and maintainoverwhelming operational tempo. Project

bmS was envisaged to enable a faster deci-sion process by commanders at all echelons,enable better decision due to reliable opera-tional information provided in real time andhave the ability to quickly close the sensor toshooter loop. the overall scope of the systemis to integrate, test and field a bmS duly inte-grated with other components of thetacc3I. the system customised to the spe-cific Indian Army requirement, needs to befirst integrated and tested in a controlledenvironment for which a test bed laboratorywill need to be established. After testing inthe laboratory conditions, validation trials ofthe system will be carried out in field condi-tions. After successful validation of the sys-tem in field, the process for equipping willbegin. the mission capabilities being lookedat are as follows:l Provide a command and control system

spanning the tbA spreading across indi-viduals, detachments, combat platforms,

sensors, subunits, units to the battalioncommander/regiment commander.

l Achieve faster reaction capability andflexibility in command and control byproviding information automatically atthe right place in the right time, therebycompressing observe, orient, decide, andact (ooDA) loop.

l Provide a strong foundation for makingdecisions based on near real time, con-sistent and well-structured information,thereby enhancing the informationhandling capability of commanders atall levels.

l Strengthen information exchange byhaving a strong messaging and replica-tion mechanism.

l Improve and modernise presentation ofinformation in near real time.

l Integrate with other command and control system.the bmS will comprise a tactical hand

lantry awards including four DSos, one mcand 60 mention-in-Despatches. World War IIsaw the unit again deployed in middle eastwith actions fought in british Somaliland, fol-lowed by battle of Al Alamein in 1942, fight-ing in berbera, Alexandria, winning threemilitary crosses. In 1944, the unit fought inItaly at modina, Pratelle Pass, San martinoSogliano, mount Farneto, casa betini, trieste,Donato, vignola, teodorano, casa blanca andclemente, displaying indomitable spirit in theadvance to cassino, to capture the Idicebridge head in 1945 repulsing counterattacks by Germans. the battalion receivedofficial commendation from Field marshalAlexander, c-in-c Allied Forces in Italy and53 gallantry awards.

In 1946, the battalion converted to para-troopers. the first Indian commanding offi-cer was Lt colonel (later major General) t.mahadeo Singh, DSo. In 1947, the muslimcompanies of the battalion went to Pakistanwhile Sikh and Dogra companies from1/12th Frontier Force regiment joined theunit. In Jammu and Kashmir (J&K), the bat-talion fought at Shelatang, badgam, bara-mula, Uri, beri Pattan, nowshera, Kotli,Jhangar, Grund Gala, mendhar, Poonch, Pirbadesar and bhimbhar Gali, earning battlehonour Poonch, theatre honour J&K 1947-48 and winning seven vir chakras and 41mention-in-Despatches.

having weathered the rigours of Jammuand Kashmir operations, the battalion sailedto Gaza for a Un mission in 1957 under Ltcolonel (later Lt General) I.S. Gill, mc and wascommended by the Un Secretary General. Forsome of the veterans of World War II, the sightand sounds of Port Said were not unfamiliar,having fought at el Alamein and later crossingthe mediterranean to fight in Italy. the Secre-tary General of United nations organisation,Dag hammarskjold after a visit to the battal-ion stated, “I am very much impressed withthe military efficiency of the Paratroopers.”the battalion returned to India in 1961 andcelebrated its bicentenary to mark 200 yearsof unbroken service, being the first unit of theIndian Army to do so. In the same year, it led

the advance on Goa. overcoming opposition,Lt colonel Sucha Singh, vrc, mc received thesurrender of Portuguese troops.

more glory came in 1965 when the bat-talion attacked and captured Sank, LedwaliGali, Sar and Sawanpatri as prelude to cap-ture hajipir Pass under the dashing major(later Lt General) ranjit Singh Dyal, earningthe battle honour haji Pir, an mvc for Dyaland another seven awards. In 1971, the bat-talion captured Pakistani posts of Peereke,Gatti bharola and Amin bhaini, eightawards including two vir chakras. In 1975,the battalion led operations for merger ofSikkim with India, winning three awardsincluding a Shaurya chakra. In 1978, thebattalion was reorganised into a commandobattalion. In 1984, the battalion partici-pated in operation blue Star.

From 1987 to 1989, the battalion oper-ated in Sri Lanka as part of Indian Peace Keep-ing Force (IPKF) and on return was repeatedlydeployed in counter-insurgency operations inthe northeast and J&K killing/capturing over130 terrorist, hostage rescue, capture ofweapons and warlike stores, and successfulraids. A daring rescue operation was under-taken in 1992 to rescue 10 passengersstranded in a suspended cable car at timbertrail resorts at Parwanoo in himachalPradesh that got global coverage. In real life,major I.J. crasto of the battalion displayedexemplary courage in landing on thestranded cable car by a mI-17 helicopter andrescued all the passengers safely.

Post-Independence, the battalion hasearned about 386 awards including onemaha vir chakra, one Kirti chakra, 11 virchakras, six Kirti chakras, 17 Shauryachakras, 64 Sena medals, two vishisht Sevamedals, 38 mention-in-Despatches and 246commendation cards (all types). As part ofthe 250th anniversary celebrations, a 20-member team of the battalion, under majorraj S.S. rajpurohit, scaled mount bhagirathiII from may 23-25, 201. the trail of glorywill go on endlessly! (The author was commissioned into and com-manded 1 PARA (SF))

Indira Gandhi with officers of the battalion

Battle HonoursPre-Independencecarnatic (1780-84)mysore (1790-92)Ava (1824-26)Kut-al-Amara (1915)berbera (1940)Pratelle Pass (1944)San martino Sogliano (1944)Idice bridge head (1945)

Post-IndependencePoonch (1947)haji Pir (1965)

Theatre HonoursPre-Independenceburma (1885-87)mesopotamia (1915-18)Abyssinia (1940-41)british Somali Land (1940)north Africa (1940-43)Italy (1943-45)

Post-IndependenceJ & K (1947-48)J & K (1965)

Indira Gandhisigns the visitors book inOfficers Mess

Indira Gandhi with the gallantvictors of Hajipir Pass in 1965

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SP’s LAND FORCES10

BMS


5/2011

held computer with individual soldiers andtactical computers at battle Group head-quarters and combat vehicles. the comput-ers will be integrated employing applicationand database servers connected on a data-enabled communication network. the sys-tem will enable generation of commonoperational picture by integrating inputsfrom all relevant sources within a battlegroup by integrated use of geographic infor-mation system (GIS) and global positioningsystem (GPS). the bmS will be a highlymobile system which is able to network itselfby integration of components and provide ahigh data rate. the communications shouldnot interfere with the legacy communicationequipment and should easily be retrofittedinto combat platform. the communicationssystem should optimally utilise the band-width available for military communicationsinvolving voice and data including videostreaming and imageries. It should be scala-ble to ensure its availability to all elementsand range from being man-portable to beingfitted in combat vehicles.

the initial planned deployment scheduleof Phase I (establishment of the test bed laband field trials at test bed location of onecombat Group and three Infantry battalionGroups by 2012) has already gone haywirebecause of the vital time lost due to indeci-sion in the delimitation between the bmSand the futuristic infantry soldier as a system(F-InSAS) and concurrent fallout in re-ordering of the feasibility study. theInfantry insists in handling computer andradio subsystems plus software integrationof Project F-InSAS by themselves and unfor-tunately, the situation was allowed to perpet-uate due to lack of understanding oftechnology in higher echelons.

Current Statusthe bmS has been cleared as a ‘make’ projectby the DAc. the DG Acquisition, ministry ofDefence (moD), will now order constitutionof an Integrated Project management team(IPmt) to undertake a study, following whichan expression of interest (eoI) will be issuedby the moD to the industry raksha Udyogratnas (rUrs). Going by earlier norms, theIPmt report should take about 12months, implying that the eoI can beexpected to be issued by october2012. considering the response timeto the eoI (about three-fourmonths), nomination of prototypedevelopers plus development time(about 12 months) and the testbed, Phase 1 may be expected tobe completed by 2015 (insteadof 2012) provided no furtherhurdles are put. the cascad-ing effect has alreadydelayed completion ofPhase II (equipping) frominitial plan of 2017 to2020 and Phase III(change managementand upgradation of sys-tem) from 2022 to 2025as per current status.

Private IndustryIt is extremely important forthe private industry to take notethat developments of such animportant information systemsproject has come into a level play-ing field without the Defenceresearch and Development organisa-tion (DrDo) hijacking it ab initio for thevery first time. the bmS is a finance inten-sive project and exact financial implicationcan only be holistically worked out at the endof Phase I only. however, the approximatecost of Phase I of the system was earlier esti-mated to be around `350 crore. therefore,what should be vital to the private industryis to invest heavily in research and develop-ment (r&D) and produce state-of-the-artprototypes well before issue of the eoI inoctober 2012. the project must be given top

priority as it would be the very beginning oflarge-scale private industry partnership inthe defence sector. though PSUs too are apart of the rUrs, individual private industryincluding consortiums, have an equalchance. In all probability, minimum twodevelopers will be chosen to develop the pro-totypes. It is equally important to under-stand that if the prototypes are not of therequired standard and found wanting; theproject will then go the DrDo way, delayingthe overall project by yet another few years.

Private industry must realise that con-sidering the bmS will be fielded pan Army atthe battalion/regiment level, the overallrequirement will be colossal. more impor-tantly, a similar system will eventually berequired by the Paramilitary Forces (PmF)

and central Armed Police Forces (cAPF)involved in anti-terrorist operations if we areto achieve national net-centricity to counterthe increasing asymmetric threats of terror-ism, insurgencies and fourth generationwarfare. the prototype should be developedas a suitable application on an intuitiveoperating system with GIS suitability cus-tomised to meet the military requirements.voice and data communications must bealways up. computer hardware should berugged and non-obtrusive with retro-fit-ment maintaining the platform integrity.System integration should include applica-tion software, data links with radio systems,integration of battalion/regiment level sen-sors battlefield surveillance radar (bFSr),thermal imagers, unmanned aerial vehicleand micro aerial vehicle (UAv/mAv) data,satellite imagery, etc.

The ArmyIt would be prudent for the Indian Army tofocus on the following:l the bmS was required “yesterday”.

Delay in processing the development andfielding would be at the cost of opera-tional capability, including ongoing sub-conventional operations.

l For Phase III of F-InSAS (dealing withcomputer and radio subsystems and soft-

ware integration) Pmo F-InSASshould be moved out from DG

infantry and placed directly underthe DG Information Systems akin

to the artillery command, controland communications system

(AcccS) and air defencecontrol and reporting

system (ADc&rS).the ongoing effort to

bulldoze F-InSASindependently in any

case will be quashed bythe moD-Finance particu-larly when Project bmS is

already catering foreven dismounted

m e c h a n i s e d

Infantry. l A full-fledged Pmo bmS is a must against

existing gross inadequacy of two-threeofficers handling such a vital project.

l Pmos are a global concept and withgood reason. Scrapping the Pmo inDGIS (that were already posted withhard scale strengths) and renamingthem in sections with still less officerson grounds of saving manpower hasbeen most retrograde and indicates theinability to recognise information as astrategic source. It would be prudent toreview this decision dispassionately dis-counting egos.

l the bmS was required yesterday. theArmy could have avoided delays. Inade-quacy in understanding the technologyat the top echelons is a real problem thatthe Indian Army must look at seriously.If this is not addressed, the bmS may getfurther delayed every time new incum-bents take over as vice chief and the twoDeputy chiefs, particularly if someone ishell bent to push the F-InSAS individu-ally, disregarding the disadvantages interms of time and costs including therequirement to develop yet another sys-tem to integrate the bmS and F-InSAS,if these are developed separately.

l test bed for the bmS should be at fullscale, down to the individual soldier. It isprudent to do this and then think of anyelimination.

l training for the personnel handling ofthe bmS needs to be well planned.besides individual digitised trainingpackages, the Army needs to work out acomprehensive training package for

these personnel. considering the num-bers involved, such collective trainingwill perhaps need to be decentralisedat brigade/battalion level. l At some point of time we need tostart thinking of interoperabilitywith friendly foreign forcess we willbe in partnership with for peace,especially under the Un flag.

Capacity Building A project like the bmS is a multi-dis-ciplinary process. various subsys-tems of the tactical commandcontrol and communication intelli-gence (tac c3I) like the commanddecision support system (cIDSS),AcccS, Air Defence control andreporting System (ADc&rS), battle-field surveillance system (bSS), elec-tronic warfare system (eWS), etc

have been under various stages ofdevelopment and fielding in the Armyat the brigade and above level. how-

ever, the net-centricity that would beachieved from the above will have little

dividends if it is not optimised througha bmS at the battalions/regiments that

are at the forefront and do the actual fighting in the tbA. We need to acceleratethe development and fielding of the bmS as part of essential capability building ofthe Army.

The BMS has beencleared as a ‘make’ proj-ect by the DAC. The DGAcquisition will noworder constitution of anIPMT to undertake astudy, following whichan expression of interestwill be issued by theMoD to the industry.

Inadequacy in under-standing the technologyat the top echelons is a real problem that the Indian Army mustlook at seriously

PHOTOGRAPH: General Dynamics


The SecUrItY, economIcProGreSS and well-being of thecitizens of a country is closely inter-linked with what intelligence gath-ering capability the country’s

establishment has. Intelligence plays aprominent role in the decision-makingprocess of any organisation including themilitary and such geospatial intelligence isvital to the command, control, communica-tions, computers, information, intelligence(c4I2) system. the technological revolutionparticularly in the field of information tech-nology and 21st century challenges to secu-rity including expanding threat ofinternational terrorism has forced govern-ments’ world over to adopt organisationalrestructuring to cope with such threats. theemphasis is on state to state cooperation andexchange of information rather than pursu-ing an independent agenda since thesethreats are transnational, omni-present andcan occur any time. the geographic data-base is vast; no more restricted to areasadjoining international boundaries and alsoincludes own territory. therefore, theamount of information that needs to beprocessed to filter meaningful intelligence iscolossal. this makes exploitation of technol-ogy essential in order to facilitate real timeintelligence. conventional approach will notdo since it will be time taking and resourceconsuming. Automated decision supportsystems can process and form a cohesive pic-ture from large amount of data in fairlyshort span of time, thereby permitting reten-tion of initiative. the aim of any such systemshould therefore be to fuse data from multi-ple and sometimes even unrelated sources tobe able to produce a comprehensive intelli-gence picture dealing with all aspects ofinformation.

Geospatial Intelligencethere are many definitions for geospatialintelligence. however, the most apt definitiondepicting the magnitude of the effort requiredto build a database of geospatial intelligenceis by the national Imagery and mappingAgency (nImA), which defines it as “theexploitation and analysis of imagery andgeospatial information to describe, assess, andvisually depict physical features and geo-

graphically referenced activities on theearth.” this elucidates the type of databaserequired by government agencies entrustedwith the task of national security. the needfor commanders at all levels to have access tomaximum data pertaining to the topographyand demography of an area of interest is wellestablished. transparent overlays with sup-plementary information placed over printedtopography sheets have been in use for longand are just one example of this necessity.computers and associated technology haveushered in the era of digital mapping wherethis supplementary data can be tagged to var-ious terrain features, which can be displayed,queried or processed, based on the require-ment without cluttering the base map.

the capability and capacity of any appli-cation based on a geographic informationsystem (GIS) is dependent on the quantityand quality of data provided as input. A digi-tised cartography map needs enormous vol-ume of attributed data before it can becomesuitable as a GIS input. While generally thisdata has been assumed to pertain to terrainfeature only, a true GIS ready map shouldlogically cover the complete spectrum ofdata required by various disciplines of geo-detic science that has military value in assist-ing the operations. this definitely calls forinputs even from agencies other than thosedealing with topographic survey in order tomake it all encompassing. For example, itshould assist in calculating the effects of cer-tain type of munitions like incendiary, chem-ical or biological that cannot be calculatedpurely by use of standard two dimensionalmodels since it also requires detailed knowl-edge of terrain in terms of type of forest,condition of the shrubs and metrologicalconditions, etc.

Infrastructureto reinforce the above, the security forceswill need to rely on all relevant agencies of

the government in order to optimallyexploit the available information in a geo-graphic context. Stand-alone reliance canleave large gaps in intelligence which wouldbe crucial at the time of critical decision-making. It is therefore essential that anyagency entrusted with the task of produc-ing geospatial intelligence should be multi-faceted with representation from allagencies dealing with aspects of intelli-gence, cartography, oceanography, civicinfrastructure creation, public utility/safetyservices and so on. cartography in anurban environment is a challenging tasksince there is lack of natural features thatcan be selected as control points plus theproblem of line of sight for surveying. therequirements of user, especially securityforces, are also very demanding in an urbansetup. Layout of the sewage system, thepower and telephone lines/distributors,other communication infrastructure, trafficconditions at various time of the day, loca-tion of medical and health centres, thedemography, location of trouble spots, eth-nic/communal break up of population,architectural drawings of the buildings, etcare the disparate sources of informationwhich can enable a commander in takinglogical decisions in case of a crisis.

Transform National Security ApparatusThe need to bring intelligence and geospatial information under the aegis of one single agency cannot beunderestimated and should not be relegated to a later day. India must reach a base level to match its statusas a regional power.

PHOTOGRAPH: US Army


T ECHNOLOGY <<

A holistic view of ourorganisation in the fieldof intelligence andgeospatial intelligenceat the national level isnecessary to lay down aframework for transfor-mation of our nationalsecurity apparatus tomeet future challenges

T ECHNOLOGY>>



Post-9/11, the US undertook majorrestructuring of government agencies andformation of national Geospatial Intelli-gence Agency (nGA) by merging in it withelements of the central IntelliegenceAgency (cIA), Defence Intelligence Agency,national reconnaissance organisation(nro), State Department, etc. the nGA’smission statement being “provide accurateand timely geodetic, geophysical, geotechni-cal analysis and geospatial intelligenceinformation to support national security,department of defence, and intelligenceobjectives,” it is undoubtedly a major arm ofthe US Government assisting in implement-ing the national goals of USA. other majornations too are restructuring to establishagencies dealing with this important aspectof intelligence. one may argue that USA isa global power and requires much largerdatabase of spatial intelligence to support itsforeign policies and its military deployed atvarious parts of the globe. While we maynot draw comparisons with the US in termsof infrastructure at this stage, we will surelyhave to reach a bare minimum level tomatch our status as an emerging regionalpower including in the Indian ocean region(Ior). For production and analysis of datarequired as base for geospatial intelligence,numerous agencies are involved. this wouldinclude high resolution imagery products,elevation data through ground/ air/spacebased survey, electronic intelligence (eLInt)and human intelligence (hUmInt) assets,cartography data, inputs from agenciesdealing with internal security, urban and

rural development agencies, forest manage-ment agencies, intelligence community andso on. It is only when the seemingly unre-lated events collected individually by theseagencies are merged, a comprehensive intel-ligence picture in the geographic domaincan emerge.

Indian Sceneon the Indian front, establishment of thenational Spatial Data Infrastructure (nSDI)has been a good initiative but its networkingwith concerned government agencies rele-vant to geospatial database and updates isgoing too slow and may take many yearsunless the right impetus is given. moreimportantly, nSDI deals with only someaspects pertaining to creation of metadataof available geospatial data and does notcater to inputs from intelligence communityor for that matter the defence services. Inspite of the recommendations of the Kargilreview committee (Krc) as well as recom-mendation of Group of ministers (Gom) onissues related to streamlining the intelli-gence agencies in the country, a lot of workis yet to be done on issues related to fusion ofintelligence data. While the Defence Intelli-gence Agency (DIA) and national technicalresearch organisation (ntro) have beenestablished, such steps are still not sufficientto deal with aspects pertaining to geospatialintelligence. the DIA is the central reposi-tory for all intelligence inputs pertaining tothe three Services including imagery intelli-gence (ImInt) and electronic intelligence(eLInt). however, we are yet to integrate theaspects of topography with the DIA. Withinthe existing setup, adequate resources interms of remote sensing, eLInt payloadsand cartography are not available to producehigh quality fused data. Similarly, muchmore is required at the national level interms of integration of various governmentagencies. While certain isolated linkagesbetween certain government agencies arealready in place, this connectivity has to beextended to all necessary arms of the gov-ernment over a national security informa-tion grid for optimal exploitation of variousmultilayered data sets. Ideally, a comprehen-sive geospatial intelligence data set should beable to generate large scale maps, surfacemodels, to include natural and manmadestructures, walk through of critical infra-

structure/buildings, computer models topredict and manage natural disasters andmany other functions required to supportaspects pertaining to nation building as wellas national security.

the Disaster management Authority(DmA) by itself is recognition of the impor-tance of geospatial science in nation build-ing. An organisation like this would have todeal with varied amount of data pertainingto disparate sources of information to per-form its tasks. A national Information Gridis a basic prerequisite for the collection andassimilation of data coming from differentparts of the country, dealing with differentaspects of national security. our existingcommunication infrastructure is definitelynot in a position to deal with informationflow of the magnitude necessitated by disas-ters like the tsunami and recent calamitiesin Leh, Sikkim and West bengal. ournational Intelligence Grid (nAtGrID) hasalready been cleared by the cabinet com-mittee of Security (ccS). this needs to beestablished on priority, synergising ‘allsource’ intelligence and should also belinked to the national Special Data Infrstructure (nSDI). be it disaster manage-ment, communal riots or counter-insur-gency operations, the di parate informationheld by different agencies has to be fused toform an intelligent picture before the oper-

ations can be planned to produce maximumresults. Within the military, the primaryprerequisite would be the fusion of inputsfrom the three services pertaining to thedefence part of the national security appa-ratus. While it will take time to influencesmoother flow of information from otherarms of the government, the military itselfmust focus on integration of varioussources of information belonging to thethree Services under the aegis of IntegratedDefence Staff (IDS).

In the absence of a dedicated defencespace programme, the military is dependenton national remote Sensing Agency (nrSA)and commercial satellite based imagery forsome of the ImInt requirements. there is aneed to employ other alternate sensors tomeet the defence requirements not only per-taining to imagery, but also pertaining to datarequired for cartography. this calls for a wellcoordinated surveillance effort by airbornesensors of the three Services. Similarly, thehUmInt and eLInt data needs to be fusedwith ImInt and the topographic data. mili-tary survey needs a large amount of data toprepare accurate maps of areas across theIb/LAc/Lc. Unless we can task our assetsaccording to the overall vision for geospatialintelligence, we will continue to operate in iso-lation, and remain critically short in terms ofgeospatial data. there is a need to chalk out awell thought out roadmap in this context.

Requirement the following needs to be focused by the gov-ernment and the military, as relevant:

Data links of nSDI with concerned gov-ernment agencies and the military need tobe established on priority basis. l Which government agencies need to be

linked with nSDI needs holistic thought,for which views could be taken from var-ious forums including the ministries ofhome and Defence, military, militarySurvey, Survey of India, Disaster man-agement Authority, nrSA, DoS, thinktanks, etc.

l nSDI must be networked with agencieslike the DIA and ntro.

l establishment of nAtGrID needs accel-eration. once established, it should belinked to the nSDI and DIA besides otherintelligence agencies and users.

l the military should focus on integratingtopographical aspects with the DIA. theneed to establish a Defence Spatial DataInfrastructure (DSDI) was never more,the initiative for which needs to be takenby the hQ Integrated Defence Staff (IDS).

Meeting Future Challengesefforts pertaining to geospatial data andintelligence within the three services needto be integrated to help field a fully func-tional c4I2 system, which would be an inte-gral part of our war making effort in theyears to come. Individual service approachcannot suffice. no automated battlefieldmanagement system can be fully exploitedunless quality data is provided to it as input.our efforts to enable production of geospa-tial intelligence would meet most of the datarequirements of both c4I2 and tacticalcommand, control, communications andinformation (c3I) systems of the three serv-ices. the need to bring intelligence andgeospatial information under the aegis ofone single agency cannot be underestimatedand should not be relegated to a later day.India must reach a base level to match itsstatus as a regional power. In times to come,as India gets increasingly involved in Un-backed conflict management activities, wewill have to continuously review our policiesand carry out organisational adaptations tooperate seamlessly with other major mem-ber countries. A holistic view of our organ-isation in the field of geospatial intelligenceat the national level is necessary to lay downa framework for transformation of ournational security apparatus to meet futurechallenges.

The emphasis is on stateto state cooperation andexchange of informationrather than pursuing anindependent agendasince these threats aretransnational, omni-present and can occurany time

In times to come, asIndia gets increasinglyinvolved in UN-backedconflict managementactivities, we will have tocontinuously review ourpolicies and carry outorganisational adapta-tions to operate seam-lessly with other majormember countries

PHOTOGRAPH: US Army


AMMUN I T ION <<

n LT GENERAL (RETD) NARESH CHAND

CLASSIFIcAtIon oF the cALI-bre of guns or ammunition is dif-ficult as every country andmanufacturing company has itsown system. In the Indian

Artillery, the classification was earlier basedon the calibre of the gun and the ammuni-tion was named accordingly. the field gunwas around 25 pounder/105mm, themedium gun was 5.5 inch/130mm and theheavy guns were 7.2 inches. this distinctionhas been somewhat blurred with theemployment of heavy firepower in all phasesof offensive and defensive operations.Accordingly, 155mm is an accepted calibreacross the board for field artillery. however,there are a variety of ammunitions termedas “medium calibre” depending upon its roleand employment. the development of gunshas almost reached a plateau in terms ofreach but there has been revolutionarydevelopment in gun ammunition to meet therequirements of longer reach, lethality andaccuracy. the modern gun ammunition canbe used from land, sea or air, depending onthe type of platform.

Medium-Calibre Ammunitionmany companies are developing and manu-facturing many types of state-of-the-artmedium calibre ammunition to be used fromland, sea and air.

ATKAtK produces a complete family of medium-calibre tactical and training ammunitionwhich can be fired from Apache helicopters,A-10 thunderbolt II aircraft, bradleyinfantry fighting vehicles, ship platforms,etc. they are in the calibre range of 20mm,25mm and 30mm rounds which can beeffectively used in a variety of roles like anti-armour, anti-materiel, anti-personnel,ground suppression, air defence, and ship-board-defence applications.20mm x 102mm: AtK produces a full

spectrum of 20mm x 102mm ammunitionfor air, ground and sea platforms forarmour piercing, anti-materiel and person-nel role. the ammunition is lethal, has goodpenetration and is very accurate. It can beeffectively used from fixed-wing aircraft forcombat applications to support air-to-airand air-to-ground missions; rotary-wingapplications for air-to-ground missions andagainst today’s modern littoral and anti-ship threats. this ammunition can also beused in a ground-based defence system tocounter rocket, artillery and mortarattacks and against speeding cars loadedwith explosives. the rounds can be firedfrom the m39A2, m61A1, m197 andm621 cannons. the penetrator withenhanced lateral effect (PeLe) round ver-sion offers a superior fragmenting projectilewithout the use of high explosives. It iseffective against air targets as well as lightarmour and material targets.25mm: AtK is the world’s leading sup-

plier of combat proven, low-cost 25mm x137mm ammunition which is extremelyeffective in anti armour, anti-materiel, anti-personnel, and fire suppression roles. the25mm bushmaster ammunition providesinfantry fighting vehicles, ship self-defencesystems and air defence platforms with thefirepower necessary to meet a variety ofthreats. this ammunition may be fired from

the AtK bushmaster m242 chain gun, theoerlikon KbA, GAU-12/U cannon or anyother north Atlantic treaty organisation(nAto)-qualified 25mm weapon system.the ammunition meets or exceeds all the USGovernment performance requirements andis the only 25mm ammunition to haveobtained nAto certification. 30mm x 173mm: this family of ammu-

nition builds on the experience of AtK whichhas produced over 100 million rounds of 30 mm GAU-8 ammunition. this new gener-ation of ammunition for AtK’s mk44 cannonhas been developed for the US marine corpsexpeditionary fighting vehicle. mk44 cannonand 30mm ammunition can also be usedwith infantry fighting vehicles and naval plat-forms. It can be used effectively in armour-piercing and anti-personnel roles. 30mm x 173mm Air Burst Munition

(ABM) System: the system provides thecapability to burst a 30mm projectile at a pre-cise point in space resulting in increased effec-tiveness against targets in defilade. the AtKAbm system comprises of the AtK 30mmmk44 bushmaster cannon employing anintegrated fuse setter in the feed system; anAbm fuse setter module in the gun controlunit; an Abm ballistic algorithm integratedinto the platform fire control unit; and themk310 programmable airburst munition(PAbm). the PAbm can function in air burst,point detonating and point detonating delaymodes. the projectile has proven penetrationcapability and is significant behind armoureffects against lightly armoured vehicles. the

AtK Abm system is also capable of beingretrofitted into existing mk44 cannons. It canalso be easily integrated into land and seaplatforms using AtK’s mk44 cannon. AtKairburst system can be integrated into futureand legacy platforms.Light weight (LW) 30mm ammuni-

tion: AtK provides the US and its allies witha multi-service family of LW 30mm ammu-nition which was developed and fielded forthe m230 chain gun on the Ah-64 Apachehelicopter. combat proven in operations Justcause, Desert Storm and in Afghanistan,LW30mm high explosive dual purpose hasdemonstrated excellent armour penetrationat ranges from 150 to 2,000 metres, effec-tively defeating the infantry fighting vehiclethreat. because of its light weight, small vol-ume, and moderate recoil, LW30mmammunition is ideal for helicopters, lightground vehicles and shipboard applications.Proven effective against light armour andmateriel targets, it provides suppressive fire-power at ranges equal to those of the hellfireor tube-launched, optically-tracked, wirecommand-link guided (toW) missile, mak-ing it capable for defeating armour as well asproviding wide-area lethality.

Rheinmetall DefenceArmour-piercing fin-stabilised discard-ing sabot-tracer (APFSDS-T): It is a newgeneration of armour-piercing sub-calibreammunition, used by infantry fighting vehi-cles in a self-defence role for engagingground targets and enemy aircraft. Designed

for extremely low air resistance, the round’stungsten penetrator defeats homogenoussteel and high-density armour, even at lowangles of impact and long engagementranges. It is available in calibre 25mm x 137,30mm x 173 and as ballistically-matchedpractice ammunition.Frangible armour piercing (FAP)

ammunition: FAP is a new type of high-performance, explosive-free, multi-purposeammunition for fighter planes and fighter-bombers. each round is armed with a pene-trator consisting of individual frangible heavymetal pellets and heavy metal sub-projectiles.After penetrating the target envelope, theheavy metal pellets disintegrate into multiplefragments. It is designed for air-to-ground andair-to-air engagements. the FAP multi-pur-pose round is available in calibre 20mm x102, 25mm x 137 and 27mm x 145.FAPDS Ammunition: the concept of

the frangible sub-calibre projectile withoutprimer and explosives has been speciallydeveloped for engaging hard and semi-hardtargets and is available in 25mm x 137, 27mm x 145 and 30mm x 173 calibre.Advanced hit efficiency and destruc-

tion (AHEAD) ammunition: the 35mmAheAD system consists of measurement andprogramming units, control electronics andprogrammable AheAD ammunition. It canbe fitted to any suitable automatic cannonand then successfully engage small fast aerialtargets with a high kill probability. each“AheAD” round contains 152 tungsten sub-projectiles which are ejected immediately infront of the oncoming target. the measure-ment unit determines the velocity of eachAheAD round prior to muzzle exit. based onthis data, the control electronics calculatesthe sub-projectile ejection time, which istransmitted via the programming unit to thetime fuse in the projectile.Penetrator with enhanced lateral

effect (PELE) ammunition: PeLe is a newtype of automatic cannon ammunitionwithout a fuse or explosive. the combinationof two materials with different densitiescauses the shell to disintegrate in the targetzone without the need for an explosivecharge or fuse. Its penetrating power,response sensitivity and fragmentation per-formance actually exceeds conventionalammunition in terms of lethality.

Oto Melaraoto melara has developed the concept ofvulcano technologies for the future vulcanoammunition family which is based on sub-calibre with the guided version having aero-dynamic controls, inertial/GPS navigationwith a long-range and high degree of accu-racy. terminal guidance is also being pro-vided in certain configurations. two types ofammunition i.e. unguided and guided arebeing developed both in the extended-rangeand long-range category. the calibresselected are 155mm for the land version and127mm for the naval version. Projectedranges for the unguided version is up to 70km, while the range of the guided version isexpected to be of up to 100 km when fired bythe 127/54c gun and of 120 km when firedby the new 127/64LW. the expected rangefor the 155mm calibre is up to 100 km.these ranges are achieved by dual means ofproviding a very high muzzle velocity andkeeping the aerodynamic coefficient low.the programmable multifunctional fuze isbased on microwave technology.

Reach, Accuracy and ReliabilityThe development of guns has almost reached a plateau in terms of reach but there has been revolutionarydevelopment in gun ammunition to meet the requirements of longer reach, lethality and accuracy. The moderngun ammunition can be used from land, sea or air, depending on the type of platform.

A-10 Thunderbolt II with a 30mm GAU-8 Avenger seven-barrel Gatling gun

Marine Attack Squadron ordnance technicians load 25mm rounds into the GAU-12 cannon pod of AV-8B Harriers

PHOTOGRAPHS: USAF, US Marines

n LT GENERAL (RETD) V.K. KAPOOR

EXercISe SUDArShAn ShAKtI ISbeing held in november-December2011 to validate the operationalpreparedness of the Southern Armyin a tri-Service environment. more

importantly, it will be based on the Integratedtheatre battle concept under the SouthernArmy commander Lt General A.K. Singhwith 21 corps in the lead, supported by allother relevant elements of Southern Army.

Theatre Battle in Indian Contextthe Army has underlined that the exerciseis based on the concept of integrated theatrebattle. What precisely does it mean? So far inthe Indian Army, the highest level of tacticalbattle is planned and fought at the corpslevel. A Strike corps is the highest level fieldformation in the Indian Army which is capa-ble of independently conducting offensiveoperations in the field. there is no fightingformation higher than the corps. hence anArmy commander (General officer com-manding- in- chief of a regional command)is loosely termed as a theatre commanderbecause there are no integrated (tri

service/bi-service) theatres except theAndaman and nicobar command, whichhardly has any troops at present.

An Army command may have two ormore corps under it, but the army com-

mander is not a field commander in the strictsense of the word. he does not get involved intactical battles and generally plans the theatremilitary strategy and evolves the operationalart to be applied in a particular campaign at

the theatre level and is therefore more con-cerned with the conversion of the chiefs ofStaff Directive into military aims and objec-tives within the command in order to achievethe political aims of war. the Army com-mander gives out his intention, his militaryobjectives, his vision of the campaign, andspecifies the military end state of the cam-paign. he is more concerned with the alloca-tion of resources to the corps and theplanning required to achieve the political andmilitary objectives of war. In the Indian con-text, detailed planning and conduct of tacticalbattles to achieve the laid down militaryobjectives is done by the commander of theStrike corps in consultation with his subordi-nate commanders and staff. however, theArmy commander keeps himself wellinformed of the planning and interveneswhere necessary. During the conduct of bat-tle, he keeps abreast of the progress of battleand intervenes when a situation so demands.Some situations which may demand his inter-vention include adjustment of boundaries offormations in the field as the battle progresses,change of command and control of subordi-nate formations due to changing tactical sit-uations, and release of reserves of troops,

Sudarshan ShaktiTroops of the Southern Army have already reached the desert for their annual training exercises. This trainingwill commence at the subunit and unit level and progress to formation level exercises to give a feel of actualcommand in the field to the commanders at each level and culminate in a major exercise in December 2011.

PHOTOGRAPH: Indian Army

SOUTHERN COMMAND EXERC I SE>>

SP’s LAND FORCES14


5/2011

Scientists from boston have invented adog-like robot, which can carry over180 kg on its back for 30 km and on

any kind of terrain. It uses computer visionand GPS to follow a leader, rather thanrequire a remote-controlled driver to tell itwhere to go.

named AlphaDog or the legged squadsupport system (LS3) has been developed byboston Dynamics and funded by the DefenseAdvanced research Projects Agency(DArPA) and the US marine corps.

AlphaDog can walk and trot over sharprocks, though slowly. It will take the robot24 hours to cover 30 km, without the needfor refuelling. AlphaDog is designed morefor walking alongside troops rather thanoutpacing anyone. LS3 will take 30months to develop and is schedule for

launch in 2012.AlphaDog does not need a driver; it fol-

lows along with troops, making use of itsglobal positioning system (GPS), computervision and state-of-the-art hydraulics.AlphaDog is the offspring of bigDog, an ear-lier noisier version with limited payload andoperating range.

While bigDog took on four legs articu-lated like an animal’s, AlphaDog has beendesigned to be over ten times quieter thanbigDog. this quadruped has the same cargocarrying mission as bigDog, but with betterrange and payload.

boston Dynamics teamed up with engi-neers and scientists from boston Dynamics,bell helicopter, AAI corporation, carnegiemellon, the Jet Propulsion Laboratory andWoodward hrt.

F I R S T

AlphaDog is designed more for walking alongside troops rather thanoutpacing anyone

AlphaDog

Navistar Defense has unveiled itsSaratoga light tactical vehicle at theAssociation of the United States

Army (AUSA) annual meeting and sym-posium. the company designed the vehi-cle for superior survivability, mobility andtransportability to target the gap betweenthe current high mobility multi-purposewheeled vehicle (hmmWv) modernisedexpanded capacity vehicle (mecv) andjoint light tactical vehicle (JLtv) pro-grammes. the vehicle is ready for produc-tion to meet today’s mission needs.

the Saratoga light tactical vehicle hasa high degree of commonality with fieldedvehicles and incorporates navistar’s auto-motive and manufacturing expertise. the

company has also designed and tested itsown proprietary geometry survivabilitysolution for the vehicle. considering thematerial mix, vehicle structure and hullshape, the Saratoga offers a more surviv-able solution for the light tactical vehicleclass while also meeting 76” transporta-bility height.

the vehicle meets the most demand-ing performance needs and has under-gone more than 40,000 km of automotivetesting. the Saratoga incorporates themaxxForce D6.0L v8 engine, automaticengaging limited slip differentials, Allison2100 SP 6-SP automatic transmissionand air independent suspension for addedcontrol.

T E C K N O W

Navistar’s new Saratoga light tactical armoured vehicle has beendesigned for superior survivability, mobility and transportability

Light Tactical Vehicle

PHOTOGRAPH: Boston Dynamics

PHOTOGRAPH: Navistar Defense

weaponry and logistics. therefore, when theArmy says that this Southern commandexercise is being planned on the basis of a the-atre battle, it is far more than the merephraseology that the media is proclaiming.

Aims of a Theatre OffensiveIn any offensive operations planned on thesubcontinent, the aim would either be to cap-ture the territory or destroy enemy forces ora combination of both. Any territory cap-tured across international boundary wouldinvariably have to be returned though it couldtemporarily be used for post-conflict bargain-ing. the territory captured across disputedborder like the line of control, may be retainedthough in the present global environmentthat would also not be realistic. hencedestruction of forces would be a more impor-tant objective which would have a long-termeconomic impact on the adversary.

Integrated Theatre ConceptFor destruction of large armoured andmechanised forces, battles will have to beplanned and orchestrated according to anintegrated theatre plan so that larger forcescomprising more than one strike corps canbe employed synchronously from one the-atre or from two different theatres to causemaximum destruction of enemy forces. thiswould imply that an Army commander act-ing as a theatre commander would have tohave a tactical headquarters fully staffedwith the necessary communications to allstrike and pivot formations of the Army inthat region, and to the concerned Indian AirForce (IAF) headquarters, which in thiscase would be either South Western Aircommand (SWAc) or the Western Air com-mand (WAc), or elements of both air com-mands. the IAF will have to play adominant role in the destruction of enemymechanised and armoured forces on thebattlefield and therefore joint planning willbe essential. It is here that a truly integratedtheatre would be very useful. the success inthis battle will depend upon the synergy andclose coordination achieved by the Armyand the IAF, and intra theatre (within a the-atre) between the pivot and the strike corpsof that theatre (command), or inter-theatre(inter-command) between the strike corpsof two adjoining theatres of operationsalong with their IAF counterparts. the tac-tical headquarters of the Army would haveto suitably locate itself to orchestrate andconduct the battle of destruction of enemyforces. If this is what is being planned in thisexercise, then it would be the first time thata theatre battle concept is being physicallytried out. however, we wonder how useful itwill be with only one command (SouthernArmy) on the ground. to derive maximumadvantage and to bring realism in planning,from such a large scale exercise, at least twocommand headquarters should have beenpositioned on the ground.

Coordination PhilosophyIn view of the large number of Army and airformations and units involved and a verylarge variety of force multipliers that arelikely to be employed, the coordination andconduct of overall campaign is of vitalimportance. We hope that the Deputy chiefsof Integrated Defence Staff (DcIDS) (opera-tions) and (training) of the IntegratedDefence Staff and their subordinate staffofficers, on behalf of the chiefs of Staff com-

mittee, are closely associated with this exer-cise to understand the requirements of syn-ergy and coordination between the Armyand the IAF which could then propel thejoint training and planning in peacetime.

Conduct of Exercisetroops of the Southern Army have alreadyreached the desert for their annual trainingexercises. this training will commence at thesubunit and unit level and progress to forma-tion level exercises to give a feel of actualcommand in the field to the commanders ateach level and culminate in a major exercisein December 2011.the exercise envisagesinnovative manoeuvres in a simulated battleenvironment, by composite combat entities,ably supported by air and complemented bya wide array of force multipliers andenabling logistics.

the Southern Army is working towardsa ‘capability based approach, based on a

series of transformational initiatives span-ning concepts, organisational structures andabsorption of new age technologies, partic-ularly in the fields of precision munitions,advance surveillance systems, space andnetwork-centricity, under the overall guid-ance provided by the transformational studyof the Indian Army.

the unique feature of this exercise will bethe jointmanship between the SouthernArmy and its counterparts in the IAF and

Indian navy. the exercise will see this coop-eration in earnest wherein, the inter-serviceoperability will be tested and re-configured tosuit the constantly changing operationalrequirements.

LeadershipIt is heartening to see that the exercise is beingconducted by Lt General A.K. Singh, who hasbeen in command of the mechanised Forcesand has experience of commanding offensiveformations throughout his career. he is hencethe most suitable senior officer to plan andundertake offensive operations at the nationallevel. he has already commanded 31Armoured Division in the desert and has verysuccessfully commanded 1 corps (Strike) andwas one of the main architects of the new“transformational Study of the IndianArmy” conducted by the current Army chiefwhen he was the Goc-in-c of eastern com-mand at Kolkata.

The unique feature ofthis exercise will be thejointmanship betweenthe Southern Army andits counterparts in theIAF and the Indian Navy

The Army has underlinedthat the exercise isbased on the concept ofintegrated theatre battle

SP’s LAND FORCES 15

SOUTHERN COMMAND EXERC I SE <<

5/2011

MULTIPURPOSE VEHICLES>>



n R. CHANDRAKANTH

In the mID 1980S when American sol-diers first began using the humvee, theyoften referred to it as a “Jeep onsteroids”. the vehicle was designed forthe world’s toughest environment—

bloody war. the humvee has been deployedin different war theatres, including Iraq andAfghanistan, to great effect.

humvee from Am General became theubiquitous high mobility multipurposewheeled vehicle (hmmWv) and the mainstayof the United States military from the mid-1980s as its forte has been ‘one platform,multiple missions’. now with emphasis oncrew protection, the United States Army hasgone in for a request for proposal (rFP) toupgrade the humvees (see box).

the United States military has a widearray of armoured vehicles at its disposal,each with its own strengths and weaknesses.these vehicles can be deployed in any numberof confrontations, depending on the terrain,conditions and nature of the fighting.

most armoured ground vehicles fit intoone of the six primary categories—tanks;family of medium tactical vehicles (Fmtv);high mobility multipurpose wheeled vehicle(hmmWv); indirect fire systems; heavyequipment transporters (het) and m113.

hmmWv is the classification given tolight, tactical vehicles. these vehicles can becustomised to serve specific purposes, includ-ing troop transport, toW missile transporta-tion, scouting enemy positions and eventransporting the injured as an ambulance.And Am General’s humvee has been synony-mous with hmmWv. over 65 combat andcombat support systems have been fielded onhmmWvs. Am General has produced morethan two lakh hmmWvs for the US and over50 friendly international forces.

Revolutionary Designthough in production for over 25 years, itsdesign is still as revolutionary today as it waswhen engineers began initial concepts wayback in 1979. the final design met militaryrequirements to replace numerous types ofaged vehicles and to keep up with swift mov-ing tanks. the Army wanted durability,mobility and reliability. the unique geome-try of the truck provides these qualities. noother light tactical vehicle in the worldapproaches the hmmWv’s capabilities orcost effectiveness. no wonder, Am Generalproudly announce, “We built the toughesttrucks on the planet.”

that doesn’t mean today’s hmmWvsare the same as those first produced. the

hmmWv is a dynamic vehicle withchanges and improvements contin-ually added. For instance, thoroughcorrosion resistance has been addedand most components have beenupgraded and now have a larger6.5-litre diesel engine. Initially intro-duced with a 1 ? tonne payloadcapacity, it now can carry payloadsup to 5,100 lbs and gross vehicleweight rating (GvW) up to 12,100lbs. the workhorse now carries newsophisticated communications andweapons systems.

the hmmWv is a lightweight,highly mobile, diesel-powered, four-wheel drive tactical vehicle that uses acommon chassis to carry a wide vari-ety of military hardware ranging frommachine guns to tube-launched, opti-cally tracked, wire command-guidedanti-tank missile launchers. It hasshown excellent performance in awide variety of terrain, from deserts tojungles, for long durations with minimalmaintenance.

Its 15 configurations (cargo/troop carri-ers, weapons carriers, ambulances and shel-ter carriers) share a common engine, chassisand transmission, with 44 interchangeableparts that are used in more than one position.that means fewer training hours are neces-sary for the mechanics. Its simplified supply,maintenance and logistics system—essen-tially one set of common parts for 15 config-urations—means lower life-cycle costs, which

saves tax dollars. the humvee has a 16-inchground clearance and it is an engineering featconsidering that the vehicle stands only 72inches high.

Wide Range of Humveesthe hmmWv models include A2 Seriesvehicles – m1097A2 (base platform);m1097A2 (cargo/troop carrier/primemover); m1123 (cargo/troop carrier);m1097A2 (shelter carrier); m1025A2(armament/toW missile carrier basic

armour); m1043A2/1045A2 (armament/toW missile carrier supplemental armour –44 grain); m997A2 (maxi-ambulance basicarmour); and m1035A2 (soft top ambu-lance).

Expanded Capacity Vehiclesthe expanded capacity vehicles (ecvs) aredesigned to carry heavier payloads withoutsacrificing the vehicle’s mobility, dependabil-ity and performance. the m1113 ecv isused for special operations vehicles and com-munications shelter carriers; the m1114,with improved ballistic protection levels, isused for scout, military police and explosiveordinance disposal missions. the US AirForce uses a modified version of this vehicle,the m1116, featuring an expanded cargoarea, armoured housing for the turret gun-ner. In 2005, Am General began productionof the m1151, m1152 and m1165 variants,incorporating the highest levels of protec-tion including frag kits, all fieldinstallable/removable. m1151s are arma-ment carriers and m1152s are two-manvehicles that can be used as troopcarriers/shelter carriers. the m1165 is acommand and control vehicle with four-per-son seating capacity.

International VehiclesAm General has joined other defence con-tractors to develop vehicles based on thehmmWv chassis or drivetrain and suspen-sion components. the Swiss firm mowagand the turkish firm otokar have eachdesigned, tested and produced unique vehi-cles that provide outstanding mobility andperformance combined with the reducedlogistical costs of the hmmWv. the currentmodels are eagle (for reconnaissance, sur-veillance, liaison, escort, border patrol andpolice missions); and cobra (full armour pro-tection for a crew of four to eleven, depending on the seven different configura-tions available from personnel to weaponscarrier).

Jeep on SteroidsHumvee from AM General became the ubiquitous HMMWV and the mainstay of the US military from the mid-1980s as its forte has been ‘one platform, multiple missions’. Now with emphasis on crew protection, the USArmy has gone in for a RFP to upgrade the Humvees.

the US Army intends to pay no more than $1,80,000 to upgrade each humvee in its recap-italisation programme, according to reports.

the US Army and marine corps officials have said it makes sense to upgrade a portion ofthe humvee fleet only if it remains significantly cheaper than buying joint light tactical vehi-cles (JLtv) which is estimated to cost about $3,66,000 a piece.

“We don’t want to be in a position where we are spending more to upgrade a humveethan we would to replace that vehicle with an even more capable vehicle that we built fromthe ground up,” colonel David bassett, Army Program manager for tactical vehicles hassaid.

the US Senate Appropriations committee recently recommended the Defense Depart-ment to kill the JLtv, saying its jobs could be handled by other vehicles, including upgradedhumvees.

Army leaders plan to upgrade 60,000 to 1,00,000 humvees by 2016, extending the lifeof the vehicle to 2030. the marine corps similarly plans to upgrade more than 3,400 of its

humvees. the Army specified the defence teams upgrade the m1151 armaments carrierhumvee variant although data will also be collected on the m1152 shelter carrier variantduring certain phases of the competition.

Four major competitors have lined up for the recapitalisation programme, including ateam of textron Systems and Granite tactical vehicles, and industry teams led by Am Gen-eral, bAe Systems and oshkosh. Am General has built the humvee since the Army firststarted fielding it in the 1980s.

Defence teams will compete to design upgrades to provide humvee passengers moreprotection while maintaining the truck’s speed and agility. Army officials listed crew sur-vivability in the draft request for proposals (rFP) as the most important evaluation factorin the competition.

meanwhile, Am General has tested a chimney venting system called the Structural blastchimney. the chimney, which is not much wider than a laptop built into the middle of thetruck, vents explosive energy up through the vehicle, working like a pressure relief valve. theblast energy travelling through the chimney also creates an enormous downward pressurethat keeps the vehicle from flying into the air.

US Army Pegs Cost of Humvee Upgrades

PHOTOGRAPH: BAE Systems

M1113 Specificationscurb weight: 6,400 lbs (2,903 kg)Payload: 5,100 lbs (2,313 kg)Gross vehicle weight: 11,500 lbs (5,216 kg)Gross axle weight (front): 5080 lbs (2,290 kg.)Gross axle weight (rear): 7,000 lbs (3,176 kg)Length: 196.5 in (5.00 m)height: 76 in (1.93 m)min. reduced height: 56 in (1.42 m)reduced shipping cube: 548 ft.^3 (15.5 m^3)Approach angle: 46°Departure angle: 41°Acceleration (0-30 mph): 9.4 sec. 9.4 sec.Acceleration (0-50 mph): 26.1 sec. 26.1 sec.cruising range: 275 mi. (443 km)cGX: 60.4 in. (1.53 m)cGY: .06 in. (.015 m)cGZ: 29.7 in. (.76 m)Spring rate (front): 1,750 lb/in. (306 n/mm)Spring rate (rear): 3,000 lb/in. (525 n/mm)troop seating capacity: 1+1Source: AM General

HMMWV with the Integrated SMART V™

No other light tacticalvehicle in the worldapproaches theHMMWV’s capabilities or cost effectiveness

Continued on page 20


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n SP’S SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT

The DeFence & SecUrItY equip-ment International (DSei) exhibi-tion held in London recently hadthe world’s largest display of land,sea and air applications of defence

and security products and technologies, yetaccording to analysts there was nothing‘revolutionary’.

From an exhibition perspective, theorganisers put the attendance figure a littleover 29,000, an increase of 16 per centover the 2009 edition. the exhibition fea-tured 1,391 exhibiting companies repre-senting 46 countries and included 30national pavilions making the 2011 editionthe largest DSei ever. there were official del-egations from 55 nations—a 12 per centincrease over 2009.

reflecting the increased focus on secu-rity during this DSei, visitors such as com-manding General counter terroristoperation centre, Lieutenant General Pra-

pajit chaowarit (thailand) and the DirectorGeneral Indian coast Guard, vice AdmiralA.K. chopra (India) attended the exhibition.

For the first time this year, DSei staged anumber of high level briefings, which wereheld away from the show floor to provide anin-depth understanding of a wide variety oftopics, including trauma care, defence offsetsand cyber security.

Alongside the exhibition, DSei presenteda thought-provoking seminar schedule onincreasing global concern with a broad spec-trum of threats, from cyber attacks to piracy.

What constitutes victory and what isdefeat in the cyber battlefield? A series ofcyber-focused seminar sessions offered newangles to the ongoing international debate,examining the changing shape of futureconflict and questioning whether this is achallenge that can ever be overcome.

Sluggish businessnumbers aside, in terms of contractssigned, particularly by the UK ministry ofDefence, the performance was ‘sluggish’,indicating looming recessionary trends.Defence budget cuts are the order of the dayin the western world and this had a cascad-ing effect on the defence industry, signs of

which were noticeable at DSei. the UKdefence industry is awaiting the 10 yearDefence equipment Procurement plan,hoping for better days ahead.

Inaugurating the DSei, the UK DefenceSecretary Dr Liam Fox underlined the impor-tance of strategic defence and securityreview (SDSr) and how it was influencingequipment procurement and how it was notimmune to the broad economic movements,particularly recession.

the Defence Secretary exhorted theindustry to tap untapped export markets andhow small and medium-sized businessescould benefit from global trade.

UK Second Biggest Defence ExportersDr Fox said that the Government stronglysupported the defence industry which is thesecond biggest defence exporters in the world.

the defence industry employs over1,10,000 people across the whole countryand generated more than £22 billion for theUK economy in 2010.

Notable Presentations

General Dynamics showcases Scout-SVprototype:General Dynamics showcased itsScout-Sv representative prototype for thefirst time, developed as part of a £500 mil-lion contract from the UK ministry ofDefence issued in July 2010. It is one of anumber of vehicles being developed to de-risk the programme prior to the delivery ofthe first of seven prototype vehicles in 15months. the prototype unveiled is one of thetwo test bed vehicles and features the Lock-heed martin UK experimental demonstra-tion unit (eDU) turret fitted with ctAI casedtelescoped (ct40) 40mm cannon.

Also on display was General Dynamicseuropean Land Systems’ medium trackwaybridge (mtb). It has been designed to be eas-ily transported and launched from any vehi-cle with a weight of above four tonnes,which covers most of the tactical vehiclescurrently deployed.

BAE’s invisibility cloak: bAe Systems pre-sented Adaptiv 'invisibility cloak', which usesa series of hex-shaped computer-controlledsemiconductor heat-sink tiles to hide or dis-guise the thermal image of military assets.

visitors were treated to a demonstrationwhere they could view the technologythrough an infrared camera. the productallows a vehicle to match its surroundings inthe infrared spectrum.

the system called Adaptiv employs ons-board cameras to detect the background anddisplay the corresponding infrared (Ir)image on the vehicle to help it ‘blend’ intothe surroundings.

Hovercraft demonstration: currently inservice with the royal marines, Griffon hov-erwork’s new 2400tD craft performed on theriver thames twice each day during DSei’santi-piracy dockside demonstration, ‘opera-tion vision’. reaching a speed of 40 knots,with a range of about 500 kilometres, the 13metre fully amphibious craft can carry a crewof two (driver and commander) plus sixteenfully-equipped marine commandos.

the vessel has recently been upgraded toallow for a greater payload and obstacleclearance, while also providing weapons and

surveillance platforms which remain stablethroughout operational manoeuvres.equipped with enhanced thermal imaging,navigation and communications tools, thehovercraft travels with ease over shallowwater, rapids and rivers, vegetation, ice andeven snow.

Northrop Grumman’s UAV data man-agement system: northrop Grummanintroduced an unmanned air vehicle datamanagement system to the european mar-ket, to allow troops on the ground to "elimi-nate the tunnel-vision of the battlefield".called the heterogenous airborne reconnais-sance team (hArt), it allows soldiers atsmall unit level without their own UAv tobenefit from the plethora of assets overflyingthe battlespace.

tim beard, Deputy Director of advancedconcepts at northrop Grumman Aerospace,said, "We have got a lot of UAvs in the air,but no one has created a system so thateveryone can share the data." A unit leadersimply sends a request for imagery to the tac-tical operations centre, which then priori-tises the request. the hArt system thenselects the most relevant imagery or thenearest UAv, and the image is geolinked and

sent back to the unit leader.

Smallest sniper rifle: the US-headquar-tered rifle specialist Desert tactical Armsresponded to demands for marksmen to bemore mobile and easily concealed by unveil-ing a much smaller sniper rifle.

the company's Stealth recon Scout is afull foot shorter than conventional sniperweapons without sacrificing accuracy—itclaims to maintain a one to two minute ofangle, typical of its type. It can be adapted tomission requirements by changing theweapon's calibre and length.

QinetiQ and Clarion partnership forscenario-based UAS demos: the QinetiQWest Wales UAv centre (WWUAvc) andclarion events announced a new strategicpartnership which will deliver the world’sfirst scenario-based programme of indoorunmanned systems demonstrations.

the first such scenario, a “foot patrol inAfghanistan” was unveiled at DSei, demon-

strating the integration and interoperabilityof numerous unmanned ground and air-borne systems with force patrol operationsin support, surveillance and protection rolesthrough a “real world” scenario.

the WWUAvc provides significant oper-ational airspace for UAS research and devel-opment (r&D), training and demonstration,together with safety, infrastructure and com-plementary environmental and communica-tions test facilities across the full-range ofUAS platforms.

QinetiQ and Dytecna also announced amemorandum of understanding (moU) thatwill see two leading experts from the defenceand security industry pursue shared productdevelopment opportunities relating to forceprotection.

Photonic launches pirate defence sys-tem: United Kingdom-based marine securityspecialist company Photonic Security Sys-tems (PSS) launched a new proactive piratedefence system, the LDS100, earlier thismonth.

the LDS100 acts in what is said to be anon-lethal and humane manner and isbased on a proactive method to preventpirates from approaching a ship.

Innovations Sans ShowstopperDSEi 2011 had the world’s largest display of land, sea and air applications of defence and security productsand technologies, yet according to analysts there was nothing ‘revolutionary’. For the first time, the expostaged a number of high level briefings, which were held away from the show floor to provide an in-depthunderstanding of a variety of topics, including trauma care, defence offsets and cyber security.

General DynamicsScout-SV

Griffon Hoverwork’snew 2400TD craft

PHOTOGRAPH: Neetu Dhulia

SHOW REPORT>>



the system works by sending a 10 metrewide multi-band laser light beam, up to a dis-tance of one kilometre to dazzle potentialintruders and disable them from locating andboarding the ship. this newly developed alter-native is expected to prevent pirates boardingmerchant ships. It is said to make it very diffi-cult for the miscreants to filter the beam andstill retain a view of the intended target.

the LDS100 is located in the ship’s hull,making it difficult to be destroyed by theintruder. the product’s inventors/designersbelieve that this is a key to its success. thestandard LDS100 incorporates a twin lasersystem, with the command centre mountedinside the bridge. Laser optics is mounted onswivelling and tilting, tracking cameras onbrackets on each side of the vessel, to enableit to track incoming craft.

Aero Sekur launches stealth poncho:Aero Sekur showcased a stealth ponchodesigned to reduce the Ir and radar signa-ture of snipers in the field. the poncho ispart of a new military clothing rangedesigned and manufactured by Aero Sekurfor the Italian future soldier project.

the poncho is designed to virtually elim-inate the heat signature of the soldier wearingit. Produced out of a combination of severaldifferent fabrics, the poncho can be quicklytucked into a pocket when not needed.

MSI-Defence Systems unveils stabilisedgun system:mSI-Defence Systems unveileda single 20mm stabilised gun system said tooffer customers the potential to upgradecapabilities while still using legacy ordnancestocks. From thermoteknix comes an addi-tion to its range of ultra low powered minia-ture thermal camera cores.

tubitak-SAGe, the defence industriesresearch and development institute ofturkey’s scientific and technologicalresearch council, unveiled the stand-off mis-

sile (Som). Som is a 1,300 lb stealthy cruisemissile offering a variety of programmableingress and attack profiles.

Selex Galileo launched the SkyIStAr inte-grated IStAr architecture for UAvs. It is plat-form and payload agnostic and is an open,multi-mission system that provides an interop-erable environment. the SkyIStAr is to beinstalled with Selex Galileo Seaspary radar in aPredator b UAv provided by General Atomics.

Itt electronic Systems launched a tacti-cal radio system at the expo adding hF capa-bility to its existing Spearhead vhF range. Ithas also developed a new sonobuoy systemthat reduces environmental impact and life-cycle costs.

thales showcased its integrated cbrneAssessment System (icAS), a modular andtailorable detection and monitoring systemthat can rapidly assess cbrne incidents andprovide key information to emergencyresponders.

At DSei, three radio sets from elbit Sys-tems were launched, which included tadrinSDr-7200hh, tadiran Pnr-1000A and thetadrin GrX-4000. the other elbit systemswhich made its debut included mSr-3000,a portable man-pack satellite solution forSpecial Forces that integrates all Satcomscomponents into a single compact unit. thecompany also introduced a family of tacticalmultimedia routing (tmr) that allows dis-mounted soldiers, armoured vehicles anddeployed command posts to share multime-dia data. elbit also announced the setting upof its joint venture, the harpia Sistemas,with brazil’s embraer Defesa e Seguranca.

For the first time, Pearson engineeringshowcased its bridge launch mechanism(bLm) integrated into a bAe Systems War-rior manoeuvre support vehicle. It is a spe-cial to role attachment that can be fitted to awide range of chassis, tracked and wheeled.

nobles manufacturing displayed two vari-ants of its viper gun system, the land version

and the Sea-viper. canadian firm Weather-haven unveiled its innovation, the tacticalredeployable expanding container capability-helicopter (trecc-h), a breakthrough forhelicopter-transported containerised capabil-ity. revision military showcased the batlskinhead Protection System and the companyclaims it is the first fully integrated and fullymodular solution of its kind. Ge IntelligentPlatforms introduced its IPS511 rugged situ-ational awareness processor designed to pro-vide ground vehicles, aircraft, remoteunmanned platforms and security surveil-lance systems with 360 degree situationalawareness. nexter Systems showcased theXP2 (6x6) technology demonstrator, follow-ing its initial mobility trials in the south ofFrance. Saab demonstrated its latest rbS 70new Generation surface-to-air missile. ther-moteknix unveiled a new 640 x 480 resolu-tion thermal imaging core with 17 micronpixel pitch.

Autonomous Surface vehicles (ASv) dis-played the c-target naval target drones, ahigh speed, adaptable target boat designedfor use in naval gunnery training, weaponstesting and ship command and controlassessments. Likewise, raytheon Anschutzshowcased its state-of-the-art integratedbridge and navigation systems on board theroyal navy type 45 destroyer hmS Daunt-less and the German K 130 corvette FGSbraunschweig. At irobot’s stand was the1KA Seaglider used in collecting data foracademic and military oceanographersaround the world. Among other products ondisplay were meprolight’s mepro m5, thecompany’s advanced line of operationallyproven combat optics for light weapons; andnoA nYX, a lightweight, uncooled thermalweapons sight. Switzerland based vectronixlaunched its newest portable laserrangefinder (PLrF family) in the Swiss Pavil-ion. Survitec launched a new modularattack helicopter air crew life preserver.

At the expo, cassidian announced that ithas made a breakthrough through develop-ment of the world’s first truly secure wirelessdata mobile Internet protocol technology.the technology has been designed toimprove the ability of military and emer-gency response services to maintain securecommunications.

AgustaWestland’s AW159 Lynx Wildcatcame to the expo for the first time. the heli-copter is likely to be fully operational in2014. the expo also had the assisted car-riage system (AcS) developed by John Deereand boeing Defense UK; and the meerkatsuper light tracked vehicle, developed atovIK and shown for the first time.

Successful ShowAs mentioned, the four-day exhibition hadmany novelties, but there was no show-clincher. however, it was not without its shareof controversy. the organisers had to closedown beechwood equipment's stand after liter-ature showing equipment banned under UKGovernment export controls and our own con-tractual requirements was found on display.

DSei exhibition Director Duncan reidsaid, “First and foremost I’d like to thank allour exhibitors—they helped to make theshow a major success. We invested signifi-cantly in this year’s event. We introducednew features such as the robotics andunmanned systems showcase, a securitythemed stream in our seminar theatres,enhanced Waterborne Demonstrations, astatic vehicle display area and the show floorseminars. All in all, there has been anunprecedented amount of live action for vis-itors to see and a real diversity of learningopportunities—the high levels of visitornumbers reflect the success of this approach.now our task is to build on this platform andwe are already planning for DSei 2013,which will take place from September 10 to13, 2013, at excel London.”

Nexter Systems’ XP2 (6x6) technology demonstrator

BAE Systems BMP-1 infantry fighting vehicle

Lockheed Martin’s Hellfire-II on display

Oshkosh Defense’s M-ATV on display

PHOTO

GRAPH

S: Neetu Dhu

lia


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Jayant Baranwal (SP’s): Can you elaborate onATK’s future infantry combat vehicle (FICV)products? Roger O’Dell (Roger): With regard to thefuture infantry combat vehicle (FIcv), AtKis offering its medium-calibre cannon, themK44. the mK44 is placed with variousvendors who are competing with combatvehicles. the 30mm mK44 will also be pres-ent at the Defexpo show next year. In addi-tion to FIcv, AtK has navy opportunities, for30mm gun systems and remote weapon sys-tems (rWS). AtK is also the world’s largestmanufacturer of small caliber ammunition,including the 9mm and 5.56mm.

SP’s: Is ATK open to technology transfer?Roger: everything is subject to US Govern-ment approval, but the company is inclined.We have indicated to our partners for tot forFIcv medium calibre gun system. Tom: Finally, on the Special Forces side, wehave had interest in ammunition and prod-ucts from AtK brands such as black hawk!.this includes Special Forces equipment liketactical accessories, such as vests, holsters,etc. those are the broad areas that AtK isknown for in India. Amanda Covington: AtK is also known forprecision-guided weapons. We have devel-oped precision guidance kits for mortars andartillery. GPS technology increases accuracyof the round, which is an increasing require-ment on today’s battlefield.Roger: Precision is the key word and in caseof a precise fired round, you get less collat-eral damage.

SP’s: Tell us about Black Hawk and your Indiafocus.Tom: black hawk was founded in 1994. It isabout 17 years now and about nine yearsback the company was diversified. For Indiathe focus is on Special Forces and not somuch on law enforcement, primarilybecause AtK is not the L1supplier.

SP’s: But now India is no more looking at L1.We have the example of medium multi-rolecombat aircraft (MMRCA), India is going forsay L3 or L4. Tom: India has a unique budget, uniquerequirements, and we have unique prod-ucts that are proven in combat. We havefound it over the years that it is a fairly easychoice so that they can buy more productsat lower price. the second step in ourprocess is conventional forces, the militaryand armed forces.

SP’s: Which are the countries using your programmes?Tom: our products are used in more than80 countries including the Special Forces ofUK, US, France, etc. India is next. AtK alsoowns eagle Industries, which has veryhigh-quality, made-in-the-USA products.those items can also be made and sold ifthe Indian Special Forces have a specialneed in terms of custom design. We offer a

wide range of choices.

SP’s: And if it has to be customised, is it goingto cost more?Tom: It depends on the situation and in somecases it has been customised based on thecustomers’ needs and we have such econom-ical scale that we can do that.

SP’s: Has any presentation been made to theIndian Special Forces? Tom: no, but we are looking ahead todemonstrate our products at Defexpo.

SP’s: Can you throw light on ATK’s weaponssystems and guns?Roger: the medium calibre system side ofour business covers everything—from the7.62mm bushmaster cannon to the bush-master III, 35mm. the bushmaster series ofcannons was originated in the 1960s froma military contract with the governmentthat led to our flagship product that is them242. the mK44 was a derivative of them242, it started out as the bushmaster 2. Itis a premiere medium calibre cannon sys-tem with the 30mm x 173mm calibre,which is combat proven, extremely power-ful, expands the range of fire, keeps engag-ing the target, and is extremely reliable. theother advantage AtK brings is that we alsomake the accompanying ammunition. thishelps us leverage the ammunition designersand the gun designers, who work side byside, to make the system optimal for the enduser. this is what we bring to the FIcv com-petition, in terms of validity and the capa-bility that the system offers.

our m230LF (link fed) cannon is builtupon our success with our m230, which isthe cannon used on the Apache 64 helicop-ter. the m230LF is a link-fed variant of theproven m230. now we are offering the gunsystems to naval and ground platforms whichhadn’t been done in the past. to take it a stepfurther, we developed our own remoteweapon system that take advantage of the

gun with the ammunition, put in the packagethat gives end users the ability to bring 30mmcapability in place of the 7.62mm or 12.7mmcalibre gun. It is a game changer in terms ofwhat the warfighter can do, what the plat-form can do, and instantly upgunning anyplatform. We do it with essentially the samelogistics and cost profile for the same legacyweapons, again both of them with differentthrusts and different capability, strategy, butequally successful.

SP’s: Have you tried to study the potentialswith some of the aerial systems, like lightcombat helicopter (LCH) and advanced lighthelicopter (ALH)? Roger: on the air side, AtK has developed aprecision air-to-ground weapon called the

Guided Advanced tactical rocket (GAtr).We have demonstrated success with GAtron both Kiowa and blackhawk helicopters.It has applications for rotary-wing and fixed-wing aircraft, with lock on before or afterlaunch capabilities.

SP’s: But India is certainly looking at Chi-nooks in immediate terms, if not Apachewhich could be acquired a little later. Roger: We do have the mK44 on the Ac-130gunship of the US Air Force.

SP’s: Do you have any involvement with the C-130J programme?Roger: Yes, AtK has sensors on that.

SP’s: When you speak about the FICV programme, which all entities you are in touchwith in India?Roger:We are in touch with several compa-nies.

SP’s: ATK seems to have a huge range of solutions.Roger: Yes, everything used by a soldier fromhis outfit to his boots, up to the gun systems.

SP’s: You have created micro-solutions.Roger: Yes, we were looking at the mandatefor the next year. Defexpo is a major event.We will also be at other stands, for exampleL&t, mahindra, etc. AtK apart from havingits own booth will have systems on otherIndian stands as well. Tom: We are also considering doing a SpecialForces demonstration around that time,though we have not worked out on thedetails. AtK offers a broad portfolio of prod-ucts that supports a variety of platforms, fromthe soldier to land, air and applications.

‘At the core of our international business isDefence Weapons Systems and the SecuritySector, including Special Operations Forces’In the backdrop of Defence Security and Equipment International (DSEI) exhibition in London, Jayant Baranwal,Editor-in-Chief, SP’s Land Forces, had a tête-à-tête with Tom O’Sullivan, International Sales Manager, ATK Secu-rity and Sporting Tactical Systems; Roger O’Dell, Director, Technology and Advanced Programmes, ATK Arma-ment Systems Integrated Weapons Systems; and Amanda Covington, Director of Communications, ATKArmament Systems on ATK’s varied weapon systems. Excerpts of the interview:

Roger O’Dell Amanda Covington

www.spsmilitaryyearbook.com

4 0 t h I s s u e

Jayant Baranwal (SP’s): As wars are becomingincreasingly asymmetric, how has OshkoshDefense strategised its products to fight suchthreats and how adoptable are these militaryproducts for homeland security?Martin: till 2004, oshkosh did not ever pro-duce any armoured vehicles or vehiclescapable of carrying armour. Since 2004, allof our vehicles are armoured. So every tac-tical vehicle that we built is either built witharmour or has the capability to be easilyarmoured. As is the case of our tactical vehi-cles like Fmtv and heavy expanded mobilitytactical truck (hemtt), the vehicle do notcarry the actual weight of the armour. butthere is provision for attachment of thearmour later. the vehicles have greater pro-tection level and the capability of beingupdated with new armoured technology. Wealso have the mrAP All-terrain vehicle (m-Atv). We use both our armoured technol-ogy which is not the case with most of ourcompetitors, and the armoured configura-tion in our vehicles can also be easilychanged. So in a homeland security role,you can add the armour to a logistic vehicleand can change the protection level.

SP’s: Are they adaptable to homeland secu-rity requirements as well?Martin: Absolutely, for example the m-Atvproduct line is designed for the homelandsecurity role. It is based on a commercialchassis, is less expensive and the vehicles aredesigned primarily for the armed forces.

SP’s: There will be a lot of scope in India. Armyhas huge requirements in logistics, infantryand armoured requirements, in addition tothat is the homeland security market. Martin: We are actively investigating theopportunities in India. oshkosh is definitelyinterested in the Indian market. We are look-ing for partners in India too.

SP’s: Any dialogue so far with potential part-ners or the end user?Martin: We had preliminary meetings with

the end user and had several contacts withthe industry and the end user.

SP’s: There is also a growing need for notjust all-terrain vehicles but also vehicleswhich are designed to give troops protection.Can you outline the features of your productsin this context?Martin: We have logistic vehicles, light arm-oured vehicles, tractors, recovery vehicles. everytactical vehicle oshkosh makes is designed withthe capability for troop protection.

SP’s: What kind of successes you have had inmarkets outside the United States?Martin: We have had lots of success. It is dif-ficult to give the exact number. our vehiclesare used in thailand, taiwan, middle east,South Korea, UK, etc. our vehicles are recog-nised as high quality, high mobility vehiclesbuilt on true military specifications.

SP’s: How are your vehicles different and bet-ter compared to others?Martin: there are many companies whichbuilt vehicles, but there are only a few whobuilt vehicles specifically for the military.oshkosh Defense has not built any commer-cial vehicle. All our vehicles are built for purelymilitary applications. We promise the enduser that it will have a usable life span of atleast 20 years. our vehicles are also built witha capability that 10-15 years down the line, itcan be upgraded to the current configuration.

SP’s: You said you have already investigatedthe potentials in India, which vehicle is themost suitable solution for India?Martin: India is a huge and growing mar-ket. there are very challenging environ-ments, like coastal areas. our vehicles areused all over the world and so we have thecapability to survive and thrive in thoseenvironments. In India, there are require-ments for light armoured vehicles. there isalso a wide spectrum of requirements inlogistics. the vehicles are designed for var-ied temperature and terrain.

the m998 Ao series has a curb weight ofapproximately 5,200 lbs, a payload of 2,500lbs. the current comparable model, them1097A2 weighs only 700 lbs more but cancarry almost twice the payload at 4,400 lbs.the current production ecv model m1113has a payload of 5,100 lbs.

humvees are air transportable and drop-pable, and can be sling-loaded by helicopters.

three humvees can be carried in a c-130hercules transport aircraft and 15 in a c-5AGalaxy. In combat conditions, the vehicle canbe delivered by the low altitude parachuteextraction system without the aircraft havingto land.

Due in part to the humvees success inDesert Storm, Am General introduced a civil-ian version of the vehicle called the hummerin 1992. the hummer brand was lateracquired by General motors.

‘We are actively investigatingopportunities in India’Oshkosh Defense is the pioneer in developing vehicles to support and protect the men and women who risktheir lives for the nation. In an interview with SP’s Land Forces, at the Defence Security and Equipment International (DSEI) exhibition in London, Martin Brethouwer, Manager, Middle East Programmes, Oshkosh Defense laid out the company’s plans for Indian market.

>>



Two M-ATVs await transport on a C-17 Globemaster III

PHOTOGRAPH: Oshkosh Defense

the Army has temporarily halted its testing of a unique fuel-efficient tactical vehicle so itcould be shown to senior leaders and displayed in the nation’s capital.

the fuel-efficient ground vehicle demonstrator, dubbed “FeD Alpha”, is on display thisweek in the Pentagon courtyard for an energy & Sustainability technology Fair. Last weekit was on the exhibit floor at the 2011 Association of the US Army Annual meeting andexposition.

the concept vehicle has a solar panel on its rear hatch that can recharge its electricalsystem. It also has a custom engine, transmission and a score of other features that dra-matically increase its mileage per gallon compared to other humvees.

the vehicle has all the capabilities of an up-armoured humvee, but burns about 70per cent less fuel, said Steve Kramer, an engineer with the US Army tank and Automotiveresearch, Development and engineering command, known as tArDec, headquarteredin Warren, michigan.

Kramer has been involved in designing the FeD Alpha for the past three years. tArDecis working with ricardo, a british company, on the testing phase of the vehicle at AberdeenProving Ground, md.

the FeD Alpha may never be mass produced as is, Kramer said, but added that he hopesmany of the energy-saving features can be priced low enough to make it onto the next gen-

eration of tactical vehicles. “hopefully the technology on here can get back into the force,”he said.

the FeD Alpha features a cummins turbo-charged 200-horsepower 4-cylinder dieselengine, a six-speed automatic transmission, and low-rolling resistance tires.

the low-rolling tires alone provide an estimated 7 per cent fuel reduction. While officialssaid that percentage may not sound like much, if applied to the Army's entire tactical vehi-cle fleet, it would add up to about $45 million in fuel savings annually.

the FeD Alpha also has: A high-efficiency 28-volt integrated starter-generator thatenables electric accessories and 20 kW of onboard power for equipment; a lightweight alu-minium structure, except for the armoured cab and underbelly v-shaped blast shield andan improved driveline that uses a unique carrier and differential assembly, including non-geared hubs and isotropic super-finished gears to reduce friction.

Since July, the FeD Alpha has been undergoing testing at Aberdeen Proving Ground. theAberdeen test center roadway Simulator is validating the fuel economy of the vehicle.

Atc is the world’s largest automotive test simulator and is designed to perform vehicledynamics, powertrain performance, shock and vibration testing in a laboratory environ-ment. It enables the FeD Alpha to be tested in a controlled environment so small changesin fuel economy can be verified.

Demo Humvee Burns 70 Per Cent Less Fuel

Continued from page 16

I N T ERV I EW

PHOTOGRAPH: AM General


News in Brief


MERCURY COMPUTER TO UPGRADEAESA RADAR mercury computer Systems has beenawarded a multi-year contract by a primecontractor to field-upgrade advanced activeelectronically scanned array (AeSA) radarsystems. Under the contract, the companywill provide powerful signal processing mod-ules, which will be used onboard militaryaircraft to broadcast radar signals whileremaining undetected. the fully software-compatible signal processing modules can beeasily and quickly used to board-swapupgrades on the radar in the field. the com-pany did not disclose the details of the primecontractor, terms of the contract and theaward value.

KAZAKHSTAN PURCHASES RUSSIANEQUIPMENT the armed forces of the republic of Kaza-khstan has purchased a set of military hard-ware from the russian Uralvagonzavodresearch and Production corporation. Rus-BusinessNews reported that the shipmentincluded t-72b tanks, toS-1 heavyflamethrower systems, and three tank sup-port fighting vehicles (bmPt). the bmPtvehicle includes the upgraded framework ofthe t-72 tank and is equipped with two twin-barrelled 30mm automatic guns, Ataka-tguided weapon, automatic grenade launch-ers and a machine gun. the vehicle has beendesigned to destroy tanks, infantry combatvehicles, helicopters and low-altitude air-craft. the russian Army has not yetinducted the vehicle into service, though ithas passed government tests.

HONEYWELL SPECTRA BALLISTICMATERIALS TO PROTECT SOLDIERS INASIAhoneywell has announced that its SpectraShield II ballistic materials will be used incombat helmets to protect soldiers in Asia.Dae-Sung tech corporation Ltd, a Koreanbody armour manufacturer, will use SpectraShield II materials in helmets designed toprotect soldiers against a variety of threats,including fragments from improvised explo-sive devices and small-calibre rounds. thematerial’s lightweight strength enables thehelmets to provide critical head protection ata lower weight, which helps soldiers movemore easily and comfortably.

Spectra Shield II materials help the hel-met achieve a 20 per cent weight reductionwhen compared with Dae-Sung’s previoushelmets. the company will produce the hel-mets with the material under a three-yearcontract with honeywell. “Spectra Shield IIballistic material provides the right combi-nation of light weight and ballistic perform-ance that can help improve the protection,mobility and comfort of soldiers in the field,”said James thagard, global marketing man-ager for honeywell’s Advanced Fibers andcomposites business. “We are pleased thathoneywell’s lightweight Spectra Shield IImaterials will help protect military men andwomen in Asia.” the contract represents thelatest application of Spectra materials incombat helmets.

IRAQI ARMY RECEIVES M1A1 ABRAMS TANKSthe Iraqi Army has received its final ship-ment of m1A1 Abrams tanks, which wereordered by the Iraqi Government through aforeign military sales (FmS) agreement withthe US. the shipment included the last fiveof the 140 tanks that were stationed atbesmaya combat training centre, which arepart of modernising the Iraqi Army’s tankcapability. US forces Iraq Army modernisa-tion programme desk officer John hutchings

said, “the tanks are the latest digital tankscoming out of the US. they are the mostmodern m1A1s in the middle east.” thetanks will be tested for quality assurancebefore being deployed evenly within the fourIraqi Army tank regiments, with each regi-ment receiving 35 m1A1s and two m-88A2heavy-tracked recovery vehicles. the IraqiArmy will use the m1A1 tanks to defend itsborders and to protect the sovereignty of thecountry. currently, 85 tanks have beenfielded to the army while more than 40 tanksare ready for deployment.”

SRI LANKAN ARMY INTRODUCESVOICE/DATA NETWORKthe Sri Lankan Army has introduced its newvoice/data communication network toimprove its speed of information sharing, sit-uational updates and exchange of intelli-gence. the new communication networkcovers more than 30 Directorates andbranches at the Army headquarters, sixsecurity forces headquarters, 14 divisions/task forces and 22 regimental headquarters.the voice and video feeds will provide com-manders with reliable data for accurateassessments and formalities, as well asstrategic inputs and security requirements.the network also enables live meetings,audio and video conferencing, online filetransfer, online file sharing, intranet e-mail-ing and the Internet. the network will alsocover island-wide army formations within afew weeks.

RUSSIAN ARMY TO RECEIVE NEW MBTS

the russian Army will receive new-genera-tion main battle tanks (mbt) in 2014-20 aspart of a large-scale rearmament of its mili-tary armoured units, Defence ministryspokesman Lt colonel Sergei vlasov has said.“At present, russian scientists are developinga new-generation tank, and in 2014-20 weare planning to replace the current fleet withnew tanks on a large scale, so that the newmodels will constitute 70 per cent of thetotal,” he added. the new mbt will featureenhanced firepower, manoeuvrability, elec-tronics and armour protection capabilitiesover the t-90 mbt. the Defence ministry hasnot disclosed the type of the mbt for thereplacement of the current fleet. however,russian military experts believe that eitherthe t-95 or the t-99 mbt will be selected forthe project. currently, the russian Army isequipped with t-72, t-80 and t-90 mbtsand their variants, according to rIA novosti.russia’s existing state arms procurementprogramme aims to modernise t-72 tanksuntil 2014.

PHOENIX II TRIALS FOR FRENCHARMY Sagem has conducted Phoenix II battlefieldtrials for the French Army to reach its goal ofdeveloping new operational capabilities andadvanced digital integration at themourmelon military base. the trials aimed totest the digitisation of communicationsbetween infantry soldiers, coordination ofoptronic sensors, tactical communicationsrequirements, and updates on enemy posi-tions. the Phoenix II programme covered

three main areas, including warfighters’ abil-ity to understand the tactical situation,increasing the robustness of tactical commu-nications and combat continuity of informa-tion between mounted and dismounted units.French DGA Phoenix contract managerWilly Lamal said that the programmeenabled defining new operational conceptsbased on digital systems that were eitherbeing procured or were under test. “themanufacturers involved demonstrated theeffectiveness of their solutions. these solu-tions were assessed by the DGA, while alsoenabling the troops to discover their opera-tion in the field and compare them to cur-rent systems,” he added. A consortiumincluding cassidian, mbDA, nexter Sys-tems, novadem, eca and Aerophile alongwith co-prime contractors, Sagem andthales took part in the Phoenix II demon-stration trials. the Phoenix I battlefield tri-als were conducted for the French Army in2007 and 2008.

BAE TO DELIVER LIGHT ARMOUREDVEHICLES TO US ARMY

the US Army tAcom has awarded a contractto bAe Systems through the FmS route toproduce and deliver nine second-generationinternational light armoured vehicles (ILAv).

Under the $9 million contract, the companywill provide six ILAv explosive ordnance dis-posal variants and three ILAv interrogatorarm variants, along with repair parts. theILAv is a 4x4 v-shaped hull, mine protectedvehicle available in five variants includinginternational light armoured vehicle (basevehicle), interrogator arm, explosive ord-nance disposal, joint surrogate vehicle andmrAP training. Work on the contract willalso be performed by Force Protection Indus-tries and Spartan chassis at bAe’s facilities inSouth carolina and Pennsylvania. Delivery ofthe vehicles is expected to be complete in may2012. the US and foreign allies have receivedmore than 700 ILAvs till date since 2006.

MITSUBISHI HIT BY CYBER ATTACKJapan’s mitsubishi heavy Industries (mhI)has been the latest victim of a cyber attack,targeting Japanese data pertaining to mis-siles, submarines. eight viruses were foundon 45 servers and 38 computer terminalslast month. the viruses targeted a shipyardin nagasaki, a facility in Kobe and a plant innagoya, where the company designs andbuilds destroyers, submarines, guidance andpropulsion systems for rockets and missiles.the Japanese Defence ministry has said thatthe attackers failed to access sensitive infor-mation. however, it has ordered the com-pany to carry out a full investigation.Japanese Defence minister Yasuo Ichikawasaid, “the ministry will continue to monitorthe problem and conduct investigations ifnecessary.” An ongoing internal investiga-tion conducted by the company found onlynetwork information, such as IP addresseswere compromised. Japanese Governmentwebsites, the cabinet office and a video dis-tribution service were also hit by distributeddenial-of-service attacks.

reconrobotics has been awarded a$4.8 million contract from the USArmy rapid equipping Force for 315recon Scout Xt micro-robot kits and anequal number of SearchStick devices.

the SearchStick enables warfight-ers to convert any recon Scoutthrowbot into a pole camera, whichwarfighters can use to see over com-pound walls, onto rooftops and intoculverts. reconrobotics plans to com-plete deliveries of these micro-robotsystems by october 31, 2011.

“the era of the personal robot hasarrived for US troops and, like the bal-listic vest and night vision goggles,our recon Scout Xts will save manylives,” said ernest Langdon, Directorof military Program for reconrobot-ics. “We are extremely proud that theUS military has chosen reconrobot-ics to help protect our warfighters asthey conduct dismounted operationsin theatre.”

recon Scout Xt micro-robots aredeployed at the fire-team level – i.e.,one robot for each four- to six-man fire team – to maximise situational awareness andstandoff distance during route- and compound-clearing operations. more than 2,000of the company’s recon Scout systems have been deployed by the US military and inter-national friendly forces, and by hundreds of law enforcement agencies worldwide.Warfighters use the recon Scout system to determine the layout of the enclosed spaces,identify potential IeDs and to fix the location of friendly, indigenous or enemy personnel.

recon Scout Xt weighs just 1.2 lbs (540 gram), and yet it can be deployed in five sec-onds and thrown up to 120 feet (36 metres). Known for its simplicity and durability, theXt can be controlled with a single button and can be recharged in the field using standard5590 or 2590 batteries.

ReconRobotics wins orders for 315 Recon Scout XT robots

CASSIDIAN ELECTRO-OPTICAL TESTERcassidian has launched the oLISe electro-optical tester, which can be used to testsmaller opto-electronic systems that are crit-ical to live operations, at the DSei exhibitionheld in London. the tester, designed particu-larly for deployment in small, local work-shops, can be used to test goggles, visible andinfrared cameras, laser rangers and designa-tors, sights and image intensifiers. the field-transportable device can also be used to testoptical systems on aircraft without the needto remove the equipment.

FRENCH ARMY TO PROCURE 200ARMOURED VEHICLES French procurement agency Direction Gen-erale de l’Armement (DGA) has placed anorder for an additional 200 small armouredvehicles, Petit vehicule Protege (PvP), fromPanhard General Defense for the FrenchArmy. the latest order is in addition to a pre-vious contract for 933 units ordered in2004, the procurement office said. the PvPis an armoured four-wheel-drive vehicle thatcan be fitted with a 7.62mm machine gunon a remote-operated turret, and the vehi-cles have been deployed in Lebanon andAfghanistan. Delivery of the new batch ofvehicles will take place in 2012.

SINGAPORE’S FIRST HIMARS

the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) has com-missioned the high-mobility artillery rocketsystem (hImArS), marking the operation ofthe first hImArS battery as part of a net-worked force that includes other land plat-forms. Defence minister Dr ng eng hen saidthat the advancements in technology have

enhanced the SAF’s capabilities and reducedthe reliance on manpower. “the successfulinduction of the hImArS reflects well on theability of SAF to respond decisively to newchallenges and changing circumstances inthe operational environment,” hen added.hImArS has been designed to launch theentire multiple-launch rocket systems(mLrS) family of munitions, providing thetroops with precision firepower, enhancedmobility and advanced networking capabil-ities. the rocket system carries a single podof six guided mLrS m31 unitary rockets,which are 227mm surface-to-surface iner-tial guided and global positioning system-aided weapons.

AUSTRALIA APPROVES NEW ARMYTRAINING VEHICLES

the Australian Government has approved theacquisition of over 950 new four-wheel-drivevehicles, and trailers and associated equip-ment, which will be used for training pur-poses by the Australian Defence Forces (ADF).the combined first and second pass approvalis for the acquisition of light and lightweighttactical training vehicles under Land 121phase 5A. the acquisition includes 950 new‘G-Wagon’ four-wheel-drive vehicles frommercedes-benz, along with 200 modules and830 trailers. the modules will be manufac-tured and integrated onto the vehicles by Ghvarley, while the trailers will be provided byhaulmark trailers. the Land 121 Phase 5Aproject aims to provide a fleet of tactical vehi-cles and an enhanced training capability tothe Australian Army to prepare for operationsin armoured vehicles.

GD AWARDED US ARMY COMMANDHARDWARE SYSTEMS-4 CONTRACTGeneral Dynamics (GD) has been awarded a$3.7 billion firm-fixed-price, cost-plus-fixed-fee, level-of-effort, indefinite-delivery, indefi-nite-quantity contract to provide computerhardware and software to the US DefenseDepartment. the five-year command hard-ware systems-4 award is a follow-on contractto a potential $2 billion, ten-year chS-3 effortthat was awarded to GD c4 Systems in 2003.According to a GD spokesman rob Doolittle,the new contract will enable procurement ofcommercial hardware and software includingcomputers, radio equipment and other com-munications gear at competitive prices. Workon the new contract will be carried out atmassachusetts and is anticipated to be com-pleted by August 26, 2016. the US Armycommunications-electronics command willbe the contracting activity.

ADDITIONAL ROBOTS FOR US ARMY

irobot has been awarded an indefinite-deliv-ery, indefinite-quantity contract by the USArmy’s robotic Systems Joint Programmeoffice (rSJPo). Under the five-year $60 mil-lion contract, the company will provide iro-bot Packbot robots, spares, repairs, upgradesand support services for the army. the addi-

tional robots will be used to perform bombdisposal, reconnaissance and other mission-critical operations. the contract alsoincludes foreign military sales (FmS) to theUS allies and coalition partners worldwide.the company has delivered more than4,000 robots to warfighters till date.

OSHKOSH DELIVERS CANADIAN TAPVFOR TESTINGoshkosh Defense has delivered the tacticalarmoured patrol vehicle (tAPv) for thecanadian Department of national Defence(DnD) to conduct mobility, survivability andweapons testing at Aberdeen test center,maryland. the oshkosh tAPv, based on itsmine-resistant ambush protected all-terrainvehicle (m-Atv) platform, is equipped withtAK-4 independent suspension system formobility on rough terrain. the vehicle hasundergone independent testing for on- andoff-road durability validation, ballistic andsurvivability threat requirements as well aslive-fire demonstrations of the fully inte-grated dual remote weapon station (rWS).

RELIEF OPERATIONS IN SIKKIMA day after a powerful earthquake struckSikkim, the Armed Forces have mobilised res-cue and relief operation on a war footing. twomI-17 helicopters of the IAF carried reliefmaterial and national Disaster relief Force(nDrF) to Lachen and mangan, the interiorregions of north Sikkim. over 5,000 armypersonnel, including ten columns of armyengineers each comprising 15-20 personnel,were pressed into rescue operations immedi-ately after the first tremors were felt. troopsstationed in the area have provided shelter toover 1,500 people.

INDO-RUSSIA DEFENCE TIES

In a spirit of a cooperation and understand-ing, India and russia held their annual meet-ing to review the defence ties in moscow onoctober 4, 2011, and expressed ‘readiness totake all necessary measures to further expandthe cooperation on a mutually beneficialbasis’. In a protocol signed after the eleventhmeeting of the India-russia Inter-govern-mental Governmental commission on mili-tary technical, co-chaired by the Defenceminister A.K. Antony and his russian coun-terpart A.e. Serdyukov, the two sides notedwith satisfaction that during the period underreview various diligent steps have been taken‘to deepen interaction in the development ofdefence technologies, modernisisation of mil-itary equipment and joint manufactureing ofmilitary systems.

INDIAN ARMY TO DEPLOY ARMEDHELICOPTER the Indian Army will induct the first attackversion of the indigenously built advancedlight helicopter (ALh) rudra into the armyaviation corps this year, defence officialshave said. rudra is a ‘heavily loaded’ variantof the ALh Dhruv helicopter and is armedwith an array of guns, rocket pods, and air-to-air and anti-tank guided missiles. theweaponised helicopter is expected to boostthe army’s Army’s aerial firepower capabili-ties and is part of its modernisation andcapability development efforts.

APPOINTMENTS Lt General J.P. nehra has taken over as theAdjutant General of the Indian Army. hesucceeds Lt General m. Sabharwal.

Lt General narendra Singh has takenover as the new Deputy Chief of ArmyStaff (Planning & Systems). he succeedsLt General J.P. Singh.


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