TThe first tidal wave swept up that huge Swiss icon that Oerlikon once was. Seemingly as deeply anchored into the Swiss landscape as the Matterhorn, Oerlikon Contraves was nevertheless taken over by Rheinmetall a couple of years ago, causing a shock amongst the Swiss population. Certainly, like all defence companies around the world, the company suffered from the dramatic downsizing of military requirements, at home in particular, but also the company had arguably made the mistake of moving into the missile business at the wrong moment, with the Adats.

Over-taking companies generally tend to suffer from an ego syndrome and are quick to tear down the brand name of recent acquisitions from the entrance gate and replace it with their own - more than often than not with dire consequences. At least Rheinmetall had the sense to preserve a recognised brand name. This may be explained by the fact that Oerlikon Contraves markets some truly unique products. Currently, the company's activities essentially focus on upgrading some of the thousands of air defence gun systems sold around the world and marketing a new autonomous air defence system, the core of which is a high rate-of-fire revolver canon. Calibre remains at 35 mm, but here too, the word 'unique' manifests itself, in a perfectly justified manner, Oerlikon Contraves having developed a phenomenally effective munition designated Ahead. Programmed as it leaves the muzzle, this round and its system can perfectly well be incorporated into virtually any of the upgrade kits offered by the company.

The Oerlikon Contraves revolver cannon seems to be promised a bright future. Initially produced as an autonomous, palletised land-based low-level air defence gun able to belch out fire at a rate of 1000 rounds (including Ahead, of course) per minute, the Revolver 35/1000 subsequently found its way into a naval turret - the Millennium currently being tested in the United States - and has finally been adapted as a remote-controlled turret for light armoured vehicles. It was presented in model form at Eurosatory sitting atop a Mowag Piranha 8 x 8 (Oerlikon)

This introduction naturally leads us to Rheinmetall DeTec in Germany, a company that has had to resize and diversify its activities in recent years. The largest weapons currently manufactured by Rheinmetall DeTec are tank and artillery guns. Perhaps not very widespread, but certainly testifying the company's command of technology, is the fact that the original design of the US Army's Abrams M256 gun originated from Ratingen's workshops. Heavy tanks may not be the ideal business to be in today if this is one's sole source of income. However, with upgrading being all the rage, Rheinmetall DeTec is currently busy producing a new, 155-calibre barrel for whomever might be willing to provide their early-model Leopard 2s with modern performance (although the item is also being produced for new builds).

Still in the armoured fighting vehicle weapons context, mention also has to be made of DeTec's new developments in 105 mm guns for light armoured vehicles. The 51-calibre SB Rh 105 105-30, by virtue of high grade steel properties and chrome-plated barrel, sees its gas pressure hovering over the 600 Mpa mark. A muzzle brake and hydraulic brake minimize recoil impulse to bearable levels, but when used in conjunction with the new 1700 meter-per-second muzzle speed KE 105 round, the gun is said to offer about the same performance as a conventional 120 mm tank gun.

	Currently being developed by Rheinmetall DeTec for the new RH 105-30 smooth bore gun, the 105 mm KE round features a heavy Tungsten IV grade penetrator wrapped in an aluminium sabot. Other rounds of the family include KE practise, HE and HE practise. (Rheinmetall)

We will not be able to cover the entire scope of Rheinmetall DeTec's activities here, or this issue would have to be as thick as a telephone book. The company, for example, is involved in the Eurospike programme with its own subsidiary STN Atlas, as well as Diehl and Rafael, with the aim of transferring the latter's Spike anti-armour missile to Europe. On the vehicle front, Rheinmetall is also developing a three-man undercover 120 mm howitzer based on the Wiesel 2 tracked vehicle as well as its related munition. Upscale, of course, is the monumental PzH 2000 howitzer built by KMW, but for which Rheinmetall has the responsibility of the weapon system and its ammunition.

	The PzH 2000 fitted with a 52-calibre barrel has recently showed its ability to speed rounds out to a range of more than 40 kilometres. The projectile in this instance was a South African Naschem Assegai base-bleed but the DM72 modular charge system was from Rheinmetall. The range was a sine qua non for Greece's order for 24 units. (KMW)

While on the subject of the PzH 2000, the German Army has placed an order for a total of 185 to equip seven battalions. Deliveries started in July 1998 and so far about 125 have been delivered. As the German Army Artillery School recently visited by Armada proved, the 60-round magazine replenishment is effected in under twelve minutes. The gun is able to stop in position and, 30 seconds later, fire ten rounds in less than one minute; allow another 30 seconds to pack up and it is on its way again. The PzH 2000 is also capable of multiple round simultaneous impacts with five rounds.

The artillery school also demonstrated its 'short-tube training system' which uses an off-the-shelf PzH2000, but on which the standard tube is replaced with a system receiving dummies. All external control and monitoring systems are plug-in devices and crews are thus able to train 'on the real thing' - and this includes failures and all safety aspects. Any PZH2000 can be thus converted in 3.5 hours.

The PzH is really a large machine which requires considerable means for deployment, "we [the Bundeswehr] are now considering lighter air transportable solutions", said the school Commander when asked about peacekeeping operations, "because the PzH2000 is slightly too big for the job". In spite of this handicap in today's cash-strapped militaries, the German howitzer has chalked up a few export successes, notably in Greece as seen above, but also in Italy who will build them under license, as well as in Netherlands and Sweden.

STN Atlas was mentioned earlier. This has become Rheinmetall's electronics house and is thus much involved in simulators and battlefield management systems, but is probably better known as a reputed worldwide supplier of ship and submarine command and navigation suites.

MTU is known to almost all boat and yacht owners. The German engine manufacturer is also renowned for its armoured vehicle powerpacks and more particularly its Europowerpack that is so compact that it can be slung in an older tank engine bay with ample space to spare. This is, however, what lays in the near future: the new 890 engine series that will cover the 550 to 1470 kW spectrum through V6 to V16 variations. (MTU)

Talk of the PzH2000 and its manufacturer naturally leads to the other 'pièce de resistance': the Leopard 2. We won't expand on the history of this well-known main battle tank, but rather on the latest developments - the A6 EX. First of all, this new iteration of the Leo 2 is fitted with the latest L55 barrel designed by Rheinmetall W & M in Ratingen, and while it remains fully Nato compatible, will be able to fire the new improved kinetic energy ammunition devised by the same supplier. The round is known as the LKE 2 or LKE II in the manufacturer's nomenclature, but also as the DM53 in the Bundeswehr. The penetrator, it must be emphasised here, does not use depleted uranium. The tank is also fitted with an auxiliary power unit and air conditioning and can be equipped with additional protection against land mines.

The Leopard 2 A6 is powered by an MB 873-Ka 501 turbocharged four-stroke multiple-fuel diesel engine designed and built by MTU. Its 1100 kWs are dispensed to the tracks through a Renk HSWL 354 automatic four-speed gearbox. Thus equipped and loaded, it tips the scales at 62.4 tonnes, yet, according to KMW, its 17.6 kW-per-tonne still enables it to reach a road speed of 72 km/hours. At more sensible road cruising speeds, its 1200 litres of fuel affords it a range of 500 kilometres. (KMW)

The German Army is to receive 225 Leopard 2 A6s, while the existing 350 might eventually be called in for upgrade. How far beyond the gun the upgrade will go is not known. The Dutch Army, in the meantime, has signed a contract with Rheinmetall for the retrofitting of the L55 onto its 180 Leo 2s.

	Besides the Leopard 2, KMW also indulges in the production of smaller armoured vehicles like the Fennek reconnaissance vehicle - including a sophisticated NBC detection version, the Dingo, which has seen service in Kosovo, and the Terrier developed in co-operation with Iveco. (KMW)

	On a European co-operative level, KMW and Rheinmetall are involved in the development of the Mrav/GTK 'battlefield taxi' programme with Alvis in Britain and Stork in Holland. Although development is funded, no production contract has been signed to date. The current requirement is for 600 vehicles to be manufactured on three separate production lines. (Armada/EHB)

Tanks need to be hauled around if long distance deployments are required and, in Germany, this is very much a three-spoked-star affair. In fact, automotive giant Mercedes Benz offers a wide range of trucks for the military, many models of which have been exported to the four corners of the world. Starting from the top of the range is the Actros series which itself includes a 6 x 6 tractor able to tow a tank trailer, a heavy 8 x 8 multiple purpose truck as well as 6 x 6 and 4 x 4 tarpaulin-covered flat-bed transports. The range drops down to the Unimog series and the ubiquitous G-Wagon 'jeep', but the latest addition to the range is the forward-engined 4 x 4 S2000 six-tonne payload utility vehicle.

	Breaking off with the forward cabin trend, Mercedes' latest model, the S2000, was developed to provide a low-sitting cabin profile, which can be armoured a la carte. (Armada EHB)

Diehl, also known for the heavy-duty armoured vehicle tracks it manufactures and exports throughout the world, is deep into weapon technology and development. Together with Rheinmetall it has formed the Giws Company to develop the Smart 155 mm submunition. The company can actually pride itself with the fact that this is the first such so-called smart submunition to have entered service with a howitzer unit. The Smart - in fact two of them - is carried in a DM702 artillery shell and released above an armour formation. It then deploys a parachute under which it spins in a slightly canted position. This enables its two sensors - infrared and millimetric wave - to scan a spiral pattern above the ground as it descends. As soon as it picks a target it triggers its explosively formed penetrator warhead to attack armour from the roof.

	The Smart enables an artillery unit to effectively deal with armoured formations - read perform outright hard-kills - at a range of 27 kilometres. The cargo shell is ballistically matched to the DM 642 projectile, which means that it is compatible with existing fire control systems. (Armada/EHB)

Looking overseas, Diehl has recently entered a partnership with Denel in South Africa for the marketing of a trajectory correction fuze that can be retrofitted to many existing artillery rounds. Based on a conventional multi-function fuze casing, the trajectory correction fuze embodies a GPS receiver that will deploy a cloth-covered wire mesh collar to brake the course of the round until it matches the correct flight pattern required to reach the desired targeting point.

Turning back to Switzerland, it is somehow bemusing to see the extent to which such a small nation has succeeded in developing a worldwide industry. Oerlikon Contraves was mentioned at the beginning of this article, but others like Mowag, Pilatus and - no laughing - Victorinox with its icon Swiss army knife has enjoyed, and continues to enjoy, tremendous success abroad. Curtiss-Wright on the other hand may sound awfully non-Swiss but actually is located in the northeast corner of the country at the Rhinefall, and has specialised in the manufacture of armoured vehicle suspensions and electronically controlled drives for turrets. Bucher-Guyer on the other hand, is a relative newcomer in the defence field and may not yet have the universal reputation of some of its automotive industrial counterparts. Nevertheless, the Duro transport it has developed is now in service with the Swiss Army and, while the British Army has ordered some 82 as Cormorant platforms, this vehicle is also attracting considerable interest in Southeast Asia where it may be produced under license. The unique rigid-chassis and De Dion suspended Duro can be had in 4 x 4 or 6 x 6 guises. An armoured version was developed in co-operation with O'Gara Hess & Eisenhardt's subsidiary in France, while the very latest up-rated 8.5-tonne model unveiled at Eurosatory powered by a 5.9 Euro III emission-compliant Cummins diesel should broaden the Duro's potential market worldwide.

Mowag has managed the extraordinary feat of remaining a one-man owned company until recently, and the only reason behind its acquisition by General Motors was a lack of interest from potential heirs. The Piranhas have long been produced under licence by General Motors but also by GKN (which later came under the Alvis fold). Nevertheless, the company continues to operate under its original name and to develop its family of armoured vehicles, the latest member of which is the Piranha IV. This is a much larger vehicle than its predecessors - and for that reason is not intended to replace them, but rather complement them. It is very much the first embodiment of what is perceived as the alternative to heavy tracked armour worldwide. The prototype is pretty much to production standards level and includes facilities for full-spec battlefield management systems together with vehicle management electronics. In terms of development the Piranha IV is thus well ahead of its competitors, almost ready for production and ready to pounce on certain politically entangled programmes attempting to achieve similar objectives. In the meantime, Piranha IIs and more particularly IIIs in many forms (including command post 8 x 8s) continue to sell like hot cakes. There is even a 10 x 10 capable of carrying a 105 mm turret.

Pilatus is also known throughout the world due to its highly successful PC-7s and PC-9s. Variations on the theme are even being produced as the Texan II by Raytheon (initially Beechcraft) in the United States and even in South Africa. The PC-6 Turboporter on the other hand, is still a favourite among parachutists. Upscale is the PC-12, which, apart from being aimed at the fast business traveller market, has demonstrated its suitability as a platform for airborne observation carrying underbelly sensors.

The latest bird in the Pilatus nest, however, is the PC-21, which made its public début at Farnborough. We shall not dwell too much on this aircraft here since it is the subject of a separate article in this issue. However, and deceptively, it is an entirely new design from the ground up and is revolutionary not so much in the technologies used but rather more in the very ambitious scope it intends to reach. It can provide the full feel and behaviour of the fighter aircraft the student will next sit in. For the more aerobatically-inclined aficionado, the PC-9 and PC-7 remain available on the production line.

Ruag Holding, on the other hand, is a new name, but its roots are deep and historical. The group is now the common umbrella for former SF, SW, SM and SE, themselves being offshoots of the Swiss Armed Forces arsenals and suppliers. With the dramatic downsizing of their sole customer (or almost) following the demise of the Soviet regime, those companies underwent a complete restructuring to their present status as Ruag Aerospace, Ruag Land Systems, Ruag Munition and Ruag Electronics. As a matter of fact, Ruag is a typical example of a company whose products are better known than those who produce them.

Ruag Munition, for example, is at the forefront of warhead technology, developing and producing what are amongst the best warheads available today for anti-armour weapons like the Swedish AT4, the German Panzerfaust III, mortar bombs (see Armada 4/2002, page 41) and even the Spanish Alcotan 100 and Tow 2 anti-tank missile. Ruag Munition is always looking ahead into newer developments such as thermobaric warheads and even new applications for the Russian Arena active self-protection for armoured vehicles. Another advanced field in which Ruag Munitions has a strong foothold is isostatic pressing and shrink fit warhead assemblies. Quite apart from packing more punch in a given volume, this technique allows the firm to achieve extremely accurate warhead shaping and thereby design asymmetrical warheads without which downward-firing but forward-moving weapons would not be able to operate efficiently. Indeed the forward motion of the missile would cause the warhead to 'drag' over the armoured surface like a blowtorch cutter rather than punch a hole in it. And indeed yes, this is what the Swedish Bill 2 and BTLaw carry. Ruag Munition's latest small calibre munitions are also extremely bad news even for troublemakers equipped with ceramic armour plated vests: at a recent demonstration, the .338 Lap Mag AP demonstrated that it nicely cleared such protections from a range of 600 metres.

In a typical before and after layout, this live mortar round was treated as a dud during a recent Ruag Munition test to demonstrate the ease of use of the SM-EOD. An unexploded ordnance disposal system, the SM-EOD comes with various warhead diameters to suit the type of weapon that needs to be dealt with. The simple plastic snap-on stand enables the operator to aim the hollow charge with great accuracy. (Armada/EHB)

Turning to Ruag Land Systems, this is the home of larger barrels for artillery and tanks. Ruag Land Systems has developed a complete upgrade kit for M109 howitzers. The L47 barrel itself is chrome plated to reduce wear (contrary to what one would instinctively believe, wear does not so much occur at the contact point between the rifling and the band but inside the groove due to gas erosion) and range is stretched to 36 kilometres while firing rate is increased by virtue of a semi-automatic loader. Navigation and positioning system, travel lock, night vision for the commander and the driver and fire-protection in both crew and engine compartment complete the modernisation.

Another very interesting development from Ruag Land System is the 120 mm Compact Tank gun - one item that has been regularly and extensively covered by Armada International. Basically, it evolves from the defunct Swiss Army tank project, but has proven an ideal candidate for upgrading older tanks from 105 mm but without adding weight. In conjunction with Jordan's King Abdullah Design and Development Bureau (Kaddb - or cadbee) and Raytheon (for the fire control system), a kit has been developed to upgrade M60 tanks with this L50 barrel. The barrel however, is also suitable for lighter 25-tonne class vehicles, and if the reader has seen a CV90 equipped with a unusually large barrel at a defence show or another, this is what it had. To close this Land Systems chapter, mention must also be made of yet another advanced development - the vehicle-based 120 mm Longhorn mortar. Mounted on a heavy truck or armoured vehicle, the 1.5-ton Longhorn will rapidly deliver 120 mm rounds some ten kilometres away at a rate of four in less than 20 seconds. The system comes with complete navigation and laying system.

Ruag Electronics on the other hand is very much the place to go for simulation. Its systems span small arms part task trainers, full battlefield training systems and artillery. The M109 Howitzer Crew Trainer, for example, is in service with the Swiss Army, and provides realistic exercises whether a single turret crew or even a complete battery is involved. In a most recent development, Ruag Electronics Codarts combat system was selected by the US Department of Defense for evaluation as part of a foreign comparative test. The programme is aimed at meeting the Marine Corps requirements to integrate current training devices that provide deployable force-on-force training for the Marine Air Ground Task Force.

To wrap up the Ruag chapter, Aerospace essentially is Switzerland's point of reference for military aircraft maintenance (F/A18, F-5, Hawk and Mirage as well as all Pilatus aircraft models and certain helicopters). However, Ruag Aerospace is also responsible for the integration of improvements to other flying objects such as missiles - the Tow, Dragon and Stinger to name but a few. Another specialty is the Stinger tracking and launch simulator which is said to be the only of its type to offer the user the feel of the real thing, including upon firing. The round is a dummy with a range of 150 metres of course, but the target can be a real aircraft.

The name Leica will undoubtedly ring a bell or two. The camera part of this, however, went its own way in 1996, but Leica Geosystems, which has since become Leica Vectronix, continues with its original activities as a manufacturer of optical-based and field survey instruments, something it started to do in 1921 when it was known as Wild Herebrugg. Today the company's catalogue of products includes gun laying and positioning systems, goniometers, laser rangefinders and observation and target acquisition systems. The latest addition to the range is the Vector 21 7x binocular and laser rangefinder, which was officially launched at Eurosatory 2002 - and ordered by the Dutch Army.

The Leica Vector 21 was launched a few months ago. Offering a magnification factor of seven, it provides class 1 eye-safe laser range finding from five to 12,000 metres. Its light-emitting diode display provides readings from the built-in digital magnetic compass, namely range, azimuth, elevation, horizontal and slope distance and azimuth and vertical angle between two points (all this with selectable units) - all transferable via an RS 232 interface. (Leica Vectronix)

Finally, a report that includes Swiss products could be not be concluded without mention of what Switzerland is best known for throughout the world: its watches. Away from the luxury chichi for the jet set, MB-Microtech produces a diehard timekeeper for the man in the field. Waterproof and tough it is, this goes without saying, but its unique feature is its patented Traser cell-illuminated dial that is so bright that it can actually be used to illuminate a map or a notebook should anything else fail to be on hand. Astonishing as it may sound, the tiny Traser cells are long lasting because they are each enclosed in airtight microscopic cells. A feature that has to be seen to be believed. At any time.