DSEI

As BAe-146 commuter jets arrived and departed from the London City Airport adjacent to the Excel Centre in London’s docklands where the biennial Defence Systems and Equipment International exhibition was being held from 8 to 11 September 2009, BAE Systems officials outlined their plans for a military derivative of this aircraft. The company has designated this version as the BAE-146M.

E.H.Biass, P. Valpolini & T. Withington

The BAE-146M has a major asset in that it was designed for short-take off and landing and the company boasts that it can also use unpaved airstrips. It is thus aimed at the many air forces around the world that use small- and medium-sized jet and turboprop aircraft for light transport and communications duties. The Asset Management division of BAE Systems has a score of  BAe 146-200 and -300 aircraft that will be completing their leases with several European airlines over the next few years. They propose converting these into military airlifters carrying up to 12.5 tonnes of freight or 106 passengers. DSEi is not particularly known for promoting aircraft, however the venue was chosen by Saab to unveil its S-300 rotor-drone. This aircraft complements the existing Skeldar-150 and offers over two hours’ endurance. The aircraft can also carry a gimballed payload with infrared and electro-optical cameras. The company foresees the market for this aircraft not only in terms of military sales, but also to supplement homeland security and civilian operators requiring aircraft for routine tasks such as power line inspections.

Land Systems

In order to answer the British Army Light Protected Patrol Vehicle (LLPV) requirements Force Protection Europe has developed a new vehicle, the Ocelot, with a gross vehicle weight of 7.5 tonnes, including a 1.5-tonne payload (see Armada’s title picture). The development was conducted with Ricardo, and the deep V-shaped hull provides a mine  protection level in excess of 2B (Stanag 4569), while ballistic protection is at Level 2 with optional add-on armour against rocket-propelled grenades and explosivelyformed projectiles. The cabin module is quickly interchangeable thanks to four connectors. Three versions are available; LPPV with a crew of two and four rear seats, Fast Attack Vehicle with a fourseat configuration and the two-seater Logistic. The prototype was unveiled at DSEi and started trials at the end of the exhibition. BAE Systems OMC of South Africa unveiled the first prototype of its RG35 mine-protected multi-purpose fighting vehicle in the 6 x 6 configuration. Based on experience garnered with the RG family it has a gross weight of 33 tonnes with a 14.9-tonne payload and a volume under armour of 15 metres³, which hosts 15 soldiers plus the driver. Ballistic protection is at Level 4 while mine resistance is Level 4A/B. Powered by a Cummins 550-hp diesel engine, it can reach 115 km/h on road. With a length of 7.37 metres, its turning circle is of only 15 metres. The vehicle currently is in the industrialisation phase, but a second prototype in 4 x 4 configuration will be ready sometime during the course of 2010.

The US Army, along with the other services, has benefited from consistent growth in defence spending since the Bush Administration launched the Global War on Terrorism in the aftermath of the 11 September 2001 attacks. However, the Department of Defense has warned the services to assume zero growth budgets between fiscal years 2011 (FY11) and 2015. 

British manufacturer Universal Engineering showed its Ranger for the first time in an international exhibition, although it had been unveiled a few months earlier at the DVD event in June. A modular heavy armoured vehicle already aimed at replacing heavy Mraps such as the Mastiff and the Ridgeback, this 19 tonner was shown in a 6 x 6 configuration (crew of two plus eight soldiers), but 4 x 4 and 8 x 8 versions being also envisaged. Powered by a MAN 540-hp engine, the prototype has covered over 2000 km in tests since DVD. The pre-production vehicle, which will include ergonomic and man-machine interface optimisations, will be ready in early 2010. Protection against mines is well in excess of Level 4B while the basic hull provides Level 4 ballistic protection, but this can be increased with explosively reactive armour to defeat 80 to 120-mm diameter mines. As The V-shaped hull and the composite crew pod provide Level 3A/B mine protection and Level 3 ballistic mobile as a Supacat, three times the protection of a Mastiff, the payload of a MAN supply vehicle, such was Universal Engineering’s claim. Team Zephyr, made of Creation and Babcock Land Systems, showed its Zephyr armoured vehicle in the 4 x 4 configuration. Tipping the scales at 7.5 tonnes including a 2.5-tonne payload, this vehicle makes use of subsystems already present in the British Ministry of Defence supply chain and provides protection at ballistic Level 3 and anti-mine at Level 3A. The vehicle features a powerpack concept where engine and gearbox are replaced together to cut down replacement times. The survival cell is attached to the chassis through four big rubber dampers, while all seats are spring-mounted and also staggered to improve comfort of the four soldiers seated in the rear. The prototype started battlefield trials in late 2008 and Team Zephyr looks forward to the LPPV programme as well as the now postponed OUVS competition – both for the British Army. A 6 x 6 version is also in the pipeline. Another LPPV contender introduced at DSEi was Supacat SPV 400. At 7.5 tonnes with a 1.5-tonne pay load, it builds on Supacat experience in terms of high mobility and on that of NP Aerospace in the field of protection, since the latter company is responsible for the composite armour survivabilty cell.

The V-shaped hull and the composite crew pod provide Level 3A/B mine protection and Level 3 ballistic protection. No actual vehicle was present at the exhibition since Supacat was still building two demonstrators for official trial in early 2010. Two tracked all terrainvehicles – the ST Kinetics Warthog and the BAE Systems BvS10 Mk II – were fighting their promotional way through DSEi. Indeed survivabilithe Warthog had been chosen by the British Army to replace the vehicles of that category currently serving in Afghanistan. Derived from the Bronco, it has a higher all-up weight of 19  tonnes (versus the original 16), which required uprated suspension. Other improvements include an increase in protection against mines and buried bombs, the adoption of a commander’s cupola, beefed-up automotive cooling and dust filtration systems, a 450-Amp alternator and air conditioning for both front and rear compartments. The latter also  saw their respective volumes increased to five metres³ and eight metres³, which allow transport of up to 4+8 troops.As for BAE BvS10 Mk II, and as its suffix implies, this is a further evolution of the BvS10 family with a gross weight increase from 13 to 14.2 tonnes with a six-tonne payload and protection up to Level 4 ballistic and Level 2A/B anti-mine.As tough as modern vehicles can be, an internal fire can ruin their occupants’ weekend. Aerojet was promoting its fire extinguishing solutions based on solid propellants. The prime advantage of both the Solid Propellant Fire Extinguisher and the Hybrid Fire Extinguisher is that they do not use any pressurised propellant and do not therefore require any periodical inspections. The solid propellant enerates the fire-suppressing agent. The solid system is particularly suited for aircraft dry bays and engine bays and land vehicle engine compartments and electronic bays. The Hybrid Fire extinguisher, on the other hand, uses its propellant to expel an extinguishing agent, which can be water, the FM-200 inhibitor or the new and more ‘environmentally friendly’ Novec 1230.

Electronics

Turning to communications, Datron presented two new products, the Guardian II and the RT7700. The first is in fact a series of hand-held sets that includes a tri-band option (see picture). In the VHF and UHF group, the radios span a 136 to 174 MHz and 380 to 520 MHz frequency range. The tri-band sets add 762 to 870 MHz coverage. Other features  include advanced vocoder, Fips (Federal Information Processing Standards)-certified  encryption, internal GPS, battery ’fuel gauge‘ and signal strength indicator. The RT7700 was described by Datron as being so new at the time of the exhibition that it would not be available on the market before 2010. This is a top-tier, software-programmable, fixed naval set with full remote control through IP. The unit supports Link 11 and has internal digital comsec and an integrated ALE (Automatic Link Establishment) modem per Mil-STD-188-141B. A variety of operating modes include AM, AME, USB, LSB, ISB, CW, data as well as Melpe digital (or analogue) audio modulation. The RT7700 transmits over the 1.6 to 30 MHz bandwidth in one-Hz steps – receiving on 100 kHz to 30 Hz for a total of 280,000 channels. It supports the   company’s proprietary Datronlink HF e-mail gateway and network management software while offering the flexibility of managing the system from a remote computer or ruggedised laptop. ITT took some time to tell Armada International about its Spearnet tactical radio family. The company has noted that some of its customers have postponed new tactical radio acquisitions in the face of the persistent global economic crisis, but ITT is nevertheless continuing to enjoy good sales of Spearnet. In particular, the company is very pleased to be making significant inroads into the Middle East in terms of new tactical radio sales by promoting the ability of the Spearnet to form ad hoc networks and link back to other radio systems. Despite its small size, it is proving attractive, particularly in the maritime domain where the radios can be used by vessel boarding parties and onboard helicopters. 

ITT also had just introduced a manpack version of its Crew 2.1 mobile multipleband jammer. Like ITT, Sagem was also managing to weather the worst of the global financial storm. The company was in a jubilant mood having secured a contract for 450 of its Jim LR rangefinder and observation systems from the French Army. Furthermore, the company’s Vectronix subsidiary has also been selected to equip the British Army with 2700 Moskito hand-held observation systems and 2300 Raams (Rapid Acquisition Aiming Module) for the service’s BAE Systems SA-80 assault rifle underslung grenade launcher fire control system. Deliveries are scheduled to have begun in 2009.

Naval

Rotinor in Germany used the venue to introduce its Seabob heavy-duty diving scooters. The smaller unit is the Divejet 414, which can dive to depths of 60 metres. Its 3.0 kW E-Jet provides a maximum thrust of 47 kg and speed is  controlled through ten power levels to deliver a maximum of ten km/h. Power is from a series of high-energy,  memory-free Li-Ion batteries that provide over two hours’ endurance. Charging time is also about two hours. The Black Shadow 730 is the larger model and adopts a 5.15-kW E-Jet. It kicks a maximum thrust of 71 kilos to offer a speed of 11.4 km/h, but its main forte is an endurance stretched to more than three hours with an operating distance of about 20 km, which is the double of the smaller model. The Black Shadow 730 is also equipped with a cockpit providing information from the onboard sonar, compass and speedometer. For the diver in trouble or the high-altitude reconnaissance pilot suffering from decompression sickness, help is at hand from the SOS Hyperlite Hyperbaric Stretcher. This British system, which helps return a diver safely to normal atmospheric pressure levels after a decompression mishap, is also highly portable and quick to deploy.

Post-DSEi Warthog Roll-out

Mention is made in this report of the Warthog, which was selected by the British Army. The roll-out of the ST Kinetics vehicle took place on 28 September 2009 in Singapore, shortly after the London exhibition. Deliveries of the vehicle will have probably started by the time these lines are printed. The Warthog is very much a ‘son of Bronco’, but due to many improvements, notably in terms of protection and the ensuing increase in weight, it has undergone extensive trials under testing conditions in the United Arab Emirates last summer, since the vehicle is to be deployed in the punishing Afghan environment. Over 100 of these 19-tonne vehicles have been ordered to the tune of £ 150 million as part of an ‘urgent operational requirement’. Four variants are available: troop carrier, ambulance, recovery and a command vehicle. Given the urgency of the requirement, twelve British Army trainers have already started operation and training in Singapore. The majority of these vehicles is scheduled for completion by the end of 2010.