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18 Feb 19. Russia’s Kalashnikov unveils kamikaze drone. Over the past few years, Russia’s most famous gun manufacturer Kalashnikov has been busy diversifying its product portfolio to include things such as patrol boats and light reconnaissance unmanned aerial vehicles. And at IDEX 2019, the company unveiled its newest offering: a kind of kamikaze drone known as KUB.
But you wouldn’t know that from the English-language press release, in which KUB was introduced simply as a “high-precision unmanned attack complex…designed for defeating remote ground targets.” Kalashnikov says the drone — which boasts a payload of 3 kilograms and a flight time of 30 minutes at 80 to 130 kilometers per hour — is silent, covertly launched.
Kalashnikov, like many Russian defense companies, is a subsidiary of Rostec — a massive defense and high-technology holding company. Rostec CEO Sergey Chemezov was quoted in a statement on Feb 17 as saying KUB delivers a warhead to the target “whether the target is concealed or not, both at low and high altitudes.”
“It is [an] extremely accurate and efficient weapon,” Chemezov said at IDEX on Sunday, adding that it is “very hard to combat by traditional air defense systems.”
Kalashnikov did not respond to a request for clarification on how the drone delivers its payload to its targets before this article was published. However, Russian media reports elaborate that KUB is, in fact, a suicide drone that detonates itself when in range of the target. With a payload of 3 kilograms, it is probably something akin to a flying grenade. Kalashnikov is displaying a 1:2 scale model of the drone at IDEX. The real KUB is also tiny, sporting dimensions of 1210х950х165 mm, according to the Kalashnikov statement. The drone was developed by Kalashnikov subsidiary ZALA Aero, a major Russian drone manufacturer. Russia still lags behind the U.S. in terms of large strike drones.
Russian aircraft manufacturer Sukhoi is reportedly working on a heavy stealth strike UAV known as Okhotnik (Hunter). Deputy Defense Minister Alexei Krivoruchko told military TV channel Zvezda in December that the drone is expected to make its first appearance sometime in the spring. (Source: Defense News)
18 Feb 19. India-Russia joint venture missile BrahMos aims for Middle East and African markets at IDEX. The joint Indian and Russian missile BrahMos, a versatile supersonic missile, is on display at IDEX and a representative says its targeting both naval and coastal defense requirements in the Middle East and Africa. The missile billed as “the world’s fastest cruise missile” is in wide use in the Indian military as a strike and anti-ship weapon, and the Russian military is working with a prototype of the missile, the representative said.
The missile is also on offer in North American markets, but the representative did not elaborate on which countries the company was targeting.
BrahMos was first launched in 2001 and can be installed on ships, submarines and on aircraft. In November 2017, a BrahMos flight test on an Indian SU-30 MKI employed the missile against a ship target.
The current range of the missile is 300 kilometers, the representative said. Defense Newsreported in 2016 that the governments of Russia and India was doubling the range of the missile to 600 km.
Last year, the Indian Navy signed a contract with Russia for two upgraded Krivak III frigates that will have the BrahMos installed.
18 Feb 19. Check out what China brought to one of the world’s largest defense exhibitions. Check out this Chinese anti-tank missile system at IDEX 2019. China often doesn’t have a large presence at big defense shows in the U.S. and the European Union, but at events like IDEX in Abu Dhabi, they come loaded with lots of weapons to show off. And this year’s event was no exception, featuring improved laser weapons systems, ship models, and anti-tank missiles on display.
While the items on display ranged from pistols to large-scale armored vehicles, two vehicles stood out. One was Norinco’s Red Arrow 10 vehicle-
A representative at state-owned Poly Defence’s stand told Defense News that the Silent Hunter was capable of generating up to a 30kW beam, targeting small unmanned aerial systems, and other airborne threats. But when asked for further on the record comment, he declined to share any other information. But a display screen next to the vehicle claimed the laser has a maximum range of 4 kilometers at 30kW, and a minimum range of 200 meters at 10kW of power. The laser itself was mounted on a heavy truck, presumably carrying the power-generation and other support needed for the laser. A representative of Poly Defence declined to share exactly why the vehicle was on display and whether or not it was being marketed for export. (Source: Defense News)
18 Feb 19. China is working on killer robot ships of its own. The Chinese shipbuilder China Shipbuilding and Offshore International Company is developing a small unmanned surface vessel that China wants to function essentially like the uninhabited baby brother of a U.S. Arleigh Burke destroyer. The JARI USV is a 20-ton, 15-meter boat that is orders of magnitude smaller than the People’s Liberation Army Navy’s manned Type -55 destroyer but has all the same mission areas: anti-submarine, anti-surface and anti-air warfare.
A model of the drone was on display at the International Defense Exhibition and Conference in Abu Dhabi.
‘The JARI comes equipped with electro-optical sensor atop a superstructure, a phased array radar, a dipping sonar, eight small vertical launch system cells, a torpedo launcher and a forward mounted machine gun and rocket launcher for counter-surface engagements, according to a model displayed at the International Defense Exhibition and Conference.
The U.S. Navy has been increasingly discussing its desire to pursue unmanned technologies to fight on the surface and subsurface, employing a network of sensor and shooter drones to penetrate anti-access environments such as the South China Sea. The JARI seems to be at least part of China’s response to that kind of warfare.
According to the product video, the drone appears to be modular and reconfigurable for the different mission areas, but it’s unclear what missions are permanently integrated into the system. In the video, JARI is shown alternately shooting down an aerial drone, sinking a submarine, machine-gunning a RHIB full of adversaries trying to steal it (after firing warning shots) and sinking a surface ship that looked a little like a littoral combat ship.
The boat tops out at 42 knots and has a range of about 500 nautical miles. Last year, when China unveiled the design at a show in Africa, a representative told Navy Recognition that the drone was for use by the PLAN and for foreign sales and that a working prototype was being tested in China.
The drone can be controlled by either a shore station or from a mother ship, Navy Recognition reported.
There is no word on what kind of communication link the boat would have and where exactly humans would be in the loop. In the video it appeared that at least the forward-mounted machine gun would fire automatically at rapidly closing surface targets after firing a round of warning shots.
In an interview with Defense News, the U.S. Navy’s Surface Warfare director said the service was looking to field a family of drones that can network back to larger manned combatants, which could remain passive and not give away their position with larger sensors such as ballistic missile defense phased array radars lit off. (Source: Defense News)
17 Feb 19. Double defence. JSC Rosoboronexport (part of the Rostec State Corporation) and JSC NPO High Precision Systems are displaying the Pantsir-ME shipborne close-in weapon system outside Russia for the first time. A full-scale system will be on show on Stand 09-C20.
Developed and manufactured by the KBP Instrument Design Bureau JSC, Pantsir-ME is a shipborne derivative of the Pantsir-S1 land-mobile self-propelled very short-range air defence system. Designed for installation on ships down to 300 tonnes’ displacement, the system combines 57E6-E missiles (eight rounds on mount with 24 reloads below deck) and twin 30mm AO-18KD six-barrel cannon with on-mount phased array radar and electro-optical tracking systems According to Rostec, the Pantsir-ME system can simultaneously engage up to four targets. If threats manage to evade the missile screen, the inner layer of anti-aircraft artillery provides for a second line of defence against ‘leakers’.
All stages of the engagement sequence – from the target acquisition to the firing – are completely automated. The use of both radar and electro-optical control systems provides for day/ night operations in all weathers.
Sergey Abramov, industrial director of the Armaments cluster in the Rostec State Corporation, told the IDEX Show Daily that the Pantsir-ME currently has no direct competitors. “The demonstration of a full-scale [system] at the IDEX exhibition is a perfect opportunity to present this new state-of-the-art Russian weapon to our partners from the Middle East and North Africa – the strategic region of Rostec’s presence,” he added. (Source: IHS Jane’s)
18 Feb 19. Lockheed Martin, Diehl And Saab Unveil Collaboration To Counter Emerging Short And Medium-Range Threats With Falcon Weapon System. Today Lockheed Martin (NYSE: LMT), Diehl Defence and Saab announced the Falcon™ air defense weapon system as the short and medium-range air defense solution for current and emerging threats.
Falcon integrates Diehl’s 40-kilometer range Infra-Red Imaging System Tail/Thrust Vector-Controlled (IRIS-T) SLM interceptor and vertical launcher, Saab’s 360-degree AESA Giraffe 4A radar through Lockheed Martin’s flexible SkyKeeper command and control battle manager. Falcon’s open architecture allows the system to easily integrate into any air operations center.
Threats such as unmanned aerial systems carrying lethal payloads, cruise missiles that can attack from any direction, and fixed and rotary winged aircraft capable of delivering ordnance at extended ranges, demand a technologically advanced solution that Falcon delivers.
“Our international customers are looking for the next generation short and medium range air defense solution. Falcon is threat driven and ready now,” said Scott Arnold, Lockheed Martin vice president and deputy for Integrated Air and Missile Defense. “Falcon is a great example of working with our customers to identify potential gaps and find rapid-response solutions to take on today’s evolving threats.”
The Diehl IRIS-T SLM is a highly maneuverable interceptor fired from a 360-degree vertical launcher with the ability to engage multiple targets simultaneously in all weather conditions. Diehl told BATTLESPACE Editor Julian Nettlefold that the IRIS-T missile was developed for the GBAD role and is not a converted air-to-air missile, thus it has a more powerful motor, no hangings and crucially a new advanced AI-based fuse which can change from a proximity fuze to a direct engagement fuze in the space of one second without any human interference.
The Saab Giraffe 4A AESA radar offers high discrimination capabilities and leverages gallium nitrate technology to detect and track both fixed and rotary-wing aircraft and drones, while simultaneously featuring an Automatic Sense & Warn functionality. Lockheed Martin’s SkyKeeper command and control battle manager gives commanders unparalleled situational awareness with real-time early warning of incoming threats and optimized engagement solutions for critical decision making. Together these elements make the Falcon weapon system the only integrated short and medium-range missile defense system available in the world with the capabilities required to defeat current and emerging air threats.
18 Feb 19. UAE confirms EOS weapon station contract. The UAE Armed Forces confirmed during the IDEX 2019 show, held from 17 to 21 February in Abu Dhabi, UAE, that it has placed a large contract for remote weapon stations (RWS) with the Australian company EOS Defence Systems. The military spokesperson announced on 17 February that a contract worth AED1.16bn (USD316m) had been placed with EOS Defence for 30mm RWS for the UAE’s army, navy, and coast guard.
EOS announced in January 2018 that it had won an AUS410m (USD330m at the time) order to supply “significant quantities” of its new R-400S Mk2 RWS to an unidentified overseas customer. (Source: IHS Jane’s)
18 Feb 19. Raytheon wins $1.5bn deal for UAE missile launching system. Agreement with US defence firm is signed on the second day of the IDEX military exhibition in Abu Dhabi. The UAE on Monday awarded US-based defence firm Raytheon a AED5.7bn ($1.55bn) contract to supply its air force with platform systems to launch missiles.
The agreement was signed at the IDEX military exhibition in Abu Dhabi and followed the award on Sunday of a AED1.3bn contract to Raytheon to supply the UAE with patriot missiles. An AED1bn contract was also signed with the Austrian company Sawi Electronic for the rehabilitation and upgrading of mines for the UAE Army. According to state news agency WAM, the UAE armed forces signed a total of AED7.2bn in contracts on Monday, including AED5.8bn with international companies. The UAE has signed a total of AED12bn dirhams in contracts since the IDEX exhibition started on Sunday.
Speaking at a press conference on day two, Brigadier Mohammed Al Hassani, official spokesperson of IDEX 2019, and Commodore Fahad Nasser Saif Al Thehli, official spokesperson of NAVDEX 2019, announced 24 deals.
17 Feb 19. MBDA packs fully integrated air defence capability on light armoured vehicles. MBDA presents the Atlas-RC/LIC²ORNE combination which, together with the Mistral missile, provides a substantial protection to mobile units, while fully integrated into the theatre air defence network and portable on light armoured vehicles.
The Mistral is an extremely reliable fire-and-forget air defence missile, with a success rate of nearly 95%. Equipped with an infrared imaging seeker and advanced image processing capabilities, the Mistral offers excellent countermeasure resistance and can engage low thermal signature targets such as UAVs and turbojet-powered missiles at long range, in addition to the usual combat aircraft and helicopter targets.
The Atlas-RC is an automated turret, carrying two ready-to-fire Mistrals and controlled from the cabin of the vehicle. It is equipped with day/night sensors for fire control and tracking.
LIC²ORNE is a command and control unit, developed from a set of software components that have already been proven on MBDA’s Mistral and VL MICA air defence systems. It can coordinate up to 8 Atlas-RC systems and connect them to higher-level command systems, including via advanced links such as Link 16 or satellite links. With its ability to use radar or electro-optic sensors, LIC²ORNE ensures that the Atlas-RC turret has sufficient early warning to make full use of the Mistral’s firing envelope.
Thanks to LIC²ORNE’s open architecture, MBDA has been able, in just a few months, to build in defences against mini and micro UAVs. These defensive systems can now protect the firing unit against terrorist actions or asymmetric commando attacks.
“Drawing on the lessons of recent conflicts in Europe or the Middle East,” says Francis Bordachar, MBDA’s Military Advisor Land Systems, “the Atlas-RC/LIC²ORNE combination is designed to provide a real air defence and engagement capability in the lower layer while ensuring very high mobility to accompany and protect mobile detachments and front line units. The deployment of an air defence system as close as possible to ground units is once again becoming a necessity, and a key survivability factor for ground forces.”
18 Feb 19. Armed Black Hawk Sharp eyes. Making its public debut at the IDEX show is the Sikorsky UH-60M Armed Black Hawk, the first having been officially unveiled in January during an event attended by the Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces, His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan. Three of the helicopters are participating in the tactical demonstration, and another is on static display at the NAVDEX waterfront site. The UAE became the launch customer for Sikorsky’s Armed Black Hawk (ABH) weaponisation kit in 2011, when a contract with Abu Dhabi Aircraft Technologies (ADAT) was announced at the IDEX show. ADAT is the principal shareholder of AMMROC (Advanced Military Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul Centre), then a joint venture between ADAT and Sikorsky, and subsequently expanded to include Lockheed Martin (which now owns Sikorsky). AMMROC has so far completed six of 24 modifications. The ABH kit provides the UH-60M with a weapons capability that is fully integrated with the helicopter’s digital avionics suite. Qualification was achieved in February 2018 after around two years of live-firing trials undertaken mostly at the Yuma Proving Ground in Arizona. The system includes a nose-mounted electro-optic/infrared sensor/laser designator turret that provides accurate targeting to both pilots through helmet-mounted displays. Stub wings each have two hardpoints for the carriage of rocket pods, gun pods and launchers for up to 16 Hellfire missiles. The system also supports the operation of 7.62mm Miniguns mounted in the cabin windows, which can be fixed to fire forward under pilot operation, or as crew-served weapons on flexible mounts. For long-endurance missions, the UH-60M can carry a full external weapons load with ammunition pallets and an auxiliary fuel tank in the cabin. In the transport role, the UH-60M can seat 10 troops with two window gunners. (Source: IHS Jane’s)
17 Feb 19. MBDA unveils the SPIMM: the self-protection module for surface ships. At Navdex 2019, MBDA will be presenting the SPIMM (Self-Protection Integrated Mistral Module), an all-in-one air defence module based on the SIMBAD-RC system and designed to equip ships of all types, particularly those without a combat system (such as supply ships).
The SPIMM module consists of a SIMBAD-RC automated naval turret equipped with two ready-to-fire Mistral missiles and a 360° infrared panoramic system to detect and track air and surface threats. The system is entirely controlled by two operators located in a shelter inside the module, which is also used to store four additional missiles. This ISO standard “all-in-one” module, 10 feet long and weighing some 7 tons, can be easily positioned on the deck of a ship using a crane, and requires just a standard electrical connection.
Designed to protect surface vessels against most conventional airborne threats (anti-ship missiles, combat aircraft, helicopters and UAVs), the SIMBAD-RC and Mistral demonstrated, at the end of last year, its ability to neutralise asymmetric threats such as Fast Inshore Attack Craft (FIAC) by day and by night.
“The SPIMM enables the urgent and rapid adaptation of supply vessels or landing platform docks to cope with new threats, or for using them in contested areas,” says Naval Defence Systems Product Executive Christophe Leduc. “This system illustrates MBDA’s ability to understand its customers’ needs and to quickly come up with effective and functional solutions.”
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Control Solutions LLC is a turnkey design and manufacturing corporation with over 20 years experience solving tough military motion control problems. We focus on improving the safety, survivability, and mission effectiveness for personnel in tactical vehicles. We will be showcasing our CS5100 Lightweight Motorized Turret System as well as new JLTV-ready gun turrets. We have fielded over 60,000 ITDS and BPMTU motorized turret systems for the HMMWV, MRAP, and other tactical vehicle programs. We will present a family of accessories including weapon-mounted actuators, turret power and spotlight kits, and novel soldier power solutions. Control Solutions is on a mission to help solve your toughest motion control challenges.
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