01 Jul 22. US Army interested in enhanced M-SHORAD capability for ground threats. The US Army wants soldiers using the Stryker-based Maneuver-Short Range Air Defense (M-SHORAD) weapon to also be able to target ground threats and is seeking information about “state-of-the art” ammunition cartridges to help make that a reality. On 27 June the service issued a sources sought notice for a potential 30×113 mm Multi-Mode Proximity Airburst (MMPA) requirement that calls for more accurate, lethal, and reliable cartridges than the currently fielded XM1198 High Explosive Dual Purpose with Self Destruct design. More specifically, a future MMPA would provide M-SHORAD vehicles with the ability to “rapidly transition” to defeat both ground and air target sets, instead of just the latter.
“MMPA will integrate with the XM914 weapon system utilising a United States government contact fuze setter and will require advanced proximity fuze and airframe/propulsion components to meet performance goals,” the army wrote. (Source: Janes)
29 June 22. BAE Systems’ Robotic Technology Demonstrator Strikes Ground Target with APKWS® Laser-Guided Rocket. BAE Systems’ Robotic Technology Demonstrator (RTD) successfully fired laser-guided rockets at multiple ground targets, with a human decision in the loop, during the U.S. Army’s tactical scenario at the EDGE 22 exercise at Dugway Proving Ground. This test marked the first time an APKWS laser-guided rocket has ever been fired from a robotic combat vehicle (RCV).
The autonomous RTD meets the Army’s needs for a RCV medium solution. Multi-mission capable, the RTD has a commercially-proven hybrid electric drive and can be equipped with various advanced payloads such as electronic warfare sensors, various gun systems, anti-tank guided missiles and 2.75” rockets with BAE Systems’ APKWS® laser-guidance kit. The vehicle also can be fitted with loitering munitions to defeat armored and unmanned aerial threats.
“Over the past year, we’ve partnered with leading technology companies to build an autonomous vehicle that will exceed the Army’s RCV medium requirements,” said Helen Park, Future Tech Works director at BAE Systems. “This successful demonstration proves that our unmanned vehicle can be integrated and updated with cutting-edge technology, payloads, and weapon systems to support multiple mission sets and deliver advanced capability in a multi-domain operational environment.”
Ground-launched APKWS rockets provide mounted units with a unique capability to engage ground targets and unmanned aerial vehicles at ranges up to six kilometers. This provides warfighters with a cost-effective solution for precision strike with greater range than small arms fire and without the need for air support.
Future Tech Works (FTX) is a new organization within BAE Systems that works closely with engineering experts and customers to identify, develop, and test solutions for the defense needs of the future. FTX reimagines the battlefield to modernize and deliver technologies that help keep service members safer, more agile, and ready to tackle any threat. BAE Systems is investing in the future of battle to help the Army deploy the most capable RCV solution for current and future modernization needs. Work on this program is taking place in Sterling Heights, Mich.
(Source: BUSINESS WIRE)
30 June 22. Setback For US Hypersonic Program As Latest Test Ends In Failure; Navy Sets A Deadline To Field Its Mach 5+ Weapon.
The newly conducted test of a US hypersonic missile in the state of Hawaii has failed because of a malfunction during the launch, Pentagon spokesman Tim Gorman said on Thursday.
“An anomaly occurred following ignition of the test asset,” Gorman said in a statement sent to Bloomberg, adding that the launch was conducted on Wednesday.
This is the second unsuccessful attempt to test missiles under the Conventional Prompt Strike program, designed to develop hypersonic weapons installed on Zumwalt destroyers and Virginia-class submarines and capable of exceeding the speed of sound five times.
The first launch failed in October due to a malfunction in the boosters.
On May 14, the US air force conducted a successful test of the Air-launched Rapid Response Weapon (ARRW) hypersonic missile. The launch was carried out from the southern coast of California and the speed of the rocket was five times greater than the speed of sound.
US Navy Eyes Hypersonic Weapons
Earlier, the US Navy had stated that it needs to deploy an air-launched air-breathing hypersonic anti-ship cruise missile by 2028. This weapon, according to the service, is going to be critical in countering rising threats from prospective enemies like China and Russia.
The Hypersonic Air-Launched Offensive Anti-Surface Warfare Missile, or HALO, has been described in detail in the recently published documents linked to the Navy’s latest budget request for the fiscal year 2023. The budgetary requirements of the Navy’s hypersonic program have stayed classified.
Previously, this program was known as Offensive Anti-Surface Warfare Increment 2 (OASuW Inc 2). The present AGM-158C Long-Range Anti-Ship Missile (LRASM), which is a subsonic design, is OASuW Increment 1. (Source: https://eurasiantimes.com/)
29 June 22. Indian Army and DRDO successfully test-fire laser-guided ATGM. The trial established the missile’s capability to engage targets from minimum to maximum ranges. The Indian Army and the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) have successfully tested an all-indigenous, laser-guided, anti-tank guided missile (ATGM). The Indian Ministry of Defence said in a statement that the missile hit the target with precision and at minimum ranges. The missile’s flight performance was satisfactory as per data recorded by the telemetry systems.
Engaging the targets at lower ranges was previously difficult, owing to the dimensional limitations of the tank launched ATGMs.
The latest test launch has established the ATGM’s capability to engage targets from minimum to maximum ranges, said DRDO on Twitter.
Developed with a multi-platform launch capability, the ATGM is undergoing technical evaluation trials from the 120mm rifled gun of MBT Arjun.
The weapon system uses high explosive, anti-tank warheads to defeat explosive reactive armour (ERA) protected armoured vehicles.
Congratulating the teams involved in the design, development, and trial of the system, Department of Defence R&D secretary and DRDO chairman Dr G Satheesh Reddy said the latest laser-guided ATGM will strengthen the fire power of the Arjun MBT.
Indian Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said the missile system is a key step towards fulfilling Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s ‘Aatmanirbhar Bharat’ vision.
In April this year, India conducted flight testing of the helicopter launched ATGM Helina at high-altitude ranges.
During the test, an Advanced Light Helicopter fired a missile to engage a simulated tank target. (Source: army-technology.com)
29 June 22. Hobson Industries Armouring Division, Launches the THEMIS Armour System©. Hobson Industries Armouring is a Division of Hobson Industries, the Lincolnshire, UK based lightweight armour specialists, announce the launch of THEMIS, a lightweight armour system developed directly for use on lightweight 4×4 vehicles.
THEMIS Characteristics for a lightweight and a highly mobile blast and ballistically capable vehicle complete with through life support are:
- The appliqué armour system addresses many of the problems associated with current
hard armour systems. THEMIS at 50m² on new vehicles is the lightest Stanag 1 and PAS300 tested and certified blast and ballistic system in service and is well within the GVW.
- The ballistic glass system is also unique being of cassette design and although it forms part of the armour system, damaged transparent armour can be replaced in the field in minutes.
- The blast protection system is also a Hobson innovation and captures event projectiles and absorbs and deflects the blast shock wave. It is well in excess of Stanag 1 and PAS300 requirements.
- There is no welding requirement on the vehicle. The THEMIS armour system© is fully repairable either through RTA or enemy action.
- The THEMIS family is fully through life supportable for an expected 8 – 10-year service life and is upgradable at half-life within its pod structure capability to meet new threats.
- The appliqué armour for post fit has a simple attachment system and is on the principle that the vehicle is fitted for but not with a THEMIS appliqué system to achieve vehicle ballistic upgrade.
- A gun mount THEMIS protection shroud is in development and this will be shown on Hobsons’ stand at the DVD event.
- A new pod system with lightweight structural and ballistic integrity is also in development with outstanding results, the goal being full AP integrity. The INEOS Automotive Grenadier with its 4-tonne armour ready chassis is one of the vehicles of choice for the future.
- THEMIS has been tested against M193, SS109, M855, M80 Ball, 7.62 x 51 L40A1, 7.62 x 39 API, 7.62 x 54R Iron Core and a range .308 and .223 rounds. None penetrated the THEMIS armour system.
- The enhanced STORM chassis was to play a significant role for the future of Land Rover armoured vehicles in military service having been taken up by the Ministry of Defence when upgrading the SNATCH 2. These are now being re-purposed with further upgrades for an alternative use using the THEMIS armour system© as full Stanag 1 armour protected vehicles.
- The THEMIS armour system© is being fitted on to a Land Rover WMIK platform which forms the basis of Hobsons’ Gunship with the resultant weight saving making the traditional WMIK platform a high mobility vehicle as it was originally intended.
The weight reduction using THEMIS armour system© gives the opportunity for an electric drive train for covert and stealth operations. The electrification of the Land Rover WMIK is currently under development by Hobsons with its drive train partner.
- A new gun system is being integrated and remains well within the gross vehicle weight.
The re-purposed and upgraded and ballistically protected CAV 100 SNATCH and Land Rover WMIK Gunship platforms fitted with the THEMIS armour system© will be on display on Hobson Industries stand OR-35 on the Off Road Centre at the MoD DVD Exhibition being held at Millbrook Proving Ground on the 21st and 22nd September 2022.
Peter Hobson, Managing Director of Hobson Industries said, “Protection of light 4×4 vehicles on the battlefield has often been hampered by payload issues, thus armour and protection is limited to providing a vehicle with the protection and mobility within these parameters. Wars and conflicts show that cunning adversaries use overmatch techniques to defeat these protection systems to destroy these vehicles and their occupants on the battlefield. The harrowing photographs of soldiers and their vehicles being decimated by IEDS in Iraq and Afghanistan created a rush by the Allied Forces to produce a range of light vehicles with adequate protection for their occupants. The development of the THEMIS Armour System© can be traced back to the Northern Ireland conflict of the early 1990s.”
The THEMIS Armour System©
The base point for THEMIS is the SNATCH VIXEN CAV 100 S2 glass pod (or similar product), protected with a much-reduced thickness of high hardness steel. Previously the .556 and M193 rounds traditionally took more than 8mm of high hardness armoured steel to achieve. Peter’s knowledge of the physics associated with the ballistic event and the broad understanding of the properties of ballistic materials set about finding a lightweight ballistic protection system. This has been achieved at Stanag Level 1+ at around 50kg m² with the THEMIS armoured pod system and is probably lightest armoured lightweight vehicle in use at this time. The system can also be fitted as an appliqué system for upgrades to current in-service vehicles.
The THEMIS development caught the eye of a UK Government customer and Hobsons was tasked to supply a test vehicle for evaluation. The vehicle was independently ballistically and blast tested to PAS300 methodologies. Vehicle handling characteristics have also been independently validated and certified to PAS301.
“The THEMIS system is a quantum leap in ballistic event management with appliqué armour at around 20.kg² on a CAV100 SNATCH pod upgrade and as a full ballistic solution to Stanag Level 1+ at around 50kg² for new vehicles. The THEMIS armour system© is a result of a combination and understanding of ballistics, physics and knowledge of materials in integration and this opens up areas of ballistic management protection solutions to both new vehicle design and post design for existing in-service light armour protected vehicles.” Peter Hobson continued.
THEMIS is the Goddess of Justice and had the power to put a protective shell around the people she loved and this is exactly what Hobsons THEMIS appliqué armour system© achieves.
Hobson Industries Armouring is a Hobson on site ballistic facility, which includes extensive armour testing using the 30 metre, fully instrumented and enclosed testing tunnel with the latest measuring and testing systems. Peter Hobson holds Section 5 Authority and established the Lincolnshire firing range and testing facility to allow him to develop and test advanced ballistics, ammunition and weapons along with sights and other systems in private without interference from ‘prying eyes.’
Hobson Industries Limited established in 1987, provides Vehicle Through Life Support solutions with Logistic, Armouring, Engineering, Asset Management, Vehicle build and Homologation workshops. Hobsons is a major supplier to the UK, Dutch and other MoDs using Land Rover vehicles and is a partner in the BAE Systems-led Post Design Services (PDS) for the British Army’s Pinzgauer, Land Rover and Light Trailer fleets.
28 June 22. US Army awards $72m for new phase in next-gen ground system effort. The U.S. Army announced Tuesday its effort for a next-generation, software-centric ground system is transitioning to another phase. The service awarded $36m each to software company Palantir Technologies and defense firm Raytheon Technologies for work on the Tactical Intelligence Targeting Access Node, which is currently under development. TITAN is expected to help connect sensors with users in the field to support beyond-line-of-sight targeting.
The Army selected both companies in January 2021 to mature their respective designs during the program’s first phase. The new awards for the second phase will be used to transform their plans into prototypes. Phase II is expected to last 14 months and will culminate with a capstone demonstration and a contract to a single provider. The third and fourth legs of the development effort will focus on refining the prototype and preparing the system to integrate sensors and future technology improvements.
During Phase I of the effort, the Army worked with Palantir and Raytheon to ensure their designs met the usability and workflow requirements for soldiers operating in a multidomain environment. In a statement Tuesday, the Army said soldier feedback from Phase I will inform Phase II prototypes.
As the two companies mature their TITAN prototypes, the Army and the Pentagon’s Defense Innovation Unit have partnered with defense contractor Northrop Grumman to develop two pre-prototype ground stations, which the program can use to demonstrate TITAN capabilities before the system is ready.
The Army expects to begin using the Northrop systems as TITAN surrogates in demonstrations later this year. A senior engineer with Palantir told reporters that the pre-prototype capabilities will eventually be part of the software specialist’s prototype and will be integrated toward the end of Phase II.
Connecting data systems across warfighting domains through programs like TITAN is a key piece of the Department of Defense’s Joint All-Domain Command and Control concept and is a major focus for the Army. The service has been testing this concept with TITAN surrogates, including during its 2020 Project Convergence demonstration. During that event, the Army linked tactical satellite imagery to a TITAN stand-in system that used an artificial intelligence program to develop targeting options with the data. Those options were transmitted to the demonstration site at Yuma Proving Ground in Arizona and a separate AI system sent a targeting solution to a designated shooter. (Source: Defense News)
28 June 22. Philippine Army sets up ATMOS battalion. The Philippine Army has established a new battalion to operate its newly acquired Autonomous Truck Mounted howitzer System (ATMOS) 155 mm/52 calibre self-propelled gun system, produced by Israeli firm Elbit Systems. Philippine Army spokesperson Colonel Xerxes Trinidad told Janes on 27 June that the 10th Field Artillery Battalion will operate under the service’s artillery regiment, which is headquartered in Fort Magsaysay, 120 km north of Manila.
Col Trinidad said the 12 new artillery pieces will boost the army’s “mobility and range” and enhance its “indirect fire support capability”. The ATMOS is also intended to aid the Philippine Army’s continuing efforts to support combined arms operations in tackling critical threats including insurgency.
The Philippine Army took delivery of the ATMOS units in December 2021, following the signing of a USD47 m contract in 2020. In service with the army, the gun is mounted on a 6×6 truck, although it can be incorporated onto 8×8 vehicles for enhanced speed and mobility. (Source: Janes)
23 June 22. Russia’s Sarmat heavy ICBM to enter service at end of year. Russia’s first RS-28 Sarmat heavy intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) will begin combat duty at the end of the year, Russian President Vladimir Putin told military university graduates he met in the Kremlin on 21 June. The announcement came two months after the Ministry of Defence (MoD) of the Russian Federation reported the first test launch of the ICBM with a dummy warhead from the Plesetsk cosmodrome in the Arkhangelsk Oblast on 20 April. Armed with a multiple independently targetable reentry vehicle (MIRV), Sarmat will replace the Voyevoda RS-20 ICBM, also known by its NATO designation SS-18 ‘Satan’ Mod 5, which Russia’s Strategic Missile Forces (RVSN) plan to retain until the RS-28 is officially accepted into service. Developed by State Rocket Center ‘Academician V P Makeyev’, the three-stage Sarmat is produced by the Krasnoyarsk Machine-Building Plant (KrasMash), a subsidiary of Russian State Space Corporation Roscosmos. (Source: Janes)