07 Apr 22. Germany to arm UAVs. Germany is to arm its medium-altitude long-endurance (MALE) unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) in a move intended for “improving the protection of soldiers on deployments abroad”, the Bundeswehr announced. The decision to weaponise the Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) Heron TP MALE UAVs that Germany leases through Airbus Defence and Space brings to a head more than a decade of deliberations in Berlin on the subject of arming its current and future unmanned aircraft.
“The Budget Committee of the Bundestag approved the armament of the Heron TP today,” the Bundeswehr said on 6 April. “A total of around EUR150 m [USD163.53 m] [is] earmarked for armament, training, and maintenance. In this way, we are improving the protection of soldiers on deployments abroad,” it added. (Source: Janes)
05 Apr 22. Indonesia establishes consortium to reverse engineer anti-ship missile. An Indonesian consortium mainly comprising state-owned enterprises has been established to reverse engineer an anti-ship missile type with a view of establishing the capability in-country. The consortium is led by the Indonesian Ministry of Defense’s (MoD’s) Directorate for Technology and Defense Industry and includes state-owned enterprises namely aerospace company PT Dirgantara Indonesia, defence electronics enterprise PT Len, explosives manufacturer PT Dahana, and heavy vehicles and ammunition producer PT Pindad. Meanwhile, the two private enterprises that have been named as part of the consortium are defence software company PT Mulia Laksana Utama and unmanned aerial vehicles manufacturer PT Aero Terra Indonesia. An agreement to formalise the consortium was signed on 1 April, the Indonesian MoD said in a statement on 2 April. (Source: Janes)
07 Apr 22. Engineers at US NSWCDD develop new semi-active laser seeker. The new seeker will prove crucial in the future guided munition systems’ development. US Naval Surface Warfare Center’s Dahlgren Division (NSWCDD) engineers have developed a new cost-effective semi-active laser (SAL) seeker for guided munitions. The technology will allow warfighters to accurately aim moving and stationary targets in areas where GPS is not accessible. The upgraded seeker technology works together with an operator, which projects a pulsing, infrared laser at the target. The laser energy reflecting from the target is then detected by the SAL seeker, fitted within the laser-guided munition, to guide operator’s mark with high accuracy. The operator and SAL seeker in tandem ensure that the correct target is engaged. The new technology is expected to improve performance and provide advanced signal processing and countermeasures.
NSWC project lead engineer Michael St Vincent said: “We would get feedback from war fighters – what kind of targets they are targeting, what they are like, and what requirements they need to meet.
“If they needed more range or more field of view. We would do simulations and make some changes and new iterations that moved closer to what they want.”
According to the NSWCDD, the new seeker is based on modern electronics designs and is comparatively three-to-five times cheaper than the traditional laser seekers.
Unlike the traditional SAL systems that feature a gimbaled detector element to track the laser spot, the new SAL system has a combination of fixed optics and software algorithms that can replicate the capability without using sensitive moving parts.
Besides, design of the new seeker can support integration with imager systems. Equipped with an integrated height-of-burst sensor, the new seeker can signal the fuse of the weapon and measure proximity to the ground which provides precise airburst function without using any additional sensors.
NSWCDD has live-fire tested 30 out of a total 50 prototypes on multiple weapon systems, such as 81-mm advanced capability extended range mortar (ACERM). (Source: naval-technology.com)
05 Apr 22. Malaysian firm ADS displays new Advanced Weapon Station. Malaysian company Advanced Defence Systems (ADS) displayed an indigenously developed Advanced Weapon Station (AWS) at the DSA 2022 exhibition in Kuala Lumpur. The company said the remotely operated AWS has completed field trials and is expected to be delivered to the Malaysian Armed Forces by mid-2022. According to ADS, the AWS is capable of delivering firepower through a heavy machine gun of 12.7 mm or a machine gun with 7.62 mm calibre. The company said the AWS, which is fitted with a high-resolution camera, is scalable according to user requirements. Other significant features of the AWS include its light weight to enable fitting onto light and heavy armoured vehicles; its high-resolution 10-inch display and joystick; and a sensor unit providing day, fusion, and thermal views. The AWS weighs 130 kg and has a sweep radius of 0.6–1 m. It can carry 200 and 400 rounds of 12.7 mm and 7.62 mm, ly. Its physical elevation/depression movements are +50/-10 degrees. AWS works with a minimum voltage of 18 vdc and with a maximum voltage of 32 vdc, and adheres to MIL-STD-461E. (Source: Janes)
07 Apr 22. Problems with AARGM-ER first test addressed. The Pentagon’s chief weapons tester disclosed that a July 2021 test of the US Navy’s new AGM-88G Advanced Anti-Radiation Guided Missile – Extended Range (AARGM-ER) from an F/A-18 Hornet resulted in “unexpected missile behaviour”. This problem has been fixed and the changes validated in a recent test, according to Captain Alex Dutko, the programme manager for Direct and Time Sensitive Strike Program office. Capt Dutko, along with programme officials from Northrop Grumman, provided reporters with an AARGM-ER update during this year’s annual Navy League conference and addressed missile problems disclosed in the “controlled unclassified information” version of the Director, Operational Test and Evaluation (DOT&E) annual report. (Source: Janes)
06 Apr 22. DIEHL DEFENCE and HENSOLDT are enhancing the performance of their existing ground-based air defence systems. Products for protection against new threats available at short notice. The system houses Diehl Defence and HENSOLDT have agreed to intensify their cooperation in the field of ground-based air defence. Based on proven joint systems that are currently in production and can be delivered at short notice, the two companies intend to offer top-class products for defence against missile threats. These air defence systems employ the latest technologies, thus offering defencive potential even against new and emerging threats. The companies can thereby make a contribution to addressing the changed threat situation for Germany and in Europe.
Diehl Defence and HENSOLDT already work together in the field of ground-based air defence systems. In its medium-range system (IRIS-T SLM), Diehl Defence has integrated the battle management standard software IBMS-FC from Airbus, as well as active and passive radars from HENSOLDT, transferred them to series production and already delivered them to an export customer. The IRIS-T SLM missiles are part of Diehl Defence’s IRIS-T product family.
Helmut Rauch, CEO of Diehl Defence, said: “I am pleased to be able to further optimize our existing air defence systems through more intensive collaboration with HENSOLDT to provide solutions for new threat situations.”
Thomas Müller, CEO of HENSOLDT, said: “We combine the expertise of two high-tech companies whose products are regarded as benchmarks worldwide. Our jointly-developed systems have no reason to fear international comparison and guarantee unrestricted access to national key technologies.”
IRIS-T SLM can be supplemented by elements of the short-range version IRIS-T SLS, which is already under contract in several European countries and is in operational use in Sweden, in order to also meet the requirements for so-called short-range and very short-range protection (NNbS). For this purpose, Diehl Defence has already presented a further developed variant which is now under contract outside NATO and is in the process of implementation. This provides a product portfolio that is capable of meeting the demands of German air defence.
The cooperation between Diehl Defence and HENSOLDT within the framework of IRIS-T SLM involves the multifunctional radar TRML-4D and the optional passive radar Twinvis, in addition to the launcher with missiles and the command center. IRIS-T SLM already provides highly effective protection against enemy aircraft, helicopters, missiles and drones and, unlike alternatively discussed solutions, meets all range and performance requirements.
Based on their cooperation in a joint export program, Diehl Defence and HENSOLDT are now deepening their cooperation, taking into account the threat situation in Germany. Joint projects for other customers of Diehl Defence with further partners in other countries remain unaffected.
In view of threats from missiles and rockets, new air defence systems will be needed in the future to protect the territory of the Federal Republic of Germany within the framework of NATO’s integrated air defence. This requires the equipment with ground-based air defense systems, whose interceptor missiles have a range of 40 km and can engage targets up to an altitude of 20 km. In addition, 360° all-round protection shall be achieved, which will also take into account attacks with cruise missiles. Full interoperability with the existing NATO-integrated air defence architecture is also equally essential.
A performance upgrade of the existing IRIS-T SLM system in the form of IRIS-T SLX is under development at Diehl Defence and HENSOLDT to supplement the existing air defence system by providing greater range (up to 80 km) and altitude coverage (up to 30 km) against airborne targets to improve response and warning times.
The joint solutions from Diehl Defence and HENSOLDT can be made available to the German customer from the third quarter of 2022 if a procurement decision is made soon. These are products which, as purely German systems, do not rely on foreign technology and therefore offer the highest degree of admissibility and certifiability for operation in Germany and, in addition, the highest possible supply security. At the same time, full interoperability with the NATO-integrated air defence architecture is given.
06 Apr 22. Reuters reported today that Britain, the United States and Australia on Tuesday agreed to cooperate on hypersonic weapons and electronic warfare capabilities, UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s office said, following a call between leaders of the new defence alliance.
The new AUKUS alliance, launched last September, prompted Australia to cancel a contract for a conventional French submarine in favour of a nuclear submarine program supported by the United States and Britain, damaging relations with French President Emmanuel Macron. read more
In a joint statement, AUKUS leaders Johnson, U.S. President Joe Biden and Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison said they were pleased with the progress of the programme for conventionally armed, nuclear-powered submarines for Australia, and that the allies would co-operate in other areas too.
“We also committed today to commence new trilateral cooperation on hypersonics and counter-hypersonics, and electronic warfare capabilities,” the statement said.
The United States and Australia already have a hypersonic weapon programme called SCIFiRE, an acronym for Southern Cross Integrated Flight Research Experiment. British officials said that though Britain would not join that programme at this point, the three countries would work together on research and development in the area to expand their options.
Biden’s administration is investing in the research and development of hypersonic missiles, which travel at five times the speed of sound, as Russia’s February invasion of Ukraine has intensified concerns about European security. read more
“In light of Russia’s unprovoked, unjustified, and unlawful invasion of Ukraine, we reiterated our unwavering commitment to an international system that respects human rights, the rule of law, and the peaceful resolution of disputes free from coercion,” the leaders said, adding they also reaffirmed their commitment to a “free and open Indo-Pacific”.
Russia says it launched a “special military operation” in Ukraine on Feb. 24 to demilitarize its neighbour. The Kremlin’s position is rejected by Ukraine and the West as a pretext for an unprovoked invasion.
Asked about the cooperation deal between Britain, the United States and Australia on hypersonic weapons, China’s U.N. Ambassador Zhang Jun on Tuesday warned against measures that could fuel a crisis like the Ukraine conflict in other parts of the world.
“Anyone who do not want to see the Ukrainian crisis should refrain from doing things which may lead the other parts of the world into a crisis like this,” Zhang told reporters. “As the Chinese saying goes: If you do not like it, do not impose it against the others.” (Source: Reuters)
05 Apr 22. DARPA, AFRL, Lockheed Martin and Aerojet Rocketdyne Team Successfully Demonstrate HAWC, Hypersonic Air-breathing Weapon Concept. The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), Air Force Research Lab (AFRL), Lockheed Martin (NYSE: LMT) and Aerojet Rocketdyne (NYSE: AJRD) team successfully flight tested the Hypersonic Air-breathing Weapon Concept (HAWC). This historic flight reached speeds in excess of Mach 5, altitudes greater than 65,000 feet and furthers the understanding of operations in the high-speed flight regime.
“Our work with DARPA and AFRL on the HAWC program demonstrates that air-breathing hypersonic systems are a cost-effective solution to address rapidly emerging threats in the global security arena,” said John Clark, vice president and general manager Lockheed Martin Skunk Works®. “The success of this flight test is evidence that a strong partnership between government and industry is key to solving our nation’s most difficult challenges and enabling new capabilities to counter threats to U.S. and allied forces.”
Lockheed Martin is proud to support multiple hypersonic systems development projects and is leveraging resources, talents, and lessons learned across the corporation to positively influence outcomes. Additionally, Lockheed Martin is weaving a digital thread throughout the design, test and manufacturing process to ensure it can produce hypersonic systems at the rates required to meet the warfighter’s need.
Lockheed Martin’s Background in Hypersonic Systems
Lockheed Martin has played a significant role in the research, development and demonstration of hypersonic technologies for close to 60 years. The corporation has made significant investments in the development of critical hypersonic technologies needed to enable operational systems to help the US and its allies counter rapidly emerging threats.
05 Apr 22. University Consortium for Applied Hypersonics (UCAH) Concludes Successful Leap-Ahead Technology Spring Forum at Texas A&M University. The DoD announced today that the UCAH, the first technical community dedicated to applied hypersonic science and technology for national defense, concluded its two-day spring forum on Thursday at Texas A&M University in College Station, Texas. The forum consisted of panels focused on the United States’ ability to surpass the competition in hypersonic technologies. More than 250 participants from universities, government, and industry gathered to discuss state-of-the-art innovations in critical hypersonic-related areas.
“Our focus is not just to leap frog our competitors, but to leap far ahead, where our capabilities will be unmatched and not easily imitated,” said Dr. Gillian Bussey, JHTO Director.
The growing Consortium recently rolled out two new multi-disciplinary challenge projects worth more than $18 m, which will provide opportunities for universities currently under contract to add undergraduate researchers to enhance hypersonic workforce development. The UCAH is sponsored by the Joint Hypersonic Transition Office (JHTO) in the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering (USD(R&E).
More information about the Consortium can be found at: https://hypersonics.tamu.edu.
About the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering
The Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering (USD(R&E) is the Chief Technology Officer of the Department of Defense. The USD(R&E) champions research, science, technology, engineering, and innovation to maintain the United States military’s technological advantage. Learn more at www.cto.mil, follow us on Twitter @DoDCTO, or visit us on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/company/ousdre. (Source: US DoD)
04 Apr 22. Laser weapons development should involve multiple suppliers, says Northrop. Northrop Grumman has been in talks with the Pentagon and the military services on a modular approach to building laser weapons that could engage a greater number of suppliers.
The Defense Department is considering a modular open-system approach, or MOSA, and sent the company a request for information in October. Donna Howland, Northrop’s business development director for directed energy, told Defense News that the approach would allow some companies to specialize in laser generation and beam control, while others focus on the cooling module, the batteries and the fire control subsystem.
MOSA “will allow for an expanded supplier base and makes the whole directed-energy market more healthy, as the MOSA architecture allows for the government to decouple the subsystems from the full system architecture,” she said in a March 31 interview.
Northrop has some experience with this concept already through its 150-kilowatt laser weapon system demonstrator currently installed on amphibious transport dock Portland. The company built the tactical laser core module — the source of the high-energy laser — while the Navy provided the thermal storage and energy storage. Those were combined at a Northrop factory and then installed on the ship.
Prior to that, Howland said, the laser weapon system demonstrator was delivered in October 2019 and then integrated and tested for the first time two months later. She said the team learned of interfaces and connections requiring modification.
“All the things that we learned in that integration is something that we can take to the next program where we would use the MOSA architecture and have a better idea of what particular areas might be of concern and get a head start on ensuring we had a seamless interface,” she said.
Northrop Grumman noted in its feedback to the DoD through a formal response to the RFI and then in a follow-up conversation. The contractor explained that a single company building the entire directed-energy weapon system might be able to achieve greater technical performance in some areas if it could pick the design rather than work to common standards and interfaces.
And the benefits of MOSA, she added, outweigh the drawbacks because it would get more companies involved in directed-energy systems and would build up the supplier base that can contribute to a potentially fast-growing market.
Howland noted the military services are showing great interest in the technology, and today’s demonstrators could eventually become programs in need of robust production lines.
In a separate program for the Air Force Research Laboratory, Lockheed Martin is providing the high-energy laser source, and Northrop Grumman is providing the beam director and beam control.
For its part, the Navy asked for $37.6m in its fiscal 2023 budget request to build up the supply base for future technology like hypersonic weapons, directed-energy weapons and advanced batteries.
Howland said allowing companies to specialize in these batteries, for example, could generate greater industrial capacity, as opposed to a prime contractor having to handle the entire weapon system alone.
Northrop is currently involved in three main laser weapon programs:
(Source: Defense News)
04 Apr 22. The USAF Plans To Test-Launch A Mysterious New Air-To-Air Missile. The previously unknown Modular Advanced Missile is the latest addition to a growing collection of in-development air dominance missiles. A new program appears to have been added to the relative flurry of activity in the field of next-generation air-to-air missiles, or AAMs, for the U.S. military. While very little is known about the Modular Advanced Missile, reference to which first appeared in a recent Air Force budget document, we now know that the weapon is an AAM and that there are plans to test-fire it from a fighter jet. The Modular Advanced Missile joins several other developmental AAM programs, most of which stress long-range capability, although at this stage we have no idea what range category this new weapon will fit into.
However, some important new details about the Modular Advanced Missile have been obtained by Steve Trimble, Aviation Week’s Defense Editor, and a friend of The War Zone. As well as confirming that the weapon is an AAM, these include the fact that “a kinematic demonstration from a fighter,” in other words, a live test launch, is planned at some point in the future.
The first reference to the Modular Advanced Missile came last week, when the Air Force Research, Development, Test, and Evaluation Appropriations (RDT&E) budget request for the 2023 Fiscal Year was published. You can read more about some of the key developments in the Pentagon’s budget request, worth $773bn in total, here.
Critical information that we don’t yet have is what class the missile is in: it could be a short-range dogfighting weapon (least likely), a medium-range weapon in the class of the AIM-120 AMRAAM, a long- or very-long-range weapon of a kind not currently used by the Air Force, or perhaps some hybrid. There are no details of seeker type, propulsion, or anticipated performance, any of which would likely give a hint in this direction.
However, the use of the term “modular” in the program name is also interesting and may point to some kind of option to swap out boosters, warheads, and seekers, or at least some of those items, adapting the basic missile for different missions and platforms. The ability to field different seekers on the same air-to-air missile is something that’s been pursued by France and Russia, for example. The last operational American AAM to offer this seeker modularity was the Falcon series, back in the 1950s.
It would be a highly beneficial attribute for a new AAM, with a long-range infrared-guided missile offering particular advantages, including passive engagement (no or little electromagnetic emissions) of aerial threats at considerable distances and being largely impervious to RF jamming. Advances in data-link technology have made long-range infrared-guided missiles more attractive, as well, allowing for third-party sensors to provide initial and mid-course targeting updates over long ranges. This can allow even its launching platform to remain passive, as well.
A modular type of rocket motor or booster section could also be attractive to the Air Force. That would enable the fielding of different-sized weapons. For example, AMRAAM-scaled missiles to fit the internal bays of F-35 and F-22 fighters or a much larger, extremely long-range version carried by larger future aircraft, like the B-21 Raider. Even two of a smaller type with no extra booster or a shorter rocket motor could potentially fit in the space of a single AMRAAM.
Notably, the idea of a missile with modular architecture has been present in various previous concepts and past developments. For example, two long-range AAM programs in the works appear to lend themselves, particularly, to modular architecture, including Raytheon’s Long Range Engagement Weapon (LREW). Details of LREW remain extremely scarce, but it seems that a notional LREW missile booster could potentially be sized up or down depending on the limitations of the aircraft carrying it.
Boeing, too, has a conceptual contender in the long-range AAM field, with its two-stage Long-Range Air-to-Air Missile, or LRAAM, which you can read about here, and which could also lend itself to a modular architecture. As we discussed at the time, the LRAAM would seem to offer the possibility of using the front section by itself as a weapon for shorter-range engagements. It’s possible that two of the single-stage versions could fit in the same space as one of the two-stage versions, offering great flexibility, especially for internal carriage.
Overall, being able to equip a new AAM with different seekers, warhead or no warhead (or perhaps different types of warheads), and different motor sections to fit different applications would be something akin to a ‘holy grail’ of air-to-air missile technology and would drastically improve upgradability and adaptability. The result would essentially offer a wider menu of AAMs for different types of engagements and platforms, but with common components that would help drive down costs and reduce logistics demands.
For now, however, we are essentially left with further confirmation that the Air Force is looking seriously at overhauling its current AAM inventory, dominated by the AMRAAM, of which increasingly long-range and more capable versions are being tested, as well as the short-range AIM-9 Sidewinder family. The latter includes the latest AIM-9X, a weapon that also appears to be heading toward being an intermediate-range missile.
Beyond these weapons, we know that the U.S. military and industry are working on at least one other all-new design, namely the Lockheed Martin AIM-260 Joint Advanced Tactical Missile, or JATM, which could begin to be fielded on Air Force and Navy aircraft before the end of this year, although it will be likely some time before it’s declared fully operational.
In what’s become a common theme in these programs, the JATM is expected to hit targets at a greater distance than the AIM-120, helping at least match the performance of the latest Chinese and Russian very long-range air-to-air missiles. With extensive testing already undertaken for JATM, this would seem a less likely candidate for RDT&E work in FY23, however.
All these are almost certainly optimized for the kind of high-end aerial combat that would be expected if the United States and its allies were ever to go to war with China or Russia. The fact that they prioritize longer-range capabilities not only to wanting to get the most out of more capable new fighter radars and networking capabilities, but also the need to gain an advantage over potential threat weapons like the Chinese PL-15 and the Russian R-37M.
Then there is the Peregrine, another Raytheon design, a new medium-range missile that combines superior performance as well as small size, which could effectively double the number of missiles that fighters such as the F-35 or F-22 can carry internally. By developing a missile that’s roughly half the size of the AMRAAM, the Peregrine should allow low-observable fighters like these to increase their ‘magazine capacity,’ while retaining their stealthy characteristics.
A similar miniaturized beyond-visual-range air-to-air missile, Lockheed Martin’s Cuda, was promoted in the early 2010s, though more recently it seems to have largely disappeared from the company’s marketing.
It’s understood that Cuda was to have a shorter range than the AMRAAM and would utilize a hit-to-kill design, eliminating the traditional warhead to allow more space for fuel.
While the Cuda program has gone quiet, there’s no indication that it’s not still active and in 2019 the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) disclosed that the Air Force had allocated funding to a flight demonstration program for the missile. According to reports at the time, these tests would focus on “range and terminal-phase maneuverability when compared to the AIM-120D.”
At this point, we simply don’t know if any of the aforementioned missiles could also be involved in this new program. By the same token, the requested RDT&E funding may be for trials of something entirely different, a program that is much more secretive.
Last year, the Air Force again referred to the fact it’s working on a new very long-range air-to-air missile, with the F-15EX fighter jet earmarked as the most likely candidate to carry it. The service made reference to an unnamed “outsize … air-to-air” weapon, while the F-15EX was described as “an outsized weapons truck.” Potentially, the Modular Advanced Missile could be this weapon, too.
Although the Air Force plans to test its new missile from a fighter jet, there’s also the possibility that the weapon in question will ultimately also end up arming unmanned platforms, too. The LongShot program involves a missile-carrying air-to-air combat drone that is being developed by General Atomics Aeronautical Systems (GA-ASI), Northrop Grumman, and Lockheed Martin. The idea is for the unmanned aircraft to be launched in mid-air from a manned aircraft before flying into potentially more hazardous environments and engaging aerial threats using its own missiles. In the past, we have suggested that any one or more of the JATM, Cuda, or Peregrine, as well as AMRAAM, could be suitable armament for LongShot.
Whatever the case, it appears the Air Force is set on testing new air-to-air weapons to follow on from its current AMRAAM and the apparently soon-to-be-delivered JATM. Even before Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the need for new air dominance weapons had become clear, especially with an eye on China and fears that it could invade Taiwan before the end of this decade.
In such a scenario, the United States and regional allies would be hard-pressed to counter the People’s Liberation Army over the Taiwan Strait, especially bearing in mind predictions that the latest Chinese AAMs can outrange the weapons carried by the latest U.S. fighters.
Now, the frenetic air war being fought between Russian and Ukrainian fighters has only reinforced the reality that air battles of this kind, with extensive use of air-to-air missiles, are very much still a part of modern aerial combat.
We will continue to follow developments related to this intriguing program and report on significant new details as they emerge. (Source: News Now/https://www.thedrive.com/)
04 Apr 22. Australia fast-tracks long-range missile procurement, announces GWEO partners. The government has unveiled a new $3.5bn plan to accelerate the delivery of long-range missiles and has selected major defence contractors to lead the $1bn sovereign guided weapons program.
Minister for Defence Peter Dutton has announced a $3.5bn investment in the accelerated delivery of new missile capabilities for the Royal Australian Air Force and the Royal Australian Navy.
The plan involves the delivery of Lockheed Martin-built Joint Air-to-Surface Standoff Missiles (JASSM-ER) and Kongsberg-built Naval Strike Missiles (NSM) by 2024.
This would mean the 900km range- JASSM-ERs, to be deployed by FA-18F Super Hornets and F-35 Lightning II aircraft, will be received three years ahead of the initial delivery date, while Hobart Class destroyers and Anzac Class frigates (replacing Harpoon anti-ship missiles) will receive NSMs five years ahead of schedule.
The RAN is also expected to acquire new maritime mines three years ahead of schedule, used to secure ports and maritime approaches.
“With Australia’s strategic environment becoming more complex and challenging, our ADF must be able to hold potential adversary forces and infrastructure at risk from a greater distance,” Minister Dutton said.
“These world-class strike weapon systems will equip our forces to better protect Australia’s maritime approaches and when necessary, contribute to Coalition operations in our region.”
Meanwhile, Raytheon Australia and Lockheed Martin Australia have been announced as strategic partners for the Commonwealth government’s $1bn sovereign Guided Weapons and Explosive Ordnance Enterprise (GWEO).
The global prime contractors will be supported by local cooperatives, including the Australian Missile Corporation, the Sovereign Missile Alliance and Aurecon Advisory.
Minister Dutton confirmed their selection at the opening of a $96 m Navy Guided Weapons Maintenance Facility at the Orchard Hills Defence Establishment in Mulgoa, NSW this morning (Tuesday, 5 April).
“We will be working with them to rapidly increase our ability to maintain and manufacture guided weapons and their components in Australia,” he added.
“We know we need to work closely with our partners to bolster our self-reliance and this is another major step in delivering that sovereign capability here in Australia.”
The minister was joined by head of Land Systems Division, Major General Andrew Bottrell, CSC and representatives from Raytheon and Lockheed Martin.
Raytheon Australia and Lockheed Martin Australia will now be tasked with addressing gaps outlined in the 2020 Defence Strategic Update by working with local SMEs to create opportunities in advanced manufacturing.
The enterprise ecosystem is expected to support Defence’s inventory of guided weapons and explosive ordnance, while also including:
- manufacturing;
- R&D;
- education and training;
- test and evaluation;
- maintenance and repair;
- storage and distribution; and
- disposal.
Michael Ward, managing director of Raytheon Australia, welcomed the opportunity to lead the nation’s development of sovereign weapons capability alongside Lockheed Martin Australia.
“Raytheon Australia aims to contribute to this national security endeavour through our access to intellectual property and manufacturing know-how that will provide the foundation for this enterprise, while also growing a niche, local workforce – creating thousands of high-tech Australian jobs over the coming decade.
“Our parent company is the largest manufacturer of guided weapons in the world, and it is our intention to bring that unique capability to Australia.
“This is a great day – propelling our national security on a global scale and enabling Australia to build greater industrial self-reliance and resilience. I congratulate the government and Department of Defence for their efforts to prioritise this decision and acknowledge the critical capability that industry can bring to this enterprise.”
Lockheed Martin Australia and New Zealand chief executive Warren McDonald AO, CSC, described the GWEO announcement as a “watershed” moment for Australia’s self-reliance and resilience.
“Lockheed Martin Australia is proud to have been selected with Raytheon Australia as the strategic industry partners that will work with other industry enterprise participants to realise the Australian Guided Weapons and Explosive Ordnance Enterprise,” he said.
“This is a strategically important and vital national undertaking, and we will respond to the Australian government’s expectations by growing a skilled local workforce and working with Australian small and medium enterprises to build resiliency in supply chains.
“We look forward to working with Raytheon Australia and partnering with the Australian Defence Force and defence industry to fulfil the sovereign defence capabilities that Australia needs to maintain a decisive advantage across all domains.”
James Heading, Lockheed Martin Australia’s business development senior manager, missiles and fire control, said the company would invest in designing, building and sustaining a world-class sovereign weapons capability.
“Together with our industry partners we are identifying Australian supply chain opportunities that further strengthen Australia’s sovereign defence industrial base,” he said.
“This decision will support advanced manufacturing, engineering and technology jobs and will provide significant opportunities for Australian small and medium enterprises.
“These programs will also provide opportunities for Australian innovation and technology contributions to future upgrades in areas such as sensors, warheads and extended missile ranges.” (Source: Defence Connect)
04 Apr 22. Nuclear missiles, bombs market to surge 73% by 2030, report says. The global market for nuclear missiles and bombs should surpass $126bn within ten years, up nearly 73% from 2020 levels, according to a report by Allied Market Research on Monday, as Russian aggression in Ukraine spurs military spending.
The value of the market would jump 72.6% from the Portland-based research firm’s estimate of nearly $73bn in 2020, when COVID-19 delays and reallocation of funds to support the health crisis “severely affected” the defence sector.
An increase in geopolitical conflicts and bigger military budgets would likely push the figure up at an annual compounded rate of 5.4% until 2030, the report said.
U.S. President Joe Biden last week requested a record peacetime national defence budget, which would prioritise modernizing its nuclear “triad” of ballistic missile submarines, bombers and land-based missiles.
The report predicted that demand for small nuclear warheads, which can be easily deployed through aircraft and land-based missiles, would fuel faster growth in these segments, although submarine-launched ballistic missiles (SLBMs) accounted for a quarter of the market in 2020.
While North America dominated more than half the global market in 2020, the report predicted the fastest growth would come from the Asia-Pacific region on initiatives by India, Pakistan and China to bolster their nuclear arsenals.
“However, international treaties and consortiums discourage nuclear testing,” the firm said in a report summary. “This hampers the market growth.”
It predicted that the rising influence of non-nuclear proliferation treaties and national efforts should increase the number of warheads in storage or awaiting dismantlement.
Active weapons, however, accounted for the “lion’s share” – more than two-thirds – of the market in 2020, it said, due to investment in nuclear arsenals and new warhead purchases.
Britain, China, France, Russia and the United States at the start of the year issued a joint statement saying there could be no winners in a nuclear war and it must be avoided. (Source: Reuters)
04 Apr 22. Rheinmetall UK, UVision outline plans for partnership development and opportunities. Rheinmetall UK and UVision representatives have disclosed to Janes details of the future of their strategic co-operation agreement, which was signed in October 2021. Speaking at their inaugural Loitering Munition (LM) Symposium in Bristol on 22 March – which was attended by the UK Ministry of Defence (MoD) and the US Department of Defense (DoD) personnel – Simon Valencia, sales director UK & Ireland at Rheinmetall, said that the companies had started working together on undisclosed sales efforts, as well as participation in “several running” European procurement programmes for LMs.
“In recent years and especially in the aftermath of the conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan in Nagorno- Karabakh, UVision is experiencing a growing interest in its LM portfolio. Due to the reported extensive and successful utilisation of LMs in that conflict, a growing number of inquiries from leading NATO military forces were received,” Valencia said, adding that they have also had co-operation offers from several defence companies from around the world. (Source: Janes)
01 Apr 22. Turkey and Italy hint at return to SAMP/T air defense efforts. The SAMP/T air defense system takes a test shot in 2015. (MBDA)
MERSIN, Turkey — Statements by the leaders of Turkey and Italy last week raised the possibility of the former procuring the SAMP/T air defense system — an effort that has been frozen for some time now.
“We have decided to continue our efforts to revive the triple steps we took as Turkey-France-Italy. I hope we will start this new process vigorously after the elections [in France],” Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan told reporters on a flight back from Brussels. France will hold a presidential election in April.
Erdogan made it clear that the most important issue in these trilateral talks will be the SAMP/T.
“Yes, Eurosam,” he said, referring to the Franco-Italian industrial organization charged with developing the system. “We discussed this issue with [Italian Prime Minister Mario] Draghi, just as we discussed it with [French President Emmanuel] Macron. Draghi also raised this issue in his meeting with Macron after me.”
Erdoğan added that he hopes talks with the U.S. for the purchase of new F-16 jets and modernization packages will soon yield results.
Draghi also addressed the content of his meeting with Erdoğan in statements to the Italian press while in Brussels.
“One of the cooperation forums that was created in recent years, but later interrupted, was the group between Turkey, France and Italy. We have decided to revive this group and will soon hold a meeting between the three countries,” he said.
In 2017, Turkey signed a declaration of intent with Italy and France to strengthen cooperation in the joint production of air and missile defense systems. Then, in January 2018, during Erdoğan’s visit to France, a contract with Eurosam was signed for the Long-Range Air and Missile Defense Project.
LORAMIDS is Turkey’s air defense procurement program, and SAMP/T was part of this overarching effort. Turkish industry partners Aselsan and Roketsan would also perform work under on the 18-month contract.
However, efforts ceased over political disagreements. According to Turkey’s top procurement official, Ismail Demir, France in January 2020 blocked progress over Turkish operations in Syria.
The Eurosam consortium consists of European missile maker MBDA — which is a joint venture between French firm Airbus, Italian company Leonardo and British business BAE Systems — and the French company Thales, whose main shareholders are the French government and the fighter jet manufacturer Dassault Aviation. (Source: Defense News Early Bird/Defense News)
01 Apr 22. US Navy wants long-range missiles, more maintenance money in wish list. The U.S. Navy would not buy more ships if it were given more money in fiscal 2023.
The Navy often uses its so-called unfunded priorities list sent to Congress to ask for another destroyer or connector vessel. But the service is standing firm in its belief that it doesn’t want a fleet any larger than what it can afford to keep ready — having enough sailors, funding for training, dollars and shipyard capacity for maintenance and modernization work, munitions to fill missile launchers, spares to fill stock rooms, and more.
Instead, the Navy is focused on readiness and future lethality in its annual wish list, a copy of which was obtained by Defense News.
The top item on the list is a relatively low-dollar one: $23 m in weapons maintenance funding to expand the number of combat-usable Standard Missile-6 weapons, clearing the backlog of 125 missiles that need upgraded to support Pacific operations.
Second on the list is $33m to buy 11 more AGM-158C-1 Long Range Anti-Ship Missiles to boost lethality.
Next comes $171m for “maritime spares outfitting” for surface ships, submarines, unmanned systems, IT systems and more to increase spares availability at the point of use. Then there’s $175m to fund ship repair and spare parts to support greater operations in the Pacific theater as part of the Pacific Deterrence Initiative.
Next is $293m for aviation spares so that carrier air wings are equipped with the maximum allowable spares.
This focus on readiness is in line with what Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Mike Gilday has repeatedly preached: After fully funding the all-important Columbia-class ballistic missile submarine program as part of the Defense Department’s nuclear triad, the Navy would prioritize its remaining money on readiness for today, lethality modernization for tomorrow and then “capacity at an affordable rate” with any leftover money.
That mentality shaped the formal FY23 budget request, which was released publicly March 28. In it, the Navy asked for nine new ships and 96 aircraft, which is one more ship but 11 fewer aircraft than the FY22 request.
The Navy used its FY22 wish list to ask for a second destroyer as its main request. That riled lawmakers, who said this second DDG should have been in the formal budget request rather than put in the unfunded priorities list with the hopes that lawmakers might add in funding for it.
The FY22 unfunded list included $5.6bn for 31 items. This year’s request, which includes 43 items that total $4bn, clearly prioritizes readiness.
Other readiness initiatives include, but are not limited to:
- $189m for public shipyard tools, test equipment and machinery, likely part of the overall Shipyard Infrastructure Optimization Program to modernize the four public shipyards.
- $57m for more flight hours to support the Pacific Deterrence Initiative.
- $160m for aircraft depot maintenance.
- $40m for landing craft air cushion sustainment.
- $13m for Mk 18 unmanned underwater vehicle sustainment.
- $145m for facilities sustainment and improvements.
In the lethality category, the Navy asked for:
- $101m for tactical data links and networks.
- $61m to develop the Hypersonic Offensive Anti-Surface Warfare Increment 2 weapon.
- $53m for range improvements of the Long Range Anti-Ship Missile.
- $11m for mine countermeasures mission package capacity and wholeness.
- $67m for two ship sets of the Next Generation Jammer mid-band aircraft capability.
- Other spending items for improved sensors and munitions.
The capacity category is relatively thin in this year’s list. The Navy asks for $708m to buy six additional F-35C carrier variant Joint Strike Fighters, bringing the total buy from nine to 15. The Navy requested 20 in FY22 but just nine in FY23, with the deputy assistant secretary of the Navy for budget, Rear Adm. John Gumbleton, telling reporters that the decrease in F-35C quantity reflected the tight budget environment rather than a decreased need for the jets.
It also asks for $400m for two more E-2D Advanced Hawkeye planes, bringing the total request to seven.
The list also includes $26 m for 79 AIM-9X Sidewinder air-to-air missiles; $446m for three KC-130J cargo aircraft for Navy Unique Fleet Essential Airlift Logistics; and $49m for MK-48 heavyweight torpedo procurement. (Source: Defense News Early Bird/Defense News)
01 Apr 22. Biden plan to shelve Trump-era sea nuke comes under fire. U.S. President Joe Biden’s plans to cancel the Sea-Launched Cruise Missile-Nuclear development program have emerged as an early dispute in a brewing fight over next year’s defense budget. The administration’s proposed fiscal 2023 defense budget, unveiled this week, would zero out the program, in coordination with a forthcoming Nuclear Posture Review. That’s a win for progressive Democrats and non-proliferation advocates who have decried the nascent submarine-launched missile, among other nuclear weapons initiated by the Trump administration, as wasteful and escalatory. But Republicans last year warned the Navy not to kill the SLCM-N. At a hearing Wednesday, the top Republican on the House Strategic Forces Subcommittee, Rep. Doug Lamborn, revived the pushback when he elicited support for developing the SLCM-N (and retaining the B83 gravity bomb) from the commander of U.S. and NATO forces in Europe, Gen. Tod Wolters.
When Lamborn, of Colorado, asked if Wolters agreed with U.S. Strategic Command’s chief, Adm. Chas Richard, who supports the SLCM-N, Wolters said: “I do, congressman, and I know his words were attempting to drive home the fact that having multiple options exacerbates the challenge for the potential enemies against us.”
Lamborn argues cutting the weapon would set back the country’s nuclear deterrence efforts.
“Attempting to cut any nuclear capabilities demonstrates that this administration is either unwilling or unable to confront the reality of the threats we face. The United States needs a strong nuclear deterrence posture, underpinned by safe, secure, and effective nuclear capabilities, in order to keep our country, allies, and partners safe,” he said in a statement to Defense News.
The annual defense budget cycle is usually marked by partisan fighting over the cost and composition of the nuclear arsenal. Still, progressive Democrats may be dissatisfied this year that Biden’s $813.4bn national defense budget includes $50.9bn in nuclear weapons spending, up $7.7bn from the 2022 request.
While complete budget numbers and the Nuclear Posture Review haven’t yet been released, Geoff Wilson, the political director for the Council for a Livable World, a non-proliferation group, forecasted major increases in nuclear weapons development programs. He cited the Long Range Stand Off Weapon, a nuclear-armed air-launched cruise missile under development by Raytheon; the new B-21 bomber, under development by Northrop Grumman; and the Columbia-class submarine.
“This is likely part of the ‘modernization bow wave’ that analysts have been warning about as these systems get further along in their development cycle all at the same time,” Wilson said. “But a programmatic greenlight from the White House on many of these systems, in both this first ‘real’ Biden defense budget as well as the new NPR, could give progressives in Congress little room to maneuver in combating these costs this year.” (Source: Defense News)
31 Mar 22. DIMDEX 2022: Patria to export NEMO Navy to Europe and Southeast Asia. Finnish manufacturer Patria is in advanced negotiations with customers in Europe and Southeast Asia for its NEMO Navy (NEw MOrtar) missile system, a company spokesperson told Janes at the DIMDEX naval exhibition in Doha, Qatar, in late March. The NEMO Navy is a single-barrel remote-controlled 120 mm mortar system developed by Patria as an indirect support system and as a direct fire, self-defence weapon system against other vessels. It is fitted onboard the United Arab Emirates (UAE) Ghannatha-class amphibious transport craft. NEMO Navy was unveiled in 2006. Development of the weapon as a complete integrated system within a standard 20 ft maritime container was announced by Patria in 2016 and on-the-move trials were conducted in 2018. The NEMO system consists of a loading device, weapon, turret, fire-control system, and ammunition storage. It weighs 1,900 kg and has a barrel length of 3,000 mm aligned with a 360° traverse and -3° to 85° elevation range. The ammunition load is carrier dependent, but typically can be up to 50–60 conventional 120 mm smoothbore mortar bombs. (Source: Janes)
31 Mar 22. US Army on track to award TITAN competitive prototyping contracts in the coming months. The U.S. Army expects to award the next phase of competitive prototyping awards by the end of June for the second phase of its next-generation ground system development effort. The service awarded contracts to Raytheon and Palantir in January 2021 to mature designs for its Tactical Intelligence Targeting Access Node, which is being developed to help connect sensors with users in the field in order to support beyond-line-of-sight targeting. That ability to connect deep-sensing data across domains is an important component of the Department of Defense’s Joint All-Domain Command and Control concept and is a major focus for the Army’s portion of that effort, officials have said.
Army spokesman Brandon Pollachek told C4ISRNET the two companies have completed the ground station modernization phase — which included four “soldier touch points,” two design reviews and two technical demonstrations — and the service is on track to award Phase II contracts in the third quarter of fiscal 2022.
Raytheon and Palantir both received 12-month other transaction agreements worth $8.5 m each for their Phase I work. Phase II, a 14-month effort, will focus on complete system prototyping of the contractors’ designs and will conclude with a down-select to a single provider. During Phase III, the selected company will refine its prototype and in the fourth phase, the vendor will prepare the system to integrate sensors and future technology advancements.
As the Army prepares for the Phase II contracts, the Defense Innovation Unit and the Army Tactical Exploitation of National Capabilities office are working with Northrop Grumman to develop two “pre-prototype” ground stations for the program that will demonstrate some of the capabilities the Army wants from TITAN.
Pollachek said the Army expects those prototypes to be delivered in late fiscal 2022 and plans to begin using them in demonstrations later this year.
“Numerous soldier touchpoints and assessments will be used to refine future requirements and fielding plans,” he said.
The Army has used TITAN surrogates in the past to test its vision for reducing the sensor-to-shooter timeline and providing a level of sensing capability that improves the effectiveness of precision fires. In March 2020, the service conducted a live-fire exercise in Germany where a TITAN surrogate ground station delivered satellite sensor data to shooters. (Source: C4ISR & Networks)
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