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02 Sep 21. Iran unveils new air-defence systems. The Islamic Republic of Iran Army’s Air Defence Force unveiled a new surveillance radar and command-and-control (C2) system on 1 September and also announced that it has tested a new version of its Mesad-16 surface-to-air missile (SAM) system.
The Iranian press described the Alborz as a 3D phased array radar that has a range of 450 km and can track 300 targets simultaneously, including low-altitude ones with small radar cross-sections. The radar that was displayed had a large planar antenna mounted on a trailer that was connected to a second trailer that presumably carried its power generator and control station.
The Borhan C2 system was reported to have been developed for short-range, low-altitude air defence weapons. Iranian news agencies reported that it is capable of analysing data from electro-optical and radar sensors and sending this on to higher level command posts for rapid decisions. It then tasks the appropriate weapon system with intercepting the target.
Photographs and a video were released showing eight air defence personnel manning two banks of workstations inside a building rather than a mobile command post.
It was announced the previous day that a new version of the Mersad-16 system had been successfully tested in the central desert. Deputy Air Defence Force Commander for Operations General Mohammad Khoshqalb was cited as saying that the system includes new technology to counter electronic warfare and simultaneously intercept several targets. He added that the Mersad-16 was integrated into an air defence network for the first time during the test. (Source: Jane’s)
02 Sep 21. AARGM-ER Missile Achieves Successful Milestone C Decision. US Navy advanced weapon capability to counter anti-access and area denial threats approved to enter production phase. Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE: NOC) announced the AGM-88G Advanced Anti-Radiation Guided Missile Extended Range (AARGM-ER), developed under contract with the U.S. Navy, has successfully achieved a Milestone C decision, authorizing the company as the program’s prime contractor the entry into low rate initial production (LRIP).
“The additional capabilities of AARGM-ER, coupled with its high-performance air vehicle, will provide our fleet with the most advanced weapon system to defeat evolving surface-to-air threats,” said Capt. A.C. “Count” Dutko, Navy Program Manager for Direct and Time Sensitive Strike (PMA-242). “Our team has continued to prove the maturity of the system and we are confident AARGM-ER is ready to commence low rate production.”
This decision enables the start of the production to support future deployment of the AARGM-ER to the fleet and achievement of initial operating capability.
“AARGM, and now AARGM-ER, is a time-critical capability that protects and enhances the capabilities of the U.S. Navy and the evolving threats they encounter,” said Gordon Turner, vice president, advanced weapons, Northrop Grumman. “We are honored to continue providing advanced suppression and destruction of enemy air defense products to the warfighters with this significant expansion to our missile prime business.”
AARGM-ER is a major upgrade to the existing AARGM missile, currently in production and fielded with the Navy today.
AARGM-ER is being integrated on the Navy F/A-18E/F Super Hornet and EA-18G Growler aircraft as well as the Air Force F-35A, Marine Corps F-35B, and Navy F-35C aircraft.
Northrop Grumman solves the toughest problems in space, aeronautics, defense and cyberspace to meet the ever evolving needs of our customers worldwide. Our 90,000 employees define possible every day using science, technology and engineering to create and deliver advanced systems, products and services.
02 Sep 21. Artillerymen Must Be Ready to Operate in Space Degraded, Denied Environments, Spacecom Leader Says. The U.S. Space Command provides capability to warfighters, including those in precision fires; leaders involved in fires should also be prepared — and prepare soldiers — to operate without that space capability in case the environment is denied or degraded, the Spacecom commander said.
Spacecom provides, among other things, position navigation and timing, satellite communications, intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance capabilities and missile warning to warfighters, said Army Gen. James H. Dickinson, who spoke Wednesday at the 2021 Fires Conference at Fort Sill, Oklahoma.
“I’m responsible for providing that to you as the warfighter,” he said. “I want to make sure you know where you’re at. [I] want to make sure that you should know if that’s been denied to you or degraded for you. In other words, when you go out to your units, when you become commanders, you should always remember that you may be in a degraded or denied environment.”
Dickinson said he was pleased to see at Fort Sill, Oklahoma, that artillery soldiers were practicing use of the M2 aiming circle — a non-electronic, mechanical and optical device — to aim their guns.
“They were setting in that weapon system … they weren’t using GPS,” he said. “They were doing something that they absolutely have to be able to do in the event that they don’t have that signal. And that might not be for a long time, but it might be at a critical point on the battlefield where you have to be, in order to provide your effect — whatever that is — and you can’t get to that.”
Dickinson told officers at the Fires Conference that the capabilities Space Command provides — GPS, communications, and ISR, for instance — are phenomenal and greatly enhance their ability to operate. But they must be prepared for when, even for a short time, that capability is denied them by the enemy.
The general said he believes that at training centers, scenarios now involve degraded environments to force participants to fall back on older methods to accomplish their mission.
“I think they are creating those effects at the National Training Center, at combat training centers, so that you get a feel for what that’s like and having to go back to like an M2 aiming circle or even a lensatic compass and a map, if you have to,” he said. “But I think you, we, have to be prepared that you will be in a degraded or denied environment. And, so, understanding what that means and how you can mitigate that will be even more important.” (Source: US DoD)
02 Sep 21. For the Royal Navy, Laser Weapons Are Becoming Reality. On warships with limited ammunitions, laser weapons might make a difference. Here’s What You Need to Remember: British defense officials told the BBC that “the demonstrator was not being developed to counter any specific threat, but to assess whether such weaponry could be delivered as a capability for the armed forces. But in general, directed energy weapons could potentially be used to destroy drone aircraft, missiles, mortars, roadside bombs and a host of other threats.” The Royal Navy is moving forward with a laser cannon to arm its warships.
The goal is to demonstrate a laser weapon by 2019. To make that happen, the Ministry of Defense recently awarded a £30m ($37.6m) contract to a consortium of European defense firms.
British defense officials told the BBC that “the demonstrator was not being developed to counter any specific threat, but to assess whether such weaponry could be delivered as a capability for the armed forces. But in general, directed energy weapons could potentially be used to destroy drone aircraft, missiles, mortars, roadside bombs and a host of other threats.”
The British military’s intention is to “have lasers operational by the army and navy by the mid-2020s and by the air force by the mid-2030s,” according to the Guardian.
“The MoD contract will see whether a laser can pick up and track targets at various ranges and in various weather conditions over land and water,” the Guardian reported. “The successful bidders are also being asked to assess the ‘dwell time’—how long a laser can stay in contact with a target—and how much power would be required for the lasers.”
The British may be taking their cue from the Americans. In 2014, the U.S. Navy deployed a prototype laser weapon on the USS Ponce, an amphibious transport stationed in the Persian Gulf. The Laser Weapon System, or LaWS, is designed to destroy drones or small boats.
Now the U.S. Navy is developing even more powerful laser cannon. Instead of the Ponce’s thirty-kilowatt weapon, the Navy wants a 150-kilowatt cannon. The more powerful the laser beam, the shorter the dwell time that the laser must remain focused on the target.
The U.S. Army is working on its own laser weapons. The High Energy Mobile Laser Test Truck, or HELMTT, is a ten-kilowatt laser mounted on a Heavy Expanded Mobility Tactical Truck. The goal is to create a system mobile and rugged enough to be used on the battlefield (for a look at what HELMTT can do to a quadcopter, see the photo here). The Solid State Laser Testbed project is focused on a different question: how to maximize the damage a laser can inflict on a UAV, rocket or mortar shell.
Meanwhile, Russia also claims to be working on advanced directed-energy weapons, as does China. Just how well these weapons will work is another question. Laser beams are affected by smoke or bad weather. Cooling remains a problem, as does maintaining a sufficient electricity supply to feed the weapon.
“We are currently working with the DSTL [Defense Science & Technology Laboratory] to explore the role that electric flywheel technology, the kind used in Formula 1 racing, could play to generate and store the power required for high-energy weapons,” Adm. George Zambellas, Britain’s First Sea Lord, said in 2015.
However, the attractions of lasers are numerous, especially on a warship with a limited supply of ammunition. Laser cannon don’t run out of shells, and each shot is much cheaper than an interceptor missile. “Energy weapons don’t require conventional ammunition,” Zambellas said. “With a cost-per-shot potentially measured in pence rather than in pounds, they offer a route to address the spiraling costs of missile development and production.” (Source: News Now/https://nationalinterest.org)
31 Aug 21. New Satellite Images Hint How Russian Navy Could Use Massive Nuclear Torpedoes. The Russian Navy continues to develop how it intends to deploy its latest strategic weapon – a bus-sized torpedo tipped with a nuclear warhead.
The Poseidon weapon, described in U.S. Navy documents as an Intercontinental Nuclear-Powered Nuclear-Armed Autonomous Torpedo, will require new bases and facilities and new images, which gives hints as to where and how the Russian Navy could use the new weapons.
Satellite images from Maxar taken earlier this month and provided to USNI News confirm that a special purpose ship, Akademik Aleksandrov, is using the facility. And the vessel appears to have a Poseidon round, or related surrogate load, aboard.
The facility is on the Northern shore of the Northern Dvina River on the edge White Sea. Work on the new quay started in 2018 and was substantially completed in 2020. Akademik Aleksandrov has been observed there in July and August. There is also a large building that was recently built adjacent to the new quay and may also be related to Poseidon operations. This specific quay appears directly connected to Poseidon testing activities, according to the imagery.
Severodvinsk is where many of Russia’s most advanced submarines are built and is already closely associated with Poseidon. The ships and specialist submarines involved in early tests have been based there. The submarine Sarov (B-90) was launched in 2007 and appears purpose-built for testing oversized torpedoes such as Poseidon. It is based just along the river.
Poseidon represents a new category of strategic weapons and changes the shape of the nuclear threat. Although the specifications of the system are obscured by secrecy, guesstimates and misinformation, the new weapon is expected to run extremely deep and fast, based on suppositions from the design.
The system will be carried by a fleet of new host submarines designed to field the submarines. The first of these, K-329 Belgorod, is currently based just across the river from the new pier. The submarine is undergoing sea trials and is currently rigged for sonar calibration. A second Poseidon-carrying submarine, Khabarovsk, is under construction nearby. Ultimately four Poseidon submarines are expected to be built, with operational patrols starting in the coming years.
Observation of facilities such as the new quay will build a picture of the Russian Navy’s new capabilities. It also shows the massive cost of the program, requiring new support infrastructure and an array of test ships and submarines. (Source: Defense News Early Bird/USNI)
31 Aug 21. Poland readies for short-range air defense deal as trade show approaches. Poland’s military acquisition efforts have hosted several unexpected twists and turns this year. The Defence Ministry awarded a deal for 24 Turkish Bayraktar TB2 drones in May without a tender, and it later unexpectedly unveiled plans to buy 250 M1A2 Abrams SEPv3 tanks from the United States. The next major procurement in the pipeline concerns Poland’s Narew short-range air defense system, with numerous foreign suppliers competing for the deal.
The planned contract will be one of the main themes of this year’s MSPO defense industry show in Kielce, Poland. Unlike many other European shows, last year’s edition was not canceled, and 185 industry players from 15 countries attended. This year’s edition, which runs Sept. 7-10, is likely to attract a higher attendance than the several thousand visitors from 2020. The 2019 show attracted 610 companies from 31 countries, and about 30,500 visitors.
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, visitors who want to attend this year’s show must submit an online form about their vaccination status and wear a mask indoors. Indoor attendance is limited to one person per 10 square meters (108 feet), or a total of 3,840 people at any time. However, this limit does not apply to fully vaccinated individuals.
The Narew program, which is estimated to be worth up to 33bn zloty (U.S. $8bn), is designed to provide air defense within a range of about 40 kilometers (25 miles). The missiles will complement Poland’s medium-range Wisla air defense system, which will be based on medium-range Patriot missiles made by American company Raytheon Technologies. Under a contract signed in 2018, Poland’s military is scheduled to obtain two Patriot Configuration 3+ batteries in 2022.
Recent statements by Defence Ministry officials suggest the government aims to award the Narew deal to Poland’s state-run defense giant PGZ. The group is to integrate the system based on missile technology supplied by a foreign partner, and local industry will produce the missiles, launchers and other key components.
Tomasz Smura, who runs the research office of the Warsaw-based think tank Casimir Pulaski Foundation, told Defense News that the amount of domestic industry involvement detailed in each bid will likely affect the ministry’s final selection of a foreign partner.
“Our defense industry has allocated significant assets to develop new solutions — for instance, new-generation passive radars — that could be used in this program. We need a foreign-made interceptor for these systems and the know-how that comes along with it, but the Polish industry is also hoping to gain new capacities from this program,” Smura said.
“There has been much speculation surrounding the Narew program, but the ministry has emphasized the industrial cooperation angle from the very beginning,” he added.
Under the Narew procurement, the Polish military could acquire about 23 batteries, according to official government documents. The program was included in the ministry’s Technical Modernization Program until 2026, which foresees spending a total of 185bn zloty on new weapons and military gear.
Who’s competing?
The leading contenders for Narew include a team of Raytheon and Norway’s Kongsberg Defence and Aerospace; European defense giant MBDA; Israel Aerospace Industries; and Israeli firm Rafael Advanced Defense Systems.
The joint U.S.-Norwegian bid relies on the National Advanced Surface-to-Air Missile System, or NASAMS. Should Poland hand the procurement to the two companies, this would mark their third missile contract from Warsaw combined. In addition to the Patriot missiles on order, the Polish military already operates the Naval Strike Missile coastal defense systems delivered by Kongsberg.
Meanwhile, MBDA is pursuing the short-range air defense deal with its Common Anti-air Modular Missile, or CAMM. And Rafael is offering its SkyCeptor interceptors, hoping to capitalize on the company’s long-term cooperation with Poland’s defense industry, which produces the Spike LR anti-tank guided missile under a license. The other Israeli player, IAI, is pitching its Barak MX system.
As Poland’s military modernization efforts accelerate, other major programs under development include the Kruk combat helicopter acquisition and the Orka submarine program.
Under the Kruk effort, the ministry aims to purchase 32 combat helos for the country’s Air Force. Potential suppliers include American firms Boeing and Bell and well as Italy’s Leonardo and France’s Airbus Helicopters.
For the Polish Navy, the ministry wants three new submarines under the Orka program. Some of the manufacturers offering their vessels include Germany’s ThyssenKrupp Marine Systems, with its 212CD-class sub; France’s Naval Group, offering its Scorpene-class vessel; and Sweden’s Saab, with the A26-class sub. (Source: Defense News)
31 Aug 21. AFRL introduces equipment to test solid propellants at high strain rates. The Split-Hopkinson Pressure Bar system has been installed at AFRL’s on-site chemistry lab. The Air Force Research Laboratory’s (AFRL) Rocket Propulsion division has unveiled the Split-Hopkinson Pressure Bar, a system to measure stress at high strain rates in a solid rocket motor. Also known as a Kolsky bar, the equipment is designed to help evaluate material behaviour under complex conditions. The system was installed at AFRL’s on-site chemistry lab. Engineers from the AFRL division at Edwards Air Force Base in California will use the equipment to test and collect data from solid propellants and other space-bound materials. According to AFRL, the system tests solid propellant at strain rates equivalent to that generated from threats such as bullet impact, fragment impact and other sympathetic detonations. AFRL Propellant Branch senior materials research engineer Dr Timothy Miller said: “This system will give AFRL a new and unprecedented capability to test and gather data from any solid propellant we can manufacture.
“This new equipment capability will continue to propel AFRL into the future.”
Dr Miller said that AFRL would use the system to test both propellant and space-bound materials at high-strain rates.
Researchers will aim to develop structural models to predict behaviour, especially failure, in real-world conditions.
These structural models will be used to help design enhanced rocket motors and satellites, as well as investigating scenarios related to space debris impact.
According to Dr Miller, all solid rocket motors tested may have defects that are not visible during manufacturing.
Even if no defects are found on a rocket motor, it is still open to damage from other external events.
Dr Miller said: “Data from high strain rate tests is key to preventing [unintentional damage].
“AFRL will use this system to quantify material properties related to all rocket motors, including those made with advanced manufacturing processes such as Resodyn mixing and additive manufacturing.”
In March, AFRL launched a joint project with Case Western Reserve University (CWRU) to expedite the development of biosensors.
The $2m project will focus on the detection of biomarkers for stress and fatigue. (Source: airforce-technology.com)
26 Aug 21. USMC removes Raytheon as MADIS Inc 1 ‘prime integrator.’ A new US Marine Corps (USMC) air defence system, based around the Joint Light Tactical Vehicle (JLTV), was approved to move into the engineering and manufacturing development phase in late June but the service also opted to remove Raytheon as the ‘prime integrator, Janes has learned.
Called the Marine Air Defense Integrated System Increment 1 (MADIS Inc 1), part of the effort involves integrating Kongsberg Defence’s Protector XM914 remote weapon station (RWS) on to Oshkosh Defense’s JLTV. In 2020, the service selected Raytheon as the ‘prime integrator’ and awarded the company with a design and development contract “focused on maturing the system design through a critical design review, which was completed in April 2021”, Barb Hamby, a spokesperson for the USMC Program Executive Officer (PEO) Land Systems, wrote in a 20 August email to Janes .
Raytheon is still tasked with delivering “system engineering artifacts” by 31 August but after that date its work will end and it will not receive a follow-on contract, she added.
“While Raytheon did serve as the lead integrator through the completion of the MADIS Inc 1 design effort, the programme is now returning to a government-led effort,” Hamby wrote. “A combined government team is in place to integrate and deliver engineering and manufacturing development articles.”
For this upcoming phase, dubbed milestone B, the USMC’s Program Manager for Ground Based Air Defense will provide oversight and perform the functions of a systems integrator, while also utilising US Navy expertise. Hamby did not elaborate on why the service made this decision and a Raytheon spokesperson referred questions to the USMC. (Source: Jane’s)
31 Aug 21. KTRV showcases UAV munitions. Russia’s Tactical Missiles Corporation (KTRV) showcased two 100 kg-class precision weapons aimed at unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) applications at the Army 2021 defence exhibition held from 22–28 August in Kubinka, near Moscow.
While the company did not reveal accompanying information for the displays, one of these had earlier been revealed at the previous year’s event alongside Kronshtadt Group’s Grom strike-capable UAV with its in-development name of ‘Product 85′.
According to specifications released at the time, the Product 85 munition is understood to be an air-to-ground missile armed with a 30 kg armour-piercing, high-explosive fragmentation warhead. The missile is 2,400 mm long and 200 mm in diameter (with its stabilising fins increasing overall width to 400 mm), and has an all-up weight of 120 kg.
The missile is guided and employs an inertial navigational system during the boost and midcourse flight phases, with course correction enabled via satellite-navigation. An active seeker is used for terminal guidance.
KTRV also showcased its new Kh-50E-001 powered cruise missile. No information was provided about the weapon, although it features a trapezoidal wing that unfolds after launch.
“The corporation creates special weapons for [UAVs] and adapts available missiles and bombs to them,” KTRV CEO Boris Obnosov told media at Army 2021, noting that current activities also included developing new purpose-built UAV munitions and upgrading existing ones.
“[We are] creating small munitions of 50–100 kg for the rapidly developing [UAV] market,” he added. (Source: Jane’s)
30 Aug 21. Turkish shipyard develops anti-submarine drone. Turkish shipyard Ares said it has designed and developed an unmanned anti-submarine warfare vessel, hoping to begin mass production this year.
Ares said the ULAQ DSH/ASW successfully passed laser-guided firing tests and will first enter service with Turkey’s military before the company seeks export contracts. The firm identified Oman, Qatar, and African and South American countries as potential customers.
In October, Ares and defense technologies company Meteksan Savunma launched a surface warfare version of the ULAQ; this was Turkey’s first armed unmanned surface vessel. The system has a 400-kilometer range and can travel up to 65 kph.
Ares also worked with Meteksan on the latest ULAQ variant. Both companies are privately owned.
Ares CEO Utku Alanc said in a television interview that 90 percent of the ULAQ DSH/ASW will be homemade, including its guns.
The companies said the surface warfare variant is equipped with day and night vision capabilities as well as encrypted communication infrastructure, which can be operated from mobile vehicles and headquarters or from sea platforms such as aircraft carriers or frigates. That infrastructure can be used for intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance, surface warfare, asymmetric warfare, escort missions and strategic infrastructure protection.
The design for that initial ULAQ prototype was finalized in August 2020, Ares and Meteksan said, and structural construction was completed later that year. The first vessel was to enter Mediterranean waters in December following its outfitting, But delays saw the ULAQ launched into the sea in February.
The surface warfare variant’s missile systems are inclusive of four cells of Cirit and two of L-UMTAS, manufactured by Turkey’s state-controlled missile-maker Roketsan. The ULAQ will also be equipped with different variations of communication and intelligence technology, like jamming and electronic warfare systems, to cover diverse operational needs. The vessel is also expected be able to carry out joint operations with complementary drones.
Burak Akbas, Meteksan’s international sales and marketing director, told reporters that the surface warfare variant, in its current configuration, is ready for use and that the firms are in talks with 10 countries about selling the system.
“Yet, we don’t have a date for the vessel’s entry into the Navy’s inventory,” he added.
A project official said the anti-submarine version will feature similar configurations.
Meanwhile, in July, military electronics specialist Aselsan, the country’s largest defense firm, partnered with local shipyard Sefine to develop and produce two unmanned surface vessels, or USV.
The companies inaugurated the steel cutting of an anti-submarine warfare USV named NB57. They also held a ceremony for the first welding of an anti-surface warfare variant, RD09. Under the program, SEFT Ship Design, a Turkish vessel design house, will design the vessels.
Armelsan Defence, a Turkish diving detection sonars specialist based in Tuzla, Istanbul, will supply sonar for the NB57 USV. Aselsan will provide the 12.7mm STAMP gun systems. And Roketsan will outfit the surface warfare drone with indigenous missile systems.
Sefine began the USV work in 2019 in cooperation with Turkey’s defense procurement agency, the SSB. Aselsan joined the program in 2021. A news release from Aselsan said the new drones will serve in tasks such as autonomous reconnaissance and intelligence; surface warfare; anti-submarine warfare; and protection of bases, ports, critical facilities and high-value surface assets. (Source: C4ISR & Networks)
26 Aug 21. Army looking for drones to defence Artillery positions. The British Army wants to understand future requirements for the defence of artillery positions.
Current practice requires soldiers to surveil ground in the vicinity of artillery positions to protect from adversarial intrusion and attack, “increasing workload and cognitive burden”.
According to the contract notice, it is hypothesized that Remote Piloted and Autonomous (RPAS) Systems with sensory suites and AI could reduce this burden and increase combat effectiveness.
According to the notice:
“Successful applicants should be prepared to conduct experimentation with 1 Artillery Brigade on Salisbury Plains in the window 10-18 September 2021 (duration likely to be 3 days). Likely tasks includes OEM operating experimental system in a representative warfighting environment against an active enemy force, briefing soldiers on use and possibly enabling limited supervised use, assisting 1 Artillery Brigade with developing Concepts of Use (CONUSE) and Concepts of Employment (CONEMP) for RPAS to inform future capability requirements.”
The contract notice also goes on to explain how the system could look:
“RPAS systems for consideration could be ground-based (including unmanned ground sensors) or aerial but must be small and agile enough to be deployed from eg ¼ tonne trailer.
The system must be remote or autonomously controlled; must have a sensory suite, ideally modular and interchangeable by the operator; must be able to collect data from at least one spectrum, ideally from the visible or near-visible spectrum, and ideally use AI to process the collected data; must operate as part of a digital network, ideally able to distribute collected data to multiple users others than the operator eg via ATAK; must be capable of operating in adverse weather conditions, ideally in all weather conditions; must be able to operate day and night; must have duration greater than 1 hour on task.”
1st Artillery Brigade commands the majority of the British Army’s Close Support Artillery Regiments and provides special-to-arm oversight for the two Very High Readiness regiments in the Air Assault and Commando Brigades. The brigade operates a number of light artillery guns and of coruse heavier equiment such as the AS90 and MLRS systems. (Source: ukdefencejournal.org.uk)
27 Aug 21. Brazil’s ARES developing new lightweight RCWS. Brazil’s ARES Aeroespacial e Defesa, a local operation of Elbit Systems, is finalising a prototype of its new-generation REMAX (Reparo de Metralhadora Automatizado X) family of stabilised remote-controlled weapon stations (RCWS) for tracked and wheeled armoured vehicles.
The REMAX 4, in development since late 2019 together with the Brazilian Army Technological Center, is suited for M2HB 12.7 × 99 mm and MAG58 7.62 × 51mm machine guns.
The new RCWS is to be trialled at the Army Evaluations Center mounted on an Iveco VBTP-MSR Guarani 6×6 armoured vehicle once the prototype is complete by year’s end, the company’s Marketing and Commercial Director, Frederico Medella, told Janes . The RCWS will be proposed for Brazilian and export markets, Medella added.
Featuring automatic target tracking, the new RCWS measures about 690 mm high and weighs approximately 200 kg.
It utilises a low-profile dual-axis gyro-stabilised weapon mount with weapon cradle, ammunition feeding system, ammunition magazine for 300 12.7 × 99mm or 600 7.62 × 51mm rounds, four 76 mm smoke grenade launchers, in-house produced slip ring, ballistic computer, motion control equipment, and a fire-control system bay mounting a gyroscope unit and an OIP EOPTRIS 2.0 electro-optical imager. It also incorporates a day camera, uncooled thermal camera, and eye-safe laser range finder that are independent of the armament bay.
The turret is controlled by the internal gunner’s Elbit Systems high-definition display coupled to a control handle unit. A commander’s high-definition display is available as an option.
The turret can be linked to an Elbit Systems E-LAWS 2 laser warning system installed in the hull of the vehicle. The army is studying the addition of ballistic protection around the optronic suite. (Source: Jane’s)
27 Aug 21. USN’s UISS unmanned minehunting system completes IOT&E. The US Navy (USN) has completed ship-based Initial Operational Test and Evaluation (IOT&E) for its Unmanned Influence Sweep System (UISS) programme. Part of the Littoral Combat Ship (LCS) mine countermeasures (MCM) mission package, the UISS comprises an influence minesweeping payload – pairing a modified Mk 104 acoustic generator and a magnetic minesweeping cable – deployed from the MCM Unmanned Surface Vehicle (USV). It provides a remote minesweeping capability for influence sweeping of magnetic, acoustic, and magnetic/acoustic combination mines. Based on its proprietary 12 m Common USV, Textron Systems was awarded an engineering and manufacturing development contract in October 2014 for the UISS. The USN exercised options for two additional vehicles in 2017, which were delivered in 2018 in support of the MCM USV programme; the same USV used for deploying UISS will also support minehunting and mine neutralisation missions. The UISS programme received Milestone C approval for low-rate initial production (LRIP) in early 2020 following Developmental Testing and Operational Assessment off the coast of South Florida the previous November. The Naval Sea Systems Command (NAVSEA) has subsequently contracted with Textron for four LRIP systems. According to the Program Executive Office for Unmanned and Small Combatants, IOT&E for the UISS was undertaken from the Independence-variant LCS USS Manchester (LCS 14) off the California coast during May and June 2021. (Source: Jane’s)
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Arnold Defense has manufactured more than 1.25 m 2.75-inch rocket launchers since 1961 for the U.S. Army, U.S. Navy, U.S. Air Force and many NATO customers. They are the world’s largest supplier of rocket launchers for military aircraft, vessels and vehicles. Core products include the 7-round M260 and 19-round M261 commonly used by helicopters; the thermal coated 7-round LAU-68 variants and LAU-61 Digital Rocket Launcher used by the U.S. Navy and Marines; and the 7-round LAU-131 and SUU-25 flare dispenser used by the U.S. Air Force and worldwide.
Today’s rocket launchers now include the ultra-light LWL-12 that weighs just over 60 pounds (27 kg.) empty and the new Fletcher (4) round launcher. Arnold Defense designs and manufactures various rocket launchers that can be customized for any capacity or form factor for platforms in the air, on the ground or even at sea.
Arnold Defense maintains the highest standards of production quality by using extensive testing, calibration and inspection processes.
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