24 Nov 21. Mac Jee develops improved Armadillo multiple rocket system. Brazil’s Mac Jee Defesa has developed an improved configuration of its all-weather Armadillo 2.75”/70 mm rocket launcher system for 4×4 light tactical armoured vehicles. An initial configuration of the launch pod was officially unveiled in April 2019, mounted on an M1152 High Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicle (HMMWV). The new compact 24-cell Armadillo launch pod is 3.5 metres in length, and weighs approximately 50 kg. The re-configured design features a retractable roof-mounted 360° mission module which, according to the company, can accommodate 2.75”/70 mm guided/unguided anti-tank and short-range air defence rockets, furnished with MK40/MK66 rocket motors. Two additional launch pods (24+24 rockets) mounted on an automatic reloading system are stowed in the launch platform.
The current solution utilises an AM General 4×4 M1152 HMMWV with rear and front hydraulic stabilisation systems and a redesigned bonnet, although the Armadillo system can be integrated into any new 4×4 armoured tactical vehicle or existing 4×4 platform in the inventory of a client, Mac Jee product manager Márcio Corrêa da Silva Santos told Janes .
The vehicle is equipped with the Armadillo fire-control system, which features an integrated ballistic calculator and GNSS/INS navigation unit, and an integrated system communications solution. The platform can also be furnished with 7.62×51 mm machine gun and six 76 mm smoke grenade launchers for self-defence. A portable command-and-control (C2) system consisting of a rugged tablet running in-house operational software is being offered for dismounted/remote operation of the launch pod. (Source: Janes)
22 Nov 21. Eurosam initiates system trials of SAMP/T NG. Eurosam – a joint venture (JV) of MBDA France, MBDA Italy, and Thales – has commenced system trials of the SAMP/T NG (Sol Air Moyenne Portée Terrestre Nouvelle Génération) next-generation long-range, ground-based air missile defence system, ahead of planned deliveries to France and Italy of a fully integrated and qualified capability in 2025.
The system trials include a live-firing campaign with the SAMP/T NG’s new Aster Block 1 New Technology (B1 NT) interceptor. “We have initiated the system trials,” Eva Bruxmeier, managing director, Eurosam, told Janes. “Our teams have started to prepare the sites at the French Direction générale de l’armement’s (DGA’s) firing range at Biscarrosse on the Atlantic coast of southwest France, and a trials range will be prepared in the future at the Italian Ministry of Defence’s PISQ [Poligono Interforze del Salto di Quirra] test range in Sardinia. However, the firing campaign is not just about testing the missile; we are a system provider, and as such we will test the whole system based on the new radars, engagement module, and launcher,” said Bruxmeier. Eurosam is the industrial prime contractor and system design authority for the development, production, marketing, and sales of the SAMP/T NG, which was developed within the framework of the Famille de missiles Sol-Air Futurs (Future Surface-to-Air Family)/Principal Anti-Air Missile Systems) (FSAF/PAAMS) series of naval and ground-launched air-defence systems. (Source: Janes)
23 Nov 21. Russian forces receive 9M333 SAMs. The Russian Ministry of Defence (MoD) has received “the first mass deliveries” of 9M333 surface-to-air missiles (SAMs) from Kalashnikov, Rostec announced on its website on 18 November.
Rostec said the new missile is designed to arm the Strela-10M3 air defence system 9A34M3 and 9A35M3 combat vehicles. It replaces legacy 9M37 missiles, which only had a dual-mode seeker.
The 9M333 can be traced back to 1989, but Rostec stated that the missile delivered to the MoD was first demonstrated publicly at the Army 2020 exhibition before successfully completing qualification tests for the Russian MoD last December.
Development of the missile was initiated in 2018 and the successful tests in December 2020 led to its serial production.
The 9M333 has a horizontal engagement range of 5,000 m and an altitude range of 10-3,500 m. It can engage targets travelling at 679 m/s, and has a three-mode seeker designed to withstand jamming. It can be used as a fire-and-forget missile against a range of low-flying aircraft. (Source: Janes)
24 Nov 21. Berlin Security Conference 2021: MBDA in dialogue with Germany for Enforcer Air missile for helicopters. MBDA is continuing talks with the German government over the possible acquisition of the helicopter-launched Enforcer Air precision-guided missile, as deliveries of the baseline shoulder-launched version are set to commence. Speaking to Janes at the Berlin Security Conference 2021, Head of Sales and Marketing, Guido Brendler, said MBDA continues to pitch Enforcer Air to Germany in particular, and to the wider light attack helicopter market more generally. This is happening, he said, as the company prepares to hand over to the Bundeswehr the first shoulder-launched missiles that were contracted in late 2019.
“We are in talks with Airbus [for integration aboard the H145M operated by German special forces]. Enforcer Air is dependent on the core [shoulder-launched Enforcer] product, but that is on track with the first missiles set to be delivered this year, as we speak”, Brendler said on 24 November, adding, “The small precision guided missile requirement is there, and certainly Germany is our first gateway market [for Enforcer Air] as our reference customer [of Enforcer]”.
With the first baseline Enforcer missiles set to be delivered, operational trials should run through the coming months ahead of the launch of serial production and delivery to operational units in early 2024. MBDA first touted the possibility of integrating Enforcer Air on German Kommando Spezialkräfte (KSK) special forces H145M helicopters at the same conference in 2019. At that time, Brendler described the missile as “the little brother of the Brimstone, in terms of size and cost.” (Source: Janes)
23 Nov 21. StormBreaker Smart Weapon Delivers Power With Precision. It’s small but mighty. The StormBreaker smart weapon weighs just over 200 pounds, and up to 20 can fit on fighter jets like the F-15E Strike Eagle. But their warheads, equipped with shape charge jets, fragmentation and blast charge effects, and an option for a delayed smart fuze, are powerful enough to defeat tanks.
“It packs a big punch,” said Alison Howlett, program director for StormBreaker smart weapon at Raytheon Missiles & Defense, a Raytheon Technologies business.
The smart weapon’s precision, power and versatility enable it to address a wide range of threats and scenarios.
“The multi-effects warhead really separates this air-to-surface weapon from its predecessor and other munitions in its class,” Howlett said.
Deployed on the F-15E, the StormBreaker smart weapon has a tri-mode seeker – that uses imaging infrared and millimeter wave radar – to see through fog, smoke and rain as it glides over 45 miles to strike both fixed or moving targets on land or at sea. The system can also use its semi-active laser or GPS guidance to hit targets. It’s engineered with the flexibility to engage a variety of threats in any environment.
“There’s more possible for StormBreaker – options like adding propulsion or swapping out the seeker depending on the mission. The hardware and software can cover a range of threats,” Howlett said. “It’s a very flexible weapon – one-of-kind with world class technology.”
Another key benefit of the StormBreaker system is its networking capabilities. This means one platform could launch it but hand off controls to another. That will be an important capability as the U.S. military aims to connect sensors, platforms and weapon systems across the traditional domains of land, air, sea and space.
“It’s inherent with this weapon and absolutely critical going into a more connected – JADC2 (Joint All Domain Command and Control) – battlespace environment,” Howlett said.
Digitally engineered
Raytheon Missiles & Defense used digital technologies – both tools and processes – to develop StormBreaker.
“It’s certainly an advanced weapon in terms of its design and development and how we’re architecting it for the future. It’s extremely capable now and we’re just getting started,” Howlett said.
To verify system performance, the team uses an integrated flight simulation, or IFS, and literally runs thousands of iterations in tandem with the Air Force using data from testing to continuously improve simulation accuracy.
“It allows us to find and address potential issues before real-life testing, which drives down schedule and cost,” Howlett said.
The business is also using agile methods to deliver rapid capability updates through software changes.
“Each aircraft has unique software, so we need to ensure we’re integrating appropriately with that software,” Howlett said.
Arming 4th- and 5th-gen fighters
In 2020, the Air Force cleared the system for use on the F-15E, making it the first aircraft to carry the weapon. After achieving this milestone, the Air Force and Raytheon Missiles & Defense dropped 14 StormBreaker smart weapons in the 2021 Weapons System Evaluation Program. The successful evaluation and tactics development paves the way for its use by combat air forces.
The F-15E can carry five groups of four StormBreaker smart weapons, for a total of 20 munitions. Depending on the mission, the F-15EX Strike Eagle II can carry more than 16 StormBreaker weapons.
The F/A-18E/F Super Hornet will be the second fighter jet to add the weapon when it reaches initial operating capability.
Raytheon Missiles & Defense is integrating the StormBreaker weapon on the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter. The first-ever StormBreaker munition drop test from an F-35 was conducted in late 2021 to test the communication link between the weapon and a secondary aircraft. (Source: ASD Network)
22 Nov 21. Israel identifies Iran’s ‘deniable’ UAV. Israel has named a type of unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) that has been used by Iranian-backed groups in Yemen and Iraq to carry out attacks as the KAS-04 made by Iran’s Kimia Part Sivan Company (KIPAS). In a letter to the UN Security Council that was released on 17 November, Israeli Ambassador to the United States Gilad Erdan identified a KAS-04 as the UAV that intruded into Israeli airspace on 18 May.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) reported the attack at the time, saying it approached from Jordan before being shot down in northern Israel.
Erdan said the KAS-04 was launched from either Iraq or Syria and that the model has a range of 1,700 km, meaning it could reach Israel from launch locations deep inside Iran. He also noted that its manufacturer KIPAS has been sanctioned by the United States due to its links with the Qods Force, the external operations arm of Iran’s Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC).
“In blatant violation of Security Council Resolution 2231, Iran relentlessly transfers unmanned aerial vehicle systems and capabilities to its proxies in Lebanon, Iraq, Syria, and Yemen, destabilising the entire region,” he wrote.
Erdan effectively identified the KAS-04 when he said that three examples were displayed as Shabab UAVs by Iraq’s Popular Mobilisation Forces (PMF), which include Iranian-backed groups, during parades in Baghdad on 12 June and Diyala on 26 June. (Source: Janes)
22 Nov 21. Swedish Armed Forces acquires Patriot defence missile system. The Air defence system 103 (LvS103) can bolster the air defence capability of Sweden.
The US-made Patriot air defence missile systems has been delivered to the Swedish Armed Forces during a handover ceremony.
Dubbed ‘Air defence system 103 (LvS103)’, seeks to strengthen the air defence capability of Sweden.
With the acquisition of the Patriot system, the country now has a total of two types of missiles with three different launchers: a command post, a combined reconnaissance, and a fire control radar, alongside a repair unit and towing vehicles.
The Swedish air defence officials and several guests from the US Army and delivering industries attended the handover ceremony held at the Air Defence Regiment in Halmstad on 18 November.
Swedish Army chief Karl Engelbrektson said: “We have received a new capability for fighting ballistic missiles. The total effect of the LvS103 enhances our capability in a significant way.
“I will now be able to report to the defence minister that the system will obtain initial operational capability (IOC) at the turn of the year.”
The Swedish Armed Forces will be capable of countering long-range missile and air attacks with the new LvS103.
Furthermore, the defence system is also claimed to fight ballistic missiles.
Sweden Defence Minister Peter Hultqvist said: “This is a powerful modernisation and upgrade of Swedish air defence and Swedish defence capability as a whole.
“The fact that we have ordered and received an advanced system such as Patriot within three years only, is remarkably well done by all parties.”
In April this year, Lockheed Martin delivered Sweden’s first Patriot Advanced Capability-3 (PAC-3) Missile Segment Enhancement (MSE) interceptors.
These interceptors were part of an agreement formalised between the governments of Sweden and the US in August 2018.
In February 2018, the US State Department approved an estimated $3.2bn potential foreign military sale (FMS) of Patriot Configuration-3+ modernised fire units to Sweden. (Source: army-technology.com)
23 Nov 21. Russia to resume test-launches of Tsirkon hypersonic missile from submarine in 2024. According to the source, the tests will be carried out from the Project 885M submarine Perm that will differ from its predecessors by a slightly altered design
The flight development tests of the Tsirkon hypersonic missile from an underwater carrier after two successful test-launches will resume from the Project 885M (Yasen-M) modified nuclear-powered submarine Perm in 2024, a source in the domestic defense industry told TASS on Tuesday.
“The flight development tests from an underwater carrier are planned to be resumed no sooner than 2024. They will be carried out from the Project 885M submarine Perm that will differ from its predecessors by a slightly altered design. If the submarine proves to be unready for the Tsirkon test-launches in 2024, they will resume in the first half of 2025,” the source said.
TASS has no official confirmation of this information yet.
As TASS reported earlier, the modified submarine Perm, which is the Project 885M fifth nuclear-powered sub, will be the first regular underwater carrier of Tsirkon hypersonic missiles. The submarine is set to enter service with the Russian Navy in 2025.
The Sevmash Shipyard (part of the United Shipbuilding Corporation) is currently building six Project 885M submarines. The Project 885 and Project 885M lead submarines Severodvinsk and Kazan are in operational service with the Russian Navy while the Project 885M first serial-built sub Novosibirsk is undergoing trials and is set to enter service with the Navy by the end of this year.
On October 4, the nuclear-powered submarine Severodvinsk test-fired Tsirkon hypersonic missiles from its surface and submerged position in the White Sea for the first time. (Source: News Now/https://tass.com/)
18 Nov 21. Dubai Airshow 2021: UAE announces development of new naval CMS. The United Arab Emirates’ defence procurement and research organisation, the Tawazun Economic Council, announced on 18 November that it had launched a new project to develop a new combat management system (CMS) for use by the country’s navy and coastguard. Known as the National Combat Management System (NCMS), the system is being jointly developed with the UAE’s Marakeb Technologies, as well as a presently unselected foreign company. Tawazun noted in a statement that “talks are currently under way with leading European companies to select the international strategic partner for this project through the Tawazun Economic Program”. The project is being delivered as part of efforts to reduce cost, support interoperability, and provide a “national solution that will encompass future requirements”, Tawazun added in a statement. The overall development timeline for the project is expected to be four years, ahead of broader roll-out to the country’s fleet.
Matar Ali Romaithi, Tawazun’s Chief Economic Development Officer, said, “The system will allow the navy to have a sovereign capability to make modifications and upgrades over time. Concurrent with the rapid growth of UAE’s defence and security industry, the NCMS hardware and software development environment will be key to long-term strategic success for sovereign capability development.” (Source: Janes)