18 DECEMBER 2013 VOL 50 • ISSUE 51

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Kim Jong-un kills off uncle as region

questions stability in Pyongyang

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Australia is to extend the presence of its

IAI Heron medium-altitude long-endurance
unmanned aerial vehicles in Afghanistan

Headlines Middle East/Africa through to mid-2014, its Department of

Defence announced on 11 December.

4 Seoul urges vigilance after Chang execution 18 French face limited resistance in CAR
5 US House passes budget deal to ease 19 Iranian military gets budget increase • US adds names to Iran sanctions list
sequestration’s impact US calls for collective GCC missile defence • Australian defence minister pledges no
Selex ES targets 'affordable' AESA market further defence cuts
with Grifo-E Business___________________ • French defence plans for 2014-2019
6 Iraq orders 24 South Korean FA-50 trainer/ receive final approval
light fighter aircraft 20 UK scraps plan to privatise military procurement • USAF chief calls for dialogue on
8 First flight for Textron Scorpion light strike jet 21 EADS confirms 5,800 staff cuts and details Chinese ADIZ
Norway approves additional F-35s site closures • Poland seeks Bergepanzer 2 upgrade
22 Vietnam’s new constitution to build defence • Viking Air seeks to expand Southeast
The Americas_______________ industry Asian presence
• First steel cut for Pakistan fleet tanker
10 USN to demonstrate EM Railgun prototype Business analysis • Russia accelerates Arctic militarisation
at sea
11 USAF presses case for A-10 cuts 25 Army stays on sidelines as Thai political
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ihs.oom/janes 18 December 2013 Jane’s Defence Weekly | 3

» HEADLINES
IHS Jane’s
Defence Weekly
Editorial
Editor: Peter Felstead
Asia-Pacific Editor: James Hardy
Europe Editor: Nicholas de Larrinaga
Middle East/Africa Editor: Jeremy Binnie
JDW Features Editor: Kate Tringham
JDW Assistant Features Editor: Fay Brigden
Jane’s Aviation Desk Editor: Gareth Jennings
Jane’s Land Desk Editor: Nick Brown
Jane’s Land Consultant: Christopher F Foss
Jane’s Naval Consultant: Richard Scott
Jane’s Defence Industry Analyst: Charles Forrester
Jane’s Senior Principal Analyst: Guy Anderson
Jane’s Asia-Pacific Industry Reporter: Jon Grevatt
Washington, DC, Bureau:
Americas Editor: Daniel Wasserbly
Jane’s C4ISR Reporter: Geoff Fein
Jane’s Industry Reporter: Marina Malenic
Jane’s Naval Reporter: Grace Jean
Jane’s Senior Americas Aviation Reporter: Caitlin Lee
Chief Sub Editor: Jonathan Maynard
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Correspondents
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Bedi, Farhan Bokhari, J Michael Cole, Sebastien Falletti,
Robert Foster, Julian Kerr, Dzirhan Mahadzir, Mrityunjoy
Mazumdar, Trefor Moss, Gavin Phipps, Kosuke Takahashi.
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Tim Glogan, David Ing, Bruce Jones, Jiri Kominek,
Georg Mader, Tim Ripley, Lale Sariibrahimoglu, Sebastian
Schulte, Menno Steketee, Radu Tudor, Theodore Valmas,
Paolo Valpolini. Middle East/Africa: Segun Adeyemi,
Nicholas Blanford, Helmoed-Romer Heitman, Yaakov Katz,
Ellen Knickmeyer, Mohammed Najib.
NATO and EU Affairs: Brooks Tigner.
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4 | Jane's Defence Weekly 18 December 2013
For further insight and analysis go to ihs.com/janes
Seoul urges vigilance
after Chang execution
JAMES HARPY JDW Asia-Pacific Editor & SEBASTIEN FALLETTI JDW Correspondent
LONDON & SEOUL
The execution of a key North Korean pol­
• Seoul is warning that the execution of
itical figure could destabilise the Korean Kim Jong-un’s uncle could destabilise the
peninsula, officials in Seoul have said, Korean peninsula
and is a sign that the Kim family is clos­
• Chang Song-taek was arrested and
ing ranks to strengthen the position of
stripped of his posts, including the key
“supreme leader and respected marshal” position of vice president of the National
Kim Jong-un. Defence Commission, before his 12
Chang Song-taek, the uncle by marriage December execution
of Kim Jong-un, was stripped of his posts,
including the key position of vice-president
of the National Defence Commission, and
arrested on 10 December. On 13 December
the North’s Korean Central News Agency
(KCNA) announced that “traitor of all ages”
Chang had been put on trial by a special mili­
tary tribunal and executed on 12 December.
The removal of Chang was described on 10
December by South Korean President Park
Guen-hye as part of a “reign of terror” that
was being carried out “in order to consolidate
Kim Jong-un’s power”.
“South-North relations could become more
unstable in the future,” Park added. “We are
at a very important point in history. We are After being put on trial, Chang Song-taek
in a situation where we can’t lower our guard was executed on 12 December, according to
state media.
against North Korean threats.”
On 13 December South Korean Defence
Minister Kim Kwan-jin said in parliament the death of Kim Jong-il in December 2011.
that Seoul would “heighten readiness against In the KCNA story announcing his execution,
North Korea as [Chang’s execution] could he was branded “an anti-party, counter-rev-
lead to provocations”. olutionary factional element and despicable
Chang was seen as a regent figure following political careerist and trickster”. ■
of the Rason economic and trade zone to a foreign
ANALYSIS
country”, suggesting that Beijing may lose influence
An analysis of KCNA’s histrionic statements in Pyongyang following his death. That in turn could
on Chang’s alleged treachery suggest his Increase the likelihood of further developments - or
perceived co-operation with China on the Rason tests - in North Korea’s nuclear weapon programme.
special economic zone has also been held In Beijing, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman
against him. Chang is also being blamed for Hong Lei described the execution as an “internal
North Korea’s disastrous 2009 currency devalu­ affair" of North Korea.
ation, which destroyed savings, and construc­ Analysts in Seoul also see Chang's demise as part
tion delays in Pyongyang. of a strategy to strengthen Kim Jong-un’s leadership
Scapegoating Chang for the government’s missteps and clear the way for him to appoint trusted officials
is standard procedure for denunciations by dictator­ to key posts. “Kim will replace Chang's clique with his
ships. However, more interesting is the accusation that own people. The purge is a way to assert his authority,”
Chang had committed a crime by “selling off the land Kim Taehyun of Chung-Ang University told IHS Jane’s.
ihs.com/janes
For further insight and analysis go to ihs.com/janes
US House passes budget deal
to ease sequestration’s impact
DANIEL WASSERBLY JDWAmericas Editor__________
WASHINGTON, DC
The US House of Representatives on
12 December voted in approval of a
bipartisan budget deal that, among
other things, would ease the effect of
‘sequestration’ on US national defence
funding over the next two years by
USD31.7 billion.
The budget legislation increases discret­
ionary spending for fiscal year 2014 and
FY 2015 by raising the caps for discretion­
ary ‘national defence’ budget authority to
USD520.5 billion in FY 2014 and USD521.4
billion in FY 2015. Those budget caps were
mandated by the 2011 Budget Control Act’s
sequestration mechanism, which went into
effect in March 2013 after Congress and the
White House failed to agree upon debt-cut-
ting measures.
House members approved this latest deal,
first announced on 10 December, just before
leaving for their year-end holiday vacation.
The Senate must now approve the measure
as well.
If enacted the deal would provide some
relief to defence budgets by adding USD22.38
billion this year and USD9.3 3 billion next year
to sequestration’s funding ceilings, which are
USD498.1 billion in FY 2014 and USD512
Selex ES targets ‘affordable’
AESA market with Grifo-E
Selex ES is looking to widen the market
for active electronically scanned array
(AESA) radars as development work on
the Grifo-E is now starting in earnest.
“We are now concentrating on the future
Grifo-E with its electronic scanned antenna,”
Fabrizio Giulianini, CEO of Selex ES, told IHS
Jane’s at a ceremony marking the delivery of
the 400th Grifo.
“We are aiming at all the platforms where
we installed our Grifo until now, as well as
at the F-16, for which US solutions exist but
might be non-applicable in certain countries
ihs.com/janes
billion in FY 2015 for national defence.
National defence spending, for the pur­
poses of this legislation, is considered to
include the Department of Defense (DoD);
the Department of Energy’s nuclear weapon-
related work; the intelligence community;
and national security elements of the
departments of commerce, justice, homeland
security, and some independent agencies. In
FY 2014 IHS Jane’s estimates that the DoD
1 every budget problem facing DoD, it will
| help address our military readiness challenge
Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel praised the
House’s 12 December budget deal for helping to
restore DoD funding for training and procurement.
due to export restrictions,” Giulianini stated.
Detailing the work to be done, Oscar Bosco,
senior vice-president for radar and advanced
targeting systems, Italy, underlined that “we
have already done quite some work on the
Grifo processor in order to allow it to manage
an AESA antenna and we are now launching
a three-year development phase to reach the
prototype stage”.
Selex ES will exploit synergies between
its various sites, with the antenna being
developed at its Edinburgh facility, where
the company will leverage the experience
HEADLINES «
and intelligence community represent 94.9%
of that budget authority.
To pay for sequestration relief the deal
extends certain cuts, raises airline fees,
increases costs to guarantee pensions, and
slows benefit increases for some retired mili­
tary personnel, among other things.
Congress generally is not pleased with the
deal, but both parties appear to feel an impetus
to pass it after a string of recent budget show­
downs have caused deep resentment for con­
gressmen among US voters. They must approve
a budget before 15 January 2014, when the
current stop-gap funding bill expires.
Separately, the House also passed an
FY 2014 National Defense Authorization Act:
the annual defence policy bill that leaders of
Congress’ armed services committees crafted
as a last-minute bid to ensure certain authori­
ties did not expire. That bill will also have to
pass the Senate.
US military leaders have long decried the
recent ‘uncertain’ budget process for harming
strategic planning efforts and sequestration’s
cuts for affecting training and readiness.
“The deal they reached reduces the impact
of sequestration cuts and provides the
Department of Defense with greater budget
certainty, which is important for us to be
able to plan effectively,” Secretary of Defense
Chuck Hagel said in a 12 December state­
ment. “While this agreement doesn’t solve
by restoring funding for training and
procurement - especially in fiscal year 2 014,”
he added. ■
acquired on the Captor-E AESA radar for the
Eurofighter Typhoon.
The Grifo-E will not feature a repositioner
to increase its coverage, as is the case with
the Typhoon radar, because the company
does not consider it a cost-effective solution
for the class of radar in which the Grifo sits.
“If we are able to produce an affordable
AESA radar,” Bosco told IHS Janes, “we
might open a new market niche in light
combat aircraft, a first potential user being
the Alenia Aermacchi M-346.” For the time
being the Grifo family is still attracting new
customers, the 400th example being deliv­
ered to the Brazilian Air Force as part of an
upgrade package for its Northrop F-5EM/FM
Tiger II fighter aircraft.
Paolo Valpoiini
JDW Correspondent, Milan
18 December 2013 Jane's Defence Weekly | 5
» HEADLINES
Iraq orders 24 South Korean FA-50
trainer/light fighter aircraft
GARETH JENNINGS Jane’s Aviation Desk Editor
LONDON
Iraq is to field the Korea
Aerospace Industries (KAI)
FA-50 Fighting Eagle armed
trainer aircraft under a
USD2.1 billion deal disclosed
on 12 December.
The Iraqi Air Force (IqAF) will
receive 24 FA-50s (to be desig­
nated T-50IQ.in Iraqi service)
valued at USD 1.1 billion, with
deliveries scheduled to take place
throughout 2015, according to
the South Korean Yonhap news
agency. In addition to the aircraft
sales, a 20-year training and sup­
port contract valued at a further
USD1 billion has also been agreed.
The IqAF will procure the twin-
seat FA-50 primarily as a lead-in
fighter trainer for its 36 Lockheed
Martin F-16 Fighting Falcon fight­
ers, the first of which is due to be
delivered in late 2014. Basic flight
training will take place on 20 new
Serbian Utva Lasta 95 piston-
engined aircraft, with intermedi­
ate training on the Beechcraft T-6
Texan II turboprop.
Poland seeks new modular vehicles
The Polish Armament Inspec­
torate has launched two
technical dialogues for next-
generation combat vehicles,
based on a universal modular
tracked platform (UMPG).
The UMPG-based vehicles are
intended to replace the Polish
Land Force’s Soviet-eraT-72
tanks and BWP-1 infantry fight­
ing vehicles (IFVs). The future
UMPG is planned to be in two
versions - light and heavy - with
as many common components
as possible for a wide range of
6 | Jane’s Defence Weekly 18 December 2013
• Iraq has agreed a USD2.1
billion deal with KAI for 24
FA-50 armed trainers
• The FA-50s will be used
primarily as lead-in fighter
trainers, but they will also be
able to conduct air-to-ground
and air-to-air missions
The FA-50’s ground attack
capability will free up the F-16 s
to focus on the air defence
mission, while its light fighter
capability will also enable it to
serve as a force-multiplier in the
air-to-air role. While neither KAI
or the Iraqi governments have
disclosed probable weapon pack­
ages, the FA-50 is equipped with
an internal General Dynamics
Ml97 20 mm Gatling-gun and
has seven external hardpoints for
the carriage of both air-to-surface
and air-to-air munitions up to
4,763 kg (10,500 lb).
According to IHS Jane’s All the
World’s Aircraft, air-to-surface
combat and auxiliary vehicles.
The estimated cost of the UMPG
programme to 2022 is PLN8.65
billion (USD2.84 billion).
The first dialogue, for the heavy
variant of the UMPG (termed
‘Gepard’ (Cheetah)), covers an ini­
tial two vehicle types: Direct Sup­
port Vehicle (DSV) and Armoured
Recovery Vehicle (ARV).The DSV
will be a 3 5-tonne combat vehicle
armed with an auto-loading
120 mm gun. Targeting the DSV
requirement, Polish firm OBRUM
unveiled its PL-01 concept at
For further insight and analysis go to ihs.com/janes
As well as serving as a lead-in fighter trainer, the FA-50 will augment the Iraqi
Air Force’s F-16s in the air-to-air and ground attack roles
weapon types cleared for use on
the FA-50 include the AGM-65A/
D/G Maverick; Mk 82, Mk 83, Mk
84 and BLU-109 general-purpose
bombs; GBU-31,-32 and -38
guided weapons; CBU-52/58/71,
CBU-103/104/105 and Mk20
Rockeye II cluster munitions;
LAU-68/131 and LAU-3A/5003
rocket pods; and the Textron
Defense Systems CBU-97 Sensor
Fuzed Weapon. The type’s air-to-
air package consists of the inter­
nal cannon and AIM-9L/M/N/P/S
Sidewinder missiles.
The FA-50 deal seemingly
the MSPO defence exhibition in
September.
Meanwhile, the second dia­
logue focuses on the light UMPG
variant, called Borsuk (Badger).
The first and most important ele­
ment of the Borsuk programme is
an IFV to replace the ageing BWP-
1. Under previous operational
requirements, the future IFV was
required to be amphibious, with
an unmanned turret armed with a
30-40 mm automatic cannon and
two Israeli Spike anti-tank guided
missile launchers. It is unclear,
scuppers earlier plans to procure
the Czech-built Aero Vodochody
L-l 59. Talks to purchase 28
L-159s (four surplus Army of
the Czech Republic L-159T1
two-seater trainers and 24 newly
built L-l 59Bs) had been ongoing
since the Czech and Iraqi govern­
ments had reached a preliminary
deal in October 2012.
However, in May it was revealed
that these talks had stalled fol­
lowing a counter-bid by KAI for its
FA-50, which was being offered by
South Korea through the counter­
trade of crude oil.
however, if this requirement has
been changed and the swimming
capability is still included.
The Polish Land Command
is expecting to adopt the first
production batch of new vehicles
in around 2018. The planned
withdrawal of over 350 Polish
T-72 main battle tanks (intro­
duced in 1979 and manufactured
under licence in Poland between
1981 and 1991) and over 1,100
BWP-1 IFVs (introduced in 1973,
with the last delivered in 1988)
is scheduled to start in 2018 and
will be finished in 2021.
Remigiusz Wilk JDW
Correspondent, Warsaw
ihs.com/janes
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» HEADLINES
First flight for Textron
US to move
toAustraHaCope Scorpion light strike jet
The US Defense Advanced
Research Projects Agency
(DARPA) is moving ahead with
plans to bring to Australia in
2014 a new telescope to detect
objects in deep space.
The agency is in the final stages
of preparations to move its Space
Surveillance Telescope (SST) from its
mountaintop location in New Mexico
to Australia, according to a
6 December DARPA statement.
The purpose of the SST is to
detect micro-satellites and debris
located in deep-space, geosynchro­
nous orbits that often go undetected
by traditional telescopes with narrow
fields of view. Determining the orbits
of newly discovered objects in deep
space is key, according to DARPA, to
ensure that they do not interfere with
US space missions.
The telescope is expected to move
to the Harold E Holt Naval Communi­
cation Station in Exmouth, in western
Australia, in 2014. Operations are
scheduled to resume some time in
2016, according to DARPA.
US Secretary of Defense Chuck
Hagel and Australian Minister of
Defence David Johnston signed an
agreement in late November approv­
ing the SST's relocation.
The US Air Force (USAF) is in
charge of delivering the telescope,
while the Australian government will
build an enclosure for it and operate
it, according to DARPA. The United
States and Australia will share opera­
tions and maintenance costs.
The shifting of space tracking
assets to Australia is part of a broader
effort in the US military to increase
space surveillance capabilities in
parts of Africa, Asia and the southern
hemisphere in general. In particular,
the US is closely monitoring North
Korea’s nuclear weapons programme
and China’s activities in space.
Caitlin Lee Senior Americas
Aviation Reporter, Washington, DC
8 | Jane’s Defence Weekly 18 December 2013
GARETH JENNINGS Jane's Aviation Desk Editor
LONDON
The Textron Airland Scorpion
combat aircraft made its
maiden flight from McCon­
nell Air Force Base in Wichita,
Kansas, on 12 December.
The intelligence, surveillance
and reconnaissance (ISR)/light
strike twin-engined jet flew for
approximately 1 hour and 25
minutes during the sorties which
took place less than 24 months
from initial design.
“Today’s first flight is a major
milestone for the Scorpion as the
Sim ’
The Textron Scorpion tactical jet completed its maiden flight on 12
December 2013
Norway approves additional F-35s
Norway has authorised the
procurement of a further six
Lockheed Martin F-35A Light­
ning II Joint Strike Fighters,
bringing the country’s com­
mitment up to 16 aircraft.
Parliament’s approval of the
additional jets, which came
on 11 December, is valued at
NKR7.38 billion (USD 1.23
billion) and will see the aircraft
delivered in 2018. The Royal
Norwegian Air Force (RoNAF)
For further insight and analysis go to ihs.com/janes
• The Textron Airland Scorpion
ISR/light strike aircraft
made its maiden flight on 12
December
• The flight took place less than
two years from the aircraft’s
initial design being completed
programme transitions into the
flight test phase,” said Textron
CEO Scott Donnelly.
According to test pilot and for­
mer US Navy aviator Dan Hinson,
has a requirement for 52 F-35s
to replace its current Lockheed
Martin F-16AM/BM fleet.
The Norwegian Ministry of
Defence selected the F-35A to
fulfil its Future Combat Aircraft
(FCA) requirement in November
2008. In securing the require­
ment, the F-35 beat off com­
petition from the Eurofighter
Typhoon and Saab JAS 39 Gripen.
In March 2012 the 2013-
16 Long Term Defence Plan
“the Scorpion compares very
favourably to more costly aircraft
currently used for low-threat mis­
sions. It showed impressive stabil­
ity and responsiveness closely
matching all of the predicted
parameters for today’s manoeu­
vres; it’s going to be a highly
capable aircraft for the ISR and
homeland security mission set.”
First unveiled in September,
the all-composite Scorpion is
being touted by Textron and Air­
land as a cost-effective yet capa­
ble platform for missions such as
irregular warfare, border patrol,
maritime surveillance, counter­
narcotics and air defence.
Performance specifications so
far released give the Scorpion
a 450 kt top speed, a 40,000 ft
service ceiling, and a ferry range
of 2,400 n miles. The aircraft has
an internal payload of 1,360 kg
and can carry an additional
2,766 kg of external munitions.
Textron officials previously
told IHS Jane’s that the company
has been in discussion with the
Air National Guard and Special
Operations Command regarding
the new aircraft, but that it was
too soon to talk about export
interest. ■
confirmed Norway’s intention to
buy 48 F-35s, pending parlia­
mentary approval. This number
was increased by 4 in June 2011,
bringing the total requirement
up to 52 aircraft. The first four
aircraft are due to be handed
over in 2015-2016, with deliv­
eries set to be complete by the
end of 2024.
Gareth Jennings
Jane’s Aviation Desk Editor,
London
ihs.com/janes
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» THE AMERICAS
Bolivia begins USN to demonstrate EM
expansion, _
modernisation Railgun prototype at sea
The Bolivian Congress on 6
December authorised the
expansion of the armed forces
by 9,243 troops, raising the mili­
tary’s personnel by more than
30% from 29,278 to 38,521.
The army will expand by 5,476,
the navy by 1,706, and the air
force by 2,061. The expansion will
require an increase of B0B2.2 billion
(USD312.1 million) for the 2014
budget in order to arm, train, and
equip the new troops.
Bolivia’s move is part of the
government's strategy to increase
military personnel in its provinces,
specifically to carry out external
defence and national development
roles. The strategy is part of the
Agenda Patriotica 2025 (Patriotic
Agenda 2025) plan to establish a
modern military over the next dozen
years that could guarantee Bolivian
sovereignty and security.
Agenda Patriotica 2025 also
includes the establishment of land,
river, and airspace control, in part
through integrating communications
and surveillance systems into a
National Defence Network with new
radar and satellite systems.
Inigo Guevara JDW
Correspondent, Mexico City
Boeing, Saab team for T-X requirement
Boeing and Saab AB have
signed a joint development
agreement (JDA) to offer a
solution for the US Air Force’s
(USAF’s) T-X trainer require­
ment, the companies an­
nounced on 6 December.
Boeing will lead the effort to
develop and build a replacement
platform for the USAF’s ageing
fleet of Northrop T-38C Talon
aircraft, with Saab acting as the
primary partner.
“We will invest in development
10 j Jane’s Defence Weekly 18 December 2013
GRACE JEAN Jane's Naval Reporter
WASHINGTON, DC
The US Navy (USN) is planning
to demonstrate a prototype
electromagnetic (EM) railgun
at sea on board the Joint High
Speed Vessel (JHSV) in 2016,
the navy’s senior officer told
IHS Jane’s on 6 December.
IHS Jane’s sat down with Chief
of Naval Operations Admiral
Jonathan Greenert following his
visit to the Naval Research Labo­
ratory where he had received a
demonstration of the EM Rail­
gun: a new weapon programme
under development.
Funded by the Office of Naval
Research (ONR), the EM Railgun,
which uses electricity instead of
chemical propellants to fire pro­
jectiles, is progressing. The ONR
awarded a USD34.5 million Phase
2 contract to BAE Systems in
September to develop a launcher
prototype capable of a high firing
rate and long service life. The ini­
tial prototype under that contract
will be delivered and tested during
2014, according to ONR spokes­
man Peter Vietti.
of this completely new aircraft
design over the coming years,”
Saab President and CEO Hakan
Buskhe said in a statement. As
noted by Bushkhe, and reiterated
For further insight and analysis go to ihs.com/janes
• The US Navy has selected the
JHSV for an at-sea demo of
the EM Railgun
• An EM Railgun is projected
to cost about USD25,000 per
round, where as tactical cruise
missiles can cost USD1 million
For the planned at-sea
demonstration in 2016, Adm
Greenert said a railgun prototype
will be installed on board the
JHSV: the navy’s new high-speed
catamaran designed to transport
troops, vehicles, and equipment
between ships or from ships to
shore within a theatre of opera­
tions. The USN is acquiring a fleet
of about 11 JHSVs, the first of
which is scheduled to deploy on
its inaugural mission in Janu­
ary 2014 to Europe and to Latin
America, Adm Greenert said.
“Being a catamaran, it will
provide a little more stability”
for the railgun, he explained
to IHS Jane’s when asked about
the choice of naval platform for
the demonstration. The genera­
tors and capacitors that supply
the railgun with power will be
to IHS Jane’s by a Saab spokes­
person, the new aircraft will be a
completely ‘clean sheet’ design
and will in no way be a variant of
the Saab JAS 39 Gripen fighter.
A previously released
computer-generated
concept of a ‘clean sheet’
design being touted by
Boeing as its possible
T-X solution.
installed belowdecks, he said.
The railgun launches projectiles
at 4,500-5,600 mph by generat­
ing magnetic fields that accelerate
a sliding metal armature between
two rails, which propel the slug
through the barrel.
“The hardest part right now
is going to be how to keep that
barrel, that rail, on the railgun
because there’s so much energy
going out there,” said Adm
Greenert.
Naval scientists are research­
ing how many slugs the railgun is
able to shoot before the rails are
worn out and the barrel has to be
changed. Current naval guns can
shoot more than 1,000 rounds
before their barrels must be
changed, the navy chief noted.
With a range of about 110
miles, the full-scale EM Railgun
would represent a cost-effective
alternative to missiles, Adm
Greenert added.
He told IHS Jane’s that the EM
Railgun costs about USD2 5,000
per round, compared to some
tactical cruise missiles that cost
upwards of USD 1 million and
may have only half the range.
The JDA is still very much in
its early stages, but Boeing has
previously released conceptual
images of a proposed design for
T-X that reveal a twin-seat, sin-
gle-engined jet with a front end
that resembles that of the Alenia
Aermacchi M-346 and KAI T-50,
along with a diamond-wing and
V-tail planform reminiscent of
the Northrop Grumman YF-23.
The Saab spokesperson declined
to say if this would form the basis
of the JDA T-X offering.
Gareth Jennings
Jane’s Aviation Desk Editor,
London
ihs.com/janes
For further insight and analysis go to ihs.com/janes
USAF presses case for A-10 cuts
CAITLIN LEE Senior Americas Aviation Reporter
WASHINGTON, DC
Faced with cutting USD12 bil­
lion a year from its budget un­
der sequestration, the US Air
Force (USAF) appears to be
moving closer to a decision to
cut its Fairchild-Republic A-10
Thunderbolt II fleet.
General Mark Welsh, the USAF
chief of staff, said on 11 Decem­
ber that divesting from entire
fleets of aircraft may be the only
way to achieve the level of sav­
ings required, with the A-10 a
prime candidate.
“We looked at divesture of
fleets of airplanes because it is
one of the very few practical ways
to get at dollar signs with a B [for
billion] behind them,” Gen Welsh
told an audience at the American
Enterprise Institute in Wash­
Seoul eyes Latin American market
South Korea’s defence co-op­
eration agreements with Peru
are progressing at a steady
pace after Peruvian Minister
of Defence Pedro Cateriano
visited Korea Aerospace
Industries’ (KAI’s) facilities in
the Republic of Korea during
late November to witness
construction of the first two
KT-1P basic trainers.
Under a USD208 million deal
signed in November 2012 the
Peruvian Air Force (FAP) will
ihs.com/janes
ington, DC. “If you look at those
fleets of airplanes, there are not
that many we have that we can
actually divest and create savings.”
The A-10 is a top contender for
cuts because it performs close air
support (CAS): a mission that has
proven critical in Afghanistan, but
one that Gen Welsh argued could
also be performed by other aircraft.
More than 70% of CAS missions in
Afghanistan are performed by air­
craft other than the A-10, such as
the F-l 6 Fighting Falcon, he said.
He also noted that the USAF
has always planned to replace the
A-10 with the F-35 Lightning II
Joint Strike Fighter: a multirole
aircraft that is expected to reach
initial operational capability in
the USAF in2016.
receive four KT-1 Ps built at KAI
and will begin to assemble 16
KT-1 Ps at its local Maintenance
Service (SEMAN) workshops
located at Las Palmas Air Base.
SEMAN will progressively
begin to manufacture more
components for the KT-1P and
eventually license-produce parts
of the aircraft locally.
KAI and SEMAN expect to
export KT-lPs to other South
American countries and KAI
announced it envisions a
THE AMERICAS «
“Do I want to get rid of the
A-10? No. Can I afford to keep
everything we have right now?...
No,” said Gen Welsh.
Cutting the A-10 fleet - as well
as the logistics and infrastructure
that supports it - is expected to
net a savings of USD3.7 billion
according to Gen Welsh.
The service would have to
shut down three to four times as
many F-16 squadrons to achieve
the same level of saving, he said,
which would degrade the USAF’s
air superiority mission.
Another option would be to cut
the KC-10 fleet, said Gen Welsh.
However, he noted that General
Raymond Odiemo, the US Army’s
chief of staff, would oppose that
measure since the shrinking size
of the army will require forces to
respond more quickly to events
across the globe, relying on air
mobility to do so. Gen Welsh said
that combatant commanders also
were likely to reject efforts to cut
the USAF’s intelligence, surveil­
lance, and reconnaissance (ISR)
assets, which have proven critical
in combat, as well as command-
and-control functions. ■
The USAF has repeatedly mulled
cutting the A-10, but the aircraft has
so far survived due to its proven
combat capability.
potential market of up to 200
in the region. The KT-1P will be
equipped with a CMC Electronics
Esterline Cockpit 4000 avionics
system and can be employed for
training and light attack duties.
Peru’s defence relationship
with South Korea has intensified
since 2010, when the Repub­
lic of Korea Air Force donated
eight Cessna A-37B Dragonfly
close air support aircraft to the
FAP valued at USD66 million.
Peru also selected the Makas­
18 December 2013 Jane’s Defence Weekly | 11
Brazil approves
army’s 4x4
project
In a step closer to buying new
4x4 protected tactical vehicles,
the Brazilian Army has approved
a viability study for procuring
multirole lightweight wheeled
armoured vehicles under the
emerging VBMT-LR (Viatura Blin-
dada Multitarefa-Leve de Roda)
programme.
The effort, overseen by the army’s
Science & Technology Department,
is to be part of the Guarani family of
armoured vehicles.
Companies interested bidding are
invited to trial their vehicles at the
Brazilian Army's Evaluation Centre in
Rio de Janeiro in June 2014; a report
on the trials is to be concluded a
month later and then sent to service
leaders for consideration.
The army has yet to launch
an international competition, but
it is expected to receive the first
vehicles in 2014. A first batch of 32
platforms is expected to be acquired
and another 186 could then follow
from 2016.
According to the army’s require­
ments, the vehicle must have a
maximum combat weight of 8,000 kg
and a minimum payload of 1,000 kg.
Victor Barreira
JDW Correspondent, Lisbon
sar amphibious transport dock
from Daewoo and an offshore
patrol vessel from STX Offshore
& Shipbuilding to be built at the
Peruvian Navy’s SIMA shipyards
for a combined USD383 million.
The increased tempo of the
Peru-South Korea relationship
can in part be attributed to Peru­
vian President Ollanta Humala’s
personal relationship with South
Korea, given that Humala was
Peru’s adjunct defence attache to
Seoul in 2004.
Inigo Guevara
JDW Correspondent,
Mexico City
» EUROPE For further insight and analysis go to ihs.com/janes

Russia activates new long-range radar

SEAN O'CONNOR Jane's Imagery Analyst
INDIANAPOLIS

The Russian Aerospace features a 1,300 m-wide array

Defence Forces have formally
assumed control of their initial
29B6 Container over-the-
horizon (OTH) radar system,
installed in Russia’s Western
Military District.
Developed by NPK NIIDAR,
also responsible for the 77Ya6DM
Voronezh-DM BMEW radar sys­
tem, Container provides extremely
long-range airspace monitoring to
a range of3,000 km.
Following completion of initial
development and trials, the
first production system entered
initial operational service on 2
December. The initial system
is aligned on a bearing of 240
degrees for monitoring airspace
west of Russia. A second 29B6,
currently under construction
in Russia’s Eastern Military
District, is scheduled for service
entry in 2018.
The 29B6 is a bi-static system,
featuring transmitter and receiver
stations separated by approxi­
mately 250 km. The 440 m wide
transmitter, sited near Gorodets
on the outskirts of Nizhny-
Novgorod, incorporates 36 ele­
ments of varying configuration.
The Kovylkino receiver
composed of numerous 35 m
tall elements. The array features
three sections. The inner section
is 900 m wide with 7 m spacing
between elements and is flanked
on either side by 200 m wide sec­
tions with 14 m spacing.
Transmission frequency is
between 3 and 30 MHz, with the
signal reflected off of the iono­
sphere to provide the OTH capa­
bility. By incorporating a single
signal reflection, NPK NIIDAR
designers assert that accuracy is
significantly improved over earlier
Cold War-era OTH systems. Older
OTH systems used multiple signal
reflections to obtain significantly
1,300 m array
greater range for the ballistic mis­
sile early warning role.
Immediate plans for Control station
Kovylkino call for site devel­
opment to permit long-term
personnel assignment, along
with upgrades to the radar sys­
tem in 2014. To support crew
training and incorporation into
operational doctrine, the Mar­
shal Georgy Zhukov Command
Academy of the Air Defence
Astrium imagery shows the transmitter array for the new OTH system (top)
Forces has initiated a training deployed on the grounds of a former S-200 SAM site near Gorodets, Russia.
course centred on Container The bottom image shows the receiver array, deployed near Kovylkino. The
and OTH systems. images are dated 23 August 2013.

Austria requests additional Black Hawk helos

Austria has requested three
additional Sikorsky UH-60
Black Hawk utility helicopters
from the United States.
Announced by the US Defense
Security and Co-operation
Agency (DSCA) on 6 December,
the USD137 million request for
UH-60M-variant aircraft would
bring the Austrian UH-60 fleet
up to 12 aircraft.
Austria currently operates
nine UH-60L-standard Black
Hawks, which were procured
directly from Sikorsky in 1999 in
response to the Galtur avalanche,
which left 38 people dead.
The emergency rescue effort
exposed serious failings in the
country’s rotary-wing capa­
bilities, which at that time
consisted largely of ageing Bell
212 helicopters.
Since entering service Austria’s
Black Hawks have undertaken
domestic disaster relief opera­
tions, as well as European and
NATO missions in Bosnia and
Kosovo. To date, the fleet has
flown some 15,000 hours.
IHS Jane’s had understood that
the Austrian government was
looking at procuring surplus
Black Hawk helicopters, but the
DSCA notification suggests no
suitable platforms were located
among the 28 nations that cur­
rently operate the type.
In addition to the three heli­
copters, Austria has requested
the sale of mission planning
systems, survivability kit, night
vision equipment, as well as
communication and navigation
systems.
Georg Mader
JDW Correspondent,
Vienna

12 j Jane’s Defence Weekly 18 December 2013 ihs.com/janes

For further insight and analysis go to ihs.com/janes
Norway abandons joint Nordic
Archer artillery programme
NICHOLAS DE LARRINAG A JDW Europe Editor
LONDON
Norway has pulled out of its
joint Archer self-propelled
artillery programme with Swe­
den, it has been revealed.
Talking to IHS Jane’s on
9 December, Major Eystein
Kvarving, spokesperson for the
Norwegian Chief of Defence,
cited delays to the programme
and issues with the performance
of the system as being the main
reasons behind the move.
Norway has been involved in
the BAE Systems Archer pro­
gramme since 2007, with Norway
and Sweden signing a contract in
France mulls Mali campaign lessons
As France launches an­
other military mission in
Africa, the country is still
drawing lessons from its
Operation’Serval’ intervention
into Mali.
A total of six strategic and four
operational factors underpinned
the success of the high-intensity
phase of‘Serval’, according to
French Chief of the Defence Staff
Admiral Edouard Guillaud.
The six strategic factors out­
lined by Adm Guillaud were: the
swiftness of the decision-making
process (French troops deployed
ihs.com/janes
March 2010 to purchase 24 of the
wheeled systems each. The two
countries previously planned a
shared logistics and maintenance
system to reduce costs.
Since September Sweden
received five pre-serial produc­
tion Archer systems.
“It became clearer and clearer
that it would prove very chal­
lenging to develop the Archer
artillery system to meet our
requirements. We faced a choice
of accepting a system that did
not meet our requirements or
terminating the contract. Based
Norway has
decided to cancel
its participation in
the joint Swedish-
Norwegian
Archer self-
propelled artillery
programme.
only five hours after mission
approval); the presence of
French military bases in the area,
notably in Chad and Senegal;
France’s 3,000-strong rapid reac­
tion force; the quality of French
operational preparedness; the
French air-land joint model; the
celerity of action on the ground;
and calculated risk-taking.
The four operational factors
according to Adm Guillaud were:
the French military’s capacity to
adapt to joint operations and its
cultural environment; the ability
of French equipment to with-
maiden^ughT5
on our operational require­
ments, Norway terminated the
contract,” Maj Kvarving stated.
However, he declined to com­
ment on specifically which areas
of Archer’s performance did not
meet Norwegian requirements.
As a result of the cancellation
of Norway’s Archer buy, the coun­
try’s 14 remaining M109A3GN
155 mm tracked self-propelled
guns will now remain in service
until 2020. Instead of Archer,
the MoD will now look at a new
replacement for the Ml 09, which
could enter service after 2020.
According to Maj Kvarving,
Norway has already spent about
NOK550 million (USD90 mil­
lion) on the Archer programme:
NOK380 million on develop­
ment costs and NOK170 million
on procurement.
Sweden’s Defence Materiel
Administration (FMV) expressed
surprise at Norway’s decision,
stating that Archer offers “just
as good, and in some cases better
performance than alternative
artillery systems, at a signifi­
cantly lower cost”. ■
stand temperatures of up to 60°C;
familiarity with joint operations,
“right down to the lowest levels”;
and mastery of fire control, lead­
ing to no collateral damage.
Adm Guillaud said there was no
doubt that “we will in the future
have to undertake other opera­
tions of this type and they will
always be joint”. However, the
role of the army remains abso­
lutely essential, he said, adding
that “it’s on the ground that we
will win wars”.
Nadia Deseilligny
JDW Correspondent, Paris
18 December 2013 Jane's Defence Weekly | 13
EUROPE «
T3-standard
The first Tranche 3 (T3)
Eurofighter Typhoon combat air­
craft has made its maiden flight
from BAE Systems’ Warton
production facility in Lanca­
shire, the company announced
on 9 December.
The flight of aircraft number 116
marked the launch of the flight test
campaign for the latest-standard
Typhoon, which incorporates a num­
ber of ‘under-the-skin’ advancements.
These include a fibre-optic
weapons bus for the employment of
next-generation munitions; plumbing
and wiring for conformal fuel tanks;
a fuel dump facility for emergency
situations; a high-speed data network
for high bandwidth data transfer,
upgraded avionics, and provision for
an active electronically scanned array
(AESA) radar.
Under the Tranche 3A (T3A)
contract signed in 2009, a total of
112 aircraft have been ordered for
the four European partner nations,
with Germany set to receive 31;
Italy 21; Spain 30; and the United
Kingdom 40. In December 2012
export customer Oman signed for 12
T3A aircraft also.
It remains to be seen if the partner
nations will sign a follow-on order for
Tranche 3B Typhoons.
Gareth Jennings
Jane's Aviation Desk Editor,
London
The first Tranche 3 Typhoon
departs Warton for its maiden
flight. A total of 112 aircraft
have been ordered for the
partner nations, with a further
12 for Oman. BAE Systems: 1522143
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For further insight and analysis go to ihs.com/janes
Philippine Australia eyes submarine
marines to get
tactical uavs collaboration with Japan
The Philippines Department
of National Defense (DND) has
announced a plan to purchase
reconnaissance unmanned aerial
vehicles (UAVs) to boost the
expeditionary and combat capa­
bility of the Philippine Marine
Corps (PMC).
The DND Bids and Awards Com­
mittee said on 10 December that the
programme comprises the acquisition
of three marine imagery and target­
ing support system (MITSS) sets for
each brigade of the PMC.
Each set will comprise two “small”
UAVs, three target acquisition devices
and four tactical sensor integra­
tion systems. The supplier has also
been requested to supply integrated
logistics support.
The DND said the programme is
valued at PHP684.2 million (USD15.5
million) and that bids will be consid­
ered from 6 January 2014.
Jon Grevatt Jane's Asia-Pacific
Industry Reporter, Bangkok
■
JON GREVATT Jane's Asia-Pacific Industry Reporter
BANGKOK
Australia is seeking to secure
an agreement with Japan to
collaborate on propulsion tech­
nologies for the Royal Austra­
lian Navy’s (RAN’s) future sub­
marine programme, according
to Australian Defence Minister
David Johnston.
Johnston said in a recent
address to the Australian Strategic
Policy Institute in Canberra that
he is “quietly engaging” with
Japanese officials over a potential
industrial co-operation pro­
gramme featuring the drive train
of the 4,200-tonne (submerged)
Souryu-class submarine in service
with the Japan Maritime Self-
Defence Force (JMSDF).
In the comments, which
were provided to IHS Jane’s on 9
December, Johnston noted the
“extraordinarily high efficiency
ASIA PACIFIC «
• Australia is looking to Japan
for a collaboration deal on
propulsion technologies for
the RAN’s future submarines
• Defence Minister David
Johnston has noted the
“extraordinarily high
efficiency and output” of the
engines on board Japan’s
Souryu-class boats
and output” of the Kawasaki-
built engines on board the
Souryu-class boats, adding: “That
is an area that has concerned us
in terms of [the RAN’s existing
Collins-class submarines]. The
drive train issue is a very signifi­
cant one.
“I’m quietly engaging the
Japanese and hoping that they
will see the benefit of some form
of co-operation in respect of
their hard-won knowledge and
understanding with respect to
conventional drive trains of very
big submarines.”
Johnston added: “I would like
them to show us a little bit about
the drive train that is industrial
technology. We’re not so inter­
ested in the front end, which is
all about their systems and the
technical skill in that regard, but
the motors are obviously some­
thing very special. I’m interested
to engage them and see if they
can assist us into the future,
particularly with the SEA 1000
[future submarine] programme.”
Australia’s future submarine
programme seeks to replace the
RAN’s six Collins-class subma­
rines with 12 next-generation
submarines, which will be based
either on a new design or one
evolved from the existing fleet. ■
See interview, page 34

ber of modifications that will be

RAN receives first two MH-60R helos
The Royal Australian Navy
(RAN) formally accepted its
first two Lockheed Martin-
Sikorsky MH-60R maritime
helicopters on 10 December.
The handover, which took
place at Lockheed Martin’s
facility in Owego, New York,
marks the beginning of a delivery
process that will see 24 such
helicopters handed over by the
end of 2016.
On 11 December the two RAN
aircraft were scheduled to fly to
US Naval Air Station Jacksonville
in Florida, where the RAN has
established its in-country test
and training centre.
Procured under the RAN’s
Project AIR 9000 Phase 8
The first two of 24 MH-60R helicopters bound for the RAN seen on the ramp
at Lockheed Martin's Owego facility in New York.
requirement to replace its 16
Sikorsky S-70B-2 Seahawk
anti-submarine and anti-surface
warfare helicopters, the MH-
60Rs will be deployed aboard the
navy’s Anzac-class frigates and
Hobart-class air warfare destroy­
ers (AWDs). They will be based at
HMAS Albatross in Nowra, New
South Wales.
fitted during the first round of
planned in-depth maintenance in
the 2018-21 timeframe.
These include the integration
- of low power beacons for
| compatibility with the deck
I landing and securing system
| aboard the Hobart-class ships;
I Link 16 and Variable Message
Format datalinks; improvement
to the crash data recorder; civil
airspace navigation systems;
Modifications to the hangar and integration of the Auto­
and magazines of the RAN’s matic Dependent Surveillance
eight Anzac-class frigates will be Broadcast system to increase
completed by 2017, with work safety when flying in commercial
on the first ship scheduled to be airspace.
finished early next year. Gareth Jennings Jane’s
While the RAN’s MH-60RS Aviation Desk Editor, London, &
will share a common configura­ Julian Kerr
tion with those operated by the JDW Correspondent,
US Navy, they will feature a num- Jacksonville, Florida

ihs.com/janes 18 December 2013 Jane's Defence Weekly | 15

» ASIA PACIFIC
PLA trials ‘training ship’
with amphibious potential
RICHARD D FISHER JR JDW Correspondent
WASHINGTON, DC
The People’s Liberation
Army’s (PLA’s) ground forces
recently began trials of a new
small multirole support ship,
which, along with the PLA
Navy’s (PLAN’S) testing of its
new Zubr-class hovercraft,
suggest the development of a
growing capability to contest
disputed islands in the East
and South China Seas.
The PLA has long maintained
a fleet of of medium-sized, flat-
bottomed landing and assault
ships to supplement the larger
ships of the PLA Navy. The
new ship, which resembles a
smaller version of Russian’s new
5,000-ton Project 11711 Ivan
Gren assault ship, is designed for
open-ocean transit. The designa­
tion for the estimated 2,000+
ton-displacement PLA ship has
not been disclosed.
While Chinese sources
Tejas to get IOC on 20 December
India’s indigenously designed
Tejas light combat aircraft
(LCA) Mk I is scheduled to
secure its long-delayed initial
operational capability (IOC) in
Bangalore on 20 December.
Indian Air Force (IAF) officials
told IHS Jane’s on 9 December
that as he awards the LCA its
IOC, Defence Minister A K Ant­
ony will hand over the fighter’s
‘Release to Service’ document to
Air Chief Marshal N A K Browne.
This will specify capabili­
ties like speed, climb rate, and
angle of attack that the LCA has
achieved during about 2,400
test flights undertaken since its
16 | Jane’s Defence Weekly 18 December 2013
• The People’s Liberation
Army’s ground forces and
navy are trialling new vessels
• The navy is testing its new
Zubr-class hovercraft, while
the ground forces are trialling
a multirole support ship
indicate that the new ship’s
primary purpose is training, its
design suggests it could support
opposed landing and mine-laying
missions: two roles that would
be part of actions against islands
and reefs in the East and South
China Seas.
The ship features bow and
stern ramps that allow for
roll-on/roll-off operations.
However, the front ramp may
only allow for light vehicles and
the bow will not allow for beach
deployment.
An aft flat deck is configured
maiden flight in January 2001.
The Tejas was granted provi­
sional IOC in January 2011 by
the Centre for Military Airwor­
thiness and Certification in
Bangalore, almost three decades
after the LCA programme was
initiated. It was expected to
attain full IOC in early 2012, but
this was repeatedly postponed
as the Aeronautical Develop­
ment Agency, responsible for
designing the LCA, was unable
to “stabilise” more than 1,000
of the fighter’s test points. These
included its excessive weight
and issues over its weapon
complement, radar, and agility,
For further insight and analysis go to ihs.com/janes
for helicopter or vertical
unmanned aerial vehicle
(VTUAV) operations, but there is
no hangar. It also has four turrets
for twin 23 mm cannons.
When images of the ship under
construction by Dalian Songliao
Shipyard first appeared in August
2013 many analysts thought it
was a new export design. Later
images showing PLA troops
participating in a launching cer­
emony undermined this, as did a
May 2011 article on the website
of Dalian Songliao Shipyard
particularly at high altitudes.
Even after obtaining its IOC,
IAF officers said the LCA will not
be a “proven combat platform”
until it obtains its full opera­
tional capability (FOC) in late
2014. This will entail integrating
its weapons, radars, and sensors
to enable it to launch rockets,
laser-guided bombs and beyond-
visual-range missiles and under­
take air-to-air refuelling.
“The much-delayed LCA falls
well short of the IAF’s overall
operational expectations,” Air
Marshal V K Bhatia (rtd) told
IHS Jane’s, adding that the IAF
had been arm-twisted into
noting the award of a contract
in December 2010 for a new
“comprehensive training ship”
for the PLA.
While the PLAN’S larger land­
ing platform dock (LPD) or land­
ing ship tank (LST) vessels could
also perform combat or training
support roles for PLA forces, this
new smaller multirole ship for
the PLA ground forces likely fol­
lows on from its large investment
in special forces.
In terms of the Zubr-class (Proj­
ect 1232.2 class, ‘Pomornik’)
hovercraft, four craft have been
acquired, two of which are being
built in China. Images posted
on Chinese military forums in
early December indicate the first,
delivered in April, could be under­
taking trials.■
A front view
of the PLA’s
new small
multirole
assault ship.
acquiring the platform.
Meanwhile, the IAF retired
its last squadron of 15 Soviet-era
MiG-21FL (Type 77) fighters at
Kalaikunda air base in eastern
India on 11 December after
nearly five decades of operational
service.
The MiG-2 lFLs entered IAF
service from 1965 onwards and
were India’s first supersonic com­
bat aircraft. Their most notable
combat role was during India’s
third war with Pakistan in 19 71,
when they were credited with
downing four Pakistan Air Force
F-104 Starfighters, two F-6 Hell­
cats, one F-86 Sabre and a C-l 30
Hercules transport aircraft.
Rahul Bedi
JDW Correspondent, New Delhi
ihs.com/janes
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» MIDDLE EAST/AFRICA
French face limited
resistance in CAR
NADIA DESEILLIGNY JDW Correspondent
PARIS
The French intervention in the
Central African Republic (CAR)
is generally facing limited resis­
tance, despite the death of two
soldiers on 8 December.
Operation ‘Sangaris’ was
launched on 5 December to
stabilise the CAR and facilitate
a new African Union peacekeep­
ing mission.
Just before midnight on 8
December a platoon from the
elite 8th Marine Infantry Para­
chute Regiment was attacked
by individuals armed with light
weapons as it conducted a foot
patrol in the capital, Bangui. In
the ensuing firelight, Nicolas
Vokaer and Antoine Le Quinio
were mortally wounded and
died at the medical post less
than 1,500 m away at M’Poko
International Airport.
“In general gunfire is
extremely intermittent and brief
and ceases immediately if we
Third Malian battalion graduates
The third battalion of the
Malian Armed Forces (FAMa)
to be trained by the EU Train­
ing Mission-Mali (EUTM-Mali)
graduated on 7 December.
A fourth battalion will be
trained before EUTM-Mali’s
current mandate runs out in May
2014, although there is a pro­
posal to extend the mission.
Details about the new Malian
units have been gradually released
through the course of 2 013.
They are referred to as Combined
Arms Tactical Groups (GTIAs)
as they have their own armour,
artillery, engineering, logistics,
18 | Jane’s Defence Weekly 18 December 2013
i France has rapidly built up its
military presence in the CAR
to 1,600 troops
i The mission has so far faced
limited resistance, although
two soldiers were killed on
8 December
respond,” Colonel Gilles Jaron,
a spokesman for the French
Defence Staff, told a press brief­
ing on 12 December.
He said that a group of 10
gunmen had fired on French
troops arriving at the airport
on the first full day of Opera­
tion ‘Sangaris’. In the ensuing
exchange of fire, four of the
attackers were killed and the
other six injured. On 10 Decem­
ber a pick-up truck fired on
French forces. “We think three
of the occupants were killed, but
we’re not sure because the truck
was driven away,” Col Jaron said.
special forces, and other compo­
nents. Each GTIA is named after
an animal: Waraba (lion), Elou
(elephant), and Sigui (buffalo).
Their light armoured squadrons
primarily use BTR-60 armoured
personnel carriers, while the
artillery batteries are equipped
with single-barrel 122 mm Grad
2M artillery rocket launchers and
Croatian 60 mm M57 mortars.
Mobility - a key asset in a
country the size of Mali - is pri­
marily provided by ACMAT Light
Tactical Vehicles and ACMAT
Liaison, Reconnaissance and
Support Vehicles, according to
For further insight and analysis go to ihs.com/janes
d?-
Mfp'i-t}
He added that - after a rapid
build-up - there are currently
1,600 French soldiers in the
CAR: a figure that should now
remain stable.
In order to reach its objec­
tive of diminishing the level of
violence and radically reducing
the quantity of weapons circu­
lating in the CAR, the French
Army had sent “a firm message”
on 9 December specifying that
the only people who would be
allowed to carry weapons in pub­
lic were “recognised members
of the gendarmerie and police
force”, Col Jaron explained.
He said that the members of
the armed groups who have been
terrorising civilians had returned
to the three main barracks in the
capital as instructed, but their
EUTM-Mali. The battalions have
also been seen with a variety
of 4x4 vehicles, including ones
armed with 14.5 mm ZPU-2 guns
and .50 cal heavy machine guns.
The 10-week courses consist
of two weeks of basic infantry
instruction, five weeks of spec
ialised training for the different
components, three weeks of
combined arms activity and a final
battalion-level exercise lasting
three days. The aim is to ensure the
GTIAs are capable of controlling
areas, defeating isolated resistance,
detaining suspects, and carrying
out reconnaissance missions.
future has yet to be decided.
“As for any other armed
individual - be they armed with
a firearm or a machete that is
clearly being used as a weapon
- they are being disarmed as
and when we find them, either
because they have fired at our
troops or because they have been
denounced,” Col Jaron added.
The UK has put a Boeing C-17
transport aircraft at the disposal
of Operation ‘Sangaris’ and other
European countries have offered
to help. “We will only disclose
who and how when details are
finalised,” Col Jaron said.
Meanwhile, the United States
has provided two C-l 7s to help
transport a Burundian light
infantry battalion to join the
African peacekeepers. ■
The specialised infantry train­
ing includes fighting in built-up
areas, while the engineering
components have been trained in
constructing barriers and clear­
ing explosive ordnance.
Each GTIA includes tactical
air control patrols (TACPs) from
the air force. ATACP consists
of a team leader, radio opera­
tor, navigator, and driver. Their
primary mission is to locate and
transmit the co-ordinates of
enemy positions spotted by the
air force's Humbert Tetras light
reconnaissance aircraft and Mil
Mi-2 4 attack helicopters.
Jeremy Binnie
JDW Middle East/Africa
Editor, London
ihs.com/janes
For further insight and analysis go to ihs.com/janes
Iranian military gets
budget increase
JEREMY BINNIE JDW Middle East/Africa Editor
LONDON
The budget proposed by the
government of newly elected
Iranian President Hassan Row-
hani shows a significant in­
crease for the regular military
(artesh), virtually no change for
the Islamic Revolution Guards
Corps (IRGC), and a signifi­
cant reduction for the Basij:
a revolutionary paramilitary
force that has been involved in
suppressing protests.
Iranian defence and security budget 1392-1393
(March2013 - March 2015)
Artesh IRGC
■ 1392 proposed
Source: Mehr News Agency
US calls for collective
GCC missile defence
The US government will en­
courage the Gulf Co-operation
Council (GCC) states to collab­
orate more closely on ballistic
missile defence (BMD), US
Secretary of Defense Chuck
Hagel said on 7 December.
“The United States continues to
believe that a multilateral frame­
work is the best way to develop
an integrated regional missile
defence,” he said.
He added that the United States
would encourage BMD
ihs.com/janes
Published by the Mehr News
Agency, the proposed budget
figures for the Persian year
1393 (21 March 2014-20
March 201S) put the defence
and security budget (including
artesh, IRGC, Basij, and police)
at IRR147.1 trillion (USD5.9
billion): a 26.3% increase over
revised spending levels for the
previous year. Factoring in infla­
tion, which is expected by IHS
Police Basij
1392 actual * 1393 proposed
D 2013 IHS 1463023
co-operation in three ways: by
making it a component of the
regular conferences attended by
the region’s air and air defence
commanders; by organising meet­
ings for GCC defence ministers;
and by selling defence equipment
to the GCC as an organisation,
rather than to its member states.
“This is a natural next step in
improving US-GCC collabora­
tion and it will enable the GCC to
acquire critical military capabili­
ties, including items for ballistic
MIDDLE EAST/AFRICA «
Global Insight to reach 27.1% in
2014, this will provide real-term
growth of around 4.7%.
In contrast, figures released in
September showed that regional
rival Saudi Arabia had increased
its spending on defence and secu­
rity to USD 6 7 billion.
Under former president Mah-
moud Ahmadinejad the IRGC’s
budget was slightly larger than
that of the artesh. Rowhani’s pro­
posed budget reverses this trend
by giving the regular military a
22.9% real-term increase, while
the IRGC’s increase works out
at 0.1 %. Mehr did not provide a
breakdown of how this increase
will be divided between the
army, air force, and navy.
The biggest loser was the Basij,
which will see its budget decline
by 36% in real terms. This could
reflect the Rowhani government’s
confidence that the force will not
be needed to suppress dissent. The
government may also be trying to
demonstrate its commitment to
more moderate policies by releas­
ing budget figures that show a shift
in spending from the ideological
forces to the regular military.
However, this budget can still
be changed by parliament. Last
year this process resulted in an
increase to the Basij budget pro­
posed by Ahmadinejad. ■
missile defence, maritime security,
and counter-terrorism,” Hagel said.
Hagel’s comments come
after a commitment to forging
an integrated BMD network
emerged from the third meet­
ing of the US-GCC Strategic
Co-operation Forum, which was
held in September. The joint
communique released after the
event described one objective as
“the eventual development of
a Gulf-wide co-ordinated mis­
sile defence architecture built
around interoperable US and
GCC forces that would serve as
an integrated system.”
Jeremy Binnie JDW Middle
East/Africa Editor, London
18 December 2013 Jane's Defence Weekly | 19
Saudi Arabia
requests
wireless TOW
Saudi Arabia has requested the
sale of nearly 15,000 Ray­
theon TOW wireless anti-tank
missiles for its national guard
and another 1,750 of the wire-
guided version for its army, the
US Defence Security Coopera­
tion Agency(DSCA)announced
on 5 December.
The proposed deal for the Saudi
Arabia National Guard (SANG)
includes 9,650 BGM-71ET0W2A
Radio Frequency (RF) missiles and
4,145 BGM-71F TOW 2B Aero RF
missiles. Estimated to cost USD900
million, the package would also
include 91 TOW 2Aand 49 TOW
2B ‘fly-to-buy’ test missiles, related
equipment, spares, and support.
The ‘A’ variant of the TOW has
a direct-attack tandem shaped-
charge warhead for penetrating
explosive reactive armour, while the
‘B’ fires its warhead downwards as
it flies over its target to penetrate its
weaker top armour. There is also a
‘bunker buster’ version.
Meanwhile, Saudi Arabia has
requested the sale of 1,000 BGM-71
2A and 750 TOW 2B missiles, as well
as an additional seven test missiles
of each type, for the Royal Saudi
Land Forces at an estimated cost of
USD170 million.
Jeremy Binnie JDW Middle
East/Africa Editor, London
SANG Textron LAV-150s armed
with TOW missiles. SANG: 1525756
» BUSINESS
UK scraps plan to privatise
military procurement
MATTHEW SMITH JDW Correspondent
LONDON
The UK government has
scrapped a competition that
could have led to the privati­
sation of military procurement
and support contracting.
It will instead turn the UK
Ministry of Defence’s (MoD’s)
Defence Equipment & Support
(DE&S) procurement organ­
isation into a commercially
supported ‘central government
trading entity’, Defence Secre­
tary Philip Hammond announced
on 10 December.
Speaking to the House of
Commons, Hammond said that
the decision had been made
following the withdrawal of two
of the three potential bidders
for the government’s proposed
transformation of DE&S into a
government-owned and contrac­
tor-operated (GoCo) entity.
“With only one bidder remain­
ing in the competition at this
stage I have had to make a judge­
ment on whether the public
sector comparator alone would
generate sufficient competitive
tension to ensure an effective
outcome for the armed forces
and value for money for the
taxpayer,” he said.
“’Materiel acquisition partners
[the Bechtel-led consortium]
have engaged effectively with
the very challenging brief we
set out. They have presented us
with a credible and detailed bid,
but we do not have a competitive
process. I have therefore con­
cluded that the risks of proceed­
ing with a single bidder are too
great to be acceptable,” he added.
The MoD commenced a
12-month review period in April
this year ahead of what was
an expected 2014 decision on
20 | Jane’s Defence Weekly 18 December 2013
• The UK DE&S GoCo
competition has been formally
abandoned
• DE&S will be turned into a
central government trading
entity with Bernard Gray as its
first chief executive
whether to transfer core opera­
tions of DE&S to privately man­
aged procurement operations. At
the time of the announcement
there were three potential bid­
ders, but by November just one
consortium remained.
The alternative to the GoCo
model (against which it was to be
tested) was the internal reform
of DE&S, dubbed as ‘DE&S+’.
This will now form the basis of a
reform programme.
“I have decided to build on the
DE&S+ proposition, transform­
ing DE&S further within the
public sector, supported by the
injection of additional private-
sector resource,” said Hammond.
As a result of the transforma­
tion DE&S will be converted into
a “bespoke central government
trading entity” with effect from
April 2014. Chief of Defence
Materiel Bernard Gray will be
appointed as its chief executive.
Among the key changes will
be the introduction of a “hard
boundary” between DE&S and
the rest of the MoD; a separate
governance and oversight struc­
ture with a strong board under
an independent chairman; and
a chief executive who will be
UK procurement budget (USD billions current values)
UK procurement budget
Source: IHS Jane’s Defence Budgets
For further insight and analysis go to ihs.com/janes
accountable to Parliament. It will
also have “significant freedoms
and flexibilities” over how it
recruits, rewards, retains, and
manages staff.
The private-sector inputs,
in which Bechtel has already
expressed an interest, will be
through a series of support con­
tracts focused on strengthening
programme management while
DE&S’s internal capabilities are
developed. The contracts will
provide contractor support in
three areas: programme manage­
ment; human resources; and
financial controls.
Hammond was keen to point
out that the failure of the GoCo
competition did not spell the end
for the GoCo option, insisting
instead that it could be revived in
the future as an alternative to the
reformed DE&S.
“My conclusion is that a
GoCo remains a potential future
solution to the challenge of
transforming DE&S, but that
further work is necessary to
develop DE&S financial control
and management information
systems to provide a more robust
baseline from which to contract
with a risk-taking GoCo partner,”
he said.
“These changes will drive
significant incremental improve­
ments in DE&S as well as deliver­
ing the mechanisms that will
give the organisation a robust
performance baseline. That will
allow [the] MoD, at a future date,
to re-test the market’s appe­
tite for continuing the DE&S
evolution into a GoCo, and its
ability to deliver value for money
12.8 11.9 11.6 10.8
Hammond: “A GoCo remains a
potential future solution to the
challenge of transforming DE&S.”
against a significantly enhanced
public sector comparator,” added
Hammond.
The announcement was
welcomed by Paul Everitt, chief
executive of UK defence industry
association ADS, who said: “The
Defence Secretary’s announce­
ment provides greater clarity
over the likely path of changes
to defence acquisition. ADS will
work closely with [the] MoD and
colleagues across government to
ensure the successful imple­
mentation of this important
programme of reform.”
According to Hammond the
government had spent GBP7.4
million on the GoCo competition
at the point it was cancelled.
The remaining bidder prior to
cancellation, Materiel Acquisition
Partners group, was made up of
engineering and facilities special­
ist Bechtel with PA Consulting
and PricewaterhouseCoopers. The
MoD was informed on 15 Novem­
ber that the second bidder - the
Portfield consortium made up of
Atkins, CH2Mhill and Serco - had
withdrawn from the competition.
Three bidders had been in the
running at the time of the release
of an invitation to negotiate in
July, although an engineering
partnership of KBR and URS
subsequently dropped out. Mili­
tary prime contractors had been
excluded from the programme to
avoid any conflict of interest. ■
ihs.com/janes
For further insight and analysis go to ihs.com/janes
EADS confirms 5,800 staff
cuts and details site closures
MATTHEW SMITH Defence Industry Analyst
LONDON
European aerospace giant
EADS is set to cut 5,800 jobs
from its defence and space
businesses and “significantly”
consolidate its presence
across Europe under restruc­
turing plans announced on 9
December.
The move, previously expected
and which EADS CEO Tom
Enders said is needed to improve
its competitiveness in the
defence and space sector, will
see the company cut the roles
through a combination of redep­
loyment, contract non-renewals
for non-permanent staff, volun­
tary redundancies, and compul­
sory redundancies.
While some posts will be made
available at other EADS divisions,
up to 4,300 staff are set to lose
their jobs by the end of 2016.
“Up to 1,500 positions will be
offered at Airbus and Eurocopter
for redeployment of impacted
employees. After non-renewal
of temporary contracts [around
1,300] and application of addi­
tional voluntary measures, final
redundancies are estimated in the
range ofl,000-1,450 employees,
subject to the achievement of the
voluntary measures,” the com­
pany said in a statement.
France outsources air training centre operations
France will outsource air
training centre operations
to the private sector for the
first time with the award of
an A400M training contract to
Thales, it was announced on
4 December.
According to a statement
from Thales, France’s Direction
ihs.com/janes
“Overall, EADS plans to reduce
5,800 positions at Airbus DS
and in corporate/headquarters
functions until the end of 2016,”
it added.
EADS will also look for savings
from the remaining staff, saying
that it would enter into negotia­
tions with its works councils to
seek agreements on labour cost
reductions.
EADS announced plans to
restructure and rebrand its
defence and space business
under a new Airbus Defense
& Space (Airbus DS) business
on 31 July and the prospect of
significant job losses at EADS
had been well trailed. In October
Enders warned of job cuts, telling
Germany’s Suddeutsche Zeitung
that the company “cannot avoid
further cost and staff reductions.
Without harsh measures [in the
company’s planned restructure],
we can’t go on”.
According to previously
announced plans, the consolida­
tion will see significant changes
to the company’s European foot­
print as it looks to simplify and
consolidate its legal structures.
At the core of the reorganisa­
tion is the integration of Airbus
Military, space systems business
Generale de l’Armement (DGA,
the French defence procure­
ment agency) has awarded the
company a four-year contract to
operate the French Air Force’s
A400M training centre.
Thales says it will supply the
A400M Full Flight Simulator,
have responsibility for planning
1*
A m
Enders: “Without harsh measures
we can’t go on.”
Astrium, and defence and security
systems business Cassidian into
the newly created Airbus DS
business. The new group will be
led by Bernhard Gerwert, who is
currently chief executive of Cas­
sidian, and operate four business
units: Military Aircraft (led by
Airbus Military chief Domingo
Urena-Raso); Space Systems
(Astrium CEO Franqois Auque);
Communication, Intelligence
& Security Systems (Astrium
Services chief executive Evert
Dudok); and Equipment (Thomas
Muller, who was appointed CEO
of Astrium Satellites at the start of
this year).
The Airbus DS venture will
commence operations from 1
January 2014.
training activities, support
Airbus and air force training staff,
implement training systems, and
maintain the simulators. Airbus
Military will use the training
centre to provide initial training
for A400M crews and the French
Air Force will use it to provide
advanced tactical training.
18 December 2013 Jane’s Defence Weekly | 21
BUSINESS «
The 9 December announce­
ment adds further clarity to the
substance of the change. Under
the restructure plan EADS will
sell its corporate office in Paris and
move those functions to Suresnes,
where the Corporate Technical
Office and Innovation Works
workforce is already based.
In Germany the Unter-
schleiftheim site will be closed
and around 1,000 staff moved
to the new Airbus DS division,
which will be headquartered
in Ottobrunn. Another 200-
300 Unterschleiftheim-based
employees will redeploy to other
southern Germany-based Airbus
DS sites.
In Spain activities at San
Severo and Castellena near
Madrid will be transferred to
Getafe, with the possibility of
the transfer of all Barajas-based
activities to Getafe remain­
ing under consideration. In the
Seville area EADS will transfer
the activities at San Pablo North
to San Pablo South. The transfer
of Tablada to San Pablo South is
also being studied.
In the UK EADS will concen­
trate its activities in Stevenage,
Portsmouth, and Newport “in
order to maintain proximity to its
key customers”, with functions
at the smaller sites relocated to
one of the three major sites.
Airbus - stripped of Airbus
Military - will concentrate solely
on commercial aircraft.
Eurocopter will be rebranded
as Airbus Helicopters, but will
otherwise remain unchanged. ■
“This is the first time that
the Direction Generale de
l’Armement has entrusted
French Air Force training centre
operations to an industry part­
ner,” the company said.
Matthew Smith
Defence Industry Analyst,
London
» BUSINESS
» m brief Vietnam’s new constitution
to build defence industry
Poland and KSA to co-operate
Poland and Saudi Arabia have signed
a defence co-operation agreement
aimed at promoting joint projects and
defence trade between the two coun­
tries. According to the Polish Ministry
of Defence, the agreement creates
opportunities for joint projects such as
training. It will also allow for greater
co-operation between defence sector
enterprises from both countries.
Kazakh-Turkish plant opens
Kazakh-Turkish joint venture (JV)
Kazakhstan Aselsan Engineering
(KAE) has opened its first facility in
Kazakhstan, the Kazakh defence
ministry has announced. While ini­
tially the factory will simply assemble
Turkish produced opto-electrical sys­
tems, the JV requires a gradual move
to joint production and an increase in
the Kazakh contribution from 30% to
67% within five years.
UAC warns of losses
Russia’s United Aircraft Corpora­
tion (UAC), the state-run joint stock
holding group that controls Russia's
aviation industry, has announced it
expects to make losses of RUR11-15
billion (USD336-458 million) in the
2013 financial year. The figures are
considerably worse than RUR4 billion
loss in 2012.
BAE jobs cuts
BAE Systems is to cut 135 jobs at
its York, Pennsylvania, factory over
the next three months as a result of
the completion of contracts relating
to the Bradley Fighting Vehicle and a
dearth of new work. BAE Systems’
US workforce has been reduced by
around 15,000 since 2008.
Boeing nears defence sales goal
Boeing has almost achieved its goal
of increasing to 30% the revenue
coming from international sales for its
Defense, Space and Security (BDS)
division, the head of the division has
told IHS Jane’s. BDS looked to non-
US markets for 24% of sales in 2012.
22 | Jane’s Defence Weekly 18 December 2013
JON GREVATT Jane's Asia-Pacific Industry Reporter
BANGKOK
Vietnam has introduced a
new constitution reiterating
its ambition to develop its
defence industrial base and
reduce dependency on foreign
military imports.
The constitution, which takes
effect from 1 January 2014, out-
ANALYSIS
Vietnam’s focus on defence
industrial development is in align­
ment with the country’s 2011-15
five-year plan.
This plan was announced at the 11th
National Party Congress in January
2011 and highlights industrial military
development as one of five key objec­
tives over the ensuing five years.
Loan deal forces cuts at
Hellenic Defense Systems
Hellenic Defense Systems
(EAS) will lose 600 of its 800
staff and close four of its five
plants under an agreement be­
tween the Greek government
and the European Central
Bank (ECB), European Com­
mission (EC) and the Interna­
tional Monetary Fund (IMF).
The cuts to state-owned EAS
were necessary to secure addi­
tional financial support from the
so-called ‘troika’ of lenders. An
additional loan of EUR 1 billion
(USD 1.4 billion) is expected by
the close of the year.
Under the deal, EAS will be
permitted to continue its export
activities for a trial period of one
For further insight and analysis go to ihs.com/janes
lines a commitment for Vietnam
to "build the defence industry”
and provide a guarantee to equip
the Vietnam People’s Army (VPA)
with modern materiel. Linking
the prosperity of the country
with the development of both the
defence industrial base and the
The plan to develop Vietnam’s
defence industrial base is focused
on industrial restructuring and
consolidation in an effort to enhance
professionalism and capability, as
well as the promotion of ’offset-like'
strategies and industrial collaboration
that seek to secure foreign technologies
and related know-how in all military
imports.
These policies are supported by
year. This is viewed as of para­
mount importance to the com­
pany, as it has a number of export
contracts pending signature;
notably for 40 mm automatic
grenade launcher rounds and
Bofors 4/L60 gun rounds. The
well-publicised budget cuts that
result from the Greek financial
crisis mean that domestic orders
have been minimal.
Greek military procurement
funding almost halved between
2010 and 2013 from USD 1.8 bil­
lion to about USD789 million.
Athens commenced efforts to
privatise EAS in 2011 along with
other state-owned assets. These
efforts floundered, however, and
VPA, the constitution also calls for
the national defence and security
sector to help promote economic
growth within the country.
Hanoi said the new constitu­
tion, which replaces the 1992
charter, also focuses on strength­
ening Vietnam’s political struc­
tures and promoting the country’s
continued integration into the
global economic market. ■
a rapidly expanding defence budget.
According to IHS Jane’s Defence
Budgets, Vietnam’s military expenditure
reached the equivalent of USD3.78
billion in 2013 and will expand to
USD4.92 billion by 2017: an overall
increase of 30%.
Vietnam’s military modernisation
efforts have also been funded, at least
in part, by revenues sourced from its
energy sectors.
a series of deadlines in 2011 and
2012 were missed. The company
had been placed in the queue for
privatisation along with national
land systems company Hellenic
Vehicle Systems under the state
Hellenic Republic Asset Develop­
ment Fund.
EAS’ products include small
arms ammunition and main
battle tank rounds, and mortars,
as well as infantry and police
weapons. It produces guns up
to 30 mm and subassemblies
for guided missiles. It was estab­
lished in 2004 through
the merger of the Hellenic
Arms Industry (EBO) and the
Greek Powder & Cartridge Com­
pany (PYRKAL).
Theodore L Valmas
JDW Correspondent, Athens, &
Guy Anderson Jane’s Senior
Principal Industry Analyst,
London
ihs.com/janes
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For further insight and analysis go to ihs.com/janes
Army stays on sidelines as
Thai political system cracks
As the size and momentum of anti-government demonstrations
increase in Thailand, Anthony Davis considers whether the
Royal Thai Army can maintain its low-key role as an honest broker
between the kingdom’s opposing political forces
he latest wave of protests
T in Thailand has served to
underscore the central
role of the Royal Thai Army (RTA)
in the kingdom’s now danger­
ously fractured political arena.
Even as the traditionally
influential role of the monarchy
declines in the twilight of King
Bhumibol Adulyadej’s reign, the
current crisis has seen the RTA
emerge as both central political
arbiter and ultimate guarantor of
stability in a country in danger of
descending into civil conflict.
Less clear but critically
important is whether the RTA,
commanded by General Prayuth
Chan-ocha, a soldier with staunch
royalist credentials, will be able
to maintain its low-key role as an
honest broker between the king­
dom’s opposing political forces or
risks being pulled into the vortex
of divisive national politics.
Protests
Escalating protests in Bangkok
against the government of Prime
Minister Yingluck Shinawatra
culminated on 9 December in her
dissolving the parliament, where
her Pheu Thai Party (PTP) held a
commanding majority, and calling
for elections in early February.
However, the anti-government
People’s Council for Democratic
Reform (PCDR) headed by Suthep
Thaugsuban has rejected the
government acting in a caretaker
role until then. It has demanded
that an unelected ‘People’s Coun­
cil’ appoints an interim prime
ihs.com/janes
minister and oversees sweeping
reforms aimed at eradicating the
influence of the prime minister’s
brother, Thaksin Shinawatra.
Relying on populist policies
to galvanise rural support across
much of north and northeast
Thailand, Thaksin won elections
in 2001 and 2005 and served as
prime minister until 2006. In Sep­
tember 2006 the billionaire was
ousted by a military coup widely
believed to have been backed by
influential figures in Bangkok’s
royalist elite alarmed at the threat
he posed to the establishment.
Subsequently sentenced to a
two-year prison term on corrup­
tion charges - which he rejected
as politically motivated - Thaksin
has remained in self-imposed
exile in Dubai while exercising
decisive influence over his sister’s
administration, which swept to
power in 2011 elections.
Despite a well-established
proclivity for coups, the RTA has
done its best to remain on the
sidelines of the current crisis. In
response to calls by leaders of the
anti-government protest calling
for the military to step in and
resolve the situation, Gen Pray­
uth has stressed repeatedly that
the military will not intervene
and has urged the opposing sides
to negotiate.
This uncharacteristic restraint
is not new and appears to
owe much to Gen Prayuth’s
own stewardship of the army,
which he has commanded since
September 2010. When in 2012
another street-based anti-Thak­
sin movement known as ‘Pitak
Siam’ (Defenders of Siam) - also
backed by shadowy members of
Bangkok’s hardline, conservative
elite - took to the streets with
calls for military support in oust­
ing the government, Gen Prayuth
similarly refused to be drawn in
and the movement petered out.
This year, however, the size
and momentum of the demon­
strations has imposed greater
pressure on the military to
intervene. Sparked by an ill-
conceived government attempt
to use its parliamentary majority
to ram through an amnesty bill
that would have allowed Thaksin
to return home without serving
jail time, the mounting protests
spilled into street violence that
in early December left five dead
and scores wounded.
Beyond Gen Prayuth’s own
measured approach, three key
factors have been behind the
army’s reluctance to intervene.
First has been a keen awareness
in senior ranks of international
opprobrium and economic dam­
age that yet another coup would
entail. While bloodless and popu­
lar with Bangkok’s middle class,
the coup of 2006 is viewed in ret­
rospect as a major blunder that
set the stage for a near-decade of
widening political polarisation
and national drift.
The coup was further com­
pounded by the RTA’s frontline
role in suppression of the pro-
Thaksin Red Shirt protesters
18 December 2013 Jane’s Defence Weekly | 25
ANALYSIS «
in Bangkok in 2009 and more
seriously in 2010 when ill-
trained army troops using live
ammunition were implicated in
killing unarmed civilians as they
dispersed protesters.
Scarred by this recent history,
the RTA under Gen Prayuth has
made concerted efforts to burnish
its public image, notably during
the floods of 2011 when the mili­
tary played a widely applauded
lead role in relief efforts.
Red Shirts reaction
A second factor giving the RTA
pause today is the potential
reaction of the Red Shirts to any
military intervention. Despite
their 2010 suppression in Bang­
kok, the movement remains well
entrenched in the northeast and
north. Red Shirt leaders could
mobilise tens of thousands of
provincial supporters against
military moves perceived as sup­
portive of Suthep’s PCDR and the
conservative forces.
Finally, the RTA’s role has
undoubtedly been reinforced
by the decline of the palace
itself. For decades the rever­
ence accorded King Bhumibol
positioned the monarch as the
anchor of national stability and
an arbiter of last resort. That
standing has been challenged by
the rise of mass politics driven
by Thaksin and by the king’s fail­
ing health at the age of 86. Heir
apparent Crown Prince Vajira-
longkorn, 61, is not expected
to inherit his father’s immense
moral authority.
Significantly, in early Decem­
ber it was Gen Prayuth who
brokered a meeting between Yin­
gluck and Suthep in an effort to
find a compromise solution. And
it appears that, in the days ahead,
Gen Prayuth and other service
chiefs will renew those efforts to
avert further clashes that would
inevitably push a reluctant mili­
tary back onto the streets.
Anthony Davis is a
JDW Correspondent,
based in Bangkok
» BRIEFING
Rotary-wing unmanned aerial systems

Rise of the
rotary-wing UAS
While the spread and development of fixed-wing unmanned aerial systems is now a
given factor for many military forces, there is a growing awareness that rotary-wing
systems have their own unique contribution to make, particularly for maritime missions.
Andrew Drwiega reports

The new MQ-8C Fire Scout gives the US

Navy an unmanned rotary-wing platform with
greater range and payload capacity than the
smaller MQ-8B.

n March 2011 UK warplanners wrote decrease post SDSR [Strategic Defence ScanEagle on a contractor-owned/contrac-

I that the focus on the war in Afghanistan

had made it difficult for the UK Royal
Navy (RN) “to gain traction for procuring
unmanned aircraft to fill maritime surveil­
lance gaps”.
In a paper titled ‘The UK Approach to
Unmanned Aircraft Systems [UASs]’, officials
at the Ministry of Defence’s (MoD’s)
Development, Concepts and Doctrine Cen­
tre admitted there was also no funding for a
maritime UAS.
However, there was a realisation of the
and Security Review], the requirement for
remaining ships to cover larger operating
areas increases,” the report said. “Capability
audits have already shown that unmanned
aircraft could be a cost-effective way of
extending sensor coverage and hence situ­
ational awareness, whether [for] littoral or
blue water operations.”
It added that the RN’s ships were already
fitted to receive video feeds via downlink
terminals from both manned and
unmanned aircraft.
tor-operated (CoCo) basis, the RN’s need
for a tactical maritime unmanned aircraft
system (TMUAS) to come into service after
2020 took a large stride forward in August
when the MoD awarded a lucrative GBP2.3
million (USD3.8 million) contract for a
rotary-wing UAS (RWUAS) Concept Capa­
bility Demonstrator (CCD) to helicopter
manufacturer AgustaWestland.
For the trials the company has selected
its PZL-Swidnik SW-4 Solo helicopter: a
platform produced by the Polish manufac­
US Navy: 1521121

value that UASs could bring to future opera­ Fast-forward around two-and-a-half years turer that it took over in 2 010. This variant
tions as the fleet was scaled back due to and the funding has finally arrived. After of the SW-4, already publicly announced,
fiscal reductions. “As surface ship numbers awarding a contract to Boeing to trial its has been described as a rotorcraft unmanned

air system/optionally piloted helicopter
(RUAS/OPH). One of the main reasons
behind its selection is that the SW-4 already
has European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA)
certification.
The SW-4 is powered by a Pratt & Whitney
Allison 250C20R/2 turboshaft engine
that drives a three-bladed main rotor and
two-blade tail rotor. It delivers 450 shp and
maximum take-off weight is said to be 1.8
tonnes (3,968 lb).
The MoD’s expectation is that trials
will lead to a full evaluation that will
establish concepts of operation and
doctrine, a technology road map, and
regulatory frameworks.
They will also indicate the impact and
capability of a rotary-wing UAS in RN
service, including providing a background
to costs, interoperability and potential for
intelligence, surveillance and reconnais­
sance (ISR) delivery.
The platform will perform flight trials
to prove the TMUAS concept and by 2015
should lead to the identification of the type
of rotary-wing UAS best suited to provide
the multirole capability that the RN envis­
ages. The RN will use a Type 2 3 frigate dur­
ing the sea trials, which will be carried out in
late 2014.
The role will include "mine countermea­
sures (MCM), hydrography and meteorology
(H&M), offensive surface warfare (OSuW)
and general situational awareness (SA),” the
RN said.
The extent to which it will be integrated
with the RN’s manned helicopters - the
AgustaWestland AW 159 and AW 101 - must
also be an objective, as must an examination
of the potential need for UAS control from
either helicopter (in the way the US Army
is pushing ahead with its plans for manned-
unmanned teaming [MUM-T]).
The principle of using an optionally
piloted UAS would allow it to be used for
personnel transportation for up to four pas­
sengers, while the unmanned version would
enable it to revert to more mission-specific
roles such as ISR.
As an older platform, with a first flight in
1996 and entry into service with the Polish
Army in 2002, the SW-4 would follow the
trend laid down by other rotary-wing UAS
platforms, such as the Lockheed Martin
K-MAX and the Northrop Grumman MQ-
8B/C Fire Scouts.
ihs.com/janes
AgustaWestland is basing the Rotary-Wing UAS
Concept Capability Demonstrator (CCD) for the
UK Royal Navy on the SW-4.
The USMC’s ‘rock star’
“It has been kind of a rock star of marine
corps unmanned aviation for the past year
or so,” US Marine Corps (USMC) Major Dave
Funkhouser, unmanned aviation capabilities
integration officer, said of the K-MAX at an
Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems
International conference in the United
States earlier in 2 013.
The K-MAX’s growing status as a military
load-carrying rotary-wing UAS is founded on
the manned version’s workmanlike reputa­
tion as a civil logging aircraft. Named the
K1200 by Kaman, the KMAX’s unusual
design of intermeshing rotors (synchropter)
allows it to lift more than its own weight of
around 6,000 lb (2,727 kg).
Although only two helicopters have been
flying since the USMC initiated its opera­
tional trials in Afghanistan in December
‘The operational cost of the K-MAX working
in theatre has probably been around one
tenth of other [manned] aircraft’
2011, the corps has renewed the deploy­
ment to the point where it will now con­
tinue in theatre indefinitely. Despite one of
the two crashing on 5 June, with no budget
available to replace it, a contract extending
the remaining aircraft’s service was con­
firmed in August.
From its first basic mission profile of
carrying loads between operating bases,
Lockheed Martin and Kaman have honed
the technology.
“The K-MAX has been developed to oper­
ate manned or unmanned,” said George
Barton, Lockheed Martin’s vice president
of business development, ship and aviation
BRIEFING «
systems, at the Dubai Airshow in November.
“The requirement was to land within 3 m of
the target area, while in fact the aircraft has
been landing within 1 m.”
New trials are being carried out by the US
Army’s Aviation Applied Technology Direc­
torate (AATD) at Fort Eustis, Virginia, under
its Autonomous Technologies for Unmanned
Air Systems (ATUAS) programme.
“We are looking at autonomous obstacle
avoidance in the landing zone and have done
trials at AATD in Virginia, where vehicles
including trucks ingress into the proposed
landing zone for the K-MAX. This includes
the use of LIDAR remote sensing technol­
ogy,” Barton said. The trials also included
sending real-time high-definition video over
a high-bandwidth satellite link. Barton said
this required a ‘through the rotor’ commu­
nications link and the test was to simulate
beyond-line-of-sight situational awareness.
Other expansions of the mission would
include the unmanned location and col­
lection of cargo pallets without the need
for marines to be present to control and
supervise the action. Already the K-MAX
is flying loads to troops out on operations,
guided to the rendezvous in the field by a
hand-thrown beacon.
The US Army has maintained a seemingly
‘off/on’ interest in the programme, but this
is now more focused and has initiated its
own study. “We see a need; they have identi­
fied a capability requirement,” said Barton.
“The USMC’s figures speak for themselves.”
Working with the USMC in Afghanistan,
the K-MAX has been lifting around 2,720 kg
per day, with a one-day maximum of
13,610 kg. “The operational cost of the
K-MAX working in theatre has probably
been around one tenth of other [manned]
aircraft,” commented Barton. It is regularly
putting in five times the flight hours nor­
mally recorded by civilian operators and is
still achieving around 97% availability with
1.7 hours of maintenance per flight hour.
The US Army study wants to compare
the utility and cost-effectiveness of using
18 December 2013 Jane’s Defence Weekly j 27
» BRIEFING
a rotary-wing UAS against the traditional
method of hauling supplies in trucks by
road. Barton argues that they are mutually
compatible, with the UAS taking on the
more high risk or geographically difficult
missions.
Further developments being considered
for the K-MAX include adding external
fuel tanks that could be used to extend the
aircraft’s mission radius (although with the
obvious load penalty) and flying the aircraft
in a multi-ship formation rather than simply
individual aircraft missions.
One issue facing the K-MAX is the fact
that only 38 airframes were built and at
least 13 of those have been written off
through various incidents. While the last
aircraft rolled off the production line in the
early 2000s, as it turns out Kaman stored
the machining tools and officials say the line
could be re-established in approximately
nine months.
Barton also hinted that Lockheed Martin
had been approached by other helicopter
28 | Jane’s Defence Weekly 18 December 2013
OEMs/users regarding the transfer of the
technology embedded into the K-MAX into
other helicopter types. The missions envis­
aged were also not necessarily cargo based,
he said, adding: “We can foresee another
aircraft demonstration within the next
two years.”
The MQ-8 Fire Scout
On 31 October Northrop Grumman and the
US Navy (USN) flew the MQ.-8C: the latest
version of the Fire Scout vertical take-off
unmanned aerial vehicle (VTUAV). Flights of
seven and then nine minutes were per­
formed at the Naval Base Ventura County,
Point Mugu, in California, to a height of 500
ft. These followed earlier ground tests and
were principally conducted to confirm the
rotorcraft’s autonomous control systems.
The MQ-8C is based on the Bell 407
commercial helicopter, over 1,000 of which
have been manufactured, clocking up over
three million flight hours. It is a larger
platform than the MQ.-8B Fire Scout, which
US marines deployed to Helmand province in
Afghanistan on 22 May 2012 completed the
first unmanned, mid-flight cargo hook-up, also
known as a ‘hot hook-up’, between personnel
on the ground and a hovering K-MAX UAS.
was based on the turbine-powered Sch­
weitzer 330SP helicopter (now owned by
Sikorsky): a change borne out of the USN’s
need for greater range and payload. How­
ever, it has been noted that the two versions
share the same software, avionics and ship
ancillary systems.
“During at-sea deployments, operators
saw the need for a system that carried the
same intelligence-gathering capabilities of
the MQ.-8B, but that could fly longer and
carry additional payloads,” George
Vardoulakis, Northrop Grumman’s vice
president for medium-range tactical
systems, told reporters at the Dubai Airshow
in November.
The initial RQ.-8A Fire Scout was flown
in 2000, powered by a Rolls-Royce 250-
C20 turbine engine. However, after a brief
period the USN decided to cut its funding
for the project, feeling that its requirements
were not being met. Northrop Grumman
improved the airframe and in 2003 the USN
returned with an order for seven RQ-8Bs
ihs.com/Janes
 SCHIEBEL
CAMCOPTER® S-100
UNMANNED AIR SYSTEM

Stabilized Day and Night EO/IR Gimbals

U.S. Navy photo by Ja’lon A. Rhinehart. Use of released U.S. Navy imagery does not constitute product or organizational endorsement of any kind by the U.S. Navy.
 » BRIEFING
(which were redesignated MQ-8B in back
in 2006).
Comprising a four-bladed rotor, giving
increased lift along with stub wings, the
MC-8B has a speed of around 100 kt and
a range of around 620 n miles with eight
hours of endurance.
The MQ.-8C first saw light - under the
name Fire-X - in December 2010 when
Northrop Grumman began flight trials with
a Bell 407 helicopter modified to include the
controls from the MQ.-8B at the Yuma Prov­
ing Ground in Arizona.
In April 2012 the USN awarded Northrop
Grumman a USD262.3 million contract for
two developmental MQ.-8C test aircraft to
be used through to the summer of 2014.
It provided a further USD71 million for six
low-rate production aircraft with an eventual
requirement for 30 MQ.-8CS, some of which
will be used for special forces operations.
The MQ-8C weighs 2.7 tonnes and has
a 1,000 lb payload with up to 24 hours
endurance. It uses a Rolls-Royce 250-C47E
turbine engine that provides an extra 5%
increase in performance in hot and high
conditions, a 2% saving on fuel consumption
and an 8% increase in take-off power
(700 shp).
A US Navy MQ-8B Fire Scout UAV conducts
flight operations on board the guided missile
frigate USS Simpson (FFG 56) in the Gulf of
Guinea in March 2012.
US Navy: 1517214
30 | Jane's Defence Weekly 18 December 2013
Captain Patrick Smith, Fire Scout Program
Manager, PMA-266, at Naval Air Systems
Command, told IHS Jane’s he was pleased
to have completed the “critical” first flight
on 31 October. “Those flight tests at Point
Mugu [were conducted] to validate the
control systems of the aircraft and the
ground control segment. Then [we move]
to a second flight test period aboard a navy
destroyer, [USS Jason Dunham],” he stated.
“Following an operational assessment that
will take place in the summer of 2014, the
navy has said that an initial deployment will
occur later that same year.”
The roadmap for the MQ-8C’s evaluation
in 2013 began with ground turns in August,
followed by the first flight on 31 October.
Dynamic interface testing will start in
March 2014, followed by a full assessment
in the third quarter of the year.
The MQ-8C’s improvements over the
MQ-8B include double the range and triple
the payload (up to 2,600 lb) due to its bigger
size, additional fuel tanks and upgraded
engine. Northrop Grumman claims that its
endurance will be up to 12 hours, depending
on the size of the load carried.
Whereas the USN’s operational MQ-8B
system is based around three rotary-wing
UASs operating from a ship-based ground
control station (SGCS), the MQ.-8C will have
only a two-aircraft system. Both types will
operate through a shipboard UAV Common
Automatic Recovery System (UCARS) and
will carry an electro-optical and infrared
(EO/IR) Multi-Mission Payload (MMP).
The USN expects to operate a total of 56
systems: eight will be based on the MQ.-8B
(24 aircraft), while it will have 48 MQ-8C
two-aircraft systems (96 aircraft).
MQ-8B operational deployments
The first publicised operational deployment
of an MQ-8B Fire Scout took place in
September 2009 on board USS Mclnerney
(FFG 8), when it was used in operations
including anti-drug missions in the east­
ern Pacific. The MQ-8B is currently on its
seventh USN maritime deployment, again
conducting anti-piracy operations.
One MQ.-8B was shot down over Libya
during a mission from USS Halyburton (FFG
40), which was operating in support of
Operation ‘Unified Protector’. Other Fire
Scouts have crashed: one in shipboard
operations off the coast of Africa and
another in Afghanistan. As a result, mainte­
nance procedures were strengthened.
US Africa Command has used the MQ-8B
for anti-piracy missions with the fourth
detachment logging over 500 flight hours
in late 2012. In September an MQ-8B set
an endurance record with a 24-hour flight.
“Supporting aircraft flights required 10
separate flights, refueling aircraft eight
times, and having the ship set flight quarters
for launch or recovery 20 times,” the USN
said in a statement.
In June four Fire Scouts from Detachment
9, Helicopter Strike Maritime squadron
(HSM) 46, flew a record 333 hours from USS
Samuel B Roberts (HSM 46) in the Medi­
terranean: the sixth operational deploy­
ment of the MQ-8B. The Fire Scout sends
full-motion video directly back to the ship’s
combat information centre (CIC), a process
that has demonstrated a highly impressive
99% link reliability.
Two MQ.-8BS and two ground control
stations were also used in Afghanistan from
2 May 2011 to 1 August 2013. Provid­
ing ground troops with airborne ISR, they
accrued 5,084 flight hours during 1,438
flights at an operational rate of around
300 hours per month, operated through a
government-owned, contractor-operated
(GoCo) contract. Following their withdrawal
ihs.com/janes
 BRIEFING «
they are now slated for USN use from its Lit­
toral Combat Ships.

The Schiebel Camcopter S-100

The latest developments from the Schiebel
Camcopter S-100 project are that maritime
testing has continued on the French Navy’s
VAdroit offshore patrol vessel (OPV) since it
was selected for trials in October 2011. The
vessel was designed specifically with the
cabling and support equipment for Schieb-
el’s Camcopter S-100 in place.
L’Adroit deployed to the Indian Ocean and
Asia and has been evaluating the S-100’s
performance in a range of missions, includ­
ing anti-piracy, drug and human trafficking
missions. It has completed over 120 flight
hours and nearly 200 take-offs since the
beginning of the trials in 2012.
That year the S-100 also became the first
rotary-wing UAS to be flown from an Italian || The Camcopter S-100 was flown from an Italian frigate for the first time in April 2012. In its standard
configuration the UAV has an endurance of more than six hours, with a typical payload of 34 kg and
naval vessel, ITS Bersagliere. The S-100
a ceiling of 18,000 ft.
carried a Wescam MX-10 payload and tests
were carried out in conditions up to sea state
four and with wind speeds of up to 25 kt.
Flight trials were conducted at the begin­
ning of 2013 with the Thales I-Master radar
system. The I-master provides ground mov­
ing target indication (GMTI) and synthetic
aperture radar (SAR) for multiple targets
over wide areas and at long ranges. On 7 Feb­
ruary several flights were conducted from
Schiebel’s test facility at Wiener Neustadt.
Results were excellent, according to
Eddie Awang, vice president of intelligence
surveillance & reconnaissance at Thales.
“I-Master can operate successfully on this
VTOL UAV, meeting the specific challenges
of unmanned platforms without interfer­
ence or operational impact,” he said.
What is believed to be an S-100 has also
conducted flight trials from Chinese frigates,
while it also became the first UAS to fly at
the Paris Airshow in June 2013.

Rotary-wing UASs to watch

A relatively new entrant to the rotary-wing
UAS market is Saab’s Skeldar V-200: a short-
to medium-range VTOL UAV that found a
military maritime customer in the Spanish
Navy. Prior to its first deployment providing
surveillance for the BAM (Burque de Action
Maritime) vessel SBS Meteoro in Djibouti on
10 September, work-up and integration tri­
als were conducted on board SPS Relampago
around the Canary Islands.
“The Skeldar UAS is operated together
with a manned helicopter to enhance the

ihs.oom/janes 18 December 2013 Jane’s Defence Weekly | 31

» BRIEFING
WW
vessel’s surveillance capabilities during its
mission to fight piracy as part of the EU
Atalanta operation in the Gulf of Aden,” said
Mikael Franzen, director of Saab’s tacti­
cal UAS product area. “The air worthiness,
heavy-fuel engine, high performance and
operational capability” would be key factors
in gaining more customers, Franzen added.
The Skeldar’s missions include monitor­
Cassidian is promoting its Tanan
300 compact VTOL tactical UAS
for maritime and land missions.
ing locations used by Somali pirates as well
as monitoring their movement. Operating
unarmed to a maximum height of 11,483 ft,
the Skeldar can fly up to 140 km to a range
of 100 km.
Another UAS to watch for is the Cassidian
Tanan 300, which enjoyed its first demon­
stration flight in 2010. The Tanan is a
heavy-fuel diesel rotary-wing UAS that
requires a ground-control station and
antenna for basic operations. Cassidian has
confirmed it is offering this UAS for naval
and land forces.
It is expected to carry payloads including
EO/IR sensors, identification systems and a
maritime radar, and will capture images and
high definition video at 2 km. The company
reports eight hours endurance with a 50
kg payload over a range o f l 8 0 k m ( 1 0 0 n
miles). It will require one operator and Cas­
sidian claims it can operate in temperatures
from -20°C to 50°C.
“Maritime operators including the French,
German and Royal Navy are currently in dis­
cussions with Cassidian over the potential
of the Tanan 300. Its diesel fuel engine is of
particular interest,” Cassidian spokesman
Alain Dupiech said.
Finally, it was announced at the Dubai
Airshow that Abu Dhabi-based Adcom
Systems, which has an interest indesigning
and developing UAVs and target drones, is
in discussions with Russia’s Berkut Aero
design bureau regarding the creation of its
own rotary-wing UAS. The published report
claimed that it may be suitable to operate
from aircraft carriers and have an armed
capability - ambitious plans that are likely to
stretch Adcom’s technical abilities.
Andrew Drwiega is a JDW Correspondent,
based in London

Rotary-wing UAVs over 67 lb in production or development

Name Primary supplier Country of f inal assembly Max weight (lbs) Status
K-MAX Kaman Corp United States 11,001-22,000 Production
Albatross Russian Helicopter Russian Federation 4,401-11,000 Development
MQ-8C Northrop Grumman United States 4,401-11,000 Production
A160 Hummingbird Boeing United States 2,201-4,400 Production
MQ-8B Northrop Grumman United States 2,201 -4,400 Production
Ka-135 Russian Helicopter Russian Federation 441-2,200 Development
Korshun Russian Helicopter Russian Federation 441-2,200 Development
S-100 Schiebel Corp Austria 441-2,200 Production
Skeldar V-200 Saab Group Sweden 441-2,200 Production
V750 Weifang Tianxiang Aviation Industry Co Ltd China 441-2,200 Production
Yabhon-V7 ADCOM United Arab Emirates 441-2,200 Development
Apid-55 CybAero Sweden 67-440 Production
Apid-60 CybAero Sweden 67-440 Production
AutoCopter Neural Robotics United States 67-440 Production
Jackal Scion Aviation United States 67-440 Production
Mjolnir Swiss UAV Switzerland 67-440 Production
RMAX Type II Yamaha Motor Co Japan 67-440 Production
Yellow Jacket AeroVironment United States 67-440 Production
ZALA 421-02 A-Level Aerosystem Russian Federation 67-440 Production
Source: IHS Jane’s DS Forecast

32 | Jane’s Defence Weekly 18 December 2013 ihs.com/janes

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ihs.com/janes 18 December 2013 Jane's Defence Weekly | 33

»INTERVIEW
David Johnston
MINISTER OF DEFENCE, AUSTRALIA
ustralian Defence Minister David
A Johnston has outlined to IHS Jane’s a
commitment to address the so-called
‘valley of death’ facing Australia’s naval ship­
building sector.
The phrase has been used to describe the
decline in work that will emerge between
the winding down of the Royal Australian
Navy’s (RAN’s) Air Warfare Destroyer (AWD)
programme and the start of the project to
construct its next-generation submarines.
The gap is expected to be several years
and, if unaddressed, will likely result in a
loss of industrial capability with hundreds of
skilled Australian naval shipbuilding workers
potentially being made redundant. John­
ston, however, said he is currently working
to find a solution to address the expected
shortage of work and that his “plan is com­
ing together”.
“One of the first things I was presented
with upon becoming minister [of defence]
was a plan to address the valley of death, but
it needs work,” he said. “We need to acknowl­
edge an in-country build [for the submarine
project] is almost essential if we are going
to benefit from cutting-edge technology.
Defence jobs in Australia are very important
to me and I am currently working on a time­
frame to come up with a solution. It won’t
be a perfect solution but the plan is coming
together; I think it’s very do-able.”
Johnston said that the plan to address the
valley of death would likely feature oppor­
tunities related to a range of upcoming RAN
projects, including patrol boats, auxiliary
vessels, submarines, replenishment ships
and frigates. “I expect that sometime in the
second or third quarters we will be in a posi­
tion to talk frankly about the way forward,”
he said.
“I am talking to the major [industry]
players to get a better appreciation of the
scheduling [and] the pain they are going to
experience as we complete projects such as
the LHDs [landing helicopter dock ships] and
AWDs,” he said. “I don’t think the previous
government appreciated the defence pipeline
and the long-term planning that is needed for
the defence industry.
“I have admired the tenacity of our local
defence industry, which has felt a lot of pain
34 ] Jane's Defence Weekly 18 December 2013
‘There is always a
clash between our
national security
responsibility and
our fiscal long­
term responsibly
and the challenge
is getting that
balance right’
in recent years. I understand that they can’t
keep their highly skilled workers on the
books indefinitely when there is no certainty
of work around the corner,” he added.
Johnston said that the plan to address
the valley of death needs to be supported
by strong defence policies outlined in the
defence White Paper and the Defence Capa­
bility Plan (DCP), the latter of which will
detail and schedule defence procurement
programmes.
“Our White Paper and DCP have to be
robust,” he said. “The first part is having the
Treasury and [the Department of] Finance
agree with the funding principles. There is
always a clash between our national secu­
rity responsibility and our fiscal long-term
responsibly and the challenge is getting that
balance right.”
Johnston added that when the Coalition
government won the federal election in June
2013 it outlined a commitment to publish
within 18 months a “fully costed” defence
White Paper, DCP and Defence Industry Pol­
icy Statement, the latter of which is geared
towards aligning industry with the objectives
outlined in the two former policies.
On the issue of funding, however, Johnston
warned that the Australia Department of
Defence (DoD) was “confronting a very
significant issue”.
He said: “People in business know that
managing your capital account is a very
important part of your boardroom function­
ality and your fiduciary duty. Our capital
account is really in big trouble. We have
taken something around AUD20 billion out
in the last four years and for projects that
are 10, 15 and 20 years hence we [will] have
a lot of problems putting a coherent plan
together to... decide priority [and] the fund­
ing envelope.
“About 125 projects have been moved
to the right in recent years.... [Modernisa­
tion outlined] in the 2009 defence White
Paper was premised on a 3% real indexed
growth factor out to 2017/2018 and then
2.29o after that out to 2030. That promise
lasted about a month before Treasury and
Finance realised that the climb to that level
was too steep.”
Johnston said that a DCP pledged by the
previous government for 2013 “simply
wasn’t published” and that this has “left very
little direction for industry to assist in their
short- and long-term strategic planning”.
However, Johnston added: “We want to
avoid that particular disposition in govern­
ment now. The prime minister [Tony Abbott]
has promised us funding of 2% of GDP in
10 years. We have, with the assistance
of [the DoD], a plan that delivers steady,
consistent growth to that figure. It will be a
challenge, but I am strongly committed to
that objective.”
Jon Grevatt
Jane’s Asia-Pacific Industry Analyst, Bangkok
ihs.com/janes
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