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ISSN 1478-3347 Volume fifteen – Issue three May 2012

VEHICLES COMMUNICATIONS ARMOUR COMPUTERS

BATTLESPACEBATTLESPACEC4ISTAR TECHNOLOGIESC4ISTAR TECHNOLOGIES

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Volume 15, Issue 3May 2012Please use either the buttons on the left or top right of the page to navigate your way around this interactive PDFImPortant InFormatIon:Copyright – Issued four times per year. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means – electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise – without the prior written permission of the Copyright owner.

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Battlespace Publications8 Sinclair GardensLondon W14 0ATT/F: +44 (0)207 6105520M: +44 077689 54766E: [email protected]: www. battle-technology.com

Volume 15 Issue 3

may 2012

▼ ▼

■Contents

What’s in this issue

■feature artiCles

Future Force Depends on Future Leadership

U.S. Naval Special Warfare –‘In Transition Phase’

DGI 2012 – Working Together

Unity of Effort in Counter –Piracy Operations

European Communication Systems Converge

Helicopter and UAV EO/IR Payloads

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Whatever the mission, wherever, whenever

BATTLESPACE C4ISTAR TECHNOLOGIES

News in Brief15 India Begins Work on ICBM By Bulbul Singh

15 Northrop Grumman Demonstrates Capability inUnmanned Ground Sensors By Julian Nettlefold

Features

18 Future Force Depends on FutureLeadership By Julian Nettlefold

12 U.S. Naval Special Warfare –‘In Transition Phase’ By Scott R. Gourley

18 DGI 2012 – Working TogetherBy Yvonne Headington

22 Unity of Effort in Counter –Piracy Operations By Yvonne Headington

26 European Communication SystemsConverge By Stefan Nitschke, M.Sc., Ph.D.,International Defence Analyst and Consultant

34 Helicopter and UAV EO/IR Payloads By David Maxwell

Business Feature

42 Aero GB Targets The ‘Special Mission’Market By Yvonne Headington

The BATTLESPACE Interview

46 Aiming For Number OneBATTLESPACE meets Lennart Ljungfelt, President,Aimpoint AB, Battlespace Businessman of The Yearcandidate By Eric Gourley

FEATUREDEX 2011: BACKDROP TO ANUNCERTAIN FUTURE By John ReedEUROPEAN NEWSEUROPEN C4I UPDATE 2010By Stefan Nitschke, InternationalDefence Analyst and ConsultantEVOLUTION OF THE GUN MOUNTBy Bob MorrisonEVOLVING TO MEET NEWTECHNOLOGIES By Julian Nettlefold

US AND CANADIAN NEWS U.S. SECRETARY GATES REVEALSEFFICIENCIES – KILLS EFV –RESTRUCTURES F-35EARL LEWIS CEO OF FLIR –BATTLESPACE BUSINESSMAN OFTHE YEAR 2010 By Julian NettlefoldGLOBAL HAWK SPREADS ITSEUROPEAN WINGS By JulianNettlefoldGLOBAL MOMENTUM FOR MISSIONCRITICAL MOBILE LOCATIONTECHNOLOGY By Brian Varano,Director of Marketing, TruePosition

REST OF THE WORLDRANGE SURVEILLANCE ANDCONTROL SYSTEM FOR EGYPT ByDavid MaxwellINDIAN ARMY’S WHEELED GUNTRIALS NEXT MONTH -KEREMETAL STAYS IN RACE ByJulian Nettlefold

NEW TECHNOLOGIESSPONSORED BY OXLEYGROUP PLCwww.oxleygroup.com

MANAGEMENT ON THE MOVE

Editor: Julian NettlefoldIndustry Editor: John Reed

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Contents

In this month’s issue… BATTLESPACEE-NEWS

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Dear Reader,

Welcome to the third issue of BATTLESPACE for 2012. As defence budgetsaround the world continued to be put under pressure there is a growingtrend for all countries to rely on exports to bolster their defenceindustries to counter in-country downturn. This issue coincides with theEurosatory show in Paris. Development of defence technology by the EU isvital if European security without the help of the USA can be maintained.At the moment the spread of different technologies across the EU makesthese difficult and expensive to maintain. At a time of austerity thenormal reaction for governments is to cut back on all R&D, to do this atthis crucial juncture when the USA is looking towards the Pacific as thenext area of conflict and unrest caused by increased immigration,currency turmoil and job losses could cause more destabilization andunrest Europe with some, suggesting that conflict could even break out inEurope. We haven’t seen the end of the Euro crisis for many a year andthe ramifications which a split Europe could bring. Many years ago agood friend of mine, Dr Sydney Meir said that he believed that the EUwould implode with a split between Germany, France, the former RussianFederation states and the Scandinavian countries with the Southerncountries of Spain, Italy and the Balkans becoming a separate entity.The UK would them migrate to become the 51st State of the USA.

In the USA, this is of particular need due to the continued worries overthe effects of the looming ‘sequestration’ issues. In this issue DavidMaxwell looks at UAV and helicopter EO/IR systems whilst YvonneHeadington covers a number of key topics including Piracy. We aredelighted to welcome a new contributor, Eric Gourley, son of ScottGourley, who wrote the feature on Lennart Ljungfelt, CEO of Aimpoint,one of our candidates for BATTLESPACE Businessman of the Year 2012.Scott covers a feature on U.S. Naval Special Warfare.

Yours sincerely,

Julian NettlefoldEditor, BATTLESPACE

Letter from the editor

5BATTLESPACE C4ISTAR TECHNOLOGIES

News in brief

In April Indian scientists began work ondeveloping another nuclear-capablemissile with a range of 10,000kms. Lastweek, India tested the Agni-V with arange of 5000kms. The new missile will benamed Agni-VI and will qualify as anIntercontinental Ballistic Missile (ICBM).

India’s DRDO has begun work ondeveloping the 10,000kms rangeIntercontinental Ballistic Missile Agni-VI,confirmed sources.

“While the basic technology of Agni-VI willbe similar to that of the Agni-V missile,which has a range of over 5000kms, Agni-VI will have guidance systems fromoverseas,” said sources, even as DRDOscientists claim they have the ability todevelop their own guidance systems.

DRDO and Rafael are alreadycollaborating in developing a variety ofguidance systems. DRDO has alreadydeveloped a radio frequency-based SeekerHead. So far, only the test flight of thenew Seeker Head has been carried out anddevelopment of the new frequency wave-seeker head is being carried out with thehelp of the Israelis. Earlier, DRDO with thehelp of the Israelis, had developed theSeeker Head based on InfraRedtechnology.

In February this year, DRDO announcedthe setting up of an advanced Navigation& Embedded Computers Complex set up atHyderabad which will develop advancedguidance systems for a variety of missiles.

Guidance systems and other navigationsystems are the key to the success of thedevelopment of an ICBM.

“Currently India does not have thecapability to develop these systems.” saida DRDO scientist.

However, sources say, India is developingthe advanced guidance systems which willbe used by Agni-V, Agni-VI and even theLand Attack and Cruise missiles with thehelp of the Israelis. The Russians areinvolved in the joint-development of thesupersonic cruise missile, BrahMos, buthave not offered India the advancedsystems for use by Long Range Missiles,especially the Intercontinental BallisticMissiles. China has already mounteddozens of long range missiles, includingICBMs on India’s northern border in Tibet.Besides, India is also under threat of anuclear missile from Pakistan whichtested its 3000kms range Shaheen-IA,April 24 within a week of India’s testingthe 5000kms range Agni-V.

While India is developing its own anti-missile missile defence systems, it isstrengthening its ballistic missilecapabilities in consonance with itsdemands as a regional power. India haseconomic and security interests in theIndian Ocean rim countries, and hasrecently undertaken joint exploration ofoil in the South China Sea in a tie up withVietnam. This proactive step of India hasnot been gone well with Beijing and thethreat from its northern neighbour hasincreased say analysts.

While Agni-V can cover most of China,and parts of Europe under its range,if fired from the northern tip of India,Agni-VI will impart a definitive deterrencevalue and also establish India’s identity asa true world power, which it aims to

achieve in the next two decades, giventhe rate of growth of its economy.

Indian scientists are also developingcapability to mount more than sixwarheads, including nuclear warheads onAgni-VI.

Another major difference between Agni-Vand Agni-VI will be that the latter wouldbe stationary compared to the mobileAgni-V missile, thus giving it the ability tobe 'ready for operation' at all given times.

India Begins Work on ICBM By Bulbul Singh

Northrop Grumman Demonstrates Capability inUnmanned Ground Sensors By Julian Nettlefold

In April BATTLESPACE discussed therecent Scorpion Unmanned GroundSystem (UGS) contract award withJack Wolford, Business developmentManager Northrop Grumman ES-GESbased in Cincinnati, Ohio.

The U.S. Army has awarded NorthropGrumman Corporation a contract toprovide SCORPION and SCORPION IIUnattended Ground Sensor (UGS)systems to protect soldiers with aremote persistent unattendedsurveillance capability for improvedsituational awareness and actionableintelligence.

Northrop Grumman’s SCORPION UGSsystems have been deployed worldwide.The primary function of SCORPION is toprovide persistent surveillance forsituational awareness, remote areamonitoring and perimeter security.

“How did Northrop Grumman get into theUnmanned Ground System business?”

“Northrop Grumman purchased Xetron anRF radio specialist in 1972. Xetron is now akey part of the Land and Self ProtectionSystems Division of Northrop GrummanElectronic Systems.”

“How many employees do you have andwhat is your particular area ofexpertise?”

“We have 300 employees with a longhistory of RF technology going back to ourWestinghouse heritage in 1986. Xetronspecializes in providing solutions that meetoperational needs or fill technology gaps.These solutions range from a Quick ReactCapability (QRC) to full MIL Spec programs.Our proven solutions, which include bothCOTS and custom “components,” coverRadio Frequency (RF) Systems as well asInformation Operations (IO) to includeComputer Network Operations (CNO) for

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cyber applications. Xetron is a world leaderin specialized RF Applications andInformation Operations.”

“Solving RF interference is one of theblack arts of the defense electronicsindustry and not well reported, atBATTLESPACE we have written about it formany years, particularly with regard tolarge communications programmes suchas BOWMAN in the U.K.”

“You are right, there are a few Companieswith our abilities and we regard ourselvesas an industry leader in radiocommunications interference mitigation,we not only solve your cosite interferenceissues using sophisticated modeling tools,we also design, develop, and build thehardware solution you need. Whether it’scancellers, multicouplers, power amps,filters, or some combination of these, we’vedone it (VHF/UHF/L-band/Multi-band).”

“How did this translate into an expertiseto build and develop UGS?”

“Our RF expertise was recognised as thecore to allow connectivity between theUGS and the operator be he on the groundor across the world. We won our firstcontract in 1998 and were contracted to‘problem solve’ a contract in 1999. EarlyUGS systems were stovepiped and limitedby line-of-sight; our job was to globalisethis connectivity seamlessly across theglobe.”

“What other capabilities do you have todevelop this technology?”

“We also specialize in small size, lowpower consumption, battery operatedsolutions for collection systems,receivers/transmitters, communicationssystems, unattended ground sensorsystems, and tagging, tracking andlocating systems. Some of our very smallproducts incorporate custom RFintegrated circuits, designed here atXetron and developed at our AdvancedTechnology Center. In the informationoperations/cyber market, our extensiveexperience with operating systemsenables us to specialize in information

assurance (encryption, tamperprotection, intrusion detection, andrecovery after compromise) in additionto reverse engineering and computerassault. We also provide secure methodsof communicating within a system.Some UGS systems can have as manyas 50 different products from differentmanufacturers thus we have to developthe network which allows all of these toconnect seamlessly without anyinterference with common open sourcesoftware. After the collapse of FCS whereOverwatch Inc. was the UGS lead, theU.S. Army came to us to develop the nextrange of UGS, thus with our money andDoD funding we produced the Scorpion 1range of UGS.”

“Were your systems deployed in Iraq andAfghanistan?”

“Yes we were required to provide remoteUGS systems in both areas to provideseamless 24/7 surveillance andintelligence gathering in dangerous andremote areas where boots on the groundcould either not reach or would be putinto dangerous situations. These systemscan be left in situ after our troops departto provide 24/7 intelligence reaching backto the Central Mission Centre in the USAor diverted to our allies.”

“What is the difference between ScorpionI and II?”

“While SCORPION remains the UGS systemof choice in Iraq, Afghanistan and otherdeployments, SCORPION II's size, weightand wireless performance improvementssignificantly increase the available missionset for the warfighter. This contract bothsupports existing systems and enablesmultiple organizations to combine theirrequirements for new systems, savingmoney for the U.S. government.”

“Can you give us an idea of the size of thecontract and number of systems?”

“Under the terms of this indefinitedelivery indefinite quantity contract,(IDIQ), Northrop Grumman will provide inexcess of 1000 SCORPION and SCORPION IIwired and wireless UGS systems andsupport services over a five-year period.”

“SCORPION II is the next generation ofpersistent autonomous surveillance systemsfor force protection and intelligencegathering. The systems use seismic,magnetic and/or passive infrared sensors tocue long range, short range and pointblank-range thermal or day cameras todetect and assess potential threats.SCORPION II combines unmatched wirelessday and night imagery performance withsignificantly reduced size and weight,making portability and concealment faster,safer and lower in power consumption andlengthening mission life.”

“How much training is required forScorpion and how many men are requiredto deploy it?”

“We saw a need to reduce the size andthus Scorpion II is 50% lighter thanScorpion I and uses less battery power.We solved this using our own internalIRAD. The system also has betterresolution with a passive IR capability,and wireless connectivity.”

“Is the system ITAR protected and can youexport the system.”

“Yes, but we are looking at StateDepartment Approval to export andexpect to sign up our first export customerwithin 24 – 36 months.”


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On February 24th during AUSA Winter,General Raymond T. Odierno, 38thChief of Staff, US Army gave animpressive speech outlining the futureshape and structure of the US Armyfollowing the current reorganisation.

General Odierno opened his speechstating that the Army could drop fromtoday’s 45 brigades down to 32,depending on the results of an internalArmy study. When the new DoDstrategic guidance was released inJanuary, the Pentagon announced theArmy would eliminate at least eightbrigade combat teams and drop from570,000 soldiers in the active duty forceto 490,000. Army officials have said thenumber of brigade combat teams couldfall even further with the conclusion ofa force design/force mix study beingdone by Army Training and DoctrineCommand (TRADOC). He said that theArmy would use the power of all therelevant institutions to adjust theFuture Force. By the end of FY17 therewill be eight fewer Brigade CombatTeams (BCT), two of which, (the 172 willdeactivate in 2014), will be taken fromEurope.

“The Future Force depends on the FutureLeadership, thus we must encouragesoldiers to develop their skills within themilitary education and training

framework. The Army undertook 6500hours of simulated operations to decideon force structures, the results of thiswill be reported in two months. Earlyfeedback suggests that we should add athird Manoeuvre Battalion to each BCTand bring in more engineers. We alsopropose to grow our Special Ops forceto 35,000 and bring in moreinteroperability with the Army andother forces, this will allow us to bettersynchronise our WMD and Counter-terror activities. We have to bring in56000 recruits a year and these menmust be trained to the highest standard.We also intend using more soldiers incurrent civilian posts to retain thisknowledge base.”

“My intent is to sustain a high-quality,All-Volunteer Army that remains themost decisive land force in theworld; provides depth andversatility to the Joint Force; isagile, responsive and effective forCombatant Commanders; andensures flexibility for nationalsecurity decision-makers indefense of the Nation at homeand abroad.”

General Odierno emphasisedthe importance of the PacificTheatre to the Army and saidthat more effort would be

deployed tothat Region.He also saidthat the ArmyServiceDeployed Commandwill develop betterand morePreposition setsoverseas and createbetter Armyrepresentation in theCoCom HQ for theJoint Force. Hewent on to

Future Force Depends on FutureLeadership By Julian Nettlefold


say that it is vital to sustain thereduced number of Reservists, 205,000and allow them to be better deployed inthe main Army. To enable this transitionthe FY13 Budget reflects the move fromcurrent and future needs to currentneeds with many key Programs beingslowed down. Development of theNetwork, GCV, Army Aviation andSoldier Systems remain the keyobjectives. RD must be sustained in thebudget to allow new technologies toflow through.

GCV

General Odierno took a number ofquestions at the end of his speech, akey one being about the GroundCombat Vehicle Program (GCV). He saidthat the Army needs a new heavyvehicle capability in the Middle Eastand Korea after studies showed theneed for heavy armour in these areas.An analysis had shown that the Bradleyhas a huge survivability issue and theArmy has lost more of these vehiclesthan any other vehicle. He said that

over the last seven or eight yearswith Bradley, first it hasn’t done

very well surviving. In fact, ofall of the Army’s combatplatforms the Army has lostmore Bradleys than any othercombat platform. The Bradleyhas not been used in fiveyears.

“I see survivability andmobility as the key to GCVand other new systems.We want to get back tothe mobility we hadbefore the wars in Iraq.”

In an earlier brief on theArmored Multipurpose Vehicle(AMPV), M113 Replacement

Program it was suggested that thefavourite would bethe turretlessBradleys, 2000 ofwhich, with their

turrets,are

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currently languishing in the desert, this now looks in doubt and a wheeled solutioncould be the answer. If there were any UK MoD people in the audience, no doubtthey would be questioning the current GDUK Scout and the Lockheed MartinWarrior WCSP Upgrade Programmes? After all both vehicles have almost the samespecification, protection, power and weight as the Bradley. We have been sayingthis for some time and agree with the General, the current fleet has reached thebutt stops with regard to power-to-weigh ratios, mobility and protection and it isnot, as one contractor observed last Christmas that GKN made the Warrior!


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12 U.S. Naval Special Warfare – ‘In Transition Phase’

Speaking at the recent ‘West 2012’industry conference in San Diego,California, Rear Admiral Sean Pybus,Commander, Naval Special Warfare(NSW) Command, described U.S. navalspecial warfare and the broader jointspecial operations community as “in atransition phase.”

“Not so much a point; not an inflection;but a phase,” he explained. “Numberone, our situation vis-à-vis other serviceforces and employment is changing. Andnumber two, selected SOF capabilities ormethods are being added, subtracted orrefined to meet ‘the new normal’ of ourthreat environment.”

A current snapshot of the NSWcommunity reflects 1200 membersdeployed in 21 countries around theworld.

“Most of that force is in Afghanistan,working multiple lines of operationthere, from village stability operations,to counter-network efforts,” he said.

Describing the joint SOF village stabilitystrategy as “the game-changing line ofeffort that works long term,” Pybusstressed that future efforts will requirecontinuation of “real and virtuallifelines” of communications and

medical support that supply theremote SOF teams.

“If we find ourselves in hamlets orpositions where we don’t thinkthose lifelines will be effectivewe’re not going to go there.” hesaid.

Pybus pointed to the success ofsimilar stabilityoperations in thePhilippines over thepast decade, as wellas presence in EastAfrica and theArabian Gulf.

“All of thisactivityfor NavalSpecialWarfarewill goforward andthen we willdo more thingsin more parts ofthe world – as wecan generate forceand capability.”he said. “Whatbecame globalforce management

in the mid-2000s, inorder to resourceCENTCOM active fights,

we took from thePacific; we tookfrom LatinAmerica; we took

from Africa; we tookfrom Europe.

U.S. Naval Special Warfare – ‘InTransition Phase’ By Scott R. Gourley


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And we put those resources into thepriority fights. So as we can, my intent isto reinvest in those areas that we left anumber of years ago and get back up tothe levels that those [regional]commanders need in order to do theirbusiness.”

“We will never meet full demand,” heacknowledged. “We are aspecial operations force.And there is a point at which growth erodes ourability to do specialoperations and tothink in uncon-

ventional ways. But we willimprove ourinvestments around the globe as we canin the years to come.”

“For 10 years we’ve been side byside with the Army, the AirForce, and the Marine Corpsin Iraq, Afghanistan,

U.S. Naval Special Warfare – ‘In Transition Phase’ BATTLESPACE C4ISTAR TECHNOLOGIES

the Persian Gulf, the Horn of Africa – atwar; together; joint,” he said. “And wewill stay forward to assume moreresponsibilities from the theatercommanders, generating capabilitiesappropriate to the threat, and to protectourselves.”

Expanding on the future vision in whichspecial operations elements willconstitute a higher percentage of USforces deployed forward, Pybus pointedto a resulting need “to invest further inintelligence and communications – theability to reach back. Those smallelements who are alone out therehave got to be able to reach back,communicate, bring other capabilitiesto bear, and to move. So we are takingharder looks at how we do that for ourforces, anticipating the environmentthat we’re moving into. Individual soldiersystems apply here as well – how we’rearmed and how we can defend ourselves– things and ways that will continueto give SEALs, Combatant Craftdetachments, other NSW elementsa winning advantage when they aremore alone in contested terrain.”

“We will be farther from friendlysupport, yet expected to do everything

we are doing today,” he continued.“Those real and virtual lifelines that I

speak about cannot fail.”

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16 U.S. Naval Special Warfare – ‘In Transition Phase’

Elaborating of anticipated NSWcommunications requirements, Pybusoffered, “We need to be able tocommunicate in a contestedenvironment. We absolutely have tocommunicate through adversary EWand in every part of the world. So we aretaking a much more critical look at thatnow. We have relied on others toprovide some of that support in yearspast and we have gotten great resultsfrom it. But I think the chessboard ischanging.”

“Aside from that change in circumstancewe are also going through a transition inselected capabilities and relationships,”he stated. “Naval Special Warfare pridesitself on anticipating or adapting tochange. Most of our investments since9/11 though have been for the War onTerror and they have been focused in theU.S. Central Command region. We willcontinue to fight terror there, certainly,where we find it, but to a good degreewe need to ‘go back to the future’ andreinforce NSW ties to the larger Navyand the U.S. Marine Corps.”

Admitting that NSW has “not done allwe can to prepare for a crisis in theSouth China Sea or the Persian Gulf orthe Korean Peninsula,” he expressed his“intent to look for new opportunities to

improve our collective relationship andcapability. This includes workups inVirginia, reviewing operational plans tomake sure that SOF or Naval SpecialWarfare contributions are maximized,exercising command and control in ajoint/combined environment, and adeeper collaboration with U.S. Naval

forces on long term campaign strategiesand plans.”

“I know that the Navy will continue tobe global,” he said. “Naval SpecialWarfare will begin to reconstitute itsown global presence. So we want to takebest advantage of this particular


relationship for the future.”

“We’re also looking for service commonsolutions for better intelligence,surveillance and reconnaissancesystems/platforms /payloads,” hecontinued. “We are looking very closelyin the medium range and that categoryof support – where Scan Eagle plays. Shehas got great payload capabilities anduploads. We’re looking for the nextgeneration and hope to find some helpfrom the Navy with regard to that –having ISR that’s compatible and can beused with the Navy for Naval SpecialWarfare or vice versa.”

Pybus offered an NSW future visionincluding, “more frequently usinginterim or dedicated Afloat ForwardStaging Bases (AFSB),” adding, “Weappreciate being in the conversationabout AFSBs with the Navy and theMarine Corps – about feasibility,availability, and capability.”

As an example of the increasing servicerelationships, he pointed to the factthat, “Navy Helicopter Squadrons onboth coasts – squadrons 84 and 85 – arenow dedicating flight hours to SEALtraining and SOF training…We’re excitedabout this relationship and ultimatelygreater capability going forward ondeployments or available forward.”

“The Navy has provided a combat rotarywing capability in Iraq for six yearsnow,” he said. “That remains in thetheater and we are very appreciative ofit. Those pilots, those crews, and thoseaircraft are magnificent and they havedone a lot of great work with SOF andwith Naval Special Warfare that we’revery proud of. So we want to firm thatrelationship up.”

Turning to organic surface and sub-

surface mobility, Pybus offered, “We aretransitioning some of our surface craftto a medium multi-mission hull. Weeventually want a family of surfacecraft for a full range of threat andcapability.”

Acknowledging that, “you need moremoney to make things work under thewater,” he noted, “Naval SpecialWarfare is accepting some current riskin this area. But I’m proud of what wedo today; our capabilities today; and Iwill always be looking for opportunitiesto find the resources to move ourundersea and underwater programsforward – and we have a greatrelationship with the submarine Navy inthat regard.”

Summarizing, Pybus said, “Even as wetransition in these ways, to new areasand missions, where we adapt or refinecapabilities, we will continue to be fullyemployed. A top priority for me is to‘sustain the force’ that has been incombat for 10 years now. And there’sstill a lot of work to be done. So I amparticularly concerned and make ita top priority that support to ourforce/our members our families isavailable – support of all kinds.So we’re investing and Admiral McRaven[Commander, USSOCOM] is investingacross SOF in ways and tools to mitigatepressures and manifestations of hardwork over long periods of time, so thatwe will have a very capable force forthe future.”

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18 DGI 2012 – Working Together

Co-operation was one of the main themesto emerge from this year’s DefenceGeospatial Intelligence (DGI) conferenceand exhibition, held in London from 23 to26 January 2012. Addressing whatindustry can do for the militarycustomer, speakers emphasised the needfor collaboration between suppliers aswell between suppliers and customers.

Collaboration is Key

Brigadier Jim Hockenhull, Head ofMilitary Planning at the UK Ministry ofDefence (MoD), said that he neededindustry to “collaborate both with meand also with each other.” The Brigadiersaid that he wanted to move away fromhaving to resolve compatibility issueswith equipment that doesn’t worktogether. “I don't want the jigsaw thateither I need to sort out how procedurallyI’m going to make work.” said BrigadierHockenhull, “or that I need to come backto you in order for you to help me fix thejigsaw that I’ve bought.”

The Brigadier did not necessarily pin theblame on suppliers since the customer isnot always able to frame a coherentrequirement. “Often that’s because wedon’t understand what the realopportunities are……collaboration is keybut it goes in a whole range of different

directions.” This may sound slightlyalarming but it is not too difficult toappreciate how the left hand of a largeand complex organisation like Defencemight not necessarily know what theright hand has acquired – let alonerealise the full potential of thesecapabilities.

Industry Working Together

By way of illustrating the mix and matchpossibilities of products currently in themarketplace, DGI’s principal sponsor Esrihosted an anti-Piracy demonstration incollaboration with exactEarth, Exelis VISand i2. Open-source intelligence wasprovided by IHS Fairplay.

Esri, a British-based company establishedin 1989, claims to be the world’s leadingsupplier of commercial off-the-shelfGeospatial Information Systems (GIS). Forinstance, the company provides the UKMoD’s DataMan (Data Management) GIScapability, which deployed last year inAfghanistan. ExactEarth, a data servicescompany, delivers location-basedmaritime vessel information. Thecompany’s exactAIS® data has beenused in anti-piracy operations in theIndian Ocean, helping to identify shipbehavior anomalies as well as to detectvessels entering dangerous pirated areas.

The Exelis VIS contribution to thedemonstration was the use of ENVIadvanced image processing software,in order to identify different sizes of boatfrom satellite or airborne imagery (usefulfor both situational awareness and forlocating missing boats).

IHS Fairplay provided human terrainintelligence, ship movement andrecognition data. The company maintainsAISLive, a global Automatic IdentificationSystem (AIS) network which providesonline access to real-time shipmovements. The system can identify thelatest position of every AIS-equipped shipwithin areas of shore-based coverage.

As explained by Darren Scarlett, Esri’sSector Marketing Manager (Defence,National Security and Public Safety) thedemonstration displayed systems alreadyin use by Government and Defence.“Defence and Government have got a lotof this stuff,” he said “and they are usingbig chunks of it.” However the systemsare not being co-ordinated. Thedemonstration showed how data couldbe tasked, collected and collated,processed, exploited and disseminatedbetween different parties to createimproved situational awareness and toenhance decision-making. Data sourcescurrently used by naval task forces, suchas Automatic Identification System (AIS)

DGI 2012 – Working Together By Yvonne Headington

The Second of Two Features from the DGI Conference


feeds, imagery and meteorological andoceanographic (METOC) data, can beoverlaid to create a common operationalpicture. Esri’s ArcGIS software, an openstandards-based commercial off the shelfplatform, can integrate a range of data indifferent formats including aerialreconnaissance, signals intelligence andsocial network analysis.

“Almost all data has a location andtime so it can be plotted geographically.By bringing it together in a visualcontext, patterns and relationshipscan be seen, which might not beimmediately apparent from analysingeach intelligence source in isolation”,said Nick Rigby, Non-Executive Director,Esri UK. “It is this collaborative approachthat can help joint forces focus theirlimited resources and counter the piracythreat far more effectively.”

Sharing Data

The conference also highlighted the issuesof sharing and moving data sincedisseminating and accessing informationare critical functions within the multi-intelligence environment. Accessing datafrom different classified or sensitivenetworks, however, traditionally requiresusers to log-on to separate workstations.Raytheon Trusted Computer Solutions(RTCS) has developed the Trusted Thin

Client® (TTC) product which facilitatessecure simultaneous access toinformation on any number of differentnetworks from a single desktopcomputer.

Battlespace was given the opportunityto speak with Sherryl Dorch, RTCS VicePresident of Marketing. Established asTrusted Computer Solutions 18 yearsago, the specialist software companywas acquired by Raytheon in November2010. Sherryl Dorch described RTCSactivities as unique in providing“solutions that give a user the ability toaccess and transfer data across multipleclassified or secure domains”. Sheexplained that, as a user, one mightneed access to both open sources viathe internet as well as sensitive sources,perhaps at varying levels ofclassification. In order to maintain thesecurity of data, information has to beretrieved from separate workstations,each physically linked by cable to aspecific network. “That’s not what we’reabout,” said Sherryl, “what we're aboutis that network separation on the backend.”

One Stop Desk Top Access

TTC software is a ‘cross domain’ productthat maintains secure data separationwhile allowing users appropriate access

to different networks. “At my desk,” saidSherryl “I can see multiple classifiednetworks from one screen.” This one-stopdesktop access not only eases the user'stask, it also eliminates the need formultiple workstations, thus saving spaceand energy. Sherryl Dorch emphasised,however, that the system has no cut-and-paste or drag-and-drop facility, whichwould compromise network integrity.

TTC is carried by a small box which looksa little bit like a sandwich toaster – and isconsiderably smaller than a stack ofservers. The single device also cuts downon noise, administration andmaintenance. When you have multipleterminals said Sherryl, “You’ve gotsoftware on every one of thosemachines.” Each workstation terminal hasto be upgraded, maintained andeventually replaced, “and this becomesvery burdensome.” Security is alsoenhanced by the fact that the TTC boxcarries no data, nothing is stored at thedesktop or laptop.

Customer Satisfaction

The TTC is currently in service with theCombined Air and Space OperationsCentre (CAOC) of the US Air Force CentralCommand (AFCENT) which is responsiblefor supporting air operations inSouthwest Asia. From initial

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20 DGI 2012 – Working Together

demonstrations and proof of concept in2007, the project to transfer the CAOCfrom a temporary facility to newaccommodation took less than two years(and was achieved while the CAOC wascontrolling air operations for twocampaigns). The biggest challenge waslimited space, which meant replacing95% of desktop computers with TTC.Since installing the TTC AFCENT's networkinfrastructure and overall power

consumption has decreased by 22%.

Raytheon also supplies Thales Australiawith TTC, streamlining the company’sability to access customer networks, suchas: the Australian Defence RestrictedNetwork (DRN) and CommandIntelligence System Support OfficeRestricted (CISSO-R). On 5th January(2012) RTCS announced a partnershipwith Thales Australia to deliver the next

generation desktop (NGD) system toAustralia's Department of Defenceincorporating TTC.

Handling ‘Big Data’

The original TTC product was notdeveloped with heavy graphic data inmind. However, “These things have comea long way.” explained Sherryl. “Nowthey are very powerful and highly suitedto the geospatial environment.”Separately Raytheon has developed HighSpeed GuardTM (HSG) which has beendesigned for the automated transfer oflarge volumes of data. Providing secureand rapid transfer of data betweenvarious government agencies and militaryforces is vital, particularly in the contextof coalition warfare. However, sensitiveintelligence data often needs to be‘sanitized’ as well as protected fromcyber attack and data loss.

Through the use of flexible transfermechanisms, HSG can support a varietyof data transfer requirements. Theseinclude: web services, flow real-timeMoving Pictures Experts Group (MPEG2and MPEG4) video, imagery metadatafiles, inter-system messaging and GroundMoving Target Indicator (GMTI) data.Management of the system is eased by


dividing administrative tasks from criticaldata transfer tasks on separate hardwareplatforms. The guard can be locked-downwhile administrators have access to thesystem for performing routine functionssuch as backups.

While there are a number of competingguard systems in the market, the HSG isunique to RTCS. However HSG “Has apretty substantial customer base,” saidSherryl. “It’s a very popular product.”

Timely and Accurate Information

Delivering timely, accurate andconsistent information is an importantconsideration when sourcing data froma variety of geospatial products. Envita,a privately-owned company based inWest Sussex, has over 15 years’experience of delivering geospatialsolutions using COTS software. Thecompany is currently conducting athree-year research project known asGI2RA (Geospatial Intelligence IntegratedReference Architecture) with the aim ofinvestigating an architecture which cansupport the provision of unambiguousgeospatial data to and from deployedforces. One of the problems facing users,for instance, is that the same mapfeature may be delivered many times,

increasing the risk of confusion.Data may also be delivered in differentformats and the new architecture shouldassist in deconflicting products sourcedfrom a range of sources.

During DGI 2012 GEOCRE, an Envita-ledteam (which also includes Helyx SIS Ltd,the University of Nottingham, UniversityCollege London and QinetiQ) announcedthat it been awarded a two-year £1.9mcontract by the Defence Science andTechnology Laboratory (DSTL) for theAdvanced Geospatial information andIntelligence Service (AGIS) researchprogramme. The contract includes thedevelopment of science and technology,methods and techniques to underpin andimprove the handling and understandingof geo-intelligence within the MoD andother Government Departments.

Management, Distribution andAccess

The DGI 2012 exhibition featured anumber of products aimed at theproblems of managing and accessing largevolumes of data across differentapplications. LizardTech® Express Server®7 product is said to be able to deliverimagery to any device over anyconnection. Repositories can beintegrated with geographically distributeddata stores while imagery distributed byExpress Server® is interoperable withapplications supporting open standards,web browsers and custom webapplications, as well as with third-partyapplications such as Google Earth.LizardTech® claims that its server is, “thefastest, most stable and easiest way todistribute high-resolution raster imagery.”The company also offers the GeoExpress®image manipulation and compressionsoftware which reduces storage costs bycompressing images to less than fivepercent of their original size.

BAE Systems’ GXP Xplorer provides a

convenient solution to locating,retrieving and sharing geospatial data.By using powerful search techniques,the application scans for files withinexisting external data systems andshared network drives. GXP Xplorerlocates files and builds an onlinecatalogue for easy retrieval. The systemcan also be configured for use via ahandheld device, a desktop computer ormain server.

Compusult offers an integrated suite ofapplications for geospatial exploitation,data discovery, management,dissemination, sharing andcollaboration. The product, known asWeb Enterprise Suite XI, is based onopen standards and comprises a numberof components. These include WESSensor Management (for accessingdifferent data sources), WES Analyst (tooverlay data with other mapping data),GO Mobile (for retrieving products onmobile devices) and Portfolio Manager(a management tool for organising andtracking information, ranging fromunmanned aerial vehicle data tointelligence documents).

From Strength to Strength

DGI 2012, organised by World WideBusiness Research (WBR), was firstlaunched in 2003 and has now becomea well-established event in theexhibition and conference calendar.Over 750 people from 45 nationsattended this year’s DGI, whichincluded some 40 exhibitors, two focusdays (covering Innovation & NewTechnology and Information Sharing &Exploitation) as well as the two mainconference days.

Yvonne Headington is a freelance writeron Defence and Security issues and editsthe weekly newsletter ‘Defence NewsAnalysis – A View from London’(www.dranda.btinternet.co.uk)

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Unity of Effort in Counter –Piracy Operations22

Unity of Effort in Counter –Piracy Operations By Yvonne Headington

While counter-piracy operations aroundthe Horn of Africa have achieved recentsuccesses, the threat to life and shippingremains constant. The international navaleffort against piracy, which includes theEU, NATO and multinational elements,involves complex command and controlarrangements as well as innovativesolutions.

The Piracy Cost

The piracy problem around the Hornof Africa emerged as a by-product ofinstability within Somalia. Opportunisticattacks, which began in the Gulf of Aden,have spread during the past three years tothe Somali Basin and the north-westernIndian Ocean up to the Strait of Hormuz.More recently, the buccaneers have beenforced to extend operations further to thenorth-east Indian Ocean as internationalcounter-piracy efforts have becomeincreasingly successful in suppressing theiractivities.

According to NATO figures, there were justfour pirate attacks in January 2012 all ofwhich were unsuccessful. This figurecompares with 29 attacks reported forJanuary 2011 resulting in six vessels beingpirated.

Despite successes, the economic cost ofpiracy remains stark. In February 2012,

Oceans Beyond Piracy (part of the US-based One Earth Future Foundation)estimated that the 2011 economic burdenof piracy was between $6,600m and$6,900m; some 80% of these costs beingborne by the shipping industry. The overallfigure includes the following:

� $2,700m for fuel costs associated withincreased speeds of vessels transitinghigh-risk areas.

� $1,300m for military counter-piracyoperations.

� $1,100m for security equipment andarmed guards.

� $635m attributed to insurance.� $486m to $680m cost of re-routing

vessels.� $195m for increased labour costs and

seafarers’ danger pay.

Combating the Problem

Naval counter-piracy efforts evolved froma French initiative in 2007 to provideescorts for vessels contracted by the UNWorld Food Programme (WFP) to deliverfood aid to Somalia. At this time onlyCombined Task Force 150 (CTF-150), part ofCombined Maritime Forces (CMF), wasproviding general maritime securitycovering an area from the Gulf of Oman tothe Indian Ocean.

CMF is currently commanded by Vice

Admiral Mark Fox USN who also serves asCommander US Navy Central Commandand the US Navy Fifth Fleet. All threecommands are co-located in Bahrain.Commodore Simon Ancona RN serves asDeputy Commander CMF as well as the UKMaritime Component Commander(UKMCC), also based in Bahrain.

In October 2008, NATO established WFPescort operations under OP ALLIEDPROVIDER and subsequently under OPALLIED PROTECTOR. OP ATALANTA waslaunched by European Naval Force (EUNAVFOR) Somalia in December 2008 withthe specific remit of protecting “vulnerablevessels” off the coast of Somalia andpreventing “acts of piracy.” EU NAVFOR’sHQ is at Northwood (UK) under thecommand of Rear Admiral Duncan PottsRN.

Two further counter-piracy missions havealso been established: CTF-151 (part of CMF)in January 2009 and NATO’s OP OCEANSHIELD in August 2009 (commanded by theNATO Maritime Component Command, alsolocated at Northwood).

The Big Three

EU NAVFOR typically comprises four toseven surface combat vessels and two tothree maritime patrol and reconnaissanceaircraft (CN-235 from Spain, Swearingen


Merlin from Luxembourg, Atlantique 2 fromFrance and German P-3 Orion). Contributingnations include: Belgium, Estonia, France,Germany, Greece, Italy, Luxembourg, theNetherlands, Norway, Portugal, Spain,Sweden and the UK. Rear Admiral Dupuis ofthe French Navy assumed EU ForceCommander, which rotates on a four-monthly basis, on 7 April 2012 in FS MARNE.Costs of the operation are shared by EUMember States and amounted to €8.4m in2010 and €8.05m in 2011.

CTF-151 units are drawn from the 26members of the CMF. Contributing CMFnations include 14 NATO members as well asAustralia, Bahrain, Japan, Jordan, Republicof Korea, Kuwait, Malaysia, Pakistan, SaudiArabia, Singapore, Thailand and the UAE.Rear Admiral Tanin Likitawong of the RoyalThai Navy relieved Commodore Aage BuurJensen of the Royal Danish Navy incommand on 20 March 2012. The multi-national staff of CTF-151 is currentlyembarked on the UK auxiliary supply shipRFA Fort Victoria.

OP OCEAN SHIELD is undertaken byStanding NATO Maritime Group 2 (SNMG2)currently under the command of RearAdmiral Sinan Tosun of the Turkish Navyembarked on TCG GIRESUN. As at March2012, units from Denmark, Italy, theNetherlands and the United States were alsocontributing to the operation, supported bymaritime patrol aircraft. The missioninvolves around 800 personnel in total.

As explained during an EU NAVFOR briefingin February 2012 there are typically some 25ships (from all three counter-piracymissions) covering an area of 3.2 millionsquare miles of ocean. Captain Phil HaslamRN, EU NAVFOR Chief of Staff, described the

task as, “akin to policing Europe with 25police cars.” The Suez Canal, the Bab elMandeb (south of the Red Sea) and theStrait of Hormuz are the main strategicchoke points that provide rich pickings forpirates targeting merchant vessels. “At anygiven time there's three million barrels perday of oil in the region.” said CaptainHaslam.

The three coalition missions co-operateclosely and co-ordinate at the tactical level,with transiting independent force (mainlyfrom China, India and Russia).

Best Practice & Private Security

The adoption of Best Management Practices(BMP) and the use of Private Armed SecurityTeams (PAST) have contributed significantlyto the recent reduction in pirate activity.

Best Management Practice (BMP) coversadvice given to merchant operators on howto establish on-board self-protectionmeasures, such as secure ‘safe rooms’(known as citadels). Some 70% of vesselstransiting the region now take suchmeasures that, self-evidently, involve extraexpense. However, Captain Haslam warnedagainst ‘tokenism’. “It is very easy to string abit of barbed-wire around your ship andconvince yourself that you're takingmeasures,” he said, “but the pirates arequick to identify those vessels that are‘tokenistic’”.

The use of armed guards on boardcommercial ships is not withoutcontroversy, particularly following theshooting of two Indian fishermen,mistakenly identified as pirates by ItalianMarines, in February 2012. Captain Haslam

maintained, however, that both BMP andPAST “are having a ‘transformative’ effect”.

Until recently, military forces wouldtypically be alerted to piracy action oncethe attack had been successful and thepirates were heading towards ananchorage. PAST are able to providemilitary units with timely warnings aboutincidents. “That helps the military forces tolocalise the pirates in this vast playingfield,” said Captain Haslam, “and then wecan close in and have some success”.

Captain Gerry Northwood, whocommanded the UK’s contribution toNATO’s OP OCEAN SHIELD from 4thOctober 2011 to 7th February 2012 agreedthat the use of PAST has had a significantimpact. Captain Northwood, who wasembarked on RFA Fort Victoria as part ofNATO’s Combined Task Force 508 (CTF-508),told BATTLESPACE that PAST have been the“single critical factor” in reducing incidentsof piracy back down to 2007 levels.

The UK has changed its policy on armedprivate security companies, issuing interimguidance to UK flagged shipping on the useof armed guards in December 2011. ADS,the Aerospace, Defence and Security tradeassociation, has been appointed by theGovernment to develop and implement UKnational standards for land and maritimebased private security companies. It isanticipated that these standards will be inplace by the end of 2012.

A Successful Italian Job

Last winter’s effort against piracy aroundthe Horn of Africa has been one of themost successful to date. One notable

Location 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 (until 15 Mar)

Somali Basin 8 hijacks 26 hijacks 26 hijacks 4 hijacks 0 hijacks11 attacks 58 attacks 68 attacks 52 attacks 1 attack

Gulf of Aden 33 hijacks 18 hijacks 12 hijacks 1 hijacks 0 hijacks42 attacks 67 attacks 33 attacks 29 attacks 3 attacks

Arabian Sea N/A 1 hijack 7 hijacks 19 hijacks 3 hijacksN/A 5 attacks 31 attacks 48 attacks 3 attacks

Total 41 hijacks 45 hijack 45 hijacks 24 hijacks 3 hijacks53 attacks 130 attacks 132 attacks 129 attacks 7 attacks

Notes:Hijack – pirates are able to take control of a vessel.Attack – pirates try to take over a ship but do not succeed.As at 15 March 2012, pirates were holding eight ships with an estimated 212 hostages. (Source: SHAPE)

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24 Unity of Effort in Counter –Piracy Operations

incident involved the 56,000 tonne Italianmerchantman MV Montecristo, which waslocated some 600 nautical miles off theSomali coast when attacked and boardedby pirates. Following an alert on 10thOctober 2011 the USS DE WERT, workingwith RFA Fort Victoria as part of CTF-508,was first on the scene to assess thesituation.

With a Lynx from 815 Naval Air Squadronflying overhead, RFA Fort Victoria’s RoyalMarines' boarding team then approachedthe Montecristo aboard rigid inflatableboats and offshore raiding craft. CaptainNorthwood described the Montecristo'sBMP as “excellent,” thus the crew hadmanaged to retreat to the safety of thevessel’s citadel, however, there were nocommunications.

Fortunately the crew had access to thevessel’s funnel and, from there, they wereable to hang a small radio which theboarding team then retrieved. Recountingthe incident in the March-April 2012 issueof the Globe and Laurel, Captain RodericYapp RM described how he used the radioto speak to the crew and, “reassured themthat they were safe and we would comeand get them once we had made sure thatall the pirates had surrendered.”

Captain Northwood told Battlespace that,“usually pirates fold when they see thehelicopter”. On this occasion, however, thepirates were not deterred, “they onlysurrendered when confronted by theboarding party.” The Montecristo’s 23 crewwere successfully freed and 11 pirates werecaptured.

C2 Complexities

The vast theatre of operations, as well asthe variety of actors (from merchantvessels to non-coalition ships), presents ahighly challenging command and control(C2) environment.

Alongside the military HQ at Northwood,and in close co-operation with industry, EUNAVFOR has established the MaritimeSecurity Centre – Horn of Africa (MSC-HOA) to provide a 24-hour informationservice and data fusion centre for theglobal maritime community. Simon Church,the Centre’s Military Liaison Officer noted

that, from the start, it was realised that,“we needed to form a relationship with theshipping industry that was unique.”

As Church explained, naval forces need tobe able to communicate and interact withmerchant shipping in order to fulfil theirmandate (to deter and disrupt piracy). Thisinteraction is dependent upon the abilityto co-ordinate information on, wherevessels are trading, what cargo they arecarrying as well as levels of protection andvulnerability.

An interactive website allows shippingcompanies and operators to register vesselmovements and information, and toreceive anti-piracy guidance from MSC-HOA. 70-80% of vessels now register withthe MSC-HOA, or around 4,000 eachmonth. (Of these about 25% declare thatthey have PAST.) Church added that,“Never has there been a co-ordination withmerchant shipping on this scale, in thisarea of the ocean, before. This isunprecedented.”

While the MSC-HOA is the primaryinterface between the military andindustry, UK Maritime Trade Operations(UKMTO) based in Dubai provides a well-established point of contact for merchantvessels and liaison with military forces inthe region. As an organisation trustedthroughout the maritime community, theUKMTO has an important role indisseminating safety information.

Mercury Rising

Establishing communications betweencoalition and non-coalition naval forceshas raised additional demands. The SharedAwareness and Deconfliction (SHADE)initiative, established in 2008, provides amechanism for co-ordinating anddeconflicting activities between countriesand coalitions involved in the militarycounter-piracy effort. Meetings, whichare held regularly in Bahrain, areattended by: the military, governments,international organisations and maritimeindustry representatives. Within SHADEthe need for an all-inclusive, real-time co-ordination capability was realised at anearly stage.

All NATO secure communications traffic is

distributed via the NATO Secret Wide AreaNetwork (NSWAN). The EU is developing asimilar secure capability that has nowachieved initial operating capability. Thechallenge in 2008, however, was to providea robust but simple communicationsplatform which would enable non-CMF/EU/NATO forces to respond toincidents of piracy and to deconflict unitpatrols. The system needed to be secureand reliable, without being heavilydependent upon new hardware andsoftware.

While EU NAVFOR could utilise theunclassified UK Fleet Exercise Web(FEXWEB), used at the time by the RoyalNavy to exercise with other nations thatdo not have access to shared classifiedsystems, the US relied on the classifiedCombined Enterprise Regional InformationExchange (CENTRIX). CENTRIX was beingused primarily for counter-terroroperations but it could not be accessed bynew nations joining the counter-piracyeffort.

The development of an all-inclusive system,however, encountered some politicaldebate on which organisation should takethe lead. The US considered establishing aSHADE tool (SHADE-t) while EU NAVFORwas working on a secure replacement forFEXWEB, known as Mercury. The internet-based Mercury system was developed bytwo serving RN Officers, LieutenantCommander Glen Forbes and LieutenantRyan Wallace, working with Polymorph Ltd(a UK IT consultancy based in Cheshire).

Forbes, who has now left the Royal Navy,told BATTLESPACE how the Mercury systemeventually progressed. The requirementwas, “to provide a more reliable and secureplatform than FEXWEB to engender trust inthe system being able to exchangeimmediate tactical data” explained Forbes.“The US scoped the creation of SHADE-twhich required greater bandwidth and theprovision of hardware and software to befitted on units of those nations signing upas part of SHADE. However EU NAVFOR hadgone some way to the development of areplacement for the RN FEXWEB at afraction of the cost of SHADE-t”. Forbes andWallace began considering a FEXWEBfollow-on solution in about January 2008;by March the Mercury system was inservice.

Wider Problems and Solutions

The Horn of Africa is only one of a numberof piracy hotspots around the world andthere are now various products andsolutions available to assist withsituational awareness and tacticaloperations in the maritime securityenvironment.

Forbes has now established theOCEANUSLive.org web-based facilityfocusing on West Africa, South-east Asia,


South America as well as the Horn ofAfrica. OCEANUSLive.org provides a centrewhere the shipping community canexchange information. The site alsoincludes interactive maps and an 'alerting'system. The service has around 1,000 users,including the transport departments of anumber of countries. Although mostly usedas a counter-piracy tool the system can beadapted, for instance, for emergencyresponse or disaster relief operations.

A novel illustration of how currentlyavailable products can be co-ordinated, inorder to enhance situational awarenessand decision-making, was provided by Esriduring this year's Defence GeospatialIntelligence (DGI) exhibition held inJanuary. The display featured Esri’sexactAIS® data product, which has beenused in anti-piracy operations to assistwith identifying anomalies in shipbehavior. ExactEarth, a data servicescompany, demonstrated the delivery oflocation-based maritime vessel informationwhile Exelis VIS provided the ENVIadvanced image processing software.Open-source intelligence was delivered byIHS Fairplay.

Prior to undertaking CMF duties with CTF-150 in 2008, the Royal Danish Navy realisedthe need to update tactical equipmentavailable to ship boarding teams. From thisrequirement Systematic developed theSitaWare Maritime Boarding system. Theequipment comprises a backpack laptopterminal, which supports the work ofboarding teams, and provides acommunications link between the boardingteam and mother ship. The system, which isfully portable from one ship to another,can carry biometric data, video, securemessaging and documentation.

Another tactical solution is provided byTerma’s C-Raid command and controlsystem. C-Raid provides multiple unitsaccess to a common real-time tacticalpicture, gathering data from a variety ofsources such as the AutomaticIdentification System (AIS, as used bymerchant shipping) and from automaticradar plotting aids, as well as from fullmotion electro-optic and infrared sensors.The shared tactical picture assistssituational awareness and enablesnetworking between small craft, motherships and shore-based operations centres.

Cobham’s C4I Marine InterdictionOperations System (MIOS), a situationalawareness and Blue Force Tracking tool,has also been developed for boarding partyteams. MIOS is designed to be integratedwith existing systems and uses thecompany’s WaveHawkTM CommandInformation System (CIS) software. TheBoarding Party configuration comprises: aMarine Data Terminal (with a high-resolution touch screen display), a UserData Terminal (which processes anddisplays WaveHawkTM CIS software andAIS information) and a Radio InterfaceModule (providing an interface with theMarine Data Terminal and otherequipment, such as radios and sensors).

Saab offers a low-cost, expandable andconfigurable system, for both fixed andmobile platforms, known as the 9LVSituational Awareness Terminal (9LV SAT).The 9LV SAT-S can be installed across allship spaces, including the bridge,operations rooms, and EW area while the9LV-R provides boarding parties with over-the-horizon communications from smallcraft. The Headquarters' tactical picture isdelivered by the 9LV SAT-HQ display. TheSaab system is currently in service with theRoyal Australian Navy and is installed inANZAC Class frigates and Armidale Classpatrol boats.

Critical maritime assets, such as oil and gasrigs, are also possible targets for pirates andterrorists. With such potential threats inmind, Elbit Systems has recently launchedthe Integrated Maritime Awareness Conceptand Solution (IMACS) suite. The modularsystem accommodates customised

solutions, bringing together intelligencesurveillance and reconnaissance assets formaritime, aerial and ground missions – alllinked via a networked maritime C4Icapability to a centralised integratedmaritime command station.

Maintaining Guard

The good news – for the shipping industryat least – is that the global incidents of seapiracy fell during the first quarter of 2012,according to an International MaritimeBureau (IMB) report published on 23 April2012. The reduction in activity was largelydue to the fall in attacks off the Somalicoast, which the IMB attributed to actionstaken by navies in the region. However, thereport noted an increase in attacks offWest Africa and in the Indonesianarchipelago. The IMB also warned that,“….it is unlikely that the threat of Somalipiracy will diminish in the short to mediumterm unless further actions are taken.”

In March 2012 both NATO and the EUagreed to continue counter-piracyoperations around the Horn of Africa for afurther two years. In addition the EUannounced moves to support the SomaliTransitional Federal Government’s effortsagainst piracy by extending EU NAVFOR’s“areas of operations to include Somalicoastal territory as well as its territorialand internal waters.” According to the EU,the new mandate will allow for “morerobust action.”

In the meantime, the piracy business modelremains strong. According to OceansBeyond Piracy, average ransoms increasedfrom approximately $4 million in 2010 to$5 million in 2011. As Captain Northwoodsaid on his return from OP OCEAN SHIELD,“There are still people volunteering tobecome pirates, the income they receivefrom ransoms is significant….We need tomaintain our watch on piracy – we cannotrelax our guard.”

Yvonne Headington is a freelance writer onDefence and Security issues and edits theweekly newsletter 'Defence News Analysis –A View from London’(www.dranda.btinternet.co.uk)

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26 European Communication Systems Coverage

Military forces throughout Europe areeager to field network-enabledtechnologies. In doing so, increased forcedigitisation means that forces will adoptflat structures, work in nets on the net,and require versatile and survivable voiceand data communications systems. Thosetechnologies will shrink the “sensor-to-shooter” time cycle. This meanssuperiority in weapons systems efficacythrough the use of advanced sensors andthe rapid distribution of information toeach position within a theatre ofoperation. This will be only secured on aforce-wide scale, however, wherebydigitised forces will adapt the whole arrayof multi-tiered platforms, sensors,weapons, communications as well asspecialised decision aids.

Interoperability in an Era ofNet-Centricity

Effective C4I capabilities become crucialfor interoperability. For many years,interoperability problems within theAlliance have been largely associated withthe insufficient quantity and quality ofEuropean platforms. The absence of asingle integrated data network to supportdissemination of information for Coalitionpartners and the inability to secure theexchange of digital data in real-time to

keep up with the changing situation onthe battlefield have complicated militaryoperations for years. Some of these data-exchange problems were present duringCoalition warfighting in Afghanistan andIraq, where the operational tempo of theBritish forces was constrained by theinability to access US targeting systemssuch as JSTARS and GLOBAL HAWK.Additionally, some European allies werestill using fixed-frequency single-channelradios, which are hardly interoperablewith more advanced broad-frequencyband radios, such as the US SINCGARS.The “War on Terrorism”, in particular,shows that complex warfare missionsbuilds on an enhanced ISR capabilityprovided by manned and unmannedairborne assets. These systems bringinformation superiority to the forces andallow them to close the “sensor-to-shooter” cycle. New systems like the UK’sSENTINEL R.1 Airborne Stand-Off Radar(ASTOR) developed by Raytheon will beable to improve C4I capabilities over alarger area of engagement. The overallinfrastructure comprises highlyspecialised sensors carried by a variety ofplatforms or the individual warfighter.A number of other European programmes,involving improved theatre intelligencecapabilities, new excellent sensors andplatforms, real-time communicationslinks, and vehicle-carried battle

management systems (BMS), are to beconducted in the tighter defence budgets,however.

Emerging Tactical and Strategic MissionsMilitary operations as best reflected bythose in Afghanistan require newInformation Communications Technology(ICT)-led developments (e.g., broadbandcommunications, satellite datatransmission), excellent sensors as well asUAV/UAS and even UCAV technology. Anyof these means are to also maintainoperational cohesion and coherency infuture multinational and Coalition-basedoperations. But there is also a tendency ofincreasingly deploying lighter and smarterweapons having GPS-type satellite-assisted navigation systems and animproved datalink capability, allowingreal-time target updates and targetingfrom existing tactical networks across thespectrum of forces of differentnationalities.

In Afghanistan, some deficiencies werecertainly eliminated following the recentdeployment of German Army Joint FireSupport Teams (JFST) to the ISAF-leadoperations that improved around-the-clock target detection capabilities,enabling a 360-degree coverage ofartillery and mortar weapons out to adistance of over 42 kilometres. Missions

European Communication SystemsConverge By Stefan Nitschke, M.Sc., Ph.D., International Defence Analyst and Consultant


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of this kind also strongly require specificReconnaissance, Surveillance and TargetAcquisition (RSTA) technologies, notablyman-packed miniature drones, enablinga viable “sensor-to-shooter” connectivityfor weapons designation. Joint C4ISTARis therefore widely seen herein toprovide the ability to mass effectswithout massing forces.

From a European perspective, UAS, inparticular, will put C4ISR into reality.The NATO’s Joint Airpower CompetencyCentre (JAPCC) published a UAS planningdocument, which is predicting an ever-greater usage of all categories of UAS asa less costly alternative to mannedoperations. The JAPCC also sees thestandardisation of critical fields, like thecollection, processing, exploitation, anddissemination of intelligence as one ofthe key challenges to adapt the manytypes of UAS flown by the EuropeanNATO members to the complex and verychanging battlespace conditions.However, to operate UAS in the today’sand tomorrow’s joint warfightingnetwork, it is imperative to recognisethe significance of C4ISR.

With several major UAS programmesslippering to some extent during thesetimes of tighter budgets (e.g., theTALARION Euro-MALE projectundertaken by France, German andSpain, which is likely to face collapse),

unmanned C4ISR has proven itsoperational value in Afghanistan.The two examples that are often namedare the French SIDM (Système Interi-maire Drone MALE) UAS and Germany’sHERON 1 MALE. The latter was acquiredfrom Israel Aerospace Industries(IAI)/Malat Division based on a leaseagreement.

The first unmanned airborne C4ISRoperations conducted by the French AirForce from the Bagram Air Field incentral Afghanistan were initiated inFebruary 2010. SIDM is an autonomoussystem with an almost around-the-clockendurance, a range of approximately1,000 kilometres, and a very effectivesensor suite, including an syntheticaperture radar (SAR) with a groundmoving target indication (GMTI)capability. Enthusiastic supporters ofthis MALE design would like to see it toreplace specific capabilities, which havesince been possessed by oth-er shorterrange UAS already in-service with theFrench Armed Forces.

Another key example is the UK ArmedForces’ WATCHKEEPER WK450 project.It supports UK and Coalition forces,including Special Forces, battlegroupcommand posts, naval forces, attackhelicopters, and other combat aircraftby employing Elbit Systems’ HERMES 450UAS. The air vehicle was built in the UK

by UAV Tactical Systems (U-TacS), whichwas set up by Elbit Systems and THALESUK. The air vehicle carries the lattercompany’s I-MASTER SAR/GMTI payload.It is designed to be integrated withexisting and future ISTAR capabilities,future command, and effects systemsover NATO common protocols.

When emphasising electronicintelligence capabilities in Europe, thereis the German EuroHawk project. GaryErvin, Corporate Vice President andPresident of Northrop GrummanCorporation’s Aerospace Systems saidduring the rollout ceremony of the firstaircraft at the German Air Force’s WTD61 test centre in Manching, Germany, on12 October 2011, the EuroHawk systemowns key significance for the GermanBundeswehr’s roadmap to form a fullyindependent national SIGINT datagathering capability. The IntegratedSignal Intelligence System (ISIS)developed by CASSIDIAN and fitted to atotal of five air vehicles utilises thelatest electronic intelligencetechnologies currently available on themarket. The programme foresees the RQ-4E EuroHawk air vehicles to be stationedat Recce Wing 51 (AufklG51) at Jagel AirBase in the extreme north of Germany asthe Main Operating Base (MOB), fromwhere the UAS will fulfil specific SIGINTcollection tasks across the air/land/seabattlespace. Meanwhile, the ISIS mission

Above: Within the integrated battlefield concept, interoperability and networking are most crucial to the success of present-daycombat missions, including the employment of fully autonomous weapons like the FIRE SHADOW indirect fire precision attack loiteringmunition. (Photo: MBDA).


system is being installed at the“Kommando Strategische Aufklärung”(Strategic Reconnaissance Command) inGelsdorf (Rhineland-Palatinate) andNienburg (Lower Saxony).

Tailored Technologies forBattlefield Dominance

Reflecting upon the lessons derived fromcombat operations in Iraq andAfghanistan, the British BOWMANbattlefield digitisation programme is akey European programme in the fields ofC4ISR and C4ISTAR. BOWMAN providessecure voice and data communications,situational awareness, and C2applications in support of land andamphibious operations. GeneralDynamics UK (GDUK) installed thesystem in a number of naval vessel,including all destroyers and frigates aswell as the two “Albion” class landingplatform docks (LPDs) and Mk 10 LandingCraft Utility (LCU). The overall systemalso consists of a range of HF radio, VHFradio, and UHF radio sets supplied bySELEX Communications, ITT Corporation,Harris Corporation, L-3 Communications,Blazepoint, DRS Tactical Systems, BAE

communications system for use bythe German military. Offered for smallunits use, the manpack configurationhas been presented to the GermanBWB procurement agency in a lifedemonstration in May 2011. The systemis being prioritised by the German KSKSpecial Operations Forces, requiring atotal of 35 systems, said Kenneth R.Harrison, Vice President CommunicationsSolutions, at the DSEi in London inSeptember 2011.

Containing IP interfaces with modemand antenna controller, GNOMADextends the SINCGARS waveform beyondline-of-sight to deliver information tothe next echelon via satellite link.GNOMAD has completed testing and isfully capable of operating with on-the-move capable variants of iDirect,Linkway Viasat S2, Hughes, COMTECH,and L3 modems. It can be connected toother transport systems (e.g., ITT’s HighCapacity Data Radio or SpearNet Radio)to support push and pull of full-motionvideo as well as critical C2 applicationsfor the dismounted soldier.

Increasing Demand ShapeDigitised Artillery Requirements

Digitisation is the next stage in a processwhich will also see the artillery boundtighter together on an integratedbattlefield than ever before by a C4Isystem. This is well demonstrated by theimplementation of new firing computersat the battery command post, newfusion algorithms, secure data links,image-intensified direct-fire sight, self-location capabilities utilising secureradio data links, embedded GPSreceivers, and the employment ofintelligent artillery projectiles capable ofdetecting their targets.

Looking at the current architecture inGerman Army service, the ADLER IIsystem, as an upgraded variant of theADLER I system developed by ESG GmbH,has been integrated into ten shelters forthe German artillery (comprising 125PzH2000 155mm/52-cal trackedhowitzers and 39 MLRS 227mm rocketlaunching systems). The software hasbeen recently successfully appliedduring an operational evaluation of theArtillery Systems Cooperation Activities(ASCA) interoperability programmeinterface. As an artillery computernetwork being fully interoperable withthe German FüInfoSys H infrastructure

Systems, GDC4S, and THALES Group. Theequipment provides secure integratedvoice and data services to dismountedsoldiers, individual vehicles, andcommand HQs up to Division level.Extending the UK Army’s WARRIORtracked IFV’s service life to at least 2034,the vehicle has been upgraded to includethe BOWMAN digital communicationssystem as well.

As modern AFV technology goes in linewith the digitisation of the battlefieldand the evolution of network-centricoperations, European land forces arealso upgrading their fire controlequipment to better cope with thecomplex multi-threat combatenvironment. The Hellenic Armysuccessfully implemented Rheinmetall’sINIOCHOS C2 system in 170 LEOPARD2A6HEL and 183 LEOPARD 2A4 mainbattle tanks. The flexible communicationconcept enables the direct connectionof Combat Net Radios (CNR) or TimeDivision Multiple Access (TDMA) radios,where both modi are used for separatetransmission of data of high priority (forblue force tracking purposes), voice anddata replication for situationalawareness, and the distribution of theCommon Relevant Operational Picture(CROP). Data acquisition, transmission,processing, and display have to be quickto enable the rapid assignment ofonboard sensors and weapons.

The individual warfighter is alwaysplaying a key role within this scheme.The Austrian Army’s Soldier 2015modernisation programme calls forequipment that will provide infantryunits with a real-time situationalawareness picture (hostile and ownunits) on personal displays as well as livevideo from external or on-body sensors,enabling transmission of imagery andinformation on the own position back tocommand units. For this programme,Rockwell Collins offers the FireStormjoint fires targeting system. It comprisesa fully integrated package of hardwareincluding a laser rangefinder, a tacticalcomputer, an azimuth augmentationunit, the StrikeHawk tactical videodownlink receiver, ROSETTA joint firesdigital targeting software, a powermanagement system, and a tripod.

The same is completely true with regardto tactical communications. In 2011, ITTElectronic Systems proposed theGNOMAD Global Network On the Move –Active Distribution satellite

Some nations struggle with interoperability … OTHERS SUCCEED WITH SITAWAREFrom the frontline to headquarters. One C2 solution.

www.systematic.com/C2interoperability

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and other BMS found in the allied(French/Italian/UK/US) net-centric ASCAsystem deployed for Combined/JoinedOperations (CJOp), ADLER II distributesnear real-time BMC4I and targetinginformation and video inputs from othersources such like the tri-service COBRAcounter-battery radar developed by theEuroArt consortium comprising EADSDeutschland (now CASSIDIAN), THALESAir Systems, THALES UK, and LockheedMartin Corporation. Video inputs orimagery can be additionally derivedfrom EO/IR sensor-equipped battlefieldUAS such like the KZO and MiSAR-equipped LUNA miniature UAS.

Similarly, Denmark and France are alsofollowing a similar path by implementingUAS in support of their respectiveSIFCOM and ATLAS (“Automatisation duTir et des Liaisons de l’Artillerie Sol-Sol”)C2 systems.

The British Army has acquired EMITAviation’s SPARROW short-range,tactical UAS for evaluation in its IndirectFire Precision Attack (IFPA) programme.As part of the evaluation, the UAS willbe evaluated as a loitering munitioncapability demonstrator. The UK’soperational requirement for thedemonstrator will be a system with a

range of over 150 kilometres. UltraElectronics’ Sonar & CommunicationsSystems branch has also teamed withRafael, EMIT, and Raytheon to offer amodified SPARROW M UAS, dubbedBLADE (Battlefield Loitering ArtilleryDirect Effect), to be utilised for “searcherand killer” roles. As to this concept, theUAS’ payload could include an EO sensorwhich would be used to identify andclassify targets and check battle damage.This UAS would be also able to activelyseek and destroy high priority targets.It is assumed that the system would beable to coordinate its search patterns totake advantage of the persistence and

Above: Within the integrated battlefield concept, interoperability and networking are most crucial to the success of present-daycombat missions, including the employment of fully autonomous weapons like the FIRE SHADOW indirect fire precision attackloitering munition. (Photo: MBDA)

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acquisition system based on the SOFARmini-UAS. The latter, a customisedversion of Top-I Vision’s CASPER 250system, will be integrated with WBElectronics’ ZZKO TOPAZ battalion-levelartillery C2 system. The CASPER 250 mini-UAS was eventually competing againstElbit Systems’ SKYLARK I system forwhich the company did not transfer thesystem’s complete documentation as

requested by the ArmamentDevelopment Department. As aconsequence, the Ministry of NationalDefence decided in favour of Top-IVision’s proposal of a mini-UAS to becarried on an M1043 High MobilityMultipurpose Wheeled Vehicle (HMMVV).Some 227 examples of this vehicle havebeen purchased from the US under theUS Foreign Military Financing (FMF)programme. The ground vehicle will beequipped with a 6m high, pneumaticallyoperated mast, enabling it to receivereal-time or near real-time data from thenew mini-UAS. The vehicle’s directionalantenna would be also utilised tocontrol and seamlessly operate the airvehicle over distances of over 15km.Facilitating on a purpose-builtworkstation also developed by WBElectronics, with its lower display usedfor navigational and air data and theupper panel displaying the situationalawareness picture derived from the mini-UAS’ day/night or uncooled thermalcamera, SOFAR data can then beprocessed and disseminated amongartillery units (up to battalion size) forimproved fire accuracy. Within thisscheme, target data can be alsotransferred via Radmor (THALES) RRC-9311 Fastnet VHF radios down to a singlegun. Additionally, a Radmor RRC-9211VHF manpack radio could be utilised ifthe mini-UAS launch team is positionedoutside of the HMMVV.

The European Perspective

Building European C4ISTAR capabilities isa tremendous task. It cannot be fulfilledwithout the concerted action of allallies. NATO efforts should be supportedand strengthened to develop anoverarching NEC architecture withcommon protocols and interfaces (withguarded gateways and dynamicfirewalls), wherein all allies could “plug-and-play” seamlessly and in real time.However, of all the NATO Europeanallies, the UK has the most conceptualapproach with its NEC initiative. Havingachieved the initial state ofinterconnection, the UK expects toreach the stage of full integration by2015 and full synchronisation by 2025.The UK is also the only European allythat has experienced participation innetwork centric operations.

Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, theNetherlands, Norway, and Spainconsider network-centricity a priority in

availability of sensors over a wide area.

Meanwhile, the Polish Army isdeveloping an own capability toimprove accuracy and firepower of itsartillery units. For this purpose, theMinistry of National Defence’sArmament Development Department hasbegun verification tests of areconnaissance and artillery target

BATTLESPACE C4ISTAR TECHNOLOGIES

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Achievements By Scott R.Gourley

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their military transformation efforts.Germany, for instance, is currentlyupgrading the electronic combatreconnaissance (ECR) variant of theTORNADO interdiction strike (IDS)aircraft, receiving the production-standard version of the Avionics SystemSoftware Tornado Ada (ASSTA) version 3.The core of the ASSTA package willprovide access to Link 16 by using aMultifunction Information DistributionSystem (MIDS) terminal.

As manned aircraft will remainimportant assets for the acquisition ofhigh-resolution battlefield photography,particularly Belgium, Denmark, France,Norway, Sweden, Turkey, and the UKwere eager in introducing digitaltechnologies to include new computeralgorithms, higher data transfer rates,complex communications links, and EOsensors functioning either in the visiblespectrum or in the IR bandwidth. Such asystem is the Modular ReconnaissancePod (MRP) from the Danish defenceelectronics firm Terma A/S that has beendelivered to the Royal Danish Air Forcesfor use onboard F-16A/B combat

aircraft. The MRP-II pod carries data linkantennas in its nose and tail sections anda Recon Optical CA-270V framing camerawhich is carried within a 360-degreerotating section with a small IRtranslucent window.

The Europeans’ focus is also on improvedamphibious C4I systems. As found in theRoyal Netherlands Navy’s “Johan deWitt” LPD 2, the ship’s C4I infrastructureconsists of a Joint Operations Room(JOR) comprising 32 workstations foroperations and communications officersplus 10 additional workstations for theship’s combat information centre,supporting ship-to-objective manoeuvre,joint force fire support, InformationOperations (IOs), and communicationsand information systems. The LPD-2’s C4Iconcept is based on the embarking staffbringing their own laptops. There arefive local area networks of which twocan be used for digital information-sharing. The vessel is also equipped withsatellite communications terminals,including Super High Frequency (SHF)and Advanced Extremely High Frequency(AEHF) communications equipment.

Having a joint HQ deployed off the coastof a crisis region, it permits forces to becontrolled in a focused and coordinatedmanner, says Capt. E. H. Veen,Commanding Officer of the LPD-2.

The French Navy's three “Mistral” classBPC (Bâtiment de Projection et deCommandement) ships provide a similarC4I capability, which was successfullyemployed (onboard the second ship inthe class, FS “Tonnerre”) during therecent Operation HARMATTAN, theFrench part of the Libyan campaign.The system that was extensively used isTHALES SIC 21 (Système d’Informationpour le Commandement 21), the FrenchNavy’s new strategic-and operational-level, Windows XP-based commandinformation system.

For similar operations, the Spanish Navyutilises the SICOA (Sistema de Informacióny Control de Operaciones Anfíbias)amphibious operations C2 system suppliedby Spain’s INDRA. The system is found onthe two “Galicia” class LPDs and the newLHD “Juan Carlos I”, with the lattercarrying 30 SICOA workstations.

Above: The LPD-2 is fitted with the Joint Maritime Command Information System (JMCIS) suite to enable the embarked CJTFheadquarters staff to command a small battalion-sized amphibious operation, including the landing craft and helicopters ofseveral other ships. (Photo: Courtesy Royal Netherlands Navy)


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We have described the spread of airborneelectro-optic/infrared (EO/IR) sensorturrets sensors used by unmanned aerialvehicles (UAVs) in previous issues ofBATTLESPACE. This feature will look atsome of the latest sensor configurationsand what they bring to the overall ISR(Intelligence, Surveillance andReconnaissance) user community.

One of the benefits of on-goingoperations is that armed forces tend torealize that some equipment they have inservice may not be quite as capable asthey could be and, thus, either new kit isprocured or existing kit is upgraded. Thisis usually via some form of what the UKrefers to as an Urgent OperationalRequirement (UOR). Such procurementhas become more evident in the UAVfield.

A year ago, in June 2011, Raytheon Spaceand Airborne Systems revealed that it hadreceived a contract from the US Air Force(USAF) to develop a hyperspectraldetection system for UAV applications.Known as the AN/DSQ-68 Airborne Cueingand Exploitation System Hyperspectral(ACES HY), the company was producing anevaluation batch of nine units to be fittedto USAF MQ-1 Predator UAVs in an under-fuselage mounting, aft of the standardAN/AAS-52 Multispectral TargetingSystem-A sensor turret. It is assumed that

some of these have now been delivered,installed and have been or are still underevaluation.

Beyond the fact that it builds upon earlierwork undertaken by the company for theUS Environmental Protection Agency,Raytheon has revealed little of the detailinvolved. Hyperspectral sensors, using thedifferent reflectivity properties in thesub-bands across the IR spectrum, alreadyexist as space-based systems. They areused to detect different types of ‘targets’,such as the presence of chemicals ordisturbed earth, based on their spectralcharacteristics. According to Raytheon,ACES HY is the first time thathyperspectral technology has beenbrought ‘closer to the ground’ in a UAVapplication. It is a reasonable speculationthat ACES HY is being applied in theCounter-Improvised Explosive Device(C-IED) role.

Perchance, the up-coming Eurosatoryexhibition (in June) or the Farnboroughair show (in July) will reveal more on thisprogramme. However, what this doesillustrate is that users are becoming moreconversant with the application of theinfrared spectrum and the way in which

greater attention to specific areas canreveal more detailed information ofvalue, or create a better image.

Of particular note has been theintroduction, over the recent past, ofShort-Wave InfraRed (SWIR) detectors,operating in the 1.4 to 3 micron rangeallows the generation of images in darkerconditions. Operating on a wavelengthband that carries more photons at nightthan does the visible wavelength, SWIRdetects reflected light at wavelengthsthat are invisible to the human eye, andthat reside in wavelength bands betweenvisible and traditional thermal ranges ofMid-Wave InfraRed (MWIR – 3 to 8microns) and Long-Wave InfraRed (LWIR –8 to 14 microns).

SWIR offers the user not only thetraditional ability to see at night but alsoin poor atmospheric conditions.Additonally, it can also see many of thebattlefield lasers used for targeting, suchas those used for laser range-finding or tomark targets for laser-guided munitions.

Among the several companies producingSWIR cameras, Raytheon notes that itsSWIR camera uses indium gallium arsenide

34 Helicopter and UAV EO/IR Payloads

Helicopter and UAV EO/IRPayloads By David Maxwell

Above: The AN/DSQ-68 Airborne Cueing and Exploitation System Hyperspectral (ACESHY) is being evaluated on MQ-1 Predator UAVs (Raytheon).


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(InGaAs) detectors, both the currentultra-low dark-current models circuits.Both FLIR Systems/Government Systemsand L-3 Wescam offer SWIR cameras aspart of the sensor suites for variousmodels of their turret systems.

The advantage of using another part ofthe spectral range is that images can beblended together to form a compositepicture, showing the best elements ofeach in a ‘fused’ image. This subject hasbeen dealt with on these pages beforeboth in relation to airborne sensors and,also, to infantry night-vision goggles.

Another manufacturer, Sensors Unlimited(part of the Goodrich ISR group, also usedInGaAs materials and advanced circuitryallow it to run without cooling and detectbetween 0.9 and 1.7 microns, thuscovering the Visible and Near-InfraRed(V/NIR) spectrum. This adds to the varietyof spectrum bands that can be covered,as the company also manufactures a

variety of small SWIR cameras as well.

Perhaps the most interesting developmentin UAV sensors in the past few years hasbeen the evolution of the Wide AreaAirborne Surveillance (WAAS) system.This has become possible as the infraredcameras developed have shrunk in size,weight and power (the so-called SWAPequation) requirements. Coupled withever-smarter software (allowing multipleimages to be stitched together in amosaic), first WAAS systems havesurfaced as one solution to the need fordedicated persistent surveillancecapability.

Using the USAF ‘Big Safari’ acquisitionprocess, the Sierra Nevada Corporation,with the Geospatial Systems element ofwhat is now ITT Exelis as sensorprovider/integrator, developed the‘Gorgon Stare’ system, designed for use bythe MQ-9 Reaper UAV. The Increment 1configuration of ‘Gorgon Stare’ comprises

two underwing pods: the starboardwing pod houses a sensor turret whilethe port wing pod has the datalinkcommunications and data-storagefacilities. The sensor turret containsfive monochrome CCD (Charge-CoupledDevice) daylight cameras and four IRcameras for night imagery, plus theimage processor and environmentalcontrol unit.

The imagery from the CCD cameras canbe stitched together to create a single 80megapixel composite picture, while the IRcameras generate the equivalent of two x32 megapixel frame video streams. Theoverall CCD/IR take can be formatted into10 individual views (fed to 10 individualusers via datalink) or mosaiced into animage covering some 4 km square. Early trials in late 2010 revealed someproblems with the system. According toUSAF sources, the tests found the chip-out images were of poor quality, with upto 18-second time delay whentransmitting ‘sub-view’ images, which arebigger than chip-outs and provide morecontext. It was also discovered that‘Gorgon Stare’ could not operate whilethe Reaper’s laser was in use, since itcould damage the sensor.

However, by August 2011, these issueshad been resolved and, speaking at theAUVSI conference in Washington DC thatmonth, Randall Walden, director for USAFInformation Dominance programmes,indicated that the problems “werecorrected and re-tested and the systemwas deployed to theatre”, adding that“all the feedback we’re receiving … is verypositive”.

This outcome was hinted-at two monthsearlier at the Paris air show, when the-then ITT Geospatial Systems unitpromoted its own WAAS. Danny Rajan,director of Geospatial InformationSolutions, told the author that this WAASused an architecture that “leverages thecompany's image-chain analysis andspace sensors expertise”.

An example and solution was instanced:to produce a wide-area view at night thatcovers an equivalent view by day. Using afield-steering mirror (adapted from space-based applications) placed in front of theIR focal plane array, it is possible to takea picture, move, stop, stabilize and takeanother picture, nine times every half-second. According to Bernard Brower,an ITT image scientist, “this can turn aone mega-pixel array into a nine mega-pixel array”.

The hardware for such a system, includingcameras, is drawn from commercialproducts which are adapted for thespecific requirement. The WAAS systemitself is platform agnostic withapplications beyond Reaper-sized UAVsbeing surveillance airships, tetheredaerostats and (in a miniature form)

Above: The sensor ball of the Increment 1 fit for the ‘Gorgon Stare’ WAAS is located atthe front of the starboard pod (ITT Exelis).


smaller UAVs, such as the US Army’sShadow.

Back with ‘Gorgon Stare’, the morecapable Increment 2 version uses a newtype of electro-optical sensor, developedby the Defense Advanced ResearchProjects Agency (DARPA) and the AirForce Research Laboratory and knownas Autonomous Real-time GroundUbiquitous Surveillance Imaging System

(ARGUS-IS). Flight-trials of the ARGUS-IS,manufactured by BAE Systems, wereconducted on board a US Army UH-60Black Hawk helicopter and concluded inOctober 2009. For operational use, it ishoused in a pod carried as an underslungload by the A160T Hummingbird UAV.

The heart of the ARGUS-IS sensor system isa six-axis gimbal containing four

telescopes, each serving 92 EO Focal PlaneArrays (FPAs), each of five mega-pixelsresolution, making 368 FPAs in all. Theseare able to create a mosaic imagecovering some “tens of square miles”,John Antoniades, ARGUS-IS programmedirector at BAE Systems. He added thatthe airborne processing system was ableto simultaneously and continuouslydetect and track the presence and motionof “thousands of small <0.25m2 or largetargets in real-time”.

Flight trials and sensor demonstrationwere expected to have begun in January2011 but were delayed and, according toa US Army release in late December 2011,were planned to take place “early nextyear” [2012] but since then, no news hasemerged.

Another potential solution to the WAASrequirement emerged in September 2011,at the US Army’s Manned-UnmannedSystems Integration Capability (MUSIC)exercise at the Dugway Proving Grounds,Utah. An MQ-1C Gray Eagle had beenfitted with a Raytheon AN/DAS-2 sensorturret mounted under each wing which,with its regular AN/AAS-53 CommonSensor Payload (also from Raytheon) inthe main fuselage position, offers a wide-area capability. This configuration isknown as ‘Triclops’ and is intended tooffer an enhanced situational awarenesscapability, being controlledsimultaneously from three geographicallydispersed and distinct types of GroundControl Stations (GCS), which allowsindependent tracking of three separatetargets.

Above: An A160T Hummingbird rotary-wing UAV carrying the cargo pod in which the ARGUS-IS system, Increment 2 of ‘GorgonStare’, will be accommodated (Boeing).

Below: This chart shows the scope of the US Army's Manned-Unmanned SystemsIntegration Capability (MUSIC) exercise at the Dugway Proving Grounds, Utah inSeptember 2011 (US Army).

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Late March 2012 brought another playerinto the WAAS field, in the form of L-3Integrated Optical Systems, when thecompany announced it had beenselected by the Office of Naval Research(ONR) for the next phase of the Ultra-Wide Field-of-View WAAS developmentprogramme. This research anddevelopment effort will continue todemonstrate a wide area persistentimaging surveillance sensor thatprovides situational awareness ofregions of interest for airborneplatforms, such as the US Marine Corps’RQ-7 Shadow 200 UAV.

The Ultra Wide Sensor allows a singleUAV to monitor an area that normallywould require multiple UAS platforms

with standard EO/IR payloads. It uses anadvanced staring FPA and provides twosignificant capabilities: tacticalsituational awareness, by supplyingsoldiers with an overhead view of theirlocal area; and forensic video data thatenables analysts to assess enemynetworks of activity.

While we await further information onall elements of the WAAS jigsaw puzzle,it is worth pondering that with all thisimagery and full motion video (FMV)being captured, it still requires theservices of an imagery analyst to extractthe information and convert it tointelligence. The so-called ‘data problem’– the processing, exploitation anddissemination of data in a timely manner

– is already overloading the system.

Lieutenant General Larry James, theUSAF's deputy chief of staff for ISR, is onrecord as saying that with ‘Gorgon Stare’on a Reaper UAV generating two framesper second of FMV imagery and the BlueDevil 1 (an airship-based WAAS usingARGUS-IS), some 53 terabytes ofoverwatch data (equivalent of 53,000full-length feature films each and everyday) can be generated per day.

New software tools are being developedthat allow for tagging of objects as wellas other types of activities in order tohelp manipulate the massive streams ofdata that ISR systems can generate. Butthat, as they say, is another story.

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Main background image: ‘Gorgon Stare’ Increment 1 is fitted onan MQ-9 Reaper, beibng located on the underwing pylons where theHellfire missiles are mounted in this picture (USAF)

Above: The MQ-1C Gray Eagle modified to ‘Triclops’ configuration - with aRaytheon AN/DAS-2 sensor turret mounted under each wing and regularnose-mounted AN/AAS-53 Common Sensor Payload – as used in the 2011MUSIC exercise (General Atomics).


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42 Aero GB Targets The ‘Special Mission’ Market

Surveying and Surveillance

From small beginnings Aero GB now has bigambitions. The Company has teamed withthe Austrian sensor integration specialistsAirborne Technologies to offer the Tecnamtwin piston-engine, multi-mission aircraft(MMA) for surveying and surveillanceapplications. Key to the Company’saspirations is the provision of managedservices, tailored to the requirements ofthe commercial, military and securitysectors.

BATTLESPACE was invited to see theCompany’s facilities at Biggin Hill Airport inKent during an Industry briefing day on29th March. The event included a liveinteractive demonstration of the Tecnamand a mobile ground station. For thepurposes of the demonstration, the Tecnamflew with just two sensors – an RGB (red,green & blue) camera and a thermalimaging camera – which relayed imagesback to the ground station.

BATTLESPACE also had the chance to viewthe Tecnam in flight from a Cirrus lightaircraft flown by the company’s ChiefPilot, Steve Cooper. The Cirrus flew at2,000ft, out to around 10 miles over BigginHill as Cooper skilfully brought the aircraft

alongside the Tecnam, providing passengerswith a clear view of the Tecnam's discreetsensor bay located forward of theundercarriage.

Flying Start

Cooper founded Aero GB in 2005, as aflying school based at GloucestershireAirport. In addition to 11 years’ experienceas a commercial pilot Cooper hasundertaken work for AirScan, the US-basedairborne ISR (intelligence, surveillance andreconnaissance) company which providesservices for government and private sectororganisations.

In 2011 Aero GB was restructured andjoined by Peter Varnish (Chairman) andGraham James (Chief Executive Officer).Peter Varnish is an acknowledged expert onstealth technologies and electronic warfarewhile Graham James retired from the policeservice in 2003, following a 30-year career(which included appointments as DeputyAssistant Commissioner with theMetropolitan Police and OperationsDirector of the UK Immigration Service).

Following Aero GB’s re-launch last year,acquisition of the Tecnam is set to enhance

the Company's ability to provide aneconomic and versatile service, based on achoice of platform and sensor mix.

Platform Choice

AeroGB will be operating a mixed fleet ofTecnam MM and P68 Observers. Their ownaircraft are scheduled to be delivered inthe near future but in the meantime theyare delivering services by leasing aircraftfrom their partners.

“I believe that [the aircraft] has only beenseen once before in the UK to a very limitedaudience and it is very impressive,”enthused Graham James during thedemonstration.

James went on to explain the advantagesthat small fixed-wing aircraft have overhelicopters, that is, lower noise level,greater speed and higher endurance, aswell as being cheaper to operate. Jamesestimated that, depending on sensor fit,Aero GB could offer a managed service foraround £650 to £1,000 per hour, about40% cheaper than the cost of a helicopter.

One oft-cited draw-back of fixed-wingaircraft is that the view from the cockpit is

Business Feature

Aero GB TargetsThe ‘Special Mission’ MarketBy Yvonne Headington


limited. James points out that given thehigh-wing and surround-view glass cockpitdesign of both the Vulcanair and Tecnam,the aircraft provide a high degree ofvisibility. “When you're in a helicopter,”said James “you often can't see that muchforward anyway because of all the gearand equipment.” The Tecnam and Vulcanairalso offer greater mission flexibility. “It’smuch easier to change sensors on thesethan it is in a helicopter,” said James.

By offering a choice of platforms, Aero GBis aiming to provide a range of customisedcapabilities. The twin-engine, six-seaterVulcanair P68 has an endurance of eight to12 hours, compared with the TecnamMMA’s six to 10 hours. The Vulcanair alsohas room to carry three crew members(two pilots and an observer) as well asequipment. The four-seater Tecnam, istypically configured to carry two crewmembers and equipment. However, theTecnam is ideally suited for operations inchallenging environments.

Tecnam Qualities

The Short take-Off and Landing (STOL)Tecnam can operate from primitiverunways, including frozen grass surfaces.Equipment is housed within an internalsensor bay, which makes the aircraft bothdiscreet and robust. “Because we can getthe sensors up into the body of the plane,”explained James “there's not going to beany damage on a hard landing – bearing inmind the sensors cost two to three times thecost of the actual plane.”

Sensor changes can be completed quickly.“We can change the sensors in that planefor a new mission in between an hour and ahalf and three hours,” said James “which is

quite incredible really when you think ofwhat often has to happen….where theplane’s in the workshop for a day or two.”The Tecnam, powered by two Rotax 912engines, is also very quiet. The Rotax is anextremely fuel-efficient system that canrun on standard petrol or a mix of petroland aviation fuel. The aircraft can cruise ata speed as low as 65 knots, “which in theair,” said James “is almost stand-still.”

By way of illustrating the Tecnam's lowoperating costs, James explained how theTecnam had used just €110 of fuel during arecent flight from Airborne Technologies’facility near Vienna, to the UK.Coincidentally James was visiting AirborneTechnologies and “….my taxi fare from theairport to their offices – which is about50km – was €110.” said James.

Sensor Mix

The Tecnam MMA was developed byAirborne Technologies from the ItalianTecnam P2006T series aircraft launched in2009. The company, which is EuropeanAviation Safety Agency (EASA) approved,provides turnkey solutions for airbornespecial services on a range of platformsand can offer a variety of system options,including:

� Riegel GmbH airborne lasermeasurement systems such as the LMS-Q680i laser scanner which makes use ofa powerful laser source, multiple timearound (MTA) processing and digital fullwaveform analysis. The system can beoperated at varying altitudes and isparticularly suited for surveyingcomplex terrain. Riegel's VQ-580(designed for snow and ice conditions)and VQ-480 scanners provide high

speed, non-contact data acquisitionusing a narrow laser beam and a fastline scanning mechanism. Both systemsare compact and can be mounted withinlimited space in any orientation.

� IGI mbH GPS flight managementsystems, cameras and terrain mappingequipment. The Computer ControlledNavigation Version 5 (CCNS 5) is aguidance, positioning and sensormanagement suite which can operatewith common sensor types such asdigital and analogue cameras and Lidarequipment. The precise position andattitude of an airborne sensor can bemeasured by IGI’s AEROcontrolGPS/Inertial Measurement Unit. IGIcameras include the DigiCAM series ofdigital aerial cameras and theDigiTHERM thermal camera system. Thecompany also produces the LiteMapperLidar system for 3-D topographicsurveying.

� L3 Communications Holdings Inc,WESCAM MX-15 family of multi-sensor,multi-spectral imaging systems. TheEO/IR laser systems can meet a range ofmilitary, security and law-enforcementrequirements from low-altitude tacticalmissions to long-range covertsurveillance tasks. Images aretransmitted in real-time to either fixedor mobile receiver stations.

� FLIR Systems Inc UltraForce 350 compactEO airborne gimbal camera. Thelightweight system incorporates adaylight colour camera (with 26x zoom)that maximises standoff range andtarget acquisition during daytimesurveillance missions. The low lightfunction extends operations into dawnor dusk. Spotter options allow for the

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identification of targets at longer stand-off ranges while laser options enablecovert determination of target distanceand location.

� EuroAvionics GmbH EuroNav Vworkstation and digital moving map.The high performance, modular taskmanagement suite has a variety ofapplications for military, security andcivil operations.

� Broadcast Microwave Services (BMS)Europe GmbH wireless digital videodownlink. Images and data can bedownloaded to a receiver running theEuroNav V software.

� Scotty Group’s satellite communicationsdownlink. The company has developed acustomised SATCOM rack solution forthe Tecnam aircraft, which incorporatesthe Cobham SDU-7320 SATCOM modem.The system can be used to transmit highdefinition imagery or 'store & forward'video output as well as accommodatinginternet access, voice calls and dataexchange. The equipment is alsocompatible with military-standardencryption devices.

The Tecnam can carry up to five sensors(170kg payload) with a full range of dayand night capabilities covering, opticalimaging, thermal imaging, laser scanningand hyperspectral imaging. Aero GB,according to James is “sensor systemagnostic” and the company is currentlyconsidering system mixes for the Tecnamfocusing on non-ITAR controlled equipmentand the multi-layering of sensors – basedon mission requirements.

The company has established a strategicpartnership with UK-based BroadcastNetworks (BN) Ltd, a leading independentintegrator of broadcast and digital mediasystems. BN supplies the Dutch police withmobile surveillance command postequipment and, building on thisexperience, designed and integrated real-time processing systems for Aero GB’smobile ground station based on a modifiedLand Rover. Early stage design is also inhand for a static ground-based OperationsCentre.

Targeting Requirements

Aero GB is currently in negotiations withpotential customers in the UK,Scandinavia, Eastern Europe and WestAfrica. James was happy to describe, byway of example, a possible systems mix forforestry surveying work which couldinclude: a mid-size RGB camera such as theIGI DigiCAM, IGI’s DigiTHERM thermalimaging camera, Riegel’s LMS-Q680i Lidarscanner and a hyperspectral scanner suchas the AisaEAGLE produced by SpecimSpectral Imaging Ltd.

Other potential applications include power

line and pipeline management, agriculturalsurveying and environmental monitoring,including fishery protection, economicexclusion zone (EEZ) monitoring anddisaster response operations. As Jamesexplained, such tasks were once thepreserve of the military using sophisticated(and expensive) platforms and equipment.Smaller aircraft had limited endurance andcapacity to house the necessarytechnology but increasing miniaturisationnow means that small aircraft are able tocarry high-performance systems. However,smaller systems require more stableplatforms – which is where aircraft like theTecnam score when compared, forinstance, with unmanned air systems (UAS).“You have more control than with anunmanned vehicle.” James noted.

Given James’ background, he is particularlykeen to explore law enforcementapplications. James described how the useof technology by law enforcement agenciesinclined to focus on imagery. The use ofinfra-red, for instance, has been limited toidentifying hot spots (such as people). “Thiswas the mindset,” said James. “We didn'tknow what other options technologyprovided". The National Police Air Service(NPAS), which is due to be fully operationalin the Autumn of 2012 under the lead ofthe West Yorkshire Police Authority, facesthe question of how to provide a fixed-wing capability. “Capital assets areexpensive, particularly if you are not usingthem.” said James. “By using a managedservice, you are transferring the risk to theservice provider.”

There appears to be support for the‘managed service’ model. Speaking at lastyear’s Remotely Piloted Air Systems (RPAS)symposium at Shrivenham, Allyn Thomas(Assistant Chief Constable, Kent Police)pointed out that there are many potentialcustomers for ‘data’, including transportand utility companies – as well as thePolice Service. However, as a public

service, the Police would be unlikely toinvest in assets “but we'd buy a managedservice” said Thomas.

Special Missions

James is also confident that Aero GB canpenetrate the military ISR market. “We'vemade initial approaches,” said James“which have been well received.”Technological advances, driven by thecommercial sector, are helping to reduceequipment costs so that there is now “anopportunity to reach back into themilitary”.

Small to medium sized fixed-wing platformscan provide an economic surveillancecapability – with greater endurance than ahelicopter but cheaper to operate than ahigh-end, over-specified military asset. It ispossible to “achieve results at the low endbut significantly cheaper” said James. Thiscompromise between cost and capabilitywould have particular appeal for lessdeveloped countries that lack theinfrastructure, funds and capability toacquire and manage complex militaryassets. Counter-piracy and insurgencyoperations are obvious candidates.

Above all James emphasised Aero GB'smission flexibility. While the Tecnam haslow operational costs, the Vulcanair ismore suitable for long endurance task – forinstance, flying sorties from a safe havento areas of instability. “It’s a question oftime over target.” said James. “Equallyimportant is the need to recognise andembrace the potential of available sensorsand systems. It is understanding thetechnology and what it can do.”

Yvonne Headington is a freelance writer onDefence and Security issues and edits theweekly newsletter ‘Defence News Analysis –A View from London’(www.dranda.btinternet.co.uk)

BATTLESPACE C4ISTAR TECHNOLOGIES 45

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46 Aiming For Number One

On his first day as President of AimpointAB, Lennart Ljungfelt walked into theoffice of Kjell Gunnarsson, R&D Managerfor the red dot sighting originator.

“Just so you know, no one has been able tostay on as president of this company forlonger than two years,” Gunnarssonwarned him.

Nearly nine years later, Aimpoint’smilitary, law enforcement and huntingbusinesses are booming and Ljungfelt isstill enjoying every minute at the helm.

“I was very excited when I came onboardand that feeling has only increased since,”he said. “I’m very happy with what wehave accomplished, and there are somany new and exciting things that arepossible within the next few years andwithin a decade. Our production volumekeeps growing, too. We’re not talkingabout a few thousand sights a year. We’retalking about a huge number.”

Adoption by many of the world’s armedforces, and particularly the U.S. military,has contributed significantly toAimpoint’s success over the past 15 years.The company earned its first U.S. militarycontract in 1997 and Ljungfelt signed the

latest major deal for 565,000 sights inAugust 2009.

“Obviously civilian hunting is big for us,too, but it’s hard to deny how big thatfirst contract with the U.S. Army was forAimpoint, convincing the Army that wehave the sight they need,” Ljungfelt said.

Shipments of its CompM4, the M68 CloseCombat Optic sight under contract to theU.S. Army, surpassed one million in late2010.

“That’s remarkable in itself when youconsider it’s an army of 880,000 people,”Ljungfelt said. “The truth is the earlierversions we’ve supplied have served longand well with the forces and are takenout of operation.”

Business has increased eightfold underLjungfelt, who was a natural choice toend the turnover in the president’s officeand help Aimpoint meet the demands ofan expanding market while maintainingquality and performance.

He started joining his father on huntingtrips at age 5.

“He was hunting several times a week,”

Ljungfelt said. “He came home from workand immediately pulled out the shotgunor the rifle. I followed him everywhere. Bythe time I became a teenager, I was a littlebit sick of hunting. In my late teenageyears I got hooked on it again myself, butnot to quite the same extent. I’m not afanatic like he was, but I do love it.”

Military service was mandatory in Swedenuntil 2010 and all men were expected toserve once they turned 18.

“When I came into service in 1980, I knewI would do my time and I wouldn’t do asingle day more. It wasn’t so interesting tome.”

After two months, Ljungfelt’s platooncommander sat him down to discuss hisfuture.

“Do you have any plan to continue with amilitary career?” the captain asked.

“No, sir,” Ljungfelt answered. “No way.”

The captain stared back at Ljungfelt.

“Good, because I have the same opinion.”

A few months later he was chasing

The BATTLESPACE Interview

Aiming For Number OneBATTLESPACE meets Lennart Ljungfelt, President,Aimpoint AB, Battlespace Businessman of The Year candidateBy Eric Gourley


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Ljungfelt around with a contract.

“It turned out there were parts of it thatreally appealed to me,” said Ljungfelt,who was commanding a 12-man airdefence missile unit. “I had permission toshoot down aircraft in wartime, and I felta responsibility. I was attracted bymilitary tactics and over a period of onlya few months I had slid into the directionthat this is what I wanted to do with mylife. It was just a complete shift in mythinking. I studied economics in highschool and my plan was to be anaccountant or something like that but Irealised the military was just too good tolet go, and that’s why I stayed almost 16years.”

For the last few years, Ljungfelt was abattery commander in the peacetimeorganisation and an advisor to the armordivision commander in air defence issuesfor the wartime organisation. He retiredas a major.

Ljungfelt went on to sell the RBS 23BAMSE defence missile system for Bofors,then a subsidiary of Saab specialising inweapon systems with sensors based onradar, IR and laser. He moved south to becloser to his aging parents after five yearsand landed a job at Teracom Components,

a subsidiary of the government-ownedSwedish broadcasting company thatdevelops and manufactures multiplexersand combiners for TV and radiocommunication.

Aimpoint owner Per Sandberg firstcontacted Ljungfelt after he had beenworking at Teracom only one week,though he stayed with the company fortwo years.

“A member of the Bofors board ofdirectors who was also a board member ofAimpoint’s mother company knew I hadmoved south,” Ljungfelt said. “I was one ofthe options, but it took a pretty long timebefore I made my mind up, and Mr.Sandberg, made his mind up, that I wasthe right guy. In the end, it was too goodto say no. Hunting, and a product that Iknew very much about, since my dad hadgiven me my first Aimpoint sight in the1980s… I couldn’t resist.”

The late Gunnar Sandberg, Per Sandberg’sfather, founded Aimpoint in 1974. Longbefore its current headquarters wereestablished in Malmö, Sweden’s third-largest city, the company operated anR&D office and a production plant inGällivare, a small town in northernSweden about 100 kilometres north of the

Arctic Circle.

The company’s first sight, AimpointElectronic, hit the market in 1975 and wasquickly embraced as the fastest way toaim a firearm.

“Red dot sights have become so popularbecause you will be a better shooter,”Ljungfelt said. “That’s fundamental. It’sinstinctive to have both eyes open and tofocus only on the target. With Aimpointsights, the dot is focused to eternity andyou’re just focusing on the target. It’s adouble lens system where the inner part ofthe front lens corrects for parallax andthe outer part corrects the picture of thereal world on the other side of the sight.The red dot doesn’t move when you moveyour head. When you see the dot,wherever it is on the area of the lens,you’re able to shoot, and you will hitwhere you zero the weapon. That is reallythe beauty of it.”

For almost its first two decades, thecompany failed to fully recognise thatthere was a professional market for thesights.

“Aimpoint was selling to hunters and sportshooters, but we now know that specialforces embraced the Aimpoint sight very


early,” Ljungfelt said. “There were U.S.special forces who purchased theAimpoint Electronic almost immediatelyand started to experiment, but it wasmore or less unknown to the company atthe time.”

It wasn’t until the U.S. Army initiated asearch in 1995 for an optical sight toincrease the combat effectiveness of theinfantry soldier that Aimpoint started torealise the potential. The company joinedthe competition late, just a few monthsbefore proposals were due.

At the end of a two-year testing period,Aimpoint received a fax notifying thecompany that it had won the order formore than 80,000 sights – at a time whenthe company’s annual production wasaround 10,000.

“There were four or five white collaremployees and production was of thesame size, so there was a dramaticincrease in production volume,” Ljungfeltsaid. “Once the U.S. Army implementedthe sight, it grew within the army itself.We weren’t traveling and marketing andtrying to push them to understand it wasbetter than they thought it would be. Theygradually understood that what we hadproven in the test period was only afraction of what could be achieved, andthey started to place much larger orders.By the time I came into this, there were somany good things going on at thecompany and we’ve just managed tomultiply that and accelerate it.”

The historic contract for more than half-a-million sights was a hard-fought victoryfor Ljungfelt and Aimpoint. After anarduous process that included competitorprotests and federal court appearances, ajudge validated the U.S. Army’s decision.

“I was walking back and forth in myhouse when I got the notice that we hadbeen awarded 100 percent of the contractvalue,” Ljungfelt said. “It was late eveningover here. My wife said, ‘What’s thematter?’ and I said, ‘I’ve been waiting forthis for such a long time and we finallygot it, I’m just thinking of whether Ishould drive down to the office and signthe paper tonight.’ She asked me if I wastired and I said, ‘You’re kidding, I’m nottired.’ I would have come to theconclusion myself. I was here at midnightsigning the papers and then I put my feetup on the desk. It felt so good.”

Aimpoint has since delivered around halfof the volume while also securingcontracts with other armies across Europe

“Most countries want to have an opticalsight like this, because everyone is lookingat the U.S. Army,” Ljungfelt said. “Theyrealise that it increases the efficiency oftheir soldiers. Instead of using manyrounds to hit a target, you use one or two,

and that’s a huge difference – logistically,economically, in every way. Having thebest piece of gear is something thatcountries cannot neglect. I see that in thefuture, the optical sight will be standardon all infantry soldier carbines. It’sheading that way, and I think more andmore will realise it. Many of the world’sarmies, not to mention special forces,carry our sights. We’re almost to a pointwhere the Aimpoint sight is more or lessstandard NATO country infantry soldieroptic gear. I always joke that there’s notmuch that the U.S. and France share incommon, but both armies have the samesight.”

“These contracts have been great, butthere’s no such thing as an easy catch,”Ljungfelt added. “There is a lot of hardwork behind it and there are a lot of very

skilled people in our organisation, which Ifound out very quickly when I arrived.This success is not one man’s achievement.It’s always teamwork, and I believe inhaving good people around you and givingthem freedom to act, giving them amission instead of saying, ‘You do this andthen that and then that.’”

While there are more than a dozenAimpoint variations currently inproduction, the CompM4 is beingmanufactured in the largest quantity tosatisfy orders from the U.S. andNorwegian armies.

Supplied to the U.S. market throughwholly owned subsidiary Aimpoint Inc.,based in Chantilly, Virginia, the CompM4is in service with the Army and the AirForce. The Navy and the Marine Corps

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also use the sight through specialoperations or individual purchases byunits or soldiers.

Aimpoint also developed a 3X magnifier in2005 to increase shooting distance for theCompM4 and other sights.

“The only limit is really the ballistics of theweapon,” Ljungfelt said. “If you can zeroit at 700 yards, you can shoot accuratelyat 700 yards. You put the magnifierbehind the sight and you don’t have to re-zero. You take it off and you go frommagnified picture to non-magnified in asplit second.”

Meeting the production and deliverydemands of the U.S. Army and otherarmed forces has sometimes meantneglecting the hunting market, a decisionLjungfelt has no problem defending toshop owners.

“Armies need our sights for survival,” hesaid. “We’re saving lives. If you grabanyone here and ask them, they knowthat we’re possibly saving the life of thepoliceman or the infantry soldier, andwe’re proud of that. Hunting is fun, butyou’re not depending on the sight to saveyour life.”

While the professional market fluctuates,Ljungfelt refers to that sometimes-neglected hunting and sport shootingmarket as Aimpoint’s base sales.

“The commercial market is often close to50 percent of our business each year, butit varies a lot over time,” Ljungfelt said.“When we’re running hot on the U.S.Army, obviously that’s the majority ofeverything we supply, maybe up to 80percent. But when we’re not delivering tothe U.S. Army or another army, thatmeans that again the hunting market is ahigher portion. The military and lawenforcement orders are more like spikesin the pattern, whereas we have thehunting market floating steadily along.Over time, because we don’t have newmilitary orders from every country everyyear, the hunting baseline does catch up.”

Ljungfelt was happy to compareAimpoint’s products to some imitationred dot sights that often appear red untilbrought into low-light conditions.

“If we take a cheap sight, it won’t havethe same steep filter as we have,”Ljungfelt said. “It doesn’t have the sametransmission that we have and then itmay be completely lousy. You can makesomething that looks red, but you can’tsee the target when the light is low, andthat’s the difference in quality we have.We live on having high quality.”

In addition to the unique optic, Aimpointsights boast two major advantages: lifecycle cost and ruggedness.

The company developed Advanced CircuitEfficiency Technology (ACET), which hasextremely low power consumptioncompared to other light sources and cankeep the red dot lit for nearly 80,000hours – more than eight years ofcontinuous operation – on a single AAbattery.

“That’s a lot more than 500 hours, which Ithink was the original U.S. requirement,”Ljungfelt said. “We pushed thedevelopment of light-emitting diodesfurther and further. It’s not the batteryitself, it’s the way we use the electricityinside. If you’re one hunter and you buyone sight, you could afford to buy a newbattery every year or even every week.If you have an army of 880,000, thedifference between providing batteriesevery week or one battery for eight yearsis huge, especially because they have tobe transported.”

Added Ljungfelt, “I think we’ve reached apoint where you can regard this as anitem that doesn’t require a battery,because maybe you’ve been through yourbasic training and you’ve been in theatreonce or twice, maybe three times, and youstill have the same battery.”

The sights are also tough to destroy.The CompM4, which Ljungfelt calls themost rugged sight Aimpoint has evermade, weighs only 265 grams without themount but can double as a hammer.

“We have a library of sights from the U.S.that have been sent back by soldiers andother operators that have been at thebottom of the sea, under vehicles, inchoppers that went down, and it’s justamazing,” he said. “It is very rugged andthat gives confidence to the operator orinfantry soldier that this gear will not failor abandon him, and that is so important.You know that you’re a better shooterthan the guy who doesn’t have this, likeyour enemy. We don’t sell to all countries.We don’t want to have sales with manycountries, and that goes far beyond whatis limited by embargoes. It’s ethics. Wewant only the right people to have thisstuff.”

Strong beliefs have shaped Ljungfelt’sleadership since he joined Aimpoint.

“Our growth has been steady but we havebeen bigger than we are today,” he said.“That is part of this game. We have toadapt to the orders we get. Either that oryou say, ‘Well, I’m not interested inaccelerating because that would meanthat we face the risk of having to get ridof people.’ But if we would have had thatattitude back in 2003, or even in 1997before I arrived, we would never havebeen where we are today. I know somecompanies, typically the owner, says,‘This is my company, I want to have 40employees and that’s the proper size.I don’t want to increase business and then

have to go down in size and then increaseagain.’ But that is not the way we’reacting. We’re expanding and then we’reshrinking and then we’re expandingagain. It goes up and down, depending onthe quantity of orders we have.”

Ljungfelt has enjoyed many proudmoments at the helm, but one stands outabove the rest.

“The proudest moment I’ve had was atthe National Defense IndustrialAssociation annual conference in 2007,”he said. “I was sitting in the back rowthere among maybe 500 or 600 people.Michael Friedman of the Rapid FieldingInitiative took the stand and said he wasgoing to start off with the most successfulpart of what the industry hasaccomplished to meet their requirementfor supplying at larger volumes.”

“He started to talk and he didn’t show anypictures. It took me about 30 seconds tounderstand that he was talking about us.That’s where he started – the mostsuccessful accomplishment within hisresponsibility. He never mentionedAimpoint by name but when he said M68Close Combat Optic, I understood he wastalking about us. I got real goose skin andI wished all our employees could havebeen sitting in that room and feel what Ifelt, because that was the ultimatereward. Nothing else comes close. It wassuch a beautiful moment and I’ll neverforget it. I get the same goose skin as Italk about it now years later.”

Ljungfelt never doubted he’d become thefirst president in Aimpoint’s recenthistory to last longer than two years. Heexceeded Gunnar Sandberg’s expectationsfrom the moment he took the reins.

“After my first couple years he wasalways hugging me,” Ljungfelt said. “Hemade minor remarks like, ‘we should havea larger sign at the booth’ or ‘why didn’tyou do this and that at this exhibition?’but generally it was ‘well done.’ That wasa combination of him calming down in hisold age but also the result that weachieved and the way we have run thebusiness. I’m happy that he experiencedbefore he died that everything he thoughtwould be possible to achieve wasachieved, and far beyond that.”

“When I was hired the expectation was toincrease dramatically in volume, but weexceeded that by far,” Ljungfelt said. “Ifyou want to stay on top you have to havea plan, a methodology to improve. Longerbattery life and better ruggedness thanwe had with earlier models are just twoexamples. It never ends. You have to stayfocused to accomplish that.”

Looking toward the future, he concluded,“There are a lot of things coming up whichare going to be for the better of the hunterand better for the infantry soldier.”


I N T H E R I G H T P L A C E AT T H E R I G H T T I M E

BATTLESPACE NEWSB R I N G I N G Y O U A L L T H E L AT E S T N E W S

www.battle-technology.com

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52 Multiband Radios Bridge the Gap Between Past, Present and Future

Broadband on-the-move that works anywhere.

Especially the middle of nowhere.

When the mission takes you far from civilization, look to GNOMAD for a modular

connectivity solution. A global Ku-band satellite system, GNOMAD extends mobile

networks beyond line of sight. Combat forces can rely on proven broadband to

supply secure voice and data communications, regardless of location.

Easily expandable, GNOMAD provides a flexible option. To configure this

cost-effective networking solution, visit www.exelisinc.com/gnomad-dom.

Exelis and “The Power of Ingenuity” are trademarks of Exelis Inc. ITT is a trademark of ITT Manufacturing Enterprises, LLC., and is used under license.Copyright © 2012 Exelis Inc. All rights reserved. Photo courtesy of Tech. Sgt. Efren Lopez.

www.exelisinc.com

Don’t forget the next issue will be published

august 2012

If you would like to advertise in the next issue, please contact:

Julian nettlefold

tel/Fax: +44 (0)20 7610 5520

mobile: +44 (0)77689 54766

email: [email protected]

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1 10-11 8-9 4-5 2-3 6-7 battlespace what’s in this issue · · 2012-06-01indian army’s...

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