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OCOs (overseas contingency operations: Obama-speak for foreign wars) havehighlighted some shortcomings in the aerospace assets available to specialforces, but future scenarios are generating even greater challenges.

The Eurocopter EC725 is used by the French AirForce and Army for Csar and special operations

Roy Braybrook, inputs from Paolo Valpolini

America and its allies may now rea-sonably hope to see some form ofpeace return to Iraq, and insurgency

in Afghanistan eventually decline to a tol-erable level. Southwest Asia will nonethe-less remain an area of special concern, due(inter alia) to the possibility of an extrem-ist faction gaining control of nuclear-armed Pakistan, and of regime-change inSaudi Arabia, which has a quarter of theworld’s oil reserves. In addition, like NorthKorea in the east, Iran may developnuclear-armed ballistic missiles.

Any of these scenarios could pose seri-ous problems for US special forces, ascould a ‘symmetric’ war with anothermajor power. Several could demandactions by special units at very long dis-tance from friendly bases, to terminate keypersonnel, disable nuclear devices, disruptcommunications and computer networksand locate mobile missile launchers.

Stealthy PenetrationThe development of a stealthy transportaircraft (M-X) for Afsoc (US Air ForceSpecial Operations Command) is motivat-ed by the acquisition of highly effectivenetworked air-defence systems by coun-tries that could at some stage threatenWestern interests. It is being argued that

the M-X must be available soon, with serv-ice introduction by 2020 at the latest.

This M-X is envisaged as having acomparatively limited payload of around8000 kg, compared to the 11,500 kg max-imum for the Alenia Aeronautica C-27Jtactical transport. The M-X figure mayindicate designing to accommodate up to64 personnel.

A study of possible Asian scenariossuggests that the M-X should ideally havea semi-strategic range of around 8500 km,compared to the 5000 km quoted by theUS Air Force for Lockheed Martin’s MC-130H. This would allow it to pene-trate up to 3500 km into hostile territoryfrom a refuelling point 500 km outside.The numbers imply a relatively large air-craft, in the same gross weight ballpark asthe 80-tonne C-130J, but with a dispro-portionately small cabin. Short field per-formance would clearly be required.

Development of the M-X would behighly expensive and the potential mar-ket small. Afsoc has only 20 MC-130HCombat Talon II penetration transportswith active units (plus ten MC-130Eswith AFRC) and twelve (planned) MC-130W Combat Spears. Although large,slow, sore-thumb targets, the MC-130scan at present function singly or in pairs,flying low at night, using terrain-follow-ing radar, flir sensors, night vision gogglesand (probably) support jamming.

If the M-X also replaces Afsoc’s gun-ships, these would add only 17 AC-130U

Spookies and eight AC-130H Spectres tothe numbers. Depending on which Her-cules it replaced, M-X production couldthus amount to 36 to 60 units, assumingtwelve aircraft per squadron.

Tankers and EW HercsDigressing briefly, Afsoc also has 27 MC-130P Combat Shadow tankers for itsrotary-wing force, this figure includesfour Air National Guard aircraft. The USAir Force Air Combat Command has 13HC-130P/N Combat Rescue Tankers(scheduled to be replaced by HC-130Js)to refuel Csar helicopters, plus 13 withthe Air National Guard and ten withAFRC. However, these aircraft operatewith fighter cover, and thus do notrequire stealth.

To complete this outline of Afsoc C-130 assets, the 193rd Special Opera-tions Wing of the Air National Guard,

The mostcovert andquiet method

of reaching shoreis to approachunderwater. TheUS Navy SealDelivery Vehicleseen here has beenin service for awhile, but itsreplacement proves more arduous thanexpected, while European nations areawakening to the concept.

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based at Middletown, Pennsylvania, hassix EC-130J Commando Solo aircraftequipped for psychological and informa-tion operations. The EC-130Js can broad-cast radio on AM, FM and HF, and colourTV to all standards worldwide.

The other electronic warfare Herculesis the EC-130H Compass Call, which hasa crew of 13 (compared to nine for theEC-130J) and is tasked with disruptingenemy communications. By FY2011 allEC-130Hs will be brought to Block 35standard, adding the capability to jamearly warning and acquisition radars. AirCombat Command has 14 EC-130Hs,operated by the 55th Electronic CombatGroup. This is based at Davis-MonthanAFB, Arizona, but reports to the 55thWing at Offutt AFB, Nebraska.

M-XDevelopment of the M-X will probablyhave to ‘piggyback’ on that of anotherlarge, subsonic stealth project, such as theUS Air Force’s Next Generation Bomber(NGB). This is intended to supplementthe Northrop Grumman B-2A in anymajor war, after use of the Boeing

and Michael Isherwood), the US AirForce interest – as stated in May 2007 – isfor a manned subsonic bomber with acombat radius of at least 3700 km and a warload of 6350 to 12,700 kg.

The only positive sign for the NGBand/or M-X may be that Northrop Grum-man is believed to have received in 2008a $ 2.0-billion sole-source contract fromthe US Air Force ‘black’ budget to pro-duce a large stealthy air vehicle todemonstrate the latest low observabletechnology full-scale.

Hercules GunshipsThe Afsoc AC-130U gunship is beingupgraded with the Raytheon APQ-180fire control radar and the Lockheed Mar-tin AAQ-39 Gunship Multispectral Sen-sor System (GMS2), replacing the olderAll-Light-Level Television (ALLTV).The GMS2 turret is mounted on the left-hand fuselage sponson. There are alsosuggestions that the present fire controlcomputer may be replaced.

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Distinguished bynumerousappendages to thewings and verticaltail, the LockheedMartin EC-130JCommando Solobroadcasts radioand television inpsychological andinformationoperations.(US Air Force)

The US Air Force’s AC-130U gunship has comprehensive self-defence measures, asdemonstrated by this Spooky from the 4th Special Operations Squadron ‘Ghostriders’,based at Hurlburt Field, Florida. (US Air Force Special Operations Command)

Lockheed Martin is studying a ‘Har-vest Hawk’ armed Hercules for near-term use by the US Marine Corps inAfghanistan. A modification of the KC-130J tanker, this is expected to be fittedwith a new targeting sensor, the 30-mmATK Mk 44 Bushmaster II chain gun or40-mm Bofors (firing through the left-side paratrooper door), four wing-mounted Lockheed Martin AGM-114Hellfires and possibly another type of air-to-ground missile, to be dropped from thelowered rear ramp. The US Marine Corps

The AC-130U is being upgraded with the Lockheed Martin AAQ-39 Gunship Multi-spectral Sensor System (GMS2), mounted just behind the 25-mm General DynamicsGau-12/U Gatling gun. (Lockheed Martin)

The tube-launched, laser-homing, 21-kg,Northrop Grumman GBU-44/B ViperStrike has been adopted as the Stand-Off Precision Guided Munition for theAC-130U and MC-130W. (NorthropGrumman)

B-52H and Rockwell B-1B has becomeno longer viable.

Although only 20 B-2As were built,around 100 NGBs are expected to be pur-chased. Service entry for the NGB wasoriginally scheduled for 2018, to bridgethe gap to another bomber generation,theoretically arriving around 2037.

According to a Northrop Grummanstudy (The 2018 Bomber by Robert Haffa

weight of the new bomber could also bein the 80-tonne ballpark.

Although the US Air Force earlierplanned to launch an NGB competitionbetween the Boeing/Lockheed Martinteam and Northrop Grumman in the2009 fiscal year, the programme was zero-funded in the FY10 budget request andthe 2018 in-service date was delayedpending the Nuclear Posture Review.

At first sight it seems likely that theNGB complement for the 152-tonne B-2A would be much larger than the M-X.However, if the 18,150-kg warload of theB-2A really is to be halved, then the gross

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is expected to purchase nine such missionkits, three for each of its tanker wings.

The first Hellfire firing trials from a C-130 were carried out around the end of2002 by Arizona-based International AirResponse, using one of its own C-130As(registration N118TG). This Killer Hercules programme was performed atthe request of the Under Secretary ofDefense for Acquisition, Technology andLogistics. It used funds provided(strangely) by the Naval Surface WarfareCenter at Dahlgren, Virginia, althoughthe aim was to clear the way for AfsocAC-130s to use Hellfire missiles.

At a unit price of around $ 70,000, the46-kg Hellfire is a relatively expensiveway to attack small groups of insurgents.More cost-effective alternatives includelaser-guided rockets, such as the BAE

rent firing range of the AC-130U. Somepreliminary Sopgm release trials havealready been carried out from an AC-130U, presumably from wing pylons.

Gunship (NGG) or ‘A-X’, Afsoc was tohave interim gunships based on existingMC-130W airframes.

This decision appears to eliminate anyshort-term prospects for the proposed ‘AC-27J Stinger II’. There were reports in 2008that an old C-27A had been taken out ofstorage at Davis-Monthan AFB andmoved to Eglin AFB in Florida for conver-sion into a gunship. This was to be used forground tests, paving the way for the pur-chase of 16 AC-27Js within seven years.

The side-firing armament for the modi-fied MC-130W has evidently not yet beenfinalised. The current AC-130U combines

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Paving the way forfuture directed-energy weapons toarm Afsocgunships, in June2009 Boeing’sAdvanced TacticalLaser (ATL) wassuccessfully fired ata ground targetfrom this LockheedMartin NC-130H.(Boeing)

Western utilityaircraft employedin parachutetraining include thePacific AerospacePAC-750XL (shownhere) and thesomewhat lighter,well-known PilatusPC-6 Turbo-Porter.(Pacific Aerospace)

Utility aircraft maybe used for bothparatroop trainingand the low-profileinsertion of specialforces. Onepossibility is thisTechnoavia SM-92TTurbo-Finist.(Smolensk AircraftPlant)

a 25-mm General Dynamics Gau-12/UGatling gun with a 40-mm L/60 Bofors anda 105-mm M102 howitzer. Afsoc plannedto replace the two lighter weapons with 30-mm Bushmaster II chain guns, but therehave reportedly been problems in devel-oping the new installation.

In June 2009 the US Air Force issued apre-solicitation notice for a ‘Gunslinger’weapon system, including integration ofthe Sopgm on the MC-130W. The idea isapparently to carry at least ten tube-launched Sopgms on fuselage-mountedpylons, and reload the system in flight(presumably from an underfloor maga-zine) while retaining cabin pressurisation.The aim was to field the first system with-in 180 days. Northrop Grumman, SierraNevada and Applied Technical Serviceshave all expressed interest.

In a ‘Gunship 2006’ Navsea (Naval SeaSystems Command) presentation a pro-posal was outlined to convert the 105-mm

Systems APKWS-II (Advanced Preci-sion Kill Weapon System-II) develop-ment for the US Marine Corps and Army,the Lockheed Martin Dagr (DirectAttack Guided Rocket) and the ATK/Elbit Systems Gatr-L (Guided AdvancedTactical Rocket-Laser), all based on the70-mm General Dynamics Hydra-70 pro-jectile. In a heavier category, Russia has a122-mm S-13L laser-guided rocket, and inJune 2009 MBDA began trials at ChinaLake, California with a laser-guided five-inch Zuni, aimed at fulfilling a US MarineCorps need.

In August 2005 Northrop Grummanwas awarded a Special Operations Com-mand (Socom) sole-source contract todevelop its 21-kg GBU-44/B Viper Strikelaser-homing glide weapon as a stand-offprecision-guided munition (Sopgm) forthe AC-130. Viper Strike has a glide ratioof 9:1, and could in theory reach a rangeof 27 km from a height of 10,000 ft aboveground, effectively quadrupling the cur-

The Air Tractor AT-802U is an armedversion of the AT-802 crop sprayer,which – beingdesigned to destroynarcotic cultivationareas – has armouraround the engineand criticalcomponents. (AirTractor)

In the FY10 budget request it wasannounced that, rather than developingan ‘AC-130J’ that would have delayed abrand-new stealthy New Generation

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howitzer into a 120-mm smooth bore sys-tem. This was to fire a family of barrel-launched munitions and deploy folding-wing, sensor-equipped drones. Themunitions would include the M934A1high-explosive round, the M930 visible-light round, and the M983 for infrared illu-mination.

At some stage Afsoc gunships will bearmed with directed energy weapons,which will provide the firepower persist-ence desired. In June 2009, members ofthe US Air Force 413th Flight TestSquadron, based at Hurlburt Field, Flori-da, test-fired Boeing’s Advanced TacticalLaser (ATL) from an NC-130H in flightover White Sands Missile Range in NewMexico, successfully hitting a targetboard on the ground.

When the MC-130W is converted to aninterim gunship, it will be replaced in thepenetration role by new-build MC-130Jsacquired under HC/MC-130 recapitalisa-tion. The latter procurement programmewas launched with seven MC-130Js inFY08, followed by two HC-130Js and fourMC-130Js in FY09. Nine HC/MC-130Jshave been requested for FY10.

The HC-130J and MC-130J are bothbased on the US Marine Corps’ KC-130Jtanker. The first MC-130J is due to fly in2010, be delivered in 2011 and achieve

IOC (initial operational capability) in2012. The Pentagon has approved the pro-curement of up to 68 HC/MC-130Js.

Fixed-Wing UtilitiesIn a lighter category, Afsoc operates 19Pilatus PC-12 utility aircraft. DesignatedU-28A, it is flown by the 319th SpecialOperations Squadron from HurlburtField, Florida and the 318th SOS at Can-non AFB, New Mexico. Afsoc is planningto buy other utility aircraft, increasing itsfleet to 40. It currently leases four Bom-bardier Dash 8 regional transports.

The Russian Defence Ministry is plan-ning to acquire new aircraft to replace thevenerable Antonov An-2 biplane in theparatroop training role. The leading con-tenders are reportedly the Ukraine’s 5800-kg Antonov An-3T and Russia’s 3000-kgTechnoavia SM-92T Turbo-Finist, whichwas certificated in December 2008 and isbuilt by the Smolensk Aircraft Plant.

The SM-92T is in broadly the samesize category as the well-established2800-kg Pilatus PC-6 Turbo-Porter.Another Western type used in parachutetraining is the 3395-kg Pacific AerospacePAC-750XL.

Light AttackThe modern tendency in IW (irregularwarfare) appears to be for ground troopsto demand air support whenever in contactwith hostile units, however small. Conven-tional ground attack aircraft, such as theLockheed Martin F-16 and Fairchild A-10,are expensive means to attack smallgroups of insurgents. There are conse-quently growing calls for a low-cost turbo-prop-powered light attack aircraft, whichwill significantly increase the availablenumber of weapon platforms and may alsobe operated by nascent air arms.

The relatively low speed and smallturning radius of a turboprop give the

One twin-turbopropaircraft with lightattack capability istheRockwell/BoeingOV-10 Bronco.This ex-German AirForce OV-10B isfrom the MuséeEuropéen del‘Aviation deChasse. (MesseBerlin)

The Yakovlev Yak-130, seen here in the form of the first production trainer for theRussian Air Force, could provide outstanding warload-to-radius performance in theground-attack role. (Yakovlev)

The US Air Combat Command employs the Sikorsky HH-60G Pave Hawk for combatsearch-and-rescue. These examples are from the 64th Expeditionary Rescue Squadron,Joint Base Balad, Iraq. (US Air Force)

pilot a better chance of sighting a smallground target, but it is also more vulner-able to return fire. Fortunately, fewusable Manpads seem to be left inAfghanistan.

In July 2009 Air Combat Commandissued an RFI (request for information)on a Light Attack and Armed Reconnais-sance (Laar) aircraft that is also suitablefor what is termed ‘advanced’ flyingtraining, and can be operated from semi-prepared airfields. It is proposed to buy100 examples.

The Laar is described as a tandem-seatturboprop with a 30,000-ft ceiling, a ferryrange of 1670 km and an endurance of fivehours with 30 minutes fuel reserve. Arma-ment is to include at least one machinegun, two 227-kg bombs, 70-mm rocketsand rail-launched munitions. Deliveriesare planned to start in FY12, and the firstsquadron is to reach IOC in FY13.

The Laar contenders are thought toinclude (in ascending order of gross

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weight) the 2350-kg Pilatus PC-9, the2950-kg Beechcraft AT-6B, the 3850-kgEmbraer Super Tucano, the 4640-kg USAircraft A-67 Dragon, the 6350-kg PiperPA-48 Enforcer and the 7260-kg Air Trac-tor AT-802U. The Air National Guard iscurrently evaluating the AT-6B, while theUS Navy’s Irregular Warfare Office istesting a leased Super Tucano.

However, all the above are single-engined, hence there might be a case forrestarting production of the twin-engined6550-kg Rockwell OV-10 Bronco. Boeinghas proposed the modernised OV-10(X)Super Bronco. The OV-10 is still used byColombia, the Philippines and Venezuela.Another aircraft in this category is the6800-kg IA-58 Pucara, which is still oper-ated by Argentina and Uruguay.

Alenia Aermacchi is believed to beconsidering proposing two jets: the 4400-kg MB-339 and the new twin-engined6700-kg M-346, although neither is likelyto meet the five-hour endurance require-ment. Designed as a trainer, the latter(like the Yakovlev Yak-130, from which it

Alternatively, the space could be adaptedto allow the rescue of two personnel.

Outside The BoxSpecial forces have pioneered the use ofmany groundbreaking concepts; hence itis relevant to note the latest ideas fromDarpa. For example, the Agency’s FY10budget request included funds for sever-al new programmes, including a Sub-mersible Aircraft.

According to an October 2008 brief-ing for industry representatives byDarpa’s Dr Aaron D. Lazarus, the Sub-mersible Aircraft is an alternativeapproach to delivering eight operativesand their equipment (a payload of 907kg) to a beach, in the face of the latest lit-toral defences. The requirement calls forthe vehicle to transit to the operationsarea at altitude for 1850 km, then ingressat extremely low level over the water for185 km, alight, and travel for the last 22km just below the surface. Total ingresstime is required to be eight hours or less.

ment of the latter is probably challengingenough without Darpa trying to combinethe two very different types of vehicle.

In the ‘déjà vu’ category, Darpa hasasked for two million dollars in seed-money to develop a roadable aircraft,named Transformer Vehicle (TX). TheTX would carry four personnel, have anendurance of at least two hours and bequiet and able to hover. It would be oper-able in an urban or rural scenario by atypical soldier without pilot training.

Darpa is looking for new concepts andproposals for experiments that would laythe foundations for TX. The technologiesto be explored include hybrid-electric driveducted-fan propulsion and advanced flightmanagement systems.

Older readers will recall decades of USArmy dreams of ’flying jeeps‘ and invari-ably fruitless projects aimed at fulfillingthem. It is clear that current technologicaladvances are paving the way for man-car-rying drones that can be operated simplyby inserting waypoints in a laptop.

However, whether a vtol vehicle weigh-ing several tonnes could ever run quietly is another matter. Austrian-born Britishhelicopter pioneer Raoul Hafner said thatone would either see such things in a bigway (meaning that they will have large

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The single-seatKamov Ka-50attack helicopterwas employed tosupport Russianspecial forces inChechnya. Morerecently the two-seat Ka-52 hasbeen ordered forsimilar use. (US AirForce)

Helicopters will take a major step forward with the introduction of pusher propellers,as instanced by this Sikorsky mock-up of a derivative of its X2 research aircraft.(Sikorsky)

Based on the success of the AH/MH-6Little Bird with the US Army’s 160thSpecial Operations Aviation Regiment,Boeing is marketing the AH-6 (seenhere in a montage) internationally forlight attack/reconnaissance duties.(Boeing)

was derived) could provide outstandingwarload-radius performance. However,reports that the US Air Force intendsleaving the Laar behind for the AfghanNational Army Air Corps suggest that itwill not be as expensive as an M-346.

The AT-802U is an armed version ofthe AT-802 armoured crop-spraying air-craft, which has been used in South Amer-ica for several years to destroy narcoticagriculture areas. In this form it hasarmour protection for the engine and crit-ical components, and an AAR-47/ALE-47 sensor/flare protection suite to defendagainst Manpads threats. The fuel tanksare self-sealing, and inert to minimise therisk of explosion if punctured.

The AT-802U exhibited at the 2009Paris Air Show was equipped with sixpylons carrying two 227-kg Mk 82 bombs,two 12.7-mm Gau-19/A Gatling guns andtwo M260 seven-tube 70-mm rocketlaunchers. If desired, the centre fuselagehopper could be used to increase fuelcapacity, extending endurance to ten hours.

At the insert location the vehicle wouldloiter for three days, then return with theoperatives by the reverse of the ingressflight profile.

A more workable concept might be atwin-float seaplane designed to deploy asupercavitating mini-submarine. Develop-

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rotors), or hear them in a big way (like theHarrier).

Rotary-WingJust as Afsoc dominates the fixed-wing sec-tor of special operations, the rotary-wingsector is led by US Army Special Opera-tions Command (Usasoc), the largest of thefive Ussocom components. Usasoc in turnhas three major subordinate commands,one of which is the 160th Special Opera-tions Aviation Regiment (Soar), based atFort Campbell, Kentucky.

The 160th Soar specialises in night-time assaults, and has four battalionsbased in the Continental US (Conus).The 1st Battalion operates the BoeingAH/MH-6 Little Bird and Sikorsky MH-60L Dap (Direct Action Penetrator)Black Hawk, while the 2nd has the Boe-ing MH-47 Chinook, the 3rd the MH-60and MH-47 and the 4th the MH-47. Atthe upper end of the scale, 37 of the 61MH-47Gs planned for the 160th Soar arenow under contract.

The MH-47 has only two 12.7-mmmachine guns for self-defence, but theAH/MH-6 and MH-60L can provide firesupport with Hellfire air-to-ground mis-siles, Hydra 70 mm rocket pods, and 40mm grenade launchers. They can alsocarry Stinger air-to-air missiles.

The demands placed on 160th Soar areincreasing, and some observers are fore-casting the formation of a second Soar, withtwo MH-47 and two MH-60 battalions.

Digressing, the dedicated Csar (combatsearch-and-rescue) Boeing HH-47 wasselected to fulfil the US Air Force Csar-Xrequirement in 2006, but protests fromLockheed Martin and Sikorsky (promot-

ing variants of the AW101 and S-92) haveforced a rerun. Other very capable Csaraircraft include the Eurocopter EC725and Mil Mi-171Sh, the latter built at Ulan-Ude. The subject of Csar will be discussedin detail in Armada issue 1/2010.

In the lightweight category, there isincreasing interest in the use of small,armed helicopters by special forces units.The French Air Force has four squadronsassigned to the Mesures Actives deSûreté Aérienne (Masa) anti-terroristtask group, to protect important sites(such as that of Arianespace in FrenchGuiana), VIPs and events such as theParis Air Show.

They also protect against incursionsinto the capital’s airspace by light air-craft, and guard the air traffic using itsairports against Manpads attacks. TheirEurocopter AS355F1 and AS555ANFennec are operated with one pilot andtwo sharpshooters.

In a similar context, the US MarineCorps snipers attached to CombinedTask Force 151, deterring piracy in theGulf of Aden, are trained to shoot bothfrom a ship (as in the rescue of the Maer-sk Alabama’s captain in April 2008) andfrom a helicopter. The 7.62 mm Mk 11rifle is regarded as effective to around750 metres, and the 12.7 mm Sasr (Special

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This Bell Boeing CV-22B was one of four from the 8th Special Operations Squadron deployed to Mali for Exercise Flintlock in April2008. Here it is refuelling from an MC-130P tanker of the 9th SOS. (US Air Force Special Operations Command)

This Bell Boeing MV-22B of US Marine Corps squadron VMM-263 ‘Thunder Eagles’ ispreparing to land on the deck of the Northrop Grumman-built amphibious assault shipLHD-7 Iwo Jima. (US Navy)

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Application Scoped Rifle) can disablesmall craft at over 900 metres.

In October 2008, based on the successof AH/MH-6 with the 160th Soar, Boeingannounced its intention to promote theAH-6 overseas as a light attack/recon-naissance helicopter. It is marketed withan EO/IR sighting system and provisionsfor machine guns, Hellfire missiles andM260 seven-tube 70 mm rocket pods.

At the upper end of the armed heli-copter spectrum, the US Army employedBoeing AH-64 Apaches in special opera-tions during Desert Storm, makingstrikes deep behind Iraqi lines. Likewise,the single-seat Kamov Ka-50 was used byRussian special forces in Chechnya. In2008 the production of a batch of twelvetwo-seat Ka-52s was authorised, also forspecial missions.

Dedicated attack helicopters have notfound widespread support in the specialoperations community, presumablybecause of their lack of operational flex-ibility in comparison with an assault heli-copter such as the Mil Mi-24/35, whichcan also accommodate eight troops.

Guardian System that is being developedfor the CV-22B, using a 7.62-mm Gau-17Gatling gun, now appears likely to beapplied to the MV-22B. An uprated ver-sion with a 12.7-mm Gau-19 may beoffered for the CH/MH-47.

ParafoilsProblems with surface logistics in bothIraq and Afghanistan have encouragedthe development of various means of pre-cision aerial delivery to forward sites. TheUS Army has some packages up to 250 kgdelivered by low flying, contractor-oper-ated Airbus Military C-212s using unguid-ed, time-expired personnel parachutes.However, the trend is toward GPS-guidedram-air parafoils, although these areexpensive and should be recovered.

Beginning in August 2006, the US AirForce, Marine Corps and Special Opera-tions Forces in Afghanistan have used theJoint Precision Airdrop Delivery System(Jpads) in the form of the Strong Enter-prises ‘Screamer’. Dealing with payloadsup to 1000 kg, Screamer transitions froma highly-loaded parafoil to a round para-chute at a height of 550 ft, in order to

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Canada’s MmistSherpa precisionaerial deliverysystem wasintroduced in Iraqby US MarineCorps KC-130Ts in2003. It has sincebeen chosen for thearmed forces ofmore than tennations. (Mmist)

France’s Flying Robots FR102 isbroadly comparable to the PoweredSherpa, but can optionally have an on-board pilot and has a ballistically-deployed emergency parachute.(Flying Robots)

However, a new generation of muchfaster helicopters, with some form of aux-iliary propulsion giving a cruise speed ofaround 450 km/h, may lead to changes inthinking. Companies working on helicop-ters with tail-mounted propellers includeMil, Piasecki and Sikorsky.

One way to achieve higher speed in arotary-wing aircraft is to tilt the rotor for-ward through a large angle, transitioningto wing lift in forward flight. The BellBoeing V-22 Osprey is the only tilt-rotoraircraft in service, and its high unit pricediscourages imitations. Judging by theFY10 budget requests, the US MarineCorps MV-22B is running at $ 76.7 mil-lion, and the Afsoc CV-22B at $ 90.3 mil-lion. There are nonetheless hopes thatGermany might adopt the V-22 as areplacement for its Sikorsky CH-53G.

The Pentagon’s procurement objec-tive is 408 MV-22Bs (360 for the USMarine Corps and 48 for the US Navy)and 50 CV-22Bs. The V-22 has a cruisespeed of 445 km/h and a ferry range of3900 km with auxiliary internal tanks,

making it far easier to deploy overseasthan a conventional helicopter. However,the 181.5 kg current weight of an averageMarine with body armour and combatequipment has reduced a typical MV-22Bload from 24 to 20.

The MV-22B reached IOC in 2007. Ithas been deployed three times to Iraq,and is due in Afghanistan before the endof 2009. In US Marine Corps use the MV-22B replaces the Boeing CH-46 SeaKnight, providing much greater speedand range. On the other hand, the Ospreyis a larger aircraft; hence on an LHA/LHD vessel twelve CH-46s will bereplaced by only ten MV-22Bs. In addi-tion, the downwash produced by the MV-22B is significantly greater.

The CV-22B reached IOC in March2009. Prior to this, a detachment self-deployed in April 2008 to Mali in Africa, towork with Malian and Senegalese specialforces in Exercise Flintlock 09. All 50 CV-22Bs are due to be delivered by 2017.

Both the MV-22B and CV-22B arecurrently armed with a ramp-mounted7.62-mm M249 machine gun, which is tobe replaced by a 12.7-mm weapon. Thebelly-mounted BAE Systems Remote

The heaviest loadso far delivered byan autonomously-guided ram-airparachute is

employed (asshown here) anAirborne SystemsGigafly parafoil of60 metres span.(Airborne Systems)

18,140 kg. It

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combine a rapid descent (6.5 minutesfrom 24,000 ft) with a soft landing.

In March 2007 the US Army selectedthe Airborne Systems Firefly as its ‘extra-light’ Jpads-2K to deliver loads of 25 to1000 kg. A batch of 200 has been orderedfor use by the Army in Afghanistan. Ifrequired, the Firefly glide path can becontrolled from an aircraft. Later thatyear the same company’s Dragonfly waschosen as the army’s ‘light’ Jpads-10K,for loads from 2200 to 4500 kg. TheMegafly is designed for loads of up to13,600 kg.

In October 2009 Airborne Systems seta payload record for autonomously-guid-ed ram-air parachutes, when its 60-metrespan Gigafly delivered an 18,140-kg loadfrom a height of 25,000 ft and with anaccuracy better than 100 metres. TheGigafly has a glide-ratio of 2.9:1.

Another leader in this field is AtairAerospace, which markets its Onyx guid-ed parafoil series in four sizes: the OnyxML for loads up to 68 kg, the Onyx 300for load up to 136 kg, the Onyx UL forloads up to 320 kg and the Onyx 2200 forloads up to 1000 kg. The Onyx familycombines an elliptical parafoil with around parachute for a soft landing. Atairhas developed collision-avoidance andswarming algorithms to allow up to 50units to be deployed in the same airspace.Other Atair products include the Darpa-funded Micro-Leapp (Long EnduranceAutonomous Powered Paraglider), whichcan carry a 23-kg sensor payload and hasan endurance of eight hours.

Stara Technologies specialises in light-weight GPS-guided parachute systems.Its Mosquito, designed to deliver unat-tended ground sensors from ALE-47/MJU-10B countermeasures dis-pensers, is claimed to be the world’s

smallest guided parachute system. The4.5-kg Messenger delivers small batchesof leaflets, for use when different com-munities live in close proximity. TheProvider is a 100-kg resupply pod, de signed to be released from drones ataltitudes up to 25,000 ft, providing arange of 20 km.

Canada’s Mmist (Mist Mobility Inte-grated Systems Technology) manufac-tures the Sherpa precision aerial deliverysystem, which was first used operational-ly by US Marine Corps KC-130Ts overIraq in 2003. It has subsequently beenselected by other US services and thearmed forces of more than ten othercountries. It is marketed in two variants:the Sherpa Ranger for loads up to 545 kgand the Sherpa Provider for loads up to4535 kg. The Canadian forces have pur-chased 18 Sherpa Provider systems foruse in Afghanistan.

The 635-kg Powered Sherpa is used byUssocom under the designation CQ-10ASnowgoose, primarily as a means to deliv-er leaflets. Using two alternative sizes ofparafoil, it can be ground-launched froma Hummer or a trailer, or air-launchedfrom the rear ramp of a transport aircraftsuch as a C-17 or C-130.

The CQ-10B development replacesthe parafoil of the -10A with a three-blade rotor, giving a higher cruise speedand reduced sensitivity to winds. Therotor is unpowered in forward flight, butcan be spun up on the ground by thepusher engine, to give near-vtol opera-tion. Mmist is working with the US NavalResearch Laboratory to develop the CQ-10B for the US Marine Corps.

Turning to Europe, EADS DefenceElectronics’ Parafinder helmet-mountednavigation system for paratroops is inservice with Germany’s special forces. In2007 five of EADS Paralander cargo sys-tems were supplied to the Bundeswehrfor use in Afghanistan. The Paralander isdesigned for loads of up to six tonnes, andgives a glide range of up to 55 km.

Deflecting the trailing edge of the canopyproduces a flared landing

Dutch Space (an EADS Astrium com-pany) and the Netherlands’ NationalAerospace Laboratory have jointlydeveloped the GPS-guided Spades(Small Parafoil Autonomous DeliverySystem). This uses a Zodiac/AerazurARZ G9 ram air parachute and a shock-absorbing base for the payload. TheSpades 300 and 1000 are designed forloads of up to 350 and 1000 kg respec-tively, and a 6000-kg version is underdevelopment. Deliveries of Spades to theRoyal Netherlands Army are scheduledto begin before the end of 2009.

France’s Flying Robots markets theFR102, which is broadly comparable to thePowered Sherpa. The FR102 has a grossweight of 600 kg, a payload capacity of upto 250 kg and an endurance of up to 20hours. An unusual feature is a ballisticallydeployed emergency parachute. FlyingRobots has sold one system to France’sspecial forces and one to China.

Before leaving the subject of para-chutes, it may be noted that Germany’sHahotec is developing the use of a Jetcatturbojet to improve the glide angle of aparachutist. Trials with a G9 parachuteand P160-SX engine of 16 kg thrust havedemonstrated a glide slope better than13:1. Work is proceeding on the basis of a23-kg P200 and a larger fuel tank, to givean endurance of over 30 minutes.

Rotor DronesThe US Marine Corps Warfighting Labo-ratory has issued an Immediate CargoUAS (ICUAS) requirement to resupplyforward units in Afghanistan. The dronemust be able to deliver 1135 kg in less thansix hours (and 4540 kg in a 24-hour peri-od) over a 140 km radius for three consec-utive days. It has to be capable of cruisingat 130 km/h, and of hovering out of groundeffect at up to 15,000 ft. Boeing was award-ed a $ 500,000 contract to study the A160T

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Siegfried Herbst, CEO of Hahotec, egresses from his Pilatus PC-6 launch aircraft. TheJetcat P160 of his GPPS turbojet can be started at up to 11,500 ft, providing a glideslope better than 13:1. (Hahotec)

New Zealand’s Martin Aircraft Jetpackhas a 150-kW two-stroke enginedriving two ducted lift fans. Emptyweight is 113 kg, maximum take-offweight is 250 kg and maximum speedis 115 km/h. (Martin Aircraft)

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in this context, while a Lockheed Mar-tin/Kaman team has received $ 860,000 forthe Unmanned K-Max. It is anticipatedthat the ICUAS will be deployed toAfghanistan in early 2010. It may be notedthat Ussocom plans to acquire 20 A160Tsunder the designation YMQ-18A inFY12-13 for use with various sensors.

America and Israel are both develop-ing vtol drones for casualty evacuation.Following Darpa’s Nightingale feasibilitystudy, the Pentagon began awarding Com-bat Medic UAS contracts in FY07, thecontractors including Piasecki Aircraft,Dragonfly Pictures and Perceptek.

The Israel Defense Force is develop-ing its own drone requirements for resup-ply and casevac (casualty evacuation). Inthe former role, contenders include theEmit Butterfly powered parachute, witha 230-kg payload capacity. In the casevaccategory, Urban Aeronautics has beentesting the subscale Panda, and trials withthe full-scale ducted-fan 2400-kg Muleare imminent. The Fast Mule is a largerderivative, aimed at the US requirement.The Fisher Brothers MedUAV is compa-rable to the Powered Sherpa.

More conventional drones were dis-cussed in some detail in the supplementto Armada 3/2009. The most importantprogramme in the present context is theSmall Tactical UAS for the US Navy andMarine Corps, which will provide theservices with 72 and 128 air vehiclesrespectively, with IOC in FY12. The prin-cipal contenders are a growth version ofthe AAI Aerosonde Mk 4.7, the Boe-ing/Insitu Integrator, the Raytheon/SwiftEngineering Killerbee-4 and the UAVDynamics (GD/Elbit) Storm (Hermes 90derivative).

Algorithms from ItalyUtri of Italy, specialised in micro andmini-drones, has exercised its electronicskills and, together with the Italian Army‘Folgore’ Parachute Brigade researchand studies centre, developed a state-of-the-art navigation and guidance unit forspecial forces high-altitude/high-openingparachute missions. Known as the Sky-path B, the system comprises a variablenumber of Flight Guidance Units (FGU)and a mission planning station, which canbe hosted on any laptop loaded with theproprietary software. The latter allowsone to carry out mission analysis basedon the desired landing area, wind fore-cast, canopy parameters, release pointaltitude, speed and bearing. Once themission profile has been approved, it isentered via wi-fi together with the appro-priate maps into the FGU.

Based on GPS location, the 280 x 165x 95 mm FGU is activated by the opera-tor immediately after the canopy hasdeployed, providing in-flight trajectoryoptimisation and manoeuvring, compar-ing planned with real conditions. A com-pass-like icon is shown, the operator’stask being to manoeuvre his chute inorder to bring a mobile arrow in line withthe arrow generated by the system.

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For daylight jumps the Utri SkypathFlight Guidance Unit provides a black-on-white data display (although awhite-on-black option is available),which can be switched to NVIS GreenB on a black background mode for fullcompatibility with night vision goggles.(Utri)

as well as a navigation tool, while as anoption it can also become a receiving sta-tion for data provided from Utri microUAVs. In case of danger all data can beextracted and quickly destroyed, whileduring training missions all data can besaved in the FGUs for after-actiondebriefing.

Exploiting the same guidance systemof the Skypath, Utri developed a fullyautonomous precision airdrop and guid-ance system for air cargo delivery up to500 kg (UD). Known as the Skyporter, ituses the same algorithms for wind esti-mate, route correction and canopyparameters correction as the Skypath,and uses the same mission planner. Thecommunication module is also the same,which allows one or more Skyporters tobe integrated into a team equipped withthe Skypath, flying in formation and car-rying extra equipment or the operationaldetachment. It can also be used in launch-and-forget mode, providing it has thegrids of the landing zone, and it can beremotely directed by a ground teamlocated near the landing zone. A flaremode for landing allows a soft delivery ofthe payload, up to 500 kg, which can varyaccording to the type of parachute beingused. The system, including guidanceelectronics, batteries and actuators, has aweight of about 20 kg. The Skyporter wasdemonstrated at the Precision AirdropTechnology Conference and Demonstra-tion (Patcad) 2005 which took place atYuma, Arizona, and at Patcad 2006 atBiscarosse, France.

Shortlisted alongside the BoeingA160T in the US Marine CorpsImmediate Cargo contest is theUnmanned K-Max, which is jointlypromoted by Kaman Aircraft andLockheed Martin. (Kaman)

Another mode allows to verify the oper-ator’s position on the map, while the posi-tion of the other team members as well asthe estimated time-on-target are alsoshown. The system also provides flightsafety parameters such as automatic col-lision avoidance as well as alarms in caseof missing elements; communicationsbetween the FGUs is carried out via a fre-quency-hopping encrypted digital trans-ceiver with adjustable power output.

A transportable ground control sta-tion, to be used mostly for training mis-sions, monitors the flight within a 60-kmrange and can transmit new target gridsto all team members. The system can alsobe used by teams that are already posi-tioned on the ground.

The Skypath B can store up to fourdrop zones, and it is possible to modify tar-get data during the flight. The FGU fea-tures a double rechargeable Lithium Poly-mer battery set; one battery is inserted inthe FGU for about ten hours operation,while the second is inserted into the dock-ing base linked to the harness and ensuresthe heating of the 155 x 95 mm LCDcolour sun-readable screen during thehigh-altitude navigation phase. The sys-tem has been tested between -55° and+50°C and is operational between 11,000and -200 metres. The Skypath B weighs 2.9kg without batteries and harness (3.5 kgoverall) and is splash proof, although awaterproof version can be provided with aslight weight increase.

Once on the ground the Skypath B canbe used as a Blue Force Tracking system

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14

Thomas Withington

T he MV Maersk Alabama had ofcourse been hijacked by Somalipirates en route to Mombasa,

Kenya. The Seal team had fired the shotsfrom the USS Bainbridge, an ArleighBurke class guided missile destroyer, thatended the tense stand-off between thenavy and the pirates. The hijacking of theMaersk Alabama was reportedly the firstseizure of an American-flagged vesselsince the Second Barbary War of 1815.

The seizure and the subsequent rescueof Captain Philips underscored just howdangerous the waters around the Horn ofAfrica are for merchant shipping wherepirates can operate with impunity fromthe lawless state of Somalia. Moreover, italso indicates the demand for naval spe-cial operations forces capable of bringingtheir considerable skill sets such as snipingand hostile-craft boarding to bear in thebattle against the pirates. Several naviesfrom Asia, Europe and North America arecurrently involved in anti-piracy efforts inthe Indian Ocean, while other forces arelooking afresh at their maritime specialoperations capabilities and in particular atthe vessels, both surface and subsurface,that can take them to the action.

Until the end of the Cold War, the off-shore patrol vessel (OPV) was seen as ameans to safeguard a nation’s coastline,assisting in search and rescue and in pro-tecting Economic Exclusion Zones.OPVs are still the vessels of choice for

performing these essential missions, buttheir role has since expanded to accom-modate special forces that maybe calledupon to assist during a vessel hijacking,and to seize boats carrying narcotics orinvolved in people smuggling.

Seizures of vessels by pirates or terror-ists may not only occur off the coastlinesof unstable states. As this article was beingwritten, news organisations around theworld were seeking to unravel the mys-tery of the seizure of the Russian-crewedMV Arctic Sea, which transmitted a callclaiming that it had been boarded bymasked individuals on 30 July. The vessel,

which disappeared until mid-August, waseventually located and docked but, whilequestions remained regarding the circum-stances of the hijacking, the incident high-lights that the hostile boarding of mer-chant vessels may not be restricted to therestive waters off the coast of east Africaor the Strait of Malacca in Asia. Such inci-dents may also occur in areas thought tobe trouble free.

For this reason, several countries arelooking at equipping their navies withOPVs to accommodate naval specialoperations personnel who can boardhijacked vessels as well as assist in mar-itime law enforcement. For naval specialoperations teams, the OPV gives them acraft from which they can plan and exe-cute a mission. OPVs also bring navies anadded degree of flexibility by enablingthem to deploy special forces whereneeded without monopolising larger sur-face combatants that might be called onduty elsewhere.

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The RoyalMalaysian Navy’sKD Sri Indera Saktimulti-role supportship operating withspecial forces onanti-piracyoperations in theGulf of Aden. Thenavy has recentlyacquired acommercial vessel,the MV Bunga MasLima, to beconverted into anaval platform tofulfil a similar role.(US Navy)

The utility of naval special operations forces was dramatically demonstratedfollowing the seizure of Captain Richard Philips, skipper of the MV MaerskAlabama container ship and his liberation by US Navy Sea Air Land (Seal)team members on 12 April 2009. Philips made his escape when three snipersfrom Seal Team Six killed three of the four pirates who were holding him cap-tive on the vessel’s lifeboat.

Defence ConsultingEurope Seal Pod

can transportcomandoes aboveand below water

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South AfricaSouth Africa is one country that is look-ing hard at how to equip its maritime spe-cial forces. The Republic of South AfricaNavy already operates a unit of combatdivers, although the country is nowengaged in a programme to significantlyincrease its’ maritime special forces capa-bilities. The force has three Heroine classsubmarines (based on the Howaldts -werke Deutsche Werft Type 209) whichreplaced the French Navy’s formerDaphné class boats, and all of these ves-sels were commissioned by 2008. TheHeroine submarines are able to supportspecial operations and supplement theother special operations forces assets ofthe navy, which includes the force’s Oper-ational Boat Squadron outfitted withNamacurra class patrol boats and whichare deployed for boarding operationsand riverine missions. To this end theforce has participated in peacekeepingmissions in Burundi.

The South African Navy is currentlyraising a Maritime Reaction Squadron(MRS), which is envisaged as a battalion-sized combat unit. The MRS cadre will betrained as infantry troops despite retainingnaval ranks, and will conduct peacekeepingoperations alongside conventional navalspecial operations such as force protection,calls for naval gunfire support, amphibious

landing and maritime law enforcement.The MRS initiative was launched inDecember 2008 and will include a divingunit of around 17 personnel along with anoperational boat division.

The operational boat division will con-tinue to use the Namacurra vessels alongwith Lima class landing craft and Xena

mm grenade launchers, the vessels canaccommodate one 12.7-mm machine gunor a pair of 7.62-mm weapons. These craftwill be organised into three units, eachequipped with five boats. The Xena,Namacurra and Lima class vessels will besupplemented by new Multimission Off-shore Patrol Vessels (MMOPV), which thenavy is seeking to purchase as part of itsProject Biro initiative. A total of six vesselsare to be acquired, with all of the shipsentering service by 2016. Equipped with76-mm armament, they will be around 85metres in length, with exact sensor andweapons outfit yet to be determined.

An alternative to purchasing sixMMOPVs could see three vessels beingacquired and supported by up to threeinshore patrol craft equipped with 30-mm cannon. These craft will be taskedwith coastal and EEZ patrol missionssuch as fishery protection and maritimelaw enforcement, in addition to minecountermeasures and littoral patrol.Whatever solution may eventually beadopted, the competition to supply themultimission offshore patrol vessels isexpected to be contended by DCNS ofFrance, ThyssenKrupp Marine Systemsof Germany, Damen Schelde Naval Ship-building of the Netherlands and BVTSurface Fleet of Britain. The craft areexpected to be of a modular construction,

Still only a design, the DCNS Andrasta submarine is very much a stepping stone forsubmarine-less navies. Regarded as a scaled-down Scorpène, it would constitute aneffective coastal water deterrent asset, but could also be used to support special forcesoperations in coastal environments. (DCNS)

The Andrasta carries a crew of 19 plus six divers, it has a submerged speed of up to15 kt and a diving depth of over 200 metres; an important consideration whenperforming coastal missions. The vessel can remain submerged for up to five days andhas a range of up to 3000 nm or an endurance of up to five days. (DCNS)

Designed and built by Defence Consulting Europe in Sweden, the recently unveiledSeal Delivery Vehicle is powered by a 320-hp diesel, which itself feeds four waterjets(two front, two aft). The boat is 10.3 metres long, weighs 3800 kg and its compressedair supply of 40,000 litres enables it to re-inflate its rubber buoyancy units from anormal immersed depth of 15 metres. (Defence Consulting Europe)

by which the vessels will be have commoncore design able to accept mission-specif-ic hardware depending on the task of theday. The ships will eventually allow theSouth African Navy to decommission itsWarrior class missile boats which arebased on the Israeli Sa’air-4 class vesselsand carry Israel Aerospace IndustriesScorpion short-range anti-ship missilesand an Oto Melara gun. Three of theforce’s four River class mine counter-measures vessels will also be replaced bythe new acquisition.

The South African Navy is not theonly force augmenting the maritime spe-cial operations forces capability of its sur-face fleet. The Royal Australian Navymakes use of the Bale Defence IndustriesPatrol Boat Special Forces (PB-SF) craft.The PB-SF is produced in a range of con-figurations to suit customer size require-

class riverine patrol boats. The Xena ves-sels are essentially Namacurra class boatsthat have been rebuilt with a 10.3-metre-long hull and water jet propulsion drivenby inboard engines. As well as carrying 40-

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ments. These include hull lengths ofbetween twelve to 24 metres, and a rangeof sensor outfits and weapon options,while a carbon-fibre and Kevlar con-struction makes the craft extremelytough. Special seating can absorb shocksof up to ten times the force of gravity,which is an important considerationgiven the rough ride that naval specialforces personnel can suffer navigating athigh speeds, and the PB-SFs are able toreach speeds up to 90 knots.

MalaysiaWhile naval special operations forces areusually associated with utilising fast raid-ing craft or midget submarines as theirtransport of choice, the Royal MalaysianNavy is adopting a novel approach to thetransportation of commandoes for anti-piracy operations. Malaysia is located onthe northeastern side of the Strait ofMalacca, which is one of the most notori-ous stretches of water in the world forpirate attacks. However, while incidentsof piracy have declined there in recentyears, Malaysia, as with several othercountries around the world, has seen itsmerchant shipping suffer piracy attacksoff the Somali coast.

In June last year it was reported thatthe Royal Malaysian Navy would receivea converted merchant vessel, the MV

Bunga Mas Lima, which had been oper-ated by the Malaysia International Ship-ping Corporation (Misc), to assist anti-piracy operations: the Misc suffered thehijacking of two of its ships in 2008. Thevessel has undergone substantial conver-sion and has received a helicopter deck,along with a medical centre, militarycommunications, positions for light

Gulf of Aden, although the addition ofthe Bunga Mas Lima will now permit theforce’s surface combatants to concen-trate on other missions, and also save thenavy the time, money and wear and tearof deploying its warships for this task. Theship will be crewed by a combination ofMisc employees and Malaysian sailors;the latter of which will include specialoperations personnel from the navy’sPasukan Khas Laut maritime specialforces unit. An aviation detachment willoperate an AgustaWestland Super Lynxhelicopter to carry the special operationspersonnel to and from their objective – aswill the ship’s organic boats.

In Singapore, emphasis was recentlyput on the sub-surface special forces capa-bilities. The Republic of Singapore Navyreceived a boost in 2009 with the launch ofits first Västergötland class submarine,which was constructed at the Kockumsshipyard in Sweden. Singapore’s navyincludes two special operations forcesunits; the Maritime Security Task Forceanti-piracy unit and the Alpha and Bravonaval diving teams. The three vessels,which have been operated by the RoyalSwedish Navy, were completed by 1988and have since been upgraded to enhance

Under an agreement recently struck with Saab, Defence Consulting Europe is workingon a project aimed at turning its Seal Delivery Vehicle into a Double Eagle Sarovcarrier-operating base. While the Sarov mine hunter is able to untether and operateautonomously, the Seal Delivery Vehicle is actually capable of diving to depths of 40metres. (Defence Consulting Europe)

The M88 Stiletto, built by M Ship of California, has been going through extensivetrials with the US Navy. The trials have illustrated that the vessel definitely has somepotential as a special forces support craft, although some shortcomings in terms ofcommunications will need to be addressed. (M Ship)

Instrumental in the rescue of Captain Philips was the USS Bainbridge destroyer, whichwas able to accommodate US Navy Seal members. Surface combatants areincreasingly being used to transport naval special forces personnel for anti-piracyoperations. (US Navy)

weapons and small raiding craft opera-tion capability. The ship also now carriesRoyal Malaysian Navy colours.

The Royal Malaysian Navy has beentasked in escorting ships through the

performance in warm tropical waters. Thefirst of the Västergötland boats, which waslaunched for the RSN on 16 June, has beenrenamed RSS Archer. It will be followedin 2010 by the RSS Swordsman (the ex-HMS Västergötland). In terms of outfit-ting the boats for naval special operationsmissions, a diver’s lock out chamber wasadded to the sail during the vessels’upgrade programme.

FranceTwo years ago, French shipbuilder DCNSunveiled a product, the SMX-23, whichcould be of major benefit to underwaterspecial operations. Now known as theAndrasta, this submarine was designedfor coastal operations and for conductingspecial operations. It can protect itselfwith heavyweight torpedoes such as theWhitehead Alenia Sistemi SubacqueiBlack Shark or anti-shipping missiles likeMBDA’s SM-39 Exocet, which can befired from six forward tubes.

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For the conduct of special operations,the Andrasta features an airlock and canbe outfitted with intelligence-gatheringequipment. The small 48.8-metre-lengthdouble-hulled design of the vessel helpsto preserve its low-observablility charac-teristics, along with its low acoustic signa-ture. DCNS has designed the Andrasta tocarry the company’s Subtics combat sys-tem, which is also used on DCNS’s Scor-pène class of conventional submarines.DCNS seeks to address what it sees as agap in the market for naval forces whichrequire a means of performing coastalsubmarine operations such as insertionand intelligence-gathering, but do nothave the finance or infrastructure tooperate larger conventional submarines.In order to keep costs down and ease theengineering and design burden, DCNShas chosen to leverage much of the tech-nology that has been developed for thecompany’s Scorpène boats which havebeen purchased by Chile, India, Malaysiaand Brazil. These countries may yetemerge as target customers for theAndrasta.

NetherlandsWhile the French are marketing theAndrasta concept, the Royal Nether-lands Navy is augmenting its fleet withvessels that can perform maritime inter-diction and special operations. The fleet ispresently involved in operations off theGulf of Aden as part of a Nato anti-pira-cy initiative, which includes the Russian

SwedenMeanwhile, Sweden is looking toenhance the capabilities of its maritimespecial forces. The country’s navy oper-ates Kurstjaegerskolan combat diverunits which use midget submarines andSeal commando delivery vehicles, whileits Amphibious Corps are used in supportof landing operations and hostile-vesselboarding. The Royal Swedish Navy is cur-rently outfitting its combat divers withnew Seal Delivery Vehicles to be deliv-ered from Defence Consulting Europe ofVaxholm, Sweden.

The company builds a number of spe-cial operations products which includesthe Seal Pod family. One member is theSeal SDV (Swimmer Delivery Vehicle),which can operate in semi- or a fully-sub-merged modes (fully flooded in the lattercase). One of the important attributes ofthe Seal SDV is its low visual signature.During operations on the surface, thecraft can achieve speeds of up to 30 ktusing a diesel engine and water jet propul-sion. When operating below the surface,the Seal SDV uses a battery that is con-

The Dry DeckShelter (DDS) is aremovable structurethat can be fixed tothe hull of asubmarine allowingdivers to enter andexit while the vesselis submerged. TheUS Navy’s DDScan be transportedin a LockheedMartin C-5 Galaxyairlifter. (US Navy)

The future of the USNavy’s Zumwaltclass destroyershangs in thebalance followingconcerns regardingthe programme’sbudget. The craftare seen as avaluable additionto the list of USNavy craft able totransport navalspecial forces to theaction. (US Navy)

Joining the ranks of the USS Floridaand the USS Ohio, the USS Georgianuclear powered submarine will sooncomplete its conversion to an attacksubmarine able to support specialforces missions. (US Navy)

Navy’s Neustrashimy guided-missilefrigate and India’s Talwar class frigate.The Dutch have contributed theirHNMLS De Ruyter, a De Zeven Provin-ciën class frigate, which is accommo -dating special operations teams. Howev-er, in recent years the navy has suffered areduction of its fleet size resulting fromthe sale of four of its Karel Doormanclass frigates, reducing the number ofplatforms from which that country’s spe-cial forces can deploy.

As a result, in 2007 Damen ScheldeNaval Shipbuilding was contracted toproduce four OPVs as part of the ProjectPatrouilleschepen initiative, whichshould enter service by 2013. Displacing3750 tonnes with a length of 108 metresthe first ship in the class began construc-tion in 2008. The ships will be built byDamen Schelde at Galati in Romaniaand Vlissingen in the Netherlands. Thevessels will have a top speed of 21.5 ktand accommodation for an NH Indus-tries NH-90 Nato Frigate Helicopter. Interms of supporting the maritime specialoperations, two twelve-metre rigid-hullinflatables can be accommodated alongwith 40 troops.

nected to four electric thrusters and a pro-peller, while an inertial navigation systemand active sonar provide the course. Thecompany hopes to have concluded trialsof the Mk I version of the Seal SDV by theend of 2009 with deliveries to the RoyalSwedish Navy commencing in mid-2010.The Seal SDV will equip the SwedishNavy as part of the force’s Diver GroupBoat programme.

While the Seal SDV is ideal for covertoperations above and below the waves,Defence Consulting Europe has designeda craft for harbour protection, which canaccommodate three-person special forcesteams. The Seal HI, part of the company’sSeal Pod family, and can carry up to 500 kgincluding its occupants and their equip-ment. A fast reaction time to possible sur-face threats in ports or harbours is essen-tial and was highlighted by the attack onthe USS Cole, an Arleigh Burke classdestroyer, in the port of Aden in October2000. With such capabilities in mind theSeal HI can reach speeds of 25 kt in up tosea state three. The vessel can also be usedfor submerged missions in a fully-floodedstate and can reach speeds of three ktwhen submerged down to 16 metres.

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United States The United States is home to several navalspecial forces initiatives covering both thesurface and submerged domains. In termsof the former, in October 2008, the USNavy concluded the operational evalua-tion of its M88 Stiletto composite ship.Built by the M Ship company of SanDiego, California, the M88 Stiletto wasprocured for experimental purposes bythe US Department of Defense’s Office ofForce Transformation. With a length of 27metres, the vessel makes use of an M-shaped hull to provide a stable high-speed platform for the carriage of sensorsand weapons. The hull design is sufficientto allow the M88 to move comfortablythrough rough seas and also to performbeach landings and operations in the lit-toral environment. Four diesel enginesgive the ship a top speed of over 50 kt anda 500-nm range. The rear ramp on the ves-sel also allows the operation of eitherrigid-hull inflatables or remotely operatedunderwater vehicles. The ship can carry upto 20 tonnes of cargo, despite having anunladen weight of 45 tonnes, allowing it tobe deployed from a larger vessel forcoastal operations over the horizon.

Broadly speaking, the US Navy seemsto have enjoyed a positive experience withthe M88. The operational evaluation illus-trated that the craft has good littoral oper-ation capabilities, although its commandand control, and surveillance, target acqui-sition and reconnaissance abilities wouldneed to be improved. This because the ves-sel experienced problems in satellite voicecommunication, and also lacked securedata communication. In terms of improve-ments to the M88’s command and controlcapabilities, the installation of the USDepartment of Defense’s Secret InternetProtocol Router Network (Siprnet) hasbeen recommended. Moreover, the vesselwill also probably require a more potentradar system than the commercial equip-ment used during the Opeval, which expe-rienced difficulties in identifying surfacetargets of interest. However, the M88 diddemonstrate that it could operate with anaerostat carrying sensors for anti-nar-cotics trafficking missions and the vesselassisted in the apprehension of a suspi-cious vessel when chasing a fast boat thatwas under surveillance.

Critical to the M88’s success is its abil-ity to not only reach high speeds, but alsoto operate conformably in shallow coastalwaters. For now, the experiments with theM88 will continue with emphasis on theStiletto’s suitability for anti-narcoticsoperations. Other recommendations forthe Stiletto could include the addition oforganic force-protection assets such asmachine guns or cannon, in addition tooutfitting the craft for support operationsof up to five days’ duration.

While the M88 Stiletto may well equipthe US Navy Seal commando force in thenear future, there are questions regardingthe survival of the US Navy’s Zumwaltclass destroyer programme. Both GeneralDynamics and Northrop Grumman havebeen involved in the initiative which hasalready seen three vessels planned forconstruction. The Center for National Pol-icy think tank in Washington DC has pub-lished a paper recommending that theZumwalt class be frozen at three vessels inorder to save money. The Zumwalt shipswere conceived as a means of providingrobust land-attack assets as well as sup-port for special forces. The vessels weredesigned with a stern-mounted boat rampfrom which rigid-hull inflatables can bedeployed even in high sea states.

The Zumwalt class is no stranger tocontroversy with the CongressionalBudget Office estimating that the vesselswould have a life cycle cost of up to fourbillion dollars, which was around one bil-lion in excess of the navy’s original esti-mate. Questions have also been askedabout the vessel’s ballistic missile, airdefence and land attack capabilities. As

an alternative the Center for NationalPolicy has recommended purchasingadditional Littoral Combat Ships (LCS),although the future of this programme isalso in doubt given cost escalations. Thedemise of the LCS and the Zumwalt classcould have some serious implications forthe US Navy’s ability to deploy its specialoperations personnel from surface ves-sels. While existing amphibious supportships, landing craft, rigid-hull inflatablesand air assets give these troops the meansto reach objectives on land and also tochase down suspicious vessels, thesefuture sophisticated surface combatantsprovide them a means with which to linkinto the US Navy’s wide-ranging com-mand and control systems.

However, while questions are beingasked regarding future US Navy surfacecombatants, the force is experiencing suc-cesses with its USS Ohio and USS Flori-da guided missile submarines. These werepreviously Ohio class ballistic missileboats but were recently converted intoguided missile vessels as part of theNavy’s Tactical Tomahawk programme.In addition to being outfitted withRaytheon BGM-109 Tomahawk cruisemissiles, they were furnished with severaltechnologies to support special opera-tions missions. These included swimmerlockout chambers converted from one ofthe Lockheed Martin UGM-133 Tridentsubmarine-launched ballistic missile can-isters, plus the means to operate the erst-while Advanced Seal Delivery Vehicle(ASDV) and the Dry Deck Shelter whichcan accommodate up to 66 personnel. In2002, General Dynamics Electric BoatDivision won a contract to begin the con-version of an eventual four Ohio boats,which also includes the USS Michiganand USS Georgia, with all four shipsdelivered to the Navy by 2007.

While the Navy is remaining tight-lipped on the character of the operationsthat the Ohio and Florida have beeninvolved in as part of ongoing anti-ter-rorist operations, the vessels reportedlyacquitted themselves well during the mis-sions that they undertook. The force isnow looking forward to the Michigan andGeorgia joining the fold.

The US Navy’s Tactical Tomahawksubmarines were supposed to operate theill-fated ASDV. However, the solitaryASDV, which had been manufactured,

Rotinor producesthe Seabob BlackShadow 730. Thissleek lookingmachine cantransport up to twopeople overconsiderabledistances and canoperate down to60 metres.(Armada/TW)

The USS Floridanuclear poweredattack submarinehas been convertedfrom its erstwhilestatus as a missileboat to one thatcan accommodatespecial forcespersonnel insupport of covertmissions. (USNavy)

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suffered a catastrophic fire in November2008. With the ASDV programme nowcancelled, the force is looking ahead atthe Joint Multi Mission Submarine(JMMS) concept as the replacement forthe existing Mk VIII Seal Delivery Vehi-cles, ten Mod 1 versions are in service –these are also operated by the UnitedKingdom’s Special Boat Service.

Towards the end of 2008, the USNavy’s Naval Sea Systems Command(Navsea) issued a request for informa-tion regarding the acquisition of theJMMS which will replace the Mk VIIIboats with an anticipated entry into serv-

ice of 2016. A request for proposalsshould be issued by the end of 2009. Interms of design, Navsea is thought tofavour a vessel with significantly de-risked technologies to ensure its expedi-tious entry into service. The JMMS will bedesigned as a dry vessel, in that it will notbe flooded, and will also need to use theexisting collar designed for the ASDV toattach to its host submarine.

The US Navy’s pursuit of the JMMSinitiative illustrates that the market forspecial operations craft for under andabove-water transportation is still verymuch alive. The ability to perform count-

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Although outfitted toequip a British fireand rescue service,small hovercraft suchas those designedand built by Hi-TechInternational of Italyoffer a low-cost high-speed method ofdelivering specialforces to the shore, oracross mud andsand. (Armada/TW)

Among the vessels at the disposal ofthe US Navy commando units are theCR-34 boats, which have asuperstructure above a rigid hullinflatable design. These vessels areideal for fast pursuit and boardingoperations. (US Navy)

er-terrorist operations at sea is clearly animportant factor in new vessel designsand acquisitions, as is the continual threatposed by maritime piracy.

While most of the equipment used by special forces for insertion from the airand from sea is purpose-developed, the equipment for land operations is oftena dedicated or modified version of existing gear. In conventional operations,SOF teams tend to operate deep behind enemy lines, as exemplified by the firstGulf War in 1991. However, in current operations, in which there is no clear battlefront, this is no longer always true.

The SF version of the Lince has now joinedthe stable of Iveco’s light multi-role vehicles

Paolo Valpolini

Nowadays, special forces operationsare more characterised by the typeof mission they have to conduct

rather than the distance from their base.

Therefore some of the requirements thatwere high on the priority list in the past,such as the availability of air-transportabil-ity for specific vehicles, are now partlyplayed down in favour of protection, asentire operations now tend to be carried

out solely on land, without air insertion byrotary or fixed wing aircraft. This does notmean that light air-transportable vehicleswill disappear from special forces invento-ries, but only that new and heavier vehiclesare becoming the daily working tool forsuch units.

Moving in Iraq and Afghanistan is adangerous business due to the numerousroadside bombs used by the insurgents todeny mobility to coalition forces. Thus,special forces on mounted reconnais-sance missions now tend to use protectedvehicles rather than light, highly-mobileones. However, it appears that an ade-

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quate balance between protection,mobility and situational awareness stillneeds to be found. Indeed, new versionsof existing highly protected open vehiclesare becoming available, but this clearlyindicates a softer emphasis on protectionin favour of situational awareness - not tomention firepower, which is maximisedby the fact that all team members will notonly be able to better observe but alsoopen fire with their individual weapons(in a closed vehicle only the machine gunoperator can return fire). Hence the cur-rent tendency for producers of onceunprotected vehicles to add armour tomeet the new requirements.

While the Humvee in its latest iterationremains one of the most widely used vehi-cle amongst the American special forces,they have recently been joined by a num-ber of Thales Australia Bushmasters andsome 40 BAE Systems South Africa RG-33 that offer a much higher level of pro-tection. With its 15-tonne gross weight and2.5-tonne payload the Bushmaster cer-tainly provides optimal protection, as doesthe RG33 with its gross weight of over 17tonnes and a 3.7-tonne payload capacity.While these vehicles are suited to openterrain, their weight and bulk quicklyshow their limits when operational

detachments are called to counter Talibanforces in mountainous terrain.

With a view to overcoming this prob-lem the US Special Operations Commandhas acquired the Utah-made SpecializedReconnaissance Assault Transport Sys-tem (Srats) – a high-mobility four-wheel-drive platform developed with Darpafunding. The Srats adopts designs used inrecreational vehicles that allows them toclimb up extremely steep gradients, butstill enables it to hit the 150 km/h mark ona road. Its curb weight is three tonnes and,quite extraordinarily, it offers a payload of1.8 tonnes, including four passengers (sixmore can be carried on the outriggers). ALevel 1 armour package provided by BAESystems ensures some protection againstsmall arms fire, and quite sensibly giventhe nature of the vehicle, it featuresrollover protection which doubles as amedium calibre machine gun platform.Power is provided by an AM Generalturbo diesel engine with 300 hp on tap,driving the wheels through a Humveetransmission, which all goes to minimiselogistic issues. Thanks to its exceedinglyhigh mobility capabilities the Srats is suit-able for missions such as stealth recon-naissance, personnel recovery, off-roadconvoy escort and high-speed chase. A

version that can fit into the CV-22 tilt-rotor aircraft has also been developed.Known as Srats ITV (Internally Trans-portable Vehicle) it is smaller, lighter andcan be armed with a remotely operated12.7-mm machine gun. An armoured version of the Srats known as Elsorv(Enhanced Logistics Support Off-RoadVehicle), with a curb weight of 3.85 tonnesand a payload of 1.3 tonnes, has also beendeveloped and is being acquired mostlyfor logistic missions.

BritainThe British Special Air Service (SAS)also has bought the Bushmaster – 24 ofthem – but these are seldom used inAfghanistan as the elite service prefers torely on the mobility, speed, off-road capa-bility, lower profile afforded by vehiclessuch as the Jackal; as its agility is notimpaired by heavy protection. Based onthe Supacat HMT 400 series chassis, it is

Many vehicles operated by specialforces teams can be equipped withmedium calibre weapons, althoughsuch arrangements are a rare sight.(US Army)

The Humvee has been used by special forces of various nations but is being super -seded by new and more effective vehicles. (US Army)

The British Armyordered some 200Yamaha quads thatare able to towLogic trailers. (UKMinistry ofDefence)

powered by a 195-hp Cummins dieselengine and has a 2.3-tonne payloadcapacity for a gross weight of seventonnes. Crew boils down to driver, vehiclecommander and machine gunner withthe latter operating a pintle-mounted12.7-mm machine gun or a 40-mm auto-matic grenade launcher installed in therear. With such a small crew, part of thepayload capacity is used to store ammu-nition, water and equipment, but most ofit is absorbed by floor and side compositearmour plates. Its reduced width, 1.97metres, allows it to be carried inside aChinook helicopter.

A follow-on model in the form of theJackal 2 has been developed to offer afourth seat and improved manoeuvrabil-ity, while the weapon is moved forward.The type has been ordered by the BritishArmy but it is unclear if it will equip spe-cial forces units. The same applies to theJackal 3, based on the HMT 600 6 x 6chassis and shown last June at DVD,which has the possibility to be trans-formed in a closed vehicle with ballistic

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protection up to Level 2. Currently PatrolPlatoons belonging to the British SpecialForces Support Group deploy the Jackalalongside Wmik-equipped Land Roversand armed 4 x 4 Pinzgauers. The Wmik –an acronym for Weapons MountedInstallation Kit – was developed byRicardo, a British company that specialis-es amongst other things in the modifica-tion of military vehicles such as the LandRover Defender and the Pinzgauer. Inthe SAS ranks, the Wmik Land Roverreplaced the ’Pink Panther‘ Land Rovers.Nevertheless, the Jackal adopts numer-ous Wmik solutions. Wmik-modifiedvehicles normally feature a principaldefence weapon in the form of a 40-mmautomatic grenade launcher or a 12.7-mm machine gun, with a secondary 7.62-mm machine gun for the vehicle com-mander. Interestingly, the 1.4-tonnepayload Pinzgauer 712 6 x 6 has also beenadopted by Malaysia, New Zealand andUS Special Forces units. At least 13 suchvehicles are in service with NewZealand’s Special Air Service regiment,while the US Special Operations Com-mand signed a contract in April 2007 foran unspecified number of platforms to beused by Joint Special Operations unitsand the 75th Ranger Regiment.

FranceAt least two companies have developedspecial forces-dedicated platforms basedon light armoured vehicles. RenaultTrucks, for example, is marketing theSherpa 3 Forces Spéciales based on theSherpa 3 4 x 4 vehicle. With a gross weightof 9.5 tonnes and a payload capacity of

defence weapon, but it can also be cov-ered with a canvas if needed. This is not,however, the only special forces vehicledeveloped by Panhard as a new develop-ment, based on the PVP (Petit VéhiculeProtégé), was recently unveiled. Com-pared to the standard PVP, the SF versionhas an open top although it maintains fullside-protection, that tends to slopetowards the rear; not many details wereprovided, but according to pictures thevehicle can host four operators and carrythree automatic weapons (two small-cal-ibre machine guns, one looking forwardavailable to the vehicle commander andone looking to the rear, with a medium-calibre or automatic grenade launchermounted in the centre and covering 360°.The vehicle has a gross weight of fivetonnes and a payload capacity of one,with a maximum speed of 120 km/h and acruising range of 800 km.

The ballistic protection level is stillunknown, but should remain a Level 2,like the PVP. Thanks to its reduced width, 1.97 metres, the PVP SF should be transportable in a CH-47 Chinook helicopter, like the VPS which is evennarrower at only 1.86 metres.

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Panhard hasdeveloped a specialoperations variant ofits PVP. It canaccommodate threesoldiers and providethem with lateralprotection. (Panhard)

Renault Trucksproposes a specialforces version of itsSherpa 3 Lightfamily of vehicles.(Armada/PV)

ItalyItalian Special Forces operating inAfghanistan within Task Force 45 have forsome time been using the Iveco DV LightMultirole vehicle (LMV), known in Italyas Lince (Lynx). The vehicle has proven tobe effective against roadside bombs andonly minor injuries were suffered by itstravelling after an attack. Iveco has devel-oped a dedicated version of the vehicleand its decision was corroborated by therequest of some special force units whoseoperational requirements were close tothe vehicle design. The ‘cabriolet’ versionof the LMV features a stripped armouredcab which maintains only the frontarmoured glass while the remaining 270°protection is limited to the waistlinedownwards. Removal of the roof and sideglass reduces the vehicle weight to 4.2tonnes and thereby increases the payloadto three tonnes to the benefit of increasedballistic and mine protection. The vehicleis offered with a roll-bar supporting a

The Elsorv is the armoured version ofthe Specialised ReconnaissanceAssault Transport System (Srats) in usewith American special forcesdetachments. (US Army)

three tonnes, it is powered by a 215-hpdiesel giving it a top road speed of 120km/h and a range of over 1000 km at acruise speed of 70 km/h. The Sherpa 3 FScan accommodate five men, two in thefront and three in the rear; the operatorin the rear centre seat mans the pintle-mounted weapon, which again can be amedium-calibre machine gun or an auto-matic grenade launcher. The weapon isfixed to the tubular roll-bar which pro-tects the whole crew.

Panhard, for its part, developed theVéhicule Patrouille SAS, or VPS, basedon the Mercedes G chassis and orderedby the French DGA in 2005. A four ton-ner with a 1.2-tonne payload, it is pow-ered by a 157-hp engine and has a cruis-ing range of 800 km. Currently 51 VPShave been provided to French specialforces units operating under the COS(Commandement des Opérations Spé-ciales). Normally used in the open topconfiguration, it features a robust roll-barwhich holds the pintle carrying the self-

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weapon ring for small and medium-cali-bre machine guns and automatic grenadelaunchers. The central roll-bar is fixed,however, a version with a foldable roll-baris under consideration to further ease air transportability, since the armouredwindscreen is already foldable. In thereduced-width configuration (2.05metres) the LMV SF would thus becometransportable inside a CH-47. Iveco main-tains maximum design flexibility for seatlayout and optional equipment such asadditional fuel and/or water tanks and so forth.

GermanyIn the early 2000s Rheinmetall devel-oped a special operations vehicle based onthe Mercedes G 280 CDI chassis, whichwas able to carry a crew of four soldiersand their equipment and could be airtransported by CH-47, CH-53, V-22, C-160, C-130 and A400M. Known as theServal, it has a 1.5-tonne payload capaci-ty and is able to withstand the explosionof two DM 51 anti-personnel mines. Thelimited width of 1.84 metres and height of 1.87 metres (weapon station folded)

The Panhard VPS (Véhicule Patrouille SAS) fording a river during a mission in Africa. (Panhard)

A RheinmetallServal of theGerman ArmySpecial ForcesCommand inoperationsomewhere inAfghanistan.(Bundeswehr)

The special forcesversion of the Nimrdeveloped by theBin Jabr Group ofAbu Dhabi hasalready been soldto the Libyan Army.(Armada/PV)

or a 40-mm AGL. An MG3 is availablefor the vehicle commander, while smokegrenade launchers are offered on option– six at the front and four at the rear.Other options include a ballistic protect-ed windscreen, run-flat tyres, a semi-automatic central tyre inflation systemand an additional fuel tank (+54 litres) tostretch range to over 800 km on road. TheServal has been in service with Germanspecial forces (which acquired 21 vehiclesin 2003) and another undisclosed Euro-pean country since 2006.

Abu DhabiThe Bin Jabr Group has developed anopen-top version of its Nimr multi-mis-sion vehicle specifically aimed at specialforces and 57 such vehicles have alreadybeen ordered by Libya for its elite units.With 250 hp under the loud pedal, theCummins turbo diesel engine can thrustthe 8.25-tonne vehicle to the 135 km/hmark, cruising range being 700 km on a175-litre fuel tank. The Nimr SF can seatup to four people and is equipped with aweapon mounting over its roll-bar.

enables the Serval to roll into a CH-47 or aCH-53. The 135-kW engine allows the 4.8tonne vehicle to reach 120 km/h on flatterrain. As many other vehicles of similarclass it is equipped with a main weaponstation, normally an RSL 609 K with elec-tric traverse system, capable of accom-modating various weapons up to 12.7 mm

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SpeedApart from the Srats all the vehiclesdescribed here do not really fit into thefast attack vehicle category, one thattended to retain greater consideration inthe past, although recent special forcesequipment exhibitions proved that theseare still very much part of the proposedportfolio.

The Flyer has been around for quitesome time and is currently produced byFlyer Defense (a subsidiary of MarvinEngineering) in California. This set ofwheels is based on a tubular spaceframechassis with a four-wheel independentsuspension and is able to move at a max-imum speed of about 105 km/h. This one-to-six-seater is powered by a rear-mount-ed, 115-hp, turbocharged intercooleddiesel engine that drives a three-speedpowershift transmission. The base vehiclecurb weight is 1.45 tonnes with a payloadof 1.36 tonnes. The standard 144-litre fueltank provides a range of 725 km, howev-er an optional tank increases fuel capaci-ty to 265 litres, stretching range to over1600 km. The initial Flyers were designedfor transport in a CH-47 helicopter, butthe advent of the CV-22 brought about asecond version known as Flyer ITV, with

smaller dimensions in order to fit insidethe new tilt-rotor aircraft. The width wastherefore reduced from 2 to 1.57 metres,while the height with roll-bars folded wasdecreased to 1.6 metres. One Flyer can fitinto the V-22 while two others can betransported externally, while the CH-53Eand CH-47D can transport two vehiclesinside the aircraft and three more under-slung. Smaller helicopters such as theCH-46 Sea Knight can transport only oneFlyer, either internally or externally,while the UH-60 Blackhawk can trans-port a single Flyer under a sling.

A special ramp allows to stack twovehicles and to drive them into the bay ofa C-130, allowing a Hercules to transportup to six Flyers; this system can also beused to transport two Flyers in a 20-ftISO container. The Flyer can also bedropped by parachute, using two G-11cargo parachutes. The Flyer ITV is inservice with US Special Operations unitsas well as with the Singaporean Army,which in the late ‘90s ordered 79. Follow-ing the increased roadside bomb threatsan armoured version of the Flyer wasdeveloped with the cab based on theceramic armour Flexkit developed byCeradyne. The vehicle curb weight thusgrew to 1.81 tonnes but the new 150-hpengine mated to a six-speed automatictransmission also increased the top speedto over 135 km/h. The size of the vehicleremains mostly the same and thus retainsits CV-22 transportability. The only char-acteristic that is lost in the armoured ver-sion, known as Armored Light StrikeVehicle, is the ability to stack two vehi-cles.

Quite similar to the Flyer is the SpiderLight Strike Vehicle manufactured by STKinetics of Singapore (which also pro-duces the Flyer under license). This is alsobased on a tubular frame chassis and has acurb weight of 1.6 tonnes and a payload of1.2. Powered by a 130-hp, 2.8-litre turbodiesel engine through a semi-automatictransmission, it can seat three to six sol-

diers. Compared to the Flyer ITV the Spi-der is larger (over two metres wide and 1.9metres over the roll-cage) and thus notsuited for restricted holds such as in theCV-22. Fitted with all-round independentsuspensions, double wishbone with singleshock absorber at the front and trailingarms with dual shock absorbers at therear, the Spider can reach 120 km/h on-road and 80 km/h off, and has a range of600 km. It can be armed with medium-cal-ibre machine guns and 40 mm AGLs, butbetter still, it can accommodate the SuperRapid Advanced Mortar System (Srams).Also an ST Kinetics design, this 120-mmlow-recoil mortar is equipped with anautomatic fire control system with a firingrate of ten rounds per minute. An Sramsteam would be made of two Spiders, onewith a crew of two and the mortar and theother manned by a single driver to carrythe ammunition. The Spider can beequipped with a ballistic protected cap-sule able to withstand 7.62-mm rounds,but is also offered with a Mogen (MotorGenerator) power system – a hybriddiesel-electric package that allows it tomove silently when in contact with the

28

British troops on the move with theirHonda 450 all-terrain vehicles, whichare being replaced by new vehicles.(UK Ministry of Defence)

The Springer has been acquired byBritish forces to provide front-linesupplies, and it can be used by specialor conventional forces alike. (EPS)

Iraqi special forces training; they have specially-equipped versions of the Humveeprovided by the US. (US Army)

enemy. Such a solution was also studiedfor the Flyer years ago but has apparentlybeen abandoned.

Back to the United States, the off-roaddivision of USA Dar Corporation, spe-cialising in off-road racing technology,developed the Vyper V1, a 4 x 4 high-mobility vehicle with over 60-cm-strokesuspensions and a petrol engine develop-ing more than 650 hp, which gives it amaximum speed in excess of 240 km/h. Adiesel engine is offered as an option,which would be better suited for the bat-tlefield even if this might bring a slightincrease in the 1270-kg curb weight of thevehicle. Explosion resistant underbellyand seats are also offered, as well as anautomatic transmission to replace thefour-speed manual racing transmissioninstalled. Racing technologies are used toreduce the powerpack replacing time toless than one hour and to allow easyrepair or replacement of most compo-nents. With theV1 experience feather inits cap, the company is developing the V2Fast Attack Vehicle, which features anenclosed front cabin for three soldierswith the steering wheel facing the central

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For more information, email solutions@thalescomminc.com or call +1 240-864-7000 or 1-800-258-4420.

Thales Communications, Inc.22605 Gateway Center Drive, Clarksburg, MD 20871 USA www.thalescomminc.com

At Thales, we take your mission very seriously, designing, manufacturing and supporting products for situations where success means completing life-threatening missions and staying alive.

Mission Critical Benefits.

The AN/PRC-148 JEM is the smallest, lightest, and most power-efficient multiband tactical handheld radio in use today and is the first production JTRS radio to receive Software Communications Architecture, or SCA, certification. Smaller. You are able to carry the JEM in more convenient locations on the body or in load-carrying gear. Lighter. The JEM weighs only 0.86 kg, enabling you to carry more warfighting equipment. Longer battery life. More than 10 hours of battery life means fewer batteries need to be carried for any length mission. Greater range. Typical receive sensitivity is better than -119 dBm, so you can operate at longer distances with better connectivity. Faster channel access. Communicating on different links is as simple as moving a switch, ensuring more safety in both routine and emergency situations. Fewer failures. With greater mean time between failures (>11,400 hours), the JEM is continuously available.

Adapting to the Current Combat Situation.

The AN/PRC-148’s Remote Control Unit (RCU) with embedded GPS provides full radio control. Situational awareness data is transmitted simultaneously with normal voice communications. Team members’

Well-equipped and trained fighting forces

are the key to mission success. Providing

these forces with the means to communicate

successfully is our mission. Thales’s AN/

PRC-148 Joint Tactical Radio System (JTRS)

Enhanced Multiband Inter/Intra Team Radio,

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patrol and the force commander operating

out of headquarters.

locations are shown on the RCU’s display, and the GPS receiver facilitates the introduction of Force Tracking capabilities to the radio – key to network-centric operations.

Networked Data Communications.

The JEM’s future Mobile Ad Hoc Networking (MANET) function, layered onto the SINCGARS and CPM waveforms, adds an IP addressable network capability to the existing waveforms that supports self configuration, automatic healing, and multi-hop range extension of data. With the JEM, you can be tied into the larger tactical internet through IP networking.

Further, in keeping with U.S. Department of Defense JTRS program goals, the AN/PRC-148 JEM can be programmed with current in-service waveforms, waveforms in development and future waveforms, and capabilities that provide increased data throughput, MANET, and improved satellite communications.

Confidence for Leaders at the Forward Edge.

With its broad capabilities and flexibility, the AN/PRC-148 JEM gives both the boots on the ground and commanders the confidence that they will be able to establish and maintain communications at the forward edge of the battlefield – readily available and absolutely reliable communications enabling them to face both routine and emergency situations with equal confidence. Whatever the future holds in tactical radio communications, the JEM will be ready to take it on. Tactical Advantage at the Forward Edge.

30

seat. The central section of the vehicle isempty, which allows the installation of athree-metre3 module. The vehicle isequipped with A-frame front suspensionsand a V-hull to withstand under-bellyexplosions while its 230-litre fuel tankoffers a range of 970 km. The pod is anintegral part of the vehicle and its pay-load capacity is 900 kg for the lightweightversion and 2700 kg for the heavy-dutytype. A number of dedicated moduleshave been designed, ranging from cargotransport to medical, troop transport(four people), weapons (up to 20-mmchain gun), rescue/breaching, tacticaloperations centre, fuel or water container(both with a 2700-litre capacity) andholding cell, but the company is ready tobuild new modules according to cus-tomer requirements.

Another company is proposing a two-seat special forces/rescue vehicle: WideOpen Industries recently showed an off-road vehicle with a curb weight of 1680kg, a 540-kg payload (wet), with dual A-arm and coil over independent suspen-sions. Various engine and transmissionsolutions are offered ranging from petrolSubaru 2.5-litre atmospheric or tur-

bocharged engines to a Volkswagen 2.5-lturbo diesel. The latter provides 180 hpand can be coupled either to a manual oran automatic transmission. The formeroffers a top speed of 165 km/h and arange at patrol speed of 480 km, while the

mobility vehicles to the Ministry ofDefence. This 850-kg dry weight dunebuggy carries two soldiers in an opencabin with side-protection, plus a rear1.4-tonne payload compartment, whichmakes it highly suitable for delivering

The markings of a 6.8-mm round, thenew calibre developed by the USSpecial Forces in co-operation withRemington. (Barrett Firearms)

The two-seater RZR-SW developed by Polaris for special forces can carry a 225-kg load. (Polaris)

Revolve in Britainspecialises in dieselengines that areused to replacegasolinepowerpacks on all-terrain vehiclesaimed at themilitary market.(Armada/PV)

autoshifter decreases this to 148 km/hand 430 km. Safety is provided by a self-sealing fuel tank and a ballistic protectedbattery enclosure. Two spare tyres areavailable, as are attachment points foradditional ballistic protection. Front andrear weapon mounts are available asoption, as well as a fording kit and a run-flat tire system. An electric winch can bequickly installed either at the front or atthe rear. The Wide Open vehicle is airtransportable in CH-47 and CH-53 heli-copters.

Remaining in the mobility field, smalland light high-mobility vehicles are wide-ly used by special forces units to provideoperational detachments with a fast-moving capability in very rough terrain(where normal vehicles would encounterproblems due to their dimensions), aswell as some degree of logistic supportwhen deployed for long periods.

Enhanced Protection Systems inBritain has sold at least 75 Springer high

vital supplies to frontline special forcesdetachments.

ATV (a Phoenix International compa-ny) developed the Prowler in the early2000s; a 4 x 4 Light Tactical All TerrainVehicle (LTATV) currently in servicewith American special forces units.Designed from scratch for military use,the first version known as the ProwlerITV (Internally Transportable Vehicle)entered service in 2002 and had a singlefront seat; it is based on a tubular steelstructure with a roll-over protection sys-tem and has a front and a rear cargo rack.In 2005 a new version with two forward-looking seats was unveiled. Known as theProwler II it maintains the concept of itspredecessor. A further enhancement wasunveiled in the fall of 2008, which mainlyintroduced a 30% power increase. Thecurrent Prowler is powered by a 750-cc,liquid-cooled, DFI, four-valve, 90° V-twinwith automatic transmission giving amaximum speed of 80 km/h. Both front

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and rear suspensions are based on in -dependent double wishbone A arms with adjustable preload gas-chargedshock absorbers, allowing the suspen-sions to be adjusted to the load and to the type of terrain. The Prowler’s dryweight is 567 kg, while its payload is high-er at 635 kg. It can tow a trailer of up to1.15 tonnes. Its overall width of only 1.48 metres allows it to be transportedinternally in most helicopters and air-craft equipped with a rear ramp like theV-22 Osprey and the NH90.

Another company fully involved inall-terrain vehicles is Polaris, which wascontracted in 2004 by the US SpecialOperations Command to provide 700 4 x4 and 6 x 6 vehicles, mostly MV700s. Themost recent versions of these are offeredwith a spark-ignited, direct injection-equipped, 760-cc engine which can alsorun on JP8 fuel. With a dry weight of 472kg, a front rack capacity of 90 kg and arear capacity of 181 kg, the MV700 canreach a maximum speed of over 90 km/hand tow a trailer with an overall weight of680 kg. Polaris also developed a series of4 x 4 and 6 x 6 ultra-light vehicles withautomotive style controls, known as theRanger, which features a two-seat side-by-side arrangement at the front and acargo platform at the rear. Respectivepayloads are 680 kg and 800 kg whiletheir 40-hp 760-cc EFI twins give them amaximum speed of about 80 km/h. Thesevehicles have been constantly improvedwith the Ranger RZR, the RZR-S mod-els, joined in 2009 by the RZR-SW. Thisfeatures a reinforced frame, heavy-dutysuspension, improved braking, winchwith dashboard-mounted and wireremote controls, lighting blackout func-tion, updated seating for easier egressand more operator room, mounting forfour-point seatbelts, single front-rear tyresize, reinforced steel rims, 225-kg rear boxcapacity, rear differential, keyless ignitionand two 12 V outlets. With an overalllength of 2.85 metres, a 1.5-metre widthand 186-cm height, the RZR-SW has adry weight of 504 kg and can speed up to109 km/h. Polaris started to market thisnew model last summer and aims at spe-cial operations and search-and-rescueunits. Polaris products are already in serv-

ice not only in the US but also withnumerous other nations such as Israel,Egypt, Norway, Sweden, central andsouthern American countries as well asvarious Eastern Europe nations.

Last June (2009) Kawasaki UV Coun-try, based in Texas, won a contract to sup-ply 1625 Teryx 4 x 4 vehicles to the USSpecial Operations forces. Powered by a750-cc FI engine, this 4 x 4 cots vehicle hasside-by-side seating with a foldable roll-over bar, all-round independent suspen-sion and a tilting cargo bed with a 225-kgpayload capacity. This order brings thenumber of all-terrain and similar vehiclesordered by the US forces since the begin-ning of this decade to over 6000 units,showing how such highly mobile lightvehicles are becoming of importance in

32

The FN Herstal Scar Mk 16 Mod 0 equipped with the Mk13 Mod 0 single-shotgrenade launcher. (Armada/PV)

The Barrett Rec7 is currently the only weapon available in the 6.8 mm calibre,although numerous manufacturers look forward to developing their most recentweapons in such calibre, should it become common in the SF community. (BarrettFirearms)

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PLDR+CORAL. The ultimate 24/7 designation accuracyFull designation capability, even in pitch darkness, is achieved by ourcombat-tested Portable Lightweight Designator/Rangefinder (PLDR), combined with the CORAL-LS thermal imaging “See-Spot” camera. This unique system enables the war-fighter to see the designator’s spot, scout, acquire, range, illuminate and accurately designate targets for effective firing, day and night. Carried and operated by an individual soldier, it is ideal for FAC and urban warfare missions.

In service with NATO and other armed forces.

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the military, and more specifically in thespecial forces community. What remainsa problem is the fuel type; currently thiscategory of vehicles is powered by petrol(gasoline), which requires a dedicatedlogistic chain as most other vehicles runon diesel. Currently the only companythat seems to be pushing for a dieselisa-tion of this type of machines is RevolveTechnologies in Britain, which developedprototypes based on Polaris and ArcticCat machines. While Polaris seems toconsider that diesel propulsion for suchkind of vehicle is not yet mature, ArcticCat is now proposing its 700 Diesel ATVwhich can run on six different diesel fuels,DF1, DF2, DF A Arctic, JP5, JP8 and upto 20% bio-diesel. Not only the dieselpowerpack uses the standard fuel avail-able in the military, but the 700-cc, two-cylinder, supercharged diesel engine usedon the Arctic Cat ATV provides 50%more range.

FirepowerNot many new weapons have appeared ofrecent; the FN Herstal Scar remains theweapon of choice of special forces units.The Scar comes in two variants, the 5.56-mm-calibre Mk 16 and the 7.62-mm Mk 17,and the US Naval Surface Warfare Center(NSWC) - Crane Division is focusing itsefforts on developing new cartridges forboth calibres in order to optimise the use ofthe new weapon. In the smaller calibre, theMk 318 Mod 0 cartridge, ball, carbine, bar-

rier was developed, while the larger calibreis the Mk 319 Mod 0 cartridge ball, rifle andbarrier. Both ammo result from a longseries of studies aimed at improving theeffectiveness of standard calibre rounds,especially in close quarter battle, thus forshort-barrelled rifles, but numerous solu-tions adopted in law enforcement ammuni-tion were also considered. Known as

using an Mk 16 Scar with a 355-mm barrel(short), the latter using a 410 mm barrel(the velocity drops to 830 m/s with the 330-mm CQB barrel). Both bullets aredesigned to defeat intermediate barriers,something that the standard 5.56-mmround is unable to do in most cases. Whilethe 5.56-mm version maintains the sameweight as the SS109/M855 ball, the 7.62-

The FN Herstal Mk 13 Mod 0 grenade launcher in stand-alone guise. (FN Herstal)

US Special Forcesin action; theircurrent weapon ofchoice is the M4carbine, which isalso widely used byother countries. (USArmy)

A prototype of the3 GL grenadelauncher, whichwas developed byMetal Storm; itexploits the stackedammunitiontechnology toprovide multi-shotcapability. (MetalStorm)

mm round uses a lighter ball compared tothe 146.6 grains (9.5 grams) of the Natostandard ammo. A new propellant was alsodeveloped. Not only was this optimised forshort-barrel use, it is also temperature inde-pendent to ensure consistent results andalso contains flash-reducing additives.

Developed within the American specialforces community, the 6.8 x 43 mm SPC(Special Purpose Cartridge) has beenindustrialised by Remington and aims atproviding the best combination of combataccuracy, reliability and terminal perform-ance for up to 500-metre engagements. It isalso more suitable in close-quarter battlesituations as its much higher energy, betterbarrier penetration and incapacitationeffect compared to current 5.56 mmrounds ensures a more efficient terminaleffect. Until now the only military weaponavailable for this calibre was the BarrettFirearms Rec7, however numerous manu-facturers are considering this new calibrefor their newly developed weapons,

Enhanced ammunition the 5.56-mm fea-tures a 62-grain (4.02 gram) bullet whichhas a speed of 892 m/s at a 4.6-metre dis-tance from the muzzle, while the 7.62-mmEnhanced has a 130-grain (8.42 gram) bul-let that has the same velocity – the former

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although it remains unclear if and whenthis ammunition will become a standardand how many services will be willing toshift to a new calibre. If green armies mightremain faithful to the current calibre, spe-cial forces units might decide to shift to thenew ammo considering its advantages andthe limited reduction, from 30 to 25, in thenumber of rounds contained by a Stanag4179 magazine.

If the Scar will soon replace the M4 inUS special forces units, another weaponhas been acquired by Socom and by simi-lar units in a number of other countries:the Heckler & Koch HK416, which isessentially an improved Colt M4 carbineusing a refined rotating-bolt head withmultiple locking lugs which improves theweapon’s reliability. Another assault rifleused by some SF units, notably those ofIsrael, India, Colombia, Georgia and Por-

tugal, is the Tavor 21 manufactured byIsrael Military Industries, now IsraelWeapon Industries. All these rifles can beequipped with a single-shot 40 mmgrenade launcher that attaches under thebarrel, while the Scar will receive the Mk

would give a multiple-shot capability tothe single soldier, who will thus be able tomix different types of rounds to launch,for example, a door buster round fol-lowed by two HE rounds to clear a room.Metal Storm is developing a whole rangeof munitions, including high-explosive,airburst, thermobaric and less-than-lethal rounds. The weight of a 3GL iscomparable with that of an M203, whilethe 40-mm grenade performances aresimilar in range and velocity to those oflow-velocity 40-mm grenades. MetalStorm has also developed the Maul(Multi-shot Accessory UnderbarrelLauncher), a lightweight 12-gauge gunsystem that attaches to the barrel like a40-mm grenade launcher and uses thesame stacked round technology. The fourshots in the chamber can be fired in rapidsuccession by pulling the trigger as quick-ly as possible. Made of carbon fibre, theMaul only adds 1.25 kg to the weapon,giving to the soldier the combination ofan assault rifle and a shotgun.

SignalsThe future of communications will certain-ly include the capability of long-range on-

36

The Maul (Multi-shot AccessoryUnderbarrelLauncher) is a five-shot, 12-gauge,semi-automaticshotgun that caneasily be fixedunder the barrel toprovide the soldierwith a choice offire. (Metal Storm)

This picture shows how the Metal Storm launcher can be fired without modifying thehand grip on the rifle. (Metal Storm)

the-move communications, which willtherefore include satcom-on-the-movecapabilities. Currently special forces set uptheir satcom links as soon as their vehiclescome to a halt to establish a secure linkwith their home base, although urban anddeep valleys in high mountainous areasoften pose a challenge. Many companiesaround the world (including Thales) areworking on this issue, but in the UnitedStates this is being addressed by a USArmy programme called Win-T (Warfight-er Information Network-Tactical). This isheaded by General Dynamics C4 Systems,but also involves Lockheed Martin, BAESystems, Harris, L-3 Communications,Juniper Networks, Sisco Systems and manyothers. It will thus not be too long beforewe see special forces vehicles featuringnew kinds of aerials, most probably roof-mounted to ensure the best possible visi-bility towards the sky. Integrating suchaerials on vehicles without creatingmechanical and electronic interferenceswith roof-mounted support weapon sta-tions will certainly not be an easy task as

The Rover, a small laptop with anexternal antenna, allows this JointTerminal Attack Controller to see‘through the eyes of the pilot’ andthereby minimise risks of collateraldamage. (US Air Force)

13 Mod 0 Enhanced Grenade LauncherModule, also known as the EGLM, whichfeatures a polymer receiver and a 244-mm-long aluminium barrel. Fullyambidextrous, the barrel swivels to theright or to the left for loading and unload-ing, while the double-action firing mecha-nism allows quick-action repeating in caseof misfire. The launcher is so designed thatit brings its trigger exactly under the Scartrigger, making it accessible withoutchanging hand position on the pistol grip.The launcher was also designed to firemedium-velocity grenades in addition tothe low-velocity types.

Following the near-full developmentof an innovative grenade system by MetalStorm (an Americano-Australian compa-ny) the term «single-shot» for under-bar-rel grenade launchers might becomeobsolescent in the near future, as MetalStorm has developed a system known as‘stacked grenade’, in which more thanone grenade can be stacked in line andfired using an electric ignition systemlocated on the side of the grenade. This

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systems currently offered on the marketare way too big. Within a group equippedwith Humvee-class vehicles for example, asatcom-on-the-move system wouldrequire a fully dedicated vehicle. Althoughminiaturisation is capable of wonders, itstill is difficult to define when a system forintegration into a fast-attack vehicle willbecome available. But things are moving:General Dynamics C4S received a contractin 2007 to develop a Warrior Model 20-20antenna system for verification and test-ing, operating in Ku-band and capable oftransmitting and receiving data at speedsup to 1.54 Mbps.

Also, in June 2009 Northrop Grum-man delivered the first example of itsEHF Solid State Power Amplifier, a keycomponent in the effort to reduce sizeand weight of future on-the-move satcomsystems. The system is capable of attain-ing high power outputs in a small formfactor, and Northrop Grumman alsoshowed how the design is scalable tohigher power levels.

In February 2009, Swe-Dish (now partof Rockwell Collins) unveiled an on-the-move satcom system combining the com-pany’s satellite communication terminaltechnology with a Saab stabilised plat-form. Designed for land and naval appli-cations, its coverage is close to worldwideas it provides access to almost any com-mercial Ku-band satellite currently inservice, with 1.0 Mbps throughput.

Video ReceiversAccording to military sources, theAfghan campaign which involves numer-ous Nato special task forces under thebanner of the Socce (Special OperationsCoordination and Command Element),has brought a change of focus in the useof drones by special forces. While in thepast the effort was aimed at providing

special force detachments with micro/mini drones that allowed them to moni-tor the situation at short or very-shortranges, experience proved that theendurance of those systems was too short

to provide a thorough appreciation of thetactical situation, causing those forces toshift their gaze to Predator-class systems.With a view to providing real-timeimagery generated by such systems, Gen-eral Atomics, which had earlier devel-oped a system known as the Rover(Remotely Operated Video EnhancedReceiver), came up with the Rover 2,which was used by special forces inAfghanistan to despatch video footagefrom the Predator. Conventional forceswere then also equipped with such sys-tems. The Rover 3 was then developed byL-3 Communications CSW; thanks to itsmulti-band receiver in the Ku and Cbands digital and C and L bands ana-logue, the Rover 3 now can acquire thevideos broadcasted by the Predator andother systems such as various otherdrones and, for example, the Litening IIand III and the Sniper XR aircraft tar-geting pods. The simple receiver weighsabout five kilos, including batteries(which then needs at least the omni-directional C/L and Ku bands), and about22 kg when linked to a ruggedised laptopto accommodate the C-band directionalas an option. Then came the 3.63-kgRover 4, also from L-3, which became atransceiver and added an S analogueband and a new decoder for video for-mats.

A considerable step forward wasmade by L-3 with the Rover 5 Handheld,based on a rugged software-definedradio. It features KU, C, L and S-bandreception and transmission capacity, aswell as UHF allowing voice communica-tions with pilots. Its data rates range from200 kbps to over 40 Mbps, but the mainadvantage for special force operators isthat its weight is less than 1.6 kg. A fur-ther boost to imagery distribution at thelower levels is L-3 Communications’ Sol-dier ISR multi-band receiver in UHF, C,L, S and Ku bands, with data rates up toten Mbps. At a weight of less than 0.3 kgfor the modem and 0.14 kg for the anten-na, this is designed to operate in conjunc-tion with any computer, display andpower source currently in operation.

Battery RechargingFor troops who might operate in isolationfor long periods of time, power genera-tion is one of the major issues, along withwater supplies. If the latter problem can-not yet be solved by technology, andprobably never will be, the former shouldbe solved in the short-to-mid term withvarious technologies, fuel cells beingapparently one of the most promising.Numerous other solutions are howeverbeing proposed. Powerfilm in Ames, Indiana, is offering a series of solar charg-ers. Its AA Foldable Solar Charger, whichweighs less than 100 grams, recharges twoAA batteries in four hours in full sun-shine or four batteries in eight hours. ItsUSB + AA Solar Charger weighs 140grams and recharges two AA batteries orsmall USB devices. Folded dimensionsare 83 × 140 × 35 mm while unfolded it

Joint Terminal Attack Controllers are seen here reviewing map data using the MiniRover, a Global Positioning System-integrated micro computer that is used for targetingpurposes. (US Air Force)

The software-defined AN/PRC-112Gtransceiver is an integral part of theHook2 GPS Csar system from GDC4S.This unit is carried by pilots andspecial operations teams – the GPSQuickdraw2 interrogrator (not shown).is the mate used by search and rescueteams (Pararescuemen, etc) to locateand communicate with those in need.(General Dynamics C4 Systems)

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• Lieutenant General Antonio Gucciardino,General Manager of the Procurement Agency for Land Systems, Italian Army

• Vehicle display: including TMV’s new 6x6M and IVECO’s LMV

• New technology display: including NIITEK’s mine detection systemand Rafael’s active protection system

• Innovation briefings: free presentations showcasing in-theatre applications of new technologies including RUAG’s add-on armour and DuPont’s spall liners

• Free attendance to the exhibition for pre-registered visitors

1– 5 February 2010

ExCel Centre,

London, UK

Call: +44 (0)20 7368 9300 Email: enquire@iqpc.co.uk

www.armoured-vehicles.co.ukPlease Quote "ARMADA"

THE MASK IS BRAND NEW. THE TECHNOLOGY IS CUTTING EDGE.

BUT THE COMPANY BEHIND IT IS NOT EXACTLY A ROOKIE.

40

covers a 620 × 140 mm area. The AA sys-tem generates 3.6 V at 0.4 A, while USBdevices recharge at five volts. Largersolar chargers are also available, in fivedifferent power ratings; 5, 10, 20, 30, and60 W, weighing between 0.22 and 1.45 kg,while folded dimensions for the largertypes are 279 x 241 x 51 mm. They alloperate at 15.4 V with operating currentsbetween 0.3 and 3.6 Amps. Originallyproduced for the US Army Natick Sol-dier Center, Power Film Solar Field Shel-ters are available in three different types,Quadrant (190 W), Temper Fly (750 W)and Powershade (two kW) and aredesigned to reduce dependence on fuel-fired generators.

Developed by Stork Aerospace forthe Dutch Voss future soldier pro-gramme, the E-Lighter is a small powergenerator that uses diesel or JP8 fuel andprovides a 15 W, 15 V DC output. Fullyfuelled it weighs 1.8 kg for a 50% weightreduction compared to spare batteries asit can provide 400 Wh/kg during 48 hoursof operation.

Ultracell is under contract with the USDepartment of Defense to provide itsXX25 fuel cell that weighs 1.24 kg (with-out cartridge) for a dimension of 230 x150 x 43 mm. According to the company

Index to AdvertisersAAI 23Adventure Lights 37Airborne Systems 5AM General 33Armada International 19,

C3 Non-USAAvon Protection 39Ceradyne 11Defence IQ 13

Defence Logistics Middle East 37DIMDEX 2010 11Elbit Systems 33ELCAN 21FLIR Government Systems 31FNH USA C3 USAHutchinson 35International ArmouredVehicles 39

ITT C4LaserMax 35Nivisys 39Remington 9Revision Eyewear 25Ruag Ammotec 37Saab 27Thales Communications 29Ultralife C2

the runtime since output power is dou-bled. These are only a few examples ofdifferent types of recharging systems thatare becoming available to special forces;but ones that will most probably becomecommon items relatively soon. a

Complete Guide Special Operations 2009Supplement to issue 6/2009

Volume 33, Issue No. 6, December 2009/January 2010

INTERNATIONALis published bi-monthly in Zurich, Switzerland.

Copyright 2009 by Internationale Armada AG,Aeulestrasse 5, LI-9490 Vaduz, Liechtenstein.

Head Office: Armada International,Hagenholzstrasse 65, CH-8050 Zurich, Switzerland.Phone: (+41 44) 308 50 50, Fax:(+41 44) 308 50 55,e-mail: mail@armada.ch; www.armadainternational.com www.armada.ch

Publisher: Caroline SchweglerPublishing Director: Stephan SoderEditor-in-Chief: Eric H. BiassEditor/Artwork: Johnny KegglerAdministration: Thomas Schneider, Marie-Louise Huber

Regular Contributors: Roy Braybrook, Ian Kemp, Thomas Withington, Paolo Valpolini

Controlled circulation: 22,388, certified by ABC/WEMF, valid from autumn 2009.

Advertising Sales OfficesAustria, Benelux, SwitzerlandCornelius W. BontjePhone: +41 55 216 17 81, cornelius.bontje@armada.chFrancePromotion et Motivation, Odile OrbecPhone : +33 1 41 43 83 00, o.orbec@pema-group.comGermanySam BairdPhone: +44 1883 715 697, sam@whitehillmedia.comItaly, Nordic CountriesEmanuela Castagnetti-GillbergPhone: +46 31 799 9028, egillberg@glocalnet.netSpainVía Exclusivas, Macarena Fdez. de GradoPhone: +34 91 448 76 22, macarena@viaexclusivas.comUnited KingdomZena Coupé Phone: +44 1923 852537, zena@expomedia.bizCommonwealth of Independent States (CIS)Laguk Co. Ltd., Yuri LaskinPhone: +7 495 912 13 46, ylarm-lml@mtu-net.ruAsiaDr. Rosalind LuiPhone: +65 64587885, drrosalind@tsea.com

Eastern USA – East of the Mississippi RiverMargie BrownPhone: (540) 341 7581, margiespub@rcn.comWestern USA – West of the Mississippi RiverDiane ObrightPhone: (858) 759 3557, blackrockmedia@cox.netArabic CountriesShayma GhandourPhone: +971 50 125 3709, shayma.ghandour@hotmail.comAll other countries: contact the Head Office

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Printed by Karl Schwegler AG, 8050 Zurich, SwitzerlandISO 9001:2000 and ISO 14001:2004, FSC COC 100012 andEKAS certified. Date of first certification 1992.

Armada International, ISSN 0252-9793, is published bi-monthlyby Internationale Armada AG and is distributed in the USA bySPP, 95 Aberdeen Road, Emigsville PA 17318-0437. Periodicalspostage paid at Emigsville, PA. POSTMASTER: Please send address changes to Armada International, c/o PO Box 437, Emigsville, PA 17318-0437.ISSN: 0252-9793ABC

it allows a 70% weight savings comparedwith normal batteries on a 72-hour mis-sion. It operates at 12/24 V (selectable)and provides a maximum output powerof 25 W. The weight of the cartridgesvaries according to the capacity: the stan-dard one weighs 345 grams with a 180 Whcapacity, the XRT-75 weighs 1.2 kg for a900 Watt-hour capacity, the XRT-200 3.6kg and 2500 Wh, and the XRT-1000 18 kgand 12,500 Wh. A scaled version, theXX55, has recently been unveiled, whichhas a weight of 1.6 kg and 272 x 208 x 81mm (without battery pack); it provides a50 W output and works at 12 or 30 V. TheXX55 is designed for operating as batteryrecharging system and uses the same car-tridges as the XX25, although with half

The latest version of L-3 Communications’ Rover is the Rover 5, which weighs only 1.6kg and has a playstation-type look. (Armada/PV)

Powerfilm developed numerousversions of its solar cell batterychargers, which can provide add-onpower to special forces, especiallywhen deployed in desert areas.(Armada/PV)

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