29 JANUARY 2014 VOL 51 • ISSUES

IHS Jane’s
Defence Weekly
ihs.com/janes

Strike force
Singapore strives to maintain its
qualitative edge

• Afghan forces face growing Taliban threat - p4

• BAE pulls out of Indian Navy gun contest - p5
• Oman signs NASAMS contract - p5
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The Algerian Navy’s new multipurpose landing

helicopter dock (LHD) ship entered the water
for the first time on 14 January at Italian
Headlines Middle East/Africa shipbuilder Fincantieri’s Muggiano shipyard in
La Spezia, Italy.

4 Afghan forces face growing Taliban threat 20 Ghana looks to buy new aircraft
5 BAE pulls out of Indian Navy gun contest UAE conscription plans move forward • China plans new patrols from disputed
Oman signs NASAMS contract Libya requests US training Paracel island
6 British Army wants AH-64E Apaches 'by the 22 EU agrees to deploy troops to the CAR • USN pushes ahead with accelerated soft-
end of the decade’ 23 New self-propelled howitzer spotted in Algeria kill upgrade
DCD to build APCs in Nigeria • Iraq requests more Hellfires
The Americas • Italian Army Aviation commander dies in
Business flight accident
8 US Army puts GCV build on hold • US PACOM commander encourages
US releases causes of Kadena accidents 24 Chile pledges to overhaul defence financing increased US-China military interactions
Boeing begins build on final KC-46A TKA buys Alimex unit • Morocco set to receive new frigate
10 USN confirms Fort Worth will deploy with Safran buys Eaton businesses • Indonesia's PT PAL looks to foreign
Fire Scout AVIC targets USD65 billion sales partner for submarine repair
F-35C flies with a heavy weapons load Astronics buys EADS T&S
Spearhead starts maiden deployment
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» HEADLINES
IHS Jane’s
Defence Weekly
Editorial
Editor: Peter Felstead
Asia-Pacific Editor: James Hardy
Europe Editor: Nicholas de Larrinaga
Middle East/Africa Editor: Jeremy Binnie
JDW Features Editor: Kate Tringham
JDW Assistant Features Editor: Fay Brigden
Jane’s Aviation Desk Editor: Gareth Jennings
Jane’s Land Desk Editor: Nick Brown
Jane’s Land Consultant: Christopher F Foss
Jane’s Naval Consultant: Richard Scott
Jane’s Defence Industry Analyst: Charles Forrester
Jane’s Senior Principal Analyst: Guy Anderson
Jane’s Asia-Pacific Industry Reporter: Jon Grevatt
Washington, DC, Bureau:
Americas Editor: Daniel Wasserbly
Jane’s C4ISR Reporter: Geoff Fein
Jane’s Industry Reporter: Marina Malenic
Jane’s Naval Reporter: Grace Jean
Jane’s Senior Americas Aviation Reporter: Caitlin Lee
Chief Sub Editor: Jonathan Maynard
Deputy Chief Sub Editors: Thomas Brown, Martin Cooper
Sub Editors: Lucy Bullen, Jessica D’Alonzo, Karen Deans,
Emma Donald, Terry Gault, Niki Gouros, Alex Hadwick,
Tracy Johnson, Miriam Jones, Susie Kornell, Deborah Miller,
Dom Passantino, Sam Reynolds, Clare Welton
Design
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Administrative Assistant: Hannah Brockwell
Correspondents
The Americas: Peter Diekmeyer, Diego Gonzalez,
Scott Gouriey, Inigo Guevara, Jose Higuera, Joshua Kucera,
Jeremy McDermott, Pedro Paulo Rezende, Patricia Samfelt,
Cesar Cruz Tantalean. Asia-Pacific: Gordon Arthur, Rahul
Bedi, Farhan Bokhari, J Michael Cole, Sebastien Falletti,
Robert Foster, Julian Kerr, Dzirhan Mahadzir, Mrityunjoy
Mazumdar, Trefor Moss, Gavin Phipps, Kosuke Takahashi.
Europe: Victor Barreira, Nicholas Fiorenza,
Tim Glogan, David Ing, Bruce Jones, Jiri Kominek,
Georg Mader, Tim Ripley, Lale Sariibrahimoglu, Sebastian
Schulte, Menno Steketee, Radu Tudor, Theodore Valmas,
Paolo Valpolini. Middle East/Africa: Segun Adeyemi,
Nicholas Blanford, Helmoed-Romer Heitman, Yaakov Katz,
Ellen Knickmeyer, Mohammed Najib.
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4 | Jane's Defence Weekly 29 January 2014
For further insight and analysis go to ihs.com/janes
Afghan forces face
growing Taliban threat
CAITLIN LEE Senior Americas Aviation Reporter
WASHINGTON, DC
The Afghan National Security Forces
(ANSF) tactically overmatched the
Taliban and its affiliated networks dur­
ing the 2013 summer fighting season,
but they will be put to the test again as
Afghanistan’s April presidential election
approaches, according to a senior US
military official.
US Army Lieutenant General Mark Milly,
commander of the International Security
Assistance Force (ISAF), said on 23 January that
the ANSF fought between 3,000 and 4,000-fire
fights during the past fighting season and ‘won’
about 95% of those engagements.
However, ANSF casualty rates also grew
as much as 70% as US and coalition forces
stepped back to let the Afghans take the
lead. As they increasingly fight on the front
lines, the ANSF need to continue working on
building up certain tactical proficiencies and
core functions, Gen Milly told reporters at the
Pentagon via a satellite feed from Afghanistan.
“We know that the Afghan battalions can
fight, we know they can shoot, we know they
can communicate and conduct combined
arms operations,” Gen Milly said, “but tactics
an army does not make.”
The ANSF have reached this crossroads at a
time when the political situation in Afghani­
stan is highly tenuous and the threat of
Taliban attacks is growing.
It is unclear at this point how much US and
coalition forces will be able to continue assist­
ing the ANSF beyond December 2014 when
the NATO mission ends.
The Afghan government is in the process
of negotiating a Bilateral Security Agree­
ment (BSA) with the United States and a
broader Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA)
with NATO that would allow for US and
allied forces to stay in Afghanistan in 2 015
and beyond.
Meanwhile, Afghanistan is preparing to
vote in April for a successor to President
Hamid Karzai.
The difficult political situation and
upcoming presidential election are likely to
seriously test the ANSF. Gen Milly said that
the Taliban are preparing for acts of violence,
• The ANSF performed well in the 2013
fighting season but face new threats as the
presidential election approaches
• The general in charge of ISAF said the ANSF
are ready tactically but still need more
coalition assistance to build up institutional
practices
aware that a peaceful transition of power
and a successful signing of those agreements
would deal a major blow to their cause.
"They intend to disrupt the election and
prevent a BSA and a NATO SOFA,” he said.
“They have to do that if they are to have any
relevance in the future.”
Of particular concern is the threat of more
suicide attacks, similar to the one that took
place on 17 January in Kabul, killing 21
civilians in a restaurant. Gen Milly said he
anticipates “more suicide-type, high-profile
spectacular attacks” against the ANSF,
Afghan government officials, ISAF forces,
and civilians.
Although the political process is still playing
out - President Karzai has baulked at signing
the BSA and some in the US have advocated
a ‘zero option’ to pull out all US forces - Gen
Milly said his assumption is still that some
kind of deal will be reached to allow a number
of US and coalition forces to stay.
“We do have a base plan and everything is
built upon an assumption that an agreement
will be reached,” he noted.
In addition to continuing to improve
tactical capabilities, including medical care
and counter-IED operations, US and coali­
tion assistance is still needed to build up
functional areas such as sustainment and
logistics, training management, personnel
management, budgeting and intelligence
operations, among other things, according
to Gen Milly.
Despite uncertainty about how much more
support the ANSF will receive, he said the
results of the last fighting season demon­
strate that the ‘operational tide’ is with the
ANSF and the ‘strategic tide’ is with the
Afghan government. “The ANSF know that
this upcoming election period is critical to
the future of Afghanistan, and the people of
Afghanistan know that,” he said. ■
ihs.ccr-. anes
For further insight and analysis go to ihs.com/janes
BAE pulls out of Indian Navy gun contest
RAHUL BEDI JDW Correspondent__________________
NEW DELHI
The Indian Navy's (IN’s) plans to acquire
13 127 mm guns for its frontline warships
have run into problems after the with­
drawal of one of two vendors invited to
participate in the tender.
BAE Systems, which was sent a request
for proposals (RfP) for the 127 mm guns in
November 2013, has opted not to offer its
5-inch (127 mm) 62-calibre Mk 45 Naval
Gun System for the INR15 billion (USD243.5
million) tender after claiming that the
proposed programme is commercially and
technologically unviable.
“The company concluded that key aspects
outlined in the RfP present the bidder with a
disproportionate level of risk,” BAE Systems
wrote in a letter to the Indian Ministry of
Defence (MoD) in late 2013, ahead of the
March 2014 deadline to submit proposals.
Industry sources interpret “disproportion­
ate risk” to include BAE Systems assuming
production and quality control guarantees
and delivery schedules for India’s state-
owned Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited
(BHEL), which will build 10 of the 13 guns
via a transfer of technology.
BAE Systems would have no functional
control over BHEL, but it would be penalised
Oman signs NASAMS contract
Omani Defence Minister Sayyid Badr bin
Saud bin Harib al-Busaidi and Raytheon
CEO Thomas Kennedy signed a contract
covering a new air-defence system for
the sultanate on 20 January, the Omani
News Agency (ONA) has reported.
Raytheon released a statement on 23 Janu­
ary saying it was awarded a direct commercial
contract with Oman covering the National
Advanced Surface-to-Air Missile System
(NASAMS) in the fourth quarter of 2013. It
said the contract was worth USD 1.28 billion.
Previously known as the Surface-Launched
Advanced Medium-Range Air-to-Air Missile
(SLAMRAAM), NASAMS is a joint develop­
ment by Raytheon and Norway’s Kongsberg
Defence & Aerospace. Kongsberg released
a statement saying its share of the deal was
worth NOK3.7 billion (USD603 million).
ihs.com/janes
for the latter’s non-performance.
BAE Systems produces the Mk 45 gun
in Minneapolis in the United States. It is in
service with 10 navies, including those of
Australia, Japan, South Korea, Spain, Taiwan,
Turkey, and the United States.
BAE Systems’ departure leaves Oto Melara
as the sole bidder with its 127 mm/64-calibre
lightweight naval gun, which it is offering
with the precision-guided Vulcano round that
recently entered service with the Italian Navy.
Official sources said the “systemic” drawback
of Oto Melara’s inclusion is that it is owned by
Finmeccanica, which faces a possible MoD ban
following the 1 January termination of the deal
for 12 AW101 AgustaWestland helicopters.
In addition, India’s Defence Procurement
A mobile version of the NASAMS common rail
launcher mounted on an Oshkosh FMTV 6x6 fires
an AIM-120 during tests in 2010.
NASAMS was initially developed as a
ground-based system that uses standard
AIM-120 air-to-air missiles, but it can also
be used with the AIM-9X Sidewinder short-
HEADLINES «
Procedure (DPP) demands the participa­
tion of at least two bidders in all materiel
contracts. The DPP, however, does provide for
exceptions to procure equipment from single
vendors, such as materiel acquired via the
US Foreign Military Sales (FMS) programme.
Military sources indicated that BAE Systems
could be awarded the 127 mm contract via
the FMS route, but there was no IN confirma­
tion on its outcome.
The IN is being forced to import 127
mm guns as the government-run Defence
Research and Development Organisation has
been unable to develop them. The systems
will arm seven Shivalik-class frigates and
six Delhi-class destroyers that are at various
stages of construction at local shipyards. ■
range air-to-air missile and RIM-162 Evolved
Sea Sparrow naval surface-to-air missile,
which is designed to intercept supersonic
anti-ship missiles. It is available with com­
mon rail or canister launchers that can be
either mounted on vehicles or deployed in
static positions.
A Raytheon representative told IHS Jane’s
that the company could not reveal what com­
bination of missiles, launchers and vehicles
had been selected by Oman. The AIM-120 is
already in service with the Royal Air Force of
Oman and Raytheon is delivering 50 AIM-9X
Block II missiles to the sultanate under a
contract announced in August 2013.
The French newspaper La Tribune reported
that NASAMS had prevailed over a rival bid
by MBDA, which has already delivered its VL
MICA short-range air defence system to the
Royal Guard of Oman.
Jeremy Binnie
JDW Middle East/Africa Editor, London
29 January 2014 Jane’s Defence Weekly | 5
» HEADLINES
British Army wants AH-64E Apaches
‘by the end of the decade’
GARETH JENNINGS Jane's Aviation Desk Editor
LONDON
The British Army Air Corps
(AAC) expects to replace its
current AgustaWestland-
Boeing WAH-64D Apache
Longbow AH.1 attack helicop­
ter fleet with the latest-variant
AH-64E (formerly AH-64D
Block III) “by the end of the
decade”, a senior service off­
icial disclosed on 23 January.
Speaking at the IQPC Inter­
national Military Helicopter
conference in London, the deputy
commander of the triservice
Joint Helicopter Command (JHC),
Brigadier Neil Sexton, said that,
with the AAC’s Apache AH. 1
helicopters (Block I standard) suf­
fering from obsolescence issues,
the army “rather hopes” that the
Boeing AH-64E Apache Guardian
will be chosen as its successor, for
fielding before 2020.
“The army is absolutely sold
on [the Apache’s] performance
in Afghanistan,” Brig Sexton
said, adding: “[The Apache
AH. 1] has an extremely high
profile with the public, mainly
China planning four aircraft carriers, says Dalian official
A senior Chinese Communist
Party official has given the
highest-level official confirma­
tion that China will soon start
building its second aircraft
carrier and is seeking a four-
strong carrier fleet.
Liaoning Provincial Party
Secretary Wang Min was quoted
by Xinhua news agency on 18
January as saying that Dalian
Shipyard, which rebuilt the
Kuznetsov-class carrier that
entered People’s Liberation Army
6 | Jane’s Defence Weekly 29 January 2014
• The UK’s AAC hopes to be able
to replace its current AH-64DS
with AH-64Es by the end of
the decade
• Delays to the US AH-64E
programme may have given the
UK more time to order the type
down to Captain Wales [Prince
Harry] in Afghanistan.”
As well the proven perfor­
mance of the AH. 1 -variant
Apache now in service, Brig
Sexton noted that the enhanced
capabilities of the AH-64E are
proving to be highly alluring to
the British Army, especially with
regard to manned-unmanned
teaming. “We are watching very
closely what the US is doing with
this,” he said, adding: “There is
a lot of future potential for this
with [the British Army’s] Watch-
keeper unmanned aerial vehicle.”
In terms of numbers, Brig Sex­
ton said that he does not expect
any AH-64Es to be procured as
one-for-one replacements for the
(PLA) Navy service as Liaoning in
2012, could build a second car­
rier in “six years”.
Wang was speaking at a
provincial level meeting of
the National People’s Con­
gress, which convenes at
the national level in Beijing,
usually in March. Liaoning
Province is home to the port
city of Dalian. The story has
since been removed from many
Chinese websites, suggesting
that Wang’s disclosure was not
For further insight and analysis go to ihs.com/janes
The British Army is wedded to the AH-64 Apache, following its showing in
Afghanistan and Libya (pictured), and is very keen to retain the capability with
the latest-variant AH-64E.
Apaches currently in service (67
were purchased, with one lost on
operations in Afghanistan), adding
“but we don’t need that”. The
most likely scenario will see the
most costly systems on the cur­
rent AH. 1 aircraft - the M-TADS
(targeting system), the fire control
system, and the engines - being
refitted into newly built airframes,
with the equipment left over pro­
viding a ready-made pool of spares.
According to the brigadier, the
Ministry of Defence expects the
acquisition process for the AH-
approved and may have even
angered China’s leadership.
Wang also claimed that China
would eventually acquire four
aircraft carriers, meaning at
least three would be produced in
Chinese shipyards. In 2013 both
Dalian Shipyard and Shanghai’s
Jiangnan-Changxing Shipyard pro­
duced sections of aircraft carrier
hulls as an exercise to demonstrate
their capacity to do so. According
to company materials posted on
Chinese military websites, the
64E to be decided “in the next
couple of years”, with a contract
signed shortly after. He could not
say though whether this process
would begin before the next UK
general election in 2015. While
Brig Sexton said that any procure­
ment decision must be made with
the US Army production run in
mind, Boeing officials previously
told IHS Jane’s that programme
delays incurred by sequestration
were having the unintended con­
sequence of buying the UK time
in making its decision. ■
section produced in Shanghai will
become part of Jiangnan-Chang-
xing’s corporate park.
Dalian is expected to produce
a ski-jump or short take-off but
arrested recovery (STOBAR)
carrier similar to Liaoning. The
shipyard is a logical first choice
due to its deep familiarity with
Liaoning and the proximity of
much of China’s aircraft carrier
support infrastructure.
Richard D Fisher Jr JDW
Correspondent, Washington. DC
ihs.comjanes
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» THE AMERICAS
Boeing begins
build on final
KC-46A
Boeing has begun assembly of
the fourth and final KC-46A aerial
refuelling aircraft currently under
contract as part of the USD3.9
billion engineering, manufac­
ture, and development phase
of the US Air Force’s (USAF’s)
KC-X programme, the company
announced on 16 January.
All four test aircraft are now under
varying stages of construction at
Boeing's Everett manufacturing facility
near Seattle, Washington. The KC-X
contract will see the first 18 KC-46As
built and delivered to the USAF by
2017, with a further 161 following by
2027 if all the options are exercised.
The USAF stands to receive 179 KC-
46A, including the four test platforms,
which will be refurbished and re­
delivered as operational tankers.
The first 767-200ER (extended
range)-derived test aircraft is sched­
uled to be rolled out later in January.
The company plans to fly the fully
provisioned tanker for the first time in
early 2015, to be followed by the first
delivery to the USAF in 2016.
Although based on the 767-200ER
passenger aircraft, the KC-46A will in
fact be a 767-2C-provisioned freighter
with a 767-400 flight deck featuring
Rockwell Collins large format displays.
The 767-2Cs will roll off the Everett
production line with the provisions
necessary to make a tanker (wiring,
etc) before being flown to King County
International Airport (colloquially
known as Boeing Field), where the
aerial refuelling components and
military avionics will be fitted.
With the KC-46A based on the
767 airliner, Boeing hopes to tap into
economies of scale with its global
manufacturing, support, and sustain­
ment infrastructure. More than 95%
of the 767's existing commercial
supplier base, for example, will be
involved on the KC-46A programme.
Gareth Jennings
Jane’s Aviation Desk Editor. London
8 | Jane’s Defence Weekly 29 January 2014
US Army puts
GCV build on hold
DANIEL WASSERBLV JDW Americas Editor__________________________________
WASHINGTON, DC
The US Army plans to shelve its
Ground Combat Vehicle (GCV)
for at least the next three or
four years as the programme,
once dubbed a top priority by
service leadership, falls victim
to tightening budgets.
“Do we need a new infantry
fighting vehicle [IFV] ? Yes. Can
we afford a new infantry fighting
vehicle? No,” Army Chief of Staff
General Ray Odierno said during
a 23 January meeting sponsored
by the Association of the United
States Army. “What I’m hoping
for is technology will continue
to allow us [to advance] so three
to four years from now we’ll be
able to build an infantry fighting
vehicle that is absolutely neces­
sary,” the general said.
The GCV was only appropri­
ated USD 100 million in fiscal
year 2014: a significant reduc­
tion that would effectively place
the development project on hold.
“We’re hoping for a follow-on
effort,” Gen Odierno explained. “I
was very pleased with the progress
US releases causes of Kadena accidents
The US Air Force (USAF) has
released the results of two ac­
cident investigations involving
aircraft crashes near Kadena
Air Base in Japan.
It found that a 5 August 2013
Sikorsky HH-60G Pave Hawk
mishap, which resulted in the
death of one airman, injuries to
three others and the loss of the
aircraft, was caused by the pilot.
According to the accident inves­
tigation board, the pilot manoeu­
vred his aircraft at low altitude
For further insight and analysis go to ihs.com/janes
• The US Army has confirmed
that the GCV programme will
be put on hold
• Service officials are ‘hoping
for a follow-on effort’
of the Ground Combat Vehicle, I
think we had the requirements
right, we were starting to see really
good development by the contrac­
tors involved, and so it’s important
that we carry that forward.”
Service acquisition planners
are now trying to determine how
to continue with something like
the GCV in the future, he added.
The programme is in a technol­
ogy development (TD) phase in
which BAE Systems and General
Dynamics have been competing
with hopes of winning sole posses­
sion of the next phase: engineering
and manufacturing development.
Army officials designed the
programme to first provide an
IFV with high levels of surviv­
ability and the space to carry a
full squad of soldiers; however,
to avoid what he perceived as the
potential for a mid-air collision
with his formation wingman.
The move resulted in excessive
altitude loss that the pilot could
not reverse prior to impact.
Another USAF accident
investigation board found that a
Boeing F-15C Eagle crash on 28
May 2013 near Kadena Air Base
resulted from the aircraft failing
to respond to the pilot’s flight con­
trol inputs due to a failure in the
aircraft’s hydro-mechanical flight
the service is now revisiting the
organisational concepts that
underscore the structure of its
brigades and the squads that the
GCV would have transported.
While the GCV has for now
been pushed aside, Gen Odierno
said the army’s modernisation
strategy would still focus on sol­
diers and squads because they are
“the foundation of who we are”
and because the army wants to be
able to deploy in smaller expedi­
tionary force packages that will
require certain equipment and
capabilities. The GCV, based on
its initial requirements, would
have been likely to have weighed
about 60 tonnes - too heavy for
expeditionary operations.
Although the army’s former
top acquisition priority is now
postponed, it is proceeding with
other buys that it deems vital.
“We’re going to build new
where it’s absolutely essential”,
such as the Joint Light Tacti­
cal Vehicle (JLTV) to replace
Humvees, and the Armoured
Multi-Purpose Vehicle (AMPV) to
replace Ml 13 armoured person­
nel carriers, Gen Odierno said.
He added that the army would
continue to modernise the Pala­
din self-propelled howitzer, make
“cost-effective improvements” to
the Ml Abrams main battle tank,
improve the Bradley IFV, and fur­
ther refine the M4A1 carbine. ■
control system as well as the fact
that the aircraft’s Pitch Roll Chan­
nel Assembly was sending inputs
to the flight control surfaces with­
out the pilot’s involvement.
The the board found that the
F-15C pilot was unable to recover
the aircraft from a left descend­
ing spiral for more than 20
seconds, and ejected at 4,500 ft
(1371.6 m) above sea level.
Caitlin Lee Jane’s Senior
Americas Aviation Reporter,
Washington, DC
ihs.com/janes
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» THE AMERICAS
Spearhead
starts maiden
deployment
The US Navy’s first Joint High
Speed Vessel (JHSV) has
departed on its maiden
deployment.
USNS Speaitiead (JHSV 1) left
Little Creek, Virginia, on 16 January:
one day later than expected due to
adverse weather conditions,
The 103 m aluminium catamaran
will operate in the US 6th Fleet's area
of operations in the Mediterranean
and oft the west coast of Africa until
May 2014, It will then set sail for
Latin America, where it will partici­
pate in maritime operations under the
purview of US 4th Fleet through to
the end of fiscal year 2014.
During the deployment, the
22-person civilian crew is expected
to run tests and experiments to flex
Spearhead's operational capabilities.
Grace Jean Jane's Naval
Reporter, Washington, DC
USNS Spearhead departs on 16
January for its first deployment.
F-35C flies with a heavy weapons load
The carrier variant of the
Lockheed Martin F-35 Light­
ning II Joint Strike Fighter,
known as the F-35C, flew with
a full external weapons load
on 13 January at Naval Air
Station Patuxent River.
CF-01, an F-3 5C test vehicle,
was equipped with AIM-9X
Sidewinder missiles, GBU-12
Paveway II laser-guided muni­
tions, and a gun pod.
The weapons load was not the
heaviest that the F-35 can carry,
but every rack capable of carry­
10 | Jane's Defence Weekly 29 January 2014
USN confirms Fort Worth
will deploy with Fire Scout
GRACE JEAN Jane's Naval Reporter
WASHINGTON, DC
When the US Navy’s (USN’s)
Littoral Combat Ship (LCS)
USS Fort Worth (LCS 3) de­
parts for Southeast Asia on
its maiden deployment in late
2014, the vessel will embark
the next iteration of the LCS
surface warfare (SUW) mis­
sion package, including the
MQ-8B Fire Scout vertical
take-off unmanned aerial
vehicle (VTUAV).
Captain Dan Brintzinghoffer,
the navy’s programme man­
ager for LCS fleet introduction
and sustainment (PMS 505)
at Naval Sea Systems Com­
mand (NAVSEA), said the SUW
mission package on board Fort
Worth will be identical to that
deployed on first-of-class USS
Freedom (LCS 1), although with
the addition of Fire Scout.
“Functionally they’re exactly
the same,” he said, during a
briefing at the Surface Navy
Association’s 2014 national
symposium. “It’s another
ing a weapon was loaded, F-35
spokesperson Laura Siebert told
IHS Jane’s.
The F-35C has now flown with a full weapons load.
For further insight and analysis go to ihs.com/janes
• USS Fort Worth will deploy to
Singapore with an MQ-8B Fire
Scout capability
• Discussions are ongoing
about allocating the MQ-8C to
the LCS programme
instantiation of the mission
package. The one piece that’s
going to be in the plan that will
be different, and it’s in addition
to what was on board LCS 1, is
going to be the introduction and
deployment of a VTUAV.”
The SUW package that
embarked on Freedom included
two 30 mm guns, two 11m rigid
hull inflatable boats (RHIBs), an
SH-60R helicopter, a 23-person
aviation detachment, a 19-person
surface warfare detachment, and
a maritime security module that
equips the ship’s boarding teams.
Manufactured by Northrop
Grumman, the MQ.-8B is an
autonomous 3,000 lb (1,360 kg)
helicopter with an endurance of
about 8 hours.
Fort Worth conducted “dynamic
interface testing” with the VTUAV
The pilot during the mission
was UK RAF Squadron Leader
Andy Edgell.
£ Caitlin Lee Jane’s Senior
1
l Washington, DC
during sea trials in 2013, according
to Captain Tom Anderson, LCS
programme manager.
The official equipment
programme of record for LCS
stipulates the Fire Scout MQ.-8B.
In principle, each LCS SUW
mission package includes three
MQ.-8BS. However, the navy’s
programme manager for LCS
mission modules, Captain John
Ailes, said that discussions are
ongoing about allocating the
newer variant of Fire Scout - the
MQ.-8C - to LCS.
With a design based on the
Bell Helicopter 407 commercial
helicopter, Northrop Grumman’s
6,000 lb MQ-8C is twice the size
of the MQ-8B, has 15-16 hours
of endurance, and can carry by
sling load a weight of up to about
2,650 lbs.
Because of the MQ_-8C’s larger
size and improved capability,
Capt Ailes said that it would be
feasible to replace the LCS SUW
mission package’s three MQ-8BS
with two MQ-8Cs. The first
MQ-8C was delivered to the USN
in July 2013. ■
The F-35C and the F-35B - a
short take-off/vertical landing ver­
sion for the US Marine Corps, US
Navy and UK Royal Air Force and
Royal Navy - all feature a remov­
able gun system housed in an
underside pod. The F-35A conven­
tional take-off and landing variant,
designed for the US Air Force, has
an internally mounted gun.
The F-35 is considered a
‘stealthy’ aircraft; however,
mounting external stores on it
clearly increases the airframe’s
radar cross-section.
Americas Aviation Reporter,
ihs.com/janes
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» EUROPE
UK retires
ALARM missile
The UK Ministry of Defence
(MoD) has confirmed the final
retirement of the Air-Launched
Anti-Radiation Missile (ALARM):
a move that leaves the Royal Air
Force (RAF) without a dedicated
defence suppression weapon.
Developed by what was British
Aerospace Dynamics - later sub­
sumed into MBDA - ALARM was
developed under Air Staff Require­
ment 1228 to provide RAF Tornados
with a defence suppression capabil­
ity. Completing development trials in
October 1990, the missile made its
operational debut in the 1991 Gulf
War, with more than 120 missiles
fired as part of Operation 'Granby'.
ALARM was subsequently used
in support of NATO's Operation
‘Allied Force’ over Serbia and
Kosovo in 1999.
An ALARM seeker mid-life
update, introduced to meet Staff
Requirement (Air) 1247, saw an
improved anti-radiation homing
seeker enter service in the early
2000s, This version of ALARM was
employed by Tornado GR.4 aircraft
during Operation ‘Telic’ in 2003,
In a statement to IHS Jane’s the
MoD confirmed that “the ALARM
missile, used for the suppression
of enemy air defences [SEAD], was
retired from service at the end of
December 2013”.
It added: “UK armed forces
have a range of capabilities that
can be used to counter enemy air
defence, including kinetic strikes via
long-range cruise missiles, such as
Tomahawk and Storm Shadow, and
a multitude of highly effective preci­
sion air-to-ground weapons.
“Additionally, it is likely that we
will work with our international
partners on future major operations
overseas and will therefore manage
all of our capabilities as part of that
coalition.”
Richard Scott
Jane's Naval Consultant, London
12 | Jane’s Defence Weekly 29 January 2014
Switzerland sets
date for Gripen
referendum
GARETH JENNINGS Jane’s Aviation Desk Editor
LONDON
Switzerland’s Federal Council
has set 18 May 2014 as the
date for a national refer­
endum on the country’s
procurement of the Saab
Gripen E fighter aircraft, it
announced on 17 January.
The referendum, which will
fall on a Sunday, will specifi­
cally focus on the government’s
Gripen Fund Law. This received
parliamentary approval in Octo­
ber 2013 by 119 to 71 votes in
the National Council (National-
rat) and by 25 to 17 votes in the
Council of States (Standerat).
Azerbaijan receives final Mi-35M helo
The last of 24 new Mil Mi-35M
‘Hind’ assault helicopters for
Azerbaijan has been deliv­
ered to Baku, national media
reported on 21 January 2014.
These latest-variant ‘Hind’
helicopters were ordered in
September 2010 at a price of
USD360 million to augment
the 20 Mi-24 helicopters that
Azerbaijan has operated since
the break-up of the Soviet Union
in 1991.
An unspecified number of
these earlier ‘Hinds’ have been
made NATO-compatible and
upgraded to Mi-24G ‘Super Hind’
standard (the G denotes the Azeri
word for night - ‘Geese’) by South
African company Advanced Tech­
nologies and Engineering (ATE)
and Ukrainian company Aviakon
at the latter’s aircraft repair plant
in Konotop.
For further insight and analysis go to ihs.com/janes
• Switzerland will hold a
referendum on its planned buy
of 22 Saab Gripen E fighters
on 18 May after opponents
of the deal collated 50,000
signatures in a public petition
• Current polling indicates that
voters may reject the purchase
A positive result is now
required if the purchase of 22
Gripen E fighter aircraft for the
air force is to proceed.
The minority Swiss Green
Party and the Liberal Green
The Azerbaijani Air Force and
Air Defence Force currently
operate Mi-24s out of Baku Kala
base. While there has been con­
fusion as to the operating agency
for the Mi-35s, the Azeri-Press
Agency (APA) that reported the
completion of deliveries said
they are to be fielded by the
State Border Service.
In addition to the ‘Hind’-
variant helicopters, the Azerbai-
Party oppose the plan and have
called for the referendum.
Recent opinion polls reported
by Bloomberg have put public
support for the deal at just 37%,
making the procurement far
from a done deal.
Should the referendum go the
way of the government, there
will still be the tricky issue of
workshare to be negotiated
with Saab. Switzerland’s joint-
development agreement with
Sweden will now have to take
into account Brazilian workshare
and offset requirements, follow­
ing that country’s selection of
the Gripen E as the winner of its
FX-2 competition.
The Swiss Air Force selected
the Gripen E to partially replace
its ageing fleet of 54 Northrop
Tiger II aircraft in late 2011.
The Swedish-designed fighter
beat off competition from the
Dassault Rafale and Eurofighter
Typhoon for the deal, which
is valued at CHF3.1 billion
(USD3.4 billion). ■
jani Air Force and Air Defence
Force also operates 40 Mi-8 ‘Hip’
transport helicopters, which
double as light attack and assault
platforms. Other rotary-wing
assets in service with the air
force include the Mi-2 ‘Hoplite’
utility helicopter and the Kamov
Ka-32A utility and Ka-32PS
search-and-rescue helicopters.
Gareth Jennings Jane’s
Aviation Desk Editor, London
ihs.com/janes
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» EUROPE
France reserves
EUR1 bn for
cyber defence
spending
The French Ministry of Defence
has earmarked EUR1 billion
(USD1.36 billion) to boost
its cyber security capabili­
ties, French Defence Minister
Jean-Yves Le Drian said on 21
January.
The issue has become a “national
priority" as it “touches on the very
essence of our sovereignty", Le Drian
told the 6th International Forum on
Cyber security in Lille. “What we
are facing here is the capacity to
control, to paralyse from afar, or to
destroy infrastructures that are vital
to our country. Subsequently we are
confronted with the risk of a grave
cyber threat against the nation's
strategic interests, and our ability to
appreciate, decide and act."
The funds will help the Centre
d'analyses en lutte informatique
defensive (CALID), the body that
oversees the security of the French
armed forces' information systems,
boost staff numbers from 20 in
2011 to 120 by 2019. Staff at
the French defence procurement
agency’s (DGA's) information
superiority centre in Bruz will also
grow from 250 to 450 “in the next
few years”.
In addition, Le Drian said the
funds would help create a centre
of cyber excellence in Rennes, Bri-
tanny; triple the number of upstream
cyber defence studies; and broaden
the current network of 80 civilian
cyber defence reservists created in
2012. Le Drian said he also wanted
to develop an operational cyber
defence reserve. “The aim here is
to be able to mobilise a growing
number of competent and trustwor­
thy people to support the nation in
the management of a cyber crisis,"
he explained.
Nadia Deseilligny
JDW Correspondent, Lille
14 j Jane's Defence Weekly 29 January 2014
Sweden to refurbish CV90s
NICHOLAS PE LARRINAGA JDW Europe Editor
LONDON
The Swedish government has
approved a major upgrade
and refurbishment pro­
gramme for its BAE Systems
Hagglunds CV90 infantry
fighting vehicles (IFVs), it has
been announced.
Speaking to IHS Jane’s on 21
January, a spokesperson for the
Swedish Defence Materiel Admin­
istration (FMV) said the purpose
of the upgrade is to prolong the
vehicles’ service life until 2030
and to equip the IFVs with a new
Severodvinsk delay could slow
Russian SSN deliveries
The Russian Navy’s reported
accepting of Severodvinsk
(K 329), the first Project 885
Yasen-class nuclear-powered
attack submarine (SSN), for
‘experimental use’ on 30
December 2013 may indicate
further delays to Russia’s SSN
programme.
However, putting Severodvinsk
into “experimental use” is not
an unprecedented move. Saint
Petersburg (B 585), the first Proj­
ect 677 Lada-class diesel-electric
submarine, was accepted under
a similar status in May 2010
following reports of power plant
design change requirements
prior to commissioning.
For further insight and analysis go to ihs.com/janes
• Sweden is to refurbish part of
its 500-strong fleet of CV90
infantry fighting vehicles
• Around 365 may be renovated
for up to SEK2.2 billion
battle management system (BMS).
Although the precise num­
ber of vehicles included in, or
the -projected cost of- the
programme have not been dis­
closed by the Swedish Ministry
of Defence (MoD), previously
Sweden is to
refurbish a significant
proportion of its CV90
IFVs. Two Swedish
Army CV9040C
IFVs pictured in
Afghanistan.
According to anonymous navy
sources cited in defence industry
newspaper Voenno-Promyshlenny
Kuryer, at least 200 problems
may still require correction on
Severodvinsk. The most significant
issue is reported to be the sub­
marine’s advanced sonar system,
which appears yet to demonstrate
its advertised capabilities.
State testing should resume
in April. In the meantime,
Severodvinsk will retain a com­
bined navy and industry crew to
work on the identified issues. Nei­
ther the navy nor manufacturer
Sevmash have ventured a possible
final commissioning date. Sev­
mash also has the next two Yasen-
released documents detail plans
to upgrade 365 CV90s at a cost of
between SEK1.6 billion and SEK
2.2 billion (USD248 million to
USD342 million).
The Swedish armed forces cur­
rently operate 500 CV9040 IFVs
equipped with a 40 mm main
gun, several of which have already
received an earlier upgrade
package to CV9040C standard,
designed for use in Afghanistan.
Approval for the refurbish­
ment programme was granted
by the Swedish government on
9 January in the run-up to the
country’s annual defence confer­
ence in Salen.
With the programme hav­
ing received approval from the
government, talks are ongoing
between the FMV and the armed
forces on the specifics of the
CV90 refurbishment project.
A contract with BAE Systems
Hagglunds for the upgrade could
be signed within the next six
months, IHS Jane’s understands. ■
class boats, Kazan and Novosibirsk,
in build. The first of five contracted
Project 885M submarines, and laid
down 16 and 20 years respectively
after Severodvinsk, their design has
been modified and modernised
significantly.
The long delay in commis­
sioning Severodvinsk also could
push the acceptance of Kazan
and Novosibirsk back from 2017
and 2020 respectively. Moscow’s
plan to have six Project 885 and
885M submarines in service by
2020 appears to be a challeng­
ing target, with the early 2020s
perhaps now more realistic.
Karl Soper JDW
Correspondent, Washington, DC
ihs.com/janes
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For further insight and analysis go to ihs.com/janes
Taiwan set to
lift Apache
grounding
Taiwan’s Ministry of National
Defense (MND) confirmed on
20 January that it will lift the
grounding of its 12 AH-64E
Apache attack helicopters in
February when new main trans­
mission boxes are installed.
However, the MND gave no spe­
cific date for when the Army Aviation
Special Forces will resume Apache
training operations at their Tainan
base in southern Taiwan.
The 12 helicopters were delivered
in two batches in November and
January. They have been grounded
since December after the United
States reported transmission failures
in its AH-64Es.
Meanwhile, Defense Minister Yen
Ming announced plans on 20 January
to downsize the number of serving
armed forces personnel to below
200,000 within the next five years.
Yen said the decision to cut
personnel numbers to between
170,000-190,000 by 2019 is part of
efforts to “streamline the military”.
Taiwan initially aimed to have an
all-volunteer armed forces by 2015,
but recently delayed that timeframe
until 2017 due to a far smaller
number of volunteer recruits than
anticipated.
Gavin Phipps
JDW Correspondent, Taipei
Bid process for Philippine corvette upgrade stalls
A bidding process intended to
deliver an upgrade contract
for the Philippine Navy’s (PN’s)
Jacinto (Peacock)-class cor­
vette BRP Artemio Ricarte has
fallen through, as lone bidder
Keppel Marine Philippines Inc
(KMPI) did not meet require­
ments set out by the Philip­
pine Department of National
Defense (DND).
ihs.com/janes
Indian Catapult II to make
debut at Defence Expo
JAYESH DHINGRA JDW Correspondent
BANGALORE
India plans to unveil its Cata­
pult Mk II self-propelled how­
itzer at Defence Expo 2014,
which is being held in New
Delhi from 6-9 February.
The system integrates the
hull of the Arjun Mk I main
battle tank (MBT) and the Rus­
sian 130 mm M-46 field gun,
originally developed over 60
years ago and procured by India
since the late 1960s.
The Indian Army Headquar­
ters’ Artillery Directorate tasked
the Defence Research and Devel­
opment Organisation’s (DRDO’s)
Combat Vehicle Research and
Development Establishment
(CVRDE) to design the system in
May 2012.
Speaking to IHS Jane’s on 20
January, a DND official confirmed
that KMPI, a subsidiary of Singa­
pore-based shipbuilder Keppel
Offshore & Marine, was the only
party to have submitted a bid for
the PHP216 million (USD4.7
million) upgrade work, despite
earlier expressions of inter­
est from two other companies:
Colorado Shipyard and FF Cruz
ASIA PACIFIC «
• India’s Catapult Mk II self-
propelled howitzer will be
unveiled at Defence Expo
• The system integrates the
Arjun Mk I MBT hull and the
M-46 field gun
The first developmental firing
trials took place from 27 Novem­
ber to 5 December 2012. Further
improvements, such as the
addition of positioning systems
and night-vision devices, were
incorporated and trials were held
from 31 July to 13 August 2013.
Automotive trials were also held.
Final user trials are sched­
uled for April to May 2 014 and,
should they go well, an order for
The Catapult
Mk II self-
propelled gun,
seen here during
firing trials in
2013, integrates
the hull of the
Arjun Mk I main
battle tank and
the Russian
130 mm M-46
field gun.
& Co. However, according to the
DND, KMPI’s bid did not meet
certain “eligibility and technical
requirements” stipulated by the
DND’s Bids and Awards Commit­
tee (BAC).
Artemio Ricarte (ex-HMS Star­
ling) was acquired from the UK
Royal Navy in 1997. The planned
contract is for a second phase
of upgrade work, including hull
29 January 2014 Jane’s Defence Weekly |
an initial 40 systems is expected
from the Indian Army soon after.
The Catapult Mk II retains
the power pack of the Arjun Mk
I with a 1400 hp(1030kW)
MTU 10-cylinder engine with a
Renk transmission. “With a gross
weight of 54 tonnes, the system
has a power-to-weight ratio of
25.9 hp/tonne,” Catapult project
head K Sreethar told IHS Jane’s at
CVRDE headquarters at Avadi,
Chennai.
The turretless hull has space for
eight crew including the driver.
The crew compartment has the
gun in the centre and space for 36
rounds of separate loading ammu­
nition in storage racks, with a
canopy providing STANAG 4569
armour protection above it. There
is a 7.62 mm machine gun for
local area defence as well as space
for 3,000 rounds for ammunition.
The CVRDE developed the
Catapult Mk I in the 19 8 0s by fit­
ting the same M-46 gun system
to the hull of the Vijayanta (Vick­
ers Mk I MBT). Officials see the
Catapult Mk II as serving as an
interim solution for the army’s
artillery needs until the comple­
tion of the ongoing 155 mm/52
calibre self-propelled howitzer
competition. ■
repairs and improvements to the
ship’s electrical plant and control
and monitoring systems. The first
phase, which included an over­
haul to its 7 6 mm gun and the
installation of an MSI Defense
Systems 25 mm gun mounting,
was completed in 2005.
Ridzwan Rahmat
Asia-Pacific Naval Reporter,
Singapore
17
» ASIA PACIFIC
Japan reports big increase
in air scrambles in late 2013
KOSUKE TAKAHASHI JDW Correspondent & JAMES HARDY JDW Asia-Pacific Editor_____________________________________
TOKYO & LONDON
Intercepts of Chinese aircraft
by the Japan Air Self-Defense
Force (JASDF) increased
dramatically from October to
December 2013.
The Joint Staff Office of the
Ministry of Defense (MoD) on
21 January said Japan scrambled
fighter aircraft 138 times against
Chinese aircraft in the last three
months of 2013: up from 80
times in the July-September
period and 69 times in the April-
June period of the same year.
The increase coincides with
These Chinese Tu-154 reconnaissance (left) and Y-8CB SIGINT aircraft were intercepted by the JASDF over the East China Sea in November 2013.
India puts brakes on Black Shark torpedo deal
India’s Ministry of Defence
(MoD) is re-evaluating its 23
December 2013 decision to
approve the USD300 million
purchase of 98 A184 Black
Shark torpedoes from White­
head Alenia Sistemi Subac-
quei (WASS): a Finmeccanica
subsidiary.
The reassessment stems from
the MoD’s 1 January termination
of the EUR750 million (USD764
million) contract for 12 AW101
helicopters from AgustaWest­
land, another Finmeccanica com­
pany, on charges of corruption.
It remains unclear whether the
MoD will blacklist either Agusta-
Westland or Finmeccanica, or
18 | Jane’s Defence Weekly 29 January 2014
• Japan scrambled fighter
aircraft 138 times against
Chinese aircraft in the last
three months of 2013
• Japan also scrambled fighters
110 times against Russian
aircraft and intercepted North
Korean aircraft nine times
China’s declaration on 23
November of an Air Defence
Identification Zone (ADIZ) in the
East China Sea that overlaps with
that of Japan and South Korea
both, over the AW 101 deal. If
it decides to blacklist Finmec­
canica, the clearance to acquire
the long-delayed Black Shark
torpedoes by the MoD’s Defence
Acquisition Council (DAC) will
be rescinded, official sources said.
The purchase of heavyweight
torpedoes for the Indian Navy’s
(IN’s) six DCNS Scorpene sub­
marines has faced a number of
problems since the programme
began in 2010.
In January 2012 the MoD
finally opted to acquire Black
Shark torpedoes after rejecting
complaints of wrongdoing in
procurement procedures by Ger­
many’s Atlas Elektronik, which
For further insight and analysis go to ihs.com/janes
and also covers the disputed
Senkaku/Diaoyu islands. In most
cases the JASDF intercepted
aircraft in Japan’s ADIZ, although
charts provided by the Joint Staff
Office (JSO) showed a number
of Russian flights over Japanese
airspace close to Hokkaido.
Japan also scrambled fighters
110 times against Russian air­
craft: up from 105 times in the
July-September period and 31
times in the April-June period. It
also reported intercepting North
Korean aircraft nine times after
had offered its Sea Hake model.
TheAWlOl revelations in
2013 forced the deferral of the
torpedo deal as the MoD and
Defence Minister A K Antony
repeatedly threatened to ban all
Finmeccanica companies.
The IN, which was eager
to avoid further delays in the
already-postponed Scorpene
programme, then despatched a
global request for information
(Rfl) for new torpedoes.
In the meantime, Antony
ordered a Special Technical Over­
sight Committee to examine the
Black Shark acquisition. In mid-
2013 it declared that the deal
had been transparent.
no interceptions in the previous
three years.
Many of the scrambles were
“against Russian anti-submarine
aircraft and Chinese fighter jets”,
the JSO said in a press release.
It also said Japan scrambled
fighters 563 times from April to
December 2 013: 214 more times
than the same period of 2012.
On 24 July Japan scrambled
fighter jets after a Chinese Y-8
airborne early warning and con­
trol aircraft flew towards
the Pacific between Okinawa
Prefecture’s main island and
the smaller Miyako Island for
the first time: a move seen by
Japan as underlining China’s
maritime expansion. Two
Chinese H-6 bombers flew the
same route on 8 September, fur­
ther escalating tensions between
the two nations. ■
Ministry of Defence: 1:
Under pressure from the IN, on
23 December the DAC approved
the Black Shark purchase, with
20 of 98 torpedoes to be acquired
outright. The remaining 68 are
to be built by state-owned Bharat
Dynamics Limited in Hyderabad.
The IN anticipates an add-on
order for 98 similar torpedoes
to arm six additional subma­
rines it plans to build under the
long-delayed Project 751 (India)
programme. An equal number of
torpedoes would also be required
for the IN’s proposed fleet of up
to six nuclear ballistic missile
submarines (SSBNs).
Rahul Bedi
JDW Correspondent, New Delhi
ihs.com/janes
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Libya requests
US training
The proposal for the United
States to train a new General
Purpose Force (GPF) for Libya
has been formally submitted to
Congress, the Defence Security
Cooperation Agency (DSCA)
announced on 22 January.
The US agency said Libya had
requested “General Purpose Force
training and associated equip­
ment, parts, training and logistical
support for an estimated cost of
USD600 million”.
The equipment to be delivered
as part of the proposed deal
includes 637 M4A4 carbines,
which are not currently used by
Libyan security forces.
If Congress does not object,
the proposed deal will be the first
Libyan defence programme carried
out under the Foreign Military
Sales programme since Muammar
Ghadaffi was overthrown in 2011.
The GPF programme will be
carried out in Bulgaria and could
last up to eight years. It will involve
the assignment of 350 US govern­
ment and contractor personnel
to Bulgaria’s Novo Selo training
range, which is already used by US
military personnel under a defence
co-operation agreement signed in
2006.
The DSCA said the contractors
that would be involved had not
been identified as yet.
“The basic, collective and
advanced training will be critical
for establishing a professional and
disciplined General Purpose Force
[for] protecting Libya’s institutions,
facilities and personnel, as well as
keeping peace and security within
Libya," the DSCA said.
US officials have previously
announced plans to train around
4,000 Libyans at Novo Selo, while
the UK and Italy will each train
around 2,000.
Jeremy Binnie
JDW Middle East/Africa Editor, London
20 | Jane's Defence Weekly 29 January 2014
Ghana looks to
buy new aircraft
GARETH JENNINGS Jane's Aviation Desk Editor
LONDON
The Ghanaian Air Force is
looking to introduce a number
of fixed- and rotary-wing
aircraft types into service to
expand its support of interna­
tional missions in the region,
a senior service official dis­
closed on 23 January.
Speaking at the IQPC Interna­
UAE conscription plans move forward
The United Arab Emirates
(UAE) is to introduce compul­
sory military service for all its
male citizens, vice-president
and Dubai ruler Mohammed
bin Rashid al-Maktoum an­
nounced using Twitter on 19
January 2014.
“[I] headed today a cabinet
meeting that initiated issu­
ing the National and Reserve
Service Law under the direction
of President Sheikh Khalifa [bin
Zayed al-Nahyan]. The new law
adds another layer to the national
defence force to further protect
our nation, secure its borders
and preserve its achievements,”
he said.
He added that military service
For further insight and analysis go to ihs.com/janes
tional Military Helicopter confer­
ence in London, Air Commodore
Maxwell Nagai of the Ghanaian
Air Force listed a number of
different aircraft types that the
West African country is looking
to buy in the near future.
As set out by Air Cdre Nagai,
these comprise additional
| F27s, a light utility aircraft such
| as the Cessna Grand Caravan, as
I well as a number of Mil Mi-17
S ‘Hip’ transport helicopters. ■
would be mandatory for all
males over the age of 18 and that
females would be allowed to vol­
unteer. High school graduates will
have to serve for nine months,
while those who do not graduate
will have to serve for two years.
This will create a new reserve
force consisting of both retired
regular soldiers and national
service graduates, he said.
While it is unclear when the
law will come into force, it was
generally welcomed by the Emi-
rati press, which said that it would
strengthen national cohesion and
make the military less dependent
on foreign contractors.
The announcement prompted
speculation that Lieutenant Gen­
Airbus C295 transport aircraft
to augment the two already in
service, the Alenia Aermacchi
C-27J Spartan transport aircraft,
the Mil Mi-35M ‘Hind’ assault
helicopter, the HAIZ-9 utility
helicopter, and the Airbus AS 3 6 5
Dauphin utility helicopter.
Air Cdre Nagai did not disclose
the numbers of each platform
required, nor did he give possible
contract timelines. He did, how­
ever, say that the Ghanaian Air
Force is looking to acquire this
new equipment to better help
support UN and other interna­
tional missions in the region.
Ghana recently took delivery
of three Diamond DA42 Twin
Star surveillance aircraft (and
has a requirement for six) and
has previously stated its inten­
tion to procure an Embraer 190
regional jet to improve its troop
transport capability (though
the status of this deal remains
unclear), two more C295s to
cover the impending retirement
of the air force’s final Fokker
eral (rtd) Markku Koli, a former
Finnish defence chief who is now
a security advisor to the UAE,
has been brought in to help with
the programme. Koli retweeted
Sheikh Mohammed’s messages
and provided links to supportive
press stories.
Other Gulf states are also con­
sidering introducing mandatory
military service. The Qatari cabi­
net approved a draft conscription
law in November, but it has not
been approved by the emir, while
a similar draft law has been under
consideration by the Kuwaiti
parliament’s defence committee
since 2009.
Jeremy Binnie JDW Middle
East/Africa Editor, London
ihs.com/janes
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 » MIDDLE EAST/AFRICA ihs.com/janes
EU agrees to deploy
troops to the CAR
BROOKS TIGNER JDW NATO & EU Affairs Correspondent_______________________________
BRUSSELS
Visit us at FIDAE 2014, Stand-No.: E-17
The 28 EU nations agreed on 20 January
to send a military mission to the Central
African Republic (CAR) to protect civilians
and the various humanitarian aid groups
working in the country. They also desig­
nated an operational headquarters for
planning, although no EU nation has yet
stepped forward with firm troop or asset
contributions until further assessment of
the CAR’s security situation is made.
“We will move forward with operational
planning under fast-track procedures,”
Catherine Ashton, the EU’s top security and
defence policy official, told reporters after
the meeting of EU foreign ministers that
approved the decision.
Ashton’s specific reference to the member
states’ new fast-track procedure - designed to
enable a mission’s launch within a matter of
weeks - stands in sharp contrast with previous
EU missions that have often taken months to
launch. “In the past, once the political decision
has been made, it has taken far too long to get
boots on the ground,” one EU military source
told IHS Jane’s on 17 January.
Council officials said an EU Force (EUR-
FOR) could be launched as early as the end
of February, although the military source
described this timeline as optimistic. “I
would factor in a couple more weeks into
that to account for the hiccups that always
take place,” the source said. As for the size of
the mission, EU officials say the number of
soldiers will be in the 400-600 range.
However, there will be no commitment
of troop levels or assets until there is clarity
about the current situation in the CAR. A team
of EU officials are expected to travel to Bangui
within a few days to assess conditions. “I
would not expect the nations to commit their
assets until there is clarity regarding the areas
of operation and an assessment of the security
implications [for EU troops and personnel in
theatre],” observed the military source.
Noting that the operation must be based on
a UN Security Council resolution to make it
possible for EUFOR to be launched “without
delay”, the EU foreign ministers approved a
22 | Jane’s Defence Weekly 29 January 2014
• The EU is to deploy a military force to the
CAR to protect civilians and aid workers
• The Union’s battlegroups cannot be used
and it is unclear which countries will
contribute troops
French troops take position in the Miskine
neighbourhood of Bangui, Central African
Republic, on 13 December 2013.
crisis management concept and designated
the EU operational headquarters in Larissa,
Greece, as the planning authority.
The new EUFOR will provide temporary sup­
port for up to six months to help secure the area
around Bangui, CAR’s capital, "with a view to
handing over to the African Union”, the Council
said in a statement after the meeting.
Didier Lenoir, acting director of the EU
Council’s crisis management and planning
directorate, ruled out the possibility of deploy­
ing the EU’s rapid-reaction battlegroups (BGs).
“First, the BGs are designed to deploy only
for a maximum of 120 days, while we envision
a duration of six months - once full opera­
tional capability is achieved - for our mission
in the CAR. So they would not really fit the
bill there,” he told a meeting of the European
Parliament’s security and defence subcommit­
tee on 23 January. “More important, not all
member states want to send their troops to the
CAR, yet the BGs are multinational in their
composition. There would be no way to push
through a BG’s deployment against the will of
those member states [who might be part of a
multination BG].” ■
ihs.com/janes
ihs.com/janes MIDDLE EAST/AFRICA «
New self-propelled howitzer
spotted in Algeria
JEREMY BINNIE JDW Middle East/,Africa Editor
LONDON
Algeria is updating its artillery inven­
tory by procuring Chinese self-propelled
howitzers (SPHs).
The acquisition was revealed by photo­
graphs published on the forcesdz.com blog
on 14 January showing a self-propelled gun
on a transporter. The author said he took the
photo near the Algerian city of Blida, where
he saw a convoy of around 50 armoured
vehicle transporters.
The location prompted speculation that
the vehicles were being transported to the
Central Logistic Base (BCL) in Blida, which
is often the first stop for Algeria’s new mili­
tary equipment.
Although the turret and hull of the vehicle
are covered, it can be identified as a 155 mm
DCD to build APCs in Nigeria
South Africa’s DCD Protected Mobility
is in discussions with Nigeria’s Meka-
hog Group with an eye to establishing a
plant to build the Springbuck armoured
personnel carrier (APC) in the West Afri­
can country, according to DCD general
manager Andrew Mears.
Mears said this will be a phased project,
beginning with maintenance and repair, then
going over to local assembly and finally to
local manufacture.
After the recent delivery of five additional
vehicles, the Nigerian Police has 44 Spring­
buck Mk VI APCs in service, which it uses for
patrols in high-risk areas. A final batch of three
is to be shipped towards the end of February.
The 6.8-tonne Springbuck Mk VI pro­
vides protection against small arms fire and
a double TM57 mine or equivalent charge
under any wheel. It has a road range of about
600 km, a top speed of 115 km/h, a turning
circle of 14.7 m, and 357 mm ground clear­
ance under the axles. There are seats for a
driver and 11 dismounts.
DCD said it had recently completed
training 10 Nigerian Police personnel on
the Springbuck. The Nigerians underwent a
ihs.com/janes
Chinese SPH, probably a Norinco PLZ45, PROTECTS YOUR MISSION
rather than the longer-barrelled PLZ52.
There is speculation that the new Algerian
SPHs are the same ones that were seen in a
photograph published on a Chinese website
in November showing SPHs - likely PLZ45s -
being loaded onto a cargo ship.
The arrival of the new SPHs follows reports
that Algeria received 18 Norinco 155 mm
WA 021 howitzers (the towed version of the
PLZ45) in 2010. Both the towed and self-
propelled guns can fire Norinco’s laser-guided
155 mm projectiles.
Algeria’s artillery inventory was previ­
ously dominated by Soviet-designed systems,
including 152 mm 2S3 Akatsiya and 122 mm
2S1 Gvodzika SPHs.
China has had notable success in export­
ing artillery to Arab countries, having already
sold the PLZ45 to Kuwait and Saudi Arabia. ■
two-part course covering technical aspects
and maintenance and repair of the vehicle, as
well as advanced driver training under opera­
tional conditions. Both parts were structured
to enable the students to present training KMW
KRAUSS-MAFFEI WBGMANN
courses themselves on their return to Nigeria.
The technical training module was carried
out at the DCD plant in Isando, Johannes­
burg, and included a theory module as well as
practical diagnostic training and the removal
and replacement of components. The predator
The driving course was conducted at
among ail MBTs
Armscor’s Gerotek test and evaluation range
outside Pretoria, which includes a ‘rough ■ superior firepower
track’ that replicates a range of terrain likely ■ unique mobility
to be encountered in off-road operations.
■ excellent protection
DCD took the opportunity to draw practi­
■ optimal command
cal feedback from the students, both from the
training and from operational use of the vehicle and control
in Nigeria, to incorporate into the design of the ■ unmatched reliability
next variant of the Springbuck, which is set
to be launched later this year. The focus of the
| www.kmweg.com |
redesign is both to reduce manufacturing costs
and to improve affordability, reliability, main­
tainability, mission endurance and protection.
Helmoed-Romer Heitman
JDW Correspondent, Pretoria
29 January 2014 Jane’s Defence Weekly | 23
» BUSINESS
»In brief
TKA buys Alimex unit
ThyssenKrupp Aerospace (TRA) has
acquired the aerospace operations of
German aluminium parts manufac­
turer and distributor Alimex. Terms of
the deal were not disclosed.
Safran buys Eaton businesses
Safran is to acquire US power man­
agement company Eaton’s Aerospace
Power Distribution Management Solu­
tions and Integrated Cockpit Solutions
businesses for USD270 million. Aero­
space Power Distribution Management
Solutions activities will become part
of Safran’s Aircraft Equipment division
to support the new Labinal Power
Systems business unit.
AVIC targets USD65 billion sales
The Aviation Industry Corporation of
China (AVIC) has a sales target of
CNY400 billion (USD65 billion) for
2014. The company achieved sales
of CNY350 billion in 2013, making it
the world's second largest aerospace
and defence group by revenues
behind first-placed Boeing.
Astronics buys EADS T&S
Astronics Corporation has agreed to
buy the Test and Services (T&S) unit of
Airbus Group (formerly EADS). Astron­
ics will pay USD53 million for the T&S
business, which employs 210 staff
and returned sales of USD70 million
last year. Cassidian (the defence tech­
nologies division now called Airbus
Defence and Space) announced plans
to sell T&S in October 2013. It is the
former Racal Instruments firm, bought
for USD105 million in 2004.
Ratings boost for Denel
Ratings agency Fitch has increased
its long-term rating for South Africa's
state-owned defence company Denel
to AAA(zaf). The upgrade to Denel's
rating from AA-(zaf) reflects, accord­
ing to Fitch, “a recalibration of the
South African national rating scale
and the alignment of Denel’s ratings
with those of the South African sov­
ereign rating (BBB/BBB+/Stable)”.
24 j Jane’s Defence Weekly 29 January 2014
Chile pledges to overhaul
defence financing
INIGO GUEVARA JDW Correspondent &
GUY ANDERSON Jane's Senior Principal Industry Analyst
MEXICO CITY & LONDON
Chilean president-elect
Michelle Bachelet plans to re­
form defence financing as part
of her 2014-2018 term, which
is set to begin on 11 March.
According to her campaign
goals her government will send
an initiative to Congress to
amend and pass the current
reform initiative, which has been
stalled since 2011.
The initiative aims to dero­
gate the Copper Law, which
in the past assigned 10% of
national copper revenues to
the armed forces, specifically
to support force modernisation
programmes. Chile is the world’s
largest producer of copper,
accounting for around a third of
world output.
The new initiative includes
defence planning through
quadrennial budgets to fund
procurement, operations, and
maintenance, creating addi­
tional congressional oversight
mechanisms over procurement
decisions from system selection
Chile: Defence budget
Defence budget (USD billions, current values)
Defence spending as % GDP
Source: IHS Jane’s Defence Budgets
COMMENT
The Copper Law has been a politi­
cally problematic issue in Chile,
given that the guaranteed funding
mechanism means limited parlia­
mentary oversight over military
expenditure.
For further insight and analysis go to ihs.com/janes
• Chile’s president-elect is to
reform military funding
• The armed forces
currently receive 10% of
national copper revenues
automatically under a system
that has raised oversight
concerns
to implementation, includ­
ing those projects classified as
reserved or secret. New account­
ability and transparency provi­
sions will regulate relationships
with suppliers and eliminate
conflicts of interest.
The Bachelet administration
seeks to eliminate the 2011
reform initiative’s funding floor
per force and allow management
of excess defence funding to be
more flexible.
Under Bachelet’s first term
as president (2006-2010) and
her term as defence minister
(2002-2004) the Chilean armed
forces underwent a significant
modernisation programme, com­
2011
3.379
1.37%
Bachelet’s predecessor, Sebastian
Pinera (who became president in
2010 and will remain in office until
March 2014), previously pledged in
2011 to overhaul the mechanism.
The Pinera proposal envisaged
a new system in which military
equipment procurement would be
pletely re-equipping the army,
navy, and air force with Leopard
2 main battle tanks, Marder 1 A3
and YPR-76 5 infantry fighting
vehicles, M109A3 self-propelled
howitzers, Lockheed Martin
F-16 AM/BM/C/D fighters,
Embraer EMB- 314 Super Tucano
light fighters, Airbus Military
C295MPA Persuader maritime
patrol aircraft, and Fassmer OPV
80 ocean patrol vessels.
The allocation of 10% of
copper revenues from Chile’s
state-owned consortium Codelco
to military procurement was
assured by law No 13.196 ‘Ley
Reservada del Cobre’.
Under this procurement
system the military is guaran­
teed a fixed minimum of about
USD270 million per year for
equipment purchases, with
unspent resources carried into a
separate fund to act as a buffer in
later years.
According to Chile’s Ministry
of Defence, historically a signifi­
cant level of the military budget
has come from copper revenues,
fluctuating between 21% and
35% in the years between 1996
and 2008. ■
2012 2013 2014
3.399 3.73 3.785
1.28% 1.29% 1.21%
subject to parliamentary approval and
would be processed under the wider
national budget.
Regular defence procurement
would operate under a 4-year budget
approved during the first year of any
new government, with equipment
acquisition guided by a 12-year plan.
ihs.com/janes
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» BRIEFING
Singapore’s procurements
Island intent
Singapore is planning several major procurement programmes over the coming decade to
uphold its military superiority in Southeast Asia. Jon Grevatt reviews the acquisition targets
D
riven by a requirement to maintain
its technological edge in a region
undergoing rapid military modernisa­
tion, Singapore is preparing to undertake a
number of high-profile defence procurement
programmes to further enhance the capabil­
ity of the city state’s military.
Following on from its order in December
2013 of two Type 218SG submarines from
Germany’s Thyssenkrupp Marine Systems
(TKMS), other high-profile acquisitions on the
Singapore Armed Forces’ (SAF’s) shopping list
include the Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning
II Joint Strike Fighter, tanker aircraft, heavy
and light tactical transport aircraft, patrol ves­
sels, missile corvettes, and light tanks.
These platforms, among others, are
expected to enter service over the next decade
or so to continue the development of the SAF
as a modern and networked force that plays
a key role in facilitating the expansion of
Singapore’s export-oriented market economy
through fulfilling its mission to safeguard the
country’s security and sovereignty.
26 | Jane's Defence Weekly 29 January 2014
The development of the SAF has been a
priority of the Singapore government since
it secured independence in 1965. While the
first-generation SAF was focused on provid­
ing basic defence, the second, emerging in the
early 1980s, emphasised a requirement to
upgrade and modernise existing capabilities.
The third-generation SAF (3G SAF) started
to evolve in the early years of the new mil­
lennium, with its focus on non-conventional
threats and the need for a wider spectrum
of capabilities and interoperability. These
requirements also prompted the develop­
ment of an approach to military training
and preparedness that remains unrivalled
throughout the region.
According to a regional defence analyst,
who did not want to be identified, Singapore’s
defence procurement strategy over the coming
decade will be focused on acquiring the most
advanced capabilities, ensuring the continued
advancement of the 3G SAF. “Singapore feels
that it deserves to buy the newest and the
best military equipment,” he said. “There is an
In 2012 the Republic of Singapore Air Force
took delivery of the last of 24 Boeing F-15SGs
ordered in tranches from 2005. iHs/patnckA**-: 0117597
element in Singapore of technophilia. Like the
United States, Singapore wants the best equip­
ment - and it can afford it... it is this that gives
it its military edge.”
Drivers
Although Singapore faces no major existen­
tial threats, it clearly regards as a priority the
requirement to uphold the military superi­
ority it has maintained over its immediate
neighbours for many years. It is likely that
this requirement has recently become more
intense as these neighbours have pushed
ahead with their own military modernisa­
tion programmes.
"Singapore’s potential adversaries in
Southeast Asia - Indonesia, Malaysia and
Vietnam - still don’t compare qualitatively and
quantitatively with Singapore, and Singapore
is certainly not going to let that technological
edge narrow,” said the defence analyst.
Linked to this perceived requirement, Sin­
gapore’s procurement strategy is also shaped
by a need to maintain its economic stature,
ihs.com/janes
 BRIEFING «

which is dependent on exports, unimpeded

Chart A: Singapore - Real GDP/YoY % growth
trade and communications routes, and reli­
able external sources for essential supplies
such as water, oil, and foodstuffs.
The protection of sea lanes and offshore
territory is consequently a concern for
Singapore, as is internal security, given the
continuing perception on the island that it
remains a target for transnational terrorist
groups due to its many strategic targets and
its close ties with the United States.
Other priorities are the demands placed
on the SAF to participate in peace support
operations, such as those undertaken in
Afghanistan and Iraq, and humanitarian assis­
tance. The latter is particularly significant 2011 2012 2013 2014f 2015f 2016f 2017f 2018f

given Southeast Asia’s seemingly increasing Real GDP (USD billion 2013) GDP YoY growth
susceptibility to all manner of natural disas­
ters, most of which prompt a swift military Source: IHS Global Insight ©2014 IHS 1518650

response from Singapore.

At the heart of the country’s defence
strategy is a policy known as ‘Total Defence’.
Chart B: Singapore - Defence spending
The concept is rooted in the belief that the 11
disadvantages inherent in Singapore’s geo­ 10.8
graphical size, vulnerable location and small
population can be countered through gaining 10.6

human and technological advantages in a 10.4

c
range of spheres including military, civilian, o
10.2
economic, social, and diplomatic. ■Q
The philosophy underpins Singapore’s Q 10
in
3
emphasis on military modernisation, the 9.8
development of its capable defence industry,
9.6
and the ability to develop and export arms.
It also explains Singapore’s considerable 9.4
capacity to retain good relations with all
9.2
major powers, including the United States 2011 2012 2013 2014f 2015f 2016f 2017f 2018f
and China.
Total defence budget (USD billion 2013) Total defence budget (% of GDP)

Spending Source: IHS Jane's Defence Budgets ©2014 IHS 1518651

Supporting the development of the 3G SAF

is a national economy that is expected to
remain strong, based on value-added manu­
facturing and services and sustained by a
skilled local workforce. The environment for
economic expansion is provided by political
stability, with the People’s Action Party look­
ing unlikely to relinquish the ruling position
it has held since independence.
This sound footing is forecast by IHS Global
Insight to provide Singapore with average
GDP growth of 4.3% per year between 2013
and2018 (see Chart A).This economic
expansion should enable Singapore to make
gradual increases to its military expendi­
ture over the next few years while reducing
the proportion of GDP that it allocates to
defence, providing the SAF with an economic
cushion that would be the envy of most
developed countries in the West.
The strategy is reflective of Singapore’s
long-term approach to military spending:
despite various economic ups and downs the
country consistently allocates around 20%
of its national expenditure to defence, or an
average of about 4% of GDP - well below its
stated ceiling of 6%.
The economy is such that the regional
defence analyst noted: “Things would have
to be really grim in Singapore for several
years for it to risk [adversely affecting]
military modernisation.”
He added: “The great strength of Singa­
pore is its consistency of commitment. If
you look at other countries in Southeast Asia
there is an almost constant bipolar quality,
from soaring ambition to crashing realities,
and it’s almost impossible to run a military
effectively that way. Singapore has avoided
that by implementing economic policies that
mitigate the worst of the lows.”
Accordingly, IHS Jane’s Defence Budgets
forecasts that Singapore’s defence budget
will climb from USD9.9 billion in 2013 to
about USD10.8 billion in 2018: an overall
increase of 9% and a compound annual
growth rate of nearly 2%. As Singapore’s

ihs.com/janes 29 January 2014 Jane's Defence Weekly | 27

» BRIEFING
probity in Asia, encompassing a selection
Chart C: Singapore - Defence spending by activity
process that is widely regarded as one of the
12
most demanding in the world. The procure­
ment system is geared towards acquiring
10 highly capable military systems at cost-effec­
tive prices and is managed by the Defence
Science and Technology Agency (DSTA): an
organisation under the Ministry of Defence
that was established in 2000.
Q
V) In all major military purchases the DSTA
3
4 operates an evaluation and scoring system
based on the Analytic Hierarchy Process
2 (AHP): a technique involving a complex

0
2011 2012
■Procurement
Source: IHS Jane's Defence Budgets
Chart D: Singapore - Procurement spending by service
n
Q This selection process, which has since been
co
15
0.4
0.2
0
■■
2011 2012
■Army
Source: IHS Jane's Defence Budgets
economy grows over the next few years the
proportion of GDP allocated to defence is
expected to fall from 3.5% in 2013 to nearly
3% in 2018 (see Chart B).
Singapore’s defence procurement budget
usually receives around 13-14% of the core
military expenditure. This allocation reached
about USD 1.21 billion in 2013 and is forecast
to rise to USD1.66 billion in 2018. Fund­
ing for military research and development
is about 3% of the total budget, or nearly
USD300 million a year, which is significantly
high for regional standards (see Chart C).
In 2013 the air force was the major
recipient of Singapore’s defence procure­
ment expenditure, allocating about 53% of
the budget, with the navy and army receiving
.■ ■ ■ 8 S ■
2013 2014f 2015f 2016f 2017f 2018f
technical assessment of (among others)
performance, capability parameters, avail­
ability, growth potential, programme risks,
RDT&E ®0&M Military personnel "Other and local industry involvement. All associated
costs are factored with the benefits scored to
©2014 IHS 1518652 determine the proposal that offers the best
benefits versus cost. It is a process that can
take several years to complete.
One of the most notable examples of this
evaluation process was Singapore’s Next
Fighter Replacement Programme, for which
the Boeing F-15SG was selected in 2005. The
eventual selection of the F-15SG was made
following a seven-year evaluation period
and a process through which several modern
fighter aircraft were assessed using the AHP.
described as a ‘bellwether’ for fighter aircraft
acquisitions, is certain to have been applied
in Singapore’s potential purchase of F-35s as
2013 2014f 2015f 2016f 2017f 2018f
well as a host of other major programmes.
Despite the high level of scrutiny and
accountability in military acquisitions, Singa­
pore’s defence procurement procedures are
Navy * Air force Defencewide not wholly transparent. Military acquisitions
are regarded as a secret matter in Singapore
©2014 IHS 1518653
and related issues are not a matter for public
debate. The government offers little insight
26% and 19% respectively and the remainder or information about its procurement objec­
spent on defence-wide procurement require­ tives (for instance, Singapore does not pub­
ments (see Chart D). lish defence white papers or capability plans)
Over the 2013-18 forecast period air force and civil society involvement in the procure­
spending is predicted by IHS Jane’s Defence ment cycle is generally not encouraged.
Budgets to receive a relatively stable propor­
tion of the procurement budget, while the Suppliers
army’s allocation will fall to about 14% Singapore’s defence procurement strategy is
and the navy’s expand to 32%, reflecting a unique in Southeast Asia not only in relation
requirement to boost maritime capabilities in to acquisition processes, it is also the only
line with strategic requirements. country in the region not to have purchased,
or even likely to have considered a purchase,
Procedures of military equipment from Russia or China.
Singapore’s careful planning of military Supported by its wealth, Singapore’s firm
expenditure is replicated in its approach to favoured supplier is the United States, which
defence procurement. The country operates has supplied around half of the SAF’s military
a procurement procedure that is a model of imports over the past decade. The relation-

28 | Jane’s Defence Weekly 29 January 2014 ihs.com/janes

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» BRIEFING
ship enables the SAF to meet its requirement
for leading-edge technologies, uphold the
strong strategic relationship between the
two countries, and maintain a high level of
interoperability with the US military.
In future years, and as Washington acts on
its commitment to enhance its presence in
the Asia Pacific, the United States is certain to
remain Singapore’s main supplier, particu­
larly in terms of military aircraft as well as
some of the advanced weapon and mission
systems that equip both air and sea plat­
forms. French, German, and Israeli suppliers
have also maintained a reasonable market
share, with sales of maritime platforms and
systems, helicopters, land platforms, missiles,
electronic systems, and unmanned aerial
vehicles (UAVs).
The military supplier portfolio is com­
pleted by Singapore’s indigenous indus­
trial base. Led by Singapore Technologies
Engineering (ST Engineering), Singapore’s
defence industry has evolved into a globally
competitive military manufacturer, particu­
larly in the land systems domain. Accordingly,
the group meets nearly all SAF requirements
for light military vehicles, artillery, ammu­
nition, and firearms. ST Engineering has
also developed advanced capabilities in the
construction and integration of naval vessels,
combat mission systems and communica­
tions, and the provision of maintenance,
repair and overhaul services.
Singapore does not operate a defence offset
policy, but ST Engineering’s capabilities are
sustained and developed partly through the
Singaporean government’s commitment to
secure ‘offset-like’ collaboration arrange­
Singapore joined the F-35 programme as a Security Co-operation Participant in March 2004,
although the country has yet to make a commitment to purchase the aircraft.
30 | Jane's Defence Weekly 29 January 2014
ments in procurement deals. It is a strategy
geared towards boosting local competencies
to support and modify platforms and systems
through technology transfer, along with
involvement in research and development
activities and training. Such collaboration
programmes are also managed by the DSTA.
Singapore’s emphasis on industrial part­
nerships, its strong financial base and its
requirement for advanced military technolo­
gies make it a “very attractive” customer for
foreign primes, said the regional defence ana­
lyst. The attractiveness is further enhanced
by Singapore’s preference to acquire from a
buyer not only the base platform or system
but also the ‘value add’ components and
subsystems that can prove a lucrative part of
defence contracting.
“Singapore doesn’t just buy a military
platform,” said the analyst. “It also buys most
of the systems that go with that platform.
For instance, when Singapore purchased the
F-15SGs from Boeing it purchased a range of
sophisticated missile systems for the aircraft
including advanced medium-range air-to-air
missiles, Joint Direct Attack Munitions, and
Joint Stand-Off Weapons. It also purchases
ground packages and related equipment.”
Air force procurement
Procurement activity in the Republic of
Singapore Air Force (RSAF) is centred on an
expansion in air combat capability, supported
by the acquisition of assets that will act as a
force multiplier, upholding regional military
superiority.
Air combat power will be boosted through
the expected purchase of F-35 fighters and
LoanedMat*1525724
an upgrade and life extension for the RSAF’s
existing F-16C/D Fighting Falcons: a pro­
gramme that was announced in January 2014
at a cost of USD2.4 billion. Assets that IHS
Jane’s forecasts the RSAF will acquire over the
coming decade to enhance its surveillance
and logistical capabilities include multirole
helicopters, UAVs, light tactical transport
aircraft, additional tanker/transport aircraft,
and tactical transport aircraft.
Forecasts are based on the premise that
the RSAF will continue to replace operational
capabilities once they reach retirement age.
For instance, the F-35s will replace exist­
ing Northrop F-5s that are scheduled for
replacement from 2015 and eventually the
upgraded F-16s that will reach the end of
their service life around 2030. The light tacti­
cal transport aircraft will replace the RSAF’s
Fokker 50s that are likely to be retired from
2022, and the tanker/transports will replace
existing Lockheed Martin KC-130s by 2020.
These acquired platforms will augment
a number of recent deliveries. In 2012 the
RSAF took delivery of the last of 24 Boeing
F-15SGs ordered in tranches from 2005
and the first of 12 Alenia Aermacchi M-346
advanced jet trainers ordered in 2010. In
2011 the RSAF took delivery of six Sikorsky
S-70B Seahawk helicopters and announced
that its fleet of four Gulfstream 550 aircraft
configured for airborne early warning opera­
tions had reached full operational capability.
Many of these aircraft, like other major
aerospace platforms in service with the
RSAF, are stored outside the immediate
region. It is a policy designed to minimise
potential regional concern about Singapore’s
ihs.com/janes

modernisation, overcome the geographi­
cal limitations of basing large quantities of
materiel on the small island, and serve to
enhance training opportunities.
F-35 takes centre stage
The biggest acquisition on the RSAF’s horizon
is undoubtedly the purchase of the F-35:
a procurement that is firmly aligned with
the city state’s commitment to develop the
3G SAF as a force with access to the most
advanced military capabilities.
Singapore joined the F-35 programme as
a Security Co-operation Participant (SCP)
in March 2004 shortly after Israel. The SCP
designation obliges participants to invest
in the programme in return for access to
F-35 information and the ability to request
performance-related studies about the
aircraft. While Israel made a commitment
in October 2010 to purchase 20 F-35s at a
cost of USD2.75 billion, Singapore has yet to
make such a pledge.
In March 2013 Defence Minister Ng Eng
Hen said in a speech to parliament that
Singapore was in the “final stages” of evaluat­
ing the aircraft, indicating that a decision
might be made soon. He added: “Our F-5s are
nearing the end of their operational life and
our F-16s are at their mid-way mark. For the
longer term, the RSAF has identified the F-35
as a suitable aircraft to further modernise our
fighter fleet.” Later in 2013 a senior US Air
Force official indicated that Singapore was
interested in purchasing the F-35B model:
the short take-off and vertical landing variant
of the aircraft.
Due to the planned upgrade of the RSAF’s
F-l 6s, however, there is no urgency in Singa­
pore’s procurement of the F-35. This point
was underscored by Ng in December 2013
when he said that the city state is in “no par­
ticularly hurry” to purchase the aircraft.
IHS Jane’s forecasts that Singapore’s deci­
sion on the F-35 could be made from about
2017-18, with the aircraft expected to enter
service with the RSAF around 2022-24. At
this point the international F-35 programme
will be mature, with the aircraft well posi­
tioned to be procured by Singapore through
a series of batches, initially as a replacement
for the F-5s and then later as a replacement
for the F-16s. This series of deals could even­
tually encompass a purchase of more than
60 F-35s with a potential value of more than
USD7 billion, making it Singapore’s largest
ever defence programme.
Lockheed Martin has given no indication as
ihs.com/janes
The Singapore Army’s locally produced Terrex 8x8 ICVs are configured for a wide range of
operations. The platform features navigation,
communications systems.
to when an F-3 5 deal with Singapore might
be signed, only stating to IHS Jane’s in Decem­
ber 2013 that the company “stands ready to
assist the government of Singapore on the
programme”.
Army procurement
The procurement rationale of the Singapore
Army has been focused, in line with the
requirements of the 3G SAF, on the acquisi­
tion of technologies that enable increasingly
sophisticated networking, surveillance, and
survivability. The modest size of the force
and the limited geographical area in which
it operates has also prompted emphasis on
operational principles centred on flexibility
and precision.
In October 2013a clear signal of the
Singapore Army’s intention to enhance preci­
sion warfare capabilities was evident in its
requests to purchase from the United States
two pieces of military equipment manufac­
tured by Lockheed Martin: the AN/TPQ.-53
counter-battery radar and additional Guided
Multiple Launch Rocket Systems (GMLRS).
Both were announced as potential sales by
the US Defense Security Cooperation Agency,
with the former comprising six radars for
USD 179 million and the latter featuring 88
GMLRS unitary rocket pods - each carrying
six rockets - for USD96 million.
These pending acquisitions follow the
Singapore Army’s receipt from 2011 of 18
Lockheed Martin High Mobility Artillery
Rocket Systems, complete with BAE Systems
BRIEFING «
battle management, tracking, marking, and
'****
tactical vehicles, communication sets, and
32 GMLRS pods. This system, in turn, aug­
ments around 54 locally produced 155 mm
Primus self-propelled howitzer systems, of
which deliveries to the Singapore Army were
completed in around 2009.
Regarding further development of the
Singapore Army’s armoured regiment, an
acquisition on the horizon is a replacement
forks 300-plusNexter SystemsAMX-13 SMI
light tanks. These 14-tonne tanks have been
in service since the late 1960s and will reach
retirement age within the next few years,
necessitating a programme that is almost
certain, given local industrial strengths, to
feature the development of an indigenous
capability. One possible option for the light
tank replacement is a derivative of ST Kinet­
ics’ (STK’s) Bionix infantry fighting vehicle
(IFV), several versions of which have been
introduced into the Singapore Army over the
past decade or so.
The Bionix IFVs and the AMX- 13s supple­
ment the armoured regiment’s procurement
from 2007 of 96 former German Army
Leopard 2A4 main battle tanks, 66 of which
have been refurbished for operational use
with the remainder used as spares. Further
strengthening is evident in the infantry
battalions with the introduction from 2009
of STK’s Terrex 8x8 infantry carrier vehicles
(ICVs), which are configured for a wide range
of operations. Production of the first and sec­
ond Terrex batches has been completed and a
third is under way, with a view to procuring a
29 January 2014 Jane’s Defence Weekly | 31
» BRIEFING
mUm
The Republic of Singapore Navy operates six Formidable-class stealth frigates: derivatives of
the French La Fayette-class design that were built by a partnership comprising DCNS and ST
Engineering’s shipbuilding arm, ST Marine.
total of more than 300 vehicles.
The capabilities of the Terrex ICV also
serve to underscore the Singapore Army’s
objectives in relation to C4ISR. The platform
features an extensive array of navigation,
battle management, tracking, marking, and
communications systems that enable both
enhanced mission effectiveness and network­
ing with other SAF assets. This emphasis
extends to the dismounting infantry, who
are networked-equipped with the locally
developed Advanced Combat Man System,
which has been introduced in recent years to
enhance soldier efficiency through a range of
integrated technologies.
Naval procurement
Singapore’s requirement to secure its sea
lines of communications has always driven
the city state’s emphasis on a strong conven­
tional naval capability. The relative small size
of the Republic of Singapore Navy (RSN) and
its inherent lack of strategic depth has also
prompted investment in force multipliers
that enable the RSN to become not only an
integrated part of the 3G SAF but also a force
that can maintain its technological edge in a
region committed to naval modernisation.
This clearly motivated the RSN’s order
in December 2013 ofType 218SG subma­
rines, with deliveries starting from 2020.
The procurement had been anticipated for
32 | Jane’s Defence Weekly 29 January 2014
us.-.p.-s,:
!■
The RSN’s second Archer-class submarine,
Swordsman, arrived at Changi Naval Base from
Sweden in December 2012. These boats will
be augmented by two Type 218SG submarines
ordered from Germany’s Thyssenkrupp Marine
Systems in December 2013.
some time, given regional modernisation
exemplified by Vietnam’s purchase in 2009
of six ‘Kilo’-class submarines from Russia and
Indonesia’s order in 2011 of three Type 209s
from South Korea.
Singapore’s new submarines, together with
the two ex-Royal Swedish Navy Archer-class
(Type A 17) submarines delivered to the RSN
in 2011 and 2012, will replace the RSN’s age­
ing Challenger-class (Type A 12) boats, which
were built in the 1960s and acquired second
hand from Sweden in the 1990s. The Type
218SG procurement could feasibly expand to
four submarines given the eventual require­
ment to replace the Archer-class platforms.
According to TKMS the Type 218SG subma­
rines, which are understood to be derivatives
of the 1,700-tonne Type 214 diesel-electric
submarine, will have “significantly improved
capabilities” over the Challenger class and will
incorporate an air-independent propulsion
system and a combat system co-developed by
Atlas Elektronik and ST Electronics: ST Engi­
neering’s electronics arm.
The procurement of the Type 218SGs will
further augment RSN capabilities following
the procurement from 2007 of six Formid­
able-class stealth frigates: derivatives of the
French La Fayette-class design that were built
by a partnership comprising DCNS and ST
Engineering’s shipbuilding arm: ST Marine.
Additional advancements will be derived
from the RSN’s programmes to replace its 12
Fearless-class patrol vessels and, looking fur­
ther forward, to acquire missile corvettes and
fast landing craft utility (LCU)-type vessels.
Details related to the USD600 million
Fearless-class replacement programme were
revealed by ST Marine in May 2013. The new
Littoral Mission Vessel (LMV) will measure
80 m in length and displace 1,200 tonnes,
with ST Electronics supplying the core com­
bat systems and integration solutions and ST
Marine acting as lead system integrator. The
eight vessels are scheduled to be delivered
to the RSN from 2016 with full operational
capability reached by 2020.
Commenting on the programme, Chief
of Navy Rear Admiral Ng Chee Peng told
IHS Jane’s in 2013 that the LMV would be
“designed with baseline operational capabili­
ties for routine operations and can be config­
ured to meet specific mission requirements
to afford platform deployment ‘flexibility’
over its operational lifespan”.
Replacement of the RSN’s four German-
designed Victory-class corvettes that entered
service in 1990 is forecast to get under way
later this decade with the ships operational
from around 2020. The LCU programme is
also forecast to start later this decade and will
facilitate the replacement of the RSN’s fleet
of 30 similar craft that entered service in the
early 1990s. Both programmes are likely to
be led by ST Marine. ■
* Singapore’s Ministry of Defence was asked by
IHS Jane’s to comment on issues related to defence
procurement, but did not respond at the time of
going to press.
Jon Grevatt/s an IHS Jane’s Asia-Pacific
Industry Analyst, based in Bangkok
ihs.com/janes
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8513.0113AA
» BRIEFING
Syria’s arms proliferation activities

SSRC
Spectre at the table
Despite international sanctions, the rocket and missile proliferation activities
of the Syrian regime’s SSRC continue unabated. Robin Hughes reports

ompliance with UN Security Council declared related storage infrastructure has grates chemical agents with munitions and

C (UNSC) Resolution 2118, co-oper-

ation with the Joint UN Mission
with the Organization for the Prohibition
of Chemical Weapons (OPCW), and belated
doubtless been effective. Infrastructure
destroyed includes Branch 450: the produc­
tion division of Institute 3000 that inte­
provides security for chemical agent storage
facilities. The first consignment of Syrian
chemical weapon materiels left the northern

acquiescence to the 1997 Chemical Weapons

Convention have, perhaps, gone some way
to conciliate international outrage at Syria’s
al-Assad regime following its alleged deploy­
ment of chemical agents in the Ghouta area
of Damascus on 21 August 2013.
However, while international focus has
arguably shifted to the resolution potential
330 mm surface-to-surface rocket
(or not) of the Geneva II peace talks, the
proliferation activities of Syria’s Scientific
Studies and Research Centre (SSRC) - the
organisation responsible not only for the Stabilising fins
development, production, and munitions
integration of chemical agents, but also the
means of their battlefield and theatre deliv­
ery - remain largely unchecked.
This is largely due to the international com­ Rocket motor
munity’s failure to apply sufficiently resilient
proliferations-based sanctions against the
SSRC. The SSRC has not featured promi­
nently among specific concerns raised by the
international community and indeed is not Chemical warhead
even referred to in the latest UNSC resolution Thin casing designed to pee
or in the new disarmament agreement. Chemicals released on back for chemical dispersal
Syrian President Bashar al-Assad commit­ impact as thin metal
ted to the destruction of all of his regime’s casing disintegrates
chemical weapons in the disarmament
agreement reached on 14 September 2013
in Geneva: a deal now being overseen by the
OPCW. The agreement was followed by UNSC
Resolution 2118, adopted unanimously on Small explosive charge
27 September 2013. detonates on contact
The OPWC programme to demolish the
regime’s chemical weapons inventory «---- Fuse
and dismantle the SSRC’s Institute 3000 Containers hold up to 60
(chemistry and biology) facilities at Dumayr, litres of chemical agent
Khan Abou, Shamat, and Furklus and all A chemical weapon reportedly used in the 21 August 2013 attack in Ghouta.

34 ] Jane’s Defence Weekly 29 January 2014 ihs.com/janes

 BRIEFING «

Syrian port of Latakia on 7 January. Routes used to transfer materiel between SSRC installations in Syria
Despite these outward signs of co­
operation from the Assad regime, however,
it remains unclear whether all of Syria’s
chemical stockpile - estimated by regional
and Western intelligence agencies to be in
excess of 1,000 tonnes - will be successfully
eliminated or the SSRC’s intrinsic knowledge
base disbanded.
UN security sources acknowledge that
information disclosed by the regime about its
weapon inventory would be difficult to verify
even under normal circumstances. ‘'In the
short term, yes, the [Syrian regime] might
not be able to deliver a chemical capability;
however, the technical know-how, accrued
since the 1980s, in the design and develop­
ment of chemical agents - including Yperite,
VX, and Sarin - remains intact within the
SSRC and can easily be resurrected with
the co-operation of‘friendly foreign gov­
ernments’ at some later stage,” one of the
sources noted.
Chemical weapons development notwith­
standing, neither the UN/OPWC inspection
programmes nor existing US and EU sanction
regimes have significantly affected or suc­
ceeded in deterring the SSRC from pursuing
and escalating its other core activities - most Further, Bassam Sabbagh, the Syrian repre­ Consolidation
notably the continued development and evo­ sentative to the OPCW, claimed on 9 January Syrian defence sources have confirmed to
lution of surface-to-surface missile (SSM) and that insurgents had assaulted two SSRC IHS Jane’s that to avoid the possibility of its
surface-to-surface rocket (SSR) systems and chemical weapon storage sites. This was the critical SSM and SSR capabilities falling into
technologies under the aegis of the SSRC’s first time the Syrian authorities had reported the hands of opposition groups, the Assad
Institute 4000. such attacks in the three months since an regime has directed that Branches 340 (SSM
The wider significance of this cannot be international effort began to sequester and and SSR research and development [R&D],
overstated when weighed against the current purge the country of the banned munitions. currently located in Aleppo), 702 (SSM solid-
instability in Syria and the issue of who holds As IHS Jane’s went to press, the reports had propellant production), and 350 (missile and
power in any potential ‘post-Assad’ scenario. not been confirmed. The implicit extrapola­ rocket production) should be relocated to
In the event of some loss of central govern­ tion is that whoever controls this military- Masyaf. SSRC Projects 991 (‘Scud’ develop­
ment control - if not total chaos - a situation industrial complex stands to become signifi­ ment), 794 (armour), and 111 (surface-to-air
could develop in which myriad paramilitary cantly stronger. In that sense, it is potentially missile development) are already based in
factions would operate independently of a a game-changer. Masyaf, along with the SSRC’s aluminium
transitional government. On the ground the civil war has largely powder factory and Section 4 (ballistic mis­
UN security sources have told IHS Jane’s of settled into a stalemate, with the Assad sile and rocket oversight) administrative
their concern that such factions could poten­ regime seeking to cement its authority over offices. Project 99 (main ‘Scud’ production)
tially secure the means to manufacture the the centre of the country, the coastal plain, will remain at Jabal Taqsis: a mountain area
capabilities developed and controlled by the areas along the country’s main north-south between Homs and Hama considered to be
SSRC. Until November 2013, for example, highway, routes to Lebanon and Iraq, and firmly under regime control.
the opposition Jabhat al-Nusra Front cap­ within Damascus. Nonetheless, the regime “This is a huge project,” one Syrian source
tured and held eastern al-Safira, which houses has embarked on a programme to consolidate said. “The SSRC, under the direction of [Sec­
the SSRC’s Branch 702, an Iranian-run facil­ the SSRC’s SSM and SSR development and tion 4 Director] Aziz Asbar, is - albeit reluc­
ity near Aleppo engaged in solid-propellant production facilities while at the same time tantly - transferring its entire [SSM] missile
production for the Syrian government’s SSM accelerating and evolving missile production solid-propellant industry, along with its mis­
programme, and Branch 350, which over­ and related propulsion technologies with sile and rocket production, to Masyaf. There
sees SSM and SSR production, according to assistance from established allies and through is definitely a sense of urgency; normally a
sources with experience of SSRC operations. circumvention of international sanctions. project of this type would take years.”

ihs.com/janes 29 January 2014 Jane’s Defence Weekly | 35

» BRIEFING
Proliferation, co-operation,
and circumvention
In the interim the SSRC is driving the devel­
opment and production of SSRs and SSMs to
the capacity levels that existed prior to the
onset of the uprising in March 2011. This
is determined, argue the Syrian sources, by
“the fact that the [regime] has depleted its
Scientific Studies and Research Centre structure
The SSRC (aka Centre d’Etudes et de
Recherches Syrien [CERS]; Centre d’Etude
et de Recherche Scientifique [CERS]; and
Centre de Recherche de Kaboun) was
proposed in 1969 in accordance with Syrian
Presidential Edict 1193 and established in
1971, initially as a civilian scientific body.
An additional presidential edict in 1973
provided for the SSRC’s amalgamation
with the Syrian defence establishment.
As such, the SSRC lies at the heart of the regime’s
drive to develop and distribute weapons of mass
destruction, including an abortive programme to
pursue a nuclear weapon capability, curtailed following
36 | Jane’s Defence Weekly 29 January 2014
own inventory of rockets and missiles and
that Hizbullah is seeking to bolster its cur­
rent SSR stockpile”.
The new Syrian SSRs are standard artil­
lery rocket motors with outsized warheads: a
development that increases the payload but
reduces range and accuracy. According to the
sources, short-range 107 mm rocket motors
the destruction of its nuclear reactor at Al Kabir in
September 2007.
The SSRC is directly subordinate to the regime. Its
management always includes an Alawite personal rep­
resentative of President Assad whose role is to ensure
the organisation conforms to regime policy.
The SSRC has a number of special-purpose divi­
sions, of which the principal ones are as follows:
• Division 1000 - located in Damascus; responsi­
ble for the production and development of electronic
and computerised systems, including navigation
guidance.
• Division 2000 - located in Damascus; deals with
mechanics, but responsible, inter alia, for develop­
are being fitted with 130 mm- and 140 mm-
calibre warheads to make the Barkan series
and 220 mm warheads to make the Tofal
series. Larger 122 mm rocket motors are being
fitted with 330 mm warheads and stabilising
fins to produce the Zilzal system (not to be
confused with the Iranian-built 200 km-range
Zelzal rocket) for pro-government forces.
ment and production of launchers for SSRs and SSMs
produced by the SSRC.
• Division 3000 - located in Barza; develops and
produces chemical and biological weapons.
• Division 4000 - located in Aleppo; oversees avia­
tion projects, but primarily responsible for all missile
and rocket programmes. A number of special projects
are run from within Division 4000, including Project
99, which develops 'Scud' SSMs in co-operation with
North Korea, and Project 702, which was set up in
and co-operation with Iran and is manned almost entirely
by Iranian personnel. Project 702 focuses purely on
the production of solid propellants for SSMs and SSRs,
such as the M600.
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The sources confirmed that the Barkan
and Zilzal SSRs were used to deliver chemi­
cal agents in the 21 August 2013 attack,
although these are now being produced
with only a standard explosive warhead. The
SSRC’s Iranian-established Project 702 is
also understood to be producing an improved
variant of the current 100 km-range 302 mm
M302/Khaibar 1 SSR for Hizbullah, along
with the M600 ‘Tishreen’: a Syrian version of
the Iranian Fateh 110.
Two distinct drivers have emerged that
underpin the SSRC’s perceived SSR/SSM evo­
lution: a requirement for improved accuracy
(partly borne of SSRC observations, accord­
ing to the Syrian sources, that the number of
missiles/rockets fired at rebels groups during
the uprising outweighs the expected effects,
making these more statistical weapons -
weapons for disruption or damage - than
strategic or battlefield force multipliers) and
a requirement to move from liquid- to solid-
fuelled SSMs (which is currently being driven
with Iranian expertise under Branch 702).
In support of these programmes - and in
violation of international sanctions - the
SSRC continues with extensive procurement
activities principally focused on electronics
componentry, manufacturing and computer
numerical control (CNC), and raw materi­
als, sometimes from unwitting Western
businesses and through international trading
markets via middlemen in the Far East and
Eastern Europe.
In general the modus operandi deployed
by the SSRC to bypass the sanctions involves
transferring funds from the SSRC commercial
department to local and overseas brokers
who in turn attempt to procure supplies
from third-party countries. In support of this
endeavour the SSRC has also set up vari­
ous ‘straw companies’ in Syria, although it
is important to note that these companies
do not exist in any real sense - not even to
the extent of genuine companies engaged in
legitimate business activities that provide
extracurricular services for the SSRC. The
‘straw companies’ merely provide inter­
changeable names for the SSRC, the objective
being to evade sanctions.
This is not widely understood in the public
domain. As such, the equipment procured
is the same in the case of all the ‘companies’
involved: components and raw materials
required for military R&D and manufactur­
ing. Beyond names and addresses, these enti­
ties do not really exist.
In cases where SSRC procurement runs
38 | Jane’s Defence Weekly 29 January 2014
into difficulties, it engages the assistance of
third-party countries with extensive experi­
ence in the acquisition of prohibited or dual-
use materiel or technologies.
Indeed, it is fair to say that the SSRC’s cur­
rent and future missile development is now
irrefutably dependent on external support
- particularly, although not solely, through
direct technical co-operation and technol­
ogy acquisition with Iran and North Korea,
despite the fact that the import of parts and
technologies for non-conventional weapons
is internationally sanctioned and constitute a
clear violation of multiple UNSC resolutions
imposed on Iran and North Korea. System­
atic violations of these sanctions have been
exposed by the UN Panel of Experts set up to
assess compliance with the resolutions.
The SSRC has also turned to Belarus to
advance its SSM capabilities. EU Foreign
and Security Policy sources confirmed to
IHS Jane’s that Belarus’ state-owned weapon
development and production corporation,
Belvneshpromservice, and Syria’s Organiza­
tion of Technological Industries (OTI) - a
front company used by the SSRC to procure
dual-use technologies - were in advanced
negotiations to construct and develop an
industrial unit in Syria for the manufacture
and development of fibre-optic gyroscopes.
The main beneficiary from this development
will be the SSRC’s SSM inventory, including
SSRC key figures
Director-General: Amrou al-Armanazy
Deputy Director-General: Dr Salam Taame
Head of Defence Division:
Col Abed al-Halim Suleiman
Head of Institute 1000: Khaled Natsri
Head of Institute 2000: Walid Zgha'ib
Head of Institute 3000: Zoher Fadlon
Head of Section 4: Aziz Asbar (in charge of all
SSRC ballistic missile and rocket programmes and
production)
Head of Project 99 (‘Scud’ production):
Nadai Athasi
Head of Weapons Assembly for use
by ‘Shabiha’ (pro-government militia):
Ma’amun Na’im
Head of Mechanical Industry Branch:
Abd al-Karim Ali
Head of Branch 410: Jamal Amran
Col Samir Ismail: Institute 1000
Col Naji Saleha: Institute 1000
Col Pahtan Amran: Institute 2000
the M600 SSM and ‘Scud D’-variant SSMs,
and it could potentially develop essentially
tactical assets into an accurate strategic
capability. Belvneshpromservice declined to
comment on co-operation with the SSRC.
Upgrading ‘Scud D’s
According to Syrian and EU Foreign and
Security Policy sources, the SSRC is also
returning to a deferred co-operative missile
development programme with North Korea
to upgrade Syrian ‘Scud D’-variant SSMs
with a manoeuvring re-entry vehicle (MaRV)
capability (essentially bringing them closer
in capability to the original Russian ‘Scud
D’ standard). In disregard of UN sanctions -
Resolutions 1718 (2006) and 1874 (2009),
both of which prohibit North Korea from
conducting security-related exports - engi­
neers from North Korea’s Tangun Trading
Corporation are supplying technology and
expertise to the SSRC’s Project 99 at Jabal
Taqsis to upgrade Syrian ‘Scud D’ variants
with a MaRV and global navigation satellite
system. This variant is designated ‘Scud MD’
(Manoeuvring D).
The upgrade, which incorporates a bespoke
canard system, will enable the MaRV of the
‘Scud’ to alter its original planned trajectory
when it re-enters the atmosphere, signifi­
cantly improving its accuracy and increasing
warhead survivability by making its flight
path problematical to assess for missile-
defence interceptors.
The SSRC acquired the technology for
producing ‘Scud D’ variants from Pyongyang
in the late 1990s, following which its exist­
ing ‘Scud C’ production lines were upgraded,
with mass production of the ‘Scud D’ variants
starting in 2000. These missiles - the most
advanced in Syria’s operational arsenal (with
approximately 100 examples available) - are
believed to be the only version currently in
production under Project 99.
EU Foreign and Security Policy sources
noted that the North Korean government
entity Rayn Hap-2 produces and regularly
ships metals for the manufacture of the
engines for M600 and ‘Scud D’-variant SSMs,
as well as components for missile guidance
and control, and machinery to manufacture
components, including computer numerical
control (CNC) technology.
One source added that “Rayn Hap-2 also
uses front companies to acquire electronic
components from Western companies
ostensibly for aviation and navigation use,
but which are also used in guidance and
ihs.com/janes
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control systems for SSRC missile and rocket
programmes”, and that “a Rayn Hap-2
representative is generally resident in Syria
at the Project 99 facility but has, since the
2011 uprising, relocated to China”. IHS Jane’s
attempted to contact Rayn Hap-2 for com­
ment, but received no response.
In addition to the establishment and man­
agement of the SSRC’s Branch 702, Iran has
been instrumental in the passing of techni­
cal know-how to Syria - through hosting
and sending delegations of missile experts
and technicians - and the procurement and
transfer of prohibited materiel and technical
expertise for missile development.
Syrian defence sources noted that the SSRC,
with Iranian help through Branch 702, is cur­
rently assessing the possible development of a
longer-range solid-propellant SSM. The sources
noted that at present this is “only on the table
as an R&D requirement” and “such a pro­
gramme would require significant investment
of resources and technological expertise”.
The sources confirmed that Iran is also
helping to reduce an SSRC shortage of explo­
sives for its SSR warheads. This falls under
part of a long-standing strategic co-operation
agreement between Tehran and Damascus on
SSR and SSM development, under which Iran
transfers solid-propellant-related equipment
and technical expertise, along with explosive
materials, including RDX, directly to the
SSRC. The RDX is largely provided by the
Iranian missile industries, primarily Shahid
Hemat Industrial Group and Shahid Bakeri
Industrial Group.
Cause for concern?
Despite the existing range of sanctions
against the organisation, the SSRC remains
largely intact. Even if the current interna­
tional effort to dismantle Syria’s chemical
agent development and storage activities
are completed effectively, the SSRC has
accrued and established a sizeable knowl­
edge base and technical expertise. Aided by
its enduring external support network, this
capability could easily be resurrected some
time in the future.
The most recent co-operative interna­
tional opportunity to curtail the SSRC’s
activities were measures adopted by the
EU on 29 November 2012 (Designation
1117/2012). However, these focus not
on the SSRC’s proliferation activities or
breach of international, US, and European
law in pursuit of materiel or technologies to
support its proliferation ambitions, but on
ihs.com/janes
human rights violations, namely providing
“support to the Syrian army for the acquisi­
tion of equipment used directly for the sur­
veillance and repression of demonstrators”.
Undeterred by the existing international
sanctions and aided by concerted procure­
ment activities, the SSRC’s missile and
rocket development has been secured and
consolidated, and its proliferation momen­
tum continues unabated.
The Syrian uprising has signalled the end
of an era, in which stability and regional
power delivered by the Assad dynasty nur­
tured the growth of an effective military-
industrial complex, manifest under the
SSRC. Whatever the future holds for Syria,
in the near future any regime in Damas­
cus will doubtlessly struggle to impose its
‘Straw companies’ (companies established by
the SSRC that fall under EU and US sanctions)
Business Lab: Maysat Square, Al Rasafi Street,
Building 9, PO Box 7155, Damascus.
Industrial Solutions: 5 Baghdad Street,
PO Box 6394, Damascus.
Mechanical Construction Factory (MCF):
PO Box 35202, Industrial Zone, al-Qadam Road,
Damascus.
Handasieh (Engineering Industries):
multiple addresses: PO Box 21120, Baramkeh,
Damascus; P0 Box 2849, Al Moutanabi St, Damas-
Sanctions against the SSRC (not subject
to any UN sanctions)
The SSRC and entities operating on its behalf
have appeared on the US list of Specially
Designated Nationals (SDNs) since 2005 under
Presidential Executive Order 13382, ‘Block­
ing Property of Weapons of Mass Destruction
Proliferators and their Supporters’, which pro­
hibited US citizens and residents from doing
business with the SSRC.
In 2007 the US Treasury banned trade with
three subsidiaries of the SSRC: the Higher Institute
of Applied Science and Technology (HIAST), the
Electronics Institute, and the National Standards and
Calibration Laboratory (NSCL).
In 2011 the SSRC was again designated by the
US under the Iran, North Korea, and Syria Non­
proliferation Act (INKSNA) due to its involvement in
BRIEFING «
authority throughout the country. More­
over, Syria could evolve as a platform for
action by radical Islamic insurgent groups
that have already strengthened their posi­
tion significantly and taken control of areas
of northern and eastern Syria.
When the dust finally settles on the cur­
rent conflict and the task of rebuilding Syria
gets under way, the presence of an extant
robust military-industrial complex must be
of concern to the international community
- as much for its unconsidered potential to
deliver capability to non-state/insurgent
factions when the power-brokering begins
as for its enduring traditional role in regional
proliferation. ■
Robin Hughes is a JDW correspondent,
based in London
cus; P0 Box 5966, Abou Bakr Al Seddeq Street,
Damascus.
Syronics (Electronic Industries): Kaboon Street,
P0 Box 5966, Damascus.
The above were added to the US Treasury Depart­
ment Office of Foreign Assets Control Specially
Designated Nationals on 18 July 2012.
Two more entirely fictitious firms covering for
CERS that fall under EU sanctions (1117/2102) are
Megatrade and Expert Partners.
transferring technology and equipment that is pro­
hibited under international control regimes or that
could contribute to the development of weapons of
mass destruction (WMD).
In Japan the SSRC has been included on the Pro­
liferation End-User List for Entities Engaged in WMD.
In December 2011 the EU designated the SSRC
and associated straw companies on the back of
a major sanctions operation launched by the EU
against Syria in May 2011. However, the EU designa­
tion pertains to SSRC infringements of human rights
in the context of the civil arm in Syria since March
2011. The designation 1117/2012 refers to the provi­
sion of “support to the Syrian army for the acquisition
of equipment used directly for surveillance and
repression of demonstrators”.
29 January 2014 Jane’s Defence Weekly j 41
»INTERVIEW
rm—rrn rrrrrniTminiiTTnimiiTnniiririm^
Rear Admiral Ng Chee Peng
CHIEF OF NAVY, REPUBLIC OF SINGAPORE
he Republic of Singapore Navy (RSN)
T continues to be at the vanguard
of military and technological
developments in Southeast Asia, based on a
successful record of procuring and integrating
platforms and systems into service.
Chief of Navy Rear Admiral Ng Chee Peng
pointed to the development of the littoral
mission vessel (LMV) as a key example of this
in an interview with IHS Jane’s. Eight LMVs
were ordered from Singapore Technologies
(ST) Marine in 2013 to replace the navy’s
Fearless-class patrol vessels and are scheduled
to enter service from 2016.
“The LMV will be designed with baseline
operational capabilities for routine opera­
tions and can be configured to meet specific
mission requirements to afford platform
deployment ‘flexibility’ over its operational
lifespan,” Adm Ng said of the vessel, which
will see the RSN keep pace with global trends
towards multipurpose vessels featuring mod­
ular designs. “Being larger than the current
patrol vessels, the new vessels will ensure
better sea-keeping in high sea states and also
have space for future upgrades,” he added.
Adm Ng also emphasised the role of ST
Marine in the development of the combat
management system for the RSN’s Formida­
ble-class frigate. “Following careful studies to
determine the best fit of systems that meet
our frigates’ requirements, our local scientists
and engineers integrated more than 10 combat
systems from six countries through an indig­
enous combat management system,” he said.
“We are taking a similar approach in the
development of the new LMVs.... Such part­
nerships also extend to the areas of operational
and maintenance support, which has helped
free up capacity for the RSN to focus on hon­
ing our warfighting competencies,” he added.
Adm Ng emphasised the importance to the
city state’s military capabilities of what he
called Singapore’s ‘defence technology ecosys­
tem’, which includes the Defence Science and
Technology Agency, DSO National Laborato­
ries, and commercial partners such as ST.
“By bringing together their technological
and scientific expertise and the RSN’s and
Singapore Armed Forces’ [SAF’s] operational
concepts, we are able to develop sharp-
edged capabilities to meet the RSN’s and
42 | Jane’s Defence Weekly 29 January 2014
hiiihiiiihhihiii 111111111 mi niininii m mi 111Himiihwwihii
‘Our indigenous
technological
capability is
critical to us as
not all our needs
can be addressed
by solutions in the
open market’
the SAF’s unique and specific requirements.
This indigenous technological capability is
critical to us because not all our needs can be
addressed by solutions available in the open
market,” he said.
The RSN has also sought to innovate in its
operational doctrine, with ‘lean’ crewing of
the Formidable class a notable example. This
is reflective of Singapore’s struggle with a
declining birth rate that saw armed forces
restructuring in the 1990s and changes to
equipment design and procurement.
Adm Ng said the crew could be augmented
when required, citing the involvement of RSS
Intrepid in a counterpiracy operation in the
Gulf of Aden. There, “the additional man­
power performed various functions outside of
the frigate’s core operations, which included
operations other than war-type functions
11 mi 111111niiiiiniiwiimiinin iiiii iin iiiiinii—■
such as ship boarding teams and medical sup­
port”, he said.
Closer to home and more recently, the RSN
completed an upgrade of its six Victory-class
missile corvettes (MCVs) in 2013. Adm Ng said
the upgrade includes “advanced sensor sys­
tems ... to enhance their surveillance capabil­
ity, including the ability to launch and operate
the [Boeing Insitu] ScanEagle unmanned
aerial vehicle [UAV], and an enhanced combat
management system with embedded intel­
ligence for tracking management, target
identification, and weapon assignment”.
“Together, these upgrades will significantly
enhance the MCVs’ capability to better detect,
identify, and respond to potential multidimen­
sional threats,” he said.
The introduction into RSN service of the
ScanEagle UAV is just one element of Singa­
pore’s ongoing employment of unmanned
platforms across all three services. “The RSN
has leveraged on unmanned technology
wherever applicable to enhance our fighting
systems,” Adm Ng said. “We have deployed
the [Rafael] Protector unmanned surface
vessels for surveillance and force protection
duties in the Northern Arabian Gulf and the
Gulf of Aden since 2005.
“The RSN is currently in the midst of
operationalising unmanned underwater
vehicles, such as the Remote Environmental
Monitoring Unit System, which will further
enhance our ability to protect Singapore’s sea
lines of communication against mine threats
effectively and efficiently,” he added.
Perhaps the most interesting naval devel­
opment involving Singapore was the signing
of a contract by the Ministry of Defence in
December 2013 to procure two Type 218SG
submarines from Germany’s ThyssenKrupp
Marine Systems. The Type 218s will replace
the RSN’s Challenger-class (Type A12) boats
and supplement the RSN’s two ex-Royal
Swedish Navy Archer-class (Type A17) subma­
rines. The second of the Archer-class subma­
rines, RSS Swordsman, was commissioned
on 30 April 2013. The new boats “will have
significantly improved capabilities and will
enhance our ability to keep Singapore’s sea
lines of communications safe”, Adm Ng said.
James Hardy
JDW Asia-Pacific Editor, London
ihs.com/janes
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