Internationale ontwikkelingen artillerie

[Parera]

Ik ben persoonlijk voorstander van de HIMARS en misschien later een tracked variant (Vervanging MARS 2.0 met Duitsland). Het grote voordeel is dat er voor zowel HIMARS als MARS 2.0 / M270 veel munitie te koop is en ook de ontwikkeling van de pods de laatste jaren snel gegaan is. Zo hebben de Amerikanen de MGM-140 ATACMS door ontwikkeld en werkt men nu aan de PSM met een bereik tot 499 km.

Ook de onderstaande Duitse ontwikkeling ''Joint Fire Support Missile'' is ontwikkeld voor diezelfde pods.  Met HIMARS en/of MARS 2.0 (M270) kiezen we als Nederland voor een bewezen systeem waar nog (veel) ontwikkeling mogelijk is. Daarmee ook toekomst bestendig, een alternatief systeem bied misschien wel dezelfde mogelijkheden maar groot bijkomend voordeel is dat de HIMARS / M270 ook in gebruik is bij veel partner landen.

Voor Nederland zie ik de geplande aankoop van raket artillerie dan ook wel als interim oplossing, over enkele jaren zal er een grote hoeveelheid munitie en ongetwijfeld nieuwe systemen op de ( Europese) markt zijn waarmee we nog 40 jaar verder kunnen. HIMARS is ook al weer in de jaren '90 ontwikkeld door de Amerikanen.

[Harald]

The Joint Fire Support Missile: an MLRS-launched cruise missile by MBDA

Overcoming opponent's A2/AD threat is the key issue for western armies. Aimed at denying freedom of movement to air assets in their safety bubble, A2/AD must be overcome by unmanned means, among which surface-to-surface missiles and long range artillery are one of the answers.

o cope with this issue three German companies teamed to upgrade the MLRS launcher currently in use by the German Army and provide it with a new missile that will allow reaching the limits imposed by the Intermediate-range Nuclear Forces (INF) treaty signed in 1987 by the USA and then USSR, and denounced in 2019. Current munitions available to the MLRS are the GMLRS, with an 84 km range, the GMLRS ER (Extended Range) with a 120-150 km range, and the ATACMS (Army Tactical Missile System), with a 300 km range.

While on the other side of the Ocean Lockheed Martin is working on the Precision Strike Missile (PrSM), which should achieve Initial Operational Capability in 2023, the German industry is developing what is defined Joint Fire Support Missile (JFS-M). According to available information both solutions will allow fitting two missiles in one MLRS pod, which means that an M270 tracked launcher will be able to fire up to four missiles, while a HIMARS launcher will have two ready munitions. However similarities should end here; where the PrSM is a ballistic missile, the JFS-M is a ground-launched cruise missile (GLCM). The two solutions have pros and cons, the ballistic one might being harder to engage as it flies at higher speed, the aerodynamic-lift missile being much more flexible in terms of route to the target as well as in payloads, precision and missions.

Currently the all-German team is composed of MBDA Deutschland, Krauss-Maffei Wegmann (KMW) and ESG Elektroniksystem- und Logistik-GmbH (ESG), but other partners may join the group. MBDA is developing the effector, working closely with KMW for platform integration and with ESG to integrate mission-planning tools into the ADLER III (Artillerie-, Daten-, Lage- und Einsatz-Rechnerverbund, that is artillery, data, situation and deployment computer network), the third iteration of the German Army artillery C4I system.

"To reduce cost and time-to-market we are exploiting developments already finalised within the MBDA group as well as some sub-systems already integrated into MBDA missiles," Björn Goller, Project Manager Sales and Marketing Land Systems MBDA Deutschland, tells EDR On-Line. While



The aerodynamic solution resembles that proposed for the SmartGlider family, which was unveiled at the Paris Air Show 2017. The JFS-M body is about 2,600 mm long and has a diameter of approximately 290 mm; in fact speaking of diameter is incorrect, as its section is far from being circular, the shape being dictated by stealth considerations. Two rear folding wings are fitted on top of the fuselage, wingspan is around 1.5 meters, while a cruciform empennage is located at the rear, the fins angled 45° from the vertical and horizontal planes; the rudder system is derived from that of the Marte missile. At launch the JFS-M is accelerated by a booster that brings it to the minimum sustainement speed, and then falls leaving the propulsion responsibility to the turbojet engine located at the rear, with the fuel tank ahead of it, close to the centre of gravity. The turbojet engine will be provided by an Eastern European company, which was not identified, while for the booster MBDA is still looking at existing solutions, by its usual provider Bayern-Chemie, a subsidiary of MBDA, or other third parties, in order to avoid the development of an ad-hoc booster.

The JFS-M take-off-weight is between 250-300 kg, its speed varying between Mach 0.5 and Mach 0.9 (600 to 1,000 km/h), which means that the missile at maximum speed would take roughly half an hour to reach a target at the maximum range of 499 km, the limit of the aforementioned INF treaty being 500 km. The airframe design is nearly frozen, according to Mr. Goller; "we developed and designed it," he adds, "but manufacturing doesn't fall within MBDA's competencies, therefore a subcontractor will be selected for production."



The navigation suite is located at the front; of course it includes a GNSS receiver as well as an inertial platform; these will be complemented by an Image Based Navigation system that will ensure maximum accuracy and will add the capability of monitoring a wide area while closing to the target, compensating any possible target movement. While older cruise missiles were using TERCOM (terrain comparison) systems, the availability of near-real time high definition satellite imagery coupled to the quantum leap in computing power made by on-board computers allows today to compare images at high speed. A 3D mission planning will be part of the system, which might also exploit waypoints to avoid as much as possible air spaces that fall under the enemy A2/AD umbrella. Designed to fly at low level, this together with its inherent stealth characteristics should ensure good survival properties to the JFS-M.

Coming to lethality, the new MBDA Deutschland project looks at modularity and scalable solutions to best fit any possible mission. The payload is located at the front, just behind the navigation suite, the latter also including the seekers used in the final phase of the attack, MBDA portfolio including electro-optic, radiofrequency and infrared sensors. Beside those, the aforementioned imaging system provides images to the computer unit where Artificial Intelligence-based algorithms ensure automatic target recognition, passive radiofrequency target reconnaissance being also available as option through an ESM suite. The new MLRS missile maintains the man-in-the-loop capability, something mandatory in the western world, a non-line of sight two-way data-link being therefore fitted both for mission update or abort.

The warhead provider is TDW, an MBDA Deutschland subsidiary co-located with MBDA Deutschland in the forest of Haguenau, in the vicinity of Schrobenhausen, 30 km north of Munich. "It will feature a high explosive multi-effect warhead capable to destroy standard infrastructures, not heavily armoured bunkers, and medium to heavy armour, as we do not consider this weapon being specifically aimed at main battle tanks," Björn Goller explains. No indication on the warhead mass were provided, one third of the launch mass being the average for this type of weapon. The JFS-M payload bay is designed to accept multiple solutions, a trade-off between lethality and reconnaissance capability being envisaged. Packing a smaller warhead together with an electronic warfare package or a reconnaissance package is thus feasible, giving increased flexibility to the system. Beside the high lethality version reconnaissance, electronic warfare and training missiles are being considered. The JFS-M capability to fly different routes to reach the target allows obtaining a Multiple Missile Simultaneous Impact (MMSI), the missile equivalent of tube artillery MRSI (Multiple Round Simultaneous Impact). However in the case of a missile, the simultaneous attack capability is further enhanced by the fact that missiles can come from different angles, saturating local air defences. Not only, the imaging navigation system and the automatic target identification system allow the JFS-M to overfly the area of interest picking up the intended target which location was available with low accuracy, or pick-up targets of interest.

As an example a mission against a major air defence enemy asset located 300 km from the launcher can be conducted using two JSF-M, which follow completely different routes, for an overall flight distance of 320 km, that allow them avoiding enemy restricted operating zones and air defence kill boxes, reaching the time fro opposite directions at the same time, flying for 31 minutes at Mach 0.5 speed, mission planning being based on time-on-target.

A standard MLRS rocket pod can host two JSF-M; "We considered initially to install three of them into a single pod, but following discussions with KMW, which is leading the launch platform effort, we agreed on two missiles, which gives four of them for an M270A1 launcher," Mr. Goller says. Keeping the MLRS rocket pod, which can host six standard rockets, two PrSM or one ATACMS, was considered a key design feature, as this will allow using the MBDA missile on all MLRS and HIMARS launchers, the latter wheeled platform being capable to carry a single pod. At ILA 2022 in Berlin the JFS-M was shown in a mock-up configuration installed on a wheeled platform developed by KMW. The German Army should keep its M270 launchers until 2035, and since 2030 new platforms should enter service, which will use the same pod, and some of those might well be wheeled.

Which is the current status of the JSF-M? "Currently we consider the system as a whole at TRL 4-5 [1], however a number of subsystems and elements are at a much higher TRL as we took them from existing products," Björn Goller tells EDR On-Line. The engine and the GPS navigation are at TRL 8, while active and passive seekers as well as sensor-based navigation are based on TRL 8 [2] components. "What we still have to fully develop is the 'brain' of the JFS-M," he says, adding that the other work that has to be carried out is integrating all components into the missile, something that MBDA is well used to do. "Should the customer sign a contract, the JFS-M would be available in 3-5 years time," the PM Sales and Marketing Land Systems MBDA Deutschland states.

The version currently under development is land-based, and is aimed at the MLRS M270 and HIMARS launchers. Looking at NATO and leaving apart the United States, beside Germany these systems are in use in Finland, France, Greece, Italy, Romania, Turkey and the United Kingdom, to which we must add a number of non-NATO countries in the Middle East and Far East, therefore MBDA would have a considerable potential export market. How much the JFS-M would be competing with the PrSM remains to be seen. On one hand the latter can benefit from the FMS scheme, however the missile of German origin is fully ITAR-free; on the operational side, the two systems are completely different, and although having in service munitions of too many types is always a problem from the logistic standpoint, having both systems at hand would allow artillery to select the best effector depending on the tactical situation.

As said the current version of the JFS-M falls in the GLCM category; in that version it can be installed on existing platforms as well as on future platforms that will retain the same pod used on the MLRS, a stand-alone version being also conceivable. However MBDA is already considering versions of the missile to be launched from naval platforms as well as from airborne platforms, in the latter case the missile lacking the launch container and the booster.   The focus on artillery is clear, considering what is happening in Ukraine, therefore some good news for the German branch of the European missile company might come soon.

https://www.edrmagazine.eu/the-joint-fire-support-missile-an-mlrs-launched-cruise-missile-by-mbda

[Harald]

Rheinmetall extends range of 155mm artillery

Rheinmetall hopes its 155mm Extended Range Charge will pass qualification tests in the second half of 2022.

As shown in ongoing combat operations in Ukraine, conventional tube artillery and artillery rocket systems still play a major role on the battlefield with one of the user requirements being to increase range.

Using internal R&D funding, Rheinmetall Waffe Munition of Germany has been developing a new 155mm Extended Range Charge (ERC) since 2017, and the company hopes that it will be qualified later in 2022.

Using the ERC results in a 10-15% increase in range, according to Rheinmetall.

Trials of the ERC have been carried out in Germany, South Africa and the US with a number of artillery

https://www.shephardmedia.com/news/landwarfareintl/rheinmetall-extends-range-of-155mm-artillery/

[A.J.]

The Army has an artillery problem (and some high tech solutions)

"Artillery is the god of war," famously declared Joseph Stalin, whose big guns blew Hitler's armies to smithereens. Today's Russian army has continued the tradition with a formidable array of howitzers and multiple rocket launchers.

But in the U.S., the god of war now has grown feet of clay. American cannons were feared by the Germans and Japanese in World War II, proved vital in Korea and Vietnam, and would have helped defeat a Soviet invasion of Europe. But since 1945, airpower has become the favorite child in America's firepower family.

It's easy to understand why. In the jungles, deserts and mountains where U.S. forces have mostly fought since World War II, artillery was often too cumbersome to employ, but aircraft had the speed and flexibility to deliver firepower as needed. Even better, airpower was a high-tech solution to avoiding bloody ground combat that would erode American public support.

The end of the Cold War hastened the decline. From 218 artillery battalions in 1989, the number of Regular Army, Reserve and National Guard units shrank to 141 by 1999. In the 2003 Iraq War, well-trained artillery crews were being used as infantry.

However, the U.S. Army has belatedly realized that it needs its big guns. First, while Russia and China were upgrading their artillery, the U.S. spent the 2000s focused on counterinsurgency (COIN) against poorly-armed militants rather than a conflict against well-armed major powers. When highly trained gunners were reassigned as infantry in Iraq, that was an indication that artillery had lost its mojo.

Unfortunately, America's enemies thought otherwise:

"While the U.S. Army's field artillery branch was dealing with the implications of COIN from 2003 to the present, the militaries of a number of potential competitor nations made significant advances," noted a 2019 study by the RAND Corporation.

"For example, as of 2017, the Russian Army has made considerable advances in its artillery. Key Russian artillery capabilities include long-range multiple rocket launchers, such as the BM-30 Smerch, which can fire a wide variety of warheads up to 90 km [56 miles]. The SS-26 Iskander short-range ballistic missile also fires various warheads (including nuclear weapons) against targets at ranges of over 400 kilometers [249 miles]."

In contrast, the U.S. Army's M109A7 Paladin self-propelled 155-millimeter howitzer has a range of just 22 kilometers [14 miles] with regular high-explosive shells, and 30 kilometers [19 miles] using rocket-assisted projectiles.

In the past, this might not have been such a problem. For long-range firepower, the Army could rely on the U.S. Air Force (while the Marines could also turn to Navy carrier aircraft and naval gunfire). But a new generation of Russian and Chinese fighters and anti-aircraft missiles have made the skies deadlier for American aircraft. For Russia and China, accustomed to fighting without air superiority in World War II and Korea, large quantities of artillery were the answer. For the U.S. Army, deprivation of air support would be devastating.

Fortunately, the U.S. Army is developing multiple long-range, ground-based weapons, with plans to field some perhaps as soon as 2023. It's part of the Army's Multi-Domain Operations concept, one of whose tenets is a capability to deliver long-range precision fires. The new weapons include:

-Extended Range Cannon Artillery (ERCA), essentially an upgraded Paladin with a longer barrel, rocket-assisted projectiles, and an autoloader. The goal is to hit targets up to 70 kilometers (43 miles) away, or more than twice the range of the Paladin (ECRA achieved this goal with an Excalibur guided shell during a December 2020 test).

-Precision Strike Missile (PrSM), a guided rocket capable of being launched from M270A1 Multiple Launch Rocket System (MLRS) and the M142 High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS), out to a range of 500 kilometers (311 miles).

-Long Range Hypersonic Weapon (LRHW), the Army's contribution to an emerging U.S. family of hypersonic missiles that travel faster than Mach 5. The LRHW has an estimated range of 1,725 miles.

-Strategic Long Range Cannon (SLRC), intended to hurl shells out to 1,000 miles. But for now, the supergun project appears to be on hold.

So why does the U.S. Army need weapons that can hit targets almost 2,000 miles away? Historically, artillery has been a battlefield weapon, from the Roman ballista that hurled rocks out to 500 yards, to the U.S. Army's M65 280-millimeter cannon that could shoot atomic shells up to 20 miles. By 1918, however, destroying distant targets was on its way to becoming the responsibility of the world's air forces.

One answer is interservice rivalry. It's natural that the Army would want to join the Navy and Air Force in having a long-range fire capability, with all the prestige and budget that this will entail. Another is that airpower isn't always an option and is rarely as cost-effective as artillery.

From the Army's perspective, having a long-range fires capability in-house is essential for their plan to become a "Multi Domain Operations-ready Force of 2035." Even though today's warfare is supposed to be joint, what Army commander wouldn't want to have long-range weapons under his control to destroy a distant enemy command post, rather than having to ask the Air Force and Navy to do it?

Sandbox.us

[Huzaar1]

Ah check.

[Parera]

Ik schat de kans van 2 verschillende SPH's in australie als zeer klein. Tenzij het een overloopfase betreft.

Waar haal jij die 2 verschillende SPH's vandaan?

De AS9 is de SPH en de AS10 is een munitie voertuig op hetzelfde chassis. De enigste andere artillerie die Australië heeft zijn de M777's waarvan er totaal 54 van gekocht zijn, 19 stuks hiervan zijn in de plaats gekomen van de geplande SPH vervanging.

De M777's komen voort uit project Land 17 deel 1, het deel 2 wat over de SPH's ging is origineel gecanceld daarom zijn er 19 extra M777's aangekocht. Nu blijkt het dat men toch weer 30  SPH's gaat aankopen + 15 AARV's voor deel 2. Mogelijk komt hier nog een fase 3 boven op wat de aankoop van nog eens 30 + 15 voertuigen kan geven maar daar is nog niks over bekend.

Gisteren schreef ik dat de AS9 fase 1 was, dat blijkt nu fout te zijn.

[Huzaar1]

Over wie heb je het nu?

De AS9 Huntsman SPH en AS10 AARV zijn lokale benamingen voor de Australische geproduceerde K9 Thunder van Hanwha , in Noorwegen noemen ze het de K9 VIDAR en de Britten zullen er ongetwijfeld een andere naam aan geven. In de basis zijn het overal natuurlijk dezelfde voertuigen met hier en daar wat lokale aanpassingen.

Ik schat de kans van de K9 redelijk groot in voor de Britse tender mede door de aankoop van de Australiers maar ook omdat meerdere (NAVO)partners ze aankopen.

Ik schat de kans van 2 verschillende SPH's in australie als zeer klein. Tenzij het een overloopfase betreft.

[Parera]

Dit is hun nieuwe systeem. Ze gaan er geen 2e naast gebruiken.

Over wie heb je het nu?

De AS9 Huntsman SPH en AS10 AARV zijn lokale benamingen voor de Australische geproduceerde K9 Thunder van Hanwha , in Noorwegen noemen ze het de K9 VIDAR en de Britten zullen er ongetwijfeld een andere naam aan geven. In de basis zijn het overal natuurlijk dezelfde voertuigen met hier en daar wat lokale aanpassingen.

Ik schat de kans van de K9 redelijk groot in voor de Britse tender mede door de aankoop van de Australiers maar ook omdat meerdere (NAVO)partners ze aankopen.

[Huzaar1]

Dit is hun nieuwe systeem. Ze gaan er geen 2e naast gebruiken.

[Parera]

Ik snap dat zij ook hebben doorgerekend en weten dat ze opgesloten zitten op het eiland. Maar al die verschillende systemen brengen giga kosten met zich mee. En de K9 liep toch niet meer?

De meest recente info rondom het MFP en de K9 is van September 2021 dus ik ga er vanuit dat die nog steeds in de race zijn. Het gaat wel om een lokaal geproduceerde K9A2 voor de Britten als ze er voor kiezen.

http://www.koreaittimes.com/news/articleView.html?idxno=108372

[Huzaar1]

Als ze het zelf maar begrijpen dan zit het goed  Wat ik er van begrijp is dat ''Made in Australia'' een heel erg belangrijk criterium is, eigenlijk belangrijker dan de prijs lijkt het soms wel.

Overigens is dit slechts ''phase 1'' van in totaal 3 fases waarbij het aantal van 45 voertuigen per fase wordt gehanteerd. In totaal kan deze order dus oplopen tot 90 Howitzers + 45 munitie voertuigen, niet verkeerd voor op een eiland.

De fabrikant heeft ook een aanbesteding lopen bij de Britten voor de levering van de K9 onder het Mobile Fires Platform. Hier zou het gaan om een 116 stukken artillerie, hoe het munitie voertuig daarin zou passen is niet duidelijk op dit moment.

Ik snap dat zij ook hebben doorgerekend en weten dat ze opgesloten zitten op het eiland. Maar al die verschillende systemen brengen giga kosten met zich mee. En de K9 liep toch niet meer?

[Parera]

Begrijp nul van dat specificatie en inkoop beleid van de Australiers.

Als ze het zelf maar begrijpen dan zit het goed  Wat ik er van begrijp is dat ''Made in Australia'' een heel erg belangrijk criterium is, eigenlijk belangrijker dan de prijs lijkt het soms wel.

Overigens is dit slechts ''phase 1'' van in totaal 3 fases waarbij het aantal van 45 voertuigen per fase wordt gehanteerd. In totaal kan deze order dus oplopen tot 90 Howitzers + 45 munitie voertuigen, niet verkeerd voor op een eiland.

De fabrikant heeft ook een aanbesteding lopen bij de Britten voor de levering van de K9 onder het Mobile Fires Platform. Hier zou het gaan om een 116 stukken artillerie, hoe het munitie voertuig daarin zou passen is niet duidelijk op dit moment.

[Huzaar1]

Begrijp nul van dat specificatie en inkoop beleid van de Australiers.

[Parera]

30 Howitzers + 15 munitie voertuigen voor de Australiers.





$1 billion defence contract, sovereign defence manufacturing facility in Geelong announced

The Morrison Government has announced a $1 billion defence contract for new Self-Propelled Howitzers for the Australian Army has been awarded to Hanwha Defense Australia. The contract signing was witnessed by Prime Minister Scott Morrison and President Moon Jae-in of the Republic of Korea today.
Based in Greater Geelong, the contract will procure Self-Propelled Howitzers and Armoured Ammunition Resupply Vehicles, under the LAND 8116 Phase 1 project. The Government committed to this project in May 2019.

"Our Comprehensive Strategic Partnership with the Republic of Korea is underpinned by our joint commitment to defence and security cooperation. The contract with Hanwha demonstrates the value of industrial collaboration in supporting our countries in addressing mutual security challenges," Prime Minister Morrison said.

"We are partnering with Hanwha to create an Armoured Vehicle Centre of Excellence in the Geelong region, which will establish a further strategic defence industry hub and future export opportunities for Australian businesses.

"This contract will create a minimum of 300 jobs spread across facility construction, acquisition and maintenance, as well as generating ongoing support opportunities for Australian industry until the late 2040s.

Minister for Defence, Peter Dutton, said this initial contract covers 30 Self-Propelled Howitzers, 15 Armoured Ammunition Resupply Vehicles, and weapon locating radars that help find enemy artillery, collectively referred to as the Huntsman family of vehicles.

"The prime ability of the new vehicles is to fire and move quickly, avoiding enemy counter-attack. This project will mean a significant increase in the level of firepower and security for Australian artillery capability," Minister for Defence Peter Dutton said.

"We are committed to keeping our region safe, while protecting our interests in a rapidly changing global environment.

"The Self-Propelled Howitzer capability, including a strengthened industrial base, is one of several projects that will modernise the Australian Army, ensuring it continues to maintain a capability advantage now, and into the future.

"This new capability will give our soldiers the best possible chance of completing their missions and returning home safe to their families."

Minister for Defence Industry Melissa Price said investment in Australia's domestic industrial base enhances our ability to sustain critical defence capabilities and further positions Australia as an exporter of military equipment and technology to our allies.

"The new facility will create hundreds of local jobs and become a national asset for military capability, supporting land combat vehicles for the Australian Army," Minister Price said.

"Australian industry will play a vital role delivering and sustaining the Huntsman capabilities at the new facility. The announcement of this significant contract and the future facility is tremendous news for Victoria and working Australians, as well as defence companies across the country."

Work on the new facility is expected to commence in 2022.

https://www.australiandefence.com.au/news/1-billion-defence-contract-sovereign-defence-manufacturing-facility-in-geelong-announced

[Harald]

Patria 6x6 and Patria Nemo: protected mobility - ultimate firepower

Patria Nemo
Patria Nemo releases the full potential of modern mortar systems. Its applicability for land and sea, operation on the move, level of protection and firepower and ability to be part of fast-moving units has made Patria Nemo a long-awaited solution to customer needs. Joint operations between land and sea are reality - at last.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6I-vKIwhleE