Page 26 - Australian Defence Magazine November 2022

26 DEFENCE BUSINESS
LAND FORCES 2022
NOVEMBER 2022 | WWW.AUSTRALIANDEFENCE.COM.AU
(HIMARS), which will be used in conjunction with the surface-launched variant of the air-launched LRASM missile. HIMARS is already being acquired by Army under Land 8113 Phase 1 (Long Range Fires) and the air-launched LRASM by the RAAF under Air 3023 Phase 1 (Enhanced
Maritime Strike Requirement).
DeScisciolo said that Lockheed Martin is already working
with the Royal Australian Navy to propose the surface- launched weapon for its Sea 1300 Phase 1 (Navy Guided Weapons) program and has been contracted by CASG to conduct a study into integrating LRASM into the Hobart- class destroyer by 2026. The proposals include launch either from a Mk.41 Vertical Launch System (VLS) or from a deck launcher similar to the current Harpoon missile.
The proposal for HIMARS would use the same cannister and booster (from the Mk.114 ASROC weapon) as the naval variant and can be loaded onto the standard HIMARS launcher after the removal of a toolbox behind the cab, due to the longer length of the cannister. This process, DeScisciolo said, takes between 30 and 60 minutes.
“The whole idea is to bring down the cost of things like training, logistics and model support cost,” Lockheed Martin’s Director of Programs for its Missiles and Fire Control division, James Heading added. “It’s something that Lockheed Martin has actually looked at and we think there’s a market for this sort of capability. We’re working with the US Government and we’re making sure the Australian Government is aware of what we’re doing.”
SAAB TOUTS RBS 70 PERFORMANCE
At a time in which air defence is a hot issue, Saab briefings included an update on the most recent incarnation of the company’s RBS 70 very short-range air defence (VSHORAD) system.
ABOVE: Lockheed Martin is proposing its M142 HIMARS launcher, combined with a surface-launched variant of the LRASM anti-ship missile for Land 4100 Phase 2
Acquired for the ADF in 1987 and the subject since then of numerous upgrades including the longer-range Bolide missile in 2005, the RBS 70 is operational with Army’s 16 Air Land Regiment and is in service with 18 countries worldwide, including Singapore, which has been operating the RBS 70 since 1980.
Given the island nation’s reputation in defence circles as a demanding customer, its acquisition in 2021 of the RBS 70 Next Generation (NG) MANPADS (man-portable air defence system) suggests the system’s capabilities remain world-class.
The NG version, now serving with Sweden, the Czech Republic, Brazil, Argentina, and Singapore, comprises a revised launcher and an improved integrated thermal imaging night sight, enabling 24-hour targeting for the first time without recourse to a 24 kg clip-on night device.
The new sight offers a graphical display with automatic target designation and 3D targeting functions, shortening reaction times and enabling greater space for interception. The addition of an auto-tracker – which features a manual override and visual cueing – improves precision with a greater first-time hit probability throughout the Bolide missile’s 9 km range.
The missile has an altitude envelope of 0 to 5,000 m, enabling it to engage extremely low targets such as hovering UAVs and helicopters or surface-skimming missiles. Saab describes the laser guidance system as ‘unjammable’.
Thales displays new combat assault rifle
Thales hopes to commence manual test firing in early 2023 of a potential next-generation individual weapon for the ADF chambered for 6.8mm ammunition.
Under development for the past 18 months in collaboration with Army Headquarters, the intention is to produce an Australian-designed and manufactured close combat assault rifle, light machine gun and associated 6.8mm ammunition equivalent to the capabilities selected under the US Army’ Next-Generation Squad Weapon (NGSW) program.
First disclosing the project in December 2020, Thales said it would develop working level prototypes and ammunition ready by late 2023 to compete for Tranche 2 of Land 159 against the US NGSW solution.
In April the US selected the Sig Sauer XMS assault rifle and the Sig Sauer XM250, both 6.8mm weapons, to replace the M4/M16 rifle and the M249 light machine gun, both chambered for 5.56mm – as are the ADF’s Austeyr E88 combat rifle and its Light Support Weapon.
The 5.56mm calibre has been widely criticised as lacking both range and lethality.
According to Matthew Duquemin, Thales’ Director of Integrated Weapons and Sensors, mechanical testing over the past 12 months had shown a 6.8mm high performance round developed by the company “delivering terminal effects with a flatter trajectory than military rounds that are the standard at the moment, responding to the increasing level of protection afforded by modern ballistic armour”.
Of the two prototype 6.8mm weapons displayed on the Thales stand, one was in the bullpup configuration (magazine behind the trigger system) as specified by Defence, the second in standard rifle configuration with the magazine ahead of the trigger system. Both had integrated suppressors. ■
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