the survivability of fixed-wing aircraft by defeating fire-control radars and radar-guided surface-to-air and air-to-air missiles– has been cleared by the US Air Force’s Seek Eagle Office for operational testing on board F-16s. The authorisation is one of the final stages of the Pentagon’s FCT programme for the product. The programme, being conducted by the ANG, is intended to open the door to US procurement and is scheduled for later this year. Blue Spear – A 5th-gen SSM Last, but not least, the show saw the display of the Blue Spear surface-to-surface missile (SSM) developed by Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) in collaboration with ST Engineering, and currently on order by the Estonian military for use as a coastal defence system. Ron Tryfus, General Manager of the Proteus Advanced Systems joint venture marketing the system, said that the 5th-generation weapon, which has a 290km strike range, incorporates technological know-how and experience from both companies. Derived from the Gabriel SSM family, Blue Spear has a land-attack capability in addition to its anti-ship functionality. It can be deployed from a range of land platforms, including from containerised launchers mounted on both tracked and wheeled vehicles, as well as fixed sites. For operations further from the coastline, the weapon can be deployed from a wide variety of naval vessels, noted Tryfus. Discussing its ability to overcome air defences, he stated the weapon can exploit “multiple programmable waypoints and complex trajectories to achieve maximum penetration of layered and point defences”. The maximum strike range of 290km can also be achieved while the missile is flying at sea-skimming altitudes, avoiding obstacles, and navigating in challenging environments, noted Tryfus, adding that the weapon also includes electronic countermeasures designed to limit the efficacy of missile defence systems. Moreover, the SSM incorporates both a fire-and-forget and a fire-andupdate mode, and can make mid-course, real-time updates, and even be re-tasked during flight, especially in co-operative engagements and distributed sensor-and-shooter networks. “The weapon is designed to prevail in contested, congested and confusing situations characterised by large numbers of decoys, heavy electronic interference, as well as clutter from land and false returns,” Tryfus explained. While smaller in size than previous events, this year’s Singapore Airshow signalled what appears to be the beginning of the end of Covid-19-related travel restrictions, as well as the resumption of increased defence spending in the Asia-Pacific region, particularly as countries seek to modernise their respective militaries to defend their national interests amid heightened tensions and growing Sino-US rivalry. That said, the hybrid version is slightly longer (3.1m) than the standard Black Eagle 50 (2.55m) and has a maximum take-off weight of 50kg compared to the 35kg of the earlier version. Both variants have a datalink range of 150km and a cruising speed of 85 kilometres per hour. “The Black Eagle 50H is the first hybrid-powered unmanned helicopter. It enables high performance and maximum operational flexibility, as it can be used for both defence/security as well as the civilian applications, including search-and-rescue and ISR operations. The type can also operate from a ship or gas and oil rigs, and hover for several hours over an area of interest,” said Saf. The company added that, to enhance mission versatility, the Black Eagle 50H enables operators to select the power source while en route, meaning that it can switch to the quieter, fully electric mode during missions to boost survivability in contested areas. Also displayed was a model of a fully electric Black Eagle 50E, which is the same size as the hybrid variant. While it has a higher service ceiling (18,000ft) and greater payload (15kg) it only has an operational endurance of 2hrs, although this is expected to increase in the future as batteries become increasingly capable. Programme Upgrades and Milestones Several of the companies present at the Singapore Airshow also provided details about new programme milestones, as well as equipment upgrades or sales. For instance, Israel’s Rafael Advanced Defense Systems secured a deal to provide an undisclosed number of BNET software-defined radio (SDR) ground communication systems for installation on mobile land platforms of an army in Asia. A Rafael spokesperson told MilTech that deliveries of the SDRs will begin later this year and continue over the coming years. Speaking about other programmes, the spokesperson added that the company’s new Spyder All-in One air-defence system is now supported by interceptor missiles with an extended range of 40km (an increase from 20km), an enhanced radar system and two new sensor capabilities that enable it to operate in a GPS-denied environment. In terms of the MicroLite intelligence, surveillance, target acquisition, and reconnaissance (ISTAR) system, the spokesperson revealed that it had recently been flight-tested on a new, small UAV from Rafael subsidiary, Aeronautics. MicroLite has been developed for small aerial platforms such as UAVs, aircraft, aerostats, and observation balloons, and has already been integrated with multiple UAVs, executing wide-area persistent surveillance missions, according to Rafael. Referring to another system on display at the exhibition, the official said that the firm’s Spike Non-Line-Of-Sight (NLOS) missile was recently successfully tested from a US Army AH-64D Apache combat helicopter, potentially paving the way for the introduction of the weapon with not only the US military but also other international Apache operators. Also revealed at the airshow was the fact that Leonardo’s BriteCloud 218 expendable active decoy (EAD) is being tested by the US Air National Guard (ANG) under a foreign comparative testing (FCT) programme, as the company seeks to make the US military the latest customer for its advanced countermeasure system. A Leonardo spokesperson said that the ‘square’-format, self-contained, digital EAD – designed to enhance Feature MT 2/2022 · 27 Rafael’s Spyder All-in-One System has been upgraded with longer-range missile interceptors and an enhanced radar system. (Photo: Rafael Advanced Defense Systems) ST Engineering displayed a Terrex 8x8 vehicle at the Singapore Airshow 2022 as a technology demonstrator for an MUM-T capability. f h
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy MTM5Mjg=