Issue 2/2011 April/May

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INTERNATIONAL

The trusted source for defence technology information since 1976

The European aerospace industry has started 2011 on a steady keel with the handoverby Saab of the Neuron armed drone demonstrator fuselage to Dassault. The ceremo-ny took place on 25 January at Saab Aerostructures’ facilities in Linköping.

Dawn of the Bomber Era?

Call from the Front: LandWarNet and the Gig

E. H. Biass, inputs from T. Withington 8

Valéry Rousset, inputs from Johnny Keggler30

Business4

Digest44

Index to Manufacturers and Advertisers2

Communication

10

18

24

30

38

armada INTERNATIONAL 2/2011

To See Another DayPaolo Valpolini

10 Technology

byCompendium

Grenade Launcher Fire Control Systems

@ Infantry: weapons

Paolo Valpolini

Cheap Shot – Air to GroundWeapons

24 Missiles

Roy Braybrook

The Drone’s Synthetic Eye38 Radar

Thomas Withington

Far East-bound ConventionalSubmarine Market Drift

18 Naval: submarines

Franz Rohr

A New BreedP. Valpolini, inputs from E. H. Biass and J. Keggler

Compendium Supplement

New Soldier Equipment

Contentsissue 2/2011

This article is found online at www.armada.ch/fcs2-11

Cheap Shot – Air toGround Weapons

24 armada INTERNATIONAL 2/2011

Killing Osama bin Laden may warrant the $ 52 million offered by the AmericanGovernment in combination with the Airline Pilots and the Air Transport Associ-ations. However, run-of-the-mill bad guys must be eliminated for a few tens ofthousand dollars, at most.

Roy Braybrook

T oday the principal armed forces aremostly concerned with long-endur-ing counter-terrorist and peace-

enforcement operations. The need inregard to air-to-ground weapons is forproducts that are highly affordable, yetlethal against a broad range of terroristand insurgency targets.

The following review excludes guidedrocket projectiles and ultra lightweightmissiles, which will be the subject of a sep-arate discussion in our next edition.

PavewayPrecision guided munitions (PGM) havechanged the way in which wars arefought. Instead of allocating multiple aircraft to each target, air forces withPGMs can assign multiple targets to eachaircraft.

The growing acceptance of PGMs maybe judged from the fact that only ninepercent of the munitions used in DesertStorm of 1991 were guided, but over halfof bombs dropped over Afghanistansince 2001 have been PGMs.

One of the principal game-changershas been the Paveway laser-guided bomb(LGB), bringing massive reductions inthe sorties (and expenditure) required todestroy each ground target.

In a 2007 presentation by Maj-GenDavid Eidsaune, then commander of theUS Air Force Air Armament Center at

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The INS/GPS-guided, rocket-powered Sagem SBU-38 Aasm,

recently named Hammer

Eglin AFB, Florida, it was stated that in1943 Boeing B-17s had a 1000-metreCEP (the radius of a ‘circle of equal prob-ability’ containing 50% of bombsdropped).

McDonnell F-4s making dive attackswith unguided bombs in South Vietnamaround 1970 were more accurate, but aCEP of 122 metres still limited effective-ness against small hard targets.

The LGB that brought single-digitCEPs was pioneered by Texas Instru-ments (TI), whose defence electronicsbusiness was bought by Raytheon in1997. The Paveway I was first used on asignificant scale in 1972, alongside lesssuccessful electro-optical guided bombs.By the time the Vietnam War ended in1975, over 10,000 Paveway Is had beendropped by the US Air Force alone.

General Eidsaune’s presentationcompared pre-LGB Vietnam experiencewith Desert Storm. In 1970 it took 30 F-4sorties with 176 (227 kg) bombs to

destroy a typical target, whereas by 1991the Lockheed Martin F-117 with a pair of(907 kg) Paveway II/IIIs and a CEP ofonly 3.05 metres could reliably take outtwo targets per sortie.

At the time of Desert Storm it wasreported that the Paveway II kit cost onlyaround $ 10,000 and the Paveway III fourtimes as much. By 2004 the NorthropGrumman B-2 could achieve the remark-able CEP of 2.15 metres, and destroy 16separate targets per sortie.

More than 56,000 Paveway Is wereproduced, designated GBU-10/11/12according to warhead type (900/1360/225-kg class respectively). It had small fixedtail surfaces, and its limited manoeuvra-bility restricted the release envelope.However, its range of more than five kmfrom a 30-degree dive at 16,000 ft put thelaunch aircraft outside the reach of 57-mm guns and the SA-9 (and far beyond 23mm and the SA-7).

The Paveway II was given fold-outwings for improved manoeuvrability,range and accuracy. Maximum range isover nine km from release at 20,000 ft,and later models allow the selection ofapproach heading and impact angle.However, it retains the bang-bang con-trol system of Paveway I.

The 285-kg RaytheonGBU-49/B, heremounted on a GeneralAtomics MQ-9 Reaper,is an EGBU-12Enhanced Paveway IIwith Mk 82 or BLU-111 warhead, INS/GPS guidance andlaser homing. (US Air Force)

The basic Paveway II variants are the275-kg GBU-12, the US Navy’s 454-kgGBU-16C/B, the 960-kg GBU-10 and1360-kg GBU-11.

Enhanced PavewayThe Enhanced Paveway II Dual-ModeLGB adds GPS/INS for mid-course navi-gation. This allows post-launch laseracquisition and attacks on offset targets,giving a massive increase in footprint.

Adding GPS also allows known tar-gets to be attacked with near precision,regardless of weather, using co-ordinatesentered either pre-flight or in-flight. Theprincipal EP2-DMLGBs are the 285-kgEGBU-12 or (more correctly) GBU-49,

The Enhanced Paveway III DMLGBwith GPS/INS has a maximum range of 36.5km. The 308-kg Paveway IV is a RaytheonSystems development for the British servic-es, basically an Enhanced Paveway IIDMLGB with anti-spoofing/jammingGPS/INS guidance, an Enhanced Mk 82penetration warhead and a Thales/AlliantTechsystems Aurora fuze.

Most (over 275,000) Paveway IIscome from Raytheon, but LockheedMartin has produced more than 150,000GBU-12F/Bs. The latter company alsomanufactures the Laser-Guided TrainingRound (LGTR), of which over 50,000have been built. The US Navy plans toacquire the 45-kg Scalpel armed versionof the LGTR.

Lockheed Martin is responsible for theLongshot low-cost wing-kit with built-inGPS/INS guidance, extending the range ofordnance such as Mk 82/83 bombs andCBU-58/87/97 submunition-dispensers to90 km from release at 35,000 ft.

Non-American LGBsRussia’s Region (part of Tactical Missiles)markets the laser-guided LGB-250, Kab-500L and Kab-1500L, these numbers indi-cating nominal weights in kilos.

The Region Kab-500L was sold toChina with the Sukhoi Su-27/30s, andprovided the technology for the 565-kgLuoyang/CASC LT-2. This entered Chi-nese service around 2003 and is exportedas the GB-1.

Elbit Systems produces the laser-guid-ed Lizard LGB, part of its Whizzardseries, which includes the Opher with IIRseeker. The Gal (GPS-Aided Lizard)adds satellite and inertial guidance.

The Griffin laser guidance kit is pro-duced by Israel Aerospace Industries’MBT division, which is now promoting its

NGLGB (Next Generation LGB) kit forMk 82/83/84-series bombs, providing atwelve-km range and five-metre accura-cy. In 2009 MBT unveiled its MediumLGB with 80 kg warhead, wing-kit, GPSand laser terminal homing. Israel MilitaryIndustries markets its 500-kg PB-500A1penetration warhead in combinationwith the Paveway II kit.

EO/IIRElectro-optical guidance provides aclose-up view of the target, facilitatingstrike-point refinement and damageassessment. Imaging-infrared (IIR)extends operation into night-time andmay see through smokescreens, but withreduced image quality. However, the highcost of EO/IIR guidance makes it less

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Missiles

In September 2010the US Air Forcebegan trials with theGBU-56/B, a Mk 84version of the BoeingLaser Jdam, shownhere below the wingof a Lockheed MartinF-16 at Eglin AFB,Florida. (US Air Force)

Shown on a BoeingAV-8B, thisEnhanced PavewayII Dual Mode LGBaugments laserhoming withINS/GPS. The GPSaerials are mountedon either side of thefront section.(Lockheed Martin)

The US Navy plans to buy theLockheed Martin Scalpel (SmallContained Area Laser PrecisionEnergetic Load), a lethal derivative ofthe company’s unarmed Laser-GuidedTraining Round. (Lockheed Martin)

The Lizard 4 or Gal (GPS-AidedLizard) is the latest in the Elbit laser-homing Lizard series. It is part of thecompany’s Whizzard family, whichincludes the Opher with IIR seeker.(Elbit Systems)

attractive than laser homing, generallyrestricting its use to special missions.

The US Air Force still stocks theTV/IIR-guided 1125-kg Boeing GBU-15glide bomb, and its 1315-kg AGM-130rocket-boosted derivative (both of whichhave received GPS upgrades). However,they are rarely used, and only from theBoeing F-15E. The service factsheets givetheir unit costs as $ 250,000 and $ 450,000respectively.

Rafael Advanced Defense Systemsmarkets the Spice 2000 based on the Mk84 bomb, and the Spice 1000 based on theMk 83. Each has a CCD/IIR seeker withautomatic target recognition facility, andthe Spice 1000 has a wing-kit, extendingmaximum range to well over 60 km.

the 503-kg EGBU-16 or GBU-48, and the953-kg EGBU-10 or GBU-50.

Paveway III has proportional controls.Its approach angle and time and speed ofimpact can all be selected. Variantsinclude the 1050/1077-kg GBU-24 serieswith large fixed wings to suit the Mk 84warhead or Lockheed Martin BLU-109/B Advanced Unitary Penetrator. The984-kg GBU-27A/B with BLU-109 orMk 84, and the 2130-kg GBU-28B/B withGeneral Dynamics BLU-113A/B pene-trator, were given swing-wings to suitinternal carriage on the Lockheed MartinF-117A and Northrop Grumman B-2Arespectively. The 327 kg GBU-22/B withMk 82 warhead has swing-wings for car-riage on the Lockheed Martin F-16.

Region produces the TV-guided Kab-500Kr and -1500Kr. Still under develop-ment, the Upab-1500 appears to be arocket-boosted bomb with swing-wingsand TV terminal guidance, presumablyfollowing satellite/inertial mid-coursenavigation.

Iran is using TV guidance for theGBU-67/9A Qadr glide bomb, based onthe Mk 84 warhead, and the rocket-pow-ered AGM-379/20 Zoobin, based on the340-kg M117.

SatNavThe 1991 Gulf War demonstrated theprecision of laser homing, but also itsdependence on a clear sightline to thetarget. This resulted in the developmentof satellite navigation for bombs (usuallycombined with inertial inputs), althoughit was recognised that this would giveonly near precision, and that satelliteemissions are so weak that they are rela-tively easily jammed. As noted earlier,satellite navigation was also added tosome laser-homing kits, providing dual-mode capability.

The leader in GPS/INS weapons is theBoeing Jdam (Joint Direct Attack Muni-tion), which combines a guidance tail-kitwith body strakes for manoeuvrabilityand extended range (28 km). The Jdamwas first used operationally in the Balka-ns in 1999. Boeing has now manufacturedmore than 210,000 for the US servicesand 22 foreign customers, and productioncontinues at over 700 per month. Unitcost is around $ 20,000.

The US Air Force quotes a requiredJdam accuracy of 13 metres against a pre-

cisely surveyed target (although 4.9metres was reportedly achieved in trials),or 30 metres using INS alone. The princi-pal forms of Jdam are the 925/960-kgGBU-31 with Mk 84/BLU-109 warhead,the 460-kg GBU-32 with Mk 83 or BLU-110 and the 268-kg GBU-38 with Mk 82,BLU-111 or BLU-126.

The GBU-38(V)4/B Jdam employsthe US Navy’s 210-kg BLU-126/B LowCollateral Damage Bomb (LCDB),which is basically the BLU-111 with 85%

gy demonstration programme with theMBDA Diamond Back wing-kit and theBLU-109 warhead. In 2009 Boeing begandevelopment of a 900 kg Jdam-ER with aKorean partner, but that effort stalled dueto lack of funding, and the company is nowlooking for an alternative collaborator.

Possible future developments includeRadar Jdam, with a millimetre-wave seek-er giving an all-weather strike capabilityagainst targets such as small boats.

Jdam may also benefit from the USNavy’s Damask (Direct Attack Munition- Affordable Seeker) programme, whichuses a low-cost ($ 10,000) Raytheon IIRseeker developed for cars. Using a pre-loaded target image, this seeker wouldprovide a CEP of three metres.

The accurate use of GPS depends onaccess to the Pentagon’s encrypted preci-sion P-Y codes, which are changedmonthly. Region manufactures the satel-lite-guided Kab-500S-E, which canreportedly use either GPS or Glonass.Bazalt markets the Fab-500M62 withMPK wing-kit and satellite/inertial guid-

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China’s equivalent ofthe 460-kg GBU-32version of BoeingJdam is the 540-kgCAIC FT-1, shownhere. The smaller 230-kg FT-3 corresponds tothe 268-kg GBU-38Jdam. (Armada/RB)

ance. It has a range of 6.5 km from lowlevel, and 15 km from altitude. Similarguidance is used in the PBK-500U glidebomb, which dispenses 15 SPBE-K sen-sor-fuzed submunitions.

China’s CAIC has developed the 540-kg FT-1 and 230-kg FT-3 satellite guidedbombs, which become the 600-kg FT-2and 320-kg FT-6 with swing-wing kits. Thelatest of the series is the 100-kg FT-5. Thewing-kits are claimed by CAIC to extendmaximum range from 20 to 90 km.

These weapons are marketed with theChengdu JF-17, and presumably use C/A(coarse-acquisition) GPS signals. The 540-kg, 60-km winged Luoyang LS-6 devel-oped for domestic use may be linked toChina’s Beidou satellite system.

In 2009 Turkey’s Tubitak-Sageunveiled its HGK INS/GPS guidancetailkit for Mk 84 bombs. A version for theMk 82 is planned.

SDBThe accuracy of modern air-to-groundweapons allows small warheads todestroy most targets. Lightweightweapons allow more targets to beattacked in a single sortie, reducing attri-tion. Small weapons also facilitate inter-nal carriage in stealth fighters.

of its explosive filling replaced by inertglass beads, leaving only 12.2 kg of PBX-109. The BLU-126/B is also used in thelaser-guided GBU-51/B Paveway II.

In parallel with this US Navy effort,the US Air Force is developing for theJdam series the BLU-129/B PrecisionLethality Mk 82 bomb with a carbon-fibre-wound warhead.

The Laser Jdam adds a DSU-38/B seek-er produced by Fort Worth-based EFW, forattacks on targets moving at up to 112km/h. It is currently used only in the formof the GBU-54/B with Mk 82 warhead, butlaser integration with the heavier Mk 83,Mk 84 and BLU-109 Jdams is planned.Tests of the GBU-56/B Ljdam with Mk 84warhead began in September 2010.

The Ljdam entered service in 2008 andis now in production for the US servicesand Germany. It is claimed to give a CEPof three metres for a fixed aimpoint andsix metres against a moving target.

The Jdam-ER will have a wing-kit,tripling glide range to around 75 km. Boe-ing Defense Space & Security, workingwith Boeing Aerostructures Australia (for-merly Hawker de Havilland) and the Aus-tralian Government, has developed awing-kit for the 225-kg version, and it ishoped to start production shortly. Jdam-ER has also been tested under a technolo-

China’s 320-kg FT-6, shown in modelform at AAD 2010, has a swing-wingkit that extends range to a maximum of90 km. It is marketed by AerospaceLong-march International. (Armada/RB)

In 1997 Air Combat Command voiced aneed for a miniaturised munition, combin-ing penetration, standoff range and betteraccuracy than the Jdam. In 2001 workbegan on a 130-kg (class) differential-GPSguided Small Diameter Bomb (SDB), ofwhich eight could be carried in the weaponbays of the Lockheed Martin F-22.

In 2003 Boeing was selected to devel-op and produce the SDB-1, of which theUS Air Force plans to acquire 24,000.Deliveries of the GBU-39/B with MBDADiamond Back wing-kit began in 2006.Unit cost is around $ 30,000.

The GBU-39/B has demonstrated arange of 99 km from release at 30,000 ft.It has excellent penetration due to itshard casing, slender shape and a guidancesystem that aligns the body with its veloc-ity vector at impact.

For situations in which low collateraldamage is more important than penetra-tion, Boeing produces the Focused Lethal-ity Munition (FLM) version of the SDB,with a composite case and a dense inertmetal explosive (Dime) blast warhead.

In August 2010 Raytheon was selectedto develop the 93-kg GBU-53/B SDB-II,which is a completely new, shorterweapon, to allow the Lockheed Martin F-35 to carry eight internally. Intended todestroy a moving tank in all-weather con-ditions, day or night, the SDB-II has a tri-mode (EO, laser and millimetre-waveradar) seeker, a two-way datalink for tar-get updates and a multi-effect warheadcombining a shaped-charge, blast andfragmentation. It is expected to enter

service on the F-15E in 2015, and costaround $ 87,000.

HammerFrance took a different approach, aimingto fill the gap between the Paveway IIand conventional guided missiles withthe rocket-powered Sagem Aasm(Armement Air-Sol Modulaire), recentlyrenamed Hammer.

The baseline SBU-38 kit, known as the‘decametric’ version for its near-precisiondelivery, consists of a nose section withINS/GPS and tandem cruciform canards,and a tail section with large wings and asolid-fuel rocket motor. It was first testedin September 2004. The SBU-64 ‘metric’version adds an IIR seeker and was firsttested in July 2007.

Each of these variants weighs approx-imately 340 kg, being based on 250-kgclass warheads: the Mk 82, BLU-111 orthe ‘Bang’/Cbems (Bombe Aeronavalede Nouvelle Generation/Corps deBombe a Effets Multiples Securisee)penetration warhead. These Aasm-250shave a range of 50 km in a low-level tossattack, or 80 km from high-level release.Impact angle is selectable. The SBU-38was first used operationally by the Das-sault Rafale in Afghanistan in 2008. Thethird stage of Aasm development is theSBU-54 with laser seeker.

A total of 1424 Hammers have so farbeen ordered for the French Air Forceand Navy, out of 3400 planned for use onthe Dassault Mirage 2000 and Rafale.

Under an agreement signed in 2008,MBDA is responsible for Hammer mar-keting. The first international sale is toMorocco, which intends to use the Ham-mer on its Dassault Mirage F1s.

It is planned to adapt the Hammer kitto other bomb bodies. For example, an‘Aasm-125’ with a Mk 81 warhead wastested from a Mirage 2000 in February2009. Both MBDA and TDA Armements(now part of Thales) are developing one-tonne CMP (Charge Militaire de Pene-tration) warheads for Hammer.

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In August 2010Raytheon wasselected to developthe 93-kg GBU-53/BSmall DiameterBomb IncrementTwo, which has aswing-wing kit, multi-effect warhead andtri-mode seeker.(Raytheon)

From left to right: the South African Air Force is funding the development of the Denel Umbani (Lightning) as a technology project.Flight trials are expected to take place soon on a Hawk Mk 120. The Umbani-LR with a wing-kit will extend range to 120 km.Advanced Technologies & Engineering is proposing to integrate the weapon on the Saab Gripen. The 1200-kg Raptor IID is the latestversion of the TV-guided, rocket-powered, swing-wing weapon cleared for use on the Dassault Mirage III/F1 and Sukhoi Su-24.(Armada/RB)

Sagem SBU-38 Aasm, recentlyrenamed Hammer, is shown here onthe Dassault Rafale. It is released like aconventional bomb prior to rocketmotor ignition and was first employedoperationally over Afghanistan in2008. (Sagem)

Potential customers for the Hammerinclude Finland, India and Saudi Arabia.This last country is purchasing air-to-ground weapons for its upgraded PanaviaTornadoes and new-build EurofighterTyphoons.

Another weapon family aimed atTyphoon application is the Diehl BGTDefence Hope/Hosbo swing-wing glidemissile series. The former (HOchleistungs -PEnetrator) is a 1400-kg buried targetmunition and the latter (HOchleistungs -SprengBOmbe) a 500-kg blast bomb. a

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