RFI for Trajectory Correctable Munitions, Terminally Guided Munitions

9 Jun 2010 8ak: DG Artillery under the Integrated Headquarters of Ministry of Defence (Army) has released 3 RFIs related to ammunition. Two of them are in relation to smart ammunition - Trajectory Correctible Ammunition (TCM) and Terminally Guided Munition (TGM). 

8ak did an article on 11 May 2010 that "Less than 1% of Indian munition is Precision Guided". So it good to see that the Army is seriously considering this purchase. The following is a tech primer. 8ak's detailed report "Challenges in India's Artillery Modernisation Program" will be released on Jun 14 which will be tech primer, operating guide and summary of artillery tenders, all in one.   

In conventional munition, a fuze is attached to the shell and acts purely as a detonation device which controls whether the munition bursts after a set time, after penetrating the target or at a particular distance from it. In case of such conventional ammunition, the probability of hitting the target is directly proportional to the distance from the gun. There are currently two main ways to make munitions more accurate. 

a) Provide navigational information to the munition. Using GPS/INS information, the shell can correct its line and range for improved accuracy. This is trajectory correctible munition (TCM). 

b) Since the target could have moved by the time the co-ordinates reach the gunner, the second method is that instead of getting locational information, the sensors instead get information from the target. In case of the Copperhead or Russian Krasnopol, which are laser guided, the target has to be highlighted with a laser designator, possibly by a forward observer. Since the munition is guided by emissions from or bouncing off the target, it is called Terminally Guided Munition (TGM). 

When there is no one to illuminate/highlight the target, sensors IIR/MMW can be fitted in to the fuze/shell so that it can identify the target itself. In case of the now discontinued Sadarm system this was done via a IIR/MMW sensor fuzed submunitions over the target. This top-attack munition could take out a tank. 

But these methods are expensive. Each Excalibur shell in use by the American's in Afghanistan is $80,000 - 100,000. Also, most countries have huge ammunition stockpiles that are not refreshed unless used in war or discarded due to obsolescence. Hence, there are precision guided kits that are basically a replacement for the fuze. These mostly have GPS/INS capability and cost less than $3,000 and offer similar CEPs as that of TCMs.

Use of precision weapons reduces the amount of ammunition required to achieve the mission and hence huge reduction in inventory and related logistics. So it is easy to think that this could be the end of dumb ammunition. But it is not because at short ranges dumb munitions may be just as effective, they are much cheaper and can be used in combination with smart ammunition. For eg a commander may choose to first use a few precision rounds and then follow up with 'steel rain' to create psychological fear in the enemy and destroy other lower value targets/infrastructure. Hence, IHQ (Army) has simultaneously issued a RFI for a 120mm mortar system. US company ATK also offers precision capability in mortars. 

The tenders can be found on tenders.gov.in or please email the editor *@* 8ak.in. Key people who are expected to respond are BAE Systems, Israel's IAI and Russia's KBP Instrument Design Bureau.

Report: UAVs for Counter-Insurgency - Global Market & Technologies Outlook 2010 - 2015

01 Jun 2010 8ak: Market Intelligence Group (US) has released a report on UAV technology, operational capabilities and global market outlook. Manu Sood, Editor, 8ak interviewed Ed Herlik, Partner, MIG about the report which can be purchased on 8ak here.

8ak: What is the report about?

Herlik: Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) technology is improving rapidly in terms of platform and payload. How to integrate the improved capabilities with military doctrine is a challenge that needs to be understood both by sellers and the buyers (government & military) around the world. UAVs are an indispensable tactical as well as strategic tool, gathering and distributing multiple forms of data, linking communications and enabling other capabilities such as special operations.

This report is part of a series of three reports. Border Security was released earlier in the year and another on Commercial Applications is due to be released soon. The reports are not only about where the technology is going, but also where the investments are going. Looking at Predator type UAV videos, the general perception is that these types of UAVs are the most desirable but our reports point out the market for these will grow only slightly and will pale in comparison to the growth in other types of UAVs.

Predators/Heron class UAVs will be quite useful for nations like India that are just now developing UAVs. More developed markets are moving on to commercially useful extreme persistence and micro UAVs.

8ak: Why is it relevant to India, given that each country would face a different form of insurgency? 

Herlik: India is concerned about the integrity of its international borders, attacks from insurgents and security of remote islands. All of these issues are addressed in the reports. Border security is the focus of the first report while insurgencies (to include island bases) are covered in UAVs for Counter-Insurgency.

The US army’s first priority is to establish radio communication before they even think of camera-based surveillance. This challenge is the same for India when they send small units in to jungles and the report covers how UAVs can be used to establish radio communications. 

It is very easy for insurgents to take forest cover and hardest for the forces to find them. However, there are not many people in the jungles and UAVs can look for signs of life, tracks and patterns that can make finding them much easier and importantly also creating the fear amongst the insurgents that they cannot take forest cover for granted. One can also track and detect very short range radios communications. Drug smugglers in the US use throw away radios because they have only a 6km range without realising that this in not linear, rather the signal is in the form of a bubble. So a UAV could effectively pick up these radio communications and track, trace or block them. 

The report also gives an example on the straits around Indonesia. Here the Coast Guard can launch small recoverable-UAVs from a patrol boat that could monitor an island. The boat can continue its course and the UAV is fast enough to catch up after the mission to be refuelled for the next island.  

8ak: Who should buy this report in India?

Herlik: The report is applicable to buyers, sellers and new entrants for this technology. In case the buyer is the government or military, it would help them understand where the technology is going, applications they may not have considered and a detailed Operating Concept showing the best way to integrate UAVs with existing forces. So when they are speaking with sellers they can ensure desirable capabilities are not left out, are better able to compare between various platforms/sellers and can use the analysis for proof that an independent expert verifies the value of their product. 

For sellers who think they fully understand the technology, can still use the graphic diagrams and charts to show the buyers an independent third party confirmation about applications and capabilities. 

8ak: What are MiG’s capabilities in terms of reports/intelligence especially in an India context?

Herlik: MiG uses analysts who are respected in their fields. For example, I am responsible for this report and for discussing it with customers. I have over 5,500 hours flying fighter jets, have 2 patents and another two pending applications for UAV related patents. Besides the lead analyst, MiG has a staff of graphics and production experts who ensure that our quality standards are met. 

On UAVs, we analysed 9 UAV market reports expecting that the forecasts would be parallel, but the divergence was huge and only two of them got it right for 2010. Given that market forecasts are so variable, MiG reports focuses approximately 50% on the technology and operating concepts and then only 50% about market forecasts. This we believe will give the best insights and value to the readers. 

In addition, updates to the reports are free. So if a major new buy or disruptive technology comes out, we will send updates to the customer for no charge.  

8ak note: 8ak is authorised to sell the MiG report on Counter Insurgency and also the one on Border Security. To speak to Ed Herlik or Manu Sood, please ring + 91 99110 22056, email advisory (a_t) 8ak.in or buy the report on 8ak here.

CII Artillery Seminar- "Less than 1% of Indian ammunition is precision guided"

11 May 2010 8ak: During the Vietnam war (1955-1975), Americans flew over 800 sorties and lost 10 aircraft in trying to destory the Thanh Hoa bridge but could do only peripheral damage which was quickly repaired. This changed when in 1972, the Americans came back with 12 Phantoms of which 8 were carrying laser guided bombs and successfully destroyed the bridge. (See Eglin and Wikipedia). According to P.G. Gillespie, in America's Rolling Thunder campaign (Vietnam 1965-68), F-105s with conventional munitions achieved an average accuracy of about 450 feet with only 6% direct hits.

Pointing to this background on May 10 at CII's 3rd International Seminar on Artillery Technology, Brig (Retd) Gurmeet Kanwal, Director, Centre for Land Warfare Studies pointed out that the U.S. has since invested in precision guided munitions (PGMs) and so they today represent 80% of munitions used in war. Defense update states that in Operation Iraqi Freedom which started in 2003 "Around 66% of US munitions and up to 85% of RAF munitions used during OIF were precision guided, either by Global Positioning Systems (GPS) or by laser or both. This demonstrates a huge leap forward in capability since the 1991 conflict, when the proportion of precision guided munitions was around 30% of US and 18% of RAF weapons were guided." In an earlier presentation, General V.K. Singh, Chief of the Army Staff, PVSM, AVSM, YSM, ADC said that "Gone are the days when during an artillery attack, the safest place to be was at the target." 

Given the increasing importance of artillery Brig. Kanwal said that it is shocking to note that less than 1% of India's munition stockpile is precision guided. He said that despite India's decisive victory in Kargil 1999 being attributed, in part, to Indian artillery superiority with the Bofors guns, the Indian Army has failed to modernise its artillery regiments. While hinting at the DPP 2008 as being part of the blame, people 8ak spoke to said that it is also the fault of the Indian army. If it was purely a Ministry of Defence (MoD) and procurement process issue, why is it that the Navy is constantly rolling out new ships with the latest technologies when it has to operate under the same conditions? 

Brig. Kanwal stated that picking up the slack in artillery modernisation is urgent because according to him there is an 80-90% probability that India's next war will be in the mountains and a 60-70% probability that it will remain restricted to the mountains. Explaining this he said that deep strikes in to India's neighbouring territories would risk flying over (secret) nuclear installations which would initiate a retaliation that would escalate the war to a level undesirable to either country.

Totalling US$8 billion, India has possibly the largest military modernisation program in the world. On Monday, 24 May 2010, 8ak will release a report on "Challenges in India's Artillery Modernisation Program" that will follow on from the conference and a report from Religare Advisory Services. For more information and to order a copy of the report, please click here.

2 presenters at the conference quoted Napoleon, "God fights on the side with the best artillery"

CII report on Defence Offsets in India

02 May 2010 8ak: 8ak is pleased to announce the availability of CII's report on Indian Defence Offsets from our website. Discounted price of Rs 1,400 plus delivery charges. For more details see here. 8ak will shortly be expanding this service.

1971 War Hero: 2nd Lt Arun Khetarpal, Param Vir Chakra

20 Mar 2010 8ak: Born on 14 October 1950, in Pune, Maharashtra, 2nd Lt Arun Khetarpal came from a family with a long tradition of service in the Army. His great grandfather had served in the Sikh army and fought against the British at the battle of Chalianwala in 1848. His grandfather served in the British army during the first world war and Arun’s father, Brigardier M.L. Khetarpal, served in the Engineering corps till he retired from service.

After completing his initial education from Lawrence school, Sanawar, Arun joined the National Defence Academy (NDA) in 1967 and three years later went on to Indian Military Academy to complete his final phase of military training. He was commissioned in the 17 Poona Horse on 13 June 1971.

On 16 December 1971, the Squadron Commander of ‘B’ Squadron, the Poona Horse asked for reinforcement as the Pakistani Armour which was superior in strength, counter attacked at Jarpal, in the Shakargarh Sector. On hearing this transmission, 2nd Lieutenant Arun Khetarpal who was in ‘A’ Squadron, voluntarily moved along with his troop, to assist the other squadron. 

En route, while crossing the Basantar River, Second Lieutenant Arun Khetarpal and his troop came under fire from enemy strong points and RCL gun nests that were still holding out. Time was at a premium and as critical situation was developing in the ‘B’ Squadron sector, Lieutenant Arun Khetarpal, threw caution to the winds and started attacking the impending enemy strong points by literally charging them, overrunning the defence works with his tanks and capturing the enemy infantry and weapon crew at pistol point. 

When the commander of his troops was killed. Second Lieutenant Arun Khetarpal continued to attack relentlessly until all enemy opposition was overcome and he broke through towards the ‘B’ Squadron position, just in time to see the enemy tanks pulling back after their initial probing attack on this squadron. He was so carried away by the wild enthusiasm of battle and the impetus of his own headlong dash that he started chasing the withdrawing tanks and even managed to shoot and destroy one. Soon thereafter, the enemy reformed with a squadron of armour for a second attack and this time they selected the sector held by Second Lieutenant Arun Khetarpal and two other tanks as the points for their main effort. A fierce tank fight ensured ten enemy tanks were hit and destroyed of which Second Lieutenant Arun Khetarpal was severely wounded. He was asked to abandon his tank but he realised that the enemy though badly decimated was continuing to advance in his sector of responsibility and if he abandoned his tank the enemy would break through, he gallanty fought on and destroyed another enemy tank, At this stage his tank received a second hit which resulted in the death of this gallant officer.

Second Lieutenant Arun Khetarpal was dead but he had, by his intrepid valour saved the day; the enemy was denied the breakthrough they were so desperately seeking. Not a single enemy tank got through. Second Lieutenant Arun Khetarpal had shown the best qualities of leadership, tenacity of purpose and the will to close in with the enemy. This was an act of courage and self-sacrifice far beyond the call of duty.

Empower DOFA to execute defence offset guidelines

01 Sep 2009 Assocham: ASSOCHAM study has emphasized that DOFA, which currently works under patronage of Defence Ministry need to be authorized to involve Indian Inc. to participate in defence deals, as in next 4-5 years, domestic defence market would grow over US$ 700 million. Since the new Defence Offset Policy calls for larger private sector participation in defence purchases and procurement including imports, DOFA is the right body that can have parleys with Indian industry to strengthen and indigenise defence sector and thus, it should be empowered to regulate this sector by making suitable recommendations to highest authorities. Full news