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One of many defining options of a power that makes use of helicopters is that they’ve lengthy legs, and with all the assorted automobiles to select from in earlier posts, they’ll have even longer and stronger legs.
This part is about extending their arms and the attain of their eyes.
That is an attention-grabbing video from China.
They make use of a mixture of mounted and demountable weapons, which factors to an vital level, do you mount weapons or carry them?
A lot of the automobiles within the earlier posts within the sequence are unprotected.
If they’re handled as preventing automobiles there’s a greater danger of them faring poorly.
The true worth of any idea constructed round helicopter transportable automobiles is the folks they carry. If we are able to present the means for them to commute to and from work quicker, over larger distances than strolling, or in excessive terrain, that ought to be the main focus.
However as all the time, choices abound.
Sensors and Communications
Enhancing sensor functionality permits the deployed group to higher exploit the weapons they’ve with them, and the weapons that exist a mere phone name away.
Truthful fights are for boxers and schoolboys.
Naval Gunfire Help from a Sort 26 Frigate, an Apache raid, an F-35B or Storm sortie, a Tomahawk submarine-launched cruise missile, a Storm Shadow, GMLRS or among the future deep strike weapons within the planning pipeline ought to all be within the combine.
Good communications allow these linkages to be established.
Fortunately, even probably the most succesful communications programs are compact, the brand new MPU/5 and AN/PRC-163 for instance.
These will allow land forces to simply talk and
interoperate with NATO and US allies as properly offering an answer that may be simply tailor-made for every deployment.
The extremely succesful radios characteristic a variety of technical
advances and upgrades permitting them to work throughout a variety of safety classifications.
Slingshot and Troposcatter are two new programs from Spectra Group which have not too long ago entered service and have unrivalled capabilities.
Slingshot was used within the UK deployment to Mali not too long ago
The Elbit Dismounted Joint Fires Integrator (DJFI) system equips UK Joint Terminal Assault Controllers (JTACs).
Taken collectively, these allow small phrases to exert a disproportionate affect.
There are improve choices.
The not too long ago ordered Saab Giraffe 1x is a compact system, doesn’t want any air con and runs off customary energy provides.
Tethered UAS would even be a helpful addition, as would any of the air defence and C-UAS programs, though most of those may be dismounted.
The Hawkeye Land Surveillance system from Chess Dynamics, proven under mounted on an IDV Viking UGV.
It’s a vehicle-based system, but it will present a small and light-weight power with a critical uplift in remark and surveillance functionality.
It may very well be mounted on a lot of the automobiles within the sequence, not simply the uncrewed ones.
As MSI Defence has developed the ISO Flatrack mounted Terrahawk Paladin C-UAS system, a smaller-scale surveillance-only system utilizing one thing just like the Hawkeye, but mounted on a pallet footprint, would permit this functionality to be automobile impartial.
A couple of years in the past, an organization known as Dytecna developed a pallet-based gear shelter known as the Dice.
The Dice was designed to be adaptable, with choices for several types of digital gear and telescopic masts.
Dytecna are now not in enterprise, however the idea was sound, with new gear, it will present a mixture of capabilities and could be particular automobile agnostic.
Medium Calibre Computerized Weapons
The 7.62mm GPMG or different related weapons may be simply mounted on retracting or detachable pintle mounts, the 12.7mm HMG could be extra of a problem for some automobiles.
The mechanical simplicity of the M2 has a lot to commend it, recoil-operated and rock-solid. The quicker firing M3 is perhaps a quick-to-adopt choice (they’re already in service on Military Air Corps and Fleet Air Arm Wildcats), however it’s tough to see any benefits, the upper price of fireplace completely fits a helicopter, however not a automobile.
There are fairly a couple of 20mm computerized cannons nonetheless in manufacturing. The AE 20mm or Alexis 20mm weigh about the identical as an M2 however have considerably extra highly effective ammunition.
The Alexis weighs 49kg and has an efficient vary of 1,500m, with a selective price of fireplace of 300 or 750 rounds per minute, with TP Goal apply, TP-T Goal apply Tracer, AP Armour piercing, AP-T Armour piercing Tracer, HEI Excessive explosive incendiary and an MP Multi-purpose spherical.
The Nexter M621 is one other instance of a easy, recoil-operated, 20mm computerized cannon, as is the Rheinmetall KAE. The Nexter M621 has not too long ago been chosen by the German Military for particular forces use in a manually aimed ring mount.
20x113mm, 20x128mm and 20x139mm ammunition is manufactured all around the world, in widespread use with loads of natures accessible.
Transferring to 30mm, the 118kg Nobles Viper gun mount makes use of a manually aimed 30mm M230LF, sustaining ammunition commonality with Apache.
As a substitute of manually aimed pintle mounts, a Distant Weapon Station (RWS) dramatically will increase efficient vary and can present a secondary surveillance and remark functionality.
The newest RWS order is for Boxer, the Kongsberg Protector RS4, manufactured below licence by Thales in Glasgow.
The RS4 is the newest iteration and is now totally GVA compliant, has multi-axis stabilisation, gives the flexibility to be remotely managed from exterior of the automobile and may be operated by a number of crew stations, a really intelligent piece of kit that permits the utmost vary of the mounted weapon to be totally exploited.
It provides 135kg of prime weight, plus the load of the weapon and ammunition.
It would characteristic a Thales Catherine-EZ cooled thermal imager, Thales CELT3 laser rangefinder and Kongsberg VIS95 daylight digital camera.
Though you see them lower than the 12.7mm Heavy Machine Gun in promotional supplies, the Thales RS4 can even mount the 40mm Grenade Machine Gun. With a capability to fireplace Excessive Velocity 40mm grenades, it might present overlapping and complementary choices to the 12.7mm HMG, to an analogous vary.
The GMG doesn’t have a twin feed functionality so any change in nature would require guide intervention so dual-purpose natures appear to be the commonest, accessible from many sources. To this point, air-bursting 40mm HV grenades don’t appear to have entered broadly into service, however choices are definitely there.
To allow this, a change to the weapon is required, Nammo is advertising and marketing a product known as the MPU that permits present 40mm AGLs to be shortly modified for his or her air-bursting natures.
Exploiting the newer air-bursting grenades, there are additionally some attention-grabbing counter-UAS options changing into accessible, the Aselsan Atom and an analogous product from Nammo/Escribano. With an efficient vary of about 500m, these counter-UAS grenades have apparent limits.
Utilizing an uncrewed automobile to quietly place and reposition a direct-fire 30mm computerized weapon would I feel be fairly a robust proposition, arguably one of many higher makes use of for them.
AEI has developed a low-cost and ITAR-free 30mm computerized cannon known as the Venom-LR.
The British Military has not too long ago trialled this with a Unirobotics Trakon RWS on a HIPPO HAWC uncrewed platoon load-carrying automobile described earlier within the sequence.
Venom-LR has an efficient vary of two,000m with unfold of ammunition natures and a complete weight of 120kg. Single shot or computerized, this is able to be a strong addition.
AEI has achieved plenty of work on recoil power attenuation and a few have claimed that the Venom 30mm LR generally is a direct drop-in alternative for 12.7mm M2, proven under on a Valhalla Midgard RWS
Varied different RWS may very well be used, off the shelf, or utilizing in-service designs.
Including a medium-calibre computerized weapon, particularly with an RWS, to any of the automobiles or trailers dramatically will increase the surveillance functionality, firepower and long-range effectiveness of the deployed power, however it comes on the important penalty of being vehicle-bound.
Missiles and Loitering Munitions
Transportable weapons reminiscent of Javelin and NLAW are in service and may very well be carried in first rate portions, loitering munitions could not but be in service however they’ve been trialled and are at ample expertise readiness to introduce shortly ought to they be wanted.
There isn’t any absolute want for automobile integration.
Brimstone 3/JAGM
As Brimstone 3 enters service with the RAF and JAGM with the British Military (on Apache), these 50kg weapons present an choice for a light-weight power to increase their attain past Javelin, and with Brimstone 3, the very highly effective autonomous steerage functionality.
Brimstone 3 may very well be volley launched from cowl and the launch level vacated earlier than the missiles hit their targets.
As now we have seen from Ukraine, Brimstone automobile launch is feasible, and numerous automobile and UGV producers have proven fashions in numerous configurations.
A six-missile launcher on the Milrem Themis
Or the 8 missile launcher on this Venture Wulfram demonstration automobile from Supacat.
Not all of the automobiles within the earlier posts would accommodate these, however most would, and they might all be tethered to the automobile.
AVT additionally did some idea work on Brimstone, properly price a glance.
A single-round launcher is one other different to keep away from automobile dependence.
This doesn’t exist for Brimstone 3, or I feel for JAGM, however the Swedish Robotic 17 (Robotsystem 17) exhibits what is feasible with a 50kg missile.
Distributed, and launched remotely, a Brimstone 3 or JAGM on this configuration could be a strong ambush weapon.
A few producer mock-ups have additionally been proven utilizing the triple rail launcher on a heavy elevate UAS, reminiscent of this from Hydra Drones.
A single system as above may very well be contained inside a easy vehicle-mounted pallet field, used to increase the attain of the workforce.
Exactor/Spike NLOS
If Javelin is 4km (ish) and Brimstone 8km (ish), Exactor (or Spike NLOS) pushes out to 25km (ish), however with an electro-optical steerage system.
With an efficient vary of between 25 and 30 km, the newest variant weighs 71kg in its canister, a lot bigger and heavier than the earlier variations.
Within the present towed configuration, it ought to be attainable to hold internally in both Lerlin or Chinook, however the top is perhaps difficult.
Different customers have proven them on smaller automobiles.
An identical configuration may very well be used on most of the automobiles on this sequence.
The way forward for Exactor appears unsure, particularly because it straddles the space between the Mounted Shut Fight Overwatch (MCCO) and Land Precision Strike (LPS) programmes, however it will little doubt present an additional degree of longer-range precision assault functionality.
It’s nonetheless getting used, as proven on this current tweet from 7 Regiment Royal Horse Artillery
Loitering Munitions
The identical may very well be achieved with a lot of the loitering munitions and UAS generally accessible, increasing the deployed power attain considerably, the very essence of not preventing truthful.
One instance is the UVision Hero 120, additionally provided by Rheinmetall.
Hero 120 weighs 12kg, with a 4.5kg warhead and a variety of 40km. Hero 120 has been bought by the USMC and demonstrated to the Royal Navy as a part of their Percy Hobart Fellowship
The USMC model of Hero 120 was chosen to fulfill the necessities of its Natural Precision Fireplace Mounted (OPF-M) programme, utilizing the identical warhead as fitted to the Javelin, with Mistral inc delivering the programme.
Individually, the Flyer 72 is proven under with a Hero 120 launch meeting.
However a call on ‘mounted or demounted’ is identical.
LMM/Martlet and Starstreak Excessive-Velocity Missile (HVM)
Each LMM/Martlet and Starstreak HVM may be shoulder-launched.
Or use the Light-weight A number of Launchers (LML).
Both LMM or HVM may very well be merely carried as cargo, with out the necessity for any automobile integration.
70mm Rockets
Though we don’t but have any 70mm rockets in service that may substitute CRV-7 on Apache-E, I believe we are going to carry Hydra into service shortly, and certain APKWS II from BAE.
Arnold Protection for a couple of years has marketed a vehicle-based launch pod for 70mm rockets (not simply APKWS).
If APKWS does enter service it will likely be one other weapon choice that’s already within the provide chain, with solely the automobile launchers to acquire.
The 4-round LGR-4 weighs 27kg, along with the load of rockets and mounting mechanism. The launcher size is 1.9m
The utmost guided vary is 6km.
A 23-round launcher known as the LGR23 can be accessible, weighing 84kg.
Absolutely loaded, the LGR23 weighs 450kg.
There are different producers of comparable guided rockets and a number of launchers.
Mortars and Artillery
The issue with shifting artillery by air is all the time the ammunition, not the gun, however for completeness, the choice is there. Mortars is perhaps a extra good selection.
105mm Gentle Gun
The 105 mm L118 Gentle Gun has been in service with the British Military since 1974 and has been used frequently since, it’s a strong and dependable workhorse and will probably be in service for a couple of years but.
For additional dialogue on alternative choices, click on right here.
Though normally carried as an underslung load, it does match inside a Chinook and will achieve this in Merlin. Carriage effectivity would depend upon the towing automobile.
The area accessible for a towing automobile in both helicopter is proven under.
The 105mm Ligh-Gun shouldn’t be a straightforward load to govern.
The one sensible technique of carrying a Gentle Gun inside a Merlin is both guide loading and unloading, which given the ramp angle could be difficult, or utilizing some sort of tracked dolly as proven within the earlier posts.
For Chinook, a lot of the automobiles could be too lengthy, though some choices are proven under.
There’s nonetheless life left within the Gentle Gun, though not many others appear to suppose so, at an L36 Cost Tremendous vary of 17km, a single gun can affect an space of over 900 km2.
Mandus Hawkeye
Mandus (USA) and Bharat Forge Kalyani Group (India) are advertising and marketing a low-recoil mounted 105 mm gun, the latter at the side of the previous. Each are designed to be mounted on light-weight 4×4 automobiles and use a growth of the older XM204 low recoil system.
Mandus has since developed it additional, together with a 155 mm model. The 105 mm system makes use of a variant of the US model of the L118, the M119. This isn’t fairly as long-range as ours except rocket-assisted ammunition is used however it does present a glimpse of what is perhaps attainable.
Supacat and Mandus have proven the Hawkeye on an Extenda Mk2.
The gun and digital hearth management weigh roughly 1,200kg, and have an total size of three.42m, width of 0.98m and top of 1.16m.
Not one of the UGVs within the earlier posts both have the payload or area above the load mattress to accommodate it, it’s both too heavy or would make the automobile too excessive, identical with the skid steers and UTVs.
The one automobile that might accommodate it is without doubt one of the mini forestry forwarders from Kranman or Alstor. They’d match inside both a Merlin or Chinook with the Hawkeye on the rear deck, with the centre of mass over the rear carriage.
Taken collectively, they might even be inside weight limits.
The opposite, and maybe extra smart choice, is to place the gun system on a trailer. Any of the automobiles described within the 105mm Gentle Gun part above would be capable of tow it.
Due to the low recoil, the trailer might doubtlessly be on comparatively gentle, wheeled, tracked, on skis, and pushed or undriven.
A towed Mandus Hawkeye is an intriguing prospect for gentle function forces.
81mm Mortar
In service, and costing nothing.
The 5km vary 81mm mortar with a variety of natures is a perfect weapon for a small air-mobile power.
60mm mortars is also used, once more, in service (though unsure for the way lengthy).
Aspect-by-side UTVs can use among the trendy mounted programs, the MRZR Alpha D4 under for instance.
120mm Mortar
If the Military does determine on 120mm within the close to to medium time period it’s prone to be a mounted system and on Boxer, however the alternative will introduce 120mm mortar bombs into the availability chain, there to be exploited by lighter forces.
Though shorter vary than Exactor/Spike NLOS, 120mm mortars, even with precision bombs, are cheaper and produce other advantages.
A 120mm mortar could be yet one more firepower uplift for a small firm or raiding group.
120mm mortars have a big person base and an equally various manufacturing and growth ecosystem. Methods from Expal, Hirtenberger, and Thales can be found off the shelf, with as much as 10km vary in some circumstances.
The 8km vary Expal 120-MX2-SM is proven within the picture under, so simple as it will get.
There’s a giant quantity market and quite a lot of funding in novel ammunition.
120 mm mortars have a excessive trajectory, properly suited to mountainous, forest and concrete terrain, they’ll use conventional bipod and baseplate, or be towed by gentle automobiles, together with the vast majority of these featured on this sequence.
A extra trendy interpretation from Milanion – NTGS is proven under.
Decide the proper automobile, and it’s Chinook inside carriage attainable, x2, in 3D mannequin kind.
This kind of vehicle-integrated mortar system may be fitted to smaller UTV-type automobiles however but once more, the commerce between functionality and automobile reliance must be thought of.
Longer Vary Missiles
This part would possibly get a bit left-field, truthful warning.
Naval Strike Missile
Naval Strike Missile from Kongsberg is in service with the Royal Navy and others, a mature and succesful anti-ship guided missile.
By introducing the missile into the UK provide chain, the Royal Navy has already achieved the heavy lifting.
With a variety of over 185km, it weighs roughly 710kg in its launch capsule.
Car launch choices have been accessible for a while, however as a result of the USMC has it in service, we would be capable of leverage among the work they’ve achieved on two spherical launchers on an uncrewed JLTV known as the Naval/Marine Corps Expeditionary Ship Interdiction System (NEMESIS).
JLTV definitely doesn’t slot in a Merlin or Chinook, not that now we have any anyway.
The picture under exhibits a single canister in a USMC CH-53E, that has an inside cabin width of two.29m.
The USMC has totally different constraints, budgets and necessities than us, however it does present the idea shouldn’t be loopy; it’s being achieved and achieved properly.
The missile container is 4m lengthy, 0.81m extensive and 0.8m excessive. For Merlin and Chinook, the missile itself is properly inside limits however carriage would seemingly require one thing decrease than a lot of the automobile load beds within the sequence, besides the forestry forwarder described above.
The burden of the hearth management and information hyperlink system and elevation mechanism would have to be accounted for, however even with that included, a 1-round launcher remains to be prone to be lower than 1 tonne. A two-round launcher could be lower than 2 tonnes, towable by many automobiles on this sequence.
A 4m plus trailer is a difficult load for Merlin however as with the Gentle Gun, it may very well be attainable to make use of a tracked dolley or levelling platform to load and unload, even with the ramp angle. The trailer towing meeting creates some lifeless area that may very well be exploited or, as with the in-service ATV trailer, folded up out of the best way or indifferent.
It doesn’t go away a considerable amount of area in Chinook both.
As is clear from the picture above, a two-missile-wide trailer could be comparatively comfortable, another 1 missile trailer, is under.
In some methods, it’s a related downside to towing the Gentle Gun however with fewer automobiles qualifying due to the longer size. The trailer wheels could be outboard of the missile canister to permit them larger journey while preserving floor clearance and top to the fuselage ceiling, one more reason why a one missile trailer is best.
There usually are not many automobiles lower than 2.75m lengthy with the required towing capability, the Loglogic Tooltrack or RANG-R being two.
The comparatively slender width of the trailer additionally permits it to be angled, permitting a few different slender automobiles such because the orchard tractor or Mach 4R for use.
Of those two, the articulated Mach 4R would in all probability be simpler to do that with.
A removable A-frame and towing meeting would make this simpler.
GMLRS and Land Precision Strike
What do we all know?
We all know the unique MLRS idea had a trailer choice.
We all know a light-weight non-slewing launcher may be engineered, we did it and examined it (and this one had self-loading).
We all know the scale and weights of the Launch Pod Container (LPC), 4.04m lengthy, 1.05m extensive, and 0.84m (with skids) excessive.
Its most weight is 2,270kg.
It’s not past the realms of risk that the identical trailer may very well be used for each
The trailer would seemingly want stabilising legs however this is able to not be an insurmountable engineering downside. Given the use case, self-loading wouldn’t be a requirement to make it easy and low-weight, simply the bodily housing and a few technique of tilting the load mattress.
Tipping physique trailers are generally accessible, one other engineering downside that has lengthy since been solved
The USMC and Oshkosh are additionally taking a look at related ideas that utilise the identical base automobile as NSM with GMLRS, and even Tomahawk.
This opens up the potential of in-service GMLRS at 80km plus, 120km plus GMLRS+, 150km ER-GMLRS, the choice warhead, G-SMArt sensor fuzed submunitions, GL-SDB, Precision Strike Missile (PrSM), regardless of the Germans are doing with JSF-M, and even one thing from our mates at Hanwha.
It additionally brings into view regardless of the British Military is doing with Land Precision Strike.
Land Precision Strike may very well be MLRS/GMLRS Launch Pod Container based mostly.
Or particular person launch canister-based, as per CAMM.
The launch canisters are roughly 200mm extensive so to maintain inside the identical dimensional limits as NSM and the LPC, it will be smart to imagine three extensive by two excessive, just like the GMRLS.
Whether or not Land Precision Strike seems to be a ‘long-range Brimstone’.
Or a meting out payload for a GMLRS rocket.
It doesn’t matter at this stage.
ASRAAM has been mounted on a flatbed Supacat automobile to be used in Ukraine to wonderful results, discover how slender the launch mechanism is.
Even CAMM-ER is simply 4.2m lengthy.
It ought to be attainable to launch each single certainly one of these missiles and rockets on a trailer that may be carried inside a Merlin or Chinook, and with a little bit of forethought, the identical trailer.
Integration may not be as refined as on the bigger automobiles, with no onboard sensors or hearth management, no onboard energy era or hydraulics, and no onboard reloading, they might be loaded, used, and discarded.
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