Defence

Army

Firing Up - Army's new generation RBS70 arrives

Evolving as part of the Hardened Networked Army (HNA) Plan, 16^th Air Defence Regiment, the Australian Defence Force's (ADF's) only Ground Based Air Defence (GBAD) capability, is restructuring and taking delivery of new hardware. Army, the Defence Materiel Organisation (DMO) and Saab Systems have worked closely over several years to deliver a more lethal GBAD capability that is networked, versatile, agile and flexible. CAPT Brendan Kellaway explains...

A Gunner takes aim on a new RBS70
Photo provided by Saab Systems

Until November 2005, 16^th Air Defence Regiment ("The Air Defence Regiment") comprised a battery of the Saab Bofors Dynamics RBS70 missile systems and a battery of the BAE (British Aerospace) Rapier missile systems. The last firing of the highly capable but ageing Rapier took place in November and Rapier was then decommissioned - a sad moment for many Australian Air Defenders, farewelling the 'Kingswood' of GBAD weapons.

From March this year, both missile Batteries at The Air Regiment will introduce the latest generation RBS70 weapon system into service. You may ask, 'is this just more of the same?' The answer? No - the missile performance, night vision, radar performance and command, control, communication (C3) systems are significantly improved. The technology overhaul effectively combats a much changed air threat and provides a networked capability.

The latest RBS70 missile, called 'Bolide', has an intercept range of about 8 kilometres (km) and a ceiling of about 4.5km (15,000ft), compared to the previous 7kms and 3kms (10,000ft) of the Mark 2 missile. Like its predecessor, Bolide reaches a velocity of about Mach 2.2 (750metres per second). However, increased acceleration and other advances have improved missile performance against high speed crossing, pop-up and other demanding targets.

To defeat complex modern air threats, the Bolide also features a multi-role proximity fuse, selectable for threats like fighters, transport aircraft and helicopters, to smaller targets such as Unmanned Aerial Vehicles or cruise missiles.

Mike Wilkins (Saab Systems), Ross Erickson (DMO) and LTCOL Inger Lawes (16 AD Regt) inspecting the new hardware.
Photo by: 16 AD Regt

"Saab's involvement with the 16AD [Air Defence] during the development of its new enhanced GBAD system has been invaluable. The ability to access 16AD's expertise and its professional approach to the user workshops has allowed Saab to refine the system during its development." Michael Wilkin, Project Manager, Saab Systems

Saab Bofors Dynamics has made two key improvements to the new RBS70 weapon sight. The first is fitting the latest generation laser diodes, which produce more laser energy with less heat. Freon gas is no longer needed to cool the laser head, so gone are the associated risks (mainly Freon burns), the cumbersome gas refill kit and safety equipment and the logistical demand of gas resupply.

The second improvement is the Borc night sight which replaces the Clip on Night Device (COND). The Borc weighs about 11 kilograms (half the weight of COND) and incorporates a starring array sensor instead of a scanned array sensor, providing greater resolution and consuming less battery power.

Replacing the Portable Surveillance and Target Acquisition Radar (PSTAR) with the new extended range (designated PSTAR-ER) version sees an increase in range to greater than 40kms, versus the 20kms of its predecessor, and much improved detection of targets in radar clutter.

The most significant capability development is in the new Tactical Command and Control System (TaCCS). TaCCS enables all radars linked to the Command Post (CP) to be networked to produce single correlated local air picture and the instantaneous transmission of threat data to the terminal held by the weapon detachment commander. TaCCS can operate in a fully automatic state so that incoming threats are assessed and then allocated to the weapon detachment with greatest probably of a successful engagement. TaCCS can also operate with a 'soldier in the loop' so that the CP can review the radar information and manually allocate targets to fire units. Using the TaCCS, the CP can also communicate with the Detachments using free text (similar to SMS) or a template messaging system for Air Defence reports and returns.

Detachment training commences with the RBS70 and TaCCS hand held terminal.
Photo provided by Saab Systems

"Increasing radar range or resolution is aided by technology advances. The real challenge now is to make different types of sensors and networks communicate and present reliable, useful information in whatever configuration or scenario they may be used." Ross Erickson, Program Director, DMO

At the tactical level, this is Network-Centric Warfare realised! Data from several radars is correlated to generate a single local air picture. TaCCS is designed for growth so that radar feeds from other sources, such as Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) surveillance radars, can be correlated to create the Recognised Air Picture.

At the Detachment site, threat data is received in near real time, appearing on a hand-held computer unit. Audio tones are generated that steer, or cue, the operator toward the potential target.

The TaCCS' ability to network several sensor and provide near real-time battlespace information to the Detachment, Troop and Battery Commander will be one of the first realisations of the Chief of Army's vision for a network-enabled Army.

Included in the system are terminals that display the Local Air Picture generated by TaCCS. These terminals can be located at a deployed Battle Group or Joint Task Force headquarters (HQ) or at airspace control nodes. They provide situational awareness to conduct both friendly air and counter-air operations.

The new generation RBS70 system - weapon, surveillance and C3 - is capable of supporting the full spectrum of land operations. Normally, a Battery of 15 fire-units will be allocated to Task Force and, depending on the task, a Troop of five fire-units may be allocated to a Battle Group. The versatility of the new systems is such that, for first time, GBAD radars can be deployed independent of the missile launchers. This means The Air Defence Regiment can deploy an independent airspace surveillance force element that is able to distribute the local air picture to commanders throughout the battlespace.

Bombardier Hesketh operates the new Command Post Display.
Photo provided by Saab Systems

"The restructure and re-equipping of 16 Air Defence Regiment delivers a persistent networked counter-air capability that has the flexibility and versatility to deal with complexity of modern warfighting." Lieutenant Colonel (LTCOL) Inger Lawes, Commanding Officer, 16 Air Defence Regiment

The Air Defence Regiments' configuration is changing too. The two missile batteries will be mirror images of each other, creating a modular force structure that enables the deployment of up to six independent missile Troops that can be rapidly grouped, task-organised and re-grouped to meet changing operational needs.

Changes to the existing RBS70 Battery structure include the introduction of GBAD liaison teams that will initially deploy with the Battery. These teams can be detached to the supported headquarters (such as Task Force or Battle Group HQ), RAAF air traffic control towers or the Joint Force Air Operations Centre (JFAOC). GBAD liaison teams will deploy with TaCCS display terminals that provide airspace situational awareness and contribute to the safe use of shared air space.

So with old hardware out and new hardware in and a restructure in place, the careful planning of the last few years is coming to fruition. Defence industry and warfighter experience has combined to deliver a significantly enhanced GBAD capability. In 2006 GBAD is certainly firing up.

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