Armada International Compendium Urban Warfare 4 2010

Compendium
by
Urban Warfare
High-tech Take-over
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Urban Warfare
Elbit Systems Skylark I, here launched by a Canadian soldier, is in use by more than ten countries
While most current peacekeeping missions take place in wide areas that are sparsely populated Iraqi and Afghanistan population densities are respectively 62 and 49 inhabitants/metre2 compared to the 115 and 277 of France and Great Britain most contacts with insurgents still take place in urban areas. Although in Afghanistan urban does not necessarily mean highly built-up areas, the typical mud-built compounds of that nation are intricate enough to generate problems to allied troops, as an adequate level of situational awareness is certainly more difficult to achieve there than on open ground.
Paolo Valpolini, inputs from Eric H. Biass
he denser the urban scenario, the weaker the level of communications, not to mention that of automatic location systems. Opening breaches to avoid booby traps often installed by insurgents on the most obvious entrance points is another problem, and identifying enemy firing positions adds to the burden. Own movement also becomes a problem in urban areas, especially when more densely populated, and the fact that armed elements can easily merge within the population renders the situation even more hazardous. The irony is that while urban terrain is certainly one of the worst places in which to engage insurgents, it also is where they are most likely to be found and this alone commands the development and acquisition of ad hoc equipment.
Vertical Awareness
What is better than having a top view of the area in which one is called to operate? An image taken from an adequate height can provide a map that evolves in real time, provided the troops on the ground
have the right equipment to receive that imagery. Generically this is known as the Rover, the latest version of which the Rover 5 is no bigger than a Playstation. Any top observation used to co-ordinate movement on the ground must be available in strict real time. What happened in October 1993 in Mogadishu is still a scorching experience, as a good share of the tragedy was imputable to the delay that occurred between the observation made by the aircraft overflying the area and the reception of the message by the troops on the ground. The use of large and persistent drone systems over an area of operation is also questionable in this respect. To start with, their numbers are limited, and the amount of tasks they are assigned leaves just a lean portion of their flight time to support ground troops. These valuable systems are normally deployed when major operations are being planned or underway, mainly to provide intelligence before the action and allow upper-echelon commanders to monitor operations in real time. However, when small units are engaged in daily patrols these are not available. Many armies have acquired much smaller and cheaper systems that allow them to survey their next area of operation themselves before sending in troops.
armada Compendium Urban Warfare 2010
In Afghanistan, platoon or companylevel operations are often carried out in isolated villages where troops operate together with Afghan security forces to guarantee security and provide assistance. We normally deploy at night close to the village, and at first light of dawn we launch a Raven before sending the commander of the Afghan forces detachment to talk to the village elders, an Italian officer told Armada. The Aerovironment Raven is operated by Italy (and many other countries), with each company of its 41st Regiment running its own systems. However, organisational plans for future medium infantry regiments have provision for deployment of three vertilift systems within the regiment itself, leaving the operation of tactical drones and other higher-end assets to specialists. The current 1.9-kilo RQ-11B model provides endurance between 80 and 110 minutes with single-use batteries. Handlaunched, its operational range is about ten km, which provides a wide-enough
On the Cover
he ability to see through walls, as illustrated by this montage showing a Camero system at work, is gaining growing interest in the urban warfare ghter community not only to detect, but also to map the position of people in a building.
The L-3 Communications Rover 5 allows frontline soldiers to receive the imagery produced by drone sensors, to give them a real-time top-down view of their area of operation. (Armada/PV)
radius, as areas to be investigated under those circumstances are usually much closer, and the drone provides more than one hour of over-target time. With two air vehicles overlapping their missions, surveillance time can be stretched, but within limits. The US Armed Forces have recently signed a contract to upgrade the Ravens to full digital configuration, which will provide greater communication security and better performance. Aerovironment's ruggedised ground control station is also Playstation-sized and weighs 3.37 kg. Not only does it allow one to store multiple pre-planned missions and follow the video images in real time, it also provides for the capture and storage of up to 80 still images taken from the video stream. The station is common to all Aerovironment mini and micro drones and is thus also deployed by the US Marine Corps to operate the Raven, Wasp III and Dragon Eye drones. Even smaller than the Raven, the 430gram Wasp III has a 72-cm wingspan and a 45-minute endurance, while the twinengine 2.7-kilo Dragon Eye has a 1.1metre wingspan and an endurance of 45 to 60 minutes. British forces are using the Lockheed Martin Desert Hawk III that was acquired under an urgent operational requirement. It can be equipped with three different payloads, namely a daylight stabilised turret, a thermal or lowlight side-looking camera and a low-light illuminator. Tipping the scales at four kilos, the 1.37-metre wingspan Desert Hawk III has a 90-minute endurance and a 15-km operational range.
Another battle-proven mini drone is the Israeli Elbit Systems Skylark I, which is also operated by at least ten other countries. Amongst these, Australia, the Netherlands and Canada have deployed them in Afghanistan and in Iraq. Weighing 4.5 kg with daylight sensors and 4.8 kg with night sensors, the Skylark I has a 90minute endurance, a wingspan of two metres and is carried in a backpack together with the PC-based control station. A larger and longer-endurance version of the Skylark appropriately suffixed LE was launched in late 2008 and can remain aloft for three hours.
for close-up viewing), while the fourth is canted sideways for circling observation mode. Two forward-looking cameras, one thermal and one colour daylight, constitute the night package. This pretty much rounds up the list of fixed-wing micro and mini drones most widely used in the sub-Asian continent, although the range is widening. Handlaunched, with control stations averaging from compact and light to relatively light with the latter offering a longer range and thus a more powerful datalink, these systems allow troops to work out their own risk assessment from real-time imaging before entering a built-up area. Plug-andplay payloads allow to easily switch from night to day sensors, adapting the air vehicle to the situation, particularly when the urban configuration consists of low, three-level buildings, such as those typical of current theatres of operation. What these systems cannot provide, because their aerodynamic lift requires them to fly at a certain speed, is continuous target observation, and are thus more to be considered small-area surveillance tools rather than target surveillance systems. Although target surveillance could partially be achieved by circling around the point
An Italian soldier prepares an Aerovironment Raven B before a recce flight. Micro drones are also used in urban theatres. (Armada/PV)
The Bundeswehr and the Dutch forces field the Aladin built by EMT in Germany. With a take-off weight of less than four kilos and a wingspan of 1.46 metres, it offers a one-hour endurance and boasts four daylight cameras: one is used for pilot purposes, two are pointed downwards (one for wide angle and the other
A US Marine operating an Aerovironment Dragon Eye. In spite of the advent of the vertilift drones, their fixed-wing counterparts still remain very useful tools in urban scenarios. (US Marine Corps)
of interest, endurance limitations would soon cut in, not to mention that an urban configuration can easily deny viewing the target under some angles given the drone's relatively low height above the ground and that while electric motors are relatively quiet the presence of a continuously circling drone would certainly not remain unnoticed for long by the locals. Not yet used in large numbers, vertilift micro and mini drones are certainly those that can best fill that type of operational requirement. The typical drawback of rotary-wing aircraft is their limited endurance, especially when they are required to hover for long periods of time. In addition, while their noise signature still makes them easier to spot, they are also easy targets when they fly at low speeds or hover. However, where a vertilift system has an edge over its fixedwinged counterpart because of the fact that it can land on a vantage viewing spot, slow down (and even shut down) its engine and remain in position as long as its power source allows, then whoop up the engine, take off to reach another observation position or return to launch-
the enemy side (often the most widely used system among insurgents) and, while other applications may be found, two punishing factors should never be left unconsidered weight and power consumption as they directly take their toll on range and endurance.
Sound of Silence...
...and passing presence of a ghost are two impossible dreams that both fixed-wing and rotary-wing drone manufacturers want to get as close as possible to. The quest for sonic and visual discretion is exemplified by the contract assigned in mid-May 2010 by the US Air Force Research Laboratory to Aurora Flight Sciences to develop a new design software code for propellers that combine acoustic, aerodynamic and stress codes into a single unit with a view to generating configurations of open or ducted or other geometry propellers that best optimise the aero-acoustic parameter.
Produced by EMT, the Aladin is in service in Afghanistan with the German contingent. (EMT)
lighter ones. Starting from micro-level drones, the EMT Penzberg Fancopter was acquired by the Bundeswehr, although it is not clear if it has yet been deployed to Afghanistan. A typical system designed for perching operations, it features two payloads, namely a downwards-looking camera for both landing and reconnaissance, and a sensor package mounted on top of the air vehicle. The latter can be tilted on two axes and includes either two daylight CCD cameras (one with wide-angle and one with telephoto lenses) or an uncooled thermal camera and a near-IR CCD camera for night operations. The very light structure, with a wire fence around the rotors to reduce risk to the operator, ensures an unobstructed view when looking at negative elevation angles. At 1.5 kg, the Fancopters lift is provided by two electrically powered counter-rotating rotors. While flight endurance is limited to 25 minutes, perching missions can extend the surveillance
Drones With a Sting I
ing point. What it will do once landed in a technique known as perching is up to its payload and to its operator's needs. A typical payload package will include imagery sensors in the form of day or night television cameras to provide realtime footage to the ground control station; power guzzlers here are more the datalink than the sensors themselves, but change-detection software may well help in the quest to save energy by allowing the system to broadcast the imagery back to base only when something is moving within the scene being observed by the camera, although this will require an onboard image processing system that could certainly add weight to the sensor package. If and when costs are no longer an issue, one could also envisage using the vertilift drone to place a sensor at the right location and then leave it on its own, the air vehicle then becoming the air system used to deploy a series of sensors, possibly networked together. The drone's payload, whether fixed or droppable, is not limited to imaging systems. They can include radio relays to ensure better coverage of the urban scenario (a typical snag encountered by troops), electronic warfare packages to stop mobile phone communications on
icro UAVs are not solely used for surveillance. In late 2009 Aerovironment conducted an end-to-end demonstration of its Switchblade lethal mini drone. The Switchblade is battery-powered, backpackable, tube-launched and weighs about one kilo. Upon launch it unfolds its tandem wings and starts returning streaming video from an electro-optical sensor. Once a target is detected the operator designates it and the Switchblade folds its wings back under the fuselage to turn itself into a weapon that is autonomously guided on target by its video tracker, its small warhead exploding on impact. time up to three hours, knowing that datalink sets maximum range to about one kilometre. The Air Robot AR100B micro drone also has a one-metre-diameter circular protection around its four rotors, the latter lifting the one-kilo apparatus and its 200-gram payload within a radius of 500 metres under analogue datalink, which expands to 1500 metres radius in digital control. One of the latest entries in this little vertilift drone club is the Utri Draco, a 2.5-kg quad-rotor system with a one-kilo payload capacity quite a feat if one considers that this represents 40% of the coleopters all-up weight. With a range of twelve km and a maximum speed of twelve metres/sec, it has an endurance of over 30 minutes and carries a stabilised electro-optical day/night colour camera with a x10 optical zoom and a 70 pan and +70/-40 tilt movement. An uncooled infrared camera with a x2 digital zoom is offered as option. The Draco does not have a safety ring around its rotors, but it is equipped with an obstacle avoidance system that ensures that the air vehicle does not come closer than two metres from any obstacle. The club has other members like the German Rheinmetall Pearl and the American Draganflyer X6, which is based on similar concepts and offered for both the security and military markets and even civilian in some cases. To our
The same company was also awarded a contract to develop an integrated system for guiding micro drones in environments over cluttered by audio and sound sensors. Known as Panoptis (Panoramic Avoidance and Navigation using OPTIcs integrated with Sonar) the system will allow small air vehicles to continue to operate during datalink outages or when the warfighter loses the vehicles situational context, with a view to making them less dependable on the piloting function and as a straight consequence more reliable. The weight range of available vertical lift systems starts from a few grams to culminate well into four-figure kilos, as is the case of some full-blown helicopter-sized drones although it is clear that for urban operations the systems that should be employed by front-line units are the
While hand-launched aircraft like the Drac, deployed in Afghanistan since June 2010, are difficult to operate from a built-up area due to their shallow take-off and landing flight paths, they prove useful to relay overhead information on nearby urban areas. (Armada/EHB)
Small vertilift drones such as EMT Fancopter can be used in the perching mode, which considerably increases the duration of their mission. (EMT)
knowledge, the latest member is the Datron Scout, unveiled at the Eurosatory defence equipment exhibition near Paris in June 2010. The smartest part of the Scout probably resides in its operation, which couldnt have been made simpler, since one does not actually control the aircraft, but merely tell it where to go by marking waypoints on the control screen with a stylus. The same method is used to indicate a no-fly zone. Just a sample to illustrate this simplicity: upon launching a mission, the quad-chopper raises to a height of one metre and stays there until a required altitude is tapped on screen with the stylus. The rest is a childs game.
The Scout has been flown in winds of 60 km/h (quite a feat), and is able to perform perching missions. According to the current categorisation, a mini drone has a take-off weight between two and 20 kg. If one considers that the typical payload capacity currently represents about 15% of the all-up
awaiting the heavy fuel engine that will free it from its battlefield-dreaded gasoline addiction. To the best of our knowledge this is the only mini drone of its kind to have made it out to the battlefield, while others are standing in line to hop on the market. Among them is the Italian Asio, developed and manufactured by Utri and marketed by Selex Galileo. All-up at six kilos including its one-kilo total payload(s), it is powered by electric motors and has the peculiarity of being able to carry two payloads, one under the body for reconnaissance flights, and one over it for perching missions. In perspective, the previous sensor might be replaced by a releasable autonomous unit to be located on top of a building to provide continuous surveillance as long as the battery provides power. The Singapore Technologies Fantail is another perching-capable system in the ducted-fan mini category, while Aurora Flight Sciences Golden Eye 50 is a flying reconnaissance system, its sensor package is located underneath the air vehicle.
Drones With a Sting II
oitering weapons have been around for a while. Although principally intended as radar terminators. Mutatis mutandis, a new breed of attack drones is emerging for more tactical situations. While the Switchblade, mentioned in another boxed section in these columns, represents the bottom end of the scale (thus far), a new larger system also tube-launched will soon be deployed by the British Army in the form of the Fire Shadow. Brought from plan to first flight reality in a mere 15 months by MBDA, the Fire Shadow is flown via waypoints only. Powered by a heavy fuel UEL rotary piston engine that is fired up before booster launch from its vehicle-mounted canister, it carries a Selex nose-mounted gimballed electro-optical package, can be sent out to a range of 100 km (basically its data-link limit), loiter for ten hours and dive at a speed of 400 km/h to home in its eight-kilo blast warhead. Obviously a man-in-the-loop system, it can receive targeting information from a forward observer on the ground located in or near a built-up area. The British Army plans on an initial operational capability in Afghanistan in 2011. A host of helicopter-like systems are available on the market, in different dimensions. These are obviously apt to carry out reconnaissance missions but, as their rotors are not protected, flying in urban canyons can prove dangerous.
Controps payloads grace many drone systems some drone programmes have even been designed around a Controp payload (literally: Use this sensor, now go design the airframe). The newest member of the companys Stamp family is the T-Stamp seen here, which debuted in 2009 in uncooled guise. The Triple-sensor-STAbilized Miniature Payload has since been sold to UAV Navigation and one other Spanish customer, as well as an unnamed customer in Israel. Unique in many ways, the >3.5-kg (cooled or uncooled versions) T-Stamp features Controps proprietary continuous optical zoom lens, which allows small drones to maintain track on a target during zooming, as opposed to switching fields of view which is the norm for most small gimballed sensor payloads. (Armada/JK)
weight, a seven-kilo verti-lifter can carry around one kilo. Just shy of eight kilos, the Honeywell T-Hawk is being tested by the US forces in Afghanistan and Iraq, while six systems have been acquired by the British Army. Powered by a petrol (gasoline) engine, its main drawback, apart from its use of non-standard fuel, is its noise emission which, coupled to its size, does not exactly qualify it as a stealthy platform now a prerequisite for observation and reconnaissance missions. British forces are currently using their T-Hawks as part of a roadside bomb clearing package known as the Talisman. This includes specialised vehicles, a role in which stealthiness is not as critical as in other missions such as reconnaissance. Based on the ducted fan principle, the T-Hawk was developed as part of the Future Combat Systems requirements and is currently in an evolutionary phase
Rotary-wing Carriers
The development of lighter attack weapons, in the form of guided rockets, may open new opportunities to rotarywing drones belonging to the upper tier of the light and tactical category. Potential weapon candidates include the Lockheed Martin Dagr system (quad-launcher weighing 81.6 kg), the Thales LMM (Light-weight Multirole Missile) shown at Farnborough 2008 under a Schiebel Camcopter and the ATK/Elbit Systems Gatr. These weapons can endow such category of aircraft with a precision-attack capability and thereby
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The Draco is a fourrotor micro-aircraft developed by Utri of Italy; it is equipped with a collision-avoidance system. (Utri)
Horizontal Awareness
One of the characteristics of urban scenarios is they call for vehicles to operate in a secluded environment where threats can appear at very short distance and notice. In that respect, armoured vehicle crews are de facto short sighted, as their sighting systems are designed to observe and identify targets at a distance. Even if crewmembers accept to take the risk of operating with open hatches they might still miss an opponent that gets uncomfortably close to their vehicle. This situation is less critical for armoured vehicles equipped with armoured glass windows, although even those have numerous dead angles, particularly in the rear arc. Vehicles are thus more and more equipped with viewing systems allowing their crews to watch their close surroundings. These can be based on off-the-shelf solutions, with one or more cameras, or on dedicated hardened solutions that are specifically designed for military application. Some systems provide 360 coverage while others cover only the rear arc. The advantage of an array of fixed cameras is that it gives an observing enemy no clue as to where in particular the occu-
replace conventional helicopters, particularly over urban areas that are dreaded by pilots and crews. Mention was made of the Camcopter, which has a payload capacity of 50 kg, but the Saab Skeldar V-200 with its 40-kg payload may also be a potential weapon platform. That little nest has just been joined by another bird, by the way, in the form of the Spanish Pelicano presented at Eurosatory by Indra and based on the same Cybaero backbone as the Skeldar. Indra is currently developing its own automatic take-off and landing electronics for ship operations, for which the company is receiving Spanish Government support, in view of that nations six Bam vessel acquisition programme.
is given as eight hours for a range of 1080 km and a ceiling of 12,000 feet. The Air Mule is big, but with a purpose, since it is proposed for resupply, casevac and other support missions in critical areas urban of course being among them. The first phase of flight testing was completed in January 2010 and was used to verify the fly-by-wire control system that provides three-axis auto-stabilisation. In that testing phase the air vehicle was tethered, but these attachments were partially removed for the sec-
Drones With a Sting III
Bigger and Weirder

A peculiar vertilift air vehicle is being developed that could bring a totally new dimension to urban warfare. Under development in Israel by Urban Aeronautics, the Air Mule flight principle is based on a vane control system that allows to vector its rotors downwash and thus provide superior manoeuvrability while considerably reducing risks to bystanders, since none of its rotary components are directly exposed. The Air Mule is 6.2 metres long, 2.15 wide and weighs 560 kg including fuel, but its maximum take-off weight reaches a mighty 1.2 tonnes for pure vertical take-off and landing operations and even 1.5 tonnes if short take-off and landing profiles are used. A 730-hp Ariel 1 turbine drives the front and rear 1.8-metre diameter rotors that enable the aircraft to reach a dash speed of 180 km/h. Typical flight endurance
t will not be long before a full range of suicide attack drones, from mini to medium size, becomes available. Mention has been made elsewhere in these pages of the Switchblade and the Fire Shadow, but here comes an interesting combination from Rheinmetall. The idea is to use the established KZO recce drone in conjunction with the new IAI Harop in a tandem known as Wapeb. Unlike the Harpy it is intended to replace, the loitering Harop photographed here on Rheinmetalls stand at the recent ILA air show in Berlin, is not relegated to the sole role of radar destruction, and positively calls upon a man-inthe-loop function. The three-metre wingspan attack drone carries a 23-kg warhead. The canard nose section carries a gimballed infrared and a CCD camera while the man-in-the-loop facility enables the operator to call off the attack in case of collateral damage risk and initiate another loitering sequence, since the bird has an endurance of six hours. pants of the vehicle are concentrating their staring effort. A recent example is the BAE Systems Check-6, a rear-view infrared camera system moulded into the ground vehicles taillight housing that gives the driver a safe backing-up capability and provides the infantrymen in the rear with increased situational awareness before debussing. It consists of an uncooled infrared camera fitted into an LED taillight assembly, the latter replacing the original conventional taillight unit. The camera operates in the 7-14 m band, has a horizontal and vertical field of view of 54 and 40 respectively and is focused from five metres to infinity; the control box feeds the image to three screens. It is currently in service with US Army units following a contract awarded in November 2009, which included several modifications to Bradley IFVs, MLRS and M113A3 Ambulances. BAE Systems
ond phase that began last March to verify the integration of new position hold sensors, the optimisation of flight control laws, the proper running of all mechanical systems and exploration of the vane system utilisation.
The Rheinmetall Pearl is only one of the many examples of vertilift systems developed in recent years. (Armada/PV)
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All elements of the Datron Scout battery, sensor and even rotor arms are clip-on affairs. It has a threekilometre link, and the ability to fly back home in case data-link is interrupted. Operation via the touch screen is simplicity itself. (Armada/EHB)
expects the potential market for its Check-6 system to reach 12,000 units in the coming years. Elbit Systems of Israel was among the first companies to offer a panoramic observation system. Known as See Through Armour (STA), it is based on a series of video cameras installed around the vehicle. The image processing software then combines all the images into a 360 real-time video panoramic strip. This can be shown on the vehicle computer screens or can be injected into helmet-mounted displays, each user being able to select his area of interest. This all-round vision offers an elevation of between -20 and +60, which is optimal for enhancing situational awareness and improving fighting capabilities in an urban environment. Optsys of France, part of the Nexter Group, is launching its Viper (a contraction of Vision Primtrique), which is based on an array of cameras placed along the vehicle periphery in order to provide 360 coverage from very short distances to 200 metres. The installation of such a system is of course more complex in terms of cabling, compared to topview single cameras, but the advantage is that dead areas are basically nil. The system can use dedicated hardened cameras that feed digital signals to the manmachine interface. The latter comes in the form of a 10.4-inch touch-screen tablet personal computer and can be augmented by a second terminal for the infantry housed in the rear compartment. Images can be replayed on two further screens provided as options. The standard suite is
based on seven or eight digital 640 x 480 daylight colour cameras with x2 digital zoom. Digital cameras can be replaced by uncooled thermal cameras with a resolution of 384 x 288 or 640 x 480 to provide night vision. The Viper can record the images provided by all eight cameras for up to six hours.
is able to process the huge amounts of data necessary to instantaneously monitor the complete surroundings. The video processing engine is scalable and can thus easily support changes and upgrades to the system, in both number of sensors, sensor formats and sensor types. Due to its full solid-state digital stabilisation with inertial measurement unit and embedded processing functions, the system can be used to slew other electrooptical sensors and remote weapon systems (it is, for example, fully integrated with Kongsbergs family of remotelyoperated weapon stations). Its display function generates three windows: one for the 360 view, another for the highresolution image of a selected area and the third that may be configured to display data from other sensors, weapon interface or navigation imagery. Interestingly, Kollmorgen has recently integrated a gunshot detection system that feeds the relevant data to the One 360, which in turn instantly opens a window on the source of the shot, offering
The Honeywell T-Hawk is deployed downrange, but its major drawback is the current gasoline engine, something that has much to do with its battlefield pioneering status. No doubt a dieselised alternative will follow sooner or later. (Honeywell)
Kollmorgen Electro-Optical, for its part, introduced its One 360 in 2009, to provide soldiers inside a vehicle with an all-round capability to Observe, Navigate, and Engage (hence the name of the system). As can be expected from such newgeneration systems, the One 360 offers high-resolution images. A no-movingpart system with day and night sensors, the One 360 provides full-rate video, lowlatency images. It uses a dedicated hardware processor based on the latest fieldprogrammable gate array technology that
Italys Utri developed a series of light, electrically powered drones. Its perching-capable system is the Asio, on the right in this photo. (Armada/PV)
the crew visual and acoustic reference points. The gunner can continue to engage targets, evaluate the full situation and direct the remote weapon station to the region of interest. A single sensor head system, the One 360 offers the advantage of simplified installation on existing vehicles and does not have to cope with parallax issues. Another US company that is now fully involved in 360 observation systems is Remote Reality. Its systems use a single camera that looks vertically into specially designed optics on top of which a parabolic mirror followed by a telecentric lens provides the 360 view. The proprietary lens system ensures minimal optical aberrations. The circular image obtained is then digitally unwrapped by specific software that provides the panoramic image as well as pan, tilt and zoom views, which can be seen independently by different users such as the driver, vehicle commander and infantry section commander. As it is often impossible to cover 360 on a vehicle with a single system due to physical obstacles such as turrets, aerials and so forth, Remote Reality provides two- or four-sensor systems to overcome this problem and give overlapping arcs that also provide some redundancy should one of the systems take a hit.
Lockheed Martin developed the Dagr, a laserguided version of the 70-mm FFR, which can pack four missiles in less than 90 kg. (Armada/PV)
In addition to the 360SA (for Situational Awareness) camera, the company also developed the Eagle 360, based on cameras with a 190 horizontal field of view over -60/+7 vertical, obviously with special attention to roadside bomb and close threat detection. Each camera is 18-cm high and has a diameter of ten cm, for a weight of less than 2.3 kg, with a resolution of 2.1 megapixels and a frame rate of up to 60/sec to ensure very low latency. For night vision, Remote Reality provides the Thermalvision360, a 360 horizontal FoV system based on BAE Systems PMC300 camera with an uncooled Vox microbolometer detector with a 640 x 480-pixel array and a 30-Hz frame rate. The system has a vertical field of view of -50/+5, a weight of 8.2 kg and is over 31 cm high with a diameter of 18 cm. All those systems are supported by software packages allowing movement and target detection, such as the Omnialert360, while the Omniserver was designed for the storage and retrieval of videos captured by the system. Remote Reality systems were tested by the US Army, the US Marine Corps and the Australian Army, the system was then transitioned to the Stryker Fsep (Full Spectrum Effects Platform) programme as well as onboard the Cougar as part of the Wolfpack AE2 enhancement programme and was integrated with the Crows turret. The company also has very-high-resolu-
tion omni-directional camera systems, including a 21-megapixel visible-light system and a four-megapixel medium-wavelength infrared thermal system. Remote Reality is providing its systems to numerous prime contractors of new vehicles or upgrading programmes for US services, but has also raised interest in many other countries, among which Australia and Italy. The company is working on a new generation of systems that will be smaller and lighter and that are expected to be introduced later in 2010. This not only will allow an even easier integration in existing vehicles, but also will further expand their potential use on board robotic vehicles, a field on which the Massachusetts-based company is keeping (probably like many others) a sharp eye. Based in New Jersey, Sarnoff proposes a field-ready 360 visualisation system with six fixed cameras to provide allround view and a moving top pan-tiltzoom camera. In February 2009 Sarnoff was awarded a contract from the US Marine Corps War Fighting Laboratory to demonstrate an advanced 360 modular camera array prototype. Known as Computer-Vision Assisted Combat Capability (CVAC2), it includes a 640 x 480-pixel thermal imager, a 680 x 500pixel 0.00005-lux day/night zoom camera, two GPS receivers, twelve 752 x 582-pixel 0.00001-lux night vision cameras, twelve 720 x 540-pixel 0.5-lux daylight cameras,
a pan-tilt platform and a laser rangefinder. Moreover, on the CVAC2 screen the operator can observe Boomerang acoustic cues, streaming video from drones, as well as messages. This modular, stand-alone system, which can be mounted on military vehicles and tripods, comes with proprietary touch-screen controls, power source and monitor. The heart of the system is Sarnoffs Acadia I Asic vision accelerator, which gives the system the image fusion and processing power required to integrate the outputs of 29 different sensors, including visual, acoustic, infrared and laser sensors into a single interactive display, all in real time. In April 2009 Sarnoff announced its Acadia II, which it claims to be the worlds most powerful system-on-a-chip for real-time, portable and low-power processing of multiple vision sensors. Acadia II was developed as part of the Darpa Multispectral Adap-
The Singapore Technologies Fantail has a good payload capacity together with perching capability. (STK)
The LMM guided rocket system developed by Thales has been exhibited on one of the lateral hardpoints of a Schiebel Camcopter S-100. Undoubtedly the most advanced drone of its kind, the night-flight capable Austrian device has an over six-hour endurance with a 34-kg payload. (Armada/PV)
tive Networked Tactical Imaging System (Mantis) programme. ODF Optronics of Israel also proposes two systems based on a single sensor unit, one for heavy vehicles, the other for light vehicles, known respectively as ODR-HV and ODR-LV, where ODR stands for omni-directional reconnaissance. The HV is based on a central pole mounted on the top of the vehicle and contains five cameras able to zoom in on specific areas for 360 situational awareness, and a single high-resolution pan, tilt and zoom camera to allow for closer investigation of suspected threats. The five panoramic cameras located in the pole provide a 360 view with a vertical field of view of 64, while the pan-tilt camera, mounted on the top of the pole and able to rotate, has a horizontal field of view of 32 and a vertical FoV of 24. An infrared camera for night vision can also be included in the pole. The image is transmitted to a 10.4-inch display where
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Bearing a certain resemblance with the Saab Skeldar, which is not too surprising since they both share the same Cybaero backbone, the Indra Pelcano will soon be powered by a 55 horsepower JP5-running Hirth engine and incorporates all-Indra electronics, including IFF, datalink, stabilised sensor package and autopilot. (Indra)
software reconstitutes the 360 panoramic view and uses a 1 through 12 oclock pattern to indicate orientation. When the vehicle is stationary the HV can provide automatic alarms via a proprietary video motion-detection algorithm that can trigger alerts in a region of interest. Images can be recorded and the system can be integrated into the vehicle battlefield management system. Although developed mostly for paramilitary applications, the LV has an additional feature in that its pan-tilt camera can be titled upwards to 90 a boon for urban operations.
being to deal with through-wall propagation, as well as wall transmission and reflection inside the building. L-3 Cyterra has developed the Emmdar (ElectroMagnetic Motion Detection And Ranging). Known within the Service as AN/PPS-26, this hand-held system leverages the AN/PSS-14 mine detector
microsecond off time, the whole cycle is repeated 54 times/sec. According to L-3 Cyterra, the number and spacing of frequency steps greatly improves the reliability and precision of target location. Of course, the emitted pulses bounce off the rooms multiple surfaces, but the system software sifts the echoes at different frequencies in order to let echoes from stationary objects fade into the background, allowing those from moving objects to stand out. The system sensitivity is sufficient to detect the motion of a persons breathing or the imperceptible movements of a person tying to stand still. According to open sources, two models are available, the Emmdar and the Emmdar II. They apparently have identical transmission characteristics, but differ in their circuitry and user interfaces, the previous being able to locate one target at a time indicating its range but not its direction, while the latter locates multiple targets and can indicate both their ranges and directions. The production of the Emmdar has been discontinued (but was
The Urban Aeronautics Air Mule may be used for carrying supplies to front line troops in urban areas and, as suggested by this artists work, for casevac missions. (Urban Aeronautics)
Wall See-through
Looking through a wall or at least knowing what one can expect behind a wall without having to enter a room would certainly be a major advantage for any soldier engaged in urban warfare. In a US Army document the Approved Acquisition Objective was of 8415 man-portable Sense Thru The Wall (SttW) systems with a specified distribution of one system per infantry squad, two per special forces team, one per military police squad and one per engineer platoon. Key performance objective requirements were over 95% probability of moving target detection (85% threshold), same figures for stationary targets, a weight of less than 1.36 kg (3.2 kg threshold), a false alarm report of less than 5% (10% threshold) and a sensing range of over 100 metres (20 metres threshold). Such systems are not solely aimed at military use but also find useful applications within specialised police units and hostage rescue teams. Most of the systems developed so far use millimetric waves, the challenge
technology, which combines metal detection with ground penetrating radar technique. It is powered by six AA batteries and can be used through exterior and interior walls, floors or ceilings, its display indicating where possible moving or stationary targets are located. This small handheld radar device operates in the 3100 to 3500 MHz band and can penetrate up to 20 cm of concrete, operating either in local or standoff mode. Rather than operating on a single frequency, as do most radars, the Emmdar steps through two hundred frequencies, spaced two MHz apart from 3101 to 3499 MHz. It transmits on one frequency for 75 microseconds followed by a 17.5The Air Mule is currently undergoing test flights in Israel. It will be able to carry one wounded soldier. (Urban Aeronautics)
turned into a commercial variant), while no further details have been unveiled on the Emmdar II. Interestingly, L-3 Cyterra had to obtain a waiver to use the Emmdar in the United States as the 3100 to 3500 MHz frequency band is allocated to the Federal Government Radiolocation service. The very low power output of the system, which peaks at only of 31.6 milliwatts, allowed L-3 to overcome the problem. Camero controls two companies, Camero Tech in Israel, which ensures R&D and Camero US, which is in charge of marketing; it developed two systems based on a multi-channel ultra-wideband sensor operating between three and ten GHz. The Xaver 800 is mostly aimed at police and rescue units; it has four antennas and can display 3D and 2D views as well as an odd 1.5D the latter meaning that it provides the range of the persons who are behind the wall with time history. Its field of view is of 80 both in azimuth and elevation and its detection ranges are 4, 8 and 20 metres. The system is able to see through most materials such as cement, plaster, bricks, concrete, reinforced concrete, adobe, stucco and drywall. Its resolution is 20 cm at a range of eight metres. Deployed, its dimensions are 0.84 x 0.84 x 0.15 metres, width and height being
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Optsys, a Nexter company, has developed the Viper, which gives good peripheral vision to a vehicle crew. (Armada/PV)
In Britain, Cambridge Consultants developed the Prism 200, also based on millimetric wave, which is aimed at both paramilitary and military use. At 5.7 kg including battery and measuring 35 x 45 x 21 cm, it is equipped with a small 680 x 480-resolution colour display to provide 2 or 3D imagery; its software allows rotat-
reduced to 47 cm when the antennas are folded. Its main drawback for tactical use is its weight, 15 kg with batteries, which provide an endurance of 2.5 hours. Following the success of the system, Camero developed a second product, this time aimed at tactical units, trading performance for reduced weight and dimensions. This should not impact on effectiveness, since in most cases military units do not need the same accuracy as hostage rescue teams, their main interest is to have an idea of how many subjects are behind a wall and a general idea of where they are located. The Xaver 400 has therefore only two aerials, which means that it can only provide 2D and 1.5D views with a resolution of one metre at the end of the range, which remains the same. The Xaver 400 is 37 cm wide, 22.5 high and 12 cm thick, its weight with batteries is 2.95 kilos while its endurance is 4.5 hours with primary batteries and 2.5 hours with rechargeables. In addition the tactical version of Camero sensors, the 400 features a builtin wireless transmitter that allows images relay of whats seen on the small screen of the sensor out along the command chain up to a range of 100 metres. The system received Federal Communications Commission approval and certification in December 2009. Currently about 30 Xaver 400s are used in Afghanistan by
American forces half with special forces and half with the 82nd Airborne Division while some 50 more units are used by two other undisclosed countries. Numerous Xaver systems have also been sold to Asian countries. Camero is bidding for a major US contract, the Army intends to acquire some 11,000 systems; the company is proposing
Currently French Army Aravis vehicles are equipped with a cots 360 system. In the future they will get the Optsys Viper. (Armada/PV)
Sagems End Reception Station-Remote Video Terminal is now used by French forces in Afghanistan. In addition displaying the tactical information and geo-referenced images that one would expect from a terminal of this kind including drone-gathered pictures the unit can be used to ask, via VHF, a ground control station to move the flight path of a drone to a particular area of interest. (Armada/EHB)
The Kollmorgen One 360 is an integrated 360 no-moving-part vision system which provides different views to different users. (Kollmorgen)
a special version of its Xaver 400 tailored to US Army requirements. Should Camero succeed, the systems would be produced by General Dynamics, which would also provide logistic support in country and in theatre. Raytheon and L3 Cyterra are the other two known bidders. Camero is also eyeing other markets such as India and Singapore, where a strong interest for such sensors is emerging. Camero is in the final stage of development of the Xaver 100, a small handheld system the size of a GPS receiver and weighing less than one kilo, which will only have a detection capability (but no positioning). The new product should be available in the fall of 2010.
ing the scene in order to look at the room from different entry points. Operating in the 1.6 to 2.2-GHz band, it provides a resolution of 30 cm and can detect personnel at a range of up to 20 metres. It has a 120 x 90 field of view and is able to perform through different types of materiel, such as 23-cm-thick brick wall, reinforced concrete, timber, concrete block, cinder block, as well as brick blocks separated by a cavity. Battery powered, its endurance is 4.5 hours for continuous use and it can operate at temperatures of -20 C to +55 C. A laptop application keeps the sensor along the wall while monitoring and recording images on a computer from a safe distance. According to Cambridge Consultants, the system is in use in all continents with the exception of South America, although no details on customers are available. Darpa is already looking ahead and has launched the Comprehensive Interior Reconnaissance (Cir) programme, with a view to providing the warfighter with all possible information that will allow him to confidently manoeuvre inside a building. Among Darpas requirements is subsurface urban situational awareness (that is finding the building basement layout and underground connections, as well as understanding possible opponents directions of approach knowing in advance the building layout, including stairwell and wall layout). This info must be collected without any contact with the building or deployment inside it, and can be obtained both with passive or active sensing, although radar sensing is discouraged. According to programme metrics the system is to be considered high-tier equipment and certainly not to be distributed to tactical units time to achieve building metrics being within three days
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Ultrafine Technology has developed the portable Ultraview PR-1, which can visualise the structure of a wall and even see objects that are immediately beyond it. It enables soldiers to determine the best place for placing a wall-breaching charge. (Ultrafine)
radar (Impsar) that is able to detect and identify in near real-time various targets behind different types of walls. It can also be used to locate and map underground structures, bunkers and caves that possibly contain hostile subjects. Eureka Aerospace is also actively developing the capability to generate 3D stereometric images with the Impsar. The aim is to obtain a system that is sufficiently compact and lightweight to allow its integration into a light armoured vehicle or a drone to provide its 3D inside mapping from a range of a few hundred metres of a building. Currently Eureka Aerospace is working with a demonstrator mounted in a van and one that is mostly built from cots components. The final objective is to obtain a sensor with a weight of less than five kilos able to operate at a standoff range of between 1000 and 2000 metres, depending on the type of construction. The company hopes to reach this stage in two years time to allow the system to be installed into a small drone.
the lack of signal caused by the Faraday Cage effect results from reinforced concrete buildings and metallic objects in the vicinity of the receiver. A partial solution comes from the adoption of high-sensitivity GPS receivers. The higher sensitivity of such systems is not owed to different hardware but rather to different signal processing. What it basically does is integrate the weak incoming signals originated by GPS satellites for a longer period of time in order to extract the data needed to triangulate the receiver position. A specific study was also made regarding multipathing and signal attenuation through construction materials. All this gave birth to GPS receivers with around 30 dB sensitivity, which means they can cope with a
from sensors deployment. Buildings to be reconnoitred can be up to ten floors high with two-level basements and can be located in high-density urban blocks. Those figures alone indicate that the system would only be used in very critical operations. Nevertheless, one may justifiably wonder whether some of the technologies that might emerge from this programme would not eventually spin out to tactical applications. In that field the California-based Eureka Aerospace is developing a highresolution impulse synthetic aperture
Sarnoff proposes a series of 360 viewing systems for increasing vehicle situational awareness. (Sarnoff)
Remote Reality is providing to US services its 360SA and Thermalvision systems; some of these are being installed on the Stryker vehicles. (Remote Reality)
Blue Force Tracking

Blue force tracking is now a sine qua non to reduce blue-on-blue incidents. Knowing where friendly personnel operate obviously reduces the risk of friendly fire, and this is something that current battle management systems installed on board most vehicles are able to do, as they receive signals from GPS-equipped radios. The same applies to soldiers who carry state-of-the-art equipment, since most soldier upgrade programmes include such facilities. However, many factors can reduce GPS accuracy or even deny its availability; these range from jamming, intentional or unintentional, to environmental and meteorological issues. As far as environment is concerned, forests or deep valleys can reflect the signals generating what is normally known as signal multi-pathing which in turn generates a reduction in accuracy this happens even more sharply in urban areas where the GPS receiver is surrounded by reflective surfaces and where
In 2009 Sarnoff obtained a contract from the US Marine Corps to demonstrate a situational awareness system known as CVCA2 that can operate either on a vehicle or from a tripod, as seen here. (Sarnoff)
signal that is 1000 times weaker compared with other receivers. An example of such receivers is the Qinetiq Q20 HS (High Sensitivity) module, the receiver of which hosts twelve parallel channels with an RF acquisition sensitivity of -174dBW unassisted or 185dBW hot or assisted, and a tracking sensitivity of -189dBW, which is 30 more than the benchmark of -159 for standard GPS modules. According to the company the Q20 HS level data demodulation capability allows it to provide sustained operation indoors without network assistance. Indoor accuracy is obviously affected and location precision is decreased by one figure of magnitude. An aggravating factor is that weak GPS signals cannot be received in places where, for example, mobile phone signals are still available, as they are stronger. Thus they can be exploited to hybridise the navigation system, providing a second positioning system besides the GPS. The systems exploiting these features are normally defined as A-GPS (Assisted-GPS), however such a solution appears to be difficult to exploit in the military domain for various reasons. The first are technical, as receivers would have to be optimised for exploiting such a network, while others are more general in nature,
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A close-up of the Camero Xaver 400, which is already deployed downrange and is being proposed to the US Army for a major contract. (Camero)
although a noteworthy snag is the reliance on a network that is not under friendly control. Another addition to positioning systems can be provided by wireless networks, particularly Wi-Fi. However, Wi-Fi
ings. The lower frequency ensures optimal wall penetration while the higher one provides location accuracy. The system was aimed at tracking soldiers during training, using four transmitters located around a building, however a quickly deployable version could be developed for use in certain combat situations. Thales Communications is working on an ultra-wideband system, exploiting pulse technology as defined in the IEEE 802.15.4a standard to measure distances with a very high accuracy, down to 30 cm. The application foreseen by Thales is indoor localisation that provides seamless positioning with GNSS used outdoors. This requires a link distance between users of around 150 metres in non-line-of-sight conditions indoors. The
main limitation to achieve this range in the presence of obstacles is the power level imposed by the generic regulation in Europe, which is a maximum power of -41.3dBm/MHz in the 3.1 to 4.8 GHz frequency range. The system developed by Thales, as intended for military applications as well as for emergency teams (fire brigades, police and so forth), would need a 20dB power increase over the current authorised limit. The proposed system can work in two different modes, Anchor Based Localisation (ABL) and Anchor Free Localisation (AFL). In the latter the system works by measuring all the distances between the radios that are in the propagation range. Data are exchanged in real time and the various positions
While the Xaver 400 is the system proposed by Camero for tactical situations and provides a 2D view, a smaller system, the Xaver 100 seen here, is under development and will only tell the soldier if somebody is behind the wall. (Camero) The Xaver 800 has four antennas and can provide 3D images of the situation behind a wall, which makes it the system of choice for special units. (Camero)
networks are short-range and wide-area positioning support would thus need a lot of Wi-Fi networks not to mention the fact that such a hybrid positioning system would require a database of all Wi-Fi transmitters and their exact locations via their IP addresses to be able to triangulate a position. The use of existing networks is therefore theoretical, although such a system may be used to create ad hoc Wi-Fi networks, via portable systems distributed on the ground and in buildings. The Georgia Tech Research Institute has developed a wideband local positioning system based on transmitters operating on two different wavelengths 915 MHz and 5.49 GHz that track soldiers inside build-
The Thales F@stnet Twin hand-held radio is a dual-band SDR that operates the St@rmille waveform on UHF and the PR4G waveform on VHF wavebands. (Armada/JK)
form a matrix. If the matrix has sufficient values it can be inverted to obtain the relative 3D positions of the nodes. This technique can be used for deep indoor operations (underground) and requires at least five or six elements to be able to work. The company is currently working to solve the problem of providing an absolute reference like GNSS using AFL localisation in order to situate the users on a map. The ABL technique requires deploying fixed installations (at least three receivers), which get, for instance, their synchronisation from a GPS. With this technique, the distances are calculated only with these fixed nodes and a triangulation is done for the positioning. This technique is possible in a light indoor environment, as the nodes have to be within the range of the fixed nodes to calculate their position. Hybridisation with micro-electromechanical inertial sensors is also considered as an extension to the
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The Prism 200 by Cambridge Consultants is a wall-penetrating radar that provides information on the presence of humans on the other side. (Armada/PV)
mechanical inertial measurement unit, combined with Qinetiq inertial navigation equations, a PNI TCM-5 3 axis magnetometer and a Druck RPT 350-055B barometric altimeter. A multi-sensor integration algorithm is used to combine the outputs of the various sensors to produce an optimum navigation solution.
Communications
Urban canyons and buildings are certainly not the preferred environment for good RF propagation. Some of the previous solutions exploiting ultra-wide bands can obviously carry not only positioning information but also voice and data.
ranging measurements to provide complementary information. Dead reckoning systems based on inertial sensors as well as on other systems are also being considered, although 3D remains a problem. Numerous soldier modernisation programmes include navigation systems that do not rely only on satellite navigation receivers. Dead reckoning is thus usually employed, but some research centres and companies are integrating various systems into a single navigation unit to overcome the shortcomings of each single system. Numerous companies are providing dead-reckoning modules, such as Honeywell with its 25-gram DRM 4000. This can be directly interfaced with many GPS receivers and manpack computers and does not require any extra sensors. Typical accuracy is two per cent of the distance travelled with an azimuth accuracy of under 1. Sensors include three commercial grade gyros, three accelerometers, three magnetometers and a barometric altimeter. Man motion is one of the most challenging applications for a navigation sys-
tem. Integrating satellite navigation together with inertial sensors, magnetometers and barometric altimeters is one of the most common approaches. Differences can be found in the number and quality of inertial sensors, in their location (in the shoes or on the body), in the type of inertial navigation algorithm, whether using standard algorithms supported by zero velocity updates or pedestrian dead reckoning (or both) each with different precision, drift and noise latitudes. A personal dead-reckoning system normally uses a six degree of freedom inertial measurement unit that generates the rate-of-rotation, and acceleration measurements are used in real time to estimate the location of the user relative to a known starting point. To reduce the most significant errors caused by the bias drift of the accelerometers, a technique known as zero velocity update was implemented, which offers a considerable reduction in positioning errors. As an example, Qinetiq developed a man-motion navigation system based on its Q20 High Sensitivity GPS Receiver Module, the BAE Systems micro electroReleased in May 2010, the newest member to the Novatel GNSS/INS Span product family is the IMU-LCI a tactical-grade IMU with fibre-optic gyros and micromechanical accelerometers. The Synchronous Position, Attitude and Navigation (Span) range provide accurate inertial measurements. (Novatel)
A Tactical Mesh Router, part of the Coco Communications Mobile Ad-hoc Network. This system is known to be used by the US Coast Guard boarding teams, but could also be in use by other US services and possibly deployed downrange. (Coco Communications)
Coco Communications developed a series of hardware and software items that can create instant, secure networks in tactical situations where traditional networks may be hindered, as in ships and buildings. The firms Mobile Ad-Hoc Network (Manet) routing allows network traffic to be quickly routed in rapidly changing mobile environments. While software items can be used when existing networks are available, tactical mesh routers recreate a network inside buildings or underground structures. Cocos systems have been tested in interoperability communications exercises and are being used by the US Coast Guard, Army and Navy. Weighing 0.73 grams, the Coco Tactical Mesh Router is battery operated with an eight-hour endurance. It is put into operation by pushing a single button, a series of colour diodes instructs the operator where to locate other similar systems to provide coverage. For security reasons these routers cannot be turned off without a password entered on a PDA or laptop. They provide secure voice, video and data communications and feature an
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Closely integrated with the Soldier Radio Waveform, the Rifleman Radio from General Dynamics C4 Systems is expected to soon enter lowrate initial production. (General Dynamics C4 Systems)
legacy systems. It supports Ethernet, Packets, ATM and TDM transport over single, dual or four SHDSL channels. SHDSL interfaces can provide data rates up to 5.69 Mbps with a single pair connection and 11.38 Mbps with two. Normally linked to a power source, it can operate on batteries for up to 20 hours. If network services are lost, it is able to maintain the voice and data services in restricted operation mode. The Network Extender is a self-healing and self-configuring unit, which automatically and transparently adapts to the available network services. It can be linked to a radio and thus allows the com-
internal antenna, although external aerials can be used to extend range for special uses. The network based on these routers is wholly scalable with no limitation to the size or location of the network. The individual communication terminal can be any IP-enabled device and since many soldier modernisation programmes include such ruggedised personal digital assistants, loading Coco Node software to become part of the Manet is not an issue. Currently Coco is distributing Node Version 4.6, which can operate on systems running Windows XP SP2, SP3, Windows Server 2003 SP1, SP2, Windows Mobile 5.0 & 6.0 or Linux. PDAs loaded with Coco Node become themselves a node of the network. Another software tool provided by Coco is a communicator voice, video and data softphone application, which allows creation of any number of tactical voice networks, integrating video monitoring into conference calls using cameras linked on the network. All those systems
The Tactical Radio Gateway links the Manet developed by Coco Communications with existing tactical networks. (Coco Communications)
Seen here mounted on the companys 20-Watt A-320 amplifier, Ultralifes Dual Port Adapter allows two separate RF antennas to be connected to the amplifier. The DPA also functions as a low-noise amplifier for UHF satcom operations. (Ultralife)
support end-to-end as well as link cryptography. Manets are used by the US Coast Guard boarding teams, which once used up to 40 Tactical Mesh Routers when operating onboard a large ship, but other customers are still undisclosed. Through the Coco Tactical Radio Gateway the ad hoc network can be linked to any type of radio. The case containing the system weighs ten kg. When the need arises to establish a command post at battalion or company level in an urban strongpoint, communications are the first thing to be established. If the unit plans to spend some time in the same location, it may be quite useful, in an era of networking, to link the various cells of the command post that will probably deploy at least one ruggedised laptop each. Where the use of a radio-based network could be challenged by a building or interception by the opponent, Elektrobit of Finland has developed what might be seen as the modern version of the old field telephone. Known as Tough VoIP Network Extender, it has the advantage of working with the same old two-wire or four-wire connection, but is a hybridisation of a Voice over Internet protocol terminal, Ethernet switch, multi-port SHDSL modem and gateway to analogue
The Coco Communicator software can transform any PDA into a system capable of linking to Coco ad hoc networks, and making itself a network node. (Coco Communications)
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mand post to run on a single VHF or HF radio, possibly located at some distance in order to avoid precise location by an opponent. The Network Extender has a weight of 8.9 kg, and Elektrobit provides its Tough VoIP terminal for the system, a fully integrated wireline IP phone that can be either operated as part of EB Tough VoIP solution or as IP terminal together with third party equipment. A dynamic real-time phonebook is available with the simple push of a button. Tough VoIP is able to maintain voice comms in restricted operation mode where network services have been lost, and it is self-healing and self-configuring.
three or four-men-strong fighting cells including an RPG gunner, a sniper, a machine gunner and an ammunition bearer. Deployed at ground level, in upper stories and in basements, five to six cells could be in charge of attacking a single vehicle, mostly from the top, while dismounted infantry was used by the Russian troops to protect the vehicles. Israels new armoured personnel carriers are based on main battle tank chassis, thus providing as much armour protection as possible. The Namer, which is currently entering service, is based on the Merkava Mk 4 and is equipped with the Rafael Aspro-A active defence system (also
Elektrobit of Finland proposes its digital Tough VoIP Network Extender for the quick establishment of a Lan at lower level command posts. (Elektrobit)
Soldier comms in the urban jungle requires a soldier-proof solution. The ITT Spearnet UHF radio is for frontline squadmember comms, providing multihop routing, wideband ad hoc network voice, GPS with situational awareness reporting and up to 1500 kbps data transfer out to six km. The unit includes Sip/VoIP for connecting to telephone networks. (Armada/JK)
With a weight of 450 grams, the Tough VoIP features a 2.7-inch diode-illuminated display with a 128 x 64-pixel resolution, an international standard 16-button keypad with numbers, letters and special characters, up and down arrow buttons for menu browsing, confirm and cancel buttons, a push-to-talk button on the side and keypad lock. Elektrobit provided the system to the Finnish Air Force in 2009 and last May the Finnish Army started a series of field tests. Elektrobit aims at working as a partner with the main defence communication companies, providing its systems as the final interface with tactical command posts.
Armour and Firepower

As much as situational awareness is of paramount importance to reduce risks, it will never enable one to avoid contact with enemies. Movement within urban areas with vehicles is always a risky business, as not only do opponents have many caches on hand, they also have a much better knowledge of the area. Armour remains the principal medium of protection for troops, although a series of compromises have to be made to cope with the urban scenario, especially when engaged in a crisis response operation. Protecting an armoured vehicle in an urban context is not an easy task; Chechen war returns indicate that the lower level combat group consisted of
General Dynamics C4 Systems has updated its URC-200 to V2 status. The multi-band, multi-mode line-of-sight radio operates over the VHF, UHF, AM and FM bands, providing enhanced connectivity; for example, from ground units to direct support aircraft. (General Dynamics C4 Systems)
known as the Trophy), while the Achzarit is based on the T-54/55 chassis. Israel, however, is in a situation that is not comparable with that of the other western countries: while the other armies do not know where they will deploy for the next operation, which most likely will be another CRO, Israel knows where the next fight will take place, knows who its enemy will be and knows that deployment of its heavyweight vehicles will not be a problem, as it will fight alongside its borders. Things are much different for other nations, which normally must deploy far away from home, and which have to take into consideration many other elements such as mobility in terms of road capacity and bridge load limitations, damages to road systems, psychological impact, etc. Heavyweight vehicles are therefore seldom used in such missions, or only as a last resource. Most vehicles are thus wheeled and medium weight, and armoured, mineresistant and ambush protected. Apart from roadside bombs, the main threat comes from the ubiquitous rocket-propelled grenades, the hollow charge warheads of which easily defeat medium armoured vehicles. Various solutions have been developed to counter this threat, from slat armour, passive add-on armour to reactive armour and active self-protection. Slat armour was adopted on US Army Strykers in mid-2000, as it was a lighter option compared to the add-on plates used until then to withstand hits from
22
This diagram shows the deployment of Coco TMRs and PDAs during ship boarding and inspection. The system can also be used inside buildings. (Coco Communications)
shoulder-fired rockets. Indeed, at 2.36 tonnes slat weight was 1.36 tonnes lighter. The major drawback of this solution is that the standoff distance needed to reduce incoming warhead effectiveness translates into a 45-cm increase in vehicle overall width, which in turn reduces mobility. BAE Systems Lrod cage has been fitted to US Army and US Marine Corps Mraps. The British Army also adopted this solution for many types of vehicles it deployed to Afghanistan. Ruag of Switzerland developed the Sidepro-Lasso (Light Armour System against Shaped Ordnance), a 3D structure that offers multi-hit protection with a specific weight of less than 15 kg/metre2 which, according to Ruag, is 50% less than its competitors. Instead of a bar armour Ruag adopted a mesh screen made of special four-millimetre-thick high-tensile steel, the mesh gauge was established following theoretical and practical tests in order to optimise the chances of stopping the two-kilo round flying at 300 metres/sec before it reaches the vehicle armour, while possibly avoiding detonating it. The Lasso has been adopted by the Danish Army for its M113s deployed in Afghanistan. IBD Deisenroth of Germany added to its Amap system the Amap-P, a modular screen system with a weight of 15 kg/metre2 that can be folded against the original armour when not in use, to facilitate vehicle storage and transportation. According to IBD, the Amap-P is able to destroy or short-circuit the warhead ignition system, and thereby prevent its triggering.
IBD also offers the Amap-SC (Shaped Charge) passive armour in various configurations to match the required level of protection, for a weight that is eight to ten times less than the equivalent rolled homogeneous armour protection. In March 2009 Ruag acquired the majority of Geke in Germany and created Geke Schutztechnik (GST), which contributed to the development of new products. The first is Sidepro-RPG, which according to the company can withstand multiple hits from RPG-7V, VM and VL.
The system weighs less than 45 kg/metre2 and is 250 mm thick with minimised incidence on vehicles mobility at any rate much less than that of conventional reactive armour, which weighs an estimated ten times more. Further developments aim to ensure protection against kinetic energy weapons and roadside bombs. The Sidepro-RPG can be used in conjunction with the aforementioned Lasso. General Dynamics ATP is replacing US Army Strykers slat armour with Rafaels new reactive armour based on
The IBD Amap-ADS active system has been thoroughly tested and should soon start to be produced. (Armada/PV)
The Danish Army installed slat armour even on its Leopard 2 deployed in Afghanistan in order to improve their resistance against RPGs. (Danish Army)
low burning rate explosive, which remains inert if hit by small arms fire or during transport and maintenance phases, but develops its full energy when hit by a shaped charge. According to Rafael, the collateral danger from possible fragments is only 1.3% higher than that of a vehicle equipped with passive armour, since fragments are mostly propelled upwards and downwards, and only very few are propelled horizontally. Deliveries began in mid-2010. Similar materiel has also been used to provide skirt armour to Bradleys. Active armour systems can also considerably improve vehicle safety. However, to be effective in an urban scenario they need to feature extremely short reaction times if they want to defeat rocket grenades fired
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data about urban environments. The concept proposes to improve geospatial intelligence collection and processing by fusing light detection and ranging and geographic information systems data sources used to detect and classify urban geospatial features, in order to automatically characterise object attributes and function. The design concept would enable the capture of analyst expertise using advanced machine learning a approaches.
Combining its Sidepro-Lasso mesh protection and the Sidepro-RPG passive protection Ruag can provide comprehensive solutions for different types of vehicles. (Ruag)
from a few tens of metres. Currently the most promising solution seems to emanate from IBD Deisenroth. Known as the ADS (Active Defense System), it has an intercept range of under two metres and a minimum defeat distance of ten metres, while the latter figure for most other systems is evaluated to at least 50 metres, which might prove too much to defeat a near point-blank shot. Turning to other means of close-range protection like remote-controlled roofmounted weapons, urban environments command a wide elevation arc, from at least -30 to +70. We shall not dwell on this subject here since it is examined in detailed in an ad hoc article published in the magazine with which this Compendium has been despatched.
intelligence gathering known as Urgent (Urban Reasoning and Geospatial Exploitation Technology), in other words, a tool that will help its users better understand the nature of locations, identify shapes and provide classification of objects for a broad range of pressing urban mission planning analyses. It will also provide automated time-sensitive situation analysis, such as warning of vehicles found on a road shoulder after dark, or estimating damage to a building exterior after an explosion. A contract worth seven million US dollars was assigned to BAE Systems National Security Solutions to provide support to Darpa for Phase II of the programme. BAE is currently developing a design concept that promises to speed the collection and processing of geospatial
An APC M113 equipped with Ruag Sidepro-RPG and Sidepro-Lasso. Clearly visible is the 250-mm-thick compact design that does not obstruct the mobility of the vehicle. (Ruag)
Urgent Intelligence Needed

Recognising threats in an urban environment is much more difficult than doing it in a symmetrical warfare on an open battlefield. Rubbish bins containing bombs, snipers concealed in doorways and windows, flat surfaces that could be potential landing zones the analysis of an urban scenario is all but easy. To achieve this goal the US military launched a programme aimed at urban
Compendium Urban Warfare 2010 Supplement to issue 4/2010 Volume 34, Issue No.4, June/July 2010
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Compendium

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