SA Hopes Brazil Will Join Another Missile Project
A Brazilian report has stated that South Africa's State-owned defence industrial group Denel is proposing that the Brazilian Navy cooperate with it in the development of the radar-guided version of Denel Dynamics' Umkhonto naval surface-to-air missile (SAM), designated Umkhonto-R. If so, this would parallel the current cooperation between Denel Dynamics and the Brazilian Air Force in the development of the A-Darter air-to-air missile. It is known that Denel is seeking to widen its cooperation with Brazil, with Unmanned Air Vehicles likely to be the next area of partnership. The Brazilian and South African Navies will start high-level staff talks late next month (November) and it is believed that this would provide the ideal opportunity for the South African Navy to lobby the Brazilians to join the Umkhonto-R programme. The original, infrared-homing, version of the Umkhonto, designated Umkhonto-IR, is now in service with the South African and Finnish Navies and is being seriously considered by the Swedish Navy. Radar homing would give the missile greater range. While the slant (as distinct from vertical, or horizontal) range of the Umkhonto-IR is believed to be 14 km, that for the Umkhonto-R would, reportedly, be 20 km. (The Denel Dynamics public brochure for the Umkhonto-IR states "Range: 12 000 m", and gives a ceiling of 8 000 m.)
The South African Department of Defence is, it seems, providing funding for the Umkhonto-R project, but this is not likely to be enough to allow a purely national development of the programme within a reasonable time. (If a weapon system takes too long to develop, it becomes obsolete before it even enters service.) Hence Denel's, and South Africa's, reported desire for a partner.
The engagement sequence for the Umkhonto-IR is as follows: the warship detects a target on its acquisition radar and launches the missile against it; the SAM uses its on-board inertial navigation subsystem to fly itself to a "lock-on point" - the location at which its IR seeker can acquire the target and lock on to it - and then guide itself to interception. However, for the Umkhonto-R, it is reported that, after target detection and missile launch, the SAM would be steered towards the target by commands from the warship, activating its radar seeker when within range, locking on to, and then intercepting, the target.
Unlike the South African navy, the Brazilian Navy already operates radar-guided SAMs, namely the Italian Aspide, with a published range of greater than 15 km. Although the Brazilians rate this as a very good missile, they are, however, merely users of it - they have no mastery of radar-homing technology. Cooperation with South Africa in the Umkhonto-R programme would provide an opportunity for the Brazilians to gain this expertise.
However, there is a potential problem. The Umkhonto (both -IR and -R versions) is designed to use vertical launch systems (VLS) and not traditional trainable launchers.
In a VLS each missile is accomodated in its own silo, and this arrangement has many advantages over traditonal systems, with the result that VLS is being adopted nearly universally for new-build warships. But almost all of a VLS is accomodated below deck, not above deck as with traditional launchers. This requires that the ship have significant internal volume to accomodate the VLS. And Brazil's existing frigates and corvettes do not have the necessary internal volume to host VLS, meaning they cannot carry the Umkhonto. On the other hand, the Umkhonto-R could be fitted to Brazil's bigger ships - the aircraft carrier and four or five amphibious ships - which have plenty of internal volume available. So this is not an automatic deal-wrecker.
The Brazilian Navy has its own research and development agency, the Naval Research Institute (IPqM are its initials in Portuguese). The IPqM is based in Rio de Janeiro and is subordinated to the Navy Science, Technology, and Innovation Secretariat. The Institute has successfully developed weapons and electronic systems that are now in service with the Brazilian Navy, including electronic support measures (ESM), a tactical control system for warships, a monitoring and conmtrol system for ships' engines, a chaff launching system, and sea mines. Projects it is currently working on include an electronic countermeasures (ECM) system, radar absorbing materials, ceramic armour, and an inertial navigation system. The IPqM has close ties with Brazilian industry and would presumably be the lead Brazilian institution in a joint Umkhonto-R programme.
Source: Engineering News
Umkhonto Missiles to Equip Visby Corvettes?
Visby class - Image: Unknown (Defense Industry Daily)
Forecast International reports that Sweden has decided to equip its 5 Visby Class stealth corvettes with Denel's Umkhonto-IR anti-aircraft missile system (and see PDF brochure) at a total cost of about SEK 1 billion (currently about $149.6 million). The deal has yet to be approved by the Swedish parliament. This Umkhonto ("spear") relies on inertial guidance coordinates transmitted by the attached 3-D radar, followed by lock-on after launch with the infared seeker. The entire system is capable of engaging up to 8 targets, and has a range of 12 km and a maximum intercept altitude of about 10 km/ 33,000 feet. Umkhonto is currently in service on Finland's Hamina class missile boats and Hameenmaa class minelayers, on South Africa's new Meko Class frigates, and by the South African Army as a land-based SAM system.
Forecast International adds that the stealthy Visby corvette program has received other setbacks and downgrades lately. Earlier in 2007, the new 127 mm ALECTO Anti-Submarine rocket system with its 2 trainable 6-rocket launchers had its development stopped. Visby corvettes will carry RBS15 Mk2 anti-ship missiles with half the range of the Mk3 variant, though their 100km range and warhead punch will still outclass the USA's much larger Littoral Combat Ships by a wide margin. Unlike the LCS, however, Visby class ships won't have an enclosed helicopter hangar, since the ship wouldn't allow enough room for the planned A-109 HKP-15SBO.
A Swedish DID reader takes issue with Forecast International's characterization, however, and also offers an explanation for the Umkhonto's selection....
Umkhonto's range is not that much larger than Saab Sweden's own 8km coverage, unjammable RBS-70 Bolide missile, which can be linked with radars and has been adopted by a number of armies and navies. Saab also makes the medium-range BAMSE system with 50% better coverage than Umkhonto-IR.
On the other hand, Umkhonto missiles can be fired from vertical launch cells that do not break the ship's stealth profile, can act as industrial offsets for South Africa's JAS-39 Gripen purchase, and received good reviews from Finland.
Read more at: Defence Industry Daily
Swedish government planning to buy the Umkhonto-IR SAM
The Swedish government wants to buy the South African Umkhonto-IR SAM system for the five Visby corvettes for at total cost of about 1 bn SEK. This system is capable of engaging up to 8 targets and has a range of 12 km. It has been bought also by Finland for their Hamina class missile boats and Hämeenmaa minelayers. The deal has to be approved by the Swedish parliament.
If approved it will be the second naval SAM system adopted by the RSwN through time. In 1963-67 the four Östergötland class destroyers were equipped with the British Seacat SAM system (RB 07 in Sw) with a HSA M4 director.
Since earlier it has been known that the new 127 mm ALECTO ASW rocket system (with two trainable sixtuple launchers) will not be installed on Visby, and that the development of this system has been stopped. Furthermore the Visby class corvettes will have to do with 100 km RBS 15 Mk2 surface-to-surface missiles instead of the latest 200 km Mk3 missiles. The Mk2 version has been in service in the RSwN (onboard corvettes and missile boats) since 1998, and are really only updated Mk1 missiles. According to the old Sw naval magazine Marinnytt however the Mk2 version is very close to the Mk3 version, and really only lacks the range of the latter.
Finally it also seems now as if there will be no integrated hull hangar for the onboard HKP 15 helo, and that the modification and shortening of the tail on the 8 A-109 HKP 15 SBO (Ship Based Operations) ordered is totally unnecessary.
Navy tests missile defence system
(Note: This news item is from 15 Dec 2005)
South Africa has joined the handful of nations to have fielded operational naval anti-missile air defence systems, the navy said on Wednesday.
Up to now the club included just the United States, Britain, France, Russia and India.
The navy said it late last month fired two Umkhonto (Spear) missiles to certify the ability of the patrol corvette SAS Amatola to defend itself against missile attack.
"This is a world beater," project leader Rear Admiral (Junior Grade) Johnny Kamerman said. "The tests went off exceptionally well."
Kamerman said the Amatola fired a missile at a high-speed Skua target drone on November 23 off Cape Aghulas and a second a week later.
Both were fired with telemetry warheads to tell developers at Denel's nearby Overberg test range how the missiles were performing.
Had real warheads been fitted, both targets would have been destroyed according to the data read-outs.
"Both hits were within the specifications. The ranges achieved were even better than those specified," Kamerman added.
Kamerman said the development of the system began in 1993.
South Africa decided to develop its own system even after sanctions were lifted because high-end systems such as the US Aegis were unaffordable. "We can't afford the launchers, let alone the missiles," Kamerman explained and low-end systems like shoulder-launched missiles were "a waste of time".
Land-based testing ended in July when the system was adjudged "shore-qualified".
The next phase was to do sea acceptance trials on the Amatola in what Kamerman called "live configuration".
Both Umkhonto missiles were vertically launched, giving the ship the ability to defend against threats in any direction at any azimuth including zenith attacks.
The second missile is said to have missed the Skua high-speed target drone by some five metres. The Skua was designed to simulate a typical air-launched anti-ship missile.
No residue of missile launch was left on the missile deck of the vessel, indicating pyrotechically correct and safe launch.
Furthermore the test launches were conducted in fairly rough sea conditions with significant deck roll and pitch, which indicates a correct integration of the missile launch system into the combat suite including correct incorporation of roll and pitch data from the Inertial Navigation System via the Navigation Distribution System.
Kamerman said making surface to air missile intercepts is the most complicated thing any navy can do in modern times.
"It is the ultimate test of the combat system," he said, as it requires the ship to detect the threat, correctly analyse the data, allocate a weapon, designate a target, fire the weapon and track both missile and target while guiding the former onto the latter all in a matter of seconds.
Kamerman said both intercepts lasted less than 30 seconds from target detection to simulated destruction.
"This proves the defensive capability of the ships and the system as one of the most modern systems in world."
"It is a huge milestone for our industry," Kamerman said, adding further that 75 percent of the ships weapons and combat systems were designed and made in South Africa.
Read more at: iafrica.com (Thanks to Wilhelm van Zyl for the link)
Denel Male UAV on First Overseas Visit
Having shown a mock-up of its 'Bateleur' Medium-Altitude Long-Endurance (MALE) unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) for the first time in late 2004, Denel opted for the Dubai International airshow to display it abroad for the first time. A scale model of the 'Bateleur' is to be seen at the airshow that started on Monday. According to Jan Wessels, Denel Aerospace Systems General Manager, the initial development rationale with the 'Bateleur' was to meet the anticipated South African Navy and South African Air Force's Maritime Patrol Aircraft (MPA) requirement. "Since then several clients, notably also in the Middle East, have shown keen interest in our 'Bateleur' MALE UAV. With around 20 years' experience in operating UAVs, Denel is well-positioned to complement its existing capabilities with a MALE version," Wessels said.
Denel sees the identified roles and missions of the design as:
- Real-time day and night surveillance
- Maritime, coastal and border patrol
- Battlefield surveillance
- Search and rescue operations
- Military and paramilitary multi-sensor reconnaissance
The UAV was designed to cover South Africa's vast search and rescue area of
approximately 5-million square miles. The country's 200 nautical miles
exclusive economic zone lies along approximately 3 000 kilometres of
coastline. Moreover, South Africa's island dependencies, like Marion Island
in the southern Indian Ocean, lies approximately 1775 kilometres away.
For long-range operations, Denel's existing ground control station (used for
the Seeker 2 UAV, which is operational in several countries) plus a tactical
ground station provides line-of-sight deployment of the 'Bateleur' MALE UAV
with an action radius of 750 kilometres and 12 to 18 hours over the target
area. Making use of the Ku-band satellite, the UAV will undertake over the
horizon operations (OTH) to a range of around 3500 kilometres.
Other products on display at the Dubai Airshow are Denel's impressive range
of missiles and precision-guided weapons, as well as optronic systems. These
include the Ingwe and Mokopa anti-armour missiles, the Umkhonto
surface-to-air missile, destined for the South African Navy's new Meko-class
corvettes and Finland's Navy Squadron 2000 project, and the Umbani
precision-guided modular bomb kit. In August 2005 Denel held a client
evaluation of its Ingwe anti-armour missile in the Gulf Region. According to
Wessels, the results once again confirmed the outstanding performance of
Denel's Ingwe missile that won the company the "Best Live Demonstration"
award at the IDEX 2003 exhibition in the United Arab Emirates where it
destroyed targets at ranges of around 5 000m. The Ingwe is in full
production and is being exported. Denel's optronic systems have also found
ready export markets around the world. The latest success was the Belgian
Federal Police (BFP) who awarded Denel a contract earlier this year for the
supply of the widely used and proven LEO II-A3 Airborne Observation System.
The LEO product family has a proud tradition of supporting law enforcement
operations in some twenty countries around the world. It is now
successfully used on five continents - from South America to Europe, the
Middle East and Asia Pacific.
Source: Defence THINK!/SAAF Mailing List
