Army’s VSHORAD tender to go for re-confirmatory trials

[dadeechi]

Army’s VSHORAD tender to go for re-confirmatory trials

• DINAKAR PERI

The $5.2 billion contract is intended for Army and Navy
SAAB of Sweden has begun training engineers of Bharat Forge under a proposed joint venture in anticipation of a contract to supply air defence systems to the Army.

The move comes even as SAAB is gearing up for confirmatory trials for the Very Short Range Air Defence Systems (VSHORAD) tender, while it makes an aggressive pitch for the Short Range Surface to Air Missile (SRSAM) tender.

These systems are meant to replace the legacy Russian air defence systems in service and have seen repeated delays.

In June, the Defence Acquisition Council (DAC), the highest authority for defence procurements, reviewed the status of both air defence programmes and decided to “keep the ongoing procurement process going in a multi-vendor situation.”

Missiles and launchers
The VSHORAD tender is intended for the Army and Navy and worth over $5.2-billion for 5,175 missiles and 1,276 single and multi-launchers with stipulated technology transfer requirement for the Defence Public Sector Undertakings (DPSU).

There are three contenders — SAAB, MBDA of France and Rosoboronexport of Russia. SAAB has fielded its RBS 70 system for the tender. The trials which began in May 2012 are still ongoing.

“Trials will continue on the VSHORAD which are called confirmatory trials in the coming months. Since all three vendors have been called for new trials all have some non-compliances,” said Bo Almqvist of SAAB, who handles air defence systems for the Swedish defence and aerospace major which clocked $3 billion in sales in 2015. Explaining their non-compliance, he said according to the Request for Proposal (RFP), the missile should weigh 25 kg, man portable firing station 25 kg and sight with power pack 20kg. “We have that in a different order. Our sighting system includes the beamer and weighs 25 kg and the firing station includes the stand with the power pack which is 20 kg. That is our non-compliance,” Dr. Almqvist added.

The stand itself was redesigned after inputs from the Indian Army that it was too heavy, he said adding that the lighter variant was now standard feature for all systems under production.

Dr. Almqvist said that both their systems are “command line of sight” which means the target is tracked till impact due to which the system is “jamming resistant” and can be aborted after launch.

Joint venture
The SRSAM requirement is for two regiments consisting of 52 missile firing units, 18 radars and 1980 missiles and is worth about Rs.12,000-14,000 crore.

SAAB has fielded its BAMSE system with a range of 20 km which is mounted on an Ashok Leyland truck. In anticipation of the order, it has begun training engineers from Kalyani Strategic Systems Ltd (KSSL), the defence arm of Bharat Forge at its facility in Karlskoga, company officials said.

“The idea is to set up an Assembly, Test and Integration (AIT) facility and some part of production as part of our long term commitment under Make in India,” Dr. Almqvist said.

The possible location of the JV is Satara in Maharashtra which will be finalised once the winner is announced likely by end of this year. KSSL is already supplying rear steering fins for the BAMSE missile by 3D printing.

The Army which is inducting the indigenously developed Akash SRSAM with a range of 25 km is looking for a quick reaction missile for which the current tender is under way.

(The writer was in Sweden at the invitation of SAAB)

http://www.thehindu.com/news/nation...-for-reconfirmatory-trials/article9204513.ece

 

[dadeechi]

RBS 70 NG VSHORAD SYSTEM: AN EDGE ON THE BATTLEFIELD
23 March 2016

The RBS 70 NG is a highly flexible and long term solution to evolving Ground-Based Air Defence requirements for any country. Based on the proven RBS 70 Very Short Range Air Defence Missile (VSHORAD) System, it is a missile system with 24/7 all-target capability, developed for any combat situation.

The new generation (NG) has an integrated sight, enhanced gunner aids, high precision, unbeatable range and unjammable laser guidance that combine to produce a ground-based air defence system with world-leading capabilities. Saab has offered the RBS 70 NG with the HARD radar as a perfect solution for the Indian Armed Force’s VSHORAD program.

The Smart System

The RBS 70 NG System’s automatic tracking capabilities and ability to detect multiple targets, both day and night, meet and exceed the requirements of the Indian Armed Forces for a VSHORAD system. With the latest generation of missile – the BOLIDE – the RBS 70 NG encompasses the complete air threat spectrum, from fixed and rotary wing aircraft to small targets such as cruise missiles and UAVs. With its shaped charge, armoured targets like helicopters and APCs can also be defeated.

The combination of Saab’s HARD surveillance radar detection capability and Saab’s experience developing complete GBAD systems, including C4I solutions, provides the VSHORAD system with a unique rapid overall reaction time.

Flexible Design Gives Freedom of Action

Flexibility of design allows RBS 70 NG to be used for several tasks during the same mission. The man portable firing unit enables timely deployment from a chosen location or vehicle platform ensuring comprehensive air defence cover by strategic assets or manoeuvring troops. In addition the modular RBS 70 NG sighting system can be remotely controlled from a high mobility vehicle or ship integrated applications. Long-term static defence of strategic assets can also be achieved through a standalone remotely controlled configuration.

Unaffected by Countermeasures

Most missiles in the VSHORAD category, with a few exceptions, use an Infrared Homing guidance system which has several disadvantages. Missiles can be defeated by counter-measures such as flares, and can encounter difficulty locking on to targets that are distorted by external heat sources such as the sun or burning items on the battlefield.

The RBS 70 NG is unaffected by counter-measures, heat sources and clutter.

“The RBS 70 NG missile is able to counter highly manoeuvrable jinking targets. This is a clear advantage compared to homing missiles which can make one or two heavy manoeuvres before losing its performance. The homing missile has to manoeuver 3-4 times as much as the target at late stage of the trajectory while a CLOS missile never manoeuvers more than the target does due to its guidance principle. A target can therefore outmanoeuvre a homing missile but never the RBS 70 NG missile”, says Jan Widerström, Chairman and Managing Director, Saab India Technologies Pvt Ltd.

CLOS - The Modern Way of Thinking Compared to Homing Guidance

Targets of today often have missile warning systems and countermeasures. As soon as a target gets a warning that it is engaged by an AD missile it will start to manoeuver, use flares or other countermeasures. A fighter aircraft will manoeuver as much as possible, when engaged by an AD missile. A modern jet aircraft can manoeuver as much as 9-10g.

The RBS 70 NG is totally un-effected by countermeasures such as flares or other heat sources, and the major reason for this is that the operator always is in the loop, i.e. the operator can always use the manual controls to change aim-point, support the auto-tracker or even change target after missile launch.

A Defence System to Beat the Rest

The RBS 70 NG has an effective intercept range of 8 km, with altitude coverage in excess of 5,000 m, making it a best-in-class VSHORAD missile system. It is capable of operating on complex combat fields such as urban environments and is well equipped for all climates, including tropical, desert and arctic conditions.

The RBS 70 has been sold to 19 nations worldwide, with more than 1,600 RBS 70 launch & guidance units and more than 17,000 missiles sold. The user’s experience with RBS 70 is that it is “easy to use, quick to reload and fast to deploy”.

Although battlefield requirements constantly evolve, close cooperation with potential and existing RBS 70 customers combined with Saab’s technical expertise and innovation will ensure that the RBS 70 NG VSHORAD System will always stay ahead of the threats of tomorrow.

Joint Venture with Kalyani Group to be set up for VSHORAD and SRSAM

In February Saab announced plans for a Joint Venture company In India together with the Indian company Kalyani Strategic Systems Ltd (KSSL), which is the defence arm of the Kalyani Group. The joint venture will handle the main part of production and delivery of these air defence systems to the Indian customer. The production in India will comprise of subsystems and systems for SRSAM and VSHORAD with the aim to transfer production as well as development knowledge to India.

“I am glad to announce our contribution to Make in India through our agreement with KSSL and the Kalyani Group to establish a joint venture company in India for the Air Defence Programmes. The JV is already under preparation within both companies, and will be ready to launch soon”, says Görgen Johansson, head of Saab business area Dynamics.

To secure production quality, orders of missile parts have already been issued to KSSL and production-readiness reviews are ongoing. Saab and KSSL are already planning for the technology transfer for different packages within the programmes.

“The joint venture company will combine Saab's knowledge and experience as a developer and supplier of high-technology radar and missile systems, with the engineering excellence and manufacturing capabilities of the Kalyani Group. The joint venture will create a global supplier in the area of Ground Based Air Defence Systems based in India”, says Amit Kalyani, Executive Director at Kalyani Group

 

[Ankit Kumar 002]

In MANPADS we should stick to IR guidance system.

 

[#hydra#]

What is the Russian offer?

 

[Hindustani78]

BAMSE SRSAM is designed for flexible usage both for stand-alone operation as well as in networks with other sensors and weapon systems. The philosophy is to optimise system effect by having a number of fully co-ordinated firing units that together create a ground coverage for the system of more than 2,100 km2 and an effective altitude coverage of 15,000 m.

The BAMSE SRSAM system has excellent built-in ECCM capabilities both in the GIRAFFE AMB surveillance radar and the unique monopulse Fire Control Radar (FCR) Automatic Command to Line Of Sight (ACLOS) missile guidance function.

Crew: 3
Performance
Target's Max Altitude: 10,000 meter (32,808 foot)
Weapon Max Range: 15,000 meter

 

[migflug]

Saab BAMSE using Ashok leyland.

 

[DavidSling]

Iron Dome

 

[Ram Mahadev]

Battle field Sam?