Nordic Defense News, pictures, videos and history

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Swedish Military

 

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Norway Adds $500M To Bolster High North

HELSINKI — Norway has decided to invest $500 million in two new programs intended to strengthen its military capability in the High North.

The capital investment, which is being financed within the framework of the 2015 defense budget, happens against a backdrop where Russia continues to reinforce its air, naval and land capabilities in the neighboring High North.

The Norwegian government earlier set spending on the core defense budget at $5.6 billion for 2015, a 3.4 percent increase compared with the core military budget for 2014.

The two new programs are intended to reinforce defense readiness and overall capability, and will be used to add firepower to Norway's defensive systems.

The two programs, costing a total of $478 million, center on the Norwegian Defense Forces' project to build Norway's first anti-aircraft battery. The cost of this project is around $120 million.

The anti-aircraft battery will be stationed with, and operated by, the Brigade North Battle Battalion. The fully integrated air-defense system will also include the Norwegian advanced surface-to-air missile system (NASAMS) and the IRIS-T air-to-air missile.

The military is currently developing a self-propelled anti-aircraft system, combining IRIS-T missiles fired from existing NASAMS II-launchers mounted on a lengthened M113 armored personnel carrier chassis. Delivery is set for 2015.

The second program will involve modernization of the Army's German-made Leopard 2 tanks.

The Leopard 2 upgrade will involve 38 of the Army's 52 tanks. The modernized tanks will operate in a modular construct as part of the military's evolving network-based defense structure. This estimated cost is $356 million.

"The increase in spending will further improve the military's operational capability," said Defense Minister Ine Eriksen Søreide.

All the ministers in conservative Prime Minister Erna Solberg's Cabinet supported the defense spending increase, an initiative supported by the perceived need for Norway to strengthen its defenses along its borders with Russia.

"The unfortunate developments in Ukraine and Russia make it necessary for Norway to increase our military capability," Solberg said.

Increased funding will be required to improve facilities at the Norwegian Air Force's air station at Ørland to serve as the main base for new F-35 aircraft. The cost of the air base modernization will run to $190 million. The first F-35s are scheduled to arrive in Ørland in 2017.

The military is also procuring and modernizing new CV90-type combat vehicles, a program that is budgeted at $1.32 billion, and working with the MoD to devise a plan to replace the Navy's aging Ula-class submarines.

 

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Eesti

 

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Patria NEMO 120mm Mortar

Littoral warfare is all the rage these days, being able to snuggle in around shoals and the muddy water of contested territory and vanquish your enemy with speed and overwhelming force. That exact mission is what Finland's Patria NEMO 120mm mortar boat is all about. It is a small and fast shallow draft vessel with one huge ***, surgically accurate gun.

The NEMO, which stands for 'NEw MORrtar,' is a fully automated, gyro stabilized, breach-loading 120mm mortar turret system. In the past, originally it was designed for land-based applications, now it has gone to sea. It can fire while the ship is rolling and pitching, even at high speed, and it is ridiculously accurate.

NEMO boasts a range beyond that of anti-tank missiles, a weapon that is becoming a staple when it comes to countering small boat swarms. The gun's stated range is over 10km, and its barrel can traverse -3 to +85 degrees while spouting off 7 shots a minute continuously or a three round burst in just 12 seconds.

The base for this mini battleship of sorts is Alutech Marine's Watercat M12 landing craft, which is an enlarged and more powerful version of the Jurmo Class landing craft. The M12 is a super maneuverable and very stable fast landing craft that uses twin 525 kW marine diesel engines and Rolls-Royce FF410S water jets to sling it through even very shallow water at speeds approaching 45 knots.

The boat's bow ramp is hydraulically powered, allowing access to rapidly load and offload 16 troops, all of which sit on impact dampened seats within the boat's Kevlar lined bow-cocoon. Another eight troops can be held above deck. In the Patria NEMO's case, this space is used for accessing the automatic gun turret and space left unused by the big gun can be utilized for storing additional 120mm shells and other cargo. The M12 also has a lavatory and small galley, so extended missions are not a problem.

In addition to the big gun, the M12 has a pair of 50 cal machine guns for self defense, but there is no reason why these could not be replaced with smaller 7.62 machine guns, mini-guns or even automatic grenade launchers.

The idea is that the Patria Nemo can provide hard hitting, medium-range indirect fire support from places where larger surface combatants could never operate from. For instance, if a special forces team were operating deep in a reverine environment, the Patria Nemo could be almost ten kilometers away, hidden deep in an inlet or tributary of a river, ready to rain down hell on the enemy at a moments notice. Then, in a 'run and gun,' direct fire combat environment, the Patria Nemo can rapidly engage multiple fast boats, even at very close range, providing a robust anti-boat swarming capability.

Being that it fires a highly adaptable mortar round, different ammo variations with different fusing options can be selected based on the target. For instance, an air-burst round could probably knock out a small boat without even having to nail it directly, as a burst of explosive shells detonating a few dozen feet above the waterline would result in a mission kill.

For clearing beaches or providing sustained fire support, rounds fired in succession can sanitize large areas of enemy personnel. This can be accomplished via programming the fire support plan into the NEMO fire-control system's user interface, or via coordinates that can be data-linked to the boat via forward spotters. If a bunker or hardened vehicle needs to be targeted, an armor piercing high-explosive (HEAT) round salvo could be fired at it. In other words, the 120mm 'smart' mortar is like the Swiss Army Knife of highly mobile fire support, it can quickly adapt to the situation at hand, for situations that require both within line of sight and beyond line of sight attacks.

The Patria NEMO was originally tested on a larger craft, the Naval Fast Patrol Boat, in its harder hitting, twin-barrel AMOS form. Yet the low-cost of operation, maneuverability, small target size and the M12's ability to operate 'up river' in areas where nearly no draft exists, made it a more attractive surrogate for the big single barreled 120mm NEMO turret.

This heavily armed jet boat's tactical attractiveness has already panned out in some sales. The Finnish Navy has bought the system and so has the UAE. This makes total sense as the boat's unique abilities are incredibly well suited to the tactical challenges of Persian Gulf. The land-based NEMO system also has many interested parties and a few sales already under its belt, making the water-borne version that much more attractive to potential operators of both systems.

The M12/NEMO system seems incredibly well suited for riverine special operations forces here in the US. Being able to support a special forces team up river with their own dedicated indirect fire support would be a very valuable capability. With this in mind, it wouldn't be surprising if these big gun toting jet boats start showing up in the US, with US Navy SWCCs at their controls.

 

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Gotland Class Submarine

We have been glued all week to the sub saga off the coast of Sweden, where six days in Swedish forces have only now called off their search for an elusive sub hiding in the waters off Stockholm. Yet what nobody has mentioned is just how deadly and capable Sweden's own subs are, and there are few better weapons for catching a sub than another sub.

Sweden's submarine force is relatively tiny, just five boats make up the entire inventory, but those five vessels are extremely stealthy and lethal, especially their three Gotland Class diesel-electric submarines. Entering service in the mid 1990s, the 1600 ton displacement Gotland Classwas the first operational Air Independent Propulsion (AIP) submarines in the world, which gave them the previously unprecedented operational ability (for non-nuclear submarines at least) to stay submerged for weeks at a time.

With performance once only within the realm of much more complex, expensive, larger and louder nuclear submarines, AIP technology is revolutionizing the accessibility of long diving and silent running submarine capabilities. There are now multiple AIP concepts out there, with fuel cell based systems being a popular choice as of late. Yet legendary ship builder Kockums was the first to market with their AIP system which utilizes advanced batteries that are charged by 75kw generators. These generators are run by a pair of diesel and liquid oxygen fueled Stirling Engines. The result of this unique, yet remarkably simple system is two weeks of submerged air independent propulsion while traveling at about 6mph. Oh, and Kockums' AIP system is virtually silent, even in comparison to multi-billion dollar nuclear powered boats that still have to pump high-volumes coolant to their reactors.

The Gotland Class can also act like a traditional diesel-electric submarine and run on its standard diesel engines while surfaced or snorkeling. It can also run on battery power alone, where it can hit speeds up to 20 knots submerged. The capability to patrol silently for weeks on AIP, run un-stealthily on its standard diesel engines, or rocket through the water for shorter periods on silent battery power alone, give the Gotland Class a certain tactical agility that is very hard for the enemy to predict.

The Gotland Class measures 200 feet in length and are just over 20 feet in width. They are crewed with an incredibly lean compliment of 24 sailors and officers. These submariners are put through exhaustive psychological and physiological testing to make sure they can handle life aboard the small vessel.

As for weapons, these capable little submarines feature four 533mm torpedo tubes that can fire the time-tested and heavy hitting Bofors Underwater Systems Type 613torpedoes. The "Torpedo 613" is an incredibly powerful anti surface ship weapon, packing a range of about 12 miles, an engagement speed of 40kts and a massive high-explosive warhead weighing in at nearly about 650lbs. A newer updated multi-role heavy torpedo that can be used against both surface and submarine targets is also carried by the Gotland Class, called the 'Torpedo 2000.' This cutting edge weapon has double the range of the Torpedo 613, although less raw explosive power. Sixteen 533mm class torpedoes can be carried at any given time about the HMS Gotland and her two sisters ships.

The Gotland Class is also equipped with a pair of 400mm tubes that are used by the maneuverable Saab Bofors Underwater Systems Type 43X2 lightweight multi-role torpedo. Each tube can hold two of these versatile and compact torpedoes at one time.

What makes this small and quiet sub even more deadly is her combat management system which is truly state of the art and is said to feature an incredibly user friendly interface. During a single attack, the system can guide multiple torpedoes at once, which can result in more than a mission kill for even very large naval combatants like aircraft carriers, with each torpedo striking in a different section of the hull if ordered to do so.

Her sensor suite is provided by Atlas Elektronik and is also extremely capable and fully integrated into the boat's combat management system. A bow mounted cylindrical sonar array, intercept array, conformal passive sonar arrays on her sides, electronic service measures and a radar detection, classification and homing suite made by Thales and known as 'Manta' rounds out the ship's primary sensor fit. The whole combat system interface is constantly being upgraded and new sensors can be added with relative ease as needed.

Mine warfare is also a major part of the Gotland Class's mission. They can deploy Saab Bofors Underwater Systems stand-off self-deployed Mine 42, which can travel autonomously for miles before descending to the sea floor. There it can lie in wait for a target ship or submarine to pass by, and will then activate and prosecute an attack autonomously. This unpredictable and 'smart' mine can also detonate or deactivate itself after a certain period of time. Additionally, the Gotland can carry up to 48 traditional mines externally.

Maneuverability was a key factor in the Gotland Class design and this manifests itself in the boat's "X" shaped tailplane structure. This unique design provides four independent maneuvering surfaces at its stern and is tied to another two planes mounted on the boat's sail. These control surfaces, combined with the sub's advanced and highly automated control system, allows for incredibly tight turns, dives and ascensions even in very close quarters, such as in shallow littoral environments. Due to the boat's size, automation and maneuverability, theGotland Class has been described as the F-16 Viper of the undersea combat world.

As the Gotland and her two sister ships, the HMS Uppland and HMS Halland, matured into highly capable operational attack and reconnaissance boats, they began taking part in international exercises. In 2000 they traveled to the Mediterranean for a large multi-national training event where they astonished participating countries by remaining virtually undetected throughout the exercise while actively surveying and shadowing opposing forces. In some cases they sat undetected for long periods of time while visibly observing submarine hunting activities on the decks of 'enemy' frigates and destroyers.

The Gotland Class boats then participated in open-ocean exercises in the Atlantic where they trounced much more advanced Spanish, French and US players, including a French nuclear fast attack sub and the American Los Angeles Class SSN, the USS Houston.

Other exercises soon followed and the little Gotland Class boats continued to be a very lethal force to reckon with. By the mid 2000s, other countries were starting to field or develop AIP capable diesel-electric submarines, including Russia and especially China. Since the US Navy had retired its last diesel-electric (non-AIP) attack submarine in 1990, the USS Blueback (now a local resident here at Oregon's Museum of Science & Industry) there was no indigenous force to practice hunting down diesel-electric subs, yet alone ones with advanced AIP capabilities. Thus the US Navy went to Sweden hat in hand in hopes of leasing one of their ninja-like Gotland Class boats, and its crew, for a year. The Swedish sub would be playing the adversary to America's massive constellation of anti-submarine surface combatants, helicopters, fixed wing aircraft, and especially nuclear submarines. The Swedes granted this request and the Gotlandwas shipped to San Diego aboard a mobile drydock.

By mid summer of 2005 the Gotland arrived in San Diego and war games immediately commenced. Apparently the Navy got more than they were bargaining for when it came to finding and engaging the stealthy little sub. The Gotland virtually "sunk" many US nuclear fast attack subs, destoryers, frigates, cruisers and even made it into the 'red zone' beyond the last ring of anti-submarine defenses within a carrier strike group. Although it was rumored she got many simulated shots off on various US super-carriers, one large-scale training exercise in particular with the then brand new USS Ronald Reagan ended with the little sub making multiple attack runs on the super-carrier, before slithering away without ever being detected.

One contact of mine within the anti-submarine community said that the Gotland was the single biggest eye opener of their career, the little Swedish sub was "so silent it literally did not exist to our sensors." Apparently the Swedish crew knew exactly how to employ her strengths to devastating effects as that same contact described the sub as "a vastly demoralizing capability that changed the priorities within the surface and sub-surface warfare communities."

Once the first year of the lease ran out, the Navy quickly arranged another year on the contract to sort through tactics as to how to deal with this proliferating and unassuming yet deadly threat. It wasn't until mid 2007 that the Gotland finally loaded up on its mobile drydock and headed back to its home on the Baltic Sea.

Fast forward the better part of a decade and AIP submarines, some more advanced than theGotland Class, are prowling the seas and littorals around the globe. Seeing as these boats cost millions, instead of billions of dollars, they are potentially a fairly cheap way of shattering shipping in key global waterways, or even stalking coastlines for soft targets such as ships in port, not to mention having the potential of taking on some of most capable anti-submarine forces in the world.

After fighting multiple land wars in the deserts of Iraq and mountains of Afghanistan for a decade and half, America's anti submarine warfare capability had atrophied. Today there is apush within the Navy to make it a high priority once again, especially after the lessons learned during the Gotland's time as a opposing force aggressor and the rise of China's nuclear ballistic submarine force. New tactics and technologies are quietly being applied to combat these cheap but potentially disastrous underwater stalkers, although it seems like it will still be some time until the Navy has the threat under any sort of control.

The success and proliferation of these relatively inexpensive but highly capable diesel-electric AIP boats also invites the question- why doesn't America have any? Considering that we are facing a submarine shortage as even the cost-cutting Virginia Class nuclear fast attack submarines are just too expensive to build and operate ($2.7B per Virginia Class SSN) in numbers large enough to meet tasking demands, buying some advanced AIP diesels-electric boats off the shelf may be a suitable solution for filling at least a portion of this looming 'submarine gap.'

The German-built and Israeli operated improved Dolphin Class submarine, based on the successful Type 209/212 boats, cost about half a billion dollars each, meaning we could purchase 5 for every Virginia Class SSN. Even with American modifications, at say $750M per boat, that equals 3.6 boats per every Virginia Class SSN.

For forward deployed operations, buying a few dozen of these incredibly capable AIP boats may not only make sense monetarily and quantitatively, to up our hull numbers of attack and surveillance subs, but it could also drastically increase our presence in key hot spots around the globe. Because they are not nuclear, America could forward deploy a large portion of such a fleet to friendly nations.

Southeast Asia and the increasingly volatile South China Sea, comes to mind as an especially ideal place to base even a portion of a theoretical American Dolphin Class or enhanced Gotland Class sub force. Currently we have a Littoral Combat Ship deployed to Singapore, and Japan and Northern Australia may be future ports for these and other ships. Pairing the LCS's capabilities with an AIP capable diesel electric submarine makes incredible sense, especially if that Littoral Combat Ship were equipped with the anti-submarine warfare mission package. They could fight and spy as a team, and the LCS could act as a bunker and supply ship for its super efficient AIP capable submarine partner. This would drastically increase the LCS's utility and effectiveness, and it would give these lightly armed and ambiguous ships a clear purpose and mission set to work from.

The incredible capability of Sweden's Gotland Class subs, especially in 'brown water' littoral environments, also brings us back to the peculiar search for a mystery sub just miles from Stockholm. Although Sweden lacks a large anti-submarine force, and especially an aerial contingent, they do have their incredible Gotland Class subs, yet nobody has even mentioned their existence during this whole ordeal. Sometimes the very best way to catch a robber is by asking another robber where they would strike next and how they would go about doing so, and in this case, if there truly was a foreign submarine in Sweden's territorial midst, catching it with another submarine may very well make the most sense.

Seeing as the HMS Gotland can sneak its way through many miles and layers of anti-submarine defenses surrounding a US super-carrier, entering literally the most defended and highly surveyed area in the world, one would think sneaking up on a Russian midget sub would be well within Sweden's stealthy sub's repertoire.

Then again, maybe they actually have been hard at work over the last six days of the search as they still would have at least another week before they would even have to come up for air. The same can be said for Russia's new AIP submarine designs, the active Lada Class and the upcoming Amur Class. And that is just the problem, not only are AIP boats so hard to detect, but they are also relatively cheap, and will give friendly and enemy states alike a resurgent clandestine subsurface capability.

With this in mind, I doubt that Sweden's wild goose chase will be the last one of its kind for some time. As this technology spreads we will probably see more and more news about "foreign objects"suspected to be operating closely off friendly shores.

General characteristics

Type: Submarine
Displacement: Surfaced: 1,494 tonnes (1,470 long tons)
Submerged: 1,599 tonnes (1,574 long tons)
Length: 60.4 m (198 ft 2 in)
Beam: 6.2 m (20 ft 4 in)
Draft: 5.6 m (18 ft 4 in)
Propulsion: 2 × Diesel-electric MTU engines
2 × Kockums v4-275R Stirling AIP units
Speed: Surfaced: 11 knots (20 km/h)
Submerged: 20 knots (37 km/h) on batteries; 5 knots (9.3 km/h) on AIP
Complement: 18-22 Officers
6-10 Seamen
Sensors and processing systems: CSU 90-2 Integrated sonar sensor suite
Armament: 4 × 533 mm (21.0 in) Torpedo tubes
2 × 400 mm (15.7 in) Torpedo tubes
48 × Externally Mounted Naval Mines

 

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RBS15 MK3

The RBS15 Mk3 surface-to-surface missile (SSM) was developed jointly by Diehl BGT Defence and Saab Bofors Dynamics. It is the latest variant of the RBS15 anti-ship missile family. The RBS15 Mk3 is in service or on order with Sweden, Germany, Poland and Finland.

Developed as an upgrade of combat proven RBS15 Mk2 missile, the Mk3 was successfully test fired at an FMV (the Swedish Defence Materiel Administration) test range in October 2008. The first missile was assembled outside Sweden in Germany in December that year.

The RBS15 Mk3 is a fire-and-forget, subsonic cruise type missile launched from ships and trucks. The missile can be used for anti-ship missions and land strikes.

RBS15 Mk3 surface-to-surface orders and deliveries

In September 2005, Germany ordered RBS15 anti-ship missiles to equip its new K130 corvettes. The deliveries began in March 2011 and the missile was officially rolled-out aboard the K130 corvette in September 2011.

In October 2006, Saab Bofors Dynamics was awarded a €110m contract to supply the RBS15 Mk3 missiles for Orkan Class fast patrol boats of the Polish Navy.

In November 2007, Saab and FMV signed a contract for the RBS15 Mk3 System to equip the Visby Class corvettes.

Variations of RBS15 Mk3 missile

The RBS15 Mk3 is available in three versions - ship-launched, truck-launched and air-launched. The ship-launched variant can be installed on small and large sized warships such as fast patrol boats, frigates and corvettes. The missile is easily integrated with the combat management system and can be operated as stand-alone or fully integrated architecture.

The air-to-ship launched version is suitable for modern fighter aircraft. The rapidly deployed truck-launched missile battery provides coastal defence against hostile forces. The highly mobile launch platforms allow the launch of the missile from hidden positions located far away from the coast.

RBS15 Mk3 design and features

The forward part of the RBS15 Mk3 missile includes guidance and electronics section followed by warhead and fuel section. The rearward section consists of wings and turbojet engine and two parallel booster motors. The missile has cruciform wings that can be retracted during storage.

The missile has a length of 4.35m, fuselage diameter of 0.5m and a wing span of 1.4m. The launch and in-flight weights of the missile are 800kg and 650kg respectively. The RBS15 Mk3 can strike targets within the range of 200km, while travelling at a subsonic speed of 0.9Mach.

RBS15 Mk3 guidance system

The RBS15 guidance and control system includes an inertial navigation system and a GPS receiver, a radar altimeter and a Ku-band radar target seeker. The RBS15 missiles are resistant of enemy countermeasures. Two or more missiles can be programmed to hit the target simultaneously from various directions to better penetrate the air defences of warships.

The missile features low radar cross section and IR signature. It has sophisticated target discrimination and selection capabilities. It is extremely resistant to chaff, active jammers, decoys and other electronic countermeasures (ECM).

The RBS15 Mk3 is a low sea-skimming missile performing unpredictable evasive manoeuvres. The missile increases its thrust in the terminal phase to defeat missiles, guns and close-in weapon systems (CIWS). The missile engagement planning system (MEPS) provides advanced user interface for generating plans for different scenarios.

Warhead and propulsion of RBS15 Mk3 SSM

The missile can be equipped with an optimised heavy HE blast-fragmentation warhead. The highly efficient warhead can penetrate into the hull of any modern vessel.

The ship and truck-launched RBS15 Mk3 variants are launched by two booster motors. The missile is powered by TR 60-5 variable-thrust turbo-jet engine developed by Microturbo (a Safran Group company and subsidiary of Turbomeca). The TR60-5 engine incorporating a 3-stage-axial compressor delivers a thrust of 350 to 440daN.

 

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Flygsystem 2020 - SAAB can into stealth?

 

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New Forsvarets spesialstyrker patch

 

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