Missile Firing Unit (MFU) 8x8 for Spyder-MR and 6x6 for Spyder-SR (photo : Tra Khanh) On the sidelines of the Viet Bac Exhibition-Fair 2019 organized by the Ministry of Defense in collaboration with the People's Committee of Thai Nguyen Province and the Ministry of Industry and Trade in Thai Nguyen City, the Air Defense - Air Force was introduced to the public for the first time. A series of modern air defense systems are being used by Vietnamese air defense forces. In addition to names such as S-125-2TM, ZSU-23-4 anti-aircraft artillery or RV-02 radar, visitors to the Viet Bac Exhibition-Fair also had the opportunity to touch SPYDER missiles - One of the most modern air defense systems of Vietnam.
Command and Control Vehicle (CCU) (photo : Tra Khanh)
In fact, the image of SPYDER rocket is not missing on the Internet, but when we can touch it directly, we will feel the "crisis" of this complex. Pictured here is a mobile launch vehicle carrying SPYDER-SR air defense missiles of SPYDER, according to the introduction SPYDER-SR with a maximum range of up to 20 km at the ceiling of 9,000m. According to the introduction of the PK-KQ Military Series, SPYDER is a combination of surface-to-air missiles capable of maneuvering, quick reaction, and can operate day / night in all weather conditions.
Field Service Vehicle (FSV) (photo : Tra Khanh) In combat, SPYDER anti-aircraft missiles can quickly detect and destroy mid-range and medium-range aerial targets such as: Aircraft, helicopters, low-range flying targets, cruise missiles, and equipment. Drone attack and precision remote control weapons. And this is a mobile launcher carrying SPYDER-MR medium-range air defense missiles. If SPYDER-MR can only carry 4 missiles on the launcher, then this number in SPYDER-MR is 8 rockets, these missiles have a maximum range of up to 50km at a ceiling of 16,000m.
ELM-2084 radar (photo : Tra Khanh) With SPYDER-SR and SPYDER-MR rockets, a SPYDER combination can protect a target with a diameter of up to 120 km, not only its open design also allows integration with other air defense systems. The mobile launchers and combat vehicles of the SPYDER Vietnam complex are both mounted on the chassis of special trucks HX77 (8x8) and HX58 (6x6) manufactured by the German MAN Group, with extreme cross-country nature. High, very suitable for off-road running characteristic of the military.
Close-up of the "eye" of the ELM-2084 radar of the SPYDER system. According to the introduction, ELM-2084 is a modern versatile S-band 3D radar that can perform many different tasks including: aerial view; control anti-aircraft missile fire or intercept missiles; detect types of shells, mortars, jet guns and locate their battlefields. ELM-2084 radar has the farthest detection range for aerial targets of 330km, 360-degree azimuth observation range, providing the ability that it can track and handle 200 targets simultaneously, only shooting and destroying at the same time 20 targets among them.
Pictured is the command and control vehicle (CCU) "headquarters" commanding SPYDER air defense system including mobile launchers and radar radar ELM-2084.
Powering the CCU and the ELM-2084 active radio is a set of transmitters placed on a separate chassis.
A field service vehicle (FSV) serves the SPYDER system. At a glance, the CCU, ELM-2084 radar station and generator station are all connected to the FSV through the wiring. (Soha)
AIM-120C7 AMRAAM (photo : almrsal) Raytheon Missile Systems Co., Tucson, Arizona, has been awarded a $768,283,907 non-competitive fixed-price incentive (firm) contract for Advanced Medium Range Air-to-Air Missile (AMRAAM) Production Lot 33. This contract provides for the production of the AMRAAM missiles, captive air training missiles, guidance sections, AMRAAM telemetry system, spares and other production engineering support hardware. Work will be performed in Tucson, Arizona, with an expected completion date of Feb. 28, 2023. This contract involves unclassified foreign military sales to Australia, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Indonesia, Japan, Kuwait, Morocco, Netherlands, Norway, Oman, Poland, Qatar, Romania, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Slovakia, South Korea, Spain, Thailand, Turkey and United Kingdom, which accounts for 47% of the contract value. Fiscal 2018 Air Force and Navy procurement funds in the amount of $21,606,031; fiscal 2019 Air Force and Navy procurement funds in the amount of $356,753,259; fiscal 2020 Navy procurement funds in the amount of $4,212,839; fiscal 2019 Air Force research and development funds in the amount of $7,343,150; fiscal 2020 Air Force and Navy research and development funds in the amount of $10,295,601; fiscal 2020 Air Force operation and maintenance funds in the amount of $1,404,956; and foreign military sales funds in the amount of $366,668,071 are being obligated at the time of award. The Air Force Life Cycle Management Center, Air Dominance Division Contracting Office, Eglin Air Force Base, Florida, is the contracting activity (FA8675-20-C-0033). (US DoD)
Scud ballistic missile of Vietnamese Army (all photos : Soha) At the 30th anniversary of the All-National Defense Day, the 75th anniversary of the Vietnam People's Army took place on December 21 in Hanoi, the first time the ballistic missile system of Vietnam was be publicly launched. Although it has been in service for a long time, this is the first time the Scud tactical ballistic missile system of Vietnam has been publicly launched. According to Stockhom International and Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), in 1981 Vietnam received several mobile launchers and dozens of Scud-B bullets. R-17E is a ballistic missile of the 9K72E Elbrus export and tactical ballistic missile complex. However, normally the West still calls the same name for the whole system - the Scud ballistic missile. R-17E rocket has a length of 11.25m, body diameter of 0.88m, weight of 5.9 tons.
The rocket is equipped with the Isayev RD-21 liquid fuel engine (fuel components include TM-185 combustion, AK-27I oxidants and TG-02 launch fuel). Navigation system uses 3 gyroscopes to allow relative accuracy, radius of target deviation 450m. R-17E is designed to carry an explosive warhead that usually weighs 1 ton or a 5-70 kiloton nuclear warhead, a chemical warhead. With explosive warheads, the impact speed of 1.4km / s will create a pit of 1.5-4m deep and 12m wide. The R-17E rocket is mounted on the 9P117 Uragan mobile launcher based on the MAZ-543 heavy-duty transport vehicle chassis.
When launched, the rocket will be erupted vertically and fired (before it takes time to refuel, launch the target parameter).
By this time, Vietnam was the first and only military in Southeast Asia to have a Scud tactical ballistic missile in service. Also according to SIPRI, in 1998 Vietnam purchased from North Korea dozens of short-range ballistic missiles Hwasong-6 (Mars 6), this is a copy based on the Scud-C prototype. Compared to the Scud-B, the Hwasong-6 increased its launch weight to 6,400 kg, and its range soared to 600 km. Recently, in order to ensure Scud missile technical ability to be ready for combat, the technical units of the Vietnam Missile Brigade had many initiatives to improve the components for the missile to work well. This number of B and C Scud missiles is considered as one of the powerful weapons of Vietnamese artillery force at present. (Soha)
Elbit System Lizard precision guided bomb (photo : MaxDefense) Elbit Systems' Lizard laser guided bomb kit system is among those being considered for use by the Philippine Air Force for its future fleet of A-29B Super Tucano, and possibly its existing fleet of FA-50PH Fighting Eagle and future Multirole Fighters. It was among those displayed during the recent anniversary celebrations of the PAF's 15th Strike Wing. (MaxDefense)
A LRASM is launched from an F/A-18E/F Super Hornet during testing. EOC on the F/A-18E/F was achieved in November 2019 (photo : NAVAIR) The US Navy (USN) has declared an early operational capability (EOC) for the Lockheed Martin AGM-158C Long-Range Anti-Ship Missile (LRASM) on the F/A-18E/F Super Hornet carrier-borne strike fighter. This milestone, achieved in November, follows the declaration of EOC for LRASM on the US Air Force's B-1B Lancer bomber in December 2018. The joint service LRASM Deployment Office (LDO) and Lockheed Martin have developed LRASM as an air-launched, precision-guided anti-ship weapon to meet the Offensive Anti-Surface Warfare (OASuW) Increment 1 requirement. Derived from the AGM-158B Joint Air-to-Surface Standoff Missile Extended Range air-launched cruise missile, LRASM introduces a multi-mode sensor suite, a weapon data link, and enhanced digital anti-jam GPS to support precision routing, guidance, and terminal homing in all weather conditions, day or night.
Although the LRASM is based on the JASSM-ER, which has a range of 500 nmi (930 km), the addition of the sensor and other features will somewhat decrease that range. It is estimated that the LRASM has a range of 300 nmi (560 km) (photo : Lockheed Martin) The sensor/seeker package combines a passive radio frequency long-range sensor (developed by BAE Systems) for wide-area target acquisition and an imaging infrared seeker for terminal targeting. Navigation to the target is enabled by an integrated jam-resistant GPS and a navigation-grade inertial measurement unit (Lockheed Martin calls the weapon "GPS-enabled, not dependent"). The weapon data link enables in-flight target updates to 'collapse' the search area. LRASM integration activity on the F/A-18E/F began in the first half of 2015 with transonic wind tunnel testing at the Arnold Engineering Development Complex to capture data to inform safe and controllable store separation. Missile load and fit checks using a LRASM mass simulator vehicle followed in August 2015 at Naval Air Station (NAS) Patuxent River's Air Test and Evaluation Squadron 23 facility. This was followed in November 2015 by the commencement of airworthiness testing from NAS Patuxent River. Again, initial activity used a mass simulator vehicle to evaluate inflight structural loads on the F/A-18 E/F airframe. F/A-18E/F captive carry and jettison test events were completed in the second half of fiscal year 2017 (FY 2017). (Jane's)
F-16 nomor seri TS-1640 dilengkapi dengan targeting pod dan rudal jarak jauh (photo : Indonesian_Airforce) Melihat laman instagram Indonesian_Airforce meskipun statusnya adalah Unofficial Account of Indonesian Airforce (TNI AU) pada gambar yang diposting pada hari Sabtu (21/12) terlihat satu foto baru dari pesawat F-16 TNI AU. Di hanggar pesawat F-16 di Skadron Udara 3 Iswahjudi, Madiun, pesawat F-16C/D bernomor seri TS-1640 terlihat menenteng rudal AGM-65 Maverick dan dilengkapi Sniper targeting pod, kemudian di depan pesawat telah siap rudal Beyond Visual Range jenis AIM-120 AMRAAM. Lalu bagaimana menjelaskannya ? Saat ini di Skadron Udara 3 Madiun dalam 1 skadron terdiri dari 2 tipe pesawat yaitu F-16A/B yang sedang melaksanakan MLU dan F-16C/D block 52ID hasil hibah AS dan telah menjalani upgrade terlebih dahulu di Hill AFB dulu sebelum kedatangannya. Targeting pod merupakan peralatan untuk menuntun kepada target dalam misi serangan ke darat agar bom presisi dapat sampai tepat sasaran ke target tersebut. Lockheed Martin Sniper adalah pod penargetan yang berfungsi untuk memberikan identifikasi target positif, pelacakan otonom, pemberian koordinat GPS, serta panduan bagi senjata presisi dari jarak jauh. Pesawat F-16A/B setelah menjalani program MLU (Mid Life Update) akan menggotong targeting pod buatan Lockheed Martin yang telah dilengkapi dengan sensor FLIR (Forward Looking Infra Red), kamera TV dan pengarah laser ini, sedangkan F-16C/D block 52ID belum ada program untuk ini. Sampai saat ini belum ada pesawat F-16A/B hasil MLU yang selesai, sehingga Sniper targeting pod ini dipinjamkan dulu sementara ke pesawat F-16C/D. Dengan targeting pod, pesawat TNI AU dapat mulai dipasang bom presisi semisal GBU series atau JDAM yang mungkin segera akan dipesan. Pesawat F-16C/D block 52ID memilik radar AN/APG-68 memang telah mampu menghadapi misi BVR dan mengusung rudal AMRAAM, berbeda dengan F-16A/B dimana perlu peningkatan dengan paket MLU, jadi pada Fire Control Radar Westinghouse AN/APG-66 (V2) akan dilengkapi dengan pengolah data sinyal yang sama sekali baru. Ini memungkinkan mode track-while-scan hingga sepuluh target yang berbeda serta kemampuan six-on-six pada rudal AIM-120 AMRAAM. Fitur lain termasuk peningkatan 25% dalam jangkauan deteksi dan pelacakan. AIM-120 AMRAAM sendiri adalah rudal bertipe active radar homing dimana rudal berisi transceiver radar dan elektronik yang diperlukan untuk menemukan dan melacak targetnya secara mandiri, artinya setelah pesawat tempur melepaskannya maka rudal akan dipandu dari radar pada rudal itu sendiri untuk mencapai targetnya. Pada bulan Maret 2016 lalu DSCA menyetujui penjualan 36 rudal AIM-120C7 AMRAAM kepada Indonesia. Jika satu pesawat F-16 membawa 2 rudal ini, maka ada 18 pesawat F-16 yang dapat dilengkapinya, artinya selain 10 pesawat F-16A/B ada 6 lagi pesawat F-16C/D yang dapat membawa rudal berjarak 120km ini. Jadi pesan yang ingin disampaikan dari foto tersebut adalah bahwa pesanan rudal AMRAAM telah tiba, Sniper targeting pod telah tiba juga, sehingga pada tahun 2020 TNI AU telah siap mengemban misi Beyond-Virtual-Range dan misi penyerangan presisi, kita tunggu saja jenis apakah munisi presisi yang akan dipesan oleh TNI AU.
Missile Firing Unit (MFU) 8x8 for Spyder-MR and 6x6 for Spyder-SR (photo : Tra Khanh)
Command and Control Vehicle (CCU) (photo : Tra Khanh)
Field Service Vehicle (FSV) (photo : Tra Khanh)
ELM-2084 radar (photo : Tra Khanh)
