A growing defence show: the least one can say is that the defence industry community has waken up after two years of near total lethargy. Exactly two years earlier the world and all those in the ExCel exhibition hall were appalled by the attack on the Twin Tower. The truth is that Defence Systems & Equipment International exhibition has since grown twofold.

This being said, the visitor might have been slightly disappointed to see that the number of heavy hardware exhibits, on the other hand, had not doubled. However, as we shall see, there was enough to keep the curious mind busy for several days.

A good example of this was provided by Macroswiss which is pushing the art of producing counterterrorist equipment to some very high standards. Having started in life with the development of discrete surveillance cameras neatly concealed within elegant garden and park lampposts, Macro-swiss has moved on to several robotic devices that should be of interest to both police and armed forces.

One item is the SRTC. This is a surveillance camera that can be tossed into a building like a hand grenade, but instead of exploding, it opens up like a clamshell, self-rights and immediately, pans the room in which it was sent, providing its operator with an instant view of any current situation, i.e. the position of a sniper or the number of terrorists, the number of hostages and their situation. To do this, the operator "wears" a ventrally mounted control and display unit which also acts as a bullet vest since it is built of Kevlar.

Naturally, the throwable camera can be emplaced before hand in any potential that needs to be monitored. Given the fact that up to 20 cameras can be controlled (in practice, only four or five can only be humanly coped with) Macroswiss has developed a smart software that detects not only motion, but also the removal or addition of objects and signals this on the video display by video coding.

With those fully developed basic tools on hand, the Lugano-based company has recently started working on other platforms for its surveillance cameras and has created a remote controlled miniature tank. Extremely agile on its rubber tracks and equipped with very silent motors this 25 cm-long Crawler, as it is called, can climb 52[degrees] gradients. Yet a nother variation on the theme is a larger and more agile, fully articulated wheeled vehicle. Called the Tankbot, it can climb up or down stairs and actually also throw out other surveillance cameras.

Bofors Defence personnel had every reason to sport a grin after the announcement made during the exhibition that the Swedish 57 mm Mk 3 naval gun had been selected for the US Coast Guard Deep-water programme. A looped video showed the firing performance of the gun, but more specifically its instantaneous ability to switch from surface to air targets. At the time of the exhibition, the gun was to remain in the United states for another two months to complete the qualification of the mount and of the 3P munition. The latter has a fuze that is programmed on firing to enable it to trigger the fragmented round at any range, as determined by a radar or rangefinder. It can operate as a conventional proximity fuze but also in impact mode.

Turning to land artillery, Denel announced that a base-bleed 105mm round had been developed for the Leo gun. Some 50 shells had been fired by the time the exhibition opened its doors and had achieved a consistent range of 30.6 km. The South African company is also developing a modular charge for the gun, which will largely be a scaled-down version of the type developed for the 155 mm.

We take this opportunity to fill an omission in Armada's recent supplement on artillery (Issue 4/2003). Indeed the data regarding the most recent version of the G6-52 was left out. The range is 50 km with base-bleed and up to a mighty 67 km with the Vlap round. Regarding Denel's activities in the field of mortar, the South African group is currently competing with Mecar and Hirtenberger in firing tests of the Rheinmetal Wiesel 2 120 mm mortar.

Armoured Vehicles

Obviously an exhibition like DSEi is the home for armoured vehicles and their companies. However, in order to avoid any superfluous repetition, all new features on armoured vehicles are included in the supplement covering this subject and included in this issue, Since all rules have their exceptions, and in the context of the Fres requirement, word must be said about the presence of a Piranha III 8 x 8 topped with a RO Defence 120 mm Armoured Mortar System II (due to lack of backspace, it was impossible to photograph the vehicle). Developed jointly on company funds by both RO Defence and General Dynamics Land Systems, the turret also eyes the US Army's Future Combat System. Compared with its predecessor, the version II features a stronger, 7.62-proof welded steel armour, all-electric drive systems, tips the scales at 2.5 tonnes and has a maximum indirect range of 500 to 10,000 metres. Respective figures for direct range is 250 to 11200 metres.

Urban Warfare

Rafael had a corner of its display entirely devoted to urban warfare. Perhaps not so well publicised, and yet used in service in Britain, the American Delta Force, the US Army, the Turkish and French Gendarmerie, and the Israeli forces of course, is the Simon door breeching rifle grenade. As usual in an urban environment, the question focuses on how to knock a door down from a safe distance without:

* injuring oneself or innocent people in the vicinity

* bringing down the whole building.

Hitherto regarded more as a paramilitary piece of equipment, the Simon is now clearly promoted as an infantry tool. Indeed more a tool than a weapon in the true sense of the word, the Simon is an entirely self-contained device that is fired by a rifle; its warhead arms at a safe distance from the firer and as soon as its probe hits the surface of the aimed door, the flat charge is triggered to generate a powerful forward pressure that will blast the door clean off its hinges and latches, generally in one piece.

The second system promoted by Rafael has a designation that could possibly be pronounced by Dylan Thomas, the famous Welsh poet: SL-WBSM--which actually stands for Shoulder-Launched Wall-Breaching Stand-off Munition. Fired from a dedicated shoulder launcher, it uses the Davis gun principle to enable it to be used from confined enclosures. Upon hitting a wall (up to a treble-layer brick wall) some 15 to 50 metres away, its probe will trigger a circular shaped charge that will blow a hole sufficiently large to allow men to penetrate the building (for those who do not know, and to put a rare spot of humour in such serious matters, Dylan Thomas went as far as writing a book entitled "Llareggub" which in true Welsh fashion is unpronounceable--but try to read this title back to front!). As one can see elsewhere in this issue, the Israeli system now has good company in the form of the Ruag wall-breaching Mep. This only confirms the acute need for safe and appropriate urban warfare equipment the world over.

On the Air

Both Harris and ITT had 'hinted' at a new partnership for a bid on the new Cluster 5 phase of the US Army's JTRS programme--both hinted, but no specific names were given (although the author was almost physically pushed to the other company's booth by the ITT group). The official announcement (the team being called NetForce 5) was made on 16 September (both companies were kind enough to join forces and call Armada's editors from the hurricane Isabelle-ready East coast of the US).

Cluster 5 addresses handheld and backpack communications, as well as the smaller mini or micro modules that could be embedded in clothing, for example. Teaming with the aforementioned is Boeing. One somewhat odd stipulation for the Request for Proposals in this phase of the programme is that the responses were to be received no later than 30 days from when the request was issued. The decision was slated for mid-October, therefore, contracts should have been awarded and design/development in full swing by the time these lines are read.

ITT is presently in full-rate initial production with its Sincgars and JTRS-compliant secure hand-held radio, the Spearhead, which will soon be demonstrated in Asian, African and European markets. The initial Spearhead production contract covering 500 units is with an unnamed African nation for border patrol and game reserve departments.

Discussions with ITT eventually led to the question of power supplies for current and future communication systems. One company's developments were mentioned--Global Solar Energy (GSE), who not only markets its P3 solar recharge modules (see armada 3/2003 page 86), but whose representative arrived at the show wearing a recharge-as-you-go vest. The system, clearly a prototype at this stage, features low-glare solar photovoltaic cells sewn into the clothing (or a rucksack cover, etc). The cells are made into a thin bendable/formable film that can be wrapped around almost any product. The commercial sector of the company provides backpacks for students to recharge their mobile telephones. As if by invitation, a couple of tactical radio manufacturers swooped down upon the GSE representative as soon as he arrived on the exhibition floor.

Moreover, GSE is already in discussions with General Dynamics Decision Systems for providing alternate recharge possibilities for its Shadow reconnaissance vehicle. The Center for Army Analysis has also been deploying and evaluating GSE's Tacs 3 kV solar generator set.

Clearly alternative power sources are finally beginning to make high-impact inroads into the defence industry.

Water World

Sarbe launched its new G2R-ELT (Emergency Location Transmitter), which has been designed to be carried onboard military, civilian and commercial aircraft to aid in search and rescue operations by means of its digital transmission on 406 Mhz, through which the Cospas-Sarsat network provides instantaneous alert to the appropriate authorities. Transmission on the 121.5 Mhz and 243 MHz search and rescue frequencies, as well as 3000 programmable combat frequencies lend a host of survival parameter options to the unit. The transmitter carries the beacon identity and GPS latitude and longitude coordinates and will be automatically activated through contact with salt water or by the jar of a crash-landing.

From ECA comes an underwater warfare surveillance and survey unit, the Alister 300, which the company terms an AUV--Autonomous Underwater Vehicle. The unconventional-looking vessel provides autonomous and periodic seabed survey from a coastal station whilst following a pre-programmed route (which can be re-missioned at any time). The Alister 300 has a 24-hour mission duration and is highly manoeuvrable at all speeds with very stable roll and pitch control, partially due to its four horizontal thrusters. Under development since 2001, the vessel carries a sidescan sonar, a forward-looking sonar, pan/tilt-capable camera and a searchlight as standard payload, with an acoustic data link planned for the future. The unit is promoted as having no range or depth limits.

On mine hunting operations, ECA offers the Alister's sister vessel, the K-ster, which it began developing in 2002. An innovative mine killer, the low-cost K-ster operates at short- or long-range in shallow or deep water, is automatically guided toward the target through its fibre-optic link and its warhead body section tilts to directly contact the mine. A colour video camera and variable intensity searchlight allow positive identification prior to detonation.

Barely ten breaststrokes or so along the show floor swam the VideoRay, being displayed by Atlantas Marine from the United Kingdom. The 'Ray is a tethered drop and plop-type of mini rover that can access areas too deep, confined or hazardous for human divers to examine. The unit can also be sent in to pre-dive, to keep an eye on diving operations or to record same. The sleight 3.6 kg VideoRay is effortlessly simply slipped into the water and 'flown' via the joystick control, with operations monitored on its 30.5-cm video screen. The unit includes a 76-metre tether, whereby the addition of an extension adds another 76, although lengths of up to 305 metres are possible. The 'Ray can also be used in conjunction with California-based Desert Star's Aquamap software; a quick run-down is as follows: a small mini beacon is attached to the back of the unit and four hydrophones are dropped over the side of a berthed ship. A plan of the ship is scanned and entered into Aquamap, where the hydrophone placements are marked. As the VideoRay inspects the ships hull a snail-trail is created in the program to ensure the entire hull is inspected (any defects or suspicious objects are marked). The US navy is testing the system, and the British Army has shown interest for EOD applications.

One from the Tube

On the UAV front Rafael presented its Skylark, a man-portable, canister launched, electrically-powered, loitering tactical surveillance and reconnaissance drone. The Skylark flies for over an hour above its target, providing real-time high resolution imagery. The system was designed for autonomous operation by tactical units, and to be launched from enclosed spaces and crowded urban settings. Any infantry unit can rapidly launch, recover and recondition the system without external support. The Skylark weighs just six kilograms, is twelve centimetres in diameter and operates within a ten kilometre radius.

Bofors Highlights its FH 77B

After a roaring start some ten years ago Sweden's project for a truck-mounted self-propelled howitzer had gradually fallen into oblivion. However, as a brand-new small-scale model of a futuristic system on Bofors Defence's stand proved, the idea is now very much alive. While the original intention of the Swedish Army to mount its 50 existing FH 77B towed guns on a vehicle remains, however, the novelty is that compared with the older project, the Army now wants all crew members to operate from an armoured and NBC-protected cabin. This of course implies a fully automated loader for the 20 rounds and their charges, which will be able to fire a salvo of three rounds in 13 seconds, while the nominal rate of fire is at eight rounds per minute. Furthermore, another complement of 20 rounds is located within the lateral stowage compartments of the vehicle (a crane is available for their transfer to the autoloader). In the process the number of crew has been reduced from ten to four. Based on a civilian Volvo road construction dumper, the gun will have a road speed of 70 km/hour and will be aerotransportable in Europe's future A400M. Two trials prototypes are due for delivery to the Swedish Army in 2005, while roll out of production units is scheduled to commence in 2008. (Armada/EHB)

Denel Launches Eagle Eye Super Binoculars

Denel Eloptro's brand new Eagle Eye target acquisition binoculars combines a long-range laser finder, a GPS, a digital compass, a digital camera and a digital voice recorder. All sensed data are displayed and continuously updated just beneath the image viewed by the operator and provide, for example, an immediate data assessment of a fall of shot. The OPO shifted Nd:YAG Class 1 laser rangefinder operates at ranges of 20 km. The Eagle Eye runs on commercial Lithium AA batteries, has all manner of interfaces (note the umbilical protruding under the front of the unit) including the RS series and even USB, and has an external compatibility with Rockwell's 'Plugger' series as well as with Garmin's global positioning system receivers. The Eagle Eye is thus fully equipped to immediately transfer data and target information to a command post or to a mapping system. (Armada/EHB)

Standard Pocket Kit

The new standard issue pocket knife for the German Army is the single-handed opening knife from Victorinox, which could also be in line to replace the traditional aluminium-handled soldier knife in the Swiss Army. The Bundeswehr placed an initial order for 15,000 knives. Each weighs in at a slight 126 grams and has an overall length of 111 mm. The main blade has a positive locking device and, although easily opened with one hand, features no spring device--making it perfectly legal in most countries. The knife includes a can opener, bottle opener, small and large screwdrivers, leather punch, Phillips screwdriver and a saw blade. The large screwdriver/bottle opener also features a safety lock. (Armada/JK)