Revamped Navies On Display At Euronaval

The future of naval warfare continues to tack toward smaller vessels, littoral operations and security missions. Add to this the budget constraints most navies are working with and the need for multimission capabilities, and it’s clear that much of the emerging naval technology is being directed at these needs. This was apparent at the biennial Euronaval exhibition here Oct. 25-29. Companies displayed expertise in major capital programs, whether ships, weapons or aircraft. But most stressed the ability to tailor existing systems to reduced budgets and specialized requirements, or design and build equipment and platforms for growing needs such as coastal patrol and robotics. One outcome of these trends is seen in shipbuilding. Declining budgets in Europe may not spell the end to the building of capital ships, but they are causing a shift in the market as ship-makers, electronics suppliers and weapons providers turn their attention to increasing demand for smaller vessels. While programs such as helicopter carriers for Russia exist, industry sees greater prospects in areas such as offshore patrol vessels (OPV), which are creating research and development imperatives. Equipment needs to be smaller, more modular and able to handle new threats. Does the shift mean lower revenue? Companies hope not, even though the price countries pay per ship will be lower. However, the fact that customers will be buying greater numbers should make up for lower capital cost, says Pierre-Eric Pommellet, senior vice president for defense mission systems at Thales. Customers, too, are grappling with the new reality. Germany has been discussing its K131 program for 4-5 new corvettes at a price of €1 billion ($1.36 billion) for the entire buy. Industry officials say a price that low is unrealistic. The shift to smaller ships is also causing industry to adapt product offerings and devise systems for that niche. One example launched at Euronaval is MBDA’s Compact Warfare System Package (CWSP). Rather than representing a new weapon, it packages existing elements for fast patrol boats (in the CWSP-PB configuration) or to protect larger ships (CWSP-SD, for self-defense). The setup varies, but the PB version includes 1-2 Simrad-RC (remote control) firing posts with Mistral surface-to-air missiles or 2-4 Marte Mk 2 antisurface missiles, integrated with surveillance radar and friend-or-foe sensors. The SD version may have four remote-controlled firing posts. What also is changing with the increased focus on OPVs is attention on littoral operations, which can be complex. For instance, signals intelligence is moving away from traditional elint (detecting radars) to broadband capabilities that also perform communications intercept. That’s both a function of the two domains blurring and that in littoral operations commanders have to track communications on the coast. At the same time, real estate on ships is tighter. With that in mind, Thales rolled out the Vigile-LW, a lightweight version of the ubiquitous Vigile electronic support measures subsystem. Several U.S. manufacturers look to apply their work in developing mission modules for the Littoral Combat Ship (LCS) to applications for other customers. Northrop Grumman is in talks with Spain and Australia about the use of its LCS mission module work on new ships there. The ship constraints may also impact unmanned aircraft requirements. While systems such as Northrop Grumman’s Fire Scout and Boeing’s Little Bird are expected to draw attention as navies look at meeting surveillance needs for frigate-class ships, the abundance of smaller vessels is likely to boost prospects for Schiebel’s Camcopter or Saab’s Skeldar, industry officials suggest. An impetus to fielding such capabilities is counter-piracy missions, for which Terma has launched C-Raid, a tool providing real-time situational awareness for boarding and interdiction parties. The PC-based system uses data-linked information to replace voice communications and reduce ambiguity about the situation at hand. Piracy, along with greater concerns about illegal immigration and protecting economic exclusion zones, is driving market interest in maritime surveillance aircraft. The sector has long anticipated that, but the expected surge in request for proposals is underway, energizing platform makers, integrators and sensor providers. Asia and the Middle East are strong potential markets. The concept vessels being built are designed to either protect a coastline or an economic exclusion zone—and thus are smaller and more agile than traditional warships—or meet multimission requirements, deploying helicopters and forces while also capable of being command centers or hospitals. French military shipyard DCNS, which presents at least one concept vessel at each Euronaval show, displayed the SMX-25 submarine. Xavier Itard, director of submarine programs, says the 109-meter-long (357-ft.) submarine with wave-piercer bow was designed as a scout vessel “to clean up a zone ahead of other ships.” The SMX could sail 2,000 nm. at 38 kt. on the surface with its three water-jet engines and gas turbines. As a submarine it could sail semi-submerged so its above-surface length of 30 meters “gives the same radar signature as a fishing boat,” he says. In this position, it could vertically launch 16 missiles (antiship, antisurface or antiair) and deploy air-surveillance radar. The SMX-25 would average 10 kt. diving. Its two water-tight hangars, served by water-tight elevators, could deploy unmanned underwater vehicles or unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV), rigid-hull inflatable boats, or divers and their equipment. To do this, tradeoffs are necessary. The vessel would not dive as deep as a conventional submarine, Itard concedes. Approaching flexibility of use from a different angle, XSMG World of Southampton, England, unveiled its XSR Interceptor, a heavily armed littoral ship which can be para-dropped from a C-130, C-17 or A400M. CEO Ian Sanderson says the decision to built the monohull craft of composites “gave us 40% more space inside to fit more fuel, people and equipment.” The XSR comes in models 15 and 19 meters long. Top speed is 80 kt. The 15-meter version has a range of 800 nm. at 40 kt., and the 19-meter model has a 1,200-nm. range at that speed. XSMG is working with Thales, Kongsberg and FLIR Systems on missiles, sonar, torpedoes and optronic systems for the vessel’s surface and underwater warfare capabilities. The Interceptor has a low radar signature and maintains accurate fire at 60 kt. “We’re developing a semi-submersible version with a U.S. company,” Sanderson says, without disclosing details. Robotic vehicles were in evidence, and touted for operations ranging from harbor and coastal security to hydrographic surveying and mine disposal. Most systems on display have been available for several years, but exhibitors cited growing demand for their capabilities. K-Ster, from ECA of La Garde, France, is a remotely operated vehicle (ROV) for detecting and clearing mines. The 50‑kg. (110-lb.) wire-guided device has a camera and sonar, and a 3-kg. shaped charge in a tiltable warhead, says Valentin Hanns, export sales manager. The vehicle, commercialized in 2006, is in use by Canada, India, Lithuania and Singapore. Atlas Elektronik’s SeaOtter Mk. II, an autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV), has also been operational for a while, but is being upgraded to increase diving depth. The Bremen, Germany, company says the SeaOtter will operate at 4,000 meters in 1-2 years. Its current maximum is 600 meters. Capabilities include monitoring sea areas ahead of a mission, detecting and destroying mines, antisubmarine warfare, environmental assessment, force protection and, with special electronics, sub-hunting exercises. SeaOtter is 3.5 meters long, weighs less than 1,000 kg., carries a 160-kg. payload, cruises at 8 kt. and has 24-hr. endurance. Systems on display by Rafael of Haifa, Israel, included Protector, which Moshe Elazar, director of naval warfare systems, says is the only operational unmanned surface vehicle (USV) in the world. Rafael is adding a new version in January, one that is 11 meters long, 2 meters more than the original. The extra space will increase stability in high sea states and accommodate a second engine and more fuel, permitting faster mission module changes. Protector cruises above 40 kt. and carries lethal and non-lethal weapons, including Mini-Typhoon, a stabilized remotely operated gun and missile system, water cannon and long-range acoustic device, or L-RAD. Elazar says Protector changes naval strategy: Rather than create a 40-nm. sea buffer and no-fly zone for littoral operations, it can deploy 10 nm. ahead of a force and maintain security. Three navies use the USV, including Israel. Elbit Systems of Haifa promoted Silver Marlin, a 10.6-meter-long USV that weighs 4,000 kg., carries a 2,500-kg. payload and, powered by two 315-hp. engines, has a top speed of 45 kt. The company applied its UAV expertise in developing electro-optic payloads and a stabilized weapon station for the USV.