03 March 2022
by Naqi Wasif
Netherlands is supplying the Thales Squire system to Ukraine. (Thales Nederland)
The Netherlands Ministry of Defence (MoD) is to supply two Squire manportable 2D ground surveillance radars and five AN/TPQ-36 Firefinder weapon locating radars to Ukraine.
The Thales Squire radar is used for 2D ground surveillance and target acquisition together with artillery fire adjustment. It is capable of detecting individuals walking at ranges exceeding 10 km and moving tank-sized vehicles at up to 48 km. Shell impacts can be detected at ranges of up to 20 km and micro unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) at 5–6 km. The total system weight - including tripod, cables, headset, carrying harnesses, and battery pack - is less than 45 kg.
AN/TPQ-36(V) is a 3D mobile phased array radar that automatically locates hostile mortars, artillery, and rocket launchers. The radar can handle simultaneous fire from weapons at multiple locations, provide ‘first round' location, and generate an electronic ‘curtain' over a 90° sector.
The system weighs 1,134 kg and its operator shelter is carried by either a High-Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicle or a 2.75-tonne truck, which can be located up to 50 m from the unmanned antenna-transceiver assembly. In November 2015 the US Army delivered two AN/TPQ-36 radars to Ukraine as part of a USD20 million US aid programme for military and technical co-operation.
The Netherlands MoD expects delivery of the goods to Ukraine to take one or two weeks. The radar systems come from the MoD's operational reserves and will have to be replenished to avoid an adverse effect on the Netherlands' capability.
Training programmes are necessary for the operators to be able to make effective use of the Squire radars, which requires up to three months. Since the AN/TPQ-36 radars are already in service with Ukraine, training on them will not be required. If needed, it remains to be seen whether training will be given in the Netherlands or in Ukraine.
In addition to these systems, two mine detection robots, Barrett sniper rifles, and helmets and ballistic vests are set to be supplied by the Netherlands to Ukraine.
14 March 2024
by Akhil Kadidal
The Chinese PLA conducted air operation over the Western Pacific, in the vicinity of the Japan's southwestern islands and Taiwan on 9–10 and 12 March 2024. (Japan Ministry of Defense/Taiwan Ministry of National Defense/Janes)
The Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) conducted a long-range operation over the Western Pacific with special mission and combat aircraft.
The operation, conducted over three days from 9 to 10 March and on 12 March, according to data from the Japan Ministry of Defense (MoD), was potentially an effort to gauge Japan's strengthening of air defences and military units on its southernmost islands, towards Taiwan. The air operations were also potentially part of an anti-access/aerial denial (A2/AD) drill.
According to MoD data, a PLA Shaanxi Aircraft Industry (Group) Corporation (SAIC) Y-8Q anti-submarine warfare (ASW) aircraft operated about 230 n miles west of Taiwan and about 115 n miles south of Miyako-jima from “morning to afternoon”. On the following day, the same Y-8Q (no 61) conducted a larger patrol sweep from “morning to the afternoon” over the same area, the Japan MoD data added.
11 March 2024
by Ajay Shankar Pandey & Jeremy Binnie
The airborne SAR was displayed on the Iranian stand labelled as both the S-811 and the larger S-813. (Janes/Ajay Shankar Pandey)
Iran displayed a synthetic aperture radar (SAR) that it has developed for unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) during the DIMDEX 2024 show held in Doha from 4 to 6 March.
The SAR has a monopulse flat-plate slotted-array antenna and was labelled as both the S-811 and S-813, with Iranian officials refusing to identify which one it was.
An Arabic-language brochure provided details of both types, saying they can provide high-resolution images at long ranges in all light and weather conditions. It also claimed they have ground moving target indicator (GMTI) and micro-motion target indication (MMTI) modes.
Weighing 40 kg and drawing 500 W of power, the S-811 is the smaller one and was said to have a maximum detection range of 40 km, a resolution of 1 or 2 m, and a swath width of 1–5 km.
07 March 2024
by Richard Scott
A GQM-163 Coyote target overflies a mobile ship target. (Orbital Sciences)
The US Navy (USN) is looking to expand the kinematic envelope of the GQM-163A Coyote supersonic aerial target to enable more stressing and realistic threat representations.
US Naval Air Systems Command's (NAVAIR's) Aerial Targets program office (PMA-208) in February issued a pre-solicitation of its intent to contract Northrop Grumman for a 12-month study to increase the target's performance envelope. A contract award is anticipated in the first quarter of fiscal year (FY) 2025.
PMA-208 programme manager Greg Crewse told Janes on 4 March that the programme was seeking “a system-level solution that provides the [GQM-163A] vehicle with [a] higher cruise altitude, a steeper dive angle, vertical/combined manoeuvres, and a greater lateral acceleration capability”. He added that the enhancements package – intended to enhance testing of various ship self-defence systems – was “open to alternative propulsion systems”.
PMA-208 also confirmed that it approved the capability to employ chaff with the GQM-163A during FY 2023, intended to increase complexity presentation.
The Netherlands Ministry of Defence (MoD) is to supply two Squire manportable 2D ground surveillance...
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