Decisive Edge Newsletter | Land | September 2023
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How Europe is moving to enhance AFV survivability against threats old and new
An increasing number of countries in NATO are now planning to upgrade their fleets of tracked and wheeled armoured fighting vehicles (AFV) to enhance their survivability against an increasingly wide range of battlefield threats.
While mines and IEDs were the main problem in Afghanistan and Iraq, more recent operations in Ukraine have shown that antitank guided weapons (ATGW) remain a threat, as do unguided weapons such as the still widely deployed RPG-7.
These are normally fitted with a tandem high-explosive antitank (HEAT) warhead to neutralise explosive-reactive armour (ERA) so the main charge penetrates the main armour.
On lighter AFVs, bar, or slat armour is fitted to neutralise the fuze of the incoming munition before it hits the main armour, but both of these are only around 60% effective. Bar armour is also often fitted around the rear of heavier vehicles including tanks.
Adding to the mix, Russia has also begun deploying antitank mine (ATM) fields covered with various types of charges to delay the advance of Ukrainian forces.
Traditionally the main threat to AFVs has been over the frontal arc so that is where the greatest level of protection is and advanced armour solutions are fitted to hulls and turrets.
Obviously, there are limits to the amount of armour that you can fit on an AFV before its mobility is affected.
In addition, the design of some lighter AFVs means it is difficult to integrate a hard-kill active protection system (APS) onto the turrets, but easier on the hull.
On some platforms, an option is to have laser detectors which are coupled to grenade launchers that then fire countermeasures. These can alert to incoming threats such as laser rangefinders and beam-riding missiles.
An increasing number of platforms are now being fitted with electronic architecture (EA) which can make the install of APS easier.
Explore armored vehicles and turret systems of Otokar, the global land systems manufacturer.
APS could be said to be born of experience. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) lost large numbers of MBTs in early campaigns as these were not always supported by combat engineers, infantry, artillery or air assets.
This led to the development of the Rafael Trophy APS which was first fitted to the Merkava Mk 4 MBT and has seen extensive combat.
Trophy uses four radar antennas to provide 360-degree coverage. When a threat is detected this triggers countermeasure from one of two reloadable launchers typically mounted on the turret.
More recently, Trophy has been selected by Germany for its Leopard 2A8 MBT and the UK for its Challenger 3 now under development by RBSL.
To promote the APS to a wider European market, in November 2021 Rafael formed the EuroTrophy JV, based in Germany, which also comprises General Dynamics European Land Systems and KMW.
Early in 2023 EuroTrophy announced a ‘silent mode’ for Trophy which uses an Elbit Othello electro-optical (EO) sensor that can be added to existing systems or provided on new production equipment.
Above: A General Dynamics European Land Systems ASCOD 2 fitted with Elbit remote-controlled turret and Iron Fist active protection system. (Photo: author)
The IDF selected an alternative APS, Elbit’s Iron Fist, for its Eitan infantry fighting vehicles, which are now in production with an initial $31 million contract placed in early 2020.
This uses directional EO jammers mounted on each launcher to provide a soft kill. Hard kill meanwhile is based on a twin soft launcher which is claimed to minimise hazard to the exposed crew, while the thin-walled interceptor minimises fragmentation and collateral risk.
There are four key parts to Iron Fist: the main control unit, RF and passive IR sensors, a turntable mounted launcher/jammer and the fin-stabilised interceptor countermeasures.
The interceptor is claimed to minimise hazard to exposed crew while the thin-walled projectile cuts back fragmentation and collateral risk.
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Iron Fist has been selected by other countries including Denmark for installation on its upgraded BAE Systems CV90 IFV.
Israel does not have a monopoly on APS. German company IBD was one of the leading European contractors engaged in a range of survivability elements including a variety of armour solutions and APS.
It is now part of Rheinmetall Active Protection whose latest hybrid design is the StrikeShield system.
This incorporates active and passive protection which can be installed on a range of platforms with the launch customer being Hungary for its Rheinmetall Lynx IFV fleet.
StrikeShield consists of armoured modules that house the system’s radar, EO sensor, cabling and countermeasures. These are mounted at multiple locations around the hull to give the coverage and redundancy required to defeat multiple and simultaneous threats.
The German Puma IFV meanwhile is fitted with the Hensoldt Multifunctional Self-Protection System (MUSS) which is a soft kill countermeasure installed on top of the commander’s panoramic sight.
Above: A scale model of an upgraded M60 MBT fitted with the Aselsan Pulat APS, clearly showing the launchers standing on the front, sides and rear of the platform. (Photo: author)
Türkiye meanwhile is the first member of NATO to field a hard-kill APS and 40 of its upgraded M60 MBTs have been equipped with the Aselsan Pulat system and designated M60TM. This is similar in some respects to the Zaslon hard-kill APS developed in Ukraine.
Pulat includes a number of identical packages that include the sensor and effector, mounted around the platform to give 360-degree coverage.
The Turkish Altay MBT will be fitted with the Aselsan Akkor APS which uses sensors coupled to twin launchers for the effectors which are mounted on the turret.
Although an increasing number of countries in Europe are enhancing survivability of their platforms with the installation of additional armour, laser warners and APS, none of these can ever provide the platform with complete immunity against all threats on the battlefield.
The protection requirements for AFVs involved in counter-insurgency operations and those on high-intensity manoeuvre operations can be different, but there are overlaps. Nonetheless, the information coming from the front line in Ukraine is certainly causing many NATO armies to place renewed emphasis on kitting out their AFVs to face the right threat profile.
Türkiye fields new platforms and ammunition for mobile air defence
The battlefield missions that the Turkish Otokar Arma 8x8 armoured fighting vehicle can undertake have been further expanded by installation of an Aselan twin 35mm anti-aircraft gun turret
This turret is currently in service with the Turkish Army under the name Korkut installed on an FNSS tracked chassis.
Above: An Otokar Arma fitted with the Aselsan Korkut twin 35mm air defence turret, with tracking radar and sensors on the roof. (Photo: author)
The remote-controlled turret is armed with two MKEK stabilised 35mm cannon fed by two Automatic Linkless Ammunition Feed Mechanisms (ALAFM) designed by Aselsan, with each weapon having 550 rounds of ready-use ammunition.
As well as firing standard 35mm natures, its main air defence round is a new air-bursting munition (ABM) developed by Aselsan in conjunction with MKEK and Tubit SAGE.
This ABM is called Atom and has a muzzle velocity of 1,020 m/s and an effective range against aerial threats of up 4,000m with at least 150,000 rounds already produced.
The standard 35mm ABM round weighs 1.75kg and is fitted with a time-programmable base fuze with an electronic self-destruct function; this is claimed to be resistant to electromagnetic jamming and has a 20-year shelf life.
It has been confirmed that another 35mm ABM has been developed which has a smaller number of sub-munitions which are optimised to neutralise smaller targets such as UAVs.
Mounted on the turret roof is a tracking radar with sensor pod on the right side which includes a TV camera, thermal imager and eyesafe laser rangefinder.
The dual-feed cannon used in the Korkut is also found in other Aselsan subsystems including the Korkut-D close-in weapon system for naval applications, Goker Multi-Mission Weapon System and Korhan remote-controlled turret for installation on tracked and wheeled AFVs.
When used in the armoured personnel carrier (APC) mission, Arma has a typical gross vehicle weight of up to 40t with a crew of three consisting of commander, gunner and nine dismounts.
Above: Türkiye currently deploys the Korkut twin 35 mm self-propelled anti-aircraft gun system based on an FNSS tracked platform. (Photo: FNSS)
In Turkish Army service a Korkut section would typically consist of one Command and Control System and three twin 35mm self-propelled anti-aircraft gun systems which are all fully amphibious.
Pakistan proposes dual-missile solution to defeat active protection systems
Global Industrial & Defence Solutions of Pakistan is marketing its latest Baktar Shikan Salvo antitank guided missile system which is designed to neutralise armoured vehicles fitted with an active protection system.
The system consists of a tripod on which two Baktar Shikan ATGMs are mounted side by side and operated by remote control.
Above: The Baktar Shikan Salvo anti-tank guided weapon system has been designed to neutralise active protection systems fitted to armoured vehicles. (Photo: author)
The missiles are launched at the target one after the other, with the first being engaged by the APS, so clearing the way for the second round.
The missile has a semi-automatic command to line-of-sight (SACLOS) IR guidance system and in theory all the operator has to do is to keep the sight on target until impact.
In addition to the tripod-mounted version the launcher can also be installed on tracked and wheeled platforms.
GIDS continues to market the original Baktar Shikan which has been deployed by the Pakistan Army for many years in the standard tripod-mounted version as well as being installed on vehicles such as the Land Rover Defender, while Malaysia uses the Turkish FNSS ACV-15 equipped with the ATGM.
The Baktar Shikan 8D has a maximum range of up to 3,000m while the later 8E is effective up to 4,000m, with both variants having a minimum range of 100m.
The Baktar Shikan is the Pakistani version of the Chinese NORINCO Red Arrow 8 with the original missile having a single high-explosive anti-tank (HEAT) warhead and the latest a tandem HEAT warhead to neutralise targets fitted with explosive reactive armour.
NORINCO itself is marketing an improved version of Red Arrow 8 fitted with a thermobaric warhead but it is not known if Pakistan has received this technology yet to incorporate into the Baktar Shikan.
GIDS is also offering a 155mm laser-guided artillery system called Tipu which is very similar to the NORINCO GP155 ‘Laser Homing Artillery Weapon System’.
The complete system includes the 155mm semi-active laser guided projectile fitted with an HE fragmentation warhead, synchronised fire unit and ballistic computer.
According to GIDS, this has a minimum range of 5km and a maximum range of up to 20km, which is weather-dependent. Claimed hit probability is at least 80% and accuracy of 2m is cited.
The Tipu uses an HE-FRAG warhead which can be activated by an impact or delayed-action fuze and would typically be used against high-value stationary and moving targets.
Improved Wheeled Armoured Personnel Carrier (Japan)
This month’s featured programme entry from Shephard Defence Insight
Snapshot
The Japan Ground Self-Defense Force (JGSDF) currently operates 396 Type 96 Wheeled APCs (WAPC) 8x8 vehicles. Due to concerns regarding its mobility and protection, the Acquisition, Technology & Logistics Agency (ATLA) allocated $41 million for the development of an Improved WAPC between FY2014 and FY2018.
A proposal from Komatsu was originally selected to meet this requirement, but its unsatisfactory performance, coupled with Komatsu's decision to withdraw from the production of armoured vehicles, forced the Japanese MoD to reopen the tender.
Under the restarted programme, the need for the new platform to be a domestic development has been dropped, opening the field to foreign companies to compete for this requirement, which could number between 700 and 1,000 vehicles in total.
In December 2022, the Patria AMV XP was selected for the programme; a production contract has not yet been awarded.
On 31 August 2023, Patria and Japan Steel Works signed a license agreement on manufacturing Patria AMV XP 8x8 vehicles in Japan.
Additional Information
Programme Background
The re-launched Improved WAPC programme was competed by at least three companies: Patria with its AMV platform, General Dynamics Land Systems with its LAV 6.0 platform and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI) with its Mitsubishi Armoured Vehicle (MAV) platform. The Boxer 8x8 from Europe's ARTEC consortium was also mentioned as a possible candidate.
In November 2021, Jane's reported that GDLS had dropped out of the competition, leaving Patria and MHI the only remaining bidders.
MHI was expected to have a strong advantage in this programme. Not only is it a Japanese manufacturer, but it also produces the Type 16 Manoeuvre Combat Vehicle for the JGSDF. Selecting this option would thus have ensured that Japan's Rapid Deployment Brigades have a high degree of commonality in their vehicle fleets and deliver more benefits to Japan's domestic defence industry.
Three variants of the Improved WAPC are being considered by the ATLA: an infantry combat vehicle equipped with a turret-mounted 30mm gun, a self-propelled carrier for the TDA Armaments 2R2M 120mm mortar and a reconnaissance combat vehicle with surveillance devices.
A command-and-communication version and an engineer support version that was tested for the Improved WAPC are also likely. Additionally, an armoured ambulance might be developed.
As well as replacing the 389 Type 96 WAPCs and any remaining Type 73 tracked APCs in service, the Improved WAPC could potentially also replace 231 Type 82 Command & Communication Vehicles plus 111 Type 87 Reconnaissance Combat Vehicles that need updated surveillance equipment.
The total requirement could therefore eventually number anywhere between 700 and 1,000 vehicles.
Due to the need to rerun the tender, the contract award date was significantly delayed beyond the original FY2021.
On 9 December 2022, Japan’s MoD announced it had selected the Patria AMV XP as the successful platform for the WAPC program. Having opened a subsidiary in Japan, Patria Japan Ltd, the next stage of the programme is license negotiations which were expected to begin before the close of 2022.
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