Land Force: Artillery - Land 17: self propelled Vs towed | ADM Feb 2009
Gregor Ferguson
The effect, or otherwise, of the Global Financial Crisis and its consequences for the defence budget may become apparent in June when Project Land 17 - Artillery Replacement, comes up for 2nd Pass approval by the Federal cabinet.
Artillery is no longer simply a blunt instrument of industrial-age warfare: Land 17 is a key component of former Army chief Lieutenant General Peter Leahy's vision for a Hardened and Networked Army (HNA), and represents a rare opportunity for a complete generational transformation of the Army's indirect fire support capabilities.
The project is a complete, integrated package which seeks to acquire new guns and a new fire control system which will connect forward observers with gun battery commanders and even individual guns in a seamless chain; that chain will also reach out into Army's wider command and control network, connecting with TUAVs and other Intelligence, Surveillance, Target Acquisition and Reconnaissance (ISTAR) assets.
Even the ammunition will be upgraded: so-called ‘Course Corrected Fuzes' fitted with GPS receivers and tiny steering fins will be bought to ensure every round hits its target.
Land 17 will see the Army's entire inventory of 105mm Hamel and 155mm M198 howitzers replaced with new weapons, at a cost of up to $600 million, starting in 2011.
On current plans the new guns will be a mix of self-propelled (SP) and towed 155mm howitzers, though exact numbers of each remain subject to ongoing analysis.
The Army needs no less than two batteries of SP guns and no more than four batteries of towed guns - a maximum of 57 weapons.
How many guns to a battery?
That will probably be decided by the new Defence White Paper's Force Structure Review, which is due early this year, but a battery of SP guns will almost certainly be smaller than the current six-strong batteries of Hamel and M198 towed guns.
Their longer range, higher rate of fire and digital fire control system means a battery of three (or fewer) SP guns can be as effective as the traditional six-gun battery of towed weapons.
Furthermore, SP guns require a much smaller crew, and this reduced through-life personnel cost could also be a significant factor in determining whether or not Army should field an SP gun.
There has been speculation that an SP gun may be too expensive, both to buy and to operate, and that Defence will settle instead for an armoury of towed M777 guns.
That isn't Army's view: not only do SP guns provide economy of effort, a Hardened and Networked Army needs a nimble, self-contained artillery force which can support fast-moving operations and is integrated into the command and control network - an SP gun with its embedded digital fire control system can provide a critical node in the Army's tactical communication and C2 network, a ‘revolutionary change' in capability it has never fielded before, according to Army sources.
Army's view is simple: it regards its planned armoury of self-propelled and air-portable towed guns and digital fire control system as a balanced and integrated, and essential, package.
Remember that the towed gun's tractor is also potentially an important NCW node - Army planners envisage little real difference in NCW capability between the towed and SP guns, though the SP gun is better served because the C2 and fire control components are combined within the gun turret; the towed guns' C2 and fire control systems will be physically separated, with the fire control system on the gun and the C2 element in the tractor vehicle.
Choose your weapons
The DMO called for tenders in 2007 for all of the major components of Land 17, and is still evaluating the responses.
The Army has already selected the US Army's Advanced Field Artillery Tactical Data System (AFATDS), manufactured by Raytheon, as its new artillery fire control system: everything else it acquires must be compatible with this, including the new fuzes and the forward observer equipment which will feed target data directly into them, and even its new Tactical UAVs.
The towed field gun must be light enough to be slung beneath a Chinook helicopter: there's only one 155mm gun in the world that fits the bill, and that is the US Army's new 3,175kg M777 howitzer which is manufactured by BAE Systems in the US.
There seems little doubt that the Army will order this weapon -the only question is, how many? And how will they be acquired?
The DMO hasn't yet determined whether a commercial buy or a US Foreign Military Sales (FMS) arrangement offers the best value for money.
The RFT also addressed the refurbishment of the existing M198 guns as a cost comparator in lieu of a new towed gun.
This will form part of the business case to be examined by cabinet at 2nd pass.
Raytheon Australia has teamed with Korean heavy engineering group Samsung Techwin to offer the AS-9 "Aussie Thunder", an Australianised version of the Korean Army's new K-9 Thunder SP gun.
This is in mass production for both the Korean and Turkish armies.
German manufacturer Krauss Maffei Wegmann (KMW) is offering its new PzH2000, which received its baptism of fire two years ago in Afghanistan in the hands of the Dutch Army. Over 250 guns are now in service with the German, Dutch, Italian and Greek Armies; the Dutch over-ordered and Australia is being offered up to 18 brand-new PzH2000s via the Dutch ministry of defence at a friendly, though still not insignificant, price.
The two competing SP gun manufacturers aren't deterred by suggestions the SP component of Land 17 won't get up: Army sought options for 18, 24 or 30 guns, and the Force Structure Review will determine how many guns are actually required, and the balance between SP and towed weapons.
The Army emphasises the advantages of the SP guns' mobility, protection, speed of deployment and ability to conduct fire and manoeuvre operations.
One of the Australian Army's requirements is for a single gun, firing successive shots on different trajectories, to get as many rounds as possible onto a target simultaneously.
German gunners have demonstrated they can fire five rounds from a single PzH2000, synchronising their trajectories so they arrive within 1.2 seconds of each other.
That is almost the equivalent of a salvo from a traditional artillery battery - even modern towed field guns can rarely deliver more than two rounds simultaneously from the same barrel.
Furthermore, the heavier self-propelled gun has a longer barrel, and so greater range.
Artillery barrels are measured as multiples of the calibre: the PzH2000 and AS-9 "Aussie Thunder" have barrels that are 52 times their calibre.
The M777 lightweight towed field gun has a shorter, lighter barrel that's only 39 times its calibre.
This makes a difference to their range: the 52-calibre guns can fire standard 155mm ammunition up to 40km; 39-calibre guns are limited to about 24km, though both guns achieve longer range using specially-modified ammunition.
Therefore, both Raytheon and KMW argue that acquiring only a towed gun would be a false economy.
A single 155mm self-propelled gun with a 52-calibre barrel can cover an area of over 5,000 square kilometres, compared with just over 1,800 square kilometres for a gun with a 39-calibre barrel, which typically covers a relatively narrow arc and therefore a smaller target area; to engage outside this arc the gun itself must physically be repositioned.
So a single, modern SP gun can do the work of several older weapons - in the German Army, for example, its old US-made M109A6 SP guns, which have a 39-calibre barrel and a 7-man detachment, are being replaced on a one for three basis by with the PzH2000, which has a four-man crew.
It's getting the same weight of fire from just one third of the guns, and less than one fifth of the manpower.
By comparison, the Australian Army's existing M198s with 39-calibre barrels normally have a nine or ten-man crew.
One of the lessons from Iraq and Afghanistan is that nowhere is really safe any more: not only does an SP gun require a smaller detachment, it offers full protection for its members, and Raytheon has made a point of highlighting successful tests of the AS-9's uprated armour.
Similarly, KMW has highlighted the appliqué armour that's available to increase top cover protection.
Aussie Thunder
Raytheon's claim on Land 17 is a strong one: as well as providing AFATDS, it is also supplying the Excalibur guided 155mm artillery round, which is being procured under Joint Project 2085.
Based on the K-9 "Thunder" which has been ordered in massive quantities by the armies of South Korea and Turkey, the AS-9 incorporates a range of enhancements as well as a significant Australian industry involvement plan.
However, Korea is not a traditional source of ADF equipment and the company has carefully highlighted every milestone in the AS-9 development, integration and risk mitigation program.
The gun has been displayed at successive Land Warfare Conferences in Brisbane and has been trialled extensively in Australia.
The AS-9 is offered with a Kongsberg Remote Weapon Station and, following tests late last year, a new extended range 155mm round.
This is a combined base bleed/rocket assisted projectile developed by Korean company Poongsan, which already supplies 155mm ammunition to Australia.
The new round bestows a range of 57km on the AS-9 and has been proofed and certified by the Korean defence force's proofing agency.
"Our team believes that matching the AS-9's longer 52 calibre barrel and high rate of fire with extended range ammunition would bring tremendous range and terminal effect advantages to the Australian Army," according to Raytheon Australia's managing director, Ron Fisher.
"The longer the range, the bigger the area that can be covered without having to redeploy the platform-that's critical from a force protection perspective."
"The more range you have, the fewer number of platforms needed and the safer your own guns are from enemy action," he added.
"And this capability would complement standard 155mm ammunition and advanced munitions such as Excalibur."
Technologies such as Poongsan's new extended-range projectile had the potential to enhance the capability of the complete artillery system, and the Korean company has already demonstrated its ability to satisfy Australia's stringent safety and performance requirements, Fisher said.
"This is another example of the sorts of capabilities and commercial opportunities that can be achieved by working with allies and partners within our own region."
On that subject, Fisher announced in late-2008 that if it is selected for Land 17, the AS-9 will deliver a $234 million boon to the Australian defence industry, including SMEs, with the potential for associated Australian work to exceed $1 billion over the 20-year life of the program.
The improved capability of the AS-9 would be offered under a Product Improvement Program (PIP) for the Korean Army's K9 guns.
"This will provide an additional $440 million in opportunities for Australian companies," said Fisher.
In addition to the K9 PIP, Fisher said there is a further potential for up to $500 million in additional work for Australian industry in international sales of the AS-9.
"In all, this is a billion dollar opportunity for Australian industry.
"That means Aussie jobs and strong revenue streams for local firms.
"The unique opportunity here for Australian SMEs is not only significant work in Australia but also the potential for new export markets.
"It all starts with Land 17," said Fisher.
PzH2000
Australian troops serving in Afghanistan are already familiar with the PzH2000.
Dutch Army gunners have deployed three of the German-made SP guns howitzers to support Australian special forces and reconstruction units in southern Afghanistan's Oruzgan Province, and one of these was trialled in Australia two years ago following the 2006 Avalon air show.
According to Vincent Williams, a retired artillery brigadier who represents Krauss-Maffei Wegmann in Australia, these three guns deliver firepower equivalent to a six-gun battery of older, towed field guns.
And recent enhancements include the South African Denel VLAP (Velocity-enhanced Long Range Projectile) which also uses base bleed and rocket assistance to bestow a proven range of 57km, with potential to exceed 60km, says Williams.
The interior layout of the PzH2000 reflects the German Army's focus on health and safety, says Williams, and so makes it possible for the first time to employ women as members of the gun crew.
Its auto-loader handles the heavy projectiles while the human simply loads the light, modular propellant charges.
Also, the entire detachment is contained within a cage attached to the turret - when the turret traverses left and right, the cage and the detachment move with it.
The gunners don't need to move around to avoid the massive, recoiling breech block.
This makes it possible for the turret to traverse through 360 degrees and engage targets in diametrically opposed directions within 30 seconds.
While other SP guns can also do this, Williams believes there is a penalty to be paid in terms of detachment safety once the recoil mass of the gun starts intruding into other parts of the crew compartment; it's often easier to shift the gun platform itself.
The entire loading and firing process is automatic, except for the loading of the charge bag by the Number 2; when he (or she) has loaded the charge he physically turns and presses a button enabling the commander to then fire the gun, so there is no way the weapon can be fired prematurely and endanger the crew.
It is this attention to the detail of crew protection and safety that would enable women to be employed in gun crews for the first time, believes Williams.
That in turn would help address many of the Army's chronic manpower and cost of ownership problems.
Logistics
One rumour circulating at the 2008 Land Warfare Conference suggested that the DMO hadn't fully budgeted for the through-life support of a fleet of SP guns.
The SP gun manufacturers have discounted it: given the recent changes to Defence's capability development and acquisition processes, said one source, it's hard to imagine the DMO's Land Systems Division allowing a project as important as this to within sight of 2nd Pass Approval without the whole of life costs of an SP gun being factored into the business case.
The blow to the DMO's credibility would be devastating.
However, if the figures show there simply isn't enough cash in the kitty to cover a mix of towed and SP guns, and to support the initial and ongoing training and logistics needs on an SP gun fleet, Defence hasn't ruled out acquiring an all-towed fleet; but this is definitely not Army's ambition.
Down on the battlefield, an important issue for all gun types is ammunition re-supply.
The current Hamel 105mm guns and M198s are re-supplied from pallets carried by Unimog 4-tonne and Mack flat bed trucks with trailers.
Defence says it is currently finalising its concept for re-supply in the lead up to 2nd Pass, and has declined to discuss the issue further.
The AS-9 is designed as part of a package with the AS-10 armoured ammunition re-supply vehicle and Raytheon Australia has offered this an option in its Land 17 bid.
The AS-10 is the only vehicle of its type in the world, using the same chassis as the AS-9 and providing full protection for the gun detachment during re-ammunitioning.
Importantly, as well as fully automating the re-supply process and reducing the manpower requirements this means the guns can be re-supplied in the operational area - the company says SP guns usually have to withdraw to a safe area because the re-supply vehicle crews are usually in unprotected trucks and the ammunition is transferred manually.
Each AS-10 carries enough ammunition to fully re-supply two AS-9s, but even using one to three or four would probably provide significant advantages, the company believes; much depends on Army's view of its own doctrine and operational requirements.
And if the Army prefers, the AS-9 can still be re-ammunitioned in the old-fashioned way, like the Army's current field guns, the PzH2000 and other SP guns.
In European NATO service, the PzH2000 is re-supplied using a standard B-Vehicle and DROPS (Demountable Rack-type Offload and Pick-up System) container.
The projectiles and charges are loaded manually into the vehicle and turret bustle, a process which takes less than 10 minutes.
Beyond generalities that are already in the public domain neither the gun manufacturers nor Defence have disclosed details of their ammunition re-supply proposals, nor how these might impact on, for example, Project Overlander.