If it flies, it dies - virtually

Tenix Defence has delivered one of the most advanced air defence simulators in the world to Army's 16 Air Defence Regiment.
The Army's 16 Air Defence Regiment has taken delivery of its Advanced Air Defence Simulator (AADS).

The new simulator will be a critical component of the future capability of the Regiment's two Saab Bofors Dynamics RBS70 air defence missile batteries, the Chief of Army, LTGEN Peter Leahy, said at the official opening. Believed to be one of the most advanced simulators of its type in the world, it will be used for basic and continuation training of missile detachment members as well as tactics development and mission rehearsal prior to deployment.

The simulator project has had a long, slow gestation, but once approval was finally granted to go ahead, the $12.3 million project was completed quite quickly. The $10.5 million prime contract went to Tenix Defence's Electronic Systems Division in Adelaide, with AAI Corp in the USA as the principal sub-contractor, responsible for the core simulation capability. Saab Bofors Dynamics was responsible for the RBS70 firing post and missile elements of the simulator while local firm Minuzzi Project Management oversaw construction of the facility.

Following the withdrawal of the Army's ageing BAE Systems Rapier air defence missile system last December, the simulator is now being used heavily to support the transition of the Regiment's 110 AD Battery from Rapier to RBS70. The other Battery, 111 AD Bty (Light), has operated the RBS70 since its introduction some 16 years ago. Between them, the two batteries field a total of 30 RBS70 firing posts organised in 6 Troops of 5 firing posts (or Detachments) each. This structure allows the Regiment to respond to operational tasks and contingencies as efficiently and economically as possible.

Each Troop is equipped with a Lockheed Martin PSTAR-ER (Portable Surveillance and Target Acquisition Radar - Extended Range); these have been upgraded recently with double the target detection range - now some 40km - and enhanced performance in clutter: hence the ER suffix.

The missiles and firing posts are also been upgraded under Project Land 19 Ph.6, which is still under way. Key changes include the adoption of the upgraded Bolide version of the RBS70 missile: this has a fragmentation warhead with a selectable multi-purpose proximity fuze, and a new rocket motor which provides better acceleration and an 8km range against fast crossing and pop-up targets. The new fuze/warhead combination enables RBS70 detachments to engage threats ranging from fast jets and transport aircraft right down to UAVs and cruise missiles.

The firing post now incorporates a new Thales IFF system and an improved Borc night sight manufactured by Swedish firm FLIR AB. At 11kg this is half the weight of the original Clip-On Night Device (COND) it replaces and uses less battery power because it employs a staring array sensor instead of the original scanned array.

The RBS70 is a leaser beam-rising missile; the upgraded firing post incorporates new laser diodes which produce more laser energy with less heat. They no longer require Freon gas to cool the laser head, so the logistics 'tail' required to replenish gas bottles safely in the field is also a thing of the past.

Land 19 Ph.6 has also seen the introduction of a new Tactical Command and Control System (TaCCS), developed by Saab Systems in Adelaide. TaCCS networks the three Tropp-level radars back to the Battery Command Post (CP) to produce a single correlated local air
According to the DMO, TaCCS can operate in a fully automatic state so that incoming threats are assessed and then allocated to the weapon detachment with greatest probability of a successful engagement. TaCCS also has a 'man in the loop' mode so that the Battery Commander can review the radar information and manually allocate targets to fire units.

Using the TaCCS, the CP can also communicate with the Detachments using free text (similar to SMS) or a template messaging system for Air Defence reports and returns. At the Detachment site threat data is received in near-real time, appearing on the commander's hand-held terminal. Audio tones are generated that cue the operator toward the potential target.

The TaCCS architecture is designed for growth so that radar feeds from other sources, such as RAAF surveillance radars, can be correlated to create the Recognised Air
Included in the system are terminals that display the Local Air
The new AADS system simulates all of these features: it consists of an 11m dome and a projection system suspended from the ceiling. This is able to project terrain, targets and missiles across a 360 degree field of view in azimuth and 180 degrees in elevation. It incorporates a complete RBS70 detachment, including the firing post, detachment commander's hand held terminal and air sentry's binoculars with a projected scene fully correlated with the main visual system.

Within the dome is a simulated CP for either Troop or Battery command post teams. Their displays include the simulated radar
Tenix Defence, as prime contractor, was also responsible for developing the terrain and some of the target models; some of these also came from AAI Corp, which has built similar dome air defence simulators for the US Army's Stinger shoulder-launched missile operators. The Netherlands Army also operates the RBS70 and has ordered a similar dome-type simulator, and Tenix Defence has sold some of its software, terrain and target models to the Netherlands also.

The simulator replicates faithfully the current RBS70 system, but with further upgrades in the
By Gregor Ferguson, Adelaide