Volume 24/issue 3 april/may 2016 us$15
AsiA PA cific’s LA rgest c ircuLAted d efence MA g A Zine
CBRN PROTECTION SOLDIER MODERNISATION DEBRIEF MALAYSIAN ARMED FORCES NAVAL GUNS ASIA-PACIFIC FIGHTER MARKET PRECISION GUIDED ARTILLERY
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02 | Asian Military Review | Contents april/may 2016 VOlUmE 24 / iSSUE 3
VexIng QueSTIonS 10 Malaysia faces both conventional and unconventional threats. Dzirhan Mahadzir examines how the country is meeting such risks in a fiscally-constrained climate.
Front Cover Photo: Iraq’s army has increasingly been on the frontline of chemical weapons attack, as examined in Andy Oppenheimer’s Countering the Chemicals article in this issue © US DoD 16 34 40 44
Soldier The Hertz Cannon Fodder Countering Modernisation the Chemicals Modernisation of infantry Locker Naval gunfire support Andy Oppenheimer examines soldier equipment, particularly Thomas Withington examines is essential to naval and the continuing weapons of concerning individual weapons, some of the technical challenges amphibious operations. mass destruction threat to is afoot in the Asia-Pacific with presented to tactical radio Gerrard Cowan examines the Asia-Pacific, and the Andrew White giving a round- engineers when designing such recent developments in this measures being taken to up of the latest developments. equipment for the Asia-Pacific domain combat it. region. 22 28 05
Spot on! Role With It Stephen W. Miller reviews The market for new and some of the ongoing efforts to upgraded multi-role combat improve the precision of artillery aircraft is in rude health across fire to enhance its support of Thomas Withington’s regular column providing all of the latest news the Asia-Pacific region, Joetey ground manoeuvre. and analysis regarding events in the defence radio frequency domain. Attariwala finds out.
| april/may 2016 | 03 Index of Advertisers AIMPOINT 19 AIRBUS 9 Editorial ARMY 47 BOEING V24 COVER 4 COPENHAGEN SENSOR TECHNOLOGY 31 DATRON 2 ESRI 21 EURONAVAL 49 PUBLIC ENEMY EUROSATORY 56 FNSS COVER 1 - 2 FLIR 27 NUMBER ONE? IDEAS PAKISTAN 55 INDO DEFENCE 51 NEXTER 13 OTOKAR 7 hat have the possibility of the United ROSOBORONEXPORT 39 Kingdom voting to leave the European SUBSCRIPTION COVER 3 TRIJICON 17 Union during its referendum on its TEXTRON AVIATION 25 future membership of this multinational organisation on 23rd June, the possibility UKRSPECXPORT 33 VEXTRONIX 37 Wof a new Cold War between Russia and the West, following its armed interventions in Syria in 2015 and Ukraine 2014, and the possibility of an oil price shock have in common? They are all seen as potential risks to global peace, security and prosperity during 2016 by the Economist Australia Intelligence Unit (EIU) the London-based sister research organisation of The Economist , Publisher’s Internationale newspaper. Tel: +61 2 8298 9330, Fax: +61 2 9252 2022 Email: [email protected] All of these are distinctly unpalatable scenarios, yet one risk highlighted by the EIU, but not Stephane de Remusat, REM International mentioned above did catch AMR’s eye, notably the prospect that Donald Trump, the presumed Tel: (33) 5 3427 0130 E-Mail: [email protected] Republican Party candidate for the United States Presidential Election in November 2016 is reckoned to have a ‘moderate probability’ by the EIU in its 17 March report. Whitehill Media Tel: (44-1883) 715 697 Mobile: (44-7770) 237 646 E-Mail: [email protected] Zena Coupé already ‘set out his stall’ as far as his prospective policies towards the People’s Republic of China Tel: +44 1923 852537, [email protected] (PRC) are concerned, blaming the country for “taking our jobs and making our products and Emanuela Castagnetti-Gillberg manipulating their currency”. It is not AMR’s desire to decide whether the PRC does or does not Tel: (46) 31 799 9028 E-Mail: [email protected] manipulate currencies. Russia However, one would caution whether it is wise to already direct provocative remarks towards Tel/Fax: (7 3832) 180 885 Mobile : (7 960) 783 6653 Email :[email protected] a nation which Mr. Trump may well have to work with should he be elected as commander-in- chief on 8 November. The US and the PRC are indeed both trade and strategic rivals, particularly Tel: +7 905 585 2956 E-Mail: [email protected] as it potentially already poisons relations between Mr. Trump and Beijing, before the former has Young Seoh Chinn, Jes Media Inc. Tel: (82-2) 481 3411 even secured the Republican nomination. E-Mail: [email protected] Secondly, Mr. Trump’s stance on the situation in the Middle East could also be a strategic Tel : (+1 540) 341 7581 Email: [email protected] proposing to ban all Muslim immigration into the United States. Similarly is his hawkish stance regarding increasing the breadth and depth of US-led military operations against the Islamic Blackrock Media Inc Tel : (+1 858) 759 3557 Email: [email protected] two countries. An end to ISIS and the fascist ideology it propagates cannot be achieved without All Other Countries Vishal Mehta, winning the ‘hearts and minds’ of Muslims within and without the region; Donald Trump’s Tel: +66 2204 2370, Mobile +66 9 8252 6243 E-Mail: [email protected] comments do little to help in this regard. Mr. Trump’s foreign policy as articulated so far does seem a cause for concern. In times of economic uncertainty and geopolitical instability it is Tel: +66 2204 2370, Mobile: +66 81 6455654 perfectly understandable to lash out at their sources, be they real or perceived. Yet, as Mr. Trump Email: [email protected] should know, polemic words do little to cool tempers, at a time when cool heads need to prevail. Thomas Withington, Editor
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04 | AsiAn MilitAry review | by Thomas Withington
New radars are on the horizon for the Philippines and Romania, while both India and the US Navy are enhancing their Electronic Warfare (EW) capabilities, with the US Army buying tactical radios, and the German armed forces overhauling their Satellite Communications (SATCOM).