Volume 5 Number 4 August/September 2014 Into Africa Modernisation push ISRAEL’S UPGRADE BANG ON CHOICE OPTIONS TARGET Procurement focus Modern assault rifles Artillery developments www.landwarfareintl.com PROVEN PERFORMANCE WHEREVER DUTY CALLS Innovative, versatile, multi-mission. Our leading-edge marine craft function in extreme conditions and go where other vessels won’t venture. Plus our training, maintenance and support can be deployed worldwide to keep you in the water and on the move. I N G E N U I T Y A C C E L E R A T E D Marine & Land Systems is a business of Textron Systems. textronsystems.com/mls © 2014 Textron Inc. All rights reserved. CONTENTS Front cover: The Puma APC has been acquired by Kenya and Malawi. (Photo: OTT Technologies) Editor Tim FishFish.. [email protected] Tel: Tel: +44 (0)1(0)1753 72703636 North America Editor Scott R Gourley. [email protected] Tel: Tel: +1 ((+1 707) 822 7204 European Editor Ian Kemp. [email protected] 3 EDITORIAL COMMENT Contributors Militant tendency Claire Apthorp, Gordon Arthur, Mike Bryant, Liza Helps, 4 NEWS Helmoed-Römer Heitman, Neelam Mathews, Stephen Miller, • Russia to counter sanctions with increased David Saw army spend Production Manager • Loc wins Bradley IFV mobility contract David Hurst. [email protected] • European land consolidation edges closer Tel: Tel: +44 (0)1(0)1753 72702929 • Djibouti parades new acquisitions Sub-editor • PLA displays new small arms at open dayday Adam Wakeling Advertising Sales Executive 10 TOUGH CUSTOMERS Brian Millan. [email protected] Tel: Tel: +44 (0)1(0)1753 72700505 African armies have struggled with underfunding Editor-in-Chief and sustained civil unrest over the years, but the Tony SkinSkinnerner requirement for modern equipment is now becoming 33 Managing Director critical, finds Helmoed-Römer Heitman. Darren Lake Chairman 15 A BRIGHT SPOT 28 PULLING THE TRIGGER Nick Prest Operations in Afghanistan and Iraq have Bullpup or traditional? Upgrade or acquisition? Subscriptions demonstrated the advantages of equipping every Tim FisFish eeh xamineines hhs ow milmilitaitaries around the worldld CDS Global, Tower House, Lathkill St, soldier with optical sights to improve situation are approaching their current and future inventory Sovereign Park, Market Harborough, Leics LE16 9EF, UK awareness and lethality. Ian Kemp explores the of assault rifles, and what new trends are emerging. Paid subscription contacts: evolution of this technology. Tel: Tel: +44 1858 43887979 33 BODY OF WORK Fax: +44 1858 461739 19 BANG ON TARGET Soldier modernisation efforts around the world areare Email: [email protected] Technologies are now available to greatly increase resulting in some exciting developments in body Land Warfare International is published six times per year – in February/March, April/May, the accuracy of indirect fires. David Saw details the armour, with unprecedented levels of protection, June/July, August/September, October/ decades-long quest for precision and examines the mobility and functionality being promised. November and December/January – by The Shephard Press Ltd, 268 Bath Road, SlouSlough,gh, guided munition options currently on the market. Adam Wakeling reviews recent developments. Berks, SL1 4DX, UK. Subscription rates start at £65. Subscription records are maintained at CDS Global, Tower House, Lathkill Street, 24 HARD CHOICES PARTING SHOT Sovereign Park, Market Harborough, Combat operations in Gaza have shown that thethe 36 ACCESSING AFRICA Leicestershire, LE16 9EF, UK. Air Business Ltd is acting as mailing agent. Articles and combined arms team remains at the heart of Israel’s Stephan Burger, CEO of Denel Land Systems, information contained in this publication are ground forces. Ian Kemp reports on army talks to Helmoed-Römer Heitman about the African the copyright of the Shephard Press Ltd and may not be reproduced in any form without modernisation efforts in the face of competing marketplace and how the company will position the written permission of the publishers. No budget pressures. itself for exports. responsibility can be accepted for loss of or damage to uncommissioned photographs or manuscripts. 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Berkshire, SL1 4DX Tel: Tel: +44 1753 72700101 Subscribe today via: www.subscription.co.uk/shephard or +44 (0)1858 438879 Fax: +44 1753 727002 www.landwarfareintl.com Volume 5 Number 4 | August/September 2014 | LAND WARFARE INTERNATIONAL 1 EDITORIAL COMMENT the development of sovereign capabilities for support and modernisation of equipment, MILITANT including sustained manufacturing of munitions and spares, plus systems integration. The SASADR alsalso co callalls for equipment designigneded for operating in African conditions including TENDENCY tactical vehicles, artillery and medical capabilities. ss Land Warfare International goes to press regional cooperation stretching from the ASomalia’s President Hassan Sheikh Atlantic coast and across the Sahel. A force of NATIONAL PRIORITY Mohamud announced a push by African about 3,000 troops will be commanded from Companies will have to be more than half Union and government forces to remove the N’Djamena, the capital of Chad, and it will owned and run by South Africans to qualify to al-Shabaab militant group from its remaining include about 20 helicopters, 200 armoured compete for high-end sovereign projects. strongholds in the country. Despite continuing vehicles – likely to be VBCIs, VABs and ERC 90s, Th Those thathat aat re more tte hahan a qqa uauarterter or ownwned and attacks in Mogadishu it is thought that this ten transport aircraft, six Mirage or Rafale run can qualify for lower-level projects and latest effort – Operation Indian Ocean – will fighter jets and three Harfang UAS. will be considered after South African allow the government to increase its control Using other bases across the region, companies. over the country. Operation Barkhane is expected to include the Foreign companies based in South Africa Over the past few months, as fighting in participation of forces from Burkina Faso, Chad, can only compete for large projects if they can Ukraine and Gaza adds to the conflicts already Mali, Mauritania and Niger. offer uninterrupted through-life support. Local raging across the Middle East, events in Africa France sees security in the Sahel as directly subsidiaries of foreign companies can go for have been somewhat overshadowed. linked to its own, feelings shared by the US standard projects as long as they can show a Russia is already facing Western sanctions which, under AFRICOM, has been running the long-term commitment to South Africa, whilst on armaments and the result is increased Trans-Saharan Counterterrorism Partnershipip joi joint venturtures can go for anany ppy rojroject as lonlong aag ss defence spending to make up the difference for some years that includes military-to-military the intellectual property is secure. (see p4). Meanwhile, talks about sanctions on cooperation with Sahel states as well as As the main state-owned company, Denel is Israel may affect some of the procurement targeted diplomatic efforts. looking ahead to what it can do in this plans of the IDF (see p24) but it is unlikely that For industry, attention is focused on the landscape (see p36) and is likely to take on thethe these will be implemented if the current Gaza Africa Aerospace and Defence exhibition in most sensitive projects. However it is also able ceasefire holds and the situation is defused. Pretoria. As one of the continent’s most to partner and sub-contract to private industry In Libya, levels of fighting have increased in modern military powers, South Africa has and this is where the opportunities lie for other recent weeks resulting in the evacuation of some serious decisions to take about what role local or international industrial players. foreign nationals, while in northern Mali it wants to play in contributing to security in South Africa is keen to engage experienced insurgents are stubbornly resisting UN and Africa, and if it will pay for it. international defence firms, but it will have to French efforts to remove them. France and the Procurement across Africa reflects outline what capability packages it will fund UN are also struggling to contain ethnic immediate security concerns typical to each properly to give industry confidence to invest violence in the Central African Republic where area, but there is recognition among in the future. the president and cabinet have just left office. governments that insurgent groups aiming to Tim Fish, Editor de-stabilise various states are much better IN THE NEXT ISSUE ON A MISSION armed than in years past, requiring a more In July France initiated a new counter-terror formidable and better equipped national army l AFV innovation mission – Operation Barkhane – to test its to oppose