Page 16 - ADT APRIL 2022 Online Magazine

Comprehensive [ SEA ]

Cover

COUNTRIES IN THE ASIA PACIFIC ARE SEEKING be deployed on larger ships, typically those
WAYS TO PROTECT THEIR MARITIME ASSETS with more than 300t water displacement, and
AS THEY INVEST IN NAVAL MODERNIZATION provides reliable protection from air assault
weapons, including low-flying anti-ship missiles
PROGRAMS and unmanned aerial vehicles. According to
Rosoboronexport, Pantsir-ME, which is capa-
ble of firing at four targets simultaneously and
Arun Sivasankaran destroying guided anti-aircraft missiles from
20km away, can be installed on most Russian
As China continues to flex its military muscle and aggressively warships as well as on ships manufactured by
asserts its South China Sea sovereignty claims, next-generation other countries.
weapons get more potent and defending maritime assets gets
more challenging, countries in the Asia Pacific are investing in The Raytheon/Diehl Defence’s RIM-116 RAM, in
comprehensive defence systems that can thwart attacks from air, use on over 160 ships belonging to more than
land, and sea. 10 countries, is a ‘‘fire-and-forget” missile that
do not require further guidance after launch
In big demand are modern naval air defence systems. The naval ver- and can hit targets that are not necessarily in
sion of MBDA’s Sea Ceptor air defence missile system incorporates the line of sight of the launcher. One of the
the latest electronic warfare and weapons system technologies to major advantages of the RIM-116 RAM is that
provide defence against air threats. In June last year, the company it can be integrated to a range of existing ship
won a contract to equip the Brazilian Navy’s new Tamandaré-class sensor suites.
frigates with the Sea Ceptor.
Leonardo’s 76/62 Super Rapid (SR) Shipboard
Sea Ceptor, already in service with the Royal Navy’s Type 23 frig- Gun is a light weight, rapid-fire naval gun
ates since May 2018, has been selected by the service for the new equipped for any air defence and anti-surface
Type 26 and Type 31 frigates. Chile, New Zealand, and Canada role, particularly in anti-missile role. The naval
are among the other international users of the system. Weighing gun, which is capable of effective engagement
just under 100kg and 3.2m in length, SeaCeptor provides 360° of shore-based targets, is part of Qatar’s Fourth
coverage and can cover a range of more than 25km at speeds of Air Defense Corvette launched by Fincantieri
up to Mach 3 (3,704.4km/h). and can be installed on ships of any type and
class, including small naval units.

Spoilt for Choice In March this year, Leonardo announced that
The Phalanx Close-in Weapons System (CIWS), developed by its OTO 127/64 LightWeight (LW) Vulcano naval
General Dynamics, is designed to provide protection against anti- defence system has been selected by Damen
ship missiles, aircraft, and hard-to-detect high-G and sea-skimming to equip German Navy’s new four F126 frigates.
missiles. The Russian Pantsir-ME naval air-defence system can The company’s Seaspray V2, an enhanced ver-

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