Page 17 - ADT APRIL 2022 Online Magazine

sion of its maritime-focused Seaspray AESA automated shipboard defense system is designed to detect and
surveillance radar, offers significant range track surface contacts and protects the fleet from a variety of low
increases for certain critical modes, improved radar cross section threats. According to the company, LockNESS
maritime detection and the ability to handle a can be used for a variety of missions including battle group defence, [ SEA ]
high number of targets. base defence, sealift defence, infrastructure protection, and coastal
patrol.
Leonardo and General Atomics Aeronautical
Systems, Inc. are working to integrate the Another major player in the market segment is Rafael Advanced
Seaspray 7500E V2 radar into the center- Defense Systems; the company under-development Sea Breaker
line radar pod of the MQ-9B SeaGuardian is a fifth generation long-range, autonomous, precision-guided
remotely-piloted aircraft system (RPAS). The missile system that can precisely target sea and land targets up
company’s Osprey AESA radar is reportedly to a range of 300 kilometres.
being evaluated for many multi-domain require-
ments by decision makers in the Indo Pacific Sea Breaker features an advanced imaging infra-red seeker that
region. can engage stationary or moving targets in a diverse range of land
and marine environments. The missile system can be launched from
The radar went into service with the United naval platforms of varied sizes, and from fast attack missile boats
States Navy in December 2021, on-board to corvettes and frigates. The land version is a central part of the
Northrop Grumman’s MQ-8C Fire Scout shore defence, based on Rafael’s highly mobile Spyder launchers.
autonomous helicopter system. The multi-do- Saab’s Sea Giraffe 1X is a compact high-performance radar with
main AESA surveillance radar is available in simultaneous surface and air surveillance coverage.
two variants: the compact Osprey 30 and the
larger Osprey 50. Leonardo’s Lionfish family
of defence systems, which is operational in Focus on Modernization
a number of naval platforms worldwide, was Southeast Asia’s largest maritime countries— Indonesia, Vietnam,
selected by the Royal Netherlands Navy in Malaysia, and the Philippines - are also working on naval moderniza-
March this year. tion programs with increasing urgency. Manu of the modernization
programs in the region hinge on the vulnerability of warships to
BAE Systems is promoting its LockNESS mar- modern guided missiles and the growing prevalence and sophis-
itime defence system as an integrated solution tication of sensor technologies. Hence, acquisition of warships
that protects platforms and crews against that can not only launch long-range guided missiles, but also avoid
current and evolving surface threats. The fully easy detection, remain high on the priority list of all four countries.

Such capabilities are of critical importance in the South China Sea,
where China has deployed an array of intelligence, surveillance,
and reconnaissance (ISR) sensors, including terrestrial sensors,
like high-frequency direction-finding and radar stations, airborne
sensors aboard its KJ-500 early warning aircraft and BZK-005 and
WZ-7 (Soar Dragon) long-endurance reconnaissance unmanned
aerial vehicles.

Modern diesel-electric attack submarines, which are not only
stealthy, but also lethal with the introduction of underwater-launched
anti-ship missiles, are an obvious answer to Chinese designs, but
the exorbitant cost of the submarines make acquisition of an ade-
quate number impossible for Southeast Asian navies, especially in
the post-pandemic scenario.

This has forced navies in the region to look for the next-best option
- frigates, corvettes, and fast attack craft (FAC) armed with guided
anti-ship missiles. Corvettes and FACs do not have the endurance
of frigates and do not perform as well in high sea states, but they
are less expensive and more difficult to spot. Defence analysts
expect a high number of corvettes and FACs to feature in future
fleets in the region.

Growing Demand
In December last year, the Philippines inked a US$556 million deal

ASIAN DEFENCE TECHNOLOGY April 2022 | 17