Airforces

92 // FEBRUARY 2018 #359 http://www.airforcesmonthly.com

Column Commander’s Update Brief^ ing

While the early and overriding
imperative for smart weapons was
accuracy, increased standoff has
become an increasingly important
quality. Extended range doesn’t
necessarily require additional
propulsion. Bombs can be given
a limited aerodynamic glide
capability with the flight profile
stretched/shaped accordingly
(glide bombs can offer ranges
significantly greater than ballistic
ones). The degree of standoff
also has a significant impact
on the methods used to aim
the weapon, and vice versa.
Guidance techniques can be
crudely divided into two categories
(with some weapons being able
to use combinations of both):

• Autonomous weapons are
  pre-programmed (either before
  flight or just prior to release)
  and then ‘fly’ or are guided to
  the target without any further
  input from the release aircraft.
  Examples include the MBDA
  Storm Shadow, Raytheon
  Paveway IV in GPS mode, or
  MBDA’s ‘legacy’ Brimstone. The
  advantages are that the aircraft
  does not need to ‘see’ the target
  and is less likely to be affected by
  weather. Furthermore, the release
  aircraft can immediately turn away
  from the target after release (‘fire
  and forget’). The disadvantages
  are that the weapon needs
  accurate target information prior
  to release, and won’t correct
  to any changes in target status

during its time of flight. These

weapon types are best suited

to static or fixed targets.

• Designated or aimed
  weapons are guided to the target
  by the delivery aircraft or a third
  party (the latter either in the air
  or on the ground). The most
  common method of guidance
  today is laser designation or

on-board imaging, but mid-course

positional corrections can also be

data-linked into GPS weapons.

These weapons tend to have

shorter standoff, but their major

advantage is that they can be

aimed/corrected right up to impact

and are best for moving or fleeting

targets (so-called time-sensitive

targets). Their major disadvantage

is they are more likely to be

affected by weather, and are

mostly limited to line of sight.

Potential future developments

include auto target recognition

(ie a weapon will find its target

after launch, without the need

for third-party input) and

hypersonic propulsion methods

to increase speed and range.

Hypersonics, combined with low

observability, would dramatically

improve survivability of both

the launch platform and the

weapon (modern SAM systems

are increasingly capable of

targeting individual weapons).

As last month’s article highlighted,

the modern battlefield is becoming

an increasingly lethal place for

aircraft. We have seen some

significant improvements in aircraft

design and ECM to counter this,

but I predict the next decade

will deliver more advances in

standoff weapon development

as the most effective way to

maintain a combat edge.

The focus on weapons for the last

two decades of counter-insurgency

has stressed low collateral damage

and near-zero error; the demands

of a future A2/AD world mean that

lethality and survivability will have

to be added to these qualities. Air

power will still be expected to hit

the bull’s eye every time – but in

future will demand reach as well

as accuracy.

An RAF Typhoon with a combined

Brimstone/Paveway IV payload.

This provides a useful combination

of autonomous (‘fire and forget’)

and designated weapons to tackle

a range of targets on the ground.

Jamie Hunter

Above: Manufactured in the UK by Raytheon Systems, the Paveway IV entered RAF service in November 2008. It has
since replaced the previous Paveway II and Enhanced Paveway II as well as the 1,000lb unguided general-purpose
bomb. Jamie Hunter AFM