Tooling up: Chinese weaponeers make their mark.
Last posted:
2012-Nov-29
UAV weapons out in the open
Air weapon powerhouse
SAM array
The evidence of Airshow China 2012, held in Zhuhai from 13-18 November, is that China's guided weapon sector is growing exponentially, with an unprecedented number of new, sometimes overlapping, programmes. Robert Hewson reports
Although chiefly an aerospace event, Airshow China is increasingly home to a land and maritime systems component and this year's event brought together an impressive array of new weapons for all three domains.
A quick analysis shows that more than a dozen new weapons, never before seen in public, appeared at this year's event - along with many improvements to existing products. This underlines the ever-growing capabilities of China's weapon makers and the ever-increasing product range that China now offers for export.
There were several notable firsts among the air weapon exhibits, including China's first dedicated anti-radiation defence suppression weapons; its first very-high-speed (Mach 4+) weapons; long-range gliding dispenser weapons; specialist penetrator weapons for hardened target attacks; laser-guided rockets; and a fuel-air explosive (FAE) bomb. Continuing progress could be seen in the development of small weapons both for unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) and for internal carriage on China's future fighters. There were also new air-launched derivatives of missiles previously seen only in the surface-to-surface role - and even new surface-to-air versions of current air-to-air missiles.
The expanded range of air-defence products at Zhuhai - as with all other exhibits, all available for export - was very obvious. Several previously unknown mobile multi-weapon/multi-sensor ground-based air-defence systems were on show, alongside fully functional hardware for large systems such as the FD-2000 (export designation HQ-9) and LY-80 (export designation HQ-16).
The CASIC LY-80 (export designation for China's HQ-16 SAM) was prominently displayed at Airshow China alongside the longer-range FD-2000 (HQ-9) system. (Robert Hewson) China is also offering an increasing number of precision-guided surface-to-surface weapons and Airshow China 2012 saw the first public appearances of the CM-501G and WS-33 truck-launched medium-range missiles, plus the latest WS-22 and WS-32 variants of the WS-2 multiple rocket launcher family.
There were strong appearances from Chinese weapon makers that had not previously attended the show. This included Norinco (the China North Industries Corporation), whose Harbin Jiancheng Group subsidiary showed eight air-launched weapons (seven of which had not been exhibited before). Also making its debut was the China South Industries Group Corporation (CSG), which brought a collection of bombs, including the CS/BBF1 FAE bomb, plus a dispenser weapon - all newly revealed in public. Better known as an automobile manufacturer (it has joint ventures with Ford, Suzuki, and Volvo among others), CSG displayed an entire hall full of combat vehicles, including armoured transports, air defence and radar systems, UAV launch-and-control vehicles, all-terrain vehicles and even a mine-resistant ambush-protected (MRAP) vehicle. This was the first time such a concentration of land systems had been brought to Airshow China (there were many other military vehicles from other manufacturers also), underlining the fact that the event has become a major showcase for China's defence industry as a whole.
Air weapon revelations
The appearance of a new air-launched anti-radiation missile (ARM) was a significant development at the show. The weapon, the LD-10, is being promoted for export by the Aviation Industry Corporation of China (AVIC) and is a product of the Luoyang Optoelectro Technology Development Centre (LOEC). The missile, which is closely based on LOEC's SD-10 (PL-12) air-to-air missile (AAM), is the first dedicated ARM to be observed in China. LOEC officials told stated that the LD-10 is already in production for an (unnamed) export customer.
LOEC's LD-10 is the first dedicated anti-radiation missile to be seen emerging from China and is likely to be part of the export weapon set for the JF-17 Thunder lightweight fighter. (Robert Hewson) AVIC data identifies the PAC/AVIC JF-17 Thunder (FC-1) as the "typical carrier aircraft" for the LD-10. This points directly to the Pakistan Air Force (PAF) as the customer for the missile. A senior PAF officer noted at the show that the Brazilian-built Mectron MAR-1 ARM is already integrated and operational with the JF-17 but suggested that it was preferable to have "options" when it came to future JF-17 exports. LOEC officials also acknowledged the status of the MAR-1 on the JF-17 but added that the LD-10 was a lighter, more modern weapon that offered greater effective range (quoted as 60 km). JF-17 programme officials added that the aircraft is close to winning new orders outside Pakistan.
LOEC representatives would not be drawn on where the seeker technology for the LD-10 was developed. The company already has some experience in anti-radiation systems and has incorporated a passive homing mode in the SD-10 AAM. However, the seeker for that missile was developed with Russian input and well-placed Russian sources suggest that the Omsk-based Avtomatika concern, which specialises in air-to-surface anti-radiation seekers, may have assisted with the LD-10.
An anti-radiation seeker is also being offered by the China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation (CASC) for its new FT-6A extended-range glide bomb. The FT-6 is a 250 kg-class weapon that mates a Mk 82-type bomb body with a wing kit that delivers a glide range of 60 km. The latest FT-6A incorporates an anti-radiation seeker that allows the weapon to directly target air-defence systems, and mobile systems in particular. CASC has developed additional new terminal seeker options for the GPS/INS-guided FT bomb family and showed an improved FT-3A weapon fitted with a TV/imaging infrared seeker. According to CASC, the bomb's accuracy has been improved from a circular error probable (CEP) of about 20 m to less than 3 m with the new seeker.
CASC has significantly improved the accuracy of its Fei Teng series INS/GPS-guided bombs by adding new terminal seekers to the weapons. The newly modified FT-3A and FT-6A are seen here in front of other members of the FT family. (Robert Hewson) Norinco and CSG both exhibited new stand-off dispenser weapons in the class of the US AGM-154 Joint Stand-Off Weapon. The two Chinese weapons are remarkably similar in appearance and performance and may well have been developed to meet a competitive export requirement. Norinco's Tianlei (Sky Thunder) has a gliding range of more than 80 km. It weighs 680 kg and can deliver a mix of submunition types. Company officials said that 12 anti-runway penetrating bomblets can be carried for an airfield attack, but up to 100 anti-personnel bomblets could be loaded for an area attack mission. The Tianlei is certain to have an inertial navigation system fitted, but a receiver antenna on the nose also points to an additional satellite guidance capability.
CSG has adopted complex (and opaque) designations for its new air-launched systems, referring to its new gliding dispenser as the CS/BBC5. This is a 500 kg-class stand-off weapon designed to deliver several payload options over long ranges and at low cost. CSG provided almost no information on this, or any of its products, but noted that the CS/BBC5 is intended for all-weather use over distances that allow the launch aircraft to avoid hostile air defences. Two satellite receiver antennas mounted on top of the airframe indicate that the CS/BBC5 uses a GPS-aided inertial navigation system. CSG said that a submunition payload or a unitary warhead can be carried.
The new Tiange guided-bomb series from Norinco includes the 250 kg TG250-ER weapon with wing kit (front), the 'baby' 100 kg TG100 (behind) and the 500 kg TG500 (rear). The weapon at the back of this display is the Tiangang 500 kg extended-range glide bomb. (Robert Hewson) Alongside the Tianlei, Norinco/Harbin Jiancheng exhibited new precision-guided munitions (PGMs) ranging from 100 kg to 1,000 kg (the TG100, TG250, TG250-ER, TG500 and TG1000). The Tiange PGM family (named after an ancient Chinese weapon resembling a pike; Tiange roughly translates as 'Sky Spear') breaks down along three distinct lines. Within these divisions the weapons exhibit cues from various US and Russian guided-bomb designs, but all in distinctly Chinese final form. The Tiange bombs are mostly dual-mode weapons with GPS/INS guidance and semi-active laser homing in the terminal phase. Only the 500 kg TG500 stands apart as a single-mode (laser-guided) bomb. As the largest weapon, the 1,050 kg TG1000 is perhaps the most important as it is a specialist penetrator. It closely resembles the US GBU-28 Paveway III design (although it is less than half the weight) and Norinco says it is capable of penetrating more than 2.4 m of concrete reinforced to a strength of 35 MPa. The TG1000 is claimed to be accurate to within 3 m over a maximum range of about 20 km. However, company officials noted that it had not yet undergone airborne drop tests.
The largest member of the Tiange guided-bomb series is the TG1000: a dual-mode guided specialist penetrator weapon. (Robert Hewson) At the other end of the scale is the 130 kg TG100, which appears to have the same Paveway III genes as the TG1000 and resembles a GBU-22 in many ways. It has been developed to equip UAVs, armed trainers and light combat aircraft and was one of several new small weapons to be found at Zhuhai.
UAV weapons out in the open
Alongside the first true example of an operational, armed Chinese UAV (the AVIC Chengdu Wing Loong) at Airshow China were four different tailored lightweight weapons. On its underwing hardpoints the UAV carried a pair of Norinco HJ-10 (KD-10) air-to-surface anti-armour missiles identified on this occasion with their export designation Blue Arrow 7. The Hellfire-class HJ-10 has already been extensively trialled with the Wing Loong and this particular aircraft was painted with 15 'missile shot' silhouettes.
The AVIC Wing Loong (flying dragon) UAV made its Airshow China debut this year as a real piece of hardware. The array of weapons around it showed that China's designers have been working had to give it operational combat capabilities. (Robert Hewson) The LOEC LS-6-50 small-diameter bomb was displayed with the Wing Loong: the first time this weapon has been expressly associated with a UAV. Elsewhere at the show LOEC exhibited the separate semi-active laser and electro-optical seekers for the 50 kg-class LS-6-50 and the 100 kg-class LS-6-100.
Two recently developed small weapons from CASIC (China Aerospace Science and Industry Corporation) were also arranged alongside the Wing Loong. The YZ-200 is described by CASIC as a precision-guided bomb for UAVs, helicopters, and fighter aircraft. While CASIC did not identify the guidance type used, the display article was identified as a laser-guided bomb. A CASIC YZ-100 anti-personnel bomb was also on show.
In the exhibition halls a model of the CASIC CM-502KG air-to-surface missile was displayed carried by a model of CASIC's high-speed WJ-600 UAV. A similar configuration was present at Airshow China 2010, but the weapon was not identified on that occasion. Now CASIC notes that the CM-502KG is a lightweight missile with a 25 km range and an 11 kg warhead optimised for precise strikes against targets on land or at sea.
CASIC displayed this illustration of its CM-502KG glide bomb, which bears more than a little resemblance to the Boeing GBU-39 SDB I. (Robert Hewson) Another contender in the small precision weapon arena could be glimpsed at Norinco, where Harbin Jiancheng displayed a range of 90 mm airborne rockets designated Tianjian (Sky Arrow). Company data says that a guidance option is available and a brochure illustration depicts what appears to be a laser-guided rocket: the first time such a system has been observed in China.
Air weapon powerhouse
There was an avalanche of new weapon programmes in evidence at Airshow China and, while it is not possible to assess the real status of many of these, experience shows that most of what first appears at Zhuhai ends up as real hardware. In many cases, some of what is presented as 'brochure-ware' in public is already hardware, as evidenced by the appearance this year of AVIC's 'conceptual fighter' model (the real-world Shenyang J-31) and illustrations of the CASIC CM-400AKG very-high-speed missile - which was later confirmed to already be in PAF service.
CASIC continued to tease observers at the event with glimpses of several significant new weapons. These included the CM-506KG: seemingly a close copy of the US GBU-39 Small Diameter Bomb. Illustrations show a compact precision-guided glide bomb in the 150 kg class fitted with a DiamondBack-type folding wing that gives a claimed range of 130 km. The baseline weapon has GPS/INS guidance, but this can be augmented with additional terminal seekers.
The radar-guided CASIC C-705 anti-ship missile, meanwhile, has been transformed into a multipurpose air-launched weapon. The new C-705KD is turbojet-powered weapon with a range of 140 km. It is fitted with a TV/imaging infrared seeker and datalink for precision attack, with man-in-the-loop control. A new warhead and fuze can also be fitted.
The C-602 anti-ship missile has also evolved into the CM-602G land-attack weapon, which can be fired from a three-tube mobile truck launcher as well as from ships. The missile has a 290 km range with a 480 kg penetrating blast/fragmentation warhead. The CM-602G has a baseline GPS/INS guidance fit that can be augmented to provide man-in-the-loop control, according to CASIC.
SAM array
An array of new ground-based air-defence systems (GBADS) were also on display in Zhuhai, with a clear trend towards mobile, multipurpose systems with a combination of gun and missile armament.
CASIC showed its KS-1000 short- to medium-range SAM, part of the new FK-1000 mobile system. The KS-1000 bears a strong resemblance to the KBP 9M311 missile that equips several Russian air-defence systems, while the FK-1000 itself has adopted a configuration not unlike KBP's Pantsir-S1 truck-mounted mobile gun/missile system.
According to CASIC, the FK-1000 is an all-weather mid- to low-altitude air-defence system with a combined gun/missile armament in an integrated combat vehicle capable of conducting independent acquisition, tracking and engagement of multiple targets. The system is designed for battlefield air defence against fixed-wing aircraft, helicopters, UAVs, and cruise missiles.
Also to hand was a new evolution of the CASIC FL-2000 mobile short-range air-defence system: the FL-2000C. This is a 4x4 truck-mounted system that is larger and more capable than the various FL-2000 systems seen to date (of which there are at least three). The FL-2000C has a combined radar and electro-optical target detection and tracking system and is armed with two pods of a new type of infrared (IR)-guided SAM. CASIC does not identify this weapon but notes that it has a 90 mm diameter. Elsewhere a new type of staring IR seeker designated the FB-10 was displayed by CASIC and this is almost certainly linked with the FL-2000C.
The CASIC FL-2000C is the latest evolution in the FL-2000 series of mobile air-defence systems. It has adopted a new IR-guided missile that is significantly larger than the MANPADS-type missiles used previously. (Robert Hewson) Export versions of CASIC's heavy mobile SAM systems - the FD-2000 (HQ-9) and LY-80 (HQ-16) - were shown at Zhuhai along with their missiles and associated radar vehicles. Hardware for these systems had not been displayed previously at Airshow China.
Under the AVIC banner, LOEC revealed a surface-to-air version of its SD-10A air-to-air missile (AAM) that is very different to earlier proposals for a ground-based SD-10. This surface-launched SD-10A is extensively modified to combine the forward section of the AAM with an entirely new mid- and rear section. The revised missile is now 5.054 m long but retains the same fuselage diameter as the AAM. Four new centrebody strakes are attached to the airframe, which also has significantly enlarged tail fins to provide the enhanced manoeuvring control the SAM demands. AVIC says the SD-10A SAM has an effective range of 50 km and an operating altitude of 30 m to 20,000 m.
Robert Hewson is editor of IHS Weapons: Air-Launched, based in London
Related Articles
CM-400AKG becomes Pakistan's carrier killer.
we just found out they just told us a few min ago". 
so actualy flytime of F-5 over a PAF base is 4 min. appox.
