Land Force: Army's broad fire capabilities key to mission success | ADM Feb 2010

Tom Muir | Canberra

With the introduction of indirect fire capabilities through the current and near term acquisition of new long range artillery systems under Land 17 the Australian Army will have formidable firepower.

The new M777A 155mm lightweight towed gun and the yet to be selected self-propelled 155mm artillery, will provide close support to manoeuvre units and fire supremacy on the wider battlefield.

The delivery of indirect fire and its coordination with joint fires, will be achieved through digitised battle management command and control (C2) systems networked across the battlespace and beyond.

Operations in Iraq and Afghanistan have highlighted the versatility and dependability of indirect fire amid claims that it ensures coalition forces can defeat conventional and unconventional threats.

The success of the indirect fire system in these operations is said to be attributable to the range of new generation munitions, networked command and control technology and the increased autonomy and enhanced mobility of platforms within the system.

But direct fire support weapon (DFSW) capabilities, an equally important component of Army firepower, are being re-assessed, encouraged also by operational lessons and the need to equip combat manoeuvre support companies within infantry battalions, under the Infantry 2012 concept.

To conduct effective close combat operations, direct fire weapon systems are required to neutralise, suppress or destroy designated targets to a range of at least 2,000 metres.

This is to allow manoeuvre groups to close with the enemy in the assault or to prevent the enemy from either closing with or standing off and engaging the company in defence.

Direct fire lacking
In the past there has been a lack of dedicated organic direct fire assets with the necessary range and effect to adequately support manoeuvre at infantry battalion and company group level.

In particular there was a weakness at the rifle company/combat team level, whose principal weapons systems were limited to small arms with an effective range of 400 metres.

Now under the platoon fireteam structure, the platoon comprises 40 men organised into 10 four-man fire teams or bricks.

Six teams will be standard fire teams, each generally equipped with three F88 Austeyr (one with advanced optics for DMR role and one with M203 40mm grenade launcher) and one F89 Minimi LMG.

Three will be Manoeuvre Support (MS) teams with team leader, gunner, assistant gunner, and a sharpshooter (7.62mm semi-auto DMR).

The four man MS teams provide heavy support for the infantry bricks.

They are equipped with two F88s (one with M203 and one with better optics), one with Mag58 MG and one marksman equipped with either SR-25 or SR-98.

And then to make up the full platoon is a command fireteam, under the platoon leader, equipped with three F88 (one with M203 and one with advanced optics), one support weapon (either Mag58 or .50 cal) and some equipped with the crew-served Mk19 Automatic Grenade Launcher (AGL).

The teams can be ‘plug and played' across the company level with basic fire teams combining by twos to equate to standard UK/Commonwealth-style sections, while the three manoeuvre support teams may be pulled from all the company's platoons to form their own weapons platoon.

The Javelin direct fire guided missile was procured primarily to enable the Army to defeat a modern, well-equipped armoured threat and the system provides a credible and lethal stand-off ‘fire-and-forget' technology.

For operations in Iraq and Afganistan, Australian special forces are equipped with Javelin, which has been described as an invaluable weapon in defeating armoured adversaries and reinforced positions.

The next direct fire layer of capability is provided by the 84mm Bofors Carl Gustav, a medium range anti-armour weapon effective against light armour and fortified bunkers at ranges up to 700 metres.

The lighter M3 version, now being introduced, is capable of utilising a variety of ammunition types and it can also be fitted with an image intensifier for night capability.

A good step below the Carl Gustav is the 66mm M72A6 LAW, now largely superseded by more modern and effective variants of the shoulder-fired ATW.

However even this largely superseded weapon is again finding favour for close-quarters combat in urban surroundings.

Lightweight AGL
Land 40 Phase 2 sought a direct fire capability for each infantry battalion in addition to the Javelin system secured under Phase 1.

An RFT released in 2007 sought the provision of 60 Lightweight Automatic Grenade Launchers (LWAGL) with an option to subsequently purchase up to 90 additional units and their in-country support.

These will enhance infantry battalions' direct firepower in the conduct of close combat.

Currently the Mk-19 Mod-3 AGL, a man-portable crew-served weapon, is in limited service with the ADF's Special Operations Task Group in Afghanistan where it is mounted on some ASLAVS and Perenties as alternatives to the .50 cal heavy machine gun (which has a similar effective range).

Two LWAGL systems were shortlisted for the L40 Phase 2 requirement.

They were the General Dynamics Mk-47 LAGL with a Raytheon sighting system offered by NIOA Defence, and the Heckler & Koch 40mm GMG, with a unique sighting system developed for the ADF requirement by proposer Point Trading.

ADM understands that the preferred tenderer was selected in mid-2009 and that the intervening period has been caught up in extensive contract negotiations and risk reduction activities that may have included further system trials.

As is normal in these ‘play-offs', the losing contender would have been asked to validate his tender pricing until an announcement is made as to the winner.

It seems such an announcement is likely over the next two or three months.

The introduction of the lightweight AGL with its sophisticated sighting system will add considerable punch to infantry and mechanised infantry firepower.