Army to acquire long-range missile capability
One of the main aims of the 2020 Defence Structure Plan is to give Australia the ability to keep an opponent at arm’s length.
One of the main aims of the 2020 Defence Structure Plan is to give Australia the ability to keep an opponent at arm’s length and part of this will be equipping the army with an over-the-horizon rocket and missile system.
Army intends acquiring these in three batches starting in the mid 2020s with a total spend close to $5bn. This will add enormous weight and range to existing land-based firepower and could give Australia an area denial capability that many believe will be a strategic game changer.
The use of rockets in warfare is not new, though the potential of these weapons became apparent during World War II, particularly when the Red Army used massed truck-mounted “Katyusha” batteries against their enemies. While each rocket was wildly inaccurate, when enough were fired simultaneously in salvoes into a targeted area the effects could be devastating as hundreds of warheads exploded within a few seconds of each other.
Under LAND 8113 the search is on for a suitable system that can fire both unguided rockets and precision GPS-guided missiles that will eventually comprise a regiment of 18 vehicle-mounted launchers. Since a typical configuration for a truck are six steerable launch tubes with each containing a 1600kg weapon, that is a lot of firepower.
While there is still a role for rockets to be used in large numbers to turn a big area into a no man’s land, most of the investment is on missiles that can fly up to 300km and be steered onto a target with accuracy of within a few metres.
An example is the M142 High Mobility Rocket Artillery System (HIMARS), which has also been purchased by the US, Singapore, Jordan and the UAE. These have been used extensively in support of US combat operations in the Middle East and Afghanistan. Their effectiveness has been shown on numerous occasions, including in 2018 when three missiles — each 7m in length and 223cm in diameter — struck a building within seconds of each other, killing 50 Taliban fighters and their leaders.
Designed by Lockheed Martin for ground-based operations, there is no reason why a truck-mounted HIMARS unit could not be placed on the deck of a ship, such as the RAN’s Canberra class amphibious support vessels. This has been demonstrated by the US Marines, who have used it to provide a long-range ship-to-shore attack capability.
There are several comparable products, such as LORA from Israeli company IAI and the K239 Chunmoo from South Korea’s Hanwha. Far less likely to be considered are systems from South Africa, let alone Russia or China.
However, for reasons of interoperability and ease of resupply, the US product is arguably the favourite, as is often the case. Defence has also allocated another $500m for a land-based anti-ship missile purchase, though it is unclear why this is a separate project.
While the acquisition strategy has yet to be defined, Army’s head of land capability Major General Simon Stuart is hopeful of achieving high levels of Australian content — if not for the metal launch tubes then certainly for the missiles, which contain a lot of advanced electronics.
Given the large number of missiles that the US needs not only for HIMARS but its big brother the tracked MLRS — also used by Britain and 12 other nations — any chance for local companies to break into that market would be welcome.