Experiments with weapons-Part I

The LTTE is not running large weapons factories in the Island anymore. Almost all the weapons and ammunitions are imported or manufactured from outside Sri Lanka, with the most recent being brought in Indian fishing trawlers and unloaded at Veduthalthivu and Chalai.

However, there is evidence that the Tigers continue to experiment with the manufacturing of improvised Explosive devices (IEDs) while importing other conventional weapons via south India. The Indian government investigated the LTTE arms production in southern India many years ago under the Jain Commission. The Commission Report (Vol 6, Ch 40) states;

"An estimated 30-40 LTTE cadres led by its leaders including Kiruban and Romeo were found to be controlling the LTTE bases in Tamil Nadu. Their activities included revival of fabrication of rifle propelled grenades ARUL-89 at Coimbatore, Pasilan- 2000, purchase of explosives at Tiruchengode, Salem, receiving injured cadres and providing them medical treatment at Madurai, Salem, Erode and Madras and facilitating ferrying of explosives and raw materials for fabrication of weapons"

It is possible that the Tigers are still involved in arms smuggling across the palk straight. One of the glaring possibilities is the use of international waters further from the Indian coast. Recent LTTE activities around Maldives are an indicator of this phenomenon.

Tiger local arms production is a hindrance to the Security Forces particularly in the maintenance of law and order. In the battlefield, trained soldiers can disarm IEDs but when used as roadside bombs targeting civilians in southern areas, security threats become political dilemmas.

Claymores

The most commonly found LTTE IED is the Claymore Mine.

Regular 2.5kgs and 10kgs LTTE fiberglass casing Claymores with words 'Front Toward Enemy' etched in Tamil

A claymore is a directional Anti-Personnel mine. The LTTE uses claymore for regular missions or terrorism attempts. Some LTTE made claymores share a lot of similarities with Russian MON series. They may have scratched metal sheets instead of steel balls on the front side, like for example, pineapple grenades. These are different to US made standardized M18A1 directional AP mines. Russia has various sizes of claymores from MON-50 to MON-200, for various purposes (Anti Personnel or Vehicle).

The 'Pineapple' Claymore

The specification of captured LTTE’s claymore shows that it is exactly the same type of MON-200 (Claymore with 25kg of total weight, including 12-14kg of TNT, and metal sheet for splinter effect during explosion.

The latest trend

The 'Raghavan'

Another invention is the seven layer remote-detonated mine that shoots steel balls in a 360 degree angle. This could be similar to a jumping mine. The mine is thought to be called 'Raghavan' . It is like a dumbbell with seven disks on a metal pole stuck on the ground. The detonator is on the top. This mine has been used only twice so far.

Last year, during the liberation of the East, the mine killed 4 Special Forces and 8 regular infantry who were traveling in a tractor in Vaharai. The bomb-maker was later captured by Military Intelligence. The same type of IED was discovered by troops from the 58 Division in Mannar last week. The IED weighed over 50kgs. Troops managed to disarm the device safely.

Pasilan's rebirth?

Further confirming our fears of LTTE experimentation with Pasilan 2000, troops in the Vanni front have heard large booms from a canon. This sound was emanating from a crude LTTE experimental mortar/rocket launcher with rockets weighing 15-20kgs called 'Samadanam' meaning Peace.

Nalliah Amirthalingam alias 'Major Pasilan killed on 8th November 1987 by the Indian Army at Mulaithivu

The short-range weapon emits a large noise similar to the former Pasilan 2000. Samadanam uses chargers from 122 canons, much like a howitzer. The canon is brought to the battlefield and dragged away again using a tractor, again like Pasilan. However, the range and battlefield effectiveness of the weapon as a force multiplier has not improved at all and remains to be a crude weapon, still at the earliest experimental stage.

Ending the threat

Experimental weapons and IEDs require explosives, which is the hardest material to find for a device of that nature. Other materials like steel balls, wire, circuitry etc can be smuggled in from civilian areas. The primary focus in counter-insurgency and counter terrorism is to therefore prevent such materials from reaching the insurgents/terrorists.

The Tigers will continue to innovate in secrecy with small batches of practical and tactical weapons, particularly explosives that will harass troops and assist a long-standing insurgency/terrorism.

At present, the effectiveness of these weapons is confined mainly against civilians as seen in the numerous bus bombs in the south. This could have an indirect impact on the Security Forces and the Police and also on the country's political stability and economy.

The hard responses would include SLAF targeting of LTTE assets that will disrupt the experimentation and development of deadlier IEDs.A recent such success was the direct hit on a major factory of the LTTE manufacturing light weapons (including Pasilan 2k) and other IEDs, which was destroyed in an air-raid on 16th January 2008 at Puthukudiirippu.

Success often comes through soft responses combined with hard responses. These include elicitation and analysis of HUMINT, both local and foreign. Investments would have to be made in 'turning' insiders into informants, providing them with advanced communication equipment etc.

It also involves closer ties with foreign agencies, particularly regional and global maritime security agencies. In some instances, Sri Lanka may have to bribe corrupt foreign officials assisting LTTE weapons smuggling or raid their logistical points with support from other foreign intelligence agencies. A section of Military/Naval Intelligence may have to be redeployed to seek and destroy the sources of Tiger arms smuggling, depending on the requirement.

The Navy's activities in curbing the importation of weapons and explosives in fishing trawlers is under scrutiny. Their recent blue water escapades must not be overshadowed by domestic failures. They are up against an innovative foe who will invent new ways of smuggling in the required military hardware. For example, the ship blasted in International Waters off Kirinda many months ago had loaded weapons onto fishing trawlers to be later unloaded in Chalai.

These are important lessons for the Navy. There are valuable lessons that foreign Navies, coastguard units and maritime intelligence units all over the world have learned throughout the years. They can help the Sri Lanka Navy, having successfully prevented deep-sea piracy, smuggling and transnational criminal networks for generations. Technology is also a weapon at our disposal, although we might not possess the means to procure them ourselves.

The Navy, as the first line of defence in the island, must be bold enough to challenge smuggling of weapons into the island despite potential losses to its fleet. There are much simpler remedies like aggressive patrolling and surveillance of certain areas of the sea for example. This may require additional vessels and men or a redeployment of existing resources strategically.

The annihilation of the floating warehouses alone is insufficient to win the war. Losses of Gun Boats and Fast Attack Craft in dangerous maritime operations could be minimized through intelligence, proper equipment and training.

The Sri Lanka Air Force must also upgrade its maritime surveillance and strike capabilities through cost effective means and must not limit itself to acquiring ground-based targets alone. If recent trends are neglected, the Tigers, armed with both locally manufactured terrorist/insurgent weapons and internationally reputed infantry weapons, could stalemate the war and again gain the upper hand.

Two killed inside the Willpattu Park- UPDATED

Update

Reports indicate that a group of 30 heavily armed LTTE cadres had carried out the attack. Search Operations are continuing.

Two civilians were shot dead by a team of suspected LTTE cadres inside the Wilpattu National Park a short while ago army officials said. 65 year old father and a 16 year old son were shot dead by a group of gunmen according to the mother who escaped the LTTE attack. They went to collect fire wood, she later told police.

They were shot near Kalupathwewa inside the Willpattu National Park police sources said.The park is remained closed after two separate bomb blast happened inside it last year, which claimed lives of senior military officer, Colonel Jayantha Suraweera and a famous English novelist and the author of the novel "A road from Elephant Pass", Nihal De Silva.

Su 25 Frogfoot - The Flying Tank

The Sukhoi su25 Frogfoot remains the mainstay of Russian ground attack regiment (shturmovoy). Su25 goes parallel to the A10 Thunderbolt, and has been matured to be a sophisticated war plane with more than 10 years of combat experience.

The T-10 prototype flew for the first time in 22 February 1975. When put to production it flew more than 60000 combat sorties in Afghanistan alone. With the experience gained in Afghanistan a number of modifications were done to the aircraft. The SU25 was more heavily committed to the invasion of Chechnya, the need for an All weather day and night ground attack capable aircraft with an extended range and survivability led to the SU25T which was based on the SU25UB two seat variant. This led to more modifications and the SU25TM variant also known as the SU39 was finally unveiled. The TK and the TM are available for export.

The Russian Air force is currently operating around 250SU25's and are constantly upgrading them because it's their front line ground attack aircraft

The SU25 is playing a major role in the rapid deployment groups in the six military districts of the Russian federation. These units have 4 SU25TM's and 12 SU25SM's

Lipetsk Air Base is the home of the SU25. The true work horse of the Russian air force is the SU25 because of its simplicity and ease of maintenance. It is described by western pilots as the Simple sturdy fast and highly maneuverable fighter they ever have flown. The SU25 is considered to be the Russian fighter pilots plane of choice. The American F18 pilots fell in love with this plane when the blue angels came to Russia and had the chance to fly the SU25. when the Russians and Americans flew MiG29's and SU27 they were really happy to see these amazing aircrafts. But none of them flew the SU25 because of the looks, most of them looked suspiciously they didn't want to fly it

Then one US pilot was pushed to fly one. And after that the American pilots were staying in line to fly the SU24

Jeffrey Ethell (late blue angels pilot) one of the first western pilots who flew the SU25 says " I've flown it, and I was very impressed with it, I was the first western pilot to fly the airplane the reason was nobody else wanted to fly it, they all said that it's a SU25its like an old A10, who wants to fly that? The SU25 is their idea of the A10, it has a 30mm gun, it fires a big round and it will punch a hole in a tank. it'll carry a lot of weapons in its side, Bombs, rockets. And what's interesting about the SU25 is once you punch everything off of it, it will go over Mach one! The A10 doest even come close. It slows down and stops right around the 400 knots. Where as the su25 will go straight to speed of sound, it will turn on a dime with great acceleration"

"We found out quickly that we need that kind of "In the face knife fighting" type of airplane, which will support the guy in the ground quickly easily and close. You got to be close to support somebody you don't stand off around 20 miles and support the guys on the front line. You got to get there with a gun and some skill, and learn how to mix it up. That's what the SU27 does. And that's why Russian air force is not getting rid of it as long as they have money. It's a simple airplane it has 2 MiG 21 engines in it reliable, been there for a long time, you can belly land this and again bring it back with simple repairs, it is a rugged airplane."

I have to emphasize some of the facts Jeffrey Ethell said about the SU25. One is, it is a close support capable aircraft with a titanium strong box cockpit it can take a barrage of 20mm gun rounds shot in close range and it barely even scratch the aircraft. Pilot and plane often escape unscathed.

One thing most people don't know is the fact that close support really means close support. I agree with Jeffrey, with my personal experience. You cannot support ground troops from miles away.

Less maintenance is a main point in fighters like this. And This aircraft can operate on any weather.

In Afghan war, Chinese made heavy anti aircraft guns, and held soviet made missiles, highly mobile stingers were used to counter the threat of the SU25 but out of that only one worked properly, it's the stinger. When the stinger was introduced the Russians had no answer to it. It managed to destroy Mi24, Mi18 and all slow and low flying objects. Later modifications of the SU25, was to fit the fighter with Flairs for heat seeking missile protection.

Spec: SU25SMT (Su39)

Type: All weather Anti Armour/Close Support Aircraft

Armament:

One 30mm NNPU 8M Cannon – with 200 Rounds

Maximum Ordnance load 5000Kg's

primary weapons Vikhr M ATGMs.

Other weapons: TV-Guided Kh-29LASMs, Kh35AShM, Kh58U and KH-31ARMs, KAB-500Kr, LGBs, KMGU – 2Submunition Dispensers, 250Kg and 500Kg RBK Series Cluster Bombs, and 50 – to 500Kg FAB Series GP Bombs plus R-27R, R-77 and R-73AAMs

Power Plant: Two MNPK Soyuz/Gavrilov R195Sh Turbojets. Each with 44.13kN

Max speed: 950Km/h

Maximum Initial climb Rate: 3480m per minute

Service Ceiling 10 000m

Combat Radius 400Km

Maximum Take-off weight 20 000Kg

Army marching carefully on Madhu

The Sri Lanka Army overran another LTTE strong point in the south of Madhu. The location was used as a command post and mortar base and was under the LTTE Madhu south area leader.

The Tigers had withdrawn their 82mm mortar launchers positioned in the base but had left behind the remains of their dead cadres. Commands given by senior LTTE cadres over radio to return to the base and defend it against the Army were met with stiff resistance by the cadres.

Weapons dump hit. SLAF looking for more-UPDATED

Ilantheevan Captured

The Sri Lanka Army captured the southern part of Adampan Town today when it overran Tiger fortifications at Ilantheevan. Despite soggy ground conditions, heavy rains and floods troops are continuing their operations with equal intensity.

LTTE fortifications have largely encompassed civilian houses. These houses are fortified with rare timber like large trunks of teak and often have underground bunkers. Civilians are forced to remain inside by the LTTE while the Army is advancing.

In addition to above the ground conspicuous structures like civilian houses are other camouflaged trenches and pillboxes. Many of these stagnate with water, but young Tiger cadres are forced to man them and often die inside them as well.

Tigers have also painstakingly booby trapped foot bridges, culverts etc using mortar and artillery shells. The Army defuses these whenever possible and whenever it is not possible, they blast through them using recoilless guns (RCLs) like the one in the picture below.

The Type 78 82mm recoilless gun, which was introduced in the late 1970s, is now replaced by the Type 98

The Sri Lanka Air Force is continuing to monitor movements and developments around Udayarkattukulam in Iranamadu following yesterday's attack on an LTTE explosives dump.

The SLAF believes more LTTE assets maybe hidden close to the location and will attempt to bomb any units attempting to remove such assets from the area. The SLAF and Military Intelligence believes it will take at least one more day of observations and ground intelligence to confirm the damage to the target acquired.

LTTE Propaganda: The Nitharsanam Unit

It is an apparent fact that the LTTE has greater focus on propaganda than the Sri Lanka government. Exactly how they maximize their propaganda is an interesting topic for discussion. The fact that the LTTE has thousands of internet sites, newspapers and other materials does not completely explain their propaganda machine.

Many of the web based sources, newspapers etc. require content. The content must be generated pro-actively. The most impacting source of LTTE propaganda comes from its audio visual content. The LTTE's audio-visual productions have never been matched by the state at any time despite having two highly capable television stations.

The LTTE has produced six films and over fifty documentaries about itself (i.e. "Amma Nalama?", Black Tiger film "Eerath thee (Wet conflagration). Foreign agencies have produced around 20 films and documentaries of the LTTE. The first attempt by a Sinhala filmmaker at making a film against the violence of the LTTE has run into enormous difficulties.

The Director of the film 'Prabhakaran' Mr. Thushara Peiris was attacked and knocked unconscious inside Gemini Labs, an Indian film lab in south India recently. Elements loyal to the LTTE have called for a ban on the film which was produced at a cost of $335,000. An Indian studio is currently in possession of the film's rushes (prints), which probably will never be shown in India or any of the Tamil theaters in Sri Lanka.

Many of the Sinhala medium films produced by famous local film makers have done less. They have failed to represent the LTTE in its real form, but have somehow won international awards for their productions.

How does the LTTE do it?

The LTTE has, both literally and metaphorically, taken the cinema to the battlefield. Traditionally it is the battlefield which comes to the cinema. Hidden among the LTTE's various units are the Tiger's Battlefield Camera Unit. The Nitharsanam Unit (meaning Reality in Truth) is the tip of the LTTE's propaganda machine. It recruits young Tigers and trains them to become battlefield cameramen/women.

The Nitharsanam Unit comes in with the first wave of an organized LTTE attack. A large number of them die in the process. It is one of the few units that receives Prabhakaran's personal attention and participates in all military operations. Each time they painstakingly document the LTTE's battle preparations. Each LTTE platoon is provided with two battlefield cameramen/women.

The men of the Nitharsanam Unit meet the Women of the same unit only in battle. This way neither teams are affectionate of the other. The lack of affection and hatred for the Sinhalese taught to them during training, conditions them to video fallen soldiers of the Army in battles like Mulaithivu, Kilinochchi and Elephant Pass.

The mission of the LTTE battlefield cameraman/woman is to recreate the truth based on the lines of LTTE ideology. To make this possible, they reframe the conflict over and over again. Their documentaries often start with various past crimes committed by the Sinhalese.

The footage indicating the fallen soldiers is accompanied by a politically correct expression of sympathy for the 'poor Sinhala youth who have had to die while fighting on the wrong side'. Like in Pongu Thamil, a message is usually given to 'our Sinhala brothers in the Army' to return home and leave the 'Tamil homeland'. These messages are not just for the 400,000 Tamils living in LTTE areas. They are intended primarily for the eyes and ears of the 500,000 Tamil Diaspora living abroad and their sympathizers.

Quite ironically, the 'Reality in Truth' camera unit never show the Tigers capturing injured soldiers alive. This is because the Tigers often kill injured soldiers in many of the biggest battles. They also fail to show females and child soldiers sent to their death in the Ceaseless Waves. In a sense, the Battlefield Camera Unit of the LTTE is also canon fodder. Large numbers, perhaps over 150 have either been killed or seriously injured so far.

But the Nitharsanam Unit achieves something the entire Sri Lanka government has failed to achieve; a well oiled propaganda machine capable of legitimizing itself (brainwashing its viewers) through an audio-visual experience unlike anything they have ever witnessed.

The audiovisual media makes the fight for Eelam a personal experience of the viewer (who is often detached from reality) by recreating reality and truth within the confines of LTTE ideology. The feat of the battlefield cameraman/women cannot be copied by a conventional military whose natural instinct is to protect the lives of its men.

For a section of the western audience sympathetic to the LTTE, the footage of a small rebel force routing an established military in some third world country may have its attractions. For an emotionally charged Tamil Diaspora that contributes between 60 to 100 million Dollars each year, LTTE propaganda is a huge incentive to empty out their pockets.

-dA & DW-

Prabhakaran the film-trailer

The MiG 29

MiG29 in flight

The Sri Lanka Air Force is planning to soon purchase a fleet of MiG 29 Fighters from Russia. This article is an independent analysis of the aircrafts background and capability.

In the 70s the Mikoyan-Gurevich Design Bureau was given the task to develop an Air superiority fighter to counter the the F16 Falcon and it produced the MiG29, which still remains a powerful fast and agile dog fighter/air superiority fighter.

In the mid 70s US fighters with beyond visual range missiles pushed the conventional dog fighters away. But as proven in the Vietnam war the dog fighters had its role when all the missiles were fired and the only way to put down an enemy fighter was through a dogfight. Fighters had to swing back to the classic dog fighters with one on one capability.

With the false belief that the MiG 25 Fox Bat was an ultra fast interceptor and is capable of dogfight, the US designed the F15 Eagle, and as a fleet defence fighter the Grummen F14 TomCat. As a low cost and mass produced fighter came the General Dynamics F16. With all these developments it gave way to the 4th generation of fighter crafts.

MiG 29 has a central fuel tank and the whole structure did not have a fuselage in the traditional sense of it. The central section was designed as a lifting section generating 40% of lift. the leading edge of the wings were added for efficiency at high angels of attack needed for combat aircrafts.

The first MiG29 was called the object 9-12. In mid 70's in the MiG prototype factory north of Moscow the MiG 29 prototype was developed, with stressed skin aluminum construction. Comprehensive load testing to test the capability and stress of dog fights were performed, the aircraft was designed to withstand +12G. The pulse Doppler radar based weapons control with look down shoot down capability. And a Conventional antenna, with infrared search and track system, laser range finders and helmet mounted sight was added to the new fighter

It is said that “there is no way a pilot can brake the airframe of a MiG 29, the pilot will brake first”

The fighter has 2 Kilmov RD33 turbo fan engines with 35000 lb of thrust. High thrust to weight ratio can take the aircraft straight up after take off. These engines ware noted to have High thrust and low fuel consumption but are smoky, and has a reputation of engine failures. This was resolved with the new series 3 engines. (Technical and other details on Wikipedia)

The MiG 29 was designed without fly by wire, but it had something half way between conventional and fly by wire avionics system, this means the pilot has to constantly check and give attention to factors where in other fighters fly by wire takes over.

In October 6th 1977 the first flight of the prototype was carried out but the full production went off after 5 years of test and evaluation in 1982. in August 1983, the first fleets came out with the initial engine failure problems patched up. But later, a crash killed a test pilot and again in 1984 the chief test pilot got killed when the engine blew off in high altitudes.

The MiG 29 is a front line fighter staying within 100kms of its own line whereas the Sukhoi SU27 will penetrate deep in to enemy territory.

MiG 29 is one of the front runners of the new Indian front line fighter bids, (bid of more than 126 multi role combat aircraft) but its said that with its old fire control computer system and the troubled and high maintenance engines, it will lose the bid. However Russia has produced a variant with Thrust vectoring-- the new MiG29 OVT and the MiG35 (2007).

Performance of this craft

* Maximum speed: Mach 2.4 - 2,445 km/h (1,518 mph)

* Range: 700 km combat, 2,900 km ferry (430 mi / 1,800 mi)

* Service ceiling 18,013 m / 59 060 ft (59,100 ft)

* Rate of climb: 330 m/s (65,000 ft/min)

* Wing loading: 442 kg/m² (90.5 lb/ft²)

* Thrust/weight: 1.13

Armament

* 1x 30 mm GSh-30-1 cannon with 150 rounds

* Up to 3,500 kg (7,720 lb) of weapons including 6 air-to-air missiles — a mix of semi-active radar homing (SARH) and AA-8 'Aphid', AA-10 'Alamo', AA-11 'Archer', AA-12 'Adder', FAB 500-M62, FAB-1000, TN-100, ECM Pods, S-24, AS-12, AS-14.

Avionics

* Phazotron N019, N010 radars

-article by TomCat-

MiG29M OVT. Demo by Russian pilots