An Original Unissued German WWII Luftwaffe Fallschirmjäger Smock

As a means of introduction, the firm International Military Antiques (IMA), and its founder in 1981, Christian Cranmer, gained significant fame with the protracted negotiation and final purchase of the entire contents of the state arsenal of the nation of Nepal, in the capitol, Katmandu. The single most important element being a very large quantity of .577/.450 cal. Mk II Martini-Henry Pattern 1877 rolling-block breach loading rifles, manufactured at the Birmingham Arsenal dated 1878. They had been stored in the same place, untouched for 100 years. These were from the exact production lot which had been in standard issue to the men of B Company, 2nd Battalion, 24th Regiment of Foot (South Wales Borderers) wo fought the Battle of Rorke’s Drift against the Zulus on 22-23 January 1879. Needless to say I purchased one of the premium completely refurbished rifles when they first became available.

 In this author’s personal opinion, while the company has regularly offered some historically significant pieces, there have also consistently been some dubious items, clearly misidentified/misdated, and at highly inflated prices.When questioned they have tended to get rather defensive, and have not rectified the issue or withdrawn the item.

 However, on other occasions they have acquired some real gems. Fortunately I collect WWII British Airborne Forces militaria, and am fortunately not even tempted, but certainly have a full appreciation of the item which they are currently offering for sale. The only reason I’m presenting the item is in order that those collectors who might be tempted, or already have one within their collection, can use this example as collaboration, full authentication, and valuation. This author has no direct or indirect interest in the item.

 The item is a circa 1944 original German WWII Luftwaffe Fallschirmjäger Smock in Tan and Water camouflage, in excellent, unissued, condition. It is currently at offer for $8,995.00. Price recently reduced to $7,995.00. For those collectors who are in the specific field, this may not be an exorbitant price. However, that large a reduction in price, immediately raises my antennae, in that someone may have seen something that brings authenticity under question. Or it just may be the current market.  Personally have a rare unissued original British dummy parachutist device (Device, Camouflage, No.15), fortunately a very generous gift, but within the same comparable price range. One of the first questions that comes to mind is where was the smock found.

 The following is IMA’s Item Description:

“ Original Item: Only One Available. This is an incredibly rare circa 1944 WWII German Luftwaffe Paratrooper Smock in “Tan and Water” camouflage pattern. The Smock is in excellent, unissued, condition, and one of the fi nest specimens we have ever seen! All of the original blue glass buttons are present. The “Zipp” brand zippers, which were purpose built for this style of smock, and all in excellent working order. Each zipper has a crosshatch black leather pull tab. The snaps are all intact and marked "PRYM". The reverse has the pistol pocket with small black bakelite buttons. The snaps at the cuffs are identical to those at the hem for the leg closure. All snaps function as intended. The breast eagle is machine embroidered and is hand stitched onto the smock with purple/blue thread. It should be noted that this hand-application is most likely period, as there is no evidence that an eagle was previously machine-applied. The interior is unlined and uses a mix of green and blue Herringbone Twill cloth for pocket reinforcements, etc. The original size adjustment draw string is in place and secured underneath with a strip of purple/blue cloth. Note that on several sections of material inside the body panels of the Smock that “16” is written in grease pencil. These are cutter markings from when the Smock was made in the factory! Generally these are worn off with even the lightest of wear! No other markings are to be found in the Smock, which is not uncommon for a late war garment. Overall, an incredible late war Fallschirmjäger smock offered in truly excellent condition. 

Approximate Measurements: Collar to Shoulder: 10” Shoulder to Sleeve: 23.5” Shoulder to Shoulder: 20.5” Chest Width: 20” Waist Width: 20” Front Length: 40”.

The Fallschirmjäger were the paratrooper branch of the German Luftwaffe before and during World War II. They were the first German paratroopers to be committed in large-scale airborne operations and came to be known as the "green devils" by the Allied forces they fought against. The Fallschirmjäger were very effective when used in commando style raids. The Fallschirmjäger were famous for their willingness to give every effort unwaveringly even in the grimmest of situations. The Fallschirmjäger were seldom used as parachutists. Instead, they were prized for their combat abilities and frequently acted in a "fire brigade" role as roving elite infantrymen. Throughout World War II the Fallschirmjäger commander was Kurt Student."

 It is with full acknowledgment and gratitude to IMA that the following comprehensive set of imagery is presented solely for reference/comparative purposes.

Arnhem Jim's Blog Posts Grouped by Categories 2011 - 2021

 In an attempt to more easily facilitate a reader’s search and recovery of specific information on a given subject from Arnhem Jim’s blog page, the author thought that a single post combining all posts (excluding administrative posts) by categories would aid in the reader’s ability to exercise a more efficient recovery process. Personally, I have always found it very frustrating to remember that I knew generally where I had specifically found a bit of information, but without an index or table of contents of the document (or set of documents) could look forward to a lengthy, time consuming search, and table of contents and indices are never comprehensive.

The blog page does provide a search window, for use of interrogation by key words/terms, but the search retrieval results usually will show only the first post containing the relevant search terms. With the following grouping of post by categories, hopefully multiple relevant posts are identified. In order to ensure that no post of 11 years was omitted was a bit of a bookkeeping and proofreading task, but to the best of my ability all posts are included. Hopefully the will prove beneficial.

Battle of Arnhem

http://arnhemjim.blogspot.com/p/operation-market-garden.html

http://arnhemjim.blogspot.com/2011/04/market-garden-was-intelligence.html

http://arnhemjim.blogspot.com/2011/05/battle-of-arnhem-colonel-john-l-waddy.html

http://arnhemjim.blogspot.com/2011/06/battle-of-arnhem-two-movies-on-battle.html

http://arnhemjim.blogspot.com/2015/07/a-bridge-too-far-movie-casting-mirrors.html

http://arnhemjim.blogspot.com/2014/08/70th-anniversary-of-battle-of-arnhem.html

https://arnhemjim.blogspot.com/2019/07/commemoration-of-forthcoming-75th.html

https://arnhemjim.blogspot.com/2019/09/operation-market-garden-75th.html 
http://arnhemjim.blogspot.com/2014/09/operation-market-garden-and-battle-of.html

http://arnhemjim.blogspot.com/2016/05/critical-resupply-shortfall-during.html

http://arnhemjim.blogspot.com/2017/07/detailed-list-of-arms-and-equipment-of.html

https://arnhemjim.blogspot.com/2017/07/a-detailed-and-annotated-order-of.html

 

Toy Soldiers and Military Miniatures

https://arnhemjim.blogspot.com/p/britains-minatures.html

http://arnhemjim.blogspot.com/2011/03/whats-form-general-mgen-re-urquhart-at.html

http://arnhemjim.blogspot.com/2011/03/battle-of-arnhem-whos-son-and-heir.html

https://arnhemjim.blogspot.com/2019/04/an-addendum-and-update-on-state-of-toy.html

http://arnhemjim.blogspot.com/2011/06/less-we-forget-past-glories-remembrance.html

http://arnhemjim.blogspot.com/2013/09/heroes-of-arnhem-in-miniature.html

http://arnhemjim.blogspot.com/2015/10/landing-zone-z-wolfheze-netherlands.html

http://arnhemjim.blogspot.com/2012/05/collection-of-toy-soldiersmilitary.html

http://arnhemjim.blogspot.com/2011/08/vintage-w-britains-toy-soldiers.html

http://arnhemjim.blogspot.com/2012/11/another-set-of-w-britains-toy-soldiers.html

http://arnhemjim.blogspot.com/2012/10/officers-of-scottish-regiments-of.html

http://arnhemjim.blogspot.com/2013/08/an-addendum-to-collecting-toy.html

http://arnhemjim.blogspot.com/2014/05/cannon-to-right-cannon-to-left-cannon.html

http://arnhemjim.blogspot.com/2014/06/its-all-matter-of-scale.html

http://arnhemjim.blogspot.com/2015/01/an-analysis-of-wwii-infantry-weapon.html

http://arnhemjim.blogspot.com/2015/03/curious-and-more-curious-intriguing-set.html

http://arnhemjim.blogspot.com/2015/07/the-toy-soldiers-of-mme-fernande-metayer.html

http://arnhemjim.blogspot.com/2016/07/vintage-films-on-making-of-wm-britains.html

http://arnhemjim.blogspot.com/2017/05/the-history-of-tin-soldiers-from.html

http://arnhemjim.blogspot.com/2015/09/operation-market-garden-series-by-king.html

http://arnhemjim.blogspot.com/2015/09/wolfheze-junction-it-werent-no-ok.html

https://arnhemjim.blogspot.com/2017/09/an-addendum-to-photographic-catalog.html  

https://arnhemjim.blogspot.com/2019/06/greenwood-ball-connoisseur-military.html

 

Infantry Weapons and Other Small Arms

http://arnhemjim.blogspot.com/2011/03/british-pattern-1868-cavalry-lance-at.html

http://arnhemjim.blogspot.com/2011/10/other-webley-limited-standard-semi.html

http://arnhemjim.blogspot.com/2012/11/some-infantry-weapons-of-1st-airborne.html

http://arnhemjim.blogspot.com/2013/02/the-other-webley-addendum.html

http://arnhemjim.blogspot.com/2015/12/were-inglis-or-patchett-machine-carbine.html

http://arnhemjim.blogspot.com/2016/03/recovery-of-gun-from-rising-sun.html

http://arnhemjim.blogspot.com/2016/05/tell-it-to-marines.html

http://arnhemjim.blogspot.com/2016/07/19th-and-20th-century-british-cavalry.html

http://arnhemjim.blogspot.com/2018/01/an-addendum-to-19th-and-20th-century.html

https://arnhemjim.blogspot.com/2018/02/an-interesting-makarov-pistol-open-to.html

https://arnhemjim.blogspot.com/2020/08/issuance-of-pistols-in-british-army-in.html

 

Historical Prints of Uniforms, Actual Uniforms, Headgear and Regimental Ties

http://arnhemjim.blogspot.com/2012/11/uniforms-of-british-empire-1900-by.html

http://arnhemjim.blogspot.com/2012/10/regimental-bands-of-british-army-c1900.html

http://arnhemjim.blogspot.com/2012/10/yeomanry-regiments-of-british-army.html

http://arnhemjim.blogspot.com/2013/03/the-volunteer-battalions-of-gordon.html

http://arnhemjim.blogspot.com/2013/06/other-volunteer-battalions-of-scottish.html

http://arnhemjim.blogspot.com/2017/08/selected-uniforms-of-gordon-highlanders.html

http://arnhemjim.blogspot.com/2013/04/the-american-soldier-uniforms-of-united.html

http://arnhemjim.blogspot.com/2011/06/small-collection-of-military-headdress.html

http://arnhemjim.blogspot.com/2011/06/elite-forces-headdress-from-former-ussr.html

http://arnhemjim.blogspot.com/2015/08/world-war-ii-british-airborne-helmets.html

http://arnhemjim.blogspot.com/2013/07/uniforms-of-lord-stratconas-horse-royal.html

http://arnhemjim.blogspot.com/2014/11/acquisition-of-scottish-officers-full.html

http://arnhemjim.blogspot.com/2015/05/uniform-of-lieut-colonel-of-parachute.html

https://arnhemjim.blogspot.com/2020/03/uniform-of-colonel-of-airborne-forces.html

https://arnhemjim.blogspot.com/2020/11/british-army-coloured-field-service.html

http://arnhemjim.blogspot.com/2016/08/a-significant-wwii-parachute-regiment.html

http://arnhemjim.blogspot.com/2017/02/a-field-guide-to-regimental-ties.html

https://arnhemjim.blogspot.com/2018/08/an-addendum-to-abridged-field-guide-to_22.html

https://arnhemjim.blogspot.com/2021/10/an-original-unissued-german-wwii_28.html

 

Artillery, Tanks, AFVs and Transport

http://arnhemjim.blogspot.com/2011/04/fallschirmjager-artillery-during.html

http://arnhemjim.blogspot.com/2012/10/the-17-pounder-anti-tank-guns-at.html

http://arnhemjim.blogspot.com/2012/10/the-universal-carriers-of-british.html

http://arnhemjim.blogspot.com/2012/10/the-polsten-20mm-gun-at-operation.html

http://arnhemjim.blogspot.com/2012/11/the-airborne-jeeps-of-1st-airborne.html

http://arnhemjim.blogspot.com/2014/02/the-territorial-army-in-scotland-circa.html

http://arnhemjim.blogspot.com/2016/07/war-canoes-in-21st-century.html

http://arnhemjim.blogspot.com/2016/12/the-6-pounder-anti-tank-guns-at_10.html

https://arnhemjim.blogspot.com/2019/02/the-1st-airborne-divisions-75mm-pack.html

http://arnhemjim.blogspot.com/2016/05/the-rolls-royce-goes-to-war-for-real.html

 

Gliders and Aircraft

http://arnhemjim.blogspot.com/2011/03/nothing-is-impossible-glider-pilot.html

http://arnhemjim.blogspot.com/2011/09/general-aircraft-gal-4950-hamilcar.htmlhttp://arnhemjim.blogspot.com/2012/06/hamilcar-gliders-at-operation-market.html

http://arnhemjim.blogspot.com/2013/08/the-officers-of-glider-pilot-regiment.html

http://arnhemjim.blogspot.com/2014/01/the-general-aircraft-ltd-gal-4950.html

http://arnhemjim.blogspot.com/2014/04/a-comparison-of-wwii-gal-49-hamilcar-mk.html

http://arnhemjim.blogspot.com/2015/12/horsa-and-hamilcar-gliders-at-operation.html

http://arnhemjim.blogspot.com/2015/04/an-exercise-in-photo-reconnaissance.html

https://arnhemjim.blogspot.com/2020/04/unique-aircraft-unique-perspective.html
https://arnhemjim.blogspot.com/2018/10/a-memorable-flight-in-caf-warbird-c-47a.html

Communications Equipment

http://arnhemjim.blogspot.com/2011/04/communications-at-battle-of-arnhem.html

http://arnhemjim.blogspot.com/2011/04/wwii-cutting-edge-night-vision.html

http://arnhemjim.blogspot.com/2011/11/wwii-british-special-forces-night.html

http://arnhemjim.blogspot.com/2011/06/19th-century-military-communications-at.html

https://arnhemjim.blogspot.com/2019/09/wireless-sets-of-1st-airborne-division.html

http://arnhemjim.blogspot.com/2017/02/forgotten-in-market-garden-raf-fighter.html

British and Commonwealth Cap Badges and Cloth Insignia

http://arnhemjim.blogspot.com/p/british-militaria.html

http://arnhemjim.blogspot.com/2011/03/first-restrikes-fox-company.html

http://arnhemjim.blogspot.com/2011/05/knowncommon-restrikes-and-counterfeits.html

http://arnhemjim.blogspot.com/2011/06/british-cap-badges-additional-guidance.html

http://arnhemjim.blogspot.com/2011/08/wwi-royal-naval-division-cap-badges_28.html

http://arnhemjim.blogspot.com/2011/10/duke-of-edinburghs-own-volunteer-rifles.html

http://arnhemjim.blogspot.com/2011/09/wwii-parachute-regiment-cap-badge.html

http://arnhemjim.blogspot.com/2011/11/how-to-identify-and-date-canadian.html

http://arnhemjim.blogspot.com/2011/12/applied-modern-technology-in.html

http://arnhemjim.blogspot.com/2012/12/wwi-royal-naval-division-cap-badges.html

http://arnhemjim.blogspot.com/2013/06/regimental-cap-badges-of-volunteer.html

http://arnhemjim.blogspot.com/2013/07/canadian-parachute-qualification.html

http://arnhemjim.blogspot.com/2015/09/guidance-in-identifying-fake-british.html

http://arnhemjim.blogspot.com/2016/05/royal-naval-division-cap-badges-addendum.html

http://arnhemjim.blogspot.com/2017/03/the-1970s-decade-of-restrike-in-british.html

http://arnhemjim.blogspot.com/2017/04/an-introduction-to-post-wwii-queens.html

https://arnhemjim.blogspot.com/2018/06/an-alert-original-dies-for-british-army.html

http://arnhemjim.blogspot.com/2018/06/wwi-royal-naval-division-cap-badges.html

https://arnhemjim.blogspot.com/2019/02/1st-canadian-armored-carrier-regiment.html

https://arnhemjim.blogspot.com/2019/02/royal-navy-air-service-armoured-car.html

https://arnhemjim.blogspot.com/2019/05/a-semi-forensic-analysis-of-wwii.html

https://arnhemjim.blogspot.com/2020/08/wwi-royal-naval-division-cap-badges.html

https://arnhemjim.blogspot.com/2020/09/the-original-brevet-first-wings-of.html

https://arnhemjim.blogspot.com/2020/10/fox-morigi-or-moriarty-its-all-in-name.html

https://arnhemjim.blogspot.com/2021/10/wwii-and-post-wwii-parachute-regiment.html

 

British HO/OO Scale Model Trains

https://arnhemjim.blogspot.com/2020/10/a-different-kind-of-gordon-highlander.html

https://arnhemjim.blogspot.com/2021/08/the-last-gordon-highlander-locomotive.html

 

Naval History, Intelligence and Naval Investigative Service

http://arnhemjim.blogspot.com/p/military-strategy.html

http://arnhemjim.blogspot.com/2014/03/admiral-harry-e-yarnell-usn-unique.html

http://arnhemjim.blogspot.com/2016/08/ens-nathan-f-asher-usn-unsung-hero-of.html

http://arnhemjim.blogspot.com/2016/08/rope-yarn-sunday-old-naval-tradition.html

http://arnhemjim.blogspot.com/2013/10/david-versus-goliath-fairey-swordfish.html

http://arnhemjim.blogspot.com/2016/06/david-versus-goliath-fairey-swordfish.html

https://arnhemjim.blogspot.com/2020/07/the-royal-navy-field-gun-trial-annual.html

http://arnhemjim.blogspot.com/2018/03/hijms-mikasa-significant-ship-in.html

http://arnhemjim.blogspot.com/2013/04/one-of-don-quixotes-broken-lances_19.html

http://arnhemjim.blogspot.com/2016/11/what-now-don-quixote-another-windmill.html

https://arnhemjim.blogspot.com/2020/11/not-you-again-don-quixote.html

https://arnhemjim.blogspot.com/2018/06/a-forrest-gump-type-moment-in-naval.html

https://arnhemjim.blogspot.com/2020/02/know-thy-enemy-know-thyself-sun-tzu.html

https://arnhemjim.blogspot.com/2021/05/another-tilt-at-windmill-by-don-quixote.html

https://arnhemjim.blogspot.com/2020/05/when-is-harp-is-not-refinance-of-your.html

https://arnhemjim.blogspot.com/2021/09/the-sea-ceptor-system-with-soft.html

http://arnhemjim.blogspot.com/2012/03/from-halls-of-old-nassau-to-shores-of_3917.html

http://arnhemjim.blogspot.com/2017/08/a-summer-cruise-in-wisconsin-battleship.html

http://arnhemjim.blogspot.com/2018/04/us-naval-aviators-daring-young-men-on.html

Additional Related Posts on Military History and Militaria

https://arnhemjim.blogspot.com/2019/01/an-army-marches-on-its-stomach-unless.html

http://arnhemjim.blogspot.com/2011/07/parachuting-for-dummies-rupert-world.html

http://arnhemjim.blogspot.com/2011/08/1939-musical-ride-of-rcmp-at-new-york.html

http://arnhemjim.blogspot.com/2012/01/the-reincarnation-of-calcutta-light.html

http://arnhemjim.blogspot.com/2013/02/ganze-manner-early-book-on-german.html

http://arnhemjim.blogspot.com/2012/01/famous-war-horses-in-history-and-who.html

http://arnhemjim.blogspot.com/2012/05/samurai-on-parade-jidai-matsuri-kyoto.html

http://arnhemjim.blogspot.com/2012/11/early-british-paratroop-training.html

http://arnhemjim.blogspot.com/2013/12/impossible-victory-rorkes-drift-22-23.html

http://arnhemjim.blogspot.com/2015/06/a-gallimaufry-of-militaria.html

http://arnhemjim.blogspot.com/2016/06/newly-rediscovered-paintings-of-battle.html

http://arnhemjim.blogspot.com/2016/12/gordon-highlander-regimental-cutlery-to.html

https://arnhemjim.blogspot.com/2020/01/its-in-cards.html

https://arnhemjim.blogspot.com/2020/03/british-wwii-mrc-medical-research.html

 

WWII and Post WWII Parachute Regiment - Unit Designation Strips

  Recently a reader of the blog who is also in a WWII Parachute Regiment reenactor group, posed a question regarding the “correct” shoulder insignia found in the right sequence on the battledress of the period. Less and less frequently is the genuine article offered for sale, let alone on eBay. The next question immediately arises, as to whether showing the real thing with a semi-forensic analysis for the benefit of the collector, outweighs the detriment of providing the counterfeiter with the added insight to better their next edition of a given badge.

Just a brief review.The Parachute Regiment and the Glider Pilot Regiment were officially formed by SPECIAL ARMY ORDER A.O. 128/1942 dated 31 August 1942. It’s this collector’s personal opinion that the majority of airborne collectors acknowledge that the first Parachute Regiment unit designation strip (worn just below both shoulder seams of the battledress blouse) was dark blue “PARACHUTE REGIMENT” (sans-serif) lettering on a light blue background. This was authorized on or shortly after ACI (Army Council Instruction) 905 dated 12 June 1943 which officially established regimental designations for the Parachute Regiment and the Glider Pilot Regiment. The strips came in both a printed and embroidered version.To the best of this author’s knowledge, this remained the only officially authorized regimental designation strip for the remainder of WWII, although there was a wide variety of unauthorized variants also worn as shown in numerous historical photographs.

The following first embroidered pair, at least from the front (without seeing the backs), appear to be righteous. The second printed title, and the third embroidered example, also appear to be genuine.

Before evolving and being officially designated the Parachute Regiment there was a period when a wide variety of shoulder titles were worn. The first being a curved "AIRBORNE" strip (both printed and embroidered, officially authorized by ACI 3816 dated 31 October 1942). There was also a version with rounded ends. In addition "Parachute 1", "Parachute 2", "Parachute 3", "Parachute 4" (for battalions) were worn. Subsequently, when the PARACHUTE REGIMENT unit designation was authorized, the strip was modified to a straight horizontal strip, worn below the Pegasus Formation badge. Also additional independent parachute companies ("Parachute XXI, Parachute XXII), and attached air landing (glider-borne) support units wore their own authorized unit/regimental designation strips.

Although continuing to research, at some date after the end of WWII, currently not established by this author, an official transition occurred to a unit designation strip worn in the same location which was light blue “PARACHUTE REGIMENT” (serifs) on a maroon background. Its authorized wear was terminated when battledress was phased out, which in limited cases was as late as the early 1960's. The following is a pair of images showing both sides of what I believe to be a genuine pair. Please observe the following attributes/features:

 

• The colours, both shade and chroma, used

• The use of consistent serifs can be observed both front and back

• The regularity and consistency of the overall centering and spacing of the lettering

• The regularity of the overall dimensions of the strip

• The consistent diagonal and regularity of the stitching of the lettering

• On the reverse the absence of irregularity and cross-over stitching, common in reproductions

• The characteristics of the backing material, trimming of same, and the sticth marks (would appear one was issued, one was not) This in an otherwise identical pair, being offered as such, is somewhat troublesome, i.e. not a matched pair).

 

 Compared with the vast majority of copies currently on the market, these features are even more readily discernible.

 This second 2 pair of unit designation strips also appear righteous in this author's personal opinion.

 

Apparently this configuration was available in both embroidered and printed configuration. The following printed pair (sans serifs), though extremely very well done, have been specifically identified by the seller as reproductions. Two clues are no serifs and the lack of bleed-through present in the majority of the backs of WWII printed insignia, Under these set of circumstances the collector's only safeguard is limited to provenance.

Here is another example of reproduction designation strips. Notice the thinness of the letters and spacing, and the maroon color and texture of cloth.

 

The Sea Ceptor System with Soft Vertical Launch

It’s one thing to have a Don Quixote type tilt with a windmill, it’s still another to have that same windmill come back and smear excrement (I’m sorry egg, to be politely P.C.) in your face. 

Just this month, having been long retired, this author celebrated his 85th birthday. In a previous blog post, published several years ago (2013), a parallel to this very same subject was addressed in some detail; https://arnhemjim.blogspot.com/search?q=VLS .

 Not having quite as fast a draw as I once had, it was not until today that I discovered a Royal Navy missile defense system that had an I.O.C.(2018), three years ago. Shame! The Sea Ceptor missile is truly generations of technology more capable than anything available to the early U.S. Navy Aegis system. It’s the SVL (Soft Vertical Launch), an integral element of Sea Ceptor, that I found "intriguing". For those who may have taken the time to scan the afore-mentioned blog post, striking design similarities should be obvious (see following images).

It suffices to say I have no one else to blame but myself, at the time just lacked the assertive personality to have pushed back a lot harder. "No guts, No glory!" However, I’m certainly going to go on written record at this time.

To better accommodate the reader, in addition to its silo’s circular configuration, I’ve taken the liberty of bolding the text on certain other specific design features and capabilities. 

A new missile for evolving threats – Sea Ceptor

GWS-35 Sea Ceptor was officially accepted into RN service in May 2018 (Let's see, 1963 to 2018 is 55 years). MBDA (a joint venture between BAE Systems, Leonardo and Airbus – the leading European missile manufacturer) developed Sea Ceptor based on their Common Anti-Air Modular Missile (CAMM). CAMM was the answer to the MoD’s requirement for an affordable modular missile using common parts for use on land, at sea or in the air. The Future Local Area Air Defence System (FLAADS) project aimed to control costs through reuse of existing technology, while delivering weapons that could cope with high-speed, hard-manoeuvring modern threats. The British Army is replacing its Rapier air defence missile with CAMM (known as Sky Sabre) while CAMM technology has been used to upgrade the Advanced Short Range Air-to-Air Missile (ASRAAM) for the RAF.

CAMM incorporates the tail fin control technology and rocket motor from ASRAMM. The blast-fragmentation warhead is derived from the Meteor Beyond Visual Range Air-Air Missile that entered service with the RAF last year. Some internal electronics from the Sea Wolf Block 2 missiles are also incorporated. Otherwise, Sea Ceptor has little in common with Sea Wolf, Weighing 99kg and 3.3m in length, it is considerably bigger and capable of Mach 3. Most significantly it has far greater range, officially capable of interceptions between 1 and 25km, although the missile reportedly travelled up to 60 km during trials. This has important tactical implications. Sea Wolf provided point-defence for the ship itself and a few others in close company, Sea Ceptor can now defend more than 1,000 km² around the ship, offering an area air defence capability. This will allow the frigates to operate in more loose formation with the aircraft carrier or high-value Unit, important for anti-submarine operations, while still contributing to the air defence.

As the air threat to surface ships has evolved with increasing speed and sophistication, being able to intercept faster and at a greater distance becomes imperative. The ability to make high-G manoeuvres in the terminal phase and better resistance against jamming are all important improvements over Sea Wolf but it is the guidance system that is greatest step-change. CAMM / Sea Ceptor utilises the powerful track-while-scan ability of the multi-function Artisan 3D radar. Artisan has a maximum range of about 200km and can detect small object travelling at Mach 3 more than 25km away. It can track up to 800 objects simultaneously and is highly resistant to ECM and interference. Artisan provides initial target data to Sea Ceptor and updates the missile in flight via the two-way Platform Data Link Terminal (PDLT). Most importantly, the missile itself has an advanced active radar seeker head for use in the terminal phase which removes the need for dedicated fire control radars. Numbers are classified but it is clear that a salvo of missiles could be launched simultaneously against multiple targets.

Sea Ceptor is clearly optimised for defending against saturation anti-ship missile attacks, which could overwhelm the limitations of legacy systems based on target illumination fire-control radars.

CAMM features another major innovation, soft vertical launch (SVL). A very rapid chemical reaction in a gas generator in the base of the missile canister ejects the missile out of the tube via a piston with enough momentum to get about 30m above the ship. Small lateral thrusters then fire in sequence to turn the missile horizontal before the main rocket motor ignites. This ‘cold-launch’ method reduces the heat signature and has a better minimum intercept range, compared to conventional VLS which have a greater turnover arc. It also reduces stress on the vessel’s structure and avoids the risks of a missile with a burning rocket motor jammed in its cell. SVL also saves smoke and exhaust gas efflux enveloping the ship which can lower visibility for several minutes in light winds.

The 'mushroom' farm. The 32-cell silo on HMS Argyll. Note how each cell is offset from the vertical. If the rocket motor should fail to ignite after soft-launch, the missile will not fall on the ship. Sea Ceptor is longer than the Sea Wolf the silo was designed for, so each cell protrudes above the silo top slightly.

The cost of upgrading the Type 23 frigates missiles has been kept down by using the existing ship footprint and infrastructure as far as possible. The existing Silo has been used, although modified to take the longer missile. The main weight of the cells is carried on shock-proof mountings by the deck below, instead of the silo top in the case of Sea Wolf. The deck has been strengthened to cope with the shock loadings generated at launch. The removal of the Fire Control Radars and replacement by the small PDLT is a considerable saving in top-weight. This reduces the stress on the ship or could be used as a growth margin to fit additional equipment on the superstructure. There are four launch management system cabinets, one for every eight missiles and other below-decks control equipment in the operations room and in the old Sea Wolf radar offices. Overall the amount of equipment is reduced and some of the existing cabling has been re-used.

The delivery of Sea Ceptor into service has been relatively quick. MBDA invested around £2 Billion in its development and were rewarded with a £483M demonstration contract for Sea Ceptor in January 2012. To reduce costs, development and de-risking work was carried out entirely on land and benefited from the Type 997 (Artisan) radar already proven in service. Missile test firings were conducted at the Vidsel range in Sweden while Integration and development was done in Bristol, Stevenage and at the Type 23 Land Based Test Site (LBTS) at Portsdown Technology Park. A further £250M contract to supply the equipment for the frigates was signed in September 2013. The number of missiles purchased, their individual cost and their delivery schedule are not in the public domain.

Sea Ceptor will be fitted to the Type 26 frigates which will carry up to 48 missiles in two separated 24-cell silos. It is also very likely that the Type 31e frigates will carry the system, although with a smaller number of cells. It is expected that Artisan radars and the control equipment will be transferred to the new frigates from the Type 23s as they decommission. While the system has been fully proven and de-risked, there are integration and timing challenges that will be involved with this migration process.

A flexible friend

It is possible the Type 45 destroyers could be fitted with Sea Ceptor. Their Sylver VLS cells that hold Aster 15/30 (Sea Viper) missiles could be adapted with quad packs that allow 4 CAMM to fit inside each cell. Theoretically, a Type 45 could, for example, be outfitted with 30 x long-range Aster30 and 72 x quad-packed Sea Ceptor. Trading 18 x Aster15 for 72 x Sea Ceptor would make sense and add significantly to each ship’s firepower. Sea Ceptor uses around 70% of the same technology as the PAAMS carried by the Type 45, so integration should be fairly straight forward. The Sampson radar offers even better performance than Artisan, potentially offsetting the reduced range and performance of Sea Ceptor compared with Aster15. Quad-packed Sylver is a theoretical niche capability for the UK and France but Lockheed Martin has already tested and proven the quad-pack concept for their Mk 41 VLS Extensible Launching System (EXLS). Mk 41 is utilised by many navies across the world and Sea Ceptor is an attractive proposition for cost-effective medium-range naval air defence. (It’s an unlikely scenario but a single Type 26 frigate could potentially carry a total of 144 Sea Ceptor missiles if also quad-packed into its 24 x Mk 41 cells!)

CAMM are assembled in Bolton, Lancashire, although the component supply chain is global. MBDA is a European company but CAMM is primarily a British product and already something of an export success. Lockheed Martin Canada is fitting Sea Ceptor to the New Zealand Navy’s ANZAC Frigates as part of a major Systems Upgrade (FSU) project. Chile has also contracted LM Canada to upgrade their ex-RN Type 23 frigates and they will receive the system. Brazil has selected Artisan and a 12-cell Sea Ceptor installation for its Tamandaré class corvettes being constructed by TKMS in Germany. The Royal Navy, New Zealand and Chilean navies have now established a ‘Sea Ceptor users group’ to share experience and best practice with the system.

CAMM/Sea Ceptor appears to be a rare example of a highly successful UK procurement project, affordable, delivered on time and meeting all requirements. Through its acquisition, the RN has quietly gained a step-change in defensive capability, which is very much needed in the face of ever more demanding air and missile threats. Operating inside the Sea Viper umbrella of the Type 45 destroyers, the frigates can provide the next line of defence for the carrier battle group with an equally credible weapon system.

In conclusion, both the launch system proposed by the author while at General Dynamics/Pomona in 1963, and the Sea Ceptor launch system, circa 2018, incorporate the following same attributes:

• Vertical launch with angled launch tube to avoid “dead launch” hitting ship

• Cylindrical missile storage container and launch tube

• “Cold launch” with gas generator and sabot piston

• Avoids potential burning rocket motor jammed in cell

• In event of missile malfunction, instantaneous ability to switch targeting/launch data to another missile

• Capable of simultaneous engagement/multiple launch against multiple targets, and/or types (AAW/ASW/SSW)

• Lower center of gravity and physical profile of entire launch complex

• No heavy, complex, electro/mechanical amplidyne launcher drive vulnerable to damage and/or malfunction (operability/maintainability/survivability/)

• Entire missile inventory in magazine not rendered useless because of launcher malfunction and/or combat damage

 

The only difference being, that the one launching system could  have been operational in the fleet at the very least over 55 years ago, albeit without as sophisticated a missile.