BATTLESPACE UPDATE Vol.20 ISSUE 20
14 May 2018
NEWS
NEWS IN BRIEF – EUROPE
Iraq and Syria: OP SHADER
Type 45 Destroyers: Update
Mine Warfare Ships: Deployment
P-8A Poseidon MPA: Test Programme
Military Bases: Locations
PAC: Publication
Euofighter Lobbies Belgium
Bulgaria Postpones Jet Decision
MoD billions short for equipment
UK red carpet for Erdogan
Corbyn – navy contract to UK
Turkey threatens US over bill
Turkish F-35 Next Month
UK and Allies Stand United
EU defences post-Brexit
NEWS IN BRIEF – USA
Plan to slash Pentagon agencies
Budget Request Restores Military
Allies Must Deal With Iran
F-35 deliveries resume
Budget Adds Hypersonic Weapons
NEWS IN BRIEF – REST OF THE WORLD
No Syrian S-300 missile
IDF Prevents Iranian Establishment
China’s stealth fighter flies
US cuts to Pakistan aid
Australian defence funding
A Safer Australia
Putin reviews invincible weapons
Fallout from Scrapped Iran Deal
Final Blow to ISIS in Syria
US out of Iran nuclear deal
US violates terms of JCPOA
BUSINESS NEWS
Embraer breakup complications
SRT Marine Systems reports sales
Scisys ready for lift-off
L3 looks overseas
Melrose pledges pay review
BAE – continued progress
Mitsubishi and Kawasaki challenges
Third Point pushes UTC to break up
Robot Aviation Acquires UAS Europe
Huntington Ingalls revenues rise
MILITARY VEHICLE NEWS
KADDB unveils Al-Wahsh C2 vehicle
KADDB showcases Al-Washaq IV APC
Endeavor Robotics robots to USMC
Boxer Supplier Engagement Event
Russian robot tank in Syria
UK – Parts of military vehicles
Middle East vehicles market
Oshkosh showcased S-ATV
L&T supplies K9 Vajra-T
US unmanned Robotic Wingman
Largest AFV built in Jordan
Minotor-Service details Vitim
Fort Benning Robotic Centre
NEW TECHNOLOGIES
RoK Industry 4.0 technologies
TMD’s solid state based MPMs
REDARC Electronics MOU with MARL
Epiq Solutions and IAS team
Smart soldier power and data hub
China corporatises research
Uber, U.S. test quiet aircraft tech
Charles River develops Picassa tool
Northrop F-35 testing solution
SATELLITE SYSTEMS, SATCOM AND SPACE SYSTEMS UPDATE
Push for UK space programme
New Australian space agency
Pakistan’s satellite projects
Hughes Awarded SATCOM Contract
USAF Next-Gen OPIR contracts
OneWeb Delays Mega-Constellation
New NSR Critical Analysis Report
RADAR, EO/IR, NIGHT VISION AND SURVEILLANCE UPDATE
Qioptiq STAS Facility opened
Cardiff University helped Qioptiq
IT system for eyes of artillery
Skylock counter-UAV system orders
DeTect Sense-and-Avoid Radar
Thales Sea Fire radar production
Swiss eye stealth-nixing radar
DRS Laurel Technologies contract
Irish MoD Chooses COPTRZ
German Navy acquired Puma™
UK and Norway MPA cooperation
MISSILE, BALLISTICS AND SOLDIER SYSTEMS UPDATE
Terminator ATGW enters production
Plutonium Pit Production Statement
New Raytheon facilities
Russia shows Verba missile
Inflatable Wall product portfolio
Russia’s hypersonic missile debuts
SOCOM snipers ditch 7.62mm bullets
Big punch for Humvee
Sharper sniper rifle
Leonardo invests in laser division
Arnold Defense at SOFEX
MBDA European Modular Missile
Orbital ATK and IMI Partner
Aerojet testing for MDA’s RKV
RN Unmanned Minesweeping System
More venom from Snake Head
New BRAHMOS Quad Launcher
Beretta penetrating markets
Directed Energy Weapon support
UNMANNED SYSTEMS UPDATE
Jordan’s armed UAV
GA Guardian RPA in Japan
US Navy aerial drone squadron
UAS leasing as a new option
Thrust-Vectoring X5-55 VTOL UAS
C2, TACTICAL COMMUNICATIONS, AI, CYBER, EW, CLOUD COMPUTING AND HOMELAND SECURITY UPDATE
Russia debuts EW drone
US Army network strategy
US Soldier Communication Boost
USAF frequency transfer systems
Japan cyber JV with Estonia
New $500m US operations center
Cybercom Now a Combatant Command
INTERNATIONAL PROCUREMENT OPPORTUNITIES
UNITED KINGDOM AND NATO
Parts of military vehicles
EUROPE
EU’s next seven-year budget
American Panel Turkish contract
Ukraine and Turkey develop AN-188
Antonov SALIS offer to NATO
USA
USAF light attack experiment
HII submits bid for two carriers
Super Hornet SLM modification
REST OF THE WORLD
Austal excluded from OPV project
Questions raised over OneSKY
Chad to get C2 centre
Brazil to acquire B767-300ER
Costa Rica receives four UH-1Hs
RoK jet partnership with Indonesia
Australian Programs Update Report
Paramount in discussions with Egypt
CONTRACT NEWS IN BRIEF
EUROPE
AIR
American Panel Turkish contract
ESG Puma AE II contract
FMS of C-130J to Germany
USA
LAND
BAE Systems M88A2 contract
GDLS display contract
Mercury server contract
SEA
KBR USMC contract
Ultra sonobuoy contract
AIR
BAE APKWS contract
Bell Bell 407 contract
Boeing F/A-18E/F contract
IEE TAPO contract
TECHNOLOGY
BAE Systems SECTR contract
Black River SIGINT contract
REST OF THE WORLD
LAND
Northrop Morocco contract
SEA
Raytheon Qatar RAM contract
AIR
Marshall Bangladesh contract
MANAGEMENT ON THE MOVE
TopEngineer.com Job Of the Week!
Technical Author in Preston
LOCATIONS
LAND
ON expands facility in Rochester
New Gripen Plant in Brazil
US Army’s base relocation in RoK
DoD Offers to Host New NATO Command
MARITIME
US Navy Christened LCS Cincinnati
AIR
Seahawk helos for Atlantico
Jordan’s new Mi-26 Halo
Afghanistan Black Hawk operations
Turkmenistan showcased M-346, C-27J
USAF conducts SLEP for first F-16
PLANT CLOSURES, JOB LOSSES AND STRIKES
Simon Kirby steps down from Rolls
MILITARY AND GOVERNMENT
PERSONNEL
EUROPE APPOINTMENTS
LG Mark Carleton-Smith appointed
U.S. APPOINTMENTS
Dana Deasy took his oath
Rear Adm. John T. Palmer assigned
USAF LG Scott A. Howell appointment
USAF MG Warren D. Berry appointment
USAF MG D.E. Kirkland appointment
USMC LG L.A. Craparotta appointment
USMC LG D.J. O’Donohue appointment
USMC MG Eric M. Smith appointment
Rear Adm. John W. Korka selected
Navy Vice Adm. M. Gilday appointed
INDUSTRY
INDUSTRY TEAMINGS
Strata and Dema sign agreement
PERSONNEL
EUROPE APPOINTMENTS
Marc de Fritsch joins MASA
U.S. APPOINTMENTS
J.F. Lehman additions
Star Navigation hires B. Lassche
EXHIBITIONS AND CONFERENCES
Close Combat Symposium
NCT Europe 2018
Land Warfare Conference
Dubai HeliShow 2018
PARLIAMENTARY QUESTIONS
UK Military Operations In Mosul
House of Commons and House of Lords Hansard Written Answers
Aircraft Carriers: Procurement
Foreign and Commonwealth Office
UK’s nuclear deterrent
National Security
National Security
Electronic Warfare
Defence: Industry
FEATURES
Lockheed Martin CEO Marillyn Hewson Calls for Greater US/UK Cooperation
By Howard Wheeldon, FRAeS, Wheeldon Strategic Advisory Ltd.
India Defence Procurement Policy Struggles To Please?
By Howard Wheeldon, FRAeS, Wheeldon Strategic Advisory Ltd.
Mission Impossible? Eight White House Requirements Iran Must Meet as Part of a Post-JCPOA Strategy
By Anthony H. Cordesman
US Reignites Middle East Powder Keg
By Howard Wheeldon, FRAeS, Wheeldon Strategic Advisory Ltd.
The Need For Enduring European Unity Remains
By Howard Wheeldon, FRAeS, Wheeldon Strategic Advisory Ltd.
The Gathering Health Storm Inside North Korea
By J. Stephen Morrison, Victor Cha, Rebecca Hersman
Syria Is the Current Theater for Strategic Competition: Time to Step Up
By Melissa Dalton and Timothy Robbins
Reflections and recommendations on the future of non-proliferation and disarmament
By Shatabhisha Shetty |Deputy Director
By Denitsa Raynova |Policy Fellow and Project Manager
TAILPIECE
“Military and civilian personnel…. came together today to celebrate the 50th anniversary of HMS Neptune, the shore establishment which evolved into HM Naval Base Clyde.” (RN website, 10 May 18.) (Source: DNA DEFENCE NEWS ANALYSIS, Issue 18/17, 14 May 18)
CONTACT DETAILS
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BATTLESPACE Publications
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London W14 0AT
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Mobile: +44 077689 54766
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NEWS IN BRIEF – EUROPE
Web Page sponsored by Harris Corporation
http://www.harrisforcemodernization.com
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09 May 18. Iraq and Syria: OP SHADER. On 30 Apr 18 Tornados attacked a Daesh tunnel complex on an island in the Tigris, South of Mosul. On 4 May 18 Typhoons destroyed a truck-bomb factory in Eastern Syria as Tornados struck a terrorist position and vehicle South of Kirkuk. On 5 May 18 Typhoons and Tornados demolished six buildings and a defensive position used by Daesh in Eastern Syria. (MoD, 9 May 18.)
The UK will be providing additional funding to support mine action organisations in Syria, in line with the Government’s announcement that it will treble its global Mine Action spending to £100m by 2020. (House of Lords Written Answers, 10 May 18.)
Comment: RAF aircraft have continued to fly daily armed reconnaissance missions over Eastern Syria against Daesh. (MoD, 9 May 18.)
The Defence Committee announced (10 May 18) a new Inquiry into ‘UK Military Operations in Mosul and
Raqqa’ which will examine the effectiveness of UK military actions in helping Iraqi and Syrian partner forces
recapture Mosul and Raqqa from Daesh. The Assistant Chief of the General Staff and the Chief of Staff Joint
Forces Command are to give evidence on Tue 15 May 18 at 11.30hrs in the Wilson Room, Portcullis House. (Source: DNA DEFENCE NEWS ANALYSIS, Issue 18/17, 14 May 18)
04 May 18. Type 45 Destroyers: Update. The RN reported (4 May 18) that HMS DEFENDER has arrived back at Portsmouth following her 18-month refit. The Type 45 destroyer’s systems and personnel were trialled following a major upkeep which saw two new gas turbines fitted along with new signals intelligence equipment and electronic surveillance fittings.
Comment: HMS DIAMOND has returned to Portsmouth while HMS DRAGON is working under the Flag Officer Sea Training organisation in Devonport. HMS DUNCAN is currently the Flagship for Standing NATO Maritime
Group 2 and is shortly due to visit Constanta. The First of Class conversion under the Power Improvement Project is expected to be completed in 2021, with follow-on ships completed during the early 2020s.
(Source: DNA DEFENCE NEWS ANALYSIS, Issue 18/17, 14 May 18)
10 May 18. Mine Warfare Ships: Gulf Deployment. The RN confirmed (10 May 18) that the Hunt Class mine countermeasures ship HMS BROCKLESBY and the single-role minehunter HMS SHOREHAM are scheduled to sail for Bahrain in June 2018. The vessels will replace HMS BLYTH and HMS LEDBURY, two of the four minehunters currently deployed to the Gulf.
Comment: HMS BROCKLESBY (based in Portsmouth) and HMS SHOREHAM (based in Faslane) have been taking part in EX JOINT WARRIOR (21 Apr – 3 May 18) working alongside French minehunters. Both vessels are expected to spend three years in the Gulf with replacement crews flying out to Bahrain “every six or seven months”. HMS BLYTH and HMS LEDBURY have been conducting exercises with the Qatari Emiri Navy before returning to Faslane and Portsmouth respectively. (Source: DNA DEFENCE NEWS ANALYSIS, Issue 18/17, 14 May 18)
09 May 18. P-8A Poseidon Maritime Patrol Aircraft: Test Programme. The RAF reported (9 May 18) that eight RAF personnel have been embedded within the US Air Test and Evaluation Squadron 1 (VX-1), based at Naval Air Station Patuxent River in Maryland, supporting the P-8A test programme. Thus, the aircraft will be ready to fly with a UK crew when they arrive at RAF Lossiemouth from 2019 onwards.
Comment: The Defence Procurement Minister hosted the State Secretary in Norway’s MoD on her first visit aboard a US Navy P-8A aircraft. The UK is buying nine P-8As while Norway is acquiring five of the aircraft.
Possible areas of co-operation range from maintenance to training and operations. (MoD, 3 May 18.) (Source: DNA DEFENCE NEWS ANALYSIS, Issue 18/17, 14 May 18)
09 May 18. Military Bases: Locations. The Armed Forces’ Minister listed (9 May 18) the Permanent Joint Overseas Bases as:-
- British Defence Singapore Support Unit (BDSSU): The UK maintains a permanent military presence in
Singapore as a commitment to the Five Powers Defence Agreement.
- British Forces South Atlantic Islands (BFSAI): The Defence and security of the Falkland Islands
remains a Government priority. The Ascension Island airfield is critical to the MoD’s ability to support
the Falkland Islands.
- Cyprus: British Forces Cyprus (BFC) protects and delivers against the UK’s strategic interests. The
Sovereign Base Areas are the only UK Overseas Territories to be administered by the MoD.
- Diego Garcia: The main island and military base in the British Indian Ocean Territory (BIOT) under UK
sovereignty remains an important base for the Defence needs of the UK and the US.
- Duqm: Duqm is a developing port situated about 500km South of Muscat. It will facilitate maritime
basing East of Suez but outside the Gulf.
- Gibraltar: The UK maintains a permanent military presence in Gibraltar, maintaining key sites and Air
and Sea Ports of Disembarkation.
Comment: Further details can be found in Hansard (Daily Report) for 9 May 18 (Answer 139515). (Source: DNA DEFENCE NEWS ANALYSIS, Issue 18/17, 14 May 18)
11 May 18. Public Accounts Committee (PAC): Publication. The PAC published (11 May 18) The Defence Equipment Plan 2017-2027 as HC 880. The Committee’s conclusions echo those of the National Audit Office which reported in January 2018. The Chair commented that the MoD “must be more rigorous and realistic in its approach to costing its equipment plan. It also needs to be more open with Parliament and the public about its finances….”(Source: DNA DEFENCE NEWS ANALYSIS, Issue 18/17, 14 May 18)
10 May 18. An Open Letter from the Ambassadors to Belgium of the UK, Germany, Italy and Spain. In an increasingly dynamic and volatile world, the issue of defence and security is at the top of national agendas across the globe. For Europe therefore, taking the responsibility for defence is more vital than ever. We need to ensure a vibrant defence technology and industrial base, and strong defence capability in Europe, whatever future threats may arise. The Air Combat Capability Program (ACCaP) will be one of the most significant military investments for Belgium for many years, not just in terms of the need to replace Belgium’s fleet of F-16s, but, vitally, in addressing the country’s long-term security interests. We believe that our European offer to Belgium, through Eurofighter Typhoon, is the best solution to meet the country’s immediate and long-term defence, security and industrial needs.
Why?
First, the UK, Germany, Italy, and Spain, remain fully committed to the Eurofighter programme as the backbone of European combat air power into the middle of this century – both for the current user family and for those who may join us in the future. We see Eurofighter as the vehicle through to a future European replacement solution in collaboration with our European trusted partners. Second, we can also say with absolute certainty that Eurofighter is a true collaborative European programme, designed, manufactured and assembled across Europe. Our aircraft is a low-risk, combat-proven, multi-role fighter capable of meeting all of Belgium’s operational requirements. Almost every Euro spent on Eurofighter remains in Europe across a broad European supply chain involving more than 400 companies and 100,000 jobs. Even after the UK leaves the European Union, 70% of every Eurofighter aircraft will still be designed and manufactured within the EU. Eurofighter is the very definition of a European product with the consortium of Airbus, Leonardo and BAE Systems supporting a significant existing footprint in Belgium worth an estimated 600m Euros per year.
Investment
Third, the Eurofighter partner nations and our expanding family of customers are strongly committed to future investment and development of the aircraft ensuring the continued evolution of capability to meet the common threats to European security into the 2050s. Belgium will be able to participate industrially, and influence the future direction of that evolution.
Eurofighter is the continent’s largest collaborative defence programme. In Airbus, BAE Systems and Leonardo, Belgian industry would be working alongside three of the world’s biggest defence companies – with a proven pedigree of credibility, capability and collaboration.
For industry in Belgium, becoming the next European partner in Eurofighter would ensure Belgian investments in defence capability provide access to future programme workshare, benefitting both Belgium and Europe, sustaining high value, high technology industrial capability and jobs across the continent. Much has been said already about the various industrial proposals of those seeking to partner with Belgium. For our part, we know Belgium has world-leading capabilities in aerospace and defence, and our Eurofighter offer seeks to build on that.
Our industrial partners will invest in advanced technology research and development in Belgium. They will invest in building defence capability through transfer of world leading synthetic training and advanced management concepts for aircraft maintenance and logistics, and will invest in the development of a National Cyber Capability for Belgium. These are the key pillars of the Eurofighter offer. Independently assessed by a recognised economics analytics company, the Eurofighter offer is conservatively estimated to generate 19 Billion Euro of direct contribution to the Belgian economy.
It will sustain an estimated six thousand jobs, in the aerospace and defence sector, whilst the protection of vital sectors of the national economy and investment in future cyber research and development will significantly reduce the estimated 1 per cent of Belgian GDP thought to be lost to cyber related activities each year. The Eurofighter consortium companies have a proven track record in the ability to share IPR, skills, knowledge and transfer of technology worldwide. It has delivered industrial benefit in other areas of the globe exactly as promised. It is there for all to see. The world around us continues to change. We argue that the need to strengthen defence and security capability in Europe has never been greater. Eurofighter is at the heart of that, and we look forward to welcoming Belgium as its next member.
— Alison Rose
UK Ambassador to Belgium
— Rüdiger Lüdeking
German Ambassador to Belgium
— Elena Basile
Italian Ambassador to Belgium
— Cecilia Yuste Rojas
Spanish Ambassador to Belgium
(Source: defense-aerospace.com/BAE Systems)
09 May 18. Bulgarian Government Postpones Decision on Air and Land Military Modernisation Projects. Although Bulgaria’s Defence Minister Krassimir Karakachanov had said that the Cabinet would discuss projects to acquire fighter jets and armoured infantry vehicles at its May 9 meeting, the discussion did not go ahead, apparently because of the absence of Finance Minister Vladislav Goranov. Speaking after the meeting, Karakachanov said that Goranov was out of the country and would return on May 11. Goranov would “finish his work on Saturday and Sunday for the next week, I have his assurance that the treasury will be ready on Monday – Tuesday with its opinion,” Karakachanov said. This would imply that the Cabinet will discuss the projects at its regular weekly meeting on May 16. The projects involve the acquisition of 16 fighter jets and 150 combat vehicles for the land forces. The decision to put the projects to the Cabinet was taken at a meeting of the Defence Council on April 5. The proposal is to allocate 1.5 billion leva, excluding value-added tax, for the acquisition of 16 fighter aircraft in two stages of eight each. The proposed financial allocation is also to cover ground-handling equipment, training of personnel, initial integrated logistics support for a period of three years, and armaments, a Bulgarian government statement said at the time. The military vehicles projects envisages the spending of 1.22bn leva, without VAT, for vehicles, systems, additional equipment and training for three battalion groups. A Nato member since 2004, Bulgaria is meant to upgrade its Air Force through the acquisition of fighter aircraft that meet the standards of the alliance. Through a succession of governments, this has not been achieved. In early 2017, the caretaker cabinet of the time made a step towards progress in the fighter jet acquisition process, when it was presented with a report that rated the bid by Sweden’s Saab for Gripen fighters as the best. However, amid political manoeuvring, matters went back to square one and the process is being re-started again. At the previous stage, bids to supply the aircraft were received from Saab, and from Italy, to supply second-hand Eurofighters, and from Portugal, to supply second-hand F-16s. More recently, Karakachanov has hinted at the possibility of getting second-hand F-16s from Israel. Given the scale of the spending, the decision cannot, by law, be taken by the Cabinet alone but must receive endorsement from Bulgaria’s unicameral Parliament, the National Assembly. (Source: defense-aerospace.com/Sofia Globe)
11 May 18. MoD is billions short for new ships and jets after losing control of costs. Britain’s defence chiefs have lost control of their budget and cannot afford to buy all the warships, jets and submarines they need, MPs warn today. The public accounts committee says in a report that it is “highly sceptical” that a defence review, due to conclude in July, will fix a funding gap of up to £21bn over the next decade while also equipping troops to counter new threats from cyber, chemical and electromagnetic warfare.
The comments come after US defence officials urged Britain to ensure its military was sufficiently funded.
“How can you afford not to?” one official told a group of journalists at a briefing yesterday. “Given the current world environment, can you afford not to be ready? Freedom is like oxygen. If you have freedom you don’t really think about it, but if you don’t have freedom it is all you are going to think about.” The official indicated concern about the UK’s ability to afford all 138 of the next generation of stealthy warplanes that the Ministry of Defence has said it plans to buy as part of a multibillion-pound US-led programme.
“The [UK] government has a choice as to whether they are going to continue to fund their defence at the level at which they previously said it needed to be funded — 138,” the official said, referring to the 138 F-35 Lightning II jets.
The public accounts committee describes as unrealistic the MoD’s plan to purchase and support military equipment, including at least 48 of the F-35 jets, by 2027. Its report is published almost six years to the day since Philip Hammond, as defence secretary, said that the government had “resolved” a £38bn hole in the defence budget.
The MPs draw on data from a previous report by the National Audit Office, the public spending watchdog, which identified a hole of between £4.9bn and £20.8bn in a £180bn plan to buy military equipment.
The litany of problems for the F35
The committee accuses the military and civil servants of not knowing how big the exact funding gap is and expresses doubt about an ambition to find £16bn in efficiency savings. “The Ministry of Defence simply does not have enough money to buy all the equipment it says it needs,” the report says. “It is worrying that the department is back in the position it found itself in earlier in the decade. The equipment plan for 2017 to 2027 is not realistic and the department lacks cost control.”
The MoD is also criticised for a lack of transparency on its financial position. The annual equipment plan was made public ten months after the period that it covers began. A particular mention is made of the cost of the Lockheed Martin F-35 programme, the most expensive and technologically advanced warplane in history. The MoD has refused to offer a price estimate for a single, combat-capable F-35 jet, including upgrades and spare parts, or how much the total programme will cost. The MPs say that they “frustratingly” received more information on cost from the F-35 joint programme office in the US than from the MoD.
Gavin Williamson, the defence secretary, has spoken frankly about the need for Mr Hammond, now chancellor, to increase defence spending. Mr Williamson is overseeing the Modernising Defence Programme, which evolved out of a cross-Whitehall security review last year after proposals to slash the armed forces were rejected. The MPs say, however, that they are “highly sceptical” that the new exercise will resolve the funding crisis.
A spokesman for the MoD said: “We are on track to meet our £16 bn savings target and will also review these recommendations as part of our Modernising Defence Programme.” (Source: The Times)
11 May 18. UK prepares to roll out the red carpet for Erdogan. Relations with Turkey have improved in the past two years despite concerns about human rights. Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s UK visit will come amid Turkish elections being held under a state of emergency and with a presidential candidate in jail. Britain has kept quiet on erosion of rights in Turkey UK wants to boost trade with Turkey after Brexit Close relationship has aided co-operation on counter-terrorism Boris Johnson was at the Chevening estate in March last year when a plane carrying Mevlut Cavusoglu, the Turkish foreign minister, was turned away from Dutch airspace because of a row between Turkey and several EU countries about political campaigning in Europe. Appalled at the plight of his counterpart, the British foreign secretary called him up and invited him over to his grace-and-favour country house for cucumber sandwiches. Mr Cavusoglu never took up the offer. But the episode illustrates the stark difference between Turkey’s relationship with Britain and its frayed ties to other western countries, which are critical of what they say is the erosion of Turkish democracy under President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. On Sunday, Mr Erdogan will go one better than high tea at an English country house with a three-day visit to Britain that will include a meeting with the Queen. His trip comes in the midst of a Turkish parliamentary and presidential election campaign that will be conducted under a state of emergency and with a key presidential candidate in jail. Turkish democracy campaigners and British opposition politicians are critical of the visit. Catherine West, a Labour MP, said there were “serious concerns about attacks on journalists, civil society and the unresolved relationship with the Kurdish communities in Turkey and Syria”, and the UK should raise “these urgent matters with Mr Erdogan”. Despite the controversy surrounding the president, British-Turkish relations have grown closer in the past two years, with the two countries brought together by the UK’s vote to leave the EU and the violent coup attempt in Turkey, which took place just three weeks apart. Turkish officials feel that their allies in mainland Europe and the US were too slow to condemn the putsch, which saw rogue fighter jets bomb the Turkish parliament and soldiers open fire on civilians in the streets. Britain, by contrast, was quick to speak out. Human rights in Turkey In the weeks and months that followed the coup, Ankara’s ties with many western allies grew frosty as they criticised a vast purge of Turkish state institutions that targeted not only the alleged coup plotters but also critical journalists and members of the Kurdish opposition. Britain has chosen to remain largely silent in public on concerns about the erosion of human rights, the rule of law and, more recently, Turkey’s military operation against Kurdish militants in northern Syria. UK officials argue that berating Mr Erdogan in public is counterproductive. They say that they raise concerns behind the scenes instead. This stance is at odds with the tone of the Brexit campaign, when Leave campaigners were scathing about Turkey. Michael Gove, a prominent EU critic, accused Brussels of “appeasement” towards Ankara, warning that “democratic development has been put into reverse under President Erdogan”. Mr Johnson won a free speech competition for a poem that described Mr Erdogan as a “wankerer” with a predilection for goats. Boosting trade Share this graphic Trade between Turkey and Britain has been thriving for several years and is currently worth about $16bn. But business executives say that the economic uncertainties of Brexit have led to a new push. Last year, the UK doubled its export finance programme for Turkey to £3.5bn. There are also efforts to increase co-operation on energy, healthcare, manufacturing and defence. The centrepiece is Britain’s role in helping Mr Erdogan fulfil his dream of building a Turkish-made fighter jet. On a visit to Ankara early last year, Theresa May announced a $100m deal for BAE Systems to provide the technology and expertise for the first phase of development. UK officials hope that Rolls-Royce will also win the contract to build the engines and that a number of smaller companies will also benefit. Britain has agreed to waive export controls so that Turkey can sell the jet to any country of its choosing — a decision that has raised eyebrows among some Nato allies. “What if Turkey decides to sell these jets to North Korea?” asked one European diplomat, who described the project as “a sign of Theresa May’s desperation to make friends and sign deals after Brexit”. The British defend the project as vital for creating jobs and sustaining the UK defence industry. “For companies like BAE to remain at the cutting edge of aerospace research, they need big projects,” said a UK trade official. “This is one.” Working together on counter-terrorism UK diplomats say that their close relationship with Ankara brings co-operation on intelligence sharing and counter-terrorism, as well as on migration and refugees. It also appears to have secured more favourable treatment for UK nationals in Turkey — in stark contrast to the experience of jailed Germans and Americans detained for months on political charges. Despite the controversy surrounding Mr Erdogan’s visit, analysts say that UK officials feel they simply cannot afford to turn their back on a country that shares a border with Syria, Iraq and Iran, and carries huge strategic importance. “The British attitude is that, while there are clearly worrying developments in Turkey, engagement is not about an individual,” said Ziya Meral, a researcher at the British Army’s Centre for Historical Analysis and Conflict Research. “It is about the fact that Turkey is too big to walk away from.” (Source: Hawker Chase/FT)
11 May 18. Corbyn – give one billion pound navy contract to UK firms. Labour opposition leader Jeremy Corbyn will say on Friday a 1bn pound contract to build navy ships should be should be awarded to British companies, criticising a decision to allow foreign firms to bid for the work.
Corbyn, a socialist who has won over many voters with promises to increase public spending and take a more interventionist approach to the economy, said such a decision would create about 6,500 British jobs and support other industries.
In a speech in Glasgow, a city that once produced around a fifth of the world’s ships, Corbyn will say allowing the ships to be built by foreign companies risks further undermining an industry already suffering a long decline.
The policy of Prime Minister Theresa May’s Conservative government is to build all the navy’s warships in Britain, but foreign companies are being allowed to bid for contracts to build three support ships that will provide new aircraft carriers with supplies while at sea.
“By refusing to help our industry thrive, the Conservatives are continuing their historic trend of hollowing out and closing down British industry,” Corbyn will say, according to extracts of the speech released by his office.
“The next Labour government will use public contracts as part of our bigger plans to upgrade our economy. Don’t listen to anyone who says we can’t build things in Britain and that a casino economy, which produces little but soaring inequality and insecurity, is our only future.”
Shipbuilders from Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Poland, South Korea and Spain attended a recent Ministry of Defence industry day to discuss the work, according to documents obtained by the GMB union under the Freedom of Information Act.
The government’s decision to allow foreign companies to bid for the work comes soon after controversy over the decision to snub a British manufacturer to produce post-Brexit blue passports.
The defence ministry said in a statement that Britain is currently witnessing a “renaissance in national shipbuilding” and that it encourages British shipyards to bid for the support ships contract.
British shipyards once produced half of the world’s new ships but now account for less than half a percent, Corbyn will say.
(Source: Reuters)
09 May 18. Turkey threatens US over bill seeking to halt weapons sales. A U.S. bill that would halt weapons sales to Turkey risks terminating all procurement deals between the two NATO allies, according to Turkish officials and procurement official. But a U.S. diplomatic source is downplaying the impact of the move, saying it would not be the end of a decades-long defense and security alliance.
Turkish Foreign Affairs Minister Mevlüt Cavuşoğlu said May 6 that the country would retaliate if the U.S. enacts the proposed law, calling the measures in the bill “wrong, illogical and not fitting between the NATO allies.”
“If the United States imposes sanctions on us or takes such a step, Turkey will absolutely retaliate. What needs to be done is the U.S. needs to let go of this,” he added.
Lawmakers in the U.S. House of Representatives on May 4 released details of a $717bn annual defense policy bill, including a measure to temporarily halt weapons sales to Turkey.
“Turkey and the U.S. have been strong allies since the 1950s. In this period there have been ups and downs in arms trade and programs. None has completely derailed our military ties,” the U.S. diplomatic source said.
Washington imposed an arms embargo on Turkey following the Turkish invasion of the northern third of Cyprus in 1974. The invasion was in response to a Greek coup that aimed to annex Cyprus to Greece. The island has been divided along ethnic Turkish and Greek lines ever since.
If passed as part of the National Defense Authorization Act, the U.S. Defense Department would have to provide Congress with a report on the relationship between the NATO allies. Sales of major defense equipment would be blocked until the report is completed.
One immediate casualty could be the U.S.-led, multinational Joint Strike Fighter program in which Turkey is a partner. Turkey has committed to acquire a batch of more than 100 F-35 fighter aircraft.
The U.S. bill surfaced after Turkey announced in December that it would buy the Russian-made S-400 long-range air and anti-missile systems, the first such system to be deployed on NATO soil. Turkey says the S-400 deal, worth nearly $2.5n, is its sovereign decision. The S-400 batteries will not be interoperable with U.S. and NATO assets in Turkey, but would instead operate as a stand-alone system. Çavuşoğlu said Turkey’s relations and agreements with Russia were not an alternative to its ties with the West and accused the U.S. of trying to control Turkey’s actions.
“Turkey is not a country under your orders, it is an independent country,” he said. “Speaking to such a country from above, dictating what it can and cannot buy, is not a correct approach and does not fit our alliance.”
U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo in April told Çavuşoğlu that the United States was seriously concerned over Ankara’s decision to buy the Russian S-400 missile batteries.
In 2013, Turkey came under similar pressure from its NATO allies when it selected a Chinese manufacturer for its long-range air-defense system program. Ankara later dropped that decision.
In addition to the S-400 system, Turkey is in talks with the European group Eurosam, maker of the SAMP/T system, for a co-production deal to meet its longer-term surface-to-air missile requirements.
“If passed the U.S. bill has the potential to altogether alter Turkey’s Western paradigm,” according to a presidential aide in Ankara.
A senior procurement official said the bill would “kill all U.S.-Turkish procurement business in the several years ahead.”
“The U.S. is no longer a sole-source supplier of the kind of equipment we buy from foreign suppliers. It won’t have the leverage our American friends hope it will,” the official said.
A senior Turkish diplomat said the bill would push Turkey further into the Russian orbit. “There is a lot we could jointly do with the Russians … from engine technologies to satellites,” he said.
In April, a Russian aerospace official with Rostec said the company would propose to Turkey a joint engine development deal.
Analysts remain skeptical.
“I can hardly see the logic [behind the U.S. bill],” said Ahmet Doğan, managing editor at Sigma, a think tank in Ankara. “A NATO ally is proposing an arms embargo on Turkey because Turkey buys missile batteries from Russia, while several other NATO allies are queuing up to do defense business with Turkey.” (Source: Defense News Early Bird/Defense News)
09 May 18. Turkey to Receive First F-35 Fighter from US Next Month. The United States will deliver the first F-35 joint strike fighter to Turkey on June 21 as part of a longstanding partnership between the two allies, despite attempts by the U.S. Congress to block the procurement of such weaponry to the Turkish government. According to defense industry authorities, the delivery of the first of the 30 F-35 fighters will be made on June 21 in a ceremony that will be held in the U.S. The Turkish Armed Forces (TSK), which are a part of the U.S. Department of Defense’s JSF program, along with a number of prominent NATO allies including the United Kingdom, Italy and the Netherlands, have been planning to upgrade their air force fleets with 100 F-35 aircrafts to be jointly produced under this program. The first package, however, is about the delivery of 30 F-35 fighters.
Pilots from the TSK will receive intense training at the headquarters of the main producer of the F-35, Lockheed Martin, before the fighters will be transported to Turkey later this year, sources have said. Sources have also informed that arrangements are underway on military bases in Turkey where the F-35s will be deployed. Turkey’s current air defense is based on strong F-16 fleets. The TSK is planning to change some of these fleets with the incoming F-35s.
The delivery of the first F-35 fighter will take place at a time when a number of U.S. congressmen have been urging the U.S. administration to suspend the procurement of these fighters to Turkey because of the latter’s decision to upgrade its air defense systems with Russian S-400 anti-ballistic missile systems.
Turkey has strongly criticized the U.S. Congress’ move and vowed to retaliate. “If they take such a step at a moment when we are trying to mend our bilateral ties, they will definitely get a response from Turkey. There is no longer the old Turkey,” Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu told private broadcaster CNN Türk in an interview on May 6.
(Source: defense-aerospace.com/Hurriyet Daily News)
04 May 18. UK and Allies Stand United in Face of Intensifying Threats.
Britain remains more committed than ever to our longstanding allies in the face of evolving and intensifying threats, including chemical and biological weapons, reaffirmed Defence Secretary Gavin Williamson today.
Speaking from the Joint Expeditionary Force’s (JEF) military exercise on Salisbury Plain, the Defence Secretary made clear the importance of the joint force in which the UK plays a leading role as the ‘framework nation’, working closely alongside Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Latvia, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Norway and Sweden.
Attending with Chiefs of Defence from all nine JEF member nations, Mr Williamson also commended the JEF’s ability to react to the full spectrum of operations, from humanitarian assistance and conventional deterrence, through to combat operations.
Defence Secretary Gavin Williamson said, ”Nations are judged by the friends they keep. The exercise today sends a clear message to our allies and adversaries alike – our nations have what it takes to keep our people safe and secure in an uncertain world.”
”From counter-terrorism and anti-smuggling to information warfare, we are stronger by sharing expertise and developing joint tactics across air, land, sea and cyber.”
The live capability demonstration featured troops from the nine JEF nations, including troops from the UK Parachute Regiment, the Danish Jutland Dragoon Regiment, the Lithuanian “Iron Wolf” Brigade and the Latvian Mechanised Infantry Brigade, conducting urban combat operations with air support provided by Apaches, Chinooks, Wildcats and Tornados.
The exercise is the culmination of two weeks of intensive and specialised training across the country, ranging from amphibious and naval activity in Wales and Scotland to land based training in Wiltshire and air activity across the UK; all part of Exercise Joint Warrior.
Nearly 12,000 military personnel from 17 nations took part in the training scenarios involving multiple sovereign nations disputing resources and territories; counter-terrorism and anti-smuggling activity; information warfare; and evacuation operations.
During his visit, Mr Williamson took time to visit the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (DSTL), Porton Down who have provided a team of analytic specialists to the exercise. They provide vital analysis to support military commanders, giving crucial advice to help military leaders understand the risks and benefits of the decisions they make when planning tactical activities and manoeuvres during conflict.
DSTL Chief Executive Gary Aitkenhead said, “It has been an extraordinary time for all of us at Dstl, therefore it has been a pleasure to show the Defence Secretary some of the ground-breaking research that we do and the vital role Dstl plays in keeping our Armed Forces and the British public safe. Our people are world-leaders in what they do and Mr Williamson’s visit today gave us an opportunity to showcase how we are delivering the Government’s priorities for defence and technology against a backdrop of ever changing threats.”
Mr Williamson also met troops at Winterbourne Gunner who are helping with the decontamination efforts in Salisbury, following the poisoning of Sergei and Yulia Skripal in March. (Source: ASD Network/UK MoD)
07 May 18. EU defences post-Brexit starting to take shape. A broad European military strategy involving Britain after Brexit has started to take shape with France at its centre, often in negotiations far from the Brussels spotlight and, in one top-level EU meeting, without the U.K. defence minister. Despite an impasse over how to start formal negotiations with Britain on a new defence and security relationship, France is pushing a two-track approach that it discussed at a weekend gathering of EU defence ministers in the Bulgarian capital Sofia on May 5, even though Britain’s Gavin Williamson did not attend.
France supports a bigger role for Spain in EU military missions to fill the hole Britain will leave, while it will offer London a place in a new French-led European “intervention force” to keep Britain close in military cooperation.
Meanwhile, a group of Britain’s closest EU allies, led by the Netherlands and Belgium, signed a paper in Sofia pressing for London’s swift inclusion in the bloc’s new flagship defence pact, agreed in December. That would allow British industry into lucrative EU military projects, albeit on a selective basis.
Spain and Estonia said they also want to see Britain in the Galileo satellite programme that the EU is developing to rival the U.S. Global Positioning System, despite rules that prohibit sharing sensitive information with non-EU states.
“We must avoid a rupture (with Britain),” Spain’s Defence Minister Maria Dolores de Cospedal told Reuters.
Her counterpart, Sweden’s Peter Hultqvist, had a similar message: “It is important that Britain is involved in Europe’s future security cooperation.”
Such support reflects a recognition that the EU cannot defend itself from Russian and militant threats without Britain, which with France is Europe’s biggest security power. For its part, Britain would become more vulnerable without continued access to EU intelligence and databases.
MEMBERS ONLY
Formal negotiations on the post-Brexit security relationship between the EU and Britain have not yet started, despite British Prime Minister Theresa May’s call for a defence and security treaty by 2019. Britain will leave the EU on March 29, 2019.
EU officials say Britain must still come forward with a detailed proposal to the European Commission’s Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier, while London says it has already presented a position paper and wants to get on with working out a deal.
“A future security agreement sounds logical, as nobody wants a dark space in European territory that militants could exploit,” said one senior EU official. “But that logic does not make a deal any easier.”
Part of the sensitivity stems from Britain’s years of blocking EU defence cooperation, fearing an EU army, as well as EU rules that restrict access for non-EU states to European Union bodies such as police agency Europol.
With Brexit removing an obstacle to such cooperation, the EU has agreed a new defence pact and plans a 5.5bn euro ($6.6bn) weapons fund. The EU’s common budget will fund defence research for the first time from 2021.
Britain, fearing that it may get shut out, says it could pay into the fund. It also wants a role in the European Defence Agency, which helps EU governments to develop weapons.
The European Commission has stressed the bloc’s status as a members-only club, seeing Britain as a third-party outsider.
EU capitals are eager to come to a better arrangement.
“There are a lot of ideas on the table and it’s now up to EU governments to find a solution,” Estonia’s Defence Minister Juri Luik told Reuters, saying “hard-nosed defence” was always about coordination between states.
But it is the Commission which will negotiate with London.
ENTER FRANCE, SPAIN
France, for one, is not waiting. Spain sees an opportunity.
Madrid has Paris’ backing to take over Britain’s command of an EU maritime mission off the Horn of Africa, known as Atalanta, and to run it from its Rota naval base in southern Spain. France’s naval base at Brest would also be involved.
“Ours is very rigorous proposal with a fundamental guarantee because Spain is the only country with an uninterrupted presence in Atalanta,” said Cospedal, who discussed the issue with her French counterpart Florence Parly in Sofia.
Italy is also vying for command of Atalanta. EU governments are set to decide in June.
At Rota, Spain also hopes to host one of the European Union’s five military “operational headquarters”, replacing Britain’s Northwood base outside London. France, Germany, Italy and Greece host the other four.
French President Emmanuel Macron next month hopes to agree a 10-nation coalition, including Britain, called the European Intervention Initiative. Paris says it would be a more agile, decisive force than the existing EU battlegroups, which have never been used. Representing Britain at the Sofia talks, junior defence minister Frederick Curzon said involvement in the force would help London’s search for a “deep and special partnership” in defence and security. (Source: Reuters)
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10 May 18. House panel preserves plan to slash Pentagon agencies ― mostly. An effort to slash the Pentagon’s so-called fourth-estate, back-office agencies was weakened but not slain Wednesday at the House Armed Services Committee’s markup of its version of the annual defense policy bill. The panel voted to overrule its own chairman, Rep. Mac Thornberry, R-Texas, to protect the Defense Department’s Test Resource Management Center, which oversees weapons testing and evaluation. California Republican Rep. Steve Knight prevailed in a mostly party-line 33-28 vote to protect the agency, where two Democrats and eight Democrats crossed sides.
The panel, where Republicans hold a 34-28 majority, voted on party lines to reject an amendment blocking the draft bill’s plan to dismantle the Defense Information Systems Agency, or DISA.
Democratic Rep. Anthony Brown, who represents Maryland — home to many federal employees — had offered the DISA-protecting amendment, proposing Congress ask the Pentagon for a report in advance of any consolidation, but to no avail.
Brown also offered an amendment to protect Washington Headquarters Services, but Thornberry and the Republican majority defeated that, too.
Overall, Thornberry was two for three on defeating attempts to roll back portions of his bureaucracy-targeting plan.
Even before the hearing, Thornberry eased controversial plans that initially called for a more far-reaching, 25 percent cut to more Pentagon support agencies, targeted for their ancillary relationship to core war-fighting functions.
Rather than shuttering agencies and otherwise prescribing cuts as initially suggested, the bill gives more deference to the Pentagon. It would charge the newly created Defense Department chief management officer to find efficiencies and reduce by 25 percent the budget of certain departmentwide activities, including logistics, human resources, services contracting and real-property management, by 2021.
The House Armed Services Committee overwhelmingly approved plans for a sprawling $716bn National Defense Authorization Act for fiscal 2019. It must survive a full House vote later this month and negotiations with the Senate later this year. (Source: Defense News)
10 May 18. Fiscal ’19 Budget Request Will Restore U.S. Military, Dunford Says. The chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff assured senators yesterday that the U.S. military retains a competitive advantage over any potential adversary.
Marine Corps Gen. Joe Dunford told the Senate Appropriations Committee’s defense subcommittee that the military “can deter a nuclear attack, defend the homeland, meet our alliance commitments, and prevail in any conflict.”
But that is not a guarantee for the future, he said. “As we have previously discussed, after years of sustained operational commitments, budgetary instability, and advances by our adversaries, our competitive advantage has eroded, and our readiness has degraded,” he said.
The fiscal year 2019 defense budget request is a strategy-driven document that supports rebuilding a lethal and ready force that the nation needs, the chairman told the senators.
National Defense Strategy
“The secretary has addressed our defense strategy that recognizes Russia and China as the priority, while also meeting the immediate challenges posed by rogue regimes and violent extremist organizations,” the chairman said. “China and Russia continue to invest across the full range of nuclear, cyber, space and conventional capabilities. Both states are focused on limiting our ability to project power and undermining the credibility of our alliances. They are also increasingly adept at advancing their interests through coercive competitive activity below the threshold of armed conflict.”
North Korea has been on a relentless pursuit of nuclear missile technology, and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has clearly said these capabilities are designed to threaten the United States and its allies.
“Iran continues to spread malign influence and create instability across the Middle East,” Dunford said. “And while we have made a great deal of progress, … we are still grappling with the challenges of violent extremism, including [the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria], al-Qaida and associated movements.”
Building on Readiness Recovery
Defending the homeland and allies and advancing U.S. interests in the context of these and other challenges requires America to maintain a balanced force of ready, lethal and flexible forces that are relevant across the range of military operations, Dunford said.
“Fortunately, with your support, we’ve begun to arrest the erosion of our competitive advantage, and we’re on a path towards developing a force that the nation needs,” the chairman said. “This year’s budget again builds on the readiness recovery that we started in fiscal year ’17, and accelerates our efforts to develop the capabilities we need for both today and tomorrow.”
This will put the U.S. military on the path toward restoring the competitive advantage and keeping it in place in the future. Ensuring U.S. service members are never in a fair fight with an adversary, requires sustained, sufficient and predictable funding, the general said. “The funding in this budget is sufficient, and I look forward to working with the Congress to make sure that it’s sustained and predictable in the future,” he said. (Follow Jim Garamone on Twitter: @GaramoneDoDNews)
09 May 18. Mattis Says U.S., Allies Must Deal With Range of Iranian Malign Activities. The United States will continue to work with other nations to address the range of Iranian malign influences, Defense Secretary James N. Mattis told the Senate Appropriations defense subcommittee today.
Mattis and Marine Corps Gen. Joe Dunford, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, testified before the panel on the fiscal year 2019 defense budget request. The secretary also discussed President Donald J. Trump’s withdrawal from the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action that the United States and European allies negotiated with Iran in 2015.
The pact was aimed at limiting Iran’s nuclear program.
“Yesterday, President Trump announced the administration’s decision to withdraw from the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, terminating U.S. participation, and re-imposing sanctions on the Iranian regime,” Mattis told the subcommittee. “We will continue to work alongside our allies and partners to ensure that Iran can never acquire a nuclear weapon, and we’ll work with others to address the range of Iran’s malign influence. This administration remains committed to putting the safety, interests and well-being of our citizens first.”
Iran’s Influence
Iran is a prime disturber of the peace throughout the Middle East, defense officials have said, and the plan, as it stands, does nothing to curtail the Iranian regimes malign activities. “[Syrian strongman Bashir] Assad is still in power today, still murdering his own people and still creating refugee flows that we’ve not seen before based on the support out of Iran,” Mattis said.
But Iran’s activities are not limited to Syria as their influence extends into Lebanon, Yemen and Bahrain, defense officials have said. The Houthi movement in Yemen, a Shiite group, has fired missiles made in Tehran at Saudi Arabia, defense officials have said.
“We have not seen any drawdown or reduction in Iran’s malicious activities and malign activities across the region,” the secretary said.
The secretary stressed that the United States will continue to work with allies to “try to bring Iran back into more responsible behavior.”
Iran needs to be confronted not just for its nuclear program, Mattis said, but for its development of ballistic missiles, support for terrorism, launching of cyberattacks and threats to international commerce. (Follow Jim Garamone on Twitter: @GaramoneDODNews)
07 May 18. Lockheed resumes F-35 jet deliveries to Pentagon. The U.S. Department of Defense resumed accepting F-35 jet deliveries from Lockheed Martin Corp (LMT.N) last week after reaching an agreement on covering the costs to fix a production error, the Pentagon told Reuters on Monday.
Terms of the agreement were not disclosed. The cost of the fix was $119m, people familiar with the situation had previously told Reuters.
The Pentagon had stopped accepting the jets on March 29, the Pentagon’s F-35 Joint Program office told Reuters in a statement. The dispute was over responsibility for paying to fix corrosion related to an error discovered in the second half of 2017. The military, U.S. allies that own F-35s and Lockheed Martin are making the necessary repairs to all aircraft, the Pentagon’s office in charge of the fighter program said in the statement. When the Pentagon stopped taking delivery of F-35s, foreign customers also were affected. At least two foreign governments, Australia and Norway, had their jets caught up in the acceptance pause. The majority of aircraft will be repaired within two years, the statement said. Lockheed shares added to gains after the news and closed up 2 percent at $317.71. Last year, the Pentagon stopped accepting F-35s for 30 days after discovering corrosion where panels were fastened to the airframe, an issue that affected more than 200 of the stealthy jets.
During routine maintenance at Hill Air Force Base in Utah last year, the Air Force detected “corrosion exceeding technical limits” where the carbon fibre exterior panel is fastened to the aluminium airframe.
Once a fix had been devised, the deliveries resumed and Lockheed hit its target aircraft delivery numbers for 2017.
A lack of protective coating at the fastening point that would have prevented corrosion was identified as the primary problem, the Pentagon said at the time.
The fastening issue on the F-35 fleet did not affect flights, nor was it a safety concern, the Pentagon said last year. On Monday, Lockheed said an agreement had been reached with the Pentagon, adding that it expected to hit its F-35 delivery target of 91 aircraft for 2018. The pause was the latest production issue that has arisen in the Pentagon’s most expensive weapons program. In 2016, a fix for insulation problems in the fuel tanks and lines of the jets caused a slowdown in deliveries. (Source: Reuters)
04 May 18. HASC Budget Adds Hypersonic Weapons, A-10s, Strykers, But Fewer Bureaucrats. There’s a fight brewing in Congress over one leading Republican lawmaker’s proposal for a 25 percent cut to over two dozen Pentagon support offices. The plan was included in the markup of the 2019 National Defense Authorization Act released Friday by the House Armed Services Committee.
HASC chairman Mac Thornberry added language in his committee’s markup of Pentagon’s budget that would slash a good chunk of the funding for the so-called “Fourth Estate,” which employs hundreds of thousands of government employees and contractors who perform support functions in the fields of civilian resources, services contracting oversight, and logistics.
The nearly 30 offices targeted consume about 20 percent of the Pentagon’s overall budget, but House aides said Friday that even the Pentagon doesn’t have a handle of exactly how much they cost.
A document released by the minority Democrats on the HASC on Friday slammed the reduction, calling them “an unrealistic and unnecessary sequester-like automatic (cut)” that would eliminate critical support functions.
Republican staffers quickly pushed back. “You’re talking about the bureaucracy for the bureaucracy,” one House aide said. Speaking on the condition of anonymity, the aide said that many of the functions are redundant, since they’re already being provided by the services themselves.
“Is that middleman adding any capability, or is it simply reducing the efficiency and speed” needed to reform the department, the aide asked. The idea behind Thornberry’s changes are to “empower the Secretary of Defense to go in and evaluate” these offices and recommend ways to slim them down.
Parade? Yes. Tanks? No
Thornberry’s mark also supports President Trump’s call for a military parade later this year. But the chairman was careful to set some limits. “We don’t want to see tanks rolling down Pennsylvania Avenue,” one committee aide said.
The HASC mark says that while the parade can go on, it “prohibits the use of operational units or equipment…if the Secretary of Defense believes such use will hamper readiness.”
The markup in many ways mirrors the subcommittee marks released last week, and often doesn’t differ in significant ways from the president’s budget released in February.
The HASC mark authorizes $639bn for the Pentagon’s base budget spending and another $69bn for OCO, for an overall price tag of $708bn. A few points:
- It sticks with the 77 Lockheed Martin F-35 Joint Strike Fighters requested by Trump.
- It adds $65m to repair A-10 Warthog ground attack planes, which the Air Force had long been tried to retire before giving in to Congress’s fervor to keep the plane.
- Given the rash of fatalities as the result of military aircraft accidents over the past year — which have killed 46 servicemembers — the bill adds $24.2m to increase flight training hours over what the president requested.
- HASC also added money for two additional Littoral Combat Ships, and funding for two more attack submarines in the 2022-23 time frame, as well as the block buy of two nuclear aircraft carriers.
- The chairman also added an additional $338m for Stryker infantry carriers.
- The bill also adds $150m to develop a conventional prompt global strike weapon, a hypersonic capability that Pentagon leaders have been clamoring for.
The full document — with all the numbers — will be released on Monday, followed by a day (and night)-long hearing on the docket on Wednesday to slash and burn through amendment requests by HASC members.
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11 May 18. Russia, after Netanyahu visit, backs off Syria S-300 missile supplies. Russia is not in talks with the Syrian government about supplying advanced S-300 ground-to-air missiles and does not think they are needed, the Izvestia daily cited a top Kremlin aide as saying on Friday, in an apparent U-turn by Moscow. The comments, by Vladimir Kozhin, an aide to President Vladimir Putin who oversees Russian military assistance to other countries, follow a visit to Moscow by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu this week, who has been lobbying Putin hard not to transfer the missiles.
Russia last month hinted it would supply the weapons to President Bashar al-Assad, over Israeli objections, after Western military strikes on Syria. Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said the strikes had removed any moral obligation Russia had to withhold the missiles and Russia’s Kommersant daily cited unnamed military sources as saying deliveries might begin imminently.
But Kozhin’s comments, released so soon after Netanyahu’s Moscow talks with Putin, suggest the Israeli leader’s lobbying efforts have, for the time being, paid off.
“For now, we’re not talking about any deliveries of new modern (air defence) systems,” Izvestia cited Kozhin as saying when asked about the possibility of supplying Syria with S-300s.
The Syrian military already had “everything it needed,” Kozhin added.
The Kremlin played down the idea that it had performed a U-turn on the missile question or that any decision was linked to Netanyahu’s visit.
“Deliveries (of the S-300s) were never announced as such,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters on a conference call, when asked about the matter.
“But we did say after the (Western) strikes (on Syria) that of course Russia reserved the right to do anything it considered necessary.”
The possibility of missile supplies to Assad along with its military foray into Syria itself has helped Moscow boost its Middle East clout. with Putin hosting everyone from Netanyahu to the presidents of Turkey and Iran and the Saudi king.
ISRAELI LOBBYING
Israel has made repeated efforts to persuade Moscow not to sell the S-300s to Syria, as it fears this would hinder its aerial capabilities against arms shipments to Iranian-backed Lebanese group Hezbollah. Israel has carried out scores of air strikes against suspected shipments.
On Thursday, Israel said it had attacked nearly all of Iran’s military infrastructure in Syria after Iranian forces fired rockets at Israeli-held territory. S-300s could have significantly complicated the Israeli strikes.
The missile system, originally developed by the Soviet military, but since modernised and available in several versions with significantly different capabilities, fires missiles from trucks and is designed to shoot down military aircraft and short and medium-range ballistic missiles.
Though since been superseded by the more modern S-400 system, the S-300s are still regarded as highly potent and outstrip anything that the Syrian government currently has.
Syria currently relies on a mixture of less advanced Russian-made anti-aircraft systems to defend its air space.
Russian media on Friday were actively circulating a video released by the Israeli military which showed an Israeli missile destroying one such system — a Russian-made Pantsir S-1 air defence battery — on Thursday in Syria. (Source: Reuters)
10 May 18. IDF Prevents Iranian Establishment. Iran is attempting to make Syria a military post, utilizing its military establishment in Syrian territory to attack Israel and destabilize the area while continually claiming its intentions to destroy Israel. According to military intelligence, the Iranian forces in Syria are planning to launch short-range surface-to-surface rockets towards IDF outposts near the border.
IAF fighter jets have attacked the missile batteries and prevented the planned Iranian response. The IDF will continue acting freely in order to defend Israel and its sovereignty. We will not allow any Iranian military establishment in Syria
Over the past few months, Iran has been transferring munitions to Syria as part of a force build-up against Israel. Iran operates a worldwide terror network transporting munitions systematically across the Middle East. The Iranian military establishment in Syria is a threat to Israel, destabilizing the entire region. Iran’s constant attempts to expand its terrorizing influence in the Middle East, and Syria specifically, is a part of the extreme Islamic ideology of “export of revolution”. Israel has to work against the threat, understanding the strategic danger to its security.
On February 10th, 2018, an Iranian UAV (Unmanned Aerial Vehicle) took off from the Iranian T-4 airbase in Syria. The aircraft was detected by Israel’s Aerial Defense Systems at an early stage, and was tracked until its interception by an IAF attack helicopter.
The Iranians began accumulating their missiles and launchers in Syrian territory. Some of their munitions were Syrian, utilized by the Iranians for warfare in Syria, and some were surface-to-surface missiles from Iran. Thanks to military intelligence preparation and effective firepower, the IDF managed to prevent the arrival of an advanced weapon from Iran to Syria. The purpose of the Iranians’ planned response was attacking to military outposts while causing damage to Israeli civilians.
According to data provided by military intelligence over the last few weeks, the Iranian force in Syria planned a short-range surface-to-surface missile launch towards IDF outposts near the border. Following a situation assessment performed by the IAF, aerial defense batteries were deployed in the north for optimal security to Israel’s civilians. The Aerial Defense Division is constantly developing its capabilities, preparing for various scenarios. The division is prepared to deploy its batteries at short notices in order to provide optimal protection, and allow for minimal damage to Israel’s civilians.
Afterwards, it was learned that the Iranians prepared for immediate response that same night. The Iranian response was planned and executed by the Commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps in Syria’s Quds Force, General Haj Qasem Soleimani, who operated according to instructions from the Iranian regime.
Afterwards, information arrived regarding Iranian plans for an immediate response that same evening. The Iranian response was planned and performed by the Commander of the Quds Force, General Qasme Suleimani, as instructed by Iran.
Later on, the IDF successfully identified irregular movement of surface-to-surface short-range missiles operated by Iran, in an attempt to launch missiles towards Israeli territory. These Syrian missiles are operated by the Quds Force under Iranian command as part of internal activity in Syria. The IDF attacked and destroyed the missile batteries and prevented the organized Iranian response.
Iran is attempting to make Syria its command station. They are using their military establishment in Syrian territory to attack Israel and destabilize the theatre, all while emphasizing their intention of destroying Israel.
Iran is developing frontal lines of fire designed to expand their land bordering with Israel, thus threatening its security. Israel’s target in Syria is Iran and the Quds Force, although the IDF sees the Syrian regime as a sovereignty responsible for the aggression arising from its territory as well. If the Syrians continue to allow Suleimani to use their land to attack Israel, they will pay the price.
IDF military intelligence units trace all activity in the border. We do not intend to cause a decline in the stability of the theatre, although we are responsible for Israel’s security. We will not allow any Iranian military establishment in Syria.
(Source: defense-aerospace.com/Israeli Air Force)
10 May 18. China’s stealth fighter hits the skies in first training over sea. China’s homemade J-20 stealth fighter has conducted sea training for the first time, the Air Force said Wednesday.
The recent mission took the plane or planes out to sea for drills under “actual war conditions,” Air Force spokesman Senior Col. Shen Jinke posted to the service’s microblog. He called that a “further upgrade of the Air Force’s combat capabilities.”
China said in February that the plane had obtained initial operational capability and was being introduced into combat units.
First flown in 2011, the J-20 is China’s answer to fifth-generation jets such as the U.S. F-22 and F-35.
With its stealthy capabilities, speed and maneuverability, it potentially represents a major upgrade to Chinese air power, although questions have been raised about some of its technology, specifically its engines.
Though domestically developed, the J-20 is believed to have initially relied on Russian engines for propulsion due to manufacturing problems in China.
Some reports say they have since been replaced with Chinese engines, the WS-10B, which do not have a big enough thrust-to-weight ratio to allow the J-20 to cruise at supersonic speeds without using afterburners, something that would expose it to detection.
China increased its defense budget by 8.1 percent this year to 1.1trn yuan (U.S. $172.7bn) as it prepares to launch its second aircraft carrier and field an array of advanced warplanes and missiles able to attack air and sea targets at vast distances. (Source: Defense News)
10 May 18. US looks to make further cuts to Pakistan military aid. The US House Armed Services Committee has called for further cuts to US military aid provided to Pakistan until the country demonstrates a commitment to tackle insurgency.
In his markup of the National Defense Authorization Act for fiscal year 2019 (FY 2019), the committee’s chairman Mac Thornberry said USD350m of the USD700m allocated to Pakistan under the Coalition Support Fund (CSF) should be withheld.
The proposed legislation said the restriction should be in place “until the [US] Secretary of Defense [has] certified that Pakistan is taking demonstrable steps against the Haqqani Network”. According to Jane’s World Insurgency and Terrorism, the Haqqani Network is linked closely to the Taliban. (Source: IHS Jane’s)
09 May 18. No budget surprises for Australian defence, funding on track to reach 2% of GDP. Tuesday night’s federal budget delivered no big surprises for Defence with funding rising as forecast, reaching $36.4bn in 2018-19, up from $34.7bn in 2017-18.
No new capital acquisitions were announced.
In a budget featuring tax cuts and other sweeteners designed to get the coalition re-elected next year, the government perhaps decided it would be better to make defence announcements some other time.
What the budget did show was how much would be spent on 30 top procurement projects in 2018-19, giving a clear indication of how Defence spending is flowing into the economy and the community, and also overseas.
The largest is the F-35 Lightning II Joint Strike Fighters, with $1.82bn forecast spending this year, up from $1.1bn last year.
Add to that nearly $240m to upgrade RAAF bases at Williamtown, Curtin, Tindal and Townsville in readiness for F-35 operations. That’s set to exceed $2bn a year as the RAAF takes delivery of more aircraft.
The first two aircraft will arrive in Australia in December. Currently they and three other RAAF F-35s are part of the international training pool in the US.
Even though new Submarines are well off into the future, $418 m will be spent in 2018-19, up from $319m in 2017-18.
Future Frigates also make an appearance, even though the government hasn’t decided which of the three contenders will be chosen. A total of $52 m will be spent setting up project offices in Adelaide and overseas, and beginning arrangements for design and engineering works at Osborne shipyard.
The budget papers show $280 m will be spent on the two new Navy replenishment ships, now under construction by Spanish shipbuilder Navantia in its yard in Ferrol, Spain.
As promised, construction will start this year on the first of 12 new offshore patrol vessels, with the budget allocating $274m of the $3.6bn project cost towards initial work.
Budget papers also contain a useful summary of expected sustainment costs for equipment in service. Top is Collins submarine ($592m), Super Hornets and Growlers ($414 m), MRH-90 helicopters ($215m) and Tiger armed reconnaissance helicopters ($153m).
The RAAF’s 12 Growlers and 23 Super Hornets – one of which was damaged in a fire in the US – will cost an estimated $414m to operate in 2018-19.
That’s substantially more than $190m to sustain the RAAF’s 71 Classic Hornets which are set for withdrawal from December 2021 as F-35s enter service.
Defence Minister Marise Payne said this budget maintained the government’s commitment to provide Defence with a stable and sustainable funding growth path.
“The 2018-19 budget will provide national and economic security while generating thousands of jobs,” she said.
Defence Industry Minister Christopher Pyne said Australian defence industry has the capacity to be an economic and innovation driver as we shift from the post mining construction boom period into a new age of innovation.
“The 2018-19 budget maintains the government‘s commitment to provide Defence with a stable and sustainable funding growth path, with the Defence budget growing to 2 per cent of GDP by 2020-21,” he said. (Source: Defence Connect)
08 May 18. A Safer Australia – Budget 2018–19 Defence Overview. The Turnbull Government’s first priority is the safety and security of Australia and its people. The 2018–19 Budget will provide national and economic security, while generating thousands of Australian jobs.
The Budget provides funding to continue to deliver:
— on our ongoing commitments to Defence Operations around the globe, ensuring safety and security at home and secure maritime borders
— the capability plans set out in the 2016 Defence White Paper through the Defence Integrated Investment Program
— the strategies outlined in the Defence Industry Policy Statement to reshape and refocus the Defence and industry partnership and create more jobs.
The comprehensive, responsible long-term plans for Australia’s defence set out in the 2016 Defence White Paper, and reinforced in the 2017 Foreign Policy White Paper, continue to ensure that we develop the capability needed to protect Australia and to secure our interests in the coming decades, despite growing global uncertainty and complexity.
Therefore, the 2018-19 Budget maintains the Government’s commitment to provide Defence (inclusive of the Australian Signals Directorate (ASD)) with a stable and sustainable funding growth path, with the Defence budget growing to two per cent of GDP by 2020–21. The Government will provide Defence (inclusive of ASD) with $36.4bn in 2018–19 and $160.7bn over the Forward Estimates.
Defence Operations
As part of our ongoing commitment to security and stability at home and around the globe, the Government has agreed to continue funding major operations.
Australia currently has around 2,300 Defence personnel deployed around the world, including on operations across the Middle East and Afghanistan.
Ongoing terrorist attacks underscore the importance of Australia’s significant contribution to the US-led international counter-Daesh coalition in Iraq and Syria. For this reason, Australia has around 600 personnel deployed as part of Operation OKRA.
The Government is committed to assisting the Government of Afghanistan to control its security and to prevent the nation again becoming a safe-haven for terrorist networks. Operation HIGHROAD will continue to provide security, development assistance, and capability building for Afghan institutions.
The ADF is also fully engaged in the near region, as part of the Government’s commitment to securing Australia’s maritime borders. Additionally, we are supporting the Government of Papua New Guinea for that nation’s hosting of the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation meetings in November 2018.
Major domestic events to attract Defence support in 2018 have included the ASEAN-Australia Special Summit 2018, the Commonwealth Games in Brisbane and the Invictus Games in Sydney. Defence support is an important component of the security arrangements required to deliver a safe and secure environment for these events.
Defence has also provided assistance to the civil community in response to fires, floods and cyclones in affected States and Territories.
Delivering the Integrated Investment Program
Over the next decade from 2018–19, the $200bn Integrated Investment Program demonstrates the Government’s commitment to creating a more potent and capable Defence Force, through programs such as:
— The continuous naval shipbuilding program, which will invest around $90bn to develop the Royal Australian Navy of the future, while creating a strong and sustainable Australian naval shipbuilding industry with more Australian jobs.
— The 5th generation F-35 Joint Strike Fighter program, along with the acquisition of EA-18G Growlers and P-8A Poseidon maritime surveillance aircraft, will give the Royal Australian Air Force unprecedented capability to combat future threats to our nation.
— The purchase of a fleet of new Combat Reconnaissance Vehicles to protect our troops. The overwhelming majority of the 211 vehicles will be manufactured and delivered by Australian workers, using Australian steel.
Naval Shipbuilding Program
We are investing around $90bn in the continuous build of new submarines, major surface combatants and minor naval vessels. A continuous naval shipbuilding program will modernise our naval fleet, support economic growth, maximise Australian industry involvement and secure thousands of Australian jobs for decades to come. The Government continues to progress significant work to support the success of the Naval Shipbuilding Plan:
— We are investing more than $50bn in the Future Submarine Program, the largest and most complex Defence acquisition Australia has ever undertaken. In January 2018, a $700 m contract was signed with Lockheed Martin Australia, supporting approximately 200 jobs in South Australia as development of the Future Submarine Combat System progresses.
— In November 2017, the Government announced Australia’s investment of up to $4bn for 12 Offshore Patrol Vessels, which will be designed and built under prime contractor Lürssen. Construction is set to commence on the first vessel later this year. This capability will have an important role in protecting our borders and will provide greater range and endurance than the existing patrol boat fleet.
— We have established the Naval Shipbuilding College, which is working with Australian education providers to identify, train and upskill workers for the naval shipbuilding enterprise.
— The Government will soon select a designer-builder for the Future Frigate Program, which will deliver nine anti-submarine warfare frigates to the Australian Defence Force (ADF).
— Construction of the first Pacific Patrol Boat began in April 2017, and first delivery is planned for later in 2018.
Defence Capability Investment
The Defence Integrated Investment Program details Defence’s future capability requirements to ensure the men and women in the ADF have the platforms and equipment they need to keep Australia secure, whether that be at sea, in the air and space, on the land or in the cyber domain.
Over the last 12 months, the Government has committed around $19.7bn to new capabilities to strengthen our Defence Force, including:
— A $1.2bn investment to significantly upgrade Australia’s already world leading Jindalee Operational Radar Network which detects and tracks air and maritime targets from Australia’s northern approaches.
— The selection of the combat management system for Australia’s fleet of nine Future Frigates, which will maximise the vessels’ air warfare capabilities and enable these ships to engage threat missiles at long range, which is vital given the ongoing development of missiles with advanced range and speed.
— Approval of $207m to boost the Nulka program, which will strengthen the anti-ship missile defence capability and ensure the system remains at the cutting edge of capability into the future.
Supporting Defence Industry
A strong, sovereign Australian defence industry is vital to delivering Australia’s defence capability. It is also front and centre of the Government’s plan for jobs and growth in the Australian economy. The last year has seen the Government make significant progress in establishing the initiatives and policy settings that will guide our defence industry to a sustainable and internationally competitive future. In January 2018, the Government released the Defence Export Strategy which provides a systematic plan to grow Australian defence exports and support Australian industry to achieve export success. In March 2018, the Government released the expanded Australian Military Sales Catalogue showcasing a range of export ready Australian defence industry capabilities. Complementing our major policy initiatives such as the Defence Industrial Capability Plan, the last year has seen the roll out of our strengthened Australian Industry Capability (AIC) Plan. The strengthened AIC Plan is a requirement for major capital equipment projects of $20m and above and is driving greater Australian industry participation in meeting Defence’s capability needs.
In its first year of operation the Centre for Defence Industry Capability has established itself as the ‘single point of entry’ to Defence for small and medium enterprises. The Centre approved facilitation services for 352 small and medium enterprises, issued over $1m in Capability Improvement Grants and presented to an estimated 3,000 participants at industry briefings in support of the continuous naval shipbuilding public presentations alone.
Since its launch in December 2016, the Defence Innovation Hub has awarded 37 contracts totaling more than $56m, and manages a portfolio of legacy innovation projects worth approximately $62m. The Defence Innovation Hub is expected to expand on this success as the program matures and builds towards a full portfolio of innovation investment.
Local Jobs Supporting the Defence Estate
The Government continues to invest in upgrading and expanding the Defence estate, comprising hundreds of bases, facilities and other sites right across Australia, particularly in regional communities. This investment ensures that the ADF has the infrastructure it needs to operate and support our key capabilities.
Key to this upgrade in the Defence estate is local industry. The Government has commenced a pilot of a Local Industry Capability Plan program for major Defence infrastructure projects to ensure that local industry has the best opportunity to be involved in our unprecedented investment in Defence capability.
Pilots under this Plan include:
— The Explosive Ordnance Logistics Reform Program, a $230.9m project covering 12 Defence sites across Australia.
— The Shoalwater Bay Training Area Redevelopment in Queensland, an approximately $135m substantial infrastructure upgrade project, which will see 80 per cent of the construction sub-contractors come from the Livingston and Rockhampton regions.
— The Townsville Field Training Area Mid-Term Refresh in Queensland, an approximately $24m project to ensure the Training Area is fit-for-purpose, safe and environmentally compliant.
— The HMAS Cerberus Redevelopment Project in Victoria, an approximately $463m project.
The Government is also committed to maximising opportunities for North and Central Queensland industry during implementation of the Australia-Singapore Military Training Initiative. These investments and initiatives will continue to ensure that we continue to implement the plans set out in the 2016 Defence White Paper to keep Australia safe and secure, while maximising the involvement of Australian industry in our unprecedented capability investment. (Source: defense-aerospace.com/Australian Department of Defence)
09 May 18. Putin, newly inaugurated, reviews Russia’s ‘invincible weapons’ on Red Square. Russia’s Vladimir Putin watched advanced jets carrying a hypersonic missile he has touted as invincible scream over Red Square on Wednesday, days after the start of his fourth presidential term. Part of an annual event marking the Soviet Union’s World War Two victory over the Nazis, Putin looked on as thousands of troops marched past him and columns of tanks rumbled across the famous square in a show of military might reminiscent of those displayed during the Cold War.
Putin reviewed the parade from a tribune packed with Soviet war veterans, some of whom wore rows of campaign medals and clutched red roses. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, in Moscow for talks on Syria, was also present, as was Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic. Hollywood actor Steven Seagal, who was given a passport by Putin in 2016, was also a guest. The authorities, backed by state media, use the event to boost patriotic feeling and show the world and potential buyers of military hardware how a multi-billion dollar modernisation programme is changing the face of the Russian military.
Putin, whose relations with the West are on a hostile trajectory, has said he does not want an arms race while warning potential enemies that his country has developed a new generation of invincible weapons to protect itself just in case.
“We remember the tragedies of the two world wars, about the lessons of history which do not allow us to become blind. The same old ugly traits are appearing along with new threats: egoism, intolerance, aggressive nationalism and claims to exceptionalism,” Putin told the parade.
“We understand the full seriousness of those threats,” added Putin, who complained about what he said were unacceptable attempts to rewrite history while saying Russia was open to talks on global security if they helped keep world peace.
Putin has sharply increased military spending over the 18 years he has dominated Russian politics, handed the Russian military significant policy-making clout, and deployed Russian forces in Ukraine and Syria, stoking tensions with the West.
As commander-in-chief, he has also at times donned military uniform himself and been filmed at the controls of a strategic bomber and on the conning tower of a submarine in photo opportunities designed to boost his man of action image.
Weapons displayed on Red Square included Russia’s Yars mobile intercontinental nuclear missile launcher, its Iskander-M ballistic missile launchers, and its advanced S-400 air defence missile system, which Moscow has deployed in Syria to protect its forces.
‘INVINCIBLE MISSILE’
The first public outing of the Kinjal (Dagger) hypersonic missile, carried by advanced MiG-31K interceptor jets, was one of several world premieres for Russian weapons.
Putin disclosed the Kinjal’s existence in March along with other missile systems he touted as unbeatable, describing how it could evade any enemy defences.
Russian media have said it can hit targets up to 2,000 km (1,250 miles) distant with nuclear or conventional warheads and that the missiles have already been deployed in Russia’s southern military district. Russia’s most advanced fifth generation Su-57 stealth fighter, which has undergone testing in Syria, also took part in the parade for the first time, as did an unmanned armoured reconnaissance and infantry support vehicle, the Uran-9.
Armed with a 30mm automatic cannon, a machine gun, anti-tank missiles and a rocket launcher, it looks like something out of a Hollywood science fiction film.
An unmanned de-mining vehicle, the Uran-6, was also put on show, as were Russia’s latest military drones and an armoured vehicle designed to support tanks on the battlefield dubbed “The Terminator” by its maker.
An advanced Russian military snowmobile fitted with a machine gun, the Berkut, built to bolster Moscow’s Arctic ambitions, also traversed the cobbled square.
The Moscow parade was one of many which took place across Russia on Wednesday involving a total of 55,000 troops, 1,200 weapons systems and 150 war planes in 28 Russian cities.
Some politicians in former Soviet republics and satellite states regard the parade as crude sabre-rattling by a resurgent Russia they say poses a threat to Europe’s security. Russia dismisses such allegations as nonsense. (Source: Reuters)
08 May 18. US Troops, Carrier Brace for Possible Fallout from Scrapped Iran Deal. A coalition commander expressed confidence Tuesday that U.S. and partnered forces in the Mideast are prepared for any provocations stemming from President Donald Trump’s scrapping of the Iran nuclear deal. The estimated 2,000 U.S. troops in Syria and 5,000 in Iraq have already been bolstered by the arrival in the eastern Mediterranean of the aircraft carrier Harry S. Truman, which began airstrikes May 3 against Islamic State targets in Syria. In a video briefing from Baghdad to the Pentagon on Tuesday, British Army Maj. Gen. Felix Gedney said, “We’ve seen no change” in the dispositions of Syrian regime forces, or Iranian and Russian proxies, in the lead-up to Trump’s announcement, but “we closely monitor all threats to our forces.”
“We retain our right to self-defense,” he said, and “we’re confident that we’ll retain the security of our forces operating in Iraq and Syria” against ISIS.
Gedney, deputy commander of strategy and support for Combined Joint Task Force-Operation Inherent Resolve, spoke hours before Trump announced at the White House that the U.S. was withdrawing from the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), which had been aimed primarily at reining in Iran’s nuclear programs.
“This was a horrible, one-sided deal that should have never, ever been made,” the president said. “It didn’t bring calm, it didn’t bring peace, and it never will.”
Trump said it was impossible for the U.S. and its allies to prevent Iran from eventually developing nuclear weapons and the means to deliver them “under the decaying and rotten structure of the current deal. The Iran deal is defective at its core.”
Just before Trump spoke, French President Emmanuel Macron warned of upheaval in the region that could lead to war.
“We would open the Pandora’s box. There could be war,” Macron told German weekly magazine Der Spiegel, adding that “I don’t think that Donald Trump wants war.”
In its deterrent role, the Truman and its strike group, consisting of the guided-missile cruiser Normandy and the guided-missile destroyers Arleigh Burke, Bulkeley, Forrest Sherman and Farragut, are expected to be joined later in the deployment by the guided missile destroyers Jason Dunham and The Sullivans, which were already in the region.
From its current station in the eastern Mediterranean, the carrier is serving two combatant commands. Its warplanes are striking from the 6th Fleet’s area of operations and hitting targets in the area of operations of the 5th Fleet, which is headquartered in Bahrain, the Navy said in a statement.
It is unclear whether the Truman and its strike group will move later in the deployment closer to Iran in the 5th Fleet’s area of operations.
Rear Adm. Gene Black, commander of the Truman’s strike group, said the carrier is focused on combating ISIS but is prepared for other missions.
“We will continue to provide commanders the ability to respond and support national security priorities, and we remain prepared to deliver precision strike capabilities, as directed,” Black said in a Navy release.
At a White House briefing after Trump spoke, National Security Adviser John Bolton said that lifting sanctions against Iran under the 2015 JCPOA helped “fuel the activity that Iran is undertaking now in Syria, its support for terrorist groups all around the region and the world like Hezbollah and Hamas.”
“To really deal with this threat and try to bring peace and stability to the Middle East, and to relieve the world of the nuclear threat, you have to go after the whole thing,” Bolton said. “This is what [Trump] talked about with the European leaders and what we’re going to try to pursue.”
One of the immediate concerns for the U.S. is that the Iranian-backed Hezbollah militias in Lebanon might respond by launching rockets into Israel.
To guard against the threat, the State Department issued a security warning Tuesday to American citizens in Israel to “consider carefully” their safety before traveling to the Golan Heights bordering Syria “until the situation stabilizes.”
Israel also opened up bomb shelters on the Golan Heights after the Israeli Defense Forces reported detecting “irregular activity of Iranian forces in Syria.”
The reaction in Congress to Trump’s announcement broke down along partisan lines, with Republicans generally supporting the president and Democrats lining up against him.
However, Rep. Mac Thornberry, R-Texas, chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, had misgivings about the swiftness of Trump’s action.
“I have no doubt that the JCPOA was flawed and that for years Iran has been deceptive about its nuclear and other programs,” Thornberry said, but “my preference would have been to give our European allies a few more months to strengthen the deal.”
The U.S. has no choice now but to “further enhance our own military capabilities” and “strengthen our alliances,” he said.
Former President Barack Obama said that withdrawing from the deal, which was the major foreign policy achievement of his administration, was “a serious mistake.”
“Without the JCPOA, the United States could eventually be left with a losing choice between a nuclear-armed Iran or another war in the Middle East,” Obama said in a statement. (Source: Military.com)
08 May 18. Coalition, Partner Forces Look to Deal Final Blow to ISIS in Syria. Coalition and partner forces are focused on eliminating the remaining Islamic State of Iraq and Syria terrorists in Syria, a top official at Combined Joint Task Force Operation Inherent Resolve said today.
“The coalition will relentlessly pursue ISIS wherever they are until they are defeated,” Maj. Gen. Felix Gedney of the British army, the task force’s deputy commander for strategy and support, told Pentagon reporters in a video briefing from Baghdad.
The Syrian Democratic Forces announced May 1 their renewed push to defeat ISIS, he said. The coalition has since conducted 40 strikes against eight ISIS-held buildings, six logistical assets, two explosive factories and two weapons caches, he added.
“This increased defensive action to destroy ISIS marks the beginning of Operation Roundup,” he said. That is the coalition name for the operations “to destroy ISIS in the final areas where they hold ground east of the Euphrates River and liberate the last of their fake caliphate,” he explained.
The global coalition of 71 nations and four international organizations remains “absolutely committed to the defeat of ISIS,” he said.
“As Operation Roundup progresses, the coalition will continue to support the Syrian Democratic Forces, compacting what’s left of ISIS in Syria as we deal the final blow,” he said.
‘Devastating Effect’ on ISIS
The Syrian Democratic Forces are securing the southeast portion of the Syria-Iraq border as part of the first phase of Operation Roundup, Gedney said. The SDF, he explained, are eliminating ISIS resistance and establishing defensive positions in coordination with the Iraqi security forces, which are operating in parallel on the Iraqi side of the border.
Meanwhile, coalition forces are supporting the efforts through air, artillery and mortar strikes against ISIS targets, he said.
The general noted that the Iraqi air force struck an ISIS headquarters target May 6 near the Syrian border town of Dashisha, further degrading ISIS operational capability throughout eastern Syria and into western Iraq.
The total liberated area in the Euphrates River valley is now more than 5,000 square kilometers, he said, an area of more than 1,900 square miles.
“Ground operations by the Syrian Democratic Forces, coupled with intelligence, surveillance and fire support provided by the coalition, are having a devastating effect on ISIS as we strike ISIS targets and Syrian Democratic Forces continue to liberate lands held by ISIS terrorists,” the general told reporters.
Continued Successes Against Terrorists
Gedney highlighted other successes against the terrorists, including an April 29 coalition strike in Dashisha that killed an Iraqi ISIS financial leader.
Additionally, an April 17 strike near the Syrian town of Hajin resulted in a “severe blow to ISIS and its leadership, killing between 37 and 40 ISIS members, including several senior commanders,” he said
“We and our partners will continue to pursue ISIS and get them off the battlefield wherever they try to hide within our area of operations,” the general said, underscoring that observations in Syria indicate morale is low among the terrorists and ISIS leaders are fleeing.
This, he said, leaves fighters with “dwindling resources and low morale.”
“ISIS fighters continue to surrender rather than face certain death as the Syrian Democratic Forces tighten their containment lines,” he said.
(Follow Lisa Ferdinando on Twitter: @FerdinandoDoD)
08 May 18. Donald Trump pulls US out of Iran nuclear deal. Move to re-impose sanctions is defeat for European allies. Donald Trump pulled the US out of the landmark nuclear deal with Tehran on Tuesday, moving to re-impose sanctions on Iran and defying pleas from close allies who had called for the agreement to be preserved. The decision marks a bitter defeat for America’s European allies, who have spent months beseeching Mr Trump to stay in a deal that he has denounced as “insane”. Critics warned it would further endanger stability in the Middle East and have repercussions for big companies doing business with Iran following the 2015 accord. In an announcement at the White House, Mr Trump said the “decaying and rotten structure” of the deal could not prevent Iran from acquiring a nuclear bomb. “The US will withdraw from the Iran nuclear deal,” he declared. “If I allowed this deal to stand, there soon would be a nuclear arms race in the Middle East.” He said the US would reimpose nuclear sanctions and “the highest level of economic sanctions” on Iran. The US Treasury department said all nuclear-related sanctions would be snapped back into place by the end of a six-month “wind-down” period. The sanctions include prohibitions on Iranians accessing US dollars, and the Trump administration will resume efforts to prevent Iranian oil from circulating on the international market. US decision on Iran nuclear deal ‘humiliating’ for Europe In a pointed rebuke to Tehran, which Mr Trump accused of lying over its nuclear development, the president said Mike Pompeo, the US secretary of state, was en route to Pyongyang to set up a summit with Kim Jong Un, the North Korean leader, to seek the dismantling of its nuclear programme. Iran ’s president Hassan Rouhani said the country would decide whether to stay in the deal or resume uranium enrichment at industrial level after talking with the other signatories over the next few weeks. But for now, he said, Iran considered that the deal remained intact. “Henceforth, the nuclear deal will be between Iran and five other countries,” said Mr Rouhani in a speech broadcast live on state television on Tuesday. He added that he had ordered the country’s Atomic Energy Organisation to be ready for “unrestricted enrichment at industrial level”. The multi-party accord, also signed by China and Russia and endorsed by the UN Security Council, was the key foreign policy achievement of Barack Obama’s presidency, curtailing Iran’s nuclear programme in exchange for limited sanctions relief. Official inspectors have declared Tehran to be in compliance with the accord. If I allowed this deal to stand, there soon would be a nuclear arms race in the Middle East Donald Trump Senior officials from France, Germany, the UK and EU met Abbas Araghchi, Iran’s deputy foreign minister, in Brussels on Tuesday for talks on how to save the deal. Federica Mogherini, the EU’s foreign policy chief, said the bloc regretted the US decision but was “determined to preserve” the deal as long as Iran remained compliant. She said she was “particularly worried” by the announcement of new sanctions and would consult on their potential impact. “As we have always said, the nuclear deal is not a bilateral agreement,” she said. “And it’s not in the hands of any single country to terminate it unilaterally.” She added: “The nuclear deal with Iran is crucial for the security of the region, of Europe and of the entire world.” Emmanuel Macron, the French president, vowed to “work collectively on a broader framework”, which would cover Iran’s nuclear activity, ballistic missile programme and “stability in the Middle East, notably Syria, Yemen, and Iraq”. Trump announces US withdrawal from Iran nuclear deal Benjamin Netanyahu, the Israeli prime minister, who had lobbied hard against the deal, thanked Mr Trump for taking a “brave and correct decision”. The Iran deal was “a recipe for disaster, a disaster for our region, a disaster for the peace of the world”, Mr Netanyahu said in a televised address after Mr Trump signed the executive order ending the deal. Oil prices rebounded following the announcement but remained down for the day. Brent, the international oil benchmark, which had fallen as much as $3 a barrel to a low of $73.10 on Tuesday, climbed back to $75.29 — down by 87 cents. West Texas Intermediate, the US marker, dropped by a similar amount to $67.63 earlier in the day but recovered more than half those losses to $69.48 a barrel. Top Trump administration officials have declared Tehran to be in compliance with the accord, including Mr Pompeo, who told the Senate in his confirmation hearing last month he had seen no evidence that Iran was failing to comply. Recommended US politics & policy Isfahan shudders as Trump casts shadow over Iran economy However, Mr Trump promised to tear up the deal as part of his 2016 election campaign, saying the agreement was a failure because it would not prevent Iran from gaining a nuclear weapon nor put a stop to its so-called malign regional activities. An existing waiver of sanctions requiring other countries to reduce imports of Iranian oil was due to expire this weekend unless the US extended it. In a joint statement, Theresa May, the UK prime minister, Angela Merkel, Germany’s chancellor, and Mr Macron of France said: “We emphasise our continuing commitment to the [deal]. This agreement remains important for our shared security . . . We urge all sides to remain committed to its full implementation and to act in a spirit of responsibility.” Europeans are alarmed by the potential consequences of Mr Trump’s withdrawal. One European diplomat said “we have yet fully to understand and spell out” what happens next. Visits to Washington by Mr Macron, Ms Merkel and Boris Johnson, UK foreign secretary, all failed to persuade the US to recommit itself to the accord. Mr Trump and some of his closest advisers argue the deal needs to be “fixed”, including by extending time limits on restraints on Iran’s nuclear activities and cracking down on Tehran’s ballistic missile activities and role in regional conflicts. (Source: FT.com)
08 May 18. Moments ago, President Trump announced that the United States would violate the terms of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), also known as the Iran nuclear deal. The United States is required to waive sanctions under the JCPOA, a step that President Trump is now refusing to do despite Iran’s full and verified compliance with the terms of the international agreement.
In reaction to Trump’s decision, Derek Johnson, executive director of the international Global Zero movement for the elimination of all nuclear weapons, issued the following statement:
“Withdrawing from the JCPOA undermines American security, credibility and standing in the world. Trump’s decision to violate an agreement that has verifiably rolled back Iran’s nuclear program defies reason and sabotages U.S. leadership and diplomacy.
“The Iran deal works and the world is safer because of it. The JCPOA stopped a nuclear arms race in the Middle East and prevented another U.S. war in the region by conclusively and verifiably dismantling the Iranian nuclear program — and imposing intrusive and permanent inspections to keep it that way. We will not get a better deal.
“The world is already grappling with multiple nuclear flashpoints; it’s hard to understand why this president is so intent on reigniting one of the fires we put out. Manufacturing a new and avoidable Iranian nuclear crisis will not make America safer or more secure, nor will it advance American interests in the region or anywhere else.
“The fallout from Trump’s decision will extend far beyond the Middle East. This is an alarming move that North Korea will find impossible to ignore as it comes to the table for historic talks on the future of its nuclear program. How can North Korea take the United States at its word if that word breaks on a president’s whim?
“There are no upsides to Trump’s decision to violate an agreement that’s working as intended. With no alternative plan to restrain Iran’s nuclear program, it’s up to the remaining parties of the JCPOA to preserve this vital agreement until the United States comes back to its senses.”
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10 May 18. Embraer breakup complications are delaying its deal with Boeing -sources. The tricky work of divvying up the three business segments of Brazilian planemaker Embraer SA (EMBR3.SA) has been delaying an agreement to combine operations with Boeing Co (BA.N), three people with knowledge of the matter said this week. The two planemakers announced last month that they were in talks to set up a new company focused on commercial aviation, excluding Embraer’s defence division and possibly its business jet unit.
The companies have won the support of Brazil’s government for such a deal, but the manoeuvre has created other headaches, according to the sources, who spoke to Reuters anonymously due to the sensitivity of talks.
Negotiators are picking through the details of long-term service contracts between the companies and working on how to distribute Embraer’s thousands of engineers, many of whom have migrated between military and civilian projects during their careers.
Asked for comment, Boeing referred to remarks by Chief Executive Dennis Muilenburg on Wednesday, when he said talks were making progress, but the Embraer deal was not a “must do.”
Embraer representatives did not respond to a request for comment.
Embraer shares in Sao Paulo erased gains after the Reuters report, closing 2.6 percent lower on Thursday.
The decision to leave Embraer’s defence operations separated has helped to overcome concerns about sovereign control of Embraer’s military programs by the Brazilian government, which holds a strategic veto over the deal, but it has not produced a final agreement as quickly as some expected.
“I’m quite optimistic,” said Defense Minister Joaquim Silva e Luna, who is responsible for the task force overseeing the deal, when asked about the negotiation. “It is in advanced stages and should be resolved this year.”
Boeing’s original proposal, a straightforward acquisition, could have been wrapped up by now, but it has proven more challenging to design an offer that leaves Embraer standing as a financially robust company focused on defence, the sources said.
Embraer’s 70- to 130-seat E-Jets, which compete with the C-Series program designed by Bombardier Inc (BBDb.TO) and run by Airbus SE (AIR.PA), account for about 60 percent of the Brazilian firm’s revenue and nearly all of its operating profit.
The company’s defence division has barely turned a profit in recent years, since Brazil’s government slashed military spending in an effort to close a gaping budget deficit.
Embraer has also been losing money on a fresh line-up of business jets, as the executive aviation market stagnates.
The companies have still not reached a final decision on whether to include the unit with the commercial jet division in the new company, in which Boeing would own a roughly 80 percent stake, according to two of the sources. (Source: Reuters)
09 May 18. SRT Marine Systems reports buoyant sales. SRT Marine Systems buoyed investors’ mood on Wednesday as the maritime technology developer said it expects to report a 22% year on year increase in annual revenues and 8% growth in profits. Along with revenues of £13.5m, the AIM-traded company also projects that it will report a profit before tax and exceptional items of £1.3m when it releases its results for the year ending 31 March in July, up from £1.2m the year before.
Simon Tucker, chief executive of SRT, said: “These results reflect the excellent progress we have made across all our business operating segments, in particularly our systems business which saw some significant milestone deliverables completed for an Asian project which we will provide more detail on in due course.”
The project could be the contract to supply an MDM national maritime domain surveillance system in South East Asia which the company saw pushed back “due to internal project review and budget issues in their current fiscal year” with the end customer last year, resulting in an impairment charge of £1.5m.
“SRT have pioneered the development of the next generation of digital maritime monitoring technologies and systems, whose adoption across the multi-billion dollar global maritime domain awareness market sector is gradually gaining pace, but still remains in its very early stages,” Tucker said. As of 0911 BST, SRT Marine Systems’ shares were up 11.76% at 23.75p. (Source: Sharecast)
10 May 18. Scisys ready for lift-off. Software solutions group Scisys (SSY) came out as a top pick from our most recent IC Alpha GARP screen, which attempts to identify cheap growth companies. On closer inspection, we think the company’s shares, which boast a price/earnings growth (PEG) ratio of just 0.9, shows some real promise.
Scisys provides software solutions to a range of niche markets, including space, defence, media and broadcast. Its prestigious client roster includes the European Space Agency and the BBC, and strong customer relationships means its divisions experience healthy levels of recurring revenue and repeat orders.
Recent trading has been impressive and a 41 percent rise in the year-end order book to a record £91.3m (£36.5m of which is due in 2018) suggests momentum will not be quick to abate. Ignoring £8.8m of sales that represent costs passed directly to customers at no profit, Scisys reported 28 per cent growth in professional fees last year to £48m. The result was buoyed both by excellent trading within its space division and a maiden contribution from Annova – a German newsroom software business bought in 2016.
The adjusted operating margin also climbed one percentage point to 8 per cent, with adjusted operating profits rising 44 per cent to £4.6m. A substantial increase in finance costs, reflecting debt taken on with the acquisition of Annova in 2016, and a noteworthy increase in tax paid, meant a more muted 9 per cent increase in underlying EPS to 10p.
All this took Scisys towards its medium-term targets: £60m sales and a double-digit margin. What’s more, net debt has fallen markedly from £10.2m at the end of 2016 to £5.9m at the end of last year. And, while reported sales are expected to fall next year, this should not be a concern as it reflects the impact of new accounting standards (IFRS 15) on how the group records its no-profit, pass-through revenues.
True, Scisys has endured difficulties in the past. When we last covered the company way back in 2015, its half-year results revealed a £1.4m write-down on a large fixed-priced contract and a significant hit from the weakening euro – the currency in which its contracts were priced. Today, however, Scisys has reduced the impact of exchange-rate movements – thanks to Annova, whose contract with the BBC boosts sterling-based cash flows.
For management, Annova presents strong ‘cross-fertilisation’ opportunities with its media and broadcast (M&B) division. M&B itself enjoyed 9 per cent revenue growth to £8.7m last year, supported by international expansion. While the enterprise solutions and defence division saw a slight drop in sales to £16.5m, space was the star performer. Sales here rose 18 per cent to £23.5m and the order book more than doubled to £34.1m.
Space order wins are particularly encouraging as Brexit uncertainty could hurt this division, although management suggests the situation may potentially create extra business. A €3.9m (£3.4m) deal announced post-period-end with Airbus provides some further comfort, and Scisys is considering a number of potential strategies to mitigate potential Brexit upset, including re-domiciling the company while retaining its Alternative Investment Market (Aim) listing.
IC View
Scisys has recovered from its 2015 difficulties, but perhaps this, as well as its small size and Brexit uncertainty contribute to the shares’ measly rate, which based on the a forward PE ratio of 12 represents about a 50 per cent discount to larger peers such as FDM and Kainos. But given the momentum in sales and orders, margin progress, a strengthening balance sheet and strong positions in niche markets, we think the discount is too harsh. What’s more, further order wins and synergies from the integration of Annova could bring positive earnings surprises to what is already strong forecast growth. With a growing dividend yield to boot, we’re buyers. Last IC View: Hold, 67p, 25 Sep 2015. (Source: Investors Chronicle)
09 May 18. L3 looks overseas in push to become ‘sixth prime.’ L3 Technologies continues to make massive changes to its personnel and portfolio as the company attempts to become the “sixth prime” contractor.
Christopher Kubasik, who took over as L3 president and CEO in January, has overseen a number of changes, including the recent $540m sale of Vertex.
“I’d say we’re more than halfway through on the changes,” he said during a May 1 earning call. “I think by the end of this calendar year, we’ll have the entire team in place and ready to go. But I’d say its 70 percent to 80 percent already done.”
Most recently, L3 hired Melanie Heitkamp to chair the company’s human resources department as senior vice president and chief human resource officer. The company also brought on John Kim as vice president of investor relations and analytics.
Kubasik hopes more international partnerships will allow L3 to capitalize on increased interest in sensor and communication technologies.
“Internationally, we visited customers in Taiwan, Japan, Singapore, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates,” he said. “There is a lot of entrants, especially in the Mideast for ISR platform[s]. … And of course that’s in our sweet spot.”
But there is also domestic interest in these technologies. “Every time I’m in the Pentagon, the discussion on multidomain and control is on the top of everybody’s mind, and I think we’re uniquely positioned to help in that challenge” Kubasik said.
So how is L3 going to become the sixth prime? For Kubaisk, its all about getting more contracts.
“The No. 1 way to improve margins in my opinion has always been to increase the denominator and to grow. And I think volume is the best way to improve your profitability,” he said. “That’s why we’ve rolled our disciplined growth strategy, and myself and my team and others have been aggressively out there meeting with customers, both as a supplier to the primes and directly to the end users, to try to jump start the growth.”
One area where L3 is looking to expand is in unmanned underwater vehicles. It’s been suggestedthe company will procure its own shipyard to solidify its position in this emerging market.
L3 has also tried cut costs where it believed it was opportune to do so. The company eliminated 140 positions from its Salt Lake City, Utah, facility earlier this year. These cuts and other restructuring efforts contribute to the $30m the company anticipates to incur in severance expenses this year. L3 believes half of these expenses will be offset by cost savings from restructuring. (Source: Defense News Early Bird/C4ISR & Networks)
10 May 18. Melrose pledges review of executive pay after GKN takeover. Lucrative long-term incentive plans have been in spotlight in recent months. Turnround group Melrose Industries has pledged to review its pay packages for executives in the wake of swallowing up engineering company GKN in a hostile deal. In a trading update on Thursday ahead of a regular shareholder meeting, the company said that “given the recent acquisition of GKN”, it “intends to review the existing Melrose remuneration arrangements and expects to consult with shareholders in the coming months”. Melrose has faced a potential shareholder fightback against high levels of pay for top bosses, four of whom snapped up at least £42m each last year under a long-term incentive plan — a potentially jarring pay package for UK politicians who have fretted about the impact of the £9bn takeover of GKN on employees. (Source: FT.com)
10 May 18. BAE Systems plc held its Annual General Meeting on May 10 at 11.00 a.m. in Farnborough, Hampshire, UK. At the meeting, Chairman, Sir Roger Carr, and Chief Executive, Charles Woodburn, commented on the performance of the Group in 2017, as detailed in the results announcement published on 22 February 2018, and outline the continued progress in the Group in the year to date.
Charles Woodburn, Chief Executive, will say: “We have a large order backlog and strong franchises with good prospects to further these positions in the coming months. The new organisation structure is now established to drive our strategic priorities to deliver both in year targets and to provide a solid foundation for medium term growth.”
The Group’s outlook remains unchanged with 2018 underlying earnings per share expected to be in line with 2017.*
The results of voting at the Annual General Meeting will be announced later today.
* Compared with the Group’s actual performance for 2017 as re-presented to reflect the impact of the adoption of IFRS 15 from 43.5p to 42.1p and assuming an average US$1.40 to sterling translation rate in 2018.
Key points in 2018 to date
In the UK, where our business is centred around our long-term contracted positions in Air and Maritime, Defence and Security remains a priority for the UK government and the Group expects this to be re-affirmed in the Modernising Defence Programme. The Group’s contracted positions in Maritime are being furthered by additional awards on the UK submarine programmes.
In the US, the fiscal year 2018 budget and the President’s proposal for 2019 maintain the positive momentum in funding for military readiness and modernisation. The Group’s US portfolio remains well aligned with customer priorities and growth areas, providing greater near-term certainty and support to our medium term planning assumptions. Production is ramping up on a number of long-term programmes in Electronic Systems, combat vehicles and weapons systems and ship repair volumes are on plan to exceed 2017.
In March, the UK Government signed a Memorandum of Intent with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to aim to finalise discussions for the purchase of 48 Typhoon aircraft. Negotiations relating to the principal terms of the agreement are progressing.
In June, we expect the final down-selection decision on US Amphibious Combat Vehicle to be announced. We are one of two competitors for this programme.
Discussions to finalise the financing conditions within the contract signed with Qatar on 10 December 2017 are progressing.
In Australia we have secured the 10 year Jindalee Operational Radar Network upgrade programme contract; were not down selected for Land 400 Phase 2 Combat Reconnaissance Vehicle programme; and expect a decision by half year on the preferred tenderer for the Commonwealth’s nine-ship SEA 5000 Future Frigate programme.
09 May 18. Japan’s Mitsubishi and Kawasaki point to defence challenges. Japan’s top two military manufacturers – Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI) and Kawasaki Heavy Industries (KHI) – have posted mixed results for fiscal year 2017 and have forecasted difficult times ahead for their respective defence divisions. MHI said on 8 May that its net sales in the fiscal year to the end of March 2018 increased year on year by 9% to JPY3.87trn (USD35.4 bn), while KHI’s sales climbed nearly 4% to JPY1.57trn. MHI’s operating income, or earnings before interest and taxes, fell 16% to JPY126.5bn while KHI’s income jumped 22% to JPY55.9bn.
MHI’s Aircraft, Defense & Space business unit posted a 3% increase in sales to JPY722.9bn but also registered a JPY15bn loss in earnings.
(Source: IHS Jane’s)
04 May 18. Hedge fund Third Point pushes United Tech to break up. Billionaire investor Daniel Loeb’s Third Point on Friday urged United Technologies Corp (UTX.N) to move more forcefully in pursuing a breakup into three businesses, arguing this could unlock $20bn in value. The New York-based hedge fund, which owns a $1bn stake in the Connecticut conglomerate, signaled to its clients that it would step up pressure on the board and management to follow through on promises to review the company’s future.
Loeb wants the company to split into three businesses: the Climate, Controls & Security division, Otis elevators, and an aerospace company (“Aerospace RemainCo”) encompassing UTAS and Pratt & Whitney. It also would include Rockwell Collins Inc (COL.N), which United Technologies is acquiring.
“A three‐way split would unlock in excess of $20bn of value, net of separation costs,” Third Point said in a letter to clients seen by Reuters on Friday.
“Third Point did not invest in UTC for what it is today but for what it could become,” the letter said, adding that the fund planned to work constructively with the company.
United Technologies shares were up 1.5 percent at $119.50.
The company said it welcomed input from shareholders but disagreed with some of the hedge fund’s points, possibly exposing areas of conflict between the two sides.
Loeb said management may be dragging its heels.
“UTC’s management has acknowledged the disconnect between the company’s intrinsic value and share price but it seems less open to a three‐way split solution than shareholders might expect,” the letter said.
In March, UTC Chief Executive Greg Hayes put a price tag of as much as $3bn on splitting the company apart, and said it could take two years to complete.
But Loeb said on Friday it could be done for less, putting the figure for refinancing debt that matures between 2020 and 2027 at around $200m.
Loeb has a history of sparring with chief executives, including those at Dow Chemical, Sotheby’s and Yahoo, and his firm’s involvement at United Technologies comes at a time when conglomerates are fighting to justify their existence.
Hayes has told investors several times that United Technologies plans to conduct a portfolio review that will include considering a three-way breakup, if appropriate, to unlock value for shareholders.
People familiar with United Tech’s thinking say executives currently need to concentrate on closing its $30bn acquisition of Rockwell Collins, which it agreed last year, and that focusing on a breakup now could be a distraction.
Loeb is not the only activist investor in United Tech. Earlier this year, William Ackman said his Pershing Square Capital Management was also invested. So far, Ackman, an often-voluble investor, has said nothing about the company. (Source: glstrade.com/Reuters)
07 May 18. Norway’s Robot Aviation Acquires Sweden’s UAS Europe. Norwegian company Robot Aviation – a producer of Unmanned Aircraft Systems – has acquired Sweden-based UAS Europe AB. Headquartered in the Swedish aviation capital of Linköping, UAS Europe is considered to be a leading developer of small unmanned aircraft systems and subcomponents. The acquisition is part of Robot Aviation’s long-term goal to provide its customers with long-endurance, safe and easy-to-operate UAS (drones) for Military & Commercial applications, increasing operational effectiveness and decreasing operational costs.
The take-over will also bring Robot Aviation an enriched R&D team with unique skills. The group’s workforce has now increased to 50 people.
“During our collaborations with Robot Aviation we have been very impressed with the team’s vision and energy. We are very happy to be joining the Robot Aviation team and to participate in the very dynamic growth of the company,” says Paul Holmstedt, the founder and CEO of UAS Europe.
“The addition of UAS Europe’s product line makes us an even more attractive provider of unmanned systems. The Robot Aviation product line has mission requirements ranging from the Arctic with its extreme challenging conditions, further down to the hot and dusty desert regions and with a high interest for maritime duties around the equator. Together with UAS Europe we provide a genuine Global Capability with maximum exportability,” says Niklas Nyroth, Director of Sales at Robot Aviation AS. Robot Aviation will complement its offering of the existing SkyRobot FX20 and SkyRobot FX450 unmanned aircraft systems with the proven Spy Owl 200 from UAS Europe under the name SkyRobot FX10. (Source: UAS VISION/Industry Europe)
04 May 18. Huntington Ingalls revenues rise by 8.7% in first quarter. US naval shipbuilder Huntington Ingalls reported results from the first quarter of its 2018 financial year on 3 May, with figures showing swift growth of both revenues and operating income.
Sales reached USD1.87bn in the three months ending 31 March, a rise of 8.7% year on year, while income growth was even more positive at 13.7%, taking it to USD191 for the quarter. However, the majority of this improvement to earnings was due to a favourable adjustment in the reporting of pension expenses; both of the company’s main shipbuilding businesses registered a reduction in operating income.
The larger of the two segments by revenue, Newport News Shipbuilding, which specialises in the construction and overhaul of nuclear-powered aircraft carrier and submarines for the US Navy, generated USD1,082m in revenue in the first quarter, up 11.5%, although operating income fell by 29.2% year on year to USD51m. (Source: IHS Jane’s)
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As a result of this and related projects we have developed relationships with buyers and funders looking to acquire or invest in the sector. We would be happy to share further insights into the sector and to carry out reviews of businesses whose shareholders are considering an exit, acquisition or fundraise.
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10 May 18. KADDB unveils Al-Wahsh C2 vehicle. Jordan’s King Abdullah II Design and Development Bureau (KADDB) has developed and tested a new variant of its 4×4 Al-Wahsh vehicle configured for the command and control (C2) and riot control role. The new C2 vehicle is derived from standard Al-Wahsh platform but has been modified internally for its specialised mission and fitted with a C2/anti-riot system developed by KADDB. Its mission equipment includes cameras installed on the upper part of the hull providing all-round situational awareness and a telescopic mast mounted at the right rear that carries day/thermal cameras and a laser rangefinder. Captured imagery from the vehicle’s cameras can be relayed to a command post. A long range acoustic device (LRAD) and two banks of electrically operated smoke grenade launchers that cover the frontal arc are also fitted to the roof. Internal mission systems include a Harris and Tetra communications system, blue force tracking system, vehicle intercom system, and the KADDB-developed Vehicular Multiband Jammer (VMBJ). The baseline vehicle’s STANAG 4569 Level 2 ballistic protection package is retained, with the bullet/splinter-resistant windows provided with wire-mesh protection. It is operated by a five-person crew comprising the commander, driver, and three operators. KADDB is quoting a gross vehicle weight of up to 18 tonnes with the vehicle being powered by a 370-hp diesel coupled to a six-speed fully automatic transmission, providing a maximum road speed of up to 110km/h. The vehicle is fitted with an independent suspension system with an approach angle of 30° and a departure angle of 40°. (Source: IHS Jane’s)
10 May 18. KADDB showcases Al-Washaq IV APC. a shield. Source: IHS Markit/Patrick Allen
Jordan’s King Abdullah II Design and Development Bureau (KADDB) has unveiled the latest version of its Al-Washaq armoured personnel carrier (APC) at the SOFEX 2018 exhibition in Amman, Jordan.
The vehicle, designated the Al-Washaq IV, is based on the Japanese Toyota Hilux 4×4 chassis fitted with a new all-welded steel body that provides the crew with protection to level B6 standard against 7.62 mm calibre rounds.
It adopts a conventional layout with the protected engine compartment in front, followed by the driver and commander’s cabin and a four-person troop compartment in the rear. Five bullet/splinter-proof vision blocks and associated firing ports are provided in either side of the rear troop compartment and rear door.
The driver and commander are provided with bullet/splinter-resistant windows and these are normally covered by wire-mesh protection.
A variety of weapons can be mounted on the roof with the example shown at SOFEX 2018 fitted with a shielded 5.56 mm light machine gun (MG), but other weapons or a remote weapon station (RWS) could also be fitted.
The original Al-Washaq vehicle has gross vehicle weight (GVW) of 3,000 kg but the Al-Washaq IV has a GVW of 4,000 kg and is powered by a diesel engine developing 147hp coupled to a manual six-speed transmission, which provides a maximum road speed of up to 100 km/h and range of up to 600 km.
Its front suspension is of the double wishbone type and fitted with an anti-roll bar while the rear suspension comprises leaf springs and hydraulic shock absorbers.
In addition to the baseline APC there is also a pick-up version with a fully protected two-door cab and a read payload bay that can also be used as a weapons platform.
(Source: IHS Jane’s)
10 May 18. Endeavor Robotics to supply lightweight FirstLook robots to USMC. The US Marine Corps (USMC) has awarded a contract to unmanned ground vehicles (UGVs) supplier Endeavor Robotics for the delivery of FirstLook robots. The $10m deal will see Endeavor provide the USMC with its lightweight, battle-proven robots that are set to be equipped with the company’s uPoint multi-robot control system. Endeavor Robotics president Tom Frost said: “FirstLook is a small robot with a big technology punch.
“It gives the Marine Corps an advanced, multi-mission robot that’s rugged, easy to carry and offers greater communications range through superior networked radios.”
The interoperable technology within Endeavor Robotics’ uPoint system is capable of significantly reducing operator training time and features a common tablet-based controller that the marines also use for their small unmanned ground vehicles (SUGVs).
The current contract follows two previous awards for the provision of Endeavor’s ‘back-packable’ SUGV robot to the USMC, which were valued at more than $24m.
Frost added: “We’re proud the marines have chosen Endeavor’s FirstLook to complement the mid-size SUGVs already on order.
“Whatever their mission or choice of robot, these two technology solutions help the Corps keep marines out of harm’s way, while accomplishing their combat duties.”
The 5lb ‘throwable’ FirstLook robots can be dropped approximately 20ft onto concrete without causing any damage.
The robots are often used to clear buildings and detect improvised explosive devices (IEDs) and are ideal for use in confined spaces such as caves, tunnels and crawl spaces.
FirstLook unit feature day / night cameras and two-way audio. They are intended to serve as the marines’ ‘eyes and ears’ during operations, thereby offering operators a greater stand-off distance from potential threats. In addition, the robot is capable of climbing over seven-inch obstacles and can automatically right itself when flipped over. (Source: naval-technology.com)
08 May 18. Following the announcement that the UK will be approaching OCCAR with a view to re-joining the BOXER programme, Rheinmetall and KMW invite potential suppliers of systems, sub-systems and materials to this Supplier Engagement Event. The format will be introductory presentations about the vehicle and the supplier opportunities, followed by a networking opportunity. There are four sessions being planned; 23rd May at St. Pierre Marriott Hotel & Country Club, Chepstow and 24th May at Pearson Engineering Armstrong Works, Scotswood Road, Newcastle upon Tyne. Identical sessions will run in the morning and the afternoon on both days.
23rd May, St. Pierre Marriott Hotel & Country Club Chepstow
24th May, Pearson Engineering, Newcastle Upon Tyne
08 May 18. Russia confirms its armed robot tank was in Syria. When Russia shows off equipment at this year’s annual victory parade, included in that number will be an armed robot that Russia claims saw action in Syria. The Uran-9 looks like a tank in miniature ― 30mm cannon on a turret on top of a small tracked body. But unlike the armored beasts of war seen on battlefields for over a century, there’s no human nestled inside. And, according to statements published today in Russia’s state-owned RIA Novosti, Deputy Minister of Defense Yuriy Borisov confirmed that the country tested Uran-9 robots in Syria.
“This is where it gets interesting. The exact RIA quote is as follows: ‘В военном ведомстве заявили, что отлично зарекомендовали себя в Сирии роботизированные комплексы ‘Уран-6’, предназначенные для разминирования местности, и ‘Уран-9’ — многофункциональные комплексы разведки и огневой поддержки подразделений на поле боя’,” says Samuel Bendett, a research analyst at the Center for Naval Analyses. “Verbatim translation: The defense ministry announced that the robotic Uran-6 complexes designed for mine clearance were well-proven in Syria, as well as Uran-9 multifunctional reconnaissance and fire support system.”
While observers have written about the Uran-6 mine-clearing robot in Syria, and Russian media has even released video of the Uran-6 in action, the Uran-9 would be an altogether different phenomenon. Bendett says that, is all his time following Russia’s use of robots in Syria, there was only a single instance that purported to be the Uran-9, an instance that under further scrutiny was revealed to be not the robot, but a blurry photograph of a souped-up Soviet battle tank, the T-55 MBT, in Syrian government hands.
“In reality, Uran-9 tests in Syria should have garnered major attention from all major Russian news outlets, given how proud Russian are of their remote-controlled tank,” says Bendett. “Still, such tests may have taken place in secret – the way Russians supposedly tested Soratnik UGV in ‘near-combat conditions.’ Such ‘conditions’ may or may not have referred to Syria proper, although officially Russians announced tests at temperatures exceeding +30 Celsius, which many thought means Syria. Such tests may in fact have taken place in Russia’s own Ryn Desert – we tend to forget that Russia actually has a real desert near Kazakh border, on the Caspian Sea shore, with extreme heat of up to +45 Celsius.”
The statement from Borisov is clearer about the theater in which the robot was tested, but doesn’t resolve any of the questions about why no observers have spotted the Uran-9 yet, and why Russian media itself hasn’t heralded the fighting power of the robot. Indeed, when it comes to listing the capabilities of the machine, RIA is upfront.
“According to MOD as quoted in that RIA NOVOSTI article”, Bendett translates, “’Uran-9’ was created to protect personnel from enemy’s fire. It has powerful weapons that can hit not only live force and lightly armored vehicles, but also tanks, as well as other highly protected objects. Uran-9 is built into the Unified Control System at the tactical level, and has protection from unauthorized access and electronic warfare means.”
The exact nature of the armament here is less interesting than the fact that the Uran-9 is armed. How armed robots are fielded and controlled is a question for the future and a pressing concern on battlefields today. If the control is at the tactical level, what rank does that put the person operating it? Are they directing the Uran-9 by waypoints on a tablet or steering it remotely, with a person constantly responsible for its every movement. What kind of communications is it relaying back to the person operating (supervising?) it? Is it making targeting decisions on its own, and then checking in with a human before firing? Just how protected from unauthorized access can a robot be when it’s controlled in-theater.
And finally: if the Uran-9 is in fact in Syria, why hasn’t it been seen in combat yet, and what is Russia learning from the experience? Syria is hardly the first civil war to be used as a testing ground for new weapons of war, and how those lessons are interpreted can have far-reaching ramifications for entire families of technology. (Source: Defense News)
03 May 18. United Kingdom-Telford: Parts of military vehicles, 2018/S 087-196450
Contract notice
Supplies
Directive 2009/81/EC
Section I: Contracting authority/entity
I.1)Name, addresses and contact point(s)
Ministry of Defence, DSG, Defence Support Group (DSG)
Contact point(s): William Malcolm
TF2 8JT Telford
United Kingdom
Telephone: +44 1952967383
E-mail:
Section II: Object of the contract
II.1)Description
II.1.1)Title attributed to the contract by the contracting authority:
IRM18/5942 Supply of Spares for the Armoured Tracked Platforms
II.1.2)Type of contract and location of works, place of delivery or of performance
Supplies
Purchase
Main site or location of works, place of delivery or of performance: Telford and Wrekin.
NUTS code UKG21
II.1.3)Information on framework agreement
The notice involves the establishment of a framework agreement
II.1.4)Information on framework agreement
Justification for a framework agreement, the duration of which exceeds seven years:
Estimated total value of purchases for the entire duration of the framework agreement
Estimated value excluding VAT:
Range: between 4 500 000 and 10 000 000 GBP
II.1.5)Short description of the contract or purchase(s):
Parts of military vehicles. The supply of Major Platform spares associated with Armoured Fighting Vehicles.
II.1.6)Common procurement vocabulary (CPV)
35420000
II.2.1)Total quantity or scope:
Consumables including however not limited to Interior and Exterior Furniture, Drivetrain, Steering and Suspension, Air Con, Fire Detection and Mod Kits and Weapon Accessories in support of the Armoured Track Platforms such as: Warrior, Challenger 2, CRAVV, CVRT, Bulldog (not exhaustive). Babcock DSG Ltd (Babcock), acting as agent on behalf of the UK Ministry of Defence (Authority), is considering establishing a Framework Agreement/Enabling Contracts (with no commitment on volume) to provide an enduring means of supply for the Armoured Track Platforms. The duration of the Framework Agreement shall be for 2 years with 1 + 1 year options to extend.
It is the Authority’s intention to invite up to 8 economic operators to tender for the Framework Agreement, although the Authority reserves the right to proceed with more or fewer economic operators. Only those economic operators who provide all mandatory information are not subject to mandatory exclusion and pass all minimum eligibility criteria will be invited to tender.
The Framework Agreement procurement will be conducted on a sample of items that are representative to the range of items in scope of this requirement. Economic operators can contact to obtain a list of the items (by NATO Stock Numbers). Tenderers shall be provided with NATO Stock Numbers, any available technical data (to include drawings, specifications, etc.) and shall be informed of any required compliance standards. Tenderers shall be expected to provide items which comply with the requirements of CSIS (the Codification Support Information System maintained by the United Kingdom National Codification Bureau), any relevant technical data and any applicable compliance standards.
Tenderers should be aware that a failure to submit a Tender for all mandatory items listed in the Invitation to Tender (ITT) will result in that Tender being deemed non-compliant.
In accordance with the government’s agenda, the Authority shall publish the ITT and Contract documents online. Further guidance shall be provided with the ITT.
No business whatsoever is guaranteed under any resulting framework agreement or contract indeed there is no guarantee that any framework agreement or contract will be put in place in relation to this notice. No compensation etc will be paid if a tender or resulting framework agreement is withdrawn for any reason. Bidders should take part in this process only on the basis that they fully understand and accept this position.
Estimated value excluding VAT:
Range: between 4 500 000 and 10 000 000 GBP
II.2.2)Information about options
Options: yes
Description of these options: 2×1 year options
II.2.3)Information about renewals–
II.3)Duration of the contract or time limit for completion
Duration in months: 48 (from the award of the contract)
Section III: Legal, economic, financial and technical information
III.1)Conditions relating to the contract
III.1.1)Deposits and guarantees required:
The requirement that is stated in the PQQ shall prevail.
III.1.2)Main financing conditions and payment arrangements and/or reference to the relevant provisions governing them:
The requirement that is stated in the PQQ shall prevail.
III.1.3)Legal form to be taken by the group of economic operators to whom the contract is to be awarded:
The requirement that is stated in the PQQ shall prevail.
III.1.4)Other particular conditions to which the performance of the contract is subject, in particular with regard to security of supply and security of information:
The requirement that is stated in the PQQ shall prevail.
III.1.5)Information about security clearance:
III.2)Conditions for participation
IV.1.1)Type of procedure
Restricted
IV.1.2)Limitations on the number of operators who will be invited to tender or to participate
Envisaged number of operators 8
Objective criteria for choosing the limited number of candidates:
IV.2.2)Information about electronic auction
An electronic auction has been used: no
IV.3.1)File reference number attributed by the contracting authority:
IRM18/5942
IV.3.4)Time limit for receipt of tenders or requests to participate
19.6.2018 – 15:00
VI.4)Procedures for appeal
VI.4.1)Body responsible for appeal procedures
Ministry of Defence, DSG, Defence Support Group (DSG)
TF2 8JT Telford
United Kingdom
E-mail:
Telephone: +44 1952967383
Internet address: www.babcockinternational.com
VI.4.2)Lodging of appeals
VI.4.3)Service from which information about the lodging of appeals may be obtained
VI.5)Date of dispatch of this notice:
3.5.2018
(Source: Europa TED)
08 May 18. What’s driving the Middle East’s armored vehicles market? When it comes to achieving military self-reliance in the Middle East, technology transfer and the expansion of local production for international export are common objectives of regional countries. This is especially the case for the armored vehicles market, according to a recent analysis.
A report published by the global consulting firm MarketsandMarkets says the armored vehicles market is expected to reach more than $31bn by 2021, growing at a compound annual growth rate of 5.6 percent as conflict spreads and acts of violence become more common.
Hence, “the ability to maintain and repair sophisticated, land-based military equipment locally has become a necessity ― not to mention the manufacturing process,” explained military expert Naji Malaeb, who is the editor in chief of sdarabia.com, which is a partner of Defense News.
He specifically mentioned “Saudi Arabia and UAE’s heavy participation in the Yemeni war; Egypt’s large-scale engagement against Islamic militants in the restive northern Sinai; and Jordan’s continuous effort to secure its borders amid fears of Islamic State fighters slipping from Iraq and Syria.”
So where does the Middle East stand today in terms of both critical objectives?
Technology transfer: Make it or break it
“If Western providers of military equipment ― mainly the U.S and Europeans ― want to work with local Arab companies, they will have to transfer their technical knowledge to the ones that are part of a rising indigenous defense sector,” an industry official told Defense News, speaking on condition of anonymity.
The official stressed the Gulf’s capability to “turn its back on the U.S. and European suppliers,” noting that “if they [the U.S. and Europe suppliers] don’t help them [Gulf states] with what they need, there will be no other choice but to try to get it somewhere else to protect their security needs.” That alternative could be Russia.
For his part, Abdallah Al Salman, marketing and communication manager at Jordan-based KADDB Investment Group, stressed the country’s pioneer spirit in technology transfer “given the highly qualified human resources in Jordan and the different partnerships over the years with global industry leaders.”
“There is no doubt that some Arab countries are becoming more aware of the importance of technology transfer and are capitalizing on building their local capabilities through manufacturing certain parts locally as part of their purchasing contracts, which is a globally growing trend nowadays,” he said.
However, some analysts are skeptical when it comes to this specific matter; Anshu Vats, a partner and the head of the public sector unit for the Middle East at consulting firm Oliver Wyman, and Mark Serrano, a principal in the same unit expressed a differing view in their report “Military Self-Reliance in the GCC: From Purchasing Power to Industry Powerhouse.” Referring to the Gulf Cooperation Council, the co-authors said “the GCC has lacked the capability to absorb the technology, due to the shortage of nationals in the defense industry and the limited pipeline of [science, technology, engineering and mathematics] graduates.”
“The parts of the value chain that GCC countries currently operate in are labor intensive, and so when there is a transfer of technology, they end up employing expatriate labor to implement the foreign technology,” they explained. “This, therefore, does not serve the objective of localizing the defense industry.”
Going global: International export goals
In the United Arab Emirates, Nimr Automotive was able to hit the international market running and now plans to increase exports of its military-grade vehicles to international markets over the next five years.
The Emirates Defence Industries Company subsidiary delivered its first batch of vehicles outside the Middle East and North Africa region last year to Turkmenistan, with further exports to hit Thailand and Malaysia in 2018. Nimr also added Europe to the list after signing a strategic partnership agreement with the Czech Republic’s VOP CZ at the 2017 International Defence Exhibition and Conference.
And yet Fahad Mohamed Al Absi, commercial director at Nimr, believes “the stage reached by Arab and Gulf countries in the field of military industrialization is well overdue.”
NIMR Automotive, of the United Arab Emirates, shows off its Rapid Intervention Vehicle to Defense News. (Puja Murgai and Daniel Woolfolk/Staff)
“The military industry in the UAE ― or even in the rest of the Arab countries ― has the capacity and potential for industrialization, but the thing that can truly help improve those opportunities is that the local market supplier shouldn’t be an agent resource,” he said.
“This same resource must be a manufacturer, able to produce and supply the raw materials according to the needs of our market and others in the Middle East. What can limit the possibilities of our progress is our continuous, [heavy reliance] on imports.”
Fahad admits that some Arab manufacturers are indeed making their own products from raw materials and “the sophistication is gradually developing, but still weak.”
The latest numbers on arms imports by Middle Eastern countries show an increase by 103 percent between 2008 and 2012 as well as 2013 and 2017, and it accounted for 32 percent of global arms imports from 2013-2017, according to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute.
“Widespread violent conflict in the Middle East and concerns about human rights have led to political debate in Western Europe and North America about restricting arms sales,“ said Pieter Wezeman, senior researcher with the SIPRI Arms and Military Expenditure Programme. “Yet the USA and European states remain the main arms exporters to the region and supplied over 98 percent of weapons imported by Saudi Arabia.”
Jordan, on the other hand, was able to export some of its local military products to 35 countries in the world ― Arab and non-Arab ― including organizations such as the United Nations that are currently using the Toyota Land Cruiser manufactured in Jordan, according to Al Salman.
“In the last few years, we have proudly managed to develop new products that best suit our targeted markets, such as Al-Washaq, the fourth-generation of Al-Jawad, and Al-Wahsh.”
Al-Jawad’s fourth-generation version comes as continuity to the success of previous generations. It serves as an internal security vehicle and provides high levels of protection standards with CEN level B6 protection. Al-Wahsh, on the other hand, is an armored vehicle designed and developed for modern warfare as well as internal security mission requirements, and to operate in a number of terrains.
For his part, one Saudi industrial official told Defense News on condition of anonymity: “Today’s era is an open one in the face of military industries, but the challenge remains in achieving the ability to work on high-tech knowledge especially in the domain of air defense systems and long-range missiles.
“But for the rest of the military equipment, especially the armored vehicles, Saudi Arabia is considered a front-runner, as it is now working on producing a 100 percent indigenous, brand-new vehicle with a B7 level of protection, which is expected to replace the Hummer vehicles in service today.
“We have attained a high level of production industry that can be comparable with the rest of the world,” the source added, referring to Vision 2030, Saudi Arabia’s effort to increasingly meet its defense requirements from domestic industry.
“For example, Al Tawiq armored vehicle was able to pass rough tests in comparison with other four international ones and was equated with the rest of the vehicles. As for the Al Tawiq’s structure, it was sent to a company in Belgium that gave the armored vehicle the highest rank [95 out of 100].” (Source: Defense News)
08 May 18. Oshkosh Defense, LLC, an Oshkosh Corporation (NYSE: OSK) company, showcased its Special Purposes All-Terrain Vehicle (S-ATV) at the Special Operations Forces Exhibition & Conference (SOFEX), taking place May 8-10 in Amman, Jordan. The S-ATV is lightweight and agile, with a modular design to meet a diverse range of mission requirements for armed forces in the United States, Middle East, and around the world.
“Building on the success of Oshkosh’s proven off-road military vehicles, the Oshkosh S-ATV is a military-grade platform that is rugged, versatile, and built for speed,” said Mike Ivy, Vice President and General Manager of International Programs, Oshkosh Defense. “With its superior levels of off-road mobility and maneuverability, as well as its ability to disembark aircraft with primary weapons ready to fire in 60 seconds or less, the S-ATV enables Special Forces units to deploy quickly with stealth and agility in the most severe environments.”
The S-ATV comes equipped with the Oshkosh TAK-4i® intelligent independent suspension system, providing soldiers with superior maneuverability and a smooth ride. The Oshkosh S-ATV can operate in the harshest terrain with a 70 percent off-road profile capability and cruising range of 800 km at 110 kilometers per hour, with a top speed of 145 kph.
The S-ATV is available in multiple configurations with varying protection levels, making the platform easily transportable via both fixed and rotary-wing platforms; it can be carried internally in a CH-47 or externally under either a CH-47 or CH-53.
08 May 18. Big boost for Make in India! L&T to start supply of K9 Vajra-T soon. The first batch of K9 Vajra-T, the 155mm/52 calibre self-propelled gun system which is developed by Larsen and Toubro (L&T) Defence & Aerospace division will be delivered to the Indian Army by the first week of June.
The first batch of K9 Vajra-T, the 155mm/52 calibre self-propelled gun system which is developed by Larsen and Toubro (L&T) Defence & Aerospace division will be delivered to the Indian Army by the first week of June. The Ministry of Defence had given the contract to the company after L&T and a South Korea based defence company Hanwha Techwin signed a partnership pact during the DefExpo 2018. The Ministry of Defence had given a contract of Rs. 4,500 crore for the supply of 100 guns.
Jayant Patil, Director of Defence of L&T had told the media that the company had already started developing the guns and that it would first supply 25 guns, as all the necessary trials and tests had been conducted. He also assured that the rest of the guns would be supplied within the time frame given by the Ministry of Defence. The deal has not just boosted the Ministry of Defence’s ambitious ‘Make in India’ initiative, but it has also made South Korea a major defence collaborator with India. The technology to develop the K-9 Vajra-T guns will be provided by the South Korean defence company, and out of the 100 that has been ordered, 90 will be completely developed by L&T in their Strategic Systems Complex at Talegaon near Pune in Maharashtra.
Earlier, the Ministry of Defence had shortlisted four defence production companies to procure self-propelled guns for the Indian Army. However, L&T with its South Korean partner Hanwha Techwin, erstwhile Samsung Techwin, was the sole bidder, making them defacto defence company that was supplying the self-propelled gun system.
The K9 Vajra-T is an indigenous variant of the K9 Thunder, often termed as the world’s best 155mm/52 calibre self-propelled gun system. The K9 Vajra-T would serve as one of the main deterrents in conventional warfare. The Indian army which faces border threat from both Pakistan and China would benefit from deploying the K9 Vajra-T in the border areas. The gun system has also proven to withstand extreme weather conditions both severely cold areas and as well as desert terrain. It is also equipped with longer firing range with a higher rate of accuracy and effective state-of-the-art firing capabilities. (Source: Google/www.financialexpress.com)
08 May 18. US Army advancing unmanned Robotic Wingman vehicle technology. The US Army’s Robotic Wingman Joint Capability Technology Demonstration (JCTD) programme will advance from an armed, unmanned Humvee truck to a tracked M113 armoured personnel carrier.
Army Tank Automotive Research, Development and Engineering Center (TARDEC) “is co-ordinating the whole effort and the robotic portion of that, based on technology that we helped develop for them originally under a programme called DSAT [Dismounted Soldier Autonomy Tools], which started in 2012”, Chris Mentzer, manager for research and development at the Southwest Research Institute, told Jane’s at Xponential 2018 in Denver, Colorado.
As part of this effort, a vehicle was deployed to Afghanistan in 2014. Demonstrations have been done with a Humvee mounting a 7.62 mm remote weapon station firing at targets. The Army Armaments Research, Development, and Engineering Center (ARDEC) and Picatinny have been working on a new remote weapon station, as issues were encountered with the previous M240B machine gun (the gas-driven gun would jam). The new effort will use the same calibre but will be electrically driven. A human must ‘pull’ the trigger.
The Wingman programme is intended to increased stand-off ranges between friendly and enemy forces. The ARDEC and the Naval Surface Warfare Center (NSWC) at Dahlgren are also partners in the programme, which ran unofficially for several years but became official in 2017. Now, the USD20m effort will run for three years.
The Robotic Technology Kernel (RTK) autonomy system is used for planning and controlling the vehicle’s mobility. The system incorporates driving cameras for remote operation, LIDAR (light detection and ranging) sensors for object detection, stereo cameras for terrain and object classification, computers, and radios, as well as the hardware, cables, and mounts. The system can be manually teleoperated or autonomously driven through waypoint navigation. (Source: IHS Jane’s)
08 May 18. Largest AFV built in Jordan. The King Abdullah II Design and Development Bureau (KADDB) (Hall 5) is showing its latest Al-Mared (8×8) armoured fighting vehicle (AFV) in the armoured personnel carrier (APC) configuration. For a high level of cross-country mobility, the Al- Mared is based on a Tatra chassis, to which is fitted an all-welded steel body, claimed to provide ballistic protection up to STANAG 4569 Level 4, but with growth potential to Level 5. The lower part of the hull is of the traditional V-type to protect against mines and improvised explosive devices. One of the Al-Mareds being shown at SOFEX is fitted with the KADDB Snake Head cupola, which is typically armed with a 12.7mm M2 HB machine gun, with bullet/splinter-proof windows providing a high level of situational awareness. The power pack is mounted towards the front on the right side and consists of a 420hp diesel coupled to a six-speed fully automatic transmission, giving a maximum road speed of 110 km/h. Gross vehicle weight depends on the weapon fit, but is typically around 25 tonnes, including the crew, weapon station, fuel and other onboard equipment. In addition to the commander and driver, the Al-Mared carries eight dismounts who can rapidly enter and leave the vehicle via the large power-operated ramp in the rear of the hull. For a higher level of crew survivability, the dismounts are seated on blast-attenuating seats in the rear troop compartment, facing inwards. The Al-Mared is the largest wheeled AFV to be developed by KADDB and complements its Al- Wahsh (4×4), which is already in production and service in Jordan. (Source: IHS Jane’s)
04 May 18. Minotor-Service details Vitim amphibious armoured vehicle family. Belarus’ Minotor-Service automotive company has revealed details of its latest Vitim family of amphibious armoured vehicles designed for
patrol, escort, and fire support missions. The baseline Vitim 4×4 vehicle features a welded monocoque armoured hull, providing Level 2 STANAG 4569 protection against 7.62 mm rounds while belly armour protects the crew and mounted soldiers against F-1 or RGO hand grenades, as well as improvised explosive devices (IEDs) equivalent to 0.5kg of TNT. The vehicle is operated by a two-person crew, with provision for up to four fully-equipped soldiers. It has a curb weight of 6,000kg, a payload of 1,000kg, and a ground clearance of 430mm. A YaMZ turbocharged diesel engine with a power output of 215hp, coupled to a five-speed mechanical gearbox, enables the vehicle to achieve a maximum road speed of 125 km/h and cruising range of 800km. It is also capable of swimming at a speed of 5km/h. Minotor-Service has also designed two logistics vehicles based on the Vitim chassis: the Vitim-668240 and TZM-2A6M4.
The Vitim-668240 is a 6×6 vehicle with a lengthened chassis. The four passenger seats of the baseline 4×4 model are replaced by an open-topped cargo compartment covered by a canvas hood. This variant has a curb weight of 7,500kg and a payload capacity of 3,500kg, with the other specifications being the same as the baseline model. (Source: IHS Jane’s)
04 May 18. Fort Benning to become the ‘Robotic Centre of the Universe.’ The US Army is establishing a robotics centre of excellence at Fort Benning in Georgia, Edwin Davis, deputy director of the service’s Maneuver Battle Lab (MBL), announced at the Xponential 2018 conference in Denver, Colorado. Davis said Fort Benning was chosen in part for its proximity to other centres of excellence with supporting technologies. In mid-July the base will hold industry days, and in October it will host a ‘Botober Fest’ for industry to showcase new and innovative technologies. The goal is to integrate robotics and autonomous systems into current and future combat teams. The MBL is looking for multidomain unmanned systems that can manoeuvre on the ground and in the air and water. (Source: IHS Jane’s)
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Millbrook, based in Bedfordshire, UK, makes a significant contribution to the quality and performance of military vehicles worldwide. Its specialist expertise is focussed in two distinct areas: test programmes to help armed services and their suppliers ensure that their vehicles and systems work as the specification requires; and design and build work to upgrade new or existing vehicles, evaluate vehicle capability and investigate in-service failures. Complementing these is driver and service training and a hospitality business that allows customers to use selected areas of Millbrook’s remarkable facilities for demonstrations and exhibitions.
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10 May 18. RoK Air Force prioritises Industry 4.0 technologies. The Republic of Korea Air Force (RoKAF) announced a plan on 10 May to modernise capabilities through the integration of Industry 4.0 technologies including automation, artificial intelligence (AI), and virtual reality. RoKAF said in a press release that the ‘smart air power’ plan is intended to boost capability to meet future war-fighting requirements, introduce cost efficiencies, improve internal systems and procedures, and enhance the skill base of personnel. The RoKAF also outlined several related tasks it wants to undertake in collaboration with local industry. These include projects to develop AI-based control systems, training and simulation systems based on virtual reality technologies, advanced sensors, AI-based control systems for unmanned aerial vehicles, and integrating new technologies into the RoKAF’s information and communications infrastructure. (Source: IHS Jane’s)
10 May 18. TMD exhibits a range of TWT and solid state based MPMs for advanced radar and EW defence and security systems – on Stand 12, ADS UK Pavilion, Eurosatory 2018. World leader, West London based, TMD Technologies Limited (TMD) – specialising in professional products for applications in the defence microwave and RF field – will be showing a range of microwave power modules (MPMs) plus intelligent instrumentation amplifiers at Eurosatory 2018 in Paris.
“The Eurosatory exhibition provides the ideal venue for showcasing our latest products to the international land and airborne defence and security community”, said Steve Humphries, TMD’s Territory Manager, Europe and Africa. “Moreover, being part of the ADS UK Pavilion, hosted in partnership with the UK government, offers us a great opportunity to meet with just the right senior staff, government officials and delegations.”
“We have taken a stand at Eurosatory several times before”, said Stuart Love, Senior Sales Manager, UK and Europe, “and each time we have received great interest in our microwave products. This time we are showcasing several of our very latest MPMs, namely: the new travelling wave tube (TWT) based 30-40 GHz Ka band PTX8807, high-power 6-18 GHz PTX8110 and high-power 34-36 GHz Ka band PTX8815 – products not to be missed by all those involved with high performance radar and EW systems!” (see below).
New line of TWT based Ka band MPMs
The PTX8807 heralds a new line of TWT based, Ka band compact MPMs from TMD. It features simplified integration for high performance EW and radar systems and provides an output power of up to 200 W over a 30-40 GHz range. Comprising a high-power Ka band helix TWT and switched mode power supply it forms a single ‘drop-in’ unit without the need for high voltage connections, and eliminating any associated reliability problems. High electrical efficiency ensures the minimum cooling requirements, with reliable operation over a wide temperature range. The PTX8807 provides top performance at high altitude and in high humidity, and is easily integrated into a variety of airborne platforms. It also features remote operation and status monitoring.
PTX8110 MPM for high performance radar and EW systems requiring higher power
The new PTX8110 operates from 6-18 GHz at 200 W and, with its compact design, is easily integrated into those high performance EW and radar systems requiring more power. Comprising a high-power helix TWT and switched mode power supply, the PTX8110 forms a single ‘drop-in’ microwave amplifier unit without the need for potentially unreliable high voltage TWT interconnections. A low gain TWT is specified together with a low noise solid state pre-amplifier to provide optimum noise performance.
PTX8815 Ka band MPM for high performance radar
The new PTX8815 TWTA from TMD is designed for Ka band radar applications such as naval fire control. Featuring broadband capability, covering 34–36 GHz, it offers a peak power of over 1100 W in the mid-band, and 600 W at the band edges with a maximum duty of up to 12%. This top class TWTA is the answer to high fidelity radar requirements for low close-to-carrier phase noise and spurious performance.
PTS6900 solid state MPM optimised for EW/ECM
TMD’s solid state PTS6900 MPM epitomises the company’s expertise in solid state technology. Employing advanced GaN MMIC technology, the unit offers high performance over a 2-6 GHz range with an output power of 150 W, and is designed for fast integration into EW/ECM systems. Because of its superior design and construction, the PTS6900 has a predicted 30,000 hours MTBF in an airborne uninhabited fighter environment.
PTXM Series ultra compact MPMs – for airborne radar, EW and communications
Also on show will be the PTXM Series ultra-compact MPMs. Featuring low volume and low weight these units are ideal for UAVs. They operate over the frequency range 4.5 to 18 GHZ with output powers up to 140 W, and offer probably the highest power density on the market.
PTCM Series – ideal for radar and EW threat simulation
The PTCM Series TWT intelligent instrumentation amplifiers operate over a frequency range from DC to 40 GHz with a power output up to 50 kW. Of customisable 6U high rack mounting construction, they are designed to deliver the highest field strengths in the test environment. The user benefits provided by these highly intelligent amplifiers include self-test, fault diagnosis, modular plug and play replaceable printed circuit boards.
09 May 18. South Australian firm REDARC Electronics has signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with UK-based advanced manufacturing company MARL International to manufacture and support special light emitting diodes (LED) to be installed in the Type 26 Global Combat Ship.
That’s if BAE Systems is successful in its bid to construct the nine Future Frigates for the Australian Navy under project SEA 5000.
BAE Systems is one of three firms under consideration, with a decision set to be announced early in June.
The agreement with REDARC was facilitated through BAE Systems Australia’s Global Access Program and has aligned two similar companies to work together to share technology.
That will enable local manufacturing and ongoing support of the advanced LED lighting solutions required for the GCS.
REDARC said the MOU further expanded MARL International and REDARC involvement in the international defence sector.
It covers an agreement to exchange technology to enable REDARC to manufacture LED lighting components, control systems and power supply units designed by MARL in the UK specifically to support military vessels.
This agreement also opens the path for MARL and REDARC to offer LED lighting solutions to other maritime programs in Australia.
MARL managing director Adrian Rawlinson said the support provided by BAE Systems’ Global Access Program enabled them to bring two great companies together.
“Not only will this relationship allow us to transfer technology enabling the local manufacture and ongoing support of our LED lighting technology in Australia, but it also allows our companies to collaborate on other opportunities on a larger scale,” he said.
“REDARC offers MARL the opportunity for a single relationship into Australia, where REDARC will use its local supply chain to provide the entire LED lighting solution for maritime contracts.”
MARL International is a privately-owned British company founded in 1973 to provide custom LED lighting and electrical solutions to the European and US aviation, rail and defence sectors.
REDARC managing director Anthony Kittel said the company had established itself as a high-quality SME in the Australian military vehicle and naval systems sector over the past five years.
“This latest announcement is a great testament of our ability to work in the competitive defence sector,” he said.
“It means we are well positioned to provide world-class innovation to help BAE Systems deliver Australian industry content on the most advanced frigate in the world.”
Founded in 1979, REDARC is a privately-owned Australian SME successfully supplying patented electronic solutions to global markets including automotive, mining, defence and emergency services. (Source: Defence Connect)
10 May 18. Epiq Solutions and Information Assurance Specialists Announce Teaming Agreement to Develop Programmable, Highly Secure IP Routers. Epiq Solutions and Information Assurance Specialists (IAS), two companies committed to providing low size, weight and power (SWaP), wireless solutions for mission critical applications, have signed a teaming agreement to collaborate on highly secure, small form factor IP routers with embedded software defined radio (SDR) technology. This new, portable product line is designed for government and military customers who require security for their communications and other wireless applications. Under the agreement, Epiq Solutions brings the Sidekiq™ family of low-SWaP, extremely flexible RF transceivers to IAS’s light-weight, ruggedized MICRO and PICO IP routers, producing a powerful combination of SDR applications with NSA Suite B IPSec VPN Tunneling over a wide array of WAN technologies.
“Leveraging the TRL-9 products of both companies instantly enables wireless security for custom or turnkey applications running on Sidekiq, including our popular Skylight™ cellular survey tool.”
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The two companies’ products are a natural fit with their shared focus on small size and low power solutions. Epiq Solutions’ Sidekiq SDR cards provide breakthrough small form-factor wideband RF transceivers for integration into portable systems that require flexible tuning ranges (70 MHz to 6 GHz) and on board processing and programmable logic. The IAS Router family is also ideal for portable systems, and are used in applications where secured enterprise or Department of Defense grade network connectivity is required.
“Putting our micro-miniature Sidekiq radios inside of IAS’s secure router products opens the door to a whole new world of possibilities for the customers and missions that we support,” stated Bill Sims, Director of Government Operations at Epiq Solutions. “Leveraging the TRL-9 products of both companies instantly enables wireless security for custom or turnkey applications running on Sidekiq, including our popular Skylight™ cellular survey tool.”
“Integrating the Epiq Solutions’ SDR radio technology into our secure IP Routers enables our Department of Defense and government customers to deploy hyper small RF collection and processing devices and securely backhaul data collected to another location anywhere in the world” said Keir Tomasso, president/CTO at IAS. “The addition of this unique capability is another example of our commitment to providing innovative technologies to support ever-evolving mission requirements.”
Epiq Solutions will be demonstrating an embedded Sidekiq within an IAS Router at Booth 521 for SOFIC in Tampa, FL, May 21 – 24, 2018.
(Source: BUSINESS WIRE)
09 May 18. Smart power and data hub for the digital soldier. Being exhibited for the first time at SOFEX is the Star-Pan VI power distribution and data hub unit from Glenair Tactical Interconnect Solution (Hall 1, Stand B104). The soldier-worn system is primarily aimed at Special Forces and joint terminal attack controllers (JTAC), who often operate for extended periods while employing a number of peripheral devices and managing various data sources.
Star-Pan has already been supplied to special forces in the US and Europe. Part of a family of units with varying numbers of ports for peripheral equipment, the Star- Pan VI is a compact unit that off ers four ports for personal area network (PAN) peripherals and two for radios. Additionally, the unit has two power ports – one for connection to the soldier’s main wearable battery pack and one for auxiliary power sources such as could be provided by a vehicle connector or solar cell – as well as a dedicated port that supports the end-user device (EUD), typically a chest-worn ruggedised tablet.
As a data hub, the Star-Pan VI links peripherals such as radios, secure data receivers, laser rangefinders and other C4ISR systems, allowing them to ‘talk’ to each other and present data such as downlinked video, night vision imagery, Blue Force tracking and GPS information on the EUD screen. Harnessing this digitally aided close air support technology, Star-Pan VI allows the JTAC to provide precise aiming co-ordinates to attacking aircraft in as short a time as three minutes. Using traditional equipment, it could take a JTAC as long as 15 minutes to create and transmit a ‘nineline’ attack brief to the aircraft.
In terms of power management, the Star-Pan VI automatically monitors and optimises the power needs of all connected systems, as well as managing power supply from any power sources, including the batteries within connected peripheral devices such as tactical radios. The unit can be configured to prioritise various systems in cases where there are conflicting power requirements as overall system power levels are reduced.
This provides the soldier with effective power management of vital systems over extended dismounted operations without an external power supply, such as border patrols that could be away from power for 72 hours or so. Control of the system is undertaken via an application that is loaded in the EUD. Using this app the soldier can access an instant overview of what is connected to the system, and how much overall power is available. It also displays power level status while charging.
(Source: IHS Jane’s)
08 May 18. China looks to corporatise military research institutes. The Chinese government has approved new measures to transform some of the military research institutes operated by state-owned enterprises into limited companies. In a press release on 7 May, China’s State Administration for Science, Technology and Industry for National Defence (SASTIND) said the first institute to change its status will be the Automation Research Institute (ARI) run by the China South Industries Group Corporation (CSGC).
The ARI develops unmanned systems and related technologies such as tethered surveillance and targeting unmanned aerial vehicles. It is one of more than 60 enterprises and research institutions operated by CSGC, which produces military land systems, weapons, and munitions. (Source: IHS Jane’s)
08 May 18. Uber, U.S. Army ally to test quiet aircraft technology. Uber Technologies Inc said on Tuesday it would work with the U.S. Army to advance research on a novel, quiet aircraft rotor technology that could be used in future flying cars, or military aircraft.
The alliance highlights stepped-up efforts by Uber and other companies to transform flying cars from a science fiction concept to real hardware for residents of mega-cities where driving is a time-consuming bore.
Uber and the Army’s Research, Development and Engineering command said in a statement. They expect to spend $1m (738,029 pounds) to develop and test prototypes for a rotor system that would be used on a vertical take-off and landing vehicle.
The system would have two rotors stacked on top of each other, rotating in the same direction under the command of sophisticated software. This approach, which Uber and the Army said had not been deployed in a production aircraft, could lead to quieter operation than conventional stacked rotor systems.
“Achieving ultra-low noise is one of the critical obstacles” to deploying aerial taxis in urban areas, Rob McDonald, head of vehicle engineering for Uber Elevate, the company’s flying car operation, said in an interview.
The Army wants to develop a new generation of unmanned drones that do not need runways and are quieter than current drones, said Dr. Jaret Riddick, director of the U.S. Army Research Laboratory’s Vehicle Technology Directorate.
The Army is increasingly turning to partnerships with private companies to research advanced technology, Riddick said in an interview.
Uber is planning more alliances with government agencies as it aims to launch prototype airborne taxis by 2020, Mark Moore, Uber’s director of engineering, aircraft systems and a former NASA researcher, said in an interview.
Uber already has a partnership with NASA, the U.S. government space agency, to develop software for managing large numbers of aircraft over cities, Moore said.
Uber is one of several companies, including aircraft makers Boeing Co (BA.N) and Airbus SE (AIR.PA) and a venture backed by Alphabet Inc co-founder Larry Page, that are investing in the concept of small, automated and electrified aircraft that could be used to ferry passengers or cargo across congested cities.
Uber said it would develop its low noise rotor system in collaboration with Launchpoint Technologies Inc, a Goleta, California, engineering company focused on electric and hybrid aircraft technologies.
Uber is holding a conference on flying vehicles this week in Los Angeles.
(Source: Reuters)
08 May 18. Charles River to develop Picassa tool for DARPA’s Hallmark programme. Intelligent systems solutions developer Charles River Analytics has secured a contract to develop a tool under the US Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency’s (DARPA) Hallmark programme.
The Picassa tool, which is being developed by Charles River and its partners at Operational Intelligence and the Space Strategies Center, can enable the US military commanders to better understand potential threats in space.
Charles River principal software engineer Daniel Stouch said: “The space environment is both challenging and critical for our nation’s security.
“We are developing a tool to rapidly detect and characterise threatening space activity.”
DARPA’s Hallmark programme has been designed to allow combatants to collect, assess and interpret space situational awareness (SSA) data that would help them make better decisions in the ever-changing space environment.
SSA refers to a clear understanding of indications and warnings of potential threats to the thousands of satellites that are travelling at extreme velocities through space. The newly developed Picassa tool can be used to generate precise and enhanced threat indicators by fusing SSA data in a probabilistic model. The tool will help escalate notifications about potential threats in space, enabling commanders to better understand the ramifications of potential courses of actions (COAs) that respond to threats in space.
In order to improve SSA, Charles River intends to develop probabilistic models with the Figaro open-source probabilistic programming language.
The company has also applied Figaro to other efforts for DARPA such as developing causal models in the US agency’s Explainable Artificial Intelligence programme.
The current DARPA contract is valued at $1.3m.
The Hallmark programme has been designed to offer a full spectrum of breakthrough real-time space-domain systems and capabilities, and to significantly reduce the overall time required to make and execute decisions and observe results. (Source: airforce-technology.com)
07 May 18. Preparing the F-35, the U.S. Navy’s most advanced fighter, for missions in today’s complex electromagnetic spectrum environment requires an equally advanced test environment. Northrop Grumman’s (NYSE: NOC) multispectral testing solution recreates the most accurate mission-like conditions in the laboratory and on the range. Recently, NAWCWD Point Mugu took delivery of the most sophisticated test environment the company has ever created. The CEESIM, SMS and SCS systems delivered to the U.S. Navy for the F-35 provide RF simulation, measurement and synchronization of multiple, simultaneous emitters to faithfully simulate true-to-war conditions.
The environment consists of Northrop Grumman’s Combat Electromagnetic Environment Simulator (CEESIM), Signal Measurement System (SMS) and other stimulators, all under control of the Synchronizer Controller System (SCS).
“Keeping the F-35’s systems ready requires a fully integrated test environment like we have developed with CEESIM, SMS and SCS,” said Joe Downie, director, land and avionics C4ISR division, Northrop Grumman Mission Systems. “These systems work together to provide the environment complexity and density, measurement and analysis capability, and test control capability necessary to evaluate the F-35 in a realistic mission scenario.”
At the center of the environment is the CEESIM, which simulates multiple, simultaneous RF emitters as well as static and dynamic platform attributes to faithfully model true-to-war conditions. CEESIM’s Advanced Pulse Generation high speed direct digital synthesizer technology is used to generate realistic electronic warfare mission scenarios.
The SMS provides wide bandwidth signal measurement, recording and analysis capability which is used to validate the test environment and evaluate the system under test performance.
The SCS provides the tools to program an integrated multispectral test scenario, including threat radars, communications signals, radar and EO/IR signatures. The SCS also manages the execution of the scenario by all of the stimulators to ensure a coherent multispectral test environment.
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Oxley Group Ltd
Oxley specialises in the design and manufacture of advanced electronic and electro-optic components and systems for air, land and sea applications within the military sector. Established in 1942, Oxley has manufacturing facilities in the UK and USA and enjoys representation worldwide. The company’s products include night vision and LED lighting, data capture systems and electronic components. Oxley has pioneered the development of night vision compatible lighting. It offers a total package incorporating optical filters, equipment modification, cockpit and external lighting along with fleet wide upgrade services including engineering, installation, support, maintenance and training. The company’s long experience of manufacturing night vision lighting and LED indicators, coupled with advances in LED technology, has enabled it to develop LED solutions to replace incandescent and fluorescent lighting in existing applications as well as becoming the lighting option of choice in new applications such as portable military hospitals, UAV control stations and communication shelters.
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SATELLITE SYSTEMS, SATCOM AND SPACE SYSTEMS UPDATE
Web Page sponsor Viasat
www.viasat.com/gov-uk
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10 May 18. Industry pushes for UK space programme ahead of Brexit. Call follows EU dispute over Britain’s future use of Galileo satellite navigation system. Potential exclusion from the EU’s Galileo programme has spurred the British space industry to seek other sources of growth. Britain’s space industry is calling for a national space programme and targeted public procurement to help overcome the challenges of the UK’s exit from the EU and spur £1bn in private investment over the next decade. The call comes as the UK is locked in a dispute over participation in the EU’s Galileo satellite navigation system after Brussels proposed banning British companies from sensitive parts of the project. The Space Growth Partnership, which brings together industry, academia and policymakers, called for the programme in a new document, entitled Prosperity from Space. The SGP highlights the need for continued participation in European space projects to drive growth, and calls for an enhancement of the UK’s relationship with the European Space Agency, while maintaining “at least the current level of investment”. The UK’s national space budget is small, compared with those of European peers such as France, Germany and Italy, and the SGP called for stronger collaboration with industry to ensure growth. “The decision to leave the EU creates [a] particular need to raise our game and avoid complacency,” the document states. It warns that the UK must “address the faultlines running through our current way of working, chief of which is the absence of a joined up, UK-focused long-term national programme that allows us to unlock the full potential of our industrial-academic power base.” The document will form the basis of discussions for a so-called “sector deal” — partnerships between government and industry to reduce barriers to growth and boost productivity, employment, innovation and skills. It is the successor to the Innovation and Growth Strategy proposed in 2010, which resulted in the creation of the UK Space Agency that year, followed by the launch in 2012 of the Space Applications Catapult, an accelerator for commercialising the use of data gathered from satellites, and the issue of the UK’s first national space policy in 2015. That strategy also set the UK’s target to reach 10 per cent of the global space market by 2030, or £40bn. In 2016, the UK space industry accounted for about £13.7bn in revenues. Industry is now proposing that new targets be set and met through partnership with government. These include doubling the value of industrial activities supported by satellite services to £500bn, giving the UK Space Agency the procurement power to develop a national capability for producing and using information collected from space to benefit UK businesses and government, generating £5bn in new exports with government backed export campaign; and aiming for a £3bn benefit from increased research, science and innovation. The SGP has identified emerging market opportunities open to the UK valued at more than £75bn. National efforts should be focused on four areas — earth information services, connectivity, in-space robotics and low cost launch services — as well as developing an internationally competitive regulatory regime. “Industry believes that opportunities arising from potential smart government procurement and a national space programme would allow industry to invest more than £1bn,” the document concludes. Although the proposals have not yet received the formal backing of government, Sam Gyimah, UK science minister, signalled initial support. “We want the UK to thrive in the commercial space age and have committed £150m in our Industrial Strategy to help develop advanced rocket engines, test satellites and establish spaceports in the UK for the first time,” he said. “Government will continue to work closely with the space sector to build on our significant capability and maximise the benefits of space to life on Earth, creating jobs and opportunities across the country,” Mr Gyimah added. (Source: FT.com)
09 May 18. Australia to gain domestic space agency. At long last, Australia is set to get its own version of NASA, with the budget on Tuesday night providing initial funding of $41m to get it up and running.
This is termed the National Space Agency (NSA), avoiding the obvious – National Australian Space Agency (NASA).
Much hasn’t been decided, such as specifically where the new body will be located, though Canberra, which hosts the deep space tracking station at Tidbinbilla plus a number of companies involved in space, is an early favourite.
The funding comprises $26m over four years plus $15m over three years for grants.
Former CSIRO head Dr Megan Clark has been tipped to take the job of inaugural head of the new body.
Dr Clark headed the expert reference group that conducted the recent Space Industry Capability Review, which recommended creation of a formal body to oversee Australia’s extensive interests in space.
The decision was good news for Lockheed Martin Australia, a significant player in Australia’s space sector.
“Lockheed Martin is proud to have had a long-term presence in Australia’s space industry and we foresee a close working relationship with the new National Space Agency,” said Vince Di Pietro, Lockheed Martin Australia chief executive.
The budget also included substantial funding for applying satellite data to Australia. That’s $225m to make GPS signals accurate to centimetres rather than metres. That has significant application for agriculture, mining and transport.
There’s also $36.9m to improve Digital Earth Australia, a platform that assembles global satellite images of Australia.
Rod Drury, Lockheed Martin Space managing director for Australia and New Zealand, welcomed the investment to improve GPS.
“The Satellite Based Augmentation System (SBAS) testbed that we are collaborating on with partners including Geoscience Australia will give much greater accuracy that will improve safety, productivity, efficiency and innovation in a range of Australian industries,” he said.
Mr Drury told Defence Connect a national space agency would serve as a focal point, particularly as we interact with the rest of the world.
“It is important that we have that single face to the globe, particularly from a whole of nation perspective,” he said.
“I want to recognise the tremendous leadership and significant drive of Dr Megan Clark as the head of the expert reference group.”
Mr Drury said the space industry capability review informed the government and led to this decision.
“Her contribution and her leadership really stand out,” he said.
Mr Drury said the $41m allocation included some funding to establish and administer agency activities. The $15m space investment initiative would seed some research and development activities.
“That’s always very important to us. We would like to see some of that seed money used for STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics education) because without STEM you don’t get the R&D,” he said.
“Overall, we are very pleased with that. We look forward to playing a role as part of the industry in helping the agency not only establish itself but establish a very firm footing on the global stage.”
Mr Drury said the funding for improved GPS was also most welcome.
“The capability that is being delivered through the test bed is already being picked up by industry,” he said. (Source: Defence Connect)
09 May 18. Pakistan progresses satellite projects in collaboration with China. Pakistan has allocated additional funding for its projects to enhance military satellite communications through its collaborative partnership with China.
Budgetary documents issued in late April show the progression of four satellite programmes overseen by Pakistan’s Space and Upper Atmosphere Research Commission (Suparco).
These projects, all of which are expected to have dual military-commercial applications, include the Pakistan Remote Sensing Satellite System (PRSSS), the Pakistan Multi-Mission Satellite (PakSat-MM1), and the establishment of a new space research centre in Karachi and new space centres in Islamabad, Karachi, and Lahore to support the PakSat-MM1.
The PRSSS is a continuing programme, while the other three are new for fiscal year 2018-19. (Source: IHS Jane’s)
07 May 18. Hughes Awarded Contract to Prototype Multi-Modem Adaptor for DoD Wideband SATCOM Architectural Analysis. Hughes Network Systems, LLC (HUGHES), the global leader in broadband satellite networks and services, announced it has been awarded a follow-on contract to continue the second phase of a pilot study program to assess the feasibility of interoperability across multiple satellite communication (SATCOM) systems for the Department of Defense (DoD). Under this award, Hughes will be responsible for prototyping a Flexible Modem Interface (FMI) for military terminals that will enable various military and commercial systems and services to interoperate in the field.
“In Phase Two of this program, Hughes is being asked to develop, demonstrate and deliver a hardware and architecture prototype solution to support interoperable SATCOM capabilities for the military, which will help fortify satellite communications in contested environments,” said Dr. Rajeev Gopal, Senior Technical Director, Advanced Systems for Hughes. “We look forward to delivering a solution that will increase the resiliency and interoperability of various commercial and military SATCOM systems and services used by the DoD, including over High- Throughput Satellites (HTS).”
The new study – the second over the course of several years – builds on the growing commercial partnership with the DoD to assess what the ideal military SATCOM architecture would look like and how diverse systems could work together. The assessment and prototype deliverables have the potential to create a more resilient, cost-effective, and flexible SATCOM architecture for DoD.
In 2017, Hughes participated in 2 different studies within the first phase of this project. In that first phase, Hughes recommended that the Defense Department pursue a SATCOM strategy that supports interoperability for wideband government applications, which would significantly enhance DoD’s communications infrastructure and reduce acquisition and operations costs.
In Phase 2, Hughes will build on its recommendations from the first study and explore how an interoperable system solution could be effectively implemented by developing and producing the new FMI for demonstration and evaluation.
As part of the overall assessment, Hughes will be evaluating the needs and capabilities that DoD will require in the future, including a secure and affordable wideband communications architecture (WCA) that can facilitate varied and redundant space and ground transports. The FMI prototype will be demonstrated within the context of a mission management architecture that supports wide-beam, spot-beam, and on-board processing satellites, including new GEO HTS and low earth orbit (LEO) satellite constellations.
“The overall goal for Hughes is to help the Defense Department produce a solution that expands the capabilities of the U.S. government’s satellite communications,” said Rick Lober, vice president and general manager of defense and intelligence systems at Hughes. “To do that, we will examine how to create an interoperable system that is flexible and resilient, allowing DoD’s various global applications to operate over its own satellite network as well as leveraging commercial satellites, management systems, gateways, waveforms, and modems for DoD terminals to increase mission assurance.” (Source: ASD Network)
04 May 18. USAF plans to accelerate defendable space with Next-Gen OPIR.
The Air Force announced its intention to award two sole-source contracts for the Next-Generation Overhead Persistent Infrared program.
In order to maintain space superiority over its adversaries, the Air Force is implementing rapid procurement authorities and is targeting the first Next-Gen OPIR launch in 2023. This establishes an aggressive goal of cutting four years off the current procurement process and supports the service’s commitment to field new capabilities at the speed of relevance.
“As we develop these new systems, speed matters,” said Secretary of the Air Force Heather Wilson. “The next generation missile warning satellite will be a pace-setter.”
Next-Gen OPIR will succeed the current Space Based Infrared System by providing improved missile warning capabilities that are more survivable against emerging threats.
The first contract will be sole-sourced to Lockheed Martin Space to define requirements, create the initial design and identify and procure flight hardware for a satellite to operate in geosynchronous orbit. The second contract will be sole-sourced to Northrop Grumman Aerospace Systems to define polar system requirements.
“The next generation missile warning will be an important pace-setter for learning to speed up traditional acquisitions. This is more than just building a prototype or a low-cost system,” said Dr. Will Roper, Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for Acquisition, Technology and Logistics. “This is an important system for the nation, and to ‘go for the gold’ by targeting five years instead of nine years allows us to pick up the pace to defend the nation.”
The Air Force is the lead agency for procuring Next-Gen OPIR satellites. The Space and Missile Systems Center’s Remote Sensing Systems Directorate at Los Angeles Air Force Base, California is the acquisition program office. Today, the Air Force operates 77 satellites vital to national security that provide communications, command and control, missile warning, nuclear detonation detection, weather and GPS for the world.
(Source: ASD Network/USAF)
02 May 18. OneWeb Delays Debut Launch of their Mega-Constellation. OneWeb has shifted the debut launch of their satellite mega-constellation to Q4 of this year. The startup’s first launch of 10 satellites aboard an Arianespace Soyuz rocket was scheduled for this month, but was pushed out toward the end of the year to allow for more testing and to incorporate improved components in the final spacecraft design.
“Our production launches will start in Q4,” Greg Wyler, OneWeb’s founder, told SpaceNews. “We decided to continue with more ground testing and then go right into production because we can test virtually everything we need on the ground.”
OneWeb is building the first 900 satellites of its constellation through a joint venture with Airbus called OneWeb Satellites. Wyler said the decision to delay was “based on which component revisions were available.”
Backed by SoftBank, Intelsat, Coca-Cola and other investors, OneWeb is creating a constellation of small telecom satellites with the goal of making the internet accessible to everyone on Earth by 2027. How many satellites exactly is still to be determined — OneWeb in March asked the U.S. Federal Communications Commission to expand its authorization from 720 to 1,980 Ku-band satellites. The company still expects to begin service in 2019, starting with the first few hundred spacecraft.
“As long as we begin our production launches this year we are still on schedule,” Wyler said. (Source: Satnews)
02 May 18. Mixed Outcome Predicted for Large HTS Constellations in New NSR Critical Analysis Report. NSR’s Satellite Constellations: A Critical Analysis report, just released, forecasts a mixed outcome for large HTS constellations. NSR predicts two, out of the five Non-GEO HTS constellations analyzed, do not have a viable business case and will not be sustainable, if launched. The remaining three will generate 12 percent of overall SATCOM market revenues over the next decade. Costly systems and replenishment cycles, matched against funding challenges, demand questions, and extraordinary technical and regulatory complexity, will separate contenders from pretenders in the high stakes constellations market. Vertical integration trends — such as in-house manufacturing and, in the case of SpaceX, incorporating that with its own launch services — aimed at lowering costs further actually add another layer of complexity that is greatly underestimated. Supply chain management is a momentous challenge, even for industries that are conceived on a mass production model with years of experience, such as the automotive industry. Various other production and assembly processes need to be redesigned, and testing and safety standards need to be re-evaluated for the specific cases of mass producing satellites.
There is a compelling level of optimism toward Non-GEO constellations, as evidenced by the huge amount of funding being poured into them. The availability of low latency Internet service across the globe offers tremendous socio-economic benefits. However, financial success for LEO constellations depends on their ability to bring pricing down to a level competitive with terrestrial networks and make the services affordable to target markets. With advancement in Technology Readiness Levels (TRL) of Flat Panel Antennas, Inter Satellite Link (ISL) technology and manufacturing trends such as 3D printing, the overall CAPEX for LEO constellations is expected to be reduced in the coming years, which will aid in the realization of their envisioned business models.
NSR’s Satellite Constellations: A Critical Analysis report provides a competitive assessment of satellite constellations within three markets: Communication HTS, IoT and EO. The report analyses various aspect of the business case including launcher strategy, ground infrastructure costs, manufacturing and replenishment plan as well as financing status for each constellation to assess their viability. The financial ‘bottom line’ for each is scrutinized and compared against a qualitative assessment to evaluate the future of these constellations. NSR further evaluates the growth trends of NGEO constellations within each market under study over a 10-year period.
Shagun Sachdeva, NSR Analyst and the report ‘s author, notes that constellations are not a new concept and, historically, they have not been an entirely successful venture. The associated CAPEX, including replenishment costs, is one the biggest hurdles to HTS, EO, and IoT constellation business plans. The reduced launch and manufacturing costs are indeed enabling trends; however, there are still many challenges, like those associated with ground infrastructure costs and acquisition of landing rights, that must be overcome to build a feasible business model. The benefits from economies of scale, which mega-constellations rely upon, are generally not enough to counter these other challenges. (Source: Satnews)
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At Viasat, we’re driven to connect every warfighter, platform, and node on the battlefield. As a global communications company, we power millions of fast, resilient connections for military forces around the world – connections that have the capacity to revolutionize the mission – in the air, on the ground, and at sea. Our customers depend on us for connectivity that brings greater operational capabilities, whether we’re securing the U.S. Government’s networks, delivering satellite and wireless communications to the remote edges of the battlefield, or providing senior leaders with the ability to perform mission-critical communications while in flight. We’re a team of fearless innovators, driven to redefine what’s possible. And we’re not done – we’re just beginning.
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RADAR, EO/IR, NIGHT VISION AND SURVEILLANCE UPDATE
Web Page sponsored by Blighter Surveillance Systems
www.blighter.com
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10 May 18. £3.7m STAS Facility opened by Major General Colin McLean CBE, Director Land Equipment. Today (9th May 2018) at 14:30hrs Qioptiq announced the official opening of its £3.7m facility in North Wales. The facility will support the £83m UK MOD STAS (Surveillance and Target Acquisition Support) contract, awarded to Qioptiq in 2017. The facility was officially opened by Major General Colin McLean CBE, Director Land Equipment (UK MoD), who unveiled a plaque commemorating the opening. Others in attendance included Major Gareth Davies – Chief of Staff, James Hennessey – STAS Project Manager, Colonel Paul Armstrong – Army HQ, Sue Towell – Supply Chain Manager, Dickie Davis – Deputy Director, Adv Materials & Manufacturing (Welsh Gov), others included representatives from Industry, Cardiff University and the Reserve Forces & Cadets Association. Excelitas Qioptiq where represented by Doug Benner – EVP Defence and Aerospace, Peter White – MD at St. Asaph and VP of Land Equipment, Chris Bigwood – VP Advanced Optronics, and Phil Ainscough – STAS Director and others. A tour of the facility, product and capability briefings, and video presentations where also included as part of the event.
STAS – The award will see Qioptiq in St Asaph, North Wales provide support for surveillance and targeting equipment to the UK Armed Forces over the next six years. Excelitas Qioptiq is a world leader in the development and supply of image intensified, thermal and fused sighting and surveillance systems, with over 100000 sights supplied to over 56 countries. Work under the new Surveillance Target and Acquisition Support (STAS) contract will merge 20 individual support contracts into one, saving the MOD £47m over the next six years.
Welsh Government supported Qioptiq by investing in the new purpose designed facility and by co-founding the innovative Knowledge Transfer Partnership (KTP) toolbox – developed by Cardiff University for Qioptiq.
Excelitas’ Qioptiq is a recognised, first-tier supplier to many of the defence and aerospace sector’s leading companies with a product range that includes some of the most sophisticated advanced optical technologies ranging from Night Vision Sights… to Head Up Display Optical modules… through to Space Components. Excelitas Technologies is a US corporation with locations throughout Europe, Asia and North America employing more than 6000 people. It employs over 500 people in North Wales on two sites at St Asaph and Bodelwyddan.
10 May 18. University knowhow helps company win £82m contract. ‘Lean’ forecasting secures success at St Asaph plant. Cardiff University expertise has helped a North Wales company win an £82m defence contract, creating and safeguarding jobs. Experts from Cardiff Business School spent two years developing a toolset to improve Denbighshire-based Qioptiq’s inventory forecasting operations. The collaboration and knowhow helped the company secure a six-year deal with the Ministry of Defence (MOD) to service night visions equipment. And it has led Qioptiq to build a new £3.7m warehouse – which opens today – next to the current Qioptiq plant on the St Asaph Business Park. The study was made possible thanks to a Knowledge Transfer Partnership (KTP) co-funded by Welsh Government, the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council and Innovate UK.
Economy Secretary Ken Skates praised the partnership for uniting industry expertise and academic knowhow.
“Welsh Government is delighted to have co-funded this KTP, which produced outstanding results. Qioptiq is one of our most innovative High Value Manufacturing companies working in a priority sector. The Partnership has helped secure the long-term future of the plant in St Asaph, where it has a significant economic impact on the local economy through local employment and supply chains.”
The KTP enabled a knowledge transfer Associate in ‘lean’ inventory forecasting business operations, Thanos Goltsos, to work directly with Qioptiq under the supervision of two Cardiff Business School Professors – Aris Syntetos and Mohamed Naim. Qioptiq brought in Cardiff’s expertise when they realised small improvements in forecasting could lead to leaner supply chains and big cost reductions. Thanos’s research showed the business could reduce its inventory by up to 25 per cent. It provided sound inventory forecasting for sales and returns – supporting Qioptiq’s revamped ‘service and remanufacture’ circular economy model.
“We were absolutely delighted with the outstanding results of the KTP,” said Thanos. “It was a great opportunity for me to put my expertise to good use under supervision from two highly experienced academics. It’s been a tough, enjoyable journey, and the results have been well worth the effort.”
Peter White, Managing Director at Qioptiq said: “The KTP has produced outstanding results. Historically, we operated a complex supply chain, but Thanos’s expertise has developed a toolset we could utilise to support our Integrated Logistics Supply operations. For this opportunity we acknowledged we needed to take a more collaborative approach to external funders and expertise. The Partnership has helped secure a major contract from UK MOD to support equipment vital to the safety of our soldiers in front line operations.”
The KTP followed a preparatory collaborative research and development project between Qioptiq and Cardiff University undertaken under the auspices of the Advanced Sustainable Manufacturing Technologies (ASTUTE) programme, which Welsh Government’s Welsh European Funding Office part-funded with a substantive £27M investment between 2010 and 2015.
Professors Naim and Sytentos said: “The KTP enabled us to demonstrate the tremendous impact of the research conducted in the area of inventory control and optimisation in Cardiff Business School, and confirming that our fundamental research, including work funded by the EPSRC and that has been published in academic papers, has directly supported one of Wales’ and the UK’s leading manufacturing companies with knock-on benefits to the local region.”
Innovate UK’s Wales Manager Jonathan Wood said: “The Partnership is a classic KTP success story. The benefits that KTPs can bring to businesses across Wales are incredible.
North Wales has a vibrant Photonics cluster, with £500,000 recently awarded to 5 companies in the North Wales Photonics Launchpad, including Qioptiq. Since 2003, Innovate UK has committed more than £100m in funding to over 350 organisations in Wales, with the amount of funding increasing year-on-year from 2008.”
Cardiff University’s KTP manager, Paul Thomas, added: “There’s never been a better time for organisations to bring in Cardiff University’s extensive expertise via the Government funded Knowledge Transfer Partnership (KTP) scheme, to help stay ahead in the fast-moving global economy.”
Regional Knowledge Transfer Adviser Mick Card commented “Europe’s most successful knowledge transfer programme, KTPs have been running for over 40 years and are a highly effective form of resourcing and embedding innovation or productivity changes. KTPs generate on average £1m annual PBT uplift with 4 out of 5 Associates retained as leaders and managers within the business.”
07 May 18. IT system for the eyes of the artillery. From 2019 onwards, ATM ComputerSysteme GmbH will provide extensive IT command equipment – including Logistic Life Cycle Support – for the 30 FENNEKs of the Joint Fire Support Team (JFST). This consists of the mission data recording system (MDA II), two CENTURION i7 vehicle computers, two MDU15 displays, the KommServerQ-STF (KSQ-STF), a managed 12-port switch, the system control unit (SBG), three PowerPacks, the electrical system powered charging station for mobile equipment (BuBa) and the administrator features (Ausstattung für Systembetreuer; SysBetrAusstg).
The role of a JFST FENNEK team includes reconnaissance and surveillance, the determination and transmission of target information, and the coordination of the various weapons. In order to achieve this, powerful and reliable IT command equipment is essential to support information acquisition and processing.
The central MDA II module is connected to the central electronics ZE FENNEK, the surveillance and reconnaissance system and BV system (on-board intercom), reading out navigation, video and audio data from each source respectively, before compressing and saving them, while the MDA II simultaneously transmits the data to the FüWES ADLER III and FüInfoSysH. The two Battle Management Systems are installed on a CENTURION i7 vehicle computer. The visualisation takes place via two MDU15 displays, which are connected in a way that allows the visualisation and operation of the Battle Management Systems to be switched.
The interference-resistant communication for establishing a data connection with higher-level command stations or within an individual team is facilitated by the ATM KommServerQ-STF (KSQ-STF), which is operated simultaneously by both Battle Management Systems. The KSQ-STF is the cross-cutting successor system for different variants of the KommServer in the STF and ADLER environment. The KSQ-STF connects up to 3 radios of the SEM family, the HRM7400E and the PRC117F/G in parallel. The managed 12-port GBit LAN switch allows VLANs to be formed in the vehicle itself and a special SW switch can be used to activate or deactivate external fibre optic access.
The IT components are protected against power failures by the three PowerPack backup batteries, guaranteeing a controlled shutdown in the event of failure or malfunction of the on-board voltage. The JFST FENNEK is also equipped with the BuBa (battery charger), which serves as a charging station for the equipment batteries of the radios and equipment (PRC148, PRC117F/G, NYXUS) for dismounted operation, and is powered by the vehicle’s power supply.
The SBG is the central system unit of the central electronic system and allows the operation, retrieval or configuration of vehicle-specific functions.
SysMon software is used to monitor the operational readiness of the command and control equipment while in use, registering potential failure during operation and monitoring the system status of the integrated IT equipment. SysMon alerts attention to mission-critical failures and system errors, including additional information regarding the expected operational limitations and possible compensation operations.
ATM also provides solutions for the maintenance of the materials through SysCheck, an integrated testing software for offline function testing, and DIANA, a diagnostic application for fault localisation, which supports the repairer in conjunction with the “Inspection Equipment for Command and Control instruments STF” (Prüfausstattung Führungsmittel STF).
With the SysBetrAusstg JFST, ATM also provides system administrators with a series of applications and tools that ensure consistent administration of computer systems in the JFST team – for example, during software installation or backup creation. (Source: Armada)
09 May 18. Skylock counter-UAV system books new orders. Tar Ideal Concepts’ Skylock counter-unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) system has now been sold to more than 30 clients – air forces and ministries of defence around the world – in the past year, a company representative told Jane’s. Aviad Matza, CEO of Israel’s Tar Ideal Concepts and a sales director of Avnon Group, which owns Tar, said the system can intercept hostile UAVs through electronic jamming and laser weapons, depending on the type of threat. The clients are in West Africa, southeast Asia, and South America, but Matza declined to provide further detail. He said Skylock’s detection phase relies on radar and radio frequency (RF) recognition. The radar is based on either X, C, or S bands. “We use various bands because we adapt the radar to the surroundings. X band works well in dry places with no humidity. In Asian, tropical areas, with high cloud cover and rain … we would suggest C and S bands,” Matza said.
Large UAVs can be detected out to 20km, while smaller ones are detected out to 3.5km. The 360-degree radar is combined with an RF detector, Matza said, to reduce instances of false alarms.
“Not all clients have operators that can recognise radar patterns and tell birds apart from quadcopters,” he noted. The introduction of an RF detector makes the system more user-friendly. “It confirms that this is an object that is transmitting,” he added.
The system then activates an identification stage, using day and night electro-optical (EO) sensors with a 2.5 km range. That distance “is sufficient to know if we are talking about a multirotor drone. As soon as the system sees the object moving, it marks it in red for the operator, and tracks it”, Matza said. (Source: IHS Jane’s)
08 May 18. DeTect Installs Ground Based Sense-and-Avoid Radar at Aerodrome in Spain. DeTect, has completed the commissioning of a HARRIER Ground Based Sense-and-Avoid (GBSAA) radar at the Rozas Aerodrome in Lugo, Spain.
The system, supplied to Babcock Mission Critical Services España, will provide beyond visual line-of-sight (BVLOS) for drone and Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS) operations at project sites throughout Spain and Europe for wildfire assessment and firefighting support.
DeTect’s HARRIER GBSAA incorporates the latest in solid-state, Doppler radar technology and real-time web-based situational awareness displays to accommodate a diversity of user applications.
“By incorporating multiple sensors, including radar, TAS and ADSB receivers into the HARRIER system, DeTect is able to provide a cost-effective solution for BVLOS operations to UAS operators” said Edward Zakrajsek, General Manager of DeTect Global, Ltd., London.
The HARRIER GBSAA supports a wide range of UAS operations including wildfire assessment, firefighting, oil and gas site inspections, aerial survey, and law enforcement extending operational ranges to 20 miles (32 kilometers).
Developers of HARRIER say they originally built the systems to protect Air Force bases from birds. The seemingly innocuous creatures created problems when they crossed paths with an aircraft.
Without spending a lot of money, the HARRIER was created – a low-cost system that could detect and track small birds.
With the growing threat of unmanned aerial systems, the developers of the HARRIER took their system and adapted it to meet a new mission.
“We were already doing these things many years ago,” said Adam Kelly, chief technology officer for DeTect.
“The team came together in 2016 and we rapidly moved to where we can integrate things together. In May we were able to demonstrate how those things can be put together.”
“Now it’s working together as a team to fuse those elements together without spending billions and billions of dollars to get the job done. It’s not trivial, but we built on the core technology that we already had.” (Source: UAS VISION)
09 May 18. Thales Sea Fire digital radar for FTI frigate programme enters production. Thales is announced that the first Sea Fire radar for the French Navy’s FTI future medium-size frigates programme is now in production. The Sea Fire is fully solid-state multifunction radar with a four-panel phased array antenna. It is designed for roles ranging from ship self-defence to extended air defence, providing protection from conventional, asymmetric and emerging air and surface threats.
The French defence procurement agency (DGA) awarded the FTI contract to develop and build five 4000 tons frigates to Naval Group in April 2017. The first of these five vessels will be delivered in 2023 and will enter active service in 2025. The Sea Fire radar concept is the culmination of three years of advanced research into new radar technologies and architectures, conducted with the support of the DGA. It is tailored to evolving requirements and the new threats faced by the French Navy, particularly supersonic missiles. This digital radar is at the forefront of technological innovation and benefits from all Thales’s Big Data and cybersecurity expertise. Subsequent software developments will further improve the product’s performance and operational reliability throughout its lifecycle. First radar will be installed for qualification testing at the DGA facilities in Saint-Mandrier in 2019. Thales will deliver the 4 panels of the first Sea Fire radar to Naval Group shipyard in Lorient in 2020 for the FTI program
08 May 18. Swiss eye stealth-nixing radar to protect Alpine valleys. Swiss defense officials say they are monitoring progress in the field of passive radar, a technology with the potential to track stealthy aircraft, as the country plans a multibillion-dollar upgrade of its air defenses. Some European vendors are looking to the Alpine nation, hoping its “Air 2030” program, which is slated to include a combination of new aircraft and ground-based sensors, could finally offer a breakthrough for the still-dormant radar technique. Unlike traditional radar sets, which emit radar waves and then track their path, passive radar equipment computes an aerial picture by reading how civilian communications signals bounce off of airborne objects. The technique works with any type of signal that’s already present in a given airspace, including radio or television broadcasts as well as emissions from mobile phone stations.
Passive radar technology promises the advantage that it cannot be detected, meaning pilots entering a monitored area may be unaware they are being tracked. That could even be the case for pilots flying stealthy aircraft like the F-35, experts say, though there appears to be no publicly available data pitting passive radar against low-observable aircraft designs and their radiation-absorbing coatings.
Finally, because there are no emitters in passive radar, enemies seeking to overwhelm ground-based air defenses at the outset of an invasion would have no targets for their anti-radiation missiles.
Renato Kalbermatten, a spokesman for Switzerland’s defense department, told Defense News the technology is of interest for Air 2030 planners because of the “high density” of signal emitters throughout the country.
Last year, a group of experts advising the Swiss government on its new air-defense plans mentioned passive radar as a possible element of the new strategy, especially in combination with other types of sensors.
“Stationary military radar stations are exposed and therefore vulnerable, especially through standoff weapons and sabotage,” the report states. Protecting these sites is costly and promises only limited success.
“Air-based, mobile ground-based and especially passive sensors offer much greater survivability,” the experts concluded.
In a footnote, the experts said of “anti-stealth” properties offered by passive radar that such thinking is still largely in the beginning stages.
Swiss experiments with the technology go back to 2010, according to Kalbermatten. In 2015 and 2016, officials field-tested several demo systems from industry, academia and Armasuisse, the defense department’s acquisition arm, at two locations, he said.
While Switzerland has reached out to potential vendors for the purpose of “research coordination” in preparation for the Air 2030 program, the spokesman warned against too much enthusiasm. Officials consider the dependency on civilian radio waves to be a “disadvantage,” and additional development is necessary to make the technology ready for real-world use, he wrote in an email.
While, passive radar technology has been around for decades, computers previously were unable to process the vast amount of data collected by sensors. That has changed with recent advances in computing technology.
Many defense companies are believed to have passive radar developments in the works, either openly or as under-the-radar research projects.
For example, Leonardo markets a product called “AULOS Passive Covert Radar,” advertising it as an “eco-friendly system” because it produces no “electromagnetic pollution.”
At the Berlin Air Show last month, Germany’s Hensoldt unveiled what company officials claimed was the first market-ready, deployable system, dubbed TwInvis. It comes in four variants, ranging from a fixed-site option to packages small enough for a delivery truck or Humvee-sized vehicle.
Company officials noted the system’s utility in airspace surveillance, including as an inconspicuous way of tracking aerial movements across borders for up to 250 kilometers.
During a reporter’s visit to Hensoldt’s demo system at the air show, company engineers excitedly convened around a large TwInvis screen showing the track of a Eurofighter performing a thundering aerial show nearby. The aircraft’s track, including sharp turns and steep dives, appeared with an update rate of less then half a second, plus processing time under 1.5 seconds, according to the company.
Asked what the screen might show if a stealthy F-35 had been flying there, officials just shrugged and said they wouldn’t care to guess.
The Swiss will get a chance to vote on the envisioned Air 2030 program in a referendum scheduled for 2020. (Source: Defense News)
07 May 18. Incumbent gets replaced in US Navy contract for anti-ship missile tracking. The U.S. Navy has awarded DRS Laurel Technologies, a division of Leonardo DRS, a $64.3m firm fixed-price contract for the delivery of 59 AN/SPQ-9B radars and associated equipment.
By winning the contract, DRS unseated incumbent contractor Northrop Grumman. According to the contract announcement, two bids were submitted for the competitively procured contract through the Federal Business Opportunities website. Both the Navy and Northrop Grumman declined to comment. The contract combines purchases from the U.S. Navy and Japan, which was approved under the Foreign Military Sales program. If all contract options are exercised, the total value of deal could increase to $263m. Work on the radars is expected to be finished in June 2022.
The AN/SPQ-9B radar is an X-band, pulse-doppler radar that provides real-time acquisition and automatic tracking of multiple surface and air targets while maintaining surface detection, gunfire control and navigational capabilities. The radar is designed to protect surface ships from a variety of threats like low-flying anti-ship cruise missiles, low- and slow-flying aircraft, UAVs, and helicopters. The radar is deployed on aircraft carriers, Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyers, cutters and a number of other vessels. (Source: Defense News)
07 May 18. Defence Forces Ireland Choose COPTRZ as UAV Partner.
COPTRZ has been announced as the exclusive supplier of UAV solutions to Defence Forces Ireland. The force has invested in their drone fleet with the purchase of four specialist UAVs capable of carrying both thermal and visual cameras simultaneously.
The new drones will be operated by the Corps of Engineers and will aid in peacekeeping operations, search and rescue, disaster relief and general monitoring from the air.
COPTRZ, the UK commercial drone experts, were chosen to supply the units as part of a competitive tender process. Following an initial scoping session, the COPTRZ team we’re able to recommend four specialist UAVs that offer versatility through a range of payload options. The contract also includes the requirement for payload and UAV training which was carried out in the recent snow storm to show how the drones can remain operational in adverse conditions.
The recent tender win further strengthens COPTRZ position as a leading UAV provider to law enforcement teams, following their collaboration with Devon & Cornwall Police and Dorset police late last year.
Steve Coulson, Managing Director and Founder of COPTRZ, commented: “We are absolutely delighted to have been chosen by Defence Forces Ireland as their exclusive UAV partner. It was an incredibly demanding tender process, but one that we successfully fulfilled due to our unique supplier partnerships and in-house technical team. The drones supplied offer the Corps of Engineers a new dimension from the air and I’m sure they will be a huge asset to Defence Forces Ireland going forward. We are looking forward to continually working with the forces to enable their wider drone strategy.” (Source: UAS VISION)
05 May 18. How border protection software could help analyze battlefield videos. The problems of border control mirror the challenges faced by battlefield intel analysts. Both have a fundamental need to scan vast crowds of faces, to peer into containers and vehicles and make snap assessments about likely risk.
Unisys recently unveiled a software product intended to enhance border agents’ ability to make the right call, even when faced with high volumes of information. Military experts at the company say the technology could form the basis for similar battlefield solutions.
“What action should I take next? Who should I alert? That’s a border control problem, but it’s a military problem as well,” said John Kendall, Director of Border and National Security Program, Unisys Global Public Sector.
Unisys’s latest offering, LineSight, uses advanced data analytics and machine learning to deliver improved accuracy, helping agents decide when it’s necessary to make a closer inspection of travelers or cargo shipments. The system should also help to reduce the number of false positives that waste resources and delay clearance of legitimate travelers.
The problem here is one of volume: U.S. Customer and Border Protection says its officers check more than 1 million travelers and $6.5bn worth of products on an average day.
Yet only one in every 1,000 travelers or shipments represents a legitimate threat.
“The challenge is in trying to find those needles in that haystack,” Kendall said. “You can’t stop and do a detailed investigation of every piece of cargo or every traveler that comes across. So you have to know in advance which ones represent a likely threat.”
The government has been looking for a technological fix to the problem for some time. In late 2016 for example, The Department of Homeland Security’s Science and Technology Directorate announced a $162,302 award to startup Tamr to build an open-source assessment system to help parse air traveler information. At the time, CBP Deputy Commissioner Kevin K. McAleenan said Tamr’s data analytics capabilities could “improve international border security and enhance the international travel experience.”
President Trump himself has taken an interest in the issue, visiting CBP’s National Targeting Center in February and declaring it to be “quite a facility.” Located in Sterling, Virginia., the Center uses data tools to rapidly compare passenger and cargo manifests against databases and other records, to ferret out potential high-risk travelers.
Military implications
Most of this work today relies on pattern matching, an automated process of scouring data in search of telltale signs that something may be amiss.
“You look for a pattern similar to what you have seen in the past,” Kendall said. “We know that drug smugglers tend to buy their air tickets within 24 hours of departure. They may go through an intermediate country rather than going direct. So you look for those things.”
The problem with this is that analysts are always reading yesterday’s news, with searches based on how the bad actors behaved in the past, rather than in the present.
Unisys proposes taking a deeper dive, augmenting pattern matching with data culled from watch lists and other sophisticated, data-driven approaches. “The statistical analysis is basically looking for anomalies, something that does match any known pattern. Say you have a shipment from a port that you would expect, but it’s from a company that you wouldn’t expect,” Kendall said.
In practice, the algorithms could, for example, help curb human trafficking. “Someone brings a niece into the country, they may go unnoticed,” Kendall said. “But if they keep bringing in different nieces, then the software will see that as potentially a human trafficking situation.”
All of this could have military implications.
In its present iteration Unisys has tweaked the algorithm to seek out activities that might be a red flag for things likes drug smuggling and illegal migration: border-control issues. But a different script could easily be applied to gear the data-analysis activity toward a battlefield scenario.
“In a military environment the process would be the same. You have lots of data coming in and you have to sort through it in a very short period of time. So you have to do the known-threat analysis and you start out by defining the parameters: These are the kinds of things we are looking for,” Kendall said.
Real-time, threat-based analysis could help the military to sift intel in real time. Depending on how the algorithm is defined, software might be able to isolate suspicious patterns of movement among crowds or vehicles. Data analysis could be applied to battlefield video feeds or used to analyze drone footage.
At the end of the day, though, such tools can only point the way for human operators. “It’s a triage system,” Kendall said. “It is not making the final call, but rather making the preliminary analysis on what I am supposed to do next. But it can do that very quickly.” (Source: C4ISR & Networks)
07 May 18. AeroVironment, Inc. (NASDAQ: AVAV), a global leader in unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) for both defense and commercial applications, and ESG Elektroniksystem- und Logistik-GmbH, a leading system and software house in Germany for development and service, today announced the German Navy has acquired the AeroVironment Puma™ maritime unmanned aircraft system. The Puma systems will include the Mantis i45 sensor and pocket Remote Video Terminal (p/RVT). AeroVironment partnered with ESG to satisfy the requirement of the Bundesamt fur Ausrustung, Informationstechnik und Nutzung der Bundeswehr (BAAINBw) for an urgent operational requirement.
“Our Puma unmanned aircraft system, equipped with our Mantis i45 sensor suite and pocket Remote Video Terminal, packs significant capabilities into a portable platform that can operate on naval vessels without the need for modifications to the host ship,” said Kirk Flittie, vice president and general manager of AeroVironment’s Unmanned Aircraft Systems business segment. “AeroVironment’s small UAS have helped transform the way U.S. and allied forces plan, train, equip and operate. Fielding Puma to the German Navy provides rapid and effective force protection as well as interoperability with NATO forces, supporting coalition mission integration.”
German Navy adoption of the Puma system marks another step in the growing need for and fielding of UAS for the international surface combatant and coastal craft market. With the Family of Systems (FOS) concept, customers can add other AeroVironment UAS that will augment capabilities and utilize the same ground control station and software for added simplicity and efficiency.
AeroVironment developed the Puma system to win a 2008 United States Special Operations Command (USSOCOM) competitive program of record and subsequently supplied the system to the U.S. Navy Expeditionary Combat Command Coastal Riverine Forces, the U.S. Army for convoy and ground troop support and the U.S. Marine Corps. The Navy procured Puma AE systems for use aboard Patrol Craft and also deployed them on a U.S. Navy Expeditionary Fast Transport (T-EPF) ship in support of counter organized crime operations in the Caribbean. The Puma system is also being deployed by multiple international partners.
The United States Department of Defense established the designation RQ-20B for the block 2 Puma AE small UAS. The block 2 Puma AE system includes a more powerful and lighter propulsion system, lighter and stronger airframe, long-endurance battery, precision inertial navigation system and an improved user interface. The all-environment Mantis i45 gimbal sensor suite for Puma AE delivers a dramatic leap in small UAS image resolution and ISR capability.
04 May 18. UK and Norway advance cooperation on maritime patrol aircraft. UK and Norway defence ministers have held a discussion on how the two countries will work in collaboration to advance the international Maritime Patrol Aircraft (MPA) programme in North Atlantic.
Both ministries have agreed to cooperate on several different areas, ranging from maintenance to training and operations, in order help reduce costs and strengthen the operational power of submarines deployed in the region.
The UK Government is currently procuring a total of nine P-8A Poseidon aircraft, while Norway has agreed to acquire five units of the jet.
UK Defence Minister Guto Bebb said: “These sub-hunters will take to the skies from RAF Lossiemouth and help us combat a range of intensifying threats, not least increasing submarine activity in the North Atlantic.
“We’re investing £3bn in our own capability, but working alongside Norway takes this to a higher level.
“Not only could we cut costs by sharing training, spares and repair facilities, but we can patrol the seas together, meaning we’ve got more eyes and ears on any potential aggressors.”
The ongoing MPA submarine-hunting programme recently saw the flight of a US P-8A Poseidon aircraft from the Royal Air Force military airfield RAF Lossiemouth, Scotland, which is expected to serve as the base for the UK’s planned P-8A fleet.
UK Defence Secretary Gavin Williamson previously launched the new £132m Lossiemouth facility for the Royal Navy’s P-8A Poseidon MPA in April.
The new site is slated for completion in 2020 and is expected to support 200 local jobs during its peak construction period.
Furthermore, almost 470 additional service personnel are set to be based at RAF Lossiemouth once the aircraft fleet is fully operational.
(Source: naval-technology.com)
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Blighter® Surveillance Systems (BSS) is a UK-based electronic-scanning radar and sensor solution provider delivering an integrated multi-sensor package to systems integrators comprising the Blighter electronic-scanning radars, cameras, thermal imagers, trackers and software solutions. Blighter radars combine patented solid-state Passive Electronic Scanning Array (PESA) technology with advanced Frequency Modulated Continuous Wave (FMCW) and Doppler processing to provide a robust and persistent surveillance capability. Blighter Surveillance Systems is a Plextek Group company, a leading British design house and technology innovator, and is based at Great Chesterford on the outskirts of Cambridge, England.
The Blighter electronic-scanning (e-scan) FMCW Doppler ground surveillance radar (GSR) is a unique patented product that provides robust intruder detection capabilities under the most difficult terrain and weather conditions. With no mechanical moving parts and 100% solid-state design, the Blighter radar family of products are extremely reliable and robust and require no routine maintenance for five years. The Blighter radar can operate over land and water rapidly searching for intruders as small a crawling person, kayaks and even low-flying objects. In its long-range modes the Blighter radar can rapidly scan an area in excess of 3,000 km² to ensure that intruders are detected, identified and intercepted before they reach critical areas.
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MISSILE, BALLISTICS AND SOLDIER SYSTEMS UPDATE
Sponsored by Control Solutions LLC.
http://www.controls.com/product-cat/systems/
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10 May 18. Terminator ATGW enters production. Jordanian firm Jadara Equipment and Defence Systems has completed development and commenced production of the new Terminator anti-tank guided weapon (ATGW) system.
This comprises a tripod-based launching unit weighing 6.3kg and 4.3kg respectively, the 7.2kg PUT-1 guidance unit, and the Terminator missile in its disposable launch tube. The solid-propellant missile has a diameter of 107mm and features a semi-automatic laser guidance system, which enables the operator to steer it by maintaining the sight on the target. The company specifies a minimum range of 100m and a maximum range of 2,500m with time of impact at maximum range being 13 seconds.
The Terminator ATGW is being marketed with two different warheads. The first is a tandem high-explosive anti-tank (HEAT) warhead, which Jadara claims will penetrate 550mm of conventional steel armour protected by explosive reactive armour (ERA). It weighs 15.9kg with its launch container. The second is a 15.4kg high-explosive fragmentation (HE-FRAG) warhead, which is stated to be capable of penetrating 50mm of conventional steel armour. (Source: IHS Jane’s)
10 May 18. Joint Statement from Ellen M. Lord and Lisa E. Gordon-Hagerty on Recapitalization of Plutonium Pit Production. An evolving and uncertain geopolitical landscape calls for the United States to recapitalize its defense plutonium capabilities. The Nuclear Weapons Council (NWC) has certified that the National Nuclear Security Administration’s (NNSA) recommended alternative for recapitalization of these capabilities is acceptable and represents a resilient and responsive option to meet Department of Defense (DoD) requirements.
To achieve DoD’s 80 pits per year requirement by 2030, NNSA’s recommended alternative repurposes the Mixed Oxide Fuel Fabrication Facility at the Savannah River Site in South Carolina to produce plutonium pits while also maximizing pit production activities at Los Alamos National Laboratory in New Mexico. This two-prong approach – with at least 50 pits per year produced at Savannah River and at least 30 pits per year at Los Alamos – is the best way to manage the cost, schedule, and risk of such a vital undertaking. Furthermore, by maintaining Los Alamos as the Nation’s Plutonium Center of Excellence for Research and Development, the recommended alternative improves the resiliency, flexibility, and redundancy of our Nuclear Security Enterprise by not relying on a single production site. NNSA conducted an analysis of alternatives, an engineering assessment, and a workforce analysis by both internal and external experts to develop the recommended alternative. The approved plan is the result of effective interagency collaboration between DoD and the Department of Energy’s NNSA. We share a deep commitment to recapitalizing the capabilities the United States needs to deter its adversaries and assure our allies and partners. Plutonium pit production is a priority for both of us, and through the NWC, we will regularly coordinate and monitor the progress. Ellen M. Lord is the Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition and Sustainment. She also serves as the Chair of the NWC. Lisa E. Gordon-Hagerty is the Department of Energy Under Secretary for Nuclear Security and the Administrator of the National Nuclear Security Administration. She is a member of the NWC.
10 May 18. Raytheon Company (NYSE: RTN) executives, along with federal, state and local officials, and local business leaders, dedicated new facilities at Raytheon Missile Systems. This is part of a large-scale expansion and modernization project to increase capacity and capability at Raytheon’s Tucson operations. A ribbon-cutting ceremony took place in front of newly-built structures that will house many of the 2,000 new employees the company is hiring to support business growth.
New buildings scheduled for completion this year include an advanced testing facility, a multi-purpose building and a customer access center. The expansion is planned for completion in 2020 and includes:
- New buildings.
- Infrastructure upgrades.
- Engineering and manufacturing enhancements.
- High-powered computing capabilities.
Raytheon Missile Systems is designing, engineering, testing and manufacturing some of the most advanced aerospace and defense technologies of today and the future, including missile defense systems, hypersonic missiles and space vehicles. Arizona’s supportive environment for business investment and growth is an enabler of Raytheon’s success.
“Our expansion supports the nation’s military, the security of America’s allies and the U.S., state and local economies,” said Dr. Taylor W. Lawrence, Raytheon Missile Systems president. “This project validates Southern Arizona’s strengths in innovation, technology and quality of life for our growing workforce, and has been made possible by the strong collaboration and support of government and private sector partners.”
Raytheon’s recent expansion is expected to result in billions of dollars of economic impact throughout Arizona over 10 years. Partners in the expansion include Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey, Arizona Commerce Authority, Pima County, City of Tucson, Sun Corridor Inc., Tucson Airport Authority and Tucson Electric Power.
State of Arizona
“With more than 500 suppliers around Arizona and a workforce of nearly 12,000 people, Raytheon continues to have a positive economic impact throughout our state,” Ducey said. “Increasing Raytheon’s infrastructure and job growth in Arizona is a major win for all of us, and the result of solid partnerships statewide.”
Pima County
“Pima County works with our regional partners to create an environment supportive of innovation and opportunity for Raytheon,” said Pima County Supervisor Sharon Bronson. “Raytheon has been a terrific partner in boosting the economy of Pima County and we appreciate its commitment to our community. These are the high-paying, high-tech jobs every community strives to have.”
“Pima County worked diligently with all of our governmental partners to understand Raytheon’s issues and achieve solutions,” said Pima County Supervisor Ramón Valadez. “We literally moved county roads and invested in buffer space because we understand the economic value of Raytheon to Pima County. It’s been a great partnership.”
City of Tucson
“Tucson’s partnership with Raytheon goes way back,” said Tucson Mayor Jonathan Rothschild. “We’re very pleased to see this construction reach completion and to welcome the new employees who will be working in these new buildings.”
Raytheon Missile Systems is Southern Arizona’s largest private employer with an annual statewide economic impact of more than $2.1bn.
10 May 18. Russia shows Verba manportable missile system. The Russian KBP Instrument Design Bureau (Hall 4, Stand A401) is showing its latest-generation 9K333 Verba man-portable surface-to-air missile (SAM) system at SOFEX, which has been designed to engage aircraft, helicopters, cruise missiles and unmanned aerial vehicles when they are on approach or receding. KBP claims the new missile outperforms earlier generation systems by 1.5 to 2 times, especially at ranges in excess of 3km.
The 9M336 missile in the 9P521 launcher has an advanced tri-mode passive homing seeker, which is said to have a counter-countermeasure capability against powerful pyrotechnical decoys 10 times higher. The 72mm diameter missile has a blast fragmentation warhead with impact and proximity fuzes. It can also be fitted with a night sight.
The prime contractor is quoting a target engagement range of from 500m up to 6,000m and against targets with an altitude from 10m up to 3,500m. The missile is also used with an 1L229V ground-based identification friend or foe interrogator, plus a full range of testing equipment and training aids.
Targets can be detected by a number of systems, including the tripod-mounted 1L122 lightweight surveillance radar or the 9S932-1 mobile radar system, which is mounted on the tracked Armoured Command and Reconnaissance Vehicle used for a wide range of battlefield missions by the Russian Army.
These would typically feed information to the 9S933 portable fire control module, which would allocate targets to the 9K333 Verba man-portable SAM system. (Source: IHS Jane’s)
10 May 18. Safety solutions provider Survitec has assumed responsibility for the sales, marketing, manufacturing and supply of the Inflatable Wall product portfolio under a license and supply agreement with Battlefield Sim Limited trading as the Inflatable Wall Company (IWC). Under the agreement, Survitec will provide all services necessary to develop the market for this innovative non-ballistic firearms training capability through its global network of sales and product support teams. Survitec inflatable technology has been deployed in some of the largest programs in the world including G-suits and life preservers for the F-35 Lightning II aircraft, liferafts for the US Navy and in products including high-performance rigid-hulled inflatable boats, mass evacuation systems and specialist man portable stretchers for medical and CBRN extraction. The Inflatable Walls Training System (IWTS), is a unique training experience for military and law enforcement where users can design, plan, build and train in any terrain, in any location. Using a system that simulates the environment operators will find themselves in, helps to improve performance and enhance survivability by improving familiarisation and boosting confidence. Tested and approved for use with Simunition – non-lethal training ammunition – operators can measurably test their skills in fully tailored and realistic training scenarios, with the help of FITLIGHT technology that records reaction time to threats, assist users to achieve ultimate training efficiency. The IWTS is available in six different packages, as well as a bespoke solution which can be tailored to specific customer needs. The rapidly configurable training system is composed of a variety of common building shapes and fixtures to allow the user to recreate any environment or scenario and the fully interchangeable system is reusable, compact and easy to transport. It is also available in four skin colours to accurately replicate the environments it is deployed in and offers the option of customer-specific designs.
IWTS is manufactured in ISO compliant facilities and leverages over 160 years of heritage in the design and manufacture of complex inflatable structures. The game-changing system will be available to view at a variety of exhibitions and conferences around the United States throughout the year where attendees will be able to participate and test their skills against FITLIGHT technology, with Survitec set to debut the innovative system at the Special Operations Forces Industry Conference (SOFIC) in Tampa from May 21st.
David Stelling, Global Category Manager at Survitec, said: “Nothing can recreate the unique intensity of battle, but being able to accurately and safely recreate a range of different scenarios in training exercises helps reduce risk, improve performance and enhance survivability. Being able to accurately mimic environments aids familiarity for users and can boost their confidence for when they have to perform the operations for real.
“Survitec has a long and proud history of using inflatable technology in a range of different safety products and so it is a natural fit that the IWTS comes under our umbrella and stands to benefit from our ever-developing expertise in the defence sector.”
09 May 18. Russia’s hypersonic missile debuts alongside new military tech at parade. For many Russians, the annual Victory Day parade in Moscow is an opportunity to reflect on their wartime history and mourn losses that touched nearly every family in the former Soviet Union and neighboring states. But the parade now has for several years served another purpose: the exhibition of Russia’s latest and greatest weapons systems and platforms.
In that regard, the parade has struggled in recent years to live up to 2015’s 70th anniversary parade, where a wide variety of new hardware was unveiled for the first time. But this year’s parade saw some noteworthy additions to Russia’s future arsenal. But the greatest item of interest was perhaps the hardest to see.
During the parade’s finale — a flyby of nearly every type of aircraft flown by the Russian Air Force — two unaccompanied MiG-31 fighter jets made their pass over central Moscow.
Although the MiG-31 is a distinct and interesting aircraft, the items of interest were mounted below their bodies: hypersonic missiles.
It was the first public debut of the Kinzhal air-launched hypersonic missile, one of President Vladimir Putin’s doomsday super weapons unveiled at a controversial speech about nuclear modernization in March.
The weapon is a modified Iskander-M ballistic missile designed to be launched by a MiG-31 traveling at supersonic speeds.
Several pieces of new hardware that have been seen at military trade shows also made their Victory Day parade debut — namely the new Sukhoi Su-57 stealth fighter jet, which bares a strong resemblance to the American F-22. Two of the jets, decorated in a kind of gray-on-white camouflage pattern, came midway through the aerial part of the parade.
On the ground — apart from ground forces — attendees got a glimpse of the Uran-6 and Uran-9 unmanned combat vehicles, the latter of which recently saw testing in Syria.
But the biggest hitter seen in this part of the parade was the BMPT-72 Terminator tank. The heavily armed vehicle is built upon a T-72 chassis and armed with a variety of close-quarters and anti-tank weapons to provide infantry support in urban environments. It has been one of the most-talked about development projects since 2015’s unveiling of the T-15 Armata main battle tank.
And, of course, just as interesting as the hardware on display was who attended the parade. Putin’s guests of honor were Serbian President Aleksander Vucic and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
During the parade, Putin gave a speech decrying attempts to rewrite the history of the war (read: challenge the Kremlin’s official patriotic narrative of those events).
In a move that is certain to find controversy in some quarters, Netanyahu was seen wearing an orange and black St. George’s ribbon, a Russian symbol that has seen newfound popularity in recent years as a patriotic token of Russia’s annexation of Crimea. It has strong associations with pro-Kremlin sentiments, and in Russia it is an easy way to signal anti-Western patriotism. Steven Seagal was also in attendance. (Source: Defense News)
08 May 18. SOCOM snipers will ditch their bullets for this new round next year. Top special operations snipers will replace their 7.62mm sniper rifles with a caliber that doubles their hit probability at 1,000 meters, increases their effective range by nearly half, reduces wind drift by a third and has less recoil.
What caliber is that, might you ask?
The 6.5mm Creedmoor.
Big Army has been at work on its own intermediate caliber rifle round as officials simultaneously develop the Next Generation Squad Automatic Rifle to replace the existing 5.56mm Squad Automatic Weapon. That project is one piece of a larger effort to also build a next-generation carbine.
But while they are building an entirely new platform, starting somewhat from scratch in an effort that is expected to see a rifle that’s fielded in 2021, special operations snipers will see barrel changes and modifications to their guns fielded next year, said the command’s ammo expert.
Last October, Special Operations Command took eight to 10 shooters from three of the special operations components and had them fire three sniper platforms over a three-day period, said Patrick Fisher, the acquisition program manager for ammunition for Special Operations Command.
Those shooters fired Knight’s Armament’s SR-25, the M110A1 Semi-Automatic Sniper System (based on Heckler & Koch’s G28) and the Mk20 Sniper Support Rifle, made by Fabrique Nationale or FN, in three calibers — 7.62mm NATO, .260 Remington and 6.5mm.
Then they started looking at the correct cartridge combination, Fisher told an audience Monday at the annual National Defense Industry Association Armament Systems forum here.
Two dozen combinations were evaluated before down-selecting to six, and now one combination of bullet size and shape with propellant, casing and primer are going through testing, he said. (Source: Defense News Early Bird/Military Times)
09 May 18. Big punch for Humvee. AM General (USA Security and Defense Pavilion, Hall 6, Stand A604) has brought to SOFEX a version of the High Mobility Multi-purpose Wheeled Vehicle (HMMWV) fitted with a 105mm howitzer on the rear. This is referred to as the Enhanced Tactical Indirect (ETI) – HMMWV Hawkeye 105mm Weapon System. AM General is responsible for the platform and Mandus Group for the weapon system. The weapon is provided with a hybrid special recoil system, which allows it to be installed on light platforms such as the HMMWV.
The version on display is fitted with the 105mm M30 barrel from the US Army M119 light towed howitzer – the US Army version of the BAE Systems (previously Royal Ordnance) L119 light gun. This fi res US ammunition, including the 105mm M1 high-explosive (HE) projectile, which achieves a maximum range of 11.6km using charge 7. A range of 19.5km can be achieved when fi ring an M193 HE rocket-assisted projectile. The 105mm weapon can be traversed through 360° and, according to the company, can fi re eight rounds a minute for three minutes.
Production of the HMMWV is continuing by AM General and so far, more than 250,000 have been manufactured for the home and export markets in protected and unprotected versions, with sales made to many countries, including Jordan.
Under a $2.2bn, five-year, firm fixed-price foreign military sale requirements contract, AM General is to manufacture up to 11,560 new HMMWV for many countries. It has already received more than a quarter of this contract, with firm orders for delivery of vehicles and parts to Afghanistan, Bahrain, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Colombia, Iraq, Jordan, Kenya, Ukraine and Slovenia. (Source: IHS Jane’s)
09 May 18. Sharper sniper rifle. Austrian manufacturer Steyr Mannlicher (Hall 1, Stand A125) has now evolved its SSG M1 sniper rifle to improve its shooting performance. This is quite apart from retaining precision and reliability – the ‘traditional virtues’ in the company’s parlance. The range of new features of the SSG M1 include an ambidextrous safety with the ability to load in the ‘safe’ position, a two-stage length-adjustable trigger and fully adjustable buttstock quick-interchangeable barrels to fire different calibre ammunition. This enables the firing of .338 Lapua Mag. (8,6x70mm) and 7,62×51 NATO with barrel lengths of 508mm, 600mm and 690mm. It has a magazine capacity of 10 rounds. Furthermore, the rifle sports a top picatinny rail 30 MOA, and a KeyMod fore end. (Source: IHS Jane’s)
08 May 18. Leonardo invests $5m in laser division. The diode of the future is not here yet, but defense giant Leonardo hopes to make them soon. On May 7, the company announced an investment of $5m into Lasertel, its custom laser diode division based in Tucson, Arizona. That investment includes $3.5m in capital equipment, for the express purpose of increasing “manufacturing capacity for low size, weight and power (SWaP) laser diode pump modules in support of high-volume directed-energy programs.”
Besides increasing production capacity, the investment is going toward research into increasing emitter brightness and managing the heat from lasers. As for applications with these brighter, lighter, better-cooled lasers, the company is cagey, saying only that the company’s investment in new diode production is to meet “continuing demand for increased power and brightness for applications such as directed energy and lidar.”
The United States is the chief customer for Lasertel’s products, but hardly the only country working on modern military lasers.
In late April, the Pentagon reported that pilots had seen someone testing a bright laser off the shore of Djibouti. Later, the Pentagon clarified that those lasers had injured airmen. There are international treaties about what kind of targets are and are not fair game for lasers, though those treaties leave an exception for lasers that target vehicles, machines, or weapons without people inside (think drones and missiles, mostly). If the wars of tomorrow are fought with lasers, Lasertel wants to be company that supplies those lasers. (Source: C4ISR & Networks)
08 May 18. Arnold Defense, the St Louis based international manufacturer and supplier of 2.75-inch rocket launchers, unveiled a concept named the “FLETCHER” 2.75-inch/70mm Weapon System at SOFEX, taking place in Amman, Jordan from May 8-10, 2018. The FLETCHER system can be mounted on land-based military vehicles as well as, potentially, marine and littoral platforms. The FLETCHER Laser Guided Rocket Launcher System can be seen at SOFEX on the Oshkosh Defense stand A609, where it is displayed on an Oshkosh Defense® Special Purpose All-Terrain Vehicle (S-ATV) for the very first time.
The FLETCHER concept is supported by a team of global defense industry companies collaborating under Arnold’s leadership to combine their complimentary expertise. Working together, the team is able to provide a full-system approach to FLETCHER ranging from design, validation, testing, manufacture and full system integration on a variety of land and maritime applications.
Traditionally, 2.75-inch rocket systems have been used as an area suppression weapon, ordinarily deployed by both fixed and rotary wing aviation assets. The team has turned this concept on its head with the advancement of laser guided rocket technology to meet the modern demands of land-based, vehicle mounted and dismounted asymmetric warfare, for special and conventional forces.
FLETCHER is a unique design that allows for ease of operation, maintenance and sustainment in support of combat operations. FLETCHER employs an existing suite of guidance modules, rockets and warheads which are already used in well-known programs and are readily available to global forces. Working in-concert with world-class designation equipment, FLETCHER is a fully integrated weapon system that can engage targets at ranges up to 3.1 miles, giving land forces capability that previously required the deployment of air assets.
Jim Hager, President and CEO of Arnold Defense said “FLETCHER is a very exciting new development for Arnold Defense and our team partners. Our rocket launchers are already well-established on airborne platforms internationally. Transitioning onto the land (on both vehicular and dismounted roles) and also into marine environments, with FLETCHER, is a natural progression for us and will provide these forces with a completely new capability.”
He added: “We’re expecting to have the FLETCHER system ready for sale towards the end of 2018”.
08 May 18. MBDA discloses European Modular Missile development. MBDA has disclosed detail of a revival in Franco-German co-operation in the guided-missile sector through the joint development of a lightweight air-to-ground missile solution for the Airbus Helicopters
Intended as an anti-armour/anti-structure solution for the respective Mark III mid-life upgrade of the French/German Tiger attack helicopter fleets, the European Modular Missile (EMM) initiative is underpinned by a mandate from the 19th Franco-German Ministerial Council meeting in July 2017, which established a range of joint capability projects, including the ‘next generation’ of Tiger helicopters and the joint development of an air-to-ground missile. In parallel, the French Military Planning Law (Loi de Programmation Militaire – LPM) 2019–25, presented in February 2018, also makes provision for an EMM capability under the Future Tactical Air-Surface Missile (Missile Air-Surface Tactique Futur – MAST-F) requirement, with the intent that the programme should be launched with Germany.
France and Germany have similar requirements for a new air-to-ground anti-tank guided missile (ATGM) weapon: France to the replace AGM-114 Hellfire and Germany to replace the HOT 3 (Haut subsonique Optiquement Téléguidé 3) missile. MBDA is proposing EMM as a capability enhancement for the Tiger Mk III upgrade – this is backed up by the Ministerial agreement in 2017, which provides for a co-operatively developed solution; accordingly both countries could potentially converge their upgrade and weapon requirements for the Tiger Mk III programme.
“MBDA’s EMM solution for this requirement stems from an industrial co-operative agreement between MBDA in France and MBDA in Germany to see what could be reused from existing technologies within the company and where delta development is needed,” an industry official told Jane’s.
(Source: IHS Jane’s)
09 May 18. Orbital ATK and IMI Systems Partner to Jointly Introduce New Weapons Technology for the U.S.. Orbital ATK (NYSE: OA), a global leader in aerospace and defense technologies, and IMI Systems Ltd. have announced a teaming agreement in which Orbital ATK will produce and supply a U.S. version of IMI’s 500-lb Multi-Purpose Rigid Bomb (MPR500) and the MPR family of bombs for the United States.
With today’s warfighting landscape shifting to an increasingly asymmetric environment, there is a growing demand for high versatility, high reliability and low collateral damage precision weapons with a penetration capability. According to IMI, the MPR500 is similar in form and fit to the MK-82 and offers proven penetration capability and controlled fragmentation for a concentrated blast.
“Our first initiative in this agreement will be exploring how MPR500, a combat proven technology, can be transitioned into an economical and rapidly fielded solution for our U.S. warfighters,” said Pat Nolan, Vice President and General Manager of Missile Products within Orbital ATK’s Defense Systems Group. “We are hopeful that this relationship will lead to future product enhancements and additional opportunities for Orbital ATK and IMI Systems to collaborate.”
Orbital ATK’s Defense Systems Group is an industry leader in providing innovative and affordable precision and strike weapons, advanced propulsion and hypersonics, missile components across air-, sea- and land-based systems, ammunition and related energetic products.
(Source: BUSINESS WIRE)
08 May 18. Aerojet completes hot fire altitude testing for MDA’s RKV. US-based rocket and missile propulsion manufacturer Aerojet Rocketdyne has successfully completed hot fire altitude testing on the Missile Defense Agency’s (MDA) Redesigned Kill Vehicle (RKV) propulsion system.
Testing on the Divert and Attitude Control System (DACS) Center Manifold has been carried out in collaboration with Boeing and the US MDA.
The test on Aerojet Rocketdyne’s Center Manifold technology was conducted at a simulated altitude outside the Earth’s atmosphere at the White Sands Test Facility in Las Cruces, New Mexico, US. The RKV programme is a major part of the ground-based midcourse defence (GMD) element of the MDA’s ballistic missile defence system.
Aerojet Rocketdyne Defense senior vice-president Mo Khan said: “Completion of this DACS Center Manifold testing is a significant milestone for our GMD RKV DACS programme, and a major step forward to the critical design review for this state-of-the-art propulsion technology.”
The company is currently under contract with Boeing for the development and initial production of the RKVs, with the DACS units being manufactured at its Los Angeles facility.
GMD provides Combatant Commanders with the capability to engage and address intermediate and intercontinental ballistic missile threats in space in order to protect the US.
Aerojet Rocketdyne president and chief executive officer Eileen Drake said: “We’re extremely proud of our RKV team and our missile defence product lines, and the pinpoint accuracy our systems provide warfighters in defending the US and its allies.”
The RKV helps enhance the vehicle’s reliability while reducing unit cost, improving maintenance in the field, and enhancing performance against emerging threats. (Source: army-technology.com)
05 May 18. Royal Navy Gets First Unmanned Minesweeping System. Following a period of successful trials the demonstrator system could go on to be used by the Royal Navy in the future to defeat the threat of modern digital mines.
The system has been designed and manufactured by Atlas Elektronik UK in Dorset, under a £13m contract with the Ministry of Defence which has sustained around 20 jobs and created 15 new jobs with the company.
Defence Minister Guto Bebb said, “This autonomous minesweeper takes us a step closer to taking our crews out of danger and allowing us to safely clear sea lanes of explosives, whether that’s supporting trade in global waters and around the British coastline, or protecting our ships and shores. Easily transported by road, sea and air, the high-tech design means a small team could put the system to use within hours of it arriving in theatre. We are investing millions in innovative technology now, to support our military of the future.”
The system’s innovative and modernised technology has the ability to defeat today’s digital sea mines which can detect and target military ships passing overhead. The sweeper system, which features a “sense and avoid” capability, could also work together with other similar autonomous systems for the common goal of making our waters safer.
The project also aims to demonstrate the viability of an unmanned system that can safely and successfully clear mines and which is designed to be operated from a land or ship-based control station and can be deployed from a suitable ship or port.
Over the last four months, the system has been put through its paces by Atlas Elektronik and Defence Equipment and Support team members and the Royal Navy’s Maritime Autonomous Systems Trials Team (MASTT).
The system was tested against a number of performance requirements, for example, how well it cleared mines, whether the autonomous system could successfully avoid obstacles and the overall system performance.
Brigadier Jim Morris Royal Marines – Assistant Chief of the Naval Staff in Maritime Capability, and Senior Responsible Officer for the Mine Counter Measures and Hydrographic Capability (MHC) programme said, “The Mine Countermeasures and Hydrographic Capability Combined Influence Minesweeping system is the Royal Navy’s first fully autonomous capability demonstrator and paves the way for the introduction of this technology across the full range of maritime capabilities. Combined Influence Minesweeping is a critical component of the Mine Countermeasures capability. This autonomous system will restore the Royal Navy’s sweep capability, enabling it to tackle modern digital mines that may not otherwise be discovered in challenging minehunting conditions. This autonomous sweep system represents a fundamental step in the Navy’s transition to autonomous offboard systems to counter the threat posed to international shipping by the sea mine; we look forward to commencing demonstration of the associated minehunting system in 2019.”
The handover of the system to the Royal Navy is a significant milestone for the Mine Countermeasures and Hydrographic Capability (MHC) programme, which aims to de-risk maritime autonomous systems and introduce these new technologies into the Royal Navy.
Director Ships Support Neal Lawson, of the MOD’s procurement organisation, Defence Equipment and Support, said, “The autonomous minesweeper offers a commander the ability to defeat mines that cannot be countered by current hunting techniques and significantly reduces the risk to crew members in pressured and time-constrained operations. The system can offer greater flexibility and upgradability, allowing the Royal Navy to respond better to the sea-mine threat in the long-term and operate more effectively around the world.”
The system will now undergo a series of more detailed trials with the Royal Navy. The Royal Navy has a proud history of minesweeping, dating from World War One when even the likes of fishing trawlers were converted for use, dragging a chain from the vessel to clear German mines. Today, with far more sophisticated equipment, the service is still called upon to clear the waters of ordnance and maintains a world-leading role in minehunting, training alongside allies in the Mediterranean and the Gulf.
The MOD has committed 1.2% of the £36bn defence budget, supported by a dedicated £800m Innovation Fund, to cutting-edge science and technology.
(Source: ASD Network/UK MoD)
08 May 18. More venom from Snake Head. The Jordan Advanced Machining Company (JAMC) (Hall 5, Stand A501) is showing its latest Snake Head Cupola Mk VI armed with two .50 M2 machine guns for increased firepower, with each weapon provided with 200 rounds of ready-use ammunition. The Snake Head Cupola has previously been shown armed with a single .50 machine gun, with other alternatives being 5.56mm or 7.62mm machine guns.
It has powered traverse through 360°, with a manual back-up and weapon elevation from -10° to +35°, and is of all-welded steel armour, which is to STANAG 4569 Level II standard. To provide a high level of situational awareness, which is vital during internal security and counter-insurgency operations, Snake Head has bullet-/splinter proof vision blocks covering a full 360°. It has its own battery-powered electrical supply, which supplies power for traverse, the two fans and the searchlight.
In addition to being used by the Jordan Armed Forces (JAF), the Snake Head Cupola is also used by the Jordanian Gendarmerie, installed on some of its locally produced Al Jawad (4×4) internal security vehicles and a recently deployed Toyota Land Cruiser, which has been modified to meet local operational requirements. The latter is being shown on the General Directorate of Gendarmerie, Maintenance Department stand.
Although originally designed to be installed on tracked and wheeled armoured fighting vehicles and internal security vehicles, the Snake Head Cupola is also being marketed in the static defend role when installed on a protected police post for guarding high-value installations. (Source: IHS Jane’s)
05 May 18. L&T Defence, the defence arm of Larsen & Toubro (L&T) and one of the leading industry partners of BrahMos Aerospace Pvt. Ltd. (BAPL), has successfully completed the design and prototype realisation of the ‘Quadruple Canisterised Inclined Launcher’ (QCIL or Quad Launcher) for BRAHMOS missiles and after rigorous trials, has handed over the prototype Quad Launcher to BAPL, at an event today.
The Quad Launcher is designed for launching BRAHMOS supersonic cruise missiles in an inclined configuration on-board Indian Naval ships. The launcher provides superior firepower as compared to the twin canister, deck mounted launchers and has a capability to support and launch four missiles in a single or salvo mode. The new Quad Launcher is suitable for warships which have space constraints to accommodate a Vertical Launch Module.
Mr. Jayant Patil, Whole-time Director (Defence) and Member of L&T Board, handed over QCIL prototype to Dr. Sudhir Mishra, Director General (BrahMos) DRDO and CEO & MD, BrahMos Aerospace, at an event held at L&T Defence’ Strategic Systems Complex near Pune. The production units of the QCIL will be ready for deployment on Indian Naval Ships in next 18 months.
Speaking on the occasion, Mr. Jayant Patil said, “We have been associated with the development of BRAHMOS missile programme since 2000, when as part of the composite team led by DRDO, we engaged with the Russian Federation and embarked on this vast project. As proven partners of all variants of Naval missile launchers for BRAHMOS, we took up the design of the unique Quad Launcher and realised the prototype in 18 months. The Launcher underwent rigorous testing, including by the NPOM specialists, prior to receiving of production clearance. L&T will now take up the bulk production of the Quad Launchers.”
While receiving the new launcher, Dr. Sudhir Mishra said, “BrahMos has taken an exemplary lead in the Indian Government’s ‘Make-In-India’ drive. In fact, BrahMos Aerospace practices ‘Design-In-India’ – the next level of ‘Make-In-India’, which has resulted in the establishment of a consortium of over 200 industries involved in the design, development, testing and production of various systems and sub-systems for the universal BRAHMOS missile and its various ground / air / sea based systems.”
“The BrahMos concept of ‘Mind-to-Market’ has led to technology development along with skilled manpower creation and a huge business, thus leading to in-country wealth generation,” Dr. Mishra remarked while adding that, “Our major partner L&T is an ideal example of ‘Design-In-India’ and ‘Make-In-India’ today.”
As a leading industry partner of BrahMos Aerospace, L&T has been closely involved in the design, development and production of the Launchers & Fire Control Systems for naval platforms as well as development and production of key aero-structural sections of the formidable BRAHMOS Weapon System.
Background:
Larsen & Toubro is an Indian multinational engaged in technology, engineering, construction, manufacturing and financial services with over USD 17bn in revenue. It operates in over 30 countries worldwide. A strong, customer–focused approach and the constant quest for top-class quality have enabled L&T to attain and sustain leadership in its major lines of business for over seven decades.
BrahMos Aerospace is a joint venture between Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) of India and NPO Mashinostroyenia (NPOM) of Russia and is one of the successful Make-in-India programs in defence. The company was established in India through an inter-Government Agreement signed in 1998 between The Republic of India and The Russian Federation. The company is responsible for designing, developing, producing and marketing the BRAHMOS supersonic cruise missile with active participation of a consortium of Indian and Russian industries.
(Source: Google/www.dailypioneer.com)
04 May 18. Gun-maker Beretta says it’s found the ‘key to penetrating markets.’ Italian gun-maker Beretta is eyeing a new technology transfer deal with Argentina after concluding a similar deal with Qatar, claiming handing over technology to allow international customers to build their own guns is the future.
The firm is looking at transferring technology to Argentinian state manufacturer Fabricaciones Militares for the production of handguns and assault rifles, said Carlo Ferlito, vice president of Beretta Defense Technologies.
“This will happen increasingly — it is key to penetrating markets,” he said. “All customers want control of supply.”
Beretta is now looking at future deals to transfer technology to international clients in Africa and Asia, he said.
In March, Beretta signed with Qatar to create a joint venture based there with the country’s Ministry of Defence to produce its ARX160 and ARX200 assault rifles, as well as its 92A1 pistol for Qatar government use.
Under the deal, Beretta will hold a minority stake in the joint venture, which will receive technology transfer from Beretta Holding Group and will build a manufacturing facility in Doha.
Ferlito did not reveal the order that was involved in the deal.
“The first transfer of technology is complete, and Qatar will have total independence in six years,” he said.
The firm has previously struck a deal for partial technology transfer with Egypt for the local production of its Px4 pistol.
Turning to the U.S. market, Ferlito said the firm was viewing pending competitions.
“Everyone talks about the next-generation squad assault weapon, and we are looking into the program,” he said. “We have ideas about what we would offer. It will be challenging in terms of lethality, recoil reduction and weight.”
Ferlito praised Beretta’s M9 pistol, which was in service with the U.S. Army for three decades before being replaced last year by the Sig Sauer XM17 Modular Handgun System.
Take a look at the Corps’ new Sig Sauer handguns
It’s everything you need to know about the 9mm hand guns by Sig Sauer. (Daniel Woolfolk/Staff)
“There has been a lot of confusion about the M9,” he said. “It was criticized for its ammunition, not the gun itself. We proved that to the customer, and we are still delivering to the U.S. Army on the previous contracts, and we are passing tests showing it is incredibly reliable.”
Ferlito said the M9 era was not over. “It has [a] lot to say, and the latest modifications make it very interesting for a lot of armies around the world. Having said that, this is the year of polymer, and the customer wants polymer,” he said.
“The U.S. chose the cheapest option, not the best performing option, because they chose to stop the tests before their completion because of the offer they received,” he said.
Turning back to the next-generation squad assault weapon, he added: “I hope they will stick to requirement and not turn to the cheapest offer as they did with the Modular Handgun System.” (Source: Defense News)
04 May 18. Support Growing for Directed Energy Weapons. Lawmakers and Defense Department leaders are showing increased interest in directed energy technology as the U.S. military gears up for great power competition with China and Russia.
High-energy lasers were big “winners” in the 2018 omnibus spending bill that Congress passed in March, according to defense industry analyst Jim McAleese of McAleese & Associates.
These weapons benefited from an “explosive spike” in Pentagon research, development, test and evaluation funding, which increased 23 percent relative to 2017 levels to $91bn, he said in an email.
McAleese said those funds include: $35m for a high-energy laser technology maturation initiative for the Army; $152m for innovative naval prototypes including a solid-state laser and high-energy lasers; $246m for Air Force directed energy technology including $43m for high-energy laser research and $70m for prototyping; and $36m for a Defense Department-wide laser demonstrator.
“Robust federal investments in directed energy is absolutely critical to our national security,” Rep. Tim Ryan, D-Ohio, said at a recent directed energy summit. “No one can sit in classified briefings as I have and learn what our adversaries are doing right now and not feel a keen sense of urgency to invest more into these technologies,” added Ryan, a member of the House Appropriations Committee.
These types of weapons have the potential to address a wide range of threats including defense against enemy missiles, rockets, artillery, mortars, drones and fast boats. They have unique characteristics such as speed of light engagement and a virtually unlimited magazine, he noted.
“I like what the budget looks like this year and into fiscal year ‘19 — almost $1bn to move us from low to high gear in what we need to achieve and accomplish in this area,” he said.
Directed energy is one of the high-tech capabilities mentioned in the 2018 national defense strategy, which emphasizes competition with advanced adversaries as the primary focus of U.S. national security efforts, rather than counterterrorism.
Michael Griffin, the new undersecretary of defense for research and engineering, is putting emphasis on the technology. He isn’t just interested in “big lasers,” he noted. High-power microwaves, “several flavors of lasers” and neutral particle beam weapons are also on his shopping list.
As competition with China and Russia heats up again, there is growing support on Capitol Hill and elsewhere for investing in these areas, Griffin said.
“As we come out of the Slough of Despond in directed energy into an environment that is more welcoming of our contributions, we should not lose our way with some of the other [directed energy] technologies that were pioneered in the ‘80s and the early ‘90s and now stand available for renewed effort,” he said, making reference to the deep bog in John Bunyan’s allegory Pilgrim’s Progress.
As the R&E chief, Griffin said he will be “very welcoming of other approaches that may not have had a lot of focus in recent years or recent decades.”
Directed energy will be one of about 10 core technology areas that will be prioritized in modernization investments, he noted. “I do believe that we are going to put our money where our mouth is.” (Source: glstrade.com/NDIA)
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08 May 18. Wraps lifted off Jordan’s armed UAV. An example of the CH-4B armed UAV is being shown by the Royal Jordanian Air Force for the first time. Designed by the China Academy of Aerospace Aerodynamics, part of the wider China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation (CASC), the CH-4B is one of a growing family of UAVs developed under the Cai Hong (rainbow) family name. Marketed by Aerospace Long-March International Trade (ALIT), the CH-4B has found a good market here in the Middle East, in part due to the reluctance of US authorities to sell armed UAVs to their allies in the region. Egypt, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Iraq have all acquired the CH-4B armed version, and the type has been employed widely on operations in Yemen and against Daesh targets in Iraq.
Broadly similar in size and performance to the General Atomics MQ-1 Predator, the 18m (59ft) wingspan CH-4B has a take-off weight of 1,330kg (2,930lb) and payload of 345kg (760lb). It can operate at altitudes of up to 7,200m (23,620ft) and has a maximum endurance of 40 hours. The UAV is powered by a piston engine developing around 100hp (75kW), giving a top speed of 235km/h (146mph).
The type has been refined during production, the latest version – as operated by Jordan – featuring a bulged forward fuselage to house a communications antenna.
In terms of armament, the CH-4B can carry the AR-1 and AR-2 missiles and a range of small precision-guided bombs, such as the TG100. The AR-1 is a development of the HJ-10 (Blue Arrow 10) and has various seeker options, including imaging infrared, semi-active laser and TV guidance. Weighing 45kg (100 lb), the weapon is in effect the Chinese equivalent of the US AGM-114 Hellfire. The AR-2 is a new 20kg (44 lb) missile with semi-active laser guidance and a range of 8km (5 miles).
Jordan acquired the CH-4B about two years ago for service with No. 9 Squadron, which also operates the RJAF’s other unmanned air vehicle types: the Schiebel S-100 Camcopter and Leonardo Falco. Operational experience with the CH-4B has resulted in interest in the larger and more powerful CASC CH-5 21m (69ft) wingspan armed UAV.
The CH-5 offers a 200kg (441 lb) internal payload for sensors and a 1,000kg (2,205 lb) external payload, permitting it to carry up to 16 precision-guided missiles underwing. This vehicle is roughly equivalent to the MQ-9 Reaper, although it retains a piston engine instead of the Reaper’s turboprop. (Source: IHS Jane’s)
08 May 18. General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc. (GA-ASI) today announced the first flight of the Guardian Remotely Piloted Aircraft (RPA) in Japan during an opening ceremony on Iki Island. The demonstration flights, taking place over the next three weeks, intend to promote the civil and scientific applications of the RPA.
“We thank the Mayor of Iki and the many other public and private stakeholders for their making this demonstration possible, said Linden Blue, CEO GA-ASI. “We believe that these flights of long-endurance RPAs in Japan’s maritime environment will provide valuable information, and we look forward to reviewing the important data gathered from these flights.”
Mayor Shirakawa provided a statement, which said: “We are delighted to host the RPA flight demonstration on our island of Iki. The demonstration is an important milestone for the many peaceful uses of RPAs, including maritime disaster security and maritime resource management. Iki is located near the boundaries of Japan, so surveillance capabilities are an important matter for us. Furthermore, holding the nation’s first demonstration of this kind has great economic significance for our island. I thank the national government’s ministries and agencies and the many other public and private stakeholders for their cooperation.”
The Guardian will collect data for scientific research that will be shared across multiple government agencies, while operating from the island of Iki, in Japan’s Nagasaki Prefecture. An opportunity to view the demonstration flights will be open to members of the public on Sunday, 13 May. This is the first demonstration of a long endurance RPA by a private company in Japan. The aircraft’s sensors include a long-range maritime surface-search radar, stabilized optical and infrared video cameras, and an active collision-avoidance system, which includes a short range air-to-air radar. This configuration is similar to that operated by the U.S. Department of Homeland security over the maritime approaches to the U.S.
For demonstration purposes, the Guardian flights will consist of approximately 10 five-hour sorties over a three week period, originating out of Iki Airport; however, this aircraft configuration is capable of more than 20 hours endurance in a single sortie. The Guardian system will demonstrate various missions, including:
- Meteorological, disaster-relief and oceanic observations
- Marine accidents and rescue support
- Air space management and support of communications
GA-ASI is leading the demonstrations in cooperation with Iki Airport personnel and Japanese national authorities. The sensor data collected by Guardian will be provided to scientific research institutions, and flight data will be given to airspace management organizations to help establish procedures for using RPA systems in national and international civil airspace. GA-ASI has sent its own team of experienced RPA pilots, sensor operators, and maintenance personnel to Japan to ensure safe operations during all phases of the demonstration. The demonstration is funded by GA-ASI and the equipment used belongs to the company.
07 May 18. US Navy establishes aerial drone squadron. As the need and scope of the military’s unmanned systems continues to grow, the Navy plans to establish a command devoted to aviation drones this fall.
Air Test and Evaluation Squadron Two Four (UX24) will come into existence at Webster Outlying Field in Maryland in October, according to an OPNAV instruction issued in April.
UX24’s mission will involve providing research, development, testing and other support for Navy and Marine Corps drone systems.
That mission is currently performed by Naval Test Wing Atlantic, but growth in the field requires a command solely focused on the aviation drone mission, the OPNAV states.
The Navy’s aerial drone fleet has grown to run the gamut in recent years, and ranges from smaller models to plans for the MQ-25, a drone that will be able to refuel manned aircraft midflight. (Source: C4ISR & Networks)
08 May 18. Military, industrial users turn to UAS leasing as a new option. Leasing unmanned aircraft systems (UASs) is becoming a more popular option as commercial entities seek the capability and military users seek to obviate cumbersome acquisition processes.
JetLease Vice-President Katy Glynn told Jane’s she sees a growing appetite for leased unmanned platforms. Users may start leasing a smaller platform to test the capability, then realise the opportunities and soon want a larger system, she noted. “We’re really a bridge between sticking your toes in the water with the unmanned systems … and the governments and militaries who can acquire the larger UAS,” Glynn said.
JetLease – a 35-year-old provider of private, commercial, and military aircraft – is discussing lease deals with potential military and civilian clients in Asia, Australia, Canada, and the Middle East, Glynn said. The company is finalising negotiations with several customers, but she declined to name them until agreements are settled.
In September 2017 JetLease inked a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with UMS Skeldar – a joint venture between Saab and UMS AERO – to lease out UMS Skeldar’s vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) portfolio, including its flagship V-200 unmanned helicopter. Packages include dry leasing (without crew) and wet leasing (with crew and maintenance) as well as optional payloads such as Sentient Vision Systems’ ViDAR, the company said.
In early May JetLease signed an MOU with FLYING-CAM, which specialises in unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) for aerial cinematography. FLYING-CAM recently unveiled a new version of its Special Aerial Response Automatic Helicopter (SARAH), which is “designed to fly up to 60 minutes on one charge, resist wind power of up to 80km/h, and carry multiple payloads of up to 10kg”, the company said. SARAH is powered by a 5kW electric engine.
(Source: IHS Jane’s)
08 May 18. Textron Unveils Thrust-Vectoring X5-55 VTOL UAS. Textron Systems unveiled its X5-55 vertical take-off and landing engineering testbed at the AUVSI Xponential show in Denver, Colorado, on 1 May. The company developed the aircraft to meet demands from military customers for an unmanned air vehicle that is able to nimbly take off and land vertically from tight spots, while retaining the ability to fly efficiently over long distances.
“There is more focus on manoeuvrability,” says Sean Baity, technical director of advanced product initiatives at Textron. “There is more focus on independent operation in complex terrain.”
The aircraft uses four independently moving electric-powered rotors for vertical and horizontal flight, as compared with Textron’s Aerosonde hybrid quad UAV, which uses four fixed electric-powered rotors for vertical take-off and landing and a piston engine-powered propeller for horizontal flight.
“There are multiple ways to get out of a confined space, but with a separated lift and thrust system, like [the Aerosonde], you have a bigger footprint to transition to fixed-wing flight,” says Baity.
“With the vector thrust technology in the tilting rotors I can deliver my energy that keeps me in VTOL into transition quicker. So, I can get more aggressively out, to the point where the operator can only know that he can see blue sky, and press a button and the aircraft will transition out.”
The experimental aircraft was first flown in July 2017 and has a gross take-off weight of 34kg (75lb), Baity says. The UAV can carry a payload of almost 2.3kg and has an electrical power capacity of 50W. Its range depends on the payload, but is around a 100nm (200km), the company says.
The X5-55 is built to take full-motion video for intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance purposes, as well as operate as a communications relay and electronic warfare platform. (Source: UAS VISION/FlightGlobal)
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09 May 18. Russia debuts electronic warfighter drone. Drones repeat themselves, first as scouts, and later as weapons. While not all drones have made the transition from surveillance platform to armed agent, everything from the Predator to simple toy quadcopters have found new utility when armament is added to a traditional sensor package. So it will be for Russia’s Korsar surveillence drone, which debuted an armed variant as part of the annual victory parade in Moscow. Only here, the armament won’t be the traditional payload of explosives. Instead, the Korsar is adding an electronics weapons suite.
From Russia’s TASS:
“In the future, the system may be equipped with drones with improved characteristics and additional functions. In particular, there are plans to increase the operational range to 250 km and also equip the drones with electronic warfare systems and advanced reconnaissance means,” [Korsar maker Rostec] corporation said.
The function of that electronics weapons system will likely remain unknown until observed in the field or revealed by Rostec. Unlike missiles and bombs, which can be spotted on wings and then identified from remains afterwards, deciphering electronic weapons is a trickier proposition, relying on inferring antennas from the shape of pods and then reading intent into whatever sensors end up disrupted.
If the system is counter drone, Korsar wouldn’t be the first uninhabited aerial vehicle built for that purpose, though on a list of 235 counter drone systems, only two can plausibly be considered electronic warfare weapons mounted on drones. That said, we’ve seen new electronic warfare systems fielded by Russian-aligned forces in Ukraine, and according to Russian defense officials the nation secretly tested a robotic tanklet in Syria. Should the Korsar be spotted in battle, it will join a growing list of drones modified for combat to first see action in support of Russia’s irregular wars. (Source: Defense News Early Bird/C4ISR & Networks)
07 May 18. Pentagon green lights Army network strategy — with caveats. A new report from the Pentagon’s chief cost analyst and weapons tester cautiously approves the Army’s plan for a new tactical network, one that is expected to follow the canceled $6bn Warfighter Information Network-Tactical.
In a report submitted to Congress April 24, the Department of Defense’s director of cost assessment and program evaluation and the director of operational test and evaluation declared some elements of the Army’s new network approach as “suitable” but said it was too early to assess the strategy as a whole.
“The Army has made concerted efforts to change its path for modernization,” the officials wrote in the report. “The involvement of senior leadership, definition of overarching characteristics, and pivot to an acquisition strategy that includes experimentation represent a major shift from the traditional Army approach. This shift is still in progress and the results of experimentation will inform many of the decisions as to what programs or technology will meet the operational needs.”
The Army’s new tactical network strategy comes after a sweeping review initiated by Army Chief of Staff Gen. Mark Milley; the strategy also was mandated in the fiscal 2018 National Defense Authorization Act. It centers on improving governance and pivoting to a new acquisition approach, while also fulfilling critical operational needs. The strategy includes a significant emphasis on an “adapt and buy” model that leans heavily on prototyping.
But the Pentagon report raises some issues with the strategy’s focus on rapid prototyping and “adapt and buy,” including how technologies are chosen and how they are tested for Army-wide viability.
“The inherent limitation with an ‘adapt and buy’ approach to acquisition is that the rigor and conditions with which these technologies have been verified may not be adequate to meet Army performance requirements,” the authors wrote. “Adequate testing includes typical users engaged in operationally realistic missions, a realistic threat, employment with intended basis of issue, and objective data collection to support an assessment of operational effectiveness, operational suitability, and survivability.”
In the report, the evaluators deemed the strategy’s focus on experimentation to inform requirements as “suitable,” but called on Army leaders to continue to refine the selection and testing processes.
CAPE and DOT&E also said the strategy’s requirement for a standards-based network that allows for rapid insertion of new technologies was suitable. But they warned that the strategy “cannot coalesce into a cohesive effort” without prioritizing defined standards and architectures for the common operating environment and a unified network.
The report also noted trouble with the program’s funding. With no approval for a fiscal 2018 realignment request to funnel money away from WIN-T, the strategy’s experimental linchpin is not viable, the authors wrote.
The evaluators also warned that Army leaders may struggle to prioritize the strategy amid broader Army operations and the draw of the status quo.
“The Army may be challenged to execute a viable strategy because of competing priorities coupled with the inertia associated with the existing acquisition programs and processes. These efforts will compete for human and fiscal resources,” they wrote. Furthermore, “without funding, this strategy is not viable.” (Source: C4ISR & Networks)
07 May 18. Soldier Communication Gets a Boost. It appears that the days of simple radio communication are over for the soldiers of the 173rd Airborne Brigade Combat Team. In its place comes a sophisticated yet intuitive communication system that allows leaders at the squad level and higher to rapidly share information across the military network.
This new platform, called the Integrated Tactical Network, revolutionizes the way tactical leaders are able to communicate, improving the lethality of small units, while at the same time increasing safety and situational awareness for soldiers.
“Besides each of us having access to the mission graphics, we will be able to battle track each other,” said Army 1st. Lieutenant Michael Austin, a platoon leader in Attack Company, 1st Battalion, 503rd Infantry Regiment. “If we’re in a movement to contact and we take chance contact, we can use this to very accurately shift fires, and have more fires on the enemy while being very safe because we know our exact front-line trace.”
The benefits for soldiers in the field are extensive. With the platform, leaders are able to track the positions of the units all around the battlefield, as well as share text messages, voice communication and even pictures.
Crystal-Clear Communications
The equipment was fielded to the battalion two days prior to executing company-level combined arms live-fire exercises here May 1-5. After a one-day class, the radio telephone operators and the platoon leaders understood the process for using the devices and were able to use them for the actual exercise.
“We had crystal-clear communications the entire time and that’s the first time we’ve had that,” Austin said. “Our scouts were able to take photos directly from their hide site, so we had eyes on the objective in real-time.
The new system uses equipment that soldiers are already very familiar with, including the multi band inter/intra team radio radio to project data, and a modern smartphone for the actual interface.
“This system is simple to field and use,” said Army Capt. Michael Belina, the signals officer for 1st Battalion, 503rd Infantry Regiment “We were able to learn it at the [operator] level in one day. The software is really intuitive since most soldiers know how to use smart phones as a second nature, [so] there’s no issue with them picking up the features and figuring it out.”
Platoon leaders, fire support officers and company commanders have the devices now, but squad leaders will have the same devices soon.
Informing Soldiers, Empowering Junior Leaders
“When the platform is fully implemented, paratroopers will have an additional quality radio and access to the same common operating picture as their leadership,” Belina said. “The common soldier will have a better idea of what’s going on around him, and it will basically cut out some of the talk that is required to build that picture. It will be more immediate.”
Another benefit of the new equipment is that it simplifies the communications package for the soldier on the ground.
“It makes it so you don’t have to have a truck with a [Joint Capabilities Release] on it, with a vehicle and power to it. It takes away all that equipment and simplifies it,” said Army Sgt. Alex Jones, a retransmission team noncommissioned officer with the 1st Battalion, 503rd Infantry Regiment’s communications section.
On a less tangible level, this system empowers junior leaders to know their mission and react quickly as the situation on the ground changes.
“As an airborne unit, we already do a good job of going down to the lowest level to ensure everyone knows the plan,” Austin said. “But it’s typically just the platoon leaders and platoon sergeants and up that have the finer details. This ensures even lower levels know the plan.”
By improving communication across the formation, empowering junior leaders and ensuring soldier lethality on the battlefield, this new system shows just how the 173rd Airborne Brigade Combat Team soldiers continue to lead the force not just as fighters but also as modern, adaptable communicators on today’s battlefield. (Source: US DoD)
03 May 18. USAF focuses on frequency transfer systems. Three companies have received positions on a six-year, $24m contract to study techniques and technologies for the Air Force to improve the branch’s two-way time frequency transfer systems. Rockwell Collins, Microsemi Frequency and Time Corp., and Raytheon’s BBN Technologies business will share in the Joint Multi-INT Precision Reference program. They were the lone bidders for the contract run by the Air Force Research Laboratory, the Defense Department said in its Tuesday contracts digest.
JMPR participants will focus on accuracy, precision, security and utility of the inter-platform airborne systems in order to help them aid and complement each other in hostile environments, according to solicitation documents. Their research also aims to enable radio frequency sensing and electronic warfare functions for airborne systems. Work will take place through April 2024. (Source: Defense Systems)
08 May 18. Japan expands cyber collaboration with Estonia. Japan and Estonia have agreed to expand collaboration in cyber defence activities, the Ministry of Defense (MoD) in Tokyo said on 6 May. The agreement was signed in the northern European country by Japanese Defense Minister Itsunori Onodera and his counter Juri Luik. The MoD said co-operation through the agreement would be focused on supporting the Estonian-based NATO Cooperative Cyber Defence Centre of Excellence (CCDCOE). In January 2018 Japan announced its intention to become a member of CCDCOE, which undertakes research into cyber defence, ranging from technology, to strategy, to operations, and law. The organisation also co-ordinates cyber exercises to test countries’ responses to attack. (Source: IHS Jane’s)
04 May 18. US Cyber Command, NSA open new $500m operations center. The National Security Agency and Cyber Command marked the official opening of a new $500m building May 4, one that is designed to integrate cyber operations across the U.S. government and foreign partners.
The new Integrated Cyber Center and Joint Operations Center, or ICC/JOC, is Cyber Command’s “first dedicated building, providing the advanced command and control capabilities and global integration capabilities that we require to perform our missions,” former commander Adm. Michael Rogers said in recent congressional testimony.
The center puts Cyber Command, NSA, other government organizations and foreign partners together under the same roof to better synchronize, coordinate and de-conflict cyber operations.
The ICC/JOC will become operational in August.
“This arrangement allows for enhanced cyber situational awareness through real time intelligence, rapid communication with national command authorities and federal cyber centers, support to battlefield commander and full spectrum cyber operations with partners worldwide,” Maj. Eugene Williams, Cyber Command’s deputy battle captain, told reporters. “The ICC enables efficient planning and dynamic response in a domain where events or attacks happen in nanoseconds. Although USCYBERCOM and NSA have distinct missions and authorities, the new ICC/JOC enables mission success by bringing together the best people and the latest technologies within a fully integrated cyber facility.”
Others in the national security community described the new facility as a physical platform.
“The building represents a physical platform where U.S. Cyber Command and NSA can jointly work together,” Ron Talarico, chief of military construction at NSA told reporters. He added that while the building was funded separately by NSA and CYBERCOM, the facility was designed to function as one.
Cyber Command, Talarico said, spent roughly $358m on the building while NSA’s contribution was around $150-158m.
The Joint Operations Center serves as the nerve cell for planning and synchronizing offensive and defensive operations, though the operations themselves will be executed by operational units located elsewhere.
During the ribbon cutting ceremony, Rogers explained the two far sections of the building are devoted to NSA and Cyber Command respectively, while a rotunda in the center serves as the joint operations center.
Despite ongoing discussions surrounding the severing of the so-called dual-hat leadership of NSA and Cyber Command, many in the cyber community have noted the necessity that the two organizations remain inextricably linked going forward. This is due to the important intelligence value NSA provides inside adversary networks prior to operations for Cyber Command. Without the necessary intelligence inside networks, operations cannot be properly planned and executed.
“I don’t think it would affect anything,” Williams said of the potential for severing the dual-hat. “That’s the whole purpose of this organization. This ICC/JOC joins those two organizations together. This is where that synergy is going to happen. It doesn’t matter if we split the dual-hat or not, we will still remain together.”
The building is part of NSA’s nascent east campus and includes the new headquarters of Marine Corps Forces Cyberspace Command.
The completion of the east campus is scheduled for 2028 and will include a total of six buildings and house more than 20,000 employees, according to an NSA release.
Rogers also told Congress that Cyber Command will request additional funds for a new headquarters facility as it currently operates from a variety of dispersed facilities.
“My headquarters operates today from dozens of office suites in 10 NSA-owned or -leased buildings dispersed across 50 square miles of the Baltimore-Washington Highway corridor,” he wrote in congressional testimony this year prior to his retirement. “No other Combatant Commander confronts such an obstacle, which makes efficient and effective staff function challenging. In an operating environment where seconds matter, we require a headquarters that facilitates staff and partner integration, information flow, and rapid decision-making.” (Source: C4ISR & Networks)
04 May 18. Cybercom Now a Combatant Command, Nakasone Replaces Rogers. U.S. Cyber Command became the nation’s 10th unified combatant command today and Army Gen. Paul M. Nakasone replaced Navy Adm. Michael S. Rogers as commander, and as director of the National Security Agency and Central Security Service, at Fort Meade, Maryland. Rogers spent four years at the helm of both organizations shepherding both through challenging times, and especially growing Cybercocerm to be a force in a new combat domain.
Different Kind of Domain
“For more than 1,000 years, militaries have vied for dominance on land and sea,” said Deputy Defense Secretary Patrick M. Shanahan at the ceremony. “For the last 100 years, we have dominated in the air. Today we are at the dawn of a new era, facing the reality of war’s changing character: The emergence of cyberspace and outer space as contested warfighting domains, equal in importance with land, sea and air.”
Cyberspace is fundamentally different from the other warfighting domains as it is not bound by physical constraints, he said. The ability to operate in the virtual world of computers and networks, though, is just as crucial to military success as it is do take and hold ground, Shanahan said.
“The next 10 years, will look significantly different from the last 10,” he said. “The Department of Defense will ensure our military is ready to fight and win against any adversary across any domain, dominating the cyber domain at the speed of relevance.”
The cyber domain is so new that the rules for operating in it are still being written, Shanahan said. Rogers had to make educated guesses on what would be important and how would this impact other domains, the deputy secretary said. “Over four years, you anticipated the demands of the cyber domain before they were articulated. Your efforts informed this years’ National Defense Strategy — a road map for America’s military that takes a clear-eyed look at the world as it is, recognizing cyberspace as a warfighting domain.”
Old, New Threats
Rogers and the command had to adjust to the return of great power competition, the efforts of rogue states like North Korea and Iran, and the demands to foil attacks by violent extremist organizations.
“Admiral Rogers, you have tackled an explosion of threats and an explosion of technology, and explosions in demand and capacity,” Shanahan said.
Shanahan also praised the admiral for working with the services to develop cyber capacity and for his efforts to increase defenses for DoD’s cyber realm. He also thanked Rogers for “growing our assets to take the cyber fight to our adversaries.”
Shanahan said the elevation of Cybercom to combatant command status shows the domain has come of age and Nakasone now must take the command to the next level. “Your challenge is to build scale and strengthen our arsenal of cyber weapons, cyber shields and cyber warriors,” the deputy secretary said.
The deputy secretary noted that the general has worked at the NSA and Cybercom before and that experience will stand him in good stead. “You bring a wealth of practical experience as well as the proven ability to generate engagement and teamwork,” he said. (Follow Jim Garamone on Twitter: @GaramoneDODNews)
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Spectra’s SlingShot® is a unique low SWaP system that enables in-service U/VHF tactical radios to utilise Inmarsat’s commercial satellite network for BLOS COTM. Including omnidirectional antenna for the man, vehicle, maritime and aviation platforms, the tactical net can broadcast over 1000s miles between forward units and a rear HQ, no matter how or where the deployment. Unlike many BLOS options, SlingShot maintains full COTM (Communications On The Move) capability and low size and weight
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UNITED KINGDOM AND NATO
03 May 18. United Kingdom-Telford: Parts of military vehicles, 2018/S 087-196450
Contract notice
Supplies
Directive 2009/81/EC
Section I: Contracting authority/entity
I.1)Name, addresses and contact point(s)
Ministry of Defence, DSG, Defence Support Group (DSG)
Contact point(s): William Malcolm
TF2 8JT Telford
United Kingdom
Telephone: +44 1952967383
E-mail:
Section II: Object of the contract
II.1)Description
II.1.1)Title attributed to the contract by the contracting authority:
IRM18/5942 Supply of Spares for the Armoured Tracked Platforms
II.1.2)Type of contract and location of works, place of delivery or of performance
Supplies
Purchase
Main site or location of works, place of delivery or of performance: Telford and Wrekin.
NUTS code UKG21
II.1.3)Information on framework agreement
The notice involves the establishment of a framework agreement
II.1.4)Information on framework agreement
Justification for a framework agreement, the duration of which exceeds seven years:
Estimated total value of purchases for the entire duration of the framework agreement
Estimated value excluding VAT:
Range: between 4 500 000 and 10 000 000 GBP
II.1.5)Short description of the contract or purchase(s):
Parts of military vehicles. The supply of Major Platform spares associated with Armoured Fighting Vehicles.
II.1.6)Common procurement vocabulary (CPV)
35420000
Description of these options: 2×1 year options
II.2.3)Information about renewals
II.3)Duration of the contract or time limit for completion
Duration in months: 48 (from the award of the contract)
Section III: Legal, economic, financial and technical information
III.1)Conditions relating to the contract
III.1.1)Deposits and guarantees required:
The requirement that is stated in the PQQ shall prevail.
III.1.2)Main financing conditions and payment arrangements and/or reference to the relevant provisions governing them:
The requirement that is stated in the PQQ shall prevail.
III.1.3)Legal form to be taken by the group of economic operators to whom the contract is to be awarded:
The requirement that is stated in the PQQ shall prevail.
III.1.4)Other particular conditions to which the performance of the contract is subject, in particular with regard to security of supply and security of information:
The requirement that is stated in the PQQ shall prevail.
III.1.5)Information about security clearance:
III.2)Conditions for participation
III.2.1)Personal situation
Criteria regarding the personal situation of economic operators (that may lead to their exclusion) including requirements relating to enrolment on professional or trade registers
Information and formalities necessary for evaluating if the requirements are met: The Authority will apply all the offences listed in Article 39(1) of Directive 2009/81/EC (implemented as Regulation 23(1) of the Defence and Security Public Contract Regulations (DSPCR) 2011 in the UK) and all of the professional misconducts listed at Article 39(2) of Directive 2009/81/EC (see also Regulation 23(2) in the DSPCR 2011) to the decision of whether a Candidate is eligible to be invited to tender.
IV.1.2)Limitations on the number of operators who will be invited to tender or to participate
Envisaged number of operators 8
Objective criteria for choosing the limited number of candidates:
IV.2.2)Information about electronic auction
An electronic auction has been used: no
IV.3.1)File reference number attributed by the contracting authority:
IRM18/5942
IV.3.4)Time limit for receipt of tenders or requests to participate
19.6.2018 – 15:00
VI.4)Procedures for appeal
VI.4.1)Body responsible for appeal procedures
Ministry of Defence, DSG, Defence Support Group (DSG)
TF2 8JT Telford
United Kingdom
E-mail:
Telephone: +44 1952967383
Internet address: www.babcockinternational.com
VI.4.2)Lodging of appeals
VI.4.3)Service from which information about the lodging of appeals may be obtained
VI.5)Date of dispatch of this notice:
3.5.2018
(Source: Europa TED)
EUROPE
10 May 18. EU’s next seven-year budget includes billions for defence R&T and capabilities. The European Commission’s draft budget for the European Union’s next operating period would hoist the EU to among the region’s top four investors in defence research and technology (R&T) alongside France, Germany, and the United Kingdom, with more than EUR4bn (USD4.7bn) earmarked for research projects. The spending forms part of the Commission’s proposed multi-annual financial framework (MFF) for 2021–27.
“The governance of those projects [to avoid wasted resources] will be very important,” an EU official told Jane’s on 8 May.“The proposed amount [for defence R&T] is modest compared to what the member states spend in this area but if we correctly shape all those projects, they could have a real impact on the DTIB [ Europe’s defence technology industrial base],” said the official. (Source: IHS Jane’s)
10 May 18. Polish submarine programmme delayed until at least 2022. Poland will not buy new submarines before 2022, Wojciech Skurkiewicz, secretary of state in the Ministry of National Defense (MND), has said in response to a question from a member of the lower chamber of the Polish parliament, Adam Andruszkiewicz. Skurkiewicz said Poland is currently in the process of decommissioning its Kobben-class submarines. The first boat, ORP Kondor, was withdrawn from service in December 2017, and ORP Sokół will be decommissioned in June 2018. This leaves Poland with just two outdated Kobben-class submarines as the Kilo-class ORP Orzełhas been awaiting repairs for months with no clear timeframe for when it will become operational again. (Source: IHS Jane’s)
08 May 2018. American Panel Corporation (APC), the world’s leader in custom AMLCD products for both avionics and vetronics applications, has been placed under contract for the first production lot of Turkish T-70 helicopter cockpit displays. The customer, ASELSAN of Ankara, Turkey is the manufacturer of the avionics suite for the Turkish T-70 helicopter, – based on the Sikorsky S-70i™ Black Hawk – which is anticipated to go into service in 2021. First deliveries of APC hardware to ASELSAN will be made in 2018 and extend through 2025. APC supplies four 8-in by 10-in (M1210) and two 4-in by 5-in (M640P) display head assemblies for each T-70 cockpit utilized as Primary/Multi-Function Displays and Keyboard Display Units, respectively. The M1210 Display Head Assembly (DHA), provides a direct backlight and color matched LED to AMLCD high saturation color filters.
Jamie Boulet, Manager of Business Development said, “The APC M1210 is the first DHA of its kind to employ the latest of APC’s value-added feature sets in an aircraft providing exceptional performance to the pilot. The vibrant DHA colors, and system design for extreme conditions, sets APC apart from other display component manufacturers, using COTS AMLCDs and LEDs for their products.”
07 May 18. Ukraine and Turkey are developing military cargo transport aircraft AN-188. Ukraine and Turkey are moving to the practical implementation of a joint project to create an AN-188 (Antonov-188) military transport aircraft that will carry over 300 soldiers along with tanks, helicopters and other military hardware.
According to official Facebook page of government of Ukraine, the draft (project) military transport aircraft provides for a complete westernization of all components, the introduction of modern and reliable technical solutions, as well as full compliance with NATO standards, both in terms of equipment and tactics of the aircraft.
According to available information, the new aircraft will be able to transport military equipment of all kinds, military and construction equipment, helicopters, up to 300 soldiers, as well as humanitarian supplies, pallets and containers.
A prospective military transport turbojet will be a carrying capacity of up to 50 tons.
An-188 will be able to base on various airfields, including – on ground, and sit on short strips of a length of only 600-800 meters.
Ukraine and Turkey are developing military cargo transport aircraft An-188
The Ukrainian state-owned defence and aerospace holding group Ukroboronprom, has disclosed details of An-188 military cargo aircraft that makes Antonov series.
It is pertinent to mention that discussion for developing a huge military cargo aircraft were held after Airshow Eurasia-2018 in Antalya, Turkey and idea of AN-188 STOL (Short Take-Off and Landing) military transport aircraft was unveiled.
Officials from Antonov said that Ukraine will develop a family of new aircraft on basis of An-70. The new family would consist of 3 air platforms with different turbofan engines. The aircraft called the An-188-100 will be equipped with four D-436-148FM three-shaft high by-pass turbofan engines developed by the Ukrainian company Ivchenko-Progress.
According to different military blogs, all new aircraft of An-188 family will be capable of basing on different airfields, including air strips, and landing on short runways of only 600-800 m in length. This greatly expands the number of airfields the aircraft can be used on, ensuring the high efficiency of the new aircraft. The new aircraft will have an advanced glass cockpit with newest flight navigation and communication equipment. The An188 has the capability to fly distances up to 7,700 km, at a cruising altitude up to 12,100 m, and at a speed of up to 800 km/h depending on aircraft and engine type and variant. The An-188 military transport turbojet aircraft with a carrying capacity of up to 50 tons will be capable of carrying military equipment of all kinds. It will be capable of carrying military and construction equipment, helicopters, infantry combat vehicles, tank, artillery systems, up to 300 soldiers, as well as humanitarian cargoes, pallets and containers. (Source: Google/https://dnd.com.pk/)
03 May 18. Antonov confirms SALIS offer to NATO. Antonov has confirmed to Jane’s its offer to provide additional outsized airlift to NATO following the announcement by Volga-Dnepr that it will no longer support the alliance. The Ukrainian-based company reaffirmed on 2 May its offer to provide the necessary number of An-124-100 aircraft to support NATO’s Strategic Airlift International Solution (SALIS) programme, after the Russian-based provider said that when the current contract expires at the end of the year it will cease to provide its services due to the poor political climate between Russia and the West. Under the SALIS agreement, Antonov Airlines and Volga-Dnepr contribute a total of six An-124 aircraft for charter services to NATO and partner nations. NATO has not yet responded to the offer and had not answered Jane’s questions on the matter by the time of publication. As noted on the company’s website, Antonov Airlines specialises in the transport of outsized and project cargo worldwide using a fleet of one An-22, seven An-124s, and the world’s only An-225. (Source: Defense News Early Bird/IHS Jane’s)
USA
08 May 18. Air Force targets weapons integration, logistics in second round of light attack demo. The Air Force has kicked off the second phase of its light attack experiment, which could pave the way for the service to begin buying either the AT-6 or A-29.
The experiment — which began on May 7 at Holloman Air Force Base, N.M. — will give the Air Force a closer look at Textron’s AT-6 and the A-29 Super Tucano made by Sierra Nevada Corp. and Embraer over the next three months of flight tests.
“We’re bringing the team together in the desert to look at primarily the logistics but also some of the weapons integration capability,” Lt. Gen. Jerry Harris, the Air Force’s deputy chief of staff for strategic plans and requirements, said at an Air Force Association event on Monday.
“That’s what we’re expecting to get at in the early phase of this is bring everyone up to speed — the capability and currency of the aircrew and the maintainers that are operating those.”
The effort will focus on integrating precision guided weaponry with both aircraft, as well as getting a better understanding of how the service can operate light attack aircraft in austere and high-paced combat environments, he said.
Harris also noted another goal: establishing a network architecture that will be able to connect light attack aircraft with other U.S. assets and a wide array of U.S. partner nations, including poorer nations that want to help the United States in the counterterrorism fight but must do so on a tight budget.
“Not every country can afford an F-35, certainly some of them can’t afford F-16s and F-15s, so this light attack will give them an option to partner with us so we can go out and have that persistent effect on the battlefield,” he said.
“As we squeeze in Syria, Iraq and Afghanistan, some of these threats are going to leak out to other locations. We expect that that threat and the low intensity fight will continue to push back to other areas.”
During the first phase of the experiment, the Air Force assessed whether four aircraft, including the A-29 and AT-6, could provide a cheaper alternative to higher-end assets like the fourth or fifth generation fighters often tasked with low-end counterterrorism missions.
This phase of the experiment includes a wide array of participants from the active duty Air Force, Air National Guard and Air Force Reserves, to include fighter, attack, special operations and test pilots as well as flight engineers, according to an Air Force press release. The service has in the past said that it will also invite international militaries to observe the exercise.
Pilots will fly air interdiction, combat search and rescue, close air support and armed overwatch missions in both day and nighttime conditions, and Air Force maintainers will observe repair work and flight line operations.
With the light attack aircraft experiment, the Air Force is hoping to change the way it buys aircraft. Usually, the service spends years developing requirements for a product before soliticiting proposals from industry, choosing a vendor, awarding a contract and working with the company during a development period that span upwards of a decade.
In contrast, the light attack experiment has been limited to off-the-shelf options needing little or no modification work.
The Air Force still hasn’t made a decision on whether to buy one of the two aircraft involved in the experiment, Harris said, and the service could walk away from the effort at any time.
If the experiment goes well, Air Force Secretary Heather Wilson has said she could ask Congress to reprogram funding to allow the service to begin buying a light attack plane as early as this year. (Source: Defense News)
04 May 18. HII submits bid for two carriers. Huntington Ingalls Industries (HII) has submitted its two-ship bid to build the CVN 80 and CVN 81 Ford-class aircraft carriers at its Newport News Shipbuilding yard in Virginia and is now preparing to gear up its workforce for that work. “We submitted our proposal this week to the navy,” HII CEO Michael Petters said on 3 May. “The discussion that we’ll have over the next few months is exactly how we plan to execute that, and how the contract take shape.” The company would like to see the shipbuilding ‘centres’ – the amount of time for building a ship based on contracts – reduced, Petters said. (Source: IHS Jane’s)
04 May 18. Boeing launches Super Hornet SLM modification. The first US Navy (USN) Boeing F/A-18E/F Super Hornet to enter the Service-Life Modification (SLM) process ahead of the Block 3 enhancement programme arrived at the company’s St Louis production facility in Missouri in late April. A twin-seat F/A-18F from Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 106 ‘Gladiators’ that was first delivered to the fleet in 2004 will be the first of 300 Super Hornets so far received by the USN to undergo a comprehensive refurbishment ahead of the fitting of additional improvements under the Block 3 upgrade.
As previously disclosed in the SLM contract announcement from March, “The contract will include the following in support of comprehensive service life modifications to the Super Hornets to maximise aircraft in-reporting status, and return aircraft to the fleet with increased service life and capability: aircraft inspections and physical verification of fleet usage; warranty and non-warranty modifications; repairs incident to modification; recurring and non-recurring engineering efforts; logistics; project management; parts, kits, [and] associated materials; and data.”
The USN has a programme-of-record of 573 Super Hornets. While those aircraft already delivered will be retrofitted to the SLM and Block 3 standard, new aircraft rolling off the line from fiscal year 2022 will be built to this standard. Taking elements of the previously touted International Roadmap and Advanced Super Hornet, the Block 3 will include upgrades to the Raytheon AN/APG-79 active electronically scanned array (AESA) radar; an Elbit Systems large area display (LAD) ‘glass’ cockpit and next-generation avionics; an infrared search and track (IRST); ‘shoulder-mounted’ conformal fuel tanks (CFTs); Integrated Defensive Electronic Counter Measures (IDECM); and new General Electric F-414-400 enhanced engines. A new processor that is a hundred times more powerful than those of today makes this possible. (Source: IHS Jane’s)
REST OF THE WORLD
11 May 18. Austal excluded from OPV project. After months of negotiations, Lürssen Australia has announced that Austal will not be taking part in the Offshore Patrol Vessel contract. In a statement, Lürssen Australia, the prime contractor and designer for the Australian government’s SEA 1180 Offshore Patrol Vessel program, confirmed it has moved to conclude commercial negotiations with its build partners for the multibillion-dollar project. Lürssen has confirmed subcontracting arrangements with ASC and Perth-based Civmec Construction and Engineering for steel fabrication and construction, Saab Australia for the situational awareness system and L3 for communications throughout the ships. Construction of the first vessel for the Royal Australian Navy can now commence at the Osborne shipyard in South Australia before the end of 2018.
“Lürssen has worked hard to explore options to leverage the experience base at Henderson for the construction of 10 vessels in Western Australia, including conducting lengthy negotiations with Austal,” Lürssen Australia said in its statement.
“Ultimately, the negotiations with Austal have not generated a proposal that represents an acceptable level of value for money and Austal will not be a participant in the OPV build team.” (Source: Defence Connect)
08 May 18. More questions raised over OneSKY project. OneSKY, the $1.2bn project to integrate Australia’s military and civilian air traffic control systems, is back in the spotlight despite recently being removed from the projects of concern list.
Freedom of Information (FOI) documents, obtained by Centre Alliance Senator Rex Patrick, have shown the AIR 5431 Phase 3 Civil Military Air Traffic Management System (CMATS) project, which was running over two years behind schedule up until a contract signing on 26 February this year, was at risk of slipping further behind due to Defence rejecting offers from Airservices Australia to downscope the projects.
The FOI documents show Defence eventually agreed to the proposed downgradings, which will see changes to services offered in Darwin and Townsville with pilots to be talked down by controllers in Brisbane rather than have Defence air traffic controllers guide approaches to the airfields with new OneSKY technology.
Interestingly, just eight days prior, the FOI documents show Airservices Australia and Defence were in disagreement, with Airservices Australia’s Paul Logan seeking an “urgent review” of Defence’s proposed changes.
“In the interests of continuing to work constructively and pragmatically together Airservices has accepted all we think we reasonably can and have rejected the changes that are unacceptable,” Logan said via email to Defence’s General Manager Ships, Rear Admiral Tony Dalton.
Defence’s Group Captain Richard Haines also raised concerns of costs and capabilities of the project in November.
“I suspect that the Defence expectation and Airservices intent is not aligned on these aspects of the Alternate Tower offer including the legal instrument that will be used to implement the agreement (i.e. OSA versus DOSA),” GPCAPT Haines said in November via email to Logan.
Despite Defence accepting downgrades to the service, the cost of the project still rose from $521m to $764m, with one Senator questioning whether Defence was “snookered” into the agreement due to time constraints.
“When most people go shopping they try to get ‘more for less’. Unbelievably, it seems the government has tried to get ‘less for more’,” Senator Patrick said.
“Defence seems, on the evidence, to have paid $243m more for up to $250m less equipment. This equates to a half-billion dollar shift in price from the original program costs. That’s a quarter of a billion dollar blowout at contract signature.
“This project has been mired by controversy from the start, with the Senate examining the project, the Auditor-General delivering a scathing report on the tender evaluation process and the project making its way on to (and then back off) Defence’s own projects of concern list, all before kick-off on the substantive work.
“It’s just not how you would set up a project. It seems to me that Airservices and Defence have been a little too close to the trees on this one, that they haven’t seen the forest. They were snookered into proceeding because the due diligence stage was so drawn out that they ran out of time.”
AIR 5431 Phase 3 CMATS was approved in 2014 and is meant to deliver the defence aspects of a harmonised civil/military air traffic management system under the OneSKY banner — collectively being led and managed by Airservices Australia.
Once implemented, Airservices Australia and Defence will share technology and information. It will manage forecasted growth of air traffic movement in Australia, by as much as 60 per cent by 2030, minimising delays for the travelling public.
Upon removal from the projects of concern list, Minister for Defence Marise Payne said OneSKY’s leading-edge technology meant Australia would have the most secure and resilient air traffic network in the world.
“This project will replace the ageing military air traffic management systems and is essential to ensuring our ADF can continue to operate safely in Australia’s airspace,” Minister Payne said.
“The integrated system will manage more than 11 per cent of global airspace and some of the world’s busiest air routes.” (Source: Defence Connect)
08 May 18. Chad to get C2 centre. The US Army is looking for a contractor to build a new command and control (C2) centre in Chad, according to a notice on the US Federal Business Opportunities website on 4 May.
It gave the co-ordinates of the future centre as a currently unoccupied location approximately 700 m from the main airbase next to N’Djamena International Airport. It will be a single-storey building with an area of approximately 532 m² and its own power generator.
The notice did not say who would use the new facility, but the US military does not officially maintain a permanent base in Chad. (Source: IHS Jane’s)
09 May 18. Brazil to acquire B767-300ER. The Brazilian Air Force is looking to acquire a Boeing B767-300ER aircraft and associated mid-life upgrade (MLU), as well as logistics support for the aircraft and its equipment for a period of 36 months, the service told Jane’s. The air force declined to name companies that delivered bids to the Brazilian Aeronautical Commission in Washington, DC, on 8 May.
The secondhand aircraft to be purchased in the United States will be used to transport cargo and personnel. It is aimed as a replacement for the current C-767 aircraft (local designation for B767-300ER) that was leased from Colt Aviation in June 2016, and which is flown by Squadron ‘Corsário’ of Wing 11. (Source: IHS Jane’s)
09 May 18. Costa Rica to receive four UH-1H helicopters. The US government announced on 26 April that it will donate four Bell UH-1H ‘Huey’ helicopters to the Costa Rican government for use by the Ministerio de Seguridad Pública’s Servicio de Vigilancia Aérea (SVA); the air arm of the country. They will mainly be used in the war against drug trafficking, and the US government will pay for training and maintenance until the helicopters are fully operational in Costa Rica. The donation of the four Hueys to the SVA will considerably boost the capacities of the force, which only has one McDonnell Douglas MD500E and two MD Helicopters MD600Ns as its helicopter force. (Source: IHS Jane’s)
07 May 18. Is South Korea’s future fighter jet partnership with Indonesia falling apart? The KF-X fighter jet development partnership between South Korea and Indonesia is in tatters, according to defense sources in South Korea and Indonesian media reports.
Indonesia is said to have complaints about its contracts with South Korea over technical benefits and export license of the fighter, dubbed IF-X in Indonesia.
Indonesia, which is a key arms export partner with South Korea, is the sole foreign partner to fund 20 percent of the $7.5bn KF-X project.
On May 1, Indonesia’s Antara news agency reported the Indonesian Defence Ministry is renegotiating the joint fighter development program.
“The renegotiation is necessary to make clear Indonesia’s gain from the program, as the project would financed with fund from the state budget,” ministerial spokesman Brig. Gen. Totok Sugiharto was quoted as saying.
Totok said Indonesia may neither sell the IF-X aircraft to other countries nor locally produce some components due to contract restrictions.
He added his country sees no future for cooperation, partly due to U.S. intervention that is restricting research that would help produce the aircraft, according to the news agency. He did note, however, that he hopes the joint program will continue.
Earlier, the prospect of Jakarta’s termination of the IF-X participation rose after the Indonesian government failed to pay some $130m of its contribution, which was due in December. About 80 Indonesian workers taking part in IF-X development and production returned home earlier this year, stoking speculation that something was awry.
An engineer with Korea Aerospace Industries, or KAI, said Indonesian engineers dispatched to South Korea had difficulty studying and researching key KF-X technologies.
“Frankly, the Indonesian delegation was restricted from accessing many part[s] of KF-X technologies and studies, particularly from the ones regarding the U.S.,” the engineer told Defense News, speaking on condition of anonymity. “Given Indonesia foots one-fifth of the KF-X development costs, it was reasonable in some sense that Indonesian engineers could feel cramped about technical advantages through the joint program.”
The KF-X fighter program, also funded by the South Korean government and KAI, involves integration of key U.S. advanced technologies, including engines, armament, flight control systems and others, according to the engineer.
In January, a delegation of the U.S. Defense Technology Security Administration visited South Korea‘s Agency for Defense Development and KAI to review KF-X technology transfer issues, according to the engineer.
“It was true that U.S. engineers dispatched to the KAI headquarters were sensitive about a possible leakage of U.S. technologies to Indonesian workers,” he added.
The Defense Acquisition Program Administration, or DAPA, denied speculation that the KF-X partnership with Indonesia is in trouble.
“Despite media reports about KF-X troubles, Indonesia has not notified us of any issue with renegotiation or termination of the KF-X cooperation,” DAPA spokesman Kang Hwan-seok said. “We were told that the Indonesian government awaits parliamentary approval of paying unpaid development costs.”
Indonesian Defence Minister Ryamizard Ryacudu also dispelled worries about a possible breakup of the KF-X collaboration.
Ryamizard was quoted by Antara as saying on May 4 during a meeting with local reporters at a marine camp that the joint fighter development program will continue, citing Indonesia’s investment of some 3trn rupiah (U.S. $215m) to this day.
But Ryamizard admitted there are some differences between Jakarta and Seoul over the IF-X tech transfer, stressing Indonesia should have rights to sell IF-X fighters to other countries, according to the news agency.
Under a 2016 deal, Indonesia joined hands with South Korea to develop a 4.5-generation fighter aircraft with the investment of about $1.3bn by PT Dirgantara Indonesia. Six prototypes are to be built, with the first test flight due in 2022. Final development is expected to be completed by 2026 to replace the South Korean Air Force’s older fleet of F-4s and F-5s. Indonesia needs at least 50 IF-Xs to come off its final assembly production lines in Indonesia.
In spite of both governments’ efforts to calm the KF-X partnership controversy, experts in Seoul anticipate more disputes.
“If Indonesia insists renegotiation to sell IF-X jets to other countries, the South Korean government would jib at the demand because even South Korea might have some difficulties selling the KF-X affected by the U.S. technology-protection policy,” said Kim Dae-young, a research fellow of the Seoul-based Institute for National Security Strategy.
“For Jakarta, geopolitical factors could be an obstacle to continuing the joint program,” the researcher said, referring to Indonesia’s long-standing military-technical relations with Russia. Last year, Indonesia decided to procure 11 Russian-made Su-35 multirole fighter aircraft to be delivered this year.
One KAI engineer expressed concern that Indonesia’s possible pullout from the joint program as a partner that bears some development costs ”could erode momentum for the fighter development project. It also could cause problems in securing additional budget.” (Source: Defense News)
06 May 18. Inaugural Australian Defence Industry and Innovation Programs Update Report released. Three Defence innovation initiatives have met major milestones and demonstrated success against measures set out in the 2016 Defence Industry Policy Statement, the first Defence Industry and Innovation Programs Update Report has revealed.
Defence Industry Minister Christopher Pyne said the report, which covers the Defence Innovation Hub, Next Generation Technologies Fund and Centre for Defence Industry Capability (CDIC), has shown the initiatives are advancing Defence’s capability and growing Australian industry.
“In the first year alone, these programs are already delivering substantial results for Defence capability and Australian industry,” he said.
“Through close collaboration, Defence, industry and research organisations are delivering a strong, sustainable and innovative local industry which can meet Defence’s future research and capability needs.
“These programs represent a $1.6bn commitment by the government to harness the innovation and export potential of Australia’s defence industry in support of Defence capability, and I look forward to the continued success over the next decade.”
The report showed so far the Defence Innovation Hub has received over 390 innovation proposals and awarded more than $53.5m in contracts aligned to Defence’s strategic priorities for innovation investment.
The Next Generation Technologies Fund also received more than 800 proposals, funding collaborations with more than 40 companies, universities and publicly-funded research organisations, and has committed more than $110m to research programs in the coming years.
The CDIC’s adviser network has also assisted over 750 businesses, with 75 per cent of those accessing tailored advisory services new to doing business with Defence. (Source: Defence Connect)
06 May 18. South African defence company Paramount Group is in discussions with the Egyptian government to expand the country’s defence manufacturing capabilities and boost its position as an arms exporter to Africa. Paramount is seeking to set up a modernised defence industrial complex to produce advanced land, air and naval equipment, Ivor Ichikowitz, the group’s chairman said.
“We’re talking to the Egyptian government to try and understand their priorities in terms of invigorating the defence and aerospace industry,” Mr Ichikowitz told The National. “The domestic market is sizeable as the country modernises, becomes more efficient and reduces its reliance on former Soviet legacy equipment.”
Egypt is one of the biggest arms makers in the Arab world and Africa has a robust military industry dating back to the 1800s. The North African country produces battle tanks, heavy armoured vehicles, machine guns and ammunition, and rocket launchers, among other equipment, according to the Egyptian ministry of military production’s website. Some are produced under United States and Russian licensing contracts.
The closely-held defence company sees “big potential” for production, in partnership with the Egyptian government, of light, attack and reconnaissance aircraft and armoured vehicles as well as providing the technology for clearing landmines in the Sinai to free up large plots of land and ensure civilian safety.
The response from the Egyptian government has been “positive” as it understands the need to consider a defence industrial complex that’s not reliant on US and Russian production licensing, Mr Ichikowitz said.
The North African country, which has an automotive industry that enables production of land forces equipment, has the capacity to boost its arms exports to the rest of the continent.
“Egypt has the potential to become one of our major export hubs to the rest of Africa, not for everything, but certainly for land forces equipment,” he said.
While it has some concerns about the country’s ability to finance long-term and large-scale defence production projects, Paramount offers financing solutions to support the governments it works with, which will be an option in Egypt.
“We have a financing arm that syndicates funding structures and allows us to lease equipment to provide sovereign lines of credit,” Mr Ichikowitz said.
The current period of relative political stability compared to the years after the 2011 revolution that toppled former President Hosni Mubarak has made this right time to look into the Egyptian market.
“There is light at the end of the Egyptian tunnel,” he said. “The first-mover advantage is a good thing. We look at Egypt with caution and optimism.”
Paramount, which says it’s profitable and sees 15 to 20 per cent growth in annual sales, is focused on the Middle East as one of its main growth markets.
The company is in discussion with Saudi Arabia to set up a defence manufacturing plant in the kingdom, with tech-transfer and creation of jobs, as one of the world’s biggest buyer of arms seeks to build its nascent military production industry.
Paramount operates in 30 countries and has already set up facilities in Jordan and India. (Source: Google/www.thenational.ae)
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American Panel Corporation
American Panel Corporation (APC) since 1998, specializes in display products installed in defence land systems, as well as military and commercial aerospace platforms, having delivered well over 100,000 displays worldwide. Military aviators worldwide operate their aircraft and perform their missions using APC displays, including F-22, F-18, F-16, F-15, Euro-fighter Typhoon, Mirage 2000, C-130, C-17, P-3, S-3, U-2, AH-64 Apache Helicopter, V-22 tilt-rotor, as well as numerous other military and commercial aviation aircraft including Boeing 717 – 787 aircraft and several Airbus aircraft. APC panels are found in nearly every tactical aircraft in the US and around the world.
APC manufactures the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter Large Area Display (LAD) display (20 inch by 8 inch) with dual pixel fields, power and video interfaces to provide complete display redundancy. At DSEI 2017 we are exhibiting the LAD with a more advanced design, dual display on single substrate with redundant characteristics and a bespoke purpose 8 inch by 6 inch armoured vehicle display.
In order to fully meet the demanding environmental and optical requirements without sacrificing critical tradeoffs in performance, APC designs, develops and manufactures these highly specialized displays in multiple sizes and configurations, controlling all AMLCD optical panel, mechanical and electrical design aspects. APC provides both ITAR and non-ITAR displays across the globe to OEM Prime and tiered vetronics and avionics integrators.
————————————————————————-CONTRACT NEWS IN BRIEF
EUROPE
AIR
08 May 18. American Panel Corporation (APC), the world’s leader in custom AMLCD products for both avionics and vetronics applications, announced that they have been placed under contract for the first production lot of Turkish T-70 helicopter cockpit displays. The customer, ASELSAN of Ankara, Turkey is the manufacturer of the avionics suite for the Turkish T-70 helicopter, – based on the Sikorsky S-70i™ Black Hawk – which is anticipated to go into service in 2021. First deliveries of APC hardware to ASELSAN will be made in 2018 and extend through 2025.
07 May 18. ESG Wins German Armed Forces Tender for the Procurement, Certification and Comprehensive System Support of a T-UAS. With the assignment for procurement and certification at the overall aircraft level, as well as the comprehensive system support of an unmanned aircraft system, the competence of ESG as an aviation company, as well as integrator and operator of complex systems has once more been recognized.
The procurement of 3 Puma AE II systems (à 2 aircraft systems) of AeroVironment closes the German navy’s capability gap in the field of airborne reconnaissance systems at their disposal for the tactical close-range maritime environment and complements the Bundeswehr’s UAS-portfolio with an internationally mission-proven UAS. With a weight of 6kg and a range of 20km, as well as the ability to be hand-launchable and to land on water, the employed UAS provides a high level of reconnaissance during day and night via the use of high performance Mantis i45 sensors. (Source: ASD Network)
04 May 18. DoD/DSCA Notifies Congress of Possible FMS of C-130J and KC-130J Aircraft to Germany The U.S. Department of Defense’s Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) has notified the Congress that the Government of Germany has requested to buy three (3) C-130J-30 aircraft with four (4) each Rolls Royce AE-2100D turboprop engines (installed); three (3) KC-130J aircraft with four (4) each Rolls Royce AE-2100D turboprop engines (installed); four (4) Rolls Royce AE 2100D turboprop engines (spares); and eight (8) Link-16 MIDS Terminals (one (1) per aircraft, plus two (2) spares). Also included are eight (8) AN/ALE 47 Electronic Countermeasure Dispensers (1 per aircraft, plus 2 spares); eight (8) AN/AAR-47A(V)2 Missile Warning Systems (1 per aircraft, plus spares); eight (8) AN/ALR-56M Radar Warning Receivers (1 per aircraft, plus 2 spares); eight (8) MX-20 Electro-Optical/Infrared Imaging Systems (1 per aircraft, plus 2 spares); AN/APX-114/119 Identification Friend or Foe (IFF) Mode 5; Joint Mission Planning System (JMPS); secure communications; precision navigation and cryptographic equipment; night vision devices; support and test equipment; publications and technical documentation; personnel training and training equipment; U.S. Government and contractor engineering; technical and logistics support services; and other related elements of logistical and program support. The total estimated value is $1.40bn. The prime contractor will be Lockheed Martin, Ft Worth, TX. There are no known offset agreements proposed in connection with this potential sale. (Source: glstrade.com)
USA
LAND
07 May 18. BAE Systems Land & Armaments L.P., York, Pennsylvania, was awarded a $120,488,760 modification (P00001) to contract W56HZV-17-C-0242 for the procurement of M88A2 Heavy Equipment Recovery Combat Utility Lift and Evacuation System vehicles. Work will be performed in York, Pennsylvania, with an estimated completion date of Jan. 31, 2021. Fiscal 2018 other procurement (Army) funds in the amount of $7,038,309 were obligated at the time of the award. U.S. Army Contracting Command, Warren, Michigan, is the contracting activity.
09 May 18. General Dynamics Land Systems, Sterling Heights, Michigan, has been awarded a $13,073,396 firm-fixed-price contract for display optoelectronics. This is a 20-month supply contract with one option period that was exercised at time of award. This was a sole source acquisition using justification 10 U.S. Code 2304 (c)(1), as stated in Federal Acquisition Regulation 6.302-1. Locations of performance are Michigan and Florida, with a Jan. 31, 2020, performance completion date. Using military service is Army. Type of appropriation is fiscal 2018 defense working capital funds. The contracting activity is the Defense Logistics Agency Land and Maritime, Warren, Michigan (SPRDL1-18-C-0242).
09 May 18. Mercury Systems Receives $10.8m Order for Rugged Servers. Mercury Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ:MRCY) announced it received a $10.8m order from a leading defense prime contractor for rugged servers to be used in a military communications application. The order was booked in the Company’s fiscal 2018 third quarter. Mercury’s enterprise class servers are successfully deployed in a broad range of C4ISR mission critical applications. Designed from the ground up for longevity and operation in extended operational environments, the company’s SWaP-optimized servers deliver cutting-edge commercial technologies to operations on the move.
(Source: ASD Network)
SEA
07 May 18. KBR to Help Provide Combat-Ready Equipment to Marines Worldwide. KBR, Inc. (NYSE: KBR) announced today that its global government services business has been awarded a contract modification by the U.S. Marine Corps (USMC) to provide prepositioning and logistics support services for the USMC Blount Island Command. This modification is the ninth year of the contract, which was originally awarded in 2009. The USMC awarded this contract modification in two parts, the first in September 2017 as an undefinitized contract action and the second in April 2018. Under the terms of the contract, KBR will continue to provide logistics services that include supply support, inventory management, IT support, preservation and packaging, organic support, shipping and receiving, and maintenance in and outside of the U.S. The work is expected to be performed over the next year. KBR will primarily perform this work in Jacksonville, Florida, but will also support the USMC at various other locations, including Norway and Kuwait, as well as aboard 12 maritime prepositioned ships located in the Asia-Pacific and Diego Garcia regions.
08 May 18. Ultra Electronics Holdings plc (ULE) and Sparton Corporation(NYSE:SPA) announce the award of subcontracts valued at $70.3m to their ERAPSCO joint venture, for the manufacture of sonobuoys for the United States Navy. The award is a GFY18 ERAPSCO Indefinite Delivery Indefinite Quantity (IDIQ) contract release for sonobuoy requirements under ERAPSCO’s five year contract. ERAPSCO will provide production subcontracts in the amount of $32.0m and $38.3m to Ultra Electronics USSI and Sparton De Leon Springs, LLC respectively. Production will take place at Ultra Electronics USSI’s Columbia City, IN facility and Sparton’s De Leon Springs, FL facility and is expected to be completed by March 2020. (Source: BUSINESS WIRE)
AIR
08 May 18. The U.S. Navy has awarded BAE Systems a $175m contract for more than 7,000 cost-efficient Advanced Precision Kill Weapon System (APKWS©) laser-guided rockets. This latest award was made under the Navy’s 2016 $600m indefinite delivery/indefinite quantity contract, which is the contracting vehicle to supply APKWS to the U.S. Navy, U.S. Marine Corps, U.S. Army and U.S. Air Force, as well as an increasing number of allied nations. This award extends that contract’s initial unit production cap and total value to meet the growing demand. The company expects additional orders to bring the total number of units for this production lot to 17,500. (Source: BUSINESS WIRE)
07 May 18. Bell Helicopter Textron Inc., Fort Worth, Texas, is awarded $21,705,649 for modification P00001 to a previously awarded indefinite- delivery/indefinite-quantity contract (N00019-18-D-0119). This modification increases the quantity of Bell 407 variant commercial airframes through fiscal 2020 by seven in support of the MQ-8C Fire Scout unmanned air system program of record. Work will be performed in Ozark, Alabama, and is expected to be completed in December 2020. No funds will be obligated at time of award. Funds will be obligated on individual delivery orders as they are issued. The Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, Maryland, is the contracting activity.
08 May 18. The Boeing Co., St. Louis, Missouri, is awarded $41,317,000 firm-fixed-price advance acquisition contract for long-lead materials in support of the full rate production of Lot 43 F/A-18E/F aircraft for the Navy (20 F/A-18E and 4 F/A-18F aircraft). Work will be performed in St. Louis, Missouri, and is expected to be completed in March 2022. Fiscal 2018 aircraft procurement (Navy) funds in the amount of $41,317,000 will be obligated at time of award, none of which will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was not competitively procured pursuant to Federal Acquisition Regulation 6.302-1. The Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, Md., is the contracting activity (N00019-18-C-1046).
08 May 18. Industrial Electronic Engineers (IEE), manufacturer of enhanced rugged displays for military and aerospace applications, has contracted with the Technology Applications Program Office (TAPO) to manufacture a new 4.3″ Control Display Unit (CDU). The TAPO mission focuses on aircraft modernization programs and lifecycle management to provide the most capable rotary wing aircraft in the world.
The 4.3″ Control Display Unit (CDU) provides flexibility and reuse through the application of the ARINC-661 open standard. Other features include:
Product Features:
- 4.3” Transmissive AMLCD, 480 x 272 (QWVGA)
- Brightness: NVIS to >1200 cd/m2
- Contrast Ratio: 1000:1 (native)
- Dual Core Intel Atom E3825 processor (1.33 GHz)
- 2GB DDR3 SDRAM, 8GB SD Fla
- ARINC-661 over 10/100 Ethernet
- Controls: 5 sealed pushbuttons, 2 rocker switches
- Power Input: 28VDC per MIL-STD-704F
- Operating Temperature: -40ºC to +71ºC continuous
The 4.3” CDU has connectors for 28VDC power and Ethernet. Other tactical communications interfaces are available. The bezel features five pushbuttons and two rocker switches that are software configurable. This smart display utilizes an Intel Atom E3825 dual core processor, and operates under a wide range of lighting conditions from full dark (NVIS) to bright sunlight. (Source: BUSINESS WIRE)
TECHNOLOGY
07 May 18. The U.S. Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), through the U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory, has awarded BAE Systems a $13.1m contract to demonstrate a new, cost-effective optical seeker for precision-guided munitions. The seeker is designed to improve navigation, as well as automate target location and homing, for different types of munitions that are used in GPS-denied and other contested environments. BAE Systems tested the seeker during the first phase of DARPA’s Seeker Cost Transformation (SECTR) program. The SECTR seeker integrates with a wide range of weapon platforms that use munitions and can operate in day or night. It enables autonomous precision guidance via passive electro-optical and infrared sensors in environments where GPS navigation is unavailable or unreliable. The seeker’s open architecture enables highly accurate, competitive, low-cost munitions to be capable of navigating and locating targets in limited-access and denied environments. It provides these munitions with quick-reaction capabilities while meeting stringent cost, size, weight, and power requirements. The open architecture also enables rapid seeker integration into current and new weapon systems. This phase of the program will conclude in July 2019 with multiple test firings on several precision-guided munition platforms. (Source: BUSINESS WIRE)
09 May 18. Black River Systems Co. Inc.,* Utica, New York, has been awarded a $9,312,874 cost-plus-fixed-fee contract for Signals Intelligence (SIGINT) Software Defined Radio (SDR). This contract provides for further advancement of the Air Force Research Laboratory body of knowledge in the cyber domain through the research and development of innovative concepts and advancement in SDR state-of-the-art to sustain SIGINT related capabilities including real time collection, geolocation and signal exploitation. Work will be performed in Utica, New York, and is expected to be complete by May 9, 2022. This award is the result of a competitive acquisition and two offers were received. Fiscal 2018 research, development, test and evaluation funds in the amount of $530,000 are being obligated at time of award. Air Force Research Laboratory, Rome, New York, is the contracting activity (FA8750-18-C-0068).
REST OF THE WORLD
LAND
07 May 18. Northrop Grumman, Apopka, Florida, was awarded a $9,491,066 modification (P00001) to foreign military sales (Morocco) contract W56HZV-18-C-0065 for eye safe laser range finders for Morocco’s M1A2S tank. Work will be performed in Apopka, Florida, with an estimated completion date of May 1, 2020. Fiscal 2010 foreign military sales funds in the amount of $9,491,066 were obligated at the time of the award. U.S. Army Contracting Command, Warren, Michigan, is the contracting activity.
SEA
10 May 18. Raytheon Missile Systems, Tucson, Arizona, is awarded a $242,090,000 firm-fixed-price contract for fiscal 2018 Navy and foreign military sales (FMS) to Qatar for the Rolling Airframe Missile (RAM) Block 2 guided missile round pack, missile ordnance alterations, and spares. RAM is a missile system designed to provide anti-ship missile defense for multiple ship platforms. This contract includes options which, if exercised, would bring the cumulative value of this contract to $529,774,921. This contract combines purchases for the Navy (43.5 percent), and the governments of Qatar, Egypt, and Turkey (56.5 percent), under the FMS program. Work will be performed in Ottobrunn, Germany (43.8 percent); Tucson, Arizona (34.7 percent); Rocket Center, West Virginia (8.8 percent); Dallas Texas (1.7 percent); Mason, Ohio (1.6 percent); Glenrothes, Scotland (1.6 percent); Cincinnati, Ohio (1.4 percent); Andover, Massachusetts (1.2 percent); and other U.S. locations (5.2 percent), and is expected to be completed by September 2023. If exercised, the options will deliver before September 2023. Foreign military sales funds in the amount of $136,738,957; and fiscal 2018 weapons procurement (Navy) funds in the amount of $100,351,043 is obligated at time of award and will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. Fiscal 2018 operations and maintenance (Navy) in the amount of $5,000,000 is obligated at time of award and will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was not competitively procured under the exception 10 U.S. Code 2304(c)(4), International Agreement. The synopsis was posted to the Federal Business Opportunities website. The Naval Sea Systems Command, Washington, District of Columbia, is the contracting activity. (N00024-18-C-5425)
AIR
10 May 18. Marshall Aerospace contract from Bangladesh Air Force. The deal will see the Cambridge aerospace firm provide support for a fleet of C-130J aircraft, which have been sold by the Royal Air Force to its Bangladeshi counterparts. The contract was signed today during a ceremony held at the Bangladesh Air Headquarters in Dhaka in the presence of representatives from both the Bangladesh and British Government, including the defence equipment sales authority of the UK Ministry of Defence. (Source: Google/www.cambridge-news.co.uk)
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MANAGEMENT ON THE MOVE
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TopEngineer.com
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TopEngineer.com Job Of the Week!
Technical Author in Preston
Location: Preston, UK
Salary: £29.25 – £29.25 Per hour
Job type: Contract
Category: Defence Engineering
Job Reference: EMP415116
Posted on: 4 May 2018
About the Role:
The job purpose will be to originate and maintain On-Aircraft Maintenance Publications for the Typhoon aircraft.
The successful candidate will need to have proven IT skills, in particular be conversant with the use of Microsoft Office. Experience of modern electronic production tool-sets and Standard Generalised Mark-Up Language (SGML) or Extensible Markup Language (XML) is essential. Good interpersonal skills are essential with particular emphasis on two-way communication and team working. Recent experience in the Aerospace industry or operation/maintenance of military aircraft, will be an advantage.
The successful applicant must also be proficient at verbal and written communication with the ability to effectively research source data. Familiarity with Technical Publications specification ASD S1000D is essential.
The successful candidate will be required to perform tasks suitable to the internal level of this role. The role will contain, but will not be limited to, the following;
– The preparation of initial publications and subsequent amendments of the Typhoon maintenance publications in accordance with departmental procedures.
– Assessing and incorporating internal and external customer requests.
– The jobholder must ensure that his/her output tasks meets the defined business needs in terms of quantity, quality and schedule.- Maintaining the validity of management information to provide accurate configuration control.
Personal Skills
– ESSENTIAL – Communication, Team working and Motivational Skills
– Use of SGML/XML for writing technical publications – EXCELLENT
– Use of Microsoft Office applications including Word and Excel – GOOD
LOCATIONS
LAND
09 May 18. ON Semiconductor Corporation (NASDAQ: ON), driving energy efficient innovations, is excited to announce the expansion of their manufacturing facility in Rochester, New York. The site develops and manufactures image sensor devices for commercial, industrial and professional imaging applications, including machine vision, surveillance, traffic monitoring, medical and scientific imaging, and photography.
ON Semiconductor is a global company with manufacturing facilities around the world – the end-to-end manufacturing strategy at the Rochester location enables success in these specialized markets. Located on a 4.2-acre site with over 260,000 square feet of building space, the expanded facility supports all four disciplines of the semiconductor business, wafer fab, wafer probe, assembly, and test and packaging operations for specialized high-performance CCD and CMOS image sensors.
“Not only is the screen on your smart phone or TV likely inspected with image sensors manufactured at the Lake Avenue site, but image sensors manufactured at this facility are also on the surface of Mars, orbiting Jupiter and the Moon, and used in commercial satellites that monitor the Earth’s surface,” said Michael Miller, general manager and director of operations at ON Semiconductor. “This expansion would have not been possible without the support and grant from Empire State Development and their willingness to partner with us. We owe them a debt of gratitude, thank you Governor Cuomo.”
“Manufacturing is a core competency for ON Semiconductor and the majority of ON Semiconductor’s manufacturing operations are done internally through the company’s industry leading cost structure,” said Bill Schromm, executive vice president and chief operating officer. “This expansion is important to our company, as it significantly increases our assembly capacity at the ON Semiconductor Rochester location.”
“Rochester is known for its innovations in digital imaging, including the design and development of state-of-the art image sensors over the past decades. Assembly and test has always been a key part of the equation, and as the resolution and complexity of the sensors continues to increase, these operations have become critical,” said Herb Erhardt, general manager, Industrial Solutions Division. “The increased level of capability and capacity enabled by this expansion is our answer to meeting these critical market needs, and the fact that we are doing it here in Rochester speaks to the capabilities of the teams we build here.”
The expansion is due in part to partnerships with local and state officials, including the Mayor and County Executive, Governor’s office and state officials, as well as members of Congress, all recognizing the opportunity to grow the local economy and leverage the unique advantages that Rochester can bring. (Source: BUSINESS WIRE)
09 May 18. Saab Unveils its Gripen Aerostructures Plant in Brazil. Saab unveils a 5,000-square-meter facility for its future Gripen fighter jet aerostructures plant: Saab Aeronáutica Montagens (SAM), in the city of São Bernardo do Campo, in São Paulo state, Brazil. This is another important step in the Gripen Programme in Brazil.
Saab Aeronáutica Montagens (SAM) will produce aerostructures for the Brazilian Gripen fighter and is preparing to become part of Saab´s global supply chain.
“We are transferring knowledge and production capacity for complex aerostructures to Brazil, in compliance with our offset agreement. The plant is planned to be part of the global Saab supply chain for the civil aviation and defence markets,” explains Mikael Franzén, Head of Business Unit Gripen Brazil, Saab Aeronautics.
SAM will be responsible for producing six complex structural parts for Gripen acquired by the Brazilian Air Force (FAB), such as the tail cone, aerodynamic brakes, wing box, front fuselage for the single-seat and two-seat versions and the rear fuselage for the single-seat version of the aircraft.
“This is the beginning of the plant installation. We are setting up the office, hiring personnel and suppliers. By 2020 the entire plant structure will be ready to start manufacturing Gripen components,” explains Marcelo Lima, SAM’s Director-General.
When the operations starts at SAM in 2020, it will be with 55 employees. That number will until 2024 increase to 200. Among them engineers and technicians, who until then will be trained in Linköping, Sweden, for up to 24 months.
“The new jobs in the plant will be for highly skilled people to work on complex fuselage structures, both metallic and composite, driving our technology transfer programme. At the end of this project, we will have added more than 84,000 hours of training for SAM employees alone,” says Marcelo Lima.
Partnership with Akaer
Saab AB will be the majority shareholder in SAM with 90 percent and the Brazilian engineering company Akaer will be a minority shareholder with 10 percent. At the same time, Saab increases its stake in Akaer to 28 percent in a stock swap agreement.
“The partnership with Akaer began even before Saab was selected by the FAB. The work began with the development of structural parts and engineering, and now it is also active in the manufacturing area. Since 2009, Akaer has worked more than half a million hours on the Gripen Programme.,” says Mikael Franzén.
“Akaer’s share participation in SAM strengthens our long-lasting partnership with Saab and it is in accordance with the strategy of expansion, diversification and internationalization of our business”, said Cesar Augusto Teixeira Andrade e Silva, president and CEO of Akaer.
In these 32 months of the Gripen Programme in Brazil, Saab, together with its industrial partners and the FAB, has contributed to the development of the defence industry in Brazil and helped create new skilled jobs, including the region of São Bernardo do Campo, which will also benefit and enjoy increased revenue.
08 May 18. LGS to support US Army’s base relocation in South Korea. The US Army has awarded a five-year contract to technology company LGS Innovations in support of the $50m base relocation project. The Yongsan Relocation Plan Increment 3 (YRP-3) contract has been awarded to the company under the General Services Administration Alliant contract.
YRP-3 has been designed to relocate most US Forces and United Nations headquarters command activities from the Seoul Metropolitan Area in Incheon, South Korea. Under the deal, the company will be responsible for relocating and upgrading the army’s command, control, communications, computers, and intelligence (C4I) systems and infrastructure.
“This large-scale project is an extension of our 25-year footprint with the US Army in the Republic of Korea.”
Relocation and modification will be carried out as part of the migration of assets and capabilities from the US Army facilities throughout the Republic of Korea to the US Army Garrison Humphreys.
LGS Innovations chief executive officer Kevin Kelly said: “This large-scale project is an extension of our 25-year footprint with the US Army in the Republic of Korea.
“Recognising the magnitude of the relocation and impact on warfighters, LGS Innovations stands ready to ensure smooth transition and improve capabilities to help the US Army sustain readiness and a strong posture in the country and throughout the Pacific theatre.”
As part of the project, the company will carry out all required programme management, engineering and installation for C4I systems, including inside / outside plant, voice over internet protocol/unified communications (VOIP/UC), cybersecurity information assurance, and fibre-optic sensor alarms. LGS Innovations has been involved in the US Army’s YRP project since May 2014. The contract involves the YRP, Land Partnership Plan, and Yongsan Residual and Combined Forces Coalition’s planning, design, engineering and deployment of communications systems throughout the Republic of Korea. (Source: army-technology.com)
04 May 18. DoD Offers to Host New NATO Command. The U.S. Department of Defense announced today that it has officially offered to host the proposed NATO Joint Force Command for the Atlantic at its naval facilities in Norfolk, Virginia. The new JFC-Norfolk will ensure that NATO can successfully conduct operations across the full spectrum of Alliance missions in the trans-Atlantic region in the northern Atlantic. The future Atlantic-oriented JFC represents part of the ongoing NATO effort to adapt its command structure to ensure that the Alliance can meet the challenges in today’s security environment. It will strengthen NATO’s deterrence and defense posture, and its ability to project stability beyond its borders. The North Atlantic Council is expected to make a final determination on the location of the new JFC this summer.
MARITIME
03 May 18. US Navy Christened Littoral Combat Ship Cincinnati. The US Navy christened its newest Independence-variant littoral combat ship (LCS), the future USS Cincinnati (LCS 20), during a 10:00 a.m. CDT ceremony Saturday, May 5, in Mobile, Alabama. The principal speaker was Cincinnati Councilmember David Mann, also a former member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Ohio. Former Secretary of Commerce Penny Pritzker will serve as the ship’s sponsor. In a time-honored Navy tradition, she will christen the ship by breaking a bottle of sparkling wine across the bow.
“The future USS Cincinnati is a symbol of the strong connection between the people of Cincinnati and the Navy and Marine Corps team,” said Secretary of the Navy Richard V. Spencer. “The ship serves as a testament to our commitment to growing the Fleet and our partnership with industry and the American public.”
The future USS Cincinnati is the fifth U.S. Navy ship to honor Ohio’s third largest city. The first was a stern-wheel casemate gunboat that served during the Civil War and was sunk by Confederate fire on two separate occasions. Raised both times and returned to service, she was decommissioned following the war. The second Cincinnati was a cruiser commissioned in 1894. She served extensively in the Caribbean before, during, and after the Spanish-American War before being decommissioned in 1919. The third ship to bear the name was a light cruiser commissioned in 1924 that served around the world and earned a battle star for World War II service that included convoy escort and blockade duty. She was decommissioned in 1945 after the war ended. The fourth Cincinnati was a Los Angeles-class fast attack submarine commissioned in 1978. The boat served for 17 years before being decommissioned in 1995. LCS is a modular, reconfigurable ship, designed to meet validated fleet requirements for surface warfare (SUW), anti-submarine warfare (ASW) and mine countermeasures (MCM) missions in the littoral region. An interchangeable mission package is embarked on each LCS and provides the primary mission systems in one of these warfare areas. Using an open architecture design, modular weapons, sensor systems and a variety of manned and unmanned vehicles to gain, sustain and exploit littoral maritime supremacy, LCS provides U.S. joint force access to critical areas in multiple theaters. The LCS class consists of two variants, the Freedom variant and the Independence variant, designed and built by two industry teams. The Freedom variant team is led by Lockheed Martin (for the odd-numbered hulls). The Independence variant team is led by Austal USA (for LCS 6 and the subsequent even-numbered hulls).
AIR
09 May 18. Brazil prepares Seahawk helos for Atlantico. The Brazilian Navy will take steps to enable its Sikorsky SH-16 Seahawk multirole helicopter (a local designation for S-70B) to operate from the PHeM Atlantico (A 140) amphibious assault ship (formerly HMS Ocean of the UK Royal Navy) that is scheduled to be commissioned on 29 June.
The aircraft was previously cleared for operations from the NDM Bahia (G 40) landing platform dock (LPD) acquired from the French Navy in 2015, thus augmenting the service’s ability to perform long-range naval missions including search and rescue, anti-submarine and anti-surface warfare, maritime interdiction and patrol and surveillance. Six aircraft are fielded by Squadron HS-1 ‘Guerreiro’ from São Pedro da Aldeia naval air base, with the type recently achieving 5,000 flight hours. Six modular weapon mountings for FN Herstal MAG58M 7.62mm machine gun were purchased to complement other armament such as Kongsberg Penguin Mk 2 Mod 7 anti-ship missile and Raytheon Mk 46 Mod 5A torpedo. (Source: IHS Jane’s)
08 May 18. Jordan’s new behemoth Russian-made Mi-26 Halo showcased at SOFEX. Dwarfing its neighbor, a Marine Corps V-22 Osprey at SOFEX is the Rostvertol-manufactured Mil Mi-26T2 Halo cargo helicopter.
Jordan has ordered four of the behemoth aircraft that stands at 11.6 meters tall and is 40 meters in length, and unlike the Boeing-made CH-47 Chinook cargo helicopters, it uses one single, massive eight-blade rotor system as well as a smaller tail rotor.
The helicopter holds the record of being the largest one in the world and was first developed to respond to containment work after the Chernobyl nuclear disaster in 1986.
An example in scaling up, the aircraft can carry 20 tons in its hull and 20 tons sling-loaded beneath. It’s maximum takeoff weight is 56 tons. It can carry 82 troops, which is roughly the size of a company.
That equates to roughly three elephants, which matters because the helicopter has actually been used to transport an ancient cousin out of Siberia, a 23,000-year-old wooly mammoth encased in frozen soil.
It’s maximum speed is 295 kilometers per hour.
Jordan has already taken delivery of the first helicopter in January 2018 and displayed it as the show-stopping centerpiece at SOFEX.
And it’s already been put through the paces, its two pilots told Defense News. They went through training in eight months, beginning in September and finishing in April. The pilots requested not to be named.
The country plans to use the aircraft for fire-fighting missions and the helicopter has the capability to carry 15-tons of water.
The Halo went through a successful training exercise two weeks ago, the pilots said, where it proved very effective.
The pilots were particularly excited about the helicopter’s glass cockpit and its auto-pilot and auto-hover features.
The helicopter is designed to be flown by just two pilots and eliminates the need for a larger air crew although an additional crewmember is needed when loads are slung under the aircraft.
Other military users of the Mi-26 are Algeria, which has 14, Belarus, Cambodia, China, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, India, Kazakhstan, Laos, Mexico, North Korea, Peru, Russia, Ukraine and Venezuela. (Source: Defense News Early Bird/Defense News)
09 May 18. Afghanistan begins Black Hawk operations. The Afghan Air Force (AAF) flew its first operational mission with its recently acquired Sikorsky UH-60 Black Hawk helicopters on 7 May.
The mission, which was disclosed by the 438th Air Expeditionary Wing, saw at least three helicopters fly in support of Afghan provincial elections.
The AAF is set to receive 159 Black Hawks by 2020 as the United States transitions the country’s armed forces over from its approximately 80 Russian-built Mil Mi-17 ‘Hip’ helicopters that are nearing the end of their service lives. To date, eight have been received over two batches in September 2017 and January 2018, with the first six pilots having graduated from training in November 2017.
Before entering into Afghan service, these former US Army aircraft first undergo a major refurbishment and upgrade. Their standard olive-green finish is also replaced by the AAF’s multi-camouflage pattern.
The transition to the UH-60 is part of a wider ramp-up of the AAF’s capabilities that will take place during the coming months. This plan involves seven different weapon systems, 14 programme offices, and more than 20 major contracts.
In September 2017, one of the first aspects of the plan was disclosed with the announcement that the AAF is to receive a further 30 MD Helicopters Inc (MDHI) MD 530F Cayuse Warrior light attack and reconnaissance helicopters to add to the 26 it already operates.
In October 2017 it was revealed that a further six Sierra Nevada Corporation-Embraer A-29 Super Tucano light attack turboprops are to be delivered to add to the AAF’s existing order of 20. The first two aircraft from this follow-on order were recently delivered to Moody Air Force Base in the US. (Source: IHS Jane’s)
08 May 18. Turkmenistan showcased M-346, C-27J aircraft. Turkmenistan has showcased the Alenia M-346 Master advanced jet trainer and C-27J Spartan tactical airlifter, state media revealed on 3 May. The president of the former Soviet republic, Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedow, was shown by state broadcaster Watan Habarlary sitting in the cockpit of an M-346, as well as inspecting the interior and watching a flight display of a C-27J during an apparent demonstration of the Italian-built products during a wider military parade. Alenia’s parent company, Leonardo, did not immediately respond to a request for comment, but the Turkmenistan Air Force does already have a history of procuring Italian products. While its inventory is still mainly comprised of Soviet-era types, Italian types in service include the Selex Falco unmanned aerial vehicle and Agusta AW109 Power helicopter. As noted by Jane’s World Air Forces, Turkmenistan has neither the financial means nor the relevant technical expertise and personnel to develop robust air force and air defence forces. Given the economic weakness, problems with recruiting qualified personnel, and recurring waves of politically motivated purges inside the service, the condition and quality of the air force is poor and seems set to remain so for the foreseeable future. As such, the procurement of Western platforms such as the M-346 and/or the C-27J (an Airbus DS C295 maritime patrol aircraft of the Portuguese Air Force was also shown on the ground in the video) would represent a major investment for an air force that, until now, has effectively been starved of resources. (Source: IHS Jane’s)
07 May 18. USAF conducts SLEP for first F-16 Fighting Falcon jet. The US Air Force’s (USAF) Ogden Air Logistics Complex has successfully extended the life of the F-16 Fighting Falcon multi-role fighter jet.
The aircraft is the first of nearly 300 F-16 C and D models that will roll off the shop floor of the 573rd Aircraft Maintenance Squadron (AMXS) after receiving a series of structure-strengthening upgrades and modifications.
It is also the first of four F-16 fighter jets that will be used as ‘validation and verification’ aircraft.
Ogden Air Logistics Complex commander brigadier general Stacey Hawkins said: “As a former maintenance officer for the Thunderbirds, I can fully grasp the significance of this achievement by the 573rd AMXS.
“Not only did the team increase aircraft availability for the airforce’s most visible fighter squadron, but it paved the way for increasing combat lethality for our warfighters across the globe.”
The F-16 Service Life Extension Programme (SLEP), which is being jointly carried out by the Ogden Air Logistics Complex and the Air Force Lifecycle Management Center’s F-16 Systems Program Office, will help extend the life of the aircraft until nearly 2050.
The entire range of the stateside SLEP modifications will be completed at the Hill Air Force Base, the headquarters for the Ogden Air Logistics Complex in Utah.
573rd AMXS civilian leader Joe Gardenhour said: “The Thunderbird jet presented some challenges. This is the largest structural upgrade we’ve ever done.
“This programme moves beyond the usual modifications into a standard package of repairs, and it is going to bring stable workload into the depot for years to come.”
The USAF’s Ogden Air Logistics Complex intends to complete each SLEP jet in nine months and at a cost of $2.4m. (Source: airforce-technology.com)
PLANT CLOSURES, JOB LOSSES AND STRIKES
09 May 18. Rolls-Royce executive first high-profile casualty of shake-up. Kirby to step down after just 19 months in move that could also see group quit London HQ. Chief operating officer Simon Kirby was one of a new team appointed by chief executive Warren East in 2016. Simon Kirby, chief operating officer at Rolls-Royce, is stepping down just 19 months after taking the post, becoming the first high-profile casualty of the FTSE engineer’s latest restructuring. The shake-up of Britain’s flagship engineer could also see the group quit its London headquarters, just minutes from the Houses of Parliament and for 40 years the base for the group’s most senior management. Mr Kirby was one of the first outside recruits to a new team of executives appointed by chief executive Warren East in 2016 to reorganise the group as it recovered from a string of profit warnings between 2014 and 2015. Poached in September 2016 from the controversial high-speed rail project HS2 — where shortly after leaving he became embroiled in a controversy over unauthorised redundancy payments — Mr Kirby will leave Rolls-Royce in June with an undisclosed pay-off. Mr Kirby, who was the UK’s highest paid civil servant when chief executive of HS2, denied he was responsible for the redundancy arrangements. His departure from Rolls-Royce was announced in an internal memo to staff issued on Wednesday afternoon. It is a sign of his professionalism and integrity that he has played a key role in an initiative that has resulted in his own role being eliminated Warren East, chief executive Mr East said that Mr Kirby’s role had been rendered redundant by the decision in January to move from five to three business units, giving each greater decision-making power and accountability. “With a much leaner centre, it has become clear that we no longer need the chief operating officer role for which Simon Kirby was recruited,” Mr East said. “It is a sign of his professionalism and integrity that he has played a key role in an initiative that has resulted in his own role being eliminated.” Mr Kirby said he was “pleased to have made a contribution to the transformation of Rolls-Royce . . . It is clear that in this model you do not need a chief operating officer and the time is therefore right for me to leave Rolls-Royce to pursue a different career opportunity.” A person with knowledge of the situation said that Mr Kirby was close to confirming a new role in another company. Rolls-Royce has so far given few details about the impact of its planned restructuring. However, the cost-cutting drive will mean further management and administrative job cuts. It could also result in Rolls-Royce decamping from its Buckingham Gate headquarters. “We need a smaller, more cost-effective London head office location,” Mr East said in his memo. (Source: FT.com)
MILITARY AND GOVERNMENT
PERSONNEL
EUROPE APPOINTMENTS
09 May 18. Lieutenant General Mark Carleton-Smith appointed new Chief of the General Staff. He will succeed General Sir Nick Carter as head of the Army in June of this year. Defence Secretary Gavin Williamson has today confirmed that Her Majesty the Queen has approved the appointment of the new Chief of the General Staff. Lieutenant General Mark Carleton-Smith CBE is to be promoted General and will succeed General Sir Nicholas Patrick Carter KCB CBE DSO ADC Gen in June 2018. General Carter is taking up the post of Chief of the Defence Staff, succeeding Air Chief Marshall Sir Stuart Peach who is leaving to become Chairman of the Military Committee at NATO.
Defence Secretary Gavin Williamson said, I’m delighted to offer my congratulations to Lieutenant General Carleton-Smith on his appointment of Chief of the General Staff.
Lt Gen Carleton-Smith has played a leading role in many of our recent operations at home and abroad, including our campaign to defeat Daesh in Iraq and Syria, our support to British Overseas Territories affected by Hurricane Irma and the military’s support to areas badly affected by the snow earlier this year. I have no doubt that Lt Gen Carleton-Smith will be an outstanding leader of the Army at this crucial period, as we look to strengthen and further modernise the Army to deal with intensifying threats. (Source: U.K. MoD)
U.S. APPOINTMENTS
09 May 18. Dana Deasy took his oath as the Defense Department’s chief information officer here May 7, and spoke on the privilege of service. Michael L. Rhodes, the department’s director of administration and management, swore in Deasy in the Nunn-Lugar conference room, near Defense Secretary James N. Mattis’ office. Deputy Defense Secretary Patrick M. Shanahan was present for the new CIO’s official oath-taking ceremony, as well as Deasy’s wife, staffers and colleagues. Deasy comes to DoD from JP Morgan Chase, where he was CIO and managed more than 40,000 information technology professionals.
09 May 18. Rear Adm. John T. Palmer will be assigned as commander, Defense Logistics Agency – Land and Maritime, Columbus, Ohio. Palmer is currently serving as director, logistics, fleet supply and ordnance, N4, U.S. Pacific Fleet, Pearl Harbor, Hawaii.
08 May 18. USAF LG Scott A. Howell for appointment to the rank of lieutenant general, and assignment as commander, Joint Special Operations Command; and commander, Joint Special Operations Command Forward, U.S. Special Operations Command, Fort Bragg, North Carolina. Howell is currently serving as vice commander, U.S. Special Operations Command, Pentagon, Washington, District of Columbia.
08 May 18. USAF MG Warren D. Berry for appointment to the rank of lieutenant general, and assignment as deputy chief of staff for logistics, engineering, and force protection, Headquarters U.S. Air Force, Pentagon, Washington, District of Columbia. Berry is currently serving as deputy commander, Air Force Materiel Command, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio.
08 May 18. USAF MG Donald E. Kirkland for appointment to the rank of lieutenant general, and assignment as commander, Air Force Sustainment Center, Air Force Materiel Command, Tinker Air Force Base, Oklahoma. Kirkland is currently serving as director of logistics, Deputy Chief of Staff for Logistics, Engineering and Force Protection, Headquarters U.S. Air Force, Pentagon, Washington, District of Columbia.
08 May 18. USMC LG Lewis A. Craparotta for appointment to the rank of lieutenant general, and assignment as commander, U.S. Marine Corps Forces Pacific; and commanding general, Fleet Marine Corps Forces Pacific. Craparotta is currently serving as the commanding general, I Marine Expeditionary Force, San Diego, California.
08 May 18. USMC LG Daniel J. O’Donohue for appointment to the rank of lieutenant general, and assignment as director, J-7, Joint Staff. O’Donohue is currently serving as the deputy commandant for information, Headquarters, U.S. Marine Corps, Washington, District of Columbia.
08 May 18. USMC MG Eric M. Smith for appointment to the rank of lieutenant general, and assignment as commanding general, III Marine Expeditionary Force; and commander, U.S. Marine Corps Forces Japan. Smith is currently serving as the commanding general, 1st Marine Division, San Diego, California.
08 May 18. Rear Adm. (lower half) John W. Korka, selected for promotion to rear admiral, will be assigned as commander, Naval Facilities Engineering Command; and chief of Civil Engineers, with additional duty as commander for facilities and environment, Navy Installations Command; and deputy commander for facilities and environment, Marine Corps Installations Command, Washington, District of Columbia. Korka is currently serving as commander, Naval Facilities Engineering Command, Pacific; and director, Fleet Civil Engineer, U.S. Pacific Fleet, Pearl Harbor, Hawaii.
08 May 18. Navy Vice Adm. Michael M. Gilday for reappointment to the rank of vice admiral, and assignment as director for operations, J-3, Joint Staff, Pentagon, Washington, District of Columbia. Gilday is currently serving as commander, Fleet Cyber Command; and commander, Tenth Fleet, Fort Meade, Maryland.
INDUSTRY
INDUSTRY TEAMINGS
08 May 18. Strata and Dema sign co-operation agreement. Strata and Dema have signed a co-operation agreement to work together on manufacturing service exchange and knowledge transfer relating to aerospace systems.
The two companies will develop a roadmap to work on these technologies, they say, which will help facilitate a strategy from Strata to grow its supply chain footprint. The chief executive of United Arab Emirates (UAE)-based Strata, Ismail Ali Abdulla, and chief executive of Italy-based Dema, Vincenzo Starace, signed the agreement.
“The aerospace sector is considered one of the most complex and globalised sectors in the world,” Abdulla said. “Establishing partnerships and forming robust relationships with prominent companies in the industry plays an integral role in the solidification of our supply chain system and our next stage of growth.” (Source: IHS Jane’s)
PERSONNEL
EUROPE APPOINTMENTS
09 May 18. New Managing Director for MASA Group. In April 2018 Marc de Fritsch has joined MASA Group as the company’s Managing Director. Fritsch assumes this role following a career with the French Army, from which he retired as Brigadier. David Chouraqui will remain the company’s CEO and President. Among Fritsch’s priorities is increasing the market share of all three of MASA’s products, MASA SWORD, MASA SYNERGY and Direct AI. Fritsch started his career as a helicopter pilot in the French Army. He spent several years working at the Ministry of Defence. In 2009 Fritsch became head of the Army Corps 4th Helicopters Regiment of the Special Forces. Fritsch continued with roles in strategic affairs at the MoD before becoming Director of Bilateral Cooperation – South, where he led the international military relations network with African, Middle Eastern, Asian and Latin American armies. (Source: ESD Spotlight)
U.S. APPOINTMENTS
08 May 18. J.F. Lehman & Company, a leading middle-market private equity firm focused on the aerospace, defense, maritime, government and environmental sectors, is pleased to announce the addition of two professionals to its New York office: David M. Ashcraft, Managing Director of Portfolio Operations, and Michael W. Cueter, Senior Associate.
Mr. Ashcraft will be involved in all aspects of the firm’s private equity investment program with an emphasis on the operational evaluation and oversight of portfolio companies from acquisition through exit. He joins J.F. Lehman from Cerberus Operations and Advisory Company, LLC (“COAC”), the in-house operations affiliate of Cerberus Capital Management, L.P. At COAC, Mr. Ashcraft drove substantial value creation across a variety of portfolio companies via interim management, operations improvement, strategic planning and executive mentorship. During his seven-year tenure, he led the development of COAC’s Manufacturing Operations’ Practice and was awarded the Chairman’s Award for Excellence. Most recently, he led COAC’s operational and strategic due diligence efforts for all potential Cerberus-led acquisitions.
Mr. Cueter joined J.F. Lehman & Company in February 2018 after more than two years at Olympus Partners, where he served as an Associate and supported the due diligence, acquisition and oversight of the firm’s private equity investments in a variety of business sectors. Mr. Cueter began his career in investment banking at Harris Williams & Co. A native of Michigan, Mr. Cueter graduated with a B.B.A. from the Stephen M. Ross School of Business at the University of Michigan with concentrations in accounting and finance.
09 May 18. Star Navigation Systems Group Ltd. (CSE:SNA) (CSE:SNA.CN) (OTCQB:SNAVF) (“Star” or the “Company”) is pleased to announce the appointment of Mr. Barney Lassche as Vice President, Sales. Mr. Lassche has a 32 year career in sales and an in-depth knowledge of the Company and its STAR-A.D.S.® System line of products. For the past eight years, Mr. Lassche has worked extensively with management and with the Engineering and R&D departments at Star, providing overall coordination and forward planning services. Mr. Lassche will report directly to and work closely with, Mr. Jean-Louis Larmor, Star’s Chief Operating Officer, who has an extensive background in the aerospace industry. (Source: Google/globenewswire.com)
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EXHIBITIONS AND CONFERENCES
04 Apr 18. NEW DATES! Close Combat Symposium, 09 – 11 July 2018, Event time: 10:00.
Location: Defence Academy of the United Kingdom Shrivenham tbc/Swindon/Salisbury Plain – COTEC.
Overview
Please make a note in your diary that this year’s Close Combat Symposium, run by Symposia at Shrivenham with the support of Army HQ Ground Manoeuvre Combat Capability, is to be held from 10th to 12th July 2018. There will be the usual range practice off-site on the middle day at COTEC on Salisbury Plain.
Theme
The overall aim is to examine future capability requirements for Ground Manoeuvre Close Combat forces, both mounted and dismounted, to identify current capability gaps, and to examine current and future threats. The themes of this year’s event are: Dismounted Threats and Counter-threats; Future Vision and Capabilities; Dismounted Situational Awareness; Systems Requirements for Small Arms, Light Anti-tank Weapons, Mobility and Unmanned Aerial Systems. Perspectives from the military customer, police service and industry will be covered. In addition there will be updates on the latest trends and developments in ballistics and small arms.
Format
This symposium aims to bring together representatives from the Military, Users, Procurement Agencies, R&D staff, the Police and Industry from around the world. Through presentations by Army Headquarters staff, DE&S Team Leaders, the National Armed Policing Group, Dstl and Industry, and through discussion groups and plenary sessions, the purpose is to encourage a cross-fertilization of ideas, the development of new perspectives and the challenging of current thinking. The event includes unique networking opportunities during its all-inclusive catering and refreshments, the Symposium Dinner and barbeque lunch on the range.
Call for Papers
If you wish to present a paper on a topic you feel is relevant to the themes, please submit an abstract of around 200 words by e-mail to by no later than Friday 18 May 2018. Papers should be planned to take 20 minutes to present followed by 10 minutes for questions.
Range Day, Displays and Demonstrations
After very successful events in 2016 and 2017, along with the support from ATDU, ITDU and SASC we will once again have the ability to conduct live firing of weapons on Wednesday 11th July at the Cranfield Ordnance Test and Evaluation Centre (COTEC), on the northern edge of Salisbury Plain. It is hoped to include here a demonstration of UAS and counter UAS capability.
We offer companies, departments and establishments an opportunity to display their equipment (weapons, vehicles, sighting systems, ammunition, ancillaries, training aids etc) or advertise their capability throughout the event. In addition, those same organisations and suppliers have a unique chance to allow customers and visitors within the industry to experience their latest weapon designs, sighting systems and ancillaries all on the same military range.
Sponsorship
There are unique opportunities for sponsoring at various levels during this event: individual activities such as the event dinner, the barbeque on the range, or collectively for the whole event with generous concessions.
More Detail
For more detail on the event, including Registration, booking display space, booking range space and sponsorship, please check our website or contact Leanne Lawson direct on +44 (0) 1793 785648 or .
www.symposiaatshrivenham.com
Leanne Lawson
Event Organiser Symposia at Shrivenham
Defence Academy of the United Kingdom
Tel: +44 (0) 1793 78 (Mil 96161) 5648
web: www.symposiaatshrivenham.com
09 May 18. NCT Europe 2018. The 8th edition of Europe’s highly successful NCT event series, the NCT Europe 2018, will take place from July 3-5, 2018 at the National Training Center (NTC) at the Bredero barrack in Vught, The Netherlands. The official partnerhsip with the Dutch Ministry of Defence guarantees the presence of the most high-level CBRNe stakeholders from all over Europe.
The three-day event will feature live CBRNe capability demonstrations, one conference stream, multiple workshops, training sessions for civil and military responders, a large indoor and outdoor industry exhibition and the famous NCT BBQ Party.
NCT Europe will introduce a new feature at their NCT event series: NCT CBRNe Training. Teams from all over Europe (and abroad) are invited to come to the National Training Center (NTC) for daily training on different CBRNe scenarios. Each team will be matched to another team from a different country: Dutch firemen with German military, French police with Austrian ambulance teams, etc. CBRNe events increasingly require an international response, which is why training should be multinational and multidisciplinary. That is what NCT CBRNe Training at the NTC is all about providing multidisciplinary training in an international environment. Although the training sessions are not open for the audience (it is training, not demonstrations), the organizer will provide video uplinks to show (parts) of the training on a screen in the exhibition area.
Based on the successes of NCT Europe 2017 in Sonthofen, NCT Europe 2018 will again feature a large outdoor exhibition area which gives room for premium sponsors to showcase larger solutions and products. Visitors and experts are invited to join now to experience the balance between live exercises, demonstrations, interactive workshops and conferences. (Source: ESD Spotlight)
11 May 18. Land Warfare Conference, 19-20 June 2018.
Church House Conference Centre, London.
Twenty-First Century Manoeuvre.
This year the Land Warfare Conference, held annually on behalf of the Chief of the General Staff, will consider how land forces can achieve competitive advantage from 2025 and beyond.
The conference sessions will explore the following themes:
- How has manoeuvre evolved through history? Is it now more than three dimensional?
- How will land capabilities contribute to successful outcomes at the operational and strategic levels?
- What doctrine, capabilities and structures will be needed to out-manoeuvre adversaries?
- International Chiefs Panel: How will allies manoeuvre beyond 2025?
- What are the human factors that bear on 21st Century manoeuvre?
- How should armies train for 21st Century manoeuvre?
- Closing Keynote: Chief of the General Staff
Speakers include:
- The Rt Hon Mark Lancaster TD MP, Minister of State for the Armed Forces
- The Chief of the General Staff
- Gen Robert B. Abrams, Commander Forces Command, US Army
- Gen Salvatore Farina, Chief of Staff, Italian Army
- Lt Gen Jörg Vollmer, Chief of Staff, German Army
- Lt Gen Christopher Cavoli, Commander, US Army Europe
- Lt Gen Patrick Sanders, Commander Field Army
- Major Kitty McKendrick, CGS Fellow, Chatham House
- WO1 Glenn Haughton, Army Sergeant Major
- Lord Hague of Richmond
- Dr Karin von Hippel, Director-General, RUSI
- Prof Hugh Durrant-Whyte, Chief Scientific Advisor, MOD
- Dr David Kilcullen, CEO, Cordillera Applications Group
- Gen Sir Rupert Smith, Author ‘Utility of Force’
- Lt Gen (Retd) Ben Hodges, Senior Associate Fellow, RUSI
- Ms Elisabeth Braw, Research Fellow, Atlantic Council
- Lt Gen (Retd) Prof Sir Paul Newton, Director SSI, Exeter University
Tickets are discounted for serving personnel and corporate sponsorship opportunities remain available.
For any queries please contact
08 May 18. Dubai HeliShow 2018 Inks Partnership With Dubai South
The biennial international helicopter technology exhibition will take place from 6-8 November, 2018.
Dubai HeliShow 2018, a biennial international helicopter technology and operations exhibition, has signed a partnership with Dubai South.
As per the agreement, Dubai HeliShow 2018 will be held for the first time at the Royal Pavilion at the Al Maktoum International Airport, from the 6 – 8 November, 2018.
This year’s edition of the exhibition will feature two new conferences, Helicopter Technology and Operations and Military and Homeland Security.
Topics expected to be covered by these forums include police empowerment using the Internet of Things (IoT) tools, the role of women in homeland security, application of robotics in policing and helicopter, as well as analysis of new patterns in narco-terrorism. The event will also discuss the value of joint inter-agency cooperation between armed forces and homeland security agencies.
Commenting on the upcoming show, Tahnoon Saif, VP of Aviation at Dubai South, said: “Dubai HeliShow 2018 will serve as a premier platform for us to achieve our goal of becoming the centre of key helicopter operations and maintenance activities in the region.
He added: “We at Dubai South seek to play an active role in the event’s success this year as we recognise its importance in the growth of the global commercial helicopter market in particular and the entire aviation industry in general. Dubai South is excited to welcome all delegates attending Dubai HeliShow in November. We cannot wait to showcase Dubai’s relevant achievements and engage with brilliant minds from the industry.”
According to a recent report titled ‘Global Commercial Market 2017-2027’, demand for commercial helicopters in the Middle East is growing and will likely have an even greater impact on the international market.
Findings from the report showed that the market for commercial helicopter systems is predicted to reach $11.6bn by 2027. This represents a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 3.49% from 2017 to 2027.
Similarly, Douglas-Westwood, a market research firm, has predicted that over the next five years, the region’s offshore helicopter industry will have the highest average utilisation for medium and large helicopter fleets over the 2018-2022 period.
Ahmad Abulhoul, managing director, Domus Group, organisers of Dubai HeliShow 2018, shared: “The Middle East is specifically showing great growth potential as the demand in this part of the world continues to go up.
“These opportunities will be showcased during the seventh edition of Dubai HeliShow, where industry leaders, pioneers and all stakeholders will gather to share their expertise and insights on the major trends and developments that will reshape the market’s future at the regional and global levels.” (Source: Aviation Business)
PARLIAMENTARY QUESTIONS
11 May 18. Defence Committee – UK Military Operations In Mosul And Raqqa.
Tuesday 15 May 2018 Wilson Room, Portcullis House.
At 11.30am
- Major General Rupert Jones, Assistant Chief of the General Staff, MoD.
- Air Vice Marshal Johnny Stringer, Chief of Staff Joint Forces Command, MoD.
In this session, the Defence Committee takes evidence from the former senior UK military representative in the US-led Coalition set up to defeat Daesh in Iraq and Syria and the former UK Air Component Commander in the Middle East. The Committee will examine the UK’s contribution to the defeat of Daesh forces in Mosul and Raqqa, the challenges faced and the effectiveness of UK military action from the perspective of the UK commanders present at the time. The Committee will also consider the lessons learnt from the operations in these two cities and what is still needed for long term success.
House of Commons and House of Lords Hansard Written Answers
Asked by Douglas Chapman
(Dunfermline and West Fife)
Asked on: 26 April 2018
Ministry of Defence
Aircraft Carriers: Procurement
138616
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what estimate his Department has made the cost of the Queen Elizabeth class aircraft carriers above their £6.2 billion approved budget; and how much of that additional amount will fall on (a) the public purse, (b) his Department’s budget and (c) contractors.
A
Answered by: Guto Bebb
Answered on: 03 May 2018
I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to Question 71204 on 25 April 2017 to the hon. Member for Mid Sussex (Nicholas Soames).
Any variation in price below or above the £6.2 billion approved cost of the programme will be shared equally by the Ministry of Defence and industry.
71204 – WQnA extract on Warships Shipbuilding (Word Document, 23.68 KB)
Q
Asked by Lord Judd
Asked on: 24 April 2018
Foreign and Commonwealth Office
Nuclear Weapons
HL7244
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their response to Leading by Example: Reforming UK Nuclear Declaratory Policy, the briefing by the British American Security Information Council, and, in particular, its recommendation that the UK should maintain its lead role in multilateral disarmament by (1) explicitly declaring that UK nuclear weapons are only there to deter nuclear use or blackmail when the survival of the UK is in question, (2) strengthening the UK’s negative security assurances to non-nuclear states, (3) committing never to use nuclear weapons first, and (4) clarifying that the UK’s nuclear weapons are weapons of last resort, and what is meant by that.
A
Answered by: Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon
Answered on: 10 May 2018
The UK’s independent nuclear deterrent remains essential for our security. But we are committed to maintaining the minimum amount of destructive power needed to deter any aggressor. We also have a strong track record on nuclear disarmament, reducing our nuclear forces by over half since the Cold War peak in the late 1970s. We intend to maintain a leading role in multilateral disarmament efforts; unilateral disarmament would undermine our security and not make the world a safer place. We regret that Russia is making a number of destabilising nuclear and missile investments and undermining existing arms control Treaties, and DPRK is developing its illegal nuclear programme in violation of UN Security Council Resolutions; this makes progress more difficult. We are fully committed to ensuring that the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) remains the cornerstone of international efforts to achieve our long term goal of a world without nuclear weapons.
Our policy remains as set out in the 2015 Strategic Defence & Security Review. This said, “We would use our nuclear weapons only in extreme circumstances of self-defence, including the defence of our NATO Allies. While our resolve and capability to do so if necessary is beyond doubt, we will remain deliberately ambiguous about precisely when, how and at what scale we would contemplate their use, in order not to simplify the calculations of any potential aggressor”. The Review also said that “The UK will not use or threaten to use, nuclear weapons against any Non-Nuclear Weapons State Party to the Treaty of the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT). This assurance does not apply to any state in material breach of those non-proliferation obligations.” We will continue to keep our nuclear posture under review in the light of the international security environment and the actions of potential adversaries.
Q
Asked by Viscount Waverley
Asked on: 26 April 2018
Cabinet Office
National Security
HL7352
To ask Her Majesty’s Government further to the Written Answers by Earl Howe on 11 and 13 April (HL6782 and HL6848), how the Fusion Doctrine from the 2018 National Security Capability Review is now being used to “improve our collective approach to national security”; and how many new reservists or other resources to deal with hybrid threats, based on the 2015 Strategic Defence and Security Review 2015, have been recruited and trained.
A
Answered by: Baroness Stedman-Scott
Answered on: 10 May 2018
The Fusion Doctrine acts as a framework for our National Security Strategy so that we can identify the most effective and efficient combination of methods to achieve the Government’s objectives. The doctrine will ensure that in defending our national security we make better use of all of our capabilities: from economic levers; through cutting-edge military resources; to our wider diplomatic and cultural influence on the world’s stage.
Our response to the Salisbury attack is an example of the Fusion Doctrine in practice. We are deploying the full range of our National Security capabilities to counter the threats of hostile activity wherever it may come from.
The 2018 National Security Capability Review (NSCR) makes clear the Government’s commitment to addressing a complex and evolving threat picture to safeguard national security. The UK Volunteer Reserve Forces trained strength continues to grow, totalling 32,240 (as of January 2018). Both reservists and regulars contribute manpower and specialisms to two innovative Brigades which were established in direct response to hybrid threats as identified in the SDSR 2015, these units provide specialist capabilities in strategic communications, cyber and intelligence.
The two Brigades are:
- 77 Brigade which is comprised of approximately 200 Regular and 270 Reserve Service Personnel;
- 1 Intelligence Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR) Brigade comprised of approximately 2,800 Regulars and around 2,100 Reservists.
Q
Asked by Viscount Waverley
Asked on: 26 April 2018
Cabinet Office
National Security
HL7354
To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Earl Howe on 13 April (HL6849), whether they consider they have sufficient financial resources to pre-empt and address a hybrid threat, with the knowledge that government departments are already prioritising their budgets to mitigate risks and in the light of the end of the £1.9 billion commitment to improve cyber resilience in the current funding round.
A
Answered by: Baroness Stedman-Scott
Answered on: 10 May 2018
The National Cyber Security Strategy clearly outlines how the Government is developing defences against the cyber threat we face. We are investing £1.9 billion through the National Cyber Security Programme and have opened a new National Cyber Security Centre that is activity working with international partners, industry and civil society to tackle this threat. The activities of the NCSP are aligned with robust physical and personnel security measures to guard against hybrid attacks.
We are working across government to ensure that effective defence against cyber and hybrid attacks remains a key priority for all departments up to and beyond March 2021.
Q
Asked by Viscount Waverley
Asked on: 27 April 2018
Department for Exiting the European Union
Electronic Warfare
HL7374
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what discussions they have had, and with whom, about the inclusion of cyber security in the security treaty they hope to negotiate with the EU; to what extent stakeholders will be consulted during the process of negotiations on that treaty; and how such a treaty will relate to any international or bilateral cyber security agreements.
A
Answered by: Lord Callanan
Answered on: 10 May 2018
The exact future relationship with regard to cyber security remains subject to negotiations with our EU partners.
The UK is one of the world’s leading digital nations and a leader in the field of cyber security. We have accordingly taken a central role, both as an EU Member State and internationally, to push forwards the cyber agenda. To contend with a truly global threat such as this we need a truly global response – with not only the UK and EU, but industry, government, like-minded states and NATO all working together to strengthen our cyber security capabilities.
In the future partnership paper on, ‘Foreign Policy, Defence and Development’, published in September last year, we listed a number of specific areas for potential cooperation and collaboration with the EU, ranging from the exchange of information about cyber threats and incidents through participation in the Computer Security Incident Response Team (CSIRT) network and Co-operation Group to continuing to work to develop effective cyber security legislation and international standards.
The UK will also continue to work together with the EU to promote strategic frameworks for conflict prevention, cooperation and stability in cyberspace. These frameworks should consist of: the application of existing international law; the implementation of voluntary, non-binding norms of responsible state behaviour; and the development and implementation of practical cyber confidence building measures between states.
Q
Asked by Mr Jim Cunningham
(Coventry South)
[N]
Asked on: 04 May 2018
Ministry of Defence
Defence: Industry
141310
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what recent assessment he has made of the effect on the defence and aerospace industry of the UK leaving the EU.
A
Answered by: Guto Bebb
Answered on: 10 May 2018
The Ministry of Defence is working closely with defence industry and other Government Departments to understand the implications and opportunities presented by the UK’s departure from the European Union.
Through our future partnership with the European Union, we want to explore how best to ensure that our industries can continue working together to deliver the capabilities that we need to protect the UK and its allies and partners.
It is worth noting that current major European collaborative capability projects, such as the Typhoon programme, are managed bilaterally or with groups of partners, rather than through the EU.