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EUROPE
13 Feb 19. Greece looks to procure MH-60R maritime helo. Greece is considering the procurement of the Lockheed Martin MH-60R Seahawk maritime multimission helicopter to augment and replace current platforms, the country’s government announced on 12 February. The Hellenic Navy is looking at acquiring four MH-60Rs to augment its 11 Sikorsky S-70B-6 Aegean Hawk helicopters and replace seven Agusta-Bell AB-212 anti-submarine warfare (ASW) helicopters that are still in service but reaching their retirement date. The helicopters would be bought from the United States under the Foreign Military Sales (FMS) programme, and are being sought as part of a wider procurement approved in early January by the Hellenic Armed Forces’ Council of Chiefs of the General Staff (SAGE) that also includes the acquisition of new heavyweight torpedoes. The procurement has first to be signed-off by the Defence Council and the Government Council for Foreign Affairs and Defence before a contract can be signed. The MH-60R is equipped with the Thales/Raytheon AQS-22 Airborne Low-Frequency Sonar (ALFS) and previous FMS of the type have included torpedoes, 12.7 mm GAU-21 (M3M) and 7.62 mm M240 (FN MAG) machine guns, AGM-114 Hellfire laser-guided missiles, and 70 mm rockets that have been upgraded with BAE’s Advanced Precision Kill Weapon System laser guidance kit. (Source: IHS Jane’s)
12 Feb 19. Bulgaria delays armoured vehicle tender. The Bulgarian Ministry of Defence (MoD) has delayed the competitive procurement of 150 new wheeled armoured vehicles to equip three battalion-size battlegroups for a mechanised brigade. The delay was apparently caused by the MoD’s failure to complete the technical specifications because of a continuing lack of clarity regarding some important design parameters. A request for proposals originally planned for the end of 2018 was never issued. Bulgarian Defence Minister Krasimir Karakachanov told reporters on 6 February that much work had to be done by his ministry on the armoured vehicle tender paperwork and that it would have taken a serious effort for the tender to be launched by the end of the year. (Source: IHS Jane’s)
11 Feb 19. Royal IHC teams up with Naval Group for Dutch submarine replacement. Royal IHC has reached an agreement to form a partnership with Naval Group, in an effort to secure the Dutch submarine replacement project. The partnership is expected to benefit from the companies’ expertise in designing and manufacturing complex maritime and defence systems. Royal IHC stated that the collaboration will play a key role in creating the platform to design and build the new submarines for the Royal Netherlands Navy.
Naval Group CEO Hervé Guillou said: “Today, we are joining our strengths together with Royal IHC to support the Netherlands Ministry of Defence getting the most capable submarine responding to the specific needs of a first-rank Nato partner.”
Under the agreement, Naval Group will be responsible to define the submarine design with the Dutch authorities, while Royal IHC will handle the construction and outfitting of the end product. The partnership also seeks to involve the Dutch maritime cluster in the project.
Royal IHC CEO Dave Vander Heyde said: “Royal IHC is pleased to partner with Naval Group not only due to its extensive track record in building submarines, but also given the values our companies share; we are committed, reliable, can offer the best value product and we are extremely well placed to include a strong Dutch content base. Having these shared values as part of our DNA, we are confident that together we are able to offer the best solution for the Netherlands Submarine Replacement programme.”
Over the next few months, the partners will review building sites in the Netherlands and engage in an ongoing dialogue with Dutch industry partners. Naval Group already established a subsidiary in the country to boost its local footprint and strengthen its position to bag the Dutch submarine replacement contract.
In October last year, Saab and Damen Shipyards Group teamed up to develop an expeditionary submarine that builds on the capabilities of the Swedish A26 for the Netherland’s Walrus Replacement Programme (WRES).
The Walrus-class submarine has been in service with the Royal Netherlands Navy since 1990 and is planned to be replaced with a new submarine. (Source: naval-technology.com)
USA
09 Feb 19. US Army seeks IM-SHORAD C-UAS/air defence systems manufacturer. The US Government has issued a sources sought (SS) notice/request for information (RFI) to determine if there are sources with the interest and ability to deliver one hundred and forty-four (144) IM-SHORAD systems with deliveries beginning in fiscal year (FY) 2020 and final deliveries in (FY) 2024, and the associated support outlined in this notice. The Government invited industry to participate via a bailment agreement in live-fire demonstrations in September 2017 through Sources Sought Announcement Number W31P4Q-17-R-0102. The U.S. Government developed a Directed Requirement following the M-SHORAD live-fire demonstrations. To meet the Directed Requirement, the U.S. Government awarded three Ordnance Technology Initiative (OTI) Agreements (DOTC-19-01-INIT0646: IM-SHORAD Platform Integration; DOTC-19-01-INIT0244: IM-SHORAD Mission Equipment Package; and DOTC 19-01-INIT-0196: IM-SHORAD Stinger Vehicle Universal Launcher) in September 2018. The three OTI Agreements were awarded under Other Transaction Agreement (OTA) W15QKN-18-9-1008 through the Department of Defense Ordnance Technology Consortium (DOTC) Annual Technology Plan – FY19. The OTI Agreements were for the development and testing of the IM-SHORAD prototype.
The IM-SHORAD system provides 360 degree air defense protection of the Stryker and Armor Brigade Combat Teams (BCT) throughout the range of military operations. It provides a capability to fill the lack of air defense in current maneuver formations against air threats encountered to include: Rotary Wing (RW), Fixed Wing (FW) and Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS) (Group 3). The IM-SHORAD applies an open mission command architecture approach integrating the Sentinel Radar, Forward Area Air Defense – Command and Control (FAAD-C2), a Stinger Vehicle Universal Launcher (SVUL), M299 Launcher, and Line of Sight radios on the Stryker A1 vehicle platform. The system interoperates with the fielded Air Defense Interrogator (ADI) and Blue Force Tracker (BFT) systems.
There is a potential for the IM-SHORAD program to become a candidate program within the Defense Exportability Features (DEF) initiative. The IM-SHORAD DEF initiative will assess the feasibility of incorporating technology protection with respect to export variants(s) and estimate the return on DEF investment. The DEF effort requires a 50% cost share by the contractor.
Solicitation Number: W31P4Q-19-R-0002
Deadline for responses: 26 February, 2019
Responsible organisation: US Army Contracting Command
(Source: www.unmannedairspace.info)
09 Feb 19. US Army publishes RFI to industry to supply battlefield high energy laser systems. The US Army has launched a request for information (RFI) to identify qualified industrial vendors who can provide compact, rugged, and modular subsystem technologies for multi-mission high energy laser (HEL) weapon systems. This system is to be installed on combat platforms to counter unmanned aerial system (UAS), and intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) threats, as well as provide ISR. Areas of interest for HEL sub-systems include: beam control systems (BCS), high energy lasers, high capacity power storage, compact power generation, adaptive optics, image trackers, target illuminators, fire control software and thermal management systems. The goal of this RFI is to enable a next generation HEL system for future HEL platforms. The technologies this RFI is focused on are the HEL, the BCS, and the fire-control software.
High Energy Laser (HEL) and beam control technologies have matured over the past decades to become viable battlefield assets. The High Energy Laser Mobile Test Truck has a 50 kW-class laser system integrated on a Heavy Expanded Mobility Tactical Truck (HEMTT), which has a 32,000 pound capacity. The second generation HEL systems are more compact and militarized for use on the battlefield, the HEL Tactical Vehicle Demonstrator (HEL TVD) will be integrated onto a Family of Medium Tactical Vehicles (FMTV) and the Multi-Mission HEL (MMHEL) on the Stryker platform. The next phase of HEL development is leaning towards ruggedized and condensed packaging of HEL weapon systems to be mounted on even smaller platforms used in future HEL platforms, along with improving their lethality.
The primary objective of this RFI is to collect and evaluate information pertaining to high energy lasers and beam control subsystems, and the fire control software. The enhancements of power and thermal systems needed to carry out the effectiveness of the HEL weapon system will be the primary focus of a future RFI.
The goal of this RFI is to identify HEL and BCS subsystems that significantly reduce the Size, Weight, and Power / Cooling (SWaP-C) requirements of the overall HEL system, while significantly increasing overall system efficiency. Advances in fire-control software are also desired. Engagement times for future HEL platforms will be considerably shorter and the fire-control software should receive the cue and automatically select and maintain an aim-point on the target. HEL firing, automatic and manual, will be determined by the operator. Fire-control software will need to acquire and track targets in degraded weather conditions and in low-contrast scenes. (Source: www.unmannedairspace.info)
09 Feb 19. US DoD seeks directed energy C-UAS industry partners. The Office of Strategic Development Planning and Experimentation (SDPE), Air Force Materiel Command (AFMC), Wright Patterson Air Force Base (WPAFB), is conducting an experimentation campaign to assess the military utility of directed energy technology to counter unmanned aircraft systems (DE C-UAS). SDPE is issuing this invitation to participate (ITP) to assess industry’s capability, capacity and interest in providing DE platforms that will offer cost-effective assets (i.e., assets having low procurement, operating and sustainment costs) in the future United States Air Force (USAF) force structure.
The USAF has interest in exercising the rapid acquisition authorities granted by Section 804 of the Fiscal Year 2016 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) and Section 806 of the Fiscal Year 2017 NDAA to fulfil one or more needs for a directed energy system that addresses the C- UAS mission against Group 1 and Group 2 UASs. Due to the rapid timelines associated with these authorities, SDPE is conducting this experimentation campaign to assess whether any directed energy systems are currently available to meet these needs within the aggressive timelines set forth by these authorities. The results of the experimentation campaign will thus enable rapid procurement of such a system.
SDPE and the U.S. Army intend to invite respondents whose systems meet the guidelines for both the U.S. Air Force and U.S. Army. This ITP is the first step in a two-step process (in addition to the U.S. Army MFIX 20 Quad Chart submission) in obtaining information from government and industry with respect to its current and near-term capabilities in support of military needs. SDPE anticipates the two steps will be as follows:
- STEP ONE: This ITP invites interested industry participants to submit capability statements
- STEP TWO Based upon the evaluation in step one, SDPE intends to invite approximately 4 to 6 respondents to present their DE systems during an October 2019 Experimentation Event at U.S. Army Base, Fort Sill, Oklahoma in support of the Maneuver and Fires Integration Experiment (MFIX) 20. During this event respondents must integrate their prototype system into the Counter Rocket Artillery Mortar Command and Control (CRAM C2) Battle Management System. This event will demonstrate C- UAS “system of system” military utility and will last approximately 4 weeks.
For more information
https://www.fbo.gov/index?s=opportunity&mode=form&id=74495889b8259675d703d9ead823c54b&tab=core&_cview=0
Solicitation Number: FA8650-19-S-9324
Deadline for responses: 22 February, 2019
Responsible organisation: US Air Force
(Source: www.unmannedairspace.info)
REST OF THE WORLD
14 Feb 19. Indonesia enters final stages of negotiations for another three-submarine contract with DSME. Key Points:
- Indonesia is close to signing a contract for three more Type 209 submarines with DSME
- Jakarta has been studying several vessel types for the requirement, but is now inclined towards the South Korean option given commonality with earlier boats
Indonesian officials have entered the final stages of negotiations for a follow-on order of three Type 209/1400 diesel-electric submarines with South Korean company Daewoo Shipbuilding and Marine Engineering (DSME), and an agreement is expected in the next few months.
Industry sources, who have been updating Jane’s on the progress of these negotiations since early January 2019, said that if all goes well a formal contract for the boats may even materialise by the end of February or early March. However, there are several decisions yet to be made, and these mainly pertain to workshare arrangements that can be undertaken for each vessel, the sources confirmed.
Once it materialises, the contract, which includes a support and training package across all three submarines, is expected to be worth about USD1.2bn.
Jakarta signed a USD1.1bn deal for three Type 209/1400 submarines with DSME in December 2011. Two submarines under this contract have been delivered, while a third is awaiting launch at PT PAL’s premises in Surabaya. The first submarine was commissioned in August 2017 as KRI Nagapasa (403).
As indicated in initial points of discussion seen in a document of the meetings provided to Jane’s, the first boat in the follow-on contract, which will be the fourth vessel in Indonesia’s Nagapasa class overall, will be assembled at DSME’s facilities in Okpo, South Korea. However, Indonesia has proposed that two of this boat’s six modules be constructed by PT PAL in Surabaya, while DSME will build the remaining four in South Korea. Once ready, the Indonesian-built modules will be shipped to Okpo for assembly. (Source: IHS Jane’s)
14 Feb 19. Planes, tanks, subs: the Thai generals’ shopping list. Defence spending in Thailand has surged over the last decade, during which the military has seized power twice. The junta-picked National Legislative Assembly has proposed $7bn for defence in the FY 2019 – a $1bn increase since the 2014 coup. Big purchases – many from China – have drawn criticism in a country riddled with inequality, corruption and still beset by an insurgency in the deep south.
Deep Water
In 2017, Thailand approved the purchase of the first of three Yuan-class submarines from China at $393m each. The junta defended the move, called it a bargain for the Thai navy, and said it was needed to safeguard resources in the Andaman Sea.
A submarine training centre sits outside Bangkok with a simulator but no actual subs. Talks are also underway for China to construct a military hardware repair facility in Thailand.
The submarine plan stirred comparisons with the aircraft carrier Thailand bought from Spain in the 1990s – now a white elephant that sits at port and has no planes.
New Tanks
Thailand’s military gave itself a new year’s gift of more than a dozen VT-4 Chinese battle tanks worth ฿2.2bn ($70m).
In 2017, the junta approved the $58m purchase of 10 VT-4s, which itself followed deals to procure 28 of the model. The defence minister said the VT-4s would replace Thailand’s ageing US-made M41 tanks that had been in use since World War II.
The Thai army has rarely used tanks in recent years, except for deployments during street protests.
Flying High
China is not Thailand’s only military supplier. Bangkok announced in 2017 its air force would get eight South Korean-manufactured jets in a $2.6bn splurge, adding to four others snapped up in 2015.
Those four T-50TH Golden Eagles are worth around $110m and were delivered last year, manufacturer Korea Aerospace Industries said on its website. KAI also said the eight advanced trainer jets would arrive by 2020.
US Deals
The US government has sold approximately $437m of major military hardware to Thailand through FMS since 2014, a figure that does not account for direct commercial sales.
‘Thailand is one of our oldest partners in Asia, and our broad cooperation continues on issues that benefit both our countries, the region, and beyond,’ the embassy said in a statement to AFP.
Thailand is a longtime US ally but ties were briefly strained after the 2014 coup. President Donald Trump warmed things up when he invited coup leader Prayut Chan-O-Cha to the White House in October 2017.
But US arms sales – including Black Hawk helicopters reportedly purchased in 2017 – have not made as many headlines as the big China buys.
An Army Park
Not all military-backed projects have focused on arms.
Less than a year after the royalist junta took over, it built a park glorifying seven ancient Thai kings near the seaside town of Hua Hin.
Each bronze figure is 14m (46ft) high.
But Rajabhakti Park, which opened in 2015, became mired in corruption allegations over-inflated costs linked to the project – from the trees to the public toilets. The statues themselves were said to cost around $1mi each. The graft claims were rejected and the government said funds to build the project were donated by the public and private sectors. (Source: Shephard)
12 Feb 19. MOU to support development of next-gen autonomous maritime vehicles. Flinders University has partnered with ENSTA Bretagne and Naval Group to kick-start the development of autonomous maritime vehicles as part of the growing relationship between Australia and France.
The memorandum of understanding (MoU) signed in Adelaide earlier in the week will be responsible for covering research, development and education, and has been reached between leading research institutions Flinders University in Australia and French Graduate School of Engineering ENSTA Bretagne with global shipbuilder Naval Group.
The MoU was signed by the chairman and chief executive of Naval Group Hervé Guillou, director of ENSTA Bretagne Pascal Pinot, and president and vice-chancellor of Flinders University Professor Colin Stirling at a ceremony attended by the Premier of South Australia, Steven Marshall, and the President of the Regional Council of Brittany, Loïg Chesnais-Girard.
Autonomous maritime vehicle research is a key strength at both Flinders and ENSTA Bretagne, and is an increasingly important area for defence and civilian applications. Researchers at Flinders have established a close research relationship with ENSTA Bretagne and the institutions are pleased to be working collaboratively with Naval Group in a move that will further enhance the alliance between France and Australia.
Professor Stirling said, “I am delighted that Flinders University continues to strengthen its relationship with ENSTA Bretagne and Naval Group in the vital area of autonomous systems and maritime vehicle research.”
Students from Flinders and ENSTA Bretagne will also benefit from the agreement thanks to a focus on internships and work experience programs for students across both countries. The collaboration opens the pathway for Flinders students to undertake internships in France as well as French students to spend time in Flinders research laboratories.
“This relationship will enable our students to benefit from exchange opportunities that will expose them to some of the most advanced research in this area and to create opportunities that will strengthen the relationship between South Australia and the Brittany region of France,” Professor Stirling added.
Pinot welcomed the announcement, saying, “There is growing global interest in the emerging field of autonomous marine vehicles and we are pleased to be further building our relationship with Flinders University and Naval Group as a historic partner in developing these exciting technologies.”
In July 2018, Flinders became the first research institution outside of France invited to join CELADON, an association of leading industry and academic institutions (including ENSTA Bretagne) that operates land-based and marine facilities adjacent to the French Naval Academy in Brest, France. The signing of this MoU provides further opportunities to enhance collaboration with the Brittany region.
Naval Group chief technical officer and innovation director Eric Papin said, “Flinders University and ENSTA Bretagne are partners of choice when it comes to autonomous systems, which are one of the major challenges of future naval systems.”
The Flinders Centre for Maritime Engineering, Control and Imaging (CMECI) has significant experience in the design of underwater vehicles, vehicle autonomy systems, mission planning, navigation in GPS-denied environments, robotics, control systems, signal processing, instrumentation and embedded systems.
ENSTA Bretagne is a French multidisciplinary graduate and post-graduate engineering school and research institute, under tutelage of the Ministry of the Armed Forces.
Naval Group is a European leader in naval defence. As an international high-tech company, Naval Group uses its know-how, unique industrial resources and capacity to arrange innovative strategic partnerships to meet its customers’ requirements. (Source: Defence Connect)
12 Feb 19. Expression of Interest (EOI) for 111 Naval Utility Helicopters (NUH) for Indian Navy. In a first of its kind, Ministry of Defence has issued Expression of Interest (s) for shortlisting of potential Indian Strategic Partners and foreign OEMs for the ‘Procurement of 111 Naval Utility Helicopters (NUH) for the Indian Navy on 12 Feb 19. These helicopters will replace Chetak Helicopters and will be utilised for albeit SAR, CASEVAC, LIMO, passenger roles and torpedo drops.
95 helicopters out of 111 will be manufactured in India by the selected Indian Strategic Partner. The case was approved by DAC on 25 Aug 18. The project is likely to provide major boost to Govt’s ‘Make in India’ initiative and fillip to manufacturing capability for helicopters in India.
The Request for EoI from Indian private companies for participating in the project has been hosted on the MoD/Indian Navy website on 12 Feb 19. However, the Request for EoI from foreign OEMs has been forwarded to companies that participated in the RFI deliberations. The OEMs have been mandated to set up dedicated manufacturing line, including design, integration and manufacturing processes for NUH in India and make Indian Manufacturing Line as a global exclusive facility for the NUH platform being offered.
Whilst Indian companies have been given two months to respond to the EoI, the foreign OEMs have been given three months for responding due to the nature of inputs required. High level of indigenisation i.e. about 60% of the helicopter is desired through the NUH project. The RFP for procurement is likely to be issued towards the end of third quarter of this year to the shortlisted Indian companies. (Source: defense-aerospace.com/Indian Ministry of Defence)
12 Feb 19. India Is Going Big on New Fighters; Lockheed, Boeing Pledge Indian Plants. Boeing, Lockheed, Dassault Aviation of France, the European Eurofighter consortium, Sweden’s Saab, and United Aircraft Corporation of Russia are all jockeying for position for an Indian fighter contract worth $15bn for 110 planes, and an $8bn navy program of around 60 aircraft. Two of the world’s largest defense contractors are promising to move production of their US-made fighter aircraft to India should they be awarded lucrative new contracts, signaling a major victory for Prime Minister Modi’s “Make in India” campaign, and a potentially stinging defeat for the Russian arms industry.
The dual Indian competitions for roughly 170 planes join an increasingly crowded international battlefield pitting Boeing’s F/A18 Super Hornet against Lockheed Martin’s F-35 and F-16V. Added to the mix are open competitions in Germany, Finland, and Switzerland, all of which pit a new generation of European fourth-generation aircraft that have won big elsewhere.
India has for years been the world’s largest importer of foreign weaponry, and along the way has developed a well-earned reputation for confounding its foreign partners with last-minute cancellations, major changes in requirements, and delays that have set multi-bn dollar projects on their ear.
But what’s at stake in India — a solid foothold set to last decades — has brought not only Boeing and Lockheed to the table, but Dassault Aviation of France, the European Eurofighter consortium, Sweden’s Saab, and United Aircraft Corporation of Russia, all of whom are jockeying for position for a $15bn air force tender for 110 planes, and $8bn navy offer for around 60 aircraft. Both programs also hold the promise of years of maintenance and upgrades, where much of the real money in international arms sales is made.
Steady as it goes
When companies look to lock down a deal with the Indian government, “a prerequisite for winning it is considerable stamina,” said Douglas Barrie, Senior Fellow for Military Aerospace at IISS, a London-based think tank.
Indian projects are notoriously slow and complicated affairs with plenty of infighting within the Indian government over budgets, requirements, and timelines that test the patience of even the most seasoned defense contractor. If a company harbors any hope of winning, “you’ve got to be there for the duration,” Barrie added. “That said, things do get bought and built. So the prize at the end is significant if you can manage to stay the course.”
If and when these aircraft do get built, two US companies, in particular, plan to build them in India.
The fighter plane deals are large enough that “we’re prepared to put a new factory in India,” Thom Breckenridge, vice president of international sales for strike, surveillance and mobility programs at Boeing, told me. The company is partnering with Hindustan Aeronautics Limited and Mahindra Defence Systems on the packages for the Super Hornet.
The company has already established a foothold in India. Last year, Boeing announced that it launched a joint venture with Indian company Tata to build all fuselages in India for the Apache helicopter sold worldwide.
For the two aircraft programs, “the way we’ve been thinking about that is what is produced in India would be for India,” Breckenridge said, noting that the company has a long history of industrial production programs with other countries like Japan where “we’ve done a lot of deep industrial cooperation.”
Lockheed Martin has also become increasingly involved in India, and will move all future production of the F-16 to India if it wins the air force contract.
“We will produce F-16s in Greenville, South Carolina—for Bahrain, Slovakia and other international customers—for the foreseeable future,” company spokesman John Losinger told me. “Future exports from India and other ‘Make in India’ industrial opportunities will be determined once India selects its next fighter for the Indian Air Force.”
Last year, Lockheed Martin entered into a partnership with Tata to build F-16 wings in India, but that work has not started yet. “We plan to build F-16 wings in India for future customers regardless of which fighter aircraft India chooses,” Losinger said.
Some of that future work in India could include a deal the US government and Bulgaria have just began discussions over for Bulgaria’s potential acquisition of new F-16 Block 70 aircraft. At the same time, four other countries are looking to upgrade to the F-16V configuration, totaling about 400 aircraft altogether.
The other competitors for the Indian air force contract — Dassault Aviation’s Rafale, the Eurofighter consortium’s Typhoon, Russian Aircraft Corp’s MiG 35, and Saab’s Gripen have also pledged to build aircraft in India.
The Navy contract is being fought over by many of the same platforms: Rafale, Super Hornet, Gripen, and the MiG-29K.
A little bit of everything
The Indian air force already flies what might be the most international air fleet on the planet, with French Rafale and Mirage fighters, but also Russian MiG 21s, 27s, and 29s, Sukhoi Su-30s, British Jaguars, American C-17 and C-130 transport aircraft along with a bevy of trainers, drones, and cargo planes sourced from around the world. The Navy is in a similar situation, with submarines made domestically, as well as variants made in Russia, France, and Germany, and surface ships made in India, Russia, Poland, the United States, South Korea, Israel, and Italy.
While India has been the world’s largest importer of arms in recent years, and the United States accounts for only about 12 percent of those imports — Russia is historically New Delhi’s main supplier — but the US share is expected to grow 6.2 percent annually through 2023, according to a 2018 study by Avascent, a consulting firm.
In order to get after that, the Obama administration designated India a “major defense partner” in 2016, a designation that grants New Delhi access to sensitive U.S. defense technologies at a level comparable to NATO allies. The move put pressure on Russia, which had just lost out on a $3bn deal to Boeing for Apache and Chinook helicopters for which Moscow offered its Mi-28 Havoc and Mi-26 helicopters. Last year, New Delhi requested to increase its AH-64E Apache order with an additional six units.
In recent years, France has emerged as the big winner in several hard-fought awards, inking an $8.6bn contract with New Delhi for the first foreign sale ever of 36 Rafales in 2016 — which will serve as India’s primary nuclear delivery aircraft — and a $4.6bn deal for six Scorpene-class submarines signed in 2005. Most of the work on the subs will be done at the Mazagon dockyard in Mumbai.
But Russia isn’t going anywhere. Moscow is on the verge of finalizing a $3.2bn contract for four S-400 surface-to-air missile systems with India, part of about $12bn worth of Russian arms deals in the works with the Indian government. Both governments have said that despite the threat of US sanctions against India for going through with the deal, it appears to be on track, and is “proof of the special nature of the ties between India and Russia,” as the Russian ambassador to India said last month.
The companies involved in the contests for the 170 aircraft are no doubt casting a wary eye on these newest tenders, with fresh memories of the Indian air force’s predecessor program, launched in 2007, which also sought dozens of multi-role combat aircraft. After shuffling along for a decade, the program was abandoned with little explanation. For now, however, the new fighter deal is on. Until it’s not. (Source: Defense News Early Bird/Breaking Defense)
12 Feb 19. Minister expands export opportunities for Australian industry. Defence Industry Minister Steven Ciobo has officially launched the 2019 Australian Military Sales Catalogue to broaden Australia’s defence industry and foreign military sales opportunities. Minister Ciobo officially revealed the third edition of the Australian Military Sales Catalogue, showcasing world-leading Australian defence industry products, services and technology available for export to foreign governments.
This year’s catalogue also includes selected Australian Defence Force equipment coming out of service, which will be available for purchase by international partners. The transfer of ex-ADF equipment to foreign governments is subject to a rigorous approval process that is independent from the Australian Military Sales Office.
Minister Ciobo said, “The Australian Military Sales Catalogue showcases these internationally competitive Australian defence industries products and services. The catalogue is helping grow Australia’s defence exports. Companies included are developing networks, building relationships and securing sales as a result of being in the Australian Military Sales Catalogue.”
A new addition to the catalogue is an information section for Australian defence industry companies on a number of government programs designed to promote Australian exports. This will further aid defence industry companies seeking to maximise export opportunities.
“Aussie businesses are at the forefront of innovation and advanced manufacturing. We have the potential to be a leading global defence exporter,” Minister Ciobo explained.
The number of Australian businesses contributing to the catalogue has grown by 78 per cent from last year, demonstrating the strength of Australia’s defence industry. The 2019 catalogue includes a total of 116 companies and every state and territory is represented, making it a truly national publication.
“The catalogue is about supporting Australian defence industry to export responsibly. Government support will always be weighed against our commitment to our international obligations and maintaining a robust defence export controls system,” Minister Ciobo added.
Australian Military Sales (AMS) is a directorate within Defence’s Capability Acquisition and Sustainment Group. The role of AMS is to support Australian sovereign capability and military sales programs through:
- International Government-to-Government sale, gifting or other transfer of surplus and obsolete Defence articles;
- International Government-to-Government purchase of Australian origin, sensitive technology, Defence articles;
- Supporting Australian defence industry to export to foreign government customer; and
- AMS seeks expressions of interest from foreign governments for consideration.
Australian Military Sales (AMS) supports Australian defence industry to export leading-edge capability solutions to foreign government customers. Through leveraging relationships across the military diplomatic community, AMS provides opportunities for Australian defence industries to utilise Defence’s network of national and international military partners to identify sales opportunities thereby improving and enhancing the promotion and export of products and capabilities.
The purpose of the Australian Military Sales Catalogue is to inform potential foreign government customers of Australian defence equipment and of Australian defence industry products and services available under international government-to-government arrangements.
“The catalogue is helping grow Australia’s defence exports. Companies included are developing networks, building relationships and securing sales as a result of being in the Australian Military Sales Catalogue,” Minister Ciobo said. (Source: Defence Connect)
11 Feb 19. Naval Group signs the Strategic Partnering Agreement. A significant milestone has been achieved today with the signing of the Future Submarine Program Strategic Partnering Agreement (SPA) by the Commonwealth of Australia (CoA) and Naval Group. The agreement was signed in the presence of Prime Minister Scott Morrison, The Hon. Christopher Pyne, Minister for Defence and Florence Parly, French Minister for the Armed Forces. The agreement sets out the principles of cooperation between the two partners for the Attack class Submarine Program which will see:
the delivery of 12 regionally superior submarines to Australia with leading edge capabilities;
the delivery of new technologies and advanced manufacturing capabilities to Australia, introducing the next phase of Australian sovereignty as a submarine nation;
the creation of thousands of direct and indirect Australian jobs which will positively impact many generations of Australians; and
opportunities and long-term planning certainty for industry, allowing Australian companies involved in the submarine program to invest in the capabilities needed to support their involvement in construction and sustainment activities.
“Naval Group is known for building world-leading, technologically advanced submarines and has built 100 of them for nine different countries,” said Herve Guillou, Chairman and CEO, Naval Group.
“This agreement with Australia will see Naval Group transfer the “know-how” and “know-why” to Australia to become an sovereign submarine nation.
“We are very excited about the opportunities that lay ahead of us and are committed to delivering the Future Submarine Program for Australia.
“We are grateful to the teams from the Commonwealth of Australia and Naval Group who have worked hard to achieve this agreement,” said Mr Guillou.
Since being selected as Australia’s partner for the Attack class Submarine Program in April 2016, a lot has been achieved.
Program milestones
- Pre-sizing of the Future Submarine has been completed.
- The Feasibility Study phase of the Future Submarine design contract being undertaken in France with the support of Australian engineers has been completed. This involves working closely with the Commonwealth to ensure the Future Submarine meets functionality, scheduling and cost requirements.
- The first sod has been turned at the Future Submarine construction yard in Adelaide. Phase 1 of the onsite works will focus on site establishment, earth works and piling for the new facilities with the development to create at least 600 jobs.
- The transfer of technology commenced with the relocation of the first group of Australian engineers to France to learn how to carry out the detailed design of the Future Submarines. The next group of engineers will depart for France in March 2019.
- Officially opened the Future Submarine Program office in Cherbourg housing Naval Group personnel alongside their Defence and Lockheed Martin Australia colleagues.
- Continued to work with education facilities, TAFEs and universities, having forged a collaborative engineering and research Memorandum of Understanding with the University of New South Wales.
- Suppliers of the top five pieces of equipment including the main motor, diesel generators, switchboards, batteries and weapons discharge systems have been reviewed and will be announced in 2019.
Industry milestones
- Continue to maximise the opportunities for Australian Industry involvement in the program, through all phases, without compromising the Commonwealths requirements against capability, cost and schedule.
o To date Naval Group has engaged with over 1,100 Australian suppliers through expression of interests, requests for information, supplier visits and industry events to develop a in depth understanding of Australia Industry capability.
o 169 Australian suppliers have been pre-qualified for the program with Naval Group Australia.
o Conducted numerous engagement activities in France and Australia to connect potential European and Australian suppliers.
- Released Expressions of Interests and Requests for Information for major equipment and common technologies equipment for the Future Submarine.
- Commenced efforts to procure capital equipment related to the Submarine Construction Yard including machining equipment, painting booths, a plate rolling machine, a plasma cutting machine, water jet cutting machine, rotating cradle and a milling machine.
- Conducted nine Future Submarine industry briefings across the nation providing Australian companies information on how to become involved in the Future Submarine Program.
Naval Group Australia milestones
- Established our headquarters in Keswick, Adelaide.
- Expanded the Naval Group Australia team from 15 employees to over 100. By 2028-2029, when production is in full swing, we expect to employ 1,600 people.
- Successfully became ISO 9001 certified.
10 Feb 19. Korea enters transport planes talks with Spain. South Korea has started talks with Spain about a potential sale of KT-1 and T-50 trainer jets in exchange for military transport aircraft Airbus A400M. Korea’s officials said the Ministry of National Defense and Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI) have been reviewing Spain’s proposal to trade some of its A-400M transport planes, made by Airbus, for KT-1 and T-50 trainer jets produced by KAI. Spain made the offer “through an unofficial route” in July 2018 at the Farnborough International Airshow in the United Kingdom.
According to the Korea Times English-language newspapers, Spain has reportedly ordered 27 A-400Ms from Airbus. But has decided to sell 13 of them and received consent from Airbus. It is reportedly hoping to deliver four to six A-400Ms to Korea in return for 30 KT-1s and 20 T-50s.
Also reported that if the deal is reached, Spain is willing to sell the A400M plane at 15 percent of the per-unit price of some $27m, adding the total value of the swap deal could be approximately $890m.
According to Airbus, the A400M is the most advanced, proven and certified airlifter available, combining 21st century state-of-the-art technologies to fulfill the current and upcoming Armed Forces’ needs. The A400M combines the capability to carry strategic loads with the ability to deliver even into tactical locations with small and unprepared airstrips. And in addition it acts as a frontline-tanker for other aircraft. (Source: Google/https://defence-blog.com)
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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.
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