UNITED KINGDOM AND NATO
02 Jul 21. The Royal Navy are now looking at concept designs for the upcoming Type 83 Destroyer, the warship that will replace the Type 45 Destroyers. More information on the Type 83 came to light at a formal meeting of the Defence Committee with the topic of ‘The Navy: purpose and procurement‘.
Glynn Phillips, Group Managing Director Maritime and Land UK at BAE Systems, said at the meeting: “In terms of starting conceptual options early, we are, along with Navy and Defence, already looking at concept designs for the replacement of the Astute programme. The Navy are going through the concept designs for the Type 83, which will ultimately replace the Type 45.”
Jeremy Quin, Minister of State for the Ministry of Defence, responded to a written Parliamentary question recently and said: “The Type 83 will replace our Type 45 destroyers when they go out of service in the late 2030s. We anticipate the concept phase for Type 83 to begin in the next few years with the assessment phase following.”
Also, there are no concept images of Type 83 so our terrible mockup above will have to do for now.
Surprise announcement
The Defence Command Paper, titled ‘Defence in a Competitive Age‘, surprised many by stating that the UK will develop a new destroyer type, the Type 83.
The white paper states:
“The concept and assessment phase for our new Type 83 destroyer which will begin to replace our Type 45 destroyers in the late 2030s.”
What might the Type 83 Destroyer look like?
The Type 45 Destroyer replacement is just an early concept at this stage but a variant of the Type 26 Frigate has been officially being considered for the job.
Last year the UK Defence Journal spoke to Paul Sweeney, former MP for Glasgow North East and former shipbuilder and we were told that consideration is already being given to the development of an Anti-Air Warfare variant of the Type 26, a variant that could function as a future replacement for the Type 45 Destroyer fleet – the programme now referred to as Type 83.
For a little bit of context, Paul Sweeney is a Member of the Scottish Parliament for the Glasgow region. More importantly for the purposes of a discussion on shipbuilding, he was formerly employed by BAE in Glasgow. Paul has worked with the APPG for Shipbuilding which published the results of inquiry into the Government’s National Shipbuilding Strategy, taking evidence from a range of maritime security stakeholders and industry.
It is understood that the Ministry of Defence have an aspiration is to achieve continuous shipbuilding with the Type 26 programme in Glasgow beyond the current planned number of eight vessels.
Sweeney told me after attending the steel cutting ceremony for the future HMS Cardiff: “It is clear that we now have a unique opportunity to create a truly international naval shipbuilding alliance with Canada and Australia with Type 26 (both countries have purchased the design) – and consideration is already being given to the development of an Anti-Air Warfare variant of the Type 26 as an eventual replacement for Type 45 – known currently as T4X. The aspiration is to achieve continuous shipbuilding with the Type 26 programme in Glasgow beyond the current planned number of eight vessels.”
We’ll publish more about the Type 83 as it becomes available.
(Source: News Now/https://ukdefencejournal.org.uk/)
29 Jun 21. Babcock reveals export opportunities for Type 31 frigate. The British shipbuilder leading the construction of the new Type 31 frigate for the Royal Navy says it is already pursuing five live campaigns to secure exports for the general-purpose warship.
Greece, Indonesia and Poland are currently the front-runners among the five live campaigns being chased by the British, David Lockwood, Babcock International’s chief executive, told the parliamentary Defence Committee on June 29. Lockwood said the Type 31 was a “serious contender” for the Greek frigate requirement.
The executive was part a team of high-ranking British officials and industry executives recently in Greece for presentations to the government on the Type 31.
The Babcock boss named the potential export customers in response to lawmakers expressing doubts that the warship will achieve the hoped-for success in the marketplace amid competition from France, Italy and South Korea.
A little over a week ago, Babcock announced it had signed a tripartite memorandum of implementation with the Ukrainian and British governments to revitalize the eastern European nation’s Navy and shipbuilding industry. The need for a new frigate was among the requirements mentioned by Babcock as being part of discussions, although the Type 31 was not specifically mentioned.
Britain originally referred to the ship as the Type 31e, with the “e” standing for “export,” but that suffix was recently dropped.
The ship’s export opportunities emerged as the Defence Committee held one of several planned evidence sessions on naval procurement ahead of the government’s publication of a much-awaited refresh of its national shipbuilding strategy, announced in 2017.
A Babcock-led team secured a contract from the British Ministry of Defence in 2019 to build five Type 31 frigates at an average cost of £250m (U.S. $347m) at its Rosyth yard in Scotland. The warship recently completed it’s whole ship critical design review and is on track to be handed over to the Royal Navy in 2025.
Known as the Arrowhead 140, it is based on the Danish-designed Iver Huitfeldt-class frigate and is set to partially replace the aging Type 23 frigate fleet.
The first three of eight Type 26 anti-submarine warfare frigates are under construction at BAE Systems to replace the remainder of the Type 23 fleet. (Source: glstrade.com/Defense News)
28 June 21. New £20m MOD helicopters could be made at Leonardo Helicopters in Yeovil. “Levelling up is not just about the North, it is places like Yeovil too.” Leonardo Helicopters is a front-runner to win a bumper multi-million contract to build new aircraft for the UK Ministry of Defence.
The firm, which employs more than 3,000 people in Yeovil, could eventually build AW149 helicopters “from start to finish, from design to delivery” in Yeovil, its boss has revealed, if it can secure a new deal with the MOD.
The UK Government is looking to buy a fleet of new medium-sized helicopters, and the Somerset company believes it can supercharge the country’s economic recovery from the pandemic and its “sovereign capability” by keeping jobs and growth in the UK, instead of importing from abroad.
Leonardo has said it would bring the entire manufacturing process of the AW149, currently built in Italy, to the UK over time if the government decides to buy from them, at a cost of £18-20m per aircraft.
“‘Levelling up’ is not just about the North, it is places like Yeovil too. We are the pre-eminent employer here and if you take us out of the equation the average salary would fall quite far,” said Nick Whitney, UK managing director at Leonardo, speaking to thisismoney.co.uk.
“The South West has been badly affected by the pandemic because it is dependent on tourism.
“Every £1 spent on a Leonardo helicopter product in the UK leads to £2.40 flowing back in the economy, through our employees, through the supply base we activate.”
Industry expert Howard Wheeldon has reportedly labelled Leonardo’s chances of winning the contract as “good, if the Government has taken on board the message about maintaining sovereign capability”, adding that the AW149 would make an “excellent” choice. (Source: News Now/https://www.somersetlive.co.uk/news/somerset-news)
EUROPE
30 Jun 21. Elettronica and Rohde & Schwarz cooperate for German RCESM/RECM systems. Elettronica (ELT) and Rohde & Schwarz RCESM/RECM technology solution brings high reliability and strong situational awareness to the fore. Both companies have signed a cooperation agreement for the conception and delivery of radar and communication electronic support measures (RCESM)/radar electronic countermeasures (RECM) in Germany, with a focus on German naval programs. ELT and Rohde & Schwarz will continue their significant R&D spending in this area to offer customers the most modern and reliable technology in the future. Under the cooperation agreement, both companies have agreed to seek complementing contributions based on their existing solutions within their portfolios.
“We are delighted to strengthen our cooperation with ELT,” explains Bosco Novak, Executive Vice President, Technology Systems, Rohde & Schwarz. “We expect that this cooperation will bring additional benefits to our customers.”
“ELT and Rohde & Schwarz have already successfully co-operated in the past and are now taking the next logical step by joining forces to take full advantage of our joint capacities,” says Domitilla Benigni CEO/COO, Elettronica Group. We strongly believe in this collaboration between two companies that are an expression of European technological excellence. Collaborating makes us more competitive and improves our respective engineering skills.”
Elettronica for the last 70 years have supplied the Armed Forces and Governments strategic surveillance capabilities, self-defense and electronic defense systems for naval, airborne and ground. The company in on board of all major modern military platforms: the Eurofighter Typhoon, the NFH-90 helicopter, the Italian PPA platform, the Italian and French ships Horizon and FREMM. The company is part of Elettronica Group that also includes CY4GATE, specialized in Cyber EW, Cybersecurity, and Intelligence, and ELT Gmbh in Meckenheim, a subsidiary specialising in the integration of EW sensor on military platforms and the design of Radar/EW test and training solutions.
Rohde & Schwarz is a leading supplier of electronic warfare (EW) and SIGINT solutions worldwide, the company offers a broad product portfolio optimized for detecting, recording and analyzing modern communications signals (COMINT) and radar emitters (ELINT). The company offers scalable strategic and tactical intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) systems for the different echelons air/space, land, sea and cyber. These are available with modular and scalable sensor subsystems for either manual or automatic ESM as well as COMINT/ELINT operations. These solutions are designed to handle challenging signal scenarios and have been field-proven by numerous armed forces and authorities around the world.
28 Jun 21. Strong Danish industrial partners set to deliver new vessels for Royal Danish Navy. Odense Maritime Technology, Terma and PensionDanmark announce joint candidacy for the full-range delivery of Denmark’s new naval vessels.
The parties behind the Defense Agreement has decided to initiate a development project to pave the way for the acquisition of a number of new vessels for the Royal Danish Navy. It is this task that strong, Danish partners in the form of Odense Maritime Technology, Terma and PensionDanmark are ready to take on.
“The Danish government, together with a broad majority in the Danish Parliament, has set a visionary course for the procurement of Denmark’s new flexible navy vessels. The decision builds on Denmark’s long and proud tradition of building ships. In Denmark, we have world-class industrial competencies, and the partnership we are launching today between PensionDanmark, Odense Maritime Technology and Terma A/S, together with the Danish maritime industry, is ready to take on that task. This will not only create Danish jobs, but also ensure that we have world-class maritime competencies in Denmark well into the future,” says Jes Munk Hansen, CEO of Terma.
Based on a strong shipbuilding tradition and the strong competencies of the Danish maritime industry, the partners will offer the full-range delivery of the new ship class including the design, build, equipping and delivery in close collaboration with the Danish Defence. Through a broad collaboration with Danish industrial players, the partners have a clear goal of ensuring a large Danish content in the new ship class and thereby create Danish jobs.
“OMT has built up very strong competencies in modular ship design from, among other things, our participation in the British-led, international partnership for the full-range delivery of naval vessels to the UK. Now is the time to benefit from those experiences and competencies here at home, to meet both Denmark’s specific needs for new naval vessels and at the same time ensure that we utilize and further develop the Danish maritime industry’s unique competencies,” says Kåre Groes Christiansen, CEO of Odense Maritime Technology .
With a full-range delivery, the partners guarantee that the new naval vessels are designed and built according to the needs of the Armed Forces, including innovative Danish technology solutions that can contribute to the green transformation of the Armed Forces. This will contribute to the further development of unique industrial competencies, and it has the potential for an export adventure to the benefit of the Danish business community and Danish workplaces.
“Denmark is a pioneer in driving the green transition and the Front End Engineering Design project is an unique opportunity to investigate whether the technology is so mature that we can build the world’s first green naval vessel. That would be a strong signal. There is a great demand in the rest of the world for partners who can ensure full-range delivery of naval vessels, and this opportunity has great export potential for the Danish maritime industry with Danish jobs as a side benefit. We are happy to take a lead role in this,” says Torben Möger Pedersen, CEO of PensionDanmark.
USA
29 June 21. Detraxi receives SBIR grant from US Space Force. The company will compete in the two-day USSF Pitch Day event to win an SBIR Phase II on-the-spot contract award.
Disruptive Cloud-based next-generation satellite network solutions provider Detraxi has won a Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) grant from the US Space Force (USSF).
The grant will provide the company with a chance to take part in Customer Discovery with key USSF stakeholders at the USSF Pitch Day (SFPD) event that would be held on 18 to 19 August.
Detraxi will compete with several other companies for an SBIR Phase II on-the-spot contract award.
The two-day competitive pitching event provides an opportunity for firms to win a spot contract award to address military space challenges.
Pitch days allow the service to move away from the traditional contracting processes to make use of innovations offered by small businesses.
Detraxi’s Apparition architecture leverages the integration of Cloud computing’s power, flexibility and scalability advantages with a virtualised Satcom ecosystem.
The resulting highly flexible and scalable digital platform virtualises satellite networking, shift network management to the cloud and to build more flexible and agile SatComs.
Detraxi president and co-founder Michael Spytek said: “We are honoured to be among this esteemed group. The Department of Defense has recognised the importance of Commercial SatComs aligned with small business innovation to their strategy.
“They also recognise that the satellite industry has largely missed the bus on adopting Cloud technology to enable greater capability, resiliency and security while lowering the cost.
“We are very excited to be working with Space Force to help bring the next generation of satellite capability to the warfighter.”
In November 2019, the US Space and Missile Systems Center (SMC) held a Pitch Day in San Francisco, California, US, to enable the quick acquisition of technologies for military use. (Source: airforce-technology.com)
25 Jun 21. Maritime Sustainment Technology and Innovation Consortium (MSTIC) forms to provide rapid access to state-of-the-art advancements in developing technologies. Advanced Technology International (ATI) is proud to announce the award of the Maritime Sustainment Technology and Innovation Consortium (MSTIC), which will address current and future security threats in maritime environments. MSTIC is a collaboration executed under an Other Transaction Agreement (OTA) with the Naval Surface Warfare Center, Philadelphia Division (NSWCPD) to develop and mature technologies that enhance the Navy’s mission effectiveness. NSWCPD’s announcement of MSTIC is available here.
The OTA has a base term of three years with options for seven additional years. The hallmarks of OTAs are simplicity, flexibility, and open communication. They are designed to attract innovative non-traditional technology developers, who previously could not or would not do business with the government. The components of a successful consortium are objectivity, active collaboration, and an expansion of the defense industrial base. OTAs and consortia are powerful complements.
More than 120 organizations – made up of traditional and non-traditional contractors, small and large businesses, for-profit and non-profit entities, and academia – have already become members of MSTIC with hundreds more signing letters of intent. These organizations will perform R&D prototyping efforts within MSTIC’s technology focus areas, which can be found on the MSTIC website. The overarching topic areas are:
- Commercial Off-The-Shelf (COTS) Obsolescence and Tech Refresh Product Development
- Data Transformation
- Cyber
- Fleet Introduction Technologies
- Waterfront Industrial Support Operations
- Asset Fabrication, Revitalization (Remanufacturing) and Packing
- Logistic and Supply Chain Management
- Research and Development
“When industry, academia, and government collaborate, we serve our country in the most effective way possible,” said Chris Van Metre, ATI President and CEO. “We look forward to serving NSWCPD and the Navy. MSTIC has all the right ingredients to become the premier consortium to develop and mature technologies in maritime sustainment.”
ABOUT ATI:
ATI, a nonprofit based in Summerville, S.C., builds and manages collaborations that conduct research and development of new technologies to solve our nation’s most pressing challenges. Fueled by a community of experts from industry, academia, and government, ATI uses the power of collaboration to help the federal government quickly acquire novel technologies. ATI manages both Other Transaction Agreement (OTA)-based and Federal Acquisitions Regulations (FAR)-based collaborations, many of which are for the Department of Defense. (Source: PR Newswire)
REST OF THE WORLD
29 Jun 21. Australian DIN calls for Undersea Communication and Detection proposals. The DIN has issued a call for collaborative R&D proposals addressing DST Group’s Remote Undersea Surveillance STaR Shot. Almost simultaneously with the release of the SEA5012 Ph.1 RFI, the NSW Defence Innovation Network (DIN) is calling for collaborative research proposals addressing DST Group’s Remote Undersea Surveillance STaR Shot theme.
Through its Strategic Investment Initiative (SII), DIN will invest $500,000 in R&D to develop a cutting-edge prototype for defence use. The SII is funded by the NSW Government and DST’s NGTF.
Now that Remote Undersea Surveillance is a priority area for Defence Investment with an RFI on the streets, DIN has established the SII to enable multi-disciplinary research teams to produce innovative prototypes, create lasting links to the defence industry, catalyse commercialisation and trigger additional R&D investment in NSW.
A key objective is to build capability in the State by funding collaborative research that will enable a prototype to undertake a demonstration of of the integrated system’s new capability within 12-18 months. Applications close on 6 August; the project is due to start on 1 January, 2022.
For further information go to the DIN web site: https://defenceinnovationnetwork.com/din-calls-for-proposals-in-undersea-communication-and-detection/ (Source: Rumour Control)
29 Jun 21. Australia issues RFI for Integrated Undersea Surveillance. Australia has issued a Request for Information (RFI) for Project SEA5012 Ph.1 – Integrated Undersea Surveillance Systems. The RFI closes on 24 September and while not discussing schedules for technology maturity, acquisition and service entry, it asks respondents to include information on a range of technologies, both current and emerging.
The objectives of the RFI process are to:
- inform Defence about the technical readiness levels of potential options which meet its needs
- Seek information regarding Australian industry’s ability to design, manufacture, supply and sustain the sub-systems, systems and systems-of-systems which will constitute the Integrated Undersea Surveillance System
- Understand approximate project cost and schedule assumptions.
The project is seeking information from industry with regards to:
- Command, Control, Communications, Computers, Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (C4ISR) systems
- Surveillance Systems
- Sensor signal processing and analysis
- Future systems and alternative technologies and concepts.
Respondents may offer options which fulfil the needs for more than one discrete system, or offer multiple solutions for a single need.
Defence advises that it envisages project SEA5012 Ph.1 involving US International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR) controlled information and material and has flagged this possibility to help industry understand the possible requirements of future procurements.
To view and download the RFI documentation go to the AusTender page: https://www.tenders.gov.au/Atm/Show/ad767d70-9bb4-4197-b631-fabd1082c4eb (Source: Rumour Control)
25 Jun 21. Boeing bolsters JP 9102 team. Leidos is among three new firms tapped to join a Boeing-led team bidding for the opportunity to deliver a new defence SATCOM system to the ADF.
Boeing Defence Australia (BDA) has revealed Leidos Australia, Viasat and the Indigenous Defence and Infrastructure Consortium (IDIC) will join Saber and ClearBox in supporting its push to secure the Commonwealth government’s JP 9102 Australian Defence SATCOM System contract.
If selected, the bolstered Boeing-led industry team would be tasked with delivering a sovereign system designed to enable the joint command and control of deployed Joint Task Forces by leveraging communications technology with enhanced range and capability.
The team has committed to building in-country space capability, aimed at providing the Australian Defence Force with flexibility, resilience and agility.
“Boeing is committed to providing a modern sovereign solution to the ADF with high confidence on schedule and cost,” BDA emerging markets director Matt Buckle said.
“To deliver this, we are partnering with strong businesses who offer best-in-class capability here in country.”
Leidos’ involvement would include the provision of cyber security and network integration services, software development environments and cyber test ranges.
“Leidos Australia is excited to collaborate with BDA to offer a resilient and effective solution for JP9102,” Leidos Australia chief executive Paul Chase said.
“As always, our local team of 1,400 people are committed to helping the ADF deliver their mission.”
Global communications firm Viasat would be responsible for leveraging its experience delivering military and commercial satellite constellations over the past two and half decades to help inform delivery.
“We appreciate the opportunity the Commonwealth has given Viasat to contribute to its satellite communications systems through our work on the JP 2008 programs,” Viasat Australia government systems managing director Rob Teasdale said.
“Viasat has a proven track record of supporting government and commercial programs in Australia, and would be honoured to extend our work with the ADF on the JP 9102 initiative.
“Through our commercial and government program initiatives, as well as our next-generation ViaSat-3 satellite that will serve Asia-Pacific, we believe we can continue to build sovereign satellite engineering capability in the region.”
IDIC’s role would involve exploring opportunities for Indigenous-owned and controlled businesses to participate in the JP 9102 program, by “aligning discrete work packages to their capabilities” and supporting capability growth.
“To have First Nations businesses and people involved from the very beginning allows us to develop and build capability and capacity,” said IDIC director George Mifsud.
“After all, what could be more sovereign than having Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander businesses working on a sovereign SATCOM solution?”
The JP 9102 tender was released in April, with Lockheed Martin Australia also expressing interest in the program.
Last month, Lockheed appointed Mike Scott as program director and Julia Dickinson as chief engineer, military satellite communications, to drive its expansion in the space domain.
Dickinson will be responsible for the overall Australian engineering performance for Lockheed Martin’s JP 9102 program solution.
The JP 9102 tender is scheduled to close on 24 December. (Source: Defence Connect)