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15 Mar 23. Extension for upgrades to DASA proposal submission service.
Some areas of DASA’s proposal submission service will remain unavailable while we finalise necessary upgrades.
- Final work to implement upgrades to our online proposal submissions service is due to complete by 29 March 2023
- During this time you will not be able to apply for DASA’s Open Call, Innovation Focus Areas or Themed Competitions using the submission service
- A new unlocked proposal template will be made available
Work is ongoing to make improvements to the DASA online proposal submission service. During this time we have had to temporarily close the online submissions service for the Open Call for Innovation (including Innovation Focus Areas) and Themed Competitions.
As a result of further feedback and testing, we need to extend the closure until 29 March 2023.
It is important that we finalise the upgrades to ensure the service is fully functional before it is reopened. We apologise for any inconvenience this closure extension may cause.
Applying for the Open Call for Innovation (including Innovation Focus Areas) and Themed Competitions
The DASA Open Call for Innovation reopened on 2 March and we are continuing to launch new Themed Competitions. However, during the closure extension you will still not be able to submit applications to these competitions online using the submission service until 29 March.
In order to help minimise disruption during the closure extension a new unlocked Word document proposal template, which can be populated, will be made available on 16 March. Information can then be easily transferred to the online application form once the submission service reopens.
Please note: Proposals can only be accepted via the online submission service once it reopens, we will not be able to accept proposals via email or any other means during the submission service closure.
The locked PDF version of the application form, which was previously made available, will not be accessible after the 16 March.
Defence Innovation Loans/DTEP
You may still submit applications for Defence Innovation Loans and the Defence Technology Exploitation Programme (DTEP) using the submission service.
Completion of work
The submissions service is due to fully reopen on 29 March 2023. We will publicise this on the DASA website, social media and through our mailing lists.
If you have any questions during this time, please contact your local Innovation Partner. (Source: https://www.gov.uk/)
15 Mar 23. International industry partners announce collaboration agreement for GCAP advanced electronics.
The Global Combat Air Programme (GCAP)’s ISANKE & ICS domain (Integrated Sensing and Non-Kinetic Effects & Integrated Communications Systems) brings together the defence electronics powerhouses from three nations.
At the DSEI Japan exhibition in Tokyo, the national industry champions for advanced defence electronics representing Japan, the UK and Italy have announced the signing of a collaboration agreement, the next formal step towards a permanent industrial construct.
The companies: Mitsubishi Electric representing Japan, Leonardo UK representing the UK and both Leonardo and Elettronica representing Italy, have agreed to forge a closer business relationship and assess appropriate commercial and international operating models, readying the partners for the next stage of the GCAP programme. This will happen in parallel with ongoing research and development work by all partners.
15 Mar 23. UK and Japan to pay for most of fighter project agreed with Italy-sources. Britain and Japan are set to dominate a three-nation project with Italy to build an advanced jet fighter, with Rome set to pay around only a fifth of the overall development cost, two sources said.
Italy’s defence ministry said the sources’ assessments were “speculative”, while Britain’s Ministry of Defence (MOD) said it “does not recognise these comments”.
Known as the Global Combat Air Programme (GCAP), the project is expected to cost tens of billions of dollars before the new jet fighter enters service around the middle of the next decade.
“The cost of the project will likely be around 40% each for Japan and Britain,” one of the people with knowledge of discussions told Reuters. Both sources, who asked to remain anonymous because they were not authorized to talk to the media, added that most of the programmes details were yet to be decided.
That rough investment breakdown is among the first details to emerge from talks on a high-profile venture that will be a test of whether Japan and Europe can collaborate on major military projects.
Britain’s defence ministry said details were still being worked out.
“The MOD does not recognise these comments,” a spokesperson said. Work on cost-sharing arrangements “is being conducted before the development phase starts in 2025 and is not yet complete”, the spokesperson added.
The Italian defence ministry said reports about a “non-equal participation” in the GCAP programme were “totally speculative”.
In a statement, it said Italy, Britain and Japan “are steadily and swiftly working together on a partnership informed by the shared principle of equal partnership as stated” in December.
Japan’s defence ministry said that discussions were ongoing and declined to comment on the cost-sharing ratios.
The defence ministers from the three countries, Japan’s Yasukazu Hamada, Britain’s Ben Wallace and Italy’s Guido Crosetto, will gather in Tokyo on Thursday for their first face-to-face meeting since the fighter deal was agreed in December.
Although the upcoming meeting is not expected to produce any major fresh agreement, it may serve to boost political backing for collaboration.
“GCAP is not going to be a love affair, it’s going to be a marriage,” Wallace said during a speech on Wednesday at the DSEI Japan defence show near Tokyo, which featured a display of the proposed fighter.
Details of which companies would build what components were being hammered out in regular talks between more junior government officials and contractors in Britain, Japan and Italy, the sources said.
Those include Japan’s Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (7011.T), which is expected to lead the design with Britain’s BAE Systems PLC (BAES.L). Italy’s Leonardo Spa (LDOF.MI) is working with Japan’s Mitsubishi Electric on the aircraft’s sensors, with Rolls Royce PLC working with Japanese jet engine maker IHI Corp (7013.T).
Since its defeat in World War Two, Japan has only ever worked with the United States on big defence projects. But in recent years it has begun to forge security ties with other U.S. allies, including Britain and Australia, as neighbouring China’s military power has expanded.
Development of the new advanced fighter from 2025 will be overseen by a joint development organization, the sources said. (Source: Reuters)
13 Mar 23. AUKUS Must Use UK Tech and Boost Jobs. UK capabilities in Barrow and Derby are the best option for Aukus, GMB Union says
The Aukus security pact must use UK tech and guarantee UK jobs, GMB Union says ahead of a meeting between Rishi Sunak, US President Joe Biden and Australian PM Anthony Albanese.
The leaders will meet in San Diego today [Monday] to discuss the trilateral agreement between Australia, the United Kingdom and the United States.
The project can boost jobs at Rolls Royce in Derby, BAE Systems in Barrow, and throughout the wider supply chain, the union says.
Matt Roberts, GMB National Officer, said:
“I was in Barrow-in-Furness recently and the technology and skills capabilities in the yard are world-leading. UK workers will tick all the boxes for our Australian allies as they join this endeavour for our mutual peace and security.
“It’s absolutely crucial UK skills utilisation is maximised as the Aukus pact becomes a reality of the coming years.
“GMB is unashamedly pro-defence, and we urge the Prime Minister to make the strong case for UK shipbuilding when he meets with his fellow leaders today, and bring home a good deal for UK jobs and workers.”
13 Mar 23. UK approves increased submarine-related exports to Taiwan, risking angering China.
Britain approved a sharp increase in exports of submarine parts and technology last year to Taiwan as it upgrades its naval forces, a move that could impact British ties with China.
The value of licences granted by the British government to companies for the export of submarine-related components and technology to Taiwan totalled a record 167 m pounds ($201.29 m) during the first nine months of last year, according to UK government export licensing data. That is more than the previous six years combined, a Reuters analysis of the data showed.
The data is publicly accessible but the most recent Taiwan-related figures haven’t previously been reported.
Beijing considers Taiwan part of China, known as the One-China policy, and strongly objects to perceived foreign interference with the island believing it to be support for Taiwan’s desire to be recognised as its own country.
When presented with the figures by Reuters, China’s foreign ministry said in a statement: “If this is true, it is a serious violation of the one-China principle, undermines China’s sovereignty and security interests, and undermines peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait.”
“China is highly concerned about this and firmly opposes it,” said the written statement, which urged Britain to “refrain from providing military support to the Taiwan authorities.”
Britain does not recognise Taiwan and has no formal diplomatic relations with the island but it maintains economic and trade ties and there is a de facto British embassy in Taipei.
A British government spokesperson said in a statement the UK has a long record of “granting licences for exports of controlled goods to Taiwan, on a case-by-case basis, where those applications are consistent with the rules that regulate the exports of arms and dual-use products.”
“We consider the Taiwan issue one to be settled peacefully by the people on both sides of the Taiwan Strait through constructive dialogue, without the threat or use of force or coercion,” the statement added.
The increase in licences granted reflects greater demand from Taiwan, two government officials said on condition of anonymity due to the sensitivity of the issue.
Two lawmakers with knowledge of the exports and two former officials said the approvals reflected Britain’s increased willingness to support Taiwan. One of the lawmakers, who also spoke on the condition of anonymity, said authorising the export licences amounted to giving a “green light” to better equip Taiwan.
The data is from the Export Control Organisation, which is responsible for export licensing and sits within the UK Department for International Trade. It shows the government authorised 25 export licences to Taiwan during the first nine months of 2022 under the categories “components for submarines” and “technology for submarines.”
The data doesn’t disclose which companies received the authorisation or detail what specific equipment it covers.
One licence type, called ML9, covers “vessels of war, special naval equipment, accessories, components, and other surface vessels,” according to Britain’s list of strategic military items that require export authorisation. Another license type, ML22, includes technology that is required for the development, production, operation, installation, maintenance, repair or goods or software.
The British government on Monday announced a boost to defence spending as it unveiled an update to its defence, security and foreign policy priorities, setting out how it plans to “tackle new threats” from China and Russia.
HEIGHTENED TENSIONS
Military tensions between Beijing and Taipei are at their highest in decades. Taiwan, some 100 miles south east from the Chinese coast, has said it is building a fleet of submarines to build up their naval defences. Taiwan has for decades been unable to buy conventional submarines from other countries because of their concerns of angering China.
Taiwan’s democratically-elected government strongly rejects China’s sovereignty claims, saying only the island’s people can decide their future.
As Reuters previously reported, an array of foreign submarine-technology vendors, with the approval of their governments, have been aiding the program.
In response to a request for comment about the submarine-related exports from Britain, Taiwan’s defence ministry said in a statement that its ship-building programme was “a major national policy, and the navy has promoted various projects in a pragmatic way under it.”
“We hope that all walks of life will continue to give their support, to jointly maintain the security and peace of the Taiwan Strait,” the ministry said.
Taipei aims to test its first prototype by September and deliver the first of the planned eight vessels by 2025.
Britain’s granting of submarine-related licences began to tick up after Taiwan announced it planned to build the submarine fleet in 2017.
Britain approved the export of 87 m pounds worth of submarine components and technology to Taiwan in 2020, up from 31,415 pounds in 2017 and none in 2016, according to the licensing data. The value of such licences approved in 2021 dipped to just under 9 m pounds.
UK ‘TILT’ TO INDO-PACIFIC
Britain’s Integrated Review, a document laying out the country’s defence, security and foreign policy priorities that was published in March 2021, specified a “tilt” to the Indo-Pacific but didn’t mention Taiwan.
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine last year has raised questions in Britain and elsewhere in the West about other possible future flash points around the world.
Britain’s defence minister, Ben Wallace, told Reuters last month that the West’s actions in support of Kyiv was a signal to other countries that grabbing land does not pay off. “This conflict is important because the world is watching whether the West will stand up for its values of freedom, democracy, liberal societies and the rule of law,” he said.
Western lawmakers and other officials have been stepping up their visits to Taiwan, despite Beijing’s objections. That included one in November by Britain’s then minister of state for trade, Greg Hands. “We urge the British side to stop any form of official exchanges with Taiwan and stop sending wrong signals to separatist forces for Taiwan independence,” Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian said at the time.
Tobias Ellwood, head of the UK parliament’s defence committee and a member in Britain’s governing Conservative Party who visited Taiwan in December, told Reuters the British government had to be careful about what detail it publicly provides about the equipment covered by the export licences.
“An announcement of the specific nature of these exports risks revealing sensitive information on Taiwan’s defensive capabilities and some of the UK government’s caution in discussing these exports is valid,” Ellwood said.
One of the former British officials said: “Every decision around Taiwan is made very deliberately and usually cautiously.” Asked about the decision to approve the increase in export licences, the official said: “You just don’t do something like this without thinking through the implications very carefully.” ($1 = 0.8297 pounds) (Source: Defense News Early Bird/Reuters)
EUROPE
01 Feb 23. EDA opens first competition for best defence research papers. The European Defence Agency (EDA) issued on 1 February 2023 its call for applications to its first ever EDA Research, Technology, and Innovation Papers Awards. This contest will reward a total of three original and valuable defence-related papers covering technologies, processes and applications for enhanced future defence.
The winning entries will come up with ideas which, if implemented between now and 2035, would contribute to enhance specific EU defence capabilities. Entries will be judged on their quality and impact, with a special emphasis on technology and innovation to help cover the European Union’s defence needs and shortfalls.
The contest aims to promote and support the work of early career researchers by introducing their work to the defence community, stimulate engagement of innovators to widen their access to emerging and potentially disruptive research, and identify areas in which additional investment is needed to address future defence capability needs.
Each prize winner will receive €4,000.
How to apply?
The deadline for submitting applications is April 2, 2023.
The contest rules and application criteria can be found here and here, (plus the annexes to the call for applications here). The prize will be formally awarded during the 2023 EDA Defence Innovation Days later this year. The contest is open to all citizens of EDA participating Member States.
HEDI
The prize is part of EDA’s growing role in fostering innovation. Following the EU’s Strategic Compass for EU Defence and Security and the creation of the Hub for EU Defence Innovation (HEDI), EDA is tasked with promoting pathways to cutting-edge military capabilities.
The EDA awards are part of that task. HEDI serves to stimulate and facilitate cooperation on defence innovation while ensuring operational benefits with related European Commission activities, notably the EU defence innovation scheme, coherence of output with NATO innovation and other EU defence innovation organisations.
EDA’s wider role
EDA supports its 26 Member States in improving their defence capabilities through European cooperation. Acting as an enabler and facilitator for Ministries of Defence willing to engage in collaborative capability projects, the Agency has become the hub for European defence cooperation with expertise and networks allowing it to the whole spectrum of defence capabilities.
Member States use EDA as an intergovernmental expert platform where their collaborative projects are supported, facilitated, and implemented. For more details, please see here. (Source: EDA)
15 Mar 23. Lithuania wants 54 new tanks in tweak to land forces layout. Lithuania’s chief of defense, Lt. Gen. Valdemaras Rupšys, has announced the country’s military aims to acquire up to 54 tanks to strengthen the combat capacities of the Lithuanian land forces.
“We are proposing to transform one mechanized infantry battalion into a tank battalion,” Rupšys said, as quoted by local broadcaster TV3.
The defense chief said that relevant recommendations had been submitted to the Lithuanian government as part of the nation’s efforts to create a division-sized unit within its armed forces. The unit will operate infantry fighting vehicles and tanks, among others.
The latest declaration comes as numerous Eastern European allies are pursuing tank acquisitions in the aftermath of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
In April 2022, Poland signed a deal worth about $4.75bn to purchase 250 M1A2 Abrams SEPv3 tanks from the United States. In January 2023, the country’s Ministry of National Defence inked a second contract, valued at some $1.4bn, to purchase 116 second-hand M1A1 Abrams from the U.S. In addition to the Abrams, last year, Warsaw ordered some 1,000 K2 Black Panther tanks, of which 180 units will be manufactured by Hyundai Rotem in South Korea, and a further 820 tanks in the K2PL variant are to be jointly made by the two countries’ defense sectors.
In Romania, the Ministry of National Defence aims to buy a battalion’s worth of Abrams from the U.S. Bucharest could acquire as many as 54 units to replace some of its Army’s outdated Soviet-times tanks.
Meanwhile, the Czech Republic is advancing plans to purchase new Leopard 2A7+ tanks from Germany. Last May, Czech Defence Minister Jana Černochová suggested the nation could buy up to 50 tracked vehicles for its land forces. (Source: Defense News)
13 Mar 23. Denmark seeks small drones able to operate in cold temperatures. The Danish Defence Ministry has issued a multimillion-dollar tender for several small drones intended for intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance and fire support operations.
The Tenders Electronic Daily, an online version of the Supplement to the Official Journal of the European Union that details public procurement efforts on the continent, published last month a detailed contract notice for the purchase of NATO Class 1 small unmanned aerial systems as well as sustainment, support and training. This category of drones generally refers to tactical unit systems weighing more than 15 kilograms (33 pounds).
The main components of the order will consist of a minimum of three drones capable of vertically taking off and landing without the need for a separate system, such as launchers or parachutes. Each drone should feature a synthetic aperture radar and a primary sensor package. The order would also include two ground control stations and all necessary ground equipment.
During the assessment phase, the Defence Ministry will consider as the most important factors the specific drone category and the lowest temperature at which the system can operate and land. The value of the initial purchases are expected to be about $107m, and the tender will close March 23.
Other outlined technical capabilities include:
- An on-station time — the ability to maintain an observation position — of at least 8 hours at a range of 90 kilometers (56 miles).
- The ability to take off at a temperature of minus 10 degrees Celsius (14 degrees Fahrenheit).
- The ability to continue an in-flight mission, including landing, in conditions of minus 40 degrees Celsius.
- The ability to launch and land on ships.
- The ability to fit in two 10-foot International Organization for Standardization containers for storage.
The drones are intended primarily for national and international ISR missions. Additionally, the online documents stated that each drone is “to be operated from a total of two trucks with ISO containers, making it possible for operators to continually operate one UAV while moving the ground control station from which the drone is operated.”
The Danish military has wanted to increase its unmanned capabilities for several years, specifically to monitor Arctic regions. In 2020, Denmark announced its intention to procure drones, but that notice was terminated. A report from Tenders Electronic Daily shows the decision was made after the Defence Ministry noticed the planned acquisition did not take into account operational needs for the country’s defense.
Denmark previously experimented with several types of smaller drones, but has never possessed larger systems such as the MQ-9 Reaper. Platforms of that size tend to be more costly than smaller variants and require greater infrastructure to operate. As the country has territorial claims in areas around the Faroe Islands and the north of Greenland covering parts of the North Pole, there are few land-based structures from which large drones can land and launch; this could be why the country prefers vertical-takeoff-and-landing platforms.
In 2007, it acquired 12 Raven B small drones from AeroVironment, on which the country relied during operations in Afghanistan. In 2012, Denmark replaced them with Puma AE drones, also produced by the American company, but they were larger and can loiter for longer durations. The country currently does not possess armed variants. (Source: Defense News)
13 Mar 23. Spain may cancel remaining Airbus A400M orders -sources. Doubts are growing over the future of Madrid’s remaining orders for the Airbus (AIR.PA) A400M airlifter, European defence sources said on Monday, raising the stakes of talks over the planemaker’s future investment in one of its founder nations.
The A400M is one of Europe’s core defence projects and a focal point for aerospace investment in Spain, which has ordered 27 of the troop planes and is responsible for final assembly.
But after several months of uncertainty, European defence sources said Madrid was leaning towards cancelling the remaining 13 or so aircraft in Spain’s quota that have not been delivered, after its air force indicated it did not need the extra planes.
The Spanish government and Airbus declined comment.
Designed to boost the strategic autonomy of seven European NATO nations that previously relied on U.S. airlift, the A400M project has been hit by a series of cost overruns and delays.
Fresh doubts over what was once Europe’s largest defence project emerged as Airbus (AIR.PA) Chief Executive Guillaume Faury attended centenary celebrations of Construcciones Aeronauticas (CASA), one of the European companies that gave birth to Airbus more than 50 years ago.
Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, Defence Minister Margarita Robles and King Felipe also attended Monday’s event in Getafe, outside Madrid, which included the opening of a space facility.
Any decision over the future of the A400M is expected to trigger intense negotiations over alternative defence orders and Airbus’s ongoing investment in Spain, the sources said.
JOBS AND RESEARCH
Spain and Airbus are already in discussions over how to soften any impact from a partial A400M order cancellation, they said, while Sanchez’s office issued a detailed breakdown of the benefits that Spain had provided Airbus.
In a statement following a meeting between Sanchez and Faury on Monday, the prime minister’s office made no mention of the A400M but urged Airbus to increase its footprint in Spain – one of its core nations alongside France, Germany and Britain.
The two sides “addressed the need for the company to increase the industrial workload in Spain” as well as boost research spending and space activities, the statement said, adding that Madrid had supported Airbus during the pandemic.
There was no immediate comment on the meeting from Airbus.
Defence publication Janes reported last year that Airbus was waiting for Madrid to back the SIRTAP tactical drone project, co-developed by Airbus Spain and Colombia.
Spain also last year ordered an extra 20 Eurofighter combat jets, a four-nation fighter programme for which Airbus is the industrial partner in Spain and Germany.
Spain’s unemployment rate rose to 12.87% in the fourth quarter of 2022 from 12.67% three months earlier, pushing the number of unemployed people above the 3m threshold.
In the southern Spanish region of Andalusia, where Airbus assembles the A400M, the rate was however higher at 19%.
(Source: Google/Reuters)
10 Mar 23. Greece counts down to $1.6bn corvette competition decision. The Greek government is nearing a final decision on who will win an estimated €1.5bn ($1.58bn) contract to build the Hellenic Navy’s newest corvette, according to a top Greek official.
“The final decision on the corvettes is imminent, both proposals are extremely positive for the Navy’s needs,” said Greek Minister of National Defense Nikolaos Panagiotopoulos on Feb. 25, during an interview with local newspaper To Vima.
The Greek MoD had not responded to a request for further comment at the time of publication, but the contestants are well known in European circles. On one side is Italy’s Fincantieri, with its FCX30 design, currently used by Qatar as the Doha/Al Zubarah-class ship. On the other is France’s Naval Group and the Gowind, in use in Egypt as the El Fateh-class. Both designs were formally submitted in December 2022.
Greece plans on acquiring three ships while retaining an option for a fourth, with industry competitors committing to supporting local shipbuilding as part of their bids. A first corvette is expected to be built approximately three years from contract award.
Fincantieri has already signed an agreement with local firm ONEX Shipyards & Technologies Group, covering a corvette manufacturing line and life-cycle support based at Elefsis Shipyards.
“We like to localize production as much as possible, we are accustomed to going far from home and sharing our knowhow and accustomed to interacting with SME’s and local shipyards,” said Fincantieri CEO Pierroberto Folgiero in an interview with Breaking Defense earlier this year.
Similarly, Hellenic Shipyards would support Naval Group’s offer by building Gowind vessels in Greece. The French shipbuilder has also said it will “ensure economic benefits in Greece of at least 30% of the program value,” in line with a “ramp up” of operations across the country, supported by Naval Group Hellas, a new Greek subsidiary.
The shipbuilder already holds strong ties with the Hellenic Navy after securing a contract in March 2022 for the construction and supply of three defense and intervention frigates (FDI HN), plus one optional hull, and has also submitted a bid with Thales and MBDA for the midlife upgrade of Hydra-class MEKO 200 designed frigates. (Naval Group did not respond to a request for comment by the time of publication.)
Fundamentally, the overall designs and capabilities of the FCX30 and Gowind are considered to be “fairly similar,” said Pat Bright, senior analyst at AMI International, a US naval market intelligence agency.
“Gowind is based on a 102 metre design compared to the 107 metre FCX30 and they weigh within 400 tonnes of one another,” added Bright. He said the Gowind offer “appears” to be based on integration of 16 vertical launch MBDA MICA surface-to-air missiles, Exocet surface-to-surface missiles, Leonardo’s 76mm naval gun, “possibly” [Nexter’s] Narwhal 20mm remotely operated turret and the Thales KingKlip Mark2 hull mounted sonar.
Bright added that the FCX30 design would potentially use either 16 MICA SAM’s or MBDA’s Common Anti-air Modular Missile Extended Range (CAMM-ER), Raytheon’s Rolling Airframe Missile (RAM), Leonardo’s Marlin 30mm remote weapon system and the Italian manufacturer’s Kronos multifunctional radar.
“The capabilities are relatively so closely matched,” he noted, but outlined that the Gowind offer “appears” to be valued at $433.9 m per hull and includes “an attractive financial proposal with long term deferred payments.” Naval Group did not publicly share per hull costs when releasing its final bid announcement.
French business newspaper La Tribune previously published cost estimates of Fincantieri’s bid. It said that the Italian offer of four FCX30 frigates amounted to “about 2 bbn euros,” noting that the cost of the four ships of the Doha class sold to Qatar in 2017 totaled €3.2 bbn, excluding weapons. Breaking Defense cannot independently either Bright or La Tribune’s figures, but if they are accurate, a rough comparative breakdown would indicate the original FCX30 offer appears to be cheaper than the Gowind price by approximately €66 m per hull.
Other differences may come down to production plans.
“[If Naval Group wins] the first Gowind will be built in France with the three remaining hulls in Greece, but the way we understand the Fincantieri bid is that it is based on a two hulls plus one option, all built locally….that’s pretty significant in itself,” said Bright.
Folgiero made clear Fincantieri views the Greek competition as one that could potentially unlock other regional sales.
“Absolutely [selection of the FCX30 design by Greece would be] validation of our uniqueness that will open more and more doors,” added Folgiero. “Because again, everyone that is spending wants the best with respect to schedule and budget….I believe that it would be a very, very important point in the roadmap of this expansion of international business.” (Source: Defense News Early Bird/Breaking Defense)
13 Mar 23. European arms imports climb, U.S. dominance in exports grows, think tank says. European states increased their imports of major weaponry by 47% in the five years to 2022, while the United States’ share of global arms exports rose to 40% from 33%, a leading conflict think-tank said on Monday. Russia’s invasion of Ukraine last year, following years of growing tensions, has prompted European countries to rush to bolster their defences.
“Even as arms transfers have declined globally, those to Europe have risen sharply due to the tensions between Russia and most other European states,” Pieter D. Wezeman, Senior Researcher with the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), said in a statement.
SIPRI defines major arms as aircraft, warships, tanks, artillery, missiles and various heavy defence systems.
European states in the U.S.-led NATO alliance increased their arms imports by 65% from the previous five-year period. But worldwide, international arms transfers fell 5.1%, according to SIPRI.
The United States and Russia have been the world’s largest and second-largest arms exporters for the past three decades.
U.S. arms exports increased by 14% from 2013-17, and the U.S. accounted for 40% of global arms exports. Russia’s share fell to 16% from 22%.
“It is likely that the invasion of Ukraine will further limit Russia’s arms exports,” SIPRI’s Siemon T. Wezeman said. “This is because Russia will prioritize supplying its armed forces and demand from other states will remain low due to trade sanctions on Russia.”
In 2022, SIPRI warned that the global nuclear arsenal was likely to grow in the coming years. (Source: Reuters)
USA
15 Mar 23. US Pentagon abandons next-generation F-35 engine.
The US Pentagon has decided to continue using the current F135 engine for its F-35 stealth fighters instead of investing in a more advanced, but costly engine. The US Department of Defense (DoD) faced a tough decision on 10 March. Talk of adopting a next-generation engine for its F-35 stealth fighters has been up in the air in recent months, but the President’s Fiscal 2024 Air Force Budget offered a resounding no to F-35 re-engining.
The F-35 programme will continue to use and upgrade Pratt and Whitney’s F135 engine. The decision means the US will not continue its Adaptive Engine Transition Programme (AETP), the Government’s effort to research enhancements into the F-35’s engine capability, with prototypes offering increased thrust in combat conditions and greater fuel efficiency.
US DoD officials have instead decided to “move forward with the engine core upgrade (ECU)” of the F135 engine.
“We have $254m in this year’s budget for that particular effort. However, we do plan to leverage a lot of the capabilities that were part of the AETP prototype for efficiency, thrust, platform level power, thermal management. So, it was not necessarily a sunk cost,” Kristyn Jones, PTDO Under Secretary of the Air Force stated.
Pratt and Whitney have emphasised that since the programme inception, the company’s “war on cost” efforts “have reduced the average unit cost of an F135 by more than 50%, contributing to an estimated $8.1bn in cumulative engine savings over the life of the programme”.
Cost issues
While an adaptive engine like General Electric’s (GE) XA100 provide the capabilities of a next-generation engine of the US Air Force’s (USAF) F-35 fleet, the DoD could not also pay for the Joint Strike Fighter programme fleet as a whole.
“This was based on the fact that the requirements were most applicable only to the USAF and so the entire cost of the programme would have been borne by the Air Force instead of spread across the entire fleet of joint F-35s,” Jones added.
However, before the announcement that the budget will exclude an adaptive engine, GE Aerospace president and CEO of Defence Systems Amy Gowder said in a presentation with investors: “Adaptive engine technology is an architectural revolutionary change in the architecture.” (Source: airforce-technology.com)
15 Mar 23. Pentagon close to making first awards on $9bn cloud contract.
The Pentagon will soon make its first awards under the $9bn Joint Warfighting Cloud Capability contract as interest in commercial cloud services booms, according to a Defense Information Systems Agency official.
The Defense Department in December selected Amazon, Google, Microsoft and Oracle for the closely watched JWCC contract, a follow-up to the failed $10bn Joint Enterprise Defense Infrastructure arrangement.
The rival tech giants are expected to compete for work tied to JWCC, which spans unclassified, secret and top-secret designations. Secret-level bidding opportunities, “where the warfighter operates,” will be made available in the coming weeks, said Sharon Woods, director of DISA’s Hosting and Compute Center. Top-secret opportunities will come sometime early this summer.
“We have the first batch of task orders, if you will, that are in the pipeline and getting closer and closer to award,” Woods said March 14 at an online event hosted by Defense One. “And then we have other task order packages that are fast followers.”
“As the demand to learn more about the contract just keeps growing larger, more and more task order possibilities come out from that,” she said. “One of the things we did was stand up a hybrid cloud broker office. It is the single point of entry, the front door, into HACC to understand the full breadth of all of our capabilities and to learn about JWCC. And, I will say, those folks are really busy right now.”
The four companies are each guaranteed only $100,000, though potential orders could total bbns, according to terms of JWCC. The contract comprises a three-year base and one-year options, meaning work could be done through 2028.
The cloud capability is meant to serve as a backbone for the Pentagon’s connect-everything-everywhere campaign, known as Joint All-Domain Command and Control, or JADC2. It is also designed to complement cloud initiatives already underway among the military services. The Air Force, for example, has Cloud One and its prospective successor, Cloud One Next.
“By having that unification, I think it starts opening up doors on ‘what does JADC2 to look like’ globally. How do we move applications and data around? How do we achieve the interoperability?” Woods said. “How do we leverage things like APIs and data portability, and all of the things that we talk about, to achieve that interconnected web of all of our applications and data?”
“I think using JWCC as a foundational contract starts moving toward that unification,” she added.
Woods previously said task order competition should take weeks or “maybe a few months,” depending on the details and what officials learn along the way. (Source: Defense News Early Bird/C4ISR & Networks)
15 Mar 23. Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE: NOC) is leveraging its weapons system integration and battle management leadership to compete for the U.S. Navy’s E-XX TACAMO fleet of aircraft systems.
The Navy’s E-XX TACAMO aircraft will be based on the C-130J platform, and provides connectivity between the National Command Authority and ballistic submarines capable of delivering nuclear weapons. The Navy currently operates a fleet of E-6B Mercury aircraft to provide survivable, reliable and endurable airborne command, control and communications between the National Command Authority and U.S. strategic and non-strategic forces. The Navy intends to replace the E-6B fleet with the E-XX to modernize this critical strategic deterrent mission.
“Our extensive experience integrating aircraft and mission systems, combined with our expertise in creating operationally-ready solutions in support of the nuclear enterprise, makes Northrop Grumman the optimal partner to deliver the Navy’s E-XX TACAMO weapon system” said Janice Zilch, vice president, multi-domain command and control programs, Northrop Grumman. “As we’ve demonstrated with the Navy’s E-2 programs, we have been a longtime partner in helping the Navy meet its operational requirements. We will bring this expertise in helping the Navy deliver the E-XX TACAMO on time and optimized for this strategically important mission.”
For more than six decades, Northrop Grumman has delivered on the development, production and modification of the Navy’s E-2 Hawkeye system as the prime contractor, and continues to provide total mission assurance with proven solutions that are secure, survivable, multi-layered systems designed for total weapon system security.
“Our team has vast knowledge and expertise in delivering critical command and control, and nuclear enterprise capabilities,” said Henry Cyr, director, multi-domain command and control capture programs, Northrop Grumman. “We perform challenging work that has a real-world impact. You can see that on our legacy platforms, the platforms currently in operation, and the platforms we will deliver tomorrow.”
Northrop Grumman is a leading global aerospace and defense technology company. Our pioneering solutions equip our customers with the capabilities they need to connect and protect the world, and push the boundaries of human exploration across the universe. Driven by a shared purpose to solve our customers’ toughest problems, our 95,000 employees define possible every day.
14 Mar 23. US Space Force commercial LEO deal due by May. The US Space Force (USSF) is poised to award several contracts to commercial satellite communications (satcom) companies, who will provide proliferated low Earth orbit (LEO) satcom capabilities to US armed forces and allies, the head of the service’s commercial satcom office said.
Officials from the USSF’s Commercial Satellite Communications Office (CSCO) are in the midst of wrapping up the source selection process from industry offerings submitted for the Proliferated-Low Earth Orbit Commercial Satellite Communications (P-LEO COMSATCOM) services request for proposals (RFP), issued in November 2022.
“We are taking advantage of, you know, this emerging capability that’s being provided by companies like SpaceX, OneWeb”, and other emerging companies in the commercial satcom sector, said CSCO Chief Clare Grason. “We received a healthy interest and we are anticipating [contract] awards … around the May timeframe,” she said during a February briefing on current and future satcom capabilities for the US armed forces. (Source: Janes)
13 Mar 23. Department of Defense Releases 2024 Military Intelligence Program Budget Request. On March 13, 2023 the Department of Defense released the Military Intelligence Program (MIP) top line budget request for fiscal year 2024. The total is $29.3bn and is aligned to strategic priorities of the Secretary of Defense.
The department determined that releasing this top line figure does not jeopardize any classified activities within the MIP. No other MIP budget figures or program details will be released, as they remain classified for national security reasons. (Source: US DoD)
09 Mar 23. USAF wants to retire all A-10s by 2029. Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. CQ Brown said Tuesday the Air Force would likely retire all its A-10 Warthogs over the next five or six years.
Until recently, the Air Force and Congress have disagreed over what to do with the famed and rugged attack airplane. While the A-10 was known and beloved for its close air support role in Iraq and Afghanistan over the last two decades, the Air Force says the low-and-slow-flying plane would not be able to survive in a fight against a nation with modern air defenses, like China.
The Air Force has repeatedly sought congressional permission to start retiring the A-10 and instead use those resources to bring on newer jets, but was rebuffed by Congress each time until the fiscal 2023 budget was approved.
The Air Force this year will start retiring its first 21 A-10s Brown told reporters at the Air and Space Forces Association’s AFA Warfare Symposium here. This will reduce the service’s A-10 inventory from 281 to 260.
Those Warthogs will come from an Air National Guard squadron at Fort Wayne, Indiana, which will then transition to an equal number of F-16s.
And in subsequent years, Brown said, the Air Force hopes to continue that momentum.
“I would say over the next five or six years, we will probably [have] the A-10 out of our inventory,” he added.
In future wars, Brown continued, the Air Force needs aircraft that can fill multiple roles, and the A-10′s utility is too limited.
Combatant commands have not been asking for A-10s, Brown said, and he has a hard time getting them to use them because it’s “a single-mission airplane.”
“The A-10 is a great airplane … in an uncontested environment,” Brown said. “The challenge is, we’re going to be in more contested environments in the future.”
Fighters such as the F-35 and bombers are able to carry out close air support missions, Brown said, but in a future, highly contested combat environment, the Air Force will likely play less of a close air support role than it did in the Middle East.
“I’ve got to lean towards where the threat is,” he said. (Source: Defense News Early Bird/Defense News)
15 Mar 23. How the US plans to expand its submarine industrial base for AUKUS. Defense officials are optimistic that billionns of dollars of investments in the U.S. submarine industrial base will increase capacity to and even above the required two-a-year attack sub construction rate, allowing the U.S. to build for Australia under a new international agreement without restricting the American fleet.
On Monday, the U.S., Australia and the United Kingdom unveiled new details about their partnership to produce for Australia its own nuclear-powered submarine by 2040, known as the SSN AUKUS. The U.S. is offering an interim capability of three to five Virginia-class submarines, either newly built or used, in the 2030s.
To meet the U.S. Navy’s undersea warfare needs under a 2021 force structure assessment, the submarine industrial base must sustain a minimum construction rate of two Virginia-class attack submarines and one Columbia-class ballistic missile submarine per year throughout this decade and into the next — without counting any additional submarines for Australia. So far, builders have not been able to keep up with that workload and are years behind schedule on some Virginia submarines.
This week, senior defense officials, granted anonymity to discuss sensitive matters, told Defense News a series of investments from Congress and Australia, with the AUKUS pact in mind, are meant to help industry “get to that 2.0 delivery cadence that we’re expecting” on the Virginia program and even achieve rates “north of 2.0″ while working on the Australian boat or boats.
However, one of those officials said the Navy was not expecting to see “sustained 3.0 production” of these attack submarines in the long run.
Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Mike Gilday on Wednesday said the investment would help the shipbuilders and their suppliers “sustain that 2.0 cadence, which by the way needs to go above 2.0 attack boats a year if we’re going to be in a position to sell any to the Australians.”
And Naval Sea Systems Command commander Vice Adm. Bill Galinis confirmed industry is still delivering about 1.2 submarines a year — reflecting that the Navy is buying two a year and industry is delivering them late.
At a Pentagon press conference Tuesday, the assistant secretary of defense for strategy, plans and capabilities, Mara Karlin, said the pact would “lift all three nations’ submarine industrial bases and undersea capability, enhancing deterrence and promoting stability in the region.”
“Australia’s acquisition of SSNs will bolster the capabilities of one of our strongest allies by increasing the Royal Australian Navy’s range, survivability and striking power, thus strengthening deterrence in the Indo-Pacific,” Karlin said.
Before Australia acquires its own Virginia-class subs, a new collaborative entity known as Submarine Rotational Forces-West will establish a rotational presence of one UK Astute class submarine and up to four U.S. Virginia-class SSNs at Australia’s Stirling military base near Perth.
Amid the concerns of U.S. lawmakers that AUKUS will make it more difficult to meet U.S. submarine needs, defense officials say the industrial base investments will also cut maintenance timelines, making the submarines the U.S. Navy has more operationally available.
A history of industrial base challenges
The Navy was already ramping up its financial support of the submarine industrial base well before AUKUS was decided. The sea service spent more than $1 bbn between fiscal 2018 and 2022 on bolstering the two nuclear shipbuilding yards and their thousands of suppliers, and kicked off another five-year, $2.4bn investment in FY23 — on top of the annual cost of procuring submarines.
The Navy this year is also launching a separate $2.2bn investment in Virginia-class maintenance and readiness, which will also benefit many of the same parts suppliers.
The industrial base is facing a range of challenges after shrinking by about 70% when the Navy took a break from buying submarines following the end of the Cold War. A smaller industrial base began Virginia-class construction in 1998 at a rate of one boat a year, but in FY11, the Navy moved to a two-a-year rate, and by 2019, it was clear industry had fallen behind.
Attack sub construction fell even further behind as the Navy asked industry to prioritize the growing Columbia-class workload. And the COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent labor market disruption left the Virginia production line in a dire situation, with industry delivering no submarines to the Navy between April 2020 and February 2022.
The attack submarine fleet has shrunk to 49, compared to a 2021 assessment’s requirement for 66 to 72. For the fleet to reach that required size, industry would need to get back on track and then increase its production rate to something closer to three a year.
There was a time when Navy officials thought a couple-billion-dollar infusion into the submarine industrial base could help expand production from two Virginias a year to three. In June 2021, then-acting Assistant Secretary of the Navy for Research, Development and Acquisition Jay Stefany told senators it would take “a major investment of effort, capital and workforce” and cited an internal study that called for $1.5bn to $2bn – plus industry’s own investments – to get to that higher rate.
The Navy will ultimately spend more than that just to secure on-time production of two Virginias a year.
But AUKUS could change that.
A senior administration official told Defense News last week the Navy investments so far “are down payments on what needs to be done for the U.S. submarine industrial base,” adding the administration would “work with Congress to get very substantial lifts in the U.S. submarine industrial base, lifts that go significantly beyond the $4.6bn we will have submitted with the president’s budget submission,” referring to the $2.4bn effort that began last year and the $2.2bn effort kicked off with this week’s FY24 request.
“In an unprecedented move, Australia has agreed to make a proportional contribution to the U.S. submarine industrial base to help lift our production and maintenance capabilities to offset the loss of those submarines,” the official added, noting this undisclosed sum would come on top of paying the “full and fair price” for the used and the new submarines.
The official called the American and Australian investments “generational” and said they would have “a huge impact on our overall defense posture.”
Though the senior administration official would not say the amount of Australia’s contribution to the industrial base, Reuters reported Australia would invest $3 bbn in the U.S. and U.K. submarine industrial bases over the next four years. That includes funds for U.S. workers to help Australia set up its own nascent submarine industrial base in Adelaide and for their Australian counterparts to work in U.S. shipyards across the country.
Here’s a closer look at what’s been invested so far:
Submarine industrial base and workforce development
The Navy last year made the first payments of a five-year, $2.4bn investment in industrial base and workforce development support, including nearly $750m in FY23 for the submarine industrial base.
Rep. Joe Courtney, the top Democrat on the House Armed Services Committee’s seapower panel, noted the newly released FY24 budget proposal seeks $647m more to expand the submarine industrial base.
Courtney’s Connecticut district includes the General Dynamics Electric Boat submarine construction yard, one of only two shipyards in the nation that build nuclear-powered submarines. (The other is HII’s Newport News Shipbuilding in Virginia.)
“I’ve been in Congress now 17 years, we’ve never seen a number like that in terms of workforce, supply chain and facility” investments, Courtney told reporters on a Tuesday call, noting previous submarine capacity investments ranged from $100 to $200 m per year prior to FY23.
The FY23 funding included $541 m for supplier development, workforce development, shipyard infrastructure and strategic outsourcing to other shipyards – which Courtney noted benefitted not just the Connecticut and Virginia shipyards, but suppliers around the country.
For instance, Austal USA’s Alabama shipyard recently started to build Command and Control Systems Modules and Electronic Deck Modules for Virginia- and Columbia-class submarines.
“The strategic outsourcing like what’s happening down in Alabama can be replicated in other parts of the country to take some of the pressure off of man hours” at the construction yards that don’t have the workforce or the facilities to accept more work, said Courtney.
During the Tuesday interview, the senior administration official said some of these investments are aimed at vendors deep in the supply chain, for hard-to-get metals, machine tooling or, say, an air conditioning unit unique to nuclear-powered ships.
“The supplier base investment goes all the way down [the supply chain] to better access to the right types of alloys, the right types of metals for material procurement,” one senior administration official said.
Congress designated the remaining $207m in FY23 submarine industrial base funding for workforce development initiatives to help the shipyards cope with labor shortages that have hindered production.
“The pursuit of people and investments is almost like The Hunger Games out there right now,” said Courtney, referencing the dystopian novels and movies. He noted Electric Boat made almost 4,000 new hires last year and has set an ambitious target to hire an additional 5,700 workers this year alone.
The Department of Labor has also funds a manufacturing pipeline program that trains the welders, mechanists and electricians that shipyards rely on in as little as eight to 10 weeks.
Virginia-class readiness spending
Another challenge stemming from the industry output is the lack of spare parts for in-service Virginia submarines, leading the Navy to have to cannibalize parts from one submarine to finish up another boat’s repairs.
In fact, a 2021 Congressional Budget Office report showed the number of parts taken from one Virginia submarine to complete maintenance on another skyrocketed in 2019 and remained high since.
That’s where the new $2.2 bbn investment in Virginia-class spares and maintenance will come into play.
The Navy is asking for $541 m in FY24 for spare parts, according to Rear Adm. John Gumbleton, the deputy assistant secretary of the Navy for budget and director of fiscal management.
“This is a dramatic increase that we’ve never done before,” he said, noting the remainder of the investment will come across the next five years.
Gumbleton said the Navy did not want to wait to start fixing the problem. Even as Congress works through the FY24 budget process, the service will use its Navy Working Capital Fund to purchase $200m to $350m in spare parts so that they’re waiting on the shelves in FY24 and the Navy can use its appropriated funds to buy those parts for immediate use.
This funding is meant to give parts suppliers an increased but stable demand while also helping address widespread maintenance delays. These delays have led to 18 submarines in or awaiting maintenance, instead of what should be 10 under operations and maintenance planning assumptions.
This means the Navy has 31 attack subs available to conduct training, global operations and tactics development work, compared to 39 if today’s fleet saw on-time maintenance, or 53 to 58 if the submarine fleet was the required size.
About Megan Eckstein, Joe Gould and Bryant Harris
Megan Eckstein is the naval warfare reporter at Defense News. She has covered military news since 2009, with a focus on U.S. Navy and Marine Corps operations, acquisition programs and budgets. She has reported from four geographic fleets and is happiest when she’s filing stories from a ship. Megan is a University of Maryland alumna.
Joe Gould is the senior Pentagon reporter for Defense News, covering the intersection of national security policy, politics and the defense industry. He served previously as Congress reporter.
Bryant Harris is the Congress reporter for Defense News. He has covered U.S. foreign policy, national security, international affairs and politics in Washington since 2014. He has also written for Foreign Policy, Al-Monitor, Al Jazeera English and IPS News. (Source: Defense News Early Bird/Defense News)
REST OF THE WORLD
15 Mar 23. India-Russia defence firm eyes $200m missile deal with Indonesia.
Summary
- Companies
- BrahMos expects to clinch Indonesia deal this year-CEO
- Aiming for $300 mln follow-on order from the Philippines
- Sanctions against Russia haven’t impacted production -CEO
India-based defence company BrahMos Aerospace expects to close a deal this year to sell Indonesia supersonic cruise missiles worth at least $200m, as it looks to expand its presence in Southeast Asia, its chief executive said on Wednesday.
BrahMos, a joint venture between India and Russia, clinched its first foreign deal last year with a $375 m sale of shore-based anti-ship missiles to the Philippines – part of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s ambitious push to triple defence exports.
The company has been in protracted negotiations with Indonesia and details about the size and timeline of a potential deal have not been previously reported.
BrahMos Aerospace CEO Atul D. Rane said that it was in advanced discussions with Jakarta on a deal worth $200m to $350m under which it had offered to supply shore-based missiles and a version that can be mounted on warships.
“I have a team right now in Jakarta,” Rane told Reuters in an interview, adding that a deal could be in place within the year. “The defence forces of Indonesia are extremely interested.”
A spokesperson for Indonesian Defence Minister Prabowo Subianto on Wednesday declined to give immediate comment and said he needed to first check the information.
BrahMos is also aiming to land a follow-on order of around $300m with the Philippines, where its missiles are scheduled to be delivered to the Philippine Marine Corps starting at the end of 2023, Rane said.
“The Philippines themselves have sort of indicated to us that this is just an ice breaker,” Rane said, referring to the 2022 sale. “They are looking at more systems.”
A spokesperson for the Philippine Department of National Defence did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
DEFENCE SPENDING
In response to a growing Chinese maritime presence in the South China Sea and some surrounding areas, Indonesia and the Philippines have ramped up their spending on the procurement of weapons and other military equipment, according to data from defence intelligence company Janes.
Indonesia’s investment in the acquisition of new weapons grew by nearly 28% in 2021 and 69% in 2022, while the Philippines saw a rise of 29% in 2021 and 40% in 2022 – far higher than the average in Southeast Asia, the data shows.
“Territorial disputes with China have been a major concern for most of the Southeast Asian countries which is driving their defence budget to meet their security requirements,” said Akash Pratim Debbarma, an aerospace and defence analyst at GlobalData.
Much of Southeast Asia’s new military purchases come from traditional suppliers, including the United States, France and Russia, but India – the world’s largest defence importer – and BrahMos are trying to make inroads.
“We have got the go-ahead to market to every country in southeast Asia from both the government of India and the government of Russia,” said Rane.
BrahMos was established through an inter-governmental agreement in 1998 as a joint venture between India’s state-run Defence Research and Development Organisation and NPO Mashinostroyenia of Russia.
Western-led sanctions against Russia for its invasion of Ukraine have not impacted BrahMos production or planning, said Rane.
Although BrahMos missiles still depend on Russian parts and raw material, Rane said the percentage of local input had gone up to over 70% from around 15% at the start of the venture. (Source: Google/Reuters)
15 Mar 23. South Korea clears multi-billion-dollar buy of more F-35s, SM-6 missile. The South Korean government has approved its military to acquire more fifth-generation stealth fighters, while also starting the process to acquire the SM-6 ship-launched interceptor, according to the country’s arms procurement agency.
The Defense Acquisition Program Administration, or DAPA, said the Defense Project Promotion Committee approved a $2.85bn plan to buy more Lockheed Martin-made F-35A fighter jets. South Korea is to receive the aircraft by 2028.
DAPA did not state how many more F-35As the military will acquire under the latest plan, although South Korea received the U.S. State Department’s approval for 60 F-35As in 2013 and has already ordered 40.
The committee also gave approval for the first of a two-phase, $582.8m plan to acquire the Raytheon Technologies-made SM-6 air defense missile to equip a second batch of KDX-III destroyers equipped with the Aegis weapons system. The missiles will be used for air defense and to counter ballistic missiles for the 8,200-ton ships, which currently operate the SM-2.
South Korea has three KDX-III destroyers from its first batch, which are also known as Sejong the Great-class ships, in service with its Navy. The ROKS Jeongjo the Great, which will be the lead ship of the second batch, was launched in July 2022 and is expected to enter service in 2024.
South Korea’s Defense Ministry also confirmed it still wants to develop an aircraft carrier. The local SBS news outlet reported that the ministry responded to inquiries from a parliamentarian that it will soon start feasibility studies into the prospects of building a 50,000-ton design.
The ministry had told Jung Sung-ho, who sits on the parliament’s National Defense Committee, that it would also be possible to develop a carrierborne variant of the KF-21 fighter, locally made by Korean Aerospace Industries, within a decade if the government allocates sufficient funding.
South Korea previously floated the idea of developing a 30,000-ton class carrier for operating the F-35B, the short-takeoff-and-vertical-landing variant of the Joint Strike Fighter. But a larger ship from which the KF-21 could operate means the military can conduct flight operations using catapults for aircraft launches and arrested landings.
This would be a more complex and expensive system than F-35B carrier operations, and it is expected the ministry will make a decision by the end of this year about whether to proceed with the program and which option it will pursue.
South Korea is technically still at war with its nuclear-armed neighbor, North Korea, having only signed an armistice agreement. The North has continued to develop its ballistic and cruise missile programs, and frequently test-fires these into the waters around the Korean Peninsula. (Source: Defense News)
14 Mar 23. Australian Army seeks Quantum Technology proposals. The Australian Army is seeking proposals that will demonstrate solutions in three themes
- Disruption of quantum computers
- Quantum networking for enhanced sensing and imaging
- Systems monitoring using quantum sensors
Selected teams will be invited to pitch their solutions at the Quantum Technology Challenge 2023 in August in Perth.
Submissions close on 4 April 2023.
Army Quantum Technology Challenge 2023Australian Army
(Source: Rumour Control)
13 Mar 23. India, US explore development of enhanced M777 howitzers.
India and the US are exploring the development of an extended-range, longer barrel variant of the M777 155 mm/39 calibre ultra lightweight howitzer (ULH), manufacturer BAE Systems told Janes.
Ravi Nirgudkar, managing director, BAE Systems – India, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, told Janes that “ discussions have been held [to develop an enhanced version of M777], and the belief is that we will see them [discussions] continue as both parties [India and the US] recognise the potential benefits that an extended-range variant of the M777 could bring”.
According to Nirgudkar, the enhanced version will likely be equipped with a 155 mm/52 calibre. “It is far too early to speculate on any aspect of the programme, as discussions are still under way,” he added, without delving into technical or range-related details. (Source: Janes)
13 Mar 23. Armscor re-issues army UAV tender. Plans by the SA Army to acquire unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) are on hold because some bidders “did not meet critical criteria” according to government-owned defence and security materiel agency Armscor.
The upshot is another tender for the same equipment and same user issued. Making tender ECAC/2022/199, which closed a week ago on 6 March, different to its predecessor (ECAC/2022/154) is it stating how many UAVs the landward force wants. In response to a defenceWeb inquiry, Armscor Senior Manager: Corporate Communication Liziwe Nkonyana, indicated four was the number of UAVs sought.
The aircraft to be supplied will be used for reconnaissance and target acquisition. As expected for reconnaissance purposes the UAV needed is not a large one with a maximum take-off weight of 9 kg and an endurance of 55 minutes. The tender further doesn’t specify whether a single propeller or multi-rotor platform is wanted to provide data to ground-based stations for targeting solutions or other actions.
The UAV operator must be able to “work” the platform from a maximum unobstructed distance of 15 km. He or she will use an external battery with a 7.6 volt rating to provide power while the UAV’s built-in battery should be an 18650 lithium ion one with a 17 volt power rating and 135 minute charging time. Expected battery endurance is two hours 30 minutes for the UAV mounted one and four hours 30 minutes for the external ground station one.
While tender ECAC/2022/199 is a re-issue and, as far as can be ascertained, is not the first time Lieutenant General Lawrence Mbatha’s SA Army has expressed interest in UAVs, with it previously indicating a need for them as part of the border protection tasking Operation Corona. As far as is known Defence Intelligence operates an unknown number of Denel Seeker UAVs. The SA Army took small UAVs into service in recent years, including quadcopters and the hand-launched Indiza developed locally by the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR).
(Source: https://www.defenceweb.co.za/)
11 Mar 23. Canadian defence department issues urgent operational request for C-UAS systems. Canada will be acquiring Portable Anti-X Missile systems, Counter Uncrewed Aircraft Systems, and Air Defence Systems as Urgent Operational Requirements (UORs), according to Defence Minister Anita Anand speaking at the March 9 Ottawa Conference on Security and Defence hosted by the Conference of Defence Associations Institute.
According to a defence department statement:
“The urgent procurement of these capabilities will improve the self-protection of military members deployed in Eastern Europe as part of Operation REASSURANCE.
- The Portable Anti-X Missile systems (PAXM) – Urgent Operational Requirement project will provide PAXM systems including missiles, simulators and associated support to empower the CAF personnel deployed with the Canada-led multinational NATO enhanced Forward Presence Battle Group Latvia with training and the capability to destroy main battle tanks. As part of this streamlined procurement process, it is expected a Request for Proposal will be issued in the coming months with a contract award in mid-2023.
- The Counter Uncrewed Aircraft System – Urgent Operational Requirement (CUAS UOR) project will provide a CUAS capability that will provide protection measures against hostile Class 1 UAS for CAF personnel deployed in the Operation REASSURANCE theatre of operations. A Request for Information was issued on March 2, 2023. The project will be executed with a phased implementation approach. A contract award for Dismounted Equipment and Fixed Site Systems is estimated for Fall 2023. A contract award for Vehicle Mounted, Fully Integrated Systems is estimated for early 2024.
- The Air Defence – Urgent Operational Requirement (AD UOR) project will acquire a soldier portable Very-Short Range Air Defence System (VSHORAD) for the NATO enhanced Forward Presence Battle Group Latvia in order to defeat attack aircraft and Class 1 UAS within its area of operations. A Request for Information is expected to be issued in March 2023 and a Request for Proposal is expected during Summer 2023. The timeframe for contract award is currently estimated for early 2024.
According to the request for information (https://canadabuys.canada.ca/en/tender-opportunities/tender-notice/pw-bm-036-28974) the deadline for responses is March 24, 2023.
The following are excepts from the RFI:
“The CUAS UOR intends to deliver several components: a) Dismounted directional System including a Radio Frequency (RF) Jammer; b) Dismounted omni-directional system including a RF detector, RF Jammer and Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS) Jammer; c) Fixed Site System including a Command and Control (C2) system, RF detector, ability to conduct protocol manipulation; and…
“The CUAS capability will be deployed primarily to Canadian Army (CA) elements. These elements, based on a battalion of mechanized infantry, will tactically deploy CUAS systems throughout their Area if Operation (AO) to mitigate Class 1 UAS. A CUAS will defend these elements first by detecting, identifying, and tracking the UAS through a mixture of sensors (e.g. Electronic Warfare (EW), radars, and optics). Once their target is identified, the CUAS capability will degrade or defeat the enemy UAS with a soft-kill (EW) capability…”
For more information
https://www.canada.ca/en/department-national-defence/news/2023/03/minister-anand-updates-national-defence-stakeholders-on-progress-to-modernize-the-canadian-armed-forces-for-tomorrows-security-challenges.html
(Source: www.unmannedairspace.info)
11 Mar 23. Iran to buy Su-35 fighter jets from Russia – Iranian broadcaster. Iran has reached a deal to buy advanced Su-35 fighter planes from Russia, Iranian state media said on Saturday, expanding a relationship that has seen Iranian-built drones used in Russia’s war on Ukraine.
“The Sukhoi-35 fighter planes are technically acceptable to Iran and Iran has finalised a contract for their purchase,” the broadcaster IRIB quoted Iran’s mission to the United Nations in New York as saying.
IRIB’s report did not carry any Russian confirmation of the deal, details of which were not disclosed. The mission said Iran had also inquired about buying military aircraft from several other unnamed countries, IRIB reported.
Iran’s purchase of Russian fighter jets was first reported by news website Semafor on Thursday.
Russian President Vladimir Putin met Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in Tehran last July, stressing closer ties in the face of Western pressure over the war in Ukraine.
Iran has acknowledged sending drones to Russia but says they were sent before Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine last year. Moscow denies that its forces use Iranian-built drones in Ukraine, although many have been shot down and recovered there.
Iran’s air force has only a few dozen strike aircraft, including Russian jets as well as ageing U.S. models acquired before the Iranian revolution of 1979.
In 2018, Iran said it had started production of the locally-designed Kowsar fighter for use in its air force. Some military experts believe the jet is a carbon copy of an F-5, first produced in the United States in the 1960s. (Source: Reuters)
11 Mar 23. Royal Thai Air Force Seeks to Purchase New Transport Aircraft. Recently, Air Chief Marshal Alongkorn Vannarot, Commander-in-Chief of the Royal Thai Air Force, gave a special keynote speech on the topic “The Private Sector and the Air Force in Developing the Country”. In the keynote, the Chief mentioned the duties of the Royal Thai Air Force, in which the Air Force is responsible for preparing and readiness to defend the Kingdom and also non-military operations, such as disaster relief missions, humanitarian aid missions, flood barriers and drought by supplying clean water and distributing to people in water-scarce areas.
The Chief went on to say that the Air Force currently has only one transport aircraft (Airbus 340-500) that can fly long distances. The aircraft can carry a large number of people, equipment and luggage with separate areas (Zoning), where passengers may travel together on the same flight. The aircraft is scheduled to be decommissioned in 2026. In 2024, the Air Force has planned to purchase a replacement aircraft which will be necessary for many missions. (Source: asiandefense.com)
09 Mar 23. Indonesia cleared to source foreign loans for AEW&C aircraft programme. The Indonesian Ministry of Finance (MoF) has approved plans for the country to acquire two new airborne early warning and control (AEW&C) aircraft, with loans sourced from a foreign lender.
The approval means that the Indonesian Ministry of Defence (MoD) can now formally begin the process of evaluating suitable aircraft types and sources for a foreign lender to fund the programme.
The Indonesian Air Force (Tentara Nasional Indonesia Angkatan Udara: TNI-AU) is currently not equipped with any form of AEW&C capabilities.
Documents provided to Janes indicate that the ceiling approved for the loan programme is USD800 m, and it should cover the delivery of two airframes, together with their associated components, service equipment, and training packages.
The AEW&C aircraft procurement is in addition to the list of 16 programmes for the year, for which permission to take on foreign loans has been granted by the MoF, provided the formal contracts are signed with the MoD by 31 December 2023. (Source: Janes)
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Since 1946, Industrial Electronic Engineers, IEE, has specialized in the design, test, support and fielding of display products for use in demanding military and aerospace applications throughout the world. IEE has developed an extensive product portfolio that today includes enhanced flat panel displays, smart displays and handheld devices.
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In-house California facilities include optical bonding, clean rooms for display assembly, a dark room for optical measurements and environmental chambers for pre-compliance and customer acceptance testing. On-site manufacturing includes PCB assembly and flow soldering. IEE has manufactured handheld, in-vehicle, airborne and naval LCD displays for all military branches as well as leading aerospace firms both domestically and internationally.
IEE is ISO 9001:2015 and AS9100D certified.
IEE’s Advantage:
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