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UNITED KINGDOM AND NATO
06 Dec 23. Japan, Britain and Italy to establish new organisation to develop jet fighter -sources. Japan, Britain and Italy will sign a treaty in Tokyo next week to establish a joint organisation and industry group for developing their planned advanced jet fighter, three sources with direct knowledge of the plans said.
An inter-government body will oversee the industry group venture led by Britain’s BAE Systems PLC (BAES.L), Japan’s Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (7011.T) and Italy’s Leonardo (LDOF.MI). That group will distribute work to teams in different parts of the Global Combat Air Programme (GCAP), such as the engine and avionics, the sources said.
They asked not to be identified because they are not authorised to speak to the media.
Reuters in March reported that Japan and Britain would dominate GCAP, with about a 40% share of the work each. Rome dismissed that as “speculative”.
Japan’s defence ministry declined to comment. Officials at the British and Italian embassies did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
The agreement, which parliaments of each country must ratify, will come a year after they established their first major defence industry collaboration by merging the separate next-generation fighter efforts of London and Tokyo.
Someone from Japan may lead the project initially, and the management will rotate among the three countries, two of the sources said. Japan’s leading candidate for that job is Masami Oka, and adviser to the defence ministry who retired as vice minister of international affairs in July, they added.
Oka did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The three countries plan to choose Britain as GCAP’s headquarters, Reuters reported in September.
GCAP may also welcome other nations as junior partners, with Saudi Arabia among the contenders because it would bring money and a lucrative market to a project expected to cost tens of bns of dollars.
Other companies involved in the project include European missile maker MBDA, Japanese avionics manufacturer Mitsubishi Electric Corp (6503.T), and engine makers Rolls-Royce PLC (RROYC.UL), IHI Corp (7013.T), and Avio Aero. (Source: Reuters)
05 Dec 23. DASA launches new £1.6m competition to get missiles talking. DASA has launched a new Themed Competition to identify and develop novel technologies that could be exploited in the development of a new category of missile – cooperative missiles.
- DASA has launched a new Themed Competition: “It’s Good for Missiles to Talk” (Phase 2)
- Funding provided by the Ministry of Defence (MOD) and forms part of the Cooperative Missile Project
- Up to £1.6m (ex VAT) is available with an expectation to fund multiple proposals between £100,000 to £300,000 (ex VAT) over a maximum project duration of 12 months
The Defence and Security Accelerator (DASA) is pleased to launch a new Themed Competition: It’s Good for Missiles to Talk Phase 2. The aim is to identify and develop novel technologies that could be exploited in the development of a new category of missile – cooperative missiles.
Cooperative missiles can communicate with each other, share situational awareness and organise themselves to ‘work together’ efficiently, during an engagement and within operator-set constraints, to achieve a common objective. The aim of the work is to:
- Develop technologies to deliver cooperative missiles
- Demonstrate how the capability could be integrated into future systems
The implementation of cooperative missiles will offer UK armed forces’ enhanced capability, providing a significant advantage in comparison to current capability. There are many benefits that can be realised. For example, considering collateral damage during missions or live safety data updates if non-combatants enter the battlefield post-launch. Cooperative missiles can share this vital information to ensure an abort function is carried out live during a mission, under human operator authority.
It is important to note that the operation of UK missile systems will always remain under human control and we are only interested in technologies that could enable cooperation between missiles within this context.
Key Dates and Funding
- Up to £1.6m (ex VAT) is available for this competition with an expectation to fund multiple proposals between £100,000 to £300,000 (ex VAT) over a maximum project duration of 12 months
- Submission deadline is midday (GMT) on Tuesday 20 February 2024
- A Q&A webinar will take place on Tuesday 12 December 2023 with 1-2-1 sessions taking place on Tuesday 19 December and Tuesday 16 January 2024.
Can you deliver an innovation which could aid in the development of cooperative missiles? Read the full Competition Document
The Challenge Areas
This competition has five challenges:
- Distributed target detection and identification
- Data processing on board and between missiles
- Enhanced navigation though cooperation
- Finding and engaging multiple targets distributed over a wide area
- Novel Missile Communication Systems
Read more about the challenge areas in depth and the competition requirements in the full Competition Document
Phase 2 of this DASA competition builds on Phase 1 with more focused challenge areas. Proposals from innovators that seek to expand on their Phase 1 work are welcome, as well as innovators that are new the competition. Successful submissions into phase 2 will identify and increase the maturity of novel technologies to enable exploitation in future cooperative missile programs.
We encourage proposals where the innovation should output over a range of Technology Readiness Level (TRL) 3-5.
Successful proposals will present credible plans for progressing new, advanced technologies which could underpin a future cooperative missile.
Please note that throughout this competition UK missile strategic partners MBDA and Thales will provide technical support to the MOD competition team.
Supporting events
Tuesday 12 December 2023 – dial-in Q&A webinar. This session will provide further detail on the problem space from the MOD competition team and provide a chance to ask questions in an open forum. If you would like to participate, please register on the Eventbrite page.
Tuesday 19 December 2023 and Tuesday 16 January 2024 – a series of 20 minute one-to-one teleconference sessions, giving you the opportunity to ask specific questions to the MOD competition team. If you would like to participate, please register on the below Eventbrite page. Booking is on a first come first served basis.
1-2-1 Session Tuesday 19 December 2023 – Eventbrite link
1-2-1 Session Tuesday 16 January 2024 – Eventbrite link
Submit a proposal
Do you have a novel technology that could be exploited to help develop cooperative missiles? For full details and to submit a proposal, read the full Competition Document: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/competition-its-good-for-missiles-to-talk-phase-2 (Source: https://www.gov.uk/)
01 Dec 23. NATO picks first flock of startup pitches in push for fresh tech. Officials at NATO’s new technology incubator have selected 44 companies’ proposals for an inaugural round of seed funding meant to grow the alliance’s technology base in undersea sensing, energy resilience and secure information sharing.
The awardees, culled from 1,300 proposals, hail from 19 nations and will initially receive €100,000 for six months with the option of another €300,000 for another half-year, said Deeph Chana, managing director of the Defence Innovation Accelerator for the North Atlantic. Additional perks include access to alliance testing facilities and the ability to seek advice from NATO’s science-and-technology community.
Dubbed DIANA, the organization is tasked with sniffing out potentially disruptive technologies hiding in the startup scenes of NATO member nations.
The prospect of unearthing fresh tech talent among companies outside the military’s traditional supply chains has excited defense leaders on both sides of the Atlantic for years. In the case of DIANA, the focus lies on nursing ideas with both military and civilian applications, Chana told reporters.
That’s because the companies’ business propositions are stronger with feet in both worlds, Chana said. A company making mobile energy storage devices, for example, will serve requirements for expeditionary troop deployments as well as civilian projects in austere environments, making the business more “investable,” he added.
DIANA’s dual-use requirement also means the chosen projects must be useful in “reducing the likelihood of conflict” in the first place and mitigating harm to populations while they are ongoing, Chana said.
“It’s not a weapons program,” he said. Rather, the idea is to mature technologies that could work as tactical combat enablers.
Companies picked for grants are free to leave the NATO space at any time, and there are no classification requirements associated with the work — incentives officials hope will widen the pool of applicants.
One of DIANA’s focus areas is sensing threats on the seabed, a discipline catapulted into the headlines with the sabotage of the Nord Stream gas pipeline in the Baltic Sea in September 2022.
“That’s an area where there were a huge amount of challenges in developing sensors and detectors,” Chana said. The difficulty lies in producing sensors that can work in great depths and transmit information from their remote locations, he added.
Southampton, England-based Aquark, one of the 44 chosen companies in the new DIANA awards wave, said in a statement it would bring to the table its work in miniaturized quantum technologies. (Source: C4ISR & Networks)
EUROPE
05 Dec 23. Portugal eyes F-35 buy. The Lockheed Martin F-35A Lightning II aircraft could emerge as the next combat aircraft in the inventory of the Portuguese Air Force (FAP). The Chief of Staff of the FAP, General João Guilherme Rosado Cartaxo Alves, described the F-35A as the preferred choice to replace the Lockheed Martin F-16AM/BM Fighting Falcon on 27 November. Speaking at the SAE Media Group Military Airlift and Air-to-Air Refuelling conference in Lisbon, Gen Alves said the replacement process must start to prevent a loss of strategic relevance and operational credibility. He also noted that most European allies had already started the transition to the F-35. The existing F-16AM/BM could extend its operational capability until 2030, however, with increasing levels of obsolescence, he said at the event in late November. Gen Alves confirmed that an acquisition will occur after 2030 as part of the newly established ‘Air Force 5.3′ modernisation plan. (Source: Janes)
04 Dec 23. Croatia to Join European Defence Agency Ammunition Purchasing Program. The Government Approved Procurement of Ammunition Through EDA. The damaged European security architecture emphasizes the importance of raising the readiness and developing the defense capabilities of the EU states in order to strengthen European and transatlantic security, said Minister Ivan Anuši.
At the 267th session held on Thursday, November 30, 2023, the Government of the Republic of Croatia adopted the Decision on giving consent to the Ministry of Defense to assume obligations at the expense of the state budget of the Republic of Croatia in 2024 for the procurement of ammunition through the European Defense Agency (EDA).
On this occasion, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defense Ivan Anuši? emphasized that the damaged European security architecture caused by the Russian aggression against Ukraine further emphasizes the importance of increasing the readiness and further development of the defense capabilities of the EU member states in order to strengthen European and transatlantic security.
Also, Minister Anuši said: “Based on the needs of the member states of the European Union, the European Defense Agency (EDA) proposed the launch of projects for the joint procurement of defense products. The European Defense Agency has accepted the role of a procurement agency, which conducts tenders, evaluates bids and procures defense products on behalf of the member states of the European Union. Such treatment enables faster delivery of defense products, more favorable unit purchase prices due to a larger joint order, as well as exemption from paying value added tax.”
In this context, Minister Anuši? pointed out that the Armed Forces of the Republic of Croatia have identified the joint procurement of defense products as extremely important for replenishing stocks and maintaining readiness and implementing NATO Capability Goals.
“The European Defense Agency conducted a tender and concluded a framework contract for the procurement of 155mm ammunition for PzH 2000 howitzers. The obligation of the Ministry of Defense for this procurement in 2023 amounts to 3,118,200 euros, which will be paid in advance, and for 2024 it amounts to 7,625. 800 euros,” said Minister Anuši.
The aforementioned financial resources are planned in the State Budget of the Republic of Croatia in the section of the Ministry of Defense.
(Source: https://www.defense-aerospace.com/ Croatia Republic Ministry of Defence;)
USA
06 Dec 23. Stalled F-35 upgrades will delay next improvements, Wittman warns. Delays to the F-35 fighter’s Technology Refresh 3 upgrades will have a cascading effect that will hinder a major follow-on modification to the jet, a leading House lawmaker said Saturday.
Rep. Rob Wittman, R-Va., chairman of the House Armed Services Committee’s tactical air and land forces panel, told Defense News at the Reagan National Defense Forum in Simi Valley, California, he is “very disappointed” by the repeated delays in the TR-3 upgrades.
And he warned the delayed TR-3 rollout will create further scheduling issues in the more expansive upgrade known as Block 4, he added.
TR-3 is expected to give the F-35 better displays, computer memory and processing power. But software and integration problems have kept TR-3 from working, and the government has refused to accept the newest F-35s rolling rolled off the production lines of manufacturer Lockheed Martin in Fort Worth, Texas.
TR-3 was once expected to conclude in April 2023, but that deadline has twice slipped. The Pentagon and Lockheed now say it could come between April and June 2024.
Wittman said that deadline — more than a year late — is “very problematic, especially since we have a platform that we spent a significant amount of time and money on, and one that we know isn’t up to its full capability because of software inadequacies.”
Wittman said he’s not confident the Pentagon and Lockheed will be able to deliver on the latest mid-2024 deadline for TR-3.
“I want to be positive, but call me skeptical,” he said.
The TR-3 technology is necessary for parts of the Block 4 upgrade, which will include the ability to carry more long-range precision weapons, new sensors, more powerful data fusion, increased interoperability with other platforms and advanced electronic warfare capabilities.
The F-35 Joint Program Office told Defense News on Wednesday that it will respond to Wittman’s concerns directly.
The office noted that not all Block 4 capabilities require TR-3 to function on the F-35, such as the already-delivered Automatic Ground Collision Avoidance System, or Auto GCAS; an interim full-motion video capability; and some communications technology improvements.
“As hardware increases and is updated, fusion improvements are integrated and other processing-heavy software is added,” the JPO said. “TR-3 will be needed to power the more advanced capabilities in development.”
The office also said it started delivering the first Block 4 capabilities in 2019, years ahead of schedule. Those capabilities included Auto GCAS, the Navy’s Joint Standoff Weapon variant known as C-1, and the ability to attack moving targets on the ground with the laser-guided GBU-12 Paveway II and GBU-49 bombs.
A technical baseline review on the F-35’s Block 4 development is also underway, as Bill LaPlante, the undersecretary of defense for acquisition and sustainment, ordered it earlier this year, the office noted.
Technical experts from the Navy and Air Force have spent the last few months evaluating Block 4’s development schedule, hardware maturity, program risks, software tools, and the skill sets government and industry workers need to work on the upgrades.
Lockheed Martin concurred with the Joint Program Office’s response to Defense News and declined to comment further.
Wittman said the F-35 program needs six more test beds of aircraft to focus entirely on rapidly trying out the TR-3 software improvements. The current limited testing infrastructure has led to slow progress on ironing out the problems with TR-3, he said, particularly when the software shuts down.
“What’s happening right now is, even the structure of how you do testing and development with the software has resulted in its failures,” Wittman said. “If you have six test beds, you can fly the aircraft and do things simultaneously, so your learning curve gets a lot faster.”
Wittman said the TR-3 woes show the Pentagon needs to change its mindset to put an earlier focus on software in program development.
“For years, the Pentagon has been a hardware-centric organization,” Wittman said. “In today’s world … software needs to be at the forefront, then hardware needs to follow that.”
That will be even more important as the Air Force moves forward with its collaborative combat aircraft concept, which seeks to team autonomous drone wingmen with F-35s, Wittman said.
He wants to see the Air Force and the Joint Program Office set up an effort to more closely track the software process and upgrades day by day.
“We do a great job in manufacturing the hardware elements of what the aircraft can do,” Wittman said. “But all the things that we design the hardware around are only enabled if you have the software. We kind of have gotten things backwards.” (Source: Defense News)
07 Dec 23. Eight contract opportunities to watch in FY24. Mark your calendar: There are several major U.S. defense competitions expected in fiscal 2024, with just these eight estimated to be worth a total of $61.9 bn.
Software and data specialist Deltek, which keeps tabs on major government contracting programs, has created this list of the largest competitive opportunities worth watching.
- Comprehensive Construction and Engineering
Government lead: Air Force
Expected solicitation date: February 2024
Anticipated value: $15bn
Description: This contract calls for the full range of methods, technologies and supporting activities necessary to conduct design-build or design-bid-build construction at Air Force installations and others worldwide.
- Information Technology Enterprise Solutions 4 Services
Government lead: Army
Expected solicitation date: March 2024
Anticipated value: $12.1bn
Description: The Army is seeking a range of services and solutions for enterprise infrastructure as well as infostructure goals with information technology services worldwide. This effort would replace the Information Technology Enterprise Solutions 3 Services program.
- Charter Airlift Services in Support of the Civil Reserve Air Fleet
Government lead: U.S. Transportation Command
Expected solicitation date: May 2024
Anticipated value: $9.8bn
Description: This program will use aircraft resources of American air carriers to support Defense Department airlift requirements in an emergency. In return, those airlines are afforded access to day-to-day business under this and other contracts with the department and the General Services Administration.
- Contract Field Team Maintenance
Government lead: Air Force
Expected solicitation date: May 2024
Anticipated value: $8bn
Description: The potential deal involves maintaining active weapon systems worldwide. The contracted team would also perform modification, inspection and repair of active systems, such as aircraft, vehicles, aerospace equipment, missile systems, engines, ground support equipment, and communications and cryptologic equipment.
- Enterprise Cyber Capabilities
Government lead: Air Force
Expected solicitation date: February 2024
Anticipated value: $5.3bn
Description: The original solicitation for this contract was canceled in September 2023. An analysis is ongoing to determine next steps to fulfill cyber requirements, which include building, operating, supporting, defending and engaging in cyberspace to give the military an information advantage over adversaries.
- Defense Air Force Strategic Transformation Support
Government lead: Air Force
Expected solicitation date: February 2024
Anticipated value: $5bn
Description: This program provides advisory and assistance services to several Air Force offices and federal agencies with the goal of improving strategic transformation efforts.
- Missile Defense Agency Integration and Operations for Enterprise
Government lead: Missile Defense Agency
Expected solicitation date: July 2024
Anticipated value: $4.6bn
Description: This program is meant to help the government meet its missile defense objectives and involves five technical areas, including information technology.
- Design, Development, Demonstration, and Integration II Information Integration, Data Exploitation, And Enhanced Warfighter Capabilities (Domain 2)
Government lead: Army
Expected solicitation date: January 2024
Anticipated value: $2.1bn
Description: This effort would help Army Space and Missile Defense Command as well as Army Forces Strategic Command procure missile defense and space technology, among other systems. (Source: Defense News)
06 Dec 23. New high-altitude spying program to come to US Army in fiscal 2025. The U.S. Army plans to start a new program in fiscal 2025 to develop and field a new high-altitude platform capable of deep sensing, according to Brig. Gen. Ed Barker, the service’s program executive officer for intelligence, electronic warfare and sensors.
The service wants to use sensors to conduct intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance operations across wider ranges at greater distances, buying reaction time to respond to potential threats, for instance.
“We’re looking at these kinds of novel platforms when it comes to what capabilities can we acquire either from a high-altitude balloon, solar and fixed-wing aircraft,” Barker said in a Dec. 5 briefing with reporters. “Really looking at affordability and the balancing of low [size, weight and power], and high-efficiency sensors to take advantage of these [high-altitude payload] capabilities.”
The Army has released requests for information, he said — one in February and another in October. More RFIs are to come out within the next four to six months.
The service has for years experimented with high-altitude balloons and long-endurance, fixed-wing, solar-powered platforms capable of operating in the stratosphere. The Army is now pursuing prototyping efforts meant to lead to programs of record.
A year ago, the Army Requirements Oversight Council greenlighted the pursuit of high-altitude balloons and fixed-wing, solar-powered platforms along with payloads capable of deep sensing, per an abbreviated capabilities development document, Col. Dave Mulack, who manages related capabilities for Army Space and Missile Defense Command, told Defense News in an interview this year.
The service is now working to get requirements approved for four other different payloads. For instance, the council has not yet validated a navigation warfare payload but is in the process. Navigation warfare sensors help spot, locate and identify possible interference with position, navigation and timing reception.
The other three payloads are likely to be assured positioning, navigation and timing; network extension; and a launched effects capability.
For deep sensing, “think ISR payloads [in the] stratosphere that provide the capability to extend longer [and] deeper [into] areas to provide situational understanding,” Mulack said.
The Army has tested deep-sensing capability through theater-level exercises in the Indo-Pacific Command and European Command areas of operations with a focus on pairing the right sensor or payload with the right high-altitude platform — whether that is a small, medium or large balloon, or a fixed-wing, solar-powered platform flying between 60,000 and 100,000 feet.
The Army’s multidomain task forces are involved in the experimentations. For example, the group in Europe used three high-altitude balloons as targeting sensors in the 2021 exercise Thunder Cloud in Norway. The Pacific-based task force experimented with a deep-sensing, high-altitude capability at even greater ranges in naval exercises like Vanguard in 2023. (Source: Defense News)
05 Dec 23. DARPA picks 14 vendors for lunar economy-building study.
Technologies being explored include “lunar power; mining and commercial in-situ resource utilization; communications, navigation, and timing; transit, mobility, and logistics; and construction and robotics,” according to DARPA.DARPA has chosen 14 companies — ranging from launch providers to robotic vehicle makers to firms planning to transport cargo around cislunar space — to undertake a study on the types of technologies needed to create a working lunar economy, the Pentagon’s far-future research agency announced today.
The 10-Year Lunar Architecture (LunA-10) Capability Study “aims to catalyze the setup of a future civil lunar framework for peaceful U.S. and international use,” DARPA said in a statement. The study will promote development of technologies and operational concepts that, when integrated, will form the basis of a sustainable and profitable economic ecosystem linking the Earth and Moon.
“LunA-10 has the potential to upend how the civil space community thinks about spurring widespread commercial activity on and around the Moon within the next 10 years,” said Michael “Orbit” Nayak, program manager in DARPA’s Strategic Technology Office. “LunA-10 performers include companies both big and small, domestic and international, each of which brought a clear vision and technically rigorous plan for advancing quickly towards our goal: a self-sustaining, monetizable, commercially owned-and-operated lunar infrastructure.”
The companies tapped by DARPA will work together over the next seven months “in a highly collaborative environment, where they will design new integrated system-level solutions that span multiple lunar services. These include lunar power; mining and commercial in-situ resource utilization; communications, navigation, and timing; transit, mobility, and logistics; and construction and robotics,” the agency’s release explained. Those companies are: Blue Origin; CisLunar Industries; Crescent Space Services LLC; Fibertek, Inc.; Firefly Aerospace; GITAI; Helios; Honeybee Robotics; ICON; Nokia of America; Northrop Grumman; Redwire Corporation; Sierra Space; and SpaceX.
For example, launch startup Firefly will contribute to LunA-10 with “a framework for on-orbit spacecraft hubs,” the company said in a press release. “Based on the capabilities of Firefly’s Elytra vehicle, the framework will define how spacecraft can dock together on-orbit and provide on-demand services, such as refueling, delivery, transport, and de-orbiting. The goal of the framework is to help improve on-orbit mission response times from years to days with scalable spacecraft hubs that can host and service spacecraft across cislunar space.”
The effort is an outgrowth of the Biden administration’s National Cislunar Science and Technology Strategy [PDF] released in November 2022 designed to build a whole-of-government strategy for “advancing scientific, exploration, and economic development activities” in space around the Moon and on the lunar surface. The Defense Department was a key player in the strategy’s crafting, and thus reflects a number of the Space Force’s priorities for the future — including space situational awareness in the lunar region and “dynamic space operations” requiring rapid, efficient maneuvering on orbit.
DARPA’s announcement makes clear the effort does not include funding for the actual production and deployment of related tech, nor will it “support human exploration or scientific experimentation that does not have a commercial value.” The goal, rather, is to help commercial industry help itself. And the winners, it seems, are just fine with that.
“It is inspiring to see DARPA doing what it does best – moving fast on hard problems and catalyzing commercial innovation for the good of the country and humanity,” said ICON co-founder and CEO Jason Ballard in a press release. ICON specializes in advanced construction technologies and large-scale 3D printing.
Gary Calnan, CEO of CisLunar Industries, echoed: “DARPA finally did what the industry was waiting for. … This effort will lay the foundation for a marketplace where the entire space domain can participate.” Cislunar is focused on lunar mining, for example of precious metals, and “will facilitate the development of the METAL framework (Material Extraction, Treatment, Assembly & Logistics),” the company said in a press release. (Source: Defense News Early Bird/Breaking Defense.com)
25 Nov 23. Three space projects funded in Space Systems Command’s Annual Innovation Competition. innovation competition. The winning idea, and two other finalists who will all receive funding for their projects, were announced November 17th at the Space Force Ball at the Beverly Hilton in Beverly Hills, Calif.
“SSC’s Fight Tonight program was designed to identify innovative thinking from our most valuable and brightest assets — our people,” explained Lt. Gen. Michael Guetlein. “The submissions were amazing and the collaboration between our acquisition and operations professionals to vet each idea’s operational feasibility to get after the fight, is why the program is so successful.”
Sage Andorka, deputy branch chief and chief engineer, SSC Cross Mission Data, who represented the winning team at the event said, “This win will ensure delivery of a much needed data-sharing capability for our coalition partners. We can’t win alone.”
Military and civilian SSC personnel were eligible to participate. Proposals required actionable ideas that could be implemented in a one-year timeframe and being directly in line with the Field Command’s strategic intent to exploit the resources it has, tap the commercial marketplace to buy what is already available and build when a commercial or allied solution is not a viable option.
A total of 28 projects were submitted in August, and five of those were selected as finalists. Each proposal required the submitter(s) to align with an operations sponsor from Space Operations Command to validate that the proposed idea was operationally relevant. Up to $8 m in funding will be provided toward the winning idea. Ideas that were not selected were forwarded to SSC’s relevant Program Executive Offices for consideration to implement if funding can be secured from other sources.
“Under great power competition, it really becomes prudent upon us to make sure that we can credibly not only protect, defend and deter aggression, but if called upon, defeat it at a time and location of our choosing,” Guetlein told the finalists. “In order to do that, we can no longer rely on our old processes and ways of doing business, which could take months, if not years, to field a credible capability into operations.”
The Winner: Allied Exchange Environment (AXE)
AXE will create a standardized interface between the U.S. and any foreign allied partner for highly valuable, two-way operational data distribution. Leveraging the Unified Data Library‘s (UDL) capabilities and cybersecurity best practices to reduce and/or eliminate current data sharing bottlenecks, AXE would be the first known capability for near real-time, bi-directional, machine-to-machine data sharing with international allies from the Secret UDL currently unavailable to partners.
The winning team was awarded $2.8m in FY24 to proceed with the development, installation, and software sustainment of the systems in support of Japan and Australia. The project is currently being tested using data from the Australian Space Surveillance Telescope, and the AXE environment can be seen on the DISA (Defense Information Systems Agency) network.
“(The USSF) wants to be ‘Allied by Design,’ and quite simply, the United States doesn’t have all of the space-based or ground-based sensors to watch everything,” Lt. Col. Dan Kimmich, Materiel Leader, Cross Mission Data at SSC. “If we can get to a point where we are able to share space information – current known location, detection of a maneuver, or change in brightness of an object – in both directions to and from our allies, that may give us just enough advance notice so we can take the appropriate action.”
Aalyria Spacetime
The youngest finalist, 1st Lt. Rebecca Miller, 24, program manager for the Commercial Space Office at SSC, presented her team’s idea: to use Aalyria Spacetime, a software-defined, dynamic network orchestration and resource allocation capability, to directly enhance warfighter communication.
The software essentially acts as a network “broker” — analyzing all possible networks for data and optimizing them based on weather, user requirements (such as latency or data rate), or malicious interference. The capability will provide the end user the ability to communicate with the future hybrid space architecture that does not exist today. The software could provide rapid access to sensor platforms and data, unify routing across disparate networks and administrative domains, and could seamlessly scale to provide operators at the SpOC Del 8 a software defined networking broadband communication capability across all orbital regimes and domains.
“I think the amount of responsibility we’re able to inherit (as part of the Space Force) is unique and definitely accelerates your growth as a leader,” Miller said. “Having to make decisions or lead efforts such as this demonstration really forces you to grow. The capability you’re pursuing is much greater than you, so focusing on doing what’s best for the Space Force, what’s best for the military, it’s important to remove your ego.”
DEEP-RF
DEEP-RF, or Data Exploitation and Enhanced Processing-Radio Frequency, another finalist, will fill a gap for a persistent, extended monitoring of the RF spectrum by leveraging commercial data from already fielded systems. DEEP-RF enables JCO to rapidly expand into Electromagnetic Spectrum Operations (EMSO) with our commercial, military, and international partners.
Through this innovation, the speed at which SSC would be able to put DEEP-RF into the hands of warfighters aligns with the U.S. Space Force goals for its new Integrated Mission Deltas for Position Navigation & Timing (PNT) and Electromagnetic Warfare (EW). Relationships with Combatant Commands, the Combined Space Operations Center (CSpOC), the Space Information Sharing & Analysis Center (Space ISAC), the Space Domain Awareness Tools Applications and Processing (TAP) Lab, SPACE CAMP, and Air Force Research Labs have enabled the team to jump start this project and accomplish in months what would previously have taken years.
DEEP-RF exploits existing commercial radiometric telemetry data and enables SSC to rapidly surge the number of contributing sensors without building or launching a single new spacecraft. This technology rapidly scales, leverages unclassified commercial data, and isn’t limited to space-based sensors – it is being developed in such a way that we can provide actionable and shareable EMSO products that can be fused with other sources for a more complete threat picture.
Last year’s “Fight Tonight” winner, Anita McCorvey, director of SSC’s Space Sensing Product Support Delta, presented two ideas as a finalist this year: Missile Warning Link 16 to AORs, and Multi-INT Data via MILSATCOM.
Missile Warning Link 16 to AORs (Areas of Responsibility)
Today, Tactical Data Links (TDLs) such as Link-16 are the primary means of exchanging tactical information between warfighting units. Data encryption and frequency hopping techniques ensure that Link 16 is both jam-resistant and secure. McCorvey’s innovation prepares Overhead Persistent Infrared (OPIR) Missile Warning messages to be directly sent from SBIRS (Space Based Infrared System) Delta 4 to the AOR (Area of Responsibility) forces including ground, airborne, and sea-based air defense platforms and selected fighter aircraft in near-real time. By directly providing OPIR data to the theater platforms, the theater users would have immediate access to missile launches, impact point prediction and launch point detection data.
Existing Link-16 software used by the Australian Mission Processor (AMP) program today could be leveraged and implemented into the Enhanced SBIRS Operational Agile Response (ESOAR) within the Missile Warning Program of Record (POR) with little time or cost.
Multi-INT Data via MILSATCOM
McCorvey’s second innovation submission proposes using non-OPIR data sources and sensors to significantly improve track custody resulting in improved missile warning, and missile defense, and situational awareness, during a conflict.
Multi-INT Data via MILSATCOM would improve system resiliency providing non-OPIR data from outside the continental U.S. to the continental U.S. if nominal terrestrial communication paths are unavailable. This allows non-OPIR intelligence (INT) data to be fused with OPIR data, significantly improving dim target track custody.
“In a contested environment, in the heat of battle, we need to ensure alternative lines of communication so we have mission and system resiliency,” McCorvey said. “By leveraging existing satellite communications to transmit time-sensitive data, we can improve resiliency of U.S. capabilities, increase collaboration among DoD and intelligence communities, and lean forward on mission enhancements to improve the fight.”
For more information about SSC’s 2023 Fight Tonight innovations, visit this direct link…
For information about last year’s winning innovation, visit this direct link…: https://www.ssc.spaceforce.mil/Newsroom/Article-Display/Article/3593352/inaugural-fight-tonight-winning-innovation-project-currently-in-software-develo (Source: Satnews)
01 Dec 23. Howmet’s Protection of the F-35 Program Despite Lockheed Martin’s Actions. Howmet Aerospace (NYSE:HWM) wishes to briefly comment on the lawsuit filed by Lockheed Martin yesterday concerning the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter Program (the “F-35 Program”). Contrary to the allegations in Lockheed Martin’s complaint, Howmet takes its contractual and regulatory obligations seriously and believes it has complied with those obligations in all material respects.
Howmet has been a proud supplier to Lockheed Martin and other entities that participate in the F-35 Program for decades. Howmet supplies titanium ingot, billet, sheet and plate (the “Products”) to Lockheed Martin and other customers that also serve as suppliers to Lockheed Martin (collectively, and including Lockheed Martin, the “Customers”). The Products are made by mixing titanium sponge and titanium scrap metal that is reverted back to Howmet by its Customers to recycle into new Product.
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in early 2022 dramatically reduced global titanium sponge supply. As a result, Howmet’s titanium sponge suppliers drastically increased their prices, contrary to their agreements with Howmet.
At the same time, further exacerbating the situation, Lockheed Martin permitted Customers to sell their revert scrap metal to third parties rather than provide it to Howmet as contractually required. This allowed the Customers to profit from highly inflated prices on the open market.
Despite these significant challenges, Howmet continued to purchase titanium sponge and titanium scrap metal on the open market in order to supply the F-35 Program and our Customers, including Lockheed Martin.
Since 2022, Howmet has been transparent with Lockheed Martin about these challenges and has acted in good faith to attempt to reach a reasonable resolution for the benefit and long-term health of the F-35 Program. While such discussions were still ongoing, Lockheed Martin unfortunately chose to file a meritless lawsuit seeking to compel Howmet to continue to supply Product at prices that no longer reflect commercial reality and on terms that Howmet believes it is not contractually obligated to provide. Howmet looks forward to defending itself vigorously in court against Lockheed Martin’s claims. In the meantime, Howmet remains open to discussing a reasonable resolution. (Source: BUSINESS WIRE)
01 Dec 23. Boeing eliminated from US Air Force’s ‘Doomsday Plane’ competition. The U.S. Air Force has eliminated Boeing (BA.N) from its competition to develop a successor to the E-4B Nightwatch, Boeing confirmed on Friday, shaking up the battle to build the next version of the aircraft known as the “Doomsday Plane” due to its ability to survive a nuclear war.
The move leaves privately-held defense contractor Sierra Nevada Corp as the lone company publicly vying for the Survivable Airborne Operations Center (SAOC) contract to eventually replace a fleet that has been in use since the 1970s.
The Air Force, which plans to award a SAOC contract in 2024, declined to comment on whether other firms had submitted bids.
“We cannot discuss an active source selection and detailed program information is classified,” an Air Force spokesperson said.
Two sources familiar with the situation said Boeing – the incumbent manufacturer of the E-4B – and the Air Force were unable to come to an agreement on data rights and contract terms, with the U.S. planemaker refusing to sign onto any fixed-price agreement that locks it into paying costs above an agreed limit.
“We are approaching all new contract opportunities with added discipline to ensure we can meet our commitments and support the long-term health of our business,” Boeing said in a statement. “We remain confident our SAOC approach is the most comprehensive, technically mature and lowest-risk solution for the customer and Boeing.”
Boeing’s defense unit has lost $1.3 bn this year on fixed-price development programs that include NASA’s Starliner and the next Air Force One. It has lost $16.3 bn on fixed-price programs since 2014, according to a Reuters review of Boeing’s regulatory filings.
Boeing leaders have sought to prove to investors that the company is seeking more advantageous contract terms in future deals with the Pentagon.
“Rest assured, we haven’t signed any fixed-price development contracts nor (do we) intend to,” Brian West, Boeing’s chief financial officer, said in October.
The Air Force plans to spend $889 m in fiscal 2024 to continue SOAC development and $8.3 bn on the program through fiscal 2028, according to budget documents.
While typically used to transport the U.S. secretary of defense, the E-4B is designed as a mobile command post capable of withstanding nuclear blasts and electromagnetic effects, allowing U.S. leaders to deliver orders to the military in the event of a national emergency.
The Air Force currently operates four E-4B aircraft with at least one on alert at all times. The fleet of highly-modified Boeing 747-200 jumbo jets date from the 1970s, and have become increasingly difficult and expensive to maintain as parts become obsolete.
The E-4B is expected to reach the end of its service life in the early 2030s. (Source: Reuters)
02 Dec 23. Pentagon approves first Rapid Defense Experimentation Reserve projects. The Pentagon’s chief technology officer is preparing to transition the first slate of joint, rapid experimentation projects to production this fiscal year, following approval from Defense Department leaders. Undersecretary of Research and Development Heidi Shyu said Dec. 2 that the deputy’s management action group — a panel of senior officials, service leaders and combatant commanders — approved three projects at a recent classified meeting.
The efforts are part of Shyu’s Rapid Defense Experimentation Reserve initiative, or RDER, which takes prototypes offered from the military services and combatant commands, verifies their production readiness and operational utility and pushes the most promising ones to production.
Speaking with reporters at the Reagan National Defense Forum here, Shyu declined to provide details on the projects that moved forward, but the first round of capabilities focused on long-range fire needs in U.S. Indo-Pacific Command.
The intent is to begin manufacturing and fielding the systems with fiscal 2024 funding, but that plan is dependent on Congress passing defense appropriations legislation. For now, the government is operating under a continuing resolution, which means the Defense Department can’t spend money on new start programs like RDER.
Shyu said if that continuing resolution continues through the rest of the fiscal year, it would be a major setback for the program.
“My biggest fear is we have a year-long CR this year,” she said. “We’re demonstrating capability. . . . The things that work really, really well, we want to push forward. You have a CR, that’s going to create problems.”
The Pentagon requested $687m for RDER in its fiscal 2024 budget — nearly double the $358m it asked for the prior year. Congress appropriated $272m for the program in fiscal 2023, which ends Sept. 30, up from $34m the previous year, for the effort, which helped the department start the first series of demonstrations.
Shyu noted that her office has worked closely with Bill Laplante, undersecretary of defense for acquisition and sustainment, to ensure that once procurement funding is available the systems can move right into production.
During a panel at the conference, Shyu said RDER’s focus on validating prototypes to address high-need capability gaps is complementary to another Pentagon innovation initiative known as Replicator. Through the effort, announced in late August, the department wants to field thousands of attritable, autonomous systems across multiple domains over the next 18 to 24 months.
The larger goal of Replicator, however, is to create a repeatable process by which the Pentagon can quickly field innovative capabilities in large quantities.
RDER’s experimentation and validation process, Shyu said, could be used to demonstrate Replicator candidates when there’s overlap between the capabilities both efforts are pursuing. While the first slate of RDER projects don’t have any Replicator cross-over, she said that could happen in the future. (Source: C4ISR & Networks)
REST OF THE WORLD
06 Dec 23. Boeing Eyes More Chinook Helicopter Exports to S. Korea. U.S. defense giant Boeing is seeking to win more orders from South Korea for its Chinook heavy-lift helicopters amid Seoul’s efforts to reinforce readiness against North Korean threats.
The company touted the CH-47ER variant for South Korea’s plans to acquire new special operations choppers during a tour of its production facility in Mesa, Arizona to a group of reporters from the defense ministry’s press corps last Thursday.
In April, South Korea’s defense authorities endorsed a 3.7-trillion won (US$2.8 bn) plan to buy heavy choppers from overseas from 2024-2031 to replace aging special operations choppers. It has yet to decide on the model of the helicopter.
Patrick Serfass, Boeing’s senior manager of H-47 Chinook Business Development, described the CH-47ER as being ideal for the project, citing its ability to operate in harsh environments and being able to load more than twice as much as fuel as the standard Chinook.
Boeing’s Chinook has been mobilized for various global military special operations, most notably the U.S. raid that killed Osama bin Laden in 2011.
Serfass noted South Korea’s separate decision to buy 18 CH-47Fs this year to replace its aging Chinooks, crediting the helicopter model’s capabilities in interoperability.
South Korea currently operates over 40 Chinooks, making it the fourth-largest operator of the helicopter globally, according to Boeing.
A Boeing official said the company has conducted case studies on the North Korean military and is developing its Chinooks and Apache attack helicopters based on the needs of the South Korean military.
Company officials also said it has completed building four of six P-8A maritime patrol aircraft ordered by South Korea, with plans to finish the rest next year as they gave a tour of its facilities in Seattle on Nov. 28. In 2018, South Korea selected the P-8A for the Navy’s new maritime patrol aircraft. (Source: https://www.defense-aerospace.com/ Yonhap News Agency)
04 Dec 23. Amity Innovation Incubator Selected as Key Partner for iDEX Initiative by India’s Ministry of Defence. Amity Innovation Incubator (AII), a prominent hub nurturing innovation and entrepreneurship, proudly unveils its appointment as a partner incubator for India’s Ministry of Defence’s groundbreaking Innovation for Defence Excellence (iDEX) initiative.
The iDEX initiative, a crucial step in India’s quest for self-reliance in defence and defence production, aims to facilitate the rapid development of new, indigenised, and innovative technologies for the Indian defence and aerospace sector. Acknowledging the paramount significance of innovation and technological advancements, the Ministry of Defence has actively involved a spectrum of stakeholders, including research and development institutes, academia, industries, start-ups, and individual innovators.
Dr. Aseem Chauhan, President of Amity Innovation Incubator, expressed his gratitude to the Honourable Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and the visionary leaders spearheading the Defence and iDEX initiatives. “Their trust and confidence in us is an immense privilege. We are deeply grateful and honoured, to be part of the select few.” Stressing the importance of this acknowledgment, he further emphasized, “Amity Innovation Incubator is enthusiastic about contributing to the iDEX initiative and playing a pivotal role in empowering a culture of technology co-creation and co-innovation within the defence and aerospace domains.”
Since India’s Independence, the primary objective has been to achieve self-reliance in the field of defence and its production. As the world’s largest defence equipment importer, the country plans to spend around USD 220 Bn in the next decade for the modernization of its armed forces, further giving impetus to initiatives like iDEX, which become instrumental in achieving these goals. The Ministry of Defence has instituted iDEX to foster a culture of innovation and technology development in defence and aerospace by engaging with industries, including MSMEs, start-ups, individual innovators, R&D institutes, and academia. iDEX aims to extend grants, funding, and comprehensive support for research and development endeavors geared toward meeting the future requirements of India’s defence and aerospace sectors.
The iDEX initiative will be funded and managed by the Defence Innovation Organization (DIO), a ‘not-for-profit’ company formed under the Companies Act 2013. DIO, with Defence Public Sector Undertakings (DPSUs) – HAL & BEL as founder members, will provide high-level policy guidance to iDEX, which will function as the executive arm carrying out all required activities. iDEX will collaborate closely with partner incubators, keeping an eye on startups, MSMEs and innovators to invent, commercialise and implement technologies in the Indian military and defence PSUs.
Amity Innovation Incubator eagerly anticipates collaborating with the iDEX initiative, aspiring to cultivate a vibrant ecosystem that nurtures innovation and significantly contributes to technological progress within India’s defence and aerospace domains.
About Amity Innovation Incubator
The Amity Innovation Incubator is a pioneering concept in the context of Indian Universities. Supported by DST, Ministry of Science & Technology, GOI, ‘Amity Innovation Incubator ‘ has in a very short time of its existence earned an enviable position for itself with start-ups that have regularly been on top of the innovation curve and have been recognized on platforms like ‘The Power of ideas’, Read Herring Global winner, Tata NEN and NASSCOM Innovation Awards to name a few.
Amity Innovation Incubator has a clear philosophy to encourage and incubate technology-based new enterprises with innovative products and services. The stringent selection process is the reason behind the success of ‘Amity Innovation Incubator’. Each business proposal/Incubation request is carefully screened on various parameters set up by Industry experts/mentors to ensure that only commercially viable and investable proposals get through.
About iDEX (Innovations For Defence Excellence)
An ecosystem to foster innovation & technology development in Defence and Aerospace by engaging innovators & entrepreneurs to deliver technologically advanced solutions for modernizing the Indian Military. iDEX will engage Industries including MSMEs, start-ups, individual innovators, R& D institutes and academia and provide them grants/funding and other support to carry out R&D development which has good potential for future adoption for Indian defence and aerospace needs. (Source: PR Newswire)
01 Dec 23. $15bn National Reconstruction Fund opens for business.
The Australian government’s $15bn National Reconstruction Fund can now start investing in growing Australia’s industrial capabilities, says the Department of Industry. The Minister for Industry, Ed Husic, and the Finance Minister, Katy Gallagher, have published the National Reconstruction Fund Corporation’s Investment Mandate, unlocking what they terms as bns of dollars in investment finance to rebuild Australia’s competitiveness across the manufacturing value chain.
The Investment Mandate sets out the government’s expectations for the NRF Corporation, including areas for investment across seven key priorities:
- renewables and low emission technologies
- medical science
- transport
- value-add in agriculture, forestry and fisheries
- value-add in resources
- defence capabilities
- enabling technologies.
It also directs the NRF Corporation to operate on a commercial, self-sufficient basis, including due diligence on investment decisions and the expectation of a return for the taxpayer.
“Signing off on the investment mandate means the NRF can get cracking on rebuilding our manufacturing capabilities and supply chain resilience,” said Minister for Industry and Science Ed Husic. “Making things here, shipping them everywhere. This … comes in the same week as we officially start our $392m Industry Growth Program to help scale up small businesses.”
The mandate requires the Corporation to target a rate of return of between 2 and 3 per cent above the five-year Australian Government bond rate over the medium to long term.
“The signing of this mandate is a significant milestone,” said Martijn Wilder, Chair of the National reconstruction Fund Corporation. “The mandate provides the flexibility for the NRF Corporation to drive investment across the seven priority areas to transform the Australian economy, in line with the Government’s commitment.
“It will also see the NRF Corporation work closely across government with other critical agencies such as the Net Zero Economy Agency, the CEFC and others to maximise our impact.”
The NRF Corporation is an independent body, governed by a Board with significant expertise in a range of sectors.
The NRF Board will make independent decisions to provide finance, including debt and equity, to Australian-based investments in seven priority areas of the Australian economy. To read the investment mandate, visit https://www.legislation.gov.au/Details/F2023L01564.
(Source: https://www.ex2.com.au/news/)
01 Dec 23. ASCA releases first two capability problem statements. Defence’s Advanced Strategic Capabilities Accelerator (ASCA) has released its first Approach to Market (ATM) for the Mission Program. Industry and research partners have been invited to respond to a Request for Proposal (RFP) to help co-design and deliver ASCA’s first missions.
The closing date for the RFP is 25 January 2024
The two ATM capability problem statements are:
- How might we penetrate and degrade advanced integrated air defence systems so that Defence can conduct effective long-range strike operations, taking into account speed and scale required to operate in congested and contested environments that is faster than a potential adversary’s ability to react?
- How might we improve the processing and synthesis of large amounts of intelligence data to support the planning and apportionment of platforms, taking into account different classification levels of data, systems and allies data systems?
To Deliver its first Mission, ASCA will undertake a two-phased approach:
- Phase 1: Mission Co-Design – 8 week initial period with optional 4 week extension
- Phase 2: Mission delivery – up to three years
Phase 1 will require the successful respondents to design, in collaboration with Defence key stakeholders, the delivery methodology and approach to execute and implement a solution to a Problem Statement. The mission co-design needs to be completed by May 2024.
During this phase, the proposed solution will be refined. An evaluation of the Co-Design activity will be undertaken and successful respondents may be invited to participate in Phase 2.
Phase 2 will be the delivery of the solution refined in Phase 1.
Proposals can be submitted for either one or both problem statements, says ASCA. Should a Respondent wish to submit a response for both Problem Statements, these submissions must be submitted separately and as independent responses to the RFP.
ASCA’s is intended to respond to strategically directed Defence priorities, facilitate solutions to the most relevant and urgent capability problems, and take a more flexible and agile approach to procurement to accelerate the transition of innovation into capability solutions for the Australian Defence Force (ADF). (Source: https://www.ex2.com.au/news/)
01 Dec 23. Proposed legislation aims to unlock billions of dollars for AUKUS industry partners. The Australian Government plans to unlock bns of dollars in investment and cut red tape for Australia’s Defence industry and its AUKUS partners with the introduction of the proposed Defence Trade Controls Amendment Bill 2023. At the time of writing the Bill is undergoing Parliamentary scrutiny and has not yet passed into law.
However, critics of the proposed legislation charge that, in making it easier to do business with the UK and the UK, the bill will make it much harder to work with other allies such as South Korea and India. It would also make it much harder to employ dual-nationals or citizens of countries such as China and India, which could impact many Australian SMEs.
Under Defence’s proposed legislation Australia’s existing trade controls will be expanded to regulate the supply of controlled items and provision of services on the Defence and Strategic Goods List, ensuring the country’s leading military technologies are protected.
Australia already regulates the export of military and dual-use goods and technologies to foreign nationals and entities overseas. This legislation will extend existing controls to the supply of these items to foreign persons and entities within Australia, and between entities overseas.
Importantly, says Defence, these significant reforms will also provide a national exemption for the trade of defence goods and technologies with the United States and United Kingdom, establishing a licence-free environment for Australian industry, research and science.
“This legislation will provide Australian industry, science and research sectors with greater opportunities for collaboration and trade with our AUKUS partners without burdensome red tape,” said Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Defence Richard Marles. “This will benefit defence industry in Australia, unlocking over $5bn – more than half of our annual exports – to our AUKUS partners.”
The national exemption is expected to deliver $614m in value to the Australian economy over 10 years, by reducing costs to local businesses and unlocking investment opportunities with our AUKUS partners.
Under this legislation, permits for defence exports to the United States and United Kingdom will no longer be required – removing the need for almost a third of annual export permit applications and cutting red tape from $5bn worth of defence exports each year.
It will also see significant flow on benefits for Australian jobs, and make it easier for Australian industry and research to supply US and UK markets.
“This legislation is an important step in the Albanese Government’s strategy for acquiring the state-of-the-art nuclear-powered submarines that will be key to protecting Australians and our nation’s interests,” said Minister for Defence Industry Pat Conroy.
“It not only paves the way for greater cooperation among AUKUS partners, supporting the creation of jobs and presenting an unprecedented opportunity for Australia’s defence manufacturing industry, but will also create a more efficient and integrated industrial base across the three nations.”
Minister Marles was due to meet his US counterpart in the USA on 1 December, first at the annual Australia-United States Ministerial (AUSMIN) talks and then at a scheduled AUKUS meeting that includes the UK Secretary of State for Defence. (Source: https://www.ex2.com.au/news/)
01 Dec 23. Kazakhstan Will Not Buy Fighters from France – Deputy Commander of the Northern Military District. Kazakhstan will not buy fighters from France, said Colonel Yerzhan Nildibaev, Deputy Commander-in-Chief of the Air Defense Forces (ADF) for armaments and Head of the Main Armaments Directorate.
“I’ll tell you straight away, I don’t want to disappoint you, but no negotiations were held on this issue. There were no such plans. Nice plane, good plane, but very expensive. Therefore, we believe that when choosing, on the basis of ‘cost-quality’ ratio, we have so far settled on the Su-30 SM aircraft,” Nildibaev said at a briefing on Thursday.
The French publication La Tribune has reported that France plans to supply Rafale fighters to Kazakhstan.
Commander-in-Chief of the Air Defense Forces of the Armed Forces of the Republic of Kazakhstan, Dauren Kosanov, added that the experience of armed conflicts in recent decades clearly demonstrates the increasingly growing role of unmanned aerial aircraft and, as a result, the use of new methods of warfare.
“As for equipping the air defense forces, in accordance with the rearmament program approved by the Government of the Republic of Kazakhstan, the renewal of the aviation fleet and air defense systems continues. As part of the contract concluded between the Kazakh side and the European aviation concern Airbus Military, the aircraft fleet was reinforced with C-295 military transport aircraft. New transport and combat helicopters Mi-35 and Mi-171Sh were received. By the end of this year, another TOR-2M battery is planned to arrive.
“At the beginning of next year, we will be equipped with six Su-30SM aircraft, which is the best multi-role combat aircraft in the world, a Tor-M2K air defense system battery and an A-400M military transport aircraft,” the speaker said.
According to the data, today Kazakhstan also operates Anka and Wing Loong-1 unmanned attack UAVs and Skylark reconnaissance drones.
(Unofficial translation by Defense-Aerospace.com)
(Source: https://www.defense-aerospace.com/ Kazakh Telegraph Agency; issued Nov. 30, 2023)
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