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UNITED KINGDOM AND NATO
02 Feb 24. Military Aircraft
Question for Ministry of Defence
John Healey
Labour
Wentworth and Dearne
Commons
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what is the timeline for the Command Support Air Transport (CSAT) Recapitalisation Phase 2 programme.
Answer
James Cartlidge
Conservative
South Suffolk
Commons
Answered on 13 February 2024
The 30-month contract extension was successfully awarded to Centreline Aviation Ltd for operation of the two MOD Command Support Air Transport (CSAT) Envoy Falcon 900LX aircraft to September 2026. The Pre-Qualification Questionnaire (PQQ) for the competition of CSAT Envoy Recapitalisation Phase 2 programme was released to industry on 12 December 2023, with strong industry return of interest to date.
The MOD will evaluate the PQQ responses and confirm its choice to industry bidders during May 2024. The subsequent Invitation to Tender remains in progress and is due to be released to industry in January 2025. The CSAT Phase 2 Full Business Case is scheduled for Investment Approvals Committee in January 2026, with transition to full military registration/operated service for both aircraft due to commence from July 2026.
02 Feb 24. Military Aircraft: Helicopters
Question for Ministry of Defence
John Healey
Labour
Wentworth and Dearne
Commons
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the status of the New Medium Helicopter programme is as of 2 February 2024.
Answer
James Cartlidge
Conservative
South Suffolk
Commons
Answered on 13 February 2024
Positive progress is being made towards launching the next stage of the competition, and we are currently in the process of securing final cross-Government approval.
14 Feb 24. Project: 20240213_EEN_41 – SUPPLY CHAIN NOTICE: GB-Bristol: BDUK 737 NG DERIVATIVE SUPPORT
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Published Opportunity
SUPPLY CHAIN NOTICE: GB-Bristol: BDUK 737 NG DERIVATIVE SUPPORT
Opportunity Details
- Project Description
Boeing Defence UK (Boeing) is seeking Expressions of Interest (EOI) from potential subcontractors for the provision of consumables, spares, support and test equipment, ground support equipment, tooling spares for its 737NG Derivative contracts.
If you are a member of JOSCAR, please include your member number in your response
Boeing will carry out its pre-qualification and procurement in accordance with Boeing procurement best practices and procedures. These processes cannot and shall not be deemed to be public procurement processes for the purposes of the Public Contract Regulations 2015 or The Defence and Security Public Contracts Regulations 2011.
Accordingly, in line with its current procurement best practices and procedures, Boeing will notify candidates in writing whether they have been successful in their EOI and will proceed to the tender stage, or whether their EOI has been unsuccessful. Boeing’s decision on the candidates it takes forward to the tender stage is final, within its sole discretion and cannot be appealed.
- Notes
Please note that participating in this opportunity requires completing a prequalification questionnaire. Please be aware that any future procurement activity will be subject to a Proprietary Information Agreement with Boeing and contracts will be based on BDUK Standard General Provisions (UKGPs) and the Ministry of Defence Customer Contract Requirements (CCR).
- Work Category
Works
- Procurement Route
Other
- Listing Deadline
20/02/2024 12:00
Buyer Details
- Buyer Organisation
Ministry of Defence
- Contact
Cosmina Popescu
(Source: MakeUK Defence)
14 Feb 24. AWE – Wire Dressing.
Deadline: 23rd February 2024
A Make UK Defence member is looking for a provider of wire dressing for grinding wheels. The Wheels are approximately 100mm in diameter, 6mm in width with 3mm radii to dress onto them and they are typically nickel metal-bonded wheels from Norton Winter Abrasives. These are the parameters that we have used in the past as a guide line but they are not a requirement.
Please email with details of your solution. (Source: MakeUK Defence)
EUROPE
12 Feb 24. Accelerator for the Future Combat Air System successfully completed: start-ups selected. Thirteen weeks of intensive work lie behind them: In August 2023, HENSOLDT Ventures and Starburst invited start-ups and mentors to apply for the Future Combat Air System (FCAS) Accelerator. The aim of the accelerator was to create an ecosystem for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and start-ups to develop dual-use and defence applications for FCAS. The results of the FCAS Accelerator were presented at the closing event in Taufkirchen, with Member of the Bundestag Florian Hahn, HENSOLDT CEO Thomas Müller and HENSOLDT Chief Strategy Officer Celia Pelaz also in attendance.
“For the future-oriented FCAS project, we need new ideas and the courage to implement them – which is why we focused explicitly on players who are not yet firmly anchored in the security and defence industry. With the accelerator, we set ourselves the goal of identifying and selecting first-class innovators,” said Celia Pelaz, Chief Strategy Officer at HENSOLDT. “We have succeeded in doing just that.”
Almost 70 companies responded to the call to apply for the accelerator. HENSOLDT and the CPT selected nine of them for a boot camp with twelve mentors, focusing on the discovery and development of solution concepts for FCAS and examining long-term integration into the FCAS programme. This included an exchange with military leaders, but also a presentation of the NATO Innovation Fund, the European Defence Fund (EDF) and the EU Defence Innovation Scheme (EUDIS).
“The three start-ups we will be working with for FCAS are focusing on artificial intelligence, disruptive sensors and electronic materials and components, respectively. More specifically, this involves a new type of chip-based parallel computing cloud platform, the development and production of cooled high-end infrared detectors and new types of metal bonding processes with higher conductivity and efficiency,” explained
A further accelerator programme is currently being planned and could start as early as autumn 2024.
USA
15 Feb 24. DOD Announces Next Round of Projects to Receive Funding From the Pilot Program to Accelerate the Procurement and Fielding of Innovative Technologies (APFIT).
The Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering (OUSD(R&E)) announced the next round of projects to receive funding via the pilot program to Accelerate the Procurement and Fielding of Innovative Technologies (APFIT). These projects are the first to be selected during FY24 with additional selections expected following an appropriation.
The purpose of the APFIT pilot program is to expeditiously transition technologies into production, and to accelerate the fielding of needed technologies to the warfighter, with priority given to technologies developed by small businesses and nontraditional defense contractors. The benefits of this pilot program will be to deliver war-winning capability earlier than scheduled, while contributing to the viability of small business and nontraditional defense contractor vendors. APFIT is an additional tool the DoD can use to propel innovative capabilities across the “Valley of Death” and accelerate fielding into the hands of warfighters.
“It was important to get a head start on the first round of FY24 projects as we await a full appropriation because of the critical capabilities they offer to the warfighter. We must continue to move fast in order to maintain our technological advantage against our adversaries,” said Heidi Shyu, Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering. “APFIT now has a proven track record of accelerating capabilities by many years, and our warfighters will greatly benefit from accelerated feilding of the capabilities we’re announcing today. We look forward to a full appropriation so we can award additional funding for APFIT projects.”
The National Defense Authorization Act of FY22 established APFIT under the Secretary of Defense as a competitive, merit-based program for innovative and mature technologies and products that can meet warfighter demands but lack the necessary funding to transition the capability into the production phase.
The U.S. Congress funded $100m for APFIT in FY22 and increased funding to $150m in FY23. In those two years, twenty-one DoD programs were selected to receive APFIT funding to procure innovative technologies from these small businesses and nontraditional defense contractors. While awaiting an appropriation before making additional selections, the APFIT program will provide FY24 Continuing Resolution (CR) funds to the following projects:
- Accelerated Procurement of Maritime Expeditionary Standoff Response Advanced Capability Modules (APMAC) – $11.95m, U.S. Marine Corps.
- ARCHER Airborne Threat Detection & Tracking – $13.55m, U.S. Air Force.
- Electronic Intelligence Modernization Upgrade (EIMU) Production – $14.40m, U.S. Navy.
- Micro Identify Friend or Foe (IFF) – $10.10M, U.S. Marine Corps.
About USD(R&E)
The Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering (USD(R&E) is the Chief Technology Officer of the Department of Defense. The USD(R&E) champions research, science, technology, engineering, and innovation to maintain the United States military’s technological advantage. Learn more at www.cto.mil, follow us on Twitter @DoDCTO, or visit us on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/company/ousdre.
(Source: U.S. DoD)
14 Feb 24. DoD selects first Replicator systems, eyeing software focus for second iteration. Which specific systems have been selected haven’t been publicly announced, a “very deliberate” strategy from the Pentagon, Navy Capt. Alex Campbell, director of the Defense Innovation Unit’s (DIU) maritime portfolio, said today.
The Pentagon has picked which systems will be fielded under the first tranche of its Replicator initiative and is in the process of “finalizing proposals” for a second iteration, a key official said today — while keeping details under wraps.
Navy Capt. Alex Campbell, director of the Defense Innovation Unit’s (DIU) maritime portfolio, said that Deputy Secretary of Defense Kathleen Hicks and her team “have selected the first tranche of Replicator systems.” But, he said, secrecy is going to remain Replicator’s watchword.
“And there is likely some frustration that that hasn’t been publicly announced, but please understand that is very deliberate,” Campbell said. “There is a very important, frankly critical, conceal and reveal strategy when it comes to Replicator. We do not want our adversaries understanding the detail of the systems that we intend to deploy thousands of to the INDOPACOM” area.
See how we keep the U.S. Navy ships sailing.
The first instantiation of Replicator, announced in August last year by Hicks, is focused on countering China’s military mass by cranking out “multiple thousands” of “attritable autonomous systems” across “multiple domains” within two years. That following November, DIU said it was eyeing between February and August 2025 to field a set of systems under the first tranche of Replicator, focused on the needs in US Indo-Pacific Command.
Just like with tranche 1, expect a certain level of secrecy. However, Campbell emphasized that software will be a big focus for the next wave of the effort.
“We are in the stages of finalizing proposals for what we call tranche two of Replicator, which is another…batch of platforms that can be accelerated to meet that 18- to 24-month timeline,” said Campbell. “And I think in tranche two… the direction from senior leadership is to also focus on the software that enables all those platforms to function and to exist to work together and to do things that, frankly, we’ve never seen on the battlefield before,” Campbell continued.
That will look like “multi-platform sorties collaborating to create lethal effects and respond to a very dynamic environment against different threats and…different adversary platforms out there,” he added.
While Replicator 1 “is all about all-domain attritable autonomy,” the following tranches of Replicator “are meant to be top-level, let’s get after the hardest problems and let’s do them quickly and let’s do them at scale,” Campbell said. “So DoD leadership is now in the process of identifying the scope of what Replicator 2 is going to be. So it’s not going to be all domain attritrable autonomy, it is going to be some other hard to solve problem that must be solved…at speed and scale.”
In January, a Pentagon spokesman told Breaking Defense that DoD had selected the first “capabilities” under the initiative and was in the process of developing acceleration pathways for systems to meet those capabilities.
The spokesperson at the time said the selection of capabilities, first reported by DefenseScoop, were not the actual systems that would be fielded under Replicator, but instead “are effects the warfighter needs to be able to achieve through a particular course of action.”
(Source: Breaking Defense.com)
14 Feb 24. Collaborative Combat Aircraft programme set to downselect from five contractors. The US Air Force (USAF) is set to downselect contractors on the Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA) programme from five current potential providers to two to three “within the next few months”, Secretary of the Air Force Frank Kendall told reporters on 13 February on the sidelines of the Air Force Association conference. A further winnowing is likely before the CCA enter the production phase.
“We’re going to have at least two [contractors]. We’d like to have three, [which] is going to be difficult, because of the level of funding we have in the budget. With some cost-sharing from industry, I think we could do three, and that would be our preference.”
“The next phase is going to take us into development for production,” Kendall continued. “Then we’ll be moving forward in a couple of years to downselect for production. How many [contractors] we’ll be able to carry into production is still uncertain. We [will] definitely [have] one
(Source: Janes)
13 Feb 24. Decision time: Army nears deadline for long-range precision munition acquisition plan. Despite last week’s aviation upheaval, the Army Requirements Oversight Council (AROC) is slated to meet before the end of March to debate the path ahead for a formal program of record.
A key decision on the Army’s future helicopter-launched, long-range precision munition will be made in the coming weeks, the service tells Breaking Defense.
Army leaders have been looking for longer-range weapons to fire off its Apache fleet for several years, and are currently acquiring an interim solution — the Spike Non-Line-Of-Sight missile system (NLOS) produced by Israel’s Rafael and Lockheed Martin. But the service is also conducting a follow-on acquisition program, and hosted a “shoot-off” in 2022 for three vendors — which the Army hasn’t identified — to show off their weapons and help determine future weapon requirements.
Despite last week’s massive aviation shakeup that included the demise of one potential manned helo for such weapons, the Future Attack Reconnaissance Aircraft (FARA), a Program Executive Office Aviation spokesperson confirmed to Breaking Defense that Army leaders are still poised to weigh in on that future follow-on program.
By the end of March, the Army Requirements Oversight Council (AROC) is slated to meet on the formal program of record and hash out “acquisition decisions,” they said, while noting that a “variety” of Army aviation platform could be considered options.
If service officials decide to greenlight a program, things could kick off this fiscal year if Congress passes the fiscal 2024 spending bill, which includes some funding for the effort, with procurement planned for FY27. That budget request has been stalled on Capitol Hill for the past four months.
“The [long-range precision munition] LRPM will provide Army aviation with improved and longer range weapons, sub-systems, and munitions that can rapidly respond in a combat environment improving the survivability of the warfighters and weapon systems in an anti-access/area denial (A2/AD) and positioning, navigation, and timing (PNT) denied environment,” the service wrote in budget documents. “The ability to interoperate and coordinate with other weapon systems and munitions at long ranges and adapt to changing threats is a core concept of the Army Aviation Weapons Sub-Systems and Munitions (AAWSSM) program.”
As the program office and industry wait to see what Army leaders decide to do with a formal program, it’s full steam ahead for the interim solution, the Spike NLOS, with plans to meet the first unit equipped milestone by the end of August.
Back in December, Lockheed announced that over five days, it “successfully” fired eight Spike NLOS rounds from AH-64E Apache V6 at Yuma Proving Grounds in Arizona.
“The successful live fire event clears the Spike NLOS Long Range Precision Munitions directed requirement (LRPM DR) system for airworthiness release for the US Apache platform, which paves the way for starting to equip the system onto the US Army’s current Apache V6 platforms,” the company wrote.
Now that live fire airworthiness qualification and developmental testing is nearly complete, the service anticipates receiving Spike equipment over the next few months in order to meet the August first unit equipped fielding date, the Army spokesperson said. Then by the end of December, 18 aircraft should be able to launch Spike NLOS.
“Missile manufacturing is ongoing with missile deliveries to begin in July 2024 and complete in 2025,” they added. “Final missile delivery will constitute achievement of the full operational capability under the Spike NLOS directed requirement as the Army’s interim solution for a Long-Range Precision Munition.”
However, the development for Spike NLOS in this interim period doesn’t appear to be factored into the final decision on a formal program of record. The spokesperson said that “due to the competitive nature of the follow-on program,” interim program information “is not being considered at this time.” (Source: Breaking Defense.com)
REST OF THE WORLD
14 Feb 24. Australian F-35 Joint Strike Fighters continue technology refresh testing. The Australian Defence Force is likely to receive its next batch of new F-35A Joint Strike Fighters in the second half of this year, according to US defence prime Lockheed Martin.
The Australian government has previously approved AIR 6000 Phase 2A/B to acquire 72 Lightning II aircraft along with associated weapons, spares, support equipment, and infrastructure.
Defence had previously announced that the project was scheduled to deliver an initial operating capability in December 2020, final operating capability in December 2023, and critical air combat power to meet Australia’s needs beyond 2030.
The new F-35 aircraft are designed with a Technology Refresh-3 (TR-3) package which includes additional munitions capabilities, target recognition, jamming, cyber security, sensor and user interface improvements, processing and data storage enhancements.
“To date, the RAAF has taken delivery of 63 F-35A Joint Strike Fighters. Delivery impacts on the next nine RAAF F-35As will be informed based on the remaining Technology Refresh-3 test schedule,” according to a Lockheed Martin spokesperson.
“We continue to produce F-35s at rate and expect to begin delivering TR-3 jets in the third quarter, with a 2024 delivery target of 75–110.
“Over 90 per cent of the TR-3 functionality is currently in-flight test, with additional focus underway to address consistent performance and closure of improvements identified in the lab.”
Further information on the TR-3 upgrade schedule was provided during a Lockheed Martin Corporation Quarter Four 2023 earnings call on 23 January this year.
“We delivered 18 F-35 aircraft in the Technology Refresh 2 configuration in the fourth quarter, bringing the 2023 total to 98 jets. We are making continued progress toward delivering the first TR-3-configured aircraft,” according to Jim Taiclet, Lockheed Martin chairman, president, and chief executive officer.
“Today, over 90 per cent of the TR-3 functionality is currently in flight test, and we are further advancing the software integration to include additional aircraft and mission subsystems.
“While this system maturation process continues to advance, it is taking somewhat more time than we originally anticipated.
“The second quarter customer acceptance of delivery software remains our target. However, we now believe that a third quarter may be more likely scenario for a TR-3 software acceptance. We are taking the time and attention to get this technology insertion right the first time because it will be absolutely worth it.
“The step-function technological advances of TR-3 will provide our customers with the onboard digital infrastructure of data storage, data processing, and pilot user interface to provide unmatched capabilities for many years to come.
“These include increased types of capability for air-to-air and air-to-ground munitions; advanced sensing, jamming, and cyber security capabilities; and more accurate target recognition.
“To achieve this level of reliable capability for the long run, the resulting aircraft delivery range for 2024 is between 75 and 110 and requires the TR-3 hardware suppliers to keep pace with production demands both this year and in the future.
“Given the increasing operational capability and digital connectivity of the aircraft as a cornerstone of all-domain operations, international demand for the F-35 remains very strong.
“In December, the Republic of Korea made the decision to procure 20 additional F-35 aircraft. Also in December, we presented the first F-35A to the Belgian government, which will be one of more than 600 F-35s that will be stationed in Europe across NATO member bases by the 2030.”
In addition, chief financial officer Jay Malave said there is a “handful of deliveries” for the F-35 expected in the first half of this year.
“For the most part, 90 per cent of the anticipated deliveries actually will happen in the back half of the year. And so, I think that’s just the way to think about it, just a handful, really, in the first half,” he said. (Source: Defence Connect)
14 Feb 24. Australian DoD negotiating updated Hunter contract offer, Senate committee told. The Department of Defence is negotiating a newly updated contract offer from BAE Systems Australia for the production of the first three Hunter Class frigates.
Defence was grilled on a possible cost blowout of the Hunter Class frigates during a Senate foreign affairs, defence and trade legislation committee meeting on 14 February.
Defence outlined that the department came across a significant increase in the cost estimate for the frigate program in early 2023 (over the initial costing of $44.3 bn).
During the Senate estimates meeting, the Department detailed that an offer had been received from BAE in June 2023 and new updated offer for the first batch of three ships had been received on 1 February this year.
The exact amount detailed in the new offer was withheld by Defence during the meeting, however, staff said the cost is expected to increase further. Defence said the department is analysing the new offer, which is understood to be impacted by cost pressures including time, inflation, the COVID-19 pandemic and supply issues.
Defence has an estimate for sustainment of the Hunter Class based on parent ships (Type 26 and Anzac Class sustainment costs) and ADF experience.
Senator David Shoebridge questioned Defence regarding whether the Hunter Class frigate costings would be consistent with 15 Type 26 Future Frigate vessels ordered for Canada worth $83bn (AU$95bn).
“When is the final operational capability? At the moment, you have no contracts to build ships … no target date for operational service,” Senator Shoebridge said.
Under the current program, the Australian Defence Force would receive nine anti-submarine optimised frigates (based on modified UK Type 26 Global Combat Ship designs) built at Osbourne, South Australia. The modifications include incorporating Australian CEA phased-array radar, Aegis combat management system, and integration of a Seahawk Romeo Maritime Combat Helicopter.
In addition, BAE Systems Australia has announced a newly designed Hunter frigate at the Indo Pacific 2023 International Maritime Exposition late last year. That model featured an additional 64 MK41 vertical launch cells and eight more Naval Strike Missiles (96 total VLS and 16 NSMs).
An update on the Hunter Class Frigate program is expected to be provided under the yet-to-be-released “surface fleet review” independent analysis provided to government last year led by United States Navy Vice Admiral (Ret’d) William Hilarides, assisted by former secretary of the Department of Finance Rosemary Huxtable, and former Commander Australian Fleet, Vice Admiral Stuart Mayer. (Source: Defence Connect)
13 Feb 24. India Airbus C295 Programme Receives Approval from Indian Regulator to Produce Detailed Parts and Assemblies in India.
Marking a milestone in the ‘Make in India’ C295 programme, the Airbus Defence and Space Quality Management System (QMS) for the C295 aircraft has received approval from the Directorate General of Aeronautical Quality Assurance (DGAQA), the Indian regulatory authority, to produce detailed parts and sub-assemblies in India.
As per the approval, the certificate for which was formally handed over on February 12, 2024, Airbus Defence and Space is working with Tata Advanced Systems Limited (TASL) to produce detailed parts and sub-assemblies at various locations in India. The certificate of approval was presented by Sanjay Chawla, Director General of Aeronautical Quality Assurance, to Michael Schoellhorn, CEO of Airbus Defence and Space, and Masood Hussainy, Head, Aerostructures and Aeroengines, Tata Advanced Systems Limited, at the C295 Main Components Assembly facility in Hyderabad. This is a significant step of a comprehensive quality assurance roadmap agreed between Airbus Defence and Space and DGAQA for the C295 ‘Make in India’ programme, in close collaboration with TASL.
“This certification demonstrates the continuing trust and confidence of DGAQA in Airbus quality standards. All detailed parts for the C295 will be manufactured in India under exacting Airbus quality standards. We continue to work in strong partnership with Tata Advanced Systems Limited to apply a robust and comprehensive quality framework for successful aircraft manufacturing in India for the C295 ‘Make in India’ programme under the policy of Aatmanirbhar Bharat,” said Jorge Tamarit Degenhardt, VP – Head of C295 India Programme, Airbus Defence and Space.
India formalised the acquisition of 56 Airbus C295 aircraft to replace the Indian Air Force (IAF) legacy AVRO fleet, in September 2021. Under the contractual agreement, Airbus will deliver the first 16 aircraft in ‘fly-away’ condition from its final assembly line in Seville, Spain. The remaining 40 aircraft will be manufactured and assembled by Tata Advanced Systems Limited (TASL) in India as part of an industrial partnership between the two companies. The first C295 aircraft was delivered to the Indian Air Force in September 2023. This certification is part of this programme, which involves the full development of a complete industrial ecosystem: from the production of detailed parts to assembly, test, delivery and maintenance of the complete lifecycle of the aircraft. (Source: ASD Network)
13 Feb 24. Damen signs partnership agreement with Department of Trade, Industry and Competition. Damen Shipyards Group has signed a Strategic Partnership Agreement with the Department of Trade, Industry and Competition (DTIC) as part of the National Industrial Participation (NIP) programme.
The agreement will see Damen undertake NIP activities in advance for purposes of collecting NIP credits from domestic economic activity and fulfilling requirements related to local industrial participation including investment, export sales, research and development, technology transfer and transformation of the local economy, the Dutch shipyard announced on Monday.
Under this agreement, Damen Shipyards Cape Town (DSCT) will continue its work of localisation and industrial participation “to the benefit of the South African shipbuilding industry and economy.”
“Since commencing its operations in South Africa, Damen has contributed to the development of, and investment in, the local shipbuilding and manufacturing sectors. Its contributions have included the development of personnel for highly skilled employment, as well as widespread local procurement activities,” Damen said.
In 2008, when DSCT, formerly known as Farocean Marine, became part of the Damen Shipyards Group, the company signed a similar, 10-year agreement with the then Department of Trade and Industry (DTI). Since then, Damen has generated over R1 bn in credits. These have been collected through various activities including direct investments and job creation. This has been both direct, through employment at DSCT, and indirect, through the beneficial effects of local procurement.
“Damen’s contribution to a sustainable South African shipbuilding sector also includes investment in local business, and the manufacture of products for export markets,” the company said.
Damen has also participated, since 2020, in South Africa’s Defence Industrial Participation (DIP) programme. “With this, the company has contributed to the development of transformed companies, as well as Exempted Micro Enterprises (EME) and Qualifying Small Enterprises (QSE), further creating employment opportunities and developing export opportunities.”
Jan-Wim Dekker, COO of the Damen Shipyards Group said, “The South African Government deserves recognition for its commitment to improving the national economy by forming cooperations such as this one. The investments that the government is making in vessels built in South Africa, for South Africa go beyond increasing the country’s capabilities in the water. They also ensure the wider development of manufacturing and a sustainable maritime industry that offers real employment opportunities in the country. For that reason, Damen is very proud to have signed this Strategic Partnership Agreement. We look forward to continuing our commitment to securing the maximum possible benefit for the shipbuilding industry and people of South Africa.”
Dr Tebogo Makube, the Chief Director of both the Industrial Procurement and Industrial Participation within the DTIC, said, “We are happy to be renewing our relationship with Damen. The company has a great track record in supporting the industry and economy of South Africa. The previous years have demonstrated the potential for our cooperation to have a wide-reaching, internationally positive impact for the country. We’re pleased to have found a partner that is so visibly committed to doing the best for South Africa. Partnerships such as this are of great importance for our country where job creation and skills development are vital for much needed economic growth and stability.”
DSCT has delivered multiple vessels to South African clients, notably the SA Navy. It is finishing the third and final multi-mission inshore patrol vessel (MMIPV) for the Navy under Project Biro, and nearly ten years ago delivered two ATD 2909 tugs to the Navy.
To date, the Biro project has contributed significantly to job creation and throughout its duration, it is estimated to have generated more than one million man-hours of work, supported over 1 000 direct jobs at DSCT, and engaged nearly 4 000 individuals indirectly.
Damen Shipyards Cape Town has to date constructed and delivered over 40 vessels for various countries on the African continent. These vessels have included offshore patrol vessels, dredgers, tugs, naval craft and supply vessels. (Source: https://www.defenceweb.co.za/)
08 Feb 24. Saudi Arabia ‘keen’ to join GCAP fighter program, but localization a must: GAMI governor.
“I think [joining] the program [GCAP] is important to Saudi Arabia,” GAMI governor Ahmad Al-Ohali tells Breaking Defense.
While the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is “very keen” on joining the UK-Italy-Japan Global Combat Air Program (GCAP), localization remains a priority for any deal to be sealed, a key Saudi industrial official tells Breaking Defense.
“I think [joining] the program [GCAP] is important to Saudi Arabia and it’s managed by MoD. And we are part of that from the localization point of view. There is a serious discussion [as] Saudi Arabia is very keen on the sixth-generation fighters, and we are talking to the UK their partners and we are making good steps forward,” Ahmad Al-Ohali, the governor of the Saudi government’s General Authority for Military Industries (GAMI), said in an interview at this week’s World Defense Show.
He added that there are some challenges “but I think we have options and we know what we require. As His Royal Highness Prince Mohammed said seven years ago, there will be no armament transaction without localization. To us, this is our motto … there’ll be no transaction without serious, decent and important localization in Saudi Arabia.”
Al-Ohali told Breaking Defense that the Kingdom sees potential contributions towards GCAP in the realms of manufacturing, development and technology, as well as providing human capital for the program. But ultimately, KSA has to be fully involved, “otherwise it doesn’t make sense for us.”
Unlike the UK, Japan and Italy, nations with a wealth of industrial expertise in the design and production of fighter jets, Saudi Arabia has consistently relied on foreign imports rather than domestic aviation suppliers and technologies to acquire new platforms. With a whole host of major airframe, weapons and subsystems suppliers already tied to the GCAP effort, Riyadh has still to fully articulate the scale of the contribution it could make to industry workshare arrangements.
Those arrangements are typically heavily contested by partner nations who are all looking to maximize returns — each nation wants as much domestic production, and the economic benefits that come with it, as possible. But in financial terms, Riyadh has the upper hand, and is capable of offering much needed, additional cash for GCAP that would potentially ease concerns around development costs and the long-term health of the project.
Saudi Arabia has been eyeing the GCAP program for most of 2023, including an unusual moment in March where a Saudi statement said the Kingdom was joining the program only for the UK to walk that back. One British official in September said he believes the Saudis “will be part of GCAP in due course.”
That official added, “I think, from a UK point of view, the expectation, and the hope is that, that’s the direction that we will go in,” before stressing there is some time to go before it gets there and stating the UK is hopeful more Eurofighter Typhoons can be sold to strengthen that relationship.
However, Japan has reportedly opposed adding KSA to the program, and any new member would require agreement from all three of London, Tokyo and Rome.
Localization Efforts
More broadly, GAMI, which is the contracting authority for the Saudi MOD, is looking to advance across all areas of defense, including its naval domain. Al-Ohali said that a new government-owned company called Sofon has been stood up in order to be the “champion for the Navy and marine industry in Saudi Arabia.”
He added that Sofon has a “huge” shipbuilding facility on the Kingdom’s east coast. “We are working very closely with them, guiding them and …. [supporting their work with] international companies, reputable international companies in the navy sector,” he said.
That seemingly includes Italian shipbuilder Fincantieri, whose CEO told Breaking Defense earlier this week that they are in discussions on a deal with Sofon.
Saudi Arabia, historically one of the largest defense importers worldwide, is concentrating heavily on the Kingdom’s Vision 2030, which has a set goal of localizing 50 percent of all defense spending by 2030.
Al-Ohali said that the percentage rose from 3 percent in 2016 to 13.7 percent by the end of 2022. He added that GAMI will announce in April the 2023 percentage totals, as they are waiting for the closing of financials of the defense industry in Saudi Arabia.
“I am really confident that by 2030 we will reach 50 percent, [even] more than 50 percent,” he said.
In October of last year, GAMI launched an “Invest in Saudi Arabia” section on its official website, with the goal of pointing international firms to areas of opportunity. The authority identified “more than 70 opportunities in the supply chain,” he said, worth up to $64 bn over the next decade.
“So if we localize only 50 percent of this, we are talking about [$32 bn] of opportunity investment over the next 10 years. And we already started looking into those investments. We pick the top 80 percent value and we have opened [to] all investors the [electronic] portal of GAMI and portal of MISA [ministry of investment of Saudi Arabia], for those who are interested, [to know] where they can start, looking into doing a full due diligence and feasibility study,” Al-Ohali said.
He added that the targeted firms are both national and international firms. (Source: Defense News Early Bird/Breaking Defense.com)
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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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