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EUROPE
04 Jul 24. Acquisition of 24 Eurofighter Typhoons from Italy is now a reality.
Gareth Jennings, aviation journalist published today in X: “Called it! #Italy green lights buy of 24 new Eurofighter Typhoons…”. He quotes a tweet from aviation expert Giovanni Martinelli which says: “Anticipated several times by Gareth Jennings, now comes official confirmation…Italy will purchase 24 more EF-2000s.” Martinelli cites “Act N176” which mentions the acquisition of the “F-2000” [the Italian version of the Eurofighter Typhoon].
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In May of this year, it was revealed that the Italian government would be seeking approval for the acquisition of 24 additional fighters in the third quarter of the year. BAE Systems, a consortium partner, confirmed the potential sale on May 14. A senior company official mentioned that Italy aims to boost its fleet, which currently includes 96 Eurofighters, with 94 still in active service.
“Italy is now looking for more core aircraft,” stated David Hulme, Typhoon Product Strategy Director and Director of the Eurofighter project at BAE Systems. He added, “There will be a parliamentary process in the summer to consider a further purchase.” It appears the discussions in the Italian Parliament have concluded successfully for the Italian Air Force, and approval has been secured.
Tranche 4+
Italy is gearing up to upgrade its fleet, aiming to replace the 28 Tranche 1 aircraft, which lag behind the capabilities of their Tranche 2 and Tranche 3A counterparts. The new Eurofighters are expected to be akin to those in Tranche 4+ or even the prospective Tranche 5, as envisioned by Spain’s Halcon II program.
Tranche 4+ primarily introduces the European Common Radar System Mark 1 [ECRS Mk1/Radar 1], an active electronically scanned array [AESA] radar, while Tranche 5 adds even more sophistication with elements of the Long-Term Evolution [LTE] package.
The LTE initiative includes several enhancements: upgrades to the Eurojet EJ200 engine, a revamped mission system architecture, advanced defensive aids, a modernized touchscreen large-area display cockpit, and new adaptive power and cooling technologies. These improvements will support the integration of cutting-edge weaponry, enhance connectivity, and bring structural changes that boost the aircraft’s aerodynamics and maneuverability. (Source: News Now/https://bulgarianmilitary.com/)
04 Jul 24. Norway issues RFI for K9 turret simulators. The Norwegian Defence Materiel Agency (NDMA) issued a request for information (RFI) on 3 July for K9 self-propelled howitzer (SPH) turret simulators.
The RFI, announced on the European Union’s (EU’s) tendering website, aims to identify companies that are building or have already built a turret simulator based on the K9 that can fulfil the army’s requirements for a realistic training system.
Managed by the Land Systems Division, the procurement aims to enhance the operational effectiveness of the army’s artillery systems, by raising the level of competence, while reducing ammunition consumption and wear and tear on K9 equipment.
One or two simulators will be procured, with deliveries beginning no later than 2027.
In 2017 Norway signed a KRW245.2bn (USD176.5m) contract with Hanwha Defense for 24 K9s in the A1 configuration and six K10 ammunition resupply vehicles. Known as VIDAR (Versatile Indirect Artillery) in Norway, the K9 delivered features a 155 mm/52 calibre artillery gun. In November 2022 Norway ordered four more K9s and eight K10s.
NDMA is striving for a commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) solution with minimal development required. (Source: Janes)
01 Jul 24. Greece explores joining Constellation Frigate programme, proposes F-35 purchase.
The US Government’s letter of offer and acceptance for the procurement of the F-35 squadron of 20 aircraft was proposed at the Special Standing Committee on Armaments Programmes and Contracts of the Hellenic Parliament on 29 June.
The Greek Minister of National Defence announced on 27 June two major additions to the Agenda 2030 military modernisation plan, including the acquisition of 20 F-35 fighter jets and the prospect of joining the Constellation frigate programme.
The Constellation-class (FFG 62) multi-mission guided-missile frigate is being developed by Fincantieri Marinette Marine for the US Navy.
The US and Greece have been in discussion about Greece join the Constellation program since at least 9 February 2024, according to a US Embassy and Consulate in Greece release considering “possible mutual benefits of co-designing and co-producing Constellation class frigates, including the economic benefits for Greece’s shipyards and the cooperation between the defence innovation ecosystems of the two countries.”
In mid-January 2024, Defence Minister Nikos Dendias made it clear that the Greek military was opting for a radically different defence model, focusing on quality and innovation in its defence industry, over a traditional interest in mass.
Along with sweeping adjustments to military leadership, this was to be the backbone of the armed forces of 2030, which is still in formulation.
On 27 January 2024, Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis announced an agreement with the US to purchase up to 40 F-35 fighter Jets, as well as a tranche of military equipment to be donated to the Greek armed forces for free, from US reserves, including frigates, C-130 transport aircraft, armoured tanks and vehicles.
The US Government’s letter of offer and acceptance for the procurement of the F-35 squadron of 20 aircraft was proposed at the Special Standing Committee on Armaments Programmes and Contracts of the Hellenic Parliament on 29 June, while the option for an additional 20 F-35 is not yet being considered.
The geopolitical tensions that Greece experiences, Mitsotakis said in a speech at the Hellenic Capital Market Commission Conference on 29 May, meant that the nation had never experienced a ‘peace dividend’ after the fall of the Berlin Wall, and had maintained a defence spend above 2% of GDP over the decades, putting its expenditure out of line with the norm for many European countries and Nato Allies. (Source: naval-technology.com)
27 Jun 24. Germany approves funds to develop supersonic weapon, buy thousands of missiles. Germany’s parliament has authorized money for the purchase of thousands of missiles and the development of a supersonic naval cruise missile, according to a Defence Ministry news release.
Germany will join forces with Norway in developing the supersonic Tyrfing missile. A key parliamentary committee released the funds Wednesday for Berlin’s first foray into developing modern naval missiles. Currently, most of the country’s naval missile arsenal is French- or American-made.
Although Norway and its state-owned arms manufacturer Kongsberg will take a leading role, the German government expects to contribute about €650 m (U.S. $695 m) to the project between now and 2033.
A new missile for Norway and Germany will be known as 3SM Tyrfing and is scheduled to be ready in 2035. (Kongsberg)
The contract, which is to conclude by August, will see Diehl Defence and MBDA perform work on the German side.
At least initially, Germany’s half will be funded from Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s special fund for the military. That money was put together in the immediate aftermath of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
In later years, the money is to come out of the regular defense budget.
Kongsberg describes the Tyrfing as a “new super missile” that will succeed the Naval Strike Missile developed in the early 2000s. The 3SM — an abbreviation for Super Sonic Strike Missile — should be ready in 2035, the company said in a news release late last year.
In addition to Norway and Germany, Kongsberg hopes the missile will have export potential to other “European armed forces.”
Weapons purchase
The German budgetary committee also approved the purchase of up to 3,266 Brimstone 3 rockets for delivery by 2033 under a contract expected to be passed by the parliament next month.
Initially, the country will receive 274 missiles and the requisite equipment, purchased from MBDA Germany for about €376 m. An additional 29 Brimstones will be used for operational testing and 75 further for training and telemetry.
The rockets are destined for the country’s Eurofighter fleet, which forms the fighting backbone of its Air Force. Berlin first announced its intention to procure the air-to-ground missile in 2017.
The British Royal Air Force has used the Brimstone family of missiles for nearly two decades, including in war zones in Afghanistan, Iraq and Syria. A contingent of German Eurofighters is also deployed in the Baltics, where they serve to strengthen NATO’s posture at its flank with Russia.
Aside from entirely new purchases, the parliamentary budget committee also approved the procurement of 506 Stinger man-portable air defense systems worth about €395 m as a replacement for 500 of the ground-to-air, shoulder-launched missiles that were sent to Ukraine.
Germany has taken a leading role in supporting Kyiv’s armament, sending more military support than any other country except the United States. According to the Germany-based Kiel Institute for the World Economy, the government has sent €10.2bn in military aid to Ukraine as of the end of April 2024. (Source: Defense News Early Bird/Defense News)
28 Jun 24. Italy and OCCAR exercise option for fourth Near Future Submarine. Italy’s NFS fleet incorporates a new method of energy storage using a lithium battery system as opposed to the traditional lead-acid batteries.
With a mandate from the Italian Navy, Europe’s defence programme overseer OCCAR – or the Organisation for Joint Armament Cooperation – announced today (28 June 2024) that it will exercise a €500m ($535m) option with Fincantieri for a fourth U212 Near Future Submarine (NFS).
NFS is an advanced iteration that builds on the German-Italian U212A Todaro-class submarine that Fincantieri and ThyssenKrupp jointly built between 2004-2016 – four of these were delivered to Italy while Germany placed an order for six of them.
The new class is capable of remaining at sea for longer periods of time than Italy’s previous boats and, thanks to its ‘invisibility’, is capable of collecting information without altering the environment and the subject observed, operating even in the presence of high threats, thereby acting as a credible deterrent.
Signed into existence in February 2021, OCCAR ordered two U212NFS boats with an option for two more, which were later pursued. These submarines will be constructed at the contractor’s Muggiano shipyard on the Ligurian Sea.
Only a day earlier, OCCAR revealed that steel was cut for the third NFS unit at Muggiano.
While the first boat will be delivered in December 2027, the second will follow in January 2029, the third in December 2030 and finally the last optional submarine will be inducted in Jauary 2032.
Propulsion advancement
Italy’s NFS fleet incorporates a new method of energy storage using a lithium battery system as opposed to the traditional lead-acid batteries used in the U212A submarine.
A lithium battery will ensure a longer submergence time than conventional diesel-electric boats, which must emerge to the surface every few days. However, U212As also use an Air-Independent Propulsion system that supplies electricity to the platform eliminating the need for diesel engine operation during silent slow cruising, which allows the submarine to operate underwater for extended periods. (Source: naval-technology.com)
01 Jul 24. Cuashub.com said today that Lithuania Considering Acquisition of Anti-Drone Systems. According to LRT, Lithuania is currently assessing the need to acquire anti-drone systems due to its proximity to the Russian Federation’s borders and Russia’s close ally Belarus.
“Now we are assessing what capacity is needed. I will go to the prime minister; I will talk about what kind of investments are needed here to get this thing moving because there is a world of drones and there is a world of anti-drones,” Defence Minister Laurynas Kasčiūnas said on LRT TV’s program Dienos Tema (Topic of the Day) last week.
Kasčiūnas contended that developing anti-drone capabilities should occur concurrently with the advancement of drone technology.
Earlier this year, in response to Russian aggression, six NATO nations agreed to construct a “drone wall” along the alliance’s eastern flank, spanning from Norway to Poland. This initiative aims to protect Norway, Finland, Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia, and Poland from threats posed by Russia and its close ally Belarus.
The drone wall is one of many measures being taken by NATO member nations in response to the threat from the Russian Federation. On October 13, 2022, defense ministers from 14 NATO allies and Finland (Finland was not a member of NATO at the time) convened in Brussels to sign a letter of intent to develop the “European Sky Shield Initiative.” Led by Germany, this initiative aims to establish a European air and missile defense system by jointly acquiring air defense equipment and missiles among European nations. This collaborative effort is designed to enhance NATO’s Integrated Air and Missile Defense capabilities.
(Source: https://cuashub.com/)
USA
04 Jul 24. US modernise Japan-based fighters with F-15EX and F-35s.
In close coordination with the Japanese Government, the whole upgrade will cost up to $10bn over the next several years.
The US Department of Defense has announced a substantial replacement programme on 3 July 2024, for its ageing F-16s at US military installations peppered across the island nation of Japan.
Kadena Air Force Base (AFB) is located on the Japanese strategic island of Okinawa; it is often referred to as the ‘keystone to the Pacific’, just over 400 miles from Taiwan. The US Air Force plan to divest the 48 F-15C/D aircraft already there with 36 F-15EX – or Eagle II – aircraft.
At Misawa AFB, situated in the northern mainland, the Air Force will upgrade its presence from 36 F-16s to 48 F-35A aircraft, leading to greater tactical aircraft capacity and capability.
Meanwhile, the Marine Corps Air Station at Iwakuni, in the southern mainland, will modify the number of F-35B aircraft to support the service’s force design modernisation implementation. The Marine Corps will continue to maintain an enduring and rotational aircraft presence at Iwakuni.
In close coordination with the Japanese Government, the whole upgrade will cost up to $10bn over the next several years with an aim to “bolster regional deterrence, and strengthen peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific region.”
Air share with Japan
Luckily, the US Armed Forces operate the same type of aircraft as Japan. This will ensure the smooth supply of spares and equipment needed to sustain the fleets in a timely manner. This is an important point given the geographic proximity of the continental US from the Indo-Pacific theatre, where grey-zone rivalry continues to escalate with China.
Japan currently operates 52 F-35A and 12 F-35B joint strike fighters besides nearly 200 F-15J/DJ jets, an indigenous variant modelled on the US manufactured McDonnell Douglas F-15 Eagle.
US must think logistically in the Far East
A few months ago Mark Cancian, a senior adviser at the Washington-based Center for Strategic and International Studies, told Global Defence Technology that if a prospective conflict between China and the US were to emerge over Taiwan then it is essential their forces prioritise logistics.
A significant part of this is their access to their bases in allied territories with strategic partners such as Japan and others in the Indo-Pacific region.
There are approximately 54,000 military personnel dispersed across 85 facilities on Honshu, Kyushu, and Okinawa, making up as much as 77,000 acres of Japanese territory.
“Logistics are very important regarding Japan because it’s a close ally, it’s a much closer theatre than Guam. [Japan is] a wealthy country, [they have] a lot of good infrastructure. Logistically, very, very helpful.
“But the critical thing about Japan is the ability to use US bases. If we can’t use Kadena, if we can’t use other air bases then it’s going to be very hard to get any of our tech air into the fight. Those F-35s just don’t have the legs to operate over Taiwan, if you’re basing them in Guam or Australia.” (Source: airforce-technology.com)
REST OF THE WORLD
28 Jun 24. Construction begins on new fleet of warships for Royal Canadian Navy. Initial construction is beginning on a new fleet of warships for the Royal Canadian Navy, with the vessels expected to be operational by 2035, service and government officials said.
Royal Canadian Navy commander Vice Admiral Angus Topshee and Defence Minister Bill Blair announced Friday that construction work on the Canadian Surface Combatant Project will begin at Irving Shipbuilding in Halifax, Nova Scotia. The company will build the warships and act as prime contractor while Lockheed Martin Canada is providing the design based on the BAE Type 26.
The project will see the construction of 15 warships to replace the current fleet of Halifax-class frigates. Topshee said the navy is classifying the new ships as destroyers.
“Today, we launch construction on the largest Canadian shipbuilding project since the Second World War, marking an historic milestone for the Royal Canadian Navy,” Blair said at the news conference in Halifax.
The construction schedule for Canadian Surface Combatant is lengthy. The first ship will not be delivered until the early 2030s and will then have to undergo testing, senior Canadian government officials said at a June 27 technical briefing. That means it will not be in service with the Royal Canadian Navy until 2035.
The schedule will see nine CSC ships delivered by 2040 with the last vessel set to arrive in 2050.
A senior government official said getting the new ships as soon as possible is imperative because of ongoing maintenance concerns for the aging Halifax-class frigates. The official also downplayed concerns about the schedule by pointing out that technology improvements will be added along the way, improving the ship capabilities over time. Additional upgrades are also expected for the Halifax-class frigates, the official added. No cost figures or specific details on that work were provided.
‘Recipe for disaster’
Alan Williams, the former assistant deputy minister for materiel at National Defence, noted that the CSC design has still not been completed and the final budget has yet to be determined.
“Combine that with a delivery schedule stretching over decades and you have a recipe for disaster,” he said.
Williams has warned that the cost of the CSC, combined with the cost of Canada’s F-35 procurement as well as modernization of radars and other systems used by North American Aerospace Defense Command, will leave little funds left for other major procurements.
The CSC project is budgeted at between CAD $56-60 bn, according to the Department of National Defence. But a separate examination of the project conducted in 2022 by Yves Giroux, the Parliamentary Budget Officer, put the cost figure at CAD $84 bn.
The Department of National Defence expects to have a final cost figure for the ships by the end of this year or in early 2025.
The initial construction on the CSC will allow Irving worker to develop and test building techniques for the ships.
An implementation contract for the project is expected to be signed by the end of this year, which will allow for full-rate production of the ships. That full-rate production is expected to start in 2025.
Topshee said the announcement of the initial work on CSC is “a clear sign of tangible progress towards our future fleet.” (Source: Defense News)
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