20 Oct 22. Exail teams up with Mission Systems for SEA 1905 bid.
An Australian SME has joined the newly merged entity’s push to deliver next-generation mine countermeasure capabilities to the ADF.
Exail — a newly established brand launched as part of a merger between ECA Group and iXblue — has signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with NSW-based robotics company Mission Systems.
The partnership aims to foster collaboration on the development of mine countermeasure (MCM) technology, including in support of Exail’s push to secure the Commonwealth government’s SEA 1905 contract.
The collaboration is expected to particularly focus on the exploration of sonar simulation and machine learning capability, aimed at integrating advanced Mission Systems technology into Exail’s maritime drones.
This includes integration in drone mission management software UMISOFT, which forms part of Exail’s DM (data management) module.
The partnership may also expand to involve collaboration on other military applications, including military survey and seabed warfare capability, as well as civil maritime applications.
David Battle, co-director of Mission Systems, welcomed the opportunity to support Exail’s offering.
“We look forward to bringing our unique real-time mission simulation and accelerated machine learning technologies to support the development of Exail’s naval drones and we are especially excited about the prospect of supplying advanced technologies to the Australian Navy and allied navies around the world,” he said.
Sébastien Tauvry, marine data processing product manager at Exail, noted the benefits of integrating the Australian SME’s technology.
“We are delighted to be integrating Mission Systems technology in our drone management systems,” he said.
“Their solutions for advanced simulation and for machine learning will enable us to offer our customers improved performance and faster mission times, while reducing operator workload.”
Mission Systems is the latest company to join Exail’s bid to support the Royal Australian Navy’s (RAN) SEA 1905 Tranche 1 – Maritime Mine Countermeasures Survey program, which is seeking an autonomous solution to be deployed from the Arafura Class offshore patrol vessels (OPVs).
The Exail-led team is competing against Saab Australia, which recently launched its bid alongside Leidos Australia, SeeByte and Sonartech Atlas. (Source: Defence Connect)
14 Oct 22. Qatar unveils Skynex air defence. The Qatar Emiri Air Defence Forces (QEADF) now has the Rheinmetall Skynex short-range air-defence system, the Qatari Ministry of Defence (MoD) revealed on 13 October when it released a video showing components associated with the system during an exercise. These included eight 35mm Revolver Gun Mk3s and a single X-TAR3D target acquisition and tracking radar.
While these components can be used as part of Skyguard or Skyshield systems, the Qatari MoD said the exercise was called ‘Shield 6 (Skynex)’ and resulted in an unspecified number of rotary and fixed-wing targets being shot down in record time at the Al-Qalayel range.
When it launched Skynex in 2016, Rheinmetall described it as an open, modular architecture that enables a wide range of sensors and effectors to be linked to form a “highly effective, largely automated system of systems” that can also interface with higher-echelon units. The Skymaster battle management system is the core component and can be linked via a tactical communications network to up to three X-TAR3D radars and 12 guns. (Source: Janes)
19 Oct 22. BAE Signs Agreement With PTC Industries to Produce 155mm Ultra-lightweight Howitzer Titanium Castings.
- New agreement will produce major structures to support on-going programme in India under “Make in India.”
BAE Systems & PTC Industries have signed an agreement to manufacture titanium castings for the Indian 155mm M777 Ultra-Lightweight Howitzer (ULH) at PTC Industries’ production facility in Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, India.
The agreement aims to produce the complex lightweight titanium castings, developing the tightly controlled fabrication process and ensuring the same parts can be manufactured in any future production of the M777 howitzers for India. The first sub-systems will be produced by the end of 2022, and there is a plan to progress manufacture of all three of the major structures (Saddle, Cradle, and Lower Carriage) that form the basis of the gun. Indian suppliers which participate in the M777 programme can earn a role in the overall BAE Systems global supply chain through their performance.
“The production process at PTC Industries is being developed and qualified to deliver the long-term support for the 145 M777s we are delivering to India,” said Duncan Stevenson, the general manager of BAE Systems Weapon Systems UK, which manages the manufacture and assembly of the M777 light-weight howitzers. “This agreement will allow BAE Systems and PTC Industries to jointly provide major structures to support the spares and repair programme required to keep the guns available for the Indian Army. It also ensures that the overall “Make in India” content of the ULH is above 60%, which will allow the Government of India to procure any future platforms under a “Make in India” acquisition requirement.” BAE Systems also has a 52-Calibre 155mm barrel for the ULH, which it is willing to manufacture in India, further expanding Indian artillery capability from this battle-proven system. This would make India the first customer to have a 155mm 52-calibre platform under 5,800kgs in weight. (Source: ASD Network)
19 Oct 22. France joins Belgian-Dutch designs for naval de-mining tech.
Three European nations have teamed up to develop new naval counter-mine capabilities, with France aligning itself with an existing Belgian-Dutch program.
Defense officials from the three countries formalized an agreement Oct. 18 during the biennial Euronaval trade conference being held outside of Paris, according to the French Ministry of Defense. Most significantly, the pact brings two programs together – France’s SLAM-F (système de lutte anti-mines futur), or future anti-mine warfare system, and the Belgian-Dutch Mine Countermeasures (rMCM) system.
“France has notably confirmed its decision to launch the design of French mine warfare vessels on the basis of that of the vessels of the binational Belgian-Dutch rMCM program,” the ministry said in a press release. “Thus, the nations share the goals of maximizing design communities to create opportunities for specific joint in-service support and other joint activity related to mine warfare capabilities.”
The SLAM-F effort aims to replace Navy personnel with autonomous vessels for de-mining missions. It was developed under the Franco-British Maritime Mine Countermeasures (MMCM) program, launched in 2012 to develop a prototype underwater drone that could detect and neutralize sea mines and underwater improvised explosive devices. The industry team for the prototype program was led by Thales and BAE Systems, with co-partners including the United Kingdom’s Saab, ASV, and Wood & Douglas, and France’s ECA Group – which announced on Tuesday that it will now operate, together with longtime partner iXBlue, under the name Exail.
Thales delivered the first prototype SLAM-F system to the French navy in 2021. France plans to begin ordering its initial SLAM-F systems in 2023, with a delivery date currently in discussion, the ministry said. Officials have previously announced plans to order up to eight unmanned systems.
The Belgian and Dutch navies expect to begin deliveries of their respective rMCM systems in 2024. Naval Group and ECA Group formed a consortium dubbed Belgian Naval and Robotics in 2019 to lead the program. The rMCM program is expected to include 12 minehunter vessels and about 100 unmanned systems split between Belgium and the Netherlands, according to Naval Group.
This past April, Naval Group inaugurated a new MCM research-and-development (R&D) center in Brussels, alongside a lab dedicated to cyber technology.
The French navy’s top official has called for increased intergovernmental cooperation in the maritime domain to support interoperability and decrease the cost burden on allies. In a speech Monday in Paris ahead of the Euronaval conference, Adm. Pierre Vandier highlighted joint programs and interoperable capabilities as a critical element of France’s future navy. (Source: Defense News)
19 Oct 22. Pentagon replacing HIMARS launcher and rocket stocks sent to Ukraine. The U.S. military in recent weeks awarded Lockheed Martin $179m to replace High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems and Guided Multiple Launch Rocket Systems it sent from its own stockpiles to Ukraine, according to Pentagon data set to be released on Wednesday.
News of the spending, which is part of $3.4 bn in Ukraine-related contracting actions for arms and equipment since the start of the Russia-Ukraine war eight months ago, coincided with Lockheed’s disclosure Tuesday that it’s increasing HIMARS and GMLRS production by nearly 60 percent.
The systems have become a key tool in Ukraine’s ability to strike bridges that Russia has used to supply its troops, enabling Ukrainian forces to make inroads in Russia-controlled regions.
The replacement contracting actions include $95 m in August and September for HIMARS, which has played a pivotal role in Ukraine’s counter-offensive against Russian troops in the east and south, and $84 m in September for the GPS-guided GMLRS rockets, which have a range of more than 80 kilometers.
Because of the way the Pentagon presents the information, it’s unclear how much of the funding is to buy new systems and how much includes investments in the industrial base to expand or accelerate production throughput. The contracts are not expected to yield immediate deliveries.
“Replacement contracts are expected to deliver over multiple years, as many capabilities delivered to Ukraine, such as advanced munitions, have two- to three-year production times.” the Pentagon says in its fact sheet.
Lockheed is set to ramp up HIMARS production to 96 launchers annually, from its current level of 60, the firm’s chief executive, Jim Taiclet said during a third-quarter earnings call Tuesday.
Lockheed invested $65 m to buy parts in advance, an expense the government is expected to pay back, in order to speed up production, Taiclet said. The company anticipated demand for HIMARS and other products in Europe, which is arming up in the wake of Russia’s invasion.
“That was without a contract or any other memo or whatnot back from the government,” Taiclet said of the investment. “We just went ahead and did that because we expected it to happen. So those parts are already being manufactured now.”
The Pentagon announced this month it would soon be delivering four more HIMARS to Ukraine, bringing the total number sent to 20. Weeks earlier, it announced plans to buy 18 of the weapons for Ukraine through longer-term contracts funded by Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative.
“We really believe that the most critical requirement for Ukraine right now is the GMLRS munitions that can reach most of the targets that they have identified within Ukrainian territory. And we’ve seen that they’re using them to great effect,” Deputy Under Secretary of Defense for Policy Sasha Baker told reporters at the time.
In late August, the undersecretary of defense for acquisition and sustainment, Bill LaPlante, and the Army’s chief weapons buyer, Doug Bush, visited Lockheed’s HIMARS and GMLRS plant in Camden, Arkansas. LaPlante announced plans for the Pentagon to spend $200 m to expand and accelerate HIMARS and GMLRS production.
Bush told Defense News this month that the Army is looking to “dramatically ramp up quickly” the production line for GMLRS, and that it was one of the systems the Pentagon would like to see produced at double or triple its current rate.
Though in 2018 the Army scaled back the quantities of GLRS it was ordering, Bush said the production line remained “pretty warm” and “much easier to ramp up” than if the line had stopped entirely.
Washington working to expand defense industry capacity in the wake of the war. Lawmakers have introduced bipartisan legislation in the Senate that would grant the Pentagon fast-track procurement powers, and U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin in Brussels last week pushed to galvanize allied defense industrial bases “to fire up production for the systems to defend Ukraine, even while meeting our own security needs.”
Maintaining ample levels of the GMLRS ammunition is key concern for the U.S. military, as is boosting the capacity to produce a range of munitions, said Bradley Bowman, the senior director of the Center on Military and Political Power at the Foundation for the Defense of Democracies, a Washington-based nonpartisan think tank.
“I really think we’re confronting a U.S. munition production capacity crisis because for too long we procured things at the minimum rate, just to keep production lines going ― and now we’re paying the piper,” Bowman said. “Surge capacity is not there, and we need to be procuring enough to arm our own forces and ensure their readiness while providing Ukraine and Taiwan with what they need.” (Source: Defense News Early Bird/Defense News)
20 Oct 22. Schiebel CAMCOPTER S-100 Impresses at Major NATO Exercise with Anti-Submarine Warfare Capability. Schiebel, together with Thales and sponsored by the UK Royal Navy participated in REPMUS (Robotic Experimentation and Prototyping using Maritime Uncrewed Systems) and Dynamic Messenger 2022 in Portugal. Together, they successfully demonstrated the CAMCOPTER S-100 and its Anti-Submarine Warfare (ASW), Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR) and cargo delivery capabilities, which all received wide acclaim.
The successful operational capability demonstrations of the S-100 were part of a larger annual North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) exercise showcasing Unmanned Systems and how the very latest technological advancements can be incorporated into the platforms for real-world operational benefit.
Unmanned Air Systems have traditionally focused on delivering ISR, but now Schiebel, working with Thales, are developing an ASW capability, which was tested for the first time during this NATO exercise. The demonstrated scenario was the surveillance and protection of the approaches to a strategic port. With a barrier of sonobuoys already laid, the S-100 equipped with a Wescam MX-8 EO/IR sensor in the nose and a Thales BlueScan data relay sensor, was deployed to monitor the transmission of data from the sonobuoys and relayed it to the command cell ashore, permitting the detection and classification of possible enemy submarines.
The major NATO exercise also enabled the CAMCOPTER S-100 to show its existing prowess completing ISR, Search and Rescue (SAR) and cargo delivery operations. Equipped with an Overwatch Imaging PT-8 Oceanwatch and a Wescam MX-10, the S-100 showed how easily it could automatically detect and identify small objects at sea in various sea states, as a valuable part of ISR and SAR missions. With its suspended cargo delivery net, the CAMCOPTER S-100 also successfully delivered medical supplies from the port to a ship nearby.
Hans Georg Schiebel, Chairman of the Schiebel Group, said:
“It was an honour to participate in this year’s NATO’s exercise in Portugal. Together with Thales and the UK Royal Navy, we successfully completed numerous flight trials of the S-100, showcasing a variety of impressive capabilities. I am very proud to be able to state that with several hundred thousand flight hours under its belt, the CAMCOPTER® S-100 is the only established and operationally proven UAV of its class.” (Source: UAS VISION)
19 Oct 22. Moldova wants air defenses, as Russian missiles fly overhead. Moldova’s Defence Minister Anatolie Nosatîi has said that the country aims to buy new air defense systems following recent airspace violations by the Russian military.
Nosatîi said that in the past days a number of Russian missiles were fired from the Black Sea and subsequently flew over Moldova’s territory to strike targets in Ukraine.
“Under normal circumstances, in the event of an airspace violation, air defense forces enter a state of combat and measures are taken to intercept flying targets such as missiles or aircraft that violate a state’s national space,” the minister said, as quoted by local news agency IPN.
Moldova is landlocked, but the country’s southern part lies in proximity of the Ukrainian Black Sea coast.
Nosatîi said that the Moldovan authorities plan to pass legislation that will allow the country’s government to establish multi-year defense acquisition programs. As air defense systems are expensive, Moldova hopes that its Western partners will help purchase the weapons, according to the minister.
The official also stated that, under the country’s agreement with Germany, the Moldovan Armed Forces are to receive new drones and other military gear in the first months of 2023.
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has raised concern amid Moldovan officials that the country, whose constitution requires it to remain a neutral state, could be Moscow’s next target. Russia has long backed Transnistria, a breakaway republic in Moldova’s eastern part, and observers have speculated the Kremlin could use the statelet to facilitate its attacks on Ukraine, or even invade Moldova. (Source: Defense News Early Bird/Defense News)
19 Oct 22. Defexpo 2022: SFO Technologies, DRDO partner to develop high-energy laser system. Kochi-based SFO Technologies Private Limited has been collaborating with the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) to develop a high-energy laser system for the Indian Armed Forces.
SFO Technologies has partnered with the DRDO’s Centre for High Energy Systems and Sciences (CHESS) to develop a 2 kW continuous wave or constant wave (CW) single-mode fibre laser using Yb 3+ -doped double-clad fibre, a source familiar with the matter told Janes at Defexpo 2022, being held in Gandhinagar, Gujarat, from 18 to 22 October.
According to the source, three prototypes of the system have been developed by SFO Technologies.
“The first and second prototypes were reviewed and accepted by CHESS in June and August, respectively,” the source said.
The third and final prototype is scheduled to be accepted by CHESS on 19 October at SFO Technologies’ facility at Kochi, the source added.
One of the prototypes is undergoing field trials against ground targets, the source told Janes. (Source: Janes)
19 Oct 22. The US Marine Corps successfully completed a series of interception tests of an air defense system incorporating RAFAEL’s TAMIR IRON DOME interceptor.
The latest live fire test culminates a series of three trials carried out over the past year, and for the third time the system successfully intercepted a wide variety of targets. In this latest test, the ability to continuously launch TAMIR IRON DOME interceptors from a mobile launcher developed by the Marines was also tested.
The series of tests were conducted by the Marines at the White Sands facility in New Mexico as part of the development program to test a new prototype system for Medium Range Intercept Capability (MRIC – Medium Range Intercept Capability).
“The three tests that took place this year proved that the performance of the MRIC system with IRON DOME interceptors is good and provides a dedicated launcher solution for the Marines,” said Don Kelly, Project Manager in the Air Defense Department (GBAD) of the Marine Corps’ Land Directorate (PEO Land Systems) at the end of the test.
Executive Vice President and Head of the Air and Missile Defense Directorate at RAFAEL Brigadier General (Ret.) Pini Yungman: “Once again, RAFAEL’s systems have proven that they are able to integrate into existing systems and create synergy between systems, providing optimal performance. RAFAEL’s advanced systems are developed with an “open architecture” allowing seamless integration with other systems. In the latest test conducted by the Marines, a successful combination of the TAMIR interceptor launched from a new launcher developed under the leadership of the Marines, combined with the Marines’ radar system and the battle management system, which are systems developed by American industries, was demonstrated.
19 Oct 22. Lockheed Martin to establish national IAMD ecosystem in Australia. The ecosystem will bring together academia, government and industry partners to develop the nation’s IAMD capabilities.
Lockheed Martin Australia has announced its plans to invest $46.61m (A$74m) to set up a new national integrated air and missile defence (IAMD) ecosystem in Australia.
The establishment of this ecosystem will allow Australia to make a significant contribution to the IAMD systems’ global supply chain.
It will bring together different academia, government and industry partners to develop, enhance and sustain IAMD capabilities in the country.
The company said that this inclusive national ecosystem will also generate various local employment opportunities.
Lockheed Martin Rotary and Missions Systems Australia and New Zealand international business development director Kendell Kuczma said: “By enhancing integration and interoperability across all warfighting domains, the IAMD Ecosystem will improve situational awareness and support rapid decision making on missions throughout the Indo-Pacific region.”
The IAMD ecosystem will include different infrastructure and collaboration tools to link operators and engineers for quickly addressing the issues and fielding the system.
It will provide real-time feedback from the warfighters, which in turn will help the Australian industry partners to provide direct solutions to deter existing and future threats.
The Australian Defence Forces (AFD) can also try various new capabilities before fielding them, under the ecosystem’s ‘try before it buys’ concept that leverages advanced tools and a secure digital environment.
The company will mainly focus on two areas, namely a National IAMD Centre and a research and development (R&D) pipeline.
The centre will be the ecosystem’s main physical hub, while the R&D pipeline will support innovation efforts via small and medium enterprises (SMEs) and science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) initiatives.
Last year, Lockheed Martin was selected as one of the two companies to work on the ADF’s AIR6500 Joint Air Battle Management System (JABMS) programme.
18 Oct 22. Nexter, Thales present final RapidFire turret design for French Navy. Nexter Systems and Thales have released the final design for a new 40 mm naval air defense system, expecting deliveries to the French Navy to begin in the next few months. The companies presented an at-scale mockup of the final design for their RapidFire system at the Nexter booth during the biennial Euronaval trade conference, taking place here Oct. 18-21.
The gun system has been in development since 2019, Olivier Lequeux, Nexter’s turret market director, told reporters Tuesday on the show floor. Developed for the French Navy, the RapidFire is designed for low-layer ground-to-air defense – particularly anti-drone warfare – and can protect ships, land units, or bases against a wide range of threats such as jet skis, boats, loitering ammunition, swarms of unmanned aerial systems (UAVs), light aircraft or missiles up to 4,000 meters away.
The gun system is based on the 40CTA (40 mm Cased Telescoped Ammunition) cannon co-developed 25 years ago by Nexter and BAE Systems under the joint venture CTAI. The cannon is in use on the EBRC Jaguar armored reconnaissance vehicle, developed for the French and Belgian armies, and will also be installed on the Ajax armored fighting vehicles in development by General Dynamics for the British Army.
The initial program of record is to deliver four RapidFires to the French Navy, which will equip its new tanker vessels – known in French as batiments ravitailleurs de force, or BRF – with two systems each. The first system is scheduled to be delivered in late 2022 or early 2023, Lequeux said. The first two systems are currently undergoing testing and evaluations.
The companies expect to ultimately deliver over 40 systems to the navy, to equip other vessels including the service’s ocean patrol vessels, and future mine warfare vessels. The RapidFire could also serve as secondary artillery for France’s first-rank frigates and carriers, said Norbert Cadapeaud, product line manager at Thales Land and Air Systems.
Thales and Nexter developed a road map for the air defense system over a decade ago, when the two companies began to identify the need to detect and track very small and very fast targets, Lequeux said.
“To have the capacity to engage a swarm of drones is completely new for this type of system, and for us it was very important,” he said.
Incorporating a panoramic sight on the turret was also critical, as was the development of new ammunition – the Anti-Aerial Airburst (A3B) round dedicated against air targets. Nexter is currently undergoing two years of internal qualifications with the A3B round, which must then be tested and qualified by France’s military procurement office, the Delegation Generale de l’Armement (DGA).
The RapidFire will be equipped with five different types of ammunition, including the A3B. The ammunition can be automatically identified and selected to counter the designated threat, Cadapeaud noted. The optronic sight is capable of operating independently from the gun or connected to the command management system (CMS), and the turret operates passively when not in firing mode, he added.
The companies’ roadmap includes adding guided munitions to the turret, per Nexter’s Lequeux.
The RapidFire includes some adaptations from its land-based variant, such as to account for the different munition weights, he added. But the land and naval versions will be assembled on the same production line, with modifications occurring only at the very end of the process.
Nexter is on contract to deliver 40 CTA cannons under the French army’s Scorpion modernization program for the next four decades, meaning the RapidFire can be produced for equally as long, Lequeux noted.
Thales and Nexter expect a number of export opportunities for the RapidFire as well, but declined to offer specifics. (Source: Defense News)
19 Oct 22. Nexter and Thales unveil new design of RAPIDFire turret.
- The temporary consortium formed by Nexter and Thales is exhibiting the RAPIDFire system turret in its final form on the Nexter stand at Euronaval.
- This remotely operated naval and land artillery system provides platforms with a close-in self-defence capability against air and surface threats.
- One of the first systems produced will be installed on French Navy fleet replenishment tanker Jacques Chevallier in early 2023 ahead of the at-sea qualification phase.
A new close-in protection system
Designed to protect platforms from low-level air threats, including drones, RAPIDFire is one of the only air defence systems that can autonomously and automatically acquire, identify and destroy a threat using target designation data provided by a combat management system. With a ready rack of 140 rounds of ammunition, corresponding to about 30 interceptions, the system offers effective firepower against drones and swarms of drones, avoiding attrition of surface-to-air missiles in the event of a saturation attack.
Thanks to automatic real-time selection of different types of ammunition, RAPIDFire is the only system capable of defeating all types of threats, including personal watercraft, free-floating mines, ships, loitering munitions, unmanned aerial systems, fighter jets, attack helicopters and missiles at ranges of up to 4,000 metres.
RAPIDFire is extremely accurate and can defeat threats with no risk of collateral damage thanks to the coupling between the fire control system and the turret, and ultimately through the use of Anti Aerial Airburst (A3B) munitions.
A3B rounds are time-fuzed for greater effectiveness against all types of targets and cannot be jammed, decoyed or triggered by clutter.
RAPIDFire is built around the 40 mm CTA gun suite and ammunition and has already been adopted by the armed forces of France, the United Kingdom and Belgium.
A powerhouse of advanced technologies
- Compact, modern architecture accommodating the 40 mm CTA gun, ammunition and sighting system to autonomously ensure high interception accuracy while retaining a non-penetrating turret design
- 40 mm CTA gun compatible with the full range of 40 mm telescoped munitions from CTAI, including the future Anti Aerial Airburst (A3B) round against airborne targets
- High-precision optronic fire control system from Thales, with a multispectral sight and high-rate laser rangefinder built into the turret
- Multi-target capability with fast-into-action time and automatic selection of different types of ammunition.
A multi-domain system
RAPIDFire can be readily adapted for land-based platforms such as the CAESAR MkII truck chassis. Thanks to its intuitive user interface and on-the-move firing capability, this system can be seamlessly integrated into a fixed or mobile air defence system to protect combat units on the ground as well as military bases, logistics convoys, sensitive sites and high-value assets.
14 Oct 22. Saab to base Australia’s next-gen combat system on 9LV architecture. The next-generation sovereign combat management system (CMS) to be delivered by Saab to the Royal Australian Navy (RAN) under an ‘Enterprise Partnering Agreement’ (EPA) with the Australian Department of Defence (DoD) will be based on the company’s 9LV CMS, a spokesperson for Saab told Janes in late September.
“In time, [this Australian CMS (AusCMS)] will be fitted to all RAN ships that require a CMS or Australian Interface,” the spokesperson said.
The RAN’s “Supply, Arafura, Anzac, Canberra, Bay, Hobart, and Hunter classes are all either under consideration or active development”, the spokesperson added.
Saab announced on 8 September that it has signed the final stage of the EPA with the DoD.
This is a 10-year agreement to deliver high-technology systems to support the RAN, the spokesperson informed Janes.
The EPA with Saab was initially announced by the Australian government in February 2020 to supply a “next-generation” CMS to the RAN, and develop an Australian Interface to the Aegis system for the Hunter-class frigates and the Hobart-class destroyers. (Source: Janes)
18 Oct 22. MBDA and MILTECH sign R&D contract for stealth materials. MBDA and MILTECH have signed an R&D contract in the field of novel infrared stealth materials for military applications, in collaboration with the University of Patras. This contract falls under the co-operation programme associated with the FDI HN (Defence and Intervention Frigates for the Hellenic Navy), and supports European efforts towards independence in the defence industrial base.
Eric Béranger, CEO of MBDA, declared: “The contract that we’ve signed today with MILTECH is a perfect example of how we champion innovation and co-operation at MBDA. By moving forward in the research of deeply innovative and disruptive technologies we have also reinforced for the long term the historical partnership we have built with Greece”.
MBDA has supported the Greek Land, Marine and Air forces for over 25 years which has allowed the creation of many collaborations with Greek Defence companies, as well as the identification of particular competences in several advanced technologies.
This is the reason why MBDA started advanced negotiations with several companies (INTRACOM, AKMON, ELFON, TEMMA, DASYC, SSA, HAI and MEVACO) to set up industrial co-operation projects, including competency transfers, for the benefit of the Greek armed forces.
The purpose of these co-operation programmes, associated with contracts such as providing the FDI HN frigates with missile systems, is to directly embed selected Greek companies in MBDA’s supply chain. By doing so they can benefit from the opportunities that future international contracts represent in the long term.
About MBDA:
MBDA is the only European group capable of designing and producing missiles and missile systems that correspond to the full range of current and future operational needs of the three armed forces (land, sea and air). With a significant presence in five European countries and within the USA, in 2021 MBDA achieved revenue of 4.2bn euro with an order book of 17.8bn euro. In total, the group offers a range of 45 missile systems and countermeasures products already in operational service and more than 15 others currently in development.
MBDA is jointly owned by Airbus (37.5%), BAE Systems (37.5%), and Leonardo (25%).
About MILTECH:
MILTECH HELLAS S.A. is one of the leading Hellenic companies in the defence sector specializing in design and manufacture of high quality, cost effective electronic products for defence applications. The company has an extensive experience in Electro-optical Systems and Thermal imaging cameras. Its portfolio includes portable devices (uncooled thermal sights & monoculars, thermal binoculars) along with fixed surveillance systems (Thermal / Day cameras with integrated Laser Range Finder, GPS & Compass), for Land and Sea applications.
About the University of Patras:
The University of Patras is the third largest higher education organization in Greece. The Department of Materials Science was established in 1999 performing high quality research and education in the areas of micro/nanophase, molecular, hybrid, and BioPhase materials and related technologies. It has been highly marked by the independent Hellenic Quality Assurance and Accreditation Agency (HQAA) as a unit of Academic Excellence offering an internationally Certified Programme of Studies. The Photonics Nanotechnology Research Laboratory-K22 (PNRL-K22), is active in the field of nanostructured photonic materials and their applications. The team focuses on computer generated diffractive, holographic and nanophotonic structures for photonic sensors, novel imaging and information optics.
18 Oct 22. Saab delivers first lightweight torpedo to Swedish FMV.
The torpedo is primarily meant for the Swedish Navy’s Visby-class corvettes and other submarines.
Sweden-based aerospace and defence company Saab has handed over the first lightweight torpedo system to the Swedish procurement agency Defence Material Administration (FMV).
The lightweight torpedo will be used by the country’s naval forces to counter foreign submarines.
It has been designated as ‘Torped 47’ by the Swedish Armed Forces.
The new Torped 47 is primarily meant for the Swedish Navy’s Visby-class corvettes and other submarines.
Saab said that its lightweight torpedoes can also be integrated with helicopters.
Following the delivery, the company is currently carrying out the final evaluation of the torpedo system to validate its capabilities to fulfil the requirements of the Royal Swedish Navy.
Once this final verification is complete, the torpedo system will be commissioned into the service by the navy.
Saab business area dynamics head Görgen Johansson said: “The first delivery of our new lightweight torpedo marks an important milestone for the development project, which is one of our largest ever within our business unit Underwater Systems.
“Now the process of commissioning and replacing Sweden’s existing lightweight torpedo with a new one begins, with Saab ensuring that Sweden has a state-of-the-art lightweight torpedo at forefront of technology.”
According to Saab, the new lightweight torpedoes are being developed particularly for performing in the Baltic Sea region, in shallow water environments and complex topography and seabed. (Source: naval-technology.com)
17 Oct 22. Indian submarine INS Arihant test-fires submarine launched ballistic missile. The test validated various technological and operational capabilities of the SLBM system. The Indian Navy ’s indigenously built nuclear-powered submarine INS Arihant has successfully tested a submarine launched ballistic missile (SLBM). This was announced by the Indian Ministry of Defence (MoD) in a media statement. The SLBM’s user training test-launch was carried out in the Bay of Bengal region on 14 October. According to the Indian MoD, the weapon system was tested to a ‘pre-determined range’ and was successful in intercepting the target area with high precision.
This test allowed the Indian Navy to assess and verify various technological and operational capabilities of the missile system.
The latest test also helped in determining the competency of INS Arihant’s crew members, while simultaneously validating the Indian Navy ’s ship submersible ballistic, nuclear (SSBN) submarine programme.
In 2013, the Indian Navy completed development trials of its first SLBM K-15 Sagarika (B05), for deployment with the nuclear-powered submarine INS Arihant.
In another development, the Indian Navy ’s Talwar-class guided missile frigate INS Tarkash has participated in the seventh iteration of joint India-Brazil-South Africa maritime (IBSAMAR) exercise.
The trilateral exercise was conducted in Port Gqeberha, South Africa between 10 and 12 October.
It aimed to enhance the military training interoperability of the participating assets and forces to combat maritime crimes, to safeguard Sea Lines of Communication as well as to bolster maritime relations between the three nations.
Apart from INS Tarkash, the Indian Navy ’s Chetak light utility helicopter (LUH) and Marine Commandos (Marcos) special forces personnel also took part in the drills. The exercise was divided into two phases, including harbour and the sea phase. The harbour phase involved professional lectures, exchanges, joint diving training and cross-deck visits, while the sea phase included a wide range of maritime operations. (Source: naval-technology.com)
14 Oct 22. SHORAD laser weapon will stay in development phase longer than planned. A 50-kilowatt laser weapon version of the Army’s Stryker-based Short-Range Air Defense system will remain a development program longer than planned to ensure it can be produced at a larger scale.
“We are going to keep [the Directed Energy Maneuver-SHORAD] system in [the Rapid Capabilities and Critical Technologies Office] for a little while longer while we continue to learn and continue to mature,” Lt. Gen. Robert Rasch, the office’s new chief and the former program executive officer for missiles and space, told Defense News in an interview ahead of the Association of the U.S. Army’s annual conference.
“We want to make sure when we actually transition a program or a capability that we mature not just the prototype from an operational capability but have a good competitive space and good manufacturability processes in place as well to make that PEO successful,” he said.
As of now, Rasch said he is projecting the effort will become a program of record in fiscal 2024 and the PEO Missiles and Space would officially take it over in FY25. The original plan was to transfer the program in 2023.
The Army is still planning on a future competition for the program, Rasch said.
The idea is to conduct a competition before the transfer to the PEO, “but those are still decisions ahead,” he said, “where we kind of want to leave some decision space for Army senior leaders.”
The effort to put a laser on an M-SHORAD vehicle began in mid-2019, when the Army awarded KBR subsidiary Kord Technologies a contract to integrate a laser system onto the vehicle. Kord, as the program’s prime contractor, subsequently awarded subcontracts to Northrop Grumman and Raytheon Technologies teams to develop the laser module.
The competition between Northrop and Raytheon to produce the laser module was intended to culminate in a shoot-off between the two teams. Kord and the Army then planned to agree on a winner and proceed with integration of the selected module onto three more Strykers to make a platoon’s worth of directed energy-capable SHORAD systems.
Supplied to both teams was a General Dynamics Land Systems-built Stryker and a power and thermal management system from Rocky Research, a Nevada-based company focused on thermal management technology. Rocky Research was acquired by Honeywell in October 2020.
Northrop took itself out of the running ahead of the shoot-off in early 2021 after problems with the power and thermal management system resulted in a fire and smoke damage to the laser system and other components. Northrop continued to have issues with the system and decided it couldn’t continue after a January 2021 checkout.
Following the shoot-off in 2021, the Army awarded Raytheon a $123 m contract to supply the laser weapon.
The first set of Stryker combat vehicles equipped with 50-kilowatt laser weapons will be delivered to a unit of Army soldiers at Fort Sill, Oklahoma, by the end of the year, Rasch said. “We’ll be getting those within the next month, month-and-a-half,” he added, “so we are in final build and final integration … but we’re making sure our industry partners get it right before we give it to the soldiers.”
Evan Hunt, who is in charge of high energy lasers in Raytheon’s intelligence & space business division, said the company is ready for production orders and has invested in a laser weapon manufacturing facility in McKinney, Texas.
Meanwhile, Lockheed Martin is also readying itself for the directed-energy SHORAD competition. A year ago at AUSA, the company unveiled DEIMOS, which stands for Directed Energy Interceptor for Maneuver Short-Range Air Defense, and is also the name of the Greek god of dread and terror.
Like the current prototype system, DEIMOS is a 50 kilowatt-class laser weapon designed for integration onto a Stryker vehicle.
The company will demonstrate “first light” before the end of 2022 with its system, “where we will actually be measuring the beam quality of our system,” Amaan Sattar, Lockheed’s director of laser and sensor systems, said in a recent media roundtable.
“We’ll be demonstrating end-to-end performance of what we think is our game-changing, low-cost spectral beam combination architecture,” he said.
(Source: C4ISR & Networks)
17 Oct 22. Lockheed Martin Australia unveils AIR 6500 investment initiative. The prime has committed to establishing a new facility to support prospective work to develop integrated air and missile defence capability for Australia.
Lockheed Martin Australia (LMA) has announced plans to invest $74 m in the establishment of a national integrated air and missile defence (IAMD) ecosystem, designed to foster collaboration on technology underpinning the AIR 6500 Joint Air Battle Management System (JABMS) project.
The investment would focus on two primary areas — a national IAMD centre serving as a physical hub, and an R&D pipeline to facilitate sovereign innovation through small and medium-sized enterprises, and science, technology, engineering and mathematics activities.
This would include supporting real-time feedback from warfighters, allowing Australian industry to develop solutions in response to changing requirements.
The initiative also seeks to “unlock powerful decision advantages” by leveraging advanced tools that “optimise tactics, investments and trade-offs”.
This would purportedly allow the Australian Defence Force (ADF) to “try before it buys” new capabilities.
Warren McDonald, chief executive, Lockheed Martin Australia and New Zealand, said the country is well placed to play a leading role in developing IAMD capability to defend against rapidly evolving threats. (Source: Defence Connect)
13 Oct 22. US artillery officials nudging European armies to link their big guns. U.S. Army officials overseeing long-range weaponry are urging their counterparts in Europe to link artillery capabilities with those of NATO members, as the war in Ukraine highlights the importance of the weapon. The push comes amid a growing belief that defending the alliance rests in large part on interoperability among friendly militaries. In the case of field artillery, that means synchronizing weapons and sensors of weapons of different countries so they can engage targets as one force.
Maj. Gen. Stephen Maranian, commanding general of the U.S. Army’s 56th Artillery Command in Germany, said he and his staff have been fanning out to allies in Europe to gauge their plans and capabilities when it comes to fires, and what obstacles exist to netting the systems for greater combat punch.
“What we’re seeing from watching what’s happening to our east is fires formations are very relevant in 2022 and in the future,” the said this week at the annual convention of the Association of the United States Army in Washington. As a result, he added, nations want to invest in modernized artillery.
Russia’s war against Ukraine has featured long-range fires as key element of combat since 2014, when Moscow’s forces established a front line in the Donbas region following the annexation of Crimea. The full-scale invasion in February 2022 saw Russia throw even more of the weapons at the front lines.
Western countries, in turn, have supported Ukraine with limited amounts of their own weapons, including HIMARS and M777 howitzers from the U.S., CAESAR guns from France, the self-propelled Krab from Poland and Panzerhaubitze 2000 from Germany and the Netherlands. Weapon stocks in Europe are low, however, and most nations have said they are sending only what they can spare while maintaining a credible national defense.
Maranian said U.S. Army officials are piggy-backing on the service’s exercise campaign in Europe to test new concepts for linking artillery forces. At this year’s iteration of the Dynamic Front drill in July, for example, participants put on a “proof of principle” to that end at the Grafenwöhr training area in Germany, he said. The event paired a U.S. artillery brigade with a multinational fires brigade comprised of 11 nations, with NATO’s Allied Rapid Reaction Corps providing command and control.
“We were able to validate the concept that you could put together formations of smaller donations from countries that don’t necessarily have a whole battalion or brigade to give,” Maranian said.
The idea now is to see how neighboring nations – ideally with the same equipment, but not necessarily – decide to form regional clusters of linked artillery on the continent, he explained. Suitable groupings could be in Scandinavia, the Baltics and the nations of south-eastern Europe, for example.
“I think that’s the way ahead: to be able to optimize the artillery that does exist in the alliance as we modernize,” said Maranian. (Source: Defense News)
14 Oct 22. Poland to buy hundreds of SKorean Chunmoo multiple-rocket launchers. Poland has completed its negotiations with South Korea to buy close to 300 K239 Chunmoo multiple-rocket launchers, with a contract expected to be signed during next week’s visit by Polish Deputy Prime Minister and Defence Minister Mariusz Błaszczak to Seoul.
“It’s an excellent artillery weapon, and based on our observations from the war in Ukraine we can clearly see how much advantage can artillery create on the battlefield,” Błaszczak told local news site I.PL.
Last May, the minister announced he signed a letter of request to purchase about 500 M142 High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems, or HIMARS, from the United States. However, the latest development indicates Warsaw understands it will not be able to buy as many U.S. systems as it originally planned.
“We’re aware that we will not receive all 500 HIMARS launchers, for which we have sent a letter of request, within a timeline that would be satisfactory to us,” Błaszczak said. “We decided to split the HIMARS order into stages. We will have both the HIMARS and the Chunmoo.”
The minister said that, under the plan, the first South Korean launchers, which are made by Hanwha Group, are to be delivered to Poland in 2023.
“In addition to these launchers, we will also acquire a very large number of missiles, both precision strike missiles for a distance of up to 70 km, and tactical missiles with a range of about 300 km,” according to Błaszczak.
The value of the planned contract, which will further expand Poland’s reliance on South Korean weapons, was not disclosed. A series of deals signed in the last months for the purchase of tanks, howitzers, and aircraft made the country Seoul’s largest defense client in Europe. (Source: Defense News)