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17 Jan 19. Tornado Planes on Display at Museums But in Service in German Air Force – Report. The Tornado aircraft were developed jointly by Italy, the United Kingdom and West Germany during the Cold War, but the warplanes have not been produced since 1998. Despite Tornado fighter-bombers already on display in museums in the US, Bulgaria and even Germany itself, these warplanes are still in service with the German army, and the country’s Defence Ministry has yet to decide on their replacement, according to Die Welt. The newspaper recalled that the Tornado planes, along with the newer Eurofighter aircraft, remain the backbone of the country’s air force. The Tornados, which has been in service since the 1980s, are expected to remain in the German Air Force until 2025.However, Die Welt reported, the process of replacing the Tornados is by no means guaranteed, not least due to the German Defence Ministry’s “political contradictions”.
While German Air Force officials favour the notion of buying US-made warplanes, Airbus is trying to compel Germany to purchase its Eurofighters; the company claims this will be in line with the need to support European aircraft manufacturing.
“It is no longer possible to delay with the decision on the replacement as the costs of operating old aircraft are growing, and it’s becoming increasingly difficult to provide them with the necessary spare parts,” Die Welt reported.
What’s more, due to the lack of spare parts and the German Defence Ministry’s reluctance to train pilots in the US, the process of preparing Tornado crews “becomes unreasonably long”, according to Die Welt.
“German Air Force inspector Lieutenant-General Ingo Gerhartz admitted that he would prefer to see Tornado only in a museum of military history, which is why it is important for the country’s Defence Ministry to quickly resolve the issue of their replacement”, the newspaper concluded.
Panavia Tornado is a multirole combat aircraft with variable sweep wing, developed in the early 1970s by the German company Messerschmitt-Bölkow-Blohm together with the British company British Aerospace and Italy’s Alenia Aeronautica. (Source: defense-aerospace.com/Sputnik New)
16 Jan 19. France condemns failed Iran satellite launch, urges halt to ballistics tests. France on Wednesday condemned a failed Iranian satellite launch that it said used technology applicable to long-range missiles and urged Tehran to stop all ballistic tests which are not in line with U.N. resolutions. It was the latest in a string of French comments expressing irritation at Iran’s ongoing ballistic missile programme despite attempts over the last two years by France and other European powers to open talks on the subject with Iranian authorities.
“The Iranian ballistic programme is a source of concern for the international community and France,” Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Agnes von der Muhll said in a statement.
Iranian officials said on Tuesday their bid to launch a satellite had failed. President Hassan Rouhani said on Wednesday that the Islamic Republic would be ready for a new satellite launch in a few months.
Iran, which considers its space programme a matter of national pride, has said its space-vehicle launches and missile tests are not violations of U.N. resolutions and would continue.
Western powers are concerned that the long-range ballistic technology used to put satellites into orbit could also be used to launch nuclear warheads. Iran has repeatedly denied any intent to develop nuclear weapons.
“We call on Iran not to proceed with new ballistic missile tests designed to be able to carry nuclear weapons, including space launchers, and urge Iran to respect its obligations under all U.N. Security Council resolutions,” von der Muhll said. (Source: Reuters)
14 Jan 19. Defence Secretary: UK ‘Will Succeed’ With or Without Deal to Leave EU. Gavin Williamson has told MPs that regardless of whether the UK leaves the European Union with a deal or without, the country “will succeed”. The Defence Secretary made the comments before the Prime Minister was due to stand in the House of Commons to make a renewed case for her Brexit deal. It also comes as Ministry of Defence staff make contingency plans in case there is a no-deal Brexit.
Mr Williamson, speaking at Defence Questions, said: “This country always has and always will succeed, whether we’re in the European Union, whether we’re outside of the European Union, whether we have a deal or no deal, Britain will succeed and Britain will prosper.”
He made the remark in response to a question from Shadow Defence Secretary Nia Griffith who raised concerns about the dangers of a no-deal Brexit for defence.
She said: “No deal means that we would have to withdraw from all CSDP (Common Security and Defence Policy) missions with our seconded personnel sent home forthwith, we’d be permanently shut out of the European Defence Agency and the defence fund undermining vital research in industrial cooperation and our defence industry would be hit by crippling tariffs and delays at the border putting in jeopardy the equipment that our armed forces need.
“So, given all of this, does the Secretary of State agree that a no-deal Brexit would be catastrophic for defence and security?”
Mr Williamson responded: “I don’t agree at all, our country can and will succeed with whatever it has to deal with and whatever it faces.
“Much of defence collaboration is done through third-party organisations, whether it’s NATO, whether it be through the United Nations, whether it be joint expeditionary force and actually as I already touched upon most of our defence industrial collaboration is not done through the European Union.”
A Labour MP claimed the Government’s “botched” Brexit negotiations over the Galileo satellite system were risking lower investment in the Armed Forces.
Lyn Brown said: “£1.2bn of UK investment in the Galileo system may now have been wasted because of this Government’s failed negotiations. This Government now wants us to spend billions more on a delayed, diplomatically divisive and frankly sketchy system just to cover up for their failure.
“How much more does the minister expect the women and men of our Armed Forces to suffer from lower investment in them because of this Government’s botched Brexit negotiations?”
Defence minister Stuart Andrew replied: “£92m has been allocated from the Treasury EU exit fund to the engineering, development and design phase of a UK global navigation satellite system which is currently underway.
“The UK Space Agency is leading the work with the full support of the Ministry of Defence.”
Shadow defence minister Wayne David asked how many British companies had “lost out on important contracts for Galileo as a result of the Government’s failure”.
Mr Andrew replied: “I’m sure that the great British industry that we have will provide us with a system that we need.” (Source: defense-aerospace.com/British Forces News)
12 Jan 19. France, Germany aim to unify their clashing weapons-export rules. The German Cabinet has approved a new, high-level pact with France that calls for a common approach to weapons exports in all joint programs. The objective is included in the so-called Aachener Vertrag, slated to be signed by French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Angela Merkel in the German city of Aachen on Jan. 22. The document is meant to be a milestone agreement complementary of the Élysée Treaty, signed 56 years ago, further cementing ties on all levels between the former World War II foes. Berlin and France previously clashed over the question of export limitations for the Future Combat Air System, a sixth-generation warplane envisioned to take flight sometime around 2040, Germany’s Der Spiegel reported last fall. France generally is open to exporting arms to many governments willing to pay for them. German leaders profess to take a more cautious approach when human rights concerns crop up, though the government has a history of making arms deals through the back door anyway.
The different philosophies came to a head following the death of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi on Oct. 2, which some have alleged was orchestrated by Saudi Arabian Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. The Saudi ruling family has denied the allegations, buoyed by the Trump administration’s decision to play down the matter.
The allegations led Merkel to publicly call for halting weapons exports to Saudi Arabia, a move that drew a sharp rebuke from Paris, where officials fumed about what they perceived as German sanctimoniousness.
France and Germany’s diverging export policies are based on their respective “strategic cultures,” said Wolfgang Rudischhauser, vice president of the Federal Academy for Security Policy in Berlin. Germany considers itself a “peace power,” whereas France models its policies on the premise of an “intervention army,” he said.
Asked whether the section on harmonizing export policies in the Aachener Vertrag was aimed at least in part at the future combat aircraft program, a spokesman for the German foreign ministry pointed out that no projects were explicitly mentioned in the draft treaty text.
That program, together with a future main battle tank and a future combat drone, forms the backbone of Franco-German defense ambitions, with tens of billions of dollars at stake.
With a concrete objective toward harmonizing arms-export rules now on the books between Paris and Berlin, Rudischhauser argued that a European Union-wide regime would be needed in the end.
“That would require ceding certain authorities to the EU, for which neither Germany nor France have shown an appetite,” he told Defense News.
To oversee the the new treaty’s defense provisions, the pact establishes a bilateral defense and security council, which would “convene regularly at the highest level.” (Source: Defense News Early Bird/Defense News)
16 Jan 19. Defence Committee. New Inquiry – Armed Forces Covenant Annual Report 2018. The Defence Committee launches an inquiry into the Armed Forces Covenant Annual Report 2018, examining progress for service personnel, veterans and their families in areas such as healthcare, accommodation, education, through-life support and transition into civilian employment, as well as the challenges in ensuring consistent implementation across the UK.
The terms of reference are:
- Which of the main challenges faced by Service personnel, veterans and their families should be addressed within the framework of the Armed Forces Covenant?
- Is the Armed Forces Covenant being implemented fully across the range of issues it covers? If not, why?
- What more can be done to ensure that the initiatives of the Covenant are sustainable, cost effective and provide maximum impact to the intended beneficiaries?
The Committee plans to hold oral evidence sessions in February and March.
The deadline for written evidence is 31 January 2019.
Submissions should state clearly who the submission is from e.g. ‘Written evidence submitted by <Name>’ and be no longer than 3,000 words. Please contact the Committee staff if you wish to discuss this.
Submissions must be a self-contained memorandum in Word or Rich Text Format (not PDFs). Paragraphs should be numbered for ease of reference and the document should, if possible, include an executive summary.
Submissions should be original work, not previously published or circulated elsewhere. Once submitted, your submission becomes the property of the Committee and no public use should be made of it unless you have first obtained permission from the Clerk of the Committee.
Please bear in mind that the Committee will not consider individual cases or matters currently before a court of law, or matters in respect of which court proceedings are imminent. If you anticipate such issues arising, you should discuss with the Clerk of the Committee how this might affect your submission.
The Committee normally, though not always, chooses to publish the written evidence it receives. If there is any information you believe to be sensitive you should highlight it and explain what harm you believe would result from its disclosure; the Committee will take this into account in deciding whether to publish or further disclose the evidence.
The personal information you supply will be processed in accordance with the provisions of the Data Protection Act 1998 for the purposes of attributing the evidence you submit and contacting you as necessary in connection with its processing. The Clerk of the House of Commons is the data controller for the purposes of the Act.
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About Lincad
Lincad is a leading expert in the design and manufacture of batteries, chargers and associated products for a range of applications across a number of different sectors. With a heritage spanning more than three decades in the defence and security sectors, Lincad has particular expertise in the development of reliable, ruggedised products with high environmental, thermal and electromagnetic performance. With a dedicated team of engineers and production staff, all product is designed and manufactured in-house at Lincad’s facility in Ash Vale, Surrey. Lincad is ISO 9001 and TickITplus accredited and works closely with its customers to satisfy their power management requirements.
Lincad is also a member of the Joint Supply Chain Accreditation Register (JOSCAR), the accreditation system for the aerospace, defence and security sectors, and is certified with Cyber Essentials, the government-backed, industry supported scheme to help organisations protect themselves against common cyber attacks. The majority of Lincad’s products contain high energy density lithium-ion technology, but the most suitable technology for each customer requirement is employed, based on Lincad’s extensive knowledge of available electrochemistries. Lincad offers full life cycle product support services that include repairs and upgrades from point of introduction into service, through to disposal at the end of a product’s life. From product inception, through to delivery and in-service product support, Lincad offers the high quality service that customers expect from a recognised British supplier.
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