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14 Mar 22. Germany to buy up to 35 Lockheed F-35 fighter jets – sources. Germany will purchase F-35 fighter jets built by U.S. firm Lockheed Martin (LMT.N) to replace its ageing Tornado aircraft, according to two government sources, with one of the sources saying Berlin aims to buy up to 35 of the stealth jets. A German defence source told Reuters in early February that Germany was leaning toward purchasing the F-35 but a final decision had not been taken. rea The Tornado is the only German jet capable of carrying U.S. nuclear bombs, stored in Germany, in case of a conflict. But the air force has been flying the jet since the 1980s, and Berlin is planning to phase it out between 2025 and 2030. The F-35 buy will be a blow for Boeing (BA.N), whose F-18 was favoured by former German defence minister Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer to replace the Tornado. The decision could also upset France. Paris has watched Germany’s deliberations over the F-18 or more advanced F-35, concerned a deal could undermine the development of a joint Franco-German fighter jet that is supposed to be ready in the 2040s. Chancellor Olaf Scholz two weeks ago backed the ongoing joint programme with Paris. At the time, Scholz also announced that the Eurofighter jet, built by Franco-German Airbus (AIR.PA), would be developed further to be capable of electronic warfare, a role the Tornado also fulfils. (Source: Reuters)
10 Mar 22. Germany: Recession warning over fears of Russian energy freeze. The German Institute for Economic Research (DIW) warned on 9 March that a Russian freeze on energy exports to the EU risks causing a recession, following substantial EU sanctions on Russia. Although Germany has not committed to a ban on Russian oil and gas – which would have a ‘significant impact’ on the German economy according to DIW – the political mood within the EU is increasingly in favour of a ban on Russian energy, as pressure from Washington and Kyiv grows. Support within the EU is also increasing, with both Poland and Spain strongly in favour of a cut on Russian energy. Nevertheless, whilst pressure on Germany will grow in coming weeks, such a move is strongly opposed by German industry, with many sectoral representatives seeing a Russian energy embargo as a ‘red line’. As such, regional tensions within the EU risk escalating over the divergence in policy in the short term. (Source: Sibylline)
10 Mar 22. Ukraine war could cause a ‘renewed downturn’ in UK, warn economists. Living standards and growth are expected to be hit, with inflation now predicted to peak above 9% A Ukrainian soldier near Kyiv. The war has pushed up oil, gas and wheat prices © FT montage; AP Share on twitter (opens new window) Share on facebook (opens new window) Share on linkedin (opens new window) Share Save Valentina Romei in London 5 MINUTES AGO 0 Print this page Stay across the latest Ukraine coverage Subscribed The surge in commodity prices that followed Russia’s invasion of Ukraine will worsen the squeeze on UK living costs and reduce growth, economists have warned, as the Bank of England prepares its latest assessment of the economy. Oil, gas and wheat prices have risen sharply since late February, raising UK consumer prices and pointing to a higher peak in inflation this spring followed by a period of sustained high price rises. With forecasting groups, such as Goldman Sachs, now expecting inflation to peak above 9 per cent, the even higher prices will exacerbate the largest expected squeeze on household disposable incomes for 30 years, potentially slowing economic growth to a crawl. Thomas Pugh, economist at financial services company RSM UK, said that “once we factor in the impact of higher gas prices, tighter financial conditions and lower business and consumer confidence, we think that UK GDP growth [this year] could be between 0.75 and 1 percentage point lower than it otherwise would have been”. (Source: FT.com)
10 Mar 22. Russia: National “foreign agent” register likely to further constrain activist and media environment. The Russian lower-house State Duma is expected this week to approve a national register of persons linked to so-called “foreign agents”, referring to “politically active” individuals and organisations receiving overseas funding. The Justice Minister will oversee the register, which will include heads of non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and media outlets, in addition to their former and current employees, among other affiliates. Individuals will need to present all published materials and social media posts to the authorities. The move represents the latest in Moscow’s crackdown on independent journalism aimed at controlling the flow of information about its invasion of Ukraine. If implemented, the amendment will further restrict Russia’s independent media and activist environment, elevating reputational risks for remaining foreign firms. With state authorities having already arrested over 13,500 protestors since the beginning of the invasion, the measure will allow the government to intensify repression of activists to stave off largescale anti-war protests in the coming weeks. (Source: Sibylline)
10 Mar 22. Uncertainty is killing investment in industry essential to our national security, says union. GMB, which represents workers in the shipbuilding and repair sector, has slammed Ministers’ refusal to commit to placing orders in UK yards in their National Shipbuilding Strategy refresh.
Gary Smith, GMB General Secretary, said: “Ministers are again sowing uncertainty with their disastrous policy refusing to guarantee work for UK yards. The Government’s scheme of sending potentially every order overseas is killing investment. No other shipbuilding nation would dream of procuring its own vessels in this way. These jobs are essential to our national security. The world is becoming less stable and we need a clear industrial strategy for the defence sector that secures our capabilities at home.”
07 Mar 22. FCAS/SCAF stalls as industry fails to agree on Phase 1B terms.
Development work on the Future Combat Air System (FCAS)/Système de Combat Aérien Futur (SCAF) programme has effectively been halted, with the industrial partners unable to agree on workshare terms.
The CEO of France‘s Dassault, Éric Trappier, made the disclosure during an earnings call on 4 March, saying that he had pulled his engineers off the programme until his company is able to agree on a way forward with Germany‘s Airbus and Spain‘s Indra on Phase 1B of the project.
“The next phase of the work has not been awarded, [as] no agreement has been found with Airbus,” Trappier said, adding that he would return his engineers to the programme once a contract is signed. (Source: Janes)
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Founded in 1987, Exensor Technology is a world leading supplier of Networked Unattended Ground Sensor (UGS) Systems providing tailored sensor solutions to customers all over the world. From our Headquarters in Lund Sweden, our centre of expertise in Network Communications at Communications Research Lab in Kalmar Sweden and our Production site outside of Basingstoke UK, we design, develop and produce latest state of the art rugged UGS solutions at the highest quality to meet the most stringent demands of our customers. Our systems are in operation and used in a wide number of Military as well as Homeland Security applications worldwide. The modular nature of the system ensures any external sensor can be integrated, providing the user with a fully meshed “silent” network capable of self-healing. Exensor Technology will continue to lead the field in UGS technology, provide our customers with excellent customer service and a bespoke package able to meet every need. A CNIM Group Company
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