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12 Jan 24. France buys 42 Rafale jets for more than $5.5bn. France has ordered 42 Rafale fighter jets from Dassault Aviation in a deal worth more than €5bn (U.S. $5.5bn), the Armed Forces Ministry announced Friday. The purchase comes as French lawmakers express concerns about the Franco-German project to develop a successor to the Rafale. The Future Combat Air System, as it’s known, isn’t expected to enter service before 2045 or 2050, according to the French Senate’s defense committee.
The French defense procurement agency notified Dassault Aviation as well as equipment suppliers Thales, Safran and MBDA of the contract for the fifth production phase of the aircraft, the ministry said.
“This is excellent news for our sovereignty and security, and for our armed forces, which will benefit from additional Rafales with modernized operational capabilities,” Armed Forces Minister Sébastien Lecornu said in a statement.
The Rafale entered service with the French Navy in 2004 and the French Air Force in 2006, and has seen action in Afghanistan, Libya, Mali, Iraq and Syria. The latest contract brings the total number of Rafales ordered by France to 234, including a special order in 2021 for 12 fighters to replace aircraft transferred to Greece.
Export orders for the Rafale currently stand at 261 new aircraft; customers including Egypt, India, the United Arab Emirates and Indonesia. In addition, Greece and Croatia have each bought 12 secondhand Rafales from the French Air Force.
The new aircraft, meant for the Air and Space Force, will be one-seater versions and fitted to the F4 production standard, for which development started in 2018. The standard is focused on connectivity and includes MBDA’s Mica medium-range air-to-air missile as well as an upgrade of the Spectra self-defense system developed by Thales. Safran supplies the fighter’s M88 afterburning turbofan engine.
The jets are to received upgrades to the F5 standard in the 2030s, according to the ministry. The Senate has called for Dassault Aviation to start work on the upgrade — which might include a loyal wingman UAV based on the European nEUROn combat drone program — as early as 2024 due to the uncertainty around the Future Combat Air System. The FCAS could cost two to three times as much as a Rafale, while exports would be subject to approval by the German partner, senators said in a November report.
Until FCAS becomes operational, France will need a top-notch fighter to ensure the airborne component of its nuclear deterrent, the defense committee said.
The Rafale is considered a 4.5-generation fighter, similar to the Eurofighter Typhoon and Saab’s Gripen, and includes stealth technology, the ability to reach supersonic speed without the use of afterburners, engage in combat beyond visual range.
Dassault Aviation said existing Rafale orders, including the new contract, means the jet’s production line will be active for the next 10 years.
The company received orders for 60 Rafales in 2023, including the 42 for France and 18 for Indonesia, compared with 92 export orders in 2022, according to financials released separately on Friday. Deliveries last year amounted to 13 aircraft, missing the goal of 15 — ultimately one less fighter than it delivered in 2022. The company’s backlog for the Rafale increased to 211 at the end of December, including 141 for export; its backlog at the end of 2022 was 164.
The latest deal is the first major expenditure under France’s 2024-2030 military budget law, and will support more than 7,000 jobs across more than 400 companies, the ministry said.
(Source: Defense News)
12 Jan 24. Polish Armaments Group agrees defence agreements with UK firms.
The Polish Navy’s Miecznik (“Swordfish” in Polish) frigates programme will now begin its next phase of development.
- Latest phase of “Miecznik” programme to get underway in Poland
- Three major UK defence companies will help build state-of-the-art multi-mission frigate fleet
- “A major vote of confidence in our world-class expertise” – UK Investment Minister
The UK Government has welcomed deals between three of the UK’s largest defence contractors and the Polish Navy.
The Polish Navy’s Miecznik (“Swordfish” in Polish) frigates programme will now begin its next phase of development.
An agreement between MBDA UK and the Polish Armaments Group (PGZ) was signed today. This is the third of PGZ’s contracts with UK companies under the Miecznik programme, following agreements with Babcock and Thales UK. The first of the three multi-mission frigates is expected to enter service in 2029.
Investment Minister Lord Dominic Johnson said: “Our defence exports are good for the economy and boost investment and jobs across the country. This agreement is a major vote of confidence in our world-class industrial expertise. Poland is a key partner for the UK, and this partnership will further strengthen the Polish fleet by putting some of the best UK capabilities behind it. The UK government has supported negotiations for a series of strategic agreements between three major UK defence companies and the Polish Armaments Group. “
UK Defence and Security Exports (UKDSE), part of the UK Department for Business and Trade, has been a key player in facilitating and securing these deals, in close collaboration with the Ministry of Defence and Royal Navy. The aim is to strengthen long-term economic and defence cooperation between the two countries and support the UK’s competitive export offer.
These agreements mean the frigates will be built in Poland with substantial transfers of technology and skills, boosting the economic security of a key NATO ally.
Minister for Defence Procurement James Cartlidge said: “It is a testament to our outstanding defence industry that our key NATO ally has chosen warships based on the AH140 design – a design utilised by the Type 31 Frigates soon to be in service with the Royal Navy. The ships will enhance the Polish fleet, bolster NATO capabilities and support interoperability between the UK and Poland. These agreements are also another example of the very close working relationship we have with our Polish counterparts, building on our progress in many areas of defence. “
Each company plays a crucial role in the Polish frigate programme as a partner of the Miecznik consortium led by PGZ.
Through a design licence agreement for its Arrowhead 140 frigate, Babcock is the platform design provider and strategic technology partner. The company is also a key part of the Programme Management Office which oversees design and construction of the ships.
Thales UK will equip the frigates with the TACTICOS combat management system, sensors and radars, while MBDA UK will provide its Sea Ceptor naval air defence system, which will be equipped with CAMM (Common Anti-Air Modular Missile) family missiles that have been recently procured by Poland for ground-based air defence.
(Source: https://www.gov.uk/)
12 Jan 24. Missed opportunity: UK fails to fill Ford-shaped carrier capability hole.
A key raison d’etre of UK fleet carriers in “slotting into” US Navy deployments appears to have been missed when USS Gerald R Ford departed European waters.
The recent departure of the USS Gerald R Ford and its carrier strike group from the Mediterranean region, deployed following the outbreak of hostilities between Israel and Hamas in October last year, has left a carrier-shaped-capability-hole amid rising instability in the Red Sea.
Notable by their absence are either of the Royal Navy’s Queen Elizabeth-class aircraft carriers, with the UK instead committing to the deployment an amphibious ready group into the Indian Ocean at some point in 2024, followed by the return of a Queen Elizabeth-class carrier as part of a transit through to the Asia-Pacific region in 2025.
This appears a far cry from the reasoning given by then First Sea Lord, Admiral Sir Alan West, in evidence to the UK defence committee in 2004 when outlining the reasoning for the UK to pursue the return of full fleet carrier to its force structure. In the oft-cited evidence, West states the then US Chief of Naval Operations supported the UK’s decision to replace the Invincible-class light carriers with the 65,000 tonne Queen Elizabeth class as he foresaw the UK “slotting into” the deployments of the US Navy’s own flattops.
Some 20 years later and an opportunity to do just that appears to have slipped the UK’s grasp.
There are likely a range of reasons for the UK to not send a carrier out to the Mediterranean or Middle East, including availability (one of the two Queen Elizabeth carriers, HMS Prince of Wales, has only recently emerged from drydock after undergoing emergency repairs), deployment cost, and crewing challenges as the UK Armed Forces contest with a severe reduction in new recruits replacing those leaving the service.
Availability of naval air assets, such as the F-35B stealth fighters and Mk2 and Mk4 Merlin helicopters, is another factor to consider for any UK carrier deployment.
Typhoon gets the nod over the Lightning
On the night of 11 January 2024, the UK opted to join US air and naval strikes against Houthi forces in Yemen, targeting missile and drone launch sites in a bid to bring a halt to months of attacks against commercial shipping transiting the Red Sea.
While the US was able to call upon air assets embarked on the aircraft carrier USS Dwight D Eisenhower, along with land attack missile capability from Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyers, the UK had to rely on four RAF Typhoons based at RAF Akrotiri, which is around 2,500km north of the Yemeni capital of Sana’a.
The RAF Typhoons, which according to the UK Government successfully prosecuted attacks on Houthi targets using Paveway IV guided munitions, had to call on an RAF Voyager air-to-air refuelling tanker in order to complete the round trip.
In October last year the UK successfully released Paveway IV guided munitions from F-35B Lightning II fighters during live-fire exercises in Sweden, the latest milestone in several years of integration testing designed to improve the stealth fighter’s overall weapons package.
According to UK Parliament figures, by May 2023 the UK had received 31 of the planned 48 F-35B fighters, which is the standard embarked fixed-wing aircraft onboard the Queen Elizabeth-class carriers.
It is thought that no UK F-35B fighters are forward based in regions such as the Middle East with the fleet being UK-based, apart from an operational test and conversion unit in the United States.
What is the Queen Elizabeth class for?
The first full deployment with a Royal Navy Queen Elizabeth-class carrier took place in 2021 under the Carrier Strike Group 21 (CSG21) mission and saw the return of the UK to full fleet carrier operations for the first time since the retirement of Audacious-class flattops in 1970s. The intervening Invincible-class light carriers were designed from the outset as anti-submarine warfare platforms with some air support capability, rather than full fixed-wing, air domain control.
The UK’s naval juggling act to sustain capability and ensure missions readiness amid a personnel crunch, has raised questions from about the Government’s near-term vision for the Royal Navy amid consideration that some vessels might be axed ahead of schedule and crucial capabilities ‘gapped’.
Chief among this is the possibility that the Albion-class landing platform docks (LPD) – a key element of the UK’s ability to conduct amphibious operations – could be decommissioned several years ahead of their expected 2034 out-of-service date. HMS Albion has just entered a six-year extended readiness period from which it could well never return.
The loss of the two Albion class LDPs would have a significant impact on the Royal Navy’s full spectrum capability, while the MRSS replacement ships are still at the very earliest stage of consideration. An interim capability of Bay class auxiliaries, aided by a Queen Elizabeth class acting as a helicopter carrier when available, could not replicate the functions of the Albion class should they depart.
The Wasp-class amphibious assault ships – pictured is USS Boxer in the Pacific in 2023 – are the Swiss Army knife of naval platforms, offering both amphibious assault and fixed-wing carrier aviation capabilities. Credit: US Navy/Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Evan Diaz
Should the solution, instead of the Royal Navy producing and operating the two Queen Elizabeth class carriers, sustaining the Albion class LPDs, capability gapping the role that the helicopter carrier HMS Ocean (since sold to Brazil) performed, and committing to the possible development as the MRSS with the Netherlands, instead to have put all its naval eggs into an amphibious assault basket?
Specifically, should the Royal Navy be operating a clutch of UK variants of the US Wasp or Batch 2 America class instead? Could the Royal Navy, prior to the build of the huge flattops, have combined these numerous capabilities into a single platform, one already operated by the US Navy? (Source: naval-technology.com)
11 Jan 24. EU’s Breton aiming for 3bn-euro scheme to ramp up defence production. EU industrial chief Thierry Breton is targeting 3bn euros ($3.3bn) in a new scheme to ramp up production of defence equipment, inspired by last year’s landmark procurement programme to help deliver artillery shells to Ukraine and amid geopolitical uncertainties.
The move underscores the 27-country bloc’s growing role in defence and military affairs, prompted by the war in Ukraine.
The European Commission has already allocated 1.5bn euros but wants to double the amount, Breton told reporters on Thursday, according to his communications adviser.
“We will propose for the next phase, doing what we did just for ammunition but for all kinds of equipment that we need to produce, to enhance production in Europe,” the European commissioner told reporters in another briefing.
“We will make this public at the end of February,” he said.
The EU executive is scheduled to announce a European defence industrial strategy and a new European defence investment programme (EDIP) on Feb. 27, according to its agenda.
The previous EDIP set up in 2022 allows EU countries to team up to jointly procure defence capabilities developed in the bloc.
Breton, who earlier this week broached the idea of a 100bn-euro European Defence Fund, said this would be up to the next Commission due to be appointed at the end of this year.
“The European Defence Fund is for the next mandate. I don’t intend to propose 100bn euros for the next months. This is in the context of the next mandate,” he said. ($1 = 0.9117 euro) (Source: Reuters)
12 Jan 24. The European Commission and the European Investment Fund join forces to boost investment in defence innovation through the Defence Equity Facility.
- The EIF will provide €175m equity to venture capital and private equity funds investing in European companies developing innovative technologies with dual-use potential.
- The Defence Equity Facility will catalyse additional private investments in the funds supported by the EIF with the aim of mobilising c. €500m in support of European companies.
- The Defence Equity Facility will improve access to finance for innovative SMEs and mid-caps, including start-ups, who can contribute to EU’s defence and security.
- The initiative, implemented under InvestEU, is funded by the European Investment Fund and the European Defence Fund. It is a key pillar of the EU Defence Innovation Scheme.
The European Commission (Directorate General for Defence Industry and Space – DEFIS) and the European Investment Fund (EIF) have joined forces to step up their support to EU’s defence and security through the launch of the Defence Equity Facility.
The initiative, consisting of €100m from the European Defence Fund and an additional €75m from the European Investment Fund, will significantly expand EIF’s investment capacity to support, in the next four years, private equity and venture capital funds with strategies covering technologies relevant to defence.
This €175m initiative is expected to attract additional private investments in the funds it supports, thereby mobilising, in total, c. €500m in support of European companies.
The Defence Equity Facility aims to stimulate the development of an ecosystem of private funds investing in defence innovation. The initiative will focus on technologies with dual-use potential encompassing both civilian and defence applications, to further support the EU’s security, in line with InvestEU’s objectives.
This new funding opportunity will be accompanied by capacity building activities support managers in the development and management of their funds. More information on the initiative is available on the EUDIS webpage.
This initiative strengthens the cooperation between the Commission and the EIF in support of the aerospace and defence ecosystem, initiated with the launch of CASSINI Fund in January 2022 to bolster investments in space companies.
European Commissioner Thierry Breton stated ” With the Defence Equity Facility, we deliver a first step in improving access to finance for the defence sector. This initiative will contribute to sending a positive signal to the market and stimulate private investments in support of defence innovation. It is a key pillar of the EU Defence Innovation Scheme, which aims to enhance Europe’s technological competitiveness and security, by supporting to a thriving ecosystem of defence start-ups and SMEs. It is a first step and we will continue to work with the EIB and EIF to support access to finance in the defence sector.”
“Our partnership with the European Commission, under the European Defence Fund, represents a significant milestone in our efforts to drive investment and innovation in a sector of strategic importance for Europe. By supporting private equity and venture capital funds targeting investments in defence technologies with dual-use potential, we aim to catalyse economic growth and foster a thriving entrepreneurial ecosystem in the area of security and defence,” said Roger Havenith Deputy Chief Executive of the European Investment Fund.
“This is a significant step towards promoting innovation and security in the EU. This partnership will further enhance European defence capabilities in an increasingly interconnected world facing new geopolitical challenges. The Defence Equity Facility will contribute to the objectives of EIB’s Strategic European Security Initiative, and play a key role in promoting state-of-the-art technologies contributing to EU’s defence and security, confirming this strategic area as a priority for the EIB Group. ” said Kris Peeters, Vice President of the EIB.
The new Defence Equity Facility is in full alignment with the December 2023 European Council call for enhancing the EIB Group support of European security and defence, building on the Strategic European Security Initiative launched in 2022 and updated in June 2023.
Background information
The European Investment Fund (EIF) is part of the European Investment Bank Group. Its central mission is to support Europe’s micro, small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) by helping them to access finance. The EIF designs and develops venture and growth capital, guarantees and microfinance instruments which specifically target this market segment. In this role, the EIF fosters EU objectives in support of innovation, research and development, entrepreneurship, growth and employment.
The Directorate-General for Defence Industry and Space (DEFIS) leads the European Commission’s activities in the Defence Industry and Space sector. In the area of Defence Industry, DG DEFIS is in charge of upholding the competitiveness and innovation of the European Defence industry. DG DEFIS implements and oversights the European Defence Fund.
The European Defence Fund (EDF) – implemented by the European Commission (DG DEFIS) – supports cooperative defence research and development projects. The fund aims to strengthen the competitiveness of the European defence industrial base. €8bn from the EU budget is dedicated to the European Defence Fund for 2021-2027. As part of the EDF, the EU Defence Innovation Scheme (EUDIS) provides funding and support measures aiming to lower entry barriers into the defence domain for smaller or non-traditional market players and accompany innovators throughout the development cycle.
The InvestEU programme provides the European Union with crucial long-term funding by leveraging substantial private and public funds in support of a sustainable recovery. It also helps mobilise private investments for EU policy priorities like the European Green Deal and the digital transition. The InvestEU programme brings together under one roof the multitude of EU financial instruments currently available to support investment in the European Union, making funding for investment projects in Europe simpler, more efficient and more flexible. The programme has three components: the InvestEU Fund, the InvestEU Advisory Hub and the InvestEU Portal. The InvestEU Fund is implemented through financial partners that will invest in projects using the EU budget guarantee of €26.2bn. The entire budget guarantee will back the projects of the implementing partners, increasing their risk-bearing capacity and thus mobilising at least €372bn in additional investment.
10 Jan 24. Sweden Prepares to Deploy Troops to Baltic States. With Sweden’s approaching membership in NATO, the Swedish Armed Forces plan to contribute army units in Latvia within the framework of NATO’s FLF concept. NATO Forward Land Forces (FLF) are multinational battle groups deployed in eight countries in Eastern Europe. the purpose is to act as a deterrent to a possible Russian attack on the West and NATO.
In Latvia, the operation is led by a Danish divisional staff. The plan is that Sweden and Denmark will alternately share the responsibility of setting up a battalion as part of a brigade based outside Riga. The Danish and Swedish troop contributions will replace each other on a six-monthly basis. The Swedish part will consist of a mechanized battalion starting in 2025 at the earliest.
On site in Latvia, the plan is to continue practicing in a multinational context with the other units in the division where the main task is to act as a deterrent to a possible Russian attack. There is still no formal government decision for the grant, but planning is in full swing within the army.
“This will be one of the initially most visible contributions from the army to NATO’s collective defense and a task we take very seriously. Just like the ability to be able to receive military support in Sweden when needed, the ability to provide military support outside our borders is also crucial for our future role in NATO,” says Major General Jonny Lindfors, head of the army.
The Southern Skåne Regiment, P 7, is the unit designated to be the first on the ground after Swedish membership in NATO, with a troop contribution of around 600 people.
“We have started planning for this and assuming a decision comes, we are prepared to solve the task, says Colonel Lennart Wideström, head of P 7.
NATO forward land forces
NATO Forward Land Forces (FLF) are multinational composite battlegroups located in eight countries in Eastern Europe; Bulgaria, Estonia, Lithuania, Latvia, Poland, Romania, Slovakia and Hungary.
The battle groups are not identical in their composition, but differ in size and type of troops depending on the specific geographical conditions that prevail in each host country.
For Sweden and the Swedish Armed Forces, it concerns ground combat units in Latvia under the leadership of a Danish division commander. The first force contribution is estimated to consist of approximately 600 people and will consist of employed soldiers and officers, mainly from the 71st Battalion. (Unofficial translation by Defense-Aerospace.com) (Source: https://www.defense-aerospace.com/ Swedish Armed Forces; issued Jan 9, 2024)
09 Jan 24. Norway Resumes Iceland Air Policing Mission for Fourth Time. In mid-January, four F-35s will travel with around 100 personnel to Iceland to carry out Iceland Air Policing in Keflavik.
Iceland does not have its own air force. As a NATO country, they are supported by allies with periodic air defense presence and airspace surveillance during peacetime. From the middle of January to the beginning of February, Norway will carry out the mission Iceland Air Policing (IAP). This will be the fourth time Norway [carries out] this mission with the F-35. The NATO-led mission periodically rotates between the alliance’s member states to meet Iceland’s need for sovereignty assertion.
The main task during the IAP will be to carry out the preparedness mission Quick Reaction Alert (QRA). QRA involves monitoring the country’s airspace, as well as overseeing all traffic in and near the airspace. Should unknown aircraft appear in the country’s airspace, the fighter jets move out. Guided by CRC personnel (Control and Reporting Centre), the F-35 locates the unknown aircraft, identifies and documents them. If necessary, the QRA aircraft can escort the aircraft out of the NATO area or to designated airfields. If necessary, they can transfer the authority over the QRA planes to civil authorities, should a civil hijacking apply.
QRA is a 24/7 mission carried out on behalf of NATO. This is a routine mission that Norway carries out daily from Evenes air station with F-35s. This will be the fourth year of Iceland Air Policing in which Norway has participated with the F-35. The personnel consists of pilots, administrative, technical, guard and operational support personnel, all of whom will be there for around 4 weeks.
“Our participation in Iceland Air Policing shows our willingness to support NATO and our increased ability to solve missions with combat aircraft both domestically and abroad,” says Commander 331 Squadron, Lieutenant Colonel Kenneth “Chain” Vika.
This is the first mission 331 Squadron leads after they were reactivated on Ørland, but it is not only personnel from 331 Squadron in the detachment. The detachment consists of people from various departments from 131 and 132 Air Wing. Personnel from 131 Air Wing will conduct training and air surveillance from the Icelandic Control Reporting Center. (Unofficial translation by Defense-Aerospace.com) (Source: https://www.defense-aerospace.com/ Norwegian Armed Forces; issued Jan. 09, 2024)
09 Jan 24. How the British Military is Imploding in Slow Motion. Defence Analysis will hold its mitts up straightaway: what we outline here is very much what might be called, “the right of arc”, the extreme position, the less/least likely possibility. But then, if what Defence Analysis is about to outline is that unlikely, we wouldn’t be writing this. But, yes other futures are available ….
It is 2026, maybe 2027, and what do UK defence capabilities look like? Bluntly, they look appalling, a complete whisp of what they once were. As the Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come showed Scrooge of what awaited him, so Defence Analysis will do the same ….
Knackered Navy
The crisis in availability of pretty much every platform has accelerated, as was obvious it would in 2023. Because fleet management, maintenance, overhaul, and the underlying infrastructure had been so badly managed from the 2000s onwards, the Royal Navy is, in effect and not by choice, taking a series of capability holidays.
The Type 23 flotilla has fallen off a cliff. The early retirements that started in 2022 and into 2023 (HMSs Monmouth and Montrose) has accelerated. The drive to pretend that HMS Westminster was in any shape to be upgraded has been abandoned – the costs have leaked, and the contractor(s) will not sign up for unlimited liability if they take the work. But HMS Somerset has proved to have equalled HMS Westminster: sure, she was in refit for several years, but, in effect, with all of the work and money spent, it was only ever painting over some pretty serious cracks, and there are persistent engineering problems which cannot be overcome without a tidal wave of cash.
HMS Lancaster started the inevitable slide towards oblivion during her time as the Forward Deployed Escort in the Gulf, and returned home with rust everywhere, looking in as bad shape as she actually was. So, much like HMS Montrose, she is quietly tied up, the RN pretends she is operational, but after six months, there is no hiding the truth. And both HMS Northumberland and Kent, both of which have been “well used” (aka “thrashed”) are faced with either unscheduled – and expensive – refits, or retirement.
The shortage of funds means it is the latter.
The Type 23 fleet by 2027 is down to six hulls – and RN fleet managers fear it will be down to five, maybe even four, pretty soon – and the official out of service date of the last Type 23 is 2035 ….
But, but… the new frigates classes! HMS Glasgow is on trials, sure, as is HMS Venturer, HMSs Cardiff and Active are not far behind. But the build tempo was set at a remarkably slow rate in the late 2010s, and attempts to speed things up always failed on the altar of cost: the RN didn’t have the money to retain the older escorts, while speeding up deliveries of the new ships. And there were not the crews to man both the old and the new ships.
One Type 45 destroyer is still tied up due to a lack of crew, but the age of the class – the oldest ship will be shy of 25-years by then – means that one ship, which had seen maintenance and obsolescence management shaved in the 2010s and 2020s, is looking like a Type 23: too expensive to keep in service.
Despite claiming that the extra tied up Type 45 is “at high readiness, and can be used operationally at short notice”, she is now known in Portsmouth as HMS Doomed.
The Type 45 fleet is down to four operational useable ships – and there are concerns that another ship might also have to be declared unusable.
Crewing issues, both of ships and aircraft, means that keeping two aircraft carriers in anything like constant service has proved to be a bridge too far. Much as happened with the LPDs in the 2010s, one carrier is put into extended readiness, that is tied up alongside with no crew, with a general lack of maintenance.
The plan to retain the Hunt-class MCMVs failed as the RN could not budget to buy new second-hand tender vessels to host unmanned underwater vessels, as well as extending the life of the in-service MCMVs. The UK, the RN, which used to have a fleet of 30 MCMVs, the most capable mine warfare fleet in the entire world, is down to five Hunt-class ships – and they are showing their age – plus two UUV tender vessels – not enough to maintain the Gulf deployment, as well as the growing task for underwater infrastructure protection.
The UK MoD has been trying to “burden share” with Norway, the Netherlands, France, and even Belgium in the North Sea and Western Approaches.
The state where both HMS Albion and Bulwark were tied up, and the deep maintenance period for the latter over-ran, becomes not an anomaly, but the norm. And as a saving, one of the ships isn’t just kept at “extended readiness”, but at “very extended readiness”. As a result, HMS Albion just begins the process of deterioration and rotting.
The decline of the Royal Fleet Auxiliary, that started with discontent with pay and conditions in the early-2020s, and actually led to strikes, continued. Now, with a shortfall of over 500 sailors, not only can it not crew both the three Landing Ship (Auxiliary) as well as the Replenishment Ship, it can’t find the crew for three operational Tide-class tankers, so the RN has only two fleet tankers. (Source: https://www.defense-aerospace.com/Defence Analysis)
08 Jan 24. ‘No final decision’ on mothballing assault ships HMS Albion and HMS Bulwark. No final decision has been made on whether or not to ‘mothball’ two Royal Navy assault ships, a defence minister has insisted.
News reports have suggested that HMS Albion and HMS Bulwark could be retired to free up sailors for other vessels, amid a recruitment crisis.
Richard Drax, Conservative MP for South Dorset, told MPs: “One decision he could make to support the defence jobs would be to retain HMS Albion and HMS Bulwark.
“Could he reassure the House and the Royal Marines, and the Royal Navy and the Armed Forces that these two vital ships will be kept and not in operation and not mothballed?”
Defence minister James Cartlidge replied: “What I would say is no final decision has been made on these platforms.
“I know there has been a lot of coverage in the press and a lot of chatter inevitably. I know how important they are to our service personnel, but I want to reassure him that we are looking at this in the round.
“But in terms of jobs, we are absolutely committed to supporting defence jobs across the piece.” (Source: forces.net)
08 Jan 24. Turkey’s defense, aerospace exports rose by 25% last year. Turkey’s defense and aerospace exports totaled $5.5bn in 2023, up about 25% from the year prior, according to a local organization that tracks foreign sales.
However, the Turkish Exporters Assembly’s report, released this month, does not distinguish between revenue from new orders and that from contracts signed in previous years. Consequently, it’s unclear how much of the $5.5bn stems from new contracts signed in 2023.
Haluk Gorgun, who leads the country’s Presidency of Defence Industries, shared on social media that the total value of contracts signed by Turkish defense companies in 2023 reached $10.2bn.
The top 10 Turkish exporters contributed to nearly 80% of the export revenue, according to Gorgun. Those leading companies, their specialties and their respective figures from foreign sales are:
- Baykar (drones): $1.8bn
- Turkish Aerospace Industries (aerospace systems): $864m
- Machinery and Chemical Industry (ammunition, explosives and guns): $439m
- Tusas Engine Industries (aerospace engines): $337m
- BMC (military vehicles): $255m
- Roketsan (missiles): $161m
- Ram Dis Ticaret (military vehicles): $160m
- Pratt & Whitney’s Turkish Technik (repair and overhaul services): $111m
- Aselsan (electronics): $108m
- Samsun Yurt Savunma (aerospace and firearms): $104m
Notably, Aselsan, Turkish Aerospace Industries and Roketsan were on Defense News’ latest Top 100 list, which ranks contractors around the world by defense-related revenue. Askeri Fabrika ve Tersane Isletme was also on the list.
One of Roketsan’s main exports is the MAM family of munition, used by Baykar and TAI unmanned platforms.
Samsun Yurt Savunma is the parent company of Canik Firearms, a firearms manufacturer in Turkey.
Ram Dis Ticaret acts as the export firm for the local industry conglomerate Koc Holding, which itself owns military vehicle manufacturer Otokar. The report lists Otokar’s exports under Ram Dis Ticaret.
(Source: Defense News Early Bird/Defense News)
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