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12 Sept 24. DVD 2024, UTAC Millbrook, 18 – 19 September 2024.
Biggest opportunity ever for industry to engage with MOD at DVD2024
For the first time in over two-decades, biennial defence industry exhibition, DVD, has closed its registration early due to high visitor numbers. With more registrations than ever before, and increased exhibitor numbers, DVD2024 represents an ideal opportunity for industry to engage with Defence Equipment & Support (Land Equipment), British Army and key stakeholders.
The UK’s only defence show delivered by defence, for defence, DVD2024, provides an effective and efficient forum for all those involved in the land equipment sector, to develop ideas and generate a greater understanding of technologies, capabilities and requirements.
The focus for DVD2024 will be on working together to pull the future into the present and delivering a more modern, more lethal and more productive Army; forming military partnerships and generating investment into UK industry through the Land Industrial Strategy; learning from current conflicts and adapting at pace to optimise procurement priorities; accelerating the Future Soldier programme; and working with industry to exploit science and technology to develop next-generation capabilities to meet the requirements of a modern and lethal army.
Another first for DVD, will see this year’s event welcome Women in Defence UK, an independent not-for-profit organisation, founded by former Army officer Angela Owen OBE, which challenges the norms and prompts progressive thinking through in-depth discussions with Senior Officers and Officials. Angela will be joined by Andy Start, CEO of DE&S on the main plenary stage at DVD2024, where she’ll ask some tough questions about gender balance and equity within the MOD.
Commenting on the overwhelming interest in this year’s event, the DE&S project manager behind DVD2024, Ali O’Hagan explains: “This is the first DVD event that I’ve managed, and I’m pleased and proud of the interest DVD2024 has gained from industry, our land equipment teams, British Army, key stakeholders and the media.
“I’m looking forward to a busy and exciting event later this month, with demonstrations of the British Army’s capabilities, discussions about our shared goals and objectives, and to see first-hand, the technologies and innovations that the land equipment sector has to offer.”
For further information about DVD2024 visit www.theevent.co.uk.
09 Sept 24. UK MoD: “no compromise” of classified data after Rolls-Royce intranet saga. First reported by The Telegraph in August, the revelation that Belarussian nationals had been subcontracted to work on an intranet site of a key UK defence player caused significant concern.
The UK Ministry of Defence has said that there has been “no compromise” of classified information following earlier reports that Belarussian nationals were subcontracted for the development of a Rolls-Royce Submarines intranet page.
The Pressured Water Reactor 2 (PWR2) design is currently powering the Astute– and Vanguard-class submarines, with the prospect of a future iteration used for the future AUKUS SSNs being jointly developed by the UK, US, and Australia.
Maria Eagle, UK Minister for Defence Procurement, confirmed on 6 September that “both the Ministry of Defence (MoD) and Rolls-Royce Submarines (RRS)” had “investigated a subcontractor’s outsourcing of development work for a RRS intranet page”, an IT system that is separate to RRS classified systems.
“The investigation found no evidence that Belarusian nationals had access to sensitive information and concluded that no change to MoD procurement policy was required. No formal sanctions were imposed,” Eagle stated.
Continuing, Eagle said the MoD “took steps” to ensure that there had been no compromise of classified information.
Intranet saga causes global headlines
The use of Belarussian IT professionals for a Rolls-Royce site was first reported by The Telegraph in early August 2024, and subsequently made worldwide headlines amid fears that Belarussian coders had access to the UK’s nuclear secrets.
Despite reassurances and comments from Eagle, the use of Belarussian nationals on a subcontractor basis will nevertheless have raised eyebrows among key UK allies, such as the US and Australia, which are inextricably linked to the future AUKUS nuclear-powered attack submarines, of which Rolls-Royce is a part.
At the time of publishing, Rolls-Royce had not responded to Naval Technology for a comment regarding the investigation carried out by it and the MoD, no whether the Intranet page on which Belarussian nationals worked was still active.
Belarus is a key Russian ally, with the country even claiming to have prepared the ground to receive Russian nuclear weapons, should it be required at some point in the future.
The country was also a launching point for Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine, with combat still raging in a war that has caused hundreds of thousands of military and civilian deaths. (Source: naval-technology.com)
09 Sept 24. EU buys too much defense equipment abroad, especially from US: Report. European Union countries are buying too much of their defense equipment abroad, almost two-thirds of it in the United States, and failing to invest enough in joint military projects, a landmark report on EU competitiveness warned Monday.
The 27 member states are also failing to make best use of Europe’s research and development capacities to modernize their armed forces, with just a fraction the level of U.S. investment, said the report by former Italian prime minister and European Central Bank chief Mario Draghi.
The report comes as the EU continues to struggle to find enough weapons and ammunition to help Ukraine survive the full-scale Russian invasion, now in its third year, and to kickstart Europe’s defense industry.
Part of the problem, it said, is failing to invest properly in Europe to create stronger defense firms.
“We are still not joining forces in the defense industry to help our companies to integrate and reach scale,” it said. The report pointed out that “we also do not favor competitive European defense companies.”
The report notes that, between mid-2022 and mid-2023, 63% of all EU defense orders were placed with U.S. companies, and a further 15% with other non-EU suppliers. Last week, the Netherlands joined a list of EU members to order big budget U.S.-made F-35 warplanes.
Across the 27 nations in 2022, defense research and development spending amounted to 10.7 bn euros ($11.8 bn) — just 4.5% of the total — compared with $140 bn in the United States, or around 16% of all defense spending.
NATO allies — almost all of whose members are part of the EU — have been ramping up defense spending since Russia annexed Ukraine’s Crimean Peninsula in 2014. Their aim is for each country to spend at least 2% of gross domestic product on their national defense budget.
Consecutive U.S. leaders have been exhorting European allies and Canada to spend more on defense for more than a decade, although former President Donald Trump was the only one to threaten to refuse to defend any country that did not respect the goal. Much of the money goes back to U.S. industry.
NATO forecasts that 23 of its 32 members will meet or exceed the 2% target by the end of the year, up from just three countries in 2014. Western defense spending has been further spurred by Russia’s fully fledged invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
On top of this, NATO allies also want to dedicate at least 20% of their national defense expenditures to major new equipment. That includes funds for research and development, which is crucial for modernizing their armed forces.
The report highlighted the shortcomings of countries investing in their national defense industry rather than joint procurement. When Ukraine appealed for artillery, for example, EU countries supplied 10 types of howitzers. Some use different 155mm shells, causing logistical headaches.
In contrast, the A-330 Multi-Role Tanker Transport plane was developed jointly, and this allowed participating countries to pool resources and share operating and maintenance costs. (Source: Defense News Early Bird/Defense News/AP)
08 Sept 24. Netherlands Announces More F-35 Fighters, NH90 Helicopters in New $2.7bn Defense Plan. The size of each of the three F-35 squadrons will swell and enhance readiness and ‘airstrike power.’
The Netherlands has announced plans to acquire additional F-35A Lightning II among other systems, including UAVs, NH90 helicopters, tanks, ASW (Anti-Submarine Warfare) frigates and counter-drone systems. The plans were revealed on Sept. 5, 2024, in a new defense planning document, for which an additional allocation of €2.4bn ($2.7bn) has been made. Aviation Week quoted a statement from the Dutch defense ministry, “Each year, approximately €1.5bn will be invested in combat power.”
“New threats require action,” the Dutch government said, alluding to the security situation in Europe since Russia’s war in Ukraine since February 2022. Beside Russia, the move also reflects escalating tensions in the Middle East and the emerging flashpoint in the western Pacific, where China’s military assertion of its territorial claims shows Beijing is “trying to bend international rules in its favor.”
Dutch warship HNLMS Tromp was circled by Chinese JH-7 fighter-bomber and Z-19 light-attack reconnaissance-scout helicopter on Jun. 7, 2024 in the ECS (East China Sea). This was after it had conducted drills with the Indian Navy and the ROK (Republic of Korea) Navy in the preceding days. The latter was a part of maritime sanctions enforcement effort on North Korea. As The Aviaitonist reported, its ship-borne NH90 helicopter was also “approached” by the two Chinese aircraft then.
Dutch F-35s
Under the new plan, the size of each of the three F-35 squadrons will swell to enhance combat readiness and effectiveness. RNL quoted senior journalist Roel Schreinemachers saying that the “additional F-35s should increase airstrike power.”
The RNLAF (Royal Netherlands Air Force) plans to acquire a total of at least 52 F-35As. Aerospace Global News said the latest plan presented by Minister of Defence Ruben Brekelmans on Sep. 5 calls for buying six more F-35s, taking the total fleet of the jet to 58 aircraft.
The first operational F-35s arrived in the Netherlands from the Cameri Final Assembly and Check Out (FACO) facility in northwestern Italy in 2019. The Netherlands became the eighth country, and the RNLAF the 12th military service, to declare Initial Operational Capability (IOC) for its F-35 fleet, the Netherlands Ministry of Defence and the RNLAF announced on Dec. 27, 2021.
The Aviationist had also reported how Dutch F-35As took over the country’s nuclear responsibilities within NATO replacing the F-16 Viper on Jun. 1, 2024, becoming the first European nation to switch to the stealth jet for this mission.
“This transition underscores the Netherlands’ ongoing dedication to NATO’s nuclear deterrence strategy, which is vital for the security of the Alliance and the Netherlands,” official Dutch said at the time.
“The core purposes of NATO’s nuclear capability are to maintain peace, prevent coercion, and deter aggression.” The RNLAF F-35As are DCA (Dual-Capable Aircraft) for NATO’s nuclear deterrence, and the jets meant for this nuclear mission would be based at the Volkel Air Base’s 313 Squadron. The base previously hosted the F-16s for the same role.
The other is the 322 Squadron assigned to the Leeuwarden Air Base. The stealth fighters will carry the B61-12 nuclear gravity drop bomb for the purpose. Inert units of the B61-12 were also drop tested from the F-35A in a series of tests between 2019 and 2020 at the Edwards AFB in California. The F-35 JPO (Joint Program Office) had released a series of images to that effect in Jun. 2020.
Other defense plans
RNL has also identified more NH90 naval helicopters with “self-protection” features, an “anti-drone air-defense cannon” and “a high-energy laser system.” The unspecified number of additional maritime NH90s will support “more deployments by ships with an on-board helicopter,” AGN added. Whether the laser DEW (Directed Energy Weapon) is a part of the anti-UAV system or a separate AD (Air Defense) platform, to be produced locally, developed with NATO allies or bought outright, is not yet known.
The country is also looking at procuring an unspecified new unmanned ISR (Intelligence-Surveillance-Reconnaissance) platform “that can survive in the highest spectrum of violence and can therefore collect and share important data deep in enemy territory,” AGN added. “The existing MQ-9 is not suitable for this,” and the acquisition fulfills a “NATO Priority Target and a major shortfall within the EU.”
Increasing ammunition stockpiles to replenish the ordnance “shortages”; investments in “cyber power”; upgrading the Boxer armored vehicles with “heavier guns”; setting up a new tank battalion, and “scaling up the Dutch defence industry” has also been announced, according to RTL.
(The ammunition stocks) were already small and have shrunk even further due to donations to Ukraine. So these are substantial investments. However, it will still take years and many more investments are needed before our defense is really in order,” Schreinemachers added.
Parth Satam’s career spans a decade and a half between two dailies and two defense publications. He believes war, as a human activity, has causes and results that go far beyond which missile and jet flies the fastest. He therefore loves analyzing military affairs at their intersection with foreign policy, economics, technology, society and history. The body of his work spans the entire breadth from defense aerospace, tactics, military doctrine and theory, personnel issues, West Asian, Eurasian affairs, the energy sector and Space.(Source: News Now/https://theaviationist.com/)
13 Aug 24. New UK Integrated Procurement Model nears completion. The Gateway, Corporate and Core Delivery areas are all now stood up, with System Integration due to reach that target in October 2024.
Defence Equipment and Support (DE&S), the UK’s defence procurement arm, is closer to implementing the full force of its new ‘Integrated Procurement Model’ (IPM).
The agency revealed that most of its processes are now up and running in a statement made on 12 August 2024. This includes the Gateway, Corporate and Core Delivery.
Meanwhile, the System Integration area is anticipated to reach operational capability by October this year, bringing the IPM over the line to minimum viable product.
This meets the timeline laid out by DE&S CEO, Andy Start, to bring the IPM to full operating capability by 2025.
What is the IPM?
The new IPM model was unveiled by the former Defence Procurement Minister, James Cartlidge, in February 2024, when he laid out plans to overhaul the government’s existing acquisition methods, which have been denounced for enduring delays and cost overuns.
Notoriously, the Ministry of Defence (MoD) have grappled with unforeseen and enduring technical problems with the Ajax armoured vehicle programme – a platform originally due to enter service in 2017, but is now scheduled to reach initial operating capability in 2025.
Now, DE&S claim that the new procedures will wrestle with critical questions from the very start of new programmes while including views from across the UK Defence establishment – the armed forces, the science-focused agency Dstl, among others.
The processes so far
While the Gateway provides a single entry-point into DE&S for all new capability needs, Corporate provides guidance and support across every part of the organisation, from communications to infrastructure and maintaining a culture of continuous improvement.
Meanwhile, Core Delivery and System Integration areas focus on delivering the MoD Equipment Plan, which currently has a £17.5bn shortfall according to a National Audit Office outlook from November 2023.
Newly implemented, Core Delivery will serve as a new engine for UK defence procurement. The segment will be led by Dr Simon Dakin, previously the director of the DE&S Integrated Battlespace Operating Centre.
The move has seen people from the ships domain become the first Core Delivery group. With this, 100 of around 700 total order book items held in DE&S now sit in Core Delivery, and that number will grow in the weeks and months to come. This includes the in-service maintenance of the UK’s flagship aircraft carriers, HMS Queen Elizabeth and HMS Prince of Wales.
(Source: army-technology.com)
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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.
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