06 Oct 23. U.S. Iraq and Kuwait Wrap Up Successful Trilateral Exercise. Maritime forces from Iraq, Kuwait and the United States completed a two-day trilateral exercise focusing on counter-piracy and maritime security in the Northern Arabian Gulf, Oct. 3.
The Sentinel-class U.S. Coast Guard fast response cutters USCGC Robert Goldman (WPC 1142) and USCGC Clarence Sutphin Jr. (WPC 1146) teamed with Kuwait Coast Guard fast patrol boat Wadhah (P 316), Kuwait Coast Guard speed boat (400), Kuwait Navy supply ship KNS Al-dorrar, Kuwait Navy patrol boat KNS Failaka, Kuwait Navy coastal patrol boat KNS Bateel 3 and KNS Bateel 4, a Kuwait helicopter, Iraq Navy patrol boat PB-307 and Iraq Navy patrol boat PB-310 to conduct joint patrols focused on visit, board, search, and seizure (VBSS) procedures, small boat operations, fishermen safety, and communication equipment checks, among many maritime security concerns.
This exercise builds upon previous VBSS engagement training by introducing simulated target vessels, increased VBSS drill repetitions and, as a first, conducting VBSS exercises aboard Kuwaiti ships.
Six years ago, the trilateral exercise concept was driven by the three partner nations’ desire to cooperatively address maritime security concerns in the Arabian Gulf. Since that time, the exercises have grown in complexity and are more focused on regional needs.
“Part of what makes this exercise valuable is the ability to take advantage of the wide breadth of knowledge, experience and VBSS tactics together,” said Lt. Hunter Stowes, Goldman’s commanding officer. “Exercises like this continues to strengthen our regional partnerships, maintain and improve upon our ability to integrate seamlessly with our allies and improve our skill sets in the maritime domain.”
“Kuwaiti naval forces cooperate and coordinate with regional navies to ensure maritime security in the Northern Arabian Gulf,” said Major Gen. Haza AlAlati, Commander Kuwait Naval Force.
“Our exercises, working alongside U.S. 5th Fleet, Kuwait and Iraq Navies, ensure the security and safety of the fisherman in the international waters in the Northern Arabian Gulf,” said Major Gen. Talal Almuwanes, Commander Kuwait Coast Guard.
“The aim of this exercise is to enhance skills, develop training capabilities, maintain preparedness and readiness, exchange experiences between the participating forces, and strengthen international relations within the framework of cooperation and coordination for joint action,” said Major Gen. Laith Abdul Sattar Abdul Jabbar, Iraq Um Qaser Naval Base commander.
Vice Adm. Brad Cooper, Commander U.S. Naval Forces Central Command/U.S. 5th Fleet, said the exercises demonstrate the flexibility of regional forces to adapt to changing environments.
“With this latest iteration, we are continuing to advance interoperability at sea,” he said. “It’s an honor to continue this series of exercises with our Kuwaiti and Iraqi friends. This trilateral exercise proves once again that when we work together, we achieve so much more. Maritime security in the Northern Arabian Gulf is critical to regional maritime security, reinforcing the value and importance of these exercises with Kuwait and Iraq.”
U.S. Naval Forces Central Command/U.S. 5th Fleet’s area of operations (AOO) encompasses about 2.5 m square miles of water area and includes the Arabian Gulf, Red Sea, Gulf of Oman, Gulf of Aden, Arabian Sea and parts of the Indian Ocean. This expanse, comprised of 21 nations, includes three critical choke points at the Strait of Hormuz, the Suez Canal and the Strait of Bab al Mandeb.
(Source: https://www.defense-aerospace.com/ U.S. Naval Forces Central Command)
06 Oct 23. NATO Exercise Focuses on Protecting Critical Undersea Infrastructure with Autonomous Vehicles.
Submersibles Applied in Novel Ways in NATO Drill Keying on Protecting Sea Infrastructure (excerpt).
Unmanned underwater vehicles that were used in recent experimentation with an array of new tactics could transform how NATO allies defend critical infrastructure from attack.
Dynamic Messenger, which was held off the coast of Portugal and concluded last week, was the first NATO exercise to have a specific focus on protecting critical undersea infrastructure, the alliance’s Maritime Command said in a statement Wednesday.
For NATO, defending infrastructure such as gas pipelines has become a high priority in light of the sabotage last year of Nord Stream 1, a Baltic Sea pipeline that previously delivered natural gas from Russia to Germany.
NATO’s exercise Dynamic Messenger involved testing of unmanned undersea vehicles. The drill, which took place off the coast of Portugal and ended last week, is expected to help alliance members fine-tune their approach to protecting critical undersea infrastructure.
The statement did not say which countries participated in the exercise or how many service members were involved.
Allies also have raised alarms about Russia’s ability to target undersea cables that are responsible for transmitting internet traffic around the world and carry trillions of dollars in financial transactions on a daily basis.
“There are heightened concerns that Russia may target undersea cables and other critical infrastructure in an effort to disrupt Western life, to gain leverage against those nations that are providing security to Ukraine,” NATO’s intelligence chief, David Cattler, told reporters in May. (end of excerpt) (Click here for the full story, on the Stars and Stripes website: Submersibles applied in novel ways in NATO drill keying on protecting sea infrastructure | Stars and Stripes) (Source: https://www.defense-aerospace.com/ Stars and Stripes)
05 Oct 23. Indonesian Naval Aviation Concludes Schiebel Camcopter S-100 UAS Training. The Commander of the Indonesian Navy Aviation Center (Pusat Penerbangan Angkatan Laut, Danpuspenerbal), Rear Admiral Dr. Imam Musani, closed the Unmanned Air System (UAS) training for the Schiebel Camcopter S-100 and inspected the operational flying capabilities of the new Ron 700 Drone of Squadron 700 Wing Air 2 Puspenerbal on Friday, September 29, 2023.
From September 11 to September 28, 2023, technical support activities were conducted for one unit of the Unmanned Serial Vertical Takeoff and Landing Maritime Surveillance System, which was attended by 10 personnel from Squadron Air 700 Wing Air 2 Indonesian Naval Aviation Juanda. The addition of one unit of the Camcopter S-100 UAS with its advanced capabilities will undoubtedly enhance the capabilities of Squadron 700 Wing Air 2 in monitoring and securing maritime borders.
The closing event of the Schiebel Camcopter S-100 UAS training and the test flight of the new drone took place at Shelter 700 Wing Air 2 Puspenerbal, Juanda Naval Air Base. Present at the event were Deputy Commander of Puspenerbal, Rear Admiral Bayu Alisyahbana, Indonesian Naval Aviation’s Naval Colonel (Ret.) Bambang Yunianto, as well as various officials and the Commander of Squadron 700 Wing Air 2 Juanda. Addressing the participants of the advanced Camcopter S-100 UAS training, Rear Admiral Dr. Imam Musani, affectionately referred to as Danpuspenerbal, emphasized the importance of applying and enhancing the knowledge acquired during training. The dedication required for meticulous maintenance and upkeep by the crew members to ensure that the Camcopter S-100 can operate effectively at all times. (Source: UAS VISION/Military Leak)
03 Oct 23. Kraken Robotics Supports Multiple Countries at NATO Exercise. Kraken Robotics Inc. (“Kraken” or the “Company”) (TSX-V: PNG, OTCQB: KRKNF) is pleased to announce its recent participation at Exercise REPMUS 23 in Portugal. The Robotic Experimentation and Prototyping with Maritime Unmanned System (REPMUS) is focused on capability development and interoperability, and the 2023 Exercise involved 15 NATO partners, as well as Sweden and Ireland. Kraken’s field support team was onsite throughout the exercise, working closely with three NATO navy teams (the US, UK, and Netherlands) utilizing three generations of HII’s REMUS unmanned underwater vehicles (UUVs), all of which were retrofitted with Kraken’s Man-Portable Synthetic Aperture Sonar (MP-SAS). The UUVs included MK18 Mod 1, REMUS 100 NGR, and REMUS 300 underwater vehicles, showing the versatility of MP-SAS and its capability to be used across multiple platforms. Kraken’s MP-SAS provided ultra-high resolution real time 3 cm x 3 cm imagery, with swaths of over 200 meters (>100 meters range per side), providing operators with a significantly increased area coverage rate when compared to legacy sidescan sonars (SSS) with typical ranges of <30 meters per side. Kraken also took part in a historic multi-national collaborative underwater vehicle mission, where the US Navy MK 18 Mod 2 conducted a Search-Classify-Map (SCM) mission including embedded Automated Target Recognition (ATR) identifying contacts of interest, and using SeeByte’s Neptune automatically re-tasking the Royal Navy REMUS 100 and the Netherlands Navy REMUS 100 with Kraken SAS to perform Reacquire and Identification (RI) missions. (Source: ASD Network)
05 Oct 23. UK Carrier Strike Group shows strength in combat mission training.
- UK Carrier Strike Group completes first phase of deployment alongside European Allies
- Combat Mission Training proves Carrier Strike Group’s strike capability
- Phase 2 will enhance interoperability with Joint Expeditionary Force Partners
HMS Queen Elizabeth and her embarked jets and helicopters have proven their ability to provide the “punch” of the UK Carrier Strike Group during a series of simulated strike missions alongside international partners.
The UK flagship has completed the first phase of her autumn deployment with simulated missions in the North Sea and Norwegian Sea.
The aircraft carrier was joined by Type 45 destroyer HMS Diamond; Royal Fleet Auxiliary tanker RFA Tideforce; Norwegian ships HNoMS Otto Sverdrup and HNoMS Maud; Dutch ships HNLMS De Zeven Provincien and HNLMS Van Amstel; and Belgian frigate BNS Louise Marie for the combat-style training in northern Europe.
It saw HMS Queen Elizabeth’s F-35 Lightning fighter jets of 617 Squadron, the Dambusters, Merlin helicopters from 820 Naval Air Squadron and Wildcat helicopters from 815 and 847 Naval Air Squadrons carry out simulated missions, from defending against air threats to suppressing enemy air defences and strike attacks.
The activity came as part of Exercise Cobra Warrior, the Royal Air Force’s largest annual exercise, which saw the different units face different tasking each day – from destroying a target to rescuing down aircrew.
This included the embarked F-35s tasked to find surface to air threats and destroy them; fly ahead of any strikes to clear the air and allow a clean run to the target and provide close cover to deter hostile fighters. It would have seen a simulated target represent a threat with protection – the job of the fighter jets would be to destroy it without loss.
HMS Queen Elizabeth is leading the UK Carrier Strike Group deployment this autumn to the Norwegian Sea and North Atlantic, underlining the UK’s commitment to security and stability in Europe.
The carrier and her helicopters also proved their ability to support any serious medical incidents within the task group including life support, advanced resuscitation techniques and trauma surgery – known as a Role 2 Afloat Team.
The 22-strong team have the specialist knowledge and skills to deal with a range of potential medical emergencies and are supported by the Merlin helicopters which can do casualty evacuations to and from the carrier.
The next phase of the carrier deployment – with Type 23 frigate HMS Portland now part of the task group – will see UK forces working alongside ships and personnel from Joint Expeditionary Force (JEF) nations. JEF is a high-readiness task group committed to regional security that can respond to crises either alongside or independent of NATO.
Alongside the UK, other Joint Expeditionary Force member nations include Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Latvia, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Norway and Sweden.
HMS Queen Elizabeth and JEF nations will show their ability to conduct air operations into Norway, Sweden and Finland.
Commodore James Blackmore, Commander of the UK Carrier Strike Group, said: “CSG23 is off to a great start. Integrated training within the air and maritime environments, and alongside our European allies, has demonstrated the capability and agility of UK Carrier Strike.
“We now head further north into the Norwegian Sea and High North to enhance our interoperability through training with JEF partners to demonstrate long-range strike activity using F-35B Lightning aircraft from the Carrier with our key allies Norway, Finland and Sweden.
“Throughout the first phase, CSG has integrated ships from the UK, Norway, Belgium and the Netherlands. Thank you to all our partners and allies who have worked with us on this mission so far; our shared endeavour of deterrence and defence of the Euro-Atlantic region is the cornerstone of CSG23.”
Other activity during the ship’s first few weeks at sea saw the Wildcat helicopters obtain their Carrier Deck qualifications with a series of day and night landings and take-offs; US Air Force Ospreys refreshing their skills to take off and land on the vast deck and the ship practice surface warfare skills by finding, targeting and tracking hostile threats. (Source: https://www.gov.uk/)
05 Oct 23. India celebrates Tejas as beacon of self-sufficiency in defence manufacturing. The LCA Tejas twin-seater handover highlights India’s journey toward an indigenous fighter aircraft for India’s Air Force. Speaking at the official handing-over ceremony in Bangalore, Raksha Rajya Mantri Shri Ajay Bhatt marked the handover of the LCA Tejas Twin Seater to the Indian Air Force, emphasising the aircraft’s significance in India’s quest for self-reliance in defence manufacturing.
The LCA Tejas programme, he noted, stood as a testament to India’s commitment to reducing its dependency on foreign aircraft and embodying the spirit of a self-reliant nation.
The LCA Tejas project aims to equip the Indian Air Force with an indigenous fighter aircraft. The collective efforts of institutions and individuals, including Hindustan Aeronautics Limited, the Aeronautical Development Agency (ADA), DRDO Labs, CEMILAC, DGAQA, PSUs, IAF, and more, have contributed to India’s project.
Driven by the need to address critical deficiencies in the Tejas MK1 aircraft variant, India was compelled to develop a new upgrade specification for the baseline LCA Tejas MK1 aircraft, according to GlobalData’s “India Defense Market 2023-2028” report.
Highlighting the programme’s significance, Raksha Rajya Mantri emphasised that it provided India with knowledge in building fighter aircraft and nurtured the nation’s aerospace ecosystem. The development of the LCA Tejas has led to the creation of a robust defence and aerospace industry. However, it has also generated opportunities for numerous small and medium-sized enterprises, research institutions, and skilled workers who contributed to various facets of the project.
The LCA Tejas Twin Seater, the first of its kind produced by HAL, has technology which provides it with capabilities to improve its agility and versatility. Its primary role will be to provide essential training to the pilots of the Indian Air Force. Notably, the IAF has already ordered 83 LCA Tejas aircraft with HAL.
While the production of the LCA Tejas MK-1 continues apace, the country’s MoD finally placed the $6.58 bn order to acquire 83 MK-1A aircraft in Feb 2021, GlobalData’s intelligence of India’s Defense Market continues to highlight.
The LCA Tejas Twin Seater’s handover marks a milestone in India’s quest for self-sufficiency in defence manufacturing.
With India being one of the biggest importers of military equipment in recent years, India has started to switch roles since the indigenisation of their defence manufacturing has begun to impact their defence procurement.
They have offered the Tejas Twin Seater combat jet to a variety of international customers in an attempt to benefit from the exportation of military capabilities. Some examples of countries include Malaysia, Egypt, and Argentina. (Source: airforce-technology.com)
03 Oct 23. IAEA Training Centre for Nuclear Security Opens Doors to Build Expertise in Countering Nuclear Terrorism. The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) opened today a unique nuclear security training centre, the first international facility of its type, to support the growing efforts to tackle global nuclear terrorism.
IAEA Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi officially opened the IAEA Nuclear Security Training and Demonstration Centre during a ceremony at the Agency’s Seibersdorf laboratories in Austria, attended by representatives from 45 countries and territories.
The centre will provide more than 2000 square meters of specialized technical infrastructure and equipment for course participants to learn about the physical protection of nuclear and other radioactive material, as well as detection and response to criminal acts involving nuclear material and facilities.
“Nuclear security is one of the most important areas of our work to make sure that nuclear material never falls into the wrong hands,” IAEA Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi. “The international nuclear security centre of excellence – opened today – is where experts on nuclear security and the physical protection of nuclear material from all over the world will be trained to hone their skills.”
Requests to the Agency for training in nuclear security have increased in recent years as more countries embark on nuclear power programmes and after the 2016 entry into force of the Amendment of the Convention on the Physical Protection of Nuclear Material (CPPNM) – the only legally binding international instrument in the area of physical protection of nuclear material.
Over two floors, the new centre contains simulated environments, virtual reality tools and advanced software. It will provide hands on practice on nuclear security systems for the physical protection of nuclear facilities, information and computer security, nuclear forensics, major public events and other nuclear security areas of work.
“We are giving countries the tools to do nuclear better, safer and in a secure way”, added Director General Grossi.
The centre will welcome the first trainees next week for a course on security management of radioactive material, one of the 23 training courses and workshops to be offered.
“By building this new centre, the IAEA can offer unique training activities to address existing gaps using specialized up-to-date equipment, computer-based simulation tools and advanced training methods,” said Elena Buglova, Director of the IAEA Division of Nuclear Security.
The centre is part of a multi-purpose building that was built with over €18 m in extra-budgetary funding by fifteen donors, as well as in-kind contributions, bolstering the capabilities of the IAEA to respond to countries’ needs in capacity building for nuclear security.