Defence`s Feeds

American Kel-Tec RFB Semi-Automatic Rifle

The Indian Navy has successfully conducted the test firing of the medium-range surface-to-air missile (MRSAM) from the Kolkata-class guided-missile destroyer INS Kochi.

ECA Group's unmanned mine countermeasure integrated system (UMIS) installed on-board the Kazakhstan Navy's new 10750E-class mine hunter has successfully completed its sea acceptance trials (SAT).

The German Navy's Sea King MK41 helicopter simulator has re-entered service at the country’s Nordholz Naval Airbase following a major refit.

The second Conference on Test and Evaluation (T&E) was held in Vienna on 24-27 April 2017 with the title “European priorities - challenges and opportunities for a large EU network of T&E Centres“.

Building on the success of the first conference held in Rome in 2014, the Vienna conference was attended by around 100 experts from 17 EDA Member States, the European defence industry, and the European Commission, as well as NATO representatives. The aim was to provide a forum for the T&E community to exchange ideas, information and experiences.

The conference was opened by Lieutenant General Norbert Gehart, Armament Director, Austrian Federal Ministry for National Defence and Sport, and Mr Rini Goos, Deputy Chief Executive, European Defence Agency, and was hosted by the Austrian Armament and Defence Technology Agency. The conference sessions were moderated by the EDA Cooperation Panning and Support Director Mr. Roland Van Reybroeck, together with members of the Defence Test and Evaluation Base (DTEB) Plenary Group.

Current challenges for T&E requirements derived from the Capability Development Plan (CDP) in the wider context of the under the EU Global Strategy provided the basis for more than 20 presentations and interactive discussions among conference participants. European T&E cooperation examples and visits to Austrian test facilities provided practical insights and the opportunity to exchange experiences and lessons learned.

Main results of the conference included the acknowledgment of common challenges facing the T&E community and the need for a large European network of test facilities. Test and evaluation was recognized as a key enabler in support ofEU capability development priorities contributing to the objectives of the EU Global Strategy Implementation Plan on Security and Defence. The conference encouraged participating Member States to enhance cooperation and coordination of T&E initiatives under the EDA umbrella, to improve awareness of existing T&E capabilities, to explore opportunities for civil and military cooperation and to maintain and further develop key skills and competences in the T&E domain to the largest extent possible.

Background

The Test and Evaluation Community Days Conference is an EDA initiative held every three years in cooperation with a participating Member State. It brings together experts from Europe’s government Test Centres, project managers, T&E Directors, and European Defence Technology Industry Base (DTIB) representatives to exchange information, learn from each other and initiate new T&E projects, and create strategic networks to support EU forces.

 

More information:

• EDA prepares inter-laboratory test round to counter electromagnetic effects on operations (News, July 2016)
• Inaugural Test and Evaluation conference delivers results (December 2014)

Americas

• The USAF has invited Textron Aviation to enter both the AT-6 turboprop and Scorpion twin-jet to face off against Embraer’s A-29 Super Tucano in the service’s demonstration of close air support capability. August’s demonstration, now known as the Light Attack Experiment, will include a broad set of counter-land missions typical of an extended military campaign and builds on previous close air support experiments organized by the US Navy and Special Operations Command. The AT-6 Wolverine is adapted from the Beechcraft T-6 Texan II with a higher-thrust engine, data links and weapons stations, while the clean-sheet Scorpion was initially designed in 2012 to offer the Air National Guard a low-cost tactical combat jet for roles such as air sovereignty patrols and mission in low-threat war zones.

• Orbital ATK has been contracted by the US Army to produce and deliver large-caliber training ammunition. The $53 million agreement will cover both 120mm and 105mm rounds. The 120mm training ammunition, used by Abrams tanks, includes the M865 kinetic energy and the M1002 multi-purpose tank training rounds, while 105mm M724A2 rounds will be produced for crew training on the Stryker Mobile Gun System vehicles. So far, the ammunition manufacturer has sold almost 5 million rounds of large caliber munitions to the Army, Marin Corp, and US international allies and partners.

• The Pentagon’s inspector general has opened an investigation as to whether the USAF has imposed unnecessary additional secrecy on its B-21 bomber program. Last year, the Air Force rebuffed requests, including from Armed Services Committee Chairman John McCain, to reveal basic information such as the value of the development contract awarded to lead contractor Northrop Grumman or the amount of the fee set aside to encourage meeting program goals, citing their potential value to adversaries. Now, the DoD’s watchdog office will review and submit a report to Congress within the next six months aiming to ascertain whether there is the right mix of balanced program classification and transparency.

Middle East & North Africa

• BAE Systems has rolled out the lead example of its Eurofighter Typhoons destined for delivery to Oman later this year. Muscat’s Typhoon order, signed in December 2012, is for nine single-seat aircraft and three two-seat examples to support training activities. A ceremony to mark the occasion was hosted at the firm’s final assembly in Lancashire, UK, with the Typhoon joined by Oman’s first new-generation Hawk advanced jet trainer, of which eight Mk 166 examples are on order by the Gulf sultanate.

• Isreal’s Elbit Systems has unveiled the newest variant of its SPEAR MK2 mortar system designed for lightweight combat vehicles. The 120mm mortar system has seen improvements made to its coverage area as well as a new high recoil deduction capability. The system can be rapidly deployed and features both autonomous and manual activation and uses an integrated command and control system enabling full mission autonomy and providing battlefield management and situational awareness capabilities, fire missions’ prioritization and monitoring of personnel assignments.

Europe

• The CEO of French aviation firm Dassault, Eric Trappier, has told French media that the firm expects to sell an additional 18 Rafale fighters next year. In an interview with French regional newspaper Sud-Ouest on Sunday, Trappier hinted that the purchaser may by Malaysia, in a deal that could potentially be worth $2 billion. India has also been earmarked as a potential repeat customer after a high profile deal for 36 Rafales was concluded last year. “India’s needs are enormous,” said Trappier. “Hence, for its navy, 57 aircraft are considered,” he added. Malaysia, however, may be the more likely candidate for a deal to be finalized in the near term as it looks to replace its ageing combat aircraft.

Asia Pacific

• Russia is keen to swap rubber products for fighter jets with Indonesia, according to Oke Nurwan, the Foreign Ministry’s foreign trade director general. While a decision on the offer has yet to be made, Moscow is willing to deliver Sukhoi jet fighters in exchange for Indonesian crumb rubber in a deal valued at $600 million. While response from local rubber producers has been positive, specific legislation still needs to be created by a yet-to-be decided ministry in order to facilitate the necessary groundwork for such an agreement to move forward.

• A recent North Korean ballistic missile test has been detected by the newly-deployed THAAD system in South Korea, marking the first time the controversial air defense system has been put in use. The announcement was made by South Korea’s defense minister, Han Min-koo, who added that that Pyongyang is also at a more mature stage of development than previously thought, adding that the ICBM used in the test was of an “enhanced caliber compared to Musudan missiles that have continually failed” in previous rounds of testing.

Today’s Video

• Elbit’s Spear mortar system:

Italian IVECO Daily Light Utility Vehicle

Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) has successfully completed the deployment of its Advanced Lightweight Phased Array (ALPHA) ELM-2258 radar system on the Israeli Navy's Saar 4.5 missile ship.

Singapore's Ministry of Defence (MINDEF) has signed a new contract with Germany-based ThyssenKrupp Marine Systems (TKMS) for the purchase of two additional Type 218SG submarines.

Huntington Ingalls Industries (HII) has redelivered the USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72) Nimitz-class nuclear-powered aircraft carrier to the US Navy.

BAP Pisco (AMP-156) is a new multi-purpose landing platform dock (LPD) being built by SIMA-Peru Marine Industrial Services for the Peruvian Navy.

SENER is taking part in the 8th International Particle Accelerator Conference (IPAC) for the first time.

EDA has opened a call for submissions from defence industry representatives on the topic of Remotely Piloted Air Systems (RPAS). This call is in response to the agreement between EDA defence ministers to develop a more structured and regular dialogue with industry. In this domain, the EDA has developed an approach that is supported by Member States and invites defence industry representatives and research institutes to respond to the call for papers (attachment below). Submissions must be sent to the EDA by the 16th of June 2017.  

The aim of the process is to enrich the CDP long-term view with industry inputs on the long term perspective of the industrial and technological outlook for specific capability areas. This will not be a forum for discussing the commercial aspects of current systems but a dialogue intended to explore the long-term (20 years ahead) aspects of military warfare focused on Remotely Piloted Air Systems (RPAS).

The EDA will hold a one day workshop on the 12th of September 2017. Selected industry representatives will be invited to share their views of long-term outlooks focusing on the questions listed in the questionnaire.  Speakers will be selected based on this call for papers, which will be evaluated by the EDA. Submissions are sought from as wide as possible a range of industries involved in aspects of development related to RPAS. Though responses to all questions in the questionnaire are encouraged, submitters may develop answers to specific questions in greater detail based on their area of expertise. This will allow thematic discussion panels to be formed. Submissions will be judged on their innovativeness and relevance as well as ability to stimulate discussion on the future role of RPAS in the military context. Participation in this call for papers is open to companies of any size as well as academic, semi-governmental research institutes and associations or grouping of industrial suppliers.     
 

How to submit 

Download the call for papers here: Annex to EDA201705069 - CDP Industry Questionnaire

Send your completed files to  cps@eda.europa.eu with a copy to aleksandrs.bucens@eda.europa.eu 

Deadline for submissions is the 16th of June 2017 

Contact point 

Aleksandrs BUCENS

Project Officer Cooperation Planning Strategic Analysis

 

aleksandrs.bucens@eda.europa.eu

+32 2 504 28 37 

 

One last set of slides from MCIS, this one mostly maps describing operations in Syria. A lot of the slides in this set were actually videos being played through powerpoint, so those are not included here.

 

The European Defence Agency is pleased to invite you to the official opening of the new European Tactical Airlift Centre (ETAC) on June 8th in Zaragoza. We are delighted that Head of the EDA, High Representative and Vice-President of the European Commission, Federica Mogherini and Minister of Defence of Spain Dolores de Cospedal will official open the ETAC. They will be joined by EDA Chief Executive Jorge Domecq, Members of the EU Military Committee and representatives of European Ministries of Defence. The Belgian Ministry of Defence is kindly providing a complementary flight (Brussels-Zaragoza-Brussels) on June 8th for members of the press.

Press opportunities

Opening of the ETAC: marks a significant moment in European defence cooperation. ETAC represents the largest transfer of a project, created and developed by the EDA, to one of its Member States on a permanent basis. Zaragoza will officially become the home of the European Air Transport Fleet (EAFT) Programme, created in 2011 by EDA and currently numbers 20 participating nations. The opening of the ETAC is a fundamental step forward in European defence collaboration in the critical capability domain of tactical airlift.

EAATTC 17-3 Static Display and Presentation: The third European Advanced Airlift Tactics Training Course for 2017 (EAATTC 17-3), hosted by Spain, will also draw to a close on June 8th. This edition of EAATTC gathers four aircraft from four different countries (Belgium, Germany, Spain and Poland). This training aims to provide air transport crews with a robust airlift tactics training syllabus in order to enhance interoperability between European air forces. The media day offers members of the press an opportunity to learn more about this training exercise, European capabilities in military airlift and interact with the crews and planes involved during the static display. 

Additive Manufacturing (3D printing) in defence: ETAC Media Day on June 8th also offers the opportunity to discover more of EDA’s work in defence innovation. EDA will deploy its new 3D printing lab as part of a project project’s to assess the areas where Additive Manufacturing (3D printing) can have a positive impact on defence capabilities and to demonstrate its feasibility. The lab’s deployment to seeks to bridge the data gap on 3D printer performance in deployed conditions and will demonstrate the operational utility of these technologies in a realistic operational environment.

Registration for Media Flight & Programme 

A full press programme will be communicated closer to the date, however departure of the flight is expected between 07:30 - 08:30 from Melsbroek Airbase returning between 17:00 - 18:00. Final times will be confirmed at a later date. The EDA is coordinating media registration for the complementary flight* on June 8th. 

Members of the press can apply for a seat on the media flight by contacting: Mr Paul Quinn (paul.quinn@eda.europa.eu) EDA Media and Communication Officer.

Registration will close on May 22 2017. 

*Seats are limited and will be allocated on a first come, first served basis. 

Flight time to Zaragoza is approximately 2 hours. Should you have any additional questions, please do not hesitate to get in touch with us. 

We very much hope you will be able to attend and look forward to welcoming you for the Opening of the European Tactical Airlift Centre. 

Contact point

Paul QUINN, Media & Communication Officer

European Defence Agency
Rue des Drapiers 17-23
B-1050 Brussels (Belgium) 

Tel: ++3225042842
paul.quinn@eda.europa.eu

Americas

• Embraer has announced that it will enter its A-29 Super Tucano into the US Air Force’s upcoming OA-X experiment. The Brazilian manufacturer will team with Sierra Nevada Corporation for the July demonstration, which aims to test low-cost options for acquiring light attack aircraft for the service. Manufactured in Florida and in use by a dozen air forces worldwide, the A-29 is a durable, versatile and powerful turboprop aircraft capable of carrying out a wide range of fighter and ISR missions. The USAF-certified A-29 is combat-proven, having seen combat in Afghanistan and in theaters around the globe.

• A Canadian senate committee on defense has urged the Canadian government to drop the planned acquisition of F-A/18 fighters from Boeing, describing it as as a “political decision” that fails to serve either the air force or taxpayers. The government announced its plans to purchase 18 Super Hornets as an interim measure following its pulling out of a deal to buy 65 F-35s as a replacement for its ageing CF-188s. Citing a letter from 13 former senior Royal Canadian Air Force officers which argues that the acquisition of such a small fleet – sharing only limited commonality with its current fighters – will be needlessly costly, the senators stated that the government’s “decision not to proceed with the procurement process for a new fighter fleet and purchasing an unnecessary and costly interim capability will leave the taxpayers with a significant burden and [RCAF] with a duplicate support system that will cost billions of dollars in equipment, training, and technical know-how.” The committee recommended that the defence ministry “immediately” begins a contest to select the CF-188’s replacement, with a decision to made by 30 June 2018.

• Damages to the the oxygen system of a VC-25A, also known as Air Force One, has been blamed on three mechanics from Boeing. A USAF accident report stated that the company reimbursed the government $4 million for the mishap, after mechanics used parts and a cleaning solution that did not meet the cleanliness standards for the oxygen system. An attempt to sanitise the contaminated parts with the unapproved cleaning solution also didn’t follow procedures, the report added. As a result, the cost to sterilize and re-check the oxygen system added $4 million to the repair bill for the VC-25A, but Boeing has re-imbursed the government for the costs.

Middle East & North Africa

• Saudi Arabia has produced its own strategic UAV under its own drone program. Built by the King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology, the Saqr-1 features a KA-band satellite communications system, has a range of more than 2,500 km, and an endurance of more than 24 hours. News of the new drone program comes after March’s announcement that Riyadh would partner with China to construct a UAV factory in the Gulf kingdom as part of a $65 billion economic pact. The factory is most likely to produce China’s CH-4 UAV, as well as providing after-sales services for China’s clients in the Middle East in addition to satisfying Saudi orders.

Europe

• Fincantieri’s shipyard at Muggiano has delivered the forth U212A Todaro-class attack submarine to the Italian Navy. Named the Romeo Romel, the vessel is the twin sub of the Pietro Venuti which was delivered in July last year. The project was conducted in cooperation with the German Submarine Consortium and features Kongsberg’s MSI-90U advanced combat management system.

Asia Pacific

• In what is being described as a “rare comment on defense”, the Taiwanese government has publicly announced that it is to continue purchasing US defense systems despite its own efforts to build up its indigenous defense capabilities. Citing that its purchase “have boosted the local economy of and employment in states such as Alabama, Arizona, Florida, Utah, Ohio and Pennsylvania,” the government statement added that companies like Raytheon Co, Lockheed Martin Co, Boeing Co, Sikorsky and BAE Systems PLC have benefited from Taiwan’s purchases of missile defense systems, attack helicopters, fighter jets, and other amphibious assault vehicles. The 40-page English-language response released by Taiwan’s cabinet late Thursday stated that US-Taiwan ties were a “top priority” and that the island was “open to any possible proposals that will strengthen US-Taiwan trade relations on a fair and mutually-beneficial basis.” While normally both Washington and Taipei keep a low profile on defense procurement matters, such a public announcement may move to antagonise China, which sees Taiwan as rightfully part of its bigger neighbor.

• The Indian government is planning a $2 billion acquisition of the home-made Pinaka multi-barrel rocket launcher system in an effort to become more self-sufficient. An order for six regiments is expected within the next 18 months and it is believed to involve a number of state-owned and private industry partners. It’s also suggested that New Delhi may be looking to export the Pinaka. However, the Pinaka is not without its problems, namely with the rockets of the two regiments that have been in use for more than a decade. According to Bhupinder Yadav, an analyst and former Indian Army Major General, the “production of Pinaka rockets is on hold after some quality-related issues mainly relating to OFB-produced propellant such as short ranges, residues after firings and accidents relating to burst in launchers, etc.”

• The US State Department has cleared the sale of CBRN equipment to India. Valued at an estimated $75 million, the foreign military sale includes includes 38,034 M50 general purpose masks; Joint Service Lightweight Integrated Suit Technology — 38,034 each of suits, pairs of trousers, pairs of gloves, pairs of boots and NBC bags – plus 854 aprons; 854 alternative aprons; 9,509 Quick Doff Hoods; and 114,102 M61 filters. The equipment is used to protect service members from chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear threats.

Today’s Video

• The Kaplan MT:

Italian IVECO M70.20WM Light Utility Vehicle

The US Navy's newest littoral combat ship (LCS), the future USS Gabrielle Giffords (LCS 10), has departed from Mobile, Alabama, to sail to its commissioning site in Galveston, Texas.

SAES will be running a conference about the importance of the anti-submarine warfare and the ways in which new political challanges can be confronted.

SAES is to offer a conference about the increasing importance of the anti-submarine warfare and solutions to successfully confront the new challenges.