Defence`s Feeds

The Indian government's anti-corruption watchdog, the Central Vigilance Commission (CVC), has highlighted the extent of delays in investigations into alleged corruption in defence. The CVC said in a memorandum published on 10 January that there are 19 complaints of alleged corruption in defence

EVENT The Iraqi Army's 7th Division began a new offensive against the Islamic State in Anbar province in January, advancing from Haditha along the Euphrates River towards the town of Al-Qaim on the Syria border. This follows media reports in December claiming that the Islamic State was redeploying

EVENT On 4 January, an Indonesian man was charged by Malaysian authorities for possessing materials connected with terrorism. Malaysia's counter-terror police chief Ayob Khan Pitchay said the suspect was allegedly planning to travel to Myanmar to stage terrorist attacks in support of the minority

Tokyo and Washington have agreed to sign an agreement that would narrow the scope of legal immunity granted to US military base workers in Japan, Japanese foreign minister Fumio Kishida was quoted by Kyodo news agency as saying on 13 January. The pact is set to supplement the US-Japan status of

Russia has continued its overtures to Khalifa Haftar, a powerful commander in eastern Libya, by hosting him on the aircraft carrier Admiral Kuznetsov on 11 January. Haftar, a former Muammar Ghadaffi-era general who commands the Libyan National Army (LNA) and does not recognise the UN-backed

EVENT On 5 January, locals from the Puente Piedra district of Lima Province began a week-long protest against fees charged by road operator Peruvian Rutas de Lima. Although an increase in toll charges was approved in August for three tranches south of the Pan American highway and one tranche

Lockheed Martin's Sikorsky will demonstrate its affiliate PZL Mielec M28 short take-off and landing (STOL) twin-turboprop transport aircraft in Brazil as part of a two-month tour across Caribbean and Latin American countries. A looming Brazilian Army effort to acquire fixed-wing aircraft could have

Insitu has secured a $70.81m contract modification for lot 1 full-rate production of six RQ-21A Blackjack unmanned aircraft systems.

Americas

• Lockheed Martin will design a new Electronic Warfare (EW) pod for US Navy MH-60 helicopters. Known as the Advanced Off-board Electronic Warfare (AOEW) system, the pod will relay the signals it picked up back to the ship’s existing SLQ-32 system without any input from the helicopter crew. Company officials said the new capability will allow the fleet to respond to threats beyond the horizon, however declined to comment on whether the technology would come with any offensive capacity.

• Flight testing of the Tomahawk Block IV cruise missile has been completed. A Raytheon announcement stated that the launches were conducted to demonstrate the missile’s ability to engage time-sensitive targets. The first test saw personnel onboard the USS Pinckney utilize the Launch Platform Mission Planning capability while during the second test, crew members fired the weapon for a longer duration, and also conducted a terminal dive maneuver to strike the intended target. The company said the performance confirms the Tomahawk’s ability to attack heavily defended targets.

• The US Navy plans to test-fire Boeing’s AGM-84 Harpoon Block II+ER extended range anti-ship missile this year. Upgrades to the missile can fit inside the existing Block 1C airframe, providing for easier integration as well as a cheaper separation testing process. Navy F/A-18 and P-8A Increment III aircraft will be fitted with the missile, and will give the platforms a doubling in target range alongside a new warhead.

Middle East North Africa

• Moroccan F-16s will be fitted with new EW gear thanks to a $91 million deal with Harris Corp. The company will provide a number of the AN/ALQ-211 Advanced Integrated Defensive Electronic Warfare Suites (AIDEWS) to the Royal Moroccan Air Force in an indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract issued by the US Air Force’s Warner Robins Air Logistics Center. AIDEWS is the only combat-ready electronic warfare system available to allied countries flying F-16 aircraft.

Europe

• Poland’s military modernization marches on as Warsaw is reported to be exploring the possibility of more F-16 fighters. A plan by the Defense Ministry looks to purchase 96 second-hand A/B models from the US, and have the overhaul and upgrade work carried out by local industry. At present, the Polish Air Force operates 48 F-16 C/D variants alongside soon to be phased out MiG-29 and Su-22 fighters.

Asia Pacific

• Reports that the New Zealand government are in talks with Japan over a deal for maritime patrol and cargo aircraft have been downplayed by Wellington. A Defence Ministry spokesperson said that no offers had been made by Tokyo to sell Kawasaki P-1 maritime patrol aircraft and C-2 cargo planes to the Royal New Zealand Air Force, in a deal that would exceed $1 billion. The statement also reiterated that the ministry will not release a new competition to replace its existing fleet of six P-3 Orion, five C-130 Hercules, and two Boeing 757s this year.

• The Chinese Air Force has taken delivery of its first four Su-35 fighters. Beijing has ordered 24 models in total following a negotiation process that has dragged on for several years. Chinese brass have commented that Moscow was eager to complete the deal due to concerns about the rolling out of the People’s Liberation Air Force’s new Chengdu J-20 fighter. The J-20 made its debut last year, although much of its capabilities have yet to be demonstrated publicly, and it is believed to have already entered low-rate production.

• Early work on Tiger Mk III helicopter upgrades by the European defense procurement agency, the OCCAR, has commenced, although there is uncertainty over Australia’s participation in the project. Set up by Germany, the UK, France, and Italy, the OCCAR is in charge of the Tiger modernization program, and while Australia is not one of its members, it was hoped that Canberra, with a 22 Tiger fleet, would commit to the effort.  Canberra, however, has expressed frustration with the rotorcraft, even hinting that they may ditch the Tiger in the mid-2020s. France, Germany and Spain are currently heavily involved in the program’s definition phase, which includes avionics and weapons overhauls, including the Lockheed Martin AGM-114 Hellfire and Rafael Spike, used by the Tiger’s European operators.

Today’s Video

US Army demonstrates 3-D printed drones:

Tiger HAP & HAC
(click to view full)

Eurocopter’s Tiger had always had a very odd setup in that it came in two seemingly incomplete versions (HAP scout and HAC/UHT anti-tank), whose respective deficiencies severely limited multi-role flexibility and hence exports. The new Tiger HAD (Helicoptere Appui Destruction) variant fixes those deficiencies, and looks set to become the default version for new-build EC665 Tiger exports.

The HAD project began in December 2005, as the EU’s OCCAR organization for armament cooperation signed a formal contract in Bonn, Germany and set out initial procurement numbers for Spain. This was followed by the French DGA’s announcing the restructuring of its own 80-helicopter order, and each customer has made its own choices as the new variant has gone from concept to initial delivery.

EC665 Tiger Species

MTR390 maintenance
(click to view full)

The Tiger is the first all-composite helicopter developed in Europe, with a fuselage made from 80% carbon fibre-reinforced polymer and kevlar, 11% aluminium, and 6% titanium. The helicopter comes in different versions, however, and it was the shortcomings of the initial versions that pushed Eurocopter toward Tiger HAD.

All Tiger helicopters use a common airframe, which can be mistaken for AgustaWestland’s A129 at first glance. Tiger helicopters lack the A129’s nose-mounted sensors (sometimes substituting a gun in their place) or the 5-bladed rotor of the A129I, however, and feature a “hunchback” over the engines and winglets on the tail stabilizer.

A pair of compact Rolls Royce/ Turbomeca MTR390 engines deliver 1,285shp each, driving the Tiger to 124 knot (142 mph/ 237 kph) cruise speed and a 145 knot (167mph/ 277 kph) speed when armed. The cockpit is the digital “glass cockpit” one expects in modern aircraft, displaying instrument information, pictures from the sensors, moving digital maps, GPS navigation, et. al. Thales TopOwl helmet-mounted sights project most critical information right onto the pilot’s field of view, however, including weapon and sighting controls. Defensively, EADS electronic warfare suite, which also equips the NH90 medium helicopter, is used for most Tiger variants. It includes a radar warning receiver, laser warner, MILDS AN/AAR-60 missile launch detector, and MBDA’s SAPHIR-M chaff / flare dispenser, all tied together through a Thales central processing unit.

The French Tiger HAP

Tiger HAP
(click to view full)

The French HAP version is intended to be a scout and escort helicopter. It incorporates Mistral anti-aircraft missiles, a 30mm chin turret from Nexter, and 68mm SNEB unguided rockets. Unlike the Franco-German HAC/UHT version, however, the HAP lacked Sagem’s Osiris mast-mounted sight/designator that could be so useful to a scout helicopter, substituting a roof-mounted Sagem Strix sight instead.

The other thing it lacks is laser-designation capability for guided rockets, or the ability to fire anti-tank missiles. While the HAP has an extra 10 knots of full speed when armed, and better climb and hover characteristics than its HAC/UHT counterpart, its configuration sharply limits the helicopter’s usefulness. The HAP variant has since become an orphan with a cut-down buy from France, and no exports.

It is built in Eurocopter’s Marignane, France facility.

The German Tiger UHT

Tiger HAC/ UHT
(click to view full)

The HAC/UHT anti-tank version has the improved Osiris mast-mounted sights and can fire HOT-3 or Trigat/PARS-3 anti-tank missiles, American FIM-92 Stinger air-to-air missiles, 70mm Hydra rockets, or 12.7mm gun pods. An improved Tiger ASGARD variant was fielded as part of ISAF operations in Afghanistan as of December 2012. It incorporates sand filters, additional defensive systems, a mission data recorder, satellite communications, and upgraded 1,467 shp MTR390-E engines for operation in Afghanistan’s lift-sapping high altitudes and heat.

What the German Tiger lacks is a chin turret and cannon, with its obvious applications against trucks and light armored vehicles. That’s a strange omission for an anti-tank helicopter, and Germany is the only customer for this variant. It is built at Eurocopter’s facility in Donauworth, Germany.

The bottom line? The national requirements of France and Germany left each country with a variant whose basic deficiencies made them unexportable. It wasn’t until export customers demanded a fully multi-role scout and attack helicopter that Eurocopter began to field competitive platforms.

Fixing the Tiger: From ARH to HAD

Tiger ARH
(click to view full)

Australia’s Tiger ARH (Armed Reconnaissance Helicopter) version is a modified Tiger HAP with a Nexter 30mm cannon, and a laser designator incorporated in the roof-mounted Sagem Strix sight. That allows the firing of Hellfire II laser-guided anti-armor missiles, and gives Australia the option of adding laser-guided rockets as well. The helicopter carries the Hellfire’s M299 “smart” launchers, and adds the ability to carry 70mm rockets and American Stinger anti-aircraft missiles. Finally, Tiger ARH contains various changes to incorporate equipment that’s compatible with Australian communications, and items that come from Australian manufacturers.

The first Tiger ARH took its maiden flight in February 2004, and deliveries on the 22-helicopter order began in December 2004. Tiger ARH has entered service with Australia’s military, but it has experienced issues. It will not be covered in this article.

Tiger HAD test
(click to view full)

Tiger HAD was the next step, and seems likely to form the basis for all subsequent exports.

Tiger HAD builds on ARH advances, adding upgraded MTR390-E engines rated at 1,467shp each, ban IFF interrogator function, and improved ballistic protection. The Spanish version substitutes an electronic warfare/warning system from Indra, in place of EADS’ EWS.

Weapon carriage is also broadened, and includes a Nexter 30M781 30mm turret, 68mm or 70mm rockets, MBDA Mistral air-to-air missiles, and RAFAEL/Eurospike Spike-ER or Lockheed Martin AGM-114 Hellfire II anti-armor missiles.

The 2005 contract modification that created Tiger HAD involved the Spanish DGAM (Direccion General de Armamento y Material), French DGA (Direction Generale de l’Armement) and German BWB (Bundesamt fur Wehrtechnik und Beschaffung). The agreement covers the development and production investments in Tiger HAD for both Spain and France, helicopter production for Spain and France, and the retrofit of Tiger HAPs to HAD status for Spain.

French trials

France’s fleet will include 40 earlier-model HAP escort and support versions and 40 HAD versions. Alex Youngs of Rolls Royce (who make the Tiger’s MTR390 engines) confirmed that this was just a restructuring of their existing order from 70 HAP escort/scout + 10 HAC/UHT attack helicopters to 40 HAP escort/scout + 40 HAD multi-role helicopters. The 1st French Tiger HAD was scheduled for delivery in late 2010, and was actually delivered early, in March 2010.

Spain has ordered 24 Tiger HAD/E helicopters: 18 new, and 6 Tiger HAP-to-HAD/E upgrades. A 2013 decision by the Spanish government will put 6 of the helicopters up for sale on the global market, as a way to cut the military’s budget without paying contract cancellation fees.

France’s Tiger HADs are built in Marignane, France. Spain’s Tiger HAD/Es are built in Albacete, Spain.

These contracts bring the total number of Tiger helicopters ordered through the EU’s OCCAR armament cooperation agency to 172: 68 helicopters for Germany (UHT, cut from 80), 80 for France (40 HAP, 40 HAD) and 24 for Spain (HAD/E). A total of 17 EC665 helicopters are designated for the resale pool: 11 Tiger UHTs from Germany (so 57 operational), and 6 Tiger HAD/E from Spain (so 18 operational).

Australia’s 22 Tiger ARH helicopters weren’t ordered through OCCAR, and subsequent exports are also likely to be beyond OCCAR’s ambit.

Contracts & Related Events 2014 – 2017

HAD Block 2.

French Tiger HAD

January 13/17: Early work on Tiger Mk III helicopter upgrades by the European defense procurement agency, the OCCAR, has commenced, although there is uncertainty over Australia’s participation in the project. Set up by Germany, the UK, France, and Italy, the OCCAR is in charge of the Tiger modernization program, and while Australia is not one of its members, it was hoped that Canberra, with a 22 Tiger fleet, would commit to the effort. Canberra, however, has expressed frustration with the rotorcraft, even hinting that they may ditch the Tiger in the mid-2020s. France, Germany and Spain are currently heavily involved in the program’s definition phase, which includes avionics and weapons overhauls, including the Lockheed Martin AGM-114 Hellfire and Rafael Spike, used by the Tiger’s European operators.

February 29/16: Australia is to replace its fleet of Tiger helicopters by the mid-2020s which could include a mix of manned and unmanned rotorcraft. The troubled history of the Tiger and the essential upgrades required to retain combat effectiveness was highlighted in the government’s recently released 2016 defense whitepaper. Canberra plans to acquire systems equipped with effective armed reconnaissance abilities, and capable of integration with joint forces. Other plans include obtaining “light helicopters” that can be easily transported aboard the Boeing C-17 strategic transport for use supporting Special Forces operations.

Dec 10/14: France. Airbus delivers the first 2 HAD Block 2 Tigers that will be operated by the French Army’s GAMSTAT aero-mobility group, then assigned to the 1st Army Combat Helicopter Regiment located at the Phalsbourg-Bourscheid Air Base in Eastern France.

Nov 21/14: France. The DGA procurement agency qualified the HAD Block 2 Tiger for the French Army. So far they have received 46 Tiger helos, 40 of which are in HAP version to be converted to HAD over time. Block 2 qualification improves rocket targeting, and adds external fuel tanks, support for Spike and Hellfire anti-tank missiles, and digital communications. Airbus says these helos are also be navalized. Source: DGA, “Qualification finale du Tigre en version appui-destruction (HAD).”

March 6/14: Germany. The German Army receives the last of 12 Tiger UHT helicopters modified to the ASGARD (Afghanistan Stabilization German Army Rapid Deployment) configuration.

2011 – 2013

Export opportunities; Delivered and Certified in France; Spain looking to sell 8 of 24 helicopters.

July 30/13: The initial Tiger HAD/E variant assembled at Eurocopter’s Spanish facilities in Albacete, Spain, makes its 1st flight. Albacete makes the Tiger’s rear fuselage sections, but full assembly is a new step – Spain’s HAD/E testing prototype had been assembled in Marignane, France, as were all 6 of Spain’s Tiger HAP/E helicopters.

HAD/E-5002 will be the first machine to enter service with the Spanish Army’s FAMET, with delivery planned by the end of 2013.

EADS’ release cites other partners, including ITP/MTRI consortium (MRT390-E engine), Indra, Amper, ELIMCO, Aernnova, TECHNOBIT, DMP (Desarrollos Mecanicos de Precision), Sacesa, and Celestica. EADS.

July 26/13: Spain. The Spanish government approves an extra EUR 877.33 million (about $1.165 billion) in their 2013 budget, in order to finance payments that have come due on several major weapons programs. The Tiger HAD/E is one of them, and will receive EUR 88.26 million. Spain’s Spike missile programs will receive another EUR 34.5 million.

At the same time, in order to finance investments in their troubled S-80 submarine program, and purchases of their Pizarro (ASCOD) tracked IFVs, Spain will look to cut other programs – and the Tiger is also one of those. The contract is already signed, penalties make pull-out too expensive, so 6 of the 24 are now designated for second-hand sale. Other cuts include selling 13 of 27 A400M aerial transports, and reducing the number of serving Leopard 2A6E tanks from 190 – 116. Sources: Defense-Aerospace | Publico [in Spanish].

Jan 25/13: Certified. France’s DGA bestows military type certification on the Tiger HAD. Certification is an often-overlooked aspect of delivering combat ready gear, and several helicopters (incl. the NH90 and Mh-92) have seen multi-year delays while that get sorted out. French DGA [in French].

French military certification

Dec 5/11: Malaysia. Eurocopter includes the Tiger in its LIMA 2011 presence, including a flying display. Malaysia is expected to issue a Request for Proposal (RFP) for attack helicopters, and Eurocopter has a local subsidiary. EADS.

June 4/12: Korea. South Korea announces the finalists for its AH-X attack helicopter program, but the Tiger isn’t on their list. Eurocopter is KAI’s partner for South Korea’s Surion medium helicopter program, but that didn’t seem to help them here.

The finalists are AgustaWestland/TAI’s T-129, Bell Helicopter’s AH-1Z, and Boeing’s AH-64. In the end, the ROK picks the AH-64E Apache Guardian. Defense Update.

Oct 19/11: Korea. Eurocopter indicates its interest in participating in South Korea’s planned 2012 RFPs for helicopters. They’re proposing the AS565 Panther platform for the Light Attack Helicopter (LAH) program and the EC665 Tiger for the Heavy Attack Helicopter (AH-X) program. EADS.

2008 – 2010

Missile orders; Tiger HAD testing.

Tiger HAD w. Spike
(click to view full)

Dec 17/10: France. The first pre-serial Tiger HAD (fire support and destruction) for France makes its maiden flight from Eurocopter’s plant in Marignane, France. During the next several months, Eurocopter will conduct joint testing and development flights of the French and Spanish Tiger HAD. EADS.

Sept 16/10: Testing. The first Tiger HAD begins its 15 month flight test program at Eurocopter’s Albacete, Spain facility. This is the first time that Eurocopter Spain has taken on the responsibility for testing a helicopter prototype.

Block 1 qualification is scheduled for December 2011, and includes Mistral and Spike missile firings. The first production Tiger HAD helicopters are scheduled for delivery early 2012. EADS | Eurocopter.

April 10-19/10: Delivery. The Tiger HAD variant is qualified by the French DGA procurement agency on April 10th, and officially delivered on April 19th. EADS.

1st delivery

June 30/09: Engines. A Tiger helicopter powered by 2 of the new MTR390-E prototype engines successfully completes its maiden flight. The MTR390-E is being developed by MTRI GmbH, a German joint venture that includes MTU Aero Engines, Safran Group’s Turbomeca, Rolls-Royce and ITP. In the Turbomeca release, MTRI Managing Director Clemens Linden says that:

“The MTR390-E engine will further enhance the performances of the Tiger under demanding flight conditions, providing power growth of 14 per cent for missions in ‘hot and high’ environmental conditions in which the new HAD helicopter will be operated. All of this is possible using the same engine architecture, envelope and installation interfaces.”

Sept 11/08: Testing. EADS Eurocopter announces that it successfully completed a firing campaign using the Spike air-to-ground missile, at the Spanish National Institute for Aerospace Technology’s (INTA El Arenosillo firing range in Spain. EADS reports that Spain is still on track to receive its first helicopters from 2011 onward.

During the Spike tests in El Arenosillo, 7 missiles were fired: 5 without their main propulsion units, and the other 2 in lock on before launch (LOBL) mode and then lock on after launch (LOAL) modes at targets 6-8 km away. The first 5 firings validated integration with the Tiger HAD, and safe separation with the booster in hover and in forward flight. The 2 full firings hit their targets.

Feb 6/08: Sensors. The SAFRAN Group’s Sagem Defense Securité received an order from OCCAR for roof-mounted STRIX surveillance and targeting systems that will equip all 64 Tiger HAD helicopters ordered by France and Spain. The first deliveries will take place in 2009. The Strix also equips Tiger HAP and ARH helicopters, but Germany’s Tiger UHT/HAC uses Sagem’s Osiris mast-mounted sight instead. Sagem release.

Feb 6/08: Weapons. Spain announces a series of Tiger-related contracts:

Sas Tda Armements of France received EUR 3.7 million for 68 mm rockets.

Nexter received a small EUR 765,000 contract for 30mm ammunition to equip the Tiger HAD’s gun.

MBDA France receives a EUR 27.7 million contract for Mistral II ATAM anti-aircraft missiles to equip Spain’s 24 Tiger HADs. See also Sept 7/07 entry.

Feb 4/08: Weapons. France and Lockheed Martin sign a Letter of Offer and Acceptance for Hellfire II missiles, which will equip France’s Tiger HAD helicopters. Numbers and costs are not disclosed, but Defense News reports that the French received identical pricing to the USA’s Hellfire II Buy 13 contract, which bought 4,622 missiles for $305.9 million on behalf of the USA and Britain. That’s about $66,200 per missile. The contract covers “multiple warhead variants,” and the semi-active laser homing Hellfire II has 4 warhead options: AGM-114K high-explosive anti-tank (HEAT); AGM-114M blast fragmentation; AGM-114K-A HEAT and blast fragmentation; and the AGM-114N metal augmented charge (thermobaric) warhead.

As an interesting side note, Defense News adds that France is also running a competition for its next long-range infantry missile, between the American Javelin, Israel’s Spike-LR, and MBDA’s Milan-ER. A winner is expected in 2009. Lockheed Martin release | Defense News report.

Jan 28/08: Weapons. General Dynamics Santa Barbara Sistemas operations in Spain signs a EUR 40 million (about $64 million) contract with the Spanish Army for the supply of 44 Air Land Spike-ER Missile System launchers and 200 missiles for Spain’s Tiger HAD helicopters. In addition, General Dynamics Santa Barbara Sistemas will provide integrated logistics support (ILS). Work is expected to be complete by 2012. GD release.

2005 – 2007

Tiger HAD contract; France (Hellfire) & Spain (Spike-ER) pick different anti-armor missiles; 1st flight.

Spanish testing
(click to view full)

Dec 14/07: The first flight of the HAD version of the Tiger (HAD S/N 5001) takes place at Eurocopter’s Marignane, France headquarters on schedule. This flight enables the start of the flight test period. HAD S/N 5001 is the first serial HAD for Spain, and will be transferred to Eurocopter España in 2009. The HAD version will be qualified end 2010, and deliveries to France and Spain are expected to begin in 2010. Eurocopter release.

1st flight

Nov 30/07: Weapons. The Spanish Council of Ministers sets aside EUR 44 million over 6 years (2007-2012) to buy Spike-ER missiles as their Tiger HAD helicopters’ primary anti-armor weapon. See DID coverage.

Spain picks Spike-ER missiles

Sept 7/07: Weapons. The Spanish Council of Ministers sets aside EUR 27.7 million over 5 years (2007-2011) to buy MBDA Mistral ATAM anti-aircraft missiles for its Tiger helicopters. Mistral is already in service with Spanish Army, airborne, and Marines units as a man-portable air defense missile, and equips earlier Tiger versions. See DID coverage.

June 4/07: Weapons. Lockheed announces that the French have selected their Hellfire II missile to equip French Tiger HAD helicopters. The European Trigat missile was originally supposed to fill that role, but Germany’s withdrawal from the program killed it.

The Australian Tiger ARH is another Tiger variant equipped with the Hellfire II missile; for the French competition, Lockheed Martin is teamed with MBDA, which will integrate the Hellfire missile launcher onto the Tiger and provide technical support. Original semi-cryptic announcement | June 18th Paris Air Show announcement.

France picks Hellfire missiles

Naval trials
(click to view full)

May 21 – June 7/07: Testing. Under the supervision of Eurocopter and the French DGA procurement agency, a Tiger HAP helicopter takes part in navalization trials on a Siroco Class LSD amphibious ship and a Lafayette Class frigate, in extremely severe weather that includes 6-meter (19 foot) swells, winds close to 100 km/h, and deck angles up to 12 degrees. Eurocopter Australian Aerospace release

The trials are successful, with strong implications for French and Spanish employment of their Tiger HAD helicopters – and for Australia’s Tiger ARH, now that Australia has ordered 2 new Canberra Class LHDs based on Spain’s BPE ship.

Jan 10/07: Spain. RAFAEL and General Dynamics Santa Barbara Systems of Spain announce a $424.5 million contract with the Spanish Army for 2,600 SPIKE-LR missiles and 260 launchers. This decision makes an accompanying air-launched buy much more likely – which is exactly what happens in November 2007. RAFAEL release [MS Word format] | General Dynamics release.

Dec 15/06: Weapons. France’s DGA procurement agency has wrapped up testing of the Tiger ARH and Hellfire II missile at the Woomera Testing Range in South Australia. Successful testing will confirm a template for adding Hellfire capability to the new Tiger HAD. Gizmag.

June 30/06: Turkey loss. Turkey shortlists 2 helicopters for their attack helicopter competition: AgustaWestland’s A129, and Denel’s Rooivalk. The Tiger was reportedly eliminated on cost grounds, and Kamov/IAI’s Ka-50/52 Erdogan also failed to make the shortlist.

Turkey eventually chooses the A129, whose production line is moved entirely to Turkey. Read “Turkey Finally Lands Its Attack Helicopters” for full coverage.

Loss in Turkey

Dec 5/05: The inaugural Tiger HAD contract is signed between Eurocopter and the EU’s OCCAR armament cooperation organization in Bonn, Germany. This inaugural Tiger HAD contract involves the Spanish DGAM (Direccion General de Armamento y Material), French DGA (Direction Generale de l’Armement) and German BWB (Bundesamt fur Wehrtechnik und Beschaffung). It covers the development and production of Tiger HAD for both Spain (18) and France (40), and the retrofit of 6 Spanish Tiger HAPs to HAD status.

This agreement supersedes the ITP (instruction to proceed) signed on Dec 8/04, which had officially launched the HAD (Helicoptere Appui Destruction) version of the Tiger. EADS.

Contract: 40 France,
24 Spain

Additional Readings

• OCCAR – Tiger – A New Generation of Helicopters

• Eurocopter – Tiger

• Rolls Royce – MTR390. Engine.

• Sagem – Optronic Sights. Covers both Osiris and Strix.

• Thales – TopOwl. Helmet-Mounted Sights. They also serve on American AH-1Z and South African Rooivalk attack helicopters, on armed USMC UH-1Y utility helicopters, and on the V-22 Osprey.

• WIRED Beyond the Beyond (June 22/11) – Augmented Reality: Thales TopOwl helmet. AR is a new feature.

A new promising EDA research and technology (R&T) programme aimed at improving Member States’ capabilities in detecting Improvised Explosive Devices (IED) was launched on 23 December 2016 when four EDA Member States (Austria, Belgium, The Netherlands, Poland) as well as Norway (which has an Administrative Arrangement with the Agency) signed an agreement for the 3-year ‘IED Detection’ (IEDDET) ad hoc R&T programme with a total budget of €14 million.

The main objective of the IEDDET programme is to develop, improve and field-test IED detection capabilities in order to better protect troops and increase Armed Forces’ operational freedom of movement. Concretely, the programme encompasses three main projects, each of them dealing with a specific topic, namely:

• Vehicle Mounted Early Warning of Indirect Indicators of IEDs (VMEWI3). The objectives of this project is to focus on the detection of indirect indicators with forward looking camera systems. The technology demonstrator will be based on remotely operated unmanned ground vehicle (UGV) platforms with multi-camera head. The UGV platform will be controlled from a manned vehicle. The aim is to detect indicators of IED presence even while moving with a speed of at least 20-30 km/h (early warning capacity).
• UGV stand-off multi-sensor platform for IED component detection (MUSICODE). This project will develop new unmanned ground vehicle (UGV) stand-off capabilities for detection of IED components by using remotely operated multisensory platforms.

• Confirmation, Identification and Airborne Early Warning of IEDs (CONFIDENT). The objectives of this project are two-fold: (i) to focus on the confirmation and the identification of relevant components of IEDs including electronic parts, explosives and chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear (CBRN) payloads prior to the release of the agents and (ii) to provide complementary early warning capability. The demonstrators will be based on remotely operated platforms (robot and Unmanned Aerial Vehicle, UAV). The UAV will be used for airborne early warning.

In order to ensure the coherence and interoperability between the projects, an offline detection map will be produced and shared to best explore the full set of information available for future route clearance operations and the programme will be concluded by a joint demonstration. IEDDET will involve technology companies (including SMEs), academic institutions as well as governmental and non-governmental research organisations which will all cooperate under the guidance of a management committee consisting of experts from the contributing Member States.

Countering Improvised Explosive Devices (C-IED) was confirmed as a top priority in the EDA Capability Development Plan (CDP) revision of 2014. The launch of the IEDDET programme is part of the practical implementation of this priority in terms of technology development and seen as a crucial step towards improving existing C-IED capabilities.

 

More information:

• Counter-IED (EDA project page)
• Joint Deployable Exploitation and Analysis Laboratory (JDEAL)
• EDA to offer new C-IED application for improved situational awareness (EDA news, November 2016)
• “C-IED proficiency needs to be improved and shared”, says Jorge Domecq (EDA News, October 2016

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The US Navy is still eyeing a future fighter aircraft programme, tentatively called the F/A-XX, that is likely to be unmanned or optionally manned and emerge as soon as the late-2020s, according to outgoing Secretary of the Navy Ray Mabus. "The F/A-XX is pretty early in the process now ... you

The US-led coalition has helped to reduce the effectiveness of the suicide vehicle-borne improvised explosive devices (SVBIEDs) that the Islamic State fighters defending Mosul are using against Iraqi forces, Colonel Brett Sylvia, the commander of the Task Force Strike advise-and-assist mission, told

The US Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) has awarded Sikorsky the contract to develop Phase 3 of its Aircrew Labor In-Cockpit Automation System (ALIAS) programme, it was announced on 11 January. The announcement, which was made by Sikorsky's parent company Lockheed Martin, will see