Defence`s Feeds

CFM International Inc has signed a deal worth $1.96bn to supply replenishment spares for the F108 turbofan engines that power aircraft operated by the US Navy and Air Force.

AYESAŞ is a solution provider for naval hardware and software including design, development, testing, manufacturing and integration.

L-3 MAPPS is a leading global supplier of integrated marine control systems and simulation products for warships, submarines and high-end ocean-going commercial vessels worldwide.

Navies of the US, the UK, Australia and France have successfully conducted the multilateral maritime exercise Unified Trident in the international waters of the Persian Gulf.

The US Naval Air Warfare Center Weapons Division (NAWCWD) has recently demonstrated the capability of the Spike missile at China Lake in California, US.

Argentine minister of defence Julio Martínez announced on 1 February that, following discussions with President Mauricio Macri, the government decided to suspend purchasing a new fighter aircraft to replace Lockheed Martin (McDonnell Douglas) A-4AR Fightinghawks. The Argentine Air Force

Argentine Navy icebreaker ARA Almirante Irízar is due to start sailing trials 10 years after it almost sank owing to a fire while returning from Antarctica. The ship's repair took much longer than expected owing to budget delays, discussions of modernising the ship, and because it had

Spanish shipbuilder Construcciones Navales Paulino Freire has signed a contract to build an oceanographic survey ship for Saudi Arabia. Initial contacts got under way in 2015, when the company was asked to draw up plans and specifications for the proposed survey vessel. Now Vigo, Spain-based Freire

EVENT Martin Schulz's recent bid for the German chancellorship slightly increases the possibility of an SPD-led centre-left government following the general election in September 2017. On 29 January, the centre-left Social Democratic Party (Sozialdemokratische Partei Deutschlands: SPD) nominated

Communications and defence electronics company Harris Corporation published its second quarter results on 2 February, showing a 2% fall in organic revenue. Sales, adjusted to take account of the company's recent divestitures, totalled USD1.7 billion in the quarter. Operating income also fell to

German firearms manufacturer Heckler & Koch has unveiled a modular rifle, the HK433, chambered in 5.56x45 mm. It will be proposed to the Bundeswehr as a replacement for the currently issued G36 rifle. This is the fourth rifle family being offered by the Oberndorf-based manufacturer after the

Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) unveiled its ADA anti-GPS jamming system on 31 January, saying it recently won an Israeli Ministry of Defense contract to integrate into one of the "main platforms" of the Israeli Air Force (IAF). It added that the ADA system has already been integrated

Indian company Tata Power has acquired the military sensor business activities of another Tata firm Nelco, it was announced on 2 February. In a filing to the Bombay Stock Exchange Tata Power said that it has now "completed formalities" for the acquisition after entering an agreement to

The keel of the US Navy's (USN's) third and final Zumwalt-class destroyer, the future USS Lyndon B Johnson (DDG 1002), was laid on 30 January at General Dynamics-Bath Iron Works shipyard in Bath, Maine. Captain Kevin Smith, the DDG 1000 program manager, said in a statement that the future vessel

Americas

• The Canadian government has commenced talks with the Pentagon over their planned purchase of 18 F/A-18 Super Hornet fighters, with Ottawa requesting first deliveries to commence in 2019. Data received from the Department of National Defense suggests that the acquisition will cost between $5 and $7 billion over the lifetime of the aircraft. Canadian military officials were in St. Louis two weeks ago to visit the Boeing production line, examining how they can customize their aircraft.

• Raytheon has been awarded a $202 million foreign military sales contract to provide engineering services for international operators of the Patriot weapon system. US allies set to receive the support include Germany, Israel, South Korea, Japan, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Qatar, Spain, Taiwan and the Netherlands, with work to be performed in various locations and due to be completed by the end of January 2018. The company’s bid was the only one received.

• Lockheed Martin will continue development of services for Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) system elements following the award of a $345.5 million Missile Defense Agency (MDA) contract modification. Work to be carried out under the agreement includes the continuation of flight and ground tests of the system, and responsive support to warfighter requirements to sustain the Ballistic Missile Defense System throughout the acquisition life cycle. Used primarily by the US Army, THAAD has also been procured by the UAE, Oman and South Korea.

Middle East & North Africa

• With Turkey’s TAI and BAE Systems continuing with their development of Turkey’s TF-X fighter, there have been some concerns about how the program will develop in relation to technology transfers. Ankara had initially insisted on a full know-how and technology transfer during the program, however the full scope of these agreements have yet to be clarified and could be met with severe disagreements. In response to the prospect that they won’t get full transfer demanded, Turkish officials have made clear that they are willing to negotiate the TF-X with Airbus if at any point during contract talks it faces a deadlock with BAE Systems.

• While a military C-130 aircraft’s primary function is to transport  – troops, cargo, medivacs – a model operated by the Pakistan Air Force was recently utilized to deliver a special cargo to the Emir of Qatar. According to a letter reported in local Pakistani media, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif sent the gift of a “beautiful horse,” to the Gulf monarch on February 1. Let’s hope the cleaning isn’t too much of a night-mare for the ground crews.

Europe

• The German military will move ahead with replacing their aging short-range air defense systems (SHORAD), following the discovery of a growing capability gap in Europe and the inability to defend against the use of swarms of unmanned aircraft or drones. Initial funding for the program is believed to lie just under $500 million, with a further $2.15 billion to be made available at a later phase. Procurement decisions on the new short-range air defense equipment are not expected until at least 2018, but the ministry could add some 20 million euros to the defense budget this year to fund initial work on the program.

Asia Pacific

• US Congress has been notified of the potential foreign military sales (FMS) for Sidewinder and Maverick air-to-air missiles to South Korea. The two contracts include the provision of 60 AIM-9X Block II and 89 AGM-65G-2 missiles, alongside required containers, spares and missile support. The combined value of both contracts amounts to $140 million with Raytheon acting as the principal contractor. News of the sale’s clearance coincides with US Secretary of Defense Jim Mattis’ first visit to South Korea as part of an initiative to assure South Korea and Japan that the Trump Administration is committed to their security. During his election campaign, President Trump suggested that South Korea was not paying enough for the US’ presence on the peninsula.

• Negotiations between the Japanese government, Pentagon, and Lockheed Martin have secured a $100 million reduction in Tokyo’s bill for its participation in the F-35 JSF program. While the news comes shortly after Lockheed Martin slashed $600 million from the next round of F-35 production, defense analysts have downplayed the news of those cuts, saying the discount hailed by Trump was in line with what had been flagged by Lockheed for months and would apply to other countries committed to the program. According to Reuters, four sources confirmed that Japan had further trimmed the price for its latest order, largely on ground support costs such as parts, logistics and technical assistance.

Today’s Video

• US Micro Drones Launched by from 3 F/A-18 Super Hornets.: PERDIX + LOCUST:

The John A. Volpe National Transportation Systems Center (Volpe Center) announced that it awarded Metron Aviation one of three prime contracts under the Transportation Planning, Measurement, Modeling and Assessment (TPMMA) project.

Source : © European Union, 2017 - EP

EDA’s continued outreach to industry,  which aims to enhance defence industry interaction and cooperation on defence related REACH issues, took another productive step forward on January 25th. The EDA, the EDA REACH Task Force (comprised of Member States REACH experts) and defence industry representatives gathered to exchange views on the topic of Ammunition Classification under REACH. Discussions focused on specific complex ammunition categories, such as smoke ammunition, and benefited from industry’s substantial experience and past work in this field.

 The meeting was hosted by Nexter Munitions at their industrial facilities in Bourges, France. The agenda for the day included live demonstrations and controlled use of selected types of ammunitions at Nexter Munitions’ testing facilities, providing an in-depth insight into the design of ammunitions as well as the functioning and operating principles of explosives and propellants. 

The discussions helped in establishing a common understanding between governmental and industrial experts on the complexities of specific categories of ammunition and in identifying important factors for their classification under REACH, providing a solid basis for further EDA work in this area.  Representatives from  Nexter Munitions, Aerospace and Defence Industries Association of Europe (ASD), Etienne Lacroix Group, Rheinmetall Waffe Munition and BAE Systems Land also participated in the meeting.

The following day (26 January 2017), the EDA REACH Task Force discussions continued in a Member States only format, at the French Ministry of Defence Training Centre in Bourges, where various types of munitions mock-ups were made available, in view of further elaboration on the design and function of specific categories of ammunition. 

EDA’s work on Ammunition Classification under REACH, aims to build a common understanding of the regulatory provisions and to exchange best practices. An overall list of ammunition types used by Member States (MoDs) together with an assessment of the classification of each type under REACH, using prior related guidance by the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) as reference, is currently under examination. 

The targeted outcome of this project is to establish a potential Member States’ common position, which could also serve as a supportive reference for the defence industry (ammunition manufacturers), as well as the Commission and ECHA, when classifying specific ammunition categories under REACH, in the future.
 

More information:

• EDA REACH Project page
• EDA Study on Impact of REACH and CLP Regulations on the Defence Sector

The second round of training conducted by the European Union Naval Force Mediterranean (EUNAVFOR Med) has been launched for the Libyan Navy and Coast Guard.

The British Royal Navy's amphibious command ship HMS Albion has marked a major milestone in its capability upgrade, as its crew embarked onboard for the first time in nearly six years.