Defence`s Feeds

Serbia’s Yugoimport company has unveiled the X-01 Strsljen (Hornet) vertical take-off and landing unmanned aerial vehicle (VTOL UAV) at the Eurosatory 2018 exhibition being held in Paris from 11-15 June. The X-01 Strsljen has been developed by Serbian firm EDePro and is being marketed by

Event On 14 June, media reports indicated that India’s Home Ministry (HM) was expected to discontinue the unilateral ceasefire imposed in Kashmir state after the Muslim festival of Eid al-Fitr (which will take place in India on 16 June). The ceasefire – introduced on 16 May –

Mercury Systems has expanded its secure command, control and intelligence (C2I), and artificial intelligence (AI) processing solutions, providing more system memory than previous generations, the company said. Mercury’s pre-engineered processing building blocks are available as OpenVPX and

Event An Afghan defence ministry official on 15 June 2018 confirmed that a US unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) attack in Afghanistan along the border with Pakistan on 13 June had killed Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) leader, Mullah Fazlullah. Fazlullah became leader of the TTP – an umbrella

Rockwell Collins announced that its TruNet AN/PRC-162(V)1 manpack radio is the first tactical ground radio to meet the security requirements set by the US Navy (USN) for the final version of its Mobile User Objective System (MUOS). The PRC-162(V)1 a software defined, two-channel networked

Helicopter training exercise HOT BLADE 2018, organised in May under the European Defence Agency’s Helicopter Exercise Programme (HEP) and hosted by the Portuguese Air Force at Beja airbase, was officially closed on 23 May by the Director of the Portuguese Air Operations, Brigadier General Rui de Freitas and José Pablo Romera, EDA Project Officer Rotary Wing.

With 29 air assets flying a total of more than 550 hours and around 1,200 military participants, the exercise (the 12th held under the HEP umbrella) demonstrated once again the immense added value of collaborative multinational training for participating States’ aircrews, maintenance staff, troops and support personnel under very demanding (hot, dusty, mountainous) conditions.

Six Member States (Belgium, Germany, Hungary, The Netherlands, Slovenia and Portugal) deployed assets, including 21 helicopters of 7 different types (A-109, AS-532, EH-101, CH-47, MI-17, NH-90, SA-316). The first week included a complete day of briefings covering flight safety, expected battle rhythm, host nation support, and a helicopter academics session to refresh COMAO Mission Planning procedures. This theoretical element was followed by operational briefings designed to familiarise aircrews with Beja airbase, rehearse emergency procedures with firefighters and Special Operations Forces (SOF), get familiar with the different helicopter types and ensure high safety levels.  The first week was completed with individual trainings, helicopter operations flown by day and by night, fighter evasion missions carried out with Portuguese F-16 fighter jets and helicopter firing drills. All participating Member States were able to reach their national training objectives. 

During the second week, flying crews performed complex missions in a demanding but realistic environment, making full use of the dusty and mountainous surroundings and shooting ranges. As the exercise advanced, the multinational crews conducted ever more complex coalition level trainings culminating in the planning and execution of several Composite Air Operation (COMAO) missions. These covered a spectrum of advanced helicopter manoeuvre tactics including a large formation of helicopters with embarked troops, integration of Tactical Air Control Party (TACP) teams and paratroopers jumping from a Mi-17 helicopter and a C-295 aircraft, all set against complex threats such as SA-8 SAM, missiles and F-16 fighter jets.

Six instructors from Austria, Germany, Sweden and the UK, previously trained in EDA’s Helicopter Tactics Instructors Course (HTIC), formed the HOT BLADE 2018 Mentor Team. It supported the multinational crews in the preparation and execution of the COMAO missions and identified valuable Lessons Learned to be applied in future exercises. Other lessons will be drawn from a more in-depth analysis of the exercise results which is currently underway.

The experience of planning, preparing and flying together in combined and joint missions is a critical requirement for maintaining operational readiness at a realistic level. With most nations facing budgetary constraints, such level of advanced training is almost impossible to achieve on a national basis.  In addition to the cost benefits, the exercise also considerably improves interoperability which has become the trademark of the Helicopter Exercise Programme (HEP) and which was also underlined by the Exercise Director in his closing remarks: “Together we are stronger”. 
HOT BLADE 2018 proved to be another important milestone on the way to meeting the HEP’s objective, namely to continuously improve Europe’s operational helicopter capability.  The next ‘Blade’ exercise is scheduled to take place in the Czech Republic in May 2019.
 

More information: 

• Hot Blade 2018 kicks off with focus on interoperability
• EDA Helicopter Initiatives Project Page
• Factsheet Exercice HOT BLADE 2018

 

Chinese HJ-12 Anti-Tank Guided Missile

Aselsan has successfully tested the Lazer Savunma Sistemi'nin (LSS) laser defence system mounted on a BMC Amazon armoured vehicle, the Turkish company reported on 10 June. “The LSS is being developed to detect and destroy suspicious objects, improvised explosive devices (IEDs), canvas and

Key Points Arquus launched its Scarabée light tactical vehicle at Eurosatory The vehicle prospectively targets the French Army’s Panhard VBL replacement requirement At Eurosatory 2018 Arquus (formerly Renault Trucks Defense) unveiled to a selected audience the Scarabée: the

Michegan-based powertrain specialist AxleTech unveiled its next-generation 5000 Series Electric Independent Suspension Axle System (eISAS) concept at this month’s Eurosatory exhibition. Featuring custom-designed electric motors as part of the axle, the 5000 Series eISAS concept acts as a

Poland’s Concept Ltd unveiled the LTMPAV Dino 519 armoured vehicle at Eurosatory 2018. The 4×4 vehicle can seat four passengers and a driver in a four-doored double cab, has a gross vehicle weight of 4.6 tonnes, and a load capacity from 700–1000 kg. It is powered by a

The Australia-based company DroneShield announced on 14 June that the Ministry of Defence (MoD) of a Middle Eastern country had placed a USD3.2 million for 70 units of its DroneGun tactical jammer. “This is the largest known order for tactical drone mitigation equipment of this kind globally

Key Points The agreement increases the likelihood of FYR Macedonia receiving an invitation to join NATO, strengthening government stability in the country. A final settlement of the name dispute, and hence the start of the NATO (and EU) accession process, will depend on several political factors

The Japan Ground Self-Defense Force (JGSDF) unveiled a new truck-mounted nuclear, biological and chemical (NBC) decontamination set on 27 May at Camp Omiya in Saitama Prefecture, where the service’s Central NBC Weapon Defense Unit is based. Mounted on a 6×6 truck the new set, which is

Polish Minister of National Defence Mariusz Blaszczak told Polish TVP1 on 11 June that the Okra submarine programme is again one of Poland’s modernisation priorities. After the signing of the Patriot deal, Poland’s Ministry of National Defence is moving forward with other

Half of the UK Royal Navy’s (RN’s) Type 45 air-defence destroyer force was confined to port for most of 2017, according to data released under the country’s Freedom of Information (FOI) Act on 12 June. The BAE Systems designed-and-built Daring-class destroyers have been plagued

Event One person was killed and at least six injured in the town of Kéniéba in Mali’s southern Kayes region on 11 June after youths staged a violent protest in response to grievances against Randgold Resources, which operates the Loulo-Gounkoto gold mining complex. Police used live

The complete range of Serbian company Yugoimport’s truck-mounted self-propelled (SP) artillery systems was displayed for the first time outside the country at Eurosatory 2018. Firing trials for company’s latest 155 mm/52 calibre SP artillery system, the Aleksandar, began

Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI) has said its new maintenance, repair, and overhaul (MRO) company will be officially established in July and start operations by the end of 2018. KAI said in a filing to the Korean stock exchange on 14 June that the new firm – to be named Korea Aviation

Taiwan’s government outlined plans on 14 June to support the development of key national industries – including defence – by encouraging expansion through government loans and corporate listings on national stock exchanges. Premier Lai Ching-te said in comments reported by the