Defence`s Feeds

India’s Kalyani Group is highlighting its Bharat 52 155 mm/52 calibre towed gun at the Defexpo 2018 exhibition being held in Chennai. The indigenously developed weapon is manufactured by the company’s Bharat Forge Limited subsidiary and is based on the requirements of the Indian Army.

The Ordnance Factory Board (OFB) has exhibited a new variant of the Mounted Gun System (MGS) armed with the Dhanush 155 mm/52 calibre gun at Defexpo 2018, which is being held in Chennai. The indigenously developed MGS is the result of a two-year joint effort between OFB and Bharat Earth Movers

BAE Systems is moving forward with several sales opportunities in Malaysia, headlined by the company’s continuing engagement in promoting the Eurofighter Typhoon for the Royal Malaysian Air Force (RMAF). Company officials told Jane’s at the Defence Services Asia (DSA) 2018 exhibition in

Leonardo is moving forward with plans to strengthen its engagement with Malaysian industry to enhance its support of military and commercial helicopters operated in the country and the surrounding region. A spokesperson for Leonardo told Jane’s , at the Defence Services Asia (DSA) 2018

Malaysia and Japan signed an agreement on 18 April to support defence trade and related technology collaboration. The two governments said in a joint statement at the Defence Services Asia (DSA) 2018 exhibition in Kuala Lumpur that the Transfer of Defence Equipment and Technology Agreement will

Malaysia’s Boustead Heavy Industries Corporation (BHIC) is preparing a proposal to supply the Royal Malaysian Navy (RMN) with a second batch of MEKO 100 Kedah-class corvettes, the company has confirmed to Jane’s . Speaking at the Defence Services Asia (DSA) 2018 exhibition in Kuala

Key Points Increased powers to the Bolivian army heighten the risks of cargo delays, protests, and road blockades on major transport routes and borders (especially in western regions near Chile). Confrontations between security forces and contrabandists are likely, although legitimate cargo is

Malaysian defence company Kembara Suci unveiled a mortar carrier based on a recently developed 4×4 high-mobility tactical vehicle at the Defence Services Asia 2018 (DSA 2018) exhibition in Kuala Lumpur on 16–19 April. Named Buraq, the 9-tonne platform is equipped with the Alakran light

French defence company Nexter and its Malaysian partner Advanced Defence Systems (ADS) have been selected to supply 18 105 mm LG1 light towed artillery systems to the Malaysian Army. A contract for the system was signed with the Malaysian Ministry of Defence on 18 April at the Defence Services Asia

Turkish company Aselsan has revealed that a recently developed airburst round for its 40 mm high-velocity grenade launchers is undergoing qualification tests with the Turkish Land Forces Command. Mustafa Kaval, the company’s head of defence system technology, told Jane’s on 19 April at

The US Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) has downselected Dynetics, Inc. to progress with Phase 3 of its Gremlins 'aircraft carrier in the sky' programme, it was announced on 18 April. The Dynetics-led team, which includes Kratos Unmanned Aerial Systems, Inc., was selected over a

Key Points The Republic of Singapore Navy has given insights into the operations of a maritime security unit known as 180 Squadron The unit, which is authorised to board and assume control of commercial vessels entering Singapore waters, is an instrumental component of the country’s maritime

Four UK AgustaWestland Lynx Wildcat AH1 battlefield helicopters deployed to Estonia on 16 April, the NATO Force Integration Unit in Estonia announced. The British Army helicopters arrived at Amari Airbase within the framework of NATO’s enhanced Forward Presence (eFP) operation to take part in

Two Malaysian companies unveiled at the 16-19 Defence Services Asia 2018 (DSA 2018) new 4x4 vehicles that are being marketed for special operations forces (SOF) in Southeast Asia. Selangor-based firm Kembara Suci (KS) showcased its 5.3 m-long Tafuq special operations vehicle (SOV), which has been

The first two Israeli-built Shaldag MK II fast patrol boats for the Prefectura Naval Argentina (Argentina Coast Guard) have been shipped from Israel. The boats are the first of four such vessels purchased under a USD49 million contract signed at the end of 2016. These fast and relatively heavily

The US Air Force (USAF) on 18 April awarded Lockheed Martin a contract potentially worth USD928 million for a hypersonic conventional strike weapon, according to a Pentagon statement. The contract provides for the design, development, engineering, systems integration, test, logistics planning, and

From January 1, 2019, the Russian Volga will cease providing AN-124 capacity for EU and NATO states under NATO's heavy military air transport program SALIS (Strategic Airlift Interim Solution), which includes 17 European member states and Canada. The loss is sensitive: Under Salis, Antonov and Volga have each had an AN-124 permanently stationed at Leipzig-Halle Airport since March 2006, with additional uplift available at short notice.

Unfortunately, the SALIS Program Office did not succeed in overcoming the Russian withdrawal, despite the long negotiations. The move comes just over a year after the Russian freighter operator announced the end of the near-decade-long Russlan collaboration to market AN-124 capacity with Ukraine’s Antonov. A move thought to be in response to western sanctions on Russian companies. Negotiations conducted by the Salis steering board last week failed to avert the withdrawal. After Volga-Dnepr subsidiary AirBridgeCargo lost about half its 21 landing slots at Schiphol last year, Russia reportedly threatened to ban Dutch carriers from its airspace. Shortly after, KLM struck a deal with ABC over additional slots.

The ending of the Salis contract puts pressure on NATO and the EU, which need access to the world’s largest commercial cargo aircraft. This is a serious loss of capacity: the Ukrainian An-124s of Antonov's air transport industry are only flying 900 flights per year - the largest fleet with two Russian aircraft has been available to SALIS's designers for up to 2300 hours per year.

There is always the possibility that the withdrawal is part of a larger play by Volga-Dnepr president Alexey Isaikin, who is looking to set up a German cargo airline, with AN-124s registered in Germany, at Leipzig. By registering an AN-124 to a German company, the Volga-Dnepr group would no longer be caught in the crossfire of political skirmishes between Russia and elsewhere, which includes problems with Antonov maintenance. And as an EU company, it might get preferential treatment for military shipments over Ukraine’s Antonov. It also adds pressure on Germany, which is keen to develop Leipzig-Halle as a freight airport, to OK the new airline’s AOC and aircraft registration. (Although as one source told The Loadstar, Lufthansa Cargo was unlikely to welcome a new freighter airline on its doorstep, and would “go ape-shit”.)

Tag: SALISVolga-Dnepr

One more set of slides today, this one from a speech by Vice Admiral Igor Kostyukov, the first deputy chief of the Main Directorate of the Russian General Staff, on the topic of security in the Asia-Pacific region. MCIS has put on its website the text of his speech in Russian and video in Russian only.

EDA's "European Funding Gateway for Defence" (EFGD) now provides defence stakeholders with guidance on European funding available for Circular Economy, REACH-related substitution of hazardous chemical substances, Energy and Environmental Management in Defence.

Our comprehensive funding gateway has been updated with information on grants, loans and risk capital available for the Defence sector under the following EU Programmes:

• LIFE,
• Cohesion Fund (ESIF) and
• ELENA (Horizon 2020 - as deployed by the European Investment Bank).

 
More information:

• European Funding Gateway for Defence
• COSME platform
• Industry portal