Defence`s Feeds

The 31 July deadline for submitting bids to the French Interior Ministry for its major four-year cyber investment plan, Cyber

In a court filing seen by our sister publication La Lettre A, lawyer Joshua D. Branson lodged a complaint in

Young Voices, a Washington, DC talent agency, recently announced it had selected participants for a project it runs to support

A new class of Dry Combat Submersible (DCS) used by US Special Operations Command (USSOCOM) and developed by Lockheed Martin reached initial operational capability (IOC)...

Moscow is currently pulling out all the stops to make up for its technological inferiority in the intelligence integration field. It has learned lessons from its initial failures and the structural weaknesses in its intelligence management systems. The capture of

Keen to renew military dialogue, the US and China are currently discussing for delegations from their respective defence departments meeting before

Yangon's new high-rise M-Tower has further boosted the relationship between its constructor Mottama Holdings' boss U Yang Ho and Myanmar's

In order to maintain Brussels' presence in Kyiv, the private security company Argus Group has had its contract to provide

The French customs and indirect duties department, the DGDDI, aims to set up a national surface situation analysis centre that

Paris: Border police keen for airborne surveillanceThe French Central Directorate of the Border Police, or DCPAF, whose mission is to

A Chinese unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) producer, Aerospace CH UAV Co Ltd, has announced that it is developing a new loitering munition based on the AR-series of...

The first Bell AH-1Z Viper attack helicopters for the Czech Republic arrived in-country on 26 July, being airlifted from the United States aboard a US Air Force (USAF)...

Turkey's Meteksan Defence unveiled a new retractable sonar, named Yakamos-RT, at the 16th International Defence Industry Fair (IDEF) held from 25 to 28 July in Istanbul.

Several EU Member States have signed the European Defence Agency (EDA) project arrangements for the collaborative procurement of chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear (CBRN) equipment, and for soldier equipment. 

The signing of the two project arrangements in late July – by eight EU states in each case – allows them to come into effect. They lay the basis for Member States to buy together such CBRN equipment such as masks, filters and suits, and also to jointly purchase soldier equipment such as helmets and ballistic vests.  

EDA’s project arrangements, and Member States’ interest, send an important signal to industry about the European Union’s commitment to meeting critical military needs. Following competitive tendering, companies or consortia will be able to bid for contracts.  

The two new project arrangements follow the signing in March of EDA’s arrangement for joint procurement of 155mm ammunition, which was based on the work of the Defence Joint Procurement Task Force – composed of EDA, the European External Action Service, the EU Military Staff, and the European Commission – along with Member States, to identify critical shortfalls.  

The procurement process, where EDA will act as the contracting authority, management body and ordering entity in the context of collaborative procurement procedures, should culminate with the first framework contracts with industry, allowing Member States to place orders from then on. 

Collaborative procurement is the best option to achieve cost reduction from economies of scale, while allowing Member States to purchase ammunition and military equipment according to their national needs and supporting Ukraine. The arrangements, which are flexible and inclusive in nature, allow all Member States to join the initiatives at a later stage. 

EDA’S wider role 

EDA supports all EU Member States in improving their defence capabilities through European cooperation. Acting as an enabler and facilitator for Ministries of Defence willing to engage in collaborative capability projects, the Agency has become the hub for European defence cooperation with expertise and networks  spanning the whole spectrum of defence capabilities. 

Member States use EDA as an intergovernmental expert platform where their collaborative projects are supported, facilitated, and implemented. For more details, please see here. 

Leaders from the US Navy (USN) and the US Marine Corps (USMC) said they expect this year's ‘Large Scale Exercise (LSE) 2023', which takes place from 9 to 18 August, to...

Ares Shipyard and Meteksan Defence unveiled a new expendable unmanned surface vessel (X-USV), named Ulaq Kama, at the 16th International Defence Industry Fair (IDEF)...

The Abu Mahdi long-range anti-ship missile has entered service with both the Islamic Republic of Iran Navy (IRIN) and the Islamic Revolution Guard Corps Navy (IRGCN), it...

British lawyer Jason McCue, who has designs on being Ukraine's lawfare champion against Russia (IO, 19/07/23), is counting on the support - and contacts - of Ukrainian MP Serhiy Taruta to help him network in Kyiv.McCue was put in contact

As part of preparations for a possible meeting between Xi Jinping and Joe Biden in November, the US State Department

Henri Proglio, who headed the French electric utility company EDF from 2009-2014 and before that ran the water, waste and