Defence`s Feeds

The US Navy has successfully carried out the final of three land tests for the surface-to-air Standard Missile-6 Block IA (SM-6 Blk IA) at the White Sands Missile Range (WSMR), New Mexico.

The US Office of Naval Research's (ONR) TechSolutions programme has sponsored the development of the deployable ship integration multitouch system (DSIMS).

Northrop Grumman has successfully demonstrated unmanned mine-hunting capabilities with the use of high-speed AQS-24B sensors during the Belgian Defence Technology and Industry Day trials at Zeebrugge naval base.

Alongside directed energy weapons and electromagnetic rail guns, supercavitating torpedoes repeatedly feature at the top of the wish list of must-have capabilities for any self-respecting navy of the future – and it is easy to see why. The allure of …

Source : © European Union, 2017 - EP

Leading naval company SENER has taken part in Nor-Shipping 2017, between 30 May and 2 June in Oslo, Norway.

As a follow-up to the Commission’s European Defence Action Plan acknowledging that European Structural and Investment Funds (ESIF) may be used by Member States in the defence sector, the European Defence Agency publishes the “EDA’s ESIF web-platform” to provide any potential defence-related stakeholder (including MoDs, industry, research-and-technology organisations, academia, clusters) both with:

• an interactive analytical mapping on ‘sources’ of regional, national, and transnational calls for proposals under Structural Funds and
• respective contact details of the hundreds ESIF managing authorities ultimately in charge for funding allocation.

For the financial framework running till 2020, ESIF are made up of 5 specific funds totaling more than 450 billion euros, matched nationally by additional 180 billion euros. In the defence sector, ESIF may co-fund productive investment projects, and support the modernisation of the defence supply chains.

EDA’s work supporting access to ESIF is focused on the two main funds (together commonly referred as “Structural Funds”):

• the European Regional and Development Fund (ERDF) and its “Interreg” share, which can support - inter alia - defence activities and dual-use activities in research and innovation at regional, national and transnational/cooperative level; 
• the European Social Fund (ESF), which can support the development and enhancement of key skills and competencies (KSC) for defence.

With regard to the ERDF, EDA has been technically assisting successfully funded pilot R&T project applications. Concerning ESF for KSC, an EDA’s procedure aimed at supporting free-of-charge the application to the ESF for selected pilot KSC-related projects  is currently underway through Ministries of Defence.

The ESIF web-platform complements the successful  EDA’s “COSME web-platform” launched one year ago to facilitate access to finance, grants and free-of-charge advisory services for defence-related SMEs and clusters. For further details: esif@eda.europa.eu or cosme@eda.europa.eu 

 

More information:

• The EDA’s ESIF platform is available at www.eda.europa.eu/esif
• The EDA’s “COSME platform” is available at www.eda.europa.eu/cosme.
• An overview of main EU funding programmes is available at www.eda.europa/eufunding
• EDA’s work on Access to EU funding.  

 

Today marks the start of the sixth European Air Transport Training (EATT2017). Hosted by Portugal, several hundred military personnel from Portugal, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Poland, Romania and the United Kingdom will train from June 19 to 30 at Air Base 11 (AB11) in Beja. This multinational exercise was initiated within the framework of the European Air Transport Fleet Programme of the European Defence Agency (EDA) and will be executed by the newly founded European Tactical Airlift Centre (ETAC) and supported by the European Air Transport Command (EATC). 

The overall objective of this exercise is to achieve a high level of interoperability among air transport capable EDA Member States by exposing their crews to a complex operational environment, in which to practice their procedures and tactics and to gain  the necessary qualifications to perform tactical operations in current theatres of conflict and humanitarian relief.

EATT2017 is set up to give the participating aircrews a variety of training, from basic tactical elements like practicing assault landings and air drop procedures to complex multi-ship combat mission profiles. The planning and execution is assisted by mentors, ensuring proper application of the common tactical guidelines. In parallel, training of Combined Air Terminal Operation (CATO) personnel is taking place on the ground, dealing with cargo preparation, loading of aircraft, and administrative procedures. 

Around 100 paratroopers from Germany, France, the Netherlands, Poland, and Portugal will be deployed daily by mission aircraft. From the multi-organisational staff to the multi-national contingents, EATT2017 focuses on the overarching goal of increasing the interoperability of European airlift assets through training based on agreed common procedures. With already over 100 crews having received European tactical airlift training and over 2,000 hours flown in the past five years, EATT2017 follows in this spirit, and is a tangible example of improving Europe’s military airlift provision for a strong European defence.

Assets and staff from seven Member States participate in EATT2017: Germany (C-160 Transall and A400M Atlas), France (C-130H Hercules), the Netherlands (C-130H Hercules), Poland (C295), Portugal (C-130H Hercules), Romania (C-27J), and United Kingdom (C-130J Hercules). 

 

More information:

• EATF project page
• EATT2017 Factsheet

SAES has offered advice and discussions on the measurement and control of ship noise at the Spanish Defence Technological Conference.

On 21 June 2017 from 14:30 to 19:30, the European Parliament will organise a high-level conference on migration management in the European Parliament in Brussels. The conference will bring together political leaders, policymakers and practitioners to contribute to a reflection on a strategy to manage migration flows, and ensure a stable and prosperous environment at our borders. It will be organised in cooperation with the relevant parliamentary committees. Speakers will notably include:

Antonio Tajani, President of the European Parliament

Jean-Claude Juncker, President of the European Commission

Federica Mogherini, High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy / Vice-President of the European Commission

Werner Hoyer, President of the European Investment Bank

Markku Markkula, President of the Committee of the Regions

Dimitris Avramopoulos, Commissioner for Migration, Home Affairs and Citizenship

Neven Mimica, Commissioner for International Development

Julian King, Commissioner for Security Union

Louise Arbour, United Nations Special Representative for International Migration

William Lacy Swing, Director General of the International Organisation for Migration

Claude Moraes, Chair of the Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs Committee

Linda McAvan, Chair of the Committee on Development

Further information
Registration
Programme
Poster
Source : © European Union, 2017 - EP

The British Royal Navy is set to take delivery of the Albion-class amphibious command ship HMS Albion, following a £90m mid-life technical upgrade programme.

The Australian Department of Defence has taken delivery of the first of three Hobart-class air warfare destroyers (AWDs), HMAS Hobart, from Lockheed Martin.

On 21 June, SEDE will hold an exchange of views with the Commissioner for the Security Union, Sir Julian King. Members will take stock of the state of play of the implementation of the European Agenda on Security and the progress made towards an operational and effective Security Union. The debate will also focus on the increasing interdependence between internal and external security, and the legislative initiatives to be taken in upcoming months to tackle terrorism and organized crime.
Further information
Draft agenda and meeting documents
Source : © European Union, 2017 - EP

On June 15th the EDA Steering Board accepted, by written procedure, the Outline Description for the Governmental Satellite Communications (GOVSATCOM) Pooling and Sharing demonstration project (GSC demo). Under the leadership of Spain, the project brings together Austria, Belgium, Germany, Estonia, Greece, France, Italy, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Poland, Portugal, Sweden and the United Kingdom. Norway, which has signed an Administrative Arrangement with the Agency, is also participating in the project. The next step will be the establishment of a Project Arrangement.

The project originates from an EDA Steering Board decision of November 2013 which tasked EDA to pursue its work on GOVSATCOM coordination with Member States, the European Commission and the European Space Agency in order to propose a comprehensive programme for Member States who wish to participate. Subsequently, the task to prepare the next generation of GOVSATCOM was confirmed by the European Council in December 2013 and work on GOVSATCOM has also started at the European Space Agency (ESA) and the European Commission.

The main objective of the project is to meet the GOVSATCOM demands of Member States and European CSDP actors through pooled capabilities (bandwidth/power and/or services) provided by contributing Member States. This governmental pooled capability is set up to provide SATCOM resources that cannot be obtained on the commercial market  with a sufficient level of guaranteed access and security. 

The Steering Board acceptance marks the end of the GOVSATCOM preparation phase where EDA employed a sequential approach in developing this project, analysing since 2014 satellite communication needs for European actors involved in the conduct of national or CSDP operations and detailing potential solutions to address the capability development.  

The work in EDA has been supported by a feasibility study since mid-2015. This study identified the GOVSATCOM Information Exchange Requirements and provided a forecast tool assessing both defense satellite connectivity requirements in support of European CSDP activities and national operations of EU Member States, as well as civil government requirements for European government stakeholders. The focus was on communications requiring guarantee of access, security and autonomy that go beyond standard commercial satellite solutions, without requiring the highest level of security that only military satellite systems can provide. 
The next step then was to carry out a detailed assessment of existing and planned commercial and governmental satellite systems and their suitability to meet the aforementioned requirements.

The study relied on a variety of sources and analytical processes, including the use of an external study conducted for the European Commission on civil government requirements and studies conducted for ESA to define new satellite systems to fill gaps identified in the assessment part of the EDA GOVSATCOM feasibility study.
In parallel with the study, EDA’s SATCOM project team developed the GOVSATCOM Common Staff Requirements and an associated Business Case. Both documents have been approved by the Steering Board in March 2017. 

The Business Case closely follows a recommendation of the study for EDA to explore a Pooling and Sharing demonstration as part of the European GOVSATCOM initiative. The project will be put in place progressively with due consideration given to the impact it might have on suppliers, users and alternative frameworks. The Pooling and Sharing demonstration will require close cooperation, not only  between the Member States which contribute to the SATCOM capability pool and those who use it but also with the other GOVSATCOM activities pursued in ESA and the Commission.

The Ad-Hoc Working Group of the GSC demo project, consisting of all 14 Member States and Norway, will now establish the Project Arrangement detailing the legal conditions for the project.
 

Background

Reliable, stable and secure communications are crucial in any CSDP mission or operation. Yet, terrestrial network infrastructures are not available everywhere, for instance in areas hit by natural disasters, at sea, in the air or in hostile zones. Satellite communications (SATCOM) can be the solution: rapidly deployable, flexible and distance insensitive, they offer communication links where terrestrial networks are damaged, overloaded or non-existent.

However, access to SATCOM cannot be taken for granted at any time, especially not when government users require them at short notice and without pre-arranged agreements. In situations of high demand, competition with other users of commercial SATCOM capacities creates a risk of non-availability and high costs. Against this backdrop, EU leaders decided in 2013 that there was a need for a new solution combining the advantages of commercial and military satellite systems in order to address both civil and military needs through European cooperation. The European Defence Agency, in collaboration with the European Commission and the European Space Agency, is now preparing the next generation of GOVSATCOM. 

GOVSATCOM will be a capability that is placed in between the commercial satellite communication market and the highly protected military satellite communication capability.

 

More information:

• EDA factsheet GOVSATCOM
• EDA project page GOVSATCOM
• Video: GOVSATCOM - SATCOM for security and defence 

 

Air show with an A350 XWB, an A400M, an Eurofighter Typhoon and an H160 helicopter.

Tag: Airbus

On 12 April, the SEDE committee will organise a workshop on the implementation of the EU's arms export control system, in the context of its work on the annual report on arms exports. The workshop will focus on the issues of strengthening compliance with the Council common position governing control of exports of military technology and equipment, compliance with reporting obligations, increasing transparency and public scrutiny, and the development of the EU's institutional framework.
Location : Altiero Spinelli building 3G-3
Further information
Programme
Report
Source : © European Union, 2017 - EP

A review conducted by the US Government Accountability Office (GAO) has recommended that the US Navy develop a precise cost estimate for the second Ford-class ship USS John F. Kennedy (CVN-79).

General Atomics (GA) has received a sole source production contract modification for advanced arresting gear (AAG) for the US Navy's third future Gerald R. Ford-class aircraft carrier Enterprise (CVN 80).

Global science and technology company Leidos has secured a prime contract from the US Naval Supply Systems Command (NAVSUP) Fleet Logistics Center to deliver professional and technical support to the Joint Staff J6 (JS J6) joint deployable analysis t…

In response to the migration challenge, on 13 May 2015 the European Commission presented the European Agenda on Migration, with the aim of setting out a comprehensive approach for improving the management of migration in all its aspects. Several implementation packages under the Agenda have already been adopted and the measures therein are starting to be deployed; legislative proposals have also been made and are currently being discussed in Parliament and Council.
Source : © European Union, 2017 - EP