Defense`s Feeds

Americas

General Dynamics won an $18.8 million contract modification for lead yard support and development studies and design efforts related to Virginia-class submarines.The Virginia-class attack submarine is an advanced stealth multimission nuclear-powered submarine for deep ocean anti-submarine warfare and littoral, or shallow water, operations. Work will take place in Arizona, California and Pennsylvania. Expected completion will be by November 2024.

Lockheed Martin announced it has terminated its agreement to acquire rocket engine maker Aerojet Rocketdyne Holdings, Inc. for $4.4 billion. The decision to terminate the agreement follows the US Federal Trade Commission’s (FTC) lawsuit filed late last month seeking a preliminary injunction to block the acquisition.

Middle East & Africa

A news report says Morocco is planning to acquire the Barak MX air defense missile system. Globes reports that IAI CEO Boaz Levy had visited Morocco to give a briefing on the system to the Moroccans.

Europe

Raytheon BBN will provide 34 Boomerang gunshot detection systems to equip the Lithuanian Armed Force’s fleet of next-generation combat vehicles. Boomerang technology increases battlefield mission success, vehicle safety and warfighter survivability. Its networked-system increases situational awareness and command-and-control options. The Boomerang is integrated with Android Team Awareness Kit.

BAE Systems said the Royal Navy’s fifth Barrow-built Astute-class submarine Anson completed its first trim dive in the town’s Devonshire Dock. The operation saw Anson submerge completely beneath the surface of the water while crew tested on-board systems. This successful exercise proved the safety and stability of the 7,400-tonne, 97m-long attack submarine, the company said.

Asia-Pacific

The last three Rafale fighters that are to be delivered to India will depart France this week, the Hindu reports. After that, there will only be on India-owned Rafale left in France that is being used to certify India specific enhancements (ISE).

Today’s Video

WATCH: Why Britain’s $ 2.2 Billion Astute-Class Nuclear Submarine Is Its Most Dangerous Naval Asset

Americas

Lockheed Martin Rotary and Mission Systems won a $28 million modification, which exercises an option to procure MH-60R/S aircraft mission computer (MC) and flight management computer (FMC) retrofit kits, wiring kits, and Lynx licenses. The quantities are: 190 MC Generation III/V configuration to GEN 3i/5i MC kits (96 for the Navy, 70 for Naval Supply, 19 for the government of Australia, and five for the government of Denmark); 15 FMC Generation VI configuration to GEN 3i/5i FMC kits (10 for the Navy and five for the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia); 194 MC Generation III/V FMC configuration to GEN 3i/5i FMC kits (114 for the Navy, 51 for Naval Supply, 19 for the government of Australia, five for the government of Denmark, and five for the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia); 200 wiring kits (187 for the Navy, six for the government of Australia, five for the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, and two for the government of Denmark); and 1,250 Lynx licenses for the Navy. Work will take place in New York and Florida. Expected completion date is in November 2024.

The Brazilian Air Force (FAB) has to cut the number of KC-390 that it will procure from Embraer from 28 to 22 aircraft. Earlier, the FAB said it will only buy 16 aircraft. Embraer then countered that the reduction to the order was done unilaterally and the aerospace company would consider legal actions against the Brazilian government. The delivery schedule will be stretched until 2034, which Embraer says will allow it to carry out long-term planning with its suppliers.

Middle East & Africa

Lockheed Martin won a $138.9 million agreement for federation, testing and user operational assessments of the Spike non-line-of-sight missile system. Spike NLOS is a multi-purpose, electro-optical/infrared missile system. Its advanced rocket motor provides capability to reach ranges up to 32km. Operators can integrate Spike NLOS with ground, aviation or maritime platforms – while leveraging its stand-off capability to strike distant or geographically concealed targets without line-of-sight. Work will take place in Florida and Israel. Estimated completion date is January 30, 2025.

Europe

Finland’s Minister of Defense Antti Kaikkonen approved a proposal to procure ammunition for a heavy rocket launcher system from the United States. The Ministerial Finance Committee supported the procurement in its session on 10 February 2022. The procurement will provide the Defense Forces with Extended Range Guided Multiple Launch Rocket System Alternative Warheads (ER GMLRS AW) for area targets and Extended Range Guided Multiple Launch Rocket System Unitary (ER GMLRS UNITARY) ammunition for point target effect, Finland’s MoD said in a release.

Asia-Pacific

The US government has approved a potential Foreign Military Sale to the Government of Indonesia for 36 F-15ID fighters. The Defense Security Cooperation Agency has notified Congress after the sale was approve by the State Department. The sale package includes MS-110 Recce Pods and AN/ASG-34 Infrared Search and Track equipment. The Pentagon says the proposed sale will improve Indonesia’s capability to meet current and future threats by enabling it to provide increased deterrence and air defense coverage across a very complex air and maritime domain.

Philippines has taken delivery of four CESSNA 172S Skyhawk trainer aircraft for $2.2 million. On Thursday, the Department of National Defense said it received the aircraft worth $2.2 million under U.S. Foreign Military Financing Program. They will be used by the Philippine Navy Naval Air Wing. The CESSNA 172S Skyhawk has a maximum range of 640nm and can attain cruise speed of 124 ktas. The aircraft can accommodate four people.

Today’s Video

WATCH: SPIKE NLOS In Future Vertical Lift Demonstration

Here are the abstracts from the latest issue of our Russian Media Analysis newsletter. You can also download the full text PDF version.

1. The Ukraine Crisis: Views of US-Russia Negotiations

Negotiations between the United States and Russia over the Ukraine-Russia crisis are widely discussed across Russian media, from a variety of angles. Most commentators are in agreement that the United States and its allies are engaging in bad-faith negotiations, given their continued military-technical support for Ukraine, although some note concern with Russian posture. The negotiations themselves are seen as a first step, and meetings with Secretary Blinken and Foreign Minister Lavrov, as well as the formal diplomatic response from the United States to Russia over their treaty proposals, are treated in a variety of ways.

2. The Ukraine Crisis: Perceptions of US Strategy

In discussing the current confrontation between the United States and Russia, a number of publications consider causal factors affecting US strategy. The focus is on the impact of the withdrawal from Afghanistan and its effect on US assessments of geopolitical risks and US aggressiveness. The articles also discuss the US predilection for narcissism and double standards. Some analysts do note the clear rejection of a military response by US leadership as leaving open the possibility of a compromise solution.

3. The Ukraine Crisis: Discussion of Russia’s Strategy

Russian media published a number of articles discussing Russian goals and strategy in the Ukraine crisis. Several articles focus on Russia’s need for security guarantees as a key driver of the current crisis. Other articles suggest that Russia’s real concern is not NATO enlargement per se but specifically the placement of NATO military hardware near Russia’s borders. Others suggest that in provoking a crisis now, Russia is reacting to a perception of weakness on the part of the United States in order to push the US into making concessions on Russian security demands.

4. The Ukraine Crisis: Signals of Potential Elite Unease

Two articles highlight the possibility of concerns within the Russian military about how an invasion of Ukraine would play out. The two authors, both well connected with segments of the Russian military and defense industry, suggest that a Russian military intervention in Ukraine could go badly and does not correspond to Russian national interests.

5. The Ukraine Crisis: Reaction to Potential US Sanctions

In Voenno-Promyshlennyi Kur’er (VPK), Vladimir Vasil’yev of the Institute of USA and Canada Studies (ISKRAN) argues that the Russia sanctions bill proposed by Senate Foreign Relations Committee chair Bob Menendez is “Cold War 2.0 legislation.” Vasil’yev notes that one way to interpret the bill is that it intends sanctions to “speed up and ease the Ukraine’s accession” to NATO. In a Topwar.ru article focused on how sanctions on exports of high technologies to Russia can be incredibly damaging to the Russian economy, Andrey Mitrofanov posits that US sanctions seek to turn Russia into North Korea 2.0.

6. The Ukraine Crisis: Reactions to Western Military Activities and “Information Warfare”

Numerous articles in the Russian press focus on the US deployments to Europe and the shifts in force postures and military activities in the region. Kommersant describes the state of “information warfare” and “hysteria” around Ukraine. Nezavisimaya Gazeta describes the military exercises and troop movements in the region, noting that NATO “assumes Russian aggression against Ukraine, [while] the Russian-Belarusian side [is concerned about] the possibility of NATO provocations that could push Kiev to resolve the problem of Donbass and Luhansk by force. Anton Lavrov, Roman Kretsul, and Andrey Fedorov discuss changes in the US force posture in Europe and quote a former Ministry of Foreign Affairs official as saying that some can be regarded as a “menacing maneuver.”

7. The Ukraine Crisis: Military Aid to Ukraine

More than 10 articles report on training and military aid to Ukraine, including new shipments from the US and UK, as well as transfers of US weapons from the Baltics, UAVs from Turkey, and artillery shells from the Czech Republic. While one article suggests that the acquisition of these new capabilities proves Ukraine’s intent to invade the Donbas, most are skeptical that these weapons provide Ukraine with any new meaningful capability.

8. The Ukraine Crisis: Ukrainian Military Developments

Several articles report on Ukrainian military developments “which confirm the fact that it is preparing for aggression against the [Luhansk and Donetsk People’s Republics].” Two articles report on movements of the 58th Separate Motorized Infantry and 53rd and 54th Separate Motorized Brigades, transport of portable demining units, military exercises near Crimea, and Zelensky’s decree to increase the size of armed forces by 100,000. A Topwar.ru article argues that Ukraine has been preparing to take back the Donbas by force since 2014. A fourth article reports on the low morale of Ukrainian troops.

9. Reactions to NATO Development Plans

Several articles address how NATO is planning to develop in the near to medium term and the threat that the organization’s plans pose to Russia. The topics include the expansion of NATO’s zone of operations to new territories, such as the Middle East, and new domains, such as space. NATO enlargement and its aggressive militarism, in the context of an overwhelming conventional force superiority over Russia, are highlighted as the main threats to Russia. The possibility of an unwanted NATO-Russia war being caused by Ukraine is also mentioned.

10. Scandinavia and NATO Enlargement

Yevgeny Fedorov, writing in Topwar.ru, discusses the possibility of Sweden and Finland joining NATO. He argues that even though the two countries recently reiterated that they are not currently interested in joining the alliance, they retain the right to join at any point in the future while remaining so closely integrated with the alliance that membership would be merely a formal change in status.

11. Concerns About Turkish Expansionism

An article in VPK discusses how Turkey is increasingly being used by the US and UK as a proxy to contain Russia on its southern flank and to pursue expansionist ambitions in Central Asia. The article argues that despite some tensions with its NATO allies, Turkey remains firmly committed to the alliance’s strategy to weaken Russia by forcing it to defend all of its borders and to impact its economy by creating alternative energy sources for Europe.

12. Potential Russian Military Development in the Caribbean

Two articles discuss potential Russian military developments in Caribbean states-namely, Cuba, Venezuela, and Nicaragua. A Topwar.ru article argues that because NATO is “increasingly, unceremoniously settling in close to Russia’s borders from the Barents to the Black Sea,” including US missile deployment, Russia is forced to respond in kind. A Novye Izvestiya article argues that while US influence on Venezuela and Cuba may prevent them from being viable hosts of Russian military bases, Nicaragua may be a more suitable option. Both articles acknowledge the challenges associated with challenging US hegemony in the region.

13. US Support for Japan’s Military Goals

Russian commentators continue to be concerned about a further deepening of the US-Japanese security relationship, arguing that Japan’s military-strategic plans to reemerge as an important player in East Asia have led it to follow the US lead on geopolitical issues elsewhere. Writing in Nezavisimaya Gazeta, Valery Kistanov explores the question of why Japan wishes to become a military power, and what it is willing to sacrifice in order to achieve this. Although suspicious of Japan’s claims to be concerned about national security, he nevertheless writes that it is necessary to take this as-is and focus on the fact that a considerable military buildup is in its early stages.

14. Chinese-Russian Relations as a ‘Biathlon’

The Olympic Games in Beijing may bring about renewed and strengthened diplomatic ties, according to Yuri Tavrovsky, the head of the Expert Council of the Russian-Chinese Committee for Friendship, Peace, and Development. Writing in Moskovskii Komsomolets, Tavrovsky argues that upcoming meetings between Vladimir Putin and Xi Jinping in the context of the games are a perfect venue for continuing down a line of close cooperation between the two at a personal level.

15. The CSTO in Central Asia Versus NATO

The deployment of CSTO forces into Kazakhstan during political troubles earlier in January has led to some Russian analysts to reappraise the organization. One article in Gazeta.ru by Viktor Sokirko and Dmitry Mayorov attempted to assess the CSTO’s military capabilities at the alliance level. They argue that in fact the CSTO, while inferior to NATO in general, is more than capable of maintaining order in Central Asia and ensuring a form of moderate collective defense. This is more than sufficient, given that the CSTO has very different goals from NATO in the first place, according to the authors.

16. Russian-Iranian Cooperation and Reactions to JCPOA Negotiations

Topwar.ru provides an update on the JCPOA negotiations and expressed criticism of the US position in the talks, highlighting Russian opposition to artificial deadlines. An article in Ekspert about the recent visit by Iran’s president Ebrahim Raisi to Moscow highlights areas of Russo-Iranian cooperation, and says that the visit was aimed at securing Russian support in the face of US pressure for additional concessions from Iran as part of JCPOA negotiations.

Americas

DARPA Aircrew Labor In-Cockpit Automation System (ALIAS) program has completed the maiden flight of a UH-60A Black Hawk helicopter without anyone onboard. Sikorsky completed 30-minutes of unmanned flight with the optionally piloted vehicle (OPV) over the US Army installation at Fort Campbell, Kentucky on February 5th with another flight on February 7th.

Saab has won a contract to deliver of the short-range air defense systems RBS 70 NG to the Argentine Armed Forces. The Argentine Navy has been a user of the RBS 70 since 1984 and is now upgrading to the latest RBS 70 NG. The contract entails a further expansion of the country’s usage of the RBS 70 NG system to the Air Force and to the Army. The RBS 70 NG systems, training simulators and missiles delivered, will therefore be used by the Argentine Army, Navy and the Air Force.

Middle East & Africa

Defense News reported that according to the nominee to lead the US Central Command there’s a fresh opportunity to integrate air and missile defense in the Middle East. According to Army Lt. Gen., both of the two countries’ newly normalized relations with Bahrain and the UAE provide opportunities for and their partners.

Europe

Spain’s Dragón infantry fighting vehicle (IFV) will be protected by an armor package from Plasan, which announced in a press release on February 3 that it had been awarded the contract by the Tess Defence consortium building the vehicle in November 2021. Plasan said it was supplying its Hybrid Slat Fence (HSF) lightweight modular rocket-propelled grenade (RPG) protection and its mine protection solution for underbelly and improvised explosive device (IED) side blast with energy-absorbing mine seats, with deliveries for 348 Dragóns having begun in January and continuing until 2026.

Asia-Pacific

Mitsubishi Shipbuilding has conducted sea trials for the Philippine Coast Guard’s (PCG’s) first 97 m multirole response vessel (MRRV). The vessel conducted the trials in waters near Shimonoseki Shipyard & Machinery Works between 25 and 28 January, the PCG announcedon February 2.

Chinese state-owned Aviation Industry Corporation of China (AVIC) released footage suggesting that it is developing an armed, aerial refuelling-capable variant of the Harbin Aircraft Industry Group (HAIG) Z-20 medium multirole helicopter. The title screen of the video footage displays the three “20” series aircraft developed by AVIC, namely the J-20 stealth fighter jet, the Y-20 large transport aircraft and the Z-20 helicopter, in computer-generated imagery.

Today’s Video

WATCH: First Uninhabited Black Hawk Flight

Americas

Boeing won a $95 million deal, which provides engineering services and supplies, to include capability defect package fixes and acoustic software improvement efforts in support of the continued development and sustainment of the P-8A Acoustic Operational Flight Program. Work will take place in California, Washington, Maryland and Missouri. Expected completion will be in January 2027.

The US Air Force has published a RFI for the replacement of the E-3G Airborne Warning and Control System (AWACS). The contract is expected to be awarded in FY2023 and the winner must produce two prototype aircraft within five years of the award.

Middle East & Africa

The South African Navy is reportedly struggling to meet its operational commitments due to chronic underfunding, according to a recently published parliamentary portfolio committee report. In its budgetary review and recommendations report for the Fiscal year 2020/2021, the South African Committee on Defense and Military Veterans said that ongoing funding shortfalls and the subsequent reduction in ship availability for taskings due to the postponement of planned maintenance lead to the issue that the SAN had been unable to meet its sea hours target for the year.

Europe

The French defence procurement agency (DGA) has awarded Thales and its partners a contract to install the aircraft satcom stations on French Air Force Phénix MRTT aerial refueling tankers.Thales says the station are able to resist aggressive jamming while providing broadband connections.

Rheinmetall BAE Systems Land (RBSL) awarded a $121.61 million subcontract to Thales UK to provide sighting systems under the Challenger 3 MBT upgrade programme. The contract will protect key manufacturing skills in the UK and sustain 700 skilled engineers and technicians based in Glasgow, including 30 apprentices currently receiving training. The contract was signed by RBSL (Rheinmetall BAE Systems Land) and Thales, with the Secretary of State for Scotland in attendance, at Thales’s site in Glasgow where the majority of the integration work will take place.

Asia-Pacific

The Japanese Ministry of Defense (MoD) plans to upgrade 68 Boeing-Mitsubishi F-15J Eagle fighter aircraft through the Japan Super Interceptor (JSI) programme. This information was confirmed on February 4. The Ministry also said that the estimated life-cycle costs of the 68 Japan Air Self-Defense Force (JASDF) aircraft over 30 years – including the upgrade – will amount to $5.6 billion.

Today’s Video

WATCH: Just How Powerful is P-8 Poseidon

Americas

System High Corp won a $104.9 million deal, which provides program services for the F-35 Joint Program Office to include program management, general security, information security, information security, industrial security, physical security, personnel security, counter-intelligence and foreign disclosure support. The deal also provides special security studies, program protection cybersecurity and security control assessments as well as and engineering services support. Work will take place in Virginia, Ohio, Germany, Texas, Maryland and Florida. Expected completion date is in February 2027.

The US Navy has fired the AGM-88G Advanced Anti-Radiation Guided Missile Extended Range (AARGM-ER) for the second time on January 21. Press release from Northrop Grumman said the weapon was able to “detect, identify, locate and engage a land-based air defense radar system from an extended range.” The AARGM-ER is now in Low-Rate Initial Production (LRIP) with initial operational capability (IOC) fielding in 2023.

Middle East & Africa

The Turkish Land Forces Command have taken delivery of new Bayraktar TB2 unmanned combat aerial vehicles (UCAV) equipped with Common Aperture Targeting System (CATS). The Aselsan-developed Common Aperture Targeting System (CATS) is a high-performance electro-optical reconnaissance, surveillance and targeting system designed for fixed-wing and rotary-wing airborne platforms, including unmanned air systems (UASs), helicopters and aircraft.

Europe

A French Navy Rafale M was forced to divert to Malta after running low on fuel and was unable to land back on aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle. Apparently, part of the refueling probe had broken off, forcing the pilot to divert. A French NH-90 arrived at Malta international Airport on the night of February 6 with a maintenance crew and spare parts to fix the aircraft. Both left shortly after midnight.

Asia-Pacific

The US approved a potential FMS worth about $100 million to “sustain, maintain, and improve” the Patriot missile defense system used by the self-governing island claimed by China. In a statement, the Defense Security Cooperation Agency said it has delivered the required certification notifying Congress following State Department approval for the sale requested by Taiwan’s TECRO.

The Indian Army has placed an order with Bharat Dynamics Limited (BDL) for the delivery of Konkurs-M anti-tank guided missiles (ATGM). In a statement, BDL said the contract is worth $418 million. The Konkurs ATGM was developed by the Tula Machinery Design Bureau (Tula KBP) of Russia. BDL has been producing Konkurs ATGMs under Russian license at the Bhanur facility. The missiles have been upgraded with a tandem warhead.

Today’s Video

S.Korean Turkish army receives new Bayraktar TB2 combat drone with local electro-optical system

Americas

Huntington Ingalls Industries (HII) completed acceptance sea trials on Friday for the amphibious transport dock Fort Lauderdale (LPD 28). The San Antonio Class ship, built at HII’s Ingalls Shipbuilding division, spent several days with the US Navy’s Board of Inspection and Survey. Ingalls’ shipbuilders will now complete final finish work on the ship in preparation for delivery this quarter.

General Dynamics won a $19.2 million deal for Environmental and Ship Motion Forecasting (ESMF) systems, which provides sea-based forces with environmental and ship motion forecasting as input to the common operation tactical picture, in order to forecast windows of opportunity for inter/intra-ship material and personnel movement. The ESMF system allows for single-ship motion modeling and predictions, and for two ship motion modeling and predictions. Estimated completion date is in January 2027.

Middle East & Africa

An unnamed Air Force in the Middle East has carried out the deployment of two Silent Arrow GD-2000 cargo delivery drones. The evaluation was carried out under a $1.5 million contract. Two C-130s were used in the test and each GD-2000 was filled with 465 kg of cargo.

The US State Department has made a determination approving a possible Foreign Military Sale to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) of Foreign Military Sales Order (FMSO) II Case and related equipment for an estimated cost of $65 million. The Defense Security Cooperation Agency delivered the required certification notifying Congress of this possible sale today.

Europe

Russia’s upgraded Tu-160M strategic bomber, which made its first fight last year will be built together with the proposed new stealth bomber, PAK-DA. The Tu-160M aircraft opens up prospects for implementing the new project of building the prospective complex of long-range aviation (PAK DA), Russian Industry and Trade Minister Denis Manturov said on Friday while on a visit to the Tu-160 plant in Kazan.

Asia-Pacific

The US Senate foreign relations committee has been notified on a potential sale of four more Phalanx Close-In Weapons System (CIWS) Block 1B Baseline 2 (IB2) systems to South Korea. Two of those systems were approved by the Biden administration in December 2020 and the new request builds on that Foreign Military Sale package. The new proposal is to cost the South Korea taxpayer $129 million.

Today’s Video

S.Korean DAPA Announces Project to Develop Naval Interception System

Americas

The first low-rate initial production MQ-4C in the B8 configuration, with multi-intelligence capabilities, has been delivered to NAS Patuxent River on February 1. The B8 is the first production Triton to be upgraded to the multi-intelligence configuration to meet the Navy’s critical maritime intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance and targeting needs.

Sikorsky, a Lockheed Martin company, said it is building nine additional CH-53K aircraft for the USMarine Corps. The CH-53K will support the military in its mission to conduct expeditionary heavy-lift assault transport of armored vehicles, equipment and personnel to support distributed operations deep inland from a sea-based center of operations, critical in the Indo-Pacific region.

Middle East & Africa

The Biden administration has cleared Jordan to buy 16 F-16C/D Block 70 fighters in a Foreign Military Sale worth up to $4.2 billion. Twelve of those fighters are C variants and Jordan will buy five spare engines. The package also contains 302 kits to convert bombs into JDAM and Paveway II smart munitions. Jordan will also have to decide whether to select the JHMCS II or Scorpion Hybrid Optical-based Inertial Tracker (HObIT) helmet mounted displays for the pilots.

The US State Department approved a potential foreign military sale (FMS) of multifunctional information distribution system-low volume terminals (MIDS-LVT) to Saudi Arabia. The estimated cost of the FMS, along with the associated equipment, is $23.7 million.

Europe

Hungary has blocked Ukraine’s membership in NATO Cooperative Cyber Defense Centre of Excellence (CCDCOE). The Secretary of the Ukrainian National Defense and Security Council (NSDC), Oleksiy Danilov confirmed it, reports Ukrayinska Pravda. Ukraine submitted an official request to join the CCDCOE in August 2021. Two months later, the procedure for approving the application began.

Asia-Pacific

The US Air Force has held an online meeting for the public to discuss the setup of a training base for foreign military pilots at Ebbing Air National Guard Base in Fort Smith on February 4. Patrick Jeanes of the Air Force’s Air Education and Training Command disclosed that Singapore will relocate its 12 F-16s from Luke Air Force Base to Ebbing in June 2023. The first F-35 will arrive at Ebbing in July 2024, however, there is no information on which country owns the F-35 that will be delivered there.

Today’s Video

Watch: US Navy Tests Upgraded MQ-4C Triton Drone

Americas

Serco won a $22 million contract action in support of the Program Executive Office (PEO) “SHIPS” PMS 400D mission to design, build, outfit and test all DDG 51 guided-missile destroyer-class ships, increasing the design performance capability of the DDG 51 class ships. The Arleigh Burke (DDG 51) class guided missile destroyers provide a wide range of warfighting capabilities in multi-threat air, surface and subsurface environments. The US Navy currently has seven new DDG 51 Flight III destroyers under construction, Work will take place in Washington DC. Estimated completion date is September 8, 2022.

JF Taylor won an $8 million deal for F-35 high fidelity crewstations. The contract provides for cockpits, spares, manuals, training, installations and integration in support of High End Advanced Training and Tactics simulator missions. Work will take place in California and Nevada. Estimated completion will be by November 17, 2023.

Middle East & Africa

Spartan Iraq won a $14.9 million deal for T-6 contractor logistics support and base life support security. The T-6 is a single-engine turboprop aircraft. It is used by the Iraqi Air Force for basic flight training. Work will take place in Iraq. Estimated completion date is September 30, 2022. Air Force Life Cycle Management Center, Wright Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio, is the contracting activity.

Europe

The Spanish Army took delivery of the first remanufactured CH-47 Chinook helicopter at a ceremony held at the headquarters of the Spanish Army Airmobile Forces in Colmenar Viejo, Madrid. The aircraft is the first of 17 that will modernize the Spanish Chinook fleet, upgrading their existing CH-47D-model aircraft to the newer CH-47F model.

BAE Systems has confirmed its bid submission, together with the Swedish Defence Materiel Administration (FMV), for the Combat Vehicle 90 (CV90)) in response to the Ministry of Defence of the Slovak Republic’s acquisition of 152 new Infantry Fighting Vehicles (IFV) in multiple variants. The offer will ensure the production and delivery of the CV90 in collaboration with local Slovak industry, on time and to budget.

Asia-Pacific

Iraq has signed a contract with Pakistani company to purchase an unspecified number of aircraft, believed to be JF-17 Block III. Pakistan media had earlier reported that negotiations had been held between Islamabad and Baghdad for the latter to buy 12 JF-17s for an estimated $664 million.

Today’s Video

Watch: CH-47 Chinook | The World’s Most Iconic Helicopter

Americas

A crew from the 40th Flight Test Squadron successfully carried out the first AIM-120D missile firing from an F-15EX on January 25. The test took place in the Gulf of Mexico and a BQM-167 target drone was engaged by the air-to-air weapon. Maj. Benjamin Naumann, who fired the missile, said: “I am humbled to have the opportunity to fire the first weapon, but the bigger success is the verification of the F-15EX capability to live-fire a missile.”

The US Navy will mark the centennial of its first aircraft carrier, USS Langley (CV 1) this year. CV 1 entered service on March 20, 1922. The ship fought against the Japanese during the World War Two and was sunk off Java on February 27, 1942.

Middle East & Africa

Israel is building a laser-based counter rocket, artillery, and mortar system which will be operational in the country’s south by next year. The decision was announced by Prime Minister Naftali Bennett during his speech at the Institute for National Security Studies in Tel Aviv on February 2. Bennett says the cost of using the current Iron Dome system to defeat incoming rocket attacks “doesn’t make sense” as the rockets are cheap to manufacture while the Iron Dome interceptor are more expensive to produce.

US President Joe Biden indicated plans to nominate Qatar as a “major non-NATO ally” after his meeting with Qatari Amir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani. The designation will change the way the United States and its military interact with that country, Pentagon Press Secretary John F. Kirby told reporters during a briefing today at the Pentagon. “It does open up a full new range of opportunities: exercises, operations and you know, perhaps, the … acquisition of capabilities as well.”

Europe

Russia’s state-owned Rostec has delivered the first batch of serially-produced ‘Balkan’ 40mm anti-personnel grenade launchers. “The design documentation for the ‘Balkan’ system has been formalized and accepted by the Defense Ministry of Russia for serial production. The first serial batch has been produced,” Rostec Armament Cluster Industrial Director Bekkhan Ozdoyev was quoted by Russian news website TASS.

Asia-Pacific

Lockheed Martin said it integrated demonstrated the integration of the AN/SPY-7(v)1 radar into Japan’s Aegis Weapon System. Through the demonstration, the company said it executed the processing required to detect, track and discriminate ballistic missile threats, and successfully guide interceptors to those threats.

Today’s Video

Watch: SPY-7: The World’s Most Advanced, Versatile Radar

Americas

Lockheed Martin won a $1.4 billion deal from the US Air Force for the C-130J mission sustainment support effort. This contract provides for contractor logistics support and sustainment of the C-130J aircraft fleet. The C-130J is equipped with a Honeywell dual-embedded global positioning system/inertial navigation system (GPS/INS), an enhanced traffic alerting and collision avoidance system (E-TCAS), a ground collision avoidance system, SKE2000 station keeping system, and an instrument landing system (ILS). Work will take place in Georgia. Expected completion date is January 31, 2032.

General Dynamics won a $20 million contract modification to support Virginia and Columbia Class efforts detailed design (Phase 3) efforts. The Virginia Class is a class of nuclear-powered attack submarines for deep ocean anti-submarine warfare and littoral (shallow water) operations. The Columbia Class is an upcoming class of nuclear subs. Work will take place in Connecticut. Expected completion will be by September 2024.

Middle East & Africa

Israeli company Rafael said it has completed development of the latest generation of the Sky-Shield family of Electronic Attack (EA) Pods. The pod is now undergoing extensive flight trials on a 4.5 generation fighter aircraft for an undisclosed customer & will soon provide unprecedented capabilities, according to the company.

Egypt ordered K9 Thunder self-propelled howitzers built by South Korean company Hanwha Defense. The deal is worth $1.65 billion. According to the Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA), the contract includes the production of K9s in Egypt and a technology transfer. The agency did not reveal how many howitzers will be delivered to Cairo

Europe

Thyssenkrupp Marine Systems (TKMS) handed over the fourth and final F125 frigate “RHEINLAND-PFALZ” to the Federal Office of Bundeswehr Equipment, Information Technology and In-Service Support (BAAINBw) in Hamburg last week. With that, all four ships of the F125 class, which TKMS built together with the NVL Group in the ARGE F125 consortium, have been successfully delivered, the company said in a release.

Asia-Pacific

Apollo Information won a $29.7 million deal, which procures up to 1,966 Fortinet FortiGate license subscriptions in support of continued services to meet security communication requirements in support of the P-8A Poseidon Program for the Navy, the government of Australia, and Foreign Military Sales customers. Work will take place in California. Estimated completion will be by January 2027.

Today’s Video

Watch: K9 Thunder Self-Propelled Howitzer / Why is it so successful?

EDA has accomplished a two-years study (2020-2021), called ARTINDET, into how Artificial intelligence (AI) applications can be used to improve the automatic detection, recognition, identification and tracking of small, fast-moving targets in a complex battlefield environment. In such a hostile and difficult context, high-performance electro-optical (EO) imaging systems together with high spatial resolution radars seem to be best solution to efficiently detect and mitigate these new threats. One of the main conclusions of the study, is that AI significantly enhances the performance of those two technologies related to image pre-processing, fusion and inference. Another finding of the study points to the future: additional research efforts should be put into these promising technologies which can make a difference for defence capabilities. Hence EDA’s proposal to launch a dedicated project in 2022.  

The study developed and analysed new image processing techniques of imaging systems relying on AI based on deep learning paradigm. For that purpose, images captured by high-resolution cameras and Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) operating with Wide Field of View (WFOV) fed the different algorithms tested. The different techniques implemented and tested are designed to be integrated in a dedicated HW/SW architecture for an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV). ARTINDET analysed all the required steps for the deployment of this kind of system. 

Urban area & open sea 

Concretely, the study used two scenarios for object identification: one in an urban area and one focused on ship detection/recognition at open sea. For each of the two scenarios, two data sets were created, composed of both EO and radar images, and two AI algorithms were developed: one for the segmentation in urban scenario (mainly critical building identification) and one for the detection/segmentation of ships. New AI-based image fusion and resource management techniques were also developed.  

The study revealed that the usage of the new AI-based algorithms leads to a considerable improvement of the identification and detection performances, also due to the automatic and  ‘intelligent’ choice of the images supported by machine learning and neural networks.  

Additional work to be done 

The study also highlights the necessity of further work on topics such as: 

• The creation of an EU military image data base for AI-based system training and testing;
• Further algorithm developments; 
• Standardisation, certification and validation of AI algorithms; 
• Hardware architecture implementation; 
• Extended measurement campaigns for AI processing performance analysis and validation.  

EDA project in the starting blocks 

That’s why the Agency has proposed to Member States to launch a dedicated EDA Cat B project, called AIDRIT (Artificial Intelligence for Automatic Detection Recognition, Identification and Tracking of Difficult Target) which, if accepted, could start in 2022. Along others, it would look into the afore-mentioned additional work highlighted in the ARTINDET study. Both the study and the potential AIDRIT project idea are perfectly aligned with EDA’s action plan on AI. There is also realistic possibility that this topic could be the subject of one of the next calls for proposal under the European Defence Fund (EDF). 

Background 

Small targets coming from different directions and new intelligent and sophisticated weapons operating in complex scenarios represent nowadays the new asymmetric threats in the battlefield. In this hostile and difficult context, the new high-performance electro-optical (EO) imaging system allows to efficiently detect and contrast these new threats. High resolution multidimensional (multiband/multispectral, hyperspectral, multiresolution) EO sensors are designed to have enough diversity for improving detection, recognition, identification and tracking (DRIT) of difficult targets. The main challenge stems from the huge quantity of data produced. On the one hand, this is good because it gives a certain level of completeness in the information; on the other hand, it represents a raising of computational costs and an increase of the image processing complexity. Low contrast distributed targets make their identification and visualization by the operators still really demanding and sometime impossible. Against this backdrop, automatic processing would be helpful with a drastic reduction of reaction time for decision, often crucial in military missions.  

New techniques based on AI making use of deep learning and/or machine learning, seem particularly useful for image processing of high-resolution camera, when operating with wide field of view (WFOV) for the detection of difficult targets (low contrast, low signature, small size and operating in degraded visual environment). Moreover, applications on camera mounted on unmanned air vehicle (UAV), where full images cannot be streamed to the ground station, or when multiresolution imagery is needed, are new challenges where AI can also help. AI can have applications and provide benefits on data fusion coming from homogenous or heterogenous sensors, particularly from imaging radar and cameras, for a better situational awareness picture, and on the implementation of aid decision making tools and missions’ planning. AI can also be efficiently exploited in modelling and simulation for data generation and user training. 

Here are the abstracts from the latest issue of our Russian Media Analysis newsletter. You can also download the full text PDF version.

1. Russian perceptions of the NATO threat

Several articles describe Russian perceptions of NATO and the threat that it poses to Russian security. They focus on the role of the alliance as a weapon of US domination in Europe, the threat posed to Russia by NATO’s previous expansion to the east, and the possibility that it could expand further to include Sweden, Finland, or Georgia. These Western actions can be countered either by NATO and the United States providing binding security guarantees to Russia or by Russia extending its security border to the Soviet Union’s previous western border in Belarus and Ukraine.

2. Karaganov argues that NATO is a metastasizing “cancer” that needs to be “limited territorially”

On January 19, the Russian newspaper Argumenty i Fakty interviewed Sergey Karaganov, dean of the Faculty of World Economy and International Affairs at Moscow’s Higher School of Economics, on the state of Russia’s relations with the US and NATO. In the interview, Karaganov also discusses Russia’s intentions in Ukraine, contrasts Russia with the Soviet Union, and discusses potential steps that Russia could take in response to the ongoing crisis.

3. US-Russia diplomatic engagements

During this reporting period, recent diplomatic efforts are frequently mentioned. These include US-Russia talks in Geneva, NATO-Russia talks in Brussels, Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) talks in Vienna, and a phone conversation between Foreign Minister Lavrov and Secretary Blinken. Several articles discuss Russia’s motivation behind the talks, which followed unrealistic demands for security guarantees and largely ended in stalemate. They also discuss what lies ahead.

4. Plans for US sanctions against Russia

Several articles highlight potential US plans to further strengthen sanctions against Russia. Draft US plans to impose personal sanctions against top Russian officials are dismissed as unlikely. However, the possibility of serious measures to limit interactions with Russian financial institutions and to prohibit the transfer of a wide range of technology to Russia (and the use of that technology by Russia) is taken more seriously. Russia could respond with highly disruptive countermeasures and may see the most severe measures as, in effect, a declaration of war.

5. The West prepares for conflict

Russian media published extensive discussions of statements being made by Western officials in response to Russia’s deployment of forces near Ukraine. These articles focus on the deployment of additional NATO forces to Eastern Europe, reports about the evacuation of Western and Russian embassy personnel from Kyiv, and US efforts to find alternative sources of natural gas for EU member states that would be engaged in a conflict with Russia.

6. NATO, Russia-Belarus military exercises

One article discusses NATO’s upcoming Cold Response exercise, which will take place in late March and early April and will include 35,000 military personnel from 28 states. The article notes that “such large-scale exercises as Cold Response-2022 have not been held in Norway since the 1980s.” Earlier in the year, on February 10–20, Russia and Belarus will hold joint military exercises, titled “Allied Resolve.” Two articles discuss the size, scope, and motivation of the maneuvers. A fourth article reports that the head of Poland’s National Security Bureau requested that NATO hold military exercises in the region in response to the joint Russian-Belarusian exercises.

7. Nuclear risk reduction and potential Western reactions to Belarusian nukes

Several articles cover nuclear issues. Krasnaya Zvezda focuses on Russia’s views on the importance of the P5 Joint Statement of the Leaders of the Five Nuclear-Weapon States on Preventing Nuclear War and Avoiding Arms Races, and the importance to Russia of the “inadmissibility of any war between nuclear states, whether nuclear or with the use of conventional weapons.” Aleksey Poplavskiy in Gazeta.ru offers Russian expert commentary on potential Western reactions to the unlikely placement of Russian nuclear weapons in Belarus. (The December 6–16, 2021, issue of Russian Media Analysisaddressed this latter issue.)

8. Options for new Russian missile bases as competition grows

As geopolitical competition increases, Russian authors are suggesting possibilities for new staging points that can counter perceived NATO encroachment. Two articles in Topwar.ru point out the potential for sites in Cuba and Serbia, respectively, as states that may be particularly open to hosting new forward-deployed arms. While Cuba is seen with a glow of Soviet-era nostalgia, the Balkan case represents a more novel vision in any future arms race.

9. Western information warfare against Russia

In Voenno-Promyshlennyi Kur’er (VPK), Sergey Korotkov argues that the US (and the West) are leaders in disinformation and have used this in the past to create a justification for wars in Iraq and Yugoslavia. The article posits that “the US views the internet as the main instrument of conducting hybrid warfare to achieve global domination in the global information space” and “aggressive propaganda in the form of disinformation campaigns is conducted at the state level and is a component of the ‘systematic deterrence of Russia.’” Separately, an article in Topwar.ru offers perspectives on a January 6 Atlantic Council event that featured retired general Wesley Clark, who argued that Putin is a war criminal and that Russia could use chemical weapons in Ukraine.

10. Military aid to Ukraine

Many articles have focused on the crisis between Russia and Ukraine, looking specifically at new plans for military aid being developed by NATO countries to assist Ukraine in light of a potential Russian military action. Several articles focus on aid from the UK, which is stated to be moving faster and with greater qualitative effectiveness than other aid plans at present. Other authors review US military aid being debated in Congress as well. In general, the articles frame UK and US military aid as a means of ratcheting up the local threat against Russia, further destabilizing the regional security environment, and further cementing Ukraine’s de facto position as a quasi-member of NATO and the broader Western security architecture.

11. Tumult and fragmentation in Ukrainian domestic politics

The domestic travails of Ukraine were recently noted by two Russian authors, each arguing that the internal politics of the country were riven by scandal, faction, and dissent. Both articles are provocative: one, in Topwar.ru, asks why Ukrainian statehood had ever even been considered; the other, in VPK, drives home the point that Western efforts to aid Ukraine are not always clearly appreciated by Kyiv.

12. How future wars will be fought

Two articles by noted military specialists address the question of how wars will be fought in the future. Aleksandr Khramchikhin suggests that UAVs are likely to become the most important weapon in future wars, because they would be virtually impossible to eliminate and could be used to eliminate enemy air defense infrastructure. Viktor Murakhovsky is, on the whole, more skeptical about the dominance of technology in future warfare. The ineffectiveness of high-tech warfare in Afghanistan and Yemen suggests that future warfare may not be as technology dependent as visionaries on both sides believe.

13. Concerns about Turkish geopolitical designs

Multiple articles in Topwar.ru look at the geopolitical place of Turkey as well as ethnic ties across the Turkic peoples of Eurasia. Focusing on the potential for military cooperation along a pan-Turkic basis, as well as the prospects for major military expansion by Turkey in the Black Sea and Mediterranean, the articles add to a growing sense of paranoia about the prospect of alternative regional power blocs based on ethnic relations.

14. US accused of stirring up extremist groups in the North Caucasus

According to an article by Evgeny Fedorov in Topwar.ru, the United States is seeking to undermine internal Russian stability by way of encouraging extremist movements in the North Caucasus. Fedorov argues that American support in organizing and propagating Islamic extremist movements over the internet has grown in recent years, with the goal of provoking protest and confrontation between the authorities and local radicals. Fedorov highlights a new memorial set up by a local extremist organization, 1ADAT, as a new means of American meddling in internal affairs.

15. Alarm about new Kazakhstan biosafety-level-4 lab

Several articles in the Russian media and on online sites discuss the planned construction of a BSL-4 laboratory in Kazakhstan. Articles in Topwar.ru and Izvestiya argue that reference labs and biosafety facilities in Ukraine, Georgia, Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Kazakhstan are an enormous cause for concern for Russia because they are nontransparent and potentially unaccountable facilities conducting dangerous work close to the Russian border. While both of these articles include disinformation, they also exemplify the perspectives of Russian military analysts about CTR-supported installations in Eurasia.

Americas

Boeing won a $21.6 million contract modification, which exercises an option to procure 104 proprotor hub spring and drive link kits for the V-22 Osprey aircraft, to include 60 for the MV-22 aircraft; 10 for the CV-22 aircraft; 29 spare kits for the MV-22 aircraft; and five spare kits for the CV-22 in support of proprotor hub spring and drive link improvement efforts to improve safety, reliability, and maintainability of MV and CV V-22 Osprey aircraft. The V-22 Osprey is a joint-service, medium-lift, multimission tilt-rotor aircraft. Boeing is responsible for the fuselage, landing gear, avionics, electrical and hydraulic systems, performance and flying qualities. Bell Helicopter Textron is responsible for the wing and nacelle, propulsion, rotor, empennage (complete tail system), ramp, overwing fairing and the dynamics. Work will take place in Texas. Estimated completion will be in February 2024.

Lockheed Martin won a $9.3 million contract modification for Trident II (D5) missile production and deployed systems support for the US Navy. The Trident II Strategic Weapon System (SWS) is deployed aboard Ohio Class (Trident) submarines and consists of: the Trident II (D5) Submarine Launched Ballistic Missile (SLBM); Reentry System; and supporting Shipboard Systems. Work will take place in Colorado, California, Georgia, Washington and Florida. Estimated completion date is September 30, 2026.

Middle East & Africa

Turkish Aerospace Industries (TAI) revealed it has plans to develop a naval version of the ATAK-II heavy-class helicopter. Rear Admiral Alper YEN?EL (Naval Air Commander), who made a speech at the “Naval Air Projects” session held within the scope of the 10th Naval Systems Seminar, announced that 10 attack helicopters are expected to be delivered within the scope of the protocol signed with the Land Forces in March 2022.

The Norwegian Defense Material Agency (NDMA) asked Navantia to modernize Fridtjof Nansen Class (F-310) frigates designed and built for the Norwegian Navy between 2000 and 2011. As part of the contract, Navantia will perform a Configuration Audit of the Fridtjof Nansen Class Frigates in order to integrate in the design documentation all the modifications and relevant changes conducted by NDMA on the Frigates since they left the Spanish shipyard.

Europe

Rheinmetall introduced a new version of its Maske smoke/obscurant grenade recently. The Maske 81mm is based on a bimodular, bi-spectral ammunition concept. It consists of a fast-acting decoy module that generates intense blooming thanks to proven decoy technologies. The grenade is paired with a long-lasting concealment module whose visible and infrared smoke/obscurant interrupts the enemy’s line of sight in both the visual and infrared spectrum.

Asia-Pacific

The Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) is bringing its F-35A fighters to Guam for Exercise Cope North 2022 with the United States Air Force (USAF) and the Japan Air Self-Defense Force (JASDF). Accompanying the F-35s are Australian E-7A, C-27J,and KC-30A tanker. The 356th Fighter Squadron of the US Air Force was the first to introduce the F-35A to the multilateral exercise last year.

Today’s Video

Watch: Turkish Plans to Develop Naval Version ATAK-2 Heavy Class Attack Helicopter

Americas

Boeing won a $106 million delivery order for the repair of flight control surfaces used on the F/A-18 E/F and EA-18G aircraft. The US Navy F/A-18 E and F Super Hornet maritime strike attack aircraft are twin-engine, carrier-capable multirole fighter. The Growler is a derivative of the combat-proven two-seat F/A-18 Hornet, the US Navy’s maritime strike aircraft. The primary missions of the aircraft are electronic attack (EA) and suppression of enemy air defences (SEAD), particularly at the start and ongoing early stages of hostilities. Work will take place in Florida and Missouri. Estimated completion will be by March 2024.

Raytheon won a $66.2 million deal for procurement of Excalibur 155mm Increment 1B projectiles. The Excalibur 155mm Precision Guided Extended Range Artillery projectile, also known as the M982 ER DPICM (Extended Range Dual Purpose Improved Conventional Munitions) projectile, is a fire and forget, smart munition. Work will take place in the UK, Arizona, California, Illinois, Missouri, New Jersey, New Mexico, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Texas and Utah. Estimated completion date is April 29, 2024.

Middle East & Africa

General Dynamics won a $14.5 million deal for Abrams systems technical support for Kuwait. The Kuwait Army received its first upgraded M1A2 Abrams main battle tank, known as M1A2K, almost two years behind the initial schedule in July 2021. Work will take place in Michigan. Estimated completion date is January 27, 2023. Fiscal 2010 Foreign Military Sales (Kuwait) funds; fiscal 2022 operation and maintenance, Army funds; and fiscal 2019, 2020, 2021 and 2022 other procurement, Army funds in the full amount were obligated at the time of the award.

Inter-Coastal Electronic won an $11.3 million deal for AH-64 Apache Attack Helicopter Tactical Engagement Simulation System kits, spares, aviation ground instrumentation network and logistics support services for Morocco. Morocco inked a US Foreign Military Sales (FMS) contract for 24 Boeing AH-64E Apache helicopters. Work will take place in Arizona. Estimated completion date is July 26, 2027.

Europe

The NATO Support and Procurement Agency (NSPA), Milrem (programme’s prime contractor) and seven other partners, chose Nexter Robotics to evaluate several ground and airborne robotics platforms for the Italian Army. The decision was taken on January 13. The five-year programme has three objectives: to expose the state of the art in robotics; to initiate experimentation with existing platforms; and to develop a concept for an autonomous robotic system tailored to the end-customer’s needs.

Asia-Pacific

Philippines’s Department of National Defense (DND) inked a ceremonial contract worth $368 Million with Brahmos Aerospace to acquire a Shore-based Anti-ship Missile System for the Philippine Navy. The acquisition project was first conceptualized in 2017 and the Philippines is planning to acquire three batteries of the Anti-ship Missile System.

Today’s Video

Watch: India and Philippines ink contract for BrahMos missiles | Manila accepts $374.9 mn worth deal | WION

Americas

The US Navy deployed the MQ-8C Fire Scout next generation ship-based autonomous helicopter system operationally on December 14, 2021. Deployed with Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron 22, Detachment 5 (HSC-22 DET 5) aboard USS Milwaukee (LCS-5), Fire Scout provides greater organic intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance and targeting (ISR&T) capabilities for the US Navy, manufacturer of the UAV said in a statement.

The US Federal Trade Commission has sued to block Lockheed Martin Corporation’s $4.4 billion proposed vertical acquisition of Aerojet Rocketdyne Holdings Inc, the last independent US supplier of missile propulsion systems. The FTC will file a complaint in the US District Court for the District of Columbia seeking a Preliminary Injunction to stop the deal pending an administrative trial. The administrative trial is scheduled to begin on June 16, 2022.

Middle East & Africa

The United Arab Emirates has approached Israel to inquire on three air defense missile systems that could beef up its missile defense capabilities. The three systems are the IAI Barak 8, Barak ER, and the Rafael Spyder. The Israeli systems will serve as an interim solution against attacks from Houthis until the M-SAM from South Korea is inducted into service.

According to Breaking Defense, a Kuwait-based defense analyst has said that the US Marine Corps is interested in taking over Kuwait’s F/A-18s when they are retired from service. Malaysia and Tunisia are said to be interested in acquiring those legacy Hornets, however, the USMC will have priority as approval is required from the US government before Kuwait can sell the jets to other nations. The USMC is planning to retire its F/A-18s in 2030 and has given its existing F/A-18 fleet some upgrades such as a new AN/APG-79(v)4 radar and ejection seats.

Europe

The Kalashnikov Group’s kamikaze drone KUB-E guided munitions system has received an export permit from Russian authorities making it possible to promote this product abroad. “The Kalashnikov, Group, together with Rosoboronexport, is ready to start promoting the KUB UAV on the international market, including during intergovernmental commissions and international exhibitions. It should be noted that this drone already has a successful experience of combat use, confirmed in real conditions,” the press service of the Kalashnikov Group said.

Asia-Pacific

The Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) has received the first Lockheed Martin C-130J-30 Hercules transport aircraft upgraded to Block 8.1 standard, the Australian Department of Defence (DoD) announced on January 19. The aircraft, which arrived at RAAF Richmond air base in New South Wales, was upgraded by Lockheed Martin in the United States with support from the United States Air Force.

Today’s Video

Watch: Top 10 Iconic RAAF Aircraft – 3: Lockheed Martin C-130 Hercules

EDA Chief Executive Jiří Šedivý is pursuing his ‘tour des capitales’ this week with a visit to the Czech Republic (26-27 January). Today, he met with Defence Minister Jana Černochová and capability, armaments, research and defence planning representatives at the Ministry of Defence, as well as with Pavel Fischer, the Chairman of the Foreign Affairs, Defence and Security Committee of the Senate of the Parliament. He also had a meeting with the Chief of Defence, General Ales Opata.

The exchange of views with Minister Černochová focused on the implementation of the EU defence initiatives and Czech Republic’s priorities on security and defence for the upcoming Presidency of the Council of the European Union. Minister Černochová and Mr Šedivý also discussed the participation in EDA’s current and future activities and the need to drive defence innovation in Europe and the prospect of reinforcing EDA's role in supporting Member States in this area, the implications of the EU’s Green Deal policy on the military, the second cycle of the Coordinated Annual Review on Defence (CARD) which is currently underway, the state of play in the PESCO implementation, the functioning of the European Defence Fund (EDF) as well as the preparations for the EU’s Strategic Compass to be approved in March.

“I want to thank the Czech Republic for its constant support to EDA and its active involvement in the Agency’s activities. As we speak, the country participates in 23 EDA projects and programmes, from helicopter training and the manual neutralisation of improvised explosive devices to medical support and research into innovative materials for defence applications. Let me express a special word of appreciation for the leading role the Czech Republic plays in our Multinational Modular Medical Unit project whose objective is to develop deployable and sustainable multinational Medical Treatment Facilities available for the full spectrum of CSDP missions or other multinational engagements. This is important because we currently lack specific medical assets to perform medical support to crises management operations. The Czech Republic is also active in PESCO, to which it currently participates in 8 projects and is a leading country in the project 'Electronic Warfare Capability and Interoperability Programme for Future JISR Cooperation'. Czech industrial entities also take part in EU funded activities and participate in the projects funded through the EDIDP. Therefore, I can only thank the Czech authorities for their leadership in this important domain, and for their general commitment and support to the European security and defence, as well as to EDA”, Mr Šedivý commented.

The Czech Defence Minister Jana Černochová said: “I very much appreciate the opportunity to welcome the delegation of EDA led by Chief Executive Jiří Šedivý, for a two-day visit in Prague. Due to the ongoing pandemic, it is the first official visit of Mr. Šedivý since he assumed his position in the spring of 2020. However, I think that the timing is relevant, as it is only two months ago when our new government started to work. I am happy having this opportunity as one of my priorities as the Minister of Defence is to put greater emphasis on multinational efforts, both in the EU and NATO context. I am glad that we managed to hold two bigger events together with the EDA delegation: a round table discussion with Ministry of Defence managers on the first day, and a seminar with the representatives of national defence industry associations on the second day. When assessing the content of the visit in my personal meeting with Mr. Šedivý, I expressed our full support for the strengthening the role of the EDA within the European defence cooperation. I mentioned CARD and PESCO, and notably welcomed EDA’s efforts of further improving working contacts with the Commission (DG DEFIS) and NATO HQ Staffs. We expect EDA to support us in our focus on defence innovations, particularly emerging disruptive technologies. The role of the Agency in this area is indispensable. Therefore we welcome steps taken towards the creation of a Hub for European Defence Innovation (HEDI). At the same time, we call for complementarity with the NATO efforts as well. I also informed Mr. Šedivý that we see the need for improving participation of our experts in different working formats under the EDA umbrella; it is not an easy task, but we want to work on it. The Czech Republic very much appreciates EDA’s effort around wider EU policies, notable Single European Sky, mobility and on the European Regulation on Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and Restriction of Chemicals (REACH); in this context I raised my worry linked to the application of the Environmental, Social, and Corporate Governance (ESG) taxonomy within the Green Deal policy, which in its current application contradicts the interest of European defence industries. This serious problem needs to be resolved, and I expect the Agency to lead a joint campaign. We also briefly touched upon the preparations of the Strategic Compass, which is to be finalised soon; it is an important conceptual document that sets tasks for further developing CSDP, and particularly for strengthening European defence cooperation. The first steps of its implementation fall into period of the Czech Presidency of the EU Council. Concerning the Czech EU Presidency, Mr. Šedivý and I also discussed how the Agency could support and participate in different events we plan to organise in the defence area. I assured the Chief Executive that the Czech Republic wants to be an active member of the Agency. Finally, I expressed my support for the Agency-led effort related to the preparation of the Administrative Arrangement between EDA and the U.S. Department of Defense; I believe that meaningful, balanced, and mutually beneficial cooperation with the US will contribute to the strengthening of the Trans-Atlantic partnership”.

Industry event

Today, Mr Šedivý also participated in an industry workshop with Czech defence industry representatives, chaired by the Deputy Minister for Defence Industrial Cooperation, Tomas Kopecny. He also had a bilateral meeting with Jiří Hynek and Kateřina Stejskalová from the Defence and Security Industry Association of the Czech Republic (DSIA).

 

The new Incubation Forum for Circular Economy in European Defence (IF CEED) implements both policies and opportunities of the circular economy into the European defence domain by building common transnational projects. These projects enhance the defence sector’s environmental sustainability and contribute to the EU Green Deal by boosting an efficient use of resources.  IF CEED, which will run for two years, is managed by the European Defence Agency (EDA) with total financial contribution of €784,000 from the European Commission (EU LIFE Programme) and Luxembourg’s Directorate of Defence. 

IF CEED supports the application of the EU Green Deal’s Circular Economy approach to the European defence sector, based on an active and cooperative community that involves EU Member States’ Ministries of Defence, the defence industry, research-and-technology-organisations, academia, financial institutions, private associations, as well as other national and international public bodies. The forum aims to incubate cooperation projects with as many Member States involved as possible. 

EDA Chief Executive, Jiří Šedivý, said: “Under IF CEED, EDA is supporting Ministries of Defence, defence-related industry, and many other actors to take up in a structured and coordinated manner a paramount challenge of our times. Together with the EDA’s other sustainable defence initiatives, IF CEED contributes to the role that EDA is called to play within the implementation of the European Climate Change and Defence Roadmap.”

Circular Economy in Defence  

The benefits of transposing circular economy principles in the defence domain is paramount to reduce environmental impact while also strengthening Europe’s strategic autonomy, through greater recycling of resources, lower waste levels and reducing Europe’s dependence on imported strategic materials and components. IF CEED is an important forum to address these challenges. To this end, the forum’s goals are to:  

• Incubate collaborative circular-related projects and their respective consortia, including precise roadmaps;  

• Enable transnational innovation and lessons learnt to apply the circular economy concept to the defence sector, while creating new business models; 
• Promote new circular-related knowledge and skills across all defence stakeholders. 

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defence of Luxembourg, Mr François Bausch, said: “Recent assessments have shown us that value chains in the defence sector contribute significantly to the heavy carbon footprint of defence. Besides that, in a world of increased competition for raw materials, we urgently need to improve our systems of reusing and recycling such materials. These facts have motivated Luxembourg to support the set-up of the Incubation Forum for Circular Economy in European Defence. We see a great opportunity here to promote and be part of potential collaborative projects and roadmaps to boost circularity in European defence.”

Incubation Clusters 

By addressing the technological and organisational aspects needed to successfully implement circularity principles, IF CEED is organised around two Incubation Clusters, namely ‘Materials and Innovative Designs’ and ‘Processes and Digitalisation’. Within the two clusters, nine working areas are in place including: critical raw materials, circular additive manufacturing, circular materials for textiles, sustainable eco-design, EU waste regulation, green public procurement, eco-management audit strategies, circular data and spare parts management. 

The primary activities foreseen within the project groups include for example on-mission additive manufacturing solutions and recycling of smart textiles based on innovative technologies.  

Director-General at the European Commission’s DG Environment, Florika Fink-Hooijer, said: “The European Defence Agency’s new forum for circular economy in European defence is a welcomed initiative to support concrete circular solutions in a key sector for the EU. The transition towards a circular economy envisaged by the Green Deal is a truly systemic change, which requires all sectors to transform and reap the benefits that transition brings. With the support of the LIFE Programme, the new forum will help open up new pathways to achieving circularity and green innovation in European defence and potential synergies with civilian crisis management.”  

Cooperation in Defence 

Dedicated expert groups across the defence domain (e.g. Ministries of Defence, defence-related industry, research-and-technology-organisations, academia, institutes), partly based on EDA’s working bodies specialised in their respective field, will work together to deliver on the above-mentioned goals of IF CEED. 22 Member States and dozens of private organisations are already engaged to achieve the overall objective to incubate cooperation projects. A dedicated IF CEED website has been launched as a “one-stop shop” for circular economy in European defence, by including national contributions. A first Annual General Conference, which will focus on the first concrete findings, is planned to take place in September 2022.  

Background  

Member States involved in IF CEED to date are Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Estonia, Germany, Greece, Spain, Finland, France, Croatia, Hungary, Italy, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovenia and Sweden. 

• IF CEED Website 
• IF CEED Fact Sheet  

Americas

Northrop Grumman won a $10.5 million contract modification, which adds scope to procure 55 Link 16 A-kits, to include 26 each for AH-1Z and UH-1Y production aircraft; two spares for AH-1Z aircraft; and one spare for UH-1Y aircraft, as well as one A-kit test stand for the Navy. The Naval Air Systems Command ist the contracting activity. The United States Marine Corps replaced the two-bladed AH-1W Super Cobra with the AH-1Z Viper, which features a new, four-bladed composite rotor system, performance-matched transmission, four-bladed tail rotor, upgraded landing gear and a fully integrated glass cockpit. The AH-1Z is equipped with an integrated advanced fire control system and the capacity to support multiple weapons configurations. Work will take place in California and is expected to finished by March 2024.

Mercury Mission won a $165 million deal for the F-16 Secure Mission Data System. This award is the result of a sole-source, non-competitive acquisition, Small Business Innovation Research Phase III production follow-on. The Air Force Life Cycle Management Center obligated aircraft procurement funds, operations and maintenance funds, and National Guard and reserve equipment appropriation funds worth over $16 million on the award. Work will take place in California and is expected to be finished on January 19, 2028.

Middle East & Africa

The US State Department approved the possible Foreign Military Sale to the Government of Egypt of C-130 aircraft and Air Defense Radar Systems, and related equipment for $2.5 billion. The Government of Egypt has requested to buy three (3) SPS-48 Land Based Radar (LBR) manufactured by L3 Harris, spares, motor generators, repeaters, radomes, technical manuals, site surveys, installation, calibrations, testing, operator training, and maintenance training associated with the SPS-48 LBR; obsolescence replacements of processor, track management system, communication equipment, uninterrupted power supply (UPS), generators, and/or Transmitter Control Unit in fielded SPS-48 LBR systems; updated built-in-testing (BIT) and overhaul of fielded SPS-48 LBR antenna systems; and other related elements of logistical and program support. The estimated total program cost is $355 million. Before the sale was announced a group of six House Democrats, including the chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, Rep. Gregory Meeks of New York, and Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn., called on the administration to insist that Egypt meet human rights criteria for military transfers.

Europe

An 80-tonne shipment of US anti-tank missiles has arrived in Ukraine. A plane loaded with 300 Javelin missiles worth some $50 million landed in capital Kiev late Tuesday, the third part of a $200million shipment of American military aid that is being sent to help its ally. The US Embassy in Ukraine on Tuesday afternoon reported that 79 tons of security assistance arrived in Kyiv.

Asia-Pacific

China conducted a test flight for a new rocket engine that could power China’s future hypersonic aircraft and near-space plane. Developed by the Laboratory of Spray Combustion and Propulsion under School of Aerospace Engineering at Tsinghua University, successfully conducted a flight test on Monday morning, Global Times reported quoting a China Central Television (CCTV) report.

Thales Australia will start the development of a rocket motor for Australia’s hypersonic weapons. The Australian Hypersonics Research Precinct unveiled by Defence Minister Peter Dutton at Eagle Farm in Brisbane today will accelerate collaboration between Defence, industry, universities and international partners to advance Australian development of hypersonic technology.

Today’s Video

Watch: AH-1Z Viper in Action: Intense Close Air Support Exercise! Day & Night Live Fire

EDA’s second-ever live-fire cyber exercise specifically dedicated to improving European cooperation between Member States’ national, military Computer Emergency Response Teams (CERTs) has wrapped after a two-day exercise. The exercise gathered more than 200 experts from 19 EDA Member States and Switzerland, all of them connecting remotely from their working locations. The exercise kicks-off the technical track of the 2022 edition of the EU MilCERT Interoperability Conference (MIC). The second phase is scheduled to take place in June in Lille (France) where the lessons learnt from the exercise and more strategic topics will be discussed with senior military leaders and decision makers.  

 

The objective of this week’s exercise was to bring together military CERTs and observe incident management dynamics with a particular focus on information-sharing, a key factor in modern cyber defence. The exercise also builds upon the lessons learned from the first MIC cyber exercise held in February 2021. 

Opening the exercise, EDA Chief Executive, Jiří Šedivý, said; “The EU Cyber Defence Policy Framework identified already in 2014 the absence of a milCERT network, and the EU Cybersecurity Strategy called for developing such a dedicated network, welcoming EDA’s efforts in this regard. Last year’s MIC was the first step to start closing this gap. This year’s MIC edition can be seen as the second step in what for sure will be a long journey.” 

MIC 2022 was first planned under the Slovenian Council Presidency last year. Luxembourg is contributing with their National Cyber Range to make the MIC2022 technical track a success. The exercise preparation, execution and evaluation are furthermore supported by the Estonian company Cybexer Technologies who also provide their cyber range for the exercise. 

Red versus Blue 

The operational environment created for the exercise is based on advanced Cyber Range technology, with professional attackers from the military and industry, launching live cyberattacks against infrastructure defended by teams from other Member States. The exercise that ran this week tested fictional cyber-attacks, pitting an attacking (red) team against defending (blue) ones.   

The MIC exercise was specifically designed for military CERTs and included platforms, tools and technology specific to the military domain; the entire exercise scenario was conceived to use military planning and strategy similar to what is used in real cyber military operations. The intent was not only to provide a realistic scenario, but also to push participants out of their comfort zone, asking them to use all tools, processes and procedures possible, even those not directly at hand in the exercise platform. Thus, creating an exceptionally realistic exercise environment. 

At the end of the exercise, Finland was awarded overall winner of this MIC22 technical track while Hungary (task solving), Austria (situational report) and Italy (information sharing) won awards for specific categories. 

Towards a new EDA Collaborative project

Today, EDA cyber activities range from defining key priorities at EU level looking at the capability development, R&T and industrial dimensions, including initiatives in support of cyber defence training, education and exercises. To build on the benefits and lessons of the MIC, EDA envisages the possibility to establish an EU milCERT Operational Network as a new ad hoc project within the Agency, with Member States currently invited to signal their interest in participation. In order to close the gap as identified in the EU Cyber Defence Policy Framework and the EU Cybersecurity Strategy the project will provide a solution to identify, develop and sustain the establishment of a network of MilCERT, which will ultimately facilitate the exchange of information and foster a stronger response to cyber incidents.