Defense`s Feeds

Americas

Boeing won a $13.6 million contract modification, which exercises an option to perform 24 modifications in support of the Increment Three Block One retrofit as well as the procurement, manufacture and assembly of 25 additional retrofit kits supporting engineering change five for existing P8-A Poseidon aircraft. The P-8A Poseidon is the US Navy’s maritime patrol aircraft. It is capable of broad-area, maritime and littoral operations, and is also successful at search and rescue. Work will take place in Washington. Expected completion date is in December 2023.

An annual air exercise between South Korea and the United States kicked off secretly on November 1. The exercise will be held over five days. “We cannot comment on the exercise as it is one that is not disclosed to the media,” an Air Force official told Yonhap News Agency when asked.

Middle East & Africa

Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI), a state-owned Israeli company and Rafael will for the first time exhibit at the Dubai Airshow taking place from November 14-16. Israel-UAE ties have expanded in technologically-sensitive fields in the year since the signing of Abraham Accords, a deal brokered by the United States of America. For instance, the two countries signed a historic space exploration cooperation agreement at the 2020 Expo Dubai in October and will collaborate on the “Beresheet II” mission destined for the Moon.

Europe

Russia’s President Vladimir Putin revealed on November 1 that the military will receive around 200 aircraft, 26 S-350 and S-400 air defense systems besides a number of new S500s in the coming years to counter NATO. “This is required by the general military and political situation, including the growing intensity of NATO aviation flights near Russia, and the appearance of alliance ships with guided-missile weapons in the waters of the Baltic and Black Seas,” Putin told a meeting of the country’s military chiefs in the coastal city of Sochi.

Asia-Pacific

Space Dynamics won a $29 million contract for the support and sustainment of the tasking, collection, processing, exploitation and dissemination of data for the Republic of Korea Global Hawk. Seoul ordered four RQ-4 Global Hawks from US company Northrop Grumman for 965.9 billion won ($812 million) in 2014. First aircraft delivered to the South Korean military in December 2019, and the last one in October 2020. Work will take place at Osan Air Base, Republic of Kore. Estimate completion date is November 30, 2024.

Thales Australia announced that it will invest $6.5 million in the first phase of an industrial plan to transform its Lithgow Arms facility in regional New South Wales. Phase 1 of the plan will establish a modern manufacturing and integration hub for the design, development and precision manufacture of next generation weapons systems.

Today’s Video

Watch: South Korea Awarded Defective RQ4 Global Hawk Maintenance Contract

Americas

General Electric won a $1.6 billion deal including all options for the F-15EX Lots 2+ propulsion system procurement. This contract provides for 29 F110-GE-129 engines (installs and spares) for the F-15EX fleet. The contract also provides seven option lots for a most probable quantity of 329 total engines if all options are exercised. The F-15EX is a ready-now replacement for the F-15C that includes best-in-class payload, range and speed. Work will take place in Ohio and Texas. Estimated completion date is June 30, 2031.

Lockheed Martin won a $30.5 million modification, which exercises options to provide operation and maintenance support of F-35 Joint Strike Fighter development labs in support of testing developed configurations across the F-35 platform for the Navy, Marine Corps, Air Force and non-US Department of Defense (DOD) participants. Work will take place in Texas and is expected to be finished in March 2022.

Middle East & Africa

Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) has signed an agreement of cooperation with Romanian defense company IAR-Brasov on UAVs to offer advanced UAVs solutions, based on IAI’s Tactical Heron, in Romania. Based on the agreement the UAV systems will be manufactured in Brasov, Romania. Furthermore, IAI will establish in Romania an academy to train the system operators and technicians for the UAV systems, IAI said in a statement recently.

The first F-15QA Ababil combat aircraft for Qatar have departed Boeing’s Missouri production facility for the Gulf emirate. Five Qatari-variant Advanced Eagles left St Louis Lambert International Airport on October 27 on the first leg of their nearly 12,000 km journey to their future home operation station of Al Udeid Air Base.

Europe

The Norwegian Defence Materiel Agency (FMA) signed two contracts worth $170 million for the delivery of a new batch of Naval Strike Missiles (NSMs) and maintenance of existing inventory of these missiles. The new NSMs will be armed on the Navy’s frigates and corvettes. The existing inventory of missiles will go through a series of maintenance actions to extend their operational timeline and continue providing state of the art defence capabilities for the Navy, Kongsberg announced in a statement.

Asia-Pacific

Boeing said it delivered the first KC-46A tanker to the Japan Air Self-Defense Force (JASDF) marking the program’s first delivery to a customer outside the United States. The KC-46A has already completed more than 5,000 sorties and transferred more than 50 million pounds of fuel to other aircraft through its boom and drogue systems.

Today’s Video

Watch: F-15QA Ababil Flights

Americas

Northrop Grumman Aerospace won a $298.2 million contract modification to repair common unmanned aircraft system components for the US Air Force. The deal provides for repair services for “common items” for both the RQ-4B and MQ-4C Triton. It will support reparable National Stock Numbers (NSNs) which encompass the Air Vehicle, multiple sensor packages, Mission Control Element, and Launch and Recovery Element. In addition, this effort includes support engineering services covered under the engineering delegation authority for NSNs transferred to and under the management of the 407 Supply Chain Management Squadron. Work will take place in California, Utah, Virginia, Ohio, New Mexico, Missouri, Quebec, New Jersey, Indiana, Massachusetts and New York. Estimated completion date is December 31, 2027.

Dyncorp International won a $60.5 million deal to provide organizational level aircraft maintenance and logistics support for aircrew systems and subsystems, search and rescue equipment, and support equipment for the P-3 Orion, C-130 Hercules, F/A-18 Hornet, E/A-18 Growler, AV-8B Harrier II, H-60 Seahawk, and E-2D Hawkeye aircraft in support of the Naval Air Warfare Center Weapons Division (NAWCWD) Naval Test Wing Pacific. Work will take place in California, Hawaii, Florida, Maryland and Arizona. Estimated completion is in September 2022.

Middle East & Africa

The UK has sold military vessels to Egypt. This is the first time in more than 30 years. Royal Fleet Auxiliary stores ships RFA Fort Austin and RFA Fort Rosalie will sail to Egypt after refurbishment work. The UK Government has called the landmark deal a part of its Global Britain vision.

Europe

The Swedish government has decided to buy the Saab Globaleye to replace its Saab 340B AEW-300 Erieye. The press statement says the Globaleye has a more powerful radar and other sensors that boost Sweden’s ability to monitor the airspace, the sea and the ground.

A new parachute system, Cadet-75, developed by Rostec-subsidiary Tekhnodinamika Holding will allow the landing of military personnel from the height of at least 150m when the aircraft is flying at a speed of 180kmph. It is a training parachute system with a round canopy, which provides step-by-step training in the skills of separation from the aircraft and the skills of free fall with the transition to manual opening of the parachute.

Asia-Pacific

The Indian Navy inducted a pair of Advanced Light Helicopters (ALH) MK IIIs into its 321 Flight at INS Shikra naval helicopter base in Mumbai on October 29. Built indigenously by Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL), these helicopters are equipped with systems that were previously present only on heavier, multi-role helicopters of the Indian Navy.

Today’s Video

Watch: Navy inducted two more ALH MK III into its 321 Flight at the naval helicopter base INS Shikra

EDA Member States have agreed on a new work roadmap for the coming years (2021-2023) that will guide the Agency’s efforts to mitigate the implications of the EU Regulation on Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and Restriction of Chemicals (REACH) on the defence sector.

With the previous roadmap 2018-2020 successfully accomplished (some activities are in the final stages of implementation or scheduled to be continued in the future), the participating members of EDA’s REACH project - all Member States plus Norway - have now elaborated a new comprehensive EDA Roadmap 2021–2023 for REACH and related EU Chemicals/Waste Regulations that was recently endorsed by the Agency’s Steering Board.

The new roadmap foresees two different categories of activities:

• generic activities and tasks, which are conducted in a continuous manner, including administrative tasks, interaction, and monitoring/coordinating activities with stakeholders; and
• specific activities and tasks, which have a specific scope/duration and are therefore prioritised with respect to the sequence of implementation, including activities related to the Commission REACH Revision 2022, EDA’s Codes of Conduct on REACH and Classification, Labelling, and Packaging (CLP) Defence Exemptions, the EDA Member States’ Common Position on Ammunition Classification under REACH and specific proposals stemming from the 2020 EDA Study on the Impact (other than REACH and CLP) EU Chemicals/Waste Regulations on the Defence Sector.

Since the adoption of the roadmap, EDA has disseminated it as widely as possible to relevant stakeholders and continues to work closely with Member States’ REACH experts (including the EDA REACH Task Force at the technical level), the European Commission, the European Chemicals Agency ECHA and the defence industry to advance in its practical implementation. 

More information:

• REACH (EDA project page)
• REACH implementation and impact on defence discussed (webnews, April 2021)

EDA’s 7th Helicopter Tactics Instructors Course (HTIC), which ran over seven weeks at Airbase No1 in Sintra (Portugal) and Pápa Air Base in Hungary, was successfully completed last week.

The course began on 30th of August with a four-week classroom phase, which included simulator training at Airbase No1 in Sintra, followed by a tree-week deployment to the Pápa Air Base in Hungary where participants engaged in live flying exercises.  Supported by personnel from the Hungarian Defence Force and Pápa Air Base, the flying phase included a complex operational scenario employing dissimilar formation flying, evasion training against a range of airborne threats, Electronic Warfare (EW) against both ground-based and airborne systems and a variety of additional tasks such as Helicopter Assault, Convoy Escort and Mutual Support. The course was led by EDA’s HTIC chief instructor team and followed by Austrian, Czech, German, Hungarian, Portuguese and Swedish crews flying on six different types of helicopters: AW-109, EH-101, H145M, Mi-171, OH-58 and UH-60.

The staff instructors came from Austria, Germany and Sweden, together with some contracted support provided by Inzpire Ltd. Also, fixed wing support was provided by units of the Czech Alca Jets and the Hungarians Gripens, acting mainly as threats during the helicopter training. In addition, EW assets and personnel were provided by Austria and Hungary.

In total, 18 Bronze, 7 Silver and 3 Gold qualifications were awarded ensuring an important contribution to the international cadre of Helicopter Tactics Instructors (HTI).

Background

The Helicopter Tactics Instructors Course (HTIC) is an advanced helicopter training activity aimed at creating helicopter tactics instructors which are enable train nationally standardised tactics procedures to foster interoperability of the European helicopter units, their level of preparation, and to facilitate readiness for future deployments. This is done independently of the type of helicopter used. It is delivered since 2013. Since 2021, its location changed to Airbase No1 in Sintra (Portugal), where the ground and simulator of the course is executed, and to Pápa Air Base (Hungary), where the flying phase is delivered.

HTIC provides aircrew from participating nations with the skills and knowledge to teach advanced tactics to front-line aircrews from within their own national organisations and to assist in delivering the EDA’s Helicopter Exercise Programme (HEP), the Helicopter Tactics Course (HTC) and future HTIC. Successful graduates from the course are awarded a qualification recognised by other Member States.  HTIC development courses run over two years: in the first year, prospective instructors refine their own knowledge of advanced helicopter tactics to the maximum degree. In the second year, the emphasis shifts to develop the participants’ ability to teach those tactics. In turn, Instructors who have demonstrated excellent abilities in delivering the course will be individually selected to come back a third time and teach alongside the existing instructional staff to finally achieve their Gold instructor qualification to become supervising instructors for future HTIC and/or components of the HTIC Chief Instructor Team.

The three main elements of HTIC include Evasion Training, Electronic Warfare and advanced Operations.  They are initially taught as stand-alone skills before being brought together in a complex, non-permissive environment in the framework of the planning and execution of Composite Air Operations (COMAO).

More information

• Video of exercise
• EDA Helicopter initiatives

Americas

The US Naval Forces Central Command (NAVCENT) recently completed exercise New Horizon, the first at-sea evolution for its new unmanned task force. During the two-day training exercise, Task Force 59 integrated and evaluated new MANTAS T-12 unmanned surface vessels (USV) that operated alongside manned US patrol craft and Bahrain Defense Force maritime assets.

BAE Systems won a five-year Systems Engineering and Integration Support Services contract to continue supporting the US Navy Strategic Systems Programs (SSP) office. The contract, worth up to $478 million, was awarded in September 2021.

Middle East & Africa

Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) and SixAI will commercialize IAI’s military technologies and their adaptation to current civilian market needs. Ran Poliakine, Founder and Board Member of SixAI said: “Converting existing IAI dual-use technologies will enable us to introduce to the world solutions that could potentially solve pressing global challenges such as humanitarian issues, traditional industrial employment, and the climate crisis.”

Europe

French Direction générale de l’armement (DGA) has qualified Thales-made Sea Fire digital radar for use on the Navy’s future FDI frigates. The radar is now handed over to Naval Group for integration into combat system on-board the FDI frigates, Thales announced.

Asia-Pacific

The Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) has sent a P-8A to participate in Exercise Albatross Ausindo for the first time. The exercise with the Indonesian Air Force took place last month. The aircraft, from No. 11 Squadron, was flown to Darwin for the exercise.

India commissioned the indigenously built Coast Guard Ship Sarthak in Goa on October 28. It was commissioned by the Director General of Indian Coast Guard K Natarajan. ICGS Sarthak will be based at Porbandar in Gujarat and operate on India’s Western Seaboard under the Operational and Administrative Control of the Commander, Coast Guard Region (Northwest). ICGS Sarthak is commanded by Deputy Inspector General MM Syed and has complement of 11 Officers and 110 men.

Today’s Video

Watch: Indian Coast Guard Ship ‘Sarthak’ was commissioned & dedicated to the nation at Goa today.

BISON COUNTER, the periodic EDA-supported multinational live exercise bringing together Counter-Improvised Explosive Devices (C-IED) teams from Europe and the US, kicked off today in Sardinia, Italy, with some 650 staff participating. The exercise’s objectives are to exchange and train technical skills, integrate and use available technical enablers at a tactical level and implement the full C-IED operational cycle with a view to improving interoperability and resilience among European and allied C-IED capabilities in their fight against evolving IED threats, both in military and counter-terrorism operations. 

BISON COUNTER is today the largest and most relevant EU exercise of the C-IED community. After 2013 (The Netherlands) and 2016 (Sweden), it is the third time this exercise is organised under the auspices of EDA. A total of 650 military staff from 10 EU Member States (Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, France, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden), as well as Norway and the United States participate in this year’s event hosted by the Italian Armed Forces.

As in previous editions, EDA is closely involved in the organisation and running of BISON COUNTER 21 which integrates EDA projects such as the Joint Deployable Exploitation and Analysis Laboratory (JDEAL), the European Centre for Manual Neutralisation Capabilities (ECMAN) and the Military Search Capability Building (MSCB). It can also count on the support of NATO’s C-IED Centre of Excellence.

BISON COUNTER 21 gathers dedicated teams specialised in the following enabler capabilities:

• Military Search
• Military Working Dogs
• Combat Engineering
• Route Clearance
• Explosive Ordnance Disposal/Improvised Explosive Device Disposal (EOD/IEDD)
• EOD Divers
• EOD Manual Neutralization Techniques (MNT) Teams
• Weapons Intelligence Teams (WIT)
• Level 2 Technical Exploitation, fully manned and operational Laboratory
• Combined Joint Task Force Headquarters.

The aim is to develop common processes, techniques, procedures and interoperability requirements. Lessons learned from previous BISON COUNTER editions will also be raised and included in the operational part. In the same vein, the exercise will also serve as an experimentation and testing ground for IED related assets, equipment and technologies.

Exercise scenario

As one of the key objectives is to increase responsiveness and operational readiness for EU crises management, the exercise scenario is built up on a Crisis Management Operation (CMO) and spread around different locations in order to meet the specific requirements of the different technical domains. The geographical dispersion also allows to replicate the real-life challenges that operations have to face in terms of Command and Control and Reporting, the handling and transportation of evidence collected from IED incidents, as well as their exploitation.

More information

• Bison Counter 21 factsheet
• Bison Counter 16 successfully closed (Aug 2016)
• EDA project page C-IED activities

 

Americas

Raytheon won a $340 million deal for mobile sensors operations and maintenance services of the Cobra King radar system. Cobra King is a mobile radar system, called an active electronic scanned array, of S- and X-band phased radars in use by the Air Force Technical Applications Center. It provides radar data to the Department of Defense’s strategic community, the Missile Defense Agency and other government agencies. Work will take place in Florida. Estimated completion date is October 31, 2031.

SECO has successfully tested a new deck control device (DCD) to be used for controlling the MQ-25 on aircraft carrier flight decks. The device was successfully tested earlier this month during a multi-day demonstration featuring Navy and Boeing personnel simulating carrier-based operations at MidAmerica St. Louis Airport.

Middle East & Africa

The Israel Defense Force (IDF) wants to boost its air defense systems to neutralize aerial threats, including Iranian drones. Within two years, the IDF intends to have a full, permanent defensive coverage in place over the airspace of northern Israel, with plans to eventually expand this to the entire country.

Europe

The Turkish-made deadly Bayraktar TB2 combat drone has been deployed at Donbas by the Ukrainian Joint Forces Operation (JFO) for the first time. The Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Lieutenant General Valeriy Zaluzhny, has ordered the deployment of Bayraktar TB2s in Donbas to force the “enemy” for a ceasefire. The unmanned aerial vehicle did not cross Ukrainian territory.

Asia-Pacific

Hakugei, the second Taigei-class unit in the Japan Maritime Self Defense Force’s (JMSDF) new class of diesel-electric attack submarines, has been launched and named in mid-october. The launching ceremony was held at Kawasaki Heavy Industries’ (KHI) shipyard in Kobe on October 14, the navy officials revealed.

An Ariane 5 rocket launched from the Guiana Space Centre placed France’s new Syracuse 4A military telecommunications satellite in low orbit on October 22. The satellite “is designed to resist military aggression from the ground and in space, as well as interference,” said French air and space force spokesman Colonel Stephane Spet.

Today’s Video

Watch: The MQ-25 Conducts First Unmanned Aerial Tanking

Two major collaborative defence research (R&T) projects, launched under the European Commission’s Preparatory Acton on Defence Research (PADR) and implemented by the European Defence Agency (EDA), came to a close end of October. The results of both projects - OCEAN 2020 and VESTLIFE – will contribute significantly to enhancing European Member States’ defence capabilities in two important domains: maritime situational awareness and soldier protection.

OCEAN 2020

The OCEAN 2020 (Open Cooperation for European mAritime awareNess) project, launched in 2018 and co-funded by the EU with €35.48 million, achieved its main objective which was to demonstrate enhanced situational awareness in a maritime environment through the integration of legacy and new technologies for unmanned systems, ISTAR (intelligence, surveillance, target acquisition, reconnaissance) payloads and effectors, by pulling together the technical specialists in the maritime domain covering the ‘observing, orienting, deciding and acting’ operational tasks.  As the biggest of all PADR projects with no less than 43 entities from 15 European countries involved, OCEAN 2020 also successfully addressed the problems of integrating EU systems and individual organisations into a coherent framework to increase cost effectiveness and interoperability for joint missions. The variety of assets involved in the project highlighted how a global integration of multi-domain unmanned systems in an operational task force can provide a force multiplier.

The project implementation culminated in two major demonstrations in the Mediterranean (November 2019) and Baltic seas (2021). All in all, the OCEAN 2020 confirmed the EU’s ability to lead innovation in support of Europe’s strategic autonomy in the maritime domain.

Information on the OCEAN 2020 consortium (led by Leonardo) and its 43 members can be found on the dedicated OCEAN2020 website.

VESTLIFE

The second project now accomplished, called VESTLIFE, was signed in April 2018 and granted an EU grant of €2.43 million to develop an ultralight modular bullet proof integral solution for dismounted soldier protection, including a CBRN (Chemical, Biological, Radiological Nuclear) detection system. The new protective gear provides an increased coverage area whilst maintaining comfort, plus a weight reduction of the ballistic panels. It therefore ensures an optimum balance between protection and comfort, tailoring such a protective surface to the forecasted mission risk. The protection system developed in this project consists of soft panels and hard plates.

 

 

The VESTLIFE consortium Led by AITEX (Spain), also encompassed 5 other participants from 5 countries: CITEVE (Portugal), Brapa Consultancy (the Netherlands), TECNALIA (Spain), Petroceramics (Italy) and FYComposites (Finland).

 

Americas

Northrop Grumman won a $50.9 million contract modification, which provides for repair services for 36 critical common items for the RQ-4 Global Hawk and MQ-4C Triton. It will support reparable National Stock Numbers (NSNs) encompassing the air vehicle, multiple sensor packages, Mission Control Element, and Launch and Recovery Element. In addition, this effort includes support engineering services covered under the Engineering Delegation Authority for NSNs transferred to and under the 407th Supply Chain Management Squadron. According to Northrop Grumman, the MQ-4C Triton unmanned aircraft system (UAS) provides real-time intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) over vast ocean and coastal regions.

The 355th Fighter Squadron at Eielson Air Force Base, Alaska took delivery of four more F-35As on October 19. The 354th Fighter Wing is slated to have a total of 54 F-35As by the end of 2022.

Middle East & Africa

Sudan’s main opposition coalition has called for civil disobedience and protests across the country after the military, headed by General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, dissolved the transitional government and seized power on Monday. The takeover came more than two years after protesters forced the ouster of longtime autocrat Omar al-Bashir. Former leader al-Bashir came to power in 1989 when, as a brigadier general in the Sudanese Army, he led a group of officers in a military coup that ousted the democratically elected government of Prime Minister Sadiq al-Mahdi after it began negotiations with rebels in the south.

Europe

Saab AB, has entered a Memorandum of Understanding to cooperate with ORBCOMM and AAC Clyde Space AB to develop the next generation of global maritime communication services based on a VHF Data Exchange System (VDES). The parties, collaborating under a new brand named AOS, aim both for services directed to end customers as well as for safety of navigation services. The goal of the consortium is to create a global maritime communication network enabling ship-to-ship and ship-to-shore communication everywhere on the globe.

Asia-Pacific

The Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) recently conducted the first ever test where it destroyed a hostile high-piled wharf, a capability it can use in future combat for attacking enemy ports to cutoff their supply lines. The underwater explosion test was organized by an institute under the PLA Naval Research Academy at an undisclosed naval port, government-owned China Central Television (CCTV) reported on Saturday.

Chinese and Russian warships have conducted the first ever joint patrol in the western part of the Pacific Ocean. The patrols involved a total of 10 warships, five from each nation, and lasted a week, from Sunday, October 17 to Saturday, October 23, covering 1,700 nautical miles, according to the Ministry.

Today’s Video

Watch: China Conducts First Underwater Port Demolition Test

Americas

Two F-15EXs that were delivered to the US Air Force have carried out the first operational test mission at Nellis Air Force Base. The evaluation involved F-15Cs and F-15Es as well. Running from October 18-25, the pilots were also evaluating the Eagle Passive Active Warning Survivability System while there.

German company Rheinmetall will export a Lynx Infantry Fighting Vehicle (IFV) Test Chassis to the United States of America from its factory in Redbank Queensland. The Lynx vehicle export order will be delivered to Rheinmetall in the United States supporting the business’s worldwide activities currently underway in the Optionally Manned Fighting Vehicle competition and the US Department of Defense’s Bradley fighting vehicle replacement program.

Middle East & Africa

Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI) and Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) have signed an additional memorandum of understanding (MOU) for a loitering munitions programme. IAI is a global leader in developing loitering munition systems. The new concept weapon system technology maximizes the effectiveness of SEAD & DEAD missions, can perform long-endurance reconnaissance missions, and can strike a target immediately when necessary. IAI’s loitering munitions, including IAI’s HARPY NGW and HAROP loitering missile, are combat proven in many countries around the world.

Europe

The UK’s Royal Navy has successfully tested a new missile designed to protect warships from attacks by swarms of small boats. According to the service, HMS Defender’s Wildcat helicopter of 815 Naval Air Squadron fired the Martlet lightweight missile at an inflatable target in the sea – known in the navy as the big red tomato – during operations in the Pacific Ocean with the UK Carrier Strike Group.

Italy’s Leonardo announced it has signed a framework agreement with the German Federal Office of Bundeswehr Equipment, Information Technology and In-Service Support (BAAINBw) for the supply of up to 107,929 daylight optics for use on both current and new German Army assault rifles. According the company, the most important design change is the ability to operate the switching mechanism from 1x to 4x magnification on both sides of the new sight for assault rifles, while retaining the compact design and robustness of the optic.

Asia-Pacific

India’s first indigenous aircraft carrier Vikrant left Kochi on October 24 for the second phase of sea trials. Following the first sea trials, the Navy had said the performance of key systems of the warship was found to be satisfactory.

Today’s Video

Watch: INS Vikrant Starts Sea Trial: Why It’s a Historic Moment for India

Americas

The US Air Force Research Laboratory has partnered with ThermAvant Technologies and Maxar Technologies to develop and deploy the next generation of spacecraft thermal control technology. The groundbreaking technology, Oscillating Heat Pipes (OHPs), provides lightweight and highly efficient temperature control on higher power yet smaller spacecraft. The OHP was recently launched in the second quarter of 2021 on a Maxar-built satellite.

The United States conducted the launch of a precision sounding rocket on October 20 to accelerate the development of advanced hypersonic weapons. The High Operational Tempo for Hypersonics flight campaign was conducted by the Navy Strategic Systems Programs (SSP) and the Army Hypersonic Program Office (AHPO).

Middle East & Africa

The first AH-1Z Viper attack helicopter for the Royal Bahraini Air Force was completed by Bell on September 30. The helicopter will be shipped to Bahrain in 2022. The country has ordered 12 AH-1Zs.

Europe

The Norwegian Defense Materiel Agency (NDMA) has signed a contract with Kongsberg Defence & Aerospace AS to to supply the Joint Strike Missile (JSM) for Norway’s fleet of F-35A Lightning II fighters. The contract is valued at $473 million. The partnership between KONGSBERG, the Norwegian Armed Forces and Norwegian Defence Research Establishment in the definition, development and test of the JSM has been critical factor in developing a missile with such advanced capabilities.

According to an answer from Jeremy Quin, Minister for Defense Procurement in the UK, ASRAAM Block 6 standard is due to enter service on Typhoon in 2022 and F-35 Lightning II in 2024. ASRAAM is in service with the Royal Air Force as its ‘Within Visual Range’ anti-air missile. The weapon is also in operational service with the Royal Australian Air Force on its F/A-18 Hornet.

Asia-Pacific

The Philippine House of Representatives has approved a request from the Philippine Air Force to buy five C-130J transport aircraft. Lawmakers realigned the 2022 General Appropriations Bill so that funds can be used for the down payment of the aircraft.

Today’s Video

Watch: Top 10 Air-to-Air Missiles Today (AAMs)

Americas

Sikorsky won a $14.1 million contract modification to procure four retrofit kits and associated system engineering support for the incorporation of 34 deployable configuration changes into CH-53K System Demonstration Test Article 1-4 Aircraft. The CH-53K is the United States Marine Corps’ (USMC) heavy lift replacement for the CH-53E. Work will take place in Connecticut and Florida. Estimated completion is in November 2023.

Lockheed Martin won a $206.9 million modification, which adds scope to provide non-recurring engineering, detailed aircraft modification execution planning and technical data packages in support of modifications to the F-35 developmental test fleet aircraft. These modifications are necessary to support flight tests for the F-35 developmental test fleet and for the capabilities delivered under the F-35 Block 4 modernization in support of the Joint Strike Fighter Program for the Air Force, Marine Corps, Navy, and non-US Department of Defense (DOD) participants. Work will take place in Texas, Maryland and California. Estimated completion in December 2025.

Middle East & Africa

Aeronautics Group, an Israeli provider of integrated solutions based on unmanned system platforms, payloads and communications for defense and HLS applications, announced it had concluded a successful evaluation of its Orbiter system, operating from the Finnish Border Guard’s Turva offshore patrol vessel, demonstrating high capabilities in a marine environment.

Europe

According to George Allison from the UK Defence Journal, the HMS Cardiff, the second of eight Type 26 Frigates, is starting to look ship-shape in Glasgow. Each Type 26 will be equipped with a range of capabilities including the Sea-Ceptor missile defence system, a 5-inch medium calibre gun, an embarked helicopter, medium range radar, powerful bow and towed array sonars, helicopter-launched torpedoes and a design which makes them extremely difficult for enemy submarines to detect.

Asia-Pacific

Rheinmetall has submitted the company’s Lynx Infantry Fighting Vehicle (IFV) best and final offer for the Australian Department of Defence Land 400 Phase 3 Mounted Close Combat Capability tender. Rheinmetall is one of two competing companies involved in the tender for this procurement project. Lynx is fitted with the Rheinmetall Lance turret for precise and lethal effects and offers an integrated battle management system. Designed for close combat operations, the extensive family of Lynx vehicles is modular.

According to Defense News, China unveiled its first retired fighter in the 1950s and converted it into an unmanned drone. Satellite images of two East Coast bases near Taiwan show a large number of jets.The People’s Liberation Army’s Eastern Theater Command posted photos of two Shenyang J-6s on its Weibo social media account during a post about a ceremony commemorating the start of the training brigade’s training cycle in late 2021.

Today’s Video

Watch: From HMS Glasgow to HMS Cardiff – The shipbuilding team at BAE Systems

Americas

Vertex Aerospace won an $8.7 million contract modification, which adds scope to provide intermediate-level maintenance and repair services and logistics support for the T-45 aircraft and T-45 support equipment in support of the Aircraft Intermediate Maintenance Department for Chief of Naval Air Training aircraft, tenant activities, and transient aircraft. Work will take place in Texas, Florida and Mississippi. Expected completion is in September 2022.

The Boeing-made KC-46A Pegasus multirole tanker has been given the green light to refuel all versions of F-15 and F-16 fighter jets. Gen. Mike Minihan, commander of Air Mobility Command, approved a third Interim Capability Release (ICR) mission set for the KC-46A Pegasus, on October 13. This ICR decision allows the KC-46 to refuel all variants of the F-15 Eagle and F-16 Fighting Falcon during US Transportation Command tasked missions.

Middle East & Africa

Turkish defense company Otonom Teknoloji has said it signed a deal with the Iraqi government for supplying aerostat and airship systems. The company said on October 17 that the deal would also involve technological know-how transfer and co-production options in the future. No financial details of the sale were disclosed.

Europe

UMS Skeldar’s V-200 medium-range VTOL UAV has completed five-day long surveillance flight trial demonstrations aboard the OPV Turva as part of the Valvonta2 project led by the Finnish Border Guard and funded by the European Maritime and Fisheries Fund. The project aims to achieve an understanding of how authorities could use unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) for diverse and demanding operations at sea both now and in future scenarios.

Asia-Pacific

The Philippine Air Force is looking at acquiring heavy-lift helicopters and the technical working groups within the service are carrying out studies. PAF spokesperson Lt. Col. Maynard Mariano declined to identify what models of helicopter are being considered but there have been reports that the service is interested in the CH-47.

Austal has launched the first of six Evolved Cape-class Patrol Boats (CCPBs) ordered by the Royal Australian Navy (RAN). Construction has commenced on the remaining five patrol boats. The first boat will be handed over to the Navy early next year.

Today’s Video

Watch: Australia Launches 1st of New “Evolved” Cape-class Patrol Boats…

Americas

Lockheed Martin won a $79.9 million contract modification to definitize the task order for the fire control components development and flight test support for Integrated Air and Missile Defense Battle Command System, PATRIOT advanced capability and PAC-3 missile segment enhancement integration with lower tier air and missile defense sensor. Work will take place in Texas. Estimated completion date is December 31, 2023.

Safran has opened a second assembly line at their facility in Grand Prairie, Texas, for the Arriel 2E engine. The first assembled and tested Arriel 2E engines have been delivered to Airbus. These engines power the UH-72B delivered to the US Army as part of the newest Lakota helicopter. Also installed in the H145, the Arriel 2E was until now produced in France.

Middle East & Africa

The Israel government has reportedly approved a budget of $1.5 billion to strengthen the military against Iranian attacks, according to local media. Some $900 million from this year’s budget and $600 million from next year’s budget will be spent on military procurement and intelligence gathering.

Europe

According to The Print, Dassault hopes to bring its Rafale M carrier-borne fighter to the shore-based test facility (SBTF) at INS Hansa, India to prove that the jet can take off from a ski-jump. India is shopping for new fighters to equip its STOBAR carriers and so far, Boeing has demonstrated that its Super Hornet can operate from a ski-jump during tests at NAS Patuxent River last year.

Asia-Pacific

China tested a domestically developed solid rocket engine, with a thrust of more than 500 tons. The test was conducted in Xi’an, capital of Northwest China’s Shaanxi Province, setting a world record in the field. The successful test signals significant progress in China’s solid carrier rocket technology and lays the foundation for the development of large-scale, heavy-lift launch vehicle technology.

North Korea might have tested a Submarine Launch Ballistic Missile (SLBM) from the vicinity of Sinpo. According to Reuters, the US military’s Indo-Pacific Command condemned the launch as destabilising, but judged it did not pose an immediate threat to the United States or its allies.

Today’s Video

Watch: French Navy Dassault Rafale M

Additive Manufacturing (AM) – commonly known as 3D-Printing – has been identified as a technology that could significantly reduce the logistic footprint of armed forces deployed on missions. As part of its work to enhance the use of AM in the armed forces, EDA supported the first European Military Additive Manufacturing Symposium which took place in Bonn, Germany on 12-13 October. The conference heard that AM offers unique opportunities for the armed forces especially in logistic support, but its advantages are yet to be fully embraced within the military and faces several hurdles impeding fuller implementation in defence.

In his keynote speech to the 2-day event, EDA Deputy Chief Executive, Olli Ruutu spoke on how EDA supports its Member States in their efforts to employ AM by sustaining newest technical developments and the necessary elaboration of common standards to enhance interoperability.

“AM technologies can be highly promising for enhancing defence capabilities such Logistic Support for Deployed Forces in remote or hostile environments. Having AM technologies in the area of operation might significantly impact the course of CSDP missions. Time between failure and restoring the availability of platforms, transportation and storage of significant quantities of spares can be decreased, reducing the logistic footprint of an operation” Mr. Ruutu said. 

He also pointed to the important transfer of EDA’s work on AM from research and technology to capability development.

   

Additive Manufacturing for Logistic Support (AMLS)

Building on the results of its 2018 R&T project on AM, a new project, Additive Manufacturing for Logistic Support (AMLS) was launched by EDA within the area of Capability Development. Eight areas of activities were identified for this project, including technology aspects, training and education, as well as procurement processes. The ultimate objective is to elaborate and determine solutions in the eight areas which will foster the cooperation and enhance the interoperability among participants. 

A dedicated panel on Best Practice, moderated by EDA, addressed some of the practicalities and hurdles for the AMLS project to overcome. The panel underscored the distinction that AM is not a capability shortfall but an important skill which has the potential to reduce the logistics footprint. Two EDA supported R&T projects were also presented in this panel, which are aiming to enhance the performances of ballistic protections and energic material development for AM respectively. 

Emergence of Circular Economy and AM  A second panel discussion also moderated by EDA, discussed the emergence of AM as one of the key contributors to the circular economy. The event heard how AM is a means to intensify the use of materials and expand systems’ lifetime by providing on-demand solutions for repair, remanufacturing and recycling. The panel also pointed to EDA’s new Incubation Forum on Circular Economy in European Defence (IF CEED) to create common initiatives to make the most of AM’s potential for circularity: both technical and logistics aspects will be addressed in the next two years.   A first European AM Symposium

The conference was organed by the German Association for Defence Technology (DWT) and supported by EDA. Attended by over 160 representatives of industry, armed forces, academia and institutions, the event offered a unique European overview on the rapid development of AM in industry and opportunities on offer for military.

 

 

 

Americas

General Dynamics won a $269 million contract for lead yard support and development studies and design efforts related to Virginia Class submarines. The Virginia Class new attack submarine is an advanced stealth multimission nuclear-powered submarine for deep ocean anti-submarine warfare and shallow water operations. Work will take place in North Carolina and Virginia. Estimated completion date is October 16, 2022.

Boeing won a $14.5 million contract modification, which adds scope to provide test and engineering support necessary to complete the development of the Next Gen Jammer-Mid Band system in support of the phased replacement of the AN/ALQ-99 Tactical Jamming System currently mounted to the EA-18G aircraft. Work will take place in Maryland and Missouri. Estimated completion will be in September 2022.

Middle East & Africa

British Typhoon jets currently deployed as part of 903 Expeditionary Air Wing joined Egyptian Air Force F-16s during an exercise called Bright Star. According to the Royal Air Force that this was the first time since 2001 that the RAF have flown with the Egyptian Air Force. The Typhoons were also joined on the exercise by F-16s from the Greek Air Force and US Air Force F-15s and F-16s together with C-130 Hercules and B-52s.

The Netherlands agreed to send a C-130 transport aircraft to Mali to support the UN mission MINUSMA. The aircraft and personnel will leave the country in November and stay there for six months. They will operate from Bamako to transport people and cargo.

Europe

Saab continues to expand research and development operations in Finland, now into the fields of data-link communication technology as well as Virtual and Extended Reality (VR/XR) technology. The expansion will lead to the creation of 30-50 new jobs at Saab in Tampere and Helsinki in the near future, a press release said.

Asia-Pacific

The Indian Navy took delivery of its 11th P-8I Poseidon Maritime Patrol Aircraft manufactured by American company Boeing. The patrol aircraft is an integral part of the Indian Navy’s fleet and has surpassed 30,000 flight hours since it was inducted in 2013. This is the third aircraft to be delivered under an option contract for four additional aircraft that the Indian Ministry of Defense awarded in 2016.

Today’s Video

Watch: WHY did America Build the Virginia Class??

Americas

The US Navy’s Amphibious dock landing ship USS Germantown (LSD 42) arrived in San Diego October 15, after a decade of forward-deployed service in the Indo-Pacific region operating out of Japan. Germantown sailed from San Diego on January 5, 2011, replacing USS Harpers Ferry (LSD 49). USS Rushmore (LSD 47) will replace Germantown later this year.

The US Army’s Precision Strike Missile (PrSM) has completed its longest flight to date, exceeding maximum threshold, at Vandenberg Space Force Base (VSFB), California, on Wednesday. This marks the fifth consecutive successful flight test for the missile.

Middle East & Africa

Turkish Aerospace Industries (TAI) will open a new flight control system integrated test facility called “Iron Bird” to accelerate the pace of its defense projects, including the one to build a fifth-generation indigenous stealth fighter jet. The facility is supposed to speed up the development, certification and production processes of domestic defense products. According to TAI, the Iron Bird will provide infrastructure for the integrated testing and verification of critical systems in National Combat Aircraft (MMU) as well as Hürjet, Turkey’s advanced jet trainer and light attack aircraft and its different configurations.

Europe

Rheinmetall developed a new high-roof version of the 6×6 Fuchs/Fox wheeled armoured transport vehicle. The vehicle can serve in roles ranging from tactical operations centre to armoured field ambulance. The high-roof Fuchs/Fox demonstrator’s modernized exterior design and greater height are particularly striking. The interior volume now measures twelve cubic metres, with headroom increased to 1.60 metres from the previous 1.26 meters.

Asia-Pacific

Boeing won a $131 million contract modification, which exercises an option to provide P-8A Poseidon engine depot-level maintenance and repair in support of the Navy, the government of Australia, and Foreign Military Sales customers. The P-8A Poseidon, the US Navy’s maritime patrol aircraft, is capable of broad-area, maritime and littoral operations, and is also successful at search and rescue. Work will take place in Georgia and Washington. Expected completion date is in October 2022.

The Pakistan Army Air Defense commissions HQ-9/P air defense missile system into service on October 14. The commissioning ceremony was witnessed by Chief of Army Staff (COAS) Gen. Qamar Javed Bajwa.

Today’s Video

Watch: Rheinmetall Presents Fuchs/Fox Wheeled Armoured Vehicle’s High Roof Variant!

Americas

Swedish company has opened a new 100,000-square-foot production facility in West Lafayette, Indiana, to build T-7A Red Hawks. The Boeing-Saab team is producing the new advanced trainer for the US Air Force, with Saab providing the aft section to Boeing’s forward fuselage. Currently the aft section is built at Saab’s factory in Linköping, Sweden, then shipped to the United States.

Raytheon has presented GhostEye MR, a new medium-range radar for the National Advanced Surface-to-Air Missile System, or NASAMS. GhostEye MR was displayed at the Association of the US Army’s annual meeting and exhibition, held last week.

Middle East & Africa

In the first bilateral meeting between the Philippine Secretary of National Defense (SND) Delfin Lorenzana and his Turkish counterpart Minister of National Defence Hulusi Akar discussed the latest developments and way forward for Philippines-Turkey defense and military relations, in a phone call on 01 October 2021.

Europe

MiG Corporation, part of state-owned Rostec has completed delivery of MiG-29 components to Bulgaria ahead of scheduled. “During the negotiations, which took place in August, the Leadership of Bulgarian Air Force (BAF) and ‘MiG’ Corporation agreed upon the delivery of component parts for MiG-29 aircraft ahead of schedule. Last week we dispatched a final batch of air-technical equipment under valid contracts,” the company said in a recent press release.

BAE Systems has unveiled “Hawkeye” HWK1411 ultra low-light image sensor that enables night vision in overcast starlight conditions. The 1.6 megapixel “Hawkeye” sensor provides good imaging capabilities in all light conditions, and is optimal for battery-powered soldier systems, unmanned platforms, and targeting and surveillance applications.

Asia-Pacific

On October 5, the French Defence Procurement Agency (DGA) awarded Naval Group the contract for the preliminary and detailed design of the Ocean Patrol Vessel program. This award follows on from the signature of the framework agreement carried by the French Defence Procurement Agency on 23 October 2020 for the study, development, production and initial operational maintenance of ten ocean patrol vessels for the French Navy.

The US government has given four ScanEagle unmanned air vehicles to the Philippine Air Force on October 13. The ceremony was attended by Chargé d’Affaires, ad interim (CDA) Heather Variava and Commander of US Indo-Pacific Command Adm. John Aquilino. Representing the Philippine government at Clark airbase was Secretary of National Defense Delfin Lorenzana and Philippine Air Force Commanding General Lt. Gen. Allen Paredes.

Today’s Video

Watch: T-7A Red Hawk Digitally Connected

The European Defence Agency (EDA) and the European Space Agency (ESA) today agreed to further deepen their already close cooperation in the cyber domain. The objective of the enhanced cooperation, approved today through an Exchange of Letter between EDA Chief Executive Jiří Šedivý and ESA Director General Josef Aschbacher, is to further expand the cyber resilience cooperation between the two organisations.

EDA and ESA have established a close working relationship on the basis of the Administrative Agreement signed in June 2011 which covers important domains of mutual interest, such as space-based Earth observation, unmanned vehicles, whether on sea or air, critical technologies for non-dependence, CBRNe, Guidance, Navigation and Control, and cyber resilience. In 2016, EDA and ESA signed an Implementing Arrangement on their cooperation for the Cyber Defence for Space Project. In the field of capability research and development, ESA and EDA are jointly investing in the Space and Cyber Defence Joint Study, now concentrating on Cyber Threat Intelligence, and cooperating on an ESA-led Cyber security and space-based services study, which involves other key actors such as the European Maritime Safety Agency (EMSA), Eurocontrol and the European Union Agency for Cybersecurity (ENISA). In December 2020, the Joint ESA-EDA Cyber Resilience Task Force was tasked to explore new and further areas of relevance and potential cooperation or coordination. ESA is also an observer in EDA’s Cyber Ranges Federation Programme Arrangement Management Committee (PAMC).

New level of cyber cooperation

As cyber threats are constantly growing in numbers and sophistication, cyber resilience is essential to EDA and ESA stakeholders alike. Cyber-attacks can target individuals, companies and public institutions or services (e.g. energy grids, financial markets, unmanned vehicles etc.), but also democracies namely though hybrid threats. Space systems being a central link in this new intertwined security continuum, the information and data collected, managed and exchanged by ESA and EDA Member States are of critical value to Europe’s security.

Hence the need for EDA and ESA, acknowledged in today’s Exchange of Letters, to cooperate even closer to improve the cyber-resilience of space systems, notably by:

• sharing relevant policy and technical elements to shape and orient respective activities and strengthen the partnership;
• having EDA to act as a facilitator between ESA and EDA communities while ESA proposes to invite EDA to all Council or Sub-Committee meetings of relevance under this partnership;
• regularly updating the list of priority cooperative avenues to be further explored, exploited and implemented. The Joint ESA-EDA cyber resilience task force will also issue a yearly implementation report;
• exploring how EDA and ESA could expand their coordinated and cooperative approach to other key cyber security actors such as, the European Commission, the External Action Service, and namely its Space Task Force, ENISA, the European Security and Defence College, the European Cybersecurity Competence Centre and Network, the Hybrid Fusion Cell and Hybrid Centre of Excellence, or the EU Satellite Centre.

EDA Chief Executive Jiří Šedivý said: “Space and cyber defence are intrinsically linked. Therefore, it is only natural that the European Space Agency and the European Defence Agency work closely together to strengthen their respective Member States’ cyber resilience and, subsequently, Europe’s security. The new enhanced cooperation launched by today’s Exchange of Letters is another practical step towards achieving this important common goal”.  

ESA Director General Josef Aschbacher said: “In today’s world, space creates and relays critical data, which we need to protect. We are now facing an ever increasing dependence on space infrastructure and services, and this dependence increases the impact of these being disrupted, even from natural occurrences. This is the very reason why ESA is committed to securing its space assets as well as those of its Member States and partners from cyber interference. In doing so, we also strive to build cooperation avenues with our partners, and one such longstanding partner in cyber resilience has been EDA. »

More information

• EDA and ESA cooperate on Next-Generation Secure Satellite Communication
• ESA and EDA joint research: advancing into the unknown (Jan. 2020)