Defence`s Feeds

Estonia is planning to buy K9 Thunder 155 mm self-propelled howitzers (SPHs) from South Korea, with the two countries signing a memorandum of understanding to begin procurement negotiations on 6 February. The move is linked to a proposed purchase of the Hanwha Techwin K9 by Finland. Speaking to

Two Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) F-35A Lightning II Joint Strike Fighters (JSFs) will visit Australia in March, Minister of Defence Marise Payne announced on 7 February. The aircraft will be the first of the type to touch down in Australia since Canberra signed up to the JSF programme in 2002.

EVENT On 2 February 2017, a 22-year-old youth worker was allegedly sexually assaulted with a baton by police. The four police officers involved were subsequently placed under arrest, with one being charged with rape. Since 4 February, Aulnay-sous-Bois, a northeastern suburb of Paris, has

The unconventional mid-winter military campaign against Avdiivka in eastern Ukraine by pro-Russia forces in the region is "testing the will" of the new US administration, argue members of the European Parliament (MEPs), who called for a stronger EU security response to the crisis.

EVENT The Zimbabwean government on 1 February implemented a 15% value-added tax (VAT) on a range of staple foods that were previously zero-rated. The move is expected to place significant strain on consumers, among whom formal employment has dropped to just 10%. Formal retailers facing depressed

The Indian Ministry of Defence (MoD) has established a programme dedicated to providing funding for micro, small and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) looking to expand in the defence sector. The Technology Development Fund (TDF) operates under the Defence Research and Development Organisation

The Afghan government is seeking a firm commitment from the United States to continue providing close air support to the Afghan National Defense and Security Forces (ANDSF), thus enabling Kabul to focus on its four-year plan for restructuring and modernising the security forces. "The NATO-led

In Nahersara, Helmand, at least three suspected suicide attackers were killed in an airstrike at their hideouts.

Norway's decision, announced on 3 February, to procure four Type 212NG submarines and enter a strategic partnership with the German Navy and Germany's naval industry will have major implications for both countries' defence industries. As part of the agreement Germany will also buy two submarines in

Patria has developed and tested an upgraded version of its XA series of 6x6 armoured personnel carriers (APCs). The new variant - designated XA-220 - was developed with internal research and development funding. The original XA-180 6x6 APC is powered by a Valmet diesel engine developing 295 hp and

Americas

• Last Friday saw the decommissioning of the USS Enterprise aircraft carrier after 55 years of service. Affectionately know as “Big E,” the vessel had been removed from active service in 2012 and has since been docked at its home port in Norfolk, Va., where the military de-fueled the nuclear-powered carrier. Throughout its career, the Enterprise has seen service through some of the most significant historical events of recent history, starting with the the Cuban Missile Crisis up through the response to the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks. It was one of the last Navy vessels to depart from the shores of Vietnam at the end of the Vietnam War, supporting the final evacuation efforts there.

• A decision to award a $98 million US Army contract to Leidos to provide the new Advanced Field Artillery Tactical Data System (AFATDS), has been reversed. Originally awarded last December, the latest decision will now allow the three losing bids from Raytheon, General Dynamics and Northrop Grumman to be reconsidered. Leidos knocked out long-term provided Raytheon as the provider of AFATDS to the Army, who had been providing the system since 1984. In response to the decision, protests were lodged by both Raytheon and General Dynamics, with the Government Accountability Office ruling that the request for proposals needed to be amended in order to “more accurately describe” what the agency needs.

Middle East & North Africa

• Four Israeli firms have applied to provide a multi-rotor vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) unmanned air vehicle to the nation’s land command. Aeronautics Defense Systems, Aero Sentinel, Rafael, and an Elbit Systems team also involving Flying Production, all have their hat in the ring to provide the requested “Zur” system, with a decision expected to be made by mid-2017. The need for a multi-rotor VTOL system has been identified during recent combat operations, with even small infantry units requiring their own “eye in the sky”.

Europe

• The Serbian Air Force is scheduled to receive six MiG-29 fighters from Russia as soon as this May. Once delivered, Russian engineers will also help with overhaul efforts on the fighters alongside four additional fighters already in use with the Serbian Air Force. Meanwhile, Belarus announced intentions to begin orders for new Su-30SM fighters, with expectations to order enough for one squadron. The new 4+ generation plane is super-\maneuverable and features a radar with a phased antenna array, engines with a controlled thrust vector and canard surfaces.

• Tatra Defense Vehicles will provide additional Steyr Pandur II trucks to the Czech Republic, adding to the 107 Pandurs already operated by Prague. The $82 million contract will see the provision of 20 vehicles, six of which will be fitted as command-and-control trucks and another 14 vehicles configured as communications platforms.The Pandur II 8×8 armored vehicle is an updated all-wheel drive version of the Pandur 6×6 armored personnel carrier.

Asia Pacific

• Taiwan is to move forward with their advanced jet trainer program. Commander Gen. Shen Yi-ming of the Republic of China Air Force (ROCAF) is expected to sign a memorandum of understanding with the National Chung-Shan Institute of Science and Technology (NCSIST) later today. The $1 billion program will see the development of 66 trainers, with the first factory prototype expected for 2019.

• A commander from Iran’s Revolutionary Guards has promised “roaring missiles,” if they feel their enemies are continuing their “destabilizing activity.” The remarks by Brigadier General Amir Ali Hajizadeh, head of the Revolutionary Guards’ aerospace unit, were made in relation to growing tensions between Tehran and a renewed hostility coming from the Trump Administration in Washington. Despite the heated words, US Defense Secretary Jim Mattis said on Saturday he was not considering raising the number of US forces in the Middle East to address Iran’s “misbehavior,” but warned that the world would not ignore Iranian activities.

• China’s state-run media has announced intentions by Beijing to offer their new drone-capable air-to-surface AR-2 missile for foreign export. The China Academy of Aerospace Aerodynamics-developed munition has been recently tested in live-fire exercises in order to verify its capabilities. Capable of being integrated on a variety of platforms such as UAVs and attack helicopters, the missile is also pegged as a cheaper alternative to rival munitions like the US-made AGM-176 Griffin.

Today’s Video

• Decommissioning of the USS Enterprise:

Task Force One, 1964
(click to view full)

Enterprise redelivered to US Navy. (April 19/10)

USS Enterprise, the world’s first nuclear-powered aircraft carrier, is currently mired in an Extended Drydocking Selected Restricted Availability (EDSRA). The cost has shot beyond the original estimates by almost 45%, to almost $650 million, and will take about 50% longer than expected. All to give the nuclear-powered aircraft carrier about 1-2 more major deployment rotations before her retirement.

ESDRA is less extensive than a refueling and complex overhaul (RCOH) that refuels the ship’s nuclear reactors. Even so, this procedure was expected to put “The Big E” into drydock for about 16 months to receive restoration and upgrades of all subsystems that affect combat capability and safety, plus hull inspections and recoating, radiological surveys, and other maintenance related evolutions below the waterline. The EDSRA will also address the propulsion system, offering more extensive propulsion plant repairs and testing than Enterprise’s shorter and more conventional Extended Selected Restricted Availability (ESRA) in 2002. Contracts include…

Contracts and Key Events

USS Enterprise
(click to view full)

The ESDRA’s price tag has climbed significantly beyond the original $453.3 million estimate, and currently stands at around $654.9 million.

Unless the entry says otherwise, all contracts are awarded to Northrop Grumman Shipbuilding in Newport News, VA by the Naval Sea Systems Command at Washington Navy Yard, DC.

February 7/17: Last Friday saw the decommissioning of the USS Enterprise aircraft carrier after 55 years of service. Affectionately know as “Big E,” the vessel had been removed from active service in 2012 and has since been docked at its home port in Norfolk, Va., where the military de-fueled the nuclear-powered carrier. Throughout its career, the Enterprise has seen service through some of the most significant historical events of recent history, starting with the the Cuban Missile Crisis up through the response to the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks. It was one of the last Navy vessels to depart from the shores of Vietnam at the end of the Vietnam War, supporting the final evacuation efforts there.

April 19/10: Northrop Grumman redelivers the USS Enterprise to the US Navy, at a ceremony in Newport News, VA.

The carrier had departed for sea trials on April 17/10, to test systems and components, conduct high speed runs, and demonstrate operations at sea. The boat returned to Naval Station Norfolk flying a broom on its mast to signify a clean sweep. Northrop Grumman release | US Navy re: departure for trials.

April 15/10: The contracts aren’t done just yet. A $6.8 million contract modification covers still more “planned and growth supplemental work” related to this EDSRA – which reaches $661.7 million. Work will be performed in Newport News, VA, and is expected to be complete by the end of April 2010. All contract funds will expire at the end of the current fiscal year, on Sept 30/10 (N00024-08-C-2100).

April 11/10: Done at last? US Navy:

“For the first time in two years, the crew of USS Enterprise (CVN 65) was aboard the aircraft carrier as the ship began a six-day fast cruise in the Northrop Grumman Newport News Shipyard April 11, marking the completion of an extended maintenance availability. Enterprise’s fast cruise is designed to shake rust off the Sailors – and the ship – as both operate as if they were underway for the week.”

USN release | CVN 65 release.

March 30/10: A $13.2 million modification for planned and growth supplemental work under a previously awarded contract (N00024-08-C-2100) for USS Enterprise’s FY 2008 EDSRA. As a result of this contract modification, the Pentagon says that the total estimated amount of this contract is now $654.9 million, as “work that results from subsystem open and inspects is added to the contract as it is identified.”

Work will be performed in Newport News, VA, and is expected to be complete in April 2010. All contract funds will expire at the end of the current fiscal year, on Sept 30/10.

Feb 23/10: A $19.4 million modification to previously awarded contract (N00024-08-C-2100) for “planned and growth supplemental work” under the USS Enterprise’s EDSRA. Work will be performed in Newport News, VA, and is expected to be complete by March 2010. All contract funds will expire at the end of the current fiscal year.

Dec 3/09: A $6 million modification to previously awarded contract (N00024-08-C-2100) for “planned and growth supplemental work” involving CVN 65’s EDSRA. Work will be performed in Newport News, VA, and is expected to be complete by January 2010. All contract funds will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. See also McClatchy-Tribune News Service.

Oct 20/09: A $7 million modification for planned and growth supplemental systems and machinery work during the USS Enterprise’s “FY 2008” extended drydocking selected restricted availability (EDSRA). Work will be performed in Newport News, VA and is expected to be complete by January 2010. All contract funds in the amount of $7 million will expire at the end of the current fiscal year (N00024-08-C-2100).

See also UPI’s report, which notes that the USS Enterprise’s total repair bill has now risen to $605 million, from the original $453 million:

“Increasing repairs of the military vessel have also delayed the scheduled delivery date of the completed carrier from September [2009] to next January [2010]. [US Navy spokesman Alan] Baribeau told the Daily Press the additional work on the 49-year-old vessel “was expected, to some extent, given the age of the USS Enterprise and the fact that she’s the only ship in her class.”

Sept 14/09: Major deployment impacts. Gannett’s Navy Times:

“Navy officials on Friday extended the deployments for two aircraft carrier strike groups – Nimitz and Harry S. Truman – by nearly two months each to cover the expected gap in carrier coverage caused by shipyard delays in the maintenance overhaul of the carrier Enterprise…”

See also Information Dissemination, who thinks that this decision, impacting 18,000 sailors and their families, has reasons extending beyond ESDRA issues:

“We have consistently been told of the cost increases to the work being done on USS Enterprise (CVN 65), so the Navy has known about the delay. The reason we don’t find out until now is because the Navy was waiting until both the Senate and the House had completed their FY2010 bills, which includes a provision for the early retirement of the USS Enterprise (CVN 65). After all, this is exactly the kind of unexpected event lawmakers asked Navy folks under oath about, the “what if..” we need that 11th carrier question. The Navy’s reply was, essentially ‘don’t worry about it, we got it covered.’ “

Aug 26/09: DoD Buzz reports that the Navy is considering early retirement for the USS Enterprise:

“Now, sources tell us that OSD may actually chop an additional carrier from the Navy’s battle fleet, a move that would take the force down to nine carriers from the current total of 11. The Navy plans to retire the CVN-65, the Enterprise, in 2012. The resulting 10 carrier force would be further reduced by one if DoD’s rumored reduction is enacted. Skipping a future carrier purchase doesn’t save money now. Cutting one flattop from the existing force would.”

Aug 10/09: A $28 million modification to previously awarded contract (N00024-08-C-2100) for planned and growth supplemental work for the USS Enterprise’s 16-month EDSRA. Work will be performed in Newport News, VA and is expected to be completed by December 2009. All contract funds will expire at the end of the current fiscal year, on Sept 30/09.

Aug 3/09: A $7 million modification to previously awarded contract (N00024-08-C-2100) for planned and growth supplemental work for USS Enterprise’s 16-month EDSRA. Work will be performed in Newport News, VA, and is expected to be complete by December 2009. All contract funds will expire at the end of the current fiscal year, on Sept 30/09.

June 15/09: A $14.5 million modification to a previously awarded contract (N00024-08-C-2100), covering planned and growth supplemental work for the accomplishment of the USS Enterprise’s FY 2008 EDSRA. Work will be performed in Newport News, VA, and is expected to be complete by August 2009. All contract funds will expire at the end of the current fiscal year.

May 22/09: A $21 million modification to Enterprise’s previously awarded EDSRA contract (N00024-08-C-2100). Work will be performed in Newport News, VA and is expected to be complete by August 2009. All contract funds will expire at the end of the current fiscal year.

April 29/09: A $6 million modification to a previously awarded contract for emergent and supplemental work under the USS Enterprise’s FY 2008 EDSRA. Work will be performed in Newport News, VA, and is expected to be complete by August 2009. All contract funds will expire at the end of the current fiscal year, on Sept 30/09 (N00024-08-C-2100).

Dec 9/08: A $12 million modification to previously awarded contract for emergent and supplemental work under the USS Enterprise’s FY 2008 EDSRA. Work will be performed in Newport News, VA, and is expected to be complete by August 2009. All contract funds will expire at the end of the current fiscal year, on Sept 30/09 (N00024-08-C-2100).

April 11/08: Northrop Grumman Shipbuilding – Newport News in Newport News, VA receives a $453.3 million cost-plus-incentive-fee contract for the FY 2008 EDSRA maintenance of USS Enterprise [CVN 65]. Work on the 80,640t ship will be performed in Newport News, VA and is expected to be complete by August 2009. Contract funds will expire at the end of the current fiscal year, and this contract was not competitively procured by the Naval Sea Systems Command in Washington Navy Yard, DC (N00024-08-C-2100). See also NGC release.

Dec 21/05: Earl Industries LLC in Portsmouth, VA received a 5-year Multi-Ship Multi-Option (MSMO) cost-plus-award-fee contract with a total evaluated cost of $165.3 million. This contract covers work on four CVN-68 Nimitz Class Aircraft Carriers, which include Planned Incremental Availabilities, Docking Planned Incremental Availabilities, and scheduled/ unscheduled continuous maintenance repairs. The vessels involved are USS Dwight D. Eisenhower (CVN 69), USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN 71), USS George Washington (CVN 73), and USS Harry S. Truman (CVN 75). The contract also allows for options to accomplish scheduled and unscheduled repairs on the USS Carl Vinson (CVN 70) and the Enterprise Class carrier USS Enterprise (CVN 65), the world’s first nuclear carrier.

Work will be performed at Norfolk Naval Shipyard in Portsmouth, VA; Naval Station in Norfolk, VA; refueling yard, or other locations within Norfolk, VA, and is expected to be complete in December 2010 if options are exercised. This contract was competitively procured via the Internet, with 13 proposals solicited and one offer received. The Mid-Atlantic Regional Maintenance Center in Norfolk, VA issued the contract (N40025-06-C-9000).

Additional Readings

• Gannett’s Navy Times (April 5/10) – Is ‘Big E’ Worth Breaking the Bank? Describes some of the effects on other carriers, but does not follow the consequences for overall Navy maintenance budgets.

• DID (Nov 13/08) – USS Enterprise: The Beginning of the End for the “Big E”. The ship will be deactivated once the first CVN-21 carrier USS Gerald R. Ford joins the fleet.

Pandur II w. RCWS-30
(click to view full)

In January 2006, the Czech Republic selected General Dynamics’ European Land Combat Systems subsidiary Steyr-Daimler-Puch Spezialfahrzeug GmbH of Austria to supply its army with 199 new eight-wheeled Pandur II armored personnel carriers (APCs) between 2007-2012. The KBVP vehicles would replace Soviet-era OT-64 SKOT APCs, and would be produced in Austria and the Czech Republic.

In 2005 the contract included an option for 35 additional vehicles for a total of 234, and had a potential value of Koruna 23.6 billion ($1-1.4 billion). Steyr’s Pandur II was a finalist, and eventually won the competition. But questions arose, the deal became a political football, and delivery issues jeopardized the deal into oblivion. Or so it seemed. Despite the economic crisis gripping Eastern Europe, the Czechs reinstated a scaled-down version of the deal in late February 2009.

Selection and a Winner

Old OT-64C, Kosovo
(click to view full)

After the original April 2005 tender had been winnowed down to 3 semi-finalists (Patria’s AMV, Steyr’s Pandur-II, and Rheinmetall’s Boxer) the Czech testing program included crossing open water, test drives on paved and off-road surfaces, boarding of soldiers, and loading on to and unloading from a C-130 Hercules cargo aircraft. The Boxer failed the water crossing tests, however, leaving just the AMV and Pandur-II as contenders by the end of November. Czech Ministry of Defense spokesman Andrej Cirtek listed the three main criteria for the final decision as “the price, the participation of Czech industry, and the technical and tactical quality of the engines.”

In January 2006, the government announced the Pandur-II as their preferred choice.

Like Patria’s AMV and MOWAG’s Piranha, Steyr’s[2] Pandur II is a vehicle family of mission-specific variants. Common design elements include two steered axles, an independent suspension system and run-flat tires for advanced mobility, a high level of embedded armor protection, spall liners for the crew compartments, and drive train and steering linkages within the hull for superior survivability. A computer-based interactive maintenance and repair diagnostic system enables complete power pack changes in approximately 30 minutes.

The Pandur II is equipped with a Cummins ISC 350 diesel engine rated at 285 hp with an electronic engine management system, and a ZF 6HP 602C fully automatic transmission. A 400 horsepower engine is available as an option, and a water heater provides engine preheating for cold starting and for heating the crew compartment.

Current customers for the Pandur and Pandur II include Austria (68 Pandur, “requirement for”[1] 129 Pandur II), Portugal (260 Pandur II), Belgium (60 Pandur), Gabon (20 Pandur), Kuwaiti National Guard (70 Pandur), Slovenia (72 Pandur), the United States (50 Pandur 6×6 AGMS).

Pandur II Industrial Arrangements

Who’s driving?
(click to view full)

Industrial offsets for national firms are a common requirement in defense projects, and the Czech APC competition was no exception. The first 17 vehicles under this contract are slated for delivery from Steyr’s Austrian plant, but vehicles 18-107 are slated for final assembly in the Czech republic, with a number of local firms participating.

Steyr says that Czech subcontractors will contribute between 40-60% of the Pandur II vehicles’ components once serial production begins. Overall, approximately 12 Czech companies are participating in production, including:

• Defendia CZ, a Steyr subsidiary. Produced the main components of the first 17 vehicles in conjunction with the Vienna factory.

• Vojensky opravarensky podnik companies, incl. 025 Novy Jicin and 026 Sternberk. Main partners, and main assembly lines for remaining vehicles. Retooled a production hall and have opened their first process line at Novy Jicin to begin vehicle hull production, and built an entirely new production hall at Sternberk. VOP 025 is responsible for Czech production of the baseline vehicle, components for other versions, part of the logistics and documentation, and servicing. VOP 26 Sternberk will handle part of the logistics, as well as production of specialized Pandur II variants and weapon system production/ integration for the RCWS-30.

• BOIS: Summer and winter camouflage nets
  
• COLORLAK: Special finish paints
  
• DICOM: Communication systems
  
• E-COM: Simulators for comprehensive crew training
  
• Letecke Pristroje Praha: Diagnostics, navigation, command systems
  
• MEOPTA Prerov: Surveillance and sighting equipment, optical electronic components
  
• MESIT: Communication equipment, digital and analogue electronics
  
• Rayservice: cable harnesses and electro mechanical assemblies
  
• T-CZ: Microwave technology, antennas

Note that special characters do not render correctly in all browsers, so DID has used their unaccented English equivalents.

Contracts & Updates

KVBPs, Afghanistan
(click to view video)

February 7/17: Tatra Defense Vehicles will provide additional Steyr Pandur II trucks to the Czech Republic, adding to the 107 Pandurs already operated by Prague. The $82 million contract will see the provision of 20 vehicles, six of which will be fitted as command-and-control trucks and another 14 vehicles configured as communications platforms.The Pandur II 8×8 armored vehicle is an updated all-wheel drive version of the Pandur 6×6 armored personnel carrier.

May 18/11: Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) announces that it has delivered its new 8.5 kg MiniPOP surveillance & targeting turret, in a deal worth “several millions of dollars.” A pair of MiniPOPs equip each Rafael’s Samson 30 RCWS(Remote Controlled Weapons Station) installed on the Czech Army’s KBVP PANDUR 8×8 CZ, serving as the commander’s and gunner’s sights. The Pandurs are currently operated by the Czech Army in Afghanistan.

The Czech MiniPOPs features a thermal imager, a CCD camera, a laser rangefinder and a laser pointer. They can add an optional laser designator, for targeting work. IAI.

Jan 14/11: Czech MoD:

“The live fires of four wheeled PANDUR II CZ M1 armoured personnel carriers were held at the Black Horse Base close to Kabul on the second January week. Vehicles reinforce the military part of the Czech Provincial Reconstruction Team in Logar, where Czechs have been serving together with Americans at the Shank Base since January 2008… Pandurs replace BVP-2 armoured personnel carriers, which served at PRT Logar from January 2008 to December 2010.”

Feb 22/10: A critical witness in the Czech Pandur-II controversy cannot help, because he has no memory. Czech arms dealer Pavel Musela was crippled by a hunting accident in October 2008, just as new contract talks between Steyr and the Defence Ministry were coming to a head. As for Musela’s head, the accident caused severe brain damage. He is able to communicate and recognizes his family, but has lost many of his memories. Prague Daily Monitor.

Feb 19/10: Czech Chief of police Oldrich Martinu has decided to establish a team to probe alleged corruption in the Czech Pandur-II purchase, following media reports. The Prague-based DNES recently published a transcript of a hidden-camera interview with 2 former Steyr managers who mentioned bonuses from the deal for political parties, as well as the names of several politicians. The Czech daily The Mlada fronta Dnes (MfD) also reports that Steyr signed a CZK 1 billion lobbying contract with Czech entrepreneur Jan Vlcek in December 2002, but the contract reportedly ended in less than a year, and Vlcek reportedly believed he was expected to pay bribes.

Czech Prime Minister Jan Fischer has also shown interest in the probe. Ceske Noviny | Prague Monitor re: lobbying contract | Radio Prague | Defense News | Ceske Noviny re: political interest.

Pandur II & RCWS-30,
water trials
(click to enlarge)

March 2/09: The Czech government announces that it has approved a buy of 107 Pandur IIs, for CZK 14.4 billion (about $650 million), with an agreement for 153% value of industrial offsets, and a firm agreement on maintaining the average unit price. Prime Minister Topolanek adds that the program delay has caused the military “marked problems with operation capabilities at home and mainly in foreign missions.” Ceske Noviny.

Feb 26/09: Czech firm VOP-025 in Novy Jicin, north Moravia, signs an agreement with General Dynamics. VOP believes that an order for 107 APCs would be worth about CZK 2.1 billion (about $95 million) to the company, and will allow them to continue employing about 120 new military equipment specialists, whom they would otherwise have to lay off.

The firm expects to produce 90 APCs between 2009-2013, in 4 versions. Prague Monitor.

Feb 26/09: The Czech government announces that the economic crisis will delay a number of military projects. Among other moves, modernization of 10 Mi-171S helicopters to enable them to fly in dangerous areas like Afghanistan will be shifted from 2009 to 2010, CZK 200 million in installment payments for the planned purchase of 107 Pandur APCs will be delayed until 2011, and CZK 60 million will be deferred from the planned construction of an avionics laboratory to modernize the country’s L-159 light attack aircraft. Ceske Noviny.

Land Rover Defender
(click to enlarge)

Feb 26/09: According to Czech Defense Ministry sources, the military is interesting in buying a new batch of 79 Land Rover Defender jeep-class vehicles by the end of November 2009. This vehicle type already serves with Czech forces. The new vehicles will replace older Russian designs like the UAZ-462 and UAZ-469B in the Czech rapid-deployment unit that serves with ISAF in Afghanistan, as well as by the joint Czech-Slovak EU battlegroup. The Land Rover purchase has been given an early estimate of CZK 384 million (about $17.3 million).

The Czech Republic has purchased a handful of mine-resistant Dingo-2s and Iveco MLVs to accompany these lightly protected off-road vehicles, and the Pandur IIs would form the a heavier high end for international deployments, with better protection relative to the Dingo-2s, and much better firepower. The Forecast International report adds that approval is imminent for a CZK 12 billion order of 107 Pandur II APCs. Forecast International | Prague Daily Monitor.

Feb 8/09: The Czech cabinet is considering a reduced order of 107 Pandur-II APCs, and Czech firms are calculating the expected benefits. The weekly Euro estimates the value at CZK 5.3 billion, expecting that direct offset programs involved in vehicle production should make up 60% of an CZK 11.5 billion order, while indirect offset programs should account for 90% of the order’s value or around CZK 10 billion, over 10 years. Approval for a revised contract with Steyr is expected to come to a head in February.

VOP-025’s chief executive Ales Truxa confirmed to Euro that his firm is already supplying components for the 260 Pandur IIs ordered by the Portuguese Army. Prague Monitor.

January 2009: Steyr is given an opportunity to bid a lower number of APCs, and possibly keep the Czech contract. Source.

April 9/08: Jane’s Defence Weekly reports that senior officials from the Czech Ministry of Defence (MoD) and Steyr Spezialfahrzeug (SSF) signed a deal on this date to allow testing of 2 SSF Pandur II 8 x 8 armoured vehicles at an independent facility.

“Industry sources said the tests would probably take place at the VOP-026 Sternberk military repair depot in the coming weeks, with the objective of demonstrating to MoD officials that SSF has successfully corrected a small number of technical deficiencies.”

Dec 11/07: The Czech Government cancels the Pandur contract. Czech Defence Minister Vlasta Parkanova says that “At first glance, it is perhaps a radical solution… But we are convinced that it is a correct one.” The Ministry did say that it will wait for Steyr’s response before taking any further steps, and sources indicate that the company will attempt to save at least part of the bid in discussions with the MoD. Since the contract was concluded between the Ministry of Defence and a Czech company (Defendia CZ), international arbitration is a very unlikely response.

The issues behind the government’s conclusion vary depending on whom one talks to, but they fall into 3 broad categories: delivery and acceptance dates, force mix, and domestic politics.

Czech Defence Ministry spokesman Andrej Cirtek, for instance, disagreed with Steyr’s assessment, saying that the 17 initial APCs would not have been delivered until mid-2008. While Steyr claims the vehicles are ready, the Czechs will not consider them ready, and will not accept delivery, until all failures to meet specifications are fixed. This was the issue that broke the contract, and allowed the Czechs to legally abrogate the deal.

Jan Vidim, the head of the Czech Chamber of Deputies’ defence committee, also criticized the deal on political grounds. Defence Minister Karel Kuenhl actually signed to contract shortly after the Paroubek coalition he served in had lost the general election, acting on the advice of the Czech General Staff. The Civic Democratic Party, who won those elections, were less than thrilled by this. Some believe they have bided their time ever since, until issues arose that would give them an opening. This is possible. In addition, however, Jan Vadim also argued from the force mix perspective:

“I am simply convinced that the Czech Army cannot make good use of those 199 carriers. What we need is six-wheelers, armoured four-wheelers and a number of different types of vehicles. Buying 199 eight-wheeled vehicles was just wrong.”

See Nov 22/07 entry for a glimpse at what those “different types of vehicles” may entail, and note that follow-on orders are expected. Of course, buys of that nature are not incompatible with higher-end and more heavily armed wheeled or tracked APCs for use in more serious situations. Sources: Radio Praha | Ceske Noviny | Deutsche Presse-Agentur | Houston Chronicle.

Nov 29/07: General Dynamics Steyr-SSF confirms that the Czech military will include Spike-LR anti armor missiles on the RAFAEL RCWS-30 unmanned turrets, and announces that that the first 17 Pandur II wheeled armoured vehicles for the Armed Forces of the Czech Republic (AFRC) are “fully operational, combat-ready and ready for delivery from the Steyr facility in Vienna.” Of course, the release later adds that “Steyr and AFRC are discussing plans to implement several minor modifications to the vehicles, requested as a result of opportunities identified during readiness testing, in the near future.”

All 199 vehicles will be delivered to the AFRC before the end of 2012 – provided that the Czech government accepts them. Steyr-SSF release.

Nov 29/07: Given recent remarks from the Czech Defence Ministry’s deputy minister Jaroslav Kopriva, Steyr follows up with a second press release that begins:

“The Czech subcontractors involved in the manufacturing of the Pandur II armoured wheeled carriers for the Armed Forces of the Czech Republic (AFRC) have invested more than CZK 300 million in the production of the first 17 vehicles and in preparation for serial production.”

Nov 22/07: The Prague Monitor reports that the Czech Republic has ordered 4 Dingo-2 mine-resistant vehicles from KMW of Germany, and 4 smaller MLV mine-resistant vehicles from Italy’s Iveco. These vehicles are slated for immediate deployment to Afghanistan, but larger competitions in these categories are in the offing.

Nov 7/07: The Prague Daily Monitor reports that Pandur II deliveries will be delayed as the APCs have failed to meet a 24 of the required 93 military test criteria. The Spring 2006 contract’s deadline requires the first 17 vehicles under the contract to be supplied by the end of November 2007.

The Czech Defence Ministry’s deputy minister Jaroslav Kopriva has said that Steyr reaction to the defect fell short of expectations, and no definite time for a correction has been communicated. The Ministry is considering financial sanctions, or even withdrawing from the contract in part or in full.

Steyr’s PR official Jan Piskacek said the company would “be prepared for transfer by the end of November,” which is not the same thing as delivering test-ready vehicles that have corrected all identified issues. He added the Steyr position that most of the missed criteria were “of a formal character,” and that most had been redressed. (Tip thanks: David Vandenberghe)

Aug 28/07: Jane’s Defence Weekly reports that:

“Technical complications are continuing to delay the delivery of two Steyr-Daimler-Puch Spezialfahrwagen (SSF) Pandur II 8 x 8 armoured vehicles to the Army of the Czech Republic (ACR) for in-field testing prior to the November delivery date of the first production in-service vehicle to the ACR. The Czech Ministry of Defence (MoD) has acknowledged that the communications suite, satellite global positioning system (GPS) and Rafael Armament Authority Remote Overhead Weapon Station with ATK Bushmaster 30 mm cannon, could prevent the on-schedule delivery of the first two testbeds for extensive military evaluation.”

Pandur II, firing
(click to view full)

June 9/06: Czech Minister of Defence Karel Kahnl formally signs an agreement with the Steyr Company of Austria to supply 199 Pandur-II wheeled armored personnel carriers.

April 17/06: Czechs Formalize Gun Contract for New APCs. It’s ATK’s Mk44 30mm chain gun.

The Czechs had tested the RCWS-30 with an ATK Mk 44 dual-feed 30mm auto-cannon on both the PANDUR II and Patria Armoured Modular Vehicle (AMV) in open-water crossings (note picture); test drives on paved and off-road surfaces; and tested the fold-flat features for on-loading and off-loading in a C-130 Hercules aircraft. Now Alliant Techsystems, who has a long-standing defense relationship with RAFAEL, has formally received a contract valued at approximately $20 million for Mk 44 30mm cannon weapon systems that will equip the Czechs’ RCWS-30.

The Mk 44 system is part of ATK’s well-known Chain Gun family. ATK 30mm Mk 44 guns are already used in nearly 2,000 land vehicles, aircraft, and ship-board weapon systems for the United States and allied nations including Finland, Norway, Poland, Singapore, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom; these weapons will also be part of the US Marines’ new Expeditionary Fighting Vehicle amphibious APC.

Patria AMV & RCWS-30
(click to view full)

Feb 7/06: The Pandurs’ main weapon has been finalized. Czech APCs to Carry RAFAEL’s RCWS-30.

The RCWS-30 gun system pictured up top is RAFAEL’s RCWS-30 Remote Controlled Weapon Station, which can be operated from inside a vehicle. It was included in the official Steyr release, and was part of the Czech trials on both Patria’s AMV and Steyr’s Pandur II. The pictured system includes a 30mm cannon, a 7.62mm coaxial machine gun, and two Spike-LR multi-purpose missiles, as well as various sensors and defensive systems. There is a patent pending on the mechanism it uses to fold down for air transport, and the system includes stabilization, auto-tracking and slaving features.

January 25/06: The Czech government endorses procurement of Austrian Steyr Pandur-II APCs, and commences negotiations.

Nov 9/05: The competition narrows to 2 finalists, as Rheinmetall’s entry fails the river crossing tests. Only Steyr’s Pandur-II and Patria’s AMV are left.

Sept 20/05: BAE Systems Land & Armaments L.P. withdraws from the tender, without revealing which vehicle was on offer. DID suspects either its new SEP developed by BAE Hagglunds, or the new Turkish FNSS Pars II (Leopard) 8Ö8 wheeled armoured vehicle, developed with General Purpose Vehicles LLC (GPV) of the USA. BAE owns 49% of FNSS.

BTR-80: out
(click to view full)

Aug 17/07: The Czech government announces its shortlist from among the 7 bidders. Czech firm Globtrade Air s.r.o. (probably a BTR-80 variant), Poland’s BUMAR Sp. Z o.o. (probably a BTR-80 variant), and Italy’s Iveco Fiat OTO Melara, S.c.r.l. (the complementary Puma and Centauro vehicle families) are eliminated.

BAE Systems Land & Armaments (SEP or FNSS Pars II), GD Steyr Spezialfahrzeug (Pandur II); Patria Vehicles Oyj (Armoured Modular Vehicle), and Rheinmetall Landsysteme (Boxer MRAV most likely) advance to the semi-finals. See full DID coverage.

April 2005: Invitation for the provision of up to 234 wheeled armored personnel carriers is made public.

Footnotes

fn1. Defense journalist Vanja Moskaljov of Croatia’s Vecernji List newspaper drew our attention to the fact that no contract has been signed in Austria for Pandur IIs, and suggests that even Army Technology’s listing of a requirement for 129 Pandur IIs may be too strong a statement: “The Steyr people often said that they would like it if the Austrian Army used Pandur II, because it would help them to promote the vehicle on other markets, but that the Austrian government told them that they didn’t have enough money for a new APC purchase.”

fn2. Both Pandur and Piranha wheeled APCs are General Dynamics vehicles. General Dynamics European Land Combat Systems is based in Vienna, Austria, and consists of 3 subsidiaries: General Dynamics Santa Barbara Sistemas of Madrid, Spain; Piranha maker MOWAG GmbH of Kreuzlingen, Switzerland; and Pandur II manufacturer Steyr-Daimler-Puch Spezialfahrzeug GmbH of Vienna, Austria.

Additional Readings

• Army Technology – Pandur II

• Czech Ministry of Defence: Modernization Projects – Wheeled Armoured Personnel Carriers. Doesn’t have all of the announcements, etc., but does have a good timeline.

• Czech Ministry of Defence – Life Tenders: Wheeled Armoured Personnel Carriers for ACR

• Czech Ministry of Defence – Armoured Personnel Carrier Pandur II 8×8

• DID (Sept 23/05) – Czechs Issue APC Bidders Shortlist, Exclude Czech Firm

Iranian Fateh Assault Rifle

The worsening security situation in eastern Ukraine, where heavy fighting with pro-Russian rebels recently broke out in the government-controlled town of Avdiivka, were debated by Security and Defence Subcommittee MEPs on Monday with Ivanna Klympush-Tsintsadze, Ukraine’s Vice Prime Minister for European and Euro-Atlantic Integration. MEPs urged Russia to stop testing the West’s reactions and to go on implementing the Minsk agreements.
Subcommittee on Security and Defence

Source : © European Union, 2017 - EP

The Gradual Emergence of Second Generation Security Sector Reform in Timor-Leste

CSG Paper No. 16

KITCHENER, CANADA – The Centre for Security Governance (CSG) is pleased to announce the publication of a new CSG Paper by CSG Senior Fellow Sarah Dewhurst and Lindsey Greising. It is the second of two papers on Timor-Leste and the product of a wider series of papers that has come out of the CSG’s multi-year research project, titled Exploring the transition from first to second generation SSR in conflict-affected societies. Led by CSG Executive Director Mark Sedra, the project assesses and evaluates the impact of orthodox security sector reform (SSR) programming in conflict-affected countries. Employing a common methodology, the project features original research on four case study countries: Bosnia-Herzegovina, El Salvador, Sierra Leone and Timor-Leste.

The project has produced two reports per case study country—eight in total. The first phase of the project answered: a) to what extent and how have SSR efforts in the case study countries followed the orthodox SSR model as described in the OECD-DAC Handbook on SSR; b) in assessing SSR efforts in each case study country, how have orthodox SSR approaches succeeded and failed and why. The second project phase, which this paper captures, explores what alternative approaches or entry-points for security and justice development are available. Are they used, and if so, how? If not, why?

Orthodox SSR in Timor-Leste focused on importing administrative structures and improving the technical capacity of security institutions, but failed to adapt to the political realities and dynamics of the new state. In recent years, however, some initiatives that can be described as second generation SSR efforts have emerged. These approaches have been characterized primarily by their ability to work politically to engage with national actors. They are adapted to the local context and employ more holistic and reconciliatory approaches to security governance, leveraging civil society and engaging both formal and informal security providers. The Gradual Emergence of Second Generation Security Sector Reform in Timor-Leste argues that they have fostered slower, but deeper, more multifaceted and therefore more sustainable societal, political and cultural transformations of the role of security sector institutions in Timorese society.

Funding for this project was provided by the Folke Bernadotte Academy.

Download the Report

The peer-reviewed CSG Papers series provides a venue for comprehensive research articles and reports on a variety of security sector reform and related topics. The series endeavors to present innovative research that is both academically rigorous and policy relevant. Authored by prominent academics, analysts and practitioners, the CSG Papers cover a range of topics, from geographic case studies to conceptual and thematic analysis, and are based on extensive research and field experience.

All CSG publications are freely accessible and downloadable on our website at www.secgovcentre.org.

CONTACT:

Andrew Koltun, CSG Project Officer
Tel: +1-226-241-8744, Email: akoltun@secgovcentre.org

_______________

The CSG is a non-profit, non-partisan think tank dedicated to the study of security and governance transitions in fragile, failed and conflict-affected states. Based in Canada, the CSG maintains a global, multi-disciplinary network of researchers, practitioners and academics engaged in the international peace and security field.

A collaborative research project on ‘Hybrid Manned Unmanned Platooning (Hy-MUP)’ has just been successfully completed at the European Defence Agency (EDA). The main aim was to prove that it is feasible to coordinate and operate unmanned ground systems together with regular manned vehicles in future mounted combat missions. It also helped the military community to become familiar with heavy unmanned ground vehicles.

The Hy-MUP project was funded by the two contributing Member States - France and Germany - and carried out by a consortium consisting of ECA Robotics and Thales Optronique SAS for France as well as Diehl BGT Defence and Rheinmetall Landsysteme for Germany. The Hy-MUP project was in fact a continuation of a previous project on ‘Semi-Autonomous Unmanned Ground Vehicle (SAM-UGV)’ conducted by the same consortium. Both projects were hosted in the EDA CapTech Ground Systems (Land).

The project’s objectives were to: (i) prove the feasibility of the operation of unmanned ground systems in coordination with regular manned vehicles in future mounted combat missions by analysing and defining use-cases for platooning, (ii) identify the high safety requirements and (iii) develop a demonstrator of a hybrid fleet (manned and unmanned vehicles) to be deployed in convoy reconnaissance and/or surveillance (platooning) missions with a mobile Control and Command Vehicle (CCV) manned driven and an mobile robotized vehicle which can either be tele-operated by an operator from the Control Station installed in the CCV or configured to follow a Leader Vehicle autonomously.

In addition to that, from the military perspective, another project goal was to help the military community to become familiar with heavy unmanned ground vehicles by progressively introducing heavy robotics in the Armed Forces.

Different ‘Leader Following’ functionalities

For the practical part of the project, various case scenarios for using mixed platoons of manned and unmanned vehicles were defined and demonstrated. The Control Station and the communication unit were installed in a Control and Command Vehicle lent by the French MoD. A 4x4 wheels drive civilian vehicle (ISUZU D-MAX) was then equipped with a Drive by Wire capability (including a Drive By Wire (DBW) kit from Paravan and a Robotic kit updated from the SAM-UGV project), several sensors enabling autonomous motion by using ‘Leader Following’ facilities. An additional communication unit enables tele-operation via control station.

Two different ‘Leader Following’ functionalities were implemented and evaluated during trials with various Leader Vehicles, various weather conditions and various environments:

• The first Leader Following functionality runs two algorithms in parallel: (i) one uses the centre vision camera and (ii) the other uses the information coming from a Velodyne - 3D LiDAR sensor. In case one of the algorithms loses the leader, the other can reinitialize the connection of the first one.
• The second Leader Following functionality combines the data coming from an algorithm using vision camera mounted on Hy-MUP robotized platform and a sign panel installed at the rear of the Leader Vehicle, on one hand, and an algorithm using information from a Velodyne - 3D LiDAR sensor, on the other hand.

An ‘Obstacle Avoidance’ function which, in real operations, is required to avoid intruders or collisions (with pedestrian or vehicles) was also tested but could not be fully evaluated during the trials due to project constraints.

The Hy-MUP project developed the so-called ‘Hy-MUP system’: it consists of an integrated demonstrator with a Control Station (installed in a manned vehicle of the convoy) and a robotized platform. Teleoperation and autonomous Vehicle Following are available from a moving Control Station. Obstacle Avoidance will have to be further integrated and evaluated.

Even though the Hy-MUP system is not yet fully completed and validated, it nevertheless already demonstrated the benefits and importance of manned/unmanned vehicle convoy capabilities in military operations.

Today at 15:00, the Subcommittee will exchange views with Ivanna Klympush-Tsindsadze, Vice Prime Minister of Ukraine for European and Euro-Atlantic Integration, on the deterioration of the security situation in the East of Ukraine, in particular around Avdiivka.
Further information
Revised draft agenda
Source : © European Union, 2017 - EP

The UK Ministry of Defence (MoD) has announced the reaching of a £4m investment milestone in the construction of a new submarine training school at its naval base HMNB Clyde, Scotland.

The US Navy has decommissioned its nuclear-powered aircraft carrier USS Enterprise (CVN 65) at the vessel’s hangar bay.