Defence`s Feeds

Americas Northrop Grumman has received a $1.5-billion contract to deliver E-2D Advanced Hawkeye aircraft to the US Navy and Japan. A recent US Department of Defense announcement states that the company will produce nine new Hawkeyes – four for the navy and five for Tokyo. It will also provide associated support services to both customers. Most work for the contract will be performed in Florida, with an estimated completion date of March 2029. Bollinger Shipyards announced that its Pascagoula Mississippi shipyard now exceeds 1,000 employees, touting the milestone as it gears up to make the first heavy icebreaker in the US in more than 50 years – vessels Washington is keen to produce more of as it partners with Canada and Finland in a pact to bolster icebreaker fleets. The three countries announced the Icebreaker Collaboration Effort, or ICE Pact, in a joint statement during the NATO summit in Washington on Thursday. The trilateral agreement aims to build “best-in-class Arctic and polar icebreakers and other Arctic and polar capabilities in each of our respective countries by sharing expertise, information, and capabilities.” Middle East & Africa Turkiye and Niger agreed to boost cooperation on energy, mining, intelligence and defense, after the […]

Length of video : 32'

Disclaimer : The interpretation of debates serves to facilitate communication and does not constitute an authentic record of proceedings. Only the original speech or the revised written translation is authentic.
Source : © European Union, 2024 - EP

All of Parliament’s 20 standing committees and four subcommittees held their constitutive meetings on Tuesday to elect their Chair and Vice-Chairs.
Committee on Constitutional Affairs
Committee on Foreign Affairs
Committee on Agriculture and Rural Development
Committee on Budgets
Committee on Budgetary Control
Committee on Culture and Education
Committee on Development
Committee on Economic and Monetary Affairs
Committee on Employment and Social Affairs
Committee on the Environment, Public Health and Food Safety
Committee on Women’s Rights and Gender Equality
Committee on the Internal Market and Consumer Protection
Committee on International Trade
Committee on Industry, Research and Energy
Committee on Legal Affairs
Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs
Committee on Fisheries
Committee on Petitions
Committee on Regional Development
Committee on Transport and Tourism
Subcommittee on Human Rights
Subcommittee on Tax Matters
Subcommittee on Public Health
Subcommittee on Security and Defence

Source : © European Union, 2024 - EP

Americas Raytheon has demonstrated a simulated missile interception using the US Army’s new missile defense radar and command and control system and the US Navy’s interceptor. The Lower Tier Air and Missile Defense Sensor (LTAMDS) simulators provided threat tracking data and the Standard Missile-6 (SM-6) engagement control software to the Integrated Air and Missile Defense Battle Command System (IBCS) during a Valiant Shield 24 test. The Northrop Grumman IBCS subsequently initiated the transfer of the launch command data and guided a missile interception “successfully,” according to Raytheon. The US Air Force and Boeing have reached an agreement regarding the planned supply of E-7 Wedgetail airborne early warning and control (AEW&C) aircraft. US Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall told reporters at an air show in England that the service finally “got a reasonable price point” for the jets after bringing in a brokering expert. Middle East & Africa Germany can no longer cooperate militarily with Niger because of a lack of “trust” in relations with the West African country’s military regime, German Foreign Affairs Minister Annalena Baerbock said on Tuesday. Germany already announced on July 6 that it will end operations at its airbase in Niger and pull out its remaining three-dozen troops by […]

E-7A Wedgetail over New South Wales (click to view full) The island continent of Australia faces a number of unique security challenges that stem from its geography. The continent may be separated from its neighbors by large expanses of ocean, but it also resides within a potential arc of instability, and has a number of important offshore resource sites to protect. Full awareness of what is going on around them, and the ability to push that awareness well offshore, are critical security requirements. “Project Wedgetail” had 3 finalists, and the winner was a new variant of Boeing’s 737-700, fitted with an MESA (multirole electronically scanned array) radar from Northrop Grumman. That radar exchanges the traditional AWACS rotating dome for the E-7A’s “top hat” stationary antenna. That design, and the project as a whole, have run into severe turbulence, creating problems for Boeing earnings, the ADF, and other export orders for the type. DID’s FOCUS articles offer in-depth, updated looks at significant military programs of record. This one covers contracts, events, and key milestones within Australia’s E-7A program, from inception to the current day. Project Wedgetail: Program and Participants The Competition E-7A Cutaway (click to view full) In 1997 Australia’s AIR […]

Americas The US Navy Blue Angels successfully tested a Mobile Aircraft Arresting System (MAAS) for the first time at Camp Grayling Army Airfield on June 26th. This test and certification served as a crucial element in their participation in the subsequent National Cherry Festival Air Show held in Traverse City on June 29-30th. The MAAS deployment was a first for the Blue Angels at the National Cherry Festival Air Show. This system, typically used at military airfields, is a vital safety feature providing an emergency landing option for high-performance aircraft like the Blue Angels’ F/A-18 Hornets. The MAAS employs arresting cables and barriers to rapidly decelerate aircraft in case of an in-flight issue or missed landing. Regular testing and certification, such as the one conducted at Camp Grayling, ensures the MAAS is prepared for such scenarios. Lockheed Martin has delivered the first of eight C-130J-30 Super Hercules aircraft to the Youngstown Air Reserve Station in Ohio as part of a project to modernize the installation’s aging military transport fleet. The plane incorporates a new configuration of aerial spray capability to secure large areas from disease-carrying insects and other pests as well as to disperse oil spills in water surface domains. […]

Source : © European Union, 2024 - EP

Americas The US Navy is evaluating the operability of the Expeditionary Medical Unit (EMU) aboard the USNS Cody (EPF 14) Spearhead-class fast transport vessel. The trial supports the service’s objective to improve medical care capabilities for combat and humanitarian missions from sea to shore. Being held at the Joint Expeditionary Base Little Creek-Fort Story, the evaluation focuses on the EMU’s Role 2 (R2) level healthcare function, which covers patient decontamination, biomedical repair, sterile supply, information technology, and command and control tasks. China said Wednesday it had suspended negotiations with the United States on nuclear non-proliferation and arms control in response to Washington’s weapons sales to Taiwan. The US and China in November held rare talks on nuclear arms control, part of a bid to ease mistrust ahead of a summit between leader Joe Biden and Xi Jinping. Further dialogue had not been publicly announced since, with a White House official in January urging Beijing to respond “to some of our more substantive ideas on risk reduction.” But China’s foreign ministry on Wednesday said recent US sales of arms to self-ruled Taiwan were “seriously undermining the political atmosphere for continued arms control consultations between the two sides.” Middle East & Africa French defense contractor Arquus has signed an […]

Dassault Rafale (click for cutaway view) Will Dassault’s fighter become a fashionably late fighter platform that builds on its parent company’s past successes – or just “the late Rafale”? It all began as a 1985 break-away from the multinational consortium that went on to create EADS’ Eurofighter. The French needed a lighter aircraft that was suitable for carrier use, and were reportedly unwilling to cede design authority over the project. As is so often true of French defense procurement policy, the choice came down to paying additional costs for full independence and exact needs, or losing key industrial capabilities by partnering or buying abroad. France has generally opted for expensive but independent defense choices, and the Rafale was no exception. Those costs, and associated delays triggered by the end of the Cold War and reduced funding, proved to be very costly indeed. Unlike previous French fighters, which relied on exports to lower their costs and keep production lines humming, the Rafale has yet to secure a single export contract – in part because initial versions were hampered by impaired capabilities in key roles. The Rafale may, at last, be ready to be what its vendors say: a true omnirole aircraft, […]

From cannons to rockets to nuclear-armed ordinance, the F-89 seemed a formidably armed interceptor, protecting North America in the early years of the Cold War from Soviet bomber fleets coming over the polar region. In [...]

The post With a Variety of Ways to Sting, the F-89 Scorpion Was the First Line of Defense appeared first on The Aviationist.

The world’s largest naval exercise with participation of roughly 29 nations, 40 surface ships, three submarines, 14 national land forces, over 150 aircraft, and more than 25,000 personnel, marked the first time an Australian P-8A [...]

The post Australian P-8A Poseidon Drops Mark 54 Torpedoes During ‘Hunt’ of US Submarine at RIMPAC 2024 Exercise  appeared first on The Aviationist.

Americas Capella Space won a $14 million firm-fixed-price contract to provide Synthetic Aperture RADAR satellite system capabilities and integrate them into Air Force Research Laboratory’s Global Unification Environment. Work will be performed at Kirkland Air Force Base, New Mexico, and is expected to be completed by December 1, 2026. The Air Force Research Lab, Kirkland AFB, New Mexico, is the contracting activity. The US Army, in conjunction with NATO allies, has successfully conducted a High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS) Rapid Infiltration (HIRAIN) operation utilizing an Airbus A400M transport aircraft for the first time. This groundbreaking achievement marks a significant advancement in the rapid deployment of HIMARS using cargo aircraft. Previously, HIRAIN operations were primarily conducted using C-17 or C-130 transport aircraft. The successful integration of HIMARS with the A400M expands the range of available airlift platforms and offers increased flexibility for future deployments. RTX subsidiary Pratt & Whitney has completed its preliminary design review of the F135 engine core upgrade (ECU). The completion of this stage affirms the ECU design is proceeding according to schedule and exceeding expectations, the company said. The upgrade increases the engine’s durability and performance, which will “fully enable Block 4 and beyond capabilities for all three […]

Romania anticipates finalizing a government-to-government agreement with the United States to procure 5th generation F-35 fighter jets by this fall. Romania is poised to sign a government-to-government agreement with the United States to purchase latest-generation [...]

The post Romania Prepares to Modernize Its Fleet with $6.5 Billion F-35 Deal appeared first on The Aviationist.

In early 2023, Turkey announced the modernization of 35 F-16 Block 30 jets with domestically-developed software, avionics and electronics. Turkey is cutting back on its $23 billion contract with the US to modernize its fleet [...]

The post Turkey Seeks to Scale Down $23 Billion F-16 Deal with US, Perform Part of Modernization Locally appeared first on The Aviationist.

An important milestone was reached for the Maritime Surveillance Network III (MARSUR III) on 26 June 2024 as it marked the deployment phase of the network following the approval of the User Acceptance Test (UAT) results by the 16 contributing Member States (BE, BG, CY, DE, EL, ES, FI, FR, IE, IT, MT, NL, PL, PT, RO, SE) at the last Project Arrangement Board hosted by the EDA.

The UAT, hosted by the European Union Satellite Centre (SatCen) on 4 June 2024, is a technology development phase in which the network and its software were tested in the real world by its intended users. The test environment used for the MARSUR UAT consisted of 3 real nodes with synchronised software running on national servers located in SatCen, Italy and Cyprus and connected via the MARSUR network.

The success of the User Acceptance Test was witnessed by the MARSUR Technical Arrangement Board members from the 16 contributing Member States and MARSUR community representatives from 21 European Navies, both in person and remotely via a VTC connection.

All tests outlined in the approved User Acceptance Test Plan & Use Case Scenarios of real maritime track and information exchanges were fully and correctly executed, demonstrating the robustness and resilience of the MARSUR network.

This was an important milestone in a long and successful history that dates back to 2005, when EDA defence ministers asked the agency to create a maritime network using existing naval and maritime information sharing systems in the EU. Following the EDA Cat B projects MARSUR I and II, this latest EDA Cat B project MARSUR III was launched in December 2020 and will run until 2026, successfully fighting the obsolescence and technical problems of its predecessors.

16 contributing Member States now have an effective system for developing European Maritime Situational Awareness based on the MARSUR III network, and the deployment phase will provide confidence that the use of the network will increase, making it the tool of choice in the very short term and a capability to be recommended to any maritime commander.

The whole MARSUR initiative is one of the many excellent examples of what the Agency's framework can bring in terms of capability development for our participating Member States.

Background

One of the longest-running projects undertaken by the European Defence Agency (EDA), the Maritime Surveillance (MARSUR) project is a technical solution that allows dialog between European maritime information systems.

In August 2019 an updated version of the MARSUR Exchange System was agreed and has replaced the previous one. Under the latest EDA project in support of maritime surveillance (MARSUR III) a next-generation technology is being developed, enhancing the capabilities and improving performance. In addition, a “classified layer” is being developed at the level of EU RESTRICTED in a first phase, with a possible future upgrade to EU SECRET, based on the assessment of available budget, operational needs, and limitations.

   

Americas Raytheon won a $14 million deal for the Advanced Medium Range Air-to-Air Missile (AMRAAM) development lab management and maintenance program. This contract provides for the development branch of the Air Intercept Missile-120 AMRAAM that will manage the design, development, integration, and testing of hardware and software improvements to the AMRAAM. Work will be performed at Tucson, Arizona, and is expected to be completed by February 28, 2026. The Air Force Life Cycle Management Center, Robins Air Force Base, Georgia, is the contracting activity. Lockheed Martin won a $70 million modification, which?adds scope to provide a redesign of the synchronous dynamic random-access memory for the Technical Refresh Three integrated core processor and panoramic cockpit display in support of the F-35 aircraft diminishing manufacturing sources and material shortages for the Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps, and non-U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) participants. Work will be performed in Fort Worth, Texas, and is expected to be completed in January 2029.?Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, Maryland, is the contracting activity. Middle East & Africa Kenya has taken delivery of the first batch of military helicopters promised by the US during the recent state visit of Kenyan President William Ruto. Two UH-1 Huey military […]

AIM-120C from F-22A (click for test missile zoom) Raytheon’s AIM-120 Advanced, Medium-Range Air to Air Missile (AMRAAM) has become the world market leader for medium range air-to-air missiles, and is also beginning to make inroads within land-based defense systems. It was designed with the lessons of Vietnam in mind, and of local air combat exercises like ACEVAL and Red Flag. This DID FOCUS article covers successive generations of AMRAAM missiles, international contracts and key events from 2006 onward, and even some of its emerging competitors. One of the key lessons learned from Vietnam was that a fighter would be likely to encounter multiple enemies, and would need to launch and guide several missiles at once in order to ensure its survival. This had not been possible with the AIM-7 Sparrow, a “semi-active radar homing” missile that required a constant radar lock on one target. To make matters worse, enemy fighters were capable of launching missiles of their own. Pilots who weren’t free to maneuver after launch would often be forced to “break lock,” or be killed – sometimes even by a short-range missile fired during the last phases of their enemy’s approach. Since fighters that could carry radar-guided missiles like […]

The RuMoD extensively captured in a video the bomb’s loading, carriage, release, flight and final target engagement in explicit detail. Almost a month after it released footage of the massive 2,993 kg FAB-3000 bomb strapped [...]

The post Russia’s Monster FAB-3000 Glide Bomb Shown Employed By Su-34 Bombers appeared first on The Aviationist.

For $12k Shipped, A 60% Scale Model of Canada’s Legendary Interceptor is Up for Grabs. The legend of the Avro CF-105 Arrow advanced interceptor, its fascinating development and bizarre cancellation, is well known in aviation [...]

The post Check Out This Massive Avro CF-105 Arrow Stage Prop That You Could Own! appeared first on The Aviationist.

Experts say pursuing a Minuteman III life-extension until 2050 would cost significantly less than its replacement. The Pentagon’s continuation of the LGM-35A Sentinel ICBM (Inter-Continental Ballistic Missile) program, after it triggered the Nunn-McCurdy breach, marks [...]

The post Comparing The Options Of Maintaining Minuteman III And Developing The $140 Billion Sentinel ICBM appeared first on The Aviationist.