Defence`s Feeds

The China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation (CASC) unveiled a new lightweight and man-portable precision missile system at the 2016 China International Aviation Exhibition Center (Airshow China) in Zhuhai in early November. Designated the Xiu Jian (Hidden Blade) lightweight multirole

Japanese company ShinMaywa Industries is moving forward with its potential programme to provide its US-2 amphibious search-and-rescue (SAR) aircraft to Indonesia, industry officials have told IHS Jane's at the Indo Defence 2016 exhibition in Jakarta. The programme features the initial supply of

As the present seventh edition of Indonesia’s tri-service exposition and forum is nearing completion, it can already be hailed as a great success and the country will be looking forward to exceeding participation in 2018.

Indian company Tata Motors (Hall D, Stand 228) is displaying two of its latest production cross-country military trucks, the LPTA715 and the LPTA 2036.

The Indonesia Light Strike Vehicle (ILSV) will enter production is 2017 with an undisclosed customer placing an initial contract for 20 units.

Terma (Hall D, Stand 004) has successfully demonstrated the integration of an anti-torpedo countermeasure into its C-Guard shipborne soft-kill weapon system.

Aselsan, a Turkish Armed Forces Foundation company, is continuing to develop its capability in submarine electronic warfare (EW) on the back of recent contracts for the Turkish Naval Forces Command and export.

China Aerospace Long-March International (Hall B, Stand 038) is expanding its product range of surface to air missiles (SAM) with the introduction of the FB-10, which is described as a “mobile light air defence missile system”.

The Royal Canadian Navy’s CH148 Cyclone helicopter has conducted its first anti-submarine warfare (ASW) events with the Victoria-class submarine HMCS Windsor off the coast of Nova Scotia.

Science Applications International Corp (SAIC) has received a contract from US Naval Sea Systems Command (NAVSEA) to manufacture components of MK 48 Mod 7 heavyweight torpedoes.

Bechtel Plant Machinery has received a contract modification to supply naval nuclear propulsion systems to the US Navy.

Americas

• After much wrangling, Lockheed Martin and the Pentagon have concluded negotiations on the ninth lot of the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter program with a unilateral agreement that will see 57 jets produced for $6.1 billion. At $107 million per plane, this is the lowest price per plane thus far. The deal will give profit margin certainty to Lockheed and its partners who have been producing the jet under a placeholder agreement known as an “undefinitized contract action,” something the company would have preferred to not have to deal with. Lockheed said that the latest lot is “not a mutually agreed upon contract, it was a unilateral contract action, which obligates us to perform under standard terms and conditions, and previously agreed-to items.” Lot ten negotiations, for 94 aircraft, are still underway.

• Northrop Grumman will help to develop a directed energy laser system for self-protection of next-gen jets for the USAF. The Air Force Research Laboratory contract has tasked the company to develop and produce the beam control piece of an airborne laser weapon demonstration array that the laboratory is developing as part of the Self-Protect High Energy Laser Demonstrator (SHiELD) program. Testing is to begin in 2019. The laser would reside in a pod that could be attached to fighter-sized aircraft, with the system tested on aircraft flying at supersonic speed.

Middle East & North Africa

• Following a number of high-profile drone incidents, Dubai is testing out ways to detect and track drones in order to prevent them from disrupting flights at its airport. Trials are currently underway to create a tracking system to detect the real-time location of any nearby drone and the radio frequency on which it is being operated. Other measures suggested by aviation associations representing airlines, pilots and airports across Europe have called for mandatory registration and training of drone users following a number of near-misses.

Europe

• Consortiums led by BAE Systems and Rheinmetall have been selected by the the UK MoD for the assessment phase of the Challenger 2 life extension project (LEP). Both groups were selected as the preferred bidders by the government, aimed at modernizing up to 227 of the aging Challenger 2 tanks currently in service with the British Army. Two $23 million contracts for the assessment phase are expected before the end of the year for a 24-month assessment program ahead of selection of a winning proposal in 2019. The winners stand to earn $802 million from the project.

• An F-16 with the 416th Flight Test Squadron at Edwards Air Force Base, USA, is carrying out risk-mitigation testing of the Joint Strike Missile (JSM), a fifth-generation, long-range, precision-guided, stand-off missile system designed by Kongsberg Defence Systems and being developed for the Norwegian armed forces. While the weapon will be eventually integrated on Norwegian F-35s, testing on the F-16 will allow for easier integration on the next-generation stealth fighter. The JSM is designed to be carried in the F-35A’s internal weapons bay and is the only powered, anti-surface warfare missile to do so according to Norwegian officials.

• The German high court will soon rule on Germany’s decision to lease a Heron TP UAV from IAI, following legal action mounted by rival bidder General Atomics Aeronautical Systems. Berlin decided earlier this year to lease the Israeli-made drone based on previous experience with the Heron I but met opposition from GA based on the fact that the decision was made without a competition. German sources have called the legal action “a very rude intervention in Germany’s sovereignty.”

Asia Pacific

• A Chinese company is to receive three Russian helicopters following an announcement at the Airshow China 2016. Jiangsu Baoli Aviation Equipment Co. is set to receive Mi-171A and Ka-32 helicopters as well as an Ansat light helicopter in a medevac configuration. Delivery is slated for next year.

• India is expected to announce its new blacklisting policy for foreign defense companies guilty of corruption next month. While the exact details are yet to be known, companies will not be given a blanket ban and will be allowed to participate in future competitions following the payment of an economic penalty. It remains to be seen whether the six foreign companies currently blacklisted under the current graft regime will be allowed back into the fold.

Today’s Video

ANSAT Light multi-role helicopter:

IAI Heron
(click to view full)

Germany has just added itself to the list of countries leasing UAV services for the Afghan conflict, by signing a contract with Rheinmetall Defense and their partners at Israel Aerospace Industries to provide an unspecified number of Heron UAVs as the SAATEG (System zur Abbildenden Aufklarung in der Tiefe des Einsatzgebietes). Rheinmetall’s KZO tactical UAV began operating in Afghanistan in 2009, but the Heron is a larger UAV with much better endurance and payload.

Contracts & Key Events ImLite
(click to view full)

November 4/16: The German high court will soon rule on Germany’s decision to lease a Heron TP UAV from IAI, following legal action mounted by rival bidder General Atomics Aeronautical Systems. Berlin decided earlier this year to lease the Israeli-made drone based on previous experience with the Heron I but met opposition from GA based on the fact that the decision was made without a competition. German sources have called the legal action “a very rude intervention in Germany’s sovereignty.”

July 13/11: German defense minister Thomas de Maiziere travels to Israel. On the agenda: extension of the Heron contract to 2014. Der Spiegel [in German].

July 8/11: Aviation Week reports on Germany’s high-end UAV plans, beyond its planned 6 RQ-4 Euro-Hawk surveillance and SIGINT drones. The publication states that Germany is looking to field 16 systems of MALE drones over the next decade, to replace the current Heron UAV lease.

Nov 8/10: It’s not just about UAVs. Defense Update reports that the German Air Force has become RAFAEL’s 1st international customer for the ImiLite “multi-intelligence” Intelligence Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR) processing system. The Luftwaffe already uses Rafael’s Reccelite pods on Tornado strike aircraft in theater, though engagement restrictions have basically the turned the fighters into fast reconnaissance jets.

With ImiLite, information from leased Heron UAVs and Tornado aircraft can now be shared on the ground, avoiding delays created by sending all of the data to a central facility. ImiLite links directly to both pod and UAV feeds, hence its “multi-intelligence” designation, and is capable of processing multiple sources in parallel. Analysts can “peel away” layers to focus on specific sensor types, and track back through feeds for forensic analysis. Defense Update.

Sept 17/10: Rheinmetall Defence announces that the follow-on SAATEG contract option has been picked up, for another 2 years of UAV services in Afghanistan. It will run from Oct 23/10 to Oct 22/12, in return for a “substantial 8-figure euro” sum.

The fleet of 3 Heron-1 UAVs has already completed its first 1,000 hours of flight time on behalf of the Bundeswehr in Afghanistan, flying for up to 24 hours at a stretch. Rheinmetall Defence

March 18/10: Oops. The Luftwaffe confirms that one of its Heron UAVs struck a parked aircraft while being rolled back after landing at Mazar-e Sharif air base. “There was damage to both aircraft,” the air force confirms, without providing further details. It has launched an investigation to determine the cause of the accident. Luftwaffe | Flight International.

Luftwaffe: Heron-1
by M. Bertram
(click to view full)

March 17/10: The leased “SAATEG Intermediate Solution” system of “two different unmanned aerial vehicles, including three Heron 1 aircraft and two ground control stations, which Rheinmetall makes available as part of an operator solution” at Mazar-e-Sharif AB, Afghanistan, goes into full operation. The other UAV is presumably Rheimetall’s own KZO.

The German acronym SAATEG stands for “system for imagery reconnaissance deep in the area of operations,” and is is used for real-time aerial surveillance and reconnaissance throughout the German ISAF contingent’s North-Central area of operations. They are supported by a complete maintenance organization in Afghanistan, staffed it with Rheinmetall personnel. Overall operations and control of the aircraft during reconnaissance missions is of course in the hands of German military personnel. Rheinmetall Defence.

Oct 28/09: A “multi-million Euro” contract will see the Bundeswehr lease a Heron UAV system and support from Rheinmetall for 1 year, with an option for a 2 year-extension. Flight operations will commence by mid March 2010, backed by an in-theater 24/7 maintenance and support center. Rheinmetall | IAI.

Different IAI Heron variants are already serving in Afghanistan, with the Canadians and Australians leasing Heron-1 UAVs operated by MDA, while France fields a larger “SIDM” Heron TP variant that’s built and maintained by EADS. The pictures put forward in the Rheinmetall and IAI releases suggested that the German system would be IAI’s Heron TP, but subsequent Luftwaffe pictures established them as conventional Heron 1s.

The Herons will join other leased UAVs in theater with Australia (Heron-1, Boeing’s ScanEagle), Britain (Elbit Systems’ Hermes 450), Canada (Heron-1, ScanEagle), the Netherlands (Aeronautics DS’ Aerostar), and Poland (Aerostar).

Oct 28/09: At least one article [in German] claims that negative experiences with American weapons export bureaucracies and laws shifted the competition away from the MQ-9 Reaper, undermining trust that Germany’s Aug 1/08 DSCA request would result in UAVs that were available on time for the Afghanistan deployment.

It remains to be seen whether the Herons end up serving as an interim bridge to future systems like the Franco-German-Italian Talarion, or an MQ-9 order follows later.

Aug 13/09: Flight International reports that Germany considered the MQ-9 Reaper, Heron-1, and Heron-2/TP for its UAV needs, but decided to look at leasing the Israeli UAVs instead of buying Reapers:

“Germany is going a different path,” says GA-ASI chief executive officer Thomas Cassidy. “They are looking at leasing from an Israeli company. Whether or not that continues or not I don’t know. We have Predator Bs available if they want to switch to Predator Bs.”

The Chief Executive of the European Defence Agency (EDA), Jorge Domecq, today addressed Spanish security and defence stakeholders at a seminar in Seville on European Union funding opportunities. The event was jointly organised by the EDA, the Spanish Ministry of Defence and the Agency of Innovation and Development of Andalusia (IDEA).

Around 130 representatives from the Spanish Ministry of Defence, defence industry and business associations, defence-related research and technology organisations and universities participated in the seminar, which included awareness raising and in-depth know-how building sessions.

The seminar showed in concrete terms how to access funding and other instruments available within two major European Union funding programmes running until 2020, i.e. COSME (EU Programme for COmpetitiveness of SMEs) and the Structural Funds. Rear Adm. Jesús Manrique Braojos, Deputy NAD of the Ministry of Defence of the Kingdom of Spain, welcomed the audience followed by introductory remarks by the Andalusian regional minister for Employment, Enterprise and Commerce, José Sanchez Maldonado.

In his opening speech, EDA Chief Executive Jorge Domecq said: "A 'window of opportunities' was opened by both the June 2016 EU Global Strategy of the High Representative of the Union, Federica Mogherini, and the State of the Union speech by Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker in September. The Global Strategy clearly stated that Union funds - to support defence research and technologies and multinational cooperation - are essential prerequisites for European security and defence efforts, underpinned by a strong European defence industry. EDA’s work has already provided a positive answer to the question whether Structural Funds may co-fund dual-use research and technology projects, which clearly have a favourable impact on both the civilian and the defence fields. EDA has also recently clarified the conditions legitimizing access - for both defence and dual-use related SMEs and clusters - to the opportunities of the EU COSME Programme 2014-2020. Altogether, considering EDA encouraging results on Structural Funds and COSME so far, one can say that the time for action is now”.

Both the European Commission and the Spanish Ministry of Enterprises and Public Administrations’ Directorate in charge for the coordination of the national deployment of Structural Funds made presentations about currently available EU funding for the defence sector.

A particular focus was put on dual-use R&T funding and on the Enterprise Europe Network’s local free services in native languages.

Additionally, more than 40 Spanish project managers were trained to apply for the European Regional Development Fund during a dedicated coaching session. Finally, around 60 business-to-business meetings were arranged during a conclusive matchmaking session.

The seminar raised interest across all attending stakeholders, who have established promising contacts in view of an effective follow-up aimed at accessing EU funding opportunities.

Taking into account the increasingly blurred lines between internal and external security on the one hand and civil and defence technology on the other hand, different stakeholders exchanged views with Mr Domecq on how to take advantage of EDA’s work, through close cooperation with the Ministry of Defence of the Kingdom of Spain, in order to promote civil/military synergies wherever appropriate.

 

More information:

• Access to EU funding (EDA project page)
• Dual-use research (EDA project page)
• 3 out of 3: another EDA supported dual-use R&T project is awarded ESIF funding (EDA News)
• Polish dual-use R&T project co-funded by ESIF (EDA news)
• New funding opportunity for dual-use research

Larsen & Toubro (L&T) is a multi-billion dollar engineering, construction and financial services conglomerate with extensive proven capabilities in providing equipment and systems for the defence sector for several decades.

iXBlue is a leading provider of navigation, imaging and positioning solutions for first-rank ships, submarines and autonomous underwater vehicles (AUV).

Situated for over 40 years on its original site in Lugano, in the south of Switzerland, Trasfor has developed a global reputation for the design and manufacture of custom-built dry-type transformers and inductors.

With more than 130 years of experience, Noske-Kaeser is one of the most successful suppliers of marine equipment. As a reliable partner of the shipbuilding industry, Noske-Kaeser provides customised,...

Calzoni S.r.l. (former Riva Calzoni) is an Italian Company, part of Kollmorgen EO, which has been operating in the naval market for more than 40 years.

As the defence and security landscape moves into more complex and uncharted areas, studying and developing the capabilities of the future is becoming increasingly challenging. The emergence of new platform concepts and the lead times, often spanning over decades, for materials used in major platforms result in a pressing need to start research efforts in the present. On 18 October 2016, 25 experts from various European Ministries of Defence, the U.S. Department of Defense, European institutions, and industry participated in an EDA workshop to identify materials envisioned to be used by military forces in the year 2050.

High-level experts on materials and defence technologies gathered to discuss the types and functionalities of materials with a potential to improve military operations in 35 years as well as major advances that might be foreseen. Thought-provoking presentations from the European Defence Agency (EDA), the Swedish Defence Research Agency (FOI), the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD), the European Union Institute for Security Studies (EUISS) and the European Space Agency (ESA) underlined the importance of long-term defence R&T strategic planning. They showed how innovative materials and manufacturing can be used in a wide range of applications - lowering the burden of the soldier, stealth and protection, ammunition enhancements - and can improve the lifespan, logistical aspects and functional capabilities of existing & future platforms – air, naval and land.

Using a structured brainstorming method, the organizers dynamically combined the various experts in groups to create a maximum level of interaction and balance between governmental and non-governmental actors. The main outcome of the workshop was the identification of promising ideas and possible Research & Technology needs in 4 main areas: additive manufacturing, advanced smart materials, functional materials and structural materials. Computer-assisted modelling, deployed 3D printing, multifunctional materials, integrated sensors, frequency-adaptive signature control materials, and biomimetics were among the topics viewed to be of especially high interest for military forces in the next decades.

Although the participants recognized that predicting the future poses difficulties in the context of evolving political, technological, economic and legislative factors, they considered that defence technology in 2050 will be shaped by capitalizing on the windows of opportunity opened in the present.

The seminar was co-organized by the EDA’s CapTech on Materials & Structures, Fraunhofer INT, ISDEFE, FOI, FFI.

More information:

• For further information, please contact Materials@eda.europa.eu
• European Defence Agency Role in Research & Technology - Towards Enhanced European Future Military Capabilities
• EDA Defence Research & Technology conference report available now (news published on 19 May 2016)