Army’s high-energy laser competition to kick off early next year

On the same subject

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  January 1, 2024 | International, Aerospace

  New in 2024: With first B-21 flight done, Northrop eyes next contract

  The first B-21 flight came nearly a year after its highly publicized December 2022 debut in California.

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  April 27, 2018 | International, Aerospace

  Thales et trois groupes comptent équiper le future drone MALE

  PARIS (Reuters) - Quatre groupes européens, dont le français Thales, ont annoncé mardi leur intention de coopérer pour doter le futur drone de surveillance européen de fonctions avancées de traitement de données et de communications. L'italien Elettronica, l'allemand Hensoldt, l'espagnol Indra et Thales précisent dans un communiqué commun avoir signé un protocole d'accord pour fournir des fonctions de renseignement, de surveillance, d'acquisitions de cibles et de reconnaissances (Istar) au futur drone en préparation par leurs quatre pays. "L'équipe est ouverte à la coopération avec d'autres entreprises", soulignent les quatre groupes. La phase de développement du drone MALE (haute altitude longue endurance) devrait démarrer en 2019. Airbus Defense and Space, Dassault Aviation (premier actionnaire industriel de Thales) et l'italien Leonardo avaient signé le contrat d'étude de définition en août 2016. Thales apportera son expertise dans les systèmes de missions de défense en se basant sur les technologies de connectivité, de big data (traitement massif de données), d'intelligence artificielle et de cybersécurité, fait valoir Patrice Caine, PDG du groupe français, cité dans le communiqué. (Cyril Altmeyer, édité par Matthieu Protard) https://www.capital.fr/entreprises-marches/thales-et-trois-groupes-comptent-equiper-le-futur-drone-male-1284701

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  September 10, 2020 | International, Land

  Hyundai Rotem eyes Polish contractors for work on battle tank

  KIELCE, Poland — Hyundai Rotem is offering Polish defense industry players the opportunity to jointly produce the K2PL main battle tank, a variant of its K2 Black Panther. The South Korean company hopes it could benefit from the current lull in Warsaw's talks with Berlin and Paris. Last year, Poland's Ministry of Defence declared it was ready to join the European Main Battle Tank project, an initiative spearheaded by Germany and France, but talks between the three countries have since stalled. A Polish military official told Defense News that Warsaw is unlikely to cooperate with Paris and Berlin on a joint tank program, and the Defence Ministry is looking for alternative partners. “We're open to cooperating with Polish companies, such as [the leading state-run group] PGZ. The tank would be produced in Poland, and we would provide Polish plants with our technology,” Lee Han-Soo, a senior manager at Hyundai Rotem's global defense sales and marketing team, told Defense News at the MSPO defense industry show. “Production of this tank began a few years ago, and our technology is cutting-edge in comparison with our rivals' products.” The Polish land forces operate some 247 Leopard 2 A4 and A5 tanks acquired from the German Bundeswehr, but the country's military urgently need to procure new gear to replace its Soviet-designed 500 T-72 and PT-91 tanks. Local observers said Warsaw could purchase up to 800 new tanks. Poland's plan to modernize its tank fleet is part of a regional trend. In the aftermath of Russia's invasion on Ukraine and Moscow's annexation of the Ukrainian Crimean peninsula in 2014, a number of Eastern European allies have launched similar efforts. Hyundai Rotem aims to offer the K2PL in other tenders across the region. “We're looking to offer our product in other tenders if the Czech Republic and Slovakia, and also other countries, decide to order new tanks," Lee said. “This is why the Polish project is so important to us.” https://www.defensenews.com/global/europe/2020/09/09/hyundai-rotem-eyes-polish-contractors-for-work-on-battle-tank