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December 24, 2018 | International, Naval

Brazil’s oil revenue is set to fuel multibillion-dollar warship program

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RIO DE JANEIRO — The incoming Brazilian government is poised to follow through on a plan to funnel oil and gas revenue toward new defense spending, leaving European shipbuilders hopeful that the country can afford its new corvette program.

Directing 2 percent of royalties from offshore drilling to the military has been a national policy for some time, but previous governments have never fully applied it, according to Eric Berthelot, who heads the Brazilian subsidiary of French shipbuilder Naval Group. Officials under outgoing president Michel Temer first moved to tap the oil fund and have so far forwarded roughly $650 million to state-owned Emgepron to manage new naval projects like the $1.5 billion Tamandaré frigate program.

The government of President-elect Jair Bolsonaro, a far-right politician who will take office in January, is expected to further implement the policy, according to several industry officials in Europe. They said Brazil's ability to pay for the program will be closely watched as the Bolsonaro government makes its first moves next year.

Naval Group is competing against Germany's ThyssenKrupp Marine Systems, Dutch shipbuilder Damen and Italy's Fincantieri. The Brazilian Navy and the four bidders are in the final stages of coordination before the proposals are due on March 8. The Navy is expected to pick a winner later that month, though it is possible officials will await the LAAD defense expo here in early April to announce results.

The Tamandaré program is for four ships and an initial eight-year maintenance package. The warships are meant to help protect Brazil's resource-rich waters up and down its vast coastline, dubbed the Blue Amazon.

European vendors tussling for business in the same competitions worldwide has become a recurring theme, fueling calls for consolidation of the continent's shipbuilding industry to retain a competitive edge.

“The Europeans are more divided than ever,” Naval Group Hervé Guillou told reporters at one of the company's offices here. But, he cautioned, “you have to wait for the right moment to consolidate.”

Naval Group and Fincantieri already have decided to join their businesses to some extent, but so far nothing concrete has sprung from those aspirations.

https://www.defensenews.com/global/the-americas/2018/12/21/brazils-oil-revenue-is-set-to-fuel-multibillion-dollar-warship-program

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  • Israel increases training via virtual battlefield center amid Hezbollah tensions

    August 6, 2020 | International, C4ISR

    Israel increases training via virtual battlefield center amid Hezbollah tensions

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Virtual training centers, like the one the IDF uses, have been increasingly popular worldwide. Elbit points to its work with the Royal Netherland Army simulation center (SimCen). “Military operations are becoming increasingly complex, while large-scale exercise opportunities occur less frequently due to cost, logistics and environmental constraints. Elbit Systems' new trainer provides Armed Forces with a flexible and scalable solution to train commanders,” according to Elbit Systems. The Givati brigade is usually deployed in southern Israel opposite the Gaza frontier. “The training prepared us for battle from a different angle. we will implement this on the battlefield on the day of command,” Shamaka said. Israel has faced tensions with Hamas in Gaza over the last years, including more than 1,500 rockets fired and clashes along the border, incidents at sea and involving drones. 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With Hezbollah tensions overshadowing training this July, the virtual exercise mimicked real-world challenges. “The virtual exercise was designed and generated to take place on the Lebanese border, in the Northern region of Israel. Facing the constant threat of attacks from Hezbollah, the IDF needs to be prepared to respond accordingly,” Shamaka said. “Should there be a need to destroy Hezbollah's infrastructure in Lebanon, we must be able to maneuver in a populated and complex environment. This virtual simulation system provides personnel with experience and familiarizes them with the hostile environment they would need to face in the case of conflict.” In the past Israel faced challenges in the 2006 war because of communications problems between units and dealing with Hezbollah fighters dug-in to the rural terrain and rocket fire near villages. Maj. Gen. 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  • DARPA: Using AI to Build Better Human-Machine Teams

    March 29, 2019 | International, C4ISR, Other Defence

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