January 15, 2019 | International, Aerospace
WARSAW, Poland — The Croatian government has canceled its decision to purchase used F-16C/D Barak fighters from Israel, the Defence Ministry said in a Jan. 14 statement.
The move follows a recommendation by the Croatian Defence Council that authorities relaunch the procurement step of its fighter jet acquisition program, set up to replace the country's outdated Mikoyan MiG-21 fighters. The council is comprised of President Kolinda Grabar-Kitarovic, Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic, and a number of senior government, parliamentary and military officials.
After a thorough analysis of the canceled procurement, Plenkovic's cabinet will “define a new model” of acquiring fighter jets for the Croatian Air Force, the prime minister said.
Prior to the cancellation, Croatian Defence Minister Damir Krstičević said in a statement that “Israel has ... unfortunately officially informed the Ministry of Defence that it is unable to receive the adequate [third-party transfer] approval for the delivery of Israeli F-16 Barak aircraft to the Republic of Croatia.”
Earlier this month, the Croatian government said it had given “Israel a deadline on its capability to deliver the aircraft offered at the international tender” and that Israel was “responsible for obtaining the approval from the United States for the supply of the aircraft.”
Croatian officials have told local media the U.S. government accused its Israeli counterpart of unfair competition in the tender, in which the U.S. had offered Croatia secondhand F-16s. Other bidders included Greece, which offered used F-16s, and Sweden, which offered JAS 39 Gripen fighters.
September 10, 2023 | International, Naval
North Korea has launched its first operational "tactical nuclear attack submarine" and assigned it to the fleet that patrols the waters between the Korean peninsula and Japan, state media said on Friday.
March 10, 2021 | International, C4ISR
Airbus, Fujitsu et Thales UK ont signé un protocole d'accord pour travailler en collaboration sur la prochaine opportunité d'intégrateur de systèmes (SI) pour le ministère britannique de la Défense (MOD), le programme « LE TacCIS » (Land Environment Tactical Communications and Information Systems programme). Suite à la signature du protocole d'accord, les partenaires ont formé l'équipe ICELUS, dirigée par Airbus, qui réunira un collectif de partenaires stratégiques du MOD ayant une expertise en matière de réseaux de communication de défense. « Le programme LE TacCIS permettra de fournir la prochaine génération de communications militaires tactiques dans l'environnement terrestre, en fournissant les moyens de prendre des décisions éclairées et opportunes gr'ce à des systèmes d'information de communication (CIS) agiles », indique Airbus. Boursorama du 10 mars
June 29, 2020 | International, Aerospace
By: Joe Gould WASHINGTON ― Lockheed Martin has sent $1.1 billion in accelerated payment to support its network of suppliers amid the COVID-19 pandemic, the company announced Friday. The defense contracting giant has also hired 8,300 employees since the crisis began in March, with plans to hire 3,200 more before the end of the year. The hires mark a contrast with the rest of the U.S. economy, which saw the unemployment rate hit 13 percent this month and began a recession in February. “In this volatile environment, it is more important than ever before to maintain the operations of the defense industrial base and support our men and women in uniform,” Lockheed's new president and CEO, Jim Taiclet, said in a statement. Ever since the Pentagon announced it would speed progress payments to its suppliers to keep cash flowing in the defense-industrial base, it says it has made $3 billion in contract obligations. The Pentagon is working to support smaller firms in particular. Lockheed Martin said Friday it has “flowed all of the accelerated payments it has received from the Department of Defense to its supply chain, giving priority to small and vulnerable suppliers, as we continue our efforts to mitigate COVID-19 risks and promote a healthy Defense Industrial Base.” This wasn't the only good news for the sector this week. Ellen Lord, the undersecretary of defense for acquisition and sustainment, said at a Monday news conference that nearly all of the defense firms closed by the pandemic have reopened. “We see an enormous amount of recovery in the defense-industrial base. It depends on location and what type of work is being performed, but there is enormous progress coming back,” Lord said. “Obviously for manufacturing we need people on the line, so we're doing things differently in terms of following [the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's] guidelines and so forth.” Still, the Pentagon expects to see “inefficiencies” across most programs as well as cost growth. “COVID-19 is shutting down defense manufacturing facilities and production lines, disrupting supply chains, and distressing the financial stability of the companies DoD relies on to protect the nation,” Lord said. Due to the effects of the pandemic, Lockheed said it would slow F-35 production, leaving it anywhere from 18 to 24 jets short of the 141 scheduled for delivery this year. https://www.defensenews.com/2020/06/26/lockheed-paid-suppliers-11b-added-8300-jobs-since-covid-19-hit/