Dassault Aviation: First Indian Air Force Rafale Handover to the Government of India

On the same subject

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  April 23, 2019 | International, Land

  Army Expects Major Competition for Bradley Fighting Vehicle Replacement

  The deputy commander of Army Futures Command told lawmakers recently that he expects the competition to replace the Bradley Fighting Vehicle to be highly competitive. The Army recently released the request for proposal (RFP) for the Next Generation Combat Vehicle-Optional Manned Vehicle (NGCV-OMFV), the second-highest priority in the service's new modernization strategy. The new vehicle will be designed to maneuver a squad of soldiers through dense urban terrain as well as wooded areas and deliver "decisive lethality" in close combat against a near-peer foe such as Russia, according to the RFP the Army released in late March https://www.military.com/daily-news/2019/04/03/army-expects-major-competition-bradley-fighting-vehicle-replacement.html

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  October 21, 2019 | International, Aerospace

  Le commandement de l'Espace sera installé à Toulouse

  La ministre de la Défense a indiqué dimanche que le commandement militaire de l'Espace, dont la création a été annoncée la veille par le président de la République, sera située à Toulouse. Elle a également précisé les premiers moyens qui seront alloués à cette nouvelle branche militaire. Le commandement militaire de l'espace dont le président Emmanuel Macron vient d'annoncer la création sera implanté à Toulouse, a affirmé dimanche la ministre des Armées Florence Parly sur France Inter. Ce grand commandement "va se localiser à Toulouse, qui est le grand lieu de l'espace francais", a-t-elle détaillé au lendemain de l'annonce du chef de l'Etat. "Nous allons rassembler tous les moyens qui sont dispersés dans nos armées et qui contribuent à la bonne utilisation des moyens spatiaux, et créer un commandement de l'espace", qui "va commencer par environ 200 personnes puis va monter en puissance au fil du temps", a souligné la ministre. Espionnage, brouillage, cyberattaques, armes antisatellites... L'espace, indispensable aux opérations militaires, est devenu un champ de confrontation entre nations, mettant la France au défi de muscler ses capacités dans ce thé'tre hautement stratégique et de plus en plus militarisé. Les plus grandes puissances spatiales mondiales -- Etats-Unis, Chine et Russie -- sont engagées depuis plusieurs années dans une course pour la domination de l'espace. Un budget de 3,6 milliards d'euros La Loi de programmation militaire française (LPM) 2019-2025 prévoit un budget de 3,6 milliards d'euros pour le spatial de défense. Il doit notamment permettre de financer le renouvellement des satellites français d'observation CSO et de communication (Syracuse), de lancer en orbite trois satellites d'écoute électromagnétique (CERES) et de moderniser le radar de surveillance spatiale GRAVES. Ce que nous avons constaté, c'est que l'espace est devenu un espace de conflictualité", a expliqué Mme Parly. "Il y a 1.500 satellites autour de la Terre, il y en aura 7.000 dans dix ans, et ces satellites sont de plus en plus considérés comme des objets qui peuvent être espionnés ou modifiés." "Il ne faut pas être naïf, il faut pouvoir protéger ce qui est vital pour le fonctionnement de nos systèmes de transport, nos systèmes aériens, nos hôpitaux (...) et ce qui est essentiel au bon fonctionnement de nos forces (armées, ndr)", a-t-elle conclu, en promettant de donner plus de détails "dans une dizaine de jours" sur la stratégie française dans le spatial militaire. https://www.latribune.fr/entreprises-finance/industrie/aeronautique-defense/le-commandement-de-l-espace-sera-installe-a-toulouse-823519.html

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  October 5, 2018 | International, Land

  Italy stalls on missile program as budget cuts loom

  By: Tom Kington ROME – Italy's new populist government has halted plans for a new missile defense system amid reports it will reduce defense procurements in 2019 to help fund welfare spending and tax cuts. This week, the defense ministry withdrew a request it had sent to parliament for permission to acquire the CAMM-ER missile system, built by European missile house MBDA and due to cost €545 million, or $626 million. The surprise U-turn on the program comes as Rome searches for funds to support a program of cash benefits for the poor and the jobless, pension boosts and tax cuts promised when the government took office in June. “There are real fears for procurement spending, with some predicting that €1 billion will be trimmed from procurements next year,” said an Italian defense-industry source who asked not to be named. Italy's defense procurement spending stood at €4.7 billion ($5.4 billion) in 2017, combining €2.1 billion from defense ministry coffers and €2.6 billion from Italy's Ministry for Economic Development. After inconclusive elections in March, the Five Star and League parties combined to form Italy's first populist government in June and announced their 2019 budget last week. It includes €10 billion for a so-called “citizen's wage," which Reuters reported amounts to a €780-per-month subsidy for the poorest Italians. The generous budget will push Italy's budget deficit up to 2.4 percent, arousing the wrath of European Union officials given the country's €2.4 trillion debt pile. Italian daily Corriere della Sera reported that during budget talks the head of the Five Star party warned Defense Minister Elisabetta Trenta that he would not agree on the launch of the CAMM-ER program this year. The report was denied by the government, but on Oct. 1 the request to parliament for approval of the purchase, which had been submitted on Aug. 10, was withdrawn, leaving it unclear whether it would be resubmitted. The Common Anti-air Modular Missile – Extended Range, to give it its full name, is a surface-to-air, short-and medium-range missile defense system. It is a variant of a similar weapon sold by manufacturer MBDA to the UK. Another sign of uncertainty hanging over Italy's defense spending is the absence so far this year of a three-year budget plan. Usually, in the spring, Italy's defense ministry publishes details of the current year's budget, with amounts listed per program, as well as budget predictions for the next two years. That document has yet to be published this year, suggesting a delay in calculating what funds can be made available in the coming years. The total government budget is now being nailed down for 2019, which will contain the top-line defense spending for next year. As such, next year's defense allocation may be discussed in parliament as early as next week. Meanwhile, the government has given conflicting signals about its commitments to the F-35 program, with defense minister Trenta suggesting Italy would stick to its order of 90 aircraft, before hinting the order would be cut. In a recent blog post, deputy prime minister Luigi Di Maio listed the F-35 as one of the projects the former Italian government had wasted money on. The new government so far has not formally telegraphed its interest in the UK's new plan for a fighter program, dubbed Tempest, despite the role to be played in that effort by Italy's Leonardo. The company operates facilities in the UK. However, last week, junior defense minister Angelo Tofalo said Italy “needed to enter the program immediately.” On Wednesday he told Defense News it was important that Italy took a leading role in international programs it joined. “The approach taken in the past has not allowed our country to acquire the know-how required to develop the most advanced technology autonomously. That is what happened, for example, on the F-35,” he said. https://www.defensenews.com/global/europe/2018/10/04/italy-stalls-on-missile-program-as-budget-cuts-loom