Back to news

December 12, 2024 | International, Aerospace

Elbit Systems Awarded Contracts Worth $175 Million to Supply EW and DIRCM Self-Protection Suites to a NATO European Country

Haifa, Israel, December 10, 2024 – Elbit Systems Ltd. announced today that it was awarded two contracts with an aggregate value of approximately $175 million for the supply of EW...

https://www.epicos.com/article/896149/elbit-systems-awarded-contracts-worth-175-million-supply-ew-and-dircm-self-protection

On the same subject

  • Convincing Congress: Secretive programs could prove harmful to Air Force funding plans

    February 25, 2020 | International, Aerospace

    Convincing Congress: Secretive programs could prove harmful to Air Force funding plans

    By: Valerie Insinna WASHINGTON — The words “classified program” conjure up images of experimental planes, highly advanced super weapons and unidentified flying objects operating under cloak and dagger at Area 51. But as the U.S. Air Force gears up to defend its fiscal 2021 budget on Capitol Hill, lifting the veil of secrecy on some of these programs will be key to getting lawmakers on board with controversial retirements of legacy aircraft, defense analysts said. In its FY21 budget proposal, the Air Force asked to cut 17 B-1 bombers, 44 A-10 jet aircraft, 24 Global Hawk Block 2 and 3 surveillance drones, as well as 13 KC-135 and 16 KC-10 tankers. It is also cutting the number of contractor-flown MQ-9 Reaper combat air patrols, and it will replace 24 C-130H airlifters with 19 C-130Js coming online. Those reductions net $21 billion in savings over the next five years, with about 40 percent of that spent on classified programs buried in the black budget, creating the initial appearance of capabilities disappearing without any kind of a replacement and no obvious boost to research and development funds. That could create a challenge for the Air Force as it tries to get members of Congress and their staff on board, Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Dave Goldfein acknowledged during an exclusive interview on Feb. 18 with Defense News. “Most of what we're giving up is unclassified. On the minus column you're going to see things that are real, that are flying right now that are all legacy, real legacy capability. It's a real risk to combatant commanders today. What we're buying — not all but a lot of it — is in the classified realm,” Goldfein said. “As we go forward with Congress, I think our biggest challenge, quite frankly, is we were able to talk up to the secret level and above inside the Department of Defense in most of our conversations. That's harder to do with Congress,” he added. The Air Force is trying to combat that by “doubling down” on office calls with lawmakers and congressional staff to discuss the classified investments. Goldfein said the service has done “well over 20” meetings with members of the congressional defense committees and is on track to brief every lawmaker willing to sit down for a classified briefing before public budget hearings start next month. But Mackenzie Eaglen, a defense budget expert at the American Enterprise Institute, noted that such briefings are time-consuming and may not be of interest to most lawmakers. "The members that are going to take the time to go to a [secure room] and get read in and figure out what's what — there are even some members of the armed services [that won't do that]. It's pretty limited who is going to have that kind of time,” she said. It will be important for the Air Force to publicly justify — at unclassified hearings and other venues — what its classified investments are going to enable, said Todd Harrison, a budget analyst with the Center for Strategic and International Studies. “How does it contribute to implementation of the [National Defense Strategy]? How does it address vulnerabilities in the force? How does it create strategic challenges for our adversaries? If they can talk about that and then [be] more explicit with Congress about how the money is being used, I think that could help mitigate some of this,” Harrison said. “If you can't talk about the new investment, the positive aspect for 40 percent of the cases, I think the Air Force is effectively going into this fight with one arm tied behind its back.” While the large investment in classified programs is a challenge, it is not insurmountable, said David Deptula, the dean of the Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies and a retired Air Force lieutenant general. “Because a good chunk is classified, that's a good thing. These are truly strategic advantages that we're investing in, and they're not items that you'd want out there in the public space,” he said. Goldfein is confident he will be able to convey to Congress the importance of retiring key aircraft at this point in time. “At least we can lay out the why,” he said. “It's going to be hard. Asking Congress to retire legacy aircraft is always hard. But I think we have a really positive story to tell, with the analysis behind it.” Across the board — whether the Air Force has to defend cuts to the B-1, A-10, Global Hawk or tanker fleet — the argument comes down to fleet management, he said. “We're putting on the table 17 B-1s, at least to this point,” Goldfein said. “Many of those 17 B-1s are on the ramp, but they were not flying. Then you do your business case on what it would take to actually get them back to a high enough readiness rate, and the business case actually doesn't justify it. “You'll see the same methodology we used for each of those weapons systems. How do you retire the oldest of each, refunnel that money into the remaining fleet so you can keep that fleet flying for longer?” But any skeptics in Congress will want to see hard data proving there are benefits to retiring some of these aircraft, or a plan to drive down risk, Harrison said. For instance, the Air Force is retiring its oldest, least capable B-1 bombers, but it will keep all associated maintainers and infrastructure, which cuts down on the savings. To make a case to Congress, the Air Force must make a strong argument on why that reduction could improve mission-capable rates, and the service must provide the statistics, he said. Regarding the KC-10 and KC-135 tanker reductions, Harrison said the Air Force must describe exactly what it will do to ameliorate a demand for aerial refueling that already exceeds what the service can provide. “What is the Air Force going to do over the next few years to mitigate the lack of tanker support? Is the Air Force going to go forward with some of the plans they've previously had to do contracted tanking as an interim solution like the Navy has been doing?” he wondered. And to justify the Global Hawk fleet, Harrison said, the Air Force may be called to defend why it is getting rid of those highly utilized assets instead of the aging inventory of U-2 spy planes. The biggest arguments in favor of keeping legacy aircraft will likely come from lawmakers in districts affected by retirements of legacy aircraft. It will be up to the Air Force to explain to those members what capabilities will come on board to replace it, or why these divestments need to take place even if there is no immediate replacement, Deptula said. “We'll see what happens,” he said. “I think in some districts you'll see understanding and support. If you look at the bomber issue ... with the promise of modernized B-21s that are coming on board, I think that there are some congressional districts and members who will go: ‘Yeah, OK, we understand that logic.' ” https://www.defensenews.com/digital-show-dailies/air-warfare-symposium/2020/02/24/convincing-congress-secretive-programs-could-prove-harmful-to-air-force-funding-plans/

  • AVION DE COMBAT DU FUTUR : DASSAULT AVIATION EXHORTE LA FRANCE ET L’ALLEMAGNE À S’ENTENDRE RAPIDEMENT

    September 17, 2019 | International, Aerospace

    AVION DE COMBAT DU FUTUR : DASSAULT AVIATION EXHORTE LA FRANCE ET L’ALLEMAGNE À S’ENTENDRE RAPIDEMENT

    Paris et Berlin doivent impérativement régler leurs différends sur l'avion de combat du futur, avertit Dassaut Aviation. Le projet européen d'avion de combat du futur tarde à prendre forme. A cet égard, le patron de Dassault Aviation a appelé Paris et Berlin à rapidement se mettre d'accord sur des règles d'exportations concernant le Système de Combat Aérien Futur (SCAF) franco-germano-espagnol, pour permettre de lancer les études menant à la conception d'un démonstrateur. "La notification (du contrat) des démonstrateurs aurait dû se faire en juin lors du salon du Bourget. Septembre devait être l'heure du lancement, on évoque aujourd'hui la fin de l'année. Attention que cela ne se décale pas trop encore", a mis en garde Eric Trappier à l'occasion de l'Université d'été de la défense sur la base aérienne d'Avord (Cher). Un démonstrateur est un premier prototype, capable de voler. "Ce n'est pas de l'impatience, c'est indispensable" pour conserver l'objectif d'une entrée en service à l'horizon 2040 avec un premier démonstrateur en 2026 comme il est prévu, a prévenu le patron de Dassault, qui assure la direction du programme côté industriels. Paris, Berlin et Madrid ont signé le 17 juin lors du salon du Bourget un accord-cadre structurant les trois pays autour du SCAF. Au coeur de ce système se trouve le futur chasseur (NGF, Next Generation Fighter), destiné à remplacer les actuels Rafale et Eurofighter. Un premier contrat d'architecture, d'un montant de 65 millions d'euros, avait été notifié en janvier à Dassault Aviation et Airbus. Mais pour Eric Trappier, "pour que ce projet prenne réellement son vol, il faut désormais dépasser le stade de la première étude qui nous a été notifié en début d'année. Il faut le poursuivre par le lancement des démonstrateurs, c'est vital". "La volonté de lancer un programme incombe toujours aux politiques et à eux seuls. Il reste encore des points délicats à trancher, notamment des points d'exportabilité", a-t-il noté. Une source gouvernementale française a toutefois confié à l'AFP : "nous sommes en train de converger" sur la question des exportations. https://www.capital.fr/economie-politique/avion-de-combat-du-futur-paris-et-berlin-doivent-regler-leurs-differends-selon-dassault-1350087

  • Pakistan to replace Orion patrol aircraft with Brazilian jetliner

    October 27, 2020 | International, Aerospace, Naval

    Pakistan to replace Orion patrol aircraft with Brazilian jetliner

    Usman Ansari ISLAMABAD — Pakistan's Navy has selected the Embraer Lineage 1000 jetliner to replace its P-3C Orion long-range maritime patrol aircraft, a source with knowledge of the program has confirmed to Defense News. Outgoing naval chief Adm. Adm. Zafar Mahmood Abbasi announced Oct. 6 that the Navy would replace its P-3C Orion fleet with 10 converted commercial jets, the first of which has been ordered. However, he did not identify the type. The Ministry of Defence Production, which handles acquisition, did not return requests for comment regarding the conversion and possible partners. With only a single aircraft ordered thus far, the program is in its early stages. When converted for Pakistani service, the aircraft will be called Sea Sultan. It is unclear if the aircraft is being acquired directly from the manufacturer or another party. Embraer did not respond to requests for comment. The question of what issues may arise in converting the aircraft was put to Douglas Barrie, an aerospace analyst at the International Institute for Strategic Studies: “Using a commercial turbofan engine-powered aircraft as the basis for an ASW [anti-submarine warfare] platform is not unheard of. After all, the U.S. P-8 is a Boeing 737-800 derivative," he said. But there are challenges in converting the aircraft, he added, "not least of all if internal weapons carriage is required where a bomb bay will need to be cut into the airframe.” The question of what issues may arise in converting the aircraft was put to Douglas Barrie, an aerospace analyst at the International Institute for Strategic Studies: “Using a commercial turbofan engine-powered aircraft as the basis for an ASW [anti-submarine warfare] platform is not unheard of. After all, the U.S. P-8 is a Boeing 737-800 derivative," he said. But there are challenges in converting the aircraft, he added, "not least of all if internal weapons carriage is required where a bomb bay will need to be cut into the airframe.” “[It is a] significant undertaking, and risk management is going to be important,” he said, adding that it's likely Embraer will be asked to help with the conversion, “otherwise the challenges just get all the greater.” Frederico Lemos, Embraer's defense representative who handles business in Asia, did not respond to Defense News' questions about whether the company is or would be involved in the conversion process. https://www.defensenews.com/naval/2020/10/26/pakistani-navy-confirms-brazilian-jetliner-will-replace-orion-patrol-aircraft/

All news