March 3, 2021 | International, Naval
The new subs are expected to mix German technology with more Italian content than a previous batch of four U212 boats.
April 28, 2023 | International, Other Defence
While some defense firms expressed optimism about supply chains, problems remain. Several companies are looking for ways to manage them more efficiently.
February 12, 2020 | International, Aerospace, Naval
by Robert Farley Follow drfarls on TwitterL Key Point: Paris has a long history of building aircraft carriers, including their current nuclear-powered Charles de Gaulle. If France wants to remain a relevant great power, it needs to think about what comes next after its carrier reaches retirement. France's first carrier entered service in the interwar period, but for a very long time the French navy trailed behind international counterparts in naval aviation. This changed in the Cold War, however, and today France operates the world's most advanced carrier outside of the U.S. Navy. How did France build its naval aviation force, what does it do today and what direction will France take next? The History of French Carriers Soon after World War I, France joined the international carrier community through the conversion of the battleship hulk Bearn. Although large, Bearn did not carry many aircraft and never actively participated in combat, even during World War II. The construction of two additional large carriers was suspended by World War II, but after the war the French navy gained access to light carriers transferred from Britain and the United States. Four in total, these carriers helped the French navy develop its naval aviation muscles. The next step was big; France constructed a pair of CATOBAR aircraft carriers, Clemenceau and Foch. Commissioned in 1961 and 1963, the ships displaced 30,000 tons and could carry around forty modern aircraft. A third carrier, the much larger Verdun, was cancelled before being laid down. Clemenceau and Foch, operating the F-8 Crusader and later the Super Etendard, would form the backbone of the world's second largest carrier force for the latter half of the Cold War. After nearly forty years of hard service, the two ships were decommissioned in favor of France's next carrier, the nuclear-powered Charles de Gaulle. https://nationalinterest.org/blog/buzz/can-france-eventually-replace-its-single-aircraft-carrier-122231
March 3, 2021 | International, Aerospace, Naval, Land, C4ISR, Security
L'édition 2021 du rapport annuel « Military Balance », publié par l'institut britannique IISS, évoque des dépenses militaires mondiales record en 2020, évaluées à 1 830 milliards de dollars, soit une progression annuelle de 3,9%, en termes réels, après une hausse de 4% en 2019 considérée comme la plus forte de toute la décennie. En proportion du PIB, ces dépenses mondiales passent ainsi, pour la première fois, tout juste au-dessus de la barre des 2%, la plupart des pays ayant maintenu leurs budgets militaires malgré la crise de la Covid-19. Le budget de la défense américain a ainsi bondi de 6,3% en 2020, celui de la Chine de 5,2%. Les deux Etats pèsent pour les deux tiers de la hausse des dépenses mondiales. De plus, désormais, l'Asie représente le quart des dépenses de défense mondiale, contre 17,8% en 2010, et dépense plus pour sa défense que tout le continent européen. Les Echos du 27 février 2021