November 19, 2023 | International, Land
Northrop pushes Battle Command tool to a missile-defense hungry Europe
The company is marketing its Integrated Battle Command System as the glue for disparate systems.
September 10, 2020 | International, Land
Four European armored vehicles qualify for Polish competition
KIELCE, Poland — Poland has accepted four offers to move forward in a competition to potentially provide several hundred armored personnel carriers to the country's military, the Ministry of Defence announced.
Out of the 12 vehicles submitted in the initial stage of the tender, the ministry accepted four APCs:
- Fortress MK2, jointly offered by France's Arquus and Poland's H. Cegielski-Poznan plant.
- Hawkei, developed by French firm Thales.
- Patriot II, offered by Polish manufacturer Huta Stalowa Wola and Czech defense group Tatra Export.
- Tur V, developed by Polish vehicle-maker AMZ Kutno.
The Fortress MK2 weighs 14.5 tons, and its engine is enabled with a 340-horsepower (250-kilowatt) capacity.
The Hawkei is a 7-ton vehicle, and its engine offers 268-horsepower.
The Patriot II weighs 13-17 tons, depending on the version, and its engine enabled with 362-402-horsepower capacity.
Weighing 9 tons, the Tur V is fitted with an engine that offers a 322-horsepower capacity.
By the end of this year, the Polish ministry is expected to provide the tender's participants with detailed technical specifications. Under the plan, the vehicle will be produced in Poland, and the first units are to be delivered to the Polish military two years after the contract is awarded.
On the same subject
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July 29, 2019 | International, Aerospace
France plans to boost its self-defense posture in space
By: Christina Mackenzie PARIS – France has decided that by 2025 it will invest another €700 million ($780 million), in addition to the €3.6 billion ($4 billion) already earmarked, to boost its space capabilities, strengthening its means of surveillance and acquiring the means to self-defend in space. “If our satellites are threatened, we will blind those of our adversaries. We reserve the right to choose the time and means of the riposte: it could imply using powerful lasers deployed from our satellites or from patroller nano-satellites,” explained Armed Forces Minister Florence Parly on July 25. The announcement comes on the heels of the one made by President Emmanuel Macron on July 13 that a Space Command would be created on Sept. 1 in Toulouse, south-west France. Initially staffed by 220 people, it will be subordinated to the Air Force whose name will change to become the Air and Space Force (Armée de l'Air et de l'Espace). “Eventually, this command will be responsible for all our space operations, under the orders of the chief of staff of the armed forces,” Parly said at the Air Defense and Air Operations Command (CDAOA) on Airbase 942 in Lyon-Mont Verdun. She explained that “today our allies and our military adversaries are militarizing space. [...] We must act. We must be ready.” To this end she announced a new weapons program called “Mastering Space” with two major components: surveillance and active defense. France is one of the few countries to have its own space surveillance system thanks to the Graves and Satam radars and the telescopes deployed by the Ariane Group and the CNRS (the state-funded scientific research center). “The successor of Graves must be able to detect satellites 1,500 kilometers away that are no bigger than a shoe-box,” she declared. Actions would be taken to protect satellites, such as adding surveillance cameras to the Syracuse communications satellites and procuring patroller nano-satellites from 2023, according to the defense minister. Officials stress that this new strategy falls entirely within international legal framworks, which guarantee freedom of exploration and use of space as well as the principle of self-defense. However, France's own National Space Law will have to be adapted within an inter-ministerial framework in order to take account of the specifics of military space. https://www.defensenews.com/global/europe/2019/07/26/france-plans-to-boost-its-self-defense-posture-in-space/
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October 12, 2021 | International, Aerospace, Naval, Land, C4ISR, Security
How will Europe's planned semiconductor strategy affect its nations' military ambitions?
The European Union wants to build its own microchip manufacturing capability to counterbalance the dominant Asian market and ensure enduring technological sovereignty.