IAI ELTA Awarded 125 Million-Dollar Contract for Czech Mobile Air Defence Radar (MADR) Program

On the same subject

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  July 27, 2018 | International, Land

  Italy buys new tank — and it’s got much more going for it than its predecessor

  By: Tom Kington ROME — The Italian Army has signed a €159 million (U.S. $186 million) contract to acquire 10 Centauro II wheeled tanks, the first tranche of a planned 136-vehicle order. Manufactured by a consortium grouping Italian firms Leonardo and Iveco, the Centauro II is faster, more powerful and better protected than the Centauro tank already in service with the Italian Army, which it will replace. The new 30-ton Centauro features a 120mm cannon, digital communications and a 720-horsepower engine, and is seen by planners as a lightweight tank able to complement the Freccia armored troop carrier on which the Army is basing its new medium brigades. The new tank's enhanced digitalization means it will work better with the digital capabilities of the Freccia, and it provides 24 horsepower per ton compared to 19 for the old Centauro. Generals see the new Centauro as lighter and more flexible than a traditional tank, but with the same destructive power. The eight wheels of the new Centauro, which make it better suited for peacekeeping operations than a tracked vehicle, extend farther out from the hull of the vehicle than its predecessor to give it greater stability. The new design also means that any mines triggered by the pressure of the tire will detonate further from the hull. The Iveco-Oto Melara Consortium, or CIO, was established in 1985 on a 50-50 basis between Iveco and Oto Melara, which is now part of Leonardo. Leonardo said it was responsible for the vehicles' turret, including observation, targeting and communications systems, and was responsible for a €92 million share of the €159 million contract. https://www.defensenews.com/land/2018/07/26/italy-buys-new-tank-and-its-got-much-more-going-for-it-than-its-predecessor

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  May 1, 2019 | International, Aerospace

  Polish defense minister: F-35 acquisition ‘not far away’

  By: Jarosław Adamowski WARSAW, Poland — Polish Defence Minister Mariusz Blaszczak said April 29 that the Polish government aimed to sign a deal to station U.S. troops in Poland this year, and a contract to purchase F-35 fighter jets was “not far away” from being signed. Blaszczak's announcement in an interview with local broadcaster TVP indicates that Warsaw could aim to negotiate on the potential troop deployment in parallel with the aircraft acquisition. Poland has pitched for the United States to build a permanent military base in the country, offering to pay at least $2 billion toward the project, dubbed “Fort Trump.” On April 25, during her visit to Warsaw, Air Force Secretary Heather Wilson said that a U.S. Air Force team was to be sent to Poland in May to demonstrate the capabilities of the F-35 to Polish defence ministry officials, as reported by local news agency PAP. Last February, Blaszczak said the planned acquisition of 32 fifth-generation aircraft would be carried out as part of the country's military modernization program. Under the initiative, Warsaw aims to spend 185 billion zloty ($48.5 billion) on new weapons and equipment by 2026. The envisioned procurement is part of Poland's efforts to to replace its outdated Soviet-designed Sukhoi Su-22 and Mikoyan MiG-29 fighter jets. https://www.defensenews.com/global/europe/2019/04/30/polish-defense-minister-f-35-acquisition-not-far-away/

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  December 24, 2018 | International, Naval

  Brazil’s oil revenue is set to fuel multibillion-dollar warship program

  By: Sebastian Sprenger RIO DE JANEIRO — The incoming Brazilian government is poised to follow through on a plan to funnel oil and gas revenue toward new defense spending, leaving European shipbuilders hopeful that the country can afford its new corvette program. Directing 2 percent of royalties from offshore drilling to the military has been a national policy for some time, but previous governments have never fully applied it, according to Eric Berthelot, who heads the Brazilian subsidiary of French shipbuilder Naval Group. Officials under outgoing president Michel Temer first moved to tap the oil fund and have so far forwarded roughly $650 million to state-owned Emgepron to manage new naval projects like the $1.5 billion Tamandaré frigate program. The government of President-elect Jair Bolsonaro, a far-right politician who will take office in January, is expected to further implement the policy, according to several industry officials in Europe. They said Brazil's ability to pay for the program will be closely watched as the Bolsonaro government makes its first moves next year. Naval Group is competing against Germany's ThyssenKrupp Marine Systems, Dutch shipbuilder Damen and Italy's Fincantieri. The Brazilian Navy and the four bidders are in the final stages of coordination before the proposals are due on March 8. The Navy is expected to pick a winner later that month, though it is possible officials will await the LAAD defense expo here in early April to announce results. The Tamandaré program is for four ships and an initial eight-year maintenance package. The warships are meant to help protect Brazil's resource-rich waters up and down its vast coastline, dubbed the Blue Amazon. European vendors tussling for business in the same competitions worldwide has become a recurring theme, fueling calls for consolidation of the continent's shipbuilding industry to retain a competitive edge. “The Europeans are more divided than ever,” Naval Group Hervé Guillou told reporters at one of the company's offices here. But, he cautioned, “you have to wait for the right moment to consolidate.” Naval Group and Fincantieri already have decided to join their businesses to some extent, but so far nothing concrete has sprung from those aspirations. https://www.defensenews.com/global/the-americas/2018/12/21/brazils-oil-revenue-is-set-to-fuel-multibillion-dollar-warship-program