February 20, 2024 | International, Land
Diehl Defence and KAI intensify their cooperation
The purpose of the agreement is the joint goal to integrate the IRIS-T missile into FA-50/T-50 and KF-21 Block II aircraft.
July 20, 2020 | International, Aerospace
It’s do or die for Germany’s new missile defense weapon
COLOGNE, Germany — The German government continued another round of talks with vendors Lockheed Martin and MBDA this week about a contract for the TLVS missile defense system.
The ongoing negotiations suggest there is still no common ground on the legal framework for costs and risks associated with the next-generation program. Berlin had asked the contractors in early May to submit a revised bid, the third attempt to nail down a replacement for the country's aging Patriot fleet.
For its part, the Defence Ministry is still expecting a formal offer later this summer, a spokeswoman told Defense News on Friday.
Hiccups lie mostly within the industry team, specifically relating to how and if the U.S. defense giant Lockheed can bend to Berlin's demands that the contractors absorb the majority of risk if problems come up in the program.
German officials have so stretched the scope of desired capabilities of the former Medium Extended Air Defense System — the basis for TLVS — that the effort amounts to a new development, including a ramp for integrating defenses against hypersonic missiles.
Those high-tech aspirations come packaged in Germany's new defense acquisition process that seeks to right past procurement failures by pushing more liability to companies.
The ongoing negotiations come with the understanding that the new offer, if Lockheed decides to go forward sometime next month, equates to a contract-ready agreement that would be presented to lawmakers after the summer break.
Next year is an election year in Germany, which means there's little appetite to push big-ticket acquisitions come January.
A lot hangs on the TLVS program for Lockheed, as German defense leaders last year connected its outcome to the competition for a new heavy-lift helicopter fleet.
Lockheed's subsidiary Sikorsky is offering the CH-53K for that race, going against Boeing's CH-47 Chinook.
On the same subject
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January 6, 2023 | International, Aerospace
Pentagon awards L3Harris $40 mln anti-drone weapon systems contract
The U.S. Department of Defense awarded L3Harris Technologies Inc a $40 million contract to deliver 14 anti-drone weapon systems to bolster Ukraine's security forces, the defense contractor said on Friday.
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February 10, 2022 | International, Aerospace, Naval, Land, C4ISR, Security
Critères ESG : « On est dans une situation qui nous inquiète », selon Nicolas Voiriot, Président de Jacques Dubois
Un nombre croissant de fonds adoptent des critères de durabilité appelés ESG, lesquels tendent de plus en plus fréquemment à exclure l'industrie de l'armement, placée sur le même plan que des industries telles que celle du tabac, de l'exploitation du charbon ou de l'huile de palme. Air & Cosmos publie un entretien vidéo avec Jacques Voiriot, Président de Jacques Dubois, PME spécialisée dans le secteur Défense. « On est dans une situation qui nous inquiète. La Défense a un rôle essentiel dans la stabilité d'un pays. Le rôle de PME comme Jacques Dubois est de garantir un environnement stable dans lequel on peut avoir des politiques décisives dans des domaines comme l'environnement », souligne le dirigeant. « Les risques, si la taxonomie est appliquée, sont que les sociétés qui ont un rôle essentiel n'existent plus. Le financement est le fil de l'économie », insiste-t-il. « Les technologies développées pour la défense ont souvent une contribution à la vie civile », fait-il observer, évoquant des avancées dans les domaines aéronautique et médical, notamment. Air & Cosmos du 7 février