Le drone Patroller maritime de Safran prouve sa maturité lors de la démonstration finale du projet OCEAN2020

On the same subject

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  August 15, 2023 | International, C4ISR, Security

  AI will play critical role in managing US supply chains

  We need end-to-end visibility—giving companies the foresight to keep out bad actors undermining our national security.

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  December 7, 2020 | International, Land

  German industry lead prepares for possible collapse of TLVS anti-missile program

  By: Sebastian Sprenger COLOGNE, Germany — The German arm of MBDA said it will “restructure” its operations following signals from Berlin that the government is having second thoughts about the company's pet project, the TLVS air defense system. The move comes after European consortium MBDA and its American partner Lockheed Martin held out hope for years that their follow-on work on the former Medium Extended Air Defense System — which included the United States, Germany and Italy — would eventually yield a contract with the German military, or Bundeswehr. Up to now, the vendors invested some money of their own in the effort, believing the system's features would revolutionize a global air defense market dominated by the Patriot system. But MBDA now thinks a contract still won't materialize next year, the company said in a statement. In addition, the statement noted that Defence Minister Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer announced a reevaluation of the Bundeswehr's entire air defense portfolio. Such reviews typically are telling indicators that governments want fresh thinking on a given subject and are willing to scrap long-standing plans. In the case of TLVS, Kramp-Karrenbauer's recent emphasis on “layers” in missile defense, a common way to conceptualize the technology, could mean the system is no longer thought to serve the sweet spot in intercepting aircraft, missiles or drones at various heights and distances. Late last month, lawmakers only included a token sum of €2 million (U.S. $2.4 million) for TLVS in the defense budget for next year. While there is an opportunity to add funds midyear, including some kind of bridge funding until the Defence Ministry's goals are more clear, the companies are seeing their prospects diminish. It remains to be seen how the ministry would shape the narrative about canceling a program once held up as a poster child of German defense procurement reform. Officials set the program up with the idea of delegating as much development risk to the contractors as possible, at a fixed price. Combined with the gradual addition of new feature requests, like hypersonic intercept and lasers, that approach began to look untenable for both sides over the summer. https://www.defensenews.com/global/europe/2020/12/04/german-industry-lead-prepares-for-possible-collapse-of-tlvs-anti-missile-program/

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  September 25, 2020 | International, Aerospace, Security, Other Defence

  Dutch Patriot missiles, UK C-17 support cleared by US State Department

  Aaron Mehta WASHINGTON — The U.S. State Department on Thursday OK'd two potential arms deals for a pair of NATO allies. The Netherlands was cleared to purchase 34 Patriot Advanced Capability‑3 (PAC-3) missiles, with an estimated price tag of $241 million. The United Kingdom, meanwhile, was cleared to purchase $401.3 million worth of logistics support for its fleet of C-17 aircraft. The announcements, posted on the website of the Defense Security Cooperation Agency, do not represent final locked-in sales. All Foreign Military Sales announcements must be cleared by Congress, after which dollar and equipment totals can change in final negotiations. The Netherlands deal would include the 35 PAC-3 missiles, as well eight kitted 2-pack PAC-3 MSE Missile Round Trainers, six kitted 2-pack PAC-3 MSE Empty Round Trainers, four PAC-3 MSE Skid Kits, one lot of Classified PAC-3 MSE Concurrent Spare Parts and one lot of Unclassified PAC-3 MSE CSPs, along with logistics support. “The Netherlands will use the enhanced capability to strengthen its homeland defense and deter regional threats, and provide direct support to coalition and security cooperation efforts,” per the DSCA. The Netherlands operates four Patriot batteries. The prime contractor would be Lockheed Martin. The Netherlands typically requires industrial offsets when buying foreign-made weapons, which are to be negotiated later between Lockheed and the Dutch. The U.K. request includes “aircraft component spare and repair parts; accessories; publications and technical documentation; software and software support; U.S. Government and contractor engineering, technical and logistical support services; and other related elements of logistical and program support” for its C-17s. Boeing will be the prime contractor. “This proposed sale will improve the United Kingdom's capability to meet current and future threats by ensuring the operational readiness of the Royal Air Force. Its C-17 aircraft fleet provides strategic airlift capabilities that directly support U.S. and coalition operations around the world,” per the DSCA announcement. Since the start of fiscal 2017, the Netherlands has been cleared for 11 other FMS cases, totaling $1.95 billion in potential sales. In that same period the U.K. has been cleared for seven FMS cases, worth a potential $7.35 billion https://www.defensenews.com/global/europe/2020/09/24/dutch-patriot-missiles-uk-c-17-support-cleared-by-us-state-department/