June 14, 2018 | International, C4ISR
WASHINGTON — European military and staff planners from Belgium to Bulgaria gathered this week in Austria to take part in Cyber Phalanx 2018. The exercise, which involved 27 nations, aimed to strengthen European readiness against cyberattacks, with a special focus on “cyber defense decision-making and planning processes,” according to the European Defense Agency announcement.
The heads of Britain and Germany's domestic intelligence agencies joined European Union officials to warn of an expanded use of cyber to undermine democratic processes by Russia. Countries like Finland have identified cyber espionage as a top threat to the survival of national technology companies.
While the EU has organized little in the way of cyber exercises, the Cyber Phalanx exercise won't be the first among European allies to focus on cyber readiness and training.
NATO has taken the lead in preparing member nations for cyber threats, organizing exercises like Crossed Swords for members to gain experience with cyber-kinetic operations involving drones and 5G networks.
The alliance also recently declared success at its Locked Shields exercise after NATO cyber specialists defended a theoretical country's electric power grid, communication networks and other critical infrastructure from thousands of cyberattacks.
NATO has also led the EU in discussions of a response to a cyberattack, even raising the possibility of treating a digital transgression as an act of war.
Now, the issue may be warranting more attention from European organizations. Hosted by the EDA and the Multinational Capability Development Campaign (MCDC), Cyber Phalanx seeks to help the participants from various nations familiarize themselves with existing European online structures and their respective roles as cyber stakeholders.
As governments around the world contemplate how to recognize the next threat to their networks, the exercises in Austria also will hopefully “increase interoperability” among experts and governments in Europe.
Planners will also be prepared to address previously overlooked aspects of cyberwarfare, such as fake news or social media that might be used to compromise planning or execution.
As the pilot Cyber Phalanx, the exercises will draw on the feedback received from participants, trainers and organizers to adapt the course and improve the concept for future iterations. The exercises concluded June 8, with lessons learned incorporated into the training curriculum for future European cyber experts.
June 19, 2023 | International, Aerospace
European hopes of winning at the second attempt a groundbreaking U.S. military order for refueling planes are fading after the Pentagon scaled back its potential order, cooling the prospect of a new transatlantic "Tanker War," industry sources said.
October 5, 2020 | International, Aerospace
JÉRÉMY JOLY Le ministère des Armées pourrait passer une commande "à court terme" et de façon "simultanée" à celle de la Grèce. L'heure tourne pour l'armée de l'air française. Selon les informations de La Tribune, l'Hôtel de Brienne pourrait passer très rapidement une commande pour des avions Rafale à l'avionneur Dassault. Une commande en urgence liée aux besoins opérationnels directs des militaires français. En effet, les calculs actuels font apparaître un déficit de 18 avions d'ici à l'horizon 2022. Une situation qui pourrait mener à une accélération de la cadence de production chez Dassault Aviation. Mi-août, on a appris que la Grèce faisait l'acquisition de 18 avions de combat français Rafale. Six d'entre eux seront neufs, les autres seront des modèles d'occasion. Or, ceux-ci seront pris directement dans la flotte de l'armée de l'air et sur les chaînes de production. Autant d'avions qui manqueront donc aux forces opérationnelles. La Grèce souhaite en effet les premiers appareils dès la mi-2021 et les derniers débuts 2022. Or, il faut 36 mois pour fabriquer un Rafale. Vers une hausse des cadences de production ? Selon La Tribune, les aviateurs français feraient donc face à un déficit de 18 appareils à la fin de l'année 2022. Dans le même temps, 55 Mirage 2000D sont en rénovation. Les derniers Rafale ont été livrés en 2018 à la France. Un sentiment d'urgence qui pourrait donc pousser la France à passer commande de façon simultanée avec la Grèce. "Dassault Aviation devra augmenter ses cadences de production", insiste une source au sein de l'armée de l'air. Une situation à même de s'aggraver si la Croatie décide d'investir dans des Rafale d'occasion. >> A lire aussi - Florence Parly cherche à rassurer sur les prélèvements de Rafale pour la Grèce Le carnet de commandes de Dassault Aviation affiche déjà 96 commandes jusqu'en 2022, entre l'Inde et le Qatar. En France, l'objectif à l'horizon 2030 est de compter sur une flotte de 225 Rafale (185 pour l'armée de l'air et 40 pour la marine). Dans le même temps, comme le souligne l'Usine Nouvelle, Dassault Aviation espère inciter la Finlande ou encore la Suisse à passer aussi des commandes. Un impératif alors que selon les projections actuelles les chaînes de production ne seront pas remplies après 2024. https://www.capital.fr/entreprises-marches/la-france-pourrait-commander-des-rafale-en-urgence-1382074
July 6, 2020 | International, Aerospace, Naval
July 06, 2020 Aviation Week Network forecasts that over the next ten years, 677 new, Western-designed helicopters performing maritime missions will be built, 114 will be re-engined/remanufactured, and 355 will be retired. Aviation Week defines this mission market as helicopters performing search and rescue (SAR) over bodies of water without special equipment, general-purpose helicopters based primarily on ships performing specifically maritime missions, or helicopters carrying specialized technology for anti-surface and anti-submarine warfare (ASW) missions and over-water airborne early warning (AEW) missions. The V-22 is included in the forecast due to the CMV-22B's role performing the traditional helicopter mission of vertical replenishment. The largest procurement of maritime helicopters this decade will be the U.S. Coast Guard's upgrade of its fleet of 95 Airbus MH-65Ds (based on the H155) to the MH-65E standard. The largest new-build procurement of maritime helicopters will be NH Industries NFH90s going to several European countries. While the NH90 still has a customer in Qatar, it has definitively failed to gain wider traction in the Middle East as it struggled to compete with Leonardo and Sikorsky offerings. Very close behind the NH90 is the ubiquitous Sikorsky S-70/H-60, with new-build helicopters in the next 10 years. The two largest procurements of maritime helicopters in the world both belong to the Indian Navy, which has a 123-aircraft Naval Multi-Role Helicopter (NMRH) requirement for anti-submarine warfare helicopters and a 111-aircraft Naval Utility Helicopters (NUH) requirement. Leonardo's continued blacklisting by India has removed its ability to compete for 2/3rd of the worlds yet -to-be-decided maritime helicopters but it remains a strong competitor for much of the remaining helicopters in open competitions and requirements. For more information about the 2020 Forecast and other Aviation Week data products, please see: http://pages.aviationweek.com/Forecasts https://aviationweek.com/special-topics/vertical-lift/forecast-western-maritime-helicopter-deliveriesretirements-2020-2029